#so it's a good thing he came back. so i get to listen to him

[kashverse]

𝒴our first encounter with the 呪術廻戦 men 

⪩⪨ ✶ implied f!reader but can be read otherwise (use of "pretty" in choso's version), strangers to lovers, fluff, featuring ♡ canon! gojo, canon! geto, single dad! toji, modern au! choso, canon! sukuna in a modern au, corporate! nanami ✿ ⪩⪨ tried a new formatting style..! ib my dear @norikuna (∩˃o˂∩)♡

gojo doesn’t see you coming. not because he’s oblivious—though, sure, that’s part of it—but because he’s too busy making himself miserable, listening to some poor bastard on the phone cry about their ex. it’s barely noon, the sun’s out, people are living their lives, and this guy’s talking about how he let “the one” slip through his fingers. “bro, just get another one,” gojo had said, dead-eyed, waiting for the crosswalk light to change. the response was more crying. he sighed, hanging up.

and then he smacked straight into you.

not a polite bump, not even a nudge—full-on body collision, your forehead meeting his chin with a sharp crack. the impact was enough to send you both stumbling, but while gojo’s built like a brick wall, you had all the misfortune of being knocked back a few steps. “ow—what the fuck?!” your voice came first, and then, through the dizzying pain, you saw him. tall, white-haired, stupidly good-looking in an insufferable way, dressed like he was on some model’s off-day. sunglasses slid down the bridge of his nose, and even through the slight daze, you could see the sharp glint of his blue eyes peering down at you.

“ah, my bad—”

“your bad?” your voice rose, disbelieving. the pain hadn’t even settled yet, but your temper had. “you nearly took my head off!”

gojo blinked. “well, technically, if i took your head off, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he pointed out. “unless you’re a talking head, which would be—"

“are you serious?” you cut him off, hands flying up in exasperation. “you’re just standing in the middle of the damn sidewalk—”

“crosswalk,” he corrected.

“—like a fucking lamppost,” you barreled on, ignoring him. “and then you hit me. no, actually, you collided with me like a fucking train, and now you’re just standing there?”

you looked ready to kill him. gojo thought you looked radiant. people don’t really yell at him. they get nervous, flustered, awkward. maybe they complain a little, but they don’t yell. not like this—not with this kind of raw, unfiltered rage that was directed solely at him.

and he was loving it.

“ohhh, you’re mad mad,” he said, grinning.

“no shit?” you spat, rubbing your forehead. “you’re huge! why do you walk like you don’t know how to control your own size?”

“i’m huge? that’s a compliment,” he mused. “also, you ran into me.”

“i did not—"

“you did, but it’s okay,” he waved off. “i forgive you.”

your mouth dropped open. your jaw clenched so hard you swore you heard it click. “i don’t need your forgiveness,” you snapped. “i need you to watch where the hell you’re going!” gojo just smiled. “i can do that,” he said. “but only if you tell me your name first.”

you squinted at him. “why?”

“so i know what to say in my apology,” he said smoothly. “y’know, something heartfelt, real personal. ‘i’m so sorry, dear stranger, for running into you with my big, strong, muscular body—’”

your scowl deepened. “forget it,” you turned to leave, shaking your head.

gojo grabbed your wrist. lightly, like he was afraid you’d shake him off (which you probably would). “wait,” he said, less teasing this time, more curious.

you stopped, staring at him warily. “what?”

he grinned. “you’re fun.”

you yanked your arm out of his grip. “you’re annoying.”

but you weren’t yelling anymore. and maybe, just maybe, that was enough for now.

toji doesn't believe in love—at least, not in the way people like to romanticize it. to him, love has always been transactional. people want things: security, pleasure, a warm body to cling to at night. he provides, they take. simple.

commitment? fuck no. he’s been there, done that, and all it got him was a headache and a kid who looks at him like he’s a walking disappointment. not that he blames megumi—he knows exactly the kind of man he is. relationships, from what he's seen, are just another job. another obligation. more shit to deal with when he's already stretched thin making sure megumi doesn't starve or turn into a little menace. and he's already got enough on his plate. 

raising megumi is work. the kid is sharp, stubborn, and way too perceptive for his own good. keeping up with him is exhausting. fulfilling someone else’s expectations on top of that? hell no.

people ask if he’s lonely. he laughs. lonely? he’s got freedom. no nagging, no obligations, no answering to anyone but himself and, on the worst days, a grumpy eight-year-old who somehow thinks he’s smarter than him. love, in his experience, is just a distraction. and toji fushiguro doesn’t do distractions.

and toji swears he only looked away for a second.

he was just checking the damn price tag on some overpriced brand of instant noodles, and when he looked back, megumi was gone. poof. like a magic trick, except it wasn’t a trick, and the rising panic in his chest was very, very real. “shit,” he muttered, scanning the aisles. nothing. just a bunch of old ladies and college kids looking for cheap meals. no messy black hair, no tiny scowl. he ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep calm. he didn’t want to make a scene. people lost their kids all the time, right? it wasn’t a big deal. he just had to—

and then he saw him.

megumi was at the end of the next aisle, small hands clenched at his sides, his mouth pressed in a thin, stubborn line, like he wasn’t scared, even though he definitely was. and right next to him, crouched down to his level, was you. “you’re really good at this,” you said. megumi blinked up at you. “huh?”

“the whole ‘not panicking’ thing,” you smiled at him. “most kids freak out when they lose their parents. you’re staying calm. that’s cool.” megumi looked away, like he wasn’t sure if that was actually a compliment or not. “i don’t wanna cause trouble,” he muttered.

“aw, but that’s what parents are for,” you teased. “causing them trouble.” megumi almost smiled. almost. toji, still frozen in place, narrowed his eyes. who the hell were you?

“c’mon, let’s go find your dad,” you said, standing up and holding out a hand. megumi didn’t take it, but he followed you anyway, his short legs working hard to keep up with your pace. and toji? well. he wasn’t sure why, but instead of stepping forward, he let you find him.

he let you do the whole thing, watching as you walked with megumi, asking him questions—where he last saw his dad, what his name was, what he looked like.

“he’s really tall,” megumi said. you hummed. “tall, huh? that helps.”

“and he’s got a scar on his mouth,” he added.

“even better. anyone who looks scary is easier to spot.”

megumi frowned a little. “he’s not scary.” you smiled, ruffling his hair. “i bet he isn’t.”

toji snorted under his breath.

by the time you turned the corner and finally spotted him, megumi exhaled in relief. toji pretended not to notice how fast he ran up to him, grabbing the fabric of his shirt like he wasn’t just saying how calm he was. you, on the other hand, stopped a few steps away, hands on your hips. “you must be the scary, not-scary dad,” you said.

toji raised an eyebrow. “and you’re just a random saint, huh?” you shrugged. “not a saint. just someone who doesn’t like seeing kids upset.”

he looked at you, really looked at you. you didn’t seem put out by any of this, like helping some stranger’s kid wasn’t an inconvenience, but just another part of your day. like it was normal. toji let out a breath, then tilted his head down at megumi. “you good, kid?”

megumi nodded, though he still wasn’t letting go of toji’s shirt. toji sighed, glancing back at you. “guess i owe you, huh?”

you waved him off. “don’t worry about it. just keep an eye on him next time.”

toji huffed a laugh. “easier said than done.”

you grinned, giving megumi one last look before turning to leave. and toji? well. maybe being responsible for two people wouldn’t be so bad after all.

nanami never thought much about being single. it wasn’t a matter of pride or principle—just reality. his job was time-consuming, his patience was thin, and the thought of entertaining someone else’s needs after a long workday felt exhausting. he wasn’t lonely, just… fine. indifferent.

until he got sick of his office food.

“this is inedible,” he said flatly, staring at the sad excuse of a meal on his plate. his colleague, barely looking up from his own tray, mumbled, “it’s fine.”

nanami’s eye twitched. it was not fine. rubbery chicken, dry rice, and a soup that tasted more like dishwater than anything edible. this was not a meal—it was a punishment.

so, he made a change.

he found a small business that delivered homemade meals, something personal but convenient. it promised variety, quality ingredients, and, most importantly, flavor.

what he didn’t expect were the notes.

the first one came tucked under the neatly packed meal.

“hope today isn’t too exhausting! eat well!”

nanami stared at it for longer than he should have. then, at the food—real food. properly cooked, properly seasoned, steaming with warmth that no canteen meal could ever replicate. he didn’t think about it much. a kind gesture, that was all. but the notes kept coming.

“long meetings? i packed extra today.”

“rainy day! hope this brings some warmth.”

“rough week? your food will always be good at least.”

and then—

“your order is always so precise. you must be someone who likes routine.”

nanami paused mid-bite. he did like routine. he thrived on it. and yet, this—this unexpected kindness, these little messages—was beginning to throw him off in a way he couldn’t explain. weeks passed, meals came, and nanami found himself looking forward to them—not just for the food, but for the words that came with it. one afternoon, after another insufferable meeting, he opened his meal to find:

“do you ever take breaks? hope you’re not working too hard.”

he let out a breath, something between a sigh and a laugh. he was working too hard. but how did you—someone he’d never met—seem to know that better than the people around him? finally, curiosity got the better of him. he grabbed a pen and, for the first time, wrote back.

“who are you?”

the next day, his meal came with a note, just like always.

“just someone who wants you to eat well. but i wouldn’t mind knowing who you are too.”

and for the first time in a long time, nanami thought—maybe being single wasn’t so fine after all.

geto doesn’t believe in love. not in the way people romanticize it, anyway. he’s known desire—used it, wielded it like a tool, a means to an end. a well-timed smile, a hand grazing a wrist, a whispered promise—all of it was just another step in expanding his cause. people were easy to sway when you made them feel special. and being single? it wasn’t something he mourned. it was efficient. no attachments, no complications, no wasted energy. everything he did, every conversation, every encounter—it all served a purpose.

until you.

“you’ve been talking for a while,” you said, tilting your head at him. geto smiled. “am i boring you?”

“not at all. just wondering if you’re going to get to the point.”

he chuckled, swirling his drink. clever. impatient. interesting.

“what do you think my point is?”

you leaned back, thoughtful. “well, you’re charming, you have that practiced ease of someone who’s very used to getting what they want, and yet…” you narrowed your eyes. “you haven’t tried to get anything from me yet.”

his smile twitched. perceptive too. “maybe i’m just enjoying the conversation.”

“hmm.” you didn’t look convinced. “i doubt you talk to people without a reason.”

he laughed, shaking his head. “you wound me. am i not allowed to simply appreciate good company?”

you smirked. “do you?”

and that was the problem, wasn’t it? he did.

he was supposed to be recruiting you. that was why he approached you in the first place—he had assessed, observed, picked you out for your potential. another piece in his grander vision. but now? now, he was talking to you about books, about philosophy, about things that had nothing to do with his cause.

he liked your sharp tongue, your quick comebacks, the way you saw through people but humored them anyway. and he was enjoying this. more than he should.

“you’re thinking too hard,” you noted.

“am i?”

“yeah. for someone who flirts so easily, you seem oddly distracted.”

he chuckled, shaking his head. you had no idea. for the first time in a long time, geto suguru had forgotten his purpose. and strangely enough, he didn’t mind.

choso doesn’t really get love. it’s not that he doesn’t feel it—he does, deeply, messily, all-consuming in the way only someone who has lived too long without it can. it’s just that he doesn’t understand how it’s supposed to work. his friends talk about relationships like they’re puzzles, like you’re supposed to fit into someone else’s life piece by piece, no gaps, no edges sticking out. but choso? he keeps forcing the wrong pieces together. he’s had his heart broken by so many situationships, and he doesn’t even know what that word means. all he knows is that people like him enough to stay for a while, but not enough to stay forever. and when someone ghosts him? it’s over.

“why would they do that?” he asks yuuji, completely distraught. “i thought we were getting along.” yuuji winces. “yeah, but… sometimes people just disappear, man. it’s not your fault.”

“but why not just say they don’t like me?”

“because people suck.”

choso frowns. love is confusing. people are confusing. nothing makes sense.

until he meets you.

more specifically, until you send a pug flying in his direction. one second, he’s minding his own business, sipping a coffee, staring blankly at nothing. the next—

“watch out!”

and then—THUD.

a very round, very squishy pug collides with his chest, knocking the air out of him. he blinks. looks down. the pug is fine. choso, however, is shaken.

“oh my god, i’m so sorry,” you pant, running up to him, looking horrified. “he’s got the speed of a missile and the weight distribution of a sack of potatoes. are you okay?”

choso is still holding the pug. he has not processed a single thing except that you’re talking to him, and you’re really pretty. you snap your fingers in front of his face.

“hello? earth to guy who just got body slammed by my dog?”

he swallows. “i—i’m okay.”

you sigh in relief. “good. i don’t think my insurance covers ‘pug-related assaults.’”

he stares. then—

he laughs.

it’s an awkward, slightly delayed laugh, but it’s real. it bubbles out of him, because suddenly, everything is just… simple. you’re still talking, apologizing, trying to pry your dog from his grip, and he realizes—love doesn’t have to be this big, complicated thing. it can be a stranger, a runaway pug, and a stupidly perfect moment where he thinks, 'oh. this is it.'

sukuna has never cared for love. love is mortal, fleeting, an indulgence for the weak. he has lived for centuries without it, conquered, destroyed, thrived—all on his own. why bother with attachment? why waste time on something that promises nothing but vulnerability? he’s always been perfectly fine like this.

until the night he meets you at the bar.

he doesn’t even mean to notice you at first—just another human in a crowded room, laughing, talking, lighting up the space with an ease he’s never possessed. 

and then he hears you speak. your voice is smooth, effortless, like you’re meant to be heard. every sentence flows into the next, words never fumbling, never uncertain. you make people laugh, pull them in, keep them hanging on to every syllable. sukuna watches, listens, enthralled, before someone leans in and calls you by name—your full name. followed by—

“aren’t you that talk show host?”

and it clicks. you are. he’s seen your face before, flickering on a television screen, a passing glimpse at a life so far removed from his own.

and now he’s irritated. because you talk so easily with everyone but him. and that won’t do.

so he tries. for the first time in centuries, he tries to talk to someone—like a normal person, like it’s something he’s done before, like it’s as easy as you make it look.

but it’s not. it’s a disaster.

he waits until the crowd around you has thinned, takes the seat next to you, and—

“so.” he clears his throat. “you talk to people for a living.”

you turn, blinking, mildly amused. “i do.”

he nods, confident. good start. then nothing. his mind goes blank. shit.

you raise a brow, waiting. sukuna glares at his drink like it’s betrayed him. “how do you do it?”

you tilt your head. “do what?” he gestures vaguely. “talk. keep people engaged.”

you blink. “are you asking me how to hold a conversation?”

his jaw tenses. “no.”

you laugh. he scowls.

he tries again. “what makes a good interview?”

“oh, that’s easy,” you hum. “you have to be genuinely interested in the other person.”

he deadpans.

you smirk. “which means you have to actually listen to what they’re saying.”

“i listen,” he grumbles.

“really?” you lean in. “then what were we just talking about?”

silence. your smirk widens. “you weren’t listening.”

he groans, dragging a hand down his face. this is hell.

but he keeps trying. keeps failing, keeps making an idiot of himself, keeps suffering through every one of your knowing smiles—because for the first time in his miserable, ancient existence, he actually wants to learn.

he wants to talk to you.

and maybe, just maybe, he wants you to talk to him, too.

[uvobreakmylegs]

Unforeseen

for fun this year @hypnoswrites and I both wrote Illumi fics for Valentines Day. no connection between the fics, just more dead fish eyes for love day this year :D

here's her fic~

Red Thread of Fate Soulmate AU with Illumi x reader

💕Happy Valentines Day💕

Warnings: assassination, mentions of death, mentions of torture, kidnapping

Word Count: 13.4k

Most days were rather dull for Illumi, he had to admit.

They largely consisted of the same limited activities: travel somewhere, accept a job, locate and kill a target and then be paid for doing so. Sometimes he met with the client if such a meeting was necessary for any reason, but most clients were satisfied with the transaction taking place through the butlers, so these days Illumi rarely needed to take part in a face to face meeting.

Sometimes days were different. Sometimes Chrollo required his services, which Illumi took, much to the annoyance of his father. Sometimes Hisoka decided to bother him, and Illumi would hold back on taking out his annoyance on the magician since it felt like getting rid of him at that moment would be a waste. Sometimes it was Illumi himself causing the detour in his routines, halting his work for something that he determined would be of use to him in the long run, such as the time he had spent taking the Hunter exam. But such things didn't happen often.

Aside from those instances and his frequent trips home before he went back out on a job, the routine largely stayed the same.

Travel. Kill. Payment. Again and again.

And while Illumi was in no way dissatisfied with his life was it was currently, it felt as though there was something missing.

Namely, his soulmate.

Like most who were capable of using nen, Illumi learned of the connection after he mastered gyo and subsequently found that invincible red thread around his finger. The explanation of what that thread meant was followed by strict instruction: that once the thread grew taut, it meant that his soulmate was nearby, and when that happened, he needed to find whoever it was on the other end of the thread and secure them. As with everything his parents told him, Illumi listened carefully and remembered their words, and not a day had gone by since then that he would check on the thread whenever he was away from home, wondering when the time would come that his soulmate was meant to meet him.

The meeting was something Illumi thought of often. For years following the day he learned of soulmates, he found himself gazing at that thread on his finger in the quiet moments during long hours of travel. The more time wore on, the more he wondered who was at the other end and why he hadn't yet met them. At first, when he was still in his training, he had expected that he would meet his soulmate once he had fully mastered nen. But that had been quite some time ago and no such thing had happened, thus his assumption had been false. So Illumi was left to wonder why it hadn't yet happened. Wondering why, after all of the time he spent traveling for jobs, the thread continued to lay slack and dead and refusing to lead him to that other person.

But patience was one of the qualities of a good assassin, and thus, Illumi waited. And until the day came where he would find the person that fate had decided belonged to him, he would continue with that same routine.

Travel. Kill. Payment.

Again and again, always working hard to do his best to uphold the Zoldyck family name, and always trusting that he would find his soulmate whenever fate would determine that the time was right.

It ended up being on an a day that was overcast, when the clouds were dark and looming overhead above him. When Illumi stepped out of his hotel to take care of the current job he had been hired for, he did what he had always done and glanced down at his left pinky finger, anticipating that it would be the same as always. But that was the day that the routine was broken as he realized that the thread around his finger was tight for the first time in his life.

When he saw that the thread was finally, finally taut, a surge of anticipation swelled within him.

For whatever reason, the time was now. While it was a mild inconvenience that he couldn't immediately go to his soulmate due to the fact that he was in the middle of a job, it made Illumi quicken his pace as he was eager to get it over quickly. With the large briefcase that the client had instructed that he take with him in hand, Illumi kept his eyes on the thread as made his way to the site where his first target was, watching as the thread grew tighter with each passing step, indicating that he was getting closer to where he would find the one at the other end of the thread.

Illumi expected that he would see them while he was on his way to his job. Perhaps passing by on the street or in a nearby shop. Based on how the thread seemed to be staying still on his soulmate's end, it appeared as though they were staying put. Again, he was spurred forward, a small smile appearing on the assassin's face as he thought of being able to take what was his, to have that connection he had heard spoken of so often from others.

He continued, getting closer and closer to the cafe where his first target was waiting and he still had yet to come across his soulmate. When it got to the point that the cafe was within viewing distance, Illumi began to wonder if they were in that same space as the target. An odd coincidence that his soulmate would be there, but perhaps that was fate playing its hand again. Even if his soulmate saw him with the target, it wouldn't matter. As long as nothing alarming happened between himself and the target in his soulmate's vicinity, it would be of little consequence.

But when he was finally across the street from the cafe and he caught sight of that person he had been waiting for, he froze.

Despite the clouds that had gathered over the heart of the city and their efforts to hide the sky above them, bits of blue and the bright light of the sun managed to break through every now and then. Such was the case when an opening in the clouds appeared just then, allowing forth a thin ray of sunlight that came down and settled on an area with a particular person sitting in the middle of it.

You.

You sat at one of the outdoor tables at the cafe, your index finger trailing across the plastic cup that held your sweet looking drink while the toe of your shoe tapped incessantly on the pavement beneath your seat. The slightly chill air that blew by caused you to shudder slightly, and you glanced behind yourself to look inside the cafe building, as though you were considering moving inside so you could be out of the cold. When you saw that no seats were available, you frowned to yourself and ultimately stayed where you were.

Still in that sunlight and with everything in the surrounding environment pointing to you. And as you sat beneath the spotlight that nature had created for you, Illumi watched intently from the other side of the crosswalk, taking in everything about you and only tearing his gaze away for a few scant seconds to stare down at his own left hand to make sure that what he thought he saw was correct: that the red thread which was attached to his pinky truly connected him to you.

No matter how many times he checked, there was no mistaking it. His eyes that followed the thread always brought him back to you and no one else.

His soulmate.

It should have been a good moment, as it was a moment he had been anticipating for a long time now. When Illumi saw you at last, saw your face for first time after imagining it for so long, it should have been a moment where he felt at peace upon witnessing his other half.

Instead those feelings of anticipation died immediately upon seeing you, and all Illumi felt in that moment was a mild confusion accompanied by immediate concern.

It didn't appear that he was the only one who was concerned.

Despite your attempts to appear casual, it was evident from your expression that you were nervous, and your gaze kept going to a long, thin parcel that sat upright in the seat next to you. From the way you glanced about, it was clear that you were waiting for someone. As if to further prove that point to him, you took another sip of your drink as you glanced at your phone, checking the time before you scanned the area that surrounded you.

It all matched up.

Concern turned into irritation – with whom exactly, Illumi wasn't sure yet. But someone was to blame for this, someone was responsible for this situation that felt like a horrid joke. This wasn't something that shouldn't have happened, not to him. Even though he found himself hoping that he was mistaken and the real target was within the cafe building behind you, taking up one of those seats you had wished to occupy, all of it simply matched up too well.

The time was 11:15.

The location was The Nest Cafe.

You were clearly waiting for someone to arrive.

And Illumi was certain that you were waiting for him.

It felt like too much of a coincidence that you would be there for any other reason. Not at this time and with that parcel in the seat next to you, not with the way you looked at the other people in the vicinity, subtly glancing up at those who walked by close to your table in anticipation of any one of them approaching you. And if that wasn't enough, your appearance matched with who he was told would be there waiting for him to perform the exchange.

Everything pointed to you being the one he needed to meet for his job. If that truly was the case, then that meant you were his target.

One of the those he had been hired to kill.

The assassin stared at you as his mind began to race. The disbelief of how such a thing could happen, how this much of a coincidence could occur consumed him. How you had landed yourself on the radar of Edgar Farley and how you had angered him to such a degree that he decided to spend extra for Illumi to torture you and your accomplices extensively before your existence was snuffed out.

Of all the things that could have happened, how in the world had he ended up taking on a job that required him to kill his own soulmate?

Illumi didn't notice that his grip had tightened too much on the handle of the briefcase until he heard it crack, and that sound was enough to snap him out of his all consuming thoughts. He needed to continue, he reminded himself. As a Zoldyck, he needed to complete the job for the name of his family, regardless of the unforeseen circumstances which involved you.

Of course, he wasn't going to kill you, which would mean he would need to come up with some sort of solution for the sixth body Farley was demanding.

Illumi let out a small, barely audible sigh as he gathered himself up internally.

He would figure it out. There was surely a solution that would allow him to have you and complete the job without any fuss. He had no doubts on that.

But for now, his focus needed to be on getting you somewhere out of sight.

With that, Illumi waited for the light at the crosswalk, and once it turned green, he began to make his way towards you, once more keeping his eyes on you and the thread as it grew smaller and smaller.

You noticed him quickly after he had crossed the street, and when you realized that he was staring straight at you, you turned your full attention to him, straightening yourself up in your seat when you saw that he was approaching you. When he stopped in front of you, it took you a moment before you spoke as you glanced down at the briefcase he held. Illumi saw the way your pulse quickened as the gears began to turn in your head, as you came to the assumption that he was the one you were waiting for.

Illumi spoke first, calling out your name in a questioning tone.

You nodded cautiously.

“Are you, uh-”

You faltered in the middle of your sentence, seemingly taken aback by the way he was looking at you.

Was the way he was staring at you that strange?

Regaining your voice, you tried again with “you're here for the…. Uh, the thing, right?”

…… That was how you were describing this?

“Yes,” he answered.

“Ah. Okay then.”

You got up from your seat, but then stopped as you looked down at your cup.

“Did… Did you want a drink, too?” you asked.

Illumi shook his head.

“I'd rather we head off.”

“Okay. That also works.”

You took one long, last sip before tossing the cup into the appropriate receptacle before hurrying back to the table to grab the parcel, tucking it beneath your arm as you looked back at him.

“The hotel is down that way. It isn't too long of a walk. A little bit less than seven minutes,” you told him.

Illumi nodded silently, then followed once you began to make your way down the sidewalk. Keeping his eyes on you, he found that while you were once again trying to hide it, you were clearly nervous. There was a jitteriness to your step, and your fingers kept playing with one of the edges of the parcel, slowly picking at it more and more with every moment that passed as you made the walk to the hotel.

You then stiffened as though a sudden thought had struck you, and you turned your head while you walked as you asked “sorry, I should've said something beforehand about us walking. It's not an issue, right? If it is, I can get us a taxi.”

“It's not an issue,” Illumi calmly replied.

“Oh, okay then. That's good.”

Your free hand then went up to nervously scratch at the back of your neck and you let out a shaky exhale that you must have thought he wouldn't be able to catch.

Why were you doing this if it made you so nervous?

It appeared that just being involved in this situation that was causing your distress. Perhaps you actually recognized how awful this plan was; the group you were part of appeared to be a foolish lot, with none of you seeming to truly know what you were doing. Illumi hoped you weren't the ringleader, as this get rich quick scheme was already pathetic, and he found himself disappointed that you were participating in it. He'd be even more disappointed if he knew you were the one to come up with it.

At least once he was done here, he wouldn't need to worry about you being able to do anything too foolish. The leash he would keep on you would be too tight for that.

You glanced over at him again, and he grew concerned when he saw your eyes furrow in worry upon meeting his gaze again.

Were you perceptive enough to realize that something was wrong?

That turned out to be unlikely, as when an elderly man who stood a few steps in front of you sneezed unexpectedly, you jumped, and the parcel nearly dropped from your hands. No, it didn't seem likely that you were aware of anything amiss; you were simply nervous about the situation as a whole.

Illumi frowned slightly as he watched you. Your nervousness was only an additional negative in this situation. Your lack of nen meant it would be harder for you to understand the connection, and if you weren't relaxed, you were guaranteed to not feel it in a timely manner.

As much as he hated to admit it, Illumi doubted that he would be able to ease your nerves and get you to trust him, and especially not in such a short time.

There was no choice but to take you by force. While that would cause issues that would be detrimental to the connection opening for you, it was better to go through with taking you by force. The time it would take for you to accept him would be longer, but that was the safest option he had.

The silence stretched over the two of you, though it didn't seem to do much to assuage your nervousness. As Illumi continued to follow you, his gaze once again went to the parcel being carried beneath your arm. That was the item that had been the source of this entire conflict, that the client desperately wanted back. Why Farley was willing to have him kill over a piece of art, Illumi couldn't fathom, though his own opinion hardly mattered in this instance.

But as he looked at the parcel, he found that something about it felt…. Off. From what he was told about the art he was to retrieve, the dimensions of what you carried didn't seem to match up with what had been described to him. He turned his gaze back to you, boring into the back of your skull as he grew suspicious over what exactly you were carrying. Things definitely didn't need to be complicated by you not having the painting in question.

He'd find out what was going on soon enough, he supposed.

The first bit of relief within you was seen when your shoulders loosened slightly as you looked beyond the path in front of you and caught sight of a hotel. While it was better than the average cesspit hotel with clientele that consisted of drug users and married spouses in the middle of an affair, the hotel was also considerably cheaper than the place Illumi had checked out of this morning. As he followed you in through the front doors, the assassin glanced about at the lobby. There were a fair amount of people milling around, all of whom seemed to be there from out of town for some kind of sporting event. No one bothered to even glance in your direction or his when you made a turn to the left and began to lead him down a hallway on the first floor.

Again, he wordlessly followed you as you made your way to a nearby stairway, and when you looked back at him again, you asked “are you cool if we take the stairs? With all those people around, I figure it's best that we avoid them if we can.”

“I have no issue with that,” he answered. As he followed you into the stairway, he spoke again, his voice echoing slightly against the barren walls as he asked “but why are you worried about people seeing us?”

“Ah, just…. You know. If we're stuck in a small space like an elevator, then people are more likely to take note of us. See us up close, and possibly say something to the police about us if something happens,” you said.

Illumi's eyes narrowed as he asked “are you expecting something to go wrong with the exchange?”

“N-no.”

“Then why the worry?”

“Just….. Just to be safe. Just in case,” you answered, “better to err on the side of caution, right? Neither of us want to be seen with something stolen, right?”

“I suppose.”

It was more than likely for the best that you were going out of your way to avoid the other guests at the hotel. Despite having how you had seemed to calm down some once you arrived here, it seemed as though his questioning had made your nerves shoot up again, and he didn't need you drawing attention to the both of you in such a way.

The way you became nervous so easily was likely going to be a tough issue for him to tackle, however. After all, you would become an assassin like him once the two of you were married, and the fact that he could easily see you freezing up in the middle of a job didn't bode well.

That would need to be trained out of you.

But he was getting ahead of himself. After all, he needed to solve this current set of issues with you before he could consider your training. And at the moment, he felt as though a big issue was quickly being taken care of. With every step he took as he followed you up the several flights of stairs, the he was getting closer to having you alone in a controlled space. That in and of itself was enough to give him a slight sense of relief.

It seemed as though you were of the same opinion, as once you made it to the hotel room in question and entered after Illumi had, you were quick to shut the door and flip the lock, breathing in deep before letting all out in a shaky sigh.

That time he chose to make a comment.

“You don't seem well,” he said.

You startled slightly, your eyes growing wide before you tried explain it away.

“I don't?” you asked, “I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so maybe that's why. Sorry about that.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Illumi asked.

Once again, you seemed surprised at the question.

“Force of habit, I guess,” you eventually got out.

Stepping by him, you moved towards the center of the room, where a small couch and coffee table were sitting in front of the single bed. An item sitting atop the table caught his attention: one of those portable money counting machines. The transaction would be taking place there, then.

After placing the parcel on the far end of the couch, you turned to him after and you clapped your hands together in a clear attempt to change the topic, forcing yourself to smile at him as you did so as if to convince him that everything was fine. Perhaps it was a way to convince yourself as well.

“So, um,” you began, “I guess I'll start with counting the money.”

Hearing that surprised him a little.

“I don't get to see the painting first?” Illumi asked.

“Um….”

You seemed caught off-guard by that question, and you stammered for a few moments, glancing back at the parcel briefly as you tried to come up with a response. In the middle of that, you oddly took the time to look at the door of the closet that stood behind him, your gaze flitting over to it briefly before you looked at him and cleared your throat.

“Uh, I think I should count the money first,” you told him, “just to, you know, be safe.”

“You think I'm going to scam you?”

“N-no. But it's a lot of money, and we're – I'm taking a lot of risks here.”

Your gaze grew a bit more grim as you added “plus, I heard that the previous owner was something of a psychopath, so I really want to be careful, you know?”

Then why steal from him if you're worried about him retaliating?

As reasonable as it would have been to ask that, Illumi held his tongue.

“Plus, like, even if the painting was fake and I did try to grab the money and run, I don't think I'd get far, you know?” you continued.

“What makes you think that?”

“You look like you could catch me easily. So I think running would be really dumb on my part.”

After a brief pause, you then admitted “the way you've been staring at me has also been intense and you're kind of scary, so I really don't want to make you mad at me.”

Illumi blinked.

“I'm scary?” he repeated.

You blanched, as if you hadn't realized what exactly you had said until he had repeated it. Your panic began to grow again as you started to apologize.

“I'm sorry, that was really rude of me! I didn't mean to say that,” you insisted, “I just meant to say….. Meant to say that I'm not going to try anything shady. That I wouldn't do that to anyone, and definitely not you. I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you.”

Letting out a shaky breath, you continued “I was told that I needed to count the jenny first, so I'm just trying to do what I was told, you know?”

“….. I see.”

From the way you reacted to his response, it seemed as though you determined that you had said something wrong, as you were quick to then tell him “sorry, I'm not trying to make things difficult. I get why you need to be cautious, because you don't know me and eight billion is a lot to be handing off to a stranger. But I promise, as soon as I'm done I'll let you confirm that it's the real thing.”

There was a hint of desperation in your gaze as you then asked “does…. Does that sound good?”

Ending the charade now would have been prudent. If he did that, he would save himself some time, get the job over with quicker so he could focus fully on you. Knocking you out and calling up the butler that was waiting on standby for him to take you away while he figured out a replacement for you would be the best way to move forward.

But he still wasn't sure what was going on with the painting and he didn't want to sour your opinion of him by torturing you on your first meeting.

So instead, Illumi nodded.

“I understand,” he told you, “I'll wait, then.”

Though it was tinged with nervousness, the smile you gave him was one of genuine relief.

“Thank you,” you said.

Illumi said nothing, but he felt an odd sensation in his heart upon seeing you smile.

Keeping his face as that same blank mask he almost always wore, he settled down onto the chair that sat opposite of the couch. You sat as well, taking the briefcase that he had offered you and setting it on the coffee table in front of you. Your eyes widened slightly when you opened it, as you likely had never seen that much jenny before in your life.

As you began to count, Illumi thought of what you had said moments ago, the things you had said about him. And as if somehow sensing what he was thinking, you looked up at him again, your eyebrows pinching in worry as you spoke up.

“I really am sorry for what I said, if it offended you,” you reiterated.

“It's fine. It doesn't matter,” he answered.

That was a lie. It mattered a lot. Especially upon realizing that his soulmate was unsettled by him to the point that they viewed him to be scary, of all things. But as he recalled the lovely expression that had been on your face when you had thanked him moments earlier, he decided that he could forgive you.

So again he held his tongue and merely observed you after the two of you had taken your seats, and he watched as you pulled out a notebook and a pen before gathering a stack of jenny and placing it into the money counter after. Shortly after, the silence in the room was broken by the sound of the rustling paper as the jenny was put through the machine and the small screen at the front displayed the total that quickly shot up as more of the money went through. Soon enough that particular stack was done, and you jotted down the number on the screen before setting the stack aside and grabbing another from the briefcase, repeating the process again.

The two of you would be here for a while.

As much as Illumi wished to have used this time to speak with you, it was clear that you wouldn't be receptive to it. You saw this as a business transaction. Any personal questions coming from him would likely only earn him more worried looks and apologies as you desperately tried not to offend him. So he sat in silence while he watched, keeping his eyes on you as you continued the monotonous task.

At the beginning you would glance up at him periodically, only to quickly avert your gaze when you saw him looking at you. Eventually you stopped doing that, and it seemed as though you were making a point to keep your focus only on your notebook, the money counter and the contents of the briefcase.

What exactly makes me so scary?

That question would need to wait until later, as much as that fact irked him.

With little else to do, Illumi glanced again at the parcel. Again, the dimensions didn't seem right to him. And as he remembered the way you had glanced over at the closet, a possible explanation began to form in his mind, but it was one he would likely need to wait for until you had finished what you were doing.

Now that his mind was again on the task at hand, he asked “how exactly did you come upon this piece?”

Tensing at the sound of his voice, you glanced up at him and then immediately averted your gaze.

“Um, I don't think I'm supposed to say anything about that. All that matters is that it's real, right?” you asked in reply.

“We're talking about a stolen art piece. We're both 'taking risks' for this, as you put it. I think I'm entitled to know how you got ahold of this,” he answered.

Your shoulders sank slightly as you appeared to concede.

“We, uh, we heard it was just sitting in storage, that no one had checked in on it in a while. So my roommate figured we could take it and no one would notice,” you quietly explained.

“It seems like he was right because it hasn't been reported missing yet,” you added.

“Your roommate?” Illumi repeated.

You froze. And then you seemed disappointed with yourself as you were forced to admit “my roommate knows a guy who works at that museum where it was stored.”

“Why aren't they here?”

“He's the one who thought of this and got everything set up. The other guys were the ones who took the painting. So this is the part I need to do.”

You quickly looked back to the money counter, once again scribbling down the number listed on the screen.

The more he learned, the more Illumi was convinced that whomever had been the mastermind of this plan – your roommate, evidently – they hadn't thought through it very well. As was usually the case for the theft of fine art. If the thief didn't have a buyer lined up beforehand, they typically had a hard time selling it off for any sort of profit. While exceptions for that rule existed, such as the Phantom Troupe whose notoriety had fans of theirs wanting to buy items that had been in their possession, a small group of first time criminals were never going to achieve such success. This entire interaction had been set up so you and others who thought about stealing from his client would learn a lesson. It was always going to end badly for your group.

The one thing Illumi could be thankful for was the fact that he had been selected to carry out the hit. It allowed him the control he needed to navigate the situation and guide it to an ending where the client was satisfied and you were still alive.

When the process of counting the eight billion finally ended and you confirmed that what was given to you was the correct amount, you shut the notebook, placed the jenny back within the briefcase and then looked to him, saying “everything looks good. I'll show you the painting now.”

Instead of handing him the parcel, you stood up and walked over to the closet that stood in front of the door, sliding it open before you reached inside. When you pulled your hand back out, you were holding another parcel.

He caught on immediately as he asked “is that the real painting?”

You looked back to him, and then nodded.

“Yeah. The one on the couch is a decoy,” you explained, “just in case.”

“Just in case?” he repeated.

“In case you thought it'd be better to take it from me when we were outside,” you said, “I figured since I'm not really intimidating at all, a potential buyer might think of stealing it and leave us with nothing, so I put the real one in here beforehand.”

When he didn't respond to that, your fingers tensed on the edge of the new parcel, looking away as you mumbled “I thought it was a good idea.”

“It certainly shows that you exercised more caution than I gave you credit for,” Illumi said.

“Thank – thank you?” you replied, uncertain if you should take his words to be insulting or not. Regardless of that, you stepped forward as you approached the coffee table once again, holding the parcel out to him to take.

You sat back down on the couch after, watching him as he undid the piece of twine that held the brown paper wrapped around the painting. You were eager to get this over with, as your hand was seated next to the handle of the briefcase, twitching every now and then as if you wanted to grab it and leave. In your mind, this ordeal was almost over, and you would soon be able to return home to your cohorts with your ill-gotten gains.

His attention was brought to the painting as he unwrapped it fully and pulled it up to inspect that it was the genuine article.

The painting was moderately sized and featured a scene that could likely be found on the cover of an average historical romance novel. At the center of the piece was a maiden upon a balcony, having just swung her legs over the railing as she sat atop it with her ankles peeking out beneath the skirt of her dress. A short distance beneath her was a knight upon his horse, reaching out to her as if beckoning her to take the leap, an assurance her that he would catch her. And in the background that featured a room that led to that balcony, a door had been forced open, with several men charging in, no doubt with the intent of grabbing the maiden before she could flee with her knight lover.

While the art of the painting was detailed and could be considered beautiful, and the piece certainly told a story, Illumi couldn't fathom how and why such a silly painting managed to cause so much trouble, much less why the owner was so incensed at it's theft that he was willing to pay so much for it's return. And if it had been that precious to him, why had Farley left it in that museum in the first place?

You leaned forward in your seat, scanning for any hint of change in his expression as he looked it over.

“Do you like it?” you asked.

“It's acceptable.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You're spending eight billion and you just find it 'acceptable'?” you asked.

“All I care is that it's the genuine article,” he told you.

“Oh. Okay then.”

With a note of finality in your voice, you straightened up in your seat, your hand once more grasping the handle of the case as you said “so if you're satisfied, then we're done here, right? Transaction closed?”

Illumi nodded slowly.

“Yes, I suppose that's correct.”

“Okay then. Do you want to leave first, or should I? I'm fine if you want to go first, but I'm not sure how much time I should wait before leaving myself.”

“You aren't leaving,” he told you.

“…..”

The silence stretched out through the entirety of the room as you stared at him, your nerves slowly but steadily growing once again as you looked at him in confusion.

“But I need to take this back….?” you questioned.

“That isn't happening.”

“W-why?”

“Because I'm an assassin and I've been hired to kill you,” Illumi said, “therefore, I cannot allow you to leave this room with that case.”

You stared at him silently, your eyes widening in shock as his words sunk in. Your gaze went down to the floor as you began breathing heavily and you began to tremble. You accepted it. No questions about what he was talking about or if he was trying to joke around – you could tell he was serious.

Illumi was ready for you to do something in response. A normal reaction would likely be to run from him, either to escape out the door or the window. Both had their own pros and cons, though if it was Illumi in this situation, he would likely choose the window. Whether or not you would do the same remained to be seen. Though it was possible that you might choose to fight back, not that you would be able to do much against him. He had trained for as long as he had remembered, so no matter how strong you may potentially be, there was little chance that a civilian like yourself would be able to overpower him. The best you would be able to do would be to throw items in the room at him, and that would still be next to nothing.

He was overthinking things, because as he looked at you, he didn't see any ounce of fight in you. You were still gazing down at the floor, and while your breathing had slowed slightly, you were still in distress. If he were to guess, this must have been a worst case scenario for you, one that either the members of your group or you yourself had said couldn't possibly happen, that your luck wouldn't ever be so bad.

You even said that the client was a psychopath, so why you thought this wouldn't happen was still a mystery to him. At least he would make sure you wouldn't be making such terrible decisions in the future.

Illumi waited for you to act, already mapping out in his head what he would do in response to whatever you chose.

He waited.

And waited.

And Illumi felt confusion growing within him once more as you didn't act.

You weren't running.

Time was ticking by, and you stayed on that spot on the couch, only moving to slump backwards against the seat. Instead of attempting to save yourself from a man who just told you that he was an assassin, you stayed still, refusing to move at all. The exact opposite of running.

Illumi's brows furrowed as he asked “why aren't you running?”

You glanced up at him, surprised by his question.

“Why?” you repeated, “I guess…. I mean, what's the point? I'm in a room with you that has only one exit, and I'm pretty sure you'll catch me if I run. Actually, we had a conversation about that just a few minutes ago, didn't we? And you seemed to agree with me. So why should I bother making things worse for myself by running?”

He frowned, not liking the way you had given up so easily and accepted your fate.

“You won't even try to fight back?” he asked.

“Again, what's the point? I can tell just by looking that you're stronger than me. I don't wanna get into a fight that I know I'll lose,” you said.

Illumi blinked when you said that, hearing one of his own lessons that he had ingrained into his younger siblings coming from your lips catching him off guard momentarily. Despite not even knowing of him before this day, you already knew one of the lessons he had intended to teach you.

Within an instant, Illumi felt a bit more hopeful for you. While you seeming to accept your death was far from ideal, he was certain that he could make you unlearn that response.

You were his soulmate, after all. Teaching you would be easy.

“You do have a good point – I am stronger than you. As you are right now, you could never defeat me,” he told you.

You didn't react to his statement, instead continuing to stare down at the floor dejectedly.

“But it isn't good that you're giving up so easily. In the future, if you find yourself in this position again, you should find an escape route and remove yourself from the situation.”

At that, your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at him strangely.

“In the future?” you repeated, “what future? You said you were going to kill me.”

“I said that I was hired to kill you,” Illumi stated, “but that doesn't mean I'm going through with it.”

And with that, there was a bit of hope in your eyes, a bit of life breathed back into you as you straightened up, now watching and waiting intently for his every word as you now believed that there was a way out of this. Of course, there was, but it wouldn't be in the way you expected.

You gulped before you asked “you…. You're going to let me go?”

“No.”

Your shoulders sank again as Illumi continued with “I'm not killing you, but I also can't let you go. If I did that my client would find out and that would cause issues for myself and my family.”

“So then…. Then what? What happens to me? Why are you sparing me?” you asked.

“I need you alive,” he said.

“Why?”

“I'll explain that later.”

“Why?” you asked again, your voice growing a bit more fearful.

“Because I have no time to discuss it now,” he said plainly.

With that, he stood up and closed the distance between the two of you. You still didn't move when he approached, not even to scoot away to the other side of the couch. You simply sat there, cowering and fearful as you stared up at him.

“You said it was your roommate who put you up to this, correct?” he asked.

At that your eyes widened slightly before you frowned, only now realizing your slip up in having mentioned that fact.

“…. I shouldn't have said that, should I?” you asked.

Illumi nodded at you.

“In any other situation, that would have been a poor choice on your part,” he told you, “but it doesn't really matter all that much now. Your name as well as the others was already given to me. I was just made to go along with this so I could recover the painting.”

The assassin grabbed at your bag, opening it and rummaging through until he found your wallet. Shortly after he had your ID in hand, and he read the address that had been printed on the card.

“Is your roommate home right now?” he asked, not looking away from the card as he did so.

“….. I think so.”

“Will the others from your group be there?”

“I'm not sure.”

“I see.”Illumi pocketed the card before looking back to you.

“… If I told you to trust me, I'd be demanding too much from you, wouldn't I?” he asked.

“…. A little bit, yeah,” you admitted.

Nodding at your answer, Illumi said to you “I appreciate you being honest with me.”

Then the assassin stood back up -And with a quick strike of his hand at the back of your neck, you fell over on the couch as you were knocked unconscious.

Without missing a beat, Illumi pulled his cellphone from his pocket and went about dialing the number for the butler who was meant to pick him up once this part of the job was finished with. As expected, the call was picked up before the first ring had finished.

“I need you to come to the back of the Arcadia Hotel,” Illumi told the butler, not bothering with any sort of greeting or an explanation.

“Understood, Master Illumi. I'll be there within ten minutes,” they answered.

The call ended just as quickly as it had started, and Illumi looked back to you. Even in unconsciousness, you still appeared to be in distress as your brows were furrowed and you were frowning. Not even sleep could relieve you of your worries, and as he stared at you, Illumi felt an odd bit of anger rising in his chest. You were unprepared for such tasks like this one, yet those people – your roommate and whoever else was involved – had pushed you to do this regardless. They had been so irresponsible and careless that you had ended up on a hit list, and had it not been for Farley going to him specifically, someone else would have killed you.

You would have died easily had it not been for the strange coincidence of him being the one to take the job.

The thought of you dying made his anger worse, and for a brief moment, that rage seeped out, quickly filling the small space of the room and making the lights flicker from the force of it.

You didn't remain unaffected by it, either, as when you were hit with with the force of his anger, you shuddered in your sleep.

Within an instant, that anger petered out.

And without thinking, Illumi moved, hoisting you up into his arms and then settling back down onto the couch with you in his embrace. Your cheek rested against his chest while your pliant body molded against his in a comfortable fashion. An idle thought came to mind – with where your head was resting, were you able to hear his heartbeat that was next to your ear? Would you be able to tell such a thing as you were now?

That seemed to have broken Illumi out of his stupor as he blinked once again. Now truly taking in the sight of you on his lap, he realized he had acted on impulse, not really thinking about his actions when he had pulled you into his grasp. It felt strange. Physical acts like this one – to hold someone to himself – were not actions he was used to. Everyone within his family were inclined to keep physical contact to a minimum, and outside of his family, there was no one that he would allow to touch him, not without them paying for it after.

But with you, it had come naturally and with no hesitation on his part. One look at your face had driven him to hold you, as if to ease your distress while you slept. Such things that he was feeling for someone he hadn't even known an hour, and all because of a thread that you couldn't even see.

Illumi's hand went up to stroke your hair, his fingers trailing gingerly through the strands as he quietly murmured to himself “the soulmate bond is a strange thing indeed.”

Strange, that it would drive him to do something he had never once been inclined to do.

But at the same time, it felt good.

He stayed like that with you, holding you and caressing you gently. While the time passed by peacefully, the gloomy clouds that could still be seen outside the hotel room window parted, allowing the sun to filter in with a warm glow.

When Illumi's cellphone rang, it caught him off-guard. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he found himself surprised when he saw that the aforementioned ten minutes had passed, and the butler was no doubt calling him to inform him that he had arrived.

Had the time truly passed so quickly?

His mouth set in a small frown as he lifted you back into his arms, adjusting you before he stood up and carried you out of the room.

Under normal circumstances, the butler wouldn't have needed to call for him for any reason. Any other time, Illumi would have been waiting at the aforementioned spot long before his ride would have arrived. That he had gotten so distracted simply from holding you was somewhat worrying, and he hoped this sudden distracted attitude was a one-time thing due to him finding you.

The butler he had called for was standing at the ready when Illumi walked out through the employee only door of the hotel, and they bowed respectfully when they saw him. Their gaze narrowed ever so slightly when they saw you unconscious in his arms, but they said nothing, waiting for their master to speak first.

Illumi did just that once he had reached them, stopping before them to ask “what is my schedule for the next few days?”

“During the time you spent with the target, another request came in for your services, Master Illumi,” the butler said, “two days from now, in the Kakin Empire.”

“Give it to Milluki; I'm sure whatever it is, he can handle it,” Illumi told them.

“And if Master Milluki is not available…?”

“He's always available. He never leaves home unless someone makes him.”

The butler nodded and listened intently as the assassin continued “don't bring me any assignments for the next few days. I need my schedule completely clear.”

“For this person, Master Illumi?” the butler asked as they once more looked at your unconscious form.

Illumi stared back to them intently as he said “this is my soulmate. You'll show them respect.”

At that, the butler immediately understood, bowing their head as they answered “of course, Master Illumi. My apologies.”

“You'll look after them while I complete my current job,” Illumi said, “should they wake up before I return, you will tend to their needs while keeping them safe.”

“Of course, Master Illumi.”The butler then moved to take you from Illumi's arms, but stopped when he gave them a long, hard stare.

“Open the door,” the assassin ordered.

Moving quickly, the butler did just that, opening the back door and holding it wide for him. Illumi then carried you into the car's interior and set you down onto one of the long seats, handling you gently as he did so. As he pulled back and began to step out of the vehicle, he found that he was remiss to leave you. But as he still had a job to complete, there was nothing to be done about it.

After exiting the car, he waited for the butler closed the door before turning to them one last time.

“Don't speak of the discovery of my soulmate to anyone,” he ordered, “I will let my family know in my own time.”

One last time, the butler nodded in understanding, and they waited until Illumi began to leave the area before they took their place back in the driver's seat and drove off. Illumi couldn't help but take one glance behind himself as you were driven away. Despite knowing that with the way you were laid out on the backseat and that he wouldn't be able to see you, something still caused his head to turn as he watched the car move further away, as he watched the thread from within the vehicle become more slack with every bit of distance put between the two of you.

When he returned to the hotel room to grab the painting was when he realized another mistake, an oversight on his part. Illumi froze after he entered, catching sight of something on the couch where the both of you had been sitting not so long ago:

The briefcase.

With the eight billion jenny.

The jenny that had been Farley's payment for the job, that he had intended to give to that butler so he didn't need to drag it with him when he killed the other targets. Yet it remained on the couch.

Illumi had been so concerned with getting you to safety, he had managed to forget it completely.

Pursing his lips, a small scowl made its way onto his face as he stepped forward, determining that he had no choice and that he would need to take both the briefcase and the painting when he went to the apartment where your roommate was. It was obnoxious, but he wasn't going to call back the butler.

Admitting that he had forgotten something would be far too embarrassing.

The car was driving along a lonely stretch of the two lane highway while the sun slowly descended to the earth, casting the sky in golden colors as it sank lower and lower. It had been a while now since they had left the boundaries of the city, and there was still some time before they would reach the intended destination. But with a freshly filled gas tank and a driver who was more than capable of withstanding the hours of driving that were left on the journey, Illumi doubted that there would be any delays from this point. They would arrive at one of the Zoldyck's many homes in due time, and then Illumi could get to know you.

He was currently staring at you, just as he had been at the start of the journey. After the hit job that took longer than expected to complete due to his targets being spread out and the added stress of finding someone to act as a replacement for you – all taken care of with a single needle and the disfigurement to the heads – Illumi had been eager to see you again. Though there had been a slight disappointment on his end when he entered the car and saw that you were still unconscious, he quickly overcame that when he took advantage of your current state in order to place you so that your head rested on his lap.

Just like in the hotel room earlier, it wasn't an action that he was accustomed to – he had never considered doing something like that for someone before this – but with you, it felt right. Natural.

And as he lightly brushed his knuckles against your cheek while you slept soundly under his watch, he found that he felt content. After years of waiting, of fruitlessly searching, he finally found you. Not under the best circumstances, that was for certain, but seeing how things had ultimately turned out, it was all worth the wait.

Though there did remain the matter of your reaction once you had awoken and how you would receive him once he told you the truth.

A small frown once more graced his lips. Teaching you nen and showing you that way would be the best way to prove it to you, though it would take some time. While he had no issue spending that time, he felt another pang of disappointment hit him. He liked you as you were now; pliant and accepting of his touch, as more than once when he had stroked you, you had leaned into him, subconsciously seeking him out. It felt nice, an acknowledgment of the connection that some deeper part of you surely recognized. That you would likely be resistant to him once you were awake was a shame, but one that was unlikely to be avoided.

Learning about you wouldn't come about quickly, he feared. It would take time to tear down the walls you would no doubt build around yourself. So getting to know what you were really like, the areas in which the two of you were similar and the ways in which you differed, and the way that he hoped that you would be loving with him, as was so often spoken of, all of that would only come in time.

With that in mind, Illumi was making an effort to cherish this moment on the journey, when he could caress you all he wanted without you making a fuss.

But not long after, it seemed as though that moment was coming to an end.

He noted when you began to stir awake, your eyebrows furrowing and your mouth turning into a frown as your consciousness slowly but surely returned to you. With your head still resting on his lap, Illumi watched you intently, keeping his hand on your hair. The reaction you would have when you woke up was bound to be a bad one. You would likely remember most of what had happened before he had knocked you out and you would respond with that same fear as before once you saw that you were laying in the confines of such a small space with a man who had told you he'd been hired to kill you.

Illumi anticipated how you might lash out at him, perhaps attack him if you thought you might be able to catch him off guard. Although, based on the way you had reacted back at the hotel room, it wasn't hard to imagine that you might beg him to let you go, perhaps even cry while doing so.

The mental image of you with tears in your eyes had a bad taste form at the back of Illumi's mouth as he found that the thought displeased him.

…. Hm. Just from the thought alone?

His eyes went back to the thread that connected him to you, and once more he felt a small amount of amazement at how powerful the connection was already. But with you not knowing nen, how long would it take for you to sense it?

The fluttering of your eyelids had Illumi's gaze snapping back to your face, and once more he watched intently as you were now waking up.

The look he could see in your eyes when they first opened was best described as being dazed. For a few moments, you were looking around the interior of the car, but sleep still had some hold on your mind as no reaction from you as you did so. Not until your gaze drifted upwards and you caught sight of Illumi looming over you. And even then it took a few moments of you gazing at him before your mind truly became awake.

Illumi watched as the dazed look in your eyes dissipated, the sleepiness being replaced with wide eyed shock and horror as you remembered him, your once slack jaw tightening and the breath now coming out of you harsh and fast through your nose, betraying your utter panic. You had your full attention on the assassin, staring up at him and not daring to move, even when you realized just where he had chosen to place your head during the time you were unconscious.

He didn't like the way you looked at him, but Illumi supposed that he shouldn't blame you too much for that reaction. He also supposed that he would need to be the one to start a dialogue between the two of you, as you seemed too terrified to speak.

Yet you managed to do something unexpected.

With your voice croaking out of your throat and your lips barely moving, you managed to get out a single “hi.”

Illumi blinked in surprise, but then chose to copy you as he responded with a similar “hello.”

He stayed quiet after, giving you the opportunity to speak on your own again.

You did just that. After your gaze went back to your surroundings, you looked him in the eyes again as you mumbled out “we're in a car.”

“We are,” Illumi agreed.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Why else would we be in a car?”

“Ah, right. Sorry. That was a stupid question.”

You were having an easier time speaking, though the wild look of panic in your eyes had yet to go away.

“Can I…. Can I ask where we're going?” you then said, your gaze now on what little you could see through the tinted windows.

“Somewhere safe.”

“…. Safe for who?”

“Safe for us both.”

You blinked.

“What does that mean?” you asked.

Illumi raised an eyebrow as he replied “I should think you would understand what that means. I don't believe I've said anything confusing.”

“I mean, well……”

You glanced away again before saying “it just feels like you're being a little vague with what you're saying. Plus, you could be lying to me.”

Illumi cocked his head as he asked “why do you think I'm lying?”

“You weren't being very truthful earlier,” you reluctantly answered.

He frowned at that.

“You're saying that I lied to you?” he asked.

You nodded.

“When did I lie?”

“With the whole exchange,” you mumbled, “you were pretending to be a buyer.”

“I never claimed to be. You only asked if I was there for 'the thing',” he pointed out.

“But you're an assassin.”

“I never said that I wasn't.”

“You lied by omission.”

Illumi's eyebrows raised slightly.

“Not mentioning something counts as lying?”

“….. Yeah.”

That answer had come out more mumbled, as though you weren't willing to admit that he was right.

It was rather cute, but commenting on that fact was unlikely to be received well in that moment.

As you had quieted down, he took the opportunity to speak as he said “regardless of if I was lying or not earlier, I'm telling the truth when I say that I intend to keep both of us safe. I hope you believe me on that. It's the least you could do after the trouble you've caused for me today.”

You looked up at him in confusion as you repeated “trouble?”

Illumi nodded, repeating the word “trouble. With you getting on that hit list, you put me in an awkward situation.”

“I did?”

“You did.”

“Oh. Sorry, I guess.”

You hadn't relaxed much since waking up, but it seemed to be a good sign that your voice wasn't shaking quite as much anymore.

“I never imagined I'd manage to fuck up badly enough to make things difficult for an assassin,” you added.

Under normal circumstances, Illumi would have considered such a reaction – such words – to be odd, especially coming from someone who knew that he had been hired to kill them. But as he thought on it more, perhaps it wasn't so strange. You were his soulmate, and while you had spent the majority of the car ride unconscious, perhaps the physical contact made with him keeping your head on his lap had been enough to awaken the connection subconsciously.

To test that, Illumi reached a hand towards your cheek, eager to see what your reaction would be. When you did nothing other than stare at his palm before it made contact with your skin, he felt as though he was proven correct. When he began to softly stroke your cheek and he felt you stiffen slightly before relaxing in his touch, the assassin couldn't help but smile.

This was going even better than he hoped.

Finally responding to your last statement, Illumi told you “it's alright. Everything managed to work work out regardless.”

“That's good, I guess.”

You gulped before taking in another breath, and then you spoke up again.

“Not that your lap isn't….. Comfortable, but are you okay if I sit up? Continuing the conversation like this feels awkward,” you said.

Despite not wanting to grant that request after enjoying the time he'd had with you in that position, Illumi pulled his arms away and leaned back slightly as he answered “of course.”

That you sat up immediately and scooted just a few inches away was again displeasing to Illumi, but he told himself that it was good that was all you were doing. That you were being so reasonable was a very good thing for himself, as well as for you.

Looking about the car once more, this time while sitting up, your gaze lingered briefly on the butler in the front seat, as though you hadn't noticed them before. Whatever you made of their presence was unknown as you tore your gaze away to look again at Illumi.

“Can I ask more questions or do you want me to shut up?” you asked.

“You may ask as many questions as you like,” Illumi told you, “I will answer to the best of my ability.”

“Ah. Okay. Um…”

Your fingers played with the hem of your shirt while you formulated your question, something Illumi found his gaze drawn to. He remembered the way in which you had toyed with the paper of the decoy parcel, and it seemed to him that you had a habit of fidgeting whenever you were nervous.

“You said…. You said you were hired to kill me, right?” you asked.

Illumi nodded.

“And you…. Didn't?”

“You're alive right now, aren't you?”

“I mean, I think so,” you said, “this would be one weird afterlife to end up in.”

“I just – I don't want to sound ungrateful,” you added, “but I have to admit that I'm really confused about why I'm still alive. I really thought I was going to die earlier – you said you'd been hired you to kill me, so I don't get why you didn't go through with that.”

“It's because I can't kill you,” Illumi answered.

You picked up on his choice of wording as you repeated “Can't? Not 'won't'?”

“Exactly. I can't.”

“Why?”

Without wasting a breath, Illumi said “because we're soulmates.”

Upon hearing that response, you didn't reply. You stared up at him blankly, blinking every now and then as though you were still processing his words. Seconds ticked by as you stayed like that, and Illumi stayed quiet in turn. As he had been telling himself before, he should anticipate a reaction of disbelief from you. Based on your current temperament, you likely wouldn't lash out, though if you were to do so, it would be from desperation and panic.

“Soulmates?” you repeated, “is that similar to love at first sight or something? You saw me and felt I was the one?”

“No. When I say we're soulmates, I mean that the two of us are literally soulmates.”

Illumi lifted up his left hand as he told you “there's a thread that spans the space between the both of us, that connects the two of us together. We're meant to be with one another.”

You looked to his hand and then to your own.

“I'm…. I'm not sure I see a thread,” you said.

“That's because you aren't able to yet, but it's there.”

“…… Oh.”

Illumi blinked at your lackluster reaction, wondering if that really was all you had to say about that.

But you next response was what truly surprised him, as after taking a moment to seemingly mull it over, you let out a small response that simply consisted of a single word.

“Okay.”

Illumi blinked again and he stared at you, uncertain if he had really heard you say what he thought you said. Even the butler who had remained quiet throughout the whole exchange glanced back with a puzzled expression on their face.

Upon seeing his reaction, your eyebrows furrowed and your anxiety began to build again.

“Was…. Should I not have said that?” you asked, “were you really joking when you said that?”

Your question snapped Illumi out of his slight stupor.

“I wasn't joking,” Illumi clarified, “I'm telling the truth. You're my soulmate.”

Upon hearing him again, you nodded slightly as you let out a soft breath. And then you said it again.

“Okay.”

…. You were accepting it that easily?

Illumi wasn't sure what to say, and that in of itself was strange for him.

He must have been looking at you strangely again because your nerves only continued to grow.

“Did I say something wrong? You don't seem very happy,” you said.

“… I'm a little surprised,” Illumi admitted, “I thought it would take more to convince you on account of you being unable to see the thread yourself, at least at this moment in time.”

“Ah, I guess that is a little weird,” you said, scratching the back of your neck as you added “but if that's what you say is the truth, then I'll believe you.”

“You'll believe me?” Illumi repeated.

“Y-yeah. I mean, if you kill people for a living and you chose not to kill me, then you must have had a good reason not to, right? And if you say that it's because we're soulmates, then I'll trust that that's the truth. You told me to believe in you, right?”

Remembering his words from earlier, he nodded in agreement as he confirmed “I did say that.”

You nodded in turn as you said “so I believe you.”

It looked as though you were going to say something further after reiterating that last point, but when you opened your mouth, you seemed to reconsider whatever you had planned on saying. So you shut your mouth and remained silent while you went back to fidgeting with the hem of your shirt, though you made an effort to relax yourself as you leaned against the back of the seat.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I'm fine,” you said, “it's a bit much to take in, but I'll manage.”

You then spoke up once more as you asked “can I ask another question?”

“Of course.”

“What happened to my roommate and the others?”

“They're dead.”

You went quiet after Illumi's blunt response, and though he could see that you were once more attempting to keep your expression level, the panic in your eyes was easy to spot.

“Their bodies will have been handed over to the client by now, as well as the painting that your friends stole,” he said.

“…. But…. Does he know about me? Or did you not tell him?” you asked.

“I told you before: he was already aware of your involvement. He knew all of you, and he could have disposed of you on his own. He went out of his way to choose me because he wanted you four to suffer,” Illumi answered, “but not to worry. I found a solution in your case. Farley has no idea that you aren't dead. Even if the unlikely happens and he comes across you, he wouldn't dare do anything to you, not if he wants to risk bringing down the wrath of the Zoldyck family upon him. Once we are married and you have my name, he'll be none the wiser.”

Unfortunately, it didn't appear that you truly heard him, as when he told you that you could have been disposed of earlier, a look of dread passed over you and sweat started to bead on your neck. When your breathing grew harsher, he grew concerned once more. And when you suddenly clamped both of your hands over your mouth, Illumi stopped speaking completely, his gaze narrowing in question.

“What is it?” he asked.

“….. Could we pull over?” you asked back, your voice muffled by your hands.

Upon hearing that, Illumi grew suspicious as he asked “why?”

“I'm gonna throw up.”

“…. Oh.”

Within seconds the car had pulled over to the side of the deserted road, and a few mere moments after that you were on your knees in the nearby grass, your arms holding yourself up as you violently emptied the contents of your stomach, gagging while tears began to fall down your cheeks.

Perhaps there had been something in that drink you had gotten at the cafe that didn't agree with you, Illumi thought to himself. Though regardless of the cause it wasn't an ideal look, especially not for someone who was going to marry into the Zoldyck family. But he found himself willing to forgive you for it. You would need to learn to toughen up but for the time being…. For the time being he would offer you some grace and refrain from commenting on it.

It also might ensure everything would go smoothly between the two of you if he treated you gently.

He then caught sight of the way the butler was looking at you. They were still at their place at the door, holding it open with a water bottle in hand that was clearly intended for you. But as they gazed at the state you were in, there was an obvious look of disgust in their eyes. As they watched you while you were on your knees and retching, it was clear that they thought little of you, clear that they felt you were unworthy of the position within the family that they served.

A rush of anger swelled within the assassin when he saw that look.

The butler noticed instantly when Illumi fixed his death glare upon them, and they were quick to bow their head in submission, wordlessly apologizing to him for their transgression.

Neither said anything, though the butler did visibly tense when Illumi approached him. Instead of disciplinary action, the assassin simply snatched the bottled water from the butler's hand before making his way to your side. Once your vomiting spell had come to an end and you were merely left gasping and coughing, he had knelt down beside you, holding the water out for you.

“Drink. Vomiting leads to dehydration,” he told you.

You took the bottle without question, using it first to wash out the taste in your mouth before gulping down half of the contents in several long gulps. When you pulled the bottle away to breathe out through your mouth in what sounded like relief, Illumi placed his hand on your back and rubbed it soothingly.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked after a moment.

It took you a moment to respond to his question, but you eventually nodded 'yes'.

“That's good.”

Illumi's hand settled on your shoulder as he then asked “do you think you can get back into the car?”

That time, the moment you took to answer was even longer than the last one, but once more you gave a nod in response.

“Sorry for making you stop,” you answered as you pulled yourself to your feet, “I figured you didn't want vomit covering your nice seats.”

“It wouldn't have mattered. Such things can either be cleaned or replaced,” Illumi answered.

He tilted his head to the side as he asked “do you need me to carry you?”

Once more you froze for a brief second, but then you shook your head and gave him a small smile as you answered “the car isn't that far away. I'll be fine walking.”

“Thank you for offering, though,” you quickly added.

“Of course.”

Though secretly, Illumi wished you had said 'yes'.

It was made up for soon after once you were both sitting in the car's interior once more. When Illumi sat down next to you, close enough that his arm was brushing against yours, you didn't make any move to get away from him, instead allowing him to remain close.

As the car started up again and began to drive off, you spoke up to ask “does anyone else know about this?”

“That you were my target?” he asked.

You nodded.

“Only you, myself and the butler. And they won't inform anyone,” Illumi told you confidently.

“But doesn't the client know me?” you asked.

“The matter for the client has been settled. I very much doubt he will remember your name or your face come tomorrow.”

“So as long as I stay with you, I'll be safe,” you said, seeming to state that fact out loud more to yourself.

Illumi replied anyway, saying “of course. Protecting one's soulmate is only natural.”

You nodded in understanding again while you fiddled with the water bottle, picking at the plastic labeling with your fingernails.

You weren't completely at ease then, Illumi determined. Despite what you had told him, there was something that was making you nervous, and he found himself thinking that perhaps it was him. You were the one who had said he was scary, after all.

It was a shame that you would lie and say the things you thought he wanted to hear, but once again he told himself that this was still better than what he had been expecting. Even if you weren't being truthful, you were being compliant, and that made things easier for him, as opening the connection for you would be less difficult if you weren't fighting him.

He wanted to talk with you more, learn more about you and get to know how you truly felt about all of this-

But as had now become a pattern, what you did next surprised him.

You leaned against him, the tension in your body slowly leaving while he felt the weight of your cheek resting on his shoulder.

Illumi blinked, looking down at you with his lips parted slightly as he felt a warmth blooming in his chest from the contact. Just as it had those times before, the feeling of you against him was strangely intoxicating. But unlike earlier, this time you were conscious for this moment, and not only that, you had been the one to initiate it.

He noted the way your eyes flitted about and how your expression grew in worry upon seeing his reaction. It seemed as though you were going to pull away.

He was fast to wrap an arm around your shoulder and pull you in closer.

You stiffened slightly, but eventually relaxed as you shifted to a more comfortable position, resting your head against him once again, though there was still a hint of that tension in you.

“What's wrong?” he asked, his voice low.

“….. It's a little scary that you could've killed me,” you told him.

“Ah, I suppose it was,” he admitted.

Illumi leaned back into the seat while continuing “it was the last thing I had ever expected. To think, that my client would hire me to kill my own soulmate. How are odds like that even possible?”

You stayed quiet after that, but when he glanced back down at you, he saw the gears in your head turning.

“…. Maybe you were supposed to get me as a target,” you then said.

“Of course I was supposed to; Farley hired me specifically,” he told you.

“No, I mean….”

You turned in your seat to face him fully, which came as an annoyance to him as you pulled away from him slightly. You then clarified “with us being soulmates, we were supposed to come together eventually, right? Maybe… Maybe my getting mixed up in that and you being hired was meant to be. Maybe if that hadn't happened, we never would have met. Like fate.”

Illumi blinked.

Then he gazed up while he grasped his chin thoughtfully as he considered your words.

“I hadn't thought of that,” he admitted.

“Really?”

“No. I was far too focused on getting out of the situation to consider that,” he admitted, “but with the unlikeliness of it all, that may very well be the only explanation.”

Illumi looked back to you, smiling as he said, “I think you're right.”

You smiled in response.

It was the second time you had done so, and once again, it was tinged, tainted somewhat, with that hint of fear. It confirmed to him that you were saying what you thought he wanted you to, making an effort to play nice with him. But even if your words had been born out of that, they rang more true than you thought.

You would come to that realization at a different time.

Illumi pulled you in again, and you didn't resist as he did so. With you comfortably resting against him once more, he found that he felt at peace. He finally had what he had been searching for – his illusive soulmate, brought to him under the most unexpected circumstances, but still sitting safely in his arms.

While you weren't as receptive to his words as you were portraying yourself to be, Illumi was certain that he could change that.

And he was certain that would take no time at all.

[a-roses-wondrous-rain]

Valentine’s Day special!!

Pairings (all x Reader) : Dottore, Pantalone, Baizhu, Arlecchino, Capitano, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Columbina, Tighnari, Navia, Yae Miko

Mainly fluffy, no actual Dottore content sadly it’s all his segments, Baizhu uses a cane, Arlecchino calls you ‘My bunny,’ Capitano is called Thrain, a little bit of a graphic depiction of Capitano’s rotting, Scaramouche takes you hunting, no established relationship with Tighnari, Yae Miko is just called Miko, I understand that shrine maidens don’t usually have relationships but it’s for the sake of the plot

~ Dottore ~

Ah, Valentine’s Day. As excited as you were, you didn’t expect much from your spouse. He didn’t quite celebrate romantic occasions, and you were lucky to get a ‘happy anniversary’ out of him… and as you suspected, he was working the day of. But lucky for you, his clones adored you. Omicron walked up and grabbed your hand. You didn’t even have time to react, “hey- where are we going??” “The others and I have set up something for you, now come along.” You quietly huffed, but complied and kept up.

Omicron opened a door, and inside were six other segments, all chattering and holding different things. You could hear Webttore snap at Iota, “shut up, they’re c- hey..!” His face flushed, and he quieted down quickly. As your eyes fell on all of them, holding flowers and candies awkwardly, Omicron spoke up. “We know you enjoy this holiday, so we all got together to do this. Since, y’know, Prime would probably forget or would work through today…” All of the segments gave little mumbles of ‘that’s why.’ Epsilon walked up first, handing you a little container of candied ajilenakh nuts. “I had to dig out the old recipe for this one.” They looked good. Omega and Delta walked up, holding a tiny box of chocolates and a card respectively. They shoved each other, earning a giggle from you.

They all handed over their gifts, all some variation of embarrassed or flustered with having to actually try something romantic. But of course, it was to make you happy, so they did it with minimal complaint. By the end, you had boxes of candy and treats, balloons, a plushie bear holding a heart, cards, and one tooth that Webttore snuck into your palm. But now Upsilon, Iota and Delta grabbed you and hoisted you up, much to your confusion, before carrying you off to the big lab couch. They set you down, and all seven of the segments curled up around you in a big fluffy cuddle pile. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Omega mumbled while nuzzling into your neck.

~ Pantalone ~

Peaceful day… it was Valentine’s Day, and you both got to spend a day in. Pantalone made you a small batch of dumplings, which you were both snacking on as you sat between his legs, watching TV. You leaned your head back against his shoulder, holding a half eaten dumpling with chopsticks [the open side up so that good soup wouldn’t spill]. Pantalone was scratching your scalp with one hand, snagging another dumpling from your plate with the other. You gave a mock offended gasp, “how could you take my dumplings? After I worked *so* hard to get a plate of the delicious ones you made?” He let out a playful scoff, “after I worked myself to the bone to make these for you?” “Yes! Because I’m a good spouse and deserve these.” He smiled and kissed your head before taking a bite of his dumpling.

The ads came on and you sighed, muting the TV so you didn’t have to hear the jingle that inevitably got stuck in your head. Pantalone played with your hair, scratching at the base of your scalp in a way that made you feel content. As the annoying ad was over and the next one started playing, the side table phone started ringing. It was a little humorous how it was in time with the cartoon one on TV. Pantalone waved his hand, “if someone’s dying or I’m being robbed, I’m sure they’ll call again.” The phone stopped, and you listened to see if his hypothesis was true. But sure enough, it couldn’t have been that important since there was no second call. “See?” He said with a knowing grin. You tilted your head up, “I suppose it wasn’t important after all.”

The show came back on, and you unmuted it. Pantalone snagged another dumpling, resting his chin on your head as the plot started back up. Today, you had only been interrupted by two people; a segment asking for more funds, and a housekeeper coming in to tidy up the living room [only to be politely redirected to another room]. Pantalone swallowed his bite, “as cliche as it sounds, I do believe the butler did it.” “Right? He’s been shady from the start; ‘I was busy cleaning the bathroom,’ ‘you didn’t see me? My apologies, I was outside having a smoke.’ It feels like he’s just begging to be caught!” Pantalone chuckled as you let out your thoughts on the show. He leaned down and kissed the top of your head. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love. I’m lucky to spend it with you.” Your cheeks went a bit pink, but you smiled and looked up at him. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too. I love you…”

~ Baizhu ~

You figured you should initiate Valentine’s Day celebrations, knowing Baizhu usually preferred getting you gifts for White Day. So off to the market you go with Changsheng around your arm. “No, not that, Baizhu does not like lots of sweet things.” “Spicy and sweet chocolates? Are you trying to make him upset?” “No, don’t-“ You sighed, “Changsheng, I’ve been with him for a year, I know he occasionally dabbles in light sweet things, I will ask for your help if I need it.” Changsheng let out a little ‘hmph!’ before curling up your arm and around your neck, finally letting you get him a small container of dark chocolates, and gum, and a little baggie of macaroons [even though she can’t taste it, you’re sure she’ll like the coconut texture]. You walked down a bit, looking at cards. You were stuck between two before sighing. “…alright, does he like romantic or funny.” Changsheng finally quit being broody, looking between the two. “Hm… not hyper romantic, but something more sweet. Maybe even a bit lighthearted.” “Thank you…” You set the two cards down, sifting through for something more kind, just a little sappy.

Once you got back to the pharmacy, you bent down to Qiqi’s level, handing her a macaroon. “Here you go, sweetheart. It has coconut. It’s not like coconut milk, but it has coconut still in it!” She took it in her little hands and popped it in her mouth. Qiqi chewed for a bit before holding her hands out. “More…” You handed her the whole bag, hoping she won’t forget about them and let them mold again. You put the card on the counter, rushing to write out an actual message but trying to make it heartfelt. You finished and walked to the back after signing it. Changsheng slithered down your leg and across the floor before wrapping herself around Baizhu. He turned around, “ah! You’re back so soon?” You smiled and handed him the small bag you put everything in, “yes, back so soon. Happy Valentine’s Day, love.” You always adored the way the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled…

He walked over to a nearby chair and set his cane against the desk next to him as he sat down, opening the bag. He pulled out one of the chocolates, “sweetheart, these are-“ “dark chocolate, the way you like. The gum is sugar free but the flavor lasts a while.” Oh, he always felt so giddy when you remembered the way he enjoyed his food, or his layout, or really anything. Baizhu pulled out the card, crossing his legs as he read through it. “You didn’t have to…” You sat at the seat you pulled up to the desk, “but I did. You always work so hard and deserve a day that I can get you treats and love on you even more.” Baizhu popped a chocolate in his mouth, savoring the darker flavor. “I’ll have to spoil you on White Day, you know~” “I’m sure you will, love.”

You two finally got a chance to chat, talking about anything besides work. It was nice and peaceful, and you both snacked on the treats you got. Qiqi ran in after a bit, “Doctor Bai, Doctor Bai, Reader got me… uhh… mini texture cakes…” Qiqi was always so cute when she tried remembering a word… “Macaroons?” “Uhm, yeah, Macaroons… they have a good feeling…” Baizhu looked over at you, “I see you got treats for Qiqi while out at the market today?” “Well of course! She only deserves them after being the best assistant ever~” You pinch Qiqi’s cheek like a loving parent, earning a whine from the little girl. Baizhu chuckled, “well, it seems she enjoyed them. Thank you, qīn’ài de.”

~ Arlecchino ~

Valentine’s Day has arrived. The children were swarming you with crude drawings of you, covered in red and pink hearts. “Happy Valentine’s Day Mx. Reader!” “Happy love day!” “No, no, it’s Valentine’s Day, dummy!” Arlecchino cleared her throat, and all of the children stepped back. Arlecchino towered over you, her beautiful black and red eyes staring into your soul. She grabbed your hand with her cursed one, “children, go prepare your lunches, you can give Reader your artworks later.” Most of the children gave a quick ‘yes, Father,’ type of answer before leaving, allowing Arlecchino her time with you. She held your cheek, thumb swiping over your face.

Arlecchino wordlessly pulled you to your shared bedroom. You thought ‘really, when the children are outside?’ But were quickly proven wrong when she dug through a drawer and pulled out a little box. She held it for a moment before handing it to you, “Happy Valentine’s Day. I understand that this is a sentimental holiday to most, so I enlisted Lyney and Lynette’s help with making jellies and chocolates.” It was a neat box. Not one of those heart shaped ones you buy and then toss, but an actual fancy one. The top slowly slid off, and inside were the aforementioned jellies and chocolates, a card, and a couple photos she snagged of you both.

She crossed her arms, glancing away as if this was a trivial matter. “It isn’t that important, you don’t need to-“ You didn’t even read the card before setting the box down and tightly hugging her. Arlecchino was stunned for a moment, before she rested her hands on your back. You planted a kiss on her cheek before squeezing and letting go, “I don’t even need to try the candies to know they’re good…” A hint of a smile graced Arlecchino’s face; her efforts did not go unnoticed. “I’m glad you at least enjoy the thought of it, my bunny.”

As you popped a chocolate in your mouth, you could hear hushed giggling outside the door. You swallowed the sweet treat before quietly walking over and ripping open the door, making the small group of children listening in yell and laugh as they ran down the hall. Arlecchino sighed, hoping her sappy moment wasn’t overheard, but you couldn’t help but smile at the pitter-patter of small shoes down the hall. You pushed the box to the side, unbuttoning the overcoat Arlecchino wore before pulling her into bed. The poor thing couldn’t help but blush, “My bunny, the children can’t-“ “shh, they can go unsupervised for ten minutes. And plus, they’re mature enough to make good decisions. I want some time with my beautiful husband…”

~ Capitano ~

Thrain was a working man. So, that meant your romantic day started at the training grounds. He stood with his arms crossed, telling soldiers to run across the grounds, do the polearm techniques they were taught, and drop and do 20 pushups, all in two minutes. You held onto Thrain’s arm, your breath precipitating in the icy cold air as you watched his agents run back and forth.

As soon as the slower ones were done, he let out a dismissive grunt. “Good for today. Practice later. You’re all dismissed.” All the soldiers hurriedly grabbed their bags and equipment, rushing away. You pulled on Thrain’s arm, “soooo, dinner at that new Inazuman place tonight~?” Ah, even he couldn’t resist an amused huff. He turned to face you, putting a gloved hand on your cheek. “Yes, we will go at six tonight.” You smiled. He likely would wear a heavy coat with something somewhat fancy underneath, but you’d never see him in a suit. And that was fine, he looked more handsome in his choice clothes anyways.

You spent the afternoon getting ready; taking a shower, brushing your hair, picking a nice outfit, the whole shebang. You even consulted your dear friends Columbina and Signora for your choice in clothes. And Thrain? He looked fantastic; dressed in black clothes with accessories, long black hair loosely braided, and currently only holding his helmet. His face was rotted, with half of his teeth visible through his cheek and his nose almost completely gone. But you couldn’t help but grin like a lovesick puppy. You walked over, grabbed one of his hands, and stood on your toes to plant a kiss on his remaining cheek. “You look fantastic, dearest.”

He huffs and looks away, but you could see the little bit of pink between all the black and blue rot. You hold his hand, pulling him towards the door. “Come on, come on, before the restaurant is out of tables!” Thrain squeezes your hand and follows, grabbing the keys and locking the door as you both walk out [two tasks you completely forgot about].

~ Scaramouche ~

His idea of a ‘day out, completely unrelated to that dumb holiday you mortals celebrate.’ was to go out to hunt. In the freezing cold. At four in the morning. He sat in the makeshift spot in the tree, your breath showing next to him as you pointed out little movements down below. He pointed his rifle at a tall and imposing buck that was looking around, “cover your ears.” You didn’t hesitate, cupping your hands over your ears just as he shot the buck dead. The blood painted the beautiful white snow red, and it dropped. Scaramouche hopped out of the tree, halfheartedly ‘catching’ you once you jumped. He picked up the heavy buck with the strength of an unrealized god. “…you want any help with carrying that..?” “No.” That was classic Scaramouche; never accepting help.

You got the buck back to your warmed campsite, where you started to properly prep it. Scaramouche warmed up some milk over the fire for your both to make cocoa. You glanced at him before looking back to the corpse, “you looked cute while you were focusing and aiming…” His face flushed, and he quickly pulled up his hood. “I was not cute, nor have I ever been.” You set down the knife, “are you blushing? Are you, The Balladeer, Sixth Fatui Harbinger, *blushing?*” He went even redder, “absolutely not! It’s just the cold!” Although it was cold, you knew that wasn’t the reason. “Really. The cold. Not because I called you cute?” “…n-no…”

You couldn’t stop grinning, still prepping the buck. He mixed in the cocoa powder as you bagged up the meat with your portable vacuum sealer. He poured you both mugs, sitting down with a huff to blow off his cocoa. Even though he hated sweet things, this wasn’t too bad. You grabbed your cup and sat next to him, leaning your head against his. “Happy Valentine’s Day..?” “Hmph. You mortals and your useless romantic holidays…” You giggled and took a sip of your drink, knowing that you made him blush over your ‘useless romantic holiday.’

~ Tartaglia ~

Ajax took you back to Morepesok for this year’s Valentine’s Day, and you got bombarded by his siblings. “Mx. Ajax’s joyfriend!” “Hello Mx Ajax’s joyfriend!” “Did you bring us candies too?” Ajax smiled at his little brothers and sister talking to you like you were already apart of the family. They all pulled at your sleeves to try and get your to follow and play with them, but Ajax held your hand to keep you back. “Don’t worry, Reader will spend plenty of time with you three tomorrow. Now go tell mom and dad we’re back, and write a list of aaaaaaall you wanna do.” All three ran off, excited to put together a list of things they wanted to do with you. That bought you two some time. He scooped you up, kissing along your face. You went a little pink, but let him take you back to his room in the house.

He took off his boots, laying down with you still in his arms. “Aren’t they going to notice you and me missing?” “It’ll he fine,” he reassured. You let him curl around you, just wanting some downtime. You could hear the little pitter patter of feet going up and down the stairs, but Ajax just stayed put, content staying with you for the moment. You readjusted so you were laying with your head on his chest. Really, he just looked so beautiful… he cracked open an eye and let out a little hum when he saw you looking at him, “and what’re you looking at?” “Mm… you just look pretty is all.” He wasn’t quite expecting that and instantly flushed, “ah- a-are you sure??” You giggled at seeing how flustered he got, “I’m sure, I’m sure. You just look so nice…”

The next few days were filled with the children vying for your attention and lots of baking and going out with his family, with you making him instantly flustered with compliments in your time away from everyone. But how could you help yourself? It was Valentine’s Day, you felt even more affectionate than usual, and how could you resist teasing and complimenting someone as handsome as Ajax? Especially when he flushed and got all stuttery… it was a good holiday, and you’re glad you can spend Valentine’s Day together with him.

~ Columbina ~

Your sweet angel, who was just a little terrifying… Columbina’s beautiful pink eyes stared at you from the dark vent as you wrote out a card that was meant for her. “…bina..?” She didn’t respond, just opened the vent and gestured for you to come closer. You finished your card with love and held onto it as you stood up. It was a little bit of a tight fit since you weren’t as small as her, but it was dusty and warm. Columbina shuffled down the vents, her ribbons trailing behind her. “Ma columbe, where are we going?” “You’ll see…” she said in that silky voice, crawling a little faster. Turn after turn, you weren’t even sure what part of the palace you were in anymore, but it seemed like Columbina knew her way around.

Finally, she stopped. Peeking behind her, you could see that you both ended up in a decent sized closet with a giant nest made out of your stolen clothes, stowed away snacks, and dim lights. Columbina crawled out and curled up in the nest, patting the spot next to her for you to come to. You figured it was best to listen, so you handed her the card and sat next to her, to which she pulled you down to be a little spoon. You could hear chattering outside; sounded like a couple of guards, likely just walking outside. Her eyes closed into a relaxed state, and she held onto you tightly.

Really, an uneventful Valentine’s Day; just snuggling in Columbina’s secret hideout. But it was good, and you were spending time with the… eldritch angel you loved most. Her head wings rested against the sides of your head, and it felt fluffy and warm. “Mm… I love you, bina…” “I love you too, my dearest.”

~ Tighnari ~

You two were working in the kitchen together; Tighnari mixing the sugar into the melted butter and chocolate, and you preparing the molds for them to go in. Tighnari was mindlessly chattering about how the ingredients were gathered, and you making room in the freezer. “And the cacao pods were hand harvested by a nearby group, and we traded for them using perfectly ripe starshrooms. I have to say, whoever gets these chocolates will be one lucky person.” “…what..?” …what.” You stared as he stopped mixing. “…they’re for you?” He tilted his head, “what do you mean? I thought you were making this for Valentine’s Day?” You turned to face him, putting your hands together. “Nari, dearest, these are for you.” Tighnari looked confused. “But… I’m not your valentine?” You just looked so disappointed…

“Joonam, when I said ‘do you want to make chocolates on Valentine’s Day together,’ did you not interpret that as me asking you out??” “Obviously not??” You flushed a bit, but couldn’t help but giggle at the situation. “Really? It didn’t once cross your mind?” He went a little red, “well no! You didn’t… ah, never mind, we’re here now…” “sooo you’re saying you’d like to keep this little date going?” “…yes please…” You smiled as you took the bowl out of his flustered hands, pouring the chocolate in the molds. Once they were in the freezer, you dragged Tighnari to the couch and pulled him into your lap.

His ears were pinned back, but his tail was thumping against the couch. “Is there something you wanna tell me~?” “No…” He was so cute; the ever sassy Tighnari, actually flustered over being asked out for Valentine’s Day. How adorable. You pulled him closer, snuggling into his chest. The chocolates could wait until later, you just want to snuggle with him for now.

~ Navia ~

You two were on a picnic by the Weeping Willow of the Lake, which has miraculously grown back to health recently. You laid on the ground, kicking your legs as you snacked on a macaron. It tasted fantastic; truly Navia’s specialty. She had her hat off to the side, gazing out at the scenery as she grabbed another macaron. She looked so pretty; so put together, poised, polite, you could barely put it into words. While she was looking at the landscape, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. She pointed to a somewhat heart shaped tree in the distance, “look at that one! Hehe, it’s like it was meant to be~” You finally took your eyes off your beloved to look at the tree. “Ah, it’s like the forest knew we were coming!” You both got a giggle out of that one. You sat up and moved closer, sitting next to Navia and leaning your head on her shoulder.

Navia turned to look at you, that beautiful smile gracing her lips. She put an arm around you, leaning her head on yours. It was truly a calming moment. In the distance, you could see a little melusine run and dive into the water surrounding the Willow. “Seems like she had places to be,” you said with a laugh. “It appears so~ now, what would you say to finishing these macarons and heading out to go shopping together in the Court?” That sounded like a fantastic idea, so you turned and grabbed the few macarons that were left, handing two to Navia and taking that last one for yourself. She noticed the imbalance and waited for you to finish your macaron. “Here, take a bite and hold it,” she said while holding up another one. Of course, they tasted amazing, so you opened up and took a bite. She leaned in and bit the other half, and you both practically exploded into giggles at the little gesture.

She finished her other macaron, and you packed up the blanket inside the basket. It was a relatively small basket and a thin blanket, so you could shove it into your backpack. You took Navia’s hand in yours and were about to walk off when she stopped you, “ah- wait, turn your head to the side.” You expected there to be crumbs she was going to wipe off, but you quickly flushed when she kissed your cheek and left a little lipstick mark on it. “And the other side now?” You looked like a giddy teenager as you turned your head again, allowing her to give you another kiss. You reached up and planted a kiss on her cheek, unfortunately lipstickless. You both kept walking, occasionally pointing out the beautiful scenery surrounding you. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Navia.” “Happy Valentine’s Day, my sweet.”

~ Yae Miko ~

Your teasing wife. Today, you woke up by yourself, with supposedly no one by your side. But as you sit up to go make the bed, you see her, in her cute little kitsune form, curled up under the blankets. You smile and scoop her up. Miko woke up, but yawned and curled up against you. You both ended up sleeping in a lot; about four hours past when you expected to wake up. But finally, Miko was back in her human form, and her pretty eyes started opening. You kissed her on the nose once you came to as well, “Happy Valentine’s Day, tsubasa.” Her nose twitched, “and I see you’re as lively as always?” You smiled and sat up, stretching your arms and back. “do I need an excuse? I just want to spoil you today; no work, no shrines, just you and I.” She sat up next to you, “I suppose I’ve earned myself a day off, hm?” “Yes, you have. Now let’s go, and I’ll make fried tofu for breakfast.” You could practically see her naturally droopy ears perk up, “oh? Well that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

She got out of bed first, throwing on a very comfy outfit. You put on plain clothes too, planning to just spend the day in. You headed to the kitchen to fry tofu and make ramen to serve it with, meanwhile Miko just lounged on her chair nearby. “Ah, that smells so good~” You smiled as you flipped it, “I’m glad you think so.” You served it up, and Miko went through her entire bowl [even stealing some out of yours…] After she finished, she got up. You tried peeking over, but she held up a finger; “stay put, I have treats for you.” “Treats? For me?” You playfully grinned as she pulled out a little baggie of homemade sunsettia chews. She handed the bag over, along with a small note basically saying ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.’ It was a lovely gesture. You opened the bag and popped one in your mouth.

She planted a kiss on top of your head, two of her tails running along your back as she moved to sit back down. “Thank you, Miko, they taste fantastic.” Miko smiled, “so it seems my efforts are appreciated after all. Now, what would you say to simply sitting and reading some light novels today?” “That sounds fantastic, dear.” She smiled, all [slightly sharp] teeth as she snagged a bit more of your tofu. You both finished up, then got up to go grab some good romantic books to go through together. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my kitsune.” “Happy Valentine’s Day, kobito.”

[fanzou]

To Be Vigilant

✗ Pairing: Zoro Roronoa x GN!Reader

✗ Genre: Fluff

✗ Total WC: 0.8K

“‘N…. I don’t know, he’s just so… handsome and masculine and so great in all the right ways.” You say so dreamily, palm propping your head up.

Robin just takes it all in, not ‘cause she wants to. But because she has to. She really does love you. Truly. Had it been anyone else she’d probably grow just a smidge irritated. Well, not like she wasn’t right now. This, here, right now, her zen time? She’d likely pick up a book and enjoy her favorite drink and go to town, and that was the initial plan—but alas, here you were talking about Zoro like a schoolgirl in love.

So yeah, she was a smidge irritated but she’d tolerate it, for you.

“Do you want me to stop talking about him?” You smile, sheepishly while tracing the outline of the wooden table.

If Nami was here, she’d answer with the most blunt and straightforward, YES! ever. Pity for Robin that she wasn’t there to accompany the two of you.

She smiles back, just a little lighter. “I can’t promise I won’t cancel you out while you do.”

You whine her name, resting your head on her shoulder while she swirls her coffee around with a spoon, you have a light grip of her arm.

Like seriously, if it were anyone else.

“Why don’t you tell him how you feel?” Would be the logical approach, and she, by all means, is right. But you often defied logic, many times reaping the consequences. This was one of those times. “You never truly know what he might be thinking.”

“That’s just it. It could go so wrong!”

“It could also go right.” She peers down at your desperate figure, clinging onto her like she was your life-line.

Shit, couldn’t argue with that.

You sigh in a last effort of defiance, “I think I’m fine with liking him from a distance. It’s not doing me any harm right now,” you resume in your own activity—that being fiddling with your fingers, pulling away from the black-banged woman. “Yeah… I mean, watching him work out in the Crow’s Nest is kinda hot.” She giggles at your remark. Wow, that’s kinda surprising.

She’d probably regret it though, it grants you a chance to egg the topic on, “There’s something so charming about his attitude and personality, though. Like he could be such a good boyfriend—No, he’d be a great husband.”

Robin says nothing, a little hm, flipping to the next page over.

And this is where you kinda start feeling bad, it’s not the first she’s gotten an ear load about how dreamy and handsome you thought Zoro was. Probably wouldn’t be the last, either. You’ve yapped Nami’s ear off about it and she was not as generous when it came to your rambles. Partially because there was so much she could take and partially because she cringed at how highly you spoke of him. She couldn’t take it anymore, so… you moved onto your next victim. A voice of reason, (like you’d ever listen to reason anyways.) Robin.

Surprisingly she speaks, “You should be more careful with where you say things.”

…Okay? You look back up to her after your arms are crossed over the other with your cheek leaning on top for a little duration of time, and get a look at the woman as an effort to make her push a little further into her statement.

But she doesn’t. Abruptly Robin stands from her seat, she closes her book and brings her coffee with her. She looks over to the door, as if someone was there—then to you.

“I wish you the best of luck with the swordsman.”

You giggle, “You say that like he’s—”

Oh.

Oh.

And then your worst fears come true. You lose vision of her, and then it’s replaced with the thief of your heart.

Oh shit.

His tone is condescending, and he lifts his head up as if to mock you, “Like I’m?” His shoulder is leaning against the door frame of the room; you’re frozen in place. Eyes as wide as flying saucers, hands gripping the nearby surface. You whimper very slightly.

Shit, was this her plan all along? Was that why she giggled at what you said? She wasn’t really trying to egg you on to speak anymore but, it was so perfect. She did this on purpose, get you to spill in possibly the most convenient time possible. You should’ve known. She’s never taken interest like this before.

And how couldn’t you sense his presence?!

Your palms are sweaty, you’re hot all over, “Like… like…” But he only grins, and it’s so sadistic, he takes delight in your shocked state. He’s truly the devil.

“Guessin’ we’ve got lots to talk about, huh?”

[littleslaywrites]

cupid’s chemistry | spencer reid x reader

nsfw, mdni 

concept by @unknwnfanfics

summary: spencer tries to back a cake for you as a surprise for valentine’s, but ends up making a mess (that you gladly clean up).

word count: 1.4k

cw: smut, f!reader, sub!spencer, oral (m!receiving), slight edging, licking (is that a tag?), unprotected sex, p in v

Spencer had assumed baking would be easy. He had a degree in chemistry, after all. And that’s what baking was, right? Chemistry.

So, for Valentine’s Day, he decided to bake you a cake. Garcia helped him scour pinterest for the perfect recipe. He’d bought all the ingredients, even a heart shaped pan. He knew he’d have time after work before you got home. 

It proved to be less simple than it seemed. He’d gotten the cake in the oven… at least some of it. The mixer proved to be a challenge, as the moment he turned it on, it covered him with batter. It had taken a good ten seconds to turn it off. Batter was in his hair, on his clothes, all over his face. 

When he pulled the cake out of the oven, it was as if he’d never taken a science class in his life. It was somehow too dry and too wet, and the color was abysmal. He hoped the frosting could cover it, yet that proved even more difficult than the batter. Even after mixing, it came out way too sugary, with a strong flavor of red food coloring. 

Just as he was trying to figure out how to save it, you walked through the door. 

“What are you making?” you ask, somewhat suspiciously. 

“Umm… it’s nothing, just–”

His stuttering causes you to enter the kitchen to figure out what he’s doing. On the counter is a pan, which seems like it’s supposed to be a cake, or maybe a brownie. 

“It’s not very good,” Spencer says, defeated.

“No, it’s nice, just a little…” you trail off, trying to find something to say. 

“I thought it would be like chemistry,” he explains, bringing the mixing bowl of failed buttercream over. “It was supposed to be your Valentine’s surprise.”

“You’re covered in batter, honey.” He blushes as you wipe a drop off of his face. 

“The mixer got the best of me.”

“You might not be a good baker,” you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “but you’re definitely a cute one.” 

He blushes more. Even after all this time, he still gets flustered around you. And you can’t help but take advantage. You lick a bit of batter off of his face, enjoying the way his breath hitches, trying to hide his growing arousal. 

“Should we get you out of these messy clothes?” you ask, faking innocence.

He nods, starting to unbutton his sweater. As he’s pulling it off, you start to unbutton his shirt.

“It only got on my sweater–” is all he can get out before you shush him. He listens, as he always does with you.

Next you make work of his pants, getting on your knees and unzipping them. Spencer rolls his head back, sliding off his underwear, unable to wait for you to do it yourself. His cock springs out, already hard. There’s another thing you love about him. You can get him worked up so easily. 

“I want–” he sighs out as you lightly stroke him.

“Want what? Words, baby.”

“Your mouth. Want your mouth on me.” 

“Since you asked so nicely,” you say, licking his tip. He whimpers, resisting the urge to buck his hips into your mouth. 

You tease him for a while, licking stripes along his veins. He’s leaning against the counter, white-knuckling the edge to keep himself still. Whines escape his lips as he leans his head back, hair disheveled from his earlier incident with the mixer. 

When you finally take him all the way into your mouth, he lets out a moan. You’re gripping onto his thighs for leverage, bobbing your head along his length. Closing your eyes, you get lost in the feeling of the weight in your mouth, the salty taste on your tongue. You feel him twitching as you swallow him deeper. 

Spencer can’t resist anymore, and gives a quick thrust into your mouth. You hum around him, the vibration coaxing him to do it again. Soon, he’s mindlessly moving his hips, chasing his release. You almost let him cum, but decide you’re not done teasing him. 

Taking your mouth off of him, you move to stand up. 

“Please-” he starts.

“No begging,” you say. “Bedroom.”

He follows you into your room like a lost puppy, driven by need. You lay down on the bed, and he joins you, capturing you in a hungry kiss. Your legs tangle together, and he ruts his cock into the side of your thigh, needing any touch he can get. 

You turn him over so he’s below you. If he wanted, he could overpower you, but he’s always putty in your hands. You sit back so you’re on his thighs, just below his crotch. Playing with his cock, you touch him ever so lightly, running a thumb along his slit and tracing the veins you love to admire. 

“Y/n,” he chokes out, brain empty, save for your name. 

Humming in response, you move to sit up on your knees. Shifting just above him, you grab ahold of his length, grinding your wetness on his tip. The stimulation has both of you whimpering, hips speeding up slightly. 

Stopping your motions, you sink down slowly. Spencer sighs, arching his back before you can even take him all the way. You press his hip down, letting yourself adjust before he can move. 

Hand holding him to the bed, you whine. His length fills you just right, and he looks so pretty below you. His brown eyes are communicating everything he can’t voice, begging you for any motion. Leaning down, you press a kiss to his lips. When he closes his eyes, you can feel his eyelashes flutter, complimenting the way your cunt flutters around him.

Pulling away from the kiss, you run your tongue along the remaining batter that’s left on his face. He blushes as you trace his sharp jawline, cleaning up the mess he made of himself. 

You sit back up, tentatively pulling yourself up before slamming back down. Spencer can’t help but meet your motions, rutting up into you. You allow him to set the pace, listening to the soundtrack of his whines and groans. 

The force of his thrusts cause you to lean down, placing a hand on the bed. You can feel his tip prodding deep inside you. His length surprises you every time, reaching within you in a way nobody else can.

He quickly loses rhythm, his need overcoming any sense. Taking over again, you use your hands on the bed as leverage. Being back in control allows you to guide him where you want. You shift so he’s hitting you on the soft spot of your walls. You pause your motions to move your hips subtly, grinding his tip into your sweet spot, before picking up pace again.

You’re clenching him hard, Spencer aware that it’s a signal that you’re close. He lets you use him, his back arching to have you as close as physically possible. Your knees are spread wide, needing him as deep as you can get it.

You can feel his cock spasming inside you as he holds off his own release. As desperate as he is, he wants you to finish before he does. He’s clenching his thighs, hips unconsciously meeting yours. Skin slaps skin, mixing with sounds of your pleasure.

Your hands run along his chest, feeling every part of him as you go over the edge. Your thighs close tightly around his body, muscles tensing before releasing altogether. Crying out, you let yourself fall onto him, fingers going to his hair. Your hands grab at whatever they can, and the tug at Spencer’s locks has him groaning. 

He continues to thrust into you a few more times before he has his own orgasm, arms pulling you close to him. Leaning into your neck, he whimpers into your ear, unintelligible noises combined with your name. 

Both of you are breathing heavily when you roll off of him, whining slightly at the emptiness. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” you whisper into his ear, running a hand through his hair as he comes down from his high. 

“Sorry about the cake,” he says. 

“I think you’ve sweat the rest of the batter off of your face, at least.” He turns to look at you, still red in the cheeks. “But you still need a shower.”

“I’ll probably need some help in there,” he says, faking a pout. 

“Poor baby,’ you say, pulling him toward the bathroom.

[hoonquette]

these are the days, nishimura riki.

【 another night with your friendly neighborhood spider-man 】 fem ! r 𓈒 fluff college au spider-man!riki + 665wc ── incl. mentions of injuries unproofread writing.

it's been an entire month since you've gotten a full night's rest. granted, you should be used to it—college has definitely ruined your sleep schedule for the next four years—but you'd gotten at least three hours of sleep.

thanks to nishimura riki, your friendly neighborhood spider-man (more commonly known as your boyfriend), those three hours have been reduced to maybe one. since you've found out about his identity, you've spent most nights worrying about his wellbeing, other nights were spent patching him up and tending to his wounds.

tonight is one of those nights.

one of the nights where you rub ointment against his bruised and cut skin, a look of disapproval on your face. he's tried talking to you, but you didn't answer, not wanting to snap at him for being so.. impulsive.

when you're done, you sigh, closing up the first aid kit you'd bought after the second time he came through your window. he stares at you, his eyes apologetic and a small frown on his lips.

he had changed once you let him in, throwing off his mask, and changing into one of the pair of sweats he'd left here. he foregone a shirt—wanting you to see the bruise that'd no doubt be forming on his back after being slammed against a wall.

you nearly strangled him when he told you that.

you understand that this is his unofficial job, something that he enjoys, but it doesn't mean you have to like it. especially when he's not being as careful as you would like him to be.

"alright, fine." he starts, leaning back on your bed, "i'll stop going after the small guys."

"i'm not worried about the 'small guys', ki."

"car jackers can be dangerous. so can—" you interrupt, hitting him with a pillow. he rolls away and lets out a surprised yelp. from the edge of the bed, "you shouldn't hit your injured boyfriend."

"my boyfriend wouldn't be injured if he stopped being stupid."

"i'm a superhero; we're all stupid."

you glare at him and he relents, holding his hands up in surrender. "okay, i'll be more mindful of how hard i'm being hit from now on. good?"

"not good," you crawl over to him, laying next to his body, "but fine. just stop coming over when you look like you're about to pass out. go to an actual hospital."

he rolls over again, this time so that he's hovering above you. suddenly, it feels like you're the one with the concussion—no matter how long you're with him, you don't think you'll ever get used to the close proximity riki seems to crave—and you look away.

you can see him smile out of your peripheral, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "hey, look at me."

you debate not listening to him, but you know he won't speak again until you do, so you (hesitantly) look at him.

riki's smile brightens and he places a kiss on your nose, then on your cheek, forehead, and finally your lips. the kiss lasts for a fleeting moment, but it melts you all the same.

"i wanna be with you, though." he kisses you again, "want your face to be the last thing i see before i faint from exhaustion."

you can't help the giggles that escape, turning your head away from him and covering his mouth with your hand. "stop—don't say that."

"it's true." he pulls your hand from his mouth, but not before kissing it. "plus, i can't go to a hospital, dork."

"okay, okay, whatever. new rule: be better than the other superheros. be smart."

"that gave me chills. you should be a motivational speaker."

you shove him off of you, telling him yo be serious as you do so, and your boyfriend lets out a dramatic scream of so-called pain. when he's done with his mini-monologue about how mean of a girlfriend you are, he caresses your cheek.

"i'll be smarter, though, make you worry you less. promise."

ADRiANNA 🦷 hai :3 i needed a spiderman!riki fic in order to heal from Well idk most things

[seokmn]

VALENTINE’S DAY AT HOME ༘⋆♡⸝⸝⊹。°˖➴

pairing: seokmin x gn!reader wc: 0.6k words warnings: none

📣. tagging: @wonkierideul !

“there’s this thing they call love and i feel it when we touch”

Seokmin looked outside the window and pouted. He was clearly frustrated about the storm, he had planned so many things to do with you on valentine's day, only to be ruined by the shitty weather.

“Hey,” you smiled and patted the bed. Seokmin sighed and laid down next to you, turning his body to face you. “I’m sorry we have to stay at home. I had amazing plans, I’ve been planning things for today since last year,” Seokmin said quietly and you could sense how upset he was from his tone to the way he avoided your gaze like he was scared that you would be mad at him.

“It’s okay, Minnie. It’s not your fault,” you took a strand of hair away from his eyes and caressed his temple with your thumb. “But I wanted to do fun things with you. I wanted it to be a sunny day, not a depressing rainy day that looks like it’s already night.”

You got closer to him, your shoulders touching each other as you ran your index finger through his face, taking note of every facial feature. “Maybe the clouds are sad,” Seokmin looked at you with a confused expression. “Seeing all those lovely couples having fun while they can’t date? Depressing. Imagine if we went out? Do you think the clouds could handle seeing such a strong couple like us? Never!”

Seokmin chuckled and you smiled in return. “There it is,” you booped the tip of his nose. “Am I getting the bright Minnie back? I want him back with his shining smile that can light up a whole town. I want to hear that laughter that melts my heart and my entire body.”

“Eyyy,” Seokmin snorted and turned his head away from you to hide his flustered smile before turning back at you and pinching your cheek. “You’re way too cheesy for your own good.”

“Learned from the best,” you smiled and leaned forward, your lips finding his in a comforting kiss. Seokmin smiled against your lips and cupped your cheek.

The feeling of his smile against your lips made your heart beat faster. Everything about Seokmin made you feel like a teenager in love, but you always went crazy when he did that, and he even knew how to do it properly according to what atmosphere he wanted to create. He wanted to create a lovely and comfy atmosphere, so his smile was sweet, full of love and admiration.

You broke the kiss with a few pecks on his lips that only came to an end because of Seokmin’s grin. “I’m so happy to be with you.”

“Me too,” he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Thank you for being here with me, thank you for being my valentine.”

He brushed his nose against yours before hugging your waist and pulling you closer. You had your face hidden in his neck as he placed his chin on top of your head.

“You know what? This is actually very nice,” his fingers moved up and down slowly on your arm. “Having you here in my arms while we chill and listen to the rain.”

“See? And there you were all sad for staying at home. We can even cook something different and maybe play some games later.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not upset anymore. The weather ruined my plans, all of them!” you chuckled and he gave you a playful and harmless slap on your shoulder for laughing before sighing. “But I guess you’re right… but I want to stay like this for a while.”

“I agree,” you pulled your head back to look up at him. “Little nap?”

“You read my mind, sweetheart. Let’s take a nap.”

[inlovewithquestionablecharacters]

Gi hun X F!Reader: The look of love, the rush of blood

Warnings: smut, fluff, safe sex, penetration(p in v), cunnilingus, oral (f receiving), post game Gi hun, confessions, porn with plot, no use of y/n, female reader

Word count: 3,1K (the thirst for this man is real)

You were laying down, your hands wrapped around a book as you waited. You knew he’d be back soon. The truth was you weren’t even really interested in what you were reading, you just needed to distract yourself. You’d gotten off early tonight and even though you should probably be sleeping you couldn’t seem to close your eyes. Not when Gi hun was still out there, looking for the man that had plagued his thoughts for the last three years. 

He’d found you a year after the games. You’d been working at a bar back then and he’d stumbled in one night. You’d noticed his somber expression the moment he’d sat down. You got all types of people coming to the bar but there was something different about Gi hun. A dark cloud seemed to follow him wherever he went. It made you want to know him.

It started off as small banter, he’d come for a drink and you’d spend the rest of your night trying to tug a smile for his lips. It never worked of course. His burden was too heavy. It had made him cold and cut off. Still, he couldn’t find it in him to tell you to leave him alone. You were the one bright thing in the miserable life he’d started leading since he’d left the games.

He wasn't even sure what had made him talk to you one night. Perhaps the loneliness had finally gotten to him. Or maybe he just needed to get some of the weight off his shoulders. He’d told you about the games and the salesman and the rest of it. You listened to him without judgment. When he finally finished speaking he’d expected you to tell him he was crazy or that he’d had too much to drink but you just stayed quiet for a moment. And then you’d said something that had surprised him immensely.

“How can I help?”

The rest was history. Try as he might, Gi hun couldn’t seem to get you to give up on the idea of helping him. And after a while he stopped trying to convince you. He liked the company. Sure, he had the men who worked for him but that was different. They were there because he was paying them. You were here because you wanted to be. You’d started spending so much time at the motel that Gi hun had given you your own room. You hadn't moved in exactly but you would sleep there most nights. You’d told him it was because you felt safer knowing that he was nearby but the truth was you felt like you needed to keep an eye on him. You knew he was motivated but you also worried for his health. All he did was sit in his car everyday and watch his monitors every night. It wasn’t good for him to be so consumed with his task. No matter how noble it was. 

You flipped over another page, eyes moving over the words absentmindedly. Your head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. You looked down the hall, waiting as the footsteps got closer. Gi hun frame came into view.

“How many times have I told you to lock your door?”

“Oh relax. I knew it was you.”

“And if it wasn’t?”

You rolled your eyes, leaning over the bed to reach beneath it. You pulled out a pistol before leaning back into your prior position. You raised the gun and closed one of your eyes, aiming at Gi hun with expert precision.

“Then I would have shot you.”

Gi hun leaned against the doorway for a moment. His eyes raked over your body, noticing the way your shorts were bunched up, leaving your thighs barely covered. It took all his strength to not show you how much the sight affected him. “I brought dinner.”

You smiled at him, moving to hide the gun before getting up from the bed. You made your way past Gi hu,  walking to the  makeshift  “dining room”. Gi hun watched you for a moment, eyes catching on the sway of your ass before he shook his head.

“Stop it.”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

You lay the table as Gi hun unwrapped the takeout containers. You hummed as you moved around, swaying slightly to the sound of your own voice. Gi hun couldn’t help but smile at the sound. He didn't allow himself to have a radio, knowing it would call too much attention. But ever since you’d joined him he didn’t feel the need for the machine. Not when he had you as his very own jukebox. The chairs scraped against the floor as the two of you sat down. You ate in silence for a while. It didn’t feel awkward. After two years you’d grown used to the quiet manner in which Gi hun behaved. You never forced conversation, fully content on just being around the man. 

“What were you reading?”

“Some dumb romance.”

“Not a fan?”

“I’ve got nothing against it but it’s just so…”

“Sappy?”

“PG 13.”

Gi hun almost choked at your words. He let out a small cough, wide eyes moving to look up at you. You were completely unaware of the thoughts your words had made rush into Gi huns mind. He wondered what you normally read. 

“But it helps to distract me so I can't complain. You okay?”

You were looking at Gi hun now, noticing the slight blush that coated his face. You raised your eyebrows, slightly amused at his reaction. You didn’t mind talking about this sort of stuff, you were shameless that way. But Gi hun seemed to have a harder time. What you didn’t know is that this difficulty was due to you. Over the years Gi hun had found himself growing fond of you. It had been a while since he’d lived, in the broad sense of the word, with a woman. Not counting his mother of course. Being around you made him feel like a horny teenager. And that made him feel pathetic. 

“Anyway, how was your day?”

He welcomed the change of subject. Gi hun told you about the searches and the dead ends. The two of you continued to chat through dinner and no matter what subject you were discussing, Gi hun's mind couldn’t seem to get the dirty thoughts in control. You’d cleaned up the dinner table, saying goodnight before making your way to your room. Gi hun watched you walk away, his eyes lingering in the space you’d occupied before moving to focus on his cameras. 

You’d been trying to sleep for what felt like hours. When you’d finally realised it wasn’t going to happen you shifted to turn on the lights, grabbing the book you’d been reading before settling back in bed. You’d made it through one chapter when there was a knock on the door.

“You awake?”

“Yeah, come in Gi hun.”

The door opened slowly, Gi hun lingered on the doorway for a moment before stepping into the room. 

“Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, I just couldn’t sleep.”

He gave you a sheepish look and you smiled.

“Neither could i. Well don’t just stand there, come here.”

Gi hun moved over to the bed. You hadn’t shifted from your position, your head rested on the pillow, your feet placed on the mattress, knees bent towards the ceiling. It was only when he’d made it to the edge of the bed that he realized you were only in your underwear and a flimsy sleep shirt. Normally on nights like these, when neither of you could sleep, Gi hun would make his way over to your room, lying beside you for a couple hours before sleep seemed to take over your body. You were normally the first to succumb to slumber. Gi hun would watch you for a moment before rising from your bed and moving to cover you up with the sheets. He’d turn off the lights and close your door before moving to his own room. But tonight something was different. Tonight Gi hun seemed to get the nerve to do something he’d wanted to do for a long time.

He hesitated for a moment at the edge of the bed, trying to steal his nerves. Before he could chicken out, he placed a knee on the mattress. You watched him crawl over to you. You’d expected him to stop once he’d reached your legs but he didn’t. Instead he continued to crawl until his body was over yours. He gazed into your eyes for a moment and you felt the breath catch in your throat. Then he did something you expected even less. He laid down on your chest, his body resting against yours. Your legs caged his waist as he relaxed into you. It took you a moment to realize this was actually happening and that you weren’t dreaming. You could feel Gi huns breath against your neck. Instinctively your hand moved to caress his locks, causing him to let out a small noise of satisfaction. His nose shifted against your neck brushing the skin lightly. You had to close your eyes, your body already reacting to his proximity. One of Gi hun’s hands moved to caress your thigh, it was an innocent enough gesture but you couldn’t help but whimper. The noise made Gi hun raise his head to look at you.

“This okay?”

You nodded, unable to trust your voice. Gi hun moved to kiss your neck.

“How about this?”

You bit into your lip, nodding once again. Gi hun enjoyed the way your body reacted to him, he’d barely even touched you and you were already speechless. One of his hands moved beneath your shirt, inching against the skin until he found your breast. You gasped as he began to knead your breast with his hands. Your legs tightened around his waist instinctively, hips bucking up into him. Gi hun grinned against your skin. But you weren’t the only one who was becoming flustered. Gi huns dick twitched against his sweatpants as you shifted beneath him. It was your breathy whisper of his name that caused him to look up at you. He’d barely registered your movements before your lips were on his. Your tongue lapped over his lips begging for entrance. He was more than willing to give it to you. He groaned as you tugged at his hair, tongues moving in tandem. You could feel him growing harder against you and that knowledge made you clench around nothing.

“Gi hun?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you-hum-help me?”

He gave you a confused look and your heart clenched at the sight. For a grown man he had such an innocent face. You moved until you could grab onto one of his hands, guiding it until it rested against your cunt. You moaned as Gi hun's hand grazed the place where you desired him most. The sound made his eyes widen, understanding immediately. A rush of pride made its way through his chest as he realised he’d managed to make you as needy for him as he felt for you. You had expected him to help you out with his fingers but Gi hun had other plans. He shifted down your body until his face was at your cunt. You threw your head back as he placed a kiss on your thigh. Carefully his hands moved to your waistband, tugging your underwear down. A breath left Gi huns throat as he caught sight of your pussy. 

“Fuck. You’re so wet.”

He moved his fingers over your folds, collecting your juices on his digits in disbelief. You whined above him, hips chasing after his fingers. Gi hun didn’t waste time, his lips found your folds immediately. Your hands clung to his hair, as his tongue lapped at your folds. His hands moved to rest at your hips, helping him eat you out with a newfound fervour. All you could do was gasp and moan as Gi hun moved with expert precision. You’d never expected him to enjoy this so much but you’d been pleasantly surprised. You clenched around his tongue and he groaned.

“You close?”

“Yes Gi hun please just a bit-shit-there! Right there!”

He sucked on your clit and you were a goner. Your lips parted, his name slipping from them in an euphoric shout. You coated his face, body sagging onto the bed as your orgasm washed through you. Gi hun lapped it all up, stopping only when you let out a small whine of discomfort. He dragged himself up your body, settling into his prior position. You tugged him into a kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. Unconsciously Gi huns hips rutted against you. You smiled into the kiss, hand moving to caress Gi hun through his pants. He groaned against your lips. 

You pushed yourself up, forcing Gi hun to lift his body too. He watched you remove your shirt, throwing it somewhere across the room before looking at him expectantly. It took him a second to understand what you wanted. When he finally got the message he got off the bed removing his clothes until he was fully nude before you. Your mouth dropped open at the sight of him, he was surprisingly toned for somebody his age. Before Gi hun got a chance to get self conscious you were gesturing him to come to you with one finger. He grinned at you, crawling over your body once more. You opened your legs to him eagerly. 

“Oh shit.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t have any condoms. I don’t keep any because I never…well, you know.”

He gave you a sheepish smile and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s okay.”

You leaned over the bed, reaching into the nightstand and pulling out a condom. Gi hun looked at you in surprise.

“Don’t worry. I’m not bringing anyone here. I kept these here in case I got the courage to…”

“To?”

Gosh he could be so oblivious. 

“You know…”

You gestured between the two of you.

“Oh.”

His eyes widened in realization.

“Oh!”

You smiled at him, your hand moving to cup his cheek. You placed a kiss on his lips before moving to hand him the condom. He took it from you, opening the package and slipping it on. You relaxed onto the bed, waiting for him to line himself up. Gi hun glanced up at you.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Very.”

“Okay.”

He began inching himself into you slowly,his eyes never leaving the place where your two bodies connected. It was shameless but the sight of your pussy swallowing his dick was enough to make him twitch. The sounds leaving your lips didn’t help much. You were all breath whines and quiet moans. He set a tender pace, fucking into your gently. Your forehead rested against his, breathes mingling as you each enjoyed the feeling of each other. Your nippels rubbed against his chest causing you to moan. One of his hands moved to knead the flesh as he continued to thrust into you.

“Fuck you feel good.”

“Ah Gi hun! Please give me more.”

He wanted it to be tender. He wanted to transmit his gratitude for you with his body but he could also feel his self control slipping. He sped up slightly, his thrusts becoming rougher and upon feeling you clench around him he wondered why he hadn’t done this since the beginning. You clung to his body, your pants growing as he moved your legs up slightly, allowing him to hit your g-spot perfectly. 

“I’m close…”

“Just a little more. Wait for me okay? Can you do that princess?”

With the way he was fucking into you it seemed you wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer but you’d try for him. You gave him a small nod, nails digging into his back. Turns out you didn’t have to wait too long. Before you knew it Gi hun was  whining out your name, his hips stilling as he came. You followed after him, your eyes rolling back as the coil in your stomach finally snapped. Gi hun fell into your body. Sweat coated both of you but neither one seemed to mind. Gi hun placed one last lingering kiss to your neck before rolling off of you. You stayed still for a moment, trying to catch your breath. 

“That was-”

“Wonderful.”

You turned to look at him.

“It was wonderful Gi hun.”

He smiled at you,pulling your body to his until your head rested against his chest. You traced the lines of his abs, enjoying your post orgasmic bliss in silence. You tugged your lip between your teeth, a small wave of guilt gnawing at your chest. 

“I’ve been selfish.”

“Huh? How come?”

“I’ve been hoping you didn’t find him.”

You lifted yourself off Gi huns body, resting on your arm as you spoke.

“I know what you’re doing the right thing but I can't help it. I-”

You took a deep breath in, forcing the tears down. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you to go, Gi hun.”

Gi hun watched the way your face contorted as you spoke, clearly trying to stop yourself from crying. 

“I love you.”

Your words had surprised him immensely. Never would he have imagined the words slipping for your mouth. But the words didn’t frighten him. In fact they made him realize something he’d been denying for a long time.

“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t own me that. I just wanted to get it of my chest in case-”

“Hey, hold on a second.”

His hand made its way to your cheek, forcing you to face him. He raised his brows at you, his lip tugging to one side of his face.

“I didn’t think I'd ever get a shot at something like this. I didn’t feel like I'd even deserve it. Not after…”

He paused for a moment, memories flashing through his mind. He pushed them down, focusing on you instead.

“What I'm trying to say is, I love you too.”

You gasped at his words.

“I think I've known for a while but didn’t have the courage to accept it. You’re…well… you’re really something special.”

He smiled at you and you couldn’t help but grin. You leaned down, placing a kiss to his lips before laying on his chest again. Gi hun knew he couldn’t give up on his mission. He needed to end the games once and for all. He knew he had to win, after all, you’d be waiting for his return. And he would find his way back to you. No matter what.

[ishasturnz]

‘ Scotty doesn’t know ‘

png by: @aquazero

summary:Matt’s girlfriend and Nate finally meet in person for the first time, and things take an unexpected turn that’s way beyond just being friends.

w/c: 664

character count: 2982

warnings: porn with plot in a way, p in the v obviously, cheating, almost getting caught?, telling matt Nate is fucking his girl, rough sex, backshots, riding, somewhat rushed.

a/n: I tried my best especially for a car sex fic😭 i’m so glad you guys give me ideas because I swear I had NO motivation for the past few weeks.. ALSO GO LISTEN TO MUTT BY LEON THOMAS!!

It felt so good.

Yet it was so wrong.

It all started when we visited Boston around Thanksgiving, Which ended up with me meeting Nate.

Though he was a likable guy, we exchanged glances.

And not platonic ones.

The next time, Chris, Nick, Matt, and I went to Boston it gave me and Nate time to “catch up” with each other.

That's how I found myself in the backseat of his car.

FAST FORWARD

His hips started thrusting up, his movements going from slow and gentle to rough and fast. His balls smacked against your ass with each and every thrust.

“S-shit missed those so fuckin’ badly.” His grip on your hips was easily hard enough to leave multiple bruises, obviously not caring if Matt saw them or not, you’d just come up with another lie.

You guys were making such a fucking mess, all types of substances leaking all over the leather car seats, the windows were completely fogged up, thin layers of sweat dripping everywhere.

The two were completely in pure bliss before Nate’s phone started to ring. It was Matt. It was always matt.

“Shit it’s matt, y’gotta be quiet f’me” you only let out a quiet whimper in response. Your sweat hands slapped over your mouth before he answered the phone.

While talking to matt he flipped you over on your stomach so your whimpering and whining didn’t pick up as much.

“Wassup matt?” His pants somehow shallowed down making it sound like he isn’t going balls deep in his girl. “Are you guys almost ready? We’re trying to hurry up dude”.

Course he was acting entitled. As always. “Yeah just wait a few minutes, y/n’s looking for her- glasses” he lied through his teeth, somewhat trying to see if matt actually payed attention to small things.

“Oh alright, just like— try and hurry up a bit” Matt spoke before hanging up.

You don’t wear glasses.

The minute the screen went to the call screen and back to the message, Nate threw his phone into the front seat and went right back to driving into you.

"look so pretty taking my cock like a good little slut, you must love the idea of cheating on Matt with his best friend, huh? Do you?" Nate grunted, The degrading making you moan loudly.

A sweaty hand slapped against the window, “Nate,” you gasp, clenching around him. “That feel good pr-pretty girl?” You could only blubber out somewhat coherent sentences.

M’so close. I gotta—fuck, I gotta cum!” With each harsh snap of his hips, the sticky, creamy sappy mixture pooled up around the base of his dick.

“Yeah?” He paused so he could take a short breather. “You’re gonna cum? Shit— m’close too, where you want it?”

“I-in me please, please Nate I need it” His hips faltered before you felt his warm seed fill you up in long spurts.

His thrusts continued until your earth shattering orgasm came, making you see specks of white each time you blinked.

Winding down after a few moments of zoning out and panting, Nate opened his glove compartment and got out some napkins to wipe you and the seats up.

“Shit we gotta hurry up, it’s been a while,” Nate spoke out, grabbing a stick of deodorant and applied it to himself and handed it to you to apply.

“Nate— do you think they’re suspicious of us?” You spoke up, your voice slightly worn out but still clear as day.

“Yeah probabl—“ his phone rang again, a text from Matt, “I swear this dude”. He pulled up his pants and boxers while you continued to get dressed.

He reached for the backseat to grab his found and unlocked it. His fingers already typing.

“Nate what the fuck are you gonna say to him,” You spoke up while glimpsing over his shoulder. “You gotta tell him eventually y’know. Since you won’t do it”

“I’ll do it.”

MASTERLIST

taglist: @angvl3tears// @chrepsi// @tezzzzzzzz//@lailasnight //@theylovedemi //@courta13

[that-weird-thing-in-the-woods]

•~{ Heyyy so you gremlins choose this one out if the poll so here you go! }~•

•Cafe Ghost•

A new cafe has opened just on the edge of Crime Alley.

It’s in one of the old buildings that was a front for one of the older gangs that have long since been destroyed. It’s known to serve anyone as long as you don’t do these five things.

1: Insult the Employees or the Owners guests.

2: Try to hurt or have hurt anyone in the cafe.

3: Mess with the alley delivery kids.

4:Do not lie to the alley kids about payment they always tell Owner.

5: Make promises you will not keep.

If you do anything on this list your going to get cursed into silence or something worse if it’s the Owner but if it’s the Employee you’ll just get back talked to hell and back or in worse case stabbed. But no one in the alley really cares as the food and drinks are so good and cheap for Gotham so even the alley kids who don’t work there can get food and the Alley doesn’t rat out safe spaces.

But it has caught the attention of the Bats for the mysterious nature of the Owner and his Employe so three members of the family will go undercover and investigate the cafe

Damien and Tim will go undercover as Dion and Ivan who are two Alley kids that are looking for a way to make money the legal way after being backstabbed by their old boss. And Jason will be going as Otto who is an ex-con who is also looking for work after getting caught by the bats a few years back.

Let the investigation proceed.

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Background•

Danny was just going about his [ half ] life.

Danny came out to his parents about being a ghost and him being phantom with jazz there and Sam, Tucker listening in with a go-bag if they need to skip town fast but that wasn’t needed as his parents immediately went into apologizing for what they said and how scared he must have been and omg we shot our son!!!

So that when very well after that his parents views on ghost changed for the better and thankfully they cut all ties with the G.I.W even if there still somewhat a problem but their manageable so as long as they all keep them at bay it should be fine.

And Jazz “accidentally” •~{ I heacannon that Jazz hates Vlad with a passion for how weird he is about Danny }~• and everything he’s done and how he acted towards Danny…let’s just say the Fentons were in need of new Fenton-bats as all of there’s were bent out of shape.

Anyway with the less stress from having your parents shooting you every other night his grades have been get better admittedly slowly but there getting better! And everything in Danny’s life has finally chilled out and he can just relax.

Until Vlad decided to be a problem.

Vlad after healing from the beating the Fentons gave him, his obsession started to change from marrying Maddie to taking Danny as his [Not in a romantic way like the Batfam will think, IF I SEE THEM BEING SHIP HERE YOU WILL BE BLOCKED THAT IS A CHILD AND A GROWN MAN] so he had to get Danny and keep him but with the Fentons protection he couldn’t get Danny that way so he kidnapped Dani who has come back to Amity park to visit Danny Mama and got grab by Vlad.

Vlad started to destabilize Dani to create a new clone as a place holder until he can grab the real Danny, But he was unable to destabilize Dani all the way as Danny blasted through the wall and grab Dani and booked it back to his house. [This is very simplified, I’m just shit at writing this type of shit]

So 16 year old Danny and a de-aged 2 Dani ( Who has been renamed Arsa ) feeling very uncomfortable and unsafe with Vlad being around but as Danny’s still in high school and under Fentons protection and not to mention Danny would finish the job his parents and the portal couldn’t.

So he stays until he finishes high school well it was a bit more difficult to keep his grades up with his new daughter but he managers and when he graduates he gives his family+Sam and Tucker a way to connect them and promise to visit every once and a while and books it to the ghost zone and into his liar where Vlad can’t get in as Danny wouldn’t let him.

And Danny + Arsa stay there for 11 years [on the earth side of it ✨Time difference✨] well visiting everyone when Vlad was in the ghost zone doing what ever shady shit he does or trying to get into Danny lair and when Danny feels like Arsa and protect herself from whatever may try to hurt her they move back and decide to move to Gotham as amity park is far to close to Vlad then Danny likes to be.

And they open the cafe just for some extra play money and for fun and that’s how we got here.

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Little Facts•

•Danny is trans in this Au

•Asra doesn’t have memories from when she was Dani but she does have feelings

•Maddie and Jack are keeping the G.I.W at bay so they don’t start a war and keep Vlad on his toes while Jazz is in star city as a therapist or psychiatrist

•Danny and Asra choose what age they want to look like so Danny picked 21 and Asra will also probably pick 21 but she still wants to act like a kid or teenager for a few hundred years before than [it’s for Dani who never got the chance to be a kid or teenager]

•Danny somehow found a beanie that looks exactly like the one Dani wore and gave it to Asra as a gift now she wears it with her dagger pins with the magic Danny taught her :)

•Danny is really good at magic, the Fentons think it’s because down the line they most like had witch’s and fea folk in their family tree

•Jason starts to have a crush on Danny after seeing him beat the shit out of Vlad or the Joker or the alley kids

•Danny mother hens the shit out of the alley kids and the alley kids love it as most don’t have the best parents, Damien and Tim are no exceptions :)

•Danny has chilled out with age but is still a feral fucker at heart, Asra doesn’t hide it

•Asra call Danny “Mama” or “The boss man” when on the clock and will call Danny “Papa” if she feels like it

•Asra added to the Vlad and Danny misunderstanding because she is tired of having to deal with this vampire from Temu

•Danny and Asra are always up to some good old gender fuckery

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Appearance•

Dannys appearance•

[Danny likes to wear pants when working so the skirt doesn’t get stuck on anything]

[ But when he can wear skirts and dresses he makes sure to add pretty shinys ]

Asras Appearance•

[She likes pants not much to say]

•~{ And that’s it I hope this is what you gremlins wanted until next time byeeee }~•

[octuscle]

Wereteen News Anchor

It was just another regular evening in the newsroom. The cameras were focused on Richard Weber, the 50-year-old, perfectly-groomed news anchor, standing with impressive authority in front of the green screen for the evening broadcast. His name was Richard Weber, and over the years, he had earned a reputation as one of the sharpest advocates for right-wing conservatism on television. With his conservative appearance and precise, deep voice, he was the visual embodiment of seriousness. But tonight, he felt a little grossed out. The young, hairy intern who had just brought him coffee in the dressing room had questionable personal hygiene. And there had been some sticky, milky liquid on the coffee cup. He’d wiped it off with a tissue, but somehow, his fingers still felt sticky.

The red camera light flicked on. He gathered himself and started reading the news.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began. "Tonight, we’re reporting on the latest successes of the President, who’s still so new to office…" His words flowed out of him smoothly and precisely, just like he had done for decades. But at that moment, without warning, Richard suddenly felt an unpleasant rush of heat that made him sweat.

"Uh… is it, like, hotter in here?" he murmured, trying not to let the sudden discomfort distract him. A slight dizziness came over him, and he reached up to touch his forehead.

"I… I need a second," he thought to himself, wiping his face with his hand. But then something happened that he couldn’t explain. It started with a weird tingling on his skin, spreading from his neck to his face. He tried to hold it together, but his body wasn’t listening. With a loud snap, he felt his skin become younger, tighter. He glanced at the mirrors behind the camera and saw his features changing. A soft, almost invisible fuzz began to grow on his previously smooth, clean-shaven face. His eyes, which had always appeared serious and thoughtful, suddenly looked bigger and more alive.

He felt another strange jolt – this time in his hair. Richard grabbed his head, but before he could do anything, his hair transformed from a neatly combed-back style to a wild, messy skater look. In less than a minute, he had the hairstyle of a skater.

"What… what is happening?" Richard muttered, his voice starting to change. Instead of the calm, deep resonance he was known for, it now sounded higher, less certain, and almost youthful. He looked at the monitor, where he saw himself in this new, bizarre state. But it wasn’t just his appearance that had changed. Something inside him had shifted, too.

He tried to keep going like nothing had happened, but instead of his usual seriousness, he spoke in a completely new rhythm: "Yo, so like, the President’s done some wild stuff, right? I mean, that guy is straight-up a monster, bro!"

Shit, it was hot. He needed air. Also, his shirt was getting too tight around his chest. He’d probably overdone it at the gym. Damn, what was he thinking? He didn’t even go to the gym… His head suddenly felt light, like he’d been freed from the heavy thoughts of decades. He felt… young. Really young. The words came effortlessly, and he realized he felt almost carefree – like a 21-year-old college bro who had just had an awesome day on campus.

"Okay, okay, so like… I’m just sayin’, folks: the President’s the King. No doubt, what’s goin’ on is the shit, for real!"

Richard Weber, the proud news anchor who had always been a picture of competence and seriousness, was now just a bewildered young guy, surprised by his new, youthful self. He couldn’t focus on world politics anymore – those topics that had once felt so familiar to him. Instead, his whole attitude was now that of a student who had just celebrated finishing a long exam by ordering pizza.

"Uh, yeah, so let’s, like, move on to the next news, bro. I gotta say, things out there are wild…"

Meanwhile, he opened his shirt, revealing his hairy, athletic chest. Fuck yeah, that felt better. Much better!

The screen behind him still showed the same news channel, but Richard Weber was no longer the same. The tough, conservative reporter was gone – left in his place was a young, somewhat confused intern just trying to make it through the night.

Inspiration by @rowdy317

[theemporium]

dare i request… mrs p & jackie making nico feel so so loved and precious… maybe edging him a little 😈

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

series masterlist

.

It had been a long day. 

It started off with him dragging himself out of bed before the sun had even risen, barely awake enough to get dressed as he pressed a kiss on your and Jack’s heads before leaving for his early meeting. Then, he had back to back classes all the way until the afternoon where he then had to use his one off-day of the week to meet with Coach and discuss captainly duties before he was able to drag himself back to the frat house for dinner.

He was fucking exhausted, to put it lightly. He barely had a minute to stop and breathe and not use his brain for one damn second. He was just tired and overwhelmed and in desperate need of just a few minutes to recuperate after the day. 

And that was where you and Jack came in. 

Nico couldn’t help but feel his stomach twist in guilt when he realised he hadn’t said a single word to either of you the whole day. And it only worsened when he saw the looks in your eyes, saw that same need and desire that he could recognise from miles away. 

Because he could barely think about what was in the fridge to whip up for dinner, let alone to make both you and Jack feel good and make up for the day and—

“Shhh, baby,” you murmured, your lips brushing against his as you ran your fingers through his hair. “Let us take care of you, yeah?” 

And that was exactly what you two did. 

Nico didn’t even bother to fight back. He sunk into the kiss when you pulled him in. He leaned into Jack’s touch as he pulled his hoodie over his head. He let the two of you take the lead, let himself just close his eyes and relax and not have to think. 

God, he just wanted to not think for a little bit.

And it felt so fucking good. He kept letting out these happy sighs at the way the two of you were touching and kissing him. He kept whining and bucking into the touches, sinking further into the mattress when he felt Jack’s lips wrap around his cock and slowly begin to bob his head up and down until Nico’s fingers were tangled in his hair. 

He could close his eyes and not think about anything other than the words you were whispering in his ear, the soft praises and light kisses and the way you told him every single thing you two had been thinking about for the day since he left. 

He let himself just listen and obey and do whatever the two of you wanted, just let the two of you take control knowing full well that he could trust the two of you would take care of him.

“So good for us,” Jack murmured, his voice raspy as he tongued down the length of his cock with feather-light kisses. “So good at taking it, babe.”

Nico let out a whine, blinking his eyes open until he found you already staring back at him.

“You want that?” You asked, your hand cupping his cheek as he leaned into your touch. “Want to take us, baby? Want to turn that pretty head off for a bit and just let us make you feel good?” 

He was nodding before he even realised.

“Jack is gonna make you feel so good,” you promised, leaning down to kiss him, slow and soft and a complete contrast to the way Jack was obscenely sucking on the head of his cock. “Gonna fuck you nice and good like you desereve. Just gonna need you to lay there and take it so well, let us do all the work.”

Nico almost came from your words alone.

.

[issues4him]

surprising rafe as his pilot on his flight!

rafe x pilot!reader

a/n: sorry if yall aren’t into this, but i’m a pilot so obviously i need to incorporate rafe into my aviation life right lol

cw : fluff! airplanes & aviation terms, one use of yn

rafe sighed against the wall, absolutely NOT wanting to be at the airport right now. his plane was delayed by an hour—“maintenance issues” or some shit. he was currently sitting inside norfolk international airport, stuck in the middle of the terminal waiting on the motherfucker 10 spots in front of him to just shove his luggage into the upper head bin.

rafe absolutely hated airports. he hated how busy they all were. he hated being in the midst of how dumb people could be. he hated the crammed seats and having to get stuck next to a big, smelly old guy. and yeah—he was a nervous flyer. he had no idea how you did it. he’d never admit it, but it was honestly intimidating to him.

“fuckin’ hell.” he grumbled, rubbing his face with his hand in frustration. finally, the line starts moving once again. rafe places his hand on the outside of the airbus a320, feelings it’s cold metal against his fingertips. it was his own superstition he had—the reason he always landed safely was because he touched the plane before he entered.

rafe made his way down the aisle, giving the prior motherfucker a glare as he sat down in C3. he fumbled with his things, shoving his carry-on bag underneath the seat in front of him. rafe was so pissed off he felt like he could kill everyone within a 1 mile radius.

he was on his way to houston, texas, to meet ward and rose for a ‘vacation’. of course, he didn’t want to travel with them, as that would’ve set him off for real.

“excuse me, i think you’re in my seat.” a deep voice was heard beside him. he turned his head, eyebrows furrowing in irritation.

“nah. ‘m not.” he said sharply to the middle aged man standing in the aisle. the mans eyes widened in shock at rafe’s bluntness.

the older, brunette flight attendant came over to the both of them, an annoyingly fake smile on her face. “excuse me, are you rafe cameron?”

he looked up at her, honestly not prepared for the definite stress she was going to throw at him. “uhuh.” he mumbled.

“we’re going to be moving your seat up to first class.” she explained, waiting for him to grab his things and get out of the tiny seat he could barely fit in.

confused, but certainly not mad about it, rafe obliges and stands up out of his seat. he follows the flight attendant up to the first class area, mumbling a ‘thank you’ as she pointed to his new spot. sitting in the wide, squishy chair, rafe couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. this whole day was stressing him out, and knowing that they were going to be airborne soon was enough to make his forehead bead with sweat and stomach turn in knots.

he laid his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes, trying to find some sort of comfort.

“good evening ladies & gentlemen,” a female voice was heard through the airplanes speakers. rafe’s eyes shot open at the instant recognition of his girlfriend’s sweet voice. he looked up at the front of the fuselage, his heart nearly stopping as he saw you standing there in your white button down and black slacks, smiling back at him.

“my name is yn and i’ll your first officer today on our flight to houston. our flight should be just under four hours, approximately 3 hours and 47 minutes. the weathers looking sunny and a high of 79 degrees down in houston,” rafe smiled up at you in adoration as he listened to you speak into the black phone on the wall.

near the end of your routine speech you smiled back at rafe, “also, if you’re a nervous flyer, don’t worry. my boyfriend is on this flight so consider him your lucky charm.” the passengers chuckled, a few noticing the way you were smiling at rafe.

with a thank you, you set the phone back on the hook. you walked down the aisle to rafe, giggling when you see the huge grin on his face.

“what the hell i had no idea you were even working today…” rafe exasperated, still in shock. he grabbed your hip, pulling you down into a hug.

“i wanted to surprise you, silly,” your laugh was muffled into his shoulder. you pulled away and planted a kiss on his lips. “wish we could talk more, but i really need to get back to work. gotta keep my baby safe.” you pinched his cheeks playfully, and walked back inside the cockpit, sealing the door shut.

rafe’s smile still hadn’t faded by the time you were lined up on the runway and the engines began roaring. rafe had honestly never felt more safe in his life. the person he trusted the most was the pilot flying his plane. he relaxed into his seat, thinking to himself,

‘maybe i don’t need that xanax in my bag after all.’

[myveryownfanfiction]

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

tags: @illiana-mystery, @iobsessoverfictionalmen

warnings: swearing, Bucky is a greasy mechanic, touching without permission (not reader and Bucky) smut, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it kids)

AN: image from @filmesbrazil. This is a 50s!AU where Bucky is a mechanic.

I knocked on the desk as I looked at the legs of my mechanic. He crossed his legs and I shook my head. The sound of tools shifting made me roll my eyes.

“alright buck. I know you know I’m here.” I said, leaning against the desk. “Come on out.” Bucky motioned for me to wait and I sighed as I sat on the desk. Looking around, I nodded. Sitting in the corner was Steve’s next door neighbor. She was watching Bucky under the car as she chewed on her bubblegum and twirled her hair. Steve came out of the office, making her jolt before hopping down off the crate she was using as a chair.

“Lock up when you’re done buck.” Steve called as he ushered the girl out of the shop. “Make sure he locks up (Y/N). I’ve got a date tonight and this is the last car for the night.” I nodded as I looked over at the girl waiting for Steve.

“you know she…” I started quietly. Steve nodded. “Alright then. Good luck with that one.” I held my hands up before waving to him. I waited until I saw Steve’s car pull away before hopping off the desk. “She’s gone.” Bucky slid out from under the car and grabbed the show rag from his toolbox.

“thanks. She wouldn’t stop touching me and I couldn’t take it anymore.” He said as he stood up. “Wouldn’t even listen when I said I was taken.” Bucky came over and kissed me softly. “So your car is almost ready.”

“come on Bucky what else needs to be done?” I whined. Bucky laughed as he lowered the hood on my car.

“well for starters…” he said, glancing back at me. “Did you know you blew a fuse?” I shook my head. “Or that the shocks were out on your breaks?” I shook my head again. Bucky laughed. “So there you go. You did more damage to that thing pushing it downhill than if you had left it and let me come pick it up with the tow like I said I would.” Leaning against my car, he crossed his arms with a smirk. “Want me to go on?” I shook my head with a laugh. “Alright then. It’ll be in here for a couple more days while I wait for a part. Had to have it special ordered from the manufacturer doll.” Bucky shook his head. “You’re lucky Steve lets me take it out of the excess budget. Otherwise you’d be paying.”

“I’m also lucky Steve refuses to let me pay at all.” I teased. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Yeah there’s that too.” He laughed as he pushed off the car. “So what were you thinking for dinner doll?” I looked him over and smirked.

“I got a few ideas.” Bucky laughed as I sauntered over to him. “Backseat of my car is free. You just gotta lock up.” I started unbuttoning my shirt as he stood there staring. “Nuuh buck. You lock up first. Then you get a peek.” Bucky ran to the garage door and pulled it closed, locking it along with the front door before running back towards me. I laughed as I opened the back door and watched as Bucky all but dove into the backseat. He got settled as he waited for me to climb in.

“all locked up. No one’s getting in unless they have a key. So Sam or Steve but they’re double dating tonight so…” Bucky shrugged as I reached for the hem of his shirt. Tugging it over his head, I tossed it outside the car.

“any grease and you are cleaning it up.” I warned. Bucky nodded as he went to work on getting my shirt off. I moaned as he dipped his head to kiss along my neck and chest.

“worth it.” He murmured as my shirt joined his. Our hands tangled as we both reached for the others pants. Outside the door to the car was a small pile of clothes as Bucky kissed me hungrily. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he gently laid me back on the seat. We both moaned as Bucky gently thrust into me, the windows starting to steam up slightly. “So damn good doll. Made just for me.” He murmured as he slowly started to build a rhythm. “Fucking hell.” I panted as I buried my hand in buckys hair.

“Bucky please.” I whined as he canted his hips, grinding against me with each snap. “Fuck buck.” Bucky kissed along my neck as he nuzzled into me. “Bucky.” I whimpered as I came. Bucky grunted as he fucked me through my orgasm before following me over the edge, a strangled cry getting caught in his throat. We laid there for a minute before Bucky moved to sit up. He chuckled before getting out of the car. He came back with a shop rag.

“sorry.” He murmured as he started to clean up the grease spots he left over my neck and chest. “Should have washed up before we started.”

“it’s fine.” I waved a hand at him as he grabbed my clothes and handed them to me. “I always thought you were hotter covered in grease anyway.” Bucky smiled at me as he started getting dressed.

“let’s get cleaned up and change. Maybe I can make you some dinner at home.” Bucky said, offering me a hand before we headed out the side door to his car.

[kitkat13001]

₊˚⊹♡ 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 !

⤷ yuuji itadori x reader

⤷ friends to lovers, no warnings! :)

february 14th has not been a good day at jujutsu high. 

you figured valentines couldn’t be that bad, even though you weren’t dating anyone. you could celebrate with your friends, right? platonic love isn’t dead! 

one problem: you were called for a mission first thing in the morning. of all the days, you think. it’s tough, but not impossible, but you still find yourself wiped afterwards. even worse, once you get back to the school it seems like everyone’s just vanished into thin air!

nobara’s probably out shopping with maki, panda is sparring with inumaki outside, yuuji had been sent on a mission same as you earlier, and megumi is nowhere to be found. 

utterly defeated (and feeling incredibly alone), you retreat to your room to sulk in peace and quiet. 

you’ve been laying in bed listening to hardly-valentine-appropriate music for god knows how long when there’s a knock on your door. 

you toss over, covering your ears with your pillow. “i’m asleep!” you grumble loudly. 

“um, it’s yuuji! can i come in?”

you muffle a groan into the pillow before dragging yourself up to the door. 

you open it, blowing a loose strand of hair out of your face. 

“hi, itadori.”

part of you is embarrassed to face his golden-retriever smile with your current attitude, but you figure ignoring him would be worse. 

“you look upset,” he notes as you lead him into your room and sit back on your bed. 

“well, i’m not!” you snap. upon seeing his eyes go big, your heart sinks. “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to be mean. it’s just…did you get any valentines today, yuuji?”

he thinks on it for a second. “well…kugisaki gave me a chocolate and gojo-sensei gave me a funny little card.”

great. you frown down at your lap, feeling incredibly stupid. 

“you didn’t?” he asks, curious. it takes another second to put your thoughts together. 

“it’s just…you know me, i’m not a super sappy person. and i don’t worry about things as trivial as romance, ‘cause it seems so superficial in the world we live in, y’know? but it’s just…i don’t know, i guess today is just putting me in a sour mood.”

you heave a sigh, toying with the hem of your uniform jacket. “sorry to be such a downer.”

itadori is quiet for a second, and it’s so unlike him that you look up curiously. he’s rummaging through his pockets, mumbling to himself. 

he beams when he pulls out a piece of paper. he presents it to you triumphantly, grin plastered on his face. 

“gojo-sensei sent me to give this to you. i’m guessing he couldn’t find you since you were sulking around in here. that’s why i came. well…that and, i was worried.”

you stare down at the card, dumbfounded. it has a printed image of a smiling watermelon slice, the words you’re one in a melon emblazoned in bold letters across the top. you almost laugh, but your mind is lingering on yuuji’s words. 

“what did you say?” 

“huh? gojo-sensei asked me to give you the card ‘cause he couldn’t find you,” he repeats dutifully. 

“no, after that.”

“oh, that i was worried?”

“yeah,” you murmur, brow furrowing as you think it over. he was worried? about you?

yuuji shrugs, easy smile still on his face. he’s so cute. “i dunno. you’re usually so energetic, ‘n i figured it had to be bad for you to be so down in the dumps. and i really like you, so i thought i should give you a visit to help cheer you up!”

i really like you. did he really just say that, or are you imagining things?

“you…you like me?” you tilt your head to the side as you gaze at yuuji. you search his eyes for any sign of untruth, thinking maybe he was joking or he didn’t mean it the way you took it. but you know yuuji wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t.

“of course i do!” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. his cheeks tinge pink and he scratches awkwardly at his neck. “actually, i don’t know if it’s too late to ask, or if you think it’s too cheesy or whatever…but…do you wanna be my valentine?”

he’s looking at you now, this time it’s him searching your eyes for reassurance. 

you blink at him, head spinning from this conversation. you decide to try not to think too hard about any of it, to be more like yuuji and say and do instead of think and overthink. 

so without thinking, you lean over and close the distance between you until your lips are brushing against his.

his lips are soft. everything about yuuji is soft, except for maybe his crazy muscles. but his lips are a special kind of soft, the kind that make you want to kiss him forever. 

but you don’t want to freak him out or pass out from loss of breath, so you pull away after a moment. 

his eyes are still closed and his lips are still parted slightly, and you think maybe he’s still holding his breath. 

“pinch me,” he murmurs, eyes still shut. 

you giggle breathlessly. “what?”

yuuji’s honey-colored eyes flutter open, smile overtaking his features. “i said pinch me, ‘cause there’s no way this is real.”

you hum, lacing your fingers through his. “better believe it.”

“so i take that as a yes?”

“yes, yuuji, i will gladly be your valentine.”

dividers by @/saradika-graphics — happy valentine’s day from kitty ! hope everyone enjoys their day 🩷🩷 there’s plenty of love to celebrate in the world

[prettyboykatsuki]

please you can’t mix a/b/o and LaDS. i’ll actually keel over and die. 

i can’t stop thinking about it ….

cw for dubcon kinda and rough sex. fem reader. psuedocest (gege. once shfjsjfj)

caleb in a rut. he grew up pretending to be a beta for your sake, taking as much suppressant medication and as many scent blockers as possible to make sure it was concealed. he wanted you to feel safe, to feel more at ease to the point he suppressed his own body completely

and then everything happens between you and caleb strictly forbids you entering his apartment during his rut. you don’t know it at the time, but they’re still permanently irregular from the whole soup of medications he took during his adolescence. so he has these crazy ruts like once or twice a year where he’s completely not himself.

you only found out he was an alpha recently, as in when he came back as a memeber of the fleet. but you’re partners now, you’re supposed to be equals so you want to help him thru his rut

caleb vehemently rejects you. of course he does. he’s not himself and he never wants to do something you do like.

but you’re stubborn and don’t listen so you go over to his apartment anyway. his scent is so thick it permeates from behind the front door of his place. when he answers it after your persistent yelling - he opens the door and it immediately assaults your senses. he’s shirtless, sweaty, pupils completely dilated. his voice is shot.

“go home. now”

he turns you away at the door. you get in each others face until you finally step on the right nerve and caleb yanks you inside and locks you in. cages your body against his front door with this terrifying look in his eyes, his hand gripping your jaw and making you look up at him “so fucking stubborn,”

you underestimate him when he says it’s bad. you dont realize how bad it is until you’re getting fucked over every surface of the house with little to no prep other that the left over, sticky spit from him trying to lick you open. he takes you first right by the door, your pants barely to your knees while your face is against the floor.

“wish you’d be a good girl and listen but you never do. maybe it’ll be a good lesson for you. remember it carefully”

caleb is always so gentle, so careful and kind but he’s forcing your pussy open like it’s nothing. splitting you on his cock as you cry. and he fucks you so deeply and so intense right from the jump, doesn’t ease you into it at all. he takes you on the floor before he helps you up and bends you over the kitchen counter, the back of the couch, pressed into missionary on the coffee table in his living room, on all fours on the stairs.

he’s being mean about it too. every time your pussy tightens up or clenches around him when he smacks it lightly or when he tortures your clit - he has this laugh that borders on callous. loving but humiliating at the same time

“no matter how much i stretch you open it feels like you’re trying to snap my dick off. do you want it so bad, hm?”

he’s merciless. he’s not himself. he makes sure you don’t hurt yourself when repositioning but you’re so full of cum and so sore you can barely move without limping. covered in these deep bite marks as he just goes again and again. mating like you’re animals until he comes out the haze

“how much cum do you think you have in here?” as he smacks your hip. “stay upright. don’t let it spill okay? since gege was so kind and gave it to you.”

he has moments of sobriety. you can always tell bc he becomes worried and affectionate- lapping at your wounds like an oversized dog. but it’s shortlived. the cycle starts again and your pussys wrapped around him like a sleeve for him to fuck.

you don’t get away from him for three days. it feels like your cunt is gonna stay stretched forever and caleb looks so sad and apologetic after. like a kicked dog

and as crazy as he is during - it’s also kind of . nice to feel how deeply he really desires you. the things he says during his ruts are demeaning but still somehow so lovesick and you kind of like seeing him let loose.