#so i made some characters just to crawl around there since you can set them separately from your ship

[gamebunny-advance]

On Today's Episode of Sammy Only Plays Mediocre Games: "Sensei! I Like You So Much!"

AKA "Fangirl Simulator", AKA "Sensuki"

Originally, this post was written as like a full "game journalist" style deep-dive, but I wanted to cut it back and just talk about my experience with this interesting little game that I found. If you wanna see what the gameplay loop is like, you're better off watching a let's play and deciding from that if this is the kinda game for you.

So, I actually found out about this game while stalking the Ita Bag subreddit, where the creators promoted the ita bag feature in the game. As someone who likes decorating things both IRL and virtually (hence why I was stalking that subreddit), I thought it sounded interesting enough to check out. So shortly after getting the game on a whim with some Christmas money, I got addicted to it for a couple of days before dropping it for about a month and then coming back to write this post.

Anyway, the gist of it is that it's a management sim/visual novel where you play as a fangirl, making friends with other fangirls by writing fanfic and making merch of your OTP.

And when I say "your OTP," I mean your OTP. You can't customize the player character outside of her name and online handle, but you can customize the characters she (and her friends) ship through the in-game character creator.

I did my first play through with R.O.B. & Watch (becauseIwastoolazytodrawandimportpartstomakeTatiKliff).

As a "game" I don't know if I'd call it "fun" exactly. As someone who easily slips into doing menial tasks in games, I did find a rhythm to the management part of the game as I debated against writing fics that would be popular vs. finishing my commissions, and I'll always love decorating virtual spaces with cute knick-knacks, especially if I get to personally design said knick-knacks.

But, it being a buggy early-access game with a shoddy English translation did hinder my enjoyment on occasion. I don't think a game can do anything more to sour your opinion of it than to *make you lose all of your save data trying to troubleshoot it~

*Strictly speaking, the game didn't *make* me do that, it's just one of the last resorts I went through to try and fix the bug, and that didn't even work.

Things like that piling up took what would have been a 7 out of 10 game to a 6 or 5 in its current state.

All that said, I still had a good time (before losing my save) because where it lacks in being a good game, it makes up for by actually being the ultimate "rare pair simulator". Because when your ships have zero content, you'll really take whatever you can get XP.

For me, it was very amusing to experience a world where something like ROB & Watch matters to people and I get to read all the cheesy fanfic that never got to exist for it.

Slight spoilers for the main story, but I just couldn't replicate my (internal) laughter from one of the characters starting fandom drama because they originally rooted for the "rival ship" and me thinking, "Oh, she's a Pac & Watch enjoyer. XD". That's something that could only happen in a game like this.

For people who's OTPs are popular and already have an abundance of fan content out there, I don't think this game will have much to offer you that couldn't be accomplished by just *being* a fangirl (gender-neutral) IRL and consuming the fan content that already exists. But if you like any sort of ship that's niche, whether due to unpopularity, self-shipping, or heck, you can throw your OCs in there too if you really want to, I think that you might find a game like this to be at the very least amusing.

This is a game that's really going to benefit from custom content that just doesn't exist while the game's audience is in its infancy. But I truly think that it has the potential to be something really special with enough time and development, and I leave it up to you if that's a gamble you want to take.

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

Other thoughts:

There was actually a recent update that added a bunch of features that really upped the customization features, added a few minigames, and even a new "tamagotchi mode" where you can leave your ship idle on your screen while you do other stuff.

I haven't gotten to mess with all the new stuff in depth, but the addition of these kinds of features tells me that they're really committing to the bit of making a space where you can do anything you want with your blorbos in a single package~ If they could just iron out all the bugs, improve the translation, and add a "free play" mode, this game could be amazing.

Speaking of... the other little things that bug me:

Even though you can set the character's gender and pronouns, the stories don't always use them properly. This seems to be a programming error which might have happened due to the shoddy translation, but I do hope this gets fixed on final release.

Similarly, for most of the illustrations, they currently don't have alternate outfits which change with gender. Most of them are neutral so it doesn't matter too much, but there are a few which are clearly femme/masc which may be bothersome for some ships/characters.

I know it's a small team, and that's what stock materials are for, but I hope this team can pull together enough funding to hire (besides a proper translator) a composer and another artist. I would love to hear some original music because there aren't a lot of songs in the game, and the few we do have get grating after a while. I ended up muting the music entirely in the first few hours of playing it.

I say another artist not because the current ones are bad, but because for the new minigames they added, they are clearly using stock images for the assets, so I dunno if their current artists just weren't getting paid enough to make the assets, or if they're just placeholder while the artist makes new assets to replace them. Given that most of the artists in the credits are listed as "cooperating organizations", I get the feeling that most of the art in the game was on a by commission basis rather than having an in-house artist that gets paid to make assets.

I know that these are just little side things, but the cohesion of the entire product should be pretty important, so while I think all the new stuff is neat, there's still some polish that could be added.

[mirrology]

Can I ask a boothill with an adopted child/teen reader that's hps (hyper sensitive) and also has parental trauma

(You don't have to do this if you feel uncomfortable 🐧)

ノstar .ᐟ ʚɞ

୨୧ No matter that love's gone, We just see it shining. We've traveled very far, I'll keep a leftover light burning. So you can keep looking up, Isn't that worth holding on? — star, mitski.

boothill & gender neutral reader. platonic | wc: 1.6k

tags/warnings: decided to go with hc's for this one since I didn't know how to write it in fic format T_T. teen reader, reader is a galaxy ranger and really well versed in technology. they can fight pretty well, reader also hates the ipc. boothill is a bad influence. mentioned child abuse, child neglect, reader has a "mom" and acts a little like blade when near her, erm character death (not reader or boothill)

notes: aaaa sorry that this is so late! Hopefully, this is what you meant by "hypersensitive." If not, then just let me know, and I'll change it, ALSO HAPPY PRIDE MONTH

— The two of you met when you were beating up some IPC goons on a planet that they had recently wanted to take over. You had been there gathering materials to set sail to your next destination, you were on the hunt for a certain IPC employee. One who you once knew.

— You couldn't just stand back and watch those IPC scum send that planet into spiraling chaos. So, of course, you beat them up without breaking a sweat. That's where Boothill had found you, he was impressed that someone so young had such skill in combat.

↳ You huffed as the remaining IPC personnel ran away with their tails between their legs. A slow sound of applause came from behind you, causing you to turn around, a deadpan evident on your face. You were met with a man with dual colored hair and what seemed to be a metal body, “I'm not gonna lie, you've got skills, kid.” He had said, a smirk on his face.

— Once the both of you got to talking, he found out you were also a galaxy ranger and that you also absolutely hated the IPC, you both really had many things in common. You had asked him for help in getting to your destination and he agreed pretty easily, claiming that he had “some time to spare”

— Although you had spent little time together, you felt comfortable around him, he never pushed your boundaries or forced you to do things you didn't want to. Boothill’s vocabulary surprised you, instead of cursing normally his words were censored. You would have offered to try to fix his synesthesia beacon, but just the thought of touching someone made your skin crawl. The ghostly touches of people who you once considered family etched onto your skin.

— Once it came to part ways, you didn't want to do so. You shyly admitted to Boothill that the thought of not seeing him scared you a tad bit. He looked surprised but then gave you a bright smile and told you that you could join him on his adventures, and so a strong bond between the both of you was born.

— When Boothill infiltrated the IPC headquarters you're the one who hacked into their system. With your experience, it was relatively easy, although Boothill would not let you go inside with him. He couldn't risk putting you in danger, even though he knows you can put up a fight.

— When the both of you escaped the headquarters after causing absolute chaos, Boothill brought his hand up to your head as he tried to ruffle your hair. He was surprised and slightly hurt when you tensed up and quickly moved out of the way.

— Boothill thought he had made you scared of him somehow, even though you had no reason to be afraid. You noticed his downcast expression and you quickly told him that he did nothing wrong, it was just…

↳ Your heart pounded in your chest, your hands were sweating. You reached up and gripped a strand of your hair in your hand as a sheepish expression painted your face. “I'm not the best with physical touch,” You blurted out, albeit bluntly. “Whenever someone touches me — even if it's just a brush of their fingers, it feels like needles are being stuck into my skin” You huffed, clenching your fist and your eyes downcast. Boothill's expression softened, his once frown lifting into an understanding smile. “Thanks for telling me, bud.” He nodded, his fingers twitching at his side, as if wanting to reach out to you. Yet he respected your space and refrained from doing so.

— Now that Boothill knew about your hypersensitivity he made no attempts to touch you, preferring to give you gifts instead. Whenever you do something that makes him proud as a father would a child; he takes you out to get your favorite food as a treat. Of course verbal encouragement is also a thing he does, giving you a “I'm proud of ya’ kid!” and a pointy grin.

— It's canon Boothill is pretty wealthy from all of those bounties that he hunts and he doesn't exactly know what to do with it. So he definitely spoils you at every chance he gets. Want a nice Keychain you saw in a shop? He's handing it to you right now. How about a nice piece of clothing or a cultural food from the planet that you're visiting? He's got the clothing in a bag and is urging you to try the food.

— Even though you both have your moments of happiness, the both of you still have purposes you stick to. You had gotten a lead on where that person was and you were going to do everything to catch up to them and make them get what they deserved.

↳ “You.” You hissed walking towards the woman in an IPC uniform, kicking another unconscious employee away. You gripped your weapon tightly in your hand, the woman widened her eyes in terror at your sudden appearance, she fell on her bottom, scooting away from you as you approached her. As she backed away she didn't go far, her back hitting a wall not too long after. Your unhurried footsteps resonated through her ears, making her breath pick up as she clutched the dirt underneath her in an attempt to ground herself.

You stopped in front of her, eyes full of unbridled anger. “(N-name)?!” She squeaked, putting a hand out infront of her to reach out to you. “What are.. how are you-” She was cut off as the back of your weapon slapped her intruding hand away. “You don't get to say my name.” You glared at her, your tone icy cold and unforgiving. She tried to speak once more but was once again cut off, “You left me to die! If it wasn't for my quick thinking, I would have been dead by now!” You said in a firm tone and pointed your weapon straight at her, leaving her no room to move or else you would attack.

The woman tensed up and a bead of sweat ran down the side of her cheek, “Honey… I had no choice! You would only weigh me down, you have to understand!” She had the gall to call you “honey” this woman no longer had the honor of doing so. The words stung, even though you no longer felt any affection for her… they brought back memories that you would rather forget. You clenched your teeth and watched as she rambled on and on about how “it was for your own good” and that “you should try to understand her situation” before she would get another word out, you sound your weapon, officially slicing her throat.

The blood splattered onto your stoic face, you watch as she choked on her own blood, eyes wide and filled with panic as if her life was flashing before her eyes… you hope it hurts.

A set of footsteps came from behind you, judging by the jingling of metal and their heavy footsteps you could tell who it was. You reluctantly turned around to meet Boothill's concerned gaze, “Er.. ya’ okay kiddo?” He scratched the side of his face as he pointed out the tears that prickled at the corner of your eyes. You stared at the ground and slowly nodded “I don't entirely hate her, but she didn't deserve to know that… even in her last moment” You muttered as more salty tears filled your vision.

— You and Boothill headed back to your ship, all while you were still occasionally shedding tears. Boothill, seeing the state you were in, offered you a warm, fluffy blanket and a warm drink; hot chocolate.

↳ You sniffled and held the blanket that was over your shoulders to your chest. You were sat on a cushion on the floor of yours and Boothill’s ship, knees tucked towards your chest in an attempt to stop yourself from crying. “Heya kiddo, I got ya’ some hot chocolate…” Boohill plopped down next to you on a matching cushion and held out the mug that was in his robotic hand. His hand was placed below the mug so when you reached to get it, you both wouldn't accidentally brush fingers.

The both of you sat in a pregnant silence and you occasionally sipping on the warm drink provided to you. Boothill stared at you from the corner of his eye, your gaze was focused on the window, giving you the view of the vast space. “She was my mother, you know” You suddenly broke the silence with your blunt words, Boothill’s eyes widened a significant amount, yet you continued.

“Even though she claimed to love me, her actions hurt and her words even more.” You put your mug down beside you and snuggled further into the blanket. The cyborg's face softened into something different, almost sad, distraught. His teeth clenched in anger at the thought of you being hurt by that woman, something ugly bloomed in his mechanical chest.

“But now she's gone,” Boothill started, making you turn your head to look at him with a surprised expression. “She can't hurt you anymore nor anyone, not when I'm around” He grinned, his shark-like teeth out on display. Something in your chest felt warm, it was different but not unpleasant. You offered Boothill a small smile then took a deep breath and raised your pinky up, “Pinky promise?” your voice a bit shaky, but your eyes were filled with determination.

Boothill slowly brought his pinky up, gently intertwining it with yours. They were barely touching but it was progress, “Promise.” The cyborg nodded firmly.

Tears pricked at you eyes, not in sadness nor anger, but relief.

“Thank you.”

[lil13]

FEELINGS - j. champion

You and Jack met during the chemistry reads for Scream VI. It was obvious that, from the beginning, you two were close. Your personalities went well together and everyone saw your obvious chemistry. The chemistry really helped, seeing as your characters were love interests. As time went on, you began to see Jack differently and he the same. And maybe, unlike your characters, the two of you would have a happy ending.

•

Filming for Scream VI was slowly coming to an end. You heard someone say that you only had about 2 weeks of filming left before everything wrapped.

It was bittersweet.

Occasionally, you'd find yourself reminiscing about all of the friendships and memories you've made this summer. Something about your castmates just made the whole filming process all the more better. Especially since this was your first real project.

The directors were taking a chance with you, hiring a newcomer was a risky move. But needless to say, they believed they made the right choice. You were a phenomenal actor.

"Earth go, Y/N." Jasmine was waving her hand in front of your face, bringing your attention back to the 4 sitting around you.

You, Melissa, Jenna, Devyn, Liana, and Jenna all sat in a circle in the grass. A break had been announced while they worked out some kinks in a scene and they let you all just chill together.

"Hmm?"

Devyn reached over and squeezed your hand, smiling sweetly at you. "We're rating our castmates 'cause we're bored."

She was the sweetest, just like her character.

"And it's time to rate Mason, and I don't plan on rating him because he's like my brother and that's weird." Jasmine laughed, earning laughs from the group.

You shrugged, "7.5?"

Most nodded, except for Jenna who scoffed and called out the number 4. Her response only elicited a fit of laughter from the group. Jenna loved picking on Mason, it was one of her favorite pastimes.

"Oooh, i've got one." Melissa clapped her hands in excitement. "Y/N, rate Jack."

You swallowed harshly. Suddenly very thankful that the boys weren't around instead of being mopey like you had been before. You actually had been wishing that Jack... and Mason were there. But now that they'd asked that? Their absence was actually a blessing.

"3."

Jack was your best friend.

"Bullshit!" Liana yelled.

She was right, you'd lied straight through your teeth. You'd met Jack while doing chemistry reads months ago. Your characters played love interests so you'd gotten to meet the boy before the rest of the cast so the directors could ensure the two of you had believable chemistry.

"Um." you mumbled, you'd actually fallen for him as time passed.

When you got to set in June you thought the constant butterflies in your stomach were from being excited and nervous to film. It wasn't until a week or two later and you were grabbing lunch alone with Jack that you realized that the butterflies only showed up when you were in his presence.

Jenna playfully pushed you by the arm, "C'mon, tell us the real answer."

You hated how they knew about your real feelings. You had never admitted them, though. So, their knowledge was pure speculation at this point.

"10." you'd said it almost too quiet for them to hear.

But when they erupted in screams and Devyn tackled you in a hug, you knew they'd heard you.

"No one can tell him! He definitely only sees me as a friend and i'm not ruining the friendship." you instructed from your spot below Devyn.

They all agreed to not tell, but also told you that you were wrong. Apparently they knew that your feelings weren't 1 sided.

"Who likes who?"

You all froze.

It was the familiar voice of Jack that made your stomach drop. Devyn crawled off of you, helping you sit up. You couldn't bare to look at Jack. You were sure your cheeks were bright red and he'd know immediately.

"Chad likes Tara." Jenna blurted, attempting to get Jack off the topic.

The grass looked very interesting all of a sudden.

"Well, I knew that. That's boring." he scoffed.

You mentally cursed when he sat down next to you on the grass, his knee bumping with yours. It took everything in you to not look at him still. Jack was your best friend after all, his brown eyes always brightened your day.

"Jackson, wanna play our game?" Jasmine broke the silence.

Your eyes snapped to Jasmine's, she wouldn't.

You looked around the circle, realizing that all of the girls had smirks on their lips. They knew what Jasmine was up to.

"Sure?" he laughed nervously.

Jasmine rubbed her hands together, never looking back at you. "We're rating our castmates, so, rate Y/N."

"Easy, 10."

What?

You looked right at him as all of the girls went crazy. Did he say what you thought he did?

He wouldn't look at you though, his cheeks burning crimson. You couldn't tell the reason behind the blushing, though, sometimes Jack would blush when he had too much attention on him.

But it still made you sick that he wouldn't look at you.

"I don't feel good." you mumbled, jumping up and running off.

Jack was oblivious though.

While you were basically dry heaving in your trailer, he had texted and wished for you to feel better and to ask if you were still on for your movie night. You sighed, actually thankful that he didn't get the hint as to why Jasmine had asked or why you ran off and simply texted a "thank you, and yes."

The Jasmine texted, checking on you and apologizing for asking Jack. Even adding the disclaimer about how at least he thought you were a 10. You forgave her and told here there were no hard feelings. It was just a simple game.

A few hours later and you had all returned to your apartments for the night.

You were freshly showered with your hair in two braids down your back, body clad in pajamas. Your pajamas consisted of a pair of boy's boxers and a tshirt Jack had given you of his. The two of you were at his apartment one night and you saw an avatar shirt he had on the arm of his couch and you had geeked out over it. In that moment, Jack knew he had to give it to you.

The shirt had brought you more joy than it probably ever would him, and he'd definitely smile every time he saw you in it.

"Knock, knock!" Jack called out as he walked in using the key you'd given him in case you lost yours — well that and you didn't want to have to let him in every time he came over.

He held up a bag of takeout, "I still got the tacos in case you were hungry. Feeling better?"

You nodded, walking over and taking the bag from his hand, leading him to the kitchen.

"I don't know what happened." you lied, taking the containers out of the bag. "But i'm much better now."

The two of your stood in the kitchen eating your tacos. For some reason, every time Jack came over he'd bring tacos from this place you two had found at the beginning of filming. You'd stand around in the kitchen and chow done, catching up on any time spent apart before eventually finishing and going to watch your movie of choice.

"Do you mind if we watch in my room? I'm exhausted." you sold your story by yawning.

You were telling the truth, you were absolutely wiped today. Jack shrugged, lunging toward you and picked you up. You let out a scream of surprise as he carried you, walking you back to your bedroom.

He carefully sat you down on the covers and let you crawl into your spot while he took his shoes off. Without hesitation, he crawled in next to you, propping himself against the headrest.

Your heart started beating closer at your proximity. You tried to ignore it be cueing up the movie, Scream (2022) tonight. The two of you had been on a Scream kick lately.

"This one's gonna be weird to watch since we know these weirdos in real life." Jack chuckled, getting more comfortable, which only brought him closer to you.

Was that on purpose?

You couldn't tell.

As the movie went on, you suddenly became super aware of how close the two of you were sitting. Your head was only inches from Jack's shoulder, so you gave in, letting your head fall onto him.

You'd done this countless times before, but this time felt different. You could've sworn you heard Jack breathe in sharply.

A couple minutes passed before you felt something touching your hand under the covers. You focused for a second before realizing that Jack was tapping the back of your hand with his fingers. Without thinking, you flipped your hand so your palm was up, Jack quickly intertwining his fingers with yours now.

You'd never been more thankful that it was dark, because he wouldn't be able to see how red your cheeks were now.

You got more comfortable, enjoying both the movie and Jack rubbing the back of your hand with the pad of his thumb. Once again, he'd held your hand before, but this time felt different.

Your mind was going crazy and so were all the butterflies in your stomach. Oh what this boy did to you.

You'd met him about a month after you had turned 17, about a week before Christmas. His birthday about a month prior to that. The two of you had bonded over being "late 2004 babies" and the rest of your friendship was history.

But what if it changes tonight?

Jack squeezed your hand.

You lifted your head, looking to him, your hands staying connected. Jack had a different look on his face, once that you'd only ever seen when he was playing Ethan and he was looking at you. This was a look you'd seen Jack portray when looking at his girlfriend.

But this time the look felt entirely genuine.

"J?" you questioned quietly when you noticed his eyes flickering to different places around your face, one of them being your lips.

It was like you were nervous.

Almost questioning if this was real.

Jack didn't say anything, instead he ducked his head and connected his lips with yours. You gasped slightly, not expecting his abruptness.

But you didn't hesitate to kiss back.

Sure, you'd kissed before while acting, but this right here? This was real. This was Jack and Y/N. Not Ethan and Y/C/N.

Your free hand held the back of his neck, fingers fiddling with the curls at the nape of his neck. Jack smiled into the kiss and you swore you almost lost all composure.

How could he be so cute?

His hand broke free of yours and you faltered for a second. Only regaining your composure when you felt his hands grips your hips to pull you on top of him. You forgot how strong he was.

Jack's hands stayed on your hips while your hand not on the back of his neck decided to rest on his chest. You hadn't realize how toned he was and you could definitely feel the muscle under his tshirt.

He pulled away, letting you sit up slightly as you both goofily smiled at each other. "I'm assuming this is okay since you so willing let me pull you onto my lap?" Jack raised an eyebrow, the slightest smirk playing on his lips.

You couldn't help but peck his lips, heart fluttering when you saw his smirk falter into a pout when you pulled away so quickly.

"I mean, we both rated each other 10s earlier and i'm pretty sure i've liked you for a couple months now."

He seemed proud of himself, the cutest smile now on his lips. "Good, good. Glad I didn't read the signs wrong and ruin the friendship."

"That'd be awful."

You hand slid around from the back of his neck and up to his cheek, your thumb rubbing over his cheekbone. You couldn't help but admire him.

You've done that time and time again. But never this close or with these feelings.

He was looking at you the same way. His hands had found their way underneath your shirt, sitting on your bare waist and thumbs caressing the soft skin underneath them.

"Kiss me again, your lips are addicting." he mumbled, his voice quiet from being mesmerized by the situation he'd found himself in.

You happily obliged.

You quickly leaned in and connected your lips, both of you moving together in sync. It was like your lips were created to be together.

Jack's hands stayed put, never once wandering. And same for you. The two of you were content with doing exactly what you were doing. Maybe the rest will come a different day.

"Stay over tonight?" you mumbled against his lips.

You felt him nod, "I'd like that."

You were ecstatic. The thought of falling asleep in Jack's arms had you beyond excited. He always made you feel safe, so you had a feeling you'd sleep like a baby tonight.

"Good, good." You let a finger lightly trace his jawline, down his neck, down his chest, and then stopping when you left your hand to rest in his lap.

Jack caught you hand, breaking the kiss and looking you dead in the eye, his eyes wider than usual. "I'm going to need you to not do that again, because i'm really trying to be respectful and only kiss you tonight and that's not helping."

Your cheeks burned red, "Oh." You patted his chest, "Then let's stop this for now and finish the movie."

You crawled off of him, Jack saying something about how that was a good idea before kissing you quickly once more. You tucked your body into his once more, except now your head was rested on his chest and his arm fell lazily around your body.

You could get used to this.

[sslovqm]

UNBRIDLED OBSESSION

WARNINGS: Contains themes of obsession, possessiveness, extreme jealousy, and predatory behavior. This story includes emotionally intense and unsettling situations, such as manipulation, unwanted physical contact, and toxic dynamics. Reader discretion is strongly advised, as these themes may be triggering or uncomfortable for mi some.

A bit absent around here! If you want a second part, please give it a like and leave a comment—whether it’s about characters you’d like me to write a one-shot for or anything else you’d like. Remember, English is not my first language. Thank you for the support!

The classroom was empty, except for the faint sound of a pen gliding over paper. Y/N Miller sat in her seat, finishing the last exercise for literature. Her classmates had left a few minutes ago, but as always, she stayed behind, focused on getting every detail right.

Rafe Cameron watched her from his desk, his cold blue eyes fixed on the curve of her neck as she leaned over her notebook. There was something almost unbearable about the sweetness she exuded—the way her lips would press together in concentration, the way she avoided eye contact with him as though she could sense how his gaze devoured her.

She was poison, seeping into his mind, consuming him with every passing day. Y/N wasn’t just different. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was perfect—so delicate, so pure, and so maddeningly out of reach. But that only made him crave her more.

When she finally set down her pen and began packing her things, Rafe stood from his chair and walked to the door, locking it with a soft click. The sound made Y/N pause, her head snapping up in surprise.

“Mr. Cameron?” she asked, her soft voice tinged with unease.

“I wanted to talk to you before you left,” he said, walking toward her with slow, deliberate steps. Each one echoed through the empty room, his eyes locked on hers with a predatory intensity.

Y/N offered a polite, nervous smile, clutching her bag tightly. “If it’s about the essay, I think I’ve improved it. I can turn it in tomorrow if that’s okay.”

Rafe shook his head, his expression unreadable. “This isn’t about the essay, Y/N. It’s about you.”

She frowned, taking a step back. “Me? I don’t understand.”

“Don’t you?” he murmured, his voice low and charged with something that made her skin crawl. “I’ve spent months watching you. Everything about you… Your kindness, that shy smile, the way you don’t even realize the effect you have on people.”

“Mr. Cameron, I think you’re crossing a line,” she said, her voice trembling as she took another step back.

But he closed the distance between them, trapping her between the desk and his towering frame. His hands gripped the edge of the desk on either side of her, caging her in.

“It’s not a line, Y/N. It’s a fact,” he said, his face inches from hers. “You’re mine. You’ve been mine since the day you walked into this classroom.”

Y/N tried to slip to the side, but his arm blocked her escape. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist with unsettling strength.

“Let me go,” she whispered, her voice breaking as fear took hold of her.

Rafe chuckled darkly, his smile twisted and cruel. “Let you go? That’s never going to happen. Not after everything I’ve imagined, everything I’ve waited for.”

Before she could respond, he leaned in and captured her lips with his. It was a rough, possessive kiss, one that left her paralyzed for a moment. But then, adrenaline coursed through her body.

Y/N drove her knee upward with all her strength, striking him in the groin. Rafe let out a guttural growl, stumbling back as his hand shot down to his abdomen. But instead of pain, his face twisted into something far more terrifying—a dark, twisted smile.

She didn’t wait to see what he would do next. Y/N grabbed her bag and bolted for the door, throwing it open and sprinting down the empty hallway. Her heart pounded in her chest as tears blurred her vision, but she didn’t dare look back.

From behind, she heard his voice echo through the corridor, low and filled with chilling determination.

“Run all you want, Y/N. But you can’t hide from me. You’re already mine.”

When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him standing in the doorway of the classroom, his eyes blazing with a mix of rage and obsession. Y/N didn’t stop running, letting the tears fall freely as she fled into the night.

Inside the classroom, Rafe straightened up, smoothing his hair back as he regained his composure. His lips curled into a dark smile as he muttered to himself:

“It doesn’t matter how much you resist, Y/N. You’ll be mine. It’s inevitable.”

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

His Majesty the Worm

its wormin' time Genre: Dark(?) Fantasy, Dungeon Crawler, OSR

Touchstones: Classic TTRPGs, Dungeon Meshi

What is this game?: His Majesty the Worm is a Tarot-Based game that aims to take all the boring parts of OSR and make them into goofy and fun features

How's the gameplay?: Hoo boy, this is gonna be a dense one His Majesty the Worm takes on a Maximalist approach to game design, with many sub-mechanics affecting your overall performance, the core game's mechanic is using Tarot instead of Dice for randomization, while a Tarot deck (w/ minor arcana) is recommended, the game is designed so a standard 52 card deck could also work, albeit not recommended. Whenever a character needs to do something a TEST OF FATE starts, characters have stats based on the Arcana's suits, Wands, Pentacles, Cups, and Swords, and whenever a TEST OF FATE starts, they draw a card from the Minor Arcana deck, then add that stat to the number they drew (Face cards are 11-14, Fool is a 0). Characters have a choice between 4 paths (also corresponding to the Suits in a minor arcana deck), a Kith (species), and a Motif (a quick sum up for your character), if I wanted to play a crotchety wizard asshole I would play a Path of Wands character with the Motif "Grumpy Scholar" and the Kith Underfolk, since my wizard is a halfling. The game is split between two distinct phases, Crawling and Citying, The crawling phase is going into the megadungeon and looking around for loot, while the City phase is going into town and buying shit! This game really focuses down on the minor, mundane parts of adventuring, Food management, Managing what you're currently holding, Torch supplying, Equipment Upkeep, and Weight management are all vital parts of a character, this might sound boring, and in any other game it'd be! BUT his Majesty the Worm is built entirely around these granular, seemingly inconsequential mechanics, they feel warranted and fun. The game also has an in-depth Guild building mechanic, after paying the 50% tax that all adventurers must pay to enter town, you gotta use up all that gold from dungeons somewhere! and the best place to put it in is equipment, but second place is helping out your community by starting an adventurer's guild! By investing your hard earned gold into your community you can build many things! like Taverns, Unflattering statues of your rival guildmasters, Monasteries, and other such fun things! This isn't even getting into things like Sorcery and Alchemy and how those end up mattering, Status effects, Language management being a part of gameplay�� His Majesty is a maximalist game in every way, but it knows how to blend all of its strange and seemingly menial mechanics to make a very fun experience, it takes some of the most unfun games in the market and goes "Ok but what if it worked?"

What's the setting (If any) like?: Uhhhh, there's a setting alright! It shows up in bits and pieces of flavor text and the like, but there doesn't seem to be a setting guide or anything, the setting is fairly malleable, but a general dark fantasy vibe is the norm, the game explicitly says its not supposed to have a set in bedrock setting

What's the tone?: Goofy Dark Fantasy, its a grim world, but its also silly and pokes fun at tropes of the genre as well as just has copious amounts of poop jokes, its not a game to be taken seriously tonally speaking

Session length: 4 hours minimum, this is a complex game

Number of Players: 5 is my recommendation, 1 gm and 1 player of each path

Malleability: Very malleable! its an explicit design goal!

Resources: The game's website has many resources available, including an online tarot deck, player sheets, and a guild sheet

I really didn't think I'd like this game that much! it's an extremely well made and well thought out look at the OSR genre, if we keep getting OSR game I hope they look more like His Majesty

[james-is-here]

𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭...

Waah!: The boys reaction to realizing they yelled at you when you have past trauma with yelling.

Ya-hoo!: Mn in this had a "Military" childhood, Dad treated him like a soldier and was always yelling at him whether it be commands or verbal abuse.

Yay!: Is it obvious what I'm using to label the start of my fics? lol. Anyway, Waah! is the summary. Ya-hoo! is a brief explanation or backstory, and Yay! is authors note. I need a fourth character noise for Warnings...Oh yeah! will by warnings. (Also, if you haven't got it yet, Waluigi, Mario, Peach, Luigi)

Oh Yeah!: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Trauma Triggers, The boys are unintentional dicks, Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, mentions of Blood, British Cigarette slur in Changbin's,

𝓑𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷 (598 Words)

The door of your apartment slammed shut, making you jump. He knows to not slam doors but you put aside your slight annoyance for him forgetting when you hear him muttering. You shuffle out of your room and head to the living room where you can hear the mutters more clearly. Something about a missing track and being behind a day since they had to re-record some lines.

"Hey, Channie..." You said softly as you gently crossed your arms. You may be a strong tall boy (tm) now but Chan was starting to scare you a bit. "I-I got us food...Wasn't sure what your wanted but I got your fav-" "Mn, Just shut the fuck up!" He yelled, turning towards you. "I saw the damn food but if you payed attention to your damn phone, you would've known that I ate with the boys." "Ch-Chan...Stop. Now." Your voice wavered as your eyes began to water. "Who are you to tell me to stop?!"

The phrase made you flinch, the flash of your father about to hit you after you told him to stop yelling at your siblings made you stumble back into the wall, bumping into the side table, knocking over a vase that shatters as you slid down the wall, your hands coming up to cover your head as you beg your father to not hurt you.

The moment "Appa, No, please!" left your mouth, Chan's anger and stress from the day immediately went out the window when he realized what just happened. "Shit, Shit, Mn, I'm sorry." He swore he'd never raise his voice and seeing you like this, curled against the wall shaking, crushed his heart. "Mn, hey, jagi, can you hear me?" A sob is all he gets in reply and he sighs as tears build up in his eyes. His eyes catch the glass around your leg and he notices that you landed on some of the pieces, a few small blood patches on your sweats. He knows he needs to be gentle but he can't let them get worse as he kneels in front of you to try and move you off and away from the glass. You fight against him, your hands trying to help you crawl away but your right ends up in the glass and you cry in pain this time. "Ah, shit." Your eyes snap open to first see your hand, then the glass around you. "I-I'm sorry, I-I'll clean this up." You go to stand but Chan stops you. "No, No, N/n, let's patch you up first." "B-But I-I have to clean with the wounds...t-to be tougher." "Mn, babe, look at me." You do so slowly and finally meet his teary gaze. "Ch-Channie..." A new set of tears fall and Chan scoops you up the best he can to get you away from the mess.

"I'm so sorry, N/n. I didn't mean to yell at you, I know better, I shouldn't have taken my stress of the day out on you, I am unbelievably sorry." His hug was tight as he cried into your shoulder. "I promise I won't do that again, I promise to be more aware of how I'm feeling. I'll make it up to you, I'm sorry." You shake in his hold but slowly you melt into him, his faint cologne and tight grip calming you down as you wrap your arms around him as well. Although your leg and palm stung, you were grounded enough to know that both of you were comforting one another in that moment.

𝓛𝓮𝓮 𝓚𝓷𝓸𝔀 (950 Words)

Minho asked you a few days ago if you could meet him at his place so the two of you could finally spend time together after what felt like an eternity since the last time you saw each other.

You arrived a few minutes before him and hastily set out the food you brought, homemade from your sibling you visited a day prior. His cats surrounded you, watching you curiously as you get the food out. When you were done, you smiled at the cats before making your way into the living room and sat on the floor, Soonie crawled into your lap as Dori sat in front of you and Doongi was happily purring next to Dori as you pat his head and scratch his chin. Pausing your pets on the cat in your lap, you pull your phone out of your pocket to see if there's any updates from Minho. Five minutes ago is a message saying he's almost there and Fifteen minutes ago is a message asking if you could feed the babies for him. You're quick to remove Soonie from your lap and stand up, gathering their dishes and food when the door opens but you jump when it slams shut.

"Mn?" His tone was firm and you felt a little scared but kept in mind that he just came from either the studio or the dorms, he must've not had a good day. "In here!" You call out. "I brought my siblings home made Kimbap and Pajeon for dinner. I also picked up-" "Where's their food?" "O-Oh, it's right here." You smile gently when he reaches your line of sight. "I'm just filling Dori's-" "I sent that twenty minutes ago." "I-I know, and I have the bowls right here, just give me-" "Why didn't you do it when I texted you?" "M-Min, it's not a big deal. Look, I have their bowls." "Not a big deal? You're starving them." "Oh come on, Minnie, you're being overdramatic."

You kneel down and set the bowls near the cats before standing up and turning towards your boyfriend. "See? Now they're fed." You sassed, going to walk past him to go to your food when he blocked your path. "Minho, what is wrong with you?" You snapped. He suddenly grabbed your wrists and you whimpered at the tightness. The backbone you gained over time from your childhood was suddenly out the window as fear crept up your spine. "O-Ow, Min, you're hurting me." "I don't care. I asked you to do one simple task and you blew it off."

Tears gathered in your eyes as your thrown back to the one night you didn't do the dishes, too busy trying to finish an important, grade-on-the-line school project, and your dad came home to see the half filled sink. He had grabbed you, dragging you into the kitchen. You complained that he was hurting you and that phrase was uttered before he threw you in front of the sink, you had a bruise on your side for a week.

The tears finally fell as you squeezed your eyes shut. "M-Minho, please stop, I'm sorry I didn't feed them earlier." "Why are you crying? There's no need to be crying, you don't have a reason to cry." He shoved you backwards and you stumble into Soonie's food bowl, spilling his food as he jumps away as another memory flashes, your father said the same thing when you cried after seeing him shove your mother to the ground. You whimper quietly, stuttering as you shrink in on yourself. "I'm sorry, Appa, I'll do better, I'm sorry." Your eyes open to see the food at your feet and you silently kneel down onto both of your knees to clean your mess.

Minho was frozen, mulling over his thoughts before he sighs. He realized what happened, the night prior he slept at the dorms and was so happy he'll get to see you the next day but he had woken up with a nasty headache, fighting through the slight throb in his temples at practice and at the studio. This was his fault, twenty minutes really wasn't a big deal to get mad over but he was tired, annoyed, and in pain, he just wanted you and his babies and when he saw them without food, he just broke. He sighs as he gets on the floor with you, picking up the food with you. When all of it was back in the bowl, you suddenly picked it up and hastily walked back to the kitchen.

Minho's eyes followed you, watching you dump the bowl before pouring new food back into it. "Mn-ie..." He stood when you came back in. A gentle hand on your bicep, he takes the bowl, setting it down for the mewling cat at his feet before placing his other hand on your other arm to turn you towards him. "Jagiya, I'm sorry." He bends his knees to try and look at your eyes, tears gathering but not falling. He sighs again, standing up straight and wrapping his arms around you. He didn't say anything, he just cradled you, rubbing your back as you let the tears fall and soak his hoodie. You could tell he felt bad, gentle kisses placed on the top of your head and a couple on your cheek or hoodie-clad shoulder while he swayed the both of you gently. You take a step to try and push yourself further into his hold, wrapping your arms around his middle and his arms tighten around you. "I love you, Mn...I'm sorry." You sob into his shoulder, burying your face further into his shoulder. "L-Love you, M-Min..."

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓫𝓲𝓷 (635 Words)

You knew Changbin had a bad gym day and you did everything to cheer him up and make him feel better. You made him your noodle recipe from your mom that he absolutely loves, you drew him a warm bath when he texted a small ‘Almost home’. You sent him a quick message saying you love him and can't wait to see him but he didn't reply. Today must've been really bad, hopefully your little set up in your dining room will make him happy.

When Changbin came home, you smiled, finishing up dinner before walking out of the kitchen to greet your boyfriend, but as soon as you reached the entryway of your home, the air shifted and you realized that your Binnie was in a really bad mood as you made your way to the front door. “Hey, Bin.” “Hey.” “I, um, I drew you a bath…a-and I made your favorite recipe from my mom for dinner. It's ready when you finish your bath.” “Thanks.”

You wring your hands together before taking a stuttery inhale. “Y-You okay, Bin? I-Is there anything I can do…for you?” “No, you can't do anything.” “Excuse me?” “You can't do anything.” “Binnie, you don't mean that.” You give a weary smile and hesitant chuckle. “You just might be stressed and tired-” “Now you're suddenly aware of how I’m feeling? How would you know how I’m feeling?” “Bin-” “Stop, just stop.”

He shoves past you, his built shoulder shoving you into the wall and your left hand lands on the wall to stop yourself from colliding with the wall as you turn and watch Changbin walk away. “Bin, hey-” “I just told you to stop! Like I said, you can't do anything, you can't even listen properly.” His voice was rising the more he spoke and he turned back to you, taking slow steps towards you.

“Changbin, stop taking to me like that.” Your eyes grew glossy as you tried to hold in your tears. “Why are you crying? You're so pathetic.” “Changbin!” “Don't yell at me, you don't have a reason to yell at me!” Suddenly he's grabbing your arm and pulling you from the front door entryway to push you into the livingroom. Unfortunately, you managed to trip over the corner of your rug and you landed on your side at the same time your head connected to the side of the coffee table. You yelp in pain, feeling as if you were fifteen again when your dad found out you had a boyfriend, furious that his son was a ‘Weak Fag’ and ‘pathetic’ as you collided with the wall next to the television.

The tears fell and you let out a sob as your head pounded. You reach up to your temple and pull your hand back to find some blood, looking back up to see Changbin still standing there, staring, still angry as if he didn't realize what he just did.

You got up with shaky legs and ran to the bathroom, aiming to patch your wound but the first thing you do is slide down the door with a sob and pull your phone out, calling the first contact that you manage to navigate to. Meanwhile, Changbin tossed his hands up when you ran to the bathroom, amused that you ran away from him, still not aware of what just happened.

A few minutes later, the still unlocked front door was pushed open and he got a small glimpse of Felix rushing to the bathroom before Chan was slamming the door closed and pushing Changbin against the wall. “What the fuck-” “What is wrong with you?!” “What?” “You know he has abuse trauma, why the fuck did you do it?” “What do you mean?” Suddenly, Chan slaps him, and gestures to the room. “Look around, Changbin.” There's a few blood droplets next to the coffee table, staining your messed up rug from when you tripped, Felix trying to get you to open the bathroom door, and on the dining table were dishes ready for dinner. What really brought Changbin to reality was the number two balloon and what looked like a custom banner saying “I love you, Binnie, Happy Two Years.”

Fuck

Your guy's anniversary…

(I'm ending his here but if a pt.2/continuation is wanted, I'll get it to you :)...)

𝓗𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓳𝓲𝓷 (1083 words)

With the couple years you guys have been together, you had finally gained courage to suggest that Hyunjin moved in with you. Not like move in physically, he still lives with the boys at the dorm, I mean you let him claim your guest room to be another art studio for him. It was already your own little work space but you donated the bed, cleaned it up, reorganized, and got new furniture to surprise him with it for your one year anniversary.

Now, most of your home is covered in paintings that he's made. Either permanently or just to get it out of the room. He was with the boys when you were cleaning around, your last room of the day being the studio. You didn't do much, knowing how Hyunjin likes his things where he puts them, the most you did was put blank canvases together in the corner and put things back where you knew they belonged and knew your boy wasn't using the item anymore.

You were moving to your side of the studio when your foot slips slightly and you notice a brush of his. It was still usable but the handle was messy and slight warn and the bristles were beginning to fray. Looking at his desk, you see the other brushes which seem to be in the same state. You didn't think about it to much before smiling, biting your lip to keep the grin from spreading too wide before making your way to a set of drawers next to your desk, a collective catch all and your lucky that he's never opened the bottom drawer which contains new brushes. Black handles with a gold metal holding clean brown bristles, custom made with a little engravings on them. "Forever my prince" and "Hwang No.1". You've had them for a while, waiting for the right moment to give them since whenever you brought up the topic, he'd say the ones he has are still useful but it wasn't about just replacing his brushes, one of the brushes engravings was "Ln Hyunjin." You finally were going to propose.

You collected the old brushes and moved them to the long drawer on your desk to hide them, throw them away later. You then got an unoccupied small white vase and placed the brushes in like a bouquet before writing and small note, a simple 'Just because gift ~Mn <3' that you place next to the vase. You would've given them physically but you had some errands to run with your sibling, that's why you were cleaning, killing time.

After running errands, you came back and heard small muttering in the studio, smiling when you see his shoes before it falls when you see the slight disarray your living room was in. "Damn it, Mn, what did you do with them?" You heard him huff. What did you do? Walking down the hall, you see a few of your new brushes for him and your chest grows tight. "Jinnie?" "Mn! Where are my brushes?" "D-Didn't you see I got you new ones?" "I didn't need new ones, Mn! The ones I had are ones I'm use to." "So because you didn't want to try out the ones I bought you, you throw them on the floor?" "Mn, I didn't need new ones to begin with! If you listened to me, I wouldn't be yelling at you!"

"If you listened to me, I wouldn't have to punish you!" Your dad yelled a day after he said "Listen closely, you don't say a word about what I did to mom, I won't punish you for not cleaning the truck like I told you to do." The same day you gave in and begged your teacher that day at school to help save your family. You just wanted away from that man, you didn't want to be near him anymore but when the cops showed up, he lied, and when they left, let's just say you missed a week of school due to some bruises and your father didn't want to get caught. That's when you realized he only cared about himself and how people see him.

"I-I'm sorry...Y-You always get m-me gifts, I-I was just returning th-the favor..." "Well, you didn't have to. Now where are they?" "I-In m-my desk..." You suddenly felt like a little boy again, you felt small, confined, trapped. You wipe at your eyes with the bottom of your palm, sniffing as you watch him kick the other brushes away. "J-Jin?" "What?" He snapped. "I-I'm sorry, J-Jin-nim, I'm sorry." Chocking back a sob, you step back and run out of the room. "Jin-nim?" Hyunjin mutters to himself confused before his eyes widen, looking at the brushes before the ones in his hands clatter to the floor and he's chasing after you. You were forced to call your father Mister Jin.

Your shoes were missing and your front door was open. "Shit." He quickly slid his shoes on before running out the door. He could see you not that far away as he was quick to catch up to you, wrapping his arms around you to stop you from walking farther. "Mn, Muse, hold on." He turned you around to face him, a hand on the side of your face to gently guide your gaze up to him. "Mn, I'm sorry." "What?" You blinked a couple times before you realized it was Jin. Your Jin. "Hyunjin?" "Yeah, it's okay. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell, I didn't mean to get rational, I-I don't know what came over me, I should've just asked." "Y-You didn't even see the brushes...Did you?" "N-Not really...I-I really am sorry."

You reach a hand up to his, leaning into his touch before you remove his hand and walk back home. When you return, to pull him to the studio, picking up the fan brush with his name. "This is your last name." "I know." You pull him further into the studio but he stops to look at the other brushes as you move to your desk drawer, reaching to the back to pull out a ring.

You turn around, admiring Hyunjin for a moment before walking over to him, placing a gentle hand on his elbow to get him to look at you before smiling when his eye catches the ring instead. "Mn..." "I know you...just yelled at me and I have so many problems but...be mine?"

Got carried away with Hyunjin's but I'm a writer who loves details but sorry this took so long. Ended up making this two parts cause I didn't know what to do for the maknae's cause my brain thinks they're too precious to hurt someone but I will think of something. For now, I hope you...enjoyed? It's kinda weird to say I hope you enjoyed this since it's a trauma fic 😬 N E WAYS, I just hope it's okay.

Tagging @lakee-jakee and @belladonna6-6-6 who commented on the original post of me asking if anyone wanted this. It do finally be done :)

[porcelainseashore]

Into the Ether (11)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Vampire! Toreador! Leon Kennedy x Fem! Reader

Summary: At the all-night events cafe you run, you’ve become acquainted with an elusive patron, Leon, though you can never remember the last moments of your interactions together. After a harrowing encounter, a love-hate relationship develops between the two of you as you grapple with your newfound status in a world of darkness and investigate the reasons behind the untimely attacks.

Content & Warnings: 18+ Resident Evil x Vampire: The Masquerade crossover, horror, mystery, romance, slow burn, strangers to enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, eventual smut, swearing, smoking, alcohol, drug references, non consensual blood drinking, blood bond, vampire turning, violence, injury, mild gore, torture, religious themes, minor character death, RE ensemble, VtM concepts.

Author's Note: Brief mentions of homophobia, bullying, and attempted suicide, as well as suggestive themes ahead. Finally, I wanted to do a shout-out to these underrated RE characters appearing in my fic: let’s hear it for my boys, Patrick (Infinite Darkness) and Kevin Ryman (Outbreak)! 🥰

Taglist: @admirxation @angelstargel @miss-oranje-disco-dancer ❤️‍🔥

AO3 Link

Chapter 11: Hideous

Given how things had blown up between you and Leon in public, it was only natural that word of your outburst had gotten around. Within a few minutes, you had been accosted by an irate-looking man and his entourage kindly informing the both of you, “If you can’t control yourself on these grounds, then perhaps Elysium is not the place for you.”

Were you always meant to suffer in silence? Why was it so highly lauded? Would you win some sort of prize for not running around, kicking and screaming your lungs out? The one thing you knew, though, was that at least for tonight, you had been humiliated and ungraciously banished from Elysium.

Having to make the journey back home with Leon made your skin crawl, but you survived it, like you always do. It seemed as if every time you took a step forward, something would come around and set you two steps back. Like a Russian doll, opening the closet revealed not just a single skeleton, but countless piles hidden within layers upon layers of boxes. You were tired of this charade, tired of what else might lie beneath the earth, if you dug a little deeper.

You were so absorbed in your thoughts that you almost didn’t hear him say, “I gave the documents to the Tremere Primogen.” It was quiet and unassuming, without any fanfare. He didn’t expect it to absolve him of his sins, but he just wanted you to know that he hadn’t played God and condemned another this time.

Was it too late? You never liked things being so finite, but you were tempted to end it there and then. However, a question lingered on your mind. “Who is Sherry?”

You were back at his apartment and he had busied himself cleaning the glasses you had drunken out from earlier to avoid addressing the elephant in the room. One of them slipped out of his hands, landing with a thunk at the bottom of the sink as the water continued running from the tap. 

His time with you was up; judgment had finally come for him. He had made a promise to you a few nights ago to always be honest with you, and he was going to keep it, regardless of the consequences. Shutting off the tap, he gripped the sides of the metallic basin. A knot in his chest tightened and he felt like he was suffocating.

“She was one of the vessels,” he admitted, and without further prompting, he revealed the detail that would damn him the most, “I found her when she was eight years old.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, he heard your loud gasp as fat tears streaked down his face. Everything he had was lost in a matter of seconds. If by some miracle you hadn’t already hated him before, you would hate him for the rest of his unlife now. Blood pooled in his mouth as he bit down hard on his tongue.

“You’re—”

He turned around, facing you for the first time since you’d gotten back. “A monster? Yes, that’s what I am.”

“Why?” You felt the air escape your lungs with a hiss, as if through a puncture wound.

He didn’t want to make any more excuses. You knew what was implying when he simply replied, “For Ada.”

There was nothing else left to hide. He had laid everything bare before you. You saw him as who he was now, in all his vulnerability. Just a man who had chipped away at his soul to be loved and, along the way, convinced himself that this was all there was to it.

The expression on your face hardened, eyeing him like he would never be redeemed. It was the final straw and whatever shred of empathy you had for him was gone. He would do anything to win you back, going down on his knees, begging and groveling, but you had already made up your mind. He just didn’t want to see you say it.

So, he was back at the sink again, holding the glass that had fallen in earlier with a shaky hand. He mouthed the words as you uttered them, as though he knew it by heart.

“When all of this is over, I’m leaving you for good.”

Minutes ticked away into hours. You had already gone to bed, while he stared down the basin, like a bottomless pit reflecting back into him. He didn’t even wince when the glass crushed in his hand, its shards piercing and embedding into his skins as thick, dark red blood ran in rivulets to his fingertips. He watched as it dripped like black tar heroin into the drain, at the same time, wondering, Is that all there is?

━━━━━━━━━━━

Your mind was all over the place at the cafe. It wasn’t like you to forget the program lineup, as well as the logistics of what needed to go where. You even ended up creating a mess when it came to sorting out the lighting and sound tech for the cabaret show that evening. Your colleagues shot you concerned looks as you walked around in a daze like a zombie.

“Do you think she’s burnt out?”

“Probably having an off night.”

“She’s always been a bit of a workaholic.”

Funny how Auspex just kicked in for you naturally now, and you could hear snippets of conversation from people who thought they were being so secretive.

Feeling a hand on the back of your shoulder and you spun around, coming face-to-face with Patrick. “Hey, why don’t you take it easy tonight?” he suggested. “I could cover for you. Besides, you’re the boss here.”

“One of them,” you corrected, as you stubbornly continued to unwind the equipment cords, plugging them in along the marked out areas on stage.

“Yeah, but er, the rest aren’t as active,” he reasoned.

“So?” You shrugged, heading off to the other end of the stage to check on the mic stands.

Like an obedient puppy, he continued tailing you, following closely behind. “Something’s off with you…” He wrinkled his nose. “Is it Leon?”

Upon hearing his name, you fumbled with the mic, nearly dropping it if not for your Celerity-induced reflexes. “Fuck, shit!” You held onto the stand, stabilizing yourself as you pressed your lips into a thin line.

“Alright, that’s it,” he stated sternly, prying the mic and stand away from your grip. “Head out back and I’ll join you — the usual spot.”

Before you could open your mouth to protest, he already signaled for another employee to take over. “I mean it,” he scolded. “You’re not lifting another finger.”

Sighing, you ran a hand through your hair which had begun to stick along the sides of your face in the humidity. Was the ventilation system broken again?

"I can still see you thinking about work," he said, narrowing his eyes and using both hands to shoo you away from the stage.

You made a fuss and grumbled, but did as you were told and went out into the cold alleyway. Sitting alongside a curb, you stretched out your legs and waited for Patrick to arrive.

“Hm, Gauloises,” you heard his voice coming from behind as you fiddled with the cigarette pack. “Fancy.” He plopped down beside you.

There were only two sticks left now, as you’d chain-smoked the rest in the last nights. In fact, you’d gone through a bunch of them on the way to work. You couldn’t get any nicotine high out of it, but the feel and taste of them against your lips comforted you.

“Wanna split the last two?” You extended the pack towards him.

“Sure.” He fished one out, lighting it straight away before helping you with yours. You tried to hold back your flinching. “Where’d ya get them from anyway?”

“Leon’s ex.”

“Oh,” he coughed out, choking on the smoke. “Well, that must’ve been awkward.” Cocking an eyebrow at you, he suggested, “Is this what it’s about then? He’s got his panties in a twist after seeing her?”

Sort of, but not really. “More like, skeletons in the closet, y’know?” You exhaled a long train of smoke, which coiled and entwined like tendrils in the air.

“Right.” He paused, growing unusually silent as if contemplating on something. “And you’re wondering if he’s a good guy.”

You locked eyes with him, probing for answers. How the fuck did you know? you wanted to ask.

“What if I told you that I wasn’t always like this,” he offered.

“You mean, this annoying?” you jested, snickering as he smacked your arm with the back of his hand.

“Hey, fuck you.” He wagged his finger in your face. “And I meant being comfortable with who I am, liking both men and women — that sort of thing.”

Patrick had moved to Raccoon City from a small town in the middle-of-nowhere, and you could only imagine how it must’ve been like living in a place where the community encroached upon everything that you did. Stifling, was the word.

“I’ve done some stuff in the past I’m not proud of,” he continued. “People can really make some fucked up decisions when put in a situation.”

“You don’t say…” you trailed off as your lips curled into a cynical half-smile.

He glanced over at you skeptically and huffed, “What if I told you that I outed a guy I was in love with, because I didn’t want to get caught?”

You frowned, considering his words as you stared at your smoldering cigarette which had disintegrated into a stub.

“That I bullied and ostracized him after we kissed, just so I could cover my tracks?” he added. “It got so bad that he had to move away. And the last I heard, he tried to—”

You saw him clench his jaw as he cleared his throat, wringing his hands uneasily. He didn’t need to complete his sentence for you to know what he was alluding to.

“Am I a good guy, then?” he forced out, his voice tense and paper-thin, like a razor blade slicing through flesh.

You mulled over what he had shared with you as the crisp, icy wind nipped at your cheeks and your breath came out in misty puffs. “You’re a good friend,” you finally determined.

He draped his arm around your shoulders, jostling you a little as you smiled at each other in understanding. “I can’t change what I did back then,” he conceded. “But what matters is what I do next. At least, that’s what I tell myself.”

Bumping his head playfully against yours, he posed a final question, “So, what’s Leon like now?”

━━━━━━━━━━━

“Feign to the right!”

“There you go.”

“Hold your guard up!”

A string of commands were barked out by the beefy brunette man in front of you, while you worked up a sweat, throwing quick jabs at him as he countered them with ease. You kept your feet light and springy, deftly ducking and sidestepping as he aimed a roundhouse kick at your ribs.

“Nice one!” his sister yelled through her cupped hands at the sidelines.

For a brief moment, you got distracted and found Chris’ fist landing squarely on your jaw in a brutal left hook which sent you sprawling to the ground. 

“Ow…” you groaned, rubbing the side of your face sorely as you scrambled to your feet.

Your mentor folded his arms, throwing you a harsh look as he admonished, “What did I say about blind spots?”

“Never have your back to the enemy,” you recited monotonously. “Always be aware of your surroundings.”

“Hey, Chris, lighten up will ya?” the redhead called out. “She’s doing just fine for a start.”

He sucked his teeth in response before spitting sharply at his side onto the dusty ground. “Fine, take five,” he relented. “We’ll work on some drills next.”

“Well, he wasn’t lying when he said he doesn’t go easy,” you muttered as Claire jogged up towards you.

“Yeah, he’s a bit of a pusher,” she explained, shrugging apologetically. “Used to be in the military.”

“Not surprised.” 

You peered around the vast, minimalistic space you were in. It was an industrial warehouse at the west end of Euston Street that had been converted into a makeshift gym. The bare, unpainted walls and stripped back decor gave it an illicit vibe akin to an underground fight club. Aggressive, punk rock music blared from the stereos, accompanied by the rhythmic clunks of metal hitting the ground as the weightlifters in their muscle tanks did their reps. 

From what you could see, it appeared to be a popular Anarch hangout, with the majority of them likely coming from the Brujah clan. The other Kindred at the corners of the room eyed you suspiciously as they wrapped their hands in strips of cloth for sparring practice. There were talks of you being a Cammy spy, fears that the Redfields tried to allay.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s with us,” they said, pulling you along behind them as they got bombarded with questions, which they took in their stride.

“Yeah, Leon’s childe.”

“Yes, that Leon. The one and only, you idiot.”

“So? He got to her first. Sucks to be you.”

It seemed like Leon’s name carried a certain weight to it. He must’ve been relatively respected within their social circles. You still couldn’t imagine him hanging around areas like this. It seemed too ‘unrefined’ for someone of his standing.

“I showed Leon a few tricks back in the day,” Chris boasted, his eyes twinkling with a faraway look as he recalled fond memories. 

“The same tricks you’re gonna teach me, right?” you prompted, trying your luck.

He threw back his head and laughed. “Gotta say, I like your spunk, kid. But you don’t have any basic training,” he pointed out. “So, learn to walk before you run.”

And that’s how you ended up here, being pushed to your limits as Chris dumped exercise after exercise onto you, and gave you an ass whooping during one of the practice fights. You were exhausted by the end of it, collapsing in a heap on the dirt floor, as you wiped the sweat and grime off your brow.

In fact, you found out that you actually weren’t as strong as you thought you were. The time you ripped off Leon’s bedpost was an anomaly. You’d probably triggered a Blood Surge without knowing, which temporarily buffed your physical strength. Another way was to learn the Potence Discipline, which came naturally to Brujahs and some other clans, but not yours. However, in order to do that, you would need to find the right teacher who possessed those Disciplines and drink from them before your lessons could begin. That was not something you were prepared to do, though Chris had mentioned a third way, and that was by training with the blood to enhance your physical capabilities.

“Rough night, huh?” One of the Kindred who’d been watching you from the start approached, uncapping what looked like a plastic water bottle, but topped up with blood instead.

“Yeah, I’m kinda new to all of this actually,” you replied modestly.

“Well, you got a tough trainer.” She squatted next to you, gulping down the liquid in satisfaction. “But it’ll be good for you in the long run.”

You jerked your chin towards her bottle. “How’d you get one of those?” 

It was an innocent question, but the bewilderment on her face told you that you knew close to nothing about their world, having been sheltered all this while by Leon. Your cheeks grew warm.

“Is that a trick question, or—?” she snorted, only to realize you’d been genuine. “Oh, um, I hunted and drained the victim?”

She followed up with another query, “Didn’t you already have your first kill?”

“What?!” you blurted out, not quite sure if you misunderstood her words.

“Like, the first person you drank from when you turned.” She moved her hands around wildly, as though it would aid in her explanation. “’Cause there’s no way they didn’t end up dead with that kind of hunger frenzy.”

“No, no… it wasn’t like that,” you sputtered, still shocked at what she had divulged. “Le— My sire helped me.”

“Wow, you’re lucky,” she huffed, clearly astounded and simultaneously jealous by the revelation you’d shared. “Some of us didn’t even get anything left for us to eat.”

“You mean, your sires just abandoned you?” you quizzed, baffled by how cruel some Kindred could be. Then again, it shouldn’t have surprised you, seeing as how you’d been treated by the rest of the Camarilla.

She nodded solemnly in response. “Yeah, pretty common among our lot, actually.” 

Waving to another group that had entered into the building, she mentioned, “Caitiffs, over there.”

Caitiff was a catch-all term used for Kindred who didn’t belong to any clan, either because they didn’t know who their sire was, or they had been rejected by their clan as the blood didn’t take. The latter meant that they had no real lineage, including the clane bane and its noticeable features. They were considered to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy, just above the Thin-Bloods.

“Why do you think we’re part of the Anarchs?” she asked rhetorically. “’Cause there was nowhere else for us to go.”

The more you talked with the rest of the group, the more you realized that Leon had been shouldering most of the burdens that should’ve been yours to carry. While other fledglings scrounged around doing someone else’s dirty deeds to be able to survive the next night, you didn’t have to move a muscle. Simply because Leon had taken it upon himself to do it for you. 

What’s Leon like now? Patrick’s question from the previous night echoed in your ears.

Kind, caring, protective — were the words that came up spontaneously. It astonished you that insults like disgusting, vile, revolting didn’t. But he had also been incredibly dense and obtuse at times. You facepalmed and stifled a laugh at the recollection of him dressing you in Ada’s raunchy lingerie set after the night of your Embrace. You’d been outraged at everything then, and when you’d asked him why he had done that, he blushed furiously and stammered, “I-I thought you would feel more comfortable in, uh, um… women’s clothes?”

“What’s so funny?” one of the Anarchs asked, bringing you back to reality.

“Nothing,” you mumbled, shaking your head and shrugging off the residual thoughts that lingered. But like a parasite lodged deep within the crevices of your skull, you couldn’t scrub the image of him abducting a child from your mind. 

That was why you were here, you reminded yourself severely. Not to think about the small pockets of good times with Leon that brought you much-needed joy. Not to make excuses for how he could be redeemed. He wasn’t your little project to work on. You wanted to be free and rid of this man once and for all. You were here to learn how to be independent and self-sufficient, so you would never have to rely on him again.

“How do you usually feed, Claire?” you popped the question out of the blue, so much so that she thought you were joking, just like the younger Anarch.

“What has Leon been weaning you off? Blood bags?” she giggled until she saw the look on your face. “Wait, you’re actually serious?”

An exasperated groan escaped her throat. “He really needs to stop babying you.”

“Tell me about it.” You leaned back against your elbows as you idly watched the others train.

“Well, I shouldn’t be laughing ’cause I’m actually a Bagger myself,” she disclosed. “Working at the charity blood drive at the hospital gives me a couple of privileges when it comes to siphoning off some supplies.”

Raising a finger in front of your face, she preempted your next question, “And no, sorry, I got dibs on that first. You’ll have to find your own way.”

“What other ways are there?” you pondered out loud.

“I dunno, be creative,” she suggested unhelpfully. “My brother’s more the stalk and knock ’em out kind. The Anarch you spoke with earlier prefers sleeping victims…”

She shuffled from her stretched-out position back to sitting on her bum. “Whatever you choose, remember that we’re predators, so think like one. That said, these are just our feeding preferences. In a pinch, you’ll do anything it takes to survive.”

You hummed, contemplating her lengthy exposition on the topic. If there was one thing you’d been good at in life, it was talking with people, getting them excited about an idea, making them feel heard and leaving them wanting more. There were two ways to go about this: either you became a charismatic cult leader or you resorted to the cheesy but tried-and-tested method of picking people up at parties. Naturally, you opted for the latter.

When you told Claire about your plan, she grinned cheekily. “Never took you as the seductive Siren type.”

“I’m not having sex with anyone,” you protested. “Just gonna ask if they’d let me do some weird shit to them.”

“Ooh, like a blood kink sorta thing?” Placing her chin between her fingers, she rubbed her bottom lip in anticipation. “That’s pretty smart, but also on the borderline of a Masquerade breach. You should be careful.”

“It’s kinda what I thought Leon had at first to be honest,” you admitted.

Her hand flew up to her mouth, covering it as she erupted in a burst of raucous cackles. Tears fell from her eyes and her shoulders heaved up and down. Her whole body shook uncontrollably.

“Hah— oh god— jeez,” she wheezed, grabbing onto your shoulder for support. “You’re killin’ me!”

Apparently, it spread like wildfire, since the rest of the crowd reacted similarly, except Chris, whose cheeks were dusted in light pink as he looked away in embarrassment. You never thought you’d be gossiping behind your sire’s back, but it was too late to retract that statement now.

You tried to spend most of these nights away from Leon’s apartment, hoping to get back each time when he had already nodded off to sleep, but you had no such luck. He’d be sitting there either in front of his desk or at the TV waiting for you like a strict parent. Once you got in, he’d glance over at you briefly, his eyes laden with grief, before quietly switching off the lights for bed. 

The change in atmosphere was jarring; you much preferred the liveliness of the cafe and the Anarch hangout, compared to the oppressive heaviness you felt at the apartment. You tossed and turned in bed, unable to find sleep, only to hear the rustling of sheets coming from downstairs, confirming that your companion suffered from the same fate. It was only in the very last moments before sunrise that your body automatically switched off like a clock.

No matter how well you tried to hide the cuts and bruises you returned with from your training sessions with Chris, nothing could elude Leon’s hawk-like scrutiny. He didn’t call you out on it initially, merely giving you perturbed looks, a raised eyebrow here and there, accompanied by a frown. It wasn't until one night, when you returned home with broken knuckles after getting a little over-enthusiastic during a combat fighting session, that he spoke up.

“Are you thrill-seeking, or are you purposely picking fights I don’t know about?” his sharp voice rang out across the room.

You ignored him, heading straight into the bathroom as you loaded a pail with cold water and ice. Plunging your fist into it, you stuffed a towel into your mouth to muffle your whimpers. Then, you roused the blood, focusing your concentration on mending the wound. Within seconds, your mangled hand fixed itself like machine parts slotting into place, becoming brand new again. A pang of hunger arose deep within the bowels of your stomach and you growled reflexively. 

Shit, you needed blood. But you refused to touch the blood bags that Leon had been procuring for you night after night.

At that point, Leon stormed in. “Hey, answer me!” he demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

You stood up, facing him as you scoffed, “What’re you, my dad or something?”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” With a brazen look on your face, you stripped off in front of him. He stared at you in shock before averting his gaze out of respect for your modesty.

Stepping into the shower, you ran the tap, allowing the spray of water to wash away the dirt and crustied blood from your body. “Feel free to enjoy the show,” you jeered. There was a long pause before you heard his footsteps exit the room in a hurry.

You took your time getting ready, ensuring that not a single strand of hair was out of place and that your makeup was on point. For good measure, you applied a flirty cat eyeliner and chose a brighter, more youthful cherry red for your lips, blotting and smudging it along the edges to create a softer look. 

Pulling out a strappy, ribbed cotton dress from the clothes you’d hung in Leon’s wardrobe, you threw it on. The material accentuated your curves but had a semi-relaxed fit, giving off a casual, sporty vibe — perfect for what you were about to get up to. You favored the warm, earthy tones of its burnt orange hue against your complexion in the mirror. It reminded you of saffron spice and the ember glow of charcoal as the floral taste of shisha filled your mouth in some distant land. Adorning yourself with gold dangle earrings, you completed the look by slipping on a pair of black heeled sandals before making your way out.

However, a hand grabbed your wrist, spinning you around as you landed with your back against the door. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Leon gave you a once over as his smoldering eyes swept over your outfit from head to toe. A multitude of conflicting emotions crossed his face, ranging from disapproval to admiration. He seemed to be leaning hard into the overprotective parent role and it was getting on your nerves.

“The night’s still young,” you argued, tempted to provoke his temper even further. Oh, well, YOLO. Giving him a devilish smirk, you added, “I’m heading out to have some fun. So, don’t bother waiting up for me.”

Wresting your wrist free from his grasp, you flipped your hair, turning towards the door as you strutted out of the apartment without looking back.

━━━━━━━━━━━

It was drizzling when you arrived at the front of the queue at one of the more commercial clubs popular with the younger crowd in downtown Raccoon City. The rain had moistened your skin, giving it wet, glistening sheen as the bouncer ushered you into the space.

Kaleidoscopic strobe lights flashed across the dance floor while a tired playlist of the current top chart hits reverberated through the state-of-the-art sound system. You wouldn’t call this place your usual haunt for a party, but it was your best bet at finding people who’d be willing to hook up and more. The latter part being the crucial factor here.

Scanning the room, you picked out a couple of potential targets — mostly singles who were either halfheartedly bobbing along to the music or restlessly standing at the sides, on the lookout for fresh meat, like yourself.

A buzz of eagerness and exhilaration coursed through your body. The Beast in you egged you on, smiling wickedly as you approached a lone man in the middle of the dancefloor. A well-loved banger came on just in time for you to conduct what you and your friends openly ridiculed and coined as the ‘mating call’.

Sashaying over, you made eye contact with the guy and winked, making sure he knew you had his full attention. He smirked, looking as though he had just hit the jackpot. Maybe he’d been here for a while with no luck. Taking a leisurely sip of his drink, he made no attempt to conceal his blatant ogling of your figure. He wasn’t bad looking himself, but something told you that he was a little rough around the edges and probably had a foul mouth.

As you drew closer, you noticed the way his medium-length, dark brown hair fell against his face in a tousled, layered style, complementing his rugged and laid-back appearance. His square jawline was clean-shaven and he had a broader, sturdier frame than Leon. Wait, why were you comparing him to your sire again?

“Aren’t you a pretty little thing?” He gulped down the rest of his drink for liquid courage before dumping the emptied bottle on the floor. Placing his hands on your hips, the corners of his mouth ticked up into a cocky grin.

Hm, forward, you thought. But at least you could get straight to it then.

You let him twirl you around as you gyrated your hips against his sensually, his chest hugging your back as you made small talk. “What’s your name, handsome?”

He chuckled, his breath tickling the shell of your ear as his gravelly voice dropped an octave lower. “For you, sweetheart, it’s Kevin.”

“Kevin,” you repeated coyly, allowing him to grind even harder against your ass.

“Mmm, that sounds so good on your lips,” he murmured, peppering the side of your neck with kisses. “I’d like to take this someplace else, if y’know what I mean?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” You emitted a breathy giggle, trying to play the part of a ‘seductive siren’ that Claire had mentioned. “Lead the way, Kevin.”

It turned out that his idea of ‘someplace else’ was rather uncreative, but you weren’t here to judge the man, you needed to satiate your hunger. He kissed you roughly against the door of a toilet stall you’d locked yourself into, ignoring the other patrons who were either drunk or high out of their minds. When you heard the metallic clink of his belt unbuckling, you knew it was time.

Pressing your index finger to his lips to stop him momentarily, you asked, “Would you let me do anything to you?” It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.

The confusion on his face shifted into a saucy smile, as his imagination began to run wild with interpreting what you wanted. “Didn’t realize I had such a dirty, naughty girl in my hands.”

Kneading your ass, he leered, “Come home with me, baby. I’ll show you a good time.” His hands continued to grope the sides of your body. “Got handcuffs, batons, you name it. Courtesy of the RPD.”

Huh, another police officer. Looks like you had a type apparently, you grimaced internally.

You ran your hands along his muscular chest, grazing your fingertips against his neck, causing him to shiver. “I will, but first, I wanna take a bite.”

“Fuck me, that’s hot,” he gritted. “You can do whatever you want, baby.”

Bingo. Pushing him back onto the toilet seat, you straddled his lap, feeling his hardened erection against your crotch. He let out a hiss at the friction building up between your clothes. Combing his hair away from his neck, you licked a thick stripe along the prominent vein you spotted at its side.

“Fuck,” he rasped, his eyes rolling back in pleasure and you took your chance, plunging your teeth into the vein as you drank from him.

Warm, sweet blood filled your mouth to the brim like a midnight dessert, and you could taste the alcohol and nicotine in it, giving you a double dose of wooziness. So, this was what it was like to get tipsy, you laughed to yourself. All at once, your Beast quietened down, the gnawing feeling at the bottom of your stomach numbed to a point where it was just a tepid throb.

This was where you should end it right? You hoped the man beneath you was still alive. Licking the wound close, you withdrew, quickly grabbing some toilet paper to wipe away the streaks of blood from his neck before chucking it into the bin. Messy drinker. You still needed to get used to feeding.

He was out cold, though his expression was one of pure bliss. I really should get paid for this, you thought, shaking your head as you checked his pulse. Yup, he’ll be fine.

Tugging down the hem of your dress, you smoothed out the creases and stumbled out of the stall. Whoops, you forgot you weren’t entirely sober now, especially in your heels. At the sinks, you peered at yourself in the mirror. Your lipstick was smudged and splotches of bright red decorated your mouth and chin. It was on the borderline — you could’ve just had a lot of makeup on that got ruined in the process.

A partially intoxicated woman at the next sink bumped shoulders with you merrily. “Had fun?”

Trailing a line across your bloodied chin with your finger, you sucked the remnants of Kevin into your mouth, before pulling it out with a ‘pop’. Smiling widely at your reflection, you declared, “Yes.”

Back at the main area of the club, a pair of vivid, crystal-clear blue eyes illuminated in the darkness, stalking your every move. His lips contorted into a vicious snarl, and his fingers wrapped around his sweating glass, gripping it in a chokehold. He looked hideous like this, but he didn’t care. It was only feeding, yet jealousy coiled and wound its way like a rose stem around his heart, its thorns lacerating through flesh and bone, nestling itself deep within its confines.

That guy? Keith— Kevin? Whatever. He was an acquaintance through his brief dalliances with the RPD. As far as Leon was concerned, that sleazeball didn’t deserve you. And neither did he, but he should’ve been the cop you went off with instead.

[mountttmase]

Be Bad For Once

Note - this one is a bit of a longie so strap in 😉 thank you to the anon for the request I kind of went a bit wild but I love writing female characters like this 🩷 I would really love some feedback as I’ve been working on this for a long time and it’s special to me 😂

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 9.4K

Warnings - fluffy and angsty

You knew dating a client was off limits, but there was something about Mason that meant you couldn’t help yourself. He was cheeky, confident and unbelievably sexy. You were pretty sure you’d never been this attracted to a man before and the fact you couldn’t do much about it only made it worse.

Technically his dad was your client, but since he worked for Mason it was basically the same thing, and you knew as soon as your eyes locked onto his deep brown ones you were done for.

You never seen a man as a necessity in your life, sure they were good fun sometimes but you had more important things to worry about like running your company and making sure everyone in your life was well looked after. Accounting was difficult at the best of times but setting up your own boutique company to cater for a few select clients had always been your dream and now you were living it, you weren’t about to let a man with a pretty smile take it away from you.

Tony was one of your favourite clients, fun and easy going, so when you checked your calendar and realised you had a meeting with him booked in for today you let out a sigh of relief.

You almost lost your cool when you walked into the meeting room to find Mason sat there alongside him, trying you hardest not to blush when you shook his hand and hating the way your body seemed to react to him every single time you saw him.

‘Good to see you, Mason. I didn’t know you were coming’

‘Recovering from an injury so I’ve got a bit of extra free time. Plus when dad said he was coming here I couldn’t pass up the opportunity’ he told you, his voice sending a shiver down your spine and you had to refrain from biting your lip.

The meeting went as well as it could, what with Mason looking at you like you were something to eat most of the way through. His eyes seeming to be glued onto your mouth every time you spoke so you focused on only speaking to Tony, pretending he wasn’t even there until he started asking questions. That cheeky smirk of his making your insides quiver and you weren’t sure how much longer you were supposed to resist him for.

‘I’m just popping to the loo and we’ll head out’ tony announced at the end, quietly slipping from the room as you were packing up your stuff to head back to your office.

‘Not gonna leave me in here are you?’ Mason asked lowly, leaning back in his chair with his legs spread wide and you had to grip your laptop in order not to crawl into his lap and kiss his face off. But you walked towards the door and held it open for him.

‘Of course not, we can go wait for your dad by the lift’

‘Sounds like someone doesn’t want to be alone with me’ he said on his way passed but you took a deep breath and followed him out, trying not to look at the way his jeans hugged his bum so perfectly but thankfully his dad was ready and waiting for you.

‘You all set’ you smiled as you approached him and he nodded before you all said your goodbyes. Mason held your hand for a little too long after your handshake and you let your walls slip a tiny bit as you offered him a cheeky smile in acknowledgement to which he pulled you in closer. Thankfully his dad had turned around to walk out so he couldn’t see but you felt you skin tingle at being so close to Mason.

‘Don’t miss me too much’ he whispered.

‘Trust me, I won’t’ you replied, and with one last wink he was following his dad out the door.

‘You need to warn me next time he’s here’ your assistant and work wife Carly suddenly told you as you waved them pair of them out the door. ‘I don’t know how you sit in a room with him and not jump him’

‘It’s really not that hard’ you lied, walking back to your office as she followed you.

‘You’re telling me you don’t find him attractive?’

‘I’ve got eyes, of course I do. But I know his type. He’s as cheeky as anything and he’s a client. I can’t go there’

‘You’re the boss, y/n. You can do what you want. But if you don’t want to… Can I go there?’ She asked playful and even though you gave her a stern look, she knew you were being lightheaded. ‘Fine, but we’re all going out for drinks tonight so that means you too. You owe me a cocktail for not letting me have a handsome man’ she huffed in jest.

What was meant to be a few quiet drinks with the girls had turned into all of you bundling into some random club. It was packed, dark and loud but was definitely needed after today and you’d made up your mind that you were on the hunt for someone to talk you home after all the built up tension that today had bought you.

It was still earlyish, but no one had caught your eye and as soon as you went to the bar for a breather from all your dancing, a drink was placed in front of you straight away.

‘I didn’t order this’ you told the barman, confused as to why he’d given it to you but he sent you a soft smile and nodded his head to the side.

‘Compliments of the vip area’ he told you before going on to serve the next customer.

You had no idea what that meant, looking over to where he’d motioned and your whole body froze. Even in the dark you could recognise that smile and your mouth fell open before you quickly shut it.

Mason gave you a tiny wave and you fought so hard not to return it but you gave in, acknowledging him with a small laugh before he nodded his head over to the velvet rope that separated him and made a motion like he wanted you to come and join him. You shook your head automatically, knowing if you went over there that anything could happen but the way he dropped his lip like he was disappointed made you shake your head and pick your drink up, walking over to where he’d motioned to. He let the bouncer know you were with him before leading you through the space to a quiet corner where you could finally hear yourself think.

‘I shouldn’t be here, what if someone see’s?’

‘No one knows who you are to me it’s fine’ he shrugged, sipping his drink whilst his brown eyes burnt into yours.

‘How did you know I was here?’

‘I’ve got eyes everywhere’ he winked and you rolled yours as he shook his head. ‘I’m kidding. Carly makes a great cup of tea but quiet she isn’t. I could hear her shouting for you to drop it like it’s hot from all the way over here. From what I could see I get why everyone was cheering’

You felt your face burn knowing that he’d seen you let loose like that so you tried to deflect and change the subject.

‘And this? What’s this?’ You asked, nodding to the drink before confirming it was your usual. ‘How did you know that’s what I drink?’

‘Lucky guess?’

‘Why are you here? Won’t you get into trouble if you’re caught somewhere like this while you’re injured?’

‘It probably won’t look great, but I’d definitely say it’s worth the risk tonight’ he winked and you shook your head with a laugh. ‘Anymore questions?’

‘I don’t think so’

You carried on talking, not about anything in particular but it was nice to see this side of him. Thoughts about someone taking you home vanishing as your brain focused on nothing but Mason. Wondering what that tongue could do every time he licked his lips, or how his fingers would feel as he stroked over his glass. You hated how attracted to him you were but you couldn’t stop yourself from holding back from him tonight.

‘Right, I’ve got a question for you. What are you doing after this?’ He asked. A strange twinkle in his eye that you tried to ignore but you had a funny feeling you knew what was coming next.

‘I don’t know. Probably getting some chips from the chicken shop over the road and going home to sleep?’

‘Could I maybe tempt you with another offer?’

‘No, but I know you’re going to try’

‘Come home with me’ he stated and you almost choked on your drink as you felt him place his hand on your thigh.

‘What? No way’

‘Why not?’ He laughed, looking at you like it was the most simple thing in the world. ‘You can’t tell me you don’t want to’

‘Mason it’s not happening’

‘Look I get it, I’m a client and it’s wrong or whatever but I can’t get you out of my head. Tell me you don’t feel the same and I’ll stop’ he said seductively. His voice low as he continued to stroke over your thigh and you felt yourself shake your head at him to let him know you agreed before he pulled your chair closer to his. You gasped at the movement and watched how he laughed cheekily, pushing your hair back behind your ear before leaning in further so he could whisper into it. ‘Thought so. You’re always playing by the rules, just be bad for once yeah? Come back with me and let me show you how sexy I think you are’ he murmured, finally pressing a kiss to your jaw and you felt you tummy flip.

‘I need the loo’ you suddenly blurted, jumping off the seat and in the direction of the toilet and you heard Mason sigh as you left. He was overwhelming in the best way possible but you couldn’t think whilst his big brown eyes were looking into yours.

You knew you wanted him, you were just lying to yourself at this point but the thought of this opportunity not presenting itself again made your tummy churn. You knew you shouldn’t, you weren’t allowed, but that just made it all the more exciting to you and you made up your mind then and there that you were doing it. Even if it was just to get it out of your system so you could go back to having a normal client relationship you needed to have him in every way possible.

You weren’t long, coming out to find Mason waiting for you, gently grabbing your wrist so he could pull you into a quiet corridor where he pushed you up against the wall so he could cup your jaw gently. His body was pressed against yours, expression now serious as his eyes flicked all over your face with an emotion you couldn’t quite detect.

‘Im sorry. You know if I pushed things too far? I didn’t mean to’ he told you and you shook your head at him gently.

‘You didn’t’ you whispered but his face didn’t change.

‘You sure? I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m just really fucking attracted to you and you make me a little crazy’ he confessed, causing you to giggle and his face to soften ever so slightly.

‘You make me crazy too’ you whispered and before you knew it he was kissing you softly.

Your whole body felt electrified as soon as his lips touched yours. It all felt a little bit wrong even though it felt right at the same time and you pulled him to you so you were as close as two bodies could be.

‘Take me home’ you told him as soon as you pulled away and his eyes widened in shock before nodding at you gently.

He lead you by the hand back through the vip area, his friends clearly watching as you heard a few cheers and jibes from across the room but Mason silenced them with his middle finger before taking you outside.

‘You still want those chips?’ He asked with a smile, nodding towards the chicken shop you’d mentioned earlier but you didn’t want to put him through going in there and someone recognising him so you shook your head and stood a little closer to him for warmth.

‘Mason? I was just thinking. My house is way closer’ you told him causing him to laugh before passing you his phone to put your address in for the Uber. You weren’t waiting long, his hand firmly planted on your thigh the whole way there and you traced random patterns on his arm as he watched you intently. Finally getting to touch him in a way you’d always wanted to and from the look in his eyes he was definitely enjoying it.

You’d barely got the door open and he was already kissing the back of your neck, smiling into your skin as his hands were all over your waist and bum.

‘All I could think about in that bloody meeting earlier was getting out of your clothes, I can’t believe i actually get to do it now’ he laughed, watching you walk inside your flat. His big eyes not knowing where to look as you beckoned him in, finally shutting the door to the outside world so you could have Mason right where you wanted him.

The next morning you woke up to a pounding head and an arm around your waist.

You were frozen to the spot, knowing exactly who it was and when you peered over your shoulder your heart fluttered at Masons sleepy face.

You turned as carefully as you could in his embrace, settling back down so you could look at him for a little bit and he seemed to move closer to you in his sleep. His hand traveling from your waist down to rest on your bum as he nestled his face further into the pillow.

He was gorgeous, there was no denying it. From the crinkles around his eyes, to the freckles on his cheeks and the small pout playing on his perfect pink lips. You could look at him all day, but you were trying your hardest to suppress those feelings bubbling away inside you. Last night was supposed to be a one off, a way to let off some steam and move on from him and this weird fascination but it didn’t work. You wanted him now more than ever but you knew it was all wrong.

You slipped out of bed, wishing you had gone to Masons so you could of gotten away from him quicker but you grabbed some fresh clothes and made you way into the bathroom for a quick shower and a change before heading down to the kitchen, wondering what on earth you were supposed t say to him when he woke up.

Mason came in five minutes later, dressed in the same clothes from last night and he gave you a warm smile but you couldn’t return it, eyes dropping to the floor so you couldn’t see his expression.

‘So um, can I buy you breakfast or something?’

‘I don’t eat breakfast’ you told him bluntly and you knew he was about to say something so you got in there first. ‘I don’t really have time, I need to leave for work soon’ you told him and he nodded solemnly.

‘I guess I’ll get out your hair then’ he said quietly, dropping a quick kiss on your forehead before walking towards to front door. You wanted to call out after him, wanted to pull him back and throw your arms around him so you could kiss him properly but you knew your voice wouldn’t be strong enough and you let him go. Sighing loudly when you heard the door close.

It’s not that you regretted last night or anything close to it. Mason was attractive and funny and way better in the bedroom than you thought he would be. But the way he made you feel scared you. Exposed and vulnerable, like you were made of glass and he could see right through you. Your idea of getting Mason out of your system clearly hadn’t worked out how you were expecting it to and you could feel a dark cloud hanging over you for the rest of the day.

You got to work in one piece, planning to sit alone in your office all day and pretend you weren’t sulking over Mason when a knock on your door bought you out of your slump. Carly proceeded to walk in with a coffee in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other, placing them on your desk with a smile.

‘What’s this?’ You asked

‘Why don’t you open it up and find out’ she smiled and you opened the bag to find your favourite breakfast sandwich from a cafe just down the road, moaning as you took your first bite.

‘Oh Carls, you’re a life saver thank you’

‘Don’t thank me, I didn’t buy it’

‘What do you mean?’ You asked, fishing the napkin out of the bag but the writing on it captured your attention before she had chance to speak.

‘He came in and asked me to give it to you, I think he felt a little bit scared but how sweet. You must of made quite the impression in your meeting yesterday’

‘I slept with him last night’ you blurted and she nearly fell off her seat.

‘You what!?’

‘Keep your voice down’

‘I wondered where you went. You little minx I can’t believe it’

‘Look he was there randomly, we had a little chat and he came back to mine. The rest is history is they say’

‘What’s his dick like? Is it big? It looks big in those shorts sometimes’

‘We are not having this conversation right now. Or ever’ you laughed, noticing the excited look on Carly’s face but you knew you were about to let her down.

‘Well when are you seeing him next?’

‘Hopefully never’ you murmured and she gave you a confused look. ‘He’s a client, I shouldn’t of done it in the first place’

‘You can’t avoid him, by the looks of it he wants to take you out’

‘Carly i can’t’

‘You already have’ she laughed ‘technically Tony is your client but if you feel weird about it then why don’t you pass him over to Nicky, I’m sure she’d love to take him on’

‘But I like Tony’ you pouted. ‘He was one of my first clients I don’t wanna pass him over’

‘Just think about about it’ she laughed

‘I don’t need Mason. I don’t need any man. I’m fine with just me’

‘Oh honey none of us need a man. They’re just nice to have’ she winked ‘and I can’t think of anyone nicer than Mason’

She didn’t say another word, just gave you a knowing look before leaving you to your breakfast

You already had Masons number in your work phone, but it it felt weird to text him from there so even though it was probably way weirder to text him from your personal number, you copied it over and sent him a quick thank you for your breakfast and not even five minutes later you got a text from an unknown number.

You thought that might be the end of it with Mason, not hearing from him for a few days but that didn’t mean he’d left your thoughts. You thought after the weekend and a fresh start to the new week you’d be fine but when you arrived to a pretty bunch of blue roses on your desk on Monday you didn’t know how to feel. You knew they were from him immediately but you still checked the card, biting your lip to suppress a smile.

You couldn’t help but laugh as his cheesy words, quickly snapping a picture to send to him and the thought of talking to him made you a little bit giddy.

Your blood ran cold, instantly feeling sick as your heart pounded. You were so embarrassed but also confused and you could see he was already typing, not sure if you wanted see his next response but it was already sent before you had a chance to look away.

‘You’ve been here half an hour and I don’t think you’ve even turned your laptop on yet’ you heard Carly laugh. Looking up with as blush as you realised you’d been texting Mason and not doing much else. ‘Nice flowers’

‘He wants to take me to dinner tonight’

‘And you’ve told him no I bet’ she laughed, rolling her eyes. ‘Stop being such a wimp and go’

‘I’m not a wimp’ you protested

‘Yes you are, you know if you go you’ll enjoy yourself. That’s the only reason you’re saying no’

‘Is not’

‘Prove it’

You took a deep breath, picking your phone up to text him back, ignoring the butterflies in your tummy.

‘Happy now?’ You laughed, locking you phone and placing it on your desk before finally opening your laptop. Carly didn’t respond, just gave you a knowing smile before leaving your office and you tried to suppress the butterflies that were already swarming.

You left your office at six, ignoring the way Carly was winking at you but you finally checked your phone again. Mason letting you know he was parked up just around the corner, your heart leaping as you caught sight of him standing by the passenger door.

He was dressed in a beige collared jacket with a white T-shirt and black jeans and you sworn he’d never looked better. He smiled brightly, opening your door as you got closer and holding his hand out to help you in, but as usual in situations like this your miss independent spirit took over and you watched his face drop a little at the look you must of been giving him.

‘I’m not incapable of getting into car on my own’ you told him, watching him squirm slightly and your tummy dropped at the look on his face. You didn’t want to upset him in anyway and you felt awful as soon as the words left your lips so even though it went against everything you stood for, you took his hand. His eyes automatically flashed up to meet yours in shock and you quickly kissed his cheek before sliding inside. ‘So where are we going?’ You asked when he joined you, a shy smile taking over his face as he looked at you.

‘There’s this place that’s opened up not too far from me I thought we could try if that’s okay? I’ve got the menu up here’ he told you, passing you his phone and after a quick glance you let him know it was fine.

Things didn’t start out so great, the pair of you a little awkward still from the other night and you’d grown stroppy from the constant little things he was trying to do for you. Opening every door, holding out your chair and letting you order first. You knew he only meant well but you’d grown tired of it working in a male dominated industry and it made you feel like he thought you couldn’t do anything for yourself.

You tried to let it go though, relaxing as the night went on, talking about anything and everything you could think of from his family to you setting up your own company and your face began to hurt from the constant smiling. It was hopeless trying to be mad at him as he just melted you and for once you weren’t complaining. By the time dessert came he’d shuffled up right next to you so you could share and the subject of your romantic history and future came up.

‘So you’re telling me you’ve never had a proper boyfriend and you don’t want one?’ He asked, his head propped up in his hand as his looked at you with wide eyes and you laughed lightly at his expression.

‘Nope’

‘What’s you’re type though? Surely you have one’

‘Not necessarily. A nice smile helps but I’m not overly fussy’

‘What about growing up? You must of had like a celebrity crush. Come on, who’s the man of your dreams’ he teased, fluttering his eyelashes at you but you just shook your head in his direction.

‘I don’t have a man of my dreams cause I’m the woman of mine’ you told him confidently but he seemed a little confused by your words. ‘Not all of us grew up wanting to be a princess and have a man look after her. What’s the point of pining after something that might not exist when you have to power to be whatever you want to be? I always wanted to be my own woman with my own company who relies on herself and that exactly what I am. A man was never in the equation’

‘Okay, I have so many questions but I really need to kiss you’ he breathed, tilting your chin and pressing his lips to yours in a heavy kiss.

You couldn’t deny you felt the sparks, smiling onto his lips before he slipped his tongue into your mouth. You’d wanted to kiss him for about half an hour now so you were happy he’d taken the leap and even though public displays of affection were never really your thing but there was something about Masons kisses that meant you’d take what you could get so you let him carry on, giggling as he pulled away and continued to leave small kisses all over your cheeks.

‘That was sexy as hell’

‘Stop it’ you laughed, tapping him on his arm and even though he was keeping his lips off of you, his body stayed close.

‘I’m serious. But it raises another question’ he proved, and you raised your eyebrows so he could carry on. ‘If you’re so hell bent on being your own woman and not needing a man. Why did you say yes to date with me?’

It was a good question. One you couldn’t really answer straight away but you thought you might as well be honest with him.

‘Well, I can’t deny there obviously some level of attraction here’ you told him, watching him nod at you seductively and his eyes danced over you in agreement. ‘And now I’ve got everything else figured out so why not have a little bit of fun?’ You asked but his face faltered slightly.

‘Can I be honest?’ He whispered, looking back at you seriously and you nodded back. Unsure of what he was about to say but you wanted to hear him out. ‘I’m not here to have a little bit of fun. I like you, have done for a really long time and I was hoping we could make it more of a regular thing. If that’s not something you want then fine but I need you to tell me’

Your heart was hammering in your chest. You loved the fact he was so honest, laying his cards out in the table so you knew exactly where you stood with him and even though it went against everything you’d ever thought, you’d enjoyed your time with him tonight and you didn’t want things to stop here. The idea of hanging out with him more and developing whatever was going on here was more appealing than you thought it could be so you took his hand in yours and looked deep into his eyes.

‘You’re the only person I’ve ever let take me out on a date like this. The only man I’ve ever bent the rules for and the only one I’m quite happy to keep doing it with. Make of that what you will’ you told him, watching his face soften ever so slightly. ‘I’ll admit, when I slept with you last week it was supposed to be a one and done thing, like just to get you out of my system but it didn’t work. In fact it’s made me want you even more’ you laughed, looking up to find him smiling back at you brightly and you couldn’t help but reach up and peck him on the lips. ‘I hope that tells you everything you need to know. Now, did you pick this place cause you wanted us to try it or because it’s close to your house?’

‘Mix of both maybe?’ He winked cheekily and you squeezed his thigh in response. ‘You gonna let be buy you breakfast this time?’

‘Oh it’s a requirement’ you laughed, the nerves and excitement building up in your tummy at the thought of waking up next to him again.

After a small argument about who was paying the bill, he told you he would be as he invited you out and promised you could get the next one.

One date turned to two and then three until you’d been seeing each other for over two months. Time had flown by and even though it was all new to you, you loved having mason around and spending time with him. Sex was also a plus, not ever having gotten to know someone so intimately before and to say you were having the time of your life would be an understatement.

There were no labels, he knew better than to ask you and you knew you were just for each other but when you introduced him as your boyfriend to a friend at a work dinner you knew it made him happy. His hands not leaving you for the whole night as he stroked his thumb over your thigh.

You were a pair, but you loved that he never made you feel like you were dependent on him. You had your own separate lives and you grew to be his number one fan, just like he was for you. Supporting all your decisions and letting you rant at him about whatever you wanted to. Mason also promised to keep out of any work things so that you could still keep Tony as a client, confessing he only ever showed up to those meetings so he could see you and that half the time he never understood what you’re going on about anyway.

He was still Mason though, holding your door open for you, sending you gifts to work and trying his hardest to make you feel loved in his own way. It may have taken you a little while to come around but you secretly loved the way he took care of you, not trusting anyone else before to be so vulnerable around and so far you couldn’t fault him.

With Mason now in that weird middle ground between the end of the season and pre season, you seemed to be spending even more time with him than usual however tonight was girls night with it being a few birthdays that week in the office and you let him know you’d see him on Saturday for some well needed hangover cuddles.

Work had been slow all day, Mason on your mind just like always but a frantic knock on your door snapped your out of your thoughts and your tummy dropped at the look on Carly’s face.

‘I’m so sorry, y/n. Mr Jeffries is here and he seems pretty pissed. I’ve tried taking to him but he only wants to speak to you’ she told you, here voice shaky from fear but you gave her a smile to let her know you were on it.

‘Don’t worry Carls, I’ve got it’ you told her, grabbing his file before making your way to reception where he stood with his arms folded, his eyes dark and angry as the bore into you.

Martin Jeffries was nothing like any of your other clients, you normally took care of small independent businesses or individual clients but Martin was neither. Owner of a massive corporation that was only interested in paying as little tax as possible whilst being rude as he could. He’d always been described to you as a little eccentric but in your eyes he was just an arse and you didn’t want him as a client in the first place but he always paid his invoices on time and in the beginning he kept your business afloat. You weren’t sure if it was worth the hassle anymore though but you ushered him inside a meeting room to try and get to the bottom of what was happening.

‘What the hell is this?’ He asked, slapping down a piece of paper onto the table and even though you knew what it was, you still picked it up so you could glance over it. A £300 penalty from the tax man for failing to report his company shares by the deadline and whilst the amount was peanuts to him he seemed absolutely furious. ‘Are you going to explain to me why this wasn’t done?’

‘Mr Jeffries, I have called you and emailed you about this several times before the deadline but I never received a response. Unfortunately for share reporting the onus is on you as I can’t report them on your behalf’

‘You’ve always done it for me before’

‘No, I’ve checked your spreadsheet but the company always submits it. Sally normally does it’

‘I fired Sally’

‘Oh’ you breathed, it suddenly clicking into place what had happened. ‘Well Sally or no Sally, I can’t do it for you’

‘I’m not paying this for your incompetence’ he snarled, pushing the letter back to you and you were so shocked by his behaviour you weren’t quite sure what to do or say.

‘I strongly advise that you do. The longer you leave it the worse then penalty becomes’

‘No, you will be paying it’ he shouted, pointing his finger right in you face to try and intimidate you and unfortunately for you it was working but you refused to let him know that.

‘It’s nothing to do with me, you were given adequate warning and I’d appreciate it if you could keep your voice down, there’s no need to shout’

‘I will do no such thing. You forget, your business would be nothing without me and my custom. Now you fix this or I can make life very difficult for you’ he told you, hovering over you but you backed off and walked towards the door to open it, no longer comfortable in the room with just him.

‘I don’t like the way you’re talking to me and I think you should leave now’ you told him, making eye contact with Carly outside but the look on your face must of frightened her, picking up the phone immediately but you weren’t sure who she was calling.

‘I don’t know why I bothered with you lot in the first place. I should of known it was a mistake when you told me only women work here. You’re useless, the lot of you. I only stuck around cause you’re easy on the eye but you’re shit at your job and this whole thing is destined to fail. You think you’re so high and mighty but it’s only your tits that got you this far love, not your brains. Like a woman could ever build something like I have.? You clearly don’t have what it takes if you let simple things like this slip under the radar. You’re just a big joke. This is the real world, you’re not playing with dolls anymore’

You could feel your eyes stinging, unsure of what to do or say as the man in front of you tore all your achievements to shreds. You felt so small and hurt, like everything you believed in was a joke and you didn’t know how to respond but when two of your building’s security walked in, you met out a tiny sigh of relief.

‘How pathetic’ he laughed, walking towards the door as the two men lead him out. ‘You’ll be hearing from my lawyers!’ he screamed as the grabbed an arm each to take him away. You could feel your whole body shake as you ran back to your office, not wanting to see anyone for a while as you got yourself together again.

You were used to shitty clients every now and then but this was something else, every word of his cutting you right to the core and whenever you thought about it you could tell you were going to cry so you distracted yourself with paperwork, hoping to take your mind off of everything until Carly let you know that she’d spoken to the building security and they’d made sure to add him to the list of people no longer allowed to enter the building.

Your thoughts turned to tonight though, no longer wanting to be around the girls and pretend like you were fine when you were anything but. Quickly sending a text to Carly saying something had come up tonight and that you couldn’t make it. You felt awful, letting some man’s words effect you as much as they seemed to be but as soon as Carly let you know it was fine, there was only one other person you wanted to talk to.

Usually the idea of him making himself available for you on the off chance you needed him would make you roll your eyes in annoyance and whilst you were a bit pissy, you were too hurt to care right now. Just wanting to go to him and wrap yourself up in his warmth.

You knew he could tell something was up as soon as he saw you, but he knew better than to ask, just letting you get changed into some of his clothes before you watched a few films in bed. You told him you weren’t hungry but he still ordered pizza for the both of you and you ignored the way he smiled at you when you stole a slice out of the box.

The next morning the hurt had vanished, anger now in it’s place as your eyes adjusted around the room. Mason was still asleep but he was stirring so you shut your eyes and pretended you were still sleeping as you weren’t quite ready for his sympathy yet. He didn’t stay in bed long, getting up with a kiss to your cheek as he went downstairs and you could hear him rattling around in the kitchen making the pair of you some food.

The words of Martin yesterday kept repeating throughout your head, how you were nothing without him and it was your look that got you by made you see red and even though you tried to shut them out, you just got more and more angry. Eventually get out of bed to make your way downstairs knowing you’d have to face Mason eventually.

‘Here she is’ he smiled as you walked in but you just gave him a small smile, hoping that would be enough to settle him but you weren’t sure. He was almost done with cooking and soon enough he took your plate over to the breakfast bar and took a seat, pulling your stool out for you and the small act that you’d become accustomed too had you foaming at the mouth.

‘Why do you always do that’ you huffed, pulling the chair out even further before sitting down with a huff, your emotions getting the better of you as you look at him through narrowed eyes but he was staring back with a slight grin that just infuriated you even more.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Pulling chairs out for me, holding doors? I’m not incapable of doing anything for myself’

‘I never said you were’

‘I don’t need you to do all that for me, I’m my own woman I don’t need it’ you told him and you knew you were being mean to him but you couldn’t seem to stop and his usually cheeky smile that you adored was plastered all over his face and irritating you even further. ‘Why are you smiling at me like that’

‘Cause it’s hard to take you seriously about not needing me when you’re wearing my clothes’ he joked but his face softened as soon as he realised you didn’t find it funny. ‘Has something happened?’

‘No’ you told him, but he could see the lies written all over your face.

‘You’ve been quiet since yesterday and now you’re being a meanie’ he pouted, pulling your chair closer to his so he could place his legs either side of yours. ‘I can’t help of you don’t tell me’

‘I don’t need you to fix anything for me I can do it’

‘Hey, I never said you couldn’t’ he told you with a slight laugh as he gripped your jaw to make you look at him. ‘please love, I hate seeing you like this’

A wave of guilt washed over you as you realised you were being unfair to him but you still couldn’t bring yourself to do anything about it. In the end he simply kissed your forehead before standing up with a small sigh so he could make a start on the washing up and leave you eat on your own.

The kitchen was silent and your appetite was out the window as you stole small glances of Mason from behind. As the minutes passed you felt worse about what you’d said to him until you were eventually getting up and wrapping your arms around his middle.

You felt him relax a bit, sighing lightly before he wiped his hands and turned around in your arms so he could pull you into a hug and you held him tightly until you were ready to pull back and look at him, His face sad but understanding and you hated the fact you’d made him feel that way.

‘Sorry’ you whispered before he leant down to place a soft kiss on your lips, pulling you up by your thighs to sit you on the counter so you could look at him properly.

‘You know you don’t need to act so tough all the time with me’ he told you gently, placing his hands on your thighs ‘I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw you last night’

‘Sorry-‘

‘Shhh, it’s fine’ he whispered, kissing you again. ‘I just want you to know you can talk to me, you know? I’m here for you. Whatever you need’

‘I’m just not used to it. Any of it’ you whispered and his face soften, cottoning on to you meaning not just having someone to talk to, but all the other little gestures that came along with him.

‘I know. But you know it’s all out of love right? I don’t do any of those things because I think you need me to, I do them because I love you’ he whispered.

‘You what?’ You gasped, staring back at his nervous face and pink cheeks, your heart pounding at the words that had just come out of his mouth.

‘I said I love you’ he smiled, sounding more sure of himself this time. ‘And I’m not trying to change you. I love how you’re feisty and how you don’t take shit from anyone. Including me. I don’t want you to be different at all, yeah? I don’t want you to not be you and I hope you don’t think that’s what I’m trying to do’

‘I’m so sorry, I know it may sound stupid but I’m still trying to get my head round it all. Having a boyfriend was never in my plans’

‘I know. And I’m not here to try and take over your life or anything like that. I understand you more than you think and I know you like being in charge of your own life and making your own decisions. I’m just asking if I can stand besides you while you make them. Or behind’ he winked, moving his hands so he could pinch your bum gently and you rolled your eyes with a laugh. ‘Equals, yeah?

‘Yeah’ you whispered.

‘But, if you need me to tone it down a bit, I’ll try. I don’t ever mean to make you feel uncomfortable but it’s just how I was raised you know? Opening doors, holding your chair out for you, buying you flowers or whatever else. That’s how my dad shows my mum he loves her and I just picked up on it I guess but if you don’t like it, I’ll try and stop’ he explained and you felt yourself getting upset. In front of was the best thing that had happened to you in a while, promising that he loved you as you were yet you couldn’t give him the same. Here he stood offering to change himself to fit your needs at the expense of himself and the injustice of it all made your tummy churn.

If he could take you as you were then you could do the same.

‘Mase, no. You don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to do that’ you told him, cupping his jaw so you could look him in his eyes. ‘I love you just as you are’ you told him softly and you melted at the way he smiled at you, finally hearing the words he’d been waiting for before he crashed his lips into yours.

‘Really?’

‘I promise. I really do and I don’t want you to change if that’s how you like to show it. I just…’

‘What love?’

‘I don’t like how you make me feel so vulnerable and open’ you laughed, hoping he’d get what you meant but his frowny face made you realised he’d taken it the wrong way. ‘That’s not a bad thing’ you laughed

‘Well it doesn’t exactly sound good’

‘I meant like I can’t pretend with you. You see me for who I am and no one else has done that’ you told him softly. ‘And I hate all this gushy mushy crap, but I can’t seem to help it with you’ you laughed, your heart settling at the way he smiled at you like he understood where you were coming from and he squeezed your thighs in appreciation.

‘I know you secretly love it. You wouldn’t come to me in your hour of need if you didn’t you would of just gone home’ he told you and even though you shook you’re head you knew he was right. You came here yesterday looking for his comfort after a bad day and the realisation made your head spin. ‘What happened yesterday love?’

You took a deep breath, looking up to him with tears in your eyes as you played with your fingers in your lap and you watched his face cloud over in concern. You’d never cried in front of Mason before so he knew something bad must of happened and you felt him hold you just that little bit tighter.

‘I had a really horrible client. Said some really awful things about me and the company like right to my face and I can usually take that sort of stuff but he was awful’

‘Baby’ Mason breathed, wiping under your eyes as your tears finally escaped but you let them fall, no longer worried about looking tough in front of him as you pulled him in for a hug. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Not really’ you spoke into his neck, feeling him pull you into him harder before he rubbed your back soothingly. ‘He made me feel so small and stupid. Like everything I worked for was nothing. All the promises I made for myself about standing up for me and my team just went out the window’

‘What did he say?’

‘Basically that I’m nothing without his money, I’ve only got this far cause I’ve got good tits and that this is the real world and I shouldn’t be playing with my dolls anymore’ you told him, your eyes becoming glassy as you shut them but you felt him go ridged in your arms, the anger oozing from him that someone had spoken to you in that way and he pulled back so he could grip your face gently. ‘You think I’d be used to comments like that now but-‘

‘No no’ he interrupted, his hard eyes looking at you as if he was furious that someone had spoken to you in that way and you felt a wave of relief was through you as your feelings were somewhat validated. ‘You should never expect to be spoken to like that. Not by anyone. I hope you told him where to shove it’

‘Not exactly. I was too shocked but thankfully Carly got security to take him away. He told me I’ll be hearing from his lawyer but he hasn’t got a leg to stand on so hopefully they figure that out and nothing comes from it. I terminated his contract though’

‘Good. That’s the least he deserves’ he told you, kissing your forehead and you smiled for the first time in a while as you felt the love pouring from him as he tried to comfort you. ‘I’m proud of you’

‘I’m not’

‘Why?’ He asked, looking at you confused. ‘Don’t let some idiotic man with a small dick get to you’

‘How do you know what his dick looks like’ you laughed but he just winked at you.

‘I don’t, but it made you smile’ he told you and you rolled your eyes before falling into him, letting him wrap his arms around you and hold you to his body as he stroked up and down your back. You couldn’t believe how at home you felt in his arms and how and you relished in the silence. He always knew when to speak and when to let you be and right now in his arms you couldn’t think of anywhere else better than here.

‘Thank you for looking after me’ you whispered and he kissed your forehead softly, letting his lips linger there for a while before he pulled back and gave you a soft smile.

‘Why don’t you let me take you out today? I know it was supposed to be for cuddles but I don’t want you to sit and moap about something that’s not your fault. Wherever you wanna go, we can’

‘I’m not really in the mood’ you told him but you could tell he wanted to make things better for you so you racked your brain to try and think of something, resting your hands on his chest and playing with the neck of his top. ‘There’s that farmers market in the park? Maybe we could have a look round and get some treats or something nice for dinner tonight? We could have a cute little picnic under the stars like we did that one time’ you asked and he smiled sweetly at you whilst nodding his head.

‘Of course. We’ll head out soon yeah? Cause that bakery stall always sells out of the brownies first and I keep missing out’ he told you with a laugh and you pecked him gently with a smile.

‘Thank you’ you whispered ‘for everything. I know i was a hard work at first and I’m still prone to a strop quite clearly but I’m so happy I have you. I’d hate to think what I’d be feeling right now if I was on my own’

‘What are you talking about at first?’ He winked and you tapped him on the shoulder in jest. ‘You’re worth a million strops I promise’ he told you, tucking your hair behind your ear. ‘But I’m glad I’ve finally got you too’

Without another word he picked you up by your thighs to walk you out of the room.

‘My breakfast’ you pouted but she shook his head with a smile as he started walking you back up the stairs.

‘Sorry love, brownies are more important’ he told you and you couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping your arms around him tightly as you hid your face in his neck. Finally feeling content in the arms of your man.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed :) I’d really love to know what you thought so please feel free to comment or drop me an ask, l'd really appreciate it 🩷

[certainlynotasimp]

Hiiiii can you do another miggy x sunny family story like maybe they meet all the kids or like just daily lives the other one was really good

Father’s Day

((Miguel O’Hara X Female Reader))

A/N: Hello~✨ I’m just using your ask as an excuse to make a Father’s Day post. I’m so sorry, I promise they will meet. Here’s a look into Earth 1784-B Miggy and Sunny with everyone’s favorite character, Maria.

A/N: This can be read alone, but if you want to read more and get some context, check out my Masterlist. Feel free to join the discord if you guys just wanna come and chat.

Warnings: Grumpy x Sunshine??, Female Reader/Female Pronouns, No use of Y/N, Fluff, Sibling Fluff/ Bickering, Deepl Spanish Translations, and Short.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Earth 1784-B

The scurrying of feet along the hallway causes the man to groan as he feels around for his wife, only to end up feeling nothing. His eyes crack open as he looks around the bright bedroom as the noises in the hallway turn into hurried whispers. Suspicion perks up as he sits up and grabs his phone off the side table. The image of his family appears on the screen with bright smiles showing him the answer to his worries with a familiar date on the screen.

It was Father’s Day. His favorite/ least favorite holiday. He chuckles as he figures that his adorable wife would force him to the familiar routine he’s made to endure every year since they had Maria all those years ago. He smiles at the memory of his firstborn being placed on his chest as his wife made him breakfast in bed. The creak of the door opening causes the man to peek at the intruder who squeals when those matching eyes meet his doe eyes. Ben giggles as his father raises an eyebrow at him and a quiet, “Good Morning, Papa.”

“Good Morning, Benny,” He smiles at his youngest child as he motions for him to come closer. “What’s your Mama and your partners in crime have planned?”

The boy crawls into bed with his dad and sits beside him on the pillows. His messy dark hair curls his ears with obvious signs of sleep still on his face as he mutters, “Mama and Maria told me not to tell you. Gabriel said he would throw away my legos again.”

Miguel chuckles and gently brushes the messy curls back. “He won’t, bud.” He reassures him. “If he does, I’ll make sure he buys you a new set.”

Before the young boy could respond, the door creaks open again the oldest son grumbles something along the lines of, “Becareful before you spill it, Mensa” Stupid

Maria follows in and glares at her younger brother with a tray of food in her hands. Before she could curse him out, their mother pops them both with an envelope with a scolding look in her eyes.

“Behave.” She scolds before smiling at an awake Miguel. “Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Miguel chuckles at the nickname before his daughter places the tray onto his lap with a sheepish smile. The plate had slightly burnt blue berry pancakes with slightly over cooked bacon and eggs. Not exactly like how his wife normally cooks this annual breakfast, but Maria softly apologizes.

“Sorry it’s a little over cooked, Papa. Gabriel wasn’t watching the pancakes-!”

“I was watching them! You’re just a contro-“ The boy interrupts before getting popped again with the envelope.

“You two quit it!” Their cheery mother fusses. “You have 363 days to fight, this is one of two you don’t fight on.”

“Sorry Mama.” The two squeak before Maria kisses her father’s cheek.

“Happy Father’s Day.” She mumbles. Miguel chuckles and ruffles Gabriel’s head as the boy looked at him embarrassed.”Gracias, mis pequeños. Intentad no atacaros otra vez por mi desayuno, ¿vale?” Thank you, my little ones. Try not to attack each other over my breakfast again, okay?

“Okay, Dad.” The thirteen year old attempts to recover from his father’s affection by putting on a tough pout, similar to his mother’s. Miguel smiles as sees his love sit back on her spot on the bed with Ben curling up closer to her.

“Well, my love.” She sighs as she gives him a loving smile. Miguel can remember the first time he saw that smile in his lab and all the times afterwards. The smile that trapped him to her happily.

“Our wonderful children decided to leave gift hunting to me because they couldn’t agree on anything.” She looks at the two older siblings as they awkwardly shuffles. “So I think you’ll enjoy what I got for you.” She hands him the red envelope she had used to control their little trouble makers and places a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Happy 19th Father’s Day, mi amor.” She whispers into his sharp cheekbone as their youngest groans about his parents showing affection.

With a chuckle, Miguel rips open the envelope and peeks inside with a raised eyebrow as several pieces of pink paper were inside. Upon pulling a couple pieces out to see his wife’s familiar scrawl, he realizes what it is.

A chest rumbling laugh fills the room as he reads out loud, “One free coupon for my child to do the dishes, One free coupon for my child to wash my car, One free coupon for my child to clean the bathroom..”

“WHAT?!” The two oldest yelled in shock, clearly not aware of what their mother had done.

With a giggle, their mother looks at the kids in feigned innocence. “What a better gift to give your poor overworked father than a day where he doesn’t have to do chores? Besides you told me to pick..”

“Mama!” The duo started to argue only for their father’s harsh glare reprimands them. They both shut up as Miguel rewards them with a tight grin and both of them with five coupons each. “I wasn’t gonna use these if you didn’t try to back talk your mother. You two have fun.”

“What about Ben?” Gabriel argues as his eyes cut at his sister.

Miguel looks at the seven year old and hands him two coupons that made him clean up his room and pick up his toys. “Now all three of you go so I can enjoy my breakfast.”

Ben hugs his father’s shoulders and runs off while the eight teen year old drags the pouting teen out of the bedroom.

Miguel looks over at his wife with an amused look as he mumbles through a bite of bacon, “This was all your plan?”

“Not all of it,” She admits as she leans back on the headboard. A playful smile on her face as she fidgets with her nail polish. “The kids beat me to the kitchen and they already started arguing. You’re actually eating breakfast number 2 because they nearly caught the house on fire. So while I made them cook it again, I made your ‘gift’”

Miguel chuckles as he realizes that his wife was using him as a tool for her punishment. He fakes a glare as he scolds his love, “You used me and my day for your own gain? Who is this criminal mastermind and where is my wife?”

She laughs before reaching under the bed and pulling out two wrapped boxes. “You act like you wouldn’t do the same thing, O’Hara. Here’s your actual Father’s Day gift.” She places the boxes beside him.

After scoffing down half of his pancake, he opens the first box and finds a watch-like device. Miguel looks at her with a quirky eyebrow as she explains, “it’s one of those AI assisted watches, you can make your own AI who will help you throughout the day and get little messages from me and the kids. You can even give it some personality so it isn’t just a boring little thing.”

Miguel looks at her inquisitively before pressing a sticky kiss to her forehead. “Thank you, Cariño.” She turns her nose up at the feeling of his syrup covered lips on her before pulling him to a kiss.

“You should wait to thank me just yet. The watch is from the kids.” She smirks as she indicates for him to open the other box. “That’s from me.”

Miguel takes the hint and opens the box. After seeing his favorite color peaking through some paper, he looks at her with a shocked expression. “Just like the ones from the first Father’s Day?” He asked, astonished.

“Yep.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I was gonna add a part where Miguel and Sunny were celebrating together in their universe but I didn’t feel like writing some angst today. 😅🥲 Now I’m gonna do some fatherless behavior.

~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@ameliadraws @tojisrightnut @whyareyoubored @silly-lovestruck-em @luvil1y @chims-kookies @himesuedi @22carolina08 @chaoticevilbakugo @boredwithlifeatthispoint @hoshhoshh @isaidoop @pheroineux @rosiepetalss @aniya7 @savannahlynnes @boldlypessimistic @dilfaddiction @xsuvs @bunnybopug01 @tanakaslastbraincell @brivers @mistermouseshideyhole @paranoiac-666 @reypolaris @beeframon @sofiahowland376 @bby-lupin @thesrtuggleisveryreal @arminarmout15 @mintellaine @maddsunn @sleepyamaya @meshuao @scaraza @nobarasgfriend @kurxxmi @lemoonandlestars @pix-stuff @galaxieshearme @sunshiines-stuff @iytatsworld @corpsebridenightamare @p-rspective @almostjollypizza @celestiayxl @christinaatyourservice92 @marisolpusheen @hereliespumpkin @lordelvr @shadowlover321 @internal-soundtrack @lotustv @0sftom0 @whosace16 @namjoons-crabssss @baefys-world @namioom @20forty9 @cicithemess2000 @hailssss222 @cityofvoldemort-blog @snow30285 @serenssuga @miguelluvrinnit @sammywammy1 @dameronshandholder @moonlight-fox @miwagila @alexthebootyeater420 @mariaatp @10-jiku2 @uselsshuman @cookiezxx @randomhumans-blog @mothsicn @gingerdissapointment @outspokenmatters @cookieshakr @alex-river1 @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @luna-usagi-chan @icantsleeplol809 @tiredweeb7 @4ishere @i-heart-marvel @mooomeadows @king-julian6201 @local-mr-frog @superbjealousy @wonwuz @lokisnumber1whore @deloe18 @all4koo @gothicgay14 @perrins161 @ghost-with-a-teacup @addictedtothefictionalworld @stevenknightmarc @loxbbg @some-lovely-day @thisisanaccountokaydus @keepingitlokiii @stevenknightmarc @maxi-ride @juneonhoth @fa1rybubbl3z @strxngegirl @iytatsworld @dilfrs @stfugenderfuck @ben-is-a-hoe @coralineyouareinterribledanger @fallinallinmendes @im-sure-its-fine @mirophobic

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

I wrote a thing... erm. @toppo-da-foxxo you asked me to tell you more about this au but this is really just the same thing but written down nicely. Hope you enjoy anyway :J

cw: major character death (uh. he'll get better don't worry?? just not here), mind manipulation, forgetting, cosmic / eldritch horror

Contrary to popular belief, Listeners are not the ‘good’ version of Watchers. More moral, perhaps, preferring not to meddle in mortal activity. They have a strict code against interfering, unlike the Watchers, which is why the Watchers were outcast. But like any of the observers, they cannot understand players.

Just as we can never understand what it’s like to be an insect. To crawl on the ground so miniscule. To be picked up in a little glass cup and moved from inside of the house to outside, by an entity so much vaster than ourselves - all observers are blind to the individuality and personhood of players.

The Watchers wanted to do more than pick players up and put them outside. They wanted to feast. Greed is what drove them to play with people’s existences, basking in the delicacy of mortal pain. So unethical and horrific that even their own brethren couldn’t stand to see it.

And thus, they were banished, and all worlds were protected from them. Millions of years passed. The Watchers starved, and started to die. Fading away into the stars, into the void, into nothing, until only two remained.

Then, Evo appeared. A server, infantile and unprotected, its admin breaking the world in a way that made it undetectable to the greater observers. Prime pickings for the hungry Watchers, desperate to feed and to recruit new blood.

The rest is history.

It has been six long, difficult years since Grian escaped the Watchers. Their torture and changes still linger as he hides. Most days, he is alright now. Happy, energetic, pesky, creative. All of the things he used to be. 

Some days are like today, and he can’t get out of bed at all. But that’s okay too. His friends are there to help him. They don’t mind. No one minds. It took a long time for Grian to realise that.

Laying in bed, eyes closed but not asleep, he hears the front door open. Sometimes he’s glad he built a little space for himself in the tall, stilted base he propped up against the side of the mountain. It’s cozier than the usual bed sitting outside with a singular torch next to it.

He is expecting someone, probably Scar, to start making food in the little kitchen area beside his bedroom. He's expecting to hear the clatter of glass and silverware, maybe something frying in a pan. Just like every day like this, where he just can’t bring himself to move. The friendly sound of pots and pans, gentle humming, or a light one-sided conversation, usually pull him into a nice sense of comfort... but he doesn't hear that. He doesn't hear any footsteps, or any calls of his name, or- 

He is tempted to open his Eyes, just to look around. 

And it is when he has this thought, that a siren starts blaring. Across the server, a droning tone moves up and down the register, whining and wailing its warning song. It penetrates every single chunk, from the nearby shopping district all the way out to the world border. Every hermit hears it, and every hermit knows what it means, despite never hearing it before. 

There is an intruder on the server. A powerful and dangerous one. Something has broken in, and it has an intent to harm. 

Xisuma has certain code triggers in place, set to protect the server if something like this happens. The server scans itself, locating all foreign entities. It saves its logs, and begins to record, leaving something to view after whatever is happening is over. Morbidly, it is more for outsiders than for Xisuma himself. It's there just in case ... in case they don't get out alive. A system of locks trigger, trapping all players inside the server - which can be overridden with a password, but it is more to keep whatever is invading inside, to stop it from getting out into other worlds. 

But Xisuma knows that these are desperate, inadequate measures. Set in place to make the hermits believe they are safe. Tango asked him, once, if something that powerful was able to break in, wouldn't it be impervious to any measures taken to trap or locate it? And Xisuma had lied, then, telling him the emergency systems would be more than enough to stop any threat. 

He had lied, because he couldn't simply admit that they would be helpless. He couldn't just let his hermits down. Allowing them to believe in him, in the idea of safety, had to be enough.

And it wasn't. It isn't enough. Something is here. The sirens are screaming, and Xisuma, from the control room in his base, feels dread pooling in his stomach. 

Grian, meanwhile, cannot move. He cannot open his Eyes, or his eyes. He's stuck. Frozen. In time, or in space. And yet, he isn't alone behind his eyes. There is something in his vision, something vast and all-knowing. Expanding outward to infinity. 

Lots of things, but he's unsure where each one ends and begins. They have many eyes, but most are closed, unlike the watchers. It makes sense, because all of these gods, these factions, they're all the same type of creature. They all look roughly the same. 

When the Watchers worried about losing their species, and made him a lesser one of them, it was more about the loss of their bloodline - their ideology - than anything else. 

Still, it's strange to be face-to-face with gods again. Gods he hasn't met before. He'd grown used to One and Two. Their violating gaze, wandering code that slinked across his body, infinite forms that spoke in every language and none at the same time. He'd grown used to the discomfort and terror. And when he was Changed, and could comprehend them, he grew used to their neverending yet finite presence. 

The gods before him now do not talk. They don't say a word, unlike One and Two, who said many. Mostly derogatory or uncaring things. Taking joy out of his pain. No, these ones say nothing. They simply observe him. 

On the surface, the skin, the shell that he is made of, down to the muscle, bone, organs, flesh, blood, then onto the cells, the atoms, and finally the code. Every piece of code. He feels it all. But he is used to being looked at. 

They say nothing, and yet he knows what they want. They want to kill him. He tries to plead, mentally. Emotionally. But they do not care to listen. He is beneath them. A criminal. A watcher. 

One of the groups, one of the factions of observers, seems more interested than the others. It is nothing like mercy when they decide to keep him instead. To feast upon his suffering for a while before they get bored and inevitably end his life.

It's the Listeners that take him in, the other deities practically throwing him at them in a very disorienting process. He's ripped from his home in an instant, so fast he doesn't have time to even notice what's happening. It’s a blur of light and colour and shape and time.

And then he's in the void again. A structure in the void. A god's home.

- - -

Xisuma goes on this rescue mission alone. After weeks of painstakingly trying to locate Grian, using all of his energy and admin experience and voidwalker magic, he announces that he will be going alone - no exceptions. It's too dangerous, he tells the other hermits. Far too risky. 

And what about him? What happens if he gets hurt? Xisuma tells them not to worry, but he is overflowing with worry himself. He knows what he's facing, and he knows how difficult this will be. He knows there's a chance he won't come home. 

But one of his charges, one of his hermits, is lost and alone. He knows Grian must be alive because he still remembers Grian exists, but judging by what happened - or what Xisuma assumes happened - the last time Grian was kept hostage by deities... this might be a fate worse than death. 

Scar makes him promise, under the lock and key of a vexian deal, to return safely with Grian. He's clearly angry that he can't go on the rescue mission too, blue light sparkling in his eyes. But he shakes Xisuma's hand, drawing blood with pointed claws, regardless, the singing laughter of the vex swirling around in Xisuma's mind for minutes after the fact. 

And so he goes. Journeys. He's not sure how long it takes for him to reach the outer void. Time is so different, so fragile and bendable, here. He walks, as his species suggests, through the empty abyss with ease, but he's still simply a player, and can only comprehend so much. 

Eventually, after what might have been months and might have been nanoseconds, he finds it. A strange, mind-bending prism, shifting and warping with the void atmosphere. A gods' domain. 

It is... surprisingly easy to find Grian. Upon entering the structure, he slinks through the shadows of tight corridors and winding rooms until he comes across a tiny, barred cell. 

The walls are opalescent, shimmering, while the ground seems to sway like an ocean. In the centre is a nest, constructed with wool and feathers and fabric which all appear to melt into one another. There are objects within, but nothing Xisuma could put a name to. Nothing truly familiar, though everything pushes the boundary of the real. The only thing inside he can really identify, truly, is Grian himself, curled up in the nest, wings barely folded and brushing the walls. 

He tries to say Grian's name, but the sound falls away with the emptiness of the void. It is odd, not hearing his own voice. He was so used to communicating through sign and gesture as a child, but that was a millennia ago, and he hasn't been back to the void in any significant way since. 

Still, Grian seems to hear him. He turns, jerky and sudden, to stare at Xisuma with wild, feral eyes. Animalistic eyes. 

Seeing that gaunt face, Xisuma can tell he's been here for longer than a few weeks. His hair is long and dirty, clumped together in dark patches. His body is thin, bones jutting out under bruised skin, the few clothes left in tattered rags, and the expression on his face, teeth bared... 

It’s too long of a pause. The issue, really, is that he is so close to rescuing Grian, when it all goes wrong.

In the space of a blink, he's not by the cell anymore. He's in some other room, disorientating and impossible. Before him are a series of patterns burnt into the code of the universe, and they are looking at him.

He panics. Tries to split the code between his claws. Tries to send these beings ahead of him into the dark pits of nothingness. He tries to eviscerate them, with all his power, and - of course - they don't even react.

Without words, they tell him to calm down. He does not calm down.

They are everything. They are everywhere. They encompass the entire universe and nothing and all the void and they are finite but they go on forever. A moment to them could stretch over millions of years. Even Xisuma, ancient as he is, is a dot in the timeline of their lives. 

It is absolutely terrifying. He feels so woefully unprepared. So tiny and insignificant. Like nothing could have ever mattered before this. Every part of his being is taken apart, judged, and found wanting. 

Then something incredibly strange happens. 

In one second, Xisuma knows why he is there, why he's facing down deities in a cold, soulless void. He knows he’s on a mission to rescue Grian, his friend and hermit, from the grasp of these unimaginable monsters. And the next second, he does not. 

It is worse, maybe, to be an admin, and feel the empty space where code once lived - where a player once lived - and to know there is something no longer there. Something he has forgotten so immediately, like the blast from an atom bomb, there is only a burning shadow left in its place.

He screams, and the grief comes from nothing. There is nothing. He does not know why he's here, and still knows all the same he has lost. 

They tell him silently, and with every language at once, to leave, or the same will happen to him, and his players will be left with no admin to protect them. No admin, and no memory of an admin at all. 

He feels like he has been sliced open and pulled inside out. 

In an instant, he abandons the void, heading home with the knowledge of his loss lingering in the empty space where something - someone - should be.

- - -

On hermitcraft, Pearl is pacing around her room, worrying. She is an absolute mess of anxiety, picking at her fingernails and pulling the skin there until it hurts. 

It is looking like she might wear a hole in the floor with how much pacing she's doing. The dark bags under her eyes show how little sleep she's had over the past few weeks. Her hair is unwashed and messy. Her room smells stale. 

And then, in an instant, she has no idea quite what she was worrying about at all. The anxiety lingers, but when she tries to remember what caused it, she comes up blank. Entirely blank. Like nothing was ever the matter in the first place. 

Huh. 

Well, she has shops to stock and redstone to learn, and a super secret fight club to take part in, so whatever she was worrying about - which can't have been all that important anyway - can wait. 

She throws on an elytra, and rockets off towards the shopping district. 

/// 

Scar does not know why he feels so angry. Or, actually the vex feel so angry. 

He's a pretty chilled out guy, even with the whole vex thing, so this is rather uncharacteristic of him. The vex are absolutely screaming for blood, in the way they would if a deal had been broken. They are ripping his mind to shreds with their constant screeching, shiny talons digging into the most primal parts of him and begging for redemption. 

But he doesn't remember making a deal. He wouldn’t, knowing the consequences.

Maybe he and Cub played with each others' minds again, for fun, and something went wrong on that front? He has no clue. 

Still, he needs to get some of these silly emotions out, so he shoots Cub a quick message asking for a brawl. Cub is very eager to agree, his own vex apparently needing something similar. 

Weird. 

/// 

Gem stares over the water at the other half of her base. She doesn't really know what she was thinking when she put this bit together. It fits somewhat with her little creepy fishing town, but... there's just something kind of wrong about it. 

It's not her style, for one. The builds don't even make sense with what she has planned. These aren’t themed buildings with specific characters in mind. It's like someone else added it in without much of a regard for her aesthetic choices, but... no, it's her base. 

She made this. Didn't she? 

///

Across the server, at the exact same time, everyone forgets. A space where someone should be is glossed over, blocks rearrange their own backstories to fit a new narrative. Years of laughter, friendship, and chaos are replaced - remedied - with stand-ins. 

Everyone is left just the same as they were before, as far as they know. As if nothing happened at all. 

They all just continue on. Pearl, Scar, Gem, Cleo, Tango, Joel, Skizz, Impulse. Joe, Zed, False, Ren, Hypno, Mumbo... 

Mumbo... 

Mumbo... has a headache. He reaches up to press his fingers against the back of his skull, pushing into the point of pressure with a disgruntled sigh. 

Something is wrong, and he can't tell what. He's been staring at this armour stand build for the past ten minutes, looking into the eyes of a stupid cod, of all things. There's just something about it, he thinks, that is bothering him to no end. 

He considers tearing it down and using a different mob head to represent the hazmat suited figure, but the idea of destroying the silly statue makes his head hurt even more. Like an entire part of his very soul is being torn into. 

Which is weird. Really weird. And don't get him wrong, he loves the occasional dabble into weirdness, but this is the wrong type of weird. Disturbing weird. 

There's something missing from this image, his mind supplies unhelpfully. He's a little confused by that thought. Everything seems to be perfectly in place. Nothing is missing. But it is. 

Or... Someone is missing. Mumbo checks to see who's online, and it all seems normal and fine to him. And yet his mind insists. Someone is missing. Someone so important that it is horrific he would ever forget.

That tug at his soul is there again. Just pulling, pulling, ever so slightly. Like someone is trying to break it in two.

His headache sizzles and lingers, depressingly. He grumbles to himself, and decides to bring this up with Xisuma at the next chance he gets.

Xisuma who went away for... some reason.

Well... Mumbo is sure it'll be alright in the end. Things have never not been alright in the end, after all.

[roosterforme]

Would you graciously give us a glimpse at what it was like the first time Maria invited Bob to her room ?

*loud screeching* *screeching intensifies*

Maddie, I would love nothing more. When Bob first moved in with Maria, he mostly kept to himself. Maria thought he was quiet and reserved, but not in a bad way. He had an adorable smile that he always seemed to bestow on her when they were in a room together, and he smelled good. Like really good. One evening, she found him sitting on the living room floor, his long limbs comically large compared to the sets of Dungeons & Dragons dice he was sorting into organized piles. She watched him from the doorway for a moment, a smile finding its way to her lips, before she made her presence known....

"Hey," she said casually, even though she wanted to moan when she walked close enough to be able to smell his shampoo. Or his laundry detergent. Or whatever it was that she liked so much.

"Maria," he replied, flumbling some of his dice as his cheeks turned a little pink. "Hi." He started to quickly sweep his dice into the tray near his knee with his big hand. "I was just... actually, there's really no cool cover story here. I'm sorting my dice by color like an absolute dork."

She laughed which made him smile as she waved him off like it was nothing to be embarrassed about. "Don't let me stop you. Actually... can I help? It looks kind of fun."

Five minutes later, they had opened a bottle of wine which was sitting on the table with two glasses, and Bob was telling her about his new character while she helped him organize his dice.

"I like this one the best," she said once the bottle of wine was empty. She was poking a sparkly orange d20 with her index finger, and for some reason, Bob leaned in a little closer and pushed a few strands of her hair back from her face.

"You can have it," he told her when her gaze snapped up to meet his. "Since you like it."

Her eyes were wide, and her lips were parted as her tongue darted out to wet them. "Thanks," she murmured softly, wrapping her fingers around the die and taking it to her bedroom with her for the night.

Bob was still thinking about how soft her skin was when he got home from work the next day. Maria was already there, opening her mail. "This one came for you," she told him with a smile, sliding a box across the coffee table.

Part of him was nervous to open it in front of her. She was going to think he had some sort of shopping addiction at this rate. When he unboxed another new dice set, he winced in her direction, but she just laughed in response.

"Should we go ahead and sort them into your collection?" she asked, holding out her hand to look at them. "We could open another bottle of wine."

Honestly, nothing sounded better to Bob. He poured two glasses once again, and they sat on the floor together. As soon as Maria added his new dice to the appropriate color pile where they left them on the living room shelf, she crawled back toward him.

"I kind of wish there were more to put away," she told him. "Hanging out with you is fun."

She looked and sounded sincere. He wanted to touch her again. But this time she beat him to it, crawling right into his lap, letting her fingers brush through his hair.

Maria kissed him, and she tasted like the wine. Her body was soft and warm against his, and when his hands made their way to her hips, she encouraged him to keep going. When he touched the bare skin of her lower back, she stroked his tongue with hers.

"I have an idea," she whispered, nipping at his lips while the combination of her voice and the wine started going to his head. "Why don't you come to my room and see where I put that orange die. It's very close to my bed," she told him as she pulled her shirt over her head.

He was on his feet, helping her up immediately. Maria and Bob stumbled down the hallway to her bed, making out and leaving a trail of clothing along the way. It was a few hours before he took the time to locate the d20 on her nightstand.

The Bradley Bunch

[issdisgrace]

IT'S KINDA A LONG STORY

WARNINGS: None

A/N: This takes place in 2017, character is 28.

“You know you’ve been with us for 6 months and I don’t think you proper told us about how you started hunting.” Sam says, closing his computer. 

“Well, my grandpa was a hunter, so my father became a hunter. Then I decided to continue the family tradition and become a hunter.”

“Cool. How was your childhood? Mine and Sammy’s were fucked, to say the least? Went long periods in hotels. I had to steal food and a bunch of other shit.” Dean says.

“It was a mixed bag. It’s kinda a long story.” I say, sitting up on the bed. 

“We have time.” Sam says.

“Alright, strap in, I guess. As you guys know, I was born in ‘89. My mom got pregnant with me when she was 16 and.

"Had me a month after she turned 17 on my dad’s 17th birthday. My mom came from a very religious family, like super religious, and her getting pregnant with me got her kicked out. My grandma and grandpa let my mom move in. From what I heard, those months were good. My dad was working while trying to finish school while my mom dropped out of school. Mom helped grandma and grandpa with the stuff around the house. When my mom was 8 months and on some odd days with me, she went into labor. She was rushed to the hospital in the town over and had me around 11:45 pm. There were a couple of problems with me since I was premature, but the doctor got everything under control and after a week, I was able to go home. 

Anyway, when I was 2, my mom and dad got married. My first memory was Christmas ‘94. I remember opening a fairy princess set. It was nice at the time, but looking back now, it was very cheaply made. But fast forward to my 8th birthday, 97. I remember we had dinner and my father unwrapped his presents first, being older than I got to open mine. I had got nothing but dresses. I remember I broke out crying then when my mom and dad tried to comfort me I yelled that I didn’t want to be a girl, then ran upstairs and hid in my room. A couple of minutes later, my dad came up and entered my room. He just sat on the bed and talked to me while I was hide telling me that there wasn’t nothing wrong with wanting to be a boy and if I wanted to I could. I crawled out from underneath my bed and sat with him. He held me as I cried and we talked. It started with, is this how you really feel? How long have you been feeling this way? Would it make me happier to be a boy? I told him, It was about 6 when I realized didn’t want to be a girl, that I hated the long hair and dresses, and didn’t like my given name. We talked until it was time for me to go to bed. My dad tucked me in and stayed with me until I feel asleep. I must have been asleep no longer than a half an hour when I was woken up by yelling from downstairs. I could hear my mom yelling at my dad, saying I can’t just be a boy and that it’s just a phase. I remember hearing my dad tell her, so what if it is I have to figure out who I am and who I want to be? I just layed their crying while listening to the yelling and ended up crying myself asleep. 

The next day, things were tense, to say the least that I can remember. My grandma and grandpa talked to me after the very tense breakfast and asked if I wanted to go by something else. At that time, I didn’t know. They suggest names, even pulled out baby name books, and we looked through them. But I didn’t find a name that I liked so they were suggesting different names off the top of their head and I decide on Y/n after my mom’s brother, my uncle who is most definitely the funnest coolest person I have ever known. I remember the first time he came to visit after I came out and by then I had gotten my hair cut and a new wardrobe. I had told him that I was a boy and that my new name was Y/n. He was super chill about the absolute opposite of my mother, despite coming from the same background. And their one out he called me his mini me.

So fast forward to 99 I’m 10. My mom decide to get me nail polish and make up for my birthday. I was first upset, but that black nail polish called me and I painted them. They looked pretty good, and it made me feel masculine. After I was done with my nails and they were tried and I went downstairs to show my grandma and grandpa. They were in the living room and so was my mom. I show them and my mother butted in by asking if I was finally done with this phase and finally being a girl. I was so upset. I just ran out of the house. I ran into the woods and climbed a top of tree. I was close enough to the house that I could hear my grandparents and mother getting into a screaming match. They yelled at her for 30 minutes, then they came out to find me, but I stayed silent while I cried and they didn’t find me. They looked for another half an hour for me before my father came home from his hunt he left on a couple day prior. They rushed to meet him in the driveway and they told my father what had happened. 

And then there comes my mom came out of the house to yell about the whole thing again, saying that she wasn’t going to feed into the delusion and that I needed to start acting like a girl. Shit escalated and my dad yelled that he wanted a divorce and to get the fuck out of the house by morning. Then when things died down, my dad came and found me and I climbed down from the tree and he tried to comfort me. But i just kept crying and eventually I tired myself out and fell asleep. He carried me in and I woke up in my bed the next morning hearing loud crying coming from my mom. She tried to guilt trip and have my dad take her back. But it failed and eventually my uncle arrived and got my mom and her stuff and then she wasn’t in my life. Which in all this my uncle stood beside us, but he did help my mom because of the whole family thing. Anyway, my mom wasn’t completely out of my life. She would leave letters in the mailbox condemning me every couple of weeks.

So then fast forward to when I was 14. I was home alone. When I heard a car pull up. I went downstairs and opened the door and here comes my mom and her boyfriend. I knew something was wrong and quickly closed and locked the door. They started banging on the door and my mom was yelling how she could fix and that I didn’t have to pretend anymore. I called the police and hid in my closet. Listening to the banging. After a couple minutes, I hear two cruisers pull, then a commotion. Then eventually the commotion was over and I heard my name called out by the cop saying it was safe. I realized it was my friends Chris’ dad, John.

I got out of hiding and went downstair and the front door was totaled. It was on the verge of breaking. So I go outside they got my mom and her boyfriend in separate cruiser. John and the other officer, Charlie, made sure I was ok. They got another cop to come out and take my mom from John’s cruiser so John could stay with me. He did, and eventually my dad and grandparents showed up. We pressed charges, they both ended up getting 4 years. And that is the last thing I know about the whereabout of my mom. After that whole situation, my dad and grandpa taught me self defiance, which turned into teaching me how to hunt. 

Then when I was about 18, my grandparents go into a pile up caused by a drunk driver and died. It was really tough around then and I threw myself into my shitty waiter job at the local diner. Made decent money and got good tips. With the saved money, I got myself a car with my dad’s help and started traveling, doing hunts. Stayed in contact with dad through this time and still do. He ended up getting close to John after his wife divorced him and they fell for each other. They got married last year, which I attended their wedding, then I took a break from hunting. Then a couple of months ago I started back up my. band, that’s when I met you guys and here we are.”

“Damn sorry about the whole transphobic mom and grandparents thing.” Sam says.

“Eh, I got over it.”

“Pretty hard stuff to get over,” Dean adds in.

“Yeah, I went to a lot of therapy to get myself to this point.”

“Glad it went well for you. Therapists can be tricky. Some help and some don’t.” Sam said.

“I got paired with a pretty good one. Anyway, don’t mean to switch topics, but how does food sound to you guys because all that talking got me hungry?”

“Yes, I love the way you think.” Dean says.

“There’s a diner just down the road we can go there.” Sam says.

“Sounds good to me.”

[st0nedghostygorl]

This is my first smutty story in the longest time so please be kind. I ended up having a dream after waking up and discovering I missed Hans Valentine’s live. I woke up and had to write it out, so this is what I came up with.

⚠️18+ this contains material not suitable for minors. ⚠️ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ⚠️

Summary- D&D turned naughty.

Pairing: Han Jisung x Reader

Genres smut, friends to lovers

Triggers- Sex while stoned, choking, rough sex, a hint of cnc

Here we go you guys, I hope you like it.

It was a gloomy rainy day but that meant it was perfect. Today was D&D day. With your favorite people that you haven’t seen in a while because of their busy schedules.

You get your favorite dice together and pack your bag. You make sure you have your famous pokemon tin ready and make sure you grab a new lighter. You are sporting a black zip up raincoat with just a shirt on under with nice jeans that accentuate your curves and some cool sneakers. Your hair down and curled.

You arrive and the house is already alive. Happiness and light are pouring out of the windows. It makes your heart swell. Oh how badly you missed being here. Han opens the door “Y/N! You finally made it!!” moving to the side of the door so you can make your way through. But you are frozen, he’s wearing your favorite yellow shirt, the one that makes your stomach flip, with a flannel tied around his waist with black jeans. You shyly blush and head in. You can’t look at him for long or you aren’t responsible for your actions.

You set your stuff down and take your tin out. Yelling to Seungmin to get his butt over here and don’t make you smoke alone. He bounces over in a purple hoodie, his hair a little disheveled, a big grin on his face. You take out your famous Pokémon card tin to reveal several blunts. “Jesus these are so skinny I swear I didn’t roll these.” And it’s true, you didn’t. Your friend rolled them since they can do it better. Han pipes in “with the hybrid you get you don’t need a lot so it’s a good thing” you laugh and nod because you know it’s true. With the strain you get for dnd you’d be bouncing off the walls in no time. You hand one to Seungmin and head outside into the rain. You have to pass Han and you gently motion him to come with. You guys smoke outside huddled under the little awning outside the back door. It felt so good to be there with them again. Seungmin is talking about what could happen in the session today, wondering if today is the day that we slay the big dragon. Or if it is more story building which would be fine because it's been a while since we played in this world, or maybe a dungeon crawl. He goes on with possibilities and you just smile, leaning against the wall, taking in the sight. The smell of the two boys, the smell of the rain, the smell of the familiar house. You were never happier than being here with them.

When the three of you were done, you followed Han into the maze of their apartment and got turned around. You try to yell out for help but it’s a hoarse voice and only one could hear. He pokes his head out offering a silly smile to you that makes your panic erase instantly. You follow him out of the maze and you figure out your misstep. Even though you’ve been here multiple times, the layout is crap and they all have stuff EVERYWHERE. “OOOHHHH it’s a left. Got it.” You hear Han chuckle as he leads you to the table and sits across from you.

Bang Chan is the Dm, of course. They roped Hyunjin into playing along with Felix. Sometimes I.N, Lee Know and Changbin make appearances but they have characters that can come in and out of the story easy. You play for the next few hours laughing and smiling and enjoying yourself. Happy to see the boys relax after so long.

After the session you’re about to head to the bathroom to freshen up when you’re pulled into a room. The bedrooms are like mini studio apartments. A little kitchenette with two cabinets on the bottom and two on top, a bed with a window and a nice bathroom with a claw foot tub and a separate standing shower.

You are pushed into the counters and you see Hans face pop into your field of vision. “Han, what’s going on?” asking confused because its even darker in the room then out in the hallway. “Sorry Y/N I could stop thinking about you during that session. You came here looking so nice and it’s been a while since I’ve seen you” you giggle thinking you were the only one. His face is only a short distance away from yours.

You kiss him. He’s stunned. You peck his lips for a couple of seconds until he kisses you back. He kisses you so deep a rumble of a growl comes up his throat making you weak to your knees. He boosts you up so you’re sitting on the counter now. Never disconnecting your lips. His hands run down your sides and he pulls you closer so there’s no room between you both. You whimper into his mouth while he sports a cocky grin.

It’s dark in the room but the sparks between you are flying. He sucks little spots into your neck while you softly grind into him. Sometimes he breaks contact to drop his head for a second and lets out a moan himself from the friction you are creating. You pull his face into yours and kiss him. While he is distracted you reach for his zipper. He moans into your mouth. “Ji, is this okay?” pulling away slightly, asking him because you never thought that this would happen. He has been your friend for so long, but you always wanted him to be more. He breaks your train of thought with a breathy exhale “fuck, yes Y/N, if you’re okay with it” moving to kissing your neck “fuck yes please I can’t stand it another second” shaking your head a little trying to concentrate atleast for a second.

With that his zipper is forgotten and he has tunnel vision only for you. He yanks down your pants, helping lift you off the counter just for a second. His fingers find your panties and they push them to the side. Finding your bundle of nerves your head hits the upper cabinets softly. Eyes rolling back into your skull. “Jisung plleeaaseee” you draw out while he’s teasing your clit.

He sinks one finger into your wetness without warning and the noise that came out of your mouth has him almost cumming in his pants. “Fuck” he has to kiss you. He pins you down on the counter with his hand on your hip. His fingers digging into your soft flesh, while with his other hand his finger hits your g spot. You gasp into his mouth and your hands find his hair. You grip into his hair lightly and deepen the kiss. While you grip his hair he slips in another finger “fuck! More…. please more….” you beg. He bends down so he is eye level to your wetness and uses his free hand to spread your legs further so he could have better access. But you don’t want his hand there. You grab his hand off your thigh and make him reach, placing it around your throat. He looks at you for any doubts and you silently beg him with your eyes. You pout your lip and he is overcome, pushing your head into the upper cabinets he’s choking you like your life depends on it, adding a third finger you cum immediately covering your mouth with your own hand. Your chest is heaving while you’re coming down from your own high. The weed high long forgotten. He comes to kiss you and you wrap your arms around his strong shoulders. Him fully clothed still while you are winnie the poo-ing.

He picks you up and carries you to the bed. He is so tempted to hit record on his recording equipment so he could memorize your moans but that’ll be for another day. “I need you jisung, fuck me…. fuck me please” through the haze of your first orgasm. You spread your legs open on the edge of the bed while taking off your shirt. Han clumsily takes off his pants and the flannel that was tied to his waist. But smoothly rips off his shirt in one motion. You groan and lean back when you see his muscles.

You always felt safe in his arms. You always had anxiety but somehow he was able to quiet your mind. Like right now, with any other person you’d be uncomfortable and freaking out but him? He doesn’t make you doubt a single goddamn thing. You know this is right. You know you want this. You want him. You just want to be close to him.You would give him anything for his pleasure.

He lays you both down so you are on your sides facing each other and kisses you on the lips. Hand trailing down your side down your leg he hooks your leg over his hip. He leaves a trail of goosebumps wherever he touches. And you let the feeling take over you and you completely relax into his bed. It’s fluffy and warm and smells undeniably like him. You are intoxicated just on his scent. You realized you got distracted when his hard length runs against your wetness. A gasp escapes your mouth and he looks at you. You make eye contact and you smile softly at him blushing that this is finally happening. You have Han in your arms and his sole focus is on you. You run your hand over his bangs and tuck his hair behind his ear and he slowly pushes into you. His eyes never leave yours, your mouth drops open in a silent scream. He pushes in deeper and your head is thrown back into the comforter while he plays with your clit. You feel like you are levitating. He slowly bottoms out and kisses you so deeply. He speaks for the first time in a while “Y/N, you are so beautiful. So so so beautiful. You should see yourself. Stunning. I can’t, I can’t think of any other word” shaking his head a little trying to clear the fog. His voice is coming from down deep and is gruff, like his morning voice but somehow deeper. And with your fronts pressed together you can feel the reverb in his chest and your hand absentmindedly goes straight to it. Covering a bit of his heart with the tips of your fingertips, your palm covers his middle. He speaks again “I don’t want this to be a one time thing.” Seeing your eyes close and you softly smile when you feel his voice in his chest he continues “I want to keep you, never let you leave this bed. Even when I’m not here I want to know that you are safe and warm inside my bed. Come back to you and have it smell like you” he kisses the side of your face all over, while your nodding in agreement. You never want to leave this bed. Please don’t take me away. Don’t make me leave, you think. Tears escape your eyes because you missed him so much. He was gone for longer then he usually is which might be why you both are jumping each other. Don’t they say distance makes the heart grow fonder?

Han starts pulling out and going back in a bit faster. “Don’t…..stop…… don’t stop talking please, keep….. fuck….. keep talking to me please” you’re practically begging by the time you get your message across. He growls “fuck Y/N” it’s like a switch flipped in him. He pins you to the bed, your back flat against it. “Keep talking to you? Do you get off to the sound of my voice?” Your legs wrapped around his itty bitty waist and follows your lead from before. His hand wraps around your throat “I should have guessed, a quiet girl like yourself would love rough kinky sex” licking his lips eyes focused on how well your core takes his circumference disappearing deeper and deeper.

It’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, him being hypnotized. You can see his veins popping out in his forearm out of the corner of your eye. His never leaving you, yours roll back in your head. “Oh do you like this? Me being rough and mean?” His free hand lands loudly on your asscheek and he squeezes your neck to make sure you remember it’s there, your head feeling light and floaty. “Using my voice to help you get closer?” He squeezes your throat a little bit harder “doing exactly what you wanted?” He uses his other hand to play with your clit again. You can feel his length drag in and out harder than before, making the friction all the sweeter. Using your position to help him, you are pinned with your ass in the air him fucking into you holding you down by your throat.

“Fuck… don’t stop” you can only muster three words because he is making your brain melt. You take your breasts into your own hands because his are busy with other things. Messaging your nipples, pulling them and twisting, your head goes further back into the bed and his grip on your neck goes a little harder. You can barely breathe and his pounding is relentless. You need just one more thing to push you over the edge that you are teetering. He leans over, never letting up his pace, whispering into your ear “be my good girl and come all over my cock. With my hand wrapped around your throat, do you wanna be my good girl?” By the time he’s done with his sentence only “yessssssyessssssyessss” could only come out of your mouth. You are practically slurring the s into the next yes just begging to finish. “Please please please make me cum fuck please Han please” a jumbled sentence just tumbles your mouth begging for that band to snap. He chokes you harder into the bed and starts slapping your clit. The roughness of the slap melts into the pleasure of his relentless pounding and you finally break. Screaming into the darkness you feel a wetness spread on your lower back and you can hear it leaking out of you. He is overcome with your surprise that he loses control and cums instantly. He pulls out at the last second and cums on your thigh.

He lets go of your throat and looks down “holy shit Y/N you just squirted” “ I did???” You brace yourself into your elbows. That’s as much movement you could muster. You could never do that with a dick, only with fingers. You giggle lightly when you realize. “Han, you just made me squirt all over your cock.” He chuckles. “Haha, yeah I did fuck yeah” he comes to your side and you both relax into the wet bed for a while.

You slowly slip into unconsciousness but hear the tub filling in the background. You feel arms around you and suddenly you are floating. You smell your favorite scent and feel the heat around you, nuzzling into his chest.

Han places you into the filling tub “Do not move”. You giggle not like you were going to anyways.

You perk up when you hear a familiar sound of a tin opening. You open your eyes finally when you smell one of your favorite scents. You see Han getting into the tub behind you and he is exhaling. Smoke fills around you. Both from the hot water of the filling tub and the smoke he just let out of his lungs. He passes you the blunt while you cuddle into his chest watching the water rise around you both. Neither of you speak. You don’t need to. There’s no awkwardness or uncomfortableness. He’s humming to himself lightly and you close your eyes. Handing the blunt back and forth, feeling his deep hum in the middle of your back.

Suddenly he’s enraptured with your breasts. Playing with them with both hands watching the water run off. You feel something poking into your lower back, you giggle. He grumbles as he realizes you’re chuckling at him. “Ready for another round so soon?” You ask coyly he answers in a deep voice right next to your ear “you have no idea what you do to me”

You take an inhale off the blunt and place it to the side. You turn around and straddle him making the water splash a bit, not that either of you minded. You lift his head up to meet yours and squish his cheeks a bit so you could open his mouth. You hover your mouth over his and exhale your smoke into his open mouth. You hear him inhale as his eyes roll back.

As much as you love him on top of you, you think you like being on top of him even more. You grind down as he exhales, making his breath hitch.

You grind feeling him get harder and harder by the second. His eyes never leave you. They trace from your eyes to the blush on your chest running up to your cheeks to your breasts squishing against his toned chest. He nearly faints when he sees your softness melt into his muscles.

You lift up a bit and shove your chest into his face, smothering him. The grunt he lets out is otherworldly and you entwine your fingers in his hair for better control over his face. Controlling his breath with your breasts.

He lets out a gasp and looks up at you with the most pleading eyes, silently begging you to take control over him. Make him yours. Make him the whiny little sub he so desperately wants to be.

You chuckle “oh Hannie, loves to fuck but loves to be fucked even more hm?” He lets out a hot breath blush covering his round cheekies “yeah maybe” he drops his eyes to your chest because he’s embarrassed?

You lift his head with a finger under your chin giving him the softest smile you could “good thing we can do both, any time you want”

This makes him perk up “Really? You’re okay with that?”

“For you I would. That’s what this is, something for BOTH of us.” Emphasizing that you also care about his needs rather than just your own. You don’t know what this is or where the night is going to take you. Even if it’s still night? You have no idea what time it is. All you know is that you need him in you again and you don’t care if you have to take the reins for a little while. Seeing him soft and powerless is equally as sexy as him trying to fuck his frustrations out on you.

“I’d like to try. I’d try everything with you” he admits and kisses your cheeks. Wrapping his arms around your waist and drags you against his fully hardened length. Making you both gasp.

You smile and push your cheek into his kissing embrace. “Then we will. All of it. Together.” You wrap your arms around his neck and move to kiss him on his mouth. Lightly for a minute but you both get distracted and he deepens the kiss first.

You both are hot from the water and stoned as hell. Entangled in the bathtub with a burnt out blunt next to you. You had no idea that this evening would take this turn but you are so happy to have been pulled into his room.

Your hand finds it way back into his hair while you start grinding again. You maneuver in the cramped space to slip him inside of you while you push his face into your breasts. You feel the groan inside of his chest more than hear it. You slowly move down his length keeping his face buried. When you bottom out you finally pull his face away.

“Oh my god oh my god Jesus fuck fuck me” comes out his mouth as soon as he’s pulled away. His eyes closed, lost in the feeling. You pull his hair lightly so his jaw is angled up and you kiss and lick all over his neck. You are slowly moving up and down his hard cock.

You move to whisper in his ear. “You like it when I use you? Just like you use me? How does it feel? How does it feel to suffocate on my tits while I ride you for my own pleasure? Hm? You like being the toy?” Using his own words against him he shudders, blush deepening in his round cheeks. “You keep talking like that, Y/N, I’m going to cum so fast” you can see his eyes roll back in his skull and it’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.

Your other hand wraps around his throat and his eyes spring open, his eyes pure black overcome with lust. You pull your other hand free from his hair and you move it down to his nipples. You start riding harder making water splash over the tub’s edge but neither of you care. You swear you can feel your wetness leak down your legs even though you are submerged in water. So much for a bath, it was supposed to make you clean but you ended up defiling it and making it filthy. He knew what he was doing climbing behind you but he never knew it would lead to this.

You twist his nipple while riding him to the tip and dropping down hard to the bottom. Choking him harder against the tub you make him stare into your eyes. “Do you like it when I take control? When you are putty under my hands? Hm? I don’t think anyone else would know what to do to you. I think I’m the only one who knows how to make you feel good. Just like you knew with me. Did you know I never squirted on a cock before? Only with fingers? How does that make you feel? Confident? But look at you now. A melted mess under my hands. I could let you suffocate for real and I think you’d come to haunt me as a ghost just to thank me.” and with those words you move forward to push your breasts back over his face. Keeping your hand choking him, you ride as hard as you can. And you feel his hot liquid coat your insides.

You let him go completely, letting his head gently rest on the back of the tub. Him a whimpering mess “I can’t take it anymore it’s too much” he whines while you are still riding him. “ I’m going to cum on your cock whether you like it or not” and with those last words you cum over his cock but to his surprise he comes again just from the pulsing of your pussy on his dick. He has to clamp his hand over his mouth to stifle a scream. While he fondles the first breast he could reach.

You both are frozen coming down from both your highs. You are panting on top of him,softening cock still in your pussy. He can feel both of your liquids running down him.

You say something first

“Are you okay?” Quickly ready to apologize, looking him over to make sure you didn’t harm him in any way. Ready to start crying.

“It’s okay it’s okay sssshhh Y/N, I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me.” Quickly grabbing your face between his hands to make you look at him. “Y/N that was the hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed. Please I beg you to do that again at some point. We can go over everything later but trust me. Everything is good and we should be happy.” Talking quickly, trying to keep you from going into dom drop.

Tears escaping your eyes. You nod in agreement and can’t believe what you just did. He brushes the tears away with his thumbs never letting your face go. He kisses the tip of your nose, and helps you climb down off of him. He drains the tub but only to fill it again, lighting the forgotten blunt to the side and handing it to you. He helps wash your hair, your back, any place he can reach. When he’s done washing you, you help wash him. Passing the blunt back and forth until it’s just a butt.

[t0rturedangel]

Main 4+ craig with a Teruhashi (from saiki k) like readerr? Teruhashi's character is a popular girl,most pretty,has alot of admirers,smart,but unfortunately she cant do anything wrong to keep up her self image.Like if she fail a test her self image would be destroyed,so to keep her self image she has to stay up late and study,she also can't be rude to people even if they are rude to her because it'll ruin her self image :)

╭ . . . perfection and her protector ੭

• ➛ main four + craig x fem ! reader ( separate )

╰ notes / warnings :: swearing, kind of ooc (again). Sorry if this isnt good, please ask lemme know and i'll re-write !

STAN MARSH - ✮ •

━ Okay firstly- STAN loves you so much it actually crazy, sometimes he wonders how he's landed you and he thanks the lord that he did. To him you're absolutely amazing.

━ He hates the fact that you put so much pressure on yourself, so he tries his best to help you

━ he crawls into your room during the night ( totally not creepy ) and brings you food / snacks and tries his best to help you with studying and homework, but he sucks so he tries but ultimately- he fails.

━ after studying he'll just cuddle you and talk about how much you're amazing and how you can have some days off.

━ I feel like no one would dare to be rude to you, no one would want to be rude to one of the most popular girls in school- whos also the girlfriend of the school's star quarterback- Stanly Marsh.

━ If anyone was rude to you- you dont even have to worry, the next day they'd be apologizing to you practically all day, since you and stan are so popular and someone was rude to you, the talk spread like wildfire and many started hating the person since, who the fuck thought they had the right to make fun of one of the sweetest people in south park ??

" Im-im sorry ! Im so so so sorry " the person cried before rushing away leaving you confused. Not even a day ago this person was swearing you out and making fun of you, you not daring to say anything bad and now they were almost in tears, apologizing while everyone sent glares to them. After a few seconds you felt someone behind you, turning your head you saw stan " Hey babe " he smiled at you, wrapping his arms around your waist pulling you closer to him " Hiya hun " you grinned back " what happened ? " " you know the person who made fun of me yesterday? they apologized to me " " thats good " you turned so now you and stan were face to face " Stan, did you do something to them ? " " Not directly " he laughed before pulling you away- to the cafeteria talking to you about how he's joining to come over after school, to help you study and then just cuddle and watch movies, a smile on both of your faces as you walked.

KYLE BROFLOVSKI - ✮ •

━ Its so clear to everyone how much KYLE is in love with you, its actually insane. When he's not with his friends he's with you, a wide in-love smile on his face- he practically has hearts in his eyes.

━ Since he's literally the smartest kid in school (if not ALL of south park) he'll always help you study- making sure to explain things in a way you easily understand.

━ unlike stan, kyle doesn't sneak into your house he just walks in with his own set of spare keys. Your guardians love kyle so much they gave him his own house keys, its that or you go over to his house so you two could study ( he kinda likes it that way, since Sheila absolutely ADORES you ).

━ After studying he'll play video games with you, order take out ( or even make you some food himself ) and just hang out with you, helping you de-stress in any way he can.

━ I honestly pray for anyone who is rude to you and kyle finds out. Have you seen how hard he can punch people? Yeah . . . that person is honestly, truly fucked.

━ He might even bring out his jersey side on them.

You stared at the shaking person in front of you, they muttered apologize before speeding off. " Woah- huh ? " you questioned before turning around, deciding not to think about the situation any longer- it was best not to. They apologized and thats all that mattered to be honest. Reaching your locker you met your red headed boyfriend you sent a smile to you " Hey Kyle " you greeted, arms wrapping around him- he returned the favor, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek " How's it going [ nickname ] ? " " Pretty good babe, y'know that person who made fun of me a few days ago? " kyle hummed, annoyed with the mention of the person " They apologized to me, i dunno why but they did " " Good. No one should talk to you- or anyone- like that " he tsked and gave you a squeeze " Anyway- since a test is coming up, i'm coming over to help you study " you sighed, smiled and agreeded, even though you didnt want to bother your boyfriend with helping you he was a stubborn guy and by now it was practically tradition " Sure Kyley " " dont call me that " he pressed another kiss to your face.

ERIC CARTMAN - ✮ •

━ Even though no one can tell, ERIC is very much in love with you he just doesnt like anyone knowing. He defiantly wont make fun of you, as much as much as he would with anyone else, still he loves you.

━ Unlike Kyle, Eric is one of the dumbest ( when it comes to academics ) so he cant really help you there, he'll also have to break into your house, your guardians dont trust Eric- like at all

━ Still, after you've finished studying he'll throw you a bag of cheesy poofs and call you over to watch movies or Terrance and Phillip and while he will complain if you want to watch something he doesnt like, he'll still let you watch it.

━ If you think the person who made fun of you fucked up with kyle? oh boy . . .

━ the person who made fun of you should start praying to every god there is or better yet start buying their casket because they are sure as hell not making it out alive.

" Goodevening Eric " you smiled at your boyfriend, who was leaning against his a random sweet shop, eating cheesy poofs " Evenin' babe " he replied mouth full of the crisps " How've you been ?- " before you could hear another reply from him you felt a tap on your shoulder, turning around you were met with the kid who belittled you a day ago, they were shaking- tears in their eyes " i-im sorry . . . " they squeaked before looking over your shoulder, their shaking becoming more violent as terror was seen in their eyes " I'm- uhm- really- REALLY sorry, please forgive me " you stared at them, a soft smile on you face " its okay " at those words they sped off. " Huh ?- did i say something- e- ... eric. " you turned to face the evil smirk that your boyfriend held. You connected the dots and narrowed your eyes at Cartman who only changed his evil smile to an innocent look " Whaaa?? i didn do anyfing " .

KENNY MCCORMICK - ✮ •

━ God if you thought Kyle & Stan were madly in love with you, you've clearly haven't seen KENNY with you. He follows you around like a little lost puppy, heart eyes, red blush, half lidded eyes. For fucks sake he's like when a cartoon character when they smell the aroma of a pie when he's around you.

━ Just like his best friend Eric, kenny isnt the smartest mostly because he's fantasizing during lessons and simply cant be bothered to listen to whatever bull shit is spewing out of the teacher's mouth.

━ He would also sneak into your room whenever you're studying even though he doesnt have to at all- he likes how it makes it feel like the two of you are forbidden lovers that can only see each other in private when its the complete opposite.

━ To be honest, its usually you helping HIM study which puts a lot more pressure on you but you dont really mind it plus after you and kenny cuddle while talking about anything interesting happening in the town.

━ If anyone decided to be an ass to you and the words gets to ken, that person will have a lovely visit from an edgy super hero, who'll then visit you after.

You were trying to get some sleep when you heard a tapping at your window. While you were tired and sad- and really REALLY - didnt want to open the window you knew who it was so you didnt really have a choice. Sighing you got up and opened the window, a figure 'flying' in, landing next to your bed " Hey mystie " you gave him a tired smile, you heard a low hum " dont call me that . . . its embarrassing " " Its cute " you laughed softly walked over by his side, sitting down " what are you here for? " mysterion hummed before sitting down by you, his gloved hand holding your bare one " you know that kid that bullied you ? " he asked in his gruff voice, one that ( even though you knew he was kenny ) he refused to stop using " Mhm " " Listen to this " he pulled out a phone and played an audio for you, an audio that consisted of the person who screamed profanities at you earlier that day, the same person who made you miserable was sobbing apologies and begging you for forgiveness. " Mysterion ! " you gasped staring at him- shocked " They wont bother you now, dont worry i didnt hurt them . . . that bad " " I appriciate your worry and that you made them apologize but, please , promise me that you wont scare them that much again " you shook you head " Okay . . . i promise " " Thanks Mystie " you smiled and kissed his cheek causing a slight smile on his face to appear.

CRAIG TUCKER - ✮ •

━ A little like eric, CRAIG doesnt really show how much he loves you around other people (unless they insult you or poke fun of you) aside from holding your hand. In private though its clear he's head over heels in love with you.

━ Craig is alright when it comes to education, he isnt extremely good nor extremely bad he's average but he'll help you as much as he can when it comes to you needing help with school work, but he'll probably stop midway and stop you too claiming that 'its stupid'.

━ When this happens, Craig drags you to his room - since you two usually study around his house - so the both of you can play games, watch YouTube and cuddle with Stripe.

━ When he hears that someone decided to be a dickhead to you, he'll most likely beat the shit out of them- sending middle fingers over the next school years to them.

━ This guy can hold grudges, and he'll hold a really long grudge to anyone who makes fun of his girlfriend.

" Craig, for the love of god " you muttered, patching up his bruises when getting into the fight he never considered the fact that the other kid, who 'bullied' you was also strong but that was now in the past and it seemed to you that craig didnt care " So ? That asshole deserved it " he let out a hiss when the rubbing alcohol made contact with a cut " No one talks shit about my girl " he groaned, cupping your face looking into your sad and slightly disappointed eyes " I know that you care and im so greatful for that, but you dont need to " " But i do, you dont deserve to be hurt like that and i know you cant stand up for yourself, so i will " he pressed a kiss to your forehead with his busted lips " I love you [ nickname ] " " I love you too Craig " you held his hand, squeezing it.

[dont-f-with-moogles]

The Envelope

Characters: Dazai x Reader Word count: 937 words Osamu Dazai is one of the regulars at the café where you work. Whilst conversations with him are never dull, your tireless to-and-fro often takes you away from the subject of his ever-growing tab. Instead, you are forced to sidestep his constant invitations into a ‘lover’s suicide’ and remind him that such a pursuit can be accomplished alone by any individual in possession of a good life insurance policy. If anything, the living spouse would then at least profit financially. And yet, Dazai neither seems satisfied with your responses nor deterred in his efforts to change your mind.

One day, at the end of a long shift, you were approaching the double doors, keys in hand, when Dazai slouched past the glass. Startled, you opened one door to admit him. It had been some time since he had visited the café and the lateness of the hour only added to your sense of trepidation.

“Just thought I’d stop by… I’m sure you missed me!” he called out jovially. As he perched upon one of stools which lined the counter, you set your ring of keys down noisily.

“Oh, I made do with the customers who actually pay their bills,” you snapped back at him. Your hands flexed at your sides; suddenly you wished you still had something to occupy them with. “Still, it has been a while. I saw on the news that there were arrest warrants out for the ADA…”

“It was horrible,” Dazai agreed mournfully. “Prison was the worst! My cell was tiny, the company was just dreadful and don’t even get me started on the food!”

There was always something so captivating about his performance, even if that’s all it ever was; an act. And yet, the dull, monochrome day-to-day was flooded with colour in his presence. For one so preoccupied with death, he possessed the singular ability to rouse the world around him into life. Hearing his voice after all those weeks was enough to lift your lips into a shy smile. Despite yourself, your earlier resolve was already crumbling. With an effort, you tore your eyes away from his own.

“Look Dazai, it’s closing time and I need to get home. How about I make you a coffee to go? Consider this one - and only this one - on the house. I guess it's the least I can do after everything you’ve been through.” Fumbling, you laid down a fresh filter and sprinkled in several, hasty spoonfuls of ground coffee.

“Actually…” Dazai drummed his fingertips upon the counter. “…I’m here to ask you out.”

The handle of the kettle almost slipped from your grasp.

“I know, I know!” he waved away your protests before you had even uttered them, “…but hear me out, just once more will you? I’ve been preparing for this moment you know!” To add further mystery to his words, he slid an unmarked envelope across the bar. “I even asked around for advice on what to say to you!” Dazai leaned back so luxuriously on his stool that you were certain he would fall. Quickly, he righted himself. “That being said, my cell mate was nothing short of psychotic. He insisted that I get you fired from your job and isolate you from your loved ones so then you’d have no choice but to crawl to me!”

“Wow. What a romantic.” Somehow, you managed to flatten the tremor in your voice. It was fortunate that, by now, the rich coffee decoction had dripped down into the lower basin, for you were able to occupy yourself with an open cupboard. You made a performance of retrieving a fresh takeaway cup before he could notice the warmth in your cheeks.

"So…” Turned away from him, you smiled down into the empty cup. “...you were thinking about me whilst you were in there…?”

”…of course. And, whilst I didn’t take that man’s advice… I did come prepared.“

Finally connecting his statement to the white envelope, you placed the items down and returned his attention.

"Six months’ tab paid up.” Dazai winked roguishly. “Plus tips.”

“Who did you rob?” You turned the paper over in your hands, conscious of the deepening flush upon your face.

He laughed. “Would that matter to you?”

In answer, you placed the envelope over on the other side of the counter.

“I guess in the end, it wasn’t so hard to figure out what to say.” Dazai rose, hands stowed in the pockets of his trench coat. “I just had to prove to you that I’m a man of my word…” He nodded and, taking up the coffee you had made for him, turned to leave.

As Dazai approached the doors, he spoke again. His voice was losing its theatrical quality with every word. It was as though he was breaking character; opening up to reveal some hidden quality. There was something new there; something nervous, tentative, sincere. “…I’m also doing a little better now, I think. Maybe, someday, I’ll die with a beautiful woman… but first, first we’ll live.” He gave a small sigh. And, with that, he raised the cup in a brief gesture of farewell.

“Wait-”

Dazai glanced back over his shoulder, eyebrows lifted in interest.

“Maybe… this time, I’ll let you take me somewhere…” You were untying the white bow of your apron with clumsy fingers. “There’s just one condition…”

He opened his mouth to reply but you interrupted with a raised hand.

”…I’m not heading anywhere near the riverside with you, got it?”

He laughed. Then, pushing his palm against the glass, he held the door open to the fading evening light.

Part 2 (NSFW)

[possiblylando]

Some of my HTP theories

(Mostly about future plotpoints) 1. Big D looking so young is a plot point and not just a reference to TTS. You probably get what I'm going to say so let's just do some math. We know Markus is at least 30. We'll lowball and say he's 32 since birthday remarks make it sound like it wasn't recent. We know Door is older than Markus. Boy is 11 (as of current) and if we Lowball door's age again (35, 3 year age gap which I doubt is correct) he could've had boy when he was around 24. Then if we assume D had Door in this early 20s, We'll say 20 exactly as another lowball. That would place D at bare minimum 55 years old. My actual estimate is somewhere between 60-70. Yet he has no notable greying hair (ignoring lighting highlights) and is built like a brick shithouse who's able to manhandle brock of all people. As such it makes logical sense to assume there's some fuckery going on with how D ages (or doesn't). I doubt D is a vampire- or was a vampire I saw that theory awhile ago on reddit. What I think is more likely is that he gained immortality through mage fuckery. There's a character in Dorohedoro who's an old man but he got hit by age reduction magic so he's stuck being physically like 14. I think D has something similar going on. 2. Door is going to leave the family. I was thinking of saying "Door will betray the family" but that doesn't really fit. D's biggest flaw is that he's too secretive. There's currently no evidence that he's even told the rest of the family about Kevin being alive. Markus has some inkling of it because of the cop but I doubt he's put anything together. We all of course know Kevin is genuinely on D's side now, but Kevin can't be kept a secret forever. Eventually his existence is going to come out and when it does, I can not foresee a future where Door is happy about it. Door was willing to forgive D's secrets because they were to protect the family. But if he finds out D has been keeping a vampire alive and as an ALLY no less I can see that trust crumble down. Door has of course made his opinions on vampires VERY clear. As such if he finds out about Kevin not from D but from another incident he's going to have to make a choice. -Either stick to his morals and leave the family to hunt vampires on his own (maybe taking boy with him). -Or accept that his entire worldview on vampires is flawed and some of them can be saved. 3. Grimal is the ghoul, But she won't die. This kind of ties into the previous one as well. I went over a good chunk of the evidence surrounding Grimal being the ghoul in another post. I'll quickly summarize it here; -Grimal is known to crawl through the vents -She was in the security room when Occam was attack and the only way to get into the vault is through the door or air vents. -If she has vampire magic it could explain why brock's knives all broke when he tried to use them. -She has attachments to the people at the arcanum so wouldn't want to kill them. Which is why Occam didn't die. There's of course more evidence but this is all just summary. Now my actual theory is that Grimal is going to be found out and either D, Markus, or Kitten will go up to bat for her and this is when D will reveal he has a way to deal with ghouls. We know from Kevin that being a ghoul is similar to the blood pact where you're basically completely fucked and under control of your superior. Which is why I could see them trying to help her. Now think back to Guy Chapman, he hasn't actually served much purpose in the story being a ghoul. His existence is world building. It shows that ghouls can be anyone and anywhere. He also shows that ghouls can switch masters like he switched to Kevin. The idea is that Guy is set up so that when Grimal eventually undergoes the same thing it won't be an asspull/reveal it'll be an extension of pre-established mechanics. Door will of course NOT be happy about this.