#what? you think you're expendable and won't he be here for long? jokes on you baby you're a part of my forged family now

[housederiva]

Lucanis get over here, we gotta have a conversation real quick

[luveline]

would you be willing to do palm kisses for zombie au? holding hands during a stressful situation and palm kisses? i just really the world you built for the zombie au and hope this is something worthy of your writing energy.

hi!!! thank you sm for your request, hope this is OK! tw general apocalypse hardship + r falls n cuts her head ♥︎ fem!reader

There are people hunting you. 

At first, you and Steve can't really believe it. You're on a steady course toward the city after a couple of weeks scraping together food, looking for any sign at all of civilization. Of his friends. 

You've told Steve too many times that you'll follow where he goes, no matter what, for as long as he can stand you. And at first he'd joked that might not be very long. These days he just squeezes your hand or your arm or your shoulder and says, "Forever, then." 

It happens too often, the sound of a gunshot that travels, smoke from a campfire not far behind. You and Steve are on the same page about it — whether friend or foe, you have to be careful. Letting your guard down now would be the stupid thing to do. You've survived for months now together, through hordes of zombies and unfortunate accidents, the time you got locked into a walk-in freezer with a zombie, and the time you fell ten feet through the floor of a dilapidated townhouse and survived the concussion from hell. Wasting all these second chances to try and broker contact with whoever it is that's following you would be childish. 

Steve holds out his hand to help you over a ditch. Seemingly man-made, though it could've been a tributary run dry. 

"Careful," he says, smiling, "it's slippery." 

"Don't let me fall." 

"No, I won't," he assures you, offering his second hand as you step across. You take it and he pulls you over, making one of his happier sounds. 

You could communicate through sounds alone with him now. At first, Steve hadn't spoken much. Shell-shock, you'd summarised. He was agitated, angry, and scared, though he the latter well. He was trying his best to get you both through circumstances nobody has ever had to go through, and you'll admit you were more of a burden than a help at first, so you won't blame him for being so stressed. You've learned a lot now, how to defend yourself and how to defend him.

His sounds continue and you translate as best as you can. This one's pleased. It's practically a well done.

"Do you think we should zig zag again?" you ask. 

"You read my mind." He pulls the strap of your backpack into place over your shoulder and starts to walk again, your fingers intertwined, joined hands a tether. "I think… Maybe it would be a good idea to find somewhere to hide."

"We don't know if these creeps are watching us. What if we hide and they box us in?" 

Steve's grip on your hand tightens. "I don't like being out here. The cold will kill us before they do." 

He's right. And you're right too. The cold will kill you, and whoever it is that's expending the incredible effort it is to follow you around will probably kill you too if they find you. You've done well in evading by keeping strict time, sleeping for only a handful of hours before you're on the run again, but you can't cover your tracks well. The campfire at night gives you away, yet without it you'll freeze to death. 

You're fucking terrified. Steve hasn't shown it, but you figure he must be too. What could it be worth to follow you like this? You're only two people. 

You bite your cheek hard and wince, startled at your own thoughts. What could you be worth? Beyond your packs, all you have are your bodies. A sinkhole opens beneath you and swallows you whole, a thousand scary visions flashing quick like pictures on a projector. They want to hurt you. They must. And there are a lot of ways to do it. 

"Maybe we should hide," you say quietly. 

Steve rubs the back of your hand with his thumb. "Whatever we do, we just gotta be smarter about it than they are. Every night we practically lead them to us with the fire, so. If we get inside, we won't need that, but-" He looks forward toward the horizon, where you can just barely make out the shadowy impressions of buildings at the end of the highway. "I don't think we're gonna get there any time soon." 

Like he can feel your anxiety, he adds, "They're slowed down by all the same stuff as us. That's not gonna change. Maybe a geek'll do us a favour and eat them before-" He drops off. 

"Before what?"

You're side by side now. He turns his face to yours. "I don't know. Before we run into bad luck, I guess." 

You walk in silence for a few seconds, and then you nod and swing his hand. "Bad luck, us?" 

"My sarcasm is corrupting you." 

Sarcasm, maybe. You jinx yourselves. 

Steve is clearing a place for the night. There's not much you can do besides sweep aside the bigger twigs and lay your tarp to try to cut the cold. Now that you're comfortable practically climbing on top of one another every night you're warmer, but the earth soaks up cold, and it's unforgiving. 

You don't know how it happens, how they manage to catch up, but suddenly there's laughter from not far away, and it isn't the fun kind. Far from Steve's light and bubbly chuckle or your own loud, clumsy giggling, this laugh is cruel. This laugh is winning. 

Steve doesn't even stop to roll up the tarp. A branch snaps like a firework through the trees and you both flinch to one another. He takes your hand. 

"We're gonna run," he says, more calmly than you'd expect from him. 

You run. Rucksacks pulled tight to your bodies, linked by trembling fingers curled aching around each others, you run through the trees. The sun sinks low toward the horizon and through the silhouette of the city like a drunken lover coming home; slowly, so slowly, a wobbling egg yolk dripping down, and then it's fallen to the floor and disappeared in a queasy flash.

You can see enough to race around trees, up slopes, enough to see the highway a couple hundred yards to the right, and to see Steve's hand in yours swinging in front of you both as you sprint. His breaths come loud, gasping, and you realise you should be taking bigger breaths too as a stitch starts to form. You run through it, you don't mention it, horrified at the idea of stopping even for a second. 

Each step burns, and the heavy weight of your pack digs into your shoulders. The light fades more and more and soon you feel like you and Steve are stumbling blind, wondering how much longer you can last. You'd never have thought before all of this that your endurance would stretch so far, but the difference sometimes between life and death is the strength to keep running. 

You trip on a tree root and tumble forward, going fast enough to feel your feet leave the ground. Your breath catches, any air that had managed to sink into your desperate lungs punching out of you instantly. 

"You're okay," Steve says quickly, though he can't know. "You're okay." His hand hook under your armpits and he drags your shaking body behind the too-skinny trunk of a tree, the roots you'd tripped on like ice under your thighs. 

You try to look at him and find yourself blind in one eye. 

"Steve," you say pathetically, hand flying to your face. 

"Shh, shh," he shushes, a distinct trembling in his voice. "It's okay. You're okay." 

"My eye-" 

He holds his hand over your mouth. You pant through your nose and squirm, but he only presses down harder, so hard your teeth hurt. 

"I'm sorry," he pleads desperately, a whisper, "I'm so sorry, you need to be quiet." 

You whimper into his palm. 

"You're bleeding," he whispers. He opens his mouth to continue but stops, head tilted to one side, listening. When he doesn't hear anything, he continues, "You're bleeding from a cut on your forehead. It's in your eye. It's-" He swallows hard. "It's all over you." 

His hand softens. 

"You need to whisper," he says. 

You nod. He pulls his hand away. 

Words won't come. You're shaking hard, teeth clicking together, and Steve is touching you. His hands at your neck, his thumb wiping blood away from your mouth. He pulls you away from the tree so he can dig in your bag for the first aid kid, a shoddy, near barren plastic case. 

He tries to open it and it's too dark. It's so dark, and the bleeding won't stop, blood heaving down your face in a bumping stream to your collar. 

"I'm- I'm gonna-" Steve's hands are not steady. "I'm gonna wipe your face, and- fuck." 

Your chest is moving erratically. You both need to calm down. You need to be quick. What's the best way to make him — make you both — focus? 

You take his hand, the one that isn't covered in blood, and bring it to your lips. You kiss him weakly at first, better on your second attempt. 

"It's okay," you say. 

He drops his forehead against the back of his hand briefly. 

"It's okay, Stevie," you say, lips moving against the lines of his palm. His lifeline, his loveline. 

He takes a deep breath. "Shit," he mumbles, sitting back on his knees again. 

"I don't think they followed us," you whisper. 

He cups your face. "I don't think they could. We were fast." 

You laugh and abruptly close your mouth to stifle it. 

In the dark like this, the only light the slim trimmings of the moon, Steve looks at you like you're everything. Awed, and undoubtedly afraid, he takes a few seconds to recalibrate and then he gets to work. Wipes your oozing cut with a winning apology, and then unclips the torch from his belt to shine at it assessingly. 

You keen when he shines it in your eyes. 

"Open your eyes, honey," he says, pet name a warmth that cuts through the creeping cold and lingering panic, "Wanna see if you're concussed." 

He finishes his assessment and bandages you up. It's a haphazard job and you don't have any disinfectant. "It'll be alright. I'll make it alright, we'll- we'll see how it heals, and we'll go looking for something if we need to. It's not too big."

Adrenaline rush is the worst crash. 

Exhausted, overwhelmed, Steve drops his face into the crook of your neck and pulls your face toward his carefully, kneeling between your open legs. You pull them up and lock him in with your knees, hurting all over. 

"That was so fucking scary," you say. 

He pats the back of your head. "Yeah. Yeah. It was." 

That's enough for a while. 

Every sound makes you jump. Steve disentangles from you only to search the sky for smoke, and he folds back into your arms with a relieved huff. "Fire to the east. It looks… I don't know. Far." 

"Maybe tonight we should just…freeze." 

He rubs his scratchy face into your neck. "We won't freeze." 

Steve insists you sleep between his legs. You swap places, and he crosses his arms over your tummy, hands tucked intertwined with his into your pockets. You don't have to ask who's sleeping first because it's always you, and you won't waste time. You turn your face away from his chest and kiss his bicep, or rather the coat and sweater and long sleeve tee that covers it. 

When he wakes you up in the twilight hours, it's with great news. 

"I think they gave up on us. I heard, uh, some friendly fire." 

"No way. They killed each other?" 

He grins at you. "I don't know for sure, but- it sounded like it. The campfire's out, too." 

Steve takes his turn to sleep. You wake him when the sun rises, and the next night you search the sky for smoke and find none. Whoever it is that's hunting for you, they've stopped. 

"I think we're more than safe to light a fire tonight. Which is awesome. I think my ass has hypothermia," Steve says, thigh to thigh with a handful of your knee.  

You beam, hand skirting dangerously low on his back. "Wan' me to check?" 

"Pervert. Finish your dinner." 

Dinner is half an apple and four big sips of water. With every jaw movement your new cut pulls. You can barely feel it, euphoric to be flirting with him, alive and well and warmed by a huge celebratory fire.

—

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[pascaloverx]

Hit The Road

Chapter Four

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Summary: You are a hunter of supernatural beings who is forced to experience a new reality: being a vampire. The only thing stronger than your thirst for blood is your thirst for revenge.

Author's note: the characters mentioned here were created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name by author L. J. Smith. They don't belong to me. That said, this fanfic will be short. This fanfic may address scenes of violence, inappropriate language and adult content. Minors should not interact with this story.

Waking up dizzy in an unfamiliar room wasn't something you expected. Yet, there was a strange sense of déjà vu lingering in the air, as if you've been in this room before. Something felt oddly familiar, whether it was the irresistibly soft bed tempting you to make it your permanent residence or the piercing gaze of a Salvatore with captivating blue eyes watching your every move.

"What am I doing in your room, Damon?" You inquire, curiosity evident as you struggle to recall how you ended up here.

"Recharging, considering you probably haven't had a good blood meal in a long while. If you're going to expend energy remembering things erased from your memory, Y/N, you need to be strong." Damon remarks, seemingly aware of what's happening to you before you even mention anything.

"You don't need to lecture me; it's not my fault I'm a vampire in denial. I've spent my whole life trying to kill creatures like me." You assert.

"I don't recall you trying to kill me when we were together, but if you say so. Need help changing or taking a shower?" Damon offers with a mischievous grin, prompting you to throw a pillow at him.

"I want help with answers, Damon. I want to know what's been wiped from my memory, who did it, and why I've been having these flashbacks since I got here." You express, a determined look in your eyes.

"I'd rather help you with the shower..." Damon says, and you sense he's trying to change the subject. What the hell could he be hiding?

"Do you want to change the subject so desperately that you're willing to betray your girlfriend?" You say, tossing in a half-truth. Though you can't quite remember, you have a hunch that reasonable Elena is dating one of the Salvatores.

"Who told you about Elena?" He seems somewhat uneasy about the topic. You stand up, facing Damon, who is seated in the chair.

"No one in particular, but a human mentioned that she has a positive influence on you. Seems like I made a good guess." You say, feeling clever for piecing that together. Damon stands up, looking at you as if he thought you'd take longer to question him.

"Currently, Elena is my ex-girlfriend. Satisfied?" Damon says as he approaches you. You quickly take a step back for each step he takes forward.

"Not at all. I'm sorry for your troubles, but I need a lot more than that to be satisfied. Don't want to help me remember because you killed me? No problem. I'll kill you as soon as I can, nothing personal." You say, staring him down. He smiles so genuinely, it's as if you just told a joke.

"I didn't kill you. I'm not even sure I could. I did turn you, that's true. But you're right, I won't tell you what you want or need to know. You'll remember on your own when you're ready." Damon admits. You see him with such a soft face as he says this that it irritates you. You want to understand who you are completely and the only idiot who can help you seems to have fun watching you not understand anything.

"I'll kill you." You almost scream this before throwing Damon into the nearest wall. You hold him by the neck tightly, but he seems to find it amusing.

"You want to kill me? Great, do it right." He says taking my hand and placing it under her chest. Right above the heart.

"Do you think I don't have the courage?" You say, still pressing him tightly. You know you could rip out Damon's heart or break his neck. But I couldn't imagine a world without him. Something inside you screams that you wouldn't survive without him. What a shitty emotional memory.

"I know you love me, you just don't remember it but your body like that your mind, still remember me." You let him go, trying to demonstrate in some way your rejection of what he had just said.

"You can't rely on my memories. I won't hurt you only because, somehow, you might be useful. But as far as I'm concerned, you'll never have that love you remember back, if it's up to me." You assert. He watches you, wearing a sly smile – the kind that says, "Just you wait."

Confused, you look at him. You're not sure how to react to Damon's charm and confidence – it throws you off balance. He seems to sense your insecurity, so he approaches slowly. As if to forewarn you of what's to come, he gently cradles your face in his hands. It feels strange, and you might even find yourself furrowing your brow in response. His lips slowly question you, “Do you want me to stop?”

You wonder if you want him to stop, after all, a lot happens with you. But you shake your head, denying that you want him to stop. Damon's lips are soft. The kiss however is not soft at all. It's as if he's thirsty for you, for your lips and for your closeness. You can feel a little love in this kiss, not from your part of course but from his. The heat inside you can't be love, you refuse to think that you miss Damon. Yet you find yourself holding Damon's head tighter against you. He suddenly picks you up and you feel like you're doing something so good but so wrong. I mean, not long ago you were having sex with his brother. Now it's here, being held by him. He has his hands firmly on your ass. But at some point he sits on the couch and puts you on his lap. You then slowly break the kiss, kissing his lips slowly and down to his neck. Then you go up and give a little peck lingering on Damon's lips. Slowing down the pace is necessary, if not you'll be in Damon's bed with no clothes on in a few minutes.

"Damon, we need to slow down this thing between us. If we keep going... we might regret it." You say between brief kisses, trying to ease the tension between you and Damon.

"You're still the same, always thinking about the future. But I think it's fair to think that you might regret that..." He speaks as if deep down he is hurt.

"I'm not just talking about me, you yourself may regret that I'm not the person you love." You say thinking that his heart has an owner and it's not you.

"Are you going to keep bringing Elena into our every moment?" Damon questions a little impatiently. When you are about to say something, you hear a noise. You and Damon look at each other and you can smell the sweet scent of a feminine perfume coming from you. down there. And something tells me I'm about to meet the famous Elena.

[love-toxin]

cw: injuries, yandere tohma, gn! reader

"so...how long do I have to play along with this little game of yours?"

the question spills out of his mouth without warning, yet each word is methodical, careful, like he's practiced it a thousand times before. the teapot clutched in your hands nearly slips out and shatters over the table you've laid out for the two of you, but the warmth of the porcelain fortunately keeps you steady enough until you can set it down in the space between you two. Tohma was kind enough to bring you a gift after spending awhile away, tending to his duties--so it's only natural that you would take him out for some tea in exchange. it's courtesy. it's expected.

but his question certainly is not.

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about, Tohma."

"really?"

he's sat cross-legged for some time now, waiting as you ordered the tea and offering you some idle chit-chat befitting a pair that haven't seen the other in a while. Tohma has always been your friend even when you were young, but as is custom in a place like Inazuma, your relationship has evolved throughout the years. there are things you can't say anymore, things that would ruin your life if you were caught doing them...and now, you fear, the glint in Tohma's eyes may be an omen that he's about to commit one of those unholy acts.

"come on now, sweetheart, everybody can see the truth for what it is. there's no need to hide it any longer."

he's purposely tiptoeing around the question, waiting for the pieces to click in your mind. he need not say anything at all, however--the way he looks at you in this moment, and the purpose with which he stands from his place at the tea table is enough to set your jaw tight and your eyes to darken.

"you know that I was always meant to be your husband. to be there for you through thick and thin, to care for you when we're both old and gray-"

he takes a few quick steps around it to get to you, to kneel at your side and reach out his hands to pull yours into them, and it's all you can do not to flinch away and risk the image of impropriety. but you've endured this lecture before, and the only thing screaming inside your head is for you to resist--just resist, don't listen to a word he says, and bite your tongue of any insult until he finally gives up and gets the hint.

"Tohma, stop."

"-to treasure you like no one else will. I understand your point of view, I really do--we're still young, and the world outside of Inazuma seems so big and grand...but you have to realize that the time to settle down is coming for us."

he rubs his thumb over your hand and smiles in your direction, but you can't meet his eyes. and then it's slipping out of your grasp and raising up to your face, and you feel yourself stiffen all over as Tohma gently cups your cheek, his gaze lowering towards your mouth as if he has an idea of what he wants to do. but that would be grounds for you to shriek for a guard, and you're entirely certain that that's the only reason he bites his lip to stave off the desire.

"you were always meant to be mine. you believe in fate, and you've always put your trust in me...so why not let me help you?"

that last part comes as a whisper, the tearoom private but the walls still thin. one of the many secrets you've entrusted to Tohma over the years is your disagreement with Inazuma's strict laws, as well as the etiquette that comes with being a member of the higher class. you've always despised being noble, and Tohma has always understood you, at least you thought so....but ever since he's gotten this ludicrous idea in his head, you've known even less peace than usual.

"I've said it a dozen times, Tohma, and I won't say it again. I'm not marrying you."

you do your best to spit the words out with as much venom as you can muster, yet you still feel the twinge of anxiety at snapping at him so informally. it could spell the end for you quite easily, but when your eyes are drawn back to Tohma's expression, all you can see is bliss written all over his face.

"...even laced with contempt, my name sounds so sweet on your lips. you've so much wit, so much grace, and your beauty leaves me breathless...I know how little you think of me, but-"

fury shoots through every vein of your body, and you know it's the wrong move when you slap his hand away from your face, the smack like a thunderclap in the small space of the little tearoom.

"enough, Tohma! enough. do yourself a favour and stop speaking to me--in fact, I dearly hope you never say a word to me again."

each finger on his hand twitches, only to close in a tight fist and sink back down to his lap. you try to avoid his gaze in this moment, but even turning your head away you can still feel his eyes staring right into your soul.

"you know I can't make that promise. you know that I love you."

that word makes you stiffen, your grip lock on your noble dressings, your blood turn to ice in your veins. you've avoided that for so long but it follows you like a demon, and it's eyes glow a verdant green as Tohma's words melt into your skin and eat you alive from the inside out.

"this feeling of yours....it's not mutual, Tohma. just leave it, and leave me."

you say so, but you're the one that stands from the tea table in the end, and Tohma jumps to get to his feet to follow you. he trails on your heels as you step with purpose towards the door and slide it open, the cool chill of Inazuma city in the night prickling your exposed skin. the blond hurries to get in front of you, and the moment you spot a few other citizens on the path this late at night, you tilt your head down and pray to the gods that Tohma won't force you into impropriety.

"...I see. you won't budge on this, then...I will have to accept that. but may I at least escort you home? I can't in good faith allow you to wander alone in the dark. I still care for you."

he looks down on you with a softness to his features, and you hate how easily you buckle under any sort of pressure from him. you prided yourself on not giving in before, but when you're not alone it's not nearly as easy--you have to piece your words so carefully together, and by the time you think of an excuse it will already be too late for you to reject his offer. so with as subtle of a huff as you can manage, you speak softly under your breath that you suppose that's fine, and grit your teeth as you thank him for the offer. and Tohma is all too relieved to stand beside you as you walk down the hill and leave the prying ears of the city, the silence near unbearable between you as you meander through the path cut down the middle of the farmer's fields.

"seems there's no one around. not a surprise for this time of the night."

it's not a terribly long walk back to your family's estate, but Tohma still evidently feels the need to speak up as you reach the end of the gently sloping hill. Konda village lies within sight in the distance, and you feel the tension weigh heavy on your heart as you count the steps closer and closer to safety. relative safety that is.

you're so focused on paying him as little attention as possible that you don't even take notice to his hand drawing closer to yours and his eyes wandering up and down your figure, practically salivating as the flames in his chest burn hotter and hotter, until the moment he can't take any more and he grabs you by the shoulders to stop you and force you to look him straight in the eyes.

"now, you're going to listen very closely. I'm going to give you a little gift, because I love you so very much. you get a minute's head start."

the shock catches you off guard to the point that you bite your own tongue, fear and panic shooting through you like icicles that make you freeze in place. Tohma's expression is so intense he nearly appears feral, pearly teeth glimmering in the light from the moon as he grins down at you like a predator examining their prey.

"here's the deal, sweetheart--if you can run all the way past Konda village, you win. but if I catch you, I win, and you must uphold your promise and marry me in a month's time. and if you win, you'll get your wish--I'll never speak a word to you again."

terror grips you even harder than Tohma is, and at his proposal you whip your head towards the village in the distance and then back to him. if he's seriously not making some kind of sick joke, then there's absolutely no way you would ever make it. you're not a fighter, you don't even know how to hold a sword much less have a vision, and you've seen the kinds of things Tohma is capable of....he'll catch you before you make it anywhere close.

"Tohma-"

his gaze lingers on you for a moment, before he turns you in the direction of the village and pushes you forward, only hard enough for you to stumble a bit. you want to question him, to try and talk him down from such an insane idea, but once you hear him start counting down aloud your feet move on their own and you take off in a pitiful run down towards your target. the night air whips by your face as you try to sprint as best you can, yet your robes that give away your nobility get caught on your sandals and trip you up enough that it makes your heart jump into your throat. your heart pounds in a cage that feels too tight, the air heavy and raw in your lungs the longer you fumble your way forwards in the night. even your tears feel cold as they stream down your face, and if speaking wouldn't expend your precious energy then you would surely be wailing for Tohma to stop, please, he's scaring you. especially once you hear his footsteps take off, and it feels as though his warm breath is right on the back of your neck.

but even so, you look up within moments to find yourself in the middle of the quiet little village, the lanterns dim and only the glow of the moon casting light on the humble little buildings. the panic ceases but resurges just as quickly when you remember that you're not safe yet, that the entrance to the village is still a few hundred metres away--and you can hear Tohma panting now, at a distance close enough that he'll make a grab for you long before you'll ever get there. but there's something you know that he probably doesn't remember, and it might just be your saving grace as you duck into the shadows and skirt around the mayor's house just as he skids into the path of the village. you fear in the pit of your stomach that getting the top off the well that you used to play near as children would make a great deal of noise, but you hurry forward and find it open--and just as you swing a leg over to climb inside and pray that Tohma doesn't think to look for you here, your foot slips on the stone that's still damp from the rain and your world is overturned as you fall through the air. it's not far enough that you can scream or grab for purchase on something, but when you land you hear the sickening crack of something breaking and pain that shoots through your leg so quick that it almost makes you black out.

but something worse is yet to come, and it's Tohma's voice calling out your name, before you look up to the sky and your heart just sinks as you watch his face pop into view over the side of the well.

"oh, archons--baby, are you all right?! did you hurt yourself?"

he hops over the edge quite easily and falls steady on his feat, not even having broken a sweat from chasing you as he hurries to your side and props you up in the crook of his arm. and despite still feeling that twinge of discomfort and panic from him touching you, the agony sets in so deeply that you cling to him without realizing as tears pour down your face and you struggle to breathe.

"let me see...yeah, that's definitely broken. c'mere, I'll help you up.."

just brushing the pads of his fingers over the rapidly-swelling skin of your calf makes you flinch and cry out with pain, and it's obvious by the deep bruising how bad you've hurt it--you wouldn't be able to climb out of here if you tried. but Tohma finds so little trouble in heaving you up into his arms that it's laughable....it would be funny how sincerely you thought you could get away in the first place, if you weren't experiencing the consequences now. and only now is it starting to sink in that you lost, even though he isn't rubbing it in your face. yet.

"poor thing--that was scary, wasn't it? aren't you glad I was here?"

despite how despairing you look, he rubs his cheek against yours as he holds you tight. you realize now how much he's always wanted to do this, and how he's dragging this all out while he has the chance to do it without anyone watching....it's such a rare opportunity, but you don't feel nearly as lucky as he does.

"I'll always be here, sweetie....in sickness and in health, right?"

he murmurs into the shell of your ear, before pressing a kiss to it right afterwards as he reaches out to get a foothold so he can lift you out of here. all you can think about now is how your chance of escaping him has slipped away....and now, your status is a death sentence in the hands of the man who saved your life, and will ask for nothing in return but your gentle hand in marriage. how romantic.

[zuffer-weird-girl]

It's Valentine's day 💌🌹🌹🌹🌹💖💌

He never once thought he would be actually enjoying and, dare he say, even waiting for this special date.

The holiday was utterly stupid in his eyes. Bunch of couples around the streets, anywhere actually, showing their supposed 'love' towards each other. He felt sick and the urge of vomit or to overhaul those things.

Love was dead. No one was pure or even honest about thosr things. Is a complete waste of time, pacience and money most of all.

... that was what he always thought until he met a certain angel who just barged in his life.

You were the only one who actually made him feel something. Something good, swert but not nauseous, suffocating but not deadly... ever day he found himself craving more and more for those things you and only your angelic and pure person can do.

He wanted to give you the world, the skies, hell. Everthing. You deserved the galaxy.

Ever since you two got more intimate you made him promise to go easy on his gifts and attempts to spoil you... although yoy couldn't escape this one.

Valentine's was made for partners to waste theur money and he was going to expend thousands billions of yens if he wanted to.

It was a day where he could show his love for you in gifts! What's better than that? He always sucked at words and affections but gifts he knew it very well.

He woke up on that morning, already in hopes to get out of the room without waking you up before his eyes widen at seing your side empty.

"What the fuck?" He mumbled as he sitted up while grabbing his mask.

Where did you went? Most importantly. HOW did you get off from the bed without wakening him?

His questions were soon answered when he heard your giggles and turned around to see you laying with one side of yours on the door frame, with a adorable and beautiful smile at him.

"Good morning buttercup, slept well?" He sended daggers through his glare and ignoring his pink as hell cheeks at that disgusting pet name.

"What the hell you're doing awake brat?" He grunted before getting up to grab one of his shirts.

You walked towards him before pushing his shoulder a bit to the side while you lowered his mask down to plant a kiss, giggling at noticing hos gis breath had hitched on his throat.

"Happy Valentine's day!" You chirped with a smile "Ah don't worry I brushed my teeth handsome, no morning breath."

He growled while pitching the bridge of his nose in false irritation.

"Stop with those pet names, is embarrassing and disgusting to gear those atrocities leaving your mouth."

"Hey, I'm allowed to do this all day cutie." He flipped your forehead with a 'enough' while you giggled.

"When you're ready can you come to the kitchen for a bit? I thought on maybe bringing you on here but... It would be messy." You scraatched the back of your neck while he deadpanned at you, shirt still on his hands.

"..congrats." he mumbled while finally putting his shirt on "You have a brain."

He smirked underneath his mask at your pout and the way you mockingly poked your tongue out before lefting the room.

He cursed hinself for thinking already on innaproprietate things the moment he saw that pink muscle of yours between those lips he loved so much.

Later Chisaki Kai. Later. For fucks sake what he had become?

He slowly made his way through the halls of the house, smirking at his cellphone at seing his demand would be delivered at least on the afternoon.

One of the many gifts he would be giving to his angel.

Although the smirk had quickly fallen while he saw the table of the kitchen mainly filled with things that he liked.

No. No you just did not-

"So?" You singed besided him "Whacha you think?"

"Angel I just despised you and love at the same time what the hell did you do to me?" You errupted in laughter while he only glared at you with a 'I'm serious'.

Angel: one, devil: zero. Not for long though.

Right after you both had breakfast he went to his office and demanded that you followed him as well. On the middle of thehallway he stopped walking besides you only to be behind your back and cover your eyes with his big and gloved hands.

He pushed the door with his foot carefully, whispering huskily on your ear to keep your eyes closed as the wamrth of his hands dissapeared on the dark.

You heard some shuffling before you felt those hands again undressing you slowly.

"Hm already for dessert devil?" You giggled at the scoff and the quick pinch he gave it to you.

"Shut your filth mouth." He grumbled as he placed another type of fabric, you shivered at the cold feeling of the new material enveloping your skin.

"Take a few steps and..." he standed behind you to admire the clothing for a bit on your body as he crossed his arms "Open."

You gasped at seing the familiar clothing. You and Chisaki were hanging around one day and you just had stopped to look at one black and shiny elegant dress on the showcase, and as a little accessory a purse coming along.

You had joked about how expensive and waste of money it would be for anyone but you also made the mistake on saying the sentence 'is pretty beautiful though. Wish I had the money for those things."

The moment you also joked about going into meeting aling with Kai while wearing those didn't really helped. And you were genuinely shocked when he only nodded before returning to his walk.

You thought that he had stopped that tendency of looking at you only einfow shopping and straight forward just going to buy it... ok, you were wrong. He was still doing that.

"Kai!" You gasped breathless as he only had that smug look.

"Also here." He picked a two boxes on his desk, one smaller than the other "The ones you had were getting old."

"A new laptop and cellphone?! Kai you're insane?!" You asked in disbelief almost dropping the electronics on the ground.

"No. I'm close to being, if Im not already, a sociopath. But I am completely san-"

"You know what I meant! Kai oh my god please tell me these three are the only ones, you surely wasted a lot of money on tjose already!" You said in worry as you looked at the prices of the devices.

The worst of all is that... your "old" laptop and cellphone weren't exactly old and were working pretty well... and your botfriend just bought you the newest one on the marketing.

"I won't lie to you." He said simply, blocking the possible facepalm you were going to do with his own hand. "You will hurt yourself like that."

~

Jesus Christ you felt like you were going to combust.

Chisaki REALLY WENT OVERBOARD on this. He had payed for everthing one week before the valentines and the more you thought was over the more it came the expensive and luxurious things.

You blushed crinson red when you saw a pair of lingerie, not expecting Kai to bought THAT in specific. You almost dropped dead when he showed you some swiss chocolate; although you giggled at his cuteness when he taste it the sweet things and his eyes sparkled a bit at the taste. Present after present and you were getting slightly anxious.

"K-kai?" You said smilling but worry still evident on his box while he signed on some paper before getting a box out of Chrono's hands with a nod while looking at you.

"Here dearest." He showed you the box and you had to gulp down the desperate screan you wanted to let out "You said once how those dishes were adorable or something related, so here is the whole dinnerware set."

You sighed with a smile before picking the box and placing it down, your boyfriend arching one of his eyebrows at your action before you looked up at him.

"There's more?" You asked while crossing your arms.

"A few yes but-"

"That's enough Kai." You interrupted, quickly smilling at seing his face "My devil I love and appreciate with all my heart all those things, how you listen to me and pay attention to every detail. But-" you laughed before pointing at the boxes "T-This is way too much! Kai you can't just buy anything that I mention it and almost drow me on gifts."

He sighed in annoyance before pinching the space between his eyebrows.

"Angel, this is all for you. Money is not something you need to worry about anyway, besides, you already did the breakfast without my knowledge... I just want you to have everything you deserve." He brough his hand down while he looked at you with something else in those golden eyes. "Is it that wrong?"

"Is not wrong. But it is when you go over board. Kai, buying me expensives and lots of things wont make me love you any more or less." You took a few steps only to be inches away from gis toned chest as you stared uo at him "Can we just be... casual? There's going to happen a meteor rain and I would love to watch it with the love of my life..." you lifted your hand up and hesitated to touch his face before you smiled warmingly at seing his gloved hand holded yours. "Honestly? Is all I ask. You with me is the best thing I can have."

He seemed in deep thought at a moment before he sighed in annoyance, messing with your hair as he mumbled his agreement... secretly loving the way your eyes widened and shined in adoration at him.

~

You were indeed a quirkless unique angel. And only his.

Every one in your place would have savored it, taken advantage of the situation while greedily accepting what a yakusa member could offer...

Yet here he was, simple clothes along with yours... sitted on the balcony with mugs of tea on hands, you staring at the dark but shint sky as his fazed remained fixed on your features.

Pure. You were pure from this sick society. Having you in his kife was like a damn blessing and a readon for him to live... you showed hin feelings that he thought it didn't exist it, nothing more than stupid fairytales, and also gave him another reason to keep living... to keep working just as hard as ge could.

To bring the yakusa back fron the shadows and keep his angel safe and sound. Those were his motivations... Pops and you were the only ones kind enough to accept him.

And he was going to repay you both for that. Curing this sick world was one of the many things he was going to do...

But for now... he just would admire the work of art he had on his side.

Your giggles made him arch a eyebrow as he took a sip from his hot drink.

"If you keep staring at me you will lose the show you know, is going to happen soon!" You turned around, your flying along with the breeze of the night making you shiver for a bit.

"I told you to get a coat on idiot." He sayed nonchalantly as he took of his iconic green jacket and placed it over your shoulders.

"Now you will-"

"It's fine." He interrupted as he almost touched your foreheads together "I don't get cold."

"Liar." You pouted mockingly before giggling a it when he pinched your cheek.

You thanked the heavens that you got a shower before nightine or else you wouldn't be able to feel those affectionate subtle touches of your boyfriend...

He was always so straight forward with his despise of touch, but thise were the moments where you recorded scenes like earlier today... where you had to escape like a damn ninja from a mobster iron grip on bed as he slept peacefully.

You gasped when you saw the first oe s falling, getting a bit away from Kai to point out in the skies like a toddler on a candy or toy store.

"Kai Kai! Look! Is starting!" You jumped in exciment on your seat ehile Chisaki only looked up for a few seconds, widening his eyes a bit before returning it back to normal...

He looked down at your smile and the way your eyes shined at seing the natural show... he swore that on that moment he fell even more for you.

He smiled sincerely, not taking his eyes off from you. You noticed that and turned with a mocking smile.

"Hey you're not paying attention! Is going to end soon!" You gasped in surprise when he cupped your face on his hand as he lowered fown his mask, smile still on his lips.

Screw the stars, this was a sign of heaven. Chisaki's smile could cure even the worst of diseases.

"What happened with my 'I don't give a fuck' face boyfriend?" You asked while melting on his touch and love gaze.

"You should be the one answering this... you made me fall for you angel. And I surprisingly have no regrets." He brushed his lips against yours before closing the fisgusting distance along with your desperation to feel his scent and lips connected with yours.

Just when things were getting... hotter a knock interrupted you both, causing you two to groan.

"Sorry to bother ya love birds but the package of thousands roses came Overhaul."

You blinked before glaring playfully at him, while him just sended Mimic back and to jot come back until tommorow.

You both had things to get done.

[ikamigami]

I think that Sun is kinda jealous but... I think that he'll rather beat himself up over it than anything else. Because I think that Sun has very low self-esteem. I think that he may start to think that Lunar is better "him" and that Lunar should've been Moon's brother from the start. Why Sun thinks that it's strange that him and Moon call each other brother? I think it's not because what Moon have done when they were still together but rather what Sun couldn't do when they were still in one body. I don't know why no one catch on the fact that Sun might feel useless and awful about not being able to help Moon, to prevent Moon from hurting anyone. Sun even stated once that he's expendable and waste of space. (And let's not forget that Sun said that he feels like garbage. It was in episode where he and Lunar played Baldi Basics. He said that the third answer looks like garbage and that he feels like he's looking in the mirror. He later laughed at it and said that it's funny which I assume was his attempt to make it sound like a joke.) And I think that Sun feels that what Moon said about Sun being only good for cleaning messes is true. That's why Sun said that he can't do anything. Because he feels like that. And that's why he said to Lunar that he also doesn't have a purpose in his life (it doesn't matter that you're doing something you're designed for when you feel like your life is meaningless). I think that Sun feels like he's a bad guy. I think that he feels that he's responsible for all the bad things that happened (with Moon and later with Eclipse). Because why not when it's also his body? Why he didn't try harder to stop Moon and later Eclipse from doing bad things? That's why Sun feels guilty about July 16th. Because it proves to him that he was a part of a problem. There are many small clues which imply that Sun has some serious mental problems. I think that despite low self-esteem he also has severe anxiety and hidden depression. You may think that this is a stretch but that's what I gathered from clues (and my personal experiences which I won't elaborate here).

And I didn't touch another important thing that Sun said. He said that they should get Lunar his own body at some point, right? It might seem like he's just concerned over Moon's safety and that he doesn't trust Lunar that much yet. But I think that there is something more to that. I think that Sun thinks it's natural course of events. Moon wanted to have his own body, didn't he? So why he would want to share a body with someone else all of a sudden? And I think that when it'll click in Sun's mind that Moon doesn't mind Lunar company, it'll only amplify Sun's feelings about himself. And I think that Sun also feels awful about thinking that Moon doesn't like him that much. Because he knows that Moon loves him (he says that often but with resighned tone. Why? ->) but it doesn't change the fact that he thinks that Moon shouldn't care for him (because he feels useless, he doesn't see worth in his own life) because he didn't help Moon. He only caused more pain to Moon (I mean the trauma which Moon has from being stuck in their head) and he rather sees himself as an obstacle in Moon's life than anything else (because Moon couldn't do what he wanted to do when they shared a body, Moon couldn't do his science things, which I assume Sun views as something more usefull and important than whatever he is doing in his life).

I'm sorry for the long post but I wanted to share my thoughts on this matter. I hope you don't mind it. And sorry if my English is bad because it's not my native language.

It really is interesting to see just how much of a positive effect Lunar has on Moon's mental health in SAMS now that the threat of Eclipse isn't looming quite as much. Like, it was kind of hard to see in the moment, but looking back on some of Moon's earlier behaviors and those conversations where he was warning Sun and Eclipse that he was close to snapping if he saw another body, and comparing it to now? Yeah, it is very noticeable.

I mean, just compare Sun and Moon's commentary from the Paper Dragons video--Sun was the one who was getting annoyed and made the first threats of violence. And Sun was also the one who had to be restrained from killing the cows immediately in the Captive Minecraft episode. Moon is still Moon and still loves violence and shenanigans, but in a clearly more healthy and happy way.

...Him still being a workaholic and literally working until he passed out aside. That definitely still needs to be worked on, and considering the type of work he is up to and the way things left off with Eclipse and Lunar, it makes sense why Lunar might be more willing to just enable this behavior without commentary until someone else steps in like Monty did.

(though to be fair--Moon apparently didn't realize Lunar was still awake, so he may indeed have been planning on stopping for the night before things got critical. It's just that Lunar still drawing power to play his games skewed Moon's estimates for how much of his charge he was using. And then the fact that Lunar is constantly glowing also probably drains more power, so he has to get used to things in general.)

It does make me wonder if there are going to be any minor jealousy issues going forward between Sun and Lunar, though, in regards to how easily Moon seems to get along with Lunar while sharing a body compared to how things were with Sun and Moon, in addition to the fact that Lunar might seem to be more effective at reigning him in from violence than Sun was.

Sure, the situations are different and Lunar definitely is coming into this with a lot more advantages than Sun had: for one, Moon has a soft spot for kids and Lunar is a lot more child-like than Sun, so Moon might actually put some restraints on himself for Lunar's sake where he wouldn't have with Sun. Additionally, Moon has a lot of remorse for his former actions and Lunar is very effective at weaponizing that, intentionally or not. And there are plenty of other reasons.

But emotions and rationality don't always mix well, so even if, logically speaking, Sun would be aware of all this, that doesn't mean he wouldn't still feel hurt or jealous at how readily Moon accepted Lunar as his brother.

And, okay, Sun did too after getting that apology, and he even noted how it could be viewed as strange how he and Moon are willing to call each other brothers despite their own rocky history... but that also kind of just feeds into my main point? In that their relationship took time to develop and get to this point where Moon and Lunar's hasn't.

...At least, not from Sun's perspective, since he isn't privy to the things the two of them might be talking about inside their heads, or what else has and might have been going on behind the scenes.

(Which honestly might just spark more jealousy that Moon and Lunar were able to get along and form this relationship when he and Eclipse could not. ...and part of that might come down to Moon being willing to admit that he does have faults and accept that Lunar represents/was created from parts of himself that he usually doesn't acknowledge--both good and bad--while Sun even now seems extremely reluctant to consider the sorts of things Eclipse may have inherited from him. Because he definitely got a lot more from Sun than either he, Sun, or Moon like to acknowledge.)

...And once again this got a lot more rambly than I thought it would. I probably should have split this into different posts, but, eh.

[frogsandfries]

God-fucking-dammit.

I was ONE MINUTE late. It was like the driver saw me coming and was like, ha haaa not today.

Oh let's leave early so I can get some food before work because it's gonna be a long day ha ha ha nah!

So now, because the fucking bus system in this godforsaken town is garbage, I get to wait half a fucking hour for the next fucking bus. There isn't even a bench or a cafe or anything nearby. I'm not going to run for the bus--even if that's my bus and I'll now be late for work. I won't fucking run. It's already hard enough on my asthma to live in this godforsaken city. I'm so...... angry right now.

I could probably have walked to the station in less time than it would take to wait for the stupid bus, but it would be the same situation here or there. I'd still have to fucking wait. Also, I'm going to be expending a fair amount of energy at work. I don't want to waste energy walking.

Anyway, apart from being pissed off and now my stomach is upset but it's going to be like an hour before I can get to a bathroom, this guy I've been talking to video chatted me last night and he was just laying there mostly watching me babble on and on, filling the kind of awkward silence and afterward, he texted me that he was too excited to sleep now. I tried joking that I kept him from masturbating and relaxing. He said I couldn't prove anything.

Now I have a feeling that we're on different pages about what kind of sexuality we want out of this relationship.

A while later, and now I'm on the bus. It was like ten o'clock and this incredibly awkward group of kids got in the bus. I don't understand how these kids aren't in trouble for truancy and this group in particular seems like they absolutely shouldn't be without an actual adult to supervise them. They seem like they spend too much time playing MtG,D&D and soaking in the glow of computer screens, and not enough time out in real life. That's totally going to come off as derogatory and if you could hear how these kids are talking--one of them keeps smacking another and scolding him for thinking, like this kid actually knows what he's thinking. They keep talking about s-e-x and group huddling to talk about it in great detail.

Which brings me back to me original thought. I think this guy I'm talking to thinks I have a ton of experience and that makes me super comfortable with him expressing his desire in subtle ways, like video-chatting me drunk from his hotel bed with no shirt on. I'm certainly no actual slut, and I'm putting great effort into not being a total prude, but you'd think our first video chat, you'd put in a tiny bit of effort if one minute you're talking about wanting a wife and a family.

I'm seriously not sure how I feel if he was masturbating while I was blathering on trying to fill a kind of awkward silence. Like, if you could masturbate TO that, maybe you deserve a gold star. If you could masturbate in spite of that, maybe I feel a little offended? Like I was so boring?

What if I pretend it's an anomaly? Or maybe he really was just joking.