#the more I watched the more I appreciated him and before you knew it he had a firm hold on me

[lyrefromthesea]

how would the pillars celebrate the birthday of their S/O? :P

Male pillars x Reader - Happy Birthday

pairing: Tengen x reader, Obanai x reader, Rengoku x reader, Sanemi x reader, Giyuu x reader, Gyomei x reader

content warning: none

Tengen:

• just like him, he makes it flashy

• invites multiple people, variety of food and drinks

• will make sure to put you in the spotlight

• only gives you one or two presents, but they have a deep meaning

you swore your social batteries had died down an hour ago, not sure when this party would end. you had been happy upon coming home and seeing the people you loved congratulate you, but everything needed to end.

right before you were about to tell Tengen that you were exhausted and needed to excuse yourself, you could see him come towards you with a gift in hand.

it was.. weirdly simply. it wasn't presented like the rest of his flashy party for you, but put in a small black box.

"for you, beautiful." he said, gently placing the box in your hand. glancing up at him, as if you wanted reassurance, you slowly removed the lid of the small black box.

your eyes widened upon seeing a small necklace, a beautiful gem attached to it. you knew what it was, he had precisely picked your birthstone.

"Tengen.." you murmured, taking the necklace out with the outmost care. would it be embarrassing to cry now? yes. did you still do it? yes.

"i'm glad you like it, beautiful."

Obanai:

• hates his own birthdays and now hates them in general

• against big parties and multiple people entering his private walls

• still appreciates you and wants to show you his love

• almost embarrassed when he hands you his present

"happy birthday.." he mumbled, head tilted down. he wasn't used to giving people gifts - especially not the people he liked most.

you awed silently, your fingers brushing against his when you took the present out of his hand.

he had probably wrapped it up himself, much better than one would have expected, but you could still see small flaws - not that you would ever care.

you wanted to open it, but his shy demeanor held you back. he had done something incredible sweet, you wanted to thank him.

"this is so sweet, thank you, Obanai.." you answered, placing the gift down to hold his hand affectionately. he flinched lightly, almost as if he was falling out of a trance.

"it's not sweet, it's what you deserve. if i didn't show you how much i love you, would i really deserve this? you're the serpent of my heart.." his words were clearly spoken with love, making you place a soft kiss against his cheek.

you would've kissed him on the lips, but he unfortunately wore his mask. nevertheless, a small chuckle escaped you, finding his cheesy formulation endearing.

"that was quite cute of you, sometimes i forgot that you're such a softie.."

Rengoku:

• completely against not celebrating your birthday

• doesn't know how to organize a grand party, wouldn't do it anyways

• invites the people closest to you

• probably collected a series of gifts over the months because they reminded him of you

"and here! these are all for you, i hope they'll bring you pleasure!" he beamed, carrying a small load of presents in his arms. you watched with wide eyes as he placed them on the table in front of you.

naturally, you looked at the other guests, knowing they must've been as surprised as you. however, when none of them even batted an eye, you seemed even more confused.

"he would ask us if you'd like them. you're the only one that didn't know.." one of them chuckled, eventually turning into a shared laughter.

of course this was unusual, but with the man you loved and the people you treasured the most, you couldn't complain at all.

Sanemi:

• doesn't celebrate his own birthday, will not celebrate yours either

• still shows you that he knows it's your special day

• good morning kiss + congratulations, small acts of service

• will possibly bring you to some place he thought you would enjoy

"do you like it?" he asked, not staring at you, his eyes were focused on the landscape in front of him. he had brought you to a hill outside town, which held a breathtaking view.

"i like it because you're here with me." you teased, watching his eyes narrow slightly and his lips press together. he didn't like admitting it, but your teasing always managed to get a reaction out of him.

"stop being so cheesy, dumbass." he grumbled, yet his hand reached out towards yours, grabbing it and interlocking your fingers.

you smiled at him, scooting closer and placing your head against his shoulder. "i mean it though. i like being with you."

"thank you for bringing me here" you said, feeling his head slowly rest on yours.

no, he wasn't good with words, nor did he know how to properly celebrate a birthday, but he made you feel special in his own way.

Giyuu:

• another person that doesn't celebrate his birthday, he had no one to celebrate

• was in awe when you celebrated his birthday for the first time and wanted to do the same for you

• asked for help - likely Tanjiro or Shinobu - on how to celebrate your birthday

• eventually bought you a present and cake

"Giyuu?" you asked, tilting your head at the man standing in front of you. you had instantly noticed the small cake on the table and the way he held his arms behind him.

he cleared his throat, as if he wanted to swallow down his insecurities. if you weren't so worried, you would've propably chuckled. but right now, you could only focus on the way he looked so unsure of himself.

"i.. happy birthday.." he finally said, stepping to the side. you looked at the cake, now in full view - it was your favourite. "i thought you would like it.. i also got you this.."

your eyes followed his hands, seeing him take out a small present. it was wrapped in blue paper, a small smile forming on your lips.

"thank you, Giyuu." you responded, but instead of taking the present out of his hands, you wrapped your arms around him. mildly confused, he placed the gift down, returning your hug.

"i want to celebrate all of your birthdays from now on, love.."

Gyomei:

• definitely likes the idea of celebrating your birthday

• truthfully a bit clueless about where to start, decides to ask for help

• ends up planning your birthday together with a few people you know and like

• calm party, somehow makes you feel at home every time.

"you didn't have to..!" you gasped, your eyes widening when Gyomei brought you into the garden. the sun had already set, but small lights were drenching your surroundings in a homely light.

"do you like it?" he asked, hearing your hair sway lightly as you turned your head in different directions. people were congratulating you from different corners, warm smiles on their faces.

after a moment of pure fascination and a throbbing heart, you looked at him in awe. "i love it."

"i'm glad, we've prepared a few other things for you.." he answered, his warm hand grabbing yours softly and bringing you closer to the others.

another gasp escaped you when you saw your favourite food on the table, a few side dishes making everyone gather around the table.

"there are a few presents for you too." he continued, nodding to the side. your gaze followed, wide eyes watching a dozen of packages sit patiently on another table.

feeling lonely is normal, but it is impossible when you experience this kind of love.

[thegoldencontracts]

Hello hello! I’ve got an interesting request (I think)

(*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ

How would Lilia, Riddle, Ruggie, and whoever else you wanna add react to the normally shy and sweet reader breaking sone creep’s wrist? Like, some guy is being weird, maybe even touchy, so reader breaks his wrist, and after character takes reader away, reader breaks down saying how scared they were.

Hello! Thank you for the request :3! This was a new concept to write about for me, and it was very refreshing. And, of course, as a massive Azul fan, you know I had to do include him.

Justice Of One's Own

Summary: You've always been a shy, unassuming individual. So, when he sees you break the wrist of someone harassing you, it's quite the shock. How does he react? Trigger Warnings: Mentions of sexual harassment, mild depictions of violence. Characters: Lilia, Riddle, Ruggie, Azul Genre: Hurt/Comfort (Reader being comforted)

Lilia Vanrouge

He's not particularly shocked.

After all, he's seen how you get when he jumpscares you, and, well, you've always had that hidden strength.

He can tell you're rather shaken emotionally, of course, so he finds an excuse to get you away. Diasomnia really gets you, you see.

Afterwards, when you break down, he's understanding. He offers you comfort, and surprisingly good advice.

He's seen this sort of thing play out before, and he knows what it's like to be in the receiving end of harassment himself, considering his own looks. People - especially people who mistook him for a woman - could get extremely touchy.

He might offer to cook for you. In that case, as appreciated as the offer is, you might want to turn him down.

The creep in question gets a nice... "talking to". What happened shall be left to the imagination, but it's safe to say the individual in question is even more terrified around you than they were after the broken wrist.

Riddle Rosehearts

The very sight of such harassment, so crude, so clearly in violation of the rules already had Riddle absolutely outraged.

He himself was just about to intervene when he heard the cracking sound, and the bastard's wrist went limp. It's quite apparent what you've done.

In all honesty, he's shocked - you were always the quiet, meek sort. He never knew you had it in you.

Although before his overblot, he might be somewhat outraged by your own behavior, afterwards, he'd be guilty for ever letting that thought cross his mind. He knows the staff members of the school; they'd never punish you for such a deed.

Seeing you sputter in a panic, he collars the person so brazenly harassing you, giving them a long talking to. It's safe to say they'll be wearing the collar for a while.

Afterwards, he attempts to offer you comfort the best he can, though he is admittedly a bit awkward about it.

Expect to see the person that harassed you collared for quite a while.

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie always could tell you were stronger than you looked.

It was the way you'd knock over weights by accident, the sheer strength with which you once decked him after he snuck up on you - You were so apologetic about that it was hilarious. He got a bunch of donuts out of it too.

Although Ruggie absolutely feels bad for you, watching the fucker creeping on you get what's coming to them is hilarious. He took a picture.

He says something about you needing to help him get Leona's favorite food, or whatever. Anything to put whatever this is to an end.

Honestly, Ruggie isn't very openly comforting, but you can tell he's worried. He keeps asking if you need anything, if you're okay, fussing over you like a mom.

He even gave you donuts. At that point, you were beginning to wonder whether he was sick or something. Although, this behavior from him is really heartwarming, and it does distract you from your own lingering discomfort.

Afterwards, Ruggie's got a new target whenever he wants someone to pickpocket.

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul was already in a terrible mood, and witnessing some charlatan harassing you did nothing to change that. In the Lounge? This was supposed to be a gentlemanly environment, he cannot have his reputation be tarnished by these sorts of insolent individuals!

That's what he tells himself, at least, the reason he plans to state before having the fool who treated you so terribly escorted out. Truth be told, he's also outraged on your behalf, terribly concerned for your well-being.

It's quite the pleasant surprise when you take care of the issue yourself. Your hand is swift and merciless, leaving the little prat with a broken wrist. He knew you had that sort of strength, really, he just never anticipated you having it in you to perform such an act.

Afterwards, you're clearly panicked, struggling to handle the situation, so he strolls up and 'kindly' informs the pervert they've been banned.

He offers you a free meal for your troubles, able to be claimed right now. Additionally, he advised you to eat in the VIP room, since there aren't any clients there, and you'll prefer the privacy after what just happened to you.

While you're there, he observes you to see if you're alright. He might not admit it outright, but he's incredibly concerned for you. How has your emotional well-being been impacted? Is there risk of this harassment spiraling even further?

Whichever fool thought it a good idea to mistreat you quickly finds themselves on the receiving end of Azul Ashengrotto's wrath; every single misdeed of theirs dug up and put on full display.

[aemondfairy]

Watermelon Sugar

summary: Family brunches are boring, Aegon makes them more fun.

pairing: Modern!Aegon Targaryen x Niece!Reader

word count: 1.9k

warnings: Explicit smut, alcohol consumption, incest in a modern setting (whoops), fingering, p in v sex, semi-public sex 18+ MDNI

note: This is a repost …. Feedback is appreciated!

The warm sun illuminated your skin as you reluctantly made your way over to your seat for brunch. Viserys had planned it — his own feeble attempt to bring your fractured family together, even if it was only for a brief moment. For the most part, it worked. Everyone tried to behave themselves, though gatherings like this usually ended in a confrontation of some sort.

Before you even arrived at your seat, you felt a hand wrap around your waist, tugging at the hem of your sundress.

"Whew! Who are you all dressed up for?"

Aegon asked as you batted his hand away, shooting him a look of disapproval.

There was an unspoken thing between the two of you, everybody knew it. However, you didn't need him pawing at your waist in front of the entire family.

"Charming as ever I see."

He flashed a grin at you in response; that boyish smile of his made you weak in the knees.

"Here," he handed you the mimosa that was in his hand, "you're going to need it," he whispered before making his way back to his own seat.

You kept your eye locked on him as he retreated to his designated spot. Noting that Aemond was muttering something to him as he sat down.

"What?" he retorted, "I can't say hi to our niece?" Turns out, Aemond wasn't the only one annoyed with Aegon's show of affection.

"You'd think he would know better than to encourage you to drink at this hour," your brother admonished you, nodding his head toward Aegon in annoyance.

"It's brunch, Jace," you say before taking a large sip of the mimosa, "live a little."

"Right. Because Aegon needs an excuse to drink at noon."

"Please," you pleaded, "don't start."

"I'm not," he huffed, before shoveling a forkful of eggs in his mouth, "I'm just saying."

Thankfully your brother's comments ended there and so far everything was going well. Lucerys was sat next to Daeron — as far away from Aemond as possible, which was key to any family event running smoothly. The two young boys were talking loudly about a video game. Your mother and Alicent were giggling amongst themselves, talking so low you couldn't decipher what they were saying. Aemond sat stoically in his seat, occasionally stealing a glance at Helaena, who was tapping aimlessly at her phone, playing some sort of trivia game that you could only assume had something to do with bugs.

Every so often Aemond would glare at you, and then at Aegon who was now three mimosas deep.

If you could make it through brunch peacefully, you would find yourself back at the keep with your family later that evening. And if you played your cards right, you'd get your claws into Aegon.

It didn't take long for you to figure out that family gatherings such as these served to be rather boring when there was no fighting involved.

Staring down at the plate of fruit in front of you, an idea popped into your head. Maybe you could make your own fun.

You plucked a piece of watermelon from the plate and took a small bite, allowing the juice to run down your chin onto your chest. Rubbing your thumb along your bottom lip, swirling the juice in a fake attempt to clean yourself up. Innocently glancing over at Aegon through your lashes. His eyes were fixated on your breasts, flicking them up to make direct eye contact as you began to suck on the fruit. His lips parted in anticipation as suck on the fruit.

But, Aegon wasn't the only one watching, Aemond's eye was also locked on you. He was hard to read, but he looked disappointed by your actions. Feeling heated and a bit flustered you decide to go freshen yourself up.

"If you would excuse me, I’m going to go to the restroom," you announced to the table before making a beeline to the other side of the restaurant.

As you went to shut the door behind you, a hand shot through and Aegon made his way into the small space with you.

"What are you doing?!" You hiss.

"What am I doing?! What are you doing?" He spun you around and wrapped his arms around you tightly, pressing his bulge against your backside.

"What are you doing? Huh?" He repeated as he inhaled the sweet scent of your hair. A mixture of apple from your shampoo, and vanilla from your perfume.

"Gods, you're going to be the death of me," he groaned in your ear.

"This dress," he rasped, releasing his grasp on you to tug at the hem of it, "that little show you put on out there." His large hand came down and smacked your ass harshly, causing you to yelp.

Aegon wasted no time and lifted you up onto the marble counter with quickness, kissing you deeply.

Against your will, a moan escaped your lips.

Aegon took this as an okay to continue. Snaking his tongue into your mouth, pushing your legs apart so he could settle in between them.

He tasted so good — remnants of orange juice, champagne and a subtle hint of tobacco filled your senses. His hands dug into your thighs with such force, you were sure his rings were going to leave marks, but you didn't care. He nipped at your your neck and kissed down your chest, licking the sticky remnants of the watermelon juice from the valley of your breasts.

Once he made his way further down, he began to began to take his time. Lifting your dress slowly, the pads of his fingers ghosting your thighs. The anticipation was killing you.

"Mmm, Aeg. Please," you whined.

He chuckled at you and lifted your dress up, bunching it around your hips to reveal your underwear. He took a minute to admire the damp spot that was forming in the center, and you felt a slight blush form across your cheeks. His thick fingers finally made contact with your pussy, rubbing them against the thin, lacy, material of your panties. He looped his fingers through the sides and quickly ripped them down your legs, exposing you to the cool air. He took no time to slide his fingers through your folds, gathering your slick.

"Oh look at you," he purred appreciatively, "so naughty, baby."

A loud moan erupted from your chest as he used his index finger to slowly trace around the opening of your cunt, each swipe had you silently begging he would slip it inside.

That devilish grin of his flashed across his face once more as he looked up at you.

"Don't get desperate on me now. l've barely even touched you. Gotta keep quiet, huh baby?"

A simple nod in response was all you were able to give him.

"Good girl" he drawled as he pushed his finger into you.

"Fuck, Aeg. Feels s'good," you whispered.

His tongue darted out to lick his lips as he began to move his hand faster, adding a second finger in. The pleasure was so overwhelming you forgot where you were. In a cramped, unisex bathroom, with your entire family seated at a table not too far away from the door.

All you cared about was that you wanted more, no, needed more. You squirmed against him, trying to get his fingers deeper into you.

He took the hint and obliged. Pressing them harder into you, pumping in and out with vigor.

He used the calloused pad of his thumb to push violently against your clit. He reached the spongy spot within your walls and pressed firmly into it, his free hand pushing down on your stomach as he continued to thrust his fingers. Occasionally scissoring them, stretching you out even more. It soon became too much for you. You felt your stomach drop and your walls tighten as your cunt squeezed around his digits.

"Thereee she is," he sing-songed. That's it, good girl."

He continued to fuck you with his fingers through your orgasm. Your ears rang, your vision blurred and white-hot electricity pumped through your veins. When he finally removed his fingers from your pussy he brought them up to your mouth, watching with bright eyes as you sucked your release off them, pushing them down your throat causing you to gag a little.

Releasing his fingers from your mouth you shimmied off the bathroom counter, fumbling to unbuckle Aegon's pants.

"Uh uh, baby. We will have time for me later. We have brunch to get back to.

As eager to please you as he was, Aegon was not one to usually turn down his own pleasure. You were unsure if he was being serious, or if he just wanted to hear you beg for it.

"Aeg, please."

He didn't need anymore convincing.

"Put your hands on the counter," he demanded as he spun you around. Unbuckling his belt, sliding his jeans and boxers down his legs with quickness; allowing his already hard cock to spring free and slap against his stomach. Lifting your leg before shoving himself between your folds. You groaned and tried to push yourself closer to him. He let out a laugh and smacked your ass, causing you to jolt forward.

"Be still," he growled.

You nodded your head eagerly, the palms of your hands resting against the cold marble. He filled you to the hilt with one single thrust, spearing you open.

As he began to move in and out of you, his hands tugged at your hips. "Oh, fuck!" you mewled loudly before his palm slapped over your mouth to keep you quiet.

He leaned over you, panting with his breath hot on your ear.

"What would Jace think," he whispered, venom in in his voice, "knowing that his precious little sister is a whore for my cock, huh?" You bit down your lip and squeezed your eyes shut, trying not to cum for a second time from his lewd words.

"Or Aemond?" he taunted, "our prim and perfect niece bent over for me like a dirty little slut."

Agon bit down hard on your shoulder, his teeth grazing your skin, causing you to moan and arch your back, meeting his thrusts. He makes direct eye contact with you in the mirror as he continued to pound into you.

"Oh, you like that, huh? You like being my dirty little slut?" You nodded your head feverently, the walls of your cunt contracting, sucking him in.

"You gonna cum again for me baby? Gonna make a mess on my cock?"

"Fuck, yes. I'm gonna cum! Aegon, please, please make me cum."

Your nails dug into the counter as he fucked into you, the head of his cock pressed against your sweet spot with precision. He reached up, grabbing your breast, pinching your nipple roughly, pushing you over the edge one final time.

Your second orgasm washed over you with such intensity, it was almost painful. Your cunt squeezed around Aegon's cock, threatening to pull his own release from him.

"Shhh, that's it, there you go," he cooed. With a few more harsh thrusts against your cervix, his cock twitched inside you, pearly ropes of him coating your walls.

You could feel his heart beating through his chest, as his breathing slowed down. He kissed your neck and nuzzled his head inyour hair before quickly pulling out of you, immediately pulling his pants back up.

"Holy fuck," you breathed as he handed you back your underwear.

Whatever train of thought you had was interrupted by a knock.

"We're leaving! And you guys are assholes!”

Aemond's voice called from the other side of the door.

The two of you burst out laughing before making your way out of the bathroom.

[deanstead]

Marry That Girl

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Word Count: 600+

Tags/Warnings: none

A/N: Short one because I haven't released something for Jay in way too long! This has been sitting in my WIP drafts for the longest time so I finally got it written! An anon requested something similar for Will but since I had a half-written fic, I finished this and posting this instead! As always thanks to bestie @seatsbythepit for being my beta queen~!

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You hadn’t thought this through.

It sounded like an innocent enough date when Jay had asked if you wanted to go watch the game. You hadn't been dating for long, and every day felt a little unreal in a ‘I can’t believe Jay Halstead wants to go out with me’ kind of way, and you appreciated every opportunity you got to spend with Jay especially since you never knew if he would have to go undercover or spend nights at the district trying to clear a case.

But now that the game was approaching, you were in a bit of a panic.

You enjoyed watching a game, but you didn’t always know what you were watching or doing, and you weren’t sure you were ready to let Jay see that side of you.

“Y/N, everything okay?” Kelly’s voice interrupted your internalized panic and you glanced up.

“Ah, I should have thought of you!” You proclaimed, earning yourself an eyebrow raise from the squad lieutenant. “I need your help.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow but chuckled before nodding toward his office.

You thanked all the stars that it was a quieter shift. After all, an entirely quiet shift didn’t exist at Firehouse 51. But at least that’s the way you liked it.

Kelly gave you a crash course, but not without reminding you that you owed him one. You spent the rest of the downtime studying it so that at least you’d have something smart to say, even though there were a few times you wondered what the hell you were doing.

Hard work indeed paid off.

You walked out of the game, feeling a little embarrassed as Jay’s friends gushed over you.

“Jay, you got a good one. My girlfriend doesn’t even want to come to games with me.” One of his buddies quipped.

Jay laughed, putting an arm around you and grinning. “Hey, should I be worried? What if you guys just call her for the games instead?”

The laughter rumbled through the group as they all nodded, teasing Jay that they’d rather call you instead of him in the future.

You really did owe Kelly one.

As his friends dispersed, calling that Jay had better bring you out for the next game, Jay’s phone rang.

You nodded at him, telling him he’d better take it, assuring him that you and Will wouldn’t leave him behind.

Jay took the call from Voight, glancing toward where you and Will were talking as he nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll be right in.”

Jay could feel the dread in his gut, that felt just a little too much like guilt that he had to blow off again tonight even though he’d promised a nice after-game dinner and maybe some drinks and cuddling.

“This is why you don’t promise anything, Jay.” He mumbled to himself, before he walked back toward the both of you.

“Hey, Y/N, I…”

You glanced at the look on Jay’s face and just smiled. “Gotcha.”

“Sorry.” Jay couldn’t even say anything more because everything else in his head sounded like an excuse.

“I’m not saying I’m not disappointed, because I kinda am. But I get it. And if these were bells going off for the ambulance, I’d do the same thing you’re doing now. So, go.” You paused. “But you owe me a mind-blowing date.”

Jay laughed and nodded. “That, I definitely do.”

You shot him a huge smile and headed off toward Jay’s truck to wait because you knew he’d at least take you home before heading back down to wherever he was supposed to go.

Will watched the exchange with a mix of amusement and awe before he glanced at his younger brother.

“Jay?” Will called, before Jay and him headed off in different directions.

Jay glanced up at Will and Will smiled. “You better marry that girl.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[cottonlemonade]

Can I take menu 2 with strawberry milk and mocha and sit next to Kenma? thank you!!

When He Is Jealous

word count: 782 || avg. reading time: 3 mins.

pairing: Kenma x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

request: fluffy, jealous boyfriend Kenma, as manager

____________________________________________

Kenma knew his best friend liked to mess with people. He knew how much he enjoyed teasing and while Kenma himself was only good for some seriously soul crushing one-liners, Kuroo found a good match for bantering in you.

The setter liked half listening to you two going back and forth as you handed out the water bottles during a practice break, while he himself was glued to a screen of some gaming console he brought to school that day.

Every once in a while he would look up to see you smile at him and if he was lucky you’d give him a quick kiss before the next round of his game started.

But Kenma didn’t appreciate it when his friend took it too far.

The captain was currently doubled over with hyena-like laughter at some quip you threw his way, which admittedly, was very funny and Kenma grinned along until Kuroo turned to him and said, “You better watch out or I’m gonna take her from you.” then blew you a kiss with a wink and went back onto the court.

In his heart he knew Kuroo would never ever dare to make advances towards you but … he also knew that in comparison to his charismatic friend he wouldn’t stand a chance to keep you. If Kuroo really put his mind to it - or even just slightly - he could steal you, no problem, Kenma thought. Don’t be ridiculous, he told himself the next minute as he halfheartedly tossed a ball for Tora.

He looked over to you and you gave him a happy smile with a small wave.

There was nothing to worry about, he reminded himself. He’d take you to his house after school and he’d put his head in your lap, torn between cuddling against your plush thighs or soft tummy. And while he defeated the latest final boss in a game, you’d play with his hair and later he’d walk you home and kiss you goodnight for an absurd amount of time and you’d do that again the next day. All perfect. But when he glanced across the net to Kuroo and saw him wave to you as well and you returning it just as brightly. Kenma froze and the next ball Tora lopped his way bonked him on the head.

The ace laughed but when Kenma didn’t react at all he stepped closer.

“Hey, what’s up with you?”

Kenma ignored him and watched as you mockingly applauded a failed practice spike from Kuroo to which he replied with an equally unserious bow.

You caught your boyfriend’s eye and smiled again, but when he didn’t return it you mouthed “you okay?”.

Kenma nodded and snapped out of it, turning back to Tora to continue.

The rest of practice was just as sloppy for Kenma as it started. Coach Naoi marked it as an off day for him and told him to get some fresh air and rest, it would go better next time.

As the team filed out of the gym towards the changing rooms Kuroo turned to you and Kenma, “Wanna grab something from the convenience store on the way home?”

“Sure!”, you said immediately but stopped in your tracks when you felt a little tug.

Kenma had fallen a step behind and grabbed the hem of your red team jacket.

You turned in surprise. He didn’t look at you, just held tightly onto the fabric.

“Don’t go.”, he said to your shoes.

“Oh. Okay - you go ahead, Kuroo. We’ll take the scenic route today.”

Kuroo regarded his best friend with a thoughtful look, then nodded and grinned in that annoyingly knowing way of his.

“Sure thing, see you tomorrow!”

Once the team was out of earshot you took Kenma’s hand into yours.

“What’s going on, babe?” Your tone was sweet and casual and Kenma felt increasingly childish.

“Do you like Kuroo?”

“Hm? Of course I do.”

“I mean, do you like him more … than me?”

“What?!” Your reply came out way louder than intended and you apologized before repeating the question in a more suitable indoor voice.

“It’s just that you guys seem to get along so well, which is great, I guess, but -“

“Ken, are you jealous?”, you asked incredulously and couldn’t stop your lips from pursing in amusement.

“Tch, no.”, he scoffed lamely.

“You so are.”, you grinned.

“Am not!”, he insisted.

You kissed his pouty lips and he hmphed. You kissed him again. And again. Then peppered his face with kisses until he laughed and pushed you away.

“Okay okay! I know it was dumb.”

“Good! As long as you know that no one would stand a chance against you.”

____________________________________________

a/n: thank you so much for the request! 🌟 I love writing for Kenma! I’m sorry it took so long, I may or may not have waited with this until after the movie so I’d have him fresh on my mind 😅 I hope you enjoyed it!

This is also officially the last of the requests for this event! Thank you again to everyone who participated, commented, liked and reblogged! I hope you had as much fun as I did! 🫶🏻

[nrdmssgs]

Idk bout you but like hear me out on helping nikto get dressed like securing the man to go on a mission while you stay behind on base yk like helping him wear his gear and kissing his mask I mean what who said that? 🤨

Masterlist

Oh love, in this house kissing your man's mask is a must.

You two don't share many words. You - because you were never a particularly chatty type. Nikto for his part tries to keep his voices to himself, and any conversation would mean another chance to spit out too much.

Yet the connection between you two is obvious. It grows inevitably as you learn your ways around each other. Tread carefully, observe, memorize, analyze.

You don't need to ask him, when does his scarred face burn and itch. You already remember: it happens before the big operations. Nikto stirs himself up weeks prior to that, exercises more than usual, loses his usual appetite, barely sleeps. There is a certain cost to his extraordinary performance on a battlefield, and this is it. The last hours before the mission, he is so pent-up, his nerves eat him alive. It's when his old scars begin to hurt and torture Nikto. He clenches his teeth and hides his eyes from you.

You saw him trying his usual meds and salves before. But the pain is all in his mind, so nothing can fix it. Or so he thought before you touched him for the first time.

It feels as if you knew, where to press to relieve the tension. At first Nikto turns away, avoiding showing you the disfigured part, although this is almost meaningless since deep scars cross him from cheek to cheek, from lips to the forehead. Little by little he succumbs to your touch, leans in and buries his face in your hands.

He craves your touch. There are just not enough words to express it yet.

There is a small spot nestled between his upper vertebrae. You recall that if you press into it with your thumbs just so, he will groan and tilt his head back, murmuring soft, appreciative obscenities as you relieve the pressure on the nerve.

It sends him somewhere deep into the safety and tranquility. Nikto knew hands that could gift him pleasures before yours, but only you can bring him into another state of mind.

All because you don't treat him mechanically as one would treat a random lover. You observe. You learn.

You have meticulously learned how he prefers to wrap his arms, from his knuckles to midway up his elbow: the precise spots where he folds and knots the banding, and where he carefully tucks the ends to prevent them from coming loose during firing or fighting. Given the severe damage to the skin on his arms, he cannot endure the constant abrasion of coarse textiles. This knowledge, acquired through careful observation, surprises him now as you kneel and gently take the banding from his fingers, setting to the task with practiced precision. He watches you in silent awe. How is it possible to be this perfect? How are you this close to him, even though not in his embrace?

Nikto takes on his balaclava and the hood with straps, meanwhile you touch your fingers against a mask, lying on a bench next to him. He doesn't like it, when you take it. Not because he doesn't trust you - he would rip his own heart out and give to you, no questions asked, should you asked him to. But there are faces, grins, whines, laughter, screams, voices behind this mask. All the ugly, grim things, he tries to keep away from you.

When your soft lips press against the scratched black surface of its forehead, Nikto frowns. A hideous grimace of plastic and metal, yet you kiss it?

He remains quiet until you hand it to him. Only then he breaks the silence.

"Because it's prettier than me?"

You help him fasten all the belts and answer. Your words pass his ears and settle straight into his heart.

A relief. A tight lump growing in his throat. A warmth pulsing deep.

"Because it's a part of you."

[idksmtms]

Courtside (Carlitos Alcaraz x Actress!reader)

Request

A/N: Thank you Anon for my first tennis request! I loved writing this! Since Challengers came out around the time I started writing this, I kinda mentioned that Reader gained popularity due to a tennis movie lmaoooo.

 I mention a female best friend (because in that situation I would totally bring mine) but I don’t give any hint of a name. Also, idk who in your life helped get you into tennis but for me it was my dad so I kinda hinted at that in like one sentence (it’s like almost unnoticeable so idk why I felt the need to mention this but I did).

Also, yes, I completely made up both of their speeches because I couldn’t be bothered to google them and watch the videos and figure out where to fit in the remarks I wanted to add. I hope it still sounds natural though because I tried to write the way I think they think… Thank you for dealing with my obsessive over-explanations. 

Even though writer’s block kinda hit me in the middle of it, I had a really fun time writing this! 

(Also, if you couldn’t tell, I love the Spanish language lmaoooo)

Summary: As you become more and more popular, you are given an invitation to the Wimbledon final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Maybe the sport has just gained a new avid fan, and maybe Carlos just gets to meet his latest celebrity crush…

Word count: 4,807 (I’m so sorry, IDK how it got this long, bro I thought I was writing a 1k cutesy fic and here I am…)

Trigger Warnings: she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, slight profanity (I curse a lot in my real life and as everything I write is completely self-indulgent, I have to include it in my writing as well), mostly just fluff (please let me know if I missed any) 

Disclaimer: This is written purely for fictional purposes and for the sake of writing. No disrespect is intended to the real people portrayed/concerned in this scenario. 

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

He could hear the crowd even from inside the main hall. A sort of buzz of discussion that had not yet been interrupted by the announcement of the players. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, shaking out each of his limbs and stretching his neck from side to side. When he reopened his eyes it was almost tunnel vision, just the doors in front of him, the court ahead of that, and a chance to win Wimbledon. He would think of nothing else, of nothing but himself and his game and the tennis ball that would be coming at him. No crowd, no opponent, no mercy… 

God, why was it so hard to not sweat in a fancy dress? It was like your body knew you didn’t want to do anything to ruin it and tried extra hard to do just that. This was your first time wearing something that a brand had requested you wear. It wasn’t your (very new) stylist choosing pieces for you, but a brand requesting it of you. Of course it came hand in hand with tickets to one of the most prestigious sports events of the year. Why give you a pretty dress and not have you show it off to everyone? And why not do it in a way to promote your movie? 

Your publicist had made sure you knew there was a very likely possibility you would be shown on camera at the stadium, or at the very least that someone would take a picture of you in the stands and it would be posted everywhere. Now that you were gaining a fan base (exponentially since your latest movie) you had to be aware of these kinds of things. Sometimes it was a little tiring, going from only being watched on a screen to knowing that someone was looking at you the second you stepped out the door. Regardless, you persevere, and that was that. 

You smoothed down the skirt of your dress as you waited for the players to come onto the court, stretching your neck side to side before turning to the girl sitting next to you. How could you come to an event like this and not bring your best friend? You plucked her drink from her hand and sipped on it. 

“Eugh!” It was the most bitter thing you had ever tasted and it took everything within you to tame your reaction to a grimace. “What the hell is in that?” 

“None of your business. How am I supposed to enjoy something I have no interest in without a little incentive?” She winked, before plucking the drink right back and chugging the rest of it. You began to laugh just as the umpire spoke up and began to announce the players. 

“Please welcome Novak Djokovic!” People hooted and hollered and though you had the urge to join in, you simply clapped politely like those around you. 

He was interesting to look at, this tall and lanky person that kind of reminded you of a pixie, mischievous and fun, but dangerous nonetheless. He probably had the straightest back you had ever seen and walked with an easy smile, waving to the crowd that was going absolutely mad to see him. 

The energy in the arena was contagious. You could feel the electricity in your bones and your face had already pulled itself into an uncontrollable smile. You began clapping louder, stopping just shy of hooting with the crowd. 

It’s funny in sport, how sometimes you just look at someone and you know you support them. Sport is all about people, and you suppose this is a part of the human experience. You don’t really know much about them, maybe a win here or a stat there, but you just look at them and you feel something for that person, and you decide that they deserve your love and support. Well, that’s how you felt when Carlos Alcaraz came onto the court that day with a big smile. 

Truly, at this point in your life, you would call yourself an amateur tennis enjoyer. You first began watching to study for the role, but that was only WTA matches. Every once in a while you watched a match that came up on the tv or if your dad had put it on, and you knew about the big three because who didn’t. As you sat there watching them warm up, you resisted the urge to instantly do a wikipedia deep-dive on both tennis and Carlos. He walked with a spring in his step, waving out to the crowd with this big and carefree smile, like he chose to enjoy every moment of his life, regardless of the lows or highs. You were enamoured. 

At some point in the movie, one of your co-stars had said that watching tennis was like watching a relationship crash and burn. It was argument after argument, each huff and scream, each slam of the racket against the ball, back and forth. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the court, your breath stuck in your throat of its own accord in the deafening silence of the grounds. When your breath did leave you, it was these gasping little tremors that fell from your lips before you began cheering for the players. Sitting there, watching it all, soaking in the electricity of not only the players but the crowd, you knew it was an experience you would never forget. 

During one of the sit-downs, you turned to your friend and began to gush about everything you had just seen. You could tell that she was stifling laughter at seeing you like this, her wide smile and raised eyebrows a testament to her humour, but you ignored it and continued on. Nothing could ruin your mood right now (except maybe Carlos losing). 

When you began a new tangent, she nudged your knee, subtly gesturing upwards with her head. You frowned, tilting your head at her but she did the same gesture again, moving her eyes upwards over and over again until you followed her gaze. And there you were, projected onto this huge screen hanging over the grandstands, turned in your seat to face your friend, sunglasses perched on top of your head, hands still raised in the air from your earlier gesturing. You felt giddy all of a sudden, and you began to laugh, this airy and jovial laugh that made you look rather pretty on the big screen and you waved in the direction of the camera, a sweet smile on your face despite how dizzy you now felt. The crowd whooped and clapped and you could only nod and mouth ‘thank you’, hoping the camera would move on quickly so this burning in your cheeks and the sudden build up of sweat on your chest would calm down. 

“Look at you, already a star,” she joked from beside you, giggling as you let your posture wilt once more and quickly brought your sunglasses down over your eyes for some semblance of disguise. 

“Shut up,” you mumbled, but you couldn’t help that giddiness again, a little bit of pride straightening your shoulders as you thought that maybe, just maybe, you were a little bit of a movie star now. A wide smile couldn’t be helped. 

You knew that if you were exhausted from just watching the match, the players must be barely able to walk. You understood why Carlos’s first reaction after they called the match was to lay down, flat on his back, on the court. You and the rest of the stadium’s occupants rose like a wave building in the ocean. The sound was deafening, everything from clapping to whistling to just plain full-throat screaming filled the stadium. You cheered with everyone else, hooted and hollered with everyone else, clapping until your hands hurt and then some. 

“I have to say, it wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be,” you turned to your best friend and flicked her lightly in the arm. 

“See?” You stretched the word out in a rather juvenile tone but both of you just laughed. “I can’t believe we got to see that.” 

“Yeah, I mean, I joked that you were some type of starlet earlier, but if you’re getting tickets like this then maybe you really are that famous.” You just scoffed at her but it made you smile nonetheless. 

“Hey,” from your other side, your manager appeared, still texting on her phone as her lanyard clicked against her necklace. “So, they just offered us an opportunity to meet Carlos after all this if we’re willing to stick around a little longer.” She didn’t look up at you once as she spoke but you paid it no mind, you were used to her obsessive multi-tasking by now and had learnt over time not to take it to heart. It was because she cared that she was always on the phone looking for opportunities for you. 

“Um, wow, yes, of course!” You let out a little squeal and clapped your hands together before pressing them to your lips, hiding a big smile. Your best friend just laughed at you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pushing her weight onto you until you shoved back. Your manager had already turned away at this point, typing away on both her phones now, switching her gaze between screens and you just shook your head, before focusing in on the trophy ceremony. 

“Please welcome our runner-up for Wimbledon 2023, Novak Djokovic!” You clapped with everyone else, watching as Princess Kate handed him the trophy and they exchanged words. He pressed a hand to his heart, nodding with his words and she smiled and stepped back to let him walk to the mic. 

“Check, check, one two three, heh” he smiled and sighed, hefting the trophy slightly higher into his arms. “Well, first a huge congratulations to Carlos. We have seen your amazing talent so many times before, you are already a grand slam winner at such a young age, but today I think was extra special. All your hard work is paying off and I know you will win many more.” He nodded his head in the younger man’s direction as the applause rose, waiting patiently until it subsided to continue his speech. “To your team, also, they are doing an amazing job and you all deserve this amazing achievement.” Again he waited for the applause to subside before tilting his mic slightly so he could look in the direction of his own box. “To my team, I will never stop thanking you for all the hard work you guys put in to get me to places like this. We have worked together for many years and you never fail to push me to do my best. Thank you. “To my family, to my wife, and my two sons…” you could see the tears building in his eyes, could hear the way he choked up before looking down and pressing a hand to his eyes as his face crumpled slightly. You felt your own eyes begin to tear up at the vulnerable display. You chewed on the edge of your thumb, leaning forward in your seat to watch him more closely. “Thank you for everything you do for me and I am so happy that you are here to watch me. I wish I could have won for you…” he stopped again and your frown pulled at your cheeks and made the back of your throat feel slightly clogged. But he wiped his tears and shook his head and then forced a smile on his face as he looked up again. “Thank you to the staff and everyone who made this tournament possible. Whoever invited Carlos’s favourite actress, thank you for trying to distract him for me, but he is too good,” he chuckled. At the side of the court Carlos laughed loudly, dropping his head into his hands and shaking it, but everyone could still see the wide smile he wore and it made the entire crowd chuckle. You smiled brightly, laughing along with everyone else, but you began to wonder who it was. Zendaya was somewhere in the crowd, of course it was her. He was quick to finish his speech after that, thanking a few more people before stepping back to stand near the royals. 

“And finally, please welcome your 2023 Wimbledon Champion, Carlos Alcaraz!” The crowd was on their feet again as he stood from his bench and walked to the little stage area they had created. Your hands began to sting from how hard you were clapping and your wide smile kind of hurt your cheeks, but you didn’t stop until your best friend gently pulled at the back of your skirt to get you to sit down again.

He smiled brightly at Princess Kate as he took the trophy from her hands, nodding and almost bowing in thanks. When he walked up to the mic, he lifted the trophy above his head and smiled so brightly the crowd couldn’t help but hoot and holler and cheer with him. He brought it back down into his arms with a little huff and you were sure it must feel ten times as heavy as it actually was after all the energy he had used during the match. He began his speech with a big breath out and a murmur of laughter went through the crowd. 

“Firstly, Novak, whoever invited her did a good job because I was very nervous,” he joked, looking in Novak’s direction, and the man bent backward in laughter. “Hahaha, no no, not that nervous but, uh, thank you for coming,” and he reached his arm out to gesture…exactly where you were sitting. You laughed, a knee-jerk reaction more than anything else because the cameras had moved to you, but inside you felt like you were boiling over. Your cheeks were too hot, your ears were burning, you somehow both wanted to hide and sit there and bask in the flattery. His smile, wide and jovial and pure, had been directed at you and all you could do was laugh and shyly look down at your legs hoping your hair would hide your face. You licked your lips because suddenly your mouth was too dry but you were sweating from everywhere else and this very good looking guy had been looking directly at you and had called you his favourite actress and and and- you couldn’t really remember how to breathe anymore. 

“Congratulations to you Novak, you and your team have done an amazing job. You are constantly pushing me to-to be better and motivating me so thank you. To my team, thank you for-for everything you are doing for me, that you do for me, I would not be here without you. Gracias por todo.” He looked up to his box and his smile was so big and bright and beautiful that no one could resist feeling a little bit of joy if they looked upon it. “Thank you to my family for always supporting me, for always cheering for me and believing in me, te quiero mucho.” The camera cut between him and his box and you could see the proud smiles his parents wore, tear tracks on their cheeks and glistening eyes that beamed with pride. “Thank you to, uh, the organisers, and-and the sponsors, and everyone who makes this tournament happen. We would not be here without you,” nodding as everyone clapped, “and thank you to all of you, to all the fans who came today, you, uh, you keep us going, and we-we appreciate all of you.” People whooped at that and it took a little longer for the crowd to quiet down. “And… yeah, that’s it! Thank you!” He laughed and stepped away to get pictures, but your heart was still racing. 

“Alright, he should just be leaving the balcony so we have a few minutes before he gets here,” the official said to the room, but you were too busy trying not to gaup at Juan Carlos Ferrero as he stood right in front of you with a smile, switching between English and Spanish as he spoke to the physio and your best friend simultaneously. You had had a conversation with him a few minutes prior where it took every inch of your self-control to not gush and ramble and he had been very sweet, but your manager had pulled you away after a few minutes for approval on some social media posts of you at Wimbledon and you didn’t even notice that someone new was entering the room until people began to clap and cheer. 

You looked up and there he was, walking into the room with that big smile of his that lit up the room and a spring in his step. He was still holding the trophy but it was tucked under one arm almost carelessly and he was more focused on the people in the room. He hugged each member of his team, speaking in that naturally quick rhythm that the Spanish language carried but sounded so pleasing to the ear. You couldn’t tell what they were saying but they all sounded extremely happy and were smiling so brightly at him that you felt like you were intruding just by being in the same room as them. Juan Carlos clapped him on the back and pulled him into a hug. He whispered something in his ear that had him laughing bright and bubbly and looking around the room but in a way that looked as if he was trying (and failing) to be subtle at it. They pulled away and after handing the trophy off to Juan Carlos, he turned to you. He pushed his hair up and, you were sure you imagined it, but his smile became slightly nervous. 

You felt a bit starstruck in the moment, like the first time you had walked on set for your first major movie role and Cillian Murphy had somehow known your name and said hello to you specifically. You licked your lips, took a deep but shuddering breath in, but your hands were still shaking and your eyes weren’t really in focus anymore or maybe they were but they were hyperfocusing on little things and-

And then he was coming toward you. His arms were open, and you couldn’t quite remember the convention of cheek kisses in Spain (was it one on one cheek? Two per cheek? Did they not even do cheek kisses there?) or how you were supposed to place your arms when he finally held you (both arms under his? One above one under? Both above?) or if you smelled ok or how bad your makeup looked up close but then he was right there, smiling down at you because he was deceptively tall, and he wrapped you up in a quick hug that lasted no more than a few seconds and was loose enough for you to pull away if you wished. Would it be dramatic to say this was one of the best hugs of your life? Probably, but at that moment you couldn’t care less. 

“Hello,” he said close to your ear and you giggled nervously, wanting to instantly slap your hand to your mouth and tell yourself to shut up for goodness sake. 

“Hi!” You were far too loud and you closed your eyes for a moment as he pulled away, clearing your throat and trying to settle yourself before you spoke again. “It’s wonderful to meet you!” 

“Awh, thank you, thank you, I’m very happy to meet you as well.” You beamed at that, pressing your hands together in front of you and trying to suppress any sarcastic urges to dismiss the compliment. 

“Congratulations on the win, it was an amazing match to watch,” you told him, looking up at him with this small, sincere, smile that made his heart feel all kinds of fuzzy. Being praised by you? Well he could definitely die happy now. 

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it,” he told you, his smile wide again and absolutely infectious. 

“I’m not going to lie, I haven’t been watching tennis for the longest time, but even I can see that you put so much effort into your sport and the love you have for it. It’s well deserved.” You shrugged, as if that wasn’t one of the best compliments he could ever receive. Sure, he was always being complimented nowadays, but knowing that people recognised him past his talent, that people acknowledged all the insane amount of work that was put in to even be good enough to make it onto the tour, that’s what stuck with him. 

“Ah, I- thank you, thank you very much. And congratulations to you too, for your latest movie, I thought it was amazing.” He gestured towards you before crossing his arms over his chest, and you just dropped your head to the floor as an uncontrollable smile spread your lips. “I think maybe the best tennis movie there is.” 

“I- wow. That is high praise coming from you, my gosh!” You began to laugh, pushing some of your hair behind your ear as you gazed up at him. He laughed with you, eyes squinting, and something electric pulsed in the air as you gazed into each other’s eyes for a quick second. 

“I am serious! The-the scene where you play the Roland Garros final?” He stepped back and imitated the final hit you made down the line to win, before dropping to your knees and screaming at the top of your lungs. He threw his hands in the air and did a muffled scream as you laughed from the very depths of your stomach, shaking your head as he straightened up again. 

“I was actually so proud of that shot! I did it myself and it took forever to even be able to send a ball over the net let alone that precisely!” You giggled, and again he laughed with you. It was quickly becoming your favourite sound. 

“I think my favourite thing was the consistency of the dropshot, so smooth,” he imitated the motion with his hand, “right over the net, and barely a bounce. Even I cannot make a dropshot that good most of the time.” Your cheeks began to burn again but you just dismissed what he said with a wave. 

“Lies, I’ve seen your dropshots, they are that good, most of the time anyway,” you added cheekily and he just raised an eyebrow at you, feigning anger before laughing even louder than before. 

From the eyes of the others in the room, you seemed to be the perfect combination of people. You both liked to laugh, you both seemed to be smiley people, you matched each other’s energy. The conversation seemed to ebb and flow so naturally, and you guys had moved on to talking about the filming process, standing much closer together than before. 

“Oh my gosh, so we filmed at the real Philippe-Chatrier but the first two days when we were supposed to film, it rained and rained and rained when we needed sun for the sequence to match up. So we just used the court to practise over and over again. I hadn’t practised on the clay yet- I know, I know, it was stupid - but I cannot tell you how many good socks I have lost to that clay,” you sighed, pouting and shaking your head. He laughed softly, but nodded with you, sighing deeply. 

“Yeah, that is one annoying thing about playing on the clay, it gets everywhere. You’ll open your bag in the locker room and it’s just full of clay,” he sighed. 

“It was really weird though, playing in an empty stadium,” you thought back to those moments that you now cherished so much, “everything echoes in there, and it feels sci-fi to see all those seats around you.” You shivered exaggeratedly but he only chuckled, shrugging as if to say ‘I’m used to it now’. “I mean, it was weird to play there when the stadium was full too, I genuinely got so nervous when they had all the extras filling up the seats that it took me like ten tries just to not do a double fault.” You looked up at him and he was listening to you so intently and you just kind of… smiled, a sort of wistful smile, and shook your head as if to dispel all the thoughts. “Who am I talking to? You do that for a living, I’m sure you understand.” 

“The first few times it is very scary, but you just have to remember why you’re there. You have to focus first on yourself, and then you can start taking energy from the crowd, start enjoying how much they enjoy it, and it becomes less scary.” The way he said it, with his eyes so focused and his face so serious, you almost forgot to breathe. 

This was the first time it truly hit you how beautiful he actually was. His eyes, his jawline, even the floof of his hair. Of course you had noticed that he was attractive before, but at that moment he was beautiful. 

“Yeah,” you whispered, biting your lip as you smiled at him. He let out a little huff of a chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. He was silent for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. 

“I, uh, I don’t know if you want to or not, but there is this place where you can play giant tennis?” He scratched the back of his neck and laughed bashfully. “Like the ball and the rackets are huge and I went with some friends before the tournament and it is really fun. Would you like to go? With me?” 

You stared at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open at the invitation. Your heart was racing! Your palms felt clammy and you couldn’t quite believe this was real and not a dream but it also felt way too real to be a dream. You nodded before you could even try to speak, a quick and (rather embarrassingly) vigorous shake of the head before letting out a breath and smiling. 

“Uh, yes, yes of course, that sounds really fun! Um, yeah, oh! I just realised you’re asking for my number,” you sighed, shaking your head as you took the phone he had proffered to you. He just laughed again, smiled as wide as usual, and nodded. 

He watched you as you typed in the number and named yourself ‘my favourite actress <3’, chuckling to himself as he stared at it before pocketing his phone once more. By then the others had come to join your conversation, but the entire time you couldn’t help but glance toward Carlos. And of course, he couldn’t resist either. 

10 months later 

“Y/n! Y/n! Look here!” 

“Over here!” 

“Y/n! Please look this way!” 

The paparazzi had already begun to shout before you had fully stepped out of the car. There were still people on the carpet ahead of you, but some of the photographers near the end had already turned to try and capture pictures of you. You smiled brightly as a hand came out from your side to help you pull the rest of your dress out of the car. ‘Of course he was impatient and got out on the other side,’ you thought, laughing to yourself before turning and gently threading your fingers through his. 

You heard the camera shutters increase in volume as more and more people turned to catch pictures of you and your ‘mystery’ date. You heard the murmurs among the paparazzi as they realised who exactly you had brought with you, who had helped you pull the annoyingly long train of your dress out of the car and was now gently kissing your temple before letting you lead the way and soak up the sunshine of your stardom. 

The line of fans after the paparazzi were louder in their recognition, some even asking him to come forward and sign autographs for them. He only agreed after you beckoned him forward with a wide smile, kissing his cheek before turning back to the girl right in front of you who seemed near to tears. 

Finally, you reached the reporters. They all clamoured for your attention, but were quickly appeased by the appearances of your costars to steal their attention first. You smiled brightly at the first person, a young woman with shiny blonde hair perfectly set into curls. 

“Y/n! My first and most important question! When did you and Carlos Alcaraz start dating?!” 

[scarletwinterxx]

his day - mark lee dad imagine

hellooo. here's the mark dad father's day scenario🥺 i thought about writing one before father's day but i didn't have the time then some of you requested it so i wrote it during my free time. It took a while since I was busy but it's here. I hope you like it🤍

part1: day with dad mark lee

part2: another day with dad mark lee

part3: a day with the lee's

part4: (prologue) i don't know how to make eggs

part5: glitter pens and goodnight kisses with the Lee's

part6: first love and kisses

part7: naps and baby kicks

part8: then there was three

part9: just like you

part10: fool for you

part11: your day

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

Having a new born baby is a new challenge every time. It doesn't really matter if you already went through this twice. The fact that you have 2 older kids to get ready for school and a new born that wakes up every hour makes it 10 times more difficult.

But of course things are made better when you have your husband with you. The two of you already have the routine down to the T, usually you take the night shift since you have to feed baby Minsu while Mark takes the morning shift to get the kids ready and drive them to school.

Mark took some time off work to be with his family. He knew it would be difficult to leave you at home with the kids, and even though his parents offered to help he politely declined them with the assurance that he can handle it.

And he did. The kids are out the door and on their way to school just in time then Minsu to wake up to feed again, usually you'd do that before going downstairs to eat breakfast and get ready for the day.

The two older kids also adjusted pretty well with the birth of their new sibling, Minjee was so excited to meet him and was fascinated to see the little human. Minjung was also so happy to meet his little brother, promising to teach him everything when he gets older.

Watching your three kids together washes all of the tiredness away. The fear and anxiety you felt when delivering your youngest all goes at the back of your mind once you see Minjung hold little Minsu in his arms. Your first baby holding your youngest.

Minjee of course couldn't wait for her turn to hold the baby, you were more worried about her adjusting but she welcomed her younger sibling just as easy. She even promised she would share her cakepops with her baby brother.

All the long nights, sleepless weeks to months and the anxiety if you're doing the right thing everyday is worth it. For them, you'd do it over and over again without a doubt.

It's not always happy days of course. Some nights are more rough than others, recently Minsu hasn't been sleeping. Doctor said he might have colic, they did say it'll go away eventually and there's really not much you can do so you try to comfort him best way you can.

Mark has that mastered. Once Minsu fusses, he's already on his feet shushing his little boy back to sleep. Singing him the softest most random lullabies. Sometimes you find him just walking around the house with Minsu in his arms, telling him the most random stories

That is exactly how you found the two of them in the living room, you don't know how long Mark has been walking in circles in your living room. You can hear him telling Minsu about the many times he and Haechan got in an agreement. Laughing quietly when you hear the familiar story of that time Haechan ran over the mailbox while driving Mark's car.

Your laugh made Mark look up from the baby in his arms and over to you, a similar fond look on his face

"What a peculiar story to tell a baby"

"It puts him to sleep" Mark tells you

"I bet, imagine your dad rambling to you for hours" you joke, watching him walk in circles around the living room

"Why don't I take him, I already showered and ate breakfast"

"Its fine, love"

"Mark honey, I love you really but right now you need a shower. You're covered in baby vomit" you point at the huge stain on his shirt, you stand up from your seat to get Minsu from him

"I got this, you go get ready" you kiss him on the cheek, playfully pushing him towards the stairs

You take this time to get the surprise ready. It's father's day today and even though you agreed not to do anything grand since you just gave birth a month ago, you still wanted to do something for him.

When you're sure Minsu is asleep. You put him down on the baby rocker you have in the living room while you get the cake and flowers you secretly ordered.

It's still quiet in your bedroom upstairs so you assume Mark is still in the shower. You get your present for Mark and set it on the table also then you wait.

After a few minutes, you hear the footsteps down the stairs then Mark emerges with a towel in hand. "Hey can you dry wait woah what's this" he asks, a big smile forming on his face

"Happy Father's Day, my love"

"This is woah when did you do this, are these for me?" He takes the flowers to take a closer look

"Yep, I saw somewhere say men only receive flowers on their funeral and that made me so sad then i thought i never gave you flowers then i got sadder so i got you some"

He smiles at you, putting the flowers down so he could give you a big hug

"You're so cute, it's okay though. You gave me everything and more than I could ever ask for, just look at that" he juts his chin over Minsu who's still sleeping "How can I ever ask for more when I have all"

"You're cheesy"

"You love me"

"That I do. This life we have, I hope this isn't the only one. If there's a life after this, let's meet again okay?"

He looks right at you, listening to your words like he's hearing your wedding vows again. Then he leans down to capture your lips in his, like every kiss with you is the first.

"I'll love you in this one, and in all the other lives I'll live. I'm so so happy, there's really nothing else in this world I'd want more"

You kiss him again, smiling against his lips and hugging him tighter. The two of you only broke apart when you hear your baby cry

"Oh that's the hungry cry, you got it?" Mark says as he picks up Minsu and pass him over to you.

"Minjung gave me a little spiderman lego thing, I'll show it to you I forgot. Then he hugged me and said thank you for being a cool dad even though I don't know how to cook"

You let out a chuckle, imagining your boy saying it to his dad. "That's why I'm teaching him so one day his own kid can say he's a great cook" you joke

"Hey!"

"What about Jee?"

"She made me a card, I swear she used all the glitter she had. I love it, I really do. I also think I would never get rid of the glitter in my office so we might need to move"

While he's talking, you can see the fond look on his face as he talks about his children. You know how much Mark loves you, there isn't a day in your entire relationship that he forgot to tell you that.

But you know deep in you there's no one on this Earth he loves more than his kids, he'd do anything and everything for them.

And you love him so much for that.

[flippinpancakes64]

The Cullens with a reader that REALLY loves to nap/sleep?

This was on my list of ones to do so thank you! And I hope you like it!

Edward:

He got really concerned for a while

There was a period of time, before he started stalking you at night of course, where you would go hours without responding to his texts

He got so anxious one day that he just showed up at your window to make sure you were alright

And you were asleep

Pretty much every time after that if he wanted to know where you were he knew that's what you were doing

When you start dating and he can come and go more freely he'll cuddle up next to you and just watch (creepy)

But then it gets to a point where he gets a bit scared

You guys are out and about and you mention that you're tired and just want to go home and sleep

Or instead of watching a movie with him you'll just drift off

Genuinely asks Carlisle if this is normal

He needs reassurance from both you and Carlisle that this is normal and that sleeping is just fun <3

Alice:

Before you two start dating, when you guys are still just friends, she finds it odd that you won't hang out with her

Like wdym you don't want to spend a whole Saturday shopping

Also finds it odd that you don't want to text or call all the time

She just straight up asks you tho

Almost doesn't believe you when you say it's because you're napping/sleeping

"Okay yeah I toootally believe that you sleep from 7 pm to 4 pm"

But it's true

When she eventually makes her own Edward-style trip to your house in the middle of the day and sees you sleeping she has no choice but to believe it

When you guys start dating she gets a little more annoyed

Like come on you are her partner dammit why are you sleeping all day?

She makes the mistake of waking you up one day

That doesn't go too well

She doesn't do that again

She gets a bit huffy when you sleep all day but just make it up to her by letting her drag you wherever she wants one day and you're good to go

Jasper:

Your relationship is slow to build

You start off only seeing each other in school

Then talking a little bit

Then hanging out at school

Then talking a little bit after

Then hanging out a little bit after

So he doesn't really question anything when you don't talk to him most of the time

He just thinks you don't want to move on to being that close yet

But once you guys start dating, that's when he notices it

For a while he thinks it's just him because he's so used to Alice literally always being there and ready to talk to him

But when he goes over to your house for the first time to hang out and you just take a nap

He puts the dots together

He doesn't mind one bit

He's quiet after all

I feel like he would appreciate the peace since his house is never quiet

And not to mention that he can feel the tranquil and calm emotions radiating from you

You bet your ass he is cuddling with you

He just likes to lay there and close his eyes

Rosalie:

She was pretty quick to notice tbh

I feel like she's one to pick up technology pretty quick

So she's a texter

And she notices that you go dark at like 4 pm every day only to respond again sometime in the middle of the night then stop again

She gets a little annoyed

She thinks you're ignoring her

She gets petty for like, a week

Won't acknowledge you in the hallway or answer your texts

It's only when you basically have a breakdown in front of her that she tells you why

And then you have another breakdown explaining that you're literally just sleeping

So then she feels bad

Cue a week of apology gifts

After that though she starts coming over to nap

Sleep sesh

She brings over a book or a movie to watch while you sleep next to her

She loves it

Like Jasper she loves the tranquility

Emmett:

He'd also notice pretty quick that something's up

Like wdym you don't want to go throw rocks at cars or whatever he does for fun

He would just take it as you being a whimp tho

"You don't want to hang cause you're scared of *insert random thing* right?"

You give in one time and go do something with him and he notices like an hour in that you are yawning like crazy and walking super slow

You explain that this is your regularly scheduled nap time and then it makes sense to him

Unfortunately tho he's not one to just lay around

Something's gonna have to change

Maybe one day dedicated to doing what he wants and then the rest you can sleep as much as you want

Compromise :)

Esme:

Honestly she's down

When you first come over she thinks she's prepared for anything humans would need but then you start drifting off at like 4 and she's like "oh"

Instantly is putting you in a room and telling everyone to be quiet

Is a little concerned but also she thinks it's cute

And it makes her lowkey miss being human and being able to take naps too

LOVES laying with you tho

Will grab a book and lay there with you for hours

Chill queen

Carlisle:

He's concerned

He can't help it

He sees people come in multiple times a day every day with similar symptoms and rarely do any of them have nothing wrong

Once he has learned the extent of your sleeping, he takes you to do some testing

Not even an at-home consultation

You are going into the clinic no ifs, ands, or buts

When he finds that there's nothing wrong though, he'll ease up

Just a little

Is still super concerned though

Will check up on you every once in a while when you're sleeping

He likes spending time with you though

His favorite thing is if you take a nap on the couch in his office

He loves just having you there while he does paperwork for the clinic

Vampire! Bella:

She remembers naps all too well

And she misses them too

Even though she loves being a vampire she does miss getting to rest and disappear from the world for a couple of hours

She will never ever wake you up

Unless there's like an emergency or something

Loves to chill

Again, would be content just reading a book or drawing while you're sleeping

Would like to cuddle too

She likes the warmth and the comfort

Might even convince someone in the Cullen house to buy a nice bed for when you come over (if she doesn't already have one)

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

Hello! I just finished reading all your writing.. i feel like your characterisation of coop is just so good!

Lately i’ve been fixated on how Cooper would feel about a plus sized partner.. (definitely not just because I’m plus sized myself)

Part of me feels his postwar ghoul self would be feral (pardon the pun) for a woman with a soft squishy body, especially a soft tummy and ass he can sink his fingers into, because someone like that would be so rare in the wastelands, and because it would be so different to his own physique

(Anon, I have a secret to share with you before we even get into headcanon territory; I'm a size 14-16ish, myself, so I definitely relate. I try to keep my reader-insert characters as nondescript as is reasonable in order to keep them accessible, but honestly? Every single character I've ever written is fat, or at least midsized. I feel like my use of words like "soft" and "plush" to describe them, plus references to tummies and bellies, might expose me a bit on that front. Thanks for reading and thanks for the ask!)

Prewar!Cooper Howard just loves women in general, all shapes and sizes. Big fan. He appreciates the female form in every one of its many variations. Back home, he knew plenty of bigger girls, curvier girls, and dated several before he met and fell head over heels for Barb. Once the two of them move to California, there's a noticeable decline in the variation of body types around him, and while he finds the women around him beautiful as well, he also finds himself sort of missing the higher concentration of softer ladies.

After she gives birth to Janey, Barb is pretty self-conscious about her body, but Cooper is quick to reassure her that she is just as beautiful as she was before (even moreso to him since she's grown softer in such nice places, frankly, but he doesn't think that's a proper thing to say out loud). She experiences a lot of pressure to be conventionally thin in her role as an executive, and while he supports her ambitions and what she wants to do with herself, it makes him feel terrible to see her so down on her body sometimes when he loves her (and it) so much.

Post-divorce, I think that a bigger partner, especially someone comfortable in their looks, their personal style, would be a welcome change to him. Like I said in my response to the question about him with a partner with body hair, I think he'd enjoy being with someone who wasn't so "L.A. perfect"; more authentic, at least to him.

He really loves a soft belly on a woman, and it's a treat that's been denied to him for so long. Of course, his favorite place to cum is inside you in whatever form he can get it, but he also likes to spurt all over your breasts and tummy, the sight of the mess cooling on your skin enough to get him going again more often than not. It drives him doubly crazy if you play in it a bit.

Also likes a good tit fuck. Likes it even more if you've got big enough breasts to do it while you sit on the floor in front of him. Getting to smoke a cigarette and sit back and watch you jerk him off with your tits is high up on his list of favorite ways to relax after a stressful day, especially if you tease the head of his cock with your lips and tongue.

Finds big nipples/big areolas very sexy; if you've got either (and definitely if you've got both), you might end up having to fend him off of your chest every once in a while with as often as he'll like to suck and lick and nip the poor things until they're all puffy and sore.

Enjoys using his ability to still pick you up and toss you around as a way to show off to you. It makes him feel virile and strong, so I hope you don't mind a little manhandling from time to time...

The Ghoul is always very pleasantly surprised to see anyone with some substance to them, physically; it's not necessarily that fat or midsize people don't exist, but the incidence of folks who are malnourished, stunted, and emaciated has certainly increased as the centuries have crept by.

He has always been a fairly lean and wiry guy, and life has given him more and more hard edges, so he adores a plush partner; round face, full lips, soft overall features. Big, soft hair, even. It's such a fascinating contrast to himself, to everything around him. The Wasteland is so harsh and strips every last bit of life it can out of every last thing that inhabits it, so to see someone so vivacious and supple...you are spellbinding to him before he even gets to touch you, to say the least.

When he does get to touch you, he wants to be respectful, trying his hardest to control his urge to rip your clothes away and grip your supple skin in his bare hands. He's trying so hard to reconnect with the more tender, gentlemanly part of himself, if it even still exists. But you seemingly have no idea how wild you drive him, how badly he wants to pin you down and feel your warm, pliable form beneath his, kind and sweetly flirty as ever despite how thin his self control is wearing. It's not long before the feeling he's trying to ignore consumes you both and he becomes intimately familiar with just how soft your body really is.

The man already had a breeding kink long ago, but it comes back with a vengeance if he meets the right person. He already finds himself drawn to your wide hips and thick thighs, but once he's fallen for you, once he's decided that you're his and he wants you to be his forever, they take on a whole new light. All he can think about his how good those wide hips would feel in his hands as he pumps you full, how beautiful your little tummy would look adorned with a baby bump.

Big fan of thigh-fucking, especially if you're not particularly rad-resistant; its a nice way for him to put you on your back, your legs on his shoulders the way he likes, pumping away at you in a way that feels natural without having to worry about making you incredibly sick or hurting you if he can't pull out in time. Or if he produces a lot of precum, which he is prone to. You both love and hate it, the head of him bumping and teasing against your clit depending on the angle, but never stimulating you enough to make you cum yourself. Fortunately, he's quite faithful about planting his head between your thighs and finishing you off once he's done.

If you are rad resistant, he still loves it; in fact, he loves it even more because he can fuck your thighs until he's about to finish, and instead of coating your stomach and mound, he can shove his weeping cock inside you at the last second and breed you, the sudden, wet heat around him making him cum even harder. Best of both worlds.

[kennyomegasweave]

We are 9 episodes in on My Stand In and I'm still hissing at my screen every time Sol shows up.

That man was really out here ranting and raving and being all WHY AREN'T YOU GUYS MAD about Ming as if he was the one being wronged like Joe didn't whole ass watch his damn body be cremated the day before. He really thinks he a main character and he's not even the possible second choice love interest.

Like he really dragged Joe away while he was calling for Ming and then told Joe to snap out of it cause Ming doesn't love him. Good to see he's still willing to physically drag Joe away from things he doesn't like, no matter what Joe wants, even in his second life.

He also has the audacity to be out here refusing to read the damn room and see that Joe looks uncomfortable AF anytime he drops a random "I care about you so much" line because it's not needed nor appreciated. He smooth brought Joe into his press conference to call him his boyfriend! And we all know good and damn well Joe wouldn't have agreed to that.

And then he was out here trying to fight Ming at the afterparty saying he doesn't give a fuck knowing good and damn well it would be Joe's ass if a public fight happened because he is the most unknown of the unknowns, while Ming's family is wealthy and Sol is, at the very least, semi-famous.

He's just always talking mad shit about how Ming is terrible and how he wants to save Joe from him and blah blah, but then he's instigating fights with Ming left and right. And personally, if I knew my friend was with a shitty man, I wouldn't keep antagonizing that man knowing my friend is the one who's dealing with the consequences every time. But I would actually want better for my friend because I care about them as a person and not as an ideal image I built in my head of someone I want to date. And that is clearly where Sol and I differ.

Like Ming is a delusional asshole, no argument there, but Sol is a Nice Guy and nah. I want him GONE. Let him go back to Korea and get some dick there. Cause he's not an option for Joe, nor was he ever at any point during this show, yet he really thinks he has relevancy here. Ming is better than me (or more insecure) cause I would have long since told Sol you don't compare when you don't compete.

[lilacmingi]

A QUEST FOR LOVE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Half-orc!Hongjoong x Elf!fem reader

Word count: 13,960

Note: I did NOT intend for this to be nearly 14K words!?? I just kept writing until the story was finished. This is the longest imagine I’ve ever written. Idk if I’d even consider it an imagine at this point. It’s more like a mini fic lol. Idk how you guys feel about long imagines (I feel like a lot of people don’t really read them) but if you do, I REALLY appreciate it

The noises in the tavern were loud. Conversations of patrons mixed together to a point where you could hardly make out what anyone was saying-not that you were listening. Belly laughs and the clanking of tin steins hitting against one another in celebration of a successful quest filled the space of the establishment. One might find the cacophony of noises bothersome, but you found it comforting. You'd spent many evenings in the tavern to wind down or just have fun. It was a place you frequented often to treat yourself to a nice meal.

Presently, you were sipping on a delicious soup that was doing wonders for you. That day had been particularly chilly and the broth was warming you up nicely from the inside out. At one end of the room a small group of people danced together as a local musical duo performed songs for them.

Your attention was pulled towards the crowd which had grown quieter and was separating as someone squeezed their way by. You craned your neck to see someone with a head of black hair moving through the mass of people, only catching glimpses of whoever it was. For some reason, your gaze stayed glued on the person as they emerged from a particularly dense group of people and went to sit at a table near the edge of the room to meet with a burly man that you knew as the local quest giver. The stranger was a man, and based on his appearance he was half-orc, though he looked a little different from the usual half-orcs that visited the tavern.

Your interest was piqued and you found yourself watching as he exchanged words with the quest giver. Though half-orcs weren't totally uncommon, they were rare around your village and this one looked different from the others. You didn't have the best vantage point, but from what you could see this half-orc had more gentle features. His skin was a pale green hue like that of a normal orc, but his face was nothing like one-at least from what you could see. You were only getting a side view of him, as he was on the opposite side of the tavern. He wore a black leather vest, brown pants, and knee high boots with a baldric strapped across his back that held a silver sword. No matter how much you tried, you couldn't seem to tear your eyes away from him as he spoke to the quest giver.

The half-orc leaned back in his seat, glancing around the interior of the establishment and that's when he locked eyes with you. The entirety of your body froze and you found yourself staring back. His gaze was sharp and almost intimidating as he maintained eye contact.

It was only when the quest giver got his attention that he turned back to the burly man across the table. Ever so slowly, you lifted your eyes and watched the half-orc as he retrieved a scroll from the man and started making his way out of the establishment. Your gaze followed him as he walked out, noticing how the tavern became quieter when he exited. Everyone seemed to be muttering about him.

A vaguely circular object went tumbling across the floor near the doorway just after the eye-catching man left. Having finished your meal, you shot up from your seat and scrambled to retrieve the item, reaching between the people that passed across the wooden floors, snagging it before anyone could step on it. Upon brief examination you saw it was a rock of some sort-a chunk of red ruby. The gasp that left you was one of both awe and realization as you hurried out of the tavern after the gorgeous mystery man. Shallow huffs left your mouth as you jogged down the cobblestone streets of your village, catching sight of the half-orc just a short distance ahead of you.

"Excuse me!" You called out, hurrying after him.

He heard your call as he came to a halt and turned around, looking for the source of the summoning. His eyes landed on you as you approached him.

"I think you dropped this in the tavern on your way out." The ruby was presented to him.

"My lucky rock." He plucked it from your palm, wondering how it could've fallen out of his bag.

He examined the small satchel he kept tied to his waist, frowning when he saw a hole in it.

"Thank you." The half-orc clutched the ruby rock in his hand. "I didn't even know it fell out of my bag."

"You're welcome."

Your eyes stayed on him for a few moments, taking in every detail of him now that you were up close. His brown eyes were soft and captivating, his dainty nose was fairylike in the way that it sloped and came to a delicate point. His tapered ears donned many piercings, a double helix on one side with a single lobe piercing, on the other side a single helix and three lobe piercings. An array of jewelry decorated his ears, most being silver hoops, some with charms hanging from them with a couple ruby diamond studs in the mix.

"I bet I made quite the spectacle in the tavern."

His words made you blink yourself back to reality and you realized you'd been staring at him for longer than you intended.

"Oh. Well, new people always grab the attention of locals."

"Yeah." He let out a short huff, he knew they were staring at him for another reason. "I'm Hongjoong, by the way." The half-orc extended his hand.

"Hongjoong." You echoed his name, giving his hand a shake. "I'm Y/n. Are you going on a quest?"

"Oh." Hongjoong glanced at the scroll tucked under his arm. "I am."

You glanced around. "Who's accompanying you on your journey?"

"No one. It's just me."

"That's a bit dangerous, isn't it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"And how are you going to defend yourself?"

"I'm pretty good with a sword. Besides, I couldn't find anyone that wanted to tag along."

"Why?"

"I don't know if it's obvious but I don't exactly look like your typical half-orc."

"I know. You're much prettier." is what you wanted to say, but chose to keep that to yourself.

"And that's why you're going alone?" You inquired. "Because you look different?"

Hongjoong let out a short huff through his nose. "Yes."

You furrowed your brows, but chose not to question him for the time being.

"Have you ever been to this village before?" You asked, the question seeming random to Hongjoong.

"No. I heard this was a place where I could receive quests and it was the nearest location."

"Ah." You nodded. "Well, our bakery is the talk of the town. I'd love to take you there if you're up for it."

"I'd better not. Thank you for the offer though."

"Please. My treat. Besides, you'll need something to eat before your quest."

His eyes met yours and he stared at them for a while before nodding.

"Alright."

A small sense of relief and delight washed over you.

"Right this way." You beckoned the half-orc, heading down the cobblestone street towards the bakery.

You had just eaten a generous portion of soup at the tavern, but you wanted to continue speaking to this Hongjoong fellow, which is why you invited him to the bakery, hoping you'd get the chance to extend your conversation with him.

As soon as the wooden door was pushed open, you and Hongjoong were greeted with the pleasant scent of freshly-baked bread and confections as well as a warm gust of air that contrasted from the chilly outdoors. A cheerful 8 foot tall half-giant whom you knew as Yunho, greeted the both of you when you walked in, asking what he could get you.

"I'll have a square of chocolate fudge please." Hongjoong spoke.

"And I'll have one sweet roll please." You added.

The half-giant nodded, getting to work right away, moving to the display case and pulling out what you'd ordered. About that time, a gremlin came hurrying out of the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly-baked blueberry muffins. He had grayish skin, pointed ears adorned with hoops, black hair, and an apron tied around his waist. Most gremlins were quite ugly, but this guy was the complete opposite.

Yunho's eyes lit up at what the gremlin had brought out. "Oh you made my favorite." His large hand moved towards one of the baked goods only for it to be smacked away.

"Get your giant hands away. These are for customers."

Yunho pouted and you could hear the gremlin whisper in a huffy tone, "If there's any leftover at the end of the day you can have some."

"Thanks, Wooyoung." Yunho smiled before bringing your roll and Hongjoong's fudge over.

As you fished out some coins to pay, you asked the half-giant, "Does he bake everything?"

Yunho spared a glance at the gremlin who was making sure the display looked presentable, slightly nudging over a muffin so it sat in line with the others he'd just set down.

"He does. He's really good at baking, which is surprising since gremlins are so... unpredictable."

You and Hongjoong nodded knowingly. Though you had been to the bakery a handful of times, you'd never seen the owner before, probably because he was always back in the kitchen preparing his culinary creations.

Yunho counted the coins you'd given him, thanking you for your purchase as he dropped the money into a wooden chest under the counter.

You and Hongjoong went to sit at one of the tables. The latter glanced around the establishment, his eyes falling on the handful of patrons sitting about, their gazes on him.

"So, what's your story?" You inquired, pulling off a piece of the roll and popping it into your mouth while simultaneously tearing Hongjoong's attention away from prying eyes.

"My story?"

"Yeah. You're going on this quest but you're going alone."

"I don't really have a choice." He spoke, staring at the small fudge square. "My tribe kicked me out."

"Kicked you out?"

"Because I look different. I'm too short, I'm not strong-looking, and I'm not an asset to the group. I'm a liability."

His words etched a small frown onto your features. It hardly seemed fair that he was kicked out simply for his appearance.

"Well, I personally think you're the perfect height."

He gave a half smile.

"How tall are you, anyway?" You inquired purely out of curiosity.

"5'8." (172cm)

"Can't half-orcs be as short as 5 feet?"

"Yes, but most of my kind are closer to 6 feet tall, so I stick out like a sore thumb around them."

"Height doesn't matter."

"It does if you're an orc."

"Not necessarily. I've seen quite a few powerful half-orcs pass through town. They've shared tales of their adventures and excursions. They're quite successful."

Hongjoong finally took a bite of his fudge, nodding softly at your words as if he were processing them.

"You said your tribe kicked you out. What about your parents?" You asked after a few drawn-out moments of silence.

Hongjoong scoffed. "I'm the product of a raid in a human village. My mother didn't want me and dropped me off with a random group of orcs that raised me... sort of. They more so tolerated me, though they made sure I knew exactly how they felt about me."

The frown returned to your face, deepening at his words as you imagined some of the horrible things the orcs might've said to him as he grew up.

"I wanted to prove myself to my tribe and make them reconsider their decision to kick me out by going on a quest, but everyone laughed. No one thinks I'll be successful." He continued.

There was a part of you that, despite not knowing Hongjoong very well, wanted him to succeed in his quest and show those nasty orcs that he was just as strong and capable as they were, perhaps even more.

"Is this your first quest?"

Your inquiry was followed by a nod from the half-orc seated across the table.

It was his first quest and he was going alone because he couldn't find anyone that wanted to accompany him?

"I'll go with you." The words spilled right out of your mouth without warning.

"What?"

"I said I'll go with you."

Hongjoong leaned to the side in his seat to give your appearance a once-over.

"No offense, but you don't look like someone who goes on quests."

"You're one to talk."

His eyes became wider at your quick quip.

"Sorry. Low blow."

"It's true though." He cracked a small smile, showing off a small set of lower fangs which you hadn't been able to see too well before.

"Look, I know an elf girl like myself doesn't look like much, but I'm quite skilled with a bow and arrow."

Hongjoong nibbled on his fudge in thought, tossing around your offer and taking into consideration that he'd be letting you tag along without knowing the extent of your skills. Then again, you were the only person willing to join him and, though he felt he could handle the quest on his own, there's power in numbers-and two is better than one.

"Alright. You can join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I suppose it'll be beneficial to have a second person along for the journey."

"Out of curiosity, what's the quest you received?"

"Retrieving a stolen artifact."

"What information do you have?"

"The quest giver said it's an hourglass called The Cromer. It's said to have the power to allow someone to travel between dimensions according to the moon phases."

"Wow." You had never heard of such a relic. "And does that map tell you where it's located?"

"It's supposed to, yes. Apparently, a dragon has hoarded the relic and a local keeper needs someone to retrieve it so that it can be put away safely. The reward is quite large too."

Your brows raised. "A dragon?"

Hongjoong gave a nod of confirmation. "The map is supposed to lead right to his lair."

The suggestion was then made by you to swing by your place and solidify a plan for your journey as well as pack for what would surely be a few days worth of traveling.

Moss blanketed the roof of your quaint cottage, long tendrils of green ivy and purple morning glories growing up the sides of the structure which was surrounded by a plethora of bushes. Hongjoong noted how fitting your home was for a forest elf such as yourself, smiling softly at its woodsy appearance.

Once inside, Hongjoong spread the map out across your circular dining table, using your salt and pepper shakers to keep it weighed down.

"This leads from the tavern to the dragon's lair." Hongjoong pointed out, dragging his index finger from one point to the other. "The quest giver told me the dragon dwells in a cave in these mountains here."

You nodded, glancing at the map, trying to figure out which way would be the safest and shortest passage for the both of you.

"We should avoid going this way." You called attention to a dark cluster of trees by pointing to them.

"Why?"

"Banshees."

"Ah." Hongjoong nodded, relying on you to tell him where the biggest threats lie since he was unfamiliar with the areas on the map.

After some deliberation and heedful planning, you and Hongjoong had your route decided.

"How soon do you want to head out?" You asked while placing a handful of supplies into your bag.

"The sooner the better."

"Very well." You went off to another room, returning moments later with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Before we go, you might wanna let me fix that torn bag of yours. We don't want anything important falling out of it."

Hongjoong spared a glance at his satchel. "Oh. Right."

As you rummaged for your sewing kit, the half-orc removed the bag and laid it out on the table. The hole wasn't too big and easily repairable.

Your hands busied themselves by threading the needle that was pinched between your fingers, securing it in place and getting to work. Hongjoong's brown eyes observed your actions, a certain emotion swelling in his chest as he watched you do such a simple task. You were so welcoming and had shown him such kindness—it was nothing like Hongjoong had ever experienced. Others were harsh and judgmental, making assumptions about him before he could even open his mouth. Then there's you: warm, friendly, kind, accepting. You'd even offered to accompany him on this quest despite the fact that you hardly knew anything about him. Who does that?

You. That's who.

"Done."

Your voice pulled Hongjoong from his reverie. He blinked himself back to reality.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. It's good as new now." You smiled softly, the light shimmer on your cheeks catching in the sun that filtered in through the window.

Hongjoong could feel his heart squeeze a bit at the sight. Were all elves this enchanting? He wondered.

Pushing yourself out of your chair, you scurried about your home, gathering only the absolute necessities for your journey which was food, money, and a first aid kit equipped with herbs and other things to make a salve in case of injury.

You excused yourself to change into some quest-appropriate attire, ditching your forest green dress and chestnut corset for a more comfortable cream-colored button down shirt, dark brown pants and knee high boots.

While you changed, Hongjoong rolled up the map and tucked it into his satchel.

Emerging from your room, you collected your quiver of arrows and slipped the strap across your body. Hongjoong blinked a few times, taking in your new garb. You retrieved your bag and bow, turning to the half-orc who averted his gaze immediately.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." He stood up, adjusting the leather baldric strapped across him, tossing his satchel over his shoulder.

"We need to make one stop before we set out." You mentioned, stepping out of your house.

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

A brief walk through town brought the both of you to an apothecary.

"Potions?" Hongjoong questioned, gazing up at the wooden sign.

"We don't know what we'll run into on the journey. We may need some." You mentioned, stepping inside the small business.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling your entrance. A man with black hair that flipped out at the ends and curled just under his ear stood behind the front counter, a stunning set of small, green-tinted iridescent wings on his back. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, tucking a strand of hair behind one of his pointed ears, lifting his head to greet you and Hongjoong.

"Hello." He smiled warmly, his voice deeper than you expected. "I'm Yeosang. What can I help you with today?"

"We're going on a quest and I'm looking to purchase some potions."

The fairy's eyes lit up. "Oh! A quest? What potions are you interested in buying?"

"Defensive potions. Maybe one that can be used as a smoke bomb?"

"Yes, yes." The fairy nodded, turning around to rifle through the shelves along the wall behind the register, pulling two small bottles out, inside was an opaque grayish white liquid. "Throw these on the ground and they'll explode in a mist that'll temporarily disorient your opponent and give you a chance to flee."

"How much?"

"100 gold pieces each."

"Ah. I think I'll just take one." You dug around in your bag, pulling out one of small tied satchels that held your extra money, sliding it across the counter. "There's 100 gold pieces in there."

The fairy opened the bag and poured out the coins, handing you the empty satchel before beginning to count the pieces. "100 exactly. Thank you for your business."

You gave a small nod and took the potion, placing it into the potion holster secured around your waist.

An unexpected muffled boom sounded from somewhere in the shop, causing you, Hongjoong, and Yeosang to flinch. Moments later, a tall man with messy, brown hair and glasses sitting askew on his nose emerged from a back room in the establishment. His face and robes were dusted in a pale blue powder, assumably from the small explosion.

"Yeosang, I messed up."

"Mingi." The fairy sighed before turning back to you and Hongjoong with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm training him."

You raised a hand, shaking your head in a dismissive manner. Yeosang turned to Mingi, telling him to start cleaning up whatever mess was made and that he'd come help in a moment.

"Clumsiest mage I've ever met." Yeosang murmured under his breath when Mingi left. "Apologies. Is there anything else I can get you for your quest?"

"The potion should be enough. Thank you." You bid the fairy goodby before heading out.

Your boots crunched under the gravelly dirt path leading out of your village with Hongjoong in tow. The pretty cobblestones that paved the streets had gotten sparse as you exited the village limits and entered the unknown.

"Map please." You held a hand out.

Hongjoong immediately fished the rolled parchment out of his bag, handing it over.

The guide was unrolled and you glanced at it, your eyes following the line of ink that had been drawn along the path you and Hongjoong agreed to follow.

"We just keep going until we get to the blueberry fields." You directed aloud, rolling up the map once more.

"Can't believe that smoke bomb potion was 100 gp." Hongjoong huffed out.

"It's a fair price for something like that." You shrugged, following the gravelly dirt trail.

Your trek was mostly uneventful as you traversed along the path, sticking to the planned route that was discussed earlier. Eventually, the lush grass and sizable trees lining the dirt road thinned out and the vast, wild blueberry fields came into view. Hongjoong pulled out the map, the tip of his index finger gliding along the parchment until he came upon the blueberry fields you both stood by. His eyes drifted from the illustrations on the map to what lied head of you.

"According to the route we decided on, we need to take a left here by the tree." Hongjoong informed you.

"Left by the tree." You repeated, stepping forward and veering off to the trail on the left, the rocks in the dirt crunching under the soles of your boots.

"You seemed familiar with some of the locations on the map. Have you ever been outside of your village?" Hongjoong asked, putting a stop to the silence that had been hanging in the air for the last half hour.

"A couple times. I don't like to wander too far, but I've been to two or three places outside of town. Have you traveled outside your home village?"

"With my tribe, yes. Though I never had the opportunity to really enjoy where we went. Too much commotion."

"Ah." You nodded.

Orcs were known for their brute strength and violence, which led you to believe they were too busy causing a ruckus and raiding. You felt a twinge of pity for Hongjoong knowing he could never fully enjoy any of the places he went with his tribe due to all the trouble they most likely caused.

"Maybe this journey will give you the chance to enjoy new places." You mentioned with a smile.

Your words brought some comfort to Hongjoong and gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he could try and enjoy himself a bit on this journey. After all, it was the first time he was on his own and he didn't have his tribe causing trouble or teasing him.

Your journey led you through valleys and along a few rocky trails, but nothing either of you couldn't handle. Presently, you and your quest partner were trekking through a dense forest, the foliage on the towering trees so thick it was blocking the sun, giving the woods an eerie atmosphere.

"So, how difficult do you think locating The Cromer will be?" You asked Hongjoong as you stepped over a particularly large tree root. "This dragon that's guarding it has to have it hidden somewhere safe." You added.

"I'm not sure. According to what I heard, it's a powerful artifact so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's gonna be difficult to obtain."

"That's probably our best bet."

"The Cromer, huh?" An unfamiliar baritone voice spoke from somewhere in the trees.

Before either of you could speak, a monstrous troll came thudding out of the dense cluster of trees that surrounded you.

You and Hongjoong both came to a halt, taking a collective step back as the troll looked back and forth between the two of you.

"An elf and a little half-orc." The troll chuckled deeply. "What a pitiful duo."

You took a defensive stance, your heart hammering against your chest as you narrowed your eyes at the big oaf.

"What do you want?" You asked, keeping your voice steady.

"I want the map to The Cromer. I could do a lot with an ancient artifact like that."

"Not a chance." Hongjoong spoke sternly.

The troll let out a bellowing laugh, finding Hongjoong's defiance to be amusing, not taking it seriously.

"I can always just take it from you." The troll spoke, pulling out his spiked wooden club.

Hongjoong shook his head, not giving up so easily, especially not to a stupid troll. He was determined to complete the quest and prove himself to his tribe. In other words, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The troll grinned, showing off a set of ugly, yellowed teeth as he did so, seeing that he'd have to forcefully take the map.

You and Hongjoong collided with one another while attempting to scramble away from the threat just as the wooden club was smashed into the earth, sending clumps of dirt flying up in the air.

The troll laughed deeply, swinging the club towards you. A yelp escaped your mouth as you ducked, the weapon colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree instead, knocking off chunks of bark. Scrambling for a place to hide, you slipped behind another tree nearby, your trembling hands reaching for an arrow from your quiver.

Hongjoong gathered himself and pulled his sword out, the blade making a resounding shing as it was withdrawn from its sheath. He saw you struggling to slide your arrow into your bow as the troll stomped in your direction. Without thinking, he ran forward and swung the blade, slicing along the troll's lower back. A loud, rough groan reverberated through the air as the troll spun around, no longer focused on you.

"You little weasel!" The troll growled, swinging his club and knocking Hongjoong with immense force, launching him right into a tree trunk. He yelped upon impact, his sword falling from his hand as he dropped to the ground. His body lie crumpled in the dirt and undergrowth as he groaned, his bag having come undone during the fall, the map sticking out. The troll laughed victoriously at the sight and took a step forward.

"There it is."

You gasped, sliding your arrow into place and stepping out from your hiding spot, aiming right at the troll's calf. Though tensions were high and your hands were still trembling, you knew you needed to save your friend. Expelling a long breath, you released the arrow, watching as it went straight into its intended destination.

A loud roar of agony ripped through the air as the troll stumbled a bit, glancing back to look at the arrow lodged in his calf, pulling it out with a hiss. This gave Hongjoong the chance to push himself up from the dirt and grab his sword. He staggered, getting a good grip on the hilt before swinging it with all his might as the blade sliced through the troll's backside. You watched with wide eyes as the troll groaned and dropped to his knees, falling face first into the dirt. Hongjoong rushed over and took hold of your forearm, tugging you away from the collapsed troll.

"Let's get out of here."

You nodded, running by him as the both of you fled the scene.

"This might be a good time to tell you that this is my first quest." You confessed, huffing as you leapt over vines and tree roots.

Hongjoong's expression fell into one of shock. Instead of questioning you, he kept quiet, deciding to focus on getting out of the woods and away from that troll first. He could ask questions later.

Short, labored breaths left your dry lips as you slowed to a jog, the trees around you becoming more sparse, indicating that you were close to getting out of what you presumed was troll territory. Hongjoong huffed out a sharp puff of air, slowing to match your pace.

"Almost there." He announced, his voice sounding strained.

A few brief moments later, you emerged from the woods, no longer in an area that was unsafe. Hongjoong let out a soft grunt, his hand placed over his side as he doubled over.

"Are you alright?" Concern laced your voice.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just getting a pain in my side from running."

You peered out at the sun that was beginning to drop lower in the sky, taking note of how late it was getting.

"We should find a place to set up camp for the night."

Still catching his breath, Hongjoong merely nodded, forcing himself to stand upright.

"Here." You gestured to a decent-looking terrain just off the trail. There were trees and rocks scattered about the area, which seemed like an ideal place to settle for the evening.

Hongjoong trudged behind, following until you got to your designated camping spot.

"I can gather some firewood." He offered.

"Alright. That'll be good." You nodded.

As he walked off, you noticed the way he kept placing his hand on his side. It caught your attention for only a moment before you brushed it off, deciding to start setting up camp.

Retrieving a small blade from your bag, you used it to cut off a few twiggy branches from nearby trees, using them to lie across the grass as a makeshift bed. It wasn't the best, but the leaves added some cushioning.

Hongjoong returned shortly with an armful of sticks and chunks of wood. He appeared to be in no pain, so you chose not to ask questions about his earlier behavior, merely thanking him for collecting firewood.

"I can go back for more if you need me to. This may not be enough."

"This'll be fine."

"I'm gonna go back and get some more."

"Wait. Are you sure you're alright?" You decided to ask.

"I'm fine. I won't be gone long."

The words of protest that were about to leave your lips died on your tongue as Hongjoong walked off.

The fire crackled softly in front of you, bathing its nearby surroundings in an orange glow. You sat a short distance from your half-orc partner, the both of you leaned back against a sizable boulder. The day was fairly warm, but now that the sun had gone down, the night air was beginning to cool. Thankfully, the fire provided just enough heat to keep you both comfortable.

When Hongjoong returned from collecting wood a second time, he had brought back a few berries wrapped in a leaf for the both of you to share. Presently, the both of you were eating and watching the flames and the embers.

"You're hurt." You stated after noticing Hongjoong shifting uncomfortably for the last few minutes.

"I'm fine."

Scooting closer, you hovered your hands tentatively over his side, not touching him just yet. "May I look at it?"

"I said I'm fine. Really."

"You're not." Your voice took on a firmer tone that made Hongjoong fall silent. "I saw you holding your side earlier today."

His lack of response prompted you to unbutton his leather vest to get a look at the injury. Your wandering eyes momentarily halted, lingering on his exposed figure before they finally trailed down to his right side which he had been nursing for the last hour. A nasty-looking purple splotch blemished his perfect skin right where his ribs were.

Before you could question when this could've occurred, you remembered how he was knocked against a tree earlier during your brief battle with that troll. You winced at the sight of the bruise, knowing just from the sight that the injury wasn't minor.

"How have you been walking around like this?"

Hongjoong shrugged. He wasn't one to show much weakness, especially when it came to injuries.

"How does this feel?" You applied light pressure on his side and he hissed, his face twisting in agony.

"Mmm. I think you might've cracked a rib."

"Feels like it." Hongjoong grunted.

"Stay still."

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay still." You repeated, keeping your palm pressed to the bruise.

Hongjoong watched idly as you closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it through your nostrils. A soft glow emitted from around your hand, a warmth seeping into his skin. The dull throbbing in his ribs subsided after a few moments. The half-orc's brows furrowed in awe while he watched you focus, the bruise that stained his skin fading ever so slightly.

"There." You sighed out, retracting your hand.

A small part of Hongjoong missed the feeling of your touch, but he pushed those emotions aside in order to assess the damage, or lack thereof.

He tentatively sat up straighter, moving a bit to test out the effects of what you'd just done.

"It... doesn't hurt." He murmured breathlessly.

"I healed it for you. Elf magic." You wiggled your fingers, making Hongjoong crack a tiny smile, amused by the cute display. "You'll still have a bit of a bruise, but you'll be able to continue the quest without any hinderance."

His fingers traced lightly over his side, his skin still tingling a bit from where you palm was.

"Thank you."

You began sifting through your satchel, producing a small canteen and an apple.

"Here." You passed them to Hongjoong. "You should eat something besides berries."

"What about you?"

"I've got another apple. No worries." You proved your point by pulling out a duplicate of the fruit.

Hongjoong nodded, satisfied to see that you had something extra for yourself.

"So," He began after taking a bite of his apple, chewing for a moment. "earlier you said this is your first quest."

"That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me before volunteering to tag along?" His question wasn't laced with malice, but genuine curiosity.

"When you told me why you were going on this quest and what you'd been through, I just couldn't let you go alone. My lack of experience was the last thing on my mind."

He nodded, taking in your words. "You were really good earlier when we fought that troll. If you hadn't distracted him by shooting that arrow, I don't think I would've had the chance to get back on my feet."

"You're the one who delivered the final blow that knocked him down." You pointed out.

"Ah. That's true... but, again, I wouldn't have been able to do that if not for you stepping in."

"Right." You chuckled. "So we have each other to thank then."

A moment of silence passed between the both of you before Hongjoong spoke up again.

"I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah." You smiled fondly, nodding your head. "Yeah, we do."

It wasn't long after that the both of you decided to call it a night, hoping to get an early start the following day.

A relaxed sigh left your nostrils as you gazed sleepily at the stars above, admiring the way they dotted the expanse of the atmosphere. You then turned your head to spare a glance at Hongjoong who was already fast asleep. His pretty lashes rested on his cheeks as small snores left him. A fond smile tugged at your lips when you noticed his lower fangs poking out from his bottom lip as he slept. The sight was incredibly endearing and had your heart swelling with adoration towards the half-orc. With a gentle exhale, you shifted your position on the makeshift bed of leaves and closed your eyes, drifting off to the sound of the crackling fire and distant crickets.

The next morning, you awoke to chirping birds and the quiet shiff of someone's shoes moving through the grass. Raising up a bit, you squinted your eyes to see Hongjoong walking around, looking at the map.

"Oh. You're up." He announced once he heard you stirring, heading over and taking a seat in the grass.

"Yeah." You grunted, sitting upright and rubbing your eyes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not too bad. You?"

"My back is a little stiff."

"Mine too."

"How's your ribs?" You asked, sliding on your quiver of arrows.

"Much better, thanks to you." Hongjoong gave an appreciative smile.

"Good." Your eyes moved to the map, which he was looking at. "Ah. Looks like we'll be passing through a village today."

"Maybe there'll be someplace to eat."

"You read my mind." You chuckled at Hongjoong's statement. "I'm ready for some good food."

After a journey along some rocky terrain and across a creek, you and your quest partner arrived at the village you were set to pass through on the way to your destination. The town was bigger than yours and had many different businesses from clothing shops, weapon shops, bakeries, and eateries. One in particular was called Mountaintop Tavern.

"How about eating here?" Hongjoong gestured.

"Yeah. Let's check it out."

The both of you stepped inside the establishment, which had a decent crowd. Your eyes roamed around the interior of the tavern as you followed Hongjoong to the bar, taking a seat on the stool. A man, presumably a human, with short, choppily-cut black hair stood behind the counter drying a glass. Once he noticed the presence of customers, he approached and greeted you both with a dimpled smile.

"Hi. I'm San. What can I get you two?"

"We're not sure." Hongjoong spoke.

"We're just passing through." You added.

"Oh! Travelers. Are you exploring or are you on a quest?"

"A quest." Hongjoong responded.

"How fun!" The cheery bartender grinned. "Well, we have soups, freshly-baked bread, meat, ale, juice, beer. Normal tavern stuff."

Hongjoong's eyes lit up at the mention of meat. "If you have any sort of seared beef, I'd love some of that."

"We do. It's served with a baked potato and a roll."

"Perfect."

After mulling over the options San had given, you placed an order for what you usually got at your tavern back home.

"We'll have two silver dragonic ales as well please." Hongjoong added.

"Coming right up." San winked, turning around to prepare drinks first.

Two tin steins were set on the bar top moments later, filled to the brim with a slightly coppery liquid.

"I'll go pass your order on to the cooks." San informed before walking off to the back.

"To a successful quest." Hongjoong held up his mug.

"To a successful quest." You echoed his words, clinking your stein with his, taking a generous sip of the ale, humming in satisfaction afterward.

"Ooh. That's crisp." Hongjoong commented, the coolness of the ale colder than expected.

"It's delicious." You took another sip. "Tastes like cider."

"Made with the finest apples." San's voice rang out as he returned to the counter. "Your food will be ready shortly."

"If the ale is this good, I can't imagine what the food will taste like." Hongjoong said with a grin.

You nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you. I work hard to keep the patrons coming back." San grinned.

"So, you're the owner?" You asked.

"I am."

"I'm curious about the name of the tavern."

"Ah. My name means mountain, hence the name Mountaintop Tavern."

"Ooh." You and Hongjoong nodded in unison.

A customer approached the bar and San excused himself to go take care of them.

"This place is really nice." You commented, looking around at the different items hanging on the walls: swords, shields, and shelves lined with various trinkets and crystals.

A heavenly voice reached your ears, making you turn your head in the direction of the melodic singing.

On a small stage at the front of the tavern was a man with chestnut hair. He held a small guitar and was belting out the most enchanting notes. San noticed how you and Hongjoong were zoned in on the performance, chuckling to himself.

"That's Jongho. He's a local bard that performs here." He informed, walking back over. "He's pretty good, isn't he?"

"Pretty good is an understatement." You murmured.

"He's incredible." Hongjoong added.

"He's very popular with the customers."

True to San's words, the patrons in the tavern had migrated towards the stage, all of them looking just as captivated as you and Hongjoong.

The both of you were so focused on this Jongho fellow that you sat there watching him perform until your food arrived. The mouthwatering aroma is what drew your attention away from the bard.

As expected, the meal was delicious. It was probably the best tavern food you'd ever eaten—even better than the one back home.

Hongjoong let out a satisfied sigh, having cleaned his plate. He didn't know seared beef could be so tender and flavorful. Back in his tribe, he often ate dried meats or meat grilled over a fire, though it was flavorless and sometimes overcooked. This, however, was so well-cooked it practically melted in his mouth.

San gave you the total for your meals and Hongjoong promptly counted out enough silver pieces to pay for them, giving you no time to pull out your own money. You quietly thanked him for covering the meal, standing up from your seat.

"Everything was phenomenal." Hongjoong praised San.

"It was." You agreed. "It took us a day to get here but I'd almost consider coming back just to eat here again."

A bright and prideful grin spread across San's face at your positive words. "Thank you. Both of you." He gave each of you a nod as you headed out. "Safe travels."

The both of you stepped out into the dirt streets, satisfied after having a decent meal.

"We should hit the road." Hongjoong mentioned, reaching towards his bag to retrieve the map.

"Wait. Let's walk around for a bit and check out the village."

"What about the quest?"

"The quest can wait. You said you never got the chance to explore new places with your tribe, right? Let's just enjoy ourselves for a while."

The half-orc's expression softened, settling into a gentle smile. He couldn't believe you suggested sticking around just so he could explore. It was so... considerate.

The both of you set off through the village, window shopping and waiting for something to grab your attention. Hongjoong's eyes were practically glimmering while passing by each store, taking in everything like it was his first time seeing it. You could only imagine it was the first time he was seeing a town that wasn't in a panic from a raid his tribe started.

"Could we go in here for a minute?" He gestured towards a shop.

You nodded, following him into the small establishment where many garments were being sold. From fine clothing for fancy events to simple travelers clothes—it appeared this shop had it all.

Hongjoong veered over to a rack displaying a variety of satchels which he started perusing. The thought of purchasing a new bag crossed his mind since his current one had ripped, but he paused, glancing down at it and running his finger over the seam where you'd sewn the tear shut. The image of you sitting across from him, quietly mending his bag flashed in his mind, making his heart feel warm. He decided at that moment that he didn't need a new bag.

Abandoning the display of satchels, he headed to the clothing where he briefly scanned the wares, finding simple lace up blouses, neutral tone trousers, leather jackets, and even animal pelts. Just the sight of the furs reminded Hongjoong of his tribe. Many orcs back home wore pieces of armor, tunics made from animal skin, or fur pelts tossed over their shoulder—some only wore a loincloth. Hongjoong shivered at the image. He was the only one who dressed civilly, which was another thing he was made fun of for.

Any thoughts of his life back home were chased away when he laid eyes on a rack of coats, more specifically a long fur coat. It didn't look messy and primitive like some of the animal pelts his tribe members wore, this one was regal and carried an energy of prominence and grace. He didn't have a need for something like that and he wouldn't be able to bring it with him on the remainder of the quest, but it was a wonderful coat. His hands ran over the fur, feeling the soft material before relocating to another area of the shop.

Meanwhile, you were browsing a selection of dresses in an array of colors and styles. Your fingertips brushed over the fabrics, taking in the various designs. One dress in particular caught your eye; it was in your favorite color with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. You quietly marveled at the simplicity of it, liking that it wasn't too frilly. After admiring the dress, you moved to a different section of the store, browsing everything there was to offer, occasionally sparing a glance in Hongjoong's direction to check on him. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing, meandering around the shop with bright eyes. A fond smile tugged at your lips while you watched him, stepping a little closer to admire him. His delicate and stunning features were what first drew you to him. He truly was the prettiest half-orc you'd ever laid eyes on.

Hongjoong lifted his head, making eye contact with you from where he stood a couple racks away. You gave him a small smile before busying yourself by looking at a collection of boots nearby. You tried not to stare at him after that, slightly embarrassed that he happened to look up while you were silently admiring him.

After spending some time in the village and stopping inside different shops, you and Hongjoong got back on the road, following the route drawn on the map.

"So, what did you think?" You asked. "Was it nice to enjoy your time in a village for once?"

"Yes. Even if I didn't buy anything, it was enjoyable to be able to browse in peace."

"I assume your tribe was always raiding places and causing chaos?"

"That's right. I never participated in raids and chose to stay home. Though there were a couple times I was forcibly dragged along. I just stayed back out of the way and watched." He shook his head, visibly reliving the memories. "It was horrible."

A sympathetic expression flashed across your features at Hongjoong's recollection of events.

"It must be difficult being the only half-orc in your tribe."

"It is. They're all so... primitive and boisterous. I'm nothing like that."

"I like that you're not."

Hongjoong's eyes met yours, his fingers playing with the strap of his messenger bag. "You do?"

"Yeah. I like you the way you are."

Your words made a smile spread across his face and a warm feeling blossom in his chest.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Hongjoong spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yes?"

"We never discussed the reward money, but I plan to split it with you."

"What?" Your brows furrowed in perplexmxent. "No, no. That's not necessary."

"It is. You offered to tag along and you're helping retrieve The Cromer so you should get a cut of the reward."

"I only tagged along because I didn't want you going alone."

"And I'm grateful for that, so we're splitting the reward."

Heaving a reluctant sigh, you silently agreed to his proposition. This pleased Hongjoong, as a content smile settled onto his lips and he gave a nod of finality.

The map was retrieved from Hongjoong's bag and he gave a glance at it, locating the village the both of you were headed out of.

"Looks like we'll be at the mountains sometime today." He spoke. "If we don't run into any trouble, that is."

You released a long breath, glancing out at the few cottages dotting the land. "Let's hope for the best."

Things haven't been too bad for the both of you. Yes, you'd run into a troll, but you and Hongjoong both made it out of that situation with your weaponry skills. Not many people had it that easy.

"So, that ruby of yours, is it really lucky?"

"I don't know." Hongjoong shrugged, reaching into the pocket on his bag and pulling out the small rock, turning it between his fingers to watch it shimmer under the sun. "I just keep it with me. Though nothing too terrible has ever happened to me while I've had it on me."

"How'd you acquire this lucky rock?"

"I found it while my tribe was raiding a town. I was stood behind a couple barrels trying to stay out of the way and happened to see it in the dirt right by my feet. There were no crystal or gem shops nearby so I'm not sure where it came from, but it seemed like a special find. It was nice to find something so beautiful and precious while all this chaos was ensuing around me."

You smiled, happy that he was able to find some semblance of positivity while being forced to witness the wrath of his tribe.

"This is it." You commented, staring into the narrow mouth of the cave.

Hongjoong looked up from the map, expelling a sigh. "This is it. The Cromer is in there."

"Here goes nothing." You took in a deep breath and took a step forward.

"Wait." Hongjoong held his arm out to stop you. "Let me go first."

The fact that he wanted to take the lead and go first made your heart flutter just a bit.

He stepped ahead and entered the cave. You allowed him to do so, steeling yourself for what might await.

Trailing behind Hongjoong, you followed him through the narrow and rocky tunnel. It was just big enough for the both of you to walk through it. However, the farther you got, the less light from the outside was able to reach, making it difficult for you to see.

"It's too dark." Hongjoong murmured, feeling along the walls.

"I think I might be able to help. I can't promise it'll work, but it's worth a shot."

Focusing your energy, you held out your palm and steadied your breathing before casting a dancing lights spell. A glowing orb was created, hovering above your open palm. With some light now illuminating the area, you could see Hongjoong's amazed expression.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"I guess you can say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." You grinned. "I wasn't even sure it would work. I only know a limited amount of spells and they're all pretty mundane."

"Well this one seems useful." He gestured to the light. "Come on. Let's keep going."

You continued to keep the ball of light hovering over your palm as you two made your way through the cave, walking over the uneven terrain below your feet. The further you got into the cavern, the more anxious you became. You'd never battled a dragon before. You'd never battled anything except for that troll the other day, which turned out well, but who's to say the battle with this dragon will go the same way?

"You alright?" Asked Hongjoong.

It was almost as if he could sense your nerves.

"I'm okay. Just a little anxious, I guess. There could be a big battle ahead of us."

"Not if we evade the dragon." He paused, glancing back to see your concerned expression, offering you a small but reassuring smile. "We'll be fine, Y/n."

His words brought you some comfort and helped to ease a little of the dread and anxiety you'd been feeling.

A dim glow up ahead let you and Hongjoong know you'd made it to the dragon's lair.

Emerging from the passageway, you were met with the sight of a vast interior area with gold and treasures galore. Large torches lined the rocky cave walls, giving an orangey glow to its surroundings and filling the air with a smoky, sooty scent.

Hongjoong surveyed the area, giving a jerk of his head to signal that the coast was clear to keep moving, so you did. Staying close by, you and the half-orc started tiptoeing past the giant piles of cold coins, jewelry, and other precious objects.

"Where do you think The Cromer is?" You whispered, keeping your voice low.

"Don't know." Hongjoong looked up at one of the higher levels in the cave, noticing an opening. "Maybe up there?"

You nodded in agreement, prompting him to proceed, moving past one of the piles of treasures. His arm immediately shot out to stop you, his unexpected strength making you grunt when your abdomen collided with his forearm. You opened your mouth to ask what the problem was, but promptly snapped it shut  when you saw what had startled Hongjoong.

Lying just a few feet away was a massive black dragon with scales so shiny that they reflected the lights of the torches on the cave walls. The winged creature was curled up, resting on a bed of shiny coins, expelling low snores from its nostrils. Hongjoong held a finger up to his lips, his free hand reaching for yours. The sensation of his hand clasping your own sent a fluttering to your stomach, which you were forced to ignore due to the snoozing threat a few yards away.

Hongjoong started climbing clusters of rocks that led to the higher platform. He kept a firm hold on your hand while he moved up, using his free one to grip the rocky wall and maintain his balance. He huffed, taking one final step to the top where he released your hand.

Hongjoong cautiously tiptoed towards the opening of the elevated cavern with you just behind. Ahead was a much smaller cave filled with more treasure and as you got closer you scanned the pile of precious belongings.

"I don't see any hourglass." You whispered.

"Maybe we have to dig for it. We don't know how long the dragon has been hoarding it."

The both of you began working in tandem, sifting through the pile, pushing aside coins, crowns, and bejeweled items, doing your best to not make a lot of noise in the process.

"What if it's in one of the piles down there?" You jerked a thumb towards where the both of you had just come from.

"We'll know if we don't find what we're looking for up here."

After some more digging, a soft gasp from Hongjoong reached your ears.

"I found it."

Ever so gently, he extracted the bronzy-gold hourglass from the coins and other prized items, holding it up to show he was telling the truth.

"That's The Cromer?"

He nodded.

"We need to be careful with it." You cautioned, remembering what Hongjoong had told you about it.

He nodded once more, rummaging inside his messenger bag to rearrange something before placing The Cromer inside.

"Alright." He sighed, feeling a small sense of relief. "Let's get out of here."

With The Cromer in possession, you and Hongjoong started descending the rocky side of the cliff which you'd climbed up earlier. You kept a tight hold on the side of the raised platform, unable to keep your eyes off the mounds of gold sitting below you on the main floor of the cave. Subconsciously on edge from the startling sight, your grip tightened on the rocks as you took one step at a time back down to the ground.

"This way." Hongjoong gestured, taking your hand and pulling you in the direction of the cave entrance.

You were so focused on getting out, neither of you noticed the absence of the sleeping dragon.

Just as you and your quest partner were about to head that way, a massive, black beast swooped down in front of you.

"Where do you think you're going?" His gravelly voice spoke sharply.

You gasped, stumbling back a bit.

"Hongjoong." You whispered out in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry." The half-orc gave your hand a squeeze before releasing it and withdrawing his sword.

The dragon roared, raising one of his clawed hands and swinging it at Hongjoong who jumped out of the way, grabbing you in the process. This sent both of you tumbling to the ground, landing in the edge of a pile of coins.

The dragon wasted no time in taking another swipe with his razor sharp claws. Hongjoong, with an arm still hooked around your waist, rolled away just as the monster struck the spot you were at.

"You want to take what is mine?" The dragon roared.

At that moment, you and Hongjoong got to your feet and started to run. You fumbled for your bow, sliding it off and loading an arrow into it. There was no time for you to focus on aiming properly as you pointed the weapon in the general direction of the dragon, releasing the arrow which flew through the air, just barely grazing the beast's arm. He growled out at the stinging sensation it caused, lunging forward in retaliation. You and Hongjoong swerved in opposite directions to flee, separating from one another.

The dragon huffed, glancing left and right before deciding to go after you. A scream was ripped from your throat as you ran, pushing your legs as fast as they would go, ducking and dodging, moving around pillars and mounds of hoarded possessions in order to evade any attacks from the dragon. Unable to use your arrows due to the closeness of the dragon, your only option was to run. Any moment of hesitation would get you caught. Rounding one of the many piles of treasures, you found yourself at a dead end. Without thinking, you grabbed onto the rocky wall of the cave and started climbing, sparing a glance over your shoulder to see how close the threat was. Extending a trembling hand, you grabbed hold of a rock only for it to slip out of place and tumble to the ground. A yelp left you as you went sliding down the abrasive rigid side and back to the ground. You didn't get very far before you fell, so the drop was only a few feet, but the jagged rocks really did a number on you. You whimpered, squeezing your eyes shut as you rested against the wall, knowing you were about to meet your demise.

Hongjoong saw you were about to be cornered and knew he had to do something. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he frantically searched the interior of the large cave, his eyes landing on a boulder sitting on a ledge near the opening. If he could get the dragon closer, he might be able to push the rock onto him. Without wasting another moment, he started climbing up the wall towards the large boulder.

"Y/n!" He shouted.

This grabbed your attention and made you open your eyes. On the opposite side of the cave, you spotted Hongjoong standing on a small ledge with his hands on a boulder the size of his body. Your gaze then darted to the approaching threat that glared at you with golden eyes. Mustering your strength, you pushed yourself to your feet, holding your side as you stood, your fingers brushing the glass bottle secured in the holster on your waist.

The smoke bomb potion.

You'd nearly forgotten about it. Unfastening the button, you pulled the bottle from its confines and smashed it on the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as a plume of smoke clouded the air. You took off, bolting past the disoriented dragon who was growling and roaring in agitation as you fled, dashing towards the exit.

"Come on!" Hongjoong shouted from up on the ledge. "Get him over here!"

You gave him a thumbs up, pushing your legs to go faster.

The dragon gave a flap of his wings, growling when it didn't clear the magical smoke that obstructed his view. With a roar that reverberated inside the cave, he shot up into the air, away from the plume of clouds and began flying directly towards you.

Hongjoong used the boulder to hide from the beast's view, his heart aching as he watched you run. He wished he could be down there but he needed to execute his plan.

Your face twisted at the burning in your side which was no doubt covered in scrapes. The only thing keeping you going was the entrance of the cave coming into view. That sight alone gave you the extra push you needed to close the space between yourself and the cave opening.

Once he knew you were safe, Hongjoong pushed the boulder, his orc strength coming in handy for moving such a large object.

The dragon was moving closer. This was it.

Before he could push it over the ledge, he hesitated, something inside of him unable to follow through with his plan. Clenching his jaw, Hongjoong redirected the boulder to the entrance of the cave, pushing it over the ledge before he started making his way back down. Hongjoong's last-minute plan B was to leap in front of the rolling boulder just before it was lodged against the opening of the cave, thus separating you and him from the dragon.

The half-orc made a beeline for the opening, slipping through just seconds before the rock collided with the mouth of the cavern.

"Hongjoong!" You exclaimed in relief, rushing over to him.

He huffed, leaning against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, his heart beating so violently he could hear it in his ears.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He responded breathlessly. "We should go."

You nodded, preparing to cast another dancing lights spell so you could see to leave, but before you could do so, the boulder blocking the opening started to move. Hongjoong instinctively took hold of your arm and began guiding you away. He'd rather feel his way out in the dark than risk facing the dragon again. With a palm pressed to the wall, he started moving forward, keeping you at his side while making his escape.

"Wait!"

You both stopped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Turning around, you were met with the sight of a dark-haired man with sharp, golden eyes and shiny black scales framing them. His black wings stood proudly behind him and a dragon tail laid on the floor at his feet. Seeing the dragon that had chased you both standing before you in hybrid form was unexpected. What's more, he wasn't trying to attack either of you.

"You could have pushed that boulder onto me and yet you didn't. Why?" His golden gaze was directed at the half-orc beside you.

"I couldn't." Answered Hongjoong. "It didn't seem right."

The dragon stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. "What are your names?"

"I'm Y/n and this is Hongjoong." You answered.

"Why were you trespassing? What was it you were stealing?"

Hongjoong reached into his bag and pulled out The Cromer.

"An hourglass?" The dragon appeared confused. "Why?"

"We were sent on a quest to retrieve it. It's an ancient and powerful relic that belongs in the hands of a keeper."

"We've no desire to steal any jewels or other possessions." You added.

After a prolonged silence, the dragon nodded knowingly, which took both you and Hongjoong by surprise.

"Very well. You spared my life, so you may keep the hourglass."

"Thank you..." Hongjoong trailed off, not knowing the dragon's name.

"Seonghwa."

"Thank you, Seonghwa."

"I have one condition though." He mentioned.

"What's your condition?" You inquired.

"Living in this cave can be rather lonely. As you can probably imagine, I don't have many guests, unless they're thieves wanting to steal some of my hoard. If you didn't travel too far, would you perhaps be willing to come back sometime?"

"Come back?" You and Hongjoong echoed Seonghwa's words.

"Yes." The dragon had a gentle and almost pleading look in his golden eyes which were now round with something akin to hope.

A brief look was shared with your quest partner to gauge his reaction before you both nodded in agreement to Seonghwa's condition.

"I think we can arrange that." Hongjoong stated.

The round, golden eyes that were full of hope were now sparkling with anticipation.

"Very well. I look forward to your next visit."

After bidding each other goodbye, you and Hongjoong parted ways with Seonghwa, making your way back out of the cave. Once outside, you dropped down on a nearby rock, heaving a drawn-out sigh of exhaustion. Your side still stung from the fall you had earlier.

"Are you alright?" Hongjoong's question gained your attention.

"I got scraped pretty bad when I fell." You responded, reaching into your bag for the first aid items you brought. "I haven't looked at the damage yet."

"Can you heal it like you did with me?"

"I don't really use that magic for scrapes. Besides, it takes a little energy out of me." You tugged your collar out just enough to glance down at the injuries under your shirt. A sharp intake of air was taken in through your teeth at the sight of the discolored scrapes on your ribs and hip.

"Is everything okay? You need me to take care of it?" Hongjoong sounded a bit frantic as he stepped closer to you.

"I think I can bandage it up myself." You grabbed some of the herbs you brought with you, grinding them up in the small bowl, taking some fabric strips and spreading the salve onto it.

You worked to unbutton the bottom buttons of your shirt to reveal some of the scrapes. Hongjoong winced at the sight. He wanted so badly to jump in and bandage your wounds for you, but you insisted you could do it on your own, so he stood by quietly.

You did your best to hold your shirt up and apply the strips of fabric, but the task was proving to be difficult.

"Here." Hongjoong decided to intervene and offer his assistance. "Let me do it."

With a soundless sigh, you surrendered and allowed him to take over, holding your shirt up just below your chest. Hongjoong took one of the strips of fabric with the salve spread along it, placing it on one section of the scrapes that littered your side. You hissed softly when the fabric made contact with the wound.

"Sorry." He murmured. "I'm trying to be careful."

You watched as Hongjoong secured the bandage around you, his fingers gently brushing along your skin every so often, making you suppress a shiver and sending warmth to your cheeks. He worked meticulously, applying the salve you mixed up onto the strips of fabric before delicately wrapping them around your midsection.

"There."

You glanced down at your bandaged body, assessing the work he'd done. "Thanks."

"Will you be good to walk?" Hongjoong asked while standing up and offering his arm.

You grabbed hold and got to your feet. "I think I'll be alright. Now, what do we do with The Cromer?"

"We take it to The Keeper. His location is on the map I was given." Hongjoong pulled out the parchment, unrolling it so you could see. "That structure right there is where he resides." He pointed.

"That's not too far from here. We might be able to make it there today."

"Then we should get going."

With a nod of agreement, the both of you set off for your final destination, traversing through the wooded area surrounding the mountain.

You kept a hold on Hongjoong's forearm as you walked. The stinging in your side had subsided thanks to the salve, but you continued using your quest partner as a support so you wouldn't strain yourself too much.

"The idea to roll that boulder into the cave opening was a smart idea." You told Hongjoong.

"Oh. Thanks." His cheeks were dusted with pink at your praise. "Using that smoke bomb potion was pretty clever too. I hated that I wasn't there to help, but it seems like you had everything under control."

"I did." You nodded with a small smile.

The sound of distant voices reached the ears of you and Hongjoong. Assuming it was other travelers passing through the area, you paid no mind to it and continued on. It wasn't until you caught a glimpse of a small group of men through the trees that something didn't feel right. They were all dressed in black and had bandanas tied around their faces, concealing their noses and mouths. Hongjoong seemed uneasy at the sight as well, his instincts telling him this group was bad news.

"We should go." He whispered to you.

You gave a nod before he tugged you further into the trees. The area you were traveling through had a mix of evergreens and rocks as well as some clustered boulder formations, which gave you a few options for a place to hide.

"In here." Hongjoong guided you inside a small cave he spotted nearby, pulling you further into the darkness where he took a seat on the rocky floor. "We should be safe here."

The both of you were far enough away from the cave opening that the group of potential bandits wouldn't be able to see you if they were to pass by the area—at least, you hoped they wouldn't.

You grunted softly as you lowered yourself to take a seat next to Hongjoong on the ground, trying not to bend your body a certain way to prevent any stinging from the bandaged scrapes.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be staying here for a while."

"That's fine." You sighed out, resting your head against the rocky cave wall. "I'd rather stay here until it's safe than risk running into bandits and having The Cromer stolen."

Hongjoong hummed in agreement.

You closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back a bit while soaking up the silence. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed glowing specks on the cave ceiling.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Where?"

"Up."

Hongjoong glanced up, taking in the array of spots that looked like stars. "Woah. Looks like some sort of bioluminescent fungus or something."

"It's so... pretty."

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it."

You slowly got to your feet, cautiously taking a couple steps forward while navigating the dark, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"I wonder if there's more."

Wanting to stick close by and also keep an eye on you, Hongjoong stood up and followed behind as you moved further into the small cavern, his eyes wandering along the ceiling that slowly started to get more speckled. Up ahead there was more fungi growing on the walls and even between some of the crevices in the rocky floor.

"Woah." You breathed out in awe as the cave was now coated in a pale blue glow that emanated from the bioluminescent fungus.

Turning to Hongjoong with a bright smile that radiated pure exuberance, you let out a laugh of elation. The half-orc could've sworn his heart beat right out of his chest at that moment, his breath hitching softly. You looked so beautiful and so happy—the picture of perfection. The way your eyes glimmered and reflected the glowing clusters as you admired the fungi made Hongjoong feel like he was going to melt into a puddle.

"Y/n?"

Hearing him call out your name so softly made your turn to look at him, the faint blue glow from the fungi highlighting his face beautifully.

"There's something I wanted to tell you."

His tone was serious, though it carried a hint of nervousness, which made you focus all your attention on him.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for volunteering to join me on this quest. I can't imagine what it would've been like for me if I'd gone alone like I originally planned."

"You're welcome. I've actually enjoyed this little journey, despite the battles... and injuries." You chortled.

"Me too." Hongjoong returned your grin. "I wanted to also thank you for being so kind. Rejection is all I've ever known, growing up in a tribe of orcs who looked down on me and belittled me for being only half of what they were. When I met you, you didn't look at me differently. You treated me just like anyone else."

"Well, if I'm being honest, you're not like anyone else."

Hongjoong blinked a couple times, puzzled.

"You're unique. There've been half-orcs pass through my village, some even live there, but none have been as handsome as you."

"You think I'm handsome?" His words were uttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I do. And I think people stare because of that. I personally couldn't take my eyes off you when we first met."

Your words were setting Hongjoong's cheeks aflame. He was preparing to confess his feelings to you and here you were doing exactly what he was planning to do.

"Well," He began, gathering his nerves that were slowly fading thanks to your positive words towards him. "as long as we're being honest, I've never seen an elf as ethereal as you."

Now it was your turn to be flustered. Your mouth opened to say something, but you uttered no words and ended up snapping it shut. Hongjoong was amused by that, chuckling as he took a step closer to you. He hoped he was reading things correctly and that this moment was heading where he hoped it was.

Your eyes met his, the natural shimmer on your cheeks catching in the bioluminescent glow from the fungi. The gap between your bodies was slowly closing as each of you moved on your own volition towards one another.

Hongjoong's hand was warm as it cupped your cheek gingerly, his touch leaving faint tingles in its wake. Your breathing was shallow and anticipatory as he inched closer at an agonizingly slow pace.

The tip of his dainty nose brushed against yours, the sensation making your eyelids flutter. Then, finally, his soft lips made contact with yours and you melted instantaneously. Your hands rested on his chest as you leaned into him, though your palms didn't stay there for long and slowly migrated to his shoulders where your arms slid around his neck. In turn, Hongjoong's free hand came to rest on your waist, slowly gliding up your side to feel the shape of your body. A shaky exhale left your nostrils at his gentle caresses. He was being so slow and deliberate as if to commit every dip and curve to memory. His lips moved just as leisurely as his hands, dragging over your own in a passionate kiss that was making your knees weak and your stomach explode with butterflies.

A small hum from you vibrated against Hongjoong's lips as you pressed your face closer to his, deepening the kiss. This caused his hold on you to tighten, the hand that was cupping your cheek moving to the nape of your neck to keep you locked in place. Hongjoong's other hand that was exploring your waist slid around to your lower back, guiding you forward until you were flush against him. The closeness sent a wave of heat throughout your body, another low hum left you. There were so many sensations being experienced you could hardly focus, your mind clouded with thoughts of the man holding you. Heavy exhales, soft hums, and kissing sounds were all that could be heard inside the cave.

After what felt like forever and yet not long enough, Hongjoong parted ways, pulling his lips from yours. His thumb gently dragged along your bottom lip as he licked his own.

"So beautiful." He murmured, his voice hoarse from the heated moment.

You suppressed a shiver, your half-lidded eyes looking into Hongjoong's with pure affection, and an undertone of desire to kiss him again, but there was a quest to complete.

"We should head to The Keeper." He spoke once more.

You nodded at his suggestion, knowing The Cromer needed to be taken somewhere safe as soon as possible.

You and Hongjoong stood at the entrance of a large structure made of gray brick; it wasn't a castle nor a temple, but something in between. With a push on the door, the both of you started making your way inside to meet with The Keeper.

You entered a small room with plinths lining the walls, each one with an item displayed on the top. Striding about the room was an elderly man with a gray beard, his dark robes dragging behind him. His attention was drawn towards the presence of you and Hongjoong.

"What brings two young travelers to my preservatory?" The man's left eye was covered with a patch that had a crescent moon embroidered on it.

"Are you The Keeper?" You asked.

"I am."

"We're here to bring you an ancient artifact." Hongjoong responded, approaching the man.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the hourglass the both of you had retrieved from the dragon's—Seonghwa's lair.

"The Cromer." The Keeper spoke in awe. "I've been waiting for brave travelers to bring this to me." He carefully took the hourglass from Hongjoong's hands. "You two are the only ones to succeed. Thank you. I can assure you, your hard work will not go unnoticed."

You and Hongjoong watched as The Keeper walked away, muttering, "Follow me." as he shuffled across the marble floors.

The elderly man led you into a separate room with a singular pedestal situated at the far end. He placed The Cromer on the plinth and held his hands out, a pale green glow emitting from them as a glass case materialized around the artifact, sealing it away. You and Hongjoong were in awe at the impressive display of magic.

"Now," The Keeper strode to a chest on a shelf, murmuring some words as it unlocked and opened. "I believe you two have earned this."

A large bag of coins was removed from the wooden box and placed into Hongjoong's awaiting hands, it's weight taking him by surprise.

"The Cromer is now in its rightful place thanks to the two of you."

With the quest now completed, you left the preservatory and began the journey back the way you both came.

Hongjoong couldn't believe it. He did it. He completed his first quest. His tribe would certainly accept him now.

The thought of his tribe made the half-orc pause his train of thought for a moment, his expression falling ever so slightly. This entire time, his plan was to complete the quest and prove to those who made fun of him that he was capable. His eyes turned to you who was gazing up at the trees that towered over the trail. Hongjoong's heart softened at the sight and he began to realize that going back to his tribe didn't sound as appealing as he once thought. After spending time with you, he'd been shown kindness and had experienced acceptance and appreciation, which he wasn't used to, but he really liked it. He liked the way it made him feel warm inside and filled him with happiness. For the first time in his whole life he felt like he was enough—and it was all because of you.

"Don't go back to your tribe."

Your sudden vocalization caught Hongjoong by surprise, especially because it aligned with what he was currently thinking.

"What?"

You turned your head to look at him. "I said don't go back to your tribe. You don't need them. Stay with me instead."

He blinked a couple times.

"You said you were going on this quest to prove yourself to your tribe, but you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Besides, I can't stand the thought of you going back to a group of nasty orcs that treated you so poorly. They were terrible to you and they don't deserve to have you as a part of their group."

A soft smile of amusement slowly spread across Hongjoong's features.

"I have no plans to go back... not anymore." He responded. "Besides, I can't abandon my new girlfriend, can I?"

A small gasp left you, your eyes widening momentarily at the title. "Girlfriend?"

"We kissed, didn't we?"

"Well, yes," Your cheeks warmed as you recalled the memory. "but we never really made it official. You never asked me to be your girlfriend."

"Well, do you?"

Pressing your lips together to hold back a smile, you nodded. "Yes."

Hongjoong grinned at your acceptance.

"Oh. That reminds me, I have something for you." He reached for his bag.

"You do?"

"I couldn't figure out when to give it to you, but now seems like a good time."

You both slowed to a stop as Hongjoong rummaged for a moment before pulling out a messily-folded wad of fabric. He held it up and you watched as it unfurled itself, your breath catching in your throat at the reveal. It was the dress you were looking at in the clothing shop earlier that day.

"I saw you looking at it and I couldn't stop imaging what you'd look like in it." Hongjoong confessed, his pointed ears dusted pink.

You stepped forward and trailed your fingers along the soft fabric.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I was hoping you'd wear it on a date with me." Hongjoong's words were quiet, almost unsure as he uttered them. It was as if he expected you to say no.

"I would love that." You gleamed, clutching the dress.

The smile that overtook Hongjoong's features was so large it made his eyes crinkle up into crescent shapes.

Your dress was folded and placed back into his bag for safe keeping and your journey home continued, this time with Hongjoong's hand linked with yours.

"So, if I'm staying, does that mean I get to live with you?" He asked with a smirk as the two of you headed down the trail.

"Of course it does. You're stuck with me now."

"Hm. I like the sound of that."

Hongjoong started this journey with one mission in mind and that was to prove his worth to a tribe of orcs that saw him as nothing. Now, he's ended with a girlfriend, newfound confidence, reward money, and a new place to live where he would begin his own happily ever after.

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz @laylasbunbunny @iammeandmeisiam @delulu18

[sassyandclassy94]

Just some random appreciation for my two favorite boys in the Husky Clipper🥵

[nezuscribe]

𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬

pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader

summary: you find yourself in a marriage that you never wanted in the first place. your husband seems to hate you and you begin to wonder if anything you used to think of him was even true. who would have though a marriage to gojo satoru would be so difficult?

warnings: 18+ mdni, arranged marriage, misunderstandings and just not talking shit out, mentions of cheating, slight angst (with comfort), eating out (fem! receiving), fingering, gojo doesn't really know how to husband for some of it

word count: 10.9K (whoops)

note: part two is up! i really had a lot of fun writing this so reblogs and comments are always appreciated! as always, thank you to @jadeisthirsting for beta reading <3

jjk masterlist

never did you think that you’d be stuck in a marriage to a man who didn’t love you, but there’s a first for everything. 

you should count yourself lucky that he’s not old and bald. he’s pretty. in fact, he’s the prettiest man you’ve ever seen. his eyes are the bluest, bluer than the sky. his hair mirrors the winter snows, and his back ripples with muscles whenever he fights. 

his agility is unlike any other man. he fights swiftly and cleanly, never taking more than a couple minutes to get rid of whatever it was that stood in his way. he’s charming with his words (or so you’ve heard), and he knows how to make somebody swoon if he really wants them to. 

and he seems to despise you.

you had known gojo since you were a child, the two of you running around each other's fields as you chased him with your wooden sword. you remembered watching him in training, wishing him good luck whenever he went on a hunt. you could even remember how he would stutter whenever he tried to talk, something he must have worked on because he never seemed to stutter anymore. 

he was always nice to you, his cheeks rosy whenever you kissed him goodbye. he was kind back then, grinning brightly whenever he saw you. 

but as time grew and you with it, and it was only a matter of years before the two of you went your separate ways. it didn’t help that once he turned thirteen he had to leave for training and fighting in whatever it was that was needed of him, but you had hoped that he would be able to write back. 

you would send him letters whenever you could, it was tradition whenever the two of you were separated for too long to do so. each letter telling him about new experiences and embarrassing things that happened in your life, but he never responded. you liked to send one every week, sometimes including little tokens you thought he might enjoy. but you stopped sending them after the first two years and stopped asking about his whereabouts after three. 

but you were hopeful that when you saw him that night so many months ago, he’d be civil with you. you were nervous, sure, but who could blame you? you had recently gotten news that his time to serve his clan was over and that he was finally back home. it wasn’t as though the two of you had left on bad graces, so you were hopeful that he would at least remember you. but he could barely meet your eyes whenever you tried to catch him from across the room, acting as if you had never existed. 

he looked so different since the last time you had seen him. he was taller than most of the people in the room, his white hair just as bright as it used to be. he had gained muscle mass almost everywhere, and you felt yourself wondering just how much training he had to go through to look this way. you could see him talking to a girl, a smile on his face as he tilted his head to look at her better. you gave him some time to socialize, not wanting to intrude on anything. 

after an hour you decided that it was long enough, and tried to weave your way through the crowd to get to him. you had tried to call out to him, waving to him despite your mother quickly shoving your hand down, saying how improper it was. he heard you and you knew that he was purposely ignoring you, so you began to feel heavy-hearted after a couple of attempts at trying to catch his attention, eventually giving up. 

and now, despite you wanting to, you can’t even blame him for hating you. 

ever since your mother caught you, alone with him, a man you hadn’t seen in so long, she had swiftly and promptly proposed the idea of marriage only a few days later. it was really to save face for the two families, but it helped that this marriage would unify the two clans. 

you were sure he had ladies lined up to marry him, and you weren’t somebody he was actively trying to pursue. you didn’t even know if he was in love with somebody else if he shared a connection with a girl who was surely not you and cursed you for taking that away from him. 

not that it mattered now. 

all you wanted was to reconcile, to catch up on all the things happening in your lives. you wanted to hear all the stories he must have racked up over the years, not for this to happen. all the things he wanted for himself were ripped away because of one night from one simple act of kindness, and so you couldn’t find it in yourself to hate him for the way he acted.

you rarely come down for dinner whenever he’s there, but when you do, you feel those eyes turn icy, tracking your every movement till you sit down opposite of him. he doesn’t say much, just mutters a quiet “good evening” and you’re sure he’s only doing it so the maids don’t start to gossip. 

whenever your hand brushes his you feel him snap back, flexing his hand as though your touch burned him. he rarely came by to ask you about how you felt, and so you stopped trying to act kindly towards him if he didn’t want anything to do with it.

any semblance of romance you had dreamed of as a young girl quickly dissipated when you realized your husband wanted nothing to do with you, so you didn’t try to pursue any sort of love, deciding it’d be easier if he just did his part and you did yours so the two clans wouldn’t worry. 

he was always gone, which might be the best for the two of you. when he’s not training new men then he’s gone in a hunt. if he’s not in a hunt then he’s somewhere in his endless home, hiding away. 

you don’t know if he does this for him, for your sake, or for everybody else. 

“did you see your husband this morning?” one of your maids said excitedly as she tugged the undergarments over your raised arm, a gleeful smile on her face as she rambled about something gojo had done. you couldn’t help but return a smile of your own, although it didn’t quite meet your eyes. 

“yes, briefly. he’s busy with having to worry about the feast,” which wasn’t a total lie. you’d seen him hurriedly brush past you, quickly glancing at you as if he had forgotten you were his wife. you felt your chest tighten up with the way he glanced at your hand, and then quickly left. 

it was only a few nights away and you knew that it was the only buzz of news anybody seemed to talk about. unfortunately, for you, it meant having to socialize with other clans. you were fine with that aspect, you’d been doing it since you were young, but this time they had a right to be nosey. you knew there would be endless questions asked about the honeymoon stage of your marriage, to which you had no answer. 

sure, you’d been making up answers to hypothetical questions, but you didn’t know what gojo would be answering with, so you were only praying some of your responses would line up. 

for a night the two of you would have to pretend to be husband and wife, and while the people around you knew you were anything, you knew you had to commit to the role for the sake of you and your family’s dignity. 

but all this worrying isn’t good for your head, you could already feel the pang as you squeezed your eyes to try and get rid of it. you tried to move on from your worries, going to comment on her necklace, it seemed new, but a knock interrupted you. the two of your heads popped up, looking at where the sound came from. 

“come in!” you called out, buttoning up the last bits of your top as you thanked myra. she nodded, bowing as she went to open the door. you could hear her faint footsteps, not bothering to look up as she greeted the person behind. you guessed it was franchesca coming with the fabric samples. 

“sir,” you heard myra say, and your head swirled around, only to see the topic of your conversation make his way into your room, excusing your maid with a swift motion of his hand. she glanced once at you and then to him, ducking her head as she left, closing the door behind her as she left you two alone. 

you felt heat prickle at the back of your neck as he looked at you and then to your room. the two of you slept separately, as per your request the first night. you couldn’t bear the agonizing silence between the two of you, and he obliged. 

he was dressed for sparring. he had a loose-fitting tunic on, and pants that would allow him to move freely and without constraint. it was in moments like these that you were reminded of the fact that gojo was the strongest warrior that any of the clans had seen, that the child who once splurged on sugar in his tea was capable (and has done so before) of taking down entire armies. 

he had matured so much since what you last remembered from him. he no longer acted rashly nor spoke without thinking about what it was he wanted to say. but you still saw him eating sweets with the same fervor he did as a kid, and it never failed to make you smile, hiding it behind your hand so nobody could hear your quiet giggle. 

it had been a while since it was just the two of you, alone, and all you could think about was that night. your cheeks heated up just thinking about it, and it seemed that gojo could tell your discomfort with the way he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair as he began to speak. 

“good morning,” he started, his eyes darting around, never setting on yours. it was funny if it didn’t cause your heart to hurt irrevocably, at how the strongest warrior in all the land could barely look at his wife. 

if only you knew.

“good morning.” you offered him a quick, disingenuous smile, moving around until you found your vanity, rummaging through your laid-out earrings as you kept your back to him, not trusting your face to give you away if you were to look at him for too long. 

you heard him take in an audible breath, but he continued whatever it was he wanted to say. 

“with the feast coming up, i want to clear some things with you,” you turned around, looping the earrings in as you nodded for him to continue. it was such a shame he was so stunning, effortlessly attractive as the sun caught off his cheekbones, bouncing off of his chest. he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, and you wondered if being here was just as painfully awkward for him as it was for you. 

“we should act like we’re…” he trailed off and you felt yourself itching to leave, knowing what he meant without having to say it. 

“in love?” you finished and he slowly nodded, gnawing on his lip as you brushed past him, going to find the mirror so you could adjust your jewelry. you could see him fidgeting in the corner, and for once you could see a hint of nervousness and unease on his features. 

and a part of you hurt. you would never admit out loud that you harbored a crush on him for as long as you could remember. it hurt knowing that you acting like you were in love was perhaps the lost genuine form of love you could show. 

“what if they ask about the night we met?” you ask after a couple of seconds, looking up from what you were doing. deep down, you knew somebody was bound to ask. even if it was just your mother who had caught the two of you alone in that garden, the news of it somehow spread (she was always one to talk). 

he scratches his head, shrugging as he eventually settles on an idea.

“just tell them the truth.” 

the truth. 

tell them how he followed you after you had run outside, sick to your stomach after a man, who was as old as your father, had introduced himself as a possible suitor. how gojo, the most ruthless warrior in all the land, had carefully put his hands on your back as you retched, offering you a towel he had fetched from inside to clean yourself up. 

tell them how you hadn’t seen him in years but the first thing you had done was to hug him tightly. how his hands wrapped around your back as though they were the only things keeping you afloat. perhaps they were. 

tell them how he murmured words in your hair to bring you back to reality, his thumb running up and down your arms to calm you down. how it seemed like even though it had been years since you two last saw each other, it felt so right, so normal, to be back in his arms. 

tell them how he had looked at you with such worry, such care, unlike anybody else had looked at you, and you for once felt safe in somebody’s arms. 

tell them how your mother found you two in such a compromising position, with your head nestled in his chest as he tried his very best to soothe your cries. it was humiliating and embarrassing to be caught with a man you had only seen back in your teenage years, and especially so in such a vulnerable position. 

you shake your head, scoffing at the idea, “i’ll just come up with something,” was your answer and he nods along, realizing how the story would be too private to share with people you barely knew.

“and we need a reason for why,” he cleared his throat once again, pink dusting on his cheeks as his eyes dropped to your stomach. your eyes met his in the mirror, and one of your eyebrows raised, “well, you’re not exactly looking like you’re carrying a child at the moment.” 

you quickly looked away, the tension in the room increasing as you moved away from the mirror, doing anything you could to keep your hands occupied. you flushed at the comment, your throat drying up as you glanced at your stomach.

the two of you have barely touched, much less been intimate with each other. you were glad he hadn’t forced the idea onto you, instead, leaving it to you to bring up the topic. you only talked about it, once, the night of the marriage, and then never again. you knew that it would have to happen eventually, but you couldn’t do it right now, not with your state of mind. 

you scrambled to say something. in all honesty, you had been dreading this question. you hadn’t been answering any of the letters your mother sent, and you knew people were expecting to hear the news of a pregnancy. 

“we’ll just say we’ve been so busy and preoccupied with the politics of marriage that we couldn’t… consummate.” you offered and he just shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as if this was the biggest inconvenience to him. 

you knew that this marriage was brought upon quickly and before either of you could object to it, but at least you tried to hide it away. if only he hadn’t acted so rashly that night, his hands on your shoulders, eyes bewildered as they racked over your figure. if only he had been more careful, or you were smarter in picking some place to be more concealed, you wouldn’t be put in this position. 

but neither of you was thinking ahead, and here you were. but he was certainly making sure that you knew of his contempt for this arrangement far more than you were. it was irritating, it scratched at your skin and ate away at your mind the more you saw each other.

“look,” he couldn’t take his eyes off of you, off of the way you were fiddling with the ring he had delicately placed on your hand so many weeks ago, “i can come up with whatever they ask, so just try your best to do the same.” you say, your voice tinged with anger, the ring on your finger acting as an anchor to the depths of the sea with the way it weighed down your movements, feeling your chest swell as he stayed silent, watching you as you opened the door. 

“i don’t-”

“um, i won’t be joining you for dinner, so don’t wait on me…i apologize, i need to work on some things for the feast…have a good day.” you swiftly murmured, shutting him in your own room as you left, your heart thumping erratically in your chest as you almost ran down the hallway. 

you had no idea how you were going to persuade the masses that this marriage was working if you couldn’t even persuade yourself. 

---

the feast of clans came earlier than you expected. 

you found yourself perched at the end of the table, gojo next to you, your stiff bodies mirroring each other as the people around you joyously helped themselves to the vast variety of food offered. 

you could barely touch the meal in front of you, your stomach churning uncomfortably with the sheer number of people that surrounded you. back home, you hated these feasts, opting to leave after a couple of bites and finish the rest of what you could pocket in your room, but here, as the clan leader's wife, you had no such luxury. 

“are you not hungry?” you looked to your side, gojo staring at your plate and then to you, his eyes squinting as he tried to decipher what you were feeling.

“i can’t eat,” you murmured, playing with your utensils as you swallowed thickly, “i don’t do well in large crowds.” 

he nodded once, looking out into the sea of bodies as he inched a little bit closer to you. he was donned in expensive fabrics, although his hair still messily fell all over. the candle that was lit in front of you had different hues of oranges and reds bouncing off of his pale skin, and if you didn’t know any better, the blush on his nose and cheeks could have been from the frigid winds from outside. 

“i’ll have myra save you a plate,” he said, giving you a curt smile as he went back to eating. 

you were momentarily taken aback by his comment, but tried not to show it, going back to fidgeting with your ring as you looked at the sea of people. nobody had thankfully come up to you and bombarded you with questions, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t going to eventually happen. 

“thank you,” you say, glancing at him and then back to your plate. 

“anything for my wife,” he replies. it’s only for show, you remind yourself, after all, when was the last time he referred to you as such? 

“gojo,” an old man had walked up to your table, his face lined with wrinkles and a beard, dressed in orange as he offered gojo his hand to shake, “i’m glad to see that you finally settled down.”

gojo blushed deeply, trying to offer him a smile as he motioned to you. 

“it’s hard to resist marriage when such a woman offers it.” he says, and you feel your eyes widen as you try to laugh off his statement. 

“yes,” the old man chuckles, eyeing the two of you. he looked familiar, and you were sure you had seen him around these sorts of gatherings before, “it was only a matter of time before it happened. we all knew just how much you liked her back when you were children.”

the two of you sputtered on your coughs, and you felt a little smile grow on your face as gojo did what he could to usher the man away. 

you could tell with the way he shifted uncomfortably in his seat that gojo wasn’t expecting that, and before you could realize what you were doing you found yourself talking. 

“i’m not a fan of feasts.” you quickly said, the words tumbling out of your mouth before you could stop them. it’s not like you felt you owed him an explanation, but you said it regardless. 

gojo looked up from his plate, grabbing his cup so he could wash down his bite. 

“any feast?” he asked, and you could feel the way the air shifted. he was glad you brought up a different topic. 

“one’s as big as this,” you twisted your ring back and forth on your finger subconsciously, “i get nervous in big crowds.”

“i remember,” a small smile grew on his face as he thought back to when the two of you were children, “you would hide under the tables and force me to come with you.” 

you chuckled, blood rushing to your ears at the fact that he remembered this about you. it was the bare minimum of what you remembered from him, but you had convinced yourself that he had washed every memory of your last selves from his mind. 

a rush of distant memories came to your head; nights spent under the tables, laughing as you two tried to keep your voices down as you tried to dodge the feet. you could still hear his whispers of staying quiet, trying to sneak out so he could smuggle in some pastries for you to eat.

“the adults scared me; they were always loud and insistent on asking personal questions.”

“like they are now?” he replied back, a tilt in his voice as you nodded feverishly. 

“yes!” you covered your mouth with your hand as you let out a laugh, a genuine one as you tried to look as put together as you could, “i swear, it’s even worse than when we were young. just the other day a wet nurse came to me and told me the best positions to get into when giving birth!” it really was a mortifying moment, your eyes darting all around as the old lady even took it upon herself to demonstrate the movements, but gojo didn’t seem to mind, laughing along with you. his eyes twinkled as they took in your giggly state, years since he had last seen you like this. 

“i feel like i should apologize,” he starts, having to cover his own infectious smile as he ducks down his head in shame, “i had her sent up to your chambers.”

your mouth dropped open in shock, lightly smacking his arm as he grinned at the look on your face.

“to mortify me so that i would never leave?” your thumb moves your ring back and forth and gojo watches you as you do it. 

“you seemed sick at breakfast, but i guess she thought it was a different sort of sickness.” gojo tells you as he cuts off some of his meat, not knowing just how much his words affected you. 

you had forgotten how simple and easy conversations were with gojo. although this was under a guise to fool people, you felt at ease with him, as if you didn’t have to be on guard with your emotions when he was around. 

“do you still want to hide under the table now?” he asked a couple of seconds later, chewing on a potato as you shrugged, looking around before your lips grew into an apologetic smile. 

“…yes,” you admitted bashfully and he smiled at your honest response. 

“if you want to hide, i’ll-”

“satoru!” a booming voice interrupted your endless spiral of thoughts as the two of you glanced upwards at the sound, “it’s been too long!” 

a man with hair as dark as night and a smile wider than any ocean had come up to your table. he was the first one to do so all night, but gojo didn’t seem bothered by it. he seemed to smile, crescents forming around his eyes as he took his friend's hand.

“too long,” he emphasized with a charming grin, motioning to you and then back to the man in front of you as if he suddenly remembered the two of you and never met, “suguru, this is my wife, y/n. y/n, this is one of my oldest friends.” 

you extended your hand outwards and the man, suguru, took it, placing a soft kiss on the back of it as he shot you a playful smile. he wasn’t at the wedding, but then yet again, it was a rather quick one. the only people who had attended were your families. 

“it’s a pleasure to meet you.” he greeted, and you nodded in agreement, sitting back down next to gojo. you felt his long fingers reach for yours, enveloping your hand in his as your heart sputtered at the touch. 

“likewise,” you answered and the man grinned politely before he slightly tilted his head, looking at the two of you sitting next to each other. 

“he’s not bothering you, is he? i know satoru can be fiendish when he wants to be, so call for me and i’ll take care of him.” he teased and you could only smile tightly and laugh along, gojo’s fingers slightly tightening around yours as he moved your hand to rest on his thigh. 

“i can take care of him when he’s fiendish. i just have to take the sugar away, right?” suguru snorted and gojo glared, but it was playful the way he looked at you. 

his hands were warmer than you would have expected. you could feel the indents of calluses on his fingertips, could feel his thumb moving back and forth on your skin in a calming sort of manner. he didn’t look over at you as he did it, playing it off as second nature. 

“i apologize for not having much time to get to know you, but i have something i need to talk to gojo about. would you mind? it will only take a minute?” he asked, and gojo let go of your hand at the time of his friend's voice. you had to control your urge to roll your eyes, shifting in your seat as you motioned for suguru to talk to your husband, watching as he stood from his seat, leaving with the man as they went somewhere a little more secluded. 

you watched as gojo leaned down to hear whatever it was that suguru was whispering in his ear, pulling back with a frown on his face. he snapped something that only caused suguru to reel back, cast a quick glance at you, and then shake his head in clear annoyance. 

you saw gojo look up, his eyes landing on somebody from across the room, and you followed his stare, only to land on a girl. 

she wore a dark yellow tunic and skirt, colors from a neighboring clan. you hadn’t seen her before, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t known. just one look at the men surrounding her and you could pick up on their lovesick expressions. 

she motioned for gojo to come to her with a bend of her finger, slyly brushing her hair out of her face to make it look as though it was nothing, exiting from the dining area and vanishing into one of the halls. 

you looked down in case either of the men glanced over to see if you were staring. your eyes pierced through the meat on your plate, bile rising up your throat. 

you gave yourself some time, counting up to a minute before you looked back to where suguru and gojo were, finding suguru standing alone. you looked at where the girl was and saw a flash of white hair before it disappeared, your heart sinking as you glanced back at suguru, only to find him looking at you. 

you looked back at your plate, picking up a knife and fork as you stabbed the meat. you couldn’t keep anything down but it’s best to pretend.

---

gojo didn’t return until half an hour later, and you refused to talk to him. 

“did anybody bombast you with questions?” he teased, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. he didn’t seem to pick up on your darkened mood as your fingers dug into your dress. 

“i had a woman ask me if you had disappeared with your mistress, but that was it.” you remarked, silence filling the void between the two of you and you realized that all you had thought of him was crumbling down. 

you didn’t care for your image anymore, giving curt answers to any questions somebody had asked. you could feel his stare on the side of your face but you didn’t humor him in looking over, focusing on your plate instead. 

so what if he was seeing somebody else? you would have been naive to think that he wouldn’t wander. the two of you barely touched each other. 

once all the guests had left over the course of the following days, you did everything you could to steer away from gojo. 

you no longer came down for breakfast or dinner, choosing to eat in your own quarters. if he wanted to have his own secrets, he could do whatever he pleased. 

though you rarely saw suguru after the feast, he did try to talk to you the morning after it took place. he cornered you after you had left from breakfast, his once playful demeanor turned serious as you tried your best to end the conversation. 

“what you saw last night-”

“is none of my business,” you finished, raising your hand as you cut him off, “if gojo has his own private matters to deal with, i’m indifferent to them all.” 

“you know that’s not what it was.” his hand hovered over your arm, careful not to touch you but not wanting you to leave either. 

“i ruined his life, didn’t i?” you tilted your head a bit in questioning. after all, that’s all you could hear from the women who gossiped as they folded the laundry, or behind the hands of the girls who watched you and gojo interact and the mothers who wanted their daughters to be set up with him only sneered at you from across the tables. 

“you…where’d you get that from?” his brows scrunched together in confusion as you scoffed, hoping he couldn’t see the tears welling in the corner of your eyes at the sting of your own words. 

“i can see it on his face. if gojo wants to have his own affairs, he can have them. it’s not like we’re in love. hopefully, i find my own way out so that the two of us look happier and this marriage looks somewhat presentable to the public.” 

you didn’t want to see the look on his face, but you’re sure he reported this all back to gojo because he didn’t look at you once after it. 

you heard from a maid a week later that he was gone for another meeting with a clan, a southern one from what you picked up, and that you should probably go and wish him some luck. 

leading up to the night of his departure you anxiously paced around your room, your feet padding on the floor as your nightgown swished behind you. 

you hadn’t talked to gojo at all that day, and purposefully so. 

it was petty, you know it was, to not want to see him, but a part of you still aches when you look back on that night. at how he didn’t explain where he was even after you asked, at how it was suguru he had sent to fix his dirty work for him. 

“y/n?” a muffled voice came from outside your door. 

your head shot up at the familiar sound, quietly dragging yourself out from your bed as you grabbed the candle, hovering on the other side as you waited for him to say something else. 

“are you awake?” you heard a soft thud from his side, almost as if his head or arm had hit the door. 

you didn’t answer, still, waiting. 

“i’m leaving tomorrow and i wanted to see you before i left.” your heart skipped at his words, careful not to make a sound as you near the door. 

“if you’re sleeping i won’t bother you anymore but if you’re not,” you could hear the old stutter he had coming back, his words meshing together as he tried to regain control, “and you’re choosing to stay quiet, i…” he sighed, his forehead thumping down as he rested it on the door, “i wanted to apologize for the feast. i shouldn’t have left you alone, and if you’d open the door, i would explain why…” he could see the flicker of the candle from underneath the crack, and saw the way it blew away, darkness following suit. 

you walked back to your bed, turning your back to the door as you set the candle down on your table. 

“goodnight,” his voice was quieter than before, and you felt guilty, but pushed the bitter feeling down.

a couple of seconds later you heard him let out a sigh of defeat, his footsteps leading away from your bedroom as you curled into yourself, hoping you would let your heart stop taking control of what your head should be doing. 

---

gojo didn’t return for a while, and you grew more impatient by the day. 

it normally took him and his men a week at maximum, and once two had passed, you felt yourself growing uneasy. 

you tried to act as passive as you could, but even myra could pick up on your growing apprehension. you have never voiced your worries over your husband before, but she knew this wasn’t like any other time. 

when you went to bed, the only thing you could dream about was that night, your brain re-running the images as you tossed and turned. 

“are you alright?” he asked, his hands on your elbows as you could barely speak, your blurry vision impairing your sight. you could only see a mop of white in the darkness, your stomach betraying you as you tried to keep the sick down. 

“i don’t feel too good,” you mumbled, trying to put some distance between the two of you as you pushed him away, only to feel him coming closer as he placed a hand on your forehead and then to your cheeks. 

“you’re burning up,” he muttered under his breath, guiding you gently so that you wouldn’t trip over your feet. 

“i’m sorry, you can go back inside, i don’t want to keep you out here.” you were slurring your words as you tried not to throw up on him. you wiped at your eyes so that you could see him better, only to reel back in utter shock to see the face of your childhood friend frowning down at you. 

your mouth formed in the shape of his name, going to say something else, before you hunched over, feeling his strong hands pat your back and keep the hair out of your face as you felt your world tilt on its axis. 

you ate your dinner at the table, eyeing his empty seat as you tried to shove his last night out of your mind. you shouldn’t feel this way, especially about a man who feels nothing towards you, but your little heart was churning in its confines the more you let yourself think about it.

sitting in the same spot where the feast took place only brought back the venomous taste in your mouth, and so you pretended that you were back home, eating somewhere without the worry of your life weighing you down like a thousand weights on your shoulders. 

myra tried her best to distract you, but she could see the distant look in your eyes, how your voice never seemed too genuine. she began to worry for you, but it seemed like your mind was fixed on one thing. 

until you found yourself pacing around your room, just like you were the night you last heard of him, playing with the ring on your finger as the moon carded through your window. 

“my lady,” you heard myra through the door, her voice shaky and a bit more on edge than usual, “there’s-” but before she could finish it slammed open, revealing the man you’d been biting your nails over, standing in the flesh.

his eyes were a dark blue, squinted as they looked right through you. his chest heaved as he looked like he was trying to catch his breath. you could see the streaks of blood that lined his usually clean clothes, the red that stained his cheeks and jaw. 

he looked feral, and it was throwing you off balance. 

“out.” he snapped at myra, and before you could scold him for his tone she fled, the door shutting roughly behind her. 

the two of you could only stare at each other. you didn’t know what to think after weeks of uselessly worrying over him, not knowing about his well-being, to see him here, in front of you, but looking different than he ever had. 

“are you alright?” 

you could barely get it out, the works sticking on your tongue as you took a tentative step forward, not knowing what to do with his state of being. 

he eyed the blood on his shirt, wiping at his cheeks as if he had forgotten it was there. he didn’t look too dirty, less dirty than one would expect from a five week endeavor through the woods, but he didn’t look too good either. 

“you were awake.” is all he says, his chest still moving up and down as though he couldn’t breathe properly. 

“that night i came by, you were awake. i saw your candle, i heard your footsteps.” he says this as though it’s fighting its way out of his mouth as if it’s all he could think about to tell you. 

“i,” you pretend that you don’t care, shrugging, “i wasn’t up to talk.” 

“you were with suguru.” he snaps, his tone shocking you, and he steps back as if he had shocked himself. he jammed his palms into his eyes, tilting his head upwards before he looked back at you. 

“for five weeks you were all i could think about. i wanted to come back, i wanted to tell you what i felt but we kept running into issues with other tribes and clans.” 

“what could you possibly think about that occupied your mind for five weeks?” you so desperately wanted your voice to come out strong but it sounded weak, as though you were hanging off of his every syllable. 

“you had told suguru that you were going to find your…own way out,” he took a step forward, and here you could see the scratches on his chest, the cuts on his arms, “i was praying to every god there was that you hadn’t found somebody in these past weeks, that you hadn’t…”

you could barely believe his words, not knowing if you should feel offended, shocked, worried, or a mix of all those three. 

“what business would it be to you if i did?” you hate that this was the response you settled on. hurt flashed across his face but he tried to regain his composure. 

“you are my wife-”

“and you are my husband!” you snapped and watched as he was momentarily taken aback by your outburst, but you continued your nose flaring, “you cannot argue with me on this when you left with some girl in the middle of our feast!” you felt all your emotions finally pouring out and you had no control over them, “everybody was talking about it, everybody was looking at me in pity!” your voice cracked, tears poking at your eyes as you pointed an accusatory finger at him. 

gojo looked down, running a hand through his hair as he pointed a finger back. 

“if you had let me explain myself, you would have known that she was trying to do what you thought she was. i left as quickly as i could but you would barely look at me!” you wanted to rip your hair out, cursing yourself for ever feeling any sort of worry for this man. 

“i know that this marriage was the last thing you wanted but at least you could play the part of a husband! you didn’t send a single note, anything to tell us that you were okay, that you were alive!” you heaved, fidgeting with your ring as you wiped at your cheeks, “and you come back here accusing me of adultery? all everybody could talk about was the fact that you were warming somebody else’s bed! they said a meeting never takes this long unless something…somebody else comes up.” your voice wobbles at the end, and you find yourself furiously rubbing your tears away, hiding your sniffing as though that would do anything.  

he paused upon seeing you cry, his face falling as he tried to step forward but you angled yourself away from him, hoping he’d get the hint. 

he wanted to hold you, to tell you that all the rumors you were hearing were false and that the only room he had left in his heart was for you. but he couldn’t blame you for feeling or thinking this way. hell, he was so sure that he’d open the door to find another man comforting you that he didn’t even stop to consider what must have been going through your head all these weeks. 

“one of the clans tried to attack us, and we weren’t ready for it. that is why we took so long.” 

you sniffle again, not caring for his explanation although it did soothe a part of your past self. 

“you could have at least sent a letter telling me what happened,” you fidget with your ring, your thumb running over the diamond, “everybody asked me questions that i should have had answers to, but i had no idea where you were or what you were doing…” he nods, his lips pressed into a thin line as he agreed with you. 

“you're right,” his voice was thick with emotion, the words slurring in his mouth as he found himself anchored in place, not knowing what to do. but you were rambling, your thoughts going on and on and you couldn’t stop yourself. 

“…but i know you don’t like letters, so the least you could have done was send a parchment saying i’m alive or something like that.” you rub at your nose again, feeling like all the weeks of worry we’re coming to a standpoint. 

he looked confused now, if anything, and scratched at his jaw. 

“what do you mean?” 

you scoff at the audacity, rolling your eyes as you feel anger prickle at your skin. 

“you never once responded to any of my letters. in my eyes, that must mean you have some sort-”

“letters? what letters?” 

you glance at him, taking in his shaking form. 

“come on gojo,” you feel embarrassed as he urges you to speak, having to spell it out for him, his eyes pleading with you to continue, “the ones from when you left for training.”

his mouth opens and then closes, looks at the ground and then back up to you as he shakes his head. you could hear your fireplace crackling in the background. the only sounds circling the room were the pops of ember and your breathing. 

“i…” he feels like there’s cotton in his mouth, hoping that you’re lying, “i never got any letters.” 

the fire crackled once again and you could almost hear a pin drop as you shook your head vehemently at his statement. 

“n-no, no you did. i wrote to you every week, i sent one every week for two years and you never responded and my mother said that you must have forgotten about me…” and you trail off, the tears in your eyes stoning as he furiously wipes at his own eyes, and for the first time since you had seen him fall down when he was a kid, you saw his own tears staining his cheeks. 

“nobody gave me your letters. i thought that you,” he takes a deep breath, tongue poking inside his cheek as he tried to control himself, “i thought that you didn’t care for me anymore.” 

you hug your midsection, your emotions running wild at his words. 

“i was under the impression that you hated me.” you admit, and he looks as though you stabbed him through the heart. if only others could see the powerful warrior now, stripped bare to his conscience and all he could think about was you. 

“why…why would you think such a thing?” you two inch closer without knowing it, longing to touch each other, wanting to know that the other was really there and that this wasn’t a figment of your imaginations. 

“gojo, you could barely looked at me that night at the gala and now it seems as though you, well, look at you - you’re flushed!” you’re grasping at straws, motioning towards his face,  twinged with pink as you rub at your nose, “you seem angry whenever i am near-” 

“the only person i am angry at is myself.” gojo whispers, but his voice echoed around the expanse of your skull. 

“yes, i’m aware,” you feel cold despite the fire in the corner, your tone carrying an air of know as you scorn, “i know the last thing you expected by comforting me was a marriage but-” 

“you think i am angry because i married you?” he was moving closer, his hands shaking, his eyes wet. you could see the ring on his finger glow in the dim light of the fireplace, how it shined brighter than any of the night skies, “the only good thing that has happened to me these last few months was being able to introduce myself as your husband. i know that i stripped you bare of any love you may have had for any other man, but call me selfish for feeling glad that i did.” 

you could barely focus on what was happening, his words sinking deep into your skin, going to your bones. 

“i told myself that you had forgotten about me those years i left. when i saw you that night i was so sure you had come with the intention of finding a suitor that i didn’t want to distract you, but then i saw that man come up to you…” and he couldn’t finish, choking on his words as he stuttered, and you saw a glimpse of the boy you had fallen in love with so long ago. 

“and i followed you out. if i knew that simply being alone with you would have gotten me married to you then i would have cornered you in a closet the moment i saw you enter the dining hall.” 

a tear rolls down your chin, splattering on the ground beneath you as you struggle to make sense of what he was saying. it felt as though the months of being married to him were weeks spent pacing around your own rooms, thinking the same worried thoughts, and not having the strength to confront each other about it. 

“you…you don’t hate me?” your voice is timid, almost not believing yourself as the statement tumbled out. gojo had the audacity to laugh a bit, shaking his head as strands of his hair fell into his face. 

“my every waking moment is spent thinking of you. when i was in training, you were all i could dream about, hoping that when i’d come home i could finally have you to myself. 

“you have control over my emotions, my mind, my soul, and i cursed myself for taking away your options for a husband, but the only thing i’ve wanted to do these past few weeks was to hold you in my arms. to tell you just how deeply i yearn for your love back.” 

he wiped at his cheeks, glistening in the faint light. he looked angelic, despite the grime and blood that decorated his clothing. you didn’t want to think about the men he had killed just to come back, to come back to you, and the thought of ever losing him hurt you more than when you spent nights wondering why he never responded to any of your letters. 

you couldn’t stop your feet from leading you toward him, and you could only watch as he met you in the middle, catching you with all his strength, holding you as if you weighed nothing, and it only took a few seconds before your lips collided. 

it was rushed, and messy as you felt his hands holding you as if you carried the weight of the universe. your teeth clashed, your tears staining each other's skin as your hands gripped at his hair, using it for leverage as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, enjoying the whimper that escaped your lips when he nipped at yours. 

it was what years of longing and desperation felt like. how it felt like you two just molded into each other as if your bodies were cut out with the other in mind. you felt like your heart was about to stop beating, and you knew gojo felt the same with the way he’d whine against your lips, wanting you more than you could have ever imagined. 

“we’ve been stupid people, haven’t we?” you whispered as you pulled away, trying to catch your breath as he smiled against you. if only you knew just how much he’d been wanting to kiss you like this, to see your swollen lips as you looked at him from beneath your eyelashes. you were his venus, his only saving grace, and he could only vex himself for ever making you feel anything but love. 

“very, “ he pressed a kiss to the corner of your eyes, “very,” to your nose, “stupid,” his lips were on your cheeks, feeling like he was breathing in new air at the sound of your laughter, “people.” he pressed his lips to yours again, cherishing in the way you whined at the harshness. 

he had spent months convincing himself that you no longer cared for him. weeks of perilous training to only come back to a bed and dream of a girl who didn’t share his emotions when in reality you did. he wants to track down the letters you had sent him, to read every word carefully, as if each sentence carried its own riddle inside of it. he wanted to apologize for never having the honor of experiencing your skilled penmanship, for leading you to believe that he had simply forgotten about you. 

“gojo,” your fingers curl in his tunic, your heat transferring, trying to be rational in such an irrational state of being, “you’re bleeding, i should call for the doctor.” he didn’t stop kissing your face, moving to your jaw as he smiled hearing you shudder. 

“it’s not my blood,” he murmured and you wanted to smack him for how cocky he sounded, “and don’t call me gojo.” he nipped at your lips again. 

“husband?” you found yourself smiling at the title, but he shook his head. you saw how he was trying to hide his own grin. 

“sire?” you tested it out teasingly, hating how it sounded. he seemed to agree with the way he grimaced at the name. 

“my lord?” he wanted to bottle up your laughter forever, knowing he could get drunk off of the sound. his nose nudged up at your jaw, pressing wet kisses wherever he could. 

“hmm, what about my liege?” you're curling a strand of his hair around your fingers letting him settle you down on your vanity as you spread your legs so he could slot between them. 

“my men call me that.” he says, cringing as it falls off your mouth. you pretend to think, not knowing how you were able to live without this banter for as long as you did. 

“satoru?” you felt breathless saying it after so long. but he still didn’t seem to find it satisfactory enough, a pout on his lips as he wanted you to find a better one. 

“close, but only when you’re angry with me.” you tuck that information in the back of your mind for if you ever need to scold him, your cheeks flushed as he interlocks his fingers through yours. 

“‘toru…?” his lips broke into a giddy smile, and you had to control yourself as he swooped back in for a kiss. his eyes were so much softer when he laughed, the kind ones you fell in love with so many nights ago. 

“there it is,” his voice was husky, raw as your fingers gripped at the baby hairs at his nape. he was taking your air away with him and you couldn’t find it in yourself to fight back for it. 

“i forgot how cheeky you can be,” you bite your lip to keep the moans inside, feeling feverish as his tongue ran over his love marks, not knowing what to do yourself as you scrambled to grab onto something to keep you afloat.

“you have no idea how much self-control it’s taken not to ravage you,” his breath is hot on your skin, and he’s tugging at your shirt, fingers slightly brushing upon your breasts, “every night you’d come down for dinner i wanted something different to eat.”

“stoppp,” you mewled, not used to this. he chuckles as his slender fingers work to untie the knot keeping you together, tugging at the string until it falls, revealing your naked chest, heaving as the fabric pooled at your hips. 

you wanted to cover yourself up under his heavy gaze, to take the fabric and hide, but you felt pierced by his stare. his eyes darted to yours as if checking to see if you were okay. when you gave him a timid nod, it seemed as though it prompted him to finally move. 

his fingers were gentle as they ran across your waist, large as they covered the soft of your stomach, eager as they went upwards. he looked like he was crazed and starved, as if you were his last meal and he couldn’t wait for the sweetness death would give. 

your breath stuttered as his fingers found your mounds, rubbing a soothing thumb over your nipples as his pupils grew. he was eager as he flicked them over and over, a cheshire grin growing as they hardened under his touch. 

“you’re perfect,” he murmured, dropping down so he could suckle at your tits, his spit shining in the light of the fire, and you tilted your head back, soft moans escaping as his tongue drew circles around your buds. 

“f-fuck, ‘toru, that’s,” you couldn’t even finish your sentence, his second hand coming to cup your other tit, not wanting to leave her unattended as he sucked and bruised, wanting to forever leave his mark on your untainted skin. 

“good?” he’s so cocky, and you want to smack the smug smirk off his devilishly handsome face. 

his knee is purposefully rubbing against your clothed clit, and you feel yourself subconsciously rubbing yourself against it. you hope that he can’t feel how drenched you are from him just sucking your tits, but he pinches you, pressing his tongue flat against your skin as he looks up through his lashes.

“horny from just me touching you?” he’s teasing you, it’s so painful the way you want, need him like oxygen. you tug on his hair roughly, bringing his spit-soaked lips back to yours as you bite down on his lower one, enjoying the groan you draw out from him. 

“don’t be mean ‘toru,” you taunt, and you feel him melt in your fingers, nodding to your request as he lowers himself down. 

he presses wet kisses down your torso, stopping just above your hips, his fingers hooking along the rim of your underwear, being careful and slow in his movements as he waits for any objections, making sure you’re okay with this. 

but you were in your own world, hitching your leg over his shoulders, drawing him in closer to you, sweat dotting your forehead as he licks a stripe over the cotton on your pussy, smiling to himself at the taste of you. 

you were so sweet, sweeter than any desert he’d indulge himself on. he was sure that once he had a taste of you he’d be able to repent, to go before any god, and to tell them that you were his religion.

he had spent countless nights, tossing and turning in his bed, the only thing putting him to sleep being the idea of coming home to you. running after you that night was him running home to you, regardless of where you were. he was glad he got your hand in marriage, but if he had to, he’d wait another ten years just to hold you in his arms again.

he peels your underwear off, a string of your arousal connecting to it, and he tucks it in his pants, for safekeeping. 

“you’re going to be the death of me.” he says against your heat, his nose rubbing against your clit as your eyes wring shut in pleasure. his hands grip your thighs, making sure you stay in place as he kitten licks around where you need him the most. 

“don’t let…don’t let any of your enemies hear,” your voice comes out in bits, your hand resting on the back of his head as your leg tightens around him, “don’t want them to come after me or something.” 

he snorts, pinching your thighs as if anybody could come within a ten feet radius of you without losing an eye. 

his lips come closer to where you desperately want him, a finger prodding at your tight entrance, his tongue finding your clit as he begins to suck. 

it’s all too much, the sensations far better than your own fingers have ever proved to be. 

his fingers are skilled, long enough that they reach deep within you. he sinks one fully in, your walls clamping around him as he continues sucking your clit, his teeth grazing it every so often, making your head thump against the wall. 

“talk to me, how do you feel?” his mouth discontented from your bud and you whine at the loss. he sinks in another finger to make up for it, but he doesn’t move them, waiting for your response. 

“‘s good,” one of your hands is fisting your discarded robe, trying to hold onto your senses as you desperately nod, “don’t stop ‘toru, please,” and he obliges, loving the sounds of your begging, but loving the sound of your pleasures more. 

his fingers stretch you open and you welcome the sting, your nails digging into him as you long for more. 

he switches his mouth with his hand every now and then, his tongue taking the place of his fingers as it licks at you, groaning at your taste as he eats you out with his entire being, his chin shining with your essence and his spit as his thumb rubs furiously at your clit. 

“mmhhh, just like that, fuck!” you’ve never heard your voice at this pitch, never knew it was possible to feel this way. his other hand reaches up to flick at your nipple, the extra sensation making white dot around your vision. 

you feel yourself getting closer to the sweet release, feel your wall clamp around him even tighter as that knot in your stomach builds to a crescendo. 

“come on, let go f’me, know you want to, know you can.” he spurs you on, his fingers unrelenting as they piston in and out of you, reaching that gummy spot that makes you go dumb.

“fuck, ‘toru, m’gonna, m’gonna come!” you cry out and you’re sure anybody walking past you could hear the debauchery. your thighs were starting to shake and you felt it all go black as you reached your high, your orgasm washing over you unlike anything you’ve ever felt. 

you creamed around his fingers, gushing around him as you wailed out, tears dotting your eyes from the overwhelming pleasure you were feeling. you squeezed around him, wanting to never lose what this felt like, trying to catch your breath as his mouth never stopped sucking at your nub before he was sure your climax was over. 

when he finally pulled away the only thing that could be heard was the two of you, trying to come back down as stupid smiles made their way onto each of your faces. 

he was boyishly charming as he stood in front of you, licking yourself off of his fingers as he grinned at the taste. you couldn’t be bothered to be embarrassed after having him just between your legs, but you still felt a heat blossom in your chest. 

“so…” you awkwardly start, sweat dripping down your face from just how hot the room had suddenly gotten as you avert your gaze, “what now?” 

he shrugged nonchalantly, despite the fact that his heart was about to beat it’s way out of his chest. you let him pick you off of the vanity and tucked you safely away into his chest as he led you to your bed, gently setting you down in your mountain of pillows and blankets as you felt sleep etch away at you. 

“i’m going to clean you up,” he pressed a kiss to your hair, smiling at the way you giddy smiled at whatever he did, a dopey grin on your face as your hand searched for his, interlocking you fingers with his as if you didn’t want to watch him go, “if you let me.” 

you yawn, your head tilting as he sat down at the edge of your bed, still not letting go of your hand as your fingers run through the soft pelts beneath you. 

“and what about you?” your chin points the obvious hard-on growing in his pants. he looks down as if suddenly realizing, and he plays it off by looking back up to you with a wink. you felt your mouth going dry at the size of it, not knowing if you could even be able to take something as big as that. 

“for another day,” he promises, and you’re sure he’s not going to forget it. not like you want him to.

“and then?” 

your question lingers in the air. you don’t want to wake up to him acting like this never happened, as if your feelings were only a figment of your wildest dreams. but his eyes hold onto yours, never letting go as he brushes some strays away from your face. 

“and then i get a bigger bed for my room because there’s no way i’m letting you sleep here alone after this.” his thumb runs along the palm of your hand, his fingers tracing patterns into the soft of your legs. 

“and then?” 

“and then you tell me all the things i missed out on when i was gone. i’ll tell you about the time suguru shaved my head, and you’ll tell me about anything on your mind.” 

“what if i run out of things to say?” sleep is overtaking your voice, and you’re already nodding off, not even truly knowing what you were asking. 

“then i’ll make up stories so that you’re not bored.” he finds a clean towel, soaking it in water from a nearby pitcher as he drags it slowly across your body, as if your fragile and made of porcelain. 

“how do i know you’re not a dream? you might just be,” you yawn, rubbing at your eyes as your finger traces his ring, “you might just be my own mind tricking me.” your eyes are shutting, but the teasing smile on your face never leaves. 

“because a dream wouldn’t hide under a table with you if you asked.” he whispers, kissing your lips with a soft peck as he pulls the blanket over you, letting you sleep into a slumber as he crawls in next to you, holding you to his chest just as he did that night, just as he will every night from now on, and just as he longed for those nights he wished you next to him.

[lxnarphase]

As a society we need to appreciate Suguru fingerfucking fem!reader as if it was nothing but an everyday task.

yes i have an indifference kink.

━━ ❝ INCOMING CALL : S. GOJO!!! ❞

☾₊‧⁺...synopsis : suguru isn't going to let a phone call interrupt his wrist work out, especially when he realizes who's calling

☾₊‧⁺...cw : suguru geto x fem!reader ft. satoru gojo, smut, fingerfucking, pre-established relationship, exhibitionism, voyeurism, dirty talk, begging, suguru and satoru being perverts, suguru is a bad influence

☾₊‧⁺...a/n : mmm iM A FREAK !!! sorry i couldnt help but throw gojo in there too for a lil extraness so i hope u like it, suguru is just a big meanie but i love it

"oh, satoru's calling."

beep.

"hey, satoru, what's up?"

he was annoying. so, so, SO annoying.

only suguru would have the fucking nerve to whine and beg for you to leave the comfort of your soft sheets on the bed on your rest day to sit on the couch next to him while he watches some game show.

only suguru would pat your thighs, muttering a little 'open up, baby' without taking his eyes off the screen, acting as if he's more into it than you.

only suguru would smirk as he slips his fingers inside your soft pussy, humming as he slowly feels you begin to soak his fingers, teasing you on how quickly you get wet for him.

and only suguru would answer his fucking phone to gojo satoru of all people while he plays with your pussy.

"ehhh? you want to come over? but you were just here this morning," suguru hums into the phone, acting as if his fingers aren't swirling circles into your clit. it's so unfair, he's so good with his hands that you aren't sure how you're gonna be able to stay quiet. satoru never knew when to shut up, especially on the phone.

"aww, but i didn't get to see pipsqueak today!"

that makes you huff, annoyance crossing your features. you were not that small! satoru and suguru were just! abnormally tall!

before you can even mutter a snide comment, suguru slips his fingers back into you, smirking when you gasp so sweetly. your gushing all over his slender fingers and he's relishing the tight heat that envelops him.

"aww, satoru," suguru fucking purrs into the phone, not missing the way satoru's teasing comments pause for a moment nor the way you shook him a look. you know that tone, you know it better than anyone.

suguru is up to no fucking good.

"you're right, you did miss her. poor thing was so tired from last night, she needed to sleep in." suguru's focus is back on the TV, voice mischievous as he picks up pace with his finger, wanting to see if he could get you to crack.

"s-sugu," you whimper, a hand coming to cover your mouth. you didn't want to get too loud, the embarrassment of satoru possibly hearing you sounding worse than death. suguru nearly groaned into the phone, feeling how you squeezed on him.

"awww, baby, thinkin' about satoru hearing you is getting you this wet? hm?"

suguru's grip on your thigh to keep you spread for him is firm, his fingers digging into your soft skin as he holds you in place. it's so unfair how he continues to multitask so effortlessly, his phone in his other hand away from his face so he can say such filthy things to you.

it's unfair because it's just making you wetter.

"it's so cute how you get so wet for me, soaking my hand just from two fingers...now shh, baby, i gotta talk to satoru," he coos at you, leaning over to press a sweet kiss to your cheek, like he's not fucking your cunt open with those slender digits of his.

without hesitation, he maneuvers his fingers deeper into the plush, wet heat of your pussy, curling them in a way that made your body arch instinctively as he brings his phone back to his ear, talking to satoru like nothing is happening.

while satoru continues to talk suguru's ear off, you are struggling so bad. it's hard to stay quiet with the way he's touching you. you don't get it, why is he still on the phone? each stroke of his stupid fingers keeps you wound up, unable to think properly, which lets to a sweet whimper leaving you before you can stop it.

"shhh, keep it down, baby," suguru whispers, leaning closer to you, his breath hot against your cheek. "we don't want satoru to hear what a naughty little slut you're being for me, would we?" he's so cruel, his words only making you shiver at the thrill of the situation. feeling you clench on his fingers, he hums curouisly. "oh..? maybe you do. you wanna have satoru hear you get your pussy played with?"

you shake your head, not wanting to deal with the endless teasing from suguru and satoru from being in this situation. but while you was keeping your mouth shut, your pussy betrays you. you're so wet, the sounds of your cunt gushing and sloshing around his fingers start to get picked up by the phone, and satoru noticed.

he could fucking hear the wet slick noises of suguru's fingers messing up your soft slit, and the sound stuns him into silence. he glups, something suguru hears and can't help but smirk about.

he's got the both of you exactly where he wants you.

after a few moments of silence, satoru clears his throat.

"i-is, uh...is she there?"

he's...he's curious, so curious to see if suguru will keep playing this game, keep pretending like he's not fucking you open with his fingers so good that he can hear it through the phone. shit, he's getting so hard from this, he feels like a fucking perv.

suguru's eyes flash with something dangerous at satoru's shaky words, his smirk turning almost evil. you want to glare at him, do something for putting you in such an embarrassing situation, but you just can't. not with how good he's making you feel and how the thought of satoru hearing you makes your walls clamp on his fingers.

suguru maintains his composure, fingers never faltering their movements in and out of your dripping cunt. "mm, i dunno, satoru, what do you think," he asks coolly, his voice a seductive blend of mockery and affection.

"suguruuu, h-he's gonna hear me," you whimper as your arm reaches out to grip his wrist, trying to stop his fingers from moving anymore. it was so messy sounding, your face was on fire. god, why did you have to get so wet from suguru being so mean?!

your breaths come in ragged gasps, hips moving instinctively against suguru's hand, unconsciously seeking more. you just can't help it, he's playing with your pussy so good, it's making your brain mushy.

the squelching sound of your slick wetness is unmistakable to satoru. on the other side of the phone, he's got his phone squished against his ear as much as possible, desperate to hear all of your noises. he's...he's hard, but he can't touch, not yet, he doesn't want any distractions from this.

"fuck, i-i can hear her, suguru...i-is she really wet?"

"mhm. she's dripping, 'toru, all over the couch."

without missing a beat, suguru moves the phone closer to you, continuing work his fingers inside your dripping slit. if you say anything, he'd just smirk at you and say he's just repositioning so his hand doesn't hurt.

but you know he's moving it closer to give satoru a better chance of hearing all your noises. and it just makes you squeeze on his fingers, your juices dripping down his wrist.

"here, angel. talk to satoru for me, yeah?"

...oh, what the hell?

your brain is already fucking melting out of your ears, you don't even think about what would happen if you take the phone. your hand trembles as you take the phone, the other hand clutching at the couch cushions for support.

the moment you bring the phone to you, you can hear satoru's excited breathing, the anticipation practically radiating through the speaker.

"h-hi, satoru..." you manage to greet him, voice breaking as suguru finds another sensitive spot within you, his free hand now pressing down on your tummy as he really starts to fuck you with his fingers.

"h-hey, sweet thing," satoru tries to purr, but it just comes out like a desperate sigh, a mix of curiosity and arousal clear in his tone. "you...you sound so pretty..."

suguru doesn't relent for a moment, his pretty fingers plunging and twisting inside you. sure, he wants you to be able to talk to satoru, but that doesn't mean you have to be incoherent. no, he wants you to be unable to hold back those moans from him.

who cares if his best friend is on the other line?

"c'mon, princess, tell him how you're feelin'," suguru whispers into your ear, his breath hot against your skin. "let him know how good 'm makin' your pretty pussy feel right now."

his voice sounds so good in your ear, your grip on the phone tightening as you try to hold onto the last shred of your composure.

"s-sugu, don't talk t' me like that, fuck, 's so embarrassing..."

he knows you don't mean it, not when he feels your gummy walls clench on him like that. you like it, you like when he's mean, when he makes you talk to him and tell him how good he's making you feel. but it feels even better because you know satoru is gonna hear how good suguru, his best friend, makes you feel with just his fingers.

the sensation of suguru's fingers, slick and sticky with your arousal, moving relentlessly inside your soft pussy and pressing against that fucking spot that makes you gush all over his hands, is making having any coherent thought nearly impossible.

"s-suguruuu, i-i can't, 'm gonna—!"

on the other end, satoru bites his lip to muffle his groan, the mental image of the scene flashing in his mind. his mind is going blank as the wet sounds of his best friend's fingers and your labored breaths and broken little moans fills his ears.

but then, they stop.

you let out the prettiest little moan and satoru feel his cock throb in his sweats, the feeling of precum leaking out making him shiver.

god, he wants to hear you like that all the time...

"s-suguru, why'd you—?"

"are you coming over or not, satoru? wouldn't you rather see her than hear her? if you come over, i'll teach you how t' make her squirt."

that seems to be all it takes to get him to keen, a high pitched and pathetic whimper coming from satoru's end of the call. who knew suguru could get the strongest to make such a sound just from a simple set of words?

"i'm on my way right now, please, don't let her cum without me there."

all rights reserved © lxnarphase | do not repost, copy, translate, or alter my work

[entitled-fangirl]

He would burn the world for her.

Felix Carton x fem!reader

Summary: Felix and the reader don’t appreciate the looks Oliver is giving her. 

Words: 1,689

Warnings: Oliver is his own warning. He’s creepy to the reader. Making out in a bathtub- not super descriptive. Yelling, cursing.

Author's note: May god bless our souls for not only watching Saltburn but also reading fanfics about it :|

Masterlist

.........................................

Y/N was a usual resident at Saltburn. The girlfriend of Felix Catton himself, she often found herself spending her time at his family mansion during holiday. She had a family that loved her, sure. But it couldn’t match up to the things that Saltburn, and Felix, gave her. 

Oliver was one of those things. A seemingly loyal friend to her dear Felix. And she was overjoyed when he agreed to spend the summer at Saltburn with them. 

She sat on a lawn chair near the pool, a bikini adorning her body. She tilts her head slightly to the side, to see her perfect Felix in the pool. A graceful smile shows on her face as she moves back to relax in the chair. She hears the sound of splashing water and soon, a shadow is felt over her body. She moves her sunglasses down her nose to peer over them. Felix stands above her, his body dripping from the pool and a large smirk across his face. 

“Hi, beautiful,” he says. His smirk grows into a grin. He leans his tall body down, his arms reaching out to catch him against her chair. His frame towers over her more than it does when he’s standing. 

She meets him halfway, their lips touching in a gentle kiss. Her hand moves up to the back of his neck, lightly tugging at the hair there. He groans, pushing into her lips a little rougher. 

Farleigh gives a small laugh, “You two are too horny to be out here, right now. Go get a fucking room.”

Y/N pulls apart from him with a slight blush on her cheeks. Felix’s jaw clenches slightly, his head turning in Farleigh’s direction. “Don’t be jealous of what I have and you don’t.” He then leans back down to kiss Y/N as if no comment was ever made.

They made out for a little while, Y/N at Felix’s mercy. Not that he was ever a cruel lover. No, quite the opposite. He was very giving. He was a giving person in general, a quality his girlfriend admired greatly.

They pulled away from each other, Y/N slouching back against the lounger like before, and Felix going back to the pool. Her eyes closed as she heard the splash of his return to the water.

The moment was interrupted yet again, but by Felix’s voice, “Oliver! You getting in?”

Y/N opened her eyes at that to see Oliver’s answer. But Oliver’s eyes were on her. They had been on her. She could see that Felix’s question had broken his train of thought. Oliver shakes his head a bit, blinking. “Oh, uh. Not sure.”

Felix nods his head with a certain look. Y/N had seen it many times. It was a knowing look. He didn’t give two shits if Oliver got in the water, but he did care if the scholarship boy was looking at his girl a little too much. But he took that as an answer and went back to relaxing in the warm water.

But Y/N still felt Oliver’s gaze. It was quite uncomfortable now that she knew it was there. She tried to do anything to relax. She closed her eyes. She watched Felix. None of it would distract from the constant feeling of being watched by Oliver’s piercing eyes.

Hours passed and the family found themselves retiring for the night. Felix lead Y/N by the hand to his room, a routine the entire family was used to at this point. He closed the door behind them before turning around and placing his hands on her waist.

She sighed at the feeling, a relaxing end to the day. The day’s events were still bothering her, but she didn’t wish to bring them to her boyfriend’s attention. After all, Oliver was to stay here for a while, and the last thing she wanted was to cause conflict between the two.

Felix noticed the deep look in her eye. He let out a soft sigh, “How about a warm bath?”

Her eyes met his, “a bath?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long day. A warm bath might be nice. I mean we don’t have to-“

“-No. I want to. I do.”

He smiles, leaning down to kiss the top of her head before disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of the running water is heard soon after.

She sits at the end of his bed, running her hands through her hair to calm herself. It truly did bother her, but what if it’s nothing? She knows that Felix would burn the world for her, but she didn’t know if it was worth the world burning. Not over something so stupid as a stare from one of his friends.

He returned before she had even noticed. He pulled her hands from her hair, placing them on his chest. He pulls her up easily. “C’mon, love.” 

…

She is straddling Felix in the tub, their bodies close. Her hands are in his hair, and his are wandering over her body, admiring every part. Their lips are locked in a passionate kiss that is getting hotter by the minute.

Why was Oliver looking at her? Was he jealous? Perhaps just curious? Did he want her? Did he want Felix? Simply judging? What does the boy want and why? He was beyond impossible to read.

Felix at this point had slowed himself, seeing that she was not reciprocating his movements. His hands now rest on the side of her thighs, keeping her in place. He pulled away softly, his tone quiet and comforting, “What’s wrong, beautiful?”

She is pulled from all of her thoughts quickly, realizing he had caught on. “Nothing, Felix. It’s nothing, really.” She moves forward to catch his lips again.

He lets her for a moment, before his hands gently grab her face, pulling her away. “Don’t lie to me. And don’t try to deflect like this. I know something is bothering you. It has been. Please. Trust me?”

The sound of the water trying to settle is all that is heard in the bathroom at this point. She finally lets out a breath, “It’s not something you can fix. I can handle it.”

He pulls her face into his hands again. “Is it something I’m doing? If it is, I-“

How could she do this to him? He was now doubting himself, and it was all her fault. She felt awful. She had to correct this.

Her hands move to each side of his chest. “No, Felix. It’s not. I promise, it’s not. You’ve done nothing.”

He nods, his jaw clenching slightly as if he knows exactly what’s bothering her at this point. “It’s Oliver, isn’t it?”

Her hand reaches up to his mouth, a finger pushed to his lips. “Shh… he’ll hear us.”

He moved his head back from her hand. “I don’t care,” he says, “If it is Oli, I understand. I noticed it today, too. And it is a big deal to me if it bothers you, angel. It bothered me, but I figured I’d let it go if it was just me noticing. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

He was the sweetest thing she had ever seen in her life. Her eyebrows lifted, “You’d do that for me?”

He smiled, “‘Course. Consider it done.”

She smiled as well, moving her body against his. Her lips connected with his once more.

…

She woke up to the sound of yelling. She sat up in bed quickly. Her hair was a mess, her body in nothing but Felix’s t-shirt and her underwear. Her head cocked to the side as the sound continued. It was coming from Oliver’s bedroom.

It was Felix’s voice.

She never heard Felix raising his voice like this before in her life. It had been raised before, yes. But never like this, and never had it had this horrid tone in it. 

She pushed herself to the end of the bed, standing herself up. She ran towards his voice, opening the bathroom door and running through it to Oliver’s room. She opened that door quickly, her body standing in the doorframe.

This caught both men’s attention. They both turned to her. Oliver’s eyes widen at her attire before a smirk appeared on his face. Felix’s eyes softened as he saw her worried expression.

“Oh, angel. I’m sorry to wake you up,” Felix says, his usual sweet tone returning as if he wasn’t screaming seconds earlier.

Oliver chips in, “Yeah, sorry. Felix and I were just chatting about yo-“

A glare was sent to Oliver from Felix, shutting him up quickly. Felix turned back her her, his eyes comforting again.

“Go back to bed. Breakfast isn’t for another hour,” he said, stepping towards her.

She’s beyond confused at this point. Her hand rests against the doorframe, her eyes moving between the two men. “Is... Is everything alright, Fe?”

Felix sighs, moving towards her again. Now in front of her, his hand moves up to the side of her neck, caressing it gently. “Yeah. We’re fine. Back to bed now.”

Her eyes shift to Oliver again. He stands with a confident appearance. He has a smirk on his face, his eyes focused on her bare legs.

Embarrassed, she nods, moving backwards into the bathroom. “Alright. Good morning then, Felix,” her quiet voice says. She nods to Oliver, “Oli.”

She moves back quickly, but not quick enough, hearing Oliver quip, “Good morning to you, beautiful.” 

Felix head spins back to Oliver, his voice a growl, “Don’t fucking-“

That’s all she heard, for she had went back into Felix’s room, shutting both doors. She rested her head again, letting sleep overtake her as Felix had requested.

…

When breakfast time came, Oliver was nowhere to be found, but Farleigh had blabbed to her later that Oliver had left Saltburn in a rush before breakfast with at least a black eye and a limp in his step.

She twisted the fork in her hand, her eyes focusing across the table at Felix’s bloody knuckles.

He would burn the world for her.