#that will end up working a shit boring ass job fr the rest of his life

[evilchildeyeeter]

every time i have a pe lesson i lose a tiny bit of my will to live

heads up i kinda started venting in the tags so if you dont want to put up with that just scroll <333

[baby-tini]

Reader sees Dabi in an alley by accident and tries to get away quietly but Dabi sees her and brings her into the alley. He has her up the wall with a hand firmly around her neck but not chocking her but enough to threaten her. He asks for her personal info and takes pictures of her for reference just in case anything happens. And he looks at her more closely and he's like wow she's always more pretty. So he thinks for a bit and makes a deal you get out in one piece if you let me fuck you. The reader already knew he was giving her a false sense of choice so she agrees. Dabi likes her submissiveness so he gave her the choice of the location to fuck. And while she is thinking Dabi is already so handsy with her. Kissing her neck and running his hands up and down her body. He's like 'if you don't pick quick im fucking you here in the alley'. And she eventually picks a love hotel not too far from them. Once they were done fucking it's the next morning and Dabi is gone but she checks her phone messages and there's a lot of photos and videos of them together in different positions and a note at the end

See you next time Doll~

💙Dabi

(the blackmail really gets me fr😭)

TW: DUBCON, blackmail, noncon pictures and video taking, a hint of coercion. Work was always so boring, you wanted something fun. There was nothing fun about serving drunk men alcohol as they thanked you with raunchy comments. Trying to grope you while you were just doing your job. Complaining about their "bitch wife" in a drunken slur then passing out. The money was good though.. and your co-workers weren't awful. But that really didn't mean anything in the end.

It was too much, you just needed a cigarette and then you could finish your shift then go home and sleep the rest of the night away. It was warm outside, pretty too. Sky full of different shades of blue, no clouds in sight. It was quiet surprisingly, considering you weren't in the best part of town. The attacks from the League of Villains ramping up by tenfold, charred bodies appearing in multitudes. Consumed by beautiful azul flames licking away at ash. Some were lucky though, if you could even call it that, some people were burned so bad they were disfigured, leaving ugly third degree burns on their face and arms. Hopefully they weren't in this part of the city yet.

But then again, the heros were on their ass.. so it's possible. Leaning your head back against the wall, you sigh out, closing your eyes for a couple seconds before you hear footsteps. Your eyes snap open as your head snaps to the sound. There's a man in a black tattered coat, he looks exhausted. Purple burnt skin attached to healthy skin by staples. Tattered clothes with mangy boots.

Holy shit, it can't be... they shouldn't be in this part of the city, not this soon anyway. You have too get out, now. You try to be quiet, you really do, but you can't be quiet wearing heels. You mistook a step, catching the eye of the assailant. His piercing blue eyes shoot up towards you, a sick grin crawling up on his lips. As he walks closer, stumbling back you trip over your heels. He chuckles at you, grabbing your arms too lift you up, "easy there doll, what's your problem, hm? You scared?" You swallow down the dry air, shaking your head at him as you try to shake off his grip. But his hold on you just tightens, reminds you of a boa constrictor, trying too keep his prey at bay.

He presses you into the wall with an-unassuming amount of strength, pressing into you as he leans down towards your ear. "Where you goin, doll? I'm not gonna hurt you... if you comply that is." Squeezing your eyes shut, you nod into his chest, trying too control your breathing. You inhale deeply before stuttering out a response. "What did you, uh.. what did you want from me..?" There's a sniffle between your words.

"Mmm, yeah, need something real bad baby, think you can help me, hm?" You swallow down your spit, hesitantly nodding at him. "I- uh... I think, what did you need Sir.." He chuckles at that, running his nose up and down your cheek, inhaling deeply into your hair. "Sir, huh? You into that dolly?" You feel your fingers twitch against his tattered coat as you shake your head at him.

"N-no.. I just- I don't know your name..so," he leans back at that. Eyeing you up and down he grins, "that's cute baby, you really don't know who I am? That makes me a little sad honestly, but it's Dabi... I like Sir much better though, what do you think?" You swallow again, your right hand rubbing up and down your left arm, as your eyes look to the side. Rolling his eyes, he grabs your chin and makes you look at him. "Nah ah, don't look away from me, I'm not done talking to you bitch." Licking your lips, you swallow before looking up at him again. "There you go, you gonna behave for? Gonna help me with my... big problem babydoll, hm? Say, "Yes Sir." Your left hand twitches before you nod up at him, "Yes Sir, i'll help you with your... big problem." He hums at you before tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear and smirking at you. "I knew you would, you're so good, huh? Gonna let you pick the location cause' you're being so sweet for me... go 'head." You sniffle before licking your lips and nodding again. He hums, rubbing his thumb over your cheek and pulling down your bottom lip. "I wanna... can we go to the love hotel.. it's only a couple blocks away.. I want my first time to be.. a little special." He grins, pulling you towards his side with an arm wrapped around you. "Ahh, little slut's a virgin, wouldn't 've guessed." You try to shuffle away at that but he just tightens his hold around you. "C'mon baby, I was just joking, I'll behave from now on, promise," he snickers. It take's a minute to get there, with Dabi trying to get there as quickly as possible... his problem continuously growing as you walk with him. The hotel is pretty run down, smelling of weed and sex. The painting is peeling from the walls as women and men alike are staggering around and theirs people making out just outside the hotel, grinding and sliding their hands down the others clothes. "This is where you wanted your special moment?" He raises an eyebrow at you as he throws a wad of bills on the check-in desk. You huff at him, "it's better then some sleazy alleyway, surrounded by heroin needles." You retort, grabbing the key from him and walking to the room. He follows closely behind not failing to be as touchy as possible while you open the door. He ushers you into the room as he pins you against the wall and getting to work marking up your neck.

You try to slow your heart rate as your hands ball in his shirt, with a hiss he grinds his cock into your thigh. Nipping at your collar bone and running his tongue over your jugular as he nuzzles his nose into your neck. You tilt your head back, giving him more access as you run your hands up his shirt. He chuckles into your neck, pulling your shirt over your head and sucking your nipples through your bra. He laughs against your chest when you let out a choked whimper, clawing at his stomach. He huffs before snapping your bra from the back and sucking nipple and playing with the other, pinching it and leaving hickeys between your tits. He grabs you by your hair, pulling you towards the bed and throwing on it face first. Your breasts flat against the rough-feeling mattress, as you try to get up, he pushes you back against it, a hand holding pressed into the curve of your lower back. "Nah ah, fucking stay.. don't need you IDing me now princess." You breathe out softly and nod into the sheets, your body relaxing against the bed while he pulls your pants and panties down, letting them fall to your ankles. You hear him groan from behind you, he runs a warm hand over your ass before slapping it a couple times and chucking when you squeeze your legs shut. "Dirty little bitch, you want it real bad, yeah? Yeah you fuckin' do, say please and I might fuck you with the tip bitch." You whine into the sheets, salty tears leaking down your cheeks and staining the sheets. He chuckles, taking a hand and pushing your head down into the mattress as his other hand unzips and takes off his pants, his boxers being pulled down in the process, he spreads your pussylips apart before leaning down and spitting on your clit, before fucking his tip into your cunt and groaning when he feels you tighten around him. Your pussy feels so good, warm and tight, just how he likes it. He fucks into you harder, using a hand to stabilize himself next to your head as he fucks into you harder. He's so big, you can feel him in your stomach, it hurts a little, stretching so wide to accommodate him as he growls in your ear. You're so deep into it, your head so fogged up that you don't hear the camera shutters or feel him spread you wide as he films the two of you locked together. He fucks you good, you'll give him that, you don't remember passing out as he fucked into you, waking up to your familiar ringtone of your phone as you sit up, breasts spilling over the blanket as you lean towards the bedside table... 'Dabi' left you a text, "I had a fun night doll, I know you did too.. or else you wouldn't 've passed out on my cock, It was good wasn't it, I know it was, don't worry you can tell me in person when I come see you again. You're the best pussy I've had in a while if I'm being honest. Pretty wet pussy too, It's like a hug for my dick, if you will lol. Also, don't even think about trying to get away .. unless you want these getting leaked to your boss and family pretty baby." A couple seconds later six pictures and four videos pop up. Now it all makes sense... he wasn't worried about being Ided, you had already seen his face, plue he gave you his name... you're screwed literally.

[corellianbrandy]

Caught up on episodes 2-16 of The Bad Batch this weekend and these are my thoughts as I watched

1. Love how tarkin has aged like 40 years since we last saw him approximately four-to-six months ago in the clone wars. Like I’m not kidding I genuinely love it

2. Whenever little omega gets out of the ship and sees sunlight for the first time and is so excited about dirt 🥺

3. The scary scary nexu 🥺🥺🥺🥺 so cool

4. The empire just immediately making everyone’s lives miserable ie giving everybody a chain code and shit. You’re right Dave Filoni we SHOULDN’T have social security numbers.

5. CID FUCKING RULES LMFAO. Cathy Bates lizard ass mob boss bitch. Echo knows her as ‘a contact of the Jedi’ which coming from him probably means less ‘the Jedi’ in general and more just ‘Obi-Wan and Anakin’. Cid clearly liked the Jedi, but Anakin I can’t imagine having that much patience to deal with her and he probably just interacted with her out of necessity but Obi-Wan. Imagine her and Obi-Wan interacting.** The flirting. The mind games. They were probably in love.

6. I always know that I personally am going to have a great time whenever the Zygerians show up because they always bring the Peak Weird Scifi Ralph Mcquarrie 70s vibes with them and they did NOT disappoint. The flying lizard vs. rancor fight gave me the strength I needed to go on another day

7. Speaking of the rancor like I knew it was going to be a rancor as soon as we saw the cage but I wasn’t expecting it to be THEE rancor.

8. Furthermore. Lost it at thee rancor making puppy dog heart-eyes at omega as it’s being led away to be chained up under Jabba’s palace to eat Jabba’s enemies for the rest of it’s life until Luke finally kills it in 4ABY.

9. Everybody climbing through the ion engine core was COOL SO COOL. My little nerd brain really loved that. “This is actually a marvel of engineering. This steel coating is capable of withstanding -“ “NO ONE CARES!” 💯💯💯💯 Exactly how I would’ve written it A+++++++

10. The fucking rattlesnake wild west music that aggressively plays every time Cad Bane is on screen. What’s better than this.

11. Cad Bane’s entire new gunslinger cowboy outfit. Everything to me.

12. I love all these deep seeded reasons we’re getting for why the storm troopers SUCK. 1. Being the entire idea to use them in the first place was based off a misunderstanding made after one(1) experimental mission where it’s interpreted that they’re better than the clones when the clones were the reason for the mission’s success in the first place and 2. How a lot of the first-wave storm troopers were trained by the clones who either didn’t want to train them and didnt do a great job on purpose or did it but personally left out a lot of info and skills. Pretty fascinating explanation for protagonist armor while also making a statement about the inefficiency and insincerity of institutional evil/bureaucracy (I guess).

13. Holy shit did NOT LIKE THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC ENDING AAAAAHHH. Like the facility on kamino floating to the bottom of the sea. Kill meeeeeeee. Very cool visuals though.

14. One thing I didn’t like was all of the stuff with Crosshair. It was all just so contrived and weird and didnt make any sense and really just brought the show down in the end, writing-wise. Honestly, most of the stuff regarding the clones’ story arch after their interaction with the guy on Ryloth who still had his armor painted, where we’re supposed to just assume his inhibitor chip . . . didn’t work or something? But instead of anyone bothering to tell him what’s going on after such a big deal was made out of the chips the episode right before this, it’s treated like some kind of moral choice the guy is making kinda took me out of the story severely. And even more so when the same guy manages to talk a bunch of other clones out of working for the empire too. Like can they do that? We’ve had this idea that these chips essentially mind control you repeated to us over and over so wtf. There was no coherent explanation for any of it. Maybe it’ll be explained later somewhere else, but still. Weird to do it this way. They needed to be more consistent with what a horrible scary thing those chips were instead of doing whatever that was. But up until then it was a lot of fun sci-fi.

14. Every minute cody doesn’t show up in one of these post war 66 shows i get more and more excited for him to show up dramatically in kenobi

**Like fr picture it it’s year 2 of the clone wars. Anakin and Ahsoka are sitting at the space mahjong table in Cid’s parlor bored as fuck and ready to leave but Obi-wan is still in cid’s office. it’s hour four and they’re only halfway through orchestrating the most unnecessarily elaborate and convoluted deal for a piece of information like “where is cad bane the last time I saw him he stole my wallet and car keys and he refuses to return them yes my car got blown up but that’s not the point It’s The Principle Of The Thing.” Literally everyone around them grew bored of all of this 3 hours ago but not obi-wan and cid. This is what they do for fun and they are both having the time of their lives. Anakin this war is stressful some of us are trying to relax

[xllxxrbxg]

so ayon nga hehe

so ayon nga mga marecakes hehe narrate ko na lang nangyari today.

so i was like chilling today right im all set for school because i did my homeworks naman days before it was needed so i was like, "aight lets get this shit today". tapos karlo message me he wanted cuddles eh i was like hMMM... we just made out the other day eh and its like tuesday palang today !! i told him nalang na make it happen, not rlly thinking he would make it happen. but this mf took it as a challenge and actually made it happen.

before all that tho i was badtrip because ha made a very uncalled for rape joke and it fucked me up in the head, plus the fact na im being taken to someplace unfamiliar. i was very tensed the whole ride there. anw he didnt get the hint na it was THAT awful to me, but its aight we resolvedt it already. i'll keep a tab on this tho. for me that was a red flag.

anyways we made out in this tambayan place their family owns. basically it has a large parking lot and across that space was this little studio type housie house. the place had a large ass gate, wasnt really paying attention to what he was saying about the place because i was still tensed with the bad joke he made. anyways we went in and it was a very nice place. outside the house, it wasnt that obvious, but when you go in, it legit looked like one of those sala sets in malls with the note "thank you for not sitting" typa shit. so yeah it was nice it had same vibes with vista mall maybe because of the ceiling yellow scattered lights and of the fresh ass furniture and the whole place itself. it was a pretty decent size, not too big not too small for at least two people to share in the long run. it also had this aircon i always wanted the expensive ones u see in 5 stars. anyways it was quickly cold. there was also the bathroom that had a shower, then theres this chair where you pull a button and a foot rest will pop up lmfao. there were also two other sofa charis by the window. the window was the type then you push back up, not much windows tbh. but thats aight and reasonable since it has an aircon. i was tensed at first when the room was opened. it was obviously recently used idk maybe by his relative. WAS TENSED BRO same feeling when you enter an empty room newly unlocked by your teacher. THAT. that typa anxiety. anyways eventually joined him to sit by the small bed. was pretty much good for one big ass person to comfortably lie on, but fitted both of us nicely. didn't really bottom at that sesh so i don't really remember if the bed was uratex when weight is applied on me but it probably is AHSHDHASHDHSAHDSAHAH ok mej funny yun goiz liek- HAHA ok serious na nga hmpz. we cuddled first before doing nasty stuff. it was nice. i'd exchange all those laplapan just to wholesomely cuddle in peace and probably have a great nap together. i like the feeling the warm feeling. it was nice. yes. anyways,, yeah it was nice. cant stop talking about how nice it was because it was nice. heck... it was so nice. it was so heart heart. idc about my coochie getting rubbed, CUDDLE ME BITCH. anyways we started kissing and the rest is historyYYYYYY. jk. basically the make out routine starts with cuddling then kissing then he touches me until it reacher the forbidden softie softie, main bec he likes hearing my sexy ass moan. even before in tinder when i vm my boytoys for the first time the first thing they say my voice is smexy. cant blame them i agree. even when im alone and i randomly fake moan gat dam bro i get turned on too LMFAO. so yeah i moaned bec it was music to his ears and turned him on big time. was ngl kinda steamy when we breathe in each others mouth thats one of my favorite parts of it and also when i suck on his tongue. or also when i moan into his mouth. yep. also when he cusses it means im doing a great job. hehe. nice stuff ryt there. we pause sometimes to rest, then go aead again. i got many rounds that day. we did same stuff on the bed several times. then he pulled me so i'd be on top. im such a great top bro he aint know hoe to topppp. then was cuddling on top of him and then accidentally (wink wink) grinded on his rock solid stuff. he was turned on sabi nya shit anuyon sabi ka ah ayaw mo ok BUT THEN he was like gusto ko. tnagina pabebe yarn. anw i started kissing then grinding and he was cussing bec im so good at it. later my pants were off and later his shorts too. so we were underwear-away from grinding on directly. was nice got me tiredt. THEN HAHAH i saw this 5 peso coin by the bed and i was like eto yung token sa rides AHSDHASHDASHDHA WOF YAN TEH? tangina tawang tawa sya gago ang funny ko tlg san ka makakakuha ng kallapan na funny. tas nilagay ko sa gilid nya singko started grinding again. bet u he was grinding too. AND IT WAS SO HARD IT LOWKEY HURT TO GRIND ON. GEEZAS. so basically the whole bed was shaking. and i did my deed as a good girl to keep the music on (aka moaning) because there was no music. felt like

asmr. boring af. unlike when we make out sa car, theres always music. i like making out on the white chev instead of the fortuner BECAUSE THE FORTUNERS WINDOWS AIN TINTED what in the world was i thinking making out inside an untinted car INSIDE A PARK WHERE THERE ARE LOTSA PPL PASSING BY. anyways back to the bed, we paused, cuddled. then i was badtrip again for some reason so i got up to get dressed but we eventually made out again on the sofa hehe. legs spread again bec he liked touching there so i let him. then eventually was begging me to allow him to eat me out but i was like BROOOO NOOOO you gon taste it and it be not groomed yet in anyway but he was alr there begging looool he looked so adorbs but NOOO. i asked wala ka man benefit jan, sabi nya ikaw meron. tas sabi ko why do u wanna do it, he said he wasnted to satify me liek HNGGGGGG ok i would let you but it really not be groomed oakay NEXT TIME for sure. AND HECK the lights were on. it was daylight and the lights were on like hasdhahsdhashdas it feels liek im being eaten out at the home decor station at vista mall U GUYZ. anyways ayon. after non i think he tried carrying me for some reason. and i knew he found me heavy lols. but yeah i was a cute little moment he carried me around the room pretending its a mall and he's touring me and shit, "to your left, is the sala set, to your right is the flat screen tv..." things like that HAHAHA funny cute moment. anw later on we found ourselves sitting on the little bed again i was on top of him. he didnt want to lay down bec he alrady made the bed lol so we started grinding again sitting, me on top doing my best !! giving my all !! bec he also had a finger down there as i grinded on his stuff so it basically felt like a direct grind lols. anyways was nice. then later on we made out standing up. was kinda hard because he was 7 inches taller. OH AKALA NYO TITE SIZE YUNG 7 INCHES NOH. hinde. so ayon we were making out and he was shy to ask for a deep throat HAHSDHAHDHAS HECK NAW BITCH U TOLD ME A RAPE JOKE. so this is the part where i get revenge. he was standing there, and i was teasing him. was acting clueless, but he hinted he wanted his belt off so i took it off. was honestly confused with the belt. lol. anw i got to remove it and said, so ano next? playfully hhehhehehe. anyways ayon nga eventually me teased him everrr soooo slowly his dick went from solid-jelly-solid-jelly. LMFAO omfg will i cause him illness? omg. anwwww ayon. later on i removed his shorts as he asked. then i stepped aaway from him across the room because he was doing the shy type hands while hsis shorts was by his foot. and i LOL'd at him for a good few minutes just clapping my hands out of entertainment HAHSDHAHSDAS. then he asked me to put my hands inside, did it slowly and i told him to smile ka nga muna. AND HA THE MF WAS SHAKING. LOL. my fucking powerrrrrrr. anyways later on i was teasing out the underwear, then later i got my hands in again and then touchedt the dick *YAY* finally we got there!! anw it was only for a few secs and i told him its over HAHAHA. then i put his shorts back up again, but subtly teasing that i would suck. bec the shorts were by his ankles so i had to kneel. did i suck? no. did i make sure he thought i was? YES BITCH. and then he lay down fretting because i didnt suck his dick and then while was laying down i opened his shorts again to pretend that his dick was a computer mouse and told him "lets play solitaire, o kaya counterstrike or maybe purble place. gawa ng cake hehe" lmfao mfer be cry laughing because he dont know what to do bec he was teased. so ayon we ended that way and i thought he was bad trip bec of what i did. but he assured me na di naman like dapat lang duh. anyways ayon hehe.

uwi na kami after nakauwi ako 1. andon kami 10. hehe. hinatid nya man me pauwi. tho yung byahe pauwi di pa kami nakakalayo sa place he pulled over so i was confused bec there were no big vehicles incoming but to my surpris he started kissimg me again lol bro deins ka ba nasasawa. anw yon. was nice naman. making out with a guy from a rich fam is nice bec yall dont need to pay to rent in motels lol but still has pressure, bec if we end on a bad note, i swear most of the blgs here are engineered by his relatives. thats how prominent they are. the place we went to is owned by his uncle, who works at legazpi rn thats why the place was vacant. theyre making a mall i think idk. so thats why his uncle is making another like that na place dun. so he has somewhere to stay. like what in the wealth... its crazy how people have money. and for sure even if the place we stayed in was small, it costs millions fr. anyways ayun yung promised detailed chika ko. hehe ciao. mej pokpok nga me pero look at me suffering the consequences, may sipon na ako aside sa ubo because he had mild sipon. now my sipon is malala compared to his, and he alr is recoveredt tangina unfair. but yesterday he insisted to see me to drop off some meds and he hugeed me and cried. because i asked for a time out the night before. bec i was having a hard time. he allowed it but over thinkedt it so yeah he cried while hugging me tight in the car. and kept on saying sorry mainly bec of the sipon thing. but it was, i felt, directed to the other stuff he had disappointed me with. anyways before that sabi nya ok lang ba sayo mag punta munang emall may bibilhin lang, sabi ko naur im sick. it was bec he wanted to buy me gummy worms lol. cute. u shoulda bought them before going to me, mofo. jk. loveee u penggg.

[blackpantahh-blog]

Passionfruit

Erik (Killmonger) Stevens/Black!Reader

Summary: As far as reader feels, long distance relationships hardly ever work... Or do they?

Word Count: 1.9k 

Notes: FR Ya’ll spare my ass cause this shit is my first posted fic and boiii im out here scared shITLESS

Listen,Seeing you got ritualistic

Cleansing my soul of addiction now ‘Cause I’m fallin’ apart.

Yeah, tension

Between us just like picket fences

You got issues I won’t mention for now, Cause we’re fallin’ apart..

You stood in the shower thinking about the last time you had a real conversation with Erik, the detached shower head close to your face as you rinsed the deep conditioner out of your stubborn curly hair. The start of this month might've actually been the end of y'all little three month relationship, ever since you moved out of Oakland to go be closer to your family in another state, he kind of cut all of your contact with him short.

The arguments started to pop up more, conversation over the phone became tense and brief. You definitely felt that spark between the two of you beginning to slip away and it was pissing you off because you still had yet to understand why he would stop speaking to you just because you moved.

You stepped out of the shower after you slid the shower head back on its mount, not bothering to ring out your wash rag as you threw it back on the towel rack. You threw your hair up in a towel, and wrapped another around your body frame, exiting the steamy bathroom to throw some shit on before bed.

‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ blasted through the speakers of your iPhone 8, to which you’d thrown on your queen mattress, letting the towel hanging off your titties fall to the floor of your modest bedroom. As you threw on some pajamas, the song playing from your phone had been interrupted shortly with a ding, as you perked up. “Who the hell’s texting me this late at night?” You fussed to yourself, eyebrows furrowed as you looked at the iMessage displayed across the screen.

My Boo “You up?”

You rolled your eyes, picking up the cell phone and typing up a reply. “Yeah. Just hopped out the shower. Y.”

“Jus wonderin. Take a pic for me.”

“Naw. Too tired for that freaky shit.”

You waited a good two minutes for a reply before you sucked your teeth, throwing your phone back down, going to sit down in front of your vanity mirror, detangling your hair carefully so you didn’t accidentally pull your hair from your damn scalp. You chuckled to yourself, it gave you a rush of confidence turning down Erik like that. He stayed expecting to get something from you when he rarely ever gave. Even though when he gave it was amazing but…. that’s besides the point.

You wasn't about to sit there and tend to his every need when he didn't do the same for you anymore. Y’all changed and it hurt like hell, whether you wanted to admit it or not.

Passionate from miles away

Passive with the things you say

I can't blame you, no.

You finally got a reply back from him, as you turned out your bedroom light, climbing under your bed sheets. “Smh.”

“When's the next time I'm gonna see you?” You decided to change the subject since it wasn't going anywhere. Despite being a little mad at Erik, you still wanted to at least have a conversation with the nigga. “IDK. Gotta see how my schedule look. Y don't you come 2 me?”

“That can be arranged.”

“Bet. Wyd?”

You instantly rolled your eyes at the question, you hated when he asked you that because every time he'd ask, you're doing something boring. “About to fall asleep. But you keeping me up ofc.”

“Good. I want you 2 think abt me when you dreamin.” You smirked at that, deciding to leave him on read as you turned your phone off with a soft ‘click’, tucking it under your pillow after plugging it in.

Passionate from miles away

Passive with the things you say

I can't blame you, no.

You were seriously gonna plan going back to California to see this man, but you'd have to let your people know first ahead of time so they weren't just wondering why you disappeared again.

By the time your alarm went off for work, you had sleep like two minutes max, so it made you grouchy as hell. You flipped the thin sheets off of your soft chocolate legs, eyes heavy as shit as you forced yourself to get ready for another day of your regular ass hustle.

You threw on your work uniform after taking a quick shower, grabbing up your apartment keys and essentials before you left the house for your job.

_ _ _

Listen,

Harder building's trust from a distance. 

Let's rule out commitment for now, cause we're fallin’ apart.

Leavin’? You’re just doing that to get even.

Don’t pick up the pieces, just leave it for now

Cause we’re fallin’ apart.

By the time you got back to your crib, you were all the way burnt out, your feet burning and tired from running around doing so much stock in that small, agitating retail shop you worked at.

You swore as soon as you stepped through the door, your phone started ringing, making you let out a groan. “Hello?” You hadn’t even bothered to look at the caller ID to see who it was.

“Damn, who pissed you off today?” The remark made you suck your teeth as you glanced at your feet, slipping out of your ugly ass work shoes, and stumbling over to your couch. “Everybody.” You bit back, letting your eyes fall close as you laid down on the comfortable seating. “Even me?”

“Especially you.” A sleepy smile spread across your face at the sound of Erik’s deep chuckle in your ear. “But I called you to let you know that you prolly won't be able to come to visit me.”

The comment made you sit up, back aches and all, your pretty face screwing up. “And nigga why not?” Erik let out a huff of air at your aggressive attitude, he knew you'd react like this before he even said anything. “Because this week I'm working heavily so by the time I get home, Imma be tired as hell. So don't waste your time tryna visit.”

“Fuck you mean “waste my time”? Erik we haven't seen each other for months now. Why would that be a waste of time?” Another impatient noise came from his end of the line, you listened to the sudden silence coming from your phone's speaker, only brief shuffling.

“Y/N–”

“No, Erik. If you don't want me to come then just be real with me. I know that bitch that's in your house right now wouldn't want me to be there either.”

You spat, you didn't want to be the one to be starting shit but you and Erik been distant for awhile now and you were sick of it. “Y/N, that's far from the fucking case. You should know that.”

“I don't know shit anymore, Erik.” You heard Erik sigh again, “You accusing me of having bitches in my house but why the fuck you looking so fine every time you post on the gram, huh? What nigga you dressing up for?”

You were so stunned at his accusation that it made you speechless, Erik’s side getting quiet again as he waited for a valid explanation. “What are you talking about? I dress up for my damn self.”

“Then stop saying I got women in my house, and trust me when I tell yo ass that it's work that's keeping me busy.” You knew you were being unfair and irrational by accusing him of cheating, but you were so dead set on traveling to him that it infuriated you that he would tell you not to come at all.

“Fine, Erik..” You weren't about to apologise to him because you were still mad, Erik knew that much. But his work wasn't the type of job that you could just call out on. His schedule was full and he needed you to just deal with that for the time being.

“Now stop poutin’ and tell me how ya’ day went.”

_ _ _

Passionate from miles away

Passive with the things you say

I can't blame you, no.

Passionate from miles away

Passive with the things you say

I can't blame you, no.

It's a few weeks later and you're chilling, curled on your small loveseat as you waste away the rest of your off day watching Game of Thrones and snacking on unhealthy shit. You ran a few errands today like restocking your kitchen, and paying off your rent for the month, so now you were just relaxing in some tight ass pajama shorts and a grey tank top.

You felt your phone buzz in your lap, and then buzz again as you grabbed it from its spot huddled halfway between your legs. It was Erik.

“Open ya door.” As you read the message, loud knocking radiated throughout your apartment, making you jump from your spot on the couch, going into fight or flight mode as you approached the door. You took a peek through the peephole in the door, snatching it open when you saw Erik standing in front of your door, his dreads cascaded over his face as he stared down at the lit screen of his phone.

“What the hell are you doing here!” You hissed at him, the chain of your door lock obstructing some of your view, as you stared him down.

“Good to see you too. I thought yo ass missed me, but now we speaking through locked doors?” You rolled your eyes, closing the door to unlatch the lock. After you unlocked it, Erik opened the door to let himself in.

You glared at his feet with a raised eyebrow, his black and white Air Max 95s still laced on his feet as he stepped on your freshly vacuumed carpeted floor. “You might wanna take those off before I drag ya ass back out the door.” He rolled his eyes, taking off his expensive sneaks and putting them neatly on your shoe shelf by the door. “Thank you, sir.”

“Mhm.” He hummed, walking around your apartment, oddly scanning the area. You watched amused as he dipped down, looking under your couch, and then your loveseat. “Erik, What are you looking for.” That came out as a statement more than a legitimate question.

“That nigga you been dressin’ up for lately.” The comment made you double over with laughter, as Erik rose back up from his spot where he was laid out on the floor, staring at you with a stoic expression. “You think I’m playin’ Y/N?”

“Yes. Yes I do.” You caught your breath after cracking up, crossing your arms again. “Nigga, you came all the way here just for that? I’m hurt.”

“No, babygirl,” He walked across the room to where you stood, grabbing both of your arms to uncross them, letting his own slip around your waist, pulling you towards him in one quick motion. “I came here to see my chocolate goddess.” He leaned in for a kiss, to which you dodged by moving your head back, watching him frown up, “Stop playin’.” You snorted, letting a smile spread across your face as you lifted your arms to wrap around his neck, leaning up on your tip-toes.

“I missed you so damn much, babygirl.” You hummed in reply, practically melting in his grasp as you relished in the feel of his lips against your own. Your eyebrows furrowed deeply, pulling back from the kiss suddenly, as Erik opened his eyes, eyeing you curiously.

“Erik– how’d you get my fuckin’ address?”

...

[thislittlekumquat]

Wait, did you already talk about this?

An Akoya/Io/Ryuu fic in which the pink ones force Io to think about them. Also they’re all very gay and happy to be together again. Set right after Conquest Club’s permanent return from Europe.

I’d like to thank my co-conspirator and beta @lululeighsworld​ for helping me and inspiring this nonsense!

Read the whole thing under the cut, or read it on ao3!

Io closed the front door to his parents’ house behind them and fumbled for the light. As they walked through the hall and into the main living space, Io flipping lights on as they went, Akoya’s expression went from curiosity to surprise.

“Your house is definitely bigger than I thought it’d be.”

Ryuu slung an arm around Io’s shoulders and grinned. “He’s not Mister Money for nothing. His parents are already loaded. He just plays for bonus points. But that’s why they’re never around. Business trips and shit, you know?”

Io rolled his eyes and as Ryuu’s arm dropped, he left them to go into the kitchen. Ryuu stayed with Akoya, who was snooping, looking at the sparsely-filled bookshelves surrounding the television set. He was thinking how it was exactly what he would have expected of the people who raised Io. They had almost nothing but a bland, pristine set of special edition classic novels on their shelves. Ryuu bumped their shoulders together.

“What do you want to eat? Your welcome home party, your choice.”

Akoya considered it. He frankly didn’t care what they ate – he was practically shaking with how excited he was to be home from studying abroad and back with the two people who in the months before he’d gone away had become dearer to him than he ever would have expected. So he shrugged and grinned and said, “Curry. I want to send a picture to Kin to let him know that I’m finally free of his company for a few hours.”

Ryuu laughed. “Perfect. Coming right up.”

Io meanwhile was rooting around in the fridge, trying to find drinks and some sort of snack. Akoya had followed Ryuu into the kitchen, and he snuck up beside Io, bending over as well and putting their shoulders together. Io jumped a little at his sudden appearance, and turned to blink at him.

“What would you like?”

Akoya reached into the fridge, purposefully pressing their sides together, to pull out some drinks. Io pursed his lips at the gesture but helped him just the same.

Ryuu had by then tied his hair back and was already heating pots to get to work. He was familiar with Io’s kitchen, and he shooed them out of the way to start getting out the food that he and Io had bought the day before in anticipation of having Akoya over.

They spent the evening comfortably exchanging stories both of adventures abroad and misadventures at home fighting ridiculous monsters. There hadn’t been much time after they’d finished dealing once and for all with the Beppu brothers before the student council had reluctantly returned to Europe to finish their courses. This was the first chance, therefore, that the three second-years had had time to spend by themselves without the rest of their friends.

Ryuu had a good time gently playing footsie with both of them, and they all swapped compliments and playful insults equally. Akoya marveled at how relaxing it was to be back here with them, after months of only video chatting, at best (and not often).

As they finished eating and lingered at the table, still chatting, Akoya noticed that Ryuu’s hand had wandered towards Io’s on the table. Their pinkies were brushing ever so slightly, but it was noticeable enough that Akoya’s stomach dropped mid-laugh, and his audible mirth sputtered awkwardly.

“Are you okay?” Io was looking at him with concern, and Ryuu’s hand had left the table as he leaned forward to pour more water into Akoya’s glass, thinking that he’d choked on something.

Akoya should not have been so affected by that small sight – he and Ryuu had talked about this, damn it – but it still got to him. He feigned coughing a bit, and took an indelicate swallow of water, waving his hand dismissively the whole time.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Are you two both done eating? Should we watch a movie or something?”

Io immediately reached for some dishes. “Sure, let me just clean this stuff up. You two go pick something, I’ll be in there in a few minutes.”

Ryuu’s foot nudged Akoya’s under the table and he grinned silently at him, wiggling his eyebrows. Akoya’s briefly soured mood lifted and he managed a genuine grin back. They all but tiptoed into the other room and immediately burst into conspiratorial whispers.

“Horror?”

“For sure. You know where he keeps the blankets?”

“I scoped the whole place out the last time I was here and already know the best ones.”

Akoya squeezed Ryuu’s hand in delight. “Good job.” He wondered briefly if seeing their hands together would make Io’s stomach plummet. Like his had earlier. He mentally shook himself. The entire point of this plan he’d made with Ryuu was to avoid this sort of issue.

Ryuu squeezed his hand back. “One of us on each side, right?”

Akoya nodded. Ryuu smiled warmly at him and turned to start up the television.

When Io joined them about fifteen minutes later, they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, the movie poised to play, Ryuu holding a blanket in his lap.

“Cold?” Io asked as he sat in the middle of the couch.

Immediately, the other two scooched to join him in the center and Ryuu gave one end of the blanket to Akoya, who helped him tuck them all into a giant cocoon.

Io had gone stiff as they settled in on either side, pressing close, arms winding around Io’s where they rested at his sides. They were each so excited about the success of this stage of the plan that at first they didn’t notice how tense he was. But half an hour into the movie, they had already shared a couple of worried glances around the front of him – they’d both noticed that he seemed entirely uncomfortable. So Akoya paused the movie and they both looked at him.

“Are you okay?” Ryuu asked.

Io blinked. “Yes? Uh. Why?”

“You seem tense,” Akoya said.

Io chewed on his lip a little. “I guess… I’m just not used to. To this?”

“What, cuddling?”

Akoya himself was almost tense about the use of that word that so plainly unmasked their intentions. He and Ryuu had planned to work towards this topic somehow, and he almost felt like this was too soon. But Ryuu knew Io better than he did, he had to admit. So he held his breath and waited for a reply.

Io had a vaguely strangled look on his face. “Is that what this is?”

Ryuu snorted. “Yes, you idiot.”

“But… But why?”

“Because we care about you.” Akoya wanted to make it clear that he was in on this too. He wasn’t going to be outdone by Ryuu. “We just want to be close.”

Ryuu nodded and reached out to Akoya, who read his intentions and took his hand. They rested their linked hands in Io’s lap. He stared down at them dumbly. After a moment, he spoke.

“Is this… romantic? Or. Friendly? Or?” He seemed more confused than he should have been.

“Well. We have discussed how it would be nice to kiss you.”

“But only if you’re into that of course.”

“Have you talked – did you plan this?” Io looked almost mortified.

They had the humility to look abashed.

“Well. A bit.”

Io closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was another long pause. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully when he finally spoke, under the pressure of the other two looking at him expectantly.

“I don’t think saying I’m opposed is exactly right, but I also can’t say that I’ve ever really thought about this sort of thing before right now. But I just don’t understand. There’s – well, there’s two of you. I mean, I care about you both, but you’re both okay with… with what? Some sort of weird three person situation?”

There were nods from both sides of him, and their hands remained clasped in front of him.

“I may have told Ryuu confidentially that I was dreaming of kissing you. I also may have been a little tipsy – Italian wine is good stuff and Kin and Arima are lightweights. I was bored and lonely and –“

“- and I was also bored, because you, Io, wouldn’t hang out with me because you actually give a shit about your grades.” Ryuu squeezed Akoya’s hand and bumped it against Io’s thigh lightly to reassure them both. He continued, “I’ll admit, I was kind of panicky when he told me, because like, I felt the same. But I didn’t want to be an asshole about it, you know. And I figured out pretty quickly that he was drunk-“

“-tipsy!”

“-tipsy,” Ryuu rolled his eyes and shook his head and laughed, “-and so I told him that I felt the same, instead of hiding it. And surprisingly, we just talked about you instead of how clearly there was going to be an issue down the road with both of us having crushes on you. But it was nice.”

“And then the next morning I looked at the conversation again when I was more myself-“

“So not drunk.”

“-and not TIPSY. And I had an idea.”

“Really, he just realized that instead of having one person to kiss, he might be able to bag two.”

“Ryuu! You make it sound so uncouth. I like you both, I swear.” Ryuu puffed his chest out a little as if preening, obviously pleased with himself that he was as good of a catch as Io. Akoya huffed and reached across Io to prod Ryuu in the forehead, and his victim just laughed.

“So anyways, Akoya texted me again at like ass o’clock in the morning proposing that the three of us just be a… unit? Rather than some terrible type of competition centered around you.”

“But the big problem was really that we didn’t know how you felt. So we decided to try the subtle approach first because Ryuu said you were probably clueless and would be surprised. But then he went and dropped the secret before we even watched an entire movie.” He glared at Ryuu.

Ryuu for his part just shrugged. “Io seemed weirded out. It’s fine.”

“Yeah, fine for you because you told him this started while I was drunk.”

“I mean you kind of were. Even I could tell by your shitty spelling.”

“Okay, so it was a little-“

Io put his hands over theirs in front of him. They both paused and looked at him instead of each other. He was staring at all of their hands in a close bundle on his lap.

“So let me get this straight,” he began slowly. “You two both like me in a romantic way. And have talked about this fact with each other. And have decided to, what? Share me?” He looked back and forth between them as if still not sure he understood.

“I mean, basically,” Ryuu said.

“But we enjoy each other’s company and affection, too,” Akoya added, “and we may have a slightly different relationship, but we want to all be together. All three of us. Like we are now. And like we were before I went away.”

“But we mostly want to know how you feel, Io.” Ryuu lifted a finger from clasping Akoya’s hand to rub his knuckle on Io’s palm as it covered their hands.

Io had gone back to staring at his lap. After what seemed like the longest pause yet, he spoke slowly yet firmly.

“If I’m being honest with you, I don’t really know. I mean obviously I care about you both a lot, and I guess I’m flattered that you both think so highly of me. To put it one way. Though knowing you two, you have some other plans that you haven’t told me about yet.”

Suddenly all the tension left his body and he leaned back with a sigh.

“Alright. I don’t exactly know what I think, because I’ve never stopped to think about it at all. But I am immensely glad that you both still want to spend time with me, and at the same time as each other, too. So could I maybe postpone returning your feelings? Or, whatever? And we can just continue as we are? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to disappoint, but I don’t want to lie, or mislead. I just-“

With seemingly the same mind, they both leaned into him and planted small kisses on both of his cheeks. They were rewarded for their telepathy with the delightful sight of Io sharply inhaling and turning a magnificent shade of scarlet. Both laughed quietly under their breaths, trying to stifle their amusement so as to not absolutely make Io miserable. He was clearly delicate in some ways.

“L-let’s just watch the movie,” he stammered. “I very clearly see why you chose horror. I know neither of you is bothered by this stuff, you just wanted the hint of an excuse to cozy up to me. Who came up with this harebrained scheme?” He seemed to be pouting, and was still quite pink, but obviously wasn’t truly upset. They both laughed at him again.

“That’s fine. We can even change the movie if you want,” answered Akoya, declining to tell Io that it had been his idea.

“Thank you for talking with us,” Ryuu said, before Akoya could quite hit play again.

Io had mostly relaxed. He still obviously wasn’t sure how to take his two closest friends being so literally close. But he spoke earnestly. “It’s fine. Thank you for telling me how you feel. I am, well, touched. Really I am. I’m sorry I ca-“

“Io, it’s fine. Stop apologizing. Honestly, we’re sorry for springing it on you so suddenly.”

“We’re just glad that you still want to even associate with us.”

Io snorted. “Well I wouldn’t say I want to associate with you. I would just feel bad abandoning you to your otherwise unfulfilling social lives.”

Akoya sniffed in mock offense, and drew back dramatically, while Ryuu said, “Hey!”

Before Io knew what was happening, there was a pillow in his face and a pair of hands were at his side, wiggling fingers drawing helpless cry-laughing from him.

“Oh, Akoya, he’s definitely ticklish.”

“I told you, you owe me a latte.”

“You – hah, no, stop – stop!” Io took Ryuu’s wrists and forced his hands apart. Breathlessly, he said, “You two were betting on whether I was ticklish?”

Ryuu grinned shamelessly at him. “We also betted on whether or not you like to have your neck kissed.”

“And whether or not you make nice noises if you get a good back rub,” Akoya added.

“And whether-“

“Okay, that’s enough! I get it, you two are devious and also your minds are halfway to the gutter. And since there’s two of you betting on either-or questions, I clearly can’t prove you both wrong.” He sighed and let go of Ryuu’s wrists. “I have this sneaking suspicion that you two are going to team up on me a lot.”

They both feigned innocence.

“No, not at all.”

“Talking privately was just a thing this one time.”

Io made an unconvinced noise, shrugged, and without warning, put an arm around each of their shoulders. Drawing them close, he addressed Akoya.

“We missed you.”

Ryuu reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind Akoya’s ear. “We really did. We said it almost every day to each other.”

Now it was Akoya’s turn to look flustered. He colored delicately and his eyes looked a little damp.

“I missed you both terribly as well,” he said, and buried his face in Ryuu’s chest as his arms drew them closer.

And they were content to stay like that for a few moments. Ryuu stroked Akoya’s hair, and Akoya’s hand was resting around the small of Io’s back gently. Io rested his head on Ryuu’s shoulder and still had an arm around each of them. The clock ticked on the wall and Io was dimly aware that he was half asleep. He felt warm and happy. Surprisingly. He never would have guessed he could enjoy physical contact so much. It was simple and fulfilling.

Suddenly the television screen flashed and the streaming service started playing the preview of the movie again - they’d left it paused too long, and it had gone back to a menu screen. A shrill scream played and the sound of jaws slavering filled the surround sound speakers. Akoya jerked and flew back, narrowly avoiding smashing Ryuu’s chin with the top of his head. Ryuu laughed, and Akoya after a moment of wide-eyed panic glared at him.

“I’m sorry, Akoya, your face was priceless.” He looked at Io who was struggling to keep a straight face. “See, Io thinks so too.”

Akoya turned his glare on Io, and Io held his hands up, trying to look innocent. “Not at all. I’m just upset that the noise woke you up. It was peaceful before that.”

Suspicion and the feeling that he was being wooed warred in Akoya’s mind, and he settled on outwardly harrumphing and reaching out to take Ryuu in a headlock playfully. “I believe you, Io, but Ryuu still needs to learn some manners.” He dug his fist into the top of Ryuu’s head.

“Hey- hey!!! You’re gonna ruin my hair!”

“Your hair’s not as good as mine anyways, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why you-” Ryuu leaned into Akoya suddenly, surprising him, and slipped free. They then grappled, hands locked together. Their elbows were a hazard to Io, who was caught in the middle.

“Okay, okay, you two. You- ow!”

They froze. He had a hand over one eye.

“Oh my god, Io, are you okay?”

“Shit, sorry, let us see it.”

Io’s hand came off his face and he grinned at them, completely unharmed. “Gotcha.”

They were both indignant.

“You dirty rotten-”

“How could you-”

And they both practically dove for his sides.

“No, wait, don’t-” But it was too late, they were bent on exacting their revenge by tickling him within an inch of his life. In the end, they wound up in a pile of giggles, Io with tears streaming from his eyes and the other two with pleased expressions of triumph on their faces. They were calm again after a few breathless moments. The clock chimed one in the morning. Io attempted to move and the other two tried to stop him.

“Let’s just lay here,” Akoya said.

“Don’t you want to sleep in a less unnatural position?” They were both on top of Io. Ryuu was practically falling off the couch, and Io had become aware of how close they were now that there were more than just a few points of gentle contact between them.

“Sure,” Ryuu said. “I know where the extra bedding is, we can move this coffee table and then there’s lots of room on the floor for all three of us.”

Io frowned. “I have guest beds, you know.”

“Yeah, but not any that would be comfortable for three people.”

Io pursed his lips. “That’s a lot to ask.”

“I know, that’s why we’ll make a nest on the floor.”

Io closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he was looking to the side, away from them. “That’s not what I meant.”

Akoya brushed some stray hair behind Io’s ear. “Please? It would make me - us - happy.”

Io still wasn’t making eye contact. “I’ll… sleep in this room with you. On the couch. Right nearby. But you have to get off of me first.”

The other two shared a brief glance and gently got off of him, Akoya sitting up gracefully and Ryuu rolling off the edge of the couch to land lightly on hands and knees like a cat. They went to a hall closet to fetch the bedding while Io got up and turned off the television.

Ryuu and Akoya dumped pillows and comforters on the floor, and Ryuu pushed the coffee table against the wall. He turned, and Io was already putting a blanket and pillow on the couch.

“Io,” he said softly, with a voice that spoke volumes.

Io’s shoulders hunched guiltily and he looked up at them. “I… I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I mean. Maybe I am, but. I don’t know.” He looked lost. Ryuu sighed.

“We just want to sleep.” He and Io looked at each other for a moment, silently. Then Ryuu spoke again. “I guess that’s fine. But you have to stay in this room with us like you said, okay?”

Io looked relieved and slightly ashamed but nodded.

Ryuu rolled his eyes and set to building his so-called nest with Akoya. Before they settled in together, they demanded that Io lend them pajamas. Ryuu had specifically neglected to bring any, and had only told Akoya that they were spending the night on their way there. Io just sighed and went to his room to get some spare sweatpants and sleep shirts. Ryuu swam in them slightly, and the pants were too short for Akoya’s long legs, but they were both delighted when they came out from behind closed doors wearing their borrowed clothes.

And then finally they were all settling down, Io on the couch and the other two on the floor. Ryuu put an arm under Akoya’s head and nuzzled into his hair, and Akoya had taken Io’s hand gently where he had let it dangle off the couch. Io looked mystified as he did so, and he hid as much of his face as possible in his pillow but said nothing and gently squeezed Akoya’s hand.

Io felt warm and happy again, despite the anxiety he had been feeling in the periphery of his consciousness all evening since they’d confessed to him. He knew this was a good thing, and he knew he loved them in some way or another, very much. But this realization was new and he was clueless. Despite his misgivings, he slowly drifted off, and felt close to sleep when suddenly he realized that the other two were whispering to one another. He heard his name and was suddenly awake again.

“What?” he asked. They both looked up at him.

“Oh, nothing.”

They went back to whispering, at a perfect pitch that let Io catch important, tantalizing words, but no full thoughts.

“Really, you two?”

In the dark, he could see the white of their teeth as they grinned at him. “Sorry, these whispers are for the floor party only.”

Io frowned. “You’re trying to bait me. You’re not subtle.”

Ryuu wrapped his arm around Akoya and Akoya’s and Io’s still-clasped hands were jostled.

“Maybe,” he said, “but subtlety can be overrated.”

Akoya was tugging gently on Io’s hand, fingers curled around his palm. His hand was warm in Io’s, and it already felt familiar, as if it wasn’t the first time in his life he’d held hands with him. They were both looking at him. Moonlight coming in through a gap in the curtains fell upon their faces and hair, illuminating them with a soft light that made the entire tableau of comfort and warmth and love look too tantalizing to bear. Io felt himself inhale, and he felt as if he didn’t exhale until he was on the floor and they were smiling softly as they gathered him into their arms.

And the moonlight continued to shine in, the beam of gentle light drawing a path across the bundle of limbs and soft breaths and shining hair until it left them in quiet, calm darkness.