#purple is they/them and gold is he/him in this story but i apparently suck at using singular they in more than a couple sentences

[fallenangelofsalt]

another one but this time its purple >:)

@whirld-of-color @styck-figure you liked the last one so I hope you'll like this one too :) and here's the first one for more context

Part of this AU's horror is based on those minecraft gothic posts that circulated for a while but now I can't find anymore.

The ones where the player can't just log out after a while, where the world is both dead and alive, drowning in its own emptyness. Where you are the only one.

Your mom is gone, now. Dad has been gone for a while. You don't want to stay in the house. You don't think you even could.

You go somewhere else.

You heard about Minecraft in the streets. Seemed like as good an option as any. You get a place to stay. An abandoned server forgotten long ago, undeleted out of forgetfullness in an account with a long lost password. The monsters are a bit scary, but now you can get food. You wonder how the server has managed to keep up with updates, but don't dare look a gift horse in the mouth.

You notice things.

Odd, unexplainable things that take a while to register as odd. The way the caves seem to breathe, the way gold always feels sticky in your hands but never seems to cling to anything alse. You think at first that it's just part of the game, until you take a trip to the outernet and see a couple gameplays and realize there was no way for the players to feel any of that.

You find a mushroom biome one day, and the spores in the air make you dizzy, miscelium sinking with each step and leaving footprints for hours. There are mooshrooms here, but only you leave marks on the ground, and their eyes are a bit too big, a bit too empty, and you swear they are following you.

The nether is even worse, because sometimes you can smell something rotting, decaying, and the soul sand always feels hungry.

Eventually, you fall. And it just gets worse.

The monsters always seem to know where you are, and light doesn't seem to stop them from spawning anymore. They hit harder, too.

Your inventory seems glitched, you still have your items from before your fall but you can use them still so you won't complain.

You don't think about the gold strand in your hair.

You don't think about the dreamsnightmares.

You don't think about the taste of corndogs in your mouth or the phantom feeling of a hug so utterly different from the ones mom gave you.

You don't think about Dad.

You don't think.

There is nothing to think about.

Not even the predator stalking your every move.

[sotrybloggy]

Chapter 2 of Me and my friends Story<3

Chapter 2: Jail. {Lexi’s POV} 

Now we are in a forest we are “almost there”, but I have a plan to escape. It’s not the best I have come up with, but it’s okay. I’ll use it if needed. ���So where do you two come from?” one of them asked “definitely not here.” Another whispered but I heard I roll my eyes, these people suck! “Don’t be rude to the guests” a man in all black said to the other people in the jail 

“Violiet probably made a mistake in capturing them, they don’t look like Scarlet's bandits” a short guy in all red said. 

“True, the one wearing green is way too pretty to be evil” a girl in blue commented. 

“Kai, Jay, I haven't seen them before, so they probably aren't bandits or anyone of Scarlets minions” the man in black commented 

“Jay, stop complimenting the evil people!” the man in all red scolded. 

“What?! It's true though, Kai” Jay said,  

“Uhhhh, guys? the boy in blue looks too young to be a bandit, he is, like my age, heck I'm too young to even patrol, why are you letting me patrol again?” the little boy in green said hurriedly. 

“Morro, I don’t need you dying again, that’s why I like to keep you in my range of vison” the girl in purple said nonchalantly, ‘wait that green kimono wearing kid died?!’ I think, surprised 

“But Violiet, can’t you see ghosts?” Jay asked, 

“We don’t talk about that” Violiet (that's her name apparently) said. 

“Lexi, the girl in blue called you pretty, isn't that nice?” Ace said. 

“Ace, these people are literally taking us to jail” Lexi deadpanned 

“Boo!” the little *dead* green boy said to Ace 

“Aaaaaaaaa!!!” Ace shrieked, the little green boy giggled to himself, what a ‘comedian’ I thought to myself. 

“Can we ask you questions?” Ace asked the man in black the man in black looked down at him  

“Sure” he responded, 

“Why are we here?” Ace asked,  

“Who are you people?” I asked before the man could respond  

“We, ma'am, are the ninja patrol” the girl in purple said (she said rather aggressively) 

“Btw we are the police around here” Jay said  

“Cool!!” Ace exclaims, I nudge him and look at him with the look like “bro this is not cool we are getting ARRESTED”

he looks at me like “oh ok” 

(Fun! we are in trouble with the “police”)  

Lil’ green boy stares at Ace then says while a smile spreads across his lips, “I’m Morro, what’s your name,” he did not wait for an answer “the demon girl in purple, silver and black is my older sister Violiet, and the girl in blue and yellow is Jay, and the boy in red is Kai, and the dragon man in black and sage green is Cole” 

 Ace pauses “my names Ace and this is-!” I glare at him before he finishes “-My sister!” he continues, they throw me into a cell and keep Ace outside with them 

I hear fast wingbeats getting closer and closer, what the fuck? 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!” said some random dragon boy in gold and red, 'fantastic another one’ I think, “Violiet, I need you to help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and Sky and Neuro and all our friends!!!!!1!1!1!1!1!” the boy wailed then he looked over and saw me 

“Oh, I see this is a bad time I'm Seven but anyway please help” Seven’s voice ended on a loud wail. 

(This was boring and weird in a jail cell watching people “solve their problems” or something and a dragon boy just walked or flew in, like what?!)  

The dragon boy stuck his hand through the cell “what’s your name?” he asked and smiled 

“Ace! Don't touch him, he could be you know dangerous or something” I said 

“But Lexi he looks nice!” Ace protested, 

“Oh, then your name is Ace, little one” Seven said kindly 

“How do you know that” Ace said astonished 

“Little one, your sister, (I assume) is very rude” Seven said, (wait, why does this dude have a crown? Is he actually royalty?) 

“Wow, just like Violet.” Morro says 

“Hey! I'm not that mean” Violiet snapped, a little irritated by her younger brother's comments. 

“Girl, you murdered your sister for murdered this little man who you can see, isn't that a bit much” Cole comments 

“Sir, you helped me kill her.” Violiet snapped back at Cole  

I roll my eyes, (I officially hate almost all these people. I want to go home.) 

“And your name must be Lexi” Seven said to me putting his hand out expecting me to shake it. I don’t want to shake his hand, so I don’t my put hand out in return, he looks at my hand waiting for about 20 seconds then I kind of high fived his hand instead of shaking it (I don’t like shaking people's hands) he looks at me confused  

“Anyway, we need help, and I was wondering whether you would help me” Seven exclaimed 

“What's in it for me?” I asked  

“Well-” He looks at Violiet and looks back at me “We can help prove your innocence!” Seven exclaims coming up with it on the spot  

“If you have any” Violiet mumbles  

“So-! Do we have a deal?” Seven offers 

“Sure!” “We’ll think about it” Me and Ace said at the same time 

“We’ll- Think about it” I repeat  

“Think about it well...” Violiet says to me. I pull Ace over into our own little corner  

“I don’t think Violiet wants us to come with them” Ace says sad-Ish   

“It's obvious” I say back to him “I mean she like hates me so-” I continue for a minute “This is why accepting that is a bad idea!” 

“She doesn't hate you; she just acts that way because she’s afraid that you might hurt me.” Morro said quietly “She is just overprotective and I'm pretty sure she thinks you might have worked for our dead sister, Scarlet” 

“Scarlet hm? Weird... I think I've heard that name!!” Ace said 

“Don’t listen in on our conversation” I say, not knowing Morro was there in the first place 

“I'm just trying to help” Morro mumbled sadly, we stare at each other  

“...Just- Don’t.” I mumble back at him (why do I feel bad for this kid?)  

[scribeofmorpheus]

Himmeløyne [25/?]

Pairing: Loki Odinson x Reader

Catch Up Here | Masterlist

Warnings: Violence / Angst???

A/N: ... 

Taglist is open! Reblog, comment or leave a like please ☺

~Y/N

“You shouldn’t be here,” Loki said.

Shivers ran up your spine. For the first time since you knew him, he looked terrified. Helpless.

The Creature—the monster—that materialised from the mist inched closer. Its steady pace was unnerving, like pinpricks to the skin.

You took Loki’s hand in yours, felt his grip, ironclad, and said, “Right here is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

He smiled sheepishly, “Then our reunion was fated to be a short one.” He glanced at the creature, at its eyes, and clenched his jaw as tightly as his muscle could allow. He took an instinctual step back, pulling you behind him. “There’s no escaping it.”

You turned to the creature, unsure of what it was entirely that you sensed from it. It wasn’t fear—at least, not your own. Not hate either. Though it was masked in those emotions well. There was a drive behind its instinct, a purpose. Keenly aware of the fact you still had your magic, you let your magic do the searching where vision failed you. Tendrils of energy waned as if something unseen was pushing back, resisting. You planted your feet, took a deep breath and blocked out everything except the creature. There was familiarity there. A sense of pain. Grief. A broken heart.

Bestla’s words rippled back to you, reminding you of what she had said about Loki, “Loki is a fraught boy. Torn apart by two halves that will always be at war.”

A tendril of magic managed to touch the creature and incoherent flashes distracted you, making you lose balance.

With a grunt, you and Loki were both flung back, the wind knocked out of you. You rolled from your side and noticed the creature was undeterred from his path. A strong magical barrier surrounded it.

The creature lunged, its bone and flesh sword for a hand tearing the seams of Loki’s subconscious world.

You had to get Loki away from the creature, find a way to reassure him, give him room to process everything in safety. As long as the creature was a stone’s throw away, you wouldn’t be able to help him. “How do we escape it?”

Loki turned to you, downcast, “We don’t. I’ve never escaped it.” He looked at his hands. “I have no powers here.”

“But I do,” you forged a connection to his subconscious through your linked hands. “Think of a place, a memory, anywhere you feel safe. I’ll take you there!”

The creature neared and Loki’s mind flooded with too many images, too many years condensed into a barrage of smells and touch, hot and cold, emotion and emptiness. Steeling yourself, you clung onto the strongest sensation: smell. Berries. A burst of blue and purple. Warmth from an oven. A hug.

Instantly, the both of you were sucked into a portal of light, teleported deeper into Loki’s mind. Before the portal shut, the creature let out a roar, snagging skin from your elbow as it slashed and slashed in a frenzy. You seethed from the surprising burn of its cold touch.

You were thrust forward and wrenched back, a tension to your muscles, adrenaline soaking tissue. Your magic sparked, and you lost your bearing. When the world stopped spinning, you were in a kitchen, not the human kind with a hearth and cast iron pots, but Asgardian. Polished stones greeted your feet while gold embellishments decorated everything; curtains, fine dishes, the liquid within crystal clear tumblers.

“Where… where are we?” you glance around, unfamiliar with your surroundings.

Out from a blind spot, two boys darted into the kitchen area. Frigga followed soon after, a youthful blush on her face, hair the colour of magnificent straw. The boys played with wooden swords, clashing in a dull thud. Laughter keeping the room vibrant. The boy with the sandy hair yelped, and before your eyes, his wooden sword transformed into a snake, slithering away.

The raven-haired boy turned ghostly pale, frightened by what he’d just done. He clenched his fists in horror. Frigga calmed him, a sweet smile on her face as she ran her fingers through his hair. She hesitated for a moment before she hunkered low to hug both her sons. Soon after, a baker walked into the room with a silver tray of pastries. Blackish filling spilt over the folds, the smell of citric berries permeated into the space like a blanket, sweet and tart.

“Home,” Loki said. A look of longing crept over his face, a slouch to his shoulders. “I remember this day… This was the day before Father had taken us to the vault to tell us stories, of our grandfather, of the war…the Giants. Mother had asked the baker’s to make her favourite pies. We helped her pick the berries from a thicket near the edge during the day. It was the first time I used transformation magic. I was so scared. So was Thor. But not Mother… she just held us till we stopped crying. Made us feel safe in her embrace. She said I got my magic from her. That we were born under the same stars. Blessed by the same spirits.”

You placed a hand on his back and he leaned into the contact. “It seems like a happy memory.”

“Many of them were… before…” he turned to look away from the homely scene unfolding. “They were my family. My blood.”

The child version of him smiled with pie filling smeared over his round cheeks. You recognised Baldrick in his features. Slight, but distinct. The same dark hair and wide eyes. An impression more than anything.

“They still are,” you said.

“They are not my family…” he sneered, clicking his tongue. “And after what I’ve done, they couldn’t forgive me. I wouldn’t forgive me.”

“You did nothing wrong.”

“I have done plenty wrong!”

You flinched, his anger turning the room cooler, snuffing out the air, closing you in. Mist crawled onto the windows, and, suddenly, you knew. This feeling—this dread—it had been warped around the creature too, preventing you from fully penetrating its barrier. That same magic now surrounded Loki. More apparent after his outburst.

“Not from where I’m standing,” you said. “Perhaps there is much you need to take responsibility for, but not this”—you placed your hand on his chest, felt the thrum of his heart—“not for who you are…what you are.”

 “They lied to me! Made me think I was one of them. Hid my birth rite from me. Hid me,” he shouted.  “I’m a monster!”

The mist had enveloped all the windows now. Cracks spread like veins. A chill wracked through the air.

You ignored the foreboding signs and kept your focus on Loki, “By that logic, so am I.”

His eyes snapped up meet yours, his lower lip trembling. “Not you. Never you.”

Your heart ached at his words. “I’ve taken life… Life that I now see was more than a simple monster made real from under my bed.”

Recognition flashed across his face, “The Giant in Jotunheim. The one who...”

You nodded, slowly. “Yes.”

“But he took something from you,” Loki held your shoulders, speaking in haste as he shook you. “You deserved vengeance. And wanting it… that doesn’t make you a monster.”

You let out a sigh, somehow feeling older as you did it, feeling the heft of another’s life—of Bestla’s life. “Only because something had been taken from him, too. Something that was rightly his.” A sad smile came over you. “Do you know what he said before I killed him? He said his kind were always the villains in my stories. I never thought much of it, at the time. But then I met someone…your grandmother. She told me things, about the Great Wars, the histories of the Giants, the truth. And I see now…”

Loki rambled, taken aback by what you said. "My... grandmother? H-How? When? I—I don't..."

The creature materialised into the room, stone walls exploding into flecks. It growled and Loki stiffened. He was about to pull you away, but you stopped him, mustering all your magic to urge the Jotun beneath his pale skin to surface. His breath hitched as he staggered, fighting the process. You kept watching as the creature continued on its approach. You had a few seconds at best.  

“I see now that there’s more than one side to any story. And war… war destroys more than the past. It takes history. It takes truth. It makes martyrs out of monsters and monsters out of martyrs. Makes kings. Destroys empires. Breeds hate. And these effects ripple out, for generations. You and I are but small grains of sand taken by the whims of the past, struggling to be still.”

“What are you—” Loki’s eyes went wide, making him look so small, so human, as his blue skin surfaced. You trailed along his arm, magic between the two of you building with a charge. With possibilities. He shuddered, taking a few deep breaths to centre himself, to grow used to his reflection in your eyes.

“And this is my truth…” you kissed him gently as the mist clung to your robes and feet. “I love you, Loki, Son of Asgard, Last Prince of Jotunheim... Trickster God. I love all of you. And I bent the world to save you, but the truth is, you aren’t lost, you’re running away.”

The creature lunged, and the wind died out. The creature’s shadow fell behind Loki. From over his shoulder, you could see it raise its arm high, ready to strike… ready to kill.

“It’s time to face who you are…” you whispered.

The creature struck. Loki shouted your name, cradling you close. There was a boom. A rush of air followed by a harrowing silence.

Loki stumbled backward, shocked. All around him were shards of ice, suspended in the darkness until it receded back from where it came. In the light, the creature sloughed away, like fungus being scraped off wood. The layers turned to snowflakes and dispersed all around you. Under the rage and strength of the creature was Loki’s double, pale skinned, blue eyed.   

You walked over to Loki’s double and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you see now? Do you see what you were running from?”

Loki paced from left to right, never letting his eyes leave his double. Then he took a step forward, mouth agape, the reality of everything dawning over him. “It was me.”

“You blame yourself for everything. For what happened to my village and what happened to me in the throne room. I suspect you’ve always done so. Resolved yourself to hate the part of you that was different. That was hidden. And that part of you, stricken by self-loathing and doubt, guilt and grief, remained buried here, in the depths of your mind, alone. Apart from you. And when you went under, you could no longer supress him. But after the throne room, those feelings grew in your subconscious, giving form to the very thing you feared. The Jotun in you. The Giant. The monster of your stories.”

“N—No… I—It can’t be.” Loki shook his head, conflicted.

You held out your hand for him to take, “Do you trust me?

He nodded, at a loss for words.

“Then connect them, the two pieces that have been separated for so long. Accept the truth,” you delicately ushered him closer to his double who just blinked, expression empty, hollow.

As the two Lokis stood face to face and the world shook. You took several steps back and watched as Loki put his hand up. His double mirrored his action. When they joined palms, a torrent of emerald light streamed outward, both cold and hot all at once. As bright as a star. As piercing as an arrow. Everything melted out of view until it was only you and him, the illusion of a night sky forming in the background.

He stood close, his smile not quite right. Snaking his arms around you, he held you flush to his chest. You looked up, chin resting on his chest. Finally, you were home.

 “Thank you,” he whispered before kissing you. The kiss was life affirming, as though he was saying a thousand things in a single act. You kissed him back, lips tenderly caressed by his own.

A swell flourished in your belly. Warmth you hadn’t felt since the last time you were in his arms flooded back. It was joy. You gasped as that feeling of solace returned from where it had been stripped away. Elated that you could feel his magic again. Feel him again. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you could finally breathe again. Be at ease again.

“I—” Loki steadied himself, as though he were about to speak the world apart. “I—”

But before he could finish, you felt a third presence tunnel its way to your subconscious. A message warning you from the other side, from the woken world. It felt like Heimdall’s magic. And it was filled with desperation. “Wait! Heimdall… Something’s wrong!”

“I feel it too,” Loki said.

You felt yourself being pulled from the world, out and through. The world adapted to the invasion. Tears of reality blended into the space.

The voice of a guard shouted, “Captain! She’s resisting. We can’t separate them!”

“Pull harder!” the captain shouted back, her voice heated and coarse like lit charcoal.

Through the tears, you saw the healing chamber. Heimdall and the rest of your companions were defeated, huffing for air. They were being ushered out of the room in shackles. The resisted to no avail, dragged out one by one by the guards in shining armour.

Through the distortion, and past the ebbing flow of sound, you saw Odin enter the room. He carried a familiar tome in his hands. Bestla’s amulet!

You had forgotten that you’d left it in Heimdall’s care. Odin must have taken it from him as he was being dragged away.

“I haven’t seen this in a long, long time,” Odin said wistfully. His thumb brushed against the bird bones, beads catching light from the golden castle. He whispered to the captain, the amulet trading hands between them, from his to hers. Spine bent, Odin took his leave.

The Captain narrowed her eyes at you, and, had you been in your body, present and aware in all senses, you were certain you would have taken a step back.

The captain loomed closer, the tug of so many unfamiliar hands on your wrists and elbows. She shouted again, but the world phased and her sound never reached your ears.  

With a dimmer, Loki’s world had begun to flitter out of view.

Sensing this, he drew you close, desperate to have you hear his next words. His lips moved with fervour, words spilling out harried and muffled, incomprehensible. The outside world grew louder. More real. Loki tried to hold onto you, but you felt his hold on you slip away.

With a mind splitting headache, your body greeted your subconscious in the woken world. A wave of exhaustion washed over you as you were overpowered by the guards.

Loki, awakened, reached for you again as he shouted for the guards to desist. Some took a moment to consider, conflicted, but the captain silenced them with a look.

Loki struggled to keep his feet steady. The weeks suspended in the chamber had taken their toll on his body. It was spent. Just like his mind.

“I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, I command you to release her immediately!” he said, anger sparked within his eyes. He motioned to summon his magic, to use a spell to fend off the heavy men with heavy grips. 

Softly, you shook your head. Speaking low enough for just his ears, “No! Loki… No more violence.”

“Hold her still,” the captain ordered. You were wrenched further back. Loki was still reaching for you, just a little out of reach, staggering with weak knees.

“I’ll make this right!” he swore. “I promise. I’ll make it right.”

With a grimace, the captain placed Bestla’s amulet close to your neck and it came alive, a will of its own as it twined uncomfortably around your neck.

“Wai—”You recoiled from the deadened aura of the amulet. Once it settled in place, you fought the urge to cough. The amulet’s distinct lack of presence overpowered you. It made you limp and you felt sparse. Lacking. No magic. No warmth. Eyelids as heavy as boulders. The strength to stand seeming impossible in the moment. It was worse than the leeching. At least that came with pain, with something.

“Take her below,” the captain said before turning her sights on Loki and ushering a few healers into the space. “The prince needs assistance. Hurry.”

Woozy, everything seemed far, far away. The drag of your feet away from the healing chamber came with less resistance. Loki shrunk in your peripheral, still staggering to close the gap.

[minyoonmeme]

Normalcy of the Pretty Posse

Chapter 1 

Word Count: 2494

Pairing: reader x ?????

Genre: like 90% fluff, 10% stupid jokes and bad humor

Description: Stupid Jeongguk and his cute sweaters and pretty posse of hyungs. 

(Disclaimer: This will probably have some typos. I started writing this instead of doing some Statistics homework and spent so long on it that I have zero time to edit. Sorry~)

next

masterlist

There was no game plan. There never really had been, at least not for me. Making it past 16 was something I had never foreseen, never imagined I could do. And now, here I am, alone in a country in a university far from home with no idea how life is supposed to go. Okay, maybe I’m being pessimistic because I’m not completely alone. I have friends if you count the two idiots who don’t let me drown in takeout boxes on weekends. They’re wonderful, they really are, I promise. 

Yoonjin is the sweetest person I’ve ever met no matter how much I want to strangle her into putting herself first. She’s the one who calls me about anything and everything. Don’t tell her that I secretly love that she calls me first when something happens. Chaebin is my right hand gal. My broski. My homegirl. My uh… well she’s great honestly. She’s all bark and no bite with the strongest affiliation for cute things, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These two are pretty much my whole life other than the impending doom of my failing future that I have chosen to personally personify. Makes it less scary if it's punchable, honestly. 

“Are you gonna actually do your work or are you gonna stare at your coffee all day?

Rolling my head to the side, I eye Chaebin with the blankest face I can muster. 

“I didn’t ask to be criticized when I asked you to come to the library with me.” 

“No, but you did ask me to make sure you finish your paper in time for practice tonight. Yoonjin will cry if you let her go by herself again.” I groan, throwing my head against the cushion of the booth’s chair. She’s right, I know she is. I’ve missed two weeks of dance workshops and Yoonjin, without missing a beat, after every workshop comes knocking on my door teary eyed and sputtering about how she was all alone and lost without me there. Food usually helps soften her up. 

“You think she’ll forgive me if I miss just one more week?” Chaebin twitches her eyebrow up as she side eyes me from her computer. I slump even further and push my laptop farther away in favor of laying my head down. “You’re right. She’ll probably accuse me of abandoning her and our friendship if I skip one more time.” 

“I’ve literally seen you pump out a 12 page research paper in 3 hours, just go dance or whatever tonight and stress yourself later.” 

“Anxiety and Red Bull are a toxic combo, but I’ll have you know that I got a 94 on that paper.” Smiling smugly, I turn my head to look at her. She’s not wearing her glasses today, so it’s hard to tell if she’s glaring at me or blind today. “If I bail, are you gonna be okay by yourself? I can swing by afterwards with Yoonjin, so you don’t have to walk home alone tonight.” 

Her glare softens as she shakes her head no before grabbing some eyedrops. Oh. So she is wearing her contacts. “No, I’ll be okay. I came packing.” Her right hand pats her bag before she smirks and continues searching through her syllabus. 

I eye her bag warily and half jokingly say, “Please, tell me you don’t have a gun.” 

Her face scrunches as she stares at me. “Are you stupid? Why would I have a gun? I meant I have my phone and a taser. Do I look like I know how to shoot a gun?” 

I shrug and start packing up my bag. My joints scream and pop from being stationary so long. “I am, do I look like I know how to shoot a gun? You never know Chae, I could be a highly skilled marksman just waiting to take someone out. I might not even be a real college student, just a really good undercover assassin.” 

Her nose twitches as she clicks open a few browsers. “You almost cried last night when you saw a stray cat ignore you. I highly doubt you’re killing anyone these days.” 

“Animals love me and that one hurt, don’t use my feelings against me. Don’t you remember when you cried because you thought I was ignoring you last year?” Her face dropped as she coughed into her shirt, trying to hide the red splotches. “I was literally sick for three days and you came to my apartment with food because you thought I hated you. What was it you said? Something about not being allowed to hate you if you fed me.” 

“We don’t talk about junior year, I was going through it.” Her voice was tight, but I could tell she was amused. “It’s almost 6 o’clock, you should text Yoonjin and tell her that you’re not abandoning her tonight.” She slides my bag towards me and lets me scoot past her out of the booth. 

“Yoonjin and I will be by later to walk you back to your apartment around 9:30. Sound good?” My legs wiggle as I try and get a feeling back into them from sitting so long. When I stand there longer than normal, her eyes flash up as she nods and waves her hand at me to leave. 

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

You wanna meet outside the commons tonight or walk over together?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

WAHH 

YOU”RE COMMING? No more awkwardly standing in the back by myself!?!?!? :)))))))

[crying egg dog.pdf]

let’s meet in the the commons

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

7? By the double doors upstairs?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

No, no, no my friend come ASAP. We have much to discuss.

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

Uh okay???? See you in like 10 minutes I guess??? 

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

See you! <3

_______________________________________________________________________

“You actually did come.” Yoonjin’s hand reaches out and pinches my arm before she settles back against the wall. “I thought for sure your text was all some weird daydream I had conjured up.”

“Chaebin convinced me that our friendship was on the line if I left you alone at another workshop for the third week in a row.” My bag landed on the ground as I slide down next to Yoonjin. Her hair, newly cut and dyed to a short choppy greyish purple bob, was still something I needed to get used to. Yoonjin had failed her midterm last week and as a result decided that her hair would rejuvenate her life and, thus, her will to study. I still don’t think she’s bought her textbooks for this semester yet, but that’s not my business. 

“As she should! It was your idea to start coming to these dance things, and you left me!” Despite her anger, she still turned her smoothie toward me as an offering. “I look like a loose limbed monkey in there. At least with you there, you explain the steps to me.” I choke on the smoothie a little bit, as she crosses her arms.

“Loose limbed monkey? Yoon, you look fine! These workshops are meant for people who don’t have dance experience. It was your idea to try dancing, I just found a place to do it” Her face contorts as she sips on her smoothie again, shaking it to mix it up and get some frustration out. 

“It wouldn’t be so bad if people like you or Jeong-fucking-guk didn’t kept coming. It’s not fair to suck and then have to watch you two just like magically do it.” Her head gets thrown back with a thud as she grunts. Immediately I laugh and rub the back of her head in oder to soothe the soon to be ache. 

“I can go if you want since you seem to not want me or Jeongguk here apparently.” Her eyes dart over to me in the most non threatening but threatening way possible for someone like her. “Okay, so I’ll stay. Make your mind up Yoonjin, I can’t keep playing these games with you.” I click my tongue against my teeth as she smacks my thigh closest to her. “You said something about Jeongguk coming right? Since when does he come out to these things? I thought he was a dance and choreography minor? Shouldn’t he be with the big dogs or something in like a real class dancing?” 

Yoonjin hums, offering me the rest of her smoothie. It’s a green looking health smoothie from a self proclaimed health bar down the street. It’s for sure my favorite, and definitely not her’s, so I take it and nudge her as a thanks. “That’s the thing, I didn’t even know he went to these things. Usually I just hang out with you and everyone else who hides in the back with me, but last week he came up to me and asked if you were still coming.” I raise my eyebrows in surprise and nod for her to continue. “I told him you’ve been busy and he kinda just nodded and shuffled away. He did tell me to tell you to take it easy though.” “Were you ever planning on telling me that a boy approached you about me?” 

“I'm telling you now and that’s all that matters. Besides, I thought you swore off men after the mishap freshman year with that one Tinder date.” 

Immediately my face heats up, and I grimace at the memory. “We don’t talk about that for a good reason, you brat.” If she’s mad I called her a brat, her smug smile doesn’t show it. I go to open my mouth and further yell at her for bringing up the traumatizing story when a pair of black heavy boots skids to a stop by my stretched out legs. 

Okay, so here's the thing about Jeon Jeongguk . He is terrifyingly good looking. So much so that looking at him hurts, like physically hurts. Jeon Jeongguk could punch me in the face and I would say thank you for the attention and bow before passing out. Okay, that’s perhaps way too far but he is attractive and built. God, is he built. And he’s not even an asshole about it! Most guys who exercise thrive on showing off their bodies and flaunting their muscles. Not Jeon Jeongguk , though., Nope! Jeongguk wears sweaters and button ups that make him resemble a Korean version of Mr. Rogers. All smiles and kind eyes with a heart of gold. Men like Jeongguk are the reason I have heart issues and top notch acting skills. 

“You’re back!” My eyes blink a few times at Jeongguk before I register that he's looking at and me actually speaking. When I don’t say anything Jeongguk fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt and looks at Yoonjin before letting out a cough. He speaks a little calmer now, more airy and rushed. “Yoonjin said you’ve been busy and I was worried you weren’t gonna come back ‘til next semester. Not that I worried about you or like not not worried about you, but uh…” He sputtered a little and lets out a small huff of air before ruffling his hair back. My lips pressed together as I swing from internally swooning over his cuteness to the attractiveness of him pushing his hair back. “It’s good so see you back. Hobi hyung, says it's good to have some experienced people in the class to encourage and help beginners.”

“Is that why you keep coming too?” 

Maybe he doesn’t expect my question or for me answer him at all, but he blinks a little too hard and shyly looks over my shoulder rather than my face. It’s cute and maybe it makes a smile break out on my face. Just maybe though. “Yes! Hobi-hyung asked me to help him since he can’t uh ya know help everyone at once.” He doesn’t sound too sure of himself, but I let it go seeing as this is our first comprehensible conversation. 

��That’s sweet of you to help your hyung for free. Does Hoseok-shi think I’m there to do the same? I feel a little bad missing the past two weeks if you’ve been doing it all by yourself.” I frown and pinch my eyebrows a little tighter, looking the direction of the doors. Should I apologize? Yoonjin beside me, I can tell, has grown more and more interested in our conversation as she undoubtedly is texting our group-chat with Chaebin about what's happening. She nudges me to focus when the conversation stalls a little. The nerve of her, I swear.

Jeongguk , getting redder and slightly more panicky, shakes his head no a little too roughly. His hair looks a little messed up, and I nearly squeal with the need to fix the adorable mess that he is right now. Outside, however, I just smile softly and encourage him to explain. “Hobi-hyung and I are okay, you’re just like an added bonus to class cause you know you obvious have some experience with your technic and seem to pick up the dances quickly.” It’s a little rushed, but I think I make out everything he’s saying.

“Are you trying to say I’m a good dancer Jeongguk ?” It’s meant to be lighthearted and playful, but Jeongguk physically widens his eyes and looks everywhere, but in my direction for a few seconds before he stops trying to voice anything out just nods. My hands clasp in my lap as a I suppress a smile and will the flush to disappear from my cheeks. “Thanks, you dance really well too. I can see why you’re studying dance.” 

Jeongguk whispers the faintest, “Thank you,” before shoving his thumb in the direction of the door indicating that he’s gonna help them set up for the workshop. I wave goodbye and watch as he does the same and dashes behind the door. Now that he’s gone, I can breathe a little easier. That was probably the weirdest experience I’ve had today, or this week for that matter. Pretty people don’t just go up to me and talk, let alone me of all people. And when I say pretty people, I mean pretty people like Jeongguk and his pretty posse of friends.  Jeongguk and his hyungs are just uncommonly so pretty and somehow together all the time. Even now Jeongguk is inside with Jung Hoseok, a graduate student who hosts the beginner dance workshops on Thursday. The fact that  Jeongguk even talked to me, or asked about me last is enough to twist my insides a little. Normal people talk to people all of the time, but  Jeongguk was not normal and his hyungs are not normal. I mean they are, but they project this ethereal aura that just intimidates everyone. So, why for the love of God was Jeon Jeongguk just talking to me?

“Are we gonna talk about what just happened or are you gonna keep staring at the door?”

“Shut up, I'm trying to process everything.”

[bloodyshadow1]

Beaujester week 2020 Day 3 Dance

    Jester was bored and disappointed.  When they, The Mighty Nein, received word that the Empire was holding a royal ball in celebration of the war with the Dynasty coming to a quick close, she had been excited.  She had been extra excited when she found out that they were going to be on the guest list due to their efforts to push for peace.  She thought it would be nice to be at a big party where there would be nice music, fancy people in fancy clothes, expensive food, it was supposed to be something out of a fairytale.  

    The others weren’t into it, at least not as much as Jester.  Veth seemed okay with the fancy food, but regretted that she couldn’t bring Yeza, the Empire still believed he was either dead or a Dynasty prisoner, she couldn’t afford to reveal him.  Caduceus was optimistic, at least he seemed to be okay with going, to him it was just another party like the one in Nicodranas.  Fjord was cautious, he didn’t think it would be great for all of them to go since they tend to be embarrassments, but his opinion didn’t really matter.  Caleb was being cautious too, both a bit too much and a bit too little, like he normally was when it came to the Assembly and their wizards.  Yasha seemed ambivalent, she didn’t mind but crowds would make her uncomfortable. 

Beau…, Beau seemed the most against going,  Jester understood why, Beau didn’t like fancy clothes or expensive food, she had grown up a rich girl in a big house and hated every moment of it.  Jester was glad that she got Beau the suit that she seems to love to wear instead of a dress.  She looked nice, really pretty, in Jester’s red dress, but she didn’t look right.  In the suit that Jester bought her though, she looked amazing, pretty and handsome…, it didn’t matter.  Still, as a member of the Cobalt Soul Beau had to be present in case anything was said or she could overhear anything that the Soul would require.  Yudala Fon would be there as the High Curator of the Rexentrum branch of the Soul, but they would be watched fair more intently by the Cerberus Assembly or other powers in the Empire who saw the Soul as a threat.  Beauregard as a younger member who wasn’t wearing the raiments of the Soul, it would be easier for to move among the crowd unnoticed.  

It wasn’t fair to Beau, but Jester was happy that they were going to the ball held by the King.  At least she had been, now that they’re here, it was so boring.  They split up once they got inside which wasn’t so bad since it was the plan, Caleb went off with Veth, with Fjord and Caduceus nearby to intercept any wizards who might try to corner him.  Jester went off with Yasha and Beau, but they got separated in the crowds.  It was easy to see Yasha who was a head taller than most of the guests that were invited, and her size made them part like water before her.  Despite her trepidation, Beau managed to blend in with the crowd better than anyone in the group.

The people were so boring, they were all dressed in clothes worth thousands of gold and they were mostly boring.  Men in suits or robes, women in the newest fashions that they could afford, that left them all looking pretty much the same.  The food was okay, it was definitely expensive, but nothing like the spread at the party thrown in Nicodranas before the war.  The music was okay too, if Jester was being charitable, it was a couple musicians playing classical Dwendalian music.  There were no vocals, not that there was a way to compete with the Ruby of the Sea, but it was very plain classic songs.  There were people dancing, but it was the boring kind of dancing that was slow and none of the couples looked all that happy with their partner.  

Jester was quickly set upon by a few men who seemed eager to spend time with the exotic looking blue woman in the outlandish dress.  Currently she was dancing with a young man who was taller than her with sandy blond hair, Someone Something who was the Son of Someoneelse who owned land Somewhere.  He had said it a few times when he introduced himself, apparently his family was one of the wealthiest and most powerful amongst Jester’s would be suitors so the rest backed off for now so Jester couldn’t even use one of them as an excuse.  

“You truly have the most wonderful eyes Ms. Jester,” he said with his eyes looking far more south than her eyes.  

“Thank you,” Jester tried to say as nicely as she could.  He had been at least slightly charming and good looking enough at first and Jester had always wanted to dance at a fancy ball like this so she had agreed to a dance.  Three dances later,  his leery eye and braggadocious attitude had gotten old, and this was their forth dance together.  “For the compliment and the dance, unfortunately I have something I must attend to,” she said curtsying and before turning away.

“Oh come now,” The man said, grabbing her wrist to stop her, “one more dance.”

“I’m sorry,” Jester said evenly, she could tell the man was trying to show off how strong he was with the wrist grabbing.  “But unfortunately, like I said I have things to do so I need to leave.”

“I don’t think you understand,” the man said, his faux charming tone dropped, “I have decided that a lovely woman like you is just what I need to make this night entertaining and I always get what I want.”  The grip he had on Jester’s wrist tightened, to make his point.

This man might be a threat to other young women, but Jester had faced far more dangerous men and monsters.  A spoiled brat that couldn’t take a no, that was the reason why she had to leave Nicodranas in the first place, she wasn’t afraid of him.  “I understand perfectly,” Jester said, easily breaking the angry man’s grip with her deceptive strength, shocking the man.  “You are a spoiled brat and very rude.  I agreed to dance with you and I have, now I am done because I don’t want to dance with you anymore.  You’re making a scene and I am not going to humor you any longer.”

The man’s face turned red, then purple, as Jester told him off he looked ready to shout at her but before he could Jester was interrupted.  “There you are my dear,” Beau came striding over as if she was some puffed up noble, “I know you enjoy dancing with the menfolk, but really I think you’ve spent enough time teasing,” she said and offered Jester a hand away.

For a moment Jester could stare at Beau, looking so beautiful in her suit, coming over to rescue her like a knight in shining armor from the stories.  But it was the way Beau looked at her that made Jester feel warm, her big blue eyes burned with a desire to protect Jester.  It didn’t matter if Jester could have handled things, Jester was just glad Beau came to help her.  With a giggle and a curtsy Jester took Beau’s hand. “I’m sorry my love,” she said playing along, “but I wouldn’t have to spend as much time teasing if you would just dance with me.  It’s not my fault I have to seek out other forms of entertainment while you indulge in the buffet.”

“Excuse me,” the young man Jester was dancing with said interrupting them, “I was talking to her.”

Beau gave the man child a haughty look up and down, and laughed at him, “and now I’m talking to her, and I’m much more important than you are so go away.”

“I’ll have you know I can -,”

“Can what,” Beau cut him off.  “Can get into a fight with your betters and humiliate your family, to the point where your father puts you aside for one of your numerous bastard siblings?  Go away, you’re not worth it when I have my sweet to talk to.”

For a moment the man seemed like he wanted to say something, but while Jester, for all her power looked sweet and innocent. Beau, with her face covered in scars and hard eyes didn’t.  “You haven’t heard the last of me,” he shouted with his tail between his legs.

“Now that that’s over,” Beau said, “you want to dance,” she asked the other woman at the other end of her arm as Beau of the Mighty Nein, her best friend, her roommate, her something more. 

“Yeah,” Jester said smiling, she wanted to dance with her monk in a sharp suit.

This is late, and I’ll admit the ending wasn’t my favorite, but it’s already late and I made the mistake of going into the Beaujester tag for inspiration, but while there were good art and stories, there are so many assholes in the tag bitching and moaning about how their ship is better than others and garbage like that.  That much negativity just sucks the creativity out of me. Still, I did my best to push through and finish this. I hope you enjoy it

[saiilorstars]

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal)  – – [Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series]

Pairings: Eventual OCxOC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel

{If you’d like to be added to this OC’s taglist, let me know!}

// Story Masterlist //

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Ch.2: Sailor Hemera

"Watch where you're going!" A seemingly enraged girl called after a boy who had bumped into her because he'd been too engulfed in a gray book. "Not even an answer!" the girl scowled but sighed after a moment.

There was a light pitter-patter near her and when the girl looked down she found a purple cat beside her. The stark golden crescent moon on the cat contrasted with her dark fur.

"Luna, remind me again why I'm the only one who got to remember Sailor Moon, the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask existed?" the girl asked, huffing as if she were still angry about it. Now, it became more of a mystery.

"Because you, Azula, are exceptionally different," Luna articulated with refined elegance.

The girl, Azula, shot the cat a look. "You're sticking to that because you still haven't figured it out, either, huh?"

"Eh," Luna gave a tilt of her head.

Azula shook her head and watched after her friend, or rather ex-friend, Mamoru, who didn't even notice her anymore. A month ago Sailor Moon, or Usagi, had made everyone forget that the Sailor Scouts had existed. No one remembered any attacks from the Dark Kingdom. The scouts themselves didn't remember they were Sailor Scouts reincarnated. Usagi Tsukino didn't remember she had been a princess in her previous life. No one remembered anything...except for Azula Keena.

Azula had been a close friend of the scouts because she had managed to find out their identities. She proved herself useful with her tech abilities and quickly became a strong asset for them despite not having powers like them. One year older than them had her situated in the same school as Mamoru Chiba, although she was a year younger than him. They were friends, had been, but now he didn't remember her. In fact, he didn't remember anyone, not even Usagi who had been his grand love from a previous life.

But despite everyone losing their memories, Luna, Artemis, and Azula remembered everything. The memory wipe was not efficient with Luna and Artemis but neither had an explanation as to why Azula remembered as well. Fact was she shouldn't have. It was impossible. Yet here they were. Since then, Azula tasked herself with making sure there were no more enemies to deal with since Sailor Moon and the Scouts were out of commission. But she also tasked herself to simply look after everyone even if they didn't notice it.

"I may not be one of their scouts but I think myself as a guardian," Azula said confidently as she and Luna walked down a street after school. "A silent guardian."

"Job's taken, I'm afraid," Luna said quietly but Azula still heard and gave the cat a curious look.

"Luna, exactly how many scouts are there? Usagi made it look like it was only her, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako. But I've always been curious if there were more."

"That information is not necessary right now," Luna replied calmly. "So there is no need to even talk about it."

"Hm," Azula smiled to herself and continued walking.

They came across the local arcade of the district and walked in. The teenage boy behind the counter gave her a wave. Motoki was always the type to greet you with a big, wide smile. "Azula, your father said he would be taking a business trip tonight so it's going to be just you and Keiko tonight."

Azula gave a small nod. "Thanks, I'm sure Keiko's gonna love the fact she gets to babysit her dear old step-sister tonight."

He laughed. "Keiko doesn't treat you bad."

"No, she doesn't, I just like teasing her." Azula turned her back and leaned against the counter.

Her father actually owned the arcade - which made it easier to sneak into and use the underneath grounds for their secret Moon base - and he was usually in and out of the house attending to it. Azula's parents had been divorced since she could remember and she had lived with her American mother in America until her passing. At seven years, Azula had been taken in by her father in Japan and was introduced to her step-sister, Keiko Keena. Keiko wasn't actually related to Azula but they didn't care. Both girls had been an only child within their original families and wanted to experience having sisters. And after Keiko's own mother had passed away, Azula's father grew to see Keiko as his own. The were a small, complex family but nonetheless a family.

"Not again!" a girl cried in despair when she lost at the Sailor V game. She dropped her head over the controls, her long blonde hair falling down.

Azula motioned Motoki to watch her school bag for a minute while she went to the crying girl. "Usagi? Let me guess, the computer won? Again?" She laughed.

Usagi Tsukino was no stranger to losing to automated computers. She raised her head for a minute and gave a nod. "It keeps beating me."

"You might wanna try 'beginner'," Azula teased, prompting Usagi to drop her head on the controls again.

"You should be nice to your best customer!" she heard Usagi's muffled voice a second later. Azula looked down at Luna, both amusingly shaking their heads at Usagi.

"C'mon, Usagi, don't you have homework you're going to forget about or something?"

Usagi jumped from her chair like a bed spring. "I HAVE MATH TO DO!"

"There it is," Azula's voice was barely heard beside Usagi's loud shout. The blonde girl scrambled a quick goodbye, not even noticing her own cat, and ran out." Hard to believe she was actually a refined, Moon princess in another life," Azula remarked afterwards. Luna groaned beside her.

After a couple of minutes Azula and Luna left the arcade and were subjected to a sudden heat in the air that hadn't been there earlier. Though it was strange, as it really wasn't time for heat anymore, neither made a comment about it. Instead, Azula opted for a lunch on her own. Luna wasn't surprised by it though since nearly every day, at the exact hour, Minako Aino, Makoto Kino and Mamoru Chiba all ate their lunches, separately, but there. Azula just liked watching them all, even if it was from afar. Fruits Parlor Crown was a nostalgic place.

"There is no rule that you cannot speak to any of them," Luna would say just before Azula walked into the restaurant.

"Usagi wanted to be normal and I'm trying to respect that. Everyone wanted to be normal. The only reason I talk to her is because you're with me and, well, kinda awkward," Azula sucked in a breath and greeted Motoki's younger sister, Unazuki, the waitress before finding an empty table.

Just like each day she would come in, Azula pretended to do her homework while she ate. This was the only times where she could more or less learn what went on with her friends without actually talking to them. She knew it was probably strange but she really didn't want to compromise their memories. She already carried the burden of remembering everything that happened and, while Luna and Artemis did keep up at the base, she felt like it was her responsibility to be on the look out for anything potentially dangerous. She was the person, after all, that remembered everything - that had to count for something right? She wasn't just like any ordinary person.

"What's...that…?" Unazuki's voice pulled Azula from her mathematics book. The young girl was pointing at the glass window where they all saw a black cloud literally floating.

Azula's eyes widened in alarm, and frankly fear. She got up from her chair and stared in bewilderment as the cloud floated past the cafe in broad daylight. Everyone else in the cafe were doing the same thing.

Luna rushed out the door without even warning Azula.

"Luna!" cried Azula before running out herself. Her red, flaming hair bopped as she hurried down the stairs to get to the street.

There was a loud scream down the street and it was of course due to the black puff of cloud. It had captured someone, apparently, and had everyone else around running away from it. Azula skidded to a halt and gasped at the sight. The black cloud, which now began to look more like a shadow, had entangled a young woman with black thunder that kept the woman still, but in pain.

"I need the Shadow Crystal!" the purple-black cloud demanded.

"It talks?" Azula was frazzled but Luna skipped that part and went on to the concern stage.

"Somebody's got to help her!"

Azula turned sideways to find Makoto a couple inches behind her. From further behind Azula spotted Minako and Mamoru apart from each other. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"

"We're going to have to call Usagi!" Luna warned Azula, but both knew that even if they did do that Usagi would not get there in time to save the poor woman.

The victim screamed as something was pulled right from her chest: a shining white crystal with freckles of gold.

"A white crystal!?" went the black shadow, obviously angry at the results. "You have wasted Senka's time, puny human!" the black thunder around the woman vanished and the woman dropped to the ground. The white crystal slowly lowered until it returned to the woman's body. "I shall try another one!" and the cloud suddenly moved in the direction of Azula.

"Luna I don't suppose you could grant me temporary powers…?" Azula took a step back.

"I'm afraid not…" and Luna truly lamented it. She was sure Azula would have made a fine Sailor Scout.

"Yeah…" Azula gulped.

"Halt!" went a new, feminine voice that froze the cloud for a moment. "You shall not go any further!"

Azula, and the others, followed the voice up to the top of a parked truck across the street. There stood a woman with long, straight brown hair and stark, golden eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved body suit tucked underneath a pleated, light brown skirt with golden hemlines and matching short, golden boots with light, brown laces. The top part of the body suit exposed her middle with light, brown thick strings running across. There was a golden jewel piece going around her forehead, reminding Azula of the tiaras the Sailor Scouts wore, only this one had a golden sphere at the center. It matched the golden sphere necklace around her neck.

While everyone stared in awe, Mamoru felt a sharp jab at the side of his head.

Young Prince Endymion had wandered from the castle and came across a lonely field of almost dry grass. It was strange because as far as he knew everything on Earth was full of life and cared for. Something was wrong.

He stepped over the long weeds and keenly looked around for anything more suspicious. Suddenly, he crashed into a wall - an  invisible wall. He had to shake his head just to see if it had been his own illusion. He reached out and came across a wall, indeed, that rippled upon his touch.

"Halt," a female voice commanded.

Endymion turned to find a woman, similar in age to him at least by appearance. Long, straight, brown hair billowed in the wind that wasn't there a minute ago. Dressed in shades of gold and light brown, she held out a golden sword towards him.

"You must not pass," she warned. Endymion looked around just to make sure the woman was talking to him and not someone who perhaps followed him. His generals were no stranger to doing that. "Yes, prince, I am speaking to you," the woman read his thoughts and gave a small smile. "I know who you are, and I know you must be very confused but I cannot allow you to get any further."

"Who are you?" Endymion finally found his voice and began to demand. He knew every possible fighter in the Kingdom and he had never seen the woman before.

The woman lowered her weapon and got down on one knee. "I am Sailor Hemera, an honorary Shadow scout of light and day, protector of the barrier between the Earth Kingdom and the Shadow kingdom."

"The...Shadow kingdom…?"

Sailor Hemera's golden eyes raised up to the Prince. "The Shadow Kingdom led by Queen Nyx and her daughter, Princess Reign."

Could that be the same woman he just saw? And if so, why had he seen that vision all of a sudden? Mamoru wasn't sure, but he definitely wasn't leaving now.

"Step away from the nice girl or suffer the consequences," the mysterious woman ordered calmly of the shadow.

The shadow cackled. Apparently, the woman had been funny. "And just who do you think you are little girl?"

The woman, who seemed young in appearance, regarded the shadow with pure disdain. She somersaulted off the truck and landed gracefully on her feet. "An honorary Guardian of Shadow, I am the Sailor Scout of Day and Light! I am...Sailor Hemera!"

"A Sailor Scout!?" Azula nearly fell backwards. Luna too was gaping.

"You are from Shadow?" the cloud, Senka, suddenly grew interested.

"And you are from the Shadow Dominion, are you not?" Sailor Hemera raised her head. "I knew there was a reason why I was awakened. You want the Shadow Crystal, don't you?"

"I am Senka, created by the Trinity Guardians. I am the Queen of the Shadow Dominion and I will find my Shadow Crystal!"

"The Shadow Crystal was never yours!" Sailor Hemera reached to her forehead where the golden circle suddenly sprouted headband fabric, forming a clean, clear headband altogether around her head. "Glimmering boomerang attack!" she flung the tiara towards Senka.

"Watch out!" Makoto had yanked Azula backwards as the boomerang whipped in the area. Azula nearly fell back if Minako hadn't rushed up to help keep her steady.

The boomerang went right through Senka but she groaned like it had actually hurt her. Gold power swirled within her shadow form for a couple of seconds. "I am not strong yet!" Senka cried and vanished into thin air.

Sailor Hemera caught her golden boomerang and easily placed it back on her forehead.

"I-is she gone?" Azula asked just as Sailor Hemera turned to leave.

"Yes, but she wasn't defeated. Senka will return and look for the Shadow Crystal again."

"What is that? A-and who are you?"

"Sailor Hemera," Mamoru spoke before the woman could. Everyone turned to look at him but he was busy staring at Sailor Hemera herself. She seemed startled by his determination that it was her. No human should have that much recognition of her and yet here was this one…

"You should all be careful," Sailor Hemera warned deeply and made her getaway.

Makoto and Minako went to see how the victim was doing but Azula remained in her spot unable to do anything. She looked down at Luna who was just as concerned as she was, then they both glanced at Mamoru. He had remembered? No...that couldn't be it. But then why was he staring at the Sailor Scout the way he was?

[officialleehadan]

Sky Battle

Hello darlings! Today was a fun one. I love it when you prompt me for Lore ,and today was just one such Prompt.

Today's story was brought to you by Jon! Thank you so much for all your support, darling. Your comments are so much fun!

Prompt: Blaec and Hoshi meet for the first time.

+++  

Blaec had never been so far east. It was strange, the way the world spread out below him and turned form the gold of his home sands to the lush green beyond, punctuated by mountains so high that even he, pumping his wings, battling the winds for dominance, could not reach their peaks. He roared his defiance even as the air beneath his wings grew thin and painfully cold, but it was a battle he could not win, and sulkily, he folded his wings in and plunged down into warmer, thicker air below.

The mountains would not outlive him.

He would challenge them again, when his wings were bigger and his fire hotter.

Today, he was hunting for a new lair.

On and on he went, tasting the air for the hot-stone he sought. For the warmth bubbling up from the Earth below. He needed heat, he understood now. For all that he enjoyed his lair deep in his own lands, the waters there were rising fast, and soon they would wash out his comfortable lair, dug into the cliff with a fine basking spot above.

He might be taking the floodwaters more personally than he strictly should, but it was a good lair, and now he had to leave it, find somewhere new, and move his horde. All without the humans figuring out where he made his new home.

Humans were an irritant, but it didn’t take long to convince them that, while he might not be that much bigger than they were, he could certainly eat a good few of them if they bothered him.

Honestly, they were easier hunting than most things, even if they did sometimes shout and shoot things at him when they saw him.

So he had buried the entrance to his current lair and taken to the skies to find a new one. 

North, so far, had been a disappointment. There was great sheets of ice and heavy snow covering all the good warm spots, and while the warm spots did seem very pleasant, Blaec hated snow and ice. 

So north was out. 

West was water. A lot of water. He might be able to cross it, saw immense creatures, his size or better, cutting through the waves. They would make a good meal if he could catch them. But even when he flew as high as he could, there was no end to the waves, and he didn’t trust his chances. If a storm blew in and caught him, he would be defenseless.

South… had options. He found a valley that might do, although it wasn’t as stable as he might like.

And now he was flying east to see if there was anything better. Somewhere warm, and comfortable, with good basking and good stone for digging out a lair. 

It wasn’t until he was winging his way over the great, towering mountains that he heard it.

A challenge scream. 

Pure instinct folded his wings and he plunged downward as something white exploded out of the clouds, raging and trailing air so cold it burned when it caught the tip of Blaec’s tail as he passed. 

He rolled in the air and sucked in a breath, magic pooling on his tongue until it was thick and heavy and hot. A scrape of his spark-tooth ignited the heady magic, and he filled the air around him with flames. It bought him the time to catch the wind again, and he kited high above the clouds, trusting in the thin air to protect him. If he couldn’t go any higher, nothing would be dropping on him from above. 

The clouds blazed silver and twisted into a funnel that reached upwards for him, winds shrieking. Blaec fought his way higher until his lungs begged him for air, and higher still, before he steadied himself, folded his wings in tight, and dropped like a stone. 

A glimpse of icy white and deepest blue caught his eye, and he flicked his tail out. In such a steep dive, the barest change had immediate effect, and his dive angled steeply. 

The creature writhed, too cold to bite, and too strong to hold onto for long, but the primal forces of the world could not be denied. Blaec didn’t bother fighting, and instead let his weight and his prey’s carry them down, through the clouds into harsh mountain wind, and into a nearly-frozen lake. At the last moment, he snapped his wings open to catch his fall. His prey had no such wings, and rocketed straight into the water. Blaec, already unhappy and cold, fought and failed to keep from doing the same. 

At least it was deep enough to keep the long fall form turning them both into bug-splatter.

By the time he dragged himself out of the chilly lake, hissing furiously as he breathed flames into the rocks below until they were hot enough to chase some of the ice from his wings, his prey was doing the same.

She, and he didn’t know how, but he knew she was she, was a dragon. She didn’t look anything like him, ice-white with blue under, and a heavy mane of darker blue. She also, he noted, did not have wings. 

When she spotted him, she coiled like a snake ready to strike. White flames dripped between her teeth, and Blaec could already tell that a fight between them would end in one of them dead, and the other terribly wounded. Maybe dead themselves.

He didn’t want to fight. Not when he thought he was the only dragon. Not when he saw for the first time that he was not alone in the world. 

So he tucked his wings in tight, and dropped himself down onto his heated stones. 

She watched him cautiously, head tilted when he ruffled his wings to shake the ice off, and carefully heated himself through before he could go into torpor.

When fire billowed between them, he almost leapt for the skies again. He didn’t want to give in. Not when he thought he might be able to win a challenge between them, but he also didn’t want to fight.

But the flames weren’t hot. Weren’t more than a summer breeze, really, and when he looked at them, he realized the missing piece of the puzzle.

“Who are you?” she asked cautiously, still cocked to fight, but now curious as well. The words were familiar somehow. Speech, Blaec realized. Speech he broke shell knowing and long thought a creation of his own to drive away the terrible loneliness of being the only one of his kind. “This is my place!”

The humans sometimes called him a word that he thought meant the color of his scales, but it wasn’t his name. His never-spoken name, that he now knew only another dragon could speak and be understood.

So with a careful, cautious puff, he spoke his name aloud, and added; “I thought I was the only one.”

She repeated his name carefully, billowing flames shaded with the deep purples that meant his scales, and the heat of his desert hatching. She seemed pensive, and finally curled down, apparently unbothered by the cold and ice. Blaec took it as a sign that he could heat up his stones again, and did so until he wasn’t quite so cold. After a while, she replied with her own name, white flames and slow, windblown wisps shot through with pale blue. Blaec repeated it back to her, although the concept of speaking another dragon’s name was new. 

“You are not here for my territory?” she asked when her name faded into the air. “Why are you here? I am not yet able to lay a clutch.”

“I’m looking for a home, not a mate,” Blaec hurried to assure her uncomfortably. “My lair is flooding. I need a new one.”

“Oh,” she said with a rumbly purr of thought, suddenly much friendlier. “Well, you seem to like heat. These mountains are cold.”

“I see that” Blaec muttered, and warmed up his stones until they popped warningly and glowed red. “I was hoping for deep hot sand.”

“None of that here either,” She said, and coiled in on herself until she built up a nest of snow. “Unless you go further east and north. There’s sand up that way.”

“Sand with earth-hot under?”

“Just sand.”

Not what he needed. Ice take it. He might have to settle for the lair he found south of his own. It wasn’t ideal, but it would do. “Have you found any others like us?”

She thought about it for a while, and rested her head on her front feet. “No. Nothing like us. I thought I was alone too.”

Sad for them both, Blaec reached out carefully and bumped the side of her head with his nose. She hissed at him, annoyed by the heat radiating of his scales, but it seemed the good-natured kind of hissing.

He didn’t know how he knew about good-natured hissing either, but now he was too curious to leave. Also, too hungry. Their short sky-battle burned off the energy from his last hunt. 

“I don’t want your territory,” he repeated carefully, and settled down on his rocks. “Or a mate. I think I would melt you. Or you would freeze me.”

“Probably,” she agreed with a crackling laugh that sounded surprised. “You can hunt here. But you have to tell me what you saw as you came to this place. I want to know everything. And after, maybe I can tell you about places to make a good lair.”

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HGE - The Others

Tales of before the Human Galactic Empire became what it would one day be.

Sea and Sky

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More Stories!

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[smarmaladey]

The Bad Touch - (3/3)

Chapter 3 - “the discovery channel”

Rating: 🇪

Fandom: Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure

Relationships:  🐞♡🚺

Words: 12479 (yikes i know)

Ao3 Link  Prev.

(For content warnings and additional notes, click read more)

Our “lovely” heroine finally reaches the truth. 

cw: rape/non-con elements, AU (probably), ooc (probably), break-ins(?), unintentional voyeurism, “sci-fi violence”, mind break (sorta), mildly rough sex, blood, yknow the uje

enjoy ♡

♡🐞♡ 

Tuesday.

12:00 AM.

The third incident. 

♡🐞♡

How?

How did it all go wrong?

It all sounded so slick in your head. It sounded foolproof. It sounded...smart. 

Your scheme, to you, felt like the best idea you had ever had in your life--at least in terms of your own, organic plans. But, as it always seemed to turn out, being a "thinker" just really wasn't your style.

What a shame it was. Really, to think that your egoism had already conjured up a hypothetical scenario about you solving the mystery of your boss’s behavior, therefore sparing countless others from the humiliation you went through, therefore gaining some kind of respect from people you barely knew. 

To your defense, anyone would’ve thought that it was flawless.

...Alright, in retrospect, maybe it wasn’t so great. 

The idea was to exploit a brand-new, experimental technique you’d been working on to make yourself utterly invisible, and to stow yourself away in Giorno’s bedroom until you got your answers. What you did was demonstrate Black Hole Sun on the surface of your skin, in such a precise way that the only light absorbed would be “visible light”, therefore making you colorless, i.e, invisible to the human eye. 

On paper, that was where it ended. Because to you, and your egoism, it felt untouchable. You had so much confidence, in fact, that you just up and did it! Right away! No further thoughts, no Plan Bs, just as soon as you got out of that sunroom you maneuvered your way to the second floor and swung open a random window.

To your luck, said window was just the one you were looking for. Upon stepping onto the plush carpet of your boss’s bedroom, shivers traveled down your legs at the temperature. It wasn’t as cold as the office, per say, but it was still madly different from the mild early-autumn climate. 

At least it smells nice.

The room looked exactly as you had imagined it, a fuchsia-purple-blue-gold color scheme, gaudy flower and ladybug themed decorations, and, of course, a king-size canopy bed. It honestly felt less like the room of a powerful adult man, and more like a clueless American teenager’s idea of what being a rich European was like. Ugh.

But you had no time at all to dwell on pointless things, you had a mystery to unpack! Moving as silently as you could, you began scouring the entire place, starting with the small bookshelf at one edge of the room. 

Nothing seemed to be evident, except for perhaps a thick-sleeved copy of Kama Sutra. Needless to say, you pushed that one in as soon as you pulled it out. At this point, you had already used your “technique” when you entered the room, but soon faded it out when you realized it was clear. 

It was frustrating, the fact that there was nothing abnormal about his room. Hell, he didn’t even have any condoms or anything in his nightstand! You’d think he’d at least have the audacity to plan on violating you using protection, but no! He didn’t possess anything suspicious aside from a shitty book or two, at least nothing he kept in his bedroom. 

Realizing this, you let out a groan, and coincidentally, you heard an unidentifiable noise right after and panicked. Heart racing, you rushed to a corner of the room, right next to a dresser, turning invisible. What you didn’t know was exactly how long you’d be forced to stay in this one spot. 

This was the point where the cracks in your plan really began to show. 

Consequences of this "technique" of yours wouldn't be apparent at first thought, but you already knew what could happen. During numerous past self-training sessions, you'd discovered how using your Stand in this way affected your body. 

By removing all visible light from your form, it basically made you a sponge for ultraviolet. The UV rays previously had, at the least, made your skin extremely irritated, and at worst, gave you a few medical scares. 

You thought that you’d be safe from this, since the lights in the room were all off, and the sun was already going down by the time you arrived. Although, when you saw the multiple light fixtures in the room, there was a sense of unease that overtook you. 

So, cut to the present, you’ve been standing in this one corner for countless hours, too terrified to move from the fear of getting caught, while dreading the inevitable daylight. Also, additionally, it was midnight at this point, and Giorno hadn’t shown up. Why?

The only people who’d come in were a few housekeepers that soon left upon seeing nothing wrong. Whenever that happened though, it was rough, as the light from the hallways tended to spill into the room and scald your skin a tad when the door was opened. 

Needless to say, your current situation kinda sucked. The only stroke of fortune you’d had so far was finding a few stale snacks in your coat pockets that gave you enough sustenance to not go insane. As for hydration, that was a different story. Before you had retreated into the corner,  you considered getting some water from the bathroom, but you held off on it until it was too late. This didn’t bode well, combined with your ever fluctuating body temperature, the dehydration set in much sooner than you had hoped.

You cursed the very concept of time, and the fact that there was no clock in the room. 

Normally, at these hours, you’d either be asleep, watching television, working, but usually asleep. Currently, you were more sleep deprived yet more awake than you’d ever been, leading to your mind going to places you’d never explored before.

It’s just not fair. You never asked for this. You never wanted to be put in this situation. What would eighteen-year-old you would’ve thought if she knew this was where she’d end up after becoming part of this organization? Crammed in the corner of her boss’s bedroom, because said boss tried to force himself on her (twice!) all of a sudden, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it instead of simply just avoiding him? 

At eighteen, during the first months of your “career”, you’d never seen your Don as a man, nor did you really see him as a boy either. Just an untouchable figure that you slowly seemed to get closer to, yet still remained slightly enigmatic. He was ethereal, beautiful, and assumedly powerful--like a god. You had no clue how he got to where he was, and you never planned on learning. Yet, as he got older, and became a little bit more reliant on you, that divine mask of his seemed to chip away. He felt more human, less like a god and more like...a demi-god? Something like that.

Despite all of that, he remained practically unreadable to you. And this persisted to this current situation, being that you still had no real idea what piqued his sudden “interest” in you. 

Your mind ended up going back to Sunday, to that first-ever incident. To his constant showcases of unwellness, to his abnormal teeth, to his fascination with that one vein in your chest. These, along with his apparent misunderstanding of temperature physics, were the only points you really had.

Racking your brain, you tried your best to come up with some kind of half-conclusion with these points. Was he sick? It’d seem like he was absolutely impervious to any kind of illness, but he was only human after all. But, you hadn’t ever heard of a flu that makes people inexplicably lustful, so that was probably off the table. 

Puberty? No, can’t be. He was too matured and too responsible to be having hormonal “rushes” like that, and succumbing to them, no less. Plus, neither that or the illness excuse explained his teeth. 

Did some kind of Stand possess him? The thought of anybody managing to lay even one finger on him seemed out of this world to you, hell, you still couldn’t fully comprehend how you managed to successfully break into his home. Even so, it did seem like it was the most plausible out of your three “theories” so that was probably the farthest you could reach with your current information.

Apparently, getting lost in your thoughts was a great time waster, as when you peered around to the window after settling down a bit, the sky had gone from near pitch black to a greyish blue. You couldn’t help but sigh when you realized this, both in weariness and fear. 

It wasn’t long before you sensed some commotion from under you, nothing too alarming, just a few signs of people walking here and there, mostly from the bottom floor. Working in stealth had caused you to greatly hone your senses, which came in useful for situations like these. You had even picked up a habit of memorizing footsteps, and that included the ones of your superiors. For example, one of Giorno’s right hand men (you didn’t know his name, but he was recognizable enough) had heavy, hasty footsteps, not unlike your mother, or a particular now-neutralized leader of a rival group. Giorno, on the other hand, walked slowly and lightly, the precision of his movements reflecting everything else he did. 

None of the footsteps downstairs stood out to you. They all blended into each other, all light and fast, the most common category you’d come up with. 

As time continued to flow, you slowly kept backing yourself even more into the corner in order to avoid as much light as you could. It revealed to be in vain, though, since you could already feel the UV seeping into your flesh and causing a mild burn. 

While uncomfortable, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, since there were no lights on in the room. At one point, you considered moving to close the curtains, but you decided against it. 

Is it really too late to leave? Most definitely. Perhaps earlier, you could’ve ditched the plan and left without leaving any evidence, but now you were in too deep. The carpet would’ve definitely had imprints of your shoes, there was probably sweat and other DNA samples scattered around, and you most likely wouldn’t be able to close the window behind you. Shit. You knew, no matter how deluded he seemed, he’d be able to know you had broken in just with those clues. 

If only I was like him. If only. 

With that thought, a sudden wave of depression hit you. 

You were a genuine fool, to think someone like you could’ve pulled off something like this. Truly. You weren’t a thinker, you weren’t a conniving mastermind, you were a pawn, a worker, a soldier. A machine that just knew how to follow orders.

But then again, you were kind of content like that. And besides, becoming a breeding doll for your boss wasn’t exactly your ideal type of promotion. 

So you stayed. Stayed in that one place, till something came up again.

♡🐞♡

You weren’t very sure, but you felt that it was around 4:00 PM when your situation truly began to shift. 

Leading up to said shift, you’d been drifting in and out of consciousness, as keeping B • H • S up took a lot of your energy. During those moments when you were present, you kept wondering if you’d end up eventually dying here, in this place. Wondering if you’d just end up succumbing to the dehydration and radiation, keeling over like a ragdoll while the light inside you faded.

What would people think of me if that happened? They’d probably see it as some kind of Aesopian tragedy, a cautionary tale to be passed on throughout the organization. A tale of a woman with a once efficient, somewhat important role in the great Passione machine, who threw it all away in the search for unnecessary answers. 

You were genuinely starting to feel hopeless. It was most likely showing, too, you could tell some of your color was fading back in, no matter how transparent it was. 

How ironic. In all of the many kinds of media you’ve consumed, color was usually a symbol of hope, while darkness and paleness was seen as evil. It seemed like, in your case, that was reversed.

Ignoring your past fears, you couldn’t help but let out a sigh when you thought of this. And that was when you heard it. 

Footsteps. Recognizable footsteps, no less, coming from the hallway just outside the room, getting closer and closer. 

Slow and light. Perfetto. 

 And just like that, all of your color faded away once more. 

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though, there was something abnormal about those footsteps. They weren’t slow slow, like you were used to, they were a tad quicker, a smidge hastier. Medium slow. 

That didn’t matter when they paused, presumably just behind the door. You could’ve sworn your heart stopped when you saw the handle of the flower-shaped door knob begin to wiggle and turn. 

Time seemed to go slow as the engraved, gold-painted door creaked open, and from the corner came a shiny black brogue. Who else could it have been, but the man of the hour himself? 

Giorno stepped in slowly, a neutral, but slightly worried look on his face. He was being a bit cautious, almost reminiscent of how you stepped into his office that fateful Sunday. His outfit looked no different than your past few encounters with him, somehow, some way. 

You watched his eyes scan the room as he closed the door behind him. Again, it felt like your heart was stopped, especially as he was glancing towards the exact corner you stood in. 

This is it. He can definitely tell where I am. He’s going to find me. He totally is. I knew I shouldn’t have done this. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. In that quick second, regrets started filling your head for what felt like the thousandth time today. If you had decided not to go through with this, you probably could’ve just moved to California and lived out your dreams, devoid of worry. But no, no no no no, you just had to--

Giorno didn’t notice you. 

The confidence that refilled into you felt blazing. 

Your boss sighed and started taking off his shoes, and shortly afterwards, his socks. You watched him closely, even as he strode to his closet to put them away, walked back towards your side to grab a random book from his bookshelf, and then promptly tossed said book onto his bed. 

When he approached the door again, and his deft fingers neared the light switch, your breathing hitched. Fortunately, he lowered them, deciding against flicking on the lights. 

It felt so surreal, watching him like this, in his element. Perhaps it wasn’t exactly normal, as you took note of how dismayed his face looked, and how hasty he was when walking down the hall. Well, it wasn’t surprising, but it felt a little good to know it wasn’t just you he was acting weird around.

He stopped in the middle of the room and stretched his back, grunting very quietly before sitting down at his decorated vanity. A rolling noise echoed through the room as he opened one drawer and took out a bottle of liquid, and then a small crimson handkerchief. Then, he turned a knob on the side of the mirror, and the brim of the vanity mirror lit up.

Despite the sudden flash of excess light, you steeled your resolve and stayed silent. This was your chance, you couldn’t go and ruin it now. Besides, it wasn’t even that much artificial light--it’d take more than a tiny fluorescent bulb to take you down. 

You examined him as he dabbled the liquid on the hanky, sighed, and then began to smear it on his face. He started with his cheeks, then his forehead, the bridge of his nose, and ended with his chin. All while the red cloth gathered a stain of pale beige, and the true texture of his face was revealed. 

There was a noticeable red tint on his face, like he had a fever or something. It made sense. A lot of sense, actually.

Giorno turned the cloth over, re-applied the remover, and wiped off his mouth. The natural light pink color of his lips was uncovered, pert and shiny. 

Cute.

Wait, no. 

As soon as those intrusive thoughts entered your head, you shook them out and internally punished yourself for even noticing that. 

You still had a good reason for looking at his mouth, you were trying to spot his strange teeth, but they didn't seem to show. Bummer. He then moved on to his eyes, giving the lids a couple half-assed swipes before setting the hanky down altogether. 

He stood up, closed his eyes, and started fiddling with the brooches on his coat, while trailing off near your side of the room. Before you knew it, he was standing right next to you, topless, the garment folded in his arms. It all happened so fast and so smoothly, it was almost terrifying.

Now it really felt like you were invading his privacy. Especially after he put the coat away, walked a few meters away from you, and stretched his back again. You could see every inch of his slim, toned figure, every muscle that shifted underneath his flawless flesh. Needless to say there was a bit of heat on your face, and it wasn’t just from the radiation. 

After he had enough of giving you an unintended show, he sat back down at his vanity and rested his left leg on top of the other. Leaning back, he lifted his long braid onto his shoulder. You couldn’t remember where from, but you once heard that he hadn’t gotten one haircut in the entire time he’d been Don, allowing it to lengthen down to the small of his back. 

How does he manage all of that? You knew it wasn’t the most important thing to worry about, but still, how? 

      Perhaps the same way he handled everything else in his life; (Well, everything except advancing onto you, and most of his interior decorating) With inexplicable perfection.

He began to meticulously pull his braid apart, after removing all the ties. It was insane, how he managed to make even something as simple as unraveling his hair look so graceful, in a way only he could achieve. 

Under the cloak of your Stand, you bit your cheeks. 

When he was done, he tossed and shook his hair, a golden cascade that rolled off his shoulders and flowed down to the base of his spine. Soon he grabbed a brush from inside a drawer and started combing it, ever-so-slowly and gently, with zero hitches or knots. 

You were, frankly, quite enjoying the view up to this point, but this is where things started to get a bit...mundane. Never did it cross your mind how many times your boss had to brush his hair each night, but it was proving to be quite a few strokes. You were nearly thankful you didn’t decide to count them. 

While this was going down, however, you could feel the UV still penetrating your skin. Along with your ever irritated epidermis, there was a growing faint feeling in the back of your skull, and a rather queasy feeling in your gut. Crap.

The only thing you could really hear now was the sound of your own breathing. The more stress put on you, the louder it got, blocking out subtler sounds that you could’ve heard earlier. One said thing you did pick up on was the quiet but notable sound of the brush passing through his locks. 

For a second, you considered moving to a more comfortable position, but you knew it would be way too risky. What you did do, however, was look out the window again, checking the sky. While it was darkening, it looked to be a while before you’d feel any true relief from the ultraviolet. 

At this point, Giorno seemed to have finished brushing his hair, now just sitting down and watching himself in the mirror. You had expected him to get into bed and start reading the book he had gotten earlier, but no, he just...stayed still. 

The sound of your breathing got quieter. 

He exhaled. Then grunted. All of a sudden, he began showing visible and audible signs of pain, curling over with his hand on his abdomen. His other hand, steadying himself on the edge of the vanity, twisted into a fist, the knuckles white. 

“God…” You heard him breathe out, his voice brittle. Catching a glimpse of his face, you saw how scrunched it was, and how prominent the redness became. 

It really looks like he’s suffering.

You almost felt bad for the poor guy. Almost. Keyword, almost. 

Your line of sight wandered back to his eyes, which were dropped, looking down. He had leant back in his chair, gazing at his own lap. It didn’t register with you when his hands moved down to his hips. It didn’t register with you when he unbuttoned his paints, and hooked his thumbs into the waistband. 

The next time you looked down, you saw it. 

He was...exposed. To say the very least. And...erect. Very erect.

It was like staring into the goddamn sun. 

You almost immediately averted your gaze, your breathing stopping altogether, as the heat in your cheeks threatened to grow hotter than the radiation racking your body. Oh lord. Mother of god, what the hell?

Out of the corner of your eye you saw him wrap his hand around himself, and soon after you heard him moan. He moaned. Was this really happening? 

It shouldn’t have shocked you as much as it did, it really shouldn't have. 

He gave himself a gentle stroke, and the weight continued to sink in. You frantically looked for something else to gaze at, but you couldn’t resist the urge to stare. Instead, you settled on squinting your eyes so much so that you could barely see anything.

The sound of his breathy voice cut through in the silent room, torturing your own ears with sounds that sent uncomfortable shivers through your torso. 

Now you really felt like a pervert. Truly. Never in your life would the thought of a situation like this ever crossed your mind, even at your most hormonal during your teenage years. Secretly watching someone, anyone “gratify” themselves was already a wild idea, and now that said person was your boss, one of the most powerful men in the goddamn country?

It made you want to scream.

Minutes went on, with no sign of him stopping. Although, halfway through, you picked up on something; something a little strange.

His soft, gentle moans had changed into what sounded more like sobs. Not even erotic sobs, just genuine weeps. You bit the bullet, looked at his face, and lo and behold, he was crying. His tears mixed with the leftover eye makeup on his face, and dripped down onto the surface of the vanity and the floor. It was the first time you’d ever seen him like this. 

It was the strangest, most disturbingly saddest thing you’d ever seen. And you'd seen plenty of messed up movies. Yet, instead of feeling sympathy, something else clicked inside of you.

The shock, embarrassment, and fear faded away. 

He was vulnerable. For the first time you’d ever seen.

I could kill him right now. 

You totally could. You could collapse the entire room with just one flick of your wrist, and most likely get away in time as well. All his efforts, over the three years he’d been at the top, could be destroyed in just a matter of seconds. And he wouldn’t even know. 

How ironically poetic would that be? After trying to violate his lackey twice, said lackey ends his life while he’s pleasuring himself--like a fucked up modern version of a cautionary Greek fable. 

What would happen after that? Would I take over? Could I?

The thought of that was enough to make you hesitant. Would that really be what you wanted? 

You moved for the first time in hours, bringing your invisible hand in front of your face. Even though you couldn’t see it, you knew it was there, and you knew what it could do. 

Would I be hunted? Killed? Assassinated? Or would people...worship me? 

While the morals of the organization confused you more than anything, you knew some people had strong, strong feelings about Giorno’s policies. You couldn’t even think of any changes you would make, honestly, you didn’t care or know enough about that kind of stuff. 

During your juggle of the pros and cons of that decision, the young man across the room grew all the more intense, bucking into his own soft hand, most likely wishing it was yours. His other hand moved from the vanity to the edge of his chair, his knuckles white and forearm trembling. He shut his stained eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling, voice growing higher and breathier. 

After a couple more solid pumps, he finally released. He let out one final whine as he climaxed, bringing you out of your thoughts and forcing you to lay eyes on him once again. As his essences surged out, he exhaled gently, his body calming back down. 

You watched as he sniveled one last time, before loosening his back and letting go of himself. He put his hands in front of him, seemingly coming to terms with what he just did, before tossing his hair up and sighing one more time. 

Giorno sorted himself out a bit, pulling his waistband back up again before slumping over with the bridge of his nose between his fingers. 

Your window of opportunity was starting to close. You could feel it.

Near panicking, you put your hand out in front of yourself and did a quick rundown of all the consequences of taking action. 

This is my chance.

If I don’t do this now, who knows what will happen?

But is it really worth it? 

Who else could I hurt by doing this?

Shit. 

With the fingers crossed, you raised your hand up higher.

If I’m going to do this, I have to focus…

So you did. Your vision unblurred, and…

wait.

what the hell is that.

Across the room, the ghostly golden form of G • E had been manifested. And its fingers were at the light switch. 

no

no you cant do that

you cant

its not fair

Time seemed to go slow as you watched the switch flip up.

thatd be way too much light please

please dont do that

please 

dont

During that microsecond after the switch flipped, you almost came to terms with your downfall. 

The instant the ceiling light came on, what felt like a thousand suns bloomed upon your flesh. It was like every single atom in your body was being shaken, and a dozen needles were being shoved into the back of your skull. You gave in near immediately, crossing your forearms over your face in an attempt to protect yourself as your cloak dissipated and you came crumbling down to the floor. 

You hit the carpet with a thump, letting out the shrillest, most pained scream of your life. After all this time, you were finally able to see your own two hands again, but this time they looked emaciated and dull as they gripped onto the carpet. 

There was most likely something else going down in the room, but you paid it no mind, as you raised yourself up onto all fours. Something swashed through your head and caused you to heave, a concerning amount of liquidy saliva dripping out in place of vomit. 

Behind the sound of the loud ringing in your ears, you heard a voice. 

“I-I...ah…”

You turned your head towards him, neck cracking, eyes so wide they hurt. He looked absolutely taken aback, his jaw dropped and cold sweat on his forehead. 

Once again, a newfound confidence overtook you. 

I may still have a chance.

All of your remaining strength was used up trying to get back on your feet, all while you kept glaring at him. With your hand pointed to the sky, you shouted;

"Don't you dare! I can murder you right now, right this second! I won't hesitate, bastard!'

His face looked filled with dread. "H...how long have you--"

"Thirty-two hours! Thirty two fuckin' hours! I've been hiding here, cooking myself alive, waiting for you, for thirty-two...ho...urs…" your breath ran out as you finished your words. 

"I...dear lord…" he uttered.

Seconds upon seconds of awkward silence between you two passed, so much that you could feel the lactic acid building up in your arm muscles. Both of you were breathing heavily, you moreso, with your body begging you to stop doing things. 

Eventually, Giorno’s expression dropped, and he turned, once again slumped over while pinching the bridge of his nose. 

Is...is he not going to attack me? “H...hey...what’s your deal?” You asked, quieter.

He wiped his hands down his face, groaning. “Suppose this is what I get for being brainless...god almighty…” It was infuriating, how easily he brushed off your threats like they were nothing. 

Your rage flared. “You’re underestimating me, aren’t you? Don’t doubt me! I already have one of my Stand’s plants on the roof, and if you try to pull anything on me, I’ll destroy everything you’ve built up over the years!” That part about the plant may or may not have been true. 

The golden boy looked at you again, completely unamused. “Alright…” he breathed out, dropping his arms to his lap. “I understand why you’re angry. I really do. If--”

“Then why’d you do it?” You quickly spat out, “why are you like this all of a sudden? What’s going on with you?”

A few more seconds of silence passed. 

He sighed. Again. “If you really want it so badly...then I suppose you have the right to know. Just...calm down, please?”

You were a little stunned at this sudden turn of events. It felt like just a few minutes ago you thought he was like a heavily-guarded safe full of secrets, but now he’s just offering to open himself up to you, right here, in this very moment.

“Retract your Stand, please,” he made a lowering gesture with both hands. “I don’t want you to strain yourself anymore. Come and sit down, I beg of you.” His arm stretched out and he patted at his soft bedding. 

While you did indeed lower your arm, you stayed hesitant, refusing to let your guard down. “Hey, wait. I don’t get it, how come you’re acting so…”

Giorno quirked a brow.

“So...normal?” You gritted your teeth after the last word left your mouth.

“Sit. Please.” It would’ve been rude not to comply.

Now that you both were face-to-face, seemingly both in the right state of mind, he began. “Honestly, as mortifying as it is, I think you came at the best possible time. That’s because…” He cleared his throat. 

“It’s something I’ve been experiencing ever since April--perhaps even before then. I’ve been having these...urges, these...desires. And...oh, how do I put this...it started off somewhat normal, but it soon started to cause me...physical ailments.”

The eye contact didn’t last long, as you ended up dropping down onto his bed, resting your dire, dire self. You felt a tiny bit bad for paying less attention to his words and more attention to the lovingly soft mattress, but you still got the gist of what he was saying. 

“It’s been especially apparent in my…” again, he cleared his throat. “...abdominal region. There’s this pressure, this pain, and it doesn’t have anything to do with my stomach or my kidneys or what have you--it’s something different entirely. And that’s only where it begins…”

The feelings in your head were mixed. One part of your brain had sympathy, while the other felt a bit of gratitude hearing his ailments. It was a bit fucked, sure, but pretty understandable considering what you’d been through. 

"My body's been so hot--"

"--I know. I could tell."

He looked down sheepishly after you interrupted him. 

"That's the one thing I've been noticing." You went on, "it's weird, man. Plus, closing the door to 'keep the cool air inside?' That's not how that works at all!"

Silence. 

"Y...yes. You're right. But in addition to that, my throat's been so dehydrated, and near nothing will quench it. It's awful, truly…"

"And?"

"Mastur--ah, gratifying myself helps, but only temporarily. Each time that longing, that fire comes back to haunt me and it...it hurts…"

After some more silence, you propped yourself up by your elbows to look at him again. "That sounds...horrible, but I just want to know, why? Are you sick? I don't--"

"I was going to get to that."

He shut you up. 

Taking another sigh, he leant back in his chair again, holding his knee. "If you had asked me that, say, four months ago, I wouldn't have had a clue. Yet lately…"

"I'm listening."

He inhaled for a good second. "I've been looking deeper into my origins, ever since I turned eighteen, trying to find out where I came from...and what I discovered was--" 

And...out.

Everything your boss said started going in one ear and out the other. And who could blame you? It was a habit. 

He just...went on, about his family, parents, his Stand and even his birthmarks for some reason. You truly didn't see the point in 99 percent of what he was talking about. 

I just want to know why you're acting like this, you bastard. I don't care about your dad or whatever…

Despite your vexation, you did pick up on one subject that he seemed to bring up a lot during his tangent; Vampirism.

It stuck in your head so much, that when he finally stopped talking you instantly sat up and responded, "woah, woah, what? What are you talking about, about vampires? You're not seriously…"

His deadpan expression told you all you needed to know. It also told you that he could tell you were barely listening to him. 

“Well, that’s what I said.” He began, “my current theory, stemming from all the research I’ve done...is that I’m a vampire.” He paused for a second, then adding on, “or, at least an ancestor of mine was.”

More silence.

Wha?

It definitely should’ve shocked you more than it did, but...somehow, it made  everything make sense. The teeth, the thirst...still, part of your world was turned upside down. You weren’t even too unfamiliar with the supernatural, with your family being relatively superstitious, but something like this…

"And I'm thinking that this period is some kind of...awakening. A sort of…--"

"Vampire puberty." It wasn’t even a question, the pure disbelief in your voice overshadowed any other nuance.

"Oh, putting it like that makes it sound a bit--" you cut him off before his last word.

“--you...you’re kidding right?” You couldn’t help but stare him down, but he looked 100% serious. “Ho-how? How did you come to that conclusion, of all things? I mean, I get it, sorta, but…”

Giorno put his hands in front of his mouth and took in a deep breath. “Have you ever tried pork blood before, amore?”

Now it was your turn to stare at him with a judgmental look.

“I had some the other day at an Asian restaurant...oh,” he moved his hand to his cheek and looked away from you, “it was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. Truly, it was amazing.” His eyes were near sparkling. 

You weren’t given a second to respond.

“After I had that, some of the dryness in my throat went away, but it was only for a while. I still found my eyes lingering on people’s veins, at the reddest points of their bodies...and you were no different.” A pang of your heart rang through your nerves. “Somehow, I knew that the only thing that would satiate me would be...the taste of a human, as awful as it sounds.”

Silence continued to prevail.

It was a lot to take in. You ended up getting up and standing in front of him, your back turned and your hands supporting the back of your head. 

In spite of the millions of words swirling in your head, one seemed to prevail. 

"Me…?"

"Pardon?"

You dropped your hands, but refused to look at him. "You could've chosen anybody to pursue, for these needs, but...you chose me, of all people."

“Well, I…” Giorno stopped talking when he heard you inhale sharply.

Rather slowly, you turned your head to look him in the eye. 

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” 

It became uncomfortably quiet, and he looked down at his hands, twiddling his fingers. “I don’t see how that has anything to do with--”

“You are! I fuckin’ knew it!” Your voice came out loud, louder than you intended, but you didn’t bother piping down, “holy shit…” The only thing that felt appropriate was to rub your temples while continuing to take in all you’d learnt. 

“What difference does it make?” His brows were slanted, a questioning and slightly furious expression on his face. “I don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of it.”

“Be-because...ugh…!” You were having a tough time getting your words out, your voice going up a few more pitches. “That kind of thing...for your first time, you should do it with a person you, uh, really love…"

"But I-"

"An-an-and!" You held a finger level with his face before crossing your arms. "You should do it with someone your own age, too!"

He did some math on his fingers. "Wait, you're not that much older than me at all--"

"We-ell then whatever!" You knew you sounded irrational at this point, but something was still driving you to sputter out words. "The...the point is, someone like you should do this with somebody special...I mean, I’m just a random lackey, right? It’s not like I’m...uhm…”

His expression didn’t drop, it just grew more irritated. 

“You truly never listen to me, do you, cara?” Your boss sighed and looked towards the mirror again. “How many times have I told you, already?”

He watched as your once hardened appearance softened with concern. 

“I chose you to go after because I love you. Didn’t I tell you this before?"

"I...uh…"

“‘Random lackey…’” He repeated your words with venom on his tongue, shaking his head. “Ever since I met you, knowing all you were capable of, I’ve felt a connection to you. Not to mention you’re one of the most…” a dreamy sigh came out of him, “...interesting people I’ve ever had working under me. I mean...you broke into my house, that's so...bold."

It was too much. All this news, it felt like your brain was an overflowed sponge. 

“No...don’t say that…”

In the midst of all your confusion, he stood up.

“What do you mean? Do you not believe me?” 

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. 

"Amore mio, I’ve loved you for so long, now...I know this is all sudden, but I thought you would be the best one for this situation, I thought you of all people would understand…” His hand came up to brush some of your damp hair away from your forehead. 

“Lying...you’re lying, you have to be…” It couldn’t be genuine. It just couldn’t. “You...someone like you...can’t…”

One of his hands came to rest on your shoulder. 

“Oh, why do you reject me so much?” He breathed out, “you keep saying ‘someone like you’...what kind of person do you think I am…?”

Your name slipped out his lips at the end of his sentence. His words sent shocks right to your eyes, the liquid threatening to spill out. 

“Maybe…” his face became one of sympathy. “Perhaps you don’t think someone like you deserves a person like me?"

That was it. That was when your downfall became cemented in stone. It felt like he had just stuck a key into your heart, but instead of unlocking anything, it just made everything collapse. Your egoism, your confidence, and all of your self-security shattered, and the pieces that fell had cause your tears to overflow. 

Although, you did realize one thing. 

Giorno Giovanna was far from a super-secretive man, nor was he cold like one might expect from a goddamn mob boss. You had no idea how he got to where he was. But, despite that, you realized how he kept his place at the top. How he managed to control everyone under him, how he got so many people to submit without using force. 

He got inside my head. It's over.

The tears felt hot running down your face. 

All you could let out was a sob, and a fragment of a word. Without warning, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to yours, taking in the noises while holding your face gently. 

His lips taste like roses. 

Was there really anything else you could do, besides kissing him back? You gripped at his triceps, still sobbing out your nose as he deepened the kiss, without protest from you. It went on for a few seconds, before you finally couldn’t take it anymore and broke away from him, escaping his embrace and moving away quickly.

Despite you retreating into the bathroom, both you and him knew that he had won.

♡🐞♡

Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack. The imaginary clock in Giorno’s head was the only thing he could currently hear. It felt like it could be fit for a time-bomb, as the longer the uneventful period went on, the closer he felt to exploding. 

Five minutes. It had only been five minutes since you had ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind you, leaving him to contemplate his actions. (“Contemplate” in large quotes, since there was already a lustful smog growing in his brain, clouding up his rational thinking.) Since you had retreated, he had picked up on water occasionally running, a few concerning heavy impacts, and perhaps a cry or two. 

He was almost starting to think that he might’ve pushed you a bit too far, what with making you break down in front of him and all that. He would’ve actually begun to feel some regret, if not for him hearing the bathroom door behind him at the perfect time.

Giorno looked behind his shoulder, and there you were. Standing in the doorway, completely bare apart from your underwear, covering your breasts with your forearm. While there was still a shy, cold expression on your face, the three words you uttered told him all he needed to know.

“Do your worst.”

The pure joy inside of him fired up. He finally met with your eyes, giving you a small smile that said a thousand thankful words. 

Before you even had a chance to trail a meter away from the doorway, he had stepped over to you and trapped you in his oh-so-warm embrace. He soon kissed the shell of your ear, uttering out a soft "thank you."

Your legs felt weak.

He snaked around behind you, aligning his arm with your raised one. His hand cupped your knuckles, squeezing them. 

"Put your arm down...let me see you…" there was an almost desperate twinge in his voice, more apparent when it was so close to your other ear. 

Of course, you obeyed him. What else could you do?

The golden boy resisted the primal urge to grope and caress your chest, instead deciding to begin guiding you towards his bed. He still kept his bare torso flush against yours. 

When your knees touched the edge of the mattress you instinctively gave in and dropped down onto the comforter, momentarily detaching from him as you crawled up to your knees.

When you blinked, Giorno was in front of you again. He put his hand on your neck and gripped it very gently, getting up-close to your chest-shoulder area. You could feel his lips touching against the very slight hairs on your body, threatening to give you goosebumps. 

“Cara…” he still sounded desperate. “I...I don’t know where to bite first…” 

It was true. There were just too many places he could go for first; the soft, lovely flesh of your breasts, the accessible, potent croon of your neck and shoulders, or even a part of your face...it was enough to give him analysis paralysis.

He didn’t get any suggestions from you. 

Eventually he made his decision by pressing his lips against your chest, right next to where your heart was. For a split second he pulled away, allowing you to invite him by raising up your tits with your forearm. 

You watched him, his eyes happy, as he slowly opened his maw, revealing his small fangs. It wasn’t long before he finally bit down onto you, be it mildly. 

It didn’t hurt that much the first time around, but it made both of you realize it'd take more force to get you to bleed for him.

He wasn't deterred though, quickly after the first bite he champed down again, his canines poking down into your flesh, drawing a sharp exhale from you. 

The harder he bit, the more you whined. You felt a bit of suction on the spot, as he was trying his hardest to get any of your extract out and onto his tongue. 

Finally, after gnawing at you for a good half-minute, he broke skin. 

To your surprise, he pulled away, wanting to look at your blood before he indulged. The little red splotch bloomed bigger, and started to flow down your breast. 

The pure, unadulterated salacity in his eyes made your body feel warm. 

His tongue rolled out, his breath so hot it was like steam in the cold room. He swept up all the blood that flowed out, his saliva seeping into your small puncture and stinging slightly. 

But that sensation had nothing on what he was feeling. 

By God, it was the most sublime thing he'd ever tasted. Coating his tongue, your fluid sent him into a state of absolute ecstasy. 

It was as sweet as caramel, yet as intoxicating as absinthe. 

After letting out a small, amazed moan, he re-attached to your skin and sucked on it, trying to force out more of the liquid ruby. It was a miniscule wound, so only a small, thin stream was coming out, but he savored every drop of it by mixing it with his own saliva so he could swallow it down better.

His swallows were definitely audible. You tilted your head back, completely bewildered at what was currently happening. 

He’s drinking me.

My boss is drinking me.

My perfect, psycho boss is drinking me. 

You felt your flesh be released after a short while, Giorno letting out a groan. He moved his hands up to hold the sides of your face, staring deep into your eyes. His once pale-pink lips were stained with red. 

“I love you, I love you so much…” The words came out barely as whispers, before he kissed you again. You were instantly met with the coppery taste of your own blood. 

When he pulled away, the string of saliva that connected the two of you was dyed a light red. You glanced down and saw that the bite mark had been smudged, so even more of your chest was painted crimson. 

There was something...exciting about that. Something you couldn’t put your finger on. 

Giorno shifted, his hands on your shoulders, so that he was pressed against your back once again. He tugged you backwards, leaning onto the wall behind the bed. It wasn’t long before he sunk his teeth into your trapezius, again gnawing a few times before getting access to his ambrosia. 

It was definitely painful, getting your blood actively sucked out gave you cold chills wherever he bit. You were thankful that he wasn’t drawing litres from you, in movies it always looked so...violent…

You couldn’t help but throw your arms back around his shoulders, squishing your hands between him and the wall. 

He continued to drink for a good stretch of time, before sliding one hand down your body. You watched him as he pressed his middle finger against your clothed crux, producing a short yelp from you. His fingertip pressed down until there was an apparent wet spot in your dark grey bottoms. 

Hot air brushed by your ear. “You’re wet~♡” He cooed, pushing his fingertip lower down the cleft. You tilted your ear away from him, squeezing your eyes shut. 

A cry escaped your lips when he slipped his hand under your bottoms and wasted no time massaging your excited nub. 

“I wonder how it got that way?” His inquiry was met by a sob. “Hmm...maybe you like it when I drink you up…♡?”

“I-I...ah…”

“Or…” You could feel him smile against your shoulder. “You did watch me when I was enjoying myself earlier...maybe you get off to that kind of stuff?”

“Wha...no…”

He tittered and kissed the area behind your ear. “Well? Am I correct? Do you get off watching younger men touch themselves?” 

An uncontrollable cry came out of you. No...you’re wrong…

“Oh, you’re a pervert, aren’t you~♡ ” 

“I’m not...not a pervert…”

You could tell he was toying with you. 

Goddamnit…

While you cursed in your head, deep down, your body loved it. 

Another stint of him drinking you went by, all while his hand grew more vigorous. You managed to suppress most of your noises, but it grew harder the closer you got to your climax. The thought of cumming while he was still indulging in your blood...it was so…

He pulled away with a satiated sigh. 

When his fangs left you, so did his hand. It left your lower area convulsing, feeling abandoned.

“Tesoro…♡” Giorno nuzzled up against you. “That was amazing...you tasted so good, I think I might get addicted...I’m so happy...I love you…”

Despite being on the brink of orgasm, you felt a strong feeling of relief, knowing that this “saga” was over. You couldn’t help but smile, shutting your eyes and dropping your arms down and enjoying the feeling of being held in your boss’s warm arms. 

“I...uhm, Giorno...I think I…” The words you wanted to say were hard to get out, but eventually you managed to build up the needed “confidence”. 

You felt a bit dazed from getting all that blood taken from you, but it wasn’t too bad. 

It was still unbelievable to you, to think that all this time a grandiose man like him had taken such an interest in a lowlife like you...it still felt conflicting. What’s gonna happen now? What comes next? With the intent of asking him that, you opened your eyes, and…

Oh.

Somehow, you had changed positions without even noticing. He had laid you out on the bed, your head on the pillow, and was straddling you. The light from the window bounced off his eyes, and you knew it was far from over. 

He was pressing his hard-on right into your crotch, his hands on your waist. “Bella…” he murmured, dragging his hands closer to himself. 

You felt your heart thump harder as he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and pulled down his pants again. Your eyes went from the center of his briefs to his face, trying to signal your distress to him. Too bad he was only focused on “himself”. 

Determined to not see his cock again, you shut your eyes tight. Yet something in your head told you that it was inevitable, because honestly, where else could this go? 

So you opened your eyes, be it slowly, and laid your sight on him. 

This is really happening, isn’t it? 

It was utterly stiff, resting on your belly, and tinged with red, just like his face. His pre dripped down near your navel, the heat combatting with the surface of your skin. 

You looked up at him again, but couldn’t tell if he was doing the same to you. His eyes were pointed not at your face, but somewhere lower. Not being able to predict what was going to happen next, you swallowed nothing. 

Suddenly, the bed rumbled a bit, and you reflexively closed your eyes again. You felt the crown of your head knock against the wall, before you noticed a sudden weight on your torso. When you peeked ahead, you realized Giorno had moved up your body, now straddling your lower thorax. 

You were met with the head of his cock, resting comfortably in the valley of your breasts. Immediately your face reached internal levels of warmth you didn’t even know were possible.

“I wanted to try this, with you, for a while now…” he trailed off before putting some saliva in his hand rather solemnly. 

How long is a ‘while’?

While he massaged the makeshift lubricant onto himself, you were staring up at him, at a loss for words. “This-this position is...it’s, uhm…” To think that such a presumably perfectly proper person would have such...pornagraphic proposals. Maybe you yourself weren’t as “experienced” as you liked to think you were. 

His hands traveled to the sides of your chest, pushing them up so that the soft meat enveloped his shaft. A satisfied sigh came out his mouth, this was just the start and you already felt like heaven.

“Gio-ru-no…~” despite his nails being just barely a quarter-centimeter long, you felt them digging into your flesh. You were glad he wasn’t too heavy, if he was this would probably be even rougher. “Be gentle...please…?” 

Your pleas were unfortunately ignored. 

Unable to wait any longer, he pulled back a little bit before pushing forward, slightly rocking both the two of you and the bed. There was a bit of a cooldown period before he rammed his hips forward again, and again, and again. 

“Amore mio, amore mio~♡” Thoughtless words were spilling from him. “So, good...your body really is the best~♡! I love...everything...about you…” He kept speaking in between pushes, but you could barely pick up on it.

The sight of his cock rhythmically slipping on your chest--it was almost hypnotizing. It was just..so lewd, so much it was by itself stimulating. You were helpless, letting your tits get fucked by your beautiful bastard of a boss, arms limp on the bed. 

Under your breasts, you could feel his testes against you--you could tell they were heavy. Lewd noises kept coming out with each shove, and you had a front-row seat to them. That along with his ecstatic moans created a cacophony of smutty noises that assaulted your eardrums. His tip kept inching ever-closer to your face, to the point where you felt you would be able to kiss it if you wanted to. 

Giorno kept going, rocking his hips over and over again, and it made you wonder if he was ever going to finish. 

This really is happening, isn’t it...not a dream, or a trip, or anything…

He’s using me like some kind of object...

How long has he wanted to do this kind of stuff with me?

Where...did he even get the idea to do this?

Those questions were pointless, and you knew it.

You were jerked out of your thoughts when he pressed his thumbs against your nipples, making you flinch and scrunch up your face. The small amount of tears that had been building up in your eyes were squeezed out, coating your eyelids. 

Seeing that subtle change in your face, Giorno sped up his movements. The whines that came from you as a result of his roughness just tempted him more, giving him extra ideas of what he’d do in the future. 

Something dripped down and hit your cheek, as well as the pillowcase around your head. Only an idiot wouldn’t be able to tell what it was, which was sweat that was dripping from his bare body. It perplexed you how he still managed to smell like fragrant flowers. 

His “rhythm” was beginning to feel like it was synchronizing with your heartbeat, and in a weird way, it was relaxing. Maybe it was that, combined with his warmth, his weight, the soft mattress...you wondered that, if you did hypothetically fall asleep in the midst of this, would he continue? 

It proved to be another pointless question, as soon enough the golden boy’s moans peaked, before he suddenly stopped. 

Is...is he done?

For a split second, you felt his weight lift from your body, but at the same time one of his hands gripped at your jaw roughly. He pulled down, forcing you to open up but a tad, before he quickly moved even higher up your body and stuffed his cock in your mouth. 

Your tear-laced eyes went wide immediately. A muffled whimper came out your throat, but he ignored it and dropped himself lower down, stabilizing himself on the wall. Your abused gag reflex caused more tears to flow out, but it also just made your throat tighten around him.

After he let out a few sighs of pleasure, you glanced up at his face. His eyes were glimmering as he kept forcing himself into you, adoring the way all the soft ridges and bumps felt against his ready-to-burst cock. 

Tears were completely blurring your sight as he bottomed out in your mouth. A joyous, shuddering groan came out of him before you felt something hot bloom in the middle of your neck. 

Realization set in, and so did a slight sense of panic. It wasn’t long before your throat had been filled, agitating your gag reflex even more. Your heart thumped heavily as his essence invaded your mouth, the strange taste a bit too overwhelming. 

While one of your hands had fingers shaking and curling, you raised the other one up to batter at his side, trying to tell him he was starting to stifle you. 

In response, he reached down and pinched your nose shut. 

“This...this is only fair, right~?” There was some kind of sadistic giggle in his voice. "Come on, take it, take all of me…♡" his smile, despite looking filled with nothing but love, made you want to cry even more. 

You felt yourself begin to asphyxiate. 

“Swallow it.” While his voice was soft, it still managed to be commanding, almost intimidating. 

Not having any other options, you obeyed.

Soon as Giorno saw the lump in your neck go down, he removed himself and lifted off of your body. The excess fluid that didn’t go down came gushing out of your uselessly-closed lips, oozing down your chin as you struggled to sit up. 

You put your hand to your mouth as you coughed, trying in vain to stop it from getting everywhere. To your dismay, you felt a drop of it land on your chest. 

Despite the multiple fluids covering your face, you, once again, felt a strong feeling of relief. It’s over now, right? It’s gotta be. No way is he still…

You were distracted by him wrapping an arm around your shoulder and kissing your temple. “There we go...it wasn’t that hard, right?” No response to that.

“See, I got to drink you…” he chuckled as if he had just told a joke. “And now you got to drink me! We’re equal now~!”

Even if you wanted to talk back to him, you couldn’t, as there was still liquid pooled in your mouth. After spitting out most of it onto your hand, you picked up on something--your bottoms were being lowered. 

You jerked to the side. “Wait, wait, wait--what are you doing?” His fingers were still pulling at your waistband, despite you kicking a bit to try and get him to quit. 

He looked at you with a rather sudden innocent expression. “Well, we’re moving on now, aren't we?” 

“You can’t be serious, ri-right? You...just finished…” without words, you were proven wrong by him straightening his back, revealing that he was still hard.

Lord have mercy.

“That...doesn’t make sense...how…” Giorno interrupted your driveling by pulling you back down the bed, tilting you onto your back. You genuinely didn’t know how much more you could take.

Your leg was lifted up, resting on the inside of his elbow. “Did you actually think we were done…?” He laughed while completely removing your soused underwear. It was humiliating, seeing him with the small garment dangling off of his index, and it got even worse when he carelessly dropped it onto the floor behind him. “You haven’t even finished yet, right? What kind of man would I be to let you--no, the both of us,--go unsatisfied...?” 

But I’m already ‘satisfied’... It was true, even if you hadn’t technically climaxed yet, you still felt like this had gone on long enough and--

“A-ah--!” Suddenly, you were ripped out of your thoughts by the feeling of him prodding your crux with the supple head of his cock. The sudden heat made your channel clench around nothing as he pulled away from your entrance. You uncontrollably pushed up your pelvis, most certainly looking oh-so desperate for him. 

While pulling even farther away from you, he moved his hand before spreading your vulva with his middle knuckles. He peered down at your drooling pink hole, watching your insides convulse with a voracious look in his eye. 

“Ah...I wasn’t expecting it to be like this…” he chuckled, while rotating his hand a bit to get a better look. "It looks like it's...begging for me…" 

A gratified smile stretched across his lips. He was right! He knew you wanted this just as much as he did! And when he took a look at your face, your frightened yet tantalized expression, the tear stains on your cheeks and the remnants of his semen covering your chin and jaw, he let out a happy breath, knowing he wouldn't be changing his mind anytime soon. 

That sight just made him simply ache. 

“Bella~” he crooned out, the edges of his eyes watery. “I can’t hold back anymore…~” 

The second after that, he plunged himself inside you all too quickly, giving you absolutely no time to think. You had only a split second to come to terms with what was happening before you were impaled by a certain scalding appendage.

All that built-up stimulation from before came to a crash, your jaw dropping as you humiliatingly climaxed around him. Your fingers curled around the sheets as you pushed your hips against him, only to realize he wasn’t even bottomed out yet.

While you managed to stay mostly quiet, even during your orgasm. That couldn’t be said for the young man above you, though. 

For him, it was just too heavenly to resist. You felt so soft and tight, everything he’d hoped it would be and more. A series of strained yet euphoric moans sputtered out of him as he pushed himself to the hilt inside of you, closing his eyes and letting his tears fall down onto your face as he leaned over you. 

He stayed still for a small while, taking in the rapturous feeling before rising up a bit and looking down at your abdomen. “Look, look...we’re finally connected…~” 

Staring up at him with lidded eyes, you silently prayed that he didn’t notice you had--

“Hey,” his voice stayed breathy, as he started to roll his hips against you. “Did...you finish just from me putting it in?”

You covered your face with your hands, crying out in shame quietly.

“Don’t be embarrassed~♡!” Giorno cooed rather loudly, forcibly grabbing your wrists and pushing them back down onto the mattress, and while continuing to ram into you. Drool, tears and sweat still running down your face, you looked down at your pelvis, feeling taunted by the marshy noises being produced. “You feel really good, and so do I--be happy! I love you…!”

He kissed the side of your nose, holding the sides of your head. “I knew you loved me too, that you wanted me just as bad--I’m so happy I’m right, cara…” You couldn’t help but nod slightly in response, anything to make him be a little more gentle. 

“Suh-low...please…” it sounded like your brain was melting, which wasn’t exactly inaccurate. But even if your brain wasn’t melting, it definitely felt like your groin was. The combination of his roughness and his body heat was making your upper legs go numb, all feeling focused on the absolute stirring-up of your insides. 

To him, despite the fact that your internal heat wasn't low in the slightest, compared to his own it felt like you were almost cooling him down--it wasn't just pleasure he was feeling, it was also relief. And he wanted more. 

In order to try and get even deeper inside you, he raised your left leg higher, tilting you onto your side. Tugging you closer, he pressed his lips onto your ankle. 

The new angle made you grit your teeth and squeal, feeling his tip reach your fornix. You extended your arms, partly trying to get him to give you a break and partly wanting to hold his hand for some kind of support.

"You're good...so good...your body was really made for me~" he kept singing your praises while churning his hips, the upper base of his cock continuously pressing into your swollen nub. 

As embarrassing as it was, you could feel another building twist in your gut.

After a bit, he leant over you again, leering at the beet-purple bite marks on your skin. Those and the smears of blood on your skin looked like art of his own making to him. But something was eating away at the back of his mind, a strange instinct that was telling him to do...something…

You watched as he moved his hand closer to your bust, bending all his fingers except for the index and middle. You felt him poke at the soft flesh of your neck for a second, getting a tad confused before…

Wait, what--

Somehow, in some unexplainable way, he pushed his fingertips and into your neck, bypassing your skin without puncturing it. It wasn’t even exactly painful, but incredibly strange and almost frightening. 

Fear in your eyes, you watched the veins in his forearm swell as the chilling feeling that came with getting your blood taken returned. You cried out, tears falling while you put your own hands on the one that was drinking from your throat. 

For him, he could feel your blood flowing into his veins directly, even being able to taste the lovely sweet flavor. He picked up a severe pace once again, mercilessly ravaging both halves of your body. 

Despite his roughness, there was nothing but love in his glazed green eyes. 

I'm...getting my blood taken...while being fucked...♡

A small broken smile appeared on your lips. To think that such an amazing man was indulging in you in this way...it made you wonder why you ever tried to get away in the first place. 

"Do you like this?" He asked, dipping his fingertips even deeper into your neck. "That's really perverted...♡"

The second after he said that prodding comment, you felt yourself tremble as the tugging feeling in your belly burst, cumming around him once again. Your legs stiffened and seized up uncontrollably as you moaned out helplessly. 

After your second orgasm, the ever-growing exhaustion began to take a toll on you. You hadn't slept in over 32 hours, after all. Foolishly thinking it was finally over, you turned your body onto your stomach, sighing into the soft pillow after you felt him pull out both his digits and his cock. 

This really happened, didn't it? Was your seemingly last thought before you were about to drift off, but that was before you felt your backside get lifted off of the sheets. 

"You're a selfish woman, aren't you? I'm not even done yet and you already want to go to bed? Hm…" You heard the man behind you say before slowly penetrating your raw cunt. "...but I don't mind. I still love you~" he sighed happily. 

"Wow…" he kept talking, even though he knew it was most likely not reaching you. "To think you were really threatening to murder me just a while ago...just look at you now, bella~♡"

You genuinely couldn’t respond to him, you didn’t have the brain power to do so. All you could do was accept him as he began to fuck you once again.

“Ah~” A happy breath left his lips. “You still feel so good…” he rocked his hips and bottomed out easily, pushing your pelvis towards him to keep a sort of rhythm going. “Do you like it from behind, too?”

Before he had entered inside you, you had tried your best to raise your upper body up with your arms, but failed once you felt him inside. Your face dropped onto the pillow, all the sweat and tears surely soaking into the case. 

You felt his soft hands on your upper arms before he raised you up, so his chest was against your back. With his lips right near your ear, he started panting in your ear as he bucked up inside you. 

"I love you...I love you…" he repeated for what felt like the thousandth time today. "And you love me too, right? Right?"

When he didn't head a response, he grew rougher. 

"Say it...say you love me, please, bella…"

"I...I love you, Giorno…!"

You heard him let out a happy sound before kissing your ear. "Yes...yes...I, I love you, I love having sex with you...♡"

It felt like there was static all inside your brain. He let both of you lower back down onto the bed, still ramming his hips in an almost animalistic way. 

"We're gonna do this a lot, alright? I wanna do this with you every day...♡" He kissed at your shoulder before suddenly sinking his incisors into it, quickly creating another puncture he could sup from. 

You couldn’t help but cry, desperately clutching at the surely sweat-soaked sheets. It was unbelievable, but he had created another twisting feeling in your abdomen.

The broken and sane parts of your brain were having a battle, one in disbelief at how spectacularly your plan had failed and how this even came to be in general, while the other was just simply euphoric at the pleasure he was giving you.

“I’m close, tesoro…” he uttered after pulling his fangs from you. “Are...are you gonna finish again? Even though you’re so tired~? You think we’re gonna cum together…?” you gave him no response, looking at how his hands were now on the bed right by yours. 

It went on for a bit more, him continuously drinking your blood while plunging into the deepest part of you. All while your brain was on the very brink of shutting off and traveling into dreamland.

Yet, after a while, he said one more thing. 

“I wanna finish inside you, cara…” He moaned out before kissing the new bruise on your shoulder. “Let’s start a family~♡!” 

That one proposition was enough to jerk you out of your haze and bring you to action.

No. 

“No!”

You balled your hand into a fist and repeatedly pounded at the back of his hand. “No, no~! Take it out, take it out…!”

Even if it was disappointing to hear your refusal, he heeded and slipped himself out just as he started to climax. Your walls clenched around nothing as he whined out, letting his essences spill out and smother the front of your torso. 

He held you tighter than ever as he rode out his orgasm, almost suffocating you with how firmly he was pressing against your diaphragm. You had let out all the air in your lungs when you came for the last time today, the dopamine in your brain hitting the absolute max. 

In your last moments of consciousness, you picked up on him turning you around and letting the last few surges paint your stomach. He inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, and exhaled, as his own brain was also flooded with serotonin. 

A great silence filled the room, apart from the sounds of his breathing. In the quiet, his mind finally came down from the high and he opened his eyes. 

Giorno felt great. It was like all of the excess heat had been emptied from his body, and all the pain and smogginess in his head had disappeared like it was never there. 

“Ah…thank you, cara, that was amazing--” When he looked down at you, he realized. 

“Oh...oh.” It was a little embarrassing, “she’s out cold…” he uttered, putting his fingertips to his lips. 

He was caught a little off guard, before seeing how you had been covered in his substances, as well as all the other fluids he had managed to draw from you. The sight was truly wonderful to him. 

Oh, how he longed to have a camera on him, as disrespectful as it would’ve been. He’d dreamed of this moment for so long...even more since this whole “vampire” debacle began. And now he had experienced it, and it was better than he could’ve ever had fathomed. 

To say he was overjoyed would’ve been an understatement.

Yet, as happy and satisfied as he was, he wanted to let you have your rest. So, after brainstorming a couple “thank-you gifts” and cleaning you up a little bit, he managed to manhandle your sleeping body under the covers. 

Seeing your peaceful, sleeping face, he couldn’t help but smile. 

“I wonder what you’re going to dream about…?” He breathed out before kissing the tip of your nose one last time. 

With nothing else to do, he slipped under the covers as well, holding your gentle, sleeping form. And with you in his arms, in his room, in his home, he finally felt content. It simply couldn’t get better than this.

Thank you, God, for such a wonderful, wonderful day. ♡

[eveninglottie]

hello i am interested in some more deets about song of sunder 👀

WELL SINCE YOU ASKED smash cut to about two years ago when I was so badly wanting to play dnd that I just threw seven characters into a half-baked world and played pretend with myself (I’m not kidding there was actual dice involved). since then it’s been brewing in the back of my head and I only really started to think about it seriously last year. I’m sure some of it comes from my obsession with CR and my fic brain going “dothisdothisdothis” because it’s very much a ‘formative text’ for me, but it’s been this nice little feel good place for me to go back to, especially this year. 

it’s actually at the top of my list in terms of what I’ve been thinking about diving into (since I apparently cannot write fic anymore lol it’s fine), and I’ve been working on it a lot recently just fleshing out the world and the character arcs. 

though, one of the things I have been considering seriously is just how you write a story like this, in a format meant to be read rather than experienced like any other dnd campaign. like is it just seven povs with separate chapters (a la game of thrones) or, and this is the one I’m drawn to but have no idea what it would turn out like, is it a story told from a third person omniscient narrator, weaving interchangeably through perspectives just like a dm would do in an actual game. like a screenplay but with prose. dnd is such a subjective experience, and while a lot of people have had success adapting liveplays to other visual mediums, like animation or graphic novels, I’ve never seen someone do it in fiction. I especially have never done it lol. I only ever write from distinct povs and switch them out, so this would be hard. maybe. I haven’t actually tried it yet. 

the story itself is pretty standard high fantasy dnd, a ‘sundered’ world where the planes all kind of smushed up against each other (familiar? :P) with a bunch of different factions and nations and secrets and wars and people trying to be gods and all that jazz, with a group of assholes thrown into the mix to become big damn heroes (the bones of the world are actually what I used to flesh out DW but shh don’t tell anyone). every arc (9, one for each character and a beginning and an ending) would open with ari, the bard, almost like she’s telling a story to the reader. 

my pie in the sky ideas for it would be some kind of serialized fiction, if I could get my ass in gear to actually do it. I’ve thought about how amazing it would be to do an audio drama one day with different voice actors and music and sound effects and all that shit, like oh my god do I want to do that. I have no idea how to do that, obviously, but that would be The Dream. I’ve even gone so far as to pick out a theme song, because I clearly don’t have enough things to worry about in my life. 

(it’s a lullaby, like a story, told by a siren, like a bard, get it, get it)

and because I’m feeling indulgent and I spent all day making these face refs (thank you, you little monster) the aforementioned assholes (they all have multiple classes and subclasses because I have the Too Much gene): 

ari (ariannai), an autumn eladrin bard/druid (college of glamour and lore/circle of dreams) from the feywild, soft and sweet and perfectly capable of gutting anyone who tries to fuck with her, has a gold pseudodragon familiar named trill whom she loves like a child, plays a masterful mandolin, her voice is magic (literally), actual snow white, leliana and josephine were huge inspo for her

kayd, a human fighter/warlock (eldritch knight/hexblade and undying) from the frozen north, a charming sailor with a thirst to prove himself (listen I love fjord a lot okay) and a cursed sword (don’t worry about it), likes purple and flirting with everything that moves, frequently gets into trouble because of this, but he can talk his way out of a jail cell (and has!) so it’s been fine so far (don’t think about the cursed sword)

verity, a half-tiefling/half-drow monk/rogue (way of shadow/assassin and soul blade) from the shadowfell, a ruthless thief and a terrible shit-starter running from a dark past, she has a pet rat named poe and loves gossip, looks like a child but is actually the oldest in the group, knife girl, her horns are tiny enough to fit in a hood but not tiny enough to fit in with her elvish family so that sucked but hey they’re all dead now so who came out on top in the end

esher, a human artificer/fighter/sorcerer (battle smith/gunslinger/phoenix soul) from a bustling white city on a hill, an obnoxious noble with a long lineage and a complete disregard for politics and propriety and his own privilege (he’s a younger son so he’s usually left alone and ignored and that’s fine, obviously), he loves nerd shit and his ancient owl, hornsby, and sometimes he sets things on fire with his fingers which would be fine only he sets things on fire with his experiments as well so things are on fire a lot around him

goya (goyzadara), a half-orc/half-elf fighter/paladin/ranger (samurai/oath of the ancients/beast master), a princess in exile, honorable to a fault (which is why she was exiled), big into history and politics, finds a baby gryphon and immediately goes to pieces, Disaster Sword Lesbian, likes embarrassing men by kicking their asses in fighting rings, though she never takes the money, because she’s noble like that, has a weird obsession with dragons, does embroidery in her free time to chill out, can’t cook for shit

sabrathan, a scourge aasimar blood hunter/ranger/sorcerer (order of the ghostslayer/monster slayer/divine soul), a half feral girl from the woods who knows way too much about how to disembowel monsters three times her size, skittish and intense and maybe an angel but don’t ask her about it or she will disappear for a few hours and come back with an elk for dinner, never seen out of the company of her crossbow or her sickles, more comfortable around animals than people

theo (theoderic), a human sorcerer/wizard (runechild/school of chronurgy and conjuration and transmutation (he’s a special snowflake)), the smartest person you will ever meet and he knows it, socially awkward and unnervingly quiet, not actually an asshole just neurodivergent (but also sometimes an asshole), craves Phenomenal Cosmic Power and affection, has anime hair and terrible handwriting, Gay as Fuck

their group name would be Sirenox (the name of the last dragon seen in Sunder over five hundred years ago, whose final act was to grant a group of adventurers a boon to stop an archlich from plunging the land into eternal darkness), and I love them all very much, and definitely already have full romance arcs fleshed out for all of them, because that’s more important than worldbuilding, obviously.

so anyway there you go, my own little dnd campaign that I will probably never write, just think about wistfully until I die 

[thiswasinevitableid]

5 for Danbrey sfw? 3 would be fun for nsfw but idk if you do Danbrey nsfw

I decided to mush the two prompts together. I gave them saucy overtones, but they’re still SFW

5 Should I update my outfit again? I think they like my new boots but the cape didn’t get the reaction I was hoping for 

3 Okay so when they wink at me after a great comeback, is that just their charismatic arrogance or do they maybe like me back?

“I think I should ditch the cape. I mean, she didn’t mention it all Cleopatra.” Dani sits down on the greenhouse bench to adjust her bootlace. Cleopatra tilts her head, curious, but does nothing else. This is because she is sentient venus flytrap and is limited in her ability to communicate.

“I did catch her checking out the boots. I think. Maybe she was just looking for a way to knock me off my feet.” She mists Cleopatra and her sisters, continuing, “which, also, she literally made a quip about wanting to sweep me off my feet. I just cannot get a read on her.”

She stands, walking to her devils-mouth orchids and checking their water levels, “I mean, I even picked fabric for the cape that made my eyes look nice. Jake helped me make sure the colors on the cape and the boots matched up and everything. Uggggggggh, I cannot believe it’s come to this.”

“Haha!”

“Not helping, Juice.” She turns to the Myna bird (one of three) perched on a nearby branch. They’re trained to be spies and minions, but mostly they offer unsolicited commentary on her life.

“Ask her.” Squawks another

“DON’T ASK!” Shrieks the third.

“Come to a consensus or I’m not putting that intelligence serum in your water anymore.”

The birds exchange a look.

“Don’t follow our advice!” says the smallest one.

“Don’t, don’t” echo the other two.

Dani sighs, turns back to Cleopatra, “Come on, help me figure out what to wear for the next time.”

The plant slithers along behind her (she modified the flytrap genome with anaconda DNA), curls up on the counter in the bathroom as she pulls out her make-up case. 

“Okay, copper is good on the eyes right? It’ll highlight the gold. I think. Hmmmm…” she taps her chin with the end of a brush, “vampy red would definitely make her look at my mouth. Which is apparently a thing I want, because I am the worlds most cliche supervillain.”

Cleopatra rustles her tendrils sympathetically. 

“But the red clashes with everything. Maybe a deeper color, oooh, the cute cashier at the coffee shop said this one looked good on me. I tried to think of something flirty to say back and just ended up complimenting her pompadour. God, why is villain me so much smoother than civilian me? Or is she even that any more?”

A vine pats her hand.

“Thanks girl. Now, having my hair up is safe for fighting, but does it make me too severe? Like, too dominatrixy? Or does the Lady Flame like that sort of thing? Uhg WHY DO I CARE?” She thunks her head onto the mirror.

“Half-twist?” The purple-crested Myna bird pokes it head in, cocking it’s head robotically.

“.....Perfect.”

---------------------------------------------

The Pine Guard has once again gotten the drop on the Crystal Cabal, much to Dani’s annoyance. What is the point of having a team mate who can see the future if this keeps happening to them?

She dives out of the way of a burst of flame, tossing a handful of her latest creation at her nemesis.

“Aw, flowers for me?” Lady Flame flutters her eyelashes, “they’re prettyYYYow, fireflower.”

“That’s right, I turned your own element against you.”

The hero picks up the flaming flowers and starts juggling them, “I’ve heard of hothouse flowers, but this is ridiculous.”

“She’s flame-proof, Demeter, for goodness sake, OW that hurt.” Indrid, aka Nyx, throws a punch at The Ranger, who absorbs the blow easily. 

Dani hadn’t been thinking of flame proof heroes when she made the plants; she’d been thinking what color to make them so that the Lady Flame would think they were pretty.

“If you all would kindly just surrenderPUT ME DOWN!” The Agent yelps, indignant, when Barclay, aka Hermes, hoists him over his shoulders.

“And if you’d ‘kindly’ just hold still and not bother us for ten minutes, this could all be avoided.”

The fireflowers turn to ash, Lady Flame stepping through it with a grin, “I dig the new boots, very classy. Got a whole ‘don’t fuck with me vibe’ I like a lot.”

“That’s exactly what you should have done. You should have left us alone.” Dani musters her most imperious voice as she launches vines across the ground, taking Lady Flame by surprise and trapping her in the grasp of two large, green, fireproof tendrils. 

“Hah! Surrender, all of you, or my pets will-”

“Eeeep! Hey, what the-” The Lady Flame looks behind her at the smaller vine that just pinched her butt.

“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry-”

“C’mon now Demeter, no need to get fresh with her. That ain’t sportin.”

“That’s rich coming from the man currently straddling me.” Indrid hisses. 

“I ain’t straddlin, I’m restrainin.”

“I mean I, whoah, hey there” another vine caresses Lady Flame’s chest, a third touches her cheek, “I’m not, like, opposed to someone getting handsy, or uh, viney, I guess. But you have to buy me coffee first.”

“I’m, I don’t know why they’re doing this. I’m so sorry, they’re being so rude and they will be mulch if they touch you in a way you don’t like.” Dani takes one step forward and a vine grips her ankle, starts twining upwards. 

“Uhhhhh, why are they doing that?”

“They shouldn’t be! They respond to my thoughts and emotional state.” She tries every trick she can think off, but nothing makes the vines obey, and two more encircle her chest and stomach.

“Wait, if they respond to your feelings, then do you-GAH!” The vine around Lady Flame’s ribs visibly tightens, as the ones holding Dani drag the two women face to face. 

“I’ve always thought you were breathtaking, but the literal approach is kinda freaking me out.” 

“Me too.” Dani thrashes, and the vine tightens around her. She’s starting to get lightheaded. 

“Guys, a little-”

“-Help!” Dani finishes the Lady Flames’ sentence, and the four other figures in the room turn towards them as one.

“Oh shit.” Barclay tosses The Agent away,  drops down next to Dani, hacking at the larger vine with his utility weapon. The Agent recovers, tries to yank the main vine from it’s source only for a tendril to whip out and strike his cheek. 

“I would like it noted that this was not a likely future.” Indrid tugs at the tightest vine, slashing it with his sharp nails. The Ranger manages to rip one off of Lady Flame’s arm, only for it’s larger cousin to shoot out, sending him flying into Indrid and knocking them both to the ground. 

As their teammates continue their losing battle against her unfortunately durable creation, Dani turns to meet her enemies eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispers, “I never really wanted to hurt you. I just wanted you all not to hurt us.”

“I mean we, like, don’t hate you all or anything, but you’ve, like, been putting people in danger, and blowing things up-”

“Nyx didn’t blow up that bridge!” If they’re both about to die, there’s no point in keeping up the act. 

“Wait, what?”

“He was framed, but we thought it made people take us seriously as a threat, listen to us, so we let people believe it was true. Same with me and that power plant. I just blackmailed the CEO into admitting they’d been dumping toxins in the water supply. None of us blew the place up. Hell, you guys were the ones who destroyed that factory.”

“.....wait, they told us you did that.”

“Who told you?”

“Them? Y’know, the big bosses?” 

“We don’t have those, but we do have informants.”

“What the fuuUUUCk, ow, squishing my ribs, we’re being played.”

“That, ow, that sucks. All this time we’ve been fighting, we could have been dating, I mean, uh, working together.” 

Lady Flame laughs, a bright, beautiful sound, “I knew you were checking me out.”

“Me?! You were the one who kept making flirty comments.”

“Hey, banter’s part of the job. Also, you have a cute butt and that costume really shows off your, um,” The last word is so quiet Dani can’t make it out, but given that Lady Flame glances at her chest, she’s got a good guess as to what it was. 

The vines constrict and they both hiss in pain, the world going fuzzier at the edges as breathing gets almost impossible. 

“I, if this, if this is the end, I just wanna say it’s been a pleasure doing battle with you, Lady Flame.”

Fire colored eyes meet her own, accompanied by a weak smile, “You can call me Aubrey.”

“Dani. Nice to meet you, Aubrey.” She has just enough energy to tip her head forward, bringing their lips together. It’s barely a kiss, but as soon as they connect the vines go limp, dropping them to the floor. 

For a moment they gasp jointly for air, then Aubrey is in her lap, fingers tangling in her hair as she kisses her hard and happily. Dani sighs into the kiss, melting into the embrace, knowing full well the near-strangulation isn’t what’s causing the dizziness in her vision and the butterflies in her stomach. 

“Uh, can’t help but feel we missed somethin.” Over in the corner where they were both thrown (twice), The Ranger tries to disentangle himself from Indrid, who sits up with a knowing look.

“Oh, I see. It appears we are about to form an alliance.”

“Really?” Barclay looks back at them from where’s hes sitting, checking the cuts on The Agents face. 

“It’s a long story, but the cliff notes are: we’re pretty sure someone’s been setting us against each other on purpose. Making us each think the other caused certain disasters.”

“Which means it’s time for a team-up.” Aubrey cracks her knuckles, sending sparks flying. Then she glances shyly at Dani, who reaches out to brush stray ash from her cheeks, “Um, but before that, would you like to go out with me?”

Dani kisses her again, bumps their noses together with a smile as she murmurs, “That sounds really fucking awesome.”

[bensakindofmagic]

Chapter Six

Warnings: none? 

A/N: I know jack about wine, go with me on it babes

w/c: 3.1k+

Chapter Six

The sight of him threw your whole world off-kilter. Matteo was standing with a small group, chatting animatedly with a Martini in hand — his drink of choice. It had been so long since you’d seen him, and you’d spent so long thinking about him, moving on from him. One glimpse of his face and you were plunged right back into that time. You were 22 again, falling fiercely in love with the handsome Italian stranger who sat down beside you when you were eating dinner at a restaurant alone one night, the man who made love to you like you were an ancient goddess, whom you had spent months crying over when you moved back to London. Nausea rumbled in your stomach. All that pain, all that growth from the last few years was wiped away in a moment. One look, one smile from him and you’d be putty in his hands again. The room felt like it was spinning, and you grabbed onto whatever was in your hands to steady yourself. It was firm but comfortable, and you looked up to meet Ben’s eyes. Ben. 

His face was full of concern at your sudden reaction, your stiffness, the confusion and anxiety that was undoubtedly plastered all over your features. Maybe seeing Matteo again was some kind of sign, something to tempt you away from Ben. Maybe it was the universe telling you to steer clear of the blonde that felt so right in your arms. 

“Y/N? Are you okay?” 

You nodded tentatively, and offered an evasive mumble, hoping that would suffice. You detached your limbs from his, inhaling sharply at the loss of contact. Without him, you suddenly felt vulnerable, exposed. You began to make your way off the dance floor towards your table, when Matteo glanced around the room and caught sight of you. You locked eyes and the breath flew from your chest, leaving you hollow. He began to take steady steps towards you and without your knowledge or permission your feet were leading you to meet him. Finally, seeing him up close, you felt limp. His features were as warm as you remembered; light brown eyes with flecks of bright gold that always seemed to be smiling, thick curly hair, just a shade lighter than black that you had always loved getting your fingers lost in, the scruff he used to sport on his chin had grown into a full beard. His smile was honey sweet and so nostalgic. 

“Y/N,” he said, his voice like velvet. You always loved the way he said your name in his Italian accent, the way he used to moan it from between your thighs. He settled his hands softly on your arms and placed a kiss on each cheek. He was still using the same aftershave; the familiar scent whisking you back to warm Italian evenings, tangled naked in the sheets and in him, the balmy air and the glow of the dying sun and the melodic singing coming from the apartment across the street drifting in through the open window. Bliss. 

“Hi Matty.” He smiled at the nickname and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, never shy about physical intimacy. The butterflies inside your stomach started flapping wildly.

“You look more beautiful than ever. Are you well, my love?” 

You told him you were, and he replied that he was in London for work, just for a few weeks. He conducted conversation with causal ease, leading you along with him like a lost puppy. You couldn’t have walked away from him if you wanted to. The whole exchange was light and dreamy, and you got entirely lost in him, just like the first time you met. He had approached your table-for-two, occupied by one, and motioned to the chair, raising an eyebrow. You assumed he was asking to take the chair to another table, but instead he sat down and started talking with you. By the end of the evening you’d shared two bottles of wine, your life story, and your bed with him. Everything was effortless with Matteo, you’d fallen in love with him without ever realising it, like slipping into a deep sleep. It felt like you’d never been apart, like you hadn’t spent weeks vacating the contents of your heart through your eyes. The rug of five years’ worth of personal growth was pulled out from under you. After what could have been seconds or hours, one of his party came to tell him they were leaving. He nodded, and flashed you another one of those make-you-weak-at-the-knees smiles. You nearly collapsed. 

“Well, my darling, I have to leave. But I must see you again, we have so much still to share. Come for dinner with me tomorrow?” 

You agreed that you would, without even considering if it was a good idea, and arranged a time and place. He took your hand, his skin soft, and planted a kiss on the back of it.

“Alla prossima, angelo mio.” 

With that he was gone, vanishing from your presence as quickly as he had appeared. You stumbled back to your table, to which Ben, Rami, and Joe had returned, and sat down in a daze. The guys looked between each other in silent conversation, waiting for you to say something. Ben was staring at you, wishing, praying, that you’d tell him the handsome stranger, who had absorbed you so completely for the last half an hour, was no one. If you didn’t his heart was liable to shatter.

“Um, Y/N,” Rami ventured, “Who was that?”

His words snapped you out of your reverie, and your eyes met Ben’s. Their pleading was clear, but for what you didn’t know. All you were certain of was your confusion. You had been convinced, very much against your will, that you were falling for Ben, then with one look at Matteo you could believe you were in love with him. But it had taken you years to move on from him, to repair the damage the heartbreak had unwittingly caused, to learn to love yourself without him, without anyone. You had learnt not to define yourself against a man, but against yourself. Against your hopes and dreams and desires; you were living for yourself. You had worked so damn hard for this life you were building, and your instinct was to push both men out of it for fear that they would destroy it like a bull in a china shop. But your heart longed to let one of them in — which one it wanted was uncertain. 

“That was Matteo.”

“Your ex?” Joe confirmed.

“My first love.” You laughed half-heartedly to alleviate the tension, with limited success. You tried to ignore Ben’s burning stare.

“How do you feel?” Gwil asked, noticing your reticence and the flush creeping up your neck. 

When the words came out they were barely a whisper: “I don’t know.” Tears pricked at your eyes, but you desperately held them back, digging your fingernails into your palms. 

Don’t you dare cry. You were furious with your tear ducts for betraying you, your anger of course only making things worse. One conversation with Matteo and you wanted to collapse into a tear-stained mess. That should have been a warning to you, really, but you couldn’t see past the cacophony of conflicting emotions and doubts screaming in your head for attention. It was too much; you longed to hide yourself away in the safety of your bed and forget everything. The pain in your palms brought you back to yourself. You looked down at them to see eight deep, crescent-shaped marks, angry and purple. “I need to go home,” you rasped, and swallowed harshly. 

“I’ll go with you,” Gwil said, moving to get his coat. 

You shook your head, “No, it’s fine Gwil. Honestly, I’ll be okay, you stay.” As kind as his offer was, as much as you saw it came from a good place, you couldn’t bear the thought of having to sit with someone on the tube ride home. Having to make small talk, or worse answer questions, trying not to cry. 

“At least let me call you an Uber.” You felt guilty letting him pay for it, but it was dark and you were vulnerable. You also sensed he wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

You nodded, and wrapped yourself in your coat. You tried a feeble wave to the others, but couldn’t bring yourself to look at Ben. You were well aware of his stares, causing the skin on your neck to prickle.

“Thank you, Gwil,” you whimpered as you got outside, sucking the cool air in gratefully. 

“No problem,” he smiled fraternally, and gave you a hug. You shivered a little in his embrace, so he rubbed your arms to create some warmth. The taxi arrived not long after, and you said goodbye, asking Gwil to give the guys your apologies and your love. 

The drive went in a haze of streetlights, blurred by the tears that finally fell leaving track marks down your cheeks. You clambered up the steps to your apparent in a trance and climbed into your bed that had only sporadically been slept in over the past few weeks, The second your head hit the pillow your body pulled you into sleep, rescuing you from your thoughts.

Gwil had gone back to the guys after seeing you safely off. “She’s okay, she said she’s sorry for taking off,” he said as he sat back down.

“It should have been me,” Ben seethed, “I should have taken her home.” 

“She wouldn’t have wanted you to mate, I think she just wanted to be alone.”

He ran his hand roughly through his hair, “I just fucking sat here. She was clearly in pain and I sat here! I should have been there for her, like she was there for me.”

“There’ll be a time for that, buddy,” Joe said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. He mused, “It really affected her though, seeing that guy. I wonder what happened between them.”

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling it wasn’t just that,” Rami intoned insightfully. “Did anyone else notice that she never looked at Ben?” 

“What’s that supposed to mean,” he retorted, a little hurt. 

“Well, I think you had something to do with why she was so upset,” Rami continued, raising an eyebrow to insinuate the words he left unsaid. Ben, however, did not get the hint.

“Me? What did I do?” 

Rami sighed exasperatedly, “She has feelings for you! She’s confused, she doesn’t know what she wants, or what she can have.”

“You two do flirt constantly,” Gwil inclined. 

“That’s just banter. She’s like that with everyone,” Ben argued. 

“Are you kidding?” Joe exclaimed, “What was it she said the other day? ‘Your face it so pretty it hurts’? She has banter with us, she flirts with you.” 

“But what about this other guy?” 

“Exactly,” Rami reasoned, “She’s already confused about you, and then he shows up to throw a spanner in the works.”

Ben wanted so desperately to believe them, to believe you had feelings for him, “You really think so?” 

Joe shrugged, “There’s only one way to find out. You gotta talk to her.”

You were grateful for a day off the next day — you had been given one day’s grace before the next stage of shooting started. You’d woken with the weight of what had happened the previous night sitting heavily on your chest. Catching up on the mindless housework that had fallen by the wayside whilst on set, your thoughts wondered to your dilemma. You liked Ben, that much was certain; he was a valued friend and you enjoyed his company. Sure, he was maybe the hottest man you’d ever seen, he made you smile like no one else, and he made you feel more comfortable in yourself than anyone you’d ever met, but you’d decided that that was exactly why you couldn’t be together. Your friendship with him was too important to risk, and in the end your career had to come first. It had been a tough lesson, learning to put yourself first, but one you weren’t liable to forget in a hurry. You would have to deal with your feelings for him and move on. Part of you felt like the universe had dropped Matteo into your path to help you do that. He was a distraction at the very least. At the most? You supposed you’d find out at dinner. 

By the time the evening started creeping up on you, a knot of nervous energy had formed in your stomach. You weren’t sure how the evening would play out, or what you wanted from it. You didn’t have a clue whether it was a date or not, which made picking an outfit particularly difficult. You stood in front of your wardrobe, wrapped in a towel with another one in a turban on your head, fully shaved and moisturised just in case. The gentle tones of Fleetwood Mac on vinyl filled your apartment. Jeans and a nice top? But the restaurant he had picked was fancier than that. You pulled out a red dress you’d bought for a party and only worn once. You’d been looking for another occasion to wear it, but it was a little too fancy (not to mention skimpy), and seemed inappropriate if it wasn’t a date. Nothing in your wardrobe was singing to you, until you eventually settled on a pair of pink culottes with a white blouse French tucked, a leather jacket, and heeled boots. Stylish, elegant, classy. With your hair styled and makeup done — natural glow and a red lip — you gave yourself a wink in the mirror, feeling confident for the first time in days, and headed out the door.

You’d agreed to meet Matteo at the restaurant, contributing to your unease as to whether it was a platonic meal or not, and arrived a few minutes after the specified time. It an Italian place (shocker), with artisan decor and Renaissance paintings on the walls — all together a lot more nudity than usually accompanied your dining experiences. 

“Ciao, bellissima,” you heard his supple tones from across the room. The table was in a corner where the light was dim, below a copy of Titian’s Venus of Urbino, and you wondered if he chose the table specifically. 

“Ciao,” you responded, kissing his cheeks, and said with a giggle, “I take it you picked this place on purpose?” 

His laugh was like velvet, “I thought it would remind us of sweeter days.”

“Sweeter days? Are they not sweet now?” 

He took your hand and kissed it, “They were always sweeter when you were in them.” 

You blushed a little and occupied your fingers by toying with your hair. 

“I took the liberty of ordering wine, I hope you don’t mind,” he said as he poured you a glass.

You took a sip; it was crips against your tongue. He raised an eyebrow to you, indicating for you to guess the wine. He had been teaching about wine when you were together, and he always made you try and guess the vintage. 

“I’d say it’s Tuscan,” and he nodded with glee. The year was always the tricky bit, and you never got it right no matter how many times he tried to teach you, “2011?” you guessed.

He let out a rumbling laugh, “2007. You never learnt.”

The rest of the evening went in much the same fashion, reminiscing, catching up on your lives, gentle teasing. Physical contact was almost constant, whether he was feeding you from his plate, tucking your hair behind your ear, resting his hand atop yours. Had you been out with anyone else you would have been certain he was flirting, but this was Matty. He was affectionate, extroverted, Italian. By the time you were eating biscotti with dessert wine, you still didn’t know where the evening was going, but your belly was as full as your heart, and jaw ached from smiling. Despite your protests Matty footed the bill, and when you went back out into the crisp autumn evening he offered you his arm and crooned, “Walk with me.” So you did, through the still bustling streets of London along the Thames. You stopped to watch the lights bounce off the water, dancing arrhythmically. You felt peaceful, a welcome change from the emotional turmoil of the last few days. 

“I've missed you, amore,” he purred, settling your body close to his. You looked up into his eyes and saw passion in them, his warmth pulling you in like a moth to a flame. He cupped your jaw gently and dipped his head towards your lips. You faltered, frozen in anticipation, suddenly unsure if you wanted him to kiss you. From nowhere Ben’s face flickered to your mind. You thought about the way you had danced together the previous night, about his hand on the small of your back, so gentle, as if he wasn’t sure it belonged there. But nothing had ever belonged more. You thought about how you had heard his heartbeat when you lay your head on his chest, how you had wondered if that heart could beat for you. You thought about how desperate you had been for him to kiss you, until you had seen Matteo. And now it was Matty’s lips approaching yours. They met, and he locked you in his embrace.  The simple contact set off sparks in your body, a chain reaction that reminded every nerve in your body of how he made you feel. His tongue entered your mouth assuredly, and you dissolved into him. You disappeared, leaving only the vibrations of his touch. He detached from you, and you sucked in an unsteady breath of cold air. 

“Come back with me, bella,” he said, stroking your cheek with light fingers, “Let us remember how our love used to feel.” 

Despite the pulsing in your chest and between your thighs, you whispered, “I can’t. I have to work in the morning.” You knew full well that you could get from his hotel to set in the morning, but a slight unease sat on your shoulder and muttered in your ear to go home, alone.

“That is then, this is now,” he hummed.

You shook your head, “Not tonight, caro.” 

Placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, you turned on your heel and walked away, smiling slightly to yourself as you felt his eyes on you, watching you leave. But a racing heartbeat and hurricane of emotions hid behind your self-possessed exterior, and once again you were plunged into a whirlpool of confused desire.

tags: @anikatcmh @queen-turtle-boiii @orchideax @rogerspoison @my5secondsofneverland @mrsmazzello @ixchel-9275 @radiob-l-a-hblah @devin-marie @luvborhap @mercurycrowley @spaghetittiesbcimgay @valeriecarolinaw @saint-hardy @caborhapch @stephanie-everlasting @coldmuffinpartycloud

[otonymous]

Our Little Secret (Ikesen Mitsuhide - NSFW)

Description: Once you’re caught in the fox’s trap, you’ll never want to leave. Warnings: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language — reader discretion is advised Word Count: 1809 (~9 minutes of fluff & smut) AO3: Read here Author’s Notes:  Yet another milestone!  This is the first time I’ve written anything for Ikesen and also my first time responding to a request, which happens to be from @pristinehaven, who wrote:

“Can I ask for a scenario for Ikesen Mitsuhide’s wedding day. Like who would attend it and who would be his best man and how everything would go. Nsfw at the end (wedding night) with a fem s/o?”

Apparently, I have issues with reading comprehension, so instead of a short and sweet scenario I wrote an entire story.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not that familiar with Mitsuhide’s character in this game, so I apologize in advance if this seems OOC.  That being said, hope you all enjoy it!

Tagging: @oh-my-otome: for your incredibly extensive analysis on everyone’s favourite snek, without which this story would not have happened. Also tagging other lovely readers: @dear-mrs-otome, @saizoswifey, @pseudofaux, @all-my-cuffs-have-buttons, @artemira-sengoku, @fieryanmitsu, @belxsar, @suzi-q-uinn, @otomediary, @kitty-kat-ty, @friedchikyorice All characters & Ikemen Sengoku owned by Cybird.

Mitsuhide’s index finger traces along the dividing lines of your palm, mouth lifted in a smirk as amber eyes flicker upwards to hold your gaze, his tone dropping an octave as he says,

“According to the way this one is curving up, your love life should prove quite fruitful.”

Playing along with the kitsune’s offer to read your palm, your brows lift as you feign surprise.

“Is that right, Mitsuhide?  I’m not so sure.  I think I’ll need more proof than just the fact that we’ve spent the entire morning making love in this abandoned field of wildflowers.”

Gently pressing a kiss to your hand before setting it down on your bared chest, Mitsuhide yawns as he sits up to stretch his muscular arms towards a cloudless blue expanse.  The sun hung high in the sky, warming your bodies as you lay among disheveled kimonos and delicate flowers that dotted the tall grasses like multicoloured jewels.  Strands of his silver hair catch the light as they momentarily obscure the eyes you love to drown in, and you smile to think on how the intensity of his all-knowing gaze used to unnerve you.

“If the Princess of the Oda demands proof, then proof she must have.”

Draping his white kimono over his broad shoulders, you hear the rustling of fabric as he unwraps the furoshiki he surreptitiously tucked under his arm when you left Azuchi this morning.  And when the wisteria-purple silk you had silently coveted for months but couldn’t dream of affording unfurled before your eyes, you are once again dumbfounded by the preternatural resourcefulness of the man who knew everyone’s secrets but revealed so few of his own.  Well, at least to anyone who wasn’t you.

For since the time you became lovers, Mitsuhide slowly unveiled more and more of himself, the armour he donned to keep everyone at arm’s length gradually peeling back like the layers of an onion.  Your patience had paid off when your suspicions proved correct in the end: beneath the merciless teasing and façade of ice, that lonely, beautiful man had a heart of gold, ready to sacrifice himself in any which way for his lord’s cause, and now, for your happiness.  You held this realization dear, forever thankful for the treasure he entrusted you with: the gift of truly knowing who Akechi Mitsuhide was.  

Upon closer inspection of the fabric in his hands, you realize it was actually fashioned into an exquisite kimono, which your lover now lay over your naked body.  Mitsuhide nods as his vulpine eyes caress you, smiling in satisfaction that he had given the castle seamstress the correct dimensions, as if his hands could ever forget the lines and curves of your body.

“Mitsuhide, how did you…this kimono is absolutely gorgeous!  But what’s the occasion for such an extravagant gift?”  

You jump to your feet in excitement, immediately wrapping yourself within the luxurious silk as he looks on, infinitely entertained by your unabashed display of joy.

“Weren’t you the one who asked for proof that your love life would come to beautiful fruition?”  At your questioning look, he continues, “Take a look inside.”

Your heart starts to race when your shaking fingers trace the line of gold embroidery until the ends meet in the shape of a bellflower, identical to the ones proudly displayed on Mitsuhide’s kimono.  And when you finally find the courage to look up again, he is on his knees before you.

“Will you be my wife and take on my family crest for your own?”

The depths of his golden eyes are suffused with an uncharacteristic mixture of hope and uncertainty as he awaits your response with bated breath.  Mitsuhide knew he didn’t possess Hideyoshi’s reputation with women, Nobunaga’s overwhelming charisma or Masamune’s wild charm, but what he did have he was more than willing to surrender completely to you.

He doesn’t have the opportunity to ponder for much longer before the force of your embrace knocks him to the ground, your lips alternating between pressing heated kisses to his own and breathlessly whispering over and over again, “Yes!  A million times, yes!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sake swirled about in the red lacquered cup as you settled yourself onto Mitsuhide’s lap, face flushed and grinning as you pressed your forehead to his.  Raising the cup in a third toast, you each take the requisite three sips before you feel a strong arm encircle your waist to steady you from the alcohol that already started going to your head after the second helping.  

“Little mouse, you’d think you would’ve learned how to tolerate your sake by now.”

“Leave me alone, Mitsuhide.  This is a special occasion.  After all, it’s not every day you get to pledge the rest of your life to the man you love.”

The fire that burns in his eyes turn amber into molten gold, igniting your desire anew, as if you hadn’t touched him in years as opposed to that very morning.

Dressed in the kimono he gave you earlier that day, the pair of you had made for the nearest inn, so intent on becoming man and wife that neither of you had the patience to wait for a proper ceremony amongst the rest of the Oda.  You laughed as you thought on how befitting the circumstances of your wedding was for Mitsuhide’s character: such a public display of affection was completely contrary to the smoke-and-mirrors persona he had worked so hard to cultivate.  

In the end, you both agreed to keep your marriage from everyone else for as long as possible, a secret held close to your hearts like the hidden bellflowers nestled snugly against your chest.  After all, Mitsuhide’s penchant for intrigue and espionage garnered him many enemies, and Kennyo was still at large.  Having made your personal safety his foremost priority, your husband refused to put you in a situation where you could be manipulated into acting as a bargaining chip.  And the fewer people who knew of your status as his wife, the less likely the knowledge would leak.

“How do you think they will react when they find out?  Can you imagine the look on Hideyoshi’s face?!”  You sputter, linking your arms around Mitsuhide’s neck to stop yourself from falling over in a fit of drunken laughter.

“You must be really inebriated to be talking about other men with your husband on your wedding day.”  His eyes darken momentarily, then his lips pull up into their trademark smirk as he says, “I, however, am in the mood to be drunk off something else entirely.”

The look on Mitsuhide’s face cuts through your sake-induced haze in an instant, the anticipation of pleasures to come so powerfully sobering the laughter dies on your lips and you swallow hard to fight the sudden onslaught of an unquenchable thirst.  

In a series of motions as smooth as the kitsune himself, your lover has you reclined on the futon in the rented room, hakama down and kimono slipping off one shoulder as he approaches you, twirling the bottle of sake teasingly in one hand.

Laying back to enjoy the show, you savour the cool brush of your husband’s long, elegant fingers across your heated skin as he undresses you slowly, as if unwrapping a fragile gift.  And just when the excruciating wait has you arching wantonly into his touch, the final layers are shed and you gasp to feel a stream of liquid hitting your collarbones, pooling into the hollow spaces above them until it overflows and trails down towards your core.  

Through eyes half-lidded in ecstasy, you glimpse a flash of silver as Mitsuhide drops his head between your legs, his hot tongue sensually lapping up your body to catch the rivulets of sake streaming down your trembling curves.  You cannot help but cry out when he sucks hungrily at the supple flesh of your breasts, his wicked tongue teasing your puckered nipples until your hips are lifting from the floor in a desperate bid to feel the slide of his growing erection against your wetness.

Bringing his lips close to your ear, he says,  “Shhh, my love.  As much as I want to hear you scream for me, we don’t want to wake everyone else in this inn from their slumber, hm?”

“You know I can’t control myself when it comes to you, Mitsuhide.”

Rising to his knees to offer you a full view of the intimidating length and hardness of his thick cock, he mockingly affects a solemn expression as he ponders your dilemma.  Then, his eyes glint as if hitting upon a solution when he asks,

“Shall I give you something to occupy your mouth with?”

The vibrations of your muffled moans almost drive Mitsuhide over the edge, so much so that the rhythm of his tongue drawing insistent circles about your clit is punctuated by the panting of his hot breath at your entrance.  The grip of his strong hands on your ass encourage you to rest even more of your weight on his face, and your mental faculties are swept clean away at the moist sensation of his lips gathering yours between his own to gently suck.  With nothing else left to do but tremor under his manipulation, you focus instead on counting every twitch of his cock in your mouth.

You can only imagine how lewd you must’ve looked to him, your cheeks burning and thighs spread wide and without a care, inviting him to feast his eyes on the glistening mess your arousal and his saliva made of the space in between.  And when he finally slides in to fill you to capacity, you marvel at how incredibly addicting this man was.  Every stroke sent the blood racing through your veins, the sweat dripping off his body doing nothing to cool the incandescent heat that burned throughout your core.  At that moment, you lived solely for the press of his hard body against your skin and the slippery friction between your legs.

When you finally feel yourself surrendering to the powerful spasms spreading through your body, you can sense that Mitsuhide’s release is close as well.  But nothing could’ve prepared you for the feral way he threw your legs over his shoulders, pounding into you with such force and intensity that you could feel yourself breathlessly sliding off the bedding from the onslaught.  

Eyes tightly shut from exertion, Mitsuhide gives one final thrust before you feel the heat of his release coat you from deep within.  And as you card your fingers through his fine silvery hair, feeling the vibrations of his thundering heart resound throughout the cavity of your own chest, you have never been happier to have fallen so deeply into this fox’s trap.  

Thanks for reading!  More stories available here! 💕

[baeklooming-day]

Believable | Baekhyun

Summary: What happens when you and your best friend pretend to be dating only to help out a friend on a double date?

ft. Hoseok, Jimin & Namjoon of BTS ♡

Genre: best friends!au, college!au, fluff, barely there angst

Word count: 8.7k

A/N: This fanfic is for my friend Sarah, which is pretty much based on a dream she had one night. The events in this story occur in my beloved city, shoutout to Tokyo! I hope you enjoy <3

You promised yourself that today’s lunch break will belong to you all alone.

So as the bell rang, you quickly collected all your notebooks and rushed out of the classroom heading to the library.

You wanted to repeat the notes you took during the last lesson, study a little bit in peace for once.

Peace, that is.

Peace was the thing you needed the most right now. Being in the position you were in and always surrounded by your friends who were really loud most of the time, wasn’t exactly the calmest thing you could think of.

Not that you were complaining, though. Your brother was pretty much the most popular guy in school, you were his pretty sister adored by everyone.

Others would also say you had tones of friends, but that wasn’t entirely true. Sure, you liked hanging out with Namjoon’s friends whenever they planned something, and you often did so. But to be honest, there were only two people you would call stable friends.

One of them was your best friend, Baekhyun.

Although he was your total opposite, you somehow always manage to get along perfectly. You knew that people often wondered how you two even ended up being friends. He was loud, bubbly and colourful, while you on the other hand, always dressed in black and white and weren’t particularly amazed by a rainbow cotton candy.

Maybe that’s why you got along so well with Sarah.

You befriended her almost right away when she came to your school. Soon after, you discovered that you two had a lot of other things in common besides the same taste in music and being crazy about ramen.

You could say you were just any other regular girl friends who just happened to click so well, but, maybe that was the point and that was enough.

Just when you were about to enter the library, your phone screen lit up with a new message from Sarah.

Queen Sarah:

y/n!!! throw everything you’re doing right now and meet me at the library! VERY IMPORTANT or i’ll punch someone, COME NOOOW

What on earth, you thought. The library? Did she know you will be heading there after your Japanese class, or what?

So I guess that was it with studying in peace, you thought again.

You sighed and entered the library. You didn’t have to look for Sarah, as she was already sitting by one of the tables alongside the windows, together with Baekhyun who was shaking his head vigorously. Him too? Oh god, you just hoped that those two didn’t combine anything funny again and needed you to get them out of trouble.

They could be troublesome sometimes, to say the least. Like back then, when they decided it would be a great idea to collect some earth from your garden, shape it cupcake-alike, cover with sweet cream and give away to all the students as well as teachers they couldn’t stand. Although it actually wasn’t that big of a deal according to Baekhyun, they almost got suspended for the rest of the week if it wasn’t for you quickly coming to their rescue and telling the principal that they mistook it with actual cupcakes, while the earth ones were for a decoration. Maybe it wasn’t the best and most believable excuse, but in the end it worked.

“Hey you idiots, what’s up this time?” You said as you approached their table, putting your yellow bag on the seat next to Sarah.

“Certainly not my hopes” she mumbled.

What’s going on, you mouthed to Baekhyun, but he only sighed deeply in response.

You plopped on the chair. “So, spill the tea girl.”

“The thing is” Sarah began, interwining her both hands. “that I don’t even know what I did for him to obviously dislike me.”

“I told you to just stop wasting your time on him” Baekhyun shifted in his own seat.

Sarah only glared at him in response. “Not helping.”

“Well, I still don’t really know what the problem is” You leaned forward looking at both your friends.

“Hoseok is the problem!” Sarah helplessly threw her hands in the air. “I finally got the guts to properly ask him out and tell him I like him, okay? So imagine me, oh-so-confident, walking up to him and hoping for the best, only for him to turn around and, I swear I saw how his smile disappears exactly in the moment when he saw me approaching him. And guess what, the only thing I managed to say to him was ‘hey Hoseok’, because he mumbled a quick ‘hi’ and ran off. Ran off! And now you can both imagine how stupid I felt being just apparently rejected like that, standing in this corridor like an idiot.” She rested her chin on her hand with a miserable look on her pretty face.

“He didn’t-” You rested your arm on the table, still looking at her.

“Oh yes, he did.” Sarah straightened. “And then before I got here with Baekhyun, we saw him laughing with that bitch Sua in the doorway of your brother’s classroom.”

“That’s definetely not nice at all. “You crossed your arms. “But right now don’t think too much about Sua. You know she is always all over all the boys here. Maybe he just didn’t want to be rude or something.”

“Didn’t want to be rude? And what would you call his previous behaviour towards me? Because I personally think it was kind of rude.” She paused for a brief moment only to add: “There’s clearly something going on between them. I will just have to accept that I have zero chances with Hoseok.”

You and Baekhyun exchanged looks.

“Ah, come on, don’t say that.” You placed your palm on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Short after that, you noticed two boys entering the library.

You immediately recognised them. It was your older brother Namjoon, together with one of his new friends, Jimin, a blonde-haired boy with a dazzling smile.

They sat by a table on the opposite site of the library. You looked over to them waving to Namjoon, to what he responded with a grin. What a sweet brother you had.

You continued talking with Baekhyun and Sarah, only for her to stop at some point and whisper to you. “Y/N, do you know this guy?” With her head she pointed in the direction where Namjoon and Jimin seemed to be thinking hard reading something in their notebooks.

“Who, Jimin? Yeah, he’s friends with my brother, why?

“He keeps glancing at me.”

You turned your head to see yourself. Right now, Jimin was playing with his pencil, in fact sending glances at Sarah.

“Maybe he thinks you’re cute.” Baekhyun grinned like a little boy.

“Shut up, Byun.”

Sarah turned her head again to look at the other two boys, catching Jimin’s eyes. He instantly blushed and looked back into his notes.

“Yep, he definetely thinks you’re cute.” Baekhyun’s grin was even wider now.

You rolled your eyes at him.

“Oh, I think they are walking over.” Baekhyun shifted in his chair once again.

“Oh hell no” Sarah didn’t seem to like the idea. “I don’t want to deal with this right now, if he keeps staring at me like that I will-”

“Sarah, sit back and be nice.”

“You won’t tell me what to do, Baekhyun!” She threw a paper ball at him, which hit him right in the nose.

“You wanna fight? Tell me if you wanna fight” He was now crumpling a whole page from his own notebook.

“God, just quit it you babies.” You rolled your eyes once again.

In that moment when Sarah and Baekhyun were just about to start a paper war, Namjoon and Jimin approached your table.

“Hey big bro!” You kissed your brother on the cheek.

“Hey little sis” Namjoon plopped on the chair next to Baekhyun, with Jimin taking a seat on his left.

“So he always gets a hello kiss and me not?” Baekhyun shot you an offended look.

“Well maybe she doesn’t want to be linked with you more than she already is” Namjoon turned to face him. “Besides you look like you just came out of a circus.”

“Says a guy with pink hair.”

“It’s rosy purple, you jackass”

“Are they always like this?” Jimin asked you, failing to hide a smile that was appearing on his handsome face.

“You could say that, yeah” you laughed in response. “Just let them argue, they will eventually settle down.”

You couldn’t help but notice Jimin still glancing at Sarah. Suddenly a thought popped up in your head.

“Anyway Jimin, I think you don’t know my friend Sarah yet” You put your arm around her. You saw her terrified look which screamed ‘no’ but decided to ignore it.

“I didn’t have the pleasure” He smiled cutely. Oh boy, was he a cute one.

“Very well then” You continued with your arm still around her. “Jimin - Sarah, Sarah - Jimin”. Then you quickly glanced at Baekhyun. “I believe you already know my annoying best friend Baekhyun?”

Jimin chuckled. “Yes indeed, we have one class together.”

“Oh really? He never told me. Which one is it?

“English.”

“Oh my god” You laughed. “Well, then maybe you can teach him a little, because I’m sure you already noticed that he totally sucks at it.”

“I could if I was good in English myself” He smiled shyly, running his hand through his gold locks.

“That’s actually not bad! I mean-” You already had an entire evil plan in your head. “Sarah is an ace in English, she can help you.” You turned to your friend. “You will help Jimin with his English homework, right?”

If only looks could kill, you would be already lying there motionless on the floor.

“That... that would be amazing” Jimin blushed once again, looking at Sarah with eyes full of hope, and... admiration?

Sarah finally woke up. “Uhm, yeah, I guess I can do it.”

“Great!” You happily clapped your hands. You caught Sarah’s glare. I will end you later, that’s what the look in her eye told you.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go and try to kind of set her up with your brother’s friend so unceremoniosly, but in your opinion she needed a little distraction from all that Hoseok drama. After all it was because you cared, what else?

A week passed since your little ‘meeting’ in the library. Ever since that day, Sarah has been regularly meeting up with Jimin to help him with his studying. You were quite proud of your little ‘achievement’, to say the least. She still was whining about Hoseok sometimes, but it seemed to you like she actually enjoyed spending time with Jimin.

Those two would make an adorable couple, you thought to yourself. But then you immediately shook that thought off, as quick as it appeared. You didn’t want to play matchmaker any further - you didn’t really like it yourself when other people did that.

You were so occupied with your own thoughts that you completely missed Baekhyun’s irritated expression.

“Hello, Earth to Y/N, still online?” He waved his hand right in front of your face. “I just asked you the same question two times.”

“Uhm? Sorry, I was just daydreaming.”

He smirked. “Daydreaming? I hope you were daydreaming about me.”

“What? Ew, no.”

“Ouch, that hurt.” He put his palm on his heart with an exaggerated offended expression.

You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then what were you actually daydreaming about if I may ask?”

“I was just thinking that Sarah and Jimin would be really cute together.” You shrugged. “But nevermind.”

Baekhyun grinned. “You really wanna set them up, don’t you?”

“No, I’m just saying what I think.”

“Sure.” He was still grinning like an idiot.

You never understood it how someone could be so happy all the time. Baekhyun was like a literal puppy - he always found something to smile about, got overly excited and pretty much jumped around like a kid. Like a kid, he apparently still was. But being completely honest, you envied him for being so enthusiastic about life. You, in the opposite, tended you overthink and worry about things in advance, so at least being with him could… relax you, just a little? Baekhyun always tried to maintain the high spirits and, for once, you were grateful to have him as your best friend, although you would never admit it directly.

“How do you do that?”

“How do I do what?”

“Being always so happy.” You raised one brow at him.

He only shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just the way I am.” He paused for a brief moment before adding: “Somebody has to, seeing that you are grumpy everyday.”

“Excuse you?” You raised your voice to protest. “I’m not grumpy at all everyday!”

“Right. Every two days.”

You shot a glare at his still grinning face. What an idiot. You halfway knew that he merely enjoyed annoying you in such stupid ways, yet it still managed to unnerve you. You huffed and fastened your pace.

“Aish, you’re so cute when you’re annoyed” He laughed, keeping up with you.

Did your idiot of a best friend just call you cute?

You stopped and turned to properly face him. “Cute?”

He only looked back at you, scanning your face. “Yes. Cute.”

You couldn’t stop the blush that was creeping up your cheeks. Why were you blushing? It was just Baekhyun.

“Come on, or we will never get to that ramen place.” You brushed it off and started walking again.

You only heard his chuckles from behind. Please, laugh, you thought to yourself. Sometimes as much as you wanted you just couldn’t even think of what might be in that boy’s mind.

Later that evening just as you arrived at your place, your phone started ringing with an incoming call from Sarah.

Was she finally coming for you for putting her in those study sessions with Jimin? You slid your finger across the lit up screen.

“Yeah?”

“Y/N, problem.” She began without any preword.

“What’s going on?”

“Uhm, how to explain that” She seemed to be searching for the right words. “So I was doing English with Jimin today, right. And, ugh, just as we finished the last vocabulary on the list he just came with this question out of nowhere.” She sighed. “He asked me out on date.”

You froze. “God, please, don’t tell me you rejected him-”

“No, wait, let me finish! I didn’t reject him, and honestly I think this is the actual problem.” She mumbled more to herself than to you. “I panicked, so I might have said something about you and Baekhyun, and...” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I might have said something about you and Baekhyun, that maybe you two could tag along. I don’t know how this happened but now Jimin thinks that you both began dating past this week and we are all going on a double date next Saturday.”

WHAT?

“WHAT?” You thought you misheard her. “You told him what?”

“Like I said, I panicked, okay? Besides you owe me that one!” Sarah raised her voice a little. “You got me into tutoring Jimin, so you might as well help me out now! I didn’t mean any of this to happen. And I don’t want to be left with him alone!”

“Sarah, you are alone with him when you study together.”

“This is different! He asked me out on a date, heck.” You could hear her facepalming herself on the other line. “And before you tell me anything - I know, I know. But one date isn’t going to change much. I still have feelings for Hoseok, even if he’s dating Sua or hates me for some mysterious reason.”

“One date can change everything, you know.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it for me. This is just unfair towards Jimin. And it’s too late to call it off. So please?”

You groaned. “Do you really expect me to make a show with Baekhyun there? And you are a grown woman, why do you need backup-”

“Y/N, I’m reminding you that it was you who got me into this. And I’m not asking you to do it with some random guy, but with your very own best friend. So can you please pretend to be a couple on that day? Please?”

You didn’t even realise you were walking in circles around your room. Pretending to be dating Baekhyun? Sarah did have a point, at least it wasn’t some stranger but your best friend. You could totally survive this.

But what would Baekhyun say about that?

“Fine, I’ll do it.” You told her. “But you are telling Baekhyun.”

“Okay, alright! I’ll tell him.” She sounded a little calmer now. “I can even call him right now if you want.”

“Please do. And also, where are we going on that ‘date’, if I may ask?”

“Oh, right.” Sarah held back a chuckle. “Actually I think Baekhyun will like it. We’re going to Tokyo Disneyland.”

“Seriously right now?”

“What? Jimin said he’s never been there, besides I think it’s good because there will be a lot of people there, that means little probability of any awkward, unwanted scene to eventually happen.”

You laughed. “You sure it was Jimin’s idea and not your own?”

“It was Jimin’s idea.” She sighed again. “Okay, I’ll go call Baekhyun now and let him know about our, uhm, plans. Hang in there, girl.”

“See you tomorrow girl” You hung up.

What on earth did you just get yourself into?

In these two days after getting the call from Sarah you were careful not to end up being caught between Baekhyun and Jimin. Your school was quite big, so it actually wasn’t that much of a problem. You luckily managed to never find yourself in the same room as the two boys. Maybe it was stupid, but you just wanted to spare yourself the awkwardness. Otherwise you would have to act like ‘a girlfriend’, which didn’t really amuse you. You were lucky enough that Jimin wasn’t the type to spread things around, because if he was, in the worst case the entire school would think that you and Baekhyun were dating.

You caught yourself wondering why that thought of dating your best friend occupied you so much. He was an annoying clown most of the time, but as well was the object of adoration of many schoolgirls. Maybe it was because he was just unique - he always dressed in lively colours, heck, even used colorful eyeshadows from time to time. He also liked wearing lenses, mostly green. Back then, at the beginning of your friendship, you remembered him being absolutely amazed by your bright eyecolour. Short after that he started showing up at school with green eyes. And when he dyed his hair red, you couldn’t disagree that the complete look was worth stopping an eye on it.

About the double date, he didn’t even try to bail out of it, to your surprise. After all he really had nothing to do with the whole thing both you and Sarah pulled, and was practically dragged into it.

You were also surprised when on Saturday morning he knocked on your door.

You got downstairs to answer it.

“Baekhyun?” You furrowed your brows when you opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Today is Saturday, remember?” He flashed you his signature smile.

“Yeah, and? We are supposed to meet with Sarah and Jimin before Disneyland first in three hours.”

“I know.” He leaned on the doorframe. “But I thought I might come pick you up as well, and make sure you don’t run away.” There he was, grinning again.

“Would you stop? Why do you always have to be stupidly grinning like that?” You shifted to the side to make space for him to enter.

“It’s not my fault you bring out my best smiles.”

How cheesy.

You rolled your eyes at him.

“Besides Baekhyun, I could just go by bus. You didn’t have to come all the way here.”

“We have to be a couple there today, right? What boyfriend lets his girlfriend go alone to a date?” He sat on the couch and leaned his head back. As he did that, some of his red locks fell onto the soft pillow.

“We have to just ‘pretend’, my dear. Why take it so seriously?”

Baekhyun straightened to look at you. “Just make it believable.” He shrugged.

“Honestly, this whole situation seems so ridiculous to me.” You looked back at him. “It’s like Jimin was some guy from your or my past who we have to lie to and convince we are one super happy boyfriend and girlfriend acting all lovey-dovey just because Sarah decided she needs backup.” You paused. “I mean, what difference is it supposed to make? And when it’s done, do we have to tell Jimin we ‘broke up’, or whatever?”

“Really, stop thinking so much for once.” He smiled again. “It can be fun.”

“Whatever. I’m going upstairs to prepare myself.”

With that, you turned on your feet and walked up the stairway, straight to your room.

You didn’t really have an idea what outfit you should go for. In the end, you chose a nice pair of light jeans, black off-shoulder top which exposed your collarbones just perfectly - and pale pink sneakers, which had fluffy fur in the same colour attached to them. You straightened your hair and let it loose.

For makeup, you went for your usual look. After cleaning your skin, you applied some essence and put on your favourite BB cream. You absolutely loved doing your eyebrows - actually there wasn’t much to do since they were already pretty full, but you liked defining their natural shape with some coloured eyebrow gel. After that, you applied a generous layer of mascara to your long lashes and stopped by the lipsticks and lip tints. You were dressed in rather neutral colours, except for your pink sneakers. Anyway, you decided to use a darker lip tint in berry-ish tones. You gently applied the tint on your plush lips and looked in the mirror.

Yes. Perfect.

You took a little black bag and went back downstairs where you found Baekhyun playing with his phone.

“I’m ready.”

“It sure took you a while.” He said without looking at you. He seemed to be very absorbed in something on the screen.

“We still have one hour to go.” You glanced at the clock hanging on the white wall. “Come on, move. I want to buy some matcha chocolate before we meet with Sarah and Jimin.”

“Seriously, you are always so needy for choc-” He stopped in the middle of his sentence right when he finally looked at you, or you were just imagining it. “Oh.”

You looked at him confused. “What? Do I have lip tint on my cheek?”

He still just stared at you with his mouth open for a couple more seconds before speaking. “Eh? No.”

What’s suddenly gotten into him?

“You’ve got everything?”

You nodded.

“Okay, so let’s go.”

He quickly stood up and directed himself to the door. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that Baekhyun, your best friend, just went a little red.

No, you thought. Baekhyun never blushes. Not alone because he saw me right now. He’s seen me dressed in other things than school uniform many times.

You decided to ignore it and followed right behind, getting on the other side of the street to his car.

You arrived at Disneyland exactly at fourteen o’clock. As you walked towards the main entrance of the park, you spotted Sarah and Jimin already standing there waiting.

You jumped when you suddenly felt Baekhyun’s hand clasping around your own.

“What the-” You tried to free yourself from his firm grip.

“Shh” He scolded you with a look. “They already saw us.”

“I don’t care, let go of my hand Baek-”

“Ey, Sarah, Jimin!”

You noticed the slight surprise on Sarah’s face. You really, really wanted to snatch your hand away but in that moment when Jimin also was looking at the two of you - or rather Baekhyun dragging you along - you just sighed and let it go. Pretend, huh? Somehow you imagined it a lot less easy. But forget it. Now you didn’t have a choice, you had to survive this.

“Hey, you made it!” Sarah opened her arms to give you both a hug. “You look good.”

“You too.” You smiled at her.

“So” She began. “We thought that maybe we could go on some rides and other stuff first, then go get something to drink or whatever, and when it gets dark there will be fireworks. You good with that?” She looked at you, waiting for a reply.

“Yeah, of course.” You adjusted your bag on your side. “Shall we?”

Finally, the four of you directed yourselves to pass through the mint green entrance with red Tokyo Disneyland above.

You looked up in the sky. The weather was lovely - it was partly cloudy, but the sunbeams still shined through reaching your faces. It wasn’t too hot - just fine for spending an afternoon at a place like Disneyland.

You quickly glanced at Baekhyun. Wait, you thought. He was still holding your hand, still in a firm grip, even though now Sarah and Jimin were walking before you, Jimin vividly telling her some story about his English teacher from the previous school. You could easily release hands right now, when they weren’t even paying attention to you. But surprisingly, and to your horror, you had to admit that... you liked it. It was funny how perfect your small palm fit into Baekhyun’s, it almost felt natural.

Wait, nooo, nonononono.

You felt your cheeks becoming hot, the second time in this week.

You were just being weird. There must have been a logical explanation for your unusual reactions, right?

As you walked in, you just started to go on every ride and to every other attraction that caught your eye. To your surprise, you found yourself really enjoying the time. It sure felt like being eleven again, the four of you must have really looked ridiculous to some adults with their children there, all four laughing loudly, running around and talking about everything and nothing, but you didn’t care. And when you saw the Cinderella Castle from afar, you were the one to excitedly rush the others to go in there.

“Hurry up you losers, or I will run ahead!” You shouted at the three of your friends who stayed a few metres behind.

“And thinking that you were whining because ‘Disneyland is for little kids.’“ Sarah shouted back to you.

You only laughed in response. Not your fault that Cinderella has always been your favourite Disney princess.

The castle in fact could easily be a dream place to live for every little girl.

After exploring some rooms in the castle, you all decided that you’re slowly getting thirsty from all that running.

“I have to get some ice cream too, or I’ll die.” Sarah ran a hand through her black hair.

“We could all use some” You agreed.

As you walked through the park to find some nice café, you heard your name being called from behind. You turned around only to see your brother, Namjoon, running up to you, waving like a child.

Wait, hold on a second. What the heck was Namjoon doing in Disneyland?

“Namjoon?” You looked at him as if he had grown two heads. “What are you doing here alone?”

“I’m not alone, I’m with Ho-” He quickly stopped himself, as if he already said too much. “I’m with a friend, we were bored and the weather is super nice today, so...”

“Okay...” You were a little confused. You looked past Namjoon’s shoulder in the direction where a merry-go-round was.

You could swear, you saw a head of brown fluffy curls quickly disappearing behind a tree. Brown curls, you knew exactly one boy who wore his hair like this.

What did Namjoon say? He was there with Ho...?

Did he mean Hoseok by any chance?

“What a coincidence.”

You didn’t even want to think about it any further. You and Namjoon almost always knew about each other’s plans, usually. You couldn’t remember him mentioning anything about going to Disneyland as well. Wait, did he actually know that you and Baekhyun were pretending a couple? If he didn’t, he would have certainly given you a lecture on how much he disapproves and what are you even thinking, which he didn’t. You thought that Jimin would tell him about the date - wait, was Namjoon also doing the ridiculous backup thing? After all those two already were very good friends.

You felt your head spinning slightly from all that thoughts that came up in your head at once.

And then that, if your eyes didn’t mistake you, you just saw Hoseok hiding behind a tree.

What was this all about? And you thought it couldn’t get any crazier.

“Anywayyy, I’ll get going back” Namjoon adjusted his cap and started to jog back from where he appeared before you could stop him and ask questions. “Have fun!”

As he disappeared from your sight you looked back at the others. “What did just happen? He never goes to places like this.”

“Maybe he’s secretly one of those overprotective brothers who have to stalk their sisters on dates” Baekhyun was gazing at some point in the space.

You lightly hit him in the shoulder. “Not at all!”

“Guys, come ON, I really want that ice cream” Sarah tilted her head to the side before turning on her feet and starting walking again.

You decided that you will ask Namjoon about it when you get home. All that looked a little suspiscious to you, but there was no point in dwelling on it any longer right now.

You tucked a loose strand of your hair behind your ear and followed behind Sarah and Jimin.

“When I say cookie flavour is the best, then it’s the best” Sarah practically shoved a spoonful of her cookie ice cream into her mouth.

“So you weren’t lying when you told me you loved cookie” Jimin was holding his own walnut cone closely to his lips.

“And when you told me your favourite was walnut, I was seriously hoping you were joking.” She looked it up and down. “Like, really, walnut.”

“What’s wrong with it? Every time I say I like the walnut ones best people are looking at me exactly like you do now.”

Sarah brought her attention back to her cookie ice cream. “Disgusting.”

The four of you were sitting at a lovely spot by a small, round table under large umbrellas patterned in white and orange stripes. The sun was already slowly setting, and the light that fell on the warm-coloured material on the umbrellas was creating a very pleasing and relaxing atmosphere.

You and Baekhyun took the usual flavour you always ate - chocolate. This day will soon be over, you thought. You peeked at Baekhyun. The rays of sunshine managed to catch a side of his face, his red locks were now shimmering in the warm light. He looked like some prince of an exotic country, and when he turned his eyes on you and caught you starring at him, he smiled.

You felt something in your stomach. You couldn’t really name it, did you eat your ice cream too fast?

No, it wasn’t the ice cream. It was something different.

It felt like... something fluttered. Fluttered, and then quickly washed away as fast as it came.

What was wrong with you? Why were you starting to feel like this around your best friend? The thought alone made you nauseous.

It was Sarah’s voice that snapped you out of your trance.

“Why are these portions so small” She was holding an empty cone now. “I’ll buy myself another one, I’ll be right back.”

Before she could stand up, you unzipped your bag in a lightspeed taking out your wallet and standing up yourself. “Stay, I’ll get it for you.”

“Oh, okay.” She must have noticed the sudden rush in your tone, but if so, she didn’t show it.

You just wanted to let yourself breath for a moment, in that case going somewhere away from Baekhyun. You couldn’t, or simply didn’t want to try to understand what was going on with you. He was your best friend, for crying out loud. You couldn’t just start blushing around him and feeling fluttering in your stomach when he smiled at you. It just wasn’t supposed to be like this, and you didn’t like it in the slightest.

As you walked back up to the ice cream stand from before, you heard a chair being moved and footsteps behind you. No, you thought. Don’t tell me-

“Are you taking another one too?”

Why did he even follow you?

Dammit. So it looked like that was it with getting a little space from Baekhyun.

“Uhm, I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You took your wallet.”

“How else am I suppose to pay for that?”

“I was paying before, remember?”

“God, Baekhyun, I already told you we don’t have to pretend everything like that every second. Right now they can’t even hear us, so please.” You made a face. Why was he still taking it so seriously?

He glanced back at Sarah and Jimin. “Yeah, but they can see us.”

Then, you too looked in the direction where your two friends were still sitting. They were both watching you, Jimin with slightly furrowed eyebrows said something to Sarah, who started to seemingly explain something to him, rather nervously.

Then you heard Baekhyun’s voice again.

“Kiss me.”

“Excuse me, WHAT?” You almost choked on your own saliva. The things were getting a little overhelming now, didn’t they?

“Can’t you see he isn’t buying it at all?” He hissed. “Just kiss me, for god’s sake.”

“Alright, now you are crossing the line Baek-”

You didn’t get to finish the sentence when he captured your lips with his own.

The kiss lasted for only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to totally disorient you. And when he pulled back, your head started spinning for real this time.

You just stood there, waiting for your turn in the ice cream queue with your mouth forming an ‘o’.

So many thoughts were running in your head at that very moment, that you completely failed to hear Sarah coughing loudly in the distance.

You also didn’t even realise when it was your turn to order, so when you didn’t speak a word, Baekhyun very gently pushed you aside and got both Sarah’s and your ice cream himself.

The rest of your evening passed, thank God, rather quickly. You sat at the same table for another hour, Sarah still not having enough of cookie ice cream. You were zoning out most of the time, avoiding Baekhyun’s eyes.

Make it believable, he said. It can be fun, he said.

You still were the opinion that it didn’t make any sense from the beginning, but none was willing to listen.

Now you were just angry at yourself. Why were you such an idiot to set Sarah up in the first place? Because after all it was crystal clear to you that she liked only Hoseok, not Jimin, no matter how sweet he was.

And Baekhyun? You really, really wanted to say that the kiss was wrong, very wrong.

But it wasn’t. It felt right.

It felt almost natural.

You recalled the moment when he took your hand by the main entrance to Disneyland. It felt natural, just as if it was the way it was meant to happen.

“Hey, Y/N, are you listening?” Sarah’s voice brought you back to the reality. “It already got dark, the fireworks are supposed to start soon.”

“Oh, yeah. Do you want to get going now?”

As she nodded, the four of you gathered your things ready to head to the direction where the said show was taking place. And when you nearly bumped into Baekhyun’s chest as you rapidly stood up and took a glimpse of his eyes fixed on you, you felt as if the fireworks erupted in your stomach instead of the nightsky.

It was almost 21:00 when you left, looking for your cars in the parking lot. All you wanted was to finally be alone, in the silence of your comforting room. You just had to survive the awkward ride home with Baekhyun, during which you sincerely hoped that he won’t bring up the topic of the kiss occurence from earlier.

You hugged both Sarah and Jimin goodbye and followed Baekhyun back to his car.

Please, you thought. Don’t talk to me.

The ride was silent so far. Maybe he feels stupid himself for doing this and regrets it, you thought.

However, you didn’t dare to look at him. You didn’t want to meet his eyes again, because you were sure you would just start blushing all over again.

You were more than relieved when you arrived at your place, and just as Baekhyun pulled the car to stop, you grabbed your bag ready to get the hell out of there.

“Uhm” Suddenly you found it extremely difficult to properly speak. “See you at school?” Without giving him a chance to reply you opened the door and rushed outside.

Drive off, drive off, drive off-

“Y/N, wait.”

Shit!

“Yeah?” You were midway to your front door when he opened the door on his side and got out of the car.

“Do you...” He started, coming up to you, without looking at you first. “Do you want to talk about what happened back there?”

“You mean... the kiss?”

He nodded.

“There isn’t much to talk about.” You said in a weak voice, almost whisper. “It was wrong, and it will never happen again.”

His face changed into a hurt expression. “Wrong?”

“Yes, wrong!” You snapped. “What on earth were you actually thinking? You seriously don’t know your limits!”

“Will you stop behaving like that? God, why is it so difficult talking to you” He was now getting irritated himself.

“Well, then don’t talk to me.” You crossed your arms on your chest. “I just fail to understand why you did that. Was it so important to you to make things weird between us?”

“It was important for me to finally get you to notice one thing you also always failed to undertand.”

“Oh really, and that thing is...?”

He gave you a look, shaking his head in bewilderment.

“Are you really that blind? Can’t you see that I like you? That I have liked for a long time now?” He bit his lip. “I was always giving you hints, but looks like you missed them. Or ignored.” He added before taking a deep breath. “I thought that maybe today you will eventually open your eyes.”

What was just happening? Your best friend just confessed to you straight in your face out of nowhere.

Were you even still awake?

“Baekhyun-” You were too tired and way too confused to think clearly any longer. “Let’s just forget about today. Forget all this ever happened, and let us get back to normal. It doesn’t make any sense to me-”

“Okay, fine!” It was his turn to snap. “Forget about it, huh? Fine.”

He rapidly turned around walking back to his car.

You watched as he started the engine and drove off, without any further words.

You were convincing yourself that it wouldn’t make any sense if you eventually let something bloom between the two of you, so why did you feel like the things you so harshly said to him just a couple minutes ago were the real nonsense?

The next day on Sunday, you just locked yourself up in your room. You didn’t feel like doing anything. Namjoon was out on a trip with some friends, so you also didn’t have an opportunity to ask him about his appearance in Disneyland the other day.

A loud sound from your phone signilising an incoming call stopped you from getting lost in your thoughts again.

Queen Sarah calling...

“Hello?”

“Hey girl, how are you feeling?” Her voice sounded concerned. Was she some magician or something? Did she already know you were hating on yourself for what you did yesterday night?

“Are you actually asking how I’m feeling or are you referring to what you witnessed yesterday by that ice cream stand-”

“I CAAAN’T!” She yelled into the speaker. “What was that??? I mean, I wanted you to pretend you were dating but to that point? I’m impressed, I’m impressed. And shocked, and surprised.”

“Sarah, he fucking confessed to me yesterday as he brought me back home. Baekhyun told me he likes me.” You said in a barely audible voice. “When did it all become such a mess?”

“Wait, what???” She seemed honestly surprised. “Like, for real? Are you saying that Baekhyun has feelings for you?”

“That’s what I’m saying-”

“What did you tell him?”

“That he should forget it and that it doesn’t make any sense.” You suddenly felt like an idiot again. “I told him that kiss was wrong. But it felt so right, and let me tell you, so right.” You thought you were about to cry because of your stupid actions. “And the thing is, I think I might have feelings for him too. I was always pushing that thought away from me, but maybe those feelings have always been there. I just always denied it. And now I don’t have a single clue how to get through tomorrow at school.”

“Girl” Sarah spoke up. “You totally need to talk to him then. Try to make things right again. I’m sure it will all end alright. I saw you too holding hands when you thought me and Jimin weren’t looking” You could hear the smile in her voice. “You will be the cutest couple in our school.”

“I don’t know if I can do this” You told her. “But I can try. If he tells me to go get lost-”

“No, he won’t!”

“If you say so.” You paused for a moment. “And what about you? Jimin drove you home, right? What were you talking about?”

“Ah, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk about. I know, I know you had good intentions with all of that, Jimin is probably one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever met, but-” She sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about Hoseok. I just can’t. I may be stupid and hopeless, you name it. I told Jimin the truth about how I feel, I didn’t want to be more unfair to him than I already was by agreeing to that date in the first place and getting his hopes up. He said he understands. Y/N, seriously, how can he be so calm? He said he understands and if that’s so, then he at least hopes that things will somehow get clearer with Hoseok. And at the end he gave me a kiss on the cheek and said that if he doesn’t treat me like I deserve to be treated, I know where to find him.”

“Oh my god, GOLD, gold not human-”

“Right?” She sighed again. “Ugh, let us settle down today and cool off. Tomorrow is Monday. We can get through this, whatever it is.”

“I genuinely hope so. See you tomorrow. And think positive.”

“You too! Fighting!”

You hung up. Oh god. You somehow had a feeling tomorrow will be a long day.

And a long day it indeed was. You felt like the time wasn’t passing at all. You also weren’t really listening to your teachers during the lessons, because all that was on your mind was Baekhyun.

You ran into him a few times during the day, and he pretty much completely ignored your existence, to say the least. You had no idea and no plan on how to approach him and try to effectively talk to him.

That’s why you ended up wandering around the school building during your long lunch break. Sarah was nowhere to be seen - oddly. You needed some time to make up some lines to say to Baekhyun, so you decided to look for an empty classroom where you could think.

You remembered that the Japanese classroom on the second floor, that one with huge windows, was always free of any students during the break, so you immediately opted for this one.

You fastened and got to the door, which you swiftly opened without thinking much. It was just then when you noticed someone already sitting there by the window.

It took you a few seconds to recognise him.

“Hoseok?”

The boy turned to look at you. “Oh, hey Y/N.”

“What are you doing up here all by yourself?”

“Ah, nothing. Just thinking, I guess.”

You took a few steps towards him. “Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all.”

And you did so. You took a glimpse at him. He looked... miserable. Something was obviously bothering him.

“Hey” You spoke up again. “You look sad. Maybe you will feel better if you let it all out.”

He sadly smiled at you. “I don’t want to bother you with my drama...”

“Ah, come on. I’m here to listen.”

“Uhm, okay.” He ruffled his dark brown curls with both hands. “I know it might come out creepy, but... On that Saturday... I know that you, Baekhyun, Jimin and-” He paused. “-and Sarah were in Disneyland. I was there too, with your brother.”

So it was Hoseok! And there you were, thinking that you started hallucinating.

“I just-” He rested his forehead on the window. “I’m really an idiot you know? I’m sure Sarah told you all about it how I ‘escaped’ from her, am I right?”

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh, that. Yes, she did. She told me you ran off as soon as you saw her approaching. She was really miserable after that.”

Now the look on his face appeared almost tormented.

“I didn’t mean to, I didn’t, really.” He looked at you again. “The truth is, I had the biggest crush on her pretty much since she started attending our school. And it didn’t fade away. Not a bit. I know I’m usually not the shy type, but it changes when she’s around. You can laugh at me, but I’m just afraid of actually talking to her in person. Initially, I thought that I would simply mess up if I open my mouth, but clearly, I did mess up by not opening it, ironically.” He paused for a brief moment before continuing. “She makes me speechless. It’s like as if I saw an angel walking down the school corridor.” Now he started smiling to himself. “But that day when I saw you four in Disneyland, and her with Jimin talking and laughing... Well, guess what, I got what I deserve. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Jimin, we are all friends. But-”

“Wait.” You interrupted him. “Hold on. So you are telling me you like Sarah?”

“Yes-”

“Oh dear, Hoseok...”

“I know, I fucked up-”

“No, you didn’t.” You straightened. “ At least not to that point where you can’t fix it.”

He looked at you confused.

“You can believe me when I say that Sarah has eyes only for you.” You smiled at him. “We were talking on the phone yesterday. She said she told Jimin that she can’t date him because she still likes you. I hope she won’t get mad at me because I just revealed that information to you but-” You tucked your hair behind your ear. “I’m doing you both a favour. You still have a chance. Take it.”

“I wouldn’t know what to tell her...”

“The same what you just told me. Just tell her the truth about your feelings, and I’m sure you will be fine. You can totally do this!” You tried to motivate at least him, because you yourself were rather far from being particularly motivated for what was awaiting you later.

“Alright. Okay. If you say so, it must be true then.” He shifted in his spot. “And what about you? You also looked worried.”

“Eh, this is even more ridiculous than your thing.”

“Come on. The least I can do in return for listening to my blabbering is to do the same for you. So tell me.”

You took a deep breath. “I won’t tell you the entire story because there would be really way too much to tell, so in a shortened version, Sarah kind of told Jimin something about me and Baekhyun, Jimin thought that me and Baekhyun started dating and we had to pretend to be a couple there in Disneyland.” You glanced at Hoseok. He seemed to fight back a laugh.

“I’m sorry.” He said. “Did you really pretend all along?”

“Yes! And Baekhyun was taking it too seriously. He held my hand and stuff. And then, as if it wasn’t bad enough, he just kissed me in front of everyone. Kissed me!” You flipped your head back. “And then again, when he brought me back to my house, he confessed to me. And I was being the biggest idiot of the world and rejected him.”

Hoseok seemed to think, analyzing your face. “Do you like him too?”

You sighed. “Yes. Y-yes, I think I do.”

“I think you do, too. You should as well talk to him and tell him how you really feel.”

“I might as well throw up.”

“Come on, if I can talk to Sarah, then you can totally talk to Baekhyun. We have to believe in our dumb selves.” He jumped off the window sill you were both sitting on, offering you his hand to help you down.

Hoseok was right. Sarah was right too. You could do it.

With that thought accompanying you, you confidently walked out of the classroom, ready to find Baekhyun and get it done before all the confidence abandoned you.

After running some errands in the school building, you finally found him.

He was just about to walk into his full classroom when you quickly ran up to him and yanked him away from the door before he could even touch it.

“What-”

“Baekhyun, I need to talk to you.” You let go off his arm where you were grasping him.

“Didn’t you tell me yourself there is nothing to talk about?” He was looking you right in your eyes.

“But there is. Please listen to me.”

He gave you a sign to talk.

“I-I was wrong. I was fully, entirely wrong. And I handled the situation like a total fool, I’m sorry.”

He didn’t look a tiny bit convinced. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No.” You tilted your head to properly look at him. “When you told me you liked me, I was just very surprised. I never thought you would, after all we are best friends since, like forever. And I guess I was making myself believe some stupid convictions I only thought were right. Because the truth is, I don’t know yet what that feeling is that I get when I look at you.” You quickly glanced at his lips. “But I know one thing for sure. Remember when I told you that kiss felt wrong? I was lying. It felt right like nothing else before. And I don’t want to be kissed like that by any other boy.” You finished, looking at him with your eyes full of hope.

His eyes were fixed on your own.

“You don’t?” He asked, a slight disbelief audible in his tone.

“No.” You decisively took one step closer to him. “I don’t.”

And then there he was, cupping your face and gently pressing his warm lips to your soft ones.

This time, the kiss lasted longer than the first one. It was careful, but with passion, just as if he longed for it to do it again.

And when you pulled apart and opened your eyes, you knew that this time you didn’t do any mistakes.

A/N: Aaand, the end! The ending came out so bad, I’m sorry ;_; Actually I was super happy with the results as I was writing, but then I was like what the fu. Anyway, if you made it till here, thank you so much for reading, leave a heart if you liked it, feel free to reblog and leave me your thoughts on that, I’m curious about your opinions! xoxo <3

[darling-blurbs]

beast P.1

(This is not related to the characters in New Beginnings Faster Ends. This is a self indulgence piece of girl who is very similar to me and Stanley being a dork. Also set in a time where Dina broke up with Brad, Sydney is dating Dina cause they are my lesbian babies and it’s set in 2019 since the IMDb says it happens in the 2000s and this is a fanfic don’t come for me. Also gets a bit steamy at the end because hormonal teenagers.)

Stanley had good memory. Well, he liked to think he did. He noticed Sydney kept glancing at the entrance of the Chemistry room then back at the clock then back at the door. Back and Forth and Back and Forth. He was getting dizzy at this point. 

Stanley was certain he didn’t forget anything. Dina usually would tell him if something was happening that Syd didn’t tell him. He would have known what made her anxious. He was sure of it. 

Now he was starting to stare at the door. Waiting for a big shadowy man to appear out of no where. But what happened instead was a girl that showed up at the door with a boy behind her. 

Stanley prided himself in knowing everyone. Whether they had talked or not. So who the hell just showed up in his Chemistry classroom.

“Ah. Mr. and Ms. Emerson. Late. Unlike you Ms. Emerson. Wouldn’t think you would take after your brother,” The teacher seemed to know them so what was Stanley missing.

“I’m sorry! I legit forgot we had school today! I’m serious! You wouldn’t believe the screaming that Erik gave me,” The boy had attractive blue eyes. He wore a football jacket with ‘Emerson’ stitched on the side of the sleeve. His hair was a messy blonde that would be attractive... if you were a cheerleader or a girl.

The small girl next to him rolled her eyes and sat down next to Sydney. The teacher looked at her expecting an apology. She rolled her eyes again before speaking the first sentence that Stanley had ever heard from her. “I’m sorry Mr. Flanagan. I’ll have you know that I did a chemical reaction last night testing the effects that oxygen has with the compound that is CH2O, which is a gas. That then helps make-” 

“You are off the hook Ms. Emerson-” 

“Oh. But I am not done sir. After I make the chemical reaction, which is combustion and also known as fire, I written an entire essay and then tried to make different colors of fire. I successfully created green and violet colors. My brother,” She pointed to her brother and got off her set to speak in the middle of the lab tables. “Helped me with making red fire. Now I have also made a presentation board as well as a 50 page essay with sources. Now! Before you call me and my brother the Emersons again let me correct you. Me and my brother’s last names are Death. If you are uncomfortable with saying Mistress Death then I also take my mother’s last name, bless her soul, and you may call me your Queen Blood.” She is in the teacher’s face by now. “And before you tell me to go to detention, remember I have seven older brothers and a very Italian father who has much power and influence on whether or not you have a job after this interaction.” She took a deep breathe before smiling innocently. “Now, I’m going back to my seat next to Syd and Mr. Death is going to his other class because you know for a fact he doesn’t have this class Mr. Flanagan.”

Stanley took this moment to actually look at the girl. She was shorter than Sydney by maybe a few inches. Her hair was half red and half purple with a flower crown on her head. She wore a black leather jacket and plaid red pants with a chain on it. Under her jacket was a shirt that was pastel that said ‘Crybaby + Blue Boy’. She had bracelets, three which were friendship bracelets than ten of them having names of people... Well he hoped they were but he couldn’t seemed to be able to read them.

After Chemistry was over, Stanley went to his next class, which Sydney was not in but the girl seemed to have also been in. Math. Stanley would not say he was amazing in the subject but apparently the girl was. She was finished with the notes first and even did the packet first. Stanley took this as a way to interact with her. He thanked whatever god there was that seemed to have placed them next to each other. He turned to her and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes Stanley Barber?” 

“You know my name?” He was shocked. He also realized he never looked at her eyes. One was red, guessing eye contacts, and the other was purple. They were on opposite sides of the red and purple hair she had. 

“Of course I do you dork. We live near each other?” She tilted her head like he said the stupidest thing ever. “I have been friends with you since you were a kid? Does none of this ring a bell?”

Stanley blinked. Once. Then Twice. The girl seemed to facepalm before grabbing her phone. And iPhone 9 it looked like. She went to her photos and scrolled until she found what she looked for. She turned her phone around to show Stanley a photo of two kids. One looked like him when he was little and the other was a little girl with long blonde hair and a cheery smile on her face. The boy was kissing her cheek and the girl was smiling. She swiped to the next photo to show the same two kids, but they had different clothing on. They were on the grass making flower crowns. 

“Your mom made the best blueberry pancakes and my mom would always take photos of us. You must have a very small memory if you seriously don’t remember me, mio amante,” She huffed and then the bell rung. She grabbed her satchel and ran away. 

He totally offended her. He didn’t even know if she drove or walked. He guessed he was going to wait for Dina and Sydney at the front so he could drive them home and maybe ask about her on the way. 

That was until a sleek 2012 black Dodge Charger limo rolled up in front of the school entrance. A man who seemed very important and had absolutely no reason to be in this school appeared out of the car. His hair was black as night and he wore a black suit with black undershirt and tie. His sunglasses were placed on his nose and he waited. For something.

Of course this attracted the entire student body. Who was this attractive young man? Too young to be a dad. Maybe a boyfriend? Caretaker? The first person to approach this man was of course Bradley Lewis. 

“Who the actually fu-”

“Bradley Lewis. Down Boy.” Brad turned to start yelling but was quickly shut up by the glare that he got. 

It was the same girl as from his Chem and Math class he could feel it. But her hair and clothing, even her eyes were different. She wore a black crop top, her leather jacket, a black choker, ripped black jeans, and black boots. She looked way too attractive for someone who goes to the same lame school that Stanley went to. Her eyes were purple with a hint of blue. It seemed more royal blue. Her hair was purple and her lips were something that Stanley seemed to be staring at more. She had a popsicle in her hand that she seemed to have been sucking on before speaking to Brad. 

She went up to Bradley Lewis and smiled before giving him a peck on the cheek. “Good boy. Now before you yell at my older brother, realize that his full name is Hades Lucifer Death.” She gave an innocent smile to Brad before turning to her brother and give him a kiss on the cheek and then sucked on her orange popsicle, fully aware of the drip of orange at the side of her lip that she licked away. 

“Now, I’m sure none of you know who I am. So let me tell you. I have come back to this town after I heard that my childhood friend needed me. I am Esther Lussuria Death. I also go by Bunny and Rabbit. I am good at Math and even better at changing my hair styles,” She gave a smirk and then walked straight up to Stanley Barber. She held onto his hand and placed her other free hand on top of his. She looked at him in the eye and said with a smile like she knew something he didn’t. “Once you remember our promises to each other, Come to me. I would love to continue where we left off mio gattino.” She kissed his hand and gave a deep bow before turning around and swayed her hips back to her limo and slide into the back. Her brother, or Hades, moved in behind her. 

“Wait what?” Instead of bringing Dina and Sydney to their houses, they instead went to the water tower where he told them the entire story. “She did not. Wait she would totally do. Oh my gosh why do I leave her alone with you I don’t even know anymore-”

“Can someone just explain to me what’s going on,” Stanley said with frustration. His hand still tingled with butterflies. He would totally vow to never wash his hand because of how hot the entire thing was. 

“I guess we can just bring you to her tomorrow since we have the day off. She just lives a while away. Her house isn’t even that far from Brad and Ricky’s.” Dina replied this time. 

“Wait. Dina, you know her?”

“Of course I do. Bradley and Ricky and the entire Football team would not shut up about her. She was a rumor. The girl that was untouchable. She left school after 4th grade but vowed she would come back for-” Sydney slapped her hand over Dina’s mouth.

“Okay D. Don’t ruin it or Esther will find you or something. She has that kind of effect on people.” 

-

Stanley went home- no he didn’t. Instead he went driving for a bit. He drove until he got to the rich people’s district. He liked looked at people’s houses. Guessing their lives. He drove until he got to the end of the road. There was a house and in front of it was a cliff. The cliff that Stan would dangly his feet on and looked at the lights that covered the land. 

As he was lost in his thoughts of the girl that seemed to now be in his daydreams, he didn’t notice someone sat next to him until they placed a kiss on his cheek. He whipped his head around to be met with beautiful blue eyes that seemed way too close but he couldn’t pull away. He memorized her eyes. They seemed like an ocean. The rim was deep blue and got more and more light blue until it got into the center. There were flakes of gold and green and even some grey that made it seem like glass. Her skin was very pale but to a point where it was beautiful. Her hair framed her head perfectly and made her so much more attractive then ever before. Her lips were a glossy pink and so very kissable that made Stan already want to close the distance. But he quickly looked up at the girl’s eyes. 

“Hola mi amor~” She whispered into his ear and gave it a peck. Stanley shivered and gasped. He felt speechless. He could already feel like he wanted to just fuck her right there and then or maybe even have her dominate him or-

“STANLEY WAKE UP”

Stan fell out of his bed... wait it wasn’t his bed. It was his car. He just fell asleep in his car outside of- 

-

Cliffhanger yeet

[smartgirlsaremean]

My Heart’s in the Highlands - Chapter 24

Fandom: OUAT, Hamish Macbeth

Pairing: Bellish, Swanfire

Rating: T

Summary: With Rumplestiltskin gone, Belle can’t face going back to the Enchanted Forest without him. She leaves Storybrooke forever, travels the world, and ends up in a small village in Scotland, where she meets a constable with a very familiar face.

AO3

Chapter 24 - Pieces of Story

“Henry’s book was never super clear on timelines,” Emma said, pacing around the clearing they’d found. “But I think we’re about thirty years in the past. My parents just met, but they won’t get together for another year or so. And then Regina will cast her first dark curse and…” she paused.

“What?”

“I’ll...be born. My father will send me off in the wardrobe, but I’ll also still be here, so I’ll travel to the Land without Magic with the curse. And so will you. And then there’ll be two of us. I think? Is that how that works?”

She looked as dizzy as Hamish was beginning to feel.

“But I’ll already be in Storybrooke so maybe I can break the curse early? Or will I lose my memories too?”

“Stop talking,” Hamish pleaded.

“But the other me will meet Neal and have Henry and then Henry will come find Other Me in Boston and she’ll come to Storybrooke and…”

“Emma!”

“Or maybe...maybe not? Will Other Me make all the decisions I made? Will we really be the same person? Or will things go differently this time? Or is this a different time?”

“For God’s sake, woman!” Hamish groaned.

“I’m sorry it’s just...I thought my life was weird before.”

“It was.”

“Right. Okay.” Emma took a deep breath. “We have to figure out how to get back.”

“You have magic,” Hamish reminded her. “Can’t you just send us back?”

She looked at him as if he’d asked her to fly. “Are you crazy? It took Zelena years to build and cast that spell, and she was a much more powerful magic user than I am. I have no idea where’d I’d even start .”

“Well, what about that curse you said Regina cast? The one to get us to our world?”

“Wouldn’t do us any good,” Emma said. “Remember, we’re thirty years in the past. Once we got back, we’d still be out of our timeline. Besides...that curse has a terrible price. You have to sacrifice the heart of the thing you love most.”

Hamish cursed. “What the hell are we gonna do? Click our heels three times and say there’s no place like home?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. If it was that easy to travel realms, Rumplestiltskin would have done it already.” Suddenly she turned to him, her eyes wide. “That’s it!”

“What?”

Instead of answering him, Emma turned and stared into the trees around them. “Rumplestiltskin? Rumplestiltskin!”

“What are you…”

“ Rumplestiltskin!”

“No need to shout, dearie!”

The strange shrill voice made both of them jump, and they turned to see the strangest creature Hamish had ever seen - which was saying quite a bit at this point. It looked like a man, but it had strange glittering gray skin, large yellow eyes, and frizzled hair, and it was dressed head to toe in leather and some sort of scaly material. Grinning widely, the creature twirled one hand in the air.

“You called?”

“I…I…” Emma apparently had no words, and Hamish wondered if this would be the last thing he saw: a sparkling disco lizard.

“Well, if that’s all you have to stay I could have stayed at home,” the creature snarled. “I’m extremely busy at the moment, after all.”

“Sorry,” Emma said. “It’s just...I’ve never...you...you’re not usually…”

“Not usually what?”

“Sparkly.”

The creature’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? Have we met before?”

“Yes. I mean, no. Not...not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“I’m...I mean we’re …”

The creature turned to look at Hamish and gave an almost comical start. “You...who are you ?”

“I’m…” But Hamish was instantly silenced by a crushing pressure around his throat. His feet lifted off the ground and he gasped for air, clawing at invisible hands. His vision was darkening around the edges and he could hear Emma’s shouts followed by a terrible shrill laugh.

“I said stop! ” A flash of white light filled the clearing and Hamish dropped to the ground, coughing and spluttering. When he looked up, he saw that the glittering creature was staring dumbfounded at Emma, his hand still outstretched and his eyes glinting with the tiniest spark of fear.

“Listen.” Emma took a deep breath. “We’re from the future. I called on you because we need to get back to our time and you’re the only person I’ve ever met who might be able to help us.”

“ If we’ve met,” Rumplestiltskin snarled, “you must know that I’m not easily fooled, dearie.”

“I do know,” she said. “You fought in the Ogre Wars, and you took the Dark Curse to save your son. You lost him to the land without magic, and you’ve spent years trying to get him back. In about a year the Evil Queen is going to cast the Dark Curse, which will take everyone in this world there, and Snow White and Prince Charming will have a child that will break the curse.”

“You’re a Seer,” Rumplestiltskin said harshly.

“No. I’m Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.” She paused and took another long, deep breath. “I’m the Savior. And I need to get back home.”

There was a long silence.

“Well, even if all that were true,” Rumplestiltskin said shakily, “I don’t see why I should help you. If you’re here, the curse has broken, and you’ve served your function. I see no reason to…”

“You’re not an idiot,” Emma snapped. “I can’t stay here. If I do, I could disrupt things. You know the tiniest change could ruin everything, and if it does...you might never see your son again.”

Hamish knew she had the old sorcerer’s attention now. “I don’t have to help you to ensure nothing changes,” Rumplestiltskin growled. “I could just kill you here and now.”

“You could,” Emma agreed. “But how do you know I won’t be useful in the future?” She held up her hands, which were still faintly glowing with white light. “True Love is powerful magic, after all.”

Something hungry glowed in Rumplestiltskin’s eyes, and Hamish shifted his feet.

“How about a deal?” Emma said. Hamish felt the hair on his arms stand on end. “If you help us figure out a way back to our time, I’ll tell you what happens to your son.”

“And if I decide to kill you anyway?” Rumplestiltskin snarled.

“That’ll be your choice,” Emma shrugged. “But I’m guessing you won’t want to. Do we have a deal?”

“Not so fast! What about this... thing ?” Rumplestiltskin pointed one gnarled finger at Hamish, and Hamish grit his teeth.

“We’re a package deal.”

“Oh, your paramour is he?”

“Oh, gross,” Emma grimaced. Hamish tried not to look insulted, but she sent him an apologetic glance anyway. “Sorry, just...no. He’s a friend of mine, and I kind of got him into this mess, so...now I have to get him out.”

Rumplestiltskin stepped up close to Hamish, and Hamish stared him down, glad he’d already faced down so many bizarre things today. Or...whenever.

“What are you?” the sorcerer snarled.

“A police constable,” Hamish replied, his voice level.

“A what?”

“A sheriff,” Emma interrupted. “Where he’s from, they’re called constables.”

Rumplestiltskin held up one hand to silence her and stepped even closer so that his and Hamish’s noses were almost touching. “If this is some sort of fairy trick,” he hissed, “I will kill you so painfully that your ancestors will feel it.”

Hamish felt his temper rise. “Back off, ye boggin…”

“Hamish!” Emma said.

Rumpletilskin backed away, his teeth bared in an ugly sneer. “Suppose we finish this conversation in private,” he said, raising one hand. There was a swirl of purple smoke, and then everything went dark.

--------------

Hamish stumbled as his feet hit hard stone, and his head spun. Next to him Emma looked very pale, but otherwise in one piece. Whatever magic Rumplestiltskin had used to transport them, Hamish didn’t like it. The Dark One watched them, appearing to delight in their discomfort, and then turned and strode briskly through a set of large wooden doors. Emma and Hamish stood still for a moment, taking in the massive stone entryway and imposing statues in the corners.

“Come along, dearies, we haven’t got all day!” Rumplestiltskin called, and they hurried after him.

The room he’d led them to was long and wide, with a massive table in the center and, at one end, glass cases displaying hundreds of...well, Hamish wasn’t sure what they were, obviously. Knick-knacks of some kind. About the room stood stone pedestals, each holding an artifact, and off to one side was a dais on which stood a spinning wheel. On glancing around, Hamish noticed what looked like golden fleece in one corner, a bejeweled grail in another, and at the far end of the room a pair of hideous wooden puppets. The puppets looked familiar, and he realized he’d seen them in Gold’s shop. He felt lightheaded again, and wished there was more than one chair in the room.

“Now then,” Rumplestilskin said, clapping his hands before him and turning to face them. “Let’s hear your tale.”

“That wasn’t the deal,” Emma said. “You have to help us figure out how to get back first.”

“Well, I can’t very well do that if I don’t know how you came to be here, can I?” he pointed out.

“It was a time travel spell,” Hamish said, and the creature glared at him.

“That’s ridiculous,” he spat. “Her Highness here might have powerful magic, but she’s clearly not trained well enough to work that sort of spell. No one’s ever done such a thing before.”

“I didn’t cast the spell,” Emma said. “We just got...sucked into it.”

“Who did cast it? Assuming I believe you, of course.”

“I don’t know if you’ve met her yet,” Emma said thoughtfully, “but her name is Zelena.”

Rumplestiltskin’s face turned a strange shade of pale green. “Ah. Zelena. She’s...returned from Oz, has she?”

“You know her?”

“Ah…”

“Oh! Rumplestiltskin! You’re back!”

All three of them turned at the sound of this new voice, and Hamish felt his heart sink to his shoes. Belle stood in the entryway of the great hall, her beautiful auburn hair cascading in ringlets down her back, her blue eyes bright with curiosity. Next to him he felt the sorcerer shift his weight and clear his throat, but he couldn’t spare a thought for anyone but Belle.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t know you had...guests.”

“Belle!” Emma said, sounding awed.

Confusion creased Belle’s forehead and she came a little farther into the room. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

“Oh, sorry, no.” Emma floundered a little. “Mister...Rumple...the Dark One told us about you.”

“Did he?” Belle turned a flirtatious smirk on Rumplestiltskin, and Hamish turned in time to see the sorcerer flush dark green and take a hasty step back.

“No,” he snapped. “Go away and read a book, or whatever it is you do.”

“You could ask nicely.”

“I could also turn you into a toad!”

Rolling her eyes, Belle gave her master another saucy smile before flouncing away. Rumplestiltskin muttered something under his breath about disrespectful little maids, but Hamish wasn’t paying full attention. He had just realized that he’d seen that smirk and heard that tone of voice before - those were signs of Belle’s interest, and he knew because he’d been on the receiving end of both multiple times. For a moment he felt a sort of kinship with Rumplestiltskin, who was clearly a bit unnerved by the exchange and was trying to look unconcerned. Being the object of Belle’s affections, though wonderful, was also overwhelming.

“Okay...so...anyway…” Emma sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “You know Zelena?”

“Zelena. Yes. Illegitimate daughter of Princess Cora, and erstwhile Western Witch of Oz. I don’t suppose she...ah...came through with you?” His eyes darted about the room and Hamish realized with some surprise that he looked nervous.

“No. She’s dead.”

“Ah.” Rumplestiltskin’s shoulders relaxed. “A shame, really. Such tremendous talent.”

“Too bad she was a total nutter,” Hamish said dryly.

“Yes, well, that family does seem to have a certain... flair for the dramatic.”

Emma snorted. “Probably why you guys got along so well.”

“Did she select this time period?” Rumplestiltskin pretended not to hear her.

“I don’t think so. From what I heard, she wanted to find her mother and...I don’t know...convince her to keep her? I couldn’t quite work it out.”

“Very likely. Well, you’re in luck. The mechanics of the spell may have been hers, but the actual casting was yours.” Rumplestiltskin pointed a gnarled finger at Emma. “If she did not choose this time period, you must have, which means you can cast the counterspell.”

“Great,” Emma sighed. “So what do we need? Four glowing mushrooms and a hair from a giant’s ass?”

“No, no, nothing so grotesque,” Rumplestiltskin said. He flourished one hand and a thin wand appeared in his grip. “This wand, should you wield it properly, will detect the spell you used and reverse it, sending you back to your time.”

“Seriously?” Emma crossed her arms. “It’s that easy?”

“Oh, yes.” Rumplestilskin twirled the wand slowly in his fingers. “However, it is now your turn to uphold our deal. Tell me how to find my son. And be warned,” he said, holding up one finger, “that there are penalties for lying to the Dark One, Savior or no.”

“After the curse breaks, you have to find a way to cross the town line,” Emma says. “But once you do, we go together. Finding people is...kind of my thing. We find him in a city. He comes back with us.”

Rumplestiltskin was hanging on her words as if they were water and he was a parched man. “And...we are...reconciled?”

Emma paused. “Uh…”

“Out with it dearie!”

“He...he forgives you,” Emma said. “He loves you.”

Rumplestiltskin looked slightly manic. “And we are together?”

“I…”

“You will tell me or I will rip your heart out!” snarled the sorcerer. Hamish stepped forward, his own heart in his throat.

“You don’t want to do that,” he said hoarsely. “She’s more than Snow White’s daughter. She’s the mother of your grandson. Kill her and your son will never forgive you, no matter what happens after the curse breaks.”

“My... grandson ?”

“Henry,” Emma said. “He has his father’s eyes.”

As Rumplestiltskin processed this information, Hamish thought he could see a shift in the sorcerer’s face - something more human, less demonic shining out of his eyes, and he thought of Henry, who wished he could have known his grandfather better.

“Well,” Rumplestiltskin said at last. “That is a revelation.”

“So...you’ll send us back?”

“No, you will.” Rumplestiltskin handed her the wand, stepped back, and spread his hands wide. Emma looked from him to the wand and then squared her shoulders and raised the wand in the air.

“Right,” she said. “Here goes nothing.”

[veronicassadboi]

Core 4 at pops getting together after 10 years apart, talking about life and kids?

Hi! Thanks for the prompt! I love it!

Core 4 at Pop’s getting together after 10 years apart talking about life and kids.

Note: Ended up being more of a “core 4 featuring parenting over discussion” so I hope you don’t mind. If you do mind, let me know and I’ll have more detail in another drabble!

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It was a step back in time, but instead of the nostalgia being a comforting blanket over him, it was a suffocating plastic bag. The sickly sweet smell of vanilla shake spills and burning grills took him back in time. Betty Andrews sits across from him, but for a split second, she’s not an Andrews at all. She’s Betty Cooper with tears in the corner of her eyes, pushing her straw up and down the glass trying to distract herself.

Rapid footsteps run up and down the length of booths at Pop’s, one kid falls to the ground and lands on his knees. Veronica groans next to Jughead and leans into his ear. “Jughead,” she hisses. “Please control your son.”

Jughead flicks his eyes to Archie, “Whoever told you that a sugar overload was what created fun memories in children was a liar, Arch,” he groans. “You’ve created a beast that cannot be tamed.”

Betty laughs when she looks over to her husband scrambling for words. Dylan may be riding his sugar high but Betty’s daughter Maisey with the mess of red hair like her father was riding it too, and no amount of soft hushes and whispers of “don’t do that” was keeping their daughter at bay.

“Ah, Jug,” Archie shrugs, a grin plastered on his face, proud of his work. “You haven’t been back in town in ten years, let Dylan have a taste of Riverdale!”

“Come on, you two were addicted to the chocolate shakes here!” Betty adds, feeding her son from under a muslin wrap and Archie pats the baby’s head. “Soon enough, Freddie will be joining them.”

Jughead feels his hand being moved by Veronica’s fingers, placing it on her belly he feels a quick kick and he smiles, keeping it to himself. It may have been ten years since he had stepped foot in Riverdale, but Sweetwater River still called to him, reminding him that this was home. The same push that he and Veronica felt, pushing them to leave was the exact same as the pull that beckoned him home. Riverdale held the stories of their upbringing, when it was him and Archie against the world as kids - as seven year olds just like his son and Archie’s daughter in this moment. It held the love ballad of Jughead and Veronica, the greatest story Jughead ever had the privilege to create. The great demise of himself and Betty, the betrayal of Jughead and Archie. He lived it. Riverdale was his life once upon a time. Skipping this place was all he and Veronica ever wanted, and it was them against New York City. Veronica revelled in her home city, Jughead at first, drowned.

“You, my love, are bouncing off the walls. Literally. And if you spill anything on these tables, I will be having you clean them up. These tables don’t disinfect themselves, you know. It’s one part soap to three parts water. Trust me. I did this job for years so I will not be having my own son disrespect this place like that. Archie… I’m holding you responsible for this!” Veronica says in a frenzy that reminds Jughead of a sixteen year old her.

Archie’s head is spared when Freddie starts to cry. “How is the Register holding up without you there?” Jughead asks Betty.

Archie raises his eyebrows and looks to his wife who sighs. “Toni is doing as good as she can…” she says, a frown apparent.

“Betty was thinking of finishing up her maternity leave early until I said no…” Archie reminds his wife.

Betty rolls her eyes. “I was just thinking of going in for a day or two just to help with the writing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Toni’s writing.”

“I know,” Betty groans. “But she’s not usually my writer, and you know how she prefers to be behind the camera,” she adds, looking for Jughead to agree with her.

“It sounds like the Register is in need of another writer, I happen to know one,” Veronica replies with a menacing tone.

It was no secret that Veronica wanted to move back to Riverdale. She felt the call too. The faster she rubs her own swelling belly, the more it felt to Jughead she wanted to settle. The news of their leaving had spread like wildfire, the news of their return had ignited just as fast. But the transition from big time magazines down to the slow paced Riverdale Register might do him good, and being back in the presence of his two best friends eased his heart in a way he would never have guessed. Veronica’s smile as she coos over Freddie and brushes Maisey’s hair out of her eyes while she played with their son made it all that much harder for Jughead to want to leave.

“Are you actually contemplating staying, Jughead Jones?” Betty asks.

Veronica’s hand tightens on his again. “I’m game if you are.”

Archie’s grin brightens the room instantly. “Don’t get my hopes up just to break my heart, man.”

“Well,” Jughead shrugs, “I mean, it looks like it’s going to be hard to tear Dylan away from Riverdale now.”

Betty stands, “Does anyone want anything else while I’m up? I need to restock so we can talk more about your move home!”

“Only if you’re treating,” Jughead replies with a grin.

They continue on, Fangs was the manager of Andrews and Son construction, easing things up on Archie. If Jughead and Veronica moved home, Betty wouldn’t have to worry about the Register. Veronica was just happy to be closer to her mom again.

The bright neon lights of Pop’s painted Veronica’s skin, pinks, purples, yellow, blues. She smiled in the light that sent Jughead into feeling fifteen all over again. He leans in and kisses her temple, watching their son play with the red headed girl. “I love you,” he tells her.

In that moment, Jughead was there with his best friends, no matter how long it had been or what problems had been in the past. He sat with his best friend, a blonde woman with a heart of gold, a raven haired woman who was his entire world and the friendliest red headed man in the universe. For one shining moment, they were just kids again.

In the booth over, a dark haired boy spills a chocolate shake over the table. A red haired girl attempts to help him hide the evidence. They both start sucking up the contents with their straws.

“Dylan! What did I tell you!” his mother snaps.

Jughead is pulled back into reality. Maisey’s smug grin as Dylan gets in trouble makes Jughead smile. Finally, they were home.

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Send me a Jeronica centric ft Barchie prompt and I’ll write a >1000 word drabble!