#with spoilers for the next two parts! lol
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#with spoilers for the next two parts! lol#I keep adding like 50 images and then sorting thru them and deleting more than half and it's helping organize my ideas teehee#anywaaays#the way it's looking I'll probably post 3 updates in a row bc i keep writing too much stuff that's not steddie haha#i just don't wanna leave everyone else aside you know?#but part 5 is done 6 is halfway there and then I'll write 7 which should be all steddie and then ill post :)#steddie lake fic#steddie headcanon#that's my writing tag đ#ill change it soon i prommy#stranger things#writing#.
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excuse me but i had to jo all over the place
#no spoilers please im still watching part 4 lol#josuke higashikata#jojo#jojos bizarre adventure#jjba#jjba art#okuyasu nijimura#josuke x okuyasu#diamond is unbreakable#these two characters are so close i sure hope nothing happens to okuyasu!#jjba fanart#I KNOW I DIDNT ADD OKUYASU's little markings on his face im sorry :( i was rushing it a little bit but ill remember next time i promise#strawberry yogurt
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Beyond Salvation, but Still Within Arm's Reach
Part 1 of my accordion book comic project!
#persona 5#shuake#goro akechi#ren amamiya#akira kurusu#persona 5 protagonist#fanart#persona 5 spoilers#blood cw#violence cw#gun cw#its....done?#might go back and add more greytones to some of the background areas but that is a problem for later lol#will probably switch the greys to halftones for printing also we'll see how i feel#hopefully the next two parts go faster#they're way less complicated and no trains to distract me lol#also before anyone points this out- yes the 6 and 9 balls were a deliberate choice but it wasnât to make a dirty joke lol#those are the balls in play at the end of the game in his rank 7 event#also something something mirror images
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// webtoon spoilers (ep 148)
... they really went and just threw all of lloyd's secrets just straight out the window... (á_á )
like why is he fcking admitting he's from a different world to CHEROKAN of all people??? dude, use some other excuse don't just say you're from a different world you dumbass!!
HE DIDN'T EVEN CARE!! THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY ZERO POINT IN DOING THAT AT ALL!! ARGH!! (âŻÂ°âĄÂ°)âŻïž” â»ââ»
dramatic ass bxtch...
the fcking bloop sound omg,, XD
jesus christ, lloyd made javier do the ENTIRE construction of the centaur arena BY HIMSELF??? that's fcking diabolical man,, đ kinda serves him right for neglecting his duties recently though lmao-
(hamang did help flatten the ground and bangul of course produced all the steel bars and volcanic ash for concrete but I didn't include it-)
not them just adding grand to every step-
one last grandddd just to really dig at him www,, good lord, there's obstacles in there too?? don't tell me javier made those.. DX
'I'm awesome, aren't I?' bro, you didn't do jack shxt,, đ and yet javier can't even get that angry at him lmao- lloyd's smug ah look tho..
#ying talks about tged#the greatest estate developer#tged#tged liveblog#tged spoilers#ep 148#*head in hands* i swear to god lhm doesn't know the meaning of show don't tell one bit#i'm two off the max 30 photo limit so part 2 in next post lol
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Well.
#(I'm back)#It was. Uhm. A chapter#First of all: I'm ENDLESSLY GRATEFUL to the person who sent me the translation basically as soon as the chapter came out.#I even did like 90% of typesetting but didn't finish it because I had to go out#(aka with my friends were literally knocking out at my room and I couldn't make it any more late lol)#Mixed feelings about it? Mostly because there's so much exposition... I'll need to reread it another three times before it sinks in#The color page is AMAZING 10000000000000/10 I love my sskks so much they're so cute I love them so much they're so cute.#Easily the best part of the chapter.#The color page was? Very very pretty too? Like a lot more than usual if you ask me! I can't wait for the volume cover đ„șđ„ș#It should come out soon shouldn't it? Usually color spreads / pages open the volume...#Akutagawa fake dying again is funny. Like it isssss but also. Idk it's a little lame how we're changing the pov from ss/kk again :/#I can't even tell if I'm being biased or if it's an actual storytelling critique. I don't care right now I just want to see Akutagawaâ#being cool rather than. You know. Dead on the ground.#That said! It's also very funny and touches my sense of humor precisely.#Like yeah Akutagawa being like the second strongest pm member and overall one of the most powerful ability user in the worldâ#that everyone fears (and I know he is! He is indeed for real!)#And yet he always ends up face to the ground đđđ Like if we don't count the ss/kk fights he literally only ever won against Hawthorne.#And even then he failed to kill him and Mitchell. It's so funny to me. I love him. He's so pathetic#âWow! Akutagawa is so cool and invincible now!â *ends up biting the dust not even two chapters later*#It's okay because I love him. He's very very powerful and he's also very very pathetic I love that for him#That said :/ I don't really care about Fukuzawa :/ Idk :/ Like :/#Don't get me wrong I LOVE Fukuzawa (I don't. I'm mostly neutral towards him) but this is the ss/kk moment man :/ Whatchu doin#That's about it. Let's see what the next chapter brings!#Everything accounted for I'm glad there wasn't like. A ss/kk kiss or any other big big ss/kk moment#(although Atsushi admiring Akutagawa and thinking about his eyes has its fair share of neatness to it!!)#Because with everything going on this evening I really would have been let down to miss it#But I keep hope for the next chapters!! Please...#random rambles#Had tons of fun typesetting! Even though I don't think there's a point in posting it now. But would love to do it again in the future!#bsd spoilers
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btw after four years i finally finished all data from my iberian-inspired fakemon region. if you even care
#i might start ybraposting again soon who knows#i also have this crave to do pixel art and actually make maps and try to make this a game but i dunno how much this crave will last tbh#i made pixelart back in the day when i was in deviantart so. it's been a while#idk let's see what happens#anyways now that i have the final product#i can say. my fake region is ybra#where pokémon rose and carnation take place (very funny that they are named after the two last canon professors)#yes i know clavell isn't a professor but you know what i mean#i believe i started working on this during gen vii so. lol#anyways. we have ybra as the main region#BUT#there will be three dlcs after you complete the main story#yes three!!! honestly there were only two until i realized i left out a big part of iberia in my original plan for ybra for some reason#and these past days i've been making a region inspired by the kitakami dlc hehe#anyways onto the three dlcs. they are.#1) the glory of ossana. this takes you to ossana. based on southern france aka occitania aka whatever is between kalos and ybra#you have 5 gyms to beat here all thematic (for example there's one specialized on starters and the last one is specialized on legendaries)#of course being next to kalos there'll be references to it. the pokedex has pokemon both from ybra and kalos. and you'll get a new rival#for this region: serena - champion of kalos#also after beating the gym leaders you might get to battle a certain giant man that's 3000+ years old#2) the islands of the muses. this wouldn't make sense if you don't know the main story of the games. but basically throughout the game#you encounter these girls call the muses that protect the access to this dangerous evil pokemon#well. in this dlc you'll visit the homeland#based on the canary islands. each muse has an island associated to them (kinda. cause there's 7 islands)#there's also a mythical pokemon encountered in each territory of the muse and a mini storyline dedicated to it#also these islands are open world!!! and each island has its own pokedex#after beating all the muses and completing all their quests you'll be able to fight mnemosyne their mother and (spoiler) previous champion#3) (the new one!!!!) mysteries of lurmamua. you'll travel to this secluded land called lurmamua based on euskal herria when these mysteries#have been happening just as the region is preparing for an international film festival that is sure to attract tons of celebrities#from all over the world!!!
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A world where no one tried to save another. In this world where only victims existed, no, a world where the wounds of the victims were in full display, here was the lone hand full of scars extending out to her.
âžąKim Dokja was already extending his hand out from there.âž„
It wasn't just the person reaching out, but the one grasping that hand also required courage to do so.
Courage to hold that scarred hand, courage not to give up.
Even if she knew this wouldn't heal her, even if she knew that holding that hand would only inflict her with a greater wound â courage to hold that hand in order to live for one more time.
ORV Women Week (2023) Day 1 - Jung Heewon/Scars
This was going to be something...incredibly different lol, but with such a prompt for day one of @orvwomenweek, I could NOT resist the power of this passage. Jung Heewon and her scars, truly...
[ID: A black-and-white digital art piece depicting Jung Heewon from Omniscient Readerâs Viewpoint. Her right hand rests gently on the face of an enormous monster, which is so large that only three partial eyes and a portion of tentacle can be seen. She wears a distraught, tearful expression as she gazes up at the beast, the upper half of her body reflected in its middle eye. She is dressed in a burnt, torn-up blazer, tie, and button-up shirt, with her silvery-white hair floating loosely in the wind. Various scars, cuts, burns, and bloodstains mar her skin, and on the back of her right hand, an infinity symbol glows brightly. /end ID]
#omniscient reader's viewpoint#orv#jung heewon#orvww#kim dokja#...kinda#orv spoilers but for that one reader#sorry asa but you can't unlock this one for a while :')#this passage â this entire section really â never fails to utterly wreck me#enemy of the story my beloved...#orvww 2023#I was SO ambitious at first lmao#tried to combine all the characters and prompts in two separate fics but couldn't tie it up fast enough#then briefly entertained the idea of a comic form of this#but I don't have the skill or humility for comics yet skfjhdskf#also considered doing the proof of stars with both hsy and jhw#but the perspective and amount of Things Involved freaked me out XD maybe some day but not in the next couple of years probably lol#my attempts at art#you can tell I kind of gave up on the coloring/shading after a point#specifically the part where they're watching hsy attack chungmuro and almost kill the kids â and hsy experiencing the sick regret of that#which is fair because this entire drawing is extremely Illegal for me to be doing right now#SHOULD I have waited until after death exam this week to start participating?#yes absolutely#COULD I have waited the five short remaining days before thinking about my beloveds?#absolutely not#anyways the ideas I had for tomorrow were also incredibly ambitious#but given that it is once again 4 AM and I have two days left to correct my sleep schedule for a 17-hour test that starts at 7 A.M.#I think I will wait until Afterâą to actually work on the rest#*grabs me by the shoulders* DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. DO NOT.#now go to sleep jeez this is why we almost never get anything done during the day
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FACTS HAYAMA-SAN!!!!!!!! SO TRUE YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
#this is vee speaking#when the merch dropped for this event i thought the wall scrolls were nice because wow takeuchi-san in pink!!!!!!! stupendous!!!!!!!#but what would i do with a takeuchi wall scroll lol#and then hayama-san graced us with his infinite wisdom đ and wore the wall scroll đ talented đ brilliant đ incredible đ amazing đ shoâ#lol takeuchi-sanâs program cost a little bit so i havenât watched the part with ishiya-san yet#but the part with hayama-san was very entertaining lol they are on the same wavelength in the strangest ways lmao#i need to rewatch it again since i let it play while i was working but takeuchi-sanâs opening video lol#had him listing 30 things he liked about hayama-san (spoiler he did not do 30 LOL)#for number two he said that hayama-san was cute (âïž) and itâs a little unfair heâs cute because heâs also a bully (âïž)#but heâs cute so he winds up not minding at all i think was the rather long reason and the commenters went âso heâs an M senpaiâŠâŠâŠ..â#âhayama is his S kouhai huhâ also said the commenters and were proven right when hayama-san forced him to march around the perimeter LOL#i shouldnât have made this a tag vomit post thereâs actually a lot i wish to say lol#one part i thought was interesting was hayama-sanâs first impressions of takeuchi-san#he said he thought he looked really coolâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ and then the highball happened lmao (takeuchi-san is bad with alcohol lol)#what i thought was interesting tho was apparently ishiya-san thought he looked scary when he first saw him#and i am of a similar mindset actually lol like i look back at batâs debut pics from the 4th live and think âDAMN he looks intenseâ lmao#heâs softening with age and itâs delightful to see lmao đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°#like iâm apologising in advance for this statement but take-san now has a fun very handsome guy next door vibe#take-san 4 years ago looked like the bro that would have you faded in his lap from drinks he hand fed you slow and called you âgoodâ LOL#hayama-san and sakakihara-san were calling him papa from the beginning for a REASON LOL#c: seiyuu stuff
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Kingdom of Ash Chapter 66
Chapter; Highlights, etc. (you know the drillđ)
Aelin awoke to the scent of pine and snow, and knew she was home.
Not in Terrasen, not yet, but in the sense she would always be home, if Rowan was with her.
His steady breaths filled her right ear, the sound of the well and truly asleep, and the arm he'd draped across her middle was a solid, warm weight. Silvery light glazed the ancient stones of the ceiling.
Morningâor a cloudy day. The halls beyond the room offered shards of sound that she sorted through, piece by piece, as if she were assembling a broken mirror that might reveal the world beyond
Apparently, it had been three days since the battle. And the rest of the khagan's army, led by Prince Kashin, his third-eldest son, had arrived.
It was that tidbit that had her rising fully to consciousness, a hand sliding to Rowan's arm.
A caress of a touch, just to see how deeply the rejuvenating sleep held him. Three days, they'd slept here, unaware of the world. A dangerous, vulnerable time for any magic-wielder, when their bodies demanded a deep sleep to recover from expending so much power.
That was another sliver she'd picked up: Gavriel sat outside their door. In mountain lion form. People drew quiet when they approached, not realizing that as soon as they passed him, their whispers of That strange, terrifying cat could be detected by Fae ears.
Aelin ran a finger over the seam of Rowan's sleeve, feeling the corded muscle beneath. Clear her head, her body felt clear. Like the first icy breath inhaled on a winter's morning.
During the days they'd slept, no nightmare had shaken her awake, hunted her. A small, merciful reprieve.
Aelin swallowed, her throat dry. What had been real, what Maeve had tried to plant in her mind-did it matter, whether the pain had been true or imagined?
She had gotten out, gotten away from Maeve and Cairn. Facing the broken bits inside her would come later.
For now, it was enough to have this clarity back. Even though releasing her power, expending that mighty blow here, had not been her plan.
Aelin slid her gaze toward Rowan, his harsh face softened into handsomeness by sleep. And cleanâthe gore that had splattered them both was gone. Someone must have washed it away while they slept.
As if he sensed her attention, or just felt the lingering hand on his arm, Rowan's eyes cracked open. He scanned her from head to toe, deemed everything all right, and met her stare.
"Show-off," he muttered.
Aelin patted his arm. "You put on a pretty fancy display yourself, Prince."
He smiled, his tattoo crinkling. "Will that display be the last of your surprises, or are there more coming?"
She debated it-telling him, revealing it.
Maybe.
Rowan sat up, the blanket sliding from him.
Is this the sort of surprise that will end with my heart stopping dead in my chest?
She snorted, propping her head with a fist as she traced idle marks over the scratchy blanket.
"I sent a letter-when we were at that port in Wendlyn."
Rowan nodded. "To Aedion."
"To Aedion," she said, quietly enough that Gavriel couldn't hear from his spot outside the door. "And to your uncle. And to Essar." Rowan's brows rose. "Saying what?" She hummed to herself. "Saying that I was indeed imprisoned by Maeve, and that while 1 was her captive, she laid out some rather nefarious plans."
Her mate went still. "With what goal in mind?"
Aelin sat up, and picked at her nails.
"Convincing them to disband her army. Start a revolt in Doranelle. Kick Maeve off the throne. You know, small things."
Rowan just looked at her. Then scrubbed at his face. "You think a letter could do that?"
"It was strongly worded." He gaped a bit. "What sort of nefarious plans did you mention?"
"Desire to conquer the world, her complete lack of interest in sparing Fae lives in a war, her interest in Valg things." She swallowed. "I might have mentioned that she's possibly Valg."
Rowan started. Aelin shrugged. "It was a lucky guess. The best lies are always mixed with truth."
"Suggesting Maeve is Valg is a fairly outlandish lie, even for you. Even if it turned out to be true."
She waved a hand. "We'll see if anything comes of it."
"If it works, if they somehow revolt and the army turns against her..." He shook his head, laughing softly. "It'd be a boon in this war."
"I scheme and lie so grandly, and that's all the credit I get?"
Rowan flicked her nose. "You'll get credit if her army doesn't show up. Until then, we prepare as if they are. Which is highly likely." At her frown, he said, "Essar doesn't wield much power, and my uncle doesn't take many risks. Not like Enda and Sellene. For them to overthrow Maeve ... it would be monumental. If they even survived it."
Her stomach churned. "It's their choice, what they do. I only laid out the facts." Carefully worded facts and half guesses. An absolute gamble, if she was being honest.
Rowan smirked. "And other than attempting to overthrow Maeve's throne? Any other surprises I should know about?"
Her smile faded as she lay back down, Rowan doing the same beside her. "There are no more." At his raised brows, she added, "I swear it on my throne. There are no more left."
The amusement in his eyes guttered. "I don't know whether to be relieved."
"Everything I know, you know. All the cards are on the table now."
With the various armies that had gathered, with the Lock, with all of it.
"Do you think you could do it again?" he asked. "Draw up that much power?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. It required being ... contained. With the irons."
A shadow darkened his face, and he rolled onto his side, propping up his head. "I've never seen anything like it."
"You never will again." It was the truth.
"If the cost of that much power is what you endured, then I'll be glad not to."
Aelin ran a hand down the powerful muscles of his thigh, fingers snagging in the rip of fabric just above his knee. "I didn't feel you get this wound through the mating bond," she said, grazing the thick ridge of the new scar. A trophy from the battle. She made herself meet his piercing stare. Did Maeve somehow break that part of it? That part of us?
"No," he breathed, and stroked the hair from her brow. "I've realized that the bond only conveys the pain of the gravest wounds."
She touched the spot on his shoulder where Asterin Blackbeak's arrow had pierced him all those months ago. The moment she'd known what he was to her.
"It was why I didn't know what was happening to you on the beach," Rowan said roughly. Because the whipping, brutal and unbearable as it had been, hadn't brought her to the brink of death. Only into an iron coffin.
She scowled. "If you're about to tell me that you feel guilty for itâ"
"We both have things to grapple withâabout what happened these months."
A glance at him, and she knew he was well aware of what still clouded her soul.
And because he was the only person who saw everything she was and did not walk away from it, Aelin said, "I wanted that fire to be for Maeve."
"I know." Such simple words, and yet it meant everything-that understanding.
"I wanted it to make things ... better." She loosed a long breath. "To wipe it all away." Every memory and nightmare and lie.
"It will take a while, Aelin. To face it, work through it."
"I don't have a while."
His jaw tensed. "That remains to be seen." She didn't bother arguing. Not as she admitted, "I want it to be over."
He went wholly still, but granted her the space to think, to speak.
"I want it to be over and done with," she said hoarsely. "This war, the gods and the Wyrdgate and the Lock. All of it." She rubbed her temples, pushing past the weight, the lingering stain that no fire might cleanse. "I want to go to Terrasen, to fight, and then I want it to be over."
She'd wanted it to be over since she'd learned the true cost of forging the Lock anew.
Had wanted it to be over with each of Cairn's lashes on the beach in Eyllwe. And all he'd done to her afterward. Whatever it might bring about, however it might end, she wanted it to be over.
She didn't know who and what it made her.
Rowan remained silent for a long moment before he said, "Then we will make sure the khagan's host goes north. Then we will return to Terrasen and crush Erawan's armies." He brought her hands to his mouth for a swift kiss.
"And then, after all that, we'll see about this damned Lock." Uncompromising will filled his every breath, the air around them.
She let it be enough for both of them.
Tucked away his words, his vow, all those promises between them and extended her palm in the air between them.
She summoned the magic-the drop of water her mother's bloodline had given her.
Mab's bloodline.
A tiny ball of water took form in her hand. Over the calluses she'd so carefully rebuilt.
She let the gentle, cooling power trickle over her. Let it smooth the jagged bits inside herself and sing them to sleep. Her mother's gift.
You do not yield.
When the Lock took everything, would it claim this part as well? This most precious part of her power? She tucked away those thoughts, too.
Concentrating, gritting her teeth, Aelin commanded the ball of water to rotate in her palm.
A wobble was all she got in answer.
She snorted. "Faerie Queen of the West indeed."
Rowan huffed a quiet laugh. "Keep practicing. In a thousand years, you might actually be able to do something with it."
She whacked his arm, the droplet of water soaking into the sleeve of his shirt. "It's a wonder I learned anything from you with that sort of encouragement." She shook the wetness from her hand. Right into his face.
Rowan nipped at her nose. "I do keep a tally, Princess. Of all the horrible things that come out of your mouth."
Her toes curled, and she dragged her fingers through his hair, luxuriating in the silken strands. "How shall I pay for this one?"
On the other side of the door, she could have sworn that cat-soft feet quickly padded away.
People gawked in the halls, some whispering as they passed.
The queen and her consort. Where do you think they've been these past few days?
I heard they went into the mountains and brought the wild men back with them.
I heard they've been weaving spells around the city, to protect it against Morath.
Rowan was still smirking when Aelin emerged from the communal ladies' bathing room.
"See?" She fell into step beside him as they aimed not for their room and ravishment, but for the hallway where food had been laid out.
"You're starting to like the notoriety."
Rowan arched a brow. "You think that everywhere I've gone for the past three hundred years, whispers haven't followed me?" She rolled her eyes, but he chuckled. "This is far better than Cold-hearted bastard or I heard he killed someone with a table leg."
"You did kill someone with a table leg." Rowan's smirk grew.
"And you are a cold-hearted bastard," she threw in.
Rowan snorted. "I never said those whispers were lies."
Aelin looped her arm through his. "I'm going to start a rumor about you, then. Something truly grotesque."
He groaned. "I dread the thought of what you might come up with."
She adopted a harsh whisper as they passed a group of human soldiers. "You flew back onto the battlefield to peck out the eyes of our enemies?" Her gasp echoed off the rock. "And ate those eyes?"
One of the soldiers tripped, the others whipping their heads to them. Rowan pinched her shoulder. "Thank you for that."
She inclined her head. "You're very welcome."
Aelin kept smiling as they found food and ate a quick lunch-it was midday, they'd learned-sitting side by side in a dusty, half-forgotten stairwell. Much like the days they'd spent in Mistward, knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen while listening to Emrys's stories.
Though unlike those months this spring, when Aelin set down her plate between her feet, she slid her arms around Rowan's neck and his mouth instantly met hers.
No, it was certainly not at all like their time at Mistward as she crawled into Rowan's lap, not entirely caring that anyone might stride up or down the stairs, and kissed him silly.
They halted, breathless and wild-eyed, before she could decide that it really wouldn't be a bad ideaâŠ
⊠If Aelin was being honest with herself, she was still debating hauling him into the nearest closet when they set off to find their companions at last. One glance at Rowan's glazed eyes and she knew he was debating the same.
Yet even the desire heating her blood cooled when they entered the ancient study near the top of the keep and beheld the gathered group. Fenrys and Gavriel were already there, Chaol with them, no sign of Elide or Lorcan.
But Chaol's father, unfortunately, was present. And glowered as they entered the meeting that seemed well under way. Aelin gave him a mocking smile and sauntered up to the large desk.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood with Nesryn, Sartaq, and Hasar, handsome and brimming with a sort of impatient energy. His brown eyes were welcoming, his smile easy.
She liked him immediately.
"My brother," Hasar said, waving a hand without looking up from the map. "Kashin." The prince sketched a graceful bow.
Aelin offered one back, Rowan doing the same. "An honor," Aelin said. "Thank you for coming."
"You can actually thank my father for that. And Yrene," said Kashin, his use of their language as flawless as his siblings'.
Indeed, Aelin had much to thank the healer for.
Nesryn's sharp eyes scanned Aelin from head to toe. "You're feeling all right?"
"Just needed to rest." Aelin jerked her chin at Rowan. "He requires frequent naps in his old age."
Sartaq coughed, keeping his head down as he continued studying the map.
Fenrys, however, laughed. "Back to your good spirits, I see."
Aelin smirked at Chaol's straight-backed father. "We'll see how long it lasts."
The man said nothing.
Rowan motioned to the desk and asked the royals, "Have you decided-where you shall march now?"
Such a casual, calm question. As if the fate of Terrasen did not rest upon it.
Hasar opened her mouth, but Sartaq cut her off. "North. We shall indeed go north with you. If only to repay you for saving our army-our people."
Aelin tried not to look too relieved.
"Gratitude aside," Hasar said, not sounding very grateful at all, "Kashin's scouts have confirmed that Terrasen is where Morath is concentrating its efforts. So it is there that we shall go."
Aelin wished she had not eaten such a large lunch. "How bad is it?"
Nesryn shook her head, answering for Prince Kashin, "The details were murky. All we know is that hordes were spotted marching northward, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake."
Aelin kept her fists at her sides, avoiding the urge to rub at her face.
Chaol's father said, "I hope that power of yours can be summoned again."
Aelin let an ember of that power smolder in her eyes. "Thank you for the armor," she crooned.
"Consider it an early coronation gift," the Lord of Anielle countered with a mocking smile.
Sartaq cleared his throat. "If you and your companions are recovered, then we'll press northward as soon as we are able." No objections from Hasar at that.
"And march along the mountains?" Rowan asked, scanning the map. Aelin traced the route they'd follow. "We'd have to pass directly before the Ferian Gap. We'll barely clear the other end of this lake before we're in another battle."
"So we draw them out," Hasar said. "Trick them into emptying whatever forces wait in the Gap, then sneak up on them from behind."
"Adarlan controls the entire Avery," Chaol said, drawing an invisible line inland from Rifthold. "To pass north, we have to cross that river anyway. In picking the Gap as our battleground, we'll avoid the mess that would come with fighting in the midst of Oakwald. The ruks, at least, would be able to provide aerial coverage. Not so with the trees."
Rowan nodded. "We'd need to march the majority of the host up into the mountains, thenâto come at the Gap from where they'd least expect it. It's rough terrain, though. We'll need to pick our route carefully."
Chaol's father grumbled. Aelin lifted her brows, but his son answered, "I sent out emissaries the day after the battle-into the Fangs. To contact the wild men who live there, if they might know of secret ways through the mountains to the Gap."
Ancient enemies of this city. "And?"
"They do. But at a cost."
"One that shall not be paid," the Lord of Anielle snapped.
"Let me guess: territory," Aelin said.
Chaol nodded. Hence the tension in this room.
She tapped a toot as she surveyed the Lord of Anielle. "And you won't give one sliver of land to them?"
He just glared.
"Apparently not," Fenrys muttered
Aelin shrugged, and turned to Chaol. "Well, it's settled, then."
"What is settled?" his father ground out.
Aelin ignored him, and winked at her friend. "You're the Hand to the King of Adarlan. You outrank him. You're authorized to act on Dorian's behalf." She gestured to the map. "The land might be a part of Anielle, but it belongs to Adarlan. Go ahead and barter it."
His father started. "Youâ"
"We are going north," Aelin said. "You will not stand in our way." She again let some of her fire kindle in her eyes, set the gold in them burning. "I halted that wave. Consider this alliance with the wild men a way to repay the favor."
"That wave destroyed half my city," the man snarled.
Fenrys let out a low, disbelieving laugh. Rowan snarled softly.
Chaol growled at his father, "You're bastard."
"Watch your tongue, boy."
Aelin nodded sympathetically to Chaol. "I see why you left."
Chaol, to his credit, winced and returned to the map. "If we can get past the Ferian Gap, then we continue northward."
Past Endovier. That path would take them right past Endovier. Aelin's stomach tightened. Rowan's hand grazed her own.
"We have to decide soon," Sartaq declared.
"Right now, we sit between the Ferian Gap and Morath. It would be very easy for Erawan to send hosts to crush us between them."
Hasar turned to Chaol. "Is Yrene anywhere near done?"
He leaned an elbow against the arm of his wheeled chair. "Even with the few survivors, there are too many of them. We'd be here weeks."
"How many injured?" Rowan asked.
Chaol shook his head. "Not injured." His jaw tightened. "Valg."
Aelin frowned. "Yrene's healing the Valg?"
Hasar grinned. "In a manner of speaking."
Aelin waved her off. "Can I see?"
They found Yrene not in the keep, but in a tent on the remnants of the battlefield, leaning over a human man thrashing upon a cot. The man had been restrained to anchors in the floor at his wrists and ankles.
Aelin took one look at those chains and had to swallow.
Rowan laid a hand on her lower back, and Fenrys stepped closer to her side.
Yrene paused, her hands wreathed in white light. Borte, sword out, lingered nearby.
"Is something wrong?" Yrene asked, the glow in her hands fading. The man sagged, going boneless as the healer's assault on the demon inside him halted.
Chaol steered his chair closer to her, the wheels equipped for rougher terrain. "Aelin and her companions want a demonstration. If you're up for it."
Yrene smoothed back the hair that had escaped her braid. "It's not really anything that you can see. What happens is beneath the skinâmind to mind."
"You go up against Valg demons directly," Fenrys said with no small amount of awe.
"They're hateful, cowardly wretches." Yrene crossed her arms and scowled at the man tied to the cot. "Utterly pathetic," she spat toward himâthe demon inside him.
The man hissed. Yrene only smiled. The manâthe demon-whimpered.
Aelin blinked, unsure whether to laugh or fall to her knees. "Show me. Do whatever it is you do, but show me."
Borte said, "It's not very exciting with them tied down, is it?"
Sartaq threw her an exasperated glare. As if this were a conversation they'd already had many times. "You can be on mucking duty, if you'd prefer."
Borte rolled her eyes, but turned to Aelin, looking her over with a frankness that Aelin could only appreciate. "Any other missions for me?"
Aelin grinned. "Not yet. Soon, perhaps." Borte grinned right back. "Please. Please spare me from the tedium of this."
"And you believe them?" Fenrys asked.
Hasar patted the hilt of her fine sword. "Our interrogators are skilled at retrieving the truth."
Aelin ignored the roiling in her stomach.
"So you free them," Gavriel said, silent for minutes now, "and then torture them?"
"This is war," Hasar said simply. "We leave them able to function. But we will not risk sparing their lives only to find a new army at our backs."
"Some willingly joined Erawan," Chaol said quietly. "Some willingly took the ring. Yrene can tell, when she's in there, who wanted it or not. She doesn't bother to save those who gladly knelt. So most of those she does save were either fools or taken forcibly."
"Some want to fight for us," Sartaq said.
"Those who pass our vetting process are allowed to begin training with the foot soldiers. Not many of them, but a few." Fine. Fine, and fine.
Yrene gasped, her light flaring bright enough that Aelin squinted.
Yrene slumped back, Chaol shooting out an arm to brace her. The healer only took a perch on the arm of his chair, a hand on her heaving chest.
Aelin gave her a moment to catch her breath. To manage such a feat was remarkable. To do it while pregnant ... Aelin shook her head in wonder.
Yrene said to no one in particular, "That demon didn't want to go."
"But it's gone now?" Aelin asked
Yene pointed to the man on the cot, now opening his eyes. Brown, not black, gazed upward.
"Thank you," was all the man said, his voice raw.
And human. Utterly human.
#Chapter 66#Aelin Galathynius#Kingdom of Ash#Sarah J. Maas#First Read along with me NO SPOILERS PLEASE though warning for post & tags up to KoA 66 & more reacts/notes/quotes in tags below#KoA part of chapter 66 (one/two more till Pt. 2)-HomepinetalksknownPeaceCloserBetter-Did it matter now?Revealing what?#A guess lol-She'd known-THE LETTERS-thatâs what she had been waiting for-whatâs the last card?-Never again it would wreck her only that-#-pain brought that power-AELIN STOP PLANNING A DEATH-Break US-Heâs aware-So she said it-I know-I want it over-so it will be-heâll find a wa#Who and what it made her-A coward-no. Can nehemias ghost pop up and fix that please?-Just over by any meansNot death just not this#Uncompromising will-Enough-Promises-A hand again-Her mothers gift-The most precious part-OW WHY WOULD YOU turn it into that line#putting the AH in Sarah-Given to him again-lol again Gavriel leaving lol-very Feyre of her-wait Is she pregnant? Nope lol-Gavriel arranging#-everything heâd be a great wedding planner-them sharing food I want us to eat well-good ole Mistward days-lol literally no care#Use the elevator folks-THE BIRD RUMOR-and another broom closet lol-YESSSKashin (never thought weâd be here but okay)#naps needed-they are centuries old-okay wait Maeve all of them how old is she?-hearth mothers?-Her faceAn ember-The gap DAMN-#-The river DOUBLE DAMN-The fangs SHIT-Endovier NOPE!-damn the Valg rings Iâm so paranoid-They learned-the ChainsThey both held her they kne#Laugh or cry idk-Show me how?War.Fine.What next?!-Erawan AND Maeve NO UGH-Needed to walk & get away uh yeah-damn magic gods-#Yrene and the baby thoughâŠwhat if-he couldnât for her-The marks-Love is a weakness matches the old script flipped-what it meant-#Only Gavriel would have arranged them with such care.#THE RUMORS SCENE IS EVEN BETTER THAN I THOUGHT LOL#who did he kill with a table leg?đ#HoF full circle lol#His brown eyes were welcoming his smile easy. She liked him immediately.#He requires frequent naps in his old age#Aelin let an ember of that power smolder in her eyes. Thank you for the armor she crooned.âcoronation#YES CHAOL standing up for him her everyoneâYrenes feist has taught him well#Rowan's hand grazed her own.#Rowan laid a hand on her lower back and Fenrys stepped closer to her side.#with a frankness that Aelin could only appreciateâBorte had dropped her off beforeâNesryn saved#Yrene wreathed in white light-remarkable. To do it while pregnant ... Aelin shook her head in wonder.#And human. Utterly human.
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HELP ME FIND A WAY TO BREATHE | M. FUSHIGURO
⥠tags ; afab + fem!reader, aged-up characters (20s), mutual pining, friends to lovers, canon-typical violence, canon divergent, sex pollen, dubious consent (they are both very enthusiastic to fuck but it is still sex pollen), brief one bed trope lol, light femdom, praise kink, penetration, unprotected sex / creampies, making out, not beta'd we die like [REDACTED MANGA SPOILERS] 18+
⥠wc ; 14.1k (???)
⥠a/n ; hello! happy june, and welcome to my first of three installments part of my @ficsforgaza intiative. please go check them out and join us in fundraising for the people of palestine.
no other really notes on this one other than it's egregiously horny and even more sappy. a super lovey-dovey pining fic. title from sleep walking by bmth
⥠synopsis ; megumi has loved you for as long as he's known you and then some - which is why he avoids going on overnight missions with you at all cost. he's going to kill gojo-sensei when he gets back.
âYou should be more firm with Gojo-sensei about stuff like this,â Megumi leans back, eye twitching as he voices his complaints. âYou know he always puts it on you because you wonât say no.â Â
Youâre sitting next to Megumi reclined in your seat. He doesnât even have to turn his head to know what face youâre making - a forgiving smile, your eyes crinkled at the corner as you shrug unbothered. Â
âItâs fine with me,â You turn your head to look at him a little better, pulling your eyes way from the window. âJust how it goes sometimes, you know? Plus, Sensei was nice enough to upgrade us and sending us on these expensive seats. When else are you gonna ride in one of these?â Â
Your smile reaches your eyes, light filtering through the windows in quick motion bursts as you speed along the rails. Megumi knew thatâs what you were going to say. He shakes his head. Â
âDonât make excuses for him,â Â
âDonât be so prickly,â You reprimand, a long sigh leaving your lips. You reach across the armrest and pat Megumiâs shoulder âIf we finish up early, we should go sight-seeing. Thereâs lots of temples in Sendai Iâve never seen before.â Â
Megumi doesnât say anything to that. You havenât moved your hand from his shoulder either. The touch is subconscious and friendly - and makes Megumi want to light himself on fire. Heâs almost sure this is one of Gojoâs famous schemes, since thereâs little to no reason he couldnât handle a request like this one by himself. Or at least, Megumi couldâve gone alone and prevented himself from being alone with you on a trip for several consecutive days. Â
(Heâs got a special talent for avoiding this exact thing - always planning ahead and switching things around so this kind of incident never occurs. Heâs had a ninety-nine percent success rate. Without Gojoâs meddling, itâd probably be one-hundred)Â
Thereâs not a lot of information about the mission at present. The case files were barely filled out when he got them - only three papers tucked away neatly in a manila folder. On those pages are a few reports of cursed energy in the area and a map - outlining the general perimeter. From what intel the two of you do have, the concentration of said cursed energy in an abandoned commune. Megumi thinks it spells trouble, but some part of him is holding onto hope that itâs an easy to deal with curse. Something quick - so the two of you can be back on the next train ride to Tokyo. Â
Pitiful yearning fills him when your hands float away from his shoulder and settle back into your lap. Youâre lost in your own thoughts, eyes lidded as you stare outside of the window. He doubts you got much sleep last night. You always stay up before long trips. He sighs a little. Â
âWeâve still got,â He checks his watch. âAt least another hour and fifty minutes. Nowâd be the time to get some rest.â Â
You startle at the sound of his voice, a yawn escaping you. âNo,â You whine, lips formed into a soft pout that makes the corners of Megumiâs lips twitch. âWonât you be lonely without my company, Megumi-kun?â Â
He gives you a long suffering sigh. âNo. I have a lot to read. Get some sleep.â Â
Your frown deepens but Megumi doesnât budge. The both of you make prolonged eye-contact until you final give in after another yawn interrupts your protesting. Your eyes are barely open as is. How stubborn of you. Â
âWake me up like fifteen minutes before weâre there, please?â You relent. Â
Megumi just nods. You smile at him and his heart beats loudly at the sight as you close your eyes and succumb to exhaustion. He starts scrolling on his phone, opening his library app to read when your head falls onto his shoulder. He goes stone stiff - body locking up and blood pressure sky-rocketing before he regains control of his senses and loosens his muscles so you donât end up waking. He leans his head back against the cushion of the seat and takes a deep breath. Â
His phone buzzes in his hand, mood dropping as soon as he sees who itâs from. Â
donât respond: my dearest megumi-chan ! have the two of you arrived safely?Â
Megumi thinks about not responding, quickly reminded of the fact Gojo-sensei would not only keep texting him but abuse the âNotify Anywayâ option given half the chance. Ignoring the oncoming migraine, he types back carefully in order to leave you undisturbed. Â
(sent 6:58pm) weâre on the train now. Â
The reply is instant. Â
donât respond: oh my⊠how late. was there a delay. Â
(sent 6:58 pm) yeah. Â
donât respond: tskâŠwhy pay all that money for the good seats if this was the outcome...Â
donât respond: well. nothing you can do now. get a hotel in Sendai and check out the location during the day.Â
Megumi squints at his phone, scowl forming instantly. Â
(sent 7:02) a hotel?? what for?? Â
donât respond: megumi-chan⊠i raised you better than this. you are going to let a beautiful young maiden walk around the dark unknown at night? Â
He makes a face of disgust at the phrase. Not that Megumi thinks you arenât beautiful, but hearing the sentiment from Gojo-senseiâs mouth is truly nauseating. Â
(sent 7:02) ⊠weâll get the hotel.Â
donât respond: wonderful ! and if i may offer you some advice my dear boy Â
(sent 7:03) please donât. Â
donât respond: do not miss your chance ! this beautiful gift your sensei has bestowed upon you to make progress in your youthful loveÂ
Megumi scowls. He knew that was it. Â
(sent 7:04): You disliked âdo not miss your chance ! thisâŠâ Â
dont respond: [IMG ATTACHMENT]Â Â
Megumi stares at the attached meme (a dog gyaru posing) with a grimace - no doubt borrowed from Itadori or Kugisaki. He frowns, disliking that one too before putting the messages between them on mute and opening the app to read his book. Heâs been reading a lot of his usual nonfiction. Lately itâs an autobiography of a famous Japanese author - Soseki, the father of all modern novels. Heâs gotten farther into it than he thought he would since heâs only had it for a few days. The writing is engaging. Â
He bought it per your recommendation too, so he wants to finish it. The sudden memory of that makes Megumi blush again, his skin prickling under the fabric of his uniform.Â
 Youâre still sound asleep beside him, your breathing even and steady. If he focuses, he can see you clearly from the corner of his eyes. The soft plumpness in your lips, and each of your lashes sitting against your cheek.Â
He keeps focused on reading, though - and prays that the train ride goes a little faster. Â
__Â
âHey,â His arm feels stiff as he moves it away from you gentle, making sure to keep your head upright and steady on the seats headrest as he wakes you from your sleep. âWeâre almost here.â Â
He sees your eyes stir behind your lids, nose crinkling as you regain consciousness. Heâs grateful you canât see him smile at you as you wake up. Quickly getting his face back to itâs baseline neutral, he waits for you to wake up as you pull away from him and sit up. You let out a long yawn, rubbing underneath your eye as to not smudge your makeup. Blinking the sleep away from your vision, you finally open your eyes. Megumi watches on in silence, trying not to look too endeared. Â
âGood morning,â You say as a half joke. Megumi doesnât bother hiding his laugh.Â
âMorning.â Â
You smile at him, pleased by his response. You pat around your body looking for your phone, visibly relieved when you find it. Megumi continues watching you as you pull it up, resting your hands on the pull-out table in front of you. You chuckle at your screen. Megumi raises his eyebrow in interest. Â
âDid you talk to Gojo-sensei?â Â
He nods. âCouple of hours ago. Why?âÂ
Instead of replying, you pull your notification center down and show Megumi the barrage of texts sent two hours-ish prior. Your phone mustâve been on DND while you were asleep since Megumi hadnât heard them either. Thereâs at least ten messages. Megumi scowls in displeasure, and you break out into a terribly lovely laugh seeing it. Â
âSee what I mean? If you give sensei an inch, heâll take a mile. Why is he texting you this student this much?âÂ
You canât suppress your giggles. âDonât be so hard on him. Heâs a little lonely now that youâre old enough to do things by yourself - thatâs all.â Â
âThen he should bother me instead of you,â Megumi grumbles. Your smile doesnât fade. Â
âHe texted you afterwards, so I guess itâs a start.â Â
âStop being so nice to him.â Â
You laugh again. Megumi tries not to smile and ultimately succeeds. Â
You study him for a brief moment before reclining a bit.  Â
âGuess Iâll have to be extra nice to you, then.â Â
A blush crawls up the back of his neck almost instantly. Your grin has a crooked edge, a touch of mirth and amusement that makes Megumi want to crawl into somewhere dark and disappear. Warmth and restless makes home in his ribcage, your perception endlessly tormenting. You donât tease him more than that, allowing Megumi catch his breath. Â
âI donât even know how thatâd be possible.â Â
âReally?â You say without missing a beat, not even looking at him as you gather up your things. âI can think of plenty of ways to be even sweeter to Megumi-kun, though?â Â
He can feel the blush deepen. His cheeks are undeniably crimson by now, heâs sure - and he can barely stand the soft quality in your voice long enough to breathe. Youâre still calm, the words genuine but undeniably tilted along the axis of teasing. If Megumi were any less stubborn, he might even beg you for mercy. He is, of course, incredibly bull-headed and refuses to do so. He huffs a little instead.Â
âYou make it sound like thereâs some quota for it.â He says, kind of lamely. Your eyes flutter, something passing in your gaze - gone before Megumi can get hold of it and know what it is. You make an impassive noise, but donât say anything in reply. Your non-answer makes him think that you might really have one. He tries not to blush any more than he is now and shakes the thought off. Â
âYou all ready to go?â You ask finally. He lets out a sigh of relief. Â
âYeah. Should be.â Megumi replies, looking down at his phone for the time. Itâll be closer to 9:30 by the time you get out of the station. âDunno if you read Senseiâs messages but he told us to stay the night at a hotel first since itâs already this late and itâs nothing urgent.â Â
Your brows raise in surprise before you nod. âThatâs probably smart. As much Iâd love to be done sooner, probably not the best idea to go lurking around in the night. Weâll do that, then.âÂ
âIâll start looking at hotels,â Megumi adds. Â
âThanks for being so helpful, Megumi-kun.â Â
He rolls his eyes. âUh-huh. Youâre welcome.â Â
__Â Â
âThis isâŠreally the only place with available rooming for tonight?â Â
Megumi looks at you with an absent grimace, affirming you with a curt nod. You glance at each other, sharing mutual disbelief and basking in the solidarity of your absurd situation for a bit. A long silence stretches over you both, a weighted quiet that makes Megumi wish a giant curse would literally swallow him into the ground. Â
He wishes he had some explanation for this. His name meaning blessing feels like a spit in the face given how deeply unlucky everything about this mission has been so far.Â
Of all the hotels in Sendai, the only one within reasonable distance of your mission site that is accepting last minute is a love hotel. A love hotel is something of a non-issue. Itâs a tourist misconception to view them as kinky paradises. More modern love hotels are usually just short stays - last minute bookings with cheap prices and always adult. The full blown kinky stuff tends to stay in the several entertainment districts scattered across Japanese metropolitans. Â
Itâd be nice if that was the case here, but based on various reviews and the neon flashing blue sign at the top of the building - this is definitely the kind of love hotel for couples. The kind used for sex. Itâs the only one in proximity accepting last minute bookings, and the only hotel for miles. Megumi lets out a long suffering sigh. He can see you smiling sympathetically from the corner of his eye. He pinches the bridge of his nose as a new wave of regret settles in his bones. Â
âIâm sorry,â Megumi says, unsure of what else to say. He is truly and deeply sorry for the level of misfortune he seems to have around you. You shake your head in reply, shrugging. Â
âLetâs make the best of it,â You respond, pausing before going on. âSensei is going to be really annoying about seeing this charge on his card, huh?â Â
Megumi must look as distraught as he feels because you laugh immediately at his expression. You squeeze his shoulder sympathetically, though you clearly find it funny. âSorry, sorry. Itâll be fine. Maybe he wonât notice.â Â
 Gojo-sensei tends to keep tabs whenever people are away on missions. Itâs a common precaution for sorcerers, and when more experienced sorcerers relegate their own work - they are solely responsible for that task. Megumi can only hope heâs too busy to keep watch on it for the night. Realistically though, it means Sensei will definitely see. Â
Megumi decides to overlook this information as best he can. At least for now.Â
You trek into the hotel with your away bag, Megumi in-step behind you with his head hung low.Â
It sounds corny to him retroactively (he canât help but cringe when he says it aloud), but Megumi had foolishly hoped he could be somewhat useful to you in this mission. Every fight the two of you have been in together, youâve saved Megumiâs skin at least once. Heâs incredibly aware of the increasing debt between you. Thank youâs and paid dinners stopped being enough a long time ago. He wasnâtâŠhoping to be a knight in shining armor or anything like that - but he really wanted to do more this time since youâre already going together. Â
You probably understood that talking to the front desk in these conditions would give him a hernia and took the responsibility on without complain. You make these acts of consideration look easy and natural - smooth like the flow of water. Megumi has yet to learn how to swim against the tide instead of getting swept up in its motion. Â
Despite Megumiâs countless attempts at repaying your kindness, heâs never been able break even. He reflects on this as you speak to the woman at the front desk. Â
The lobby of Hotel:SAPPHIRE is exactly what someone might expect from an actual love hotel. The lights are dim even up front and thereâs a lot of glittery, mildly gaudy decor. Aside from the front desk, the first floor hosts some kind of amenities store and a lounge or bar. Â
 Megumiâs awareness of his surroundings is making his blush worse. Heâs not concerned by being seen in a love hotel, as much as heâs hung up on the idea that people are assuming youâre both a couple. Rationally, he knows that means nothing. Youâre two people of the opposing gender and similar age - of course people would think that. Â
Still, it makes him soâŠughâŠshy, he could genuinely die of misery. Â
He tries his best to zone out, but ultimately canât. He tunes in to listens to you talk to the woman at the front desk instead. Â
âThereâs probably no double beds here, huh?â You ask. The woman at the front desk gives you a confused look of both sympathy and apology. You shake your head with a pleasant smile. Â
âYeah. I thought so. Whatâs the nicest room you have?â Â
âWe have a queen room, with a queen bed, couch and a jacuzzi. It has one of our more spacious bathrooms as well.â Â
Megumi closes his eyes. Your reply is chipper. âSure! Weâll take that one.â Â
âAnd how long will you be staying?â Â
âAbout five days?â Â
His eyes snap open. Megumi gives you an incredulous look from where heâs standing. You turn back with a small smile as if having predicted it and then shrug again. Â
âI still wanna go sightseeing.â Â
He canât say anything to refute you in the moment, despite how much heâd like to push back on the idea. Youâre definitely enjoying yourself, at least. Maybe he shouldâve expected that. Youâre not exactly the type to get easily embarrassed. Even getting the words of complaint out feel too humiliating given the context. He sighs. Â
âWhatever,â Â
The woman at the front desk, increasingly baffled by the nature of your relationship, puts you down for five days before handing you two room cards. Â
She briefly explains some of the perks, and gently points you to the small store which freely offers things like lube, condoms, scented lotions and oils, and bath products. Itâd be great if some meteor hit Earth right now and killed him (and only him) instantly. You give her your kindest thanks and take the two room cards, turning around to pass one over to Megumi. He gives you a long look. You reply with two thumbs up and goofy grin. Â
âLetâs go to the little store place!â Â
âWhy the hell would you want to do thatâ Megumi hisses, blushing profusely. You are predictably nonplussed by his reaction. Â
âI want to see the scented lotions. A souvenir. If you will.âÂ
Itâs truly imperative to to him in that moment he remembers how often youâve saved him from mortal peril. He relents easily after that, trailing along behind you. Â
Itâs less of a store and more of a display case of possible lewd items on four sides of a centered wall, with just enough space to walk around. Megumi stonewalls as soon as the two of you are within five feet of it. You take your time looking through the different thing and snickering at the display case. Â
At one point, you tug Megumiâs sleeve and snap him out of his trance. He begrudgingly follows your gaze, eyes widening at the display case of condoms. There are so many condoms. He didnât even know they made that many kinds. Â
âMaybe we should bring one? You know, just in case.â You do a stupid wiggle with your eyebrows. Megumi is painfully aware itâs just jokes, closing his eyes with a deep sigh, elbowing you lightly. Â
âFuck off.âÂ
Your voice is sing-songy as you continue your tirade. Â
âYou never know, Megumi! What if end up in a condom emergency trying to fight curses?â Â
âPlease shut up.â Â
Your laughter sounds again behind your closed fist, but youâre merciful and turn the corner to look at everything else. Â
You indeed pick up two scented lotions and a bath bomb before you finally agree to retire to the room. Â
__Â Â
Megumi is rendered speechless when you finally unlock the door to your room. Â
He isnât sure why. He shouldâve expected much worse. Â
The room is big as promised. Probably three times the size of his own dorm at Jujutsu Tech. Thereâs one bed in the middle (certainly king-sized, not queen) - with a couch and glass table adjacent to it along the back wall. The couch is upholstered with a creaky, gold fabric and the walls are painted mostly white with the exception of one wall being painted sapphire blue, decorated with a rose mural. The throw pillows and complimentary blanket share a familiar loud pattern, incorporating all three colors and stitched with gold threads. Â
Thereâs rose petals everywhere. On the bed, floor, and the table. The glass table accompanying the couch even has two champagne flutes and complimentary bottle to go along with it. Thereâs a present box on the bed, wrapped in shiny white wrapping paper and a sickly sweet, red bow. Â
Megumi doesnât want to know whatâs inside. Â
You shut the door behind him after dragging in the rest of your luggage. Â
The two of you take in the view together for a minute before Megumi hears you break out into a long fit of laughter, making him jolt. He looks over at where youâve dropped down into a squat, giggling hysterically beside him. He feels suddenly winded from the days events as you break the tension. Â
After you gather yourself you stand to your feet and look at him warmly, wiping tears from the corners of your eyes. Megumi wishes he could take it as easy as you. Â
âAhhâŠhehehe..â You put a hand over your mouth trying to suppress the sound as you turn away. âOkay, sorry. Uhm. Hah. Do you want to shower first or should I?â Â
Megumi responds reflexively. âYou can shower first.â Â
You nod, yawning as you stretch your arms up. He forces himself not to look at the way your shirt rides up over your stomach. Patting his shoulder after collecting yourself, you shoot him a tired but reassuring smile. At least he knows youâre both exhausted. Â
âThanks, Megumi-kun. Do me a favor and order room service, please? Iâm starving.â Â
He nods. âDo you want to look at the menu?â Â
You wave your hand dismissively, taking your bag and turning to the bathroom. âI trust you know me well enough to know what I want.â Â
The instant preening internally makes Megumi want to crawl in a hole. Heâs glad you canât see him. Â
âYeah. Go shower, already.â Â
âMm,â You make a noise as you stretch. âWill do.â Â
__Â Â
The room is unnaturally dim. Â
Thereâs a movie playing in the background as both you and Megumi sit on the bed. Youâre doing some work on your laptop - typing in short bursts every few minutes. Megumi has no idea what youâre working on. Youâre oddly meticulous with paper work but aside from the disaster of finding room and board - there isnât anything to report on. Â
Whatever it is though, youâve been working on since you finished dinner an hour ago - nursing your beer while typing away. Â
Megumi glances at you from the corner of his eyes, heart unfairly racing at the lack of distance between you. He really should be past this. Your skin is damp from the shower and you smell like the scented lotion from earlier which makes him feel weird and warm. He decided to drink with you, but his tolerance is much worse than yours so he feels a little tipsy. He isnât sure if thatâs better or worse. Dealing with everything sober hasnât been very fun. Â
Heâs staring at you openly but youâre too preoccupied to take notice. Heâs kind of grateful. His fingers tap the sides of his can as his eyes flits up to the cheap action movie playing on the TV. Â
After a little longr, you stretch your arms over your head and shut your laptop.Â
âAll done with your work?â Â
You blink rapidly, momentarily taken aback before smiling. âYeah. Finally.â Â
âWhat were you actually doing?âÂ
âStarted on the report and then dug around some old archives for information on the commune.â Â
âDid you find anything?â Â
You laugh humorlessly. âMore or less? But nothing we couldnât have figured out on our own. The commune was more like a curse cult but it ran functionally for almost ten years. They did some type of curse breeding.â Â
âCurse⊠breeding? As in likeâŠ?â Megumi asks, making a face. Â
âItâs what it sounds like? I think. Thereâs not really any more information. The uploaded documents were barely legible. How it works, why they did it, and if it was effective - we have no information on that. Just that there was some powerful curses in the area in the late nineties.â Â
âIn the nineties? So itâs been what, decades since any activity? Why now?â Â
You shrug. âBest guess is that the sudden uptick in tourism caused it. You know, Sensei had some business in Sendai a few years back. It was right before Itadori-kun got hold of Sukuna I think. Itâs not impossible for all of it to be connected.â Â
Megumi sighs. âDonât know if that makes it better or worse.â Â
âI want to look into Gojo-senseiâs case right now but,â A yawn interrupts your train of thought. âWeâll need to be up and at âem early tomorrow.â Â
âRight,â He says, immediately preparing to sleep on couch and praying you wonât notice. âGoodnight, then -â Â
His plans are foiled fast of course. Before he can get up, you tug at the sleeve of his robe. Your face is flush from beer and sleep. Youâre so effortlessly alluring to his brain heâs irritated. The motion picture casts a soft glow on your features, picturesque in how pretty you seem to be with no effort. Â
âWhere are you going?â Â
âTo sleep on the couch.â Â
âI canât let you do that,â You shake your head. Megumi says nothing. âIâll take the couch.â Â
He purses his lips. âDid you think I was gonna say yes to that?â Â
You press your lips into a flat line. âNoâŠnot really. But.. I canât let you sleep on the couch. Itâll be a long day and you need rest,â You smile at him sleepily âI donât mind sharing the bed.â Â
âAbsolutely not,â He replies instantly. You pout at him. Damn it.Â
âMegumi-kun, please? We can just put one of the pillows between us.â Â
Megumi stares at you with a hardened brow. He knows from experience that a pillow would barely resolve the issue. A lesson he learned at fifteen where a similar incident had you both sleeping in the same tent. Â
You move in your sleep. A lot. As a result, fifteen year old Megumi spent an entire night with you, paralyzed by the lack of distance and missing an entire night of sleep. Every muscle in his body in his body had set rigid like early onset rigor mortis from stress that night. Â
He barely slept. Worse, the next morning Sensei had practically harassed him about his disheveled state. Megumi couldnât look you in the eye for the rest of the mission, though he got over it eventually. Only because you seemed very troubled when he didnât talk to you. Â
Youâre making a similarly distressed expression now at the thought of making Megumi sleep on the couch. He winces, swayed with embarrassing ease. The feeling fades after he sees how brightly you smile. Â
âThank you,â Â
He wants to ask why youâre thanking him, but doesnât know if he can handle hearing the answer so he says nothing. You turn the TV off and finish your beer and toss the can before returning to bed and undoing the covers. Megumi sits on the edge, watching as you rearrange the various pillows. You place a body pillow in between the both of you and fluff up another pillow to give to Megumi. You smile as you hand it to him, and he takes it with a soft blush. Â
He reminds you to go brush your teeth and watches you pad off to go do it, sighing and trying to meditate before itâs his turn to do the same. The alcohol is wearing off quicker than he hoped. Â
The room is nearly pitch black except for a single dim light when Megumi comes back from the bathroom. Youâre already in bed, and you smile when Megumi emerges with a stupidly cute giggle following. Heâll never get used to you, heâs sure. Â
Megumi craws into bed beside you. The bed is wide and spacious - and thereâs plenty of room seperating you. He isnât any less self-conscious of the fact heâs still sleeping in a bed next to you though, for better for worse. Â
âNight, Megumi.â You mumble, barely awake. Youâll fall asleep fast. Megumi reaches over and turns off the lights. Â
âNight.â Â
He lays in the dark, facing the other wall and waiting for your breathing to go even. Compelled to turn towards your back, Megumi does so as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. He can make out your silhouette in the dark, tracing the outline of your shoulder with his eyes as he continues to feel incredibly nervous and lovesick. Heâs been pining like this for so long, he finds it pathetic. Â
 Youâre less than a few feet away but he can barely bring himself to look at you. Oddly overwhelmed, he lets his eyes close and tries his best not to think too much about the next few days. Â
__Â Â
Against all odds, Megumi sleeps well and wakes up feeling better. Â
You, of course, moved around a bunch in your sleep - ending up on his side of the bed with a single arm thrown across his waist and your face in his chest. He woke up earlier than you, thankfully - and carefully pried himself from your touch to take a cold shower in the bathroom and not die of embarrassment at the resulting morning wood.Â
You were awake by the time he got out. After you were both ready for the day, you ate breakfast together and had coffee before leaving the hotel. The whole situation was more embarrassing during the daylight. Â
Your hotel is a twenty minute drive from the site location of the mission. A quick taxi cab ride to a small temple. Navigating isnât exceptionally difficult. The temple itself is somewhat obscured, not marked on any online maps. Itâs well known locally though, enough that a taxi driver could take them towards the bottom of the hill where itâs located. Itâs listed as a temple, but on further inspection itâs a small and worn shrine. The details about the shrines origin or history are unclear even. Â
After arriving, you were both relying on the provided map. The commune itself is away from civilization. A couple hundred meters Northeast from the temple sight is a path through the forest - leading out to the clearing where the commune is supposedly located. Â
The communes ruins are a one straight distance after that. If someone was taking a short hike, it wouldnât be hard to find. Â
So it isnât difficult to find for the two of you either. Â
Megumiâs shikigami follow along side him, divine dog sniffing along the trail. Youâre up front, checking the path and making sure the trail is correct, as well taking notes for your report later on. Â
You turn your head and share a look with Megumi - no doubt feeling the same thing he does. Thereâs cursed energy around here, but itâs weird and hard to trace. Neither him nor the Shikigami can make sense of exactly where itâs coming from. Â
Eventually, you come across stone - laid deliberately like a pathway, and glance at Megumi with hopeful eyes. Â
A clearing comes in view. Ruins, with cursed energy brimming somewhere within them fall into his sightline. Itâs a bigger location that Megumi thought itâd be - stretching out far despite hosting so few residents. There are dilapidated cabins and other buildings, the place filled with overgrowth and ivy. Shattered windows, graffiti, and trash affirm to Megumi that this place was found by other people at one point or another. Â
Megumi stands besides you as you assess the situation, silently taking the lead. You step forward, further in. A sigh leaves your lips as you turn to Megumi. Â
âWeâre here but,â You scratch the back of your neck. âWhat to do now isâŠâ Â
âWhat are you thinking?â Â
You sigh. âPart of me wonders if we should split up to check the buildings, but the information is so vague that I donât know if itâs a good idea.â Â
âItâs fine.â Megumi assures. Heâs not thrilled but splitting up for now is the best course of action. He can handle himself. Heâs sure youâre worrying about that. âAs long as we can hear each other, it should be fine.â Â
Your concern muddles your features, brows drawn together as you frown. You relent eventually though. Megumi feels the corners of his mouth twitch up at how long you think about it. Â
âOkay then,â You use your fingers to point towards the left half, right at what looks like an abandoned dormitory. âIâll go look in there. Megumi-kun can go that way. And if anything sticks out, call for me immediately.âÂ
âDonât worry so much.â Â
âIf itâs Megumi, I canât help but worry,â Your reply comes in the same beat. He feels himself blush, casting his gaze to his Divine Dog with a frown. Â
âIâll be fine so letâs hurry up and look around already.âÂ
You still hesitate to part ways with Megumi, but you budge eventually. He waits for you to summon protection for yourself, watching in awe as you unzip a deck of cards from the side pocket of your uniform. Beautiful, steel enforced hanafuda cards shine in the daylight. You shuffle them with your eyes closed, feeling along the backs for the right one before sliding the set back into your uniforms compartment. Â
You make a gesture to follow along with the command two-handed tanzaku, ten points - and Megumi watches the curse manifest around your arms. A strand of bi-colored tanzaku paper appears in your hand, razor-sharp with cursed energy. You coil it around your wrist before turning to Megumi with a small smile. Â
Despite how often heâs seen you do it, the appreciation in your face at the newly summoned curse make his emotions bubble and swell with impossible longing. Â
âLetâs meet back here if we get lost,â You say precariously. Megumi huffs. Â
âWe wonât get lost. Itâs barely that far.â Â
You pout at him. âItâs better to be safe then sorry.â Â
He wants to ask when youâre doing when you drop down to your knees - but the words die in his throat as your hand comes up to pet his shikigami affectionately. You give it a small smile. âPlease take care of Megumi-kun in my absence.â Â
The Divine Dog lets out a pleased chuff that makes you smile. Â
ââŠ.Weâll be fine,â He says - because as much as he would like to make fun of you for it, he finds it all terribly cute. You stand back up to your feet, seemingly more reassured. Thatâs good at least. âIâll go ahead, then.â Â
Megumi turns to leave before you can get another embarrassing word in edgewise, blush crawling up against his skin. Once he hears your foot steps fall lighter and lighter in the opposite direction, he takes moment to steel himself and prepare for the mission. Â
Itâs easier to tear his mind away from you when the threat of mortal peril looms - so for once, Megumi is just a little grateful to be a sorcerer. Â
He takes a better look at his surroundings, shikigami sniffing along the crumbling pathways of the ruined commune and searching for a scent. Itâs a strange place with a strange aura, aside from the curse. Thereâs not much way to describe other than tiny village. The half youâve gone to explore seems to be nothing but houses and communal living - with some kind of central house if Megumi had to guess based on itâs layout. Â
Where Megumi is walking along though seems to be amenities. On the right is open space - rustic wood stakes stuck into the ground with clothes-wire with a rotted fence separating it from another big patch of dirt. Thereâs signs tacked onto some of the structural poles along the outside, but theyâre too dirty for Megumi to read. Itâs easy to tell from how crude everything is that all of it was hand-made. Â
On the left of him are storage sheds and old-crates that have somehow stood the test of time - covered in dust and dirt and moss. One of the storage sheds has a completely collapsed roofÂ
Itâs entirely uninteresting, and that feels unsettling. The cursed air still lingers, but the familiar acrid scent doesnât seem to be there. Itâs something else, something new - and itâs simmering under the surface. Neither he nor his Shikigami seem to pick up on anything clearly.Â
After a few minutes of walking, Megumi thinks they start to close in on the end of the trail. His shikigami suddenly comes to life. He looks forward. Â
At the end of the trail, obscured by more forest and trail is a greenhouse. Itâs made with all glass, and thereâs moss and condensation surrounding it. Something about it feels alive, but Megumi canât tell if thatâs just his well-developed paranoia. Â
âGo find her,â Megumi says. The shikigami makes an affirmative noise and darts off in the opposite direction as Megumi closes into the building and surrounding structures. Â
The front door of the structure is pried open and pushed against the wall. Itâs an interesting shape - a half-dome and much bigger than how it looks from the outside when Megumi steps in. Too big. Itâs weird. Â
All of the hair stands on the back of Megumiâs neck as he stands inside of it. He fits with plenty of space to move his limbs. There are raised beds along both sides of the facility - the material boxing them in now covered in dirt and dust. Overgrowths and some kind of small plant crush underneath his feet and surround him. It smells⊠sweet. Very sweet but distantly. Megumi canât figure out what it is. Towards the back are gardening tools and a table with things on it. Â
Itâs here. This is the center of whatever unusual cursed energy heâs been feeling since theyâve been within one-hundred feet of this place. Itâs in here, surrounding him. Â
His skin starts to feel hot. He figures the presence of the glass might be concentrating sunlight and brushes it aside. Â
He doesnât get much time alone in his assessment of the place. A few minutes pass before you find him again, smiling at him upon your return. Megumiâs heart does a soft pitter-patter as you enter, his shikigami proudly behind you. Thereâs a sudden leap in his affection laying eyes on that doesnât make sense. Itâs unusual and unprofessional for him to get so caught up on it during a mission. Heâs had enough with you to know how to tamp the feeling down. He has a hard time with it this time thought but shakes it off. Â
âDid you find anything?â Megumi asks. Your tanzaku is wrapped around your wrist like a bracelet, Megumi notices. Â
âYeah, actually. Notes. I didnât get much time to check and a lot of them were too water-damaged to read, but I think curse breeding mightâve been an inaccurate,â You say, scratching the back of your neck. âIt seemed like something else. With different kinds of cursed energy, or something to create more output.â Â
Megumi doesnât know what that means, and it must show on his face because you laugh in understanding. âYeah. It wasnât clear to me either but I havenât seen everything yet. I thought I should come here first so we can expel whatevers here.â Â
âThatâs the problem, though.â Megumi says. âCanât figure out what exactly is here. The cursed energy isâŠâ Â
âObscured,â You say easily. Megumi nods. Â
âExactly,â Â
âNever seen anything like this before, honestly.â Â
Megumi is surprised by that. Youâve been a special grade for a long time, the extent of your abilities equal to Okkotsu-senpai He doesnât know how worried he should be. Youâre focusing hard as you look around.Â
He tries to do the same, wants to contribute more to the conversation but his mind feels strangely cloudy. He slept well he thought. Maybe the heat is bothering him more than expected. The uniforms have always been stuffy during summer. Â
You step around around him to look at your surroundings better, but find the same problem. Â
After a minute or two of aimlessly searching, something seems to click in. You drop down to your knee. Your fingers caress whatever is sprouting in the ground underneath you. Plucking one from the soil, you bring it up to your face and frown. Youâre gentle with the petals. It looks like a clover of some kind, but the color is too bright - more like a small flower maybe. Heâs never seen anything like it. Â
Megumi feels his skin go hot again watching you touch it. Itâs odd. Too sudden and almost nonsensical, how much magentism he feels towards your innocuous gesture. Â
Thereâs another shift in the air, deliberate - and something moves underneath Megumiâs feet. Your voice is panicked as some sudden realization dawns on you, his shikigami barks loudly. Â
Everything moves around him in a daze. His ears are ringing suddenly, heart thumping hard against his chest as the flowers beneath him move and distort into tendrils, curling around his ankles. Â
âMegumi-kun, we have to get out of here. We have toââ Â
Your words are cut short before he can heed them. A scream rips from his chest as the ground opens up and swallows him whole.Â
__Â
He falls for a long time. It seems endless. Â
His voice is trapped in his throat, despite his attempts to scream. His body weightless, crashes through empty space for what feels like hours. Despite the situation, all Megumi can worry about is you. You arenât falling beside him though heâs sure you came in together. The whole that ripped the ground was too big for that not to be true. The thought of you dying is so familiar, but it makes Megumi want to throw up mid-air. Â
The crash comes eventually. Bracing himself for impact as he falls backwards , he lands onto something like grass. Itâs not painful in the least. His skin prickles at the sensations surrounding him. Saccharine sweetness distorts the air, an artificial scent clogging his lungs as he gasps and opens his eyes. Â
He senses a presence next to him and turns to find you beside him in the grass. His body aches, both wanting to find relief in the fact youâve appeared beside him and feeling uncertainty at the same fact. Cursed energy seeps through every inch of this place, and part of him worries youâre some kind of illusion or mirage. Regardless, he calls out for you and hopes youâll answer. Â
âHey,â He tries saying your name but you donât budge. He nudges your arm but retracts just as quickly, hissing - the sensation making his skin burn at point of contact. A hole sears in your uniform where he touches you. âWake up, shit. Please wake up.â Â
After another minute, your eyes open. Megumi lets out a breath he wasnât aware heâd been holding. You groan as you sit up. Megumi sits up with you. Â
âFuck,â Your voice is thick as you sit with one leg up, a pressing a knuckle to your temple. âMy head is pounding.â Â
Megumi makes a noncommittal noise. âYeah. I canât tell what kind of domain this is.â Â
âThese were just apart of the curse, then. I felt something off of them but..,â You pick a flower up from the grass and it..moves. He frowns. âThey must just be apart of the domain. Which means thereâs a special grade behind this.âÂ
Right. Megumi has been too hung up on everything else to make proper note of that. He rubs the back of his neck as he tries to absorb his surroundings. The air around him is hazy pink. He canât acclimate to it, breathing shallow. From the flower-curse you picked, to the plants on the trees nearby. Itâs lush and humid, but the makeup in the surroundings is dreamlike. A woodland forest of some kind, maybe. Thereâs a waterfall and round body of water, a short distance away and trees on every side. Itâs alarming in how beautiful it is, disconcerting since the cursed energy inside is potent enough to make all the hair on Megumiâs neck stand straight. Â
âMy, my. What delicious sorcery Iâve stumbled upon,â Â
Megumi looks around to try to find the source of the voice but comes up with nothing. You and Megumi share a look in silent understanding. Â
âAn unregistered Special Grade in the underground of Sendai.â Your voice is resolute. It sounds so different to how you usually speak, firm and cold. âHow did you obscure your cursed energy like this.â Â
âSo many questions. Donât be so hostile to your host,â The voice is soft and feminine but deeply distorted at the same time. Grating. âIâm a benevolent spirit, little sorcerer - so I wonât kill you right away. Keep in mind you are in my domain. To attack me would be unwise. And I promise, youâll feel good until the very end.â Â
You quiet, assessing the situation. Thereâs so little about the curse that either of you can make out. The curse is intelligent enough to bargain - to reason, which means the danger youâre both in is substantial enough to be incredibly cautious. You realize it quickly, Megumi is sure. He shoots you a look, your brows furrowed as you try to make everything make sense. Â
âWhat are you after?â Â
âYou must know, little sorcerer. Human desire is filthy thing. Money, power, fame.â The air changes around you - flowers besides you blooming higher and higher until youâre all but surrounded. The sickly sweet scent becomes stronger and headier. Megumiâs lungs fill with the strange gas, burning the back of his throat. He coughs, trying to expel it. âWhat beautiful curses are born from pent-up and unspoken wants.â Â
âFuck this is so irritating,â You seem to be in a similar condition, holding up your first to your mouth as you cough along side himÂ
âHuman beings are so foolish in the face of lust, so inducing such a fever is easy. But the results can be so lackluster.â The curse is taunting, giddy at the prospect of you. âHow lucky and I to come across such talented jujutsu sorcerers with such ripe energy, hm?âÂ
âAn underhanded method like this,â You talk mostly to yourself. âYour physical form must be weak, then. To obscure yourself inside of your domain.â Â
Megumi can feel the cursed energy amplify, a sneer in the Special Gradeâs voice. Â
 âHow clever.â It remarks sarcastically. âBut not clever enough. Itâll be staring any minute now. Fight it to your hearts content, little sorcerer. Iâm looking forward to the show.â Â
Itâs only a split second before the heat starts to sink into Megumiâs body. He burns so intensely, so suddenly - it makes every other sensation feel trivial. Itâs painful, searing, and all-consuming. Breathless, he feels his vision blur as a strong wave of physical arousal completely dominates him. Itâs like an injection, nerves on high alert as he pulls at the neck of his uniform and gasps. The flowers surrounding you bloom into something grotesque, an open mouth in the center hissing out more of the pink hazy gas thatâs surrounding you before turning again, until you can barely see a few feet away from each other. Megumi can feel the cursed energy course through his body, like pure fire in his blood stream. His cock is hard as steel, makes him feel like heâs going to pass out if he doesnât touch himself. Â
Forcing himself to remain steady for as long as he can, he searches for you. Your condition isnât better as you lean back on your palms - your chest heaving in out as visible arousal paints your face. You share the same pain, the same lust, the same fever. The thought of it makes Megumiâs cock stir again shamefully. Â
âIâm sorry,â Megumi can barely make out his voice. Itâs so painful. His entire body feels like itâs screaming but he canât bear the idea of forcing you to touch him. These conditions, this situation - this terrible heat. Whatever loose threads of rationale are keeping him afloat in these few minutes are begging him to find a way out of this.Â
He knows itâs the circumstances. No one understands things like this more clearly than him but he feels deep resentment anyway. Mostly towards himself. âIâm sorry.. aah, fuck - I donât want to force this.â Â
âMegumi-kun.â You manage to voice some of your lucidity like he has, the brunt of it closing in. He feels like heâs only deluding himself, biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. âCome here.âÂ
âNo,â He almost screams it. He wants too. But he canât find his voice to speak to you like that. He hopes the urgency reaches you. âIâm sorry. Shit, shitââ  Â
He doesnât want to shatter the thing heâs so desperately protected - to ruin the relationship heâs felt so precious about so many years of his life. He doesnât want it to happen this way. He can feel the self-loathing as he bites his tongue.Â
 Heâs dreamed of it so often, to touch you and kiss you and hold you. But at the hands of a curse feel so unfair. Â
âItâs okay,â Your voice is so soft - a salve to his nerves. A balm to ache of his whole life, calm and smooth and so kind. He burns so deeply he wants to scream. Your expression is somber but still assured. âItâs okay. It hurts right? So itâs fine.â Â
He closes his eyes. Such a pure despair. Fuck. Tears well up his vision. The pain is unbearable without you. Perhaps itâs always been that way. Â
âPlease,â Â
A desperate attempt to no one to wake up from this. Â
âMegumi-kun,â Â
Itâs the sound of your voice, calling his name so assuredly even in the face of death, that finally makes Megumi shatter. The heat overtakes him. Posesses his sense and forces him onto you like a lifeline. Â
He throws himself at you in the grass, almost knocking you back with the force of his body. Both hands clasp your face as he presses his lips with yours with nothing but desperation. Itâs less of a kiss and more of crash landing. He can feel his own conflict stirring inside of him but the relief of your touch drowns out his surroundings. All else in the world becomes silent except the taste of your mouth and the feeling of your face. How much heâs longed to this very thing, dreamed of it. Years. Over a decade of his life hiding in your beautiful shadow. Â
You pull away from Megumi with a gasp and your face makes his entire body jolt. A flush dusts along your cheekbones as your hands reach for his shoulders. His head feels light. He can feel his cock twitch at the contact, suddenly gaining awareness of just how hard he is. Â
âMegumi-kun,â You sound so serious it jolts him awake. His eyes open wide as he watches you undress hastily. Youâre stumbling in your movements as you take everything off as quickly as you can - grabbing Megumi by the collar as he sits stiffly. âTake it off. All of it. Now, please.â Â
At his wits end, he does. His hands tremble. His rational mind is fighting him at every gesture but his clothes feeling so constraining, binding him. His skin prickles, an itch skipping over his whole body as he takes everything off as fast as his hands allow. His vision is distorted from the heat. His uniform is sticky as he peels it off, drenched in sweat. He doesnât see where they go, only feeling the relief as they come off his body. He looks for you unconsciously, immediately wanting to pull away from you as he finds you naked. The feeling is so primal it strikes fear in him. Another wave of unimaginable want pours over his skin like magma spilling across rock. Â
He canât count how much time heâs spent shamefully wondering what you look like naked. You exceed his expectations just like always, unbearably gorgeous. Soft edges and curves, scars and stretch marks - so unfairly enticing to his senses. He groans at the sight of you, eyes lidded in unadulterated, carnal want as you crawl over to him. Â
Your hand pushes his shoulders back lightly towards the bed of grass underneath you both, until heâs flat on his back. Heâs overwhelmed when you crawl on top of him. Youâre fever-sick just like he is, and Megumi is sure that youâre in just as much pain.Â
But the face you make when you look like you want him is so fucking unfair. Â
Youâre beautiful and tricky and cunning and Megumi wants and wants and wants. Wants so fucking bad he might die, wants you so bad the heat in his body threatens to kill him without you. He needs you to touch him. Needs to feel your pretty hands slide across his body and touch whatever you want.Â
 You lean forward to kiss him again much harder then before. Desperation makes kissing feel so pleasurable, so good. You feel so damn good. His mind is a blank slate, your tongue carving his wants into, rewiring his conscious to pine after you until the end. Your lips are soft - pillowy and plush against his own despite how much the kiss feels like little more but tongue and teeth. He wants to forfeit it all for the sake of this lasting a little longer, just as he has his entire life. Â
Your existence a proof of his namesake - tongue and taste a blessing. Â
Your body is soft and hot against Megumiâs skin but together the temperature cools comfortable. Itâs sensual how slippery the sweat makes your bodies as you rub against each other. A mutual oasis, your tits squish along his abs and chest as Megumi holds you tight. Each time your nippls brush, his cock floods with precum. Â
You slip your tongue into his mouth, and kiss Megumi sloppily. His cock pulses awake at the wetness, a strong wave of arousal backing him into a corner. Your pussy is barely hovering against his cock but Megumi strains. It gets pulled from him, an involuntary reaction. Cum spurts out of him, splashing up against your skin - dripping as it sticks to your pussy in hot spurts. He groans into your lips. Â
âDid you cum from us kissing?â You ask, your voice completely gone. Itâs you but itâs not. It matters but it doesnât. Â
He makes an affirmative noise and you giggle into his mouth, teeth bumping together as you kiss more. âMegumi-kun is cute.â Â
Heâs still so painfully hard. Electricity flares through everyone of his nerves as he slides just barely against your cunt. Fuck. Youâre so wet. It feels so good it makes Megumi want to buck his hips and be inside of you already. Impatience makes his grip on your hips tight. His brain feels like itâs weighted with lead. Heâs losing himself, losing his fucking mind like this. You taste sweet against his tongue as you sink your pussy down and grind against his length. Youâre throbbing so hard Megumi can feel every pulse, the desperate spasming of your sex approaching orgasm. Â
The filthiness of your arousal mixing together makes Megumiâs cock twitch against your clit hard. You moan loudly into his mouth and the sound sends him over edge, a life-time of pining make it hard to breathe as you take initiative and pleasure yourself with his body. Heâs incredibly eager to allow you. Over and over, you slide your soft pussy over the length of his cock and balls - aimlessly covering it with slick, hips rutting and shivering with motion. Drools drips along the corners of your lips as you kiss him. Â
He already wants to cum again, wants to take you in such a primal way it makes him dizzy. He feels whole thinking about what it might feel to cum so deeply inside of you. Heâs thought about before, but the thought holds so much more weight in the state of his fever. Â
But now itâs the only thing he wants. His teeth ache at the mere prospect. Of filling your pussy with his cum until it overflows and drips. Wants to see it pulse and push and spill and fuck it into you at your request. He wants to hear you praise him for it just like he always does, the desire much stronger than ever. Easier to admit in this curse induced sex. Â
Youâre breathless as you orgasm above him, on top of him - sliding along his cock and soaking his lower half with stickiness of your pussy. You pull away from his mouth to laugh delightfully. Heâs so hard. He wants you so much he doesnât know how to express it other than kissing you desperately - still restraining himself. Â
Itâs so much easier to catch his breathe now that youâve both cum. Even painfully highstrung from the high with such a horrible temperature, something settles before it builds back up again. Â
The relief is burdensome almost. Â
âSo we,â Youâre breathless, more yourself and Megumi has never been happy yet so sad to see this glimpse of you again. âWe both have toâŠhaah.. cum. For the fever to slow...Thatâs something to work with.â Â
Your expression is more serious as you lean forward, sweaty forehead touching his. Itâs you doing it, not the curse forcing you both and that makes his body react. âMegumi-kun. Everything will be okay.â Â
âIâm sorry. I didnât,â He screws his eyes shut hard. âI didnât want this to happen. This is..â Â
He wants to say the worst possible outcome, but he doesnât. You smile at him. âItâs okay because itâs you.â Â
Even in the middle of all of this, you manage to get his hopes up in the worst possible way. He canât do anything but laugh at that, genuine exhaustion starting to make him lose sense. Another wave is coming quickly, steadily. Taking a serious look at his face, you hold him close to you. Â
âWeâll survive this. Weâve fought worse.â Â
âYouâre comforting me at a time like this,â Â
You just smile at him. The heat spikes again, even more intensely than before and both of you stare at each other as the lust glosses over your expression. A pit forms in his stomach, the arousal spiking so high he chokes on it. Youâre kissing again - no build up as you slide your tongue sloppily against his mouth and rub against his cock. Itâs not enough this time, not even close. His chest is tight as he gasps the words against your mouth. Â
âInside.â He breathes the word between kisses, spit and saliva dripping down the sides of his face. âNeed to be inside. Please, shit. Please.â Â
âI want it inside.â You say and Megumi groans as your hands reach between your bodies - sticky from the mess. His cock twitches as soon as your hand wraps around the base of his shaft. You pump it twice as you sit up completely to get better accesses to it. The absence of your body makes him needy again. Â
Pre-cum dribbles pathetically from the tip as you guide his cock to your pussy. Without any prep at all, you lean back and slam your weight down onto him with full force. It slides with no resistance - as you take him all the way down to the base with complete ease. Your body collapses into a shiver when you take him inside. You both cum at exactly the same time, your pussy sucking him in with a vice-like grip as he shoots another load into you. Inside of you so deep heâs aroused all over again. His cock is still hard as he fills you - and you ride your mutual high out before another brief moment of sobriety takes you. Heâs briefly sated as you pas back down against him, littering bites along his neck. Â
You smile at him when you pull back, suddenly lucid - bending down to meet his mouth in a kiss sober. He can feel himself blush as he joins you in the brief lucidity. Â
âMegumi, youâre so big.â You say with breathless laughter. He almost wants to scream he loves you but buries it immediately. Â
He groans. âI canât believe youâre being like this given the situation.â Â
You hum pleasantly and Megumi feels his heart tug. The moment lingers to briefly before itâs interrupted again. Itâs abrupt and makes you lean into his chest. Â
âYou sorcerers are boring me to tears,â The curse starts again, making you both stand to alert almost immediately. âDonât be so shy now.â Â
The Special Grade repeats the incantation of a technique. Â
Cursed Technique: Hidden Desires. Â
The air around Megumi changes suddenly. Instead of the lush oasis, heâs surrounded by a vague, all encompassing darkness similar to when he had been falling. Heâs standing in it though he canât see anything, not even himself. The fever has subsided despite him being inside the domain. Hidden DesiresâŠfrom the speech the Special Grade went on earlier, heâs sure itâs related. He stands still, unsure of what to do before something appears in front of him. Â
A sphere of cursed energy, a memory of some kind - at the brush of his fingertips. Despite his attempt to retract his hand, an outside force makes him touch it. Â
Several emotions course through his entire body at one, passing through his mind steadily. He connects to your body, your cursed energy seeping into him as he touches whatevers in front of him. His skull throbs from the exposure of someone elses memories, the fever returning to his body one-thousand times hotter than normal. A life time breaches his mind but he doesnât get to sift through any of it.Â
 It comes to a sudden halt, and Megumi hears a whisper in his subconscious. He canât make the words out properly. Â
Arousal spikes into his body as what seems to be your desire manifests in his head.Â
He does not know what reaction to have when memories and images of himself appear. Himself from your perspective, in perpetual motion - memories over the course of years crossed over with manifestations of your desires. All of it is him. Tied up, blindfolded, all other things. But him, always. Some visions are more tender than the rest. He can barely process the information, increasing stimulation making his brain fog once more. Â
Fever spikes through him again. Confusion, embarrassment, and uncertainty make his stomach flip. He remains cautionary and assumes itâs another trick of the light.He doesnât get to recover when heâs thrust back into the domain in the same position he was before he left. You look just as confused when he comes back. Â
Thereâs not a moment to speak to each other, as the curse gets amplified ten-fold the minute he steps back into the domain. His entire body breaks out in a cherry red blush as arousal twists through his gut, curling up his neck. Claims his whole body all in on forceful gesture. The sensitivity is cranked so high, he can barely feel your hand your hand on his chest without his cock spilling pre-cum. Â
Furious lust overwhelms him as you lean forward and meet his mouth again. It feels different somehow, the kiss. You press your tongue against his lips as Megumiâs cock twitches inside you.Â
âMegumi-kun,â Your voice is shot. âWant you to fuck me. Fill me up. Be good and do it, okay? Fuck me so good,â Â
The words alone are enough to break him from his state of mind. He takes one more look at you after youâve granted him permission before flipping you over onto your back. He shudders as you wrap your legs around his waist - hands on either side of your head staring down hard, as he positions himself as deep as he can go inside of your cunt. Itâs indescribable, the sensation of needing to fuck you. Heâs never been one to chase his base instincts like this unless itâs life or death - but it feels so fucking good to let go. It feels like life or death to sate you with hi cum. Megumi is used to sitting on his hands and playing at indifference, but right now you let him take and take and take. Your hands cup his cheeks, your expression hazy with pleasure. He drops his head down to your shoulders and fucks you with every ounce of strength in his waist - animalistic and desperate to scratch the skin deep itch. He bites into your shoulder as you hips slam, the sound of wet-skin slapping against each other ringing in his ears - cum frothing white at the base of his cock and dripping down your ass each time. He needs to cum again, until the heat subsides. Â
He barely gets a few thrusts in before his body strains in the familiar wake of an orgasm. The words to warn you come out choked as his hips slam against the backs of your thighs harder than ever- cumming inside of you again in what feels like seconds. It goes forever, balls emptying as he pumps his seed inside. You cum alongside him, at the same time - pussy throbbing hard around his shaft as he fills you with spend. Itâs not enough, doesnât give him the same relief this time. He needs more. Â
âFuck thatâs so good,â You praise making him groan. âYouâre so good, baby - fuck, Megumi.â Â
You moan his name against his neck. Possession settles itself into his chest at the sound as you tell him to give you more, your hands on his ass to push his cock further into you. He fucks into you again - harder, faster, deeper - cumming every time. Pure adrenaline sends him careening down a cliffs edge, unspeakable fervor making it all but impossible to part from you. Scorching like the desert sun along his spine, a solar flare inside of his stomach as you cum together in constant motions. Â
He canât stop fucking you. He canât. His body wont allow him even a minute seperated from the euphoria of your swollen cunt sucking in him like it needs his cum more than anything in the world. His brain feels like liquid matter in his skull, thrashing uselessly when he tries to will himself away from you. Delirium drives his every movements as Megumi fucks his cock into you over and over and over. Â
You goad him with every thrust of hips - wrapped tight around his waist, fingers tugging at his hair. Praise bubbles from your mouth - champagne light against his skin but so impactful each time. His dick throbs every time you call him good, call him perfect as he fills you with his cum again and again and again. Â
âMy perfect fucking boy. Fuck me, thatâs it.â Â
It goes on like that for what feels like forever. Â
He loses track by the time the heat starts to subdue again. The curse still simmers under his skin but he finds grounding after unloading a few more times. By then, he can feel how much heâs cum in you and canât help but blush. The hint of another wave tingles in the back of his head, and he canât pull away from you without feeling sharp pain. Â
But he does sober again eventually. He waits for you to join him, and tries not to feel sick at the intimacy of it. Heâs back to his senses enough to feel utter embarrassment. Â
Your voice is soft and exhausted. âMegumi-kun,â Youâre so gentle to him. âWhat did you see?â Â
He knows what you mean immediately, sensing you mustâve seen the same thing. âI think it might be another illusion of the curse.â Â
âWhy do you think that?â Â
He can feel his blush darken all over his body. âIt was uh, me. In the technique. Tied up and uhm. Anyway. I thought it might be something to provoke the other party into sex.â Â
Your eyes go wide at the confession. ââŠ.Yours was me, too.â Â
Oh. He blinks. You look at him again, too suddenly - peering at him through your lashes. Â
âIt wasnât wrong,â You say. You seem scared, just a little. Heâs never seen you like that before. ââŠIf you saw yourself and some⊠kinkier stuff. It wasnât wrong about that.â Â
His throat suddenly feels so dry.Â
 âWhat wasâŠwhat did you see?â He asks. Â
âIt was me,â You say bashfully. âMostly romantics and stuff. And some other stuff, but I donât know if I should tell you, hehe.â Â
He finds the action mercifully. He wonders if this whole thing is made-up when it dawns on him. Some type of fantasy. Maybe he was the only one down here from the start - and thatâs why everything has felt so alarmingly right.Â
Otherwise. Otherwise it would mean that youâŠÂ Â
âMegumi-kun,â Â
He canât breathe, but itâs for an entirely different reason. He wonders if heâll die from his heart beating too fast.âHm?â Â
A bated breath follows a sweet smile. Â
âLove you,â You mumble it against his mouth. The air is so vulnerable - more fragile than the wings of a dragonfly, more fragile than blown glass. âIn that wayâŠ.have for a long time. So long.â Â
His reply is reflexive. Â
âNo you donât,â Â
You pause before bursting out into giggles. So beautiful and clever. He loves you with painful devotion. âThatâs your reply to my love confession?!â Â
âShut up,â He hisses, though he canât bring himself to make the words sound any meaner. He feels high.  Â
âI love you, Megumi.â You say more clearly. Your eyes shine with familiarity heâs adored for years. Even with all the fog and haze surrounding you, theyâre clear and gorgeous. âMore than anyone else in the world, I think.â Â
He buries his face against your neck, struggling to get it out. Heâs afraid to say it. Afraid if he confirms it that everything is going to collapse here. Like a dream thatâs gone on too long. Megumi doesnât want to wake up. Â
He wants more than anything, for all of it to be real - even if it means he ends here. Â
He wonât curse you after death, that way. Â
He canât find his voice. Â
âMe too,â The weight of one thousand deaths, a thousand days of longing and loving and pining. Itâs too burdensome to say. Heâs afraid of what will happen to him - mind and soul, should he let himself admit what he kept so well-hidden. âI love you. YouâŠâ Â
When he manages to meet your gaze, your eyes are welled up with tears. He panics. âDonât cry. Sorry,â Â
âYou too. Donât cry,â Â
âIâm notââ His vision blurs. Damn it. Â
âI love you,â You say again and Megumi feels something inside of him mend. âIâll say it as many times as you want.â Â
He doesnât sense a fever this time. But he braves himself to kiss you one more time. It feels more intense than all else. He kisses you soft and slow, lets himself melt into your affectionate touch and gaze. Thereâs love behind it so obviously it makes him want to cry. He might really start sobbing, but heâs distracted by your mouth. Â
He feels boneless, throat tight. Â
âI donât feel any fever.â You tell him when you pull away from him. He presses his forehead to yours. âI like kissing you.âÂ
So embarrassing. âYeahâŠâ Â
âLetâs make love one more time.â You offer, and Megumi looks at you in disbelief. Just as always, youâre collected but ridiculous. Itâs oddly comforting. Megumi wants to believe in you, so he does. âJust one more.â Â
The fever is no longer there, but the sensitivity is still strong in his body. Your mouths meet in a chorus of affection. Megumi is still hard, somehow. But he can feel everything much more clearly. Can understand the taste of your lips and the feeling of your pussy pulsing - that itâs for him and he feels so elated he wonders if it will ever go away. He kisses you gingerly and lets himself slide out as your hand goes to his nape. Â
âYouâre so good to me, Megumi,â Your words make him ache. A whimper leaves his lips. âMy beautiful boy. It mustâve been lonely, huh?â Â
âYes,â His words meet a thrust, slow but deep. A communication of needs so raw he can barely show them to you without feeling shy. âSo long. Loved you for so long.âÂ
âMe too,â You mutter. The praise pierces his heart, suffocates him in such a euphoric feeling he canât help but gasp at each reminder. âI love you so much, baby. And weâre gonna get out of here and be together, right?â Â
He feels his head fill with nothingness. Relief like cold air brushes along his skin. Like being bathed in cool water. Youâre his cure - but thatâs always been true. âYeah. Please.â Â
âYou canât run away, okay?â Â
âI wonât,â Â
âEven though I want to monopolize you?â Â
He blushes but grunts with affirmation following another slow roll of his hips. âI want to be with you. Nothing else matters. A-and I didnât hate it⊠or anything.â Â
You smile at him. He loves you. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you. Itâs all he can come up with - watching your eyes crinkle in the corners with nothing but delight. âMm.â You slide a hand between your bodies, rubbing your clit soft as you moan a little. âSensitive. Gonna cum soon.âÂ
âMe too,â Â
Heâs barely holding it together as is. It takes a little more to push him over the edge one last time. This orgasm feels different. Feels rooted in reality. The mutual pleasure grounds him completely, relieving his ailment despite the remaining hints of fever. He kisses you as he cums inside of you one last time, shuddering as you cum right alongside him. He whispers the words against your lips as you let go. He loves you.Â
The fever cools down. It takes a while for him to slip away from you after everything, but he manages. Â
âSorry,â He mumbles, watching the cum leak out of you in embarrassment. You just laugh, patting his cheek. Â
âItâs okay, promise.â You stand to your feet as Megumi tries not to be self-conscious about the way itâs dripping down your thigh. âI canât feel the presence of the Special Grade. It must be watching from somewhere inside the domain.â Â
âYeah,â Megumi says, trying to find his clothes.âNo idea how the curse broke. Maybe since weâre already curse users?âÂ
You hum noncommittally. âYeah. Letâs⊠clean up best we can and get outta here, yeah?â Â
Megumi smiles, soft and relieved. âYeah.â Â
__Â Â
âAre you interested in hearing the details of the curse, my dearest Megumi-chan?â Â
Megumi grimaces. Â
âNo. Why are you even here?â Â
Gojo-sensei feigns a look of offense that makes Megumi want to strangle him. He wants to go home and bathe properly already but thereâs always a lot of hooplah with unregistered special grades. Heâs relieved in one sense of the word, though itâs not like Gojoâs appearance made any difference since you two defeated the curse together and promptly passed out. Â
He woke up clothed, and not as sticky as he was during the fight. Apparently Gojo had found you both first and once you were awake, you cleaned him.Â
He sits on a tree stump in the forest nearby, his eyes flitting over to to you. Youâre debriefing an archivist for Jujutsu when he catches your eye. His heart pounds, blushing at the happiness on your face.Â
He feels six-eyes on him and glares at Gojo, whoâs currently hiding his mouth behind his hand. Â
âHow long have we been out?â Â
âMm,â Sensei holds up three fingers. âAbout three days? I only got here on the third and found you. I was here before, several years ago - for a related case. It took some time, but we fond information of the curse in one of the houses. Are you curious?â Â
Heâs surprised for a minute, groaning right after. âJust tell me.â Â
âSpecial Grade Kuroyuri uses a technique called Fever, to induce whatâs essentially heat - forcing all parties into extreme physical discomfort that can only be alleviated by sexual contact - no matter the party,â He spouts off, pretending to push his glasses up. Megumi frowns at him. âFever works by inducing conditions related to inner desires and producing cursed energy that way. However, as a result, should two people experiencing Fever - be capable of sating the others desire deeply, they are able to break free from it. As the condition is vague and difficult to achieve, itâs very rarely met which is what has allowed the domain to get so strong.âÂ
Megumi makes wide eyes. âSo youâre sayingâŠâ Â
âMegumi-chan, the stairwell to adulthood and true love saved you! How wonderful!â Â
Megumi blushes as Gojo giggles, glaring at him. He should kill him someday. Â
Gojo-sensei pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. âThe painful years of pining were worth something Megumi-chan. To think your desires were so pureâŠâÂ
âShut up! Iâm going to kill you!â Megumi groans, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. âDo we have any idea why the curse was created?â Â
âSeems the cult worshipped cursed energy as a measure of human experience. A curse intending to induce more cursed energy as evidence of their belief. Something like that. The details are vague, but weâre still looking.â Â
Megumi sighs again. âRight. Thanks,â Â
He puts a hand on his shoulder as Megumi feels the exhaustion tamp down on him. He feels better and embarrassed as you pad over to him after youâre done. Â
âMegumi-kun,â You smile at him before nodding to Gojo-sensei. He smiles back. Â
âIâll leave you two lovebirds alone,â Â
Megumi shoots one last glare at Gojo before looking towards you. You sit down beside him on the ground, resting your head on his lap in a way that makes his whole body break out into a blush. Heâs happy though. Â
âI love you,â Â
âWhat are you saying?â Â
You look up at him. âJust want to make sure you know.â Â
He looks down at you from where you lay and frowns. âHow could I not?â And then, a little softer. ââŠItâs mutual.â Â
You reach a hand towards his as you giggle to yourself. âThatâs good.â Â
Megumi squeezes your hand and closes his eyes. Better than good, maybe. Â
__Â Â
PROLOGUE:Â Â
[ SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018 | 4:45pm]Â
Megumi waits a while before going into the courtyard, hoping that youâll move and practice elsewhere if he waits long enough. Â
Heâs been sitting behind the wall for the last half-hour at least. No luck. Â
He feels bad about avoiding you, but itâs the only course of action he thinks helps both parties. Â
He doesnât exactly like you. Itâs easier to say he finds it difficult to get used to you is all. Your personality eludes him, and you remind a little too much of Sensei in how you act. Not to mention youâre already so strong. You get along well with everyone else, especially the other first years. Youâre a nice girl so itâs obvious Kugisaki-san would favor you, and Itadori-kun can get along with basically everyone. Â
But you and him have been at odds since your arrival to the Tokyo branch months prior. Megumi canât figure out how to bridge the gap between you, and finds it hard to force himself to like you. He doesnât dislike you, either though. Itâs not something he can put words too. Â
He feels guilty about it since you havenât done anything to him to cause his discomfort. He just⊠doesnât know what to do. Â
Lost in thought, he nearly jumps out of his skin as someone stands over him where he sits, casting shadow on him from above. He opens his eyes to see you standing over him, an unreadable look on his face. Â
âHow long did you plan on waiting here, Fushiguro-san?â Â
Megumi stares up at you before frowning, rubbing his neck awkwardly. âSorry for disturbing you.âÂ
Youâre hard for him to read, though youâre smiling. You seem amused as you step back, allowing Megumi to stand up at full-height and glance at you. Â
âI donât mind. I know you donât want to train with me, but itâd be kind of pointless to try and find somewhere else so itâs better to just bear with it a bit.â Â
He stares at you. You smile knowingly. Â
âYouâre surprised I know you were avoiding me?âÂ
He nods. Â
âNo offense Fushiguro-san, but itâs hard not to notice something like that when our grade is four people,â Youâre a little smug but itâs not mal-intended, though it kinda pisses him off. âNo hard feelings.â Â
You say that then sit next to him behind the wall. He stares at you feeling more uncomfortable - but canât will himself to get up. Â
âWhat are you doing?â Â
You smile again.Â
âMessing with you,â Â
He stares at you. You stare back until you break out into laugher. Â
âPfft, Iâm sorry. I really am. You make it so obvious on your face when I make you mad..hah.â Â
âItâs that part of you I really donât like.â Â
âMm, yeah - thought so.â Your reply is nonplussed but not unkind. âYouâre the moody, serious type. Sensitive.â Â
Megumi watches you shuffle through your deck of cards - the ones youâd been practicing with for the last few hours. You peruse through the thick boards of your Hanafuda deck, silently stacking them into different matching suits and using them with your cursed energy. Megumi watches on as you manifest different thing. He wants to ask you about it but canât find the wil. Youâre so strong, despite how you act. The strongest of the first years even outclassing him. Â
âItâs fine if you find me hard to be around, but donât avoid me so blatantly.â You reason coolly. âItâs best we get along.â Â
ââŠDo you want me to get along with you?â Â
You laugh at that but he isnât sure why. Itâs nice.. the sound of your laugh when itâs sincere. This is the first time heâs ever properly talked to you, he realizes. Â
âOf course! I like getting along with everyone, even someone as brooding as you.â Â
âWhy.â Â
âItâs good for my public image.â You say seriously. He deadpans as you perk up and laugh again. âKidding, Iâm kidding!â Â
âIâm going to leave.â He threatens flatly. Â
âFine, fine. Do you want to know the real reason?â Â
âI donât really care,â He responds. You smile at that. Â
âIâm more than happy to tell you,â You say, completely ignoring him. âDespite your various character flaws, I think Fushiguro-san is kind of innocent.â Â
âHuh?â Â
You smile warmly. âYour philosophy to only save people you think are good I thought was cute. Itâs a very simple way to think about jujutsu. I like that part of you, I guess? You were raised with a lot of love, I think. Since itâs a difficult way to live.â Â
Megumi thinks of his life - thinks of Tsumiki and his sensei with some begrudging. He doesnât know what else to ask you. Heâs a little uncomfortable that you seem to know him so well with the little information you have. Â
âWhy are you a sorcerer then?â Â
Megumi watches you stack your cards into a card house and collapse them, humming to yourself. You seem deep in thought for a while. The sunlight moves away from the clouds briefly, a beam of line brushing against your skin. Your lashes cast shadow on your cheeks. Heâs never seen you so clearly. Â
You answer with utmost clarity and confidence - all shiny grin. âAh, well why not, you know? Since Iâm super talented.â Â
He stares at you, dumbfounded before the corners of his lips twitch. Somehow he understands you a little better than before, and he thinks that mightâve been what you wanted. Â
âYouâre an idiot.â Â
Your grin goes even wider. Â
âLetâs be good friends, Fushiguro-san. Okay?âÂ
âSure,â He relaxes his back against the wall and shuts his eyes with a small laugh. âWhy not.â Â
#fics for gaza#writing tag#megumi x reader#megumi smut#jjk x reader#jjk smut#megumi fushiguro x reader#megumi fushiguro smut#dubcon cw
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Don't Stop Talking To Me, And Maybe Stay Here Forever
Summary: You join Pedro Pascal in Morocco while heâs filming Gladiator 2. Between the beauty of the Moroccan landscape, the two of you share intimate moments, from quiet rooftop dinners to playful photo-taking and teasing with the cast.
Or⊠âI'll hold you, I'll know you. I'll never leave out the back door. And I'd love to complete you, hope you get all you could ask for.â
I just read your latest pedro fic it was the BEST DAMN THING iâve ever read, my heart is going to burst out of my chest from all the butterflies đŠđ« â€ïž will you write more for pedro? perhaps his gf could visit him in marocco or something while heâs filming gladiator and to meet everyone from set and maybe have some alone quality time? :3 just a suggestion đ anyways have a lovely dayyy ^^ â anon
Paring: Pedro Pascal x F!Reader
Warnings: Established Relationship, Age-Gap(ish), TOOTH-ROTTING FLUFF, Slight Angst, Swearing, Anxiety, Cheesy Dialogue, Cuddling, Romance, Kissing, Real People Fiction, Cameras, Social Media, Embarrassment, Teasing, Shower, Slight Nudity, Make Out Session, Celebrities
Word Count: 5.7k
A/N: Okay, so, weâve all seen the photo dumps!??!! Yes! GREAT! I havenât watched Gladiator 2 cause it isnât out yet in my country, so thereâll be no spoilers here mhmhmhmhm. Iâm just gonna make stuff up based on the pictures Pedro posted on his Instagram lol. And again, this is all made-up, fictional, self-indulgent vibes so pls no one come after me ahhhhhh T^T
Also lowkey, I can see multiple parts to this so⊠stay tuned.
Side note: Iâm dyslexic and English isnât my first language! So I apologize in advance for the spelling and/or grammatical errors. As always, reblogs, comments, and likes are always appreciated. Thank you and happy reading!
Songs: Packing It Up by Gracie Abrams, this is how you fall in love by Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler
gif by @a7estrellas
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OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO â DAY
The warm Moroccan breeze kissed your skin as you stepped onto the bustling set of Gladiator 2. Pedroâs laughter echoed from somewhere nearby, his distinct voice easy to pick out over the hum of activity. Your heart swelled just hearing it. He was always magnetic, but hereâworking, immersed in a world of creativity and camaraderieâhe was luminous. Â
You adjusted your sunglasses, feeling both excited and slightly anxious. Meeting Pedroâs castmates felt like stepping into his other life, one where you werenât the center of his world but a welcome visitor orbiting it. Heâd reassured you endlessly. âTheyâll love you. I mean, how could they not?â But still, nerves lingered. Â
âMi amor!â Pedroâs voice cut through your thoughts. He emerged from behind a cluster of tents, his smile so wide it could eclipse the Moroccan sun. Â
âHey, stranger.â You grinned, letting him sweep you into a tight hug. Â
He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to your forehead, his arms still firmly around your waist. âYou made it,â he whispered, his lips brushing your temple. Â
âOf course, I made it,â you teased, tilting your head to look up at him. âI missed you too much to stay away.â Â
The day unfolded in bursts of joy. Â
Pedro introduced you to Coco Ullrich, Paul Mescal, and the rest of the cast. Everyone was warm and welcoming, their teasing camaraderie quickly drawing you in. Pedro stayed close, his hand finding yours at every opportunity, like he couldnât stand to be too far away. Â
Later, you found yourself perched on a stool in the makeup trailer, Pedro sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of you. âHold still,â you said, trying to fix his disheveled hair. Â
Coco stood nearby, laughing as Pedro playfully swatted at your hands. âIâm serious, guapo! Youâll go out there looking like you just rolled out of bed.â Â
âMaybe I did roll out of bed,â he quipped, grinning. Â
You raised an eyebrow. âYou didnât, but if you keep squirming, Iâm going to make sure you look like it.â Â
Coco shook her head, still laughing. âI donât know how you put up with him.â Â
âI have my ways,â you said, giving Pedro a mock glare. Â
Pedro leaned closer, his eyes softening. âYouâre lucky I love you,â he murmured, his lips brushing yours before you could stop him. Â
âPedro!â you protested, laughing as he pulled you into a full kiss, distracting you from your task. Â
âHopeless,â Coco muttered, snapping a quick photo of the moment. Â
OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO â SUNSET
The Moroccan sunset painted the sky in hues of gold and rose as you, Pedro, and the cast settled onto the soft blankets laid out for an impromptu picnic. The sprawling desert seemed to stretch infinitely, its serene stillness a striking contrast to the chaotic energy of the set. A light breeze rustled through the palm trees in the distance, carrying the faint sound of laughter and the clinking of glasses.
Pedro sat behind you, his arms comfortably wrapped around your waist as you leaned back into his chest. His fingertips absentmindedly traced small, lazy circles on your bare skin where your shirt had ridden up slightly. It was a touch that grounded you, soothing and sweet, and yet it made your heart ache with affection.
âThis is perfect,â you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it louder might shatter the fragile beauty of the moment.
Pedro leaned closer, his lips brushing your ear. âNo, youâre perfect,â he said softly, his voice laced with adoration.
You turned your head to look at him, catching the warmth in his gaze. He looked at you like you hung the very stars above, and your cheeks flushed. âCheesy,â you teased, though you couldnât keep the smile off your face.
âHonest,â he countered, leaning down to press his forehead against yours. His nose nudged yours affectionately, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of you.
Paul Mescal, lounging nearby with a bottle of something cold in his hand, cleared his throat dramatically. âAlright, lovebirds, can you save the smoldering for the cameras? Some of us are trying to enjoy the sunset without third-wheeling your Notebook audition.â
Coco Ullrich snorted from her spot on the blanket, where she was busy assembling a makeshift charcuterie board. âPlease, Paul, donât act like youâre not taking notes for your own love scenes.â
Paul shot her a deadpan look. âWhatâs there to take notes on? Iâm already perfect.â
âDebatable,â Coco quipped, popping a grape into her mouth and grinning. Â
Pedro chuckled, his chest rumbling against your back. âPaul, donât be jealous. You already found someone who tolerates you.â Â
âOh, Iâm not jealous,â Paul said, gesturing between you and Pedro. âIâm inspired. The level of clinginess you two have achievedâitâs an art form.â Â
âClinginess?â you repeated, raising an eyebrow. Â
âYes, clinginess,â Paul said, smirking. âHe hasnât let go of you since you got here. Itâs like watching a koala in human form.â
Coco leaned in conspiratorially. âDo you think heâd survive a day without her?â Â
âDoubtful,â Paul replied, his tone grave. Â
Pedro shook his head, his arms tightening around you playfully. âLet them joke,â he said into your ear, his voice a low murmur. âTheyâre just bitter they donât have their partners to hold them while they complain about the heat.â Â
You turned your head slightly to whisper back, âI think theyâre projecting.â Â
Pedro laughed, loud and unabashed, and the sound sent warmth flooding through you. Â
âAlright, enough roasting Pedro,â Coco said, waving her hands. âLetâs focus on the important stuffâlike this cheese board Iâm absolutely nailing.â
âCoco, you put a block of cheese next to some crackers,â Paul pointed out. Â
âAnd yet, itâs still better than anything youâve contributed,â she shot back.
You couldnât help but laugh as they continued to bicker, the dynamic between the cast a perfect blend of teasing and genuine affection. It felt good to be a part of this world for a little while, to see Pedro in his element and to share these small, beautiful moments with the people who meant so much to him. Â
As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky with deeper hues of crimson and violet, Pedro shifted slightly behind you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. âYou doing okay, sweetheart?â he asked softly, his voice meant just for you.
âIâm better than okay,â you said, turning your face to his. âThis is one of those moments Iâll never forget.â
âSame,â he replied, his eyes searching yours. âBut mostly because youâre here.â
Paul groaned from across the blanket. âSeriously, someone hand me a bucket. I canât handle this level of sap.â
âYouâre just missing Gracie,â Coco teased, tossing a cracker at Paul with a sly grin. Â
Paul caught it mid-air with a dramatic flourish. âSheâs the love of my life, thank you very much. Iâm thriving, just long-distance thriving.â His wide smile softened slightly, a dreamy look crossing his face. Â
Pedro chuckled, resting his chin on your shoulder as he held you closer. âSee, even Paul can be romantic. Itâs not just us being disgustingly in love.â
âYeah, yeah,â Paul said, waving him off, though the grin never left his face. âBut you two are setting the bar impossibly high. Stop making the rest of us look bad.â
Coco shook her head with mock exasperation. âLetâs face it, no one can compete with Pedroâs clingy koala act.â Â
âHey, itâs not clingy if itâs mutual,â you chimed in, leaning back into Pedroâs embrace. Â
âExactly!â Pedro said, kissing the side of your neck for emphasis. âThis is just... efficient affection.â Â
âEfficient affection?â Coco repeated, laughing so hard she nearly knocked over the cheese board. âThatâs the worst excuse Iâve ever heard.â
Pedro shrugged, utterly unbothered, his lips brushing your temple as he murmured, âDonât let them ruin this for us.â
âI wouldnât dream of it,â you whispered back, tilting your head to press a soft kiss to his jaw. Â
The first stars began to dot the darkening sky, their glow faint but steady against the fading hues of gold and rose. The laughter of the group blended with the soothing whisper of the desert breeze, wrapping the evening in a cocoon of warmth and love.
You let out a contented sigh, your fingers intertwining with Pedroâs. These momentsâfilled with jokes, tenderness, and the quiet magic of a Moroccan sunsetâwere the kind you knew youâd carry with you forever.
THE NEXT DAY
OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO â AFTERNOONÂ Â
The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting warm golden light over the sprawling desert set. The faint hum of activity outside the large tent provided a calming backdrop as you and Pedro sat together, stealing a moment away from the chaos of production. Â
Pedroâs lap had become your designated resting place, his arms wrapped snugly around your waist as you leaned into him. You had been quietly chatting about the dayâhow stunning the desert looked on camera, how Paul had stolen one of Cocoâs snacks during a breakâwhen the warmth of the afternoon began to lull you both into sleep. Â
His hand moved lazily up and down your back, the motion soothing as his voice grew quieter, more relaxed. âYou know,â he murmured, his lips brushing against your temple, âthis might be my favorite part of the day.â Â
âFalling asleep during work?â you teased, your voice soft and playful. Â
âFalling asleep with you,â he corrected, his smile audible in his words. Â
It wasnât long before exhaustion claimed you both, your head tucked under his chin and his cheek resting against your hair. The quiet hum of the tent became a comforting cocoon, and time seemed to stretch and blur. Â
The sound of muffled laughter stirred you from sleep, pulling you out of the warm haze. You blinked against the light, realizing you were still tucked into Pedroâs chest, his arms holding you close even as he began to wake. Â
âDonât move,â a familiar voice called. You turned your head to see Paul Mescal standing a few feet away, phone in hand, his grin wide and mischievous. Â
Next to him, Coco Ullrich smirked as she aimed her phone at the two of you. âWeâre documenting history here. Youâll thank us later.â Â
Pedro stirred, squinting at them through his grogginess. âSeriously?â His voice was raspy, a mix of sleep and disbelief. Â
Paul shrugged, grinning even wider as he showed Pedro the photo. âWe couldnât resist. Look at this. Itâs like a promo poster for the most annoyingly sweet rom-com ever.â Â
Pedro glanced at the photo, then at you, and laughed softly. âWe should use that for the holiday cards this year.â Â
You groaned, burying your face in his chest. âThis is so embarrassing. Theyâre never going to let us live this down.â Â
Coco laughed, flipping through her photos. âOh, itâs way too late for that. Iâm sending this to the group chat and the PR team. Theyâll love it.â Â
âPlease donât,â you pleaded, your voice muffled against Pedroâs shirt. Â
Paul tilted his head dramatically. âWhy not? Itâs just a little fun. Besides, you two are giving us all cavities with how sweet you are. Weâre suffering.â Â
Pedro smirked, holding you a little tighter. âYouâre suffering? Sounds like a personal problem.â Â
âAlright, alright, enough!â A gravelly voice interrupted, and you looked up to see Ridley Scott standing at the edge of the tent. His hands were on his hips, but the amused twinkle in his eye gave him away. Â
âRidley,â you started, your cheeks flushing with heat. âIâm so sorryââ Â
He held up a hand to stop you, his smirk growing. âDonât apologize. If anything, I should thank you. Pedroâs been suspiciously well-behaved since you arrived. But,â he added with a pointed glance at Pedro, âif this keeps up, weâll have to rename the film The Gladiator and the Muse. Productionâs going to take twice as long.â Â
The crew burst into laughter, and you buried your face back in Pedroâs chest, groaning. âThis is officially the most embarrassing moment of my life.â Â
Pedro chuckled, his hand brushing gently over your back. âEmbarrassing? Nah. Youâre the best thing about being here.â Â
You peeked up at him, your cheeks still warm, and saw the sincerity in his eyes. âYou mean that?â Â
âEvery word,â he said, his voice soft. âYou make everything easier, better⊠you make it all worth it.â Â
Your heart swelled, and a small smile broke through your embarrassment. âOkay,â you whispered. âIâll try to believe you.â Â
âBelieve me,â he said, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. Â
Paul groaned, breaking the tender moment. âSomeone get a camera crew. Weâre turning this into a reality show. Lovebirds in the Desert.â Â
Pedro laughed, finally standing and pulling you to your feet. âCareful, Paul. You might not survive the sequel.â Â
Ridley clapped his hands, his voice carrying over the lingering laughter. âAlright, lovebirds, enough stalling. Letâs get back to work! Pedro, weâve got a fight scene to shoot.â Â
Pedro gave you one last reassuring smile before winking. âDonât go far. Iâll need more luck soon.â Â
You nodded, watching him head back to set, and felt a sense of warmth that no amount of teasing could dampen. As you stepped out of the tent, the desert sun shining overhead, you knew this momentâthis strange, beautiful mix of chaos and loveâwas one youâd carry with you forever.
OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO â EVENINGÂ Â
The rooftop restaurant was like something out of a dream. Lanterns hung delicately from wrought iron fixtures, casting warm, flickering light over the table as the sun dipped below the horizon. The air was cool but pleasant, carrying the faint scent of jasmine from a nearby garden. Below, the city of Marrakech stretched out in an intricate maze of rooftops and twinkling lights, the hum of life soft and distant. Â
Pedro had arranged everything, from the secluded corner table to the small vase of your favorite flowers waiting when you arrived. He always had a way of making even the simplest moments feel like magic. Â
âLook at this view,â you murmured, leaning against the wrought iron railing as the sky turned from gold to a deep, dusky pink. Â
Pedro stood close behind you, his hand resting gently on the small of your back. âThe viewâs got nothing on you,â he said softly, the teasing lilt in his voice balanced by the sincerity in his eyes. Â
You laughed, shaking your head as you turned to face him. âThatâs a terrible line.â Â
âMaybe,â he admitted, grinning as he pulled out his phone. âBut itâs true. Hold still.â Â
Before you could protest, he snapped a photo, catching you mid-laugh as you tried to dodge the camera. âPedro!â you groaned, your cheeks warming. Â
He chuckled, looking at the photo with a self-satisfied smile. âPerfect. Might frame this one.â Â
âStop it,â you said, trying to grab the phone from him, but he held it out of reach, his grin only widening. Â
âNever,â he replied, his free hand reaching across the table to take yours. His thumb brushed over your knuckles, and his gaze softened. âYouâre the most beautiful thing Iâve ever seen.â Â
Your stomach fluttered at the way he said itâno teasing this time, just quiet, earnest affection. Â
âNow youâre just being unfair,â you muttered, trying to hide your blush. Â
Pedro leaned forward, his head tilting slightly as if to study you closer. âNot unfair. Just honest.â Â
You rolled your eyes playfully, but your heart was pounding. In a bid to regain some ground, you grabbed your own phone and quickly snapped a picture of him just as he brought your hand to his lips. The resulting photo was unfairly goodâhis lashes long, the lantern light catching the gold in his eyes, the softness in his expression making your chest ache. Â
âGot you,â you said triumphantly, holding up the phone. Â
Pedro laughed, his thumb brushing over your knuckles again as he met your gaze. âNow weâre even?â Â
âNow weâre even,â you confirmed, though your grin gave away how smug you felt. Â
The waiter arrived with dessert just thenâa delicate plate of Moroccan pastries accompanied by a small bowl of honey and almonds. You both leaned forward at the same time, reaching for the same pastry, and burst into laughter when your fingers brushed. Â
âGo ahead,â Pedro said, gesturing gallantly. Â
âSuch a gentleman,â you teased, breaking off a piece of the pastry and dipping it into the honey. You held it up to his lips, your pulse skipping when he leaned in without hesitation. Â
âDelicious,â he said, his voice low and warm. âBut I think it tastes better coming from you.â Â
âYouâre impossible,â you muttered, trying to suppress a smile as you took a bite yourself. The flaky pastry melted on your tongue, its sweetness perfectly balanced by the honey. Â
As you shared the dessert, your conversation drifted from playful teasing to the little things that filled your days. Pedro told you about a funny moment on set earlier when Paul had forgotten his lines and improvised something so absurd even Ridley couldnât stop laughing. Â
âAnd then,â Pedro continued, his grin infectious, âhe tried to blame me, saying my face was too distracting.â Â
âWell, heâs not wrong,â you teased, earning a dramatic roll of Pedroâs eyes. Â
âOh, so now youâre on his side?â Â
âIâm on the side of the truth,â you said, popping an almond into your mouth. Â
Pedro chuckled, shaking his head. âI donât know what Iâd do without you.â Â
Your smile softened, and you leaned your chin on your hand as you looked at him. âProbably still charming everyone who crosses your path.â Â
âNot like this,â he said, his tone suddenly serious. He reached across the table again, his fingers lacing with yours. âYou make everything better. You make me better.â Â
Your throat tightened at the rawness in his voice, and for a moment, all you could do was stare at him, his words settling deep in your chest. Â
âYou do the same for me,â you said quietly. Â
The soft music playing in the background faded into the hum of the city as the two of you sat there, the world narrowing to just this moment. Pedro brought your hand to his lips again, pressing a kiss to your knuckles before resting your joined hands on the table. Â
As the night stretched on, the two of you continued to talk about everything and nothingâyour favorite childhood memories, the places you wanted to visit together, the little quirks you loved about each other. Â
When it was time to leave, Pedro stood and extended a hand to help you up. âOne last picture before we go?â he asked, his phone already in hand. Â
You nodded, letting him pull you into his side. The lanterns glowed softly behind you as he kissed your cheek just as the camera clicked. Â
Looking at the photo, you smiled. It was perfectâjust like this night, just like him.Â
LâHĂTEL MARRAKECH, MOROCCO â EVENING
The golden hues of the evening sun had long faded, leaving the hotel suite illuminated only by the soft glow of warm, ambient lighting. Laughter filled the room, bubbling up between stolen glances and playful teasing. Pedro leaned against the edge of the plush sofa, his hand resting casually on his hip as you doubled over with giggles at another one of his overly dramatic impressions.Â
âIâm just saying,â he said with a grin, holding up his hands in mock innocence. âIf anyone here is getting an Oscar for Most Entertaining Human, itâs me.â
You rolled your eyes, swatting at him lightly. âYou? Entertaining? Please. Youâre just lucky I think youâre cute.â
âJust cute?â he teased, his voice dropping into a low, mock-hurt murmur. He stepped closer, tilting his head. âThatâs disappointing.â
And just like that, with no warning, he took your hand and spun you gently into his arms. There was no music, no sound but the faint rustle of the curtains and the muted hum of life outside your window. But to Pedro, there was no need for anything more.Â
âDance with me,â he whispered, his voice barely above a breath, pulling you flush against him.
âPedro,â you started to protest, but the way he was looking at youâso earnest, so unguardedâstole the words from your lips. He rested his forehead against yours, his arms wrapping around you like he was afraid to let go.Â
âYou are the reason I can breathe,â he murmured. His voice cracked slightly, raw and unfiltered. âThe reason I can survive.â
Your chest tightened, and your hands gripped the soft cotton of his shirt as you closed your eyes. Slowly, the two of you began to sway, side to side, as if the universe itself had orchestrated this silent melody just for you.
âPedro,â you whispered, tears threatening to spill as the weight of his words sank deep into your soul. âYou donât have toââ
âShh.â He cut you off gently, his lips brushing the crown of your head. âI want to. Youâre my safe place.â
Together, you moved as one, the world outside forgotten. The phones were switched off, the curtains drawn, and for a moment, it felt like time had ceased to exist. All that mattered was thisâhis arms around you, your head resting on his chest, and the way his heartbeat felt steady and strong beneath your cheek.
âWhatâs easy is right,â you whispered suddenly, echoing words your mother had once said. The truth of it struck you in that moment, how being with Pedro never felt like a choiceâit was instinct. Like breathing. Like coming home.Â
Pedro smiled, his hand brushing a strand of hair from your face. âWhatâs easy is right,â he repeated softly. âThen I guess itâs easy to know... Iâm going to love you forever.â
You laughed softly, though the lump in your throat made it difficult. âForeverâs a long time.â
He tilted your chin up, his warm, brown eyes crinkling at the corners with a quiet joy. âNot nearly long enough,â he said, his voice a low promise. âYouâll be my best friend until weâre old and gray. And even then, Iâll still love you.â
There was something in the way he said itâso simple, so sureâthat your knees nearly gave out. But as always, Pedro was there, holding you steady, keeping you close.Â
This is how you fall in love, you realized. Not in a blaze of fireworks, but in the quiet moments where you let go and they hold you up.Â
âDo you know what youâve done to me?â Pedro said after a long silence, his voice filled with wonder. âYou make my stomach ache with hope. You make my hands stop shaking. I wake up smiling now, and itâs because of you.â
You bit your lip, your fingers tracing lazy patterns across his chest. âPedroâŠâ
âNo, listen to me,â he insisted, his thumb brushing against your cheek. âLove isnât supposed to be heavy. Itâs not supposed to hurt. Itâs supposed to be this. Us. A safe place. A hand to hold through every storm.â
His words broke something open inside you, and you nodded, letting the tears spill over. âYouâre my safe place too,â you whispered. âYou make me believe I deserve this.â
Pedro pulled you closer, resting his chin on the top of your head as he swayed you gently. âYou deserve everything,â he murmured. âEvery laugh, every sunrise, every stupid little joke Iâll tell for the next fifty years.â
You both laughed softly, the sound mingling with the quiet hum of the room. The world outside could wait. For now, all that mattered was this momentâthis love that was soft, steady, and unshakable.
Right from your hips to your cuticles, you were everything to him, and he was everything to you. Wherever you both went, it was heaven. And neither of you ever wanted to leave.Â
Steam filled the bathroom, the warmth clinging to the mirrors and wrapping around the two of you like a soft cocoon. Pedro stood under the cascade of water, droplets running down his broad shoulders and soaking his messy curls. His eyes flicked toward you, a tender smile tugging at his lips as you stepped closer, your fingers gently reaching for the shampoo bottle. Â
âTurn around,â you said softly, motioning for him to face away from you. Â
âYes, maâam,â he teased, though there was a hint of shyness in his voice as he obeyed. Â
You lathered the shampoo between your hands, your touch careful and affectionate as you worked it into his hair. His curls were soft and damp beneath your fingers, the grays glinting like silver in the dim light. Â
âI love your hair,â you murmured, your voice reverent. Â
Pedro let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle, tilting his head back slightly. âThe gray makes me look old.â Â
You paused, your hands stilling in his hair as you leaned around to catch his gaze. âStop that. It doesnât make you look old; it makes you look distinguished. And I happen to love every single one of these.â You tugged playfully at a curl for emphasis. Â
He gave you a sheepish look, his lips twitching as he fought back a pout. âYouâre just saying that because youâre stuck with me.â Â
âStuck with you?â you repeated, feigning outrage. âOh, no, Pedro. I chose youâgray hair and all. And Iâd choose you again. Every single day.â Â
His pout softened into a smile, one so genuine it made your chest ache. âYouâre too good to me,â he murmured, leaning in to press a kiss to your temple. Â
âAnd you deserve it,â you countered firmly, finishing his hair with a rinse. Â
When it was your turn, Pedro insisted on returning the favor, his hands gentle as he massaged the conditioner into your hair. His touch lingered, his fingers tracing the nape of your neck as he marveled at you. Â
âYouâre so beautiful,â he whispered, his voice thick with sincerity. Â
âEven covered in soap?â you teased, feeling heat creep up your cheeks. Â
âEspecially covered in soap,â he replied, leaning down to steal a kiss. Â
The shower ended with a flurry of soft laughter and playful splashes, the two of you wrapped in towels as you padded into the bedroom. Pedro pulled on a pair of boxers while you slipped into one of his oversized shirts, the hem brushing the tops of your thighs. Â
The two of you slipped into bed, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm, golden light over the room. The air smelled faintly of the lavender lotion youâd rubbed on your hands, mingling with the subtle hint of Pedroâs cologne that still lingered on his skin. He had one arm draped lazily over your waist, his other hand holding a book heâd claimed to be interested in, though his wandering eyes betrayed him.
A book rested in your lap, too, but youâd long given up on reading. Instead, you could feel his gaze flickering to you, watching you more than the words on his page. It was endearing, the way he thought you wouldnât notice, how he never grew tired of studying you like heâd never quite figure you out. Â
âYouâre not reading,â you finally accused, peeking at him over the edge of your book. Â
Pedro grinned, unabashed. He set his book down on the nightstand and scooted closer, leaning his head on the pillow beside you. âCan you blame me?â he said, his voice soft and teasing. His hand reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear, his knuckles grazing your cheek. âIâve got the most beautiful view right here.â Â
You rolled your eyes, trying to fight the warmth rising in your cheeks, but the smile that stretched across your lips betrayed you. âYouâre ridiculous,â you murmured, nudging him lightly with your elbow. Â
âAnd yet, you love me,â he replied with mock arrogance, leaning back against the headboard with a self-satisfied smirk. Â
âUnfortunately for me,â you quipped, though your tone was dripping with affection. Â
Pedroâs laugh filled the room, low and warm, wrapping around you like a blanket. You settled back into your spot, his arm tightening slightly around your waist, anchoring you to him. For a while, there was only the sound of pages turning and the occasional creak of the bed as one of you shifted. Â
Eventually, the books were forgotten, abandoned on the nightstand as the room grew darker, the soft click of the lamp switch plunging you into the comforting glow of moonlight spilling through the curtains. Â
Lying side by side, your head resting on Pedroâs chest, you let your fingers trace lazy patterns along the bare skin of his arm. But your mind wouldnât quiet, and as the minutes stretched on, the thoughts bubbling inside you demanded to be voiced. Â
âOkay, but really,â you began, your voice breaking the comfortable silence. âWhy is âllamaâ spelled with two Lâs? Wouldnât one be enough? Itâs not like we say âLlama-la.ââ Â
Pedro let out a soft laugh, the sound rumbling through his chest beneath your cheek. He tilted his head down to look at you, his lips quirking into a smile. âMi amor, I adore you, but itâs almost midnight. Go to sleep.â Â
âI canât until I solve this mystery,â you said with mock determination, lifting your head to look at him. Â
He sighed dramatically, feigning exasperation. âFine. Maybe the second âLâ is there to confuse aliens.â Â
You gasped, sitting up slightly. âThat makes so much sense! Like, imagine aliens judging us for eating cereal with milk.â Â
Pedro chuckled again, his arm tightening around you to keep you close. âCereal with milk is sacred,â he said, his voice heavy with playful conviction. âIf aliens have an issue with that, Iâll fight them myself.â Â
You grinned, turning to prop yourself up on your elbow so you could face him fully. âOkay, serious question. If you could ask someone anything and be guaranteed the truth, who would it be?â Â
Pedro cracked one eye open, his other hand lazily resting on your hip. âIâd ask you why youâre so determined to keep me awake,â he deadpanned, his lips twitching with a suppressed smile. Â
You laughed, nudging him with your elbow. âIâm serious!â Â
âAlright, alright,â he relented, the mirth in his eyes softening as he considered your question. âIâd ask my third-grade teacher if she really lost my homework or if she just didnât like me.â Â
You burst out laughing, the sound muffled by the way you buried your face into his chest. âThatâs what youâd waste your question on?â Â
âDonât judge me,â he said with mock indignation, his fingers trailing absent patterns on your back. âItâs haunted me for years.â Â
Your laughter subsided into a warm giggle as you tilted your head up to look at him. âFine. My turn. Iâd ask my mom if sheâs proud of me. Like⊠really proud. Not just the âIâm your mom, so I have to say itâ kind of proud.â Â
Pedroâs hand stilled on your back, his gaze softening as he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. âSheâs proud of you, baby,â he murmured against your skin. âAnd so am I. Always.â Â
The weight of his words wrapped around your heart, a comforting balm that eased the ache of self-doubt. You nuzzled closer, your fingers curling around his as you let the quiet stretch between you for a moment. Â
Moments later, you broke the silence again, your voice a whisper in the dark. âWhen I was little, I thought my toys came alive when I wasnât looking. Like Toy Story. Honestly, I still kinda think they do.â Â
Pedro let out a deep laugh, his chest shaking beneath you as he pulled you even closer. âI wouldnât put it past them,â he said, his voice warm with amusement. âYour stuffed bunny? Definitely a troublemaker.â Â
You giggled, your heart feeling impossibly light as his hand returned to its slow, soothing patterns on your back. Â
The conversation drifted into comfortable nonsense, the kind of midnight musings that didnât need to make sense but brought a certain kind of intimacy only shared in the quiet hours of the night. Â
Finally, as your eyelids grew heavy and your words faded into murmurs, Pedro pressed a lingering kiss to your temple. âGoodnight, mi amor,â he whispered, his voice soft and steady. Â
In his arms, with the world outside forgotten, you felt safe. Loved. His heartbeat was the only rhythm you needed as you drifted into sleep, a love like no other holding you steady through the night.
#pedro pascal x reader#pedro pascal x f!reader#pedro pascal#pedro pascal fanfic#pedro pascal art#pedro pascal smut#pedro pascal fanfiction#pedro#pedro pascal characters#pedro pascal fandom#jose pedro balmaceda pascal#joel miller x reader#gladiator#gladiator 2#paul mescal#real people fiction#marcus acacius#general marcus acacius#gladiator ii#pedrohub#pedro pascal x reader masterlist#pedro pascal masterlist#marcus acacius x reader
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loml (r.c)
SEASON 4 PART 2 SPOILERS!!!!
Request: @motherlanaenthusiast âSo what if we do a Rafe x Maybank!reader where like maybe she was in morocco but she wasnât with JJ when he died cuz she was doing smthn else so like they all have to break the news and that happens and then when like after when theyâre back at Kildare Rafe like gets deja vu from s1&2 him because he sees reader going kinda crazyâ
Summary: Rafe is the only person to save Y/N from a downward spiral.
AN: I will NEVER forgive the writers for this lol I went on a tangent with this one
The sun was blistering and casting a golden hue over the winding alleyways in Morocco. Rafe Cameron and Y/N Maybank moved through the maze of alleyways, their steps quick and purposeful, yet filled with a tension that spoke of something much deeper than their immediate surroundings.
Y/N was JJ Maybankâs twin sister, a spitfire with a wild heart who had once been the center of Rafeâs secret world. The two had shared a tumultuous fling, a secret affair that had started four years ago under the cover of darkness and ended just as abruptly. It was a relationship neither had ever fully acknowledged. Rafe was a Kook, while Y/N, like her brother JJ, was a Pogue, tale as old as time.
The shop was quiet, the group off to Charleston to follow the next clue. Y/N stayed behind to wait for her brother after he had wandered off ârunning errands.â The bell above the door jingled, and the soft sound broke through the silence.
Y/N was leaning against the counter, staring at her phone screen, scrolling through all the unread text messages to her brother.
"How can I help you?" she asked absently, not looking up from her phone.
She looked up and her breath got caught in her throat, the smile on Rafe Cameron's face grating against the air. He stood at the entrance, hands tucked casually in his pockets, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, keeping her tone even, though the familiar tension in her chest began to build. Sheâd never been able to shake the feeling of unease around him. Not since everything went down with Pope, the fight that ended whatever it was they had.
"Can't I just stop by and visit my local surf and bait shop?" Rafe said, taking a step inside, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You looking for Sarah?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Actually, yeah. I'm looking for Sarah."
She shook her head, setting the phone down with a soft click. "She doesnât want to talk to you."
Rafe raised an eyebrow, the smirk still in place. "I think I can have a chat with my sister whenever I want."
"Not if she doesn't want to talk to you." Her words were firm, but there was a slight quiver in her voice that betrayed her more complicated feelings.
Rafeâs smirk didnât falter as he took a few more steps forward, closing the distance between them. He placed his elbows on the counter, leaning in closer, the sudden proximity catching her off guard.
"I'm sorry about the drama at the beach the other day," he said, his voice lowering in an almost sincere tone. "With Ruthie and the turtles."
She didnât respond right away, trying to keep her emotions in check. She could feel the weight of his words, but it didnât change anything. Rafe was sorryâsorry for the mess he had created, maybe, but never for the things that had truly mattered.
"Donât act like you care, Rafe," she replied, her voice steady despite the knot tightening in her stomach. "You only care about how things affect you. And I guess now Sofia."
He stared at her for a long moment, his gaze growing intense. The years of tension between them seemed to hang in the air, unresolved and unspoken. Then he said, his tone soft but firm, "We used to be so close, Y/N. What happened?"
She sucked in a breath, trying to push down the anger, the hurt, the past. "The drugs happened," she said slowly, her voice low. "Ward happened. Your anger happened."
His eyes darkened for a second, his jaw tightening. He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it just as quickly. After a long, weighted silence, he took a half step back, his expression softening, just a little.
"Iâm on your side, you know," he said quietly, the words almost a whisper, as though they were too important to rush. "I always have been."
The words hung between them, charged and heavy with meaning. She didnât know what to say to that. She hadnât known what to say to Rafe since the day heâd walked away, leaving everything torn apart in his wake.
Before she could respond, Rafe straightened, brushing his hand across his forehead as if clearing his thoughts. He turned toward the door, his back to her now. "Iâll be seeing you around," he muttered over his shoulder, the door swinging open as he left without another word.
Now, as they weaved through the ancient Moroccan city, they were older, scarred by the years of treasure hunts, betrayals, and broken friendships.
âSomething doesnât feel right,â Y/N said, stopping suddenly, her dark eyes scanning the shadowed alleyways. She had always been the one with the sixth sense, the one who could feel trouble like a storm on the horizon.
Rafe turned to her, his brow furrowed. âWhat do you mean?â
But before she could answer, they heard Kiaraâs voice, shrill and desperate, cutting through the noise of the bustling market.
âY/N! John B! Pope!â
Y/Nâs heart seized in her chest, and without another word, she took off in the direction of Kiara's cries, Rafe hot on her heels. They rounded a corner and found Kiara kneeling on the cobblestones, her face pale and streaked with tears. And lying there, motionless, was JJ.
âNo, no, no,â Y/N whispered, her voice breaking as she fell to her knees beside her brother. Her hands trembled as she reached out to touch JJâs face, his skin already growing cold under her fingertips.
âJJ, please,ïżœïżœïżœ she begged, her voice cracking, tears streaming down her face. âYou canât leave me. You promised.â She cried.
But there was no response, no flicker of life in those familiar blue eyes. It felt like the world had been ripped out from under her, like the ground had opened up to swallow her whole. Rafe stood behind her, his face pale, his fists clenched at his sides.
The group stood stunned, no one wanting to be the one to move. But they were in a busy, bustling city with a dead body. People would ask questions. âW-We have to get him out of here.â John B stammered. He moved to reach for Y/N, attempting to pry her off of her brotherâs body.
Y/N fought against him, muttering things like âIâm not leaving himâ or âhe canât be alone.â Rafe takes over for John B and has to use his strength to pull her up to her feet. He held her in his arms, close to his chest to avoid having to see her two best friends moving her brother.
At that moment, all he could really do was hold her.
||
Months had passed since that horrible day in Morocco, but for Y/N, time had ceased to exist. She was back in Kildare, but it was as if she was still stuck in that dark alleyway, kneeling beside her brotherâs lifeless body.
Sarah Cameron was heavily pregnant, as she prepared for the birth of her first child with John B. It was supposed to be a time of joy and new beginnings, but the shadow of JJâs death loomed over them all.
Y/N had fallen into a downward spiral, her grief consuming her. She drank herself into oblivion every night, stumbling through the streets of Kildare like a ghost. She would disappear for days, only to be found passed out on the beach or in the hammock outside her house. The Pogues tried to help her, but she pushed them all away, lost in her own pain.
Sarah had told Rafe about Y/N, how she was drowning in guilt for not being there when JJ had died. The words had hit Rafe like a punch to the gut, reminding him of his own spiral years ago, before his father had dragged him into the hunt for the Royal Merchantâs gold.
He couldnât let that happen to Y/N. He wouldnât. He loved her even if he couldnât admit it.
So he found himself standing on the porch of the Maybank house, staring at the peeling paint on the front door. John Bâs van was parked out front, and Rafe assumed he was there trying to talk some sense into Y/N.
A part of him thought âoh John B is here, I can come back later.â But he couldnât walk away, not this time.Heâs walked away from her too many times.
He knocked, the sound echoing in the stillness of the early afternoon. John B opened the door, his face drawn and tired. âSarahâs not here.â He told Rafe. âIâm not here for Sarah. Iâm here for Y/N.â Rafe answered.
âSheâs not doing well, man,â John B said, his voice low. âWe donât know what else to do. I think... I think she feels guilty for not being with JJ when it happened.â
Rafe nodded, his jaw tightening. âLet me talk to her.â
John B hesitated but finally stepped aside, letting Rafe through. The house was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos that had always surrounded JJ.
Rafe walked down the hall to Y/Nâs bedroom, the same room he used to sneak into all those years ago. All of the memories came flooding back as he stopped in front of the door. Nights that ended tangled up in her sheets. Other nights where she just wanted to be held after a fight with her dad.
Rafe pushed the door open to find her cocooned under the comforter, a bottle of vodka sitting on her nightstand.
âJB, please go away,â she mumbled, her voice raw and hoarse. Rafe assumed from a mixture of alcohol and crying.
âNot John B,â Rafe said softly.
Y/N stiffened, slowly emerging from under the covers, moving to sit up against her headboard. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face pale and gaunt. She looked like a shadow of the girl he once knew.
âWhat are you doing here?â she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
âIâm worried about you,â Rafe said, moving to sit on the edge of the mattress.
âApparently everyone is,â she muttered, her eyes flicking away from him.
There was a heavy silence, the kind that was filled with all the things they had left unsaid for so many years. Rafe took a deep breath, trying to find the right words.
âY/N... I know what itâs like to lose yourself,â he began, his voice steady. âI know what itâs like to drown. I was there once, you know that. Hell, Iâm still trying to crawl my way out.â
She looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. âHe was always afraid to be alone, and I left him alone,â she choked out. âI should have been there. I should have protected him.â
Rafeâs heart broke at the raw pain in her voice. âYou canât blame yourself for what happened, Y/N. JJ wouldnât want that.â
âHow would you know?â she snapped, her voice rising. âYou never cared about him. About me.â
The words were like a slap in the face, but Rafe took it, knowing she was lashing out from a place of deep hurt. âYouâre right,â he said quietly. âI didnât care about JJ, and I pushed everyone away. But I always cared about you. And I donât want to lose you to this, Y/N. I canât.â
âIâm not your responsibility, Rafe.â Y/N muttered. âNo but youâre the person I love.â Rafe replied. âYou canât say things like that.â She practically snapped. âWhy not? You used to beg me to tell you how I felt and I finally am. Iâm sorry it came so late and itâs happening because of this but Iâll be damned if another person I love gets hurt because I didnât do anything to stop it.â Rafe told her.
She stared at him, the anger draining from her eyes, leaving only exhaustion. âI donât know how to come back from this,â she whispered.
âLet me help you,â Rafe said, his voice breaking. âPlease. Let me be there for you. You donât have to do this alone.â
There was a long pause, and then, almost imperceptibly, she nodded. It was a small gesture, but it was enough.
âIâll try,â she said, her voice trembling. âIâll try to get better.â
âAnd Iâll be here,â Rafe promised, reaching out to take her hand. âThrough it all. Iâm not going anywhere.â
||
A year had passed since that day in Morocco. The sun was shining over the Outer Banks, the salty breeze carrying the sound of laughter and the distant crash of waves. The Pogues had gathered for a special occasion, a day of celebration and new beginnings.
Sarah and John Bâs son, Jackson, was turning one today, and they were throwing a beach party in his honor. Y/N stood on the edge of the gathering, watching as Sarah bounced her son on her hip, his tiny hands reaching for the birthday cake.
Y/N was sober, clear-eyed, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like she could breathe again. She had fought her way out of the darkness with Rafe by her side, and though the pain of losing her brother would never fully fade, she was learning to live with it.
Rafe approached her, a soft smile on his lips. âYou doing okay?â he asked, his voice gentle.
She nodded, turning to look at him. âYeah, I think I am.â
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. âIâm proud of you,â he whispered. âFor everything.â
She leaned into him, letting the warmth of his embrace chase away the lingering shadows. âThank you,â she said softly. âFor not giving up on me.â
Rafe smiled down at her before she moved up on her toes and kissed him sweetly. âI love you, Rafe.â She spoke quietly. âI love you too.â He replied.
They stood there together, watching as their friends celebrated a new chapter of their lives, a chapter filled with hope and healing.
For the first time in a long time, Y/N believed that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be okay.
#imagine#imagines#outer banks#jj maybank#rafe cameron#outer banks imagine#kiara carrera#john b routledge#rudy pankow#sarah cameron#rafe cameron x reader#rafe cameron imagine#rafe outer banks
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THE GRUDGE (or: the 7 things luke castellan hated about you)
read part two GET HIM BACK! (or: the 7 reasons you want revenge on luke castellan)
pairing: luke castellan x child of nemesis!reader (gender not specified)
word count: 8.5k
summary: luke hated your guts. he really did. he just hoped that no one could tell how, even after all this, you're still everything to him.
warnings/disclaimer: luke's POV. spoilers for the lightning thief and season 1 of pjo. some heated make-out sessions but no actual smut - MDNI / 18+. mentions of blood + death + alcohol. luke is 19 during tlt but i wrote this with him + reader being 21 by the end of this (this is important for the next part lol). anyways, luke + reader share clothes and lots of intense emotions they maybe possibly don't process in the best way. lots of ANGST - it's a greek tragedy fr!
author's note: welcome to my new hyperfixation! this fic is LONG but i hope she's worth it âĄ
âȘ: the grudge by olivia rodrigo
(i. you have a sharp tongue)
fourteen year old luke was overwhelmed when he first stepped into the hermes cabin. it was loud and overcrowded and no one really seemed to care that they had a new cabinmate. the head counselor showed luke to an empty bed at the back, told him to get settled in, and left without another word. luke dropped his backpack before collapsing on the mattress. it was so thin that he could feel the springs dig into his back.
"you'll get used to it."
luke sat up to see you climbing through the window.Â
you had a band-aid stuck on your chin, chipped nail polish the color of blackberries, and leather combat boots that looked way too heavy to be wearing in the heat of summer.Â
âthe shitty mattress?â
âi meant the whole chaos of cabin 11, and the way things work around here in general. if you can get used to the shitty mattress, all power to you.âÂ
your tone was friendly enough, playful even. you smiled at him so comfortably it made luke nauseous.Â
âgood to know.â he tried to smile back at you, but his heart wasnât in it. âiâm luke, by the way.â
âyeah, i know. iâm ââ
ây/n!â
you seemed entirely unfazed as the blond who called your name stormed over to you. you rolled your eyes, something only luke could notice, before turning to her.
âsomeone stole my candy.â
âiâm very sorry to hear that, maddy. gotta be careful around here.â your voice dripped like poisoned honey, deceptively innocent and sweet.
maddy was not having it. she huffed at you. âit was you, wasnât it?â
âthat depends. did you cheat at poker last night? again?âÂ
some of the chatter throughout the cabin paused, heads turning to listen in.Â
âwhat? n-no!âÂ
âthen you have your answer, maddy.â you exaggerated a sigh, as though you had already won the fight and were annoyed that she came back for more. ânow, if youâll excuse me, i have a new camper to show around.â
chiron had already given them a tour, but luke didnât protest when you grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the window with you. your hand was warm in his as you dragged him along to the corner of the cabin where a poorly made ladder waited for you.Â
âcome on.â you started climbing, and only stopped to look down when you realized luke wasnât following you. âbest view of camp. trust me.â
a shiver passed through luke. trust didnât come easy to him. he also didnât particularly want to return to a stuffy cabin where all he would do was count reasons he did not want to be there.
 so, luke followed you. he sat down next to you on the roof and looked out at the sun shining on his new home, but he couldn't help but be slightly bitter. the gods had gotten all of you into this life of endless danger and battles and monsters, and this was all they had to offer in return: a summer camp.Â
it just didn't seem fair.Â
there was something else he noticed then. what was it that chiron had said? camp half-blood was supposed to be a safe haven for all demigods.Â
âi donât get it. there are only twelve cabins, but arenât there, like, a million other gods?â
you straightened your posture then, and turned to luke with a newfound interest.Â
âcamp half-blood only has cabins representing the twelve olympians. apparently, theyâre the only ones important enough to have children worth recognizing, and they canât even do that half the time,â you explained, impertinence laced throughout your words. it seemed like something you could never quite get off your chest.Â
every demigod knew that the gods didnât appreciate sarcasm. they didnât particularly like being called out on their bullshit, either.
you didnât seem to care; you even rolled your eyes up at the sky, as if challenging zeus himself.Â
âanyways, thatâs why the hermes cabin is so crowded. it takes in campers who are unclaimed or whose parent doesnât have a cabin at camp. like me.â
âso, whoâs your godly parent?â
you fiddled with the leather cord on your neck. it held a few clay beads like the other campers, but there was one silver charm he noticed only you wore â scales, by the looks of it. you clutched onto it.
luke realized that, despite your own advice, maybe you resented having to get used to the way things worked around here, and having to hide your resentment. maybe that was worse than having to sleep on an uncomfortable bed for the rest of your life.
"nemesis. goddess of revenge."
"that's....hardcore."
you scoffed and moved on to twisting the silver ring on your index finger. "a lot of people take it that way, and i think it scares them a bit.â
âso thatâs why youâre extra nice to new campers, huh?âÂ
âno, i was just in a good mood today.â you smirked.
âguess i was just lucky, then.â
luke couldnât help but smile at your laugh â sharp, biting. you nudged your boot against his sneaker, which shifted you closer to him, shoulders practically touching.Â
âwhat people donât understand is that it's more about balance, you know? you do good things, and good things happen to you. at least, they should. you do bad things andâŠ.â you pulled out an outrageously big bag of candy, dropped it between you and luke, and winked at him. âyou face the consequences.âÂ
âthat makes sense.â luke leaned over to grab a handful of gummy bears. âlike karma.â
âyeah. exactly.âÂ
you bit the head off a red bear, both of you chewing in silence before you added:
âby the way, iâm sorry about your friend.â you swallowed and caught lukeâs gaze.Â
chiron warned him that word would travel fast around camp about what happened to thalia, and luke had prepared himself for anything â anything but your reaction. there was no pity in your eyes; instead, there was a hint of rage, as though thalia had been your friend, too.Â
âshe deserved more.âÂ
lukeâs eyes caught the glint of a knife strapped to your belt. he took another handful of the candy you stole, and he thought about the fire and fearlessness behind your words, and, despite everything, it felt right to be with you then and there.Â
âyeah,â he finally whispered back. âshe did.â
we all do.Â
neither of you said those words, but the suggestion was there, and it felt like a promise.Â
(ii. you hold on to every stupid, little detail)
âslow down, tiger.âÂ
your voice echoed throughout the arena, and if luke had been fighting a real opponent, it might have gotten him killed. instead, he just stopped mid-swing, sparing another straw dummy from losing its arm.Â
âleft hand,â you noted as you walked past him towards a bench. âyou, my friend, are in need of a break.â
luke loosened the grip on his sword. the only time luke fought with his non-dominant hand was when he had overworked the other. he must have switched an hour ago, but judging by how heavy his arm felt, it could have very well been two. Â
his curls were stuck to his forehead with sweat, his shirt soaked through. he could feel a dull pain behind his eyes, and luke was worried that if he stopped to catch his breath, he would pass out. or, even worse, have to face the reality of the shitty news heâd gotten early that day.Â
âcome sit with me,â you urged. âyouâre exhausted, tiger.âÂ
luke bristled at your nickname for him.Â
sure, luke loved that there was something only you called him, a secret kept between you in plain sight, but it was also a reminder that it was harder to hide behind the hero act when you were around.
everyone else at camp figured the nickname was a playful attempt at calling him strong and charismatic. the truth was that luke once told you that his favorite cereal as a kid was frosted flakes and that he would dream of playing sports as well as tony the tiger. for better or for worse, like most things, you wouldnât let it go.Â
case in point: if it was anybody other than you trying to get him to take a break, luke could have just brushed them off with a charming smile and continued swordfighting until his arms fell off, but in the two years since meeting you, luke had never met anyone as stubborn and convincing. like him, it seemed you were willing to fight and shed blood to get your way. luke was never really in the mood to make you bleed, even when feeling like he could burn the entire world down, so he usually gave in to your demands. Â
as soon as he sat down next to you, you handed him an orange flavored energy drink â his favorite. anything other than water was hard to come by at camp without the enchanted goblets in the dining pavilion, or the right connection in the hermes cabin. he ran out of his stash the other day, but you must have noticed and gotten one of the stoll brothers to smuggle more in.Â
âthanks,â luke said, ignoring the jolt of electricity that passed through him when your fingers brushed together briefly.Â
 the two of you looked out at the sword arena, and all the straw dummies that luke had destroyed. you wait for him to take three big gulps of his drink before speaking again.Â
âi guess chiron and your dad decided you werenât ready for a quest.â
luke exhaled sharply. âhow did you ââ
âthe only time youâd skip out on capture the flag is if something really shitty happened.â you looked down at lukeâs clenched fists, and that seemed to be all the confirmation you needed. âyou promised annabeth you'd be there, and it's not like you to let her down."
fuck. he had completely forgotten that tonight was annabeth's first time as team captain. this entire week, she had been prepping a winning strategy. it wasnât like annabeth needed him to win, but luke was her big brother, and he should have been there. you were right â he had let her down.Â
the realization made lukeâs day go from bad to worse.Â
"i told her you were helping a new camper with an emergency. she didn't believe it, but she adjusted her strategy and we still won.â
âwell, thank the gods everything worked in the end,â luke grumbled.Â
âdonât thank the gods,â you quipped. âthank annabeth chase for her brilliant mind, and me for covering for your sorry ass.â
when luke didnât indulge in your usual playful banter, you moved closer to him and brushed some curls away from his eyes. your skin warmed his forehead, and the small gesture made him feel better than he had all day.
âlook, iâm not going to give you some bullshit inspirational speech about how the gods donât get to define what a hero is, or how you donât need a quest to prove that youâre worthy of being one. weâve each been through that before, and i have a feeling this wonât be our last time, either.â
âthen why are you here?â the question came out harsher than luke had intended it to.
âbecause sheâs trying her best to hide it, but annabeth is really hurt that you didnât show up for the game. i figured the least you could do is suck it up, come to the campfire, and make her those signature luke castellan sâmores. you could probably use one, too, since you havenât eaten anything since breakfast.âÂ
you were right, again. luke was exhausted, he was furious, but most of all, he was starving. Â
later that night, luke sat next to annabeth and vowed to make her as many sâmores as she wanted. youâd gone to sit with the hephaestus kids, trying to convince beckendorf and nyssa to join your cabinâs post-campfire party at the beach, even though they had to work in the forges early the next morning.Â
when chiron made his weekly speech, congratulating the winners of capture the flag and thanking the gods for keeping everyone safe, you and luke caught each otherâs gaze from across the fire. you rolled your eyes and luke bit back a smile as you turned back to beckendorf. he noticed your knees were practically touching. did you sit that close to everyone?Â
luke was looking at you for so long that the marshmallow he was roasting fell into the fire, despite annabethâs warnings. she handed him another one.Â
"you should tell her how you feel," annabeth said. "stop being a coward."Â
whether it was the smell of burnt sugar, the heat of the fire, or annabethâs comment, luke started to feel dizzy. he did his best to shake it off, asking annabeth for a play-by-play of her strategy earlier that night, but he couldnât quite get rid of the thought of you.Â
(iii. you don't care if your clothes are stained with blood)
âi justâŠ.i canât fucking believe you, luke.â
âi donât get why youâre so upset â youâve never cared about quests before.â
luke was hoping to break the news to you after capture the flag. unfortunately for him, word travels fast around camp.Â
annabeth had the two of you scouting the east side for the flag, while she and some other athena kids took the west. you hadnât found anything so far, which meant that youâd spent the better part of an hour bickering over lukeâs choice of companions for his quest. a choice that included charles beckendorf and chris rodriguez, and purposefully did not include you, much to your fury. Â
before you could continue arguing, luke heard the sound of footsteps approaching. he looked over to you, and you already had your shield and sword at the ready.Â
a few red defenders emerged from the trees. one charged at luke, but you stepped in so he could deal with the other two. one of his opponents went down fairly easily, but the other put up much more of a fight. metal clashed behind him as you kept fighting as well. you might not have been as skilled a swordfighter as luke, but he knew that you could hold your own, at least until he was finished with the person in front of him.Â
luke parried his opponentâs strike, causing them to take a step closer. he was preparing to disarm them, just as he heard you yelp and stumble to the ground. it only took a millisecond of his attention, but it gave his opponent the opportunity to elbow him in the face. luke felt a crack upon impact, and pain radiated from his nose; he powered through.Â
he had to finish this fight, and he had to do it fast. you needed him.Â
his ears were ringing as he finally knocked over his opponent, kicking away their sword and keeping his foot on their chest. luke turned around to see you having turned the tides, the blade of your sword dangerously close to your opponentâs neck.
you locked eyes with luke, and you both understood â it was time to go. the two of you ran through the forest, as far away as you could before having to stop and catch your breath.
luke removed his helmet to get some air, and dropped his weapons. you did the same. you looked at him, brows furrowed.
âyour nose.â
luke licked his lips, tasting blood. the triumph of winning that last fight overshadowed the ache of his potentially broken nose. in fact, he liked the image of a ruthless warrior emerging from the glory and gore of battle, that even though he did not bleed ichor like a god, he still had power.Â
you, on the other hand, didnât look impressed. instead, you stepped forward and offered the sleeve of your shirt to wipe away the blood.Â
âyou donât have to ââ
âi know you think youâre a badass walking around all broken and bloody, but you shouldnât deny your admirers your pretty face,â you teased.Â
it was no secret that luke had numerous admirers around camp, a fact you loved to tease him about. he was sure that you relished in how flustered that made him. all you had to call him was pretty boy, and luke could be reduced to a blushing mess.Â
it was pathetic how much power you had over him.
âbesides, i wouldnât have gotten out of that last fight if you hadnât taught me that disarming technique earlier. i owe you. itâs what we do. we take care of each other, right?â
he couldnât argue with that.
a few moments of silence passed as you cleaned his face. something shifted as you worked, the flirtatious grin fading away. when you pulled away, your sleeve was stained a dark crimson.Â
âjust tell me honestly,â you finally murmured. âwhy don't you want me to join your quest?âÂ
luke was genuinely taken aback by the softness of your voice, now devoid of its usual fire. you wouldnât meet lukeâs eyes, but being that close to you, he noticed they were slightly glazed over.
he had expected you to be angry at his decision. he expected you to yell and argue and try to change his mind. luke hadnât expected you to be so hurt. so broken.Â
he hadnât planned on it, but luke decided to tell you the truth then.
âlook, karma, if you come with me, my heart wouldnât fully be in the quest. iâd be so caught up inâŠ.well, you.â
a pause.
âis that a bad thing?â
ânot usually, no.âÂ
you smirked a little at that, and lukeâs heart skipped a beat. it also made his decision even clearer.Â
âbut i need to be focused for this. i needâŠ.â he let out a deep sigh. âi need to prove myself. this is my first real chance, and i canât fuck it up.â
you met his gaze and smiled brightly at him, your signature spark of confidence returning. Â
âyou wonât.â
you reached a hand up to play with his necklace. luke hadnât noticed how close youâd gotten until your fingers started tracing over those four clay beads. it made his entire body burst into flames.
âiâve been wanting to do something for a while. and, aphrodite save me, it might be really stupid, but ââ
luke took a lucky guess as to where you were going, and crashed his lips against yours. aphrodite knows that he'd been wanting to do that for a while, too.Â
he often got drunk on the adrenaline of battle, the glory of winning, but nothing was quite like the rush of kissing you for the first time.Â
it was messy and urgent, both of you aware that, at any moment, you could be interrupted. your noses were bumping together, teeth clacking against each other. the metallic tang of blood lingered on lukeâs tongue, but neither of you seemed to care. you even bit his lip slightly, as if you wanted more. armor sat heavy and cold between your chests, preventing you from getting closer. luke had never loathed the protective gear more.Â
he made up for it by lodging one hand underneath your jaw, and snaking the other beneath the celestial bronze, beneath the cotton of your shirt, admiring how your pulse quickened under his thumb when he grazed the soft skin of your stomach. you tangled your hands into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp. he groaned and felt you smirk against his lips.Â
luke had kissed a few people before, sure, but never like this: like a knife to the gut, and if you pulled away, luke would surely bleed out and die.Â
it wouldnât be a heroâs death, in the traditional sense, but at least heâd die happy.Â
how many heroes could claim that?
when luke ran out of air, feeling like his lungs were burning, he had to pull away.Â
you glanced down at lukeâs kiss-bitten lips, then back to his eyes. luke flushed under the intensity of your gaze.Â
âjust promise me something, tiger,â you whispered, voice hoarse.Â
âanything.â
âcome back alive.â
luke leaned forward and placed another kiss on your lips, this one much gentler than before.
âi promise.â
(iv. you love like a scar that won't fade)
the nightmares were getting worse.Â
luke woke up in a cold sweat, taking gulps of air in an attempt to steady his breathing.
âluke.âÂ
your whisper did little to quell the pit of dread growing in his stomach, but it did enough to bring him back down to reality.Â
he was at camp half-blood (fuck the gods of olympus), in the hermes cabin (fuck you, dad), in a bed next to yours (fuck, if he could tell you what â who â was going through his head, he would).
âiâmâŠiâm fine,â he murmured back, voice catching slightly on the lie.Â
like clockwork, you shifted from your bed to his, slipping under the covers. it didnât matter that it was a hot summer night, and the minute your legs touched his, he could feel himself starting to overheat.Â
your thumb brushed over the thick edge of his scar, up his cheekbone to the corner of his eye. it had been a year, living with this reminder. a reminder that he had failed, just as much as his father and the olympians had failed him.Â
luke tried to pretend that he didnât come back from his quest as a shell of who he once was. after all, it was meant to be his shining moment as a demigod, meant to gain him all the glory and fatherâs praise he once wished for.Â
what a fucking joke.
every morning, luke would crawl into a different skin. he welcomed new campers and taught sword-fighting. he laughed with chris and his other siblings and strategized with annabeth for capture the flag. he would be the easy-going, charming, skillful senior counselor who respected the gods and honored them in everything he did.Â
again: a fucking joke.
nights were different, though, with you so close to him, you who could always see right through him.
every night, luke was a fourteen-year old boy again, with so much rage and resentment he didn't know what to do with it.Â
of course, you were always you - a bleeding heart underneath layers of armor. you didn't care about fate, or the gods, or the titans. you cared about justice, you cared about what was right and fair.Â
most of all, you cared about luke.
âyou were screaming,â you told him, voice barely cutting through the soft snores and sleeptalkings of your other cabinmates.Â
âsorry,â he managed. looking at you in the dull moonlight, luke noticed the deep shadows under your eyes.Â
âitâs fine. you justâŠ.you scared me, tiger.âÂ
your hand still rested on his cheek, and for a second, luke hoped you would kiss him, but you didnât. instead, you told him to try and get some sleep, and sank further into his bed before closing your eyes.Â
for the hundredth night in a row, luke hoped you couldnât hear his heart hammering in his chest as you fell asleep next to him.
since coming back from his quest, luke didnât have it in him to suggest being anything other than friends, and you didnât push it. there had been a few....moments between you, sure, but nothing more.
luke thought you might have changed your mind, because who would want to be with a bitter, worthless, wannabe hero? then again, that voice haunting his dreamsâŠ. luke could change that.Â
but, at what cost?
(v. you protect people as ruthlessly as a starving dog)
luke could hear you talking to percy jackson outside. though he couldnât quite determine what was being said, as much as he tried.
you entered the bathroom and instantly caught lukeâs eyes in the mirror. you were wearing your faded pyjama shorts with cartoon crows, and a flannel shirt that luke had a sneaking suspicion might have been his. you smiled at him before setting up at the counter, one sink between you.Â
âwhat was that about?â luke asked after spitting out a mouthful of minty toothpaste.
âoh, nothing.â you were searching through your toiletry bag for something, and seemed to come up short. âhey, do you have any extra dental floss?â
luke threw some over to you. as you effortlessly caught it, he noticed your knuckles, bruised and bloodied.
âwhat happened?âÂ
you finished flossing and briefly examined your hands before pulling out your toothbrush.Â
âitâs not a big deal,â you assured. âsome ares kids were picking on percy, and then they started pushing him around, like, really pushing him around, soâŠ.âÂ
â....you decided to send them to the infirmary.â
you squeezed some toothpaste on your brush before continuing. âi donât need you to lecture me about how i shouldnât be fighting with other campers because iâve been here longer and i should be a good role model. you know what a good role model does? not let kids beat up other kids and think the worst punishment theyâll get is no dessert for a week.â
luke watched carefully as you jammed the toothbrush in your mouth and brushed with such force, he was worried your teeth might dislodge. he knew that you would shed blood for someone you loved, and that you didnât particularly care if you had to break rules in doing so, because you believed that what was written was not necessarily what was right.Â
in fact, luke loved that about you.
no, it wasnât the fighting that luke cared about â it was who you were fighting for.Â
percy was a good kid, he really was. luke just didnât want you getting attached.Â
âi wasnât going to lecture you. iâm guessing chiron already did?âÂ
you nodded and spat out what looked like a combination of toothpaste and blood. you rinsed your mouth until the water lost its pinkish hue. once you were done, luke continued his train of thought.
âi just didnât realize you cared so much about him.â
âabout percy?âÂ
luke could tell that he didnât have your full attention. you were packing your stuff back up, accidentally tossing lukeâs dental floss into your bag, but he had more pressing matters to deal with.
âyeah. the kidâs only been at camp for three days, and youâre already acting like his guard dog.â
you finally turned to luke and glared at him.Â
âmaybe. but percyâs sweet and he doesnât seem like the type to put up with bullshit. heâs been through a lot, and annabeth seems to like him, too. as far as iâm concerned, percyâs one of us, and iâm not going to let anyone push him around.â
luke raised an eyebrow at you. âheâs sweet?â
âyeah. like, just now, he gave me some blue raspberry jelly beans as a thank you. said his mom used to work at a candy store. he also wanted me to apologize to you for him. he feels bad about beating you in sword-fighting earlier.âÂ
you scoffed, like you resented luke for having to apologize to him on percyâs behalf. you definitely did not appreciate that guard dog comment. luke clenched his jaw, seething over what you had just said.Â
satisfied with his reaction, you gave luke that nauseating smile of yours, tilted your head towards the exit. a truce, because you never liked to fight with luke for too long, and a order, because you knew luke would always follow.Â
the two of you began walking back to your cabin in the warm mid-june air.Â
âi wouldnât say he beat me,â luke huffed. âit was beginnerâs luck.â
âsure, tiger. it was beginnerâs luck that disarmed the best swordsman weâve had in the last 300 years.â
you nudged lukeâs shoulder with yours, but he recoiled from your touch.Â
âare you trying to make me feel worse?â luke tried his best to avoid snapping at you, keeping his tone measured.
âiâm just saying that maybe the kid has natural talent and that doesnât make you any less talented. thereâs no need to get jealous.â
luke resisted the urge to growl at your suggestion.Â
to be clear, he was not jealous. itâs just that luke had spent years of blood, sweat, and tears getting to where he was then, and percy jackson had just gotten to camp.Â
and, to be even more clear, luke was not jealous of how you were already defending percy with your whole body and your whole heart, the way you did for him.Â
by then, you reached the front of the hermes cabin. luke could already hear the commotion of what he would need to deal with as soon as he walked in. the burden of being head counselor, one he approached with an elastic smile that could snap at any moment.Â
you tugged on lukeâs sleeve before he could open the door.Â
âhey. are we okay?â
luke looked down at your fingers grasping the fabric of a sweatshirt he was just realizing was yours. your nails were painted a dark red, now chipped after a week of wear. you had begged luke to paint his nails then, and once again, he gave in. he even started to like the purple you had chosen just for him, so deep it was almost black. the same color you were wearing the first time you and luke met.
he smiled at the memory â a real smile, no plastic â and then smiled back up at you.
âweâre fine, karma.â and he moved to enter the cabin. luke could hear the threat of an argument bubbling up, what sounded like a petty one over a prank gone wrong.
âwait.â you tugged at his (your) sweatshirt once more. âthereâs something i wanted to talk to you about, about tomorrow nightââ
âannabeth called a meeting during free time.â
âyeah, i know, itâs just ââ
âsheâll run through strategy for capture the flag then.â
âone of the aphrodite senior campers asked me to the campfire,â you blurted it out, and luke decided to ignore the sound of a fight breaking out from behind the wooden door.
what in the name of hades were you talking about?
âthey asked you out? likeâŠlike aâŠ.â luke didnât even want to speak the word, scared it would make it real.
âa date,â you said casually, as if that one word didnât rip lukeâs heart in a million pieces. âi said yes.â an admission that took all those pieces and set them on fire.Â
sure, in the seven years since you and luke met, youâd each talked about boys, about girls, about dating and kissing them and going further. but there was something about this one that felt different. something about the way you told him.
âbut, listen, i wanted to let you know itâs not ââ
âgood for you,â was all luke said through gritted teeth before someone started calling his name again, louder and more urgently, and he had to duck inside. Â
(vi. you taste like burning cherries and righteous anger)
your team had won capture the flag, of course. the biggest news of the evening, though: percy jackson was the son of the sea god.Â
he was a forbidden child, the hero of the great prophecy.Â
everything was falling into place.Â
all luke should be thinking about is kronosâ plan, and his role in it, and how a world without the gods of olympus was that much more in reach. Â
unfortunately, for the time being, he was so consumed by you.Â
you, from across the campfire, sporting cutoff denim shorts and fresh wounds from the game earlier. you, who had wrapped your knuckles in gauze, concealing their bruising, fixed the chips in your nail polish and stacked rings on your fingers. (for the record: luke had gifted you the one on your left thumb.) you, with dark lips that whispered too closely and laughed too loudly with a child of aphroditeâ jordan li.
you hadnât so much as looked at luke since congratulating each other on another win. when chiron announced his weekly gratitude to the gods at the start of that nightâs campfire, you didnât punctuate your resentment with your usual eye-roll or biting remark. you were too busy giggling at something jordan said.
luke wanted to be the one to whisper jokes in your ear. he wanted to be the one you left lipstick stains on later, along his jaw and down his neck. he wanted to be the one who kissed the blade mark on your shoulder and the bruises on your knuckles.Â
and yet, hours passed and it seemed that the thought of luke had never so much as crossed your mind. he found himself at an after hours party with a few senior campers on the beach. a lethal recipe: a poorly crafted bonfire, some contraband drinks and you in jordan liâs lap, playing with their hair and pretending luke castellan did not exist.Â
meanwhile, luke had katie gardnerâs full attention. she was talking to him about the strawberry season, potentially leaning a bit too close into lukeâs personal space, definitely flirting with him.Â
luke could have done a lot worse than the head counselor of the demeter cabin, who always smelled like fresh lavender, whose eyes were the bright green of spring grass and whose lips tasted like golden honey.Â
the problem was that luke only wanted you, and his eyes kept sliding over to where you were kissing jordanâs cheek, and he accidentally called the girl he was kissing by your name, which did not make her happy.Â
katie threw her drink in his face, told him to wake the fuck up, and walked away.
a chorus of gasps and chuckles erupted as luke stood there, diet coke and vodka seeping into his shirt. the commotion seemed to capture your attention, because you suddenly appeared next to luke, an empty bottle of cherry soda in your hand.
ârough night, tiger?â your voice, that nickname, made luke sick, his face twisting into a frown. you donât seem to notice or care. instead, you switched your bottle with lukeâs and took a sip.
âlooks like you were having a pretty good time,â luke practically sneered. âwhereâs your date?âÂ
 âthey went to bed.â you swallowed a mouthful of beer, grimacing at its bitterness. âgods, this is terrible. you and i should go on the drink run next time â we have better taste.â
âso, are you and jordan like a thing now?â
you gave luke a smile he didnât quite understand, but made his stomach churn in ways only you could. âwould that be a problem?â
âof course not.â he answered way too quickly for that to be true.Â
âletâs get out of here,â you suggested. âi think katie is about this close to strangling you with a tree branch.â
luke glanced over your shoulder to where green eyes glared back at him.Â
nowhere could luke find it in him to care. he wasnât even sorry. he just shrugged, took the bottle back from you, took his first sip all night. luke almost gagged (because of course you were right, and the stoll brothers had better fake ids than they had taste) but he suppressed it.Â
âno. iâm good.â
biggest lie he ever said. like there wasnât anger caught in his throat and jealousy swelling between his ribs.
âgo find jordan,â he taunted. âkiss them, show them a good time! isnât that the reason why you got all pretty?â
you narrowed your eyes at him carefully. your nostrils were slightly flared, and luke took a bit of pride in being able to rile you up.
âlook, we havenât really talked lately, and i think we should.â
âgo find jordan,â he mocked once more. âalmost all the aphrodite kids are here, and iâm sure you can be quiet enough to sneak into their cabin and if you want a quick fuââ
âluke.â you clipped his name, obviously getting to the limit of your patience with him. âif you want to stay here all night and be an asshole, youâre welcome to. you should know, though, that your happy-go-lucky hero mask is starting to crack and i donât know if you could deal with the fallout from it shattering completely.â
you leaned in close and whispered that last part, very aware of the chattering that stopped and the eyes that watched the pair of you anxiously. luke was usually good at hiding that part of himself who wanted to burn the world down.Â
in ways you didnât realize, you were right: he couldnât risk revealing it, not now.
not yet.Â
âdo whatever you want, castellan,â you spat out his last name, the combination of letters foreign in your mouth.âiâm leaving.â
luke should be proud of himself. he waited a whole two seconds before following you like a stray dog.Â
luke didnât know if heâd ever felt you that enraged by him, and it horrified him. it also made him hungry for more.Â
âiâm not sure that jordan would want the two of us alone together at night,â he shouted after you, words echoing into the starless sky.
âgods, enough about jordan!â luke practically ran into you with how fast you turned around to confront him. âi was helping them with that stupid aphrodite tradition!â
âyouâŠ.â luke faltered, all the snark leaving his body. âwhat?â
luke remembered silena beauregard once explaining the rite of passage to him: to prove themselves, a child of aphrodite had to make someone fall in love with them, and then break their heart.
âwhyâŠwhy would you agree to do that?â
you had reached the dining area by then, and you sat on one of the steps leading to the pavilion. luke stayed a few feet away, looking at you cautiously.Â
âjordan and i are already friends, and they figured a fake relationship would be the way to avoid anyone from actually getting hurt in the process.â
âyou seemed soâŠso into it, though,â luke stammered, the memory of you in jordanâs lap, laughter bubbling from your lips, still fresh.
âitâs called acting, dumbass.â the camp didnât rely on electricity, but there were enough torches around that luke could see you roll your eyes. âanyways, i was trying to give you a heads-up last night, but you wouldnât listen.â you took a deep breath. âand, honestly, i didnât push it becauseâŠ.i figured i should test a hypothesis.â
a hypothesis? youâd known annabeth for too long.
âwhat hypothesis?â
you hesitated.Â
âit doesnât matter. fuck, this was stupid,â you muttered, and without another word, stormed through the dining pavilion, a short cut to the hermes cabin. your footsteps fell heavy against the marble, and lukeâs not far behind.Â
âwhat hypothesis?â he asked again.
nothing but rushed footsteps.
âwhat hypothesis?â luke finally yelled.
third time was the charm, because you stopped in your tracks and faced luke once again. a fire burned in the bronze brazier, where campers were forced to offer up portions of your food to the gods at every meal. its roaring seemed to captivate you, and the flames danced across your face, illuminating all your curves and edges.
âiâm angry at the gods,â you stated.Â
this caught luke off guard. from the day the two of you met, luke knew you shared that feeling. youâd gotten quieter with your rage as youâd gotten older. luke supposed he got better at hiding it himself, as well.Â
âiâm angry at the gods for letting bad shit happen even if they can stop it, and for building this world in the fucked up way they did. iâm angry at your dad for the way heâs treated you, but â you, luke castellan.â you finally met lukeâs eyes with a gaze so sharp, luke almost felt himself bleed. âiâm also angry at you, and not just for your bullshit tonight.âÂ
your admission felt like a punch to the stomach, and luke was left with no air to breathe.
did you know?
âyou havenât been the same since your quest,â you continued, words slow and deliberate, the way you spoke when you were worried your voice would shake. âand iâve come to terms with that in the past few years, but youâŠ.youâve never tried to ice me out before. youâve been acting distant since december, and itâs been driving me insane. do you realize how much i miss my best âŠ..â you swallowed the word friend. âhow much i miss you?â
luke hesitated, because what could he say? i know iâve been distant, but iâve been busy trying to start a war between the gods. sorry babe!Â
would you hate him, if you knew?Â
you had to have known that, despite the distance, luke missed you. for tartarus sake, in the last two days, heâd driven himself mad at you calling a fourteen year old boy sweet, and he was about to combust at the image of you dating someone else, with little care as to the collateral damage.Â
"you can't just avoid me, makeout with katie fucking gardner, and thenâŠ.â you trailed off, hiding your face in your hands. whether it was to hide embarrassment or tears, luke wasnât sure.
a smirk spread across lukeâs face at the revelation that he hadnât been the only one jealous at the bonfire that night. it lit luke up with the confidence he needed to not completely fall to his knees in front of you, beg for your forgiveness for everything heâs done.
âwhy do you care if i make out with katie fucking gardner?âÂ
as he waited for a response, luke walked towards you until your back hit one of the marble columns.Â
âwhy do you care if iâm with jordan fucking li?â you clenched your jaw and looked right through luke. a clear indication that you wanted him to break down first; it wouldnât be you who yielded this fight.
âbecause i want to be the one youâre with.â at that point, luke was so close to you that he swore he could hear your heartbeat. he reached out and played with the hem of your shorts. âwhy do you care if i make out with katie gardner?â
âbecause.â you drew in a sharp breath when lukeâs fingers brushed underneath the denim, across the warm skin of your thigh. you closed your eyes. âdonât make me say it, tiger.âÂ
the desperation in your voice made luke want to do unholy things with you, to you. luke knew you didnât think of him as a saint, and you never expected him to be one. the reality was that you werenât much better, either. what was essentially an altar to the gods burned bright next to you, but it seemed neither of you had ever cared less about it than in that moment.Â
luke would watch olympus fall. he would dethrone the gods and watch their glass castle shatter and find glory in a new world. in the grand scheme of things, he was willing to lose this battle.
in fact, he would have rather betrayed the titan lord himself than waste another second not kissing your lips.Â
so, he kissed you, and you kissed him back with such force, such hunger, it was ungodly.
no, you certainly werenât a saint â but you were divine, in the most brutal, intoxicating way. in the way you shuddered when luke lodged a leg between your thighs; in the way you threaded your fingers through the belt loops of his jeans to bring him closer; in the way the metal of your rings burned through the skin of his hip, right to the bone, which made him shudder, and you smile triumphantly against his jaw.
the more he tasted your smirk flavored by cherry soda and the ashes of nearby flames, the more he felt your feral teeth against his neck and your wicked nails digging into his shoulders, the more you tugged on his curls, the more luke thought: maybe.Â
maybe you would give into your seething resentment, live up to those eye-rolls and snarky comments that got you in trouble with chiron, on the edge of hot water with the gods. maybe you would join the titan army. maybe, just maybe, this time, you would follow luke.
and yet â maybe wasnât enough if it meant he could lose this. luke wouldnât risk it, not until he kissed every battle scar and bruise on your body, and you did the same to his.Â
âwait.â
it was the last thing luke wanted to do, but he complied. he took the opportunity to appreciate the chaos he created: your shirt in disarray, your lipstick a mess, your chest heaving and desperate to catch a breath.Â
âi promised jordan that weâd keep up our charade for a week, two at the most. do you think we could keep thisâŠâ you tightened your fist around the fabric of his shirt. âa secret until then?â
luke responded by pressing his lips to yours once more, because there were definitely worse secrets to keep.
(vii. you wouldnât hesitate to make him bleed)
luke had just left percy jackson to die.
he should be leaving camp, now, but he needed to see you one last time.Â
the universe works in mysterious ways, because you were out on a run through the forest, and you crossed paths before he even had time to wonder where you were.
âhey, tiger.â you smiled as if this was a regular afternoon. the two of you would teach your afternoon activities, sneak away during dinner so luke could kiss you in that spot that made you gasp. âwanna join me? i was just wrapping up, but i could be convinced to go longer.â
for a second, he was tempted to. very tempted.Â
âi donât have much time.â
you seemed to notice lukeâs sullen mood and you dropped your playful demeanor.Â
luke explained: the messages from kronos in his dreams, him stealing the lightning bolt and helm of darkness to start a war between the gods and framing percy. the plan to destroy olympus that luke had pledged his life to.
percy was surprised at what luke had done, and luke could imagine that the rest of camp would be, too. luke was the golden boy of camp half-blood, everyoneâs big brother.Â
you, on the other hand, didnât express any sense of shock.Â
âluke.â you said his name like you werenât quite sure it was poison. âiâm going to give you five seconds to tell me that youâre joking.â
five seconds of silence passed. you took a few steps back from luke.
âiâŠ.i should have told you sooner.â
âyeah,â you scoffed. âyou should have. but, you didnât. did it feel good, having the titan king whispering sweet nothings in your ear? all the lies about how this war is the only way to get the glory you so desperately want? itâs fucking delusional.âÂ
âitâs not delusionalââ
âyes, it is!â you glared at him. âyouâre on the wrong side of a war you made the mistake of starting.â
luke straightened his posture, thinking about how hypocritical you were being.Â
âisnât this what youâre all about? revenge, karma. your mom will probably join us, too. donât you want to see the gods finally get what they deserve?â
ânot like this. i canât believe how desperate you are, to believe that kronos is going to make everything right. itâs pathetic,â you spat. âiâm not saying the gods donât deserve to be taken down a notch. their fucking obsession with power and gloryâŠ.itâs sick and twisted, but i donât think your titan king is any better. i donât think you are any better.âÂ
âitâs time that the gods fall. this is the only way, even if it isnât perfect,â luke countered. his voice was firmer now as he absorbed your anger. your mother was the goddess of revenge, but you clearly didn't understand the sacrifices, pain, and blood that was required to make the world a better place. Â
luke just needed to convince you.
âweâve talked about this for years,â he continued. ânothing is balanced! thereâs no justice here, for anyone. we can build a better world where we donât have to burn our scraps and throw ourselves at monsters to get attention. we can fight together like we always have. y/n, i loveââ
âdonât,â you snapped. âdonât you fucking dare. you should have died on your quest.â your voice laced with venom. one hand gripping the knife you always kept on your belt. âthat dragon should have fucking sliced through you and saved us all the trouble.â
something pricked in the back of his throat, down to his stomach.
âyou donât mean that.â
âi do,â you promised. âat least you would have died with all of us thinking youâre a hero instead of the traitor you really are.â
you grabbed your knife, took a fighting stance.Â
âiâm not going to fight you,â was all luke could say. he noticed your hand tremble, and you tightened the grip on your knife to prevent emotion from slipping through your invisible armor.Â
in that moment, you have could slice through luke, and it would hurt less than everything you just said, less than the murderous look you were giving him, like he was just another monster you wouldnât think twice about sending to tartarus.
luke didnât even have a chance to unsheathe his sword before you charged at him, but he quickly had you pinned to the ground, the tip of your own knife pointed at you. he hesitated. the blade pressed harder against your cheek than he intended, enough to break the skin and let a few droplets of dark crimson escape.Â
âplease come with me,â he pleaded. you didnât answer, but you did seem surprised by the softness of his voice.Â
a few moments passed, the celestial bronze still between you. luke waited for you to see his way, to yield to his proposal.
you didnât. instead, you took advantage of the situation. you wrapped your leg around his and flipped your position. in the process, you regained possession of your knife. without the hesitation that held luke back, you sliced through his cheek, deep. luke bit his lip to suppress a groan, tasting blood. your gaze set his whole body on fire as he waited for your next move. that was when you glanced down at his camp necklace, and the new clay bead added to commemorate this summer.
a turquoise trident.
âpercy told me he was on his way to see you,â you realized. âwhat did you do?â
luke didnât answer. he knew then that a choice ran through your head.Â
and it stung, just a little, watching you sprint away through the trees in a last ditch effort to save percyâs life.Â
there was a small, pathetic part of luke that wanted you to choose him, even if it meant you would have plunged the knife into his chest.
#this is my baby fr#really feeling the tragic hero vibe down to my core#will prob do a part 2 from reader's POV!#ofc inspired by get him back! bc nemesis!reader....#percy jackson#pjo fanfic#pjo series#luke castellan#luke castellan x you#luke castellan x reader#pjo x reader#luke castellan angst#luke castellan imagine#percy jackson and the olympians#luke castellan smut#saf writes#Spotify
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I BET ON LOSING DOGS.
pairing: young!coriolanus snow x fem!reader
PART TWO
summary: you were the epitome of sunshine, and coriolanus? he was like the storm, the rain, and the everything in between.
warnings: SPOILERS from the movie & book, SMUT (protected cause we wrap it before we tap it! p in v), losing virginities to each other, snow (cause he himself needs a warning), toxic relationship, coriolanus is only in it for himself, mentions of losing virginity, you practically giving everything to snow and getting zero in return
authorâs note: erm this is kinda long idek where tf i was going with this, first time writing smut on this account LOL so it might be bad. also this isnât proofread so there might be mistakes, just ignore! as always, reblogs and comments are so greatly appreciated, enjoy reading + kisses đ
You were the epitome of the sun itself, the sparkle, the light, and most importantly, the brightness. Despite being filthy rich, you were still that sweet sunshine Y/N everyone grown to love, the heir to the Cicero family.
Coriolanus Snow hated that about you. Not only were you everything he was not, but you lived such a lavish and easy lifestyle that it made him sick. Why was he stuck eating cabbage while you were off eating the finest thin slices of meat in the Capitol made by your chefs? It wasnât fair, it just simply wasnât.
âWell, Coryo!â Your sickeningly sweet voice fills his ears like a mantra.
He turns around, a smirk plays on his face. âMy Y/N.â
Hearing him call you his made your heart flutter. You loop your arm through his, passing through the other academy students who were engrossed in their conversations
âFinally the star pupil.â Arachne Crane says, a glass of posca in her hand. âLovely shirt youâve got there. What are these cunning buttons? Tesserae?â
He looked at the shirt, shrugging. âHm? Are they? Mustâve why they reminded me of the maidâs bathroom.â
You held his hands in yours. You knew of Coriolanusâs home life, how he wasnât so lucky like you to have a gigantic home filled with lovable parents. His mom had died during childbirth, Coryo mentioning to you once how he was supposed to have a little sister. His fatherâdied in the hands of rebels.
âHave you tried this lamb? It's scandalous.â Felix suddenly spoke up, taking a bite of the food that was currently on his plate.
âDidnât daddy teach you table manners?.â Festus sneered, watching the other boy in disgust.
âMaybe he would have if he wasnât so busy running the country.â Felix snapped back
Coriolanus took a deep breath in, already feeling overwhelmed by his classmates arguing.
After the announcement of the assigning of mentor to tributes, you could tell Coriolanus was upset. Although he wouldnât let anyone see, he was visibly anxious and quite frankly, annoyed.
âI mean, cmon, how could it that I got the worst district?â Coriolanus says, head in his hands. âHe hates me. He really does.â
âWho hates you Coryo?â
âDean Highbottom! Isnât it obvious?â He cries out, hands flinging into the air. You slightly flinch back, never seeing your boyfriend in such state. âHe hates me Y/N. He adores you.â
âHe doesnât adore me,â you say, feeling like you were stepping around eggshells talking to Coriolanus.
âHe does!â Coriolanus screams in anger, getting up in a hurry.
âWait, no Coryo, Iâm sorry.â
But your words arenât enough, theyâll never be for Coriolanus Snow, so he walks out without a second thought.
- - -
The next day, Coriolanus apologizes. Itâs a breathy, quick 5 second apology, but you being so youâaccepted it without a second thought.
You loved Coriolanus, so it didnât matter how much he hurt you.
âIâll make it up to you tonight,â he says, placing a soft kiss on your lips.
You felt quite excited, you and your boyfriend hadnât exactly gotten to that stage in your relationship, so thinking about sharing an intimate moment with him filled you with giddiness.
His tip had entered carefully through your folds, making you slightly wince as it bullied its way to your walls.
âCoryo..â you breathe out hazily, doe eyes coming to meet his. He sucked in his breath at the sight, never has he felt anything as good as this.
He tries so hard convincing himself he doesnât love you. That thisâit meant nothing to him. He was just here for your money, your possessions as the only daughter of Cryon and Hermione Cicero. But as he felt your nails claw its way into his back, he lets out a slip, a tiny whimper that makes your head foggy.
He spilled into the condom, pulling out with a hiss. Although you told him you were clean, and it was fine if he didnât wear one, he simply couldnât risk it. He wasnât going to accidentally bring in a child into the world, having no intentions of taking care of anyone besides himselfâmaybe Tigris, and his Grandmaâam.
âI love you,â you say quietly as you sat up, watching him discard the plastic into your trash bin.
âIâm hungry, arenât you?â He says, putting his shirt on. It kinds of pains you at his total ignorance of the intimate words you just shared, but you nod your head.
âI could use some food,â is all you say, putting on your pajamas from earlier. âWhatâre hungry for Coryo? Iâll ask the chef.â
- - -
Dr. Gaul and Dean Highbottom had allowed all the mentors and their tributes roam the arena for about 15 minutes, letting them think of ways to win the game.
You were talking to Bobbin, a boy from District 7 whom youâve had become closer with these past few days.
Suddenly, the loud scream of Felix catches your attention and before you knew it, loud bombs filled the air as tall lights fell to the ground near you.
âCORYO!â You scream, coughing loudly at the dust filling your lungs.
âQuick Y/N, we donât have time!â Sejanus screams, grabbing ahold of your hand.
âBut Coryoââ
Meanwhile, a tall pole had crushed Coriolanusâs arms.
Well, he thought, this was it.
This was how he was going to die. His girlfriend and best friend hand in hand as they ran out of the arena, the sickening feeling of betrayal filled his guts.
âWhatâre you doing?!â One of the tributes screamed at Lucy Gray, who was struggling to get the giant metal off Coriolanusâs arm. âRun while you can you idiot!â
But she doesnât bother, only focusing on getting Coriolanus out. And she does, successfully, before all went black.
- - -
âCoryo? Oh Coryo!â You say, hugging him softly to ensure you werenât hurting him.
You had felt so guilty after everything had happened. You shouldâve never ran off with Sejanus, Coriolanus was your boyfriend, you shouldâve saved him.
âIs Lucy Gray okay?â Is the first thing he croaks out, which makes your heart slightly crack.
âSheâsâsheâs okay Coryo.â You say, brushing a few blonde curls out of his eyes.
âAnd where were you?â He says, gaze slowly turning into anger. âI was going to die, Y/N.â
âI know! I was going toââ
He cut you off. âBut you didnât, now did you?â
His bitterness towards you makes you want to cry, tears already forming at your lash line.
âOh now youâre crying?â It seemed like everything you did seemed of inconvenience to Coriolanus, but he opens his arms, letting you reside in them as you let out a few tears. âAlways the crybaby, Y/N.â He says, hand holding your head as you buried your face into his chest.
- - -
Coriolanus Snow never believed in love. Not when he used to look at his mother and father when they were still alive, and not when he found himself a girlfriend, you.
Your relationship was merely another step stone towards success, Coriolanus viewed it. You were the heir of your family, you had countless amounts of money, and you were easily fooled by his advances. To Coriolanus, he had hit the jackpot, regardless of loving you or not.
So why did he feel so weird watching you interact with Sejanus? Sure, he considered the former district 2 boy his best friend, but it was only because Clemensia had been spending time at the hospital. The flu, Dr. Gaul described it; but Snow knew better. He was there when she had gotten bit by the snakes, and to be completely honest, if she hadnât, heâd probably have dated her instead of you.
Clemensia Dovecote was way more smart, and he knew he wouldnât fall inlove because they were both after the same thing. Power.
But with you, you were head over heels for Coriolanus. It almost made him sick, if it werenât for your family name.
He clenched his jaw as he saw you throw your head back, hitting Sejanusâs shoulder as you hysterically laughed at something he had said.
What was so funny? Nothing was funny in the Capitol, not now. Maybe he was bitter, he shouldâve never cheated in the games. It was stupid, and now he was getting the punishment of getting sent to 12 as a peacekeeper for 20 years.
Fuck, he really shouldnât have cheated. And now he couldnât even use his girlfriendâs family name as a way out.
He really shouldâve known better. He knew you loved him, but he didnât think youâd love him so much so that you begged your father to let you stay in 12 for a while to be with Coriolanus.
If thereâs one thing about youâitâs that youâre a Daddyâs girl by heart, and of course, your father had once again served your request with a silver spoon. He hated that about you. He hated it. You got things too damn easily.
âHi Coryo!â You say, making your way to him. Your beautiful sundress made him gulp, and he wanted nothing more but to snatch you away, pulling it off so he could get inside of you. But he couldnâtâhe was in 12, much to his dismay.
âY/N,â he says, placing his peacekeeper gun to the back. âTalking to the scums?â
âTheyâre just people from the district,â you say, frowning at his rudeness. âTheyâre nice, Coryo. Real nice, youâd like some of them.â
Coriolanus scoffs at that. How oblivious and stupid you were. Him, Coriolanus Snow, liking some of the district 12 citizens? What a fucking joke.
âGo along now Y/N, Iâll see you later.â
You nod, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek before you left, leaving the other peacekeepers to whistle at Coriolanus who only responds with an eye roll.
When later eventually comes, he was packing away the Jabberjays in their metal cages, Sejanus being right next to him.
âI saw you earlier,â Coriolanus says nonchalantly, âtalking to that woman in the window. What are you playing at Sejanus?â
Sejanus scoffs, shaking his head. âTheyâre gonna escape Corio. Leave the districts. And Iâll be helping them.â
Coriolanus sucks in a breath, âis Y/N all in this too?â
God, he hoped Sejanus said no. But then again, itâd give him an advantage if he had said yes.
âShe is,â Sejanus says, continuing to tell Coriolanus of the plan.
Without Sejanus knowing, Coriolanus had tuned the jabberjay so it could record back the whole conversation. When Sejanus finally leaves, Coriolanus sneaks to where the train bringing the birds back to the Capitol stood, placing the jabberjay in it to send it to Dr. Gaul.
If anything, Sejanus was a blocking point in Coriolanusâs way, and getting rid of him and you were like killing two birds with one stone.
- - -
The next day came and you were peacefully talking to one of the younger girls in the district when youâre suddenly pulled away along with Sejanus.
âHey! What the hell!â You scream, thrashing in the unfamiliar peacekeeperâs hold. âGet off me!â
You and Sejanus struggle, and Coriolanus almost wants to step in and get you out of his fellow peacekeeperâs arms. Almost.
âCoryo! Tell them theyâve been mistaken!â You cry out, locking eyes with your so called lover.
âYou two have been charged with treason towards the Capitol.â The peacekeeper says, his cold gaze and strong hold on you makes you let out a whimper.
âTreason?â You say, âthere has to be a mistake! Call my father! Call my father!â
âIâm afraid your father canât get you out of this one, Miss. Cicero.â
He drags you and Sejanus up the main stage of the district. âEveryone! Pay attention! This is what will happen if you are disloyal to the Capitol!â
Another peacekeeper points a gun behind Sejanusâs back as the peacekeeper who was holding you earlier pokes your back with the cold metal. You felt terrified gazes of the citizens of District 12, including Lucy Gray, stare at you.
âCORYO! TELL THEM!â You scream, begging with your eyes. âCoryo, please. Please.â
But Coriolanus Snow stands still in his spot, not budging a thing.
You thought he had loved youâor at least, cared for you. You gave him shelter when he was at his worst, you gave him your virginity, you held him when he cried about how unfair Dean Highbottom was, you let him into your home, and you always were there for him. You practically did everything for Coriolanus Snow. And what did you get? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
âYour Coryo wonât save you.â The peacekeeper snarls, before firing the gun.
Two gunshots go off, and the body of yours and Sejanus fall to the ground in an instant.
Coriolanus Snow almost wants to barf, his eyes closed for a minute before reopening them again.
Had it really been worth it? Ratting you and Sejanus out so he could get home to the Capitol faster?
He thinks so when your family and the Plinths give him their fortune as a thank you for being such a good boyfriend and friend towards their son and daughter.
If only they knew, though. But Coriolanus would never let that happen, because no matter what, Snow lands on top.
And this? It was just the beginning.
#coriolanus is so mitski coded if he wasnât a launtic#coriolanus snow x reader#coriolanus x reader#coriolanus snow#hunger games x reader#the hunger games x reader#ballad of songbirds and snakes#coriolanus snow fanfiction#coriolanus snow imagine
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BDSMaid - Chapter 1
Masterlist || AO3
Pairing: Millionaire Joel Miller x Female Reader Rating: 18+ Chapter Summary: To save money for law school, you accept a job at Maid Discretely; a high end, anonymous cleaning service. You arenât supposed to know whose home youâre cleaning, but your curiosity is peaked by your first client, and when the two of you have a shocking and surprising run in, more than just your curiosity peaks. CW: Author chooses not to use warnings in this chapter in order to avoid spoilers. While I never want to trigger anyone, you are solely responsible for the content you consume. AN: Oh boy, here we go! I'm in a straight PANIC getting ready to post this. I hope it meets all your expectations, I was not at all expecting that reaction to the teaser post. Love you all and thank you for all your support. Please share or comment, I have a praise kink LOL. Follow @mountainsandmayhem-updates and turn on notifications for future chapters. Dividers and support banners by @saradika-graphics. Thank you @mermaidgirl30, @littlevenicebitch69, @joelmillerisapunk and @burntheedges for being my little cheerleaders over this, ily!! Chapter Word Count: 4.4k
You stare down at the very intimidating legal document you have clasped in your clammy hands. There are so many big legal sounding words that seem to be mocking you with their importance. Somehow there are clauses that have sub clauses that are then further broken down into sub-subclauses. It feels heavy to be handed this on a Monday morning. Truthfully, this doesnât seem like something a soon-to-be twenty-one year old woman who literally just graduated college, albeit a semester early, should be allowed to sign without parents and a lawyer present.Â
This is just supposed to be a simple job working part time as a maid for your best friend's familyâs cleaning company. A job where she promised easy money and part time hours that you set for yourself. The perfect opportunity for you to be able to save money AND set aside lots of study time for your upcoming LSAT rewrite. You passed it a few months ago and applied to a bunch of law schools, but you arenât going to waste these next few months waiting around. You know how competitive law schools can be, so youâre preparing to be better just in case you donât get in.
Your eyes scan words that your brain canât seem to comprehend. The internal panic starts to bubble in your chest, someone who has law aspirations should know what these words mean.
This is just supposed to be easy. Cleaning. Vacuuming. Washing floors. Simple things.Â
But now, as you sit in this shiny, fancy downtown office building looking at your full legal name typed beside a bunch of âinitial hereâ and âsign hereâ lines on a nondisclosure agreement youâre starting to feel like this is anything but simple.Â
âOur clientele is VERY exclusive,â your childhood best friend Jamie says. She looks very professional and grown up sitting behind her glass desk. Her long, toned legs are crossed, the slit along the side of her crisp, white pencil skirt showing off her tanned upper thigh. Sheâs paired her white skirt with a baby pink silky blouse that's perfectly tucked into the high waist of the skirt. Her long, dark silky hair is twisted into a jeweled claw clip. Even though youâre the same age she has an air of sophistication and grace, even with winged eyeliner, a matte pink lip, and a slender rose gold septum ring that sits tight to her little button nose. She almost screams old Hollywood in the middle of Austin, Texas.Â
She continues, âYou wonât know the names of the clients and they will never be home. If they do come home, leave immediately, and try your best not to be seen or heard. Then you can fill out in the company app what you did and didnât manage to get done.âÂ
You put the paper down on her perfect desk so she canât see your hands shaking. How can you work at that desk all day and not get a single fingerprint or smudge on it? Thereâs a very good chance that I am not cut out for this. This is fancy. And expensive. Iâm neither of those things.Â
âWhat am I gonna be walking in on at these houses, Jamie?â You ask, swallowing the fiberglass thatâs suddenly prickling at your throat.Â
Jamie shakes her head and laughs, saying your name through her melodic giggles. âMost likely nothing. Weâve never had an encounter or run in with a client. They pick times for cleaners to come when they arenât home.â She leans back in her high backed chair and continues, âBut the clients are big deals. Politicians. Judges. Athletes. The odd celebrity. They donât want anyone in their home that will snoop or snap pictures. Hence the NDA.âÂ
âWell, why didnât you start with that!â You laugh. âJesus, I thought Iâd be walking into like a virginal sacrifice or some shit!âÂ
âWell, there was that one timeâŠâ Your face drops and she immediately starts laughing again. âIâm kidding. Relax. Look, youâll probably get three homes a week, each house will take six to eight hours. The hourly pay is twenty dollars plus whatever tip theyâll leave you in these black envelopes.âÂ
She puts a perfectly polished finger on a stack of black envelopes with a red âMaid Discretelyâ logo on it and continues, âIn my experience, the tips are around five hundred, completely tax free. This is a good gig! Youâll be in law school becoming smarter than all of us in no time. Fuck, youâll be writing insane contracts like those before we know it.âÂ
She stands, one hand resting on the desk while the other slides the paper towards you with a closed pen. She drops the writing apparatus on top of it, the metal casing of the pen clanging loudly on her glass desk. You let out an exasperated sigh, dramatically clicking the pen before signing the NDA. Jamie claps her hands excitedly then snatches the contract away before you can rip it up and says, âLetâs get your uniform and supplies!â
She hands you a few fitted white polo style t-shirts, black dress pants, white Keds (that she scolds are for inside the houses only), a caddy full of high end cleaning supplies, a top of the line Dyson vacuum and everything else youâll need.
She ends your meeting with instructions on how the company's scheduling and tracking app works. "Essentially, you set the days and times youâre available and it will populate for you. Youâll have addresses, dates and times, as well as tasks to be done, all nicely laid out for you. If a client likes you, they can request you for additional shifts, but for continuity purposes you should get the same couple houses that youâll rotate through throughout the month."
You nod along, mostly surprised to hear the girl who did a keg stand just a few days ago sound so professional, using words like 'continuity purposes'.
The next day you have your first official shift. Tuesday from nine to three and youâre scheduled at a mansion in a neighborhood youâve never heard of and you most definitely wouldnât fit in to. Jamie is already waiting there for you when you pull up. She explained yesterday that sheâd help you with the first one and then you are on your own after that. Well, not completely alone. Your iPhone is loaded full of smutty audio books, murder podcasts, and law books to listen to as you clean.Â
Jamie was right, you think to yourself as you scroll to the latest romance novel youâve downloaded and grab your AirPods, this is a good gig.
The house is absolutely massive, and you highly doubt youâll be done in six hours. You gather all your stuff and head up to the house. Jamie shows you where the company supplied key box is and how to open it from the app. As you grab the key Jamie excitedly says, âThis used to be my client. He always leaves a huge tip!â
You unlock the large front glass door and enter into a white marble foyer. The windows on the first floor are easily ten feet tall and allow in so much natural light. Gold and obsidian swirls in the marble reflect along the walls, dancing in the sunlight. To the left of the front door is a large open kitchen that might be bigger than your entire apartment. The marble of the expansive countertop is the same colour as the foyer. All the cabinetry is matte black with brushed gold handles. The kitchen opens into a lavish living room, a massive fireplace and TV sits on the far back left wall, encompassed by a very cozy looking white sectional.Â
To the right of the front door, starting furthest away from where you stand in awe, is a door to a huge half bathroom, followed by a long table with a bowl for keys and mail, and then the door that leads to the garage. About fifty feet in front of you is a grand staircase that branches out to the left and right. Beyond the staircase you can see into the backyard. This is by far the nicest house youâve ever been in.
As both you and Jamie slip into your keds she says, âUpstairs to the left are a few bedrooms and the office. I usually started there and then went to the right side where he has a huge entertainment area. Then I would clean down here since he doesnât cook very often and itâs usually just a quick wipe down.â
Just as you start to panic over how youâre supposed to remember all this she nudges you and adds, âBut thatâs all in the app for you, most of the clients are very particular so theyâll lay out exactly what order you should be cleaning in, as well as any other extra things they need done.âÂ
She helps you carry all your stuff upstairs and then watches you work. Sure enough, the app says to start in the office so you do just that. Careful not to disturb the few piles of paperwork you dust the desk and shelves and then wipe down the windows and computer screen. You vacuum the hardwood and plush rug last and after Jamie gives you an approving nod, you move onto the next room.
You continue like that, going from room to room, your friend, and now boss, occasionally giving feedback or leaving to answer a phone call or respond to an email. The job is easy enough; repeating the same steps in each room over and over again. Itâs the exact type of work you exceed at. You enjoy having clear sets of instructions and expectations, and a prioritized list where you can start at the top and work down. Youâve always excelled at following meticulous directions in school. Your life maybe not so much. When it comes to dating or your parents you arenât one to do what youâre told.
When one oâclock rolls around you just have one bathroom upstairs and the already pristine downstairs to tend to, but Jamie coaxes you into taking your break, which is another thing youâre bad at. You were raised not to take breaks, taking a break or doing nothing means you're lazy. You should be working all the time, and pushing yourself to accomplish things. As a child youâd push and push yourself to be the best, honor roll ceremonies were the only time your dad would show up. Heâd smile and brag about you to whoever was around.
âItâs important that you take all your supplies to your car with you when you eat your lunch. Never eat in their homes and never park on their driveways.â You nod and hoist all your stuff to the front step. âMake sure you lock up like youâre leaving too.âÂ
âHow am I doing so far?â You ask as you lock the door, your stomach growling loudly as if it needs to prove to her how hard youâre working. You hadnât realized how much of an appetite youâd gain just from cleaning. The few stale crackers and small can of tuna you managed to find in your cupboard this morning doesnât seem like itâs going to be enough.Â
âReally well! I actually think I might leave you to finish up. Donât forget to take whatever he left for you out of the black envelope on the kitchen counter.â She doesnât look up at you, her fingers tapping out an email on her shiny iphone screen. She doesnât have her phone in a case and you can only imagine the level of self confidence you have to have to carry around an expensive item unprotected like that.
âIs it weird that thereâs no pictures or anything of the family that lives here?â You say curiously as you both walk towards your parked vehicles.Â
âNo,â she says flatly. âI think itâs just one person here and thatâs pretty normal for the houses youâll be cleaning. Lots of them are rarely home or only home to sleep.âÂ
You gawk at the massive house from across the street as you throw all your supplies in the back of your used and rusted SUV. One person lives here. Alone. How is this possible? Heâs clearly doing well for himself. Either heâs really lonely or a complete asshole.Â
After you eat, you head back inside to finish up cleaning. The entire house looks like a show home. Not a single thing out of place. The kitchen seems staged, void of life aside from a tiny droplet of coffee on the countertop beside the Italian coffee maker, and a tiny brown stegosaurus toy that sits on top of it. Two minutes before the end of your shift you do a final sweep to make sure you havenât left anything behind and then slip open the black envelope. Inside you find seven one hundred dollars and a note that just says âTY - JMâ.
As you log your day in the company app you canât believe you just made seven hundred freaking dollars to clean up after a man who makes no messes. You excitedly check your upcoming schedule and it looks like youâll be back here in two more weeks. You could potentially be getting fourteen hundred dollars a month from this elusive âJMâ. A man with no pictures or personal touches in his shiny white, black and gold mansion.
Itâs been almost two weeks since your first clean at JMâs house. Your other clients were good tippers, usually between four to five hundred, but youâve been looking forward to going back. You know youâre not supposed to know who the clients are, but you couldnât help but google JM to try to figure out who he is and how he has so much money. In hindsight, you guess all your clients have money, but something about him has alerted your curiosity. He seems like smoke, or a ghost, in his own home. Your other clients had some sort of semblance of life in their houses. A dent in the pillow. An open newspaper on the kitchen table. A coffee cup dropped in the sink before they headed off to whatever fancy job they have to afford such a massive house. A toilet seat left up or a smudge of toothpaste on the mirror.Â
But not JM.Â
No, the only thing JM left was a tiny droplet of coffee. Coffee that was probably imported straight from Italy. Youâre almost ashamed of the amount of times youâve wondered about that stegosaurus toy. It seems so out of place in his house of clean lines and sterility.Â
Youâre just settling in to enjoy a Sunday night of sushi, rosĂ© and Bridgerton with your roommate when your phone bings, a little red notification bubble popping up on the Maid Discretely app. You have an added shift request for JM tomorrow. Instead of one six hour shift on Tuesday you now have two six hour shifts. You accept the request and scroll through the tasks. Heâs requested you to wipe the baseboards and lightswitches on the main floor, a deep scrub of every bathroom, as well as doing the inside of the fridge, stove and microwave. There are also instructions for washing the sheets in the main bedroom, and spraying down the patio furniture around the pool.
Only a millionaire in Texas would ask for his pool furniture to be cleaned in February.Â
Shortly after you accept the shift you get a text from Jamie:
Saw you accepted the shift. The client asked for the normal clean on the first day, please. Extras the next day. Thanks.
The following morning you head to the large, bright mansion. Parking across the street and hauling all your stuff in. It feels a bit weird to be here on a Monday and you have a feeling youâll be reminding yourself all day that it is indeed Monday and not Tuesday.
You get all your stuff together, change into your indoor company issued keds and head up the stairs. The pink and orange hues of the sunrise glitters off the white marble tiles, glints of gold and sparkling black reflecting off of it. You take a second to look down from the landing as you pop in your airpods. It really is a beautiful home, and itâs too bad that whoever lives here is either lonely or an asshole, but for a split second you let yourself pretend that you and JM just finished making love and heâs now in the kitchen making you an espresso or a latte with that insanely fancy coffee machine in the kitchen. You shake your head at yourself. You didnât find anything when googling, which isnât surprising since two letters arenât much to go on, but this house seems to draw you in, like itâs calling to you. Itâs strange, itâs almost like you have a crush on this house and you couldnât help but make a whole persona for whoever lives here. Even with its clean lines and lack of life, something about it settles in your gut, it feels like home.Â
You scroll your podcast app trying to pick what episode you want to listen to and head down the hall, you canât seem to decide so you pocket your phone without starting anything and reach for the matte black handle of the office door. Youâre expecting to see JMâs tidy office with a few stacks of paperwork in one corner, but the sight you find before you has all the blood rush from your head and your stomach dropping right out of your body. Your jaw drops and you freeze in utter shock and fear. Â
Instead of the usual stacks of paper, thereâs an icy blond haired woman tied to the desk. Sheâs completely naked and on her back with her legs spread wide. Her ankles are tied to the legs of the desk with a scratchy looking rope, her wrists wrapped in matching rope and resting above her head. Her nipples are almost purple underneath the clothespin attached to them. You freeze, just the lewd wet noises of her pussy being worked furiously by the mysterious, fully clothed JM. His deep, commanding, gravel filled voice reverberates through the office. âLittle fuckin' slut. Gonna split you in two.â
The woman lets out an unashamed cry of pleasure. Your entire body seems to go numb as your caddy falls from your hand, crashing loudly against the hardwood flooring. His head whips to the side, the icy blonde woman letting out a scream and trying to cover herself up. Your hands cover your mouth and even though you canât feel your legs you spin and run for the stairs.
âFuck. Fuck. Wait,â JM calls after you.
One of your AirPods falls from your ear as you run, youâre tempted to stop and grab it but you need to get out of here. Jamieâs voice echoes through your skull, âtry your hardest not to be seen or heardâ.Â
He catches up to you as you reach the front entryway, his strong hand pushing the door closed. You can feel the heat of his body against your back. Youâre shaking - both from being terrified and embarrassed. You have so many thoughts running through your mind. This will get you fired, or worse, you could have just possibly lost the company a client. Fuck. You arenât supposed to know who lives here and you certainly arenât supposed to see them doing that.Â
âPlease wait,â he says softly behind you and the heat of his broad body sends a chill down your spine.
The blood is rushing through your ears as your heart pounds in your throat. You donât like confrontation and even with the softness in his voice, youâre sure heâs about to scream at you. You feel sick, and when you replay the words he said to the woman upstairs, and the sound of her moan that made you drop your caddy you start to feel dizzy and nervous.
Your hand falls from the handle of the front door and the brick wall of a man behind you steps back. You spin slowly to face him but keep your eyes on the floor.Â
âIâm sorry,â you murmur, linking your fingers in front of you and focusing all your attention on the cuticle of your right thumb.
âNo, please. This is my fault.â You trail your eyes from the floor to him. He's in perfectly pressed black dress pants paired with a white dress shirt. The sleeves are rolled to his forearms and heâs holding his hands up in front of himself as if to show you he isnât armed or as a way to say 'youâre safe here'.Â
You flick your eyes up to his face and heâs looking at you softly, the morning sunrise lighting up his tanned face and salt and pepper hair. JM is probably twice your age, but he is incredibly handsome.Â
âI am so sorry. I mustâa got my days mixed up when I booked you.â He says, a soft southern accent sneaking out.Â
âIâm going to get fired,â you respond shakily.
âNo,â he says stepping forward, you subsequently take a step back, pressing your body against the glass front door. Something about this man makes you nervous, but not in the same way women are trained to be nervous of strange men that are almost twice their size. âNo. This is my fault. Please, let me explain. I jusâ gotta - well, can I go deal withâŠâ his head cocks towards the stairs, âAnd then let me explain. Please?âÂ
You look at him, his handsome face all soft and apologetic. His dark brown and amber eyes dance around your face and without realizing you're even doing it, you nod your head.Â
âThank you,â he drops his hands at his side, visibly relaxing at your decision not to run. âSit at the island for me. Iâll be back.âÂ
He watches you as you pad over to the island. The tall bar chair squeaks on the tile floor as you pull it out. He peels his eyes from you and heads upstairs. When you sit you have to stop from moaning out, the pressure of your body weight there sends a wave of rolling pleasure through you.
What the fuck?Â
Itâs a dull, throbbing ache followed by a small gush of thick wetness. Did you mistake a feeling of arousal for dizziness and nervousness upstairs? Were you turned on by what you just witnessed?Â
Certainly not. Thereâs no way! He was, well, he wasnât being nice to that woman.Â
Soon you hear footsteps coming down the stairs and towards the foyer, his body blocks her from your view as they talk at the front door. They speak in hushed voices, all youâre able to make out is her saying thank you followed by the sound of a soft kiss and then sheâs gone.Â
She thanked him? It seems like he should be thanking her.Â
He wanders into the kitchen and your throat goes impossibly dry. As if he can read your every need, he grabs a glass from the cabinet, puts it under the water dispenser on his fridge door and then slides the glass across the large island to you. You have to lift off the chair to reach it, whispering a thank you before taking a sip.Â
JM leans against the countertop beside the fridge and watches you take a long drink. You put the glass down with a quiet clink and then fold your hands in your lap. His eye contact is intense, not in a creepy way, itâs almost like heâs assessing you. You find it hard to look at him so you avert your gaze to the glass.Â
He clears his throat gently before he starts. âI jusâ want to say how sorry I am. You didnât consent to seeinâ any of that and I canât imagine how awful that was for you.â His voice is so calm and soft.Â
You flick your eyes up to him, âNo, this is my fault. I am not suppose-â
JM shakes his head and holds up one hand, signaling you to stop. âNo. This was me. I got my days mixed up. Meant to book ya for next week. This ainât on you. This was my mistake. If itâs ok for me to ask, whatâs your name?âÂ
You mumble your name into your glass and down the rest of your water. You figure youâre probably fired either way so who cares if he knows who you are. His face ticks up slightly, almost like heâs proud of you for drinking, and says your name back to you.Â
âI ainât gonna say anythinâ to your boss and I understand if you want to leave for the day. Iâll pay ya either way. I also understand if you say somethinâ to them and I canât be a client anymore. It was unacceptable for me to be doinâ that when youâre supposed to be here. There ainât any other way to word it. I was inappropriate and wrong.â He steps forward and holds his hand out so you slide the glass across to him.Â
He refills it and puts it back for you to grab. âNo,â you say, your voice cracking. After clearing your throat you continue, âNo, I appreciate your apology but Iâm not going to say anything.âÂ
He watches you again as you drain the glass, the same look of pride flashes across his eyes, âIâll - umm - Iâll be in my office. You can uh,â he runs a hand through his scruff, âYou just do whatever you need. Iâll stay outta your way.âÂ
He disappears before you can say anything else. You head up the stairs after a few minutes to find your cleaning caddy sitting in the hall with everything placed neatly where it belongs. His office door is closed and you can hear the deep rumble of his voice while heâs on a call. You grab your things, head into the master bedroom and begin cleaning.Â
A few hours later while youâre sitting in your car eating lunch, the garage door opens and JM goes whipping past you in the sexiest blacked out sports car youâve ever seen. He doesnât even look over you as he speeds by. Your heart sinks, it's unexplainable but being in that house with him there, even after what you witnessed, felt more comfortable than being alone. JM must have some sort of magic touch, how you went from nervous and embarrassed to calm and comforted with just the look on his face and few words is beyond you.
After wiping down the kitchen you are all done for the day. You grab the black and red envelope off the kitchen counter and open it, peering in nervously. Thereâs a piece of matte black paper on top. You slide it out gently, the paper feels expensive between your fingers. As you unfold it you reveal a shiny black JMK logo at the top. In neat gold lettering is his writing.
âPlease know how sorry I am. Your consent is more important than anything. I broke that. Just hope I didn't break your trust. -Joel Miller.â
At the bottom of the envelope are ten crisp one hundred dollar bills.Â
Next Chapter
#joel miller#pedro pascal#joel miller smut#joel miller tlou#joel miller x reader#joel the last of us#joel tlou#joel x reader#pedrohub#joel miller fanfiction#daddy joel#joel x female reader#joel x y/n#joel x oc#joel x you#joel miller fanfic#joel miller fic#joel miller x original character#joel miller x y/n#joel miller x you#joel miller x oc#joel miller au#millionaire!Joel miller#bdsmaid#dom!joel miller
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lestappen x sargeant!reader
fc: sabrina carpenter
{đđđđđđđđđđ} {previous part} {next part}
lovingf1wags
liked by y/ndailyupdates and 256,829 others
lovingwags singer and actress y/n sargeant, twim sister of logan sargeant and also the alledge girlfriend of a ferrari driver charles leclerc or a redbull driver max verstappen just arrived at the miami gp paddock.
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user01 Y/N WAG ERA?!
user02 AHHHHHHHHHH
user03 wait so who's her boyfriend? max or charles then?
user04 thats what we are trying to find bc both driver has been flirting with her under her post
user05 can be both honestly đ
user04 @user05 y/n about to make lestappen a real deal
user06 @user05 if i was y/n i'd date both ngl
user07 let's see who's more downbad max or charles
user08 spoiler elert both of them are
yoursecondaccount stories
[HE'S CUTER IRL WHAT THE FUCKKKK] [charles đ„șđ„șđ„șđ„șđ„șđ„șđ„ș also he took a lot of pictures of me will post that soon]
babyolivia replied
TEAM LESTAPPEN
both at once đđđ
graycoma replied
all two at once?! is this where you got your nonsense inspiration?
LMAOOOOO
i wish
williamsracing stories
[new admin reveal @/yourinstagram] [we can see clearly who's the better twin] [ ALBONOOOOOOOO I love lily more]
y/ndailyupdates
liked by charles_leclerc and 86,729 others
y/ndailyupdates Y/n today in the paddock greeting her fans đ„șđ«¶
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user01 SHE'S SO PRETTY LIKE WHAT THE FUCK
user02 LOL WHAT IS CHARLES DOING IN THE LIKES
y/ndailyupdates IM IN SHOCK RN BC HE FOLLOWS TOO
user03 mans down bad for y/n
user04 get me someone thats obsessed with me like how charles is obsessed with y/n
user05 I MET HERR THEREEE
y/ndailyupdates REALLY?!?!?
user05 YESSS!! she was so sweet and we talked a lot about her album and i asked her if there will be tours and she said yes!!! we also traded friendship bracelets. charles and max were behind a bit far away but they were watching over her.
*pretend thats both max and charles in the pict
yoursecondaccount
liked by babyolivia and 87 others
yoursecondaccount welp...
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graycoma i cant- đđđđđ
yoursecondaccount DJJDJXXJJXJJS
graycoma so... how big?
babyolivia CONAN?!
graycoma WHATTTT?!?!?
yoursecondaccount I CANTTTTT đđđ
babyolivia THIS IS WHY DONT DRINK TO MUCH
yoursecondaccount i was at a party?!??! HELLOOOO?!?!?
babyolivia we need a operation talk once you get back to LA
graycoma AGREED
yoursecondaccount Fineeee
#fake instagram#social media au#instagram au#social media imagines#fake social media#f1 x reader#x reader#charles leclerc x you#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc#max verstappen x you#max verstappen imagines#max verstappen imagine#max verstappen#max verstappen x reader#f1 blurb#f1 x you#f1 imagine#f1 smau
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