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fallingdownhell · 1 year

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https://at.tumblr.com/fallingdownhell/sumeru-men-when-your-sisterbest-friend-tries-to/nwf4h3unm1ah

Could I request this ⬆️ but with Ayato, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe, Zhongli? Also, reader actually steps up and nearly goes apeshit with the "friend".

No angst, please!

Alright, alright, I heard you loud and clear. I'm trying my best for readers part, but I can't promise anything.

Also, this escalated quite a bit... hope none of you mind the length of this thing. I just don't know how to keep things short and simple

Characters included: Ayato, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe, Zhongli

Content: Gender neutral reader; she/her pronouns for your best friend; she tries to convince them to dump reader; some cursing; slightly suggestive on Ayato's part; not proof read yet!

Word count: 7.9k words

As always, thank you for requesting and hope you enjoy!

Ayato

I feel like Ayato is a man who would get into a relationship for one of two reasons

Number one would be it being a political type of thing, where the relationship and potential marriage would greatly benefit the Yashiro commission

Or he would not even consider the commission and just date you purely because he fell instantly in love with you and really just wants to court you

but regardless of what the reason might be, he would be loyal to you under any circumstances

he knows that there are many people out there who want to be on his good side, some of them even after his wealth and status

and yet, he would fight off anyone who would dare court him while being in a relationship with you

in that aspect, he learned a great deal from Thoma, so you better be grateful to him

It was a typical slow, mentally draining day for Ayato as the Yashiro commissioner yet again. Many people come to him with their problems, expecting him to magically have the solutions for them at the ready. It's not like he is some kind of know-it-all magician, capable of solving every little issue in this world. Yet people obviously believe him to be exactly that.

Honestly, it's exhausting most of the time. It was quite common for him to work late into the night, like it happened today again. When he finally leaned back a bit to stretch his sore back, he heard a soft knock on his office door. Knowing who would await him at the other side, he mumbled a soft "come in".

You slid the door open, revealing the form of your boyfriend to you. Instantly noticing his tired expression, you went to his side, gently holding his face in your hands.

"You have been working too much", you say after a long while of each of you staring into the others eyes.

You hear a low chuckle from him as he closes his eyes, and leans more into your touch. Having yearned for it the entire day and now finally being able to enjoy it again was one of the best feelings in the world to Ayato.

"You're right, my dear. As you are so often. How about we retreat for today?"

You were inclined to accept his offer, but just as you were about to do so, you remembered one other crucial detail.

"We can, after you eat something. You haven't done that today, have you?"

And as if to betray him, his stomach made a low rumbling sound just as Ayato was about to tell you a little white lie, that it wasn't so bad. Instead, he looked away from you as you giggled at the perfect timing.

"See? Now, you clean up here while I go and get you some light snack. Let's meet in our room, okay?"

He agrees and you gave him a quick kiss to the tip of his nose as a parting gift, before you made your way out of the room, silently, as to not disturb the other servants and residents from their slumber.

Ayato looks after you and as you're out the door, begins to make quick work of his tasks. It's not much to do anyways. Just pack away his writing utensils, stack and organize a few stray documents that he will worry about the next day.

While in the middle of doing this, he heard a soft knock on the door again. Ayato wonderd to himself why you would need to knock when you agreed to meet back at your room. And also, you two should be the only ones awake at this hour anyways.

Still, he answeres the knock with a simple "Yes?". Instead of an answer, the door to his office slid open again, but this time revealing a different figure to him.

He recognized her, a servant of the Yashiro Commission and also a dear friend to you. Though, he did wonder why she was awake at this hour as well.

"Do you need something?", he asked her as she just stood there, not saying a word.

"I... saw that the light was still on and just wanted to check on you, Lord Kamisato. It's getting quite late. Are you alright?"

"I see. I appreciate your concern, but I am quite alright. I'll be retiring for the night shortly."

After he said that, her eyes seemed to light up, but she quickly tried to hide it.

"O-oh, is that so?", she quielty mumbled as she took a few steps into the room, towards Ayato. He eyed her suspiciously, but refrained from saying or doing anything. She stopped in her tracks when she was standing only a few inches away from him.

"Do you want me to keep you company for the night?", she whispered, trying to sound seductive while she put one of her hands on Ayato's chest and looked up at him through her lashes.

In response to that, Ayato quickly snatched her wrist, holding her in a tight grip. Although, she seemed to interpret that gesture the wrong way, as a smile krept up her lips.

"Oh? That eager, Lord Kamisato?"

"You do know that I have a spouse, right?", he said firmly, still holding her wrist tightly.

"Oh please. As if someone as boring as (name) could ever please a man like you. You can admit it, you know. I can see that they are not enough for you. You can have so much more fun with me.", she purred at him, now putting her other hand on his chest.

It made Ayato want to throw up. Every fiber of his body was repulsed by this woman, her words and her actions. He just wanted to deal with this situation as quickly as possible, to get away from her and return to the comfort of your arms. He didn't care if he came across as rude, he did not care for her feelings. After all, she did just insult you in front of him, and he would not stand for that.

So, Ayato finally let go of her hand and took a step back to gain some distance between them. However, that didn't seem to appease her, as she was quick to follow him, that wicked smile still present on her lips. In that case, he had to resort to words as his weapon of choice against this woman.

"Stop this nonsense right now. I have no idea where you got the impression that I am the slightest bit interested in you, but that assumption is just wrong. Plus, I am not the type of man to just go behind my partners back like that."

"Aww, come on. Don't be such a killjoy. Plus, they don't have to know. I won't say anything if you don't~"

"Well, I already know. How about that?", you suddenly chime in, both Ayato and the woman jumping a bit at the sudden sound of your voice behind them. You were leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of you and a dark expression on your face, directed at the person you thought to be a friend of yours.

"I was wondering what took you so long, dear. If I had known you were trying to fend off some filthy pest, I would have come to your rescue sooner.", you continued as neither of them said anything at your entrance. Your words and expression briefly becoming warmer as they were directed towards your lover, but quickly turning dark again when you turned back to the woman in front of you.

You waited a few more seconds, waiting for her to come up with some kind of excuse or something, but nothing came. So, you sighed, pushing yourself off the doorframe and slowly approaching the two of them.

"Glad that I finally got to see your true character. I always thought something was off about you, but still, I never would have taken you for one of those people." Your tone was low and dark, as you came to a halt in front of her.

"Now, you better screw off before I loose the last bit of my temper. And you better never approach any of us again, you hear me, bitch?"

You spat the last few words at her and she quickly ran out of the room, leaving you and Ayato behind. You looked after her for a few more seconds, before a deep sigh finally left your lungs and you turned around to your boyfriend, who was looking at you with a smirk on his lips.

"What?"

"Oh nothing... But, I have to admit, you're cute when you're jealous, (name)."

"Pffft, please. Me? Jealous? Of her? When I'm the one already dating you and having you all to myself?", you laughed, slowly beginning to relax again.

And Ayato still smirked as he began to lean down towards you. "True, I do belong to you. But maybe, it's time you lay claim on me again for everyone else to see as well.", he mumbled before he pulled you into a passionate kiss, a promise for the night in front of you..

Kaeya

Kaeya is a flirt, you and everyone else is very much aware of that fact

though when in a relationship, he would tone down that side of his personality. It's not completely gone, but compared to before it's like you're looking at an entirely different person

but you don't dislike this teasing and flirty side of him. It's part of his charm after all. So long as it's always directed at you and no one else..

Most people would believe Kaeya is more the type to play around than to actually bind himself to another. They also don't believe him to be a loyal person

Well, those people couldn't be farther from the truth. Because of his past, Kaeya is afraid of letting people close to him again. So if you were to manage to do just that and gain his trust.. you best believe that he will never let you go again, no matter what might be thrown his way

The music that was playing in the background of the tavern was as loud as usual. Kaeya was used to it at this point, the comfort of the Angel's Share being as trusted of a companion as the sword by his side.

It was a routine by now that he would swing by the tavern after his duties as a knight had been dealt with for the day. Usually, he would sit at the counter with either Venti or Rosaria to keep him company, sometimes even both at the same time. Those instances were always sure to escalate, so he was kinda glad it didn't happen too often.

Today however, neither of his usual companions were available, so he was doomed to sit at the counter all by himself. But that was quite alright, since he didn't plan on drinking that much anyways. After all, he was merely here to pass time waiting on you to finish your work, so he could take you on the date he promised to take you on today after you both were free.

But since he was done much sooner than you were, he had some time to kill, and the tavern was the first thing that came to his mind. So, he went to your place of work, to let you know that he would meet you there once you were done.

As Kaeya downed his second drink of the evening, he pointed for Charles, the barkeeper, to get him another one, while listening to the music some bard was playing. He was standing next to the entrance and Kaeya had to admit, that his music was rather good. It was a cheery, easygoing melody that went well with the laughter all across the tavern.

It seemed to be one of the bussier nights for the staff of the Angel's Share, seeing as the tavern was packed full of people, some of them already quite intoxicated even though it was still a fairly early evening.

Still, the loud atmosphere was relaxing to Kaeya and he only stopped looking around himself when his next drink was handed to him. Thanking Charles with a nod, Kaeya grabbed the mug and downed a few more sips, when he suddenly got a well-known feeling..

The feeling of being watched.

He tried scanning around the interior of the tavern again without looking conspicuous, but couldn't detect anyone who seemed to be watchful of him.

When the feeling subsided again, Kaeya also began to relax again. He hadn't realized how on edge he became just from that, so he let out a deep exhale. It did make him feel a bit better, but only for a few seconds, before he felt a presence now occupying the free stool next to him.

He turned his head towards that person, cautious of he he might find, when he recognized the figure to be your best friend.

Now, normally, any other person would relax upon seeing a familiar face, but not Kaeya. Not in this situation.

He always had a suspicion, that she was into him. She never made any advances towards him, but that could have been because you were always there with him. Kaeya had never been alone with her until now. And with the way she was eyeing him up and down while smirking at him, he was inclined to think that his suspicion was, indeed, correct.

"Well, would you look at that. What's the cavalry captain of the knights doing here, in this tavern, all by himself?", she began to speak. It was easy for Kaeya to detect the slight slur in her voice, indicating that she already had quite a few drinks already.

Still, he decided to play nice with her and entertain the both of them for the time being. Maybe some company wouldn't be so bad and he did still harber some hope that his assumption could be wrong after all.

"Enjoying a drink, obviously. What else would one be doing at a tavern?", he answered, the usual polite smile returning to his face. To everyone else, it might come across as sincere, but you now know that there was a difference. For a real, sincere smile coming from Kaeya was quite a rarity. But, the woman across him didn't know that, so she happily induldged in the conversation.

"Obviously, I know that. But, why all alone? I never see you without a certain someone accompanying you." Her words carried a distinct amount of poison in them when mentioning you. It didn't sit right with Kaeya at all.

"Oh, I'm actually waiting on them to finish their work. I promised them a date so that't where I'm taking them."

At the mention, her smile dropped and the look on her face changed to an annoyed one. "Seriously? God, Kaeya! When are you finally gonna dump her?!", she snapped at him, standing up from her stool so she could stand in front of him, mere inches away from him.

"Excuse me?", was all Kaeya was able to say, trying to lean back as much as possible to create space between them, but she didn't care for that. Instead, she got even closer, dangerously so, and Kaeya was beyond uncomfortable with the situation.

"You heard me. I wanted you since I first laid my eyes on you, but you never acknowledged me. And as soon as (name) comes along, you're all over them and completely ignore me!

I hate them so much! When are you finally gonna realize that I would be so much better for you? Just dump their lazy ass, they're never gonna be something big anyway. Come to my side, Kaeya!" As she said all that, she simultaneously began to claw on his clothes. Kaeya tried to push her away, but it seems that people were right when they said that drunk people seem to gain some kind of unexplainable strength.

"Are you out of your mind? NO! Now get off of me!", he yelled instead, still trying to get himself free. But she ignored it, instead reaching behind his neck and pushing his head down, trying to force a kiss onto him.

"AHH!", she yelled not even a second later, both in surprise and pain as her head got pulled back by her hair suddenly. She managed to pull herself free and both her and Kaeya were surprised to see you standing there, now putting yourself between the woman and your boyfriend. A furious look on your face, you seemed like you were about to loose your temper.

"He already said no, you bitch. You're really going so far as to assault someone because you don't get it your way? That's a new low, even for you." Your voice was ice cold and Kaeya shivered a bit from it, but he also had to admit that he did like this protective side of you. It was something he didn't get to see very often.

"I was just trying to safe him from your pityful grasp. He deserves someone better!"

"You mean, someone better like you? Come on, don't make me laugh. Who in their right mind would want a dirty street rat like you?", you lauged at her as she looked at you with shock. "Now fuck off before I completely loose myself."

That last sentence from you came out completely serious and cold, both her and Kaeya knew that you would not hesitate another second to fight her off if you had to. With one last, longing look at the man behind you, she grabbed her stuff and ran out the tavern door, leaving the two of you behind.

You let out a loud sigh as she was finally gone, turning around to Kaeya. "Are you okay?", you asked him, worry now written all over your face.

He smirked a bit, slipping out of his stool so he now stood in front of you, leaning down so he could put a hand to your cheek. "I am.", he whispered, leaning down to plant a soft kiss to your forehead. "Thanks for fending her off. That was really sexy."

You rolled your eyes at that, but didn't say anything against it. Instead, you pulled Kaeya in for a soft, sweet kiss. Both of you smiled before you finally made your way out of the tavern and to where Kaeya promised to take you.

Diluc

Oh boy.. I really love Diluc, but let's be honest here.. he has a lot of issues, that would directly pass over to the relationship, if he ever were to enter one

abandonment issues, trust issues, self worth.. Diluc has a lot of struggles

he makes sure to let you know beforehand, so you can back out of it if it's too much for you to handle. He won't go into any details, but he gets his point across

Now, if you decide to stay with him and help him work through all this, he would be head over heels in love with you. For someone to know everything about him, including his bad sides, and still deciding to stay with him?

He honestly never thought this would happen to him. Which is why he's all the more glad that you stayed and proved him wrong

It was the late afternoon and Diluc was still in the process of getting himself ready and presentable.

Today was the day of your one year anniversary and he had promised to take you on a cute little stargazing picnic. He had been looking forward to this day the entire week, trying to finish as much of his work as early as possible, so that nothing would come in the way today.

He checked his outfit over one more time in the mirror, looking for any holes or other form of dirt, but couldn't find anything. Then, he moved on to his hair, trying to tie it into a high ponytail. He knew that you loved it when he wore his hair like that, and he didn't mind it either way, so why not.

After all, Diluc wanted to spoil you today. Although technically this day is for the both of you, he just couldn't help but want to make it all about you. Because, after all, you were the one who chose to stay with him. To love him and show him that it was okay for him to love you as well.

It took some time, and he is still nowhere near a perfect partner for you, but he is trying. And you always tell him that him trying is more than enough for you and that you couldn't and would never ask anything more than that from him.

Diluc was so glad that you stumbled your way into his life. It may sound cliché, but he truly has no idea where he would be in life if you weren't there by his side to help guide him in the right direction.

Dare he even say, it was also thanks to you and your effort, that he is now slowly starting to reconcile with Kaeya. Their relationship was still rocky after years and years of miscommunication and suppressed feelings, but it was slowly starting to pick up and move into a... better direction, for lack of a better word.

He had so much to thank you for, and he swore to pay you back for it every day of his life that he got to spend with you. You would forever be the best thing to happen in his life, and he didn't care how down bad that sounded.

As he was finally done with preparations, and giving himself one last glance through the mirror, a soft knock on the door brought him out of his head and back into reality. Confusion written over his face even more, as Adelinde opened the door and walked a few steps into the room.

"My apologies, Master Diluc, but it would seem that you have a visitor. I informed her of the bad timing and to come back another time, but she insisted. I directed her towards your study room, she is waiting for you in there.", she informed him, her head lightly bowed down.

"Thank you, Adelinde. I will deal with them shortly.", Diluc answered, though obviously annoyed at the situation.

Why today? And why now?

All he wanted was for you and him to spend a nice evening together. And now someone wasn't even going to allow him that? Not if he had a say in it. He would just go in there and deal with the visitor swiftly, then make his way to Mondstadt, where he promised to pick you up.

Once he made sure that he was presentable so he wouldn't have to return to his room again, he went out and closed the door behind him. He walked quickly, having a goal already in his mind, so he wanted this situation to be over as soon as possible.

He gave to quick knocks to the door of his study room, to inform the person inside of his arrival, before opening the door and stepping inside.

Upon his entry, a woman who until now had been sitting in one of the comfortable armchairs stood up, facing his way. It took Diluc a moment, but he soon recognized the figure as a close friend of yours. He saw her from time to time, but he never had much to do with her, they never had an extended talk or conversation, so Diluc had no idea why she was here now and what she could want from him.

"You came..", she said, like she couldn't actually believe it.

"It would be quite rude of me to just leave a guest and not greet them, wouldn't it? So, please, state your business with me. And, not to sound rude, but please make it quick. I have somewhere important to be in a bit."

"That's why I'm here..", she mumbled quietly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!", she exclaimed, a little startled. Trying to mask her nervousness with a chuckle, she began to play with her hair while looking everywhere else but at the man standing in front of her.

A good minute passed without her saying anything else and Diluc was growing more and more annoyed with her. Was she just here to waste his time?

"Look, if you have nothing to discuss with me, then-!"

"No! I- I mean, I do have something to discuss. I just.. don't know where to start..", she got quiet near the end again, making it hard for Diluc to understand her, but he did.

"If this will require more time, I have to ask you to move it to another day. I really don't have the time right now.", Diluc simply replied, already kind of mad at her that he wasted more time here than he had to. He turned around and was about to leave, when the woman behind him spoke up again.

"I like you!", she yelled, which caused Diluc to halt in his steps and turn to look at her, a bewildered look on his face.

"What did you say?"

"I like you, Diluc. I have for a long time. But I never had the courage to tell you and then (name) got in the picture. Honestly, I hated them the moment you and them got together.

They took you from me! It should be me by your side, not them! I deserve you so much more than some pesky lowlife like them!", she still yelled, but was now slowly moving towards Diluc.

The man, still surprised by what was happening right now, didn't move away, and she apparently took that as a sign to continue on her little rant.

"I know you think that you love them, but trust me, you don't. You may feel like that now, but I am the one meant for you. I can make you so much happier than you could ever think. Just give me a chance, Diluc.", she pleaded as she arrived in front of him.

She extended an arm, about to lay her hand on his shoulder, when he suddenly caught her wrist mid air. His grip was tight, and the look he threw at her full of disgust. She flinched a bit as she saw that, but still tried to stand her ground.

"Listen closely", Diluc said, his tone hard and cold, as he looked into her eyes, unforgiving. "(Name) will forever be the only one for me. No one else could ever hope to come close to what they mean to me. Especially not you. The fact that you came here, to berate and talk bad about someone who thinks of you as their friend, trying to steal their lover away. And for what? Some silly illusion you created in your head?

My top priority will always be (name). No one will ever come inbetween me and them, no matter what you might say or come up with."

He quickly let go of her wrist now, like her skin was suddenly made out of some kind of acid and it burned him on the touch. The look of disgust still evident on Diluc's face, as he took a step back towards the door.

"Now, please excuse me but I have a date to go on with my lovely parnter. And just to be perfectly clear, I would advise you to stay away from them and me from now on. And if I were to catch wind of you putting out rumors about them, I will not hesitate to act against you."

With that being his parting words, Diluc left the study room and made his way down to the main hall, where Adelinde was waiting down by the stairs.

"Please escort our guest out of the mansion as soon as possible. And make sure to let the other staff know that she is not welcome back here anymore.", Diluc informed Adelinde, who bowed her head in understanding.

"As you wish, Master Diluc. I wish you a pleasant night.", she said, before making her way up the stairs.

After that, Diluc left the mansion and made his way back to the city of Mondstadt. He appreciated the walk, as he was able to clear his head a bit before he would see you again, which was just what he needed after that encounter.

Once he arrived and saw you waiting for him by the fountain, all the negative emotions within him washed away again, his heart feeling at peace.

He greeted you with a soft kiss, which you reciprocated. He took you with him to Windrise, where the two of you would have your picnic. On the way there, he told you all about what had happened just about a few hours prior to your reunion.

It was fair to say that you considered the friendship with her to be over and you thanked Diluc over and over again for defending you, while also apologizing to him that he had to deal with that in the first place. But not to worry, because you made it more than up with the cuddles he got from you afterwards.

Childe

Childe is a family person through and through

Like, they have the final say wether his relationship whit you would last or not. Not in the sense of approval, more like if you get along with his parents and siblings

If they like you and you also get along with them well, he would be over the moon

also has a pretty high rank thanks to his position as a fatui harbinger, so people know not to mess with either of you, unless they want to be punished

Childe, I think, is actually one of the most loyal Genshin boys

He would stop at absolutely nothing to ensure your safety and to make you feel loved. The only way he would allow this relationship to end, is if either one of you would be to fall out of love with the other. But, at least for his part, that probably won't ever happen

Since his return to Snezshnaya a few days ago, Childe has been stuck in his office at the fatui headquarters. It was required of him to finalize his reports on his latest missions, which meant for him to sit in his office the entire day, write paper after paper, then return home in the evening, only to resume the process the next day.

It has been tiring for him. He never would have thought that dealing with paperwork could be this tiring. No wonder the higher ranking harbingers all have some kind of sectretary who do that work for them.

In fact, Childe has been so tired out from writing these reports, that he didn't get any proper training in these days. Instead, he always returned right back home to your side, almost always falling on top of you on the couch. If it weren't for you keeping him somewhat coherent, he would instantly pass out on the couch, not to be woken up until the next morning. You gently kept him awake long enough for him to take a shower and eat dinner with you, before you both went to bed together, where Childe hugged you even closer to him.

It has become some kind of new routine at this point and although you didn't mind it all that much, you clearly saw how exhausted your boyfriend was from all this. Even more so since he wasn't able to pursue his usual stress relief with the training.

You could clearly see how tired he still was, sitting next to you eating his breakfast, his eyes looking almost blank and lifeless. It made your heart ache at the sight.

"So.. do you know how much longer it'll take until you've finished all the reports?", you cautiously asked, not wanting to stress him out even more in the early morning hours.

"At least a few more days..", Childe quietly answered, the weariness clearly evident.

You thought about what you could do to make him feel a little better, at least, when an idea sparked in your head.

"Well, I can't really help you with your work, but, if you want to, I could bring you lunch today. Your mom taught me how to make your favourite."

At that, his eyes visibly brightened up as he looked at you. "Really? When did that happen?"

"While you were out on your mission in Liyue. I had some time on my hand and I thought it would be a nice surprise but I didn't get around to making it yet.", you answered, glad that such a simple thing was able to cheer your boyfriend right back up.

He got up and engulfed you in a big hug, placing little kisses all over your face. "Thank you, (name). I love you so much."

You giggled as you guys spend the rest of your morning together before it was time for Childe to leave again.

...

His mood this day was by far better than the days before, and his underlings had no idea wether that was a good thing or if their impending doom was approaching them.

But as more hours went by and nothing drastic had happened yet, they decided that it had to be something good.

Childe was constantly humming in his office, the writing part was getting much easier now that he got a hang of it. The occaissonal troop came into his office every now and then, awaiting for new orders from him.

He dealt with them every time before resuming his reports until one particular group came to him. He knew one of the members better than the others, namely because it just so happened that she was a friend of yours, who joined the ranks of the fatui a few weeks ago.

She got assigned under Childe, but they haven't really been working together yet, as shortly after he was sent out to his mission on Liyue, which took him a few weeks to finally complete. And since then, he had been locked up here.

Anyway, back to the present. The leader of that small group gave a quick report to Childe, informing him of their accomplishments. The harbinger only nodded, listening to them.

"Alright, sounds good. For now, I want you guys to go to the training grounds. Improve on your strenghts and get rid of your weaknesses. This will be your task for the following week. After that time, you will face me in battle again, to assess your progress.

That would be all.", he said to dismiss them. They all hurriedly made their way out of the room, except for one member of the group. The woman stood still in front of Childe, and it took him a moment to realize that she was still standing there.

"Hmm? Was there something else you needed?"

"Well.. I have a bit of a personal question, if you would allow it, Lord Harbinger.", she answered respectfully, bowing her head at him a bit.

Childe thought it over for a second, but didn't think anything bad of her request, so he allowed her to ask her question.

"Thank you. It's about (name)", she said and the mention of your name both set him on edge and also brought a small smile to his face. You just had that effect on him every time, even after months of dating already.

"What is it that you see in them? Why are you with them? I just don't understand it."

"What about it don't you understand?", Childe asked, bewildered as he sensed the obvious hostility she seemed to harbour when talking about you.

"I mean, they're just so boring and bland. I don't get what you see in them. Surely they can't be enough to satisfy you. You could have anyone else, you have so many better options. Why them?"

After her little rant was over, Childe stood up from his place behind his desk, walked around in front of it, and leaned against the table, crossing his arms in front of him.

"And let me guess.. you think you would be better suited for me than them, am I right?"

She nodded as she took a step forward, towards him, but one ice cold glare from Childe let her freeze in place. But she got her composure back quickly, returning his gaze.

"I do.", she stated, holding her chin up high, trying to look more confident than she currently felt.

Childe continued to look at her a few more seconds, before averting his eyes and sighing in disappointment.

"I think I've heard enough. Just so you know, you could never be enough for me. (Name) is more than enough, they are the perfect match for me. And I'm most definitely not about to give up on that for some random chick that decides to throw herself at me.

Anything you want to add, (name)?"

The last sentence was said a bit louder by Childe, knowing that you had been standing outside the door and listening in on the conversation. Upon mentioning you, you entered the room and by the surprised look on the womans face, she didn't realize that you were actually present.

"Not really, I think you already made yourself perfectly clear.", you said, your look at her as cold as Childe's was.

"We're over. Can't believe I ever was friends with someone like you.", was the only thing you felt like adding to the situation, before the woman ran out of the room without another word, feeling utterly humiliated.

You and Childe both looked after her, before looking at each other. Then you guys burst out into laughter at how ridiculous this entire situation was.

After you had calmed down again, you guys shared the food that you made for him in his office, you sitting on his lap since he wouldn't allow you to sit anywhere else. It was safe to say that Childe acted a bit more clingy with you for the next few days.

Zhongli

It has been quite some time since Zhongli's last relationship and even though he has an understanding of the principles, the more intimate details of it are kind of lost on him

have some patience with him and teach him the ropes of it again and you will be rewarded with one of the most loving and caring partners one could ever wish for

he also tends to be a little bit on the jealous side, but he means no harm in it. He knows you're more than capable of standing up for yourself, but he can't help it. He is your partner after all, it's only natural he wants to protect you

Also a very loyal man. If he chooses a partner, he stays with them through all the good and bad times until the bitter end. Whatever form that end will take..

Zhongli let out a heavy sigh as he was finally done with his work for the day. Who knew that the work of a consultant could be this demanding?

Hu Tao had him staying late for the past two weeks, since, as she said, work had been piling up and she needed all the help she could get.

While you were understanding of the situation, not minding him coming home later to help out his boss, Zhongli did mind it very much.

Because now, work kept getting in the way of his quality time with you. While he was stuck here, he could be home with you, snuggling up on the couch, or out on a date with you.

Come to think of it, it had been quite some time since you two last went on one. Perhaps he should take you out to Wanwen Bookhouse again, with a nice dinner afterwards at Liuli Pavilion. That sounded like a good idea.

Still thinking about this, and possible other locations where he could take you to, he continued to tidy up his workplace, so that he could finally leave as soon as he was done with that.

Hu Tao had already left earlier today, claiming she would be gone for some type of commission and left him the keys to lock the place up after he was done for the day.

Once he was done cleaning up, he went outside and locked the door, putting the keys into his pocket to keep them safe. He would return them to Hu Tao again once his well deserved weekend would be over. Oh, how he longed to spend those blessed days enveloped in your arms, hoping you would never let go of him again.

Gazing up at the sky, he noticed that it was still quite early. He still did some overtime, but he did get off earlier today than the days prior. So, Zhongli decided on the spot to surprise you with some of your favourite food.

He went over to Wanmin Restaurant, which coincidentaly was also on the way to your shared house, to pick up something to eat for the both of you.

Upon approaching the vendor, Chef Mao immediatly recogniced the man.

"Ah, Mister Zhongli! Good evening! The usual?", he asked in a cheery tone, to which Zhongli agreed to.

While waiting for his food to be done, he took place on one of the stools outside the building, looking around the streets. It wasn't quite as busy as it was during the day, but there were still fairly many people out and about, doing their business.

"Hey! Zhongli!", a voice greeted behind him, so the man turned around to see a dear friend of yours approaching him and taking place next to him on an empty stool.

Zhongli gave her a gentle smile, not minding her presence at all. Maybe some company would be good for the time he had to keep waiting for the food to be done.

"Good evening. What brings you here on this fine day?", he asks her, trying to engage in some small talk with her.

"Oh, nothing much. I was just out for a walk when I saw you sitting here all alone.", she smiled, leaning a bit closer to him. Zhongli noticed this, but didn't think anything of it, which is also why he didn't say anything about it.

"Ah, yes. I am merely waiting for it to be done cooking, so that I can surprise (name) with it at home. I have been working late for the past two weeks so I hope she will accept this small piece of apology."

Upon mentioning your name, he noticed how her expression turned a bit sour, but it was gone so quickly the next second that he thought he just imagined it.

"Is that so..", she mused, seeming to be lost deep in thought.

After that, the conversation died out and a sort of uncomfortable silence fell between Zhongli and your friend. Not knowing what to best do in this kind of situation, he just remained silent, still patiently waiting.

A few more minutes passed and finally, Chef Mao came to Zhongli again, this time with two containers of food in his hands.

"Here you go. Sorry it took so long, busy day today."

"Not a problem.", Zhongli reassured him as he handed the man his money. He was about to say his goodbyes to your friend, when she suddenly grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait!", she said, suddenly having a form of urgency to her voice that made him halt.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I... I want you to break up with (name)!", she exclaimed, shocking Zhongli with her words. Why would he say such a thing.

The confusion obviously written all over his face, the woman sighed as she got even closer to him.

"I am in love with you, Zhongli. And I want to be with you. I don't care if I start out as just a side chick for you, so long as you break up with them and choose me in the long run.

Trust me, you'll see for yourself just how inferior (name) is to me in every aspect of life. Bet they aren't even any good in bed. I know you're not satisfied with them, so why not enjoy yourself with a little fun on the side?"

Zhongli couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew how much you trusted her, so for her to betray that trust you put in her so easily, it made his heart ache for you. But it also made him furious. How dare she talk about you like that in front of him? You were everything to him, and you were definitely more than enough.

Anger slowly krept its way up inside him, being more and more evident in the way his gaze turned cold and his hands tightly gripped the containers he was holding.

But before he could let his anger out on that woman, he heard an all too familiar voice call his name. "Zhongli!"

There you were standind, a few feet away from them and slowly walking over to your boyfriend.

"Hey (name)!", the woman cheerfully said, putting on a seemingly perfect act in front of you, being all nice and friendly again, like she wasn't just trying to steal Zhongli away from you.

"What a surprise to see you here. We were just talking about-!"

"About how you want to be the side piece of my boyfriend? Yeah, I heard that.", you said in a very matter-of-fact way, it caught her completely off guard.

"Huh?", was all she was able to get out, a look of bewilderment present on her face. You, however, have heard enough and you were done with her.

So, you only rolled your eyes at her, before lowering your voice, trying to sound as intimidating as you could. "Listen here, you bitch. He is taken. You had all the time and chances before I met him, and now, he is mine.

So back the fuck off before I go off on your fake ass face."

Panic now written all over her face, she took a few steps back. "You wouldn't.. You're crazy!"

"Oh, but I would.", you growled, taking a step forward, which finally caused her to turn around and run away from the two of you.

Relieved, you let out a sigh and turned around to your boyfriend, who had witnessed the entire scene.

"Sorry you had to deal with that.", you apologized sheepishly, gaze now turned to the ground.

"Don't apologize, my dear. After all, I should be the one apologizing to you, since you just lost a friend because of me. But, I do want to say, I hope you know that I would never choose someone else over you."

"I know that.", you nodded as you looked up at him, offering him a warm and loving smile. Ahh, how he had missed that smile the entire day. He just had to lean down and give you a soft kiss, which you very gladly reciprocated.

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am-i-interrupting · 3 months

Note

Hi, I was just wondering if you could do fem!reader x Vox, Alastor, Lucyfer (separately) when reader cooks/bakes something for them (since I'm in culinary school). I want so bad to see their reactions on their meal. It can be something sweet or salty - your choice :)

I really like your work, you just do it so well♡

Thank you in advace.

If you like what I’m doing consider tipping me for priority requests & access to characters I don’t usually write for.

Alastor

Alastor considers himself a rather good cook. He also has very specific tastes.

It takes a lot to impress him but it is manageable.

He’s never downright mean unless it’s downright awful (like you burnt milk somehow)

However, he is somewhat firm in his opinions.

He gives critiques when you make anything that’s not specifically creole which normally boils down to “not bloody enough” or “measure spice with your heart, not a recipe.”

If you do make him things that originate from creole culture, he is in the kitchen with you.

He’s looking over your shoulder, never saying anything but making small noises of impressed or disapproval.

Those are the dishes where his critique is actually helpful.

The day he actually closes his eyes with a sigh is the day you know you’ve done something right.

Lucifer

Lucifer dabbles in cooking just a bit. Not a lot. He can cook simple things but he can cook.

He will be easily impressed.

You made homemade brownies? You’re so amazing and great and talented!

You made rolls? On everything unholy, you are the most impressive thing on earth. (Hit me up if you want a copycat Texas Roadhouse roll recipe. I’ve been hit up for it.)

He is just constantly impressed and constantly singing your praises.

He would go to Bee and ask her if she would add any restaurants you may want to have to her BeeEats app options.

Of course Bee says yes.

You get all the funding you want if owning a restaurant or bakery is on your wish list.

You will soon be known as the best chef in Hell.

Vox

Vox’s good palette is very bland.

Yes, he can enjoy some Italian food or French food or fast food or really just white food.

This man can’t handle anything spicy.

He can’t.

At all.

Don’t make him spicy food. He will think he’s dying a second time.

He does know how to cook though. Knows more than Lucifer but less than Alastor.

Because of that, he’s not going to be giving you pointers on how to better cook but he will watch.

He likes to watch you cook. It’s soothing.

If you’re open to it, he might even get you a cooking show spot or at the very least a guest star spot.

He’s impressed by your cooking, certainly but he will try to act like he’s just mildly impressed when in fact he’s more impressed than that.

“Mmm, that’s good, doll.” Meanwhile he’s just vibrating on the inside.

If you like what I’m doing consider commissioning me for canon/canon stories AND personalized canon/reader stories.

#vox x reader #hazbin vox x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x reader #hazbin lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel lucifer x reader

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yyuangss · 6 months

Text

INAZUMA COMMISSIONS ( DILUC RAGNVINDR )

summary ! in an attempt to give diluc the best present for secret santa, you spend some time to know more about him. though, the dawn winery owner has some unique tastes.

tags ! diluc ragnvindr x fem reader, fluff

word count ! 5.2k

note: hello hello @umgatochamadopercyval !! i got you for the @2023gisecretsanta event 🫶 i got a little carried away so i’m very sorry for the word length 😭 either way, i hope you enjoy it MWAH <3 i had a lot of fun writing this for you !!

When Barbara approached you asking if you’d like to be part of her Secret Santa event, you immediately agreed. She said she was going around inviting people she knew would be interested in participating.

You asked her who else had decided to participate in the event and she named a few others. Lisa, Kaeya, Sucrose, Venti, a few sisters from the Cathedral, Eury, Donna. All people you knew well since they constantly came to Good Hunter and you spoke to them while they waited for their food.

Barbara said she was still asking people to join. So once she had an even number, she’d go down a list and have them pick out a paper to see who their Secret Santa was. Everyone would get a month to find the gifts. Then, the gifts would be revealed at a Christmas party she was working on.

Nearly a week and a half after that, Barbara came rushing over to Good Hunter with a small bag in her hand. She was her usual cheerful self and more now since the Secret Santa event she planned out.

“(Y/N)! Do you have a moment?” Barbara asked, waving and standing near the side of the stall. She had been waiting to see when it would be available. Her smile showed just how excited she was.

“Give a second!” You said, smiling as well. After taking the current order and the customer went to sit down at one of the tables, Barbara approached. She showed off the small brown bag and you knew what she was hinting at. “How many people did you get to join?” You asked, making sure to wipe your hands clean.

“I got thirty people!” She said, holding the bag open. The number made your eyebrows raise. Barbara was very serious about this. You peered inside the bag. Small red and green sheets of paper were mixed together. The amount was smaller than what Barbara had said so you assumed she already went to some of the people.

You reached in, grabbing one of the slips at the bottom of the bag and pulled out a red slip. Barbara closed the bag once you got your person. She made sure the strings on the bag were tight so nothing would fall out.

“Could you check it to make sure you didn’t pull your own name?” She asked. You nodded your head.

“Of course!” You said, opening the slip of paper. You wondered whose name you ended up getting out of the bag. It would make shopping and searching for someone’s gift a fun experience. Hopefully it was Lisa. There were several new books you wanted to get for her and replace a few worn out books in her library. That was until you read the name of the person who would give you the most trouble searching for a gift.

Your smile faded slightly. In black ink, Barbara had written Diluc’s name on your slip. Her star and balloon drawn decorations on the paper made it more exciting than it actually was. Of all thirty people who decided to participate, you were the unlucky one stuck with Diluc. He wasn’t a bad person but you didn’t really know enough about him.

“Nope. Didn’t get my own name.” You said to Barbara, folding the paper in half again.

“Great! Thank you again for joining!” She exclaimed happily. “Remember not to tell anyone and you have a month from now.”

She waved before heading off. She needed to catch the rest of the people and hopefully finish this by the end of the day. As she sped towards the building of the Knights, you stared at her cursive handwriting.

The red haired male came into your mind. What were you going to get Diluc for Christmas? He was a reserved character. You couldn’t name a single thing he liked except grape juice. And there wasn’t anything else that stood out about him that would remind you of him.

For example, if it were Klee, you could have gotten her a new book bag or matching hats for her and Dodoco. Sucrose would be happy to get a new chemistry set. She definitely needed one after breaking a few beakers. Whereas Diluc… Nothing.

You started to think about certain gifts. Candles were a good option if that didn’t scream, ‘I don’t know you’. He never wore accessories. No rings, necklaces, or bracelets. Perhaps he didn’t like them but a hairpin from Liyue would be worth the trip. You let out a frustrated sigh, scratching the back of your head.

Was there anyone who knew what he liked that you could ask them?

Well, there were a few people. Now that you think about it, asking them probably isn’t a good idea either. Donna was off the table. You aren’t sure how far her title as a fan of Diluc’s went. And you also didn’t know if Barbara had asked her to be part of the event. That means Donna would definitely get jealous since you got the person she wanted.

Next was Kaeya. Asking him was fifty—fifty. He was rather sneaky and playful. Definitely the type of person to come up with a lie so you’d gift Diluc something he hated all because Kaeya wanted to mess with him. Or maybe you’d get the lucky half and he would be kind enough to actually say something his brother likes.

Then the people who worked for Diluc were also not a good choice. For one, you didn’t know them well enough to know if they’d keep this a secret. Two, they probably didn’t know Diluc well enough to tell you what he liked or disliked the most.

You were already stressed out, even if you had an entire month. You carefully stuffed the slip of paper into the front pocket of your apron. Thankfully, you were going on your break soon. You tapped your fingers on the countertop as you thought of what to do.

The worst idea yet came to your mind. You were just going to have to ask Diluc himself. You can't blurt out and reveal you got him for the Secret Santa event. Since your conversations with him are very brief, in order to do this, it needs to be in the most discreet manner possible. That way, it won’t make him get suspicious of you.

“Diluc!” He heard his name being called. Instinctively, he looked over at the tavern entrance after passing a customer their drink. He saw you approaching the bar while smiling at him. “How are you?”

“(Y/N).” Diluc gave a curt nod and picked up an empty glass cup. You sat down on a stool, watching him clean the area for you with a wet rag. “It’s good to see you. I’m doing fine. I assume your shift has ended?” He motioned to your uniform. You occasionally came to Angel’s Share when you were off the clock. It was just to relax for a few minutes and socialize before heading home for the day.

“I’m on my break right now.” You said. You scouted the first floor to see who was here. The floor was nearly deserted, only consisting of the tavern’s usual customers. You turned back to Diluc, thinking about the slip with his name on it in your pocket. “What about you? Are you leaving soon?”

“No. I may be here all day.” Diluc said. You needed to make this worth the while. No way were you leaving the city to go all the way to the winery. “Charles wasn’t feeling well.”

He finished wiping down the counter and threw the rag over his shoulder. He didn’t have his coat on since the tavern was relatively warm. The weather outside was getting colder as the days went on.

“What can I get for you?” He asked.

“A berry and mint burst.” It was what you normally got whenever you paid a visit.

As Diluc grabbed one of the glasses to make your drink, you thought this would be a good time to ease into the conversation. He seemed concentrated on making your drink so he probably might not be too responsive. Either way, you needed to try.

“I feel like we don’t talk a lot.” You said, as Diluc poured the light blue liquid into the cup. He let out a confused hum at your statement and set the bottle back down. He stepped away from the counter, searching for the remaining ingredients that belonged in your drink.

“And what do you mean by that?” He sounded as intimidating and serious as he always did.

“We don’t talk a lot.” You said. He carefully pushed your drink in your direction. “I think we’re more acquaintances than friends. Don’t you?” You grabbed your drink in one hand.

Diluc rested on the counter as he narrowed his eyes at you. His gaze seemed to be studying you instead of being mad at something you said. The guy sitting next to you left a few Mora on the countertop and left the tavern. He also left behind two cups to be picked up and cleaned.

“I say the same, yes.” Diluc said, scooping the Mora on the wooden counter.

His responses are repeats of what you say. It makes it feel like he’s simply not interested in having a conversation. Plus, he is always seen with an uninterested expression. His personality is nowhere near Kaeya’s.

Getting Diluc to talk is harder than you thought. At this point, you wanted to be straightforward and admit what you were truly here for.

“What’s your favorite thing about yourself?” You suddenly asked. Too strong of a question. He would figure out what your intentions were by it. Diluc raised an eyebrow as he dried one of the cups with a different rag than the one from earlier.

“What’s my favorite thing about myself?” He repeated your question. He glanced down at the cup before turning around. He sorted it out with the stack of cups used by tavern customers. You heard him say the question again but much lower this time. Eventually, he crossed his arms, staring at the wall before giving his answer. “I love my long, luscious and luxurious red hair.”

“Wait— What?” You sputtered.

“I answered your question. My favorite thing about myself is my hair.” Diluc faced you. He had his normal stoic expression. Was he telling the truth or poorly executing a joke? You squint your eyes. Diluc’s hair was well taken care of. Out of all his features, his hair and the color of it stood out the most. The length of it also suited him. Diluc with short hair was like a nightmare. Maybe because he never wore it in any other style except his ponytail. “Is that not something I can say?”

“No, no,” You said, taking a sip from your drink. The minty taste made your eyes water. “I didn’t expect you to say that. I thought you would have said your eyes. Your hair is really pretty.”

He managed to make his hair look like silk. There had been times you were tempted to touch it. As you put your cup back on the wooden counter, you thought of your next question.

“How do you get your hair to look like that?” You placed your chin on the palm of your hand. Whatever routine he said, you might need to start using it.

“Slime condensate.” Diluc petted the tips of his hair. Your expression changed to one of disbelief. “It needs to be the thick hydro slimes from Inazuma. I like to get them from Watatsumi Island since the area is surrounded by water.”

You had to take some time to process what he said. The infamous Dawn Winery owner put slime in his hair to keep it “luscious” and “luxurious” at all times. You had never heard of anyone putting slime in their hair. You scratched the top of your head. Whenever Diluc said something new about himself, the idea of giving him a gift for this event seemed impossible.

That wasn’t the only time you went to Angel’s Share. You went back for an entire week, trying to pry information out of Diluc. There needed to be one thing he liked and was willing to share with you. The only problem with that was to have him stop talking about his hair.

“I love my hair color. Did you know it’s natural?”

“It’s so hard to keep it this soft. If the slime isn’t from Inazuma, my hair gets all tangled.”

“Cut it? No, I’d never cut it. I’ve been growing it out since I was a child. My father’s hair was exactly like mine.”

You didn’t take him as the narcissist type or the kind of person to be full of himself.

Your last hope at getting him a gift was what he used for his hair. Diluc let you know what the process to get the slime condensate was. He said it is called an extraction. It was harmless to the slimes. In order for this to happen, he or someone else would grab hold of a slime. As this is going on, the other person will begin to pluck out condensate from under the bottom part.

You weren’t going to make it to Inazuma and return to Mondstadt in time for the party.

Sara went with you to find Herta and ask her to send your commission over to Inazuma. She was a little skeptical at how overly specific but she said with enough Mora, someone over there would be willing to take up the challenge.

That was two weeks ago. The party was in a week from now. You started to panic. Did no one take up your commission? You asked Lumine to take an impromptu trip to Liyue and see what items you could find.

She agreed. The Honorary Knight protected you along the way. Thankfully, there weren’t any monsters that attacked you on your trip. Liyue had rarer beauties that cost a lot more. In the end, it was going to be worth it. You found the gift after hours of searching. This was reserved only if the condensate didn’t make it to Mondstadt on time.

“Pardon me,” A tall, unknown man approached since there wasn’t a line. You could tell he was from another region. He had a box underneath his arm. His white, puffy coat covered his entire body. The hood he had on covered the majority of his blue hair. With good reason. The cold weather this year was entirely different. At least you were near the fire. “My name is Kamisato Ayato. I’m looking for a lady by the name of (Y/N). She requested a commission in Inazuma.”

“That’s me.” You said.

“Ah, wonderful. This makes it all the much easier.” He placed the box on top of the counter. The gloves he was currently wearing were white while the inside had a sort of dark purple lining. He removed the hood from over his head, settling his hands on top of the mysterious box. “The person who did your commission told me to be very careful with it. He said he went out of his way to make it the very best.”

“Did you come all this way just to deliver it yourself?” You felt a little guilty but Ayato let out a chuckle.

“No, no. I’m the leader of the Yashiro Commission.” He waved his hand, “I’m in Mondstadt for the holidays. I thought it was a good idea to bring over your commission. That way you wouldn’t have to wait too long.” He patted the box before insisting you take it.

You pulled the box over, noticing how heavy it was.

“Anyway, everything has already been paid for on our end.” Ayato said, adjusting his coat. “I was also told to pass on a message to you. If you had any more… Specific commissions to be done in Inazuma, simply request for Arataki Itto. He’s more than willing to help.”

That must have been the guy who did your commission. You hope to meet him in person one day to thank him over and over for what he did.

“Thank you very much.” You flashed Ayato a smile. He did the same in return, “Enjoy your holidays and your stay in Mondstadt!”

“Thank you,” He bowed his head, “The same goes to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

As soon as Ayato was gone, you decided it was a good idea to open the box. Your jaw dropped at the contents. It was a lot more than you had asked for. Considering what was given, you had definitely underpaid this Itto guy. Either he was a perfectionist or he was extremely reckless.

The jars of slime were actually much bigger than you expected. Maybe you should have been specific on that as well. How many hydro slimes on Watatsumi Island had to undergo an extraction to get all this condensate? Even though Diluc said the extraction process is not harmful for the slimes and they’re constantly growing, you’re starting to feel bad for them.

At least it arrived at a good time before the party. With the slime condensate here, your gift for Diluc was ready. But you had both items. There wasn’t any point in keeping the second gift for yourself. Maybe it would give you a hint on what Diluc likes. Hopefully next year, Donna was the one stuck with him instead of you.

The party was being hosted at Angel’s Share. It was closed for the holiday and with his permission, Diluc allowed Barbara to have the party there. So long as she prepared all the decorations and food. He didn’t mind making the drinks since it would allow him to keep a better eye on Venti.

When you arrived, the ongoing scene was a bit of a mess. Barbara was apologizing profusely to someone. You recognized one of them. Ayato, the man from the other day. He laughed loudly when he noticed Barbara beginning to tear up. Next to him was a girl who had similar features. She chuckled softly when Ayato hugged Barbara and reassured her everything was fine. The girl had to be related to him.

“You’re here.” You heard Diluc’s voice. He had been at the bar but spotted you as soon as you came through the door. His eyes landed on the gift you were holding. “If you’d like, you can leave that over there. Barbara said we’ll open the gifts after eating and once everyone is here.” Diluc motioned to a round table in a corner. Several of the partygoers left their gifts either on the table or on the floor. Some were big, others small. You were curious to find out which one was meant for you.

“Okay, thanks.” You went over to the table and placed the gift next to one that was the same size. You weren’t about to carry that around all night. The glass jars were too heavy for that.

After you put your gift with the rest, you decided to join the rest of the crowd.

You found out that Kamisato Ayato was Diluc’s closest friend. He and his sister, Ayaka, came to Mondstadt to celebrate the holiday with Diluc. Last year, he was the one who went to Inazuma to visit the siblings. Barbara was apologizing because she didn’t know they would be here. And if she did, she’d prepare a gift so that neither would feel left out. They let her know it was an unforeseen event and she had no reason to apologize.

Bennett and Fischl were the last to arrive. Afterwards, Barbara asked everyone to come to the first floor and get their gifts so she could explain the rules. You placed yours underneath your chair. Jean sat next to you, keeping hers on her lap and making small talk about who she guessed you had.

The table in the corner was soon empty. Whoever went first, the person who received the gift would go next. So on and so on until all gifts were exchanged.

Donna decided to start the chain off. For an odd reason, she had two gifts. You all gave each other the same knowing look. One gift was meant for her Secret Santa and the other was obviously meant for Diluc. If anything, you were already aware she had selected a better choice in present for him. Except Barbara didn’t let her give it to him right away and told her to wait until everything was over.

She had Bennett. From Bennett, it went over to Klee. He had gifted the little girl a new backpack and a tiny one for Dodoco. Klee’s gift went to Razor. He might have been the happiest one from the night. Eventually the chain went around to Albedo who had just opened his gift from Lisa.

“For my Secret Santa, I got (Y/N).” Albedo handed you a wrapped box.

It had candy canes all over the paper and a giant bow on the top. You heard some rustling inside. You tore the wrapping paper off the sides. Removing it fully, you opened the box and your eyes widened in astonishment. Albedo had carefully packaged two glass cloches beside each other. They contained flowers sprouting on the inside. He went as far as adding grass to the base and making it seem like a small garden.

“I managed to find a way to preserve cecilias and glaze lilies.” He explained and helped you take one of them out to show everyone else. “I remember you said they’re your favorite flowers. These will never die even if you take the glass off of them. And you won’t need to water them either.”

“Thank you so much, Albedo!” You said, opening up one arm to give him a hug. He reciprocated the action. “And I love how you painted butterflies on the glass domes!”

“Actually, they’re called cloches.” Ayato corrected from across the room, making your attention go from Albedo to him. Ayaka ended up smacking his knee with her fan. The entire room let out a collective laugh at the two siblings bickering.

Your eyes drifted over to Diluc who sat next to the Kamisato siblings. It seemed like he already knew he was going to be next. Both of his hands are on his lap, waiting to get his gift. He was staring at you intently and tapping his gloved hand against his thigh. You set Albedo’s gift next to your chair with extra care.

“My gift is to Diluc.” You said. You slid out the wrapped box from underneath your chair. You had both your hands holding the bottom side of the box. Watching your step, you made your way to the other side of the room where Diluc was.

“Ah, this should be interesting.” Ayato said with a grin on his face. He shifted in his chair, body leaning towards his friend. He seemed more interested in the gift than the person who was receiving it.

“It’s heavy.” You said, nervously. You gently handed it over to Diluc.

“Thank you.” He took it in his arms and placed it on the floor between his feet. Ayato moved his chair closer to get a better view of what your gift to his best friend would be. Diluc waited until you sat back down in your chair. He began to unwrap the ribbon you’d tied around the entire box. He pulled on one edge of the lace, allowing it to unravel on its own.

After that was over, he lifted off the top of the box. You watched anxiously to see his reaction to your gift. When Diluc saw what was inside, a small smirk came on his lips. Meanwhile, Ayato scrunched up his eyebrows at the peculiar choice. He realized what the items were and why exactly your commission had been such a weird request.

Diluc kept the lid on his lap. He crouched over in his chair and pulled out one of the seven items inside.

In his hands, Diluc held a glass jar filled to the top with slime condensate. There wasn't only one in there. You had asked for a minimum of three jars in your commission and sent over enough Mora for their troubles. But, being the nice person he was, Itto decided to get you a total of—

“Six jars of slime condensate.” Diluc held it up in the air as if he was examining it. You started to feel a little embarrassed when he spun it around and showed it off the rest of the crowd. They each side eyed each other, wondering what kind of present that was. You actively avoided their gazes as they questioned your choice. Why did he have to start off with the worst gift? “I’m assuming they come from Watatsumi Island?” He said in a slight teasing tone.

Diluc’s lips twitched upwards when he glanced over at you. He shook the jar a little, the slime bouncing around. It clinked against the other jars as he carefully set it back into the gift box. Next, he moved onto the second gift. Right beside all of the six jars was a dark red jewelry box. It had a geo symbol carved on the top which Diluc knew you got it from Liyue.

He placed it on his lap and cautiously opened it since he wasn’t sure of what was inside. Inside, the box had a black velvety texture. It had two separate sections. Ayato heard his friend let out a small snicker before composing himself and turning it around for the remaining partygoers to see.

“It’s a matching hairbrush and a hair comb.” Diluc said.

Both the brush and comb were designed to be the same. They had been marbleized with red and gold. What stood out the most was the hair comb. The accessory had been made to resemble a phoenix. Its wings were outstretched and the beak pointed upwards. If placed in the hair correctly, it was supposed to give off the illusion the phoenix was flying.

“Oh, how beautiful.” Ayaka silently complimented.

The jewelry box closed with a snap and Diluc set it beside the six jars of slime condensate. He closed the lid of his gift and a wide smile spread on his face. For some reason, you felt like he found this entire situation hilarious.

“Thank you, (Y/N). I’m especially grateful for the slime.” He said. Diluc cleared his throat right after and the smile disappeared. He ended up picking up his gift and announced who his Secret Santa was. “My gift is to Sucrose.”

The remaining gifts were passed around until everyone had opened their gifts. They were all thoughtful and generous.

Everyone loved their gifts and it was perfect for their personalities. Yet, your eyes kept looking over at Diluc’s present. He had to be lying. The party continued as normal. People broke off into their separate groups, ate the remaining leftovers and treats, and played a few games. The gifts, held dear in everyone’s hearts, were forgotten at the moment.

An hour passed and you thought it would be a good time to leave the party. You put your coat on as well as your gloves. Thankfully, you didn’t live too far from the tavern. There should still be a few guards patrolling the city in case of intruders.

“I’m going to be leaving now.” You said to Barbara while holding your gift from Albedo. You wanted to thank him again only to find out he’d left with Klee a long time ago. The little girl was starting to get sleepy and tried to play it off that she wasn’t tired.

“You are? Aw, I wanted you to stay a little longer!” Barbara said. Diluc overheard your conversation and he had already slipped on his red jacket.

“Allow me to walk you home. I insist.” He said, opening the tavern door. Cold air rushed in causing his cheeks and nose to get rosy. “Barbara, if I don’t return soon and everyone has left, don’t worry about cleaning the mess. Head home as well.” He instructed before leaving the tavern right after you.

The door closed. Diluc fixed his jacket as he began following you.

He only had plans to drop you off at your home safely and return to the tavern. You were both walking in silence. You glanced out the corner of your eye. Diluc’s hands were in his pockets. He had a small smile on his face. It was starting to get to you. The smile had the appearance he knew something and purposely refused to tell you what it was. You exhaled loudly, deciding to confront and get it over with. It would be better for him to be honest.

“You didn’t like your gift… Did you?” You asked, stopping in your tracks. You tilted your head to the side and turned to face him.

“I did like my gift. Why would you ask that question?” He answered.

“Why are you smiling like that then?” You nodded your head. It was really in the most innocent and subconscious manner. Diluc didn’t want you to take it the wrong way so it was a good time to come clean. Especially since the hunt for gifts and the party was over. He left his gift in the tavern, right behind the bar counter so no one would find it.

“I have something to admit.” He said.

Oh. Your eyes widened slightly. You took a step back. Donna was going to be mad.

“I lied to you. I don’t actually use slime condensate in my hair.”

Oh. You narrowed your eyes at the man standing in front of you. Scratch that, you were going to be mad. The smile on Diluc’s face grew a lot more visible.

“What?” You finally spoke up. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. I’m not joking.” He shook his head. Your jaw dropped at the confirmation. “I don’t use it. If anyone does, they must be out of their mind to put that in their hair.”

“So you were faking the entire time?!” You shouted. He had led you to believe his hair was his favorite feature and that he cared for it the most. All those times he complained about running low on slime and he might need to find a replacement before getting his new stash from Inazuma. Pure lies he made on the spot. He was so convincing, you thought all he loved in life was slime condensate. “Diluc, you’re such a jerk!” You would have punched him if you weren’t carrying your gift. He grinned briefly at your weak insult.

“Is it my fault you were terrible at hiding you had me for Secret Santa?” He said. He began to walk again and you sped up to join him. You had to be honest. Your attempts were very pitiful when you spoke with Diluc that entire week. It’s much easier to talk with him at the moment than beforehand. “Though, I like your gift more than Donna’s.”

That’s an accomplishment.

“Are you sure six jars were necessary?”

“Leave me alone.”

#@ 𝐘𝐘𝐔𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐒 ★ ⸻ 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓 #gixrsecretsanta2023 #favoniuslibrary #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact fluff #diluc ragnvindr fluff #genshin diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr x you #diluc ragnvindr x reader #diluc x reader #diluc x you #diluc ragnivindr x reader #diluc ragnivindr x you

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itstheghostofmypast · 2 years

Text

Music To My Ears

Five x Talkative Wife

Note: Okay, so I've had this idea for a long time, basically a HC of what it would be like if Five (when he comes back to 2019) brings along his wife who is also his partner from the commission- who is super talkative, especially when she's nervous.

Five x FemReader

Gif Credit to rightful owner

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first time he had seen Y/N, he simply wanted to kill her. Not only did she give away his hiding spot from the enemy but she would not STOP TALKING.

"Hi! I'm Y/N, I don't really have a last name, but it's an honour to meet you Mr.Five Sir. You're a lege-"

"Shhh!"

"It's alright they won't hear us!"

"Woman, please I don't need a partner, especially not one as annoying as Klaus!"

"Whose Klaus?"

"Tch no one-"

"HEY THEY'RE OVER THERE"

"SHIT"

And on that same mission Five got shot in the leg, which she kept apologising for over and over again, until he had to verbally say 'IT'S FINE PLEASE, JUST STOP TALKING I NEED TO THINK!'

Slowly, verrry slowly, she began to grow on him, killing wasn't his most favourite part of the job, and everytime she began talking nonsense he could tell she wasn't a fan of it either.

It didn't take him long to figure out that she would ramble on for hours a day when she was scared, nervous or just tired, especially on gruesome missions.

Yes, she would not stop talking even when she was drained. At one point he wondered if Delores thought he spoke a lot too. Until she ended up changing the topic of conversation around 5 times in 1 hour- no, this lady was a crackhead.

It was almost a year in their partnership and the Handler was pleased with their work. For Five was already a legend, he learnt that other than the useless chatter, the girl was a great assassin- quick, slick and brutal.

On one occasion, when Five was cornered and exhausted, he thought he was toast, almost ready to give up. He heard, "NOONE CORNERS MY PARTNER!" And gun shots.

They were all shot in the head

"Execution style?"

"Actually, I was super mad at you when you told me to stay at the motel because I'm very annoying and noisy. Like I get I can't be Delores but please I am my own person! I don't need to be someone else for you to accept me and hey! I am a great assassin by the way! Sure I talk a lot but before your rude a** came along I was running the show punk and-"

"Thank you Y/N, you saved my life today."

And that leaves her speechless, a whole year of knowing him, he had never thanked her, let alone ever spoken to her softly.

He smiles at her and hobbled to the car muttering a , 'You don't have to be Delores, you're better of as you.'

And that was the first mistake the boy made, because after that he began to notice more things about her that he liked.

The way she would ever so politely talk to people. How she was able to get intel by being nice- instead of using the interrogation methods he used.

More than often things would flow smoothly if she would do the talking.

3 years in and he wakes up one night, to get water and realises that she's not on the other bed. So he checks the washroom and she isn't their too.

Grabbing a bathrobe he goes out to the motel parking and finds her sitting on a bench, the cold night breeze tossing her hair around as she grips onto her cup- tea he presumes.

So, like any sane person he decides to give her some privacy, until he hears her sniff.

He goes and sits beside her and is just:

'Wanna talk?"

"No"

"NO?!?!?"

And she shakes her head, so he doesn't encourage her to speak, instead sits their quietly beside her, letting her cry silently.

An hour later he realises her head is on his shoulder and she mutters,

"When you go back, will you leave me?"

"I don't know..."

"Can I come with you?"

"You? But, I'm no fun nor a party goer, darlin' . I'll probably end up being an a** to you-"

"Would an a** have sat with me in the middle of a chilly night outside, letting me cry?"

And for once in his life Five had no answer. The resident genius had no clue to why her words had brought a sensation of tightness around his chest, why he felt her words cut through him. Was he actually going to leave her? If there was anyone (after Delores) who understood him, or rather had the balls to stand up to him, it was her. Yet, he had never realised how vulnerable she was on the inside.

That night ignites a fire within him, because 2 months later, on a mission in Hawaii, where the two are standing in a field of dead bodies he turns to her. All bloody and messy,

"Hey!"

"yes?"

"NOW GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER, YOU GOT IT?"

Utterly confused, she nods at the weirdo who looked like he was about to explode.

"MARRY ME?"

"Sure."

"I SAID A STRAIGHT ANSWER NOT A LONG EXPLANATION YOU - wait what?"

"I said, yes, Five Hargreeves, I'd like to spend whatever days I have left with an a** like you."

Cue the most abrupt and small wedding and exchanging of vows. Not that it mattered to either of them, because as soon as their 'secret wedding' was over, they were sent on another mission.

Naturally, she was rambling along the entire way,

"I really thought we could have cake though, but I guess we did have to keep it low key, oh speaking of low-key, I booked us a fancy couple's room I had been saving money for

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)"

"What's with the face"

"You know~"

"Okay, I officially married Klaus."

"but, but, but you love me either way~"

"Seems to be so, now please stay quiet, we're entering their base and the last thing I want is to lose my wife on the second day of my marriage."

"WAIT WHAT"

"SHHH!"

Give or take many years later, the couple in their fifties is staring at the blue portal. Holding hands, both nervous, one quiet while the other...

"THIS BETTER WORK FIVE, I BETTER NOT END UP BEING TELEPORTED TO THE 1500's I AM TELLING YOU! WAIT! I DONT EVEN KNOW THE NAMES OF YOUR SIBLINGS, OTHER THAN VANYA AND KLAUS -"

"SILENCE WOMAN, ON THE COUNT OF THREE WE JUMP. 1 ...2-"

"3 I WIN"

And she pulls him into the portal as he yells at her.

The two end up on the ground with a loud thud.

Getting up he pulls her up and is just staring at her, up and down.

"Really Five, not a good time to be checking me out- wait why are you a child"

"shit."

"does anyone see a little number Five with ...a random girl?"

Without responding he drags her into the kitchen, the siblings following in right after. Watching him make her sit on a chair at the end of the table while he is preparing something.

Slowly they start interrogating him.

"It's been 22 years Number Five, where have you been?'

"It's been a lot longer than that."

"What happened to you?"

He places a sandwich infront of her and starts to devour his own.

"What do you think happened? I decided to test the limits of my time jumping, see how far I could go. Turns out, pretty far."

"Then how did you get back?"

By now, Y/N is visibly shaking in her chair, too nervous to even eat, staring up at Five who seems to be having a a not to pleasant conversation with his siblings.

Before responding to Allison he turns to look at her,his features softening, something ALL the siblings notice, "It's okay..." He whispers to her, "Eat."

"By projecting our consciousness backwards into a suspended quantum state version of us that exists in every possible instance of time."

"That makes no sense."

"It would if you were smarter."

"Granted, it did take me a little time to work out all the nuts and bolts of it."

Five notices that she's still not eating and he frowns only to glare at his siblings, "Stop staring at her you're freaking her out."

"US? YOU BROUGHT A RANDOM KID HERE FIVE"

"Random kid?" She slams down her sandwich. As Five smirks, 'well, at least she's better now'.

"I AM NO RANDOM KID, IM HIS WIFE. And by the way HE ISNT CRAZY- other than THIS MAN IN A NICE SKIRT I DONT SEE ANYONE WHO ONCE ASKED HIM HOW HE WAS? OR IF HE WAS OKAY? OR IF HE WAS ALONE!"

"Oh? danke- WAIT WIFE? Five DID U KIDNAP HER @?!"

"No, we're in our fifties."

"WHAT"

"Yes, now well that's established, Five we should really hurry up. Also, why don't any of you look similar? Didn't your dad die today? Wait, are you all here for a funeral - you guys have been fighting ever since you showed up huh? Not a lot of love I see, no wonder my husband's a little crackhead too. By the way, why are you so big? Oh- *turns to Vanya* you're the lady from the book, nice book by the way, family tea is the best, not that I'd know, I have no recollection of mine-" with that she got up and randomly walked out of the kitchen, a nervous wreck, something only Five could see.

"Five is she insane?"

"Ofcourse not you big ape."

They could still hear her go on about something from the other side of the house to which Diego frowned, "She talks a lot."

Five just grabbed his sandwich, walking out of the room, with a

"It's music to my ears."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Note: OKAY SO THIS IS KINDA SHITTY? I don't know I just had to get it out of my system!, I hope y'all like it😭🥺❤️

TUA Taglist: @imaginesfire , @placidpluto , @achingwoundforaheart , @esmaada , @samyourneighbor , @xuenihao , @whoreofscience , @navs-bhat , @yuuki4646 , @simpformoonkight , @crowleysqueenofhell ,@anapotatowriter thank you, you lovely people for choosing to be part of my taglist ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚)

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noneorother · 2 months

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The art director & the Good Omens book cover tier list of doom, part 3

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3

I am your resident Art Director/Good Omens enthusiast, and welcome to my completely meta-free book cover tier list. Listen, making a book cover is HARD. I should know. But while we salute these artists for their hard work and time, I think we can all admit that once in a while, the vision is just not on. And on very rare occasions, publishers seemed to have managed to commission the cover art directly from hell... here's where we left off last time:

21. Labas zīmes, Latvian cover

Our boys are back! And they are so ready to join the Dead Boy Detective agency. I would say that Latvians don't wear much tartan, so Argyle might seem like a similar print, but it just seems so... not Good Omens. Much like Crowley's flying purple people eater tail and Aziraphale's Conan the Barbarian sword, we're straying into niche AU fan fiction territory here. I mean, it's not *wrong*, but it certainly ain't right, either.

Tier: Does the Job

22. Bons Augùrios, Portuguese

Let me start by saying this cover is so close to being in the blessed category. The layout and spacing are divine, the imagery is simple and whimsical, it reflects the humour inside the gravitas to give you an idea of the *feeling* of reading Good Omens. So few of these covers have gotten this aspect of good design right. Honestly, I would slow clap if it wasn't for that random FLAME JIZZ stuck to the bottom right hand corner of the book. Who's idea was that? Dagon's?

Tier: Great

23. Semne Bune, Romanian cover

I admire two things about this cover: 1) Their utter commitment to a clean 3-colour palette and comprehensible layout. 2) Symbolic demon giving a principality head joke RIGHT ON THE FRONT COVER. This designer had balls. cotillion-sized balls. Now, does Aziraphale's sword have a sentient rooster tassel that watches said head-giving in horror? I sure hope not, but I don't see how that could be allegorical so, I'm torn. I feel like this goes in two categories for completely different reasons. And seeing as I'm in charge around here...

Tier: Great & Not so Good (Omens)

23. Semne Bune, Romanian cover cont.

Compared to the last cover's gigantic double-entendre, this feels so tame and logical. The text is centred and balanced. There's breathing room, and we have wing symbolism! I've never seen a cover try to split Terry and Neil's names like that, which is a fun twist but BY GOD that center line is not straight near the right end of the feathers and it is sending this cover straight down to Does the Job. It's grounded there forever.

Tier: Does the Job

25. HYVIÄ ENTEITÄ, Finnish cover

In this list, having something actually *relevant* to the main plot of the book and not mangling and main characters really puts you in rarefied air. All the motorcycles are book accurate which means somebody read something! Would I have ever picked the empty parking lot of Famine's restaurant as a subject worth a cover? Absolutely not. But the sick 80s lightning tips it into "fine" territory. The text is yellow. It's pretty.

Tier: Does the Job

26. Head ended, Estonian cover.

My face after staring at this cover for ten minutes and finally realizing that this is Hastur and Ligur waiting around for Crowley to pull up:

The artist's face after watching me do that:

Do I even need to rate this? It's called HEAD ENDED. I don't know how to be funnier than that.

Tier: WTF

27. Dobry Omen, Polish cover

Some good points for trying to be original with the layout of the title by drawing a custom pitchfork "Y", but the heinous kerning and the fact the whole text block is not even centred kind of makes me take all the points back. I feel like we're pretty heavy on the demonic, extremely light on the angelic in this take. Maybe it's because on his death bed the lead guitarist of White Snake will finally admit to having designed this cover in his spare time.

Tier: Not so Good (Omens)

28. Good Omens, Hungarian cover

If I told you this designer did not read the book, and instead just watched the trailer of The Omen (the movie) and vibed this heinous brown carpet swatch into existence, you would one hundred percent believe me. I can't even talk about the faux belle-époque font right now. I am irrationally angry.

Tier: WTF

29. Good Omens, Bulgarian cover

WHO. IS. DADDY. WIZARD?? Is all I can think when I look at this cover. Aziraphale & Grommet are recognizable enough, and you could make the case for telescope monkey being Adam, but I need to find this cover designer and shake them until they tell me who this deranged Gargamel is supposed to be. I must know.

Tier: Bad

30. BELAS MALDIÇÕES, Portuguese cover

After all we've been through on this list so far, this truly sucks. It's not even weird. It's just puce text layered atop text to create a great yawn of a cover. Shout out to the designer of the Diablo PC game font, I hope you got paid.

Tier: Bad

Part 3 roundup:

#good omens 2 #art director talks good omens #go season 2 #good omens #good omens fandom #tier list #good omens analysis #book cover #cover art #gomens

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nonotnolan · 6 months

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Fiverr Warlock: Holiday Magic

Christmas can be a tricky for us magic users. A lot of clients come to us, hoping for budget miracles or last minute holiday magic, so it's easy to start feeling like people just take you for granted. Plus, warlocks are notoriously difficult to shop for. Most of the things we really want for Christmas, we can just conjure something up ourselves. I was started to get really, really burnt out on the holidays until I figured out a trick to raise my spirits-- as a bonus, it's even easy to do. I just pick a random deserving person and give them some charity magic.

Take a look at Jake, here. He's one of the lowest clerks on the totem pole, but he's also the only tailor I know who sees me as a person and not a commission payout. When he told me last week that he was on his second low sales write-up and about to get fired, I decided to make him one of this season's recipients. I know he's a great guy, but I can't blame a random person off the street rejecting a tailor who can't even wear a properly fitting suit. Improving his appearance will go a long way, I think. The problem is Jake would never accept my direct help for free, so I'll have to be subtle about it.

The first step was getting rid of his facial hair. Some guys look good with scruff, but Jake's body isn't growing hair thick enough for a good beard. I'll start there, and work my way up. As far as Jake knows, I was there to buy some dress shoes. I was actually there to cast a delayed change spell on him that would remove all of that unwanted hair overnight. While I was there, I added some skin moisteners and a long-lasting fatigue remover. Finally, I added a mental shroud so that he wouldn't notice the changes to himself.

When I went back to check on my work, I was pleased to see that Jake already showed a noticeable improvement. He was clearly doing a lot better, even if he didn't know why. Could I have left it there? Sure. But I don't half-ass my charity cases.

He greeted me when I walked in, but today I deflected his attentions. "I'm just browsing today. I meant to ask you, though, have you ever considered OnlyFans?" My words hid the casting of a compulsion spell.

He blushed, and slipped his hands in his pockets. "Oh, I don't think I quite have the body for that... but thank you, sir. Let me know if you need anything."

To his credit, Jake's former body was pretty unremarkable. I say former because I cast another delayed transformation on him. This time I gave him 20% more muscle mass, a deeper voice, and increased his self-confidence. I also took a few more years off, for good measure.

The next day, I was able to find his OnlyFans account under his name. It was tempting to increase his muscle mass further, but doing so would risk breaking the mental shroud I cast over him. Besides, massive muscles and a bronze tan often went hand in hand, and I would hate to ruin his beautifully pale skin.

No, better to leave well enough alone. Otherwise I'd be casting minor spells on him for weeks. Jake was no longer struggling through life due to his disheveled appearance, and that's what mattered. Another Christmas Miracle, crafted by yours truly.

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

Want to read more by this author? Dicked (Over) by a Demon by Nolan Sempers, for sale on Amazon.

#fiverr warlock #gay male story #male body magic #reality shift #retcon

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stormy-river · 1 year

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Transcripts from the Humanity Hotline 5

This one's been a long time in the making; had to make sure I did it right. Special thanks to @mothepissedoffmidget for the idea, and my roomie, @starryeyedlarkspur for helping with the advice.

-------

Operator: "Hi, thank you for holding. My name is Mindy. How can I help you today?"

Caller: "Yes, hi! I'm Nishel, the EMO [Entertainment and Morale Officer] on my ship. We hired a human about a month ago, and I'm struggling to keep up. Is it normal for humans to tire of activities so quickly?"

O: "That depends on the human, and the activities. Could you tell me a little more?"

C: "Yes. When we hired the human, she brought books and knitting supplies to entertain herself, which I though was helpful, but after a day or two she requested some puzzles. I was able to approve and acquire some fairly easily, but the human returned only a few days later asking for scrapbooking materials, and, well, the same thing happened. Over the last month, I've acquired puzzles, scrapbooks, a climbing wall for the gym, locks and a lockpicking set -- that one was a hassle to get approved, more knitting supplies, crochet supplies (I don't even know how that's different from knitting?), painting supplies, face painting supplies (again, I don't know how that's different), strange plastic bricks that fit together, and a violin. And that's just what was approved. I've also heard from the crew that she's downloaded more books, started writing stories on her personal computer, and started learning how to write programs, and yet, with all these things, she told me this morning that she has nothing to do and was bored. I don't know what else to do. I've spent 78% of this year's entertainment budget this month!"

O: "That's a lot. Some humans have a few different hobbies at once, but usually not that many. Do you have access to crew psychological evaluations?"

C: "Yes, when necessary for morale concerns."

O: "Is there anything in the human's file?"

C: "It says Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, which is also something she's mentioned a few times, but that's tagged for possibly interfering with work, not morale."

O: "ADHD would explain it. It shouldn't only be tagged as work-related as it can actually affect a human's whole life. This is another human thing that's different for everyone, with some hyper-fixating on one thing for a really long time, or different aspects of a single subject, and others, like your crewmember, gaining and losing interest in many different things very quickly."

C: "So this will keep happening? I can see about increasing the budget for next year, but I don't think this is sustainable long term."

O: "Don't panic, there's actually a cheaper method. Communicate with other ships and supply stations with humans on board to see if they are having a similar problem. If you can find others who get and lose hobbies quickly, you can trade the supplies; give them what your human is done with, and receive their extras for her. This will also have the extra benefit of building social connections as they discuss and trade."

C: "That makes sense. It would take a lot of coordination, but I can start asking the nearby fleet."

O: "Good. I will also send a report to the Alliance to see if something can be officially established. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

C: "No, thank you, Mindy. You've been a great help."

O: "Of course. Don't hesitate to call again if something else comes up."

End Transmission

Transcription Note: Following this call, the Alliance established the Hobby Interfleet Trade Service, now the Interfleet Surplus Exchange (ISE), commissioning a fleet of delivery ships to shuttle supplies.

#humans are space orcs #humans and aliens #humans are weird #humanity hotline

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writingquestionsanswered · 8 months

Note

https://www.tumblr.com/writingquestionsanswered/730814386289131520/defining-terminology-via-pov?source=share

I saw this post and it inspired me to ask a similar question I was dealing with. Is it weird for the narrator to explain time skips or off screen events? They always feel so unnatural when I write them. Ive seen it done, but I can't judge the best way to do it.

Narrator Explaining Time Skips and Off-Screen Events

Nope, it's not weird, no matter who your narrator is. Your narrator is there to tell the story to your reader. If there is no way to show something through action or explain it through dialogue, the only other alternative is to have the narrator explain it.

With time skips, that's almost always going to be the narrator's job rather than something shown via action or told via dialogue, simply because action isn't often the best way to show time passing (though it can certainly work in some cases), and dialogue doesn't usually come right at the beginning of a scene (though it can sometimes.) The point being, although you certainly can show time passing with action or explain it through dialogue, a lot of the time it's just explained in exposition, aka narration. I talk about that in these posts: Guide: How to Skip Time in Your Story, Subtle Scene Transitions, and Skipping Broad Gaps in Time without Timestamp.

With off-screen events, you really have your pick between exposition, action (yes... action... I'll get to that in a second), and dialogue. It just depends on what works best for the scene/story. So, for example, let's say a secondary character had to run an errand for the protagonist, and what they find out from that errand is important, but showing the actual errand playing out isn't important. So, it happens off-screen. You can have the narrator explain it:

While Todd and Amy started pulling down the interior walls, Anna went to city hall to find out next steps for permitting. After waiting all afternoon to speak with someone and being told to come back the following day, she returned to the house feeling defeated but bearing mochas from their favorite coffee shop.

Alternatively, you could use dialogue to show this off-screen moment:

"How did it go?" Todd said, dropping his sledgehammer when he turned and found a defeated-looking Anna, who at least came bearing coffee.

"Not great," she said, handing him and Amy a mocha from their favorite coffee shop. "I was at city hall all day waiting to talk to someone in permitting, and after I finally got to speak with someone, they told me to come back tomorrow."

Amy frowned. "Yikes."

If the off-screen event happened before the story begins, or happened off-screen but was particularly important or memorable for the character who experienced it, you could also potentially use deep memory recall, a flashback, or a dream to show it happening. This wouldn't really be a great choice for Amy's long wait at the permitting office, but for the sake of the example, if it was worthy, it might look something like this.

Amy woke with a start, drenched in sweat, her nightmare addled brain telling her she was still inside the permitting office. The nightmare had been so real, she could still smell the stale coffee that permeated the small room--could still hear the quiet sizzle of the mildly flickering fluorescent lighting. She'd been suck waiting to speak with someone all afternoon, and they'd told her to come back tomorrow. Now she felt like she'd been through the ordeal twice in one day. She wasn't sure she could stomach going back again in the morning. She would have to make Todd go in her place.

I hope that helps! :)

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finniestoncrane · 3 months

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Telltale!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 10k commission: eddie gets dommed! some angst to smut, where eddie lets himself be vulnerable to show how much he trusts reader 💚 commission me here! request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: pet play, master/servant, sub/dom dynamics, angst, aftercare

Another morning, another ten hours of vigorous work. Another day of suffering amid the awkward sexual tension between you and Edward. And you could only smile as you thought about it while you brushed your teeth in the ensuite bathroom to your room. Mostly, because if you didn’t smile or laugh, you would break down and cry. It was a certainty. Life with Eddie was rewarding, but it wasn’t without its difficulties. The work was hard enough that it took its toll on you, intellectually challenging, or stimulating as Eddie would put it, but you had only compounded this difficulty by stupidly letting yourself fall in love.

Staring into the mirror, you scowled at yourself, trying to correct your train of thought. It wasn’t love, actually. Or it might have been. Maybe not that strong? Yet, anyway. But you enjoyed spending time with him. You appreciated him, you found him fascinating, interesting, admirable. He was exceptional, quite frankly. It’s what drew you to the work in the first place. Assisting the great Riddler in his covert operations, working with him now that he had made his reappearance after his sudden and mysterious fall off the face of the planet (which he still wouldn’t speak to you about). The situation you found yourself in, and considered yourself lucky for, was everything you could have hoped to achieve by this point in your life, if not more.

It was no surprise to you that you had found yourself developing an almost schoolgirl like crush. Waking every day with renewed vigour at the thought of getting to spend your time in close quarters with such an enigmatic, deeply charismatic, and strangely handsome man. And the more you got to know him, the worse, the stronger, those feelings had become. The deeper the crush had spread. But the distance that Eddie placed between you made it impossible to get much further than the lustful adoration you had found consuming you. Of course, you could easily fall even further for a man like him. And if he offered you the opportunity to fall in love with him, you’d be on the floor, so quickly begging on your knees for a morsel of affection in return.

When you stopped to think about it, that was what you craved most of all. Even beyond any physical gratification. You wanted him to praise you, to compliment your work. It felt like he was holding you at arm’s length by withholding any sense that he took some form of comfort in you being there. That to tell you that he didn’t hate working with you, that you were a joy to be around, that you made his life, or his work, or his space, better by just being there in whatever capacity he thought of you as being there in would ruin the perception he had built up of himself. And the notion that he might eventually feel comfortable enough, that he trusted you enough, to finally admit that was what kept you there. Chasing it had become addictive to you almost. Like you thought that if you kept up the good work, eventually you might be given one tiny iota of proof that he cared for you. A modicum of evidence that there was potential for you to be more to him.

And after all of the time you had spent with him, you had begun to suspect that he did actually like you. That his cold and harsh exterior was more of a coping mechanism than a truthful portrayal of how he really felt. He would let his guard down sometimes. A lingering stare, a worried look, his lips opening as though he might be about to thank you or tell you that you had done a good job but closing again quickly. A smile that he thought you wouldn’t see. It was difficult, sometimes, to convince yourself of the idea that he might appreciate you, but it had been almost six months since you started working with Eddie. Four months since you moved into the spare room of his hideout, another step in furthering the intimacy between you both. You spent every day together, every single waking hour.

Surely, you thought to yourself as you tidied up your hair and made your way to the door of your bedroom, there wasn’t much hope of him being able to escape the truth much longer. And while it was hard to accept to begin with that someone as brilliant as him might let himself care for you, or maybe even fall in love with you, you were an observant person. It was hard to ignore the signs that were there, though they might not be obvious at first glance.

It was strange though. You couldn’t quite figure out why he would lie, or put a finger on the reason that he would feel the need to pretend, especially after all of the time you had spent together. You suspected it might have something to do with his inability to admit that he needed another person in any way. He was a solitary person, and to admit he wasn’t an island, capable of existing without another person, a burden on his limited resources for kindness and care and tolerance, would be to deny who he thought he was. Who everyone thought he was. He clearly felt that it was enough to let you keep working under him, to be able to spend your days witnessing his brilliance. That, to Eddie, was as much as he was willing to offer. And you could understand that. He didn’t think of himself on the same level as you, or anyone else for that matter. And you would have been perfectly content with that had you not stupidly let yourself think that there could be anything more between you eventually.

As you made your way to his workshop, in the lower level of his hideout, you wondered if his disappearance might have something to do with his inability to trust someone. Perhaps more so than his inherent need to seem like he was the greatest mind, capable of doing everything on his own. It was a difficult subject to broach, and you had been quickly chastised for bringing it up the one time you had. But it was a mystery that intrigued you still, and you felt that finding out more about it would answer the many questions you still had about Eddie and his situation.

Stepping into the lower floors where Eddie’s workshop was located, as well as his computer and his safes, was always a jarring experience, one you still weren’t used to. It perfectly encapsulated him, you felt. On the outside, in the rest of his house, Eddie was neat, tidy. He was fashionable, almost elegant. His agility, his style, the way he carried himself, were all untelling of his true age, of his life experiences. But further down, beneath the surface, buried in the basement, was the true nature of the man. He was old, falling apart from the inside out, and deeply insecure. Despite going to extreme measures to enhance his security, to make sure he was impenetrable, he had only exposed his darkest secret, that he was afraid. And every morning, when you stood over that one threshold, the steel door with the keycard, triple bolted lock and retinal access, moving from the stylish and modern apartment hall to the dimly lit of the workshop, bathed in his signature green glow, you did a double take.

It still felt like you were walking into his psyche, and you relished that opportunity. Truly, you couldn’t claim to really know Edward, the man behind The Riddler, unless you had been down there, been entrusted with the, albeit limited, secrets that the space held. It was the most trust he would place in another soul. And only a handful could claim the true honour of knowing it. That was something you carried with you, letting it comfort you in times when you wondered if there was ever going to be a miraculous moment with your work with Eddie, or your relationship with him.

Even to be considered just as friends, you would have to know more about him. You would have to be able to be there for one another in darker times. Eddie didn’t have dark times though. He cherished the moments of danger, of deep secrecy. How could you be there for someone who enjoyed solitude? Who craved danger and destruction? It was an impossible task, an unachievable desire.

Pulled from your thoughts, the same train of wishes and wants and ideas that fled through your mind each morning on the brief walk from your bedroom to the basement, you walked to the centre of the room where the workstations sat. Encompassed completely by the circular storage shelves in the rounded room, it was an easy way to ensure that you couldn’t be snuck up on. Another clue as to Eddie’s inner-feelings and worries. You grasped at them, collected them, these hints and suggestions of his personality, or at least the one that was buried under the persona he was more willing to show to others.

“Good morning, Edward.”

You spoke quietly, but not so much that you weren’t able to be heard over the constant hum of fans and the thrum of machinery and motors, the buzzing of electricity and static that often made it difficult to think of anything else but the immediate task at hand. That’s why you liked the basement, you mused. You were able to pretend that you didn’t have a myriad of questions and your own worries flailing wildly in your mind. You could drown it out with the constant background noise of the important work you and Eddie did together.

Even though you said those same three words every morning, and despite it being the exact time you always appeared in the basement, Eddie still jumped at the sound of you. Easy to sneak up on after all. He must have been on edge, usually he wouldn’t offer any sort of reaction to your morning greeting. But today he seemed to be very distracted, unaware of his surroundings. And therefore, incredibly irritable.

“And what is good about it?”

Rolling your eyes, you took a seat on the stool at the bench you had claimed as your own, picking up where you left off the previous day and opening your notebook to the page scrawled with scribbled notes and formulas.

“You’re in a good mood today, it seems.”

He dropped his hands onto the keyboard of the laptop he typed furiously at, the resulting clatter’s echo cut off by the constant, dim throbbing of sound in the room.

“You remain facetious even in the face of my obvious disinterest in what you consider to be jovial banter.”

Something definitely had him in a tizzy, and you wondered if it was perhaps down to the events of the previous night. You had worried at the time that you had crossed the line, said something you shouldn’t have, worded it in a way that came across as completely inappropriate. But Eddie had moved past the comment, answered it with an expert level of escapism, and the night had continued on as usual.

Most evenings, you and Eddie ate together in silence, sharing the burden of cooking and cleaning. Once the meal was over, he would pour you each a glass of wine and at the table you would discuss the progress you had made that day. Often, by the end of the glass, he had lapsed into more general conversation, sometimes even being in a good enough mood that you could joke, or discuss things of a personal nature, unrelated to the work. He was a surprisingly good listener, for someone who was a particularly good talker, and he asked the right questions about your hobbies and interests. They often felt like first dates. But an ever-ending cycle of them, as they never got deeper than those get-to-know-you questions. And anytime it felt like they were reaching a point of crossing into the next step of a relationship, Eddie would cut it off, tersely usually, and retreat to his bedroom.

And here he was, doing the same thing already. Only minutes after your day together had begun.

“Is this how the day is going to continue then?”

“Unless you change your attitude, dear, then yes it will be.”

Despite yourself, you found a smile crossing your face at the sentimental term he used to address you. It was one he used frequently, more often than not tinged with his sarcastic and dry sense of humour. But it was still a gesture of affection you were willing to cling to.

You were brought out of your thoughts by the soft sigh, Eddie’s exhale suggesting there was conflict within him today, which might explain how quickly he had decided that he was already out of his finite supply of civility.

“Are you ok, Edward?”

He seemed to be taken aback by the sincerity in your question, the care and genuine emotion behind it, as if this wasn’t something he had experienced from anyone before, or from you, which was far from the truth. Evidently, today it hit him with the full intent. It touched him, reached under the harsh exterior that he maintained and prodded at the vulnerability he was trying to protect, to hide from you.

“Eddie?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

He offered you nothing, the silence deafening. As you returned to your work, he let himself steal glances towards you. Truthfully, he wasn’t ok. Especially not for the past few weeks. Admittedly, though, it was all his own fault.

Since the moment he had taken you on, accepted your application and taken you on for the job, he had known you were going to cause him problems. You were talented, intelligent, able to match his wits with your own irritatingly effective comebacks. And that was problematic for someone like Eddie, who took pride in his ability to thrive alone, only seeking a companion or a colleague in matters where he simply didn’t have the time to exert the effort alone. Now, he wanted you around all the time. You were becoming an addiction.

Moving you into his home was a mistake, one he knew all too well before he asked you, while he was asking you, and every day since then. But he wanted you closer, or at least as close as he was willing to let you get.

Having you there, every morning he woke up, was painful. It reminded him of what he wanted but couldn’t have. You. But there was an obstacle there. The idea of offering you an insight into him, in having you know the real him, know him deeply, was terrifying. It was a level of trust he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to give someone else ever again. Too many times his trust has been abused, used against him. He’d been taken advantage of, controlled. The worst, the experiments, his work, stolen and twisted. His knowledge, used against him. That was what happened the last time he trusted someone. And of course, you weren’t the same as they were. But the fear, the worries and anxiety, that you were capable of even an iota of what other people had done, ruined the illusion of you. He would rather hold you at arm’s length, keeping you perfect, that hold you in his arms and know you weren’t any different from anyone else on the planet.

“Edward… Eddie…”

You had been watching him, his eyes unblinking, unfocused, as he started into the middle distance, mind racing with thoughts you couldn’t place. You knew there was something upsetting him, something playing on his mind. As reserved as he was, and even though you knew he was unlikely to open up or let you help, you felt compelled to try and offer him your concerns and care. It was the affection, and the determination to make him see you as something more, someone he could trust, that drove you.

You were surprised that the efforts went noticed by him, as he suddenly turned to look at you, shaking his head slightly to refocus his attention back to the real world. He looked up from his work, staring into your eyes, before letting out another, deeper sigh.

“Actually, I’d like to apologise. I think… I can be quite harsh. I can be difficult. Especially with you, to you. And… it’s because…”

You waited patiently for him to continue, leaning in without even noticing you were doing it. When he was still silent after a couple of minutes, you encouraged him.

“Because… ?”

“I’ve been contemplating this for quite some time. It’s actually been the focus of most of my brain power as of late. Which is a testament to how serious I take this matter. And how… difficult a thing it is to mull over, I suppose. But, truthfully, I have developed feelings for you. And I’m not sure even what to do with them. I thought that you ought to know though. In case it changed your opinion about working here, or living here, with me.”

With an almost incredulous laugh you stepped back slightly, shaking your head in disbelief at the words that had just come out of Eddie’s mouth.

“You seem… surprised.”

“Yeah, Edward, I’m surprised. I guess you could say that’s an understatement, actually.”

“How so?”

He reached out, placing his hand on the table, palm up, open for you to place yours in his. Instinctually, you did exactly that, feeling his fingers curl gently up and around you, holding you in place with the lightest of grips.

“I just… I really didn’t think you liked me. I didn’t think you would even trust me enough to let me in on a secret like that. It’s… overwhelming.”

He flinched, pulling his hand back from you and looking to the side. You were quick to scramble your way back in, to offer him comfort, clarification. Grabbing his sleeve, you pulled his arm back towards you, taking his hand in yours, fingers entwined.

“No, no! In a good way, Eddie.”

Eddie looked at you, sincerely pleading with his eyes for you to soothe him, to offer him something, anything, in the form of comfort. To make him feel less vulnerable in this moment. And you were more than happy to oblige. You stroked at his hand with your thumb as you held it tight, looked directly into his eyes when they met yours as you spoke.

“I feel… I feel the same way.”

He rolled his eyes, trying to dismiss you, suggesting that he might have thought you were only saying that to placate him, or to make him feel better.

“I’m serious! I enjoy being around you, Eddie. You’re intelligent, interesting, admirable. And I’m attracted to you. Very attracted to you. I have been for a while. I’ve felt all of this for a while.”

“Well, why wouldn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?”

You tried to offer him a smile, but he turned from you, clearly still in disbelief at the sincerity of your words. Eddie wasn’t sure he could trust you to be honest. He wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t a trick, or something you were saying out of sympathy. And it hurt him to consider both options. You could see that he was wrestling with your words in his mind, and the only thing you could think of to make your words seem as truthful as they were, was to open up further. If you exposed a little bit of the pain behind them, perhaps he would see that you weren’t just trying to coddle him or deflect from the feelings behind what was being said and admitted to over the desk.

“Honestly, Eddie. This is just surprising to me. I had kind of assumed that you had no feelings towards me whatsoever. That I was a neutral element in your life, like one of your desks. Something that just happened to be here and assisted you.”

He looked disheartened by this revelation. He had known that by keeping you at bay, he ran the risk of making you think that he didn’t feel any romantic inclinations with regards to you, but to know he had made you feel as though you meant nothing tugged at the last remaining shreds of his sympathy.

“It’s difficult to find a balance between offering friendship, offering more, and trying to remain… isolated. For the sake of safety.”

“I appreciate that, Eddie. It must be difficult, for someone like you. I’m… I am grateful you trusted me enough to share that information though.”

You smiled back at him, as you saw the corners of his mouth raise slightly.

“If I may be more honest, for a moment…?”

You nodded in response to his question, listening carefully to him as he continued.

“I have found it difficult to place trust in anyone, including you, or to even accept that I trusted you. There have been… events. Historical instances, happenings that have warped my opinions and have clouded my judgements. That have made it hard for someone like me, with natural assets that could be exploited, to trust. But… it’s something I would like to practice.”

“What do you mean?”

You considered what he might be trying to get at, his speech filled with run on sentences that you knew were his mechanism for delaying the inevitable.

“I am disappointed that I allowed myself to make you feel this way. I would like to prove my trust in you, to you. I’d like to enable myself to put even more trust in you, or perhaps other people for that matter. And I wonder if you could help me. Assist me in giving up the control I desperately need to have in order to experience trust. If I could… put myself in your hands, take the risk… exposure therapy… do you understand?”

You thought that you might, but it was better to have him say it. It was likely to make a fool out of you if you spoke up now and asked him if you had understood him correctly, divulging your assumption to him only to find out his proposal was far different to yours.

“I’m not sure I do, Eddie. I can… take on more work if you would like, would that help you?”

He clapped his hands to his face, running them down his cheeks and settling them, clasped, under his chin.

Sensing that you might have said the wrong thing, you could feel your cheeks flushing. Perhaps it was up to you to lay it out in the open, to embarrass yourself. It would be foolish not to take this, the one and only opportunity you had had so far to deepen your relationship with Eddie. If he laughed you off, that was fine. You’d be back to square one. If he didn’t, then you’d maybe get what you had been hoping for all of this time.

“Or perhaps… we could… I mean, we’re both interested in each other. In a physical sense. Perhaps intimacy is the answer, or the solution anyway, to your issues with trust?”

His eyes lit up, but he still kept his gaze from yours, as though he were trying to hide his interest in the idea.

“That might work.”

Smiling, satisfied that you had finally settled on the correct response, you tried to push it a little further, to see how much information you could get out of him.

“Well, it’s an option. Trust is often implicit with intimacy, they go hand in hand. Although…”

“Although?”

Eddie looked worried, like you might have suddenly changed your mind. The tingling sensation he felt in the pit of his stomach was suddenly dulled by the notion that this might amount to nothing after all. But his excitement was piqued again as you continued.

“For it to be an intimate challenge of your trust, you would have to give up control. And I assume that might be difficult for you, obviously. You strike me as a dominant person in matters of physical intimacy, Eddie. Would you agree?”

He offered you a sheepish grin, almost mischievous, as his cheeks began to blush a warm, soft, pink hue.

“That would definitely be an understatement, my dear.”

“I wouldn’t want to push you too far, unless you wanted me to.”

“Exposure therapy. Immediate experience. Baptism by fire.”

“Yes, I was thinking the same. Although, with matters like that it’s always appropriate to discuss it first.”

With a wide grin, Eddie reached into the drawer of his desk and produced a fresh, new notebook and a pen.

“Shall we begin then? It might be nice to just talk it over. Openly. A discussion seems like the first step in breaking the unnecessary boundaries I have put up. And I trust that this will remain sensible, and private.”

You took his hand in yours once again.

“I promise.”

“Good. Good.”

It was almost impossible for him to contain his glee, his smile widening across his face despite his efforts to try and remain, at least externally, nonchalant about this new agreement. But he choked back a nervous laugh at your next statement.

“So… how kinky can we get?”

“Oh… well…”

His mind was racing, cheeks blushing, his heart was beating faster than it ever had done, faster than the adrenaline highs of committing various criminal offences. His mouth flooded with saliva, palms clammy with sweat. This was all moving very fast. And he was glad of that. He’d wasted enough time pretending not to be interested in you, there was no sense in beating around the bush now. He wanted this. You wanted this. Might as well get on with it. Eddie was never one to hesitate over matters that involved him having something that he craved. He was far too important to deny himself any kind of pleasure.

“… I would say that we could get as kinky as possible. If… if it’s not too much to ask of you. I hope it’s not too sudden, or…”

As much as Eddie wanted this now, he was aware that you might not be as quick to action as he was. And despite himself, he did care about your feelings and desires. If pushing you meant he risked not getting anything in return, then he would far rather hold himself back. He’d been doing it this long, what was a short while, or even a long while, more. But he was relieved at your response.

“Eddie. I think we’re past the stage of dating and getting to know each other. I live with you. I’ve wanted this for as long as you have. I’m disappointed we wasted so much time. And I want to be able to push through this barrier with you. This isn’t sudden. It feels like a long time coming.”

He smiled, pleased that you were on the same page. Nothing about him, or you both together for that matter, was conventional. And while it might have been more romantic, more passionate, to take you in his arms and kiss you, it didn’t feel right to him. He was methodical, adventurous. An exploration of trust through giving his body over to your control felt completely on brand. A sexual escapade that came with extensive planning and rules, to him, was the ultimate in pleasurable experiences, it turned out. Exciting, enticing. Very much Eddie.

More than that though, it felt somehow, simultaneously, entirely new. A whole new side of him. One that was willing to expose his vulnerabilities to you, and to trust you with them. The sense that you had of his weaknesses, emotionally so, felt like hidden, secret knowledge. He was trusting you, finally. Opening up, letting you in. Showing you everything about him that might be considered a sensitive aspect, secure enough to feel like you wouldn’t misuse his trust, that you wouldn’t hurt him. And of course you wouldn’t. Not for anything in the world. This was all you had wanted and hoped for, for such a long time.

You couldn’t hold back you own emotions much longer. Though you were trying hard to keep the display or outpouring to a minimum in case you scared him off, your heart was swelling and your cheeks were flushing. Trying to ease him into it, you offered your hand out to him. This was a business transaction, first and foremost. An almost legally binding contract. He took your hand with a wry smile, raising one eyebrow at you as you shook, a soft, but firm action. And once you had his hand grasped in yours, you closed the other around it.

“Eddie. You have no idea how much this means to me. How much you mean to me. I want this to be amazing. Perfect.”

His smile widened, lips raising at one corner in a lopsided grin.

“My dear, everything that involves me is always perfect. Do you not know that by now?”

You could forgive his attitude, as you always did, because he was correct, as he always was.

“Well then, Eddie. Shall we begin discussions. Nothing short of a perfect plan. I’m taking the role of dominant partner, obviously. Will you be participating as strictly submissive, or will you be offering a little bit of fight?”

Eddie looked to the side, his cheeks were returning to a normal colour, not blushing in the slightest at the suggestive nature of the conversation. Clearly, offering it to him in this manner was the right way to get him on board and comfortable. He considered the options laid out to him for a few moments more before responding.

“I wonder, if it wouldn’t be ok for me to decide in the moment? It’s hard to think of what I might respond with. After all, I’m not used to offering up my control. But, I want this to be a true exercise of trust. And still, I think that it might be easier to ease myself into a completely submissive stance if it were perhaps… forced upon me a little? As punishment for not submitting sooner?”

You smiled knowingly, warmth and comfort radiating from the expression, an attempt even subconsciously to soothe his growing nerves. Eddie wasn’t used to not knowing the definitive answers to things, and you knew he must be slightly concerned by his lack of concrete knowledge.

“Ah, I see. I understand you perfectly. You want to put up a little bit of a pretend fight only to be knocked down to complete submission by your master?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat, face growing paler.

“Y-yes. That sounds… perfect.”

It wasn’t that Eddie wasn’t sexually experienced. You couldn’t be sure of that of course, but you had no doubt he’d had his fair share of lovers, of trysts, of sexual encounters. But he wasn’t, as you had imagined and now felt comfortable assuming, exactly well-versed in the details of kinks or submissive and dominant positions. For him, you imagined, and correctly so though you couldn’t know that, his physical encounters had never been romantic and had always taken on a vanilla flavour. It was a matter of physicality that was unavoidable for an average man with average needs. It was enjoyable, but only because it fulfilled a part of the desire. This was new for him, a frontier he hadn’t even dreamed of seeing, let alone crossing or conquering. The excitement filled his chest, and you could see it behind his eyes. They sparkled, fuelled by imagination, ready to be taught something new.

“Well, first off. Safe word. Something that you can use to stop everything if it’s going too far. I recommend using the stoplight system. Green would be to confirm that you are ok with everything, once we start a new activity, or if I ask you. Orange would be to let me know that you need a small break or that I need to ease up a bit. Red would be a stop to the whole thing completely, even just for a while. What do you think?”

It was simple, but effective. Two things Eddie was keen for when it came to operations and plans. He nodded and offered a statement of agreement, reaching out to take your hand. It all felt like it was real, coming together properly.

“I think the next thing we should nail down would be the kind of thing you might enjoy. What would you like to explore? And remember, we don’t have to do all of this on this one occasion. I wonder, Eddie, if you would agree with me that this could be an ongoing thing?”

You were hopeful that he would agree, and he had begun nodding enthusiastically before you had even finished your question.

“Of course. A series of lectures is always better than a one-off symposium. At least, in my opinion. And of course… I would be more than happy to hear your… interests or wants. And to discuss the things we both are firmly against.”

Smiling warmly, you felt your heart leap a little in your chest, wooed by his simple offer of exploring your pleasures with you. Of setting appropriate and thoughtful boundaries. This was truly shaping up to be a defining moment in the relationship between you. One you hoped was a signifier of the continuation, of things to come.

“I think to start off with, we could incorporate a little bit of roleplay? Master and servant sort of thing.”

He nodded, his pupils dilating, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the saliva that collected in his mouth, drooling already at just the notion of you taking control of him, tasking him with little acts of pleasure and him, following your every command.

“Perhaps some pet play?”

His face screwed up slightly, and you were quick to reassure him.

“Relax, I’m not going to make you bark like a dog, unless you want me to. It’s just an easy way to add some elements of control, or some fetish wear. I think you’d look very cute in a collar and leash, don’t you?”

Almost instantly coming around to the suggestion, he nodded fervently as you took his chin in your hands, stroking his stubbled cheek with your fingers.

“That’s a good boy, Eddie.”

A choked laugh escaped his throat, one that was followed by a gasp and a giggle. He was flustered. You really had him in the palm of your hand, and he was so willing to try anything, and everything, to please both you and himself. You could see him shifting in his seat slightly, and your heart fluttered.

“Are you… getting excited, Eddie?”

He averted his eyes, staring down at the table, cheeks suddenly flushing hot as he felt your interrogative stare on him.

“Relax, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Why don’t you show me?”

Looking up, he caught your eyes again. Eddie sat in silence, completely still, until you spoke again.

“Eddie. Show me. Do as you’re told.”

He wasn’t used to you being like this, acting like this, or talking like this. He was unsure of whether this was the beginning of the previously discussed plans or just a test, a teaser of things to come. Either way, the commanding tone of your voice send a shock through his entire system. He was surprised to note how easily his body conformed, standing up straight, his fingers making their way to the fly of his pants as you sat back and watched him, biting on your lip to cover up your satisfied smile.

Eddie didn’t intend to be seductive about it, but there was something almost instinctive, built into him, conjured by the creative milieu of erotica and romance, that drove his movements. His nimble fingers grazed over the button as he slid it out of the small gap, moving to the zip which he dragged down painfully slowly. With a less than graceful shuffle, he let his pants fall to his thighs as he dipped his fingers into his underwear band.

Looking up briefly, he caught your eye and raised an eyebrow, almost as though he were questioning you. Did you want him to continue? Was he doing it… ok? The way you bit your lip and stared up at him through your eyelashes, your mouth turned up at the corners in a desperate grin, assured him that he was, as ever, completely on the right track.

As he lowered the band of his underwear, you could make out the patch of wiry, greying hair on his abdomen, then, the base of his cock. All too quickly, the suspense was over, but the reward was worth it. His cock, semi-erect, pale and soft looking, hung free. It twitched as he noticed you eyeing it, licking your lips as you thought of what you wanted to do with it.

“Not quite as hard as I’d like though, Eddie. I want you to touch it. Play with yourself for me. Relax into it, I’m not going to judge you, or laugh at you. I want to see you happy. I want to see you hard. I want to see your full talents.”

Nervously at first, he ran his palm down the length of his cock, which bounced slightly as he reached the head. His fingers, slender and practised, wrapped around the shaft and began stroking slowly up and down, a familiar act at least. Eddie bit at the inside of his cheeks, trying to keep himself under control. He’d never done this before. Any other time he had touched himself had always been in private, his face and sounds and emotions kept secret within four walls. But there was something deeply exciting about having an audience, and he found himself getting hard quicker than he usually did. As though he was uncontrollably and unexpectedly deeply aroused by this public display of self-love. Or like he was trying to impress you, almost. And it was working, it seemed.

It was near impossible to control yourself, or to hide your reactions. You wanted to remain in a position of power, to not appear vulnerable to any whims or feelings. But your blood coursed hot through your body, your cheeks flushing, your palms starting to sweat, your stomach churning with desperate arousal at the image of Eddie before you. It felt dirty, like an invasion of his privacy. Yet so incredibly gratifying, knowing you were getting a glimpse at something you expected no one else might have. A view of Eddie, the wrinkles on his face creasing further as he focused on his pleasure, eyes closed tight, mouth contorting with silent gasps as he stroked at his desperate and thankful cock. You watched him skim over the head, slick and glistening with drops of precum, with his fingers which were tender, explorative in their touch. You were taking notes. What better way to learn what Eddie liked that to witness him touch himself in his own perfected and preferred manner.

“Ok, stop now. That’s enough.”

He was quick to obey, but there was a distinct air of disappointment in his abrupt stop. His cock stood, erect and shifting, out straight and curving slightly to the right. His hands were at his side, but his fingers twitched, trying to reach out and grab his cock again, to give him the friction he needed to finish it off.

“Don’t judge me on this one, Eddie. I promise I had no idea how you felt about me. But could you please go to my room, third drawer down in the dresser inside of the closet. There are a few things in there you can choose from. Call me when you’ve picked something out for yourself. I expect to be pleasantly surprised, and of course, stricken dumb by desire.”

You winked and fluttered your fingers at the end of your hand, shooing him off to get himself prepared with the items from your collection of fetish wear. There were collars, leashes, even a harness or two. You were excited to see what he would choose for himself. The only thing you were certain about was that he would be instantly drawn to the deep green leather of one particular set that you had bought with Eddie in mind. A colour you associated with him, which made it all the more desirable and arousing.

As you thrummed your fingers against the desk, waiting patiently, but not too much, you listened to the hum of the electricity coursing through the room, much the same as it travelled along your veins and through your nervous system, lighting you up, filling you with an intense vibration.

“I believe I’m ready.”

It was the single most erotic and enticing sentence you had ever heard, and you almost fell with how fast you attempted to stand up from the stool, calming your footsteps to a reasonable pace as you made your way up the hallway, though it was hard not to run to him, to his call.

Opening the door slowly, you called his name softly.

“Oh, Eddie… You ready for me?”

“As ready as I will ever be.”

You knocked on the door, despite the fact that you had just spoken from the other side of it. It eased over the soft, plush carpet on the floor of Eddie’s bedroom as you slowly pushed it open, offering him a courteous, overly so, amount of time to tell you to get out, or to stop you. If he was going to change his mind, you wanted to give him ample time to do so. That itself was key to building trust with him, and that was the primary goal here. There were secondary goals too, and you felt your clit throb at the notion, but the main point of focus was to let Eddie open himself up, to let him place some trust in you. That came before your own pleasure, and even his, at this specific point in time.

Finally entering the room, you were met by a vision, one you couldn’t even have imagined the beauty of. With saliva instantly forming against your cheeks, threatening to spill over your lips, you swallowed it down with a loud gulp.

“My, my, Eddie. You picked the ones I thought you would.”

Standing sheepishly by the bed, Eddie had gone above and beyond in his preparation for you. Not only had he done as he was instructed and selected some pieces to wear, the dark green harness, with matching collar, he was completely naked otherwise except for his underwear. And in his hands, which were still and steady, not trembling as you might have expected, he held the leash. He stretched his hands out to you, offering it to you. You picked it up gratefully and smiled at him.

“Very good boy, Eddie. Now, if you could please get down on your knees and I’ll clip this on. We can go for a little walk, hm?”

You watched his throat tense, jaw clenching as he moved his body to the floor.

“You trust me, right, Eddie? This is going to be fun. And if it’s not, you have to tell me.”

He nodded slowly, making sure to think it over before agreeing completely. But he was certain that while it might seem odd to him at first, he could definitely find himself getting into it, if it meant furthering his relationship with you.

Sinking to his knees on the soft floor, he immediately looked up to meet your gaze, straining his slender neck, roughened by the slight stubble, to allow you access to the collar. Once it was clipped and attached, you tugged at it gently, pulling him softly onto all fours before you pulled it taught between your two hands, snapping the leather together and motioning to him with your finger, silently commanding him to crawl towards you.

“That’s it, Eddie. Good boy. You’re so good at following orders from your master, aren’t you?”

Another nod of his head, but you yanked the leash ever so slightly, bringing his attention to you. Raising an eyebrow in question, you waited for him, and his big brain, to figure out what you wanted.

“Y-yes…?”

“Yes…?”

“Yes… master?”

“Good boy, Eddie! What a polite boy, speaking when asked to. I can’t believe you’ve learned that trick so quickly.”

You stroked his hair, pushing it behind his ear and letting your nails drag down, scratching him like you would a dog.

“I think you deserve a treat for that display of intelligence and unquestioning devotion, don’t you?”

Leaning further into him, you placed a kiss on his lips, short and sweet, ending quickly enough that he fell forwards trying to chase after the sweet taste of you against him. He looked so desperate, so adorably pathetic.

“Aw, Eddie. You want more? You’ll have to show me how dedicated you are to me. How desperate you are for me.”

Standing straight, you moved to the end of the bed, tying the end of the leash to one of the feet and then walking away to the wardrobe, just out of reach.

“Show me, Eddie. Come get me.”

Your fingers trailed down the front of your blouse, unbuttoning it slowly. Moving their way around to the back, they quickly unhooked your bra and then, in a shrug and a moment, you were exposed to him. Eddie’s eyes sparkled as they took a long, languid gaze up and down your body, taking in your form, parts of you he had only imagined before, now visible to him. Lurching forward, he was pulled back with a gasp as the lead tugged the collar and choked him. But with determination on his face, and arousal at the sensation of his throat being constricted in an act of desperation, he leaned forward slowly, stretching his body, then his arms, then his fingers, in an attempt to grab you. Even to just graze his fingertips over your skin, soft and supple and welcoming. Surely, his body being held, restrained, the obvious desire written over his face, were true expressions of the trust he was willing to place in you. Trust that you would eventually give him a reward for being so compliant, so obedient.

And he knew you so well. For as much as you wanted to prolong his suffering, you could see the effort he was putting in, and you felt sorry for him. All tied up, struggling against his tethers, trying to get to you, reaching and grabbing at the air, pouting like a child about to throw a colossal tantrum. You were surprised by how quickly he was willing to put himself into a situation like this. Trussed up, in a way. At your mercy. The trust was there, it was just a matter of him allowing himself to express it. And he should definitely be rewarded for that, you concluded in your mind.

“Tell you what, Eddie. If you can be a good boy and speak. Tell me how badly you want it. Tell me how vulnerable you are. Tell me your secrets, trust me with them. Then I’ll consider giving you what you want.”

Sitting on his heels, Eddie opened his mouth, ready to say something. But the words got caught in his chest, then again in his throat, and then latched onto his tongue, refusing to let go. It was one thing, he realised, to put on a display of vulnerability. But another one entirely to utter phrases with sincerity in the face of exposing his soft underbelly, the one that was all too human for even him to look at properly, let alone to roll over and let someone else inspect it.

Taking your back off the wall you stood forward, leaning down, just out of reach, and stared into his eyes.

“Come on, Eddie. Do as I asked. I’m your master, and you do as I say.”

He felt his cock twitch at the words, arousal building in the face of your confidence and bold attitude. But it was still not enough to pull the words from him, not without some assurance first. So with wet, needy eyes he looked back at you.

“You’ll be kind… won’t you?”

Taking his cheek in your palm, you stroked it softly.

“I promise. You’re safe with me. You can trust me.”

“In that case… I have to confess to sordid thoughts and feelings, ongoing, almost since the moment I met you and invited you into what I considered to be my trap. I apologise for the length of time it took me to take any action, but I am… pathetically grateful that you were willing to persevere, that you were emotionally, and sexually, available enough to coax me out of my shell.”

He tried to make eye contact with you, but it only served to heat his cheeks further, casting them a deeper shade of vibrant red.

“I am nervous, for the first time in a long time. I feel vulnerable, no longer in control. It is reminiscent of several periods of time in my life where I was held against my will. But this is… different. This is enjoyable. This has warmed me like a fire, and it is all down to you. Perfect, capable, trustworthy, you.”

Finally able to look into your eyes, waiting to see your response before he continued, you smiled at him, delighted by his words, heart singing, cheeks matching his own.

“And I have never desired anything more than to let you have your way with me, wicked or otherwise.”

The slight grin that turned up the corner of his mouth gave you shivers, it was so enticing, so mischievous. So Eddie.

“Very good job, Eddie. Such a good boy. You’ve done incredibly well for your first time, and I’d hate to put you off by prolonging your reward more than is necessary.”

Eddie was nodding ferociously in agreement, so hard that his soft hair fell out of place and his face looking so uncharacteristically goofy that it made you giggle. Making your way to him, you gently untied the leash and used it to pull him back up onto his feet, wrapping it around your hand so that he had no choice but to stand chest to chest, nose to nose, to avoid being choked too much. Tilting his chin up with one finger, you kissed down his neck, letting your tongue flit over his warm skin as you moved up and down.

“Trust me?”

“Of course.”

You pushed him, palms making firm contact with his shoulders, and he fell back onto the bed, perfectly aimed. He took in a few deep breaths, surprised by the sudden shift, but he was quickly silenced and caught off guard once more as you quickly placed yourself on top of him, easing him onto his back as you kissed his cheeks, his lips, his neck, and his chest.

With one hand pressing on his sternum, you kept him flat while the other reached between you both, snaking into his underwear, pulling his stiff cock out and grasping it tight. He bit down on his lips, pursing them and clamping them shut to prevent the soft whimper that choked him from escaping. Bringing your hand up to the head and letting your thumb graze over it, soft and pink and flushed, you managed to coax it out of him anyway, his jaw falling open as the sweet sound hummed around you.

“Oh, Eddie. What pretty sounds you make.”

He fought back a smile weakly, indulging in the praise aimed at something he was a little bit self-conscious of. In the hopes of pleasing you further, he tried to let loose, allow his whines and moans to come out when they pushed against his lips, and you rewarded him with a tighter and faster pumping around his length. Eddie’s hands, trembling, reached out to touch you, but stopped just short of your body, straddling him and holding him down.

“Good boy, you have to ask first.”

“May I?”

“May you what?”

“Please, may I touch you? Your breasts, your body, your hands. Anything. Please?”

Nodding at him with a wink, you let yourself fall to a steadier, languid pace as you stroked his cock, precum trailing from the head, glistening in the light, saliva pooling in your mouth as you wondered what he might taste of. Without any further hesitation, Eddie grabbed your breasts, his palms flat against them, fingers digging in as he gripped tight, squeezing and toying with them, thoroughly enjoying himself. Letting himself loosen up, he let his fingers slip to your nipples, teasing at them as he hummed in satisfaction, a sound that echoed through his chest against your palm which kept him in place. Eddie bucked his hips up, thrusting himself into your fist, a frantic manoeuvre that let you know he was close to his orgasm. A desperate bid to get more friction, to feel you tighter, harder.

“Sit still, Eddie. Do you trust me?”

It felt like a psychological trick, to keep asking him the same question over and over again, but it was working. He could feel himself easing up, believing his answer more and more, with each time he confirmed it. He did trust you. And he nodded against his tensed body to confirm it once more.

“Good. Then trust me to get you there, ok? Lie back and enjoy it. I can do this for you.”

Nodding again, he let his arms fall from your body, resting them folded behind his head as he chewed his lip in concentration. Focused on your touch, the soft sounds you made as you watched him writhe slightly under the pressure mounting inside of him.

Clearly comforted by the notion that you were willing to serve him, that he could trust you to bring him pleasure, Eddie relaxed enough to feel the waves of climax surge over his skin and through his veins. With a jerk and a grunt, he lifted his body off the mattress briefly, crashing back down with a wail at his release, which painted his abdomen, your cheek, and your hand. He wanted to apologise for the mess he had made, but he couldn’t. He was in a bubble of ecstasy, entirely unaware of his surroundings as his vision blacked out, his cock twitched, and the last of his seed trickled down his cock to the mass of soft, grey pubic hair.

Bringing himself back to reality, Eddie found himself on his back on the bed. With laboured breathing, he tried to cool himself off and calm himself down, although it seemed an impossible task. He was still riding the high of orgasm. Of holding you in his arms, making you scream, moan in delight, screeching out his name past your tightening throat as it strained and tensed as your head was thrown back in a fit of passion. A fit that he had brought on with his touch, his expertise, his willingness to please you whatever it took.

There was safety in the bed, safety in the comfort. He hadn’t imagined it, but it was there. The activities, the practised and careful engagement with the various kinks and physical aspects of what you had both just done brought him endless security. In both himself and in you. It was surprising, but he suspected that it might be the case. Loosening up, allowing himself that small bit of vulnerability, was an exceptional way to not only get to know you better, but to be able to place his trust in you. At least, a little more than he had before. And hopefully, slowly but surely, he could bring his trust in you up, let it grow, nurture it with you. Tend to it like a garden, a shared effort in hopes of having something that you could both enjoy and take pride in. Growing trust for a budding relationship.

Laying on the bed beside him, you let Eddie catch his breath. Slowly, but surely, his chest stopped heaving and he managed to inhale and exhale at a slower, easier pace. You had taken it out of him. He was older than you, it would be something you’d have to keep in mind for next time. But to be fair to him, he had managed to keep up, almost expertly. After all, he was surprisingly sprightly, something which came in handy during, you noted. But it was wise to ease him into things slowly. The physical exertion combined with the adrenaline and pleasure might compound and hit his energy levels harder than either of you might expect. Something to bear in mind.

From out of the corner of your eye, you could see a smile stretching across his face now that he was soothed and feeling like himself again, not just an empty vessel to be filled with pleasure and joy. Reaching down, slowly and softly, you grabbed his hand and held it firmly in yours.

“Eddie, that was amazing.”

You spoke quietly, with a warmth that you hoped was sincere and comforting to him.

“Really?”

There was a surprising tone of hesitance and disbelief in his question, as though he might not have been so sure that he had done the right thing, or that the experience wasn’t enjoyable for you.

“Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you. It was the best… the best I’ve ever had. Was it-”

He interrupted you, squeezing your hand tight and dropping his other onto his chest as he took another deep breath in.

“It was spectacular. An exceptional experiment in giving and gaining trust. Among… other things.”

You moved closer to him, shifting onto your side slightly and resting your head against his shoulder. Placing your hand atop his, you watched his face as he closed his eyes.

“Before you fall asleep-”

“I’m not falling asleep, I am resting my eyes.”

You stifled the giggle, shuffling in closer to him.

“Ok, well, before you begin resting your eyes, would you like to talk about anything? Is there anything on your mind?”

Eddie considered the question thoughtfully and carefully. He wasn’t quite in the mood to offer critique, not that there was much. Everything, he felt, had gone well and was enjoyable. During, he had come up with several ideas that he’d like to explore further, but he was aware that you were keen to discuss these at some point also. There was only one thing that really played on his mind, one little request he wanted to make right now.

“I don’t have anything pressing, or important to say. I enjoyed that. And I want to do more. If I could ask one thing though?”

“Of course, Eddie. Anything.”

“If it wouldn’t… ruin the mood, or have you jumping to conclusions about me… could you perhaps hold me? Tight. Just until we fall asleep.”

There were follow up questions. Did that mean you were sleeping in his bed with him? That he was ok with that? Would you discuss it more in the morning? How tight was too tight? Because you wanted to grab a hold of him and never let go.

As you let the thoughts flood your mind, you complied with his request, softly snaking your arms around his torso as he curled his spine, letting you curl yourself around him. With your hands holding on to his chest, you smiled and pressed your face to his back. His heartbeat slowed to a gentle pace, his breathing matching as he slowly drifted off. You lay there for a while longer, admiring him, stroking his dark but greying hair and smiling to yourself between the kisses you peppered onto his warm skin. It had been a particularly strange day, eventful in ways you couldn’t have predicted or even let yourself dream of. But in a way, that itself was standard for Eddie, and you were thankful for the continuous excitement and experimentation he allowed you to be part of.

#finnie writes #the riddler #riddler #telltale riddler #riddler x reader #riddler fanfic #edward nygma #edward nigma

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