#to the bottom of a dark well. but then unfortunately every time i pass the well on the way to the farm to tend to my crops i hear this

[steelycunt]

i <3 blocking tags. i also <3 clicking the view post button anyway. stay safe out there everyone

[flawseer]

Ok, these time rate me the Jade WInglets

I've been sitting on this work-in-progress picture for so many months now. Maybe if I post it here, I'll finally sit down and finish it.

Very long post incoming.

Discussing the Jade Winglet

Okay. So, you want me to rate the Jade Winglet group. That’s going to be very easy: I love all of them.

It’s also going to be extraordinarily hard because... well... I love all of them. How am I supposed to put them into an ordered list? It can’t be done. So I guess what I’m going to do is: First I will put them into a tier list, and then I’m going to just talk about each of them individually for a bit.

But on account of aforementioned adoration I have for all of these guys, said tier list is going to be very lopsided. The tiers are going to be “I adore them with the intensity of seven suns”, “I really like them”, and “I very much like them, but...”. You’re going to have to imagine that there are five or so more unused tiers below that.

Let’s unceremoniously get that ranking out of the way first. From top to bottom, the tiers are:

I adore Turtle, Qibli, and Winter.

I really like Moonwatcher, Kinkajou, and Peril.

I very much like Umber and Carnelian.

As for more in-depth commentary, here is a disclaimer: When I think about these guys I mostly consider books 6 (Moon Rising) to 9 (Talons of Power) and the first half of 10 (Darkness of Dragons). The second half of 10... if I’m being honest, I didn’t really enjoy it. I don’t want to go into it too much here, if you really want me to talk about my misgivings with the second arc finale, put a message about it in my inbox (it’s not just the obvious thing; it actually mostly pertains to Winter and the absolute nightmare ending he got saddled with, and some very unfortunate character implications).

Some of my musings are also going to be a bit critical. I just want it to be clear that I make these observations as a fan of the series. It’s a good practice to think critically even about media that you like. It helps you better understand why you like it in the first place. Also, I make no demands to be agreed with. This is just how I see it.

Anyway, enough stalling, let’s get into it. Not in order:

Turtle

CW: Parental abuse

Turtle is the most wonderful thing to ever happen in the history of the universe. I wake up every morning and the first thought in my head is “Ugh, another day in this backwards reality where Turtle is not real! No thanks!!” Then I go right back to sleep disappointed until the next day. Okay, maybe that’s a bit hyperbolic. But I do think that everyone’s lives would be greatly improved if Turtle was real.

Turtle is a very vibrant and insightful character who, much like Winter, is unfortunately cursed with a pair of malicious and incompetent "parents". Some of his scenes really hurt to get through if you’re a parent yourself or have ever had parental feelings. The first scene he is in, when Moon observes him arriving at the academy, his mother makes a passing comment about how Turtle has no value because he cannot inherit the throne. Turtle is within earshot when she does this. And he has no overt reaction to it, which to me hints that Coral asserts this about her male children so frequently that he has accepted her line of thinking and internalized it. He just accepts it as the truth. That is heartbreaking.

And then there is his father, mild-mannered and ostensibly gentle Gill, who killed Turtle’s budding interest in writing as well as the entirety of his self-confidence back when he was a kid, by assigning a little boy a task that was well beyond him (and only to him, even though there were more people present who could have helped), and then made him believe he killed his unborn sister when Turtle inevitably couldn’t do what he was asked. The narrative really tries to make Gill sympathetic in that moment by insisting he’s speaking in anger and doesn’t really mean it, but um, no. I don’t buy it, dude. You just gave a little kid a lifelong guilt complex because you couldn’t think of asking more people for help. Or taking the egg with you while you left the hatchery. Or telling Turtle to take a message to the palace guard so someone who didn’t still have their milk teeth could mount a proper, organized search while interim guards were posted in the hatchery. Or literally any of the thousands of other options that didn’t require traumatizing your own son.

As a result, Turtle became emotionally reclusive. He registers to others as dull, placid, unpassionate, and boring, like he cares about nothing and is content to never strive for or achieve anything in his life. He himself explains that writing used to be something he was into at some point, but then lost interest in. But I don’t think he has. He still loves literature and thinking about stories, he's still doing it in his internal monologue. He just denies it because he subconsciously feels the need to punish himself. I imagine he still gets that drive sometimes, to sit down and start writing again. But every time he thinks about it, or catches himself wanting anything, his father’s voice resurfaces in his mind, telling him that he killed his sister and doesn’t deserve it. And then he self-punishes by depriving himself of everything he loves doing and every positive emotion associated with it. Because he is convinced he is guilty for failing his father, when in actuality, the opposite is true.

The tragedy is that, if Gill had known how much damage he caused and wasn’t in a situation where he needed a flowchart to keep his 30+ sons apart, he probably would have apologized. He doesn’t strike me as malicious, just horribly, horribly incompetent as a parent. But as things played out, Gill is no longer able to fix his mistake. The only person who can now grant Turtle the forgiveness he needs is himself. I hope he will be able to do it.

Turtle truly is an endearing character and a wonderful son undeserved by his parents. If I could adopt him right now I would. In fact, I’m gonna do it. Hold on while I get the papers. Wait, I have to finish? Uh... okay.

Moonwatcher

In a sense, Moonwatcher may be the most interesting character in the entire cast. She certainly had the potential to be my favorite character period. But there are a few points holding her back.

The thing about Moonwatcher is that, more than any other character, she requires meticulous care and attention to detail to be written well. The reason for this is that, when you’re writing for Moon, you also technically write for every character she interacts with. She is written brilliantly in her own book, since the narrative is allowed to focus on her; Moon Rising may thus actually be my favorite book of the second arc. It’s very enrapturing, seeing her navigate the academy’s social dynamics after growing up as, essentially, a feral jungle child, and battling with her own feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.

The thing is though... Wings of Fire has a bit of an odd quirk. Something I’ve noticed with regards to its writing is that, whenever a character is not particularly in focus during a scene, they often get reduced to their most basic traits and will rigidly act according to them regardless of prior context or external factors. I call this phenomenon “Auto-pilot”. If you’ve read my Mail Call #3, this is what I think happened to Tsunami during the second arc—Tsunami’s basic traits are that she is bossy, emotional, and blunt, so she spends the entirety of her page time as a deep-sea-themed wrecking ball who yells at everyone and dismisses everything as “ugh, nightwing powers” and “Peril was bad in book 1 once, I hate her forever”, despite having other, more pressing matters to prioritize.

Whenever Moonwatcher gets set to auto-pilot, it is very depressing. She needs careful, attentive writing to shine, and whenever she doesn’t get it she turns from the most interesting character into a dull brick that recites exposition and occasionally exists to be fawned after by boys. Tragically, the auto-pilot hits her bad after Winter’s book is done, and she never manages to escape it afterwards, save for maybe one or two scenes. There is a particularly egregious example in book 10 that, in my opinion, does permanent, irreversible damage to her character. It’s all a bit soul-crushing if dwelt on.

So yeah, I like Moonwatcher. I really do. I just wish the strong way she was written could have carried through the entire arc.

Winter

CW: Parental abuse

I initially didn’t really know what to make of Winter when I read Moon’s book. He seemed kind of like a buttface who was needlessly hostile and unapproachable. But he really comes into his own in his book, and looking back at his earlier scenes with that new context makes it all make sense. He became one of my stand-out favorites after that.

Winter really has a lot in common with Turtle, so much so that I wish those two actually had some deeper interactions with each other. Like, at one point Turtle saves his life, you’d think they would want to talk about that some time. Where Turtle’s parents are one half malicious, one half incompetent, Winter’s are pure malice AND incompetence. Blessed with three children, they managed to completely ruin one of them, almost ruin the other, and then the third one is kind of out of focus so I don’t know how he is faring, but I doubt there is a lot of love there either.

In a way, you can draw a lot of parallels between Winter and Icicle, and Zuko and Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender—The unfavorite who tries to do right but constantly fails to live up to his father’s/parents' warped standards, and the prodigy who seemingly has her father’s/parents' approval but secretly suffers from the abusive parenting just as much, but in different ways. Hailstorm then tries to take on the role of Iroh, an older figure that acts as a source of positivity and genuine love, and offers a reprieve from the abuse. But where Iroh is an adult drawing from a lifetime of wisdom, Hailstorm is just the slightly older sibling who comes from the same abusive household battling the same demons, so his effectiveness in countering the toxicity is limited.

Where Zuko pursues honor, Winter strives to be strong. Both his parents and his sister perceive him as weak and label him irrelevant. While this hurts him deeply, I don’t think Winter fully surrendered to his inferiority complex until he heard his brother mirror the same sentiment at him. Winter is repressed and struggles with processing his emotions—Thus he heard the words Hailstorm only said to save his life and took them at face value. Even the person he loves the most, the only source of affection and affirmation in his life, thinks he is weak. This is what drives Winter to feverishly desire strength and thus adopt a persona of the strongest thing he knows: a stoic Icewing warrior.

This is why he acts the way he does in book 6: aloof, threatening, unapproachable, invincible. But all of these traits are diametrically opposed to his actual personality, which is warm, compassionate, and just wanting to be loved for who he is. So whenever Moon reads his mind, he comes across as a confused mess of conflicting emotions. Because he is pretending to be something he isn’t.

The interesting thing here is that Winter actually is genuinely strong. He is just unable to recognize his own worth, due to the toxic way royal Icewings are raised, warping his perception of what strength means. When he meets Foeslayer, who is said to be an ancient enemy of his people, his mind cuts through the veneer of tradition and old bullshit justifications and sees her imprisonment for the cruel injustice that it is. He then undoes that injustice and frees her. It takes an incomprehensible amount of personal integrity and willpower to just casually defy the will of your entire country like that. This is equivalent to treason; by aiding her, Winter risks becoming an enemy of his people on par with Foeslayer herself. And he does it anyway, because it is the right thing to do.

This dissonance in his perception of strength with regards to his Icewing upbringing, and the actual strength he embodies and has embodied all this time, is something I would have liked to see explored more in the finale or something. As it stands now, he got pressured into putting his life on the line in the battle for Jade Mountain, has sworn loyalty to a people that mistreated him and tried to ruin him from a young age, and then got saddled with an existential nightmare of an ending that leaves me baffled to this day.

In terms of personal misfortune, he certainly is the Starflight of his group.

Qibli

CW: Parental abuse

Qibli is a very charming and versatile character. It is easy to imagine him in a variety of different situations and the scenes almost write themselves, especially when there’s another person with him whom he can bounce off of (figuratively, though I wouldn’t put it past him to try to literally bounce off of someone too). The 10th book posits him as some kind of parallel to Darkstalker; the latter even overtly states this and tries to recruit him as a manner of apprentice. It’s interesting because I think they are actually pretty different.

Qibli excels in situations where his options are limited. He is great at thinking on his feet and coming up with solutions to problems within a restricted framework. He'd be great in an escape room. This ability of his is shown throughout the arc, but it is especially visible in Moon Rising, where his presence in a scene often makes Moon stronger, or more adept at solving problems, because his mind is breaking down the situation for her in a way she would be unable to see on her own.

The twist then comes in when you take Qibli out of that limited framework, by giving him power. His pronounced intellect is very peculiar; it needs limitation to be brilliant. When he has unhindered access to all-powerful magic (i.e. doesn’t have to clear his ideas with another person), he turns into a colossal idiot who buries cities in sand and almost blows up inhabited mountains.

It only follows that, if you were to give Qibli what he wants and make him an animus, it would absolutely ruin him. The great intellect he cultivated would wither and, unshackled from the limitations that forced him to think critically and be his most excellent self, he would end up destroying himself, and likely others too.

Another interesting facet of Qibli is how he works as a parallel to Winter and Turtle (and Peril to an extent). All of these characters come from broken homes and have suffered under abusive parental figures. Qibli’s case in particular is interesting because it showcases how your circumstances can make a difference in how well you handle that issue. Qibli suffered under a tyrannical mother and a pair of cruel siblings, but in contrast to his peers, someone from the outside noticed his suffering was able to intervene—Thorn saved him from his hell and became his rescue parent, restoring his confidence and sense of self-worth.

Because of this, when his turn comes to confront his demons, while it is still difficult and painful (because trauma always is), he is able to navigate the confrontation with comparatively more grace and control than the others. The contrast really shows how difficult it is to escape a toxic relationship if you are still mired deeply within it, and how you need to put some distance between yourself and it before you can see where you are and what needs to be done with improved clarity. That is the path to healing.

I could probably keep talking about Qibli for 15 more paragraphs, but I’ll spare you.

Kinkajou

Every protagonist (and a good deal of side characters) in Wings of Fire is broken, usually has some kind of gut-wrenching past (often due to terrible parents), and struggles to find their place in the world. Luckily here is a pink-and-yellow Rainwing who is just happy and everything is fantastic and wholesome, right?

CW: Forced starvation

Nah, Kinkajou had it pretty rough too. The story plays it like it’s a humorous quip when she finds out Moonwatcher is her roommate and bemoans that nobody is taking her “trauma” seriously, but... yeah, it actually is legitimate trauma. She was captured, bound, and trapped on a hell island without sunlight for several weeks. While there, she was not fed, and she helplessly watched people whom she knew from early childhood starve and die. Death by starvation is not pretty, she likely had to witness her friends slowly being driven mad by hunger until they withered away, and couldn’t do anything about it. Then she was rescued and returned to a home that didn’t believe her pain was real, that claimed she made it up for attention, and that some people who she thought of as friends didn’t even notice she was gone. The only one who believed her was a stranger whom she had met maybe a few hours ago.

Personally, if that happened to me and I came home to that, I’d likely have pulled a Chameleon and said “Screw the Rainwings, I’m moving to the desert.”

That Kinkajou is still able to be positive and full of energy after that is a testament to her immense mental fortitude. She might actually be one of the most stable and resilient characters in the story. Some things shake her up for a bit, but nothing can crush her.

Still, I imagine there are some times, after a really bad day maybe, where she wakes up in the middle of the night. And there, for just a moment, she is scared to open her eyes... because she might be back on the Nightwing island and has to watch someone else die.

Peril

Peril is a bit of an odd case in arc 2. She gets grouped with the protagonists of that arc and the ending implies she is integrated into the Jade Winglet as their new Skywing. I have no real problem with that, in fact it’s good on her that she’s made a little less isolated. But to me, Peril always felt like an awkward appendix to that group. Her only real friend in there is Turtle; for the rest of them they feel more like vague acquaintances, like she's tolerated for being Turtle's friend.

To be fair though, that friendship with Turtle is really strong; it’s an exciting and deep character dynamic. But if I was forced to tie Peril to a group of protagonists, my first instinct would be to associate her with the first arc protagonists instead.

This poor girl has been through it. Everyone seems to hate her and wants her to leave, sometimes for understandable reasons and sometimes it just seems bizarre. I already went into Tsunami’s disdain for her in an earlier post, but I also vaguely remember a point in Escaping Peril where she meets Qibli and he gives her a withering glare for some reason. That confused me, to be honest. I thought “What’s YOUR problem with her? Have you ever even met??” Like, I guess the Outclaws were in direct conflict with Burn since they lived in the same country, and Peril was an infamous elite combatant under the command of one of Burn’s allies, so maybe Peril killed people he knew? But then he gets over his disdain really quickly and with no comment, so whatever happened can’t have been a big deal after all.

My favorite part in her book is when everyone--after having learned about Turtle’s powers--chews him out for not having helped his country during the war, and Peril cuts through the tripe by saying something along the lines of “So if he uses the power he was born with to serve his Queen it is honorable, but when I do the same for my Queen I’m a murderer and deserve to have things thrown at me?” I love all of these guys, but they really deserved to be called out for their double standard and feel stupid for a bit.

But yeah, I really enjoy her friendship with Turtle in the end. And since he accidentally made himself virtually indestructible, it means Peril can now get all the friendly hugs she craves.

Umber

Umber is cool. He has a potentially interesting relationship with Turtle, which is implied in the latter’s book when it is mentioned that they sleep with their backs touching to comfort each other about their respective siblings not being there.

Unfortunately he gets written out of the story arc very quickly. I wish I knew more about him.

Carnelian

I like Carnelian. I feel like she had a lot of potential that gets wasted by her death, for not much gain. It is used to give Queen Ruby a reason to come to Jade Mountain and kickstart the events of Peril’s book, but the same could have been accomplished by having her learn that the Academy is housing Peril and going there to demand the extradition of a (in her eyes) dangerous and murderous fugitive.

Same as with Umber, really, I wish I knew more about her. I already said this during my Smaugust drawing session, but I like to pretend that she and Bigtail didn’t die, and instead had a mini arc about recovering from their injuries. It also has the side effect of averting some very unfortunate implications that come with Bigtail’s death.

~~~

I think that’s all of them. Good lord I talk too much. Please don’t throw crocodiles at my face for it. Tumblr is my queen, and--much like the Queen's former champion--I was made to do it.

[gamergirl929]

The Grey Sweatpants Theory (Alex Morgan x Reader)

If there was one thing you hadn't expected to happen when you thundered onto the team bus late, it was for your best friend, Alex Morgan, to be looking at you the way she currently was, that was until you realized the article of clothing you grabbed left VERY little to the imagination, and the look on Alex's face made her intentions VERY clear.

Disclaimer: This fic contains smut as well as a g!p reader, so if that's not your thing, I would recommend skipping this one, other than that, please enjoy and let me know what you think, love hearing your feedback. ❤️❤️❤️

That morning, you’d sprinted onto the bus, panting heavily, your bag unzipped as you thundered onto the bus, waking some of your teammates who’d already begun dozing off, a number shooting glares your way.  

“Sorry.” You cringe as you drop down in the seat beside Alex, the brunette smirking when you shoot her a glare.  

“I told you, you were going to be late.” She snickers and you growl.  

“I told you five more minutes, not ten more.” You gripe crossing your arms across your chest.  

Alex turns towards the window, her blue orbs catching sight of something out of the corner of her eye, causing her to pause.  

She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as her eyes drifted from your profile, down your body and to the article of clothing currently covering your bottom half, a pair of light grey, low riding sweatpants that left little to the imagination, the outline of the appendage between your legs prominent.  

You turn towards the woman, a single brow arched in question as she stares at you, her blue orbs glassy. 

“Everything okay?” You ask, running a hand through your messy hair, which you hadn’t really had the chance to tame while sprinting to make it to the bus.  

Alex's throat bobs, her blue orbs flicking to the bulge in your sweats as you shift to grab your bag.  

“Ye-Yeah, everything is fine.” She stutters, as she turns towards the window, attempting to get the image of the outline of your cock out of her mind.  

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

Alex is, unsurprisingly, unsuccessful, the woman’s blue orbs darting to the crotch of your sweatpants every chance she gets.  

She squeezes her thighs shut, attempting to alleviate the pulsing building between them.  

The two of you had been best friends since college, always toeing the line between friendship and something more.  

You’d both come close to passing it multiple times, multiple kisses shared between the two of you, but neither had decided to cross that boundary yet.  

However, now, Alex could barely stop herself from leaping into your lap and grinding down against you, the woman’s core throbbing at the thought.  

She leans her head back, her eyes fluttering shut. 

Unfortunately, instead of finding solace in darkness, she’s graced with the image of her straddling your lap, your erection throbbing as it rubs against her core.  

She whines softly, your brows furrowing as you turn towards the woman, her brows furrowed in a way you’d never seen before.  

“Al, are you sure you’re, okay?” You ask as you lean towards her, inspecting her closely, her cheeks visibly flushed.  

“Ye-Yeah.” She whispers, her voice raspy as her eyes flutter open, her bright blue orbs now a dark shade of blue.  

You hum, eyeing her closely before you nod, though you can’t help but glance at her out of the corner of your eye every once in a while, her cheeks even redder than they were before.  

You swallow hard, your throat bobbing as your eyes rake from her face, down her body and to her thighs, which you realize she’s squeezing together.  

You watch intently as her tongue slips between her pursed lips before running along them, the woman’s chest heaving, the sight of it making the appendage between your legs stir.  

You’d seen the look on her face once before, on a night where the two of you stumbled into you dorm room, your lips meeting sloppily after too many drinks, your tongues sliding against one another.  

No matter how drunk you were, you’d never forget the night you nearly slept with Alex Morgan, a night you found yourself thinking about quite often. 

You knew sleeping together that night would have been a mistake, the two of you near blackout drunk when you floundered into your dorm room.  

You knew it would’ve most likely ended your friendship, but still you couldn’t get the image of Alex Morgan’s bare chest out of your mind as the two of you hastily started removing your clothes before realizing what you were about to do was a mistake.  

You clear your throat, turning your attention away from the woman beside you as she breathes in deeply.  

You shifted slightly in your seat, knowing the look on her face and the thoughts of that night were going to stir the rod between your legs, and indeed it had already started to tingle.  

You grunt, attempting to adjust yourself, the woman next to you alerted by the sound, her eyes snapping open.  

She turns to you, her dark blue orbs catching your Y/E/C’s, the two of you simply staring at one another for a moment before turning back forwards.  

You knew you couldn’t cross that boundary with her, you knew it would ruin your friendship, but when she looked at you that way, you couldn’t help but think about leaping over the boundary and into bed with her.  

You give your head a shake as you inhale deeply.  

This was going to be a long bus ride. 

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

You weren’t sure how long you were on the bus, all you knew was that Alex Morgan’s eyes were on you nearly the entire time, the woman eyeing you hungrily. 

The urge to jerk her in your lap becoming an idea you were warming up to more and more as the ride went on.  

Eventually, the bus comes to a halt, jolting you and Alex out of your desire clouded haze, the two of you clearing your throats as your teammates begin moving to their feet.  

You move to your feet, bringing your bag up to cover the front of your sweats, hiding your member from your teammates who make their way off the bus before you.  

You too shuffle off the bus, intent on making your way to your room, a room you would be sharing with none other than Alex Morgan.  

The walk through the lobby is silent, the two of you entering the elevator with your teammates, who are chattering about this and that, the two of you choosing to remain silent.  

A mere blink later and you find yourself in front of your hotel room’s door, your hand on the door’s handle. 

“Well, are you going to open it?” Alex asks, her voice husky, a clear sign that she was obviously aroused.  

You turn towards her, your back resting against the door’s surface, the woman’s brows furrowing as you eye her intently.  

“What do you want Alex?” You ask, her blue orbs locking with your Y/E/C’s, before dropping to your lips. 

Your breath catches in your throat as she steps closer, her gaze falling to the outline of your member beneath your grey sweats.  

“I want you.” She whispers, glancing down the hall to make sure you’re alone before her fingertips brush the front of your sweats.  

You growl, your bottom lip trapped between your teeth as you do everything you can not to lean into her touch.  

“I’ve always wanted you. I’ve wanted you since that night in college.”  

Your hips twitch as she gives the bulge a rub, your toes curling in your tennis shoes.  

“Wh-What if it’s a mistake? What if everything changes between us?” You stutter, grunting when she puts a bit more pressure behind her touch.  

“I know I would never regret it, because it’s something I did with you. Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you.” She whispers, your eyes flashing open, a significantly darker shade of Y/E/C’s.  

You simply stare at her for a moment, her hand still resting on the protrusion in your pants, her fingers twitching. 

Alex’s breath catches in her throat when you swiftly unlock the door before scooping her up into your arms, the woman squeaking as you kick the door shut behind you.  

You place her on the nearest surface, your eyes locking with hers as the two of you gaze at one another.  

You surge forward at roughly the same time, your lips meeting sloppily as your hands grip Alex’s waist, the woman’s breath hitching when your tongue slithers into her open mouth.  

You grunt when she wraps her legs around your middle, pulling you in as you kiss hungrily, everything you’ve ever felt for one another flowing from the two of you.  

Alex shoves you backwards, your back hitting a nearby wall before she guides you to the floor, your eyes widening when she settles on your lap, the woman moaning against your neck.  

“Al... Fuck...” You moan, your arms wrapping tightly around her as she starts rocking against your hardness. 

“God I’ve wanted this for so long.” She moans against your neck, the rocking of her hips increasing in speed, her mouth a gape as she grinds down into you.  

Your back arches as you rock upwards, the woman’s lips finding yours as you kiss. 

Her hands slide up the back of your faded University of Berkley sweater, her nails digging into your back as she rolls her hips.

You throw your head back, gripping the woman’s waist as she swivels her hips, a raspy moan crawling up your throat, the sound making her whine.  

You glance down at your lap, a visible damp spot forming on its front, her arousal seeping through her shorts and into your boxers.  

“Goddamn you’re so wet.” You groan as she rocks into you erratically, chasing her climax, which you know she’s headed for. 

"Feels so fucking good, I can’t help it.” She moans, throwing her head back as she grinds into you.  

You can tell by the way she’s breathing that she’s close, her body twitching every so often, her hips moving in an erratic and eager way.  

You wrap your arms tightly around her, rocking your own hips hard, the woman moaning loudly against your neck.  

"You’re so close, aren’t you?” You whisper, Alex nodding promptly, her face scrunched up, her eyes slammed shut.  

“Come for me Al. Come on baby, let go.” You whisper, your lips brushing along her sharp jawline.  

Suddenly, she goes stiff in your hold before she begins quaking.  

Her blue orbs roll in the back of her head as she trembles, her orgasm rippling through her. 

You rock your hips gently, prolonging her orgasm, knowing she had been worked up the entirety of the near three hour bus ride. 

She pants heavily against your neck before leaning back, her eyes falling to the visible mess having the front of your grey sweatpants which had been the cause of all this.  

“Christ Al.” You pant, your chest heaving as your eyes fall to the mess in your lap.  

“You’re still hard.” She whispers, staring intently at the bulge in your sweatpants.  

Your tongue runs along your lips as your eyes rake down her front, the urge to pull the faded t-shirt from her body prominent.  

Your fingers dip beneath the hem of her t-shirt, your fingertips grazing her bare sides, causing her breath to hitch.  

“Al...” You pant softly, attempting to ignore your arousal so you can confess to the forward what you’d wanted to confess to her your entire life.  

“Al, I’m in love with you.” You whisper, her blue orbs widening, her lips splitting in a grin as she leans in, pressing her lips tenderly against your own.  

“I'm in love with you too.” She mutters before she closes the distance again.  

The second you part, you cup her cheeks, your Y/E/C orbs locking with her dark blues as you rest your forehead against hers.  

“I want you...” You whisper, your lips brushing hers as you speak. 

You give the hem of her shirt a tug, Alex’s arms raising as you pull her top off, her glorious abs and bra covered chest now within your line of sight.  

“I’ve always wanted you.” You confess, your hands running up her bare sides, your fingers dipping beneath her bra, brushing the smooth skin of the side of her breasts.  

You toy with her bra strap, a brow arched in question, a question she immediately answers with a nod.  

Her breath hitches, her head lolling backwards as you unclasp her bra, your hands sliding from around her back before settling on her sides, your thumbs brushing her already erect nipples.  

“Y/N...” She sighs, her hips canting as you lean in, wrapping your lips around one of her nipples. 

Her back arches as she tangles her fingers in your hair, holding you against her chest as your tongue lashes against her bright pink nipple.  

You turn your attention to her opposite breast, your teeth dragging along the erect bud.  

You pull back, but don’t go far, sucking the tan skin of her breasts into your mouth over and over, dotting her skin with bruises.  

“In high school, when I lost my virginity, all I could think about was you.” You say as you bury your face in her neck, your lips brushing her pulse point.  

“All I could think, was how much I wished I was inside of you, and not her.” You pull back, the back of your head meeting the wall behind you, the forward in your lap cupping your cheeks.  

“I was so jealous when I found out you slept with her.” She whispers, teasingly rolling her hips, your breath catching in your throat.  

“I wanted to be the first person you were inside.” She whispers in your ear, grinding harder into you.  

You groan, holding her tightly to your chest.  

“I can promise you one thing...” You whisper, Alex leaning back to look you in the eye.  

“What?” She asks and you smirk, her breath hitching when you take her into your arms and stand with ease.  

“You’ll be the last.” You say, connecting your lips as you clumsily make your way towards the hotel’s bed before gently depositing the woman onto its plush surface.  

She eyes you hungrily, her blue orbs visibly darkening as you climb on top of her, your hands on either side of her head.  

“D-Do you want this?” You whisper, your eyes frantically darting around her face, the thought that the woman may reject what was about to happen prominent in your mind.  

Your breath catches in your throat when she rolls the two of you over, your back hitting the mattress, your Y/E/C’s wide.  

She ducks down, placing a tender kiss to your lips before she lovingly kisses your neck.  

“I’ve never wanted anything more.” She whispers, placing a bruise of her own on your neck, the purple splotch prominent on your tanned skin.  

You groan when she lowers herself on top of you, her core resting against your still hard member.  

You push yourself upward, immediately jerking your hoodie over your head, along with the shirt beneath until you’re in only your bra.  

It takes Alex a split second to undo your bra and toss it across the room, revealing your small breasts.  

She ducks down, immediately taking your already erect nipple into her mouth, your back arching as she lavishes it with attention before turning to the other.   

In all honesty, you were so close to the edge that you were worried you’d come just from the stimulation, but thankfully, you’re able to steel yourself and reign it in.  

“Al...” You sigh, your hips subconsciously rocking upward, the woman gasping.  

Her hands run down your body, from your breasts to your prominent muscles before settling at the hem of your grey sweatpants.  

“Are you ready?” She asks, your tongue swiping at your lips before you nod.  

She pushes herself off of you, grabbing the hem of your sweatpants, along with your boxers, the dark spot on the front of your sweatpants still prominent as she rids you of them, your erection springing free.  

The second her eyes drop to your hardness, she swipes at her lips, her throat visibly bobbing.  

Much to your surprise, she drops to her knees at the end of the bed, your eyes widening when she takes your member in her hand, her mere touch nearly making you come.  

“Al...” You sigh, your back arching when she strokes you gently.  

You stiffen, a sinful groan tearing up your throat when you feel her lips wrap around the head of your cock.  

“Fuck.” You moan, your eyes opening enough to see the woman’s head bobbing up and down as she expertly sucks you off.  

“Al... I’m not...”  

You groan midsentence. 

“I’m not gonna last long.” You moan, the woman pulling back with a smile, her tongue flicking against your flushed head.  

“Good.” She smiles before taking your entire length into her mouth. 

It’s in that moment that you stiffen, your back arching, your toes curling as you come with a raspy groan, your seed filling the forward’s mouth before she swallows it, going as far as to lick you clean,  unable to get enough of your taste.  

“Jesus Al.” You sigh, the woman releasing your head with a wet pop.  

She almost immediately crawls on top of you, your lips locking, the taste of your seed on her tongue.  

Amongst the hasty, and wild kissing Alex whispers.  

“I want you inside me.” She says in between kisses, your hand settling on her waist as you pull her down against you, her clothed core resting against your bare cock.  

Suddenly, you roll the two of you over, the forward now pinned beneath you, your eyes dropping to her ruined shorts.

Your eyes lock with hers as you move slowly to your feet, your rod again erect as you shed her bottoms, her breath catching when her slick sex is met by the cold hotel room’s air.  

You spread her legs, your throat bobbing as you eye her core.  

“God, you’re so wet.” You say, the woman moaning when your fingers run through her nether lips, stopping to draw gentle circles against her already swollen clit.  

“Y/N... Please.” She gasps, the woman squeaking when your circles increase in speed, her core clenching.  

You take your place back on top of her, the two of you now entirely bare.  

Alex stares between the two of you, her head lolling backwards when you run your head through her lower lips before brushing it against her clit.  

“Ready for me baby?” You ask and she nods rapidly, her legs opening wider.  

You start to tremble slightly as you line yourself up with her entrance, the thought of finally being sheathed inside her after all this time making you anxious.  

“Hey.” Alex says as she pushes herself up onto her elbows, her blue orbs locking with your Y/E/C’s.  

She cups your cheek, her thumb running along your cheekbone.  

“Been a long time coming, huh?” She asks and you chuckle, your tongue swiping at your lips.  

“Ye-Yeah...” You stutter closing your eyes as you breathe in deep.  

Alex’s back gently meets the mattress as you lower yourself onto her, your head slowly slipping into her. 

Alex whimpers, the sound worrying momentarily, before her legs wrap around your waist, the woman moaning.  

“Keep going.” She sighs, humming as you slide into her entirely, bottoming out.  

You stiffen, allowing her to adjust to the stretch.  

“You’re inside me.” She whispers and you nod rapidly, the feel of her walls fluttering around you nearly making you come again.

“Finally.” You rasp, lowering yourself down on top of her before you thrust slowly into her.  

“Oh.” She gasps, her hands splayed on your back as your thrusts increase, the hotel’s headboard tapping the wall gently as you thrust into her tight heat.  

“You feel so fucking good Al.” You moan, the woman moaning loudly, the sound most likely able to be heard through the wall.  

A bead of sweat runs down your face as your hips increase in speed, your orgasm incoming. 

“Al, I need to pull out.” You groan, mere moments from exploding inside the woman.  

“N-No.” She sighs, her legs tightening around you.  

“Come inside me.” She gasps, your eyes widening as your hips still.  

“A-A-Are you sure?” You ask and she nods.  

“Come inside me.” She says again, rocking her hips, a groan crawling up your throat.  

You whimper as you start rutting wildly into her, your thighs slapping together as you thrust deeply into her, her core pulsing around you, alerting you to the fact that she was nearing an orgasm as well.  

You thrust deeper into her, the sound coming from the woman’s mouth unlike any you’d ever heard.  

“I’m gonna come.” You gasp, humping into her, her nails digging into your back as you rock into her.  

“Come, come inside me baby.” She whispers, and you do just that, coming with a groan, your thighs quaking as your entire body shudders. 

Your seed spills deep inside her, the woman beneath you moaning as she orgasms as well, her body trembling and quaking for the second time that night.  

“Y/N...” She pants, her fingers tangling in the baby hairs at the base of your neck as your hips still, the two of you entirely spent.  

You lower yourself on top of her, the woman smiling as she kisses your sweaty temple multiple times.  

“I love you.” She whispers in your ear and you chuckle, pushing yourself up on your palms, your eyes locking with hers.  

“I love you too.” You whisper before leaning in, your lips meeting hers tenderly before you reluctantly, move off of her, revealing the mess you’d left on the hotel room’s bed.  

You cringe, your cock twitching when you see your seed, spilling out of Alex’s core.  

You leave the room with much reluctance, the woman resting on the bed audibly whining as you disappear from view.  

A smile stretches across her face when you come back with a washcloth, cleaning the mess on the bed, and between her legs tenderly.  

She lets out a squeak when you lift her into the air, before tugging the opposite bed’s sheets back and placing her on the soft mattress.  

You crawl in bed beside her, pulling the covers up over the two of you before wrapping your arms around Alex, pulling her against you, her chest against your own.  

“So?” You ask and she smiles, a perfect brow arched.  

“So?” She asks and you chuckle.  

“Was it worth the wait?” You ask and she giggles.

“MORE than worth the wait.” She says as she gently kisses your lips.  

Your lips split in a grin as she rests her forehead against your own.  

“Well, what do you say we take a nap...?” You say and she giggles.  

“Sounds good.” She whispers before kissing your lips once more.  

She buries her face in your neck, humming in content as she nuzzles into the crook neck.  

You’re unable to bite back a grin when you spot your grey sweatpants laying in a heap on the floor, the sight of the article of clothing making you snicker.  

“If this is what’s going to happen every time I wear grey sweatpants, I’m never wearing anything else ever again.”  

Alex giggles against your neck.  

“Trust me, you won’t need them to get me back in bed.” She says as she kisses your neck, and you hum.

“Promise?”  

You smile playfully bumping the tip of your nose against hers, the woman giggling as she presses a kiss to your lips before burying her face back in your neck.

"I promise, now get some sleep and we'll get up and do it again."

“Yes ma’am.”  

[wing-ed-thing]

… And the Beast (Yonji Vinsmoke x Reader) Chapter VI

Synopsis: You thought your little crush on Prince Yonji was a well-kept secret. Yonji is mean enough to exploit your eagerness to please in the face of his unrelenting cruelty; the thought of actually developing a soft spot for you never even crossed his mind.

Word Count: 7.4k

Tags/Warnings: Dark themes ahead, including graphic violence, gore, and Dark!Yonji. Please consult AO3 for more specific tags. Chapter ends with extreme fluff for balance.

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

Notes: Those with a sensitivity to war, POW situations, and gun violence are advised to proceed with caution. The gore tag applies to unnamed characters. MC is not harmed by Yonji.

If you would like to skip the graphic violence, please skip to the first ***. I will provide a summary of the section in the bottom notes.

The crying seemed as never-ending as the blackness, and every so often, you could hear pained moans and scuttling off in the distance. There was only the cold, wet concrete flooring below and the breathing of phantom bodies somewhere in the abyss. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been there. You hardly knew who surrounded you. Even when the lights came, with how delirious and exhausted, you weren’t even sure if the people crammed into your cell were the same people who had always been there. 

The golden light from the torches would pass through the dungeon, illuminating your surroundings. 

You had known the girl across the aisle when you were first taken. You had gone to school together. You thought she was from the class below you. She was even still wearing her uniform. You could see sharp cheekbones on her malnourished face. Too many of the girls you saw in the dungeon were wearing their school uniforms, and too many of them disappeared not soon after. 

A man beaten so severely that he couldn’t close his mouth took her place, and by the next time the lights passed, he too disappeared. And as time passed, it almost didn’t seem to matter who he was replaced by. It was always another frail, malnourished body with beaten flesh and barely any air in the lungs. 

Whenever you closed your eyes, you could see the mangled faces of the rebel forces that had been gunned down right in front of you and how they fell in the same spot they stood to defend their homes. And when you opened them again, there was nothing but darkness.

Small batches of prisoners were pulled out of the cells every few days. Or perhaps it was a few times a day. You couldn’t say for sure. The most visibly vulnerable were taken first: the youngest, the oldest, the visibly injured, and the ones the occupiers had stripped of their mobility aids. The ones making too much noise often went with them, along with those who tried to escape. 

And if the unfortunate few selected weren’t immediately beaten in the broad aisle between cells, they were taken upstairs. Their agonized cries could be heard through the ceiling, and they were never returned to the cells. 

It was a cruelty you never understood, even as the brutal swing of the baton struck your side. Boots crushed your fingers and frail flesh, making pain ring out across your body. It was a loud, dull ache that wormed under your skin, popping and cracking like a ringing alarm. 

You curled the best you could in the face of the barrage of hits. You could feel their impact in your bones. The sting and force of them were nowhere near as gut-wrenching as the sheer velocity of the strikes as solid met soft.

Real adrenaline had long stopped coursing through you. You remained still and weak, hardly able to properly defend yourself as you lay on the floor. A range of sensations melded together simultaneously, disrupting your thoughts and scrambling your head. 

It all just hurt. The pain of the blows eclipsed the sensation of the hits that came before, creating a dull numbness.

It hurt, and you wanted it to stop.

You didn’t want to get even. You didn’t want to fight. You just wanted the pain to stop. And yet, a tight, fearful pit welled in your chest, leaving little room for flaming anger. You were too tired for anything more than a wish. Too tired, too weak. Even at full health, you weren’t sure you had it in you to take revenge even if you wanted to. 

The thought of it flashed across your mind, abstractly and incoherently. It simply occurred to you between kicks like a creeping fog over your head. 

Fight… back…?

Fight back…?

Fight back? 

Fight back?

You almost frowned to yourself in the midst of it all. No, doing such a thing wasn’t quite in your nature. It wasn’t quite in your nature to harm others, even if you were the one hurt first. You weren’t even sure what it would look like.

Your muscles were too frail to grab the baton and wrestle it away. Your knees shook too nervously, even on a good day, to pick yourself up and stand your ground, and your voice was far too quiet to shout. And even if you found it in yourself to do any of those things, then what?

Your limbs were intact, and so were your dirty clothes. That’s what mattered. 

And just as you began to resign yourself, the dungeon flooded with light. The ground below you shook, jerking your body with terrifyingly powerful, godly force. White light flooded the room, and at that moment, you thought you died. 

The light came with a bang, followed by several other explosions and crashing sounds all around you. Each one shook the ground. You could feel debris falling all around you, yet the gust of open-air made you want to sit up and open your eyes. 

You cracked them open, but the brightness of the light made you scrunch them closed, no matter how hard you fought. You cast your closed gaze down, crawling to your knees and huddling your face in the crook of your elbow.  

The sunlight was intense, and the chaotic movement around you kept you crouched close to the ground. Cries and frantic screams filled the air as a gust of air passed. You opened your eyes under the protection of your arm, blinking a few times as your lids squeezed shut before you batted your lashes again. You didn’t know when the last time you saw sunlight was.

You raised your head, the details of your surroundings coming into focus. Your foot moved forward so that you were crouched on one knee, ready to stand. You caught a glimpse of black and green before bowing your head again as the wind swirled around you. It whistled, blowing past your hair and blinding your ears. 

Someone ran past you, tripping as their knee met your shoulder. You were forced back, falling to the ground as you tried to catch yourself. 

Your eyes shot open by instinct, only to find the dungeon completely leveled. The walls had collapsed, leaving little more than empty holding cells and chunks of concrete and metal. The tops of them appeared to have been almost cut, leaving them uniform in shape. 

You spotted to top of the facility in the distance. It was larger than you ever could have imagined. 

You stood, clutching your worst injury as prisoners who could run ran. You trudged forward in direct opposition to the current, bumping into countless people as you went. 

Limbs stuck out from under the fallen debris. Blood seeped into the uneven concrete that had cracked during what you had assumed was an explosion. The noise around you sounded deafening, yet you couldn’t hear a thing. Something dragged you forward, and when you least expected it, the crowd completely vanished.

You broke through, stumbling into an open space. A bloodied baton sat at your feet. A stream of crimson-red spatter stained the ground. You could barely focus on the vibrant color of it as you followed it with your eyes to the sound of cracking upon wet impact. 

It was a person. Two people technically, you supposed. Neither of them looked much like people. 

It was a boy, you quickly gathered. He looked like something out of the future, like a character out of one of the comics you used to read. Perhaps he was a revolutionary. A dark cape cloaked his shoulders. His hair was a color you had never seen before: a vibrant lime green. You could hardly remember what he looked like that day, but you could probably remember every inch of his gloves. 

His knuckles were stained all shades of dark red and whaled into the man under him. It took you a moment to realize it was a man. You could tell only by the hand that rattled near the caped boy’s knee with every floor-shaking strike of his fist and the guard uniform you had been so accustomed to seeing.

His punches made a terrible sound as if he were punching into a pie filled with walnut shells. The guard’s face had wholly caved in. The entire front of his face was wet, red, and spilling out over his ears. It was an unbelievable gore. The man was already dead, and yet the figure on top of him kept on punching.

Wham! Crunch. Splat.

Wham! Squish.

Blood flew everywhere. The cracking of bones rang in your ears. It was an unbelievable gore, and yet, you couldn’t look away. The bodies of the other soldiers littered what used to be the isle between the cells. Crushed teeth. Sunken chests. Blunt force damage you didn’t even think a bear could replicate. 

“What are you lookin’ at?”

You had zoned out, and the caped boy in front of you had risen to stand. He had one booted foot on the torso of the faceless corpse. Tiny spatters of blood marred his pale face. They littered his entire body, the tails of the spatter marks pointing outward. He was tall, hulking, and massive for his young features. He wiped his hand across his cheek, leaving a thick, scarlet stain in his wake. His eyes were still wide, and his grin stretched across his lips from the good work he had just done.

He couldn’t have been much older than you.

And just behind him, one of the guards picked his head off the ground. You thought you recognized him as the soldier from earlier who carried the baton. His arm moved forward, dragging his body slowly across the broken concrete below. You didn’t even have time to be fearful of the beast in front of you, too distracted by the movement in your haze state as the guard’s hand slowly reached forward to the rifle that sat on the ground. 

Your lips parted, but no words came out. They stalled in your throat as you held out a palm, your body moving faster than your voice. Your eyes met the caped boy’s gaze. 

You tried to warn him without reason. You wanted to tell him against your better judgment, in the face of his blood-stained gloves as he stood on the body of the man he had just brutalized with nothing but his fists. 

And yet…

The rifle went off with a bang. 

It nearly sent you tumbling back toward the ground.

BANG!

You let out a loud gasp of surprise, the ugly-sounding wind squeaking in your throat as you flinched back. The adrenaline was still pumping through your veins as you heard a panging sound. The explosion of gore you thought would fly toward you never came.

BANG!... Pang…

You had brought one arm to shield your head, and as you slowly emerged, your opposite hand was still pointing toward the soldier on the ground. Your single, extended index finger tremored violently even as you began to look up. 

The caped boy stood tall exactly where he had been before, seeming to be completely intact despite the deep scowl that contorted his face. He turned on his heel. The soldier on the ground’s eyes went wide as he approached. The soldier cocked the gun up, moving to take another shot before the rifle was wrenched out of his hand. 

The caped boy threw it to the ground behind him. The metal had a distinct impression where his fingers were, warping the metal and making the weapon unusable. He cocked back his fist. The soldier’s squirming and pleads did little to prevent the powerful punch that sank into his head at a velocity unseen. 

The rest of the body flew up at the impact. The limbs slammed back down against the ground. A terrible crunching sound reverberated through the air. And just like before, the caped figure began whaling on the corpse below, a broad grin on his lips. 

You watched as the punches flew, continuing to produce terrible noises as you clutched your own injuries. Your thoughts came to your foggy mind like an abstract cloud. The stinging of the large gash on your lip throbbed, a subtle reminder of what had happened before this green beast came. You could feel the breeze against your back where your shirt had been torn. You didn’t even know how long it had been like that. The breeze and the sharp pain in your gut reminded you of what could have happened.

It had to have been the revolutionary army. No one else could have this much strength, let alone use it to save your poor country.

You watched as he continued to brutalize the men who used to be your captors. You kept your eyes on him like watching someone else devour a delicious meal.

With every punch, your much smaller arms tensed. 

Brutality might not have been in your nature, but it was in his. 

After a short time, he seemed to grow bored. When he stood, he incidentally met your eye. He had a narrow gaze and expressive eyes that could widen and narrow with feral expression. His nose crinkled right above sneering lips, and his curled eyebrows scrunched his forehead. 

He was self-satisfied and covered in blood that wasn’t his own. The body of the man he just murdered lay popped open on the ground.

You were pretty sure you fell in love right there.

He hardly regarded you much more as he began to trudge in the other direction. You ran after him.

“Wait!” you yelled as loudly as your weak lungs could. You stumbled on the broken terrain. 

The boy continued a few steps longer before he finally turned. He looked upon you with disgust and acute confusion. You ran up to him, heaving at the first laborious exercise you had done in what felt like forever. 

“How do I join?” you cried. 

He looked you up and down and let out a tremendous laugh. 

“HAHAHAHA! Yeah, right!” His boots ignited with a blue flame, and just like that, he was gone.

*** Graphic content is finished, gun violence continues in scene II

An unfamiliar ship was at the dock, so you ran for the coast. It had to be the ship he came from. You could see the dark spiral towers in the distance, and it seemed like they never got closer, no matter how fast you ran. Still, you continued, pumping your legs as fast as they would go with your eyes only in one direction. 

The country had been plunged into utter anarchy. White-clad soldiers combed through the countryside with high-tech rifles, gunning down your navy-blue uniformed oppressors on sight. You gasped, managing to slide behind a piece of broken wall. A bullet ricocheted off the brick before the next one struck a soldier behind you.

Your passage was suspiciously easy, despite the bullets flying across the terrain. You continued to run, and the white-uniformed soldiers allowed you to pass through the war zone. They ignored you almost outright, focusing only on the opposing forces. You moved from solid fixture to solid fixture, only running larger distances when you gained cover from the foreign soldiers through happenstance. 

Things became less chaotic as you made your way into the trees. The firefight seemed to be behind you. Explosions sounded somewhere in the distance, always accompanied by the sound of gunfire. Pop, pop, pop. Pop, pop, pop. 

A few patrols draped over bushes and branches and slumped at the bases of trees, but the white-uniformed forces appeared to have driven the occupying troops back. Not a single soul stood out among the stretch of woods. The cone-shaped turrets only grew more prominent as you ran.

You emerged from the tree line, exploding from it with an unstopped velocity. You bounded through the trees, trying to skid to a stop before tumbling over. A line of white-uniformed soldiers drew their weapons, standing militantly and ready to attack at a moment’s notice. 

  A tall man was on the dock with two far smaller figures in tow. They turned at the noise, each staring as you picked your upper body off the ground. The soldiers surrounded you swiftly, ordering you not to move farther.

“A civilian?” the boy near the tall man remarked plainly. He was clad in red from head to foot. Like the green, caped figure before, he didn’t seem much older or younger than you.

“I want to join!” you cried. The girl, who also stood near the tall man, quirked a slender brow. “The revolutionary army’s always looking for new recruits, aren’t you? I want to join! Please put me to work or something, anything! Just take me with you!”

No one said a word for a moment. The sea breeze was a foreign sensation to your skin, and the mild heat from the full sun above felt blazing, almost as fiery as the three sets of eyes trained on you.

The tall man’s mouth opened to speak.

***

“Hey, hey.” 

It was blurry when you opened your eyes, and nearly jumped when you saw Yonji standing over you. You shot up, your spine cracking from the stiffness of the awkward position in which you had somehow dozed asleep. He took a step back, hands on his hips and lips tugged downward in acute annoyance. 

You swung your legs over the edge of your chair. The chandelier in the center of the ceiling lighted the library. You hadn’t even noticed Yonji flicking it on when he entered the room. You must’ve been fast asleep and out long enough for the sky outside to turn pitch black. You supposed it was cloudy; not a single star shone in the distance. 

You immediately stood and bowed, your mind a bit fuzzy from sleep. 

“I apologize for my negligence, Prince Yonji. How may I serve you?” You looked at him, trying to hide how you blinked in fatigue. But Yonji’s eyes acutely narrowed, and you knew nothing was getting past him. 

“How long have you been passed out?”

“I’m sorry; I’m not sure,” you admitted, glancing off. “I definitely started organizing the stock back onto the shelves—” 

Yonji let out a loud laugh.

“You took a fat catnap, huh? I should punish you for that one. Make you walk a plank or some shit,” he barked.

Yonji turned and glanced at the table, where the books you had bought earlier were arranged neatly based on some system he didn’t care to learn. The compilation appeared smaller since he’d last seen it by a negligible margin, but seeing one of the spines on the shelf behind the table deepened his frown. You followed his gaze as it made a quick sweep across the area around you.

“I’m gone for the rest of the afternoon and evening, and you haven’t even read any of them?” Yonji scoffed. His thick arms coiled across his chest. It took you a moment to piece together what he was talking about.

“I wanted to organize the new resources onto the shelves,” you tried to explain. “To keep things organized. If the way they’ve been shelved displeases you, I can go back and—”

Yonji’s head snapped toward you, his weight shifting as he leaned slightly forward.

“I dropped a fuck ton of cash for you to read ‘em, and you’ve been down here all day passed out on the job,” he huffed with a roll of his eyes. And when they finally settled on yours, you couldn’t help but notice the second his eyes widened. It was a millisecond, and the distance his brows retreated his eyelids must’ve been the most subtle of distances before he tore his gaze away in favor of some other part of the library. His lips pursed in a straight line. 

Yonji turned around, his shoulders inflating as he breathed in. 

“You slept through the entire evening, huh?” he mused with a sigh. “What happened to the food you brought back with you?” 

Yonji had ordered so many dishes at brunch that there was too much for you to eat in one sitting. There was more than you could probably eat in several sittings, but you brought it back as leftovers when you came back to the ship.

“It’s in the fridge,” you said in a quiet voice.

“Downstairs?”

“Yes, Prince Yonji.”

He turned, making an exaggerated wave as he gestured you toward the door. 

“C’mon, what are you waiting for?” Yonji grumbled, already growing impatient as you skidded forward to obey his unspoken order. You bounced out into the hallway as Yonji assumed the lead.

“If I knew you’d want the leftovers as a late-night snack, I would have given them to you, Prince Yonji,” you affirmed, not before walking directly into Yonji’s back. He had stopped in the middle of the hall, pivoting with narrowed eyes and a scrunched-up nose. He scrutinized you for a second.

“Aren’t you supposed to be smart?” he sneered, sliding his arm around your shoulders to push you forward by the palm splayed out between your shoulder blades. 

He ushered you out of the southern tower, and the double doors shut behind you. 

***

The entrance below deck was in an unfortunate part of the snail and consisted of a single set of cellar doors leading down a short stairwell. There was an entrance through the shell from where the snail was captained, but most domestic staff came for meals and to their quarters from the heavy cellar doors. 

Yonji looked out of place sitting at the kitchen island. A harsh, rectangular light hung down to illuminate the counter space making you feel like you were in an odd dream. The light cast down on him, saturating Yonji in comparison to the darkness of the rest of the floor. 

You heated some of the leftover food, arranging it neatly on the plate. You weren’t much of a cook; you definitely couldn’t plate food as nicely as Cosette, but you did what you deemed acceptable before placing the plate across the counter in front of Yonji. You reached into the top drawer at the corner of the kitchen space to pluck out a few utensils before delicately placing them in front of him.

Yonji, for his status, never seemed like the type to ever want to step foot in any servant corridor. And yet, he not only sought you out in the central kitchen, but now he sat below deck in the archival snail. You just assumed that Yonji’s appetite far surpassed pickiness when it came to kitchens. 

He moved the plate to the side before he stood, reaching across the counter to the drawer of utensils. Yonji was just barely able to pinch the knob between his fingers to flick it back open. He reached farther, now partially on the counter in front of him as he plucked out a fork and slapped it on the space in front of you before retreating to his stool. 

You looked at it as it sat, placed haphazardly in front of you, and then to Yonji. He sat with his cheek in his palm, studying the other fixtures around the open floor. The plate had been pushed toward you.

“Don’t you gotta test it for poison or something?” he grumbled. You let out a light laugh.

“Considering that this was lunch from earlier, I think you’re safe from poisons, Prince Yonji,” you hummed, leaning against the side of the counter. Just the corner separated you. 

“Yonji,” he spoke. His voice grew just a touch softer despite his almost annoyed and resigned tone. He dug his fork into the food on the plate. “Call me Yonji when we’re alone.”

Your eyes flickered around you. The kitchen and the darkness around you were as still as when you retreated down the stairs. The domestic crew had gone to bed long ago, and those piloting the ship and on watch were far away in their respective stations. 

“I thought you said I was only allowed to call you that outside Germa.”

“I’m telling you now,” he spoke with his mouth full, but his words remained soft. He swallowed, but it wasn’t the gulp that made you feel like he seemed hesitant. “That you can call me Yonji when it’s just us.” His eyes met yours, and for once, his face was devoid of scrutiny. 

The skin around his forehead and nose, which was typically scrunched up in annoyance, was relaxed and smooth. His eyes were naturally wide, round, and a brown so dark that they were almost black. His lips sat in a neutral line. A genuine-looking expression looked out of place on him, just like he appeared out of place in the servant’s kitchen.

You held his gaze, nodding slowly as you spoke,

“When it’s just us,” you said, “You want me to call you Yonji.”

You had to pause before you spoke his name. You had called him by his name before, and truly there was nothing different about addressing him when his name happened to have the word “Prince” in front of it. And yet, the word came out like a foreign object, one that you had to contort your lips and tongue for like blowing the word into a bubble. 

“Yeah, and don’t—”

“Don’t tell anyone, or you’ll gut me,” you said, and the words took up more space in the air than either of you had anticipated. They expanded softly, fluttering out into the darkness with a mutually unspoken sense of what resembled reluctance.

“Yeah,” he said singularly. Yonji’s shoulders seemed to deflate as he gingerly held your gaze, and the kitchen was quiet. 

Yonji tore his stare away first, pushing the plate toward you again. He took another piece with his fork and swiftly plopped a bite into his mouth.

“Weren’t you in the middle of checking this for poison or something?”

You let out a light laugh, leaning on the side of the counter as you dug your fork into your first bite. You stood like that in relative silence, eating from the same plate. Your body almost seemed to shake, tingling with something akin to anxiety as you avoided Yonji’s eye. 

Moments of silence weren’t foreign to you, and you could recall several times you sat with Yonji in them relatively comfortably, but something about this one was different. You had been serving him for quite some time. You were sure that all royalty let up with the formalities with their lead attendants. But as your gaze glazed as you stared at your fork, a new, mixed feeling began to bubble up in your chest. 

“It’s a shame… ya’ know?” Yonji’s voice snapped you away from a potential rabbit hole of thoughts. When you looked at his face, Yonji was also fixated on the plate, his mind somewhere else as he spoke. You supposed that the both of you were a bit lost. “I, uh… I tried looking for your book. Like at the port… and, uh… I didn’t see it.”

The prongs of his fork scratched against the near-empty plate, toying with a bit of food residue. You set yours down neatly. There was one bite left.

“What book?”

“The one my brother had you toss. I know you like to read it after dinner,” Yonji said. He also set his fork down, crossing his ankles under the stool before coiling his arms across his chest. He leaned against the counter, gaze cast downward. “I thought I would be able to find it.”

Yonji looked out of place once again. His hulking form was hunched over, and his forehead was knitted in acute ponderance. You let a small smile grace your lips as your eyes averted to somewhere in the darkness. The actual weight of his words didn’t hit you. 

“That’s okay, Pr—Yonji.”

“You might think it’s fine, but I’m pissed about it.” Yonji’s shoulders straightened out suddenly as he sat up and slammed his hand down on the counter. The noise shook the surface with a singular bang, rattling the plate and utensils. Your eyes immediately darted around the blackness, wondering if any of the domestic crew was roused. “Leave it to Ichiji to be all business.”

“Prince, uh, I mean, Yonji,” you hummed nervously, drawing little circles on the countertop with your nail. He regarded you with a raised brow. “About the book, I, uh, Master Ichiji only said that it didn’t belong in the library, so I, um, put it not in the library.” 

You met his dark irises guiltily, contrary to the widened expression of pride plastered over Yonji’s face. He shifted his weight to lean forward, head in his palm as a wide grin contorted his lips.

“You little sneak—”

“I apologize for my indiscretion.”

— “You’re brilliant! HA! You really are my aid after all!” Yonji shot back, slamming his hand on the counter again before he stood. “C’mon, I wanna know where you stashed it—”

— “It’s in my quarters.”—

“Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. We’re already below deck, aren’t we?” Yonji was already tugging you in a random direction, despite now knowing his way around. You absentmindedly placed your hand over his, stopping short as he turned to question you. 

“About that…” You glanced toward the stairs. “My quarters are actually upstairs.” 

Yonji’s face scrunched with visible confusion. 

“Upstairs?” he questioned rudely. “There’s nothing up there but books, isn’t there?”

His hand was still wrapped around your wrist, but he allowed you to slip your hand from his grasp to grab his fingers. You ushered him to the stairs leading above deck. 

“I’ll show you.”

***

While most of the domestic staff had their designated areas below deck, you had made your space in the tallest room of the southern library. Out of the cellar doors, through the main doors to the library, past the main chamber, and all the way up a winding flight of stairs, the ship rocked below you. You held onto a banister as you climbed. 

The staircase wound up several flights, growing warmer as you ascended. 

“Oh shit!” The snail hit a large wave, causing the whole ship to rumble and shake. You slipped on the stair you were on, crashing back-first into Yonji’s chest. One arm instinctively wrapped around you, holding you firmly as his other hand clutched the banister. Yonji’s shoulder smushed against the wall as the ship creaked. 

Every part of him was sturdy, from the arm that crossed completely from your shoulder to the other to the mass of muscle that was his chest that you could feel on your back. The motion was instinctual but one that had taken you aback as you dared consider the movement professional. 

Although, perhaps you shouldn’t have been surprised. Considering Yonji’s line of work, you were sure that keeping you from falling down some stairs was the least exciting save he’d ever performed. It made you wonder how many people Yonji had served as a bodyguard for. He had undoubtedly used you for target practice a fair number of times, but you had never truly seen Yonji in action.

Only when the ship began to settle did he slowly release you, positioning himself behind you to ensure you wouldn’t tumble off. 

“You really do this every night?” he grumbled. 

“You get used to it!” you laughed, quickly bounding up the stairs ahead with your hand on the railing. 

The top of the turret was exceptionally tiny, consisting of one circular room partially split into seven sections by shelving. The shelves jutted out from the walls, each just a wingspan in width, separating the limited space into little nooks. Old files sat amongst them, each set wired or corded in place so as to not be disturbed by the shifting waves. 

You took off your shoes, placing them to the side, and to your surprise, Yonji did the same.

Two shelves extended out of the wall directly ahead at a diagonal angle. One of the diagonal shelves and a straight one that branched out horizontally from the left-hand wall created a corner nook at the far end of the room. You quickly disappeared into it. 

Yonji followed. The movement of the waves was more intense upstairs, and yet the solid foundation of the turret mitigated a significant portion of the violent bobbing. As Yonji walked across the short room, he couldn’t help but note in acute astonishment how calm it was. A cool breeze blew from the section you disappeared into. 

You nearly bumped into Yonji as you emerged with the book, but the missing library book of fairy tales was far from Yonji’s focus. He stood with his hands on the two adjacent bookshelves staring into the corner at the little space you had made for yourself. A tiny mat sat on the ground with neat sheets and a pillow. It took up a majority of the space. From what Yonji could see, you hardly had any personal effects. A few items sat tucked amongst the corded-up files. An open window sat to the left on the wall. It was a good-sized window, letting in the cool evening breeze. 

“Here’s the book you wanted,” you said, growing wary when Yonji didn’t respond. He didn’t look at you, keeping his eyes only on the space behind you. You awkwardly shifted, a subtle heat rising to your skin as you sheepishly spoke, “Master Ichiji told me that it didn’t belong in the library, but he didn’t say anything about the annex.” You laughed lightly. 

“This is where you live?” Yonji just about gasped breathlessly. His voice was laced with complete and utter disbelief as he pushed forward, knocking you back as he stepped into what amounted to your room. It barely had room for the both of you to stand, something that Yonji must’ve picked up on quickly as he unceremoniously plopped himself down on your bed. He hit the mat with a thump.

“Ow,” he grumbled. The force at which he dropped wasn’t kind to him in the face of your mat, which had very little cushion to it. “No wonder you can knock out on that chair downstairs. This thing is like a rock.”

“I would’ve thought you’ve experienced worse on the field.”

“Well, yeah, but I can still enjoy a comfy bed, you know?” he snorted, shifting his weight to get situated as he sat. He placed your pillow behind his back as he leaned against the stone wall, a visible scowl on his face. 

The ship hit a large wave head-on, and you were thrown forward before you could catch yourself. For a second time that night, Yonji caught you, but not before letting your nose smack into his solid chest first. You were sure you broke it. 

“Whoa there! How the hell do you live up here?” Yonji laughed as you clutched your nose. It felt intact, and no blood was running from it from what you could feel. “I think sleeping below deck might be less of a hassle. Keep you in one piece, you know? I can’t have my only aid tripping down some stairs and dyin’ on me.”

You sat on the cot on your knees between Yonji’s thighs, your heels propping you up as his touch slowly retracted from you. The book was still clutched close to your chest. Yonji sat up a bit to take it from your grasp. Even despite his height, Yonji could barely see over the windowsill. 

“I made my home up here before things were as established as they are downstairs. I like it up here anyway.” 

Yonji regarded the book in his hands, thumbing through the pages in quiet thought.

“Before things were established downstairs?” he repeated with a scrunch of his lip. “When did you come here again?”

“Probably not important.”

“Probably.” 

Yonji let the mass of pages run over his thumb, and when he reached the end, he combed through the book another time. Your bookmark was missing from the compilation. 

You sat before him, watching as he buried himself further in thought. Moonlight passed through the window above, casting your little nook in blue light. You reached toward one of the lower shelves to flicker on an electric lamp. It was a tiny bulb that gave off a warm glow, contrasting the cool pigments of the night with an inviting orange color. 

Your eyes met Yonji’s in the lantern light. 

His eyes were round, just like they were in the kitchen. And a beat passed where the bobbing of the ship seemed to still, and the silence around you became deafening. Yonji lowered the book to his lap, the pages flipped to a familiar one. His finger held the spot as if he were afraid to lose it. 

Your eyes flickered to the open page and then to his stark gaze. 

“Yonji?” you called softly, the word falling from your lips smoother than it ever had before. Yonji appeared equally taken aback, a glint of something sparking in his dark irises.

“Yeah?” he whispered. 

You didn’t know what to say next. 

There hadn’t been anything you wanted to say. 

You had just wanted to say his name.

“How did you know I read this after dinner?” You glanced away from him to the open pages. Their familiarity once again struck you. The pages were arranged almost exactly where you left them. And when you looked back to Yonji, you could catch the tail end of him following your gaze. 

He moved to close the book, and in a moment without thought, you moved forward to place your hand between the pages. You kelt on all fours, one hand splayed across the open book in his lap while your opposite grasp planted in the sheets at Yonji’s side. 

“Wait.” The word slipped from your mouth. 

And he did. Yonji said nothing as he stared forward in acute shock. His lips parted to speak, but for once, Yonji closed them.

You tugged at the book, only feeling a second of opposition before Yonji quietly relinquished it to you. 

You read the page number and heading and skimmed a few paragraphs. It was exactly what you thought. 

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Your gaze wavered, unsure of whether you should look at Yonji directly. He sat stiffly in your periphery. You could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his arms crossed over his chest spoke enough to you as he seemed to morph into the wall.

“Just read.” 

His voice was as gruff as usual, but his words came out quietly, almost like a plead. 

There was a moment of shifting as Yonji moved to the side. You scooted in next to him, pressing the back of your shoulder to the cold stone wall. You curled, one knee over the other, as you brought the book into your lap. Yonji also turned his shoulder a bit to the side, pivoting his body to face toward yours. 

And you did are you were told; you read. You read from where you had left off with the cook’s children— you hadn’t read to them for quite some time now— until the end of the story. They were relatively short, and when you reached the end, you looked to Yonji for approval. 

He stared off somewhere amongst the files, and with little indication of his thoughts, you started on the next story. 

You read deep into the night, occasionally shifting on your mat that wasn’t good for lounging. And at some point, you found Yonji’s head resting in your lap while you splayed your book out over the left side of his chest. You leaned a bit to the side, distributing the weight of him over your side-saddled thighs as your forearm splayed diagonally over his torso. 

You could feel as he breathed, steadily in and out, and every intake of breath that you took at the start of a new sentence inflated your side against his. 

You read until your voice was hoarse. But even as you began to fizzle out, Yonji remained silent. His eyes had closed a bit ago. You weren’t even sure he was awake. His head was heavy, but you didn’t mind.

You closed the book, placing it to the side. The little reading light was too far to reach with your legs pinned down. Your back pressed against the pillow Yonji had relinquished, reinforcing the little nest of blankets you amassed. You curled, slumping back and letting your head rest. 

You didn’t know how much time passed before you began to drift to sleep…

“Our mom used to read those to us.” 

Yonji’s voice cut through the silence, waking your tired mind. Maybe you had been sleeping for longer than you thought. Your reading light had timed out, leaving the nook in relative darkness, only interrupted by the bluish glow of the night that cast through the window. 

You stirred with a hum, only partially processing your surroundings. 

“Well, not really us, I guess. I had this older brother, like, years ago… He and Reiju would visit Mom when we were all really little, and she’d read these stories,” Yonji said. You hummed, just barely processing what he was saying. “I think we, uh—like me, Ichiji, and Niji— decided we were too cool for it, but, uh… we’d always sit in the hall outside to listen. We never said a word about it…”

The ship continued to rock on the waves. The evening conditions were calm, creating a lull perfect for sleeping. You could feel the sea waver in your bones, and Yonji’s words filled your ears.

“Do you miss her?” you asked. Your mouth felt stale from stillness, like wrenching open a door after it had been shut for a long time. 

“I don’t think so,” Yonji admitted, letting his words fizzle out in the stillness of the atmosphere. “I don’t remember her too much. Mom was kinda someone who was just there.” You felt his shoulders shift to accent his words. 

“I’m sorry.”

You didn’t know what else to say.

”Nothin’ to be sorry about.”

***

It was warm. The air around you was acutely humid, and the sun beams had reached near burning. They woke you up unceremoniously and ungracefully as you peeled your eyes awake. Your muscles were heavy, pressure laced through your limbs from sleeping awkwardly on them for the entire night. But the unease in your body was sidelined by the tight tension wrapped around your throat. 

Yonji lay behind you, sound asleep with his elbow wrapped around your throat, functionally trapping you in a headlock. He buried his face in the top of your hair, his large form almost enveloping you as he curled around you. 

A deep sense of dread struck the center of your chest and reverberated throughout your entire body. You struggled to release yourself from his grasp but to no avail. If anything, the more you struggled, the tighter his arm seemed to coil around your neck. You tapped his forearm, grasping his wrist as you tried to shake him.

“Prince Yonji! Prince Yonji!” 

He hardly stirred, groaning something under his breath as he buried himself deeper in your hair.

“Prince Yonji, you’re late for breakfast!”

Breakfast. That was the word that caused Yonji to immediately shoot up, only to be met with a face full of sunbeams. He flinched at the sudden light, shielding his eyes. The sun was far higher in the sky than it had ever been when you woke him up to shoo him off to breakfast. 

“Ah, shit!”

Yonji scrambled up, and it was only then that you noticed that Yonji had lost his shirt somewhere over the course of the night. You rifled through the messy sheets before finding it kicked to the bottom of the bed. You hardly said anything to each other while you unceremoniously threw it to him as he headed out of your nook. Yonji caught it without having to look, throwing it over his shoulders before bolting down the stairs. 

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Summary of scene I: MC is a prisoner taken during the country's revolution where they are held in captivity for torture/beatings at the hands of a cruel, unnamed occupier. Yonji is the one to destroy the facility and takes great pleasure in brutally mutilating the occupiers who beat MC. MC has always had a softer nature, and felt a strong sense of gratitude to Yonji, who was able to fight cruelly when MC never perceived being able to do such a thing on their own.

Summary of scene 1 & 2: (cont.) MC runs through a war torn battlefield to a Germa ship at the port. Thinking they're the revolutionary army, they beg Judge to let them join. Young Ichiji and Reiju witness this. The answer given is not shown before MC wakes up from their flashback.

Author's notes: It's the "roll credits" chapter! Not in the sense that it's the last chapter, but that I have finally dropped the title in the story hahahaha. For once, I don't have the next chapter queued up, but I still appreciate any support. I will try to have things ready for our usual 100 combined likes and reblogs, but give me a little wiggle room!

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

[theemporium]

[REQUESTS OPEN—based off this request]

[7.3k] the five times your secret relationship with your brother’s best friend was almost exposed to him and the one time it was. 

. 

The first time your brother almost caught you and Sirius, it was a miracle he was as gullible as he was. 

Growing up with a brother like James Potter had its highs and lows. 

The highs: someone who loved you unconditionally, who was there for you regardless of your mistakes and flaws, who had your back even if the whole world was against you because that was just how he loved. 

The lows: he was an overbearing, overprotective helicopter busybody who seemed to make it his goal to make sure you didn’t have a life. Well, not really but his interference sure did make it difficult to have any sort of social life without him getting involved.

A keen example of such would be your dating life. 

Being just under a year younger than him, you didn’t enrol in Hogwarts until the following year where you were sorted into Slytherin—much to your brother’s dismay. But it seemed like a blessing in disguise when you realised it was the one way you were able to escape him and his domineering ways. Despite all his weaselling and bribing, even James Potter couldn’t get loyal spies in Slytherin. 

However, the different houses only saved you from so much and it seemed like James had made it his mission for every boy in the school vicinity to know you were off-limits. He didn’t outwardly state it—he would never do something so brash and obvious to the world that your mother would hear about it—but he would do a damn good job of showing it. 

The poor bloke who tried to give you a Valentine’s Day card in second year was the unfortunate victim, with his walk of shame to the infirmary to visit Madam Pomfrey. It only got worse the older you got. Dances and balls and Hogsmeade dates passed and James scared away any possible prospect you laid your eyes on. 

However, what James would have never expected was for it to be none other than one of his best friends to be the one to make a move on his little sister. 

And he definitely wouldn’t have expected you to go for Sirius out of the bunch. 

“Who are you and what have you done to the real Sirius Black?” you remarked with a faux scandalised look on your face as the boy tugged you, one hand intertwined with yours whilst the other moved to wave his wand at the set up he had created. 

“You should know by now that I’m a hopeless romantic, love,” Sirius grinned in response, a smile that was nothing but boyish and wild. 

You snorted. “You’re only romantic when you want something, Black.”

He looked back at you, dark eyes glimmering with pure mischief. “Maybe all I want is a day to spend with my girl.” 

You would be lying if you said your heart didn’t swoon a little at the sight in front of you. The torn piece of parchment had been tucked into one of your textbooks, found yesterday morning during your potions class. The familiar scribble and small heart signed at the bottom made it clear enough who the message was from. 

But you didn’t think Sirius’ desire to meet on a Friday evening after classes would have anything to do with a romantic picnic setup out by the lake. 

Your gaze moved over the setup: the large picnic blanket, pillows and throws spread across the surface and the basket lying in the middle with a bottle of wine (that you were sure he somehow smuggled in) popping out one side of it. 

“You like it?” he asked, though the boy sounded awfully smug like he knew you liked it.

“You’re pretty extraordinary when you try, Black,” you mused, enjoying the way he tugged you closer until your back was pressed against his chest. You leaned back into his embrace, nuzzled against him as his arms tightened around you. “Why the lake?”

“Because it’s a romantic spot.” 

You raised your brows. “And the real reason?”

You could feel his grin against your skin as he leaned down to kiss under your jaw. “Maybe I wanted to take a swim with my girl, is that such a crime?”

“I don’t have a costume with me,” you told him with a knowing sigh.

“Guess we are just gonna have to go naked, love,” he whispered, nipping your ear before guiding you towards the blanket. 

You were already making yourself comfortable on the blanket as you began to pull at the tie around your neck, unbuttoning the top buttons of your shirt and shedding the robes that had felt heavy all day. You sighed, kicking your shoes off and leaning back against the blanket as you enjoyed the soft breeze that came with the warming, spring weather. 

“M’lady,” he handed you a glass of wine, the giddiness radiating off him only infectious as you took the glass along with one of the chocolate strawberries he had laid out. 

“It feels weird,” you murmured as you took a bite, tongue darting out to catch the strawberry juices dribbling down your chin.

Sirius raised a brow. “What does?”

“Seeing you be a normal boyfriend,” you said.

He frowned. “I’m not a normal boyfriend?”

“Sirius,” you snorted and shook your head. “You snuck into my room—still as a dog, may I add—to cuddle with me because you were lonely.”

“I missed you,” he shrugged.

“We weren’t dating yet,” you added. 

“I had a shy time admitting my feelings,” he retorted, lifting his chin though you could see the hints of a smile growing on his face. “Plus, you always had a soft spot for me when I was a dog.” 

“Except when you pissed on my bag,” you grumbled.

“You kept reading, it was offensive.”

“To who?” 

“My ego, love. I was sitting next to you all day and you just kept reading,” Sirius huffed, leaning back on his elbows as he took in the sight of you. It wasn’t often you both could share moments like this, out in broad daylight—even if you were far away from the castle—just enjoying each other’s presence and nothing else to distract you. 

Sirius Black didn’t think he could ever love silence so much until he shared it with you.

“Your ego is coping just fine,” you assured him, glancing down at the boy who was already staring at you. 

“I preferred it when you’d blush and get all flustered around me,” he muttered. “Now you just bully me.” 

“It turns you on,” you remarked with a grin. 

“Nah, that���s just you, love,” he bit back. “But I do miss how cute you used to blush when you were crushing on me—”

You rolled your eyes. “I didn’t have a crush on you!” 

“You practically ogled me all last summer!” he barked out a laugh. 

“Maybe I was looking at Remus,” you teased. 

His eyes narrowed. “Low blow, darling.” 

“Yeah but you like me anyways,” you murmured as you leaned down to press your lips against his. One of his hands slid around your neck, keeping you in his embrace longer than you intended. 

“I’m not finished,” his voice was a little whiny when you pulled away. 

“Five minutes and then I’m all yours, Black,” you assured him as you slid your shoes back on, heading towards the wooded shrubbery. “It’s your fault you dragged me straight out here before warning me we were going somewhere with no toilets.” 

“The ice cream would’ve melted,” he pointed out, a boyish grin on his face as you shot him a look that told him you knew he placed a cooling charm on the basket. 

You shook your head. “You truly are a romantic, Sirius Black.” 

“Only for you, darling,” he grinned as he watched you disappear into the overgrown bushes and trees. 

Sirius leaned back on the blanket, hands tucked under his head as he laid there quite content to just count the passing seconds until you returned as he aimlessly hummed some muggle tune he heard during his last visit to muggle London. What he wasn’t expecting was to hear a familiar voice calling out his name for hundreds of feet in the air. 

“OI, PADS! THERE YOU FUCKING ARE!” 

It wasn’t easy to make Sirius Black feel fear, but seeing your brother descend from the sky on a broomstick with an unreadable expression on his face came pretty damn close. 

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you—” James paused, both feet now on the grass and his eyes now focused on the sight in front of him: Sirius sprawled on a tartan blanket with a picket basket and two wine glasses beside him. “—and clearly you’ve been preoccupied.” 

Sirius cleared his throat. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to get in some laps before dinner,” James said, a grin breaking out on his face. “You didn’t tell me you had a date tonight.” 

“I didn’t? Must have slipped my mind,” he laughed off, waving his hand dismissively but he should have known that would not be enough for the boy.

“Who is she?” James asked, eyes glimmering in interest. “Or he? Is it that bloke from—”

“It’s none of your business, Prongs,” Sirius interrupted, knowing the seconds were ticking down until you popped out of the bushes and straight into the eyeline of your brother.

James’ eyes narrowed. “Since when have you ever not made it my business? I know more about you than I care to admit, mate.” 

“Consider this me setting boundaries now!” 

“You’re being weird,” his friend muttered with a small frown. “But fine. Be dodgy. You’ll probably tell me when you end up getting your ass bitten by the squid like the last time you tried hooking up with a girl in the lake.” 

Sirius scoffed. “That never happened!” 

“But I sure like telling people it did!” James retorted, his legs kicking off the ground and his broomstick flying through the air before Sirius could even think about standing up. 

Sirius watched as your brother’s figure disappeared as he flew beyond the castle, most likely heading towards the quidditch pitch like he said he was. But he didn’t tear his eyes away until he knew for sure James was nowhere nearby and then—only then—did he let out a shaky breath. 

“That was close.” 

His head snapped around as he watched you step out of the shrubbery, giving him a slightly strained smile as he tugged you down onto his lap. 

“You heard him?” 

“I could hear him from a mile away,” you snorted in amusement. “He’s gonna find out one day.” 

“Do you want to tell him?” Sirius asked cautiously, because truthfully speaking whatever you wanted the boy was willing to give you. 

“Not yet,” you murmured, shaking your head. “I wanna enjoy you for myself for a little while longer.” 

He grinned. “Well, how can I say no to that?” 

…

The second time James almost caught you was purely Sirius’ fault—or at least, that’s what you say. He would disagree. 

Assignments and essays were starting to pile up, and between quidditch practice and sneaking around to meet with your boyfriend, you hadn’t devoted near enough time to get your work done. That was why you had decided to spend your weekend in the library—and that was why you had given Sirius a simple rule. 

Don’t distract me. 

A simple rule. A simple, simple command. Something he should’ve been able to follow for the weekend. 

So, of course, in true Sirius Black fashion, he broke the one rule you set. 

In his defence, he lasted a lot longer than you expected. It was Sunday afternoon when he finally sauntered into the library, darting through the aisles of books and lingering students before he made his way towards the secluded table you had set yourself up on. 

“The bookworm look is kinda hot,” he remarked as he sat himself on the table, just narrowly missing the parchment you had already scribbled your herbology assignment on. 

“Watch it,” you muttered, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. 

There was a small moment of silence before your head snapped up, staring at the boy sitting in front of you with wide eyes. 

“What are you doing here?” you whisper-yelled, unable to help yourself from glancing around to see if any lingering students this far back in the library had spotted you both yet. 

“You know, it’s this funny little thing called missing my girlfriend—” 

“I’m serious,” you interrupted. 

Sirius couldn’t help but grin. “So am I.” 

You shot the boy a look. 

“Hey, sorry, sorry,” he murmured and raised his hands in mock surrender. “But I did miss you. I haven’t heard from you all weekend, I was worried. Just wanted to make sure my girl was alive.” 

Your face softened. “Don’t start making me swoon when I’m meant to be mad at you, Black.” 

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Is it working?” 

“Yes,” you said with a heavy sigh. “But I really have to finish this assignment.” 

“Later,” he waved off. “We still have a week.” 

“It’s due in two days, love,” you murmured and watched the boy’s eyes widen. 

“Huh,” he muttered before he shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll pull something out of my ass in time.” 

“You stress me out,” you shook your head. 

“But you still keep me around,” Sirius mused as he began to lean down, his eyes locked on your lips and the itching urge to grab your face and kiss you was getting unbearable. It had been too long since he kissed you. 

Sirius was mere inches away from your face when a voice sounded behind you. 

“Pads?” 

Both of your heads swivelled around to find James standing there, eyebrows furrowed together and a piece of folded parchment in hand. 

“Hey,” Sirius sang, clearing his throat a little as he quickly shifted back. 

“Hey,” James repeated, looking between you and his best friend. “What’s going on here?” 

“Take a guess,” you deadpanned as you nodded towards the parchment, quills and ink pots sprawled over the large wooden table. 

His eyes moved to Sirius. “And you?”

“I was looking for Moony,” the lie slipped past his lips easily, you would’ve believed him yourself if it weren’t for the fact he had his nose brushing against yours less than a minute ago. 

“Right but Moony is doing prefect rounds with Lily,” James muttered. 

Sirius blinked. “Oh yeah! So he is. Must’ve slipped my mind. 

“And you didn’t think to use this?” 

His eyes fell to the parchment in his hand, knowing full well what it was. Sirius cleared his throat again and smiled, “I was in a rush, mate, must’ve forgot about it.” 

“Right,” James repeated, something different in his voice. 

“Can you both fuck off now? It’s bad enough I had one idiot bothering me before but I need you both,” you piped in, keeping your voice utterly bored as you spoke. Though the annoyance wasn’t totally a lie, you did really need to write your essay. 

Whatever James heard in your voice seemed to work as the boy only grinned at you. “I think we make fetching company, don’t you, Pads?”

“I agree, Prongs,” Sirius grinned as he turned to you, ruffling your hair as you tried to bat his hand away. “That’s what I was telling little Potter here. Everyone thinks Moony is the brains in the group, but it’s all a lie.” 

“Sure,” you snorted before giving him a shove so he slid off the table. “Off you shoo now, go find Moony.” 

“Hey,” James piped jokingly, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “Our Moony, only we get to call him that.” 

“Remus lets me,” you retorted. 

“Whatever,” your brother grumbled before throwing his arm over Sirius’ shoulders. “We have things to do. Business to attend to.” 

“Whatever prank it is, just warn me in advance please. I don’t need permanent pink hair again.” 

Both boys just grinned. “Now where’s the fun in that, dear sister?”

…

The third time your brother almost caught you and Sirius had to be the worst situation of the lot. 

Sirius hadn’t intended to go home that weekend, it would never be a willing journey back to the one place he felt constricted and restrained and under a constant microscope of judgement. However, when he received the owl with his family’s crest on the envelope, he felt a stronger urge to open it rather than just throw it into a fire like he usually did. 

Whatever the letter contained, it was enough to convince Sirius to go home on Friday after his classes ended. 

He didn’t want to talk about it when he came back, and you didn’t want to push him when you saw just how drained and exhausted the boy was. He looked like a shell of himself, as he usually did whenever he spent more than five minutes in his mother’s presence. 

You hadn’t been able to get him alone since he came back, the boys hounding and cheering him over the last few days until he was starting to look like the Sirius you knew. 

Yet, the perfect opportunity arose on a Wednesday evening and you snatched it, because you were selfish and needy and wanted to be alone with your boyfriend after you had spent the last three days pretending to only be causally concerned. 

“Fuck,” Sirius moaned, his words vibrating and humming across your bare skin. “That feels good.” 

“Good to know you like scratches behind your ear as a dog and a human,” you mused as you dragged your fingers through his hair, nails scratching against his scaly until he was practically purring. 

The prefect bathrooms were completely empty of a Wednesday evening—information you came aware of after eavesdropping on a conversation between Remus and Lily where the latter mentioned the weekly prefect meeting would be longer this week than usual—and who were you but a Potter using the resources around you? It was practically screaming your name.

Sirius hadn’t even questioned you as you dragged him through the corridors, marauders map in hand so you could avoid Filch and any other teachers who could catch you. You had barely made it through the doors before Sirius began tugging at your clothes, eager and impatient to get them off. 

However, as bouncy and eager as the boy was, he practically melted under your touch when you sank into the hot water, scented bubbles making it easy to just sit back and close your eyes for a moment longer than you intended. It didn’t take long for him to tug you onto his lap, his arms locked around you and his head resting against your chest as lazy murmurs and hushed whispers were shared between you. 

“I am a simple wizard to please,” Sirius retorted which caused you to snort. You could feel his smile against your skin. 

“There is nothing simple about you, Sirius Black,” you murmured honestly and watched as he lifted his head, eyes clouded with an emotion you couldn’t quite read.

“Does that bother you?” he asked, voice thick with doubt.

“Not at all,” you answered honestly as you took his face in your hands.

His eyes softened. “You mean it?” 

“I mean it, baby,” you smiled, leaning down to press a kiss against his lips. 

SLAM!

“PADS, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, MATE?” 

It was pure instinct and fast reflexes that had Sirius’ body moving before he even processed his best friend’s voice bouncing off the walls of the prefect bathroom. And it just so happened that his instinct was to dunk your head under the water before James rounded the corner towards the baths and saw you situated on his lap.

“James!” Sirius yelled, wincing a little at the volume of his voice but the other boy didn’t even seem to blink an eye at it.

“Listen, I was thinking we could—” 

But Sirius couldn’t focus on a word his friend was saying. Not with you underneath the water, pinching at his thigh and most likely holding your breath by your own account since there wasn’t enough time to mutter a spell before your brother barged through the doors. Not when whatever James was suggesting was the last thing on his mind when he could be spending time with you. 

It was his justification for the lie that slipped past his lips. 

“Hey Prongs, did you ever find Evans? She was looking for you earlier.” 

James’ ramble came to a quick stop, his cheeks flushing a little. “She was?” 

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded. “She said it was urgent. Something about Hogsmeade or—” 

James didn’t even bother with rambling off an excuse before he was already making his way towards the door. “I have to go! I’ll see you later, mate!” 

The second he was out of sight, Sirius tugged you above the surface as you broke through, gasping and coughing a little as you sent your boyfriend a glare. 

“Really?” you deadpanned. 

“I panicked!” he sputtered out, a sheepish expression on his face. “I’m sorry, love.” 

“Next time, I’m dunking you under,” you grumbled under your breath as Sirius pulled you closer, pressing a line of kisses along your neck and jaw, all over your face until he reached your lips. 

“You can do whatever you want to me, love,” Sirius murmured against your lips. 

“I hate how hard you make it for me to be mad at you,” you sighed. 

“Ah, there’s still resistance? I guess I gotta use more convincing tactics,” the boy grinned as your cheeks flushed in response. 

Sirius made a mental note to apologise to Lily later. If he remembered. 

…

The fourth time your brother almost caught you two was pure, dumb, sheer luck that James wasn’t the first person to walk through the door. 

At this point, you were firmly under the impression the universe had it out for you and Sirius. There were far too many close calls over the weeks that had you on edge when all you wanted was to be with your boyfriend without your overbearing brother hovering around the corner. 

And the perfect opportunity seemed to fall straight in your lap when Lily dared James that he couldn’t last a weekend muggle camping. 

Of course, in true James Potter fashion, the date only grew more exaggerated and everyone began to get roped into the trip until it was a full-on getaway for the whole group. 

Which meant it was a perfect opportunity for you and Sirius to hang out freely for the weekend without fear of your brother popping out of nowhere. 

“This is nice,” you murmured, face nuzzled against his chest and eyes closed in content. 

“The silence?” 

“Being able to cuddle with you on an actual bed,” you answered, lips tugging upwards when you felt his chest shaking with his laughter. 

“Mark my words, love,” he hummed, arms squeezing around you tighter. “One day we will be able to do this every day.” 

“Every day?” you mused. “Plan on keeping me around that long?” 

“Not even gonna let you go when you’re sick of me,” he responded, his lips pressed against the top of your head. 

It had been easy to convince the group you couldn’t tag along for the weekend getaway, throwing in that you had assignments and tests and you wanted the extra time to study between quidditch practice and games. 

Sirius, on the other hand, had a little more difficulty. There was no excuse that would’ve worked for James Potter since he was a relentless, persuading little shit. So, he had to go to extremes and it was a horrible hour of pain and nausea induced from the potion that convinced James he truly was too sick to go. 

It had worn off less than ten minutes after the group left, and it had taken less than five minutes after that for Sirius to drag you up to his dorm and pull you against his chest. 

“Can we just stay like this all weekend?” you asked, words slightly muffled as you pressed your nose against the soft fabric of his shirt, his smell overwhelming you in the best way possible—pine, cigarettes and a hint of something sweet, like vanilla. 

“If you leave this bed for more than five minutes, I would consider it a failure of a perfect weekend,” he retorted and you didn’t even need to lift your head to know he was smirking. 

“Five minutes seems dramatic to—“ 

“It’s fine, James! I can grab the bag! It’s just one bag!” 

“Lily, darling, it could be—“ 

“It’s a bag of clothes, not bricks. Calm down!” 

You and Sirius stared at the door, eyes wide as the footsteps approaching got closer and you barely had a chance to even react before the door swung open. You braced yourself to see your brother on the other side, to see you both cuddled up on Sirius’ bed less than an hour since they had left. 

You braced yourself for your secret to be exposed. 

But when the door hit the wall, it wasn’t James’ shocked face you saw—it was Lily’s. 

You blinked at her. 

She blinked at the two of you. 

There was a pause as you all remained where you were, frozen in place as she took in the sight in front of her. 

“I forgot the bag, it’s only fair that I hold it, darling.” 

Lily’s lips parted. “What the—“ 

“Lils? Is everything okay?” 

Your face must’ve shown your fear because she paused before answering, eyebrows furrowed together as she mouthed a ‘what?’ at you. But it took less than five seconds of aggressive, incoherent hand gestures before you finally hissed out. 

“James doesn’t know!” 

Lily’s eyes widened as the realisation hit her too, with your brother now just down the hall and seconds away from entering the dorm room himself. She threw her hands in the air, glancing around the room before she pointed vigorously at a bundle of fabric lying on the trunk at the end of one of the other beds. 

It was a comically short time between you diving off the bed, grabbing the invisibility cloak and scrambling to throw it over your head to Lily turning on her heel, grabbing James’ face before he could even walk into the room and kissing him on the lips. 

Sirius let out a garbled noise of surprise, blinking and gaping at the sight of his two friends kissing that it completely washed away the dread he felt moments ago from almost being caught. 

When Lily eventually pulled away, she looked momentarily shocked at her own decision before clearing her throat. 

“You can get the bag,” she said in a slightly high-pitched voice, patting his chest awkwardly a few times before she slid past him and quickly rushed out the room. 

James stood there, staring blankly ahead with red cheeks and parted lips. 

“You good there, mate?” Sirius asked cautiously, trying to keep his eyes on his friend rather than the spot where you were hidden under the cloak. 

“Yeah,” James muttered airily as he moved to grab the duffel bag lying a few feet away, his eyebrows furrowed together slightly before he walked out the room, still in a daze as he did so. 

It was a solid few minutes before you finally shrugged the cloak off, looking at the doorway where Lily and James stood moments ago before turning to Sirius who looked just as shocked as you still felt. 

“So…” you murmured, letting out a heavy breath. “Lily knows.” 

“I think that’s the last thing on Lily’s mind right now,” Sirius commented. 

“I’m almost jealous I’m not gonna be on that camping trip now,” you said honestly, thinking of a million different ways you could thank your friend for helping you hide your secret. 

“I’m sure Prongs won’t shut up about it when he’s back.” 

“Merlin save us now.” 

…

The fifth time your brother almost caught you was most definitely your fault. It pained you to admit so, but the blame was firmly placed on your shoulders. 

From the second you and James picked up broomsticks at the ages of four and five, Euphemia Potter had taken it upon herself to set up boundaries so her two highly competitive kids wouldn’t fall into the habit of bad sportsmanship and petty sibling arguments. 

And in the grand scheme of things, it worked. 

No matter what, no matter the outcome or the plays or the results, you and James had a tradition after every quidditch game you played against each other to keep a strong hold on that tradition your mother set up for you when you were younger. 

Today’s game would be no different. The game would play, one team would win and then you’d meet James outside the changing rooms to hangout with ice cream and cookies and whatever sweet treats you could get your hands on. 

It had been the tradition for years, and it continued when James became Gryffindor’s star chaser and you became one of Slytherin’s best beaters.

But this game was a little different, not that your brother or anyone else in the school knew. It was different because you were more restless than usual before the game. It was different because what was usually a close game ended up with Slytherin a good hundred odd points clear with their win. It was different because the second the Slytherin changing room was empty, you had dragged Sirius inside without a single care about how risky you were being. 

You were riding the high of the victory, body buzzing with need and adrenaline and sinking your fingers into your boyfriend’s hair whilst he pressed you up against the lockers and kissed you senseless seemed like a pretty damn good way to celebrate your win. 

“I shouldn’t be this attracted to you when you just humiliated my house out there,” he muttered against your neck, his hands pulling at the quidditch leathers you wore in desperate need to feel your skin against his. “Not very loyal of me, or redeeming for my house spirit.”

“Or maybe you’re seeing that green is much better,” you teased, tugging his hair until his eyes found yours again. “I think you’d look pretty hot with my name on your back, Black.” 

“Fuck house loyalty, boyfriend brownie points are more important,” Sirius grumbled before kissing you, hands squeezing your thighs when you wrapped your legs around his waist. 

Your hands were already making move of undoing the buttons of his shirt, more than ready to tear his clothes off and have him fuck you up against the lockers just like you had been fantasising about the second you saw his smug face on the Gryffindor bleachers with red and gold stripes painted on his cheeks. You wanted to make him moan and whine and whimper in the Slytherin changing rooms like you owned him (because truthfully, you did and he would have been more than happy to play along). 

But that finicky little tradition came to bite you in the ass at the worst possible time. 

Three knocks rapped against the changing room door before you heard your brother’s voice on the other side, calling out your name and asking if you were ready. 

Your eyes widened, your hands on his chest as you pushed Sirius away before muttering a string of curses under your breath. You didn’t give him a chance to even start panicking before you were shoving him into a locker, slamming the door shut and pressing your back against it before you called James in. 

“Congratulations,” James greeted, walking in with a softer smile on his face than most people were used to. “You guys killed it out there today.”

You raised your brows. “You’re not salty?” 

“Only a little,” James shrugged with a dramatic sigh. “Guess I’ll just have to thrash your ass next time.” 

You snorted. “Good luck doing that.” 

“You don’t think I will?” James questioned, that competitive spark in his chest flaring a little. And you knew because you were just the same,

“Oh I know—” 

ACHOO!

James frowned, eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around the changing rooms. “Is there someone else in here?”

You flashed him a confused look, pretending your head wasn’t beating a million miles an hour. “Hm?”

“Someone just sneezed,” James said. 

“Did they? I didn’t hear anything,” you shrugged.

His frown deepened. “It sounded like it was—”

“I think the loss is getting to your head, making you hallucinate nonsense,” you teased your older brother before you waved him off. “Let me just change out of my jersey and I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

His confusion was still evident on his face as he nodded, muttering a response before he glanced around the changing room one more time. He shook his head, letting out a sigh before he left the room, muttering away to himself as he did so.

When the changing room doors swung closer, you yanked the locker door open and watched your boyfriend stumble out of the small space. 

“Really?”

“I can’t control my allergies, love!”

“Do you think he bought it?” 

Sirius snorted. “With your acting skills? Probably not, sweetheart. But you better get going before he gets even more suspicious.” 

You groaned but didn’t disagree, making quick move to change out of your quidditch gear—slapping Sirius’ hands away as you did so—before you rushed out to complete the tradition with your brother like you planned. 

Sirius snuck out the Slytherin changing rooms ten minutes later, much to the amusement of the students who did spot him.

…

The one time James finally caught you and Sirius hadn’t played out the way you expected, though that was mostly due to the fact he didn’t really catch you at all. 

It was a simple miscount and muscle memory that led to your relationship with your brother’s best friend being exposed. 

The Potter Manor was not an unusual place for everyone to convene during the summer months. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter adored their children’s friends like they were an extension of their family, and they loved to have the manor bustling with rambunctious teens during the hot, summer days. It made their house feel more like a home. 

This year was no different as one by one, each of their friends arrived at the manor to enjoy blissful weeks of freedom and stress-free days before they returned to Hogwarts in the autumn. Sirius was no different, more than eager to get away from his family home and live under a roof he didn’t fear to be himself. 

And as much as he adored James and his other friends, he was eager to see you too. It had been weeks of letters and secret calls through the fireplace that had got you both through the weeks apart until he finally visited. He wanted to see his girl but it was truly the universe’s irony that the only time he would get to see you was when everyone you both cared about seemed to be living in the same house.

The first few days had been chaotic in themselves, everyone simply eager to catch up and hang out and sit out in the large garden behind the Potter Manor until the sun had firmly set and Euphemia was calling them all in.

But Sirius was itching to have you in his arms again and you were just the same. So when you had slipped him a note, a number scrawled on the paper of how many doors down your room was from his, he was eager to sneak out that night. 

The manor was silent, barely a noise sounded through the whole house when Sirius slid out of his room just minutes after two in the morning. He whispered a soft ‘lumos’ under his breath as he used his wand as a guide, making his way down the hallway with soft steps. He counted each door as he passed them, stopping short when he reached yours. 

He quickly slipped his wand into the back of his sweatpants, quietly turning the door handle and opening the door enough for him to slide inside before closing it behind him. The room was dark and even when he squinted, it was difficult to make out anything beyond the bed a few feet away from him with a trunk at the foot and a broom sprawled across the top. He noted the dresser and wardrobe on the other side of the room, but his attention was focused on the lump lying under the sheets. 

Sirius smiled to himself as he made his way towards the bed, knees pressed against the mattress as he leaned over to softly shake you. “Hey baby.” 

“Pads?” 

“James?!” 

There was a moment of silence before he heard the noise of sheets rustling and a small click before a bedside lamp was turned on, and he was met with the very confused face of his best friend staring back at him. 

“Mate, did you just call me baby?” 

“Uh,” Sirius’s lips parted as he gaped at his friend, mind reeling with the stupid mistake he had just made. “I didn’t realise this was your room, I thought it was—”

James’ eyebrows furrowed together. “Thought it was who’s?” 

“Mine!” he blurted out. 

James blinked sleepily in response, trying to string everything together. “What? Why are you acting so weird?” 

“I’m not acting weird, Prongs, you are,” the boy scoffed, clearing his throat a little before he took a few steps away from the bed. “Anyways, I’m gonna go to bed—”

“Woah, woah,” James grumbled as he pushed the sheets off his body, moving to stand up too. “You can’t sneak around, call someone baby and not tell me what the fuck is going on? Are you seeing someone in the group?” 

Sirius was silent.

James’ eyes widened in delight. “And you didn’t tell me? Dude, what the hell? Who is it? Does anyone else know? Is it Marlene? Mary? Dorcas? Fuck, is it Moony? You two always were kinda flirty—” 

Sirius remained silent.

“C’mon, Pads, you gotta tell me!” James whined, though there was an eager smile on his face. “The only other people on this floor beside me and you is Evans but there’s no way she’d go for you, and—”

Sirius flashed a sheepish smile.

“Sirius,” James said in a low voice. “Who’s room were you sneaking into?” 

“Mate—”

“THAT’S MY LITTLE SISTER, SIRIUS!” 

Sirius winced a little, the words getting stuck in his throat as he extended his hands out towards his friend. But James didn’t give him a chance to explain himself before he pinched Sirius by his ear, dragging him out the room to the one next over and barged inside without even bothering to knock.

You shot up from the bed, your lips parting when you saw your brother burst through the door with Sirius by his side. 

“James—”

“Really? My best friend? You’re trying to steal my best friend from me?” James exclaimed, not a single care in the world at the fact it was three in the morning. 

You let out a shaky laugh. “That is not the case—” 

“And you!” James continued, turning to look at his friend who was trying to soothe his pinched earlobe with a small frown. “How could you, mate! My little sister! You know she isn’t allowed to date until she’s thirty-two!” 

You scoffed. “Nobody agreed to that rule.”

“I did!” James retorted, his voice a little high pitched as he glanced between you both. “Merlin, I can’t believe this betrayal.” 

“James—” you started but the boy didn’t let you continue. 

“A betrayal I say!” 

You rolled your eyes, fingertips pressed against your temple as your brother continued to theatrically throw his arms in the air, truly living up to his name as the most dramatic Potter sibling.

“And I thought he was bad when Mum told him she was making Shepherd's pie instead of Sunday roast last week,” you grumbled to yourself, shoving your duvet off before you slid off the bed and moved closer to both boys. “Jamie, it’s really not that big of a deal—”

“He’s Sirius Black!” James spluttered like that was a solid enough reason. 

“Yeah, and I love her, mate!” Sirius yelled back. 

There was a pause as both Potter siblings stared at the boy with very different expressions, making Sirius squirm a little under the intense focus. 

“You love her?”

“You love me?”

“Yeah, well,” Sirius cleared his throat, his hand scratching the nape of his neck nervously. “This wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to say it, y’know?”

Your eyes softened, pressing your lips to hold back the grin that wanted to spread over your face. “I love you too, baby.” 

“Bleh,” James gagged. “I don’t know if this is cute or disgusting.” There was a pause. “Yeah, no, definitely disgusting.” 

“Shut up,” you grumbled and reached over to whack his arm. “Lily thinks we’re cute.” 

“EVANS KNOWS?!” 

“What in the bloody hell is going on in here?” A voice sounded from the doorway, three heads turning around to see Euphemia Potter standing there in her dressing gown and slippers, hands on her hips. “It’s three in the morning, why aren’t any of you asleep?” 

“They are trying to sleep together!” James blurted out as he pointed between you and Sirius. 

“James!”

“Prongs!”

Euphemia glanced between the three of you, looking unamused. “Yes, honey, that’s what tends to happen when you’re in a relationship.” 

James blinked. “You knew too?”

“Your father and I had our suspicions,” Euphemia stated with a shrug, though there was a knowing smile on her lips. “I won the bet. Your father thought your sister would have gone for Remus. He clearly never saw the way Sirius looked at her, even when you were all younger.” 

Sirius’ cheeks burned but he didn’t deny it. 

“I–” James started again but his mother shot him a look.

“Let your sister live, James,” she said in a pointed tone. “I am sure your sister knows how to be safe and use a contraceptive spell–”

“Mum!” you blanched, arms wrapped around yourself in hopes you could curl into your own body to avoid the embarrassment of the situation. 

“Oh stop being such a prude!” Euphemia waved you off before nodding her head towards her eldest. “Leave them alone, you can wail about it in the morning at a more reasonable hour.” 

“But—”

“Bed, James. Don’t make me repeat myself,” she said and watched as the boy shuffled out the room, heading back towards his room. She then turned to look at you and Sirius, a warm smile on her face. “Whilst I am happy for you both, I don’t want grandchildren just yet.”

Sirius coughed to cover his laugh. “Of course not, ma’am.” 

“Don’t be silly, Sirius, you’re a part of the family more so than before now,” Euphemia grinned as she reached for the door handle, ready to close the door behind her. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t shatter you if you hurt my little girl.” 

“I would expect nothing less from you,” Sirius admitted with a nod. 

“Goodnight. Don’t be too loud, you may scar your brother.”

“Mum!” you huffed, listening to her laugh cheerily as she headed back down the hallway towards her own room. You then turned to Sirius who was already looking at you, something unreadable on his face. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?” 

“You really love me back?” he asked in a soft voice, his hands finding your waist like magnets. 

“Of course I do,” you answered with a smile, one hand pressed over his racing heart and the other cupping his face. “You’ve weasled your way into my heart, Black.” 

“I intend to stay there for a while,” he told you.

“Good. You can start by being the big spoon.” 

Sirius snorted. “Always, love.”

. 

[the-fiction-witch]

Little Bird

Media House Of The Dragon

Character Daemon Targaryen

Couple Daemon X Reader

Rating Suggestive

Daemon counted in his head slowly without any of the words passing his lips, ‘1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4... 5... 6…’ and so on he thought until finally he arrived at ten. He opened his eyes and began his search, he started inside the chamber checking under the bed, behind the curtains, and inside the cupboard but found nothing. He continued checking the various places within the red keep but he was slowly beginning to become more frustrated as he searched. The prince grew impatient, yet he still found it funny how he was being bested. Daemon was amused and annoyed simultaneously. He was searching the red keep, wandering around the area, he even went through certain parts more than once. He was beginning to grow even more excited and impatient in his search,

“Come on out little bird,” he cooed but no answer came, “Come on this is starting to not be funny.” He said as he continued to call out never getting an answer his tone becoming less playful the longer it went on. “Little bird?” He called

He continued on his way before he reached the red keeps courtyard full of flowers bathed in the moonlight, "I know you're not in my chambers, I have searched every room. Perhaps you are amongst the flowers? Could my little bird have turned into a bird and flown away?"

Suddenly a small giggle came from the tall weirwood tree,

Daemon looked behind himself immediately and glanced at the weirwood tree, his eyes began to scan the base of the tree He chuckled softly at her game and gave a playful shake of his skull. “Little bird? I should have known you’d be up in tree. Come on down dear. Don’t make me climb up there.” he warns playfully as he goes to the bottom of the tree looking up to see his betrothal.

Y/n sits up in the tree’s branches in her long red dress, her Y/C/H hair in sweet braids, with a wide smile across her lips, “Do I win?” she asked kicking her legs playfully,

“Yes. You win. Come on down and claim your price,” he told her, “Come get your rewards,”

She giggled and climbed down the tree to his waiting arms as his hands grabbed her waist and she set her hands on his shoulders so he could lift her down and he gave her a sweet kiss, he kissed her deeply for a while still holding her in his arms her feet off the floor so she had no escape.

“I think that’s your best prize yet my pretty little bird,”

“No, still second.”

“You’re telling me there have been rewards better and more pleasing then this? Go on enlighten me?”

“Getting to be your future bride. Is still number one.”

“You are too sweet, I admit… I am looking forward to having my little bird all to myself,” He smirked, “Come on, lets get you back to bed.” He said as he carried her though the red keep and back to his chamber where he dropped her on the covers. She laid on her back giggling among the sheets,

“Hi,”

“Hello my little bird,” Daemon smiled softly down at her as he sat down next to her on the bed. The dark prince placed a hand on her right thigh and gave a gentle squeeze. His eyes remained locked with hers as he spoke. "I shall not let you go, not this time... Not after our game of hide and seek." Daemon brought his other hand to her other thigh and began rubbing them up and down her legs. "You have made me work to even have this small moment with you, dear little bird. I think that means I shall enjoy myself with you that much more. So please, let me have my fun?"

"...no."

"And why not my sweet bird? Is there nothing I could do to persuade you?"

"no. Not until or wedding"

"What? So I cannot have you now? How unfortunate for me." Daemon said with a smirk as he was still rubbing her thighs.

"it is. But you shall just have to control yourself my lord. Nothing will happen until our wedding night"

"Control myself? Do you think you can keep such a big man as me under control for that long, dear little bird?" The prince's voice was filled with a playful edge as he spoke.

"well it's the rules. Won't I've nice for you? To wait. To deflower your virgin little bird on your wedding night?"

Daemon laughed softly at her words. He was amused but his voice began to grow more sultry as he was talking about the wedding night.

"Such a tempting offer, dear little bird. To have you then and there. But I must agree, you are quite enticing, I would hate to take away from the moment of your wedding. So I shall hold off from taking you now, to make the moment of our wedding more special."

"thank you, but I'm sure you will not need to wait long" she cooed giving his lips a sweet kiss "did you want me to go? Sleep elsewhere tonight? So I am not .. tempting to you?"

Daemon laughed softly as he kissed her back, he did not stop for a few moments. The prince's voice was full of amusement as he spoke. "Why would I sleep elsewhere when I have a bed big enough for two? Do you think that I would send you away from me? Not when you are this beautiful and this enticing I would never want the bird to roam too far. You are indeed tempting but I cannot afford to take the bird so early. No, no, my sweet bird shall remain close to me, forever more."

she nodded and kissed him once more before she left the bed and moved behind a screen to change for bed Daemon watched her as she moved behind the screen to change, his eyes wandering over her shadows as she changed biting his lip trying to quel his dark desires, she emerged in a little silk nightgown and blushed the perfect picture of innocence "how do I look?"

"I think someone wishes to be taken by the bad prince. You look as if you are inviting trouble into your bed."

"trouble?"

Daemon gave a little smirk, and his eyes remained locked with hers. She was teasing him again and the playful bird was driving him crazy. "Yes, trouble. Or do you wish to deny what it is that I see before me?"

"I don't know what your talking about Daemon. Tis meerly a nightgown for bed." She smiled Innocently as she moves closer the white silk nightgown Caressed her perfectly gliding over her figure like a second skin even her nipples poked the silk slightly her hair allowed to flow down her back,

Daemon's eyes began to glance at her nipples, the prince was having great difficulty in his attempts at stopping himself. He wasn't sure of how long he would last. He would do his best to be a gentleman, but she kept on becoming more... Tempting. "You truly know how to be a tease my sweet little bird... Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"yes Daemon?"

Daemon took a deep breath in before speaking. "I know... I know there cannot be anything that happens between us before the wedding. However may I make just... One request?"

"well what's the request?" Her head tilted to the side

Daemon's voice was hushed as he spoke his request to her. "May I take a peek at what I can not have until our wedding?"

"a peek?"

"A peek, just a glimpse of what lays beneath that nightgown of yours. Is that too much to ask... My sweet bird?"

"...one look. No more"

"I accept the terms, my little bird. A glance will do, it is all I need. Come here little bird."

she moved to the edge of the bed within his reach his hands don't waste time tugging the nightgown up for a peek at her, he revealed her utterly seeing her large breasts bare nipples hard to the cold air, her beautiful body, her thick thighs, wide hips, and her perfect mount and pussy, She blushed at him seeing her and after he looked he all over she tugged her nightgown from his hands and pushed it down to conceal herself again and she climbed into the bed, 

Daemon did not speak as he looked at her, his eyes tracing every inch of her once more. The prince was filled with a new found respect for his little bird, if she could reveal herself in such a way, if she was not scared of such intimacy... The prince had never looked at any woman with such devotion, such lust, as he was currently looking at her.

"Tell me, have you truly taken no one else before me? Were you telling the truth about being a maiden?"

"my Maidenhead has never been touched" she smiled, "May I ask something?"

"Go ahead my sweet bird, you may ask me anything."

"did you like the sight of me? Your peek?'

"Would you like me to be blunt with my answer? There is nothing that I could say in response to that question that would truly express how much I liked what I saw."

"you may be as blunt as needed"

"To be blunt, the sight of you was absolutely wonderful, I enjoyed every single second of it. You are a rare woman, truly, a woman that I would fight all the kingdoms in order to have. I have never seen anyone so beautiful, my little bird, and I don't think I ever will. That is merely the truth of it." Daemon spoke truthfully the prince's voice filled with admiration as he talked about her. The prince was not lying in anyway, if anything, he was underselling how much he enjoyed it.

"may I ask? Which... Part of me fascinated you the most?"

"I would have to say you are the most perfect thing I have ever seen. Every part of you fascinates me. If I were to choose a favourite, I would probably say your cunt has my attention the most."

"Really? Why?"

"Humm the thought that soon I shall have it as my own. I shall be able to touch it, kiss it, burry myself in it. That it will grow my children and pleasure me endlessly. I can't help but he fascinated by it my little bird." He smirked "I have a rather large appetite my little bird, but I shall hold back in order to satisfy you. You are indeed a very tempting bird, I will keep my promise, I shall have as much of your body as you want me to after the wedding. May I ask for another favor?"

"yes Daemon?"

"My sweet little bird, may I ask you to please come closer to me, may I ask you to please come and sit in my lap. I feel that my lap may become your home rather soon."

"I have a better idea,"

"Would you care to share this idea of yours then my little bird?"

She smiled and pulled him to lay flat on the bed she happily laid down setting her head on his chest her hand on his stomach, "I would love to sit in your lap Daemon but it's late and we're all ready for bed. I worry I will fall asleep but this is acceptable isn't it? A nice cuddle till we fall asleep?"

"If this is the bird's idea of a better idea, I think I like your ideas better than mine. It is more than acceptable, I believe I would love to feel your body against me every single night. Shall I say something that you might not want to hear though dear little bird?"

she nodded, 

"I was going to say that I have found myself wanting to push the boundaries more and more as the night has gone on. While I am more than overjoyed at the thought of being so close to you, there is something I find myself wanting more and more as time passes."

"And what's that?"

"I want her to be mine, my little bird. I have been craving to possess you, body and soul every since I first laid eyes on you. Now I am more than ever."

"well soon I will be your wife and you may take my Maidenhead then. And then I will be yours body, soul. All ways"

"I know. it is just getting harder to wait my little bird." he muttered, "May I ask you one last question dear little bird?"

"mhm?"

"I know you will be my wife soon, and you have made me so happy. I could stay awake with you all night but... If I did that, would it be possible for you to grant the prince one single wish? One wish for his bird?" He cooed, "Do you think maybe I might be able to move the hand my bird has on my stomach now?  but I had to ask because... I can not resist my own desire any longer." he pleaded, "Please grant me this, my sweet little bird." 

"Move it?"

"Please, my little bird, I am not asking for anything that I won't get in the end. But, I am desperate to have this one thing from you. If I speak it, will you grant me my wish? I will ask for nothing more from you again if you grant me this."

She giggled and moved her hand down to draw small shapes with her fingertips on the bottom of his stomach, but he took her hand and moved it further down, 

"Please dear little bird, I want you to touch me... to caress my... my..." he gasped pushing her hand lower and lower "Please... My little bird. Take your hand and... You know where I want your touch now. Touch me my princess... "

"Are you sure-"

"Please... No more talking... Touch me my little bird..."

"Yes my prince," she cooed.

[1000sunnygo]

One Piece Academy chapter 41: The Dark Bingo Tournament, part 1 (Quick translation)

The lore deepens..

source | previous chapter | part 2 | index

Cover page side note : Sanji-kun's morning starts with black coffee.

Editor's note: what was discussed while playing trump at the Doflamingo countermeasure headquarters?

-

Everyone: An undercover investigation?

Cora: Yeah...

Cora: Doffy is supposed to attend a certain meeting tonight. Law and I will have an investigation trip.

Robin: 'A certain'...?

Luffy: ..Party with Mingo? I'm coming as well!!

Nami: They just said it's an investigation!

Law: Outside, it's a Bingo party with the Grand City enterprises.

But in reality... It's a meet-and-greet ceremony with the Dark World's residents.

Chopper: The Dark world... Meaning the bad adults? Er, Eleven-Back...

Robin: Eight-Stop (T/N: these are Daifugou card game terms)

Cora: It's all my intuitive prediction, though.

Doffy got himself his first new suit in a long time. There's something to this...

If they meet, it's possible that he'd sign a contract to become part of the gangs then and there. We have to stop this somehow.

Zoro: What do you mean 'somehow'? You haven't decided what to do yet?

Sanji: You want to stop them without being busted. It ain't a simple task at all.

Vivi: Definitely a high risque plan for high schoolers.... Triple Queen.

Cora: I'm one of the students who is given authority by the country and the school to 'investigate and use force'.

Coby: Something like Student council, or Public morals corps?

Cora: Right... Coby, you were part of the Public morals corps, aren't you.

Nami: Hey, Cora-chan... Was Doflamingo always like this? You've lived with him, haven't you?

Cora:....

Our family, the Donquixote Family "used to be" one of the great families of the world. We brothers were raised by kind hearted mother and father.

Vivi: The Donquixote Family! I've heart bits about it from Papa.

Cora: 'Cause Vivi-chan's Nefertari family is also one of those great families!

Usopp: That sounds like a nice family!

Brook: What do you mean by "used to be?"

Cora: A fall from a prestigious family to rock bottom... That's what I mean.

Father, unfamiliar with business, tried his hand at several private charity projects. Unfortunately, every single one ended in huge failure. Our family lost all its possessions, and we lost our social standing.

Those were terrible days, filled with hunger. There were people who's mock and laugh at us for getting the boot, kicked out of the town.

All of it was probably unbearable for my brother. He developed a deep seated hate towards the townsfolk and father.

Then, Doffy disappeared from the sight of me and family. As years passed on...

Cora: I discovered him in the streets as one of the thugs.

Sanji: I guess, he was royally messed up.

Vivi: So he has a past like this behind that perpetual jolly demeanor...

Chopper: Vivi...

Luffy: Corao, I'm bringing leftover food with me.

Cora: Bring with you? You're going somewhere?

Luffy: Why, at Mingo's party!

(Continues in reblogs) ⬇️

[rocketqueen1989x]

Blue jeans

AxlRoseXreader

warnings: fluff , soft axl , sex references and foreplay

📍: Paris , France

⏰:

2024

***

how can a man look so fucking hot ? i really need some answers

My husband was sat next to me as we were driving to a restaurant to have some food with beta and her family. Beta is axl’s manger. Well she’s basically his mother. Axl and beta are like family and have been like that since the early 90s. I’m my eyes she saved him from a lot of shit

i looked over at my husband just admiring him. He looked so fucking hot tonight. I mean he looks hot every single day but tonight …

somethings different and Im really trying to control myself over here.

Axl was wearing a blue ripped jeans and a skull belt , a white shirt which he knew I fucking loved. Whenever he wears a white shirt it makes me go fucking crazy and I Don’t know why. It’s probably because he suits it and his nipple piercing can be seen sometimes.

Over the white shirt he had a dark navy long sleeved checkered flannel. The buttons were undo so I could see the white shirt under and I could also see his nipple piercing.

He looked so majestic. He had his big bulky rings fingers on his fingers as they danced on the steering wheel as he drove. His fingers bounced in time with the music that was playing on the radio lowly. He had his two sliver cross necklaces that hung around his neck and sat dangling on his chest

His hair was back and the sun was hitting him perfectly. The sun was gleaming down on his head and it made his hair look even more fiery ginger which was cute. I’ve noticed lately his hair is going more blonde than ginger but whenever the sun gets to it the ginger comes out more .

I felt his hand come to my knee lightly stroking it then stroking his soft big hand up to my thigh. My eyes traced down and I got butterflies just at the sight. His veins were sticking out of his hand and the way his rings hugged around his long fingers done something to me.

He was turning me on so much and he didn’t even know it but I didn’t realise what I was doing until I snapped out whatever I was in. I had closed my thighs together at the feeling of myself getting horny and my panties were wet from my heat

I looked back over at him and he was completely oblivious to my whole situation. i put my hand on his and rubbed up arm slowly and back down making him look over at me . My legs felt weak and my feelings got stronger

His eyes burned into mine and I could feel my pussy getting even more wet under me. now my husband was looking over at me but only for a second but looking back on the road. “pass me a mint ,please babe”

Axl asked me and I got him one leaning over. His mouth was open and I popped it in his mouth. “thanks “ he replied and I noticed we were now stopped at a red light.

i smiled leaning back over to him grabbing his face gently making him face me and kissing his lips. But when I kissed his lips it was more deeper and he noticed. Axl kissed me back with the same passion and I pulled him more into the kiss by pulling on his shirt.

I pulled back and kissed his lips again. I could tell he was caught off by the kiss because he it took him time to kiss me back the 2nd time. A I didn’t realise that I done it but my tongue traced over his bottom lip and soon enough your lips were moving in a sync.

A groan came from his lips as I began to suck on his bottom lip but unfortunately a loud beep came from behind us and ruined the moment

I pulled back sitting back in my seat smirking as I looked out of the window like nothing happened but I knew he was looking at me. The car started and we started to drive again but I could tell his eyes never left me

My hand went back on his as it was still on my thigh while he drove. my thumb traced over his knuckles and I shifted in my seat a little. I looked over to my left to see a big ass grin on his face.

“what the fuck was that ?”

Axl laughed looking back at the road then back at me and i chuckled at him acting clueless.

“what do you mean ?” I asked laughing with him and he raised his ginger brows looking over at me as we nod pulled up in the parking lot of the restaurant

I turned to him and he was already looking at me taking his car keys out .i looked back at him and he was just looking at me now with a smirk plastered proudly on his lips.

“what was all that about ? That sloppily fucking kiss “ I giggled at him shaking my head as I took off my belt while grabbing my purse which was at my feet on the ground of Axl’s car

I met his bright blue eyes once again and Axl curled his tongue on the inside of his cheek. Oh fuck that was hot as fuck. Axl looked down at me and matched his eyes. His eyes flickered down to my thighs then back up at me

“Okay.what’s up “ Axl asked crossing his arm with that smirk still on his face

“nothing baby . I just wanted a kiss“ I shrugged and he squinted his eyes trying to figure out something but he didn’t know what

“Mhmmm” Axl hummed grabbing his phone from the holder .i looked over and smiled looking at him. I couldn’t help but keep looking at him all the time. He just looked so fucking yummy.

I wanted him there and then if I’m being truthful

I just wanted all of him right now!

“Are you horny or something?” Axl blurted out looking at me and I laughed at how straight forward he was. This is one of the reasons why I love him

“no I’m fine Axl “ I lied to his face as I laughed and he scoffed at me

“don’t lie. i think I know when my wife is Horny or not” Axl stool off his seat belt and I laughed

I lean forward and peck his cheek “I’m fine “ I said but as I pulled away his hand went under my dress , in the middle of my thighs and his fingers traced along my wet panties

Oh fuck

“you sure about that ,sweetheart ?”

I closed thighs trapping his hand there and a light moan came from my lips as his finger traced along my covered clit. Axl leaned to me and pecked my cheek. I put my head down with a moan as his fingers teased me through the thin fabric of my thong

“A-axl “ I say trying to pull his hand out but he wouldn’t move.

[hanasnx]

Kinktober: House of Amateurs - S1E30

MINORS DNI 18+

SUMMARY: october 30th | monday plays: noncon play WC: 0.7k | CHARACTERS: anakin skywalker x f!reader WARNINGS: f!reader | dom!anakin | pnp | coitus | kinks: size, degradation | noncon play | impact play | implied: roleplay | mentioned: “rape” | unprotected sex | no y/n

KRAYT HOUSE M.LIST | NAVI | INBOX | @KRAYTHOUSE

“This is bullshit, you know that? You want this.” Anakin Skywalker’s hand catches you at your jaw, his agile fingers digging into your flesh to punish you for your backtalk. “You’re a tease, and what? You can’t put out? Let me in for a second.” His exasperated tone is punctuated with a harsh shove to you, putting an ache in your teeth when you collide with the wall. You brace against it, and wince as his hands grip your thin top, yanking it apart in one motion.

“Anakin!” you cry out, but he silences you smashing his lips into yours. Your skull bumps the surface behind you as he pins you there, and panic sets in at the familiar sound of his pants unbuckling. To escape, you dip out from him, but he grabs hold of you to tug you right back. “Anakin, please!” you plea, your throat dry from impending sobs.

“No!” he barks and you jump at the decibel. Harshly, he gropes your freed chest, fondling them in cruel nature. You flinch, instinctively pushing at his broad shoulders with your fists to give yourself from breathing room. Larger than you in every way, he doesn’t budge. “Don’t lie to me,” A wry, wicked smile stretches onto hips lips as his dark gaze meets yours. “You’ll see what I mean,”

“Fuck— fuck, angel. Might need more than a second.” he commends you while he’s balls deep inside you, his sack smacking against the bottom of your ass cheeks as he thrusts. A palm over your mouth to silence your cries, drooling all over it in your wails. “Knew you’d like this. You’re fucking drenched.”

To the best of your ability, you shake your head to signal you deny him. Unfortunately, refusal is not within Anakin’s scope.

“There you go trying to deceive me again.” Breathlessly, he chuckles, you feel the warmth of it against your face. You skew your hips, but his hold on your tailbone keeps you where he wants you. He lifts you to meet his ruts. “You can’t hide anything from me, angel. Not when we’re this close. So united.” he murmurs his eager lips against your exposed cheek, giving you a playful nip at the end of his sentence. “Wanna try something?” he asks, as if he’s taken your ability to speak. Hot tears stream down the corners of your eyes, weakly pushing against his chest futilely. He takes pride in that.

His impossibly long cock twitches inside of you in anticipation of whatever he’s about to do to you.

“Promise you won’t scream?” You don’t look at him, staring hard at a juncture in the wall to take your mind off of what’s happening to you. “Hey.” he spits, his hold on your face jerking you to face him. To appease him, you meet his eyes. At the sight, he seemingly melts. “Yeah, I suppose that takes some of the fun out of it, right?” Your nose pinches in disgust. Cautiously, he removes his hand, and you press your lips into a thin line. A quiet exchange is shared, filled only by the squelching sounds of your non-consensual unification. “Go on. Scream.”

“Fuck you! Get the fuck off of me!” you shout, surging upwards to work towards getting up, attempting to push him off at the same time. Firmly, he palms your head to pin it back down, shoving your cheek into the cushion. Your glare deepens, breathing hard.

“I’m not finished. The least you can do is sit fucking still and take it.” he tells you, giving your head a single push. “Can’t do that? You wanna try fighting me for it again? Worked well last time.” his biting words sink into you, eliciting your disheartened expression as you remember how easily he overpowered you to shove his cock into you. He watches it all happen, the realization that passes over your face, and he moistens his lips. “Nah, you like it when I rape you, huh?”

You do.

[lheewonz]

Forever And Always ╱╱ 정원 ✧ y.jw

synopsis :: bf!jungwon x gn!reader have their 10 month anniversary in a butterfly garden

“your sole existence made me dream of the sky”

Nothing in life could ever compare to you.

No one could ever make Jungwon feel the same way that you did.

word count :: 0.8k

“What?” You giggled shyly. “You keep staring at me..”

The two of you were sat in a small clearing in a butterfly garden. Spread beneath you on the grass was a picnic blanket that you had handmade for Jungwon’s birthday, sewing some of your favorite pieces of fabrics together, and at the bottom you had written: “Forever and Always, my peaceful garden.”

Jungwon laughed, pulling you closer to him and half into his lap. You yelped a little, hitting his chest when he pressed a big wet kiss to your cheek. “Am I not allowed to stare at my pretty lover?”

You covered your face, but that didn’t do anything to hide your quickly reddening cheeks even in the darkness. “Stop. You always do this.” He pulled your hands away from your face uncovering the small smile you were hiding. You look down as he continues to stare at you, still too shy to meet his intense gaze even after months of dating.

Ten months to be exact. In fact, it was your ten-month anniversary. You had coincidentally been at a butterfly museum, at your mother’s insistence that you needed to spend more time in nature instead of in your bed. (She had given you the money for the museum and practically shoved you out the door.) When you had arrived, you were immediately captivated by the beauty and vibrant colors and realized that for once, your mother was right. Somehow, through all the butterflies you had noticed one coming out of its cocoon. Its apparent struggle had earned your sympathy and you had reached in to help when you were stopped by Jungwon.

As soon as you had seen him it was like all the butterflies flying around you, were flying around in your stomach as well. You barely paid attention to him informing you of the dangers of helping butterflies (that he learned from someone named Jay?) in lieu of simply staring at him.

And then he turned and stopped mid-sentence to stare back at you. Rays of sunlight came through the glass portion of the ceiling illuminating you, almost like a spotlight, the butterflies fluttered around you, and you were standing so still that some even land on you. Jungwon was in awe. The moment in front of him seemed like something straight out of a movie and suddenly it seemed like you were the only two that existed. It wasn’t until a butterfly decided to rest on your nose that the moment passed and you both broke out into a fit of giggles. After stumbling through some sentences you agreed to meet him again for coffee and now ten months later here you both were.

The museum, unfortunately, did not last as long as your relationship, but a little farther behind the now abandoned building, all the butterflies had been released into the field where you two were at now, watching the few nocturnal butterflies flap around and basking in each other’s presence.

Jungwon reached up to brush a couple of strands of hair out of your face, sliding his hand down to your chin and tilting your head upwards. “Look at me, love.”

“Wonie..” Your eyes flicker up to finally meet his.

Jungwon’s breath hitched. You looked so beautiful.

The moonlight shone down on your face and it seemed like your eyes held stars in them. The wind blew soft enough that your hair fluttered around your face. Almost perfectly a butterfly landed on your head like a pretty hair clip. Jungwon’s hand slides up to caress your cheek, smiling when you lean into it. There will never be enough words to ever describe how Jungwon feels every time he looks at you. How it feels like time slows the same way it does in the movies when we meet the love interest, or how it feels like no one else in the world exists anymore whenever he’s with you. He feels like he falls in love with you all over again anytime you so much as breathe in his direction.

He was so incredibly, irrevocably in love with you, he barely knew what to do with himself.

He leaned in and pressed a gentle, passionate kiss to your lips, hoping that you would understand all the feelings he wanted to convey without disturbing the ambiance by speaking. When he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours, you just stared back and for a moment it was just you looking at each other, and for the first time you didn’t look away. Then you smiled at him, so bright and soft in a way that only you could do, and whispered against his lips as if it were a secret that not even the butterflies could hear. “Forever and always?”

“Forever and always, my lovely butterfly.”

“that little light that illuminates me, little love, it’s you”

a/n :: it took me 3 hours to write/finish this… and 30 mins to format this post… it’s 5:38 am… pls give me feedback! and like and reblog <3

[angelmarie]

💙 An unnecessarily long list of random von Karma family (+ Gant) hcs💙

(Contains slightly suggestive relationship stuff)

————————————————————————

-Manfred’s wife’s name is Martha

-her favorite color is yellow 💛

Yellow Primroses are her favorite flower

-Manfred has a major sweet tooth

Of course no one knows this except Martha and kids. Once their first daughter was born she decided to become a full time mom, which gave her more time for baking. Manfred would never outwardly express his happiness with this since he thought having a sweet tooth was childish, but he was not able to hide his true feelings from her ever.

She passed away not long after Franziska was born. One way Manfred kept her close after her passing was learning how to make the recipes she had left behind. They never failed to make him feel better.

Unfortunately Gant eventually found out about his sweet tooth; something that would be endlessly embarrassing for manfred since Gant thought it was cute and would tease him endlessly for it. At least he was able to get some new desserts out of it (Torta Maria Lusia and Tres Leches Cake are favorites of his. Milhojas became a must have during afternoon tea.) (<- Colombian gant propaganda)

He will consume anything with dark chocolate in it

-I go back and forth between whether or not Manfred’s wife was a woman of law herself or a traditional wife, but either way she was the matriarch of that household and ruled it with an iron fist

Obviously manfred lived for every second of it bc he’s a bottom

Manfred fr:

It was only with Martha’s permission that Gant got to fool around with her husband before her death. Granted though if Gant didn’t continue to satisfy manfred after her death then his eternal punishment when he died would’ve been getting whipped 24/7 by none other than Mrs. von Karma herself

When she was alive tho Martha and Gant were an insufferable powerhouse of doting on manfred both in public and private– calling him all kinds of pet names and being all touchy-feely with him bc they knew it embarrassed him to an infuriating degree

-Manfred’s eldest daughter is named Sabrina

-Sabrina’s personality is the opposite of Franziska’s

While Franziska takes after her father, Sabrina is the least ‘von Karma-esque’

She’s definitely the normal one of the family

She’s a very motherly figure– incredibly sweet, very optimistic, and just an overall ray of sunshine. Literally the nicest person you could ever meet, to the point where you’d find it surprising to know that she’s a von Karma

However, this does not exclude her from understanding the sort of secret internal language that von karma’s have. For example, Von Karma’s have a very specific way of showing affection for one another– it is not outwardly obvious like it is other people. It can be confusing for outsiders looking in, and can often be misconceived as mixed signals. But in truth it is just simply that von karma’s are better subtle hints rather than outright stating or being physically affectionate. Sabrina understands this well even though she is a very affectionate person in both words and actions.

She was always the best at making miles feel better when he was little

-Sabrina is not completely devoid of stereotypical von karma traits either.

Even though she’s not one for competition like her father or sister, she is very confident in herself and her abilities, and would not have trouble standing up for herself if someone tried to test her.

She also keeps the von karma tradition of striving for perfection close her, albeit she has a much healthier relationship with it.

Every now and then, she would argue with manfred over his relationship with perfection and how self-destructive it was for him. Her attempts at getting him to understand however would always be unsuccessful, since he was far too stubborn to ever believe that he needed help or that he was destroying himself.

Besides that she and manfred had a great relationship. You will never get me to subscribe to the the fanon that she ran away from home and detests manfred. Let papa love his kids dammit.

-While Franziska favored unky boo boo, Sabrina really liked uncle gant

Since they’re both outwardly happy people they got along really well, and she even considered him to be a distant second father

This made the incarceration of both her father and gant being in such a short time frame an incredibly distressing period for her

Gant was never interested in having kids of his own or considered himself the type to be a good father, but since von karma kids are a different breed (manny duplicates) they were easier for him to get used to.

Unfortunately he could never seem to get on Franziska’s good side tho, bc she was always preoccupied on his intentions with her father (which honestly fair he do be 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂)

-Sabrina still lives in Germany with her husband, two kids, and Phoenix the dog. Despite everything that has happened they are very happy ;v;

-the only time frame that Manfred was truly happy started with the birth of his first daughter and ended with his wife’s death (TW for depression and suicide)

This era was truly the golden age of Manfred’s life. Not only was he the god of prosecutors in court, he finally had his first daughter, something he was overjoyed with since he always wanted to have kids.

Not to mention he was head over heels with his wife and his annoying giant boyfriend

Considering that Manfred had franziska in his late 40s - early 50s, this highpoint lasted for about 15-20 years

Unfortunately this period of domestic bliss would end with the death of his wife, which happened about a year after franziska was born.

Her death was very sudden and extremely disrupting for manfred, leading to a considerable increase in his short temper and destructive actions to both himself and others

This marked the start of his downfall

The succession of events including the IS-7 incident, manfred getting his first penalty, and DL-6 happened not long after

After this, Manfred was never able to feel truly happy like he was during his golden age ever again. This state of being continued for the rest of his existence until he took his own life in prison not long after he was arrested.

[divineerdrick]

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Changes for June 20, 2024

Despite multiple balance passes, Codex Space Marine Chapters have struggled throughout most of the edition. The reason for this is unfortunate and frustrating. While their traitor cousins have been diversifying with individual books for their most distinct Legions and plentiful rules for combined arms, loyalist Space Marines have been being slowly homogenized under one book from the original four books they started with. In addition to the lack of diversity and the need for many Space Marine players to buy two books, this creates an issue where any balance changes made to Codex Space Marines effects all Space Marines. If something gets buffed and Blood Angels, Space Wolves, or Black Templars can take advantage of it, then they get even stronger. But if something gets nerfed and there's nothing that helps Codex compliant Chapters, Deathwatch, or Dark Angels, then they get hurt even more. The end result is you have top and bottom factions all coming from the same book.

This will be most focused on Codex Compliant Chapters. I'm not going to make too many predictions as to how this will affect the other Chapters, though it's somewhat inevitable. But this book is just too deep and too complex to make really solid predictions without spending way more time than I'm currently capable of.

Ironstorm Spearhead

Ironstorm has been one of the top detachments in Codex Space Marines since release. It's powerful enough that Black Templars players started switching from their core Detachment to using Ironstorm to synergize with their special versions of all the Primaris vehicles. The sad thing is that for all the power in this detachment, it hasn't been enough for Iron Hands players to see much success with it. Even Ultramarines players struggle, and usually take Vanguard instead. Still, its dominance as a detachment has apparently triggered nerfs.

Target Augury Web

Originally an aura that granted Lethal Hits to vehicles, your Techmarine will now have to pick a single vehicle to benefit. No more squadrons of Vehicles pumping out Lethals.

Master of Machine War

This enhancement gets the same treatment. You now have to select a single vehicle to benefit from the Advance and Fallback and Shoot. While squadrons of Primaris tanks, with their crazy amounts of shots, getting Lethals was definitely a thing, this is the one that probably matters more. Templar players running multiple vehicles up the board to get into melta range was very much a thematic and powerful strategy. Again, it just sucks that every other Space Marine players has to bear the nerf too.

Mercy Is Weakness

Sustained Hits 1 and Crit 5 on vehicles is pretty mean. Combo'd with Lethal Hits and this can get devastating. I'm not really a fan of abilities that target damaged units or trigger off of being damaged. But Strats are a great place for them. This one makes an excellent knockout punch. At 2CP though, I think you're only using this when you can get off the full combo, and probably not when you've got targets of opportunity.

Impulsors and Repulsors

As mentioned in the WarCom article, Space Marines are getting the first pass for being able to put full units in their vehicles. Well, unless you count Ghaz and company finally being able to properly ride in a Battlewagon. This is a small but potentially meaningful change and the only buff Space Marines are getting in the Dataslate.

Errata and FAQ

Our first change is that non-complaint Chapters now work in reverse. Black Templars can no longer take psykers or the non-Templar variants of their vehicles. Space Wolves can no longer take Apothecaries, Devastators, or Tactical Squads. And finally Deathwatch can no longer take Devastators, Scouts, or Tactical Squads. The real nerfs here are to Templars. Space Wolves don't care about Devastators or Tactical Squads, but Apothecaries are definitely useful. Similarly, taking Scouts away from Deathwatch, though canonically accurate, also hurts.

This really just typifies what I was talking about above. Black Templars being able to bring up to six of a vehicle needed to be reigned in, and Space Wolves are currently the top performing Chapter. But the last thing Deathwatch needed was to have Scouts taken away. It's honestly kind of kicking them while they're down, even if it matches the lore.

Master of Deceit has now been re-written to match the new timing on redeploys. Then we get a little buff I can't help but laugh at. I'm sorry, I just find giving the Reiver Lieutenant a little bit more kick on their bolt pistol funny.

For FAQs we get the repeated assertion on just how few rules can be used from Transports, even with Firing Deck. We see the Persisting Rules again, this time for Oath of Moment, as well as more confirmation on targeting units in Reserves. Finally we get confirmation that Auras from Impulsors don't stack, while Banners do not create a named buff and so they do.

Points Changes

For points changes, the Gladiator Reaper and Valiant have been nerfed to match the Lancer, just as we saw with Templars. As with Grey Knights, the Land Raider Crusader has been buffed while the Redeemer finally gets an appropriate nerf. The Repulsor gets a little 10 pts buff, while the Storm Raven gets nerfed a further 20 pts. Finally, to match their reduced utility, Master of Machine War and Target Augury Web both get a 10 pts buff.

I'm gonna be honest, this is pretty bad news. The Chapter that will be least affected by this are the Space Wolves, who are already in a pretty good position. They only occasionally used Apothecaries and they mostly rely on Vanguard and Stormlance. Templars are probably hurt the most out of this, since they've made such deadly use of Ironstorm and the extra vehicles. But they'll either go back to their Index detachment or just switch to Vanguard. All other Space Marines don't benefit from suddenly having one of their Detachments substantially weakened. Again, I weep for the few Iron Hands players that were using Ironstorm to represent their faction. But most players were using Ultramarines in Vanguard, so this won't effect them too much. Probably the biggest hit to them is the nerf to the Redeemer. The best thing that can be said is this might start to bring the balance between the chapters into a better place, thus letting GW buff things more freely. But that's just a possibility for the future. For now, it's not a good day to serve the Emperor.

[theglitchmaster]

IT IS DONE

I have FINALLY beaten Ocarina of Time (3D) and I have Thoughts.

I can honestly say that I dislike the game a lot less than I did before.

For context I've tried at least half a dozen times to beat oot throughout my childhood, but could never get farther than the Forest Temple before becoming bored out of my mind, putting the game down, and then just not picking it back up. I've never been able to get attached to any of the characters (Sheik being the exception 🏳️‍⚧️), I wasn't a fan of a lot of the background music or sound effects, the gameplay was pretty clunky, and in general just did not find the game fun (to be fair i did play it mostly on gamecube back then).

The gameplay still feels clunky but since the game is older than me I'll give it a pass there, and the 3ds controls are a hell of a lot better than the gamecube version.

Navi is as annoying as everyone makes her out to be you were right.

The first three dungeons are still a drag, and I think Jabu Jabu's dungeon is my least favorite dungeon of every zelda game I've played so far. Awful thing.

This is one of the few games that has made fishing almost fun.

The Forest Temple was fine, I liked the poe sisters and I thought Phantom Ganon's fight was fun. Stalfos personally own me money fuck those guys.

The Fire Temple was long as hell and I kept getting lost. Volvagia hits like a truck but is otherwise a fun boss.

I know the fandom has ongoing memes about how every water dungeon is confusing and a pain in the ass, especially the oot Water Temple, but it was fine? I didn't get lost and most of the puzzles were fine. I got more pissed off at the Ice Caverns than I did the Water Temple. I loved the eerie vibe of the illusion room and the Dark Link fight was easy but fun. Morpha was annoying but not too bad.

Bottom of the Well was very cool and spooky, I can see how this would have traumatized children, and probably would have traumatized me if I had ever gotten that far as a kid.

Shadow Temple was cool. Big surprise that there was two Dead Hands. Very freaky torture chamber. Bongo Bongo was a bitchass mother fucker. Yes he looks cool but was not a good fight. It was easier to kill him by chasing him down with my sword than it was to try and shoot him with the bow.

I think in general I don't like playing as kid Link in oot but I thought how they mixed both kid and adult requirements into the dungeon was clever. The darknuts/Iron Knuckles also owe me money fuck them as well but less than the stalfos. Also fuck floor/wallmasters. The Iron Knuckle Nabooru reveal was pretty cool though.

I did find how Ganon's Castle requires you to solve puzzles themed after each sage to be pretty clever and cool in theory, unfortunately I did not find it all that fun. I did have to leave at one point to get Fire Arrows because I could not continue without them. (This one is completely on me, I have a terrible ability when playing a zelda game for the first time to somehow completely miss important things and unknowingly make the game harder for myself. Examples including: first time playing tp and only learning 2 skills from the Golden wolf and no others, how I ever beat darknuts without a backslash ill never remember; somehow playing through all of albw and never once coming across any sword or armor upgrades. That yuga fight was hell. So obviously any extra difficulty i experienced in oot for not having everything is def my fault) Ganondorf's first fight was a pain in the ass, it wasn't hard I just kept falling and he wouldn't stay down long enough for me to get more than one hit in at a time. Not a fan of the no floors. Ganon's pig form is cool in this one, I like his design. This fight was actually fun, not hard by any means but cool.

Still not a fan of a lot of minor sound effects, most of the music was nice. Everyone is a lot less ugly (and triangular) in the 3ds version, can't say I'm gay for this Ganondorf though. Still didn't get attached to many characters. Sheik is still my beloved but most of his Cool Character points go into 1.Mysterious and 2.Transmasc coded as fuck. I like Impa. I would still personally throw hands with Mido. I really like the zoras' design in general but Ruto is as annoying as I remembered. Nabooru is cool. Malon and Saria are okay.

I think if I was older and this had been my first loz game I would have liked it a lot more for Nostalgia Points alone (or I never would have gotten into zelda idk), but as one i grew up with later it was okay. I don't hate it, but its definitely still one of my least favorite 3d titles, and there were times when I played it where I actually missed playing Skyward Sword and its dogshit motion controls. If I were to have tried to beat my gamecube copy I think it would have been a repeat situation of picking it up, putting it down, and then never beating it; and I don't see myself replaying it from the beginning unless I were to do it for a youtube channel or a twitch stream or something.

Ocarina of Time was aight butman do I wanna go replay Twilight Princess. Ganon sorry I killed your moms.

[doctorguilty]

I always have this dream in which, sometimes with a group of people sometimes alone, I'm trying to make to to the bottom floor of a "basement" with at least 100 more floors below it. It starts in a basement, dark with dirt floors and stone walls, and stairs going down from a trap door. Each floor the inner architecture is different, sometimes more well lit sometimes not, sometimes full of rooms to navigate. They're always decrepit though. Sometimes there's creatures I have to out run or kill before they kill me. I usually have weapons on me (time it was 3 handguns). The stairs get more abstract as I go. They wind and twist in convoluted shapes, getting more surreal (sometimes it seems like I'm going up a set of stairs instead of down). There's something on the bottom floor I need to kill. I know this but I don't know what it is exactly. I don't know why I need to (dream me knows. But when I wake up for real, I don't remember) I also know that once I make it to the bottom, I can never come back. Every other floor I can, I can go back up or suddenly wake up back in the basement. But I for whatever reason I know for a fact the final floor, whether I fail or succeed, I will not come back (dream me also knows why. I don't.) Yet every time, I am so determined. If I'm with a party, they usually taper off the lower we go, too scared to proceed. So I'm often alone, but that's also how I know I'm getting closer. That and the dizziness. As I get lower, a feeling of vertigo gets stronger (and this is where I often pass put and wake up in the basement again). I try to power through it. Just a bit ago when i had this dream, I feel like it was one of my closer runs. As I got lower, the stairway got more narrow and each floor became smaller and more empty. The vertigo was intense and it made me stumble. Unfortunately I was woken up irl by my phone. So it abruptly ended. My first, instinctive feeling waking up was very upset that my dream was disrupted

Psychoanalyze me, captain

[scaryscarecrows]

The Pratt hotel is old, gold rush days or something, with the original wood in a lot of places and a gorgeous view of the mountains.

Unfortunately, it’s also creepy as fuck and Mark’s initial thought was that there was a carbon monoxide leak. But the detector says no, not in any of their rooms or in the hallway, so he has to put up with everyone ribbing him about being scared of the old, isolated hotel.

“All work and no play, Jones,” Jason says jokingly as they rattle down the massive staircase. “And you say I need a rest.”

“I’m coming for you with a bat first.”

The uneasy feeling is forgotten at dinner. Jade Garden is indeed sketchy-looking, with a weathered sign out front that says Order Now For Christmas! despite it being literally June, but their lo mein is fantastic and they even have a passable hot and sour soup. The feeling stays gone even when they get back, and he chalks it up to yeah, maybe I am just tired. The hotel is a little creepy, in that way that most old places are, but nothing…nothing awful. Not really. No internet, which sucks, but the bed’s comfy enough. Not like the last place, that one fucked up his back like nothing else…

He stretches out, presses his palms flat against the mattress and tenses just enough to send a series of nice poppoppops up his spine. Ahh. Nice.

Click-clickclick, click-clickclick, click-clickclick.

Sounds like a kid skipping; steps aren’t too heavy, the gait’s a little ungainly. Christ, whose unattended brat is up here at this time of night? There’s no kids on this floor, there’s no one but them on this floor, actually. And it’s literally eleven-thirty. Kids young enough to think skipping is fun should be in bed, not dicking around up here.

Click-clickclick, click-clickclick, click-clickclick.

Fine. He’ll parent the thing, march it back down to wherever it came from and inform the actual parents that if they can’t mind their child, there’ll be Hell to pay.

He swings his legs out of bed, wishing literally anyone else would deal with this. Frank’s good with kids. Jason’s good with kids. Riley…isn’t good with kids, but he’d probably scare the crap out of it and not even have to go downstairs. There’s no lights on that staircase, it’s a death trap waiting to happen, come on…

He undoes the locks, flings the door open, and growls, “Do you have any idea what time it is?”...to a dark, empty hallway.

Uh.

Child? Unattended child? He heard one. He knows he heard one.

“Hello?”

No answer. No annoying clicking, either. Maybe he didn’t hear a kid, after all.

Yawning, Mark heads back to bed. Maybe he was half-asleep or something. Oh, well.

Ten minutes pass, and he’s headed back to that nice floaty place of almost-asleep when that fucking click-clickclick, click-clickclick, click-clickclick starts up again. Okay, the kid probably heard the door open and feared consequences. He’ll just go out there and find it, then. God dammit, why do people have kids they don’t wanna train…why him, where’s Frank…

He shuffles into his slippers, stalks out into the hallway, and turns on his phone’s flashlight. It’s a narrow hall, there’s nowhere to hide.

The hall’s silent again, but too goddamn bad. He’s going to get to sleep if it kills him.

“Where are you, kid…”

Nothing. Maybe they’re hiding in the stairwell?

He’s maybe four feet from said stairs when there’s a child’s startled shriek, followed by a horrifying thud-clump-thud-clump going down.

Fuck.

He makes his own way down the stairs, dreading the sight of a twisted little body at the bottom (why don’t they have lights on this damn staircase, is that even legal?) and sees…nothing. There’s nothing here. No child. No adult, either, but that was a child’s voice.

Mark is not a believer in ghosts. Pranks, maybe, and he will be bringing this up in the morning. But what the hell. What the actual hell.

He heads back up, dread growing with every step. Nobody else is awake, which…nobody’s a sound sleeper, that’s a luxury none of them have been able to afford for years. They would have heard a prank.

Irrationally, the hallway seems far more sinister. His room isn’t much better, but being able to lock the door helps a little. 

He doesn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

[caxycreations]

Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den

Chapter Nine: Sweet Tooth

Ferusian Law, Third Sequence, Article 3: Law of Trespass

Ferusian citizens are entitled passage and habitation of any residency or public space as recognized by the Department of Home and Business.

Citizens are strictly forbidden from passing through, entering, or inhabiting any residency or public space owned privately through individual or business contract, such as homes, apartments, or private contractors.

Citizens are also forbidden from entering any space designated as Hazard Level C or higher by the Department of Risk Assessment, such as some condemned buildings, glassed towns/cities, or storm-wrecked districts.

Citizens caught in forbidden areas are fined no less than $10,000 and given a minimum of two months community service, up to a maximum of six months imprisonment.

I woke up to the sound of a claw tapping on glass, and for a minute I worried I'd been out here so long security flagged me as a risk. A glance out the window brought a smile to my face instead of a scowl, seeing I was wrong. A pale blueish gray caxy was standing at the window, dark markings in the shape of a cats eyes framing their forest green eyes. Ears pierced ten times each, and sharing Davina's signature studs above the eyebrow.

A lip ring adorned the thick, black bottom lip they shared with their mother. Brown hair, fluffy and thick, messy but swept to part on the left side. They were wearing a dark green bomber jacket, one that matched with David's, and Davina's, in style if not in color. A hand-drawn, stylized S was on the left side of the chest. Trace's logo.

Moss.

I chuckled, unlocking the doors and stepping out, pulling the young hybrid into a hug. "Howdy, pup. How's life?" I asked, smiling. I could guess easily how life had been. Life with Davina was always interesting, given her habits. But I was still curious to hear how they'd been, and what they'd been up to, apart from that. Moss shifted in their seat, trying to get comfortable before giving me an answer.

"It's been good! Mom's been stressing over my weekend trips like usual, but she did mention something about taking my driver's test next year, so soon I'll be able to start practicing!" They said, half excited. Moss smiled, buckling into their seat and looking at me expectantly.

"Hell yeah! You gonna practice with 'Vina or Trace?" I asked, starting up the truck and pulling out of the lot, heading for the nearest Mac Patty's.

"I think I'd like to practice with Trace. Mom's great, most of the time, but I don't think she'd be very good at teaching me while she's busy fussing over every little thing I do behind the wheel." They said, letting out a chuckle. It was wild imagining Davina of all people fussing and fretting over little things, but I understood. Moss was special to her like that. We pulled in and got out, heading in and placing our orders before settling down at a table.

"How's it been here? Been good or...?" Moss trailed off, smiling curiously. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Well, David's avoidin' home for a while. Tired of th' empty space, I reckon. Can't say I blame'im, he's got next t' nothin' unpacked there an' it's a damn depressin' little apartment." I responded with a dismissive wave. "Other'n th' houseguest I've been entertainin', it's been same as usual. Got a job offer though, security at th' club David had his 21st at."

Moss suddenly lit up, smiling wide at me and setting their burger down. "Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you, do you think you can get me in some time? I'm here every weekend, can't you get me in?" They asked, excited and almost pleading. They made wide, hopeful eyes, the smile on their face warm and eager. A hope, warmth, and eagerness I had to crush, unfortunately.

"No can do, pup. Ain't old enough an' they card ya at every turn in there. Davey almost gets thrown out ten times a night when he's in there, they have such a hard time trustin' his ID." I answered, half-sad at having to deny them. "Y'wouldn't be able t' get on th' dance floor, wouldn't be able t' get t' th' bar t' order water, an' ya wouldn't be able t' get in th' front door. Even if'n I helped ya by, they'd card ya inside an' we'd both be in trouble." I said with a sigh.

I watched them deflate, shoulders sagging and smile fading to a frown, eyes shifting to look at their food again. "Oh…Okay, sorry Uncle Rye." They apologized, low and quiet. I hated being the bearer of bad news. I glanced at the menu and chuckled, seeing a few pies, cakes, and ice cream options. I tapped one I knew they liked, a personal sized mulberry pie, and raised an eyebrow, smirking. They looked at the menu where I'd tapped and laughed a little, then looked at me.

"Are you sure, Uncle Ryder? I don't wanna cost you too much…" they said hesitantly. They glanced back to the menu, and I heard a soft, quiet mewl from them. I nodded, laughing a little and waving over a waiter, ordering two of the pies and a third to-go. Moss smiled, still not as energetic as they had been, but noticeably better than they had been a minute ago. We finished our food in silence, and when the pies came out, we ate them quickly and left.

Moss smiled as they sat their take-home pie in the floorboard, buckling in. "So guess what Trace said he would buy me today!" they said excitedly. I chuckled, shaking my head. Gifts from Trace were always bad news in the best way. I couldn't help but wonder what the fox had planned.

"What's that, pup?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Running shoes! There's a new shop that opened a few blocks from the mall, and he said when we leave there he'll buy me a pair!" the little caxy exclaimed. I smiled, nodding.

"Hell yeah! Well let's get ya back there so y'can get'em then." I said with a grin, putting the key into the ignition.

Starting the engine, I pulled out from the lot and headed back for the mall, settling into a space near the doors. Moss and I headed inside and, with a little searching, found David and Trace in Sugar Shack, a candy store David seemed incapable of skipping over when he came here.

"Trace! They have them this time!!" He exclaimed, bouncing giddily as he pulled a bar from the shelf. Double-stuffed king-sized cream bar, one of his favorites. Chocolate coating, Kanorian egg cream inside, and almonds throughout. He put several of the bars into his basket and skipped off to one of the scoop carts, grabbing a bag and filling it with various treats.

"Yep, I see that, did you leave any for anyone else?" the fox said with a smirk, walking over to keep up with David. Moss and I walked in and I grabbed a basket of our own, smiling.

"Go on, pup. Grab whatever y' want, I'll pay." I said, nodding to the candy. Moss shook their head and took the basket from me, quickly rushing off to fill it with their own selection of treats. I followed behind, tallying up the cost as they went. I knew better than to think they'd let me pay for it, and the only way I'd get the chance is if I was up there before they were and had the money ready to go.

"Oh my gods!!!" The exclamation turned every head in the shop, all eyes on the little grey caxy that had shouted. David was standing there holding a large box, a logo stamped on the back. He still hadn't noticed me, or Moss. I smirked, resigning myself to overpaying and just getting change back when Moss was done. Heading over to David, seeing Moss do the same out of the corner of my eye, I settled into place behind him, crossing my arms and looking over his find.

It was a gummy wolf, blue raspberry flavor. Industrial sized, the ones as big as a teddy bear. The eyes were peppermints, orange and white swirls meeting in a single point in the center. Trace had noticed me, but hadn't said a word, merely offering an acknowledging glance before focusing on David's presentation, the caxy now turning the box to face Trace.

"IT'S RYDER!!!" He yelled through his giggles, smiling wide. Moss, now approaching from behind Trace, nodded at David. The youngster nudged Trace, who nudged back with a grin, casually grabbing a couple of things from Moss' basket and slipping them into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Sure is, Dee. I can definitely see Ryder." Trace said with a smirk, glancing at me again as he spoke. My smirk turned to a grin and I reached forward, grabbing the box from David's hands and heading for the front counter, carrying it under my arm and pulling my wallet out.

"Hey, that's-!" I heard David cut his words short, most likely realizing I had been the one to take it. I heard footsteps following, and as I set the gummy wolf down on the counter, David smacked my shoulder.

"That was rude, you know!" He scolded. I let out a chuckle and pulled a couple of hundreds from my wallet, looking around the store for a minute before nodding to myself and looking at the clerk.

"Here, $200, paying for everything these guys plan on getting. Whatever's left over you can pocket." I offered, holding the money out. The cashier, a black and brown husky, looked at the money and nodded, smiling.

"Understood, Sir! Take your time and stock up, we're closing for a few weeks for renovations in a few days so we won't be available much longer!" They responded, setting the money into a space beside the register to use when we checked out. David gave a mrow of disappointment and smacked my shoulder again.

"I was gonna pay for our candy…You need to save up-" I cut him off with a look, sternly locking eyes with him.

"Jus' cause ya got more'n we'll ever have in our lifetimes don't mean ya gotta pay for all our shit. Sometimes we wanna do somethin' nice for ya an' that's that." I said, relaxing into a smile. "Besides, I planned on payin' for the candy Moss grabbed an' figured I may as well cover all th' stuff if'n I'm gonna cover any of it."

David gave another indignant mrow before shaking his head, smiling wide and taking off to continue filling his basket. Moss gave me a playful glare before running off to stock up their own basket. Trace just stood beside me, rocking on his pads and watching the two boys collecting candy.

"Not gonna get any for yourself?" I asked him, looking over curiously. Trace simply smirked, making a show of shaking his head while his hand shifted in his pocket. I knew that signal perfectly. His coat was stuffed with snacks, tucked away in his 'special pockets' he'd had put in. Connections in the underground paid for themselves, I guess. "Understood." I said with a chuckle, shaking my head.

Had it been anyone else, I might have tried to stop them. Paid for their goods myself, at best, convinced them to pay themselves at worst, but Trace was a special case. We'd never seen eye to eye on this sort of thing, and learned early on in our relationship it was best not to ask where Trace got anything, and even better for us not to question the methods if we did find out. I watched David and Moss, giddy over the snacks they were finding, sharing excitement across the store.

Moss was athletic, healthy, they didn't indulge in sweets much, but a candy store like this had plenty they could enjoy. David was even helping, pointing out anything he found that wasn't some sugar-filled monstrosity of cavity-inducing sweetness. I leaned back, watching them, from David's tail, long and freely swaying in his joy, to his hair, flying every which way as he turned sharp corners, excitedly darting from shelf to shelf. It was too cute not to laugh a little under my breath, smiling wide.

Trace nudged my side, raising an eyebrow at me. "You ever gonna ask the lil guy out? Come on, man. You've been making puppy eyes at him for the last ten minutes." He asked, causing me to look at him with wide eyes, my brow furrowed.

"Jus' so y'know, I ain't got any intention'a askin' David out. We ain't like that, ya oughta know that by now. Jus' cause y'like fuckin' your friends don't mean everyone with a best friend is pinin' t' pound'em." I scoffed, shaking my head. Trace smirked a little more, flashing his teeth at me.

"You're just jealous it's so easy for me, but face it, anyone with eyes can tell you want a little more than just a night of caxy magic, you want the caxy himself." He accused, turning to face me properly. I frowned, shaking my head. The odd feeling here and there didn't mean anything, it was natural for folks as close to each other as David and I were to wonder once in a while, but that didn't mean we had to pursue it. I knew better than that.

"Might wonder now an' then, but I learned pretty well that friends don't make good mates. Learned that from you." I said pointedly, hoping the jab might make him drop the subject.

His own smile faded into a frown, and he sighed. "I'm different. I liked you. You loved me. Doesn't work if it's not a real back and forth, dumbass. Gotta be mutual." He said, leaning back against the counter and pulling his hands out of his pockets, crossing his arms. I nodded, looking at David and Moss again. Moss hardly had anything in their basket, focusing on the healthy treats, the sugar-free stuff. Comparing that to David's was an anthill to a mountain, David now carrying a second basket, the first piled high. I hoped I'd paid enough for all of it.

Moss ran up and set their basket on the counter, smiling. "I got all I wanted, Uncle Rye!" they said with a wide grin. The cashier scanned the items, a few bars, a couple bags of chips, some gum, and used a bit of the money I'd given to pay it out. Moss smiled, taking the bag of candy and settling in between Trace and I. Trace nudged Moss, the young caxy looking at him curiously. "What was that for?"

Trace nodded towards David idly. "Y'think Ryder and Davey would make a good couple, kiddo?" he asked casually, leaving me glaring at him. The last thing I needed was Moss thinking about that sort of thing.

"Aren't they already?" They asked the fox, genuine curiosity in their voice.

"No, pup, we ain't. Jus' friends." I answered before Trace could corrupt the situation any further. Moss looked at me, confused.

"But he lives with you, y'all sleep together most of the time, too. And you're always watching out for him, buying him gifts like today. Are…you two not dating?" they asked, and I began to wonder what sort of things Davina had told them, or neglected to tell them, about David and I. I shook my head, sighing. This subject was starting to wear on me.

"No. Davey's my best friend, ain't nobody like'im, but that's all. Gotta be mutual. An' it ain't." I said, looking over at the little grey caxy across the store, grabbing a few more candy bars and bounding towards one last display. "Th'feelin's ain't there, pup." I said plainly.

"Oh." The younger caxy said, idly pulling one of their snack bars from the bag and starting to eat it quietly. Trace looked at me, shaking his head and letting out a sound that was half a sigh, half a growl. I looked over just in time to notice him grabbing my shirt hard, pulling me with all his strength out of the store. I could have resisted, but if he wanted to talk, better hear him out than have him make a scene in the store.

"Moss, stay there and make sure David uses what Ryder paid before he tries paying himself. I've gotta talk to your Uncle." he said, scowling. We made our way out of the store, settling in a few stores down with Trace glaring up at me, arms crossed.

"Do you have any clue how dense you are? Any idea at all?" He asked angrily, scowl only strengthening. "David looks up to you, admires you, adores you, trusts you more than he does any of us, even his own damn sister. We see you two together every time we see one of you, can't get an hour alone with either one. Even when you took off with Moss, you were back in forty minutes. Just can not stay away. But the feelings aren't mutual?"

I started to answer, but he cut me off. "Nuh-uh, quiet, not done. I've watched you rush in like a bat out of hell for the kid, but I've never seen you hurry like you have for David. Nobody else gets that privilege." His expression softened, and he looked at me with sadness in his eyes, though he tried hard to hide it. "Not even me, back then."

I was taken aback. Trace was always the blunt one, having this explosion was rare. He always spoke his mind in the moment, and I wondered why he had bottled this up. But I wasn't about to ask and risk getting hushed again.

Trace returned to his scowl, shaking his head. "The feelings weren't mutual on your end, Ryder. Not then. But now? Now anybody on Relan can take one look and see that you'd take on Gaius himself if he were a danger to David." He accused, shifting his weight from one paw to the other.

"Trace, I do all that for David cause ain't nobody else done it." I said, sighing. He had a point, one I wanted desperately to ignore. I didn't want David and I to go the same way Trace and I had. I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't hurt him too.

Trace glowered at me, then let his shoulders slump. "You are…too stupid for your own good." He said, frustration in his voice. "And for David's."

His words came with a finality I didn't dare question or add on to. I watched him pad back towards the store and followed quietly. He had said his piece and I had no idea how to respond besides simply going back with him. I felt a tightness in my chest, heat rising in my heart. Anger, remorse, regret, blame, all fighting on equal ground to decide how I was supposed to feel.

We got back to the store, David and Moss waiting by the door. Trace smiled, wrapping an arm around each of the caxies. "Got your goods, boys? Gods know I do!" He said with a laugh, letting go of David to pat his pocket, the sound of cellophane crinkling as he did. I stepped up behind Moss, ruffling his hair and putting on my best smile. I ruffled Moss' hair, earning an angry mrow from the young caxy.

David looked at me and mrowed curiously. "Everything okay, Rye? What did you and Trace need to talk about?" He asked, obviously a little worried. I shook my head, smiling.

"Jus' some old wounds needin' t'be licked, that's all." I said casually. Trace nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, he licked my old wound real good~" He said with a smirk. Moss playfully smacked his shoulder, laughing. I admired how easily he could slip back into his casual, playful attitude.

"Trace!!" the younger caxy exclaimed, trying to quiet their laughter. The four of us headed for the front entrance, and Trace stopped us at the doors.

"Alright, David, remember the game plan?" he asked, a wild smile on his face. David nodded excitedly.

"Yep! Tomorrow night at eight, you pick me up at Ryder's and we head out. I've got my stuff at my apartment so we'll make a stop on the way home so I can get it!" He answered eagerly.

Moss smiled, nodding. "I've got my gear in the back of the car! So we'll be all set and ready to go!" They said confidently.

"Y'all wanna tell me what this is about?" I asked worriedly, looking at the excited trio. Trace grinned at my question, like he knew how the answer was going to make me feel.

"We're going ghost hunting at the mall in Old Town." he said proudly, like it was worth bragging about. Old Town was no joke. Spire in the area failed during a storm, and the entire district was lost to a lightning strike. Hundreds, gone in an instant. The stories of ghosts ran rampant after that, and with the damage to structures, I didn't like the idea of David going out there one bit.

"Y'all ain't doin' that. Not with David. I know you'll be fine, Trace, y'got that wind shit ya do, an' I trust Moss t' take care'a themselves jus' as well. Davey, please tell me ya ain't goin' with'em?" I asked, half-pleading.

David simply shrugged, smiling. He was going, and wasn't about to give me a chance to turn him away from it. I sighed, nodding.

"Take care'a Davey out there then. Ya put'im first, 'fore yourself, got it, Trace?" I insisted, baring my teeth. The fox shrunk a little at that, but nodded.

"We'll take good care of him, we always do!" Moss said with a smile. The little caxy nudged Trace and pulled his jacket a little. "C'mon, we gotta go get some sleep if we wanna be up all night tonight!" they demanded, grinning.

Trace nodded, following suit and waving his hand at us. "You two be good, and don't forget what I said, Ryder!" he yelled our way, heading for his car.

David and I shared a laugh, my own being more tense than happy, and headed for the truck. If David was going to go, at least I knew Trace had agreed to watch him like a hawk. For all my worries, I could trust Trace to keep his word. I had to hold on to that.

I had to trust David would be safe without me tomorrow night.