#we will see if any of this was retained tomorrow

[yuelun]

Tag drop #2: Character things and dynamics (more will be added).

[teatreeoilll]

𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲 (𝗛𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶 𝗫 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿)

˚• . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . •

w/c - 2.6k content - MDNI! 18 +, fem!reader, porn with plot, asking a man in a suit to not take it off when he fucks you, not proofread because it's so late rn, hope I'll get to it tomorrow

• . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° . • . ° .•

When Higuruma Hiromi finished climbing up the stairs, moving slowly and sighing until he finally reached his apartment, the walls around the floor were already rhythmically humming.

"Fucking hell," It took every single ounce of strength in his body to turn away from his own door and turn to knock on the neighbors'.

Goddamn it, not him again, you think as you unlock the door, wincing at the passing thought of ever finding the grumpy, tired man waiting outside of your apartment in any way attractive.

"Yes?" You utter, cross-armed with a fake smile glazing your lips.

He stares into the space behind you for a moment before meeting your eyes, "I'm sorry to bother you," you should be sorry for bothering me, "I know we've had this discussion before," about a million goddamn times, "but if you wouldn't mind," before I go insane, "turning down the music?"

"Listen," you drawl, mimicking his calm tone through gritted teeth, "we talked this through already. It's still early, and it's not against the law to listen to music at a reasonable volume in my own apartment."

Higuruma's eye twitched at the words, still trying to retain a neutral expression. The law? You're bringing up the law? Now, Higuruma Hiromi didn't consider himself a proud man, but the next words to come out of his mouth made his self-respect plummet, "I'm sorry, it's just that ever since my wife died, I've been having trouble sleeping."

You blink slowly, your arms dropping to the sides of your body, "O-oh," you babbled, "I'm so sorry, I didn't - I - " the heat rises to your cheeks, "I'm so sorry, uh, I didn't catch your name - "

"Higuruma Hiromi," he adds.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Hiromi; I'll turn it down."

That evening, Hiromi sinks on the sofa like he's carried by angel's wings, relishing in the serene, tranquil, long-awaited silence. But something itches at the back of his mind; he spent too many days in court to know that a lie will always come back to bite.

-

"Shit," you hiss as your groceries hitting the building's floor, apples rolling on the tiles beneath you. "Stupid apples," you grumble as you stoop down, desperately trying to stuff them into your overflowing bag.

"Do you need help?" A voice behind you asks.

"It's fine," you breathe, catching another rolling apple in your hand, "I'm just here, uh, cussing at the fruit."

"I can see that," and Hiromi crouches down to help you, the fabric of his suit rustling as his pale fingers help you pick up the things off the floor.

You unlock your door, pushing it in with your shoulder, and your neighbor follows suit into your apartment.

"Where do I - " Hiromi stands at the entrance, his arms packed with your shopping.

"Oh - uh, " you walk to the kitchen counter, "right here is fine," you fix your gaze on the man unloading your shopping, a strand of hair falling on his forehead as he does. "Thank you."

After he finished, his eyes turn to find yours, and you're not quite sure why you're staring or at what, with your gaze rolling from his suit to his dark eyes, but you manage to conclude that, strangely enough, it's not unnatural to see him standing in your kitchen.

A long moment of silence graces the room before he finally utters, "It's nothing."

You thank him three more times while he exits your apartment, and he brushes off each one. It's only after he leaves that you notice the rapid pace of your heart, and you walk to the mirror to look at your face, standing before it for a moment, wondering how long it has been since you've turned this deep shade of crimson.

-

Oh god, you're so nice.

"I've brought them up for you, I hope you don't mind," you smile at your neighbor, bent over in your too-tight lounge shorts to put a stack of letters near his door, "they just seemed to be piling up."

"You really didn't have to," He mutters, crouching to meet you at the bottom of his door, gathering the letters in his hands.

But you just kept the smile on your face, so soft and considerate the pangs of guilt overturned his stomach. "Oh, and - uh," is my face growing red? "I - I baked some cookies, I mean," you falter, "I mean, I baked too many cookies. Would you like some?"

Maybe he is attractive, your neighbor, with his soft and tired dark eyes; or maybe it's the depth of sorrow you thought resided in them that made the need to help him grow.

It would be rude to decline, wouldn't it? "S-sure," he says - But it's immoral to agree, and the thought fades at the scent of fresh baked goods from your apartment already filling the hallway.

You don't mean to be rude when you walk through his door, setting a small plate of glazed lemon cookies on his old coffee table, your gaze darting to the pile of records on the shelf in the corner, "So, you do like music," you chuckle, eyes fluttering over the names on the covers.

"I do," he admits, the soft lemon cookie melting on his tongue, "But if Sinatra came here and sang while I'm trying to sleep, I don't think I'd like him that much anymore."

You catch his gaze, and your lips twitch for a moment before you burst into laughter. God, he stares at you, thinking you're an almost ethereal sight as you browse his records, perched on his old leather couch, laughing at something he said, with your smile scrunching the corners of your eyes so gracefully he thinks he just might -

"Love?" you ask.

"Yes?"

And you laugh again, "No - I meant, Love." You point at the record sitting on the top of the shelf, "Didn't take you for one to listen to them."

He coughs, a red blush dusting his pale cheeks, "It's a good album."

"It is, I don't think I've ever heard it on vinyl," you say, the palms of your hands grazing your thighs as you lift yourself up from the sofa, "Well, I think I better be off - "

"Would you like to?" He asks.

"Sure."

As you sit there, listening to the soft flamenco-style guitar flowing from the record player, it takes everything from Hiromi to calm the urge to touch you or at least hold your hand, fuck, he'd settle for a brush of your fingers against his own. Tackling these urges, blatantly ignoring the music, his mind replays the same old words he'd read countless times, a thing he usually does when he's trying to take his mind off something; - One sultry evening early in July a young man emerged from the small furnished lodging he occupied in a large five-storied house on Pereoulok S - , and turned slowly, with an air of indecision, towards the K - bridge.* *a/n: the opening line of Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

-

The faint smile you give him as you meet him at the entrance to the building makes the blood rush to his ears.

"Good evening," you say, and Hiromi thinks it really is much better now.

"Good evening," he answers, pointing at the exit, "I'm out to the convenience, do you need anything?"

You shake your head, "Thank you," you say before continuing the path up the stairs.

It's a frantic knock on the door that startles you once you're out of the shower, and you rush to open it, towel still wrapped around your damp hair.

"Yes?" Your gaze meets a young, short-haired woman, a stack of papers barely fitting in the grip of her hands.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, "I must have gotten the doors mixed up, does Higuruma Hiromi live on this floor?"

You nod, pointing a finger to the door next to yours, "But I just saw him leaving."

"Oh, crap -," the woman mutters, "I'm terribly sorry to ask this, but these are for the trial tomorrow," she lifts the papers up a bit, "would you mind if I leave them with you?"

"Trial?" You inquire, already holding your hands out to take the papers.

"Yes, a boy arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery," she sighs, "he won't let it go."

You hold the stack of papers, "Hiromi's a lawyer?"

The woman chuckles, "Oh, ah - yes."

"He works so hard," you think aloud, "even after what happened to his wife."

The woman's brows furrow, "Wife? Oh god, no, Mr. Higuruma's not married."

You tilt your head, your eyes narrowing at her words, "Sorry - uhm, has he ever been married?"

She shakes her head, "Well, I'll just leave these with you; I'll call him so he'll pick them up once he returns," she parts with a curt bow.

-

Loud. Insufferably, overwhelmingly, dreadfully, loud. The music crashes onto the walls, making them buzz so furiously you would have missed the knock on the door if only you weren't already waiting for it.

"Yes?" you scoff at the puzzled lawyer standing at your doorstep.

Hiromi's eyebrows knit together, the music reverberating through the staircase as he asked, "It's a bit loud, don't you think?"

You step away for a moment to find the stack of papers, returning to the doorstep to shove it in his arms, "Why? Will it piss off your imaginary wife?"

Oh, he thinks, and the door slams in his face.

He goes into his apartment and places the papers on the coffee table. He sits down to read them, only to find his eyes skimming over the letters, not quite making any sense of what he's reading with the music playing through the wall and his conscience raging in his mind.

Another knock on the door, and you open it with a huff, "Forgot something?"

Hiromi stands with his arms dangling by the sides of his body, a soft look in his eyes as he mutters, "I'm sorry."

He's just a neighbor, right? A nice one, at that, with a handsome face and kind eyes. Why am I so angry? Why's the music blaring with the intent of ruining his evening? Why's he standing so close -

It's an eternity in your mind, but only a few seconds pass while you think, unconsciously staring directly at his lips. He catches that, of course, he wouldn't get anywhere in court if he wasn't mindful of nuance.

The first thing you feel is his hand grasping at the back of your neck, pulling you impossibly close to him. Next, the soft brush of his lips against yours as he breathes, "Is this alright?"

You don't answer; instead, you grasp at his arms through the fabric of his suit, capturing his lips as a fog settles in your mind, a soft hum running from your mouth to his.

His arms wander on your body while you relish in the softness of his lips; they skim across your lower back to come down and hold a firm grip on your ass when his tongue finally darts into your mouth. "Fuck," he pants, pushing you up against the wall, and you only momentarily remember you should probably close the damn door.

"Hm?" he puzzles when you break away from the kiss, watching you gesture towards the door, "I guess you can be considerate towards your neighbors," and he pushes the door, his tongue returning to your mouth before he even hears the closing thud.

It doesn't take long for him to slide his hand from your ass into your pants, long fingers gliding on your lower stomach, dragging the fabric of your underwear to the side as he rubs circles over your clit. "Don't be so quiet," he hums against your lips when he sees you biting back your moans, "Trust me, no one can hear you through this noise."

"Fuck, Hiro - " you gasp at the feeling of his fingers entering your cunt, one look at his glazed-over eyes and you try to desperately press your lips to his again, but he finds the crook of your neck instead, sucking on the skin there, leaving small bruises while his fingers glide in and out of your soaked cunt.

Each graze of his teeth against your neck makes you clench against his fingers, and he feels himself growing unbearably hard at the feeling, the slight friction of his cock rutting against the fabric of his trousers barely enough to give him some relief.

"Shit, sucking my fingers in like that - " he murmurs against your neck, the pads of his fingers caressing the spot that made you whimper, "You close?" And you feel the knot in your stomach come undone at his words, wetness gushing over his fingers as your body quivers.

You let out a choked gasp when he picks you up from the floor, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Your clothes are discarded by the time you reach the couch, and you're trapped under him, back pressed against the sofa while the fabric of his suit rubs against your naked body.

The jacket of his suit falls to the floor, and his hand reaches to undo his tie, "N-no," you breathe, "Leave it on," you say as your hand works on the zipper of his trousers, pulling them down together with his underwear just low enough for his cock to spring out.

"Dirty," he chuckles against your lips, pressing the tip of his cock against your entrance. You moan at the feeling, pushing your hips down to take in the tip, "I always liked lawyers," you push a hand up to grip his hair, tugging at the soft strands.

"Did you now?" His muscles tighten as he pushes his cock further into you, rolling his hips to finally bottom out inside you.

"Mhmm," you moan into his mouth, feeling your pussy push against his thrusts, drunk on the soft smell of his cologne lingering in the air.

"Hiro - " you can barely breathe out his name with the feeling of his cock working you open, your hand leaving his hair to grip at his tie dangling from his neck, holding it tightly in your fist.

"God," he groans, chasing his climax with deeper thrusts, "you really do like lawyers," he huffs as your pussy clenches against him, the heat spreading under his skin.

He pulls out, and you whimper at the absence of his cock as he flips you, your head pressed flat against the couch, your ass perked up against his hips. His thrusts feel unbelievably deeper from that angle, his hand reaching to grip mercilessly at your hair to pull your head up.

"Ah - Fuck -," you babble, "Hiro - I - ," your reach a hand to rub your clit, his thrusts a perfect pace to the coiling tension in your stomach, and he anchors his hand on the fat of your ass, fingers digging deeper as he bites back his moans, coming closer to his own release.

"I - Ah -, " and you don't even finish your moan as your back arches, heat coursing through your body as you come, feeling as if you'd collapse if not for his hand holding you up by your hair. His hips stutter, a silent 'fuck' escaping his lips as you feel his seed painting your walls, his thrusts finally slowing down.

He pulls out, releasing the grip on your hair, and you turn a flushed gaze towards him, a dazed smile glazing your lips. He adjusts himself back in his trousers, his eyes falling on the speakers on your table, still ruthlessly blasting music.

"Is this the..?" He motions towards the speakers, and you nod.

He gets up, his hand twisting the volume knob until the white mark on it touches zero. The room grows silent.

Finally, he thinks.

[moonstruckme]

Haloooo!!! I wanted to request something but I jus wanna say how much i adore your workkksss😭 not to shade other writers but youre probably my fave out of them, theres just something about your writings thats so comforting and I love it!! Can I request a academic rival trope for Remus and reader??🥹 Im excited to read it!! Thank you!!🫶

I'm so glad you enjoy them my love!! Thank you for requesting <3

cw: mention of skipping meals (never fear it is remedied)

Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 1k words

Remus is the only other person in the library. You’ve been hopelessly aware of him since he’d sat down four tables away from you an hour ago, and you’re positive he’s being distracting on purpose, because no one really eats chocolate like that. 

It’s abominable and should be punishable by death, honestly, the way he’s getting brown smudges all over the pages of his book. He’ll pop a chocolate in his mouth, let it get all melty in there, then slowly suck the remnants off each of his fingers, the movement distracted and tantalizing. Brow furrowed and eyes sharp, he looks entirely absorbed by his studies. 

You wish you could say the same. 

You’ve read the same page four times now, and the information keeps bouncing off your brain like someone’s put an invisible shield around it. Your eyes burn slightly, your back aches from too long spent in this wooden chair, but you need to know this stuff by tomorrow. Somehow, you need to make yourself retain it. 

“Do you mind?” 

You stop tapping the end of your pencil on the table, looking over at Remus. Your eyes narrow on instinct. 

“Do you?” 

He raises a brow. “I’m not doing anything.” 

“Yes, you are. You keep smacking your lips, it’s irritating.” It’s not, really, it’s…it’s something else. It’s not conducive to a distraction-free study environment, that’s what it is. “Are you even allowed to have those in here?” 

Remus sighs heavily. “Alright.” 

Before you can figure out what he means by that, he’s pushing back his chair, walking over to join you at your table. He holds your gaze as he sits down and then pushes his chocolates towards you, seemingly expectant. 

“What are you doing?” 

“You’re clearly jealous. Go on, have a few.” 

“I am not jealous.” You glare at him, arms folding over your book. It’s a habit, to hide the answers from him, but when you notice his gaze drop to the protective motion you feel silly. “And I’m not eating those. You’ve been licking your fingers and reaching in there, it’s gross.” 

“Oh.” Remus retreats slightly, cheeks pinkening. “I didn’t realize I was, sorry.” 

It’s gratifying to see him embarrassed. He’s the shyest of his group of friends (which is to say, he won’t automatically go and talk the ear off anyone within ten yards of him), but he goes about his day with their same unshakeable confidence, earned by social status and, admittedly, an intimidating academic prowess. Though you’ve always met each other head on in class, you’ve never felt up to par with him in any other respect. It’s nice to feel on a similar playing field. A bit endearing to see this tentative, boyish side to him, too. 

It doesn’t last long enough. 

There’s the barest shift in his expression, but you note with dread that familiar twinkle in Remus’ eyes. “Seems like you’ve been paying more attention to me than your book, hm?” 

Yup, the endearment is gone. 

“I’m basically done studying for the night anyway,” you lie through your teeth. “I was just finishing up.” 

Remus’ brow lifts. He clearly doesn’t believe you. “Good for you. How long have you been here?” 

“Since five.” It’s the truth this time, and you say it proudly. You want to show him that you work harder than him, are better, but your smugness fizzles out when he frowns. 

“That long?” Remus asks, looking less defeated and more…troubled. “You must be exhausted. I was only going to put a couple of hours in.” 

It nettles you, the implication that he can do better than you by studying half the time. You shrug with feigned insouciance. “I guess we’ll see who does better tomorrow.” 

“Did you miss dinner?” He breezes right by the challenge, leaning forward as his brows come down. “You must have taken a break then.” 

You cross your arms, appraising him as he does you. What is he playing at? 

“I don’t take breaks, Remus.” I work hard. I play to win. 

Remus hums, eyes still on you. It’s a struggle not to squirm under his gaze. After a minute, he sighs. 

“Okay,” he says, starting to pack up his things. He puts his chocolates back in his bag. “I would offer you some of these, but you’ve made your thoughts about that known. I guess all that’s left is to go to the kitchens.” 

You look up at him as he stands. “What are you talking about?”

“You can’t just not eat before the exam, love. It wouldn’t be fair.” 

“To who?” 

“To either of us. You need to do well, and I need to know you can do well so that I do well.” He leans against the table, a soft curve to his bottom lip. Like you’re friends. “Come on, grab your things.” 

“I can’t just—” You shake your head incredulously. “I still have to study.” 

“I thought you were done studying.” 

“I—not—not all the way done,” you hedge, cheeks warming. Remus smiles like you’re funny. 

“Let’s be done for tonight,” he says in a gentle tone. It’s not so different from his usual voice, and yet the sound of it caresses your nerves, lulling them to rest. “There’ll be time before the exam tomorrow. You’ve put in plenty of hours already, and those won’t do you any good without food and sleep.” 

You bite the inside of your lip, considering this. Though you’ve tried to ignore it, you are tired. The bone-deep, heavy kind, from a week of exams that have left you nearly in tatters. You’re afraid that if you take to your bed now, getting out again may seem more trouble than it’s worth. 

“And,” Remus adds offhandedly, “if beating my score is your goal, I like your odds. You’ve been studying all night, and I hardly opened my book a half hour ago.” 

You blink up at him. Remus seems to realize you’re not going to start packing up yourself and, with a long-suffering sigh, begins doing it for you. “Why aren’t you staying to study?” you ask. 

He shrugs. “I don’t mind going to the kitchens with you. And would you really go if I stayed here and studied?” 

“No,” you answer honestly. 

He gives you a wry, knowing look. “Then I suppose it’s a small price to pay.”

[houseofceline]

My Pretty Girl - T.N.

Stupid Potions Exam

Pairing: Ravenclaw and sort of ditzy but talented Reader x Slytherin notorious playboy Theodore Nott

Warnings: None (yet ;))

Summary: Theo's not the one to tutor anyone but maybe he'll make an exception for a certain pretty girl?

&lt; 3

__________________

“Damn mate you starving?” Mattheo teased as Theo scarfed down a muffin that Lorenzo found in his backpack. 

Theo rolled his eyes as he finished chewing, “Hannah wouldn’t fucking leave my room this morning and made me miss breakfast.” 

“You still seeing her?” Lorenzo questioned with his eyebrows raised. 

“Seeing her is a bit of a stretch,” Theo replied, wanting to throw up at the mention of the girl. Sure she was a good fuck and all but he never understood why she had to throw a fit every morning after. It wasn’t the first time he threw her out in the morning, matter of fact it was everytime they slept together and yet the Slytherin girl still wanted to make a scene. 

“Should’ve seen the look on Malfoy’s face when she cried and looked towards him for help,” Theo laughed, recalling the frightened yet disgusted expression his roommate made at her cries. 

“You’re a gentleman for sure,” Mattheo spoke sarcastically as Theo chuckled at the statement. 

“Yeah definitely,” Theo replied back in the same tone. 

“Mate I’m definitely flunking tomorrow’s potions exam,” Lorenzo sighed as the trio approached the library. 

Theo knew that studying with these two idiots nothing would actually be done, but what else was there to do on a Thursday night? 

“Speak for yourself I’m ready to pass,” Mattheo boasted knowing that they had about the same grade in the class. 

The three Slytherins looked for a place to sit. 

The library was packed, it seemed like everyone in the damn castle was here preparing for some sort of exam tomorrow. 

“Found a spot,” Mattheo spoke up as Theo and Lorenzo followed behind him. 

“Mind if we sit here princess?” Mattheo asked as Theo moved beside him to see who he was talking to. 

Pretty girl from potions. What the fuck was he doing calling her princess?

“Princess? You two dating or something?” Theo teased even though this was the last thing he ever wanted to picture in his head. 

You looked away blushing while shaking your head. 

This was one of the worst ways you could’ve responded to his answer in his opinion. Theo wanted to drown Riddle first and then himself at the thought of you blushing over him. 

You didn’t think much of it. You knew that there were no actual romantic feelings between the two of you. You didn’t have any friends in history of magic and after meeting the two Slytherins they became your only friends in that class. 

Despite not giving Mattheo an actual answer to the question the three boys took seats at your table. 

Theo was quick to take a seat in front of you while Mattheo settled down beside you. 

“Oh we’re all studying for potions?” Lorenzo took a peak at your books. 

You sighed before pouting and nodding. 

“It’s the worst subject to ever exist.” 

Lorenzo nodded in agreement while Theo gasped. 

“Worst? It’s one of the easiest subjects,” Theo scoffed while you and Lorenzo gaped at him. 

“Tutor us then Nott,” Mattheo rolled his eyes as he took out his books as well. 

“No, go ask Malfoy.” 

You giggled at their interaction. 

If your laugh was the first thing you hear when you get to heaven Theo decided he was going to start being a better person. 

“No, Malfoy calls us stupid fucks everytime we get an answer wrong,” Lorenzo pretend to cry while the table next to us shushed him very loudly. 

“Damn okay.” 

“Open your damn book mate, you're the one that’s most likely to fail,” Mattheo said as he started to take notes. 

“Actually that might be me,” you mumbled quietly as you tried focusing on the same paragraph for the thousandth time. You had read it over and over again but it felt as if it was impossible to retain the actual information. 

“You good?” Theo whispered as he watched you stare blanking at the textbook. 

He was doing charms homework. He didn’t think he needed to study for potions as he felt comfortable in his naturally gifted abilities. It was like relying on common sense for him. 

You nodded hesitantly. Truth be told, you were so far from good. 

You were positive that you were not going to pass the exam tomorrow. Your Ravenclaw was not Ravenclawing. 

You couldn’t afford to get another bad mark since the exam would pretty much break or make your passing grade. 

Another lecture about grades from your parents was the last thing you needed when you were still trying to earn their support for your chosen career. 

Theo could tell you didn’t mean it. 

He looked over to Mattheo and pleaded for him to leave. 

He smirked before kicking Lorenzo’s leg motioning towards the two of you and then the doors. 

Thank merlin he got the hint and began packing his things up. 

“I’m feeling pretty tired, I need a nap break,” Lorenzo let out an award winning fake yawn as Mattheo nodded in agreement. 

“We’ll see you guys later,” Mattheo waved before nodding to Theo for good luck. 

Theo definitely owes them one. 

“Here I’ll help you,” Theo offered as he got up and took Mattheo’s seat. 

He scooted your chair closer and placed his arm around the back of your chair. 

You started to feel your face heat up at his close proximity and hoped he didn’t notice. 

He shifted the textbook towards the middle of you two before grabbing parchment and a quill from his backpack. 

“Here take some notes,” he handed them to you as you nodded obediently. 

“Wound-cleaning potion,” Theo began to read out loud to you as you started writing.

“Characteristics are as follows: purple, smoke and stung upon contact.” He listed and waited for you to finish writing before continuing. 

You mentally thanked him for putting everything into simpler terms for notes as you wrote down everything he said. 

Reading through the textbook it was hard to understand what the potion exactly was because it had so many words. 

He continued to read and stop every time he wanted you to write something down. 

In between your writings you couldn’t help but admire his face as his attention was fixated on the book. The dim lighting in the library made his jawline and face features stand out and appear sharper than normal. He looked so pretty. 

“Stir counterclockwise for five minutes,” Theo finished as he turned his head catching you looking at him. 

You immediately looked away and tried to hide your rosy cheeks as you wrote down what he had said. 

It didn’t go unnoticed by Theo as he chuckled seeing your shy state before turning his attention back to the book. 

Maybe another time he would tease you for getting so nervous around him, but tonight his goal was to make sure you passed the exam tomorrow. 

[saphronethaleph]

RTKM

“I can’t speak to him until tomorrow?” Obi-Wan checked.

“I am afraid not,” Taun We replied, with a conciliatory gesture. “It is a shame you have come all this way to meet with such inconvenience, but perhaps if you had commed ahead…?”

Obi-Wan nodded.

“That would have worked better,” he decided, thinking. “Would you be able to run me through some of the key decisions made on the specifics of the army? I’m afraid they were taken several years ago, and I’ve only come to this particular project quite recently – I’d like to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.”

“Of course,” Taun We agreed. “In addition to providing the template, Jango made many of the decisions on training – that is not our speciality, as we prefer to allow our clients to make the appropriate arrangements in doctrinal matters.”

“Naturally,” Obi-Wan agreed, pacing down the hallway. “What weapons and equipment are included in the contract?”

“A basic load for the first two hundred thousand units has been procured,” Taun We replied. “All part of the initial purchase, naturally. We are aware that our clients may need to take urgent delivery. Any upgrades, however, will have to be provided by the client.”

She gestured, indicating one of the staging areas. “Rothana Heavy Engineering has provided much of the heavy equipment. Several large orders were made.”

This was getting more and more involved, and Obi-Wan’s worry was only increasing.

How much money was involved with this army?

“You mentioned behavioural modifications?” he asked.

“Naturally,” Taun We confirmed. “Neural inhibitor biochips are a standard installation on most of our clone lines. Our products are designed for maximum obedience through a careful inculcation of a culture of volunteerism, but overrides are always considered useful.”

She took out a datapad, tapping on it, then held it out for him. “A full list of the commands. I hope you’ll find that the details are entirely within the contracted parameters.”

“I hope so as well,” Obi-Wan replied, paging through the datapad.

He’d been wondering how a clone army could work, on a practical level, but seeing some of these commands it was apparent what would be involved. The clones would be trained in all military skills, and in showing initiative, but the dozens of indexed commands would erase or alter specific factors of their behaviour.

They would retain the same skills as before, but their free will would be restricted, causing them to obey as readily as droids. One of the commands on the datapad was to discard their communicators immediately, while another was an order to charge a position, regardless of casualties – and Obi-Wan had seen enough of conflict to know that that would be able to win some battles all by itself.

So long as you didn’t see the ten-year-old clones who’d be doing it as who they were. As much children as adults.

Then he stopped, and stared.

“Is something wrong, Jedi Kenobi?” Taun We asked.

Obi-Wan shook himself.

“My apologies,” he said, turning off the datapad and stowing it in his robes. “While I hope it won’t cause any problems for you, I’m going to need to check something later… are there any exercises going on at the moment?”

“Of course,” Taun We replied, pleasantly. “Would you prefer close combat exercises, heavy weapons, or long arms?”

“You’re going to need to hear this, Masters,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ve arrived on Kamino and found that Master Sifo-Dyas had ordered a clone army that was – supposedly – to be used by the Jedi, at the request of the Senate almost ten years ago.”

“Killed before that, he was,” Yoda replied.

“That was my impression as well, Master,” Obi-Wan replied. “But the clone army has neural override chips in them – standard practice here, I understand – and I was given a list of the commands.”

He cleared his throat. “Order number: 66. Authorized to be used by: the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, voice command, no other authorization required. Approved propagation: Command Clones may spread this order down the chain of command. Effects: Eliminate all previous affection or comradeship towards Jedi subjects of order, specified at time of use. If undefined, all Jedi are subject to order. Order subjects are to be designated traitors and eliminated immediately, maximum priority. Clones not acting in compliance with order are to be designated traitors.”

Mace Windu inhaled.

“That would be-” he began, but Obi-Wan raised his hand.

“Sorry, Master, but I hadn’t finished,” he said. “The effect section continues: redesignate Supreme Chancellor as Lord Sidious.”

Mace and Yoda both stared at Obi-Wan through the scrambled hologram link.

“Hell, kriffing,” Yoda said, eventually.

Mace started giggling.

“Master Windu?” Obi-Wan asked, worried.

“This is why you always read the manual,” Mace said, between giggles.

[msnanu]

Life Twist 01 | JJK

⏤banner by the talented and sweet: @archivedkookie ❣

⏤summary ❧ After an enormous loss in your life and breaking a long relationship with your now ex boyfriend, you decided you needed a life twist. So you move into a new country to try restart your life and seek for your happiness. What you weren't expecting was someone like Jungkook entering into your life as soon as you got to Seoul.

⏤𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 ❧ jungkook x female reader

⏤𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦 ❧ fluff, angst, smut, slow burn, 4 years age gap (reader is JK's noona)

⏤𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ❧ mature language

⏤𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 ❧ 5k+

⏤ author's note❧ I just wanted to state that this is the first time I write a fic - so bear with me, please 😌 - also just as an FYI, I don't have an specific schedule to update since you know.. adult life hahaha but I'm already working on next chapter. I love this story and I hope you get to love it as much as I do 💜

You were finishing unpacking your clothes when your phone started to ring, you smiled seeing that your screen was flashing with Chris’s name on it. Christian – aka Chris – has been your best friend since you were 15, you met him during your high school years through acquaintances and you clicked immediately.

You both feel like you’re each other’s soulmate but of course only in a platonic way, although a lot of people tend to misinterpret and think that there’s more to your friendship. It’s hard for people to understand that a woman and a man can be just friends without any sexual desires but to be honest at this point of your life you don’t care about what others might think of your relationship with your best friend.

‘Hey y/n, finished unpacking yet?’ asks your best friend with his chirpy tone as soon as you pick up the call

‘Hey Chris, ughhhhh no... still working on it, but I promise I’m making progress, I finished with almost every room of the apartment, I’m cleaning up in my bedroom right now. I think by tomorrow I might have everything in order’ you say while biting your lip and looking at your clothes scattered all over the new assembled bed, I mean... at least it doesn’t look any more like a tornado came through your window

‘I told you I could’ve helped you; you can be so stubborn sometimes’ you hear your friend sigh and although you can’t see him you know he’s shaking his head at you

‘No no…You’ve already helped me enough, if it wasn’t for you, I would never had the balls to move to another country – so take a rest of me, bestie’ And that is totally true, he had helped you with all the immigration bureaucracy, he also basically got your new apartment. While you were still at your native country, he went on apartment hunting and showed you the different options you had through videocalls, gave you tons of tips so you wouldn't miss anything while moving to another country since he had experience in that area. After all, he had moved to Seoul 2 years prior to you.

‘You would’ve done the same for me, we both know that!’ you smile while hearing your friend because you know that’s also true, you both would do anything for each other without hesitating.

He doesn’t give you the chance to respond anything and keeps going: ‘Anyways, I was actually calling you to invite you to a birthday party tonight – it’s Jackson’s birthday, remember I told you about him? He’s that friend that works at my gym. We were talking today, and I might have slipped that you moved to Seoul recently and he told me to invite you, he really wants to meet you’

‘Me? Why would he want to meet me?’ you respond with a surprised tone

‘According to Jackson’s words and I quote: he is really curious to get to know the only girl I’ve retained in my life without sleeping with her’ he says with amusing tone

He cackles when he hears you snorting ‘Wow, now that’s a good way to convince me to go to a birthday party of someone that I don’t even know’

‘It might not be the best invitation but at least is a chance to meet new people and make some friends’ he says that since he knows you struggle when it comes to meeting new people

‘Um..I have friends, I have you’ you respond almost immediately

‘You’re a sweetheart but I’m talking about other people than me, although you know how I love all your attention on me, babe’he says while chuckling because he’s already imagining how you’re rolling your eyes at him after you heard that pet name

‘Oh my god you’re so full of yourself – ughh, okay you’re right, I should get to know new people. New country, new life… new friends I guess’, you say a little insure knowing you’re not the most sociable person in the world but it would be kind of nice to have people to hang out other than Chris

‘And maybe you can get some action too, it’s been what? A year without any proper activity?’ he talks without any filter like he usually does

‘Wha- Okay, I’m hanging up on you. I’m not in the mood to talk about my sex life right now’ you respond acting offended though you both know that you're just teasing each other

‘Or the lack of –’ When Chris hears your gasp he chuckles and says immediately ‘Sorry sorry, just kidding bestie, I’ll pick you up around 9PM, don’t make me wait pleaseeee, byeeeee byeeeeee see ya. I love you’

You can’t even get mad at him for calling you out on your sadly lack of sex, it’s not like he’s wrong. So, you just laugh it off and respond by saying ‘Fuck off - You’re unbelievable. K, don’t worry I’ll be ready when you get here. See u later, love you too” 

Once you end your call with Chris, you grab some of the last items left in the moving boxes. You come upon a frame, it's a picture of you and your dad when you were 4 years old on your summer vacations at a swimming pool where he was teaching you how to swim. One of the many things that your dad taught you in life. Your eyes start to feel watery at the sight of your dad's sweet smile and with a deep sigh you give a kiss to the picture. You place the frame on your nightstand and while cleaning a few tears that dropped on your cheeks you can only whisper - "I really hope I'm making you proud dad, I'm finally looking for my happiness ".

°•○•°●♤♡◇♧•°○•°□▪︎☆♤

You look at yourself in the mirror, thinking you did a decent work with your make up and cleaned yourself up pretty good after a long day of putting everything in order at your new apartment. You weren't so sure on what to wear for Jackson's birthday party, so you just went for an all-black outfit: leather jacket, mini leather skirt, a Ramones shirt that you love and combat boots.

After looking at your reflection in the mirror one last time, you took a selfie and sent it over to Chris to ask him if you were dressed properly for the occasion, which he replied with: 'You look gorgeous babe, almost too perfect for the occasion! I'll pick you up in about half an hour ;)' – you can’t help but smile at his compliment. You know he's nothing but honest with you, whenever he had to tell you that you looked like shit, he would do it. And of course, it goes both ways.

Your best friend is punctual as always, 9PM sharp he was at your building entry texting you that he was outside your home. Jackson’s place wasn’t that far away from yours, only about 10 minutes on a car drive. While Chris was driving, you chit chatted about your exhausting day, and he told you that this girl – Hani was her name you wanna say? - that he’s been hooking up for the past month asked him the golden question ‘What are we? Where is our relationship going?’ and that’s where Chris decided to put an end to the hooking up. He just doesn’t want anything serious right now and is totally understandable.

From what your friend has told you, Hani got really upset at his response, although to be fare... he did warn her when they started hooking up that he wasn't looking for anything serious, he’s not an asshole that goes around giving false hopes to any girl.

It’s been like this with Chris for a while now, he did had a girlfriend a few years ago and they dated for about 3 years until he found out that she was cheating him with her boss – pretty shitty move if you ask me – she broke his heart and after that he hasn’t been in a serious relationship with anyone, just hook ups until the girl finally gets tired of being just ‘friends with benefits’, that’s how it usually goes.

When you finally arrive at Jackson’s you start to feel slightly nervous, it’s been a while since you got to meet new people and it’s in a total new environment, new country... totally different cultures, a lot to take in. Chris knowing you, holds your hand tightly for a moment and before entering to his friend’s house tells you ‘Don’t worry, he and his friends are all pretty cool people, they’ll love you - now come on, let’s go and start socializing!’. You chuckle at his enthusiasm and as soon as you enter, you’re greeted by Jackson holding a red cup with beer on it.

Jackson smiles at you and your friend and says ‘You’re y/n, right? Wow, you’re even hotter that what I imagined – sorry I don’t mean to be unrespectful, but you know how weird is to see that this guy over here has a female friend and didn’t sleep with her yet? Anyways, it’s so nice to meet you finally, I’m Jackson’ and he immediately gives you a hug which it honestly startled you.

You chuckle and once he’s finished with the hug, you respond ‘I know, it’s always amusing to see how people get surprised that we’re really just best friends. Um, it’s nice to meet you too and happy birthday! Thanks for inviting me over’ you say shily

He keeps smiling at you while he also hugs your best friend (apparently, he’s a hugger) and says ‘Chris’s friends are also my friends, so please make yourself at home – I haven’t invited a lot of people because I actually have a small group of friends, come with me and I’ll introduced them’ and you both follow him to the living room going through a large hall – which by the way, is so freaking beautiful, you can’t stop staring the marble floors and beautiful art works hanging on the walls and you think to yourself how amazing this apartment looks – your thoughts are interrupted by the group of people who’s now in front of you having a discussion about who was the largest hands in the group - though you're not sure you heard right -

And then Jackson speaks getting everyone’s attention ‘Guys, this is y/n, Chris’s best friend – yes, she’s really his friend and she is a woman, I know!! How crazy it sounds, huh? She just moved to Seoul from basically the other side of the world so be nice to her’

One of the guys with a boxy smile says to Jackson ‘Hey! –  we are always nothing but nice, she’ll think poorly of us if you say it like that!’ and Jackson just laughs it off and starts to introduce each and one of them. There’s 10 people right in from of you – which to you, it sounds like a lot of friends, you never had more than 3 o 4 friends (one of them always being Chris of course) so 10 sounds like a lot of people – you learn that the guy with the boxy smile is called Taehyung, then there’s Namjoon, Seokjin – though he told you to call him Jin -, Jimin, Yoongi, Hoseok – or Hobi how he introduced himself - , Aria – which you learn is Hobi’s girlfriend -, Joey, Emma – Joey’s girlfriend – , and last but not least Jungkook who smiled you shily and waved his hand to greet you from afar – you almost gasp at how this last guy seemed like he was built by the God’s themselves, you felt like you wanted to look up to the sky and say ‘WOW, well done!’ – to be honest, they were all insanely attractive but there was something that caught your attention straight to Jungkook and you couldn’t quite wrap on your finger what was it.

The night went smoothly, they all seem to be really friendly and made you feel comfortable as if you were one of them already. You spent most of the time hearing their stories about the last trip they went to last year – Hobi’s parents own a lake house in Chuncheon, which you learn is about an hour away from Seoul – and they’re planning to go again in the next month or so – and you’ve been invited to go with them by Hobi himself which you gladly accepted and thanked him for including you even when you just exchanged a few words with him throughout the night.

Your red cup was empty for the third time by now, so you got up and approached to the table were all the drinks were placed and poured yourself some Soju, while you were at it you feel someone approaching you and then a sweet voice sounds saying ‘Are you having a good time so far?’, you look up and realize that is Jungkook who’s now besides you also pouring himself a drink while he smiles at you.

You also smile at him and respond ‘Yes, I really am. Honestly you guys made me feel really comfortable, I tend to be a lot shier when I meet new people, but I don’t feel that way at all with you’

‘I’m glad you feel that way, sometimes these guys can get loud, me myself included, and people look at us like we’re weirdos’ he chuckles and sees you just nodding while you giggle at him and then he continues ‘Mmh, mind if I ask you what made you move in all across the other side of the world? I don’t wanna intrude, I’m just curious’  

Although you feel comfortable talking to him, you don’t want to get into much detail... at least not yet, telling your whole story about how after your dad’s passing last year you felt like you needed to work in your happiness because you knew that’s all your dad wanted, for you to be happy. You don’t dwell on how you realized that you needed to break up your 9-year-old relationship with your boyfriend – now ex-boyfriend – because you really didn’t share anything in common anymore, you grew out towards different paths, and neither of you wanted to accept it.

So you go with a simple response while Jungkook watches you attentively with those beautiful doe eyes where you feel like you can get lost so easily : ‘You’re not intruding at all’ –  you give him a comforting smile and continue – ‘I always wanted to live somewhere abroad, to have that experience at least once in a lifetime, plus Chris had moved here and he used to say to me how much he loved Seoul and how the people here always treated him so nicely. To be honest, he was a great influence on me moving in here. He’s pretty much like a brother to me so it was easier to decide on moving to another country knowing that he was going to be by my side and I was really missing him back home – though please don’t tell him that I said that, because it will just inflate his ego more’ you both snicker once you’ve finished explaining him part of the reasons why you decided to move to Seoul. Is not like you’re lying but you’re leaving a few big details out of the conversation, maybe some other day you’ll have the opportunity to tell him.

‘Well, I hope you really enjoy being in Seoul, I’m sure I’m enjoying you being here’ he admits shily to you. Your cheeks start to feel like burning and you can’t help but to feel hypnotized by him, God did he have to be this fucking gorgeous?

Before you can respond anything back, Taehyung’s loud voice interrupts the moment that you two were having - ‘Hey you two, what’s with the chit chatting? You better not be talking behind our backs’ while the others laugh because they know he just loves gossiping and wants to be included in any of it.

So, you both just laugh it off while you share a look and go back to the others

About 4AM, the night ended for all of you. Chris was insanely wasted, and you were cursing under your breath because you two got here on Chris’s car and you also had drunk a fairly amount of alcohol and weren’t in the best state to drive yourselves home.

Jackson takes a few steps towards you and your best friend - who almost couldn’t stand on his own feet without swaying – it was quite obvious that Chris wasn’t okay to drive so he offered ‘Do you want me to call an Uber for you? I would drive you myself but I’m a little bit tipsy honestly’ and just when you were about to accept on his offer, another voice interrupts ‘I could drive you both home if you want to, I don’t mind at all and I’m okay to drive’, it was Jungkook that was watching the whole scene of drunk Chris holding himself to you from afar

You felt bad for dragging him along with you and Chris’s drunk ass so you said to him ‘I don’t wanna impose you, we could just call an Uber really’, whilst he came closer to you and helped you lifting Chris from yourself as if he weighted nothing and responded sweetly ‘I’m not taking a no for an answer, and you’re not imposing, I offered myself, come on let’s go’. So, you said your goodbyes from a far to all the other guys that were also getting ready to leave and thanked Jackson for inviting you one more time before finally following Jungkook and Chris over to JK’s car.

After the impossible task of getting Chris’s drunk ass in Jungkook’s car, you went into the passenger seat while you heard your best friend from the back mumbling nonsenses that only he could understand. Jungkook asked where to go and you told him your address, you couldn’t leave your best friend alone in that state so that’s where you headed to.

As soon as he started to drive, Jungkook asked ‘How long have you two met?’ hinting on the drunk man that was now singing - or at least he thought that he was doing that - Jason Derulo ‘Swalla’ while lying in the backseat.

‘Too long if you ask me’ you both start laughing and you continue ‘Mmh, it’s been like...15 years since we met. We went to the same high school but didn’t shared classes together because we were on different programs. One day when we were both at recess, there was this guy who was a senior that kept insisting on me dating him and I would always say no. Until that day it got up to the point that he pushed me against a locker’ - Jungkook’s eyes widened while he was letting you continue your story –‘And afterwards the idiot tried to kiss me even when I was pretty clear saying that I didn’t want anything to do with him. That’s when out of nowhere, Chris grabbed the guy and punched him right on the face and told him to fuck off and leave me alone’, you can’t help but smile remembering how your best friend stud up for you even when he didn’t even know you.

‘Wow, well done Chris! From the very first day you were already protecting y/n’ Jungkook said smiling while checking on your best friend through the rearview mirror

‘Yesssssss, I saved noona from that asshole’ you hear from the backseat

‘Noona?’ Jungkook widened eyes look over to you, ‘Wait, are you older than Chris, y/n?’

‘Yes… well only 3 months older than him, my birthday is in May and Chris’s birthday is in August’ - Now that you think of, he only calls you noona when he’s insanely drunk -

You start remembering how one morning you got up seeing that you had 10 voice messages from your best friend, you got so freaking scared for a moment thinking that something bad had happened.

That was until you started playing all the audios and it was clear that he was wasted while he was sending those audios, some of them you couldn’t even understand what language he was speaking, there was another one where he was singing ‘You’re my best friend! No, I didn't stutter till the day end. Through heaven and high water oooooohhhhhhh, it kills me not to tell you, you're my best friend’ and finally the one where he screamed ‘Noona I love you, you’re my bff’ and that was it.

Seeing JK’s still surprised look, you ask ‘What? You thought I was younger? I don’t know why people tend to think that Chris is older than me but no, we’re both 93 liners’

‘I actually did think you were younger; you certainly look like you’re. I didn’t think that you were my noona too’

That’s when your eyes almost pop out of you head and you say ‘Wait, are you telling me you’re younger than me too? I thought all of you in Jackson’s home were about the same age as us’

‘Yes, noona’ says Jungkook while wiggling his eyebrows to you. ‘I’m a 97 liner’, he laughs at your wide eyes

‘Oh my god you’re a baby’ – you can’t help to think that you were almost salivating because of this Adonis that you’re talking to and now that you learn he’s 4 years younger than you, it somehow feels weird.

You've never felt attraction for a guy younger than you, maybe is the prejudice... You used to notice how guys - not all of them but the majority, at least in your experience - would take more time to mature than girls, so you never dated anyone younger than you, not even someone of your same age. You always aimed for guys older than you.

Although, to be fair, last time you were single you were 19 years old so anyone at that point would be immature probably.

Maybe now that you’re almost 30 it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be open to date younger guys, you could find someone that's younger than you and still have a good time, right?

‘Don’t call me a baby, please’ you notice how Jungkook’s tone changed to a serious one

‘Sorry, I promise I won’t call you like that again’- you can't help snickering seeing how serious he got just because you called him a baby - ‘It’s just that you surprised me, maybe it’s because you’re all muscle and give such a masculine vibe that I thought that you were pretty much the same age as me’

– Oh for fucks sake, that freaking Soju made your tongue start to loosen up, you start panicking once you have finished the last sentence because you realize that you said everything you were thinking out loud, you shouldn’t drink when there’s a guy this hot near you –

You feel Jungkook’s burning gaze and as soon as you look at him you see him smirking at you. Then he opens that beautiful mouth he has and says ‘So…you think I’m pretty masculine, noona?’

‘Isn’t that what I just said?’ you mumble, not even knowing how to divert the conversation because you’re about to pee yourself, he’s so gorgeous you feel like you’ll start stuttering any time soon if he keeps looking at you with those doe eyes

Before he could open again his mouth and make you blush again, you see your building entry and you almost scream interrupting him ‘We’re here!!’

Fuck, why am I getting this nervous around him? I feel like a teenager. Jeez, you must keep it together y/n! - you think to yourself -  

He then stops the car, and you open the door getting out not even waiting a second because you were starting to panic in there. You feel like the Soju has taken all your filters down and you could say almost anything to Jungkook. You just met the guy, you can't start telling him how hot he looks with those cargo pants or how insanely good that sleeve of tatts looks on him…God, maybe it’s just that it’s been so long since you had sex, yes... yes, it must be that!! That explains why you’re just a horny mess.

Jungkook gets out of the car quickly after you and waves you off when he sees you trying to get Chris out of the car, who by the way, is totally passed out by now and once again Jungkook lifts him up like a bag of potatoes and lets you guide him towards your apartment.

The wait for the elevator almost felt eternal but once it arrived you pushed the 7th floor button while you feel JK’s burning gaze on you but neither of you said anything. Once you got to your floor, you quickly open your apartment door because poor JK has been putting up with Chris’s weight for a while.

You guide him through your living room and tell him to drop Chris on the sofa while you place a bucket right next to him in case he wants to throw up at any point. You feel relieved that you finished cleaning up your apartment earlier since you see JK already analyzing everything around the apartment while he says ‘Nice place’ then his doe eyes set on one special picture on your desk next to your laptop while you’re putting a pillow under Chris’s head ‘Who’s this in the picture? Your dad? You look so much like him’

You freeze for a second and respond shortly ‘Yes, that’s my dad’ while you come close to where he is standing watching the photograph, he says ‘You have a tight relationship with him, huh?’

‘Yeah, I did’ you say almost whispering with an unexpected sad tone. JK's eyes widen and realizes that you used the past to refer to your dad and starts cursing himself in his mind for his big mouth ‘I’m so so sorry y/n, I’m such an idiot If I kne- ‘

‘Hey’ - you interrupt and put a hand on his shoulder to make him understand that he didn’t do anything wrong, and you’re not upset at him at all - ‘There’s nothing to be sorry for, how would you know? Besides, it’s not like I can’t talk about it, it’s a sensitive topic for me… yes but it is what it is’ – he looks at you with a look that you got used to see on other people every time they found out that your dad passed away, it’s maybe pity? – ‘He passed away from bones cancer last year, such a fucking painful disease... you see how your loved ones are shutting down little by little while you can’t do anything to help them. We were really close to each other and we used to talk every single day. Even though I miss him like crazy, I know he’s not suffering anymore, and I held his hand until his very last breath. He was a great person but even more a greater dad and I’m proud to be able to say that I’m his daughter’ once you finish saying that you look down and take a deep breath because you know you’re about to cry – well, so long to not sharing your sad stories on the first day of meeting him

And then JK turns you to him and hugs you tightly while saying ‘The ones we love are always in our hearts’ then he grabs you by your cheeks and makes you look at him straight in his eyes while he cleans some of the tears in your face ‘I’m sure your dad is by your side all the time’

You nod at him, and you start to feel like an idiot crying in front of someone you met today, that’s not you – even Chris who was met you for 15 years only saw you crying two times, so you say ‘I’m sorry I’m such a cry baby, I always get really sensitive talking about my dad’

‘Now who’s the one apologizing for no reason noona, huh?’

You both share a look and start laughing while he’s still cupping your face. That’s when you both realize that you’re standing insanely close to each other’s faces, you clear your throat and JK’s hands leave your face. You swear you saw him blushing, but you don’t comment on that. In fact, you don’t say anything at all because you’re spacing out thinking how close you were from each other just moments ago.

You got back to earth once you listen to him saying ‘Um, so… do you need help with anything else? If not, I think I’ll head home, it’s been a long night’

‘It’s been a long night indeed’ you said smiling at him ‘but no, you already helped a lot, this moron is already sleeping so I’m just gonna have a nice long shower and head to bed’

You walk him to your door and meanwhile you’re debating in your mind whether you should ask him his cellphone or not. You feel like you’ll look desperate but since when do you care what people thinks about you? Ughhhhhh your mind is driving you crazy right now

So before saying your goodbyes, you settle on saying ‘Thanks for driving us here and for dragging Chris to the sofa, that was very sweet of you’

He smiles with that pair of lips that could knock someone over in a second and says ‘No worries, I’m glad that I helped. I had a great night being by your side. Sweet dreams, noona’ and he waves goodbye to you while heading to the elevator.

You feel like you’re about to melt thinking how sweet his voice sounds and before closing the door you hear him calling your name once again

‘Yeah?’ you manage to mumble

‘I was wondering if you could give me your cellphone number?’

‘Sure’ – and you can’t help feeling like a thousand butterflies were freed on your belly

Previous | Next

[cosmicjoke]

The Importance of Compassion over Ideology: Levi's Choice as an Act of Mercy and Human Decency

I think one of the most important things that gets lost is all of the discourse, all of the arguing over Levi's choice to let Erwin rest, and whether or not it was the "right" thing to do, is what an incredible act of human compassion, kindness and empathy it was.

One of the main themes of "Attack on Titan" is the danger of ideology and how easily we can lose our humanity to concepts of "the greater good".

All of the arguing within the fandom itself over this particular moment in the story is, in many ways, a manifestation of that. A loss of human compassion, a loss of kindness and mercy to an abstract notion of ideology. Many fans are guilty of just this thing, in their enraged condemnation of Levi's choice. Whether they know it or not, they expose a lack in themselves of human empathy, or even sympathy when they criticize Levi's decision to let Erwin die. To them, the "greater good", that vague, undefined, uncertain promise of something "better" is more important to them than the immediate, concrete and tangible suffering of a fellow human being.

Floch himself is a sort of stand-in for that portion of the audience which so harshly criticizes Levi's choice. And Floch is also an exemplar of what happens, when we place ideology over human compassion. You become a radical extremist, willing to justify any act of atrocity in the name of "the greater good".

Levi is Floch's perfect opposite. His perfect foil. Because we see him make a decision which rejects Floch's brand of justified atrocities, by placing an act of human compassion, kindness and empathy above the vague, undefined and uncertain ideology of the greater good.

And what better person to demonstrate the importance of retaining our humanity in the face of and against ideology, than the most kind, compassionate and empathetic character in the whole series?

Despite what Levi says about himself, about becoming a "monster" that hurts people, his actions belie that self-assessment. Because he not only refused to lose his own humanity to ideology, but also, he refused to let Erwin lose his.

Because ideology, and "the greater good", mean nothing if, in the pursuit of those things, we lose all sense of human decency. If we become monsters. If we lose our compassion, and our empathy toward the suffering of others. If we lose our mercy.

Levi's choice in Shinganshina was really an act of rebellion against the cruelty of ideology; a defiance against the belief of "the greater good" above all else. It was a statement declaring that, no, the greater good doesn't always take precedence, isn't always the most pertinent or important objective. Sometimes, a simple act of mercy is more important. Sometimes, to show compassion toward another human beings suffering is the only path toward an ideal world.

Levi really encapsulate that theme, then, of humanity first, of humaneness first, above the doctrine of movements.

There is no greater good, after all, without compassion and empathy. There is no "better tomorrow" without human kindness.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Ghost!Robin Part 10

Here's another WIP Wednesday! Hope you enjoy.

Story Summary: Danny was invited to dinner at Wayne Manor to meet Jazz's boyfriend and his family for the first time. He worked hard to make sure no ghost business would interrupt the evening. But when he arrived, all he could focus on was the ghost of the dead Robin that seemed to haunt Jason. Looks like he was breaking his promise.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.4k

----------

Alfred let out a put-upon sigh. “You, and you alone”—he gave a look to everyone at the table—“may ask Mr. Danny a single question. All other questions must wait until Mr. Danny has finished his dessert and informs you he is willing to answer more of them.”

“What the fuck does Jazz mean when she says ‘spoilers’?”

Danny sighed and leaned his chair back as he looked up to the ceiling. “Yeah, okay. That’s fair. You deserve an answer to that, dead boyfriend number two.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“I’m finally not the only dead one in the family. Sorry, but I’m gonna revel in that a bit longer.” Danny grinned at him and set his chair back on the ground. “So, spoilers. Well. My grandpa is kinda the Ghost of Time. Responsible for maintaining the time stream to bring about the future that has the best outcome for the most amount of beings. We met a few years back when he was ordered to kill me but became my mentor instead. Since he’s the ghost of time, he sees all futures and doesn’t really exist in the present. Sometimes he refers to things that haven’t happened yet as if they have or brings up events from centuries or millenia ago as if they happened yesterday. Bit headache inducing if I’m honest, but I’ve gotten used to it. Jazz doesn’t like it when I share details about what Gramps has let slip about her future.”

“No I do not. I’d rather live my life as if I have some degree of free will!”

The silence from the Waynes was only disrupted by the increased typing from Tim and Barbara.

“You know what,” said Jason after a beat, “I don’t even know why I’m surprised. Jazz, your brother’s life is insane and I say that as a zombie from a family of vigilantes.”

Danny shook his head and swallowed a bite of ice cream. “You aren’t a zombie. Zombies don’t retain any memories of their lives and they can’t think. Not sure what you are, to be honest. You’re ghostly in some way as evidenced by Robin and his ability to use and eat ectoplasm. Which you also recognized, if by a different name. Though, I will reiterate, ectoplasm shouldn’t bubble or collect in pits in the living realms.”

Jason stared at him for a moment before stabbing his spoon into his own pie. He muttered something under his breath and projected, restraint, hold it in.

Danny sighed. He really shouldn’t drag this out any longer. His remaining desert was gone in a few bites.

“Fine. I’m done. How do we want to do this?”

Jazz cleared her throat, “If I may, I have a suggestion.”

Bruce nodded and gestured for her to continue.

“Look, if we take the time to answer every single question about the Infinite Realms and ghost culture, history, biology, and psychology, we will be here for years. Now, Danny’s partner Tucker is our tech guy. We can have him send over a document tomorrow with much of the information we think would be necessary for you to have. You can review it on your own time line and verify it with Justice League Dark or whomever. And you can formulate a list of questions you need further clarification on. Sound fair?”

Jazz was the best. Danny sent her a wave of love you, thanks, you’re amazing and she squeezed his knee under the table.

Bruce hummed. “And what do you wish to talk of tonight?”

Jazz leaned back slightly and looked at Danny. “Danny? I think this is all you.”

Danny nodded. To the table he said, “Over half of you are in danger from the Guys in White. I suppose I should start with showing you how.” The ecto-trackers he had pulled out earlier still sat ignored on the table. He grabbed his own version and took a position kneeling between Bruce and Barbara. Tim got up to stand behind him. Everyone else also got to their feet and started moving closer.

Danny clicked his tongue. “The screen is too small for all of you to see. Jason, stay seated over there. It’ll be easier to show what’s going on with you if you and Robin aren’t right next to each other. Damian and Cass, you are the next most affected so come over. Everyone else, I’ll show you the exact same things just after.”

Cass gave him a single nod and slid out of her seat. Damian didn’t say anything, but pushed his chair out and stalked over. He stood as far from Tim as he could while still being able to look over Danny’s head at the small screen. Cass took her place between the two.

Whatever, their family drama was not his problem. He turned on the machine. “So this device tracks ectoplasm. My design is the most sophisticated on Earth. Green is free ectoplasm—ectoplasm that isn’t part of a ghost or sentient being. Purple indicates a liminal human. Blue is an unknown ghost. Red is a known, unfriendly ghost. Yellow is a known, friendly ghost. Orange is a halfa like me. The intensity of the color indicates the strength of the being.”

“What is a liminal human?” asked Bruce. “You’ve mentioned them before.”

“I didn’t go over that?” asked Danny as colored shapes began to appear on the screen. A bright orange blob appeared in the middle, himself. He was surrounded by three purple blobs, Cass and Damian were the brightest, Steph the dimmest at the other end of the table. But what really drew his eye was Robin. He was mostly blue, but a wave of blue-organge-purple connected him to Jason who was mostly purple. Both of their main beings had some of all three colors mixed in. Danny had never seen anything like it.

But he couldn’t focus on the strange display right now. Saving the image, he decided to ask Jason later if he could show Frostbite and Tucker to get their insight. “Liminals are humans who have been exposed to ectoplasm in some way. Either through death or long-term, low-level exposure. Overtime, it makes you death-touched and that changes a person. Everyone is different. Jazz has a degree of super strength, a ghostly obsession, and true empathy. Tucker has some technopathy; Sam a green thumb like you wouldn’t believe.” Though, this was Gotham, home to Poison Ivy. “Or, well, maybe you would, living in Gotham.” Danny pointed to the purple blob that represented Bruce. “This indicates you have quite a high level of liminality. Jazz”—he pointed to where she was, her color clearly brighter than any of the Waynes—“is currently the third most liminal person I know of on Earth.” He then pointed to Stephanie, a much dimmer purple haze. “And Steph is only lightly touched.”

Bruce hummed. “So this Ghost Investigation Ward will use a device like this to track any of us who have any sort of ectoplasm in us.”

“Yeah. Only theirs isn’t nearly as good.” Danny looked to his sister. “Jazz, mind passing the GIW device down?”

“Of course.” The GIW ectoplasmic radiation sensor had their signature sleek, white design. It was passed down the line from Jazz until Bruce was able to hand it to Danny.

“Thanks.” Danny took it and turned it on. “So the GIW design looks good, but can’t differentiate between different types of ectoplasm. As of now, they aren’t even aware of liminals.”

This device, when it turned on, showed a black screen with a white bar that went up and down at a steady pace. A loading bar was visible on the bottom labeled “Scanning.”

“As you can see, theirs takes a lot longer to get readings.” It finished loading. “Here we go.” Danny was a large green shape labeled “Phantom.”

Robin was also a green shape, though he was distorted with a tail leading towards Jason. He had no label. The others, excluding Stephanie who wasn’t displayed at all, showed up as a green haze.

“Thanks to my parents, they have good readings on me which is why my name shows up. They aren’t usually too focused on identifying ghosts, though, which is why Jason-Robin doesn’t have a label. I’m a special case. The rest of you are safe from a distance, but that haze means they’d take you in for questioning at the very least.”

“Hn. What is the range on these devices?” asked Bruce.

Danny shrugged. “My stuff? From anywhere. I track through the Infinite Realms, not by Earth. GIW? Jason-Robin, they’ll be able to detect something from probably ten miles out of city limits, but they’d need to be within half a mile to get an accurate location. The Fentons? Mile or so. They get an exact location or nothing.”

----------

Next

I don't really think I have much to say about this segment. The info dump has started! Thank you Jazz for keeping people on track. Alfred will help her if he feels people start pushing too much.

Tag List Part 1

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew, @rowanaway-fromthisbs, @vythika96, @tired-yet-awaken, @themirrorghost, @emeraldcorpral, @all-mights-asscheeks, @darkhinauniverse, @blep-23, @phandomhyperfixationblog, @larkcoe1, @thegatorsgoose, @job-ross-the-second, @britcision, @lenacraft, @bubblemixer, @androgynouslordofescapism, @purefrickingspite, @leftmiraclechaos, @lizisipancardo, @starlight-sparks, @miraculousandmore, @gildedphoenix, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @letmesayfuxk, @phoenixcatch7, @skulld3mort-1fan, @abaowo, @dhampir-princess, @idkmrpianoman, @sarina-elais, @ballzfrog-blog, @undead-essence, @spookytragedyshark, @flyingpansaurus, @akintoabitch, @marivictal, @8-29pm, @justreadingthefanfics, @happybear135, @kisatamao, @spoopyspoony, @adorablechaos, @sara0055, @screamingtofillthevoid

[luminouslywriting]

I hope you're doing better and healing well. I have a request, if you're feeling up to it! This one is low-key personal, but do you have any headcanons for how our favorite guys would handle their partner dealing with infertility?

Nonny, I must admit that this hit a little bit closer to home for me. I'm a chronically ill girlie whose fertility is up in the air rn, so I have a lot of personal thoughts on the subject :) Let me know if you want to talk about it, because I really do get it sweetheart! I'm assuming this is for the MOTA Men, but if I'm wrong, then let me know.

Cut for length, more under the cut, paragraph form, some light spice sprinkled in, and let me know if there's anyone I missed that you want to see:

Bucky Egan:

I think that when it comes to Bucky Egan and fatherhood, he takes the news in stride. He's a great support system to you and however you're feeling in the moment, but he's going to be bottling up a LOT of different feelings (both relief and grief). He'll probably want to talk to Gale about some of this, given how close they are. But once he's talked to him and figured out how exactly to verbalize things, he comes to talk to you.

He's a man who likes to be busy, likes to fix things, and doesn't like to feel helpless. So this is a situation where he truly can't do anything to fix or change it. But what he can do is reassure you that he didn't marry you for your ability to have children. He married you because he loves you. And whether that means you don't have children or you adopt or you keep trying, that is entirely in your hands and he wants to support you 100%.

He's a great physical support system and making sweet sweet love to you is one of his favorite ways to reassure you that you're perfect in his eyes no matter what.

Gale Cleven:

Gale Cleven is a man with complex emotions and feelings on fatherhood anyway. So when he finds out that you can't have kids, there's an odd mix of relief and sadness. Because how can he be missing something he never understood or had himself? But he does and it's inexplicable, as grief often is. He remains very gentle in his efforts of marriage and does his best to retain some normalcy between the two of you.

Given the fact that grief tends to come and go at random times, he does succeed in this. Whether it's by barbecuing on Sundays or taking you for drives or just doing domestic things, he tries to take your mind off of it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have sad moments of his own where he passes a school or a family walking and wants that. I think he's very comfortable suggesting adoption or even fostering if it's something that you have your heart set on.

Everything that he can't say out loud, he tends to express physically. All of the 'I love you's, all of the 'I'm sorry we can't have that', and the 'you're perfect's tend to come out in your most intimate moments and yes, he definitely cries during the sex in these times.

Robert Rosenthal:

Robert Rosenthal would be surprised and a little confused. Why wouldn't this be working out for you two? I think that he takes a logical approach and looks into ways to increase fertility for both himself and for you (so long as that's something you want). But the minute that it's too exhausting, taking too much of a toll on you emotionally and physically, he's out. He'd rather have you and no children than a child and no you in his life. You're too important to him otherwise.

I think that his family is a great support system at this time and he definitely rallies a lot of friends and family to help you through this hard time. And if you want to adopt, he'll take you right down and get the paperwork done as soon as possible so that you can be holding a little baby as soon as tomorrow if you could (which is not possible, but it's the thought that counts here).

During this time, I think he's very sensitive to the things that would be upsetting to you and he's very attentive to your emotional needs. He picks up on the blue moods and the lingering gazes on families and tries to get you out of those situations quickly—but he prefers to address and talk about things rather than brush them under the rug.

John Brady:

John Brady? In a word? Devastated. He's always wanted to be a father, always wanted to have a family, always wanted to have those dreams fulfilled with you at his side. And now there's this obstacle and he's just heartbroken, and not just for himself, but for you too. I think this might even be a hard time for him religiously and though he'd want to turn to God, he'd have a hard time with it. He'd eventually reconcile those feelings, but it might take a while.

He's doting and kind, the type of man who skips out on work because you're having a hard day. Those days are filled with cuddles and murmured sweet nothings and reassurances into your ear. I think he actually wants some distance from his family at this time because no one else is dealing with this (that he knows of) and it's hard to be around the nieces and nephews without feeling a little bit bitter and sad.

Overall, I think he does his best to look into alternative forms of parenting—whether it be fostering or adoption. At least that way, you'll both be able to have a baby in the home and it will still be yours :)

[sgiandubh]

With friends like this...

I usually wouldn't pay attention to what a very contrived, very minor troll player writes.

But this, this made me immediately howl. Legit:

Answering an Anon she probably wrote herself (not that it matters), this person summons the Gods of Critical Thinking. In doing so, she manages some stupendous gobbledygook.

I understand C's resounding silence forces you to pretzel your three collective neurons until there is no tomorrow. However, policing the fandom is no easy task, plus I am sure that you are not on a retainer (unlike others) and/or whatsoever qualified to act as Her Taciturn Majesty's spokeswoman.

Face it: she doesn't need you and, based on what we know, she is perfectly able to speak for herself. That's harsh, I know - but real.

Let me see if I understood correctly, madam. You basically say this, in plain English:

If the Queen of Kale doesn't post, that doesn't mean she can't thank people in person or by private email 'and/or via handwritten note'.

Excuse me, what? 'Handwritten note'? Where the fuck are we, the Kingdom of Syldavia?

🤣🤣🤣

Hey, BIF, let me guess: Tish Baldridge and 1962 called and you, being bored and home alone, picked up the phone, right?

Right?

Undeterred, you add: 'maybe she shared with her sponsors and hosts the reason for this choice ' (remember, LOL: being unexplainably, ahem, forgetful) and 'they understand'.

Lady, this is PR 101: if you promote something I graciously entrusted you with, I want the bang for my buck. This is not a 'the dog ate my homework' kind of situation, here. This is quid pro quo, as far as sponsors and sponsoring go.

Remember (LOL) : sponsors are not your ('understanding') friends. Sponsors are people with whom you did sign a contract, a legally binding document that spells out your mutual rights and obligations. Such as, for example, to post something on your socials every time you appear at an event hosted by the designer/creator, you name it.

And this is precisely how I knew no such thing happened, at the London Fashion Week. She was under no legal obligation to post anything. Sure, it would have been nice and polite towards those kind people inviting. But that's not the point, here and this is exactly why you went berserk. The point is it would have been normal interaction with this fandom and excuse me, but it's her prerogative not to do so. I don't remember having signed any legal document together, Mrs. B and I. She doesn't owe me anything. The only thing she owes herself, in this situation, is to make sure her image is properly taken care of.

Congratulations, madam: while babbling pointlessly about sponsors and handwritten notes, you've just (#inadvertently) thrown your Goddess under the bus.

A bon entendeur...

[re1nasanimeobsession]

waking up with dazai :3

Warning: a tad but suggestive at the end but noting rlly inappropriate

Dazai loves waking you up like this, seeing your nose twitch and your face scrunch up as he gently pecks any available area he can reach (and if he can't, he'll find a way). Doing this just reminds him of something that he has in this cruel world. Seeing you rise out of your slumber giggling and leaning towards him is a sight that he will never tire of. He's not able to do it as much as he wants to (which is really every morning, really he wants to do all day), so he has to savor every chance he gets. He's not a morning person by any chance, but it becomes more than tolerable every time he presses his lips against you.

“Good morning sleeping beauty."

You stretched and groan, his efforts finally paying off, "G'morning Osamu."Dazai could just lay in bed with you the whole day peppering you with kisses and die happy (dare he say it would be the perfect double suicide on the spot. He stopped his attack momentarily after you tried to escape his grasp, keyword tried. As soon as you started to inch your legs towards the floor, he maneuvered his way to tangle both of your legs together, burying his head in the crook of your neck and continuing his onslaught of kisses.

"Trying to leave me already? You know I won't let you go that easily. I know I kissed you like, ten times, but just another ten, please", you shivered at his voice, he knew exactly what he's doing. His sleepy voice retaining that sort of roughness does things to you honestly his voice just does things to you in general, and he knows this. If he keeps this up, you wouldn't be leaving the bed anytime soon, and that's his plan. As pleasing as that sounds, you both do have to eat, and your stomach growling agreed with that. "I know, but can we eat first? We have the whole day to laze away, but I don't wanna starve while doing it" you began to massage his scalp, softly snagging any knots that you came across. "Then I can give you all my attention and kisses after."

He just smiled into your neck, climbing higher and edging closer to your lips. "Hm.. Nope! I want them now, and I'm not waiting any longer." And he reiterated his point by just snuggling deeper into you, breathlessly chuckling at your form giving off a shiver once again. He loves way your body reacts to him, and with the way you're accepting his nonstop kisses, he knows that he's going to be getting his way very soon. "Osamu pleaseeeee? We can even do breakfast in bed! I know that you're hungry-" Pinning you down to the sheets, he didn't waste any time in catching your attention and making your stomach flutter in anticipation. "If you know, then you won't mind helping me, hm? You'll be more than enough to satisfy my appetite."Once again, Dazai never fails to take your breath away, and you might as well cancel any plans you did want to make today.

Dazai already had plans being completely selfish with you, and you could only hope that you'll still be able to function tomorrow. The next morning, Yosano eyed you up and down in suspicion. You walked in practically glowing, greeting everyone with an upbeat in your voice, with Dazai right behind you, and even he looked a bit more brighter himself. Usually it would take you some time to fully wake up and adjust (you still greeted everyone, just with incoherent mumbles) but it seemed that you were wide awake this time. Except there was one issue bugging her...

"Morning Yosano!"

"Good morning...? Are you okay?""Of course! why do you ask?"

"You're awfully lively this morning. And why on Earth are you wearing that around your neck? Out of all the clothes that I picked out for you, and you don't even wear them."

"Oh I was...running late! Yeah, and laundry didn't get done yet, so", you gave a weak laugh. "You make with what you got, ya know?"She's not buying it one bit, and her eyes narrowed even more at your fashion crime.

"Not to mention the fact that you're limping."

You felt your mind going blank as she just gave you a smirk.

You've been made!

"So I'm assuming that your day off was fun?"You cleared your throat, "Y-yeah, it was nice.

Just relaxed, nothing special about that." A beat of silence passed between you, that caused you to sweat and fidget more and more. Before she could even open her mouth to comment, Dazai came up behind you and dragged you away under the pretense of being "too lonely to type up reports".

"Are you proud of yourself Osamu?"

'I'm sorry, I might have went a little overboard yesterday" he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Can you blame me though? Hearing you cry out for me-""OKAY MOVING ON! Just" you jabbed a finger to his chest. "You owe me!"

He just gave you a soft laugh and a kiss on your forehead. He knows that you're a bit upset with him, but he can't help it that you look too cute pouting!

"Our next day off is going to be dedicated to me and me only. I want the royal treatment: feeding me food, massages, the whole nine yards. And don't think you're getting out of this easy too!"Rubbing circles onto your hands, he brought them to his lips, alternating between the two.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides", he licked his lips. "I'm just dying to get another taste."

[hanamiyama-basketball-club]

So I was skimming the first episode of Bravern looking for something else entirely and ended up massively overthinking this scene in the bar instead, and I made a Tumblr to massively overthink things so here we are.

Now, I feel like there's a lot of stuff in Bravern left unsaid or up to (multiple possible) interpretations, which I guess is sort of how all of media works but somehow Bravern has turned on some kind of 101 lit brain that my mathematician ass does not usually have so bear with me here. And so the narrative I'm going to present here isn't an argument really. It's just a "wouldn't it be nice". This is the story I like to imagine in this scene. I call it A Tale of Two Wingmen.

We start out with Isami and Hibiki at the bar chatting about the war games exercise. (They seem to be the only ones at the bar rather than at a table, and don't have food; I like that Hibiki at least has a flower on her drink.) It seems clear that they're friends, probably a somewhat mismatched pair since Isami is in his dress uniform and Hibiki is out of uniform.

Isami has just started talking about the other TS that charged ahead with him when who should walk in the bar but the pilot in question with his friend Ryoma (soon to be RIP):

(I can't hear the dialogue for them tbh so I'm a little confused by the subtitles - it looks in the animation like it's Smith saying he didn't drink enough, but the phrasing makes it sound like it's Ryoma saying that. Whatever. Minor point.)

And then he sees Isami and stops suddenly, dramatically enough to get Ryoma's attention.

And heads straight for Isami (seemingly without saying anything to Ryoma, lol)

Hibiki actually spots him first, or at least reacts to him first.

Smith invites himself into the conversation:

Hibiki watches him a little warily at first and seems annoyed when he starts thumping Isami on the shoulder.

(I have a fondness for this whole interaction tbh because like Smith I am an American that reckons I can get through any social situation just by being really talkative, friendly, and complaining about authority figures. And like Smith I have often totally misjudged how to befriend people now that I'm in another country. "Mildly annoying American" is apparently louder and more negative than any Brit judging by the reactions I get, and I can only imagine the American-Japanese culture clash is worse.)

But once Smith starts praising Isami (and agreeing with the argument Hibiki was making), Hibiki seems to warm up to him:

By the time Smith starts challenging Isami to a duel, she's leaning in and grinning over her cocktail.

Ryoma also seems to be watching this conversation from across the room:

Isami needles Smith in a line that definitely isn't foreshadowing at all, and Hibiki whistles which is also very cute

Smith heads out once he has the agreement to the duel, Hibiki grinning after him

Hibiki seems deeply amused by this whole situation and entertained by Smith's laser focus on Isami (and maybe a little surprised that Isami hasn't seemed to retain as much about Smith as Smith has about him)

On the way out Smith bumps fists with Ryoma, who's also left the conversation he was in.

(Yes, they did introduce themselves; no, Isami does not seem to remember this, which is very funny considering what's going to happen tomorrow.)

So what's the narrative I'm enjoying from this scene? Basically, if you imagine that both of these friends know that their main character buddy is gay, it becomes kind of adorable. (Well, it's kind of adorable anyway, but an added layer of adorable.)

Ryoma is the guy who's been hearing all evening about this cool Japanese pilot and the way he maneuvered his TS even though they say they're not as good as the M2s, and he seems kinda shy but do you think he'd maybe go for a duel? You know, first you fight, then you team up? So he's maybe a little surprised when Smith wanders off mid-conversation, but he knows what's up. Once he hears that his bro has successfully secured the not-a-date he was hoping for, he's got to give him a celebratory fistbump.

Hibiki clearly knows Isami well, and I'm guessing that she has never known him to actually date anyone. Possibly he's never explicitly come out to her; I doubt he'd be generally out (even if that was a good idea in any military, which I imagine is rare), or that he'd talk about his personal life to most people even if he was straight. But I imagine that Hibiki teases him in a friendly way about it and, as someone who's familiar with Isami's impenetrable shell, is kind of interested to see what kind of romantic partner could possibly get through that. Kind of obnoxious but well meaning hunk shows up out of nowhere clearly hung up on Isami? This is either a love story in the making or something to tease Isami about at the bar for years, and either way she is in.

Or maybe she just thinks it's funny that he has a loud American obsessed with him now. That was my read at first, and is probably the most likely.

But if you imagine an Isami who is gay, then it's nice to think that he has somebody that he can, if not talk to about it directly, at least knows. (Obviously bisexuality exists and the above still more or less applies if he's bi rather than gay, but I personally imagine Isami as the type who has gone well I'm only interested in men so conveniently I can just put all of romance in the box of Sounds Hard, Not Doing That.)

Also considering how she reacts to Honoka I think Hibiki just thinks it's funny if anyone has a crush on Isami which is a fun relationship for a male and female best friend to have.

[honestgrins]

kc + caroline has MANY complaints about klaus but her biggest one is that the only time he responds to her follow up emails is to ask whether something is illegal

Per My Last Email || Klaroline

Weirdly canon-esque, and I have no defense. But we all know Klaus would be Caroline's neediest client.

.

Dear Mr. Mikaelson:

Per the agreement you signed, my services have been retained for legal representation on your accumulated traffic tickets ONLY. Please note that these emails fall under attorney-client privilege, but you should still avoid excessive details that would test my standing as an officer of the court. I trust that you will respect my professional boundaries, as difficult as that will be for you. To make sure I have all the relevant information at hand, please forward me the details of your current ID, vehicle descriptions, and all license numbers. 

As your court date is tomorrow, please respond as soon as possible. Otherwise, I would highly recommend paying your tickets before 9 a.m. via the online portal. My retainer fee, however, is nonrefundable.

ID, vehicle descriptions, and license numbers, ASAP.

Best,

Caroline Forbes Salvatore

Attorney, MF Group

.

Sweetheart, settle a bet for me. Kol insists his baseball bat is considered a deadly weapon, but surely it's just the force with which he can wield the bat that makes it deadly - therefore, its presence alone cannot be considered "assault with a deadly weapon."

A speedy answer would be appreciated, I just noticed the local bar installed a security camera that may limit your legal arguments after the fact.

x

.

And don't think I didn't notice the "Salvatore" in your signature. 

I did.

x

.

Dear Mr. Mikaelson,

My married name is registered with the state bar association and a matter of public record. In fact, my ability to practice in Louisiana is predicated on the fact that "Caroline Forbes Salvatore" holds a valid law degree and active license. If you have a problem with that, please feel free to retain other representation.

That said, I do want to remind you that I may advise on hypothetical legal scenarios, but will not abet any illegal activity such as assault with a deadly weapon. The threatening manner in which you imply your brother might wield a baseball bat, hypothetically, would be enough to enhance any assault charges possibly caught on camera.

As your lawyer, I don't recommend putting these hypotheticals in writing, and I really don't recommend letting Kol loose on New Orleans with a bat. Hypothetically, the whole city has cameras and it's a miracle certain activities haven't come to light. Yet.

Since you failed to send me the necessary details before your court date, I asked Elijah. You're welcome for getting the parking tickets dismissed, by the way, even though your behavior in court was detrimental to your case. The judge was not amused by your sense of humor, and neither was I. To prevent a repeat performance, I would suggest storing your luxury sports car in your massive compound instead of literally the middle of a pedestrian plaza. Just a thought.

Elijah has also taken care of your court fees and my incidentals since I had to void your last payment. Next time, please just pay the invoice. You don't tip your lawyer.

Best, 

Caroline Forbes Salvatore

Attorney, MF Group

.

Love - quick question. Rebekah is throwing a bit of a tantrum and stole the doppelgänger blood I had stored. Is this a civil suit situation, or can I press criminal charges? Honestly, I think she'd have a lark in prison, but I think the inconvenience would be consequence enough for her to feel my ire.

x

.

Mr. Mikaelson,

Again, I'm sure this is a hypothetical situation where your sister, who lives in your shared family domicile and therefore has rights to whatever is stored inside, takes something of no actual value, such as human blood stored for medical study and nothing else, then - hypothetically - a grown man with substantial resources like yourself can surely see that neither a civil suit nor criminal charges would be wise to file. None of those details of a...supernatural...sort would belong in the public record.

Not to mention, sending your sister to prison would only get me and several other people killed.

Hypothetically.

Seriously, I'm too busy for this, and I'm not even on retainer anymore. I will be sending Elijah an invoice for this email communication.

Best,

Caroline Forbes Salvatore

Attorney, MF Group

.

I've wired a retainer fee directly to your account. And since you're on the payroll, I have some paperwork to go through. Working dinner? I'll buy.

x

.

Caroline: Klaus, you cannot send me a million dollars in a personal check. 

Klaus: Clearly, I can. Dinner?

Caroline: ...

Caroline: ...

Klaus: I'm thinking Italian. 

Caroline: If you think this counts as a retainer fee, I do not have the time to explain how wrong you are, but I will if I have to. To be clear, that is a threat, and you know I will follow through, complete with slide deck and appendices. If you would indeed like to retain my services for the family, Elijah and I have already worked through an initial contract with LIMITS, you absolute ass. All official business will go through him, I swear, or you will regret it. 

Caroline: Again, that is a threat.

Klaus: So, see you at eight?

Caroline: ...

Caroline: I'm donating the money you sent.

Caroline: But yeah, Italian sounds good.

Klaus: Change your email signature.

Caroline: Don't push it.

[tswaney17]

I Do Bad Things with You - Part 42

Happy @elainappreciationweek! 🌸 My contribution for the Lovers Day prompt is an update to this beast. Hope you enjoy! 💕

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Catch up here.

Credit to @featherymalignancy for Cassian’s nickname, Cash. 😘

Trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault , language, NSFW

Word Count: 7,229

Azriel was dreading going back to work tomorrow. Frankly, the time he had off, spending his honeymoon with his wife, was the best three and a half weeks he’d ever experienced.

The places they saw, the food they ate. It was all indescribable.

Not to mention he got to fuck her all over the world until she was a limp, sated mess. His favorite escapade was when Elain rode him under the northern lights, her golden-brown hair alight with colors. Her pale skin shimmered in blues and greens and purples.

She only allowed herself to ride him once while they stayed in the Winter District. Their dome-like cabin retained the cold and it turned out that Elain was always freezing. Even while they had sex, she could only remain above the sheets for about ten minutes before she started to shiver.

He didn’t mind, spending a great deal of time covering her body with his own, keeping her warm as best as he could, though he’d be lying if her blue lips didn’t cause him to worry. They never seemed to regain the pink color until they were in the Spring District to visit their massive gardens.

Now all he wanted to do was spend every waking moment with her.

“What’s got your face all frowny?” Elain asked, leaning a hip on the door frame of his office. “Don’t tell me you’re working already. You still have,” she glanced at her watch, diamond rings catching the sunshine from his floor-to-ceiling windows, “another seventeen hours before we’re back on the clock.” Her lips pulled up into a teasing smile.

“Not working. Just catching up on a few of the other things. I didn’t touch any of the messages I was sent during our honeymoon and there’s quite a few to go over and respond to.” Meaning, he didn’t look at anything regarding his half-brother’s movements or the details Ruhn had pulled for him. He’d been content to just enjoy the time they had together and didn’t want to let anything take away from that.

She seemed to understand his underlying meaning, stepping further into the room. “Anything I should be made aware of?”

He shook his head. “Nothing that stands out, but I’m going to catch up with Ruhn in an hour to go over some details.”

Elain closed the distance between them, coming to perch on his lap. She ran her fingers through the hair at his nape, scratching the back of his scalp with her nails.

Az slung his arm around her waist, holding her close. “Why don’t we go to dinner tonight? I’ll make us a reservation at one of the nice restaurants in the downtown area. Let’s celebrate the last night of our honeymoon before we go back to our normal routines.”

She leaned in, kissing him softly. “I’d like that. I’m going to miss having you like this. Seeing you at every moment of the day.” Elain nuzzled into his neck, breathing in his chilled mist and cedar scent. “Thank you for taking me on the most epic honeymoon, Az. I love you so much.”

His large hand cradled the back of her head, tucking her under his chin. “We will have many more adventures, love. But I’m happy you enjoyed our honeymoon. I wanted to do everything your heart desired.”

“Well, you succeeded. Even if I did almost lose my toes,” she laughed, voice twinkling.

He pressed his chuckle into the side of her head, kissing her temple. Gods, he loved his wife.

An hour later, Azriel was sitting at the bar of his club, waiting for Ruhn. It wasn’t open yet, so he decided to just meet him there. Lorcan was standing outside waiting for his guest while Elide was behind the counter, prepping for the evening.

He felt his presence join him without even having to turn his head. “Drink?” Azriel asked him.

“Sure. Whatever you’re having,” Ruhn said, sliding onto the barstool.

“Elide,” Az waved down his employee. “Same for him,” he indicated with a raise of his glass.

She was quick to move, pouring a knuckle’s worth of whiskey into a glass and sliding it on the counter. “I’ll be in the back if you need me,” she said, stepping through the door to offer them privacy.

Ruhn picked up the glass and clinked it on his. “Congratulations, man. Happy for you and Elain.”

Azriel dipped his head in thanks. “What’s the entail?”

The other man took a sip of his drink. “Frankie told Elias to stand down.”

Hazel eyes widened in shock. “He what?”

“You heard me. He told Elias to stand down and not make a move against you or Elain.”

His heart pounded in his chest. This—it wasn’t right. Frankie had leverage against him. His brother had been looking for a way past his defenses and when he finally had it, he was just going to let it go. It didn’t make sense. “Why?”

Ruhn shrugged. “If there’s any reason, they’re keeping it tight-lipped. I would say nobody other than Nick would have any idea why Frankie isn’t pursuing this.”

Azriel took a swig of his whiskey, letting the burn coat his throat. He needed to feel something other than the anxiety rolling in his gut. “And what about Elias? How’s he taking the order?”

His informant snorted into his glass, swallowing the golden liquid. “As well as you’d expect. He’s furious. Was shoved down the ranks and now even Nick won’t speak with him. Word on the street is that he’s been trying to rally some low-level kids out of Frankie’s mob.”

He stared at Ruhn dumbfounded. “He really thinks he’ll be able to pull from Frankie? Frankie? The guy is even more ruthless than I am.” It took an effort not to glance down at the scars that adorned his hands. “Any kid that steps out is as good as dead.” Once you were in his brother’s clutches, the only way out was by death.

Az never collected kids. Refused to let any of his associates broach them. But Frankie had boys as young as twelve doing low-level work. Running drugs and cash. Making drop-offs on their bikes. If they were good at what they did, they’d be smuggling guns at fourteen. Sixteen the latest.

And if they weren’t good at it, well, let’s just say the Sidra River was notorious for being a good body disposal method. Most of the time, when somebody was dumped, they weren’t found, but every once in a while, he’d hear about a fifteen-year-old turning up dead in the river.

“Let’s hope that those kids know it,” Ruhn murmured, slinging back the rest of his drink. “I’ll keep my ears down for anything else.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, wrapped box, sliding it across the bar over to him. “For you and the Misses.”

Azriel blinked at the black-wrapped package. “What is it?”

The other man just grinned. “Matching pocket daggers. I had your names engraved on them. I thought that with everything going on, it might be wise for Elain to have something on her for protection.”

His lips quirked up in the corner. “That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Ruhn.”

Ruhn nodded, sliding off the barstool and making his way out of the club.

Az thumbed the black package, grinning to himself at the idea of handing Elain the present to carry around in her purse. He was already mentally preparing himself for her hesitation with the weapon.

He was pulling out his wallet when Elide slipped in from the back.

“Everything okay, sir?”

“Yeah, we’re good, thanks Elide,” he said, dropping a large bill on the counter.

Her dark brows furrowed. “You know you own this place, right? You don’t actually have to pay for your drinks.”

He chuckled, returning his wallet to his pocket. “It’s not for the drinks. It’s for you. For being on top of serving us and giving us space. I appreciate having good employees.”

“Azriel…” she started, but he held up a hand.

“Just take it, Elide. You deserve it.” He headed toward the door, calling, “I’ll send Lorcan back in. Have a good night.”

Tugging his phone out of his pocket, he dialed Velaris au Château—the French restaurant Az wanted to take Elain to that night. “Pierre, it’s Azriel Knight.”

“Mr. Knight,” the man on the other line said, his French accent heavy. “What can I do for you?”

“I need a table for my wife and me tonight. Is your private room available?” he asked, climbing into the car.

~~~

Azriel was tying his midnight tie when Elain slipped out of their closet in a blush-colored chiffon gown. It framed her slightly tanned skin perfectly, matching the color that he loved to see on her cheeks. His fingers paused on the fabric, looking her up and down. He breathed heavily. “El, my stunning wife. You look gorgeous.”

That pretty blush crept along the high arches of her cheeks as she smiled up at him. “Thank you, husband.” She crossed the room, taking the tie from his hands. “Let me.” Quick as a flash, she had it knotted and was securing it up to his neck. “Perfect. You look very handsome, Az.”

He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose, making her scrunch it up in the cute way she always did. “I have something for you,” he told her, pulling the wrapped box from his pocket. Az handed her the present from Ruhn.

Elain’s brows raised. “What’s this for?” she asked, carefully unwrapping it.

“It’s from my informant, Ruhn.” She glanced up at him then, confusion etched into her face. “It’s a wedding gift.”

“Oh,” she said surprised, looking back down at the box. Elain flipped the lid, a small gasp escaping her parted lips. “Oh, wow.” Her finger skimmed the smooth handle. “They’re beautiful.”

Az gently plucked the one with her name engraved on it from the box and held it between them. “He thought that you should have something on you for protection.” Flicking open the blade, Azriel showed her how to maneuver the small weapon.

Her dainty fingers closed around the knife handle. “Please tell him thank you for this the next time you see him.”

Now it was his turn to raise a brow. “You’re not hesitant about carrying this?”

She shook her head, golden brown hair swishing over her shoulders. “No, I’m not actually. I think it’s a good thing to have on me. Just in case.”

Cupping the side of her face, Azriel brought her in for a slow, sweet kiss. “I love you, my sweet.”

Elain sighed into his mouth, melting into his embrace.

Taking his knife from the box, he slid it into his pocket before reaching for her hand to lace their fingers together. “Come on. We’ll be late for dinner.”

The couple arrived at the restaurant and got seated in the private room that had a large window overlooking the glittering Sidra River. Azriel ordered a bottle of champagne and translated the menu for Elain.

“I didn’t know you could speak and read French,” she murmured after their orders were taken.

He took a sip from his flute of champagne, smiling behind the glass. “I speak a lot of languages.”

Her lips curved up at the corner. “Perhaps you should take advantage of that later tonight.”

Az chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “Are you looking forward to tomorrow? Being back at work?”

Elain breathed in deeply, considering her words. “Yes…and no. Am I looking forward to getting back into my routine, checking in with patients, and performing surgeries? Yes, of course. I love my job, and I love the people I work with too.” She reached across the table to take his hand. “But I’m going to miss this. All this time together we’ve shared, just the two of us. I loved spending every waking moment with you for the last three weeks.”

He tightened his grip on her fingers. “I did too. Frankly, I don’t want it to end.”

She smiled at him, the one she reserved only for him. It was this soft, upturn of her lips, brown eyes sparkling. He loved that smile.

Elain took a swig of her champagne. “Do you feel different?”

Azriel cocked his head to the side. “Different how?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, just different. Like something’s changed, I suppose.”

“Well, something did change,” he grinned, making her laugh.

“I know that. I’m talking about something else.” She shifted back in her seat. “I can’t explain it—I can feel it in my gut that something has changed. I just don’t know what.”

He was going to ask her to elaborate, but the door opened, revealing their waitress with their dinner. Az watched her eyes widen at the gorgeous dish set in front of her, and then in front of him.

She pointed to her plate, glancing up at their waitress. “Is the flower edible?”

He chuckled. “Everything on your plate is edible, love.”

“What he said,” the woman grinned. “Anything else I can get for you?”

Azriel shook his head. “No, we’re good, thank you.”

The woman dipped her head, excusing herself and leaving them to their meal. He watched his wife cut into her plate, forking the beef.

“Wow,” Elain moaned after her first bite. “This is delicious.”

“Yeah?” Az smiled. “Are we going to have to make this one a regular, too?”

She laughed, sipping her drink. “Most likely. How many other restaurants do you have up your sleeve?”

He winked at her, tilting his glass in her direction. “A few.”

Elain popped another bite into her mouth, humming in contemplation. “We may have to visit those other places, just to see how they compare.”

“Noted,” he teased, cutting into his food.

They chatted about anything and everything while they ate. Their favorite places they visited, what they were looking forward to and were dreading the most in their return to normalcy.

Sipping on the last of their champagne as they waited for her dessert—crème brûlée. It was one of Elain’s favorites and he would stop at nothing to give her all of her heart’s desires.

When the door opened and it wasn’t their waitress who stepped in with their dessert, Azriel went rigid—his heart thumping with fear.

Because that was Nicklaus, setting the plate with the ceramic bowl in front of his wife.

Elain immediately noted his tension, her dark eyes flicking between the man who had entered and himself. She had never met or seen his biological brothers before. Wouldn’t know who exactly had joined them.

“Aren’t you going to try it?” his brother grinned down at her. “It’s specially made by the chef just for you.”

She didn’t touch the spoon, instead pushing the plate away from her. “I’m actually not hungry anymore.”

Good girl.

He knew she had no idea what was going on, but he was eternally grateful that Elain could read the room.

Nick’s mouth turned up at the corner. “Azriel, aren’t you going to introduce me?” he asked, not bothering to look in his direction. No, his eyes remained on his wife and Az did not like her receiving that attention at all. Not when it came from someone as deadly as Nicklaus.

She met his gaze and read the minuscule change in his expression telling her to move. Elain slipped from her seat, using the table to provide a barrier between her and Nick, and perched herself onto his lap, an arm wrapping around his neck.

His brother never lost that self-satisfied smirk, simply claiming Elain’s now vacated seat.

“What do you want, Nicklaus?” he all but growled.

Elain tensed on his lap, finally putting a name to a face.

Nick leaned sideways, pulling a gun from the back of his pants, and placed it on the table, facing them.

His wife went rigid, breathing harshly through her parted lips. He could sense her fear, practically taste it on his tongue. Azriel slid his large, scarred palm up her body until it lay directly on her chest, over her heart.

Not a second later, he felt Elain’s hand cover his own.

He casually gripped her hand in his other one, bringing it up to kiss her knuckles, and replaced it on her lap.

She turned her face a fraction, shooting him a questioning look.

Az would sacrifice his life for her if it came down to it. Any twitch from his brother and he’d cover her, his hand his last resort to protecting her most vital organ. But like fuck was he going to let a bullet ruin her career by shattering her hand. He couldn’t explain it to her, not right then so he subtly shook his head instead, urging her to listen to him.  

Nick reached forward, sliding Elain’s crème brûlée toward him. He cracked the sugar-crusted top with a spoon, taking a mouthful. “This place makes the best dessert.” He winked at them, at her. “Shame you’re too full to enjoy this.” 

“Nick,” Azriel snapped. “What the fuck do you want?”

He picked up Elain’s napkin, wiping the corner of his mouth. “Do you know how difficult it is to see you, to meet with you?”

“You could make an appointment like everyone else,” Elain muttered.

Az gripped her hip.

But Nick’s smile grew, looking closely at his wife.

Too closely for his taste. Azriel ran a possessive hand over her curves, lips descending upon the exposed skin of her neck. He never took his eyes off his brother, not even as he kissed her.

“Pardon me, sweetheart. But men are talking.”

Elain’s head cocked to the side at the tone—the dismissal. There wasn’t anything Azriel could do to stop her from lurching out of his lap, snatching his steak knife from the table, and slamming it between Nick’s spread fingers.

Az grabbed her around the waist, hauling her back onto his lap as she snarled, “Pardon me, but his wife doesn’t take well to being talked down to.”

His brother was quick to mask his stunned expression, though he didn’t reach for the gun still sitting on the table. A low chuckle escaped Nick’s chest, plucking the knife from the table. “Well, I have to admit it Azriel, you didn’t pick a meek one like I thought you might. One who kept quiet and hid when things got rough.” He twirled the blade in his fingers before setting it back on the table.

“Frankly,” he started, “I really just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” Nick sipped from Elain’s flute of champagne. “You’ve caused quite a stir, Elain. Everyone is talking about the Velaris Mob’s new queen. We even had someone approach us with information about you two—”

“Yes, we know all about Elias Hewn’s movements,” Az snipped.

His brother chuckled. “He was rather thirsty for vengeance, brother. You managed to piss off your only ally. Rather poor decisions if you ask me.”

“Elias was a useless ally; something I think you’re well aware of or you wouldn’t have sent him to your lower ranks.” At Nick’s surprised face, he smirked. “Yes, you’re not the only one who knows things, brother.”

Nicklaus’s jaw feathered. “Careful, Azriel, in how you speak to me when I’m holding the gun.”

“I think it is you, who should be careful, Nicklaus. You come in here, interrupt my dinner with my wife, speak to her in such a manner, and think you can threaten me?” He moved so quickly, that Elain barely jostled on his lap, slamming his weapon on the table. “You and I both know who will get the draw first.” His scarred fingers laid on top of the grip, the metal singing under his touch to be used. To kill his horrid brother now.

But Azriel also knew that by doing so, he’d start a bloody war with Frankie. No matter that both of them deserved to be dropped to the bottom of the Sidra, he had to think about the safety of the woman still sitting on his lap. Because the last thing he wanted was to drag Elain into the middle of fucking bloodbath.

He watched Nick take in his words; knew he was correct in his assumption about who’d get the first shot off. Azriel’s reputation was built on the fact that he never missed his mark. And like hell would he miss when it came to his brothers.

Elain didn’t dare move, her body tensed and primed under his grip.

Nick looked between them. “It appears we have nothing left to discuss.”

Azriel didn’t bother to deign him with a response.

Sensing the conversation was over, Nick rose from his chair, grabbed his gun, and slipped it back into his waistband. Az didn’t dare remove his finger from his trigger.

He stopped halfway to the door, turning to look back at them. “I’ll give Frankie your greetings.”

“Tell Frankie,” Az growled, “that if either you or he come waving your guns around my wife again, your life is forfeited.” He watched the warning take in the twitch of Nick’s brow; the slight curl of his lip. But he left without another word and Azriel wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not.

~~~~~

Elain hadn’t felt fear like that since she was kidnapped by Hybern. The icy dread that had swept over her body left her skin cold and her heart racing. She knew when Nicklaus had entered, they were in some sort of trouble—Azriel’s rigidness told her that whoever had joined them was a threat to him. To her.

And then she found out it was his biological brother. The one who watched as Alec and Francisco burned his hands.

His beautiful, perfect, strong hands.

She wanted to kill him. Elain wanted Azriel to put a bullet in him.

But she also knew that doing so would open up a brutal and deadly war between the Velaris Mob and the Illyrian one. So, she took the knife from the table and stabbed it between his fingers. Both for speaking to her in such a manner and for the abuse he inflicted and allowed her husband to endure as a child. She had never felt vengeance like what she wanted to unleash on the man sitting across the table from her, eating her crème brûlée…drinking her champagne.

The audacity.

When he left, she released a breath she wasn’t even aware she had been holding, sucking in air as if she had been drowning. Her emotions took over: tears running like rivers down her face, body shaking. Elain buried her face into Azriel’s neck, taking his rich chilled mist and cedar scent deep into her lungs.

Or what she could get during her gasps.

His arms slid around her form, holding her close to him, but not close enough.

No, she needed to feel him. Needed to make sure he was here with her; that they were safe. “Az,” she cried out, fingers moving down his broad torso to fumble with his belt buckle. “I need you. Please, I need you.”

Those golden eyes churned with fear and comfort and wrath, the green fissures swirling in the warm depths. It was such a mix of emotions she read there. But he seemed to grasp what she needed from him.

Elain saw that same need reciprocated by him.

“I’m here, love,” he murmured into her hair, lips pressing to her skull. “I’m here.” Hefting her off his lap, he set her on the edge of the table, rising from his seat to stand between her spread thighs.

There would be no foreplay in this. Not at this time. The desire to be as close as their bodies allowed was too great to tease and touch. This would be raw, animalistic fucking.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her down to lie on her back, legs dangling off the edge.

Elain’s arms went wild, searching for something to grab, and in their haste, sent dishes and drinkware flying.

The shattering glass didn’t stop Azriel from sucking a mark into the smooth, creamy skin of her neck. A purple bruise blossomed under his machinations. His large palms slid her dress skirts up her thighs to her waist, revealing the white lace.

A few quick moves had her bare, her panties tucked into the pocket of his dress pants. His belt buckle clinking made her body shudder in anticipation.

“Hard and fast, baby,” he muttered into her throat before sheathing himself to the hilt.

Elain threw her head back, fingers grasping the cloth and edge of the table. “Fuck,” she moaned.

Azriel didn’t give her a second to adjust, pulling his hips out and slamming back in. He set a vicious pace, balls slapping against her.

Her legs wrapped around his trim waist, urging to fuck into her deeper. She let go of the table, clutching him at his shoulder and around the back of his neck. It forced more of his weight on top of her, but that’s exactly what she needed.

He pressed into her harder like he couldn’t bear any part of them not touching.

She needed everything from him. Everything he gave her and more. Elain felt her toes curl in anticipation of that glorious, blissful drop into her pleasure. “I’m so close,” she cried out.

Az’s mouth traveled down her body, sliding fabric out of the way to suck a pert nipple between his lips.

Up, up, up, she climbed, delirious in the friction of his strong body against her clit, the relentless pounding into her.

Trapped in their bubble, neither of them heard the door open until Ruhn voiced an “Oh.”

Azriel released her breast, twisting his head to snarl at the intruder. “Get out!” The door clicked shut softly as he looked back down at her, took in her little gasping breaths, the way her chest heaved, and said, “My neck, Elain,” he groaned. “Bite my neck. Mark me as you come.”

She surged up, ripping his tie loose. Shoving the collar of his shirt aside, she clamped her teeth at the junction where his neck and shoulder, and came hard. Her moans were muffled against his skin, body spasming around his cock.

He grunted, thrusting into her to ride out her orgasm as he chased his own. A hard suck from her lips had him cresting, strokes becoming sloppy until he slammed home one last time and stilled, spilling himself inside of her.

His pants fanned over the skin of her neck, lips pressing light kisses to the underneath side of her jaw.

Elain released him from her teeth, carding her fingers through his damp hair. “Ruhn saw us fucking,” she murmured, humor dancing in her tone.

He huffed out a laugh. “Better him than traumatizing our poor waitress.”

She had to agree, even though they were caught at all. Holy fucking shit! She just had sex with Azriel in a public space where anyone could’ve walked in on them. The door wasn’t even locked, for fucks sake! They had had sex in some pretty open places before, but Az had always made sure they had their privacy either by a locked door or enclosed in their own space.

The thrill from the risk of being caught just added to the fire burning inside of her.

Az kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her forehead, anywhere he could as he pulled out of her. “Hang tight,” he whispered, tucking himself back into his pants.

To be honest, Elain was too exhausted to move. The adrenaline from their earlier visitor had faded. She lay, sprawled out on the table, still trying to catch her breath. What she didn’t expect was for Azriel’s tongue to delve between her thighs. “Azriel!” she squealed, lurching up into a sitting position to glare at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Those amber eyes glowed with mischief. “Cleaning you up, now relax.”

She mumbled something about how that did the opposite of cleaning her up, but after a few more swipes with his tongue, he placed a kiss on her clit and rose back to his feet.

His glistening mouth had her muttering, “Insatiable,” under her breath.

“Always for you,” he grinned, dropping a kiss on her plump lips before helping her off the table and fixing her dress.

“Azriel,” she chastised.

“Elain,” he shot back.

She rolled her eyes. “Azriel, my underwear. It’s still stuffed in your pocket.”

“Your point?”

Oh, this wicked man. “You expect me to go commando,” she demanded incredulously.

Az opened his wallet and dropped what looked like eight, hundred-dollar bills onto the table. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” he said, shoving the leather into his back pocket with a little smirk.

He kissed her cheek, took her hand, and tugged her to the door.

She grumbled the whole way there but stopped when she saw Ruhn leaning against the wall opposite of them, a smirk toying on his lips. Her entire face lit up like a flame, a red color splotching her chest.

“Good evening, Sir,” Ruhn said, then nodded at her, “Mrs. Archeron-Knight.”

Elain acknowledged him with a dip of her chin, before stepping slightly behind Azriel in embarrassment.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” her husband asked, voice carefully neutral.

It didn’t escape her that Az bypassed stating his name out loud completely.

“I received notice that you were going to be receiving a visitor tonight and I wanted to check in when you didn’t answer my call.”

“I keep my phone on silent when I’m with my wife. But, yes, we got an unexpected visitor tonight.”

Ruhn pushed himself off the wall, stepping closer to them. “What did he want?”

Azriel shrugged. “To make a statement, I suppose. He didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know. I think he just wanted to try and get a rise out of me. And get close to Elain.” He tugged her hand, bringing her to his side, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Where were you?”

The other man slid his hands into his pockets. “I was following Elias. He had a few of the lower ranks with him.”

She didn’t like the way Az’s brows furrowed.

“What’s he up to?”

Ruhn shrugged. “I can’t figure it out. But I doubt it’s any good. I’m just waiting for word to get up there that he’s snagged a few younglings.”  

“How young are they?” Elain asked before she could think better of it.

Those dark blue eyes looked at her. “Early twenties, thankfully. I was concerned he’d go after the teens.”

Her brows raised. “He has teens in his crew?” she questioned, keeping her voice low.

Azriel’s thumb swiped over her knuckles. “Unfortunately. I’ve refused them that young but my brother thinks kids are expendable.”

Elain couldn’t stop the shiver, feeling her stomach churn with nausea. She had always sought the good in people; believed people could be redeemed with the right motivation. But she was beginning to think that neither Frankie nor Nicklaus had any redemption qualities in their souls.

“We’ll figure it out,” Az said, though she wasn’t sure if it was more for himself than the rest of them.

And that was concerning for her.

~~~

It had been just over two weeks since she returned from her honeymoon and she was going through the motions.

As the resident attending, she had quite a bit to take care of upon her return, and she had been on top of it. But now…she felt like she was underwater and couldn’t focus.

Which was not a good thing considering she was assisting Thesan with a complicated surgery, giving the new residents the ins and outs. It was a long procedure, having spent nine hours in the operating room already.

Elain’s head was dizzy, vision blackening at the edges. She knew she should’ve taken a break when Thesan asked her—he must’ve been able to see the exhaustion on her face. But she wouldn’t let herself be coddled, even if nobody knew the reason why she was so tired.

However, when her eyes fogged over completely, Elain knew she had fucked up in not taking advantage of the break she was offered. “Take the forceps,” she told the resident working across from her.

Stunned, the young female did what she said, just before Elain’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed onto the floor of the operating room.

~~~

When consciousness tugged at her mind, the first thing Elain realized was that everything ached. Her head, her hips, her legs. Her body felt unnaturally weak, and she knew it was because she hadn’t eaten enough that day. Fuck, she was so damn tired. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the harsh, fluorescent lighting.

“Elain,” came a relieved voice.

She twisted her head to the other side, finding Viviane sitting on the edge of her hospital bed. Too many emotions flashed across her friend’s face to be able to decipher, though worry was at the forefront of the list.

“Oh, thank god,” she breathed, placing her pale hand on Elain’s covered thigh. “You’ve been out for almost half an hour.”

Groaning, she sat up in bed. “What happened?” she asked, wincing as her head spun dizzyingly.

Viviane stood up, arms crossing in a way that told her she was about to get a scolding.

Oh, shit…

“You collapsed, Elain. In the middle of surgery! You’re very lucky one of your residents was standing behind you and caught you before your head hit the ground.” Briefly, she wondered which resident it was, but saved that question for later. Not when she saw the nurse’s face soften, knowingly. “Ellie,” she started in a hushed whisper, “did you know you were pregnant?”

For a moment, it seemed like the world paused as it waited for her answer; as Viv waited. Yes—yes, she knew she was pregnant. Had known since Monday and was still trying to wrap her head around it. Finally, she sighed, unable to meet her friend’s gaze, and looked down at her tangled fingers in her lap. “I know,” she whispered.

It was the first time she had admitted it to herself out loud and she felt the weight of that secret lift off her chest.

There was a pregnant pause before Viviane asked, “Does Azriel know?”

They’d only been married for almost two months and Elain had already fucked up. How she managed to not realize her birth control shot that was scheduled the week of her wedding was already the last week in the timeline she had to get it was beyond her. So, when she came in for her postponed appointment on Monday, having rescheduled it a second time like an idiot and realizing how late she was in getting the dosage, she had to get a pregnancy test.

The shock she felt that day still hadn’t completely worn off.

She shook her head, finally answering her friend. “No, I haven’t told him yet.” Truthfully, she was scared to. Not because she thought he’d react badly, but because they’d never even remotely toed the line about whether they wanted to have kids, and frankly, she was concerned he didn’t.

Elain whipped her head to look back up at the head nurse, eyes wide with fear. “Viv, I need you to keep this between us. I’m not ready for everyone to know yet and I still haven’t even talked to Az about it yet.”

Her friend pursed her lips. “Well, you might want to figure out how to tell him soon.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You didn’t call him, did you?” At Viv’s silence, she pushed, “Viviane, please tell me you did not call my husband.”

“What did you want me to do, Elain?” she snapped. “You collapsed in surgery! Thesan was worried sick! Of course, we’re going to call your hus—”

“Where is my wife?” came that deep, panicked voice that Elain knew all too well.

“In—in there, sir.”

Footsteps sounded and then he appeared, all six-foot-four, still stressed to the nines of him. The worry on his face made her chest ache. “Elain,” he breathed, rushing around Viv who stepped out of his way and to her side. He cupped her face between his palms, kissing her gently on the forehead before taking a seat on her bed. “Love,” he murmured in such a heartbreaking manner that she nearly burst into tears. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll give you two a minute,” Viviane said quietly, closing the door behind her as she left.

Azriel let his thumb skim across her cheek. “What’s going on?”

She tugged her head from her hands, feeling like she couldn’t bear to let him touch her while she harbored this secret from him. Even though she knew it was time, her gut churned with anxiety. “I’m fine. They really shouldn’t have called you.”

His brow furrowed in confusion and hurt at her distancing herself. “Elain, you collapsed in surgery. And you’ve been acting odd for the last few days.” He paused, looking at her closing. His gaze felt like a brand on her skin. “I was hoping you would talk to me without me having to ask, but now I’m asking.”

The pain in his voice nearly made her flinch. She looked down at her hands, taking a slow, steady breath. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered so lowly, that Elain wasn’t even sure he could hear it. They sat in the silence of her confession until she finally dared to look at his face.

His eyes were searching her, mouth slightly parted in what she could only describe as shock.

“Say something, please.”

He swallowed, throat working with the movement. “I’m trying to determine if you’re happy about this or not…” the uncertainty clear in his voice. “Elain, do you want to have a baby?”

Her throat ached and there was nothing she could do to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Do you?” she asked pathetically as she sniffed.

Az gapped at her. “Is that what this is about? You think I don’t want to have this baby?”

She wiped under her nose with the back of her hand. “I know it’s early for us; I mean, we’ve only been married for a month and a half…And I know you didn’t have the best childhood. I just—” she sniffed again. “I just wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to have kids.”

Azriel moved then, sitting further up on her bed so he could pull her into his chest. His large hand threaded through her hair to cradle the back of her head and tipped it up towards him. He pressed his lips against her forehead. “I’ll admit the timing could be better, that I wanted to share a bit more with you before we had a family. But I would be honored if you had my children, Elain.” His hands slid to cup her face again, thumbs brushing away her tears.

“You’ve never mentioned kids before,” she said, needing to understand why they had never had this conversation until now.

He smiled sheepishly. “To be honest, I was waiting for you to bring it up. I didn’t want you to feel pressured into having kids. I know how hard you’ve worked for your career, El, and I’m so proud of you…I didn’t want you to think I was asking you to stop.”

Elain huffed an exasperated laugh, feeling utterly ridiculous about the whole situation. Having a family had seemed like a distant dream after what Gray—her ex had done to her. “I feel really silly for not bringing this up before we got married,” she said, earning a small chuckle from him. “You really want to have a baby?”

His lips curled up in the corner. “Elain, I don’t think you can comprehend the gravity of my desire to get you pregnant. To have you carry my child. To see you waddling around like a cute duck—”

“I don’t waddle,” she huffed.

Azriel’s smile was like a bright, shining beacon of hope and beauty. “You will.” He paused, seeming to collect his thoughts. “That is if you want to have this baby too. I will support any decision you make; you know that.”

She let out a breath of relief because the truth of the matter was that she did want this baby. Elain wanted nothing more than to have his child. “I’m scared,” she admitted. It wasn’t a lie. Though she was excited for this next chapter with him, there were a few things that worried her, as many expecting mothers go through.

He kissed her sweetly as if he thought she might break beneath his fingertips. “I am too,” he told her. “But we’ll figure it out. Like we always do.”

Her arms went around his neck as she clung to him. When she pulled away, his hand drifted down to her still-flat belly. There was an awe in his eyes that made her chest ache with love.

“Hi baby,” he whispered, leaning down towards her stomach. “I’m your daddy.” His soft kiss on her tummy had her damn hormones in overdrive.

She let out a strangled sound that had Azriel looking back at her face with worry. But Elain just tugged him into her arms and let his embrace soothe her. “Sorry—I just wasn’t expecting that,” she offered as an explanation.

His fingers brushed stray tears from her cheeks. “You don’t need to apologize, love. I know this is going to be an adjustment, but I don’t have a single doubt in my mind that we can do this…If you want to, that is.”

Elain realized she hadn’t answered his question before, and he needed to hear her say the words. Though it was clear he wanted this baby, he was still letting her make the decision. And for that, she somehow managed to fall in love with him even more. “I want to be a family,” she said, watching the way the hope in his amber eyes shone like golden rays of sunshine. “You, me,” she told him, bringing her hand up to cradle her stomach. “And this baby.”

The relief she read on his face made every doubt, every fear evaporate. Because he was right, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do together.

He kissed her again, once, twice, three times. “We’re going to have a baby,” he whispered against her lips.

Elain let out an airy giggle. “I’m so happy, Azriel. You have made me so happy.”

His fingers stroked her cheek; brushed her loose hair behind her ear. “You’ve made me happier than I could ever dream of. I am so incredibly lucky to call you my wife and the mother of my children.”

“I love you, my husband,” she breathed, lips closing the distance between them.

“I love you more, my wife,” he said back, the words tattooing on the very essence of her soul as they embarked on a new path in their lives together.

~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

While I have moved these fics to AO3 only, I am still going to utilize a tag list here on Tumblr. This as a permanent solution and may change in the future. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3. If you would like to be added to my tag list, please leave a comment on this post.

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Taglist: 

@nikethestatue

@reverie-tales

@123moiaussi

@duskwhisperer

@zdenkah

@nyxreads

@shedoessoshedoes

@athena-85

@jasmineandshadows

@nightcourtseer

@nivem565

@debramclaren

@illyrianvalkyriecarynthian

@secretpuppyflower

@justreallybored

@ultadverb

@the-regal-warrior

@roseandshadows

@tcursebreaker

@kingravinger

@mis-lil-red

@eloeloeheheh

@fawnandshadows

@swankii-art-teacher

@miss-bee-cat

@bookhhrelaz

@impossiblescissorspeachpaper

@elrielbaby

@lesolehabitantdelalune

@thoughtsaboutshows

@britishwings

@aelin21galathynius

@saz-griffin

@azrielslight

@bookstaninthesoul

@curiositywoman

@karsyn-b2

@elainsweetcobalt

@emilyondemand

Some tags seem to not want to link, which could be related to your visibility settings. Sorry about that!

[echantedtoon]

Demon Bride Ch56 Demon's Are Strange P2

(Warnings: Douma IS his own warning. Possibly some innuendos. Mentioning of him being poisoned. Mentioning of death.

Alternate chapter name being 'Y/n Becomes Babysitter To Douma, A Mother To Three Children, And A Big Sister All In One Day'. Also Kokushibo needs reading glasses cuz I said so.

Author's Note: I don't know when Rui was turned into a demon in the original canon so for all I know he could've been way older than Tanjiro. Just for this story I'm going to say that Rui atm is 10 years old about to turn eleven and the twins are both currently 11 almost 12. Muichiro retains his optimistic personality since the traumatic incident in cannon with the demon does not happen in this particular au/timeline and Yuichiro is alive because I say so. So the ages of all the kiddos are-

Rui: 10 yrs old

Muichiro and Yuichiro: 11 yrs old 

Zohakuten: 14 yrs old)

Jade.

Older sister to Sakura and ex-possible lover of Douma. She became the head woman of the family since their mother ran away with another man seventy four years ago. Since Sakura was arrested and confined to prison nearly two months ago, their family has faced harsh ridicule and Jade and their father has tried to arrange a meeting with Douma to most likely try to talk him into releasing Sakura or at least probably lessen her punishment. But Douma refused any and all attempts at contact with them and Akaza (for his short few days of ruling in Douma's place-) had also refused after learning what happened between you and Sakura. 

And Douma had blatantly said Jade was the one responsible for your murder attempt.

Or at least he believed so. Which you had to admit, made a bit of sense. Jade was Sakura's sister and that was motive enough right there. But you also were technically engaged to Douma which was the person Jade attempted to seduce in order to gain more power, and that was the reason Sakura attempted to get rid of you in the first place. However Akaza was not going to make any accusations against her just yet. You didn't know if it was because Jade was a woman or because there technically wasn't any proof of her doing it yet, but there wasn't anything really too much to worry about. Kokushibo would be returning tomorrow and he would decide what to do about both Sakura and Jade.

There was nothing you could do about it either other than to wait and see what would happen tomorrow when Kokushibo arrived. It was only a matter of-

"MOTHER!!"

Something big jumped on your stomach and in an instant you both woke up and wheezed as all the air left your lungs. Rui excitedly jumped up and down on your futon while harshly shaking your shoulder.

"Mother! Mother! Mom, Mom, Mom!! Mother! Wake up, Mother! Wake up!!" Purple eyes blinked tiredly before a head emerged from the blankets hair all a mess as Rui smiled widely down at you. "Father's coming! Get up! Get up!"

...You groaned before flopping your head back making Rui shake you again. "Ok. Ok. I'm up."

"No you're not! You're still lying down!! Stand up!"

"Uuuuhhhh. Alright!" A hand smooshed against Rui's cheek and moved him away as you sat up. "Give me a chance to get ready."

"Hurry up! We don't have all day!" 

He crawled off your futon and headed towards his own room leaving you there... before groaning and tossing the blankets aside. Another day, another parenting Rui adventure. Sigh. With no other choice you dragged yourself out of bed and into the bathroom. A cold bath and half an hour later, you were straightening out your hair when Rui tugged on your sleeve.

"Why are you taking so lllooong?," he whined Arachnid sleeping in his arms. "I wanna go now. "

You sighed. "Rui, your whining isn't going to make Akaza show up any faster-"

KNOCK, KNOCK,KNOCK!!

Both of you turned to the door-

"Father!" You winced at how loud Rui was. The door was thrown open and Rui's excited face gasped at the figure on the other side throwing his arms up! "FATHER!! YOU'RE BACK!!"

You turned just in time to see Rui get lifted off the ground and into the air by blue fingered hands. "You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you!" Akaza smiled at the laughing boy he held. "How old are you now?"

"I'm going to be eleven in two more months!'

"Well then. I'll have to take you hunting for your birthday. We'll catch a really big buck!"

"Yes! Look!" The STILL sleeping puppy was held up to him. "I GOT A PUPPY!! SHE'S GOING TO HELP ME HUNT TIGERS!!" The puppy only yawned before flopping her head over in boredom again.

Akaza chuckled. "I'm sure she'll be a great hunting dog when she gets older. But right now you and your mother have to come with me to an important meeting today, so I'm afraid your puppy is going to have to wait here."

"Ah. Ok." Rui gave a small pout as he was out back down and looked at his puppy. "Sorry Arachnid. But Father seems to be very serious about this. You stay here and guard my toys from the maid." The pup yawned. "I knew I could count on you."

You both chuckled before Akaza looked at you with a smile. "I'm sorry for coming like this so early but Kokushibo requested both yourself and Rui comes to the meeting he's holding."

At this you looked confused. "Rui? I understand if he wants to see me, but why does Rui need to go?"

Akaza shrugged. "I'm not sure myself but if it's important enough to warrant his presence then I think he should come. Besides this will be a good chance for Rui to experience what Kizuki work is! Very educational. Education is good for children!"

You chuckled at him and nodded. "Sure. I guess that'll be good for him as long as he behaves himself."

Long story short Akaza escorted both yourself and Rui down a few hallways to a part of the Dwell you've never been to or seen before but it was certainly just as cleanly, polished, and fancy looking as the rest of the Dwell. A few servants were already walking around working and bowed as you both walked past them all. You still weren't used to that along with your new royalty status but you couldn't help that now. Rui happily was walking between you two although his face was went back to that serious blank stare he always had while looking at everyone. Probably trying to mirror Akaza's serious face as he also walked briskly. He lead you this way and that before eventually stopped in a place that..Was completely empty. Literally. It was eerily quiet and silent as you three were the only ones standing there.  No servants or anyone else in sight. Although for some reason you smelt the heavy scents of...food? Like smoked pork and sweet cakes and freshly baked bread being a few of them. Was someone cooking around here? You looked at Akaza for an answer. Akaza then held up a hand and knocked on the sliding door in front of him. For a moment there was silence and then someone on the other side spoke.

"Enter."

You recognized the deep voice instantly. The door was pushed open widely as you looked inside and Rui leaned over to peer from behind Akaza's legs. A rather large polished oak table sat there in the center of a beautifully decorated room. Fluffy pillows were stationed all around it and you found the source of the smells as you saw a large amount of food sat on top of the wooden surface. At the head of the table sat a demon with his back towards you, a purple and black coat drapped over his shoulders and a deadly katana set to his side. The head turned waving a waterfall of cascading mahogany hair and thee half lidded eyes looked at the three of you.

"I have been... expecting you all."

"Kokushibo," you politely greeted with a small bow. "It's certainly been awhile since I last saw you."

His eyes momentarily closed as he nodded his head back to you. "Yes. It has. It also seems to be.... that you have been up to.....things as well..from what I've heard." His eyes opened back up and stared at you. "Attacking Kizuki....and making quite a... ruckus of... yourself." You froze staring at him. "I will let it...all slide this...once as you didn't mean...to cause trouble...but further trouble won't be... tolerated."

"Uh..Good to know. Thanks I guess?"

"Come sit. We have much to discuss."

It was only then as you all were walking in did you notice that Kokushibo wasn't alone in the room. There was five other people in here with him. You stared at Mr. Hantengu and Zohakuten of all demons also looking confused your way, Douma sat propped up in some kind of chair pillow combo at the very end of the table away from you and waved at you. Oh. That's why you weren't annoyed by Douma's yelling from his room this morning, he still looked completely sick however. And then there was two figures that were both sat on Kokushibo's right side. You stopped cold. Purple eyes widened. 

THERE WAS TWO HUMANS SITTING AT THE TABLE.

Two very young humans. CHILDREN. Kokushibo had CHILDREN sitting next to him. They also stared at you with bright turquoise eyes and looked like they had been stuffing their faces with the food before you all walked in.  They both looked so young. They couldn't have been older than twelve tops. You three just stood there staring at one another in surprise before one of the boys scowled and turned away sharply. What were human children doing here in the Infinity Castle? You hadn't seen any other children here except for Ms. Rei. 

"Now we...shall begin this meeting." You were gently tugged into sitting down the closest to Kokushibo by Akaza right across from the two boys, and you were very aware of the way Akaza was glaring down both  Kokushibo and Douma with anger- "Akaza..You shall refrain from violence....in front of the children..'' 

Said pink demon looked angry but just scoffed again. "If we're speaking of matters that needs to be taken cared of, then who's going to be undoing everything Douma put his hands on?"

"Douma has done adequately...in running the castle...in our absence." Kokushibo paid Akaza no mind as the pink haired demon paused and Douma chuckled from the far end of the table, and picked up a few pieces of papers. All six eyes reading over the ink scribbled on them. "However...there are some concerns... with budget expenses..." his top pair of eyes looked right up to Douma and squinted. "Daily trips...to the spa? Dresses. Jewelry...Daki had unlimited access to that money."

Douma chuckled and Akaza gave a facepalm loud enough to make the children jump. "W-What can I say? I've got a weak spot f-for my favorite pupils."

"This is why I said NOT to leave him in charge," Akaza hissed with a growl straining from his mouth through clenched fangs.

Kokushibo's brow rose higher. "Amongst the expenses are...also toys, books, and other items...that you personally purchased for...a certain woman." His eyes clicked to you as you quickly turned your eyes away. "...From now on..no one but myself will have access to the Kizuki budget... unless given permission. I expect..you all to follow that. Douma..you shall fork over.. some of your own money..from your cult to make up for the full amount...Daki and yourself spent so carelessly on."

"Oh. You all are so mean to me-*COUGH COUGH*" Douma turned his head to cough his lungs out and Akaza smirked at the sight.

"On the subject of your cult...Your head priest has been informed about the.. situation and will continue to...take care of things until you are able again... However you shall remain here, until you get better...Akaza." Said demon looked at Kokushibo. "I don't like leaving my fiance...alone considering the circumstances...So for now...you will also remain in the.. Infinity Castle until our investigation is..concluded and..Douma can resume his place."

"What about our regular duties?"

"I will...split them up between the...other upper moons. Sekido and Urogi...shall assume your regular duties amongst the humans...while I dispatch Gyutaro to...keep a monitoring eye within ...the Eternal Paradise compound..."

"Ooh! What a wonderful idea! I know Gyutaro won't l-let me down!"

Kokushibo only hummed and removed the first paper to read the next. "Very well then...As for the obvious problem in the room...The investigation of the poisoning is under way...Jade has been imprisoned and held..until proven innocent."

"Don't you think you should prove she's guilty first before she's arrested?"

"She's not arrested.. she's simply being held on suspicion...Until evidence is provided then they both...shall stay there." All six eyes narrowed at Akaza. "Or would you rather risk...HER life?" Akaza froze. Looking from Kokushibo to you and giving you a long frightened look.. before deflating in defeat. "Thought as much...Now if no one else has anymore grievances about ...that particular situation...I will be addressing the reason I called the chikdren all here."

You were wondering that too. It made sense for Douma and Akaza to be here and you to an extent. But why were so many other people here? Why Rui? Why Mr. Hantengu and Zohakuten? And why these two strange young boys? Human boys at that! None of it made any sense.

"The main reason I have... called them here is because there...are important changes that will be made concerning their livelihoods." 

You then watched as his left hand left the papers to reach into his hoari coat and pull out a pair of... glasses. No. Three pairs of glasses?  No. One pair of glasses that when he nudged it, popped up a second and third pair to easily fit over his face as he simply kept staring at the papers. You've never seen such a contraption before. 

"SRK?!"

Your head turned to one of the human boys, the one whom scowled at you before, had snorted before turning his face aside. His snort was followed by a look from his brother and his shoulders lightly shaking.

"Yuichiro. Is there... something you want to say?" Kokushibo's eyes glanced at them but the boy shook his head without looking at him. "Hmm...Then let us begin." The paper was held up for him to look at closer. "The first order of business...is to address the new noble titles three of you...have gotten."

"Who?"

"He's referring to Rui." You looked at Akaza. "As you obtained a noble title by the defeat of Sakura, that title also applies to any children or spouse you have. So that would make Rui a young Lord."

Immediately Rui looked at Akaza starry eyed. "I'm royalty now?"

"That also applies to the two in front of you, but only because of their adoption by a lord-"

"Akaza...I can surely explain myself."  Akaza went silent as Kokushibo stared at him harshly. "As I was saying...There shall be two permanent... residents to the Dwell. The two before you...Are My children."

You whipped back to Kokushibo wife eyed. Children? Did he say HIS children?! But they didn't look demon at all- Oh wait. Akaza mentioned adoption right? You turned back to the boys as the older demon quickly gestured at them both before moving on.

"They'll be... staying in the Dwell until adulthood... Starting next week..They start school." Your held tilted at the boy whom still didn't look at anyone. "Grade Rank Two...Treat them as such. Zohakuten-"

"What's your name?" 

Everything. Fell. Silent 

Akaza sharply turned to you wife eyed as you DARED to interrupt Kokushibo. Hantengu whimpered ducking his head and covering his face. Douma tilted his head interested- Before coughing again. Kokushibo himself had gone eerily silent. Lowering the papers and slowly turning to stare as you happily smiled at the boys. 

"My name's Y/n," you said gesturing to yourself with a smile. "What's your name?" You asked smiling sweetly and gesturing to the boys.

The one boy whom still looked away didn't look at you but the other one did, blinking widely before speaking. " Muichiro..T-Tokito."

"Muichiro?" You giggled making him flinched as you smiled. "What a cute name! And you both have such pretty eyes!" 

"H-HUH?!" His face spotted an embarrassed pink as whom you assumed was his brother finally bothered to peek at you.

"I've never seen someone with eyes like yours. They're so pretty and they match your hair so nicely!" Both boys just...stared. Muichiro red in seeming embarrassment and his identical brother with narrowed eyes. 

"U-Um...T-Thank you. I-I've never seen someone quite look like you too. You're very pretty."

"Muichiro." The boy jumped and snapped to the other that scowled at him. "You don't even know her! Stop saying useless flatteries!" 

"I don't think they're useless." Both looked back to you and you rose a brow at the scowling one. "And you shouldn't be so rude to your brother like that." The other seemed taken aback when you called him out so bluntly. "Don't do that again. Now...What's your name?"

He gave you a frown and you were reminded of Rui whenever he pouted. "... Yuichiro. Not that it's any of your business-"

"Yuichiro."  Said boy froze as Kokushibo addressed him. "You forget your place....I brought you here to...better yourself...Do not show disrespect to my kindness...by acting disobedient and spoiled."

Yuichiro clenched his fists on his knees and frowned hard at the table but didn't say anything more. Muichiro gave his brother a worried look before he also looked down. You looked at them before at Kokushibo.

"Don't be so hard on them. They're new here, so They'll be needing some time to adjust. Children need guidance sometimes that's more than just scolding."

Kokushibo continued to stare at you half lidded thinking of something behind those eyes, before slowly nodding. "I will take your words...into consideration going forward." Both twins looked surprised at him then at one another. "As I was saying... Zohakuten. Your results from school are severely slipping... Your rank shall be stripped later this day."

"WHAT?!", the loud voice of the teenager raged as he stared at the top moon slamming his hands down on the table. "THAT'S UNREASONABLE AND YOU KNOW THAT!!"

"You are currently yelling...at someone whom could easily...defeat you. Obviously...you are not mature enough to realize that....If you can't keep up simple grades like...other children your age and showing... constant disrespect to your superiors....Then you are unfit for the position. And .. proving you are nothing but a... disgrace to not only the entire Kizuki but your family and even... yourself." The teenager instantly looked like someone slapped him...his body going limp. "Is there anything else you...want to say and shame yourself further?".... Zohakuten silently sat down and stared at the table. "At last you learn something...Douma..You shall stay stationed in the room you are in. I ...do not want anyone... getting any ideas.. while you're sickened."

You stared at Kokushibo and then at Zohakuten whom just stared at the table hard enough to almost burst it into flames. ... Before you looked back to Kokushibo. And an idea formed in your mind.

"Kokushibo." He hummed but didn't look up from the papers. "I have a question concerning the Kizuki."

"Ask."

"Will you and Akaza and...Douma have your chance to court me soon? So far you three are the only ones that haven't done so yet." 

Akaza immediately looked like he wanted to smack himself and Douma looked interested tilting his head at you. However Kokushibo nodded again without looking up still.

"Of course...Those two may do so... while they're here. I...have much work to do and ...will do it when I have time."

"Agreed! But...you promised you'd give me a proper courting gift once you got back." He paused looking up at you. Ok. You had his full attention now. "For my gift, I don't want anything physical. I want you to grant Zohakuten a second chance to prove himself." This time EVERYONE looked at you in some form of shock but you only smiled. "If he's having trouble then he needs suitable tutors. Get him some."

He continued to stare at you... before humming. "Interesting...You seem to believe my ruling is wrong."

"There's a place for discipline. But there's also a place for understanding and guidance. You can't grow a tree by just planting the seed, they need help from the rain and sun to grow a strong trunk. I doubt yourself was a natural born Kizuki without someone that helped you."

He continued to stare at you with lidded eyes before just looking back at the papers. You frowned. Did it not work-

"A few months.." You blinked. "He has until the very end of the year...to show improvement in BOTH...his attitude and schooling....And it must be both. Not just one....If he meets my expectations..by the end of the year....then he may keep his Kizuki position. Your gift....is granted."

You blinked at him.. before smiling widely and clasping your hands. "Oh thank you!!" And before Akaza could stop you, you leaned up and easily threw your arms around Kokushibo whom froze completely off guard as you hugged him tightly. AKAZA held up his hands but didn't touch you as you pressed a kiss into the multi-eyed demon's cheek. "MWAH!! YOU'RE THE BEST!!" You then let go of him and sat back and smiled.

He sat there looking at nothing in the silence as everyone else stared in shock... before he slowly reached up a hand and fixed his crooked glasses and ignored the lipstick kiss marks on his face. "Now...As I was saying...Akaza...I was informed by Rui's tutors that they want ....to have him skip a grade Rank...and settle into Rank Four next year...as he is rather intelligent for...his age...Do you and the mother wish...to do that?"

"Uh...."Golden blue eyes continued to stare at the lipstick on his cheek before slowly nodding. "Sure. That sounds great. He'll get a great bump to his education."

"Well...Sure. Only if Rui' thinks he can handle it."

"I can!" Rui threw a hand up and puffed up his chest. "I can handle anything."

Kokushibo nodded. "Then the arrangements will be made...The children and Douma will be mostly in care of the one...whom can handle them best. ...I will also make...those arrangements in the Dwell..."

You smiled proudly at yourself and patted Rui's head. Things WERE starting to look up for you all. 

Douma coughed again. "I-Is there anything else W-We need to discuss while we're here, Kokushibo-dono?"

Kokushibo turned to the last page. "Ah yes...The new system in place ...for keeping out anymore...human brides from the Eastern mountain border."

....This might be a long night after all.

The meeting went on for another two and a half hours as you sat there and ate until Kokushibo FINALLY called the meeting to an end going on about some kind of system to distribute water to a certain irrigation system on the human plain. Something about farmers needing it in some drought? You weren't sure. The first thing Akaza did was pick up Rui whom laughed and held him with one arm.

"Now that I'm off work, what do you wanna do?"

"Come play with me!," Rui excited tugged on him, "I can show you my new toys!"

"Ah. So that's where the toy expenses went." You embarrassly covered your face as a strong arm wrapped around your shoulders. "Come on. It'll be nice to have you both around me once more."

"Akaza-dono!! Don't I get to come too!?"

"You're only going back where Nakime sends you!! The last thing I need is you giving Rui any ideas!'

"Boo. You wound me so- *COUGH COUGH*"

You sighed as Akaza steered you away from the room and could only wonder if Akaza remembered that Douma was literally right across from you. With the day coming to a close Akaza spent what was left of it just sitting down and allowing Rui to babble on and show him the multiple toys he'd gotten overtime before insisting on Rui go to bed and just leaving but not before praising you and in turning you giving him a massive kiss leaving him with a red lips and lovestruck smile as he left making you giggle. However there was some sort of peace now. Only now there was a few more problems loomed in the background which you wouldn't find out until the next morning-

"YYYYYYY/NNNNNNN!!!!!" Purple eyes blinked open as a shrill cry left the air. "HEEEEELP MEEEE!! I CAN'T GET ANY FOOOOD!!!"

And so on and so forth until you dragged yourself out of bed and out into the hall where you found a tray with a large amount of food just left in front of Douma's door...which you opened and found Douma sitting there 'happily' smiled at you. 

"My darling! Thank goodness you answered my pleas for help! I was helplessly sitting here without anything else to eat." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "How tragic."

"Why didn't they just bring it in to you?," you asked annoyed leaning down to pick up the slightly heavy tray, "You're too weak to walk still."

"Oh. Well they're afraid to catch my illness so they made arrangements for you to care for me.~" he smirked and you blinked... before scowling.

"What?! I didn't agree to this!'' You marched in and just harshly sat the tray down in the blonde Demon's lap as he chuckled. "When did everyone decide I would be your sitter?!"

"Since Kokushibo assured them it would be alright to have you help if they or I needed it.". 

Your eyes widened before they narrowed. "Of course he would. Ugh!" You facepalmed and grumbled. "I'll need to have a talk with him later."

"Well he did say we'd be able to court you while we're here." A book was shoved at you and he smiled wider. "Why don't you read to me some more while you're here? After all we're going to spend a lot of time together."

You deadpanned before grabbing the book from his hand and pointed it at him. "I'll make sure you regret this."

He chuckled- Which turned into another round of coughing and him pounding his chest. This was going to be a long day.

"Also I've noticed that out of everyone that's courting you, I-Im the only one who hasn't gotten a kiss." A glass shattering sound went off in your head. "So may I kiss you?"

"...What?!"

"May I kiss you please?"

You deadpanned again. "Oh. Of cccoooouurrsse."

"Really?!"

"No!" You firmly say down just outside of his reach and opened the book. "Now be silent and keep your voice down or I'll leave. Eat your food and be quiet."

"Feisty this morning aren't we?"

"Only when you're involved. Now where was I?" Your eyes scanned the pages until you reached where you last left off. "Oh yes. The darkness of the night hugged her close as she-"

BANG!!

You yelped and fell over in fright as the sliding door slammed open with a woman and man standing there panting and teary eyed and clinging to the door hard enough to leave claw marks in the wood. 

The woman stared right at Douma... before letting her eyes go more teary and whining louder. "DDDOOOOUUUMMMAAAA!!!"

"Oh Daki. My sweet, beautiful child." He smiled at the two visitors he received and held his arms out. "Aw. Don't cry. I'm alright." Daki's response was to whine louder and instantly go to hug the older demon. Douma patting her back as she messily sniffled and ugly cried into his shoulder. "Oh Gyutaro. You're here too! I always knew you had a soft spot for dear old men.~"

"Uh...Yeah. Here." A random handful of flowers was just dropped on Douma's legs. "Get better soon...and stuff." It was then that a familiar green haired demon looked at your deadpanned face staring at the ceiling. "What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

"Admiring the ceiling." You then sat up onto your elbows to look at Gyutaro. "What are you two doing here? I thought you guys were doing stuff for Kokushibo."

Gyutaro grunted. "Was. Came as soon as someone told us someone was sick." He must've been referring to Kokushibo telling Gyutaro what to do with Douma sick. "Didn't know you'd be here too."

"Yeah. Someone has to look after the giant baby. Nice of you to drop by though."

"We're not staying for long. Too much work to do. I'll wait until my sister's done crying."

You glanced at Douma half hugging half patting Daki's crying head. "How long will that take?"

"No idea."

It was a long day after all. It was almost forever waiting for Daki to stop crying and eventually Gyutaro had to rip off his sister and throw her over his shoulder to leave as work couldn't wait, and they only stopped by briefly to make sure Douma would be alright. It was actually kinda sweet of them. However Douma would not be less annoying. Half the time he babbled your head off with useless topics and half the other time he just dead ass stared at you and no where else. It was creepy. You were finally able to leave with the excuse Rui would be home from school soon.

"YYYY/NNNN!!! I'M BBBBOOOORRRDDD!!", He whined as you stood in the doorway with a blank face. "I'm sorry I called you my little wife. I just wanted attention!"

"And how many times did you call me your wife despite us barely being engaged?"

"Twenty seven!," he happily chirped. Your answer was to just close the door in his face. "Y/N?!" 

''JUST READ ONE OF THE BOOKS I GAVE YOU!!"

'YYYYY/NNNNN-"

"WHAT?!"

"You didn't say good night!~"

"UUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!!!" You glared at the door as he laughed before starting another coughing fit before turning around and stamping off across the hall to your room. Not even bothering to knock on it, you just threw it open. And paused as four pairs of eyes stared back at you. "...Akaza?"

Said linked haired demon stared at you from his criss crossed position on the floor and surrounding him was Rui and the two twins you had seen just the other day. In their hands were papers and books. And what looked like the remains of a dinner. All of them stared at you and Akaza raised a hand in the middle of drinking something.

"Hey. Was wondering when you would get back. How's the baby?"

"Um... Douma's fine. What are all of you doing here?"

"Watching the children as they study. I would've gone to fetch you.." A few veins popped up along his arm as he restrained himself not to outright rage in front of the young children. "But Kokushibo said that I'm not to interfere with Douma's courting of you. He wants you to chose without outside persuasion."

"Oh. Well that's kind of him." Speaking of Kokushibo, you needed to have a talk with him later. "How's the studying going?...And why are Kokushibo's children here?"

"Fine. All three children are rather clever.  Kokushibo is unable to tend to them right now and is tending to things in the Master's place, so I took the liberty of looking out for them while I remain here."

You smiled at him. Aw! That was so cute of him! "That's so nice of you!" You then tilted your head at Muichiro. "And how are you two doing?"

He smiled and nodded. He looked so sweet smiling. "Your son showed us his puppy! She's very sweet!"

"Just you wait! Once Arachnid is old enough to not need anymore puppy naps, Father and I are going to train her to be a hunting dog!," Rui exclaimed with a determined face, "I plan on getting lots of big game! Aren't we father?"

Akaza chuckled as Rui looked at him. "Absolutely. But not until you're a little stronger. Next year I'm going to start training you. You'll learn how to fight and use your demon arts with perfection."

"Wow." Muichiro was practically staring starry eyed at them both. "We train too!" He happily exclaimed holding up his hands. "He's been training us on how to use swords since we were seven! He says soon we'll be able to learn a breathing technique like him or another one of his students!"

Breathing technique?...Does he mean like the one Kaigaku was able to weild? Did Kokushibo also posses the ability to use breathing techniques? You've only seen a few people able to use the special abilities some warriors use to fight against one another and others. Kaigaku was the only demon you knew that could utilize such a skill. You'd definitely have to speak to Kokushibo.

"Hmph. He spends so much time with his duties and training us, that we barely get to do anything else with our lives," Yuichiro spoke with a sour expression. "The only reason why we're even here is because he said we need an education on top of training!  As is we don't have enough to worry about!"

You gave Yuichiro a curious look as he just scowled down at his books.. before an idea popped into your mind. "Hm. Well ...You all get a day off in three days from school, and I know a really cool looking toy store nearby." Both boys looked at you although Yuichiro was slower to turn his head to you. "Or a bookstore if you'd rather read, and this a few places outside the Infinity Castle like a big meadow with a pond or an entire mountain side of cherry blossoms. If you boys can keep your grades up and behave then I'll start taking you both and Rui there with me! What do you think?"

Both twins stared at you then at each other but Rui was instant in his reaction. "Yes! I want to go fishing again without that green eyed pervert bothering us!!"

"I've always wanted to visit one of those places!" Muichiro practically lit up like a bright candle. 

"Hmph. ...Fine. But it's not like I asked." Yuichiro mumbled nudging a page over. 

"Then it's settled. I'll take you all to see some cherry blossoms soon!"

"This is going to be great!" Muichiro looked at you brightly. "I knew I was right when you'd be a great mother!"

"*CHOKE* PFFFFTTTT?!"

"That's disgusting!!," Yuichiro yelled out as Akaza choked and spat out his drink.

Akaza proceeded to pound his fist against his chest and went into a coughing fit. You stared jaw dropped in shock. Douma loudly laughed from a room over. Yuichiro stared in disgust where Akaza spat as Muichiro stared happily. And Rui stared in awe at Muichiro before throwing his hands up.

"I FINALLY HAVE BROTHERS!!"

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

The air was getting oddly warmer and he wasn't sure he liked that or not. He often didn't even feel warm just a dull numbing cold. The cold usually didn't bother him either. In fact he relished it very much. His senses were also dulled to a very uncomfortable degree. He couldn't sense figures from fair away anymore and he often felt his ears and nose was clogged like being underwater only not and being light headed. And he discovered a very good observation.

BEING SICK SUCKED!! 

And even his best friend wouldn't visit him. Boo. At least his little prodigies were so kind enough to visit him. Speaking of visitors-

"My senses might be dulled, but I can still sense you.~" Rainbow irises turned to stare at six eyes and smiled widely. "Im so happy you decided to visit me, Kokushibo-dono."

"Still your tongue." A menacing figure walked from around his left and into view beside him. "Your body is.... starting to recover already."

"Oh yes! Two days ago I couldn't feel my legs, but now not only can I feel them I can also move them now..*cough cough cough*....Oh. Excuse me. My lungs still burn when I breathe."

"Hmm...Do not... attempt to walk just yet. You need to still... heal a great deal."

"Will do!" He held a hand up. "But what brings you to visit me so late at night? Akaza-dono mentioned that you were very busy."

"I'm contemplating something but need....your confirmation on a few details...to make a decision." Douma tilted his head with a curious 'oh' leaving his mouth as he stared at him as glassy eyed as a goldfish. "What did the woman do to warrant....you visiting her that first time?"

"Oh you must mean Sakura!" He happily nodded. "Well for whatever reason she had gotten it into her pretty head that it would be a good idea to challenge our darling little lotus and not only that, but attacked my sweet little Daki as well. *sigh* You should've seen the poor dear so distressed. Of course I only let Sakura off with a warning!  After all girls will be girls and petty arguments happen, but then she tried to off our darling when she confronted her. Naturally as the caring person I am, I was going to let her go find her own eternal paradise... Bbbbuuutt Darling convinced me to arrest her instead and leave her to you to deal with."

"And of her...sister?"

"Oh now THAT'S a much more boring tale." Douma waved him off with a few coughs. "Didn't show much emotion. Very cold woman that one. Never would've worked between us as she insulted my sweet Daki's capabilities. That is all I needs to know to make my decision. Why do you ask me of the sisters?"

"The one whom had those....flowers delivered to the Dwell...was a human florist on the surface...A servant of their...house placed the order thinking it... wouldn't be traced to them...If not directly by them."

"Oh I see. Jade paid off a servant to deliver the poison from an outside source. Very clever."

"Could she be... capable of doing that?"

"Jade? Without a doubt. She's definitely clever enough and would definitely do that on her sister's behalf." His head tilted more. "What are you thinking about now?"

"....Treason... attempted murder of someone whom is...off limits....Attacks on the Kizuki...poisoning.... Illegal possession of wysteria and a love potion... destruction of the Infinity Castle....My choice is clear...I shall contact Lower Moon Three and inform Hairou that...they shall both be executed immediately."

Douma hummed brows rising. "Would that be for the crimes they committed? Or... because of a certain lady?~"

"....My statement stands....Get well and back to your duties."

[capybaraonabicycle]

Trick-or-treat!

Hiii! Lovely trick or treater <3

I really have like 0 time, so you get an entirely unedited, quickly written piece of Holloweane angst. Because it is their day <3

Enjoy!

Rating: Teen

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Game of Truth or Dare that involves people being dared to kiss someone else

Characters: Miss Holloway, Duke, Webby, Ethan, Lex, Hannah

Words: ~550

This is sort of related to my fic Walk in the Witchwood, in case you want context :)

“I dare you to kiss Duke” Bathrobe-Webby said and the joyous laughter died down.

“Webby” Miss Holloway said somberly, shaking her head ever so slightly. This was a terrible idea and her friend knew it.

“Rules are rules” Ethan pointed out. “You should have chosen 'truth' for once, Miss Holloway.”

Miss Holloway glared, not at him but at Webby, the only one who knew why she had never chosen 'truth' in the entire game.

“What?” Ethan defended himself and Miss Holloway realised someone else – probably Lex – must have glared at him in her stead. “You all can't deny you aren't a tiny bit curious about her? She never talks about herself.”

Oh, yes, I do, Ethan, she thought. I have told you things you wouldn't believe if you remembered them.

“Rules are rules, but it's not Duke's turn” she said aloud. “I don't want to drag him into this.”

Duke took her hand, pressing gently. Finally, she dared to look at him and his open, enarmoured gaze constricted her heart. Like it always did.

“I'm okay with this, Miss Holloway” he said earnestly. “I trust you. You're my best friend.”

And you're mine.

It didn't matter whether she said it out loud, Webby would be the only one to remember hearing it anyway.

Hannah was watching her uncertainly and Miss Holloway knew she was trying to determine whether she should call Webby back. It touched her that the young girl was looking out for her, but she could fight her own battles.

“Are you going to kiss now or do we move on?” Lex asked. “I really don't care either way but this is starting to drag.”

“You don't have to, Miss Holloway” Duke said. “It's just a game.”

But you want to.

Miss Holloway was almost sure noone else had heard Webby speak. Except Hannah, maybe.

I want a lot of things I can't have.

Then take this one opportunity.

Webby was good at sounding seductive, that was no news. It was news that she was forcing about her happiness with Duke, though. Happiness, and pain of course. There was no distance between those feelings anymore in Miss Holloway's life.

“It's alright.” Miss Holloway weaved her fingers through Duke's, turning to face him properly.

She could see his pupils dilating as she went in, just before their eyes closed. Their lips met, soft, gentle, slow. Her hand wandered to the back of his neck while he was still gathering his bearings. It was painful how much more familiar she was with this situation than him.

They separated among cheers.

“Now that was some kiss” Ethan hollered.

Miss Holloway drew out the moment, her hand wandering to Duke's cheek, caressing it with her thumb. He would not remember this, never could remember this. A kiss like this – any kiss between them – told him so much about her and hence, we would never be able to retain it.

Already now she could see him forgetting how tender she had been, how familiar. In a few seconds, he would be convinced it had just been that: An innocent kiss for a party game. Tomorrow, he would not even remember it happening.

She turned away before her heart broke.

“Let's get a shift on,” she said, cheerfully as she could, reaching for the bottle to spin. “I want to make someone lick that doorknob.”

Thank you for reading!