#this was made for the aus world page on th

[kakusboyfriend]

I know what hell feels like now. by the way.

[jinx-xxed]

Beautiful Thing Caged

Chapter 1; Strange sight

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*

A/N; My first multi-part fic!! I’ve never been able to commit to one before so I’m really hoping I’ll be able to see this one through cuz I have some good ideas for it :]. I hope you enjoy, that’ll help keep me motivated too!! Also thanks to my bestie for the idea for the chapter titles ♡

This writing is based on this fan art ! It made my jaw drop to the floor when I saw it and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Part 2 ⇨

Summary; The First Order Agencies have come across a new, strange creature and it becomes your job to study it. You get far more than you bargained for.

Content; Werewolf AU, modern AU, werewolf Kylo Ren, human reader, scientist reader, soulmates, angst, feral Kylo, like legit feral bro does not know about human society, there’s a part where he eats a bunch of raw meat (I did not enjoy it), Kylo’s being studied in a lab, he studies you too, he’s scared and sad and angry (what else is new), lots of tension, neither of you know how to feel

[Each chapter will have specific content warnings. This story will eventually have 18+ content.]

Wc; 3.5k

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*

“I’m sorry?”

You look down at the sheets that had just been slid to you across the mahogany desk. It’s a thick packet stapled together, the papers perfectly crisp and white. On them is paragraph upon paragraph detailing the new assignment that your superiors at First Order Agencies have decided to place on you. Your hands reach forward from where they’d been resting in your lap to tentatively flip through the packet, your brows creasing further with each page.

Studying an unknown creature. Studying something that nobody knows what it is or where it came from, something that the only thing people know about it is that it’s incredibly dangerous. You briefly scan over the pages dedicated to the description of the creature—black fur, wolf like appearance, supposedly male, huge, able to take on a humanoid state. You see that in place of a true name, it’s been given the label of OB-2637. Written at the bottom of the description is “BEWARE CREATURE, WILL ATTACK. STAY IN DESIGNATED OBSERVATION BAYS FOR SAFETY.” Lovely. There’s no pictures attached so your imagination is free to run wild, thinking up an image of a hulking beast with drool covered teeth and ragged fur covering its misshapen body. You shudder.

“Wh- why is this being given to me?” You ask, looking up at the one who’d given you the papers. He goes by Hux and he oversees your sector of the Agency, making him your boss. “I’m just a nature observationalist. I feel like I’m not-“

“You’re the most qualified one in this facility.” Hux states. He sounds uninterested, his shrewd face giving no insight as to what he thinks about the Agency housing a dangerous, unknown creature of unknown origin. “We agreed that with your knowledge about the “wild world”, it would probably give you the most insight on this… thing. You’ll be paid generously for your work based on your findings if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

You’d seen the amount they were offering you, it was certainly nothing to scoff at. You shake your head. “No, that’s not what I’m concerned about. I’m more concerned that this seems above my level. I’ve never dealt with something like this since I’ve been here.” You say. You’ve been with the First Order for almost five years now. It’s a government agency that’s kept tightly under wraps, mostly because the Agency deals with things that they think “normal civilians” shouldn’t be made aware of. It took a lot for you to get accepted into this position.

Hux leans forward against his desk, the dimness of his office making his features look even crueler than usual. “If you really doubt yourself that much, then you don’t have to take this job. But I’ll make it known that if you turn this down, it’ll go to the next best person and I don’t think they’ll be as… compassionate towards this thing as you will be.” He says. His tone is so heavy, so serious. It holds so many implications that have your palms sweating. He shrugs as he relaxes in his chair. “I’m sure they’ll probably end up killing it. Theres a lot of people in this place that want to dissect that creature piece by piece. So it’s not just about your qualifications, it’s about how you’ll decide to treat another living being—that’s why you were the first pick.“

You swallow and your spit almost gets stuck on the lump in your throat. You look again at those papers, at what will be waiting for you in those lower levels of the facility. You think over Hux’s words, you roll them around in your mind in the same way you’d roll something in your mouth to get the taste of it. You know that he’s right, that anybody else would kill this creature just to get a thorough look at it. Anything in the name of science, after all. You know the people working in the First Order are not kind-hearted, most are cruel and cold. You have few friends in this place, even after the amount of time you’ve spent here. Your answer becomes clear to you. You don’t want this creature to die.

“I’ll take the assignment.” You say at last, steeling yourself so you don’t lose your nerve. You can do this. Surely it won’t be that hard? You just need to observe some type of animal, find out what it is, where it came from. That’s your whole job. You do that every day.

“Good choice.” Hux nods. He digs something out of a drawer. “Sign this and then be on your way.” He gives you an NDA, one that’s specifically catered towards this assignment. You’ve signed countless versions of these since you started working for the Agency, so it’s nothing new as you fill out everything you need to. You think nothing of them now, it’s not like you have people in your life to tell about your job anyway.

Hux takes the paper once you’re done. “Floor twenty. Your badge has already been approved for access. You shouldn’t experience any trouble.”

That’s a stern dismissal if you’ve ever heard one. You stand from your chair, smoothing out your lab coat as you go. You grab the packet of information; it’s not much but it at least gives you something to go off of. “Thank you, sir.” You say. Hux merely grunts in acknowledgment, already buried in the paperwork for something else.

You leave his office, taking a deep breath when the door shuts behind you. Holding the packet close, you walk through the halls of the building’s upper floor. When you think about it, the above-ground section is like a mask to the public eye. It’s all of the boring offices, gaudy paintings littering the walls, carpeted floors. It’s unassuming and basic and meant to hide what lays below the surface: all of the Agency’s experiments, their studies, and their classified documents stuck behind vaults. That’s where most of the employees are, that’s where your own office is. There’s few people upstairs and the ones you do manage to pass don’t even spare you a glance on your way to the elevator.

One of the two elevators opens a second after you press the button. You step inside and hit the button for the twentieth floor. The door closes without anyone else inside, leaving you blissfully alone. There’s no classic elevator music that plays, there’s only the sounds of the machine working to keep you company. Your hands frequently change position on the papers you hold to try and keep from drenching one spot in your sweat.

It feels like an eternity before the elevator begins to slow and there’s a resounding ding as it reaches the twentieth floor. The second lowest floor in the facility; you can’t even imagine how far underground you are. The hall you enter in to is pure white, fluorescent lights bouncing off the walls and floors. There’s nobody you can see and you know based on your packet that the only other people involved in this assignment are guards and a few nutritional specialists. You’re on your own.

The halls of this floor hold few doors, instead mostly housing holding cells and laboratories. You use your badge when you come upon authorized entryways, that unsmiling face in your picture getting you the beep you need to pass through. You’re halfway to where you know you need to go when you begin to hear strange noises. Clinking chains, the faint snarl. Sounds of struggling. You really should just turn back, try to ignore all of this and pretend you don’t care about the fate of some defenseless animal. You know you can’t though, so you keep walking on unsteady legs.

There’s one final door you need to pass through, one last door keeping you from a sealed fate. You feel the sense of foreboding prickling the back of your neck, your shirt sticks to your spine from your perspiration. The door beeps in response to your badge, your hand hesitates on the handle. It opens into a massive room, snow white in color with a black rim. Theres very little inside it; there’s data pads built into the walls for recording observations and there’s a one way window stretching along the right wall. You don’t know who would be on the other side. The room is separated by a massive pane of reinforced glass, stretching from floor to ceiling, spanning the entire length.

You finally see what that glass is meant to keep in and everything seems to freeze. That’s no animal, no creature, or bizarre thing. It’s nothing like what they made it seem. That’s a human. A human male kept in a cage, thoroughly restrained. His body is just the same as yours, albeit much larger and far more muscled, but he has the same limbs, the same fingers and toes. No paws or excess fur, just sharp black nails at the ends of his fingers that have put claw marks in the floor. His attention turns to you then and you see his face. He’s what you’d describe as beautiful; his features are both sharp and soft at the same time, his nose strong, and his pale skin dotted with moles and freckles. His face is framed by waves of black hair and he’s captivating, even with blood smeared on his chin and neck.

Your eyes meet. God, his eyes. They’re human, they’re round and the pupils are blown out with his emotions. Even from your place at the other side of the room you can tell the honey brown color and you can see the fear swimming in them. If you didn’t dismiss it as you being crazy, you’d say there was some sort of spark that flared between you both for some inexplicable reason. Like there was a sort of understanding rooted deep down that you didn’t understand. Then it was gone.

And then the frozen second snaps and everything is thrown back into motion. His expression shifts into something angry and fierce and he makes an attempt to lunge at you. His movements are so powerful, even with every limb bearing thick cuffs with chains connected to the wall, even with one around his neck. He comes so close to the glass, his hands reaching in your direction, those claws scraping uselessly against the floor. You flinch back on instinct, your breathing coming fast and hard. It’s then that you see the ears and tail on the man. They are indeed akin to a wolf like the papers said, black ears sitting in his hair and a large, fluffy black tail protruding behind him. When his mouth opens in a snarl, you see the unnaturally sharp canines that he has. They’d rip you apart in no time.

He tries a few more times to get at you before realizing it’s useless. It’s probably not a new feeling for him. He retreats more against the back wall where the chains are connected, making them go slack and giving him more movement. He tries to shrink himself which is hard with such a huge body, his tail coming to wrap around his feet. He doesn’t have much within his cell—only a small cot and a singular blanket as a bed in one corner, and a toilet and sink in the other corner.

You swallow. You realize how long you’ve been standing there without moving so you take one very small step forward. Then another and another until you’re about halfway towards the glass. He watches you with such intensity the entire time it makes you nervous. You try to take another step before he growls at you, a deep and rumbling sound that has you freezing. When you retreat, he stops.

“Okay. I’ll stay here then.” You say, standing in the spot you’d been in before that last step. This is where you’d begin. Small things to make him more comfortable in this unfamiliar environment; you’d follow his rules.

Seeing no chairs around you, you lower yourself to the floor. It’s cold even through your layers but you don’t mind. You have no room to complain when you look at him with no shirt or shoes, nothing to really keep him warm besides thin pants and that blanket on the cot. You study him in silence, just like how he studies you. You feel confusion over the conflict of the report versus what you see before you. The report had first described a wolf-like appearance that could take on a humanoid form but all you see in front of you is a human man with wolf ears and a tail. Maybe they’d overexaggerated?

Now that a fragile peace has settled between the both of you and he’s sitting still, you’re able to see the scar running along the left side of his face. It travels all the way down his collarbone before finally stopping. It’s deep and jagged and you can only imagine how badly it must’ve hurt; he’s lucky he didn’t lose his eye from it. Looking over him, you see he has a multitude of scars all over the planes of his body. He’s a fighter, then. With the way he’d lunged at you as soon as you entered, it doesn’t take you by surprise.

You clear your throat from your nerves. You begin with stating your name. You don’t even know how much he can understand you or if he can at all but you continue anyway. “I’m not here to hurt you. I know you probably don’t trust that, and I understand. We just want to know more about you.” You say. You inwardly cringe because this all sounds so weird to say to another human. You clasp your hands together tightly in your lap. “If you can speak, it would be a huge help if you’d explain some things about yourself. What’s your name and age? Where’d you come from?”

You don’t get a response—you didn’t expect one. He sits there with his knees up to his chest and his face partially hidden by his hair just staring at you, his eyes so wide and telling that it’s hard not to meet that stare. This is how it’ll be then. That’s fine, you’re used to sitting in one spot for hours and watching for an animals every minuscule movement. That’s what you end up doing, merely watching him and studying his body. Every twitch of the finger, every tense of the muscle is something you keep note of. It’s a good way to get a basis of information about what you’re studying so you always have something to compare to. You log everything in your mind for now, thinking how you’ll need to remember your laptop for next time.

There’s a sudden noise that leaves both of you startled. You sit up straighter and his ears perk up as a door to the right inside his cell opens. His wolf ears flatten back against his head and he scoots farther from the door, his chains clinking with the movement. You watch curiously as a human-shaped, somewhat janky robot enters with a plate balanced in its hands. You never see much of the Agency’s robots, mostly because most of them are unfinished and unpolished, but it seems they’re useful when real people don’t want to get near a deadly thing. The robot drops the plate unceremoniously on the floor and you notice with a start that blood splatters. The robot leaves.

Both you and the beast-man look at the plate before he decides to move towards it. You make another mental note about how much he surveys his surroundings before deciding what to do, as if weighing all options and possibilities.

The plate is rather large and holds a copious amount of raw meat, seemingly from multiple different animals based on the coloring and sizes. Blood slowly drips off the edge of the plate, pooling on the white floors. You can’t help the revulsion you feel looking at it as he inches closer, sniffing the scent of meat and blood into his nostrils. His eyes widen at it, pupils expanding, and he immediately takes a massive slab into his hands. His teeth tear into it like it’s paper, those fangs ripping it apart as blood drips down his chin. Despite your disgust, you’re also fascinated. So his digestive system can handle raw foods—like a wolf. I wonder what the layout of it is. What kind of bacteria is in there? You think, pondering over the idea as you watch him eat like a beast.

He finishes most of the plate, leaving only a few tinier pieces that he pushed aside. He must not like the taste of that particular animal. He seems more at ease now that he’s been fed, the worry of whether or not he’d get another meal satiated. He’s unbothered by the blood on his clawed hands and face as he sits back down and returns to watching you. When his eyes find you again there’s a shiver that goes down your back. There’s something in them you can’t place and it creates a weird feeling in your gut that you can’t decipher.

The rest of your day goes by without a hitch. You sit on the floor and study the beast-man in silence. You don’t try talking to him anymore, you’d rather not make a fool of yourself if he won’t say anything back to you—if he even can. He doesn’t do anything, there’s nothing to do in his cell anyway. He sits and watches and at one point he laid down on his back facing you so he could still keep an eye on you. There was one last meal time where you got to see him eat a bunch of raw meat again which wasn’t… great for your own appetite.

Hours passed before the lights finally began to dim, meaning the facility was shutting down for the night. There’ll still be people working the entire time, of course, but they shut down a majority of the power in the unused areas. You sigh to yourself, unfolding your body and getting up with a grunt from the stiffness in your limbs. The beast-man who had been drifting off before is now fully alert, wide eyes watching. You go to move towards the door and he growls at you. It startles you, makes goosebumps pick up along your arms. You look back at him with furrowed brows, confused. “I’m leaving, alright? I won’t bother you anymore.” You huff. This is what he wants so why is he getting pissy? You feel annoyed about his attitude for a second before you remember he’s the one stuck in a cell and you’re not. He has a right to be mad with you.

You sigh again and go to the datapads in the wall by the door. Since you don’t have your laptop, you take a few minutes to input the things you observed today that you’ll just transfer over later. You find yourself writing down a lot more than you thought you would and it makes you feel accomplished, like you actually did something today. When you’re finished, you put your hand on the door handle, ready to leave. But you pause, you look back at him and you know it was a mistake instantly. He looks so sad, so alone and afraid in that large, white room. You struggle to tear yourself away and open that door before you do something crazy.

You shake your head as you enter the hall, the door locking firmly behind you. Your mind feels like it’s shut off while you retrace your steps; back through the winding halls, back up the elevator, back into the main building. Back to your car where you grip the steering wheel with a deadly force, staring blankly at the road on your long drive home. Then finally, back to your small house where there’s no lights on inside because there’s nobody waiting for you.

You unlock the door and step in, a wave of something like loneliness washing over you when you do. It’s strange, it’s never been like this before. You try to ignore it as you shed your lab coat and make a simple dinner and sit on your couch. You don’t move for a moment, your brain deciding that now is a good time to rerun everything from today. That was a man. It wasn’t a beast, not really. And they have him stuck in a cell like that. It’s inhumane, isn’t it?

You find yourself with your head in your hands, groaning loudly as some form of release. “God, what have I gotten myself into?”

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*

Part 2 ⇨

[nyxvuxoa-writes]

𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚜 -- 𝙰𝚄

William Rollins x Fem!Reader

◢ Genre: AU, Dark Fic, Smut, Plot Bunny — Suitable For Adults Only

◢ Warnings: darkfic, alternative universe, sexualization of a bad guy, toxic relationship, mentions of stalking behavior, manipulation, mentions of being institutionalized, mental health talk, keeping secrets, possessive!William, use of petname: kitten, exploring kink with William, body marking, knife kink, pain play, Dacryphilia (turned on by crying), katoptronophilia (sexual acts in front of mirrors), sexually recording the reader. Proceed with caution in case I missed something.

◢ A/N: This is an AU headcanon style fic list where William didn't die, but instead had been institutionalized for his behavior, and later released. It's based off William and his personality, though in a non-canon setting. Keep in mind, William is a psychopath, so don't always expect fluffy stuff with him. If you want a more direct x fem!reader insert with him based off this concept, let me know. Gif credit goes to myself.

◢ I do not consent to my work being post anywhere else.

The first time you had talked to William, it had been in a chat room.

Old habits die hard, and the internet has progressed so much.

You wanted to vent to a stranger about life and he was willing to listen.

He's charismatic, knowing exactly what to say to make you feel like you are on top of the world.

It was his way of learning you. He wanted to know what made you tick.

You found yourself confiding in him, telling him your secrets, fears, and insecurities.

Naturally, he knew how to use these things to his advantage.

To make sure you trusted him back, he started to confide in you.

But not the whole truth.

He's only told you bits and pieces of things.

Like that his mental health had declined as a teenager.

That he ended up institutionalized because of it.

It was just enough to make you feel sorry for him.

But not so much so that it would scare you away from him.

And it was likely a little warped in perspective.

That doesn't matter to him, so long as he has you at this point.

As far as you know, he's okay now and you are the reason he keeps going.

And that might not be a whole lie, he's actually become rather attached to you.

Maybe more so than you realize.

Dangerously so.

You might even have some darker things in common.

Which, if you do, he's going to find out one way or another.

After establishing yourselves, you finally agree to meet.

When you first met William, he had come off as perfect.

He flashed you that charming smile and batted the lashes on those pretty blue eyes which naturally caused you to bring your guard down.

He makes you feel safe, wanted, desired.

He's forward, but not overly so.

It's his way of testing the waters a little more.

But when you let him, he gives you these soft and sweet kisses.

The kind where his lips hover over yours after, and he simply smiles against them before he kisses you again.

You are his now.

He has his claws in you, and has no intention of letting go.

But being away from you doesn't exactly sit well with him.

He starts to keep an eye on your social media. He watches where you post from or what you are posting.

He checks on who you are talking to and who interacts with your page.

If he feels that someone is getting a little too close to what is his, William won't hesitate to make his presence known.

He'll leave little comments here or there to show you that he's paying attention.

At first, it's not going to come off overly possessive, but as time goes on it will start to become more clear in his wording that 'what's his, is his.'

Depending on the type of girl you are, this is either good or bad.

It will either turn you on, or it won't.

Let's assume that it does.

You like feeling that sense of being desired so badly.

In a way, he makes you crave it.

Even through a screen, this man a way of making you feel different things and deep emotions.

But with that being said, he has a way of convincing you of things.

Be it, he's trying to get you to change your opinion about something or someone.

Or he's trying to convince you to do something.

It doesn't take too much at times, and he's able to have you doing things that you don't quite realize is bad right off the bat.

You are blinded by love to really notice the bigger picture.

But even than, you might not care.

You might accept him for how he is.

And depending on the type of friends or family you might have, they could see right through him.

There will be people that will try and warn you about him, but that doesn't mean you will listen.

And if he keeps having it his way, he'd prefer it if you didn't listen to them.

"They are full of shit, Kitten. I'm always doing what's best for you. What's best for us."

Eventually you find yourself defending him at times.

His own little shield that he will head-pat and tell you that you're a good girl.

Eventually things will start to sexually escalate.

It had been a mutual starting on both parts, with some light flirting texts that headed into a round of sexting.

Which had left both of you craving more and it starts to become an almost daily thing until you see each other again.

You can rest assured that the first moment you got the chance, clothes were stripped off and William was pressing himself roughly into you.

He learns what gets you wet. Be it fast or slow, a little bit of both.

He'll get a little dirty in his language if he knows it's going to make you tighter around him.

And he's a moaner.

Soft at first, but the more he presses and the closer he gets, the louder he can get.

"Fuck! Kitten you feel so good."

"Keep going Kitten, you're gonna make me cum."

"That's my girl."

If you're the kinky type, William is willing to explore.

He may have a particular fondness for more edgeplay related kinks.

He would also enjoy marking your body.

Hicky marks in various spots.

Maybe he'd drag a knife against your skin from time to time. Leaving little cuts here and there.

The more things continue the more he develops an enjoyment of pain play.

Be it spankings or simply manhandling you, William knows that you belong to him and he will use you as he pleases.

If he can make you cry during this, he gets even more turned on.

There is something about seeing you in that moment of being particularly vulnerable that he enjoys.

There is added bonus if you happen to have a full body mirror around.

He likes to watch himself with you, and he particularly enjoys watching you.

This will eventually progress into him wanting to record you.

Even if he isn't involved in what you are doing.

He'll get you to play with yourself and it won't be long before his phone is out and pointed right at you.

He'll take pictures of you while you're naked. He'll even take pictures of you when you aren't even aware of it.

The stalking, no matter how long you are together, it won't stop. Which means, some of those photos are of you through out the day, or on your video calls with him.

He actually starts to enjoy the type of control that he has over you.

It's a different type of control than what he's used to having over people. But it's satisfying in it's own way.

This doesn't mean he stops manipulating you, or others at that. He wouldn't be William if he didn't try and manipulate you, or those around you.

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

May consider doing a part two and expand on this more. I'm not sure yet. Tagging: @voxmortuus @earth-elemental18 @bettytaylorversion @liveandbreathesmut

[wolfiafuntime]

SAGAU Reverse Isekai W/ 'Zhongli'

Okay, so I came up with this idea months ago, and I plan to finish it but I have no inspiration right now. I'll make a part 2... Eventually...

Ft. Zhongli and 'Zhongli'

Tw. AFAB Reader (but pronouns aren't mentioned); Ends on an angsty cliffhanger that I remember made me cry

Published: December 31, 2023

Words: 1,044

Pages: 2.9

 Okay, I don't know why, but I just had this idea where an AFAB reader/you gets isekai'd into genshin while pregnant, and in a matter of a couple months to a few years, you fall in love with and marry Zhongli. And like, maybe Zhongli revealed himself to secretly have been Rex Lapis/Morax, but I have this other idea where only the vessels of the Creator know. It doesn't really matter, this is only backstory to the main idea.

 Anyways, you give birth to a healthy baby boy (also don't know why but it specifically has to be a boy), who grows up to be just like his step-dad Zhongli (who you had an army of kids with). And, for some reason, he disappeared, and it's soon discovered that he was sucked back into your original(?) world. You instantly want to go after him, but Zhongli stops you, worried that you going back to a world where you were powerless will make you powerless again, and you won't be able to come back.

 And so you two decide to build robots in your stead. One for you and one for him. You, obviously, go to the original Raiden Ei for help (reluctantly if it's Imposter AU), and she gives you all these tips and tricks. And, with some of Albedo's help, you replicate a controller and monitor so you and Zhongli can puppet your robots. But in the event that the connection cuts, you go to Sangonomiya Kokomi and ask her to make a pair of manuals that will eventually be turned into the robot's AIs. Manuals specifically made to not only replicate your and Zhongli's personalities, but also act as everyday people in your homeworld. She does. And with Raiden's (and maybe Albedo, Kaveh, and Dottore's) help, you put it into the robots. Then you dress the bots in inconspicuous clothing and send them off.

 Also, in the background, you figured out how to make a portal back to your world with Albedo, Dottore, and some other's help.

 Anyways, just as Zhongli worried, the connection to the robots is immediately severed. And while the real you and Zhongli are left to worry, the robotic you and Zhongli interlock their arms, and start their journey. These are our main characters.

 And they- you-- are very adorable. You talk to each other quietly, with you in wonder of the tech and food native to this world- even though you're both too busy to eat the food. And Zhongli's got this loving look on his face, and he wishes he could spend this new experience staring at your beautiful face. But he's made a contract with his real self to find his lost son, and he must complete it. For now, he can only chime in with his own wonder of the world. Of the cars, motorcycles, shopping centres, cafes, and fast-food places.

 It takes a while to do find the son, with just over two weeks passing by. Over two weeks of endless searching, through day and night and wind and rain. But eventually, you find him, and the boy is ecstatic to see his parents. It's a bit heart-pinching to see someone shout for you and have them run up to you and wrap you in a tight, love-filled hug. Kinda makes you want your own kid- a kid not belonging to another version of you- that does that. And you feel a bit guilty as you and Zhongli have to lie to him and pretend that you are his parents.

 Then your group starts the journey back to where you first appeared in this world. Where the real you has been opening a portal for an hour every sunrise and sunset. This also takes a bit of time, with breaks to get frankly delicious meals that Zhongli convinces people to pay for. And a break for a cheap, one-bed motel room that Zhongli also talks his way into acquiring. It's there that you and Zhongli break the news to the boy. Of course, the boy is shocked and mildly heartbroken, but understands. The both of you give him the bed for the night, and opt to cuddle as he sleeps.

 Zhongli, before you can even bend, picks you up and sits on the floor, his back resting against the room's walls. You can't help but snuggle into him, resting your head on his shoulder as he tightens his arms around your waist. And you look up into his eyes, amazed by his beauty, and he looks down into yours, amazed by your beauty. And the two of you get lost in one another's eyes, loving every moment of it, and only ever breaking apart to press silent kisses on one another's lips. You two stay like that the entire night, entirely lost in love and never wanting to come out of it.

 The next day is just a copy and paste of the first. You continue back to the portal, with breaks to get frankly delicious meals that Zhongli convinces people to pay for. And a break for a cheap, one-bed motel room that Zhongli also talks his way into acquiring. But the night is different from yesterday's night, as when the boy goes to bed, you both silently realize that when the boy returns home, your only task will be completed. There will be no reason for either of you to keep existing, and while Their Grace and His Lord are merciful, you know the people of Teyvat hate those with the Creator's face. The two of you know that your Creators will be kind in giving you quick deaths, but neither of you can stand the other dying.

 Still, the both of you were made for a purpose. To find the lost Prince of Teyvat and return him to his parents. So you both continue with the journey. Never uttering anything on the topic, and only acknowledging it when the boy is sleeping. And even then, the most the two of you do is look into one another's eyes tearfully, exchanging sad, sloppy, kisses…

...Yeah, sorry for ending it like this.

Masterlist

[darktapufifi]

Shitpost Pt.3

Since I havent posted in a while, have some doodles and shenanigans from the discord!!

Heres a little doodle of what billy looked like as a kid v.s. now (I drew it at like 4 am on my phone, 100% not my best work lmao)

Here's some concept work for the Smoke Crews ship AI - DANI.3114 - they're based off of an old character mine for another space themed world me and my friend had built that had kinda died, I'm honestly happy with how they are turning out so far!!

I also designed myself a crittersona!! I made them a page oh TH as well, SillyBilly will most likely get a page soon - I'm hoping to get to designing their AU soon too

Who needs drama when we have goobers ✨

Space riders au belongs to @onyxonline

Credits below the cut

Picrew image located in first concept sketch made from this picrew ↓ (霧村ゆきちい on picrew) (@yukichii_kiri on twitter - also linked)

Transparent image of Monika in the first concept sketch from ���

Love bug images located in first concept sketch from ↓

[blackrabbit111]

~Twst android au, prequel draft~

"You are the sole heir to the worlds top tec company that makes everything from military weapons to remotes. Raised alone by your grandfather, you've found yourself alone since his passing and are struggling to find someone to turn too.

On a whim you go looking for one of his crack pot inventions in one of his old factory's. Only to find more then you were looking for"

An au fic I wrote months ago but never shared cuz insecure, But I'm down so I say heck to it 👍

Feed back and critic is appreciated especially on grammar😅Not sure how much I'll keep or if I will even make more but I might as well share what I've already made

The sound of a switch echoed as the warehouse lights shot on in uniform order one by one until the massive hanger sized warehouse was lit up. 

The walls and roof were vast and the rows upon rows of shelves were endless, each filled with who knows what? All different types of machinery, a tec nerd might see this as some gold mine full of decades worth of technology going back nearly fifty years according to your newly bequeathed assistant. 

You hadn’t even changed clothes yet. You were still in these uncomfortable shoes, these stuffy black clothes that were far too warm to wear indoors, even your hair had been newly styled at your “guardians” request. 

You don’t even remember most of the day ... just stepping into the car. 

“Master Yuu?” Your assistant’s voice tore you from your mindlessness, you hadn’t even noticed they’d stopped. You’d just kept walking down the isle of discarded tec. 

“O-oh? Sorry Mira, and please don’t call me that” You asked, your voice quite as always. You hated having to force a smile but manners like other things had been drilled into as a child, so you had no choice. 

“Of course, sorry” She gave you a sympathetic smile, one of the few you’d had despite the circumstance. With your years forcing smiles you had grown to recognize when someone else was faking it too. 

Mira was genuine at least “Are you sure you're up to this? We can wait a few more days?” 

You appreciated the thought, but your hand was going numb from signing forms. The owners of such documents, the sources of most of those forced smiles, they knew better than to be honest about what they wanted. Or else risk upsetting you and with the power you now had none of them could afford such a thing, for some literally. 

You shook your head no “I’m fine, just tierd. This is the third warehouse we’ve checked after all”  

Might as well of been the one hundred with the size of these things?! Your college campus was half the size of the last one 

“Could you go check with the site manager and see if they had any luck tracking it down? I’d like to keep looking around on my own” 

She nodded, lingering a bit before turning back to leave the way you both came her footsteps faded to echo’s and suddenly you were alone. 

The shelves were daunting like this, shaded over from the different levels framed the discarded bot shells in a creepy way. Yet that wasn’t what was on your mind. 

Not much … had been on your mind lately …  

Everything had felt- fuzzy? 

You were never the greatest at showing your feelings, you’d certainly been teased enough because of it growing up. 

It was easier to just make friends. (literally) 

Rustling through your pocket you pulled out an old worn leather-bound book. Its pagers were flakier than the old coot that had left it for you. Sticky notes and faded pages stuck out and fell lose as you flipped back through its ancient pages. 

Sketches, notes and old diagrams were all etched into it. Most had been released, just one of his many sketch books you’d had the ‘joy’ of flipping through. 

But there was one page that had caught your interest, 

“Project Wonderland” God he sucked at naming things. 

Among the faded doodles these few seemed the oldest, added in safter the pages had already been filled? Even Mira didn’t know what it was, and she seemed to have known more about his company than he had. She knew him more than you had... 

“Project Wonderland, Log #037. 

So far, all prototypes for model “Heart” have remained lacking, subject Ace ________ ____hap ___ _______ ___ ___ ___  ___ ____  ___________________ ________Riddle remains____ __________ ,strict rules_ _________. Further_______ ______ ______” 

The rest was too faded. 

Most of the scribbles summed up that amount. Even the more salvageable ones left too many holes to piece together anything that made sense? 

You groaned trying to make sense of it all. This was just a way to get away from all the work you still had to do, Mira’s suggestion, if not you’d probably still be sat behind that oversized desk, in that oversized chair signing the endless rotation of papers brought by your newly acquired legal department.  

Attending the by hourly meetings on new bot colors, branding and all the other topics you didn’t understand. That didn’t stop the bombarding you with requests and asking your opinions … more demanding... 

Day in day out, 

Right up until- 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

 You were again torn from your invasive thoughts, the pitchy voice crying out from your pocket. 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

Pulling the device from your pocket its screeching only seemed to get louder- 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

Small, grey with a bright blue screen. Its body, an old tomogachi toy you had as a kid, now turned into a travel sized version of an ai interface. Your first attempt, robots were child's play to you. At the age of ten you were making drones on par with your grandfathers. You could code before you could spell your own name, which made passing online tests a breeze. 

Ai was different, specifically intelligent ones. 

Nowadays it was rarer to see a machine that didn’t have some type of interface built in, even kid’s toys could remind the child to brush their teeth. But the ones used for androids, the ones running shop tills and driving buses.  

Those were harder for you. 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

“ALRIGHT! Sheesh....” 

 Generated, Response, intelligence, Model #008. Or Grim for short, you were still working out the kinks. Somehow it had begun to prioritize meal notifications, despite it being near 6pm it kept on screaming for lunch until you clicked off its alarm. 

It’s been nearly 2 weeks since you’d last had a free moment to look at the code, which meant round the clock alerts at random. 

You let out an audible groan “Maybe this really is a waste of time? ….....” 

You stared at the old, tattered book in your hands. His name engraved in white tread across the wine-red material 

“......” 

“......” 

“......” 

How were you supposed to feel? You didn’t know? 

You never knew, so when you could you’d just avoid it. Avoid feeling much of anything? 

Hence the names the other kids called you.  

“Freak-droid”, “Robot”, “dumb as a bot” .... it wasn’t your fault; you just weren’t good at being like them. You eventually learned to pretend, to force a smile or a chuckle when needed. 

It was better anyway; the robots were better. 

More time to hone your skills, why make friends when you can build them? That’s what you told yourself. 

Alone at school, alone at home... 

Nothing had changed … those two weeks ago.. 

You were still eating alone,  

Still spending the evenings alone, 

Still walking through those empty halls alone.... 

He was your only family, yet you were lucky if you saw him twice in one week. Either locked in his lab or at the office. He was never there. He was just, not with you, not beside you. 

You’ve always been alone, so why- 

“......” 

Why now … did you feel so- 

“......” 

His name engraved in white tread across the wine-red material 

You looked back at the books cover, His name still engraved in white tread across the wine-red material... 

 He was gone now... 

You were now … alone... 

“......” 

“......” 

“......” 

It was quiet here.... 

“Project ...wonderland?” you mumbled out loud. You don’t know why, but you began giggling. 

This was so unlike you, wandering around aimlessly. After this crazy idea that- that this MYSTERIOUS project could somehow be for you! Could somehow help you explain how to do a job you didn’t want or how you were supposed to feel or how to make this STUPID AI tell you about something other than LUNCH!!! 

“......” 

“......” 

“......” 

It was stupid of you … to think that... 

“......” 

“......” 

“......” 

You sniffled, having to dry your eyes before anything came out. You shook your head trying to think straight. 

It had been a good distraction, but it wasn’t important. You could get some intern to find it for you, you had those now apparently and they seemed despite. They nearly decked each other the first time you met after asking for a drink. 

Give extra credit to whichever one found it~ 

Perfect! You took another sharp inhale and turned to leave, ready to head back to the office. No doubt there would be a whole new stack of papers there to greet you when you arrive. 

Only to crash face first. 

Stumbling back, you looked up confused, there wasn’t anything behind you a moment ago- 

What you saw made you jump.  

He was tall, like REALLY tall. The dim light in of the war house casting his dark slender form in a shadow simply from looking down at you, his raven hair falling over his broad shoulders, his chiseled features pale as a ghost yet sharp and defined. 

He looked almost ethereal, if not for his eyes... 

They cut through the shadow that painted his form as if they glowed like screens in the dark. 

A piercing green that seemed to dance through the many shades, cut through by the black slit of his pupils. 

You were speechless, almost afraid to move in case he might pounce. A green grew on his face, as if your nerves amused him. 

“Are you okay?” 

His voice was deep, smooth, yet his tone was gentle? You were able to relax a little more but were still wary. Why was he here? Had he been following you?! 

“What do you want?” You ask bluntly, your voice is flat, yet he only seems to grin more at it letting out a small chuckle. 

“You were looking for something weren’t you? It’s a big facility, so I thought you could use some help” 

“How did you-?!” 

“Your assistant went back to speak the site manager; I noticed you weren’t with her, I’m sorry if I'm interrupting you” His appearance was still daunting, but he seemed genuine enough? You assumed he must work here. 

“O-oh? No, it’s alright, thank you. I was just heading back anyway” 

His head tilts “No luck then?” 

You shock your head “Something like that” Your forced smile grew back, deciding to be pleasant instead “I have better things to be doing is all, could you point me towards the exit?”   

A hand lifts to his chin as he lets out a hum in thought. 

“I believe I know a short cut? You took a rather unorthodox route here from what I could tell” He beamed again raising one hand to his chest while extending the other to guide the way, his sleek yet dark appearance, butler like movements plus his kind smile brought to mind a certain show you’d watched a few years ago? 

You thanked him, walking past him down the isles weaving left or right with his direction. 

He walked a few steps behind you simply directing you as a turn came up, otherwise you were both silent. 

The route was bizarre? Weaving in and out like an ally cat over a neighborhood's walls or roof tops, a fair comparison with his dark hair and and bright eye color, all in all you felt more lost than anything? 

Did he really know the way? His assuring nature just made him feel like he knew what he was talking about? 

“Sorry, but are you sure-?” Concerned, you turned to ask him about where he was taking you only to find more empty isles of shelves. This tall dark stranger had vanished, you looked around thinking you might have just gotten ahead of him? But he was nowhere to be seen... 

You cursed under your breath.... 

He had ditched you, you felt stupid for not too of seen this coming. After your little “Episode” you’d been so frustrated to get out you didn’t even think about it. At least he’d only gotten you lost, given your new net worth MUCH worse could have happened. 

You let out another sigh, you were really done with this. 

You began to dig around in your pocket for your phone, deciding to just call Mira and the staff to come find you. 

As you pulled it out your annoying- you're in need of updating Tamagotchi toy tumbled out with it. 

You groaned again, just one more thing gone wrong. 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

It had slid under one of the shelving units, peering underneath you could just see it on the other side. The lights were out on that side, so it was a little hard to tell? 

After failing to swat at it you relented to having to try squeeze between the gaps of the two units, it was tight and the creaking noises it made as you nudged it made you nervous- 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

But you knew it wouldn’t stop sending alerts if you didn’t get it... 

So, between the metal frames it was~! 

Squeezing your way through, you just managed to make it without knocking much off, you finally reach this annoying pest of a program. 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lunch time! - 

-Nya! Lu- 

And off it goes.... 

You’re about to plop your ‘pet’ back in your pocket when a light catches your eye? 

A low flash of red was glowing from the corner pile. 

This space was narrow, a small corner tucked away behind the shelves you hadn’t been able to see with the lack of lighting and old parts blocking your view from the isle. 

Walled in by the units and the warehouse walls, meaning you could just barely squeeze in. 

Stumbling a bit, you saw the source of the low red light. 

Two sleek metal crates, each taller yourself, were stacked against the wall tucked away between bits of cardboard. Each one looked huge black versions of those fancy box's phones come in, the red light shining from beneath its seal? 

Both metal caskets had gold engraving carved into their surfaces, some type of registration number and a symbol?  

“A1-164-♥ & D2-164-♥?” each read with a golden heart displayed above? 

It took a moment to click before you were again digging through your back pocket for the withered remains of a notebook, he’d left you. 

-Model Heart- 

“Project … wonderland?” you mumbled aloud now looking at these caskets like they were some mythical creatures that had hopped out from a children's story. 

Digging through the faded pages had already been difficult, now near impossible with only the glow of these things to see. You scanned it for anything that still counted as language that mentioned these things?  

Finally, a passage mostly filled with flawed calculations caught your eye 

“___ ________ ____ sleep mode while ins____, 

_____ _______________ _______urther funds ____ ______ coffins develop___” 

“____subject Silv____ ___ _______ ________ more time in sleep_____.  

_______ _____ bug reports t_ ___________ later.” 

The rest is more faded calculations. 

The texts were mostly useless, it was the sketches that caught your eye. 

Like most of this leather-bound pile of dust the sketches were rough, looking to be more concepts rather than any type of blueprints? They mentioned some type of access panel on the front, molded to match one of the seven symbols outlined in more detail earlier in the notes. 

It was easy to assume it was that gold heart etched into the metal caskets casing. 

You didn’t really think, more just acted. 

Reaching out, you laced your palm over the etching of a golden heart. 

Nothing happened, at first, but suddenly the gold coloring was painted over by that same crimson red from under the seal. The etching became filled in causing you to flinch and pull your hand back, as if it had sent some type of signal to its twin, the other caskets matching heart also lit up now an almost blinding light. 

“Palm scan complete~ 

Connection established” An obnoxiously cheery voice sang 

“Running security check, 

Running diagnostics check, 

Running personal check” It read off line after line, running upload bars through one after the other. Most of the more complicated one’s were lost on you and your limited knowledge of software; it was much easier for you to follow the hardware terminology meaning at the very least you could piece together it was running checks on some type of high moveability machine? 

“All preparation checks complete for model’s A1-164-♥ & D2-164-♥. 

How gracious~ 

Beginning reupload of data files of model’s A1-164-♥ & D2-164-♥” It had all loaded pretty quickly until now, each screen uploading in seconds, but now- 

“Loading- 

Loading- 

Loading- 

-ERROR- 

Unable to recover crucial data, beginning recovery measures- 

-ERROR- 

-ERROR- 

-ERROR-” Both screens began to flash with alerts, as if the system’s attempts to recover whatever it couldn’t was somehow causing the other files to corrupt. You were by no means an expert, but you knew if you didn’t act soon the whole system would be unsalvageable 

“-ERROR- 

-ERROR- 

-ERROR-” still panicked, you put your hand back to the screen swiping away as many of the alerts as you could to try and get at the recovery icon. 

“-ERROR- 

-ERROR-” 

The alerts were popping up faster than you could close them, with little other choice you did the only thing you could think of in this panicked moment 

“Cancel recovery measures! Proceed with upload as is!” You yelled hoping for some type of response, and just as you did the corrupting screens froze, the loading bar froze, the whole screen froze …. before another loading bar popped up. 

Slowly it filled, there was a brief pause before- 

“Upload complete~ 

All systems ready, deactivating sleep mode for models A1-164-♥ & D2-164-♥” 

A relived sigh escaped you, the screen shut off before the crimson glow faded as both seals jutted forward a white cloud of steam blowing out as the casket undid its releases. 

The doors slid open, tucking their lids around each of their left sides. 

The cloud died down finally letting you see inside, having the squint at first you thought at first you were mistaken. But now you were certain, two figures stood within. 

One with boyish features, red spikey hair and a heart shape painted over one eye. 

The other slightly taller, features sharper with flat raven hair and a spade shape painted to match their opposite. 

Wide eyed, you didn’t notice you held a breath once they stepped forward. You tried to speak, ask them questions like if they were okay or why they were in there? Only for it to come out as mumbles once their eyes both shot open in synch. That same pixelated crimson flashing over their eyes only to fade again replaced by their respective red and blue iris’s. 

The red one blinked, you held your breath again... 

The blue one held its head staggering a bit before both their sights landed on you. 

…..... 

…..... 

….... 

You all stood their starring for a moment; afraid moving might activate some attack mode or- 

“Excuse me but-” 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH?!!?” 

[esta-elavaris]

Part Fifteen [4,160 words] ~ James Norrington/OC

An AU of my completed, 400k+ word fanfic Catch the Wind [AO3], in which Elizabeth, not James, is the one to discover Theodora Byrne after she crash-lands into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Page breaks by cafekitsune.

Also now on AO3 and FF.net.

Masterpost - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - *Part Fifteen*

Tag list [let me know if you want to be added!]: @teawithshakespeare @missfronkensteen @dancerinthestorm

It turned out, much to Theo's hidden dismay, that the going-away dinner was a natural precursor to the welcome back dinner that those in Port Royal liked to throw for the higher-ranking returning sailors after a spell away. It was a good chance, Elizabeth explained, to acknowledge their losses if there were any, to celebrate the lack of those losses if their luck held true, and to give the men their first good meal since they'd set sail. It was a way for them to blow off steam in a classy way, essentially. Unless Norrington was coming, because it was her own personal opinion that deception and humiliation weren't particularly classy – but what would Theo know? She was Irish, after all.

Elizabeth, being Elizabeth, wanted her to wear something evil for the dinner. Evil, here, having the meaning of show-stoppingly beautiful. She'd refused, flat out. Not only because she didn't have the heart for it, but because it'd be transparent and very pathetic, and only make her feel more ridiculous than she already did around most of those whose names were on the guest list. There was no desire in her to show him what he was missing, or anything that reached those levels of utter meltery, because he wasn't missing anything, and she didn't want him to miss anything. She was done. What was the point in playing games that she'd find no fun in?

Only when she insisted that if the matter was pushed, she'd fake a sudden illness and spend the night in her bedroom, in her nightgown, did Elizabeth relent. Highly begrudgingly. At least until she caught the pallor creeping into Theo's face, and the tremor in her hand, as the prospect of the night ahead saturated her with dread, and then their spat was over before it had even truly begun.

So, the lengths of red satin that her friend had been trying to push upon her were replaced by a muted jade gown that had delicate white flowers working its way up from the hem of the skirts, along with the bottom of the bodice. Her one concession was the fabric of the underskirts – a brilliant emerald green that peeked out from the gap in the middle between the overskirts. The hair was understated, too, the updo more a simple collection of curls all bound together rather than something that had her resembling a skyscraper. Finally, she wore her own necklace from home about her neck, more of a totem than an accessory tonight, so she could at least feel like her dad was here with her in some way. In truth, she missed him more sorely now than she had since arriving here, and even the thought was almost enough to send her into a fit of tears.

But she couldn't afford that tonight. Maybe that made the necklace a mistake, but she couldn't bring herself to remove it once it was on.

Tonight would be the worst of it. The first time having to face him again – but at least she'd do so while knowing that his maid, Hattie, would've told him that she returned whatever books of his had still been in her care. Now, he would have no reason at all to speak with her. He'd like that.

James knew that, had Theodora departed, he would have heard so soon upon returning to Port Royal. And while he heard no such thing, he still hadn't the heart to outright ask – not even his own staff – so he remained silent, and when he entered the Governor's mansion that eve, he was relieved when it took no time at all to spot a head of fiery hair among the crowd. Although the relief was hardly devoid of other, more mixed emotions.

He should apologise. That was not a conclusion that it took him a great deal of time to reach. It would be the right thing to do – the gentlemanly thing to do, even if he was not a gentleman in the technical sense of the word. Nor in the looser sense, if his behaviour as of late was any indicator.

However…she had also asked him to leave her be. It was impossible to respect that wish, while also doing the right thing, which left him with the dilemma of which course of action was more right. The answer was the one he liked least. That he should simply leave her be, as she wanted.

And whatever relief he felt at seeing she was still here was in danger of evaporating when he saw more of her throughout the evening. Her face, and her general demeanour. How often had he thought to himself that there must be nothing under the sun that could possibly dampen her utterly indomitable spirit? Her humour? While the thought had once exasperated him, he now wished his theory had not proven incorrect. It helped nothing that he was the cause of it.

He kept his distance throughout the night, and she did not look at him once, but even when she was on the opposite side of the room from him (which she often was), she did not brighten. While James was placed at Governor Swann's end of the table, Theodora was at Elizabeth's, with Groves at her other side, to her left.

It soon became apparent that he didn't even need to pretend he was not taking stock of her, stealing swift glances here and there when he was sure she was distracted and would not catch him, for she didn't look at him at all. She barely looked at anybody, her eyes downcast and her face distant. It was not the manner of one who was in the midst of a strop – intent on making sure those around her felt the full weight of her displeasure via the mode of uncomfortable silence. So, while she did not smile, she didn't scowl either. When spoken to, she replied, and when spoken at, she listened patiently. But she was not there. Not truly. She did not flee in defeat, but she had put down her sword.

And that fact alone was enough to have his heart sinking down to his shoes.

Dinner passed without incident, and when they moved to the sitting room so that the servants could clear the aftermath of the meal, Groves and Elizabeth seemed in no hurry to leave Theodora's side. As hostess, Elizabeth was soon forced to do so and mingle, but Groves remained, although he appeared content to simply remain by her side rather than engaging in further attempts to pry conversation from her. All the while, her eyes remained far off, much as he suspected his own did when he was busy running over mental preparations for whatever voyage lay ahead.

She looked fetching tonight. Nothing new, really, for she was a fair woman – factually speaking. Bedecked in green which flattered her colouring, and not bedecked in ruffles or jewels that would only distract from the beauty that she herself held. But the difference was that, tonight, she was not as striking as she usually was. Not without the teasing grins, or the glimmer in her eye that so oft betrayed a wealth of things she was not saying.

What it took to snap her back into the room was something he wished had not happened at all. Amelia Simmonds flounced over to the pianoforte, and sat down before it with a flourish. Not content to make a point by halves, she flew into a complex piece that would have had even James himself impressed at her skill – had she not been who she was, and had she not harboured the motive she did. Instead, it only stoked his ire, perhaps pettily content that he had another to level at it who was not himself.

The performance was nearing its end when he looked back towards Theodora again, finding that this time, for the first time, she was looking at him. Indifference still veiled her expression, but this time it was just that – a veil. One hand toyed with the pendant about her neck, seeking comfort, as she watched him silently, as though waiting for a repeat of what had occurred the last time they found themselves in this setting. He knew the fact that he'd been caught changed his expression, but it did not change hers. She gave nothing away. Which, in itself, gave something away, for being so guarded was unlike her. And he'd caused the change.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, she looked away. Murmuring something to Groves, she took a step back, and then turned, departing otherwise without notice. Intent, he supposed, on not offering up another opportunity.

James debated on whether he should follow, but as another seized their chance to play, Amelia was by his side.

"My, Miss Swann really did tame the wild beast, did she not?" Amelia asked with glee.

He realised then, with a dull sense of horror, that she viewed him as an ally against the woman she had pinned all of her ire upon, the moment Theodora had washed up on their shores. Said horror was no longer so dull when he was forced to concede that Amelia's assumption was not unfounded.

"Perhaps she should open a finishing school," she continued. "Or a dog kennel – for training, you understand."

"You are making a fool of yourself, madam," he said flatly.

The grin slipped from her face as she blinked up at him, but she recovered swiftly and forced a laugh.

"No, Captain, I'm making a fool of her."

"Then why, might I ask, is it you that appears ignorant, and not Miss Byrne?"

He took his leave before she could answer, following in the direction Theodora had departed, although he knew not what he would do if he found her.

It seemed another had already beaten him to accompany her, though. Lieutenant Groves' voice met his ears, drifting from the dining room that had already been cleared, and James stilled by the doorway, listening with something that felt dangerously and heavily akin to dread. For the Lieutenant's voice was soft in a way that denoted more than a desire to simply speak quietly.

"I was wondering if I might call upon you tomorrow morning. For…for tea, or perhaps a turn about the gardens. Whichever you'd like best. Or something else, if you'd rather."

"…Why?" Theodora's voice was filled with genuine confusion.

Groves breathed a nervous laugh, faltered for a moment, and then replied.

"Forgive me, but…I think you know why. I should very much like to get to know you, Miss Byrne."

"Oh…I…I see…"

It was silent then, for a few long moments – moments that felt all the longer for how terrible they were, as James wondered if he would find them locked in some sort of embrace if he chanced a look inside the room.

"Lieutenant…" she said finally, falteringly.

James despised the treacherous relief and joy both that coursed through him, for that mode of address entirely betrayed what her answer would be. And it should not have made him happy. Not for Groves' sake, not for Theodora's, and certainly not for his own.

"Please, call me Theodore. Unless it's too absurd for you to say with a straight face, considering how alike it is to yours."

She did not laugh at his teasing.

"I don't intend to be here much longer. But…if you want to come and visit as a friend, I'd love that."

Scarcely two full seconds went by before Groves was responding.

"You're leaving?"

"When I can find the right time, yes."

"Why? Because of…the other night…?"

"Not entirely because of it. I'm not that pathetic. If it was anything, it was a wake-up call. I don't belong here, and I don't want to be anywhere I don't belong. What point is there wasting my energy pretending otherwise? Everybody knows it."

"I think you're allowing yourself to be defeated. If I may be so bold as to say it outright."

"There's surrendering to needless defeat, and then there's recognising that the battle isn't worth fighting in the first place," she said, resignation filling her voice more than woe or self-pity. "I want to be somewhere where people understand me. Where they actually like and know me. That's not wrong. Elizabeth does, Elizabeth has been…has been so impossibly good to me. But I can't spend all of my time cowering behind her skirts and expecting her to stick up for me amongst this lot. It's not fair on her, and I don't want her to. I'm tired, Lieutenant. I've been tired ever since I arrived here. I don't think that's going to change if I remain."

Tired, James knew, was a code for the emotions she would not admit to. Fear, and melancholy. Amongst others.

Groves sighed.

"Very well. But I still insist that you call me Theodore."

"And if it is too absurd?" there was a smile in her voice now – the first display of mirth James' had caught from her all evening.

"I've never been much attached to it. We can brainstorm a new one for me when I visit tomorrow."

"You still want to visit?" surprise coloured her voice.

"You just said we shall be friends," he pointed out.

Theodora breathed a surprised laugh, and he could hear the smile in her voice as she replied.

"Good, then. I'll have a list ready. How do you feel about Beauregard?"

"I feel hopeful that the rest of the list will be more promising," Groves chuckled.

Knowing it was only a matter of time before he was either missed or caught, he turned…and found himself face to face with Elizabeth Swann. Judging by the look she shot in the direction of the room Groves and Theodora occupied, she had heard everything just as he had – and by the one she then levelled at him personally, his reaction had not gone unnoticed.

At first, it looked like she might speak, but the sound of shuffling reached their ears, and it would not be long before they were discovered. So, she nodded in the direction of the passageway that would lead out onto the patio, and then the gardens. James obeyed. He didn't have much choice in the matter, although he held little optimism about what words might pass between them. His last conversation in the Governor's gardens had hardly gone well.

They stepped out into the night, mostly overcast which meant they would not be seen easily here, and Elizabeth turned to him, watching him expectantly. James cleared his throat.

"I feel I must apologise," he said.

She nodded.

"If my actions have caused any awkwardness between you and Miss Byrne, for I know she has become a dear friend to you, then you have my sincerest-"

"To me?" she interrupted sharply. "You feel you must apologise to me, Captain?"

"Only because I cannot apologise to Miss Byrne."

"You cannot? Have you tried?"

"Last we spoke, she asked that I leave her be. I intend to honour that request."

"You shouldn't!"

"It is for the best," he replied firmly.

"The best for whom, Captain Norrington?!"

"For…for…"

He did not hesitate because he had no answer to her question, but rather because the answer was hardly one that he could speak aloud. The best for everybody. For Theodora, because it was what she wanted, for Elizabeth, because it would rid her of whatever suspicions he harboured about he and her friend, and for James himself because…well, it would rid him of any ill-gotten confusion. Regarding what woman he should have been spending his time thinking about.

While he could voice none of that, Elizabeth's shrewd eye seemed to catch it all on his face. Of course she saw it, she was no fool. Not in the slightest.

"May I speak frankly?" she asked finally.

While her voice held none of the sharpness it previously harboured, it was still far from gentle.

"By all means," he said – and he meant it.

Months ago, he'd have sawn off his arm with a wooden sword to have her speak frankly to him, rather than through fifty different layers of propriety and social graces. That had never been a problem for Theodora. No, she—no. That was precisely the line of thinking he was trying desperately to shake himself out of these days.

"How might you have felt, back there, had Theodora accepted Lieutenant Groves' overtures?"

Considering the dread that had seized him upon hearing said overtures, the answer was not hard to come by. It was, however, rather more difficult to admit. Even now, a worry grew in the back of his mind that he had not heard the last of the prospect of their becoming more. Many a stout romance began as friendship, and he had certainly been able to cheer her with remarkable speed. If that continued, she may decide to remain. With him.

"The private affairs of Lieutenant Groves are no business of mine," he said flatly.

Annoyance flashed in Elizabeth's dark eyes once again, as bright as a strike of lightning, even in the darkness the night cloaked them in.

"If I am to speak frankly, you must extend me the same courtesy," she warned.

"I am."

"You are not! Captain, since the last time you were here, I have barely been able to pry a conversation out of Theo. Much less a smile, or a laugh. Does that sound like her?"

Whatever small hope he'd had that her change in demeanour was simply due to his return, a ward to disabuse him of any temptation to approach, died a swift death then and there. His guilt only increased. That, at least, seemed to grant the woman before him some satisfaction where his words could not.

"No, it does not."

"I have since learned, tonight, that you have hardly been in the best of moods since that night, either."

"The gossip of sailors," he scoffed.

Ones who would find themselves buried under ungodly amounts of mind-numbingly boring tasks, once he ascertained who exactly had been spreading rumours.

"Is it?"

"I shall not pretend that I do not regret my actions that night, especially if they caused you distress in your own friendship with your guest, but-"

"She's talking about leaving, you know."

At that, he could not muster an uncaring façade.

"I do not yet know how she intends to do so, but I know that she will. It is not an idle threat. Theo does not make idle threats. Your actions and your treatment of her, she has told me, were a timely reminder that she does not belong here. That she was foolish to think otherwise, and that she was foolish to develop an attachment."

"If she believes her attachment to you was foolish because of my actions, then she-"

"To you, Captain. Not to me. To you."

"Well…I…" he finally stopped gawping long enough to respond properly. "That was misguided on her part."

"Was it?" she challenged yet again.

"Yes!"

"Why?!"

Now, he found himself echoing Lieutenant Groves' earlier sentiments, his jaw clenching and unclenching, staring off into the gardens so he could force himself to speak.

"I suspect you know why."

It was not an easy thing to say. But she had demanded frankness, and so she would have it.

"Captain, I have known you for some time. A long time. I do not believe you would be standing here in such distress if you had no feelings for Theo."

"In which case, that is misguided on my part."

"Why? Because she is Irish? Or because of her social standing?"

"Of course not!"

"Because you still insist she harbours sinister secrets, then? I will confide this in you, even if I know she would not wish me to do so."

"Then you should not-"

"I know everything she has not seen fit to tell others. All of it. There is nothing sinister there, and there is nothing that might impede you. Unless you truly do succeed in driving her away."

"What…?"

"I can say no more on the matter. Trust what I have said."

James stared at her, and she stared back – as though daring him to challenge her. How long had she known the answers he sought? What were those answers? If she said there was no impediment, that would mean…that there was no husband. But how did that explain all of the factors that led him to that suspicion? Elizabeth had hinted at cruelty, but…but one did not have to be married to a woman to be cruel to her. That much made sense. Perhaps…

Whatever theories began to arise, he put a forceful end to them. Those thoughts, at least, he could control. They mattered not, when weighed upon the conversation currently at hand. So he stopped his incredulous staring, cleared his throat, and schooled his expression.

"It makes no difference."

"Why, Captain? Why does it not?" she demanded.

"I have told you why, Elizabeth!" he all but snapped. "Because it is not…it is not…"

"What you had planned?" a strong sort of knowing seeped through her tone.

How was it that she managed to pin the thoughts he himself could not even begin to untangle with such expert precision?

At that question, her implorations turned from furious to soft, though no less firm despite that. The frown was smoothed from her brow, her eyes no longer blazed, but she did not shrink or falter. James suspected she was incapable of either, much like the woman she championed.

"Captain…James…" she sighed, wringing her hands and hanging her head for a moment before she looked at him once again, resolving herself to the rule of frankness that prevailed over this conversation. "Plans change. That is perfectly alright. It's good, so long as you don't cling to the old one for the sake of clinging to the old one, forsaking your own happiness and that of others for the sake of it. There are…there are times when doing the correct thing, in the eyes of others, can be the wrong thing, if done for the wrong reasons."

He hadn't the faintest idea of what to say to that – nor if he could speak if he even truly tried to do so. Happily, or unhappily, Elizabeth was not finished having her say.

"I am not inside your mind. I believe I am correct, but perhaps I am not. If so, leave Theodora be. I would not have you pursue her as a second best option – in fact, I should never forgive you if you do. But if I am correct, and you're denying both yourself and Theodora a chance at very real happiness because you're too stubborn to see what is directly before your eyes, I shall find that hard to forgive, too."

"However…hypothetically speaking…if the latter were the case," he said slowly, feeling quite numb. "It is far too late to change anything now. Is it not?"

"That, I cannot answer. But there is only one way to find out."

"Oh?"

"Try," she said.

They remained standing there for a few long moments, until Elizabeth finally sighed and clasped her hands before her.

"I would ask one thing of you," she said finally. "We will not discuss it, if you concede. This is for your sake."

"What is it?"

Considering how this conversation had transpired, he did not dare agree before he heard the request. Once, he might have – even if the request involved walking upon molten glass. But now, he could not.

"When you return to your home tonight, put whatever plans you may once have had from your mind," she said carefully. "Only for a moment. A minute, an hour, thirty seconds, whatever it takes. Picture two eventualities. One in which you do the expected thing. And one in which you follow what it is you truly wish to do, if I am in fact correct about what that is. Consider which one brings you more joy. Make that your compass. Not reason."

He did not agree, but he knew he would do so anyway, now that the idea was in his mind. He was a glutton for punishment, it seems. But she seemed not to expect a response, straightening and lifting her chin.

"My father tells me the formalities, in the way of paperwork, are all almost concluded to secure your promotion. You'll soon be Commodore Norrington, I hear. Congratulations – truly. You deserve it."

It was not news, not to him. Although until the ink was dry, he was content for it to be news that had not yet reached the ears of the rest of those gathered here. With a parting nod, Elizabeth swept soundlessly from the gardens, save only for the rustle of her skirts. James remained. Movement was even more impossible than speech was.

She had given him much to think about.

A/N: I really loved the idea of Elizabeth parroting the advice her father gives her in TCOTBP, even though he hasn't actually given her it yet in this timeline. I just think it shows the bond and the closeness between them, that they'd give similar advice under similar circumstances.

[ryctone]

THE PUMPKINVERSE GUIDE.

A guide to many Pumpkin Creams that'd I made so that people don't get confused anymore, even if I'm the only one who cares about having them organized :D

---------

1-Pumpkin Cream Cookie.

The original Pumpkin Cream from the ‘prime’ universe I developed when I first adopted him from my pal Raven (@the-wereraven), or how I like to call it: The Pumpkin Cream from the world where everything is BASED /injoke.

The Pumpkin Cream who, after failing the final test at the Paladin Academy and being shadowed by his half-brother Madeleine, leaves the Crème Republic in search to find his own propose. He becomes a P.E teacher in the prestigious Parfaedia Institute at the magic city of the same name, and that’s where he meets with a certain necromancer... He also has a great connection to animals, being able to communicate with them; his main companion is a large cake fox chimera called Syrup who is with Pumpkin in almost every universe!

Here’s his TH Page - A bit outdated, but still works to show a bit more about him along with some art I did of him over the years.

🌷LCJTR Side Stories🌷series on Ao3 - Has many tidbits about Pumpkin’s backstory (And stories involving his father, Calamari Pumpkin Cookie) that can also apply to the other Pumpkin’s in the Pumpkinverse.

༻❁༺Licorice Cookie's Journey to Redemption (And Love)༻❁༺ series on Ao3 - A bit more focused on Licorice and LicoPumpkin scenarios/stories which are canon to this prime universe.

-------

2-Custard Guard!Pumpkin Cream Cookie.

A well-known Pumpkin Cream some had become quite familiar with, the Pumpkin from the ‘Custard Guard’ universe!

One of the main reasons he left the Crème Republic in the prime universe was because there was nothing he was attached to there, especially with the bad memories it brought him after the Academy fiasco… But, what if a certain consul came around to change that after confessing his feelings to Pumpkin? As the personal guard of the Clotted Cream Cookie, he makes sure the consul is never harmed on his watch.

🎃Custard Guard!Pumpkin Cream Cookie AU🎃 series on Ao3 - Has some lore, including an alternate ending for a fic from the prime universe called ‘Circles’, here being call ‘Divergent Circles’ (The catalyst of the timeline split).

---------

3-Hunter!Pumpkin Cream Cookie.

The Upper City has their divine golden paladins… The Lower City has the sea monster hunters- Here comes Hunter!Pumpkin Cream!

What if Clotted hasn’t confessed to Pumpkin that day, but this one didn’t really want to completely leave the Republic either? That is this universe. After failing in the Paladin Academy, he decides to embrace the sea cookie-half of himself; probably because his father lived long enough to show him the wonders of the ocean, and becomes a hunter of the Lower City to help everyone he can from sea monsters; being trained by head hunter Tilapia Cookie and on some occasions, Rehrücken Cookie (An ex-head huntress and his grandmother).

🍃🌿Hunter!Pumpkin Cream AU🌿🍃 series on Ao3.

-----------

4-Hell’s Oven!Pumpkin Cream.

This one is a tricky Pumpkin Cream to talk about, but I still consider him part of the main Pumpkinverse so I’ll do my best. To start, the AU this Pumpkin is in doesn’t belong to me- It belongs to my pal Raven; here’s the blog for it if you wanna learn more @hells-oven-au.

In short, he's dead and became a demon; he is a menace, he curses and smokes and overall is the most different from the other Pumpkin's in the Pumpkinverse-Holds a great resentment towards Clotted Cream because he thinks he was the cause of his dead... But, is that really the case?

Hell's Oven other stories (AU by Wereraven) series on Ao3.

[tgarnsl]

for the word guessing game, how about thread, light, and leaf?

99% sure you've seen some of these before but...

thread

from my hornblower magic au where the Lydia gets stuck in the doldrums because of unresolved sexual tension

He had been no more than nineteen — scarcely more than a boy — when he had been taken as a prisoner of war to serve out his days in a Spanish gaol. His magic, weak as it was in those days, had been unable to save his ship from falling into enemy hands: for months afterwards he had dreamt of the conjured fog slipping through his fingers as he desperately tried to weave the threads of its spell tight. He had sworn off magic then, cutting himself off from it entirely: it had been more painful than he could have ever imagined, severing himself from something so intrinsic to his very nature, but he told himself that it was no more than he deserved. In time, the magic would not even come to him in dreams, so removed was he from himself, and a profound melancholy soon clouded his mind — scarcely able to sleep, scarcely able to eat, he began to fear that his magic had left him entirely. To lose his magic was unthinkable; since his earliest boyhood he had been aware of the shimmering sea of golden threads, invisible to the seeing eye, that connected all things. Once, he had felt its vitality flowing through him, but in Spain he felt it no longer. Desperate, he had done what no magician of honour would do; performed a ritual of scrying in water tainted with his own heart’s-blood. It was a dangerous game to play; to scry in one’s own blood brought clarity to the vision, but ran the risk of binding the seer to a fate he did not want. Hornblower had asked what any young man might: the path that would bring him glory. The visions in the scrying glass had been vague and nebulous, as visions ever were, but they had promised him glory and a happy life — a life he had never before imagined for himself.

—

light

slightly cheating here. from my flight of the heron stolen au:

“A letter arrived while you were away,” said Lochiel, picking up a square, sealed packet and passing it across the desk to Ewen. “I believe it is in my cousin Margaret’s hand.”

Ewen examined it, the letter trembling in his hands. Breaking the seal, he unfolded it, and cast his eye quickly over the first page and a half, which were primarily to do with the business of the estate, until he reached the words that made his heart stop in his chest.

Last week, wrote his aunt in her familiar hand, Young Iain of the Coire Daraich MacMartins went under my instructions to Fort William, carrying your Letter for Major Windham. There, he spoke with a redcoat Officer. I am sorry, my Boy. Your Major Windham died from the Wound he received at Morar, some days after he was brought back to Fort William.

The world dimmed, shifted, until all that was left were the words on the page. Your Major Windham died, Aunt Marget had written, the writing so neat and careful it could only be practiced. How many letters had she written, trying to find the right phrase? He tried to be grateful, but the grief was too strong. Once more he sat astride his garron, looking back over his shoulder at the shieling, a dark huddled mass against the lightening sky — and at the figure of Keith Windham, clutching a plaid tightly around himself, one hand raised in what might have been farewell.

—

leaf

from a flight of the heron fic I don't know if I'll ever finish, but that features a seduction attempt through bible reading (listen, Ewen is not very good, but he's trying)

“Is there nothing I can do for you?” he asked, kneeling before Ewen. “Your kindred — would you like me to write a letter to impart to them your circumstances?”

An unhappy smile twisted at Ewen’s lips. “Later, perhaps, if that signed order of yours is honoured and we are not disturbed until dawn.” His eyes lighted on the Bible. “May I—?”

“Certainly,” said Keith, handing it to him. He sat back on his heels and waited as Ewen leafed through the Bible, evidently searching for a passage.

“Would you do me a kindness, Windham?” he asked once he had found it, his voice tight. “These verses… I would very much appreciate it if you would read them to me.” Keith offered up his hand and Ewen gave him the Bible, indicating with a finger where Keith should begin reading.

“Please,” murmured Ewen, and so Keith turned his attention once more to the scripture before him.

“'And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

But it was not an inn that Keith envisioned in his mind’s eye as he spoke of it, but a lonesome shieling on the slopes of Ben Loy, and it was not a man of Jerusalem lying half-dead and wounded that he had come upon, but a man of Ardroy.

“You understand now,” said Ewen softly, as Keith closed the Bible. “This is what you have done for me.”

[benitez-film]

Social Media Research

When it came to research for my social media page, I began by looking over three articles and gathering information in regards to how I would develop my artists image, and specifically how to successfully do it on social media.

https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/10-best-music-marketing-campaigns

This article detailed the top 10 marketing campaigns from varying artists. It detailed that 54% of marketers believe a music video is the most valuable aspect to achieving marketing success through social media, and posting snippets or short extracts of these can help build hype and attention from audiences. It suggests that artists like Beyonce have seen success as they are titans of multiple aspects of music, both with unique sound with experimental and constantly different visuals, culminating in visual albums or lengthy videos that stand out from others. Similarly, rap artist Stormzy rose to fame through high profile interviews with the likes of Louis Theroux, gaining a large amount of attention and leading to his massively popular first album. It also discusses the punk band Creeper and their ability to create buzz through deleting their social media and reporting members as “missing”. Various clues were left on the internet, leading to the eventual release of their album.

https://www.yellowbrick.co/blog/music/exploring-the-impact-of-social-media-in-the-music-industry

In the second article, it details the adaptation that marketing has had to make now that we are in the age of social media, and how that shifts hoe audiences discover new artists and music, with the ever challenging task of standing out against others. It details the importance of an online persona, as it not only connects you with your fans, but can even be the way fans interact with your music, through Facebook events or Songkick, an online website that promotes live shows to a larger audience. Whilst the proliferation of the online presence continues to have positives, social media platforms can be massively overwhelming for new artists, and increasingly difficult to separate yourself from the hundreds of artists attempting to be unique every day.

https://www.dk-mba.com/blog/social-media-for-musicians

Finally, the third article details the non-negotiable online presence an artist must have in order to succeed in the 2020’s. Understanding how social media works is the primary way for a large audience to be gained, how how most importantly, “attention is everything”. My primary takeaway was the importance of social media marketing on an artist, and for it to not be seen as an arbitrary aspect of a musicians career. Understanding the algorithm is another importance, posting little by little in order to build hype, and to not be lost in the masses of content. Holding our attention as audience members is crucial, and this is primarily how money is made; with people interacting with our content. Knowing your demographic and tailoring to them through short form content is another crucial aspect, as the rise in tiktok directly showcases the importance of short and sweet videos in order to grab our attention and make an artist memorable.

Arctic Monkeys Case Study:

In regards to Arctic Monkeys, their promotional posting for ‘Tranquility Base hotel and Casino’ on social media began with a small video that featured the moving hotel model that is on the cover of the vinyl. The rest of their posts consist of various simple, but still promotional, photos or videos, with the band in a photoshoot or album pictures being stand out and recieving the most attention. It mainly consists of their performance dates and promoting their live shows, but has a slight mix with merchandise advertisement.

Photoshoot:

I have finished my photoshoot during my music video shooting as it was something I wanted to include directly in my video. My favourites consisted of the following:

[rubitheracoon]

I FINALLY DECIDED TO MAKE AN ABOUT ME POST!

Hi! My name is Rubi

I am a minor and a budding artist, I can draw horses/ponies and dragons the best but I've recently found myself branching out to other cool little creatures like cats, wolves, deer, birds and FINALLY (after over 3 years of telling myself ill do it) i have started learning to draw people. Though I've sorta just been brute forcing my way through it so it looks pretty bad

My page pretty much is most of the shows listed below or a reblog related to astronomy or hermitcraft (or from one of my moots) :)

a SUPER important thing that anyone needs to know about me is my undying love towards space and astronomy. It's been my primary special interest since I was a little kid and holds a very very special place in my heart.

I am also agender masculine presenting (afab) and don't mind any pronouns (including neos), and prefer that people mix it up. My personality is INFP and I likely have undiagnosed autism (and possibly inatentive ADD)

I also generally favour animation and indie over most other types of content.

My favourite shows and movies are, but not limited to:

- Hazbin Hotel (indie)

- Steven Universe (both shows and movie)

- Adventure Time

- Arcane

- Lackadaisy (indie)

- Helluva Boss (indie)

- The Amazing Digital Circus (Indie)

- Murder Drones (guess what, also indie)

- ENA (indie, idk if it's a show per sé)

- Sk8 the Infinity (anime)

- Into and Across the Spiderverse

- MLP

- Good Omens

I've run out of shows/movies I'm super passionate about but there's absolutely more. I have plenty more shows that I do like but probably wouldn't be a whole conversation of interest for me

My dms are always open and I'm always happy to make connections with new people

If you are an adult please do not dm me.

Some other misc stuff that I couldn't find a way to mention:

- my favourite colours are Dark teal and gold

- German Shepard's are my dream breed <3

- I'm a big fan of hermitcraft and I usually watch Grian, Scar, Mumbo, and doc. I've been watching since season 6 :]

- I used to play the cello until the end of 2023 where I had to quit because lessons became inconvenient. I miss it very much :[

- l love analogue horror!

- I find liminal spaces a very intriguing concept

- I've recently found myself intrigued by the new mlp infection AUs that have been trending

- I'm also pretty into arg's but haven't tried hunting myself. I usually watch theory videos.

- FNAF definitely has to be one of my favourite franchises of all time. Been utterly fascinated since around 2018

- science in general is very interesting to me. I love th philosophical aspects of astronomy as well as the scientific aspects. I always loved palaeontology, I also love psychology. speculative sciences like speculative biology (mainly for aliens it's just so cool) are really interesting.

This is turning into an autism rant I better stop now and turn this into a separate post

Also here's a project I've been working on for a full year (on the day I'm editing this, 21st may 2024)! It's very inspired off of the way liminal spaces make me feel but it is not meant to be set in the backrooms. This has sort of been a casual thing for me so it is far from being completed, but regardless it is still a very big passion project that I want to share with the world.

My intention for this playlist is to be subjective to the listener. You can get as specific or as basic as you want with the story. I've made sure to account for people who want to get into the details by including titles and/or covers that may allow you to make up your own ideas.

ALL I ASK IS TO READ THE DESCRIPTION!!!

It is VERY important for giving you the vibe I'm going for.

Having said this, please enjoy and be sure to @ me if you have any theories. There's no wrong or right answers. I just want to see the creativity of others showing through a basic idea that was provided for them. That's what this playlist is.

Have a nice day and enjoy all my stupid shitposts and art!

made on 3rd April 2024. Banner by @rubra-wav

And I thought this man couldn't get any more ✨️𝑭𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔✨️

[feminerds]

04 March 2023

After seeing Bikini Kill live @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 03/03/2023 w/ Bec & Mei.

Page 2 - There’s not much that can compare with a room full of women, queers, femmes, themmes, young and old singing along, word for word, with Kathleen Hanna “That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighbourhod, I got news for you SHE IS!”

The magic of that song - being and desiring to be that girl.

The shaking floor, the dense inner-ear pressure, the upward unified motion of the crowd. The certainty and the support.

There’s something about the sometimes indiscernible lyrics, that makes me think of Humyara’s Comic about everyone putting their little yell into the world - is that heteroglossia?

It is interesting to me that so many of Kathleen Hanna’s projects, say simply -

You should do it

You can do it

Here’s how you could do it

We will support you doing it

The night had a clear intentionality. Lovingly structured to suggest -- you can do this! It’s not so hard, here are the broad steps. And if we can do it, you can too.

Page 3 -

A Gig that is a Zine  recipe  monograph  a play  with a thesis  a concept gig

Art Accessibility and a Gig that is Auto-logical Self Supporting.

Chapter 1 - The opener - must select a support act that is a small local band, and I mean really quiet small.

Chapter 2 - Come on stage, be fun and cool. Be rockstars.

Chapter 3 -  Mutuality of the good vibe. “I can be here because you like me”. Express gratitude for the crowd, they make it possible. The punk-band-you-love is the vibes you bring to the show.

Chapter 4 - Make mistakes, share, be scrappy, “it doesn’t have to be perfect”.

Chapter 5 - Encourage the crowd to literally just think of a band name.

Chapter 6 - “Say you’ll  play a gig - then start writing songs”.

Chapter 7 - Remind them criticism will come, new bands get criticised, established bands get criticised. “Let the haters give you inspiration”. Some people won’t get what you do, you’re not making it for them.

Chapter 8 - Making your own isn’t that hard.

Chapter 9 - Support small and local, we need to lift each other up. Mention bands that you’ve supported before, Kathleen name dropped “Minimum Chips” who were a support act to them, last time they toured so-called Aus.

Chapter 10 - Get Lifting!

Chapter 11 - Reap and Repeat.

A (cool and amazing) friend of mine saw the Punk Singer 10 years ago and invited me and couple of friends around to her place, because after seeing it she wanted to start making a zine.   

I don’t imagine Bikini Kill would necessarily call themselves a prog band (or maybe I mean that they wouldn’t apply a ‘prog lens’ to their own music) BUT their intentionality of texture (like when look at them without attempting to focus - I just see furious, exciting, incomprehensible woman) puts me in mind of it. When I let my eyes unfocus, and I stop trying to grasp the untamed lyrics - I see, or receive, the sexy, angry women-supporting-women of it all, and it washes inexorably over me. Maybe is a Prog music lens? Maybe it’s Maybeline? Maybe it’s McLuhanism? I love the efficiency and directness of  the message I’m receiving in these unfocused moments. How it self supports - how in granularity and in wide shot - word and deed - Bikini Kill says Yell as Well.   

Hot Dog Theory of Art Accessibility.

Art accessibility is an enormous topic, but I think about it as a hot dog. Being that it can be tackled from either end. Highly glossy, easily discoverable, eminently digestible, polished products at one end, that say “I’m for everyone!” - think streaming a MCU movie from Disney+ - whose tricks and technology are almost indistinguishable from magic; at the other end, zines. The accessibility of making zines (and by extension art and by extension anything), is their incredible power. That anyone would look at a zine I’ve made and think - “but, I could make this” - is for me, a zines‘ greatest power.   

Page 1 -

Juniper of the support act to Bikini Kill - Queerbait - at the Tiv. They were great, you should check them out!

[saintobio]

sincerely not. (16)

↳ gojou satoru/reader

with an arranged marriage set in place, the sacred bond is doomed with a wife who wants to make the relationship work and a husband who’s ready to ruin it all. unbeknown to him, a tragic fate already lies within the pages of his romance book.

genre. heavy angst, unrequited love, arranged marriage, modern au, 18+

tags/warnings. explicit smut (includes; pregnant sex, daddy n mommy kink, marking, voyeurism, slight humiliation), mentions of miscarriage, manipulation, mentions of sexual harassment, violence

notes. 14.1k wc. this was supposed to be longer but i had to cut the scene and just write it onto the next chapter. thanks sm for the beta @exorphic n @kazbrkker <33

series masterlist -> episode seventeen

Sera didn’t expect that she would dig herself a deep hole that went farther than the Earth’s layers just because of an error of judgement—a miscalculation. Now the consequences of her actions were met with scorching fury that exceeded the core’s hot surface. The ironic part of all this was the fact that what awoke her into reality was a nightmare in the name of Satoru Gojou. Ten months ago, the man showered her with saccharine promises of a blissful, comfortable life and a marriage of genuine love. Life was easier back then; she owned every inch of his heart and they were real lovers despite the stark difference in their social status. It was them against the world, them against the universe and all its vastness.

So, why has he changed his mind now? How come the woman he hated being married to was now taking Sera’s place as the rightful recipient of his heart? Surely, her fault in this situation was her failure to accept his words when he first decided to let go of her. Or when he admitted that it had always been you all this time. Sera’s pride was her hamartia and it made her an antagonist in a story where she was meant to be the protagonist.

This wasn’t her justifying the actual horrors of her actions, but the Sera that willingly put a pregnant woman in danger was a person driven by anger, jealousy, and spite. Her bitterness permeated her veins, flowed through her blood, and blazed her vexed mind. She wanted to inflict pain towards the people that betrayed her heart, but in return, she ended up having the repercussions bite her back.

If she had chosen not to give you that damned tea, stayed in her lane, and became the better person, maybe she wouldn’t have had a taste of karma splashing on her face like ice, cold water. Maybe she would have kept her decent-paying job and lived a quiet life, except she would have to suck it in and be tortured by the joyful face of her ex-lover who unabashedly anticipated his first child with his wife (not to mention he previously expressed disgust at the thought of having Sera’s). They said that the tables would turn, but how come she was always on the unfortunate side of it?

Being escorted out of the company she has worked for two years was not the humiliating part, it was the realization that there was no longer any ounce of affection left from Satoru that she hoped he still had.

But see it this way: Eula was the gas that fueled Sera's fire. Yes, that’s right. On the night when the revelation about your pregnancy infested the media, Sera was back in her room wrecking her things and screaming her deafening frustrations into the world. That same night, she had no choice but to call the woman she looked up to and ask her for advice.

“That woman… She has his child,” Sera sobbed through the phone at the time. “I-I thought she’s infertile. Why did—she can’t have a family with Satoru! Miss Eula, what do I do? I don’t want her to have him forever!”

She received an audible sigh of exasperation from the other line. “Goodness! Isn’t that frustrating? That wretched baby’s causing me stress! My husband’s even happy about it, too.”

“What do we do?” Desperate and hopeless was how Sera saw herself to be. “I want Satoru back… I want him… I c-can’t lose him like this, Miss Eula!”

“Get a hold of yourself!” the woman hissed at her. “Jesus Christ. Do something about it if you're that upset. I have no doubt he’s gonna parade her in his office soon.”

Sera sniffed and wiped her tear-stained cheek. “Do I confront her?”

Eula exhaled, clearly upset at the younger woman’s cluelessness. “Use your head! You can’t confront the legal wife in her husband’s office. Play the game and be smart. Act civil around her, give her your best wishes, and do your usual job in the office. Better yet, offer her snacks and some tea. Fool her with your kindness and silently stab her in the back.”

By this time, Sera already knew where this was going and she wasn’t sure if she could proceed. “I’ll p-poison the tea?” she clarified because that bit wasn’t clear. “I can’t… I hate her, but not that way.”

“She’s not gonna die because of a stupid tea. Just give her chamomile!” Eula’s irritation was rising from her throat. “You want revenge? Then just do what I say. He’s only in it because she has his heir, so don’t give him the privilege to have that abominable child with her. Learn from me!”

Clearly, that should have been the last thing that Sera did even in her most vulnerable state. Despite researching about the effects that the said tea could have on a pregnant woman, she trusted Miss Eula’s plans because she was a good example of a woman who had started from the bottom and earned her way to the top. Sera wanted to be just like her and so all morality was lost when she temporarily allowed her greed to course through her.

She shouldn’t have.

Yet, she was a grown woman who could make her own choices in life and the unfortunate (and clearly motivated) path that she took was to claim revenge on a pregnant woman and her husband. The difference between Sera and Eula was how the latter could have executed her plan a heck ton better than the former had and there would be no trace of guilt that could haunt the older woman. That was how she should play the game. Be cruel, be cunning, be unapologetic.

Sera, although hard to believe, was burdened by her guilt and devastation leaving her with no choice but to run back home in a tearful state. The void she created in her chest was growing larger with each step she took upon entering her home. It was hard to believe how a simple action that she did for a few seconds had resulted into a lifetime punishment of losing a job, a lover, and her dignity. This was the comeuppance that she should have seen like an asteroid coming down to destroy her whole life.

In the end, the love that she had for Satoru had dissipated into anger. And that anger had evolved into spite.

“Nee-chan, what’s wrong?” She heard her brother ask in worry as soon as she stepped inside the house with pale lips and obvious puffy eyes behind her smudged mascara. Her gait was also too languid not to notice.

“Sera, are you okay?” The follow up question was from her mom.

“Don’t cry, nee-chan!” As she fell on her knees and succumbed to her lassitude, it was her younger sister who embraced her in her arms and shared her woes.

Family. All she had left was her family.

She didn’t expect that Nari’s frail arms would give her the most comfort at a time like this. “It’s over,” Sera ended up blurting out loud as she wiped her eyes. “I lost my job and the boss that I was dating is a married man! I was his mistress.”

There was no violent reaction to her revelation. Her family only looked at her with sympathy before scooping her in their arms to provide her cold heart with warmth. Why are they not disgusted with me? Sera didn’t really want to label herself as a mistress since she was the first girlfriend before Satoru was arranged to you, but then she remembered the words you said back in Bora Bora.

“In everyone’s eyes, no one cares about who’s the first love. People care about who’s the one that they married.”

She had lost this game. She was the villain and she couldn’t accept it. She was supposed to be the main character in her fairytale, not you. Your marriage was supposed to be hollow and temporary. Satoru was supposed to end up with her.

“Sera, there are better men out there who can love you wholeheartedly,” her mother offered advice, one that Sera took with bitterness.

She was already scoffing at her mom when she pulled away from all three of them. “You’re one to talk, mom. The man you married can’t even provide for his family.”

Jiro took this chance to answer on behalf of his regretful mother. “Nee-chan, dad’s been sober for a month. He’s been looking for jobs just to repay you for—”

“A-About that…” Their mother’s shaky hands alarmed them. She was tearful and nervous, but Sera wondered why exactly she was acting that way. “The money we had left… Your dad used it to gamble. I-I had no idea he took the card and withdrew the money while I was asleep.”

Sera realized that it was better to get hit by a truck than to hear those sickening words from her mother’s mouth. That her revolting father had spent the last bit of money that they had to sustain their lifestyle all for a fucking game of poker. How about their rent? Their bills? Their everyday needs? She released her stress in the form of screams—so loud that it broke her vocal chords as she sobbed and threw the flower vase across the wall. She was thrashing like an unhinged person, destroying everything around her while she continuously wailed. Everything Sera had worked hard for was taken from her in a single day.

She didn’t deserve this. She deserved better than this.

“Sera—!”

“Onee-chan, wait—!”

No one should ever get in the way of an extremely angry woman because Sera was on the verge of self-destruction and her wrath led her to barge inside of her father’s bedroom, snatching his clothes off the closet, and throwing them straight out of the window. It didn’t stop there. She also started hurling his shoes and everything that he owned out of their house without much regret in doing so. In fact, it was cathartic for her because the last thing she wanted to see in her house was that curse of a father. His existence was an anathema to her.

“If any of you…” she warned, looking at her siblings and her mother with deathly fire burning in her brown eyes, “if any of you ever let that man inside this house again, don’t consider me family anymore.”

They didn’t chase after Sera when she walked out of the house and ran off without a specific direction. She just desperately wanted to leave because even the supposed comfort of her home was a heavy weight on her shoulders. There was no peace even around her own family and she was a minute close into falling apart. Where should she run off to now? Who would comfort a woman like her who just lost everything?

In truth, she had no one. She only had herself and the only person she could think of who had always been there to understand her sentiments was Naoya. A man not from the same status, but nonetheless cared for her well-being. He understood her better than anyone else and Sera was at a point where she could only run to him for comfort.

She didn’t even think twice about showing up at the Zen’in estate just to see him nor did she hesitate at enveloping the guy for an embrace the minute he met with her at the foyer because she needed him to soothe her aching heart. Initially, he had become frozen from her advances, but quickly softened up to stroke her hair.

“I-I did something terrible,” her voice was muffled as she buried her face in his chest.

But Naoya didn’t mind. “Wanna talk about it in my room?”

It had been a long, painful day. A day full of misery and retribution. Of tears and screams. She could tell that the universe had been waiting all along to let her pay for her sins and yet, it seemed like it was asking for more than what she deserved.

“Satoru kicked me out of the company,” she spoke again as soon as Naoya closed the door. His eyes assessed her body language while he leaned his back against the wall, arms crossed when he offered his two ears to listen to her. “I gave Y/N chamomile tea and I knew it was bad for her, but I saw red! I was… I was angry!”

Naoya put his arms down and became rigid. “Woah, you tried to harm her baby?”

Sera thought he understood her so well, so why was he acting as if he was looking at the most abhorrent creature he has ever seen? What happened to their connection where he always saw things in her perspective without prior judgment? Before she knew it, she was already approaching him closer in a manner to clear her name. “Wait, Naoya. Listen, I just followed Miss Eula’s advice. Sh-She told me to give Y/N—”

The blond man closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ll tell you something.”

And just like that, the mood has completely shifted. The disgust in Naoya’s eyes was no longer for Sera, but for the older woman whose name had just left her mouth.

“Eula,” Naoya began, taking slow yet measured footsteps as he circled Sera. “You know I treat her like a mom, right? I respect her. She wasn’t born with inherited wealth, but she worked her way to the top.”

Sera was nodding her head as she listened to every word that left his mouth. Her heart rate was slow and calm because there was nothing more relaxing than hearing Naoya’s voice.

And so he continued, “At first, I followed her around for advice because she’s smart and her mindset can help me strategize in business. But then… she was becoming obsessive towards me. Don’t you think that’s weird? I’m way younger than her! She took advantage of my kindness and tried to force herself on me. It’s really disgusting.”

Wow. Sera was speechless. She never thought that Miss Eula would go as far as preying on a man who was so much younger than her. How could she do such a thing? “I-I had no idea she was doing that to you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have listened to her.”

“She’s crazy,” Naoya stated, closing the distance between them by cupping her damp cheek. “You know what’s crazier?”

Sera kept her eyes on his.

“She’s jealous of you.” As the truth left Naoya’s mouth, something just clicked in Sera’s mind but the man took it by himself to voice out her thoughts. “She clearly wanted to ruin you when she told you to do those things. She knew you’d lose her job. She knew Satoru would hate you more. She knew you would be humiliated in front of his wife. She manipulated you because you were vulnerable.”

This… All of this! How could Sera not have seen it? Horror painted her face in realization because everything was now making sense except for one thing. “B-But why is she jealous of me?”

The corner of Naoya’s lips upturned. Along his smirk, he was brushing Sera’s lower lip with his thumb and gazing at her face with a gleam of adoration. “Why not? You’re young, you’re gorgeous, and you’re one of the kindest girls I’ve met. You’re also hard-working and genuine. You’d be so much more capable and powerful than she is now. Do you really think she’ll allow you to become a Gojou when you’d be a threat to her in the future?”

At that point, the tip of Naoya’s nose was pressed against hers. His minty breath brought heat to her cheek, intoxicating her with the affection that she has long yearned for.

“You’re the only one who truly understands me,” her voice broke when she said those words, and she was shamelessly gripping the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer. “You’re the only one who cares about me.”

Naoya raked his finger through her long brown tresses. “World’s cruel, isn’t it?”

It was such a shame how Sera had spent the past few months being hellbent on keeping Satoru by her side and convincing herself that he was the only man she could ever end up with. Why did she even believe such a thing? Naoya was here and he was a far better partner than Satoru could ever be. He listened to her, he appreciated her, he adored her… Sera should have just fallen in love with him instead of wasting all of her time on a man who was so easy to disregard her.

With all that in mind, her emotions drove her to press her lips on top of Naoya’s soft ones. She was kissing him without shame, kissing him with ardor, with gratitude. They were exploring each other’s mouths, engulfing the sweet taste of their tongue rolling against one another. She was unbuttoning his shirt, undoing his pants, pleasing him with all that she can because the feeling of being intimate with this man gave her the distraction that she needed. Naoya had become the antidote from the poison that nearly killed her heart and she was submitting herself to him with the belief that she should have been doing all this with him long before she allowed her life to be ruined by an ex-boyfriend who betrayed her love. Perhaps Naoya was her salvation. But with the way he pinned her against the wall and roughly sucked on the soft spot on her neck, his actions made her realize that he could be another form of damnation, too. He was heaven and hell. A sinner and a saint.

“N-Naoya.” First, his name escaped her lips with a soft, wanton moan.

The next, she was on her knees being pounded on by the man who glorified her body with praises she had never heard from her ex-boyfriend before. He fucked her like there was no tomorrow and paid no mercy at destroying her with the fast movements of his hips. While his nails left crescent marks on her flesh, it was added by the burning stretch on her scalp when he pulled her hair and met her buttocks with hard thrusts.

It was only then until Sera realized that the only way to be free from Satoru was to show him that someone of the same status could accept her for who she was.

About twenty-three miles away from the Zen’in estate, Satoru Gojou was in his penthouse delighting on the rollercoaster ride of having a pregnant wife and he would start it off by saying that he doesn’t ever want to get off this ride.

But before he would go to the good parts, there was something that had temporarily halted your domestic romance. The topic about Sera was still fresh and rumors in the office were varying for the most part because not everyone had directly heard his encounter with the ex-lover who tried to harm his child except for the security guards and the other two receptionists. Satoru was a volcano that exploded in front of Sera and he was spouting words like basaltic magma without paying attention to his surroundings because he was far too driven by the magnitude of his emotions. To think of it, how else would anyone expect a father and husband to react when someone tried to deliberately cause his wife’s miscarriage? He wasn’t overreacting. Protective maybe, but also reasonable without a doubt. A cup of chamomile tea would not instantly kill his child—it was the intention behind harming an innocent baby that made Satoru seethe in anger the most. Because if he had been lenient to Sera, what more unforgivable things could she have done in the future?

He gave Sera the benefit of the doubt for so long because he was the reason she was becoming a monster in the first place. He let her hit him, curse at him, and be all kinds of nasty to him in exchange for keeping his wife away from her rage. But that vile act she committed in the office? It was the last fucking straw.

Though, now that his volcano had exploded, he was back to his quiescence.

“I can’t believe she did that,” he voiced out his thoughts. In a bathtub at nine in the evening was where he lay still with a wife whose back was pressed against his toned chest. He had his arms around you, lips on your temple while his fingers were tracing your curve underwater. The fluff of white bubbles hugged your figure as you leaned back on his bare front and snuggled on his neck. “I was so angry. I felt like I was gonna be violent for once.”

The water reached up to his wife’s breasts, covering the slope of your flesh with suds. Even though the thought of Sera was still clouding his mind like an oncoming thunderstorm, your presence was what kept his mind calm.

“Don’t do that,” you reminded. “No matter how angry you are, violence isn’t the way to go.” You then pulled both of his hands and placed his palms directly on your tummy so he could feel your growing bump. The aroma of vanilla that came from the scented candles seemed to have made you drowsy and the cozy position you were in made things even more intimate.

Satoru wouldn’t even deny it. He loved bathing with you. He loved hot showers in the morning just as he loved your lazy bathtub sessions at night because it was considered quality time between a husband and wife. His heart had never felt this much bliss until he began sharing this domestic set-up with you and there was nothing in this world that could make him exchange all these little moments for anything else.

So instead of paying attention to the ex-girlfriend who nearly put his wife in danger, he decided that it was best to pamper you with love and affection. Sera had no place in his heart and mind now. Surely, you two still had plenty of time to talk about her uncalled for actions some other day when you weren’t prone to angina attacks because of extreme stress.

“Let’s not talk about her.” For your sake and his.

You looked up and offered a smile. “Okay. Why don’t we just talk about you, Mr. Gojou?” You pulled yourself up and had your husband holding your hand for support until you were able to straddle his lap. He must admit that it was a little stimulating how your knees brushed on his member as you moved. Or how big your breasts had gotten now that he had a full frontal view of them. “—up? Are you listening?”

Fuck. No, he absolutely wasn’t. In fact, he was only pretending when he cleared his throat and let his calloused fingers find your waist. “What were you saying?”

You may have rolled your eyes, but you still let your palms roam around his shoulders and in return made him chuckle. “I said, how do you think we should celebrate your birthday since it’s coming up?”

Satoru wouldn’t even have remembered his own birthday until you reminded him about it. All his mind could focus on was one question: who is this goddess of a wife? You must have come from another planet because there was no way a person could look as beautiful as you. Just everything—your eyes, your lips, your neck, your collarbones, your round tits, your delicious curves, your growing bump, your plump folds that were grinding against his thigh… Hold on, grinding?

He took a deep breath to keep himself together and held your hips as he forced his mind to think straight. Yes, your underwater mischief was certainly not an imagination. It seemed that you were indeed discreetly grinding your sweet pussy against his left thigh while placing a hand on his chest with doe eyes that feigned innocence.

“It’s just that…” Your chest rose up and down as you continued to undulate your hips by using his thigh to pleasure you. “You know, Ieiri called me this morning asking about my health and all, then she asked me if we had plans for your birthday since she didn’t want me to exhaust myself.”

Fine, Satoru would have to say that he was a loser at playing the no-touch game. He just couldn’t help his hands from traveling up to your chest, squeezing your breasts together before latching his mouth onto one nipple. He could hear your soft breathing when his tongue played with your bud—nipping, suckling, kissing. “Whatever you want, baby,” his voice was an octave deeper when he spoke before moving his mouth to your other bosom to give it the same attention as he did with your left one. “As long as I get to spend it with you. I don’t want you to tire yourself out just to celebrate it.”

You arched your back and gripped a fistful of white hair from the back of his head, clearly pleased by the skillful tongue that made your nipples a lot more perkier than before. “Mm.. Okay. How about a y-yacht cruise? With your best friends.”

By the time his mouth wandered off to your collarbones to leave hickeys everywhere, he could feel your hand reaching for the head of his now-throbbing cock that had become rock hard underwater. “Good idea,” he answered, marking your body while you began stroking his length. You tightened your hand around his thick girth, sliding your fist with ease because the water provided the lubrication that you needed. Satoru was already satisfied to fuck your pretty hand because he couldn’t risk rutting into you until you were out of breath. “Fuck, baby. Do you think we should—?”

“I can take it.” Dammit. The determination in your voice aroused him more than he already was. Along with the desperation in your eyes and the moans that left your parted mouth, your handjob skills seemed to have improved even underwater. He recognized that haze in your eyes, one that reflected the image of an animal in heat. It was taking over you. “Satoru, I want you. I’m going crazy here.”

Best part of pregnancy hormones? A very horny mommy.

It even looked like you would cry if he didn’t give it to you tonight. Satoru felt like he hit the jackpot with this and the way you were blatantly expressing your sexual needs was turning him on tenfold. “You’re so hot.” So hot and all his. So pregnant with his baby, too. “You want me to do what? Give me the specifics, honey.”

“I want your cock.” Goddamn were you straight to the point! Your enclosed hand tightened around his shaft, pumping him in the same pace and rhythm to how you rubbed your needy pussy on his thigh. “I want it in my mouth. Please… daddy? Can I please suck you?”

That kink of yours. Or was it his? Technically, he was a DILF-in-training so calling him ‘daddy’ did make sense. Still, how you desperately begged to have him just sent his ego up the ceiling.

And now that he mentioned it, his cute, sexy wife was a MILF, too.

“Why are you laughing?” Your eyebrows knitted in annoyance, and the hand that was pumping his cock was now hitting his chest. “What’s so funny?”

Satoru grinned and shook his head, grabbing your nape and smashing his peachy lips onto yours. There was a vibration from the hum that you released before you enveloped your lips around his, opening up to let his tongue invade every corner of your mouth. While both of your hands found their way to do the job on his cock again, his own hand cupped your pussy to rub your folds and separate the labia using his two fingers. Your cunt was plump and wet—regardless of the fact that your body was half-submerged on the tub—and Satoru was going feral at the thought of how good it must feel to fuck a pregnant pussy. He tested your tightness by inserting one finger through your hole and your walls were already clenching at a single slender finger. How much more if his cock was seven inch deep inside of you?

“Shit, baby. I might destroy you,” he breathed through your mouth, gasping before you tilted your head to shove your own tongue as deep as you possibly could. It was clear that you didn’t care because you were humping on his palm when he resumed orchestrating circular motions on your clit. You bit his lower lip as you twitched from the sensory overload and was left with no choice but to press your palms against his toned pecs. “Like that?”

“Fuck. Fuck. Yes,” you were moaning without a pause, closing your eyes to shut down all other senses except for the one down there. Since when did you even cuss this much? It was sexy. So fucking sexy. Your breasts were glistening under the ambient light as you threw your head back to savor the feeling of your husband’s fingers on your slick entrance. Satoru was at a loss of words upon seeing the sex goddess that he had unknowingly summoned and he was even more excited at pleasing his better half until you were whimpering and pushing his hand away. “Satoru, w-wait.”

“Hm?” He kissed your lips and pulled away with a smooching sound. By then, the wife was gesticulating her pointer finger upwards and commanding him to get up. Oh. It was daddy’s time. “Wait, babe. I got suds on my dick.”

You were both chuckling while he stood up and reached for the shower head, turning it on and allowing the water pressure to remove all of the suds on his pelvis and his cock. He used the showerhead to clean your now soap-free hands before he returned it back to its place, repositioning himself in front of a kneeling wife who looked up at him with docility and had him releasing traces of precum on his swollen pink tip. Imagine the view: he was towering over you, a seven-inch cock right above your face until you wrapped your hand near the base and laid your tongue flat on the skin under his length. You licked him from one corner to another as if you were an amateur pornstar who had done it countless times before. “This,” you referred to his dick, “is mine.”

“All yours, baby.” And with a mischievous smile at that.

No, actually, he was losing his mind. His frenzy was knocking at his door, ready to come out and fuck his wife all throughout the night. But the thing was, he couldn’t. You weren’t physically capable to handle marathon sex anymore. Gone were the days where he would spend his weekends trying out all these different sex positions with you. How has the time flown so fast?

“You’re so big,” you spoke breathlessly, swirling your tongue around his head before you proceeded to suck the precum off the slit. Good girl. He guided your face by touching your cheek, watching how you sucked him like a lollipop until you buried his cock into your mouth inch by inch. Slowly, slowly… holy shit!

“B-Babe,” he held his breath, eyes finding the ceiling to release his guttural moans. “Fuck, yeah.”

You were gagging on his shaft as you tried to fit all of his length down your throat, drool escaping the corners of your mouth while your uvula was being penetrated by his hardened member. The walls of your mouth were warm and tight—sending him into an orbit of immense pleasure as you began sucking your husband’s cock with your seemingly improved blowjob skills. He didn’t realize that he was roughly pulling your hair until he looked down and saw you teasingly batting your eyelashes up at him with hollow cheeks that acted as a suction to his twitching cock.

Well, you didn’t stop there. While Satoru was busy running his fingers through his white hair and throwing his head back with each salacious suck you did, you were on your knees bringing your lips on the tip of his cock before opening your mouth wide enough to suck him all the way to the base. Damn, you were deepthroating. At this point, your eyes were tearing up, your chin was against his bollocks, your nose was pressed on pelvis—did you hate it? No. Your face showed just how much you absolutely loved every second of it.

“Baby... That’s deep.” He couldn’t restrain the moans that flew out of his mouth left and right.

But when you released his cock with a pop, you continued pumping him with your hand and gave him the sexiest order he had ever heard from you. “Fuck my mouth and shoot your cum down my throat. I want every drop of it.”

Wide, sapphire eyes stared at you in surprise. Was he really talking to Mrs. Y/N Gojou right now? Was this woman really his wife? Before he could answer his own questions, you were already gripping his wrist and encouraging him hold your head in preparation for the face-fucking that you eagerly requested. “Shit. Are you sure?”

He got his confirmation when you licked the outline of his veins with a subtle grin. So that settled it then—mommy wants daddy’s cock, and who was he to deprive you of it? Just as you wished, he let his member enter your mouth while he gripped your head and angled it in a position where he could see his bulge on your cheek appearing and disappearing. He couldn’t help but display a playful grin at how he penetrated your inner cheek before he finally adjusted his cock down your throat. You already had a head start so there was no point at stalling things further when he slammed himself inside of your mouth in between rough thrusts. Each jostle was a gag from you and a low grunt from him, allowing a series of cuss words to ricochet off the tiled walls of your bathroom.

“Mm—!”

Just look at his wife. You didn’t even close your eyes when he fucked your mouth the way he would to your cunt, and despite the intrusion in your uvula, you were learning how to stretch your mouth around his cock in order to allow his penetration to go deep. Both of your hands were latching onto his knees to keep your balance and he could see the shape of your beautiful tits from the view he had up above.

His birthday was still in two days, but this already felt like an early gift.

“Fuck. Baby, fuck. That’s it.”

“Mm—mm!”

As soon as there was a coil of pleasure building up in his lower abdomen, he instantly knew that the next few seconds would end up with him shooting his load down to your throat. There was a wave of pleasure that washed his entire body and it wasn’t because of the water that surrounded you two, but because of the amount of semen he had ejaculated into your mouth.

“You’re so good, mommy.” He showered you with praises before he pulled out and saw you swallowing his warm seed like an obedient girl.

But to think that he had successfully done his job, he was wrong. You got up and crashed your lips onto his, wrapping your arms around your husband’s neck and pressing your chest on his toned ones while you two tasted each other’s mouth. Upon pulling away to catch your breath, that babyish pout and those pleading eyes of yours were back. “My turn, please?”

Satoru tucked a few strands of wet hair behind your ear concurrent to how he kneaded your bum with his other free hand. “You want me to eat you out, hm?”

“No,” you tugged his wrists. “I want you to fuck me. Hard and fast like usual.”

He was going to faint here. What and how the hell could he ever satiate such a needy wife? He had just released a huge amount of cum, and now another round was requested of him—not that he minded, but… was it safe?

“Can’t do hard and fast, mommy. Not safe for little munchkin,” he said, earning his wife’s displeasure. “And what if you run out of breath? You might get an angina attack.”

“But I can take it!” you whined, stepping out of the tub to leave your husband like a kid who was denied of her favorite candy.

Gojou chased you out of the tub and followed your footsteps when you headed towards the bathroom’s vanity and dried yourself up with a towel. “Okay, how about this,” he bargained, looking at your reflection on the mirror as he stood behind you, “we’ll have sex, but I’ll do it nice and slow. You have to tell me the minute your chest feels tight so I know when to stop.”

“Okay.” You faced him again, brushing your thumb on his lower lip before you gave him a soft, open-mouthed kiss. “Let’s do it.”

The question was: should he take you from the back or on the front? Satoru would consider the pros and cons here because he didn’t want to risk your health just for the sake of having sex with you.

If he took you from the back…

Pros:

You get to look at the mirror and watch him rawdog you from behind

He gets to see your ass

Cons:

He can’t hit it deep

He can’t kiss you

He can’t stare at your breasts

He can’t go nice and slow in this position

Your legs might give up if you stand for too long

If you did missionary above the vanity…

Pros:

He can be gentler with his pace

He can kiss you

He can watch all of you

You can lay your back against the mirror and let him do all of the job

He can see his cock going deep in and out of your cunt (What a dirty mind, Satoru!)

Cons:

You can’t see your goddess self in the mirror

No, there weren’t many cons here

The winner was obvious and he decided by himself without asking you of what you wanted because he could already tell that you would choose being fucked like a slut with how horny you were. But nope, not a chance, baby. He had to be gentle with his fragile wife.

So without a word, he hooked his forearms under your legs and hoisted you up above the vanity. “Satoru?” you asked, allowing him to spread your legs apart and give him a better view of your dripping pussy. He craved you just like how you craved him. The only difference was how he could still control himself while you were getting needier by the second.

“Is your back comfortable? Want me to put a towel behind you?” As soon as you nodded, he snatched the thickest rolled towel that he could find from the cupboard and placed it behind your back to offer as a cushion. Soon after, he leaned down to give you a soft kiss on the lips before he started trailing kisses on your neck, collarbone, and breasts—oh, this beautiful, tender pair. He suckled on one nipple and onto the other, flicking his tongue on the nub before he pulled away and began fondling the rounded mass and jiggling them playfully. “You’re the sexiest.”

You giggled, hands pressed atop the cold marble surface of the vanity. “Even when my tummy’s getting round?”

“Even if you get thrice as big,” he agreed, glancing at your belly and noticing how firm and round it had become. My baby’s in there. What if the next Einstein was from his own sperm? He was chuckling to himself at the thought before he planted kisses all over your small bump, speaking to his kid as though it could hear him. “Mommy and I will make love, so just sleep in there, okay? It’s rated X over here.”

Now it was time to start working. After attaching his lips onto your stomach, he moved away only to let two fingers rub your slick pussy. He stretched your labia and ejected his spit to use it as an added lubricant for your soaking entrance. “S-Satoru.” That’s it, baby. Moan for daddy. He was smirking before he dived in and encased his mouth on your pussy lips, French kissing the most sensitive part of your body by lapping it up with the use of his tongue. Your taste was his rhapsody and your mewls were just as dulcet. If your voice had a flavor, it would be sweet. Mellifluous. And your pussy? Heaven. Better than any other man could have in their lifetime. “A-Aah, m-more!”

His tongue was rolling inside of your core, lavishing the taste of your slick-coated cunt before he moved his wet muscle to your outer labia. Because your hole was free again, he inserted two fingers deep into your entrance all while his tongue played with your clitoris and its hood. Satoru was pretty good at multitasking, wasn’t he? Your legs were already shaking and he hasn’t even used his cock yet. Speaking of which, that cock of his had grown back to its glory and was pulsating because of how eager he was to be inside of you.

But back to his wife. Yes, his gorgeous, angelic wife who had her back against the mirror and her legs spread apart for the father of her child. You took the chance to grab a handful of your husband’s white hair when he simultaneously spoiled you with oral sex with two fingers deep inside of you. “Satoru, I-I c-can’t hold it in,” you begged, voice as shaky as your legs. “P-Please, fuck me.”

“Patience, honey,” he playfully reprimanded, but still doing as told by detaching his mouth from ravaging your cunt and withdrawing his fingers that were now sticky with your juices. He showed you how he sucked your slick from his digits before he positioned himself with your legs wrapped around his waist. However, maybe it would be fun to see how even more vocal you would become if he stalled things a little. “On second thought, daddy wants to hear more.”

You looked at him, confused. “What are you—baby, please. Don’t make me wait.” Your eyes gleamed in arousal. “Please, all of your cock inside me. Now.”

“How’s your breathing?”

“Fine!”

“Your heart?”

“I’m okay. Don’t worry about it, just…”

“How about your belly? Tight?”

“I said I’m okay!”

“You look like you’re about to cry. Can’t wait to have daddy’s cock?”

He knew what he was doing and he was a menace for it. You were already falling desperate to have him fill you up, but because he decided to have this little game, you went ahead and touched yourself as revenge. “Fuck you.”

The pearly whites of his teeth were visible as he grinned. “Oh, wife’s got a voyeurism kink, huh?” he teased, watching how you used your own fingers to make circular movements on your clit. He was getting hard just by seeing you touching yourself and he wanted to give you the same pleasurable view of your own. “In that case, I’ll join you.”

You were biting on your lip to prevent louder moans from coming out as you continued to play with yourself. He, on the other hand, was pumping his length because jerking off to a wife who was now fingering herself seemed like the naughtiest type of foreplay you two had ever done. “Satoru, please.”

“Yes, baby. Give me a minute.” He fucked his fist to the thought of you, grabbing your boob and squeezing it before he finally allowed his fat cock to meet your aching pussy. At first, he lubricated his shaft by grinding it between your folds, and with the assurance of being wet enough to enter your core, he sunk his swollen head in your moistened entrance and released a groan that came straight from his gut. “Ah—shit! You feel so tight.”

“Nngh!” You held onto the vanity and watched how your husband began moving inside of you. In ten seconds, half of his cock was in. In twenty, he was nearing the base. In a minute, his pelvis was finally pressed against your pubic region. “Satoru!”

“Does it hurt?” he asked because it was fucking good, but it might not be for you. “Tell me and I’ll adjust.”

You quickly shook your head. “No, no. It’s good. Please move.”

He was a simple man. He listened to his wife and obeyed her words if he saw no harm. The funny thing was, this situation made it look like it was the first time that you two were being intimate when you have already done it more than the days a calendar could offer. How else would a cute munchkin get inside mommy’s womb if not for the amount of lovemaking that you did before?

As much as he missed rutting into you at an animalistic pace, he could only do slow but rhythmic thrusts. Nonetheless, every slam made your breasts bounce and your velvet walls were clenching around his girth as though you were milking him of his cum.

“Y-Yeah, j-just like that!” Your dulcet moans were orgasmic to his ears and he spoiled you with a kiss on the lips before he increased his speed. “A-Aah—!”

Your hands held onto the surface for support, eyes on the ceiling as you allowed your husband to fuck your body with continuous slams. He could see the marks he had left on your chest turning purple and anyone would see those marks if you ever decided to wear an outfit with a plunging neckline. You were the canvas to his art of love and your body was the painting that reflected his passion.

Even more, Satoru was blessed with the sight of his wife’s swollen cunt that was adjusting to every ridge of his cock as your body naturally reacted to your husband with familiarity. Blotches of white liquid were staining his length and more of it had come out when you creamed all over his cock without preparation.

“Fuck!”

“Satoru, I-I’m cumming.”

“Me, too.”

And neither of you two saw it coming. Your back was arching, toes curling, knees shaking as he continued to ram himself into you through your overstimulation. There was no sign of a racing heart nor an oxygen deprived lungs so he enjoyed the exploding feeling of his own orgasm that made him release thick ropes of cum straight to your cervix. The steady rhythm had fallen sloppy and your face had morphed into both pleasure and relief. Along with the convulsive sensation that filled you to the brim, you were finally sated and pleased with the exchange of sensual gratification that your ever-so-generous husband had just given you.

“I love you,” he didn’t forget to say, kissing your lips before he pulled out.

If anyone was wondering, his wife was here. Beautifully naked. Radiant from the post-sex glow. Limp and reasonably exhausted. And most of all, pregnant from the husband that loved her with every fiber of his being.

You could no longer enjoy your wifely duties ever since Satoru hired an army of maids into your penthouse. Although they gave you privacy when needed, the simple household chores such as cleaning the house, folding laundry, and even cooking could no longer be done by you. You were handled with utmost care and were not allowed to do strenuous activities that could lead your body to fatigue. Frankly, all of this made you miss being your husband’s actual housewife instead of the queen bee he had turned you into your 72nd-floor beehive.

The only time you were only able to do more effort than intended was when you were possessed by a sex goddess last night (to which you were so embarrassed for the next morning, to which your husband also teased you for until afternoon). Satoru only decided that it was better to shut his mouth when you started glaring at him, deeming it safer not to mess with a pregnant wife.

But overall, he couldn’t exactly decline you when you asked if he could join you in grocery shopping that day.

“We have chefs,” he reasoned at first, “and we have maids who can go through the grocery list.”

Your response to his argument was to say that it would make you happy if he could just let you do it. You wanted to do it. He, as a husband, should let you do it.

“You get so overprotective sometimes,” you said, clinging to his arm as he pushed the shopping cart into the fresh produce section. Ah, more fruits and vegetables. You should have expected that.

“You can’t blame me. I just want you and baby safe,” was his reply, stopping when you reached the section of apples ranging from granny smith’s to fuji’s. He checked each apple with careful eyes as though he was thinking of which between the two similar fruits was better for you. Did he study a list of food that was good for pregnant women? His mom must have provided him with all the information he needed.

Satoru deserved a kiss on the cheek and so you gave him exactly that while he was busy choosing from the apples among the many selections they offered in this store—all of which made you realize, as cheesy as it might be, that the apple of his eye was you. “Fine, I like it when you’re protective.”

He brought his lips to your temple and rubbed your baby bump with his hand. “I’d be an angry tiger if anyone tries to harm mama cat.”

“Silly.” Rolling your eyes with a smile, you then moved to the next section.

Something that you had noticed whenever you were out with your husband was how people would always send you looks of interest. It was either they recognized Satoru ‘the famous handsome heir’ or they simply loved how you two exuded a lovey-dovey couple’s image. He had gotten used to the attention he was receiving because he was a magnet that attracted it way before you were his betrothed, but because you were now his wife, everyone had also started to pay close attention to you. You could never forget how one person from Twitter just said, ‘They’re such an attractive couple. Their baby would look like an angel,” and the sweet message made you all the more excited to meet your little munchkin.

“Oh, can I get this roasted sesame dressing for my salad?” you inquired your husband who looked attractive with his grey pants and half-unbuttoned white shirt from work.

He assessed the Kewpie bottle before giving a go signal. Or no signal in this case. “Contains mayonnaise. You can’t.”

“Hey!” you complained. “Only homemade mayonnaise is bad for me. This is commercial made. It’s completely safe.”

His sigh sounded like he didn’t want to give in. “Fine. We can deal with that.”

This man… You shook your head in disapproval. You swore to God, you would make him run to a convenience store at two in the morning to get the most random food and play it off as a craving if he decided to be strict with what you ate. He even lessened the junk food in your walk-in pantry because excessive sodium was bad for your health, especially for your heart. But who said anything about ‘excessive’? You were fine to eat a pack of Cheetos or two.

You two continued walking along the aisle while you had your hand on your stomach—something that you were instinctively doing to make sure that your baby could feel your presence. And all was fine and dandy until your husband entered a specific aisle.

Teas and coffees.

Something just snapped inside of him. The gentle, playful face that he was plastering earlier was now replaced by anger and frustration. The memory of Sera’s spiteful actions brought a sense of unfulfilled revenge from Satoru and you were about to tell him to let it go until he pulled his phone out and dialed a specific number.

“Miwa,” he greeted in a low voice, turning around and pretending to look at the row of coffees in front of him. “Do you have access to the company’s scholarship grants?”

You stood there behind the cart in silence. Scholarship?

Satoru spoke to his secretary again. “Yeah, I need you to terminate the one under Jiro Iwasaki. He doesn’t need it anymore.”

Iwasaki. That was Sera’s last name. Was that person related to her? He must be, because there was no doubt that Satoru was doing that as a payback to his ex-girlfriend who tried to deliberately harm his unborn child.

You didn’t speak up until he ended the call and looked at you as if nothing happened.

“Babe, let’s go—”

“Who’s Jiro to Sera?” you questioned, carefully watching the mask of austerity that casted his face.

He avoided your eyes and kept a stolid mien. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Satoru,” you adjusted the tone of your voice as a warning, “you know what’ll happen if you don’t answer me straight.”

You two would argue here in a very public place if need be. He seemed to understand that there was no way out of this except to be honest. “He’s Sera’s brother. I haven’t met him, but my dad offered him a scholarship so Sera would stay away from me.”

“Why are you punishing the poor boy?” You crossed your arms and earned his sigh. “Sera hasn’t been the nicest, but who knows how much that scholarship means to her brother? He has nothing to do with this. Don’t ruin a harmless person’s life.”

“She tried to ruin yours,” he countered despite your resolute voice. “And my child’s harmless too, isn’t he? But what did she do? She’s probably planning to put your life in danger. She should take this as a lesson.”

You chose not to argue with him further for your peace of mind because Satoru could never be convinced to take it easy on Sera. In the end, you couldn’t really blame him. He felt betrayed and he was scared for the safety of his baby, especially at the rate of her anger. It was understandable how he hired more bodyguards to keep an eye on you because sometimes people could do crazy things when they’re overtaken by rage, but wasn’t he the best example of that? Had he forgotten Bora Bora?

Little did he know, you called Miwa later that night to ask for more information about Sera’s brother. Your husband’s secretary promised not to tell him that you asked about it because she understood what you were trying to do. After all, she was in a situation where she had siblings to care about, too.

With a plan set in mind, you dialed your own trusted assistant to silently lay out your instructions while your husband was busy talking to the chefs. “Hi, Akari. Can you maybe award Jiro Iwasaki with a scholarship grant under my name? He studies at the University of Tokyo.”

Toji normally followed a consistent daily schedule that was already packed throughout the week. Everyone in the building knew that if they wanted to speak to the CEO, the appointment must be booked and the earliest he would be available would be the following week. His job was hectic and time was gold. God, how original was that motto? But it was true. Every second mattered and he wasn’t the type of man who would waste his time lingering around on a weekday and not dealing with important business matters.

Yet here he was, making an exception for his good friend.

Gen was in dire straits. He knew the moment she asked to meet up for a ‘quick chat’ at the café near their office that she was going to talk about anything else but business. This woman could handle a financial conglomerate all on her own so why would she need Toji’s help? The obvious answer: it was about you.

He had been colleagues with Gen since college and he was familiar with how protective of a sister she could be. Only her family could put stress on her face, that crease on her forehead, that inverted slope on her lips—yup, she wasn’t the least bit happy.

“Everything alright?” he asked over a cup of hot brewed coffee and freshly baked croissants. They had specifically chosen a spot saved for the VIPs, one that was usually reserved for private meetings since this café was in the heart of the central business district.

Gen stared at the table with an empty gaze. She seemed to be thinking deeply before she looked up and met his eyes. “Toji, can I trust you with information that you can never, ever share with anyone?”

Here we go. He could already tell what it was about without Gen specifically disclosing it to him. In fact, her question was just for formality. She had already put enough trust to even meet with him here. “Go ahead. You have my word.”

“About my sister,” she didn’t hesitate to cut to the chase, drawing a deep breath and releasing it into a weary exhale, “I know you and her have this connection that I wasn’t expecting you guys to have. You know, she doesn’t have that many guy friends so I take it she trusts you completely for her to stick around.”

He gave a nod as a response. “Why? Something going on with her?”

Gen opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Only empty sighs and eyes that glanced over the window as though the answer to her dilemma was to stare at the men and women in business attires who were walking on the street. After a minute of contemplation, she finally returned her gaze back to him and spilled her mind, “I got someone to investigate on Satoru and there’s just… I learned so much about him.”

“Good or bad?” he asked, pretending not to know.

“Mostly bad.” Gen was obviously feeling tense. “He has a mistress.”

Toji’s breathing was static for a good minute. “Had,” he clarified, much to her surprise. “Not anymore.”

“So y-you knew?” Her eyes had become round. “Y/N told you, huh? Oh my, God. I feel so stupid. I knew it, I knew she was going to confide in you because she was scared that I’d be lashing out at Satoru if she told me. I can’t believe I treated that bastard like my own brother!”

As a man himself, he couldn’t really speak ill about another woman’s husband because this wasn’t his marriage. “Gen, I’m not really in the position to be your sister’s spokesperson.”

Although your sister was smiling, the tension on her face was still there. It was the most vivid expression that could be read on her face. “I know, and I’m sorry for wasting your time on this. I’m just on a deadend right now. I can’t speak to my dad about this yet. I can’t confront Satoru directly because heaven knows what I would do. Then there’s my sister, she’s in her first trimester. It’s gonna stress her out and I promised myself that whatever I find out about her husband’s affair, I’ll keep it to myself until the time’s ready. I already suspected that he was cheating on her, but confirming it really disgusted me.”

“You’ve only heard one side of the story,” he considered, keeping a neutral voice as he spoke. Toji guessed that Gen’s knowledge did not exactly reach the part where her sister was suffering a heart condition because otherwise she would have mentioned it by now.

“I honestly don’t need to hear Satoru’s side of the story,” she spat while gripping the coffee mug tighter. “He hated the marriage, cheated on my sister out of spite, probably treated her like shit the whole time. You know how I found out? Someone tipped me to speak to Mei Mei, their finance director. I run the finance industry in this country so imagine how easy it was for me to get her to spill all the things she knows. How he was dating his father’s previous secretary, how he brought her to Bora Bora along with my sister, how he apparently took her to a hospital thinking she was pregnant. He deserves none of my sympathy!”

Any normal person would think that Gen was being petty for revealing Satoru’s scandals to his biggest company rival. Why? Because Toji could easily use this information and ruin Gojou’s image to the public. Just one anonymous word to the media and the Gojou Group would foresee a massive drop on the stock market. While that may be true, Gen was actually being smart. She knew that Toji's loyalty was where common sense lies. She was aware that if he wanted to ruin Satoru, he would have done it long ago because you’ve basically revealed the downsides of your marriage to him since your first encounter at the auction. But see, even if he had been aware of your husband’s shortcomings—his neglect, his infidelity, his greed—Toji stayed in his lane and never let himself get caught in the middle. That was why Gen found the assurance to tell him everything that she was able to gather from her little research.

“So what do you plan to do?” he inquired because he couldn’t exactly comment about your marriage. “Y/N’s health is top priority. She has a baby. You don’t wanna risk her.”

Not just because she’s pregnant, but also because she has a fragile heart, he silently thought while hoping that Gen would do the right thing.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand her boundaries. “No, I’ll deal with it behind the scenes. First, I wanna know who the mistress is. Then I’ll consult my husband about the legal consequences that Satoru could face on the grounds of a divorce if my sister ever ends up deciding on it. She told me she’s not thinking about a divorce anymore, but I’ll have everything prepared in case she changes her mind. I’ll eventually pull out our investments from the Gojou Group, too.”

Toji surely loved the sight of this businesswoman getting her work done impeccably. Maki and Mai should learn from her. Of course, Gen of all people would make sure that her family’s assets would not be affected by being one step ahead, but a small part of him also wondered about this, “What if Y/N never pursues a divorce?”

“That’s exactly my problem,” she admitted, slumping. “Look, our families will never be the same. I can’t look at him the same anymore. I can solve math easily, but what I can’t understand is why my sister would stay with someone who treats her like that.”

He smiled. “There’s no equation to her reasoning,” he told her straight to the point. “It’s love. Regardless if they have a baby, regardless if he used to neglect her as a wife, we don’t know what else they shared within their marriage. We know the ugly parts of it, but do we know the good parts? Do we know what kind of connection they must have shared for him to suddenly have a change of heart? It’s not a one way street. If you count the number of terrible things he might’ve done, you should also think of the positive efforts he willingly showed her. Your sister thinks that way—she’s handing out hope and sympathy like they’re flyers.”

The only reaction Gen could express was to massage her temple and think it through. “I understand she has an altruistic nature, but I can’t help but be worried. I want her to realize that it’s okay to take a step back if she’s being wronged. She just needs to escape that strong connection she has with him.”

“That’s gonna be difficult,” his honesty was better said than not. “I always see them like this. She’s the star and he’s the black hole. Gravity attracts her to him and once she’s sucked into that void, it makes him inescapable.”

Was that a good analogy? Toji felt like he had been way too poetic with that one.

“You’re right. That’s basically how they are ever since they were kids,” she claimed, nodding to herself while possibly recalling her childhood memories. “It’s sad because Satoru loved her so much back then so I don’t know why he would do these things to her now.”

He offered a shrug. “Experiences can change a person.”

Toji didn’t think that Gen would suddenly widen her eyes as though she just remembered something from his words. And as soon as she recollected her thoughts, she was quick to speak up. “There’s actually something else I found out about Satoru,” she revealed in intrigue, “his stepmother was sabotaging him all this time. She was paying Mei Mei to do all the dirty work and oust him from becoming the CEO. Remember that project he had planned for the Art Museum? Construction almost started, but he couldn’t finalize it because the allotted budget was miscalculated so his father got furious.”

He, too, was a businessman. He could understand how tough and pressuring it was to run a conglomerate especially if you were the sole heir, so for Satoru to have all these nasty people sabotaging his business plans, it was beyond unbelievable. But then again, it must be the taste of his own karma. Satoru was still young and could learn from his mistakes, but what he should also watch out for was the people he was closely dealing with. A suffering husband would bring a suffering wife down with him. Toji couldn’t let you go through that much stress.

“I think you should deal with this the right way, Gen,” he advised, once and for all. “You discovered so many things about him. If you wanna confront Satoru, it might be best to keep your sister out of it.”

How ironic was it that while he was talking to your sister, he suddenly received a text message with your name on the notification?

You: Hey, Toji! :) I’m here on 4th Street. Can I meet up with you quickly?

You: I just have to drop off my very overdue gifts for Maki, Mai, and Megumi

Right. It had been awhile since he last saw you, hasn’t he? Toji looked up at Gen and told her the sudden situation. “Gen, I think Y/N’s coming here right now to see me.”

“What—” The woman panicked and scrambled to reach for her bag. “No, I can’t be seen here with you. I told her I’m gonna be too busy all day. I just can’t face her right now or else I’ll—”

“Run your mouth?” chuckled Toji, nodding understandingly. “It’s okay. You definitely shouldn’t talk to her while you’re still overwhelmed.”

Gen nodded in agreement, getting up from her seat and gesturing her leave. “Okay, well I’m gonna go back to my office now. I trust you, Toji.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he promised, watching as the CEO of Creston left in haste with the click and clack of her heels echoing through the distance.

Toji had to wait until Gen had completely left before he deemed that the coast was clear. And it didn’t really take long for you to arrive after he texted you his exact location, except he wasn’t expecting another man’s presence along with yours.

That said man was none other than the white-haired, blue-eyed husband that was the main topic between his and Gen’s conversation not more than a few minutes ago. There were two things he found strange here: firstly, since when did Gojou accompany you while meeting up with him? Second, why wasn’t he showing any signs of animosity? Toji could still remember how the man threw a tantrum when he picked you up at the Zen’in estate last time, and although many things had happened since then, he didn’t think that Satoru would look like a tamed animal next to his wife.

“Toji, hey!” As for you, his heart softened when he saw that bright smile on your face. That smile where your cheekbones were prominent and your eyes were shining. Your bump wasn’t visible underneath your coat dress, but it was definitely there. He concluded that you must be having a happy pregnancy because your radiance was blinding. “Oh, were you with someone?”

He cleared his throat, noticing how your eyes scanned the seat, and realizing that Gen’s coffee mug was still there. “Ah, that… I had a meeting with an investor,” he played it off before acknowledging your husband who pulled a seat for you. “Hey, how are things?”

Satoru took his seat next to you with an arm secured behind your backrest. “Been better. My wife wanted to see you and I had to keep an eye on her.”

“For what?” Toji quipped. “She’s not gonna cheat on you.”

With a deep breath, the white-haired man restrained the visible jealousy building inside of him. Why did Satoru not get angry? Was it because of the hand you placed on his lap? Or perhaps the way you might have squeezed his hand under the table? “It’s not that. She’s pregnant and fragile. I have to make sure she won’t be collapsing out of nowhere.”

Oh. For a moment, Toji traded looks with you as if you two could understand each other’s thoughts telepathically. The nod you sent him gave him the idea that Satoru was already aware of your heart condition. No wonder he was protective, but how exactly did that conversation go? He suspected that it was a heartfelt moment for the man to realize how much his wife was suffering because of him. Toji had been there. Toji could understand the fear of losing a wife.

“Well, it’s good that you’re keeping an eye on her,” he told your husband before he turned his head towards you. How was it that he couldn’t resist having a soft heart with just one look at your face? “Congratulations on the baby.”

He couldn’t even keep his eyes off you when your glowing face lit up from those simple words. “Thank you, Toji.” As you smiled, you were also caressing your belly under the table as if your baby was listening to the conversation. He wouldn’t really doubt how much motherhood would suit you since you were kind and nurturing—some of the main traits that any man would dream to have from their wife. He was about to ask how you were going to handle your pregnancy now that you couldn’t take nitrates, but he was cut off when you suddenly reached under the table to hand him a paper bag. “My gift for the kids. It took me a while, huh?”

“I’m sure they’ll be excited to fit them.” Toji accepted your gift with a smile that he rarely gave anyone. If any employee from the Zen’in Group was here, they would definitely be intrigued to see how their strict boss was smiling on a hectic weekday. Why not? Your happiness was contagious. “Mai already convinced Maki and Megumi to have their little photoshoot while wearing the clothes so their followers can see your designs.”

Your features softened exactly like he did. “I miss them so much.”

“They miss you, too.” He watched the small pout on your lips, then placed his focus back to your eyes. “Did you really sew these?”

Even with your makeup, you were a natural. “Yeah, just Maki’s actually. It was the least complicated to sew, but I’m learning. My seamstress and I work at the studio every day.”

Before his presence would be forgotten, Satoru finally decided to chime in and remind the two of them that he was still there. “She’s so passionate about it. Wouldn’t even let me disturb her while she’s designing and cutting patterns.”

At least, Toji was glad that your husband was supportive of your dreams. You never would have been confident to pursue the industry if you weren’t given a boost of motivation. “I’m really glad you’re doing something you love, Y/N.”

“Yeah, well…” You grinned. “I still have a long way to go. You may need to chase Moncler and give them that leasing space.”

A low chuckle left his scarred lips. He was about to make another ‘Mrs. Zen’in’ joke until he saw the look on Satoru’s face. The man didn’t seem aggressively jealous, however. He appeared more like a puppy who wasn’t getting enough attention from his owner. How funny was that sight?

“I’ll support whatever you want,” was what Toji ended up saying to you, “I always will.”

While Satoru found his silence, you reached for Toji’s hand atop the table and squeezed it in gratitude. “I’m so grateful for you, Toji.”

“—I think you’re mistaken here. My brother isn’t supposed to pay for fees. Why is he being disenrolled for his classes?” Sera questioned the woman behind the registrar. “He has a scholarship grant.”

Considering the stress she had gone through for the past week—the rumors, the lack of job, the tight budget—Sera could barely get any sleep and it was driving her insane. They couldn’t even pay the house rent for the next three months and now her brother was apparently being asked to pay for tuition fees when he wasn’t supposed to. She wasn’t really planning to go to his university, but after finding out that Jiro was working two jobs a day just to earn enough and pay the fees, Sera knew she had to do something.

Strangely enough, the woman at the cashier denied her claim. “I’m sorry, Miss Iwasaki. We’ve already confirmed with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Your brother’s scholarship has been terminated.”

What?! Sera shook her head frantically. “No, no. Wait, that can’t be…” This should be Satoru’s decision. This was his revenge!

“I’m sorry,” the woman continued behind the glass wall, “The fees would have to be settled before he can take his classes.”

No… Sera felt like the ground she was standing on was splitting into two. She wasn’t really expecting that the outcome of her actions would lead to this, and she was even more devastated that the man she loved would go as far as ruining her family’s life. Did Satoru even love her at all? How could someone who once made an oath to love her unconditionally do something like this? Her chest felt tight. Constricted. Her heart was bleeding from the pain and heartbreak that she was feeling.

How else could she save her brother now? Her guilt was chastising her soul knowing that this was all her fault. This was her comeuppance and whether she liked it or not, her family would suffer on behalf of her.

Her lips were quivering when she decided to walk out of the university registrar, but upon exiting the place, she was stopped by the same woman who incessantly denied her claims not long ago. “Hang on, Miss Iwasaki.”

Turning around, she was met by the apologetic eyes of the woman and a student assistant who was carrying a file in her hand. “Please accept my apologies for the confusion. It seems that the files were not updated,” said the lady. “A full scholarship was recently granted to your brother under Mrs. Y/N Gojou.”

“C-Come again?” Sera looked at her in surprise.

“It was filed the same day the previous one was terminated,” she confirmed, stapling the papers and placing them back on her desk. “Looks like your brother has nothing to worry about.”

She couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t absolutely wrap her mind around this. A scholarship grant by you? After she literally tried to harm your child because of her jealousy? Sera was in complete disbelief and felt like she was going to faint from the sudden news. This might be staged, too. Maybe you got Satoru to cancel the scholarship and placed it under your name so you could antagonize her even more? That must be the reason because there was no way in hell that you would help her.

No, you couldn’t be too kind like that. Or were you?

Sera couldn’t answer all the questions in her head and the only time she got distracted was when her phone started buzzing nonstop. She withdrew the gadget from her bag and saw the caller ID of the very woman she wanted to avoid. Miss Eula.

Still, she couldn’t really just ignore her after everything. Perhaps this was also the best opportunity to tell her that she no longer wanted to associate herself with her. “Hey, Miss Eula?”

“Sera, we need to talk. Be quick and come meet me at this place. I’ll send you the address,” the lackadaisical tone of hers suggested that she wasn’t one to care about the things that had happened to Sera because of her wrongful advice.

And although the older woman made her seethe inside, she had to give in. “I’ll be there.”

The address wasn’t a sketchy place that could have led to her being kidnapped like they did in the movies. It was actually a private balcony of a 5-star restaurant that overlooked the Tokyo bay. It didn’t really surprise Sera to see Miss Eula with her fur coat, huge sunglasses, and ostentatious jewelry when she met with her at a reserved table that had the best view of the city.

“Sit down,” she ordered, taking her sunglasses off and scrutinizing Sera’s face. “I heard about the stunt that you pulled in the office.”

Sera held her breath. “Stunt? You’re the one who encouraged me to do it, Miss Eula. My life’s ruined.”

“Oh, please. You’re a big girl. You act like I held you at gunpoint so you could do it,” she released a scoff, totally unbothered as she sipped on her red wine. “Besides, your relationship with Satoru can’t be saved. He’s in love with his wife.”

Balling her hands into fists, she couldn’t control the way she spoke with gritted teeth, “Then, why did you want to see me?”

She didn’t even want to get started on the rumors that had spread like wildfire in the office. Sera was labeled as a homewrecker and a child killer—both of which varied depending on the story. One rumor suggested that she tried to poison you because of her jealousy which was why Satoru furiously stormed off to see her. Another rumor suggested that she harassed you because she was angry that she couldn’t legally bear Satoru’s child since she was an alleged mistress. The weirdest rumor of all was how Sera was accused of blackmailing you for money because she apparently knew some things that the public were not aware of.

Like what? That Satoru was only meant to use you in the beginning?

Either way, those rumors eventually stopped because Satoru’s father handled everything to protect his son’s image now that he was expecting a grandchild from his precious daughter-in-law. All employees would be immediately terminated, even sued for defamation, once caught spreading rumors about his son’s infidelity. So what had happened to the man who unapologetically abused his son? Was he just protecting him to lessen the damage of a foreseeable conflict with investors?

Surprisingly, that was not the topic Eula wanted to talk about when she spoke again, “I don’t give a damn about Satoru and his wife. I already realized that a baby can’t get in my way,” she claimed, setting her wine glass back on the table. “I wanna talk about Naoya. Did you think I wasn’t aware that you’ve been seeing him a lot these days?”

Naoya. Sera remembered his warning about this woman when they last saw each other and the memory started flooding her head like a waterfall.

‘She’s obsessive’, he said. ‘She’s jealous of you’, he said. The obvious fury in Miss Eula’s eyes was a clear indication of how true Naoya’s words were and Sera was revolted by it.

“What about it?” She crossed her arms and held her chin up high remembering how this was the exact gesture you did when you confronted Sera before. “Naoya and I like each other. He’s respectful of me, he understands me, and he doesn’t take me for granted. Please leave him alone, Miss Eula. He told me he feels disgusted with you.”

Miss Eula clenched her jaw. “What did you say?” In a span of three seconds, the older woman lost it. “How dare you say that!”

“Aah—!” Sera yelped when the crazy woman splashed wine all over her face, staining her favorite white dress that she wore on her first date with her ex-boyfriend. “Miss Eula!”

“What, you’re seducing Naoya and now you think you’re better? You leech!” she brutally spat while Sera hastily grabbed a napkin to wipe her face. “Listen here, Sera. You wanna know why you can never win Satoru’s heart and live a lavish life just like mine? Because you’re too ambitious. You’re trying so hard to belong to a place where you don’t fit in. And no, don’t tell me to look in the mirror. At least I managed to marry a wealthy man and I admit that I’m a gold digger. Meanwhile, you’re out here trying to convince everyone that you’re not after Satoru’s money. Isn’t that why you’re leeching off of Naoya, too? You want his money and status because you can’t have it from Satoru anymore.”

She hoped that the woman could feel the fire burning through her glare. If only looks could kill. “That’s not true, I really am not after the money—”

“Don’t feed me with your bullshit.” Eula spitefully laughed. “I’ve been there, darling. I know how women like us become desperate when we no longer have other resources. But let me tell you this, stay away from Naoya if you don’t want trouble coming your way.”

Obsessive. Again, Naoya was right. Instead of succumbing to her threat, Sera chose to stand on her ground. “Why would I stay away from him? What are you to him? Because as far as I know, he wants to throw up whenever he sees you.” She then unbuttoned her blouse and showed the marks on her collarbone, marks that made Eula’s nose flare in absolute rage. “I slept with him and we both liked it, so why would I stay away from him when he clearly wants me?”

“You—!” The older woman lunged at Sera, grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling it as she screamed in anger. Eula was acting like an animal that had gone wild and it was so unexpected that she would ever let her emotions go out of control just because of a younger man who wanted nothing to do with her.

“You’re crazy! Let me go!” Sera desperately tried to break free even though her scalp was burning from the stretch. “I’m gonna tell your husband that you’re sexually harassing a younger man! You’re a freak!”

Eula let go of her, only to slap her cheek in return. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare! I’ll kill you!” her warnings were added with another slap. “And how dare you say Naoya hates me when we have a mutual relationship! Stop creating your own narrative just because you’re unhappy with your pathetic life. He’s mine!”

Sera held her swollen cheek and let out a disgusted scoff. “You’re delusional, Miss Eula. Go visit a therapist. Satoru was right about you all along. You’re sick in the head.”

“And you’re a wannabe slut who tried to kill someone else’s unborn child!” Eula returned a nasty remark after she took umbrage from Sera’s words. “You can’t ruin my life. You’re just a poor, irrelevant girl trying to make a desperate entrance to high society. Leave him alone or you’ll regret it. Stop trying to be me so badly.”

There was no need to fall into Eula’s trap. Sera learned that the best way to deflect her manipulation was to go against her.

“I’d rather die than to end up like you.”

jjk general taglist: @kity @deeznutss @suhkusa @wonyoschubs @the-golden-jhope @6mattsun9 @hokageyamz @ermahgerd-larry-and-ziam @crashica @aizawap @juniorhooter @atsumusoup @gxtitobxby @strawberries-en-cream @dora-the-grownup @softy-woo @tsumume @kac-chowsballs @anime-nymph @kageyamakock @onlyonew @underratedmage @katsulovee @crapimahuman @alicia-1725 @fatal-impact @drippedcream

sincerely not taglist: @itsnotsoni @pluviophilefangirl @daphnxy @Icveaesop @choso-bee @sparklingblacktea @omisemi @captainchrisstan @http-strawbebbies @buttercups145 @xllance @jonsncws @and-you-found-me @tobiotetsu @jeonjungkookismyfuture @d-efend @honouredsatoru @my-reality-is-in-my-head @blueowl51 @misslovingpearl @cuteissei @japanesevenom @borpcorp @ushi-bakatoshi @idyllicodyssea

[btsmosphere]

Firstly, congratulations on your milestone, well deserved!

I am here for the drabble game, love this pick and mix idea!

So can i request:

Taehyung, idol neighbour au, strangers to lovers (suggestive if thats ok)

prompts:

Hiding and "I'm used to it."

Can it be for a mxr (fem reader please)

Thank you! Love your writing, can't wait to read! 🖤

~summary: your busy life hasn't given you the chance to meet your neighbour, until a crowd outside your apartment block brings you together ~pairing: taehyung x reader ~ceo!reader, idol!taehyung, neighbours, strangers to lovers, fluff, suggestive ~word count: 1k ~rating: pg ~warnings: swearing, a tad suggestive

~a/n: another drabble! thank you so much my lovely!! this was a fun one, I really hope you enjoy it and thank you for playing💜 this story is part of my drabble game, and requests are still open! for any of you who have seen it and considered, I would seriously love to get some more requests, so don’t hesistate!

Your journey home wasn’t too long, something you were thankful for. Having risen through the ranks of a big company, you always worked hard, but there were inevitably days when you wanted nothing more than to collapse onto your sofa and not move for hours.

Today was one of those days.

But when you turned the final corner of your route home, your dreams of Netflix were swiftly crushed.

At the foot of your apartment complex, spreading a little way along the pavement, was a crowd of people. Their clamouring reached you from across the street, and you noticed several holding up cameras.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened, given the area you lived in. Many rich and famous people lived in this district, and you had opted for this place in particular thanks to its high security and luxury apartments.

Unless some serious shit had gone down at work since you left twenty minutes ago, you were fairly certain the crowd wasn’t for you. That was something, but it didn’t change the fact you weren’t going to be able to make it inside anytime soon without leaking your address to the world.

Sighing, you dug your mask from your bag and slipped it on, just in case.

You made a beeline to avoid the rabble outside your home, instead going around your building to the back, where you could wait it out.

There was a back entrance, but it was usually for things like deliveries, so your key wouldn’t open it. Luckily, the crowds didn’t seem to be aware of its existence, as there was no one around this side when you got there.

The moment you stepped into the alcove where the doorway nestled, you were proven wrong.

A yelp startled you, realising too late that there was a man here already. He was very well concealed, only visible now you were round the corner.

Wide eyes stared from underneath a cap, a mask also covering the lower half of his face. His gaze darting behind you briefly, a faint frown appearing on his brows when he found nothing there.

Understanding quickly dawned on you.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t bring them with me,” you chuckled, “I guess you want to avoid them too?”

Blinking, the man raised his head so you could see a little more of his face, though he still looked bewildered. Adorably so.

Wow, it must have been a long day if you were crushing on someone that quickly. You needed to pull yourself together.

After a moment, he leaned forward, speaking in a low voice, practically a whisper.

“You live here too?”

You nodded.

“Is it you they’re after, then? Damn, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, slumping back against the wall.

“I’m used to it.”

Shuffling further into the small space, you clicked your tongue in sympathy. You weren’t quite sure who this guy was, but it felt rude to ask in such a stressful situation. Whoever he was, he was clearly someone the front pages were keen to get a hold of.

A slight issue you hadn’t foreseen was that now you were pressed quite close to this stranger, the doorway not providing too much space.

“Do you think anyone’s around to let us in?” you asked, peering through the small window in the door, if only to avoid his eyes now you were so close.

“I think security all went to deal with the front,” he sighed, resigned. His voice was low and resonant, his clear tiredness lending it some huskiness that was affecting you more than it probably should.

“Do they not understand people have important binge-watching to attend to?”

You were relieved to note he laughed at your attempt at a joke, cheeks belying his happiness under the mask.

“Well said,” he agreed, “though I’m not sure if I’ll get to that tonight. I’m only in this mess because I forgot my keys, and someone spotted me while I was stuck outside.”

“Happens to the best of us,” you chuckled, “I’m sure you had big plans.”

Strangely, the conversation between the two of you flowed easily despite having just met. He became quite animated, causing the barely existent space between you to shrink sometimes, your face heating up.

You barely noticed the time passing, but eventually a click announced the opening of the door beside you.

The security guard apologised profusely for the situation. Accepting it with a smile, you didn’t have the heart to tell him you actually wished he had left you out there for longer.

“What’s your name, by the way? I’m Taehyung.”

Taehyung. Perhaps it ran a bell.

The two of you walked side by side to the elevator.

“Y/N,” you told him, “what floor do you need?”

You had pressed number 7 for yourself, but when you turned around, you barely registered him telling you he was on the same floor.

If you had been captivated by his eyes alone when he had his mask on, then this was…

Wow. You were speechless. He had removed his cap and mask, leaving dark scruffy hair falling into his dark eyes. His face looked as if it had been sculpted by the gods. No wonder he was famous.

A shy smile spread across his mouth. Clearly you had stared a little too long. With a breathy laugh, he leaned across you to press the console, letting the doors slide closed and the elevator set into motion.

To your surprise, he hardly moved further away from you than you had been in the doorway earlier, despite much more space being available here.

“I can’t believe I never noticed I had someone like you as a neighbour,” he smirked, leaning against the metal wall. He was way too at ease to be saying things like that.

You raised your eyebrows.

“Like me?”

“Yeah, I’m glad I got stuck hiding with you of all people. You’re funny” – his eyes then flicked up and down – “and cute.”

You were quite surprised you hadn’t burst into flames yet.

“I’m glad I could ease your boredom,” you laughed, “it certainly beat being out there all alone.”

The lift came to a halt too soon, the doors announcing the end of your journey.

“Thanks,” Taehyung grinned, though he stopped in the hallway, “I still can’t get into my apartment, though.”

One hand on your own door, already pushing it open, you turned to him and allowed a smirk to slip onto your own face.

“I think I might have a solution to that too.”

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, you can still make a request!💜

Taglist: @aianloveseven @preciouschimine @un2-verse @rockwithwoo @taegularities

[woodelf114]

So, what happens when I discover someone who does beautiful au work and writes gorgeous stories on said aus?

My writer brain goes, "gotta write, gotta write, gotta write, gotta write-"

So, this piece here is inspired by @llamagoddessofficial and her new Tilikum story! She's done amazing work, so go check her out! I have a feeling that for now, a lot of my drabbles/works are going to be inspired by her stuff, so sorry not sorry haha.

Anyways, for context, I'm taking a different spin on how MC meets Skull, because I love that big boy so much and he deserves the best. Also, going to be using third person pov with my Horrortale oc Lucy, because I'm not super great at reader insert pov style.

Now, enough chatter, let's roll!!

---

That field trip literally changed her life.

Her 5th-grade class took a field trip to the local aquarium, the world-famous Ebott Aquarium, known for its exotic attractions and colossal size. But the most exciting part of this place was the sirens. Sirens were known for their speed, power, intelligence, and habit of luring humans with their songs before drowning and eating them. They were extremely dangerous.

So, naturally, Ebott Aquarium had the three largest held in captivity.

Lucy trailed along with her classmates as her teacher started pairing them into groups. Somehow, she had been missed. Probably because she wasn't paying attention and slipped under the teacher's radar. She had her iconic leather journal in hand, but she wasn't taking notes on anything the teacher was saying or anything in the aquarium.

If she was being entirely honest, she wanted to leave.

The vast size of the location, plus the extreme business of people bustling around them, set off her social anxiety and sensory overload. Everything was ringing in her ears. Occasionally her small frame trembled as she took deep breaths to soothe her panic.

When it started to become too much, she wandered off from the rest of her group, desperate to find someplace quiet to have a panic attack in peace. So, it wasn't a wonder that when she spotted a dark room with hardly anyone in sight, she made a beeline for it. Relief immediately washed over her as she stepped into the large room. There was a massive tank with an artificial cave put into it. The tank and the room were darkened, and it didn't even look like anything was in the tank.

Maybe this is an empty tank, or they're preparing the space for something else, Lucy thought as she looked around while slipping her small backpack off her back. She stepped over to the glass, peering inside. Nope, nothing here. Must be empty.

She turned and pressed her back to the glass, sliding down to a sitting position and rubbing her temples. She hadn't really considered the implications of getting lost in such a vast place; otherwise, her panic would have increased tenfold. She didn't even know that at that moment, her group was doing a quick headcount and realizing that someone was missing and that the chaperones were rushing to find a staff worker to help find their missing student.

Lucy opened up her journal delicately. The old thing was worn down enough that she feared it would fall apart if she was too harsh with it. She pulled out a pen and started scribbling random thoughts on the blank pages, using the pinkish-red light to see it better-

Hold up. Where is that red light coming from?

Lucy felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. The red light was originating from behind her, in the tank.

Her heart began to pound, and she tugged nervously on her beanie. She didn't want to turn around or even move, but her instinctive "prey" fear was screaming get out, get out, get out, get out, get out-.

With a shaky breath, Lucy swallowed a lump in her throat, then slowly twisted her neck to look over her shoulder.

A gigantic smiling skull stared back at her, inches away from the glass that separated them.

She released a small gasp, stiffening even more, but she didn't move. The creature had an upper skeletal body that was taller and broader than her and a lower mass of dark, writhing tentacles. The suckers were stuck onto the glass.

A siren.

Lucy let out a tiny breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She noticed all the scars littering his bones, locking onto the gaping hole on the upper right side of his skull. His left eye socket was empty and dark. The right one, however, had a glowing red orb with a dark circle in the middle, resembling some kind of "eye" that was utterly honed in on her.

When they finally made eye contact, that orb expanded, and the siren tipped his head to the side like a curious dog. The grin widened significantly.

"Woah..." Lucy finally whispered. She turned around fully, now that the initial fear was gone, replaced by awe and wonder. She leaned closer to the glass, putting a hand on the cool, smooth surface to steady herself.

The siren finally broke eye contact briefly to look at her hand, so tiny in comparison to his own face. To her shock and wonder, he lifted his own skeletal hand up and pressed it against the glass where her hand one. His hand was bigger than her own head and absolutely dwarfed her hand in comparison.

He looked back at her, and Lucy could have sworn that his eyelight was sparkling. His grin was impossibly wide, and it might have looked insane to an onlooker.

To Lucy, it was... kind of adorable.

"Hi, big guy," she whispered, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "What's your name?"

He cocked his head again, his eyelight briefly glancing down at her moving lips before looking back to her eyes. Like he was... trying to read her lips.

Intelligent, indeed.

She finally broke eye contact to glance around. She spotted a sign near the room entrance on the tank, and she started slowly moving towards it to get a look at it. The siren drifted alongside her, watching her movements closely. It made her giggle a little bit.

She read the sign, which gave information on what kind of siren he was and a brief description... very, very brief. There were many "not much is known about..." sentences.

What caught her attention was the name below its official scientific name.

"Skull."

"Skull, huh?" She asked, looking back at the giant skeleton siren. "Is that what they decided to call you?"

"Skull" was staring back at her, smiling still, and she realized she was smiling back. He seemed just as entranced with her as she was with him, and she felt oddly flattered that such a gigantic creature took an interest in someone as small and insignificant as her.

Probably because you look like a tasty snack, drifted across her mind, enough to make her smile falter slightly. Logically, that made sense. It was probably similar to a big carnivorous cat at the zoo stalking a toddler. It looked cute from behind the safety of the enclosure, but realistically she would probably be torn to shreds if she was in the water with him.

Apparently, her thoughts (or at least emotions) translated to her face because Skull's smile actually dropped as well, eyelight even contracting a bit. He put his hand on the glass again. Lucy looked at it for a moment, brows furrowing before she put her hand on the glass overtop his. His smile brightened again, enough to make her smile return.

Well... maybe he actually is just interested in me-

"LUCY!! There you are, for goodness' sake we've been looking everywhere for you!"

Lucy jumped like she heard a gunshot, stumbling back from the glass and whipping around to see her teacher and a zoo staff member. The teacher looked angry and relieved, while the staff member stared at her like she had grown another head.

"How did- How did you get him to come up to the glass?" The staff member asked.

Lucy blinked, shrinking back timidly and stepping away from the glass. She went to look back at Skull, almost hoping for some form of backup, but the giant siren was gone.

"I- uh- I didn't- he just came up to me, I-I don't know," Lucy stammered, heart pounding. "I-I'm sorry, I just needed somewhere quiet, and this place was empty, a-and I didn't realize how long it had been since- I don't know I'm sorry."

Her teacher huffed for a moment. "Lucy, you know you can't just wander off like that," she stated, stepping over to the young girl.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled on repeat, sounding like a broken record as she started grabbing her things. She cast one last glance at the tank as her teacher started leading her out, still going off on her.

She spotted the red eyelight from inside the artificial den staring at her.

She smiled slightly and offered a little wave, though it was bittersweet. She was sure she probably would not see Skull again anytime soon, if ever.

To her delight, Skull lifted one tentacle up and poked it out. At first, it looked like it was just floating in the water, but then the tip of it wiggled, mimicking the motion of waving back.

Her smile widened considerably before she finally turned and followed the teacher out of the exhibit, not even noticing the dumbstruck jaw-dropped look on the staff's face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucy was shocked when the aquarium contacted her family a few weeks later to offer free weekly visits in exchange for participating in some kind of research survey. Really, all it seemed to include was hourly visits with her new favorite siren.

It seemed like a win-win.

[kpop---scenarios]

Life After Death

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Genre: Zombie! Au, Enemies to Lovers

Warning: Death, Blood, Smut, Swearing

Word Count: 9k

Summary: The morning you woke up, everything seemed normal, until it wasn't. The world is turned upside down the government and the World Health Organization have shut down, zombies around every corner and only the strong survive. You meet a few friends along the way, and lose even more as you continue to fight for your life. You never thought you'd meet someone under these circumstances but here you were, happy while surviving life after death. Though you should have known, there's never a happy ending in an apocalypse.

A/N: This is part of the collab started by @biaswreckingfics! Go to her page to see the other stories written by terrific creators!

"I'll see you later." You whisper to your sleeping boyfriend before you place a light kiss on his cheek. You open the front door to your apartment, looking back and around at everything, making sure you weren't forgetting anything before you left. As you close the door, you realize you forgot to turn off the radio when you hear one of your favorite songs playing. With a sigh, you glance at your watch and you see you're going to be late, so you leave it, just missing the important message that interrupted everything.

"Breaking News: The World Health Organization has announced extremely serious side effects from the recent vaccinations of batch number 0506361. If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment."

You don't notice anything different or weird as you walk down the pathway from your apartment building to your parked car. The sun is shining, the air smells crisp, today was going to be a good day, you could feel it. You slide into the driver's seat of your car, turning it on and immediately syncing your phone to play your favorite playlist to amp you up for the day of work you had ahead of you. As you continue to drive to work you notice the streets seem a lot busier than they usually were, especially for 7:45am, some people in their suits running down the sidewalk screaming. Your stomach twisted as you continued down the street, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to watch the people and the road, slowing your speed. You look out your window and see a man laying on the ground, with another man on top of him. You rolled down your window to yell at them, but when the man turned to look at you, panic ensued. His eyes were white, his face was covered in blood, veins pulsating in his face. Nothing about him seemed human. He looked directly at you, and stood up. Your hands shook as you rolled up your window as fast as it would go. The man suddenly now bolted towards you, snarling. With your window up and both hands now on the steering wheel, you try to breathe through the lump that had appeared in your throat. As you keep driving, you see more and more of people being attacked, tackled and ripped into, people running away crying and screaming, vehicles crashing, buildings and cars up in flames. You could hear the blood curdling screams from inside your car. With shaky hands you switch the station of your radio to see if anyone was reporting on what the fuck was happening.

"..If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment.. there's a virus.. It's zombies. Zombies are attacking the city.. everyone seek shelter.. oh god.. please no."

You quickly turn your car around, speeding back to your apartment as you try to swerve off the undead as you rush back to your boyfriend. You may not know much, but you've seen enough zombie movies to know that you need to get supplies. You drive your car up and over the curb, parking directly on the lawn in front of your building and run inside. You were lucky you lived right on the ground floor of one of the first apartments in. You struggle to slide your key into the lock, the cries of residents pleading filling the hallway. Your key finally slides into the lock, quickly you turn it and shove your door open before slamming it behind you.

"Jaebum?" You whisper as you scrounge through the front closet looking for the duffle bag that you knew was in there. "Jaebum." You hiss again, running to the kitchen. You pack all the perishable food items and then begin filling up every jug you could find that had a lid with water. You tore through your junk drawer grabbing the flashlights and batteries, and any candles you could find as well as your butcher block.

"I'm serious, Jaebum. You need to answer me now." You hiss, bringing the bag into the living room. You guys needed to leave quickly, which meant you needed to pack even quicker. It wasn't like him not to answer you, it made you worry. You glance to the front door and his shoes were still exactly where he had left them the night before. You crept up to your closed bedroom door, with your hand hovering over the door knob. Your heart felt like it was beating out of your chest as you grabbed the knob, slowly turning it. You push the door open, expecting to see him, but he wasn't there. You quickly changed out of your work clothes, and grabbed everything from all of your drawers and shoved it into the bag. It wasn't until you had finished grabbing what you needed and you had a second to listen that you heard the shower running from down the hall, but for whatever reason, something didn't feel right. You tiptoed quietly down the hallway, standing in front of the door, you pressed your ear against it but heard nothing other than the sound of the shower running.

"Jaebum?" You whispered, gently knocking on the door, but there was no answer. You turned the knob, and opened the door. You saw your boyfriend standing there with his back turned to you. "Oh my god, Jae, we have to go! There are fucking zombies outside!" You gasp, still having a hard time believing those words that were coming from your mouth. In a split second he turned around, his face was beginning to contort, one eye was pure white.

"Y/N.. somethings wrong." He chokes out, spitting out blood before he falls to the ground, his body spasming while he froths at the mouth.

You let out a loud scream as you slam the door shut, running down the hallway to grab the duffle bag before heading out. You swing your door open to run out and crash into a man who falls into another group. You turn to apologize but already there were zombies staggering down the hallway at a quick pace. You whisper an apology before you run out the front door, his cries and pleas for help making your heart sink. You release a big breath seeing your car is still there. You climb in your front seat, closing the door as fast as you can and locking all the doors before turning your car on. Just before you were able to put your car in reverse and speed away, a man began banging on your window.

"Please miss, please open your door." He asks. You look at his face, he's sweating, blood splattered all over his face. His fists and arms remain pressed against your window, smearing blood across it. Your eyes drift down and you see a fresh wound - a bite mark and a chunk taken from his arm.

"You were bitten.." You say to him through the window.

"I'm fine. It's fine.. it's not a bite.. please." He begs. He turns to look behind him and looks back at you, panic written all over his face.

"Please miss, they're coming.. please." He cries.

"I can't." You yell, turning your head away from them. You put the car in reverse, stepping on the gas you pull away from him, knocking him to the ground. As your car stops so you can switch it into drive, you watch as the man gets mauled by a herd of the undead. You felt bad, but you couldn't have helped him, even if you wanted to.

You drove towards the freeway, thinking your best bet is to get out of the city. Your eyes were glued to the road and watching the mirrors, you watched as people panicked while driving, crashing into other cars trying to merge first, crashing into medians, and going in all directions. You could feel a panic attack coming along as you finally realized you were all alone. You had no one to talk to, no one to help you and that was terrifying. You glance down at your gas gage, seeing you had almost a full tank, you knew you would be able to make it to the one place that was probably the safest, your cousin Ray's.

You're stuck in traffic with your doors locked as you see a few people running to cars, trying to get in. There's a man, crying and panicking. No one would let him in, a herd of zombies following behind him. You needed to make a quick decision, so you rolled down your window motioning them over to you. "Here, get in." You yell, unlocking your doors. A man climbs into the backseat of your car, and you quickly lock the doors as soon as the door closes.

"Thank you." The man cries

"Have you been bitten?" You ask, turning to look him over.

"No.. no I haven't. Some men.. they pulled me out of my car, and took off, leaving me out there to die." The man explains. "You're the first person who offered me any help."

"I'm glad I could help." You smile through your rear view. "My cousin has a farm just an hour or so up from here. My family is heading there now. He's been preparing for an apocalypse for a long time. We should be safe there." You explain.

Earlier you had gotten a frantic call from your mother, her asking if you had seen what was going on. You couldn't understand why she thought you lived under a rock and didn't know anything. You did leave your house and listen to the news, contrary to popular belief.

"Thank you, thank you." He cries. You just smile as you continue to drive to Ray's farm.

**

An hour later you take a left turn, driving down the gravel road that leads you to the farm house. You drive slowly, seeing your mom's car, your aunt's car and a few other relatives. You sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that your family was safe. The two of you get out of the car and quietly make your way to the door. You softly knock but there's no answer. You turn the door knob, pushing the door open and it's empty. You walk down the small hallway and hear nothing. Your mom isn't talking, Ray wasn't yelling, no one was making a sound and that was very unusual for your family.

"Hello?" You call out.

You hear footsteps coming from down the hall as the two of you stand around the kitchen. "Hurry up." You laugh and cry.

As the footsteps got closer, you could hear snarling. Your laughter stopped as your cousin Ray came out of the back room. "Zombies." You whisper, backing away.

Not far behind him was your mom, dad, and aunt all coming out, rushing towards you all. "Run!" You scream, heading towards the door. You pull it open, the man behind you trying to get out the door, but he falls, crying as the undead come closer. He's doing his best to fight the zombies off but more stagger out from the back room, there are too many for him. "Run! Save yourself! If you meet my wife, her name is H/N, tell her I love her and our daughter." He yells. "I was trying to get home to them." He yells.

He's trying so hard to fight them, but he's bitten, he screams in agony as he's being ripped to shreds, his body being mauled by the undead.

His screams are now silent, the only sound filling the room is the sound of flesh being torn through.

You close the door, running back to your car. You see a gas can on the side of the house. You rummage through your car, knowing that you have a lighter somewhere in there. You remembered the argument you and Jaebum had gotten into about smoking and he tossed his lighter in your car.

Found it, under the passenger seat. As you went to get out of the car, you noticed something in the backseat.

A wallet.

You grabbed it, opening it up to see the license. It was the man's.

"Kim Jongdae." You whisper. You felt sorry for him, but you couldn't take long to mourn. You needed to be alert and get back on the road. You take your lighter and run to the gasoline. You pour it all over the front of the house, seeing your undead family banging against your windows broke your heart but you needed to do this. You flick the lighter, igniting the flame and throw it onto the ground. The house lights up, the flames quickly engulfing the house. You walk back to your car, slide into the driver's seat and sit there, tears pouring down your cheeks. You have no family, no friends, you have no one.

No one is coming to save you. You watch as your family and the house burn to the ground, exploding in the process.

That made you laugh a little bit, thinking of all the illegal shit your cousin Ray had in his basement.

A while later you get yourself together and drive over to the barn. If you knew anything about your cousin, it is that he always stored something in his barn, besides his pride and joy of a car, his old bronco, Monty. You pull the doors open, and take the tarp off the car, revealing its shine. Just as you remembered it. You peaked in the driver's side and sure enough, the keys were dangling from the ignition.

You began walking slowly to the back of the barn, opening another door, and here you found the jackpot.

Guns.

From a machine gun, to a pistol, to a shotgun. You gathered them all, putting the guns and the ammo in the backseat of Monty. You grab your bags from your car, tossing them in as well before looking around to see if there was anything else you could take. You notice a radio, but don't think much of it at the moment.

You climb into the driver's seat, and pull out of the barn, feeling safer than you have all day. You keep driving down the deserted highway. Abandoned cars everywhere, a few bodies laying around but most of all, no zombies but also no humans either. You're barely paying attention to the road, when you hit something, causing you to swerve, and the car to make a funny noise. You get out to check and see your front tire, flat as fuck.

You didn't have a spare. It was getting dark and you were exhausted. You moved most of the guns to the floor of the back seat, grabbing a blanket and some food and water. You change your clothes, wiping yourself down before having a snack. Laying down in the backseat you try to plan out your next move, but your eyelids get too heavy, and you can't fight it anymore. You doze off completely, and for a little while, forget about the disaster you're in.

You stayed in your car for weeks, never coming across anyone human. You missed talking to someone, talking to yourself wasn't the same. At times you almost forgot what your own voice sounded like. When it was safe, you'd get out of the car and wander around the forest, collecting sticks and branches to make fires with, so you could heat up some of your food. You have some, but you were starting to run low and you didn't know what you were going to do when it ran out. You were limiting yourself to one meal a day but even that didn't seem to help.

You learned when zombies came near the car, in a few or a herd, you needed to hide yourself very well. No moving, light breathing and packed under a lot of things. You were sure if they couldn't see you then they would continue on their way and leave. It almost always worked.

Life in the apocalypse was lonely and exhausting. That night you went to sleep, hoping for a miracle.

You're woken up later, by a frantic tapping on your window. Your eyes adjust to the sun as you look directly out your back window. A group of men stand there, all looking terrified as one of them taps on your window harder. You crawl up to the front driver's seat. You know you can't go anywhere, not with your busted tire. You turn the car on, rolling down your window just a crack.

"What?" You ask, side eyeing all of them.

"Please, we won't hurt you.. we just need a ride. There.. there's a military base a few miles up, but we just can't walk anymore. We haven't come across anyone, human in a while." He stutters.

"My tire is flat." You explain. "I don't have a spare."

"I can change it for you, just gotta take one off another car." A man pipes up.

You didn't feel uneasy from these guys and you were one to always trust your instincts.

"You change the tire, I'll give you a ride." You say. A military base? Maybe it would finally be somewhere safe for you to be.

The man nods and gets to work. By the time he's done the sun is beginning to set, and then you're on your journey to hopefully find somewhere safe.

You're driving down the highway, doing your best to follow the men's map that has every military base mapped out in the 100 miles surrounding the area. "What are your names?" You ask.

"I'm Changbin." The one in the front seat answers. "I'm Chan, and this is Felix." One in the back answers.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N." You say with a smile. As you continue to drive, it quickly becomes night time, everything is black, except for the dim lights coming from your headlights. The two men in the back continue to loudly talk and argue over something, making it hard for you to concentrate. You hated driving at night, especially near wooded areas, you never knew what was out there.

"Can you guys stop?" You ask, glancing to the back.

They continued and got louder. Changbin was asleep in the front seat as they continued their bickering, making you get even more flustered. You turn your head to look back at them, telling them again to stop. They look at each other as you look back at the road and see something standing there. You get startled, yanking the wheel to try and avoid it, heading directly into the woods. The car heads straight on towards a tree and crashes. You hit your head hard on the steering wheel, knocking you out.

What feels like hours, but only seconds later you gain consciousness, just in time to hear Changbin and Chan crying. "She killed him." Changbin cried. "I'm gonna kill her." He yells.

You're struggling to open your eyes, your head is pounding.

You can hear some rustling between the two. "Don't." Chan says. "Leave her. She's in no condition to go anywhere. The undead will get her. She'll get her suffering, ``he says. "Let's take what we can and leave."

"No." You whisper. "Don't."

They can't hear you.

You can hear them rummaging through your car, collecting your guns, your food, your water, everything you had.

"Let's go." Changbin says, they both take off, leaving you there to die as you lose consciousness once again.

**

You're startled awake, surrounded by darkness. You unbuckle your seatbelt, getting out of the car with your head pounding. Your headlights are still on, and you see Felix's body laying on the ground. He had flown through the windshield from the impact of the crash. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. You begin to cry, this was too much for you.

And then you remember. You look up and see a herd of zombies staggering towards you. They were quicker than you thought. You turned towards the road, running as fast as you could, your leg was throbbing. You run across the road to the other side of the woods. You can hear the snarling behind you as you do your best to navigate through the trees, branches breaking beneath your feet.

You stop, hiding behind a tree, trying to control your breathing. You listen, you can hear the sounds of them walking through the forest, searching for you. You take a second before you take off again, trying to zigzag through the woods in your best attempt to lose them.

You look up, seeing a fire. You run towards it, the flames becoming closer, you can hear the sound of faint words.

Then everything goes quiet. Suddenly the fire is put out and you can hear the sounds of guns clicking.

"Don't shoot." You yell out. "Please."

"What do you want?" A woman yells back.

"I'm.. there's a herd following me. I need help. I was in an accident, I was robbed. I haven't been bitten." You stutter.

"We don't need anyone else." A man yells. "Keep moving."

"Please.. I just need some help. I'm all alone." You cry.

"Move along, before I put a bullet in your head." He yells.

You let out a sob as you turn, beginning to run a different way. You hope you can find a safe place and a group of people but for tonight, you just hope you can survive the night.

**

It had been months.

Months since the outbreak, months of being on your own, months of fighting, scavenging, and hiding. You had come across a few groups, but they wanted nothing more than to take what you had and leave you defenseless. You had learned to hide from most people, giving yourself the advantage of a surprise attack. Most of the time you were successful and they just took off but sometimes they also fought back.

A week ago you had come across a small town, and had found some food and water and a place to stay, but you knew better than to stay in one place for too long. You quickly packed up your belongings into your backpack and grabbed your large spear. You learned awfully quick how to take down a zombie with it, finding it to be much more efficient than a gun, especially with having spears on both sides.

As you walk through the forest, your eyes and ears are open, listening for any signs of the undead. You stop in your tracks, hearing the sound of grunting and yelling, sounding close to you. You walk towards the sound, and come into view of four men trying to fight off a herd. They looked to be struggling, and although you don't usually like to insert yourself into others' fights, you felt like being nice and lending a hand. You run towards them, spearing a few in the head on your way.

You quickly join the fight, taking down a few zombies, as they get a little distracted, seeing another person helping.

"Focus." A man yells, bringing them out of the confusion.

A few minutes later, the last one is stabbed in the head, his decaying body dropping to the ground. The four men turn to look at you, two of them with a smile on their faces, one looking a little confused and the other one looking right angry.

"Hi." One with brown hair and a large smile says.

"Thank you." The blonde one grins.

"No problem." You laugh.

"I'm Baekhyun, this is Chanyeol." He introduces. "And that's Suho." He says, pointing to the confused one. "And that's Kyungsoo." He finishes, pointing to the angry one.

"Nice to meet you all." You say. "I'm Y/N."

"Are you all alone?" Chanyeol asks.

You nod your head.

"What's your story, Y/N?" Suho asks.

You smile awkwardly as you look at the four men who surround you. "My boyfriend turned into one of them when this whole thing started, so I was on my own from the beginning, in a sense. I met a man on my way to my cousin's farm, where my family was gathering, and when we got there they all had already turned. He..he tripped and he fell while trying to escape and he was bitten." You shudder. "I gathered supplies and I took off, and ended up with a flat tire a few hours away. I stayed in my car for weeks, managing pretty well on my own. I met three guys who offered to change my tire for a ride to a military base but when we finally got going.. it was dark and they were arguing in the back." You explain. "I turned around to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't listen and when I looked back at the road, there was something there and I swerved." You sigh. "We hit a tree, and one of them flew through the window. The other two robbed me of everything I had and I've been alone ever since."

"Well not anymore you're not." Baekhyun smiles. "You can join our group."

"Yeah!" Chanyeol exclaims.

"No." Kyungsoo grunts, walking past you, glaring at you. "We didn't need your help. And you're not joining us." He spits. "You're not going to let her join, right?" He asks Suho.

"I don't know." Suho sighs.

"Suho, everyone around her dies. She's bad fucking luck and if you bring her with us, we're all as good as dead." He spits.

"Meeting." Suho announces.

The four men huddle around, whispering to each other. You can make out Baekhyun and Chanyeol saying yes, and Kyungsoo saying no.

Seconds later they all stand up, Kyungsoo looking pissed with the other two looking happier than a pig in shit.

"If you would like to, we would like to invite you to join us. We know it's tough out here, and I can't imagine what it's been like to be alone." Suho says.

You look between all the men, even if one hated you for no reason, you were tired of being alone, and being scared alone.

"Yes." You announce. "Thank you."

"Come on, our camp is this way." Chanyeol smiles, waving you along. Three men begin walking away, but Kyungsoo walks towards you.

"I don't trust you." He murmurs, moving in close. "If anyone from this group so much as gets a splinter, I'm coming for you." He growls into your ear, his tone is low and very threatening. Goosebumps cover your skin as you feel his hot breath on your ear.

You nod your head.

He turns away from you, running towards the rest of his group.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

**

You felt like your legs were going to collapse as you continued to walk behind the group. Baekhyun turns around, smiling as he announces you have arrived. You look around and see a bunch of trees, but no camp, except for the small campfire pit that sat on the ground.

"It's.. nice." You smile.

Chanyeol, Suho and Baekhyun start laughing.

"Look up." Chanyeol says.

You tilt your head to the sky, and see a decent sized tree house sitting between a few trees. Your jaw drops, this was one thing you had never expected to see. "Come, we'll give you a tour." Baekhyun says, beginning to climb up the swinging ladder. You follow behind Baekhyun, the rest coming up behind you. When you get inside, you're honestly still amazed. It wasn't much but it was safe and it was out of the way and off the ground.

"We pull up the ladder when we're here, and when we all leave we just hide it." Suho explains. "We have food, water and sleeping bags. The most important things. We all pitch in around here, whether or not it's repairs, runs, or fights, everyone helps." He says, looking at you.

"Of course. Whatever I can do to help, I will." You assure them.

"Or don't, I'm not ready to die." Kyungsoo mutters, setting his stuff down.

Your eyes darted over to Kyungsoo, giving him an offended look. He looks back at you, not caring if he's hurt your feelings. You can sort of understand why he's weary of you, but it's not like you killed these people for the hell of it. You were determined to prove that it wasn't you, that you weren't bad luck. How you were going to do that, you had no idea.

**

That night you sat around a campfire, your belly fuller than it's been in a while, while you listened to stories Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared about their friend group. As it turned out, there were a total of twelve of them when this first started. Some of them were unfortunate to be ones who had gotten the batch of vaccines, a few they had lost while traveling, some died in fights, or took off to find their loved ones.

"Have you come across any of them?" You ask.

"We've looked, but no luck so far. There are two we're still looking for. Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae." Suho says.

Your heart stops. Your head darts up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Chanyeol asks.

"What was that last name?" You whisper.

"Kim Jongdae? He was one of our best friends." Suho tells you.

You gulp, there's a ball forming in your throat. "What?" Kyungsoo yells. "What do you know?"

"I.. He said he was trying to get back to his wife and kid.. h-he told me to run and save myself. I wanted to help him b-but I didn't know how." You choke out.

"The man that was bitten at your farm. That was Jongdae?" Kyungsoo asks.

"I saw his license in his wallet.. he had dropped it in my car when we got out. I'm so sorry." You cry.

Kyungsoo rushes towards you, tackling you to the ground, straddling you.

"You fucking bitch, I knew you shouldn't have joined us. It should have fucking been you. You should have died, not him." He screams in your face, spit flying from his mouth as he hands pin your shoulders to the ground.

You're bawling as Suho and Chanyeol pull Kyungsoo off of you, he's still crying and yelling. "It should have been you!" He yells.

Baekhyun helps you off the ground, guiding you to go up into the tree house. He sets out a sleeping bag for you, tucking you in as you cry into the built in pillow. 'I'm so sorry." You whimper.

"I know. And we know it's not your fault. Jongdae was a clumsy motherfucker so I'm not surprised he tripped. Don't take what Kyungsoo says to heart. He's been through alot and he's not warm to new people. Just give him a bit." Baekhyun tells you. He gives you a half smile before climbing down the ladder and sitting back around the fire, helping to calm things down. That night you fell asleep with tears staining your face.

**

Days bled into weeks, and then into months, until this new life and these men were all that were at the top of your mind. Chanyeol had finally been able to make contact with the ham radio that had been found on one of many expeditions. There seemingly were whole groups of people like yourselves out there, sticking together and trying to survive. You reflected on the wonder of it all as you cleaned the rabbit you had caught, the best you could.

Kyungsoo had become different with you, he didnt give off a hatred towards you anymore. His words didn't cut quite as deep. Slowly you were becoming closer, and you enjoyed it.

Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, waves of hot breath covering the nape of your neck, sending chills down your spine. He didn't even need to speak, you already knew who it was. "You're doing it wrong." Kyungsoo breathed, his body close to yours.

"I'm not." You retort, continuing to skin the dead animal. You tried to ignore his presence, and that fact that he made you feel so many mixed emotions whenever he was around.

You both hear a crunch of leaves behind you, making Kyungsoo step away from you and turn around.

"What are you guys doing?" Baekhyun asks, raising his eyebrow.

"She's skinning the rabbit wrong. She's going to take off all the meat with the fur." Kyungsoo announces.

"I am not.. shit." You spit, looking on the ground, seeing hunks of meat still attached to the fur.

"Told you." He mumbles, walking away and into the forest to try and find more food.

You stick up your middle finger at the man who drove you crazy day in and day out.

"Y/N." Suho calls out to you, a few hours later. "If you want to take a bath, go to the stream now. It's going to be dark soon."

You nod your head, climbing up the ladder to grab your things. You slide back down, just in time for Kyungsoo to be protesting something.

"We've all got other things to do, you're the only one free." Suho tells him. "Y/N, Kyungsoo will be keeping watch for you."

"I really don't ne.." you start.

"Yes you do." He says, looking at you. "And you will go. That's it."

With an aggravated groan, Kyungsoo stomps off towards the stream, with your speed walking to keep up with him.

As you finish up your wash, you dry yourself off with your towel, pulling your jeans on over your damp legs. You bend down to grab your shirt, when you hear a rustling from behind you. You stand up straight, your heart pounding in your chest.

You hear it again, the sound now closer to you. "Fuck." You scream, running towards Kyungsoo. Your body collides with his, your breasts pressing against his hard chest. "There's something out there." You whisper.

You both hear the sound, Kyungsoo holding onto you as his eyes dart around, taking in the surroundings. Seconds later a deer walks out of the bushes, grazing and you can feel your heart slow down.

"It's a deer." He announces, looking at you. You look back at him, your eyes trailing to his heart shaped lips. Your own set of lips parting slightly as you look back at him, his eyes haven't moved from your face. Without thinking you inch yourself forward, which causes Kyungsoo to inch back. Your stomach sinks. You cannot believe you just did that. Why did you think that he would return a kiss?

"We should head back." He says, avoiding eye contact and clearing his throat.

You feel so embarrassed. You quickly whisper an apology before grabbing your things and taking off, hearing a faint "wait." From behind you. You're running through the words, desperately trying not to cry as you can hear Kyungsoo running behind you.

You finally slow down, trying to catch your breath as your lips quiver. You hear a stick break behind you. You turn around with a sigh, and come face to face with a zombie, snarling as he reaches out for you. You scream loudly as you try to fight it off, tripping in the process. You fall back with him on top of you as he tries to go in for a bite. Black bile is seeping from his mouth, his breath is rancid.

"Help!" You scream out, one hand trying to reach for something, anything that would help you take him out.

Suddenly his body goes limp and you hear the sound of a sword coming out of his head. You roll the body off of you, and see Chanyeol smiling above you.

"Thank you." You sigh in relief. Chanyeol puts out his hand to help you up, when he's attacked. Another zombie staggers up to him, latching his teeth to Chanyeol's neck. He screams out in agony as the monster devours him before your eyes.

"No!" You cry. You take Chanyeol's sword, putting the blade right through the zombie's skull. Chanyeol sinks to the ground, sobbing while he holds his neck. "I'm sorry." You cry. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's.. not.. your...fault." He breathes. "Tell them.. I love them.." he stutters.

Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Suho rush to Chanyeol's side. Baekhyun is sobbing while Kyungsoo and Suho hold back their tears.

"I didn't.. I didn't know there was a second one." You sob.

Kyungsoo walks over to you, his face stone cold. He wraps one arm around you, pulling you in close to him. "It's not your fault." He murmurs. The two of you stand there, watching the life drain from Chanyeol's eyes.

Baekhyun announces he will be the one to put Chanyeol down, but would like to do it in private. Three of you walk away from the sobbing man, your heart full of guilt.

**

The next day, the camp is quiet. You were busy making wood spears, like Chanyeol had taught you a few weeks ago. You couldn't even look at Baekhyun. You knew the two of them were best friends and your heart hurt so badly that Chanyeol died while trying to save you.

Had you not been so stupid and tried to kiss Kyungsoo, then this would never have happened. You knew this was your fault and there was nothing you could do to make it better. You can't bring Chanyeol back and you really wish you could.

"Careful." You hear from behind you. You turn your head and see Kyungsoo leaning against a tree. "If you keep sharpening it like that you're going to end up slicing your finger off." He tells you.

"This is how.. Chanyeol showed me how to do it." You say. You could barely speak his name.

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Yeah, he wasn't the best at doing it either." He crouches behind you, wrapping his arms around you to show you the proper way of doing it. Your heart still flutters as he touches you.

"Thank you." You whisper.

"Anytime." He says, standing up and walking away from you.

Fuck. You were so fucked.

**

That night you couldn't sleep. You stared at the empty spot beside you, where Chanyeol used to sleep. You could hear the small whimpers coming from Baekhyun and you just couldn't take it. You slowly slid out of your sleeping bag, slid on some shoes and climbed down the ladder. As you stand in the forest, you take a deep breath of fresh air. You need to gather your thoughts and heal yourself. You begin walking through the woods. It's quiet, and you didn't plan on going very far. As you're walking, you stop to listen. You hear a noise coming from in front of you but you didn't know what it was. You tried your best to hide behind the tree, limiting your breathing as you continue to listen. You can heat twigs breaking and leaves crunching. Your heart begins to race in your chest, you squeeze your eyes shut.This was a bad idea, you should not have left the tree house.

"What are you doing?" You hear from in front of you. You open your eyes and see Kyungsoo standing in front of you.

"I thought.. oh my god." You sigh. "I thought I was going to die."

Before he can say anything you both hear groans and snarls but you're not sure where from. You unintentionally let out a squeak. Kyungsoo covers your mouth with his hand, pushing you up against the tree. His body presses hard against yours, you can feel his hot breath against your neck.

The two of you stay like this for what feels like hours. When the sound is finally gone he pulls away from you.

"What are you doing out here?" He growls.

"I needed some air, and to think." You explain.

"You could die out here. This has to be your stupidest decision." Kyungsoo scoffs.

"No." You begin. Before your brain can tell you not to say anything, your mouth begins to move. "My stupidest decision was trying to kiss you." You say, turning away from him to walk away.

"I was surprised." He announces. "I didn't think you'd try and kiss me. I didn't think you'd even like me. I treated you terribly." He tells you.

"That's probably why I like you unfortunately." You sigh, making him laugh.

As the two of you are walking back towards the house, you hear whispers coming towards you. You both stop, hearing the sound of a gun loading, making you stop in your tracks. Kyungsoo pulls you behind him, moving both of you towards a bigger tree to hide behind.

"Show yourself walker." A man screams. "I know you're out there."

Neither of you say anything. Kyungsoo is against pressed up against your body, shielding you from any danger.

A while later you see a light flashing. It flashes towards your tree, making Kyungsoo push into you more, trying to keep the two of you hidden. The light passes the tree you're behind and continues to walk away. Neither of you move until the light is completely gone and out if sight. Both of you let out a sigh of relief but Kyungsoo doesn't move away from you. His face hovers close to yours, you can feel his breath on your face.

You wait. You wait for what you hope will happen but you don't think that it will come.

Until it does. Kyungsoo presses his lips to yours. You're shocked at first, until he begins moving his lips against yours and you get into it. You wrap your arms around his neck as he slips his tongue into your mouth. You moan into the kiss, making him groan.

"I want to fuck you." He says, his lips still just barely touching yours.

"I want you to fuck me." You breathe.

Kyungsoo turns you around, pushing you up against the tree. He kneels down, pulling down your sweat pants and underwear.

"Spread your legs." He demands.

You spread them as far as you can. You can hear the sound of his belt unbuckling behind you. Your pussy throbs in anticipation. You don't know how big or small he is, but you hope he destroys you. You couldn't even remember the last time you had been fucked at all.

Kyungsoo steps up behind you, taking two fingers and searching between your lips for your hole. He chuckles when he finds it, he can feel your juices dripping from inside of you. "So fucking wet." He groans, slowly pushing his two fingers inside you. Immediately you clench around them, it feels so good. "I needed to make sure you were wet enough, and fuck are you ever." He whispers in your ear.

He pulls his fingers out of you, and lines his cock up with your hold. You're bracing yourself on the tree as he pushes himself inside you. Your eyes practically roll back into your head as he stretches you out.

"Oh god." You cry, your fingernails digging into the tree bark.

"Shit." He cries, slowly pulling out of you before snapping his hips and harshly pushing his cock back inside. "It's gonna be quick." He groans.

That was fine with you, you knew you could rub your clit twice and cum, it had been too long.

Kyungsoo has his hands holding onto your hips as he snaps his, grunting and groaning from behind you. You reach between your legs, touching your clit. You begin to slowly rub it and you can already feel your intense orgasm already building up. You feel like you're going to cum already. His cock feels so nice sliding in and out of your pussy, the sound of his grunts and moans, with the feeling of his hot breath covering you and giving you shivers.

"Cum." He grunts. Your tighten your pussy around him as you orgasm washes over you, leaving your body feeling weak.

Kyungsoo moans loudly as he pulls out of you, jerking his cock to cum all over your ass. He lets out a string of swear words as he releases his load, breathing heavily as he works through it.

You both pull up your pants, and get situated. "We better get back." He says, walking back towarsa camp. You follow closely behind him, confused about your feelings for him, but more so his feelings for you, if there were any.

**

The next day you wake up with the thoughts of what happened last night over flowing through your head. You didn't know how to process this, or what was going to happen now. You decided to see how the day was going to play out and just go about your normal routine.

When you got downstairs you said hi to Suho, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Two of them said goodmorning back to you, and one did not. You tried to stop thinking about it but it was hard and you knew he wasn't the type of man to tell you his feelings.

However, all day he ignored you. Anytime you tried to say anything to him, he walked away, he refused to answer you and honestly you felt extremely disrespected. Your eyes burn as you fight off the tears, watching him talk and laugh with Baekhyun while you just get ignored.

Suho on the other hand most definitely noticed something was going on because a little while later you see Suho quietly yelling at Kyungsoo.

"I don't care what you did." Suho spits. "Fix it. I refuse to have a hole in our team because one of us is being a dick. Fucking fix it." He murmurs again before walking away.

**

That night you laid in your sleeping bag, wondering if this is what it was going to be like. You having feelings for Kyungsoo, and him taking advantage of it. Fucking you when it's convenient for him and ignoring you the rest of the time. Even after death, life was still so fucked.

You feel something pressing against you from behind. You slowly roll over and see Kyungsoo laying beside you in his sleeping bag.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

You nod your head.

"I." He begins. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I'm sorry for the things I said and for the way I acted when I found out about Jongdae. Its been hard to lose people, and it's even harder to accept new people into the group. You're doing a great job here and we're lucky to have you." He whispers.

"Thank you." You smile. But you really want to know why he ignored you all day. "What was going on today?" You ask.

"I enjoyed last night. I, um, had a girlfriend when this whole thing started. We got out together, we met up with Suho and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and she really helped build alot of this. I lost her a while ago, and it's been hard. I didn't think I would meet anyone, or fall for anyone else and then you came along. I feel guilty for liking you so much, like I'm cheating." He explains. "I was convincing myself it wasn't cheating."

"I get that. I was in a relationship when this thing started. Unfortunately for me, he ended up being one of the ones who received that does of vaccine. I had to leave him in our apartment and take off." You whisper. "You'll always have her memory with you and it's something you'll treasure. I didn't know her, but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sad and mourning her."

"You're right." He sighs. "It's hard to let go, but I do like you, Y/N. I want you to know that."

"I like you too." You smile.

The two of you lay there, whispering to eachother, laughing and enjoying the night. You couldn't have asked for anything better.

**

Over the next few weeks, the others had changed. With Chanyeol being gone, it took a toll on Baekhyun. He often sobbed at night, crawling next to you so you could rub his head while he cried. Your heart went out to him.

This life wasn't easy.

Suho had become much more grimmer and sullen. He barks orders at people, never engaging in coversations anymore. He's tired, everyone is tired with very little of hope for the future. Fighting for your lives everyday, scrounging for food and water is a struggle, however none of this stopped you and Kyungsoo from sneaking off when you could to be together.

Neither of you really talked when you weren't fucking and that was okay with you, you knew he still had feelings for you. It was the little things he did for you when no one was looking that reassured you. You both knew that announcing your relationship to Suho and Baekhyun would not end well, so keeping it between the two of you would be the best.

You announced to Baekhyun and Suho that you were going to the river, they both just nodded while Kyungsoo offered to be your watch.

It didn't take long for him to be pulling off your shirt and for you to slide off your pants and panties. Both of you walked into the cool water, soaking yourselves before Kyungsoo pulled you towards him. He lifts you up, letting you put your legs around him as he leans in for a kiss. You can feel his cock sliding against your pussy, waiting to be pushed in. He breaks the kiss, leaning down to pepper kisses along your neck as he thrusts, pushing himself inside of you.

You throw your head back as he holds you, fucking you harshly. There was never time to fuck slow, you always needed to be quick and get it done, just in case.

He pumps himself into you, his hand reaching between you and him, touching your sensitive bud and rubbing while he pounds his cock into you.

"Fuck baby." He groans. "You feel so fucking good."

You hold him close as your orgasm builds, biting your bottom lip and your hands gripping his hair. "Just like that." You breathe. "Don't stop." You grind yourself on him as you begin to cum, intensifying your orgasm. "Oh god yes." You moan, breathing heavily.

"I'm gunna cum." He moans, thrusting harder. Seconds later he releases himself, shooting his cum inside of you, his head resting on you as he catches his own breath.

"Fuck." He breathes pulling out of you. "I love you." He whispers.

You stare at him with wide eyes. This wasn't something you had been expecting at all, considering you did your best to hide the relationship at all costs. "I know it might be too soon, but I do and I need you to know that."

"I love you too." You smile.

You're brought out of your sweet moment when you hear screaming from Baekhyun and Suho. You both rush out of the water and get dressed as quick as you can before running back to camp.

"What?" You breathe. "What happened?"

Baekhyun and Suho grin as they stare at the radio. "Listen!" Baekhyun yells.

“Our dear citizens, to those who have survived. The WHO has created what promises to be a vaccine. We are asking all our citizens to make their way to the nearest hospital facility. Troops are being deployed along with helicopters and planes to transport as needed. Today … we have hope in the world again”

You all burst into tears. You did it, you survived and met some wonderful people. You have a love you had never thought you'd get again.

Kyungsoo embraces you tightly, crying into your shoulder as you do his. Quickly Suho and Baekhyun join your hug, all of you feeling such relief and happiness, for the first time in a long time.

As quick as you all can, you gather what you need to make the trek to find a hospital. You say a quick goodbye to your site that has kept you safe for so long, before taking off, hand in hand with Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun and Suho on either side of you.

It wasn't long into your journey, when you hear the familiar sounds of zombies wandering through the forest. The four of you prepare yourselves for a fight but as they come out, you realize there are more than you all had anticipated. You try to fight your way through the crowd, but somehow you're separated from the group, trying to take on more than you can. The others are distracted, they aren't paying attention to your calls for help. A zombie lunges at you, knocking you back. You're crying loudly but no one is coming to help. The other zombies kneel beside you as you keep trying to fight them off, but one takes a chunk out of your shoulder. You scream in agony as you lose your strength to fight. They're devouring you as you're fading into the darkness. You can hear Kyungsoo yell no and all the pain stops. You see him standing over you as you spit up blood. He's crying over your body, asking you to stay with him but you can't. You're tired of fighting, you want to let go now.

So you do.

You open your eyes and see a film over everything. Your body is sore, the scent of meat makes your mouth water and your stomach cramp. Everything feels stiff but something smells so good. Your hearing is better than ever, picking up the sound of a rapid beating heart and the sound of crying. Wait…Where’s my heart beat? You look with horror at the meat...

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I love you.” You reach out to stop the knife but your body is stiff and I responsive as you watch the knife plunging towards you. It’s me you scream in your head as it all goes dark

There is no happiness in life after death.