#velvet attempts art
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velvetrambles · 4 months ago
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i wish to put him under a hydraulic press <3
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clownowo · 2 years ago
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The moment I realized the train was the Velvet Room I also realized I definitely needed to draw Lavenza in a little conductors outfit immediately
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lonelydemon-rp · 1 month ago
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titenoute · 2 years ago
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We were at a gathering with my partner when we saw her. I had to draw her.
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strawberryys-stuff · 1 month ago
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PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY | LN4
Lando Norris x reader
summary: Lando hates when you are upset but loves how you look when you cry
includes a bit of obsessive behavior
next part
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Lando never said it out loud—not to you, not to anyone—but there was something about you when you cried that left him utterly, disturbingly entranced. It wasn’t concern that gripped him in those moments. It wasn’t empathy. It was desire. Deep, hungry, and hard to look away from.
He hated himself for it—truly, he did. Because it wasn’t fair. Not to you. Not when you were hurting, unraveling, barely holding yourself together.
But fuck, the way you looked when you were breaking—it undid him.
He’d never seen anything more painfully beautiful.
You didn’t know, of course. How could you? You never noticed the way his breath hitched when your voice wavered, or how tightly he gripped the edge of the couch to keep from brushing your tears away with his thumb, just so he could feel them. You never caught the way his gaze lingered on the curve of your mouth when it trembled, the rise and fall of your chest when your sobs shook through you.
Your face, flushed and damp with tears, transformed into something almost otherworldly. Your lashes clumped together, casting soft shadows against your cheeks. Your skin, streaked with salt and glistening under the softest light. Your lips parted just slightly, swollen with the weight of words you couldn’t say. Your voice, thick and cracked, lingered in his mind long after you fell silent.
But it were your eyes—those red-rimmed, glassy eyes—that did him in. So full of emotion. So undone. They weren’t eyes that begged for help or comfort. They were eyes that stripped him bare, left him unsettled and hot. He’d catch himself staring, transfixed, tracing the path of a tear from your lash to your jaw with his gaze, imagining what it would feel like to follow it with his finger, or his lips.
You never knew that he saw you as art in your worst moments. And not the kind you hang proudly in a hallway—but the kind locked away, hidden, because it made people feel too much.
You looked breakable when you cried. And maybe that’s what made it worse—what made it feel so wrong and yet so irresistible. Because in those moments, you weren't polished or composed or hiding. You were raw. Unfiltered. And beautiful in a way you never were when you smiled. He didn’t want to fix your sadness, he wanted to watch it. Memorize it. Be close to it.
There were times he would imagine it again later, alone—how you looked with your face crumpling, your breath hitching, your hands trembling in your lap. He’d remember how your mascara smudged faintly beneath your eyes and how your voice dragged like velvet soaked in wine. Sometimes, he swore you didn’t even realize how devastatingly pretty you were in those moments. How intoxicating.
And maybe you didn’t. Maybe that’s what gave him permission, in his own mind, to look. To want.
He knew it would shatter something if you ever found out—not because he was cruel, but because it was the kind of truth that tasted like sin. A quiet addiction he never meant to nurture, but couldn’t let go of. Because when you cried, Lando didn’t want to fix you. He wanted to keep you that way.
Just for a moment longer.
It was nearing midnight when you showed up at his place, knuckles white around a half-empty bottle of vodka. There was a heavy flush to your cheeks, the kind that came from alcohol and cold.
Clearly another pathetic attempt at a date.
Lando stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame in a tight black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, not even pretending to hide the way his gaze flickered over your face. Your clothes were soaked, as well as your hair, strands clinging to your skin and water dripping from the sleeves of your jacket. However, he didn't move aside to let you into his warm, cozy apartment.
His eyes were busy tracing the paths of tears and raindrops, unashamedly savoring the view. That gaze was unholy, exhibiting eagerness to cause trouble, irreversible damage. His hand reached for your cheek, a place he loved to caress with utmost delicacy.
But instead of drowning your skin in gentle touches, he grasped your chin to pull you forward.
"God— you look so fucking pretty when you cry."
His lips crashed against yours in desperation, his composure crumbling. You tasted of salt and cheap booze. His other hand hugged the bottle neck of the forgotten vodka as soon as he felt you melt into the kiss, your body suddenly growing heavy. And you let him take it, mind occupied with something else entirely.
He pulled you inside his apartment and shut the door with his foot, refusing to separate your lips now that he had you right there, finally satisfying his filthy little desires.
It was twisted—you were highly aware of that—but you just couldn't resist. It was addicting, thrilling. You sought the need to be seen, worshipped, in the wrong places. You chose to chase men who refused to see beyond your appearance.
You chose to ignore the one man who was willing to tear the world apart, just for you.
How stupid of you.
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222col · 2 months ago
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fairy!reader x preachers son!art
summary: you were temptation personified to art, he can barely keep his purity ring on when you tell him you need to confess your sins
cw .ᐟ nsfw, religious themes / language
꒰ notes ꒱ happy easter looool <3
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the cross sat pretty around his neck, purity ring around his finger, he was the object of virtue. always dressed smartly, ironed shirts and matching socks. he never missed sunday sermons, or bible study, or family dinners. art was the picture perfect christian.
he'd heard about other boys being tested, warnings from his father, or gossiping at his weekly youth club. but art never fully understood the meaning, until you.
art's father made him sit out of the sex education classes during high school, but he was shown one video by his mother from the 80s. christian propaganda mainly, warning children of the horrors of teen pregnancy and sex before marriage.
art had never even touched himself before meeting you, too scared to even try. the idea that he could see him performing lewd acts on himself was too daunting. the only orgasms he'd ever had were during wet dreams, in which art prayed and prayed for forgiveness the next morning.
everything changed when he met you. all wide eyes and exposed skin. the first time art touched himself was to the thought of your cross dangling against your skin, the curve of your throat, the freckles on your shoulders. he cried himself to sleep that night.
you were too sweet, too unaware of his perversions. art could barely meet your eyes, knowing that he'd done unspeakable things to himself in your honour. just the image in his head of your legs against the church pew made his slacks tight.
another night staying late at the church, cleaning up the aisles for his father. once finished with his chores, art takes himself to the final pew and drops to his knees. hands clasped as he speaks directly to him, all but begging to be freed from his corrupted thoughts of you. it doesn't seem to be working though, as he's growing hard at the reminder.
"hi, artie." your voice cuts him out of focus, head snapping up to you. picture perfect in your white dress, rocking back and forth on your heels, innocent smile on your face. "h-hi," he mumbles in response, climbing up from his knees to sit upon the pew. "what are you doing here?"
you shrug softly, sliding in next to him. thighs touching his, as art's breath hitches. "must have got my days mixed up," you murmur, voice like velvet as it hits his ears. "thought your dad was here for confession."
he knows he shouldn't. knows it's wrong, that if his dad heard the next words to leave his throat he'd be done for. but art couldn't stop them if he tried. "you could— i could— you can talk to me, if you wanna?"
you nod your head immediately, as though there was nothing at all wrong with his suggestion. "o-okay," he mutters, sitting up straight, in some attempt to calm himself. "whenever you're ready."
"bless me father, for i— should i still say father?" art's ready to return to his knees and beg you to. "whatever makes you more comfortable." he attempts to encourage, turning his head to watch you.
"bless me father, for i have sinned," you continue, hands clasped together in your lap, looking up to him, before turning your head to meet art's eyes. "i'm not sure if it's a sin, but— i don't think it's a sin, but i wanted to confess it anyway."
art's desperately trying to stay level headed, to not let his mind runaway with him. he's calm, encouraging you to continue, he's prepared for whatever you might—
"i've been touching myself, father."
oh, fuck.
definitely a sin. definitely concerning you don't know that. definitely made the blood run straight to art's crotch. he already had a semi before you said that.
"oh— i see— well, that's— um," don't say it. don't say it. "where have you been touching yourself?" art can barely get the words out without choking. to say that phrase, in the lord's house, his heart is beating like crazy.
"here," you murmur, as your hands unclasp and land over your panties. "oh—" art voice hitches, looking away as your hand sits gently over your heat. his lip quivers as he looks up to the ceiling, saying three hail mary's in his head before turning back to you.
your legs gently spread, hand beneath your dress, fabric hitched up around your thighs. art had been getting off to a picture of you from the picnic after easter mass for months, and now you're before his eyes with your hand below your skirt.
he knows he shouldn't take advantage, art's torn between assuming you're doing this on purpose or genuinely being unaware. he knew his parents were strict on his sex education, or lack thereof, is it possible yours were even worse. he's cursing himself out in his head for even having this internal conflict. all too aware any other boy would be jumping at the chance to see you like this.
"do you ever?" you murmur softly, free hand crawling up along the inside of his thigh. oh, there goes any form of conflict. "mhm," he hums, not trusting his voice in that moment. his arms spread out along the back of the pews, head falling back slightly as your hand ghosts over his crotch.
unable to stop the soft whimpers that leave his lips as you begin to palm him over his slacks, his eyes darting back down to watch your movements. gently to unbuttoning his trousers, the damp mark on his tighty whities prominent. his breathing is heavy, laboured, as your hand reaches below his boxers. "oh, my—"
the feeling of someone else's hand on him is otherworldly, incomparable to his own. the arm resting behind your head slowly moves towards your body, shaking on it's way. his mind clouded solely by desire as his hand snakes below your dress.
his fingers slip under your lace panties, exploring your slick folds, jaw slack as he does. he's too focused on the feeling of your hand moving up and down on him to realise he has no idea what he's meant to do, how he's meant to touch you. his fingers bump your clit in his exploration, eliciting a moan from you.
in assumption that was pleasure, he continues. his movements messy, rhythm off but the feeling of someone else's hands is so foreign to both of you that it doesn't matter.
art's eyes meet yours, his gaze absorbing the sinful look upon your face. engraving the vision to his memory, eyes trailing down to watch the rise and fall of the cross sitting against your skin as you breathe. the soft whimpers echoing in his ears, his own mirroring yours.
his ring is cold against your skin as his movements increase in speed, evoking more moans from your lips. art's knuckles are white, clutching the wooden pew. feeling the familiar tension in his stomach, your own orgasm quickly approaching.
"oh— hphnn— god!" incoherent mumbles are all art can muster, spilling his orgasm over your hand, pooling around the base of him, staining his boxers. his name falls from your lips as his fingers lazily push you over the edge.
sat together panting, coming back down to earth, hands both sat beneath each others underwear, not moving. his eyes half lidded as they meet yours, blush across both your cheeks.
it's minutes before art pulls his slacks back up fully, gulping down his guilt before he makes the sign of the cross and drops down to his knees in front of the pew. immediately following suit, hands still sticky as they clasp together in front of your chest.
"bless me father, for i have sinned."
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© 222col. do not steal or repost my work without permission.
꒰ taglist ꒱ @khartalks @bluestrd @appleaali @chrattvibe @tacobacoyeet @lexiiscorect @glassmermaids @voidsuites @donteventry-itdude @matchpointfaist @stanart4clearskin @s0ftcobra @artaussi @simmerinsauce @coolgrl111 @hrrysglitter @cinnamoncunt @elsieblogs @tennisthatcher @deeninadream (to be added)
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orphicsun · 3 months ago
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Ellie x reader who’ve been dating a few years, and Ellie tries to propose 5 times but keeps getting interrupted, until for the 6th time, she proposes while in the middle of fucking ?? 💕💕
content: cheesy fluff, 18+ content, scissoring, loser Ellie(ish) content FINALLYYY
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Ellie was patient at her best and pacing at her worst. She didn't like rushing things that were most beautiful in development. The process of a fuzzy caterpillar emerging from its cocoon and spreading its wet wings in the midst of the entire sky for it to explore, the beauty of childhood, the process of learning a skill like art or playing the guitar. Good things took time.
Your relationship was inarguably one of the most beautiful things to ever exist. Ellie looked back at the years of change between the two of you. The honeymoon phase never seemed to wear off, still giggling as your lips smushed together in kisses soft like warm, freshly-baked cookies and getting the nervous jitters before a nice date.
You both couldn't get enough of each other through the hardships, the times when you didn't agree with each other and needed space. The challenges of when you had first moved in with Ellie and when you had to adjust to each other's lives. You were no magically perfect couple, and that is what made Ellie love the relationship even more if it were. The disagreements and the road-bumps, the stress over money or things out of your control only brought the two of you closer together, as if Ellie were a red magnet and you were completely blue. Ellie would've taken the worst with you over the best with anyone else, and that thought was what resulted in the purchase of engagement ring.
The thought wasn't on a special date or in one of the moments you were tangled up in bed together, but when she was actually in her solitude. You weren't clocking out 'till 3 pm sharp today, and Ellie was in a state of pathetic yearning. She kept random moments in her brain and stored them for times like these, when you weren't near for her to stare at and wonder how she got so lucky. It was a blurry conjuring in her head, a moment when you were folding the laundry and threw a rag at her head. And suddenly, she thought that thought. She couldn't imagine anyone else throwing a rag at her head. And so, Ellie took it upon herself to find the ring that would shine on your hand like it belonged there, something you'd enjoy looking at while sitting at your desk job 40 miles from home. Ellie wouldn't be like one of the men who bought their wife a ring that she had never shared an interest for.
Then came the 6 trials, as Ellie loved to jokingly call them. The first was a product of her own nerves—sweaty hands and a pricey, velvet box didn't suit well with the girl. She planned a date at a botanical garden and lead you through, but her never-ending adoration for you was what got her. Her inability to say no to you.
Walking up the bridge, she stopped. She tapped your shoulder, humming a small "babe.." for your ears to pick up on the nerves in her tone.
You turned around, and that is when Ellie choked. Your hair swayed in the slight, cool breeze of wind. The sunlight reflected the shine of it in certain areas, and lightened it up in others. Your eyes squinted in avoidance of sun, but your smile was bright. You were looking at her. She stuttered and stumbled like a fool until your eyes suddenly lit up and changed course of direction towards a hibachi truck on the other side of the park.
"Babe! Do you have some cash on you? I really want some california rolls." You tugged at her sleeve and Ellie was already gunning for her leather wallet in the pocket of her jeans.
The last four times were all mostly the same. A nice date like a picnic in a park she drove a while aways from home for, a reservations at a Brazilian steakhouse you rambled on about, the botanical garden (again), and her last desperate attempt was at an art museum both of you were excited for.
Everytime it was something different. The timing wasn't right, or the waiter came back with the appetizers or bill. The second garden trip was because the two of you ran into Jesse and Dina before she could even pat down the box in her pocket and assure herself that she would go through with it. Her nerves only worsened each discouragement.
The sixth trial was accidental. She had initially planned another reservation, this time at a high-end steakhouse in the urban parts of your city. It was a week away, and Ellie was living life just fine.
It was still a week away, and the two of you were in bed together late in the night. Ellie's body was pressed against yours with much intimacy, warm tits pressed together and your legs tangled underneath sweaty sheets Ellie would throw off the bed later.
"Fuck, babe. You feel so good." Ellie murmured against your neck while she indulged herself in the heat that emitted from it. She enjoyed your scent and smothering your softness in loving kisses. Her leg hitched up over yours, aligning your cunts as closely as possible before sinking down.
The moan she tore from your throat made her heart pitter-patter, and her hips jolted forward, her clit catching on yours.
"Mhm.." you mumbled lazily, in your own state of bliss. You'd had another long day of work, but the sleepiness didn't stop you from wanting Ellie like this.
"Can I kiss you, babe?" Ellie requested, already moving her peachy lips from your neck.
Your slow nod lead to the sloppy kisses that got Ellie really wet. You felt it against your own pussy, your girlfriend writhing on top of you and dripping both of you onto the sheets. She humped your pussy as if she were catching a heat, not paying any attention to the shlick sounds that caused a vulnerable red in your cheeks until it became one of those things that really fucked with her.
Her mouth pulled from yours despite your small whine of protest, opting to rant out what she wouldn't normally say. "Fuck..feels so fuckin' good. I need to fuck you like this tomorrow. Can I please, please fuck you just like this tomorrow night?" You didn't get the chance to nod—"You feel so warm, like my own little space heater. I could keep you forever, you know." She gave you earnest, but sloppy movements, making you need more while also getting off on her heightened sense of pleasure.
"Yeah, Els. That's nice-"
"Just marry me already." Ellie blurted from her lips, immediately freezing on top of you. When she went still and rose from your laid form, you tapped her shoulder. You sat up, lifting the blanket over your tits as a reaction to the nerves she caused.
"Ellie..? Did you mean that?"
"Well, yes..I've been meaning to say it for a while." She admitted quietly.
Your heart was racing faster than moments ago, and you cupped her face to turn it towards you. "You really mean that? You wanna marry me, too?"
Ellie didn't miss the implication of that. "You wanna marry me?"
"Yes!" You hugged her, completely missing that Ellie was asking in a different way and not in a proposing way, but nevermind that.
Ellie tugged your hips and you move into her lap, melting in her arms. You both giggled like during the very first kiss back in Ellie's hand-me-down BMW, and she smothered your cheeks in soft, wet kisses while holding you close.
"You know, I was gonna propose on our next date. I made the reservation and everything."
"Celebratory dinner?" You suggested, wrapping your arms around her until they can spread over her bare back.
"Yeah, sure. Or..you could be my celebratory dinner." Ellie grinned at your surprise, and flips you back onto the bed to lay for her, already leaving giddy kisses down your body.
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taglist: @witzs, @bewareofmyglock, @ruelezz, @mitskimisfit, @g4ys0n. Taglist form here
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yandere-daydreams · 8 months ago
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Title: Worship of a Sacrificial Lamb.
Pairing: ???!Gojo Satoru x Yandere!Reader (JJK).
Word Count: 8.0k.
Commissioned by the very lovely @elsecrytt.
TW: Fem!Reader, Non/Con, Dub/Con, Nonconsensual Drug Use, Kidnapping + Prolonged Captivity, Physical + Psychological Abuse, Wildly Unhealthy Relationship Dynamics, Codependency, Suicidal Ideation, Mentions of Previous Suicide Attempts, and Blood. Gojo's Not The Yandere But He Sure As Hell Isn't Normal Either. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.
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You were sure, beyond the point of reason, that Gojo Satoru was an angel.
A guardian angel, actually. Maybe even your guardian angel, if you were going to let yourself be so sickeningly romantic. Even if you were going to hold yourself to some kind of distorted rationality, you weren’t sure how anyone could ever so much as look at him and not see an act of irrefutable divine intervention. He had the body of a marble sculpture – as if some great, ancient master of their art had taken decades aside to carve the embodiment of all things good and beautiful  – and a face any model would’ve killed for. His hair was the most brilliant shade of white you’d ever seem, purer than cloud and softer than velvet, and there was a special place in your heart reserved entirely for his lips – pretty and pale and so lovely that if you ever got the chance to kiss him, you weren’t sure you’d be able to stop.
Of course, his eyes were your favorite. Not that it was easy to pick a favorite part of Satoru – no, you’d spent long hours deliberating over the perfectly straight arch of his jawline and the slightly crooked bridge of his nose, the gentle slope of his shoulders and harsh angles of his hands – but if you absolutely had to, you’d say his eyes were the part of him you spent the most time thinking about, that you adored above all else, that would’ve wanted to keep for yourself if you couldn’t have Satoru as whole. The color of the sky and twice as clear, you could still remember the way they’d seemed to glow in the dim light of the deserted street where you’d first met, the way your heart broke just a little every time he blinked or fluttered those perfect snow-white eyelashes. If you could’ve, you would’ve liked to keep a spare set in a small glass jar – something clear and sturdy that you could carry with you whenever you didn’t have access to the real thi—
“...ma’am?” And then, leaning forward, flashing a perfect smile and snapping his perfect fingers, “I think I might’ve lost you, there.”
You perked up, nodding frantically before thinking better of it and, with a sheepish smile, shaking your head. “I’m sorry, I—” You paused, clearing your throat and taking a sip of your coffee before going on. “I’m just having a little trouble concentrating. You can keep going.”
That was enough to earn a breath of a laugh from your perfect Satoru, and immediately, you fell in love with him all over again. He mirrored you, taking a sip of his own drink (some awful, adorable type of frozen hot chocolate served half-drowned in whip-cream) before responding, his melodic voice akin to birdsong and rainfall and every other delicate, beautiful thing in the world. “I know it can be a lot to take in. For someone in your situation, especially.” What that situation was, you weren’t entirely sure. Still, you nodded and smiled like he’d said the most comprehensible thing you’d ever heard. “Just try to stay with me. I promise – curses are a lot less scary when you know what they are.”
His head lulled to the side, his perfect eyes lulling into something softened and dream-like, and just like that, he’d lost you again. It was unfair, honestly. He’d been the one to invite you, scrawling down his name and phone number on a scrap of paper with the excuse that he owed you an explanation, but you’d picked out your meeting spot (a café on the edge of business district, somewhere he’d never go on his own but that suited his preference to a T), made sure you arrived half an hour early to claim a table in the most secluded corner and order a drink you knew he’d like just in time for his to be fifteen minutes late. You were lucky, really. Anyone else would’ve noticed your starry-eyed gaze and giddy smiles and figured out that there was something deeply, deeply wrong with you, but not your Satoru. He was probably used to hero-worship, even if the thought of anyone else sharing the same connection with him that you did was enough to make you grit your teeth.
Now wasn’t the time for that, though. You pulled yourself out of your thoughts as the corner of his lips quirked downward – the closest thing to a proper frown you’d ever seen him wear. Whatever he might’ve gone on to say about wizards and invisible monsters was lost entirely as he trailed off, his eyes darting to either side behind the dark lenses of his glasses. “Sorry, ma’am, I think I—” With an uncharacteristic clumsiness, he pushed himself to his feet, nearly tipping over his chair. In your peripheral, you watched for concerned samaritans and curious onlookers, but came up empty. That was good. That made sense. It was a busy coffee shop during the late-morning rush on a weekday – who’d ever think to pay attention to the couple in the far corner? Even half of that couple was a deity in the flesh. “I think I need a second.”
It was smart of him – to make such a hasty retreat. He barely waited for you to give one final, enthusiastic nod before cutting through the crowd and disappearing into a unisex bathroom.
It was smart, but it would’ve been smarter to run somewhere you couldn’t follow.
Saliva pooled under your tongue, your fingers drumming erratic and involuntary rhythms into the table, but while Satoru might’ve been an angel, you had the patience of a saint. You counted down the seconds, nursing your coffee and occasionally checking your phone, until three minutes had passed, only getting up when you were sure you would’ve been seen waiting. Rather than moving towards the exit, you positioned yourself at the edge of the counter, flagging down the youngest barista – a mousey girl in her late teens, with an expression that said she’d do anything to be helpful and a shrunken quality that told you she’d do even more not to get in trouble. “I’m so, so, so sorry to bother you, but—It’s my boyfriend,” you started, wringing your hands together and keeping your eyes on the floor. There was a sick thrill that came with calling Satoru your boyfriend, even if it wasn’t true, but you were careful to keep your tone strictly apologetic. “He’s, uh—He’s got a thing about crowds, and he’s kind of having an episode. Is there any way I could get him out of here without making a scene?”
There was – an employee exit just next to the door to the storage room, one that opened up directly into a back alley that would’ve kept a comfortable distance between you and the main road. Her eyes lit up, but she made a show of looking concerned, of glancing to her smothered coworkers, before looking back to you. “Well, we’re not supposed to let customers—”
“Please?” You tried, and then, with a type of cloying desperation, “It’s kind of an emergency. He just really needs to get outside.”
It took a second, then another, but finally, she cracked with a muted sigh. “There is a backdoor – past the bathrooms and to your left. I… I have to ask my manager, but I should be able to leave it unlocked.”
You didn’t have to fake your gratitude. You bowed your head, mumbling ecstatic little ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’s as you turned on your heel and moved towards the restroom. You’d been prepared to pick the lock, but Satoru must’ve been more affected than you realized – he was already so out of it, he’d left the door open. You could only be thankful no one else had seen come in. You couldn’t imagine there was anyone in the world who could resist taking advantage of someone as wonderful as Satoru in such a vulnerable state.
Grinning to yourself, you shouldered the door open and stepped inside, shutting and locking it behind you.
Satoru didn’t make himself heard to find. He’d collapsed onto the faux-marble vanity, his feet still on the ground but his back braced against the mirror, one hand clamped around the side of the sick while the other struggled to form one of the strange, distorted symbols he’d used the night you met him. His half-lidded eyes widened when he saw you, his mouth falling open, but he didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. You couldn’t blame him. The sedative you’d used was strong enough to put a grown man under with a single dose, and you’d given Satoru enough to put a horse into a coma.
“Hey, pretty boy.” You took a tentative step forward, and when he didn’t react, another. His fingers twitched, but whatever he was trying to do was forgotten as soon as you took him by the hand, intertwining your fingers with his. “It’s not that bad, is it? You should just be a little tired.”
Again, predictably, there was no response. His perfect lips opened wider before sealing into an acute, adorable pout, and you drank in the sight like a man starved.
Cooing, you leaned in closer – placing your body in the space between his open legs and squeezing his hand before letting go entirely. Rather, you cupped his face, admiring the pink flush spread across his pale cheeks, the glossy sheen over those beautiful eyes. Suddenly, it was too much to take, and you jolting forward; your mouth crashing into his and your tongue pushing past his lips, his teeth. His taste was euphoric – caramel and cream and everything good and sweet and divine – but you didn’t give yourself long to savor it before you pulled away, dropping to your knees. You hadn’t meant to move this quickly, but you loved Satoru. You worshiped Satoru.
And no real acolyte would ever refuse to kneel in front of their sacred alter, if given the chance.
Disappointingly but unsurprisingly, he wasn’t hard. You let his jeans and boxers (the latter patterned with pure-white bunnies – cute) pool at his ankles as you wrapped a fist around his cock, pressing a kiss into the curve of his shaft. Like every other part of him, his dick was perfect – long and lean, with a slight left-leaning tilt and a few thin, ridged veins that you dragged you tongue over before taking the head into your mouth properly. Admittedly, it’d been a while since your last hook-up (and even longer since you’d cared enough about another person to put any more than a passable amount of effort in), but everything about Satoru seemed to come naturally to you. His reactions were limited to a vacant stare and the occasional, breathy noise, but soon enough, you felt him stiffen against the flat of your tongue, filling out your fist where you pumped lazily over his shaft. If it’d been anyone else, you might’ve been disappointed at just how quickly he went from soft to stiff to leaking thick beads of arousal, but not with your Satoru. Of course he was sensitive. Angels were supposed to be delicate.
Using one hand to brace yourself against his thigh, you reached up with the other and found his hand, still hanging dully where you’d left it. It was a bit of an odd position – trying to hold his hand while bobbing your head and doing your best not to choke on his cock – but you made it work. It wasn’t long before those little, breathy noises built into cracked whimpers and airy whines, before you could feel him twitching against the roof of his mouth. It was hard to see, given the angle, but when you thought to look, you could make out tears forming in the corners of his eyes, something new knit into his expression. It wasn’t quite distress – or, at least, not the kind of distress you’d been expecting – but you didn’t recognize it. That didn’t really matter, though, not if you were being honest with yourself.
It was coming from your Satoru, and that was enough to make it beautiful.
You moaned around him, and a pitchy keen slipped past his numb lips, his grip going vice-like where he held your hand. You swallowed him down to the hilt as he came, determined not to waste a drop of what you’d fought so hard for, before pulling back, a string of saliva connecting your bottom lip to his cock for a lingering second, then another before that connection snapped and severed you from him completely. Suppressing the urge to mourn its loss, you pushed yourself to your feet and pulled him close – pressing a kiss into his neck, then his jaw, then the corner of his lips. “Such a good boy,” you purred, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “My good boy. My perfect little angel.”
This time, Satoru did react – slumping against you even as his hand remained braced around yours. You took him by the shoulders, leaning back just far enough to see his eyes lull, blink, then shut entirely. He wasn’t unconscious - you could see a certain stiffness to his shoulder, a rigidity to his posture – but it was clear that you’d worn him out. You smiled, shaking your head as you raked your fingers through his hair and laughing as you found it just as soft as you’d imagined. “Think it’s time to go home, ‘toru?”
Rather than pull away from you, he seemed to melt even further. It was barely more than a whisper, but you made it out as clear as day. “…home?”
“Yes, angel,” you laughed, pressing your lips against his forehead.
“Home.”
~
He was asleep by the time you reached your car, and thoroughly knocked out by the time you got back to your townhouse – a modest machiya in a neighborhood that valued its privacy. Admittedly, carrying a man twice your height with triple your weight in muscle could’ve gone better, but you managed. There was a short list of things you couldn’t do for Satoru.
The sedatives had already proved less effective than you’d been promised, but still, you had plenty of time to get him into his bedroom, lock the titanium collar around his neck, and most importantly, change his clothes. You’d already picked out a new wardrobe for him – all whites and creams and soft pastels, nothing as harsh as the restrictive, black uniform he usually wore. Not that Satoru didn’t look good in black; you were sure he’d look breath-taking in anything! Even if he decided to wear, you didn’t know, an all-leather body suit, you were sure he’d—
You’d have to look into ordering a custom set. Preferably in white, but you’d settle for blue, if you had to.
You’d also made sure his room suited him, too. After making sure you had the bare necessities (deadbolts, bars over the windows, etc.), you might’ve gone a little overboard. You wanted Satoru to feel comfortable, so you made sure to work-in a few of the cute, soft things that reminded you of him – string lights and stuffed animals and plush blankets all the same color as his hair. You knew he was prone to migraines, but you couldn’t stand the idea of letting him put anything between you and those beautiful eyes, so you compromised with permanently low lighting and heavy curtains over his singular window. Entertainment might be an issue, since you obviously couldn’t give him anything with an internet connection, but—
You heard Satoru stir, and immediately, every logistic thought you might’ve had died and fell away. You’d planned to keep your distance while he woke up, but in an instant, you were perched on the side of his bed, your gaze fixed on his lax expression as he slowly woke up.
It was surprisingly peaceful – his slow trek back into consciousness. Long seconds passed between the first awkward stagger in the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the moment he actually opened his eyes, still glassy and unfocused with exhaustion. You didn’t rush him. It was all you could do to watch as he sucked in a harsh breath and pulled himself up, only to collapse against the headboard just as quickly. A hand drifted to his shirt, fisting at the alien material, then to the collar around his neck. He didn’t try to take it off, which was good. You didn’t want to have to resort to something so ugly so early on.
Finally, he seemed to perk up – glancing around his new bedroom, as if evaluating it. When he turned to you, you smiled, and Satoru remained blank.
You broke the silence. “Welcome home, ‘toru.” You swallowed back the temptation to tell him how happy you were to finally have him here, how long you’d been waiting for this moment, instead centering your attention on his needs. “Do you want something to drink? You shouldn’t eat so soon, but you were out for a while. It seemed like you could use a little rest.”
A beat passed, but eventually, Satoru shook his head – as polite as could be expected, given the circumstances. “…you’re the one who kidnapped me?”
“Mhm.”
“And you’re not a curse-user? Or working for the higher-ups?”
More made-up words. You decided to let him have his fun. “No, I’m not.”
“Why, then?”
Your smile widened. You’d been hoping he would ask. “You’re not dumb, Satoru. The day you found me—” Or, rather, the day you’d found yourself in his arms, barefoot and shaking, caught by a divinely beautiful stranger after taking a long fall off of a short building. The day you’d fallen in love with him. The most important day of your life. “I’m sure you know that no one actually pushed me.”
And, even if he didn’t, it couldn’t be hard to believe. There were only so many reasons a salary-worker would be on the roof of their office building in the middle the night, only so many reasons you would’ve left your heels and your coat on the same ledge you’d eventually topple off of. He’d been kind enough to get them for you, as you sat sobbing into your hands on the curb. He only pursed his lips, though, his eyes remaining perfectly lifeless. You took that as a sign to go on.
“My job is—” Terrible. Pointless. Soul-sucking. It paid well, and nothing you did was particularly hard, but the constant overtime and mindless pencil-pushing meant you had very little time for yourself and even less to show for it – besides the paycheck, of course. You couldn’t even say you hated it. You’d just been so ready for something, anything else, and it’d worked, in a way. You’d gotten Satoru. “—pretty boring. I’ve never really liked spending time with other people, and I’m not particularly good at anything aside from busy-work, so I really didn’t have a reason to stick around. But, then you saved me, and you were so kind, and so heroic, and I—”
You shut your eyes, curling your hands into fists. Not unlike a schoolgirl, too embarrassed to confess properly. “I love you, Satoru.”
There was no response, not at first. Internally, you panicked – what if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he didn’t realize that this was for the best? What if he’d rather die than—
“You…” His tone was light, airy, only the slightest traces of shock shining through. As if he didn’t believe you. “You love me?”
“More than anything.” And, just like that, you were spilling open. “I—I thought it’d be enough to keep an eye on you from a distance, for a while, but after a few days – after seeing how much you worked and how little you slept and how terribly you took care of yourself – I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t live without you, and, well,” You cut yourself off with a sudden laugh, only a little forced. “You couldn’t have gone on much longer if I hadn’t stopped in. Not like that.”
For a second, he seemed to regard you. It was strange, how hollow he seemed compared to how vibrant he’d been every time he’d spoken to you previously, but you didn’t mind. Not all gods could be cheerful ones. Even divinity had to be morose, from time to time.
Still, your racing heart beat a little faster when the corner of his mouth twitched into a slight, cocked smile. He didn’t say anything, but he shifted, reached out, tentatively resting a hand on your knee before bringing it up to your thigh, then your hip. After waiting for you to nod (which you did, eagerly), he pulled you closer – into his lap. You managed to keep your guard up for all of three seconds before he collapsed onto you entirely, burying his face in the crook of your neck. You melted against him with just as much pathetic desperation, grateful beyond words to have the distance between you finally closed. “Do you really mean that?”
“And then some. When you reached out to me, my heart almost burst with happiness. It was hard to believe you even remembered that I existed.” You nestled against him. “I meant what I said about wanting to take care of you, too. You shouldn’t have to worry about yourself ever again, not after everything you did for me.”
There was more, of course. Rules to go over, punishments to warn against, specifics to lay out, but he wasn’t fighting back, or trying to escape, and he was tucked so sweetly against you – it would’ve been a shame to move, let alone start listing off threats. Thankfully, tragically, Satoru ripped the band-aid off first. Slowly, he lifted his head, drawing back just far enough to dart back in for a clumsy, lip-bruising kiss. You’d already, technically, stolen his first, but there was a difference between kissing his limp body and feeling his lips move sloppily against yours. It was a fragile, immature connection – all scraping teeth and kneading hands and Satoru’s little, throaty moans, but you didn’t dare break it off until your lungs ached. Even then, you held him as close as you could as his hands fell to your waist, a thumb slipping under the waistband of your skirt and—
“Down boy,” you laughed, and Satoru glanced up, pouting. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but not so soon. You’re still in shock, and I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
The impulse blowjob a few hours prior felt unnecessary to mention.
Satoru seemed conflicted. He was still in that sort of blank, softened state, but he let out a whine by way of protest. It was all you could do to sigh, kissing his forehead before going on. “Later on, ‘toru. After I’m sure that you can be trusted to behave.”
It wasn’t that you didn’t want to make love (‘fuck’ felt to crude, ‘sex’ too clinical; making love wasn’t perfect, but it was what you had) to Satoru. You would’ve done anything to take care of him, anything to keep him happy, but there’d always been a gap in your mind when it came to your own pleasure – an instinct that urged against expecting your love to be requited. As far as you could guess, it would come with time – after you’d started thinking of him as less of an angel and more of something able to love you back. The delay was for the best, really. Intimacy would make you vulnerable, exploitable. You needed to show Satoru how strong, how strict you could be, first.
“That sucks.” It was almost endearingly childish, just how shamelessly he sulked. It took a few more pecks and another minute or so of coddling before he sighed. “You can keep kissing me though, right?”
“Of course,” you said, automatically. It was a dangerous promise to make, with plenty of chances for unwanted escalation, but you never would’ve been able to say ‘no’ to Satoru – not so directly, at least. Not when he was looking at you with those beautiful, pitiful eyes.
“Anything for you.”
~
“So when are you going to use the collar?”
The question was posed casually, unprompted and unrushed. Still, you paused, humming as you glanced over to Satoru. He’d gotten more talkative in the two or three weeks since you brought him home, but he still seemed caught in that quiet, liquid haze of tranquility – all easy smiles and half-lidded eyes and slow, sloppy kisses from the moment you came home to the second you had to leave. He seemed to be enjoying himself, spending his time basking in your affection and letting you take care of him, and that made you happy. All you’d ever wanted was for him to be safe and looked after, and he was. You could make sure of that, now.
(Admittedly, there was a small, negligible part of that had expected there to be some resistance – a hissy fit, a muted protest, something aggressive and combative that wouldn’t be calmed with a few kind words and a gentle touch – and mourned the fact that Satoru was taking this all so well. It wasn’t that you wanted him to hate you, but you’d always struggled to trust what came to you easily. If you had to work for Satoru’s love, you could be sure that you’d earned it. If you had to smother him into submission, you wouldn’t have to wonder if he was only lulling you into a false sense of security before stealing away all the tools you used to keep him safe. You tried not to be so pessimistic – outwardly, at least.)
“I won’t have to, preferably.” Pulling a towel off of the nearest rack, you bent down to his height and started to ruffle his hair dry. He shut his eyes, but didn’t try to stop you. Currently, he was sitting on the wall of your bathtub, only partially dressed in a pair of tan sweatpants while you finished drying his hair. You could shower alone before work in the morning, but Satoru needed more care. He needed to be treated like something precious, and he’d already proved that you couldn’t trust him with such an important responsibility. “It’s kind of a last resort. It should only go off if you try to leave.” And then, as you burrowed your nails into the towel., “Is that… Is that something you’re going to do, ‘toru?”
“Never. You keep me too good n’ spoiled.” He flashed you a lazy grin, and just like that, you were looking away, biting down on your tongue, trying to coax your heart back into beating at a steady rhythm. You pretended to be busy rummaging through the nearest drawer for a brush, but Satoru only laughed. His next question was just as probing. “It came with a remote, though, right?”
“…like I said, it’s a last resort,” you repeated, too flustered to lie. “I don’t want to hurt you. Unless you tried to escape or attacked me, I really can’t see myself doing anything so—” Blasphemous. Unforgivable. Sinful. “—harsh.”
“I wouldn’t mind.” Like always, he was a little too quick, a little too willing. You bit back a scowl. “I just think it could be romantic, y’know?  I’d get to see how much you’re willing to do for me, or something like that.”
You forced a bark of a laugh. “There’s nothing romantic about me hurting you, baby. ‘specially not if I’m only doing it because you acted out.”
“I promise, I’m tougher than I look.” Another smile, even more dazzling than the first. Again, you felt your head start to speed up, only to stop beating entirely the second he went on. “I used to have this friend – Suguru – and he’d—”
Your hand was in your pocket before you had time to stop yourself, the plastic remote clenched in your fist before you had time to think. You’d never read the manual, never thought you’d have to use it, but that didn’t matter. There was only one button, and it only did one thing.
Satoru’s voice cut out as the current picked-up, pumping the maximum voltage into his throat. Satoru didn’t scream, didn’t thrash, but he reacted – going rigid as his beautiful eyes went painfully wide. The whole thing was silent save for a low, almost inaudible buzzing-type sound, and you kept your thumb pressed into the singular button for a second, then another, before forcing yourself to let go. Even that was more difficult than it should’ve been. You couldn’t stand the idea of hurting him, but…
Fuck. You would’ve done anything not to hear Satoru say his name ever again.
To his credit, Satoru didn’t collapse. When it was over, he only buckled forward – catching himself on his thighs as he dragged in a jolting, ragged breath. You were on your knees in front of him in a second, his face in your hands and your mouth on his cheek, his forehead, his neck, as if you could kiss away the pain. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” you chanted, each word less coherent than the last. “It’s just—I’ve read about him in your diaries, and I should’ve known you’d bring him up, and—”
“I love you.”
You went quiet.
You tried to pull away from him, but his arms lashed out; wrapping around your midriff and pulling you closer – burying his face in the dip of your shoulder, the crook of your neck. Again, he repeated, “I love you.”
For a second, you thought about pulling away, about sending him back to his room while you pulled yourself together. For a second, you considered reaching for your remote, again.
Then, you settled against him, shutting your eyes and resting your head against his chest.
“I love you too, Satoru.”
~
Admittedly, Satoru’s apartment was the closest thing you had to a guilty pleasure. The first time you’d broken in, you were still on the fence about just how much he needed your help, but by the third, or the fourth, or the fifth, you’d already made up your mind about bringing him home. You’d only visited a handful of times since, but it was nice to stop in every now-and-then, to remind yourself there were two distinct eras of Satoru’s life – prior to the day he’d met you, and post. Getting to spend a few minutes tucked into a space so essentially Satoru wasn’t something you were opposed to, either.
You made your way slowly through his former home – stepping over heaps of abandoned clothes and stopping to straighten forgotten piles of cluttered paperwork he would never be forced to re-visit. Satoru didn’t have any close friends or family who’d stop by uninvited, which meant every little detail was exactly how Satoru would’ve left it. The fridge was still empty, the freezer stocked with frozen, pre-packaged desserts; the walls were still empty and drab, utterly devoid of life; and best of all, his bed still smelled exactly like him. It was a silly thing to be so excited about, especially when you had the source waiting for you at home, but you collapsed onto the mattress without hesitation, shutting your eyes and basking in the evidence of just how hopeless he’d been, before you had a chance to—
Clipped footsteps, followed shortly by the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open. You bolted upward, your pocket knife (because self-defense was important when you treated breaking-and-entering like a hobby) in your hand in a fraction of a second, but the intruder didn’t seem quite so concerned.
It was a woman – deathly pale and worryingly gaunt, just a little too short to be considered average. She regarded you with a cold stare before nodding by way of greeting. “I’m guessing you’re Satoru’s girlfriend?”
The irritation that came with hearing someone else use his given name was immediately overshadowed by pure, euphoric delight. Smiling like an idiot, you asked, “He calls me his girlfriend?”
“Oh, I’m not going to repeat what he calls you.” Her gaze dropped to your knife, now little more than an afterthought. “You can drop the weapon,” she said, holding up a manila envelope stuffed to the point of bursting. “Just here to pick up his lesson plans. It’s been a pain in the ass – having to cover for him since you two started playing house.”
She sounded agitated, but only mildly so. A small, rational part of your mind urged you to linger on the mild irritation in her voice, the odd casualness in the way she spoke to you. She couldn’t have talked to Satoru recently, not the months he’d spent with you, but if she was concerned for his safety, she wasn’t concerned enough to bring up the issue now.
The vast, easily distracted majority could only chant girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend.
You opened your mouth, ready to ask if Satoru had talked about you often, if he’d ever mentioned your name, if she remembered word-for-word what he’d said about you, but she was already gone – muttering a curt goodbye and slamming the bedroom door behind her. By the time you could force yourself off of his bed, she’d disappeared entirely.
That day, you picked up roses as white as his hair and forget-me-nots as blue as his eyes on your way home. Just to remind Satoru how much you really loved him.
~
Satoru greeted you as soon as you got home, like he’d done every day since you gave him permission to roam freely. You didn’t call out, didn’t ring the bell, and yet, as soon as the door was closed and locked behind you, he was there; his arms wrapped around your waist and your body hauled against his. He held you in that bone-crushing embrace for a second, then another before lowering you back onto your feet. You clung to him for just a little longer before letting go.
He always seemed to be smiling, but tonight, he was beaming. He pulled you into an eager kiss, only to jerk back just as abruptly, too excited not to start talking while his lips were still pressed against yours. “Happy six-month anniversary,” he managed, quickly enough for the words to blend together. “I, uh—It’s not much, but I got you something. I thought it’d be cute to leave it in your office, but that might’ve been— I mean, I can bring it to you if—”
“Remember to breathe, ‘toru,” you cut in, laughing. He let his head lull to the side sheepishly, and you went on. “You got me something?”
“It’s not a lot,” he reiterated, still shy. “I’m sorry, I’m not really used to this. I wanted to have dinner ready when you came home, too, but I think it needs a few more minutes.”
It was hard to believe, sometimes – just how lucky you’d gotten. There were only so many human beings who could say they’d met an angel, and you got to come home to one every night.
“You’re perfect.” Satoru blushed, and you pulled him close, pecking the bridge of his nose just underneath the bar of his glasses. “Finish up. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen to tell you how much I love my gift.”
Reluctantly, you detached from Satoru, and made your way to the home office you’d all-but abandoned after bringing Satoru home. His present sat on the edge of your desk: a small mason jar, just the right size to sit in the palm of your hand, filled with water and finished off with a jet-black ribbon tied around the lid. Two spherical objects floated near the bottom. Even from a distance, you recognized them immediately.
Satoru’s eyes.
If you’d been holding the jar, you would’ve dropped it. They had to be fake, but they couldn’t be – replicas wouldn’t have been so bright, so organic, so perfect. He’d been wearing glasses, but you’d been able to see his eyes, and— and even if you couldn’t, it wasn’t like he’d be able to carve his own eyes out in the nine hours you spent away from him. Had there been blood on his clothes? You couldn’t remember, now. Was he hurt? Had you ever seen him hurt himself? He couldn’t have left, but—
You felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your midriff, drawing you against a broad chest. The metal of his collar pressed into the back of your head as he slotted himself against you. “You mentioned how much you like my eyes, once,” Satoru explained, the eagerness in his melodic voice now painful to listen to. “I… I thought you might want a couple spares. For when we can’t be together. And, after dinner, I thought we could finally…”
He trailed off, embarrassed. Still, what he wanted was clear.
For a long moment, you didn’t say anything.
Then, with a heavy exhale, you forced yourself to glance over your shoulder, facing Satoru with a smile. “Not tonight, ‘toru.” You’d never been thankful not to be able to see the clear blue of his eyes, before.
“But soon. I promise.”
~
You couldn’t find Satoru.
It was hard to believe, even as you hunched against the wall of his bedroom, your knees pulled into your chest and tears streaming uncontrollably from your eyes. You’d looked everywhere – torn apart every room in your house, overturned furniture, called his name until your throat ached – but he just—he wasn’t there. You’d checked the locks (still in-tact) and all the windows (decisively unbroken), but the only sign of him you’d managed to find was his collar – cold and abandoned, undone and left carefully on the foot of his bed. It would’ve been impossible for him to take off without the remote still sitting safely in your purse, the mechanism was strong enough to endure getting hit with a car, and yet, it was here, and he wasn’t.
God. You were so fucked.
The open collar sat on the floor next to you, your pocket knife immediately next to it. Satoru was gone. He’d left you, or been taken – it didn’t matter. Your life was over. He’d go to the police, and you’d be arrested, and you’d never get to see Satoru again. Even if he didn’t go to the police, he was never coming back. Either way, it was a death sentence.
You were never going to see Satoru again.
Half-consciously, your hand found your knife, fingers curling around the handle. For the first time in months, you remembered what your life was like prior to meeting Satoru. You remembered what you’d tried to do - what you would’ve done, if he hadn’t been there to save you.
You drew in a shaky breath, tightening your hold on your knife and raising it – first to your chest, and then thinking better of it, your throat. You weren’t very strong, but you weren’t very durable, either. If you were lucky, it’d only take a minute or so before—
“Baby?”
You stiffened, blotting out. For a moment, your mind went perfectly, euphorically blank.
When you came to, you weren’t pressed against the wall, but on your knees – straddling Satoru’s waist. The knife was still in your hand, but you couldn’t see the blade. It was buried in Satoru’s stomach to the hilt.
To his credit, he didn’t scream. His reaction was uncannily alike his response to the shock collar – wide eyes and parted lips, pain and shock only visible in the absence of his smile. Warm blood soaked through the fabric of his uniform jacket, washing over your hand, but you didn’t care. Only half-voluntary, you pulled the knife back and brought it down. You did it again, and again, and again, each motion repetitive and mechanical. You’d never killed anyone, before. It was unfair that the first had to be Satoru.
It was only when the blade of your knife met loose pulp rather than solid flesh that you paused, dropping your weapon entirely. Rather, your hands found his shoulders, your nails digging into his skin through tattered fabric and tearing. You let out a miserable sob as you clawed at his chest, trying aimlessly to dig to his heart. “You left,” you whined, like that would explain anything. “You were gone, and I couldn’t find you, and I thought I’d never see you again, and—” You cut yourself, gasping. “And you’re dying. Oh my god, Satoru, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
It never occurred to you to call an ambulance. Your body seemed to move on its own, clambering down just far enough to tear at the waistband of his pants, to free his cock. “’m just fine, princess,” he muttered, but you weren’t in a state to listen. With a frantic sort of desperation, you pumped your fist over his length, his blood serving as good-enough lubrication. Satoru let out a low groan – the noise impossible to read as pain or relief. “Even better, with such a pretty view.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up.” Your fist wasn’t working. Too frantic to be graceful, you forced his cock past your lip and fucked the tip into the hollow of your cheek, doing your best to ignore how his natural bitter mixed with the near-overwhelming iron-tinge. That, at least, got you a reaction – another rough groan, his hand in your hair as his tip started to leak arousal and you felt his shaft stiffen against your hand. You almost choked on your own relief, but Satoru soothed you, his blunt nails scrapping over your scalp as he cooed. “Been waiting so long to see you like this…” He trailed off, laughed. You felt another jolt of fresh blood leak from the tattered flesh of his stomach. There was enough to pool on the floor below him, now. “’m sorry – did I say that already? Thought I could step out for a second before you got home, deal with a last-minute mission, but—” His voice hitched as you let out another sob around him. “—clearly, my pretty girl can’t be left alone for so long.”
You couldn’t understand why he was still talking. Every word hurt more than the last – like he was trying to make it that much harder for you to do the only thing you could. When you pulled away from him, it was only to let out a fractured cry, to bury your face in his thigh, muffling your voice until it was only a whisper above nothing. “You can’t leave me. If I don’t have—If you’re not here, then I can’t—”
“Hey, hey, don’t talk like that. I’m not going anywhere.” You felt the hand in your hair dip lower, cupping your cheek. Another caught you by the chin, tilting your head back, until you were staring at Satoru – blood-drenched and glorious, sitting up and smiling down at you. He shouldn’t have been moving, you shouldn’t have let him move, and yet, it was all you could to do jolt upward and throw yourself against his chest, your mouth latching instinctually onto his neck. You’d always been so careful not to bite, not to bruise, not to do anything that’d leave a mark and mar his perfection, but suddenly, your love felt less like an act of pure-hearted preservation and more like the desperate throes of a forsaken acolyte clinging to the blessings of a dying god. It was hard to worship divinity as something everlasting when your hands were stained in its blood.
 So you didn’t try to. You dug your teeth into the side of his throat without reservation, cautious only not to visit the same patch of skin twice. Satoru felt any pain, if he could feel anything after losing so much blood, his only reaction was an airy laugh and a shallow kiss to your temple as his hand found your hips, then your sides. You felt yourself leaving the ground long seconds before your processed that Satoru was lifting you up, and even then, your awareness was burdened by a numbing sort of confusion. You wanted to tell him not to move, not to breathe, to let you help. You wanted to find your knife.
In the end, though, you only strung your arms around his neck and let him lay you on his bed, the mattress dipping where he kneeled in the space between your open legs.
In a daze, you felt your skirt being slid up to your waist, your panties shoved aside and replaced by the soft warmth of Satoru’s mouth. Like always, he was adorably clumsy – the bridge of his nose grinding against your clit as his tongue lapped and traced over your pussy. His fingertips dug too harshly into your thighs, his tongue thrusting into you too erratically, his little whines and occasional whimper too pitchy to allow for any real reverberation, but your poor nerves were so fried and your heart was still beating so fast and it would’ve taken a miracle for you not to cum – moaning pathetically as you bucked into his mouth. You’d imagined this scenario before, pictured yourself showering him with praise as you taught him exactly how to make you cum on his pretty tongue, but this was too quick, too abrupt, too out of your control. You weren’t in a state to teach. If he learned something from this, you doubted it would be the right lesson.
You reached for him as he straightened his back, but Satoru caught your wrist, guiding your hand to his stomach. Rather than mangled flesh and exposed viscera, your palm pressed against perfect in-tact, perfectly seamless skin. Like he’d never been injured. Like he hadn’t been on the verge of death only a few minutes ago.
Like you’d never even touched him.
“See, baby? I already told you – I’m not going anywhere.” His smile was soft, his voice soothing, but he was distracted. With a fist curled around his shaft, he aligned the head of his cock with your entrance, heavy beads of his arousal drooling onto your cunt and down your slit. “You had me worried for a while, there.” This time, his eyes flickered up to meet yours. “I know what I’m good for. Thought you might get sick of me before I ever got a chance to prove it.”
It would’ve been impossible to tell if Satoru was still in pain, or if he was capable of feeling something so human at all. The hurt that sliced through your chest, though, was agonizing. “I would never do that, ‘toru.”
“I know. And I’m sorry, too – it’s unfair to keep comparing you to him.” He bowed his head, dipping low enough for the heat of his breath to ghost over the shell of your ear, when he went on. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”
There was a shuddering inhale, a sudden pressure against your slit. He pushed into you slowly, less concerned with your comfort than he was savoring the feeling of your walls clenching around him, of your body inviting him deeper, closer. You held your breath, doing your best to memorize every curve and vein, to accommodate him even as his length threatened to split you open. It wasn’t painful, but even if had been, you wouldn’t have complained. This was what you were supposed to want. This was what you were supposed to do for Satoru.
You could only wonder, then, why it felt so cold.
It was only when hips pressed into yours and he was fully hilted inside of you that he picked himself up – a hand planted on either side of your head, a broad, careless smile plastered across his lips. You registered that his lips were moving a full moment before you recognized the sound of his voice, as angelic as it was unbearable.
“I love you.”
For the first time, you didn’t bother trying to say anything at all.
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floweringrott · 6 months ago
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bug eyed
james f. potter x hufflepuff!fem!reader
summary; james fleamont potter’s less-than-normal attempts to get his other-worldly divination partner on a date.
warnings; alice in wonderland coded reader, pure! fluff!, reader is hinted at being a lovegood, reader has blonde hair, reader is described to have bug-like eyes (think ella purnell), reader being a seer, use of y/n
a/n; this is rlly shitty i just wanted to get my first story OUT! this is more a drabble tho
670 words | masterlist ☾⋆
taglist @rafeyswrd @crescentofthegods
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James Potter did not like Divination. It wasn’t that he didn’t fare well in the subject, in fact, he did.
It was just terribly boring, and his Professor didn't even allow for the Marauders to sit together. Instead, each of the brothers had been scattered around the cramped, incense-filled room.
Leading to James being seated next to you.
You, who (somehow) managed to be the centre of James Potter's attention every time he stepped foot into the Divination classroom, only to subsequently lose it the moment he left.
At least that what you believed.
"Oh, and by the way," James began casually, his attention nowhere near the crystal ball in front of him, and your intense focus on that same ball.
You were sitting on your knees, your purple tights in stark contrast to your yellow and black robe and tie. "The boys were planning on going to Hogsmeade this weekend.. and I was wondering if you’d want to c—"
Shhh!
A single finger moved to James' mouth, quickly shutting him up as his eyes trailed quickly behind him to Sirius, who sat with a wolfish grin and a thumbs up.
"Do you see it?" You whispered, your voice light and dreamy, as if you were talking to the crystal itself.
James frowned, turning his attention to the foggy orb. He leaned closer, his dark brows knitting together in confusion.
Whatever you were seeing, he wasn't.
His eyes then trailed to you, losing track of the task on hand as he stared at your messy, pale blonde hair.
He didn’t know when it had started, when his feelings for Lily Evans had morphed into feelings for you.
"Right there." You murmured, leaning so close to the crystal that your nose nearly touched it.
He didn’t reply at first, but let out a yelp as you abruptly grabbed either side of his head and forced him to stare into the ball.
"I'm sorry, Y/N! But nothing is there."
You turned to him with an expression of utter exasperation, as if he'd just declared that the sky wasn’t blue. "You’re not doing it right. Look into the crystal, not at it."
To your surprise, James actually complied. But as he stared into the empty fog, an idea popped into his head, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
"Wait!" He pretended to be shocked, a sly smile lacing his lips from the sound of your gasp.
"I see you. In Hogsmeade."
"Me?"
"Oh, yeah. Totally." He nodded, slightly leaning into your hands; prompting you to move them away.
Ever trusting, you nodded along with his words, your bug eyes larger than normal as you urged him to continue.
James frowned at the feeling of your hands leaving, though, he quickly recovered as he let out a comical gasp. "Well, would you look at that!"
"What?" You smiled cheesily, "What is it?"
Your look didn’t flatter as James seemingly deflated into the velvet cushions behind the two of you.
"I can’t say-"
"What?"
James resisted the urge to smile at your reaction. "I can’t say, it might not come true if I do."
You frowned, your expression as serious as if he'd just insulted the art of Divination itself. "That’s not how these things work, James."
The other boy went quiet, his eyes flickering around the room for effect, then looking back at you.
"I was there."
"Oh." Your head tilted to the side, considering his words for a moment. "What’s wrong with that?"
"I.. nothing?"
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?" You spoke simply, your fingers absentmindedly toyed with the butterbeer cork necklace that hung around your neck.
James didn’t take a moment to think about it.
"Yes. Definitely." He watched your reaction — which was nothing as if you had expected it.
"Okay." She nodded, her gaze moving to peer through the swirling mist, the image of lightning bolt carved into skin sending a chill down her spine.
"Next time don’t lie. Crystal gazing is a very serious study."
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reveryfics · 1 month ago
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Saliva
Mark Grayson "Invincible" x Male Reader
Summary: Mark stumbles into your room, the aftermath of a brutal fight etched onto his skin in bruises and blood. Without hesitation, your instinctively drawn to mend his injuries.
A/N: I was going through different healing powers, and saw healing saliva......I could've picked something different, but I chose this.
TW: Blood - Broken bones - Injury - Licking - Comfort - Pre-established relationship
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The corner of the room radiated a soft, internal warmth, the light emanating not from a harsh bulb but seeming to bloom from the very air. A solitary antique lamp, perched precariously on the edge of a small, scarred wooden desk, cast a butter-yellow circle that barely kissed the faded floral wallpaper. Within this gentle illumination, you were a study in muted tones, a dark silhouette against the brighter backdrop. Over-ear headphones, well-worn and comfortable, cradled your ears, a private concert of hushed melodies filling the otherwise silent sanctuary of your bedroom. The rhythmic tap-tap-tap of your fingers danced across the worn keys of your laptop, the only other audible sound, occasionally punctuated by a soft sigh that seemed to carry the weight of unspoken thoughts.
The laptop screen, its brightness turned low, bathed your face in an ethereal, cool glow, starkly highlighting the delicate lines of fatigue etched around your tired eyes. They felt like they were filled with sand, heavy and resistant to blinking, and every few minutes, your fingers would instinctively find the bridge of your nose, pressing firmly in a futile attempt to release the mounting tension. A long, drawn-out breath escaped your lips, a silent acknowledgment of the exhaustion clinging to you like a second skin. You leaned back in your creaky wooden chair, its once-velvet upholstery now flattened and worn smooth by countless hours of use. Your gaze drifted aimlessly, finally settling on the tall, standing mirror tucked awkwardly beside the overflowing closet door. A fleeting, almost ghost-like image of yourself stared back – hair slightly askew, the once-gray t-shirt now a canvas of abstract art created by spilled coffee and errant streaks of ink, a testament to the countless hours hunched over forgotten documents and late-night research. Beneath it, the waistband of plaid boxers was twisted and bunched, a physical manifestation of the constant shifting and fidgeting that accompanied intense concentration.
With a soft, almost reluctant click, the music paused, the sudden silence amplifying the low, persistent hum of the ancient refrigerator emanating from the next room. You closed your laptop with a decisive thud, the dim screen fading to a final, absolute black. Gently placing the headphones on the cluttered desk, you pushed your chair back, the worn wheels whispering a soft protest as they rolled across the faded floral carpet.
The faint, diffused light filtering through the heavy, closed curtains of the living room window served as your only guide as you padded silently through the familiar confines of your small apartment. The layout was etched into your muscle memory, each step automatic, a well-rehearsed dance in the near-darkness. You reached the kitchen, pausing momentarily in front of the refrigerator, its white surface marred by a collection of magnets holding up grocery lists and faded mementos. Your eyes lingered on one photograph in particular, held precariously by a cartoonish cat magnet – a picture of you and Mark, impossibly young, their smiles wide and gap-toothed, radiating a carefree joy that felt a lifetime away. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched your lips, a momentary softening of the tired lines around your mouth. You reached for the cool metal handle of the refrigerator door, the sudden chill a small shock against the warmth of your hand. The door creaked open, revealing the familiar, slightly chaotic contents. After a brief scan, your fingers closed around the smooth, condensation-slick surface of a cold water bottle. With it clutched in your hand, you turned and retraced your silent steps, the soft carpet muffling your return to the quiet sanctuary of your bedroom.
The faintest rustle of your bedroom curtains, a sound barely perceptible against the ambient quiet, snagged your attention the instant you stepped past the doorframe. An instinct, primal and immediate, surged through you, and your hand shot out, fumbling for the familiar cool plastic of the light switch. The sudden burst of artificial light that flooded the room felt almost blinding after the hours spent in the dim glow of the lamp and screen.
Your breath hitched in your throat, a strangled gasp that caught somewhere between your lungs and your lips. Your eyes widened in stark, disbelieving panic as the familiar yet horrifying contours of Mark’s face swam into focus. Bruises, a sickening tapestry of purple, blue, and yellow, bloomed across his skin, stark against the pallor of his complexion. Dried blood, a dark, viscous crimson, matted his hair and streaked his jawline. He was crawling through the narrow gap of your slightly ajar window, his movements clumsy and labored. A strangled cry escaped your lips as you nearly tripped over your own feet, rushing towards him, your hands instinctively reaching out, grasping at his arms, his torso, desperate to support him before he could collapse onto the floor. His body was dead weight against yours, heavy and unresponsive, as you gently, painstakingly, laid him against the soft cotton sheets of your bed. His breathing was shallow and ragged, a wet wheeze accompanying every strained inhale and exhale.
His body was a canvas of brutal violence. Deep lacerations, jagged and raw, crisscrossed his arms and legs, some still oozing a slow trickle of blood. His once-sharp suit was ripped and torn, the expensive fabric soaked in blood and grime, clinging to him like a second, gruesome skin. One arm lay at an unnatural angle, the bone visibly protruding through a tear in his suit. while his leg was twisted beneath him, a clear indication of a severe break.
You took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to quell the rising tide of nausea. With trembling hands, you cautiously worked at the remnants of his ruined suit, the stiff, blood-soaked fabric resisting your efforts. You finally managed to peel it away, discarding the shredded mess somewhere on the floor, your gaze never leaving his ravaged form. Your fingers, hesitant at first, then grew bolder as they ran lightly across his abdomen. His ribs felt wrong under your touch, a sickening crunchiness betraying the extent of the internal damage, mangled as if they had borne the brunt of a savage beating. Your eyes swept over his body, cataloging each injury with a growing sense of dread and a desperate surge of protectiveness, as you moved to cautiously hover above him. Mark sucked in a ragged breath, a low moan escaping his lips. His uninjured hand shot up, grabbing your wrist with surprising strength, raw panic blazing in his eyes.
“Shhh,” you whispered, your voice trembling, trying to soothe his fear. “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m so sorry for what I’m about to do.” You leaned down, your breath fanning over a particularly deep, gaping gash that bisected his abdomen. The metallic, coppery scent of blood filled your nostrils, thick and cloying, and then, moments later, it filled your mouth as you dragged your tongue deliberately against the raw wound. Mark’s back arched violently off the bed, his grip on your wrist tightening, his other hand moving from your wrist to clutch at your hair, a strangled cry of pain and shock escaping his lips at the sudden, intense stinging sensation. The torn flesh of the wound began to writhe and pull itself together, almost imperceptibly at first, then with increasing speed, thread by thread of muscle, nerves, and skin knitting back together as your saliva soaked into the damaged tissue.
Your powers, you knew, were far more potent when channeled directly from you, undiluted by the processes required for the General Defense Agency. They could mend bone and muscle with astonishing speed, even regrowing tissue that had been completely severed. You had never directly used them on another person in this way before, never truly witnessed their immediate, visceral effect firsthand, despite having possessed them since childhood. The clinical detachment of your work at the GDA was a stark contrast to the raw intimacy of this desperate act.
You nearly gagged as Mark’s blood, thick and metallic, coated your tongue and throat, your Adam’s apple bobbing visibly as you fought down the waves of nausea threatening to overwhelm you. You looked up at Mark, his breath catching in his throat, his eyes wide with a mixture of pain, shock, and a dawning comprehension as he slowly relaxed back against the pillows, the frantic tension draining from his body. Without a second thought, driven by a desperate need to share the healing, you leaned into Mark, pressing your lips against his in a fierce, almost frantic kiss. You forced your tongue past his parted lips, your saliva mixing with his own, a silent offering. His throat bobbed convulsively as he instinctively drank in every bit of moisture he could.
Beneath you, his mangled bones snapped and cracked with sickening pops and grinds as they began to realign and repair themselves, the fractured ends knitting back together with unnatural speed. The grotesque tapestry of bruises that had blossomed across his skin began to fade just as quickly as they had formed, the angry purples and blues dissolving into a healthier, albeit still pale, complexion. Mark’s hands, which had been gripping your hair, now clutched at the back of your t-shirt, bunching the fabric between his fingers as he finally pulled away from your desperate kiss, his chest heaving with each deep, shuddering breath he drew in. His eyes, still wide and slightly unfocused, locked onto yours above him as you wiped the blood from your mouth on the back of your hand, leaving a crimson smear against your skin.
Mark stuttered over his words, his voice hoarse and shaky, before finally managing to express how incredibly disgusting yet strangely, undeniably hot it had been to see you lick his wound. A shaky sigh escaped your lips, a mixture of relief and lingering nausea, as you shifted, moving to straddle his hips, your knees pressing gently against the mattress on either side of him. You shook your head, your gaze apologetic. “I panicked,” you whispered, your voice still thick with the taste of blood. “I would never… I won’t do that again.” Another wave of nausea washed over you, and you swallowed hard, a visible gag reflex rippling through your throat. Mark, his color returning slightly, pushed himself up on his elbows, his hands finding your hips, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Hey,” he murmured, his voice still rough. “It’s okay. I… I’m sorry. I could’ve gone to Cecil. I just… I panicked too. I didn’t want to worry you.”
You placed your hands on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your fingertips, a reassuring rhythm after the frantic chaos of the past few minutes. You leaned forward, brushing your nose against his before pressing a soft peck to his lips. “It was much faster this way,” you murmured, your breath warm against his skin. “But don’t make it a habit of needing me to shove my tongue down your throat, okay?” A weak chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he pressed another, more lingering kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Duly noted,” he whispered, a faint smile finally gracing his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
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velvetrambles · 1 month ago
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uzi as i try to kill my artblock
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aixeko · 7 months ago
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──────<3 MINDFUCK ༺♱༻
WEEK 4 | SINNERS SAVAGERY + APART OF @edgeray EVENT
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| Synopsis | Demons linger where shadows play; in silence, hearts betray, whispers echo, and desires catch fire in the haunting depths of the night.
With every kiss, a scythe may cut, in which terror envelops one's gut; together they dance on the edge of fate, finding beauty in a love that is too late.
So let the night weave its spell, for in the dark they know so well, and though demons are whispering fright, in their twilight, the lights are ignited.
| Starring | Slasher!Arlecchino x Investigative-Psychologist!Reader
| Setting | SLASHER/SERIAL KILLER AU
| Scenario | [ ONESHOT ] SMUT Porn with plot. Long Introduction. Dark romance. Intersex Arlecchino. Manipulation. Body worship. Dacryphilia. Obsessive & sadistic Arle. Cunnilingus. Fingerfucking. Degrading & Praise Kink. Implied cannibalism. Mastrubation. Unreliable character. Female anatomy for reader, pronouns are not mentioned. 
► RADIO CHANNEL [ Author note ]
⚝ TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES, OH, BLESS ME, FATHER.  ⚝ Ended on a cliff hanger lmfao, I will probably expand on it since this is only ⅓ of the ideas I have for Slasher Arle. ⚝ Anyway, thank you so much to Ray for letting me participate in this event <3 Even though it’s quite late but nonetheless thank you for accepting my work as a part of your event…! ⚝ This is how I imagine Slasher Arlecchino to look like or basically arlecchino from commedia dell'arte
[ Word count: 5147 ] | Art credit: Nut_nog on Twitter | Heart divider gif
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"In and every heart that is meticulously dissected by my hand has its part in orchestrating the string of fates to bring you closer to me... and further away from life, my greatest tragedy."
Those were the exact words spoken to you during a mysterious call on the very first Halloween Eve when the infamous Mirthless Harlequin made her debut as a renowned and feared killer.
Frightened citizens have declared many titles for the Mirthless Harlequin, such as The Jester who doesn't laugh, The Living Embodiment of Demons, The Surgeon, and The Heart Collector.
Yet all these titles are of little to no comparison to the true identity of the beast that lies dormant behind that twisted, sinister mask.
The muted saturation of the walls is splotched in what is most likely the victim's blood; written on it is the detail of what had transpired before the crime scene occurred, and the freshest blood drips down the wall, spelling the name of the person responsible for the attack as if in pride or apathy toward the fallen soul.
At the centre lies a chair and a small table draped in a deep velvet cloth; an organ rests atop it, the very one that would become a trademark for the killer's distorted way of leaving a mark behind. A heart, perfectly preserved with it carefully wrapped in crimson ribbons, each twist and turn creating intricate patterns that speak volumes about the attempt at humanising the organ.
Around the table, papers of various poems and photographs of the victim's missing parts were scattered across, but even with those morbid aspects, one letter in particular has caught the eyes of the world. A letter in which a cryptic note rests inside, hinting at an obsession, not towards the killing but towards the person who will, no, whom she wants to investigate and find the truth behind the "Mirthless Harlequin."
The second paragraph was quite strange, switching from the gruesome details of the first to quoting a poet and novelist for children and young adults as follows:
Walls have ears. Doors have eyes. Trees have voices. Beasts tell lies. Beware the rain. Beware the snow. Beware the man. You think you may know.
But it wasn't until the very last paragraph that you would finally choose to be the one in charge of leading the case; there your name is written repeatedly, blood surrounds it like the base of a cake, and an unknown white substance decorates it like frosting, a substance you come to identify and regret upon investigation.
A mask which you dreaded oh so much, a mask which you wanted to rip apart, and yet when that day arrived, you prayed to the Lord above to take away the sight of what lies hidden by the mask, a sight of the unmistakable face your body and soul have fallen into the grasp of. 
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The aroma of caffeine envelops your senses, overshadowing the aching desire to rest. Although it keeps your consciousness awake, you cannot replicate the same for your body.
Your blinks began to weigh your eyelids heavily with their slow momentum, and at any second now, you feared your body could give out on you and you would fall face-first onto the office coffee machine.
Much anticipated, your body did give out, but the harsh feeling of the appliance never came into contact with your skin; rather, a calloused yet careful hand pressed against your forehead, strong enough to prevent you from falling over.
"It's no wonder you haven't answered my messages or calls," an inviting yet foreboding voice sounds beside you. "Working overtime isn't going to earn you an easy ticket to an ongoing decade-long murder case—"
"I know, I know, you don't have to lecture me like everyone else; I have heard it about a thousand times already," you grumbled, grabbing her wrist and using it to straighten yourself before your eyes made contact with her crimson-crossed ones.
Arlecchino's eyebrows are furrowed, darkening her expression further; her eyes, which are often alluring and enigmatic due to her ability to hide the complexity of human emotions, seem to take on a more dangerous underlining.
Whatever tiredness had anchored you suddenly disappeared as she pulled your hand off hers, switching it so that she would be the one gripping your wrist. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second tightening the tension in the air and reflecting her thinning patience. She leaned down, her head turned to the side to whisper into your ear, but when she parted her lips, no words sounded out—a rare occasion showing the intensity of her frustration.
Her jaw clenches. "But you still refuse to listen; how can they depend on their best investigative psychologist when the one in question has not a single sane cell left to think with?" she asks, a rhetorical question you noted, but her words come out more like a growl demanding an answer.
"I am sane enough to work, and excuse me...! I didn't study my fucking ass off for nothing; I will have you know that just because I let you have your way with me so often doesn't mean I am not independent; for fuck's sake, I graduated with high honors!"
You expected her to fire back a remark rebutting your claims, seeing the twitch of her mouth, but she quickly caught you off guard when she placed her hand on your knee and held you over her shoulder.
You let out a surprised sound, instantly yelling with fisted hands coming into contact with her back in a furious retort, "ARLE! LET ME DOWN."
"Stop acting like a child; this is for your own health."
"I AM PERFECTLY HEALTHY-" Arlecchino interrupted you, her voice booming throughout the entire police department. "Healthy is a word that perfectly describes the OPPOSITE of what you are; you have been skipping your meals and overworking yourself to the point of passing out."
You tried giving your two cents, but sensing your next moves, her voice increased in volume. "I WILL be taking you back home, and you WILL have a warm bath, eat a proper meal, and go to sleep; end of statement."
Like a cowardly dog, when its owner is disappointed in it, you can only soak in annoyed silence and mumble incoherent, derogatory language that Arlecchino chooses to ignore.
Arriving at your car, Arlecchino put you down in the passenger seat, buckling your belt and closing the door for you before going to the driver's seat herself.
You turn to look at her the moment she has settled down, leaning as close to her as possible with the seat belt wrapped around you.
"Peruere-! You don't get it, Halloween Eve is coming up in a few days, which means she will be committing her 13th crime this year! Thirteen victims-!"
Arlecchino slowly turns her head to you, her facial features clearly expressionless to the naked eye, but to you, this is the most enraged you have ever seen her.
"Do you hear how insane you sound right now? You're obsessed. To think a criminal has you acting this way; I would even dare say you sound downright in love with this murderer." Arlecchino leaned in closer, and instinctively you flinched away slightly. "Don't tell me that you would prioritise your parasocial relationship with a killer over the person whom you married." Although it doesn't sound like a question, it was phrased like one by her tone.
You bite your bottom lip and slump back into your seat with an audible groan; it wasn't because you couldn't answer the question, no, far from it. If it were any normal argument between you two, then you would've easily answered no; you wouldn't choose a killer over her, your lover, but the fact that she would assume such things from you has hit a spot you never knew she could. How can she think so lowly of me to presume the worst betrayal of all, obsessive towards THAT forsaken woman? Can someone not do their job without any intent of malice anymore?! The absurdity of the situation has your head aching, to believe that it all started because you wanted to make sure no one else would die from the 'Mirthless Harlequin' anymore, all because you chose selflessness over selfishness.
The ride back home would be in complete silence as you stubbornly refuse to apologise for your actions, nor would Arlecchino stoop so low as to abandon the facts and satisfy a brat.
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"I'm going to prepare your bath; don't do anything unnecessary while I'm gone."
Arlecchino has calmed down from the argument during the quiet ride back home and is rather friendly now; monetarily, she places her hand on top of your head and ruffles it as she makes her way past you.
"I'm not your kid," you groan, running your hands through your hair to fix the mess that she made.
Your lover only glanced over her shoulder with a glare, a silent threat to your words, but nothing you couldn't handle, and thus she left for your shared bedroom to prepare a bath.
You stand in the hallway, confused about what to do next as you're not usually this free; it's not that you overwork often; it's that you're often way too engaged in what you are doing. Admittedly, you couldn't really say that 1 a.m. is early, especially for most people, as they are asleep by and/or before this time. You turn around for a split moment to make sure the door is locked before you take off your shoes and place them in the wooden shoe rack.
"Might as well analyse that data report Navia gave to me earlier."
You stifle a yawn as you walk up the stairs, turning the corner into the hallway that leads to your office and shared bedroom. The quiet of the night surrounds the house with the exception of the light sound of water coming from the bedroom, a perfect blend with the soft creak of the floorboards beneath your feet.
You perk up and see the many portraits displayed across the hallway of you and Arlecchino, some of them including your friends and coworkers. For what seems like the first time in a long time, a curve is formed in the corner of your mouth.
You stand in front of your office door, eyes gazing at the portraits beside it featuring Arlecchino and you back when you first started dating one another; you still remember that day vividly. It was 12 years ago, a week before the infamous killer first appeared. Your eyes narrow slightly; what a coincidence, you think; life works in such mysterious ways, but it's still often shocking how different destinies are all tied together in the pathway of fate.
Shrugging it off, you grasp the wooden handle of the dark oak door leading to your workspace, twisting it before cracking it open slightly. Just then, a memory of the earlier argument between Arlecchino surfaces, piercing your thoughts.
"Don't tell me that you would prioritise your parasocial relationship with a killer over the person whom you married."
Now that you think about it, Arlecchino has been acting quite out of character today; when you usually have over time, she isn't as mad as she was today, but then again, you did ignore her messages and calls for almost 24 hours. However, in your utmost defence, you need to have your phone on silent mode so you won't be distracted and procrastinate. Coupled with the recent data, you and the rest of the Harlequin investigation team have been hard at work accumulating it over the last few months.
In one of the meetings discussing the various sources gathered for the infamous killer case, a single piece of evidence caught your attention: "A single white hair strand," you mumbled.
"What are you muttering about?"
A shiver runs down your spine, a moment of fear clouding your mind at the sudden sound of another voice, but you're quick to calm down once you recognize the voice belongs to none other than Arlecchino.
"Peruere..." You turn around and say, "Don't creep up on me like that again; it's scary."
Arlecchino raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disapproval. "You are standing in front of the door, mumbling incoherent words to yourself in the dark; if it were any other person, wouldn't you be considered the unsettling one?"
Blink, blink, blink. You couldn't even deny it because she's right, and the truth hangs in the air like a balloon waiting to pop.
"Arg... Whatever, forget what you heard and saw; I was thinking about work. By the way, you're done with setting up the bath, right?" You grab her hand, not waiting for a reply to lead her inside and into the bathroom.
"You wanted to bathe together?" Her voice softens, tinged with an unexpected apologetic tone for not considering this turn of events. "I'm afraid I can't; I need to prepare dinner for you since you have been eating only processed food lately, and it's detrimental to your heart."
"Ah..." A wave of embarrassment crashes over you as you realise how swiftly you had dragged her inside and assumed the fact that you would bathe together before even asking for her permission or if she was in the mood to do so in the first place. "I see... It's okay."
Seeing the flustered and disappointed undertone of your words and expression, Arlecchino devises a solution to improve your mood.
"If I am fast enough, I can join you later; is that alright with you?"
Much to your shame, you nodded way too fast for your liking, which in turn resulted in a light smirk from Arlecchino sent your way for the sudden clinginess. Her dark, tattooed hand rises and descends gently, resting on your head as she pats it lightly. The gesture is both comforting and oddly intimate, a soft reminder that you are her lover and the only one capable of seeing this side of her, seeing Peruere.
"Call me if you need anything."
"Mkay, I love you," you whisper, getting closer to the bath as you begin to take off your clothes.
"... Yes, I... love you too."
You didn't question the odd pacing of her words, assuming that she's still not used to saying those words back even after a decade of being together. The door closes with a soft click, and you're fully undressed, a sigh leaving your lips as you step foot inside the hot bath.
You allow your body to relax in the tranquil warmth of the softly cascading water, sinking deeper until only the features above your nose remain above the surface. The gentle flow conceals you whole, creating a cocoon of serenity, an occurrence that is rare for the likes of you. As you close your eyes, the world outside seems to fade away, leaving only the soothing sounds of the water and the faint echoes of your thoughts. In this moment of peacefulness, you allow yourself to let go of all the things that have weighed you down, allowing comfort to wash them away and ground you in a sense of much-needed peace.
Your thoughts linger on what food Arlecchino will be making for you, how pleasant her skin would feel against yours right now, and the upcoming Halloween Eve.
"A single white hair strand? How do I know this isn’t some sort of ploy she set up?” You question Navia, arms crossed in a vice-like grip, as you analyse the hair under the microscope. “Is it fake hair or from a doll?”
"Haha, it's simple, Dr. Snezhevna, because she herself stated in this letter that the hair strand belongs to her,” Navia replies, her tone steady and amused as she watches your demeanour shift dramatically upon seeing the familiar letter in her hand.
An audible groan escapes your lips as you snatch the letter and another from the pile of letters dedicated to the killer to compare the heart stamp and writing styles. As you read, the distinct vocabulary matches flawlessly, with not a single difference between her signature stamp and her writing style, confirming she deliberately left her own DNA behind.
“This woman genuinely pisses me off... Does she think I’m a fool? Or is she that cocky to be under the impression we aren't capable of matching her information with our extensive network database?”
Navia lets out a light chuckle, leaning back in her chair and looking drastically more relaxed than you do.
“I’ve heard Commander Wriothesley uncovered that the fresh blood she uses to spell out her name contains a secret, obscure code imprinted onto it and that it doesn't belong to the victims, though we don't know exactly who it belongs to as of now.”
“Seriously?! God forbid this damn criminal gives me a break!” you exclaim, frustration bubbling over. “The day I finally catch her, I’m going to give her a piece of my damn mind, alright.”
You open your eyes and rise from the water, leaning back against the bath as you take a deep exhale.
"Who are you, and why am I the one you desire so much...?" You said aloud to yourself, your mind foggy with the jester again, easily shattering the peaceful atmosphere that had settled around you.
"Who am I?" Arlecchino's voice echoes throughout the bathroom, causing you to yelp at the unexpected sound.
"Peruere...! Do you seriously have to always randomly creep up on me?!" You turn to face her, your heart racing as you look up at her with displeasure.
"It is not I who am the problem, but it is you who lack awareness, darling; I called your name countless times, and you keep muttering to yourself as always."
Oh.
"Ah, oh, my apologies... hm, wait, are you already finished with cooking? How long have I been here...?" you ask, looking down at your reflection in the water with much shame before raising your hands from under to see the pruney fingers caused by your prolonged exposure to aqua.
"Less than half an hour, the food has already been brought up; you can go and eat right now if you want."
"But—" you tried protesting since you still wanted to bathe with her, but, as always, she read you so easily and responded before you could even get a sentence out.
"We have an eternity before us; you should eat first lest you want an upset stomach, and you should also begin getting ready for bed."
"Sigh, if you say so," you stand up from the bathtub, the warm water dripping from your skin as you reach for the towel hanging beside the tub, wrapping it around yourself snugly. You glance at Arlecchino with a small smile that then turns into a smirk. "You should keep the door open while you're washing up."
As expected, the teasing remark made little to no effect on her, and you're left with her staring at you, unamused.
"So bland, my love, you could have faked your expression or agreed for my sake."
You leave the room with a laugh, and as you take in the sight before you, you can't help the soft smile that replaces the smug smirk that had once dominated your features moments ago. Clothes carefully selected for your comfort and a perfect amount of portion for you to relish are laid out before you on your shared bed; what a thoughtful soulmate you have, you mentally acknowledge.
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You lie contentedly inside the soft blankets, the light of the waning moon illuminating your features through the window, painting your face in its most desired parts. You sink further inside, your body never wanting to leave this paradisiacal space; yet likewise, life often works against you, and a notification causes you to straighten yourself grudgingly.
Who would be texting you this late is your initial thought, but the moment your eyes land on the unknown caller who has sent you a voicemail, you nearly drop your phone. Rapidly, you scan the room for the calendar, completely forgetting the phone in your hand has a built-in one, and your heart nearly drops as you realise it's the 29th. Two days before Halloween Eve and two days before the woman strikes again. Another unfortunate soul is soon to fall victim to a killer whose identity is yet to be known aside from her details as a woman with a jester-like appearance.
Shakily, you search for your earbuds and pair them to your phone upon retrieval before you open voicemail and press on the recently sent one. A chill runs down your spine at the sound of the familiar voice beginning to talk to you.
"In the ticking shadows where time slips away, a hero stands tall yet fears the fray.
With every heartbeat, the clock's cruel hand counts down the moments that they both understand.
Time is a thief, relentless and cold.
As you chase the thrill, the stories unfold.
Yet in this chaos, a bond begins to bloom.
Two souls entwined in the depths of doom.
A hero and a villain, bound by a thread.
In the twilight of choices, where both may tread.
The dawn of your death is arriving, my dearest angel. I await the day we shall personally introduce one another, which happens to be only two days from now."
Tsk. You clutch the phone in your hand, slumping back onto the mattress with a hand over your eyes. How frustrating it is to be haunted by someone who is seemingly untraceable, and now you have suddenly received confirmation on who the next victim will be, which conveniently enough happens to be you. You feel calm; you look relaxed, yet internally, you would be lying to yourself if you said you weren't terrified of what would happen to you on that fateful day.
You didn't realise you had been crying until Arlecchino's gentle hands brushed away the tears that streamed down your cheeks in quietude.
"Peruere..." You murmured, the sudden feeling of everything around you crashing down.
You removed your hands from your vision and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her close as you began to sob uncontrollably; the warmth of her body brought comfort to what was left of you. Your lover didn't say anything, opting to keep silent until moments later when the clock struck two.
"She's going to kill you on Halloween Eve," Arlecchino said eerily and softly.
You froze in place, the tears continuing to fall unchecked, but the moment she uttered those words, something sounded incredibly hard to swallow; you had worn earbuds the entire time to prevent her from hearing the voicemail, and there was not a soul who could have heard the message aside from you and the sender, the killer herself.
"But how did you know...?"
Arlecchino looked at you like you were a lost dog, and without many words, she shook her head in yet more disappointment. "Why else would you be crying? It's an obvious assumption based on how you have been acting as of late, the sudden unease, overworking for the past month, and your muttering about some sort of finding." 
Right, right, of course, that's correct; how foolish and frightful of you to think beyond the possibilities.
"Ahaha... Of course, I'm sorry, Peruere... I just need to relax; I am just... so scared. I have never felt such fear before, you know."
Arlecchino stared down into your glistening eyes in wordless moments, a long and slow pause of lifelong connection and understanding passing within those time frames. Slowly, she leaned down, her movements calculated and gentle, as if afraid to break your already fragile body.
Like second nature, your hands subconsciously trail her barely dry body to the nape of her neck, enveloping it and pulling her cooler frame to your warmer one.
Her gaze remained locked on yours, searching for the discomfort and fear lingering in your soul and how she, as your lover, could dissolve those worries into mindless tranquillity.
"Whatever happens," she whispered, her voice a sultry murmur in your ears, "you're not alone."
Multiple kisses follow those words, a few on the right side of your jawline to the left side, one here and there on your neck, and lastly on your collarbone, where she's blocked by the fabric of your shirt.
Simultaneously, Arlecchino pulls the cover off you and runs a hand through your hair, pushing back the strands that have obscured your beautiful features for her hungry eyes to feast on.
"Let me take care of you, little dove."
At the sound of the slight neediness in her raspy tone and that insatiable stare, you could feel a knot forming in your stomach and an aching feeling below it. You couldn't bring yourself to trust your own words, so, choosing the best possible option, you consented to her request with a nod.
Usually, the woman would say something about the lack of vocalisation, but today the air was of a different flavour because she took no time lifting your shirt just above your breasts.
She peppered kisses on every inch of your perfect imperfection, savouring the delicious taste of your body in her mouth; oh, how she wished she could devour it all.
"Peruere... please," you plead, desperate to cloud your mind with her rather than your impending doom.
"Patience," Arlecchino enunciated, her salivating tongue trailing your body but avoiding the part where you desire her the most.
Your impatience overwhelms you, and your hand goes to grip her wet hair, pulling her upward to your hardened nipples. In a weak attempt for her to fasten her pace, you let out a pathetic, whiny plea.
Through lidded eyes, her pupils direct to your face a prideful, almost invisible smirk that flashes on her lips at the sight of you breaking apart under her feathery touch.
"I have barely touched you, sweetheart, and here you are," Arlecchino pressed her knee directly on your clothed vagina, causing you to shamefully moan, "so eager for me."
Her hot mouth latches onto the right side of your perky nipple, making sure to give the left one the same attention by pinching it with her thumb and forefinger. A gasp is involuntarily ushered out of your lips, followed by more pleas for her to continue her relentless assault.
Pitying you this time, Arlecchino's pull at the hem of your pants causing a short cry of pain to be released from you and an unexpected whimper at the feel of the icy air against your womanhood.
"Naughty girl, such innocent looks but such perverted thoughts; you're already this wet," the tip of Arlecchino's finger touches your clitoral area. "And I haven't even started."
The slow progress of her foreplay obliterated to nothingness as she forcefully thrust two colossal fingers inside your aching cunt. A high-pitched scream pierced the room, but it would not be long until you were silenced by her mouth.
"How... adorable," Arlecchino groaned in between kisses, her eyes wide open to observe every twitch and change in your lascivious expression.
Like a starving animal, Arlecchino wanted more; she needed more, she craved more, and in a split moment of lost control, she decided to satiate her desire for your addictive melodies. Thus, she pulled away from your lips, increasing her speed and slipping in a third finger as your pussy morphed and fit her fingers like a puzzle piece.
You bite your lips, trying to muffle your sound as she plunges faster and deeper into you, and of course, this doesn't go unnoticed by her because how dare you try to get rid of the sound she's craving so much?
She manoeuvred you into a more advantageous position, pulling your legs over her shoulders, thrusting into the deepest part of your cunt, and rubbing your clitoris furiously with her thumb all the while she got to enjoy your pleasurable sounds up close.
"Good girl, fuck... just like that, sounds so good for me; you're so close, aren't you, doll?"
Arlecchino's hand comes to latch itself onto your hair, pulling it with satisfaction as an ominous grin creeps its way onto her once monotonic features. Her eyes seemingly take on a deeper vermilion hue at your face, filled pathetically with pleasure and fat with tears in those precious, mindless gazes.
"MMPH-AH," pant, pant, pant. "Don't stop! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm so close...! AH! PERUERE—"
Your back arches off the bed, eyes rolling back as you see a distorted reality comparable to that of heaven; so much pleasure and so much energy are used that the next thing you know, you are passed out on the bed while Arlecchino licks your cunt clean.
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Arlecchino's thumb swipes over your lip in a tender touch, eyes scanning your serene sleeping form, and contrasting with the loving touch is a sinister grin spread across her features, a mix of admiration for her work of art and something darker that dances in her eyes during the dead of the night.
Her hand trails down to the aching bulge that's imprisoned in her pants as she studies the rise and fall of your chest. She pulls her hardened cock out, rubbing the leaking precum all over the base of her length like it is lubrication.
For a moment, she allows herself to bask in the sight of you all peaceful and unaware, completely vulnerable in your deep slumber. A mix of a moan and a groan sounds from her lips as she moves up and down her enraged member, the corners of her mouth curling higher as she considers the delicate line between protector and predator, each heartbeat echoing the thrill of the beautifully unknown night.
"Sweet dreams," she whispered, her words laced with a playful edge that held secrets only the abyssal night could understand. She masturbated faster, her climax coming quicker than she expected, but not one that was unappreciated. She pulled back slightly, that sinister grin never leaving her swollen lips, an unsettling mixture of warmth and foreboding in the stillness of the atmosphere.
She switched the same hand that was used to fuck you senseless to her mouth, and effectively, she came as she tasted your arousing scent and ejaculated all over you soon after.
A satisfied enough sigh emanates from her, opting to settle down on top of your chest after calming down from her high to feel the sound of your heartbeat against her ear. The smile that seemed to stretch endlessly expanded at the thought of your heart in her hand, devouring her mind. Soon enough, the beating of your heart shall be in her hands for her to safeguard until it can no longer pulsate without its host.
"My greatest tragedy."
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leriexoxo · 1 month ago
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SKZ HEADCANONS
Bestfriend! Stray kids vs You in a heated staring match (OT8)
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AN: I did a poll a few days ago for new content and everyone chose head canons so here we are! I’ll be creating a separate master list for these but it will be attached to the main ML. Requests for Head canons are open!
Disclaimer: I will not take ABO requests! (Or any sorta weird stuff)
Bang Chan
• Laughs when it starts. All dimples and cocky smirks. But the second your eyes lock and you don’t flinch, his smile fades.
• His jaw tics. You see it—see the way his eyes drop to your lips for a fraction of a second, like instinct.
• “You sure you wanna keep looking at me like that, sweetheart?” he murmurs, low and teasing—but it sounds like a threat.
• Doesn’t look away. Not because of the game—because he can’t. He’s too busy thinking about how good you’d look underneath him, making that same intense eye contact while he wrecks you.
Lee Know
• He’s cocky from the jump. Tilts his head, folds his arms, leans in just enough to make it feel intimate.
• The tension builds so quietly. His eyes are sharp but soft around the edges. You feel stripped bare, like he’s undressing you with his gaze.
• When he sees your throat bob? He smirks.
• “Getting nervous?” he whispers, and it feels like he’s right next to your ear even though he hasn’t moved an inch.
• The moment your gaze flickers down—just once—he wins. And he knows it.
Changbin
• Gets flustered immediately. Tries to act tough, but you see the way his ears go pink.
• He starts with that goofy grin, but the longer it goes on, the more serious his expression gets. His brows draw together. His jaw sets.
• He licks his lips. That’s his downfall. That unconscious little habit that suddenly makes it feel too real.
• “Why’s it so hot in here?” he mumbles—and you both laugh, but neither of you look away.
Hyunjin
• Deadly. Absolutely lethal. He stares like it’s art. Like you’re art. His eyes are dreamy and half-lidded and burning.
• Leans forward just enough that you can smell his cologne, his breath, and you realize this game? Yeah. It’s not a game anymore.
• His tongue swipes across his lower lip so slowly and he watches your eyes drop to follow it.
• “You blinked,” he says, voice like velvet. And then smirks. “Or maybe you just got distracted.”
Han
• Tries to make jokes to break the tension. “What do I win if I beat you?” “Can I use my puppy eyes as a weapon?”
• But the silence creeps in. Your gaze stays steady. And he changes.
• He starts squirming in place, biting his lip, suddenly too aware of how close you’re sitting, how pretty your eyes are.
• “This doesn’t feel friendly anymore,” he blurts. Then goes beet red. “Not in a bad way—! I mean, not that I don’t—fuck.”
Felix
• So sweet at first. Giggling, winking at you, doing little fake attempts to distract you.
• But when you don’t react, when you just stare? His expression shifts. His voice drops. His freckles seem to glow under the heat of it.
• “You’re really not gonna look away, huh?” he says softly. And then—whispers it again. Closer.
• Your faces are inches apart and the air is thick. And when neither of you move, he just smiles. “Kinda like this…”
Seungmin
• Immediately calls it childish. “This is stupid.” Says he’s not playing. Then plays anyway.
• You match his stare, eyebrow raised. And for once, he breaks. His face twists—caught between annoyed and aroused.
• “Why are you looking at me like that?” he mumbles. But he doesn’t look away. If anything, he leans closer.
• Suddenly it’s quiet. The kind of quiet that makes your skin buzz. You swallow. He watches your throat.
• “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he says under his breath.
Jeongin
• Tries to win by pure stubbornness. “I’ve got this. I’m unbeatable.”
• But his eyes soften the longer he looks at you. His breathing changes. His lips part just a little.
• He gets so self-conscious, but doesn’t back down. You see him glance at your mouth and immediately regret it.
• “I swear if you move any closer I’m gonna—” he mutters, then cuts himself off.
• Neither of you knows how to stop it now.
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voxslays · 3 months ago
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ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS
“art is long, life is short.”
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WARNINGS: Clingy!reader, touch-starved!alastor + reader, major misunderstanding/conflict that gets resolved.
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You felt pensive. Maybe even sombre. You could feel the disconsolate gloom creeping up on your psyche. Why? Simply because you had to keep your hands to yourself.
Like Charlie, you had always been a touchy-feely person. The type to want to crawl into someone’s skin—although, not literally. Only metaphorically. To many, you were one of the sweetest demon belle’s they had ever met. Perhaps that’s why the Radio Demon had taken such a strong liking to you.
That’s right. You and Alastor were in the courting process. But it didn’t feel official to you. It felt wrong. Your body ached of touch deprivation. It was as if the lack of touch from your lover was eating away at your skin—like the walls were closing in around you. But you chalked it up to being over-dramatic.
You loved Alastor, and being the respectful and loving person you are, you chose to ignore it and give him the space he so desperately desired—even if it caused you pain. You were willing to do anything for the goofy (in your eyes) deer demon.
⊹₊⟡⋆⭒˚.⋆
It wasn’t until many weeks later it became a problem.
Despite the other residents (including Alastor) noticing such a huge change in your personality, none of them could get any information out of you. Not Charlie, with her one on one therapy sessions, not Husk trying to get you drunk, not even Alastor. Until, today.
Sitting on one of the red velvet sofas in the main lobby, you kept your head down while you read your book. It was a bad habit of yours that Alastor hated. The deer demon always insisted on you fixing your posture, but no matter what either of you did, it never seemed to work. Nearby, you hear the familiar clomping of Alastor’s boots.
Alastor came over to the sofa, humming an old swing tune to himself as he stood over you, peering down at the book in your lap. As usual, the radio demon was unamused with your slouched nature— and he made a noise of disapproval. “Come on now, my dear. How many times do I have to tell you not to slouch..?!” He said in a half-scolding, half-teasing manner.
You simply giggle. As he attempts to sit down next to you, you instinctively move over a smidge. Alastor needed his personal space, didn’t he ? The demon let out an exasperated and crackly sigh, moving to sit down on the sofa next to you— only to notice that you had scooted away from him, leaving space between the two of you.
He chuckled to himself, amused by your little habit of avoiding contact with him, as he leaned back against the sofa, folding his arms over his chest. He looked over at you, a playful smirk on his face. “You still insist on keeping that distance from me, hm?”
“Huh?” You ask, placing your book down on the mahogany coffee table and looking up at your lover in genuine confusion. He chuckled softly at how adorable you were when you were oblivious to his teasing. The demon leans a little closer to you, his smirk growing wider. “Oh, nothing, my dear. Just noticing how you always seem to keep a little distance between us..”
“I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” You smile gently. By now, Alastor knew of your touchy and clingy nature. So why were you personally forcing yourself to be touch starved? Alastor’s smirk softens into a small, fond smile as he heard your words. He was touched that you were so considerate of his personal space—but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a little amused by your clueless obliviousness to how much he actually enjoyed your touch.
He scoffs playfully, shaking his head—his tall, red and black ears flailing slightly. “My dear, you could never make me uncomfortable..” He then chuckled, his expression turning playful as he leaned in closer to you. He gently grabs you by the curve of your chin, smoothly caressing it as he keeps his signature yellow smile.
And as if to catch you off guard, he leans in for a chaste peck of the lips. His lips are surprisingly soft for a serial killer, turned hell’s most dangerous overlord. “I love you.” You smile, looking down bashfully.
“I deeply care for you too, my dear.”
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targaryenfelikayt · 25 days ago
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before. |Boys from horror|
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characters: Bo Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Thomas Hewitt, Art the clown. wc: 2, 758 summary: what happened a couple of hours before you were kidnapped. tags/warnings: suspense, slow burn, road trip, hurt/comfort, weird romance. note: my magical ladies, you can read this part separately, but I recommend dedicating time to Bo and Vincent to develop these men a little better🍓
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Bo Sinclair.
Night had fallen thick over the abandoned town. No passing cars broke the silence, no obnoxious commercials or drunken laughter, only crickets and the wind chasing dust through the streets. A creak echoed from the guest room: the girl had woken up, stifled by the heat. Bo had warned them earlier, when setting up the sleeping arrangements, that the windows didn’t have mosquito screens. Still, it was better than spending the night cramming into a car. An ordinary SUV wasn’t built for three people to rest in.
She carefully rose from the bed, stepping around her friend and then the guy, nearly stumbling in an attempt not to step on anyone’s arm or leg. With a quiet sigh, she slipped out and gently closed the door behind her.
Downstairs, the lights were still on. A radio station played a week’s worth of state-wide news in the background. Under the lull of crime reports, she wandered off to find a pitcher of water.
“You can’t sleep?”
The voice came from the terrace.
Bo Sinclair had been there the whole time, quietly watching her movements, a glass of chilled lemonade in hand. Watching the droplets slide down his large hand, she swallowed involuntarily.
“I could have slept just fine, if it weren’t for the heat.”
“Told you,” he said, getting up from the bench and stepping into the kitchen. “I don’t take guests often. Go ahead and sit, I’ll get everything.”
She let out a quiet laugh and dropped into the offered chair. Outside it was much cooler.
“Knew it’d come in handy,” he said, draping a blanket over her shoulders before sitting down across from her.
“That’s very courteous of you. Thank you. I must’ve said that word a dozen times already, but really, Bo, if it weren’t for your help, I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Hiding a crooked smirk behind his glass, Bo simply waved her off, what kind of man would he be if he left people in a situation like that?
And the lemonade was good. There was something spicy in the taste, something elusive that made you want more.
And the night… so dark… and the sky… so full of stars…
“You can sleep,” came his velvet voice, cutting through the haze. “I’ll keep watch over your dreams.”
With a single motion, Bo crossed the terrace and lifted her into his arms.
And she remembered what the grown-ups always said: Never take anything from strangers’ hands.
Even if they’re terribly charming.
Vincent Sinclair.
If anything could go wrong, it would, Murphy’s Law in full effect. The local bus that had been making runs for years? Broke down. The replacement? Out of state on a private charter. No friends going that way. No friends of friends either. And there are no other transport options on the horizon. Only one couple with an old pickup truck seemed resigned to making the trip by themselves and kindly offered to take the girl along.
“Rough day?” the older man asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
Modern youth lived under constant stress yet seemed completely unprepared for sudden changes. Understandable. These kinds of surprises left no energy for anything else.
“The week has been rough,” she replied with a smile, resting her hands on the sides of her white sundress. “I thought maybe bad luck wouldn’t follow me into the next town.”
Flashing lights of a road barrier and a detour sign appeared up ahead.
“Looks like it’s not done with you yet,” the woman said with an optimistic smile, right before the first pothole stole it away.
“Or maybe it’ll be a couple hours of bad luck,” her husband replied dryly.
The girl accepted her fate. There was nothing more she could do. At least she had decent company, it was best not to ask for too much or tempt fortune to take it away.
The first half of the trip passed under a soundtrack of old country songs and hopeful chatter. The second half, however, was marked by a worsening road and an increasing urge to cry.
The driver muttered something about needing gas, just as a rusted “Welcome” sign peeked out from behind wild vegetation.
“Didn’t think this town still existed. We’ll stop in, fuel up, see what’s what.”
“Is that really necessary?” his wife asked, frowning. This would mean another delay.
“We’re running on fumes. And if we hit a traffic jam? No, sorry, this old man isn’t risking it when we’ve got a chance to fill up.”
The girl glanced out the window. No signs of civilization, only sparse woods flashing past. She would’ve kept daydreaming, lost in her own thoughts, if not for the woman’s sudden comment:
“Sweetheart, you look just like an actress I used to love, back in my day. In that dress, I mean.”
Lester Sinclair.
Hitting a wild boar early in the morning on a deserted road? Sounds like a challenge and the girl accepts it. The impact rattles her vision, and the screech of brakes still echoes in her ears. Staggering, she got out of the car, surprised she didn’t end up in a ditch. The animal lies on its back, its side punctured and bleeding, but still alive.
What if she takes it to a vet? No, the nearest town is who knows how far, there’s no time.
Maybe she could give it first aid? Damn, it’s a wild animal, injured and disoriented. That makes it dangerous.
She runs through every option in her head, but none involves putting the poor boar down. She just can’t bring herself to slit its throat, even if it ends its suffering.
Suddenly, a truck appears ahead, flashing its high beams. She waves it down, and soon a man steps out.
“What happened, missy? Not watching the road?” the redneck greets her with a grin, ignoring the situation in front of him.
“Very funny. Can you do anything?”
He glances between his dog, the girl, and the boar before replying:
“Well, nothing much to do but butcher the pig and move on.”
She groans and leans against the bumper, unwilling to accept it. Lester tries to console her, saying it’s just his job, nothing unusual, it was an accident. Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been a person.
“You know what you need right now?”
“A shot of moonshine?” she replies with a smirk, sliding back into her car.
“No,” he scratches his head, “well, maybe that too. But I meant dog therapy. Rub her belly while I take care of this.”
Without asking, he shoves his four-legged friend into her car and gets to work. The dog snuggles against her hands, climbing into her lap. At least someone’s having a good day.
The redneck taps on the window. When she rolls it down, a shaggy face greets her.
“You’re good to go, ma’am. Though your headlight’s busted. I’d drive to the nearest town just in case. If you turn right in a couple miles, you’ll hit Ambrose.”
“God, I don’t even know how to thank you.”
She offers him a ten, but he refuses outright. So, she discreetly slips the bill into the dog’s collar and opens the door for her, giving her a heartfelt squeeze goodbye.
“Oh, and one more thing” he leans down to the open window, “tell Bo, the guy who owns the workshop, I’ll be there in an hour or so. Tell him to wait up.”
“Uh, sure.”
It’s not like she could say no to a small favor. All she had to do was deliver a message, and Ambrose was already on her way.
Jason Voorhees.
Yes, she admits the place was eerily quiet, even for somewhere infamous for its terrifying, unexplainable events. Yes, some psycho in a mask had nearly caught her last time, though for some reason, he let her go. And yes, coming back here alone was a stupid, reckless decision, she had a hundred "yes" raced through her mind as her feet carried her toward the lake.
There were always dark tales about it. They said a boy drowned there many years ago, and his mother, unable to cope with her grief or perhaps through something more powerful, created an immortal being. That’s what the old folks used to say, though over time the story turned into a legend. She’d even told it around a campfire herself during her first visit. But coming face to face with a man in a hockey mask had wiped the smile right off her face.
Later, of course, she calmed down and told herself it could’ve been a copycat. There were plenty of idiots like that these days, and places like Crystal Lake attracted them like bees to honey.
So why was she here again?
Even though she didn’t fully know. She wanted to believe she’d find the answer here, but where to start and what exactly she was even looking for remained unclear. The forest called to her, its smells drawing her off the dirt road and deeper inside.
Jason had already noticed the girl returning to his domain. He’d let her go once, not that it mattered much. No one ever came back here after surviving. That was rare. Voorhees didn’t usually miss, and the old reliable machete helped make sure of that.
“Hey!” the girl cupped her hands around her mouth, “Anyone here?”
A minute passed. Then another. Nothing. Not a twig snapped under a heavy footstep.
“Right. Who were you expecting, Jason Voorhees?” she muttered under her breath.
But the man heard her. A small, involuntary smile twisted the lips behind his mask. She was closer to the truth than she knew.
Michael Myers.
Halloween was the kind of day when kids and adults alike could dress up, have fun, and play a different role. Though the girl didn’t share the general excitement or her friend’s enthusiasm, she still agreed to spend the holiday together. Her parents never let her collect much candy as a child, so now she indulged her need for that festive spirit as an adult.
Her friend was running embarrassingly late, despite setting the meeting time herself. The girl decided to call her. A couple of rings later, she heard loud curses and an echo, meaning the call was on the speaker in the car.
“Sorry, I’m on my way. I didn’t realize the city would go full-on insane tonight, literally.”
“What, drunk teens throwing themselves in front of your car?”
A soft laugh came from the other end, followed by a more serious, “No.”
“I just wasn’t ready for the overwhelming number of costumes. Maniacs, murderers, every kind of unsocialized citizen our beautiful country has to offer. By the way, what are you wearing?”
She was about to mention her fairy costume but stopped herself. That would ruin the surprise she’d worked so hard on those wings alone were a struggle! They even itched at her shoulder blades, right where they attached to her dress. Her mom had suggested magnets, but no, wire seemed like a better choice, it didn’t stick out when she moved.
“You’ll see me before all those ‘citizens’ do.”
“Ooh,” her friend teased, “intriguing. I’ve seen like five Michael Myers already, and they all look like knockoffs from some cheap Chinese website.”
“Even that deserves some praise.”
Suddenly, loud screeching brakes came through the phone, followed by fresh swearing, this time not aimed at her.
“Hey, you still there? Speaking of the devil, someone just wandered into the road, like he thought he was invisible. And you know what? He didn’t even flinch at my yelling. Just stared at me with those dead eyes.”
“Well, you did say people weren’t trying very hard. Sounds like this imitator’s really committed to the role.”
The girls laughed it off. No way there were some weirdos going to ruin the holiday. Not on All Hallows’ Eve.
Thomas Hewitt.
Oh, lovely Texas! Everyone had said the air was different here, and they were right. The air truly was different, tinged with dust, and completely devoid of moisture, but it was worth it. The girl drove mile after mile, estimating how much longer the road stretched ahead. Her back had gone numb a couple of hours ago, and her legs had cramped more than once. She might’ve kept going if she hadn’t noticed how strangely the car’s engine was acting. Of course, the heat was taking its toll on a vehicle meant for city driving. With no distilled water or any kind of coolant in the trunk, the only sensible option was to turn into the nearest roadside store.
She spotted a run-down but stereotypically Texan gas station. Leaving her car under a flimsy awning held up more by faith than structure, she stepped inside. The only other person was an elderly woman, who didn’t seem to be handling the midday heat too well. Distracted by the bell over the door, the woman dropped the sack of grain she’d been carrying.
“Sorry, let me help you,” the girl said quickly, stepping behind the counter to lift the heavy burlap bag onto her back.
“Oh, darling, you don’t have to…”
“It’s alright, just show me where it goes.”
The old woman pointed toward a trailer near a broken-down gas pump. A few other sacks were already there, so the girl made quick work of it and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“I feel bad making a customer carry my grain,” the woman said.
“Better me than you,” the girl waved it off. “I actually came to get some water for my engine.”
The old woman smiled and walked to a shelf stocked with automotive supplies. It was a wonder any of it was still within its expiration date, judging by the surroundings, customers were rare here.
“Not afraid to leave your car unattended?” the woman called from behind the counter as she rang up the purchase.
“Nope.” The girl pulled aside her shirt, revealing a pistol holstered at her hip. “I’m no good with moving targets, but I shoot clays regularly. If anything does come up, I won’t miss.”
Something flickered in the woman’s eyes, and her already sweet smile turned even more syrupy.
“Oh, honey, you'd be just perfect for my son. The ideal daughter-in-law.”
The girl smiled politely as she took the jug. Old age sure had its quirks.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Take care.”
“Be safe, sweetheart.”
As she started up the engine again, she noticed the woman watching her from the window. No, she wasn’t ready for marriage, let alone getting stuck in a place like this.
Art the Clown.
The art of pantomime required not just discipline but a keen eye for detail, so fine it could vanish in the blink of an eye. That clown putting on a whole show inside the diner looked oddly familiar. Yes, she’d seen him before, maybe last Halloween, passing a party shop filled with holiday decor. Dozens of those places popped up all over the city before the holiday. And who’s to say it was even him?
Her attention drifted to her coffee mug as she stirred in the sugar. Without looking up, she reached for the creamer, only to touch something soft. A white glove.
The clown was sitting right in front of her, beaming with the most charming and frankly, most unsettling smile. He held out both hands, lifting them alternately, as if weighing options.
“You want me to choose?” she asked uncertainly.
He nodded enthusiastically.
A man at the next table chimed in, amused, “Looks like we’ve got a magic trick that needs an assistant.”
There were plenty of attractive women around, each with equally attractive company, but what could she do? The sooner she picked, the sooner she could get back to watching instead of participating.
She looked at both fists once more and pointed to the left.
“Yes, I’m sure. Open it.”
But the hand was empty. The clown didn’t seem disappointed though, he leaned forward and, with a swift movement, pulled a flower from behind her ear.
“Thanks,” she said, managing a more awkward smile as she accepted the gift.
Meanwhile, he flipped over the napkin holder to reveal a stash of single-serve creamers. His gloved hands applauded her performance, and others in dinner joined in. With one last grin, he handed her a small note, then vanished out the door in the blink of an eye.
“Art always loves his assistants.”
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milksnake-tea · 10 months ago
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✩ CHAPTER SUMMARY : Firefly and Silver Wolf return from Penacony, bringing souvenirs of all kinds alongside them.
✩ SERIES SYNOPSIS : Following the catastrophe of the Charmony Festival, rather than in one of Penacony's hospitals or prisons, Sunday awakens right in the base of one of the most notorious criminals in the galaxies. With nowhere else to go, he's left to follow you, the Stellaron Hunters' medic, in his attempts to become accustomed to his new life.
✩ WORD COUNT : 6.3k
✩ TAGLIST : @vynicity , @vxnuslogy, @https-mika, @greyrain23, @red-ninja15, @arienic , @immahuman , @sund4ykisser , @mysteriaqueen , @kiopanxp , @isa-l0v3r , @hesper-houkai-kat , @gamekillera , @nayukiyukihira , @randomidk-123 , @universetrash , @forevernyeong , @thedepartedcryptid , @heyhazelnut101 , @1000-leaves , @lowkeyren , @zhayur , @jellofishuu , @kascar-chronicle , @azaleaflowerr , @neigee , @fallintothechasm , @veritusratio , @astolary , @xphantasmagoriax , @semi-orangeapple , @ezra1yn , @xynthevoid , @apinu , @crysangria , @shenwi , @louchive , @mave-in , @mutiachan , @meerpea , @tetrxctys , @emiken-070907 ( send me an ask off anon if you want to be added !! remember to specify that it is for this series )
✩ ADDITIONAL NOTES : mentions of alcoholism in this chapter !! also check out the tags, i've added something that needs to be looked at but tldr the reader will be dealing with themes of alcoholism, addiction, escapism, and survivor's guilt. it'll be tackled in later chapters, but just putting that as a warning now! sunday's pfp art is by @/thotep
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Weeks have passed since Sunday had first arrived at the Delphi.
With Silver Wolf and Firefly busy with their mission on Penacony, life is relatively mundane. If you don’t have a script to fulfill, then Elio lets you run free to do whatever your heart desires - ironic, considering the nature of your work.
Every Hunter has their own way of passing the time between scripts. Kafka often goes shopping for fancy dresses or yet another velvet coat to add to her increasing collection of them. Silver Wolf, on the other hand, shrinks away from the real world and into the comfort of her room to game - you know this because her room’s right next to yours, so you can hear whether or not she wins or loses.
Firefly never spends too long on the Delphi; rather, she takes up her suit and flies off to visit nearby planets, eager to experience their wonders as any normal tourist would. As for Blade, he sulks off into the training rooms, either sharpening his sword or perfecting his technique.
But what about you? What do you do in these torturously boring times? What is your way of keeping yourself entertained?
Drinking. It’s drinking.
Because apparently making candy-flavored drugs isn’t bad enough.
Simple piano played in the background of the Delphi’s bar, where it came from you’ve long given up on trying to figure out. Golden lights hanging from the ceiling clash against chestnut wood, filling the bar with a hazy, warm color.
You’re alone in the bar, sitting laxly in one of the many stools that line the countertop. Lazily, you spin a jigger in your hands, absentmindedly adding and shaking and tossing until you’re left with a clear, peach-tinted cocktail topped with creamy white foam and mint leaves.
The drink is known as a White Sand, a cocktail you discovered when visiting a tropical planet known for its tourism. You’re still new to mixology, preferring to just drink wine straight from the bottle, but you can’t deny that trying out different combinations of recipes, some delicious and others diabolical, is a surprisingly great way of passing the time.
Just as you’re about to take a sip of your drink, your phone dings. You’re tempted to ignore it, but after the second, third, and consequential pings, you begrudgingly take it out with a sigh.
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You roll your eyes a bit despite the smile on your face. Drinking your cocktail with a little more spite this time, you type out a response.
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Spinning around on the stool, you uncross your legs and, taking your drink with you, make your way to the training room. Thankfully, the walk isn’t too long - just an elevator ride down and after a few minutes of walking through the facilities, you’ve arrived.
You take a deep breath as you come to the doors of the training rooms, mentally preparing yourself for what was to come. Just to be safe, you summon your sword in your dominant hand and hold your cocktail in the other.
Your sword isn’t anything impressive when compared to the others’ - it isn’t as flashy as Silver Wolf’s or Firefly’s, nor is it as intimidating as Blade’s. It supports a simple yet elegant design, and it’s thin, tapering to a sharp point. 
But what makes it unique are the bright veins that run through it, filled with a deadly poison that you’ve personally curated through testing and researching natural poisons found across the stellar seas. Just one graze or prick of your blade, and your victim becomes paralyzed within seconds, dead with a few more.
Normally, you wouldn’t bring it out - you prefer your rifle and bayonet over your sword - but what lay behind these doors required a little more agility than what could be accomplished with one hand and a rifle.
With a sigh, you step through the doors and brace for impact.
“[Name]-?” Sunday looks behind him as you enter, only to curse and bring up his rapier as Blade lunges at him once more. It’s a fatal mistake, being distracted in the middle of a fight, and Sunday learns this the hard way when he’s caught off balance (rapiers are NOT good at blocking, especially if you’re a beginner) and Blade mercilessly drives a kick into his stomach.
You narrowly jump out of the way as Sunday flies past you and into the wall with a crash.
“Don’t let your focus wander.” Blade barely finishes speaking before he lunges at Sunday again with a swing of his broken blade.
See, you’re technically supposed to break up the fight and tell them of Firefly’s message. Technically.
But you kind of want to see where this goes.
And so you lean back against the wall, swirling your drink idly and watch the show without lifting a finger to help Sunday.
Sunday manages to dodge Blade’s attack, which is better than when you saw him a few weeks ago. Last you saw him, he was getting beat left and right both physically and mentally (Blade does not know what sugarcoating is). 
See, as of late, Blade’s taken up a new hobby to entertain himself - that being training the newbie in the ways of combat. While it’s arguably true that Blade is the best suited for this (Kafka is Kafka, Silver Wolf can’t be bothered, Firefly doesn’t know what’s within a normal person’s capabilities, and you would treat it like a chore), his methods are… less than ideal.
Basically, he teaches you the basics for the first two weeks, and then makes you fight to the death against him until you get better not because you want to, but because you have to if you want to live.
You know this, because you went through this too. So did Silver Wolf. Firefly didn’t have to because one, she was already a capable warrior and two, she’s Blade’s senior, as weird as it sounds.
For the most part, Sunday seems to be doing relatively well, being able to parry, dodge, and attack the best he can. Obviously, he’s unable to land a hit on Blade (it would be impressive if he did), but being able to hold his own is more than enough.
The rapier he wields is a gift from his master. Although Blade can no longer craft weapons as he used to, his eye is still as sharp as ever. The rapier itself is an elegant thing, sporting a silver handle with a sapphire embedded near the handguard. It still holds considerable weight, but is light enough so that Sunday can wield it despite not having any prior training.
Every so often, the Halovian’s halo glows, indicating a mental attack of some kind. But the glow is faint, meaning that it isn’t anything that could seriously debilitate Blade, who is especially sensitive to attacks regarding the mind.
You smile to yourself. Always thinking of others, wasn’t he?
The mental attack creates only a momentary stagger in Blade’s movements, a brief falter, but Sunday seizes the chance. His wings, which have gotten stronger with every visit to your office, flare out in a cape of night. He still can’t fly, but they’re strong enough to propel him out of Blade’s range.
His wings tuck, and he strikes his rapier again, but this time it isn’t with the intent of piercing Blade with his sword. Instead, his halo glows stronger, and small staffs of music shoot like miniature missiles at Blade.
Of course, Blade slashes through each music note easily. Even as Sunday conducts his personal choir with his rapier as his baton, there’s still a slight tremble in his hand, still not fully used to the weight of the rapier.
Not only that, you notice, the staffs aren’t exactly strong either. They waver, and they’re thin, as if one pull of your finger could break them into ribbons.
Your phone dings again, reminding you of why you were here in the first place.
Right. You’re supposed to stop them. How many minutes has it been? At least two.
You gulp down the rest of your cocktail (there wasn’t much left), relishing the taste for just a moment before you lunge and intercept Blade’s attack. Your sword meets Blade’s in a flurry of sparks. You grunt, planting your feet on the ground and push off, throwing Blade off of you and forcing him to skid back.
Blade is less than pleased by your interruption despite expecting it. You can see that he’s half a mind to turn the training onto you. Before he can try anything, you point your sword at him, stopping him with a warning look.
“Sorry, but class is going to have to end early today.” You twirl your sword mindlessly in your hand before summoning it back into your inventory. “The girls are coming back from Penacony, and Firefly wants us in the living room in ten. And before you ask, if I have to go, so do you.”
The last part is directed at Blade, who grumbles in response.
“Fine.”
His sword disappears from his hands as he straightens. You almost don’t catch Sunday sighing in relief behind you. A laugh bubbles in your chest as you turn to him, crossing your arms.
“Old man’s been hard on you, hasn’t he?” 
Sunday sighs, rolling back his shoulders as his rapier dissolves into nothing. 
“I should be used to it by now,” he admits, “but Blade’s teaching style is more erratic than what I’m used to.”
“You’re getting better, though. At least you can actually hold the rapier now.”
Sunday chuckles. “That’s true. It doesn’t feel as heavy anymore; I suppose I’ve gotten stronger.”
“You sure have.” You look him up and down.
He’s wearing a long-sleeve compression shirt and simple joggers so as not to ruin his other clothes with the sweat and tear that comes with Blade’s training sessions. His body is still relatively slender like it was when he first came to the base, but you can see hints of his labor beginning to bear its fruits. His arms are definitely more toned, and while he still predominantly wears gloves, you spy a callus on one of his right hand’s forefingers.
Ever since he’d first stretched his wings, it was as if a light had returned to his eyes. He is still reserved, still quiet to a degree, but his presence has become brighter, in a sense. You see it in the tiniest changes - the lift of his eyes, the genuine crinkle in his smile, the gradual relaxation of his shoulders.
In your opinion, he’s never looked better.
Then again, your only visuals of him prior to now were when he was at his lowest, so maybe it wasn’t a good comparison.
You realize you’ve been staring for longer than what’s socially acceptable. Meeting Sunday’s confused smile, you playfully stick your tongue out before waving him off.
“Don’t just stand there. Go wash up and change, you smell.”
Sunday blinks. “I do?”
The genuine worry in his voice almost makes you feel bad. In an effort to make him feel better, you pat his head in two heavy movements, earning a high-pitched squeak with each pat.
“I’m just messing with you,” you tease, ruffling his feather-like hair before finally releasing him. Sunday huffs, slightly puffing out his cheeks as he immediately starts fixing his hair. He reminds you of a baby bird.
Resummoning your wine glass, which you had put away before intervening in the spar, you pull out a vintage wine bottle from nowhere and pour out some red wine. Sunday wrinkles his nose.
“Drinking again, I see,” he sighs. “Isn’t it a bit early for that?”
“For you, it is,” you say, throwing the wine bottle back into your inventory. “I, however, am not like you.”
“You’re destroying your liver.”
“My liver can handle it. Ask Blade, he knows. Isn’t that right, Blade?”
“Don’t bring me into this,” mutters Blade, in the middle of changing back into his normal clothes. You shrug.
“See? He didn’t deny it.”
Sunday crosses his arms. “He didn’t confirm it either. [Name], I cannot in good faith let you go on about this self-destructive path-”
“And on that note, I should get going,” you cut him off, pointedly ignoring the look he gives you. But before Sunday can start up his thirty-minute lecture, you’re already turning your heel and walking off with a cheeky wave. “See you up top!”
“Hey-!” Sunday shakes his head as you saunter out the doors, pressing a hand to his forehead. He already feels a migraine forming. “What am I going to do with them…”
Blade hums sympathetically, wordlessly offering Sunday a bottle of water and a towel, which he accepts gratefully.
“Don’t bother,” says Blade, looking at the doors where you’ve just left through. “They’ve always been like that. Trying to reason with them is fruitless.”
Sunday turns his head slightly to glance at Blade, his brow creased with worry.
“Still, this habit of theirs…”
Blade sighs. “It may look bad to you, but trust me. This is better than what they were doing before. At least with alcohol, their body can recover quickly.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sunday turns fully to face the other Hunter. “Surely, alcoholism can’t be a better alternative.”
For a long, heavy moment, Blade merely stares at him silently, waiting for him to come to his own conclusion. The air turns suffocating the longer the silence drags on, but Sunday endures. He meets Blade’s gaze calmly, and waits.
It isn’t too long before Blade relents. Maybe it’s because they have an appointment soon, or maybe he doesn’t feel like playing mind games with Sunday - or both.
“Have you ever seen them get alcohol poisoning?” he finally says, a little breath to his voice like a sigh.
Sunday blinks, caught off guard by the question. “No, but-”
“There’s your answer.” Blade begins to walk off. Before he disappears, he glances back. “Save your concern. Don’t pry where you aren’t welcome.”
The doors slide shut, leaving Sunday alone with the echo of the Hunter’s words. He squeezes the bottle tightly.
Don’t concern yourself, huh?
How could he not? In Penacony, his ears were meant for hearing the woes of his kin, and his heart forever cut to bleed for them. Sympathy is carved into his skin; it was second nature to him already.
But he remembers that moment in your office, the sudden coldness that came with an attempt of sympathy. And he remembers that he isn’t on Penacony anymore.
His eyes shut, a sigh escaping him. His wings tremble restlessly, referencing his thoughts.
Sunday opens one dark wing, and flaps it.
It’s frustrating, constantly being told to sit still and mind his own business. You’ve already helped him so much, but whenever he tries to do something for you, whether it be small, such as helping out with a chore or something more serious like this, he’s always shut down.
He feels useless, like a leech or a freeloader. All he’s done is take and take and take, unable to give.
He buries his face in the towel Blade gave him with a groan.
He hates it.
He should be doing more - he should be more.
“Still here, I see.”
Sunday flinches. He looks around wildly for the source of the voice, but he sees no one. Was he already beginning to hallucinate? He shouldn’t be, he was sleeping enough thanks to your medicine, but maybe four hours a night still wasn’t enough-
“No need to panic. I’m down here.”
Sitting at the foot of the doors is a familiar black cat with familiarly unnatural blue eyes.
Sunday relaxes. “Ah, Elio.”
Out of respect, he bows to his leader. The Destiny of Slave tilts his head, soundlessly leaping onto a nearby bench. 
Sunday tries his best not to be unnerved by his gaze, but he can’t help it. Despite being on the Delphi for a little more than a month now, he’s rarely seen Elio, and as such hasn’t gotten used to his piercing eyes.
A small surprised sound leaves him as Elio jumps onto his shoulder, perching himself on him snugly. The seer’s back brushes against his wings as he readjusts himself.
“What addles your mind?” Elio asks. Sunday wants to lean away from him, but it’s impossible with the seer on his shoulder. “Firefly will be arriving in two system minutes. You will be late.”
Right, the meeting- meeting. 
Sunday’s mind jumps at the word, dragged back into its own habits. Late, late- he can’t be late, that is unbecoming of someone like him, shouldn’t he know better? Instead he wasted time by asking useless questions- Stop thinking, stop thinking, you’re taking up valuable minutes- Get a move on, move, or they’ll hate you, they’ll take it as a disrespect, they’ll never accept you as their own-
“That’s enough.” 
A paw baps the side of his head gently, snapping Sunday out of his thoughts. 
Dull pain pricks at his palms. With a start, he realizes that his nails are digging into them, as they always do whenever his mind starts racing. He quickly relaxes his hands with a sigh.
Elio hums knowingly.
“You think too much,” says the seer. He stretches on Sunday’s shoulder, letting out a small meow as he does. He looks and acts so much like a real cat, Sunday has to remind himself not to pet him.
“I apologize,” is Sunday’s automatic response. Internally, he winces. You’d scold him if you heard him.
Elio shakes his head.
“The others won’t ostracize you,” he says matter-of-factly, in a tone that leaves no room for argument.
“Is that a part of your prophecy?” Sunday asks, eyes glittering with dull mirth.
“Perhaps. It is also their nature. One doesn’t need to be a seer to know that.”
The seer lashes his tail. Sunday doesn’t know how to feel about being comforted by a cat, but knowing who Elio is, and the absolute certainty behind his words manages to quiet the noise in his mind enough to let him think clearly.
“I… I see. Thank you,” he says sheepishly. Elio shrugs.
“It’s nothing,” he assures. “If you need further consolation, you can pet me.”
Somewhere a record screeches to a halt. Sunday stares blankly at Elio, who stares back innocently as if he hasn’t said anything wrong.
“Absolutely not,” Sunday says flatly, with half a mind to shove the seer off just to see what would happen. “You’re a grown man.”
Elio’s eyes gleam. “Am I? Or am I a cat who has learned to disguise as human?”
Sunday doesn’t bother entertaining him. Rolling his eyes with an amused sigh, he begrudgingly gives Elio a small scratch on the chin.
“Happy now?”
Elio closes his eyes, the beginnings of a purr rumbling in his chest. The vibrations are soothing against Sunday’s skin, like how white noise aids one in sleeping. One of Elio's ears flicks, and Sunday has to bite down a smile.
“This isn’t for my happiness,” Elio says despite clearly enjoying the scratch. He blinks his eyes open, forcing Sunday to look into the sky. “You are feeling better.”
The seer tilts his head, looking past Sunday in amusement. Before Sunday asks what exactly it is he’s looking at, he hears a distant flutter, and his wings brush against fur. His face flushes.
Elio chuckles, his tail flicking back and forth. “Come on now, the others are waiting.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, ears burning, Sunday nods.
He really needed to fix this wing problem of his.
Three floors up, you wait with Kafka in the main living room. 
The Spirit Whisper user has only arrived recently, having sped back to the Delphi from whatever corner of the universe she was shopping at. Her recent escapade shows on her outfit, a brand new velvet coat (this one a dark red) draped over her shoulders.
Her gloved fingers fly expertly across the neck of a violin, a mahogany bow in her other hand as she maneuvers the violin into an eerie melody. Her shoulders sway as she does, her pupiless eyes fluttering closed every so often with the music.
“They’re here,” you announce, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in the plush sofa chair in which you sit. Your eyes are focused on your phone, which tracks Firefly’s and Silver Wolf’s location on an app the latter had designed herself.
Kafka hums, her deft hands never stilling. “Is that right?”
There’s a creak as the door opens behind and Blade walks in. With a simple nod to both you and Kafka, he slinks off to his corner of the room and summons his sword to hug against his chest. Kafka smiles demurely.
“Say,” she says, finally setting down the violin, “Bladie, how’s Birdie’s training going?”
Blade shifts the sword, looking up. “He needs to work on his footwork.”
Kafka hums. “Do you think he’s ready for a mission?”
“He can hold his own,” Blade admits, “but I wonder if he has the heart to kill. He could easily incapacitate me with his attacks on the mind, and yet he chooses not to.”
“It’s because he cares,” you jump into the conversation, setting your phone aside. “He may not act like it, but he’s rather soft-hearted. He probably doesn’t want to hurt you.”
Blade scoffs. “That kind of foolish sympathy will only debilitate him on the battlefield.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” says Kafka. “Who knows? Maybe Birdie will surprise us. One doesn’t nearly become an Aeon without some kind of moral ambiguity.”
Blade doesn’t look convinced, but he was never one to argue. He merely shrugs with a grunt, accepting whatever Kafka decides is the truth.
It isn’t like the conversation is set to continue either, as soon a portal made up of multicolored pixels spawns in the middle of the living room, and out walks Firefly, shopping bags hanging from all over her arms. Silver Wolf follows soon after, closing the portal behind her with a pop of her bubblegum.
“Welcome back,” Kafka greets, leaning on top of the backrest of your sofa chair. “Had fun at Penacony?”
“Fun is… one way of putting it,” Firefly chuckles bashfully. “It was definitely eventful. Speaking of which,”
She looks around the room for a certain someone.
“Where’s Sunday?”
“Probably changing,” you say, standing up from your chair. “He was in the middle of getting beat by Blade when I told him.”
“Ah, I see…” A small, nervous laugh leaves her. She quickly brightens, however, once you go in for a one-armed hug, the other hand still holding your wine glass. “That’s okay. His gift can wait. Here, let me give your guys’s.”
She rummages around in her shopping bag before pulling out what looks to be a large bubble, purples and blues glistening on its surface with the occasional person or place flashing.
“Here’s yours, [Name].”
You stare at it, dumbfounded. “A bubble?”
“It’s a dream bubble,” Firefly clarifies, gently placing it above your open palm. “Basically, they’re little memories or stories stored in a bubble - like a movie! There was this one vendor in Oti Mall who sold them, and, well… When I saw it, I knew I had to get it for you.”
Her shoulders jump, as if remembering something.
��Oh, and… Maybe it’s best if you don’t open it here.”
Raising a brow, you tear your eyes away from the strange bubble. “Why is that?”
Firefly shifts. “Well… you’ll know.”
That doesn’t sound reassuring. “Now I’m getting worried. Is there a trigger warning, or..?”
Firefly waves her hands hastily. “No, no, nothing like that! It’s just that, well… dream bubbles leave you unconscious, so…”
“Ah.” You blink. “That makes a lot more sense.”
“That wasn’t all I got you, though,” Firefly adds. She takes the shopping bag that she’d pulled the dream bubble from and hands it to you. “I know you like collecting drinks, so…”
At her words, you immediately forget about the dream bubble. Throwing it away somewhere, you eagerly reach into the bag and feel the familiar touch of cold glass. Your eyes gleam with excitement.
The bottle you pull out is tall and fat towards the bottom, the glass tinted a dark caramel while what seems to be liquid amber sloshes inside. Stamped on the front of the hefty bottle is a green and orange logo that tells you just exactly what this beverage was.
“SoulGlad, is it?” you read aloud, holding the bottle up to the light. “So this is the famous ‘beverage of dreams’.”
“I know you prefer wine,” says Firefly, rubbing the back of her neck, “but Siobhan recommended this - also it’s a staple of Penacony, so I figured, why not try that wasn’t alcohol for once?”
You pointedly ignore that last part. “Siobhan?”
“She’s a bartender I met on Penacony! Speaking of which, Blade,”-Firefly fishes out another shopping bag, this one smaller and darker in color- “Siobhan said that this drink is good for people like you. It’ll make you feel a little better.”
Blade raises a brow. He unhands his sword only for a moment to accept the bag. Briefly peeking at whatever’s inside, he raises a brow and closes the bag, nodding his thanks to Firefly.
The biggest bag turns out to be Kafka’s, as Silver Wolf had already received her souvenir prior to arriving on the Delphi. 
The hacker’s gift currently sits on her head as she plays yet another game in the chair that used to be your. The holographic Origami Bird bears a striking resemblance to her, occasionally cocking its head and chirping every so often, the three large feathers on its head swaying with each movement.
“Wow~” Despite having just gotten a new coat, Kafka’s perfectly painted lips curve into a delighted smile at the sight of black and magenta velvet and bronze buttons. “Did you get this specially tailored?”
Firefly tucks a white hair behind her head, her cheeks flushed with joy. “Yes, I did. It was only a small extra fee, so I didn’t mind.”
“How thoughtful.” Kafka swiftly abandons her current coat and slips on the new one. “Thanks, I’ll be sure to use it often.”
Kafka pats Firefly’s head gently, smiling down at her like a mother would her daughter.
“Congrats on your mission, by the way,” she says. “Quite the stir this time, I wish I was there to have seen it all.”
Firefly chuckles nervously. “Yeah, Penacony was definitely… interesting.”
And then, as if summoned by his homeland, two doors slide open and Sunday enters with Elio nestled snugly in his arms.
“I apologize for being late,” says the Halovian, bowing slightly. Kafka laughs.
“Don’t worry about it,” she assures, waving a hand carelessly. “What matters is that you’re here, Birdie.”
Fuchsia eyes narrow amusedly at the seer comfortably cradled against Sunday’s chest.
“Having fun there, Elio?” Kafka teases. Elio squints at the woman for a second before letting out a disturbingly cat-like meow and nuzzling back into the warm wool of Sunday’s turtleneck.
As much as you want to laugh at the seer, your eyes are somewhere else. Besides you, Firefly has seized up, her posture stiff and awkward at the sight of the former Oak Head. Figures, she probably had… a lot of conflicts, to put it lightly, with Sunday, and seeing him so soon - not to mention with her boss - must be jarring.
You decide to give her a bit of comfort. Nudging her lightly, you offer her an encouraging smile. She returns it gratefully, before taking a deep breath and greeting her now-junior.
“Hi, Sunday,” she says tentatively with a shy smile. Sunday’s eyes soften.
“Ah, Miss Firefly.” He nods politely. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Yes.” Firefly shifts her feet. “How have you been?”
“Better. You Hunters have been far more accommodating than I had ever anticipated, although rather eccentric.”
“That’s good,” Firefly chuckles. She pulls out a light-blue gift bag, and, walking up to Sunday, extends it to him. “This is your initiation gift. I really hope you like it.”
“Ah, thank you.” 
Elio jumps off Sunday so that he can accept the gift, and opts to climb Kafka instead. In the meantime, Sunday handles Firefly’s gift as one might handle a baby. Once he opens it, however, his eyes widen in shock and his breath hitches.
“This is…”
Firefly smiles softly. “I asked your sister personally.”
Grasped in Sunday’s shaking hands is a gleaming album of red and purple. His sister’s face smiles up at him from the recording booth as she sings to the hearts of millions across the universe. Signed in the corner in a pastel pink pen is her signature.
“I…” Sunday’s voice is choked in his throat. He sounds like he’s about to cry. A part of you wants to reach out and give him a hug, but you don’t think that’s the right course of action right now.
“There’s a note inside,” Firefly offers. “And as for the album itself, it’s like a mini phonograph, so you can play it whenever you want.”
Sunday’s hand clasps tightly over his mouth as to hold back the tears that threaten to break from his eyes. Golden rings scan Robin’s face, again and again, rechecking her signature to make sure that he isn’t seeing things.
“I don’t know what to say,” he whispers. “I…” He inhales deeply to calm himself and reign back his composure. “...Thank you, Miss Firefly. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“You should be thanking your sister,” says Firefly. “She put some other things in the bag there for you, and- Silver Wolf? Did you give him your gifts yet?”
Silver Wolf doesn’t even look up from her game. “Nope. Give me a sec, I just gotta beat this level aaaaaand- done.”
She jumps up, her Origami bird fluttering in surprise as she does. Twirling her fingers, a phone materializes in her hold.
“Here’s your phone, newbie,” she says, stopping in front of Sunday. “I cleared it of all its tracking malware and transferred your frozen accounts from the IPC. Everything else should be the same.”
“Damn, you had tracking malware?” you comment, stealing back your seat now that Silver Wolf has left. Sunday sighs.
“Yes, the Dream Master was rather… paranoid.”
“That doesn’t matter though,” chirps Silver Wolf as Sunday takes back his phone. “I already got rid of it all, so it’s useless now. I also added you to the groupchat. Your sister’s been texting you like crazy, though. You might want to answer her.”
“...I’ll think about it,” says Sunday. The hacker shrugs.
“Do what you want, it’s not my business.” She starts up another level, evident by the 8-bit music playing from her phone. “Your old clothes should be in your room now; I put them on your bed for you.”
“You did? When?”
“Just now.”
You shoot a confused Sunday a smile. “Silver Wolf’s specialty lies in altering the data of reality.”
“Ah. Well, thank you Miss Silver Wolf.”
The hacker wrinkles her nose. “Just Silver Wolf is fine. Although, I have got to ask-”
She looks up, excitement and curiosity glittering behind her nonchalant facade.
“Why did you have so many copies of the same outfit? Are you like, an NPC?”
Sunday doesn’t seem to know what to do with Silver Wolf’s expectant gaze. He tilts his head.
“It’s merely a matter of convenience. I can’t wear the same clothes every day, that would be unsanitary. But the public has a certain image of me, and I had to uphold it - hence the clothes.”
“Oh.” Silver Wolf deflates. “That was significantly less interesting than I thought it’d be.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Don’t mind her,” you butt in. “She just likes to over exaggerate things so that she gets disappointed by them because she sets her expectations too high.”
“I do not!” Silver Wolf kicks you childishly, nearly spilling your wine in the process. You shoot her a glare.
“Yes, you do, I have receipts- do you want me to pull them out? I will pull them out.”
“Yeah, right. Screenshots? Recordings? Please, you know that’s useless against a hacker like me.”
“I’m not that unprepared you heathen-”
Elio sighs as the two of you begin bickering. Kafka chuckles, patting him on the head while Blade has already started napping standing up. Sunday glances at the two senior Hunters nervously.
“Are they always- like this?” he asks. Elio shakes his head in disappointment.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Later that night, Sunday sits in his room. There’s little to no light, save for the small lamp that sits on his bedside table. Soft piano music plays in the background, accompanied with the soft soprano of his sister.
“In candlelight, as time unwinds, I find myself, lost in your eyes.”
He closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the still-white walls of his room. He welcomes the melody into his ears, allowing it to consume him in its song. 
“In midnight tolls, as darkness folds, I see your tears, when we say goodbye.”
Flashes of Penacony’s scenery as he had fallen reemerge in his mind. He remembers the sunrise, the piercing light of the sun as it touched upon Golden Hour for the first time in years.
“Watching stars, as we drift on by.”
He remembers his sister’s embrace, the confusion and the fear, but also the relief and comfort of family.
“A touch,”
If he loses himself enough…
“A glance,
If he forgets enough…
“Fly away.”
He could almost believe that it’s his sister standing next to him that’s singing, not a recording.
“Will our paths converge, ‘neath the sun?”
Robin’s voice swells, and strings jump in to accompany it. Goosebumps chill his skin and his breath catches in his chest. His eyes squeeze, a strangling emotion he doesn’t recognize squeezing at his heart.
“A silent desire, in melody sung.”
For a moment, he sees her, he sees his sister, he sees Robin. It is almost as if she is speaking to him, singing to him, asking him of what fate has in store for them.
“Beyond this stolen night, we share a cherished dream.”
Indeed, they did. Her dream, their dream. A dream to fill the skies with their songs, to dance for the people they loved so much.
“Between souls whispered that it ‘seems’.”
But only one of them could make that dream a reality.
“Will shooting stars align ‘neath the sun?”
His eyes peek open, glossy and aching. The music heightens, and the dark ceiling blurs into the beginnings of a beautiful nightscape, full of twinkling stars and kissed by the retreating sun.
“In whispered hopes where journey's begun.”
Penacony smiles down at him, the home to which he’ll never return to. All twelve hours have passed, and a new day has begun.
“In dreams, we waltz the sky,”
His hand twitches. It flexes against the blankets, grasping for something, someone who isn’t there.
“You watch me drift on by,”
Oh, how he wishes he could hold her again, see her smile again, watch her sing once more. His heart aches to cradle his baby sister one last time, even if it’s for a second, just so that his last sight of her wouldn’t be of a smile with tears.
 “In your memory, a whispered song,”
“A seed of hope where we belong.”
The song ends, leaving Sunday with a husk of a heart. A singular tear breaks free and slips down his cheek. For the first time, Sunday doesn’t think to wipe it.
His chest hurts, yet lighter, as if a weight has been lifted, leaving his heart to deal with the repercussions of bearing said weight for so long. He can breathe, painfully so, yet it is clear, crisp, rejuvenating.
He wants to see her again, but not now. Not yet.
But one day, they will.
His phone pings, snapping him out of his thoughts. He almost doesn’t want to check it, but it pings again and he picks it up reluctantly.
It’s you, he realizes, a small smile slipping onto his face.
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Sunday grimaces at the memory. Last week, he’d made the mistake of admiring one of the flowers that grew over your door. Well, that flower turned out to be carnivorous, and very territorial, and it nearly took off a chunk off his finger had he not blasted it out of panic.
He still has to buy you a replacement.
He shakes his head, sighing with a smile. Out of reflex, he flexes the finger that had been bit. Had it not been for you, it would still be wrapped in bandages.
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A soft laugh escapes him at your sticker. He scrolls up for a bit through the conversation, rereading it over and over again. Why? He doesn’t know. It just feels right.
His scrolling stops just over the attachment you sent. So this is his part of the script - Elio’s infamous prophecy that contains details of the future, down to the very second. He clicks on it.
Reading over it briefly, his brows furrow.
“Alfeasa-VIII, is it?” he murmurs. 
He’s heard of the planet before; a prosperous kingdom with loyal and loving subjects that worshiped the Preservation. He’d never paid much attention to it, though, as the most interaction he’d ever gotten from it were a few of its nobles who came to Penacony for vacation.
His fingers stop just above a paragraph in his script that seems all too out of place.
At 22:38:10 system time, the reigning kingdom of Alfeasa-VIII will fall. [Name] will dispense multiple gas bombs at the banquet. They will give you one gas mask to give to a person of your choosing. Whoever you choose will become the next ruler of Alfeasa-VIII. I trust that you will choose wisely.
Bonus (left on read):
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