#she does jobs he'd only trust himself to do

[luv-again]

UGHHHHH *turning in my pre-made grave* I wanna write another shadamy au

[fawnindawn]

even at our worst, we know we'll still be okay (luke castellan x apollo fem! reader)

summary: Where Percy's insistent pestering forces Luke to rethink on his possibly not platonic feelings for you, his best friend, and Percy's questions are answered for him with Luke's reaction to you being heavily injured on your return from your quest.

pairing: luke castellan x apollo fem! reader

a/n: i'm actually in love with this, maybe it's just the friends-to-lovers in me (where a love confession happens because one of them was near death's door-) but man.. also, i love including percy so much he's such a kid.

masterlist for this series next

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"Face it, man. You're whipped."

Percy watched Luke choke on his water, coughing as he tried to swallow past the sudden accusation. Wiping at the excess that dripped past his chin, Luke raised a brow at Percy.

"Whipped? For who?" Luke questioned, eyes averting and staring straight ahead, beyond the training grounds towards the meadows in the distance, seemingly searching for something or just doing a poor job at avoiding Percy’s unimpressed stare.

“I’m not blind, as much as Annabeth claims, to this...love stuff.” Percy huffed, half in exasperation and half in exhaustion as he leaned forward using his sword to balance himself. “You’ve been depressed ever since she left for her quest.”

Luke doesn’t need to hear your name to know who Percy was referring to. It’s been weeks since you were chosen by your father, Apollo, to descend on some mighty quest to fetch back his lyre that had been stolen. It wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous quest, but Luke had felt his gut sinking when he first heard the news from you.

“Why does he need to send you out there, where you could possibly be tracked down by monsters to get back a musical instrument of all things?” Luke snapped, exasperated as he runs his fingers through his curls, pacing back and forth in the Hermes Cabin, while you laid on his mattress looking undeniably calmer than he was.

“Luke, my dad won’t purposely send me on some death trap. I'll be fine.” You tried to reassure him, waiting for him to calm down in his pacing before you extended your hands in his direction right as he turned to make another round through the cabin for the seventh time. “Hey, come here.” You gestured. “Sit with me.”

He hesitated, stopping in his tracks as he finally took the time to look at you, noting your concerned expression at him. As if you weren’t about to descend on some ridiculous quest to god knows where all because your father couldn’t pluck up the effort to collect the instrument himself.

The longer your hands stayed outstretched for him, the more his anger and frustration dissolved into the overwhelming need to be near you. One second, he’s standing and the next, he’s laying in bed with you, your arms wrapped around him to stabilise him even though he should be the stronger one. The one to look out for you.

Laying his head on your shoulder as he wrapped one of his fingers around your hair, curling it in his palms, he spoke again in a soft whisper only for you to hear. “I’m worried.”

“I know.” You responded, your hands tracing at the curve of his shoulder, stopping at his collarbone, before your finger moved to tilt his face by the chin to look at you. “You trust me, right?” You ask, knowing his answer but wanting to hear the reassurance all the same.

“Course' I do.” He replied immediately, his eyes intense as he made eye contact with you. That was without question. You could ask him to walk into blazing flames, and he'd trust you would ask for good reason.

“Then you can trust that I’ll make it back alive.”

“Alive can mean lots of things.” He muttered, his eyes growing distant, the ghost of blood and a stinging burn running down the half of his face appearing uninvited in his mind.

“I’ll make it back alive and unharmed.” You reiterated, a knowing look in your eyes as you unconsciously traced at his scar, leaving warmth where it resides, making him shiver instinctively. “It’s a promise, Luke.”

He stayed silent, before slowly moving his hand to cup yours that rested over his scar. “I’m counting on it, sunshine.”

That promise rested over Luke’s conscience, gnawing at the back of his heels, chasing him daily from the early hours as he forced himself not to break over the stress and anxiety before putting on his golden boy facade, to pretend that he wasn't constantly distracted and nauseous over the thought of something happening to you without him being there to protect you.

He would've snuck out of camp if he could, just to find you, but Chiron had been tight-lipped on your destination, his all-knowing gaze piercing right through Luke when he had tried to nonchalantly ask about your whereabouts.

"I wish I could help you, Luke." Chiron had told Luke a few days after you had gone. "However, Apollo's request was clear. Only she shall take on this quest. No one else." The pin-point gaze Chiron had locked onto Luke made it clear he was talking about him.

"I am not whipped." Luke denied. "She's my friend. Like how you're my friend."

"I don't think your friendship with her is normal though." Percy fired back quickly, sipping on his own water as if he didn't casually demolish the older boy. "I swear I caught you bringing her back after curfew to your cabin, a few times in fact."

Luke felt his cheeks flush at Percy's sudden interrogation, smashing facts after facts on an early Tuesday morning. "I've been having.. nightmares lately. She's the only one who keeps them away." He didn't know why he felt like he had to explain himself to the kid, but the longer his friendship with you went under fire, the faster he wanted to get out of this conversation.

"You don't think that's something you should think deeper about?" Percy muttered with a shrug.

Luke is left speechless, his mind short-cutting at the sudden implication of.. him feeling something more for you? His most recent memories flashed through his mind. You tucked under his blanket as you laid beside him for the last night before your quest, a sleepy smile etched on your lips before you whispered him goodnight and he pulled you into his chest so he could feel your heart beating against his to push away any tricks currently playing on his mind, bringing light to how you're the only person he believes could calm him down and bring him peace-

"She's my best friend." Luke replied, more to himself than to Percy. "I'm just worried for her. A quest like that shouldn't take so long, and I keep imagining-"

He stopped in his tracks, not wanting to say his fears out in the open in fear that his words would jinx it, but Percy knew where he was getting at. Percy inched closer to Luke, moving to pat him awkwardly on the back in an effort to comfort him. "It's normal to be worried. From what I heard from Annabeth, you two are really close. I didn't have much conversations with her before she left, but she seems brave, and smart too. I have no doubts she'll make it back. If she's half as good as you, there's no way she wouldn't."

Luke felt a real smile crossing his face, the corners of his lips quirked up at Percy's words. "She's not half as good- she is better than me." He turned to look at Percy, that shine in his eyes noticeable as he talked about you. "Don't let her hear that when she gets back though, she'll talk my ear off for ages."

Percy returned his own smile, elated to see Luke have some improvement in his mood, proof being the first genuine smile Percy's seen in weeks coming from him.

"So.. do you want to stop for today?" Percy attempted with a casual tone.

"Why? Backing out already?" Luke teased, a smirk playing on his lips as he inched towards the kid jokingly with his sword raised.

"No!" Percy denied frantically. "I swear I'm not using the sympathy card as an excuse to get out of training-"

The sounds of a horn cut off his words, groaning across the camp, reaching the training grounds in record time. Luke felt his heart palpitate, nearly crashing into his rib cage.

He barely had time to think, yelling to Percy with urgency flying off his tongue. "Catch you later, Perce!" Then, he was off, his legs carrying him up the hills and back towards the camp entrance.

He heard Percy yell his name in confusion, but he could apologise later for his sudden departure.

You had come back to him.

The journey seemed too long, his shoes scrambling for ground, barely scraping the dirt as he ran towards the front of camp. He didn't know what to expect, a celebration with cheers from the other campers on your arrival, a glimpse of your face with that smile he loves. What he didn't expect was the silence as he came towards a slow jog before ultimately stopping at what seemed to be a crowd gathering around something- or someone.

He pushed his way through, barely making the effort to apologise over the thought of seeing you. His eyes finally caught onto what the onlookers were staring at, and his heart dropped.

You laid on the ground, passed out with what seemed to be dark, angry coils covering your skin, ranging from your neck to the outstretch of your back that was exposed from the gash in your shirt. That stupid lyre laid not too far from you, its golden strings ripped apart.

The sound that tore from his throat barely sounded like his voice, yelling out your name as he pushed through the final barrier in the crowd before reaching for you. He nearly made it before someone dragged him back, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him away.

The curses that left Luke's mouth would make anyone wince, and he had to resist the urge to punch whoever was holding him back as he twisted his head to face his repressor. "Chris! Get out of my way." Luke hissed, still trying to make his way to you, fury twisting in his gut as he couldn't fathom why no one's helped you yet.

"Calm down, Luke!" Chris pleaded, desperation in his eyes forcing Luke to falter. "I know you want to help her but you have to listen to me. Whatever attacked her left something contagious on her body. Someone already tried helping her but it spread to their skin too!"

Wait? While whatever was attacking your body seemed to grow more intense by the minute, as Luke's gaze locked onto your form and watched the sickening, black coils spread further and further up your neck.

"Rodriguez, does it look like I care if it spreads to me?" Luke spat out, giving his friend a final push. "If she dies, I won't ever forgive myself for standing on the sidelines. Let me go now."

The cold venom in his tone made his friend loosen his hold just enough for Luke to rip himself out of his arms to drop his knees beside you. He grabbed hold of your shoulder, which still had shreds of your shirt to prevent him from being stung by whatever was infecting you, but his other hand which grabbed hold of your back did not face the same fate. The coils snaked onto his palm, and he gritted his teeth at the burning sensation.

Just as he turned you around so he could lift you up, he heard the familiar sound of hooves stamping against the soil and he looked up to see Chiron approaching with a grim expression. No words needed to be said as Luke met eyes with the centaur, a mutual understanding as Luke wrapped his arms around your torso and legs.

He pushed through to help carry you up, barking orders for the crowd to part way as he made his way to the infirmary. The longer he held onto you, the more every bone in his body seemed to scream to let you go, but he only focused on every step it took to get you closer to help, his eyes unable to look away from the paleness of your skin, the blue to your lips.

It seemed unfit for a child of Apollo, a child of the sun, to be dull and lifeless. You looked dead, and if it wasn't for the faint drumming of your pulse he could sense from your wrist, he would've struck the name of your father with such unbridled hatred, Apollo himself would descend from the heavens to condemn him.

"Please." He begged, holding onto you tighter despite his body's cries not to. Begging to who, he did not know, but if any being could save you from the fate you did not deserve, and pass it to him instead, he would gladly offer his prayers and worship. If it meant saving you, he would take your pain and suffer it tenfold just to see you open your eyes again.

It took you five days to recover. The infirmary had been quarantined and no one save for Chiron and Will, the main healer from the Apollo cabin, was allowed in. In those five days, no one dared approach Luke, who seemed near death's door despite having received his own small dosage of ambrosia to heal the coils that had managed to sink into his skin. He had begged Chiron to let him visit you, but Chiron deemed him too unstable to be near you, your recovery process a fragile thing that required tentative hands and patience.

Waiting to see you was a torture not even he could have envisioned for himself. He had been torn apart at the seams, of his belief in the gods and the scars that were immortalized onto his body. He had lived through days of water and nothing but false hope, hiding from monsters and other horrors before he made it to camp, arriving as a scrawny boy with eyes having witnessed events no kid his age should have to go through. Yet, no pain he had experienced could compare to his fears of losing you. If he-

He couldn't think of it without wanting to puke, but if he lost you somehow, he would lose his faith in this world. There would be no one to hold him back, no you, to stop him from letting go of the world that failed him and tearing it down.

It didn't help that in those five days, he had dreams. Of a different world, of salvation. A dark, ancient voice called to him, older than time, with whispers of promised glory and revenge. There was no you, none of your soothing touches or voice to wake him. In those five days, his strength faltered and he made a deal.

On the sixth day, he was woken frantically by a shake on the shoulder from his sleep. He roused awake, dizzy and still-half asleep to see Chris talking to him in rushed incoherent words.

"Awake- She's awake, sleepy-head!"

Luke was half-dressed, still fighting off sleep with aggressive rubbing to his eyes as he tugged on his t-shirt, rushing towards the infirmary with Chris hot on his heels.

He burst through the front door, holding his breath when he finally saw you, propped up on two pillows talking to Will. Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision as he rushed over to you.

You turned to him then, just in time to see him blink his tears away. "Luke." You called to him softly, and time seemed to stop just for the two of you, and he could only see you in his vision.

"Can you guys give us some privacy?" You asked politely, eyeing Will and Chris, but your eyes never drifted far before moving back to him.

"Of course." Will responded, quickly getting up from his chair towards the exit, dragging a confounded Chris with him with a tug on the back of his shirt. "Hey! I wanted to see her too-" "Give the two lovebirds some time alone, you idiot."

Luke inched closer to you, his heart beating so loudly in his eardrums he swears you could hear it too. You lifted your arms to him and he didn't waste time, taking you in his arms and embracing you so tight, and yet he felt he couldn't be close enough.

"You were dying. In my arms. I felt it when I carried you in here." He muttered into your shoulder, shaking as he finally let out the exhaustion and pain he had been feeling since the day you left.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." You apologised, rocking him back and forth as your voice croaked up. "All I thought of was you. When I fought against that beast, I kept repeating my promise to you. That I would come back to you. You saved me."

He shook his head, feeling his tears wet his cheeks as he pulled back to grab you by the chin, a gentle touch like he was afraid you would disappear if he couldn't see you talking to him, that your voice would be a hallucination he concocted. "I should've stopped you from going. I had a bad feeling since I heard about it. I should've protected you- prevented you from getting hurt in the first place-"

You stopped him with a kiss, desperate yet shy, before pulling away and pressing your forehead to his. "I love you, Luke. I was so scared I would never get to tell you and it would've been my biggest regret. I love you so much, Luke, and I'm sorry if this ruins anything between us but I can't hide it anymore-"

Luke cut you off the very same way you did, but with such intense hunger you gasped when he kissed you, sloppy and with even more desperation, tugging at your bottom lip and pulling you closer with his hand at nape of your neck. "I love you." He muttered through quick breaths. "I love you, it actually hurts because of how much I do." He admitted, grabbing your hand to place right above his heart, which is owned completely and only by you.

He leaned in once more, addicted to the taste of you, kissing you with one hand holding yours to his heart, the other pulling you close so that there was no space between the two of you. When he had to stop so you both could gasp for air, he pressed his forehead back to yours, the first smile stretching at his lips in days. "I never want to be apart from you ever again, you hear me, sunshine?"

You giggled at his words, nodding slightly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Extra: Luke reappears with you the next day when you insisted on wanting to get out of the infirmary after being cooped up away from the sun for so long. ("You're such an Apollo kid." Luke teases, which you ignore with a roll of your eyes.) He's with you every step of the way, and now that your feelings are out for each other in the open, he doesn't hesitate to kiss you on the cheek or fawn over you without hiding his intensity.

When he makes eye contact with Percy over the room, the damn kid gives him a wink and a thumbs-up.

a/n: i want to expand so much more on this, with kronos taking advantage of luke's weak mind during your recovery and more, OMGGGGGGG. tell me if you guys want more pls and i'll make more parts. thank you for reading if you made it this far <3

update: I am officially making this into a series called ‘everything in between’. To those who want to follow more on their story, you can comment on whether you want to be added to the tag list for this series or check the masterlist!

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

I'm really thinking about that one Ghost post you wrote about him basically making himself at home at the reader's place when she found him near dead in the woods and it still is scratching my brain all right 😭 him devoting his life to her and the fact her husband is there completely upset about this all is the perfect drama.

the thing i love most about this is that i never mentioned ghost by name in that post <3 not once <3 but you're right. it is so, so ghost-coded. ghoded, if you will.

you're the hands in which he rests, a weapon; submissive in the way (as was once said) a sheep-guarding hound is submissive to the livestock it protects. 

so mismatched is his demeanor with yours--harsh and scarred--and that it frightens the townspeople around you. and your guards.

when you do get hurt, they jump at the chance to accuse Ghost of hurting you. no matter how you insist you're fine and demand the townsfolk see reason--you witnessed the attack, for god's sake! not to mention your wound is shallow and looks much worse than it is. but the guards lock him up in the small dungeon under your family's estate.

at your direction, Simon doesn't fight his captors. you both know, for all his strength, he'll be killed if the guards see their chance to take his life. they've never trusted him.

and so he's hauled off, chained up like a dog, lying in wait for his sheep. 

when you return to see him, having pushed through those who insisted you stay away, that he's dangerous, that he hurt you--only then does Simon strain against those chains. he wants to be at your side. he's driven half out of his mind with worry that the assassin who hurt you might come back and finish the job without him there to protect you. 

he'd pull the chain bolts clean out of the rotting brick to get back to you if not for the guarantee you'd be kept from him if he did. although it's not by your choice. 

he's even willing to confess to crimes he never committed, would never commit, if it meant being in your debt, imprisoned in your home, back by your side.

you stay with him as long as you can. his arms are locked behind him and he rests on his knees, more animal than man, as he presses his face against your waist. his desperation abates once you take his face in your hands to comfort him. he's lightheaded.

you assure him you'll be back, that you'll figure this out and get him home and out of those chains soon. he strains against the chains again as you pull away.

it's not until there's a second attempt on your life that he's vindicated.

the only story anyone knows is that when you screamed, by the time your guards made it up to your bedchamber, the blood from your attacker's corpse was already soaking into your rug. one of them tried and failed to coax the bloody dagger out of your shaking hands. your palms were clean. 

you tell the guards this was the man who attacked you before. you tell them to bury him and not speak of this again; to leave your chamber for you to clean.

once they're gone, Simon emerges from the shadows, hands bloody, to disentangle your hands (white knuckled) from the dagger, to usher you into the wash basin. you see the iron cuffs on his wrists, chains snapped off, and say nothing.

nobody is ever quite sure who released him. just as nobody is sure who the assassin worked for.

strangely, your husband seems to avoid you after that.

;)

more Ghost / masterlist

[gemsofthegalaxy]

I really do love Evan and Sam together as a romantic couple because their whole deals are so very opposite but also so similar.

Sam, she's so charming and charismatic, it makes sense that in the first season she ends up dating this jock and she gets along well with him (although I believe Fergus has some dorkiness to him, too, lol). But it's revealed in the second season her self-esteem is very low and she's now hung up on the idea that it isn't her natural charm and kindness, but the fact that she's been using magic which means everyone is fake. She can't trust people's good opinions of her. It's very "you love me at my Sam Black, at my Sam Britian, but can you handle me at Sam Bulter?" what happens when she's not charming, or accommodating, when she has a bad day. There's also a certain degree with Sam seeing herself as nothing but her charms, she doesn't think she's particularly capable or smart outside of her kindness, which is why it's so amazing that Danielle selected the mind track for her to get better in and Sam insisted she just felt a Connection to the magic of knowledge, rather than charm. It's amazing how charming and kind she is, but she doesn't want that to be all she is.

Evan was always so insecure over being so weird, so it makes sense he ended up with K at first, who is also a certified weirdoTM and he gets sort of insecure about where he stands with Jammer because Jammer starts out just so normal. Evan feels threatened at least a bit by Jammer's friends, thinking he can't fit in with them, and he also says the same thing with Sam to a degree being like "Well I wouldn't want to freak out Ariana Grande" (As Sam points out, Ari is also a freak tho so >_> yknow). But during the adventure, sort of like Danielle, Brennan decided to go with the magnetism/charisma stat to increase because he felt like Evan was starting to truly just accept himself. Take him or leave him, that's Evan Kelmp, he's the haunted white guy and his friends love him and you might love him too if the two of you click but he's not gonna be worrying about that all the time to the point he's sick every day. Still, Evan does struggle about being wanted and he's able to communicate that to Sam, you know, blanket invitations don't work for him but she says no, for real, I would spend day after day with you. I'll cook you food, not just a generic invite, please actually come over. And he's so excited about that, it's adorable. That's an aside, anywayy.

I have liked Evan and Sam together since season 1, I always felt that she cared about him not only in the way she generally cares about people but she just, really clicked with Evan in a way that may seem funny to onlookers because of the aforementioned "pretty, popular girl who gets the jocks, befriending straight up haunted weirdo". But, as I outlined above, they have more insecurity in common because both of them understand why people like them when they're useful/kind/etc but doubt if people will truly love the real them, or them when they're going through tough moments.

And over the course of S2 it was sooo clear that Brennan meant for Evan to be crushing on Sam. He loves her so, so much. He really admires all of his friends and he also thinks the world of Jammer, too, to be fair, but Evan is sincerely endlessly impressed with Sam and everything she does. He acts like she hung the moon in the sky. I truly do think that Evan would be happy just to see her be happy, his love for her is very pure and he'd be okay if it weren't romantic as long as she still wanted him around and cared about their friendship- but I think he's in love with her, and knows that somewhat early in the adventure.

Because Evan is so sincere, thinks Sam is so cool and so good, it gets across that he truly means it. He doesn't just see Sam Britian and care about her fame. That's cool, too, but he would love her no matter what her job is. He truly loves Sam for Sam and she believes him, and loves him back, and even if she could be dating some celebrity (which she could, easily) she chooses to be with Evan instead. And in that choice, Evan knows she loves him for him, too, because why else would she choose that?

i just. love them so much you guys.

[jubileemon]

Understanding Husk

A "husk" means a shell or a protective outer cover. This fits his character well since he's shown to be a husk of a man. More specifically, he's a former overlord who lost his power.

Husk in the "Pilot" was a lot more grumpy than he is in the show proper, losing his temper at Alastor and not hesitating to show his disinterest in anything going on as long as it doesn't concern him. When he sees just who has yanked him away from his card game, all he can do is exasperatedly ask Alastor what he wants with him this time. Seeing as Alastor is a constant reminder of how his gambling ended up costing him his status as an Overlord, it's easy to understand why he'd be upset at having to bend to the Radio Demon's will.

In the series, it's established he's still a jerk, but it's evident he cares, and his temper isn't as volatile and often warranted. In the beginning, Husk made it no secret that he was forced to stay at the hotel because of his ties to Alastor and would gladly get as far away as he could if able to. Behind his grumpy exterior, Husk is actually very patient and it takes a lot to make him legitimately angry.

He does his job as a bartender competently, but Husk is fairly blunt about the fact he's only participating in the group's shenanigans because he simply can't be bothered to protest. He does join bonding activities but departs once it's no longer enjoyable for him, after Vaggie decided to literally throw everyone into the middle of a turf war as part of her trust exercises. Thankfully, he grows out of this a bit as the series goes on and grows to care about the staff and guests.

Husk has his own issues and is pretty much apathetic to almost everything out of pessimism. But he still has the most common sense out of the cast and he's the most emotionally intelligent and self-aware, even serving as an advisor to the others at the right times when he's not bitterly accepting his circumstances. The hotel's owner is the only cheerful idealist demon princess who just wants to see the good in everyone, one investor is a maniac who wants to get entertainment out of watching the chaos, the other investor is the owner's neglectful, depressed father (and also the literal King of Hell), the manager is bossy and threatens people with weapons at the slightest provocation, and the cleaning lady is a neatfreak with a thing for "bad boys". Then there's Husk wanting nothing to do with their escapades. He's also a lot more hostile towards Alastor and Angel after they touch him multiple times.

It should be noted that Alastor lets Husk get away with flipping him off. But the moment Husk brings up the fact that Alastor's own soul belongs to someone else within earshot of the Radio Demon, Alastor can barely restrain himself to threatening to tear Husk's soul apart and broadcast his screams for all to hear if he ever says that again. By the end of the encounter, Husk is a shivering, terrified wreck and Alastor couldn't care less.

As the bartender, Husk knows how to listen to people and knows exactly what kind of problems that all the residents of the hotel are going through, and while he would rather let them solve their own problems, he isn't exactly above giving them some pretty solid, if very brutally honest. While it was unnecessarily rude to bring up the Hotel residents' flaws, Husk was accurate about every one of them as Charlie's desperate to help others but doesn't confront her own issues, Vaggie judges others because she hates herself, Sir Pentious is a lonely Sinner who watches people in their sleep, and Angel puts on an act that he's happy about his porn star job but is really miserable.

Husk was always cynical and crass, but he's also an old Sinner with a tender heart. With Angel however, he tends to be a lot more irritable. While it initially looks to be because of Angel constantly flirting with him, it's because he hates how hard Angel acts out to hide how miserable he actually is, considering him a "phony" in a self-destructive spiral. He eventually realizes he and Angel are the same, despite their differences. They're both self-destructive addicts since Husk is a gambling addict, while Angel is addicted to sex and drugs who sold their souls to an abusive Overlord. And both of them have descended even further into their addiction and adopted outwardly cynical, cruel personas as a coping mechanism.

Husk getting through to Angel Dust in the manner he does makes a considerable amount of sense when it's taken into account that the first step to overcoming drug addiction is usually getting the addict to acknowledge they even have a problem. Angel hasn't been able to get better despite having some genuine interest because he's been utterly refusing to admit he has a problem to fix, the moment he does his mood drastically improves as does his motivation.

In "Welcome To Heaven", Husk saw Cherri as a bad influence on Angel's path of redemption and advised her not to get high during their night out. He even defends Angel from Cherri's criticism about how the hotel was changing him. Of course Husk wants what's best for Angel, but unlike Cherri who thinks that feeding into Angel's addictive tendencies are the best way to treat his depression and that living up to the hotel's standards is only making his life more difficult, Husk encourages Angel to stick with the self-improvement he's learned from the hotel and not fall back into his old ways since Angel's trying to get into Heaven.

When Vaggie leaves to find out how angels can be killed, she tells Angel, Sir Pentious, Husk and Niffty that she knows they didn't sign up to be the first targets of the angels, so she wouldn't blame them if they left. Of course, when she and Charlie return, they find that all of them have stayed and fortified the hotel.

Husk even admitted that he doesn't want to look for new drinking buddies and being nice to both Angel and Pentious is a demonstration of the massive character development he's undergone over the course of the show. In the beginning, he was grouchy towards everyone and hated even being in the hotel, but now he's willing to risk his life to defend it and the other residents.

[swrkn]

Hello!!! I really love your Oliver fic 😭 could you do joker or sangho just fluff if it's fine ofc I'm not forcing ❤️

𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

Joker (hajun) x g/n reader

Genre : fluff ; sfw

Author note : thank you so much for your request, and thank you for the compliment on my first fic :)) i have a fic for joker in my drafts, so for now im gonna do some headcanons , and I’ll publish it later ! Also those are my personal headcanons , so if you don’t think my headcanons are accurate, please don’t be mean 🙏

Author note 2 : i really enjoyed doing those headcanons so i think i’ll do more , and also some with sangho since you asked ;) My request are open !!

⇨ Protective

Joker is low-key protective of Y/N, though he'd never openly admit it. If they're biking together, he'll instinctively put himself on the side closer to traffic or obstacles, keeping an eye out without making a big deal of it.

When you and Hajun go for a night ride through busy streets, he'll always position himself on your left side, closer to traffic. You notices he does this every time but never points it out, as it's his way of protecting you. One night, a car honks a bit too close, and without thinking, Joker reaches out, gently steering her closer to him. "You alright?" he asks, trying to sound casual, but his hand stays on your arm until he's sure you’re safe.

⇨ Act Tough But Melts Around You

Joker has a "tough-guy" image, but you are the one person who can break through that. When you're alone, he's surprisingly affectionate and lets his guard down. Play with your hair, hold your hand, and even rest his head on your shoulder if he's tired.

After a tough day at practice, Joker shows up at your place looking frustrated and tired. You open the door, pulling him into a hug. He stiffens for a second, but then relaxes, letting himself melt into your warmth. He doesn't say much, just rests his head on your shoulder, breathing in deeply as she rubs his back.You tease him for "acting soft," and he just grumbles, "Only for you."

⇨ Late-Night Talks

Sometimes, You and Joker will have deep, late-night conversations that can last for hours.You both stay up talking about dreams, fears, and everything in between. He trusts you in a way he never trusted anyone, and you’re the one person he feels like he can be his true self around.He's opened up to you about his insecurities and what it's like balancing being a big brother with his own goals.

One summer night, you're lying side by side on a quiet rooftop, staring up at the stars. Joker starts talking about his childhood, sharing stories he rarely tells anyone, while you listen quietly, sometimes just holding his hand when he pauses. You opens up too, and you spend hours sharing memories and dreams, both of them feeling like they're closer than ever.He tells you things he never told anyone, realizing how much he trusts you.

⇨ Lets You Braid His Hair

One day, as a joke, you suggested to braid his hair, thinking he'd refuse. But to your surprise, he agreed, even if he tried to play it off like he didn't care.Now it's a little tradition between you and him. When you're just relaxing, you'll braid his hair, and he'll sit quietly, feeling oddly at peace. He actually finds it relaxing but would be mortified if anyone else knew.

During a lazy afternoon, you were both watching a movie a his house , with him leaning on you, letting you style his hair. As you braid, you notice he's relaxed, eyes half-closed, enjoying the quiet moment. Later, when his two littles brothers came in and burst out laughing, Joker just shrugs. "What ? She did a good job." he says nonchalantly, not caring about what his brothers are saying.

⇨ Always Comes Back to You

No matter how long his day's been or how tired he is, Joker always finds himself wanting to see you. You are his safe space, the person who keeps him grounded, and whenever he's with you, he feels like he finally found a place to rest. He doesn't say it often, but he thinks you are his world, and every ride, every victory, every day somehow feels better just knowing you are there , beside him

One evening, after an exhausting day, he texts you, asking if you’re free. When you agree to meet him, he feels his mood lift immediately. You don't have to do anything special; just being with you is enough to make everything feel better.

⇨ A Stubborn Romantic

Joker tries to act like he doesn't care about romance, but deep down, he's more romantic than he lets on. He'll surprise you by cooking your favorite meals, remember small things you mentioned about yourself, and even bring you your favourite treats every now and then. On special occasions, he'll even plan something for you, like a ride at dawn or a picnic by the river, even if he insists he's "not doing anything fancy."

For your birthday, Joker plans a quiet picnic next to a hidden river. He pretends it's "no big deal," but he packed your favorite snacks and even brought a small blanket to sit on. When you ask him if he went to all this trouble just for her, he simply says, "Don't get used to it." But the sparkle in your eyes , and seeing you this happy , was enough for him to know that if he can see you this happy , he would do it again and again.

✵

[zablife]

Save me Darlin'

Benny Cross x female reader

Benny Cross Masterlist

A/N: Bc this seemed to be a fave line from my headcanons about Benny, it gets its own imagine. "Did you pray for me every night like a good girl? On your hands and knees? Let me see."

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, blow job, corruption

"Fix your damn jacket," Johnny grumbled, turning to give Benny a scowl as the young man flicked his cigarette butt onto your father's perfectly manicured lawn.

"Jesus Christ we're trying to get these people to change their mind about us," Johnny huffed, climbing the steps to greet your father with a firm handshake.

Benny ducked his head to hide the smirk on his lips as he mumbled under his breath, "Well they really ain't gonna trust us now." Johnny was an unknowing accomplice in his plan to get close to you, a diversion to gain access to the prettiest little thing he'd ever seen.

Normally he wouldn't need to meet anyone's daddy, let alone pretend to care what they thought about him, but you were different. A carefully guarded princess in a tower, he might never have known you existed if Betty hadn’t dragged him to that church picnic last month.

Sometimes he wondered if he might be better off never to have met you though. As it was, most nights he lay awake replaying every minute you'd spent together, jerking off to the memories he’d carefully stored. Your innocent doe eyes staring up at him as you passed him a glass of lemonade, biting your lip just so. Or the way you absently twirled your necklace between delicate fingertips, running the tiny gold cross over your tongue before dropping it into the front of your sundress. And, God, the way your chest rose and fell as he showed you his motorcycle, soft voice promising so earnestly, "I'll pray for ya every night, Benny."

You entered his mind at the most inopportune times, stealing his concentration. He was a man obsessed, in need of one more glimpse of you. Even at this very moment as your father stared at him with disapproval, he knew he'd risk everything to make that a reality. If only he could get out of this living room and find you.

"I asked you a question, son," your father's voice boomed suddenly, pulling Benny from his scheming.

Blinking helplessly, Benny looked to Johnny who came to his aid. "Few odd jobs, nothing regular, but he ain't been here long."

Your father pursed his lips as he replied, "Spose that's why you have so much free time to ride those death machines."

"They're safer than they look," Johnny assured, clearing his throat and wishing Benny would say or do something other than stare down the hallway.

Luckily your mother came into the room with refreshments, breaking the tension as she began to ask questions about Betty and the children. It seemed to lighten the mood momentarily and Benny took it as his opportunity to escape, asking for the bathroom.

As soon as he turned the corner away from prying eyes, he heard a gentle humming and his heart began to thunder in his chest. Walking as carefully as possible on the rickety floorboards, he willed his heavy boots not to make a sound as he approached the crack in your door. Face bathed in the sliver of light emanating from a tiny lamp at your bedside, he watched in hushed awe as you tied pink, satin ribbons in your hair. Lace nightie inching higher with each raise of your elbow, the thin material slowly grazed along your upper thighs, making him sigh appreciatively.

He could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile winking back at him in the mirror as you reached for your lotion and a familiar heat began to rise in his abdomen. In a moment of courage, he slipped inside your room. Closing the door behind himself with a soft thud, he placed a finger to his lips with a look of mischievous delight.

The sight was utterly contagious, making you clasp a hand to your mouth to stifle the giggle ready to erupt from your lips. However, the sound of your father's voice a few rooms over soon impressed the seriousness of the situation upon you.

Rushing at Benny with palms splayed on his chest to move him back across the threshold, you whispered frantically, "We can't...you have to go."

"You want me to go?" came Benny's breathless response, hoping this wouldn't be the way things ended.

As you lost yourself in the ocean's of his eyes, you gulped, shaking your head pathetically.

"Then let me stay," he begged, giving his best puppy dog eyes. You tried to look away, but he hooked your chin with his fingers holding your gaze in a smoldering stare. He watched as your resolve crumbled before him, a small smile playing on his lips as he asked, "Did you pray for me every night like a good girl?"

You nodded as best you could in his firm grasp, only a whimper of agreement as your reply.

His cock stirred at your admission, the idea that you'd thought of him at night enough to rouse his deepest desires. The world fell away as he tugged you into his body, hands roving your hips and lips brushing the shell of your ear as he whispered, "Yeah? On your hands and knees? Let me see."

Benny could tell by the way your breasts crushed against his chest that you were breathing hard, unaccustomed to someone manhandling you like this. You tapped his elbow for him to relinquish his hold and for a moment his heart stopped, worried he'd pushed you too far. As he surveyed the crucifix on your wall and the sweet confection of a dress you'd laid out for Sunday service in the morning, he reminded himself you weren't the kind of girl who did these things....even knew about them.

Then something miraculous happened. You sunk to your knees in the plush carpet, hands trailing along his muscular thighs reverently before coming to rest inches from his crotch. As you sat back on your heels you looked up at him, eyes glistening and plump lips parted. He might have hallucinated the next part, but the golden glow over the crown of your head looked damn near like a halo in the dim light. You offering yourself to him like an angel in one of his dreams.

Benny wasn't a religious man by any stretch of the imagination, but if he was he'd swear God sent you straight to him. He was certain the warmth of your smile and the softness of your touch was all he'd ever need to feel complete. Now he understood why you had to be kept under lock and key. A person like you was too precious to be defiled and his conscience began to gnaw at him the longer he stared, thumb stroking your bottom lip tenderly.

But the sinner that wanted every part of you was winning the battle inside him and soon his own desire overtook him. He moved his hand to tangle in your hair and took hold of your silky ribbons like a set of reins, guiding you closer in silent demand. Widening his stance to accommodate you, he urged, "Go on, baby."

And you answered the plea, tethered to his side dutifully. You nuzzled against his bulge, feeling the effect you had on him. In a word it was intoxicating and you needed more. Undoing his zip you gasped at the sight of him, knowing instantly you'd take the risk of being caught if it meant touching him, holding him...feeling the weight of him on your tongue.

The growls you pulled from him were devilish even as your delicate fingers and mouth tried to calm the beast inside him. He was a man possessed, but you did your best to keep pace with the ravenous desire of his hips pushing into you, causing saliva to run down your chin and past your knuckles. With every gag, he seemed to clutch your shoulder tighter, sigh a little deeper and it spurred you on until you heard him instruct you in a shaky voice, "Have to... swallow it all now, darlin'... okay?"

Your mind raced as you tried to recall what your friends had told you about this, but you didn't have time as he spilled into your waiting mouth. The bitter tang coated your tongue with his grateful pants echoing over your head. As you swallowed everything he had to give, you felt him stroke your cheek adoringly. "Angel, I think I love you," he exhaled on a low breath, raising you to your feet for a passionate kiss.

There was little time to bask in the afterglow, however. The din in the lounge had grown, indicating some kind of argument and he quickly stuffed himself back into his jeans.

“I don't think you can stay," you mumbled sorrowfully against his lips.

"S'okay, nothin’s gonna keep us apart," he assured you, that wicked grin returning.

"You promise?" you asked, tears gathering at your lashline in fear he'd never return.

"Always keep my promises, angel. Keep prayin' for me now," he winked, glancing down at your dimpled, reddened knees before exiting out your bedroom door.

[devoted-horror]

May I request a reader that hides behind them when she is overwhelmed or doesn’t wanna deal with people ? For Charles’s lee ray , Vincent Sinclair , the doctors and trickster (seperetly) fluff plz

a/n: it's pretty short sadly but i hope u enjoy it!! <3 anyways have u guys seen jiwoon nd yunjin's upcoming halloween cosmetics.... guys..... guys im down bad for them i fear...

includes: charles lee ray, vincent sinclair, the doctor, and the trickster.

warnings: typical slasher and dbd warnings, mentions of murder, i think it's pretty much just fluff but there might be some undertones of darker stuff?? like very very vague undertones that you'll probably honestly miss but. just stating it, in case.

CHARLES LEE RAY

Charles would, in all honesty, probably tease you for hiding behind him of all people whenever you get overwhelmed. It wouldn't be malicious teasing or anything like that, though he definitely doesn't know when to stop.

In the beginning of your relationship, he probably won't say it, but he likes that you feel safe enough to hide behind him like this.

He'll definitely act annoyed every time you hide behind him, maybe even roll his eyes, but don't let this fool you because he's shielding you away from the rest of the world and keeping you hidden from anyone who may be around.

And if you hide behind him because there's someone around that you're trying to avoid or that you just flat out don't want to deal with at the moment, then trust that Charles will take care of it.

He's not going to immediately resort to murder, so you don't have to necessarily worry about that, but depending on who it is and how they treat you, then yeah.

They may die.

It's an act of romance from him, by the way.

Nothing says 'I love you' quite like killing anyone who inconveniences you in some sort of way. He is a serial killer, after all. How else is he supposed to be romantic?

In all seriousness though, Charles does try to make you feel at ease whenever you find yourself hiding behind him.

He'll crack a few jokes, tell random stories of the past crimes he's committed, anything that'll help you feel less overwhelmed.

VINCENT SINCLAIR

Vincent is the only one here who would truly understand why you hide behind him, I think. He knows what it's like to be overwhelmed, wanting to hide away from everyone. It's why he spends most of his time in the basement.

He would never judge you for this, like... at all. He actively encourages you to do it, if anything else, because he wants you to do whatever makes you comfortable.

If he can help you feel less overwhelmed, then he will. If somebody has been bothering you enough to make you feel this way, then trust that he will not hesitate to step in.

Tourist, Bo, Lester, it doesn't matter. You're his top priority more often than not these days.

Shit, he'll put himself in time out if he somehow contributes to making you feel this way. He'd feel genuinely awful if he made you feel overwhelmed, honestly.

When he's overwhelmed, he finds that absently drawing helps to calm him down. He knows that not everyone finds comfort in the same thing, but he'll definitely offer you a pencil and paper if he thinks it might help.

But if you'd rather just make yourself comfortable behind him, then he doesn't mind. He'll continue whatever he was doing with no issue.

Though... if he's in the middle of turning someone into a wax figure, he'd rather you not be around during that. And you obviously can't hide behind him when there are tourists in town, because like... obviously.

But other than that, you're free to use him as a little shield from the world whenever you need.

It makes his heart feel warm inside knowing you feel comfortable enough around him to go to him whenever you feel like this. It makes him feel like he's doing a good job at this whole dating thing.

THE DOCTOR

Herman is a bit of an enigma here because while I don't necessarily think he'd mind you hiding behind him like this whenever you're overwhelmed, he's also not the nicest person to know.

Lover or not, he isn't the type to be nice when it comes to words. He's a genius and views himself as better than everyone else, and you aren't an exception.

Personally, he's never felt overwhelmed. Like... never. He had everything he wanted growing up, and he truly never believes he's in the wrong, even if he is, so he's never had that sort of anxiety either. The only time he's ever felt anxious was when he knocked his classmate out for the first time, he thinks.

So, while he doesn't understand it on an emotional level, Herman does understand it on a scientific level. A part of him can't help but want to pick you apart and study your brain for somehow finding comfort in hiding behind him, but he doesn't.

Herman loves you. At least, he thinks this is love. A considerable amount of tolerance, if not.

This habit of yours is just one of the many things he's not sure he'll ever truly understand when it comes to you. It's... frustrating, just a bit. You're an enigma to him. An anomaly.

He's never been a big fan of anomalies. Yet here you are, hiding behind him as if he were someone who would protect you from harm.

He'd destroy the minds of the many for you, he thinks.

Being who he is, both before and after the fog, you're bound to be safe if you stick by him.

So, while Herman doesn't understand why you feel safe around him, or why he doesn't mind your behavior, he certainly isn't going to make you stop.

THE TRICKSTER

Jiwoon is... not really gonna understand why you hide behind him whenever you're overwhelmed. He thrives under attention, positive or negative, so he can't wrap his mind around how you get overwhelmed by it.

But he most thrives under your attention, so having you hide behind him every time you're overwhelmed or done with people in general really just... feeds into his ego.

So if this is before the fog, it's definitely not something you can do in public.

Jiwoon doesn't care, he really doesn't, but as an idol, dating is like... not really acceptable in the industry, and Yunjin would literally have his ass if he was caught being lovey-dovey with someone and it wasn't part of a publicity stunt of some sort.

He does understand what it's like not wanting to deal with people though, even if he does thrive under their attention. He literally killed a sasaeng because they were stalking him, so like...

I don't think he'd explicitly offer to kill someone for you if they put you in a state of being overwhelmed, mostly because he keeps his whole killer business a secret but, I mean, he would kill for you.

The moment he finds out who has you feeling so overwhelmed, be it by you telling him yourself or by other means, they will be dealt with.

And when the person who has been stressing you out so much lately is suddenly found murdered, Jiwoon is right there to help you deal with the overwhelming shock that may come with the situation.

Not long after the gruesome murder, The Trickster releases a love song with haunting background vocals. Fans and critics alike are trying to figure out who the mysterious voice is, but no dice.

No matter, fog or not, he will be a loving boyfriend and let you hide behind him however you please. Your attention, more often than not, is one of the only things that matter to him.

[collidescopeeyes]

Hey all, know I've been quiet but I'm in the home stretch!! Just gotta survive three more days and then exams are over, pray for me 🙏

Anyway in honor of me spending my weekend fighting for my life trying to memorize formulas that look like alphabet soup:

Heartsteel helping you study headcanons

Kayn

- Let's be real he ain't helping. Like he understands this is important and you need to focus but he also really, really wants your attention, are you sure it's not time for you to take a break? No? :(

- Like you'll be taking notes and you'll just see him in the background slowly vibrating out of his skin restraining himself from bothering you. But also, he ain't gonna leave unless you ask him to, he'd still rather hang out with you ignoring him than not spend time with you.

- Let him quiz you or something, please he'll do such a good job just pleeeease pay attention to him. Or just talk him about whatever it is you're working on, he'll do his best to follow along but really it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand, if having someone to bounce ideas off of helps you then he's absolutely there for that.

- Largely mollified if you work while sitting on his lap. He'll do his best not to be distracting, he promises. That being said, if you try to work one minute past when you said you were gonna stop your laptop is getting ejected and he will be pouncing on you, he's been so patient goddamnit.

Aphelios

- Will actually help you study. He's pretty well read so there's a few subjects he can help you with, otherwise he just sits next to you and keeps you on track. There will be no getting distracted by your phone on his watch, and you will be taking regular breaks. Mostly he's doing his own thing so he doesn't bother you, like mixing tracks with his headphones on, but trust me he Will notice if you start slacking off.

- Honestly he's the kind of guy who appreciates just spending time in the same space as you

- Recruits Alune to retrieve snacks. She's also very willing to help if it's a subject she's familiar with, but she's also very talkative with people she likes so Phel will shoo her away if she's distracting you.

- If he can, will help organize your notes or put together flash cards. Great at quizzing you, though he also tends to ask insane niche question that really tests your understanding.

Sett

- The only reason he had decent grades in high school was because he didn't want to upset his mom, so he knuckled down and worked his ass off. He sucks at studying otherwise, he never had the patience for it, so he really respects your determination

- If you tell him you're gonna work and then end up on your phone he Will notice. He knows all the tricks in the book, he used them himself, you are not gonna start after just one more video, you're gonna start now. He's pretty hard to argue with when he's got his Boss voice on.

- That being said, he ain't gonna be much help with academics–even the stuff he's great at, like songwriting, he doesn't really consciously think about; he just has an intuitive sense of what does and doesn't work, and goes purely off of what feels right.

- Any other support he can offer though, he's There. You want snacks? A quiet spot to study? Coffee on the hour every hour? He's got you, ask and you shall receive.

- He's drawing the line if you start going overboard though, working tired is worse than not working at all so you're gonna call it for the night and come back when you're back on your game.

Yone

- Another man who's likely to actually know the subject you're studying. He'll sit down with you and help you make a study plan, and then he'll make sure you actually stick to it. A firm yet gentle hand–he’s used to dealing with that lot, keeping you on track is easy mode comparatively. Also, he'll find a way to minimize potential distractions so sneakily you won't even notice, like you get the urge to go on your socials but your phone's somehow all the way over on the couch so it's too much effort.

- Offers to let you study at his place. It's a very quiet and relaxing space, and also he point blank bans any of the other band members from bothering either of you while you're working.

- You thought that thing about herbal tea helping with concentration was an old wives tale but whatever is in this little clay cup is legitimately a god send. He also makes his own wagashi, and it's so pretty you'd almost feel bad about eating it if it didn't taste so good.

- Helps you with flashcards and quizzes and anything else that will help you feel prepared. Will go out of his way to read up on the subject so he can help you better.

Ezreal

- This guy 100% has undiagnosed ADHD, I don't make the rules. Unlike Kayn who has some pretty obvious hyperactivity symptoms, Ez is one of those people whose like ‘nahhh I can't have that, I get on just fine when it's something I'm interested in :)) in fact I'm so good at studying things I'm interested in that I'll do it for hours at a time without taking breaks! :)) that's normal!’. So while he really wants to be helpful, he has horrible studying habits and honestly he's impressed you're starting before midnight the night before your test. If you need someone to keep an eye on your bad study habits, he is not the guy. If you need a quick confidence boost or moral support though, he's absolutely there for you.

- Extremely knowledgeable on a very specific and eclectic range of subjects. If you happen to by studying ancient history he will explode with excitement, babygirl he knows facts you couldn't even begin to be assessed on.

- He'll bring you your favorite snacks and drinks! Occasionally he'll start talking to you only to remember you're busy and cut himself off mid word–he doesn't mean to, it's just whenever he finds something interesting he immediately wants to share it with you.

- Second you say you're done he'll insist on doing something to celebrate, whatever gets your batteries recharged, whether that's going out and doing something fun or snuggling down and watching a movie, he thinks you deserve a reward.

K’Sante

- Actually very studious, he knows how to knuckle down and get something done. If you have trouble keeping on track he can help with that. Like he gets this gaggle of dumbasses to meet deadlines, he's pretty good at figuring out what motivates people

- His knowledge base is mostly music theory and visual design, but he'll help out if he can.

- He'll invite you to his place and make you lunch as a treat, which is very motivating because he is a fantastic cook. Plying you with food is also his way of maneuvering you into taking breaks when you need them.

- He can tell when you start slowing down and need to call it for the day, and gently extracts you from your work by suggesting you take a walk and stretch your legs or something.

Bonus

- Whole band is throwing you a party as soon as your exams are over, whether it's a celebration of your hard work or a ‘thank fuck it's over’ bash. There will be another party when you get your results back, they'll take any excuse for a party if it means you'll be there.

[izartn]

A peak example of KnH using the messiness of the power diferencial for its plot and chara development are the eps 12-13. Anime-only here!

In order:

- Jinshi discovers there are 80 kidnapped girls like Maomao working in the rear palace; he could just sweep it all to retain Maomao and nobody could/would say anything. Who cares about servant girls?

- He decides to bring it to light and fire off the kidnapees (doesn't realize they're now without jobs and on the wind) and ask Maomao what she prefers, to stay or leave.

-Doesn't seem to realise he has such power over her her only answer will be, "whatever you want" (but I want to stay!) in loud subtext. Or rather he realises it, and thinks she would prefer to be free and go home, instead of like. Trying to ask via proxy one of the other serving girls or something. Then again I think he realised if he implied he wants her to stay she would, regardless of her wants soo. Even if she wants to stay int his case, he takes the safe route and lets her go home.

(aww he doesn't want her against her will!! low bar but like. he started off blazenly trying to seduce her so he could use her more efficiently so.)

-Maomao, unable to let herself voice her wants bc of her low class awareness, finds herself outside the palace, and a job she liked, with a debt to pay and a father that doesn't know?care? to manage money and so becomes a serving girl at the brothel. She doesn't have to sell her body, but yeah.

-Gaoshun is exasperated at Jinshi downmood, who's missing Maomao sincerity and presence (and who is if not already in love with her, pretty infatuated at this point) so he orchestrates Jinshi attendance to the private ball at which Maomao attends as hostess. All of this basically manipulating Jinshi for his own good lol.

-When Maomao and Jinshi find each other there, and they come clear (Maomao about her liking her job at the rear palace, Jinshi about wanting her there in his vicinity) now temporarily free of the direct servant-master link even if their social position is still wildly unequal; Jinshi directly voices he could buy her contract and Maomao thinks that's a wonderful way of getting what she wants: her debt erased, a job at the palace doing what she wants again.

Okay here comes the funny part. We all now that by this point Jinshi does want her full attention romantically (and sexually) even if he's never direct about it or even fully seems to realise it himself. He's concious enough of his position and likes her enough he doenst want to force himself upon her. And this deal would get him ownership over Maomao, which means he'd get her near him, and it'd be with her consent even!

(I think this is when I got it. He's so so lonely. Like. He's infatuated but he also wants someone he can trust and a friend, only Maomao is so below him socially it's all a minefield. If he buys her contract she'll be under his protection!)

And Maomao likes the idea because Maomao knows enough about him at this point she seems to trust Jinshi to behave as long as she also knows her place as apothecary and maid (lol Maomao you have more freedom than that and I think you subconsciously know it which is why you're considering at all going with him), and this is the best offer she can see for her near future. She gets to have the protection of a powerful patron and also get some freedom to experiment with her herbs and poisons.

-Her sisters at the brothel know enough to divine this guy likes her, so even if Maomao is like. "No he's buying my contract so I'll work on the rear palace again!" (which lol poor Maomao, and even only that would be favoritism) They doll her out as if she were a courtesan whose contract was bought by her lover.

-I cannot be more serious, that scene where he goes get her and they get on the carriage and everybody is "oh! lucky guy where was hidden that beauty" is super wedding themed. Jinshi who isn't above pettiness and using his power for some things, just straight up orders her to keep doing her fake freckles so people won't stare.

This is one of those things Maomao was already doing and doesn't seem to be trying to stop doing? So she's just like. OK weirdo. But it's also a clear show of power; he can make her change the way she does her face. It's just that in this case, as with the buying of the contract, she's on board so the order is funny instead of creepy. Jinshi also knows she prefers the freckles so this is a case of him noticing other people noticing Maomao is pretty and being silly.

-Surprise Maomao you won't be working at the rear palace! Look this is Jinshi blatantly using his power to keep her close. You can't tell me he couldn't have used his influence to get her there again, even "only" as an assistant apothecary and not a maid of honor, but Jinshi has her contract and he has plans. Not nefarious ones! But making her study for court lady so she can be his sort of secretary?

He trusts her intelligence and character, knows they've worked well on the various issues of past episodes, likes her, probably wants her to know more about court in general so she can defend herself when she comes to the limelight via their association, has probably nebulous plans of marriage, etc. So he's not passing this opportunity.

-Maomao wasn't expecting this and doesn't take very seriously the exam bc she doesn't have any interest on that. She's here to live comfy and have some freedom to explore her medicine and intellectually engage her mind with the misteries that Jinshi brings to her. Court lady? Any further implications of what that could mean for her future flee her mind, although I find interesting that in ep 19 there's a part where she goes: mmm, if I had studied harder I would already know this ministery function (could investigate the misteries better).

-Jinshi is kinda exasperated but doesn't punish her for her failure at the exam. He recognizes Maomao interest in medicine is her driving force so he doesn't take it against her, although he wants her to be his assistant in truth very much.

All of this together is a very interesting picture of their push and pull dynamic, and the until now kinda unequal romantic interest. Jinshi uses his status to get some advantages and get Maomao with him, but doesn't push further. Maomao uses Jinshi to get a work she likes where she can exercise her knowledge, and even when he surprises her with the court lady exam she only goes "oh well, I'll try" even if half heartedly. They both know Jinshi has the upper hand socially, and he does kinda trick her to get her as a personal servant (repit with me: everybody else is now thinking she's his lover from the brothel) but Maomao is also getting things she wants and he wants her to pursue her interests (except when it involves choking on poison or venom lol) so they're both pretty content in that ambiguous limbo.

Basically: they realistically set up Jinshi as a well intentioned, but high handed and a bit ignorant, powerful guy who does want to be with and near Maomao, for personal and also practical reasons (Maomao is very useful for uncovering plots within the palace!) this low class girl. Maomao has her own agency and decides that actually, what Jinshi is offering is a step up from what awaits her, and although conflicted about the similarities she perceives between the brothel and the women on the palace, working for him offers her opportunities she wouldn't be able to access on her own. It's risky as hell for her, but life as a low class woman (even as educated as Maomao) is pretty risky anyways so may as well go fr what she wants.

Pretty realist! I love that whatever Maomao feels for Jinshi, (and I'd argue she feels some kinda way about him even if she doesn't want to think about that) there's always this barrier on her mind about their status, so she's very cautious. (until she forgets herself on her love for medicine hehe)

Now. That's a momentary status quo that's totally gonna change, with the revelations of Maomao parentage and her saving Jinshi's life in the middle of a ritual where he was acting as the imperial brother publicly. But that's not what this post was about. This post was about showing an example of the power dynamics in KnH and why I love them on my romance.

Just in two episodes you have all that byplay! Like. Crazy. Super interesting. Arguably not very romantic, but that cautious balancing of each other and their situationship is what shows me the future romance has legs sooo.

[deconstructthesoup]

All right, Fantasy High Leverage AU (which I still need a name for) commence:

Riz is the group's mastermind---a guy who quit his job at an insurance investigation agency after he found out that his father, who'd worked for the same agency and was thought to have died in an accident, actually got killed on the job. In the years since, Riz has kind of fallen into himself a little, trying and failing to get a private detective business set up as his mental health slowly gets worse... until he gets approached by someone who claims that something of his was stolen, and Riz is the only person he can trust to lead a team of highly prolific criminals to get it back. And this, of course, kicks off the formation of his new crew:

Gorgug is the group's hacker-slash-engineer, though everybody looks at him and assumes that he has to be the hitter. He grew up learning the ins and outs of computers and machines as a kid, and once he got the gist of it, he started figuring out what exactly he could and couldn't do---never because he was malicious, just because he was curious. This, of course, got him into a lot of legal trouble, and he's kind of gotten wrapped up into the criminal lifestyle because of it. He's the sweetest person ever, of course, which means that a lot of people tend to trust him.

Kristen is the group's hitter---a cocky wildcard who, after getting kicked out of her parents's house due to being a lesbian, didn't have a lot of other options besides joining the military. Though her rebellious nature got her into a lot of trouble, her ability to take a lot of hits and hit just as hard also got her noticed... by the wrong people. Needless to say, she's got a bit of a past, which she easily covers up by cracking jokes and acting as unhinged as possible. Underneath it all, though, she's still crawling out of a pretty dark place, and she both softens up and calms down once she finally starts receiving some actual external validation and support.

Adaine is the group's thief, though, again, people look at her and assume she's the hacker. She and Aelwyn both grew up in an old-money household and spent a lot of time around priceless antiques and art---and eventually, both of them responded to their parents's awfulness by taking up crime, though Aelwyn stole stuff for the Abernants and Adaine stole stuff from the Abernants. As time went on, the two sisters became incredibly talented thieves, all the while pretending to be your typical rich academics... until, of course, Adaine got caught and was promptly disowned by her family. Undeterred, she escaped, and managed to get quite the reputation in the criminal underground under her belt. Weirdly enough, she's also one of the most levelheaded and practical members of the group.

Of course, once their first heist goes wrong and they all realize that they've been tricked, Riz has to pull in some outside help in order to right their wrongs. And he does that by inviting a pair of stepsiblings that he'd run across when he still had his job...

Fig and Fabian are the two most accomplished and renowned grifters that the criminal world has ever seen, and nobody is still quite sure what their origins are---just that they're clearly not biologically related, and that they specialize in stealing art from rich people who can afford it. Fig's the kind of person who's incredible at improvisation and tends to act on the fly, and even her more impulsive actions wind up yielding results (though sometimes, there's unintentional consequences). Fabian, meanwhile, takes careful time crafting the perfect identity to sway his mark, and while Fig warns him about getting in too deep, he's never had that problem... yet. Both of them think very highly of Riz---hell, Fabian even had a thing for him before he realized that Riz wasn't interested in any of that---and both of them are more than happy to add more people to their crew. (And yes, their dynamic in this is partially inspired by Chirp and Squak---hey, two chaotic charismatic sibling-types played by Emily and Lou, meet other two chaotic charismatic sibling-types played by Emily and Lou.)

As for some of the others---Ragh takes the Jack Hurley route of being a mark that eventually switches to their side and becomes their lovable best friend, Ayda is a bookkeeper and researcher for Riz's old company who gets accidentally roped into one of their cases and winds up becoming an ally (and Fig's girlfriend), Tracker is a fellow hitter and an old "friend" of Kristen's, Aelwyn's the Archie Leach equivalent who's still semi-working for the Abernants, the Seven all start out as clients and form their own crew over the course of the series, and the Ratgrinders are a crew who start out as actual bad guys, though many of them eventually start working alongside Riz's crew. (Oisin's the hacker, Ivy's the thief, Mary Ann's the hitter, Ruben's the grifter, Kipperlilly's the mastermind, and Lucy's their old friend who hired Riz and everyone else to stop-slash-help them.)

So... yeah!

[bethanydelleman]

How would you feel for modernizing S&S about gender bending Edward (Edwina?)? So his her and Lucy’s relationship is a secret because Mother wouldn’t approve. Lucy claims she’s a lesbian but really she’s bi and makes Mrs F think she’s “cured” by meeting Robert. And Mrs F can initially evenly split her money then disinherit Ed and it all goes to Robert.

This would also require making Elinor gay and add an extra interesting component to Elinor and Lucy’s interactions.

Okay, this has been suggested. Edward's relationship with Lucy is very strange and does not translate no matter how much I think about it so let me lay it out clearly:

Edward is secretly engaged to Lucy. Hiding an engagement from parents is run of the mill, but not being able to tell Elinor, a woman you love? That's not normal. If he doesn't trust Elinor enough to tell her, that ain't love

Edward is trapped in his engagement by honour. But why in the world would a modern person be trapped? Unless Lucy is doing some very messed up stuff (threatening to kill herself if he leaves her), there is no reason for him to fall out of love and stay. Remember, he was out of love before he met Elinor. And Lucy doing something like that really changes the dynamic for me

Lucy is holding on so tightly to Edward because it's her only chance at entering the gentry. Lucy cannot just get a job and nothing she could do as work would get her close to the wealth of Edward/Robert, but it's also very much about class security. So how do you translate that to modern times without just making her a lazy gold digger? (This is also a problem with modernizing P&P btw)

There is also the part where Edward is forced to be jobless because without family support, he can't really do anything. The gentry professions relied so heavily on nepotism that even if Edward went into the church, he'd end up without enough money to support himself. That dynamic also doesn't really apply to modern times

So yeah, this is why I can't do a modern Sense & Sensibility. I'm open to suggestions but this one doesn't fulfill the criteria for me.

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Rambles about an au I'll probably never fully write out

Contrary to popular vigilante assumption, the Red Hood does, in fact, have a civilian job. He actually really likes his job! It's super flexible, he sets his own hours, his own rates, is his own boss - heck he even likes a lot of his clients, and finds the conversations they fall into to be very grounding and comfortable.

It's also been a big help to his vigilante work to boot! After all, it's a hell of a lot easier to figure out what the sex workers in Park Row need and want when he himself is one of them.

A few of the Johns I've imagined for him:

Christie:

Serious and dour. Has a tendency to overstate her displeasure and only let slip the faintest of praise for what she actually likes

Thinks flirting is inane, incomprehensible, and demeaning. Almost wept with relief when someone tried to insult her by telling her she'd never find a husband and would only get laid if she was paying someone

They would never want to be friends with each other, but hold a mutual respect for each other's intelligence and general attitudes

Claims to hate gossip, has bitched about her coworkers so much between rounds of making out that Jason has highly detailed profiles on every member of her entire department whether he likes it or not

A regular

Jessica

Met him when her sorority hired him for a party (one of his least favorite jobs - handling 23 drunk people as a service worker is simply always going to be stressful no matter the industry)

Has changed majors like five times, perpetually finding herself

Generally pretty jovial and chill, though it took her a little while to get over her initial awkward towards him and his profession

As much as a client who doesn't know about your secret crime lord identity can be a friend, she's a friend

A regular

Devin

Jessica's friend

Complained about being a poor loveless virgin and jokingly asked to get laid with a tall hung goth guy for his birthday

Jessica is not one to let her friend's birthday wishes go unfulfilled!!

Dick actually walked in on Jason putting on his outfit for this - black and red plaid skirt and spiked black leather jacket over full body fishnets and chunky boots - but assumed/concluded it was for an undercover case. Jason feels weird about the way Dick seemed to assume he'd never do this for anything other than a case, like it was yet another price to pay for vigilante justice to prevail.

One time client

And lastly one that's kinda an offshoot from the original au, which I think works better as Jason having a genuinely separate social/civilian life that the other bats aren't involved with at all, but also I am weak to jaytim and comedy so here we are:

Tim Drake and Bernard Dowd... Kinda

Similar to Devin except he's talking about what kinda guy he'd want to lose his virginity with to Tim, who has a very obvious crush on him

"I'd really like my first time to be with someone with black hair and blue eyes, who's strong and driven and caring and looks so very hot on a motorcycle..."

Tim Very Badly Misunderstands these incredibly obvious hints bc he thinks to himself, "Hmm, who's the best, hottest guy that fits this description and that I could absolutely trust to treat my crush right 🤔???" and hires Jason, his other crush, contenting himself with going home after introducing them to go sit on his lonely cuck chair

"You know he meant you, right?"

"Nooooo, he couldn't've possibly meant me."

"So you definitely were trying to get into Tim's pants, right?"

"Yeah I was super trying to get with Tim. Did not even think I was being subtle."

They end up having a threesome about it

[miss-vanta-likes-to-write]

Loyalties chapter 12

Loyalties Masterlist

CW: check the main masterlist for warnings

König remembers the very first time he met his Kitz.

He, Nikto, and Horangi had been assigned a new job. Some rich fuck wanted his rag tag gorilla team trained up to military standards. All three of them had been directed to a compound that took up a large stretch of beach and had groves of fruit trees. It was a fortress when looked at from the right angle, built to keep whatever lived there safe.

He sat quietly in the dining room, a woman by the name Carrie had offered them tea, coffee, and water. None of them said anything so she sat there awkwardly. The door to the dining room opened and in walked the man who managed to fork over the right amount of money to KorTac to hire their services for two years. This man was undoubtedly an alpha, the air around him was relaxed with cool confidence, despite being in a room with men that could easily kill him.

“Glad to have you three here. I'm your current employer Antony Castello. I welcome you to my home.” He said as he sat down at the head of the table. His dark brown eyes were polite, but under it was decades of blood and ruthlessness. König was very familiar with these types of men.

“It is our pleasure.” König was told that this was a particularly important job. He never asked why though, it was just explained that he needed to be cordial for the next two years.

“Good, good.” Antony nodded once, “It's important-”

The dining room door slammed open again, König tensed. He was already not going to like this post if this was how people entered rooms. Loud noises made him agitated and want to reach for a weapon. The only person who didn't flinch was Antony, who just smiled and turned to greet the interruption.

“Daddy! Tell Malik that I am allowed to run into town!” It was a gorgeous woman, she was tall, and slightly plump. Her brown skin stood out in the white bikini she wore, a sheer white skirt, clinging to her hips and thighs. Her hair was a cloud onto her head, pulled back with a white scarf.

König thought he was looking at an angel.

“Sweetie, Daddy is busy right now.” Antony gently corrected the girl that threw herself onto him.

König was quiet. It seemed as if time slowed, the light that came into the windows made her glow. The air was sweet, he could taste it on his tongue, and he is grateful that his hood is on, because he is breathing deeply to catch her scent. It's obscene how good she smells, the scent of the ocean and salt clings to her and under that is cocoa butter and vanilla. His mouth is slightly watering and years of his repressed alpha is growling to be let out.

Next to him Horangi shifts to look at him. “You okay Colonel?” His voice is low enough that only him and Nikto can hear it.

König nods his head once, he does not trust himself to talk right now. His eyes haven't left the woman as she goes back and forth with Antony about wanting to leave the compound. Eventually some type of agreement is made and she jumps and hugs the man.

“Thank you, I swear Malik thinks he runs everything!” She laughs and god that laugh makes König tingle. The feeling zipping up his spine. She finally seems to notice that it isn't just her father in the room and she looks at the three of them. There's no fear in her eyes, just a sweet tender curiosity. She smiles, suddenly shy about abruptly interrupting this meeting. “Sorry Daddy, I forgot you had a meeting at this time.”

König is not a religious man, has never even thought of the idea of a higher power, but with a literal angel turning her smile to him, he'd pray to see it again. Hell he would prey on her, stalk her and do whatever it took to make sure that smile was only ever given to him. The alpha in the back of his mind was reeling with hisses and growls to force her, such a pretty omega to submit to him. He wanted to mark her, sink his teeth into her scent gland, and bond them together permanently for life. After he would breed her, break her body and pull it back together again, give her as many little cherubs she wanted. He wanted to give her all of himself, even though he is damaged goods, broken and riddled with demons. He has faith that she would be able to cure him, exercising the evil spirits in his soul with a gentle touch of her lips against his.

No he isn't a godly man, but loving and claiming her would be a religious experience. Her embrace would be the equivalent to rapture and her kisses would be what ambrosia tastes like.

“It's fine Sweetie. Now run along and I'll have someone accompany you into town.” Antony presses a kiss to her cheek earning another sweet laugh. He sends her on her way and König has to fight the urge to follow her with his eyes.

“Antony…you spoil her too much.” Carrie shook her head. “There are threats on her head right now and you're playing a dangerous game.”

“My little girl needs to know that she is safe no matter what. I won't have her hiding at all times. It'll make me look weak overall.” Antony doesn't say much more to her and looks back at the three men. An idea crosses his mind, “which one of you is good with civilians?”

None of them answer, because a group of men who all hide their faces are not good with civilians. Antony chuckles, nodding his head once before getting into the meat of why they were hired. Told them that they would stay in the guest house on premises and that some man named Marcus would be here tomorrow morning to show them around and help them get started. Payment was hashed out, Antony insisted on adding them all to payroll, he may have hired KorTac but while they were in his care he would pay them. The only rule that he was adamant about them following was staying out of the upstairs of the main house. That was where his family lived and he didn't want people who weren't pack up there.

König had a sneaking suspicion that his daughter was probably upstairs in one of the rooms farthest to back. The idea of her nest, smothered in her scent just barely out of reach made his body hum with desire. She probably had a nest that was large, soft, and comfortable, it probably was a little slice of heaven and he would kill to catch a glimpse of it.

“None of you answered my question.” Antony raised an eyebrow, “I'd pay extra for whoever volunteered to accompany my Bambi when she isn't in the compound.”

“I'll do it.” König says without any hesitation. He can feel everyone looking at him. “As long as it doesn't interfere with my priorities. I do not mind.”

Antony smiled, “Good then. Why don't you three get cleaned up, I'm sure your travel here was long. After König, I'll formally introduce you to the Pack's princess.” He laughed and Carrie grumbled something about Bambi acting this way because of him.

‘Her name is Bambi. What a sweet name for an angel.’ He thought.

Xoxo

Xavier had told him that most of the children from the first half of the party would be gone by 7pm. So at 7pm, König entered the home that was decorated like a little girl's dollhouse. The music was loud, people milling about and drinking. Horangi stood to his right, he insisted that he come along to visit with the main Pack. Nikto decided not to come because he wouldn't feel comfortable around so many people. (König had a sneaking suspicion that Nikto didn't want to see Symphony. He never did get over that particular heartbreak even if he said he never cared.)

“Onkel König!” A little voice shouted and his leg was attacked by Ananiah. “Papa hat mir nicht gesagt, dass du hier sein würdest!" ("Uncle König!", "Dad didn't tell me you'd be here")

“Kleines Häschen, dein Deutsch ist perfekt. Ich habe dir und deiner Schwester ein Geschenk mitgebracht.“ König picked her up. “Where is your father?” ("Little bunny, your German is perfect. I brought you and your sister a present")

“Right here.” Xavier approached them and snorted at the light pink scarf covered in hearts and bows wrapped around his brother's face. “Bambi gave up looking for that scarf König.”

“I will be sure to buy her as many scarves as she wants. This one though is mine now.” He handed Ananiah over to Horangi, both of them immediately falling into a light game of teasing. König always imagined that this was what having a pack was like. Plenty of little pups running around, men he could see as brothers, an omega that would love him as much as he loved her.

“She's out back.” Xavier turned and led him towards where a bulk of the party was going on. Laughter, screaming (something he had to learn was just the Castello clan being boisterous, nobody was ever in danger), and music could be heard.

His own heart was starting to beat fast, threatening to break out of his chest. Even though the pink scarf blocked out most of the scents, he could catch traces of his Bambi. When he stepped out onto the back porch, he scanned the backyard searching for her. Then he heard her laugh, it rose above the music, distinct amongst all of the chatter and noise. He had missed it. Heard that sound in his dreams. He was literally at the door to heaven, as long as he said the right thing, he would be allowed past the gates again.

Bambi was sitting at a four person table top. In her hands are some playing cards, a few shot glasses and her favorite tequila bottle on the table. She is standing up and shouting, a large smile on her face, it's clear that she's winning her game of spades.

“You mutha fuckas could never!” She's happy and delighted. She looks every bit as beautiful as the day she sent him away. Bambi's hair was light pink, it matched the cute thigh length dress she wore. There was more jovial shouting and König was transported back to the easier days of their courtship. Days where she tried and failed to teach him and his pack how to play the card game (they eventually got it, but had fun learning, it had been a while since any of them had fun).

“Aaron you dummy!” Gloria was beyond pissed, “I told you to go high and all in!”

Aaron slammed down his cards and pointed at some guy that was sitting across from his Kitz. “How was I supposed to know Kyle was holding onto the big joker!?”

König squared his shoulders and descended the steps. He was making a beeline towards Bambi. He watches as her brows pinched together, a gentle breeze carrying his scent to her. She looks up and around, confused about what or who she is scenting. Her eyes snap towards him and the smile on her face is gone. It doesn't matter, after tonight, her smile will be for him again, the way it should be.

The male across from her stiffens at her change of mood. He follows her train of sight and his eyes become wide. König recognizes this male, he has smelt him on opposing sides of the battlefield. Funny, why is he here? And where are the other three? The one he knows to be Ghost is near his Kitz, König can feel his own eye twitching when he spies how close he is standing next to her. Over by the bar, the other two are probably watching.

Just what the fuck is going on?

He stops at the side of the table. Next to him he knows Horangi is there, and so is Xavier. He looks at everyone gathered there. Gloria is surprised and she is now shooting a glare at Xavier. Aaron is silent, he is probably already thinking of ways to diffuse the tension at the little card table.

“Meine Liebe, ich freue mich, dich wiederzusehen. Ich habe dich vermisst.” He says only Xavier and his Kitz understand him fully. (My love, I'm happy to see you again. I missed you)

Bambi is frowning, her body shaking as she looks between him and her brother. König knows she won't provide correction in front of their extended pack, she won't cause a scene. The shaking stops and she smiles, her scent overly sweet and it cuts through the growing scent of agitation and caution.

“König.” She pours herself as shot, “We are glad to have you here. Please enjoy your visit with Xavier and don't cause any trouble.” She downs her shot and tosses aside her playing cards. “Come on Gloria, let's hit the dance floor!”

Gloria gets up and hurriedly follows Bambi into the throngs of people on the dance floor. Clever girl knows he won't follow her to where he can clearly see Malik on the other side of the dance floor.

“Well.” Aaron laughs about to clear the tension, “It's always good to have you here König. Why don't we go for a walk, catch up about life eh?”

König wants to talk to Bambi, but he already knows that he needs to get Aaron to open that door. A walk would be needed. “Hm. Yes Aaron.” And just like that Aaron gets up, grabbing the bottle of tequila and nodding for him to follow.

Xoxo

Bambi is beside herself about who is at this party. She could ring Xavier's neck, but then Malik is telling her to be nice. The godfather of Xavier's daughter is allowed to come and celebrate her birth. She really can't stand how logical Malik is sometimes. Gloria has volunteered to help run interference should anything happen and Bambi is grateful.

She sits at one of the gazebos with her boot camp now. Her body squished between Simon's and John's. Simon who has not been one for public displays of affection is suddenly scent marking her under the guise of wanting to cuddle her and ward off the early evening air. She isn't dumb, all four of them have questions and all four of them were tense from the moment König showed up.

She sighs and looks at John who is lighting another cigar. “I take it, you all have questions.”

“Aye Bonnie, why tha bloody hell is he here?” Johnny growls. “Tha bastard is bad news.”

This catches Bambi off guard, her Johnny speaks as if he is familiar with her ex. “Wait what? Johnny, what are you going on about?” Her brows knit together in confusion. “How do you know him?”

“Dove, that man,” Kyle whispers, “He's a mercenary.”

A cold chill washes over her and practically freezes her over. Some things are starting to make a bit of sense from past conversations about König's life before his contract was bought out and her father brought him and his team on permanently. It's a struggle to make sure the right amount of surprise is on her face and not down right horror. She's sitting in the middle of people that have shot at her ex and plenty of the people that have worked for her father. There is the inkling of awareness trying to make itself known. Her subconscious is scanning over every little thing she knows about these four men.

She knows they are military.

She knows they can't really talk about what they do.

They recognized König and König clearly recognized them.

“He isn't a mercenary though.” She laughs, “I've always known him to work security for my brother's company or as a liaison for Temple Ballistics.” She cuddles up with Simon.

“What type of security does Xavier do?” John asks as he pulls her legs over his lap.

Bambi shrugged, “Xavier and his people get hired by celebrities and businesses or anyone that can afford them.”

John hums, “is he staying the night here, he seems to be quite close with your brother.” His hand is resting on her calf but it feels like a subtle threat for some reason. Bambi pouts at him and looks him square in the eye.

“John, there's no reason to be tense. As for him staying here during his visit?” She scoffed and shook her head, “I'm not letting my ex stay under the same roof as me.”

Johnny sputters, “Ex?”

Kyle raises both eyebrows, “Wow Dove, that's certainly something.”

Simon growls and just pulls her closer, until she is practically in his lap.

Bambi shrugs again trying to be as unfazed as possible, “He's still best friends with Xavier and sometimes Aaron hires him for the campaign trail. Other than that I don't talk to him and I never see unless we cross paths during work...which we don't.”

That seems to ease each and every one of them. John hums as he exhales his cigar smoke. The gray smoke swirls in front of him, partially hiding his face. Bambi, for a moment is reminded of her father and how he would get when faced with something he didn't like. His hand softly squeezes her calf and he smiles at her. It's a sweet smile that he gives her and he shakes his head.

“Sweetheart, we trust you, we trust your family, but we don't trust this situation.” He says. The other three agree with him.

“Well thanks.” She laughs, “But I feel like there's a but.”

John nods his head, “if he is asked to stay the evening with your family. I'd like for you to come home with us.”

Bambi frowns, “Why?”

“Because” John says, “We don't trust the situation at hand and would rather be safe than sorry.”

Bambi rolls her eyes, “Fine. If he stays the night, I'll go home with you.”

“BamBam.” Aaron had walked up to the gazebo, he was by himself, “Malik wants to talk with you.” He looks nervous.

With a huff, she untangles herself from Simon's grip and follows Aaron. “Wait here boys, I'll be back.” She links her arm with Aaron's. She already knows what's about to happen but the quicker she does this, the sooner she can get König to leave. They trek through the late night party guests and head into the house.

Aaron takes her to Malik's office and he knocks on the door. Malik opens it and lets her inside, giving her an apologetic look. He rubs her shoulder saying to her that he'll be right outside the door, scream and he'll put a bullet in König's face. Bambi shakes her head and reminds him of the party just outside. When Malik leaves with Aaron she turns and faces König.

He looks just the same as when she last saw him. Tall, broad, bulging with well kept muscles that always seemed to strain against his clothing. She watches as he unwrapped the pink scarf that was hers at one point. Once his face is uncovered, he smiles at her, it is full of love.

She hates it. She hates that it still makes butterflies take flight in her stomach. He only ever smiled at her. “Make it quick.” She says with an even voice.

“Mein Kitz." He says slowly, “I've missed you and…” He looks away from her, “you know I'm not one to beg, and if I do it's only me begging at your feet. Let me come home.”

“König-” She says quietly.

“Let me come home and try again.”

She can't ignore the waiver of his voice or the way his eyes look so sad. He's like an abandoned puppy, begging to be allowed in. He takes a step towards her and her hand goes up to protect her neck. She watches his eyes follow the movement. It makes him tense and still right away.

“I am being courted right now.” She tells him, praying that he takes it for it is.

“Hm…there is no rule that says you can't have other men vying for your affections. But you and I both know this to be a phase.”

“You're insufferable, an absolute dog.” Bambi hisses at him. “We are done!”

“Yes, a dog I am, but I have and always will be your attack dog.” He takes a few long strides and backs her up against the door. “You smell like them.” He speaks slowly, his voice edges on the side closer to a growl. “I won't cause an issue Bambi, I wouldn't embarrass you that way.”

Bambi breathes deeply taking in his scent. Those butterflies in her stomach are flying about recklessly. Her head tilts back and his tips down, their eyes locked on each other. König places one hand against the door next to her face, the other hand gently grabs her chin to hold her still.

“We've been in this exact position before Kitz.” He smiles and invades her space until all she can feel is the warmth of him pressed against her. “If I recall correctly, you cornered me in your father's office and insisted I kiss you. Antony walked in and next thing we know after you two argued for what seemed to be forever, he allowed me to pursue you.”

Bambi closed her eyes, her breathing was shallow. “König please.”

“You only ever call me that when you are angry with me.” His lips are barely brushing against her own as he speaks. “Are you still angry, if so what must I do to be allowed back in your good graces?”

“I want you to leave me alone.” Bambi whispers, she can feel her omega whining for something familiar.

“You and I know that isn't going to happen.” He then presses his lips softly against hers. König could die happily right now. Her lips are as soft and warm as he remembers. The lip gloss she wears is fruity and slightly sticky, he misses the feeling. Her scent envelopes him fully, like a warm hug. It's heaven, just as he remembered.

Bambi doesn't kiss back at first, but muscle memory is one hell of a thing. She grips on to his shirt for stability, her knees feel like they may give out. She doesn't want to kiss him back, but the comfort of something familiar when her life is still currently in an uproar, is luring her in. She knows it's wrong, but her omega reminds her that she isn't marked, so there will be no consequences.

He lets go of her chin and places his hand on her hip. He pushes himself fully into her, wanting to be as close as possible to her. König pulls away and nips at her bottom lip, that action earns him a squeak and a glare. His Kitz, his Bambi has always been cute when aggravated.

“Don't go causing trouble while you're here. You aren't forgiven.” She frowns, “Malik is only allowing you here because you are Xavier's best friend.”

“I spoke with Antony.”

Bambi's blood goes ice cold. “You lie.”

“I would never. And he's given me the okay to try again with you.” He steps away from Bambi.

Bambi glares at him and storms out of the office. No wonder the ass was okay with showing up! No wonder Aaron had come to get her nervous as hell and Malik straight up said that he would put a bullet in his skull if she screamed. If she screamed bloody murder, it would look like he was forcing himself on her. Taking another pack's omega by force is often a forfeit of life and Malik was asking to kill him. By law she belongs to Malik as he is head of the pack, but while Antony is alive, the old bastard could still call the shots. Fuck even the way Xavier acted made her realize that this was happening even if she didn't want it to.

She didn't go back to the party right away. She needed to shower and sober up quickly. Get König's scent off of her, be a clean slate. If she went out to that gazebo smelling of him, shit would go left. This fucking pink and white party was turning into a nightmare rapidly and the party wouldn't be over for another five hours, four if the good God smiled at her.

Bambi isn't one to pray, but as she gets into her shower, she drops to her knees. The water stings with heat and she wonders if since the raid, if this has all been a baptism by fire.

[ceilidho]

with tarzan’s dad!price… is he maybe a little scared you’ll run off alone and get yourself hurt? does he maybe keep the baby tucked only in his arms, only lets you hold her when you let him hold you? he doesn’t like seeing you so sad without her, sweetheart, but he can’t risk you doing something silly just cause you aren’t used to having a man yet. keeps the both of you real close until he knows you won’t do something stupid like try to take his family from him :(

ok full body shivered at this

it's not that he doesn't trust you because he knows you carried the baby for months and took care of her and look at her. she's perfect. big dark eyes, little tiny nose, perfect fingers and toes - you did such a good job, but it's a different world in the jungle :( he can survive worlds like this, he's spent his whole life learning and training to be thrust into the elements and survive at a moment's notice.

so he really only trusts himself to hold her. there are snakes and jaguars and caimans and so many other things that could catch you off guard. it's just better if he holds her.

and he's not unsympathetic to the fact that he's a strange man towering over you. he knows you're scared, and you have a right to be. if it were anyone else but him, he'd want you to be scared and trying to run away, but it's him. you're safe. and until you realize that, it's better if he does the thinking and planning, and you just stay close to him with the baby.

he'll keep you safe even if he has to sleep with you at night, folded around you with a big arm braced across your chest, holding you tight. the baby in your arms or in a makeshift bassinet that he checks up on several times throughout the night to make sure nothing's gotten in your shelter.

(the sporadic sleep and anxiety are starting to wear on him, but it's fine. it's fine. he has his two girls. it's fine. he has his baby. his baby. he can remember when she was just born, the first time she took a breath. his baby. he remembers when you first got pregnant. he thinks. sometimes it hurts to remember that far back. you always give him a strange look when he brings it up, so he doesn't bring it up anymore. you probably just don't like being reminded of life before the crash. his wife and baby.)

[noaltbruh]

Hello! Can I request bucci gang with fem s/o who had a military background? She's stern, disciplined, can bark out orders and be your biggest life coach like it's nothing, her raw physical power is inhumane to the point she rarely use her stand, overall just give you military general vibe. But later when the mc and one of the members starts dating, she shows her sentimental side and surprisingly a kinda awkward simp lmao

That's it I hope you have a good day💖

Oh! This request was quite original for sure 😄 But it was fun writing it! And thank you for asking me to write stuff or I'd basically be playing Octopath 2 during all my free time-

Bucci gang with a S/O with a military background

Giorno 🐞

Needless to say, Giorno really respects you not only as a person, but also as a precious ally and colleague.

He thinks highly of you since you're so stern and disciplined, he knows he can rely on you when there's something he cannot handle on his own.

He sometimes comes to you for advice, he just feels like he can trust your judgement.

Okay, can I just say he's a bit startled by how...Aggressively encouraging you are? He thinks it's pretty fun, but he must admit he's very impressed by just how energetic you can be, mixed with your firm behavior as well.

He will never, ever say it out loud...But this boy is a bit intimidated by your physical power to be honest. Okay, he's pretty muscular, but he's not nearly as strong as you are.

He knows this fear is dumb since his stand easily makes up for it, but he can't help it and it embarrasses him greatly. With that being said, he still looks up to you for the effort you put into maintaining such physical conditions.

Of course, seeing your personality shift when you got into a relationship surprised him at first glance, but thinking about it, he can't say he couldn't have seen it coming.

After all, you just HAD to be hiding something more to you behind your military façade. He knows it well since he's the first to mask himself.

He doesn't hesitate to take advantage of this other part of you though. He'll try his absolute hardest to cluster and make you away as soon as he realizes how awkward you actually are.

He'll actually call you cute quite often and probably giggle seeing you all embarrassed, but he never holds malicious intentions whatsoever. He simply thinks you're adorable.

He warmly welcomes your romantic side too, being quite romantic himself, although it may not be very clear at first glance. He'll reserve fancy dinners, grow flowers and buy you the most beautiful roses as a way to keep up with your lovely antics, he can't afford to fall short.

Bruno 🤐

Bruno's brain is low-key trying to process your existence, since you're so different from the rest of his team-

That doesn't mean he does not appreciate you, he really does! It's just... He'd always been used to be the one who gives orders and supports his men, not the other way around.

So, seeing you do what is usually his responsibility and duty highly catches him off guard, but he's quite thrilled by it at the same time, which is what first causes him to developed this of admiration for you.

But be prepared for him to still encourage and guide you whenever he gets the chance to. He thinks it's a good way to indirectly tell you that you're allowed to rely on others too sometimes and you don't always have to be strong.

With that being said, he thinks very highly of you because of your sterness and discipline, you get stuff done when it's necessary and he doesn't hesitate to praise you if you did a good job...Which is pretty much always.

He may even give you some of the hardest jobs, but never too much to overwhelm you. He knows you have limits like everyone else and respects them.

While he does think that your raw strength is impressive, he'll also push you to use your stand more and train to fight with it too.

It's not that he doesn't think you're powerful, but some situations just HAVE to be handled through stands, you can't risk.

He's obviously taken aback by your sudden change, you're just so different from the person he had grown accustomed to. Even so, he must say he's quite happy about this too. After all, it is truly a sign that you're willing to let your guard down around him and be yourself more.

Although he did not expect you to simp and get all bashful as soon as he started to court you...

...And most of all, to court him back as soon as you got the hang of it. It does highly pleas him though, it's really nice to know that good ol' romanticism still exists outside of him.

All these different aspects to your personality only stimulate his curiosity towards you, he truly think you're a unique one and he won't rest until he gets to see everything you have to offer.

Mista 🔫

Nah buddy you don't understand how cool Mista thinks you are.

Honestly he's just astounded by your physical strength, he didn't even think someone could possibly be that ripped to the point where's you wouldn't even have to use your powers.

You low-key scare him, but there's no way in hell he's going to admit that. He also wants to be stoped and crushed by you, but he won't be saying that either.

The pistols love to be around you because of your whole vibe, but number five in particular likes you a lot because he feels safe in your presence and knows the others won't mess with him if you're there.

He's a fan of your praises and hype, he's sperate vero confident, bug having someone else's supports always feels good, doesn't it.

Probably didn't follow your orders at first and thought you were just joking around, then he saw your killer look and went "shit", before immediately doing what you told him-

Despite the respect he has for you, he can't help but think that you worry way too much about stuff and you need to learn how to relax a bit.

Because of this, he'll goof around and make jokes even more when you're near him than usual. He wants to help you to let loose a bit and become more chill.

Honestly, he thinks it's thanks to him that you changed so much once you got together lol.

Once he realizes you're just a huge simp, he'll look for all sorts of ways to embarrass and fluster you, it basically becomes one of his favorite hobbies. If he went too far, you might have to punch him to make him stop, not that he'd mind tho.

Mista's not a very romantic person, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate your own romantic side. The fancy dates, all those sweet words and moments are surely quite different from most relationships Mista's ever had, but that's also why he likes them. They're a new territory, and he's all in for that.

Narancia 🍊

Mommy? SORRY-...Mommy?

You can't tell me this isn't true. You think you're a simp? You've got Narancia on his knees simply by existing.

Literally, just say the word and he'll come running for your, hanging from your finger, following whatever order you may give him and completing him exactly like you told him to.

Please, support him and encourage him whenever he gets stuff done right. This boy lives for your approval and hearing you give him advice or tell him he did a good job will make him 10 times more motivated to get anything done.

He's a bit insecure about himself, so knowing you think positively of him reassures him a lot.

Speaking of which, he knows he's safe in your presence, and it's a great source of comfort for him.

Honestly, he thinks your whole super stern and collected behavior is super badass, he loves how you can keep your cool even in tough situations and you never seem to snap like he does. He just wants to be like you sooo badly!

You gotta stop his jaw from falling to the ground when he sees you beat the hell out of an enemy. After staring at you in awe for a second, he'll remember he needs to help you fight and will gladly join in kicking the dude to death.

With that being said, he'll spend the entre nighr staring at the ceiling and thinking about awesome you looked-

In case you haven't noticed, he'd quite muscular himself, he wants to train with you too! His dream is to become as powerful as you are, but if he can't, just training knowing you're by side, and showing off he can also be strong is enough for him.

Okay, when your personality begins to shift, Orange boy is so lost. It's not that he doesn't like you anymore of anything, he's just...Confused. You're so different from the Y/N he's used to.

With that being said though, he quickly gets used to this change, and he's all in for that! Honestly, the fact that you sometimes come off as a bit awkward just makes it easier for him to empathize with your feelings, since he'd most definitely be very nervous around you out of pure embarrassment during your first conversations.

But he takes your simping deep admiration for him as a way to show off to you! He's gonna prove he's just as badass as you are, he wants to leave you speechless and will give everything he has to impress you, no holding back!

This boy is 100% a hopeless romantic, although he's bad at putting his lovely dovey ideas into practise, mostly because he's very clumsy and he'd probably set the kitchen on fire trying to make a nice candlelight dinner-

Because of this, knowing you're alike when it comes to romanticism reassures him. He knows that even if he messes up sometimes, you'll still always appreciate his effort and the energy he puts in his sweet gestures for you.

Moreover, no matter what you may do or organize with Nari, like watching the moon together or dedicating a song to him, he'll cherish it forever and ever in his heart. Every romantic moment you two share become a core memory that he's constantly going to think back to and smile without even realizing it.

He'll always love you, no matter what side of yourself you may be showing :)♡

Fugo 🍓

My friend, Fugo's afraid of you-

Have you seen this guy? He feels like a wimp compared to you, he's genuinely afraid you're just gonna take him and rip his bones in half.

When he does start to realize that you'd never do that, however, he begins to feel...Relived by your presence, in a sense. You just seem like someone he can rely on, which puts him at ease.

Also, you're one of the few people in the house who aren't constantly annoying or trying to piss him off. You're serious and he knows he can have a mildly intelligent conversation with you.

You're a good partner on missions too. He respects the way you're so determined on upholding your duty and don't mess around, he's faithful that any enemy you may face is screwed as long as he's got you with him.

He understands why you'd prefer to rely on your physical force rather than your stand, he doesn't like using Purple Haze either. Even so, he does partially think that it's a bit of a waste not to put it in action, since yours doesn't put everything and everyone in danger as soon as it shows up.

Okay let's be honest, boy's probably got the physical strength of a little girl, unless he's angry.

Therefore, some advice or words of encouragement from you are always more than welcomed, they push him to better himself while still reminding him that he's already doing fine.

When you show him your more sentimental and awkward side, Fugo gets you so well. He may seem smart and all but he's an embarrassing simp himself.

So, you guys go together like two peas in a pod, you just feel very understood by the other and don't fear their judgment at all. You're both messes so you cancel your goofiness out.

Your romantic side is gonna get him so flustered. He blushes easily and has most likely never been in a relationship before, so this kind of...Ahem, behavior, makes him scream inside, but with joy for once.

He'll try to organize something romantic for you in return, and it'll be either the most well-crafted, prepared and unique date ever...Or a total disaster. Either way, his effort is admirable.

Abbacchio ⏪

I'm sorry but Abbacchio couldn't stand you at first.

Your whole behavior just reminds him too much of the person he used to be, and just looking at you feels like looking at himself in a broken mirror.

Tries to avoid you as much as he can, and when it's not possible, he's the rudest, meanest, coldest fucker around.

The two of you only started to get along after you either saved or was a huge help to him during a mission. He was taken aback by your raw sstrength, but literally all he did once this was over was calling you a moron for not using your stand.

Secretary, he thought it was the most badass scene he's ever assisted to in his life. No, he'll never say it directly, screw you.

Complains and claims that he isn't going to follow your orders, before doing exactly that. If you were to brought that up, he'll interrupt the conversation as soon as possible and simply tell you that he did it because he wanted to, not because you told him to or anything.

He acts annoyed everyone you encourage or hype him up, saying that he doesn't need your support, but from the way he always looks away and lacks his usual bitterness in his tone, you can tell that he secretly appreciates your efforts.

Slowly, very slowly, but surely, you begin to notice small shifts and changes in the way he treats you. He doesn't look at you with disgust, willingly follows your advice and overall feels more comfortable in your presence, even cracking a few smiles here and there.

You end up becoming a huge source of inspiration to him. He still sees a lot of the person he used to be whenever you're near him, yet he doesn't view it in a negative light anymore.

A small part of Abbacchio wants to go back to be the man with the string sense of justice he once used to be. You're a constant reminder that just because he made a mistake, that doesn't mean he can't make up for it or has to live stick in the past forever.

And just when he starts to respect you... You change too-

What the?- Is this really the Y/N he knows? The stern, serious one? The wise one? The responsible one?

Is he startled? Yes, yes absolutely. Then again, he HAS to admit to himself that you being in his life has led to him modifying his own behavior quite a lot, so he shouldn't be that surprised about you being different from your usual self as well.

He's not the best with your awkward or sensitive side, but he does what he can. He knows that emotional support is something he just has to give in a relationship, so he sucks it up and never makes you feel embarrassed for what you do or say.

He's most likely amused by your romantic nature and may think it's kinda cheesy, but he secretly loves it with all his heart, and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Trish 🎙

Ok, Trish is a bit conflicted when it comes to you.

Like- she doesn't really have anything against you particularly. The thing is, she sort of has very split opinions concerning your behavior.

For example, she admires how stern and professional you are, how you seem to always have stuff under control and never be scared.

At the same time, however, the thinks that you sometimes take things way too seriously, you should learn to let loose a bit more and just enjoy life at it this.

Because of this, she tries to get you to break free from your shell and probably takes you dancing or shopping whenever she has the opportunity to.

Another example is that she loves when you act as her personal life coach. She's a very self-confident going lady and lives for praise...Especially from you, although don't expect her to tell you this often. You're always there to motivate her even on those rare occasions when she isn't feeling her best, she adores you for this.

BUT, she can't stand when you act all pushy and boss her around, she deposed being told what to do and there's a high chance she won't listen to you if she doesn't agree with you...At least during early times.

She'll become more willing to follow your advice if you're patient with her, but she'll always make it very clear that she doesn't think it's the best option.

No but like- the first time she saw you fight, her only thought was "Wtf?!"

She didn't think someone could possibly be as strong as you are, she just exchange concerns looks with Spice girl while encouraging you herself, even if you're already doing great.

"YAAAAS QUEEN SLAAAAY"

Honestly, she doesn't question your personality shift too much. She knows that'd how people are: the more you get to know them, the more you realise they're fundamentally different from what you actually thought of them.

And honestly, since she does also begin to show her softer side herself when you get together, knowing you won't think less of her for being open about her feelings truly makes her glad to have chosen you as her partner.

In return, no matter how awkward you can be, you can expect Trish to 100% support and be there for you at any given time. Although she will tease you for getting flustered if she got the chance to.

She lives for your romantic side, it's literally her ideal relationship coming true. Being courted and loved and feeling all special...God, she adores it.

Rambles to the others about your romantic gestures all the time and will hit in the face with her boot anyone who dares call you cheesy ^^