#wait do they hav a ship name

[highoncatfood]

do not be fooled i dont go here

[justagamerandaweeb]

Sun-Kissed - Modern AU! Iguro & Giyuu x Reader

A beach chapter? How original! This is a rather interesting ship. Didn't see that much fan art of them when I was trying to find a cover for a modern setting.

Btw, I tried to edit the cover of this chapter, and just, it's not gonna work.

They still look sexy tho.

You wiped your eyes and looked around to see that Iguro and Giyuu were still asleep. Iguro was sleeping on the bed next to you, while Giyuu slept on the couch.

You opened your phone to see that it was 4:45 AM. You yawned as you grabbed your headphones and opened your phone to watch videos to kill time. Minutes go by as you watched the brainrot that was contained on your phone, when suddenly something clicked in your head.

You swtiched your app to the calander to see what day it was, and see that you have a note on your phone that said, in all caps, "BEACH DAYYYY!!!!"

Oh shit... I forgot today was beach day. What time did we say we were gonna go? You clicked on the day and saw that it ranged from 12 to 2:15 PM. Oh fuck. Should I just sleep right now, or should I wait until we get in the car? You thought as you were tapping the side of your phone, thinking about what you should do.

You then felt the sudden urge to pee as you thought to yourself, Crap, just when I was thinking about going back to sleep. Well, it's better than pissing myself in my sleep... You thought as you took the comforter off of you and got out of the bed.

You were sneaking around the room quietly as you were very slowly walking to the bathroom door. You grabbed the doorknob and thought, Please don't squeak... As you softly twisted it, and slowly pushed the door open, only to find out that it didn't make a single sound.

You let out a soft sigh of relief as you softly closed the door and turned on the lights, making you squint your eyes for a split second. You then took your panties off and sat down on the toilet to use the bathroom.

Man, I feel so much better now. You thought as you flushed the toilet and washed your hands. You turned off the lights and left the bathroom and carefully went back to the bed.

You laid back down and closed your eyes as you were about to go to sleep, in case you need those extra hours of sleep when y'all go to the beach.

9:15 AM.

As you were sleeping, your nose started to sniff as you felt the taste of fish in your mouth, and so you began to wake up. "H-Huh? Who's cooking?" you said as you wiped your mouth from the drool that was running down your chin. "Who do you think, dumbass? Tomioka is cooking us some breakfast right now before we go, so get up." Iguro said with a towel in one arm, and a shirt, and swimming trunks in the other.

"Good morning to you too, Iguro," you said stretching your body while sitting down, and Iguro scoffed at you while going to the bathroom. You look outside to see a beautiful blue sky, and a bird's view of a city with cars passing from the highway. Man, I always forget how beautiful Japan could be.

"Hey, (Y/N)," you heard Giyuu call your name, and you turned your head and said, "Yeah?"

"What's your favorite drink to have for breakfast?" he asks you while cooking. You scratched your head and yawned as you said, "'Scuse me, um... I rarely eat breakfast, but usually, when I do, I drink (F/D) with my breakfast." you said to him and he hummed in acknowledgment.

"What are you even cooking, by the way? Smells amazing." you said walking up behind him, trying to peek under his shoulder. "Just some grilled fish and steamed rice, nothing special, really." he says as he puts the lid on the pan that was filled with rice, and lowers the heat to let it simmer.

He softly sighs as he sits down at the table and turns on the TV. You sat down with him and pat his back as you said, "Why do you look so glum, chum? Today is beach day! Shouldn't you be excited?" you said with a smile on your face, and he looked at you with an unamused expression on his face. "We go to the beach at least once or twice a year, and they have been mediocre. I'm using that word in the negative sense, by the way."

"And why do you think that? Is it because you don't know how to have fun? You just sit under the umbrella the entire time we're there and just poker face. Besides, I know you feel lonely whenever you watch us have fun. Am I wrong?" you said side-eying him.

He avoids making eye contact with you as he makes a groan of guilt, accepting the fact that he does exactly what you said. You patted his arm as you said, "Don't worry, I'm gonna fix that for you. Once we get to the beach, I'm gonna make you have some fun." you said, smiling at him.

He softly smirks at you before he heard the sound of the fish sizzling as he says, "Crap." he quickly stood up and speed walked to the kitchen as he takes the fork and flips the fish on the other side. As he did this, Iguro came out of the bathroom wearing a shirt, and black and white striped swimming trunks.

"Where's your swimming clothes?" Iguro bluntly asked you with a hint of venom in his voice. "It's in my luggage. Why should I take a shower now, when I can eat first, then shower?"

"So what you're saying is that you would rather smell like a bum, than smell hygienic when we go to the beach? Is that what I'm hearing from you?" Iguro said to you while he dried his hair with the towel. You clicked your tongue as you said, "Well fuck you too then, dickhead. Fine, I'll take a fucking shower." you said as you stood up off the chair and went to your luggage to take your one-piece swimsuit, and a shirt out.

As you grabbed a towel, you heard the sound of Giyuu talking to Iguro saying, "She's just hungry, Iguro. You shouldn't bash her for trying to eat before taking a shower." and Iguro scoffs as he said, "Shut up, you barely even talk, so who are you to butt in what were talking about?"

You closed your luggage and went to the bathroom and took off your pajamas, and panties. You went inside the bathtub and turned on the shower and began to clean yourself. You softly smiled as you realized that Giyuu was defending you, and thought to yourself, I'm gonna make sure he's gonna have lots of fun.

You turned off the shower and got out as you grabbed your towel and dried yourself off. Once you were done with that, you put your one-piece on, and then your shirt, which was a white graphic tee. You then grabbed your toothbrush which was in the toothbrush holder, and put toothpaste on it to brush your teeth.

You put mouthwash in your mouth, feeling the burning sensation on your tongue as you sloshed it around your mouth for 30 seconds, and spit it out. You picked up your clothes on the floor and left the bathroom to put your clothes in your bag.

You then turned around to see there was a plate of your breakfast in the spot where you were sitting. Iguro and Giyuu were already eating so you pulled the chair back, sat down, and ate with them.

You look at the TV that is talking about the weather to see that the temperature is gonna be 27°C by the time it reaches 1:30. "Do we have any sunscreen?" you ask as you take a bite of your rice. Giyuu raises his hand as he says, "It's in my luggage. Once we are ready to go, I'll grab it." he said chewing his rice. You hummed as you three continued eating your breakfast while watching the news.

You put your fork on the plate as you took a sip of (F/D) and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Honestly, you didn't think Giyuu was capable of cooking something that good. You got out of the chair and stretched as you said, "What time is it?"

Giyuu takes his phone out and says, "9:37." you hummed as you responded, "Has it really been that long? I thought it would be longer," you said before yawning and said, "When are we gonna leave again?"

"Guess we'll know when they knock on the door," Iguro said with his arms crossed. You hummed again as you walked to the couch and said, "Well, I'm just gonna take a nap for the next few hours, are any of you gonna wake me up when we go?"

Iguro ignored your request while Giyuu looked at you, but remained silent. You let out a sigh as you took out your phone and set an alarm on your phone, and sat it next to you on the table lamp. You laid your head on your hand as you closed your eyes and took a nap.

"She's kind of dumb taking a nap where we could be leaving right now, you know that, right?" Iguro said to Giyuu and he didn't respond to him. Instead, he stood up off the chair, and sat down next to also take a nap. Iguro sighed as he thought, Guess I have no choice but to wake them up. He said to himself as he continued to watch the TV.

1:15 PM.

As Iguro was watching the TV, he heard the sound of the door knocking and thought, That's our cue. He turned off the TV and turned around to see you both sleeping together as your head was on his shoulder, and his arm was around your waist. He scoffs as he walks up to both of you, and shakes you both for you to wake up.

You both yawned as you said, "Is it already time? How long were we asleep?" you said, wiping your eyes, as Giyuu did the same. "It's 1:15. Our friends just knocked on the door, so get up and let's go," he said as he grabbed all three of your flip-flops.

He puts his on, and you put yours on. They were a (P/C), mixed with a (S/C) polka-dot pattern. Giyuu unzips his luggage to take out the spray can of sunscreen. Iguro opens the door to see Kyojuro and Uzui standing in front of him. Kyojuro tilts his body and waves at you.

"You guys ready? Mitsuri can barely contain her excitement, she wants to leave now." Uzui said, tilting the top half of his body to the side so he can talk to y'all. "Yeah, we're ready. And I don't blame her, I'm just as excited too, as a matter of fact!" you said, joyfully.

Kyojuro laughed as he said, "Well then, let's not waste time! To our cars!" and walked off. You, Iguro, and Giyuu followed them as Giyuu closed the door and locked it.

1:33 PM, Odaiba Beach.

You got out of the car and was about to immediately run to the beach, when suddenly you felt Sanemi grab you by the back of your swimsuit. "Where do you think you're going? You're helping us too to set up, right?"

"What, why?" you asked him, confused, as he rebuked you saying, "Because the last time we went to the beach, you did jack shit helping us! Shit, even Shinobu helped us set up and she's the smallest one here! So c'mon, don't make me have to drag your ass like a child to help us too."

You pouted at him as he says to you in a threatening manner, "Don't fucking test me, I will smack that expression off your fucking face." and you immediately dropped it. "Now, help us set up," he said as he grabbed a huge umbrella out of the trunk of Uzui's truck.

"Here, the least you can do is find a good spot to put this up." Sanemi said as he put the umbrella in your hands and said, "Now go." he said as you started to walk to the beach. You scoffed as you thought, "I did jack shit last year." Please. If anything I DID do something to set up the beach. Like... Uh... Fuck, I hate admitting he's right sometimes, the fuck did I even do other than swim?

You looked around and thought, This looks like a good spot. As you opened up the umbrella, and jammed the rod to the ground. You were about to sit down, but then you would get sand on your behind, so decided to help out some more.

You walked passed Mitsuri, who also had a big umbrella in her hands. You looked behind her and said, "Do you need help, or?" and she looked back and smiled at you as she said, "No, but thank you for asking!"

Okay... You thought clapping your hands together. You went back to the truck and Giyuu says, "Hey, (Y/N), help me carry this cooler." he said as he grabbed the handle on the other side. You grabbed and you both lifted it up as he said, "Okay, move back, carefully."

As you were walking back, you said to him, "Man, this is a little heavy, doncha think?" he nodded in agreement. "Uzui wants us to have a fun time, so I guess we could use a couple of drinks in the meantime. Not that I drink, personally."

You hummed at his statement as you both sat the cooler down between the two umbrellas you and Mitsuri set up. You let out a little puff and said, "Okay, now what? Is that it, or is there one more thing we should do?"

"Well, Uzui thought it would be a great idea to play football here, so I guess that's something we're gonna do before we swim," he said as he walked back to the truck.

You tilted your head to the side like a curious dog as you followed him and said to him, "Football? Like, American Football?"

"If I were to guess, yes." he said as he grabbed his, and your towel. He then grabs your hand, which makes you flinch a little, but he quickly lets go of you as he says, "Oh, sorry. I don't know why I grabbed your hand. Maybe it was just on impulse." he said, having the faintest blush on his face.

He was about to walk away, when your body moved on its own as you grabbed his hand. He then looks back and sees that your hand is held onto his. He then looked at you, and you avoided eye contact with him, as you too had a very faint blush. He cracks a soft smirk on his face before it quickly disappears and continues to walk.

As you were both walking, you were still stuck on the fact that Uzui wanted to play American Football at the beach, you didn't know that Japan even liked American Football.

You both went under the umbrella and rolled each other's towels on the sand floor. Giyuu closed his eyes and let out a big exhale and looked at the people having fun on the beach.

You followed suit as you laid your head on your knees. As you were looking at the ocean, the next words Giyuu was about to say, is something you thought you would never hear him say. "I'm... I'm glad you're here with me."

Your mouth softly drops and your eyes widen when you hear him so nonchalantly say that. But, it made your entire body warm and fuzzy. "Why do you say that?" you said, side-eyeing him.

"Just... You've been a good friend to me. The others may have been too, but, you always been with me. We mostly go our separate ways, but you just follow me wherever I go. I just... I can't really thank you enough." he said as the blush on his face started to get more visible, and so did yours.

A smile started to form on your face as you scooted closer to him, and layed your head on his shoulder. He softly smiles as he wraps his arm around your waist and lays his head against yours.

"Well, look at you two love birds!" you heard Uzui say. "Trying to make the others feel single and disappointed in themselves for not having a significant other," he chuckles, "Kind of a scummy move you two, not gonna lie."

"We're not together, you idiot! We're just really tired, that's all!" you shouted him, all while having a red blush on your face. "Yeah right, and I'm physically disabled. But besides that, we're gonna play some football. I understand that the girls might not be interested, but you down, Giyuu?" You look at him as he says, "I guess I could give it a shot."

"Alright! Now since you, and the others are probably new to this, I'll make a brief summary of what to do when playing. So c'mon, let's get dirty, yeah?" he said tossing the football, and catching it.

He stands up and takes his shirt off, whixh caught you by surpise as he grabs the can of sprayable suncreen on him, popped the cap open, and sprayed it all over his chest, abdomen, arms, legs, and neck.

He extends the can towards you as he says, "Can you spary some on my back, and rub it?" and you nod as you stand up, grab the can, and he turns around as he rubs the marks he sprayed on.

You sprayed the sunscreen on his back, put the can down, and rubbed your hands on his back so you could spread the sunscreen all over. He then says, "That's enough." and you stopped immediately. He rolls his shoulders as he says, "Thank you." before he softly pats your head and goes to Uzui to tell him how football works.

Meanwhile, you picked the can back up and sprayed it on your arms, legs, and neck. You then rubbed all over yourself, put your phone on your towel, and proceeded to go to the girls.

You see Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Kanao splashing water at each other while Muichiro is deep in the water with only the bottom half of his face reaching the surface.

"Hey guys!" you said to them, and the three of them looked at you, and Mitsuri was the first to move toward you and hug you.

You giggled as she let go of you and said, "How are you doing on this beautiful day, (Y/N)? Are you glad that we're finally at the beach?" she said in her ever-so joyous tone.

"I'm doing good so far, and yeah, I guess I am. Even though we come here every year, It still gets me excited." you said, smiling at her.

"That's good. But, since you're here..." she puts both of her hands on your shoulders and gets closer to you, making you softly blush.

Your inner bisexual was panicking as she was close to your face as she whispered to you, "We're gonna play a little game..."

You swallowed your spit as you asked her, "Okay... What's the game called?"

"It's called..." She then goes under the water and goes around you as you feel her separate your legs and pick you up, resulting in your sitting on her shoulders. "Chicken fight!"

You were taken by surprise at how easily Mitsuri picked you up by her shoulders. "We're gonna fight each other until one of us falls, and the other becomes the victor! So Muichiro, carry Shinobu!"

Muichiro succumbs to the water as he went under, and picked up Shinobu. Kanao watches as she started to copy Muichiro, and shrinking herself into the water until her top half was peeking out.

"You guys ready?" Mitsuri said, and you responded, "As ready as we'll ever be. I can speak for you two, right?"

"In this scenario, yes." Shinobu said, while Muichiro looked unbothered by all of this.

"Okay. Ready... Fight!" Mitsuri shouted out as you and Shinobu locked hands with each other, both at a stalemate at who's gonna push off who.

Your body was tilting to the left, almost as if your were about to fall, but then you pursed your lips as you tensed your legs and every amount of strength you had to balance yourself back up.

Muichiro and Mitsuri were both circling around as you and Shinobu were doing a stare-down, both of determined that one of you would end up victorious.

You reached towards Shinobu, she was about to reflect your hand, thinking to her self that she had a plan to dodge your hands, and pull you so you would fall.

But then you did a evil smirk as you went under her arms, and tickled her armpits. She did a laugh and you thought to yourself, dramatically, Forgive me for what I'm about to do to you, Shinobu, but this is the only way it could end.

You then pushed her, and then she lost her balance as she backflops into the water, dragging Muichiro in the process. You cheered to yourself as Mitsuri said, "Woo-hoo! We won!"

Shinobu shook her head and coughed as she said, "No fair! You cheated because you tickled my armpits, and you know how ticklish I am there!" she said, with a pouting expression on her face.

"Silly Shinobu, in war, you should always take advantage of your enemies weaknesses." you said as Mitsuri lowered herself into the water to safely put you down.

"Oh. So what if I--" she then pounces on you, and you both went underwater, catching you completely off guard. You both resurfaced and coughed as Shinobu says, "What if I just did that all of a sudden? Is that me taking advantage of you?"

You moved your wet hair away from your eyes as you said, "In this scenario, yes." you said smiling at her.

Wow, that was pretty fun to watch!" you heard a feminine voice say. All five of you turned around to see three other people.

One had long white hair, and blue eyes, the second had long black hair that covered the left side of her face, and only shown her right eye. And the last one had a surpisingly tone body, much like Muichiro, had chin length black hair with red-pink ends.

"Hi, my name is Daki. Or Ume, whichever you prefer." she puts her arm on the other girl's shoulder and says, "This is Nakime," she then points at the pale skinned man, "and that is Enmu."

"Hi..." Nakime quietly said while Enmu said, "Hello, you beautiful people. It's a nice day to have a nice swim while socializing with your friends, is it not?"

All five of you were staring at him like you didn't even know him. Give or take you didn't, but after the way he spoke, you didn't want to hear what would come out of his mouth.

Scratch that, all five of you don't even want to acknowledge his existance.

"And this is why, Enmu, we barely take you anywhere." Daki bluntly said to Enmu, as she facepalms herself. She trilled as she says, "Please ignore him, he's always like this whenever we take him to public places."

"Noted." you said.

"I'll keep that in mind." and Shinobu.

"Gotcha." and Mitsuri.

"Mm." and Kanao.

"...wait, what are we talking about?" and Muichiro. Kinda.

"So, are you guys the only ones here, or..." you asked Daki as she replies, "Oh no, I've got more friends that came with us. My brothers even here too, see?" she said as she turned around and pointed at the group of Daki's and your friends playing football.

You see Uzui throw the ball to Kyojuro and he was about to catch it, until it was intercepted with a man that was wearing pink and blue swimming trunks. Once he landed on his feet, he quickly ran as the others were trying to block your friends from catching him.

Sanemi was about to tackle him, but the black haired man juked him, resulting ins Sanemi diving face first into the sand, but he quickly got up despite his pride being hurt.

However, Giyuu was quick enough to get close behind him as he then dived, and wrapped his arms around him, resulting in both of them falling into the sand.

"Damn, looks like they're having fun." you said after watching that play happen. "Yeah... But, y'know... boys will be boys." she said as she quickly turns around to all of you and say, "No sexism when I say that, by the way."

"None taken." Muichiro said as his head was the only thing that was visble to y'all. "Are you sitting down on the water and only keeping your head up?" you asked him and he did a simple nod, which made you trill your lips.

You felt your skin getting hot as you said to your friends, and the people you've just met, "My skin feels like it's getting burned, I'm gonna go under the umbrella now."

"Okay, careful not to get a sunburn, (Y/N)!" Mitsuri shouted at you as you look back and did a little wave at them. You went under the umbrella and sat down on your towel as you let out of sigh of relief being in the shade.

You then watched your friends, and the others playing against each other as if this was a real American Football game. Whenever they snapped a play, the other group would block the receivers to run their route.

What you thought it would be a passing play, turned out to be a running play, as the man with long spiky black hair backed up a few steps with the ball, and extended his arm backwards as a tanned man with yellow swimming trunks grabbed it and ran to the other side.

He didn't make it far as another tanned man that almost looked like him with red trunks shoulder checked him, which resulted in the runner dropping down into the sand.

"Damn, Sekido, you really gonna do Urogi like that?" the triplet said with the black and green trunks as he extended his hand to Urogi and picked him up.

"Nah, don't worry Karaku. I'll get 'em back once we play in the defensive." Urogi said as he wiped the sand off his back and stared at Sekido and he scoffed as he said, "Like hell you well."

"Fellas, fellas! I know y'all are siblings, but we got a game to win! You guys can bicker all you want about whos better at playing football later, but right now, it's game time!" the tall man with blond hair said in a joyous tone.

There is so much testosterone flowing in the air right now. This sport is too masculine for me. You thought watching them play.

Three plays later, Uzui shouted out, "Alright lads, let's take a break for the next five minutes! I know y'all thirsty after playing for this long!" and they both seperated in different groups.

Giyuu opened the cooler and grabbed a bottle of water and opened it as he sat down next to you.

"Good job out there." you said as you pat his back, but was met with the feeling of sweat on his back. You quickly wiped your hand on the towel and crossed your arms and legs together.

"Sorry my backs so sweaty. Football is a physically demanding sport. But, thank you." he said as he took a sip of the water bottle.

"I can see that." you said as you looked in the distance at Mitsuri, Muichiro, Daki, and Enmu playing chicken fight. You then look at Giyuu and say, "So, who's winning?"

He looked at you after he took a sip of water and said, "I don't know, a draw, maybe? Hey Uzui," he called out Uzui and he turned around with a soda can in his hand, "what's the score?"

"It's 14-21. We need about seven more points if we're gonna make this a draw." he said as he slurped the can of soda and swallowed his drink as he noticed you and said, "Oh, hey (Y/N), when did you get here?" and you pouted.

"So, what's the play Uzui? How are we gonna prevent them from getting a touchdown?" Kyojuro said as he gave himself a waterfall of water.

"lemme think..." he said as he was tapping his foot on the sand. "I got it. Kyojuro, you try and block off Hakuji. Except if it's a passing play, try to get behind him and try to intercept the ball once Michikatsu throws it."

"Got it."

"Iguro, you try and block Gyokko. I know he's taller than you, but you're faster and more agile."

Iguro hums in acknowledgment as he was just sitting down.

"Giyuu, do the exact same thing I told to Kyojuro, but with Aizetsu. Block him, unless if they're going for a pass, try to intercept."

"Got it." Giyuu said.

"And Sekido and Karaku, keep doing what you're doing, you two. Do whatever you can to make sure they don't get a touchdown. While I, take care of Douma."

They both had different reactions, Sekido clicked his tongue and huffed, while Karaku said, "You got it, boss."

Uzui finishes the can of soda and crushes it in his hand as he says, "Alright, you guys! Let's do this!" and claps his hands together.

Giyuu took the last sip of water out of the bottle and jammed it into the sand and stretched. "Wish us luck," he said as he stood up and walked with the others to play.

They all got into position, and prepped themselves for the play to snap. Once Michikatsu shouted out, "Hut!" they started to run their routes. Giyuu was very quick to block Aizetsu, Iguro followed Gyokko everywhere, and as for the two twins, they were doing their own thing.

Michikatsu had to make a split decision, does he throw it to someone who looks open and risk getting an interception, or does he run the ball and risk getting a turnover?

He took a deep breath, and decided to run the ball. Uzui tried to catch him, but was stopped by Douma as he wrapped his arms around his waist, spun him around and slammed him on the floor. "Hope that didn't harm you as much. It would be ashame if your group lost their most valuable asset.

Next was Iguro, but there wasn't even a chance to begin with as Michikatsu stiff-armed his face, and pushed him, resulting him in losing his balance and falling down.

Then it was Karaku and Sekido, but they both got blindsided by their younger brothers. Sekido got shoulder checked by Urogi and Karaku got speared to the side. While Aizetsu said, "Sorry." Urogi boasted at his brother's face as he laughed and said, "Hows that shit feel, huh!? Sit the fuck down, brother!"

Kyojuro tried to escape Hakuji's grasp, but it was like his arms wrapped around his waist were latched on to him. "Ah, ah, ah, who said you could tackle him?"

"Let go of me!" Kyojuro exclaimed as he was struggling to move, Hakuji responded, "No, I don't think I will, not until he makes a touchdown."

And then there was Sanemi, who was running directly behind Michikatsu. He was reaching for him and was almost close to grabbing him, but was unfortunately stopped when he felt someone's arms wrapped around his waist and collapsed to the ground.

He then heard the sound of a gravel, shaky voice say to him, "I can't allow you to tackle him, it wouldn't be fair if we had a draw." the person with black hair, blue eyes, and birthmarks on his face.

Michikatsu then slows down as he makes it to the other side of the beach, indicating that he made a touchdown. The others who were defending him cheered as they went up to him to gas him up.

Damn, they got laid out. All that planning, just to get shit on. Well, can't say they tried. You thought as you saw them getting up, or walking in shame.

Giyuu was the first to go under umbrella and sits down next to you and give you a quick glance. You were about to pat his back, but you didn't want your hand to het sweaty again so you just said to him, "Hey, at least you tried. If anything, that actually looked pretty cool to watch, honestly."

"Yeah, and if it would be even cooler if we did what we talked about." Sanemi said, wiping the sand off his body. "Speaking of which, Tomioka, where the fuck were you?"

"I was in the back. They were too quick for whatever reason." Giyuu said as Iguro responded to him, "Yeah, or you were too scared to get hit."

"You got stiff-armed and fell to the floor, I'm pretty sure your pride is shattered just like Sanemi's." Giyuu clapped back at Iguro.

Sanemi clearly heard that as he started to walk up to him and say, "The fuck you say about me?" but Kyojuro was lucky to interfere as he pushed Sanemi and Iguro away from him. "Relax, you two, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"Bullshit! When was the last time you ever hear him say something, and don't mean it?" Sanemi shouted at Kyojuro.

"I'm sure he's just joking around. Right, Tomioka?" and Giyuu scoffs as he scoots close to you. "Hey, we're having fun at the end of the day, that's all that matters, right?" Uzui said as he patted Giyuu's head. "Why don't we go swimming? That is the main reason we even came here in the first place."

"If it'll take our minds off the fact that we lost, sure, why not?" Kyojuro said as he patted Sanemi's and Iguro's sweaty backs.

Giyuu looked at you and said, "Do you wanna swim with me?" in a somewhat shy tone. The way he asked you made your heart flitter a little so you smiled and said, "Yes."

He softly smirks and stands up as he extends his arm to you. You then grab his hand and he pulled you up, but doesn't let go of your hand.

This made You blush a little, but you still chose to have a smile on your face. You felt the little wave of water crash on your feet, it kind of tickled in a way.

You both started to walk into the ocean, your body slowly submerging in the clear blue water as you both were at chest length.

Giyuu had a poker face, while you stuck your tongue out like some sort of house pet. He then does what Muichiro did, and lowers his body down to the water until his head is the only thing staying on the surface.

Seeing that you couldn't be bothered to ask him why he was doing this, you decided to do the same thing. What you did not expect however, is how he wrapped his arm around your waist, and pulled you closer.

"Woah, Tomioka, what's going on with you? Is this your way of flirting?" You said to him, as he turned his head to the side to hide the red blush on his face, and you giggled.

"I'm not complaining, really. I think what you're trying to do is cute." you said to him, as you got closer to his face, and kissed him on the side of his head.

His head quickly turned to you as if he caught whiplash, in which case he did. It's as if his aura changed as he started stammering like a high school kid asking out their crush.

"C-Can I... um... can I kiss you...?" he asked you, all while avoiding eye contact with you. You then responded to him, "Of course you can." and showed your cheek to him.

"Actually... I want to do the other one."

"The... Other one? Oh, you mean, lip to lip?" you asked him, and he nodded. You looked back to see the other boys playing around, not bothering to acknowledge both of you, so you looked back at him and said, "Okay, but on one condition."

"I'm listening."

"Let's do it underwater. That way, the others won't know what we did. Sound good?" and he nods.

You both took a deep breath and went underwater, looked into each other's eyes, as you both wrapped your arms around each other. You both leaned your head forward and got close enough to touch lips.

You both closed your eyes as you both savored the kiss. The feeling of both of your lips touching each other made you both feel so warm inside, it was as if the water temperature changed.

Both of you were wondering how both of you were staying underwater this long all while kissing each other, but you both didn't complain. It got to the point where you both were in the lotus position, and continued kissing.

However, it didn't last long as you both resurfaced to gain some oxygen. You both made huge inhales as you were heavily panting after being in the water for a minute and 15 seconds.

You wiped your wet hair out of your face as you said, "Well... That was romantic, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... I'm glad someone like you is in my life."

"Oh..." was all you could say as your entire body felt so mushy inside. He then kisses your forehead, and hugs you as he rests his head on your shoulder.

The blush on your face started to get redder as you slowly wrapped your arms around him as well. He then kisses your collarbone, and nuzzles his face under your neck, making you feel fuzzy inside.

"T-Tomioka, we're in a public area... Shouldn't we do this somewhere more private?"

"I'm just hugging you, there's nothing suspicious about that." he said as he kissed your neck, making you groan a little.

He pulled himself back away from you, and quickly said, "Sorry." with a clearly visible blush on his face. Meanwhile, you thought to yourself, Did I really just make a sound like that when he kissed my neck? Why did I... a-and, why did it feel good...?

Giyuu, in a fit of slight panic, decided to go back to the surface, to distance himself away ftom you. His body felt light, and his heart was beating rapidly. He never thought he would experience an emotion like this before. Is he expin eriencing... love?

You felt someone touch your shoulder and you turned around to findfeelslsthat it was Iguro who tapped you. He looks at you with his eternal unamused expression on his face as he says, "The hell's going on with Tomioka? Why is he going back to sitting down? And why are you blushing?"

Your first instinct was to look left and see that Giyuu was really under the umbrella, how lost in a trance were you to not notice that? And so you decided to leave the ocean as well, making Iguro even more intrigued, yet confused.

You jogged up to Giyuu, and he looks up at you and says, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you play with the others? I've already made you uncomfortable when I... I don't want to finish that sentence."

You were about to speak, but was cut off by Iguro when you heard him say, "Oh, please do finish it, so I can tell the others how much of a loser you are." which made you jump when you heard him speak.

"The hell!? Why are you following us!? Shouldn't you be swimming with the others?"

"I was, until I saw Tomioka swimming back to the surface, and looking embarrassed while doing so. So tell me, Tomioka and (Y/N), what the hell were you two doing?"

"Why do you even want to know? You don't even care about what we do." Giyuu says, and Iguro quickly replied to him, "Because you two are getting way too comfortable being at the beach. Almost as if you two are together as a couple, so what's going on?"

"None of your business, now can you leave us alone, please?" you said to him as you were about to sit down, but then you felt Iguro grab, and squeeze your forearm.

And for some unknown reason, with no explanation at all, you let out a sound that sounded like a moan. Iguro immediately backed away as he and Giyuu was as equally as shocked as he was.

All three of you were as still as a statue as the blushes on your faces were so red, that they would be mistaken for sunburns. Iguro was the first to break the silence as he says, "What... the fuck was that?"

"U-Um... my defense mechanism...?"

"What type of defense mechanism includes you moaning!?" Iguro shouted at you, but luckily not loud enough for the others to hear him.

You shouted back at him, "I don't know! It just... happened, okay!?" you said, as your voice was cracking like a prepubescent girl.

Giyuu just sat there, not knowing what to say after you moaned. Iguro was about to walk to the others, but then you grabbed his wrist as you pleaded to him, "Please don't tell them, I'll die if you go up to them and tell them what happened!"

"I wasn't gonna tell." Iguro bluntly said to you, not sounding convincing at all. "I don't believe you if you're talking like that. How can I take you seriously when you're speaking like you don't care?"

He then grabs your wrist, and drags you as he sits you down next to Giyuu, and then next to you, now being in between both of them.

"Are you convinced now?" he said to you, with a little bit of an attitude in his voice. But you said, "Yeah..." in response to his question.

He then sighs as he says, "Look, just tell me what you two were doing, and I'll leave you alone. I won't tell, and we can keep this between us."

You looked at Giyuu, and he shrugged his shoulders and you let out a big inhale as you blurted out, "Webothkissed." and covered your face.

"What?"

You remained silent, but Giyuu said to him, "She said we both kissed." and you shouted at him, "Tomioka!" and he shrugged.

"Really? Well... good for both of you, I guess..." he said in a somewhat somber tone. "Isn't it funny that Tomioka does the bare minimum, and yet he has you now? And yet I try to give Mitsuri a fun time, and she still considers me a friend?"

You and Giyuu both look at each other, and back at him as you say, "I mean... have you ever tried telling her how you feel about her? I'm pretty sure that would resolve everything about this situation."

"Easier said than done. You know how many times I struggled to confess to her, and try to make an excuse on why I was talking to her?"

"You are quick on your feet when you do that." you muttered out as he continued, "So yeah. Like I said, it's easier said than done." he said as he did a little sniff.

You hummed as you looked at Giyuu again, and looked back to see Iguro looking at Mitsuri playing with the others. You then took him by surprise as you decided to kiss him on the side of his head.

Iguro's eyes widened as he looked at you, and under his mask, he had a red blush on his face. Was that the right move, or did I fuck up? You thought after you kissed him. Iguro rubs the back of his neck as he says, "T-Thank you..."

All three of you were just sitting down watching the others play in the ocean as Iguro and Giyuu rested their heads on your shoulders. Making you feel warm inside.

2:25 PM.

You put the umbrella back into the truck, and wiped your sweaty forehead with your towel. You went back to the beach to grab the cooler, but Iguro and Giyuu were already on that as they were both carrying it.

And since that was the last thing, you went back to Giyuu's car, and got in the passenger seat. You yawned as you pulled your phone out to see that it was 2:27, and yet you felt tired. Guess that's what happens when you swim for an hour.

You see Giyuu and Iguro putting the cooler on the trunk of the truck. They both walk back to the car as Giyuu went to the driver's seat, and Iguro sat in the back.

Giyuu puts the car in the ignition and turns it, resulting in the car turning on. He then looks at you and says, "You alright?"

"Of course I am. How about you?" you asked him as he said, "Better. What about you, Iguro? You doin' okay?" and Iguro nodded, smirking under his mask.

Giyuu puts the car in reverse, got out of the parking spot, and put the car in drive. You then look out the window, getting one more view of the beach before y'all went back to the place y'all were staying in.

2:44 PM.

Giyuu puts the car in park as he gets out of the car, and stretches. Iguro got out as he did the same thing, meanwhile you got out and yawned. "So, I take it we had a fun time?" Kyojuro said as he patted your shoulder.

"For the most part, yeah, we did." you said to him, with a smile on your face. "Fantastic! And I guess the same goes for you two, Iguro, and Tomioka?" and Iguro nodded while Giyuu gave a thumbs up.

You all started to walk to the building, slowly falling behind with the others on purpose so they didn't see you, Iguro, and Giyuu holding each other's hands.

5 minutes later.

Giyuu opened the door with the key that had the door number on it, and walked in as he let out a sigh of relief. He puts his stuff down next to his luggage and opens it as he grabs a pair of pajamas and boxers.

He keeps his towel on his shoulder as he walks into the bathroom, and closes the door. Looks like Tomioka is gonna take a shower, guess I should do the same. You thought as you went to your luggage, and picked out a few comfortable clothing.

When you stood up, you felt Iguro wrapping his arms around your waist behind you, making you blush and say, "Iguro?' He then nuzzles his chin on your shoulder. "Iguro, what are you doing?" you asked him as he responded, "I just want to hug you, that's all."

You grabbed his forearm with your free hand, and caressed it. He then started to nuzzle his nose under your neck, which made you groan a little bit. You then felt his mask touch your skin, implying that he was kissing your neck.

You softly moaned as you felt him touching your body and he quickly let you go, and backed up as he said, "Sorry."

Both of you blushed before he said, "I'll just... get my stuff." out of embarrassment. He then crouches down at his luggage and opens it up as he takes out a black and white pajama pair.

You grabbed the remote off the table, and then sat down on the couch as you turned on the TV and switched channels until one could pique your interest, and until Giyuu was out of the shower.

Iguro sat down next to you, but not too close to the point both of your skin were touching each other, but far enough to make a small gap between each other.

10 minutes later.

Both of you were immersed watching the TV, to the point where you weren't bothered by Iguro laying his head on your shoulder.

That is until you heard the bathroom door open, and see Giyuu walk out with his pair of pajamas on. Iguro quickly sat back up as you stood up off the couch and walked into the bathroom.

"Have a nice shower," Giyuu said to you before you blushed and closed the door on him. You put your pajamas on the corner end of the sink as you took off your swimming one-piece off and turned on the shower.

You waited a couple of seconds and put your hand in to see if it was warm or not. Turns out it was a little too hot, and you quickly pitched the valve down a bit.

You tested it again, and found out it was the right temperature so you went inside and took a shower.

15 minutes later.

You were about to turn the shower off, but then realized that it was about to be Iguro's turn, so you decided to leave it on.

You grabbed your towel and wrapped it around your body as you began to dry yourself off. Once you were done with that, you put on your panties, and brushed your teeth.

Once you finished brushing your teeth, you put on your pajamas and picked up your one-piece swimsuit and folded it into your forearm, same with your dry towel. You opened the door and said, "Your turn, Iguro."

He then stood up and walked right past you as he went inside the bathroom. You then sit down next to Giyuu, and he looks at you as he says, "How was your shower?"

"It was good. I feel more cleaner than before, that's for sure."

"Hm." he hummed. He then wrapped his arm around your waist, and pulled you closer to him as he kissed your forehead in the process. You crossed your legs together and laid your head on his shoulder as you both watched the TV.

You yawned as you asked him, "What time is it?" he took his phone out and said, "3:14."

"Huh, and I'm already feeling tired." you said as you wiped your eyes. "If you need to rest, I won't stop you." He said as he pets your head. You hummed ss you said, "Thanks." and closed your eyes.

Giyuu softly smiles as he softly kisses your forehead again, and continues to watch the TV. A few minutes go by when Giyuu hears the bathroom door open. He looks to his left to see Iguro coming out of the bathroom wearing his pair of pajamas.

He then sits down next to you, but decided to lay his side on the couch and perch his arm as he lays his head on his hand. His eyes trail to you sleeping on Giyuu's arm, and he scoffed as he looked back at the TV.

Six hours later, 9:14 PM.

All three of you were laying on the bed, Giyuu was on the roght side of the bed, but his back was turned against the screen door. Iguro was on the left, his back on the bed, and his head slightly tilted to the right at your direction.

And you were in the middle, sleeping soundly as your head was softly shifting around. It got to the point where you bumped your head onto Iguro's, causing him to wake up.

He softly groans as he opens his eyes to see that your face as inches away from his. His face immediately turns red at as his body felt warm and fuzzy. Him seeing your face this up close, made him realize how beautiful you are.

He moves the hair out of your face as he caresses your hair, and then your cheek. It was as if your body was like a marshmallow due to how soft it felt as Iguro was caressing your cheek.

His eyes panned down to your lips, and they had a rosy red complexion to them, that looked oddly attractive to him. His hands started to go down, slowly feeling every curve on your body.

You softly moaned at this, but you were still asleep. Iguro felt a sense of confliction, as a part if him wanted to stop, but at the same time, the other doesn't want to due to how beautiful you were, and how soft your skin was, and how curvy your body was.

His hand was on your thigh, and softly squeezes it as he felt your skin going back to its original state, despite being covered by your pajama pants.

Iguro then looks at you and sees that you were still asleep, so he quietly swallowed his spit and doubled down as he went under your top, and touches your raw skin.

You softly moaned as he thought to himself, Holy shit... I'm really doing this. My hand is touching her... her skin...

His hand was trailing around your stomach, feeling your warm skin against his hand. You let out a moan that was a little bit louder than before, but that didn't stop him.

He goes under the comforter as he takes his other hand and slowly started to roll your top up until your breasts were showing. Iguro then pulls his mask down and licked his lips as he got closer to your breasts, and wrapped his lips around one of your nipples.

You made a whimper as your arms started to move around, trying to find a head that you can wrap around and hold onto. It didn't take long for you to do that as your arms wrapped around Iguro's head and you whispered out, "T-Tomioka..."

Iguro must've thought that you we're having a dream since you were unaware that Giyuu was behind you sleeping, but he continued to suck your nipple.

His other hand was still on your right hip, and he had a lewd idea. This might get him into trouble, and you could potentially slap him once you wake up from this, but, in his mind...

He just said fuck it.

He then takes his hand, and started to go into your pajama pants, and he started to move his fingers up and down on where your bottom lips were.

You gasped, and started to whimper louder as your legs started to open, and he took advantage of it. He then makes you lay down flat on your back again, and then leave the top half of his body on top of yours as he continued to suck on your breast.

The friction of your panties, and his fingers rubbing against your slit, was slowly making you feel wet, and your body started to feel light. Your eyes slowly opened, and the first thing you see is Iguro sucking your nipple with his eyes closed, and his hand in your pajama pants, rubbing your spot.

"I-I... Iguro...?"

He slowly opens his eyes as he slowly takes his hand out of your pants, and stopped sucking your nipple and says, "(Y/N)..."

From your peripherals, you see Giyuu sitting up. He then wipes his eyes as he turns his head and says, "Why are you two still... awake...?" and notices you two in what you're both doing.

"T-Tomioka... It's not what it... looks like..." you said with a dark red blush on your face as Iguro sat up off of you, and you pulled your shirt down.

"I thought you were... h-he... I-I was..." You were stammering and stuttering as you couldn't form an excuse after what Giyuu had seen. A part of you was disgusted with yourself because a part of you liked Iguro touching you while you were sleeping. If there were a way to make yourself vanish, you would not hesitate to do so.

But, what you thought would be Giyuu having a breakdown and lashing on you, turned out to be an entirely different outcome. You felt him wrap both of his arms around your waist, and back as he pulled you closer to him to the point where you both we're face to face.

"Tomioka, what are you--" you got interrupted by him as he kissed your lips, and wrapped his tongue against yours. Iguro's eyes widened in surprise as he thought Giyuu was gonna get angry and kick his ass. But, he was relieved that wasn't the case.

Giyuu, while kissing you, pinned you down on the bed as his kissing started to become more rougher. Your hands were on his chest, trying to make more space for both of you, but he dropped on top of you, making your efforts futile.

Drool started to run down your cheeks as your brain slowly started to become scrambled. The way he was controlling you, made your mind go blank. Eventually he stopped kissing you as he says, "Why did you start the fun without me? I've always wanted to do this with you for so long."

He then rolled your top back up again, but instead of sucking on your nipples, he decided to pinch and twist them, making you feel more vulnerable than you already are.

He started to lick on your neck, which gave your entire body shiver, and your legs tingle. He then whispered to you, "You want this?" and you nodded, but says to you, in a husk tone, "Don't nod, I want an actual answer."

And so you whimpered out, "Y-Yes, Tomioka... I want this... I want you... Both of you..."

Whatever shame you had left in this moment, was completely out of the room. Giyuu softly smirks at you and says, "Good." before he sits up and starts to take his top off to reveal his muscular body.

He then does the same to you, and throws both of your pajamas tops on the floor, both of you almost naked as your breasts are at full display. He then fondles your breasts, which made you release a moan from your mouth.

His face got closer to yours as he kisses you again, which made you moan yet again. You wrapped your arms around him as you tilted your head to the left, and his to the right, making the kiss deeper.

As Iguro was watching this, he felt something below his waist get tighter and tighter as he continued watching this unfold. He looks down to see a bulge coming out of his pants as he thought, Fuck... I'm getting hard just from watching this... It's not fair if Tomioka can do all this, and all I get is to suck on her nipple, and rub her spot. I want to have more from her...

Giyuu stops kissing you, and fondling your breasts as he says, "Take them off." You nodded as Giyuu them nacks away from you, and you took off your pants, and threw them on the floor. Giyuu softly spoke to you, "I said, take them off." and so you closed your eyes as you grabbed the rim of your panties, and pulled them down to your legs, and shook it off as it fell to the floor.

You were fully naked in front of Iguro and Giyuu. The moonlight coming through the screen door as you cover yourself from embarrassment, heavily blushing, while your spot was wet.

"Wow..." Iguro said as he got a clear look at you. He was about to crawl up to you, but Giyuu stopped him as he says, "You take left, I take right."

You heard him say that as you asked him, "What do you mean? What are you gonna do to me?" You nervously asked them as they got close to you, and they laid next to you on both sides. "We're gonna make you feel special." Giyuu said as he began to suck your right nipple, Iguro says, "Enjoy it while it last." before he started to suck your left.

Your legs became completely open as Iguro and Giyuu were holding your thighs individually. The feeling of both of your nipples being sucked, made you feel so fuzzy inside. It didn't help either that your slit was becoming more drenched in its own juices.

Giyuu looked down, and took advantage as he takes his fingers, and started to move them left and right, teasing you as he stimulates your wet insides.

Your breath was trembling as you whimpered, "T-Tomioka..." and laid your head down on the pillow. Your eyes were closed as you slowly became a moaning mess, your body felt so hot, and yet so light, it's as if they were torturing you and you were slowly going to heaven due to the amount of pleasure you were feeling.

Every single one of their actions sent a wave of electricity through your body. Your sensitive lips slowly moistened at the feeling of Giyuu's fingers, your hips instinctively bucking down for more of that pleasuring feeling all while both of your hands gently nudged both of their heads into your breasts. "Please... I need you both... Stop teasing and just fuck me."

Giyuu stops as he says, "That's all you had to say, (Y/N). Don't worry, we'll make sure you feel really good after this." he said as he got up off of you, and started to take his pants off, and revealed a thick bulge coming from his boxers.

This made your slit throb a little from the site, and so he grabbed the rim, and pulled them down to reveal his thick, and long shaft. You swallowed your spit as you almost salivated from the sight of it alone.

Shortly after, Iguro does the same, although he wasn't as long as he was, but he was just as girthy as him.

"Get on your hands and knees," Giyuu said to you, and you complied, propping yourself as you turned your body horizontally.

You then felt his hand caress your ass, and softly smacked it, making you let out a sound that sounded like a yelp. He then takes his index and middle finger and starts to lick them as he says, "I need to make sure you're well lubricated for this. Even though you're already soaking." and inserts his fingers inside you, which makes your entire body weak as the top half on your body shrunk and it looked like as if you were bowing down to Iguro.

If you were this stimulated from his fingers, you could only imagine what it would feel like with his rod inside you. You then feel Iguro's hands touch your head and so he makes you look at his erect shaft in front of your face.

Without saying anything, you closed your eyes, and opened your mouth, with that gesture alone, gave him the approval to do it. He softly grips your hair, props himself, and slowly inserts his rod inside your mouth.

He was only using the tip in your mouth as he didn't want to hurt you or make you retch. You moaned, sending vibrations on his shaft as he stifled a moan from escaping his mouth.

Giyuu takes his fingers out, and opens and closes them to see your lines of juices stretching. He then licked his fingers and got a sense of what you taste like. He hummed in satisfaction as he propped himself up and lined his length to your wet slit.

He started to move his tip up and down, making you whimper as he said to you, "Are you ready?" you looked back to him and nodded as he then chuckled and slowly inserted himself inside you.

Your walls were slowly being filled inch by inch by his shaft all while you were sucking off Iguro. Speaking of him, he started to softly thrust his hips into your mouth, but not rough enough to make you gag.

Giyuu softly moaned as he felt you throbbing around him, and tighten around him. It's as if you were practically begging him to wreck you once he was fully inside you. But, he'll get to that eventually.

Once his pelvis came into contact your ass, he wasted no time, and softly started to thrust his hips. You let out the moan that also sounded like a whimper, as you felt his shaft slowly going in and out of you. With every thrust he did, his hips coiled. He was holding back from pounding your ass until it turned red.

Meanwhile, Iguro was drunk from pleasure from the feeling of your warm, wet mouth around him. The feeling of your tongue on the bottom of his shaft felt so slippery, that it felt like you had no teeth whatsoever.

She's so tight... Giyuu thought as he started to thrust a little bit faster, enough to make mini ripples from your skin.

Iguro started to pat your head and said to you, "Who's a good girl? You are." and that made your body feel mushy. "You're doing a great job sucking my cock like that. If you need oxygen, just let me know, okay?" and you nodded.

You then wrapped your arms around his waist as you pulled him closer to you, and you started to bob your head, taking every inch of him inside your mouth. This took Iguro by surprise, but he couldn't speak as he was in bliss of you deepthroating him.

Giyuu then puts his hands on your hips as he started to thrust his hips more faster, and rougher, making you moan even harder, and your body weaker as he hits your spot.

You clenched your eyes closed as you tried to distract the pleasure fogging your mind by sucking Iguro off, but then you felt him hit the back of your throat, and you violently coughed. Iguro backed away from you as you said to Giyuu, "W-Wait! T-Tomioka!" Thankfully he stopped as he said to you, "What, am I too rough?"

"A little, b-but it feels good though... I-I was wondering... if we could do a different position...?" You said as Giyuu responded, "I know one we could do." and then he took his shaft out.

He then turned your body around until your back was on the bed, and your legs were wide open. He then pulls you closer to him as he slammed his hips into yours, inserting his entire shaft back inside you as you arched your back, and neck.

You were a moaning mess as his thrusting was so rough and fast, it made your entire body feel tense, in a good way of course. Iguro then wrapped his hands around your neck as he put his shaft inside your mouth, and thrust his hips.

Your eyes were rolling back as Iguro was skull-fucking your throat, and Giyuu was fucking your tight cunt. Your legs frantically trembling, your toes curling, and your knuckles turning white as both of them were using you like a cocksleeve.

My mind... it feels like it's gone blank... I can't think of anything at this moment... you thought as you were being completely pounded on both sides.

The lewd sounds that your slit was making sounded like water that was being repeatedly smashed as your thighs were creating ripples from his thrusting.

You gagged a few times as you felt Iguro's shaft go in your throat and he looked to see the bulge in your throat disappear and reappear with every thrust.

It got to the point where you felt a knot in your stomach forming, and you began to whimper. Your eyes clenched as you felt it getting tighter and tighter until you felt Giyuu hit your spot, and you pet out a muffled scream that sounded like a moan as you creamed all over his shaft.

He looks down and says, "Wow... Did it feel that good, (Y/N)?" and you gave him a shaky thumbs up. He smirked before he went back to thrusting his hips.

Drool was running down your cheek as Iguro was in his own world fucking your throat. His body was sweaty, his bangs were sticking to his forehead, and his breathing was very heavy.

Giyuu's breathing also started to get louder as he started to feel himself twitching. His thrusting started to feel more sloppy as he was loosening his grip on your sweaty hips.  "F-Fuck..." he grunted as he started to go all out on thrusting you. Your thighs constantly rippling, your breasts bouncing with every thrust he did, and your arms and legs shaking as he hit your spot.

Iguro started to feel the same as his legs began to shake as he was getting close to his arrival. He then felt his shaft twitching as he stopped thrusting his hips, and let out a husk-sounding moan as he felt himself spurt his seed into your mouth.

You cringed from the texture of it, but still chose to swallow it as you felt him becoming soft in your mouth. He then moved his hips back and the sound of a little pop was made as the tip escaped your lips.

Shortly after, Giyuu clenched his eyes and teeth as he pulled out of you, and started to pump his shaft, resulting in him shooting his spunk onto your body. His breath was trembling after he got done relieving himself onto your body. And after that was done, Iguro went to the kitchen and got three paper towels to clean you up.

Iguro gave him one and he folded it up as he cleaned your abused slit until it was dry. Iguro cleaned the spunk off your stomach and breasts with the second paper towel, and then cleaned your face with the third.

Giyuu gave him his paper towel and Iguro threw them away as he walked back to the bed and laid down. Giyuu then picks you up, and puts you under the cover as he lays back down next to you, and rests his head on your shoulder.

"Night..." Giyuu softly said as he kissed your neck, and went to sleep. Iguro does the same as he kisses your cheek, and your neck as he puts his hand on your stomach.

You look at both of them as you think to yourself, My throat, and legs hurt... but, it felt really good... but, I don't know if I can walk tomorrow, so I hope Giyuu will carry me. You then kissed both of their heads as you closed your eyes and went to sleep.

___________________________________________

03-24-24 - Well, that's another story in the books! I felt like I went a little crazy on the smut here, but that's just me. I hope you enjoyed this, next story I'm gonna write is gonna be another remake of an old story from my other book.

Catch you guys next time, love y'all.

👋✌️❤️.

[waterfire1848]

Ship prompt

31. prostitute/client au

Jinzula (Jin x Azula)

Hello, anon! Thanks for the ask!!

Modern AU setting by the way

Jin couldn’t believe she was doing this.

How did they get here? Okay. She knew how they got here.

When Jet first proposed the idea, Jin instantly said no. They’d gone out for a night on the town after Jin’s girlfriend had been found cheating on her. Jet said she needed to cut loose and be able to just sit back and relax for a night. What did that mean? Hiring a prostitute.

Jin instantly said no. She was angry at her girlfriend, yes, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hire a prostitute. Maybe going to a bar or out to a movie with friends? Jet, respecting her wishes, agreed to the bar which is where they all went. They drank, had some food and drank some more, and more, and more.

“Okay! Let’s do it!” Jin yelled to Jet, “Let’s hire a prostitute!”

That was how Jin found herself in her home with a Honda car outside. She was alone now, everyone had returned home and Jet just told her to text if there were problems, and incredibly nervous.

A knock at the door got her attention and forced her to the door. Standing in the door way was possibly the most beautiful woman Jin had ever seen in her life. She had long black hair, beautiful golden eyes and pale skin. She wore a red dress with heels and had a purse with her.

“Hello.” The woman grinned, “Nice to meet you.”

“N-Nice to meet you too.”

The woman chuckled, “First time?” Jin only nodded, “Okay. Here’s the deal. Your friend paid for the full night and that’s what you’re getting. The time is all yours until 9 am in the morning.” She stepped into the house, “Bedroom down the hall?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah.” Jin managed to get out. The woman nodded and made her way to Jin’s room.

Well, this was it. She would walk into her room where a prostitute….No. No, what was she doing? This was such a bad idea! This was illegal! She could get in so much trouble if anyone found out about this. Maybe it was because the alcohol was starting to wear off or because she was actually here and it was getting real now but Jin instantly decided she wasn’t doing this.

“What am I doing?” Jin grabbed for her phone to call Jet. He had to call this off. He could tell her that Jin didn’t want to do this anymore. She’d even let the woman keep the money for coming all the way down here but she was not ready to spend the night with a prostitute.

Jet didn’t respond, not surprising given that it was 1 am, so Jin walked to the bedroom to tell the woman to leave. However, when she opened the door Jin practically shut down.

“There you are. I was getting worried.” The woman was completely naked from head to toe and, when she saw Jin, sat up. She began to crawl across the bed over to Jin, “You want to start standing up?”

“I ummm…I-I think-“

“You don’t have to think. That’s my job.” She said.

“No. I-I mean…” That’s when Jin saw it. It was small but she definitely saw it. A tattoo, “What’s that?” Jin asked.

The woman turned her shoulder, revealing the lantern tattoo, “Oh. It’s an old tattoo I got with a college friend. You know, most clients don’t really look at my shoulders first…or at all.”

“Wait…Azula?” Jin asked.

“How do you know my name?!” Azula demanded, now standing up.

“It’s me! It’s Jin! I was with you when you got the tattoo.” Azula’s eyes grew wide. Memories of that day flooded her mind like a flood. The two had stayed up late that night, studying for some kind of exam, then, after finishing, went into town and dared each other to get tattoos. Jin made Azula get a tattoo of a lantern and Azula made Jin get a tattoo of a blue flame.

“Jin! It’s so great to see you! How have you been?” Azula asked, getting out of the bed.

“Great. I…Actually I’m not totally great. My girlfriend cheated on me.” Jin admitted.

“I’m so sorry.” Azula said, “I assume that’s why I’m here. To soften the pain.” Azula pulled Jin towards the bed, her fingers moving against Jin’s clothes.

“Wait! Hold on. Why are you here? You have a degree in law and policy. How’d you end up in this…I mean doing…” Jin began to blush and stumble over her words more and more. If Azula was being honest, she found it kind of cute.

“You don’t have to pretend, Jin. I know you know why I became a prostitute. Faking ignorance doesn’t make me feel better.” Azula told her, “Can we just do what you hired me for?”

“Wait, what?” Jin asked. Her eyes were wide and filled with confusion. For a moment, Azula grew annoyed. Was Jin really sticking to this act? Everyone knew what happened.

Although, Jin not knowing would explain why she had never texted her after the incident to offer condolences or support. It would also explain the truly lost expression she had right now.

“You didn’t know?” Azula asked, realizing the truth.

Jin shook her head, “A year or so after we got the tattoo together, my boyfriend said he wanted to take our relationship to the next level. Like an idiot I agreed and he…he posted pictures of me everywhere.” Jin’s eyes grew. She didn’t know any of this, “My father deleted them and sued Chan’s family, so he lost a lot of money which is the only positive part of this story. Because of the pictures the university kicked me out, my father disowned me and hardly anyone would hire me as a college dropout with nude pictures of myself all over the internet. Even my father’s last name couldn’t help me. So…I changed my name and do this now.”

“This can’t be a great career.” Jin said.

Azula barked out a laugh, “No. I love having strangers practically throw me out the window because their wife is home or being treated as a tool more than a person.” She scoffed, “The first night was the worst. I had no clue what I was doing and everyone was yelling at me. I got better over time but…I’m better now! That’s the point. Now, enough about me.” Jin let Azula take her shirt off but stopped her at that. Azula looked at her in confusion.

“Azula, wait. I-I can’t do this with you.” Did she have a minor crush on Azula when they were in college? Yes. Was Azula still as drop dead gorgeous as she was 7 years ago? Absolutely. But that didn’t mean she wanted this.

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s…you! I know you! We were friends! I-I mean….we sang karaoke together, we made up dumb jokes, we watched horrible movies and laughed our head off! I can’t do this!” Jin yelled. She couldn’t bring herself to stand up or put her shirt back on so she just stayed on the bed, looking away from Azula.

“You paid for a night and I need the money.” Azula told her, “So, let me do my job.”

“I’m not doing anything, Azula, and you don’t have to either. We can just sit and talk.” Jin offered.

“Sit and talk? Jin, if you’re not going to pay then I have to go. I have other clients who will pay hundreds of dollars for me tonight and I need that money to, you know, live.” Azula stood up and began to grab her clothes. Jin really didn’t know why she was so focused on having Azula stay. She had no intention of sleeping with her but the idea of practically kicking Azula out seemed heartless. Plus, she hadn’t seen her old friend in a while.

“Azula, Azula, don’t go. Come on. You can go one night without-“ Azula rolled her eyes.

“No, I can’t. I need the money, so if you won’t pay me for my job then-“ Azula was surprised when Jin jumped in front of her, blocking her way out the door.

“I’ll pay for us to talk.” She said.

Azula raised an eyebrow, “I’m literally in your bedroom, naked, and you want to talk. That’s it?”

“Did Jet pay you or…?”

“I get half at the beginning and the other half when we finish up. It’s a way for both me and my clients to feel some ease.” Azula explained, “Your friend paid the first $500 and is expected to pay the other $500 in the morning.”

“$1,000?!” Jin yelled.

Azula just shrugged, “That’s what my services cost, but, if I leave now, I’ll be nice and only keep $500 because I drove over and you were the one who called it off.” Azula said, “It’s $1,000 if I stay and we talk.”

Jin didn’t say anything. She just walked off to another part of the house. Azula took it as a sign and dressed herself back up. She took out her phone and called up another client that had asked for her.

“Wait!” Jin yelled as Azula reached for the door, “$500! In your account.” She held up her phone for Azula to see and, sure enough, there was the money.

“You…would really spend $500 just to talk to me?” Azula asked, hearing the client’s voice on her phone but ignoring it.

“I would.” Jin said, blushing again. Only this time it wasn’t because Azula was naked. Azula looked to her phone and turned it off.

“Okay. Let’s talk.”

[princess-of-thieves-id]

2

Further discussion between Captain Noar and Arik reveal more about the situation at hand...but not all are clued into what is transpiring...

"Fine.  Then you are both going to tell me the truth of what is going on.  Aren't you Miss. Renisa and Mr. Arik?" 

“Let. Her. Go. First.” Arik slowly enunciated each word, pushing the tip of the blade harder against Noar’s back. A spot of red appeared, he’d pay for that later, but it would be worth it. 

Noar released the woman’s neck with a growl in his throat, and held his hands out to his sides. His jaw was clenched and he was lightly shaking his head.  If he wasn’t so pissed, he might have had to hand it to Arik for having balls big enough to hold the Captain of a vessel full of mercenaries at knife point.  However, he was thoroughly and completely pissed, so all he wanted to do was turn around and hit Arik till he was unconscious again.

“She’s free.” Noar said as he moved then side stepped twice to get out from between them.  Arik at his back with a sharp blade was not something he wanted to continue allowing.  He’d prefer no one get injured, but if someone had to, he really preferred it not be him.  

“Turn around,” Arik said to Inara.  Once she did, he sliced through her bonds and then motioned for her to get behind him.  This had Noar’s brow raising as he considered why the knight would do that.  Who was this woman?  Something was wrong with this whole scenario besides his best friend pulling a knife on him.

“Now, she’s free. I’m over here.  Can one of you please tell me what the fuck is going on and why you both are on my ship?” Noar gave them a sarcastic smile and tried his best not to shout at them. His head tilted to the side as he waited.  

Arik was about to tell one hell of a huge lie and he hoped he and Inara could pull it off.  The male in front of him finding out the truth would cause another issue for them he didn’t want.  The truth would come out in time, but by that time hopefully the man in front of him would be a fuck ton more calm.   “My previous mission had a rather catastrophic issue, which had me exiting the castle far in advance of when I was to have.  As I was doing so, I ran into Renisa who tried to help me out of sympathy, pity, or the goodness of her heart.  As I now have a price on my head , I couldn’t just leave her there, so I brought her with me as I ran, Captain…”  He had no idea what name the man was going by now and had been unconscious if there had been an introduction when they were brought into the room.  He reached behind him and took Inara’s hand.  He had no doubt after what had just happened she’d play along.

“Captain Noar,” Inara started, getting the idea that wasn’t his real name since Arik obviously knew he had a previous injury but not knowing his name.  “There are Tribaldi soldiers who are searching for us.  I do not know what the outcome would be if they found us.  I’m sorry for the trouble we have brought to you, we just were trying to get out of the kingdom and to the next unnoticed.”  She was almost trembling, but Arik’s hand tightening on hers helped calm her some.  She was surprised he had defended her the way he had, and still was.

“Arik, put the damn blade away.  If I’d wanted to fight you, I’d have tried to disarm you when you were behind me.”  Now Noar had a droll stare as he looked at the two.  What the fuck had Arik done?!  “How much danger have you put me and my crew in with Tribaldi?”  He looked at the two of them and sighed.  

Arik turned and looked back at Imara, he couldn’t tell her how bad this situation was.  He couldn’t tell Noar how bad it was either.  He would ask what more could go wrong, but he didn’t want to chance the universe deciding to tell him. When he turned his head back to face Noar, his face was grim.  “They would spare Renisa’s life, but I would face beheading.” 

“Motherfucker!” Noar swore, and he saw Renisa move closer to Arik’s back, which meant he was scaring her.  He held up his hands.  “We already have Coaltmor legions after us, so it’s not like we’re not running as well.”  He closed his eyes and shook his head, his arms coming up so his hands could pull his hair back and wrap a leather thong around it to tame it while he thought on what they were going to do now.  One armada after his ship was one thing, now they had two.  “What did you do, Arik?”  

Here went nothing.  He was going to be honest-ish.  “There was to be a wedding in Tribaldi.  I was to guard the Princess from murder.” He saw Noar’s jaw go slack and was glad, what he was hoping to imply was getting across.  “She did not make it to the wedding.  It did not happen, she was not there.  By the time the ceremony was to be, the legion was already hunting me.”  

Noar turned away from Arik and scrubbed his face with both hands.  He should have been there.  His mother had always told him his selfishness would one day cost someone their life.  He was going to be sick.  At least he could save Renisa, that would be his penance.  He stood staring at the wall in front of him blinking slowly, trying to get a grip on himself. 

Arik watched Noar and immediately hated himself.  He knew how Noar would take it, but he could not reveal who was behind him.  And he couldn’t let Inara know who was in front of them.  The situation would go from a shit show to a full blown cataclysm; it was bad enough as it was already.  Inara had a deathgrip on his hand and was pressed against his back gripping his shirt, what he assumed was her forehead was against his shoulder; it was not pointy enough to be her chin and she was shorter than he was.  He could have sworn he heard a sniffle a time or two as well, he hated himself.

“Did she suffer?”  Noar had not turned around, he couldn’t face Arik.  He was still dealing with the news, and not well.  What. Had. He. Caused? 

“No, she went very quietly.  Not a sound was heard.”  Arik answered.  It wasn’t a lie exactly, she had escaped without making a sound.  If Arik hadn’t been in the room, hiding in the shadows, he would have missed her escape completely.  He was hating what Noar was thinking.

Turning around to face the couple, Noar thought for a minute.  “I will find you a room to share on the ship.  You will help with the tasks on board.  We are all fugitives and pirates, so you will be in good company.”  He took a deep breath, “Renisa,” he waited for her head to rise and for her to move so she could see him, “I am sorry for my behavior earlier.  Our departure from Tribaldi was stressful and I was shocked to see the state Arik was in.  You did not deserve that. I hope in time you can forgive me.”  He inclined his head towards her.

Inara nodded but said nothing.  She was still in shock and slightly terrified of the Captain and confused about what was going on between him and Arik.  The one thing she did know was that Arik was ready to commit violence to keep her safe, so until they were alone, she was going to be quiet and stay right next to him. 

Arik let go of Inara’s hand and slid his arm around her waist to pull her next to him.  The Princess was trembling, and he wanted to comfort her.  He couldn’t really blame her for her fear.  Noar was intimidating when he wasn’t completely pissed off.  Six four, broad shoulders, dark eyes, and an overall demeanor that made most people uneasy.  When Arik was around him, people tended to scatter, so the fact Inara was almost clinging to the six foot two, even darker complected in all ways Arik he found ironic.  The fact he hadn’t had her up against the wall by her neck probably factored into that.

Noar was still trying to figure out this dynamic and it was not computing for him.  Walking over to the door, he opened it about six inches.  As he suspected there were several of his men out there, he closed his eyes and shook his head with a wry smile.  “Will one of you please take the lovely Miss Renisa to one of our empty rooms with the larger bed, get linens, BE. NICE.  Also, get some water, see if she’s hungry.  She’s a personal guest at this time.  Got it?” He raised his brows and got nods all around.  

Turning back to where the couple stood.  “You will be safe.  No one is going to harm you.  I need to speak with Arik privately.  He will join you shortly, I promise.”  Noar hoped she’d go on her own.  Having one of his men pick her up and carry her would just make everything ugly again.  No doubt someone would get stabbed, most likely him. “Renisa, it’s ok.  I’ll be there in just a minute.  I know Noar.  He’s an asshole, but he doesn’t lie.  If he says you’re safe, you are.”  Arik nodded at her and kissed her cheek softly as he pulled her in tighter.  “I told you I’d keep you safe, I’m not stopping that now that we’re on the boat.”  He met her eyes when he pulled back and she nodded, Arik was thankful she trusted him.  It was a small blessing.

“Thank you, Captain Noar.” Inara said as she passed him.  He nodded, and felt horrible for what happened earlier.  She was gorgeous and now seemed like a frightened kitten.  While he didn’t mind intimidating his crew, and those he needed to, he normally didn’t go around attacking innocent women for no reason.  The fact she was with Arik made it even worse.  

As soon as the door closed, he turned to Arik.  “How fucked are we?  Be straight with me.  Does she have any clue who I am?”

[twilightofthe]

okay i put all my cranky thoughts into a separate post that's now drafted and it made me feel better so i'll be able to watch this episode now lol but if it gets me worked up again i'm posting the rant i'm sorry i cannot be helped or changed or saved <3

ANYWAY AHSOKA EP 2

also i forgot to say so last episode but kevin kiner my ABSOLUTE BELOVED the return of the king is real so happy to have you here my dude the ending and full theme was absolutely gorgeous

anywayyyyyy so i am guessing sabine did not make like satine and survived her shish kabobing

well there's ahsoka

oh yeah there's bean she's fine she'll be fine xD

damn filoni really gave more handwaving to having a character survive a major impalement vs me twisting myself into fucking knots writing anakin getting run through lmao

ahsoka sorry but actually i'm gonna blame u for this you still kinda seem like a mess and i don't think you were a very good teacher to sabine and now ur dropping back in on her when she's convenient to you?

well at least we know why she's so adamant against training baby yoda lol

ope here's goth girl and the fuuuuck is his NAME again i keep calling him fucking bryan

i like the fancy sithy-looking sundial tho

pfff second ep is "toil and trouble" guess we're getting witchy!

OH YEAH WAS SABINE'S KITTY OKAY

THEY BETTER BE OKAY

I SWEAR TO GOD

yea ahsoka what happened to showing up in the nick of time and saving kanan and ezra from inquisitors in rebels u were slowwww girlie

OK GOOD THE CAT IS OKAY

that's all that matters

ope one more droid hanging around ezra's place

GIRL UR SITTING UP ALREADY?!

GIRL HOW CAN U BREATHE

we do love the mechanic girl of my heart

sabine does love her explosions

no huyang hera just likes explosions

sabine works best under explosive pressure we LOVE HER

ope back to corellia i guess? we can reuse the old solo sets?

sabine

you were just

impaled

"but she's not the one who needs to hear it right now" ahhh there's the sabine and hera dialogue. ugh but i'm still not used to natasha and mary i can just hear tiya and vanessa doing it instead :(

WHY DO Y'ALL KEEP MAKING SABINE AND AHSOKA ANGRY EXES TF

"ancient ppl from a distant galaxy" waaaaaaait are they bringing in those eu dudes

no wait i think i remember something about these guys that was mention as the big bad in the canceled animated rebels sequel

or it could just be the chiss lmao

that could be it too, makes sense why they'd want thrawn

ok that is some real cool galactic map visuals i am an absolute sucker for a good starmap

ok but wait how the fuck did y'all get a map to thrawn anyway did the space whales write it

also sorry morgan but i don't personally think thrawn would go for u nothing personal you are hot but you don't quite seem his type

waaaait is fucking thrawn gonna have force sensitivity now THAT would be absolutely hilarious and he'd hate it so much

who's marrok i have no memory

y'all you can't just make thrawn work for you didn't he only work with the empire cuz he had to because it would advantage his people somehow (has read zero thrawn novels and only seen rebels)

please tell me sabine is in the fucking vents of ahsoka's ship

THERE'S THE GHOST WHERE IS CHOPPER

I AM NO LONGER FUCKING ASKING

okay so i think my issue with Mary is she doesn't have any of the same authority and purpose Hera's meant to hav

CHOPPER

CHOPPER

MY MURDERBOT

MY SON

MY ANGEL MY EVERYTHING

Anyway

yeah

oh yeah harping in that the new republic is a total fustercluck

ew a capitalist

bro you know hera used to steal from people like you for the rebellion

sdlkfjsdk omg sabine's mom needs to talk to the teacher to keep her from getting expelled

but also y'all sabine is like 25-30 right now she's not a kid

@ ahsoka bitch you have no fuckin clue what you're doing doooon't talk about readiness

y'know maybe the imperial era just advanced medicine so later impalements don't kill people

oh oh so it IS ezra's!

sabine go find luke he'd love to have you

STOP WITH THE GAY DIALOGUE

ok so yeah she likely doesn't have force sensitvity

goddammit huyang neverMIND

so sabine IS force sensitive :) and kanan and ezra just never brought it up :) great :)

hera my beautiful ship nerd ily

bitch do NOT fuck with hera she has more presence than anyone ever

hera my dude you know better than anyone that if a ship wants to take off you gotta go try and stop it in person

ah i have been waiting like 5 long years to watch hera best pilot there was kick aerial ass

we STAN

chopperrrrrrrrr

oh yeah ahsoka's fighting an inquisitor too lmao

CHOPPER GET THEIR ASS

CHOPPER ADD TO YOUR KILL COUNT

ok this hera and chopper banter is perfect i do love it

VICTORY FOR MY GHOSTS

oh and good job ahsoka lol

aghhh sabine and her therapy cat i'm ;_;

theeeeere's sabine's mando armor

SABINE AND KANAN'S FUCKIN KNIFE I'M GONNA EVEN IGNORE THE BAD MULAN HACKJOB ATTEMPT

okay it seems like mary's kinda on and off for hera so far, she has her moments but she can't hold them

rosario keeps losing me i'm sorryyyyyyyy

natasha is doing GREAT

aaaaaand we redoing the end of the rebels epilogue!

god this makes me miss zeb

and kanan obvs but i've come to accept his death

zeb's still hanging around where is he!!!!!

ah all is right

sabine has her gay haircut back

here we go gay roadtrip to find ezra time

alright so i'm still not really vibing with jedi!sabine at All but i have concluded that this show is watchable but honestly not that good, writing-wise, sorry dave, so i think i'll be able to watch it with my brain turned off

goddammit first i thought the holograms visiting morgan were nightsister witch ghosts xD

RIGHT RIGHT HIS NAME IS BAYLAN NOT BRYAN

morgan stop simping for thrawn i guaranTEE he's not your type

oKAY

we are through with the two episodes! it is very late for me so i'm gonna sit and think on what i've seen so far and shitpost a little. i did really like seeing my rebels blorbos again even if the live action actors don't quite have their groove yet. obviously very excited to retrieve ezra <3 so yeah that was that and i'll be back for more next week!

[comradebezukhov]

uhh can we get pierre x napoleon for the my immortal style fic please (not nsfw)

Ask and you should receive. Here we go:

Ship: Pierre Bezukhov x Napoleon

Themes: Vampires, vampire hunter, betrayal, hurt and comfort, eventual angst

Word count: 523

My name is Pierre Kazookid amd I am a vampirw hunter from Russia. I am currently dating a Frnech vampirw named Napoleon so it's all forbieen love amd styff. He murders ppl in wars qnd drinks there blood and everything. He also has the auperpower od communicating with furniture. Right now he is away fighting some other countrys and taking war prisoners and drinking thwir blood, leaving me alone with my BFF Andrei Colonoscopy, who is also a vampire hunter.

“Pier we have talked about this,” says Andrew, “you cannot date Napoleon becuz he is a vampirw and we are supposed to kill him. One day he will drink you as well and you will die.” As you can see Andrew doesn't really like Neopolitan. He has thinks he is some evil fucking bitch or something.

“Its ok Andrei I know Nemo will never betray me after all we are in luv," I say, “right now I need to write him a letter.”

I opened the drawer to dicovwr thwt I hav ran out of paper so instead I went to Nemo's room to borrow some. I open his drawer and find.............. a stack of letters from Tsar Alexander, another vampire!

I gasped as I read the letters. They are very amorous and graphic. Tsalamder even attach a portrait of his wenis in one of them. This made me so angry and depressed, so I drink a bunch of ethanol and made Andrew drive me to kick Salamander's ass, but not before I put on my neom pink tyrannosaurus onsie.

We arrive at Salamander's palace soon after. I kick open his door and screamed, “SALAMANDER YOU PIECE OF TRASH I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU STOLE MY MAN.” I threw a Bible at him, killing him instantly. Nikogay, his no.1 fanboy was crying and being annoying, so I yeeted a Bible at him as well. That didn't kill him tho because he is a human but that sure as hell shut him up.

Then we go to kill Napoleon. He is very surprised to see us, “Pierre dear what are you doing here—”

“YOU CHEATING PIECE OF SCUM I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WERE HAVING A THING WITH SALAMANDER,” I yelled, picking up a table to yeet on him.

The table fkew avross the room but stops mid-air because Napoleon asks it to. I picked up a chair to yeet at him but he stops me, “Wait Pierre I can explain!”

“Well explain then!”

“I am only flirting with Salamander to trick him!”

Andrew frowns, “Trick him for what?”

“You know, to invade Russia later amd end serfdom and start a revolutiom and stuff?”

It sounds so touching I start to cry, “Awww babe thank you! You know it is what I have always wanted!”

We start smacking our lips into one another like toilet lid and the toilet seat, almost strangling each other in the process.

Suddenly, Neopolitan collapses. Behind him stands Andrew, who has stabbed Nemo with a cross.

“I am so sorry Peter, this is for greater good,” sighes Andrew before shooting me with a Nerf gun, and I died in Nemo's arms.

[13uswntimagines]

Your Ass Is Out of This World (Kelley x Reader)

Request: alex or kelley or sonnett x reader where they've been dating for a few years R is an astronaut for NASA and she gets to go to space

Author’s Note: Special thanks to @literaryhedgehog​ cause without her, none of this would have happened. 

Kelley wasn’t quite sure how she had ended up standing next to a dive bar sipping a lukewarm beer on a Friday night. In her defense, Ali and Ashlyn had convinced her it would be fun and had promised to pay for the Uber rides both ways. It had been fun for a while, dancing with them to some old 70s songs on the light-up dance floor, but half an hour ago they had disappeared off into a hallway somewhere, and she had no intention of third-wheeling (she knew she should have convinced Alex to join them). But she also wasn’t going to leave without them, because she wasn’t convinced either of them were sober enough to take any kind of transportation safely (someone needed to be there to make sure they didn’t puke in someone’s car).

So here she was, standing by the bar waiting for her friends’ sexcapades to be over, nursing her drink. The clink of a glass settling in front of her caught her attention. She blinked at the bartender. “I didn’t order another one,” 

The man’s lips ticked up and he shrugged. “Lady on the end paid for it. Said you looked sad,” 

Kelley looked up, following the man’s eyes towards a woman standing a few seats down the bar from her. She was also standing alone but was dressed as though for a different event altogether. Kelley had embraced the 70s theme of the bar slightly, wearing a jumpsuit and a scarf around her head, but this woman had just thrown a white NASA shirt--like the one Kelley got for her little cousin at Target-- over a pair of black jeans. As she bobbed her head to the music she met Kelley’s eyes and smiled. 

Kelley took that as her invitation to approach. Kelley’s eyes traced her form, lingering on the white material. She didn’t know those came in adult sizes...

“You must be a star, I can't stop orbiting around you” Kelley smiled charmingly as she approached you, setting her beer on the bar beside you and settling in the seat to the left of yours. 

“I do believe I was the one to buy you the drink…” you said, your lips twitching as you tried to keep a serious expression. “Shouldn’t I be the one throwing pickup lines here?”

“You bought me the drink, so I get to be the one to woo you. I’m Kelley, are you from Mars? 'cuz I wanna explore you with curiosity.” Kelley said, wiggling her eyebrows at you, enjoying the light blush coloring your cheeks. 

“Oh my god,” you groaned, “that was terrible. I mean really good but absolutely awful.”

“At least I got you to smile, but you still haven’t told me your name.” Kelley laughed, taking a sip of her beer. She was prepared to lay on the horrible pick up lines for your entertainment. 

“I’m Y/n,” you said, putting down your drink and holding out your hand, “pleasure.”

“They call me the milky way...Pleasure You Can't Measure,” Kelley smiled, shaking your hand as you laughed and pulling you a little closer “Why look at the moon, if I can’t touch it? Why look at your lips, if I can't kiss them,” she said, winking so you knew she was completely joking. 

“How do you know so many of these?” You said, shaking your head in awe. “ All I know off the top of my head is ‘do you work for NASA? Because you’re out of this world!’”

“Ah, a magician never reveals her secrets,” Kelley whispered conspiratoryly, bringing her hand up to cover her lips. “but my team and I have definitely had flirt offs for bonding nights,” 

“Your team?” 

“Yeah, I play soccer for the US and Washington,” She shrugged as if it wasn’t a huge accomplishment. 

Your eyes widened and you nearly spat out your drink. “Didn’t they, like, just win a World Cup?” 

“Yeah, No biggie,” Kelley said, side-eyeing you as she took another sip. 

“No biggie?  I’m surprised you don’t have a swarm of paparazzi shadowing you, that’s incredible! Weren’t the USWNT like the most successful US team in soccer?’

“Hm, there’s not enough drama for them, but we don’t mind. How about you? What do you do beautiful?” Kelley hummed. 

“Oh. I work for NASA,” you said, gesturing at the shirt. “I can’t wait to bring some of those lines back to work.”

“What??” 

****

“So do they at least give you a good choice of flavors? So you don’t get bored and stuff?” Emily asked from across the table, licking her dripping I cream cone. 

When your girlfriend decided to introduce you to the team after their match against Colombia, you were quite surprised she had chosen an ice cream shop as a venue. But with how food motivated the youngins seemed, you realized how appropriate it was. 

“I mean,” you said, your spoon suspended in the air as you blinked at Emily, “ice cream isn’t the only thing we will eat. I’m going to be on the station for like 8 months. Ice cream is not a balanced diet.”

“But it’s the only one they sell in the stores. You don’t have to lie cause the veggie lovers are here,” The defender said, leaning across the table, as though it would prevent the rest of the table from hearing her. 

“Babe, you literally love most veggies too,” Lindsey rolled her eyes, using her thumb to wipe a spot of chocolate ice cream from Emily’s nose. 

“Actually, I heard they’re a pretty good selection of dehydrated fruits and veggies and MRE’s and Tortillas and stuff. Plus I get to take a few things from home…” You mumbled, leaning back. 

She couldn’t be serious right? There was no way she thought you were supposed to sustain yourself on horrible freeze-dried dairy products for that long. Not to mention, freeze-dried ‘astronaut’ products for the most part weren’t actually possible to bring to space, with how crumbly they are. You were more likely to eat actual ice cream on the space station (less chance for an errant crumb being inhaled or destroying an important piece of equipment) than that gift shop garbage. 

“Oh yeah, MRE sounds way more likely than just eating the stuff they literally label as being for astronauts…” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “What does that even stand for? ‘Must reject Emily?”

You opened your mouth to answer, eyebrows furrowed, only for Kelley to nudge you softly. 

“It’s not worth the fight babe, trust me. Not the brightest lighthouse if you know what I mean,” Your girlfriend made a swirling motion with her finger next to her temple. 

You leaned in closer so your lips were nearly touching her ear. “She’s not serious right?” 

“I never joke about ice cream,” Emily answered seriously. 

You blinked at her, looking to your girlfriend who just shrugged and raised her eyebrows. 

“I’m, I’m not sure if they have a flavor rotation system for ice cream flavors. We haven’t been… briefed on that yet,” you nodded seriously. 

…...

“Can you hear me?” Kelley said, tapping her fingers impatiently as your face appeared in the video call. 

“He- -utiful,” You smiled through the glitchy computer screen. Your waving was broken up like a bad claymation. You leaned in to make out the fuzzy figures standing behind your girlfriend, assuming she was at camp or something. 

Normal long distance sucked, but literally being off-planet really made things difficult. It wasn’t like Kelley could just text you when she missed you, or randomly call you when she missed you at 3 am. Sure, she could email and you made a tremendous effort to schedule calls once a month, but it was still incredibly difficult (and slightly weird that a NASA tech dude had to monitor each call to make sure the connection stayed up). And sometimes even the best video-calling technology had issues. Like today (when a giant satellite or piece of space trash would block the signal). 

“Are you hav- -un at -amp?” You asked, grabbing your floating water pouch pushing out a sip sized water drop. 

“Yeah, it’s great,” Kelley said, watching you munch on your water. When you first got on the station you sent her pictures of artwork you made out of different drops of colored water- specifically making a giant water ‘soccer ball’ for her. Then you tried to boop it around and ended up losing control, amusing all your crewmates who watched you trying not to run into too many walls. “We’re looking forward to playing against Brazil on Friday, should be brutal.” 

“We’re set to be ov- Florida on -day, so I’ll try and tune into the ga-. Catch a nice - view,” You nodded, wiggling your eyebrows (which looked more like you having a seizure due to how badly you were pixelated). 

While Kelley wasn’t entirely sure what you were saying, she went ahead and nodded. “Let me know what you think!”

“Wh- color -it are you w-ing? Y- look -uper s-xy in the -ue,” you said, floating up in a ‘draw me like one of your french girls’ pose. 

“You’re favorite one,” Kelley said, winking at you. 

“-es!!” You cheered “-ake p-ture -or -“ the screen flickered dangerously for a second. Before a wobbly picture returned. 

“Babe you’re breaking up, I can’t tell what you’re saying. Y/n. Are you there? UGh. I love you! We’ll talk soon.”

“-ove y- -oo” 

Kelley blew a slow kiss to her camera before she heard a deep voice saying “Sorry ma’am. The connection was lost. Y’all still have five minutes on your scheduled call- Want me to try calling again? See if the signal improves?”

“Yeah,” Kelley shifted, rubbing the bridge of her nose as typing sounds echoed through the speaker. How she was going to make it through four more months of this she had no idea. 

“What if like the ship was attacked by aliens or something,” Sonnett whispered from her left, staring at the blank screen with real trepidation. 

“Not possible ma’am,” she heard him laugh. “But I doubt I would have the right level of security clearance to know.”

“great.”

Kelley grabbed a pen and marked a day off the calendar hanging on her wall. So much for ‘phone call with Y/n.’ She sighed. Just a few months to go. 

****

Gravity fucking sucked. It was disorienting and heavy and made you sick to your stomach. Space station alums always talked about re-entry and how bad that was, but you thought sitting in a NASA hospital bed while your equilibrium readjusted was way worse than your fireball craft plummeting into the ocean. 

“This fucking sucks,” You groaned, again throwing your hand over to pull out the IV. You hated how hard it was to move (and how you actually had to hold up a cup of water to get a drink but that was beside the point). 

“Whoa babe, I know you’re a little out of it right now, but that has to stay in. Just try and relax for a little while,” Kelley said, grabbing your hand and kissing the back of your knuckles. 

You frowned at her through heavy-lidded eyes. “Don’t wanna be here. Wanna be home with you.” 

“I know, but you gotta stay here until the re-entry symptoms have worn off a little more,” She said again. She knew that you weren’t going to be 100% when you stepped out of the spacecraft, but she hadn’t expected you to be so out of it. You were sick to your stomach and entirely unable to walk without assistance. 

The doctors assured her that you would be fine (residual effects from not being in gravity for so long and the impact of the landing or whatever), but it was still difficult to watch. It didn’t help that you were a horrendous patient. 

“Just watch the game. The US is even in Blue,” Kelley tried to coax. Even she was beginning to grow restless. But you couldn’t leave until you could keep down solid foods. 

“I don’t want to watch. You’re not in it,” You said, grabbing the remote from her and turning the television off. Then you tried to set the remote in the air, but instead of hovering like it should have done, it dropped to the ground. 

“Alright, commander Y/l/n. It’s dinner time,” one of the NASA hospital nurses said, bringing in a tray for you. Kelley thanked them as they left since you were too dazed to think of it.  

“God this food sucks, I hate jello ” you grumbled, lifting the spoon in front of your face (fully expecting it to float so you could take your bite) and dropping it as you want to open the pudding packet instead. “I just want a big juicy cheeseburger. With bacon and onions and-“ You trailed off, your mouth watering at the thought. You hadn’t had proper food in 8 months, and it had been your major cravings food. 

“A side of diabetes” she scoffed, picking up the discarded remote and spoon, “And are you going to keep dropping things everywhere?” She asked, carefully filling a spoon with chocolate pudding and guiding it to your mouth. 

“Fuck Newton. Things are supposed to float,” 

****

You loved the soft skin behind Kelley’s ear. It was so smooth, and it always smelt like a mix of her perfume, shampoo, and something inherently Kelley. It was a bonus that your exploration of the area always sent a shiver down her spine. You ran your nose along the skin there, nibbling on her ear before moving down her neck. Leaving little kisses along your path. Kelley sighed, sleepily scratching your scalp and tilting her head to the side to encourage you to continue. 

“You,” Kelley said. “ I like you.”

“Hm, I’m glad. It would be kinda scary if you were doing this with someone you didn’t like,” you mumbled against her skin, unwilling to part with it for even a moment. Kelley giggled at the tickling sensation. How you still had so much energy after you had thoroughly worn her out getting… reacquainted she would never know.

 “But what do you like most. Tell me, babe,” You said, moving your lips a little lower, towards where her shoulder and neck met. 

“I love… your ass. It’s out of this world.” She said sleepily, reaching around to grab her favorite asset of yours. 

“Well, it has been,” You laughed, pulling away reluctantly so you could look her in the eyes. 

“Shut up you goof,” She rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow and whacking you lightly. You fell over dramatically, pulling her so she was on top of you. 

“Hm, I’m your goof,” 

“Yeah. You are. And babe?” She smiled down at you, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips. 

“Hmm?” You hummed against her lips. She leaned back to look you in the eyes, one forearm across your chest and her other hand beside your head supporting her. 

“No more space travel for a while?” 

 “Pinky promise,” You said, wiggling your hand so your littlest finger connected with hers. 

“Good. I can’t believe I was dating someone from TEXAS for a while.” Kelley pretended to shudder. “Jus think, one of your coworkers might have been a Houston dash supporter!”

[deluxewhump]

Roman, part 5: The Whole Truth, Nothing But.

part 4

Cw: box boy universe, adult themes throughout, murder, murder trial, drowning mention, pet whump, drug and alcohol use, addiction, drugging, brief mentions of sex, death of a parent

This is a doozy. I know it is. Anyone who dives into this with me- I love you in advance. And now you know whats happening with Roman, and have a good idea of what will happen next.

***

The first time Roman heard the name Hal Madden, he was eight years old. It had not mattered, then. It swam in one unbothered ear and out the other, like a silver-bellied fish.

But that was too far back. He was telling this story for the first time, and he wanted to tell the important bits. He did not have a very forgiving audience. In fact, it consisted of a single sleepy, pissed-off boxboy called Zee, who was staring at him with his chin in his hand, waiting to turn him in for being a liar and for stealing his master’s cell phone.

His half-brother, Ivan Dixon-Madden. That’s where the story needed to start. 

Roman worshipped Ivan. It'd always been that way. Ivan was big, strong, and kind. Every time they moved and started at a new school, his big brother managed to make a name for himself inside of the first week. This meant Roman would not have to sit alone at lunch, or worry about bullies who might make fun of him for the birthmark on his face. He was Roman, Ivan’s brother. He was accepted into the fold. It was like a title, a stand-in surname. Roman Ivansbrother.

Ivan was a good big brother. He never left Roman out, even when he was playing with his big-kid friends. At one elementary, the playground was shaped like a ship, and whether it was a pirate ship that day or a member of Her Majesty’s fleet, Ivan was unanimously elected Captain. Roman would automatically be first mate, though he often gave the title to another kid so he could just be a shark.

By highschool, Ivan was cool by virtue of not seeming to know what constituted as cool. If you brought up that his lipstick pink shirt was perhaps not cool, it would only make you look uncool for caring about something so subjective and embarrassing as what was cool.

Ivan’s easy, seemingly unselfaware popularity made it easy for Roman to continue his childhood pattern of riding Ivan’s wake. Roman Ivansbrother. He had teachers ask him if he was Ivan’s little brother when they read his name on the roster, peering over their glasses to try and spot the family resemblance first. 

There wasn’t much of one. Roman and Ivan were half brothers. Their mother Irina was eighteen when she had Ivan, and twenty for Roman. Roman’s father was something of a myth to him, gone before his second birthday but always rumored to maybe one day return, like the risen Christ. Irina spoke highly but vaguely of his father, and in Roman’s child mind he grew as big and improbable as Zeus, white-bearded and cartoonish. 

Where Roman was slender and small (until he hit his last growth spurt at fifteen and shot up to nearly six feet), Ivan was always huge for his age, a head taller than most of the kids in his class.  He was red-headed and well spoken, where Roman was ash-blond and then ash-brown, quiet until eighth grade when he discovered sarcasm. Ivan’s father was also a mystery to Roman, and the uncovering of that old secret would be the thing that derailed his entire life.

Ivan’s father was Hal Madden, though Ivan was not given the surname. Irina, eighteen, was working in the lavish estate of the wealthy Madden family when she discovered she was pregnant with their eldest son Hal’s child. 

Hal would go on to make his own fortune in the dot com boom, and segue smoothly into tech and stocks before that bubble did what bubbles inevitably do— burst. But in the hazy, hot summer of 1991, there had been no way of predicting such a thing would ever come to pass. 

Hal was smitten, following Irina around his parents’ lavish North Carolina summer house like a lovesick puppy. Left to his own devices he would have married her, putting aside his well-to-do fiance Rebecca and pitching Irina into the envied class of nouveau-riche. 

Hal’s mother, Arabella Madden, was positively livid when she discovered the newest member of her housekeeping staff was pregnant with her grandchild. There was to be no discussion. There was to be no compromise. A proud if somewhat deluded matriarch, Arabella told her son in no uncertain terms that he was to cut all ties with this teenaged no-name Jezebel, and the only money she would receive from him would be the two hundred and some dollars for an abortion. 

If Hal chose to stay with this girl, he would be cut off entirely from any money that was not already in his name, including access to his parents’ property, wills, shares in their stocks, boats, and house in the south of France. 

Maybe it was Arabella’s threats, or maybe it was simply the cool weather that broke the gauzy love-spell of the long summer afternoons. Hal remembered his promise to Rebecca, and the ring he’d put on her finger. Irina was fired, though Hal’s father found her new work with another family as an act of goodwill. Irina had the child, a boy, and received generous monthly child support from Hal, unbeknownst to Arabella. They had no further in-person contact. 

Hal did, however, have contact with his adult son, Ivan. That was the beginning of it all, really. Roman still did not know the name Hal Madden then, and was living his life as if it were going to go on quite the same.

By twenty-five he was attending community college, tired of working night shifts at a dead end mill job and taking odd seasonal work.

He’d toned down his highschool look years ago, traded the band tees and the weirdly tied wrist and neck bandanas for more nondescript, nothing-to-see-here fashion.

Still, a girl once told him over well drinks at Chili’s that he looked a bit like a school shooter. To this day he didn’t know if that was supposed to be constructive criticism, or if it was a turn on for her. Either way, he'd ended a six-month dry spell with that girl later that night. The Texas strawberry lemonades he’d drunk sloshed sickly-sweet in his belly with every thrust. 

Ivan started going on trips around this time, sometimes for days. The house they still shared with Irina felt empty during those long bouts of absence. Roman made dinner alone, watched 20/20 alone, fed the cat alone. His mother was always working, and Ivan’s trips became more frequent. He would come back tanned, wearing clothes Roman had never seen, and pay all their household bills in one go. 

When Roman asked where he went, Ivan insisted he’d met new sober friends, that they were renting Air bnb’s on the Gulf Coast. 

It wasn’t until one night, the night before Roman’s twenty-sixth birthday, that the truth came barreling onto center stage. Roman was dozing on the couch during a thunderstorm that had gone on for the last hour, rumbling and crashing, driving rain sideways against the windows. He was alone, feet propped on the arm of the sofa, their gray tabby happily purring on his chest. 

A door off the laundry room that led to the side yard slammed, either by force or somehow caught by the wind. Roman started, sitting up with a jolt. The tabby cat leapt to the floor and ran from the room. He grabbed a fire poker and held it tight by his side as he went to investigate. The door handle to the laundry room started to turn and he held up the poker like a baseball bat, heart pounding. 

The Slithery-dee,

he came out of the sea. 

Someone distinctly Ivan-shaped came through the door. He hollered and held up his hand when he saw his brother. 

“Fuck, Rome, put that thing down! Goddam.”

“Jesus, dude! Why are you using the side door?”

“I lost my key to the front door. I used the old spare one, under the frog. I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen. Something bad’s happened.”

“What is it?” Roman set the iron poker on the kitchen counter. He’d never seen Ivan so agitated. He pushed past him and squelched through the living room in his wet shoes all the way to their shared back bedroom. 

He stood in the doorway as his brother yanked their closet light’s chain so hard he thought it might snap off. He began pulling clothing down from the shelf and throwing it haphazardly behind him, littering the floor with flannels and sweat-stained undershirts until he unearthed a small metal lockbox. Roman hadn’t seen it before, which was odd. He would’ve bet money on the fact that he’d seen everything in their one-floor ranch at least a million times. 

“What is that? Ivan?”

Ivan’s big fingers fumbled with the combination lock, but he popped it open on the first try. Roman stepped closer to see. The lockbox was stuffed full of papers—  some newer, some old and faded. Ivan rummaged through to the bottom and pulled out a manilla envelope. Roman saw the name written across it with sharpie in neat capital letters. IVAN DIXON-MADDEN.

“Madden? Who the hell’s Madden?”

“My father,” Ivan answered, dumping the contents of the envelope onto the ground and spreading them apart like playing cards. “My father’s name is Hal Madden.”  There was a flatness to his tone that chilled Roman, as if he were the one soaking wet. Rainwater dripped from Ivan’s red hair, over his thick brow and into his eyes. “He’s dead.”

***

“Are you still with me? Do you need me to rewind? Fast-forward?”

Zee shook his head. He was a good listener, as it turned out. He’d barely blinked so far. They were sitting on the floor of his room with just his closet light on, in case Alex woke up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water. He adjusted his foot, sticking it out straight where it had been tucked underneath him. It had probably started to go to sleep. 

“Your half brother Ivan’s father is dead,” he said. “The rich guy that got your mom pregnant when she was like, eighteen.”

“Right,” Roman nodded. “Thanks for the succinct recap on my family tragedy. So… Okay. The next part is sort of where this whole mess starts.”

Zee raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Roman took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, and he was back in his mother’s house in Florida.

***

They lived near route one, south of St Augustine. Their house wasn’t close enough to the beach to be considered a beach house, but they got the brunt of the wind off the water, and the driveway was mostly sand, which got tracked through the whole house and lived in all the tiny cracks and crevices forever. 

That night, in the driving Florida rain, Ivan had told him who his father was, and that he was dead. Roman’s own father had stopped being a mystery in 2014, when they’d met up in a diner and had an awkward father-son reunion that was always going to be a disappointment. How’s your mother? Fine. These things were more climactic in the movies, Roman decided. His Luke Skywalker moment had happened at eleven o’clock on a Monday morning over runny eggs. It had been about as life altering as watching a balloon deflate. 

“They killed him,” Ivan muttered darkly, sifting through the documents on the floor. There was a frantic edge in his movements that Roman was not used to in his unshakeable big brother, cool before cool was cool. 

“Who did?” The night had taken on a surreal quality. Reality had tilted sideways like the rain. His brother was not Ivan but a dream-Ivan, not quite right and raving. Roman took a step backwards towards the door, suddenly a little nauseous. 

“Those fucking...Jack and Benjamin. The twins. My…” he stopped rummaging to laugh. “My other half-brothers.” He started pawing through the papers again. “They’re not, by the way. Because Rebecca Madden is a lying, scheming…”

“What are you talking about? Ive, are you… are you high?”

Ivan shot him a look. He picked up one of the papers and scanned it, top to bottom. It wasn’t the right one. He went back to the pile. “No, I'm not. D’you really think I’d just flush sixteen months down the toilet? Like that?”

“No. Sorry.”

If anything had ever come between them, it was the years where Ivan had been on drugs. Cocaine mostly, but any upper would do once he’d had a few shots. “Whoever says alcohol is a depressant never had good tequila,” Ivan would say, his eyes bloodshot and watery.

Roman was just out of highschool back when that started. He was deeply turned off by anything that took away his composure, or challenged his immaculate sense of self-control and order in the world. He didn’t want to act like his brother or his new friends acted, red-faced and sloppy and embarrassing. It was the first time he hadn’t followed in his brother’s footsteps. 

“And this is my baby brother,” Ivan told a roomful of his friends once, all just as bombed as he was. He’d pulled Roman’s neck into a chummy headlock and gave him a noogie. “My little Rom-com, all grown up! He's a little quiet, ladies, but quiet ain't always shy!"

He’d had a sponsor for a while Roman hadn’t liked much. When he’d been working the program, “making amends” mostly just rehashed nights Roman would rather forget. But he was clean now. Sixteen months, like he’d said. 

“I’m not fuckin’ high, Rome. Christ, I don’t even drink anymore.”

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“My father’s dead.” He stopped, sitting back on his heels and burying his face in his hands, mouth wide open in a spasm of grief. Roman couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his big brother cry. It was jarring, watching his broad back shake, his meaty arms thrown up to cover his face. “Ivan Dixon, strong as Babe the blue ox!” their highschool PE teacher had inexplicably exclaimed when he’d seen Roman Dixon, a five-eight freshman with legs like a flamingo.

Ivan sobbed for twenty seconds, then abruptly stopped. He coughed loudly to compose himself. He went to his nightstand and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He smelled them first, squeezing to test if the tobacco was going to be old and dried. He opened his window and lit one, and began telling the story of his father's death.

Hal Madden was fifty-two and sitting on a fortune that would put his children’s children through the Ivy league school of their choice. His wife Rebecca was fifty, which as everyone knows is the new forty, and she lived her life as a testament to that ideal. Hal and Rebecca had twin sons, Jack and Benjamin, age twenty-seven. Jack and Ben were fraternal twins, and looked alike only in the way brothers often do— in the shape of an eye or a jaw, the corners of a mouth.

That night would be the first time Roman heard the names Jack and Benjamin Madden. They’d meant nothing to him then. They’d rolled into his brain like marbles, swam like little silver fish back out again, leaving him none the worse for wear.

This last weekend, Hal was out on his beloved leisure boat, the Tyche. Hal was an accomplished sailor and an excellent swimmer. He’d taught his twin boys from the time they could walk to be the same, and though they were more inclined to hire a captain for their boozy ventures into open water, they knew their way around a boat well enough. 

Here is where accounts differ. First, Roman heard the story from his grieving brother, whose hand shook as he held his cigarette aloft. 

Later, he would hear it from Jack Madden, and then Benjamin. He would hear the prosecution’s story and the defense’s. Rebecca’s. In his own way, even Hal would tell the story of his final night on earth. 

At first, his death was investigated as an accidental drowning. But as the circumstances surrounding Hal’s final hours began to take shape, police were forced to change the nature of the investigation. Even so, it took nearly two weeks for enough doubt to stir, for enough evidence to be collected to make the arrest. 

When Roman first heard the story, the twins had not even been arrested yet. 

Once Ivan stubbed out his smoke and went to the bathroom, Roman googled the name Hal Madden on his phone. Sure enough, the headlines queued up. He had a Wikipedia page, and a website. He was featured in an article in Forbes. Most jarring were the recent headlines, news articles reporting his death this past weekend. ‘Tragic Accident’, they said. ‘Drowning Death’. ‘Inclement Weather’. There was nothing about foul play, or a murder investigation. Not yet. 

The fact that this man was his half brother’s father was bizarre. It was lumpy, difficult to swallow. But it made sense. It accounted for Ivan’s newfound extra cash, his long vacations. It accounted for the money his mother used to wait for when they were kids, the way they would be dirt poor one week and then it would all be better for a while, name brand cereal and new shoes, ice cream cones on the boardwalk.

He looked at the mess of papers strewn about the floor. One was close enough to his foot he could reach down and pick it up. It was a bank statement, dated three months ago. There was a long list of deposits and withdrawals, none totalling more than one hundred dollars. Except, at the bottom, was a deposit of nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine dollars on May seventh, from a bank in Clearwater. Had Ivan been keeping a paper trail of  his father’s interactions with him? All their financial transactions?

Ivan came back into the room and changed into a dry shirt. 

“Jack and Benjamin did it,” he said, his mouth a perfect line. “The twins killed my father.”

“His kids?” Roman breathed. He hurried to amend that statement. “His other kids, I mean? Jesus, why?”

“Money.” Ivan made a face. “It’s always fucking money, isn’t it? That and their mother is batshit insane. I mean…” he swirled his forefinger beside his temple. “Coo coo, no cocoa puffs. Whatever Oedipal shit is going on there, I… It doesn’t matter. They’re going to get it all, and I’m going to get nothing.”

“You were… going to get something?”

“Something? I was going to be set for life. So was mom. So were you! As soon as that old bitch kicked the bucket? Oh, jackpot.”

“What old bitch?”

“My grandmother. Arabella.” He enunciated each syllable, dripping with contempt.  Hers was the original sin of turning away their mother.

***

Zee interrupted him. “I think I saw them on the news. The twins.”

“Yeah, hard not to. In the southeast, at least.”

“How do I know you’re not still lying?”

Roman sighed. “You don’t. You got a polygraph machine kickin’ around? Hook me up.”

“Those aren’t even admissible in court.”

“Well ain’t you sharp as a tack. I’m telling you what happened, the best way I can.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

***

Ivan was distraught the next two weeks. He contacted lawyers, he tried news outlets. That wasn’t the way to go. Their mother confirmed that yes, Ivan had it right. His father was Hal Madden. She did not seem very saddened by Hal’s death. Nor did she seem terribly surprised. All she had to say was that nothing good would ever come of meddling with that family. She told Ivan to stay out of it, and would say nothing more on the subject. 

But Ivan was positively possessed with the idea that at twenty-nine he was the eldest Madden, two full years the twins’ senior. He believed the twins were not even Hal’s true sons, but the lovechildren of Rebecca and an English professor she’d been rumored to have had an affair with around that time.

He was obsessed with them. He knew their blood types, their exact eye colors on a chart. He knew Jack had a math tutor in ninth grade and that Benjamin had broken his arm in tenth.

He thought he could prove that Jack and Benjamin were not Hal Madden’s, though there was no indication Hal had believed that, or that a paternity test had even so much as been requested. 

After the Madden boys were arrested, Ivan was bloodthirsty. He knew his only hope at truth, at reclaiming a birthright so cruelly taken from him rested in the twins' conviction. Nothing else would bring his father to justice, or his snubbed mother.

He wanted Rebecca to be marched through the streets, her head shaved and her body covered in tar like the épuration sauvage. Rebecca was the collaborator, the adulteress, the usurper of what should've been his mother’s throne. In the place of Jack and Benjamin, he said, it should have been them. Ivan and Roman. 

Roman pointed out that he wouldn't actually exist in this bit of revisionist fantasy. He was two years younger than Ivan and his own father was a car salesman in Daytona, not a slain businessman from a wealthy line.

Ivan brushed him off. Nothing could undermine his vision. Roman didn’t understand, Ivan said, the sort of money that rightfully was his. His father had wanted him to have it. They’d spent a lot of time together in the last year and a half of his life. They’d gotten to know one another. Hal had always loved their mother. He’d always loved him. He’d sent money, secret from Rebecca and Arabella. He wanted to make things right. And those twins, those bastard changelings had ultimately killed him to keep their millions.

By the end of it Roman pictured the twins as a two headed dragon, sitting atop a pile of untold riches like Smaug. Or maybe they were like the Slithery-dee.

Ivan had everything figured out, down to a timeline. He had everything but proof.

Eventually, he devised a plan for that proof. The beautiful Rebecca was playing the part of grieving widow. Of course she was, Ivan said. She was in on Hals’ death. She had plenty of time to plan it. Her boys were out of jail, both on a cool 2.5 million dollar bond. They had lawyered up from their palatial twenty-room digs on the Gulf Coast, hiring the services of Jose Garica and Christian Abbot, two defense attorneys infamous in legal circles and hungry to make themselves household names. 

Ivan followed all of this from their rickety kitchen table. He printed things out. He shredded them. He made pots of coffee at eleven PM. The news was playing constantly on their TV screen like it was election night, even if they only circled back to the Madden twin case every hour or so, covering it for thirty seconds before moving on. 

Rebecca must have conferred with her stylist, because her usually jet black hair was left alone so the grey streaks showed at her temples. Whenever she was photographed or appeared on the news she wore modest black and kept her nails blunt and natural. She wore her wedding ring. As the ultra-wealthy sometimes did, she ordered a boxboy from WRU, to be a consolation to her in her time of agonizing grief. 

This boxboy was to be Ivan’s Trojan Horse. 

***

Ivan’s second greatest feat, in Roman’s estimation, was figuring out exactly the order Rebecca Madden had placed and tracking it. He couldn’t hack into a system that big or that well maintained, but he did manage to trick an intern into giving him a case number, and pretended to be a trainee’s boss successfully enough to get a copy of the Madden boxie file.

And to think, all without a single bump of coke. You didn’t need the feather to fly, Dumbo.

Rebecca had not specified any sexual preferences or training. Of course not. That would reflect quite badly on a grieving widow.

She had specified the ability to perform domestic duties instead (don’t you have like fifteen fucking maids, lady? grumbled Ivan), and she had checked all the grief companionship boxes. Essentially, she had ordered an expensive shoulder to cry on.

Ivan doubted there would be much crying. Every eye in that place will be dry, he said. They just needed to get to that boxie before the Maddens did. They needed to get him to spy for them, to listen in on the Madden’s conversations— with each other, their lawyers, their closest friends. Everything. It would be easy, boxies were treated like lap dogs. No one would think twice of saying something in earshot of their personal slave.

The fly in the ointment: some of the espionage would inevitably need to be carried out through reading. Notes, discarded mail, appointment books, diaries, emails, texts. And boxies cannot read.

A second fly in the ointment: boxies are heavily conditioned to be loyal. One quick interception, even with grand promises and reassurances, would not turn a boxie against their intended owners. They might even recount the experience to the owner, effectively letting the Maddens know they needed to up their security. 

It was a beautiful plan, but it could not be executed. The flaws were fatal.

Then came the gleaming alternative. The deus ex machina, flying at them like shrapnel. 

They would swap the boxie while in transit to the Madden’s. They would swap him for a doppelganger. A fake.

Later, subjected to Jack Madden, Roman would wonder if there had been another way. He wondered if we are truly our brothers keepers. He wondered, if the roles were reversed, if he would have asked Ivan to do something like that for him. 

***

“How did you do it?” Zee breathed. 

He had a red mark on his chin where his palm had propped it up so long. Roman could see why his masters seemed to like him so much. There was something painfully genuine about him. He was cute, with those honey eyes and that dished nose. Cameron had apologized for eating waffles with syrup on the sofa when Zee reprimanded him. He’d gotten up and eaten them at the table.

“You know how they do it,” Roman said. “They drug you, then load you up. It’s not the handlers that do it, it’s just the guys who work at the loading docks. There’s overseers, of course. But only one overseer per ten workers out there, and they’ve only got two eyeballs. I could figure the cameras blind spots from the mill I worked in. I helped install ours.”

“Right,” Zee said thoughtfully. “And they do the final checklist in those little med tents before you go in the box.”

“Bingo. There’s Ivan and me, dressed as loading dock workers. Just before the med tent, we do the swap. I strip, he grabs the boxie, puts my clothes on him. I go in the med tent. I drink the pink potion, I’m drunk as a skunk. I get loaded in the box. Ivan planned it down to the milisecond.”

“Wow,” Zee muttered. His eyes were somewhere in the middle distance as he pictured the loading docks. “What did you do with the real one?”

“Ivan took him to a shelter. Dropped him off. At least that’s what the plan was. I dunno, because I was locked in a fucking box. Why do they do that, by the way?”

Zee shrugged. “For show?”

“Yeah,” Roman shuddered at the woozy memory. He’d been too drugged to even chant about the Slithery-dee. “Three cheers for fuckin’ pageantry, I guess. Anyway, after that whole miserable ass day where I nearly suffocated in the back of a truck, I got there. They dropped me off at the Madden’s front door.”

“Why did you do it?”

Roman hesitated. What part hadn’t been clear? 

“To gather information for the case. Maybe to help the trial, if I could collect physical evidence and send it back to Ivan. I was spying, to prove they’d killed their father, that they were all in on it.”

“But why you?”

“Who else would do it? Ivan couldn’t. He exceeded Rebecca’s height and weight specifications. I’m five years older than the real one she ordered, but you can’t tell that by looking. Besides, there’s a good chance they know Ivan’s face. Especially Rebecca.”

“But it’s so dangerous.”

Of course it had been. Just how dangerous, he hadn't realized at the time. But for the first time in his life, his big brother had been the one who needed him, and not the other way around. Roman shrugged.

“He’s my brother.”

He had no other answer. 

***

Roman’s taglist: @briars7 @whump-only @boxboysandotherwhump @onyxeverett, @albino-whumpee @cupcakes-and-pain @orchidscript @asummerwithclara @finder-of-rings

[restlessfandoming]

“the president and the troublemaker” (part 13) (chilumi fic)

“Lumine is the student council president and Childe is the school’s number one troublemaker. They cross paths more than they’d like. Especially when Childe finds out Lumine’s big secret. Highschool AU à la Kaichou wa Maid-sama.”

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link] // [Main AO3]

* * * 

im really sorry for the massive time between each update. i am truly in the struggle  * * * 

the president and the troublemaker (part 13)

“I’m a professional fighter,” Lumine said to Venti. 

Venti stared at her for a long second, before slowly raising one of his brows. “What are you talking about, LuLu?” 

She bit her lip. “You know, like the UFC. That’s my job. I’m a MMA fighter.” 

Again, Venti stared at her, then glanced between her and the unconscious men on the floor. 

Lumine braced herself for him to laugh, to ridicule her, or even shy away in fear—how terrifying it was that she was powerful enough to do all that and even more. He would be disappointed, a bright student like her getting involved with the activities of delinquents. 

“That’s…,” Venti started. Then, he went to Lumine, grabbing her hands, eyes bright. “So cool!”

Lumine looked at him, silent with shock. 

“Wow, I would have never guessed!” he went on. “But I should have known. You’ve always been so strong.” 

“So you’re not...disappointed?” she asked. 

“Of course not. I would never be disappointed in you,” he said, giving her a soft smile. 

Lumine’s eyes stung. From relief? From gratefulness? “Thank you, Venti.” 

His smile widened. “Just wait until everyone at school hears about this! They’re gonna think you’re so cool, and you’re gonna get so popular, and—”

Lumine pulled her hand away from his, a trembling panic overtaking her nerves. “Venti, no one can find out about this,” she blurted. 

His brows furrowed. “Why not? You should be proud of what you do.”

Lumine stood in silence, ruminating. Proud of what I do? 

Venti started reaching out towards her when there was an audible THUMP from the ground. 

Childe stood from where he had hit one of the men on the floor. “He was waking up,” he said after taking in Venti and Lumine’s worried looks. “We should leave now.” 

Lumine let her gaze linger on Venti—his brows furrowed from either confusion or frustration or both—before turning to Childe. 

“Yeah…let’s go back the way we came and try to backtrack,” she suggested. She and Childe started to make their way back.

Venti didn’t budge. “How does Childe know?” 

“What?” Lumine answered. 

“You said you don’t want anyone to know.” His teal green eyes narrowed, ever so slightly, at Childe. “So he’s an exception?” 

“He found out on his own,” Lumine said. Why is he doing this right now? We need to go—

“And I’m her coach,” Childe said, crossing his arms. There was the tiniest curve of a smile on his lips.

Venti let out a meek laugh. “He’s your coach? So do you spend a lot of time together?” 

She threw a glare at Childe. “Yes—Well, I don’t know. I guess.” She shook her head. “This isn’t the time to be talking about this. Let’s go.” She marched off without another word.

As she walked back the direction they came from, she heard the two boys footsteps behind her. She kept her pace up, however, not wanting to speak to either of them at the moment. Any time either of them entered her peripheral vision, she sped up away from them. Stupid boys and their stupid jealously. 

Eventually, after trying to navigate the twists and turns of the alleyways, the group had somehow ended up in a completely new location. 

Lumine first noticed when the scent of salty sea waves hit her nose. Then, was the shuddering of ocean waves lapping against the shore line, and the groaning of metal ships floating in the water.

“Looks like we’re at a dock,” Childe remarked. 

“How did we even get here?” Venti wondered. 

Lumine rubbed at her forehead. “How do we get out?”

The three of them stood silently, thinking, watching as a group of fishermen unloaded from a large docked ship, and funneled into a nearby building—tall and silvery sleek. 

Childe murmured something to himself before heading towards the building himself. “Follow me,” he said to Lumine and Venti. 

The two shared a questioning look, before following Childe forward. 

They all entered the building, finding themselves in a large lobby, business men and women scooting past. Childe instructed Venti and Lumine to wait in the corner as he went alone to approach the receptionist. 

Lumine watched curiously as the receptionist looked at Childe, a mix of wary and annoyance. Childe started saying something to the lady, his face lifted in confidence. The longer he went on, the receptionist’s expression shifted to disbelief, slowly picking up the telephone and making a call. 

The receptionist kept her eyes on Childe while talking on the phone, with Childe smiling right back at her. As the phone call went on, her face stretched into shock, eventually handing the phone right to Childe with wide eyes. 

Lumine furrowed her brows as Childe took the phone, turning away so she no longer saw his face. What in the world is he doing?

When he finished his conversation, Childe turned back to the receptionist, but kept hold on the phone. He gestured to Lumine, and after a nod from the receptionist, he waved her over. 

Lumine awkwardly walked up to the desk, ignoring Venti’s whispered questions behind her. Upon reaching Childe, he held out the phone to her. 

“All yours,” he said. There was something in his expression Lumine hadn’t quite seen before—a sheepishness of sorts, a humbled look that didn’t seem possible for him. 

She hesitantly took the phone, eyes looking to the receptionist who placed the receiver towards her with a smile—much different than her initial standoffish disposition. 

Lumine looked down at the keypad, her fingers already pressing the only number she could remember in the moment. The phone barely rang once before someone immediately picked up.

“Hello?” Aether’s panicked voice crackled on the other end. 

Lumine let out a shaky sigh of relief. “Aether, it’s me—”

“LUMINE!” he interrupted. “Are you okay? Where are you?” 

The slew of Aether’s worried questions bombarded her ear, and she almost laughed. “I’m fine,” she enunciated over his questioning. “I’m safe here with Childe. And Venti.”

“God, you two…,” Aether murmured. “Where are you?”

“Where are we?” Lumine repeated, looking up at the receptionist. The lady quickly pulled out a business card, the address of the building clearly printed; Lumine repeated the address to Aether. “We wound up here because I chased after some asshole who stole all our stuff.” 

There was shuffling on Aether’s end, and she heard him talking to someone in the background. The line crinkled as he returned to the phone. “Okay, I just told Miss Ninguang,” he said. “She wants to talk to you.” 

Lumine swallowed the lump in her throat. The school principal. Oh, I’m definitely in trouble… 

“Miss Lumine?” Ninguang asked. 

“Yes, hello, Miss Ninguang,” Lumine answered. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience; I—”

“Please, do not worry yourself,” Ninguang said, her voice reassuringly mellow. “I am just glad to hear you and your friends are safe.” A chuckle. “We were really quite besides ourselves at your disappearance.” 

Lumine nearly cried in relief. “We-We’re not in trouble?”

“Of course not,” the principal said. “We just want to make sure to get you back safely.” 

“Thank you. Thank you, Miss Ninguang.” 

There was a pause, and Lumine could imagine Ninguang’s small smile. “Now, for the safety of everyone, we’ll meet back up in the morning. For now, it would be best for everyone to rest for the night.”

The night? Lumine glanced out of the large office windows, and blinked at the darkened sky in disbelief. Have we really been lost that long?! 

“From the address Aether gave me, there should be an inn within walking distance from where the three of you are. Stay there for the night, and we will be there to pick you up in the morning.” 

“Stay in the inn for the night? Miss Ninguang, I’m so sorry, but all of our money was stolen—”

“Do not worry. We will call them and make the reservation for you. Please, just rest up. I am sure it has been a stressful day for you.” 

“Th-Thank you, Miss Ninguang.” 

“I trust you. Stay safe.” Then, the line clicked off. 

Lumine slowly handed the phone back to the receptionist, legs shaky from the relief flooding her body. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel… 

“Well?” Childe asked. “What’s the plan?”

Lumine relayed the information about the nearby inn. 

“Will you be needing a car ride there, Mister Ajax?” the receptionist asked Childe. 

Lumine’s eyes flashed to him. Ajax?

“No, thank you,” he quickly said. “We’d better get going now.” He sauntered away from the desk.

Lumine jogged up to him. “Ajax?” she questioned. 

She saw his body lock up. “It’s nothing,” he said.

A scoff. “Obviously not. How did you—”

“What’s going on?” Venti asked, skipping over to them. He looked over at the receptionist desk. “What was that all about?”   

“We’ve got rooms at a nearby inn thanks to Lady Ninguang,” Childe said. “Let’s get there quickly before the night gets even darker.” He rushed out of the building. 

Venti shot Lumine a confused look. “Uh, what’s wrong with him?”

“Who knows?” Lumine muttered. 

Childe had always been very straightforward with her, rarely hiding any secrets. 

So why was he hiding something now?

* * *

The inn—Wangshu Inn—was a quaint wooden building lit up with glowing lanterns and paintings plastered along the walls. The lobby and outdoor restaurant had a few groups strewn about, a diverse grouping of travelers. Thankfully, Lumine, Childe, and Venti didn’t look too out of place. 

The three approached the lady at the front desk, a woman named Verr Goldet, with Lumine asking about their reservation. 

“Yes, we just received that phone call about your situation,” she said kindly. “We have the last two rooms ready for you.” 

“Oh,” Lumine uttered. She had assumed there would be three rooms, one for each of them. “I guess Venti and Childe can share a room—”

“I am not sharing a room with him,” Childe said. 

“Ehe, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I will not be sharing a room with the likes of him either,” Venti retorted. 

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Verr Goldet interrupted. “I didn’t realize there are three of you! The last two rooms are single bed only.” 

Lumine’s jaw barely had time to drop before Venti was pulling on her arm. “Let’s have a sleepover like when we were younger, LuLu! We can build forts, watch movies—”

Childe’s hand slid down Lumine’s arm, shoving’s Venti’s hands away. “The only way that’s happening is in your dreams, buddy.”

Lumine shrugged off both of the boys, leaning in towards Verr Goldet. “There are absolutely no other rooms available?” Any combination of the three of them would surely result in a dead body in the morning. 

Verr Goldet started typing away at her computer. “I’ll double check for you!” 

The sound of Childe and Venti hissing insults at each other made Lumine snap around. “Just. Go to the rooms. I will figure where I’m staying for the night. Alone,” she said definitively, pulling the two keys off the counter and holding them out in front of her. 

There was a pause as the two of them stared at the keys. Childe was the first to grab one. 

“Guess this is goodnight then,” he said. He pressed a swift kiss to Lumine’s forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning, Lumi.” Just as quickly, he left, disappearing into the elevator, leaving Lumine’s forehead (along with the rest of her face) to melt with boiling heat. 

Before she had time to process that, Venti’s cheeks puffed, and he planted a kiss on the side of Lumine’s face. “Goodnight, LuLu. If you still want to pig out on junk food, you know where to find me,” he said, jingling his room key. He quickly disappeared into the elevator as well.

Stupid boys. Stupid boys. Stupid boys. Lumine’s mind buzzed. And who was causing this sensation? 

“I am so sorry, ma’am,” Verr Goldet said, bringing Lumine back to reality. “On such short notice we truly gave you the last two rooms.” She clicked around on the computer a little more. “I can find another inn for you to stay at if you’d like.”

Lumine took a deep breath in. Her body was already feeling weighty with fatigue, and she didn’t want to complicate the situation even more. “No, that’s alright. I’ll just...stay in one of the rooms.” 

Verr Goldet nodded. “Which room would you like a key to?”

* * * 

Standing outside the door, Lumine suddenly felt a pang of anxiety burn in her gut. Was she really about to do this? Was it a completely idiotic choice of hers? It wasn’t too late: she could turn right back around and take Verr Goldet’s offer of staying at a separate inn. 

But it wasn’t like she could avoid this choice forever, lest the two boys kept fighting for eternity.

And this was the right choice. She knew it in her heart, no matter how much pain it would cause the other one. She cared for them both, deeply. But in different ways. One as a good friend, the other...something more. 

She started to push the key into the lock, but stopped herself as images of her walking in someone changing brought blood rushing to her head. 

She cleared her throat and knocked on the door instead. 

Seconds passed, and Lumine’s heartbeat picked up, just a bit. Was it anticipation? 

The door opened, and Childe stood there, fully clothed, thankfully. 

He stared at her in silence, as if in disbelief, not sure if she was really there. 

“Move,” was all Lumine could say, feeling heat creep up her spine.

He blinked, and stood to the side, still silent. Lumine stepped through the doorway, moving her way to the corner of the room, and plopping herself on the armchair. Wordlessly, she yanked a blanket from the bed, and wrapped herself in it, then closing her eyes. 

Maybe neither of them would speak. Maybe it would make the situation more bearable. Childe, please, don’t say anything—

“Take the bed,” he said, pulling the blanket off of her. “I’m not having you sleep in an armchair for the night.” 

She tried pulling the blanket back. “It’s fine. You take the bed.” 

A tsk. “Why are you always so difficult?” 

“I am not diff—”

Childe picked her up from the waist, tossing her on the bed. Then he tossed the blanket on top of her. “There. Just sleep now.” 

Her chest fluttered as her breath shortened under the blanket. “And you say I’m the difficult one,” she grumbled. She kept the blanket over her face for as long as she could, not wanting to make eye contact with Childe. 

After a while, she peeled it off for air, and couldn’t help but glance over to the armchair where Childe was sitting, eyes closed. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, his lanky legs crossed awkwardly, and his neck looking oddly stiff. 

Lumine let out a disgruntled groan, and turned on her side so her back was to Childe. “Sleep in the bed before you break your neck in your sleep,” she said. “Just...stay on your side.” 

A long pause. Lumine thought he had fallen asleep. 

“Are you sure about that, Lumi?” he asked. 

“Do it before I change my mind and make you sleep in the bathtub instead.” 

He chuckled lightly. The bed weighed down as he climbed on. Lumine glanced over her shoulder, finding Childe’s back turned to her. 

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do, Lumi,” he said, as if sensing her eyes on his back. 

She quickly turned her head back, heat flushing into her cheeks. “Good. Because I’d beat you up.”

“I know you would.” 

They laid there in silence, in the dark for a while, backs to each other. 

Lumine couldn’t fall asleep. And she was sure Childe couldn’t either. 

“Why’d that lady call you Ajax?” Lumine asked quietly. 

“Curious about me? I’m flattered.” 

“Nevermind. Goodnight.” 

“It’s my birth name,” he said. “And that place is actually owned by my father.” 

Images of his luxurious mansion flashed in Lumine’s mind. 

“That entire dock, actually, is mostly his. He, uh, runs a very big fishing company. Very famous. Very rich.” 

“Oh,” was all Lumine could utter. That amount of wealth was something she could only dream about. “And you don’t tell anyone because...?”

“We all have our secrets, don’t we, Pres?” he reminded. “People are greedy. If anyone truly knew who I was, all I’d ever be used for is my money.” 

“That’s...very true,” she responded. How...sad. “Is there a reason why you’re not at some big fancy boarding school then?” 

Childe laughed. “Can you imagine me in that kind of environment? I’m not interested in that at all.” 

The bed shifted as Childe moved around. Lumine glanced over her shoulder again, finding Childe laying on his back, eyes open and staring at the ceiling.

“Besides,” he continued. “If I had gone to one of those schools, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Lumine turned onto her back as well. “You would’ve met me anyways,” she murmured. “You ran into me at the arena, remember?” 

“You think so?”

“Our paths would’ve crossed eventually...right?” 

A beat of silence. Fluttering of breaths. 

“Do you regret meeting me?” 

Something about his words, the way he said them, made Lumine’s entire body seize up. It was almost the quietest she had ever heard Childe speak, the tiniest tinge of fear, like his heart had hissed it out before he even really knew what he was saying. 

“No,” she answered, just as quiet, her heart responding to his. 

Another slight pause. Then a small exhale from Childe, breath lilting in a soft laugh. 

“You know. It’s been quite a lonely existence. Before you,” he said. 

Lumine looked over at him. His hand was resting on his chest—right where that huge scar was. 

It was rare to see him so vulnerable, and her to be just as such. Her past self wouldn’t have been able to fathom this happening with Childe of all people.

But just like she said, she didn’t regret it. 

He understood her, better than herself sometimes. And there wasn’t anyone in Childe’s life who came close to knowing who he really was. They both wore facades of sorts, but not around each other. Not anymore. 

Her hand started reaching out without thought. It was the right thing to do, to comfort him, to connect with him. 

Lumine’s hand sat atop Childe’s. “You’re not so lonely anymore, right?”

She felt his hand flex under hers, hesitant. Then, he relaxed, and his fingers intertwined with hers. “Of course not.” 

The warmth from their hold sparked something in her. The warmth of a promise she had made.

She finally turned onto her side, completely facing him. “Did I do it?” Her amber eyes met with his. “Did I save you?” 

He stared at her, gaze lost in gaze. He smiled, small, but real, genuine, from the heart. “Yes.” He brought her hand to his lips, lips brushing over her knuckles. “You saved me, Lumine.” 

She stared at him, wide-eyed with anticipation, heart beating in a frenzy. She swore her chest was going to burst. 

“I love you,” she said. 

…

Childe was frozen, speechless for once.

He’s surprised. He was never surprised. He was always so calm and collected. 

Should I have even said it? No, she had to. She was going to explode otherwise.

“Lumi, are you serious—”

“Yes, I’m serious. I can’t explain it; I just do and I know it sounds crazy, but you—”

He pulled her close and kissed her. 

He kissed her, and this time, she kissed him back. 

* * *

[part 14]

[luminescentauthor]

random fun RatLD hcs

you came here for RatLD shitposts and that’s what you’re gonna get!

SPOILERS AND LOTS OF THEM BELOW THE CUT, IF U HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET PROCEED AT UR OWN RISK.

I refuse to post about this movie without acknowledging the cultural significance of the first SEA disney princess and I will continue to do so until people on this website start remembering that this movie is about amazing cultures and trust and overall a WHOLE lot more than just the sapphics (as great as they are.)

anyway, so, headcanon time, my dudes!

The Next Adventure

Talon is a total mess after everyone gets un-stoned. (Ok so just for posterity, my marvel fan brain just went “un-snapped” on instinct and I hate it here.) The two chiefs are fighting for control, and Noi, being a baby, is not really in a position to help (unlike Raya, Naamari, and Tong.)

As such, the crew has to go undercover in Talon to try and, you know, stop the chiefs from destroying their people with their infighting. Tong insists on coming. Naamari happened to be in Heart and gets dragged along by Sisu and Raya, complaining the whole time, but everyone knows she doesn’t mean it. Boun also shows up and exactly no one is surprised.

During this misadventure, Noi’s mother names Tong as Noi’s godfather/honorary uncle/whatever, undercover Naamari and Raya go “noooooo, we’re not the princesses of Fang and Heart, what on earth are you talking about???” on at least five separate occasions, and the crew discovers that Noi inherited her sticky fingers from her very clever mother. She’s basically a grade-A spy and thief but she’s also just like, genuinely a very nice woman.

Rayaari!

Raya and Naamari take a long time literally just figuring things out and reconstructing their friendship, because really, as much as I love sapphics, there’s also a whole lot of messy there, and because these are my headcanons, they work out their problems and have a healthy friendship for a couple years before any romance happens, because that’s how Real Life works and I don’t believe in ignoring those Pretty Important Things in fiction.

They do eventually start a relationship, but they take their time. A bit into it, Benja accidentally mentions that Raya told him she liked Naamari when they met. Naamari’s like “ha you did?” and Raya goes “BA NO.” Then Virana immediately says “oh yes, Naamari also liked her, she didn’t stop crying because she thought Raya turned to stone for like three days” and Raya goes “you did, hmm???” while Naamari turns bright red.

Before they start dating, as their feelings grow, they start calling each other “dep la” more and more and everyone is just kinda of like “oh my GOD just date already???”

Eventually Raya and Naamari get married and become the leaders of Kumandra. No I Won’t Change My Mind.

Unification of Kumandra

The unification of Kumandra felt a bit shoehorned, and I suspect the nations aren't united under one leader(s): it's more that they're now becoming close-knit again. Perhaps they have a meeting council of all their leaders that makes decisions that affect the whole land, otherwise that probably becomes a thing at some point.

When Kumandra eventually becomes totally unified, the capital of Heart (which I believe is on the island we see on the map of Kumandra) eventually becomes the capital. It still has five provinces/states, though.

Fang and Heart

Heart and Fang help each other out a lot with recovering from the “most of our people got turned into the statues” stuff. Heart has more resources, but most of its people have been stone for 6 years. So the two states/countries are both capable of different things.

Of all the kingdoms, Heart and Fang have the most to rebuild: Fang’s only standing city was destroyed in the finale of the movie, while Heart has been growing over for six years. Sure, Spine’s been stone for a while, and some of Talon’s docks and water ships and whatnot collapsed when the water vanished, but it’s still significantly easier to repair than “six years of overgrowth and rot and rust” or “literally the ground collapsed underneath us and wow um I don’t think that’s reparable.” So they really team up to fix it, and the others help them a lot.

The actual leaders stay in their capitals to lead until things have calmed down a WHOLE lot, so Raya and Naamari travel around Kumandra on their parents’ behalf a lot, and wind up going between Fang and Heart a lot to establish diplomatic relations and also to help with rebuilding.

Over this period, and while doing diplomatic meetings later on, Virana and Benja come to realize that the other person is actual quite decent. There’s some mess and distrust because of Virana’s thing with the Dragon Gem, but it eventually gets worked out. (Virana’s reaction is “yes that’s fair. In my defense, I was trying to do what I thought was right for my people, who were starving, but Yes, That’s Fair.” Benja’s reaction is “honestly if your people were starving from famine and you thought the Gem would help, that makes more sense.”) After a while, they become pretty good friends.

And suddenly Raya and Naamari regret everything. See, Naamari mentioned that both parents make terrible jokes. The girls are Suffering. Help them.

Sisu loves the bad jokes. Sisu also makes bad jokes. Raya and Naamari are silently dying.

It’s silly, but I like the idea that 3-4 years down the line, Virana and Benja consider getting married just for political reasons (alliance and all that) (they’re not actually interested in each other, it’s just practicality) and Naamari and Raya, who are not dating but are definitely in deep for each other at this point, are immediately like “NO. NO. DO NOT MAKE MY CRUSH MY STEPSISTER. DO NOT.”

Virana and Benja (mostly Benja) tease them by “considering” it for a bit longer, but they don’t, since they talked about it and both kids are uncomfortable with it. (”They like each other, don’t they?” Virana asks dryly. “Ohhh yeah,” Benja replies.)

Music? Music!

I was listening to a youtube mix this morning and “Too Far Gone” by Hidden Citizens popped up and it just reminded me of Raya’s attitude towards Kumandra at the start of the movie. Also it’s just a beautiful song.

“Knife in my Back” by Alec Benjamin is Raya @ Naamari before they figured things out, change my mind.

Other Stuff!

We can guess based off how long it took the crew to get from Tail to Fang even with side adventures (I think it was 3-4 days max, I wasn't totally paying attention) that one can navigate from one end of the river to the other within a couple days even in a boat like Boun's, and the royal families probably have even faster modes of transportation. (I.e. Naamari got from Tail to Fang in a couple days, then to Spine, then beat the crew back to Fang. On land.) Therefore, unlike I was originally thinking, it's actually totally realistic for the crew to be visiting each other once or twice a month.

It's even more realistic for Naamari to crash Raya's place on a weekly basis, since that's probably like six hours on cat at max.

I don't know what the cats are, so I will be calling them saber-cats until someone corrects me.

TUMBLR JUST MYSTERIOUSLY STOPPED ACCPTING MY "E" KY HLP I HAV TO US COPY PAST

Wait I think I fixed it. Crisis averted! Sorry about that.

Because Naamari is in Heart half the time, Virana visits quite frequently too. It’s not a long trip, anyway.

Virana is not straight (haircut) but I can’t decide if she’s a lesbian or what. She doesn’t have a spouse and never did. Only those Virana closely trusts know who Naamari’s dad is. Naamari does know and she’s met him, because Virana figured she had a right to. He and Virana never had a relationship, Virana just sort of needed an heir and a trusted personal friend offered to father the kid.

Tong’s wife is a total badass and instantly fits in with the crew. She and Noi’s mother quickly become very close friends.

Noi and Tong’s kid also immediately get along. As in, they constantly throw things at each other while giggling madly and both love the Ongis, and -- are they whispering to each other in that corner?? They might be conspiring to take over the world. Who knows.

Noi learns how to talk and becomes about 5 times more chaotic. Everyone is Regret (except Tong.)

[just-asks-and-beats]

Land Ho!

Water. That was all Gray could see.. for soooo long. He just wanted to pass out. His body felt sluggish, it was getting harder by the minute to sit up straight, and his head was pounding. He tried to ignore it, but it really seemed like karma was beginning to catch up to him. It certainly didn’t help to be in the presence of Ship for the whole ride… they were too damn happy, too damn hug-y..? Is that even a word..? He didn’t know, didn’t care. He just wanted them to stop hopping around the ship hugging everyone and get to the volcano already. As a gentle sea breeze ruffled his cloak, he took a moment to let everything that was happening set in… Big mistake. He felt sick, guilt coming along with his realisations. Oh, how he didn’t want to have to face Barracuda.. but what other choice did he have!? What would everyone do to him if they found out who he really was…? He wished he’d died in that final fight.. he hardly even remembered what happened, just how much it hurt. Nobody had ever accepted him, and he was sure there were no chances at a happy life for him now. He’d ruined every chance he had. He let out a quiet sigh as he looked down at the water below…

Darkness. That was all Lycan- or Lichen? Was he still using the code-name? He didn’t remember… Anyway, it was dark. Way too dark. For soooo long. He hated being stuck as Gray’s body, it was getting hot being covered up in fabric the whole time! They wished Ship had a motorboat so they could just speed over to the volcano instead of this. It was hard to see, hard to breathe, and getting tiring holding Gray up. He wanted to complain about it, but alas, giving away both of their identities would mean quite a bit of trouble. He’d just have to complain to Barracuda when they got there. He began thinking of the volcano, how nice it would be to stay there again. Sure, his last visit ended in disaster, but it was the fun kind of disaster! He truly didn’t care about being corrupted, he just liked having the extra sass and slight power boost! Sure, they weren’t as much of a threat as they were when they’d first been corrupted, the treeangle shard greatly powering up the volcano, but they could still kick ass! He wondered how Bareacuda would react to seeing them both… a question entered his mind. Should he tell Barracuda that Gray is really Blixer…? Well, if Ship said he hadn’t been in a good mood lately, then the answer was probably no. He would just have to wait until Barracuda was feeling better to speak about it with him in private! …He hoped everything would go well when they arrived at the volcano…

The sea, the sky, the beautiful clouds, the shining sun, oh how Ship loved it. There was nothing better to them than setting sail, gazing out over the horizon… this “Gray” was quite the character. Gray top, blue bottom, they’d never seen another shape like him, but they certainly weren’t judging. They liked Gray, even if something about him seemed… off. They couldn’t quite place their finger on it, but they figured it best to let sleeping dogs lie, and let him live his own life without asking too many questions. Ship took out their telescope and pour it to their eye, getting a better look at everything. The telescope was a family heirloom, passed down through quite a few generations, and always kept on tip-top shape, just like their ships. As they gazed through the glass they took in a deep breath, letting out a hearty

“LAND HO!”

Gray had practically jumped right off Lycan- or Lichen? Were they still trying to convince everyone that sorry excuse for a lie was their name? He wasn’t sure. Anyway- he’d practically jumped right off their shoulders as Ship’s call rang out across the waters. He saw the volcano in the distance, quickly getting larger and larger. Finally.

Lichen sat up straight, fully alert. What was going on? He couldn’t see a thing and he felt too nervous to try and peek out.. Maybe the volcano was close! He really hoped so… luckily his guess was correct as he heard Ship began to speak about things like “droppin’ ye off ‘ere” and “dockin’ the boat”. He quickly told up, hiding his paws in the cook and holding onto Gray to keep him steady as he hopped out of the boat onto the volcano’s island.

“Alrighty, I hope everythin’ goes well for ye here, and I really hope ye can get that grumpy lad t’ be a bit more cheerful! I’m surprised he hasn’t “unleashed his wrath” on us yet! Well, maybe he just recognises ye! I wish ye the best o’ luck, I’ll be takin’ me leave now!” And with that, Ship began sailing away, leaving Gray on the island to try and help Barracuda. They waved to him as they sailed off.

“Ah, thank you ever so much for your generosity!” Lycan did his best to sound mature once again, speaking so Gray didn’t have to. He waved back where he’d heard Ship’s voice come from, hoping it was at least general the right direction, since he couldn’t see all too well. He heard Gray sigh.

“….Alright… let’s get goin’ I guess….” His voice sounded weak, and quieter than usual. Lichen felt a bit worried about the poor guy.. They peeked out of the cloak and began to walk towards the tunnel leading into the volcano. As they entered, Lycan finally looked out of the cloak completely, then kneeled down to Gray could get off of his shoulders. As Gray climbed down he really wasn’t really to hav to hold himself up completely on his own, and almost fell over, doing all he could to keep his legs from giving out entirely. He leaned against a wall of the cave, trying to be as nonchalant about everything as possible, but Lycan knew something was wrong.. Gray’s condition was getting worse.

“Uh.. you stay here! I’ll try to find Barracuda! I don’t think you’d do too well climbin around the rocks n stuff over the lava. I’m used to it though, or at least I was getting used to it when I was here for a bit… Whatever, I’ll be fine. See ya!” And with that he ran down the tunnel into the main area of the volcano.. Where was Barracuda? If he was apparently making such a fuss over here, then why wasn’t he there to greet them? Lycan scaled a rocky wall, climbing up to a ledge and jumping onto another rocky platform.

“HEY BARRACUDA!? I BET YA RECOGNISE MY ANNOYING VOOOIICE! DID YA MISS ME?” He called out, hoping for any kind of response.. Barracuda was the only one he knew that might be capable enough to help B- Gray without maybe also wanting to kill him. He needed to find him. He continued searching, leaping from place to place, his attention shifting more to the search than to his surroundings… He called out again to Barracuda, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. He hardly noticed a slight trembling of the rock beneath his feet. He walked to the ledge, ready to leap to a rocky wall and grab on when suddenly, just as he was about to jump, the rock broke beneath him. He yelped as his plunge to the lava below began. No! He didn’t want this to happen again, it hurt! He braced himself for the intense burning sensation when suddenly, he stopped! Something had grabbed him, a long tail of some sort curled around his torso, it’s grip tightening as he was slowly hoisted back up to a stable ledge. He gripped the ground below him, trembling slightly before shaking his head and trying to stand up… but he couldn’t. He noticed the tail was still tightly gripped around him… wait.. this is-!

“Just what do you think you’re doing here…?” A cold, stern voice asked. Lycan looked up to see none other than Barracuda glaring at him… suddenly he felt a lot more helpless. He stammered a bit before being cut off by one of Barracuda’s dramatic sighs. He pulled his tail closer to himself, bringing Lycan along with it. He took the time to inspect the pink splotches making their way into Lycan’s complexion.

“…I see the corruption hasn’t quite treated you well, has it? Let me guess, you’ve come to run from your problems..” His voice was calm, yet accusatory in a way. Lycan looked a bit uncomfortable, staring at the ground.

“…I.. I need your help.. we need your help. I have someone with me that.. isn’t doing too well.” He shrunk back as he noticed how infuriated Bareacuda looked.

“What do you think this volcano has become, a hospital!? Why do you think I would ever care about some stranger, and some annoying pup come to ruin my only chances as finding a sorry excuse for peace!?” Lycan gave a small whimper as Barracuda’s grip on him tightened as he got angrier, which seemed to make Barracuda let go of him altogether. He gave an almost apologetic look before curling his tail around himself and looking away.

“….Lycanthropy, I just want everyone to leave me alone. I have… much on my mind currently, and as you can tell i’m horribly irritable. So if you could just… leave. That would be ideal.” He tried to make “go away” sound a eloquent as possible.. Lycan seemed to get the message, but he had no other options.. he couldn’t leave.

“…I’m sorry for being so annoying and I promise I’ll try not to cause any trouble but please! Please let us stay, we don’t even have any way to leave and even if we go leave we have nowhere to go! Shapes started freaking out when they saw the pink growing back on me! And- and Gray is… I.. I’m worried he won’t last for much longer without any help and I don’t know what to do!” He looked at Bareacuda, desperate for any kind of look of pity. He got a flash of one, but Bareacuda quickly composed himself and returned his stern gaze.

“I have no help to give. I’m sorry. I can temporarily fix the bridge to this island so that you and this “Gray” may leave, but that. is. all.” Barracuda may be stubborn, but Lycan was too. He decided it was time for the final trick up his sleeve… the puppy eyes. He did his best to look as pitiful as possible, his big eyes shining as he did his best to convince Barracuda one final time to let them stay…. Eventually he got up, looking sadly at the way back down. He tearfully nodded as he climbed down, slowly making his way back to the tunnel where Gray was waiting. Barracuda felt… guilty. Did he really just deny a kid and someone who is potentially deathly ill from taking shelter here…? He didn’t want to think of himself as a bad person, but… this was certainly a new low. Oh how he hated this feeling, but… he couldn’t force Lycan and his friend to leave, his conscience would never recover.. He slowly slithered down, as he reached the bottom he used his magic to transform his serpentine bottom half back into normal legs. He ran into the tunnel after Lycan.

Gray has been sitting here alone for quite some time.. where was Lycan.. was he hurt…? He hoped not, he’d never forgive himself if he got this kid into even worse trouble… His head was foggy, thoughts swimming around and crashing into one another, he could hardly even stay awake. He didn’t notice the sound of footsteps approaching until Lycan was standing right in front of him, he sleepily looked up, slightly relieved to see him ok. Lycan began to speak to him… what was he saying…? Something about… Barracuda… guilt-tripping….? He had no idea what was going on… He noticed Lycan looked worried.. they knelt down in front of him and waved a hand in front of his face… what were they doing…? He just grunted and shook his head, he didn’t feel well.. Lycan backed off, but still seemed troubled as he stared at him. Then, Lycan looked over down the tunnel, he smiled a little and got up to greet someone… Gray did his best to see who it was…. it was Barracuda.. he really was here… he was staring at him, did he do something wrong…? He… wasn’t sure what expression Barracuda even had… he felt nervous, guilty… He felt so tired… Barracuda was here.. that was good…. he’d help… good… that means Gray could just… close his eyes… for a minute…

“D-DID HE JUST DIE!?” Lycan exclaimed, looking at Gray who practically just passed out. He looked over to Bareacuda for some kind of reassurance, but all he got was silence.. Barracuda was still staring at Gray, why? Was he that upset a stranger was here..? Lycan watched as Barracuda picked Gray up and walked away with him, taking the time to look back and make sure Lycan was following, which he was. Barracuda had changed his normal legs into a serpentine tail once again to scale the rocks, and had eventually lead Lycan through a small crevice, which lead into a larger cavern area, illuminated by a mixture of candles, lamps, and glowing mushrooms. Oddly enough, there was furniture here. There was a couch, a table and chairs, a laptop, and a whole bunch of boxes filled with all sorts of different things all neatly organised. There was a fire going, a pot hanging above it on a small rack, the smell coming from it made Lycan’s stomachs growl. He hadn’t eaten in a while and whatever was in there smelled great. Barracuda placed Gray down on the couch, grabbing a blanket and putting it over him, then going into the boxes and pulling out two bowls and spoons. He grabbed a ladle resting by the fire and used it to serve two bowl-fulls of a mushroom stew. He handed a bowl to Lycan, which quickly sat down at the table and began to scarf down his meal. He also took his bowl to the table and began eating in a much calmer manner. He looked up at Lycanthropy who clearly seemed to me enjoying the meal and slightly smiled to himself… maybe he could get use to these two idiots staying for a while..

[thesconesyard]

Boaty McBoatstory

Part 2

“Is that supposed to be singing?” McCoy asked as they entered the dining room for dinner.

“I think we’re table 37,” Jim said to the crew member inside the door.

“Name sir?” she asked.

McCoy ignored the exchange as he watched the man onstage. He shook his head. If the singer kept going McCoy might lose his appetite.

“Come on Bones,” Jim said and grabbed his arm.

He followed along behind Jim and the crew member to their assigned table. There were already people at the table as they drew near. McCoy stopped as he recognized the mess of floral at the table. It was the man from poolside. No. He couldn’t be assigned the same table, could he?

“Thanks,” he heard Jim say to the crew member.

He had to move. He forced his feet to go.

“I’m Jim, this is Bones.”

McCoy glared at Jim.

“No. I’m Leonard,” he introduced himself to the others at the table.

Jim had taken the seat next to a pretty, dark haired woman, leaving McCoy the chair next to the floral shirt.

“I’m Uhura,” the woman said.

“I am Spock,” the dark haired man next to her said.

“Ye can call me Scotty,” floral shirt said, “and this is Keenser.” He indicated the shorter man next to him, who nodded in greeting.

“Nice to meet you,” McCoy responded. ‘Don’t stare, don’t stare,’ his brain chimed in.

“We were just saying what brought us all onboard,” Scotty said to McCoy and Jim.

“This was the only cruise available,” Spock said with a slight grimace.

“We needed a vacation,” Uhura said.

“Are you two…?” Jim asked.

“Oh no,” Uhura laughed lightly. “We’ve been friends since we were little. We run a sign printing shop and translation business.”

“Uhura speaks many languages,” Spock added.

“And you Scotty?” Jim asked.

“Aye, Keenser and I work at the shipyard that built this bonnie lass.” He gestured to indicate the ship around them. “Same as you two Uhura; we needed a vacation and the shipyard has good discounts for employees. I didn’t care where, but Keenser insisted on this one. The wee man’s on to find love.”

Keenser smiled at this and the group around the table chuckled.

“What about you two?” Spock asked.

“I won a contest,” said Jim. “And Bones hasn’t taken a vacation in what? Thirty years?”

The table laughed again.

“Shut up kid,” McCoy said. “At least I would have told you before we boarded it was a singles cruise. He waited until we were onboard.”

“Are ye taken then?” Scotty asked.

McCoy tried hard not to blush.

“Bones?” Jim answered with a chuckle. “He’s as single as they come.”

“I’m busy,” McCoy answered gruffly.

“You’re grumpy,” Jim grinned.

McCoy glared at Jim again. He wanted to crawl under a rock or escape. He wanted to look at Scotty next to him. Trying from the corner of his eye wasn’t working, but he didn’t want to outright stare. He began to feel heat crawling up his neck.

“We’re engineers,” Scotty indicated himself and Keenser, “you two own a business,” he waved at Spock and Uhura. “What about you two?” He asked McCoy and Jim.

“Astronomy professor at our local university,” Jim answered.

“Interesting,” Spock said.

“What do you do Leonard?” Scotty asked.

McCoy’s stomach flipped. There wasn’t anything special about the way the man said his name, and yet, his pulse picked up.

“I’m a doctor.”

“Geez Bones, don’t sell yourself short!” Jim snorted. “He’s head of neurosurgery at our hospital and a leading researcher in brain injuries.”

This time the flush did reach his face.

“He was being modest,” Uhura spoke up.

“Thank you,” McCoy said to her. “It’s not hard to research brain injuries when you’re always getting them,” he smirked at Jim.

Scotty chuckled next to him and his heart skipped at the sound.

“Can I get your drink orders sirs?” a crew member asked, interrupting McCoy’s thoughts.

Jim ordered something fruity and the person turned to McCoy.

“Whatever top shelf bourbon you have please, neat. And a glass of water.”

“Aye, good choice Doc,” Scotty said. “Though a good scotch is always my pick.” He lifted his glass for a sip.

“I’d rather enjoy the taste than have it masked with loads of sugar,” McCoy smiled, throwing a look at Jim. Jim didn’t notice because he had begun a separate conversation with Uhura and Spock.

“Ye’ve known each other awhile?” Scotty asked with a nod towards Jim.

“College,” McCoy said. “He fell asleep, drunk in my room and never left. Wasn’t even supposed to be there. He was looking for someone else.”

Scotty laughed again, and McCoy felt a smile pull wide across his face. The man’s laugh did something to him and he wanted to hear more of it. That thought made the heat rise on his face again and he turned to look at the singer to hide it.

“He’s not going to be on the whole meal is he?” McCoy asked.

He took a deep breath and glanced towards Scotty. His next breath caught as he saw the man was staring at him. He couldn’t… no. That couldn’t be possible. That would be too convenient, too easy?

“One can hope not,” Scotty replied and he quickly looked away.

McCoy allowed himself a small grin as he noticed the color creeping up Scotty’s face. Maybe…

“Hello!”

Everyone at the table glanced up at the young man dressed in a crew uniform standing between Spock and Keenser.

“Sorry. I’m Pavel Chekov. I’m the activities director. We have quite a day planned for tomorrow onboard and would love for you to join us. Or, of course, you are welcome to do whatever you’d like. Each day’s activities will be posted to your cabins each evening.”

McCoy tried not to frown at the young man’s speech. The words had tumbled out over each other quickly and the man seemed quite nervous.

“Thank you Mr. Chekov,” Uhura said politely.

“Thank you miss. This is actually my first voyage as activities director.”

That explained some things McCoy thought to himself.

“I’m sure you’ll do great lad,” Scotty said, with a friendly smile.

“Thank you,” Chekov blushed lightly. “If you need anything, please let us know.”

Heads nodded around the table and Chekov moved on. A moment later, McCoy and Jim’s drinks appeared.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Just Fine

Prompts: I just finished your Merlin fic Not Bad, and was wondering if we could have something of a sequel to it, if you're willing? Thank you either way! - anon

hi omg i absolute love your works on ao3, you're such a talented writer! i'm in love with your touch starved! merlin fic on ao3 and if you're still writing merlin fics and if you wanted to write it i would love to see a second part! (i've never used tumblr before so i don't know if this is where you even take promps/ requests but i figured i had to try, i love your works so much!) - anon

So many people asked for a part 2 so now we have a part 2 yay

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: this chapter is fluff all the way down, folks

Pairings: platonic merlin & everybody, can be merthur if you want I don't care

Word Count: 4729

Healing isn't supposed to be easy, but maybe the others can help make it easier.

He did say he was going to be pulling Merlin into his bed to cuddle with him in the mornings.

The sunlight is a menace, Arthur’s sleep-slack brain decides one day as it slices knife-like over his eyes through a slit in the curtains. He furrows his brow and turns, nuzzling his face into his pillow and doing his very best to ignore the fact that it’s morning now which means he’ll have to get up and do things. He’s royalty, he shouldn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to.

…well, okay, maybe that’s not true.

Arthur muffles a snort into his pillow.

That should show how much Merlin’s been rubbing off on him since he came to Camelot, Arthur before Merlin would’ve huffed in that arrogant prat way—he’s not too proud to admit he has his moments—and said that he gets to decide what he wants to do, no one else. Arthur after Merlin knows that he’s his people’s servant as much as they are his. He may not have had the words to express it before Merlin but he’s always felt that way. Seeing someone so blatantly defy the status quo—and by extension, Uther—helped bring that out of him.

See? This is why he’s tired and deserves more sleep. He’s already waxing poetic about Merlin. He turns over in bed again and resolves to try and get a little more sleep.

Of course, as soon as his head hits that side of the pillow, the door opens, and in come Merlin’s footsteps.

The curtains are pulled open and Arthur winces, the light beaming onto the back of his head. Merlin putters around, probably setting up breakfast going by the smell of sausages, and then there’s a tug on his blanket.

“No,” he mumbles, holding it closer to his face, “lemme sleep.”

“You have to get up, Arthur,” comes Merlin’s amused snort, “you’ve got a meeting with Leon in a few hours.”

Arthur grumbles, refusing to open his eyes. “Then why can’t I sleep until then?”

“Because if I don’t get you up now, you won’t have enough time to wake up properly.”

“But it’s just Leon!”

“Yes, and you know he has this annoying habit of looking pristine even when he’s covered in mud.”

This is true. Arthur sighs, cracking his eyes open, and is immediately greeted by a wonderful sight.

Merlin, his Merlin, is standing in the sunlight.

It felt like a knife on Arthur’s face, but on Merlin, it looks like a cloak. A cape. Something to be worn with pride. He glows, that’s the only way to describe it. Even his eyes are shining.

How can anyone believe that Merlin isn’t magic?

…yeah, he must be really tired.

“Arthur,” Merlin calls, and only then does Arthur realize he must’ve called his name a few times, “you okay?”

Arthur nods dumbly, still grinning dopily up at Merlin. Merlin looks warm. Warm Merlin. Merlin should be warm. Warmth is good for Merlin.

Something cold ripples through his chest as he remembers how cold Merlin was the first day he let them hug him.

Merlin shouldn’t be cold.

“Arthur?” A gentle tap on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Arthur blinks and holds his arms out. “C’mere.”

Now it’s Merlin’s turn to blink. “What?”

“Come here,” he insists, reaching for Merlin, “just come here.”

Merlin’s face flushes an adorable red. “Arthur, I—“

“I’ll get up in a minute, I promise, but come here first.”

Merlin sighs. “Alright, you big baby.”

But Arthur can see the way he trembles with uncertainty as he sits down to take off his boots. He can see the way Merlin’s brow twitches and how he isn’t quite sure of himself as he slides under the covers.

Well. Can’t have that.

“I said come here,” Arthur murmurs, gathering Merlin into his arms, “there.”

“…’rthur?”

“There,” Arthur sighs, snuggling into his new Merlin-shaped pillow, “perfect.”

Merlin’s tunics are scratchy. He’s a bit elbows and knees. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with all his limbs.

But as Merlin’s arms shakily come up to hold Arthur back, a contented rumble comes from Arthur’s chest.

Merlin is warm.

Yeah, they’re not getting up for a few hours. Leon will understand.

2.

Merlin doesn’t like going hunting, which is fine, which is why they’ve affectionally renamed it ‘a woods trip.’ Actually, he’s pretty sure Gwaine calls it ‘get Arthur out of the castle so his prat nature doesn’t consume him,’ but everyone gets the point.

The point is that it’s one of the few times where they can just be a group of men, bit worried about getting stabbed by bandits, yes, but not worried about the rules and hierarchies and eyes of the city on them all the time. They can mess about and joke and partake in the bizarre sense of humor they all seem to have without any of the guards looking worriedly at each other when they think they won’t be seen.

Honestly, most of the guards at this point have just…accepted it. Arthur will never quite get over the one time he overheard a conversation with one of the new guards outside his room.

“Shouldn’t we tell someone that the servant is conspiring against the King?”

There had been a scoff from the older guard, Kodi. “You must be new.”

If Merlin had wondered why Arthur was muffling snorts into a napkin when he returned, he didn’t ask.

The woods aren’t exactly safe, not like Camelot is, but as Leon says, the safest place for a ship is in the harbor but ships were made to sail.

It’s what he tends to pull out whenever one of them complains about camping out for a night.

“Come on,” Gwaine mutters as he tries to get the fire to start, “come on, you bastard…”

Merlin glances over and hides a smirk. “Need a hand, Gwaine?”

“No.”

After a few seconds pass, Gwaine stifles a sigh.

“Maybe.”

Merlin stands, takes the flint and steel from him, and crouches down. He strikes it once and there’s barely a spark. He frowns. Another try yields another failure.

“What’s wrong with this thing?”

“So it’s not me. Great.”

“No, it’s—did someone leave this out?”

“Ah—“ Percival raises his hand— “that might’ve been me. One of the canteens spilled over the pack that it was in.”

“Well, yeah, that’ll explain why the—yeah, that’s it.” Merlin sighs. “Okay, well, um…”

“Can’t you just—“ Lancelot snaps his fingers— “you know?”

Merlin stiffens.

“Hey,” Gwaine murmurs softly, resting his hand on Merlin’s shoulder, “Merlin. Hey, Merlin, look at me.”

Merlin turns, his mouth a hard line.

“You have magic,” Gwaine says gently, “we know. We don’t care that it’s illegal. You’re not bad for having magic and we won’t punish you for using it.”

“…thanks.”

“Anytime.” He nods toward a scrap of kindling. “Now come on, I’m hungry.”

It gets a weak laugh out of Merlin as he stretches his hand out and mumbles something. A fire sparks into existence and roars merrily. Gwaine smiles and wraps his arms tightly around Merlin.

“Good job, Merlin,” he says quietly as Percival drops a hand onto his shoulder and rubs, “good job.”

“…really?”

“Yes.” Percival gives his shoulder a squeeze. “Good.”

3.

New rule they figured out: Merlin isn’t allowed to go near bodies of water unsupervised.

It’s the end of winter and the trees are just starting to grow their leaves out again. The grass is turning green under the lumps of snow that still remain and the birds have started to sing. All around them is the sharp sweet smell of new, the soft cracks as the ice melts.

Soft cracks, mind you. Not big ones that mean someone is about to fall through a thawing lake.

He didn’t actually fall through, but it had been a close thing.

Elyan had fretted for a good few minutes as Merlin’s teeth chattered until they figured out the poor man had just had a clump of snow fall on top of him, he hadn’t fallen through the ice into the lake. He gets a half-hearted scolding as they whip up a fire and a warm drink, quickly replaced by questions of whether he’s okay, is everything still attached to him, is he hurt?

“I’m fine,” Merlin insists, huddling by the fire, “just a bit cold.”

“You’re still shivering,” Elyan points out quietly, “give me your hands.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m going to make sure you don’t lose circulation.”

Merlin frowns but lets Elyan take his hands. The knight begins to rub his fingers in a pattern Merlin recognizes from Gaius, stimulating blood flow back into the digits to ensure that everything is working properly.

Elyan works patiently for a few seconds until he realizes that Merlin’s eyes have glazed over.

“Merlin?”

Merlin blinks and seems to snap out of whatever daze he was in. “Sorry, sorry, I just—um—“

Elyan tilts his head, Merlin’s hands still cradled in his lap as he struggles for words. Absentmindedly, he swipes a thumb over Merlin’s palm and Merlin bites back a whimper.

“Merlin, am I hurting you?”

“I mean…yes? But no, no wait, I don’t want you to stop, I just—it—“

“Shh,” Elyan says, “it’s okay. Tell me what hurts.”

“I just…you’re really warm,” Merlin mumbles, “and I guess I’m just not used to…to…to touch yet.”

“Ah, I see.” Elyan moves his hands slowly, seeing the blood flow is mostly back to normal as he cups Merlin’s hands between his own. “It’s still warmer than you’re used to, right?”

Merlin nods.

“Can I keep holding your hands?”

“Mhm.”

Elyan holds Merlin’s hands in his own until they deem it safe for him to ride back to Camelot.

4.

If Lancelot knows the secret to getting Merlin to feel a little more comfortable in his own skin, it’s to have him hold something.

He’s not sure why it takes Merlin’s mind down an edge as he begins to fiddle with whatever’s in his hands, but it does. The worried furrow in his brow softens into one of concentration, the anxious twitches of his fingers grow more fluid, more relaxed as he twists and turns the thing between them. Over the years, he’s gotten good at figuring out what Merlin needs to be holding, if he does say so himself.

When Arthur has an important meeting that makes Merlin’s eyes dart around the room, Lancelot hands him a shirt that needs to be repaired. Merlin’s hands navigate the stitches with ease as he makes sure Arthur’s got his armor of a different sort.

When there’s a tournament full of knights coming from far away that Merlin can’t trust quite yet, Lancelot hands him a pouch of seeds to sort, collected from one of the children from the flower store. Merlin sorts them deftly, putting each group into a little envelope to be returned, using it to hone his eye.

When there’s a terrible thunderstorm and Merlin can’t sleep, when Lancelot finds him wandering the castle late at night, he gives him a little plush toy. It’s a small thing, stitched together from remnants of clothing, and something that the servants pretend doesn’t exist. But if you know where to look, and who to talk to, there will be a little stuffed toy sitting on your nightstand if you ever need something to hold. Malwen raises an eyebrow when he asks for one but once she knows it’s for Merlin, Lancelot has it before the day is out.

As he watches Merlin fiddle with the toy, twirling one of the buttons around and round its thread, he wonders.

Is this the only form of physical comfort Merlin has ever allowed himself to have?

The answer is an incredibly disheartening yes, and Lancelot resolves to always give Merlin what he needs to help himself.

Then there’s a moment where Lancelot has no idea what Merlin would want to hold.

It’s a visiting lord, because it’s always a visiting lord when it’s not bandits or a visiting knight. They storm inside—Lancelot hadn’t bothered to remember his name—and pronounced that he missed Uther’s way of doing things. That when Uther was in charge, Camelot was strong, that there were roots of evil snuffed out at every turn.

Of course, he was quickly glared into submission by Percival and Arthur had cooly informed him that evil was snuffed out by not giving it an environment to grow, not futility ripping weeds from the soil.

But not in time to stop the lord’s words from getting to Merlin.

Lancelot finds Merlin on the balcony that isn’t a balcony, an abandoned training ground far above the rest of the city. He sits on the old stone, swinging his legs back and forth, staring at the ground with a glazed expression. His hands twist and turn over each other and his breathing is a little too controlled to be safe.

“Merlin,” he calls softly, not wanting to startle him, “Merlin, can I come sit with you?”

“Mm.”

“Thank you.” Lancelot eases himself down onto the stone bench, speaking softly as if he’s trying to soothe a wild animal. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Merlin isn’t hurt, good. Lancelot glances down at his hands. They twitch and knead at the fabric of his tunic. They clench into fists only to open a few seconds later. They look like they hurt.

They’re trembling.

Lancelot takes a deep breath and carefully, oh, so carefully, takes one of them in his.

Merlin goes limp, all but slumping into his shoulder. His hands are so cold.

“I’m right here, Merlin,” Lancelot murmurs, giving the hand in his a squeeze, “I’m right here.”

Slowly, he reaches out to take the other, feeling Merlin’s hands twitch lazily in his. Every so often, Merlin will squeeze and he will squeeze back. Merlin’s head tucks itself under his chin and the warm rush of his breath hits Lancelot’s arm. His hands stay safely in Lancelot’s grip.

Lancelot will always give Merlin something to hold. It’s no accident that includes his own hands.

5.

Not many people in Camelot know that Leon isn’t just Arthur’s right hand, but the closest thing Arthur had to a brother.

They grew up together, in the streets and fields and halls of Camelot, running around with sticks before they got given swords, fighting dragons and monsters before they battled the real ones, helping each other in secret before they rose to places where no one could hurt them.

Leon remembers holding an Arthur too young for any of this as his father raged, as the swords clashed too close to his face, as a peaceful village burned around them. He remembers a younger Arthur holding onto his cloak, his sleeve, his hand, always asking, asking, asking Leon to be there, just to be there, the way he didn’t feel anyone else was.

They’re older now, and now Arthur is a man Leon is proud to know. He asks Arthur for things now, for help dismantling the things they hated as children, for help finding ways to take care of the knights when he doesn’t know what to do, for help figuring out what to do in this world where things are starting to make less and less sense day by day.

Arthur is his brother, his friend, and his King. Leon is Arthur’s brother, his friend, and his Knight.

To most others, Leon is nigh untouchable. He is the longest-serving knight in Camelot, he is almost royalty with how close he is to the Pendragon family, and he is near unmatched on the dueling grounds. He has the ear of the King, the unwavering loyalty of the knights, and the faith of the Council.

There is a short list of the few who know he this is not all he is.

There are a few children in the lower town who know he is a kind man before he is a great knight, that there are scrapes and bruises they receive running from something only to be protected by a red cloak and a calm voice. There are a few servants who know that his presence as they walk to Gaius is an impenetrable shield on one side and the softest guiding hand on the other. There are a few stable boys who know that they will never again be beaten for who they are because he is just like them.

But Leon has not truly cared for someone younger than him since Arthur was little. Not the way he used to.

Of course, as he is with most things, Merlin is the exception to this rule.

Merlin, with all his magic and baffling charm and bumbling wisdom, worms his way into Leon’s heart by the time he gets assigned to be Prince Arthur’s Manservant. From there, it isn’t hard for Leon to watch with a certain glow of pride in his chest as Arthur starts to change, from the hardened fist Uther wanted him to be to the man the little boy he grew up with was supposed to be. He keeps his words to himself about how kind Merlin is, relentlessly so, and smiles quietly when Arthur begins to clumsily mimic the acts of kindness. He grows to care for Merlin quickly, making room next to his heart for one more, nestled close.

But it isn’t until he has a chance to comfort Merlin properly that he begins to think of him as a brother.

Don’t get him wrong, Merlin is his brother the same way the knights are his brothers. But Leon hasn’t loved someone the way he loves Arthur in a long time.

He receives a call from Gaius and responds, hurrying down to the physician’s chambers to see Merlin’s face is awfully flushed and his eyes red-rimmed in tears. He hurries faster to Merlin’s side, asking what’s happened, what’s wrong?

It seems Merlin has been fixing something wrong with the magic of this bracelet Gaius shows him, a silver one with a big amber stone in the middle. It looks familiar, it reminds Leon of Morgana for some strange reason, but he can’t quite place it. But it seems something went wrong and now…now poor Merlin is upset.

Leon knows what to do.

He guides Merlin carefully into his room, stopping to remove his mail shirt and leaving him in the softer under-tunic and cloak, and sitting Merlin carefully down on the bed. The poor man looks cold, small, like a scared dog.

“Merlin,” he says softly, “Merlin, I’m going to sit next to you now.”

He eases his weight down onto the bed and waits. Waits for another tear to roll down Merlin’s cheek to let out a soft noise of concern, melting at the sight of someone crying.

“Come,” he murmurs, opening his arms, “shed your tears, Merlin.”

And oh, he hasn’t seen those eyes for a very long time. Not since little Arthur had looked up at him, shining with undisguised hope and want but holding himself back, like a starved puppy too scared to eat. It breaks his heart and he lets out another low noise, reaching for Merlin.

“When Arthur was little,” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing as he begins to gather Merlin into his lap, “he never used to like sleeping alone when his father was away. He said the castle was too big, too empty, even with all the people inside.”

He takes Merlin’s hands and guides them around his neck.

“I never liked sleeping in the castle either, it was too quiet. I didn’t know where anything was, except for Arthur. One night, he came into my chambers and all but tackled me in a hug.” He smiles fondly at the memory. “He insisted I let him stay.”

“St-stay?”

“Yes, Merlin, stay. Stay with me, let me hold him until we both fell asleep. He pulled himself into my lap—yes, just like this, your legs over mine—and wrapped his arms around my neck—there you go, just here, that’s it, you hold onto me now—and we stayed like that until we fell asleep.”

Merlin’s hair ruffles as he settles, Leon’s breath warming the top of Merlin’s head as he tucks the poor man close. Merlin’s hands are ice around his neck.

“And when the nights got cold, we would wrap ourselves up in the blankets,” he continues, beginning to swaddle them both in his cloak, “until we were bundled so tightly together that even the coldest night wouldn’t get it. It was warm, I remember being warm, there, in the bed, in the blankets, safe…and warm…”

There’s a quiet sigh against his neck as he wraps the cloak around the both of them. It’s warm, a perfect little nest. Merlin’s weight settles against his chest and part of him that’s been suppressed for many, many years starts to warm.

“He stopped coming to me when he got older,” he murmurs, “whether because he didn’t need it anymore or if he got too big. Between you and me, I’m sure it’s the second one. He’d still try if he weren’t worried about hurting me. I think he misses it, sometimes.”

He pauses, then leans closer and tucks his face against Merlin’s temple.

“I know I did. I still do, every now and then, but I know Arthur feels safe now in a way he never did when we were growing up. And most of that is thanks to you.”

“M-me?”

“Yes, Merlin,” Leon whispers, “you. You make him feel safe, make the rest of us feel safe. You’re a good person, Merlin, and we care very deeply about you.”

“…you do?”

He can hear the sleep coloring Merlin’s voice. He hushes the poor thing, cuddles him close, rocks the both of them closer to slumber.

“Of course we do,” he whispers to his brother, “of course we do.”

+1.

Sometimes Merlin has good days. Days where he’s smiling and laughing and joking with the knights. Days where he’s bantering back and forth with Arthur like it’s nothing. Days where he uses his magic the way he always has, like it’s a part of him.

Sometimes Merlin has bad days. Days where he’s quiet and they can’t get him to smile. Days where he is every bit the perfect servant for Arthur, which means he’s about as far from Merlin as he could be. Days where he seems to want to pretend he’s never had magic in his life.

Today is a bad day.

Merlin doesn’t talk until one of them asks. He goes off on his chores and they don’t see him for hours. Gaius is worried. Leon is worried. Lancelot is worried.

Percival is angry. Some of the new knights believe Merlin is a traitor—for whatever reason—and spends time educating them on the training fields.

Elyan is afraid. Gwen came to him and said that she hasn’t seen Merlin all day, which means Merlin is avoiding the servants as well as the knights.

Gwaine is upset. Because he can’t find Merlin anywhere and the longer he stays away the worse he’s going to be when he comes back.

Arthur walks into his chambers at the end of the day and sees Merlin sitting on his bed.

He stuffs away the outrage at himself for not thinking to look here first, stuffs away the fear and sadness that Merlin is upset, stuffs away the need to order him to Gaius and have him looked over, and replaces it with a soft call of: “Merlin?”

“Sire.”

Oh, no.

“Hello, Merlin,” Arthur says softly, “can I come over to you?”

“If you like, sire.”

“I would.” Arthur crosses the room slowly, wary of Merlin’s reaction, until he can stop within arms’ reach. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Merlin looks up at him. “May I ask you for a favor, sire?”

“Of course, Merlin, anything you like.”

“…m-may I have a hug, please?”

Arthur’s heart shatters.

His face must do the wrong thing because Merlin flinches, withdrawing into himself. “I’m sorry, sire, that was rude of me to ask. I’ll leave you be, now.”

“No, no, no, Merlin,” Arthur stammers, “no, that’s not what I meant, stay, stay, Merlin, of course you can have a hug, come here, come here—“

He gathers Merlin into his arms, to his chest, wrapping him up as snugly as he can.

“You don’t need permission for a hug, Merlin, that’s why I was upset,” he mumbles, “I don’t want you to think you have to earn it, you don’t—“

It seems his ramblings, however embarrassing to him, are helping Merlin calm down. Or at least get over his fear enough to wrap his arms around Arthur too. Arthur squeezes him tight and is content to sit there for a moment to let Merlin have what he wants, but then he feels something tug at his chest.

Tug, tug, tug.

Arthur frowns, tries to tug back, only for the tugging to grow more insistent. He follows the tugging to scoop Merlin into his arms, carry him to the bed, and lie down beside him. As the tugging persists, he tucks Merlin’s head under his chin and pulls him closer, threading a leg through his. One last tug and oh, oh, he understands now.

“You’re not bad,” he murmurs, ruffling Merlin’s hair as he talks, “you’re not evil. You have magic, Merlin, that’s alright. You’re my Merlin. I don’t want a proper servant, I don’t want a normal servant, I want you. You’re my Merlin.”

There.

Whatever wall there is crumbles as Merlin begins to sob desperately into his chest. The tugging renews, guiding him this way, that way, to hold Merlin close, to pull back and let him gasp for breath, to murmur reassurances in his ear, or to roll a little and hold Merlin down as he seizes with the force of the cries.

And through it all, Merlin never stops asking for comfort.

His fingers never loosen their grip on Arthur’s shirt. His legs never let go of the one Arthur wraps through his. His nose never strays far from the crook of Arthur’s neck. He never stops pushing himself into Arthur’s chest, almost as if he’s trying to climb inside and make a home for himself there.

He already has one.

Arthur realizes the wordless asks and answers, holding him as tight as he wants, listening to the tugs in his chest to take care of his Merlin properly, never stops murmuring that yes, this is good, this is alright, Merlin can have whatever he wants, Arthur’s here, he’s here, he’ll take care of Merlin.

He’ll be here. He’ll always be right here.

After, Arthur will ask him softly about the tugs, and Merlin will blush and realize that his magic was asking for help when he couldn’t. Arthur will smile and ruffle his hair and tease him about his magic liking Arthur better than him. The smile will soften when Merlin shakily admits he’s thought the same thing.

After, Merlin will start asking for touch more. He’ll brush his hand against Lancelot’s, sit a little closer to Gwaine or Percival, start accompanying Elyan on his daily walks, or find himself reaching for Leon’s cloak only for Leon to bundle his hand in his and keep it safe.

After, Merlin will slide into bed the moment Arthur opens his arms, letting them both sleep in a little more and enjoy the feeling of warm, warm, warm.

But right now, Merlin is crying in Arthur’s arms and Arthur isn’t going anywhere.

He’ll always be right here.

[themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy]

Hey, small request. How would the marauders feel about a shy hufflepuff wanting to gain their friendship by baking them stuff? Like she'd just approach them and try to say hi and end up giving them the sweets and getting really nervous when she does but she wants to make them happy so they'll be her friends? Sorry if this is too specific, I love your writing!

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Bruh I’d be way too socially awkward to do this heck I’d just live forever knowing that I might have been able to be their friend if I had just talkeD to them instead of sitting aloNe but whatever I’ll do my best :’)

Also I’m gonna combine this with your other request ;)

I think Remus would react the most to the succulents (from your other request)

I think he’d be so touched and be like this,,,,

This is my bab

Is plant bab

And he’d eventually have like a whole arsenal of lil tiny plants and he takes sucH good care of them 

One day James accidentally knocks one over and Remus’ wrath is unleashed

He gets so mad

He almost hits James over the head with the pot

But he refrains

He’s like chill,, ur chill

every time you give him a new one or leave it on his desk he’s like aw heck

Want to friend

How friend

So you rope Remus in first

He catches you one morning in a tiny lil garden where you’re groWing these lil babies and he’s like omg there’s so manY

You sit and garden with him for hours oh my god

You end up naming all of the plants

And you inevitably name one of them james and one of them sirius

And you’re like wait!!

I’ll give james and sirius to james and sirius!!

Remus is like they will not survive if you do

you’re so sad but then

Remus decides to take care of plant james and sirius just like he does real james and sirius

So he puts them on his windowsill and waters them when they’re Firsty ™

And James and Sirius always peek at them like,,, where did you get those,,,

Remus is like >:( they not for u

One day Remus is in the great hall and james and sirius are there too because when are they ever not with remus

And Remus sees you coming with your arms full of something

He’s like :o more plAnts??

But then you get there and you just kinda walk up to his side and hand him a tray of cookies

And they’re so cute omg they’re red and gold frosted and he’s like omg :’)

James and Sirius immediately are !!!

Half because visitor and half because sUgAr!!!

James peeks over Remus’ shoulder and looks at you like “who are you???”

Sirius gets up and reaches for one of the cookies and Remus slaps his hand away skjgnadnf Remus is like be p0lite and asK you heathen >:(

Sirius looks at you like :’) plz giv cookie

You nod and he grabs one so excited sdgbkanfadf

James is allowed a cookie too :)

From then one you are

Cookie Puff

Remus is like n0 plant puff and James and Sirius are ??!!

“They gave you the plants??”

Remus nods and James and Sirius feel so betrayed they are like were they,,, scared of us

Remus is eating one of the cookies and is like lol probably y’all are wild

So for the next few weeks whenever they’re outside of the dorm they try to calm themselves as much as possible like James will get an aWeSoMe prank idea but then he’ll look over at you from across the classroom and be like no,,, must refrain,,, do not want to scare

And you notice that they’re not wreaking havoc over the entire school anymore and you see them sitting under a tree on the grounds one day

So you go up to them and you tug out a bag of brownies from your backpack and hold them in front of you like henlo frends hav sweet plz may i sit

James grins at you because he loves brownies more than anything how did you know and is like yEs plz do sit 

James starts up a conversation and Sirius prefers to sit back and observe but then you end up making a joke that Sirius did not expect and he was just :o

And James points at him like smh this fool and you kinda giggle and he’s like omg :’) frend :’)

Slowly you start integrating yourself into their circle more and more and then it’s less of you inviting yourself in and more of them being like yes!! There u are!! We were waiting for u!!

And you’re sitting there like :’) I did it

I friend

James is always looking out for you dude like that man has an arm around you 24/7 just in case something happens

Sirius is more subtle in the ways that he looks after you but he’s really talkative once he realizes that you don’t judge him for his family and he likes holding your hand :’)

One time a ravenclaw came up to you like haha loser puff and Sirius broke their jaw :))))

James saw you cry once and omg he still hasn’t recovered

Remus is kinda sad at first because hey!! My friend :(((\

But then when you start spending more and more time with them and he realizes that you didn’t just use him to get to James and Sirius then he’s super happy because omg there’s someone else on his side

James and Sirius go to pull some idiotic prank and you and Remus are like smh we’re not bailing you out again

Except you literally always do smh

Happy birthday love, I hope you enjoyed!

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[mycatshuman]

My Jolly Sailor Bold

Happy Birthday Virgil!!!! Sorry this might not be that good, I tried but toward the end I got bleh. Anyway, thank you for being my comfort character for these past few years!

Warnings: fighting, angst, death, both Virgil and Roman will still be alive at the end so don't let the death warning discourage you!😇

🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️

Upon one summer's morning...

Early morning fog crept along the cold waters of the North sea like a cat stalking its prey. The waves lapped along the port of a small town in Great Britain as they continued to bring in the ominous fog that had yet to disappear. The sun had yet to rise, most of the sky still dark. Only the horizon slowly brightened as the sunrise inched closer. Most people were still in bed this early in the morning. Still, there was a single soul pacing rhythmically back and forth along the deck of a ship docked in the small port, waiting for the rest of the ship's crew to return from their night on the town. 

The man, who went by the name Virgil, was anxiously swabbing the deck, well aware his fellow crewmates wouldn't be back until well past the sun's rise, and took advantage of the lack of foot traffic to clean the deck. Of course, his captain could rouse them early but those days were rare and few between. 

Virgil was a unique one. First off, he was a pirate. Second, he rarely indulged in the drinks and ladies like some other pirates, simply preferring to stay on the ship than to go into town. He would like to say he was more of a sensible pirate, which had to have been the reason he was made the first mate. 

Virgil had, of course, already gotten himself ready for the day. He had messily smudged black kohl underneath his eyes to help keep the light out of his eyes once the sun rose and he even cleaned his shirt for the day. He was a bit of an early riser when they weren't at sea. The fact that anyone could just walk on board made him uneasy. Although, when they came to this town, he slept a little easier. It was a bit of a remote town and most pirates tended to go to more lively places. 

Before long, the sailor was finished mopping and put away the mop and bucket before moving over to the railing along the side of the ship facing the open sea. He leaned against the side of a barrel with a sigh. Virgil took out his dagger and a small log of wood and began to whittle to keep himself occupied until the crew returned. 

I carefully did stray

Out in the sea, far from the ship, a head popped up above the water. The head had a pair of eyes and the eyes narrowed in on the lone sailor aboard the magnificent ship. The head quickly rose until the top half of a broad chest rose above the water, but no further than that. This, obviously, was not a human. If it had been a human, it would have drowned, but it wasn't and so it didn't. Most humans would probably call this being a mermaid, although that wasn't quite right either. 

This being, whose species was not quite common knowledge to humankind, was named Roman. And upon catching sight of him, a spark twinkled in his eye and he swam closer, unbeknownst to the sailor who had caught his eye. Roman didn't concern himself with humans too often. Only ones he found particularly interesting. And this sailor was a particularly interesting one. 

Of course, Roman couldn't let this sailor see him coming so he called upon his power to create more fog and make it near impossible for most to see five feet in front of them. And as he swam closer, the fog followed until it caught the notice of the sailor aboard. 

Down by the Walls of Wapping

When Virgil noticed the thickening fog, he frowned. The fog didn't usually get thicker as the sun rose so this was an anomaly that was a bit alarming. He set down his work and put away his dagger as he stood and moved to the railing. He looked over and tried to peer through the fog, he had a sneaking suspicion as to what might be causing this. He kept his hand on his dagger as he looked. After all, he was one of the most superstitious and anxious sailors alive. And he was very nervous at that moment. 

Slowly, he withdrew his dagger from the worn leather holder that was hanging from his belt. He flipped the dagger around in his hand, posed at the ready. Virgil wasn't going to let anything surprise him. Not if he wanted to stay alive. And he very much wanted to stay alive. 

Where I met a sailor gay

As Virgil cautiously peered over the ship's railing and into the fog, he jumped as he noticed a pair of glowing eyes staring at him from the water. "Who there?!" He shouted in a thick Irish accent. He couldn't let the creature know he was scared, after all. Slowly, the eyes grew larger as the face moved closer. A smiling figure emerged from the fog as whoever was staring at him climbed up the side of the ship. Virgil yelped and flung himself back, away from the railing and the creature coming closer as they pulled themselves on deck. "Stay back!" Virgil yelled as he swung the knife out in front of him. 

The being smiled, it made Virgil's stomach feel weird. "I've never met a sailor as handsome as you before." His voice was smooth and velvety to Virgil's ears. Alluring and enchanting. "I'm Roman, and you are?" 

Virgil narrowed his eyes at the being in front of him. "Not telling you my name." Of course, the creature wasn't a fae if the large glittering tail was anything to go by. But Virgil was still an anxious fellow. 

Roman chuckled and even his laughter sounded like music. "Aren't you gonna ask what I am?" He gestured to his long red tail as he lifted his fin and waved at the sailor. 

Virgil scoffed. "Oh I already know what you are." 

Roman smirked. "Oh really," he purred and crossed his arms and leaned on an overturned barrel. He liked the snark he was receiving from this one. "Do tell."

Virgil suppressed a shiver at the other's voice. "A siren."

Roman's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Ah, so you're a smart human." The siren grinned. "That's hot." 

Virgil blinked and dropped his fighting stance. "What?" Was this siren trying to flatter him? 

Roman opened his mouth to respond only for the sound of crewmates clambering up the ramp to reach them. Virgil turned to glance behind him, surprised. He wasn't expecting them until later. By the time he turned back to Roman, the siren was already over on the other side of the railing. He grinned. "I guess I'll talk to you later, sailor boy." And with that, he let go of the railing and dropped back into the sea. 

Virgil rushed forward just in time to see the last of Roman's tail as he swam away, the fog retreating with him.  He shook his head in disbelief as he watched the siren go. "Well, that was an experience." 

Conversing with a young lass

Since their first meeting, the sailor and the siren met up as often as possible. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they just sat together and watched the stars. They mostly only talked when the crew was off the ship, so no one could see Roman or hear them talking. But that only happened when they were docked. The rest of the time, they just stared at the stars while Virgil was on watch. Of course, they still talked when they were out at sea too, just not as freely as they did when in port. 

To keep Roman from being seen by other crewmates, Virgil had to signal to the siren that it was safe for him to climb aboard. So, he would sing a small song for him. Roman still couldn't get over it. Of course his voice was beautiful, but it had to be in order for him to use it to lure sailors to their deaths, but Virgil's, his voice was like a warm hug. And the siren was absolutely addicted to it. 

Honestly, Roman was so glad that he could turn off the enchantment on his voice and back on at will. It was nice to have a friend that he could talk to like Virgil. Something that would be a lot more difficult if he couldn't talk to him. When he talked to Virgil, he didn't feel so lonely anymore. Even just spending time with Virgil made him feel warm and happy. It was a strange feeling, yet he craved more. 

Who seem'd to be in pain

Once, when Roman was following Virgil's ship because he knew they were going to dock soon, he waited until he saw the crew leave and then climbed aboard. But when he climbed over the railing, he found the sailor slumped against a barrel, a bottle of something that smelled strongly of alcohol, something he knew the other preferred not to drink, in his hands. The siren frowned and reached forward to grab the bottle from Virgil's hand. "Are you okay?" 

Virgil shook his head as tears began to spill over onto his cheeks but stayed silent. "You don't want to say anything about it?" A quick nod. Roman hummed lighty. "Alright, that's okay." He was silent a few moments more before he began to talk about his day, his voice soft as he tried to comfort his friend. And Virgil cried quietly as Roman spoke. 

Before long, after Virgil had stopped crying, he cleared this throat and Roman went silent without being asked. "I-I don't know what to do. The captain died and now I'm the fookin' captain but I'm not ready for this! I'm not ready to be a leader!"

Roman hummed thoughtfully for a few moments before he replied. "Not that it helps, but I think you'll be a great captain." 

Virgil turned his gaze to Roman as his tears began anew. "But how can you be sure? I'm probably going to end up getting us killed!" 

Not like I'm gonna let that happen, Roman thought. "You are the most cautious and careful person I know, you can do this." Roman laughed. "You drew a knife on me when we first met! You even knew that I was a siren. If anyone is good enough to be a captain, it's you." 

Virgil went silent. It wasn't until his tears dried that he spoke again. "Thank you, for everything." 

Roman smiled. "No problem." 

Saying, William, when you go

"Where are you going this time?" Roman asked, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. 

Virgil sighed. "We're going to try and take down the one trading spot in the Caribbean." He scraped his arm. "I just have to hope I don't run into any ships from the Royal Navy." 

Roman bit his lip. He knew what Virgil meant. If he was captured by the navy, he would be hung for his piracy. In truth, he was scared. He had a bad feeling in his gut, one that sent shivers down his spine and plagued his mind. "How long?" 

Virgil shrugged. "We should be able to take it down in one day so long as there are no hiccups." 

Roman hummed. "And you won't be able to talk for a few days after that?"

"Right. We can't risk running into any royal ships so we'll be going as fast as we can and it'll be nearly all hands on deck until we're far enough away. And we gotta lie low for a bit too." 

"When will you leave?" 

"The day after tomorrow."

I fear you'll ne'er return again

"Virgil, I don't think you should go on this mission." It was the next night. Last night they would be able to meet up for a while. Roman could hardly sleep that night, he kept being awoken by frightening nightmares that ripped through his heart without mercy. 

Virgil's head whipped over to look at Roman. "What?" 

Roman bit his lip. "I don't think you should go." 

Virgil frowned. "Why not?" 

"I have a bad feeling. I-" Roman paused anxiously. "I fear you'll never return." 

Virgil bit his lip and turned away from the siren. "Well, that's-" he sighed. "I'll make sure to be careful." Virgil then turned back to the sky, the conversation was over.

For some reason, Roman felt like he was on the verge of tears. He wasn't sure why, but there was something in him warning him that something bad was going to happen and he could feel fear mocking him. You won't be able to save him. The siren steeled his nerves. Well, he was just going to have to see about that. 

My heart is pierced by Cupid

Virgil was well aware of his feelings towards a certain siren. He wasn't that oblivious. And if he ever shared anything with anyone, it would be clear to them who the siren was considering he only had ever met one. So yes, Virgil was very much in love with Roman. 

Maybe it was a foolish thing to hope that the other shared his feelings. They were two totally different creatures. Him, a human and Roman, a siren. But Virgil often had unrealistic dreams. And he was content enough to keep dreaming. After all, there was no harm in it. Was there? 

I disdain all glittering gold

He was quite a peculiar pirate, Virgil was. He was not as greedy as some others, he just liked to piss off the royal navy. It was his favorite pastime. Of course, this was quite a dangerous hobby. The royal navy often hung pirates they caught, so if Virgil were to ever get caught, it was time to say goodbye to the sea forever unless he went down with his ship. 

So, yes, Virgil did not like gold, it wasn't his motivation for piracy. However, after he met Roman, he found he quite liked the idea of stealing a gold ring or a gold necklace, anything gold to give to the stunning siren who had captured his heart. With this thought in mind, with the idea of giving his love a gift, Virgil decided that he would steal something gold for Roman on this new mission. And if he made it, he would give it to Roman, and maybe he would reveal his feelings. Maybe gold wasn't so bad.

There is nothing that can console me

Roman was scared. He was petrified.  He had been sitting on a rock. Not quite knowing what to do with his day considering he normally just followed Virgil's ship so they could meet up every night. But he wasn't going to be meeting up with him tonight. So he was at a loss of what to do. 

But then he saw a ship sail by, on its way to what he could assume was the very island Virgil was planning to attack. It was a Royal Navy ship. Roman was sure his heart had never beat so fast in his life. As fast as he could, he leaped from his rock and plunged into the ocean, and began to swim the fastest he has ever swum in his life. He couldn't let Virgil get hurt. 

But my jolly sailor bold

He barely arrived in time. By the time Roman arrived, the two ships were in a grand battle, cannons firing left and right. They smashed through wood and debris scattered the sea between them. The siren paid them little mind. His attention only focused on finding Virgil. 

"Fire!" 

There! Virgil was standing at the helm amidst the chaos aboard the pirate ship. He was drop-dead gorgeous in his element. But Roman didn't have time to appreciate Virgil's beauty. Not now. Not with Virgil's life in danger. He'd rather never be able to appreciate the beauty of Virgil ever again than to never be able to talk to him ever again. 

His hair it hangs in ringlets

Roman swam as fast as he could towards Virgil's ship. But it was hard. Debris littered the sea between the two ships and he still had to avoid getting seen. But Roman had never really been a careful person, he was more reckless than an ambitious youngster. 

The siren was hardly noticed as he zipped to Virgil's ship faster than either ship could sail.  He was at the side of the ship in record time and paused. What was he going to do now? He let out a huff and peered over at the opposing ship. He could very well bring down the ship all his own. He had brought down many ships over his time and this one would be no different. 

His eyes as black as coal

Roman couldn't do it. If he were to use his voice to enchant the other ship's crew,  it would bring Virgil's crew down as well. He couldn't risk the other's life like that. And so, the siren found himself stuck at a stalemate. Unsure of what he could do, he bobbed in the rocking waters beside Virgil's ship. 

He didn't know what to do. What would Virgil want him to do? He frowned. Virgil would want him to stay away and out of danger. He couldn't agree. Virgil was in danger and he didn't want to be stuck on the sidelines. If Virgil got hurt…. 

My happiness attend him

Roman had felt many emotions over his time alive. Joy, sorrow, anger, jealousy, but he had never quite felt love. Sure he had experienced attraction to different sailors over his time but never love. He supposed he would never feel love. He was a siren and most people didn't even believe in sirens let alone fall in love with them. Of course, there were other sirens but none of them really liked him too much. He was too interested in humans. The other sirens preferred each other's company over humans. 

Which Roman understood, after all, they didn't have much in common. And sirens often preyed on humans, luring them to their deaths with their voice alone. But, it wasn't as if they were doing it for the fun of it, it was just to protect themselves. After all, humans tended to be brutal with precious things. Roman may have agreed, but he still was fascinated with the human world. He could have never imagined getting into the situation he was in now. 

Wherever he may go

He understood now. He understood it all. How had he found himself so enchanted by this human that he would follow him anywhere? Why was he so terrified that this battle would go wrong? The old Roman wouldn't understand. He would ask what was so important that would drive him to this extreme for some human. 

Love. The one thing he never thought he would experience. Love. It could be enough to move mountains, enough to inspire, enough to create. And it was Roman's love for the sailor, his sailor, that would create a storm of fury to protect him. He would happily follow this man anywhere. He would do anything for him. 

From Tower Hill to Blackwall

Roman finally decided what he was going to do. He quickly swam over to the royal navy's ship and began looking for any weakness in her hull. If he was going to do anything he could at least try and weaken the enemy's ship. 

The siren dived below the surface and swam underneath the ship. He curled his hand into a fist before reeling back and punching the hull. His first bounced off and he snarled at the ship. He threw another useless punch at the hull before resurfacing as a loud cannon blast sounded. 

Roman flinched and watched as a cannonball flew from the ship beside him and smashed into the deck of Virgil's. His heart leaped in his throat but Virgil was okay. The ship was still standing and the siren could still see his love aboard the ship, shouting commands to his crew. 

He let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the ship behind him. Roman suspected the vessel before him with sharp eyes. There had to be something he could do. Soon, an idea hit him. The siren turned to the ocean surface in between the two vessels and quickly zipped through the debris field until he found a sharp shard of a wood plank. He quickly swam back to the ship and rammed the sharp end into the ship's hull. 

"YES!" Roman exclaimed. The wood plank had pierced the hull. He ripped the plank out of the hole and watched as water began to pour into the ship. He had done it! He was helping Virgil! 

KABOOM!!

It appeared Roman's was short-lived. 

I'll wander, weep and moan

The Royal Navy had blown another hole through Virgil's ship. It was the final blow. The ship was sinking, and quickly. "NO!" Roman's scream pierced the air. The siren shot over to the other ship. "Virgil!" He watched as the ship quickly began to disappear below the surface. "No no no no no no!" 

The siren came across other pirates as they quickly latched onto anything that would keep them afloat. Roman only felt a little bad as he bypassed them. But his mind was on Virgil. His moments with Virgil flashed through his mind. He couldn't lose him. He just couldn't.  Not when he just accepted his feelings. 

Then he slammed into a hard stop. He breathed out one heartbroken word. "No…" Roman moved forward and slowly moved the planks of wood off of the sailor. Virgil was laying on a column and must have become trapped between the two pieces of the ship and drowned. His sailor was dead. 

All for my jolly sailor

Roman gathered Virgil into his arms and held him as he cried. His sobs echoed loudly through the air, catching the attention of the remaining ship. 

"Woah! What's that?!" 

Roman looked up at the opposing ship, tears spilling over onto his cheeks. They dripped down onto his sailors' face. A face that would never smile at him again. At that moment, all his anguish, all his rage, spilled over into his throat and he unleashed his voice onto the royal navy. 

Until he sails home

The royal navy ship had run aground. Most of her crew haven jumped from the deck and into the churning waves. the rest went down with the ship. A storm had quickly moved in with the force of Roman's voice. The wind was harsh, the rain no gentler, and in the middle of it, all was Roman and his love. His cold, dead love. 

Until he wasn't. 

My heart is pierced by Cupid

To be clear, Roman was not aware of all the magical properties that he possessed. And to be quite fair, most sirens were not aware of this ability they possessed either. After all, they hardly ever had a need for tears, such was their life that they hardly experienced such sorrow. That and they spent most of their time underwater where the current carried away their tears. 

The situation that needed to arise for a siren to discover the magical power their tears held had never arisen for Roman before. Perhaps if he had known, he wouldn't have become so overwhelmed with sorrow. Although, even if he had known, one could assume that it would still hurt just as much. After all, nothing could really lessen the pain of losing a loved one. 

I disdain all glittering gold

Roman's sobs had quieted down, and with it, the storm calmed until it was just a memory.  His tears still flowed freely from his eyes as he looked down at Virgil in his arms and let out a broken sob. "I'm so sorry." The siren bit his lip as he sniffled and reached a hand forward to push some of Virgil's hair out of his face. He caressed his cheek and drew in a ragged breath. 

"I tried. I really tried, Virgil." Roman sniffed. "I just wasn't fast enough." He adjusted a necklace on Virgil's neck. It wasn't something he had seen him wear before. It must have been something he just got. He let out a loud cry. "Maybe you would have told me how you got this...if I had been just a little faster-" he broke off with a hiccup and pressed his forehead to Virgil's and continued to cry. 

There is nothing can console me

Virgil was very confused. The last thing he remembered was foggy and incomplete. He could only remember how he felt. Cold and scared. But now, he felt warm and safe. He shifted and felt arms around him, holding him. He slowly blinked his eyes open only for his vision to be filled with Roman. 

Oh, no wonder he felt safe. His face flushed as he realized the siren was holding him. Gay Panic™️ would have set in if he hadn't noticed the grief on Roman's face. He frowned and tried to move his hand only to realize it was trapped in Roman's hold. He opened his mouth to speak only to realize his tongue felt like lead. But he pushed through it. 

"Roman?" He had to comfort his siren. 

Roman's eyes flew open in alarm as he jerked back. His jaw dropped as Virgil fought to pull out his arm, it felt heavy, but he had more important things to worry about. "What's wrong?" 

"I-" tears sprang anew and Roman's mouth clamped shut. Virgil frowned and glanced around only to find debris floating all around them. The two of them were on a rock a little bit away from the shore of an island behind them. And it all came rushing back. 

The mission, the royal navy ship, the battle, the final blow, being crushed underneath parts of his ship, and finally the burning of his lungs as he drowned. He could only guess what happened next. "Ro, what happened after….?" 

Roman sniffled. "I- I did what sirens always do." 

Virgil hummed. "Do you think we can move to the shore?" 

Roman nodded and held Virgil tight before he shot over to the shore. The two dragged themselves ashore and Virgil sighed. He took off the necklace and handed it to Roman. "Here, I uh, I grabbed this for you." 

Roman's head shot up and he looked over to Virgil and the necklace he held in his stretched out hand. Gingerly, he took the necklace and tied it around his neck. It didn't stop his tears though. "Thank you." 

Virgil smiled at the siren. "You're welcome.” He knew they still had a lot to talk about. But right now, Roman just needed someone to comfort him. Specifically, he needed Virgil. So Virgil scouted closer to the siren and wrapped his arm around him and leaned against him as Roman cried. 

But my jolly sailor bold 

The sea had been merciful. Virgil was given the power to transform his legs into a tail at will. He was the first-ever merman. At least that was the name Roman had come up for him. And Virgil loved Roman so of course he fondly accepted the name. 

Together, the two of them lived in a small island with a cave that led to the water and allowed them a cool place to relax when it got too hot. They had their happily ever after. 

Currently, the two were cuddled on the beach as the sunset and they watched the stars as they revealed themselves. "I'm so glad I met you," Roman murmured. He pressed a kiss to Virgil's head and gave him a light squeeze. 

Virgil smiled warmly. "And I'm glad I met you, I love you." He turned his head to press a quick kiss to the siren's lips before returning to his previous position. 

Roman grinned. "I love you too. " 

Neither Roman or Virgil would give this up for the world.

🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊🧜🏾‍♂️🌊

Taglist: @misery-killed-me @superwholocked-for-life @mirror2thespirit @aroundofapplesauce @lyditist @little-euro-girl @unicornofdarknessstuff @alias290 @odette-ssbu @ray-does-stuff

Let me know what you think?

[xmalereader]

Modern! Ben Solo X Sith! Male Reader

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|| Masterlist ||

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Requested: Hi! So I'm a huge fan of your modern!reader writings, and I was wondering if you would be interested in doing that, but the positions are reversed? Where Ben more or less is having a hard time just naturally fitting in on Earth and Reader somehow contacts him through the force and eventually convinces Ben to come with him?? Idk this has been kn my mind for a while.

Warnings: Slight angst, Modern Ben solo, reversed roles, dark lord reader, innocent Ben, slight fluff, Bi Ben.

@lea-the-foxe

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“Supreme leader, we have arrived. Would you like us to prepare your ship?”

“Yes, please make sure that no one follows me and don’t send anyone unless I say.”

Hux gives his supreme leader a small bow. “Yes supreme leader.” He says as he exits the large room as y/n glanced outside, just a few miles away was Earth. A planet that took him months to find, it was a very well secured and hidden planet that y/n had to make sure that they scanned the whole galaxy to Just find this one planet.

He hasn’t heard about this, ‘earth’ but he does know that the population of humans don’t know anything about them so He order his people to make sure that they stayed hidden below radar, not wanting to cause any alarm on earth. “Make sure that everything is in control, I’m counting on you Hux.” He says through the force bond that he has created with Hux before leaving his own thrown and heading towards his chambers, getting himself ready before landing.

He’s made some research on earth, making sure the blend in well with the proper dressing and material he would be able to blend in with the crowds. He’s been sensing a force on earth and it has been calling out to him and he’s been trying to search for months but came up with nothing until now, he figured out about earth a while ago and has ordered his people to search everywhere in the galaxy. He’s been feeling this pull for awhile and now that he’s here he can finally search for the person responsible for this urgent tug.

As y/n finishes dressing up he gives himself one last look in the mirror, adjusting the black jacket and fixing up his hair, trying to make it look a little less nice and more modern looking. “Supreme leader.” He jolts in fright as he glares over at Hux who has re-entered his chambers. “Your ship is ready.”

“I’ve told you to knock several times.” He hisses out and ignores Hux. He grabs hsi saber and tucks it underneath his jacket before leaving his room, brushing past hux as he makes his way towards the shipping area. “While I am gone, I need you to make sure that no one is to disturb me, if we suddenly get pulled into danger then you send a holo.” He instructs as he climbs inside his ship and checks the controllers.

“I’ll make sure that nothing happens while you are gone, but for now focus on your own mission.” Said hux as y/n grins at him and closes the cockpit. He makes sure that he is ready to launch, strapping hismelf in as he sighs deeply and looks up ahead. “Lets do this.” He whispers to hismelf.

—

“Ben, you haven’t eaten anything since you’ve returned from your uncles.” Said Leia as she watches her son. Ben was sitting on the dining table as he stares out the window, he was looking at the sky with curiosity. “I’ve already eaten, uncle gave me some of his weird cooking.” He says as he turns his attention back to her.

Ben has been spending time with his uncle constiantly since his parents were still arguing with each other, reaching the point of Ben not being able to stand their bickering. His uncle was nice enough to Lend him a room, allowing him to stay as long as he wanted, but he knows that he would have to return back home and make sure that his parents haven’t killed each other.

“You’re Uncle isn’t feeding you properly.” She mutters out as Ben chuckles.

“Old man is lonely, he cant cook well but he’s learning.” He stands up from his seat, taking one last look outside before helping his mother clear the table. “How’s Rey by the way?” Ben freezes up at the mention of her name, walking towards the kitchen as he sets his plate inside the sink. “She uh—“

“She’s a very sweet girl.”

“Yeah about that,” he began to clean his dishes as he spoke. “We broke up a long time ago, I don’t think I’m ready for a serious relationship, you know? Just need time on my own and finding a new place for myself.” He shrugs a little as he turns off the sink water and cleans his hands with a dry rag.

He hears his mother shuffle close to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That wasn’t the reason.” She whispers as Ben bites his lip. “You still hear them.”

Ben flinches away from her touch. “I haven’t been hearing it lately, it’s not bad and besides its going away so I’m fine.” His mother was talking about the voice that had been talking to him for awhile now, it’s been years, to be exact three. It started when he was at work, working on one of his big projects when he suddenly heard a soft whisper. He thought that it was one of his co-workers talking to him but when he turned around he saw no one. He thought it was his imagination until it happened again, but this time he heard it loud and clear, he thought he was going crazy at first.

But he had tried to ignore, blocking it out as he continues on with his life. But it only got worse as months went by so he had no choice but ot tell someone and that someone was his mother. He loved her so much that he wouldn’t do anything to upset her, so the day he told her—he expected her to freak out and send him to a therapist but instead she stood by his side and told him that it would all be over and to not listen, so he did that.

He’s been keeping it undercontrol, but he can’t help but feel a sudden tug in his chest. A feeling telling him that he didn’t belong here. He’s been struggling already with his own problem that he almost missed the times that his parents argued with each other and having to deal with a relationship that didn’t really feel real anymore. And his Job was only becoming stressful, the new interns were getting on his nerves, to the point where he would want to smash their face through a computer screen but he had to remain in control.

So he changed some things, he began to visit his parents separately and try to help fix their relationship while he visited his uncle Luke who he had tried to convince to help him out with his mother but his uncle refused to get involved, leaving him on his own. His break up with Rey didn’t end well, the two were out together when she suddenly brought up their future a topic that he hated talking about. He was polite to ask her to stop but she didn’t causing him to snap at her and dumping her on the spot.

He was already struggling to much, he just wanted a new start and far away from all of his problems.

“Ben you should really see a therapist about this or a doctor.”

“I said I was fine!” He slaps his mothers hand away from him as he grabs his coat and makes his way towards the door, leaving the house in a hurry, not wanting to get anymore upset with her.

“That wasn’t very nice.”

“Get out of my head.” He growls out in anger, walking a little faster as he heads towards an empty park.

“I can feel your anger, you’ve been angry for years now.”

“Shut up!” He grips his head, he can’t give in.

“It’s okay to be angry and upset, so let it all out no one is here to judge you.”

“What do you want with me?! You’ve been pestering me for years now! So tell me, what do you want!?” He circles around, checking his surroundings as he pants heavily. He can’t allow this voice in his head to mock him, “I just want you.” Gasping he turns around to see a strange man standing a few feet away from him. “Hello Ben, I’ve been waiting for you.” That voice, he recognizes that voice from his head.

“Who are you and how were you talking to me just now, in my head?” He asks as the other gives him a grin. “You don’t know do you?”

“Know what?!” He shouted back, expecting the other to get frightened from his anger but he doesn’t flinch nor does he move. “You see Ben, me and you are alike. You just don’t know it.”

“What—?”

The other approaches him slowly, causing Ben to stumble back. “Have you ever done something that was considered impossible?” He asks. “Have you ever felt another’s emotion or hav been so angry that you may or may not have moved an object, or maybe a voice in your head telling you what to do?” He cocks his head and smiles at Ben.

It wasn’t a warm smile but a wicked one.

“How do you know all of this?” Ben glares at the other as he sighs deeply. “Because I’ve been watching you, the force led me to you and it want me to take you in, to train you to make you stronger, wouldn’t it be nice to just start over? To learn something new?”

The offer sounded tempting to him but he couldn’t, his parents were here and hsi whole family, he can’t jus leave like this. “Who’re you?”

“I’m y/n, but where I’m from I prefer others to call me Supreme Leader, but if you agree to follow me then ill allow you to call me whatever you like.” He adjusts his hoodie and reaches under his hood to take out a cylinder like rod, it was black with a sigil on it.

He could feel a sudden tug on the object, like it was calling out for him. “You feel it don’t you?” Ben snaps his eyes to y/n as he holds out the object towards him. “go on, take it. I know you want too.” He whispers and takes a few steps forward, causing ben to realize that he was slightly taller than the other. By instinct he takes a step back, “Go on.” He hears y/n say again. “take it.”

Ben glances back down at the object, slowly reaching out to take it into his own hand. At the sudden touch he feels a strong powerful feeling, causing him to gasp and drop the object. But before it could hit the ground it froze in mid air, his eyes widening as the object slowly floats up and into the hands of the other. Y/n grips onto the saber and eyes Ben. “Shame you didn’t get to use it.” He says with a small pout, almost making it look like he was making fun of him.

Ben could only glare at him. “Don’t tease me.”

“Oh but I like teasing, its the only thing I’m really good at it.” Y/n admits as he clips the saber back on his belt and turns back to face the other. “I know you felt a strong force when you held it, it was calling out ot you. Telling you that you belonged somewhere else and not here.”

Ben breaths out nervously, he wasnt wrong. He’s been feeling unimportant around others that maybe disappearing wouldn’t matter to anyone.

“Join me, I know you want too.” Y/n extends his hand out, offering it towards ben.

Ben gives his hand a glance before looking back up to face the other. “I can train you, make you a better person. You can become someone a lot better—“ Ben inches closer as y/n slowly smiles. “I can take you away form everything.” He whispered out as Ben takes his hand, wrapping his fingers around his hand.

Y/n’s lips twitch up into a smirk as he tugs Ben forward, placing his other free hand against his forehead, showing him various visions before he falls asleep. Y/n uses the force to keep him from falling, reaching into his pocket he takes out a com, a holo of hux appearing as y/n speaks. “General, prepare an extra room, Will be having some company.”