#so most of them. like. slept in the middle of the hall next to the friends they made that day.

[deus-ex-mona]

watching people interact with each other l i k e

[nicksolemnlyswears]

COMFORT ME, STAY WITH ME

pairing: aegon targaryen x targaryen!reader

word count: ~1.6k

warnings: spoilers for s2e2 of HoTD, mentions of murder and death of a child, surprisingly i thinks there isn't any cursing or smut, maybe next time ;) just good old sad aegon

a/n: this is my first time ever writing for HoTD or GoT for that matter. please be kind to me. i tried to use appropriate wording for the time period. i'm somewhat successful but i have work ahead of me to become a pro.

i felt so enraged when alicent walked out on her grieving son to go fuck around with cole. what the fuck is your problem? i always gave her the benefit of the doubt but this episode just proves what a terrible mother she is. i figured the only person fit to comfort my baby boy aegon is someone raised by rhaenyras gentle heart.

lowkey want to make a throuple out of reader, aegon, and helaena. readers gonna be a little psychologist lol. she'd hold their hands and force them to kumbaya haha but obviously they'd be like this cant work without you. maybe they'll follow aegon the conqueror and have her as a second wife but idk would anyone be interested in that? i'm rambling. enjoy!

Helaena’s Turn

STAY WITH US

The cold stone of the Red Keep kept you company as you strode through its halls. The breeze of the night offered you comfort and aided your mind to forget the terrible events that have plagued the Keep.

And yet, despite your energies being depleted, you can't seem to find rest. Loss weighs you down and spirals you into a depth of overbearing thoughts, making sleep a mere idea.

The Red Keep, the place you once called home, has become your prison. For weeks, you were not allowed out of your chambers, and for a short time afterward, a guard followed you wherever you went.

It has all changed, though. The death of the King's son has diverted all of the guard's forces to find the culprit. The priority is to search for the monster that gruesomely and cruelly decapitated a child while he slept rather than to watch over a harmless Princess who is simply not on their side.

As a result, you're now free to roam the castle, granted there are eyes all around. You wouldn't be able to step foot outside the castle if you tried, and any suspicious activity would immediately be reported to the Hand of the King.

For an unknown reason, your feet guide you to the King's chambers, where indiscernible, muffled sounds come from. You look around and find that the guard meant to protect the King is absent. It's worrisome. You stand in the middle of the stone hallway, your hands clasped, as you make a decision.

While your loyalty lies with the Blacks, you cannot stand and watch more of your family be killed, including the Usurper. Daemon has always been 'kind' in mentioning that your gentle heart will cause your death. You'd argue it's an honorable way to go.

You slip through the ajar door quietly, getting closer to the sound. There is destruction across the room. The Old Valyria model your grandfather worked on for most of his life is scattered on the floor, beyond salvation. Goblets and spilled wine, thrown in a fit of rage, decorate the walls.

It is only when a sharp gasp and a shuddering breath echo around the room that you recognize the sounds you heard outside. They are cries.

You release a breath of relief. No one is in danger, although it does not signify someone is not hurting. You peak further into the room and debate on your next course of action. If the mess inside the chambers and the lack of guards mean anything, it's that the King would like to be alone.

But you know Aegon. You grew up with him. He's not one to reach out for help until it's too late. You make a haste decision. Aegon will not grieve alone tonight.

You know what that's like. Your brother, Lucerys, was murdered not too long ago, and you had no choice but to mourn alone. The Hand of the King locked you in your chambers, afraid your temper would lead you to do something drastic. It's the most horrid thing you've ever endured.

How you wished for Rhaenyra, or anyone for that matter, to hold you while you cried. A maid would've sufficed, but no one was allowed entry into your chambers.

Aegon sits by the fireplace, his head hung low, as he cries for his dead son. It might not have looked like it, but Aegon deeply cared for the boy. He wished to be better than his father ever was, and he was succeeding.

Until two days ago.

You've witnessed firsthand the blanket of sorrow that has covered the Red Keep, spent many hours by Haelena's side, offering her your shoulder, and never realized the King would need the same.

Why is Aegon alone? He should not have to go through this by himself. You expected he would have surrounded himself with his men and countless bottles of wine or sought refuge in Helaena's arms since they shared the same grief.

A heartbreaking cry snaps you out of your thoughts—his whole body trembles from loss. Aegon gasps for air to aid his burning lungs, yet he can't control the tears that track down his cheeks and the raking breaths that course through his body and limit his breathing.

He does not know what to make of himself. His fingers shake as he fumbles with the ring on his finger—the one with the dragon crest. Aegon doesn't know what to make of himself. He's never endured this sort of loss.

His sobs are the ones of a man who lost a part of himself. Jaehaerys, his legacy, has gone too soon. Aegon spent time with the boy the morning before his death, doting on him like Viserys never did to him.

He's so lost in his grief that Aegon doesn't hear when you stumble upon a piece of cast from the model. Being careful with your steps, you reach Aegon's side and place a hand on his shoulder.

Alarmed, he turns to face the person who disturbs him, only to find you—you who have been keeping the Hightower siblings together despite belonging to the other side.

"Leave me be," he sniffs, staring back into the fire. He wonders if that's how his son's pyre looked earlier that day.

You kneel on the floor, settling between his legs to cup his cheeks in your palms. Wide, glossy lilac eyes stare back as they fill with more tears.

As his tears fall, you wipe them away. It's enough to make Aegon crumble in your arms, releasing louder cries and questions that will forever remain unanswered.

It's so easy to let go when you know someone is there to catch you.

Aegon fists your dress like a child would to its mother. You rub his back soothingly, holding him as tightly as you're able. You press a kiss to the side of his head, whispering calming words.

Aegon never wanted to be king, yet the moment he tries to fulfill his duty the moment he tries to be a proper king, he is rewarded by his son being brutally taken from him.

It's not a fair world. The Gods have never been kind to him, and he's afraid he'll only ever live a life of torment.

Now, more than ever, he doesn't want to be King. It is a mere reminder of how heavy the crown truly is. It's a shackle meant to keep him in place while others act upon his name while he pays for the consequences.

"Jaehaerys was a bright soul. I am sorry this has happened. You should've never had to experience this pain," you whisper in his ear. No parent should experience the death of their child. It is a sad reality the Targaryens have experienced all too well.

Aegon nods in agreement, and only when he's calm enough to speak does he tear himself away from your embrace. He instantly misses your warmth and the smell of roses in your hair.

"Why are you comforting me when you should be celebrating my demise?" His waterline is stained red, just like the tip of his nose, and he's never looked more innocent than in that moment.

You tilt your head sadly, that same emotion reflected in your eyes. "I do not celebrate the loss of innocents, especially one that has gone too soon. I also do not particularly like the notion of someone I hold dear grieving alone."

"You did," he sniffs. He remembers hearing your cries that night; the whole Red Keep could. You cried and screamed the entire night until you fell asleep from exhaustion and starvation.

Otto prohibited them from coming to you. Haelena tried, but he dismissed the idea with the false notion that you'd hurt her in your grief. Otto confuses you with your parentage. Unlike them, you're kind and gentle and wouldn't dare hurt anyone.

"Which is how I know I would never wish it upon my worst enemy." You brush your fingers through his blonde hair, tucking the messy strands behind his ears.

"Is that what I am to you? An enemy?" He asks, disgruntled.

"No," you answer immediately, your hands coming down to rest upon his chest. His breathing has calmed since you first saw him. "At least, not yet."

His lilac eyes bore into hers in search of the truth; shyly, you hold onto his gaze with nothing to hide except your intentions to help. Sighing, he closes his eyes and bumps his forehead against yours. Aegon will take what he can get. There's seemingly no one else to help him deal with his emotions.

"Stay," he pleads, holding onto the hand that's placed on his chest. This is the most at peace he's felt in a while. He wishes to savor it for a moment longer.

"For as long as you need, my King," you reply, closing your eyes.

"Aegon," he says. He refuses to be reminded of what lies outside his bed chambers. For just a moment, he wishes to simply be Aegon.

"Aegon," you respond, correcting yourself. He squeezes your hand appreciatively, tucking your head on his neck.

He keeps you in his arms until late hours in the night, recounting memories he shared with Jaehaerys. The pain is real and raw, and he won't be well for a long time, but for this night, Aegon will seek solace in your embrace, where he knows he won't be judged or be seen as a burden.

In your arms, he's not Aegon' the Magnanimous.' He's not seen as careless or reckless or the lesser child of Alicent Hightower.

He's Aegon.

helaena’s part has been posted! HELAENA’S TURN

Final part! STAY WITH US

that’s it! it’s sweet and short. i just wanted to have someone comfort aegon like he deserves. during that scene i wished i could jump into t he screen and hug him. it’s all so tragic.

i wish i could do the same with haelena. my girl needs to be coddled. fuck alicent. fuck otto. most importantly fuck criston cole.

if you enjoyed this one shot please don’t forget to like or comment and if you want more of it feel free to let me know! i don’t bite (unless you want me to)!

[wintfleur]

Congrats on 1k!! So, so deserved ❤️ Could I request 011, from 🌱 with Will smith and a romantic pairing, please??

౨ৎ messy hair and ink stains

°. — pairings ( will smith x female! reader )

°. — summary ( a regular day in class with a late will )

°. — details ( g; fluff. w; none. wc; 1.3k )

﹕─┈ prompt ~ a university lecture hall during a class

˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( ahh will !!! He’s so perfect and pretty it hurts. Tysm for sending in a request, I hope you like it !!! And tysm )

1k celly masterlist main masterlist nhl masterlist

Will was internally cursing at himself as he rushed down the hallway that led to his first class of the day, his backpack is hanging off one of his shoulders and his sneakers where untied, his BC hoodie was thrown on over his t-shirt he fell asleep in and he was sure his hair was a mess even though his roommate gabe said it was fine before he left the late blonde. 

Will opened the door to the lecture hall and let out a sigh of relief when it didn't let out that loud creaking noise. The professor seemed to be too busy writing down things on the board to notice his presence. Will’s eyes scanned the large room and his gaze settled on where he usually always sat, not in the front and not in the far back, a perfect middle ground. 

Vultures, the both of them, will thought with a roll of his eyes when he sees his two best friends sitting at your sides, talking your ear off and probably begging for you to share your notes. Will quickly made his way to the row where the trio were sitting. Your eyes were focused down at your notebook only looking up to glance at the board to write down what the professor was. 

Will’s presence got Ryan's attention who was sitting on your right side and before the smiling boy could say anything, the guy behind him was telling Will to sit down, not being able to see him standing up. Will rolled his eyes while Ryan snickered, the sound catching your attention. You looked up from your book and smiled when you saw your boyfriend sitting on the other side of ryan, it was clear he had a rushed morning, most likely he had slept in. 

“Move” WIll hissed at Ryan, slapping his arm to get his attention. Ryan looks up from his book he totally wasn't reading and gives Will a confused look but when he sees his friends gaze on you, he knows why. He wanted to sit next to his girlfriend. Ryan whispers with a frown “Why do I have to move because you decided to sleep in?” 

“Ryan seriously move” Will hissed as he glared at his friend, but Ryan was not giving up. Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back comfortably in his chair. You glanced at Gabe who was sitting on your left, both of you finding the situation funny. Ryan shook his head “No i need to copy her notes, i really need to pass this class.” 

“She’s my girlfriend” Will scoffed, he couldn't believe this. He was having a shitty morning, and he was sure he was going to have a shitty time taking down notes, so all he wanted was to be able to sit next to his girl. Ryan was about to open his mouth to tell Will it's not fair to pull the girlfriend card, but you decided to step in and stop the pettiness. You gave ryan a small smile while gently kicking gabe who was trying to hold in his laughter “I’ll let you copy my notes after class.” 

“Whatever” Ryan grumpily hissed as he stood up, him and will quickly change seats. Ryan huffed as he sat down, pulling his things to be in front of him now. Will set his bag in between his legs and tilted his body to smile at you, you looked so pretty. “Hey baby” he whispered as he leaned down to quickly peck your cherry flavored lips. 

“Sleep well?” you quietly giggled as you pulled away from the much-needed kiss. You dropped your pink pen in your textbook and brought your freshly manicured hand up to fix his messy hair, that he probably forgot to brush in hectic morning. Will blushed at your touch and he leaned forward to send a glare to gabe whispering annoyed at him “You said i wouldn't need a hat.” 

“He also didn't tell you about the toothpaste on your face” Ryan joked but poor tired will didn't pick up on his sarcasm and his hands immediately went to wipe at his face “What?” 

“Do you mind” an annoyed student sitting behind will hissed, annoyed at the four's conversation. The three boys rolled their eyes while Ryan gave them an apologetic smile. Will felt himself shrink in his seat and you couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked. You placed a quick and soft kiss on his cheek and whispering in his ear “Ryan is just messing with you, i think you look handsome.” 

WIll smiled thankfully and watched as you turned your attention back on your notes once the professor started to talk. Will's eyes dropped to your lower back and the sliver of now exposed skin as your shirt rides up when you lean forward, and he has to stop himself from reaching down and touching your skin. He decides to stop distracting himself with thoughts off you and pulls out his books from his backpack and listens to the professor. 

Throughout the class he finds himself glancing at you and listening to the small conversation you shared with gabe about what the professor was talking about. You were big on your studies so will didn't worry too much about writing down everything, knowing that you would let him read through all of your notes on your friend groups study night.

Will rested his chin in his palm as he looked at your side profile, your nose was scrunched as you quickly wrote down what you were thinking. An annoyed huff leaving your lips when your favorite pen stopped working. You turn your head to your boyfriend, your eyes widening slightly when you see him already looking at you, you whisper with a flustered smile “Can I borrow a pen?” 

“Of course, doll” will smiles as he looks through his backpack for an extra pen, he pulls the cap off it and instead of just giving it to you he grabs your hand and turns it around so he can see your palm. You watch him with a confused smile, soon a quiet giggle leaving your lips when you feel and see him draw a few hearts on the pad of your fingers, joined by a ‘you're mine’ and a smiley face on your palm. 

You grab the pen from your boyfriend's hand and bite your lip as you focus on drawing a few hearts and writing the same thing just smaller. You look up from your boyfriend's palm to see him with a big smile on his lips, his cheeks red at your actions. You place soft kiss, your eyes locked as you pull away “Now we match.” 

“You guys disgust me” Ryan grumbled as he watched his two lovesick best friends, Will turns his head to glare at him for ruining the moment while you roll your eyes and go back to writing down your notes. Will pouts as he watches you get distracted in your work and not him instead. Will rested his hand on your thigh, needy for your attention. When you don't look at him right away, he frowns and softly grips onto your thigh and drapes it over his thigh, knowing that would get your attention. 

“Will” you whisper in a warning tone as you turned to look at him with wide eyes when he trailed his fingers higher on your thigh. Will just gives you an innocent smile and picks up his pen for the first time in ten minutes, now having the sudden feeling to focus on the class. His hand still on your thigh. You roll your eyes at your boyfriend and adjust your body so you were closer to him as you went back to listening to the professor, but this time it was you who couldn't seem to take your eyes off him. 

Listening to the professor was the last thing on your guy's mind as you locked eyes, both of your thoughts being filled with ideas of what the two of you would do when class ended. 

Poor Ryan never did get those notes . . .

˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( this is not my best writing, I wrote it while I was sick 🙁 )

°. — taglist ( @cixrosie @toasttt11 )

[axie-lot]

Pyro, Hydro, Cyro

Characters: Kaeya and Diluc Warning: Male characters, Angst with no comfort, sibling dynamics, purely platonic Theme: Fluffy and Angsty

This work was originally written by me in Portuguese, and I translated it using Google Translator, so I apologize for any translation errors

Summary: What if Crepus had adopted two sons instead of one? This story tells of the life shared by three brothers who were inseparable in their younger years, only to be torn apart by an unforeseen tragedy...

[Masterlist]

Childhood

Do you know that feeling of wanting to go back in time?

When life was simpler?

That's the feeling [Name] has had since that day...

[Name] was adopted by Crepus when he went on a business trip to Fontaine. That was the initial idea, but by chance, he found an abandoned child on the way. Feeling pity for the child, he decided to adopt him.

Imagine the surprise of his sons, Diluc and Kaeya, seeing their father, who had gone on a business trip, returning with an unknown child, a few years younger than them.

Young Diluc was very excited when his father introduced the new family member and quickly introduced himself to the little boy, who was hiding behind his father's legs.

Kaeya, on the other hand, was a little hesitant to speak to [Name], but after some time, with Crepus and Diluc's help, he went to talk to the new family member.

From then on, the three of you became inseparable.

Diluc, being the oldest of the three, naturally took on the role of leader among you, becoming the most responsible one.

Even though he was the most responsible and serious, he still had his childish side, which would sometimes appear when you were having fun together.

Diluc was the one to scold [Name] and Kaeya for pulling pranks, but he also participated in some of those pranks.

"[Name], I can see you hiding there, trying to scare me," said the red-haired boy, lifting his eyes from his notebook where he had been studying, looking at his younger brother sneaking between the furniture, trying to frighten him.

"Kaeya, you can't practice your sword skills inside the house. You’ll end up breaking a vase, and Dad or Adelinde will get upset," said Diluc as he entered a room where a young boy with blue hair was training with his sword.

"Dad's going to kill us when he finds out we're sneaking out in the middle of the night for an adventure," said the redhead while being dragged by his two younger brothers on an adventure. (Diluc would never admit that he only agreed to go to ensure his younger brothers' safety).

As a child, Diluc was very protective of his younger brothers and cared deeply for them.

[Name] and Kaeya respected Diluc a lot, even though they would often tease him.

Diluc was the brother you and Kaeya would go to for comfort.

Thunder could be heard through the halls of the Dawn Winery. In one of the rooms, a young red-haired boy slept peacefully, despite the storm outside the mansion. But his sleep ended when he heard the door to his room open and felt someone snuggle up to him. Opening his eyes, he saw his younger brother, tears in his eyes, cuddling against him. Seeing this, Diluc began to gently stroke his head to comfort him.

"Shh... it's okay, [Name]... calm down, you're safe... I'm here with you," whispered Diluc, trying to soothe his brother.

"I hate thunder... I really hate it," the younger one said, his voice trembling.

A little while later, [Name] fell asleep. Diluc was about to drift off when he heard the door open again. Looking over, he saw his other brother entering the room.

"I was awake... I heard footsteps, so I went to check, and I saw [Name] going into your room, and since I'm curious, I decided to see what was going on," said Kaeya, scratching the back of his neck.

Diluc, understanding what was happening since he was used to situations like these and Kaeya's excuses, made room on the bed for his brother. Without saying a word, Kaeya lay down next to his brothers, and the three of them slept through the night.

The next morning, when Crepus came to wake up his eldest son, he found this scene. He simply smiled and left the room, letting his children sleep a little longer.

Diluc is the brother who always has the right words to calm his siblings.

Diluc dreams of joining the Knights of Favonius, so he spends a lot of time studying.

[Name] and Kaeya always support Diluc, sometimes jokingly bowing to him and responding with "Yes, sir."

Diluc has a pet turtle, and sometimes when he's looking for it, he finds the turtle and [Name] having a long staring contest (the turtle always wins).

Kaeya is the middle child, a mix of responsible and mischievous, but much more mischievous than responsible. In short, he's the balance between the two.

Kaeya often influences [Name] to be mischievous, always giving [Name] ideas for pranks.

Kaeya is the one who always manages to escape punishment by blaming one of his siblings.

But when the punishment turns into a real consequence, he always finds a way to cheer his siblings up.

Kaeya has a talent for sneaking up on people and giving them a good scare.

Kaeya has that sibling energy where only he can tease his brothers, and if anyone else tries, he'll make that person regret it.

Kaeya LOVES to provoke his dear brothers.

"Well, well~~~ what do we have here... a little thief raiding the kitchen... or should I say I found a little mouse~~~?" said Kaeya, sneaking up behind [Name] as they rummaged through the mansion's kitchen.

"What would Dad think... of me finding the great heir sleeping during his studies?" Kaeya teased, grinning at his red-haired brother, who had fallen asleep over a book.

Kaeya teaches [Name] to swear, much to Diluc's dismay.

Kaeya loves to gossip with his brothers, as he has a knack for uncovering other people's secrets. When he finds something out, he immediately tells his brothers. [Name] and Diluc are certain that Kaeya knows everyone's secrets in Mondstadt.

Oh, Barbatos, please protect [Name] and Diluc when Kaeya discovers they have a crush, for he will have a new way to tease his brothers about it.

Kaeya is the brother who steals food and sweets from his siblings when they're distracted.

Kaeya sometimes has strange moments...

[Name] was hungry, so he decided to sneak into the kitchen to find something to eat, making as little noise as possible. As he made his way there, he noticed that a door in the hallway was open. Thinking it was his father, he decided to peek inside. But what he saw was his brother Kaeya silently staring out the window. Spooked, [Name] quickly returned to his bed, hiding under the covers, thinking, "Barbatos, help me, my brother is possessed!"

Sometimes, Kaeya sneaks into his siblings' rooms for comfort, though he never says why.

Kaeya often enjoys strolling through the streets of Mondstadt with his siblings, and even with Crepus.

Kaeya loves practicing swordsmanship with his brothers.

[Name] is the youngest sibling.

[Name] has an adventurous spirit and loves exploring with his older brothers.

[Name], Diluc, and Kaeya train together.

Diluc taught him more attack stances, while Kaeya focused on defensive moves and how to dodge.

Each brother ended up with a different fighting style.

[Name] adopted a mix of both of his brothers' fighting styles.

[Name] once saw someone kicking their weapon during a fight and wanted to imitate it, but it resulted in [Name] being scolded by Diluc for it being too dangerous, while Kaeya laughed in the background, finding it hilarious because kicking a weapon was a stupid idea.

[Name] doesn’t remember much of his past, but sometimes has nightmares about it.

[Name] doesn’t like being alone.

[Name] enjoys being in the company of his brothers, even when they are doing something else. [Name] just likes being around them.

Diluc was in his room studying, as he often did. He felt the responsibility of being his family's heir and wanted to make his father proud. While studying, he glanced away from his book to look at his younger brother [Name], who was sitting in the corner of the room drawing on a piece of paper. Diluc couldn’t help but smile before returning his focus to his book.

In the fields near the Dawn Winery, Kaeya was practicing his swordsmanship while his younger brother [Name] watched. The older brother couldn’t resist showing off a little in front of his younger sibling, and [Name] excitedly clapped with enthusiasm.

The three brothers were always seen together, wandering the streets of Mondstadt, having fun and playing.

They were always each other's support... Adolescence

Diluc joined the Knights of Favonius, but not just as an ordinary knight—he became the Cavalry Captain.

[Name] and Kaeya also joined the Knights of Favonius. Even though neither of them holds a position as high as Diluc, they don’t feel jealous because they know he’s there because he earned it.

[Name] also helps the Adventurers' Guild in his free time because he loves to go on adventures.

Diluc is increasingly involved in helping Crepus with the family business, but of course, his two younger brothers help out however they can.

Kaeya still pulls pranks like sneaking some wine, often dragging his two brothers along, but it usually ends with all three of them being punished.

One night at Dawn Winery, you could see the three sons of the owner huddled together in a corner, planning something.

“Why do I have to be the one to distract Adelinde??” – the eldest asked, casting a questioning look at his younger brothers. –

“You’re the oldest.” “And [Name] and I are the fastest,” – his two younger brothers replied one after the other. –

The redhead looked at the other two with a tired expression, sighed, nodded, and went off to distract Adelinde. After that, Kaeya and [Name] exchanged smiles, already knowing what to do now that they had convinced Diluc to help them. They waited for a bit, taking advantage of the darkness of the night to sneak into the wine cellar of the mansion. Kaeya signaled for [Name] to go ahead and open the door, but as [Name] opened it, both boys froze. Inside the dark cellar, there was a figure with crossed arms, their red hair illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the small windows of the room. That figure was none other than their adoptive father. The two boys knew at that moment they had been caught, but they didn’t give up easily. They began to step back in hopes of escaping, only to bump into Adelinde, standing there with a guilty-looking Diluc by her side.

“You should’ve known that Diluc is a terrible liar,” Adelinde said with a look of reproach towards the three boys.

“My sons… maybe one day you’ll manage to steal some wine without us noticing, but that day is not today,” their father said with an amused tone. “But for now, since you’ve been caught, you’ll have to clean the wine barrels.” After Crepus spoke, all that could be heard were the boys’ sounds of protest.

[Name] and Kaeya often bother Diluc in his office while he’s working.

When [Name] is gone for long periods on Adventurers' Guild missions, his brothers worry about him a lot.

This could have lasted forever…

A happy family…

A family that loved each other…

Everything comes to an end…

A tragic end…

Crepus was dead, the boys' father was dead. [Name] was the only one who wasn’t there at the time.

The youngest of the three brothers was on patrol that day when he spotted one of the mansion's maids running towards him, her expression tearful. [Name] immediately grew concerned, but then he heard those words—his father, Crepus, was dead. At that moment, [Name]’s world shattered. The man who had taken care of him, the one who gave him a home when he had no one, was gone. [Name] felt like a child again, and he just cried—he cried a lot…

[Name] wanted to see his older brothers, to find comfort in them, so after recovering from his crying fit, he went to look for them. But when he found them, things didn’t go as he expected.

Everything happened so fast. [Name] found his brothers, but something was wrong—both were injured as if they had fought each other. Kaeya had a guilty look on his face, though he quickly masked it with a cold expression. Diluc, on the other hand, had nothing but burning rage in his eyes. Confused, [Name] called out to them.

“Diluc?… Kaeya? What happened? Why are you hurt?…” – [Name] asked in a weak, worried voice.

But all he got in return was silence. Neither of his brothers looked at him, completely ignoring their younger sibling’s presence. [Name] could tell that whatever had happened here wasn’t good. After a long silence, Diluc finally gave Kaeya one last look and spoke.

“We’re done here… I never want to see your face again,” – Diluc said, and began to walk away.

[Name], still not understanding anything and still in pain from their father’s death, was confused and panicking. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, so he did the only thing he could think of—he ran after his brother and grabbed his arm.

“Diluc… brother… please—” – [Name] was cut off as Diluc pushed him away.

“DON’T CALL ME BROTHER! WE’RE NOT BROTHERS! I HAVE NO BROTHER!”

For the first time in his life, Diluc shouted at [Name], and the younger boy stepped back, afraid of his older brother. Diluc’s gaze seemed to waver slightly at seeing his brother’s fear, but it quickly vanished as he turned his back on [Name] and walked away.

In desperation, [Name] turned to Kaeya, but he was met with Kaeya averting his gaze and walking off as well.

And so, [Name] was left alone in that place, feeling nothing but pain—a deep, overwhelming pain. He couldn’t believe that on the same day he lost his beloved father, he also lost his two older brothers, and worst of all, he didn’t even know why they fought.

[Name] didn’t return to the mansion that night. Instead, he wandered aimlessly across the lands of Mondstadt. That night was the one he cried the most in his life, and the worst part was, he had no one to comfort him.

The next day, he returned to the mansion, only to be greeted by Adelinde, who informed him that both Kaeya and Diluc had left. So, [Name] made the decision to leave as well, no longer feeling welcome in the house he had grown up in, the house that now felt empty.

[Name] then packed his things to leave, but while putting his belongings in his backpack, he noticed an object he was sure he didn’t have before. That object was a Vision…

A Hydro Vision…

Part 2?

[aineryeo]

The Legend of the Blue Sea Episode 3.1: Maybe This Time

Chapter Synopsis: The second time Kenji Sato met you was during his junior year of high school. Newly transferred and still getting started on being varsity for the baseball team, he overhears his high school crush talk trash about him. Determined to get back at them, he convinces you, the girl who managed to smack him mid-run with a whiteboard, to be his fake girlfriend for 7 days.

In present time, Kenji and Mina discover how to wake the sleeping beauty up from the magic needle. But when this finally happens, Kenji now has to deal with the realisation that the princess... was a gremlin.

Themes & Warnings (Chapter):

Warnings from the General Masterlist | Flashbacks | Racist Remarks (from Ken's high school) | Bit cliche (forgive 🙏) | Imagine old movie school romance vibes!!! | Fluff | Sexual Innuendos | Kenji Sato is in Denial | 9k words

Author Notes:

I had to cut Episode 3 to two parts because I kept wondering why I'm taking so long to write but then I scanned the chapter and realised I was going 11k and there was still a hefty chunk left from the outline 😭 It took a while to flesh everything out since I spent the past week also adding more details to the other chapters to deepen the flavours 🫴🤌 This is still fluff but the next part is where things start going on the jealous and angst start, the fairytale era bout to transition out!!!

I also found a really cool song that pairs with the theme of the high school memory, it's linked on the title! It's super fitting the vocals are amazing aghhjjr!!

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Masterlist

Episode 3.1: Maybe This Time ⇾ Episode 3.2: Fish on Land

Westwood Academy, otherwise known as Westwood University, situated in Los Angeles, is one of the many renowned schools along the state. It hosts preschool to elementary to high school up ‘til college. It's one of the major league schools but is typically known for its.. extravagant prices. Often, along with a list of other universities, they allow for student exchange programs for exceptional scholars, selected around the world, to tour the litter of schools’ labs, attend special classes, or participate in small collaborative projects. Most of it was to allow these one in a million group of children to choose between potential university options.

Of course, even though this prestigious academy offered a massive field for different types of sports and had a pretty amazing reputation for its academic endeavours, for a guy like Kenji Sato, he knew that in the future, he’ll be transferring to the University of Los Angeles, where most athletes start to get drafted into the Major League Baseball drafts.

But that’s not the reason why he’s bursting his way through the halls right now, no. 

Kenji’s running down the hallways because he stayed up too late last night trying to perfect his swing so he can finally get off the bench and play as one of their schools’ main batters. However, it definitely did not help that he spent the days prior studying for his exams too. And now, he slept through majority of his classes, waking up only to find out that in T-minus ten minutes, his Biology class will start, and he’s not too keen on facing the wrath of his teacher chastising him for that Plant Growth Experiment they’ve been rambling on and on about for the past three weeks.

“Out of the way!” Kenji dashes, jumping to avoid the group of students in the hall sitting.

“Sorry, in a rush—”

“Woah, watch those burgers, man.”

So far, he’s been barreling through the hallways great. It’s almost like his athletic instincts are on the high, the adrenaline pumping through his veins being the apt proof needed. 

Jump, duck, dash, side, shwuck!

Kenji can see it, the greenhouse! It’s so close— But the sudden options in his head turn from swerving left, or jumping, to… (a) Crash right into this person rolling out a whiteboard all of a sudden in the middle of the hall without even looking at any passersby, or (b) CRASH but in capital.

The next few seconds, safe to say, were unpleasant.

“Shit, shit, shit!!!” Kenji yells, unable to stop his momentum, all but perfectly rams his face on to the rolling whiteboard.

Overcome with blaring pain on his forehead and nose, Kenji laid on the ground, chest uncomfortably resting on the similarly thrown down whiteboard who was unable to withstand his force. A myriad of groans and repeating ow’s overtook the once silent air. The sound of padding footsteps and a bleary voice soon adds on.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Kenji’s vision was blurry, still trying to adjust to his surroundings, eyes squinting and blinking as he realised that even his torso felt sore from the impact.

“Ugh…”

Suddenly, he feels gentle hands turning him over, pulling him away from the fallen board beneath him, albeit with some difficulty.

“God, you’re heavy.” He hears, moments before feeling his head plop down on pillowy skin.

Soon, his vision adjusts itself, enough so he can see the person holding him by the cheeks right now. And boy, when Kenji says he never felt like his anger dissipated so fast like a balloon deflating upon seeing your face, you best believe him. 

“I think you'll be forming a bruise right here,” You say, all furrowed brows as you turn his face side to side. 

“Oh no, your nose is bleeding now.”

Feeling your soft hold on him disappear, Kenji, all clad in his disarrayed highschool uniform, watches as you try to check your pockets for a handkerchief.

He watches you for a good minute or two trying to figure out where you placed your damned handkerchief, or so you say. Groaning as he picks himself back up, supporting his weight from the back, he distantly hears you say ah! Before he felt you practically shove the thing in his face.

“Here! To wipe your… blood.” You say awkwardly, the bell had rung a minute ago while Kenji thought it was just the ringing in his ears, the more desolate surroundings proved otherwise. He gracefully accepts your offer, lightly tapping the fabric on his nose that gladly did not crook from the impact. Still, it hurt.

You stood up to get the empty whiteboard back on its feet as Kenji stayed seated on the ground in the middle of the hallway that led to the greenhouse. There were no words spoken as both you and him got your bearings. 

At least I got a good excuse to miss Biology now. Kenji randomly thinks as he sighs.

But it isn’t until he hears distant footsteps and voices did his instincts rear in. In hindsight, there was probably no reason for him to have felt so nervous to get caught or anything, it’s not like his nose bleed was fake to not garner a visit to the infirmary. Even so, he felt nervous to get caught. Enough to haphazardly drag you inside the room you came in, bringing the whiteboard along before the door slammed closed. Getting into trouble was not in his to-do list today, not after almost getting into a fight with a basketball player last week.

Your handkerchief was lying on the floor, the surprisingly soft hands of the boy you just met were muffling your surprised yelps with his palm, the other hand shushing you, his pointer finger pressing to his own lips. When the voices come closer, Kenji finally realises that it wasn’t a teacher that was walking towards them. It was his first crush ever since he transferred in Los Angeles when he was 8.

“So, are you going to respond to Ken-Ken anytime soon, Ash?” A litter of giggles follow as Kenji felt the heat rising up to his ears from the embarrassing nickname.

“Stoppp, you know I have to be nice because I’m class rep.” Ashley whines, stomping her foot and stopping just in front of the door of the classroom where you and Kenji hid. The action made you and him duck to the floor, nervous to get caught.

“Have you seen his eyebags lately? He looks horrible! I can’t believe he even asked for my help with Chemistry earlier, seriously. Aren’t you supposed to be the smarter one?”

"I know, right? And what’s with his accent? It’s like, get over yourself. He tries too hard sometimes. That’s probably why he’s just benched in the baseball team." Her friend snickers.

"And don’t get me started on his lunches. So gross!" Another one pipes in. “He eats raw fish and even eggs sometimes. Eugh…” She lurches.

Kenji hears a sigh, before the familiar voice of Ashley cuts through her friends. “Anyway, let’s go finish fetching the plants,”

“Didn’t Ken-Ken forget his project?”

“Talk about going against his nature, haha.”

The whole conversation made his shoulders and hands drop once their footsteps disappear. His demeanour immediately went from running through the halls to lying on the floor, and this time, it’s not because of a rolling whiteboard. Kenji sighs as he sits back on the floor, hands behind him as he looked up, the classroom was relatively dark, it was one of the extras, after all. His eyes close as he breathes in heavily, contemplating; ignoring the continuous trickle of red down his chin.

You, on the other hand, were perplexed. But seeing the situation, you can guess at least that much. After all, you were entering college at the ripe age of fifteen. In a tongue that Kenji hadn’t heard in a long time aside from phrases from his mom, you spoke. Quietly. Afraid to topple the fragile pieces that was the boy you just met.

“Was that you they were talking about?” You get the forgotten handkerchief on the floor, dried blood on some parts as you try to pat the dust away.

Kenji’s eyes open. And they meet yours. Worried yet curious, shimmering orbs, and gentle delicate hands that dabbed on his nose.

“Yeah.” He replies meekly, forgoing the language his peers spoke in, now matching yours. He didn't miss a beat in his language class, and his mom would definitely chastise him if he didn't know how to speak his mother tongue at all.

You give him a lopsided smile. “It would have been really awkward if you didn’t speak Japanese.”

Kenji chuckles at this. “Had doubts? What, not Japanese enough for you?”

You hum. “Does it matter? Being enough of one or the other.”

“...Well, no..” 

Kenji huffs, laying on his back. “But it sure would make my life a hell of a lot easier.”

“Laying down isn’t good if you’re having a nose bleed.” You frown, about to reach down so you can pinch his nose. 

As Kenji rummages through his brain, talking about how love, even though it was only a minor crush, absolutely sucks; his mind runs over what you said. 

Nose bleed… 

Then like a lightbulb; a sudden, stupid idea pierces through his blinded teenage head as he grabs your wrist and sits upright.

“You gave me this nose bleed.” Kenji starts, pointing to said appendage. And you were about to apologise, but he continues far too fast. “So, you have to do something for me.”

“What? Isn’t my handkerchief and recommendation to go to the infirmary not enough?”

“Wasn’t the one hogging the middle of the hallway.”

“Well I wasn’t the one running in the hallway. Section 5.8 of your school’s student handbook said no running in the halls.”

“Your sch—” Kenji’s eyes drift down to see that you aren’t wearing the standard uniform for the academy. Instead, you were in civilians. “Ohhhh,”

“Hah, can’t believe an exchange scholar like me know more than a veteran.” 

“Never said I was a veteran.” Kenji shrugs. “And even if I was, what kind of normal person just rolls out a big whiteboard without looking outside?”

And just like that, it felt like there was some sort of.. mischievous jazz in the background, the words kept coming out, and out. Your arms and his start crossing, and you both inch closer and closer, with every retort.

“Have you ever heard of speed limits? You should stop dreaming about getting a driver’s licence at this point, Sir.”

“Getting this show on the road, huh? Well… ever heard of mid-lane hogging, Ma’am?”

“Oh? Did you just use an idiom literally? Cheesy.” You roll your eyes.

“Actually, that was a double entendre. I used it literally, and as intended. Too bad my ingenuity went over your head. Aren’t you supposed to be one of those exchange scholars? Did they get you mixed up with someone else?”

“I wish ingenuity was an antonym for genius right now.” You shake your head with a faux frown.

“Running out of fuel? ‘Cause that was pretty lame.” Kenji harrumphs, not noticing his nose bleed had stopped minutes ago. “Admit it. Your car crashed.”

“Is it my fault if your car crashed into mine?” 

“Flat tire.” 

Huh? 

What was he— your eyes follow his, and it stares from your chest, back to your eyes. Still confused, something Kenji is quickly able to notice, he repeats what he said with a smirk.

“I said… you’re a.. Flat. Tire.”

Realising where he was going, you felt blood boil up to your head as your hand begins to raise. “Ohoh! You monster! I’ll give you more than a nose bleed when I’m done with you—!”

“I’d be… flat-tered.” Kenji pipes up one more time. 

You were not flat! You were just… a late bloomer! That’s it! 

Unbeknownst to you, Kenji had no qualms with your chest at all, no. And you were definitely not lacking in that department. He just thought that it was a metaphor for someone being so damn… disagreeable. It wasn’t his fault that your shirt was pulling down and he spared but a minute glance.

In all honesty, both of you, stuck in that moment, forgot what you were arguing about in the first place. When your hand was about to land smack on his cheek, he grabs it and pulls you closer to him, a wide grin on his face.

“Come on, help a victim out. We’ll just be giving them… something else to talk about.”

~

You did not know why you’d agreed to this. 

But you did. 

“No, no. Absolutely not! Plus, I’m not even popular or something, what statement are you really making there?”

“Well… you’re really pretty.”

He was incredibly insistent, and you felt like you owed him even though you gave him your handkerchief because it had his blood on it. Definitely not because your brain fried when he casually called you pretty with such an earnest face, like arguing would not even make sense to him. You would’ve called him dumb, stupid, or… or something! If he wasn’t speaking so smoothly earlier. Clearly, he does his homework and then some.

At the time, while he decided to skip Biology to head to the clinic with you in tow, you got to know each other just a little bit. Your new.. friend, knew that you’ll be going back to Japan in a few days, so he had to be bold to really make his statement. The stakes were low, and the rewards, at least for Kenji, could be high; enough to save face and show everyone that he does not care about the squeaky class representative.

Kenji preferred to speak to you in Japanese so that only few, if not anyone, could really overhear what you two were talking about.

Eventually, you really had to go and promised to meet in front of the empty classroom where you two hid the morning next day, when your group would have to do some collaborative projects. 

And when you separate and return back… Imagine your group, mixed with different ethnicities, academic nukes as you would like to call them, sees you with no whiteboard in hand after being gone for almost an hour or two… embarrassing.

Even more so, when he comes to school the next day, not even waiting to go to your designated meeting location so he can hug you in the middle of their field, catching your group off guard. He’d talk to you and call you a slew of nicknames, most notably…

“Sweetheart! Got you some sandwiches that my mom made. Wanna go eat lunch together at the cafeteria?” Emphasis on the cafeteria, his thick brows wiggling at the word.

He’d hold your hand, and if there was free time for his practices and your little assigned activities, he’d be sitting next to you by the bleachers as you read through the material your temporary mentors recommended. He was sweaty, and he’d be gasping for air, but a wide grin was on his face as he told you he’d stolen so many bases this time. And that he’d hit a few good home runs, how he’ll definitely get a spot on the main team today, all before his coach would call him back with a loud, stern voice. 

“Sato!”

He’d leave, yes. But not before he gives you a kiss on the cheek before waving you off as he jogs backwards with a stupid grin.

“What’re you reading?” Kenji would ask. 

You’d look up from the cafeteria table, and he’s leaning closer to you to try and get a read in.

“Advanced Robotics: Pioneering Techniques and Applications by Robert Callaghan.” You reply, not missing a beat in your reply.

Kenji would whistle and then proceed to sit beside you as he takes out his lunch. A bento box. 

“Want to do a lunch switch? I always wanted to do that.” He asks with puppy eyes matched with a big smile, hands clasped together as he pleaded. 

“And I loveee curry!” He adds on.

You notice that he was easy to change demeanours when it came to you. Whether it was because you were from Japan too, or because he knew you'd be leaving, allowing for him to continue acting how he wants to without any true repercussions— you.. would never know.

You smile before sighing out a sure after popping out a deal that he had to buy you ice cream after though, to which he hollers and fist bumps the air as you exchange boxes with an eager face. 

You’ll both be in sync when you pick the food with your chopsticks, sighing out a satisfied puff of air while both your cheeks were lathered with the comforting flavour of home.

He never asked for your number. But he’ll wait out of the lecture rooms you’d be in that day, saying he’s just asking the teachers around where the scholars were so he can rush over; offering to carry your bag and walk in step with you. 

All in the name of getting back at his ex-crush, of course. 

And every time he catches a glimpse of the angered look on his ex-crush, he attunes it to the blooming joy in his chest when he glances back at you, going on a rant about how no, they should have planned the encoding before building the robot. So now, we lost!

You’ll feel a ruffle on your head and a laugh from the taller boy beside you.

Then, you’ll arrive to the front gates. Kenji standing still as you say: “You don’t have to act here anymore, you know? I doubt anyone’s watching anymore.”

Kenji clears his throat, coughing a little, avoiding your gaze. “Well… You might get kidnapped for all I know. I won’t have a sweetheart by then, wouldn’t I?”

“Pfft.” You fail to conceal the bubbling laughter from your throat. 

“You’re cheesy as hell,” You tease back, taking your clasped hands away from his so you can lean sideways as you grin. “...sweetheart.” 

Kenji could barely get a stuttered reply out before the familiar black car that was from the exchange program drives you to your shared hotel with the other scholars and professors. That day, and the following would go by the same. With him simply giving a lame wave off before the escort drives you away.

All until you finally had to return to Japan; your last day. Like clockwork, however, even on your last day, Kenji would walk with you to the front gates. His steps slow every second, and you would mirror him, you’d go slower, and slower, and even more so; still, you arrive at the front doors.

When Kenji placed a heavy hand to open them, it revealed a slew of raindrops falling from the stormy sky.

“Ah, it wasn’t raining earlier.” Kenji notes. “Got to practise and everything…” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Really? Seems like it’s been going on a while.” You appraise quietly, Kenji only hums in reply.

Like the rain falling in the sky, there was a heavy downpour that neither of you could ever place in the meagre age of highschool, even if you were advancing to college much faster.

“So, you’re going back to Japan today?”

“Yup.” You awkwardly reply as you sway on your feet. Back and forth. “Still have to actually graduate high school before picking my college, you know?”

And it’s quiet again as you both try to think of what to say. It was only a week, and yet… Kenji had never had such a true friend since he moved to Los Angeles when he was a young kid.

“Well, if you wanna see me again, since I know you’ll miss me— oof.” You punch his chest lightly, making him puff out air, as you both eventually chuckle.

“Who says I’ll miss you? You just coerced me into getting chummy with you. Never again.” You huff, crossing your arms and raising your chin indignantly.

“All I’m saying is… if you pick a university close by, I’ll be at ULA soon. I’ll get into the Dodgers for sure.” He’s told you this in one of your many little conversations. The University of Los Angeles, home of the LA Dodgers and the Dodger Stadium.

You look at him and you share a genuine smile as the breeze from the rain sends a peculiar sparking chill down both your spines. 

“Sure. I’ll come visit when I’m nearby… hopefully.” You trail off.

Even with the laughter and the once more inevitable silence, there was always something on the tips of yours and Kenji’s tongue. Something to say, some things to ask. And yet, you ball on your feet and he thinks of letting go of your hand that he realises he was clasping too tightly in an embrace with his own fingers.

However, when the recurring black car arrives, you let go before he does, as you dashed through the rain. You turn back, and Kenji’s watching from the safety of the school entrance as you get drenched even though you try to put your bag over your head. 

You want to say something, anything. Yet all you could do is give a solemn wave and a smile.

He waves back and you turn away to jog closer to your ride back home, a few steps away from the gate, form stilling as you contemplate getting into the car.

You glance back, and he’s turned away, walking deeper into the school, probably so he won’t get wet. And your mouth opens, but it says nothing; calls out no one.

Your eyes flit to the black car; one last chance. 

You can’t help it. You want to tell him more. 

You want to tell him how you wish him luck on his career, maybe wish he could find better friends, find a better girl to crush on— and you turn back, one last time, words burning on the tip of your tongue. 

But it dies down when your vision meets a familiar uniform. 

Kenji’s chest, heaving, as you both get wet in the onslaught of the rain; his hand on your wrist, willing you to stop, as he opens and closes his mouth. The words were on the tip of his tongue; unknowingly mirroring each other in ways you barely had the time to think about after spending only seven days within each other’s presence.

But before you could even squeak out a word, you feel his bigger hands wrap around your now cold cheeks, and in no time… 

His warm, soft lips on yours. 

Your eyes close, following his tilted head as your hands reach up to hold the hands caressing and holding your face in place. It felt like a sun in the rain, unlike anything you’ve ever felt; and it distantly reminds you of an old childish memory back in the old playground in Odaiba before you and your brothers had to move away to your Aunt’s cafe.

It felt like an eternity of your inexperienced lips melding into each other, and suddenly all too fleeting when you finally pull apart. The honking of the horn from your driver finally takes you both out of your trance. The sudden shattering of the scenario made you glance back to the school entrance, where Kenji’s crush, the reason why you started all of this with him, was standing and watching; and suddenly, you feel your heart pull back the same way that you pulled your body away from him, lightly pushing his chest away.

“I’ll see you.” You whisper, a hint of sadness that Kenji picked up on too late; eyes trained on your similarly drenched figure rushing to the front seat of your escort. 

He was too dazed, trying to sculpt the image of his first kiss into his brain. That is, if he forgoes the girl who kissed him when he was seven.

“Good luck, Jiji! I’ll see you.” You wave with a forcibly mischievous tone, as if you didn’t feel anything from that kiss, you close the door to the black car whose engine was finally preparing to take off from the high school.

Kenji stands there, wordless, ears red not just from the kiss, but now from that… cute nickname.

“I’ll… see you.” He replies, raising his hand weakly, not caring if the rain still poured heavily on him.

It took a minute after the car left did he realise.. Wait, what was her name again?

“Wait. She knows my name. She knows my name—?” He must be the stupidest guy alive for not even asking anything about you… your number, or… or, or your damn name. 

Kenji grasps his hair, berating himself inside for his stupid decisions. Of course, you know! He never asked yours because he resorted to calling you those cheesy pet names. He didn't think it would matter. 

But then he kissed you and now, suddenly, he knows it matters so much.

 Fuck. 

Fuck! 

The car was already driving away, and— and Ashley, who seemingly came out of nowhere for Kenji Sato whose mind was only running with thoughts of you and his stupidity, was talking about something, something getting her jealous and she knows, and—

Kenji doesn’t get to hear the rest of her statement as he begins running into the rain, trying to not lose sight of the car where you sat. Neither you whose face was currently buried in your hands, willing yourself to forget of the meaningless kiss, nor the driver who was focusing on the road ahead, was able to see the boy trying to catch up as the engine simply revs faster along the empty road.

He borrowed a bicycle just laying on the sidewalk, the owner, who looked away for a second, yelling at him. 

“I’ll give it back, I promise!” Kenji yells as he tries to pedal through the storm like his life depended on it.

As he rides through the rain, he tries to yell after the car. “Wait, sweetheart, come back!”

“I didn’t do it because of her, I—” He heaves, losing his breath and feeling cold as the car goes faster, the rain falling heavier in turn; rumbles of thunder following suit. 

I didn’t kiss you because she was there. Was what he wanted to say.

Could we keep in touch? Was what he wanted to ask.

Please pick a university close by. Was what he wanted. Really, really wanted. From you.

Kenji pedals harder, his muscles burning as he pushes against the heavy downpour. He can see the car’s taillights glowing dimly in the distance. He’s gaining on it. Just a little more…

“Sweetheart!” He yells out, his voice barely audible over the roaring storm. For a moment, he thinks he sees the car slow down, as if you heard him. His heart leaps with hope. He pushes harder, the distance between him and the car shrinking.

But just as he gets within a few yards of the car, it speeds up again, the taillights growing fainter. Kenji’s legs are screaming in protest, his lungs burning from the effort. He’s so close, yet so far.

He reaches out a hand, as if he could touch the car, as if he could make you hear him. But the rain obscures his vision, and the car speeds away, disappearing into the distance.

Kenji finally stops running, the bicycle falling to the ground as he bends over, trying to catch his breath. He’s soaked to the bone, every part of him aching, but the worst pain is in his chest.

In the distance, the car disappeared from view, taking you along with it.

“Sweetheart…” he whispers to himself, feeling the sting of regret seeping into his being.

Even with all his developing athletic might, Kenji Sato, who was still barely entering the cusps of his future stardom, could not catch up to his first crush. Thoughts forever unvoiced  to the person that mattered enough for him when he was still a junior in high school.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It was hard.

Kenji’s day would start at around 5 AM, and end… its end was dependent, really. He would feed the baby, research more about kaiju, study whatever form or strategy Coach Shimura would give, clean the baby's poop, entertain her, and generally stop her from lashing out. Then train and look stupid in this season's games because he wasn't getting some apt sleep. Sometimes it was paranoia that the baby would cry or need something, most of the time it's because the baby did cry and needed something.

Aside from his baseball, baby, and Ultraman responsibilities, there still was the unknown variable that was… well, you.

The half-kaiju human. 

The giant mermaid. 

You were silent a lot of the time, and often it would pass in Kenji's mind that you were either a ghost or a living fairytale. Maybe a witch cursed you and took away your voice, or maybe a witch cursed you and forced you to sleep for long periods of time. Because after you.. took that ice bath with him, you laid still in bed for the next two days.

Kenji would thank the damn heavens when you were awake, even for just a day before you slumbered for abnormal periods of time again. Whenever you were awake, the baby would be easier to tend to. Less hungry, more happy; she'll make grabby for you when you go down, and you’ll lay there, your head on the glass container as that familiar tune keeps the baby in a state of calm for the rest of the day. Often, you would forget to go back to the bedroom and Kenji would come home, sweaty from ball practice to see you asleep in the basement, the giant kaiju baby curled up where you were. Those were the days when you’d wake up when he wasn't home.

When you did wake up and he was home? Well, let's just say that Kenji… could never complain. He’ll get shit from his team and his Coach, but then he's home early that day and you just happen to be awake? You're bounding to him like a magnet on a metal pole. A warmth blanketing his chest, enough to let him sigh out his grievances for the day as he opens the front door and sees your happy face.

He may not understand what he's doing to make you feel overjoyed, but he'll take it. He’ll take it, like how he takes your simple pleas for a hug, like how he takes your face burying into his neck. And he’ll take your open arms, willing him to lay down in bed with you when all things are done, your hands combing through his hair as you coo the familiar sounds of the ocean in his ear. Maybe that's the reason why he’d always carry you back to his room when you fell asleep with Baby even though the guest room had been available for a while now.

“I have now gathered 3 weeks worth of data on the woman, Ken. Would you like the analysis?”

Ah.

Kenji grogs his way up from his bed, your arms back to laying limply, sliding down his naked torso; he preferred sleeping with no shirt on, and he would have been more embarrassed sleeping with a girl he didn't know if he wasn't sure that you were just.. an affectionate creature, person— still figuring that part out.

“Sure, go ahead, Mina.” He yawns, rubbing his eyes as he slouches on his mattress.

“Her last steady transformation into her kaiju form was the time when you took an ice bath with her. A significant difference in her injuries were found compared to her injuries the day before. However, it seemed to have slowed majorly since. Her body seems to prioritise external and surface-level injuries, however as is, she is having trouble truly healing her leg fractures in kaiju form. What I have gathered from my scans is that her severe tail fracture presents differently, or rather, not at all when she inevitably transforms back into her half-human self. She has attempted transformation a couple of times when in proximity of the baby, all of which only lasted less than 3 minutes.”

Kenji nods, taking it all in. However, he can't help but snort when the thought pops in his head. “So, what? I should take a bath with her again and see if that makes it better?”

The robot remains silent, and Kenji basks in the awkward bliss of forgetting that Mina is not exactly programmed to be the best buddy in terms of jokes landing.

“If you wish so, Ken.”

Kenji sputters at this, but he realises he might have been too loud as he looks back. Though futile, considering the information he just heard, you would probably be asleep for days even if he screamed all he wanted, considering your everlasting affection for him last night; the pattern was undeniable. The reminder of your comforting caresses sends an involuntary.. pleasurable shiver down his spine.

So Kenji, in turn, whisper-yells to Mina. “It was a joke!”

“Ha-ha.”

“I should tell dad to install a comedian chip in you.” He crosses his arms. “So? What should we do? We can't have her sleep forever. If we can get her up and going, raising the baby would be ten, no, a hundred times easier! Have you seen how much the baby likes her mama?”

“While she is not her biological mother, yes, I have observed the phenomenon. My theory is that she has connections with Gigantron prior.”

This makes Kenji perk up. “Really? How’d you know?”

“She has lingering scales and residue from the passed kaiju.”

“Wait..”

“No,” Mina immediately interjects. “I’ve discretely gotten samples from her tail when she transforms; quite easy to gather due to their wide difference in colour. I believe their relations are similar to the idea of companionship. They must have been friends. Especially considering Gigantron is oviparous and that they are both Female.”

Kenji lets out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding. It was just.. an unpleasant thought. He didn't even see it as possible, considering your kaiju was a mermaid. But what did he know? That's why he was flipping textbook over textbook in hopes of understanding both you and the baby some more.

“On the course of that line of thinking, I am sure she's not taken, Ken. Rest assured. She, like Gigantron, seems to be the sole of her kind. And since she looks to be predominantly human, I doubt animals were attracted to her.”

“Okay, getting a little graphic here. I did not need to know any of that.” He shakes his head, putting his hand up towards the floating ball.

Today was a weekend, he just flunked his game again yesterday, and everything was going awful as it usually did. Until he went home and realised it was one of his lucky days. Slept like a baby last night, and today, he can sleep in because when you tuck the baby in, normal wake up time is moved. Plus, she won't fuss if Mina is to serve the school of fish for breakfast that day.

So now, as Kenji stretched his bare arms back, he looks to you and then back at Mina.

“So, how do we get her better?”

[...]

“I have deduced that water may be the primary factor in her physical healing process. Since she is waterborne, it could only be natural.” Mina explains, floating next to Kenji's shoulder as the man, dressed in only his sweats, carried you in his arms all the way to the tub in the bathroom this time.

“Alright, water makes her better.”

You, right now, kept to your iridescent appearance. However, your litter of scales and the webs between your fingers were disappearing. The only semblance left that Kenji would ever deem inhumane is how silky your skin was, much like your unusual hair, and eyes, if you opened them. His mind briefly flashes to when you got in the ice bath with him, when your features sheened a bit more natural than it usually was. A lot of questions lingered on Kenji's tongue.

“Remember when she healed me that night, Mina?”

The bot whirrs and affirms. “Yes. I remember your recount of it. Since I did not witness the act, I do not have much information. Perhaps her innate regenerative capabilities can be conducted. Did you notice anything strange at the time?”

Kenji thought hard. But who was he kidding? He went stupid the moment you dipped into the bath with him. He could've left but he didn't, not when you had him in this sort of.. chokehold. Finding himself wanting your affection, your acts of spoiling him, while he’ll have this forming desire to please you.

“...No.” He meekly replies, not really wanting to spare Mina any more details of the day; even though Kenji was sure that the AI knew he just melted into you that night the same way he would whenever you waked to coddle him and the baby… It just always seemed to work so well.

Kenji places you into the tub gently.

“Mina, one last thing before you handle the bath. Research more about my symptoms, tell me if you find anything, alright?”

“Yes, Ken.” Mina replies, allowing Kenji to walk out of the large bathroom as Mina undresses you from Kenji’s clothes, changed daily by the bot as well.

[...]

“I believe it is your body's natural response to avoid the physical pain you feel in your kaiju form.” Mina’s voice was slightly muffled by the closed door that led to the bathroom.

Kenji came barreling back in while preparing his special shake when he felt this inexplicable wrapping of panic in his chest. It's familiar, and he knows it's not his.

“Mina? What's going on?” His stern voice cuts through the whimpers and the soft cries in the bathroom.

“Ken.” Mina acknowledges his presence as his eyes dart to the tub.

You were about to transform to your kaiju. Slowly getting bigger. Kenji notices this, taking you away from the tub, as you slowly but surely developed your kaiju features with each whine from your lips.

“We gotta get her to the basement stat.” Kenji almost barks the order out, wide strides as he ran to the elevator.

“And the baby?”

“Baby will have to wait for a bit.” Kenji replies, tapping his foot as the elevator took him and Mina down. The pink kaiju still wrapped in her own self, dozing.

“Uhhh, water, right?” The elevator dings, and by now you were getting a little too big even for Kenji’s better strength. He doesn’t waste time transforming into his counterpart, allowing you to lay on his palms as you grew, and with your size, came your more prominent wounds.

“Open the water gates, Mina. And extend a platform around the window.”

By now, your tail was in full display and you size was enough for him to carry you in his arms while in Ultra. Your eyes still closed in pain as you let out soft, vulnerable cries. It grasps at Kenji’s heartstrings more than you’d ever know. Finally, Ken managed to get settled on the extended platform just on the other side of his wide underwater window, where the baby was slowly but surely rubbing her eyes awake.

“Mina, are you sure she’s okay?”

“She will become better when she is in water. It stimulates her natural DNA, she will heal faster there.” Mina assures.

Kenji nods slowly, eyes never leaving your forcefully closed ones. Your hands were clutching yours and his chest simultaneously. Looking closer across your scale-addled body, conveniently covering the swells of your breasts before lightly avoiding the area of your tummy, only to connect to your magnificent tail— that he notices only now, was bent in a slightly awkward shape. When he reaches out a hand to assess the damage, even the smallest touch made you jolt and open your eyes with downturned brows.

“Hi…” Kenji whispers. “Sorry… Uhm,” He never did call you much of anything, did he? So he blurts out the first thing that came to mind. “— Sweetheart. Did it hurt? Hm? It’s okay, you feel better here, right?”

Surprisingly, you nod, as if you understood him. The whimpers die down as you suck in a breath. Seems like you liked your little nickname.

“Good girl.” Kenji praises, and he feels that familiar blanket around his chest; joy. Oh, you liked that too? Could you actually understand? “Keep taking deep breaths, okay?”

Amidst the seawater where the island rocks and the school of fish would provide the blue atmosphere its renowned ambiance, you did something that actually did blow Kenji and quite possibly Mina’s, minds. 

“Thank you.” You’d said.

Kenji would look at you, his Ultra’s glowing eyesight mixing with the bioluminescent glow of the water, aquamarine and sky blue against the monochromatic shades of blue from the once undisturbed waters.

“Kenji.” You’ll add, not breaking eyesight against the Ultra who held you close to his chest.

The man in question was speechless. Your voice catching him off guard, he’d heard it in small hums and coos, and cries— but now, you’ve actually said something. He was still unable to speak, but the yawn of the baby and the familiar shrieks as her tubby hands banged on the glass container to face you and Kenji, begging to be part of the circle.

“It seems the baby has awoken. What would you like to do, Ken?”

You notice this, and peer off his shoulder to look the baby in the eye. She pouts and cries, and your hand moves to beckon her over.

“Baby, come.” You said simply.

“Open the container, Mina, and let her out.” Kenji instructs, finally broken out of his self-induced trance.

When the AI does as it was told, the tiny pink kaiju, tiny in comparison to her step-in parents that is— had begun its steps out into the water, Kenji almost yelps as he forgot that the added extension didn’t reach the gates. Baby who didn’t know how to swim yet, made Kenji inwardly panic when she sank for even a quarter of a second. All before she seemed to be wrapped in a bubble of water that made her float all the way to both you and him, with it popping so she landed in between the closed space of yours and Kenji’s torsos.

She squeaked happily.

It was almost what one could consider a picture-perfect family moment. And Mina was sure to capture the moment in question; if not but to send it to Professor Sato. Taking a vial of a sample from the now luminescent water was also one of Mina’s agendas, which she does discreetly.

“You can talk?” Kenji asks once you three got settled, with papa being the carrier of the brunt. He's deeply fascinated. 

“How?”

[...]

 Two weeks had passed since Kenji and Mina found out that you were able to understand and communicate because you were listening in to both him and the AI in your sleep or the few times you’ve been awake. Since then, the routine changed up once again, now that you were more frequently awake.

You still couldn’t do complicated schedules, but there were a mix of positive and negative setbacks, as all things are. The most positive side is that you’re there now for the baby, you’re eager to learn from Mina who’d play you educational videos or give you books to read after you relearnt your basic language, of course. And life seems to be doing slightly better for Kenji now that you were truly taking on the mom role.

“Well done, Sato.” His coach grunts, arms crossed. “Your plays suddenly got better this week. Whatever you're doing, don't mess up like last times.” 

Now, you might be wondering: Okay, so what's the downside?

Dishes cluttered as sounds of footsteps throttling wake Kenji up in the middle of the night. And if he hones his listening, sounds of a left-open TV show and some uncontrolled laughter was coming from the living room. He’d move his arm to pat the— you guessed it— empty space beside him. 

Of course you were still up.

When your hunger bout started the same day that you began taking regular rests in the seawater platform by the basement, Kenji taught you that there was food more delicious than Baby's diet. Which was raw, slimy, uncooked, alive fish.

So, he started you with the next best thing: Sushi.

“See? Better than raw— better than live fish, right? Mmmm~” Kenji watches as you take hold of a roll cautiously, looking at him with an unsure face.

You were so enamoured by the taste. So much so, it was endearing at first. He says at first because he didn't know he just unlocked a major foodie within you. You're morbidly curious, and you have an insane appetite. Mina had to work double-time to answer all your questions once you got started on your Language lessons.

Do these little… creatures— 

“Ants.” Kenji inserts for you.

“Do they have feelings? If I take away this grain of sugar, will they get angry? Sad?” Your way of speech was still… developing, clearly. You tended to speak more formally because of the educational material.

He wishes he can read your thoughts to that extent, but he’s stuck with… whatever you did right now. 

Sometimes, he’d feel when you were happy, most of the time it would be when he opens the front door; your bare feet pit-a-patting on the solid ground of his private home before you jump in his arms. He’d feel when you’re sad, whenever a favourite character from whatever TV show seems to get sick, or worse, die. 

Oh, he’d feel you sad, alright. 

He’d have to deal with it in bed when you’re wetting the pillowcases with your tears and small sobs. Rarely does he feel you getting mad. The only other time he can remember is when he brought the baby home with him the first time.

And all those little things. The distance doesn’t seem to matter, he’ll feel a distinct mirror of what you did permeate through his chest. He won’t know from what, but he’d be left to speculate whenever Coach Shimura scolding him, or his teammates were talking behind his back for his recently shitty performance. It was a nice distraction, and since, he notices, that your most common emotion seems to be happy, it lightens him up. Wait, what was he saying again?

Aside from that, scratch a good half of what he said— if you considered your massive amounts of food intake, there was the issue of you actually eating. It was a hefty job teaching you table manners and Kenji was running out of shirts.

“Minaaaa,” Kenji calls out with an exasperated tone, bounding into the living room, hair messy and body heavy with you clinging on to his form like a backpack while giggling.

“I am running out of clothes to wear. We need to get her,” He points to you and bite his finger lightly. “—her own things.”

“Of course, Ken.”

“And you,” He jumps, and your hold around his neck tightens, much like your legs around his torso. “Get off!”

It’s a minute of Kenji trying to get you to let go of him, with you eluding his touches to the side of your stomach that he recently found out you’ve grown ticklish to.

“Ohoh, you want to make this difficult, princess?”

“But I do not want to!!! Stop!! Stop— HAHAH— Noooooo!!!”

He managed to tackle you to the couch as your laughs and heaving wheezes filled the air; not noticing that he started laughing along, hands unyielding from trying to rub over the sides of your sensitive stomach. 

“Ken, I apologise for interrupting such a precious moment, but what in particular do you wish for me to order for her?”

Snapping out of his daze, he’s suddenly made aware of how he was leaning down on you; shirtless. You wore one of his dark blue long-sleeved shirts along with his boxers, shirt slightly riding up, the other slowly riding down in contrast. Your legs were loosely resting around his waist with you still looking up the ceiling while you tried to catch your breath. And when your eyes meet his, it feels like his heart jumped to his throat, his nerves getting the best of him made him immediately jump off the couch.

Kenji clears his throat, hand on his hip while turning away from you to respond to Mina who he dearly hopes does not make another comment about—

“Your temperature is rising. Shall we continue this discussion another time? You might develop a fever.”

“Aha, no, Mina.” He saves face. “I’m fine, I’m not sick. It’s just— it’s hot in here, isn’t it?”

“Sick? Fever?” You pipe up as you begin walking slowly towards Kenji who flinches as he senses your oncoming presence. “You are sick, Kenji? I have seen characters become sick on TV. Are you going to die? Kenji!?”

Your hands were gripping his shoulders so tightly with every word, your face scrunched in so much worry as if he had Stage 4 Cancer. You started shaking him haphazardly in your bouts.

“Answer me!”

“You are not allowed to die!”

“Come to the water with me. I must heal you. Immediately.”

Kenji, a little dazed from the back and forth of your earlier shaking, finally finds a reply when you determined that you can most likely heal him, moving to drag him to the bathroom; presumably back in the bath tub.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, sweetheart. Calm down.” Your tight grip on his hand reminds him of another fact that he and Mina has learned.

Somehow, you’re able to retain a semblance of your kaiju strength in half-human form. He finds this out in an instant when he tried to deny you ramyeon once when you were still prone to tantrums. Kenji hisses when you let go of his right wrist, his other quickly rubbing against the area on instinct.

“Oh no, did I… hurt you?” You say, timidly. A wild contrast from your earlier and regular demeanour. Another thing he noticed is that apart from you being extremely clingy with him, you.. oddly care for him; what he thinks, how he’s feeling.

Kenji sighs and pats your head right after. “No, princess, I’m all good. No bruises, see? It’s okay.” He reassures you, remembering that last time when you found out you injured him, you bawled and apologised for the whole night.

“I’m okay.” He pinches your cheek to get you to look at him, knowing that you’re beating yourself up in your head. If your sudden silence wasn’t enough of an indicator, he didn’t know what is. 

“Ah, Mina, so about her stuff…” Ken starts, looking back after sensing the presence of the AI bot silently hovering behind him. “Just get her whatever essentials you think she needs and might need.”

“Got it, Ken. As for her clothes, will we have a set budget? Preferred brands?”

“You kidding? Just buy anything. Whatever’s popular these days.” Kenji shrugs as he looks down at you who was trying to dissect their conversation. He’ll look down from his shirt to your bare feet.

“Shoes, sleepwear,” Kenji tries to list.

“How about her underwear, Ken?” Okay, at this point, the robot was probably teasing him.

Kenji sputters, feeling heat crawl up to his face again. Of course, why didn’t he think of that?

“I was just about to say it, Mina.” He sassily remarks.

“Any preferred design?” Okay, at this point, the robot was definitely teasing him.

“Shut up.” He spares you a glance and you simply looked clueless. Thank God.

When screeches started to emanate from the basement, all three of you perked up. But you suddenly cut them off. “Oh! Baby!” 

“I will go down.” You offered, not really giving them respite as you cheerfully jogged to the elevator.

This brings up another topic for both Kenji and Mina.

“Soon, we will be able to ask her about Kaiju Island.”

“Uhuh,”

“What are your thoughts about it, Ken?”

“I mean… it would be convenient to know the place. But even if we do, we can’t just leave the baby and her there alone. Without a mom, the baby would die.” And…

“Of course.” The bot responds with a tone that suggests she knew that Kenji wanted to say more.

“And we can’t just leave her in Kaiju Island now. It’s just— we haven’t found a case yet, and I’m still practising for baseball… you know?” 

We can deal with it off season, a hidden voice within a deep compartment in his brain says.

“I perfectly understand, Ken.” Still with that cheeky tone. For a robot, Mina can get quite expressive, much to Kenji’s dismay.

Kenji groans, ignoring the bot’s teasing while running a hand through his morning hair. 

“Have all her things delivered by tomorrow or as early as possible to the drop-off point so I can pick it up in my car after practice. And help her understand how some things work, I know she’ll be confused with… some stuff.”

The robot hums. “I have a suggestion as well, Ken. I believe if our goal is to help identify her and get her acclimated to human society, it would be best if she knew places outside of the house. And perhaps other people outside of—”

“Outside of me?” Kenji squints, crossing his arms. “What are you suggesting?”

“If you want to expand the possibility of her regaining her old memories by chance, if our theory is correct that she was a past human — based on the articles that dated first sighting of her three years ago— then it would be helpful if she is reminded of the society she grew up in. And she might develop her original traits more if she interacts with other people in a controlled , yet natural environment.”

Kenji remained silent. He knew Mina was right, but… “I don’t know… It’s still a little risky.”

However, it is true that Kenji feels a little bad now that he thinks about it. How you were also feeling indebted enough to take care of a baby that wasn’t your own, while he and Mina occasionally wrote notes and shared minute observations about you like you were a lab rat… 

“Okay, fine. I’ll take her to Roppongi once I’m free, she’ll probably love the food there. Lots of people.” He shrugs, walking backwards to his room as he faces the hovering bot.

Taglist: @moonjellyfishie @mochminnie @lovingyeet @vrxouei @secretyna @misdollface @emosakumas @bol0-de-morang0 @n4muqr @blooscool

[seasidepierre]

sunkissed face part 8 | charles leclerc

FORMULA ONE DRIVERS MASTERLIST

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

summary: You’ve been in love with your best friend Harrison for quite a while now but when Tom, Harrison and Tuwaine go on a trip to Monaco for the F1 Grand Prix, you’re quick to tag along, even though it means spending time with Harrison’s girlfriend.

warnings: I’ve left them alone for quite a bit so they’re full of fluff. 

words count: 6k

a/n: I’m sorry it took so much time, I can’t promise the next update will be quicker, I promise I love them to bits but I suck at sticking to one task. The “meeting your dad” little blurb I had made its way to this part, though I added a few bits and bobs around it, so you don’t have exactly the same thing. It made sense to have it there, I hope you don’t mind Xx

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” Charles whispered against your lips in the middle of a business lounge in the airport in Nice. “Just two little weeks and I’ll all yours.” “I know,” you sighed. “Two weeks is manageable, right?” “It totally is,” he smiled, raising the corners of your lips along with his. He sounded like he was trying to convince both you and himself. “We’ll barely notice them passing by. Two little weeks.”

He took a step back, keeping an arm around your hips, counting on his fingers and muttering the numbers in French underneath his breath.

“Quinze dodos. Fifteen sleeps,” he grinned. “You’re the dorkiest,” you laughed. “You love it.” “I kinda do,” you nodded.

You were far from saying those three little words. You weren’t sure you felt them quite yet, but you did love the dork side of Charles, like his looks didn’t quite match the child that was still trapped inside his soul, sometimes.

“Wait.. Fifteen?” you realised. “I could come on the Monday?” He sheepishly suggested, a blush slowly creeping on his neck. “That would be nice,” you whispered, resting your head on his chest. “My bed seems too big when you’re not there.” “I will come fix that issue, then,” he promised, with a kiss on your forehead. “You should go, you’re gonna miss your flight.” “Do I really have to go?” You whined, pushing your face deeper into his shirt. “I’m afraid you do..”

You didn’t say goodbye, when you left. You raised on your tippy toes, gave him a quick kiss, then waved before you had to say it. Because saying goodbye felt too harsh and too final. “See you later” could have worked, but it still meant leaving and you didn’t like it either. So you just waved and Charles waved back from the other side of the window. You were clad in the hoodie that you were supposed to give him back. Charles said it was yours, now, and you didn’t have to say thanks because your happy grin sufficed. During the weekend, he had worn it for as long as he could and you were pretty sure he did spray way too much perfume on it, just for the sake of sending you back home with something you’d be able to cling onto.

The AC in the plane was on full blast, you thought, as a shiver ran down your spine. The sun was no longer on your face and you couldn’t bask in Charles’ warmth anymore. You shook a little and slipped your hands in the pocket of the jumper, only to find a wrapped up candy from the hotel you just left. You had no idea where it came from, because you didn’t wear that hoodie much during the weekend, since Charles was the one sporting it the most. He must have hidden it for you to find, you realised, and you smiled at the attention.

Fifteen sleeps. Quinze dodos.

☀️

Those fifteen sleeps went by a blur. You went to work on a Monday morning and on the evening, Charles was sitting in the hall of your flat, waiting for you to come home. You opened the door to him without a word, grabbing his hand effortlessly, leading him in what he now knew to be your safe space. You didn’t eat dinner that evening, you just went straight to bed, peeled off each other’s clothes and kissed every parcel of skin you could find. You slept for a blissful ten hours, your head lodged in the crook of his shoulder and his nose resting on top of your skull, your legs intertwined just as tightly as your fingers. Charles knew you had work to do and you couldn’t just pretend that life didn’t exist outside of these walls. So he woke up a bit earlier than you did, cooked breakfast (or most likely, toasted bread and spread butter and jam on each piece of toast) and made tea in a pale yellow mug that had small golden stars on it, because it looked cute and he instantly liked it. He knew that you liked your tea with only one cube of brown sugar and that your favourite tea was the one berry-flavoured. You didn’t have a tray for his very romantic idea of a breakfast in bed, but you did have a large pan that worked wonder in bringing everything to you. That morning, you got woken up by hot tea vapours and small kisses along your jaw, only matched in their softness by the fingers that sneaked between the sheets to find your bare hip.

Charles will later say that you woke up with a small on your face and that it was all he could hope for. You ate in silence, because there was nothing you could say to explain how full your heart felt that morning and Charles seemed to be in the same state of mind. He took you to the shower, washed your hair, lathered your body in foam and couldn’t help himself to a lazy morning shower sex, just because he could and just because he wanted to make you happy. Then he redid the whole foam on the body, because it felt like the right thing to do.

You left for work before you could change your mind, with a kiss and, finally, his first words since he arrived in your building being “Have a nice day, work well and come back fast.” You’d argue you tried your best to have the shortest day at the office you could have. He’d argue that the day felt endlessly long.

On the evening, you ate in bed after Charles jumped on you the second you were home, naked but blissful, in a post orgasm state that rivalled the feeling they must be experiencing in heaven.

“Do you think your dad will like me?” Charles whispered, the words dying between your own lips. “He’s gonna love you,” you reassured him, eyes closed, head on the pillow, fighting to stay awake. “I’m kinda nervous.” “You shouldn’t be,” you breathed out before finally succumbing to sleep.

☀️

Tom called during the week, to ask how you were doing and if you were going to Silverstone. You said you were and that you were happy.

“Lover boy in London?” He laughed. “He is,” You smiled softly at the phone. “What is he doing during the day? Since you’re at work, you know..” “I actually have no idea. He’s hanging out at the flat. He’s resting. I think he had a debrief on the phone with the team, yesterday.” “Do you think I could take him out for lunch?” “I dunno,” you shrugged. “Call him, ask him yourself. But why do you want to have a date with him?” “I dunno,” he repeated. “To chat, I guess.” “Tom, I don’t have an older brother and you don’t need to fill that role,” you groaned. “I mean, I kinda do, actually.” “No you don’t,” you argued. “I’m happy. He’s good to me, Tommy.” “I know. But the last time I saw you in love, you ended up in tears more than I could ever handle it once again.”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see nor hear it. Tom had seen you being miserably in love with Harrison for longer than you’d realise. He knew before you admitted it, actually. He had dried your tears too many times to forget about it. He had supported you through everything, without a word. And it was Harrison, it was both your best friend. Now this was a guy he didn’t really know, beyond the occasional hangouts or texts, and while he’d agree that Charles seemed to be a good guy, he wanted to make sure. You couldn’t quite deny him that one.

“You have his Instagram. Ask him yourself.” “I will.”

On the evening you came back home, Tom was sitting in the flat, with a PlayStation that you knew from his living room. He had taken everything apart just to bring it to your place and bags of takeout were sitting on the kitchen counters.

“Hi boys,” You smiled.

They barely mumbled their hellos back to you, engrossed in a game of Fifa that you couldn’t begin to understand. You smiled at your favourite boys together, noticing the similarities and the differences in just a glance. Tom was obviously shorter but he seemed broader, while Charles was slimmer and taller. Both had short dark hair, both held kindness in their eyes and both would follow you to the end of the Earth if it meant having you happy. Your heart warmed at the realisation that you were so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such great souls.

You made dinner, a simple dish of pasta because Charles was still on a diet and Andrea would have his head on a pike if he went for anything that would mess it all up. Tom stayed for dinner, eating with you two, talking about your day and everything in your lives. Charles told him everything he could about F1. Tom told him everything he could about Marvel movies. Both revealed secrets they shouldn’t have but promised to never peep a word about it. They joked at your expense sometimes, though Charles was quick to drape your hand with his after, as if he needed to apologise for the teasing and reassure you that he didn’t truly mean it.

“You got a good one,” Tom said before he left. “It didn’t feel like your place anymore,” he added. “He fits in there perfectly,” he concluded, before dropping a kiss on your cheek and leaving in the dusk of the night, his PlayStation underneath his arm. “Do you think Tom will be at Silverstone?” Charles asked. “I think so, why?” “He ruined me at Fifa, I need a revenge,” he shrugged.

You did get a good one, you grinned.

☀️

Soon enough it was Thursday and Charles had to leave for his work, emptying your flat from his infectious smile and smell, again. But that was okay, because you had managed to score a Friday off and you would be joining him at the track just the day after. Un dodo. Just one sleep.

Andrea was kind enough to fetch you from the garage when you arrived on the Friday morning and Charles was already in a briefing. You met with one of the most important people in Charles’ life and Andrea was nothing but nice. He spoke in an even more broken English than Charles, thick with his Italian accent, but he was funny and spoke highly of Charles, so you automatically liked him. He told you Charles had insisted that you were to be in his driver’s room when he’d finally get out of his meet so you listened to Andrea’s stories for about an hour before Charles came barging in the room like a mad man. You were in his arms before you could say hi and before Andrea could even react.

“If only your reflexes could be quick like that all the time,” Andrea muttered.

That made you laugh and Charles grinned in return, happy to hear that sound again, as if you had been separated for more than 24 hours. You had lunch with Charles and Andrea, you met a good part of Charles’ team, some of them remembering you from the French GP, but this time you were properly introduced. The “girlfriend” label was quite already attached to the nape of your neck, but you could feel it looming above your head and for the first time, you didn’t suffocate with the idea of belonging to anybody else than Harrison. You were thrilled by the prospect, actually.

The Friday went by slowly and you sat in the garage with a pair of headphones, learning as much as you could and basking in the fumes of oil, rubber and car exhaust. The air was thick with warmth and mechanical particles, but you liked being there. Andrea was entertaining and you couldn’t ask for more. On the evening, the qualifications for the Sprint race happened and you spent the whole session crossing your fingers. Charles ended up P4, which wasn’t amazing, but it also meant that he could skip the top 3 interviews and be back to you quicker. He had to find positives everywhere.

The Saturday was another deal and while you wished your dad could be there, you knew he would still have the time of his life on the Sunday. With such short notice, he couldn’t manage to get out of work but you promised you’d have an extraordinary Sunday, which Charles had been starting to plan.

Charles was wearing his red pants when you walked in the paddock. You had taken a taxi from the hotel, because Charles let you sleep and because you had asked for it, the night prior. You knew media and fans would be waiting for Charles to arrive on the track and you didn’t want to attract attention while you still didn’t quite know what you were. So you met with Andrea again, who brought you to the garage, where Charles was settling the last details before the second free practice session. He kissed you before he went to drive and you tapped gently on his helmet, knocking lightly on it.

“What was it for?” He chuckled. “Knocking on wood. Good luck out there, be fast but be careful.”

It must have been a lucky charm because he ended the session P2, with not only half a second that separated him from Max Verstappen, who you knew to be bloody good. For the Sprint Race, you couldn’t do it and it brought Charles back to the P4 spot, just as he had been before the race. Nothing lost, but nothing gained either. Charles was frustrated. Relieved that he wasn’t starting lower on the grid, but frustrated that he couldn’t grab a point, when he was just three seconds behind Valtteri Bottas.

That night, Charles went to the gym and you sat on the floor, watching a movie on your phone while Andrea was shouting in Italian words that you couldn’t even start to comprehend. You watched the coat of sweat on Charles’ forehead turn into sweat stains on his shirt and after an hour, when his breath was so short he sounded like he was about to pass out, you got your man back and helped him in the shower because his arms were so tired from lifting weights, he couldn’t even reach his hair. So you scrubbed every bit of his body that you could and let him turn putty in your hands, groaning when you pressed the palms of your hands in the knots on his shoulder blades, as you tried to relieve the tension.

That night, you didn’t even try anything funny, because Charles needed to rest and because Andrea had said “You sleep tonight, Lover Boy, you hear me?” and you were kinda scared that he would know, one way or another. You liked Andrea, but not to the point of having him know your sexual activity. So you went to bed and slipped beneath the covers after Charles, because you still had a few minutes to watch on your movie and you wanted to know the end. When you finally made it to the hotel bed, Charles was asleep face first in your pillow, the duvet low on his back and you could see the small dimples on each side of his lower spine. You slid behind him, kissed each shoulder blade and slipped your arms around his stomach, spooning him.

“This is the other way around, normally,” he mumbled, sleepily. “Do you want to turn around?”

A small silence followed by a sleepy breath was all you needed to know that you wouldn’t move one bit.

“I like it when you hold me,” he admitted.

You never got to tell him that you liked holding him more than he liked you holding him. He was already asleep when you came to that conclusion.

☀️

You had no idea how you managed to keep the secret for that long, but damn it did feel glorious to watch your dad’s face crumble as you presented him with a paddock pass with his name and face on it. The lanyard was neon green, branded with the F1 logo and as you passed it around his neck, you were almost certain that tears were welling up in his eyes.

  And he wasn’t even close to the biggest surprise yet.

  When Charles invited you to Silverstone, you were ecstatic to say the least. You had already planned to go but couldn’t have found cheap tickets and were on the lookout for resellers who might sell their tickets back. You only needed two, one for you and one for your dad, but you only had managed to almost get scammed in the process. So when Charles offered for you to be his guest, you had one condition and one only: you and your dad were a package deal. Charles was so happy to comply, it filled your heart with warmth and happiness. The fact that he was adamant that you would only come with your dad was absolutely adorable and even more so when he learned that you hadn’t told him anything about the fact that you were seeing each other. Dating? Was he your boyfriend? He had no idea and to be honest, he wasn’t as pressed about it either. He was just glad to spend time with you, whether it was to kiss you and cuddle with you or just to talk. If you wanted him to be your boyfriend, he would gladly be so. If you wanted to introduce him to your dad as just a friend, he would smile and shake his hand either way. This wasn’t time for the big debates on whether or not you were his girlfriend. And you were thankful for that.

“How the hell are we in the paddock?” Your dad kept muttering, walking next to you. “I told you, I got those passes through someone I know,” you grinned. “Do I have to send a gift basket to Tom again?” Your dad rolled his eyes. “I love this kid to death but he has to stop with the gifts.” “It’s not Tom,” you giggled. “But you’re gonna like him either way.” “Oh so it’s a “he”, then,” your dad teased. “Stop digging for intel, you’re gonna know soon anyway,” you laughed.

The more you walked through the paddock, the faster your heart beat. You hadn’t seen Charles in almost a month, ever since you left from the French GP with an usual hole in your chest, shaped like your favorite monégasque. You had texted and called, of course, and you had watched every bit of content you could find to feel closer to him but nothing would ever replace the feeling of his arms around your waist and of his lips on the crook of your neck. You couldn’t wait to get him back.

  The walk in the paddock still felt foreign and if it wasn’t for the couple of familiar faces that you crossed path with, you could have felt terribly out of place. But you kept on walking, waving back at Pierre who you properly met about a month ago and who had followed you on Instagram to chat, in the following days of your meeting.

  Next to you, your dad gasped at your familiarity with the driver, making you stop wondering where your fangirl tendency could have come from. Your dad was a fangirl. There was no way you didn’t inherit those genes from him. There was no way you would be able to contain your giggles either when he’d finally understand that you were headed to the Ferrari garage.

“I’m not sure we’re supposed to be going to this part of the paddock”, your dad mumbled, a bit embarrassed and turning shier by the second. “I’m certain we are,” you teased back, dragging him by the arm until you crossed the row of trucks with the different teams’ logos on them. “Holy shit, this is the actual pitlane,” your dad almost sobbed. “This is incredible. How the heck am I here?” “Wait until you see where we’re gonna watch the race,” you grinned mischievously.

Charles had been the best sport you could find. He knew how much you owed your dad for your love of Formula One and since it was his first time meeting him, he wanted to impress. He had scored you two seats inside the garage, so you could follow the race on the different screens and watch the pit stops happen in real time. You would be basking in the racing vibes of the Scuderia and he had already planned to shower you with enough merch to last a lifetime. Your dad was about to combust and he wanted to make sure of it. Selfishly, he also wanted to make a good first impression. Not that he was trying to buy your dad, but if he was.. The way to your dad’s heart was about to be easier than ever expected…

“Oh Lord, can we walk up to the Ferrari garage? Is that allowed? Or are we gonna get booted out of here?” “Sure, let’s walk to the Ferrari garage,” you laughed. “Maybe.. Maybe not so close. I don’t want to get shooed away. Stop- What the bloody hell are you doing? You can’t just walk into a garage!! Oh my Lord, I raised a complete nutcase,” your dad spilled out so fast it was actually comical. “Dad, welcome to the Ferrari garage,” You grinned, opening an arm to welcome him in, as if you had any say over who’s allowed in and who isn’t.

You didn’t have much time before you could warn him about what happened. One second you were trying not to explode in tears of laughter in front of his bewildered face and the next, a head was nested in the little space between your shoulder and your neck. You raised a gentle hand, resting it in the messy hair that you could feel tickling your skin and smiled at the familiar feeling of Charles hugging you from behind. He dropped a gentle kiss on your skin, squeezing your sides in his grabby hands and immediately straightened back up to face your father, whose mouth was shaped as a perfect O and who couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

“Dad, I want you to meet Charles,” you introduced them both. “Charles, this is my dad, possibly your biggest fan,” You giggled. “It’s an honor to meet you, Sir,” Charles started, presenting a hand to your dad. “I heard I was to thank you for raising a Ferrari fan as a daughter. I must say I’m super grateful for that, meeting your daughter has been a highlight of my year.” “Shut. Up,” Your dad spat. “You know Charles Leclerc?!” He whisper-yelled at you. “You know Charles Leclerc and you didn’t tell me anything?!” “Dad, he can hear you,” you laughed. “Yes, I know Charles.” “Was he the one whose hand I could see on that car in Monaco? Were you that hand?!” He finally addressed Charles, who was still waiting to shake his hand. “I’m quite sure I was,” Charles blushed, amused. “Your daughter’s been a delight to have around in Monaco.” “Oh my God, this is the best day of my life, I need to sit down,” your dad started to hyperventilate. “She’s hanging out with a Ferrari driver and she doesn’t bloody tell me. This is the best thing in my life right now,” he ranted. “Dad, Charles is still waiting to shake your hand,” you smiled. “Oh yeah, sorry Son, yeah, ahem, big fan,” your dad blushed (blushed!!), finally greeting Charles. “Phenomenal drive. Such bad luck in Monaco. My my. Love what you’re doing. You’re the best. Hope you win today.” “That’s the goal, I’ll do my best. In the meantime, you’re welcome to watch the race from here. There’s a seat with your name on it. Well, not quite literally, but you know what I mean. I also got you a pair of headphones so you could listen to my radio, in case you’re interested in that. It protects the ears from the loud noises, too.” “Oh man, I think I’m gonna fall in love with you,” your father almost cried, before launching himself to the chair waiting for him like he had fire underneath his ass. “You think I made a good impression?” Charles almost grimaced. “I think he already loves you very much,” you replied, amused. “You made his entire year. Thank you for everything, it means the world to me to have him experience such a thing.” “Then it means the world to me too. Anything for you,” he smiled. “Am I allowed to kiss you or is that tempting my luck too much?” He cringed. “You are absolutely 100% allowed to kiss me,” you smiled, rising to your tippy toes to kiss him yourself. “He’s deep into a screen, watching the replays of your onboard anyway.” “I’m glad he likes me,” Charles sighed, relieved. “What can I say? Must be a family thing,” you joked, kissing him again.

Your dad was already engrossed in the screens in front of him. He looked just as home as you were, clad in a Ferrari shirt that he had chosen that morning without knowing where he’d be. You were wearing one of Charles’ shirt, which you were grateful that your father had not really brought to attention, but you knew your friends who were currently marching down the paddock would. You’d see them later, probably after the race, you thought, but that was without counting on Charles who had managed to outdo himself and score two passes for the grid walk, for you and your dad. The fact that your father’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he took Charles in his arms was enough to bring tears to yours, silently thanking Charles, even though he couldn’t see your mouth beneath the face mask you still had to sport. Charles nodded above your dad’s shoulder and you thought, just for a minute, that you couldn’t be happier that your heart stopped being stubborn and chose to move on with Charles. He wasn’t just a great rebound, he was everything you could hope and wish for. The fact that he went ahead and tried to make this even more magical for your dad was all the proof you needed that you were in for the long term. The grid was busy as ever, with celebrities looking either ecstatic or completely bored. You almost stumbled onto Will.I.Am and barely had time to apologise before an engineer pushed you to the side. With a bit of a struggle, you made your way around the cars, taking pictures of your dad in front of each one of them, just because you didn’t know when you’d be able to do that again and because he deserved every picture he could get. You even got one of him and Charles chatting for a second before Charles had to put on his helmet again. To say your father was impressed would be an understatement, but you couldn’t ignore the grin that appeared on his mouth just like on the Cheshire Cat’s when Charles gently grabbed your forearm and dropped his helmeted head to your level, without a word. You frowned for a second, then remembered your little moment the day before. With a giggle, you knocked twice on the helmet, muttering “Knocking on wood, be fast but be careful”, which got him smiling, if you trusted the corners of his eyes through the open visor.

“So you and Charles, huh?” Your dad teased. “Yeah. It’s new, but he’s good to me, Dad.” “I can see that. The fact that he went above and beyond for your old fart of a father was enough for me to see that.” “He truly did all of that, huh?” “He did. This is the best day of my life,” your dad grinned. “Now, let’s enjoy the racing and push behind our guy to win.”

Our guy. That sounded just about right.

☀️

To say that your dad was fuming wouldn’t even bring justice to the state he was in. When Lewis Hamilton passed him, you believed he was going to go to the engineers and push all the buttons to release an extra boost of power himself. But there was nothing he could have done and nothing else to do but watch as Charles lost the lead of a race that you truly believed he could have won and that would have made your father so happy it would have been an actual joke. When Charles crossed the line second, your father slapped his cap on the railing in front of you and you sighed with frustration. You knew you were supposed to be happy for a podium, but he had been so close to win in front of you, in front of your dad, that you couldn’t help but be a bit sad for him.

Andrea was the one who pushed you to the bottom of the podium with your dad in tow. You wouldn’t be close to the parc fermé barriers but you would be there for the podium, at least, and Andrea promised he would get you two as close as possible to both the podium, then the doors, so you could get back to Charles for a couple of minutes before he’d have to go through the whole media circus again. You kind of wished they didn’t have to do that every time, just so you could cosy up with him for more than a handful of seconds before he’d be whisked away somewhere else. In your haste, you checked your phone to see Tom had texted both you and Charles to congratulate him on his podium.

Quick text to say congrats! You should have won today, but silverware is still silverware, right? Sending this to your girl as well, I know you won’t have your phone on you

You smiled at the text, sporting a video of Tom, his brothers and Tuwaine, cheering for Charles from the top of the paddock club, where people looked at them like they were proper nutcases. Tom had said “your girl” and you had enjoyed the sound of that. It was the third time already that you realised that being linked to Charles didn’t feel like such a bad thing. You had been really cautious with Tom, because he was your best friend and you didn’t want to cause any type of prejudice or to create drama when there wasn’t drama to begin with, but with Charles, you truly didn’t care. Let there be drama. Let there be chatter. That wouldn’t change the fact that you liked the guy and that the feeling was mutual.

Standing proud but slightly defeated on the second step of the podium, Charles scanned the crowd, hoping to discern the right Ferrari polo that belonged to your shoulders. You thought he would never be able to, surely, when the crowd was that compact and when more than half of the garage was standing there, but the smile he sent your way felt personal and you took it for granted, arrogance be damned. Your dad was clapping and yelling on your side when the presenter introduced Charles Leclerc, second on the podium, like the frustration of seeing him being somewhat robbed of a victory had been wiped for pure joy. You jumped up and down when he raised the trophy in the air and you watched him pour sparkling wine all over himself and the rest of the podium. There wasn’t much you could have done more, but Andrea seemed to be happy about your joy and before you could properly bask in the vibes of it, he was dragging you and your dad away so you could sneak into the right hallway.

Charles was barely out of the door that you were running to him, hanging yourself at his neck and hiding your face in the crook of his neck.

“Have a nice evening, bro,” a voice resonated behind you and you didn’t even comprehend that it was Lewis Hamilton, too busy finding your man back and smelling the melted rubber clinging on his skin. “Did you have a nice day?” Charles whispered. “It was amazing,” you whispered back. “Thanks for everything. Dad was over the moon.” “I’m happy then. Let me go check with him what he wants to do for a second?”

You begrudgingly let him go, watching your dad take him in his arms and slapping him on the back, in a proper men’s hug. You smiled at the vision of them two, walking away with arms on the shoulders or just above the waist, Charles having let the trophy in the trusted hands of your father for just a bit.

“I wish you could have won. You deserved it,” your dad muttered. “I’ll win somewhere else,” Charles shrugged. “Yeah, but I may not be there to cheer for that one.” “I’ll make sure to have someone facetime you, then,” he smiled. “Thank you for having been here today and for pushing behind me. It was nice to meet you that way.”

Your dad nodded and before you could catch up with them, they were out of earshot. You could only see their heads bobbing up and down, the smiles on their mouths and the chuckles rumbling in their chests. Your dad kept patting Charles on the chest, until they turned serious enough that Charles nodded solemnly, before he got engulfed in your father’s embrace once again.

“What did my dad tell you, when we left that building after podium?” You asked, when your head was resting on Charles’ chest in the hotel room bed, after Charles had closed the door of the taxi on him and waved him goodbye. “We talked about you,” he confirmed. “Don’t worry. He didn’t tell me any secret.” “Did he try to scare you off?” “No. But that’s between me and him,” he kissed your forehead. “Okay,” you breathed out.

After your father had gone, you stayed in the Ferrari hospitality, enjoying a cup of tea and helping yourself to not one but three scones, reading stuff on your phone and scrolling down Instagram. You texted a bit with Tom, apologising for not having been able to catch up with them all during the day, to which he replied he understood and asked how the meeting between Charles and your dad went. Charles came out of the briefing room at almost 7pm, with a tired air on his face and yawning like a toddler. You smiled at his ruffled hair and grabbed your bag before joining him and Andrea to jump into a car appointed by Ferrari to drive back to the hotel. You hadn’t really thought about grabbing his hand on the walk over and he had happily swung your intertwined hands between the two of you, throwing back the image of two children in love in the school’s playground. You didn’t care if anybody was seeing you. You didn’t care if the chatter was going to go around the paddock, if tea would be “spilled”. All you cared about was the little rough patch between his thumb and his index finger and how it was scratching the skin between your own thumb and index finger.

“Was it okay that I took your hand when we left?” You timidly asked. “It was perfect,” Charles sighed, sleepily.

You closed your eyes, letting your eyelashes rest on Charles’ jaw.

“Goodnight, girlfriend,” Charles murmured. “Goodnight, boyfriend.”

You didn’t need to talk about it. You didn’t need to question it. The decision had been made a few days ago, you realised, and you had both made it without telling the other. You met each other midway, and it was perfect as it was.

Your boyfriend was now happily sleeping at your side, blissful and a heart full of fondness for you, only matched by the one you held in your heart for him.

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

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[daydreams-after-dark]

What's your fanfic fantasy? part 13

Chapter Contents.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 // Part 11 // Part 12 // Part 13 // Part 14 //

Premise: fem reader + Chan + Jisung 18+ fanfic. This is an AU story about Chan bringing your fantasies to life... but what happens when boyfriends Chan and Han fall in love with you?

Chapter Summary: We get some insight into Jisung's perspective.

a/n: my baby boy Jisung. I think this is my most favorite chapter of all of them... but the one after this is going to be pretty good too.

Warnings: oral sex, unprotected p in v sex.

Jisung pov.

Jisung woke up in the middle of the night still wrapped up in your quilt and still very naked. He rubbed his eyes and wondered what time it was. He groaned as he unraveled himself from the bedding and searched for jeans to retrieve his phone from the pocket.

3.20 am. Would you and Chan be asleep yet? He decided to take a chance, and with nothing but a throw blanket wrapped around him, and his phone in his hand, he padded down the hall to his and Chan’s room.

He stopped at the door and pressed his ear up to the timber. No signs of sex noises. Must be safe. Gently, Jisung pushed the door open and crept inside. He wasn’t prepared for the emotions that hit him as he entered the moonlit room. Excitement. Fear. Relief.

Chan was the love of his life. He truly thought there would never be anyone else for him. Until the day he met you. A year ago next month. Chan had invited you to come watch the band play at a club. “This is an old friend, y/n.” He introduced you to him. Jisung thought he had lost access to oxygen. You were stunning, in a unique, weird way. You were one of a kind, and you took his breath away.

Over the past year year, Jisung noticed Chan would talk about you more and more. Jisung knew Chan was bi, and Jisung wasn’t in the slightest bit surprised to learn that Chan had a thing for you.

“Channie, Hyung. You like her a lot don’t you?” Jisung had asked one night after making love. “Hmm, yes Sungie… but you’re the only one for me. You’ll always be the only one for me.” Jisung couldn’t bring himself to share his own feelings about you. He was confused by them. Han was bi too, and although he had slept with women before, he had never really fallen for any. To suddenly have images of squeezing your ass or wondering what your pussy felt like, as well as have his heart pound like he was having a heart attack whenever he saw you, was a new feeling for him. He could never bring himself to sharing those thoughts and feelings with Chan. He wasn’t sure why.

He felt like he was betraying him though. When he’d masturbate to the thoughts of you, he’d feel like he was cheating on him. Even though he knew perfectly well that Chan would jerk off to you. It didn’t bother Jisung that his lover fantasized about you, but he felt so fucking guilty when he did it himself.

But now you were going to be their girlfriend. He couldn’t believe what was happening that first night, when he got to be with you. On the couch. He was so nervous that he wouldn’t know what to do, or how to touch you. It’d been so long since he’d been with a woman. But with Chan urging him on, and the way you responded to his touch, Jisung lost it, ending up a quivering mess. He wondered if Channie knew that he had feelings for you?

As Jisung approached the bed where his lovers slept, he was certain the pounding of his heart would wake you. There you were. Chan was sprawled out on his back naked. He was out of it. You were curled up against him on your side. The single, thin sheet barely covering you, offering Jisung an outline of your bodies underneath. Jisung smirked at the thought of what you had been up to as he dropped the throw blanket to the floor and slipped in beside you.

“Is that you Jisung?” You squeaked. Jisung stopped still, he hadn’t meant to wake you. “I’ve been waiting for you.” You carefully rolled over onto your other side and wrapped your arm around him. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

You leaned into the side of his body and nuzzled your chin into his neck. Jisung’s breath hitched at the skin to skin contact, and his heart was emitting a delicious warmth across his chest. This felt so intimate. So special. Like you were the only two people awake on the planet.

“Baby.” He whispered, kissing the top of your head. “I’ll always come for you.” He couldn’t help but quip, even in a moment like this.

You lifted your head to find Jisung’s lips, seemingly ignoring his childish joke, and instead gave him a long slow kiss. You tasted like Chan, and it made Jisung’s dick hard.

You removed your lips from his, and slowly kissed your way down his torso, while your hands explored the peaks and valleys of his muscles. So far your interactions were all about Jisung serving you, but right then it seemed you wanted to take care of him.

Without being able to see you clearly in the dim moonlight, Jisung’s skin was more sensitive and your touch made him shiver in the best possible way. His nerves tingled, and he had to focus all his concentration on not moaning too loud so as to not wake Chan.

Then he felt it. Your hand around the base of his cock, gripping him firmly. He sucked in his breath as he felt your hot, wet mouth take him in. You didn’t even tease him with a kitten lick, or a swirl of the tongue, you just sunk yourself right down over his shaft and paused when your lips met your hand. Jisung gripped the sheets underneath his hands trying to anchor himself. So this is how your mouth feels around his cock? He thought to himself. Then your started to move, taking your mouth all the way up so just the head of his dick was between your lips, pausing, and sinking back down in one motion. Such sweet agony.

“Y/n, please.” He begged, squeezing his eyes tight. Part of him wanted you to keep going like this, but he needed to be inside your pussy.

“You taste so good, Jisung.” You whined.

“I need you… to make love to me.” Jisung whimpered. “Please… need you..” He panted.

You released his throbbing, leaking cock and crawled your way to lay on top of him, straddling him and taking his mouth in another tender kiss. “Jisung,” you ground your core against the length of his cock. “Need you too… so bad.”

Jisung gripped your hips, lifting you up so he could maneuver himself, the tip of his cock prodded at your entrance. Your winced as the tip began to stretch you.

“Baby?” Jisung questioned. “Are you sore? We don’t have to do this tonight.”

You hesitated.

“Baby? I don’t want to hurt you.” He whispered.

You pulled off Jisung’s cock and laid against his torso, and he wrapped his arms around you. “It’s okay, baby.” He soothed, stroking your back.

“I really want to, Jisung…” you sobbed.

“Hey… we’ll have plenty of time to do this.” He kissed your hair. “Actually, I know what I want to do…Lay on your back for me, baby.”

You rolled off of him onto your back as instructed, and he shimmied down between your legs, pushing them apart gently. He held your thighs apart as he gently licked your lips. He couldn’t see anything but he could feel you were swollen. Binnie had been brutal with his ministrations, and Jisung wondered how on earth you managed to take Chan after that. Jisung wanted to make you feel better. He wanted to sooth your abused pussy with with tender kisses. He worked slowly, using a flat, wet tongue to deliver sloppy kisses to your sensitive core. You moaned in approval. He dipped his tongue between her folds while his lips massaged your outer labia. He heard your breathing pick up and your hips began to rock slightly. He hooked his arms under your thighs so he could nuzzle in more, lapping up your pussy like he was the thirstiest man alive.

You laced your fingers in his hair, tugging his locks, pulling him against you. But Jisung had no plans to go harder or faster. He wasn’t in any hurry.

“Ji… I’m ready now… ready for your cock.” You whimpered. “Let me try riding you again.”

Jisung peeled away. “Are you sure, baby?”

“Please let me try… I really want you.”

Jisung repositioned himself on his back and you straddled him once more.

“Lean down on me, baby… yes like that.” Jisung directed you to lay against his chest, and he guided his hips to line himself up.

He moved slowly as he penetrated you, and you both gasped at the squeeze as he filled you up completely. For a moment you just stayed like that.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

“Yes… I love having you so close to me, Jisung.” You breathed.

“I’ve wanted this for so long.” Jisung’s voice was deep and gruff. The desire he felt was so thick, so strong, he thought his body was going to explode.

“It’s been less than day.” You rolled your hips trying to build some friction between your bodies.

“No, baby. I’ve wanted you so much longer than this week.” He instantly regretted saying it. You stopped moving. Jisung closed his eyes, berating himself internally. From what Jisung could tell, your feelings were new. You were still figuring them out. Maybe it had been too much to confess that he’d felt something for far longer?

“How long?” You said coolly, hovering above him but remaining still.

Jisung hesitated. “Not as long as Channie, but…” he swallowed. Should he admit to how long? He hadn’t even told Chan. You brought a hand up to caress his cheek. “Please tell me.” You breathed.

“The moment I saw you.” There he said it. He said it out loud.

You leaned down and hugged him tight, then found his mouth again. This time slipping your tongue deep inside like you wanted to crawl inside of him.

Jisung broke the kiss and held your face in his hands. He could hardly see your face. “Are you mad?” he said shakily.

“Oh Ji,” You sobbed. “I’m not angry. I’m just so sorry I’ve made you wait this long.”

Jisung’s eyes prickled and tears began to roll down his cheeks as emotions flooded him. He was thankful you couldn’t see him crying like this.

“Let me make it up to you Jisung, my love.” You kissed his cheek, your lips would no doubt have tasted his tears, then you began to roll your hips again, undulating on top of him, squeezing your walls around his cock. Your hands gripped his shoulders and you began to make love as quietly and as still as possible.

As the tension built, you started to move more frantically, sitting up so you could ride his cock harder and faster. You both tried to stifle your moans as your neediness took over, and Jisung sat up too so you could muffle your whimpers with each other’s mouths. Jisung’s hand slid down between your bodies, finding your clit and circling it the way he knew drove you wild. He knew your body so well already and you began to rock your hips with abandon. Jisung snaked his other hand around to cup your ass and he began lifting you up off his cock and slamming you back down so you could get as much stimulation as possible.

Sweat covered your skin, and tears marred your faces as you reached your climax together.

Jisung had never felt happier than he did right in that moment.

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

Chan pov

Chan pretended to lay asleep as he heard his Jisung and you make love. Now you lay quiet in each others arms, spent. He didn’t know Jisung felt that way about you. He was too caught up in himself to notice the signs. Poor Jisung. Chan vowed then and there to make sure that he felt safe enough to share anything with him. But now everything was going to be fine. You had each other now. Him, Jisung and you.

@rylea08 @channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @weareapackofstrays @3rachasdomesticbanana @palindrome969 @xxkissesforchanniexx @chuuchuu1224 @fun-fanfics @wolfennracha @rhonnie23 @jisunglyricist @strayywayy @rixenluv @piscesrising01 @lunearta @shltsnglggles @lilbabiebunni @jiminssluttyminx @armystay89 @krayzieestay @stellasays45 @hxnnielk @yaorzu-blog @anjian03 @tsunderelino @igetcarriedawaywithyou @mylittleponeypinkrosieposie @privhace @kyunchoni @writhingwrecked @kisses-too-the-moon @justforreaders @melochacco @scenuniverse @oddracha @meilix @ismokeeweed @leftovercigarettes @galaxycatdrawz @grandma143

[danikamariewrites]

Hello! Hope u are doing well. I had this thought on how the ic is worried about the reader especially azriel because their mates. She has scarpes on her legs and arms. They think she is hurting berself, they tell her to stop they beg abd cry. She is beyond co fused. Even Nyx is crying because of her state. She says she won't do it again. But.....

She sneeks out at night at when she comes back thay are all wide awake and giving a deathly glare. Reader starts saying that she can't help, she's been doing it since she was 4 and it brings her joy. Az goes balistic. But then Nyx notices a skateboard. The n they realize. Reader explains that she loved skateboarding especially at night and that her old friends came to visit her and they skateboard as well. Thank you!

What Did You Think?

Azriel x reader

A/n: omg this is so chaotic and poor Nyx

Warnings: mentions of injuries, allusions to self harm

Feyre and Nesta enter Rhys’s office and the sight before them broke their heart. Azriel looked distressed. Like he hadn’t slept in days and he seemed on edge. Feyre poured him a cup of tea while Nesta sat next to Azriel, resting a reassuring hand on his forearm.

Azriel takes the tea with a small thank you from his High Lady. “Az, we’re worried about her too. She’s our friend too.” Nesta said in the most caring tone any of them had heard from her.

“She’s part of this family, brother. We’re going to help you two through this.” Rhys said, leaning against his desk. “I want to talk to her today.” They all nod in agreement. “Whatever you think best.” Cassian said with a reassuring tone.

——

You shut the door and unbuckle your helmet so Azriel doesn’t hear the clip. You were so happy you finally landed that kick flip you’ve been working on for months. You had plenty of scrapes and bruises to prove your hard work and you couldn’t wait to show Azriel.

Throwing your stuff in the hall closet, you rushed into the living room. You stop short, the smile falling from your face at the sight of your family looking somber. “Did something happen?” You ask, cautiously stepping forward. You look to Azriel standing in the middle of the room.

You give him a sad, worried look. He looked distraught. “Y/n, we want to talk to you.” Azriel gestures for you to sit in the arm chair closest to the fire. Azriel kneels in front of you holding your hands. “What’s going on Az?” “Baby we’re concerned about your cuts and bruises. And I…you can talk to me about it. But please promise me you’ll stop.”

You gave Azriel an unsure look. Scanning the room you see everyone matches Azriel’s expression. Even Nyx is crying. If they want you to stop skateboarding that’s all they had to say. You know you should wear more padding but you didn’t know Azriel cared this much.

“Ok. I’ll stop, and things will change.” You give him a small smile and your family seems to let out a collective breath. Nyx even wiggled out of Feyre’s arms to jump into your lap. “No more ouchies Auntie y/n?” You brush Nyx’s hair back as he looks up at you. “Yup, no more ouchies or boo boos Nyxie.” He cuddled up to you and wouldn’t let go until you and Feyre took him to bed.

——

Later that night while Azriel was asleep you found yourself tossing and turning. You were still excited about the tricks you could do now that you could do a kick flip. Slowly, you lift Azriel’s arm from your middle so you can slip out of bed.

You quietly dress and head downstairs to get your board and helmet. Leaving through the front door you happily head to the skate park.

Minutes later Azriel stirred, blinking his eyes open he sees your side of the bed empty. The sheets still warm. Your scent still fresh. Azriel shoots up and starts searching the house for you. When Azriel found the front door slightly open he freaked out, immediately screaming for Rhys in his mind.

——

An hour later you’re creeping back into the house. The lights turning on made you jump and drop your skateboard. Turning, your friends are standing behind you. Azriel is looking at you with an anger you’d never seen before.

“Where were you? We talked about this. You said you’d stop and you come home with new cuts.” His face fell as he held your shoulders. “Where were you?” You struggled to get your words out. You felt like there was some misunderstanding between you and your family.

Before you could respond Nyx cam wobbling down the stairs, his little wings struggling to stay up as he rubbed at his eyes. “What’s that?” He points at with a chubby little fist.

Everyone looks behind you at the skateboard. You move out of Azriel’s grip and pick up your board. “It’s my skateboard, Nyx.” You gently push it over to him. “Skateboard?” “Yeah Nyx. You stand on it and use one foot to push. You can even do tricks on it.” You smile at him as the toddler sits on it, pushing with his feet and giggling.

“Skateboarding? You’ve been skateboarding?” You look up at Az from your crouching position on the floor. “Yeah, I’ve been trying new tricks and that’s where all these scrapes and bruises came from. One of my old friends was in town and she was teaching me new stuff.”

Everything clicked for Azriel. You disappearing. The constant cuts and bruises. But you were happy so that was what troubled Azriel. He was relieved that you were just falling off your skateboard.

“I’ve been skateboarding since I was a kid. What did you guys think was happening?” Azriel dropped to his knees, embracing you. “Thank the mother.” You hugged Az back patting his back. “It’s ok Az. I’ll just wear more pads.”

Back in bed wrapped up with your mate you were still confused about what happened. You’d talk in the morning though. Right now you were just happy he wasn’t about your lack of protective gear while skateboarding

[spicybeefnoodles]

while my guitar gently weeps pt.2

a/n: i have not a single clue where this fic is going

summary: raiden tries to help kung lao

warnings: angst, ED mentions, emetophobia

Raiden was worried. Worried about the initiates and their training. Worried about Liu Kang and his lessening appearances. Worried about Kung Lao. Especially Kung Lao. It had been a few months since Raiden had found Kung Lao crying in the laundry closet, and he had changed. The monk still performed his duties, training the initiates dutifully, but his voice had a sternness to it that had never made an appearance before. His movements, usually so fluid and smooth, had become stiff and jerky, like he physically restrained himself with every single action he did. Or like he was distinctly aware of every single thing he did in front of the other mentors and the trainees.

Most times in the middle of the night, Raiden would wake up to Kung Lao rushing out of the bedroom to the bathroom connected to their room. Then it was the sound of Kung Lao retching and coughing and crying, and Raiden had gone in the first few times to hold Kung Lao’s hair back. But, every time Raiden’s fingers even brushed up against his boyfriend’s skin, he would physically flinch away and his coughing would grow worse. Eventually, Raiden stopped going to the bathroom to help and would sit outside of the bathroom listening to Kung Lao vomit all the food he had eaten for the day. He would ask the monk if everything was okay, but Kung Lao would just wave him off and mutter that he was fine before falling onto the bed and falling back asleep. Of course, Raiden followed Kung Lao around for the day, watched what he ate, made sure he didn’t consume anything that could possibly make him throw up so violently in the middle of the night every week.

Raiden almost would have preferred to have found something because then at least he could stop it physically, but there was nothing. Kung Lao threw up because his mind and body had decided to, and there was nothing Raiden could do to comfort the monk because he had started to recoil away from the champion’s touch. It was distressing to say the least.

It was especially concerning considering that Kung Lao barely finished his food anymore. He would pick and prod and poke at the food on his plate, moving it around to make it seem like he had eaten, but Raiden almost never saw food pass by the monk’s lips. Kung Lao’s figure had at first just grown more muscular-looking, every vein and bulge on show for the academy to see, but it quickly dissolved into a diminishing frame and tired sunken eyes. Raiden hadn’t noticed how thin Kung Lao had gotten until one night he woke up in the dead of the night, arms wrapped around Kung Lao’s torso while the monk slept unaware, and Raiden realized he could trace each rib through his boyfriend’s skin. Suddenly, all the champion could see was just how baggy the monk’s robes had gotten, how the sleep shirt he wore didn’t hug his figure anymore, how he could see the bone in Kung Lao’s usually soft face.

Kung Lao barely had the energy to do anything anymore, moving through the halls sluggishly and fingers stumbling with simple tasks. Raiden had to push Kung Lao to get out of bed and brush his teeth, but slowly Kung Lao stopped listening and would only get out of bed to do his duties and to use the restroom.

Drumming his fingers against the dinner table, Raiden eyed the empty seat next to him. It was the first time Kung Lao had ever skipped the meal. He never skipped a meal. He always stressed the importance of having nutrition for your body to have energy. Raiden’s heart ached with frustration and anguish: frustration because Kung Lao wouldn’t tell him what was going on and anguish because Raiden could do nothing to alleviate the monk’s pain. In the past, Kung Lao had always shared his feelings, loud and boisterous and egotistical in front of everyone, but in the quieter moments of the day, when it was just the two of them underneath the cherry blossoms and watching the night sky, he would whisper each and every secret and dream and insecurity that he had.

Raiden missed those days back when they were still just simple farmers and when the whole weight of the world didn’t rest on their shoulders. In the back of his mind, the title of champion mocked and teased him, always pushing him to train more and more, to always be vigilant, to always be prepared for the next tournament; and Raiden had started to feel the stress bury itself into his bones. His eyes always felt strained with the anxiousness of watching for any enemies, his muscles screamed at him every day no matter how much protein he ate to try and offset the pain, and even his soul felt burdened, struggling to stay aflame with the way the responsibilities blanketed him.

Perhaps Liu Kang always felt this way, the responsibilities of the universe weighing down on him heavily every moment of the day, knowing that everyone and everything counted on him and that one wrong decision could send the world into a tailspin of destruction and chaos. Even now, Raiden knew that some blamed the god for their misfortunes, and technically, Liu Kang did directly cause those problems: Baraka’s Tarkat affliction, Tomas’s dead biological family, Johnny’s unfortunate inflated ego.

At some level, Raiden understood why Liu Kang had designed things a certain way because one event had to lead to another for specific events to happen. Still, another part of Raiden blamed Liu Kang. The champion had never had any strong emotions, had been a pushover for most of his life, had been a freak for never understanding others, all because Liu Kang had designed him that way. To get rid of Raiden’s possible murderous anger, Liu Kang had also dulled the rest of his emotions as an unintended side effect.

Raiden had thought something was wrong with him for so long, why he never felt so strongly about anything. Why he had never felt inclined to excitedly cheer at competitions, why he had never felt an intense anger at the bullies at school, why he had never felt anything really. Everything was dulled, and Raiden had to learn to love Kung Lao, love the monk with his whole heart and body and soul. And yet, he would still never feel the same way that Kung Lao felt about him or the world. Would never understand the tears shed over movies or the excited laughs over a joke or how Kung Lao felt when he told Raiden ‘I love you.’ The champion felt anger and sadness and happiness because he taught himself and learned the facial expressions that indicated how people were feeling. Just so that he fit in with the rest of the world. Although his brief training at the Shirai Ryu had taught him how to use his anger as a weapon, the emotions inside him laid dormant and rarely reared their head.

Pinching his brow, Raiden brought himself back to the present, picking up his chopsticks and putting the side dishes into his bowl of rice. He ate quickly, piling food into his bowl while keeping an ear out for the trainees and making sure that their conversation didn’t veer disrespectfully. Tonight, they were quiet thankfully, and Raiden waited for all of them to finish their meals and leave for their rooms and then waited for the mentors to leave. Bowing his head slightly to the other teachers, Raiden kept his bowl in his hand and started piling food into it: some rice, some braised pork belly, some bok choy, some mapo tofu. He piled on all the foods that were Kung Lao’s favorites. It would act as a peace offering for when Raiden would try to pry Kung Lao open and get some answers.

The champion had tried before to ask why Kung Lao had started to act not like himself, but all he was ever met with was a blank stare and then a shrug and a mumble that he was okay before walking off or covering himself with the blankets. Hopefully, the monk could muster the strength to at least eat his favorite foods, and Raiden could get an answer and finally help or to at least help shoulder whatever problem Kung Lao faced.

Raiden carried the bowl back carefully, making sure that none of the food fell onto the floor. Soon enough, he reached the bedroom and slid the door open, finding the curtains drawn and Kung Lao’s frame tangled in the bedsheets. He was asleep, almost peaceful looking, but Raiden could only focus on how the monk’s skin looked sickly and pale, how he could see the outline of bones through the thin sleep shirt, and how much thinner he looked compared to a few months ago. Raiden pressed his lips together, flicking the light on in the room and startling the monk awake from his sleep.

Kung Lao groaned, only taking a second to glance at Raiden before turning his head away and burying it into the sheets to shield his eyes from the light. The champion pursed his lips and toed his shoes off, lining them up briefly at the doorway, before padding his way over to the bed and sitting down right next to Kung Lao. The monk didn’t react, keeping his head firmly turned away from Raiden.

“I brought your favorites.” Raiden gripped the bowl tighter as he waited for Kung Lao to react, pressing his lips together nervously the longer the monk laid still. Finally, Kung Lao sat up in the bed, eying the food in Raiden’s hands and reaching out his hands for the bowl. The champion let out a relieved breath and handed it over with a small smile on his face.

For a brief moment, his fingers brushed against Kung Lao’s, and the monk frowned just for a moment, taking the food quickly from Raiden’s grip and staring at it. He picked up the chopsticks, sort of pushing the food around on the top, and Raiden watched in anticipation, staring intently at Kung Lao’s lips to see if any food would pass through. The monk’s brows furrowed, and he picked up a small amount of rice, perhaps only a few grains, and it passed by his lips. That’s all Kung Lao did, picking up small amounts of rice in his chopsticks, and several minutes passed in silence before Kung Lao placed the full bowl of food down in his lap, hands clenching tightly onto the porcelain.

“What do you want? You don’t like having food in the bed.” Kung Lao stared down at the food bowl as he talked to Raiden, refusing to make eye contact with the champion.

“I was wondering what was happening with you. Please, Lao.” Raiden kept his gaze fixed on Kung Lao’s face, hoping and wishing that he would turn to face the champion. “I want to help you, but I can’t help you if you push me away.”

The monk blinked, keeping his sights focused on the food in front of him. His mouth opened before closing again, and then Kung Lao furrowed his brows and the corners of his lips turned downward. Turning away from Raiden fully, the champion could hear Kung Lao take in a deep staggered breath as if his lungs struggled to breathe correctly. And then the monk turned suddenly, eyes staring through Raiden, as if the champion wasn’t really there.

Being the closest he had ever been in weeks, Raiden could finally see how his eyes were sunken in, how the color of his irises had dulled, how sickly and gaunt he had become. The champion resisted the urge to reach up and cup Kung Lao’s face, hands clenching onto the sheets as he waited for the monk’s answer.

“I think we should break up.” Kung Lao said, and he placed the still-full bowl on the drawer next to the bed. Raiden blinked at the monk as he stood up, shirt hanging loose where it used to be skin tight, and watched as the monk started gathering his belongings from the drawers, breaths rattling in his lungs as he pulled out shirt after shirt.

He should feel hurt, angry, terrified, furious, anything. Anything would be better than the emptiness he felt in his chest, better than the lack of tears in his eyes, better than the grave of words in his mouth. Raiden sat as still as a ghost on the bed as he watched Kung Lao struggle to gather his belongings around the room and stuff it into the duffel bag he had brought when they had first moved into the White Lotus Academy together. He watched as Kung Lao zipped up the duffel bag and shoved his feet into his shoes haphazardly. He watched as Kung Lao struggled to carry the weight of the bag as he slid open the door of their bedroom. He watched Kung Lao pause just for a moment, hope swelling in Raiden’s chest that maybe the monk would return.

“Here.” Kung Lao reached up and pulled his hair out of his ponytail, tossing the hairband onto the bed that Raiden sat still on. “It was yours anyway.”

Raiden wanted to scream, to drop to his knees and beg for Kung Lao to come back. To hold Kung Lao close to him until he came back to him. To grip onto his familiar scarred hands and demand for an answer. He wanted to do so many things to make Kung Lao come back to him, but in the end, he said and did nothing as Kung Lao stepped out and closed the door without even a look back.

“Wait, no, wait, come back-” Raiden finally scrambled to his feet, but he collapsed onto the floor, legs unable to support his weight as they shook and trembled. The whole world was crushing him, weighing him down, shoving responsibility down his lungs until he couldn’t breath. Words swirled in his head and then died in his throat, clogging his flow of air, and Raiden grabbed onto his neck as he struggled to breathe. There was no Kung Lao, no Kung Lao to help burden the weight, no Kung Lao to take the dead words out of his throat and help voice them, no Kung Lao to smile at him and say that everything was going to be okay.

His vision blurred, the floor seemed to move and twist as he tried to stand back up, and his whole body felt battered, as if he had fallen from the heavens and hurtled into the earth with no safety net. Raiden could feel something hot leaking down his face and something brutal and guttural filling the room. It grated against his nerves and made the voices in his head scream and scream and scream. Pain scratched against him from every angle, hands pulling him apart and then back together again in an endless cycle of torment, and Raiden curled up, forehead pressed against the floor and arms covering up his head. His knees dug into his chest, and his body shook with the effort of blocking out the pain coming from an invisible enemy. It felt like his ears could burst, blood leaking and pooling on the floor, and Raiden couldn’t breathe as his chest shook with the effort of pulling in oxygen.

He’s not sure how long he stayed on the ground, curled up on the wooden slats, until he opened his eyes, the screams and pain having disappeared like they had never tormented the champion, and he lifted his head up to find moonlight streaming through the window. Raiden grabbed onto the bed next to him, using it to support him onto his shaky legs, and he stumbled over to the bathroom, feeling like a baby deer who was learning how to run from a wolf after just having been born.

Flicking on the lights, Raiden grimaced at the sight of him in the mirror, red-rimmed eyes and deep purple eyebags, hair pulled out of his usual neat bun and stray hairs sticking to his sweaty forehead. The champion sighed and turned on the cold water knob, letting the water pool in his cupped hands and then splashing it onto his face as if it would erase what had happened earlier. He washed his face over and over again, trying to do something, anything. Try to summon something his heart could feel rather than the emptiness in his chest. Try to summon back the pain and desperation he had felt earlier. Try to summon back his Kung Lao, the one with a warm smile and loud boisterous voice. The one who ate like there was no tomorrow, who always stressed the importance of Raiden taking breaks from training and pulled him away from his duties to go and fool around.

The sound of the rushing water soon hurt Raiden’s ears, and the champion turned the knob back off and stared back at his face in the mirror before reaching his trembling hand to the brush on the sink. He took his hair out of the bun, concentrating on the task of brushing out his long hair, how the black strands fell down in waves, how to untangle several knots that had formed, how the comb felt going through the thick shiny black hair. Raiden put down the brush, listening to the soft clink of it onto the porcelain sink, and picked up his toothbrush and put some toothpaste onto the bristles and brought it up to his mouth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Spit, rinse, clean. Raiden flicked off the lights to the bathroom and walked over to the bedroom, throwing his clothes into the hamper and pulling on his pajamas. He drew the blankets over himself and took a deep breath.

He could still smell Kung Lao on the sheets. Raiden turned his head to the side to try and escape the familiar scent only to be met with a picture of him and Kung Lao that Johnny Cage had taken and that Kung Lao had insisted on printing out and framing. The champion reached out his hand and turned the photo face down and stared at the wall, still encased in the scent of Kung Lao.

Something wet stained his face, his throat felt like it had closed up, his eyes stung with acid. Raiden reached his hand up and touched his cheek, pulling it away to find water on the tips of his fingers. Perhaps it was a blessing that Lord Liu Kang had repressed his emotions. Whatever this was, it hurt so much more than the constant muffle in his chest.

[plainclothesdisaster]

Red Knight Chapter 3 - Ghosts in Gotham

DP x DC | Dead on Main

Jason Todd encounters one Danny Fenton in the streets of Gotham and suddenly he's thrown into a world of ghosts and monsters. Will he embrace this life? Or will it just end up with him dead again?

Read on AO3 | Beginning | < Prev | Next >

--

Jason didn’t go home. Instead, he melted into the shadows across the street from the diner and waited. A few minutes later Danny emerged and got on his motorbike. He revved the engine and began to speed away.

Jason would find out who the hell this guy was. (And if he was totally full of shit). He waited a moment before shooting a grapple line and pursuing.

Fifteen minutes later he found himself on a rooftop across the street from a simple apartment on the fourth floor of an old building. Using the binocular zoom on his helmet he watched Danny inside. He looked tired and utterly human as he went though the motions of getting ready for bed. As he took off his shirt Jason winced at the scars all across his body— most noticeably the Lichtenberg figure that cascaded up his arm and over his shoulder. The amount of electricity needed to leave that kind of mark— something like that should have killed him.

Maybe it had.

Minutes later Danny turned out the light and went to sleep. Jason didn’t leave. The pit was quiet. It stayed quiet all night.

In the morning Jason followed as Danny took the train across the city to Gotham University. Jason blended with the other students as he tailed him through the halls until Danny entered what appeared to be an upper level mechanical engineering lecture. Instead of following him in He headed back to Danny’s apartment.

He opted to pick the lock— better not to leave a trace. Inside he found a fairly typical college apartment. Sparse furnishings, a couple faded band posters tacked to the walls, game controllers strewn about. It was homey. Nice.

Jason found nothing out of the ordinary in the kitchen, nor the closets. No laptop or phone— must have taken them with him. Jason rifled through papers on the messy desk- lecture notes, sketched diagrams, grocery lists- and started to think that he really wan’t going to get anything good on this guy. Then he touched something that jolted him with an electric shock.

Jason pulled his hand away with a whispered curse while shuffling off the remaining papers, revealing some kind of metal belt. It had wires sticking out, chips exposed, clearly an unfinished project. What gave Jason pause was the faint strange glow about it, green with the same energy he saw in Danny’s palm and in his eyes.

He reached a hand toward it again. As soon as his fingers got close he felt the buzz of energy start to sharpen. The pit under his heart snarled. He pulled his hand back.

Mysterious gadgetry certainly was a little suspect, but by itself didn’t point to any nefarious intention. He thought about taking the belt to study it further, but doing proper diagnostics would require help from Tim, or worse, Bruce. No, thanks. Too many questions he didn’t want to answer.

He glanced at the papers again. He saw a full name there. Danny Fenton.

Danny Fenton. A powerful not-meta meta. Also, by the looks of it, just some average guy. That didn’t mean Jason would take his guard down. He knew that metas and monsters often hid in plain sight. And the ones that did it well were the most dangerous.

//

Jason went back to his apartment and slept through the rest of the day.

He woke up that night with a gun in his face.

A shadowed smile leered down at him. “So you are the new ghost boy. You’ll make a fine addition to my collection.”

A green blast split his bed down the middle as he leapt out of the way just in time. Who the fuck?

Jason grabbed the bat he kept next to his nightstand and took a wild swing at his assailant. As the sleep cleared from his eyes a seven foot tall robotic guy with a flaming green mohawk came into focus. His attacker stopped the bat in his hand with surprising strength.

“Ah good, you do have some fight in you.”

The robot guy punched Jason in the gut, launching him across the room. That hurt, way more than a hit from a common goon. What the hell was this guy made of?

Jason pulled himself up and grabbed a gun off the kitchen counter. He leveled it with easy precision. He planted one shot in the robot guy’s chest, the other between his eyes.

His aim was perfect.

Neither shot connected.

The bullets passed right through him. Jason’s mouth went dry.

“Hah, those puny weapons won’t work on me. Now this-“ what could only be described as a rocket launcher emerged from the robotics on the robot guy’s shoulder- “this is a real gun.”

The rockets fired, fueled again by that green energy. Jason bolted for the window and crashed out onto the fire escape, taking a hit to the side as he did. The blast burned but thankfully didn’t break the skin. Still hurt like a bitch though. The pit screamed, but the rage felt more focused now than it had before. Methodically he swung his way down to the street, landing bare-footed and in his sweats, unmasked and unarmed except for the useless gun in his hand. His attacker pursued, emerging through the wall and flying after him.

Jason gritted his teeth. The green energy, the familiar powers— it was too much to be just a coincidence. Ghost, he named his attacker in his head. Like Danny.

He ran.

The ghost caught up with him before he’d made it two buildings down. “Is that all you can do? Scurry around down there like a scared little mouse?”

More blasts assailed him from more varieties of guns. Jason dodged, but just barely. If he could just make it to his safehouse then— then what? He could shoot this guy with more guns that didn’t work? Hide behind walls that the ghost could walk right through?

He heard the next shot too late. A glowing rope wrapped itself around his ankles, sending him stumbling to the asphalt face first. Weak, he thought as he spit out gravel. He’d never felt so weak, not since coming back. For the first time since he emerged from the pit he no longer felt invincible.

His attacker landed with a metallic clank. Jason glowered as the ghost cracked a jagged smile. “That’s it? Your combat is weak. Your banter is lacking. Your head is hardly worth mounting above my mantle.”

Anger smoldered beneath Jason’s heart, pulling in on itself versus the usual explosion. His legs were bound but his hands were still free. He tightened his grip on his pistol.

With a roaring yell he heaved himself half up and swung the gun on the ghost again. He focused his anger, focused that pointed energy, and pulled the trigger.

A bullet shrouded in green flame exploded from the barrel. It connected with the ghost’s stomach, sending a shower of sparks spraying as it tore through the robotics.

The ghost looked down in shock.

Jason smiled in triumph. “How’s that for a real gun.”

Then Jason unloaded, pulling the trigger as fast as he could make it go. He kept shooting even when he should have run out of ammo, each shot a flaming green spark that took a chunk out of the robot ghost with every hit.

“What is this? Impossible!” The ghost took off yelling, retreating back down the street. Jason ripped the rope from his ankles and got on his feet to chase.

Ghost or not, this part Jason knew. Bad guy on the run, him in pursuit. He let his shaken nerves melt into a familiar resolve. The ghost shot back at him but Jason’s focus was unshakeable. His phantom bullets took the guns clean off the robot suit till it was covered in shredded metal.

Finally the ghost flew up, desperate to get out of range, defeated. “I underestimated you whelp. Until next time.”

With that the ghost activated his jet pack and flew away into the night. Jason kept shooting till he vanished over the rooftops.

//

That was not the last attack. They came nightly after that, some new kind of ghost would appear and stir up trouble. He’d notice them on patrol now- glowing vultures on the roofs or a green lion stalking in the park or translucent octopi floating down the streets. Had they always been there and he just hadn’t noticed? Or had they just showed up? The more he watched the more it seemed that other people didn’t see them.

Or maybe they just didn’t care. Just another one of those Gotham things.

Most ignored him entirely but caused trouble in different ways— lurking in sewers and tugging at people’s hems or floating through stores causing electronics to malfunction. Harmless mostly. But ever present. Those ones eventually noticed Jason watching and they’d always look back at him with surprise or curiosity or a sick kind of delight.

Sometimes Jason would pick the fight. He punched a ghost creep following a lady too closely as she walked down the street. Chased off a demonic possum that was oozing some kind of goo into the river. Other times the fight would pick him. He stared too long at a vulture and it swooped down on him, brandishing impossible teeth. A headless guy jumped him outside his safe house. He looked awfully similar to one of Gothams former gang bosses.

He was getting bette at harnessing that green energy and he could reliably shoot energy bullets from any of his guns. He also found that an old fashioned punch would also do the trick.

Once he saw an oily black creature at the edges of his vision, larger and more sinister than any of the other ghosts he’d encountered. A brawl in the street broke out a moment later so he didn’t get to investigate but somehow that one made him feel more unnerved than all the rest.

He didn’t understand where they were coming from or why they were here. He knew someone who probably would.

During daylight hours he gathered intel on Danny Fenton- or at least he attempted to. It was like the kid didn’t exist before he showed up as a student at Gotham University. The internet was shockingly clean of any records or photos.

Jason was beginning to think Danny Fenton was just a pseudonym until finally he got a relevant hit. He found an article published in a now-discredited scientific journal by Dr.s Jack and Madeline Fenton, detailing their paranormal research. The paper theorized about a separate dimension of post-concious beings. Suggested ways to make a portal there. It was too similar to what Danny described to be coincidence. Those were his parents, that was the portal that killed him. Maybe it was all true.

But Jason didn’t find any evidence that they had successfully created the portal. The paper talked about it in theory, not practice. The only evidence of them making it real was Danny himself. If he even believed Danny’s story.

Using a trick he stole from Tim he searched the housing records database and found a property under their names in Amity Park, Illinois. Satellite imaging showed a house that looked like a ufo had crashed landed on top of it. He chuckled to himself. That must be the place.

He was out grabbing a bite of dinner and considering a little field trip to Illinois to investigate further when the next ghost attack happened.

One second he was biting into his sandwich, the next three giant glowing green rats, just like the nasty ones that roamed Gotham’s sewers except 10 times bigger, burst out of the kitchen of the restaurant and out into the street.

Jason abandoned the sandwich and chased them out the door, pulling out his gun as they ran down an alley.

“Quit causing trouble on my turf,” Jason growled as he loosed a few blasts in their direction.

The rats stopped and turned back toward him halfway down the alley. The biggest one sat up and looked at him with sharp eyes. “Your turf? You got it twisted buddy. This here is our turf.”

Out of nowhere a fourth rat tackled him from behind. It’s boxy teeth clamped down on his shoulder with a sickening crunch. Jason yelled as he was thrown to the ground and suddenly all of them were on him, clawing and biting.

Jason clawed and bit back. He carried a gun even in his civvies (obviously) but couldn’t reach it in the thick of it.

He was truly starting to get pissed when suddenly the temperature dropped ten degrees. A voice came from down the alley.

“Hey.”

The rats froze. As a group they all looked toward the voice. At the mouth of the alley, plastic bodega bag in hand, face stern, stood Danny.

“What the hell is this?”

The head rat spoke up. “This is our turf. Tell the new guy he needs to buzz off before we make him.”

Danny folded his arms. His face was stoic but his voice had an icy edge. “I think you should be a bit more friendly to your neighbor.”

The rats reacted immediately, untangling themselves from Jason. “Jeez your majesty we were only joking. Mi casa es su casa and all that.”

“Good. Now scram.”

They scrambled away down the alley with a skittering of claws, running like they had hellfire under their asses.

Jason let out a long breath. Danny looked at him with complete recognition even though he was bare faced and in street clothes. Of course he could clock him out of costume. Why didn’t that surprise him?

Jason propped himself up on one arm. “Your majesty?”

“They don’t mean it as a compliment.” Danny huffed as he knelt down next to Jason, reaching out a gentle hand to inspect his wounds.

Danny’s jaw tightened as he ran a thumb over a gash in Jason’s arm. Jason pulled back.

“I’m fine.”

Danny reluctantly sat back. “There has been more ghost activity lately. Sorry I didn’t catch these guys quicker.”

“It’s okay. I dealt with the rest just fine.”

Danny tensed. “The rest?”

“I’ve been dealing with them since we got coffee. Nearly every night.“

Real anger flashed in Danny’s eyes for just a moment. It surprised Jason, and reminded him how much Danny wasn’t telling him.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Danny looked at Jason with such bare concern it made his heart feel sticky.

Jason grumbled. “I had it handled.”

“How??” Danny whined.

Jason pulled out his gun, pointed upward. Danny frowned, skeptical, until Jason pulled the trigger. A green blast shot into the sky. He shouldn’t have gotten so much satisfaction from surprise on Danny’s face.

“Oh,” Danny said. “Neat trick. That’s new?”

Jason nodded.

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. Despite that, there’s no way I’m letting you deal with these ghosts on your own.”

“Let me?” Jason scoffed. “I don’t need your help.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “So you were planning on being rat food just now?”

“I almost had them.”

Danny chuckled. Jason didn’t waver. Then Danny got that glint in his eye.

“Okay. Then prove it.”

“What?”

“Show me you can actually handle a ghost attack and I’ll leave you alone.”

Jason wanted that, right? To not have to think about Danny Fenton popping up randomly in his life again? He ignored the twist of confusion in his gut.

“How? There’s no ghosts.”

Danny stood up and gestured to himself with a smirk.

“You’re joking.” Jason deadpanned.

“Try me.”

Guess that was always how this was gonna shake out. Sure, why not. Stone-faced and without hesitation Jason pulled a second pistol out of his belt and shot a green blast directly at Danny with a sizzling crack. Danny took the hit on the shoulder with barely a flinch. He glanced down at the burn hole on his shirt. The skin beneath was unbroken.

Danny’s smile widened, and there were those fangs again. “That it?”

Jason clenched his teeth and sprang into action. He launched to his feet as he brandished both guns in front of himself, shooting rapid fire.

Danny moved like a practiced fighter, ducking and weaving around the shots. A handful hit him but they didn’t break his focus or his stride. Jason stepped back to keep distance but Danny was quicker. Suddenly he was close enough that Jason felt the coolness of his breath.

His fist came quick. Jason threw up his arm to block. He barely managed to keep his feet under him. The next punch connected with his gut and sent him shuffling backwards, but still upright. He used the space to pull up his guns again and fired.

Danny jumped and suddenly he was lighter than air, floating and flipping over Jason’s head. Jason tracked him with the guns and spun as Danny landed, again too close.

Jason holstered the guns and opted to grab Danny by the front of his shirt with both hands. He turned and slammed Danny into the alley wall.

“You are strong I’ll give you that,” Danny said, the amused grin on his lips mere inches from Jason’s, “But ghosts have tricks.”

Suddenly Jason was holding nothing but air. His fingers clenched into fists.

Barely a breath later Jason felt a cheek next to his, behind him.

“Boo.” Danny said directly in Jason’s ear. Jason elbowed backward reflexively, connecting with Danny’s gut. Danny let out a satisfying oof before slipping out of reach.

It fell into the rhythm of a brawl then as they traded blows. But even with the bits of ghostly flair Danny threw in, it felt off. Danny wasn’t fighting like the other ghosts he’d faced. He was fighting like a human. He was holding back.

Jason ground his teeth together as his anger bubbled to a boil. Stepping back to steal enough distance, he pulled out his pistols. He let the anger swirl and coalesce under his heart. He focused and pulled both triggers at once.

A massive green fireball exploded from the combined gun barrels, hurtling toward Danny.

There was no time for Danny to dodge. Jason relished the surprise on his face. But right before the fireball collided, Danny extended a palm and a translucent green shield appeared, covering him. The fireball dissipated on impact.

Jason groaned in frustration. Another power he didn’t know about? How was that fair?

“Why are you holding back?” he demanded.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Danny’s shield disappeared. “But I could ask you the same question.”

“What?” Jason was barely keeping up as is.

“I think you can do better than this.” Danny challenged.

Jason tightened his grip on his guns. Danny relaxed his fighting stance. “Can’t you go toe to toe with Batman? Even my sister would at least be making me sweat.”

Again that roiling focused anger under his heart, swirling like a supernova. Danny just looked at him with that shit-eating grin. He let the fire of anger burn hotter to cover the rising of something else underneath.

“Be serious.” Jason growled.

“Make me.”

With a roar Jason blasted another huge fireball and the fight was back on.

Jason actually wanted to hurt Danny now. He wanted to prove to himself that he could. He moved faster, punched harder, let out more of that fire with each shot.

The next time Danny got up close and Jason swapped to his fists, Jason noticed a green fiery glow had formed around his hands. Danny did too, when he winced for the first time after a punch connected. The pit under his heart hummed in triumph.

After that it was less easy for Danny to slip away into intangibility, more easy for Jason to press the offensive. Finally Jason swept Danny’s legs from under him and pinned him to the ground, a mirror of the first night they met.

Jason’s breath came in pants. He gripped Danny’s shirt tight in his fist.

“Not bad.” Danny flashed his fangs.

Jason lifted a fist to punch that stupid smile off his jaw but Danny threw up a hand and caught his fist, inches before it hit, stopping it with unshakeable strength.

“Believe me now when I say I’ve got it handled myself?” Jason kept his tone even.

Danny eyed Jason’s still-glowing fist. “More now than before, yeah. But-“ Danny pushed Jason’s fist aside with infuriating ease. He pulled his legs out from underneath Jason with intangibility and floated smoothly to his feet.

“I’m still going to help you.”

“That wasn’t the deal. You said if I-“

A blast of green energy to his stomach cut him off, stronger and faster than any of the punches they’d traded. Danny grabbed Jason by the jacket and they flew, up to the top of the twelve story building. Danny looked at him with empty eyes. And dropped him.

Jason didn’t scream. He scrambled for his grapple gun. He was falling too fast. He got a hand on it, too late- but it didn’t matter. Danny swooped down and pushed him intangibly through the ground at the moment of impact. He felt himself being dragged up through darkness until-

He was stuck in the alley pavement up to his waist. Danny crouched next to him.

“I promise this is a warning not a threat. I didn’t realize that patching up your core would put you over the threshold to get ghostly attention. They won’t stop bothering you. And they won’t all be small fry. If you won’t let me take care of them for you, at least let me give you a fighting chance.”

Jason glowered up at him. “You’re not going to let me out of here unless I say yes.”

Danny smiled, the most brilliant thing in the dark street. “Bingo.”

Next >

[evaslytherpuff]

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Dark!Sebastian x Dark!Ominis x flOC

18+ MINORS, DO NOT READ!!!

!Forced Poly Relationship!

(Characters are all 20+ years of age!)

CW: Stockholm Syndrome, Angst, Deception, Sebinis Smut, Physical Violence, Hypothermia, Imprisonment, Sexual Punishment, BDSM, Aggressive Feeding, Blood Kink, Overstimulation...I hope I got everything.

If any of the above warnings may be triggering PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING!

Chapter 5

The next couple of weeks seemed to pass by in a sensual and surreal blur. If the three of them weren't making love to one another, you would find Sebastian in the castle library buried in books, and Ominis sneaking away in the dead of night to handle business outside. Vivian wanted to join him so badly but he kept telling her that I was too dangerous to travel with him, that he couldn't protect her on his own. So she reluctantly stayed behind and chose to explore the castle while Sebastian worked on finding a way to reignite their magical cores. She never really got the chance to take in how beautiful the fortress was, she was in a state of pure panic before and wanted to escape at that time, but now she was able to appreciate its grandeur.

Her favorite spot was what used to be the watchtower at the very top of the north wing. It was now completely boarded up but you could slightly peek through the wooden planks and see intricate stained glass windows. It was one of the few places in the castle that allowed her to tell what time it was. During the day, the sun would shine on the tower and reveal little rays of glittering light in brilliant colors. The guys didn't come up here often but knew that, if she wanted to or tried, she couldn't escape from the tower unless she wanted to fall to a horrific death. The wooden boards were too thick to remove from the windows with her bare hands and she didn't want to leave anyway.

This is where she sat or worked on new designs while Sebastian and Ominis slept during the day and she was restless. Vivian was doing her best to get used to the vampire time table but there were days when she missed the warm caress of sunlight. Now, she sat on a small velvet settee as the sun set around her and there was a gentle knock on the door. Ominis opened the hatch without poking his head or limbs in but his aristocratic voice echoed within the spacious room.

"Vivian? My love, will you be joining Sebastian and I in our room tonight?" He asked kindly.

"Of course, Sweetheart. I'll be down in a moment or two. I want to finish this gown before I join you and Seb. Is that okay?" Vivian rose from the seat and crossed to the red and black garment that hung on a mannequin positioned in the middle of the tower.

"Sure, Darling. Take your time, we'll be waiting for you." The blond said before he shut the door and left Vivian to finish her dress.

Hours seemed to pass by before she was able to leave the watchtower and head back towards the east wing where they decided to share a room together. The gown was finally finished so Vivian chose to slip into it before she left to meet her lovers. She adored the swishing sound it made as she strutted down the halls of the wondrous castle. This wing was her favorite simply because Sebastian and Ominis took the time to make it feel like a home which she greatly appreciated. The corridors were warmer and more comfortable in this wing and it was safe to say that Vivian felt genuinely happy.

Things were finally starting to feel like they were back to normal before she lost the two most important people in her life. They were here with her and she was able to hold them, care for them, be in their arms. The only difference was, they were now vampires. Besides being a smidge unhinged both Ominis and Sebastian seemed to be exactly who they were before. Yes, their reunion was rough but now Vivian felt like she could have a slightly normal and satisfying life with them. She was so lost in her own thoughts as she walked down the hall that she ended up stumbling over her own gown.

She reached out for anything to break her fall and grasped the metal rod on a nearby sconce. The structure groaned and creaked under her weight but didn't break. Instead it clicked and a trap door hidden within the wall behind it swung open. Vivian was in utter shock and shook her head to register what she was staring at. Was this how Ominis was able to leave the castle? She stood up slowly and brushed off the dirt on her dress before entering the corridor hesitantly. Once she crossed the threshold, the trapdoor gently shut on its own behind her. She spun around to run her hands along the door, hoping to find a latch to open it once again, but gave up when she couldn't find a thing. She slowly turned around with a deep breath and began to proceed down the dimly lit hall.

Her footsteps echoed in the drafty area as cold air whipped around her and moans could be heard further down the hallway. She stopped when the sounds could be heard more clearly and noticed that there was a metal vent to her left that could be opened. She reached for the little knob and pulled gently, surprised that the latch gave way so easily.

She carefully knelt down to peer through the little window and gasped softly. She was able to see directly into their bedroom and realized that this was a way for someone to spy on the residents of the castle. It was probably how Kristoff kept an eye on everyone around him, if he even knew about this passageway. Vivian swallowed hard when her eyes landed on Sebastian and Ominis.

Sebastian was sprawled out on their bed with his hands tied above his head, his restraints connecting to their headboard. Ominis straddled the beautiful brunet with Sebastian's cock buried deep inside of him. The blond was frantically snapping his hips on Seb's length and the freckled man could do nothing but endure Ominis' relentless lust. Their cries of passion made her bite down hard on her bottom lip as she took in the hypnotic view. Ominis leaned forward and took hold of Sebastian's shoulders, gripping them tightly as he began to grind down even harder on their lover.

"Untie my hands! Please, Ominis! I need to touch you!" Sebastian begged with a pitiful whimper but the ethereal beauty refused to listen to him.

"No!" Ominis said through panting breaths. "You need—to be punished!" He growled as he leaned down and drove his fangs into Sebastian's neck. Seb tossed his head back with a drawn out moan and thrust his hips up to slam into Ominis’ arse.

Punished? Punished for what? Vivian thought as she felt a rush of heat surge between her legs. She could watch them make love for hours, using her own fingers to bring herself to climax, as the two men fucked each other to the point of exhaustion. Tonight was different though, what did Sebastian do?

"You're driving me crazy!" Sebastian shouted as Ominis released his bite and bucked his hips harshly. Seb looked like he was about to lose it but Ominis was determined, not showing any signs of letting up soon.

"You were going to tell her! She can't know, Sebastian! Not yet! She's not ready!" Ominis hissed in a breath as he slid down even further along Sebastian's length.

"She needs to know! We can't keep lying to her! She'll help us, I know she will! The ritual can't be done without her! That's why we need her!" Sebastian hollered as he fought against his restraints, his heels digging into the squeaking mattress.

"She's not ready! Not yet! Please! We just got her back, we can't lose her again, she's finally trusting us!" Ominis leaned back to place his hands on Sebastian's knees, riding him with a powerful intensity.

"That's why we should tell her, she'll understand now! She loves us and we need her! Vivian will do the ritual! She will!" Sebastian's eyes rolled back into his head with a loud groan that echoed throughout the room.

"Not yet! Please! Now, shut up and come for me!" Ominis demanded with a harsh thrust of his hips and Sebastian immediately obeyed, reaching his climax as he writhed under their lover. Ominis gasped loudly as his seed shot all over Sebastian's torso. They stayed like this for what seemed like hours then Ominis shifted to lean forward and release Sebastian from his bindings.

Vivian's heart dropped to her stomach and the corridor seemed to spin around her. Ritual? Keeping secrets from her? What the hell were they talking about? She thought, as she tried her best to stand but lost her footing and collapsed to the floor, her knees hitting the cold cobblestones. Tears pooled and spilled from her eyes, splashing onto her gown, and dotting the material in wet spots. She gave the men one last look and watched as they rose from the bed and left the room, probably heading to the bathroom to bathe.

She knew it. She should have followed her gut, trusted her own instincts, it was telling her that something was terribly wrong. She felt like such a fool as she continued to cry in the cold and empty hallway. The cold. Her head snapped up and she wiped away her tears as she stood to follow this hidden passage to the very end. The air was fresh here, brisk and chilling, there had to be an exit somewhere or a window where all this was coming from. She came across a few doors but none that would allow her to leave the castle.

She had to get her wits about her and find a way out, she was tired of being so naive. Her footsteps echoed as she picked up her pace, turning a corner, and finally coming face to face with a small iron door. It wasn't blocked or boarded up which only meant two things; that this was the way that Ominis got out or that Sebastian and Ominis had no idea this door was even here. She ran to, what she hoped was, the exit and flung open the latch. The door was harder to open than she realized and it was only because a layer of snow, vines, and debris were making it difficult to move. Once there was enough space for her to squeeze through, she made a run for it.

Vivian didn't care that the snow was making her lose feeling in her feet, she didn't care that the freezing air was making her lungs ache with every panting breath, all she worried about was getting out of there. Her heart felt like it had been stabbed with a rusted dull blade and then twisted just to add to the excruciating pain of their betrayal.

Why did she trust them? Why did she let them back into her life? Was she really that lonely to allow them in so easily? She was being used, they only wanted her and needed her for some mysterious ritual. Her tears felt like they were turning to ice on her face as she ran through the cold night. She was surrounded by a dense forest, unsure of where to go or if there was a town or shelter where she could possibly hide. Her legs felt heavy as she tried her best to keep running and push forward, she had to get away.

It seemed as if hours had passed by and her limbs felt like lead was injected into her veins as she trudged through the heavy snow. Breathing in the crisp and freezing air made her feel like her lungs could give out at any moment. She knew she couldn't stop but all she could see was nothing but barren trees all around her. She mentally begged her body not to give up as she dragged her feet through the icy blanket. The ground crunched under her slippers with every step as she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to hold on to any ounce of warmth she had left.

Suddenly, there was a spray of snow off to her left and Vivian watched in horror as a furious Sebastian stalked towards her after skidding to an abrupt halt. She shook her head wildly as she forced her body to move and carry herself away from the man that now looked like a savage predator. It was too late and the freezing air had affected her to the point of moving at a snail's pace. He was on her in an instant, shoving her down into the snow, pinning her under his weight.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going!" He roared and it echoed throughout the woods. Ominis was close behind, running over to Sebastian before he could do anything to harm her.

"Sebastian! No, get off of her! We need to get her back to the castle!" Ominis tried to pull Sebastian off of Vivian but the freckled man smacked his hand away.

"Why were you trying to leave! How did you even get out!" Sebastian was shouting over the cold wind but Vivian was too frozen to the bone to speak. When she tried to answer, nothing spilled from her trembling lips.

"We have to go now dammit! She's on the verge of hypothermia!" Ominis yelled and shook Sebastian's shoulders until the brunet finally stood up with a glare in Vivian's direction. Ominis swiftly moved to scoop her up in his arms and cradle her close to his body. The two men ran off at breakneck speed towards the castle, snow bursting behind them after every step. Vivian looked back and weakly reached for the woods that grew more and more distant as they carried her away from freedom.

Once they were back inside the warmth of the castle, Ominis practically ran straight to their room and laid Vivian down on their bed. She could barely comprehend what was going on around her as her body shivered and twitched on the mattress. He was shouting about something, yelling at Sebastian, but Vivian couldn't fully understand him. Her new gown and undergarments were torn from her body, leaving her completely naked, then layers of warm blankets were tightly wrapped around her freezing body. Ominis gathered her up in his arms and crossed over to the fireplace, sitting on the floor with her bundled up in his lap. He was rocking back and forth as he ran a towel over her damp hair, drying it for her. He ran his fingers through her strands as he tried to soothe her and stop her body from trembling.

"Shhh. It's okay, Darling. I've got you. Sebastian is making tea. You're going to be okay. You will. Then...we'll talk. Once you're all better." He seemed absolutely frantic and terrified as he bit into his wrist and pressed the wound to her mouth, forcing her to drink his blood. The viscous liquid spilled down her throat and slowly flooded her body with warmth that she desperately needed. Her eyes felt heavy and all she wanted to do was sleep but Ominis wouldn't allow her. He gently tapped her face to keep her awake.

"No, Vivian! You can't fall asleep. Not yet. Your heart rate is incredibly slow and I need to make sure you won't die from hypothermia." He jostled her a little until her eyes flew open again.

Sebastian burst into the room carrying a tray with a tea set balanced on top and sat down next to Ominis. Unlike the beautiful blond, Sebastian still looked furious as he poured a cup of tea for Vivian then handed the small cup to Ominis who gently tipped the glass to her lips and she drank the steaming hot beverage.

"How did she get out? We have every entrance besides the one we use completely blocked off." Sebastian asked in a low and stern voice.

"I don't know, she hasn't been able to say anything yet, she's still so cold." Ominis said softly as tears welled up in his eyes. "She could have died. What were you thinking, Viv?" He looked down to ask her and a tear fell from his cheek, splashing onto her face.

"Her lips are still blue. Here, let me hold her." Sebastian held out his arms and Ominis shifted to hand Vivian over to him. Sebastian wrapped the blankets tighter around her body and his face softened as he bit his wrist and made her drink more blood. I’m so tired of blood, she thought, but the words couldn’t escape her quivering lips. Ominis helped her drink the rest of the tea and ran his hand over her hair as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Sebastian reached over to hold Ominis' hand as they both continued to tend to her.

"Her heartbeat has increased, it's regulated now, please go get a bath ready. It will help get her temperature back up." Sebastian said softly as he gently placed a kiss on Ominis’ lips.

"Alright, meet me in the bathroom in a few minutes. She'll be fine. We will make sure of it." Ominis leaned down and kissed her cheek then the top of Sebastian's head before he left the room.

Sebastian stared off into space, the golden flecks in his eyes flickering with the dancing flames of the fireplace. He squeezed her body closer to his with a long and drawn out sigh.

"Why were you trying to leave? What happened? Everything was fine." He seemed to be pondering the questions out loud instead of asking her directly. He reached down to cup Vivian's cheek in one hand and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

"Your color is returning to normal. Can you say something…anything?" He asked softly but she shook her head weakly. He just nodded with a solemn expression as he stood up with her cradled in his arms and walked out of the room to meet Ominis in the bathroom. Sebastian strode into the steamy space and they found Ominis lounging in a tub of hot water. Sebastian set her on her feet, keeping a steady hand on her to make sure she wouldn't collapse, so he could unravel all the blankets she was bundled in. He then pinned her hair up and out of her face to keep it from getting wet. Ominis reached out his arms, beckoning for her, and Sebastian helped Vivian into the wide tub.

Ominis didn't hesitate to pull her against his chest and hold her closely, sinking deeper into the tub until the water reached her shoulders.

"Will you be joining us, Sweetheart?" Ominis asked as Sebastian leaned against the porcelain sink. Seb shook his head and stood there silently as Ominis poured water over the back of her neck.

"I want answers. I don't want a bath. She needs it more than i do. Vivian, what happened? You're warming up so talk, please." Sebastian sighed as he sat down on a small chair positioned in the corner of the room.

Even though her temperature was returning to a normal degree, Vivian felt numb. She was struggling to find the words and all she really wanted to do was scream. Her body may be healing but her mind sure wasn't. She was mentally exhausted and sick of their secrecy.

"You're liars." She finally croaked out, her voice hoarse from inhaling the bitter cold outside the castle.

"What are you talking about, Love?" Ominis asked softly next to her ear with a puzzled expression on his pale face.

"I heard you, both of you, you're just using me." She couldn't even look them in the eyes, if she did, the pain of their deception cut even deeper.

"Heard what, Vivian? What are you talking about?" Sebastian asked with a shake of his head.

"I heard about the ritual. How you two need me for it." She wanted to pull herself away from Ominis but felt too weak to even move. Her bones felt like mush and her body ached from head to toe. She should have prepared to leave instead of running out into the night but at that moment, she did not care, she just had to escape.

"How? How did you hear us?" Ominis lifted her chin to look into her eyes but she jerked her face out of his grasp.

Sebastian stood up and walked over to the tub, sitting down beside it. The expression on his face was grave and frightening.

"How did you hear that conversation, Vivian?" He asked with a heavy frown.

"No, I won't tell you. I just know the truth now. I can't trust you, either of you, I shouldn't have from the very beginning." She scowled in response and Sebastian scoffed.

"So you're going to do this the hard way?" He bit the inside of his lip and shook his head at her. "You don't understand a thing." Sebastian pointed at her face with a glare.

"Is there ever really an easy way with you two?" She glared right back as Ominis tried to hold her and calm her down but she pushed his hand away.

"Looks like we will have to punish you if you don't spill and tell us exactly what you know." Sebastian stood up and looked down at her as he crossed his arms.

"So be it! I'm just here to be a pawn in your sick plan, the two of you don't love me, I'm just a means to an end for you both!" She hissed and tried to move to stand up but Ominis refused to let her go. The water in the tub splashed all over the floor as she tried her best to fight him.

"That's not true, we never lied about our love for you, we swear!" Ominis looked like she had slapped him and deep inside, she wished she had.

"Like I said, you don't understand everything. You'll face your punishment and you will tell us how you heard our conversation and what you know." Sebastian snapped.

"She's too weak to be punished, Sebastian! She needs rest!" Ominis fired back.

"Fine!" Sebastian huffed and grabbed ahold of her upper arm, pulling her out of the tub. She fought as best as she could as Sebastian dragged her out into the hall and down the corridor back to their bedroom, Ominis following closely behind the whole time yet doing nothing to stop their lover. Sebastian tossed her naked body onto the bed and walked over to the dresser to grab her a nightgown. Ominis helped her slip into it then proceeded to dress himself while Sebastian kept a watchful eye on them.

"Get some sleep. We will work everything out after you get some rest." Sebastian sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his wild hair.

"No, as if I can get rest with you two scheming behind my back." She moved to the head of the bed and brought her knees up to her chest.

"Vivian, please don't be difficult. It's been an eventful night already. Cuddle up under the blankets and try to sleep. You need it." Ominis reached forward to move a strand of her hair out of her face but she shoved his hand away. With a frustrated sigh, he crossed to a nearby cabinet and flung open the door. He pulled out a potion and looked over at her sitting on the bed. Vivian shook her head frantically as he walked over to her and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"Whatever that is, I refuse to take it!" She kicked out at him as he moved closer. He groaned loudly and swiftly moved to hold her down and uncork the small bottle with his teeth. He then poured the contents of the potion down her throat, forcing her to consume it.

"It's a Dreamless Sleep potion. You have to rest. We'll talk about everything once you wake up."

It only took seconds for the potion's effects to take hold of her. Her eyes grew heavy as Ominis wrapped her up in a warm and thick blanket while Sebastian sat on the bed beside her.

"I may be furious right now, only because you tried to escape, but I do love you, Vivian. We always will." He gently kissed her forehead before standing up to leave the room, taking a hesitant Ominis with him. She couldn't fight it any longer and succumbed to the potion they forced on her. The room was now a blur all around her and she fell into a deep sleep as tears spilled from her eyes.

Vivian stirred and took a moment to rub and open her eyes. A pale and slender arm was draped over her hips and she rolled over to face Ominis, who was watching her sleep with a small smile. She groaned and rolled back over only to find Sebastian sitting in a chair by the edge of the bed leering at her as well.

"I should have stayed asleep." She mumbled and pulled the blanket over her head. Ominis just chuckled as he tugged down the fabric to look at her face.

"You seem better, are you ready to talk with us now?" Sebastian asked as he leaned forward in his armchair.

"Give her a moment, Seb. She just woke up." Ominis stated then he placed a delicate kiss on Vivian's neck and in return she glared at him. He took the hint and moved to lie down a few inches away from her. Vivian shifted to sit up and lean against the headboard. She pulled the sheets over her chest and clenched her jaw. She didn't feel comfortable being around them anymore. In her mind, she saw herself as a slab of meat that had been tossed to the wolves.

"You look frightened, Darling," Sebastian reached out to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, deftly brushing her cheek, and Vivian flinched from his touch. "I understand why you're afraid. You should be. We tried our best to be good lovers, catering to your every need, and how did you repay us? Ah, that's right. By running away. We thought we moved on from our rough reunion. It felt like things were back to normal between the three of us. Listen, if you talk and tell us what happened, we will tell you the truth about what we know." Sebastian raised a brow at her and waited for her answer.

"I was on my way to our room from the watchtower. I tripped over my new gown and grabbed a hold of one of the sconces. I didn't want to fall and, to my surprise, it was actually a lever that revealed a secret passageway," Vivian sighed heavily as the young men continued to listen. "The door shut behind me when I entered and I could hear the two of you down the hall. I found a latch and opened it and I was able to see and hear the two of you. At first I was excited, getting to watch you make love to one another, then I heard the conversation. Ominis, you were punishing Sebastian for wanting to tell me something. Then you started talking about the ritual and how you needed me for it. Sebastian, you wanted to tell me the truth but Ominis said I wasn't ready. After that, you agreed with Ominis and well...you know what happened after that." Vivian pulled her knees up to her chest and wished that she could just curl up and disappear.

Sebastian and Ominis just stared at each other for a moment before finally speaking. "Then what happened?" Ominis asked softly.

"I was heartbroken, I felt used, and ultimately betrayed. My first thought was that I had to get away from here. I felt it in the beginning, this nagging feeling, that I couldn't trust either of you. I should have listened to my instincts instead of falling for the bullshite you were telling me." She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head.

"It's not bullshite!" Sebastian snapped, making both Vivian and Ominis jump in surprise. "Yes, we may have held back on certain information but we would never lie to you about our feelings for you! Vivian, you need to understand, there is a ritual but our love for you is real, passionate, consuming even. We will always try to find you. No matter what you do or where you go it won't change how we feel about you and with you is where we want to be. I hate that you think that we don't love you." Sebastian moved to sit on the bed and cupped her face in his hands but Vivian wouldn't meet his eyes, she couldn't.

"You both threatened my grandmother, Ominis broke my wand, you forced me to come here. How is that love?" She asked and removed Sebastian's hands from her cheeks.

"Threatening your grandmother was idiotic of us, we would have said anything, done anything to have you come with us. We could never hurt her, it was an empty threat. Your wand...breaking your wand was—is part of the ritual. It has to be done with wandless magic and—and I didn't want you fighting back." Ominis spoke up and bit the inside of his lip.

"Did you two ever stop and think about just asking me to come with you? There was no reason for all that force and hostility! | don't get it!" She could feel her rage building up deep inside and she wanted to slug both of them.

"If we told the truth, revealed what we are now, would you have come with us willingly? We know you Vivian, better than anyone else, you would have freaked out and we would have ended up forcing you to come anyway." Sebastian sighed and she couldn't deny it. She probably would have put up a fight, especially after the shocking reveal of them being vampires.

"We are getting sidetracked here. Continue with what happened, Vivian. How were you able to get out of the castle?" Ominis asked and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"After hearing your heated discussion, I followed the passage all the way to the end of the corridor. There is an iron door there and that's how l escaped. You may have missed it because it was covered by vines, debris, and bushes outside. The snow only made it worse but I still managed to open it as best as I could and slipped out. I didn't care that I didn't take all the things you bought for me, I didn't care that I wasn't dressed properly, I just didn't want to be used and fled out into the night. You know what happened next. I ended up being caught and brought back here." She was aggravated and pulled the sheets even tighter around her body.

"We'll have to find this passageway and inspect it. The two of us will have to secure that door as well." Sebastian spoke directly to Ominis this time as the blond moved off the bed to stand up.

"I told you both everything. Now tell me about this Ritual. What, are you going to sacrifice me or something? It wouldn't surprise me at this point." Vivian snapped as the two vampires stood at the foot of the bed.

"Don't you dare say something like that! We only know so much ourselves. Just let us explain." Ominis looked at her with a baffled expression, as if Vivian had the nerve to even think of something so heinous. She just frowned at him with a raised brow, waiting for them to elaborate.

"Viv, before we took over this castle, we heard whispers and rumors that Kristoff had a cure for vampirism. After he released us we knew we had to overthrow and kill him. I spent most days in the library, like I do today, and I found a tome. Inside that book | read about a spell. One that actually could, in some ways, cure us." Sebastian gestured between himself and Ominis then crossed his arms over his chest.

"We would become hybrids. Half vampire half wizard. Our core would reignite but we would still keep some vampiric traits." Ominis Chimed in.

"This is where you come in. The ritual states that it must be done by a witch or wizard that has a strong and loving bond with us and it has to be done using wandless magic. The person performing the ritual must be pure of heart and it needs to happen during a blood moon. You were the first person we thought of. We knew we had to find you. Our lives will always lead back to you. Even if we didn't know about the ritual whatsoever, we still would have done our best to return to you, Vivian. Please don't think that we are using you, we're not. Here is the tricky part, that's all we know, the tome says that we need to find the next one in order to know exactly what we need to do to finish this ritual. I've read that in total, there are three books. We only have one and can't seem to find the others. I've torn that library apart and can't find a thing. We are losing hope." Sebastian said with a defeated sigh.

"That's why l've been leaving at night. I'm hoping that I can find the tomes that we need to complete the ritual in nearby hamlets. I haven't had any luck." Ominis lowered his gaze and shrugged.

"So... that's why you broke my wand. You both know that I am terrible when it comes to wandless magic. Why didn't you just hunt down and choose Ember? You both bonded with her during your fifth year at school, she could have easily done this, especially with her ability to use ancient magic." Vivian huffed.

"Viv, we don't love Ember. We are in love with you. Ember wouldn't be able to perform the ritual because she isn't pure of heart. I can't even count how many poachers, Ashwinders, and goblins she brought down with her ancient magic. She has also cast Unforgivable Curses before. You have not. You're the only one who can do this. Please help us, Vivian." Sebastian was pleading with his big brown eyes but Vivian refused to meet his stare.

"If I agree to this, if I choose to help the two of you, will you give me something in return?" Vivian asked and finally looked at their pale and stern faces.

"Of course, Dear. Whatever you want, we'll get it for you." Ominis softly smiled at her while Sebastian looked hopeful.

"Space. While I'm here, I want my own room, away from the both of you. I need distance because I still don't trust either of you." She swallowed hard and wasn't surprised by their reactions.

"No, absolutely not! Ask for something else!" Ominis barked and crossed his arms with a heavy scowl.

"Come on, Viv. Is there anything else you could possibly want?" Sebastian sighed.

"Then my freedom. Allow me to come and go as I please as long as I'm still helping you." She raised her brow stubbornly.

"That's out of the question. You're staying here with us where we can keep an eye on you and help you with your magic." Sebastian leaned against the post of the bed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Then, like I said, my own room. I'll even pick it out. That's my request. You want my help, give me my own space! If not, then it's bye bye ritual. You may as well kill me and drain me dry because I refuse to do this if you don't give me what l want!" She hissed and flung the covers from her body then hopped off the bed to cross to the nearest closet. She could feel them glaring at her but she truly didn't care. She snatched a cashmere robe from one of the hangers and quickly put it on, tying it tightly around her waist before donning a pair of shoes.

"You're a spoiled brat, do you know that?" Sebastian pointed at her and clenched his jaw.

"I'm only asking for my own room. You're acting like I requested to be shipped off to another planet! Stop being so childish! Do you want my help or not?" She placed her hands on her hips with a tilt of her head as Sebastian chuckled sarcastically and Ominis looked like she had just punched him in the gut.

"You—you don't want to share a room with us anymore?" Ominis asked softly then pursed his lips.

"No, I don't." No matter what they said or tried to do, she wasn't changing her mind.

"Fine! You can have your own room. Are you happy now, Princess?" Sebastian asked with a faked grin.

"Ecstatic!" Vivian snapped back as she marched past them and out of the bedroom.

"Wait! Get back here! You're going to show us this passage before you do anything else!" Sebastian was quick and snatched her up before she could even walk down the hall.

"It's the fourth sconce right there to your left," she pointed. "Just pull on it and it should open the hidden door." She fought against his grip but he held her tightly as the three of them walked down the east wing. Sebastian tugged on the metal fixture as Ominis moved to stand on the other side of Vivian. He laced one of his long arms through hers and Sebastian released his grip, deciding to hold her hand instead. The door revealed itself and opened up for them to cross the threshold. Once again, it closed after they entered the cold corridor. Sebastian let go of her hand and turned to face the closed entrance. He was examining the door for anything that may be the secret to activating it again. He snapped his fingers and pressed on a stone that was slightly darker than the rest and the door swung open once more.

"I'm glad you figured it out because I couldn't." Vivian said as he took her hand again.

"You were probably too surprised to notice. Let's move on." He gestured with his hand for them to continue and Ominis pulled her along.

They came across a few doors that were only closets and both were starting to become agitated vampires, Vivian just rolled her eyes at their behavior. Finally they came to a large door that she completely missed due to turning the corner and finding a way out. Ominis and Sebastian worked together to push it open and Vivian gasped loudly once the door unlatched and she was able to see inside. It was a massive library that seemed to be hidden under the castle.

Sebastian ran in like a kid in a candy store while Ominis stuck by her, after all, the door that led outside was right behind them at the other end of the hall.

"I feel like we're getting somewhere! I bet the rest of the tomes are hidden in here!" Sebastian said excitedly while scanning the pages of a book he scooped up.

"I think you may have created a monster." Ominis chuckled as he walked down the small flight of stairs that led to a large antique desk.

"He's been a monster for a while now, he's just found something new to ravage." Vivian mumbled as she examined the room. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined every wall and a large chandelier hung in the center of the room. It was a beautiful study, one that Kristoff was determined to keep hidden. The atmosphere of the room seemed to scream forbidden, Sebastian was elated. He turned to face her with a huge grin on his face. That same smile shifted to a wicked smirk as he stalked closer to Vivian.

"Speaking of monsters. You...still need to face your punishment." His eyes darkened as he began to circle around her. Ominis was a blur as he ran to stand at Sebastian's side, tilting his head at her as they both stopped to stare her down.

"Excuse me?" Vivian asked as she slowly backed away from them, trying to make it back to the door.

"Your punishment. For eavesdropping and running away. Ominis and I already came up with a way to make sure you learn your lesson." Sebastian took one step closer so she took one step back and frowned.

"Stay back. I'm going to find a room, the both of you will stay away from me." She tried to sound firm but could hear the quiver in her own voice.

"It was Ominis’ idea, I think it's wonderful. We'll leave you alone, once you face your punishment." Sebastian grinned and Ominis looked proud.

Vivian made a break for it and knew they were playing with her when they didn't immediately chase after her. The hallway seemed to go on forever as her feet tried to carry her to the exit. She knew she couldn't leave, not again, they would simply catch her with ease. Vivian came face to face with the door, searching for the discolored stone, as she tried to catch her breath. Finally, she found what she was looking for and firmly pressed the latch to open the hatch to the east wing. The door swung open and she chanced to look back which was a huge mistake.

Ominis was on her in a heartbeat, lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder as Sebastian snickered right behind them. She started kicking and screaming, punching Ominis' back as he carried her into their bedroom. Sebastian shut the door and locked it, placing the key in the pocket of his leather jacket. Ominis set her down gently in the center of the room.

"Are you as excited as I am, Love?" Ominis asked Sebastian as he unbuttoned his high collared shirt.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Omi? She might never forgive us after this." Sebastian said as he stripped down to his underwear.

"She already thinks we're pricks anyway. Don't you, Vivian?" Ominis asked as he tossed his trousers onto a nearby chair and prowled towards her. Vivian moved away from him until her back met the wall and he caged her in with his arms. His eyes roamed over her body as they flooded black and he smirked while licking a fang. Sebastian moved to stand behind Ominis and rested his head on the blond's shoulder.

"We tried being nice, we bought you whatever you wanted and needed, we spoiled you. You wanted to run away before finding out the truth. Tonight...is about us. You're going to give us whatever we want, Vivian." Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ominis' waist while Ominis still had her pinned against the wall.

"If I was skilled with wandless magic, I'd bombarda your balls right now!" Vivian snapped as Ominis reached down to untie her robe.

"Oh, empty threats, Sweetheart." Sebastian smirked as Ominis tore off her nightgown and grabbed the nape of her neck, forcing her down onto the bed then Sebastian took off her shoes. She was completely vulnerable to whatever they had planned for her and she tried to scramble away from them but Ominis clasped her ankle and pulled her back to the edge of the bed. Sebastian opened up one of the drawers from the dresser and pulled out strands of red silk. Vivian's eyes grew as wide as saucers when he strode over to her.

"Get the fuck away from me, Sebastian!" She hollered and tried to kick out at him but he caught her foot in his hand.

"Such a foul mouth you have, kitten. Allow me to shut it for you." He was fast as he moved to press his weight on her and stuck a band of silk into her mouth, tying it around her head, creating a gag for her. She let out muffled protests as Ominis slipped out of his underwear and moved to sit at the head of the bed. He crooked a finger at Sebastian and grinned when Sebastian yanked her up in his arms and spun her around to face Ominis. She tried her best to fight back but Sebastian was too strong and he bound her wrists together behind her back with another strand of fabric. He plucked her up as if she weighed nothing and handed her to Ominis.

Ominis grabbed her by her upper arms and spun her around as he positioned her to straddle his lap, her back pressed against his chest. She watched in horror as Sebastian tied silk around her ankle and tied the other end of the fabric to the bed frame on the side of the mattress. He repeated the same process to her other leg and now she was forced to keep her legs open for them. Sebastian still had one strand of silk left, the thickest length of fabric, and she was afraid to find out what he would do with it. Ominis had a firm grasp of her arms as she tried to struggle against him.

Sebastian dropped his underwear and kicked them to the other side of the room. He then crawled between her legs from the foot of the bed with his usual sinful smirk on his freckled face.

"You know how you can feel our intentions from our bite? Tonight is going to be a bit... different. You're going to feel so much more than just emotions. It's going to be intense, I hope you're ready for it. It's best to relax, resisting will get you nowhere, Viv." Sebastian brushed her cheek with his thumb then shifted to tie the last band around her eyes, depriving her of her vision.

Now, she couldn't speak nor see and she felt completely helpless. It seemed like forever before she felt warm breaths ghost over her inner thigh. She jumped in surprise and Ominis' cock twitched beneath her. He still held her arms behind her back and tried to soothe her as Sebastian left little kisses on her sensitive skin.

"Shh. Just relax, Darling. You're in good hands." Ominis purred in her ear then she felt Sebastian lick the length of her thigh.

"Boy, for someone who doesn't want to be punished, you sure are wet, Sweetheart." Sebastian chuckled as he swiped a finger through her slick folds.

What happened next took her completely by surprise.

"Come for me, Vivian." Sebastian demanded then sank his fangs into her flesh. Her climax hit her with such force, making her jerk against her restraints. Her whimpers echoed throughout the room as Sebastian released his bite and lapped at the wound. She could feel her own blood running down her thigh and shivered. She had no idea their bit was capable of having this effect on her. Sebastian started to kiss a little higher as Ominis pressed his lips to her neck, soft gasps between a few of his gentle kisses. His kindness quickly vanished as he bit into her pulse and another orgasm crashed over her. She could hear Sebastian laugh and it vibrated through her skin as Ominis fed on her, moaning against her flesh.

Her body started to come down from the high but they didn't let up and Sebastian bit into her leg again, this time much higher, dangerously close to her dripping cunt. Her thighs trembled around his head but she could do nothing to close them as another wave of pleasure ripped through her. Her cries were muffled by her gag and Ominis still held her against his chest as Sebastian removed his fangs from her body. She could feel him shifting between her legs as he began to kiss her other leg. He paused his actions and she felt him slither up her torso then kiss her forehead.

"Oh, Vivian, you poor thing. Your punishment has just begun." Sebastian whispered into her ear before sliding down her body again. Vivian wanted to fight, she felt so vulnerable and exposed, but she was now their plaything and knew that she was in for a very long night.

Tag list: @littletealight @somethingiswrongwithme @wynterjai @dangerousdreamkitty @myrachondria @connorsoddsock @hotcinnam0nspicy @localravenclaw @fym-miso @froggyinaspen @underthenightskydreamsneverdie @moongurl95 @that-supernatural-world @pity-those-who-live-without-love @sevprince-91 Thank you all & If you would like to be tagged, just let me know. If I have missed anyone in the tag list, please comment & let me know.🙏🏽❤️

A/N: I rearranged all the chapters!😊 I feel that this looks better.❤️

[woso-fan13]

This is a Nightmare

For the third night in a row, your moms are woken up to harsh cries. The darkness filling the window frame only confirms that the harsh red numbers on the alarm clock were right: it was way too early to be up. 

They glance slyly at each other, not daring to breathe. Neither wants to be the one to have to leave the warm and comfortable bed. But as your cries grow more panicked and they can hear your breathing become labored, they both throw back the covers and climb out of their cocoon. 

Flipping the hall light on and hurrying to your doorway, they find you trying to climb out of your crib. Your face was flushed red, a mixture of tears and snot pouring onto your chin. Pernille rushes forward, scooping you into her arms. Your limbs wrap around her and you bury your head in her neck. She grimaces as she feels your wet face, but lets you have this comfort. 

“Mummy,” you whimper pitifully, hiccuping between tears. 

“Shh, darling, Mummy’s right here. I promise you, you are okay. Mama and Mummy are right here,” she reassures you. 

After saying this, she looks around the room to realize that Mama is not, in fact, right there. Magda must have snuck off somewhere else. If she were smart, she would be back in bed, asleep. Practice was early in the morning and she was expected to be ‘on’ from the moment she arrived. The others were somewhat used to Pernille being in a foul mood in the morning, when they saw you being carried in they knew it would mean extra drills. 

But- the thing about Magda- she’s not smart when it comes to you. You were her baby, the most important thing in her life, and she would gladly sacrifice a few hours of sleep every night. Hell, if you asked, she would quit soccer. You would never do that, the three of you had your own connection on the field that made you unstoppable, but she would do it without hesitation. 

Luckily, you were too distraught to notice that Mama was missing. You were content to lean fully into Mummy, allowing her to lead your breathing after your scary dream. You had been having nightmares for days, which meant your mommies had been up with you for days. 

Pernille takes advantage of your tears finally stopping, laying you down on the changing table. You whine and try reaching for her, but she only shushes you and pops a soother into your mouth. She makes quick work of changing you and wipes your face clean. Now that you’re finally cleaned up, she pulls you into her arms and sways you gently as she walks back to her room. 

Of course, Pernille had been right, Magda had not been smart and gone back to sleep. She was currently sitting on her side of the bed, arms outstretched to accept your body. She had a warm bottle sitting next to her, and the room had been set up just the way you like it. 

You fuss slightly as you’re handed over, but settle quickly into the familiar arms of your Mama. She cradles you against her chest, and your hand clutches onto the neckline of her shirt. She chuckles, mumbling something that sounds like “needy baby” while she gently kisses the top of your head. 

She pulls your pacifier out, replacing it smoothly with your baba. You hesitate for just a second before you begin suckling. Your moms watch you, stroking between your eyes and rubbing your belly- a sure fire way to get you to fall asleep. 

Sure enough, you were asleep before you had finished your milk. Pernille takes the bottle, setting it in her nightstand to deal with in the morning. Magda carefully maneuvers you so that you’re in the middle of the bed. It was your unofficial official spot in the big bed. 

The harsh red numbers made it very clear to them that they only had a couple more hours of sleep left before they needed to be up, but neither woman wanted to fall asleep. They wanted to be with you, to cuddle you, to keep the monsters out of your dreams. So, with drooping eyelids, they watched the steady rise and fall of your chest as you slept. It wasn’t much later that they joined you in dreamland. 

[maccreadysbaby]

A Hundred Ways to Become a Wayne

batfamily + oc insert

tw: none

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

the name for this chapter in my notes was “bentley hates having feelings but he loves having jason” yes it’s short but it’s setting up for the next more intense ones :) also the title of this chapter is totally foreshadowing

part thirty-two

❝ DROWNING ❞

SUNDAY — AUGUST 23 — 6:51PM

THE WAYNE HOUSEHOLD WAS SO COMPLETELY SCREWED UP THAT BENTLEY ALMOST DIDN’T RECOGNIZE IT ANYMORE.

Over the past five days since he’d arrived back at the Manor, he’d done a whole lot of nothing. Most of his days had been spent in the den with Dick, watching old movies cuddled up on the couch. Dick hadn’t as much as let Bentley out of his sight since he returned home — he’d even been spending the night on the foot of Bentley’s bed. He didn’t mind. Dick still hadn’t talked, but Bentley didn’t mind that, either — because he was home. If he and Dick weren’t in the den, then the could be found in the library, listening to Jason read. They were working their way through The Outsiders again. 

Jason had been having nightmares. Bad ones — ones where Bentley could hear him screaming from down the hall in the middle of the night. Dick was usually the one to get up from Bentley’s bed and hurry to his aid, quickly followed by Bruce. Bentley could only imagine what he was dreaming about — if he had to guess, he knew what it was.

While Jason had been more consistently present than ever, Tim had been practically nonexistent. He was holed up in his bedroom, where Bruce, Alfred, Steph, and Cass had been going in and out of for days. Bentley wasn’t even sure if he’d seen Tim’s face since he got home. He wished he could do something to help — at least before he left he could hold a barf bucket. Now he just sort of felt useless, but he’d rather be useless than annoying. Right?

Damian had more or less resigned to his bedroom, as well. Bruce went in and out often. Bentley could hear Damian talk and had seen him through the doorway on a couple of occasions — he seemed okay, as in, not bedridden. Bentley wasn’t so sure about how okay the rest of him was. Since they were graced with rooms only one wall apart, Bentley had heard him tell Bruce to leave and close him out several times without any more words.

Duke had, very reluctantly, started going back to school, only because his SAT was coming that week. Bentley thought there couldn’t be a worse week for the big test he’d been studying for for months — he was stressed out about his family and the test, now. Bentley hadn’t even considered going back to school. Especially without Nico and Asten.

To top it all off, Bruce was running himself rampant. Bentley knew it. Dick knew it. Alfred knew it. Everybody knew it — the Batman ping-ponging back and forth and back and forth and back and forth all day long. From Dick and Bentley, to Tim, to Damian, to Duke, to Jason, back to Tim, to Bentley and Dick, to try again with Damian, to Cass, to Duke, to Steph, to Tim, to Jason, to knock on Damian’s door, to bring Tim some water, to ask how Bentley was doing, to see if Duke needed help studying — Bentley didn’t think Bruce had slept or even sat down since they’d left the cave.

Patrol was nonexistent, everyone was struggling, and Bentley had only really seen two out of eight Wayne kids in the past five days.

And all of it was happening because of him.

To say he was drowning in guilt was an understatement. It felt more like he was becoming it. Like if someone looked up guilt in a dictionary, his picture would be on the page. It was so bad he couldn’t seem to think, to breathe. Like it was tearing him apart.

Asten and Nico hadn’t texted much since Bentley had returned home — only enough to let him know that Asten had told Titus about his parents' deaths, and that the three of them were staying at Asten’s apartment for now. He was instructed to delete the messages right after; they didn’t want anyone to know they weren’t missing anymore.

Bruce had gone about telling Bentley they were missing, too, a few days after he got home, which he had to fake a reaction to. (Not that his crying was fake, he had plenty to cry about.) All it did was make the list of things that he felt bad about longer.

And to make everything just a pinch worse, Dick had gone back to Bludhaven that very day. So Bentley was holed up in the library with Jason instead.

“I was trembling. A pain was growing in my throat and I wanted to cry, but greasers don't cry in front of strangers. Some of us never cry at all. Like Dally and Two-Bit and Tim Shepard--- they forgot how at an early age. Johnny crippled for life? I'm dreaming, I thought in panic, I'm dreaming,”

Bentley wished he were dreaming just like Ponyboy wished he were dreaming. He wished he would just wake up on the day after last Christmas and live a happy, normal life with the Waynes. No supervillains, no monsters, no trouble, no problems for him to cause. Just life — like it used to be. Life before they knew he was a traitor and just thought he was a kid from the street. 

Bentley was coiled on one end of the long library couch, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around them, red hair in a mess on his head. Jason was on the other end, hardcover in hand, reading ever so softly.

Bentley breathed in, brushing a hand through his red hair. Everything was wrong.

“Hey, Jason?” His voice was so quiet it broke off at the end, making it sound more like he’d said Jay than Jason. But he didn’t seem to care all that much.

“Yeah?” He saw Jason’s head turn in his peripheral, deep blue eyes coming to rest on the side of Bentley’s head.

Bentley tapped his fingers on his knees. “Do you think Ponyboy’s life ever went back to normal? After Johnny and Dally died?”

Jason looked over at him, letting the book rest on his lap with a deep breath in and out. His eyes drifted away.

“I’m sure it did, kid,”

A moment of silence passed.

“Do you think ours will? After all of this?” Bentley questioned softly, shaking his head. The familiar sting of tears came but he used all of his willpower to force it away.

Jason scanned him quietly, calculatively.

“I… can’t say our lives have ever been very normal, but… yeah. I do,” Jason replied, deep blue eyes dancing across Bentley’s face. “Everything’s gonna be alright, kid.”

Bentley sighed deeply, shrinking further into himself. “Maybe it would be better if Bruce got rid of me.”

“What?” Jason questioned suddenly, closing the book and laying it aside, a faintly alarmed expression creeping across his features. “What’re you talking about, kid?”

“Everything’s gone wrong since I got here. It was all fine before,” Bentley replied with a huff. “The only thing that changed here was me.”

He heard Jason sigh, then shift toward him on the couch. “None of this is your fault, kid.”

If only Jason knew the truth — that it quite literally all was.

Bentley felt something forming in his throat, and he looked away. “It is.”

Jason moved closer to him again. “How are supervillains ransacking Gotham your fault? How is you getting kidnapped your fault?”

Bentley felt a familiar feeling — the intense urge to spill the whole truth, the urge that he always felt before the Wayne’s knew about his dad. But he couldn’t, Asten told him not to. He shouldn’t. Right? He should respect Asten’s wishes. Right? 

“I can’t tell you,” He finally whispered, hiding his face away in his knees. “I can’t tell you...”

He heard Jason huff. “Look, kid, if… if someone threatened you to keep you quiet, they aren’t going to get to you again. Promise.”

Bentley shook his head, pressing his knees into his eye sockets to keep the tears inside. “No one threatened me. I just… I can’t tell you.” But I want to tell you so bad. 

“Bentley-“

“I feel like I’m drowning,” He piped up suddenly, eyes burning spectacularly. “Like I can’t… I can’t move, I can’t think, can’t breathe, can’t hear, can’t see, can’t-“

“Hey, hey,” Jason was suddenly right next to him, and there was a warm hand on his back. “Just breathe, kid. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I’m so tired of feeling like this all of the time,” Bentley said with a pitiful hiccup that sounded almost wheezy. “I’m always so scared. It feels like I’ll never be happy again.”

There was a moment of silence. 

“I’ve felt like that, too,”

Bentley pulled his head from his lap just far enough to look up at Jason. He was peering at him with his deep blue eyes, white streak hanging down over his forehead, his hand still resting on Bentley’s back.

“Like everything was so bad there was no way it could get better. Like I was just… ruined… and would always be that way,”

Bentley said nothing, but took a shaky breath, forcing the tears to stay inside. Jason breathed in, too.

“When I came back, kid, I was a wreck,” Jason explained quietly. “I was a different person. I felt betrayed, and angry, and hopeless and full of rage, but at the same time I was so… broken. Like I was lost, just someone else trapped in Jason Todd’s body, not the Jason everyone wanted back. So I spiraled. Hard. I hurt people. And I didn’t let anyone help me. I didn’t let myself get help because I felt so… worthless. Empty.”

Bentley said nothing.

“For a long time I kept trying to fix myself. To do it all alone. Because I was scared to let anyone else close enough to see that I was tearing myself apart,” Jason explained quietly, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. “I won’t get into the details, for your sake, kid, but… it took me finding myself only inches from death again to realize that I needed help.”

A moment of silence passed. 

“I want you to know that anyone here will listen to you. I had to teach myself that. I’m still learning it,” Jason sighed, rubbing Bentley’s back a little. “And they’ll be here for you even if you don’t want to talk. You’re not alone.”

Bentley breathed in deep. “I feel alone.”

“You’re not,” Jason said surely. “You’re never really alone, kid. You just have to reach for somebody.”

Who in the world should Bentley reach for when he couldn’t tell them anything? If he told them, they’d hate him. He’d get in so much trouble.

Just like he had done to Bruce all those months ago, after his first nightmare in the Manor, he moved his hand slowly and carefully until he was holding onto the sleeve of Jason’s black hoodie.

Maybe he’d understand that Bentley was reaching for him.

—

Nico and Asten were ‘found’ seven hours later, by returning to Nico’s house.

Bentley hadn’t had to speak to the police — Bruce made sure of that. But Asten and Nico did. Asten said they both played the amnesiac card; which meant they told the cops they couldn’t remember anything. Lied to them. Which Bentley understood, he guessed — he wasn’t much for talking about all of that either. Plus, Asten said Nico cried the whole time and had a well-timed asthma attack, so it made it pretty believable.

Bruce woke Bentley up to tell him they were home. It wasn’t hard to summon a few tired, fake tears of relief, and it wasn’t hard to get Bruce to stay with him for the rest of the night (to ensure he got some sleep, but mostly because Bentley just wanted him to.)

When Dick was gone and Bruce was preoccupied with his other children for the night, a certain white-streaked Wayne found his way into Bentley’s room.

And for a while, with Jason around, Bentley’s life was okay.

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld 💚

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @flyrobinflyy @skylathescholar @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun @xiaonothere

[fckinwild-kiwi]

Dec. 7th: I'm All Better Now

Day 7: Good morning kiss/Helping them pick out an outfit

Here is day seven of @comp-lady’s Domestic December writing challenge!

Warnings: Swearing, Allusions to Smut (This is an 18+ blog, minors dni)   Word Counts: 1.2k+ Words Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader

Waking up with Eddie changed the trajectory of the day, which could most likely be studied and deemed scientifically proven. It was like waking up in a warm cocoon of love and warmth. With his love language being physical touch, it was no surprise that you would find yourself the victim of his lovable smothering each time you two shared a bed. His legs, slotted between yours with his arms tightly wound around your back. This way of sleeping gave him the best position to lay his head on your chest, ultimately sleeping on top of you. Therefore, wrapping you up in the warm cocoon of looooove. There were worse ways to find yourself as you opened your eyes in the morning. 

Except, of course, when your boyfriend who had been sick the previous night was still burning up as he got rid of his fever causing you to feel as though you were going to die of a heat stroke at any second. 

The night had gone relatively smoothly. After getting up once more to get him some medicine, put the rest of the soup into the refrigerator, and put Wayne’s donuts in the middle of the stovetop, you found comfort in your boyfriend's arms and fell asleep. Now though, with your body aflame, it was hard to understand how you had ever been able to sleep. You were sure as hell not going to be able to fall back to sleep.

Taking the pillow you had been resting your head on, you slowly began to unwrap Eddie’s body from around you, slipping the pillow into your place. This movement, while not a crazy plan, was a workout that took way too long. After you sat up, and ensured that he was still sleeping peacefully, you walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. 

‘Is this what domestic life is supposed to feel like?’ You wondered as you brushed your teeth in the bathroom mirror. You and Eddie had not had the conversation of living together. I mean, you had only been officially dating for a few weeks now, and even though the ‘I love you’s’ came quickly, neither one of you was ready for the responsibility that the next step would require. For now, though, the little glimpses at domesticity were enough to keep you excited and prepared to take whatever steps the future presented you.

After finishing up in the bathroom, you walked across the hall into the kitchen. You noticed there was one donut left in the box you had purchased for Wayne. ‘What a stinker,’ you thought to yourself as you started brewing a pot of coffee.

“I thought you deserved one too,” A voice spoke up, startling you and interrupting the silence of the trailer.

“Wayne,” You breathed out, the fear morphing into comfort. “I thought you would be asleep by now!”

“I’ll get some shut-eye in a bit, darlin’,” Wayne grumbled. “I was saying that I thought you deserved the other donut for putting up with a sick Eddie. Lord knows that’s no easy task.”

“He was hardly difficult, in fact, I thought he was more agreeable this way,” You said, matter of factly.

“Is he feeling any better?”

“I think so, or at least he seems to be,” You sighed. “He slept through the night, I only woke him up once for medicine. I’ll probably wake him up in a few minutes to give him another dose.”

“I’m so glad you both finally woke up.”

You barked out a laugh. “You and me both! But seriously, do me a favor. I bought some Vitamin C at the store when I was getting supplies for Ed. I know you said you feel fine but will you take it as a preventative?”

“You are being awfully bossy,” Wayne grumbled. 

“You Munson men are ridiculous. Take the medicine and I won’t bother you about it. You can even have the other donut as a reward!”

“I’m only doing it for the donut,” Wayne said stomping into the living room to get his mug. 

You filled up your mug with freshly brewed coffee while you smirked at the scene unfolding before you. It was interesting seeing two men who had only each other to rely on before you walked in, quickly find the ability to trust that someone was genuinely looking out for their best interest. It was refreshing because you knew how easy it could be for them to both be closed off. As you watched Wayne begrudgingly swallow the Vitamin C-flavored water in a mug, you chuckled before rubbing his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” He grumbled, rinsing his mug out before grabbing the donut and stomping back into the living room. 

Feeling pretty proud of yourself and the way that you were whipping your two favorite Munson men into shape, you got the medicine for Eddie before walking back into his bedroom.

When you walked in, you noticed Eddie still in the same position you left him, cuddling your pillow as if his life depended on it. “Baby,” You whispered, setting the stuff on his nightstand before leaning on the bed and gently touching his face. “Wake up, my handsome boy.”

“Hmm?” Eddie grumbled, full of sleep. 

“I need you to wake up for me, baby,” You said again, this time louder. “Let me see your handsome face.”

“Okay,” Eddie said with his eyes closed, turning his body towards your voice with a giant smile on his face. “Kissy.”

“What?” You laughed out, the sleepy boy before you had never talked to you like that in his sleepy state. “You need a kiss?”

“Best medicine,” He mumbled out again. “Feel better.”

“Oh really? My kisses are supposed to be the cure-all now?”

“Yes, they are,” Eddie said before giggling. He stretched his arms out in your direction as he began making the grabby hands motion.

“Okay, since you insist,” You giggled, leaning forward to meet your boyfriend in the middle. Your lips met Eddie’s in a short but sweet kiss, though innocent, it was tender and your heart seemed to melt into your chest.

“See, I’m all better now,” Eddie mumbled when you both pulled away.

“Do you mean that or are you just trying to avoid taking more medicine?”

“What? Me?” Eddie asked, feigning hurt and betrayal. “I would never complain about drinking that Satanic, fake fruit-flavored, concoction.”

“Okay, shut up,” you rolled your eyes as you pushed his shoulder. 

“For real though, I think seeing you and getting a kiss from you in the morning is my favorite thing,” Eddie said, grabbing your hands to get your attention. “Kinda makes me excited for the future.”

“And what do you see in our future?”

“Good morning kisses every day, or I die,” Eddie said dramatically. He was being a drama queen but the realization that you to both thinking about the future caused a giddy feeling to shoot down your spine.

“I could get behind good morning kisses every day, Eds,” You said. “Only so you don’t die of course.”

“It’s for the greater good,” He agreed and if you could stay in this moment with Eddie for the rest of your life, it would be enough.

[decks-writing-blog]

Whatever the Fuck Benrey is: Chapter Eleven: Don't be Weird

Chapter One

Previous Chapter

[A/N] I've finished writing this fic, yay! It's 23 chapters and an epilogue. I have no idea how it ended up being that long but I had fun with it. Also, heads up, I got even more lost in the angst sauce towards the end. How bad it gets, I'm not a great person to ask because my perspective on such things is skewed (I read and write super heavy stuff fairly often and it's pretty light compared to some of that but certainly heavier than where this fic is now). If I remember, I'll put a proper content warning at the top of chapter that has the worst of it. Despite that, this fic remains, technically the funniest fic I've ever written solely because it contains the most funny moments (the rest of my funny stuff is short drabbles and one shots) so that's cool.

~

Behind every door was a dead end. Sometimes just cold concrete, other times the walls were made of rotting flesh. It twitched and burbled as something started to rise out of it. Gordon slammed the door and continued on. Overhead the light before him flickered on while the light behind went out with a small pop as the bulb shattered.

Gordon’s friends… traveling companions had gone on ahead while he’d slept. He was weak like that so they’d left him. Surely he would catch up soon. They’d be behind one of the doors or further down the hall. Keep going and he’d find them.

The next door hid behind it a blank room with a health station at the far end. A flickering light shined down on it from an unseen ceiling. He walked towards it, the door closing behind him with a bang. It was locked, leaving him no choice but to continue forward.

A few steps away from the health station, the unseen light bulb burst with a flash and a loud pop, sending shards of glass raining down around him. Darkness rushed in, engulfing him in its thick oily presence. Hands came with it, grasping him, beating him, pulling him down to floor. Whatever they belonged to was dead and rotting; the stench of it filled his nose and mouth, choking him, suffocating him.

Struggle was futile. He tried anyway as he was pulled down and down until until he was partially submerged into the cold concrete floor itself. A hand, its flesh partially sloughing off its bones, grabbed his wrist, yanking it out. He screamed and struggled harder. No one cared. Why would they? He didn’t even have the HEV suit this time, making it all the easier for the saw to…

“Wakey-wakey.” One of the hands was on his shoulder, slightly shaking him. “Time to rise and shine.”

Gordon jerked away, snapping his gun hand up. The instant before he squeezed his ‘hand’ to fire though he stopped. Even in the darkness without his glasses, the sharp yellow of Benrey’s new eyes marked the figure looking down at Gordon as him.

“Yo, you said to wake you if you looked like you was having a bad dream so… I did.”

Gordon’s heart hammered in his chest as he panted for breath. His arm was still tense, moments away from firing the gun. He needed to calm down and relax. Gunshots in the middle of the night would call attention they really didn’t need on them right now. Trying to take a deep breath didn’t work though. The air was still thick and heavy and oh gosh, he was gonna…

Benrey sang a familiar pretty tone, snapping Gordon’s eyes back onto him. Soft blue light rode the sound. Aimed directly at Gordon’s face, he breathed it in, flooding his mouth with the sweet taste of blue raspberry, erasing any lingering trace of rot from his dream. His whole body shuddered a little as the tension was forced out of it, leaving him able to catch his breath finally.

“Thanks,” he said, rolling more onto his back as the sound ended. “How does uh… how does your sweet voice work exactly? If that’s okay to ask.”

“I don’t know. They gave it to me as an experiment, never really bothered to explain anything ‘bout it and I don’t really care.”

Gordon could ask for more information, wanted to but… he didn’t want to bring up a potentially painful subject. Instead he sat up and looked towards the clock. … It was too blurry for him to read. “What time is it?”

Benrey turned his head to look too. “Uh… 3:36am.”

Damn, way too early. He’d barely slept at all. Maybe he’d have more luck if he waited until sunrise to try for another nap. In the meantime… “Well, I tried sleeping so uh… wanna play something?”

“Nah, bro, you need sleep. Coomer says you’re supposed to sleep uh…” Benrey paused as he pulled out his phone, presumably to check his texts, “seven to eight hours and it’s not even been half that so… not enough.”

“So you went to Dr. Coomer for info, huh?” Since when had Benrey cared enough to even think about such things, let alone go to the trouble of learning more?

“Yeah. Apparently you can die if you don’t sleep enough. And uh… for you, you said that’d be permanent which would be a bummer.”

“Ah, okay, I get it. You can’t have me die until after I buy you that Play Station 3 I promised, right?” And he seemed to largely be a social gamer so he liked having Gordon around to play with since they seemed to be into a lot of the same types of games. So it was most likely more a matter of Benrey being concerned about possibly losing entertainment opportunities than actually caring much about Gordon’s health or well-being.

The look Benrey gave him was utterly unreadable without his glasses and the only light in the room coming through the crack leading to the hall, but it was certainly some kind of look. “Just uh… go back to sleep, bro.”

Gordon scoffed as he slid over to grab his glasses and put them on before standing. “Nah, can’t after that. I’m too uh… wound up. But don’t worry ‘bout me dying of sleep deprivation, ‘kay? That takes a lot of not sleeping… though I guess accidents related to sleep deprivation are fairly common. I’ll be careful and won’t drive or whatever tomorrow until I’ve had another nap or something.”

Benrey was silent, his gaze heavy on Gordon as he stretched and paced a little, trying to work out the last of the post nightmare jitters. The blue sweet voice had helped a lot, it was amazing. It didn’t erase the memory of the dream though and did nothing to ease the bone-deep exhaustion that seemed more and more like it might become just a normal part of Gordon’s life now.

He wasn’t alone though. Benrey wasn’t just a voice on the phone this time but physically here with him, making his presence all the better. Their friendship could work like this. Gordon used him to calm down after nightmares and for company and Benrey used him for entertainment and video games. Maybe not the fairest exchange in the world but when one didn’t have many friends, one should take what they could get. Bubby had betrayed him, Dr. Coomer had tried to kill him once too, and heck, even Tommy hadn’t exactly tried to help him after he’d been jumped. So Gordon was no stranger to being desperate for companionship to the point of being willing to overlook things others would likely end friendships over.

The darkness, not being conducive to one contemplating staying up the rest of the night until sunrise, Gordon made his way over to the light switch. Before he hit it though…

“What if… what if I help you fall back asleep?”

Gordon turned to face Benrey, still standing next to the bed. With his glasses on now it was obvious that his eyes were glowing ever so slightly. Some kind of night vision thing or something he was doing because he thought it cool or whatever? But more curious than that was his offer. “What do you mean?”

Benrey didn’t reply, just kept looking at him.

“You got a sweet voice that can put people sleep? Or maybe just more of the blue might help but…” Even if being too keyed up to relax was the main thing making sleep feel far away despite his exhaustion, the fear of descending right back into that dream made him reluctant to try.

“Nah, in the Black Mesa facility, the uh… the first night you spent back there when I was there too, when I went to your room I was just gonna lie next to you for a bit. But you were all tense and mumbling and stuff, having a nightmare. I was gonna wake you but then you just kinda… grabbed me and hugged me. You’re warm, it was nice and you relaxed so… I stayed. Didn’t seem to have a bad dream after that so maybe uh… we could try that.”

Oh. Gordon vaguely remembered having woken with the vague sense of having had a nightmare but it was so gone form his mind by now that’s all he recalled. Not at all like the vivid dreams he’d been having. Perhaps nightmares that centered or at least heavily featured being alone were a bit harder to have when holding someone and being held. “You’re offering to cuddle me back to sleep?”

“Mm-hmm. It was nice and it’s kinda cold. Just don’t be weird about it.”

Gordon almost laughed. Normally it was Benrey making things weird. But well, he was tired and he’d had the thought of cuddling before going to bed before dismissing it as stupid. It was kind of cold in here though so if Benrey wanted to do it to warm up in addition to helping make sure his ticket to getting a PS3 didn’t die of a sleep deprivation related accident before fulfilling that promise, who was he to say ‘no’? So… “Uh… I guess it’s maybe worth a try. Just… don’t make it weird or tell anyone. Tommy probably wouldn’t care but we’d never hear the end of it from Bubby and Dr. Coomer would probably have a thing or two to say about it too.”

“Got it. It’ll be our little secret.”

“Yeah, our little secret. Go uh… get ready for bed, I guess, like put on pajamas and… whatever else it is you need to do.”

Benrey turned and headed for the closet to pull out the sleep wear Gordon had bought him under the assumption he slept like a normal person. He didn’t take it to the bathroom but started undressing right there. Gordon turned away; Benrey might not care about privacy but he did. He returned to the bed and took off his glasses again, placing them back on the nightstand. Getting himself to settle down and lie on the bed again took a bit of hyping himself up but he got there eventually.

By the time he did, Benrey was ready to join him. This already being awkward enough, he did so without either of them saying anything. Unsure how to proceed, Gordon let Benrey initiate the cuddling. Which he did hesitantly at first before pressing into Gordon’s chest, seemingly losing all his shyness over it the moment they made made physical contact.

He wasn’t just not warm but actually a little cold. It was slightly unpleasant but as they settled into each other, he was also soft. Both of them wearing thinner, looser clothing meant a bit more skin contact too. He seemed to have that ‘surface of slime’ feel to all of him, perhaps attributable to his shape shifting. Maybe his true form was a slime monster? Would that be cool or gross? … A little of both. Mostly the former though because slime monsters could be pretty neat sometimes and if that’s what Benrey was, he certainly counted as pretty neat. That being said though…

“This is kinda awkward.” Gordon didn’t entirely hate it though. If nothing else, it was a very good distraction from bad dreams and bad thoughts.

“Yeah, kinda.”

Silence resumed after that as they shifted and got more comfortable. Much like a pillow, Benrey lost his coldness over time, making him just soft in Gordon’s arms again. And then, not long after noticing that, Benrey started purring. Rather weakly but it was still unmistakable in the silence and with how close they were.

“Oh, okay.” After how he’d reacted to Gordon bringing it up, he hadn’t expected Benrey would let him hear him purr ever again. “You’re asleep or…” was he actually choosing to do it this time?

“I told you not to make it weird.” His purring stuttered a little but he kept doing it, his voice rumbling with it. “You said it was soothing… helped you fall back asleep or whatever.”

“Sorry. It… it’s nice, lovely even.” Comforting especially as it strengthened, becoming a deep pleasant rumble that Gordon could feel in Benrey’s chest. “Thanks.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

Gordon’s choice on that matter was rather quickly dwindling. Being a bit awkward didn’t make it not also nice. He was comfortable and comforted. How could he possibly have a bad dream, let alone a full blown nightmare, with Benrey soft in his arms and purring so wonderfully?

~

Next Chapter

[smuttyfang]

Vampire!Levi, Obsession

I’m ready for Halloween 🎃.

Words: 1,682

You felt so damn neglected.

He did the best he could, you supposed. He wasn't the best at showing his emotions. He tried, but sometimes he struggled to let any feelings out. Well, a lot of the time actually.

So you were determined to force them out of him. By any means necessary.

You looked around his bedroom, where you usually spend most of your time, and saw him focused on a book. He was at his desk, facing away from you. Sometimes he would hum before flipping the page, but that was the most talking he had done all night. He was dressed in a suit, with a large jacket draped over his shoulders. His hair was slicked back like always. He was incredibly handsome.

His bedroom was stunning. Red velvet curtains covered the tall window in front of his desk. Gargoyles loomed over the room on the upper middle of each wall. The castle as a whole was always so dark, but there were just enough candles to light your way around. His coffin was laid in the corner of the room, while the opposite corner had a bed, also covered in red velvet blankets and sheets. He'd gotten that bed just for you, when you became his. You still weren't sure exactly how.

"I never slept much, in my coffin or otherwise, until I had you." He'd said. "I enjoy lying next to you. Even if I still can't get any damn sleep." It made you sad to think about it. How it was quite romantic - as romantic as he could be, anyways. But now he was so interested in his book, he was paying you no mind. While it made you a little sad, it also managed to make you feel excited. You'd done this before and you knew exactly what kind of reaction it would draw from him.

You could cum just thinking about it.

You tell Levi that you were going to use the restroom. His eyes never leave his book.

"Get back here as soon as you're done." You nod, silently walking toward the door.

"Do you still not trust me?" Your voice fell into a sad tone. He sighed in response, tapping his finger on the page of his book.

"I would just prefer to know where you are at all times." Nodding and exiting the room, you begin walking down the hall toward the bathroom, but continue walking right past it. It began to rain and patter against the windows. It was peaceful, but it would also help cover the sound of your footsteps. As you turned a corner, a bookshelf caught your eye. You had used this one before, but you didn't get very far last time. He caught you as soon as you pulled the book out and stepped inside.

You were determined, more than ever though, to make him search hard for you.

As you approached the bookshelf, you tried to remember which book to pull to make the bookshelf reveal the secret passage. All of the books were very generic books that most people had. 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown. 'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse. 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker. As you looked, there was one that caught your attention. 'The Munich Manual Of Demonic Magic'. Levi had told you about this book before. This was a translated version, but the original was written in Latin. It deals with demonology and necromancy. You pulled the top of the book and heard a small clicking sound. The bookshelf had slightly opened on one side, giving you access to the hidden hallway. You slipped inside and pulled the bookshelf back against the wall as much as you could.

"Damn.." You shivered. It was pretty cold in these hidden hallways since he never used them. There was no light either, so you had to feel your way down the walls. You felt for a short while until you came to an intersection. It felt like you could go right or left. You chose right, away from the room you shared with Levi. Feeling your way down until you reached what felt like the end, you pushed and it came open. It was another bookshelf, keeping another room hidden away. The first thing you noticed were the spiderwebs covering the room. They were everywhere. This room looked as if it hadn't been touched in centuries. There was also no door. The only way to this room was through the secret passage.

You felt sad and realized how little of this castle you'd even gotten to see ever since Levi picked you to be his.

There were large objects throughout the room, but they were covered with white sheets. Curious one that you are, you had to get a look at them. You walked toward one and pulled the sheet off. Dust flied throughout the room and made you cough at the musty smell.

When the dust cleared, you saw that it was a painting.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" You heard Levi from behind you, and instant fear (and some arousal) flowed through you. You stood still, looking at the painting. He sighed. "That's The Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece by Domenico Veneziano." You stayed facing the painting. If he was going to ignore you, you were going to ignore him right back.

"The real painting?" You asked, genuinely curious.You had to admit, you were also doing what little you could to tease him at this point.

"Does it matter? Turn around. Right now." He stated. You couldn't help but throw your head back. You tried to hold back a moan, biting your lip. Everything he did was so attractive.

Even his demanding voice could make you get off.

"I said. Turn. The fuck. Around." You slowly turned around to face him, and you could see the fury in his eyes. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. "What did I say when you left the room?" You gulped.

"To come right back." You said.

"That's right." He walked toward you and grabbed you around your neck, pulling you close to him. "If you're that damn curious, I'll show you around. Later." He picked you up, throwing you over his shoulder and began carrying you back through the secret passage and back to his room. "But right now, you're in big fucking trouble for disobeying me." You couldn't help but smile. Your heart began to race. The last time you made him angry, you couldn't even walk the next day. He had to take care of you. He kicked his door open with his foot, flinging you like a rag doll onto the bed.

"Take your fucking clothes off now, or I'll tear them off." You began to pull your skirt down, attempting to tease him. But he growled at you. "Don't." He gripped your skirt and tore it from your body. His hands gripped at your shirt and tore it open. Since you had planned this, you weren't wearing panties or a bra. Levi huffed at you.

"Were you planning this shit? Are you serious? Trying to piss me off, huh..?" He seemed genuinely angry with you, and you tried to protest and tell him you didn't. But he just smirked as he unzipped his pants, pulling out his cock. He positioned himself at your entrance and rubbed the head of his cock up and down your slit. "You dirty little fucking whore." He pushed himself inside of you with ease, as you were already soaking wet for him. He wasted no time and quickly pumped in and out of you. His head flung to your neck and he bit into you without a word, sucking the blood from you. You hissed through your teeth. He slowed his thrusts as he drank from you, taking in your taste. You began to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. After a minute or two, he pulled away and pulled out of you.

"Levi.." You suddenly felt so empty without him inside.

"On your hands and knees. Don't make me ask twice." You decided to comply this time, turning over and getting on your hands and knees, close to the edge of the bed. He pushed himself inside of you again, the fabric of his pants slapping against your skin. He kissed your back. "You wanna run from me now? Huh? Want to scare me like that again so I'll fuck you like a whore?" You gasped. "I knew that's what you were doing. I'm not stupid." Tears began running down your cheeks because his pleasure was just too much. He sped up his thrusts suddenly and came inside of you, pumping himself dry. You were breathing heavily, but he wasn't fazed in the least.

Vampire energy and stamina.

You fell to your stomach and he rolled you back over. He kissed you - with some kind of intensity you'd never felt from him before. He let his tongue slowly trace every part of your mouth. He pulled away, looking you in the eyes.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again. Do you understand me?" You nod. "I.. need you, alright?" His voice softened just a bit when he said that. Suddenly you felt an extreme amount of guilt. He was scared that you were trying to run away from him.

"I love you, Levi.. I would never leave you." He didn't smile, he never did, but you could see the relief in his eyes at hearing your words.

"Okay. Now that that's settled, your punishment isn't nearly over yet. Get over there in my coffin. I won't be done with you for some time tonight."