#this is from back when i beat the game. its small but their mischievous aura pleases me so im posting

[luminous-orb]

my two milkmen. and yes, they Go Comedy

[stormgardenscurse]

A Solstice Ball (Lilia Vanrouge)

About: Lilia x Reader (gender neutral) where Diasomnia invites you to spend the holidays with them back home, including the celebration of the winter solstice.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.6k

The Valley of Thorns, despite its rather prickly name, is a place that shines with an otherworldliness unique to itself.

It’s the same kind of timeless beauty that you’ve come to associate with Diasomnia. Even Silver, who is not fae himself, wields the aura. You’re a little jealous that they’d grown up in such a place, where mountains were aplenty and stars glittered clearer than you’ve ever seen.

And when you’re wandering around the hallways on a sleepless night, said stars lend you their company. It’s easy to gaze out of the windows since there are plenty flanking the walls. You’re currently staying in the castle and home of your friends, who were generous enough to invite you to celebrate the winter solstice together.

It’s tradition for the royal family to host a ball welcoming the Sun after a night of festivities - meaning the event would be run for almost twelve hours, starting with the evening and continuing into the next day, where the guests would eventually transition from the ballroom into the main gardens to witness the sunrise together. Malleus, for the past years, has been responsible for the ‘welcoming’, which according to Sebek was a magnificent sight, but Lilia insisted you not be spoiled of the details just yet, wanting you to witness it yourself.

Recounting the events that lead up to now helps calm your mind a bit, but the effect falls away briefly when you notice a figure walking down the hall toward you. While it’s unlikely they pose any danger to you, the suddenness of it spikes your heartbeat nevertheless. Many fae are undoubtedly graceful and agile in their movements, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to not have caught the noise of footsteps at first. 

However… This person is entirely soundless, and it’s only when you catch a glimpse of pink-dyed strands that you realise why.

Lilia settles into a kind smile as he nods at you in greeting, making his way to you. “Is something keeping you up, Y/N? I never took you for one to wander about at night.” He holds his chin to ponder it for a second. “Though young people do tend to retire to bed at later times...”

“You say that as if your sprightly self doesn’t do the same.” You shake your head, lips lifting amusedly. “Between your liking for strolls and gaming habits, I sometimes wonder how you find the energy to cause trouble.”

Lilia chuckles, “I suppose that was deserved, for my prank on poor Silver. He usually doesn’t express himself too explosively, so it’s always a treat to be gifted with the sight.”

“...If only that wasn’t at the cost of his risotto.” You lend him a scolding look, albeit jokingly. “He was looking forward to it too - Silver may never recover from the shock, poor guy.”

“The experience is sure to be a valuable one.” His eyes glimmer like garnets, and you’re suddenly reminded of their dark-red hue. Mysterious and lively, and somehow communicating a depth forged through his long-lived life. “A knight has to be alert after all, both on and off the battlefield.”

“...I suppose so. And knowing how dedicated those two are, they likely accepted that excuse?” 

“Indeed.” Lilia looks out of the window and at the landscape beyond. Part of you feels like he’s reminded of a memory, from the fondness in his expression. “Sebek and Silver are reliably hard-working. Even if they are mere hatchlings as of now, they will surely prove formidable someday. I hope you’ll be there to cheer them on when that time comes.” 

“Of course, I look forward to seeing them grow.” Your smile grows warm at the thought. “They want to make you and Malleus proud after all. Their resolve burns brighter than most their age.”

A comfortable silence fills the air, and you notice Lilia’s posture loosening a bit more. His gaze turns to meet yours, light and content. “Malleus and I have regretfully been busier with the ball’s preparations, but I promise to take you to our favourite places once this is over with.” Lilia makes a small gesture toward your hand, to which you give a nod, allowing him to interlace your fingers and place a kiss to the back of it. “It’ll be fun to show you around our hometown. There are some things you can only experience in the Valley of Thorns after all~ Like that shop that sells enchanted sweets! I’ve been meaning to make a stop there before we return to Night Raven College.”

Your lips quirk as you raise a brow at him. “Why is it that you sound more excited for that than the ball tomorrow? Just before break, you were reminiscing of the winter solstices you attended in the past.”

“While the event is an annual one, it is the first time you’re spending the holidays with us.” Lilia winks at you playfully. “That, I am more excited for. And seeing what attire the fairies have come up for you - It’s not often they take to someone and mend them an outfit, after all.”

“Please don’t remind me…” You groan at the memory. “When they took my measurements they wouldn’t stop arguing about the colors. And at the end they never settled on a decision, so I’m left in suspense!”

Lilia laughs at your mournful expression. “This group is known for their craft, so it’ll certainly be worth the wait. Both for you and me.”

“Oh?” You narrow your eyes playfully. “So you’re looking forward to that.”

“A chance to see you more stunning than usual is always one I’d be interested in,” Lilia counters without missing a beat. “I just have to be sure no one else steals you away from the ball before I can - There was something I’d wanted to show you tomorrow.” He gives your hand a light squeeze, eyes bright. “The surprise will be around midnight, so please bear with it until then.”

“I’ll try,” you laugh as he presses a light kiss to your cheek. “Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, huh?”

~

Looking back, truer words couldn’t have been spoken. Right from the moment you awoke till right before the ball, you were constantly moving about preparing your attire and helping the others run small errands, like delivering a message or checking on the status of the main hall.

The venue was pretty before, but now that guests have trickled in and the night has begun to celebrate, the entire place transformed into a magical sight.

Despite the late hours the event has journeyed into, the room is lit just like any other time of the day. The lighting helps keep you active, thankfully, while the crowd seems to never tire; dancers exchange partners while others conversed at another side of the ballroom. The melody that lives in the air takes turns being magically played and performed by musicians, though the transitions are so practiced and quick that you barely notice until later on.

To your surprise, you find yourself at no short of stamina throughout the night. Perhaps it’s the shared energy in the room, the refreshments, or the entertaining chats you’re led into, but time flies as swift as a bird.

From some spellwork, flowers that glow like stars float above the crowd, reminding you of lanterns. On occasion the odd one would wrap into itself and descend onto the crowd, by which a guest could catch it, watching the enchanted bud unravel and bloom. It would then start to shine, before drifting off into the air like a feather caught in a breeze.

Throughout the night the flowers take turns falling onto the crowd, earning the attention of those nearby with their soft but colorful hues. You’re starting to suspect the intervention of a friend as the shadow of one floats above you; the third one this night.

Despite receiving them multiple times, the sight of petals unfurling so gracefully never ceases to put you in a state of awe. This time it is one of gentle lavender, though tinged with hints of blues and pink. It’s unexpectedly light to the touch compared to its size, which is just a little smaller than your head.

The bloom eventually starts to float out of your grasp, by which you give it a little push into the air as it rejoins the sea of flora. A familiar face approaches you from within the crowd, his gaze lending itself to the sight above before settling on you.

“It seems that the flowers enjoy your company as well,” Lilia jokes, before extending a hand for you to take. He begins to lead you somewhere, sending a small smile your way. “People say that receiving them repeatedly is an auspicious sign.”

You hum thoughtfully, “I was starting to think that the places that they landed are being controlled by magic. Sebek and Silver were there the first time, then Malleus at the second…”

Lilia grins almost proudly, the tips of his fangs showing. “Third time’s the charm~ I’m glad to have witnessed you carrying that flower. It was a fitting sight, especially with your attire.”

“I still can’t quite believe it.” You admit, looking down at the fabric - it feels weightless on your skin, yet is still woven with such detailed patterns. “The fairies really outdid themselves, this feels like something out of a fairytale… I feel a little bad keeping it.”

“Well, seeing as it was a gift, you have every right to have it as a keepsake of tonight.” He reminds you, pushing a door open. It wasn’t the main one that guests entered through, but another on the side of the ballroom. The air is quieter out here, save for the castle staff that would cross the corridor every now and then.

With every step away from the ballroom, Lilia starts to shed away his formal stance and shrugs off the feeling of the party behind. He sighs a little, sounding more tired of the situation than physically exhausted. The fae catches your amused look as he raises a brow in return, his smile more mischievous and relaxed - just like his usual self, outside of events like these. “Oh? What an expression you’re making. Do I have something on my face?”

“Not quite.” You mirror his tone. “But rest assured I’ll let you know if you do~ I have a question though, where exactly are we heading?”

“The gardens,” Lilia informs as your arms loop together. It’s less of a childish act and more reminiscent of a knightly escort - perhaps it’s because you’re in a castle and just left a ball, but you’re starting to see more and more noble qualities in the things he does. “I’ve been wanting to show it to you for sometime, but now seems like the most appropriate chance. It does offer a view of Malleus’ welcoming later on, so we’re free to stay until the end of the event.”

“You still never told me much about it,” you muse lightheartedly, “You overestimate my patience, Lilia. I’m growing curiouser by the minute.”

“In that case…” He’s led you to an outdoor garden on the upper floors, which extends into a balcony that overlooks the grounds. “Would this do for now? It’s one of my favourite spots in the castle,” he chuckles, “I hope you'll enjoy it.”

How unfair. There were flowers of every kind dotting the bushes and growing into overhangings. With this amount of space, you felt like it could pass for an attraction in itself. It was different from the grandness of the ballroom decorations, but held its own with its serene charm. Lilia takes your reaction as a sign of agreement. He chuckles and bows toward you, offering his palm. 

“May I have this dance?”

You both start a simple one, more for the sake of enjoying yourselves and the cool air than trying to show off any moves. Although this doesn’t stop Lilia from adding a few twirls and steps to the rhythm as he hums softly, a tune that you swear you’ve heard before but couldn’t pinpoint where or when.

You wonder aloud of how your limbs hadn’t started to tire from the festivities, to which Lilia explains that the refreshments from the ball are suited to help replenish energy and revitalize the body, due to the sheer length of the event. The topic flows to other things, like an ice cream parlour he’d like to visit with everyone and how you’re adjusting to Twisted Wonderland. At this point the dance has also broken off into a simple stroll about the gardens.

Eventually you’re interrupted by the sound of doors opening and the chatter of guests.

"The sunrise." Lilia confirms in response to your questioning gaze. The two of you make your way to the balcony for a better view, where you can see Sebek and Silver accompanying Malleus to an open space that's elevated like a stage of sorts. Gargoyles guard the marble platform at its feet, though their presence is no comparison to the prince's, who stands facing his back to the crowd.

You briefly see the glint of a gem as Malleus waves his magic-pen in a swift motion, summoning a plant from the ground.

Or perhaps… It was more accurate to say that he grew it right before your very eyes, shaping the branches of what you realise to be a tree to form a circular frame of sorts. You doubt that any old magician could perform such a feat in mere minutes, judging by its sheer size.

Lilia smiles from beside you like a proud parent, though it edges into a smirk as he briefly mentions that this tree was more elaborate than last year's with its patterns. You're left confused for a moment before realising that it indeed has spiral carvings throughout its trunk and branches, ones that depicted the sun and moon, and even illustrating dancing figures and musicians. It held the story of the winter solstice and the ball that celebrated it, and you're left with your breath stolen from such a sight.

Yet the star of the show (quite literally, in a sense) only makes its appearance soon after - the Sun rises from the horizon and peeks between the mountains in the distance, accurately falling into the frame that Malleus created with the tree. He waves his hand once more, taking the moment to expand the light like a fracture.

You hear a chuckle from beside you as you shield your vision from the brightness. As soon as you lower your hand you notice a ball of light remaining where the Sun had passed, like a star captured in the frames of the oak. It still shone with a youthful light, as if daring its surroundings to challenge its worth.

"How temperamental," Lilia echoes your thoughts bemusedly. "I expect this year's tree to shine longer than the last ones."

The crowd bursts into applause as Malleus steps down from the stage. You're about to ask Lilia something when you suddenly realise how close his face was to yours.

"Is this another tradition?" You ask, studying his eyes.

"There is a saying about it, yes." Upon your answering smile, Lilia starts to lean in closer, a hand cupping your cheek. "Sharing a kiss with someone at the welcoming of the Sun is a good luck charm of sorts."

You can't help but laugh after pulling away, lips tingling from the contact. For someone mischievous, Lilia liked to use oddly innocent excuses to steal moments of affection. "Happy winter solstice, Lilia."

"May a fortuitous time be ahead." He returns, smile content. "I'm glad you're here to spend it with us."

[rikorene]

𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮. || k. tetsurō

synopsis : alone in the bar, dressed in red. god, you looked so irresistible. you thought you could play the game with kuroo. the risk you took was calculated, but man, were you bad at math. 

NSFW WARNING!!! do not proceed to read this one-shot if you’re uncomfortable with this kind of theme. thank you. 

slow and sensual sex, rough at the end, light bondage, foreplay. 

[ a/n : wow, first time writing smut after a long ‘break’ from writing hhhh. but hope you enjoy tho. this is basically a slow-burn(?) fic, sort of. so it takes a while before they actually do the deed. ] 

main masterlist.

word count : 4.4k 

“do you want me to spend some time sitting next to you?”

The neon lights in this dark space blurred your vision for a bit, not letting you to see anyone’s facial features clearly. You could smell the strong scents of various perfume of every person in the room mixed with sweat mingle with one another creating an intoxicating aroma in the venue, the smell of alcohol filled your senses as an attempt to drown out the different scents in the room.

You sat there on the red velvet stool on the bar as you stared at your almost empty glass of whiskey, no ice. Your red velvet silky dress that hugged your hips felt nice on your skin, the neck of the dress low enough to see a bit of your cleavage and smooth back as the thin straps of it kept your dress in place as the dress stopped just mid-thigh with a small slit on the slide, you had small diamond earrings and a black silky choker on your neck that was actually just a silky black ribbon just tied with a bow on the back. You crossed your legs with one another as you looked at the other end of the bar and saw black hair that you thought it was styled in a weird way.

You didn’t know that you were staring for too long until he turned his head to face you as well. Then flashed a mischievous glint in his eyes as he sent a smirk your way, in an instant you became flushed with embarrassment for shamelessly checking out on a random guy, but strangely enough, you found him quite attractive despite his weird hair.

You let your gaze fall on your glass of whiskey not noticing how Kuroo had moved over to your end of the bar.

“hey, can I sit next to you?”

His voice, deep yet smooth. You figured that he was a literal smooth talker with the ladies but you wanted to entertain him for the fun and thrill, he seemed like an interesting guy.

“be my guest.” You responded curtly, keeping your eye on the glass of whiskey that you swirled in you hand, a bored expression on your face. Kuroo raised his eyebrows at you and smiled, sitting on the stool on your right.

You knew how to play the game.

“Kuroo Tetsuro. The man you were checking out a second ago.” He said, putting his hand out for you to take, you chuckled at what he had said and grabbed his hand, shaking it gently.

“call me [name].”

He smiled and held up two fingers for the bartender to see. The man behind the counter turned to Kuroo and nodded, as if he had understood what Kuroo had wanted, immediately working to serve drinks.

“you’re a regular here, aren’t you?” your question surprised him as you drank the entire glass of what’s left of your whiskey in hand. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned on the counter with his elbow.

“well, you could say that. My friends and I usually come here every weekend.” Kuroo admitted as he rubbed his own nape, his narrowed cat-like eyes scanned your appearance, he noted how your dress seemed to be a perfect fit on you and noted of how the black ribbon on your neck made you look irresistibly adorable in his opinion, the way your dark red heels made your smooth legs look longer, he dragged his eyes up and saw your red plump lips.

You gave him a side glance and scoffed in an amused manner “Eyes are up here pal.” You said, in an instant Kuroo looked at your [color] eyes which glowed in the dim lights of the bar. He gave you a sheepish smile and the bartender placed two drinks in front of you and Kuroo.

“Cucumber-Lavender Margaritas for two.” The bartender stated and you stared at the drink with an eyebrow raised and you looked back at Kuroo.

“try it.” He said and took a sip at his own drink, you watched as he pursed his lips after taking a sip and put down the drink before giving you a smile. You let out a soft sigh in return and sipped your drink, your lipstick stain covering the place where your lips touched the glass. You took notice of how Kuroo watched your lips intensely as you slowly sipped your drink and smirked to yourself.

You put your glass down and turned to him with a grin.

“would you like to dance?”

Hook.

“sure.”

And soon enough you both occupied yourselves with each other as the two of you was in the middle of the dance floor, the song was a bit upbeat. A remix of beats that you hardly knew filled your ears as you kept your hands on Kuroo’s neck as he placed his hands on your hips, the both of you swinging to the beat as you blended into the crowd.

His gorgeous brown eyes were focused on you as he casually rested his hands on your lower back, pulling you closer as the music slowly faded into something more sensual. You took notice of how his eyes grew darker as he kept his gaze on your lips, you gave him a smirk and pulled him even closer to your body, feeling how his body tensed up the moment your chest touched his.

Line.

You smirked, knowing that you had the upper hand to tease Kuroo by slowly dragging your long red nails against his upper body, from his back, to his shoulder blades and through his neck that made him physically shiver from your touch. Your breath tickled his neck as he slowly grasped your lower back, his hands dangerously nearing the swell of your ass. You knew that you had him right where you wanted him, of course you knew how to play. This was your favorite game after all.

Sinker— wait.

You almost had him. Almost. Kuroo gave you a smirk before you could pull away and leave him, suddenly grabbing your ass firmly then he turned you around, he was tightly gripping onto your hips so you wouldn’t even dare to pull away. Letting out a yelp of surprise as he lowered his head to your ear.

“you thought I couldn’t play your game now, did you?” he whispered, his minty breath that had a slight smell of alcohol in it made a chill go down your spine as he grinded his hips into your ass, a noise almost came out of your mouth and you had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from moaning like a pornstar in front of people. Heat immediately took its place upon your cheeks, turning you red.

You gave him a side glare as he moved his body to the music, his large and warm hands still on your hips as he grinded into you slowly, making your knees weak as he started to pant into your ear. Clearly, he was enjoying his time teasing you to no end, you craved for his body warmth, making your mind slowly go fuzzy with desire.

Kuroo of course knew your little game, you would reel them in and play with them for a while before hopping to another bar a week after. He knew because he saw one of his acquaintances get enchanted by you a week ago in a lobby of a cheap hotel, he still remembered the ghost of your smile on your lips when you left him waiting in the lobby and never returned.

He caught a glimpse of your face, red from blushing and your pretty little mouth a bit agape. You were obviously breathless from his little teasing and decided to tease you a bit more, with a long kiss to your nape that made your breath hitch he slowly pulled away and retreated from the dance floor, he gave you a smirk and went over to the bar where you and him previously sat.

He took a seat and sipped on his untouched drink, smirking to himself as he waited for you to regain your composure and went to stomp after him angrily. You couldn’t deny how good his body molded into yours, it felt good. Too good. His scent was so unique and addicting unlike all the other guys whose scent made you throw up, his scent made you crave even more. That gentle minty scent with a hint of alcohol. You were greedy.

You slammed a hand on the table and glared at him. Kuroo made quite a weird sound of amusement “Oya?” with that stupid smirk on his face, he chuckled at your flushed cheeks, messy hair and wrinkly silk dress.

“I hate you.” You said though gritted teeth, his grinned at your attempt to sound tough and stood up, Kuroo used his height as an advantage to radiate an intimidating, dominating aura that he usually uses during volleyball matches back in highschool and towered over you. Your breath hitched in your throat once more and leaned back a bit, but as soon as you leaned back, he leaned forward and whispered in your ear.

“you wish.”

And damn he was right.

The trip to his own apartment unit wasn’t long at all, but as soon as the both of you went through the door. You grabbed his collar and practically smashed his lips onto your own, you took him by surprise.

You sly vixen.

Your tongue mingled in with his own as he held onto your cheeks, pulling you flush against his chest. Your tongue invaded his mouth as an attempt to show him who you were, but you were taken back when he moved his hands farther to your hair and tugged on it eliciting a moan from you. He smirked and dived right in, claiming his place in your mouth, teasingly sucking your tongue as he guided you to the nearest wall, pinning you right there as he continued to invade your mouth with his tongue.

It was getting hotter and hotter by the second, his hands slowly went down and onto the swell of your ass, grasping it for a second before you jumped onto him. Your mouths never leaving each other, you wrapped your arms around his neck as he pressed you against the wall. You could feel the outline of his dick rub against your clothed private area as he grinned into the kiss, you resisted the urge to moan as he kept grinding onto you with the intent of making you moan, he pulled away from the deep kiss and stared at you for a second.

He thought that you were beautiful even if your lipstick was smeared and your hair was a mess with a light sheen of sweat on the sides of your face, you still looked amazing in Kuroo’s eyes.

“Fuck…” he muttered out and quickly carried you into his own bedroom and kicked the door closed as he gave your neck light kisses as an attempt to find your sweet spot but unfortunately you still had the black ribbon on your neck. He laid you down on the bed and you stared up at him as he propped himself on his elbows which were on the either sides of your head.

You were breathless and undeniably horny from your previous acts with Kuroo, and damn, did Kuroo kiss you like a man that was deprived from kisses for years. It was as if he was stranded in the dessert and you were the oasis that he had been trying to find for so long.

But you were not mistaken, this wasn’t love at all. You both knew that; this heat and tension was simply caused by physical and sexual attraction for one another.  

Kuroo then leaned down and kissed your jawline, nibbling it in the process as he placed his knee in between your legs, your back arched at the sensation as you grasped at his shoulder blades completely wrinkling his black dress shirt. He reached the ribbon on your pretty little neck and teasingly pulled it off with his teeth as he maintained eye contact with you. In response, you let out a whine of desperation. You have never felt so exposed and so turned on in your life. He leaned away as he kept the ribbon in between his own teeth and stared at you with his dark eyes.

“take it off.”

And with the command of Kuroo’s deep voice, you sat up and reached for the zipper on your back, you slowly pulled it down and grabbed the ends of your dress and pulled it over your head. You had nothing underneath your dress except for your black, lacy underwear. Kuroo grinned and grabbed your wrists, he laid you back down and you shivered from his gaze, your nipples immediately perked up at how the cool air blew onto you. With your very own ribbon, he tightly tied your wrists, it’s width and length being enough to provide you with a make-shift rope.

“you’re into this?” you asked with a teasing smile on your face as you watched at how Kuroo began unbuttoning his black dress shirt. He smirked in return and leaned down to give you a deep kiss and pulled away, leaving you breathless once more.

“it’s just to keep you from running away.” he purred into your ear and threw his shirt away, leaning down to kiss you once more, he dived in between your arms and you used your elbows to keep him there as you both mingled your tongues with one another once more. After playing with your mouth for a bit he trailed his kisses down to your neck and once more searched for that one spot on your neck, you chuckled at his attempts but you let out a choked moan as you felt his fingers trailing down your stomach and felt it on your clit.

Your breath hitched in your throat as he teasingly pats his fingers over your clothed clit, occasionally grinding hard. Kuroo soon bit onto a spot just on the juncture of your neck near your ear which made you moan, he smirked into your neck and continued to bite and suck on the spot.

Kuroo grabbed onto the waistband of your panties and slowly dragged them down as he continued to leave bite marks and hickeys on your neck and collarbone, going down to the swell of your breasts and continued to ravish your chest with lingering kisses and small bites which would make you mewl out in pleasure. You weren’t used to be treated like this, although it was sexually frustrating, you appreciated at how careful Kuroo was treating you.

His one hand crept up and grasped your right breast as he sucked on your left, his tongue circling around your nipple as you panted out his name, you couldn’t move your arms freely so you grabbed his hair, Kuroo clicked his tongue at your action and looked up, pausing for a moment. His cold glare made shivers go down your spine, you whimpered at the feeling of his fingers toying with your clit.

“Hands up.” He spit out coldly. You complied, not wanting to get on his bad side. You heard Kuroo whisper “Good girl.” And it made you squirm against the sheets; the praise made your heart swell. Kuroo slowly pushed his index finger into your entrance and you hissed, although you were wet it has been quite a while since you’ve touched yourself, the previous week got you busy not really giving you time to do these kinds of actions.

“You’re surprisingly tight and wet. Little kitty behaved herself I presume?” Kuroo asked as he slowly dragged his finger out of your wet cavern and slowly pushed it in, his knuckles touching the skin around your tight entrance which made you arch your back a bit as you leaned into the pillows, panting. God, his fingers were long and a bit large. Normally you would’ve done this to yourself with your random one-night stands, but Kuroo gave you the pleasure of fingering you first before sex.

“Y-yes Kuroo.” You said, breathless from the way he moved his finger in and out of you. Soon enough he pushed in his middle finger as well, he curled them up inside of your cunt which hit a spot that had you arching your back further. He smirked and latched his tongue onto one of your breasts as his free hand grabbed your hip, pulling you closer to him.

“Faster, please.” You pleaded, staring down at how his tongue would play with your nipple as he continued to slide his lengthy fingers in and out of you, soon his thumb came in contact with your clit and you let out a loud moan.

“Kuroo! P- please!” you moaned out as you arched your back, he quickened his pace. Kuroo grunted at how your velvety walls hugged his fingers perfectly as he continued to thrust in and out of you. You were breathless, you head was spinning from the pleasure that you received. Kuroo knew that you were going to cum from his fingers, he didn’t mind at all, he lowered his head down to your stomach and finally lowered himself to your clit, giving it an experimental kiss before giving you a long lick.

Your hips thrusted up and Kuroo immediately pinned it down, continuing to lick and suck on your clit, you let out loud moans and pants of his name as he spread your entrance wide open with his fingers and shoved his tongue inside of you. Your hands immediately grabbed onto his hair and pushed him further down, you were lost in pleasure as he proceeded to thrust his tongue in and out of your entrance as his fingers toyed with your clit.

With a last moan of his name, your body tensed up as your toes curled in pleasure. Your head was buried deep into his pillow as he lapped up your juices, giving your deep and hard licks along with it. You finally calmed down and closed your eyes, Kuroo stared at you for a moment. Your whole body was covered in hickeys and bite marks which came from him, your cheeks flushed red as you were covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Beautiful.

He gave the inside of your thigh a bite and a small suck, marking you as you whimpered at the sensation. Kuroo sat up and began to remove his pants and underwear, you saw his size and was amazed by it, he was certainly lengthy and girthy with a delicious vein underneath, precum oozed from the tip as his dick stood tall against his stomach.

“Like what you see?” Kuroo smirked at you, which made you roll your eyes. He chuckled at your reaction and leaned back down on top of you, giving you a passionate kiss on the lips in which you returned. He reached for the drawer of his nightstand and grabbed a condom, closing it gently but not ever breaking away from the kiss. He pulled away and ripped the package open with his teeth, taking the condom out and putting it on Kuroo looked at you with his eyebrow raised.

You nodded at him and raised your arms, he slipped right through them and pushed himself inside of you. He was larger than what you had expected. You let out a choked moan and squeezed your eyes shut, although the lubrication from the condom and from your cum helped him ease inside of your tight walls, the sensation made you hiss. Kuroo still carefully pushed inside until there was nothing more to push.

You opened your eyes and saw him staring at you. Kuroo gave you a smile and pulled away before thrusting back in slowly as his eyes never left yours. It felt too good to be one with him, you spread your legs wider for him and he slipped out of your arms, he held onto you hips and began to pick up the pace. You moaned in pleasure as you kept your hands close to your chest, he let out a curse word and gripped onto your hips tighter.

“K-kuroo!” you were moaning out his name on repeat in between pants as he continued to thrust himself, his cock was pulsating inside of your twitching walls as he groaned, sitting up straight, he grabbed your legs and put them onto his shoulders. He flashed you a grin and began to pound inside of you.

The bed was creaking, moving back and forth as he held onto your legs, providing him a space that was much more deeper than his previous place. He was thrusting in and out of you like an animal, and you were moaning in delight. Soon enough he hit a spot that made you arch your back, your chest pressing against his. Your hands became fidgety as he continued to thrust in and out of that special spot that made your vision go white, you were pulling on the ribbon and finally it snapped. You grabbed onto his shoulders and you spread your legs wider for him to pound into you, Kuroo was startled at your actions but continued to pleasure you and himself, nonetheless.

“W-wait, [name]!” he called out as he continued to thrust inside of you, he was about to come undone as soon as you tightened up around him. You felt amazing around his cock, as if you didn’t play and sleep with men every other week and leave them hanging. But he caught onto your little game and played you; you were actually enjoying yourself getting lost in pleasure as Kuroo wrapped his arms around your waist and flipped you both over.

Even if you were on top, he wouldn’t let you have control that easily. You were surprised at the sudden position change and laid your hands on his flat stomach and proceeded to ride him, you thought that you had the upper hand until Kuroo grabbed onto your hips and thrusted up into you. With the new position, Kuroo could hit deeper places than before. You let out a surprised moan when he continued to thrust in and out of you, upwards.

“K-kuroo!” you whined out, tears building up in your eyes from the pleasure as your hands found its comfort on his well-toned abs. Kuroo let out a groan as his thrusts became sloppier, you were crying from the pleasure and yelped when his thumb toyed with your clit. With a few more thrusts you arched your back and let out a loud moan as you came around him, he continued to thrust sloppily and came inside of the condom as well.

You were both trying to recover from your high as Kuroo slipped out of you. You fell onto his chest as you panted heavily, carefully Kuroo took off the condom and tied it up, shooting at the trash bin at the other side of the room. You couldn’t move and speak at all, and you felt tired from what you both did.

“You tired, sweetheart?” he asked teasingly as he cupped your cheek. You moved your head to face him and gave him a glare before rolling off of him, he smiled and grabbed onto your waist, clinging onto you.

“Let go.” You said, struggling to fight with Kuroo as well as your tiredness.

“Stay the night.” He mumbled into your ear and buried his face on the crook of your neck. You sighed, deciding to leave in the morning and closed your eyes, drifting to sleep instantly.

You woke up to the smell of fresh bacon and pancakes, you looked around and saw that you were still at Kuroo’s apartment. You were actually surprised to find yourself clean and dressed in unfamiliar boxers and a large gray t-shirt. With a sigh, you hopped out of bed and in an instant, your legs felt like jelly.

“I fucking hate him…” you muttered out before holding onto the wall and practically limped down the hall and found Kuroo in black glasses leaning by the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand, he looked up and gave you a smile.

“Good morning.” He said and grabbed plates from the cupboard. You looked at the table and saw pancakes and bacon with a carton of orange juice on the side.

“You should eat first, then let’s talk.” Kuroo said and placed the plates in front of empty seats, you sighed for the nth time and shrugged. You proceeded to sit down on an empty seat near the hallway and in front of Kuroo as he sat himself down as well. He put his hands together and said his thanks along with you and the both of you began to eat. The silence wasn’t awkward at all, it was actually comforting and the soft radio music in the background helped with the good morning vibe.

“I first saw you in a lobby of a cheap hotel last week.” He started, you stopped in mid-bite and looked at him as he calmly continued to slice up his pancakes and slowly put them in his mouth to chew.

“I actually laughed when you left that guy waiting in the lobby, and when I saw you in the bar giving some random guys a flirty smile I thought that you must be used to this.”

“I am.” You replied, your gaze lowering down to your pancakes that was drizzled with maple syrup and spread with butter.

“But why?”

“Don’t you think it’s easier playing for fun instead of getting serious?” you replied casually and watched at how Kuroo stopped his movements from your peripheral vision, but he didn’t look at you.

“Yeah, I collect pieces of broken hearts of people and take ‘em with me. But none of that is of your concern now, is it?” you gazed at him with a smug expression. Kuroo let out a chuckle and looked at you as he propped his elbows on the table as he stared into your eyes with a smile.

“You can have my whole heart right now.”

His response surprised you, the smug expression on your face was replaced with confusion.

“Stay, and let’s get to know each other properly.” He said and stood up, he grabbed his plate and put it in the sink.

“Join me on the couch when you’re finished, okay?” Kuroo said to you and smiled, he walked over and pressed a kiss onto your cheek before ruffling your hair and walking into the living room where he sat on the couch and turned on the remote.

And you swore that your heart was beating loudly inside of your chest the moment you touched the place where Kuroo kissed you.

Fuck.

[ holy shit i am never writing smut ever again HHHHH IT TOOK ME 3 DAYS TO WRITE THIS AJHKDHAJHAJK. ] 

[kumeko]

A/N: For the once in a lifetime zine! I just wanted to write all the siblings.

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1.      Past

 “Gure-san!” Ayame crooned into the phone, delight spreading to his toes at the sound of his friend’s voice. It had been ages since they’d last called, since they’d last played this game of lovers and midnight escapades. He pouted. “You took too long to call me.”

 “Aaya, you know I could never leave you for long,” Shigure breathed on the other end of the phone, his tone perfectly serious. It was the thing that freaked out their teachers’ the most: the absolute lack of a teasing lilt or mocking smirk. The inability to determine if he was serious or not. “There’s no one who could replace you.”

 Really, it had been too long. Ayame closed his eyes, his finger twirling on his antique phone’s cord. It was too bad there was no audience for this performance, no Hatori to give them a dry look, no Mayu tossing a table. He would have even taken his mother’s disgusted expression. Glancing around his empty shop, Ayame noted the light escaping under the sewing room’s door. Mine was still here then.

 Mine was here. His lips tugged up into an involuntary smile as he sat down on an empty couch. “So you weren’t cheating on me, Gure-san?”

 “Never.” Shigure chuckled. There was a short pause, the breath between actions, and while his tone was still light, Ayame could almost see his slow smirk. “Though that might change. Yuki’ll be staying with me.”

“Yuki?” Ayame blinked, confused. Yuki. Yuki. A familiar name. An old classmate? A younger cousin?

“You still don’t remember your brother’s name?” Shigure let out a short, bark-like laugh. After a long pause, he added incredulously, “Or did you forget that you have a brother entirely?”

 Both. Ayame didn’t respond, his grip tightening on the phone. Yuki. His brother. Faintly, just faintly, he remembered small fingers reaching for him, a tiny voice and teary eyes. A black room and Akito’s smirk. A hazy image with a hazy name. “He’s moving in with you?”

 Shigure didn’t press the matter, to Ayame’s relief. “Haru asked. Haru. Can you believe that? The cow helping the rat? I guess your brother actually has friends outside of Akito.”

 A cruel comment. Ayame couldn’t refute it; he had thought the same thing, on those rare instances he thought of his brother at all. “Akito let him leave?”

 “I know! Amazing. And he’s even going to our high school.” Nonchalantly, Shigure changed topics. “Well, they managed the three of us, I think they can handle one well-behaved kid. It’ll be like having a second Hatori. He’s a quiet kid.”

“He’s in our high school,” Ayame muttered, his brow furrowed. Yuki was in high school. His tiny fingers were bigger now, his voice deeper. There must have been a time—at the new year’s banquet, at any of the million times he’d visited the main house—that he’d seen this Yuki, an almost grown-up Yuki.

 But his memory was still that of a child and a heavy feeling settled in his belly.

 “Don’t tell me you forgot high school too!” Shigure teased playfully.

 “No…I just…” Ayame struggled to find the words to describe this feeling, this aching, gnawing feeling. “I didn’t know.” That his brother was in high school. That his brother was leaving the compound. That his brother had friends, had at least one friend. Even the facts he barely remembered, favourite foods and toys, were all circumspect. “Does he know that we went there?”

 “I don’t think so. He’s never brought it up.” Shigure paused and Ayame could tell before he even took a breath, before the first syllable was uttered, that this would hurt. “He hasn’t mentioned you either.”

 It was like the twist of a knife. A punch in the stomach. Ayame was left winded and he didn’t even know why.

 “It’s not like you two talk.” There was a pounding sound on the other side of the line and Shigure sighed. “Well, I suppose I have to let her in eventually. Or she might actually hang herself. See you in my dreams, Aaya.”

 “Not if I see you first,” he responded automatically. On the other end, the phone went dead, a dial tone echoing in his ears.

 “Ayame?” Mine poked her head out of the door. Spotting him, she cocked her head. “Is something wrong?”

 “Yes. No.” He stared down at his shirt, at the edges of his right sleeve. Tiny fingers had reached for it once, tiny fingers that he had never considered once. “I…I don’t know.”

2.      Present

 “Heya, squirt.” Arisa ruffled Megumi’s hair as she walked past him to the kitchen. Yanking open the fridge, she rifled through its contents for drinks. “Didn’t realize you were home.”

 “I just came back.” Calmly, he ran his fingers through his locks, brushing any stray hair back in place. There. Much better. While he liked the attention, there were times when Megumi wished Arisa would be less physical about it. Noting her cotton shorts and white tank top, he cocked his head. “A slumber party?”

 “Yep.” Grabbing four cans of pop, Arisa closed the fridge with her shoulder. She held out one can to him with a grin. “Come on, you can join us. We’re playing some card games and I’m tired of Saki winning all the time.”

 “She’ll beat me too,” he pointed out, still accepting the cold can.

 “Then at least we can change who’s losing.” Arisa shifted the cans from one hand to the other, rubbing the cold appendage against her leg to warm it up. “I feel like Tohru should be doing worse than she is, and Saki’s screwing me over.”

 The chances of that happening were almost a hundred percent. Megumi didn’t even need to ask his sister to know. Trailing after Arisa as they headed upstairs, he asked, “So all three of you today?”

 “Mmmm, yeah. It’s been so long since it’s been just the three of us.” Arisa practically bounced up the steps. Looking over her shoulder, she winked. “I kidnapped her from the prince and the pauper. Just because they live with her, the Sohmas think they can hog all of her attention.”

 “The prince and the pauper?” Megumi raised a brow. That was a new nickname. “I thought he was an orange-haired bastard?”

 “He can be both.” Arisa shrugged, reaching the top landing. She spun around, a mischievous smirk on her face. “He’s a pauper because he almost always loses at Rich Man, Poor Man.”

 “That would make you one too.” Saki suddenly appeared behind Arisa, grabbing a pop can. Ignoring Arisa’s surprised jump, she stared at the can. “It’s cold.”

 “Warn me a little, would ya?” Arisa leaned against the wall, calming down. She shot Saki a disgruntled glare. “At the very least, I beat Kyo. And sometimes Tohru.”

 “A grievance I shall never forgive,” Saki remarked, rolling the can in her hands. “This feels good.”

 “It is hot today.” Megumi pressed his can against his cheek. The cool aluminum sent a shiver down his spine. Ah, that was much better.

 “…I can never tell if either of you are serious or not.” Arisa rubbed her forehead, torn between exasperation and annoyance. She glanced at Megumi, and then at Saki. “At least you’re wearing short sleeves today.”

 “I am not completely immune to the heat,” Saki replied, fanning herself lightly. “Ah. It truly is hot.”

 “Now you’re making fun of me.” Straightening up, Arisa barged into Saki’s bedroom. “Alright, time to kick everyone’s asses.”

 “K-kick?” Out of sight, a surprised Tohru squeaked. “It’s a card game!”

 Still standing in the hallway, Saki leaned against a wall, closing her eyes with a pleased smile. Quietly, Megumi stood next to her, his shoulder bumping into her arm, listening as Arisa crowed excitedly, as Tohru stuttered and panicked. His sister chuckled softly and he could feel the vibrations through her skin.

 A laugh. A smile. Megumi watched her, transfixed.

 “Yes?” Saki cracked open an eye. Even the aura around her felt light and teasing.

 “You’re happy,” he said, more a statement than question.

 “Hmm.” Saki considered it before nodding. “I am.” She opened both her eyes and smiled fondly at him. “Your prayer came true.”

 3.      Future

 “She’s here!” Momo peeked out the living room curtain, into the main garden. She quickly let go of the cloth, letting it fall back into place as she stumbled back. “And so is everyone else.”

 “Ahhhh…” Momiji’s smile dropped a notch as he tried to figure out just how did his cousins know about this concert. There was Tohru, of course, but while she was a terrible liar, she wouldn’t actually tell anyone. Standing behind his sister, he drew back the window curtains just enough to get a glimpse of everyone. Haru. Yuki. Kyo. Shigure—

 Shigure. Momiji rubbed his forehead. Yep. That was the root cause. It would have been hard for Tohru to hide it from him, her face gave everything away. From there, it was a single call to invite all of the ex-zodiac members. Add in their friends and a performance for three became a performance for a crowd. Frowning, he shot a glare at his older cousin. “It’s always him.”

 “That’s a lot of people,” Momo muttered, clutching her violin tightly. She glanced at him in askance. “Are we really going to perform?”

 “Yep!” Smiling at her encouragingly, Momiji pointed at the few cousins that she’d met. “There’s Kisa and Haru and Hiro—actually, never mind Hiro.”

 Despite the things that had changed since the curse was broken, Hiro’s tongue was not one of them. Even Kisa couldn’t sweeten his barbed words by much. Still, he was at least moderately kinder to others and Momo hadn’t come back in tears whenever she played with the pair.

 “Kisa.” Momo brightened. “And…there’s Yuki. And Mine and…” She stumbled, trying to remember the names of all their friends. “And…and Uotani and Hanajima…”

 “Yep.” Momiji grinned, counting them off himself. There were far more outsiders in the Sohma compound these days, the doors open to all now. High school friends, coworkers, that guy from the bakery—wait. Momiji cocked his head. It was good and all that anyone could come and go, but why were all of these random strangers here for a single violin recital?

 Momiji’s eyes landed on silver hair. Of course. He should have known. Ayame. Who else could it have been? As though sensing his thoughts, Ayame spotted him and shot him a thumbs up. He winked, mouthing, Good luck.

 It was hard to decide between Shigure and Ayame which one deserved more punishment. Maybe he could sick Hatori on both of them later. Turning back to his sister, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her to his side. “We have so many friends! I think they’ll be happy to hear us play.”

 “Right.” Momo swallowed, peeking back through the curtain once more. She took a deep breath, stood up straight, and then moved back into the center of the room. Staring at her violin for a long moment, she squared her shoulders and raised it. “We have to tune up.”

 Part of Momiji missed the baby chick, the little girl who was always peering around her mother’s skirts. As a teenager, the only part of that left was the tremble of her hands as she raised her violin, the slight shake of her bow as she tried to settle herself. Yet this girl was able to talk to him, was able to be with him, and he would take that over the baby chick any day. “Right.”

 Momiji raised his violin. Finally, after all those years, they were playing together. Like real siblings. Like a real family.

[12-am-username]

yandere! hanako x nene headcanons

(yandere! hanako x yashiro nene | headcanon and oneshot | fluff and gore | 1.9k words | spoilers)

— requested by @mako-neexu —

HHHHH yes this is hananene, after all that mitsukou I wrote whoops. @mako-neexu I hope this does you justice. This will contain spoilers from the manga so please proceed with caution. THERE IS A BIT OF GORE IN HERE TOO, SO IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THAT KIND OF CONTENT, I SUGGEST YOU SEARCH UP SOME FLUFF CONTENT. (unedited)

ON ANOTHER NOTE: y’all hananene and mitsukou shippers better believe that requests are open 😤😤

He can be an obsessive yandere

Obsessive in a way that he’d always have her on his mind, wondering how she was, imagining their time together, or reminiscing of her warm hands in his cold ones

He was obsessive in that he cared for her so much that she became the center of his universe

However, he wanted to be the only center of hers

“When are you going to pay attention to me?” Hanako whined. When Yashiro was finished cleaning the bathroom, she started working on schoolwork. The apparition floated beside her, trying to read what she was writing that was so important.

“I swear, you can be like a cat sometimes...” Yashiro sighed as she went back to work, ignoring Hanako. Dejected, he started playing with the mokke, but he still felt down that she was focused on something else. He ended up losing against the mokke, too distracted to pay attention to the game.

He looked back up. He had been playing for a few minutes, but Yashiro wouldn’t move. She kept looking back and forth between papers and books. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, something the apparition noticed. He didn’t know how long he stared at her features, but at this point, he can probably draw her face from memory.

He didn’t notice his body float upside down in front of her. He didn’t even remember standing up to go there. He said nothing, and continued to stare. Yashiro knew he was staring, but she forced herself to continue her work. Although, she could admit that he was cute this way. Not that she’ll ever admit that to his face.

He can be a jealous yandere

Jealous in a way that he masks it so well, that he was the calm before the storm, except the clouds were already raining

He was jealous in that it was quiet, so quiet and small that you’d never see it coming and you’ll end up surprised at how much he bottled up

However, he wanted to do something about it

He never cared about it. Really, he didn’t. He didn’t. He thought that he didn’t. The amount of schoolwork that Yashiro received seemed suspicious. Even Tsuchigomori believed that she was doing too much homework. He felt his blood rise when he found out why.

“Why should you do his homework?” Hanako tried to keep a level head. Inside, he was seething with anger. Yashiro certainly had lots of things piled up, not to mention how dangerous her situation is, given that she was tied to Hanako.

“It’ll be fine, besides, I can be closer to him when it’s over!” Yashiro beamed. Hanako couldn’t say no to a face like that. He adored her too much to see her distressed. But he knew that the other kid was only using her. But trying to reason with Yashiro would lead him nowhere. Sure, they had this conversation before, but this time, she seemed sure.

He watched her walk away. His mind drifted to that kid. He’d have to check if this boy was worth her time. Not that he was, anyway. He passed by the hallways. Ignoring Tsuchigomori’s confused face, Yako’s surprised expression, and Akane’s shocked and almost scared face. They could tell that he was keeping something sinister within.

He can be a protective yandere

Protective in a way that he would come to her whenever there was danger, and would ward off any apparition that posed a threat to her life

He was protective in that his arms were wrapped around her frame in a secure and tight hug whenever she was scared

However, he wanted to protect her through any means necessary to avoid death

The murderous apparition didn’t stand a chance. He was trapped in the bathroom, Number 7’s domain. Hanako may be a mischievous, childish, and an overall playful guy. But even the Seven Mysteries know that he has a limit. The moment the apparition had its sights on Yashiro, he didn’t hesitate to run.

By the time he reached her, he thought it was too late. Her body was slumped against the wall, blood dripped down the side of her head as her eyes seemed close to shutting. Yashiro’s chest rose weakly, making it hard for her to breathe.

He felt his mood shift. In a flash, he cut up the apparition into a thousand pieces, causing his hat to fly, and left no evidence of what happened. Whenever he looked directly into their eyes, it was the eyes of dead man with nothing more to lose. The apparition howled in agony before promptly disappearing when he rushed to Yashiro’s side, cradling her head in his hands. He could feel a faint pulse on her wrist, letting out a sigh of relief.

“I could’ve lost you today.” He nearly wept as he buried his head on the crook of her neck. He wanted to remember the feel of her touch and keep it to memory. He wanted to memorize the outline of her face and figure before he could lose her. When Yashiro’s hand made contact with his hair, he found his heartbeat slow to a steady beat as he listened to hers.

He can be a gentle yandere

Gentle in a way that he would pet her hair, give her soft hugs, and look at her the way every girl would want to be looked at

He was gentle in that Yashiro is the only person he ever approached with comforting hands, the only person to be hugged that way, and the only person he looked at with such love

However, he wanted to be the only person who could be like that to her

Hanako found himself washing away the blood. The mokke delivered a first aid kit as he stitched her up. After watching Tsuchigomori stitch up his wounds and healed his bruises when he was a kid, he was able to remember how to do it. It’s a good thing he remembered how to.

Yashiro winced with pain, and there was nothing Hanako could do but to continue his work. He gave the bloodied rag to the mokke, who started to wash it away in the sink. He tried helping her stand up, but her legs gave out. Yashiro tried to speak, but she was too tired to talk.

“How have you always drawn the attention of apparitions lately?” He joked as he started to pack up the med kit. He almost felt jealous again, after all the ghosts that came to her. Yashiro looked away, with a flustered expression and a face full of regret. He noticed the change of atmosphere, immediately floating to her side, ready to comfort her. He heard a sniffle coming from her. “Hey, you’re gonna be okay—“

“No, it’s not okay!” He stopped his hand mid air, clearly taken aback by her outburst. He didn’t understand how she felt, but he knew she was sad. She was shaking so much, he wanted to wrap his cape around her, which is what he did. He dried her tears with it when she continued to speak. “He said he’d come for help, but it’s clear he escaped to save himself.” It was quiet after that.

He can be a playful yandere

Playful in a way that he would tease her endlessly, amused by her reactions and faces

He was playful in that he takes joy in the flustered expression she’d always have, which one could mistake for sadistic tendencies

However, he wanted to distract her from the apparition

There would be another time to be angry. Right now, he has a shaking girl in his cloak, clearly wallowing in embarrassment that she hoped for something that kid couldn’t bring her. The mokke held up a piece of candy for her to take. She unwrapped it and started to eat it when Hanako got an idea.

“Would you prefer to make him into udon?” A weird question, he knew as much. It was a weak joke, yet it sent giggles through her throat. He thought it was strange, how something like that would make her smile. Maybe it was because of the many apparitions he threatened to turn into udon. Somewhere in the school, Yako tensed up.

“Maybe turn him into daikon?” It was his turn to laugh. Yashiro was blushing, maybe because she compared the boy to a radish. Hanako laughed loudly, making Yashiro giggle a little, too. He smiled at the thought, turning that coward into daikon. Maybe Yashiro won’t be the only one he’ll be calling that.

Once Yashiro regained her strength, they exited the bathroom. Yashiro went home, hoping to avoid that boy again. Hanako waved goodbye as he went back to the school premises, searching for that kid. He passed by unsuspecting students, before he caught sight of his hair. His expression darkened, one thing running in his head. Something he hoped that Yashiro would never know.

He can be a quiet yandere

Quiet in a way that he never lets Yashiro know what’s going on in his head

He was quiet in that he never let her know how much he dreamed of killing that kid, how often he wanted him to stop looking for Yashiro, and how he wished Yashiro would only see him

However, he didn’t want to remember that one moment

Night fell. He isolated himself in the third stall of the bathroom. He let the darkness consume him, his thoughts drifting back to the boy. The mokke sensed a murderous aura surrounding the school mystery, and didn’t dare to enter the bathroom.

He thought of slicing his throat, for every lie that came out his mouth. He thought of scratching his eyes out, so that he could never look at Yashiro. He thought of cutting his hands out, so that he may never give Yashiro his homework ever again. He thought of carving words on his back and chest, so that the boy may see a reminder of his cowardice every time he had to change. He thought of paralyzing him, so that he may torture him for hours without any problems, and make him count how many limbs he’d cut off. He thought of pinning him to the ground, his kitchen knife in hand, kneeling over his body, readying the knife in the air, not caring about the boy’s shocked face.

His mind flashed to his brother. He remembered it clearly. The day he finally snapped and killed Tsukasa. He thought of that moment, repeating it until he could muster out his last words over and over again. He shook his head. His eyes focused on the door in front of him. He was drowning in his head, making him wonder how much more he had yet to discover about himself.

He thought of what Yashiro would think if he continued with his ideas. But he knew, that he was trying to atone for his sins. His heart was conflicted. He wanted revenge, true, but he wanted to be absolved. He wanted to end Yashiro’s pain, but he didn’t want to think about how he killed Tsukasa. A cold breeze flew through him as he continued to ponder. After a few minutes, he walked out of the bathroom, waiting for the next day to come, adjusting his hat as the mokke feared the intense gaze Hanako had on his face.

[artificialqueens]

two sides of a coin (without a face to land on), Chapter 1 (Crystal x Gigi) - blackley

A/N: hi everyone, i’m a new writer around these parts who finally got the courage to post something they wrote. much more to come. this is a supernatural angel/devil AU. I don’t have a specific direction for this fic yet but i’m thinking it’ll be a slow burn, fluff/angst fic packed with plot! this is also on AO3, so feel free to head over there too.

It was never meant to end like this. There were so many things Crystal was supposed to do. Ride a rollercoaster, get her heart broken, have her stomach pumped. Settle down, get a dog, have children and grow old. Die in a plane crash before you’re 29 wasn’t on that list. Yet, here she lay, accompanied only by the darkness around her. It was supposed to go differently.

“Come on, Crystal,” The sound of her best friend pulled Crystal out of her daze. She took a moment to familiarise herself with her surroundings. They stood in a food court, far from the gates. She turned to look at her friend with a wide grin, hoping to hide her lapse in concentration. “The gate’s up. Let’s go!” Gigi said, gesturing for Crystal to follow her. She nodded quickly, letting out a short breath, before gripping the handle of her small suitcase and skipping along to catch up. They walked at a comfortable pace through the walkways, since they had gotten to the Los Angeles International Airport in plenty of time, and exchanged small talk on the way. Crystal couldn’t help but daydream again.

Gigi Goode was the name of Crystal’s friend. She was a goddess in every sense of the word, and Gigi knew it, too. Tall and leggy, with the face of a model enhanced excellently with her inch-perfect makeup. She had this aura, one that exuded such beauty and grace while never coming off as impertinent. Crystal was sure she had flaws, but in two years of friendship, she hadn’t worked out what they were. Gigi’s skin was flawless, her hair glistened, and her eyes looked like the kind of thing Crystal would want to get lost in. As Gigi looked ahead, Crystal studied her companion’s face, frowning inquisitively. Crystal thought she could love Gigi. Perhaps, she already did.

Before long, their walk to the gate came to an end. It was still fairly quiet, with many seats empty. The pair picked out two spots and grouped their things together. The boarding wasn’t to start for another 45 minutes or so.

“Hey, Gigi,” Crystal piped up. “You want to play some Mario Kart?” She held up her Nintendo Switch in one hand, stupid grin plastered on her face. Gigi nodded excitedly, and Crystal set up. She balanced the screen on top of one of their carry-on suitcases, and handed Gigi one of the JoyCons. Sweet Sweet Canyon, Mount Wario, Shy Guy Ruins and Cloudtop Cruise came and went, and the two girls were neck and neck with two victories each. Crystal had forgotten how good Gigi was at this game.

“Right, that’s it.” Crystal giggled, slapping her friend’s leg softly. “No fucking around. It’s Rainbow Road time, girl.” 

Gigi twitched an eyebrow and smirked, talking in a manufactured proper tone. “Crystal Elizabeth, I am the master of this game. You cannot hope to beat me.” The younger girl pretended to flex a bicep, much to Crystal’s amusement.

“I’ve beaten you twice, you bitch!” Crystal let out a laugh. “It’s the final showdown!”

Gigi’s expression turned blank, and her voice lowered. “If you lose, we’re no longer friends. I can’t be friends with a loser.” Crystal’s grin turned into some sort of confused scowl for a brief second, before Gigi bellowed out a hearty chortle. “I’m joking with you, loser.”

Crystal put a hand on her chest and released a long exhale in relief. “Good. I swear, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“But,” Gigi leaned in with a mischievous smile. “I won’t let you forget this defeat until the day you die.” 

Crystal let out a cutesy chuckle. “Deal, Miss Goode.” With that, the Mario Kart race of the century began. The Missouri girl tried her best to keep her wandering thoughts at bay, but her mind let her down again. Gigi shot into the lead, cackling on the way.

The pair had been friends for a number of years, after Crystal had gone to visit some family in LA. Gigi happened to live across the street, and the pair spent almost every morning enjoying each other’s company. They talked about anything and everything, and Crystal remembered that it was the most at peace she had ever felt. Gigi seemed to really care about what Crystal had to say, and what her life was like. It was all Crystal had ever wanted; to feel present in someone’s thoughts. She had spent far too many of her days floating, like a spirit. With Gigi, she felt like she was whole, solid and human.

Six months ago, Gigi had gone full-time with her modelling career. During the initial months of their friendship, Gigi had modelled here and there, but nothing professional. She used to insist to Crystal that she wasn’t “nearly pretty enough” for it, but Crystal knew otherwise. She always believed Gigi would make it, and Gigi thanked her dedication by bringing her on as many modelling trips as possible. Crystal packed up her things in Missouri and moved to LA to be closer to her best friend, because, in Crystal’s justification, if someone makes you feel so grounded, why would you be apart from them? And so this time, they were to go to Milan for a show. Gigi had screamed down the phone at Crystal, so excited she could burst.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Milan, Crystal!”

“I know, G. Don’t you remember? You used to tell me on the lawn.” Crystal had said through the widest grin. Proud was the only word Crystal could associate with the feeling.

There was an apprehension in Crystal’s mind, though. She loved all these feelings and thoughts she had about Gigi, but like a shadow on a sunny day, one devilish thought reared its ugly head too often. She’s too good for you, it would say. She keeps you around because she feels sorry for you.

What a pathetic excuse for a person you are. One day she will leave and never come back for you. She won’t think twice. She doesn’t care. How could she ever love someone like-

“Yeeeaaaahhh!” Gigi screeched in victory. Crystal blinked confusedly, retracting with a small shake of the head. Fifth. Gigi sprung up from her seat, and stuck her tongue out at Crystal. “Loserrrr!” She jeered playfully.

Crystal scoffed unconvincingly. She followed it with a small smile, having had her ponderings interrupted. “Yeah, I am.”

“What happened, Crys?” Gigi questioned, the joking tone in her voice fading.

“Nothing.” Crystal sounded far too defensive for her liking. Before Gigi could open her mouth to respond, Crystal gestured towards the gate. “Look, we’re meant to be boarding in a minute.” She quickly changed the tone. Gigi gave up with the question, and helped Crystal pack away the device and gather their things.

—

The two girls took their seats on the plane, an Airbus A330. It was of a fair size, Crystal estimated it could carry two-hundred and fifty passengers and crew, perhaps more. They were sitting in the middle of the plane, more towards the front, in a three seat row. Bizarrely, the empty seat closest to the walkway was never filled as the aircraft was prepared for takeoff, with Crystal sitting in the middle seat and Gigi by the window. With all the luggage stowed away, and all passengers safely in their seats, the plane turned onto the runway.

Crystal felt a touch on her hand, which was firmly clutching onto the arm rest. She glanced over to her right to see Gigi looking softly at her. Her friend proceeded to grab her hand completely.

“You feeling okay?” Gigi asked. Crystal nodded apprehensively, which was responded by Gigi with a nervous dip of the head. “Great, because I don’t. God, I hate flying sometimes.”

Crystal’s expression melted into a smile. She released the arm rest to turn her hand into Gigi’s, grasping it tightly. “I got you.” She said, hiding her own concerns. Gigi rested her head on Crystal’s shoulder for a moment to express her gratitude. Slowly, the aircraft began to speed up. Faster, faster, faster, and within the minute it was in the air, with no problems. Once it had reached altitude, the pair sighed in relief, then looked at each other and laughed.

“You’re an idiot, Miss Goode.”

“I know.”

It was a long flight, nearly 20 hours, so the two girls hunkered down and got comfortable when it was appropriate. Crystal moved to the empty seat to give the two a little more room - Gigi wasn’t famous enough for business class, yet. It was hard to talk much, given the noise, but the two managed to chat in intervals, sometimes about Italy, or Gigi, or Crystal. They passed the time watching movies and playing games.

About 15 hours into the flight, and after a brief nap, the aircraft began to shake. 

“Hi all, not to worry. We’re just experiencing a little pocket of turbulence as we enter Portuguese airspace. Sit tight and fasten your seatbelts, we’ll clear this shortly.”  The pilot reassured everyone. Crystal and Gigi complied with no qualms. And that seemed to be the case, as the area was cleared in around ten minutes and everything appeared to go back to normal. One girl peered at the other, but was comforted by their presence.

All of a sudden, their expressions turned to confusion. Crystal could feel that dropping feeling in her stomach. Gigi scowled, jerking around quickly to stare out of her window. Crystal followed suit, cranking her neck to catch a glimpse. Faces turned to those of horror, as the girls noticed the clouds passing them overhead. It was almost like…

No, it can’t be. Crystal’s eyes widened. Are we…dropping out of the sky? The rest was a blur to Crystal. She remembered hearing the pilot over the tannoy, telling them to brace. 

“…small failure to the right engine…”

Knuckles turned white as Crystal had Gigi’s hand in a vice grip. She could see the tears brimming in her friend’s eyes. She was so focused on Gigi that she failed to take in any of the mass panic around her from the other passengers.

“…a controlled landing…”

Crystal was too shocked to cry, frozen in fear. Everything she was scared of was in front of her, in this moment. Gigi’s distress, literally dropping out of the sky, all the things she should have done. Get a dog, have children, grow old… No, no, no! She could feel the g-force around her, so strong. With her back pinned to her seat and her neck unmoving, Crystal summoned all the effort within her to glimpse at Gigi. She was completely unconscious, overcome by the physics. Crystal grimaced.

She wanted to tell Gigi she loved her. The one thing she promised to do before she died. However hard she tried, though, her mouth would not open to say the words. Was it the force? Was it the fear? Nevertheless, Crystal felt her eyes were wet with tears, but they could not fall. And so, stuck to her seat, wallowing in her failings, Crystal became drowsy.

“What do you want for your life, Crystal?” A memory of Gigi conjured itself in Crystal’s weakening contemplation. Crystal was put at ease right away, recognising the scenery. They were on the lawn in LA again, younger. Gigi was still beautiful, still an angel. What was Crystal saying? She always was. “Crystal?” The younger girl asked again. Crystal muttered a swift apology.

“I don’t know, G. I want to do a lot of things, like go to Europe, and get a dog, and ride a rollercoaster-”

“You’ve never ridden a rollercoaster before?” Gigi scoffed and reclined in shock. “Girl, you’re missing out.”

“Shut up!” Crystal interrupted, laughing. She let herself giggle for another moment before sighing, switching to a more serious tone. “But I want to be happy. Like, really happy. With a family and love and everything.” Gigi cocked her head. She leaned back onto the grass with a satisfied smile and hummed a sound of agreement. Crystal opened her mouth to speak again. “I just don’t want regrets when I die. That I didn’t do one thing and did the other. Or I missed out on meeting someone. Or I let my feelings get in the way of something amazing. I just don’t want to be dying and thinking about-”

…all the things I should have done. Her eyes fluttered shut and her body hurtled into the ground. Enveloped by the warm embrace of death, Crystal’s feelings ran blank. Finally free from twenty-eight years of the anxieties and the inner saboteur, from the hyper-analysations and the over-thinking. If Crystal could form a thought in this moment, she might think that this was peace, in some sort of fucked up way. A fitting end for someone who was always just a little bit too scared.

—-

“Can you just work with me for a moment, Nicky?” A frustrated voice rang out. “There’s a lot of souls to harvest here, you know, plane crash and all.” The voice tutted loudly, eliciting a response from a second voice. Crystal could…hear? What was going on?

“Calm down, Jan.” ‘Nicky’ drawled. “Check the list. How many have we got left?”

The flipping of paper went on for a short time, before voice number one, ‘Jan’, spoke up. “Two-hundred and sixty-seven in total, and we’ve got one-hundred and three so far.”

“See?” Nicky chirped. She spoke with a subtle accent. “That’s not bad, we’ll be done soon.”

The gritting of Jan’s teeth could be heard from miles away. “Yes, Nicky.” The aggression was obvious with this one. “But we’ve already been here for seven hours!”

“Since when do you have a concept of time? We’re dead, idiot. We have all the time in the world.” Voice number two hissed. Jan growled, fumbling around with her paper. “Look, this one.” The voices grew louder.

“Crystal Elizabeth, number one-hundred and four.” Crystal could hear the sound of scrawling on a surface, and wanted to call out to them. Help me! Please! Why can’t you hear me? Why can’t I say anything?

“A tree branch through the abdomen. Bled out.” Nicky clicked her tongue. “Looks young, too.”

Jan hummed a sound of affirmation. “Twenty-eight.” She sighed, flipping over yet another sheet of paper. “Marked for you, Nicky.”

“For the Below? Hm,” Crystal felt the presence of Nicky come closer to her, but could not reach out to her. Seriously, why can’t I move? “Even evil can look innocent.”

E-Evil? “Now, now, Nicky. You know that sometimes we just have to balance the books, as it were. Maybe she isn’t so bad.” Jan reasoned with Nicky. The voice with the accent - French? - cleared their throat.

“I guess we’ll have to see. You’re coming with me, Crystal Elizabeth.”

With that, both voices disappear, and the serene darkness around her fell silent once more. As Crystal tried to move, her lifeless body did not respond. She tried to reason with herself, these are one of those end-of-life dreams, right? She knew she had to be dead. There was no way she could have survived such a crash.

The realisation hits her, then. Gigi. Oh, poor Gigi. She was gone, surely, and Crystal would never see her again. Crystal was not religious, in any sense of the word. In fact, quite the opposite. “When you die, you just rot!” she used to say.

Oh, how she hoped that now, more than ever, she was horribly wrong.

[etlunainmorte]

✒ P.S. I Love You ✒

***

Thank you! (Y/N) mouthed her gratitude as she pointed at V's pocket.

And then, as V felt for the thing in his pocket, the thing she put a few hours earlier, the lovers finally vanished into the night,... into sweet delight.

He smiled as he took a deep sigh of relief. It's finally over. He succeeded!

"Okay, folks! Show's over!" Avery clapped her hands like a bossy head chef and brought them back to reality from their own scattered thoughts. "We have a wedding to settle, and I'm inviting you!"

"W - " Nico muttered, at a loss for words at what Avery just announced. "But, we're done here! We finished the mission for ya. Isn't it a bother for both you and Roman to still have us around?"

Avery raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. We're friends already, aren't we? Isn't that right, Roman?"

"You can say that again!" Roman happily answered as Griffon landed on his shoulder.

"I insist!" Avery looked at V and smiled at him. "And wear something decent for once, V! We'll help you and Nico with your outfit. In fact," She looked up, seemingly in deep thought, and brought her fingers to her chin, tapping it with them. She looked at V once more and pointed at him, a mischievous grin on her lips. " ... I think we should also invite that lazy Devil Hunter from Devil May Cry! Who was that again?"

V chuckled at the title she gave his twin brother. "Dante is his name."

"Oh! Can we invite Nero, too? And Kyrie?" Nico excitedly asked.

"Who's Nero and Kyrie?"

"Nero's the one with the God awful singing voice!" The Artisan proudly declared. "And Kyrie is his lady love!"

Avery couldn't help but knit her brows in confusion and disbelief. "I see. Well, sure! Poor girlfriend, though, having to listen each day to that!"

Nico, Roman, and Avery all laughed at the mere thought of this, until everyone noticed the Hispanic guy being comfortable with the demonic bird on his shoulder.

"Sweetheart, aren't you afraid of that bird?" His fiancée questioned him with mirth in her eyes.

To this, Roman only bashfully puffed his chest out and proudly brought his hands to his hips like a superhero. "I've grown much stronger and braver! And it was all thanks to V!" He, then, turned sideways to Griffon, who was looking at him like he has some evil intention towards him. "And to this amazing bird, too! Isn't that right, buddy?"

Griffon took this as a cue and widely opened his beak. "Ohohoho! Aww! So ye're brave now, huh?!" The bird told him in a clear voice that surprised Avery, made Nico burst out laughing, and made V smirk in amusement.

And Roman? The poor guy was simply at a loss for words.

And this only made Griffon more mischievous. He raised his beak and swayed his head from left to right like what he did the first time he met Roman, speaking in a hilariously loud tone. "FFFUUUCCCKKK YYYEEEAAAHHH! IT'S BARBEQUE TTTIIIMMMEEE!"

Roman lost it and fainted.

***

***

Three days later,...

"I pronounce you man and wife." The minister announced. "You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone cheered as Avery grabbed Roman by the waist, bent him, and gave him a passionate kiss.

V and Nico, who were both looking smart and gorgeous with the outfit the couple chose for them, applauded and chuckled at how Avery handled her blushing husband, Roman. 

Nico glanced at V and nudged him on the arm with an elbow. "Lookin' really smokin' hot right there, V!" She said with a wide smile as she looked at his ensemble of crisp, jet - black coat, tie, and pants, matched with a snow white - colored shirt and a pair of leather vintage shoes. His neatly slicked back jet - black hair, the perfectly polished metal cane on his hand, and the perfume he bought for the special occasion with the money he just earned from the mission gave him a truly and magnificently virile aura that made all the guests look at him, either in curiosity or something entirely different altogether.

The poet smiled as he nodded at her and her bright yellow bodycon dress matched with a ridiculously huge sunflower on her hair. "And I could say the same for you."

"Hehe, thanks!"

V smiled and took something out from the pocket of his coat, the thing that (Y/N) gave her three days ago that was, apparently, the source of the tremendous power that enabled him to beat the evil doctor.

It was her own locket which she kept close to her heart until her reunion with Victor. And she gave it to him that day.

With a gentle smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes, he carefully opened the locket, revealing a photo of her that was taken during that day when she first met Victor.

"Everything is alright now, (Y/N)." V whispered as the guests went on cheering for the newly wed. "Your great grand niece is safe and happily married.”

As Nico observed how V looked at the precious locket, her eyes widened, suddenly remembering something really important.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Nico blabbered, making V look at her in curiosity. "I have somethin' for ya."

"And what would that be?" V asked with a smirk as he hid the locket back to his pocket.

With a ginger smile, Nico produced something from her huge handbag and handed it to V, who looked at it with utter confusion.

"And this is?"

"The latest model of Somesang Universe. But I tweaked it for ya."

"Tweaked? How so?" V asked as he looked at the sleek and fragile black cellphone on his hand.

"I put some special programs of mine in it that could still let ya record all kinds of noises produced by all types of creatures. Ghosts, Demons, Mermaids, ya name it! And you can also play games in it, if ya want. Oh! I definitely didn't put Nero's singing in its music album, trust me!"

"What is it, Nico?!" Nero, who heard his name being mentioned by the Artisan, turned and gave her a suspicious look.

"Nothin', psycho!"

"Whatever."

"This looked,... really expensive." V told her as he humbly tried to give the phone back to her. "I do not know if I'm worthy of having a thing such as this."

Nico smiled as she pushed the phone back to V. "I insist! It's a way of sayin' thanks for letting me tag along on the mission."

"I see. Well, I appreciate this gift. Thank you so much. I will take care of it."

"Nah, don't mention it." Nico said as she lightly punched V's arm. "Actually, I put somethin' else in it. I found somethin' truly groundbreaking the other day when I went to visit grandma Adelaide."

"Who's Adelaide?"

"That's Victor and (Y/N)'s grandchild!"

"Oh, my!" Shame on me, I have actually forgotten to ask her name.

"Anyway, if you open the contacts list, you'll find her - "

"Hey, man!" Dante, who was looking really uncomfortable with his formal wear, interrupted the conversation as he hid behind V. "I'm not really good at this!" His twin whispered as he cautiously looked around like he was being stalked by Demons.

"What brings you here?"

"It's that crazy woman! She - "

"THERE YOU ARE!" All of them heard Avery's voice as she and Roman walked towards Dante. She totally ignored V and grabbed the legendary Devil Hunter's arm. "You're not escaping me this time! You'll join the game!"

"W - what did I do to deserve this, señorita?!" Dante complained as Avery dragged him forcefully towards the center where a lot of people were already waiting. 

"Oh, nothing! I just wanted revenge for denying me a week ago!" She declared with a mischievous wink.

"I'm not being paid for this!"

"V, Nico, you should join! And Mr. Nero and Ms. Kyrie, too!" Roman invited them as he gestured towards the crowd. "And Avery's cousin just arrived from Paris!"

A few moments later, V found himself next to Dante, Nero, and the rest of the male guests as they waited for Roman to remove a garter from Avery's thigh using only his teeth. The man waved it happily, making the men cheer wildly.

"What is wrong with this people?" Nero asked, disgusted at the display of unbridled male fantasy before him.

Dante sighed in disbelief. "It's a traditional wedding game wherein males try to catch the bride's garter thrown by the groom. Same thing goes for the bride who tosses her bouquet for the females. The couple who catches the garter and the bouquet is said to be destined to be together. But, that is just an old wives' tale."

"What?! I don't wanna be with anybody else other than Kyrie!" Nero, who took the game way too seriously, blurted out as he drew back in fear. 

Dante patted the youth on the shoulder. "I feel you, kid. Don't wanna catch it! Unless there's a hot babe in there somewhere, then,..."

"Hey, V!" Griffon, who was wearing a smart bow tie around his neck, landed on the poet's shoulder and whispered to him. "So, uh, me and the housecat surveyed the females, and we found yer perfect match! It's the one who just arrived from, ahh, Yourip! Yeah, that's it. Wait, what's Yourip?"

V chuckled at what his familiar just said. "It's Europe. And I' am not interested in this game."

"Aww, come on, Shakespeare! Don't ya wanna have a girlfriend?!"

"Yeah, give it a chance, V!" Dante teased as he patted the poet's shoulder.

V only shook his head, chuckling at the mere thought of him having a girlfriend. Who would love him, anyway, when he's not as strong as Dante, or as witty as Nero - ?

"ALRIGHT THEN, FUCK YEAH!" Griffon shrieked as he let out a small amount of electricity that went directly to V's right arm, startling him and making him raise it in response. The cane on his right hand, which was raised high above his head, then, caught the garter in perfect timing, making Nero and Dante cheer and applaud!

"Nice one right there, V!" Nero cheered as he clapped his hands. "And Little Chicken!"

V brought his cane down and looked at the lacy thing on his cane, and before he could say something else or even react, the females cheered as Avery tossed her bouquet. There was a strange noise as some females screamed, Black Panther! and drew back. Apparently, Shadow, who was wearing a huge pink lace bow around her neck, pushed someone from the crowd, making her stumble forward and catch the bouquet in the process.

"Mission accomplished!" Griffon laughed menacingly as he flew away from V before the poet could say anything and landed on the table where the huge vanilla - flavored eight layered cake was, starting to nibble on Roman's part on the treat. Shadow arrived there a few seconds later and started eating Avery's part.

"Come here, V!" Roman said with a huge smile ( still unaware of what's happening to the wedding cake ) as he took the poet's arm and dragged him towards the center. V arrived just in time to see Avery dragging the lucky girl who caught the bouquet towards the center to where he was. Avery looked up at V, smiled at him, and moved to the side, revealing to him the girl who was now holding her bouquet.

And as he looked at the girl, he couldn't help but get mesmerized and emotional at the same time. The girl, who laid her (E/C) - colored eyes on his green ones, felt the same as some kind of unknown emotion started to form in her chest.

She brushed a wayward (H/C) lock away from her face and placed it behind her ear. She, then, gave him that smile that V was longing to see once more.

And with an achingly familiar voice that he thought he would never hear ever again, she spoke to him.

"Haven't we met?" She asked him.

"My,... Evening Star,..." V whispered as he smiled at her,...

***

TO BE CONTINUED

***

✒ @la-vita , @micaelagua , @v-vic , @birdgirl69 , @beyond-the-mirror , and @cantcopewithlosingv . ✒

***

✒✒✒

***

[lady-charinette]

Feral - Marichat Smut

Chapter 40 of my fic “A Smitten Kitten & A Lovestruck Princess” on FFnet (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12746973/40/A-Smitten-Kitten-A-Lovestruck-Princess )

"Good night Tikki," Marinette smiled softly at her kwami, watching as the little goddess settled in for the night.

"Good night Marinette," she chirped happily before her chosen turned away to head for the bathroom to change.

Marinette didn't remember turning the lights off before she went inside the bathroom, she also didn't remember Tikki leaving the room either.

But she remembered she left the window open.

Rubbing at her bare arms, Marinette quickly strode towards her window and closed it shut, skin raised in goosebumps at sudden rush of cool night air, "T-Tikki, I'm so sorry I forgot to close the window!"

No response.

"Tikki?" Marinette's eyes narrowed, trying to make out the shape of her kwami from somewhere in the void of darkness that was her room. She blinked furiously, trying to make her eyesight adjust to the sudden change of light, "Tikki?" she called out again, worry seeping into her tone.

Marinette wasn't sure what she had expected, but the sudden creak from somewhere behind her made her jump and whirl around.

Nothing.

"Alright, Tikki, I thought we're going to sleep," her kwami was known to be a tad playful and mischievous, like a certain black cat, but she didn't think Tikki was up for a game of hide and seek this late into the night.

Her gaze narrowed when she heard muffled movement from behind her but again when she turned, Marinette saw nothing. Carefully navigating her way through the darkness, Marinette tried to search for the light switch until a sudden, bone-chilling realization hit her.

Tikki could fly.

So why did she hear muffled noises on the floor?

A low growl sounded from behind her, far closer than Marinette expected and she mentally cursed her uncharacteristically bad luck tonight.

How had she not heard him before?

She had felt the change in atmosphere the minute she had stepped into her darkened room.

It was charged, like a tightly coiled rope about to snap and she felt the buzzing of energy in the air.

She felt electrified, knowing she was trapped.

In his game.

A game of hide and seek, of cat and mouse.

Marinette closed her eyes, instead focusing on her other senses to try and detect his location. She knew he was in her room, she felt his eyes on her, all over here and it caused tremors to wreak her body and her mind was in a haze she didn't know how to get out of.

"Cold?" clawed fingertips gently touched her bare arms and her breath hitched sharply in her throat.

"Y-yes," she replied without thinking and he gave a low chuckle.

The sound made her shiver.

"You shouldn't leave the windows opened purrincess," the endearment was a low husky purr, filled with intent, with dark promises and hidden agendas, "Who knows who or what may come into your room,"

He was deliberately teasing her, running just the tips of his claws lightly against her arms, the outbreak of goosebumps on her skin growing even worse and she felt herself suddenly burning up, despite only wearing the thin nightgown she wore.

She snorted softly, trying to will her voice to remain calm, "You're right, I forgot about the nosy cat sometimes visiting me. I should lock the windows next time," she smiled, "But…I think I'm purrfectly safe," a low groan escaped him and she giggled, but her giggle was abruptly cut off as her breath sharply caught in her throat from the warm gust of hot air upon her bare neck.

She shivered, "Hm, here and I thought my princess would be so responsible to dress more warmly,"

Oh, her sudden eruption into goosebumps and trembling flesh had nothing to do with the sudden drop in temperature in her room and the damn cat knew that very well.

Marinette tried to regain some of her control, tried to not let him get the upper hand, but in a dark environment with close to no source of light, the clever cat definitely had that small advantage.

Except, she knew her own room and he didn't.

The minute she felt just the tips of his claws barely touch her arms, she moved.

With Ladybug speed, Marinette expertly evaded her desk chair, which her partner promptly ran into, she heard the short scuffle of the wheels of her chair sliding across the floor, she also heard his lowly muttered curse as he fussed over his toe and she couldn't help but feel smug.

That, however, had only lasted a second before she felt his presence again, right at her back.

He was like a tall, looming shadow, following her every movement, calculating and anticipating her next step- just like a lion ready to pounce on his prey.

Ladybug never allowed herself to not have the upper hand in battle, but the dynamic was slightly different with Marinette, if only slightly.

Especially that stupid cat that just seemed so smug at the entertaining thought of catching her off guard and having the upper hand.

Despite knowing who her partner was, him being in his superhero outfit had a slightly different…aura to it. Not that she didn't equally appreciate and love him as his civilian self, but there was just something positively…exciting about the thought of her tall, smart and handsome boyfriend in his leather, superhero suit starting a interesting twist of cat and mouse.

And she knew he had similar thoughts to this, if the way his speed increased and his movements grew slightly more desperate to finally catch her were any indication at all.

She moved only when he was very short of catching her, slipping away from the tips of his fingers a hair's breath away and she could feel the slowly mounting frustration at failing to catch her with every attempt she managed to dodge.

She enjoyed seeing her usually composed, gentle boyfriend unravel like this, even if she couldn't see him well, she could tell what he must be feeling, because she was feeling the same, but she would be damned if she gave up without a fight.

He had made it harder for her to continue the game, increasing his speed, using his flexibility and agility to preform acrobatic movements in the air which made her briefly lose his location and in those precious seconds he had managed to slip continuously closer in her range and nearly catch her off guard. The wildly beating rhythm of her heart made her feel more alive than ever, the thin sheen of sweat of anticipation on her skin made this so much more real and stimulating.

It was the thrill of the hunt that made them both tether on the edge, him more so than her, he resembled his feline companion in more ways than even she had realized.

She was promptly caught off guard, slightly lost in her thoughts and the suffocating atmosphere, that she failed to dodge his next attack.

Strong arms encased her against an equally strong chest and she inhaled sharply, instinctively struggling to get free, causing his arms to tighten around her midsection and his warm breath to hit her ear, his voice uncharacteristically low, "Caught you," his words made a pleasant shiver cascade down her entire body in small waves and a dark smirk curled his lips as he felt it.

"Breathe kitten, you're panting already," a dark chuckle made her flush and she struggled to shoot a snarky remark back but a sudden movement on his part made her freeze pleasantly.

One hand that had been curled around her stomach, slowly moved from its original place, sliding slowly over her arm and up to her neck, fingers gently but firmly grabbing her jaw and tilting it to the side.

The room was dark, nearly devoid of light except from the moon outside, but she could clearly see the nearly glowing green, silted eyes watching her.

Pupils dilated, there was a hungry, dangerous gleam in them that made a shiver rush from the top of her head all the way to the ends of her toes and it made her feel hot underneath the thin fabric she wore.

She was sure Chat Noir had felt it too, if the insistent way he had her pressed against himself was any pointer.

She smiled, "Heh, t-took you long enough to catch me, kitty," she was glad her voice was relatively normal, except for the mild breathlessness from their little chase earlier.

His however, while usually comforting and sweet, was now making her positively melt into a puddle of goo, "What can I say, I was distracted by the purrfect view,"

Oh. Marinette had forgotten about her scantily dressed state. In her defense, she hadn't prepared for an impromptu chase in her room, "Y-you caught me off guard,"

Another chuckle and her toes curled, just how did he have that effect on her? "Mhmm…" a sensual purr that made her knees wobbly, "You're trembling, m'lady, could it be because of meow?" she could practically hear the smirk in his voice and it made her acutely aware of how her body was trembling in the smallest of shivers.

Damn him.

The hand still gently, carefully curled around her neck moved, a single claw gently tracing the side of her jaw and for the life of her Marinette never knew how hard it was not to move!

Just where was Tikki?!

"As i-if, don't go getting any ideas now k-kitty," mildly peeved at her stuttering, she gasped aloud when she felt her boyfriend's body giving a slightly different reaction than just increased body heat and it made her jolt in surprise and squeak.

Chat inhaled, as if a physical blow made him lose his breath, but he quickly regained his composure to whisper naughtily into her ear, "Heh, too late for that princess," she didn't expect the hot, wet tongue to trace her earlobe, nor did she expect the surprisingly pleasant sensation of his claws barely pricking the shivering skin of her stomach, taut with tense muscles, tense in anticipation.

This cat would be the death of her, "Aren't we getting a little too ahead of ourselves chaton?" two could play at this game as Marinette purposely lowered her voice into a sensual purr, turning her head so the tip of her nose reached his defined jaw and traced it with the barest of contact.

A low, guttural growl vibrated within his chest and she felt it the sensation against her back, as his grip around her tightened and his hot breath came in short, quick pants, "Princess…" his messy hair tickled the side of her face as he leaned forward to rest his forehead on her bare shoulder, "You'll be the death of me," came the low moan against her overheated skin.

Her? The death of him?

Ha.

A sharp hiss escaped him when his minx of a girlfriend shifted, and his grip moved quickly to her hips, "Don't move," came the guttural command and Marinette felt a small smile creep onto her flushed face.

"Getting a little flustered now, chaton?" her voice was full of teasing and he would have to remedy that.

Within seconds, she was in his arms and her small squeak of surprise made his broad shoulders shake with restraint laughter when he gently laid her down on her bed, "And you call me the tease, cherrie,"

From her admittedly pleasant view of him towering over her, the small source of moonlight from outside made her see just enough to recognize his handsome features and she wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

His roguish grin stretched over his lips when he noticed her heated examination, "Checking meowt?" she swore black cats were little devils incarnate.

She huffed, "In your dreams Chat," she stuck her tongue out at him but promptly closed her mouth when he leaned down, the same heated, hungry look in his eyes.

When he spoke, it was all sharp teeth, "Purrcisely princess," her face flushed uncomfortably hot and he chuckled at her cute reaction, tracing a claw down the side of her burning cheek, "For having the powers of bad luck and destruction, I sure got lucky to have you," the look changed in his eyes and she realized it hadn't changed, but intensified, because her chaton always looked at her like she was the center of his whole world.

Now wasn't different and it made her heart swell with her strong feelings for him, "Oh chaton, you sly cat," he smiled and nuzzled his nose affectionately against hers.

"Only furr you," the sweet words made her giggle.

Marinette smirked, "How about you show me purrcisely what you mean?" she quickly realized how her plan of gaining the upper hand backfired on her when she found her hands suddenly pinned above her head.

The same dark look was in his eyes as his messy blond hair slightly fell into his gaze, trained intently on her as he licked his lips with a grin, "Don't bite off more than you can chew princess," the devil said as he traced his teeth along her neck.

When Marinette opened her misty eyes to look up at Chat, she swore she saw something positively feral.

[ladykateofledfordpark]

Risking Jaime (Charlotte's Diary)

Another diary entry by our very lovely Charlotte! I love her so much. XD ❤

Dedicated to @mariaoz and @itsbrindleybinch, my two Jaime-stan friends! ;) ❤

Tagging also some more amazing friends: @brightpinkpeppercorn @lady-kato @desiree-0816 @jlpplays1 @choicesarehard

And now, it is time to see our very own jealous Charlotte! ;)

-----

5. 29. 2011

Dear Diary,

It's official. My crush lost all control, all sanity, all proportions. If it was a person, it would seriously be now in a mental institution.

I guess I'm lucky, then, that I'm not in a horrible place like that.

Moving on. Today I visited Jaime, just because, when I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle in his driveway. I stared at it for a moment, scanning it for any information it could give me, before I shrugged and knocked on the door.

Jaime opened it, a smile lighting his face. "Hi, Char! Do you want to play with me and my cousin a short board game?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

Jaime led me inside. It was quiet and cold, as if we were the only people in here. If I didn't know Jaime I may have even considered this a potential horror movie scene, a perfect place that was way too silent for its own good.

"Your mom is out again?" I inquired. I knew her well enough to safely assume that if a place was quiet, she was not there.

"She went out with my aunt. They'll be home soon, but for now my cousin and I are having some quality time." He flinched, and my heart sunk. I knew how Jaime felt about his family. He loved them, but he didn't enjoy the way his parents forced him into befriending his other family members.

"How's it going?"

Jaime sighed. "To be honest, it's not that bad. I just wish that my parents would let me do these things from myself, instead of pressuring me to do this. It's hard enough to be adopted as is."

I nodded. What could I say? Thankfully, I never had to experience this myself, so all I could do was support him.

The game room, as I remembered, wasn't too far off. We reached it after a comfortably silent walk, one in which I didn't stop feeling the beating of my heart. That's how crushes work, after all.

"So where are they?" I asked as I entered the game room. Jaime closed the door after him, a small smile on his face when his gaze landed on them.

"Char, this is Riley. Riley, this is Charlotte- my best friend."

Riley stood up, a vibrant aura to her smile. Her wavy brown hair came down like a waterfall, almost as beautiful as that. Her grey-blue eyes shone with happiness, her undeniable charisma already making me smile.

I didn't like her. She seemed like someone who got things way too easily. And at that moment I knew that if she would only try, she could win Jaime over in seconds.

Heck, she could charm a prince if she chose to.

"Hi, Charlotte," Riley said as she came closer. I tried my best not to run away. She was too… happy.

"Hi," I sent her an awkward smile. Did she have to be like this?

"Jaime told me a lot about you. You really won him over."

I forced a smile. "I'm his best friend."

"Right," she smiled.

Jaime watched me worriedly. He scanned my face, as if I was acting weird, when I obviously wasn't. As Riley turned toward the games lining the shelves he dragged me to a corner where we wouldn't be heard. "What's going on, Char?"

I stubbornly met his gaze, trying to ignore how close we were. "Nothing's going on."

He didn't buy it. "You're acting strange."

"No," I shook my head, "I'm acting fine. You're reading too much into my behavior."

His frown deepened. "If you say so."

We walked back to Riley, who already had Risk open. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm, her hands organizing the board as if she was doing her very own magic trick. How did she do everything so flawlessly?

"I'm warning you, I'm pretty good at this game," she smirked at us, "beware my powers." She wiggled her fingers in the air as if she was casting magic, before sending the both of us a wink.

Luckily, Jaime didn't blush. But he did send her a mischievous smile, which was way too friendly for my taste.

I knew it was good that they were getting along, but what could I do with the fact that I really wanted to hit someone?

"Pick your colors!"

I was about to reach for the red, when Riley also did the same. I glared at her and she just looked at me in confusion. I was about to say something, when Jaime put a hand on my shoulder. "Char, let Riley take the red."

I narrowed my eyes. "But-"

Jaime sighed. "It's just a color." He took from the black and started arranging the pieces around the board, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Fine," I mumbled. I took the blue army to me, and cursed when I noticed that Riley took the yellow.

Did she have to take everything I wanted?

Deciding it's better not to make a scene, I forced myself to take the gray pieces. Jaime took the green, and we were off.

Now, usually I win this game, or at least keep up. But this time, for the first time, I lost terribly. And that was only because Jaime and Riley were driving me crazy. They may be cousins, but they sure didn't act like it.

So I lost really quickly, and headed home immediately after that.

I really need to get my head straight, diary. I hope Dawn can help.

Sincerely,

Charlotte

[pinkhairandadverbs]

EBAS Episode 1: The War Against Giygas

1 EXT. GAS STATION - TWILIGHT

All we see is crimson static. After some time a still image of a gas station materializes. It appears hurriedly abandoned judging by the broken windows, open doors, and merchandise littering the ground.

Behind the pump is a street lined by several buildings in a similar state to the gas station. Flying saucers hover ominously in the sky, frozen in place. The static abides completely as we PULL OUT SLOWLY.

The first thing that becomes clear is that this is only a poster. A caption above and below the picture reads "IT IS EARTHBOUND / THE WAR AGAINST GIYGAS!" PULLING OUT FURTHER, we see it's on the wall of the very same

gas station. A loose corner of a poster bends in the hollow wind.

We hear it before we see it: a small lightning strike, startlingly close, sends shards of pavement and dust across the crimson skies.

In a moment we see the whole street. The saucers, now alive, zip across the deep red horizon in zigzagging patterns. They shoot bolts of lightning to the ground, upheaving asphalt and exploding empty cars.

Wind blows off the poster and carries it across the frame.

Static again. We hear the distant voice of an adolescent girl.

VOICE Hello. Can anyone hear me?

Through the static we see the scene again. A fire has erupted on one of the cars. A speck in the sky seems to be growing. Before long it's evidently a glowing meteor streaking across the sky, directly towards the scene!

VOICE I'm not sure if this is working. If anyone can hear me, please-

The meteor's glow engulfs the scene and the voice is halted by a loud CRASH.

2 INT. NESS'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (199X)

The same sound comes faintly now. NESS, 13-ish and still wide-eyed in striped pajamas, is stirred from his bed.

NESS Hello?

POV: Ness looks around his room, decorated with baseball and 90's video game memorabilia. PAN ACROSS.

He checks out the window to the forested suburban street. A fierce golden glow emanates from a nearby hilltop.

NESS What is that?

He rubs his eyes and gets out of bed.

3 INT. LIVING ROOM

Ness comes down the stairs to see his mother, dressed in a nightgown and already on the phone.

Ness's loyal dog, KING, lazily wags up to Ness and licks his hand.

NESS

Hi there King.

KING

(Telepathically)

Ness. There was a loud noise. It's dark but Mom's awake. I'm confused.

NESS So you heard it too... It wasn't a dream after all.

MOM

(To the phone)

-Yes honey, we're alright. We still have power and everything. Hold on, Ness just came down. (To NESS)

Ness. Did the noise wake you?

NESS

Yeah. What was it?

MOM

Must have been a transformer. Don't worry about it.

NESS

Can I go check it out?

MOM

Absolutely not! It's already far past your bedtime and-

Mom stops at the mischievous look on Ness's face.

MOM

-And you would just sneak out anyway, wouldn't you?

NESS

I don't know what you're talking about.

Mom smiles.

MOM

Change out of your jammies before you go.

Ness celebrates by jumping up and down and kissing Mom on the cheek.

NESS

Thanks, mom!!

4 EXT. NESS'S NEIGHBORHOOD

Ness shuts the front door behind him, now clad in a striped shirt and shorts. (Notably, the only thing missing from his signature attire is his backpack.)

He looks up at the glowing hilltop again.

5 EXT. HILLSIDE

Police cars line the wooded hillside path. Officers stand by roadblocks up the trail, blocking the way. Beyond them an intense glow emanates through the trees.

Ness comes up the trail and sees the police here. A friend of Ness's is also here, pestering the cops.

POKEY, 13-ish, is a bit taller and much wider than Ness. He's become a bit of a bully from years of parental abuse, but Ness still spends time with him.

POKEY

Come on! Just a peek! You know me, Mr. Officer Simmons! Just give me the scoop.

COP 1

No! Get out of here. Scram!

Pokey notices Ness and scrambles over to him.

POKEY

Ness! Buddy!

NESS

Pokey, what are you doing here?

POKEY

Listen. I'm glad you came. But the cops and I have the situation under control.

The cops perk up when they see Ness like a ray of hope.

COP 2

Ness, can you take care of this kid?

POKEY

We can't tell you what the glowing thing is right now, that's uh, classified information.

COP 1

We literally don't know what it is.

POKEY

I'll tell you all about the alien in the morning, when the uh press release comes out. But right now you're getting in the cops'- I mean, officers' way.

COP 1

It's not an alien.

NESS

Maybe we should both leave then... the police seem to be doing just fine without your help.

COP 2

Yes please!

POKEY

Oh no! I'm in charge here. Don't worry about me. You're bugging the officers, though. Look at them!

They turn to look at the cops, both very aggravated.

COP 2

Ness, help us out.

NESS

Pokey come here with me.

They turn their backs toward the officers.

POKEY

Yes, citizen?

NESS

What are you doing?

Pokey immediately drops his confident demeanor.

POKEY

I wanna see the meteorite! I'm this close to them letting me through.

Ness laughs.

NESS

Pokey, as long as the cops are here, we aren't getting near that. Let's come back some other time and nobody will be here to keep us out.

POKEY

That's... smart. This is why I keep you around, Ness! You always have the best ideas.

NESS

Glad I'm good for something.

The kids head down the hill. Ness turns back for a moment to look back at the hilltop. We get a few more seconds on the mysterious glowing object up the hill.

6 INT. LIVING ROOM

Ness enters, and his mom greets him.

MOM

Back so soon? What was it?

NESS

Something on the hill... It was so bright. The police beat me there so I couldn't get close, but Pokey and I are gonna check it out again later.

MOM

I think that's a wise choice. Night time is for sleeping.

NESS

Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired.

MOM

Good. Let's get you back to bed.

7 INT. NESS'S BEDROOM

Ness lays in bed, eyes open.

He turns to look at the glowing hilltop again.

Its aura is mysterious, yet inviting.

He rolls back over.

FADE TO BLACK

After a few moments, we hear an incessant knocking.

8 EXT. NESS'S FRONT PORCH

Mom opens the door and raises her eyebrows as Pokey, who we just now see was the one knocking, shouts in her face in a panic.

POKEY

Ness Ness Ness!!-- Oh. Good evening ma'am. You look lovely as usual.

Pokey holds back a snicker as Mom looks unamused.

MOM

Can I help you, Pokey?

POKEY

Is Ness in?

MOM

He's asleep, hopefully. I can take a message-

Ness comes down the stairs, just visible in his jammies through the doorway and with bags under his eyes.

NESS

Mom, what was that knocking-?

Pokey notices Ness and shoves his way into the house.

POKEY

Ness! The police left. Let's go check out the thing!

NESS

When I said later, I didn't mean two hours later. It's like 3 a.m.

POKEY

Okay but we have to go now.

NESS

Why?

POKEY

Uh... Picky ran away. I think he went up the hill. I need you to help me find him!

NESS

He's your brother, why can't you look for him yourself?

POKEY

It's not my fault! I blame the cops... Ness, if my dad gets back and his favorite son is gone, I know I'm gonna get it... Please, bestest friend, please?

Ness takes a moment to consider.

NESS

Okay. Let me get dressed.

POKEY

Yes! I knew I could count on you.

9 INT. LIVING ROOM

Ness comes through to the entryway where Pokey and Mom wait, back in his striped shirt and holding a baseball bat. Pokey stays out for a bit.

NESS

Alright I've got everything!

MOM

You're taking a bat?

NESS

Just in case.

MOM

Whatever you say.

Oh, and about Pokey... I know he's your friend, but he can still be kinda bossy. Don't let him push you around just because you've known each other for so long.

NESS

You know I can deal with Pokey. He's my closest friend but he's still a jerk. When he crosses the line, he'll know.

MOM

Good. Sometimes I worry about you.

King comes up and whines for Ness's attention.

KING

Ness, where are you going so late? Is this about that big boom earlier?

MOM

Oh. You should take King along with you too. He hasn't had a walk in days.

KING

No, no no. I don't want to do anything in the day, I DEFINITELY am not going anywhere at night.

NESS

Come on, King. It'll be real quick.

King whines in resignation.

POKEY

Okay, Ness! Ready to go? Let's blow this popsicle stand!

NESS

Let's go!

They head out.

10 EXT. HILLSIDE - NIGHT

Ness and Pokey search with flashlights down the hill from the scene earlier.

POKEY

Ok... You go on ahead. I'll follow you from a safe distance.

NESS

Pokey, there's nothing dangerous in Onett.

POKEY But there are... bears!

NESS

They haven't bothered us whenever we snuck out after dark before.

POKEY

I swear one almost attacked me on Eagle Day this year.

NESS

Are you sure that wasn't Lier in his bear suit? *snicker*

POKEY

*Chuckle* What's up with that guy, anyway?

NESS

Anyone who calls themself a professional treasure hunter has issues, man.

POKEY

Remember when we teepee'd his house?

NESS

Of course I do! He thought it was the Sharks, right?

PICKY

And then he started taking it all inside-

NESS

And he actually used it!

POKEY

He's crazy.

Their laughter takes a second to die off, leaving an uneasy chill in the air.

NESS

Maybe you're right though. Something feels off about tonight.

POKEY

Well there's the big glowing thing on the hill. Who knows what's next? This could just be the beginning.

NESS

Somehow I feel like it is.

King, in contrast, is panting on the incline.

KING

It feels like the end for me.

NESS

Come on King.

11 EXT. HILLTOP

PICKY, Pokey's intelligent but jumpy younger brother, lay sleeping by a tree...

Right next to the source of the bright glow. It is a meteorite, black with yellow fissures lining the surface and emitting the mysterious light. A massive crater of upheaven earth surrounds it, just missing the tree against which Picky lay.

The gang comes up the trail.

POKEY

Picky! Picky, where are you?

KING

I do not like the look of this place. Not one bit.

Ness stops to appreciate the meteorite.

NESS

So it was a meteorite...

Picky stirs and they spot him.

POKEY

There he is! Picky!

PICKY

Pokey? Why did you run off like that? I thought you were coming back.

POKEY

I- You don't know what you're talking about. You ran off! You're always like this. Ness, can you believe it? I'm a reasonable, responsible young man, and I'm stuck with watching this dumb, annoying, selfish little brother! Do you know what it's like to deal with someone like that?

Ness and Picky exchange glances in the awkward silence.

NESS

Let's go home, guys. We found Picky and we've all had enough commotion for one-

Ness is interrupted by a blinding flash of light from the meteorite, coupled with the sound of a sharp exhaust release.

They all jump away and duck for cover. King scampers around for a moment in a panic, then takes off running down the hill.

KING Okay, that's it! I'm outa here! If I knew it would be this scary I never would have come along in the first place!!

Now a beam of golden light pierces the sky from the meteorite, and widens to about a foot wide.

Ness stands back up and gazes in awe.

NESS

What on Earth...

POKEY God help! Oh my God! Oh my God...

A small black form emerges from the meteorite, slowly upward, mimicking an insect's movements.

This is BUZZ-BUZZ, a visitor from the future. He resembles a rhinoceros beetle with large fly wings.

NESS

Look!

PICKY

What is it?

Pokey dares a stolen look up.

POKEY

It's a bat!

NESS

It's a fly...

PICKY

It's a rhinoceros beetle!

BUZZ-BUZZ

A bee I am not!

The gang exchange glances.

PICKY

Well, that was my next guess.

[nerdlife0612]

‘I Put A Spell On You’ Part 3

‘I Put A Spell On You’ Part 3 Word Count of actual story: 762 Rating: PG13 to start, maybe a bit higher by the end for reasons

Author’s Note:

OKAY. So. This little ditty came upon my little ol brain one night listening to my Spotify playlist when ‘I Put A Spell On You’ the version by CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) came on. And based on my HIGHLY LIMITED knowledge of his TNA/Impact run, a songfic idea based on the Jeff Hardy/Willow x OFC combination came across my brain. The focus is more on the story and AU this will happen in rather than the characters themselves.

And it is important to note, while I have absolute respect for Jeff & his family, for this story to work this has to happen in an AU where he is single and has been for a long, long time.

REMEMBER: MY KNOWLEDGE IS HIGHLY LIMITED so do excuse me if my characterization or usage of Willow isn’t quite right. But this is based upon the vibes that I got. THIS WILL NOT BE A ONE SHOT. How many parts? NO DAMN IDEA at this point. And there will be smutty smut smut by the end of this tale too….

SO IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE – SKIP THIS FUCKER. xD

TAG SQUAD: (IF IT WORKS)

@evilangel84 @empress-with-the-crown @misadventuresofathot @thedevilnisworld @bigpixiefoot @theneverendingthirst @ballins-princess @princess3733 @sugasfatgf

Anyways…  onward….

*********************

Maia’s feet hit hard on the concrete beneath her, beating a rhythm of panic, adrenaline and determination to try and buy as much time as she could before she was overtaken. The sleeping city with its darkened street lights and various structures around her would have been comforting had it not been for the circumstances in front of her.

In the deepest part of her being, a component of her psyche wanted nothing more than to give up to the Alpha that was no doubt pissed and hot on her heels. But she wasn’t about to cave into that. Her experiences with men had been few and far between and many of the few experiences she had were lackluster at best.

So, suffice to say, she was terrified of what she saw in her Alpha’s eyes from across the bar, especially as the realization of what was happening set into both of their minds. She had to have some time to swallow it all and process the events. She just prayed, as she struggled for breath and as her legs were starting to burn, that she could accomplish that before it was too late.

Just a few blocks behind her, a harsh snarl passed through the lips of who would have appeared to be Jeff Hardy to the untrained eye but really was the Alpha Wisp, Willow. ‘This game is getting very tired. All I wanna do is…’

‘NO!’ The figure took a tumble, rolling side over side until he came to a stop. Groaning, his hands covered his eyes. ‘You are not going to just take her like that. She deserves better! She’s just a Human damnit!’

‘Don’t care! She’s OURS! OURS! You smelled her delicious scent too! You felt the same aura! She our little Omega who will come to her senses!’ Willow howled inside his mind. The draw of the spell was becoming unbearable. ‘If she don’t – you think I am mad now!?’

Jeff huffed inside the same mental prison, ‘I get it. I GET IT. I feel the same. But you know the rules! She has to AGREE you damn idiot! Trust me. All we’ll have to do is talk to her and appeal to her… better sense.’ Willow and Jeff stared at each from across the mental void they found themselves in.

Willow’s face a grisly snarl while Jeff’s grin turned into a smug smirk. He knew he was winning. The poor girl didn’t deserve to be basically mauled into destruction and forced to submit – he was better than that but he thought the Wisp didn’t give two shits.

Willow closed his eyes and huffed. ‘Damn you. But you’re fucking right. Besides… it might be better with her… complicity.’ Jeff raised an eyebrow at his other half. ‘Fucker proved me wrong.’ Willow smirked as the world came back into view.

All things settled now, Jeff opened his eyes to find he was in total control – the mischievous green eyes he was known for the signal that was the case. Let alone the fact he could control his limbs. Sitting up, he stretched his arms and groaned as he rose to his feet. Dusting off his white tank top and jeans, he pointed his feet in the direction that her scent flowed from and licked his lips.  One booted foot after another, he proceeded to follow the sweetest scent he’d smelled and never wanted to forget. Half an hour or so later, Maia, exhausted and spent, finally managed to stumble into her hotel. Hands on her knees and her brunette hair shielding her face from view, she closed her eyes – feeling a sense of relief that she knew would not last for long. ‘Guess it is time to get cleaned up and rest while I can. I have a choice to make.’

Pressing the up button on the elevator, she stepped in just in time to turn around to see Jeff walked through the doors of the hotel – his green eyes brightening further as they locked straight on her, a cocky grin gracing his seemingly ageless features. Panicked, Maia hit the buttons to close the doors of the elevator, finding a small sense of relief when she realized he was taking his time.

She leaned against the wall as the elevator climbed higher and swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘But the look in his eyes…’

= I ain't gonna take none of your, foolin' around/ I ain't gonna take none of your, puttin' me down/ I put a spell on you because you're mine, all right…. =

*************************************

Author’s Note: OOOOO We getting close!! Another part or two with a confrontation and smut, smut, smut…. Need I say smut??

#thirsty thot crew #thirstythotcrew #I Put A Spell On You .Creedence Clearwater Revival #Songfic #Jeff Hardy #Jeff Hardy/Willow #Jeff Hardy/Willow x OFC #Fanfiction #Alpha/Omega Au #wwe #wwe fanfiction

[nerdlife0612writes]

‘I Put A Spell On You’ Part 3

‘I Put A Spell On You’ 

Part 3

Word Count of actual story: 762

Rating: PG13 to start, maybe a bit higher by the end for reasons

Author’s Note:

OKAY. So. This little ditty came upon my little ol brain one night listening to my Spotify playlist when ‘I Put A Spell On You’ the version by CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) came on. And based on my HIGHLY LIMITED knowledge of his TNA/Impact run, a songfic idea based on the Jeff Hardy/Willow x OFC combination came across my brain. The focus is more on the story and AU this will happen in rather than the characters themselves.

And it is important to note, while I have absolute respect for Jeff & his family, for this story to work this has to happen in an AU where he is single and has been for a long, long time.

REMEMBER: MY KNOWLEDGE IS HIGHLY LIMITED so do excuse me if my characterization or usage of Willow isn’t quite right. But this is based upon the vibes that I got. THIS WILL NOT BE A ONE SHOT. How many parts? NO DAMN IDEA at this point. And there will be smutty smut smut by the end of this tale too….

SO IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE – SKIP THIS FUCKER. xD

TAG SQUAD: (IF IT WORKS)

@evilangel84 @gold--guccixxempress @misadventuresofathot-deactivate @thedevilnisworld @bigpixiefoot @theneverendingthirst @amballins-priestess @princess3733 @tacoshu

Anyways…  onward….

*********************

Maia’s feet hit hard on the concrete beneath her, beating a rhythm of panic, adrenaline and determination to try and buy as much time as she could before she was overtaken. The sleeping city with its darkened street lights and various structures around her would have been comforting had it not been for the circumstances in front of her.

In the deepest part of her being, a component of her psyche wanted nothing more than to give up to the Alpha that was no doubt pissed and hot on her heels. But she wasn’t about to cave into that. Her experiences with men had been few and far between and many of the few experiences she had were lackluster at best.

So, suffice to say, she was terrified of what she saw in her Alpha’s eyes from across the bar, especially as the realization of what was happening set into both of their minds. She had to have some time to swallow it all and process the events. She just prayed, as she struggled for breath and as her legs were starting to burn, that she could accomplish that before it was too late.

Just a few blocks behind her, a harsh snarl passed through the lips of who would have appeared to be Jeff Hardy to the untrained eye but really was the Alpha Wisp, Willow. ‘This game is getting very tired. All I wanna do is…’

‘NO!’ The figure took a tumble, rolling side over side until he came to a stop. Groaning, his hands covered his eyes. ‘You are not going to just take her like that. She deserves better! She’s just a Human damnit!’

‘Don’t care! She’s OURS! OURS! You smelled her delicious scent too! You felt the same aura! She our little Omega who will come to her senses!’ Willow howled inside his mind. The draw of the spell was becoming unbearable. ‘If she don’t – you think I am mad now!?’

Jeff huffed inside the same mental prison, ‘I get it. I GET IT. I feel the same. But you know the rules! She has to AGREE you damn idiot! Trust me. All we’ll have to do is talk to her and appeal to her… better sense.’ Willow and Jeff stared at each from across the mental void they found themselves in.

Willow’s face a grisly snarl while Jeff’s grin turned into a smug smirk. He knew he was winning. The poor girl didn’t deserve to be basically mauled into destruction and forced to submit – he was better than that but he thought the Wisp didn’t give two shits.

Willow closed his eyes and huffed. ‘Damn you. But you’re fucking right. Besides… it might be better with her… complicity.’ Jeff raised an eyebrow at his other half. ‘Fucker proved me wrong.’ Willow smirked as the world came back into view.

All things settled now, Jeff opened his eyes to find he was in total control – the mischievous green eyes he was known for the signal that was the case. Let alone the fact he could control his limbs. Sitting up, he stretched his arms and groaned as he rose to his feet. Dusting off his white tank top and jeans, he pointed his feet in the direction that her scent flowed from and licked his lips. 

One booted foot after another, he proceeded to follow the sweetest scent he’d smelled and never wanted to forget. 

Half an hour or so later, Maia, exhausted and spent, finally managed to stumble into her hotel. Hands on her knees and her brunette hair shielding her face from view, she closed her eyes – feeling a sense of relief that she knew would not last for long. ‘Guess it is time to get cleaned up and rest while I can. I have a choice to make.’

Pressing the up button on the elevator, she stepped in just in time to turn around to see Jeff walked through the doors of the hotel – his green eyes brightening further as they locked straight on her, a cocky grin gracing his seemingly ageless features. Panicked, Maia hit the buttons to close the doors of the elevator, finding a small sense of relief when she realized he was taking his time.

She leaned against the wall as the elevator climbed higher and swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘But the look in his eyes…’

= I ain’t gonna take none of your, foolin’ around/ I ain’t gonna take none of your, puttin’ me down/ I put a spell on you because you’re mine, all right…. =

*************************************

[ifwegettherebysunset]

Repost with the story under the cut ‘cause I finally got back to my desktop

Anyway here’s the synchro fae au that one person asked for and that person was me

Reigning in Unseelie is nothing short of fun. Atem has the armies of the Hunt at his heels and thousands of shadows bowing to him wherever he walks. His Puzzle grants him other abilities besides: display a hapless human's duality of soul for their fellows to cower from, summon creatures from his collection in the deepest mounds, and an eternal shield from potential invaders in his psyche. He enjoys traipsing his pyramid's labyrinth to see what flies have been caught in its net.

And, of course, there are the Shadow Games.

Atem's inner circle has treasures like his Puzzle, but none of them can play the king's games. They're mostly duels between shadow monsters, but variety is the spice of life. Atem enjoys nothing more than pairing a game with a challenger, one that symbolizes his opponent's failings. A broken mirror for a vain idiot, crumbling statues for a mindless tyrant. Sometimes the challenger is so one-dimensional that Atem is instantly bored, but his notoriety usually brings amusing competitors.

One opponent comes every year and a day. Atem supposes it's his fault. He has such confidence in his victory that beating him in a ceremonial game has become the path to his throne. Bakura has a reserved seat at this point, this year included. If there are any challengers before him, Atem takes them all on in a battle royale, sneering all the while.

Games with Bakura are interesting. Mostly, anyway. Sometimes he rambles a bit too much on how Atem's father snatched the throne from Bakura's line by soaking the Unseelie Kingdom with the family's blood, then making the Puzzle and its companions from the massacre. Atem knows. Everyone knows. And Bakura should stop expecting sympathy from the howling fae. The fact that he still looks around proves that he is far from fit for an Unseelie throne.

This year's game contains such babbling. Atem, as always, responds with "I'm not my father" and a recount of how he had taken the throne by defeating Aknamkanon in a Shadow Game. His subjects love that one. There are wounds on both sides, since Bakura is counted among the king's few worthy opponents despite his harping. It ends with Atem's victory and Bakura crawling from the consuming shadows through sheer wrathful willpower.

But Bakura is nothing if not clever.

Atem is able to keep himself upright until his chamber doors close. Mahaad catches him.

"Good shot," he mutters, clutching his side.

He looks up to see Mahaad frowning. That doesn't bode well.

Once he's curled on his bed, Atem asks, "What did he do this time?"

"I should examine it more closely," Mahaad says. He already sounds worried. Wonderful.

Stripped of his ceremonial garb, Atem gets a better look himself at Bakura's handiwork. His side is blistered, skin bunching with strange shining warts on charred flesh. It burns with the slightest breeze.

Even when his soul was shattered, Mahaad has never panicked. Since being reshaped into an elf mage by twisting shadows, he is the calmest being in the entire kingdom. Now he stares, wide-eyed, like a foal swept in a storm.

"What is it?" Atem asks, sharper with unfamiliar fear.

Mahaad swallows and schools himself into a bow. "Your Majesty. Bakura has somehow used Seelie magic."

Atem starts. "What?"

Mahaad's hand hovers over the warts. They glow brighter. "This is a Starscourge. Ancient magic, the likes of which only few know today. When the Seelie and Unseelie first separated, this curse was one of the Seelie's greatest weapons. Using the light of darkness, the Seelie would reduce intruders to stardust. It is why their constellations shine so brightly."

Atem raises an eyebrow. "Light of darkness? That's confusing even for fae."

Mahaad gestures to the lumps. "What can shine brightest at night? The moon and stars. It's a rough translation."

Atem looks back at the wound. "How long?"

"No royal has been its victim. But with your power and will, you have at least seven days."

"What are the cures?"

Mahaad averts his eyes.

"...no cure has ever been listed, Majesty. We would need an ancient Seelie."

Atem grimaces. The two kingdoms haven't been at war for millennia, but that doesn't mean they particularly like each other. The Seelie king is annoyingly kind just as he finds Atem's terribly violent. If there is anyone Atem would hate to be indebted to, it's him.

"Are you certain?" Atem asks.

Mahaad nods.

If Atem succumbs to the curse that Bakura struck him with during their game, then Bakura will have a right to the throne. Atem despises losing. More than that, he despises Bakura and his careless philosophies on ruling. His rage will only supply the Unseelie's bloodthirst for so long. You need more than that to wear this kingdom's crown.

No. Atem will not die here.

"Bring Isis to me. I need to send a message."

If there's one thing Atem doesn't like most about the Seelie king, it's how gentle he makes Atem. Yugi has a special aura about him that appeals to both sides of the fae: a forgiving, generous heart and a fierce, mischievous spirit. Although wary of Atem, Yugi always has a smile for him on the rare occasions they meet face to face. You can't talk to Yugi and not be candid, though that may be his griffin blood.

But Atem is not talking to Yugi. He is writing. As far as Yugi knows, Mahaad has been affected by the Starscourge, cast by Bakura when Mahaad banished him once more from Unseelie's court. Yugi shouldn't be any the wiser.

Atem wrinkles his nose at the guilt simmering in him when he orders the message off. But the Unseelie treat their friends differently.

Yugi replies that same day, sending a Kuriboh instead of a shadow message or a sunbeam. The creature lands at Atem's window and chirps until Mahaad lets it in. Versatile beings, Kuribohs―able to fly freely between Seelie and Unseelie. Yugi's smart to use them as messengers.

Although it utters nothing but kuri noises, Atem and his circle inherently understand the meaning. Yugi starts by expressing his grief over Atem's plight, not Mahaad's, which generates some amusement. Atem should have known Yugi would see through that.

I have no idea where Bakura could have learned that curse, the message continues, seeing as there is only one Seelie who knows that magic, and he's one of the most honest fae I've ever met. With your permission, I will send him to you. All I ask in return is that he can keep what he extracts.

I hope to see you recovered when we see each other again. I'm anxious for your reply.

"Do you think Anzu had a hand in articulating?" Shada asks dryly.

"Her mouth is definitely as quick as her feet," Mana replies, smiling. "But did you hear? The king will be cured!"

"Can we be certain?" Karim asks gravely.

Mana waves her hand. "The Seelie King is trustworthy!"

"He is also very trusting," Set says, arms crossing, "Too much, sometimes. If that fae truly is the only one who knows the Starscourge magic, he may very well be the one who supplied Bakura with it."

"Yet the king knows his kingdom from every burrow and leaf," Isis says, "If this fae is the only one, then he is the only one."

"And therefore our only viable option for His Majesty's survival," Mahaad says.

They turn to Atem, who in mere hours has been forced to being bed-ridden. He stares at his hands, leaning heavily against the ornately carved headboard. Atem feels the designs poking ridges in his back: victories and Hunts, bordering a throne of dragon talons.

He smirks. "If Bakura did obtain the magic from this fae, that simply means we can make a deal that much easier."

"What of this 'extract'?" Siamun asks.

"Yugi has a right to keep his secrets. The price is a fair one, and I'm willing to make concessions." He nods to Isis. "Send my consent. The visitor has one day to arrive."

The next morning, Mahaad admits a cloaked figure through a side entrance to the Unseelie king's underground palace. The subjects can't know of their king's condition, after all. They'd start an uprising just for fun.

In the dawn, the Seelie's sleeved cloak appears simple: crimson fabric with a silver dragon head clasp. There are no further embellishments. Among the Unseelie elite, it hardly recommends him.

When the shadows kiss the material, the king's council is staggered. The stars covered by the sun are reflected, humming in constellations of harmony to create a soft, soulful whole. The deep-seated restlessness of the Unseelie realm is soothed for a few startling moments.

Eyes that seem to melt through every shade of blue glow with the woven stars. When asked about the cloak, they simply blink.

The moment the Unseelie King sees him, he knows Bakura received nothing from him. Atem has never met him, but the Seelie radiates constancy.

Still, it's best to be absolutely certain. Atem signals to Shada, and the Seelie is presented with a chalice.

"This contains griffin's blood and dragon ash," Shada says, "Lies will be burned from your tongue and truth will flow in your veins."

The Seelie looks at it. Looks at the king.

"I have some questions I want to ask first," Atem says blithely.

A quiet, steady voice replies, "I thought you'd want to be cured as soon as possible."

"Don't question His Majesty," Set snaps.

Holding a hand up at Set, Atem says, "I'd rather you answer first."

The Seelie nods and drinks. The potion is vile; Atem had to drink it at his coronation. But this one seems to have a king's composure.

Atem makes a show of getting comfortable, as if the Starscourge has no effect on him. "What are you called?"

"Yusei," the Seelie says. He doesn't sound like he drank the potion at all―no hurried speech, no high-pitched surprise. Interesting.

Atem gestures to his wound. "How do you know this magic, Yusei?"

A change in expression, if only slightly. A sad downturn of the eyes, a small frown.

"I was born of the stars."

"Many creatures and legends are. What makes you different?"

"My father was a supernova. The kind that scorched the soil and tore kingdoms apart in his dying flame."

"Like the one that destroyed the original kingdom and split the Seelie and Unseelie," Mahaad says.

Yusei looks at him. "That was my father."

Even Mahaad can't hide his shock.

Yusei looks back at Atem. "My mother is the crimson that flies in dusk and dawn. My sibling-soul, who harbored me from my father's explosion, is made of stardust. The Starscourge and every lunar spell was not taught to me, Your Majesty. I knew it the instant I was born."

Siamun regards the stranger with new eyes. "You are a child of Akakiryu."

Yusei removes his hood, revealing raven hair streaked with burning oranges and yellows. He removes his right glove, showing his bare arm to the chamber. A Crimson Dragon's Sign, the same dragon head on his cloak.

Atem laughs. "The Seelie King willingly sent a rare gem into my realm? Too trusting indeed."

Yusei says nothing, but there's a steel in his eyes that Atem likes.

"Did you give Bakura the secrets of Starscourge?" Atem asks.

"No," Yusei answers without hesitation. "I am the only Seelie who knows the magic, but that doesn't mean an Unseelie hasn't stolen it."

"Someone in my court?" Atem says. "Typical." He smirks at Yusei's furrowing brow. "We are a realm of tricksters and scoundrels, Yusei. Your king might not expect betrayal, but anything outside my council is a liable challenger. You must have heard of our games."

Yusei stiffens. "I have."

At least some caution, then. Good. "I don't discriminate between classes for my opponents. I enjoy variety."

"And destroying them."

Atem speaks over a few council members' snipping, "Yes."

"And you will keep destroying."

Atem grins. "Yes. But your king has already made the deal, so you must cure me regardless."

Yusei grips his glove. "My king seems to hold a high opinion of you. There must be something about you that is worth saving."

More angry chatter. Atem rolls his eyes and orders all but Mahaad from the room.

"You're just as trusting as your king, I see."

"No," Yusei says, "I'm not. But I have to believe there's some good in this realm."

Atem scoffs. "Then you really are as trusting. But if you didn't give Bakura that magic, who did?"

"The soil that my father burned also birthed creatures. Bound by dead earth but immensely powerful."

For the first time since swallowing the potion, Yusei tries keeping his mouth shut. Naturally it doesn't work, and the rest tumbles out: "One of them is my friend, but he was twisted by the dreaded spirits and absorbed a giant's heart. This giant is tall enough to touch the stars. It's possible he stole the secret. But he is good, Your Majesty!"

Atem glances at Mahaad. "It doesn't sound like he's good."

Yusei twists his glove in both hands, at last slipping into agitation. "As I said, he was twisted. Deceived. A misunderstanding drove him under the cursed earth. It's my fault."

"Why do you Seelie always blame yourselves for others' injustice? It gets annoying. No," Atem adds when Yusei opens his mouth, "Give his name."

Yusei covers his mouth.

Atem isn't impressed. "Mahaad."

Mahaad's staff stomps the floor, sending a surge of magic at Yusei.

Yusei's birthmark darkens the veins around it in wrathful crimson and repels it.

Frustration overcomes Atem's shock. "That which is precious to the child is precious to the mother, hm?"

Yusei, who had spoken the culprit's name against his hand, freely replies, "There is no blame placed on the victims of the Earthbound, Majesty. They are cursed just as much as the other spirits' targets."

"You have pretty words, Yusei," says the Unseelie King, "and a faithful heart. I see the stars in your blood. But if I can't get the name from you, then I'll have to search for him myself."

Yusei squares his shoulders. "You will see his curse, then. Would you like to be cured now?"

Atem smiles. "By all means. My questions are done."

Yusei removes his other glove, stuffing both in his cloak. "The stars are more capricious here, but they're willing to help. You've made a good impression on them."

"Well, I'm capricious too."

Mahaad doesn't move, but Atem can feel his amusement.

Speaking of. "Mahaad, I think I'll be fine on my own."

"Majesty―"

"Leave us."

Mahaad hesitates, but soon it's just Atem and Yusei.

Yusei kneels beside the bed and runs his fingers over the wound. The embedded stars sing at their kin's touch, eliciting a smile. He's quite lovely to look at.

"Do you like games, Yusei?" Atem asks.

The smile vanishes. "Not your kind of games, Majesty."

"Oh, I think even a Seelie could grow to like those. Especially one with so violent a beginning."

Yusei's fingers twitch. The Starscourge flares, as if to punish Atem for upsetting him.

"My beginning left me with the opposite," Yusei says, "I abhor violence and destruction. Take a deep breath."

The Starscourge bubbles as Atem's ribs expand. "How does this work?"

With his ending the questioning, the potion Shada had given Yusei has no effect. Atem wants to see how Yusei lies.

"I extract the stars," Yusei says.

Ah, by omission then. And not very well, either.

"You're awfully earnest," Atem says, "I'd tell you not to come here, but."

Yusei hums, accidentally triggering an answering coo from Atem's wound. "Take another breath, but let it out slowly." He places both hands on the curse. "Slowly...keep going, and don't move. This will hurt."

Atem nearly yells under the flaring pain. The embedded stars are screeching in protest, trying to tangle themselves deeper. Yusei whispers to them in a language not even the king understands, full of sharp crescendos and rumbling syllables. With every word(?) he utters, his pupils draw thinner and his irises pale, until golden dragon eyes are growling at Atem's side.

Sibling-soul, Yusei had said.

The agony drains slowly. Atem clenches every muscle, steadies his breath. Yusei's sibling's voice braids with Yusei's, creating a strange, ever-changing frequency that Atem uses as a distraction.

Yusei says, "You're free," and the room trembles into black.

Atem wakes to see a guard holding a blade of shadows to Yusei's throat.

"You said you would be alright alone," Mahaad says.

Atem sits up and stretches. "Don't I look alright?"

Relief peeks at the council members' faces. "You are cured, then?" Isis asks.

Atem pokes at his side. The stars did leave a blistered scar, but he can move. "Entirely. Oh, you can take that blade away now."

Yusei glances stiffly around. "Kind of you, Majesty."

"A deal's a deal. You get to keep what you extracted. But."

Yusei's eyes narrow. "But?"

"Well." Atem stands, beckoning the shadows to him. "There was never anything about letting you go."

"What?"

"You're a fae, Yusei. You must know wording is important. Yugi obviously thought that I would allow you to leave. Maybe I should teach him a lesson. After all, a creature like you intrigues me."

Yusei's jaw works. "Are you trying to goad me into playing a game with you, Majesty?"

"Perceptive."

"...if I win, I can leave."

"If I win," Atem says, caressing his shadows, "you stay until I'm done with you."

Yusei ducks his head. "And if I try to escape instead?"

Set laughs. "You wouldn't get far, Seelie."

"A duel would be best," Atem says, "As a child of the stars, you must know of the void."

"I don't wield it," Yusei replies tersely.

Atem smirks. "But you can."

No reply.

"Do you accept?"

Yusei looks at the door. It vanishes in an instant. An illusion, which Yusei likely sees through, but a solid message.

The steel from earlier stares Atem down.

"Yes."

[zecretsanta]

To: @merouses

From: @aleena-san

Alee here with my Secret Santa for merouses!

prompt 1 – luna tending to plants

The air was ripe with the sweet scent of flourishing flowers. Luna could taste the honey of their petals upon her tongue as she swept in a small breath of hot summer air, a breath that delightfully seared at her lungs with heated relish, and promised even warmer days to come. She couldn’t resist the small smile tugging up at her lips at the thought. Sunnier soaked days like this meant even more time in the company of her most favorite friends in the whole wide world!

…That being the flowers. Laugh all you want, but Luna could almost hear their soft chatter carried upon the soulful whisper of a breeze. A cheerful hum sprung to life within her throat, as idle hands began their busy work scuffling through dirt and tending to wrinkles written within the leaves. It had become a routine of hers, one might say; indeed, it wasn’t rare to see the young girl of ringlet locks and gentle blue eyes surrounded in a wreathe of her precious dahlias and daisies. Her fingers worked like magic on soil that was once rough with age. Now, the dirt thrived with life, and the sturdy stems of her friends grew thick and healthy.

“Oh, Scarlet, you look happy today.” Luna’s smile grew even broader as her hands came to gently caress the petals of a blood-soaked rose. This beauty towered above the rest with pure royalty intertwined into its very aura. “Let me guess. Good sleep?” Though it could not utter a reply in return, Luna liked to think that it was nodding its head in gentle affirmation under the sway of the wind. “That’s good. Here! You must be thirsty on such a hot day.”

The watering can breathed life into soil turned crisp by the sun. Already her flowers seemed to perk, their roots digging deeper into what Luna must’ve imagined as now very comfortable moist earth. She didn’t notice the shadow blotting out blue sky until a familiar voice jolted Luna from her reverie.

“Um…Ms. Luna, what are you doing?”

“Quark!”

His head just came to level above her shoulder. Wide, curious eyes reflected the objects of her handiwork. “Gardening…?” Luna couldn’t help flushing with embarrassment at the note of ire held within his voice. Quickly, he glanced shyly away. “I didn’t know you liked tending to these gardens too, Ms. Luna. I mean – not that I come here often or anything.” As if to accentuate that fact, he puffed out his cheeks and blew a whistle of air through tightly pursed lips.

“Oh! You like flowers, too?”

Quark’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “I mean…when I’m bored…or there’s nothing else to do. But if you’re here that’s okay. I’ll go play somewhere else.”

A small part of Luna was almost glad that he might leave. Perhaps the only selfish bone in her body was reserved for this garden – her secret place as one might say – and to share it with anyone else might just dampen the magic in the air. Though perhaps that was merely her anxiety speaking on her behalf. Sometimes, silence was comforting, but it wasn’t always welcome.

Maybe sharing her garden with Quark would fill the air with even more magic then before.

It was sheer instinct that had Luna grasping onto Quark’s hand, just as he was about to trudge on his way.

“No. Don’t go.” She smiled and gestured to a small shovel near her feet. “To be honest it gets a little lonely, out here all by myself. The flowers are nice, but they aren’t exactly the best talkers. So…would you care to join me?”

Quark paused. Luna barely even acknowledged his tiny nod until he plopped himself down by her side. His hands sought out the tiny shovel, and with the vigor of a playful child, he began burrowing a new hole for one of the many plotted plants she had yet to set.

Sun soaked the earth in pools of molten gold; birds screeched as they soared above thermals on wide open air; and friendship filled the wind with the scent of roses and dandelions, a scent that Luna would be sure to treasure for the remainder of her lifetime.

prompt 2 – lotus playing video games

“Ha! This’ll be a piece of cake!”

Clover’s beaming proudly from her perch on the couch. She’s looking adorable as ever, with arms tucked neatly against her chest and one leg swung across the other in an almost royal pose. “Hate to break it to ya, Lotus, but I’m the Queen of this game! Are you prepared for the bitter taste of defeat?”

Lotus is not at all impressed. With a huff of air, she flops down next to Clover and snatches up a spare controller. “Sure. So let’s make this quick, alright?” It’s no secret to the gathering crowd that Lotus hasn’t even touched a gamepad in her life before this very moment. Raising two kids and holding down an array of part time jobs didn’t exactly leave much time for childish activities like this. At Junpei’s urging, however, she finds herself forced into a challenge she really cares little about.

Clover plucks up her own controller and leans forward, eyes glinting with the fires of determination. Mortal Kombat’s screen flashes upon the television set, its foreboding music reverberating throughout the room in the looming promise of war. “Ready?” Junpei asks. Sweat clings to his forehead as if he can taste the competitive spirit hanging in the air.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Clover chirps.

“Sure, whatever.”

“On your marks…get set…Go!”

The war is on.

First, choose a character. Clover predictably goes for a woman dressed in flashy pink. Lotus doesn’t really care which one she has – they’re all just a bunch of ones and zeroes dressed to look pretty, after all – but, she finds herself drawn to Kitana, with her deadly aura and bladed fans. The game began mere seconds after.

“H-Huh?”

Clover lurches back. Not even three seconds have passed and already the first round has come to its end, ending with none other than her character avatar knocked out upon a cold metal floor. Her cheeks flush scarlet. “Hey! You’re cheating! That’s no fair!”

“Cheating? I just pressed a few buttons and boom. You’re dead.”

Clover turns to Junpei for help. “You’re gonna let that pass?”

“Sorry…but Lotus didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. It’s fair game so far.”

FINISH HER

Clover can scarcely believe her ears. She whips back around to the screen, only to see a bored looking Lotus punching buttons in any random order, which inevitably leads to her character’s gruesome execution. A booming voice proudly accompanies the red text that flashes over the murder.

FATALITY

“Uhh…Lotus wins…I guess?”

Everyone present awkwardly claps.

Laughter pours from Lotus’ lips. It’s almost as surprising as the fact that she beat Clover in less than ten seconds at a game she knew nothing about. She leans back into the couch, a mischievous smirk painted upon her lips. “Hey, that was actually pretty fun! Wanna do it again?”

Devil-woman. The terrified thought echoes through all the minds of the Nonary Game survivors. “I think I’m good,” Clover begins.

“Me too…” says Akane.

Needless to say, Lotus was never allowed to touch a controller again.

prompt 3 – snake tries to learn another instrument

Light wasn’t very familiar with the strings of a guitar.

He couldn’t exactly say he was fond with the way they tore at the soft pads of his fingers, or how the clunky instrument seated lamely above his leg. It felt less than graceful to hold, and sounded even worse to his ears, especially since he had naught a clue on how to tune the beast. Beside him, he could hear Clover’s breath taut with anticipation.

“You’re gonna do just fine!” his sister chirped. “It’s not hard at all, I swear!”

“I don’t know…” The sigh that left his lips was more sombre than usual. “I cannot say this feels the same as a piano. Nor does it have the feathery weight of a violin.”

“Well duh. Of course it doesn’t. It’s something so much cooler!”

He frowned. “Cool…er?” The word tasted foreign upon his tongue.

Clover gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Jeez, you’re such a grandpa. Just give it a try.”

“Hmm…”

His fingers brushed polished wood and came to tug at the individual strings and nobs of his new toy. No matter how much he plucked, or twisted and turned in a futile attempt at tuning, nothing seemed to work. Frustration curdled in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t used to being genuinely bad at something, let alone unable to overcome said ‘badness.’ Badness. Great. The guitar was turning his brain into mush if that was the only word he could think of!

Clover, however, would beg to differ. She hummed off tune in sync with his awkward fumbling and poor strumming of its strings. “You’re enjoying this?” he inquired, brow furrowing to rest close against his eyes.

“’Course! I’ve always wanted to hear you play guitar.”

He smiled. “And why is that?”

“No reason. I just think you’d do well in a band!”

A band! What a ludicrous thought! Despite that, he couldn’t help laughing in good cheer. “Sorry to disappoint you, Clover, but I don’t think the guitar is for me.” He could feel the weight of the air plummet under her predictable pout. “But…I suppose I won’t mind if it’s just you and me. Provided my talent with this awful thing never leaves this room.”

And the air was light again, surely because of Clover’s broad smile. “Awesome! Does that mean I can play your piano, too?”

“I don’t see why not. Perhaps you will have more luck.”

She didn’t. But the sound of random key smashing and off-tuned guitar strumming echoed throughout the Field residence for many days to come, and it was a sound that – while awful for the neighbors – meant the entire world and more to two very tight-knit siblings.

[livvywrites]

setting intro

pinterest | wip intro | aura | melantha | chase | corintha | golden coin | fortwall | swammarsh

name: fortwall

appearance: the city is built at the base of county eliwyn’s mountain range, not too far from the mountain falls. it boasts high walls and secure gates, which require a small entrance fee to enter. (to keep out the so-called ‘riffraff.’) its walls and roads are made almost completely of stone. as are many of its buildings. outside of its walls are farms, an inn or two, and a small village. as soon as you enter you’re greeted with the bustling market place. the higher up into the city you go, the more wealth you’re greeted with. castle eliwyn looms above the city. 

summary: fortwall is the capital of county eliwyn but also of middell as a whole. eliwyn as a region is rather dry. they have a few sparse forests but for the most part are dominated by rolling hills. fortwall’s market is second only to that of county kyrist, which boasts a port where merchants bring goods from foreign countries.

history: 

fortwall is a city historically known to be unkind to criminals. during the days of magic, before middell’s fall, a powerful enchantment was built into the stones. it was said to be inlaid with the dust of dragons bones, but no one really knows if that was true or not. the enchantment had a powerful effect on the mind, giving would-be criminals terrible headaches. if they still managed to commit the crime, though, a marker would appear over their head, allowing guards to track them easier.

now, the enchantment has mostly faded, but hints of it still remain to bother those who don’t know to protect against it.

not that most people try and steal from fortwall anyway (murder still happens, but theft is pretty low). if you’re caught, well... the guards aren’t exactly kind. 

excerpts, characters, and taglists below!

characters: 

the primary character of note is chase’s older sister and aura’s old friend, charlotte “charlie” linwood. she once adventured with rose’s group, before rose died and the group disbanded. now she works as a bartender at the cat’s meow. she’s exuberant and fun loving, but has a serious side to her.

melanie “mel” linwood is chase’s other older sister, him being the youngest of three. she helps their father run his music store, and also does some singing/music playing at various taverns and inns around town. she’s more quiet and sedate, but has a mischievous side. 

chase’s mother who i haven’t picked a name for is the captain of fortwall’s guard. this makes things awkward as aura is staying with them, considering she plans theft, but it also means she has access to the guard’s schedules... his mom is tough, but fair. she loves her kids and has done her best to ensure they’re all happy and able to defend themselves. 

chase’s dad also doesn’t have a name yet. he’s a kindly, jovial man who loves music--hence his music store. he also makes a living tuning and fixing instruments, and is often called to the castle or temples when things break/need tuning. 

the monarchy also has their seat here. while i don’t plan to have them play much of a role, that’s important to note! 

excerpt

Chase had lived in Fortwall for as long as he could remember, and it never got any easier to walk through the markets in the afternoon. The sun beat down overhead, causing sweat to bead around his hairline and beneath the edges of his tunic. The streets were crowded with travelers and natives; and it was impossible to avoid bumping shoulders and colliding into strangers. But most importantly, and most irritatingly, it was loud. Merchants hocked their wares, or sent out employees to do it for them. Beggars haunted the areas between stalls, sickly and dirty looking, holding out chipped and broken cups for the slightest offering. Peddlers slipped between them, products held out in baskets or wagons. Con-men and women promised the secrets of eternal youth and vigor inside a bottle. Musicians played for money; scammers ran games; and adventurers darted to and fro, seeking out shopkeepers and others for jobs they could take.

This was why he preferred to do his shopping as early in the morning as possible. But today, he wasn’t here to shop.

“Are you sure your friend is going to be here?” Chase asked.

Charlie had been ecstatic to find out an old friend of hers was coming up from Wynria—and bringing along a friend of her own. They had met during her adventuring days, before Charlie’s group had disbanded and she had taken up a job back in Fortwall as a bartender. Something about getting “plenty of practice” when she had been between adventures. Whatever that meant. 

Charlie turned her head, brown braid whipping with the motion, and gave him a bright grin. He squinted at her, as he always did. The running joke was that his elder sister was like the sun—ever bright, ever burning, and beloved by most everyone she met. Mostly it just made Chase and Melanie make fun of her for being too obnoxious. “I’m sure. She said they’d be here today. I’m not dragging you through town for nothin’.”

Charlie knew very well that she and her mother were the only ones who could stand to be in the middle of Fortwall at its busiest, but that hadn’t stopped her from dragging Chase with her when she left. Something about the two of them being near the same age, and that she thought they would get along well. Chase hadn’t fought too hard. He was curious about Charlie’s life as an adventurer—and he always welcomed getting to know people from outside the walls.

Especially people who had been places.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Chase muttered.

She turned to face him again to pout at him. He would have shoved her if they weren’t in the middle of the street.

They broke away from the crowd and went down a hill, coming to the gates. It wasn’t as crowded as the markets, but it was a near thing. Most of the faces were tired and weathered, farmers who’d been up since well before sunrise and merchants arriving from a long journey—or about to set out on one.

There were mercenaries and adventurers, some of whom were obviously celebrating a mission completed successfully, others who appeared to be in mourning, and still yet more who were setting out either grimly or happily to face down dangers untold. None of them looked to be someone Charlie would be friends with—but then, Charlie thrived off the unexpected.

Chase scanned the crowd carefully, weighing each face against the description Charlie had given him. Blond, female, and usually dressed in blue. It… wasn’t much of a description, really, but that was Charlie for you. She forgot to share important details most of the time. Endearing, sometimes. Frustrating, others.

“There they are!”

taglist: @apvtelesma

[jennylovesjordan-blog]

-Just-

so yeah i wrote this angsty trash for @mysticdaddies cause i’m in the munchkins valentine’s exchange sooo sorry if i made it too angsty i’m just complete trash lmaoooo enjoyyy this thing is almost 3.5 k words hahaha wtf

He didn't know where it went wrong. He had certainly tried his best, right? He had loved her, had cared for her, had cherished her like she was the only ray of sunshine in his dark, tormented life. So why did she leave him? How could she? Saeran rammed his fist against the wall and sobbed, his other hand clutching the news article with pure hatred and frustration. How could she; how could she? How could she leave him? After all they had been through together? Did that day in Mint Eye meant nothing to her? Did he taking a fucking bullet for her meant nothing to her? Did he betraying his own Savior because he wanted to save her life meant nothing to her!? Apparently, it didn't mean jack shit to her.

He could barely remember what happened all those years ago with all the resets and alternative universes fucking his head up. What they had been fighting about. It had been something stupid and small, like when he hadn't left his room in days because of a client's urgent order that he had to finish as fast as possible. She had knocked his room down and came barging in, a tray of food balanced on her hand and an entire tub of ice cream on the other, fiery fire in her eyes and demanded him to shove it all down his throat.

Ice cream had always taste bittersweet to him after that timeline. But he refused to eat and snapped, he thought. The fight was hazy in his mind and he honestly couldn't remember much. But things escalated and she was crying, he was crying, they were shouting and throwing stuff and– He had snarled at her that the Savior would have never done this to him. And that had hit her hard. She stopped crying immediately, wiped away her tears and stood up, hands balled into fists on her sides. "Anayiam," he had pleaded with her the second those words left his mouth, "please, babe, you know I didn't mean that–" "So I am not as good as a manipulative psychopath?" she laughed bitterly, "You know what, Saeran? I don't know why I keep trying." He stared at her but she kept eye contact and didn't look away like she usually would, "Don't play dumb with me; I know you know about the resets. I have chosen you numerous times, but you kept hurting me. You pushed me away, you humiliated me, and now you would stoop so low and compare me with Rika? The woman who made your life miserable? "I can't do this anymore, Saeran." And she slammed the door at his face, still sobbing heartbrokenly but full of determination. Guess now he knew where it went wrong. And he hadn't move that day, had stay locked in his room for however long it was until there was a gentle knock on his door. He had rushed over and kicked the door open, hoping to see her there, eyes still full of love and care, her beaming smile still stuck on her face and he would pull her in, would murmur apologies into her skin as he make love to her, please her and obey her every word for the first time in his life and many more times to come. He had expected her to be there, had prayed for her to just be there, please, she didn't have to forgive him but please just be there, give him a chance– It was Saeyoung. A very confused and panicked Saeyoung. "Saeran? What happened? I saw Ana practically running out of the bunker. Did–did you guys fight?" His idiotic brother fidgeted with the sleeve of his hoodie but concern was evident in his voice. "Where is she?" He grunted, grabbing his jacket. "She said she's going back to Rika's apartment. Saeran, did you make her angry?" Saeyoung’s hands were suddenly on his shoulders, blazing golden eyes stared painfully direct into his own. He shoved him aside with a growl and ran as fast as he could to her.

Please. Not Rika's apartment.

She was going to reset.

Things had gotten even more confusing after that day. He found himself back in Mint Eye's headquarters, accompanied by a splitting headache, his phone glowing on the table and the RFA chatroom opened. This girl, Anayiam, was online. She was the only one.

His nightmares greeted him like old friends when he had to return to that empty and cold bed alone.

And just like that, they began again. Technically, he could just ask her to a place and kidnap her without letting her meet any of the RFA's members. Then he could have her all to himself. 

But the game they were playing had rules and she was smart. Smart enough to avoid ever having to see him.

There she was, standing in front of the Savior’s apartment. She had her big girl mask on; he could tell, but her eyes were red and puffy. All he wanted to do at that moment is to leave his hiding place and ask her why, scoop her into his arms and assure her that he would never make that stupid mistake again, hearing her assurance that they were fine, they were okay, they would not be over because of his brainless slip up…

But something stopped him and he swore he could murder someone.

Eleven days later and she broke out of the cycle with a good ending. Of course she would; almost any bad ending involves him, do they? And she didn't want to see him; she refused to see him. And that hurts more than he would ever admit. He had been there, watching and waiting patiently for her to realize that she loves him, him, Saeran Choi and no one else. She would, eventually, right? She would come back to him like she always had, always will. They belong to each other, Anayiam belongs to him and he won't give her up that easily, she would come back to him– Except she didn't. He saw it through the monitor in his room, eyes trailing after her as she dressed up in that adorable sweater of hers, a pair of glasses adorned her adorable chubby cheeks. S–Since when was she shortsighted? Or farsighted? He couldn't remember and it made him feel even worse than before. But all of his guilt went flying out of the nearest window in place for the burning jealousy when the man she chose walked into the room. Fucking Jumin Han. He smiled and kissed the back of her hand like the old fashioned fuckass he is. They exchanged some words and he leaned in to whisper something to her ear. Saeran saw the blush on her face and he would shoot the fucking monitor if the bullet can magically get to the other side. He settled for kicking the nearby chair instead. Temporary satisfaction but the mischievous gaze that rich kid was giving his woman made his blood boil all over again. That asshole has unclean intentions written all over his face.

Han said something and she laughed joyously. That painful sting in his chest came back but he tried to ignore it. Fuck, what he wouldn’t give just to get audio from this fucking CCTV footage…

Cold gray eyes suddenly swept the room and landed on him. His heart leaped up to his throat for a choking moment. …Fuck. He tilted his head and asked her something, about the camera he assumed. He knew he’d get out of this when Anayiam waved her hand like it’s nothing and the stiffness on the corporative heir’s face eased.

The air returned to its usual cheerful mood after that unnecessary tension. They were laughing again and Saeran was positively pissed. He draped an arm over her possessively and Saeran wished he was there to rip his filthy arm off of her.

He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and Saeran growled.

He let her go and Saeran sighed in relief.

Then he got down to one knee and Saeran cried at the same time with her surprised gasp.

Jumin Han launched into a speech about fucking true love at first sight and whatever cringy shit the rich, spoiled asshole could think of. But his eyes weren’t watching. His head was burning with hate, even more hate than the sudden and out-of-nowhere urge to kill Luciel for fucking revenge he had since the reset happened. The world was spinning, he had a gun on his hand, the other clutching his head and this is not safe, he should at least put the gun down–

Will you marry me? Even his blurry eyes could catch the lip movements and panic swelled in him. Please, please, Anayiam, no, you can’t–

Yes!

A loud BANG and the air around him shattered along with the wrecked monitor. He was gulping heavily, desperate for that oxygen but he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t feel anything other than the agonizing pain. She– she―

The other disciples heard the gunshot and broke the room down, restraining him and kicked his gun away. Rika– no, the Savior– came thundering in, an aura of murderous rage around her. She was screaming something, shouting something, her followers were beating him up and it hurt, it hurt, but nothing had stung as bad as when she jumped up in glee and kissed her husband–to–be, eyes glittering with pure joy, her arms around his neck and her lips smashed together with his.

Saeran had never managed to make her look so happy.

The wedding was announced a few days later and the entire country exploded with gossip. The Savior had been in an exceptionally bad mood lately and Saeran found himself handcuffed inside his room with a bloody nose and some bruised limbs. It’s okay. Nothing he hadn’t been through before.

But the heartache was new and he did not like it one bit.

She had her happy ending already; what else does she want? A family? Children? Grandchildren?

What about him? When would he be rescued from this hellish paradise? When would he be reunited with his twin brother? When would it be his turn again to spend a timeline with her?

The game had been carefully programmed by some otherworldly beings to avoid any kind of error but they had not expected him and his sudden awareness. His memories of previous resets or routes, as he calls them, come back to him every night in place of prewritten nightmares. He thought he was crazy at first and was just making up what-ifs and alternative endings for him and his brother/nemesis, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. He soon realised that these things have happened before. And he wasn’t the only one who could remember them.

Timelines after timelines had changed him. The Savior is now nothing more than a confusing thought, and Anayiam, the one whom he had only officially met– as the game declared– for a grand total of eleven days, is now his everything.

Doesn’t mean that he was her everything, though.

And he felt so bitter. Hollow, mourning for her and for what would’ve– could’ve happened if he had never brought Rika up that day.

Would it have been him on his knees before her?

He…He couldn’t tell.

“Hello?”

“You know who I am.”

“W–What? Who are you?”

“Don’t lie, Anayiam. Look, I just want to talk. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you see me behind the church?”

“…okay.”

“S–Sae–no, Unknown?”

And there she was. He wasn’t sure if she was taunting him or not, but she showed up in her wedding dress, looking like an angel. Out of all things to wear to meet her ex–lover…

But he couldn’t deny it. She looked as beautiful as the day he lost her. He could feel a pinprick of tears on the corner of his eyes, but he toughened up and swallowed the ugly lump of emotions in his throat.

“So you said you want to talk? Why did you bring me to Rika’s apartment then?” she asked hesitantly, still trying to stay in character. It pissed him off.

But seeing her again after so long made the urge to kiss her irresistible.

So he did. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in, finally encasing her figure in his embrace and smashed his lips against her cherry red ones, and it was incredible, it was like a dream come true, her lips were so soft and comforting and he could almost taste the tub filled to the brim of his favorite ice cream she had brought in for him that day, almost taste the familiar smile on her face–

Except she pushed him away.

“I–I can’t, Saeran. I love Jumin.”

He knew it all along, but hearing those words from her, from the pair of lips he had just kissed passionately half a second ago–

It hurt. It fucking hurt.

And she had sounded so shameful and apologetic, too. It made him wondered why did she even say it.

He froze, and the mask on her face went up again. The pang of pure heartbreak and sudden jealousy rattled agonizingly in his head, but he ignored it and put on his game face, too. If this is how she wanted it to go…

“Don’t play dumb with me, Anayiam,” he recited her words a timeline ago. He couldn’t help it if he sounded bitter and resentful– he was feeling plenty of bitterness and resentment, so he thought he would share.

“I know you know about the resets.”

She paled, shock on her face. She…should’ve expected this if she said that before, right?

...Right?

She didn’t say anything and turned away.

“Ana–”

“I didn’t expect you to actually remember.”

…What?

“I wanted to keep this a secret. I mean, I’ve seen what the resets could do to Seven, and I just–”

Just.

“I just don’t want you to suffer the same thing.”

“But I wanted to be with you!” he argued.

To no avail.

“I just– I just can’t, Saeran. I want you to be happy.”

“My happiness doesn’t mean shit to you!” he snapped, gripping her wrist when she tried to take a step back, “Have you ever care about me? Have you ever even love me?”

“How could you say that?” she cried, tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes, “So I was the one who didn’t want a happy ending? I was the one who brought up that psychopathic maniac and compared her to myself? After all she had done to you–” she faltered.

He didn’t realize that he was almost snapping her wrist until she started crying out of pain.

He let go immediately, but the self-loathing and disgust was already there in his mind, amplified by each of the soft hiccups that came out of her smeared lips and the drops of salt water staining her smoky eyes. But she kept crying quietly next to him, their backs leaned against the ragged wall outside of the church.

He ruined her. Oh Luciel’s God, he had ruined her.

Don’t give yourself too much credit, a part of his mind snarled at him, She was doomed the second she chose you.

And...and he guessed she was.

She was deadly quiet now. And he wanted to kiss her so badly–they’re barely inches across each other–but he needed to control himself. “I never wanted us to be like this,” he said softly instead, his words barely above a whisper.

But she caught them, “Me neither,” she admitted, and offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I’ve always loved you, you know.”

Loved.

And that one word stung.

“We–we can run away,” he told her gently, fast, desperation and the slightest hint of hope creeping into his tone, “We can start new, or you can just reset and choose me again–”

She shook her head, and the pity in her eyes made him angry, “I can’t, Saeran,” Her smile was painful and tight, “I owe Jumin more than that.”

“Who fucking gives a shit about that asshat?” he lashed out. Was it really time to care about things like that? “You belong with me, remember? It was always going to be the two of us, just the two of us–”

“Please, Saeran, just please, try to understand!” she sighed, “I owe Jumin for all the love he had given me, and I can’t just– walk away like that. What if he remembers as well? Just like us?”

“I don’t fucking care!” he yelled at her some more, like a short-tempered child with his popsicle taken from him, “If you owe Jumin, then–”

What about me?

But the words got stuck on the tip of his tongue and wouldn’t come out. It sounded pathetic, even for him.

Then…

The bells rang and the scuffled footsteps of anxious bodyguards woke them both from their lulled state of mind. Instantly she was up, pulling him with her and pushing him towards the nearest exit. A thing he loves about her.

“You need to leave,” she insisted, “Jumin will kill you if he sees you here.”

And she was right. Or she made sense, at least.

“Anayiam,” he called her name and she spun around to face him, her wrinkled dress flayed underneath her, layers upon layers of silvery white made her look like a goddess bathed in moonlight. “Just–”

Just.

“Just–remember that I do love you, okay?”

She gave him a little smile and walked away, her heels clicking daintily against the stone tiles. The second she disappeared behind the corner, collective sighs of reliefs and ‘there you are, Miss’ spread across the peaceful silence of a summer afternoon. He remembered the sound of birds singing, remembered seeing flowers blooming, and her, in her newly adjusted dress and makeup, standing at the altar next to the spoiled brat in a black suit, smiling from ear to ear.

Well, he hoped she was happy, at least.

Morning came to him with an unexpected warmth. He squinted as the sunlight shone into his eyes, somehow managing to slipped through the heavy three-layered blinds she insisted him to install in their room. Thumbs up for you, fucking curtains.

He reached over to the other side of his bed in instinct, expecting it to be cold and empty. His fingertips brushed against balmy, soft flesh instead.

Needless to say, he was very surprised.

Saeran bolted right up from his spot on the queen-sized bed and shook his head, trying to get the confusion and disorientation out of his system. He took a look to his left once the temporary blindness has gone and–

There she was. Precious and plump and breathtaking and–

There. Here. She’s here, right by his side.

“Saeran? Babe, are you okay?” She was half asleep, her voice throaty and hoarse from whatever they were up to last night but still have that delightful hint of concern.

He looked her in the eyes, minty green met chocolate brown and they blinked.

She yelped in surprise when he scooped her up in his arms and kissed the living daylights out of her, all tongue and teeth and swollen lips.

“Whoa there, Cookie, bit early in the morning huh?” she laughed joyously, tugging the loose strands of hair behind her ear. “What’s the occasion?”

He didn’t say anything, but the mere look in his eyes got her attention. She’s familiar with this; she got this.

“Bad reset memories?” she sighed and hugged him, her hands soothingly caressed the rolls of muscles on his back. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled. She smelled heavenly; sweat and clean sheets and faint cologne. “Babe, you know I’ll–”

“It was that timeline when you dumped me and married Rich Fuckboy Extraordinaire.”

“–oh. That one.”

“Yep.”

“…Cookie, I’ll go make breakfast, okay? How does that sound?”

“Delightful.” he kissed the top of her head and she smiled, untangling herself from the sheets. According to the brand-new purplish marks on her skin, they’ve had a wild night.

He held her hand and lingered when she was about to leave the bed. Anayiam looked at him fondly, and he pouted.

“Just–remember that I do love you, okay?”

The smile she gave him was the same as that day, sans the melancholiness and pain in her eyes. There was nothing but unadulterated joy in those warm cocoa orbs that morning, and the image of a half naked, beaming love burned itself into his mind.

It wasn’t the calm before the storm; it was the peaceful and vibrant rainbow after the raging rain that greeted him.

And he found out that he didn’t mind it at all.