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i-heart-slashers · 10 months ago

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Chance Encounters

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | Dwayne x gender neutral!reader

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 | A chance encounter cheers you up while on the boardwalk but was it really a chance encounter?

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 | 1.7 k

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | n/a

The salty breeze swept through the boardwalk, carrying with it the laughter of children, the sizzle of fried food, and the distant melody of carnival music.

Among the crowds of people strolling along the wooden planks, you walked with purpose, eyes fixed on the colorful array of games lining the bustling strip.

You had always been drawn to the challenge of carnival games, the promise of winning a coveted prize lighting a spark of determination within you.

Today was no different. Pockets jingling with coins and a heart full of optimism, you made your way to one of the many game booths adorned with oversized stuffed animals dangling tantalizingly from above.

The game was simple enough—toss rings onto bottles, and if one landed just right, victory and a plush reward awaited.

With practiced precision, you flicked your wrist, sending ring after ring spiraling through the air. But each attempt fell short, missing the mark by mere inches or bouncing off the bottles with frustrating defiance.

Undeterred, you persisted, your determination growing with each failed toss. Time seemed to blur as you continue your quest, coins slipping through your fingers like grains of sand. Yet, despite your best efforts, the elusive victory remained just out of reach.

As the sun descended towards the horizon, casting an amber glow over the boardwalk before blossoming into purple-blue, you finally admitted defeat.

With a heavy sigh, you stepped back from the game booth, hands empty and spirits deflated.

Despite your best efforts and a considerable dent in your wallet, the teddy bear remained firmly perched atop its pedestal, mocking you with its unattainable allure.

Once so tempting, the lure of the prize now felt like a distant dream.

With a sad sigh, you pulled yourself together, and just as you turned to leave, a voice broke through the din of the crowd. "Hey there, having trouble?"

You turned to see a figure standing beside you, walking from the shadows of a nearby alley, with a warm but mysterious smile on his lips. "Maybe a fresh pair of eyes is all you need," he offered, gesturing towards the game with a playful grin. "I'm Dwayne"

Blinking, you couldn't help but feel a flutter of curiosity as he gestured toward the game booth with a casual tilt of his head. "Mind if I give it a shot?"

You hesitated, your cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and intrigue. But something about Dwayne's easy charm and genuine kindness put you at ease, and you found yourself nodding in agreement.

Giving him a small smile, you stepped aside, watching with a mix of anticipation and skepticism as Dwayne approached the booth. In one fluid motion, he picked up a ring, his movements confident and precise.

With a flick of his wrist, the ring sailed through the air, spinning gracefully before landing with a satisfying clink on the neck of a bottle. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Dwayne repeated the feat not once but twice more, each toss hitting its mark with pinpoint accuracy.

You could scarcely believe your eyes as Dwayne turned back to you, a triumphant grin lighting up his face. "Looks like we've got a winner," he said as if there was no doubt he'd win.

At that moment, as the carnival lights flickered overhead and the sounds of jubilation filled the air, you felt a spark ignite within you. It wasn't just the thrill of victory or the allure of the prize that captivated you, but something deeper.

"Looks like we make a pretty good team," he remarked, holding out the plush prize for you to take.

You accepted the oversized stuffed animal from Dwayne with a mix of gratitude and awe. As you reached out to accept the bear, your hands brushed together, sending a jolt of electricity coursing through your veins.

"Wow. This is exactly what I wanted," you said with a shocked laugh.

Dwayne offers to carry the oversized plush as he leads you down the boardwalk, seemingly taking the initiative to hang out with you without stating it as you follow his lead wordlessly.

For some reason, your hand itched to reach out and take his— but for obvious reasons, you don't.

As you walked along the boardwalk again, the plush prize tucked securely under his arm, you knew that this chance encounter had sparked something that would stay with you long after the carnival lights had dimmed.

You couldn't help but feel the weight of the evening's events settle into a gentle warmth. Dwayne walked beside you, his presence both comforting and protective. Now tinged with twilight's soft hues, the carnival's atmosphere seemed to pulse with an enchanting rhythm.

"Thank you," you said, your voice barely above a whisper yet filled with sincere gratitude. "I was about to give up."

Dwayne's smile broadened, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "Sometimes, it just takes a fresh perspective," he replied. "Or a bit of luck." His voice teases something more knowing, but that was lost on you.

Nodding, you couldn't help but feel a strange connection to this man you had just met, who was clearly comfortable walking around shirtless under that jacket.

You couldn't shake the feeling that your paths had crossed for a reason. "Do you come here often?" you asked, trying to prolong the conversation but grimacing at the question you uttered.

"Every night," Dwayne said, his gaze drifting over the bustling boardwalk. "I have a lot of brothers, and chaos on the boardwalk is a nightly routine for us. Plus, I enjoy the energy— people-watching is sort of my thing."

"Your thing?" you found yourself eager to learn more about him.

"I'm a… free spirit, you could say," Dwayne explained. "Having a lot of time gives me the freedom to come here when I want. And you? What brings you to the boardwalk?"

You hesitated for a moment, contemplating how much to share. "I just moved here, and I guess the boardwalk attracted me. Something about the carnival games, the lights, it all feels so nostalgic."

Dwayne nodded in understanding. "I get that. There's a certain magic here, isn't there?"

The two of you walked in companionable silence for a while, the sound of your footsteps blending with the ambient noise of the carnival. You glanced at the stuffed animal tucked under his arm—a giant, fluffy bear with a cheerful expression.

It was a stark contrast to the earlier frustration you had felt.

"Want to grab a bite?" Dwayne suggested, breaking the silence as his eyes roam over you with a deeper meaning before he grins. "I know a place that does amazing food."

You feel something warm inside you at his question, whether it was him caring for your hunger or just wanting to spend more time with you. Either way, you were eager to follow his lead.

With a shared smile, you made your way to a nearby food stand, the tantalizing aroma of fried dough and powdered sugar guiding your steps.

As you waited in line, Dwayne's easygoing nature made the conversation flow effortlessly; he asked questions and then listened. You talked about favorite memories, childhood dreams, and the small joys of life.

When your order was ready, you found a quiet place to sit, the stuffed bear occupying its own place near you. The first bite of the warm, sugary treat was blissful, and you couldn't help but let out a contented sigh.

"Delicious, right?" Dwayne said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as his eyes roamed your face almost as if trying to savor that instead of the food.

"Absolutely," you agreed, taking another bite. "You weren't kidding."

You continued to chat, the evening unfolding around you both like a storybook. The lights of the carnival rides twinkled in the background, casting a soft glow over their conversation. You found yourselves laughing more than you had in a long time, the stress and disappointment of the earlier game wholly forgotten.

As the night wore on, you wandered through the boardwalk, enjoying the various sights and sounds. You played a few more games, and your competitive spirits were ignited by friendly banter.

Dwayne proved to be skilled at more than just ring toss, winning a couple of smaller prizes, which he generously handed over to you.

"You're really good at these," you remarked, both impressed and envious.

Dwayne shrugged modestly. "Years of practice. As I said, my brothers and I have lived here for a long time. Plus, it's all about having fun, right?"

You couldn't argue with that. You were having fun, more than you had initially anticipated. As you reached the end of the boardwalk, the ocean stretched out before you, the waves illuminated by the moonlight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dwayne said, his voice soft as he looked out at the water.

"It is," you agreed, feeling a sense of tranquility wash over them. "Thanks for tonight, Dwayne. It was… unexpected, but in the best way." being with him somehow felt natural, like he was always supposed to be there.

Dwayne turned to face you; his expression was sincere. "I'm glad I could make your night better. Sometimes, the best moments are the ones we don't see coming."

You smiled, feeling a flutter of something akin to hope. "So, do you think I'll see you again?"

Dwayne's smile was warm and reassuring, but it also reflected a knowing look, like you were a new part of his life now. "I'll make sure of it." He grinned as he said your name smoothly as he bid you farewell.

As you said your goodbyes, you couldn't help but feel this was just the beginning of something special. Your stomach tightened in an excited expression akin to a schoolgirl crush.

You can see him walk towards a group dressed similarly, like him on a bike. A wild blonde patted him on the shoulder with a wide grin, and a smaller guy waggled his fingers at you in a wave.

Turning away as a blush heated up your skin, you started to make your way back home. You grinned, walking past the final few stands on the way out.

With its lights and laughter, the boardwalk will always hold a special place in your heart. But tonight, it had given them something more—a chance encounter that felt like destiny.

Meeting someone who turned a moment of disappointment into a night of unforgettable memories.

As you carried your prizes home, it suddenly struck you that you had not introduced yourself in the flurry of frustration at the game.

So, how did Dwayne know your name?

#horror #horror slashers #slashers #reader insert #x reader #the lost boys #gender neutral insert #gender neutral reader #dwayne lost boys #dwayne the lost boys #vampire #vampires #lost boys

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whispersafterdusk · 1 year ago

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Ensuring the Future - ch 4

With the sudden addition of a lift for the salvage yard the majority of her time had been spent scavenging and assembling; Miguel brought her tea every morning and they chatted while she stoked the furnaces and organized the day's work. They were careful to keep their chatter to innocent things so as to not start the days off in low moods (and had also planned to meet up for dinner every Monday, to hell with their respective schedules) but there was some annoyance to have a desire dangled in her face and knowing that she could not reach out to seize it without letting something else important fall through the cracks thanks to Yan's mismanagement.

At least once the lifts were installed it wasn't such a pain to gather materials -- one had to take the small victories where they could. Down in the ruins everything was far more plentiful: raw ore was easier to refine than recycling scrap and anything and everything wooden was pulled apart and carried back to the surface to be stripped, sanded, and repurposed; little by little things were falling into place and it was taking less and less time to fulfill the late commissions, and it certainly helped that Mi-an's list had been so well organized too -- efficiency was a key component of speed, after all. As she began to streamline things and get established her schedule would effectively open up (a thought both welcome and terrifying). ((Continued below cut))

Recent deliveries included boards to the saloon (and fixing a few loose stairs while she was there), a bucket of screws and a single hardwood panel to the general store, a new pane of glass for a display case in the temple... This morning though was one she was actually looking forward to: a few buckets and some replacement boards for the Moisture Farm.

Contracting exclusively with the botanists in Highwind had introduced her to the work of many of the botanists scattered across the Free Cities; Sandrock had Zeke and his work out here in the desert was discussed quite often -- Professor Luo had even commissioned her to build a more compact hydroponic system to send out here on a trial period to see if it was a feasible means to speed up production and conserve water in such an arid environment. She'd built the unit, they'd sent it off and had received a few tentatively hopeful reports in response, but after about a year or so she didn't recall any further mention of the machine. Whether that was good or bad news was something she intended to find out as she rode the yakmel cart over to deliver the commissioned goods.

She left the boards and buckets beside the door in orderly stacks and took a moment to look over the outside of the farm; it looked like a wrecked and repurposed flying machine with a giant glass-pane dome protecting the plants within. It was heavily rusted and she spotted a few areas that could use some attention, quickly making a mental note of it, then shouldered the door open and walked into the humid enclosure.

It smelled lush and organic -- fresh-cut greenery, wet dirt, and a touch of manure, and it brought back a rush of memory and emotion of Highwind and its greenhouses...though the greenhouses had always been full of students, professors, and aides, and the work always filthy and back-breaking, it had still been a peaceful and fulfilling place to labor. There was but one man here though and she could spot him bent over a planter full of newly sprouted wheat stalks not far from the door, and he in turn had turned just enough to peer at her from over a shoulder.

Olivia smiled at him in greeting and headed over, immediately noticing the rotting board at the top of the planter but turning her full attention to the man for introductions first. "Good morning, am I right in thinking you're Zeke?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me. You're...one of our new builders, right?" He straightened and dusted soil from his hands and beyond his large frame she could spot another ailing planter.

She resisted the urge to look up to check if the weakened areas she'd spotted outside were visible from here and offered her hand. "I am indeed. I'm Olivia, and am pleased to finally put a face to the name -- Professor Luo spoke quite highly of your work out here, and several of your soil testing techniques are being put to use in Highwind and up north near the border settlements."

A very subtle look of surprise managed to overcome his neutral expression. "Really? Huh. He never mentioned any of that." He took her hand and delicately shook it; his fingers were moist and cool from where they'd been digging around in the dirt and she could feel a fine grit still clinging to his skin along with numerous calluses -- not so different from her own after decades of working with her hands.

"I find that surprising...the man was always honest with his praise." Olivia let her hand fall away and glanced back to the planters. "I have your boards and buckets sitting just outside - I'm more than happy to repair these planters for you and if you've the time I did have some questions and an offer."

He struck her as a man that didn't or wasn't used to talking much, and he seemed a tad overwhelmed by the rush of words. "What kind of questions? And what kind of offer?"

"Let me fetch your commissions and I'll explain fully."

"I'll help you carry." He scrubbed his hands off on his thighs and she caught his eyes flicking down to the brace on her leg.

"Thank you, that's very kind," she replied with a smile.

He left her the buckets and easily hoisted the pile of boards up on one broad shoulder; she held the door for him and followed along as he carried the wood over toward the planters. Olivia quickly sorted the boards out by size and walked about the farm to place them next to the correct planters, then returned to where she'd left Zeke at the wheat plants.

"It won't take me long to repair these but before I get to that I wanted to ask about a hydroponic unit that was sent over a while back. How has it held up?"

Zeke scratched at his chin, fingers audibly rasping through his beard. "Well, it worked great, until it didn't. After about a year it broke - think it was the pump or something, since it stopped circulating the water. Asked Yan and Mason to fix it, they both said it couldn't be fixed. I ended up draining the water and storing it in the shed so I could fill the spot it was sitting in with basic planters."

Olivia frowned and closed her eyes, swallowing down a sudden anger and inhaling slowly before opening them again. "Did they say WHY it could not be fixed?"

"Don't think so. They didn't say what had broken for sure either."

"Of course..." she sighed. She already had a suspicion on what the issue was. "And I imagine they didn't do any maintenance on it whatsoever?" Zeke shook his head. "You said you'd stored it then - do you still have it?"

"It's over here."

She followed him over to a metal shack built against the wall squeezed in among some sweet potato pepper planters. The door swung open with the tiniest squeak revealing sacks of seed arranged on shelves, containers of fertilizer (with the expected smell wafting out in force), and various trowels, rakes, and other tools and empty containers. In the back left corner she could see the hydroponic tank sitting on its side with the lighting fixture hanging from some straps from the ceiling - she was pleased to see that the lights had been disconnected from the main unit properly so those probably wouldn't need any work (but she would check them regardless). Zeke moved some of the fertilizer out of the way then lifted the tank free and carried it out to carefully sit it on the floor between them. As he tilted it she could hear the tell-tale rattle of loose parts where there shouldn't be, and nodded more to herself than to him once it was put down.

"I believe I already know the issue, and if I'm right I can't fathom why they claimed this couldn't be fixed," she muttered. She'd brought a hammer and nails for the planters and an adjustable wrench just in case but to get the pump and engine housing cover off she'd need a flathead screwdriver - she didn't have one of those but she did have a penknife that should do the job if she was careful with it. "...well, from what I've already seen - coupled with this - I suppose this just proves a point and makes me hope you're agreeable to my offer."

"What sort of offer are you, er, offering?" he prompted.

She slipped the penknife free of her pocket and flipped it open, bending to place the tip of the blade into the screw's slot. "Along with being so backlogged I've also heard from a few people that Yan has, without scruple, turned down posting commissions he didn't think were 'important' enough jobs, AND-" she paused, freeing the first screw with her fingertips once she'd loosened it enough, "-I had sent two sets of instructions with this unit: one for its usage, and one highly detailed set for its maintenance. I'm assuming you got the usage ones?" she glanced up and he nodded at her. "Good. So that confirms that the instructions were not magically lost in transit, which tells me that Yan or Mason, or both, willfully decided not to maintain this machine. I intend to bypass this carelessness right now," she grunted, pulling the next screw out and moving to the third.

"About six years ago," she continued, "the builders in Tallsky got together with the Central Commerce Guild to rework some of the regulations -- namely, to allow builders to specialize, or be more selective in the work they wished to take on. Those new rules allowed me to set up an agreement with Highwind's botanists. I won't bore you with the legalese but basically, so long as I do not charge less than the going rate of the local guild commission fees, do not claim the jobs as points on any local leader boards, and do not repeatedly favor the private contract over any active municipal ones, I am allowed to enter into contracts with specific people or groups at my own discretion. Of all places to have every need met, no matter how large or small a job, I would say the farm providing the majority of a town's produce should be on top of the damn list, so that is what I propose: I will enter into a private contract with you to attend to any need that arises. You will not need to deal with Yan at all unless I am somehow not available, in which case you'll go through the usual process as normal."

As the third and then fourth screw came loose she looked up to him; a gamut of emotion crossed over his face: confusion, uncertainty, thoughtfulness, and now there was a ghost of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"Not have to deal with Yan, huh? Can't see him liking that."

"It's legal - whether he likes it or not isn't my problem," she said with a thin-lipped smile. "I've already given up on trying to get along with that mustachioed weasel and I find lazy and crooked men tend to never straighten. If he chooses to put up a roadblock then I will find a way around, over, under, or through it."

He let out an amused snort at the weasel comment, then removed his hat to run his hand through sweaty hair. "I'm not against it, so long as it won't cause you any trouble."

"It won't - if I can handle the workload of roughly fifty instructors and twice as many students, I can handle this. And, I actually picked up quite a bit of knowledge about botany and agriculture in my time with Professor Luo. I know the situation here is vastly different from Highwind but it's my hope that what I've learned will help make our working relationship here smoother."

Zeke nodded and pulled his hat back on. "I like the sound of that. So...what needs to be done?"

Olivia paused long enough to pop the pump housing cover free and frowned again as several loose metal shards and springs came tumbling out. "I will write the contract up, it will be a fairly standard one declaring our reason and intention for entering in to the agreement, a one-party-dissolution clause, outlining the scope of work and availability -- which is any time you have need of me, for any reason," she added, briefly glancing up to him. "Even if it's a single nail at 2am."

That finally drew a chuckle out of him. "I'm not even awake then. Or I'd better not be." He bent to look at the revealed pump as Olivia began to gingerly pull more and more broken bits loose. "Can you fix it?"

"Oh, certainly," she replied. "At the moment it appears the pump burnt out - probably due to a lack of lubrication on certain moving parts within it and the motor running it. At the very least the rest of the unit is still in one piece so, worst case scenario, I just replace the pump and motor. I could have this back to you within a week at most."

Zeke nodded and straightened again, and looked a tad embarrassed at a few loud pops from his knees. "It'll be nice to have it back. I'll have to find somewhere to put it though."

"Would you like more of them? They're not so hard to put together."

After a few moments to consider he shook his head. "I was mostly using it to get seeds germinating quickly and letting the seedlings get strong before transplanting them. Did some calculations and found that while it uses about 23% less water than what's needed for a planter when you start factoring in the limited growing space, needing to get the exact right nutrients dissolved and balanced to prevent stunted growth for a variety of plants, and amount of power needed to run them too, then what you're saving on water costs is kind of wiped out by other variables. With how thinly balanced our resource needs and availability is out here, one or two more wouldn't hurt but beyond that diminishing returns would start chewing into the benefits." After a breath his eyes widened briefly and he looked faintly sheepish. "Not to, uh, insult your work or anything."

She laughed and stood, pocketing the screws and closing the knife. "I'm not offended, rest assured. It was my hope that it would make a difference out here but it sounds like I need to refine my design to take care of a few of those variables - which I don't mind at all," she added in a firm tone. "A builder not willing to learn and improve should find another profession. Now..." Again she held her hand out to him. "I believe I've taken up enough of your time, considering I barged in here unannounced. I'll get to those planters and then be back as soon as I can with the repaired unit and contract."

Zeke shook her hand again - his had warmed up. "Don't worry about the planters, I can handle those."

"Are you certain? I came here with full intent to fix them."

"Yeah - nailing a few boards into place is easy enough. Do y'need help carrying that out?" he asked, nodding toward the hydroponic unit.

"I can manage, but thank you."

She popped the lid on the water tank and tossed the engine housing cover in, then shut it securely and slipped her hand into a slot on the lid -- it was meant to slide open to allow water to be added without needing to remove the entire thing but for now it sufficed as a handle to carry it by. Zeke held the door for her and watched silently as she hopped onto the yakmel cart and headed back toward her workshop.

Once back home she set the hydroponic unit down on the assembly platform and went to collect all the tools she'd need to disassemble and determine the full extent of the damage. She hadn't quite shed that little flare of anger from earlier -- that Yan and Mason had essentially sabotaged the Moisture Farm...grr. It made her want to drag both of them into the street and cane them in the town square.

At least in Mason's case the man looked worn down...at the end of his career and the life sapped out of him. It was not an excuse for abandoning his duties but she could at least sympathize with the inability to care. She'd been there once before. Yan however...

She would need to watch him very closely.

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Zeke watched as the yakmel cart pulled out of sight.

He'd heard from Burgess about the new builder; how she was older, wiser, polite yet to the point, and above all seemed like a kind and lovely woman. What he hadn't heard about was her take-charge and 'suffer no fools' attitude.

That she was moving to immediately mitigate Yan's creative way of managing commissions gave him a faint sense of hope. A lot of things at the farm had fallen by the wayside -- if it wasn't a vital or large job Yan usually ignored it or else he dragged his feet, maybe hoping that the request would be forgotten, and usually Zeke had no option but to let it go. He was at least capable of doing most of the repair and maintenance on the planters and tools he used daily but there were weak spots in the floor, rust and degradation, cracked glass... It was a lot of small things but after awhile small things could add up to a lot.

He retreated back into the farm and stood just inside the doorway, resting a hand at his belt and looking up at the dome far above. What 'little' problems should he even address? It'd been this way for so long he'd learned to just deal with it. Maybe he ought to let Olivia assess and decide -- she'd know far better than he would about...things.

...maybe this was a sign things would finally turn around.

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"You look quite worn today. Do remember to take breaks, dearest -- the desert is very unforgiving when it comes to the wear and stress it places on a body."

From across the table she smiled at him wearily. "I am becoming quite acquainted with the sentiment, yes. No need for alarm however, I expect this next week will see things finally slowing down."

Miguel nodded slowly. "As you say. I assume this means you and Mi-an have gotten things caught up to where they should be?"

"Just about, yes," she chuckled. She brushed away wisps of hair from her face and used her fingernails to somewhat comb them back into the hair at her temples, where the rest of it was swept up into a messy half ponytail secured with that silver shield hairpin. "Though it would have been much easier on everyone involved if Yan would have temporarily waived the daily commission limits."

"...limits?" Miguel repeated.

"It's our ranking system," she explained. "As Mi-an and I are new builders to Sandrock we are ranked the lowest out of everyone in the Eufala region - 'tis the same deal every time a builder takes to a new area. Essentially, we must work to prove ourselves but for some Light-forsaken reason the lowest ranks are limited to a single commission a day. There are exceptions to that rule such as in emergency situations but Yan did not think being two months behind on everything was 'emergency' enough to allow Mi-an and I to take more than one a day."

"I suppose I've never given that much thought." He could not immediately decide whether such a rule was warranted; you would not want lazy builders snatching up commissions that were late or never finished nor would you want shoddy crafters being the ones completing your requests either, but did that not also make it extremely difficult for a builder to establish themselves? "How odd that the system is set up in such a manner."

She waved a hand. "It's not so bad. Just because we can only take one at a time doesn't mean we can't prepare ahead of time. I've finally gotten things down to wake up, take my morning coffee, gather up the end result of a commission I already know is on that board, grab it, deliver it, done with my 'day' by 8:15."

He chuckled at the mental image. "While I am certain everyone greatly appreciates the promptness - and forgive me, I don't mean to sound insulting - that doesn't sound like a workload that would warrant your current level of exhaustion."

She glanced down at the table between them, a sly look crossing her features before looking back up to him with a self-satisfied smile. "Ah, you could say I've been finding other means of keeping myself busy."

"Such as?"

"Do you assist Matilda in handling the mayoral and administrative duties at all?"

"Yes," he answered, drawing the word out and fixing her with a playfully suspicious look. "You aren't committing any fraud I should be aware of, are you?"

"Ha! No, no fraud, but I'm making certain things are being done however I can manage. I imagine you'll hear Yan howling about it when he figures it out. Consider yourself forewarned."

He leaned forward, steepling his fingers together and resting his elbows on the table, eying her curiously. "Please do elaborate."

"It's nothing illegal or untoward, if that's what you're thinking. I'm merely making sure all the needs of the Moisture Farm are being met. In order to do that I am having to...route around Yan."

"...I'm afraid I'm not following. I thought you were limited in what you can take per day?"

"From the guild, yes. There are no such limits on how many jobs I can take on on personal basis. Which is what I'm doing."

Owen chose that moment to come over with a cheerful "Evening you two!" so Miguel's follow up questions had to wait. "Good evening, Owen. A pot of tea, if you please. I am not yet ready to order a meal -- but don't let that stop you, if you are," he added, nodding to Olivia.

"Tea is fine, and I shall see where my stomach leads me later."

"I'll have it right out," Owen chuckled, lightly tapping his fingers against the table before hurrying off toward the kitchen.

Miguel watched him go, using the moment to refocus his thoughts. "So, as I understand it, you are taking on commissions...on a personal basis?" Olivia nodded; he felt her foot brush up against his pantsleg as she shifted her legs beneath the table -- unbidden, a memory of a cheeky game of footsie at a family dinner came to mind bringing with it a smile he couldn't contain that he hastily tried to hide behind a clearing of the throat. "-ahem, how- how then does that work with your duties to Sandrock?"

"Quite well, actually. And before you ask, it IS permitted by the Central Commerce Guild commission to have concurrent contracts active. So long as I follow their rules it's perfectly fine and wouldn't even be needed if not for Yan turning away requests."

Yan was turning-- what? Why? That idiot... Turning down commission requests could draw the wrong kind of attention if it reached any sort of authoritative body! That was the last thing they needed out here! "I...see. And wish I had heard of this sooner. What exactly have others been saying that he's been doing?"

Olivia paused as Owen returned with a teapot, two teacups, cream and sugar, and a small brick of pressed tea; based on the swirling, whole leaf pattern Miguel suspected it was from Meidi -- it was surprising that Owen possessed such a thing, and also touching that he would choose to allow them to consume it at the cost of the local stuff as it could not possibly be cheap to import it all the way out here. The teapot was steaming and after a cursory check under its lid he saw the strainer was in place and broke off a serving from the brick, placing it within as Olivia moved the cups and cream out of his way.

"Primarily turning away jobs he didn't deem big or important enough, though it seems he eventually caved at some point and began posting them again but then they simply weren't being completed. Which is saying something when you consider how many screws, boards, bricks, and nail commissions we've had to complete and deliver, and there's still a handful more to knock out before we're completely caught up."

He sighed and shook his head. "Had we known sooner it was more than just delayed completion we could have encouraged him to promptly and correctly fulfill his duties as Commissioner...perhaps if we had you would not have arrived to find things in the state they are. At least, in terms of commissions anyway...the situation here is what it is, and we've just got to squeeze water out of the sand here, so to speak. You'll find MOST everyone here does whatever they can."

For better or for worse, he thought to himself. Someday, hopefully soon, everyone will see sense.

"And so am I, which is why I've put myself at Zeke's disposal -- whether he needs an entire shed or a single nail, by Peach I will get it done. Why anyone would choose to take the majority food resource for granted is baffling."

Miguel simply nodded at this -- it was, after all, not his intention to starve anyone (and certainly not himself, either!) The loss of water would eventually began affecting the Moisture Farm but that could not be helped, and he prayed that by the time it reached the point that their food was in danger that the remaining majority here would have moved on to greener pastures.

And let it be literal greener pastures...these people deserve so much better than this life of disorder and strife, scrabbling around in the sand even as it buries them.

Judging that the tea had had time enough to steep he filled their cups and paused to admire the fragrance; it was quite familiar so certainly a Meidi blend (though he could not name it specifically). "If not for the Moisture Farm what would you currently be doing in this downtime?" Miguel asked as he spooned a small amount of sugar into his cup.

His attention was drawn to her lips - they puckered gently as she blew across the top of her tea, and she took a sip without adding anything (nor did she seem inclined to do so even after a second sip). "-building up a stock of basic hardware, gathering raw materials, that sort of thing. You never know when you might suddenly need something and it's good to have plenty on hand in case of emergency."

Smiling, he curled his hands around the teacup. "You always were the prepared one... Still, do not overwork yourself. Life is not a race."

"I very nearly have the farm caught up on the more immediate repairs needed, after which I'll turn my attention to the less pressing issues. As soon as all of THAT is taken care of my schedule will be wide open," she said, with a coy little smile and a playful flutter of her eyelashes. "Which, I'm sure we'll find ways to pass the time."

He couldn't help the happy little hum that rose in his throat. "-I very much look forward to it."

Olivia laughed quietly and brought her tea cup up close to her face, inhaling deeply. "Never thought I'd be drinking THIS again."

"You recognize it?"

"If I'm not mistaken it's Prancing Snowbloom - from Meidi's northern border. There's a small spring-fed valley up there where they grow it."

Miguel blinked at her in surprise. "You say that as though you are familiar with it." And good heavens, how expensive was this tea?

"A very dear friend and traveling companion of mine, Zachary, was from that region. He talked about his home village quite a bit when we were sitting around in the evenings. Many a time did he promise to take me there someday, to show off the springs..."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "It's a long story, and not one I am willing to touch on tonight. I never did get to see the springs but I did get to meet his wife and children though -- I still get letters addressed to 'aunt Ibby.'"

Miguel chuckled again. "Aunt 'Ibby'?"

"Well, Olivia and Livvy have some sounds that little tongues had trouble with. By the time they were old enough to say it properly the name had already stuck."

With a small smile Miguel leaned back, wiggling his shoulders a bit to readjust the booth cushion behind him (Owen may need to replace this one - it was feeling quite thin). "Have you been to many places within Meidi, then?"

"Only those few villages and hamlets we stayed at on our way to Zachary's home. I was...not entirely comfortable traveling there so I wasn't inclined to do any sight seeing."

"Whatever for? Meidi is one of the safest lands on the continent."

"...that is also not something I am willing to touch on." She then sighed, smiling weakly at him. "Sorry."

He waved a hand. "Not a problem. I may not understand now but perhaps, in the future...?"

She nodded. "Perhaps. I wouldn't hold your breath though."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Grace approaching -- the tea hadn't really stoked his appetite yet so he kept his attention on Olivia and topped off his drink. "All in due time. So! I must say hearing you've been to Meidi was a bit of a surprise. Where else have your travels taken you?" "Well-"

"-hope you don't mind my butting in, since I just overheard you asking about travel," Grace interrupted as she stopped at their table. "I'm actually curious about that myself."

Olivia gave her a look of mild surprise - whether it was due to the interruption or the declaration of curiosity it was hard to tell - and gingerly returned her cup of tea to its saucer. "I see. Well, the simple answer is 'many places.' Why do you ask?"

She had placed a gentle emphasis on 'you' and was looking at Grace so Miguel assumed it was directed at the waitress and calmly awaited her answer.

"Ever since I saw you I've had the feeling like we've met somewhere before. Have you spent much time in Atara?"

"Off and on. You'll have to be more specific as to the year," Olivia replied.

Grace tapped her pencil against her chin. "Being as I was born and raised in Atara, and factoring in that I'd need to be old enough to have met you previously and remember the encounter...anytime within the last decade?"

Olivia let out an amused snort. "Not quite specific enough, but I can say with a high degree of certainty that I don't recognize you."

"Perhaps you passed one another in the street often enough to spark familiarity?" Miguel suggested.

"That's possible," Grace agreed. "When you're busy with school and jobs I guess things can just slide on by even if you're looking directly at it, I'll just have to deal with the feelings of deja vu until it either comes to me or I get over it. Anyway, would you two like to order anything or should I come back to check in on you in a bit?"

Miguel glanced back to Olivia and paused; she had sounded fine only seconds ago but there was the barest hint of something in her eyes, with a sense of discomfort in the air. He cleared his throat. "Ah, Grace - I would like to order a bowl of the date and lotus soup, if you please."

"You got it." Grace quickly whipped out a little notepad and wrote the dish down, then looked back to Olivia. "How about you, builder?"

"A half order of the tomato beef brisket and a tea egg, please."

"Any desserts?"

Olivia shook her head; Miguel did as well. "No, thank you."

Grace, perhaps noting the change in the atmosphere, nodded and headed off without any further questions. Olivia let out a soft sigh and shook her head; Miguel studied her face, not seeing any sign of that discomfort from moments ago but also not noticing any hint of her current state of mind.

"...Olivia, are you all right?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry. Trying to remember if I've seen Grace before brought a few other memories to mind." She let out an amused huff, shaking her head. "T'would seem tonight we're determined to dance around subjects and people I wish to leave in the past."

Miguel looked at her with some concern but she'd put a warm smile on, as though nothing was amiss, and took another sip of her tea. A flicker of annoyance was warring with worry -- annoyance with Grace for, if unintentionally, upsetting Olivia, and a mild anxious sensation over her well-being and mood; but...as he'd said, he was not about to cross her boundaries. However... "Speaking of the past... You know what holiday approaches."

She blew out a long sigh that trailed off into a buzzing of lips. "Yes, it sure is. One of my least favorite times of the year."

That was true - and, HAD been true even before Doss had... She simply hadn't liked being frightened, even in the name of fun. "How have you marked the occasion these past years?"

Olivia leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and putting her face into her hands. "Ah, well, to be honest, usually a bottle of something strong and a quiet, deserted corner somewhere."

Miguel blinked at her. Alcohol? Olivia drinking?! She had never-- "I- find that...er."

"Shocking, yes?" she asked, laughing nervously and peering at him through her fingers. "I know, I know, the girl I was before would never. You may choose to believe she finally grew up or died with Doss or fell into a hole, take your pick."

She'd despised alcohol...the taste, the idea of being inebriated, and the thought of even being associated with such behavior. "I...hrm. Of all things to imagine had changed, that one is certainly surprising."

"Oh there's loads more that have changed that you'd likely find more surprising than that."

Having recovered Miguel chuckled a bit and drank from his cup, letting the tea sit on his tongue for a moment to savor the flavor. "-tell me something else that has changed, then. Whether you personally consider it surprising or not."

She let her hands drop to the table, silently drumming her fingertips against it. "Let's see then... I cannot stand the taste of cabbage now."

"What?" he blurted out, laughing. "You loved your mother's cabbage spring rolls!"

"I know!" she said, laughing as well and throwing her hands up. "I still have the recipe memorized but I just can't bring myself to eat anything with noticeable amounts of cabbage in it! There was a time years ago where I fell very ill and cabbage was the most readily available food item so it was in every damn meal. Ever since then the taste of it makes me gag -- I just can't shake the association with that period of time."

Shaking his head Miguel spotted Owen on his way over and reached to move the teapot out of the way. "Astounding what our minds and memories will cling to... Does the smell affect you as well?"

"No, just the taste, thankfully. You're welcome to eat it all you like, it won't bother me."

Owen quickly set their meals in front of them then headed off back toward the bar. His soup was especially fragrant and it was only then that his stomach chose to rumble.

"Your turn," she said suddenly, as his spoon was halfway to his mouth.

"Ah-" Well, t'was only fair. There were things he could say had definitely changed with him...but what to share? Something playful, as she had, but what? "Hmm. To remain on the topic of food: urchin minoris."

Olivia snorted. "Oh, sea urchins? I believe I know where this is going but, do continue."

"You mean to tell me you knew?"

"Yes, I did."

He pursed his lips but wasn't really angered or frustrated -- while Olivia had been quiet and meek in most other things, she'd been adventurous about trying foods (for better or for worse). "Well, once I was told what part of the creature we were eating I couldn't stomach it anymore."

She snickered and sliced into the tea egg with her fork. "Sympathy?"

"No. Pure disgust in knowing that a creature died and that is all that was harvested from it, and I didn't find it all that palatable even before I knew any of that."

"Well, to each their own," she said, tone airy. "They were always too salty when they reached Doss anyway, and I do promise you that the spines were used in other things so it wasn't wholly a waste of an animal. You should try the ones they have in Portia -- they're much larger than the minoris type and actually develop edible meat that has a much more subtle taste."

"I believe I would still react in much the same way as you with cabbage."

She laughed again and stuck a bite of the egg into her mouth; Miguel took that as a sign that it was safe to fill his own mouth and for a time they ate quietly, enjoying the meal and company as around them the saloon began filling up with the dinner crowd and started to grow noisy and distracting. "Would you like to take a stroll around the oasis when we've finished here?"

"I would love to."

After they'd eaten and the tab was settled they stepped out into the evening; Sandrock was mostly deserted at this time of night - everyone was either at home or at the saloon for their supper - so they were free to stroll along the street without anyone interrupting. In the early evenings the oasis always felt cooler than its surroundings (at least for a little while; the desert could get shockingly cold very quickly depending on the season) and there were insects chirping quietly in the moonlight. Beside him Olivia took a deep breath and smiled toward the water.

"Do you remember that pond, and the rope swing?"

"Of course. Knocking a tooth out because I fell off it is one of those childhood memories I doubt will ever fade."

Olivia laughed quietly. "Well, I wasn't thinking of that, I was thinking of sitting beneath that tree reading, listening to the frogs singing their little hearts out."

Miguel smiled fondly at the memory; he could recall bare feet, reading by candlelight just barely hanging on in the breeze, whistles made of grass and some very cross parents every time they stayed out past their curfews. "We've no frogs here so I hope the crickets and cicadas suffice. Sandrock does have its little unexpected joys of nature."

"That it does. I've seen other places out in the Eufala but Sandrock seems especially lucky with its landscape -- it's a lot less desolate here than elsewhere."

He slowly nodded. "...for now, anyway. The desert is trying its best to swallow this place up and while I can applaud, in the most basic sense, the efforts of those trying to slow the inevitable there's times where it feels more like the arrogance of man trying to defy nature itself, even as I look around and witness what we have managed to accomplish. I'm afraid it seems already 'too little too late.' The relic rush stripped the land of life, we are merely the palliative caretakers."

She glanced over to him, mild surprise on her face. "I would never have taken you for such a pessimist."

"Less pessimism and more...realism," he replied after a moment. "Though you do have a point: that was carelessly dismal of me." He blew out a sigh. "I counsel the people here, and those in the villages around us, and while I wish I had Matilda's ever-present optimism someone has to be careful not to instill false hope."

"Mmm, true. But sometimes you need to feed the soul as much as the stomach and even false hope can keep someone going when they would otherwise stop in despair." Idly she tapped the foot of the cane against the boardwalk beneath their feet, suddenly chuckling deeply and winking at him. "Consider it arrogant of me but I shall be the optimist to your pessimist and so declare, 'not on my watch.' I came with the intention to spend the rest of my days here -- let's see what I can manage."

Deep in his gut he felt a twinge of...something. It was uncomfortable and nameless but felt akin to nervousness tinged with a sudden faint frustration that was gone as suddenly as he'd noticed it. "Ah, well...I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, Livvy. And, besides," he added with a small smile. "I could very well be reassigned to a new post tomorrow. The future is ever in motion."

Now she lightly tapped the cane against the side of his shoe. "Already planning for me to pick up and follow you, hmm?"

His cheeks flushed a bit. "I do not actually foresee moving on from Sandrock anytime soon - my duties here are not yet finished," he replied, the words coming out in a rush. "But... I would hate to leave you behind, when we've only just found one another after so long."

She smiled and looked back out over the water, tracing the path of a firefly as it lazily wandered through the tall grass. "As you said: the future is ever in motion. It's wholly possible you might find me an inadequate partner and it won't even matter."

He frowned. "Don't say that... What reason could I possibly have to think that?"

This time she offered him a wan smile. "We're not the same people, Miguel. I'd caution you about holding too firmly to the memory of who I was. I know I'm struggling with it myself. ...I should get going. I've an early day at the Moisture Farm and it's going to be a rough one -- my not being a morning person is at least one thing that's remained UN-changed," she added ruefully.

"I wish you a good night's sleep then," he said softly, reaching out to gently touch her hand. "I will see you in the morning."

She briefly squeezed his fingers then stepped around him, shaking her head. "No no, no need to trouble yourself this time -- when I said early I meant early: I need to replace a window pane and a wall panel and that's more easily done without the sun directly in my face. Sleep in, and I'll see you later on."

"If you're certain."

"I am. Unfortunately."

He laughed quietly and clasped his hands behind his back, moving to walk with her across the stone path. "I will walk with you a bit further - I could use the exercise."

"Oh please. You're a twig."

He laughed again. "I am not as frail as I appear, I promise."

He accompanied her as far as the corner of the fence at the end of the oasis near the train station where she continued across the tracks to go home and Miguel, at first, walked over to the yakmel cart before noticing Yan leaving the saloon and heading toward his own home. His conversation with Olivia earlier came to mind and in a split-second decision Miguel turned from the yakmel station and hurried up the road; he caught up to the man right as he was unlocking his front door and, after checking to see who was about (and with some minor protests from Yan), shoved him inside and entered behind him, tugging the door shut and fixing him with a glare.

"Hey, what's your problem?!"

"Shut up and listen to me," Miguel hissed, reaching out to...well, at first he wanted to seize the sleazy oaf by the collar but that would be sinking to the same despicable level as the creep, and so settled for jabbing a finger into the garish tie instead. "Whatever you are doing outside of your duties, stop it. Word has reached me that you were turning away commission requests--"

"-well yeah, for stupid things!" Yan interrupted. "I don't have time for chump change-"

Miguel jabbed his finger against him again, drawing a pained yelp from him. "Shut. Up. If anyone has actually reported your...dereliction of duty to any sort of governing body, we may very well have to deal with some sort of investigation or audit, and I should not need to explain why we do not want that. Perform your guild duties, to the letter. I don't care how small the fee or "stupid" the request -- if it is submitted through official channels, you do your job. Do you understand me?"

Having seemingly found his courage Yan swatted his hand away. "Calm down old man - no one's going to figure out anything!"

"I said-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Fine, whatever, just- get out of my house! I didn't even invite you in! Rude!"

Miguel straightened, pulling his shoulders back and shooting him a final warning glare before turning and leaving, with Yan slamming the door on his heels.

Fool... For as easy as it was to convince the stupid, greedy man to assist with their plan there were times where Miguel genuinely feared those qualities would be their downfall; if there was a weak link anywhere, it was him.

...drat, he should have also warned him about retaliating against Olivia. He was only feet away from Yan's stoop still but there were stragglers in the street now as the saloon began to empty out; he did not want to draw any more attention to himself than he needed to or may have already -- it was a little too late in the evening to use 'official business' as an excuse for being seen leaving Yan's house (and honestly, who would visit Yan for anything but business?)

With a sharp exhale through his nose Miguel brushed a hand down his front to smooth out the fabric of his uniform then let his feet direct him toward home.

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

"Oh Pen, she's been here barely any time at all. I think you're overreacting."

"You would - you haven't seen the two of them smiling and laughing. Frankly it's disgusting. But regardless, I'm telling you: she is going to be a problem. We need to take care of this now."

Matilda sighed, looking at Pen from over the top of the papers she was organizing. "She is not a 'problem' and we don't need to turn this into one."

Pen crossed his arms, staring at her with a petulant look. "And just why are you so certain you're right?"

She gently set the papers down and folded her hands atop them. "Why are you? Listen... I've known Miguel for a long, long time Pen. I've seen him at his lowest, and now? Now he's happy. Happier than I've ever seen him, and happy men fight like hell to hold on to that happiness. If anything, having that builder here will only strengthen his loyalty. Leave them be -- if anything changes then I'll reconsider as needed. Don't you dare do a thing to that woman unless I order it, understood?"

Pen huffed. "Fine... But I'll be keeping my eye on her."

"So long as it's eyes only; keep those hands of yours to yourself. Now...head on back to your room before someone notices you're not there," Matilda said with a kind smile and a hint of ice in her eyes.

Pen grunted before stomping from the home; Matilda shook her head slowly -- she appreciated having the knight as back up and a sort of insurance against the plan going awry but sometimes he thought the worst of simple situations and jumped right to the wrong conclusions.

And, Miguel might be a pawn in all of this but she did actually care about the man, and even if she didn't a happy pawn was a loyal pawn. So long as everything played out like it was supposed to, who cared if he found love in the process? Maybe he'd even manage to hang on to it to this time.

She signed a few lines and neatly stacked the papers on the edge of her desk to carry over to the commerce guild in the morning then busied herself with getting ready for bed.

#Ensuring the Future #EtF #Ensuring the Future - ch 4 #mtas miguel #mtas zeke #mtas owen #mtas grace #mtas pen #mtas matilda #my time at sandrock

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umbry-fic · 1 year ago

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Palette

Summary: Colours define their journey.

Fandom: Lanota Characters: Fisica, Ritmo Relationships: Fisica/Ritmo Rating: G Word Count: 1227 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 05/01/2024

Notes: Written to Palette by Yuyoyuppe. The different sections are not necessarily in linear order.

~~~

BLUE

Stumbling through the door of the clocktower, still ajar from their previous entrance, Fisica paused, gaze drifting to the sky above her. It was so wide, and endlessly blue. She drank it in, never wanting to tear her gaze away from it - a vibrancy that could never be torn away by the Al Niente.

Standing before the raging, howling clock, she had thought she would never see that brilliant blue again. She’d been certain that she would be condemned to an eternity of monochrome, unable to move a muscle.

“Fisica? Fisica, are you alright?” Hands shook her shoulders, Ritmo’s anxious voice reaching her ears, snapping her from her thoughts and making her aware of the wetness on her cheeks.

When had she started crying…?

Before she had time to sort out her thoughts, she had thrown her arms around her companion, her breaths leaving her as shuddering gasps. Tightening her grip, she buried her face in his shoulder, words failing to leave her.

He’d almost vanished beneath the storm of grey, unleashed by the angry ticking of the clock. The Tuner had been within a hair’s breadth of breaking, cracks spreading across its surface.

But against all odds, he was still here, warm and solid, having managed to rescue them both from the catastrophe. He had not crumbled beneath the pressure.

“It’s alright,” Ritmo whispered in her ear, his hand rubbing gentle circles on her back. Already knowing what it was she felt, as he always did.

His words did not waver. They were steady and sure, and she clung to them to give her strength.

~~~

RED

She rolled the apple under the palm of her hand against the dirt, letting herself get accustomed to its smooth surface. Her back resting against the bark of a tree, its shade providing her respite from the afternoon sun, she lifted the fruit to her lips, hesitating before taking a cautious bite.

Her mouth flooded with a sweetness that brought with it a cherished memory from her childhood. Of a dusty room and a soft lullaby hummed under her father’s breath as he cut an apple into tiny slices…

Opening her eyes as the images faded, the lullaby petered out, replaced with a gentle melody, hummed by the boy who had somehow made his way onto one of the branches, kicking his legs in the air. Dangling around him were apples of varying sizes, painted a vivid red that had been lost to them for so very long.

“Thank you,” she mumbled drowsily, the afternoon heat pressing down on her as she let her eyes slide shut once again, succumbing to the insistent pull of sleep. There was much to be grateful for: a chance to take a breather, and to taste the sweetness of an apple once more.

She didn’t know if he’d caught her thanks. She would just have to thank him again after she’d woken up.

~~~

ULTRAMARINE

Surrounded by ultramarine crystal shards, a complicated contraption spun wildly in the centre of the cavern. An unholy shriek blew through the place with as much force as a hurricane, nearly knocking her off her feet as she resisted the urge to clap her hands over her ears.

Ritmo couldn’t steady her, his own hands flying across the Tuner so quickly that she had to struggle to keep up with what he was doing. Gradually, a haunting melody began to emanate from the Tuner, swelling in volume.

She could do nothing in this situation but stay out of his way and pray.

It was almost as if the two sounds were opposing birds, squawking angrily as they clashed valiantly in the air. Gracefully swooping and swiping with sharpened claws, dealing blow after blow until one emerged victorious.

All the air rushed out of her lungs as the contraption abruptly stopped spinning, falling and smashing against the floor in a cacophony of noise that echoed against the walls.

Her feet crunching against ultramarine shards that glittered, she went to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder as he sighed and let the Tuner drop, body sagging in exhaustion.

It had been a while since they’d had to face something so powerful. For a moment there, their future had seemed bleak, drowned out by a terrible sound. Now, the clouds had cleared, leaving a sunny sky.

It seemed they would live to see another day.

~~~

BLACK

She laughed softly when her fingers brushed against his - both sticky with juice from the blackberries they were sharing in the basket that rested between them. The rays of the sun filtered through the leaves of the forest and painted diamonds on the dirt, turning Ritmo’s hair into a softer brown.

Nero and Rossa had decided to go further ahead to explore this unfamiliar forest they had found themselves in, leaving the two of them to enjoy their haul of berries in this undisturbed clearing.

“Here,” Ritmo murmured, popping another berry into her waiting lips, his fingers lingering for just an instant. As she chewed, he sucked in a deep breath before leaning forward, brushing his lips against hers.

“I love you,” he whispered, in a voice so quiet the wind could have carried it away.

He tasted sweet as the blackberries, she noted in her shock.

It was a detail that would remain in the tender memory she would form of this very day - a moment of peace in a tumultuous journey.

~~~

WHITE

A white veil covering her hair and her arm held in Rossa’s iron grip, she began her slow walk down the aisle, her long dress trailing behind her. Above her, the stained glass window sparkled in a million vibrant colours that would never be smothered again. People from the village that she called home, and those they had met on their journey, filled the pews, smiling and waving in joy.

Waiting for her at the end of the aisle was Ritmo, looking handsome in resplendent white, staring at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Nero stood behind him, velvet box containing two glimmering rings of silver in hand, waiting to officiate.

When she took her position, she ducked her head, smiling shyly at her fianceé as a hint of red dusted her cheeks. He looked slightly nervous now, a little paler than when she’d last seen him this morning. But the ceremony went off without a hitch. The vows were said, the rings exchanged, Ritmo’s trembling hands slipping one onto her finger. Throughout it all, her heart soared within her chest as she held back tears, a gentle smile always playing on Ritmo’s lips.

When it was all said and done, she took his offered hand, squeezing it and hoping he could see the joy overflowing from her beating heart. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers, as he’d done so many times before, and would do many times again.

“Thank you,” she murmured against his lips.

A simple expression of gratitude, for all that he had done. For having the courage to save this world, never backing down even when his own life had been in peril. For cheering her up after the loss of her father, when they’d been young.

For choosing her to share his future with.

From this day onwards, they would walk into the future together, hand-in-hand.

#fanfiction #one shot #lanota #fisica #ritmo #2nd fic of the year!#i finished the first draft in nov of last year oops

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simping-berry · 2 years ago

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How long will they last No Nut November ♡ ~ Itto ver.

Summary: They participated on the No Nut November challenge (either willingly or forced by a friend) so... how long do they last or will they be victorious?

Tw: Smut (Minors DNI, 18+ only) NNN Masterlist

ITTO

Itto god bless his heart and his himbo ass

He’s dumb ok

When someone challenged him he probably only heard the word “challenge” and agreed to it ASAP. no questions asked.

When it was explained to Itto what he need to do to win (which is to not fuck or jack off for a month) he legitimately frowned.

‘Well that's not fun ☹️’

But the great Arataki ‘numero uno’ Itto doesn't back down from a challenge!!

He made a whole act in front of his challenger saying he was gonna win this 100%

…. He lost on the third day.

As soon as he parted ways with his challenger, every info that was feeded into his brain poofed. He is now head empty once again. Only you and onikabuto battles fill his mind. (Mostly you cause he misses you daily 🥺)

Now, Itto loves you very much

So much, in fact, that you live in his head rent free.

This also makes him horny 24/7 and is constantly thinking of having you daily.

So at the third day of the challenge and you bent over just to get something that fell down, yeah he already short circuited.

The sight of seeing your ass fully with no clothes already made his brain go into horny mode.

You were only wearing an oversized shirt with no underwear, making him see everything.

When you stood up, Itto was already behind you, asking if he can fuck you because he is so horny.

He was already whimpering a bit while waiting for your response.

You are used to this by now. Itto has a high sex drive and gets turned on very easily.

Itto is so often horny that sometimes you just don't wear underwear anymore because he always destroys it.

(Underwear is expensive Itto please remove it gently)

You sighed as you saw how desperate Itto was to get it on. Itto was already slowly rocking his hips in the air out of desperation, making you shake your head. You looked at Itto and nodded at his question, leaving Itto excited for getting your consent. You started slow and kissed him to at least start getting yourself riled up to which Itto obliged. As both of you make out, You lifted one of your legs up and guided one of Itto arms to keep it lifted. Your hands then wandered to his head, one rubbing his horns and the other pushing the back of his head towards your face more. Itto groaned at how you rub his horns so roughly. His horns are sensitive so feeling your soft hands rubbing it makes his dick get harder. His free hand wandered and started fondling your chest, pinching your nipple every squeeze. You let out a squeak to which itto chuckled.

A minute has only passed and Itto already got bored of the activity you were currently doing. Without any warning he scooped you up, your legs dangling on top of his arms, and his hands fully in your ass, kneading the plump flesh. His hard cock was already leaking precum as he teased your entrance, thrusting back and forth without going inside you.

“Itto…nghh.. Stop teasing!” Breaking off the kiss, you whimpered as you wrap your arms around his neck.

Itto laughed and kissed your forehead. Seeing you this needy and pouty riles him up more. You truly have this man around your finger.

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop messin with ya”

Aligning his cock to your entrance, he gave you no time to adjust as he fully sheathed his big cock in you. A loud moan escaped your mouth as your eyes rolled back from the intense feeling of being full. He was so deep inside you that it’s driving you crazy. Itto wasted no time and lifted you up until only the tip of his cock is inside you only to sink you back down to his cock. You rested your head into Itto's chest as you moaned louder from the sheer pleasure as Itto repeated the process, each thrust earning more speed. The sound of slapping skin and the feeling of Itto’s cock reaching deep within you makes you drool on Itto’s chest.

“Hhaah~ nghh~ Itto… more please… more” you mumbled at every thrust. Itto looked at your face and moaned at the sight. The way how your eyes were rolled and how your tongue was lolled out made him more hornier than he was before. He snapped his hips up and sank you down more forcefully than before, then slapped your ass. You cried from the mix of pleasure and pain but itto paid no mind as he kept plunging inside of you. Every thrust and every slap made the knot inside your stomach tighter and tighter. Itto can also feel your walls getting tighter, earning a few grunts from you milking his cock. One final thrust and the knot inside you popped, you came messily as Itto kept thrusting, riding your orgasm out. His abdomen was wet and messy from your release but he payed no mind as he removed his cock out of your fucked out hole.

Itto carries you towards the bed and places you gently while your ass is up and displayed. You were still too tired from your orgasm to care, still panting as you buried your face to the bed. You thought Itto was already satisfied that is until you felt him pulling you back to his chest, his arms snagging your legs up as his hands rest behind your neck, putting you in a full nelson position. You can't help but blush from feeling so exposed by the position and not to mention Itto’s rock hard cock standing proud just below your entrance.

“Hahh~ … im not done yet… need to fuck… more..” Itto whispered in your ear as he rubbed his cock in your entrance. You moaned as you rock your hips to get more friction from his cock which earned a sharp inhale from Itto. You wanted more, you wanted him deeper inside you. Itto, as if reading your mind, snapped his hips up aggressively.

“Oughhh! Nghh!” You blabbered out from the sudden intrusion. Your face going back to the fucked out expression you had earlier. Itto wasn’t also safe as he kept grunting behind your ear.

Itto didn’t waste any time and started thrusting in and out of you fast, he went inside you like there was no tomorrow. He fucked you like an animal in heat. The sounds of wet skin slapping combined with your lewd noises were music to Itto’s ears. You dont know how long you were fucked in that position. Your mind was so lost in pleasure to care.

“Itto!! ♡ Itto!!♡~~” You kept screaming his name like a prayer as you messily came for the nth time tonight and yet Itto kept pumping his cock in and out of you at such a brutal pace. He felt himself getting close as he kept hearing you shout his name in pleasure. After a few more thrust, your walls clamped down on his cock as you gushed around his cock again, your body trembling as your essence leaked from your hole to his abdomen and finally to the wet bed sheets. He inserted himself deeply one last time and released his load deep inside you.

After coming down from both of your highs, itto released his hold from your legs and placed you on your back in the bed. He spreads your legs apart as he watches his seed leak out from your abused hole. Itto loves looking at the mess he made every time both of you finish.

“Itto.. please. Stop staring.” You mumbled. Trying to hide from his gaze. Itto didn't mind and closed your legs for you. He knows you can't feel your legs anymore.

“Ya know sweetheart, we should do this again tomorrow!” Itto exclaimed as he scooped you up to lead you to the bathroom. “I really enjoy these moments”

You can only smile and nod. You also enjoy these moments with Itto. Honestly, you became insatiable because of Itto and his needy self. The rest of the night was spent with both of you just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

That was until the next day...

“Wait… what challenge?” Itto asked, confused at the blue haired man in front of him who could only laugh. “Boss! Didn’t we explain to you to not have sex for a month!” Genta cried as he looked at itto in disbelief. “Great! Now we have to pay 5000 Mora to the yashiro commissioner” Mamoru could only sigh as he looked at Ayato who was delighted from the news he just received.

#itto x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin itto #genshin impact #arataki itto

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dr4kenlvr · 4 years ago

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liar

pairing: izana kurokawa x gn!reader

genre: angst

request: hii could you do a izana oneshot when he realizes his s/o is in toman? thank you so much!!

a/n: hey anon! i made this piece angsty, since it wasn't specified and that was the vibe i got from this plot, hope that's alright by you <3 + izana and reader are not in a fully established relationship due to the plot, i also got carried away asdfgsdjf

warnings: spoilers from tokyo rev - tenjiku arc manga, angst, reader has feelings but can't pursue them, izana gets used, izana cries, i cry while writing this, etc LMAO.

not once had izana thought he had somebody. a somebody to himself, a somebody to call his, a somebody to care and love for. a somebody that he thought he could rule the world with. izana lived a wretched life brimmed with the mindset that he was alone forever.

the day kakucho had introduced you to him, he felt indifferent. to kakucho, you were a friend, someone he had gotten along with well in school. to izana, you were just another pawn he planned on using to reach the top. a piece of his plan he could easily remove and throw away when needed.

to you, izana was a mystery. a charming man covered in an invisible cloak of secrets and confidence. he practically oozed ambition, and it was your job to unveil him.

you were an addition to toman, a fact that was unbeknownst to kakucho. it had been discussed and concluded that you were to be toman's spy within tenjiku's premises. you needed information. solid, ground information that would make a swift victory for toman in the future. it was simple really, you were one of toman's finest minds. everyone agreed it'd had to be you to do the job. the plan was to persuade kakucho to introduce you to his friends, infiltrate tenjiku, become associates with izana and help toman bring them down. simple— right?

who would've known that what occured between izana and you, couldn't be labelled as pure associates.

you and izana had grown quite close, despite only have met. you had to admit, it did take a generous amount of time to get him to open up to you. but when he did, you were instantly hooked. something about izana caught your attention. he was extremely attentive and intelligent and it resulted in your admiration for the way he led his gang. you couldn't help but compare him to mikey. mikey, toman. you remembered your job, and why you were really here.

it had been a few weeks now, fortunately no one had suspected you of anyone else other than tenjiku's new lackey. however unfortunately, your time here was about to end.

the sun was setting lowly upon the horizon, splashes of orange and pink painted the water below your dangling feet. next to you sat izana, shoulder to shoulder. he didn't know what possessed him to sit so closely, but he was compelled to. quite often the two of you would be found sitting together, either enjoying one another's company or chatting up a small conversation. kakucho liked to tease izana of his fasination with you, saying 'it's rare for you to be so involved with others'. this time, no one had said anything. izana felt the silence between the two of you was relatively comforting.

lately, izana has been feeling different. he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but something felt different. was it the way his palms got sweaty when you looked at him? or the way he had to muster up some sense of courage just to talk to you? he didn't know. it was odd, but he liked it. izana took a deep breathe, relishing in whatever this feeling was. he noticed you do the same. he smiled, were you feeling what he was?

exhaling gently, you opened your eyes to the sky above you. the silence was nice, but the sunken pulls on your heart felt otherwise. infiltrating tenjiku was fairly easy, gaining the trust of the top executives proved to be a challenge, but you managed. hell, now you were even sitting next to their leader. the bond between you and izana grew into something much more than you primarily presumed. there were feelings blossoming inside you that should never have sprouted. there were emotions you felt for izana that should never have been perceived. you were toman's ally, not tenjiku's.

then why did it hurt so god damn much whenever izana smiled at you?

you decided something before asking izana to meet you here. since you had gained enough information about the group and izana himself, there was no need for you to stay, and toman needed you back.

"izana." you started.

"hm? what is it?" he responded, violet eyes peering over to you with interest. he wondered what you were gonna tell him, he felt his chest swell with anxiety. nonetheless, he kept a nonchalant face at your hesitation. calm and collected as always.

"i wanted to be the one to let you know," you gulped, "that im apart of toman." you paused, feeling your throat clog up. "im not on your side. and i was sent here to collect data on you and the gang. now that i've got it, i'm no longer needed here." you confessed. your heart refused, but you knew that this is what you had to do.

izana sat still. he didn't respond. he couldn't respond. what was he supposed to say? you.. were apart of toman? as in, mikey's group? and you were a spy for them? izana was bemsued, he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. he felt his eyes water. you hadn't even looked him in the eyes yet, couldn't you at least do that?

you sighed, taking another deep breathe. you turn to him, "it's ti-."

"how could you?!" izana yelled, fumbling up to his feet. you were taken aback by his sudden outburst, then you felt your heart clench at the sight. tears streamed down izana's face, leaving marked evidence of the sadness he felt. "i-i trusted you! you were someone i considered a friend! s-someone who i thought would want me back! and now you go and leave me like i'm nothing but a piece of fucking trash!" he screamed, words fumbling out to no end now. his violet eyes now harsh and rigid at your form below him. the wind howled and clamoured against your bodies.

"you're telling me you used me this entire time? you're.. you're nothing but a liar! a god damned liar!" izana's words screeched at your ears. he panted, harder and harder until it felt like his lungs were going to give out on him. how was it that another person is leaving him? another person doesn't want him back?

you stayed silent. izana sobbed at the look on your face- you're like a stranger to him now. was he always one to you? it's evident you're not looking at him with the same kindness you did before. was it all feigned pity and compassion? he sniffled, before gesturing you to go. "leave y/n. i don't ever want to see you again."

you stand up quietly. the wind roaringly blows past and between you and him one more, before you turn your back against him. your chest aches with pain when you look ahead. you can still hear izana's ragged inhales as you take your first few steps away from him.

"i'm sorry, izana. goodbye."

izana watched as the gap between you and him grew bigger. the view of your back became smaller and smaller as you walked away from his shaking form. a part of him wanted you to turn back once more, to acknowledge him as a person just once more. but you never did.

it was then izana knew, that he was destined to be alone.

#izana kurokawa x reader #izana kurokawa x reader angst #izana x reader #izana x reader angst #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers x reader angst #tokyo revengers angst #izana kurokawa angst #izana angst #request

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skepticalkoi-catastrophe · 2 years ago

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|Come Closer| Kuroo Tetsurou x Blackfem!reader

The following fanfic is an inspired spin-off of Deciphered by @hoeneymilktea, The Sunrise, and Your Sins by @leia505 , and fanart by @aikk00 . Pls, check them out as well as other spin-off authors. Comments, Reblogs, and Shares are heavily appreciated. I hope you enjoy~ ♡

Words- 2,001

Chapter [005] Wish it More

Subway doors clang shut at the Toranomon Hills Station via the Hibiya Line. Kuroo texts you and says he's waiting at the next station's platform. You have your headset on one ear, the other somewhat hanging off to hear any upcoming announcements. Your mouth quirks at its corners as you notice a toddler sitting across from where you are, babbling and reaching for you.

Sunlit clouds drift through the clear skies, casting radiant lambency out the windows of the train. Its beams turn your irises into sunny versions of themselves. When Kuroo said he'd see you today, you didn't think you'd wake up to brunch delivered at your doorstep from your favorite café you thought closed many summers back. He first took you there after his morning practice as a thank-you for accompanying him during volleyball training camp.

You’re pulled out of your reverie as your stop, Kasumigaseki Station, is announced as the next stop. You wish the toddler goodbye with a wink and a wave, seeing their teeny tiny hand wave bye back to you. Waiting by the candy cane-striped line for safety at the edge of the track, train schedules and map routes are posted on the wall along with digital signs announcing the estimated arrival time for the next train.

"Y/n!" Kuroo stumbled to a halt. "I'm so glad you had some time to do this with me."

"Lucky for you I've got all the time in the world, Tetsurou."

He's decked out in a white Chicago Bulls jersey and khaki cargo pants, an acid wash jean jacket wrapped around his waist. Red, white, and black retro Jordan 6's on his feet as he ushered you inside the train. You both tromp along, taking baby steps into the sardine can-like compartment alongside dozens of strangers. Attempting to snag an empty seat, the train lurched unanticipatedly at its next stop.

Had the last person boarding not rushed inside the train, Kuroo -adding to his now brought-on discomforting sense of dread- blunders about nearly crushing you between him and the train doors at your rear. He catches himself even though there wasn't a handle to grab ahold of. Till he realized his large hand was on your hip holding you upright.

You raise your chin, pursing your lips. "You good? You almost busted your ass there for a sec."

"Uh- yeah sorry about that, Shortcake. Can I uh...?" He trips over his tongue, the forced proximity making his heart play double dutch. "I'm gonna put my arm above you, okay? To steady me."

"Right, uh, go ahead." You said, folding your hands at your sides and holding your ruched red Prada mini bag. His gold cuban link chain dangling within the modest gap between you both. He's not far off from an overprotective boyfriend with his right forearm stiffly propped onto the train doors. Kuroo turned his head sideways, throwing his focus elsewhere.

You both bring your attention as the speaker crackles to life, announcing the next platform. Seven stops left.

You press your foot down on the gas controller, only for your avatar to place fourth once again across the finish line. Kuroo takes pleasure in his victory, even going as far as to one-up you by driving one-handed just like in real life. Yet he had another thing coming as you got to your feet on the old thin patterned carpet, blowing out your cheeks.

"Best two outta three?" He insisted, stretching his arms above his head.

"Tell yah what, you may out-drive me but I mos def can out-gun you." You taunt, leading him away from the seated racing games to the loud bomb blasts and gunfire emanating from the nearby shoot-em-up games.

Rows of machines with colorful pictures on the sides filled Gigo Shinjuku Kabukicho. Players jab at buttons, some frustratedly slamming their hands against the side of them. Recorded crowds cheering and bellowing out the basketball/hoop games. Inserting your tokens, you hold the shotgun controller, squeezing the trigger.

Kuroo practically bent over backward narrowly keeping up with your kill streak. Marveled, he watches as you gun down hordes of zombies . The Annihilation–each zombie barely made it a step through the graveyard before you blew them to high hell with seconds left in the round.

You size him up, grabbing a quick slurp of your blue raspberry slush before the next level kicks in. "Quittin' already?"

"I'm all outta tokens, smart ass. Imma be right back." He simpered, gingerly bumping your side.

You give him a half-shrug, mowing down more zombies as Kuroo jogged out of view to the token exchange. At the final boss level, you chuck a grenade, adding another S-rank win to your belt. Level three loaded as you pumped your fist in the air, jamming your hand in your front pocket for what's left of your tokens.

"Here, you can have mine." Your head jerked in the direction of the voice, his stack of tokens resting on the game cabinets' console. He held out his arms, wrapping them around your shoulders, yours around his torso squeezing a bit.

"Where have you been at, Tangie? Last we spoke, you were leaving for Brazil." You pull away, the ginger barely concealing his delight. "You were shorter, too."

"Says the one who hasn't grown much since then. Last I saw you, you were catching your flight back to the states."

Hinata's tan is evident of his time away. His short-sleeved shirt revealed elaborate tattoos down to his wrists. "I'm taking some time off. I got homesick. I've missed you, Mi Querida."

"Oh, so we're bilingual now?" Your hip juts out amused. "I missed you too. Sorry I wasn't calling you as much. I had my number changed recently. "

Inserting his stack of coins, you wait on the countdown to the next stage of zombies. You hand your blue flip phone to him, a Calpico charm with a small four-leaf clover inside hangs from it.

"I can't say much right now, but add your number to my contact list. And don't tell Blondie Miya. I want it to be a surprise."

Hinata taps away at the number keys. "That's if his brother didn't tell him first. Word travels fast 'round here. Wait, you're here alone?"

"Who says I'm alone?" You ready your stance, cocking the plastic shotgun and adjusting your aim. "I'll give you the deets later."

Hinata snaps your phone shut, sliding it into your mini bag. He side-hugs you once more, starting to quicken his pace en route to the prize counter.

"You might wanna head out pronto." His flip phone chirps reading off a message. "Blondie and Grey will be here in a few minutes. I'll message you a meeting place by Friday."

You wave him away, putting the plastic gun down in the console's holster. Searching for any signs of the twins, you bump into a medium-sized toast and skeleton cat plushie won from the claw games held in Kuroo's arms.

Somewhat peeking around his shoulder, you notice the twins now battling in air hockey while Enigma was by the dance pads.

"Careful y/n. What's the rush?"

You take his hand, hastily leading him to the exit doors. "I'm craving something sweet. Let's get ice cream. My treat."

Colorfully painted walls and an ornamented chalkboard menu board lists various ice cream flavors and their correlative prices. Jolly décor and customers peer into glass-covered cases holding buckets of creamy confectionery nestled in ice as they ask for samples. Tubs filled with candy toppings and pump containers of chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, and strawberry syrups lined the display cases.

Seated in a booth, you take spoonfuls of your parfait as Kuroo tries desperately to keep his waffle cone from melting in his hands. Both of your plushies are seated beside you.

"We're gonna spoil our dinner because of your sweet tooth."

"What do you care? Do you have reservations planned for us somewhere? " You rocked back and forth, brushing your palms together.

"Does Thai Take-out count?" Kuroo bites into his cone, licking what he could of his three scoops. "In all seriousness though, why were you so quick to leave the arcade? Did something happen? "

You shook your head. "No. Nothing like that. I just saw some familiar faces and I didn't want them to know I was out and about."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Why? Scared I'll ruin your rep?"

"For starters, you still haven't told me what your rep is nowadays. Apparently, you race and you have money as far as the eye can see. Am I wrong to assume the worst? "

Kuroo laughs bitterly, crunching more of his waffle cone between his teeth. "Assume the worst huh? I'd say I'm living the dream. Fast cars and fast money all the while I'm my own boss."

"And your Chem degree is still in the picture?"

"Working on it as we speak. Part-time, obviously."

Wrapping a curl around your finger, you lean back into the cushioned seat, wiggling your foot.

"If life's so carefree, then, please do tell me whose nine millimeter that is in your glove box."

There's a beat of silence as his shoulders slump and he massages the back of his neck. "How did you-? Look, I never said I didn't have enemies, y/n. It comes with the territory."

Across the way, a girl your age waited afar. You realize you know her, red and white ink formed a chrysanthemum norigae on her right bicep.

Exhaling, you rise from your seat. "I'll be in the bathroom."

Shim Ya Naoki. Da Vinci was once her name. Nothing more than a talented tattoo artist who visited your old place of work for flowers and coffee. You hated where things left off between you both. She's the one who disappeared. She had no right to blame you.

Her black platform lace-up boots entered, heavily pacing to the stall you stood within. She leaned back against the wall, hanging her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'd apologize but I know you don't want to hear a word I have to say."

"Yeah, well, you shut everybody out. I won't take it personally. Never did." You quipped, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Spades, you can't- " She retorted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "You cannot avoid me forever."

"How much do you wanna bet ?" You opened the door of the stall. Naoki steps back, granting you enough space to stand straight.

"I don't want an apology, 'Vinci. I didn't ask you to nose around in my business with the Miya's. If you wanted Kuroo so bad back then, you should've opened yah fuckin' mouth and told him."

"It was pointless. He used me as a rebound the same way you used him."

"Kuroo and I were strictly just friends. Him and I dating was out of the question."

"Guess he didn't quite get the memo. He moaned your name while he fucked me." Naoki tenses, her expression pinched and eyes narrow.

"You're lyin'." Your head drew back quickly. Disbelief audible as you shakily replied. "It doesn't matter, you two weren't officially together. Having a 'fuck buddy' dosen't equal having a boyfriend."

"Neither were you and the Miyas either."

Naoki shoved her hands in her pockets bumping your shoulder to get by. She cracks the bathroom door, looking back at you, her acrylic nails like talons.

"He's not who he's cracked up to be. From one girl to another, stand down. He's more trouble than he's worth, Spades."

With that, she exits, leaving you frustratedly speechless. Touching the base of your neck, your other hand grips the sink in front of you as you grimace.

You never called to mind Kuroo looking at you in a lovey-dovey way. He was a player, a delinquent who could have any girl he wanted back then and even now. Everything you both did together was totally platonic. No strings attached. Naoki's warning repeats itself back as a question from your lips.

"More trouble than he's worth?"

If you enjoyed this chapter, make sure to follow me for more. If you'd also like to be added to the tag list, comment below.

Taglist: @blissfullyrhea @nanastie @peachjaem00 @melbugs1 @jfoxxarts @s-1-xx

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muffindaddystyles · 4 years ago

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LOVE ME, WRESTLE ME.

Boyfriendrry blurb of some smutty and fluffy thought.

Taking online classes, resting, doing assignments, then spending some time with Harry and watching a movie at night that always ends up in a good fuck isn't boring but it's insipid.

The cooe of rain outside's soothing and tranquil enough to fill in already comfortable silence between you people, your lips murmuring around the instinctive words from the scrabby page of the Oscar Wilde's; The selfish giant. Your knees are hiked up sitting in the love seat opposite to where Harry's sitting on the messy-ly made bed since you both were feeling a tad lazy and in mood to procrastinate house chores.

You're constantly loosing your focus, because you're terribly horny at the moment and Harry in a baggy yellow pawy sweater spread on his tummy over the bed doing nothing but staring at you like he'd swallow you whole isn't helping at all with the ache between your thighs.

So, you do what was needed to be done.

His eyes follows your commotion as you leave your spot kneeing up on the edge of bed, your crotch against his face and you look down at him with a witty smirk.

"Wrestle me." Your voice challenging. You arch your brow with profound irritation when he intentionally dismisses you off by rumbling his lips to blow away the curls falling over his dooey eyes.

"Pardon?" He creates a noise, within a click of his tongue or his hand against your bare thigh (fondling the soft skin he's obsessed with) that dries your throat with hunger. He heard it right. There was no wavering in what you invited him for.

You guys have this game where he has to make you cum within two minutes and you've to wrestle him off, if you loose and cum you've to keep him warm and sloppy in your mouth until it turns into a nice blowie so it's a win win either way.

You fail every time. Most of it is very obvious.

But, right now he's trying to rile your nerves up by acting like an utterly supine cow.

"Hmm?" The questioning hum turns into a giggly squeal when he grabs your ankle and throws you onto the mattress like a rag doll, "S' fuckin' insatiable all the time ..." He growls towering above you, pushing your thighs apart with a tight grip to your soft fleshy insides that makes you hiss. A laugh pits up in your belly from the thrill of shutting them back and fighting him off to piss him further.

Ofcourse him being stronger than you fails you to do so and a loud moan bubbles around you when he licks his palm till the tips of his fingers and smacks your already soaking centre harshly.

"Fuck." You mewl softly sinking into sheets when he yanks your shorts down leaving you in nothing but his large hoodie, your pussy lips flutter from the heated sensation of your stickiness coming in contact with the sting of his chilly rings.

He pins your wrist atop your head and fits himself between your wide opened legs grinding his hard (trouser clad) prick against your heating centre in vigorous rubs, leaving a burn with every stroke and making you loose your stance with the growing desire to have his fingers inside you.

"C'mon fight me now." He grits. Glowering down at you sternly and your tummy coils against his's pelvis with each nasty roll of his hips, you gasp around a sob when he nips at the soft skin of your jaw. He wants you to surrender yourself to him but your ego's more than that so with a trick of pulling at his hair you flip him on his back and crawl up to straddle his torso jerking his shoulder down.

"Aha!" You grin in a victory. His brows pinches down furiously and before you know his calloused hand came spanking your butt-cheek making your face smash into the crook of his neck with an unexpected vulgar series of moans, "Bratty little fuck doll." He grunts landing another spank right where the first one left crimson imprints, again and again till you're a squirming crying mess.

He slides his two fingers down your puckering rim to where you're dripping with wetness and teases your entrance by never dipping them in till the end but rather stroking the spongy wall of your soppy cunt.

You squeal when he flips you on your tummy and leans all his weight over your back to glide his hand between the compact space of their bottoms, he patches breathy kisses to the side of your neck leaving love marks, sliding in his fingers deep inside that when you feel a certain crack resonating to your ears and shooting pain till your toes making them jelly.

You're fucked.

It all happened from your arm placed at the weird angle while he had your hips in air.

"Harry, I think. I might've broken my wrist." You stammer in a calm voice though, barely able to speak when the pang in your joint's inflaming like a wildfire along with the pleasure that's subsiding into an akward spasmy feeling as you pulsates around his fingers.

"Sucha bullshit excuse to mice outta yer defeat." He rasps to you smugly. Your face scrunches up in pain and your head falls into the throw pillow.

"No . ." You shake your head quickly gulping down the thick tears down your throat and when his head clears out from the fog of lust, noticing the weakness in your words he immediately pulls his digits out, "Holy ... Fuck." You try to stay placid knowing his insides are ticking in panic and is about to explode in one, two and —

"Baby -– how — how are y'so calm? Is it hurting? Show me." The shift in his demeanor is adorable as minutes ago he was about to rail you to unconsciousness and now he's the softest cutest caring boyfriend.

Tears prickles at your waterline when he presses his thumb into your wrist bone ever so diligently and it jolts severe pain up your arm.

"I think it's, 'm so so sorry baby. We should go to hospital. Stay here, yeah?" He tells you cupping your cheeks worriedly and rushes to fetch a wet rag when you nod through a sniff and wobbly lips.

He cleans you off, shushing you with tender kisses to your ankles when the throb got overwhelming. Helps you wearing your jeans and shoes being careful not to hurt your wrist any further in doing so.

"It's okay, you're okay lovie —- if the pain's too much —--- dunno we should probably run to hospital." He's out of breath snatching the keys and his coat taking glances of you after every second to make sure you're okay, more like assuring himself, "Bub it wasn't your fault. It was an accident, I can endure a lil bit pain." Through the whole call ride he was jittery and twitchy waiting for to reach the clinic speedily.

He has you embraced by his side with a careful support of his palm under your wrist so it wouldn't dangle that much as he walks you inside.

The doctor sitting infront of you two stares at the way you both are flushed, rosy cheeks, ruffled hair and sheened skin radiating 'we were in the middle of having great sex.' But, she chooses not to speak as you shrink to Harry's side timidly from the embarrassment and shyness.

Harry just passes you a nervous smile squeezing your shoulder to cheer you up and nudges you when the doctor asks the ever awaiting question.

"So . . . How did it happen?"

"Cupboard —-" You speak.

"She fell of —-" And he speaks at the same time.

You look at eachother with wide shocked eyes but then he clear his throat allowing you to speak, "I was putting some dishes up in the cupboard when I lost my footing and knocked my wrist against it." The doctor surely didn't give into your guys shit. Nodding along to your made up story.

You guys feel exposed when the doctor spoke inspecting Y/N wrist, "The injury caused from the pressure of weight, splinting the bone away and tearing the muscle too ... nothing that wouldn't heal in two weeks. You'll be good with an arm cast and these pain killers."

When you step out into the waiting corridor it feels like your secret has been revealed to every single person sitting there and you pull the strings of your hoodie to cover your face and Harry chuckles kissing your head at your silliness.

Once in the privacy of car he speaks looking at your cast properly, "One thing fo' sure that game isn't made fo' us -- you're too delicate to play it just fo' fun and thrill. Next, time just ask me to fuck you baby and I'll surely do it happily." He sighs a puff of breath kissing your cast and patting it lightly jerking back in horror when you yelp.

"Ouch!" He takes your jaw to kiss your lips upon seeing you grinning at your own misheviousness.

"Ye' batty little creature, stop messin' with your poor boyfriend!" He grumps cheekily at your playfullness.

"'M sorry, daddy will you take care of me?" You blink sickly coy through your lashes. Pouting up at him innocently and he shakes his head bopping your nose.

"You just wait and watch." He kisses the side of your head while reversing the car.

"How about we start from drawing dicks on ye' cast, hmm? How bout that?" He smirks and you gasp surprised at his antics.

"Harry!" The car fills up with laughter and giggles until he takes a rough turn.

"You better drive safe else 'm walking home!"

#harry styles imagines #dirty harry styles imagines #harry styles blurb #harry styles smut #harry angst #harry styles fanfiction #dom harry #harry styles #cute harry #fluff #IDK IF YOULL LIKE IT BUT THIS IDEA WAS SWIMMING IN MY DIRTY HEAD FOR SO LONG UNTIL IT ENDED UP BEING A FLUFF

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you-are-constance · 3 years ago

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I don't know much about them, but Glimya?

so just briefly: they are characters in the Anastasia stage musical, Anya, Dimitri, and Gleb, who i've fallen in love with and absolutely adore. they're basically just idiots in love, is all I'll say. I happened to have a glimya one-shot ready (them attempting to bake) so here it is!

“No, no, no, Gleb,” said Anya, grabbing the bag out of his hands, “that’s too much sugar. You have to follow what’s on the recipe.”

“It says ‘one cup.’” He held up his cup of choice. “It doesn’t specify what kind of cup.”

“That’s because it shouldn’t need to!” Anya searched in a drawer for an actual measuring cup, but was unable to locate the one that should have been there. She looked up, the formations of a question on her lips, before quickly dying out at seeing Dimitri. He sat on top of the countertop, feet dangling above the floor, brandishing the measuring cup and grinning like a maniac. “Give me that.”

She reached for the measuring cup—even going on tip-toes for it—but he continued to hold it out of her reach. Anya glared at him but stopped trying to reach it. He’d only make it harder for her.

“Actually, I think Gleb’s right,” said Dimitri. “The more sugar, the better.”

“That’s not how baking works.”

“How do you know?” asked Gleb. “You’ve never done it before, either.”

“Hey! I—I’ve…” She tried to think of a rebuttal, but came up blank. She really had never baked anything before. “Well, I’ve never baked anything, but I have cooked stuff before. It’s got to have some of the same rules. Have you guys ever cooked anything?”

“I made a sandwich once,” Dimitri supplied unhelpfully. Gleb nodded. Anya rolled her eyes.

“Well then I’m obviously the qualified one here.”

“Need I remind you, Anya, what happened the last time you cooked anything?” Dimitri’s grin turned smug as Anya continued to glare at him.

“Shut up.”

“No, no, go on,” teased Gleb. “I don’t believe I’ve heard this story.” He placed his forearms down on the countertop, leaning against them, smiling like the dork he was.

Anya crossed her arms over her chest. “You guys are the worst.”

Dimitri and Gleb looked at each other and laughed.

“We know,” said Dimitri, hopping down off the counter and walking towards them, putting his arms around both Anya and Gleb. The measuring cup—still securely in Dimitri’s hand, was right within her grasp. She reached for it, but Dimitri—ever the conman—pulled it out of her reach once again. That was fine. Anya had a backup plan.

She grabbed Dimitri’s shirt and pulled him into her, causing him to bend down a bit while doing it. He was caught off guard by the kiss, his arm slowly coming down, leaving Anya the perfect opportunity to finally take the measuring cup from him.

Anya pulled back from the kiss, showing off her victory. Dimitri shrugged it off. “I think I might just keep stealing baking supplies, then.”

“Me too,” added Gleb.

Anya didn’t say a word as she crossed the kitchen to the sink, washing the measuring cup; Dimitri’s hands had been all over it, after all. She came back over to the counter and tried to start work on the recipe once again, hoping that this time, Gleb and Dimitri would be a bit better to work with.

They ruined the cake. The outside was burnt and the inside was undercooked, somehow. When it was over, none of them cared. They were too busy laughing over their failed attempt and holding onto one another.

Maybe they’d try again someday. Knowing them, and herself, they’d all probably just screw it up again. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. They weren’t doing it to get better, they were just doing it for the fun of it.

Besides, if Anya had to give a kiss to get every piece of measuring equipment needed, none of it was going to go very well. They might as well skip the baking part and go right to the kisses. It was much more efficient, after all.

read on ao3

#Constance answers #asks #Constance's writing #anastasia #anastasia musical #anastasia the musical #glimya #anya #gleb vaganov #dimitri #thanks for requesting!

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damnlance · 4 years ago

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[klance blurb thingy 1]

{PINING}

please tell me why lance is the ‘obviously pining from far away’ type

especially when keith’s around

like okay imagine lance and keith are hanging out with all their friends right

probably at some cute, old little diner because lance is always in the mood for a milkshake and keith loves spending all his coins on the pinball machine

of course when they get there, they all cram into one booth even tho shiro and hunk have the broadest shoulders of the group and trying to spread out is a little hard but they always make it work

lance will order drinks and food for the whole table because he’s memorized everyone’s orders and his irresistible ✨charm✨ comes in handy when he goes out on a limb to ask their waiter or waitress for an extra basket of fries on the house

and yeah it works bc it’s lance and he’s so charming and loves the way it gets mixed reactions from his friends like allura giggling, hunk sighing, pidge rolling her eyes, shiro ignoring him but also being secretly happy for the free fries, coran being the proud uncle he is, and keith - blushing like a mad man and trying to hide it bc lance is an idiot

as they’re waiting for their food, lance will ask for a kids coloring page and crayons and color the various pictures with hunk and pidge (and hunk would kick lance’s ass at tic-tac-toe)

keith will wander off with allura and coran as they watch him play on the pinball machine with his pocket full of quarters ready to play for as long is it takes the food to be done

and it’s so annoying how good he is because allura and coran will cheer for him or laugh or praise him and it’ll immediately grab lance’s attention away from coloring his half of the kid’s coloring page

he’ll slowly look up, pretending to be looking out for their food or watching one of the various tv’s playing some funky music video from the 80’s but really his eyes are glued to keith

and lance won’t ever understand how something as simple and played out as a stinkin pinball machine could bring out a side of keith that lance wishes he could see all the time

keith, standing there with his gloved hands on either side of the machine, long black hair tucked behind his ear on one side as his bangs dangle over his stupidly gorgeous violet eyes, his thick eyebrows frowned up as he concentrates on the game

smirk on his face

and sometimes, when the game’s getting good, his eye will light up like lightning flashing across a dark, stormy sky, and his lip will curl into a smirk as he leans closer to the machine because he’s winning

that’s when lance just can’t bring himself to look away because keith looks so cute when he’s winning, like a little kid in a candy shop, his features usually hard and brooding are now so soft and pure and beautiful

and something inside lance will go off and make the hairs on his arms stand up and a chill go down his spine and a small smile spread across his face because keith’s smile is so pretty he should smile more why doesn’t he smile more it’s so contagious lance feels lightheaded

he can’t look away because his heart is beating so fast and if he so much as takes a breath or blinks, he’s afraid he’ll miss these little moments that no one else pays attention to because they’re all too dense to notice just how amazing keith is

how cool keith is

how cute and pretty and wonderful keith is

and lance will let out a lovestruck sigh as he slumps forward and begins to daydream about how great life would be if he and keith ever got together even though that’s literally impossible because lance is very sure keith hates his guts and doesn’t want anything to do with him 😔

but the greatest part is when keith does win! and the small smile on his face turns into something big and real and unfiltered and he balls his gloved fists and shakes them victoriously in the air as coran and allura clap and pat him on the back

and lance will silently cheer from where he sits in the booth, laughing and smiling along with keith, wishing he was over there to celebrate too

wishing he could pat keith’s back or give him a high five or a hug, anything to be near him and to see that beautiful smile up close, to feel the warmth from keith’s happy energy radiating into lance’s bones

oh, how lance wishes to be keith’s

how he wishes he could just drop all the stupid rivalry crap between them and be something more

something real

and of course the moment would be ruined when keith catches him STARING (because he’s been staring for like 5 minutes) and lance’s inner bi panic would activate and he would frown at keith for catching him and reflexively flip him the middle finger as if it was keith’s fault for catching him

keith would frown back and roll his eyes as he turns back around to play again

and lance would sit there, trying so hard to calm his erratic heart, pounding against his rib cage like it’s trying to burst out of his chest

his cheeks and ears would be so red and hot from the flush that came and rose from his neck

and he would try to play it off like it suddenly got hot in the fifteen minutes they’ve been inside

clearing his throat, lance would try to go back to coloring but would stop because he can feel eyes on him

he’d look up to see if they were keith’s but would ultimately find that they are not keith’s

but instead hunk’s, pidge’s, and shiro’s, the three of them staring and smirking at lance who’s been pining so hard from far away

and lance would clear his throat and pretend he had something on his face, wiping his cheek and grabbing his vanilla milkshake and setting it right in front of his face to cool him down

when the food comes, keith will let allura and coran slide into the booth first and sit down so he would be directly across from lance

their friends would engage in small talk as they eat, talking about how good their food is or something else that would pop into their minds

keith would eat his burger and fries in silence, only looking up if someone were to mention or call his name

and lance would do the same, too engaged in dipping his hot, salty fries into his creamy milkshake to pay attention to the conversations going on

but something would catch his attention

a feeling

he can feel eyes on him again

and he would look over to hunk and pidge and shiro, who are all talking over each other all at once

he would look to allura and coran, who are listening and stuffing their faces

and then those piercing blue eyes would look up and across from him

and find those gorgeous violet eyes on him like the skin on his bones

blood would rush to his cheeks but instead of looking away, lance would stare back

and watch keith turn into a flustered mess

lance would smirk and keith would present his signature frown in response

and lance would get a sudden rush of courage in his veins and push his free basket of fries towards keith, offering him some

keith would twist his bushy eyebrows up in confusion, asking lance if he’s sure

and lance would nod, shaking the basket of free fries

keith would relax his features

and smile softly at lance, reaching over his own food to take a couple of fries

something deep in lance would burn low, a feeling of satisfaction simmering within him, knowing that keith is eating his free fries because lance offered them and keith accepted

keith would shove the fries into his mouth and lance would stare shamelessly, drinking his milkshake and daydreaming once again about what it would be like to share every single basket of fries he would ever get in his life with keith

of course keith would pretend not to notice lance staring and ignore the sudden spike in his pulse or the butterflies dancing around in his stomach

and because he’s keith, he would [not so] accidentally brush his foot against lance’s underneath the table just to get a reaction out of the cuban boy

lance would jolt a little and meet eyes with keith in surprise

keith would have that same smirk on his face from when he was playing pinball

and lance would reciprocate the gesture, paying no mind to the voice in the back of his head giving him hope

he would simply smirk back, and quirk his eyebrow in a challenge

[END]

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mcyt-imagines · 4 years ago

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hiiii! may i request some soft sapnap? I dont really have any specifics just something soft lmao (also i luv ur writing!!)

I hope this was soft enough for you !! And thank you so much anon !! <33

Moving Blues

The mid-morning sun splashes it’s bright glow across your freshly painted room, the curtains you had been meaning to put up yesterday mock you from the ground below your window. You groan as you cover your eyes with a heavy arm, feeling the aftereffects of carting all those heavy boxes around yesterday. Moving had been harder than both yourself and Sapnap had expected. Sapnap stirs behind you, hands creeping up your pyjama shirt to splay his warm hands across your soft stomach. He hums pleasantly at the skin contact, moving closer to nuzzle your neck with his face and pressing butterfly kisses in his wake. “Good morning hotstuff.” His voice low and raspy as you turn in his arms to meet his eyes, you cup his cheek and kiss him. “Morning handsome.” You smile against his lips and he happily pulls you in again, and again.

His hands wander, as they usually do, squeezing your hips as you pull him closer to you. Determined to go back to sleep despite the bright light invading your cosy bedroom. In a futile effort to escape the light you bury your head in his shoulder, which does help lessen the light as Sapnap chuckles. You feel it reverberate through his chest against your own, “Someone wants to sleep in, hm?” He teases, leaving a light pinch on your hip. You react instantly with a gasp and a soft yelp, “Heyyyyy.” You grumble into his neck, biting the skin cheekily. He lets out a surprised gasp before smirking against your skin, you feel his icy cold feet against your own and you squeal.

“Get your feet off me!” You writhe in his tight hold as he cackles pressing his feet further up your legs much to your obvious dismay. After a few more moments of squirming Sap suddenly lets you go and you’re sent flying over the edge of the bed. You land with a loud thud, “Owwww.” Sap’s head appears from the bed and offers you his hand, “Sorry darlin’” He hoists you up with minimal effort, standing from the bed himself. You pout as you rub your wrist, he gently takes it from you. He eyes you as he softly kisses your wrist a few times, “See? All better.” You giggle as he pulls you close again, pressing a kiss to the top of your hair.

After a few moments of hugging in the warm sun rays by the window Sapnap pulls away, “C’mon cuddlebug, we’ve got a lot of work to do today.” You nod begrudgingly and let him take your hand in his to lead you to the kitchen, past your multitude of piled carboard boxes. It felt as if you had been unpacking for years yesterday but it barely looks like you even made a dent in the pile of boxes scattering the apartment. You yawn as you scramble over boxes in the middle of the room, Sapnap carefully pushing them out of the way whilst you flock to the fridge. You spot what you’re looking for immediately, you hold up the pre-made pancake batter with a victorious cry. “Huzzah! A breakfast fit for royalty!”

Sapnap chuckles as he moves to your side, watching as you rummage around in one of the nearby boxes searching for a pan. He happily hides the one he found in the boxes he’d moved behind his back, heading for the stove. He turns it on and simply unscrews the cap off the container holding the batter before pouring one large pancake out onto the pan. Your rummaging continues for a few moments until the pan manages to heat up enough to start cooking the batter. At the sizzle you turn, “You absolute scoundrel.”

You gasp scampering over to him, hands raking up his sides once you reach him. Laughter bubbles from his lips immediately, he shies away from your hands futilely trying to escape. “This is payback for your icicle feet!” You cry only continuing your onslaught, only to smell burning. You lock eyes with Sapnap as your ministrations still, “The pancake!” You both cry, scrambling to try and flip it before it burns any worse than it already has. Sapnap tries with the pan only to completely beef it, causing the pancake to fold over in on itself like an omelette. “Quick try that box for the spatula!” You direct him, moving to your own box with vigour.

Within seconds you have the fated spatula in your hand and dive for the pancake, flipping it with a familiar expertise. “Hey not bad darlin’.” Sap smiles, arm sliding casually to your hip. “I learnt from the best.” You smile, leaning into him and he pulls you closer pressing his lips to your temple. “Now what do we want on these bad boys?” He asks, moving from you to the fridge as you shrug and make a non-committal noise “Whatever we’ve got in there.” His eyes scan the barren fridge knowing the two of you will have to make do with just the essentials, maple syrup and butter. Pancakes deserve a better condimental reception, but this is the best you can offer them right now. “Sorry pancakes.” Sap mumbles to himself as he grabs what he needs and closes the fridge, placing them haphazardly on the kitchen island.

You haul the last pancake from the pan, throwing it onto the pile of steaming pancakes and carefully carry it to the island where Sapnap impatiently sits. “Yuuuuum~” You take a seat beside him and without any second thoughts the two of you eagerly devour the whole tower of pancakes you had cooked up. “No rest for the wicked I guess.”

You groan through your last mouthful of pancakes and haul yourself up from your seat, eyeing the box of kitchen utensils and pots that isn’t gonna unpack itself. Sapnap follows suit, standing from the table as well. Only to cringe at his hands, your own face mirroring the expression. Fingers sticky with butter and maple syrup you find yourself and Sapnap fighting for the kitchen tap, determined to rid yourselves of the icky feeling of unclean hands. Your hips and elbows bump against each other’s, “Hey!” You giggle as he splashes water onto you, you gasp and eagerly splash him back and make a run for it.

You barely make it into your bedroom before Sapnap’s arms loop around your middle from behind and raise you high off the ground. You squeal in surprise as he holds you tightly, your feet dangling off the ground as he spins you for a few seconds before he places you back down with a grin. He litters your face with kisses as your arms stay looped around his neck, now clean hands tangled in his hair. “You’re such a brat you know that.” He squeezes your hips, “You started it.”

You stick your tongue out at him, and he chuckles at your antics. With a soft sigh you pull away from him, eyeing the mess that your apartment still is. “C’mon these boxes ain’t gonna move themselves mister strong man!” You tease, moving over to the window and hauling a curtain rod up onto the sill, easily hooking it on. Sapnap begrudgingly nods in agreement, picking up a particularly heavy box by the door to start unpacking his stream set up. Eager to get back online to start streaming with his friends again.

The hours fly by between the two of you, Sapnap turns on some music claiming it ‘puts him in the zone’ and you happily dance and sing along with him when he walks by you as the empty boxes begin to pile up. As the sun sets the two of you finally reconvene in the kitchen, eyeing the now collapsed cardboard boxes pushed into one corner of the room. The once empty apartment looking a little cosier now. The soft music coming from Sapnap’s speaker starts to quieten as one song ends and another begins. Something upbeat, easy to dance to. Sapnap’s eyes are already on you when you meet his gaze, a flush reaches your cheeks as he bows and holds out on arm.

“May I have this dance?” He grins, “Of course, sir.” You can only smile wider as you bow and take his hand, letting him guide you to the centre of the room to give the two of you plenty of space. His hands stay in yours as he happily twirls you to the beat, your laughter only egging him on as the flush on his own cheeks reaches the tips of his ears. Your tired voices sing out loudly and unabashedly, heavy limbs swaying and snapping to the rhythm, in sync with each other.

Sapnap orbits around you as you move before you pull him close, desiring his skin against your own after a long strenuous day mostly apart, even if the distance was only a few metres. You sway gently with him as his arms envelop you, your own looping around him with such familiarity it makes your chest, and his, ache. He presses several soft kisses atop your hair, singing softly along to the last few lines of the song.

His breath warm on your face when he takes your chin in one of his hands and tilts your head up to meet his gaze, “I love you.” He hums, expression softer than you’ve ever seen before. His eyes look deep into your own and know that he loves all that he sees by that expression he wears alone, your heart lurches against your chest. “I love you more.” You smile, leaning in and he mirrors the action before pausing just as your lips were going to meet. “I love you most.” He mumbles against your lips before a hand cups the back of your head, guiding your head the rest of the way forward. Your lips meet in a firm kiss before meeting, again and again.

The last few notes of the song ringing in your ears before slowly drowning out as Sapnap pulls away just as breathless as yourself. “And if you’ll let me, I’ll prove just how much more I love you.” He mumbles against your lips, taking your lower lip between his teeth for a few moments. You watch with interest as his pupils slowly begin to dilate, you only smirk bringing a hand up to his chest to trail over his skin. “I’m listening.” Without a word of warning Sapnap brings both of his hands down to hook underneath your thighs, lifting you up against him. You let out a squeak of surprise, arms flailing to find their place looped behind Sapnap’s neck, your legs doing the same around his middle.

As Sapnap hurries towards your bedroom you realise you might be in for a long night. Good thing you installed those curtains today.

~Requests are open!~

#sapnap x reader #sapnap imagine #sapnap #x reader #mcyt #mcyt x reader

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scarletjedi · 4 years ago

Text

Untamed Time Travel Fix-It Fic But Make it Mingcheng part 3B

@piyo-13

Part 1: The Setup

Part 2A: Gusu Revisited

Part 2B: Gusu Unleashed!

Part 3A: The Return of the Plot

PART 3B: THE ROAD TO WAR

Things happen pretty quickly after that.

The Nie Soldiers accompany Lan Wangji back to Gusu, beating Wen Xu’s forces there, warning Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen of the coming attack. When Wen Zu arrives, Gusu Lan is ready. With help from the Nie and Lan Wangji, the Wen are beaten back at the gates. Wen Xu retreats to regroup - setting up a siege. The Cloud recesses don’t burn, but they are trapped.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian return to Lotus Pier, intending to begin building up subtle defences thinking it’s better to not tip their hand that they know an attack is coming. They are welcomed back, but find Lotus Pier preoccupied: Yanli had asked Madam Yu to arrange a date for the wedding, now that she had spent (supervised) time with Jin Zixuan and they found themselves to be most compatible. This puts Madame Yu into a good enough mood that she doesn’t scold them (much) for coming home the long way ‘round. With the piers distracted, it’s pretty easy for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to begin to build their defenses. Wei Wuxian begins to worry about Lan Wangji - he was supposed to meet them in Lotus Pier once the Wens were defeated.

An auspicious date is picked for Yanli’s wedding — and then comes the summons for the Wen Indoctrination. Their defences aren’t finished, but it’s more than they had before — and with luck, they would have time after they return.

The circumstances are different, but the power dynamic is still very much the same. With Gusu under siege instead of burt, the threat is not so absolute, but it’s not enough yet to trigger a full on push back, no matter how much Nie Mingjue campaigns for it (and plans. He has no desire to end up without Baxia at Wen Ruohan’s feet again, no thank you — and no desire to let Meng Yao out of his sight).

Jiang Fengmain and Madame Yu fight over sending Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian again, but this time, when Wei Wuxian begins to sink into himself, Jiang Cheng grips his knee where they can’t see, offering his support — and warning him to be silent when it looks like he’d talk to defend Jiang Cheng.

“It’s an impossible situation,” Jiang Cheng says, voice level, and the steel in his voice is enough to make both of his parents stop. “If we go, we’re their hostages. If we stay, we draw their forces down on us like Gusu Lan — and as strong as our rivers are, we don’t have a mountain to keep them at bay. Are we ready to fight off the Wen army?” He looked between his parents. “I know we are strong, and I know we cause no offence enough to be a target, but we are a target. I am willing to go to Qishan, to buy us time at home to prepare.” He looked at Wei Wuxian, scowling when he saw how proud Wei Wuxian looked.

The night before they leave, Jiang Cheng is restless. He knows he’ll get little rest in the coming weeks, but he can’t seem to quiet his mind. So, he does what he has always done, and slips out to the end of the moonlit pier.

It’s not quiet on the water, but the sounds are gentle: water lapping at the pylons, dragonflies buzzing, a frog croaking. It settles him, and he sits with his feet dangling over the darkened water.

He hears his mother approach - a courtesy. She wants him to know she’s coming, and he decides to wait. She is alone, without Jinzou and Yinzou, and that is enough to make him pause.

He looked at her, curious, when she sits next to him, but she doesn’t say anything, eyes on the moon.

So, he says nothing either. They sit in silence for several minutes. Long enough that Jiang Cheng is getting ready to excuse himself, when his mother holds out her hand and waits.

Frowning, Jiang Cheng takes her hand. She grips him right, suddenly, and it’s a good thing because he tries to pull away in surprise when Zidian slides off of her hand and onto his.

“Mother?!” The word is choked between his teeth, his memory of the last time she had given him Zidian burning fresh in his memory. “I can’t—“

“You will,” she said, cutting him off. “And you will bring it home once more.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “I will.”

She nodded once, and wrapped her arms around him, pressing his cheek to her chest. His mother could be hot tempered, sharp to the point of cruelty, but she was his mother and she loved him fiercely. Jiang Cheng held on.

They go, with extra provisions hidden on them, trying to figure out a way around giving over their swords - in all of their planning about the war, that was a detail that they had missed.

Their arrival in Qishan is a little rougher, with the Wen Army engaged rather than victorious, but it still matches pretty evenly to their memories — including the moment when Wen guards drag Lan Wangji up the stairs, alone. Jiang Cheng has to hold Wei Wuxian back, because Gusu wasn’t supposed to have fallen.

When Lan Wangji is close enough, Wei Wuxian still leans in to whisper at him. “Lan Zhan!” But before he can say more than that, Lan Wangji reaches out and cups the side of Wei Wuxian’s face his his hand — it’s shockingly bold, and Jiang Cheng has to stamp down the knee-jerk reaction he has to watching his brother’s shameless romance with his husband - and it’s worth it to hear Jin Zixuan choke behind him, and watch Nie Huaisang hide his laughter behind a furiously moving fan.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, and that must have meant something to Wei Wuxian, because he smiled widely, even when the guards dragged them apart.

In the end, there was no way for them to get around it, and their swords were taken from them. Later that night, when the guards had passed, they gathered in the rooms Jiang Cheng shared with Wei Wuxian — all except Lan Wangji, who had been placed under guard, which made Wei Wuxian twitchier than normal. Jin Zixuan was the one pacing, however, clearly discomforted by his lack of sword, even though he had lived through this once before and knew exactly where they were being kept.

“Jin-xiong,” Nie Huaisang whined, “Please sit down, you are making me dizzy.”

Jin Zixuan barely spares him a glance. He hadn’t been any better about being without Suihua the first time around, but at least he wasn’t bothering poor Mianmian with it this time. The fact that she hadn’t strangled him before they made it to the Xanwu’s cave...

“Let him be,” Wei Wuxian said. He had finally collapsed backwards onto his bed, next to where Nie Huaisang was fanning himself. His arm was draped dramatically over his eyes and Nie Huaisang fanned him for a moment, in sympathy. “If he wants to waste his energy, that’s on him.”

“Oh?” Nie Huaisang asked, fake-innocent enough that Jiang Cheng turned to watch. “But Wei-xiong, didn’t you say that—”

Whatever “Wei-xiong” said, they would never know, because a knock sounded at the door. Almost as if they really were still teenagers, the four time travelers exchanged a panicked “oh shit!” look.

“Don’t just stand there, hide!” Jiang Cheng hissed, and the knock sounded again — this time, with an accompanying, low: “Wei-gonzi? It’s me!”

“Wen Ning!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, bounding off of the bed.

“Wei-gonzi?” Jiang Cheng protested, though there was little force behind it. “It’s my room too.”

Wei Wuxian ushered Wen Ning inside quickly, and shut the door behind him.

“I don’t have much time,” Wen Ning began, before Wei Wuxian could speak. “But I brought — ” He reached into his robes and pulled out a Qiankun pouch, pushing it into Wei Wuxian’s hands.

“Hey, food!” Wei Wuxian said, peering inside. He reached in as if to take something, and Jiang Cheng snatched it away. “Hey!”

“They’re feeding us now,” Jiang Cheng said. “We should save this for when they stop.” He turned to Wen Ning with a short bow. “Thank you, Wen Ning.”

Wen Ning nodded. “There’s medicine, too. Pills to restore qi, to stop bleeding and prevent infection.” He turned back to Wei Wuxian. “I spoke to Huanguan Jun,” he said, and that had Wei Wuxian’s full attention. “He’s not uninjured, but he has no broken bones. The official story is that he was captured outside of the Cloud Recesses and sent as a warning and as leverage, but he says it was a plan to get here, to help with the Xuanwu.”

“Does he have a plan to return our swords?” Jin Zixuan asked, and — well, it’s an understandable question. None of them had figured it out, after all, but Jiang Cheng’s hope lasted only the moment before Wen Ning shook his head.

“We did it last time,” Wei Wuxian said. “Injured and with makeshift weapons. We can do it again.”

“Speak for yourself,” Nie Huaisang said. “I want no part of that.”

Last time, Nie Huaisang managed to faint just before the night hunt that ended in the Xuanwu and their escape, and — well, to be honest, Jiang Cheng never actually found out how Nie Huaisang made it home. It wasn’t like the Wens would have sent him back after sending the other young masters to their deaths.

He didn’t escape it this time, marching sullenly along with them. He whined often enough that his feet hurt that Wen Qing managed to convince Wen Chao to call a halt so she could see to them. Judging by the way she paused when he took off his boots, his feet were not nearly in as poor condition as his complaints made them sound. Still — everyone would be better off for a break, and without Lan Wangji’s leg —

Ah.

“You’re a menace,” he murmured, leaning against he tree that Nie Huaisang sat beneath. Nie Huaisang flicked open his fan, holding it to shade his face.

“I have no idea what you mean,” he said, and Jiang Cheng snorted in amusement.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Jiang Cheng kept his voice low, barely letting his mouth move. “You weren’t here last time. How did you get home?”

“Oh, Meng Yao let me out,” Nie Huaisang said. Jiang Cheng stared at him, but Nie Huaisang didn’t look up. “It was before he came to Wen Ruohan’s attention. I’m sure, if he’d already been granted any sort of position within his court, I’d have been left there to rot until Da-ge came to get me.”

But, they had changed things. Meng Yao had never killed that general. He was never banished from the Unclean Realm, and never went to the Wen Sect. Nie Huaisang had no man on the inside, and therefore decided to face the Xanwu of Slaughter rather than find another way out of Nightless City.

Nie Huaisang was a little bit terrifying, and continued to be terrifying all the way until they were in the Xanwu’s cave and fighting both it and the Wens. Not that Jiang Cheng was paying that much attention to him, being that he was currently using Zidian to strangle the life out of Wen Zuhilu much more quickly than he would have liked given the threat-rich environment he was in — but he was aware enough to his surrounding to know that Nie Huaisang’s ever-present fan also doubled as a fucking battle fan which had to have been a later-in-life development for his pre-time-travel self because what the fuck Nie Huaisang!

Other bits of information flashed through his awareness — Mianmian disarming that terrible Wang Lingjiao — Jin Zixuan fighting surprisingly well with a sword taken from a fallen Wen disciple — Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian fighting back to back — the Xuanwu of Slaughter eating Wen Chao —

That was enough to make Jiang Cheng drop his hold on Zidian, dropping Wen Zuhilio to the ground as he stared at where the Xanwu of Slaughter had it’s head reared back as it gobbled up Wen Chao like a snake!

“Oh, gross...” Wei Wuxian muttered.

Wen Zuhilu’s sword lay at Jiang Cheng’s feet. It was, in the end, a simple thing to pick it up and drive it through Wen Zuhilu’s back, hopefully cutting his heart in two. If he wasn’t dead before, he was surely dead now. Jiang Cheng didn’t spare him another glance as he joined the others in hiding from the Xuanwu as they planned.

The Xanwu killing Wen Chao fixed one problem, and Jaing Cheng killing The Core Melting Hand solved another. So now, of course, they were faced with a new problem. Previously, Wen Chao’s cowardice meant that none of the Wens had remained in the cave with them to face an angry Xuanwu, and their escape was thus unhampered by the enemy. Now, they had Wang Lingjiao pouting under the influence of the Lan silencing spell, a handful of Wen Chao’s entourage, and Wen Qing - who wasn’t a problem herself, but keeping her sympathy for them a secret certainly was.

“Well, now what?” Nie Huaisang hissed, fanning himself with his damned war fan, Huaisang!

“We wait for that thing to calm down and then we leave,” Jin Zixuan said, like it was going to be that easy. It wasn’t like they could go back the way they—

Except they could. Wen Chao never gave the order to retreat and cut the ropes. They could, conceivably, get out the entrance of the cave and not have to deal with the Xanwu again.

Jiang Cheng met Wei Wuxian’s eyes, saw the same realization there, and then his features set in the same resolve that he had last seen in the burial mounds, when it was all falling to shit.

“Jiang Cheng—” Wei Wuxian started.

“I know, I know,” Jiang Cheng interrupted. “I got you the first time.”

“Then could you share with the rest of the class?” Nie Huaisang asked, only a little dry.

“We can not leave the Xuanwu here,” Lan Wangji said. Then, after a beat. “Alive.”

Wei Wuxian was already nodding. “Exactly Lan Zhan. It was sleeping before, and not a threat, but it’s awake now, and if it gets loose it could cause a lot of harm before it could be subdued. If it could be subdued, with everyone distracted by, you know, the war.”

Jiang Cheng noticed Wen Qing’s attention shoot to Wei Wuxian, and he remembered, belatedly, that they weren’t actually at war yet. Only Qinghe Nie was actively skirmishing, and the Sunshot Campaign wasn’t formed until after the fall of Lotus Pier. Luckily, She seemed to be the only one who noticed the slip — after all, one of their biggest arguments to get the campaign started was that they had already been at war, just not unified.

“You want to take out the Xuanwu of Slaughter?” aked one of the surviving Wen that Jiang Cheng didn’t know. “Without your swords?”

“They defeated us easily enough,” Wen Qing snapped. “Do you wish to provoke them? Or would you like to be first chosen as bait?”

Jiang Cheng exchanged a look with Wei Wuxian, who flashed a quick grin before stroking his chin in a clear impersonation of Lan Qiren. “You know, that’s not a half bad idea.”

“It was their plan for us,” Jiang Cheng added, playing into the bit. “It would only be fair to use it on them. We could even have Mianmian choose, since she was the first chosen.” He nodded at Mianmian, who seemed surprised to be addressed, but he focused his sharpest grin on Wang Lingjiao, who had paled considerably and no longer struggled against the spell.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said quietly, plaintively, and Wei Wuxian pouted at him.

“Fine,” he said, flouncing dramatically. “I guess we’re better than using live bait.

Jiang Cheng nodded. “I wouldn’t trust ‘em anyway. You need to only bring people you can rely on into a fight as dangerous as with the Xuanwu. Jin Zixuan,” he said, and didn’t bother repressing his smirk when Jin Zixuan stood a little taller at being addressed so suddenly. Turns out his Sect Leader voice was useful, even if his voice still hadn’t settled into it’s full register. “We need someone to lead everyone else away while the Xuanwu is distracted. Can you do that?”

Jin Zixuan nodded, resolved and not a little bit relieved at not having to fight the Xanwu without his sword.

“Good,” Jiang Cheng said. “Take Nie Huaisang with you.” He looked at Nie Husaisang. “I don’t want to be the one to tell your brother we took you anywhere near the Xuanwu, no matter how much he nags you to train.”

Nie Huaisang waved it off with his closed fan. “It’s alright. I have absolutely no desire to go anywhere near that thing. I’m not built for night hunts.”

“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said, voice quiet as he came up beside him, using the soft sounds of the others getting ready to leave as cover. “Last time, Lan Zhan and I could handle it. You should get out too.”

Jiang Cheng bit back his initial spike of anger, telling himself that this came from a place of concern not a dig at his skills — but, being back in this place, this time was dredging up a lot of dirt that he thought he had left behind, and he wasn’t surprised that Wei Wuxian was falling back into old habits as well.

“Last time, I didn’t have Zidian,” Jiang Cheng said. “And I know Lan Wangji didn’t have those guqin strings on him, either.” Blinking, Wei Wuxian looked over his shoulder to see Lan Wangji pull a coil of strings from his sleeve. “And more importantly, last time, you and Lan Wangji nearly died, and were out of commission for days. With the three of us, we might just walk away.” He gripped Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “And if you try to sacrifice yourself for me again, I’m telling A-Jie.”

That cracked a smile on Wei Wuxian’s face, and he nodded, pulling back to stand, arms behind his back as they watched the others make their way back out of the cave.

Before he left, Jin Zixuan paused and said, “How long should we wait for you?”

Jiang Cheng blinked and exchanged a look with Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji spoke: “Six hours.”

A bit surprised, perhaps by the specificity, Jin Zixuan nodded, and followed the others out.

They have the advantage, this time, of their own weapons — Zidian, the Chord Assassination, and Wei Wuxian’s knowledge of resentful energy.

“I need a dizi,” he muttered to himself as they crouched down to draw diagrams in the dirt.

“I will get you a dizi,” Lan Wangji said before Jiang Cheng could say they probably had some back at Lotus Pier. That caused Wei Wuxian to flush pink and protest quietly, hiding his face in his palms.

“If you’re going to flirt the entire time, I’m going to leave,” Jiang Cheng said. And, when Lan Wangji shot him a look that said “do it, bitch,” Jiang Cheng continued, “and I’m going to tell everybody you’ve eloped and you won’t be able to go anywhere without a chaperone until my mother and your uncle settle the marriage contract.”

That shut him up.

It’d eventually decided that they would take the same basic strategy as last time. Wei Wuxian would grab the sword pinning it in place, and Lan Wangji would strangle it to death with the Cord Assassination. Only this time, Wei Wuxian would not be crawling into the Xanwu shell, what the fuck, and would be summoning the sword to him from the outside using resentful energy. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng would both then strangle the beast, and hopefully between the two of them it wouldn’t take a full six hours.

And, well, that’s pretty much what happens. Wei Wuxian stands out of range while Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng take their place, and then he begins to whistle. The sound of it isn’t loud, but it fills the cavern with an awful pressure, and Jiang Cheng shook his head like there was water in his ear. Then, like a branch giving way, something small but dark and foul rockerted out of the Xanwu’s shell, the Xanwu’s head roaring after. Jiang Cheng reacted, and Zidian wrapped around the Xanwu’s neck in the same instant as Lan Wangji’s chord, and the Xanwu snapped its teeth mere feet away from Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian smirked, and shouted something that squirmed in Jiang Cheng’s ear, and the sword — the fifth piece of Yin Iron — embedded itself in the top of the Xuanwu’s head.

The Xanwu roared and Jiang Cheng pulled harder, sending a sharp pulse through Zidian, where it met a similar pulse from Lan Wangji—

And the head of the Xanwu popped clean off, falling to the water below, and sending a small wave up to soak Jiang Cheng’s boots. He kicked his foot, disgusted, and watched as drops of water flicked off. Great.

Jiang Cheng let Zidian curl back up, dormant, and stared down at the corpse of the Xuanwu. “That took you six hours?”

Wei Wuxian was blinking at the Xuanwu, equally surprised. “To be fair, Lan Zhan was injured, and we hadn’t eaten in days.”

“Mm,” Lan Wangji agreed, curling up his chord. “No proper weapons. Wei Ying was also injured, and did not yet have his understanding of resentful energy.”

“And you weren’t here!” Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng kicked off his rock and joined the other two. “No, I was running to get help, and I almost didn’t make it in time.” He clapped his hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “This is better.”

He turned his back, giving them a moment of privacy while he drew the talisman that would dry his boots. It wasn’t a talisman that he bothered to use often, being wet was part of living on a pier, but it was one that every disciple learned early and learned well. It had saved him from a weeks worth of blisters last time, and it would do the same now.

It didn’t do anything for the smell, however, and Jiang Cheng resigned himself to needing a new pair of boots. Again.

Climbing out of the cave wasn’t actually easier than leaving though the water, though if Jiang Cheng had to choose, he would choose not sneaking past the mythical murder beast without a weapon.

“What are we going to do about the Wens?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I mean, they can all die, as far as I am concerned — except Wen Qing, of course — but...”

“We can’t let them go back,” Jiang Cheng said. “Wen Chao is dead, and even though it’s not our fault, you know we’ll be blamed. We want to keep that information to ourselves as long as possible.”

“Hostages?” Wei Wuxian asked. “It’s just - I don’t want that woman anywhere near Lotus Pier and, sorry Lan Zhan, we don’t know if the Cloud Recesses is able to handle a hostage right now.”

Which left Jinlintai or the Unclean Realm. The Jins were closer, but Jiang Cheng knew better than to trust Jin Guangshan and with the Nies already fighting, he didn’t want to anything to make them a bigger target.

Not that it mattered anyway, because when they climbed out of the cave they found the area filled with Nie cultivators — and Nie Mingjue, who was holding Nie Huaisang while he hung like a limpet, crying about everything he had to endure. It’s only when they appear, and Nie MIngjue relaxes, that Jiang Cheng realized that Nie Huaisang was physically holding Nie Mingue back from rushing into the cave himself.

He so surprised that it takes Lan Wangji bowing in greeting before Jiang Cheng remembers to bow himself.

Apparently, Nie Huaisang had planned more than just escaping with them via the Xuanwu, and when they had first left on the hunt, had managed to sent message to Nie Mingjue - along with the other half of a tracking talisman that was attached to Nie Huaisang’s fan. The timing was simply happenstance, and with an actual sect leader present, the decision of what to do with their prisoners was technically no longer Jiang Cheng’s.

Jin Zixuan stared at them openly. “That was not six hours.”

“Thank the gods,” Jiang Cheng said, then paused. “How long was it?”

“About two,” Nie Huaisang said, miraculously no longer a sobbing mess. He joined them, pulling Nie Mingjue with him. Nie Mingjue eyed him sideways, as if aware Huaisang was plotting something, but not truly minding. “Dage said he’ll bring everyone back home, and send official word to Wen Ruohan once he’s sure you are home safe and can muster your defences.”

Jiang Cheng looked at Nie Mingjue. “Are you sure?” he asked. “That’ll put a lot of heat on you, and more quickly.”

Nie Mingjue shrugged. “I could execute them here.” Which - wasn’t a terrible plan, except that previous fighting had been on Nie land - an act of war, yes, but Nie killing Wen on Wen land was an act of war that Wen Ruohan would recognize.

“Not Wen Qing!” Wei Wuxian said quickly, which got him a look from Nie Mingjue. “She’s just as much a hostage as we were. She healed Nie Huaisang’s feet!”

Nie Huaisang nodded vigorously. “She did.” When Nie Mingjue looked at him to confirm, Jiang Cheng nodded.

There, in front of the Xanwu cave, Nie Mingjue and the Nie cultivators kill the remaining Wen, and Wen Qing is taken as hostage.

Later, the histories would mark this moment as the true beginning of the Sunshot Campaign.

Part 3A

Part 4: Sunshot!

#mingcheng #mincheng notefic #my fic #fic update #the untamed

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hoshi-u-love-me · 4 years ago

Text

TTT

Group : Seventeen

Pairing : Seventeen × Reader

Genre : Drabble

Word count : 1.7k

Warning : Randomness, absurdity, 🐴이 안되는 컨텐즈, perverted tendencies (it's ok tho it's not harrassment)

a/n : I saw this one video where hannie literally stashed mentos and dalgona in his front overall pocket and I just !!!!!!! EUREKA

One thing you love about your friend group is that nothing ever happens twice. Meaning life is never boring. It is never flat. There is always something you can expect but you don't know what.

Kind of like anxiety.

But better.

So when Kim Mingyu came to your place, pack YOUR bag with YOUR clothes and YOUR other essentials and claimed that he's kidnapping you, you weren't even surprised.

He had taken every one to an impromptu road trip, going as far as renting a minibus without anyone knowing.

"Yah, Kim Mingyu, you forgot my phone charger!" You whined, throwing a crumpled piece of snack wrapper at him, who was driving.

He snaps his head in your direction for a split second before refocusing on the road, "I'm sorry, but you had a lot of things to begin with"

Chan, who was seated next to you, leaned in and whispered, "that and he was totally distracted by your drawer full of panties and bras" he smirked when he saw you widening your eyes in horror.

"Waaaaaaaaaah, Kim Mingyu is a pervert!" Jeonghan yelled from behind you, teasing the younger, "Kim Mingyu saw (Y/N)'s panties and he likes it!" He continued.

Mingyu stammered, trying to explain himself, "y-yah! No! I mean, I-I did saw it but- but- I was helping her! She wouldn't do it herself and someone has to do it! (Y/N)! You should be thankful of me, if I didn't pack them, you'd have no underwear for the rest of the trip!!" He yelled back.

This time, it was Jun who quipped at him, "so the choices were you seeing her undergarments or us knowing she's not wearing anything underneath? Mingyu-yah, you're selfish"

You groaned at their childish behaviour, "that's it! I'm looking for girl friends to hang out with"

You had hoped that would shut the conversation down but your poor choice of words only resulted in most of them ooh-ing you, "girl on girl action, nice" Seungcheol joked from the front seat next to Mingyu.

At Seungcheol's words, the car went to a whole new level of crazy.

It took 15 minutes before the subject of the conversation changed and boy were you relieved.

Seokmin leaned forward from his seat to tap on your shoulder, "(Y/N), I don't feel so good, do you have anything to help my nausea?" You reached into your bag, trying to look for anything that could help his carsickness but found nothing.

Before you can tell him the bad news though, Jeonghan who was seated next to him had shoved something to his hands, "here, I figured someone might be getting sick of MINGYU'S SHITTY DRIVING SKILLS," he yelled the last part to make sure Mingyu heard him, "so that should help"

"Anything for back pain, hyung?" Soonyoung quipped, "I think I pulled something during yesterday's practice" he pouted.

Jeonghan reached into his bag for a second before producing a patch that could help Soonyoung's problem, "don't worry, it's the brand you like that doesn't smell so bad" he said as he leaned back and hand the small item to the younger guy.

Chan got curious and decided to test Jeonghan, "what about something to nibble on? I think I'm kinda hungry" he said. Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at him, "you think you should snack right now? When we get to the town we're gonna have something to eat and it's in like- wait, Mingyu, how much longer 'till we get there?"

Instead of Mingyu, it was Seungcheol who answered him, "an hour and a half-ish, might as well get comfy back there" he said.

"See? Come on hyung, I'll be splitting some of the snack with (Y/N) anyways and I'll still be able to eat there!" Chan whined. Jeonghan was already convinced by Seungcheol's answer anyways so he thought, 'why not?' Before reaching back into his bag and took a bag of chips and handing it over to Chan, "but share with (Y/N), I don't want to lose my place as her favorite member" he said, winking at you when you turn your head towards him.

"Who said you're my favorite member? It could easily be Chan or Vernon since both of them have my back most of the times" you retorted at him which elicit a "yup yup, cool guys squad never dies" from Vernon at the very back while pumping his fist at you in which you returned. Chan on the other hand was laughing.

This time, Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at you, as if daring you to say more, "I said so because if you won't admit it, I won't lend you one of my chargers" he lifted up a phone charger from his bag.

You squinted your eyes at him and scoffed, "that's an iphone charger." He feigned a shocked look, going as far as putting a hand to his chest, "dear baby (Y/N), I am trully shocked that you don't think I know you at all" he shook his head with mock sadness.

It was until he reached back into his bag again and lifted up a type-C charger proudly with a smirk, "m'lady" he dangle the charger for a bit in front of your face before dropping it on your lap.

"Okay, no, you're right, you're my favourite member" you grinned and shot him a flying kiss which he pretended to catch and press to his heart.

"Woah, hyung, that's awesome! What else do you have in your bag?" Seokmin exclaimed, leaning closer to Jeonghan to take a peek inside his bag.

Jeonghan hummed and scanned the content, "basic things that you guys might need I guess, like... earplugs?" "Oop- that's for me I think" Minghao said from next to Vernon, making Jeonghan toss the items to him so he could sleep.

He then returned to name some other things which entices Seungkwan to say the least. "I bet you don't have EVERY 'basic needs' though" he scoffed, crossing his arms.

This made Jeonghan slightly offended. He turned in his seat to glare at the younger, "I so do!" "Nuuh, you couldn't have" "what if I do?" "Okay, if you have 5 items that I ask for then I'll pay for your next meal" "Done!" "Done!"

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes for a few momenta before clapping his hands, "ah, this, eyemask" Jeonghan took out two eyemasks from his bag before shoving it back in.

"That's easy... what about... masks?"

Jeonghan shoved his hands in and pulled out two items, "which one? Anti-covid or beautifying your face?"

You 'ooh'-ed at him, "oh yeah, we're DEFINITELY having a beauty night tonight" he said.

"Does that mean-"

You were cut off when he took out a jar of facemask that you both loved. Seeing the item in his hand made you squeal in delight.

"Damn it, that was my next guess," Seungkwan muttered under his breath, "okay so, I'll play fair and call it 3 out of 5... but next is... iphone earbuds!" He exclaimed, trying to trick his hyung since he knew his hyung uses a samsung phone.

(Not so) shockingly, he had one in his bag, holding it proudly.

While Seokmin and Soonyoung were whooping in excitement and wonder, Seungkwan was muttering curses under his breath.

Jeonghan looked extremely proud of himself, he had a grin permanently etched on his face which irked Seungkwan even more due to his smugness.

"Okay, okay, one more, you don't have this then I won't have to pay for your damn meal" he said. Jeonghan just shrugged and motioned for Seungkwan to go forth with his guess.

It took him a moment to think of something. Eyebrows were scrunched and eyes flitting, indicating that he's thinking hard.

A look of revelation suddenly appeared on his face. With a smirk, he bravely said, "sanitary pads"

The whole car 'boo'ed at him and his absurd guess. "That is just absurd!" Jihoon said, "hey, I played fair! He said anything!" Seungkwan retorted, defending himself.

Everyone was split between supporting Seungkwan's guess and saying that he was misusing the loophole, some were just straight up calling him nasty, in which you replied with, "how is it nasty ? YOU're nasty"

"Everyone, everyone!" Jeonghan called out, effectively shutting everyone up, "Seungkwan may have found a loophole and it is within his rights to use it, because let's be honest I would've too if I were him," he chuckled.

"However! What he did not realize is that I'm amazing" he smirked.

"No way..." Seungkwan said under his breath.

Jeonghan only nodded victoriously. He reached into his bag for the last time, grab the thing he wanted and held it up proudly.

The whole car went crazy.

Even the driving Mingyu got curious and looked back and forth between the back seat and the road ahead, earning a scolding smack from Seungcheol.

Seungkwan yelled out in disdain, screaming "this is unfair!" Multiple times.

"You forgot it's nearing (Y/N)'s time of the month and she seem to always have it at the most unconvenient time" he smirked.

This made you scrunch your face at him, "how did you know about my cycle??" "You seem to forget that I know a lot of stuffs about you" he smiled proudly. That didn't make you feel any better initially though.

You turn to look at Chan, "does he really know my cycle?" You asked. Chan nodded with a tight-lipped smile at you, "he remind everyone to take precautions whenever it's your period or nearing your period so that you wouldn't lash at anyone for being annoying, he even mark it on his calendar"

Now his constant sweet texts, food delivered, desserts bought, and hoodies lent during your period makes much more sense.

Knowing what you learnt, you look at Jeonghan with puppy dog eyes, batting your lashes at him, "awww you really do care about me don't you, Hannie ?" He squealed and grab your face in his hands, "awww of course I do, you're our baby, my baby" he spoke as if he was speaking with a baby.

Chan frowned at the sight before him, "I thought I was supposed to be the baby around here"

#kpop #seventeen #pledis #17 #seventeen scenario #kpop scenario #seventeen imagine #kpop au #seventeen au #mingyu #jeonghan #kpop seventeen #drabble #pledis seventeen

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subbing-for-clones · 4 years ago

Text

The New Apprentice Part 8

Maul x Sith!reader

Word Count: 2k

A/N: Yall it has been a God damn week I'll tell you that. So sorry it has taken me so long to get this out. Fair warning, had to do some already known stuffs to move the story along the timeline and I just wasn't feeling it while writing, but it's important to the timeliness nonetheless.

WARNINGS: 18+ P in V sex, unprotected sex, Canon violence. Kinda angsty at the end? Idk.

PREVIOUS NEXT MASTERLIST

The following morning you awoke alone in your tent. The cool morning air aiding to shake the fog from your mind as you thought of the previous night. A smile twitched on your lips that was soon replaced with a heavy eye roll. One of your pant legs had been torn up the seam by the medic who worked on you. Shrugging, you ripped off the tattered fabric and did the same to the other to match. Sliding on your now short one piece you pulled on your boots, hung your sabers from your hips and left your little shelter.

You knew why Maul left; he didn't want anyone to think the two of you were involved until the situation was less vulnerable. You were thankful he waited until you were asleep before he absconded into the darkness. Maker, you had to stop thinking about it lest you rile yourself up again. It was time to go to work, continue to prove to your master that you deserved to be at his side. That he needed you there.

You were relieved that Savage followed behind you a few minutes later. At least you weren't the last one up. Pre and Maul strode through the camp with you and Savage following closely behind.

"We will need an army if we are to successfully take back Mandalore." Your master rumbled.

"The people will support us once we remind them who they are." Pre retorted.

"Perhaps... but the Black Suns will be able to provide us with resources beneath the attention of the Republic."

"They're a crime syndicate!"

"Yes, and a powerful one that will lead to our victory. We have but one chance to pull this off."

Boarding a Mandalorian starship with your Master and Savage was quiet. You had decided to keep your mouth shut and revel in Maul's ability to command and scheme. You stood at Savage's side with your hands clasped behind your back, back straight and chin high. Your weapons dangled dangerously at your hips. Every so often a Mandalorian would look at you curiously through their visor to which you responded the same every time. You gazed into their black where their unseen eyes lay behind, unblinking with a straight lip and an air of importance until they turned away. Savage quirked a lip slightly every time.

When you were alone he rumbled quietly.

"You make them uneasy. Much more than I do I think."

"I hardly doubt that my friend." Your voice soft and cold in the off chance someone could hear you.

"Possibly... they fear us."

"Good. Then they will stay in line under Lord Maul. A warrior should never show fear. They may be strong but they've shown a vital weakness we will exploit in time if necessary."

Maul was the only one within ear shot and he silently listened to your words. Although he didn't show it at the time externally, his chest swelled in pride.

After landing on Mustafar they were greeted with a battalion led by a tall Falleen male by the name of Vigo Ziton Maj. He chuckled when your master harshly requested an audience but he led Maul, Savage, Pre Vizsla and yourself inside the fortress anyway.

Five more men sat at a long black table upon your entrance. When demanded that they join you, you were met with exclamations of amusement and they attempted to call for your deaths.

Without hesitation you and Savage each tossed a spinning lightsaber in their direction. Effectively beheading each and every one of the leaders in single mirrored motions. After seeing first handedly that denial of an alliance would lead to death, Moj, the next in line to lead agreed to join your cause without hesitation.

The Pykes practically handed themselves over to you once news about the Black Suns had reached their ears. The offer of their alliance was a grateful surprise to you. Recognizing the slow shift in universal power only spurred your attraction to your master. Visions of you riding his throbbing cock permeated your mind and drifted to his.

On the ride to Nal Hutta these thoughts only grew in intensity as your sinful need grew. It had been days since he had last touched you and although you maintained an outward composure, your mind reeled. With only a few hours until your arrival, Maul strode past you, pausing momentarily to give you a knowing glance and ever so slight nod of his head. You waited a minute before following his force signature until a supply closet door hissed open. He grabbed you almost violently, pulling you within the small enclosure. He listened to be sure you weren't followed before he turned to you.

"My my what devious thoughts you project little one." He cooed as he pulled you into his embrace. With your back to his chest, he lowered his face into the crook of your neck, planting gentle wet kisses to your sensitive skin and lightly nipping at your ear. You took his hand and covered your mouth to stifle a whimper as he ground his hardening cock into your rear. You could feel the heat of your core as his velvety voice hummed in the ear he was toying with.

"Now, I'd much rather take my time with you but it seems you need some tension released. I'll need you clear headed on this venture. I believe the Hutt Clan will give us the most trouble in forming an alliance. Would you like my help my sweet little apprentice?"

You nodded fervently, tears pricking the corners of your eyes as he slid your one piece down until it pooled on the floor. He bent you over infinitesimally, just enough to grant him entrance. He prodded his hot, firm erection against your folds letting out a silent groan feeling how wet you already were.

"God's I've hardly touched you and your soaking wet you naughty little girl."

Without warning he slipping inside you, biting one of his fingers to keep from crying out. He thrusted into at a brutal pace, sinking to his hilt with every rut. It didn't take long before you were fluttering around him and tears streamed down your cheeks.

"Maker, you're going to cum for me.. I can feel it... Let go my dear. Cum all over my cock."

The command he soothed had you unraveling faster than you thought possible. The excitement of the risk at being found out only encouraged your orgasm. Still shaking from the aftershocks, your master bit your shoulder as he throbbed and filled you.

You hastily cleaned yourself, getting ready to leave before you were caught but Maul grabbed your wrist and brought you back into an embrace. Gently pressing his forehead to yours and wrapping his arms around you.

"Soon you'll be at my side at all times my dear. Would you like that?" His glowing amber eyes meeting yours.

"Yes Master, of course."

You pressed your lips to his and trying to calm your flush you left the small enclosure with newfound resolve undoubtedly spurred by your bliss.

Maul had been correct as usual. The Hutts were in fact quite resistant. After hearing that they wouldn't be paid and that the deal was an alliance for their lives, five bounty hunters and the whole guard rushed the room. Desperate for some leverage you deflected the barrage of incoming blaster fire along with your master while leading them slowly out to the landing platform.

Finally, she's good for something you thought as Bo Katan fired rockets into the fortress, effectively killing most of the guard.

You gave chase back into the fortress and fought the remaining bounty hunters. Unwillingly admitting that they were giving you more trouble than you would've hoped. Darting away from a purple woman with orange hair you kicked a dog off of your master while the bounty hunters made their retreat. Maul was convinced that they wouldn't be a further threat so you let them escape with their lives and empty pockets.

You ended up having to travel to the gods awful desert planet of Tatooine for Jabba to finally agree to your terms.

Back on Zanbar you and Savage shared a meal while Maul oversaw the organization of the troops and mixed crime syndicates.

"You seem restless." Savage noted.

"Duuuh." You exasperated. "All this planning and waiting and organizing. Ugh, I wanna go fuck shit up. We've been so busy with the boring shit I haven't even had time to train. Aside from that bounty hunter scuffle."

"Worry not little one, you'll be terrorizing the Mandalorians planet side with everyone soon enough." You scoffed at his response to which he cocked his brow.

"No, I'm not. Master wants me in the shadows. Something about the people recognizing me later on being a problem with his grand scheme."

"He has a habit of only telling half of a truth. Trust comes slowly to him. You know this." You sighed, pushing away your plate and pinching the bridge of your nose.

"Yes, I'm well aware. More so than he would like I'm sure."

"He cares very deeply for you."

"And I him but all this sitting around will get me nowhere. I told you about what happened on Malachor... for the first time since I've joined you two it feels like my feet are taking me some where I'm not supposed to go... it's been weeks and the only thing I've learned in that time frame is how to take his cock in secret, away from prying eyes."

Savage nearly choked and also disregarded his food and sat looking at you with a pained look in his eyes.

"What will you do then?"

"Honestly? I haven't the faintest idea. All I know is that I'm supposed to 'extinguish the fear but always remember that 'the shadow cannot exist without the light' whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean."

"If you don't know what it means how do you know you're on the wrong path?" You paused at his question.

"Jedi and Sith both always say to trust in the force... I need to meditate on this."

Savage nodded as you stood from your seat walking back towards your tent. Your master was a strong force user and ever since that night you two had opened up your minds to one another, truly lay bare before the other, it was damn near impossible to keep him out. When you passed him and Vizsla you had known they couldn't hear your conversation but the way that his eyes followed you. A specific crease in his brow. You had no doubt it had anything to do with Vizsla's ramblings, you realized he probably felt your conflict.

Disappearing into your canvas enclosure you tried to push the thought of your lover, no, your master; down and away from the forefront of your mind. Gods above though, he was your lover. You loved him, so much. What if he was guiding you away from the place you needed to go? Everything felt right before you allied with the Death Watch. The weeks you spent training and traveling to Malachor felt right. But this, this felt like it was his path not yours. If your destinies didn’t cross would he abandon his to join you? Could you abandon yours to join him? You knelt in the center of your tent and straightened your back, closing your eyes. Allowing your mind to rest, allow the wild eradications to still and drift away. This was important. This was your destiny. You suddenly realized why, although you'd never admit it, the Jedi forbid attachments in their freakish cult.

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