#writing a fanfic is testing my patience

[yourfavecharacterisqueer]

Lancelot: So... who's the big spoon and who's the little spoon?

Arthur: We're chopsticks!

Lancelot: Well... that's cute! Does that mean you two snuggle together perfectly?

Merlin: No, it means that if you take the other away, the only thing the other is good for is stabbing.

[enchantedchocolatebars]

The Zombie Outbreak Part 1 of 3 (This fic is canon divergent. Also, it's based on this headcanon)

It was the night of October 31st as the "witches" who were publicly hung were coming back from the dead.

They stumbled and staggered through town, searching for human flesh to feast on.

Each year, this curse had a significant impact on Gravesfield, as the residents who lived there would immediately hide inside their homes and shops when the news of the zombie outbreak came out.

...

Patience Wittebane remained safe and secure in her husband's protective arms as the two kept quiet and concealed themselves behind the counter of a dark bakery as a robotic being with rotting flesh shambled around the shop.

They both could feel their heartbeats quicken with each slow step the monster took, its footsteps creaking on the wood floor.

Running didn't seem like the safest option for them since it was better to stay inside than it was to be outside with the undead.

As they continued to sit on the floor in fear, the couple closed their eyes and began to pray a silent prayer to the Lord.

They pleaded not only for their own safety, but also for the safety of their sons who were at home.

They concluded their prayer by requesting God to grant their sons the courage necessary to endure until sunrise.

...

As a zombified woman who Philip and Caleb used to know eeriely clawed at their window, Little Pip started to make faces at her.

Caleb quickly yanked the blinds shut.

"Philip, please don't do that," Little Caleb told his younger brother in a stern voice.

"We want to do our best to keep the dead away from our home, doing that will most certainly attract them here."

As the oldest, it was Caleb's job to ensure that none of the creatures from the grave could see inside their home.

He was very thankful that their father had decided to board up the entrance and other windows to prevent the dead from entering inside before he and his mother left together to buy something sweet at the town bakery before the apocalypse.

Speaking of his parents, Caleb hoped they were doing well and not in any danger.

Suddenly, sounds were heard coming from the kitchen.

"Hey, Caleb, what are those sounds?" Philip asked with a whisper, looking to his brother for a possible answer.

"I'm not sure," Caleb quietly replied, trying not to squeak.

As the two go to investigate the noise, they immediately gasp as their eyes widen when the boys spot a severed zombie hand raiding their cupboards like a raccoon.

"H-How did that hand even get in here?" Caleb asked, his voice shaky.

"I don't know," Philip began, giving a glare at the menace in their kitchen. "BUT LET'S GET HIM!"

Hearing that, the hand jolts up in fear and immediately crawls up to the ceiling before crawling away.

Philip and Caleb chase the hand around the house in a small montage, but they are unsuccessful in their attempts to catch it.

By the end of it, both boys are extremely out of breath.

"What do we do now, Pip?" A short-winded Caleb asked, exhausted.

"Hmm..."

As Philip starts to think, his blue eyes begin to light up.

"Ooo, I know!" He exhaled, eager to put the plan he had thought of into action.

...

When the hand returns to the kitchen, it finds a plate with a raw fish sandwiched between two slices of bread on the floor.

Curious, the hand slowly creeps up towards the sandwich.

"Gotcha!" Caleb shouts and jumps out of his hiding place to trap the hand in a brown sack before tying it up.

A triumphant smile spreads on the blonde's face.

"Yay, Caleb!" Philip cheers, coming out of his hiding spot to praise his super brave big brother.

"You did it! You got him! See? I told you my sandwich making skills would come in handy! Can we keep him?"

He could be their little pet!

Philip wants to teach him about bathroom rules.

"Probably not, Pip," Caleb chuckled, patting his brother's head.

"I don't think mother and father would allow it."

[namorslutfanfiction]

I GET EXCITED ANY TIME I GET THE EMAIL FROM AO3 THAT I HAVE A NEW COMMENT. BECAUSE I HOPE ITS A LITTLE PRAISE A LITTLE THANKS FOR A GOOD JOB FOR PUTTING IN WORK AND MAKIMG CONTENT AND INSTEAD I GET

"Please upload the second half of the story"

NOT EVEN A MUTHAFUCKING THANK YOU. NOT EVEN AN I LOVED IT. JUST A MUTHAFUCKING DEMAND FOR MORE

LIKE I FUCKING SWEAR TO GOD SOME OF YALL ONLY KNOW HOW TO CONSUME AND NOT SHOW ANY OUNCE OF APPRECIATION FOR FANFIC WRITERS. FOR THE HOURS WE PUT IN JUST BECAUSE WE WANT TO. LIKE THE SMALLEST COMPLIMENT GETS CARRIED CLOSE TO OUR HEARTS AND SOME OF YALL CANT EVEN DO THAT.

THE MORE I WANT TO JUST DELETE EVERY SINGLE FUCKING THING I'VE POSTED. YOU UNGRATEFUL FUCKING SHITS. YOU ABSOLUTE ENTITLED CUNTS. THERE IS A HUMAN BEHIND THOSE STORIES. THERE IS A HUMAN BEHIND EVERY LITTLE SCENE THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH AND EVERY BIT OF DIALOGUE THAT MAKES YOU PAUSE AND CONTEMPLATE WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

FANFIC AUTHORS DESERVE SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST DEMANDS FOR MORE CONTENT.

[i-love-turtle-ducklings]

Momo & Lee from the Tea Shop (2)

Little addition to my Momo-adopts-Zuko-AU

Zuko's face is Momo's favorite place to sleep. It's not his problem that his tickling ears make Fire Guy sneeze or that his twitching paws keep him from sleeping. His hair is cozy and as you'd expect from a fire guy, he's warm, so for better or worse, Fire Guy has to put up with it.

Zuko comes to terms with it. Grudgingly. It's anything but ideal. If he's going to spend half the night looking for the Avatar or his bison, he could really do with a capful of sleep in the other half. But apparently the stupid lemur has other plans. And it appears to have a stunning talent for finding the positions that are most uncomfortable for Zuko.

The lemur puts Zuko's patience to the test. Fortunately for it, Zuko's a strict opponent of animal cruelty — which doesn't mean the thought of throwing a small fireball at the little pest isn't tempting sometimes.

It would be much easier to bear if it weren't for Uncle's comments. Zuko has a sneaking suspicion that Uncle is hiding berries in his bed to lure the lemur there. But he probably doesn't even need to. This stupid monkey has an unerring instinct for what he needs to do to really get on Zuko's nerves.

The lemur also has a good instinct for choosing the most annoying customers in the tea shop as victims for his cookie robberies. Okay, maybe Zuko can give him credit for that. Which doesn't mean he's growing fond of the pest!! Not at all!

Uncle doesn't believe him when he complains about what a nuisance that stupid monkey is. But what does Uncle know? Just because he's learned to sleep with a fur ball on his face doesn't mean he likes the lemur! And if Uncle claims that he smiles in his sleep when the lemur snuggles up to him, there must be something wrong with his eyes.

Right?

Okay, maybe he likes the lemur a tiny, tiny bit, maybe he smiles in his sleep, maybe he's started sleeping with his scar up when his little companion is around. Maybe he doesn't mind if the lemur snuggles up to him in his sleep or eats half his breakfast. Maybe it's even a bit of fun when the lemur turns the date Zuko never wanted to go on into a mess. (And it didn't matter. Jin thought the little chaos-lemur was adorable. Everyone did.)

Momo had definitely made a good choice to stick close to Fire Guy. The guy was a great pillow and Momo had access to a never-ending supply of tea and cookies with him. And sooner or later he would find Appa, Momo was sure of that. Until then, Momo could have been worse off.

Too bad that Fire Guy and Aang didn't get along. Momo would have loved if Fire Guy could have come with them after they found Appa. Maybe he just needed a little nudge in the right direction? If anyone could get Fire Guy to change sides, it was Momo.

Or: Momo adopts Zuko (against his will) and decides to redeem him (also against his will — but who is Zuko to argue with Momo?).

(I wish I had enough experience in this area to write a proper fanfic about it…)

[oppropro]

Chapter 2 of my fanfic

I am so happy to receive the positive feedback on my story inspired by @jttw-monkeybusiness. I had a hard time writing this chapter as it is from the perspective of different pilgrims. I want their thoughts to be believable and true to their nature, while also being true to @celestialkiri 's vision of these characters in her AU. I got a bit overly ambitious with this chapter and had to cut it short; the rest of the story will continue in a 3rd chapter. This has a better narrative flow.

So without further ado; I present chapter 2 of Monkey Business based on the creations of @jttw-monkeybusiness all credit goes to her.

********

CHAPTER 2- Here's your sign

            Sun Wukong, King of Mount Huaguo, Great Sage equal to heaven, was losing his patience. His master, the monk Tripitaka once again avoided near death thanks to the valiant efforts of his disciple, Sun Wukong. The very same disciple he chose to ignore when he warned the monk of the dangers of the demon hoard that had laid a trap to kill and eat the monk. A trap so obvious even Pigsy should have seen coming. That is, if Pigsy could ever think with his brain and not his stomach.

            And what thanks does Wukong get for saving his master and his pig-headed brother? Another lecture on how violence does not solve every problem. Well, violence certainly solved that problem. Besides, if his master had simply listened to him in the first place, they could have easily avoided the demon’s trap and Wukong wouldn’t have to resort to violence.

            “Hardships we face on our pilgrimage are simply a test of faith, and it is through our faith that we will ultimately persevere.” Monk Tripitaka spoke in a slow and deliberate manner.

            “Well then start showing more faith in me!” Wukong replied.

            “This journey is not just about you.”

            “And yet it is I, once again, coming to everyone’s rescue.”

            “I appreciate that you were able to rescue us, but that does not change the fact that you do not get to dictate the path we must follow, or default to wanton violence as a solution to every obstacle.”

            “Those demons were going to eat you and the pig alive! They weren’t even coy about it! If everyone just listened to me, it wouldn’t have even been an obstacle.”

            “We cannot avoid every danger, or burden, or obstacle we face on our journey.” Tripitaka’s tone conveyed a clear message: this conversation was over. “Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. We will face whatever lies before us head on and accept the fate that has been ordained by Buddha.”

            “Well then, Master, you can find somebody else to save your ass because I am tired of being the only one around here who-” Wukong’s sentence was cut short as, apropos of the monk’s declaration, the heavens had opened up and a strange blonde woman fell upon the angry monkey’s back.

********

            Sandy, Pigsy, and Bai Long stood at the side of a clearing and watched their brother and their master argue back and forth. They had seen this exact same scenario played out before; it was safe for them to assume that it wasn’t going to be the last. The novelty of these fights had worn off and now they simply wished they would get to the point where Wukong would learn his lesson about self-control, humility, and acceptance so they could move on with their journey. For all the talk about other people slowing him down, Wukong sure liked to waste time arguing moot points.

            However, a girl falling from the heavens and landing on their elder brother’s back was new. They and the monk stood agog staring at the unforeseen spectacle before them: the woman had hair the colour of summer sun, and her clothes were foreign. The sack that she carried on her back had fallen off, that too was made of some strange and heavenly material not found on earth.

            Her face had landed in the dirt, her legs tangled amongst the limbs of Sun Wukong, and she moaned as she cradled her temples in her arms, nursing whatever wound she incurred from her less than graceful decent from heaven.

            Tripitaka was the first to break free from his spell. Still unable to process what had just happened, he rushed to the side of the stranger in an attempt to help her sit up an regain her composure. Pigsy followed his master’s lead and the two of them were able to prop the woman up and assess her for any injuries: some bumps and scratches, all superficial. That didn’t rule out the risk of any serious, or even deadly, head wounds.

            “Little sister, are you hurt?” the monk asked. “Do you understand me? Can you open your eyes?”

            The woman replied with a whimper, as she slowly blinked her eyes several times trying to purge her tears. Pigsy watched her blue eyes dilate and constrict in an attempt to regain focus. They had never seen a foreigner before. He knew that humans in other countries looked different, and that they were bound to meet foreigners on their journey to India, but the difference in eye colour was striking. This wasn’t something to dwell on, however; the woman needed help.

            “Good, good, little sister, you’re going to be alright. Let us help you. Just keep breathing nice and slowly.” Pigsy spoke to the woman in a low, slow voice and began to exaggerate his breath in so that the stranger might mimic him.

            “HOW ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU QUIT FAWNING OVER THAT STUPID SKY WOMAN AND HELP YOUR BROTHER OUT!”

            Wukong’s voice hit the stranger like a slap to the face. She gasped as her eyes widened and she finally focused on her surroundings. Pigsy was familiar with the expression on the stranger’s face: shock, confusion, fear; a primal fight or flight reaction that all humans experience when face to face with a demon.

            The stranger’s breath became quick and shallow, Pigsy could sense her heart rate bounding. There may still have been hope that Tripitaka may calm her down, but as she looked down at his elder brother, the demon monkey trapped between her legs, flashing his fangs as he scowled at the woman, he knew what was about to happen.

            He let go of the stranger as she screamed and began kicking wildly at Wukong until they were finally untangled. As the terrified woman struggled on all fours to get up and make a mad dash into the forest, Wukong jumped up with an unwarranted sense of accomplishment. Congratulations you stupid monkey; you successfully scared a woman.

            Tripitaka went to mount Bai Long. “Sandy. Pigsy. Please, help me look for our new companion. Monkey, you stay here and watch over our camp.”

            Whatever pride Wukong felt fled his body as soon as his master spoke. “What? Why are you chasing after her? She means nothing to us.”

            “Where you not paying attention to what our master had said?” Pigsy spat.

            “Yes. Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. Well, I just passed buddha’s test. I overcame that challenge and didn’t even resort to violence. I guess I have learned my lesson now and we can all continue on our way. Oh thank you great and wise buddha! You have made me a better monkey.”

            “You have learned nothing,” Tripitaka snapped. “Now we have to go find this woman lest a fate worse than crashing into you befalls her.”

            The monkey growled. His blood was beginning to boil.

            “Then I will bring this challenge back to you, master.”             Wukong took off in the same direction as the woman before the monk could object. beginning to boil. He raced through the canopy following the stranger’s trail. The path she left was easy enough to follow. Even if it wasn’t glaringly obvious, Wukong could smell her: her scent; her blood; her fear. He could hear her: her ragged breath; her racing heart; her pitiful cries for help. The great monkey king would catch up to this pathetic whelp in no time and return her to his master so he can figure out what he wants to do with her. But before he brought her to his master, Wukong had some questions of his own to ask the woman. At the very least, this stupid woman owed Sun Wukong an apology.

[lala3244]

A crush on Lucifer

~ This is a request from @venture-venus, it is a bit long but well when you are inspired it helps! I do hope you like it. I tried to follow your request as you explained it very well! ~

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Ik I read this before or the troupe but for an obey me!Lucifer x Mc fanfic what if Mc was developing a crush on him and thought it was mutual because he was kind to them, took them out, let them come to his study, and so on. One day Mc was bringing some tea after hearing Diavolo was stopping by so they peaked into the office and overheard the pair talking, revealing Lucifer was doing all of it just to make Mc happy as the exchange student. A pov for Lucifer can show Dia prodding at him saying smth that he’s doing a lot more than he needs to so he obviously likes them but Lucifer being prideful (esp during the first season) pushes away. Mc is of course sad and distanced themself, and so on.

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Warnings: Some angst I think? Hurt/comfort

also, English is not my language and I know sometimes, English speakers wouldn’t use the expressions or sentences I used as even when I read them, they sound a bit off but my brain is not used to speaking English regularly anymore so it can’t think of another way of turning the phrases! I do apologise for this!

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You were sitting at his desk, a book and a notebook open in front of you. You had a test coming up next week and you didn’t feel ready for it so you had asked the prideful demon for his help. He had agreed but with one condition: you had to come to his study every night even during the weekend. So that was where you were. Lucifer was explaining to you a chapter on potions when he leaned down to show you a passage that was important and he put his hand on your shoulder for support. Your breath hitched at the touch and you looked to the side and you realised how close his face was to yours. His beautiful face. You couldn’t help but stare at him. He side-eyed you. “Are you listening?” You blushed furiously, feeling the warmth invading your entire body and you got scared that he could feel the sudden warmth but he didn’t move or say anything. You just nodded stupidly and looked back at the book while writing something on your notebook. He stood up. “Well, it’s enough for tonight. Same time tomorrow okay? And don’t be late.” You picked up your books and stood up. “I know you think you have to do this so that I don’t fail but I still want to thank you for your time and help… and patience. You are a good teacher, Lucifer.” With that, you left in a hurry without waiting for an answer. 

You opened the door of your bedroom and jumped on your bed, hiding your face in your pillow. You couldn’t believe you were developing a crush on Lucifer, Avatar of Pride, a Lord of Hell. As if, you, a simple human, a nobody really could ever be with him! And could a demon and a human even be together? You thought about that moment when you were staring at him and you groaned. How embarrassing that was! But you were glad he didn’t say anything. You decided to change your mind so you went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. You went to sleep but it wasn’t a peaceful one, you kept waking up, bad dreams kept happening so you decided to stay awake and go through your notes again. An hour went by when you heard a knock on your door. You stood up and opened the door. Lucifer was standing there, arms crossed and a frown on his face. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep right now?” You lowered your head. “Yes, I was but I kept waking up and every time I fell back asleep, I had a nightmare so I decided to stay awake and read for my test.” His arms went on his sides and his face changed into worry. “You still need to sleep. Would you rather I stay with you until you fall asleep?” Your eyes widened as you hear his words and you could feel a blush coming. You cursed yourself internally. You hated the fact that he could make you blush so easily. You lowered your head as to hide your face. “Yes, I would. Thank you.” You left the door open so he could follow you and you went under the covers. You were watching him as he was closing the door and you couldn’t help but admire him. How his hair fell on his forehead, how his posture was always so perfect, how his eyes were observing everything. You were starting to daydream when you felt him sitting next to you. He moved so his legs were lying on your bed and he leaned his back against the headboard. He looked at you and pulled you closer. You stopped breathing, waiting to see what he was going to do. He moved you around so that you were on your side, head on his chest and your arm around his stomach. You let him move you as you knew you were no match anyway but when he finally settled, you were surprised by what was going on. It was actually comfortable to use him as a pillow. He put his hand on your back and soothingly rubbed it. You finally let your breath go and breathed normally again. You let a few seconds pass before whispering. “Good night, Lucifer. Thank you.” You were starting to feel sleepy and his hand rubbing your back helped you relax more. Lucifer smiled at you, even though you couldn’t see him and waited a few minutes to be sure you were asleep. “Any time, darling.” Then he kissed tenderly your hair.

You got woken up by your alarm. You sat down slowly and looked around. Of course, no Lucifer. You lied back down again and took the covers with you to hide your whole body. You replayed the evening in your mind, eyes closed, it was actually nice. Maybe he cared about you more than you thought? No, that would be crazy! But… you snapped your eyes open. In your sleeping state, you thought you had heard him talking and calling you darling. Surely it was a dream. It wasn’t possible! But what if…? You heard one of the brothers calling you for breakfast. You couldn’t say who it was but you left begrudgingly your bed, not really ready to affront the brothers. You weren’t really hungry, having slept so little didn’t help with your appetite so you went back upstairs after drinking only a cup of tea and got ready for RAD. You all left the House of Lamentations, you would usually walk with Mammon, as the second born liked to brag about his schemes he came up with during the night but today, he was busy talking with Levi. You smiled fondly as you watched them together. You felt a presence next to you and you looked up, still smiling. Lucifer had started to walk next to you and he looked down at you. “Why are you smiling?” You chuckled. “It’s just cute how Mammon and Levi interact with each other.” He looked at them, an eyebrow quirked and he chuckled too. “Yes, they can be.” You were all greeted by Lord Diavolo at R.A.D’s entrance. You looked at the Prince who was, clearly, watching Lucifer with a smirk on his face. You said hello to the future King and went to your first class, leaving the brothers with him. The day went by, uneventful. Sometimes, you would catch glances of Lucifer and he was always watching you. He would smile at you when he saw you. 

You hated yourself when you had a crush because you would read every word, every gesture as a sign that they liked you and you were wrong more often than not so you tried to stop yourself hoping but that evening when you were finding yourself in Lucifer’s study, you couldn’t help but hope. For once, he was sitting. Not standing behind you but sitting next to you. Your knees touching slightly, he would brush his fingers accidentally against your hands and you kept telling yourself. “Don’t hope! Don’t hope! Don’t hope” and you failed miserably when after your study session he said that he would take you out after the last study session to celebrate your good results. You laughed and had said “We won’t know for another week.” He smiled. “I know you’ll pass.” It boosted your ego and when you looked at Lucifer’s eyes, you swore you saw a glint of pride. 

When you went back to your room, you couldn’t help but think about the subtle touches the demon gave you. It wasn’t like before. It felt like it was as if your bodies were attracted to each other and they needed to touch one way or another. You shook your head. You needed to stop thinking like that. To stop thinking like there was ever any hope but, still, your mind kept coming back towards those fleeting moments when his fingers were barely touching you. It sent electricity through your body and it kept feeding in your crush. You sighed, loudly. You looked around your room and decided you needed to get out so you went to the kitchen. You were making yourself a cup of herbal tea to help you fall asleep when you heard someone at the door. You tried to listen for a clue of who it was but you were too far away to hear anything. A few moments later, Asmodeus arrived. “Hey hon! Lord Diavolo is here! Lucifer asked me to make some drinks for them.” You smiled at the Avatar of Lust. “I’ll bring them the drinks if you’d like?” He jumped happily and kissed you on the cheek, giggling. You laughed and you busied yourself with the drinks. It took you a few minutes to get everything ready. You knew what Lucifer liked as you had brought hot beverages to him before but you didn’t know Diavolo’s preferences so you put on display different flavours for him to choose. Once everything was on the tray, you took it and left the kitchen.

You arrived in front of the door which was slightly open and you stopped. They were talking and you heard your name so you listened closely with the tray in your hands. Lord Diavolo was speaking. “… brothers told me you slept in their room last night?” You heard Lucifer groaned. “Who told you that? Never mind. I saw the light on in their room so I went in to check if everything was okay and they told me they had bad dreams so I proposed to stay with them until they fell asleep.” Lord Diavolo chuckled. “And you help them with that test?” You tried to see what was going on inside and you saw Lucifer stand up. “They asked me for help. I can’t let an exchange student fail. It would look bad on you or me.” Diavolo was sitting on a chair. “True. But every night? You don’t even do that for your brothers, I don’t think you would spend that much time with someone if you didn’t have any feelings for them.” Lucifer turned to face Lord Diavolo. “What are you insinuating, Diavolo?” Lord Diavolo stared at Lucifer. “You barely speak to Simeon and Luke who are also exchange students in the Devildom. Simeon was your brother as an angel but with this human you do a lot more to make sure they are comfortable and happy. I think you like them. A lot.” Lucifer stared down at Diavolo. “Stop it. I am THE Avatar. Of Pride! I won’t let myself have feelings for such a fragile human., an inferior being.” You took a step back, punched by Lucifer’s words and hurt by the hatred you could hear in his voice. You wanted to leave but they were waiting for the drinks. You braced yourself and opened the door. “Good evening Lord Diavolo! Here, I brought you some drinks, I didn’t know what you liked so you have the choice.” You put the tray down on the desk then looked at Lucifer who had an angry face on. Tears started to well up and when Lucifer looked at you, a tear fell. Lucifer’s eyes widened and concern could be read on his gaze. You wiped your tears quickly and said your goodbyes to the Young Prince. Lucifer stood up. “Wait…” and you left without looking back. 

You went to bed, not even bothering to brush your teeth, change or even get under the covers. You just plopped down on your bed, face down on your pillow. And you hurt. You hurt so much that your chest was painful. You moved your head so you could breathe better but you still had difficulty breathing. It was so painful. You couldn’t believe Lucifer had such hatred against humans or you. Your heart broke. You idealised the demon so much in your mind that to think that he could hate you that much was unbelievable, how could he be so nice and kind to you. A sob escaped your chest then more followed and you couldn’t stop them. You sobbed as if your heart had been ripped out of your chest, as if someone tore a piece of your soul. To know he didn’t like you like you did was okay, he had a right to not have that kind of feelings for you but you thought you were, at least, friends and apparently, he saw you nothing more as a pet. You laughed. A pet is loved, not hated. So for the Avatar of Pride, a human is even less important than a pet. A rat? A pest, that was what you were. Now, you were laughing hysterically and crying. You were alternating both. After a couple of hours, you fell asleep, exhausted by your rollercoaster of emotions. 

You woke up and tried to open your eyes. You touched them and you realised they were puffy from all of your crying last night. You checked your phone and saw that you had no notifications. You cursed Lucifer and his pride. He knew he hurt you but his pride didn’t let him apologise even via text messages. You got up from your bed and went to the bathroom, hoping that some cold water could help reduce the puffiness of your eyes then you went to the dinner room to have breakfast with the brothers. They all looked at you when you walked in but they don’t say anything. You mumbled a greeting to all of them and sat down in your seat. You ate your breakfast in silence while you felt their stares on you. You finally looked up after finishing eating and you saw quickly, all their heads turning to their plates, except Lucifer. He was reading a newspaper while sipping his coffee, unconcerned by your appearance. You felt your chest constricting at the obvious neglect the Avatar of Pride felt about you. You stood up abruptly and left the room, stomping your feet like a child throwing a tantrum but you didn’t actually care. None of the other brothers dared moving and all looked at Lucifer, who just shrugged his shoulders.

It was the evening. You had spent your whole trying to avoid the brothers and especially the eldest but when it was finally time for you to go and see him for your study session, you hesitated. You couldn’t face him, not after what he said but he texted, asking you to still meet him in his office at the same time as usual. So you went, anxious. You, now, knew he hated you and you were scared to say or do something wrong. You decided to just focus on the lesson and what he has to say about it. Not on him, not on his hatred. You remembered one of the first time he threatened to kill you because he felt you were a threat to his family. It was scary then but you just assumed he was a big brother protecting his brother. Now, you knew it was something entirely different. You shakily knocked on his study’s door and opened the door. He was standing by his desk, his back facing you. After a few seconds where you had stayed by the door, he turned around with that charming smile and showed you a chair. “Please, sit down.” You followed his order quietly and sat down. You started unpacking your stuff but he stopped you. “Today, we are doing something different. Here’s a mock-up test. You have an hour to finish it and together, we will do the corrections and see where you need to study the most.” You nodded, speechless. You started your exam and thought it was quite easy, well you hoped but it was actually nice to not have to speak to him for a full hour. The hour went by quickly and he took the paper. He read it quickly and you saw him nod to himself multiple times and when he was almost done, you saw a small proud smile on his face. Your heart bursted with pride and he gasped. His eyes fell on you while you were looking at his desk, basking in your pride. You thought you had passed when you saw the smile and you were so proud to have done so well as you weren’t prepared to have an exam that day. You looked at Lucifer with a big grin, oblivious of his turmoil. “So? Shall we start correcting?” He stared at you for a while longer and you started to get anxious. You were seeing an emotion in his eyes that was unfamiliar. He cleared his throat. “Well, except a few small mistakes here and there, there is nothing to correct.” Your chest swelled even bigger and he staggered back. You frowned. “Are you okay?” He nodded. “Well, keep reading your notes for the next couple of days and you should pass easily.” You nodded, relieved that you didn’t need to spend more time with Lucifer. You left the study and on the way there, you bumped into Asmodeus. “Hey hon! Tomorrow evening, we are going out to The Fall. Would you like to come?” You nodded and jumped excitedly. “Yes please! A night out before my test should help me relax a bit!” Asmo laughed and kissed you good night. 

The next day, you felt better and glad that Asmo had asked you for a night out. At least, not all demons hated humans. You knew you would finish early today so you had asked the Avatar of Lust to go shopping with you. You spent the rest of the afternoon trying on different outfits and you finally decided on one. It highlighted your body in all the right places and unconsciously you chose a black and red one. You realised it once you had bought it. Never mind. Asmo ushered you in his room so you could both get ready and he took you out for dinner. As you were in a hurry, you had left your D.D.D in Asmo’s room. It dawned on you when you wanted to take a picture of the two of you. You shrugged it off and went to the restaurant. You walked in arm in arm with the fourth brother and the maitre d’ showed you to your table. You looked at the menu while listening to Asmo who was explaining everything in there. You saw a shadow covering your table so you looked up. It was Lucifer, he looked pissed, arms crossed. “Don’t you look at your phone.” You stuttered “s-sorry, I-I left it at home.” He shook his head. “Very well, I will talk to you tomorrow.” And he left. You looked at Asmo when you realised. He had promised you to take you out tonight as it was supposed to be the last day of your tutoring. You excused yourself to Asmo “I’m sorry Asmo, I’ll be back! Choose for me”. You ran after the Avatar and caught his arm. Even though, you were still heartbroken and mad at him, you couldn’t help but feel sorry. He might not hate you that much if he was there waiting for you, right? And there you go, hoping. Again. He turned to face you. “What?” He was calm but you could see the anger behind his stare. “I’m… I’m really sorry Lucifer. I really didn’t mean to.” He crossed his arms. “Well, you are human after all, you discard things when you don’t need them anymore.” You stood there, speechless. “I don’t… that’s hurtful!” He smirked. “Is it?” You gasped and anger took you in. “Of course, you’d say that . I am only a pest under your protection. Something that you don’t want but still have to live with and can’t get rid of soon enough. You know what? I’m glad I have forgotten your invitation. You don’t deserve it, you don’t deserve me, you don’t deserve anything. You are only good to scold and teach but nothing else.” You turned away and went back inside. You threw yourself in the arms of Asmo who was waiting for you at the door. “Asmo, I want to go home please.” He nodded and walked past his brother, frowning at him to ask him silently what had happened. 

Spending the rest of the evening in Asmo’s room had helped you feel better and you were actually glad that you didn’t go out as your test was a bit more complicated than the one Lucifer made you take. You knew the answers, it’s just that the questions were weirdly worded and it didn’t make sense at first what they were asking you. When you finished your exam, you left the classroom and you saw Lucifer waiting for you. “How did it go?” You shrugged. “Fine I guess. The questions were kind of difficult to understand.” He nodded. They do that, yes. So it wouldn’t be too easy to answer.” You shrugged again. “Ok, well thank you for asking about my test but I don’t want to be late for my next class.” He nodded again and watched you leave. You shuddered and cursed yourself at how you felt butterflies in your stomach when he asked you about your test but then you reminded yourself, he did it to make sure he did a good at teaching you, not for you but deep down, your crush which had developed into more was still present and you could forgive him anything. You made a promise to yourself, to stop thinking about him and for that you needed to avoid him as much as possible. Avoiding him felt impossible. He was everywhere, you went. You wanted to do your homework in the library? He was there talking with the librarian. You went for a hot drink in a random coffee shop you never went, he was there having a coffee. You went for a walk, he was on the same pathway. You wondered if he had put a bug or a curse on you to know where you were going. And the next few days were pretty much the same. Even in the House of Lamentations, he was everywhere no matter the time except for your room, of course. So, you would hide in there every evening, avoiding him, and as a consequence, his brothers too. After a couple of days, the other brothers got worried but when Asmo told them about the argument with their brothers they decided to leave you alone. They didn’t want their brother on their backs again. You felt betrayed when none of them came to see if you were okay or even at breakfast, they wouldn’t look at you. 

It was snowing. You liked the first snows. It was always so immaculate and quiet. You liked the stillness in the sky and the invigorating cold. For the past few days, you had barely spoken to anyone in the house but you were glad, you had other friends at RAD, otherwise, you would feel really lonely. You had walked from RAD with Simeon and Luke to the House of Lamentations. It had been snowing for a few hours now and when you walked you could hear and feel the crispness of the fresh snow. You stopped and looked up at the sky, enjoying the feeling of each snowflake melting against your skin. You got startled when you received a snow ball on your coat. You looked around and you saw the two angels running away, laughing. You made a snowball then a second one quickly and ran after them. You laughed as you tried to aim at their backs and you got them. You had managed to arrive in front of your temporary home. Lucifer and his brothers were all on the porch, watching you. Mammon was the first to move, grabbed some snow and threw it towards you. You dodged it and tried to do the same but when you aimed for Mammon, you tripped and you sent your snowball on Lucifer. You froze mid-stumble and waited for a reaction. He looked at the snow that was slowly melting on his coat then at you. He slowly walked towards a railing and with a hand, gathered the snow and meld it in a ball then he threw it. It got you on the side of your head, it wasn’t a powerful throw but enough to unfreeze you and to start a snowball fight with Lucifer. The brothers joined you too, Mammon and Asmo played with you and the angels against the other five brothers. You played for a couple of hours but you asked to stop as no one was really winning and you couldn’t feel your fingers anymore. You hugged Simeon and Luke and thanked them for earlier. 

When they left, the brothers had the time to realise that you were cold. Your lips were becoming blue and you started shuddering uncontrollably. Lucifer ushered you to your room. “Get undressed, I’m going to run a bath for you.” Your teeth were shattering and you slowly started to undressed. You tried to lay your clothes down so they would dry but you decided to just let them as is because you were shaking so much. You wrapped a towel around your body and walked quickly to the bathroom. You didn’t realise how much the cold had penetrated your bones. You could barely feel your legs and feet and all your limbs started to be painful as you were slowly warming up with the heat from the house. Lucifer was still in the bathroom, making sure the water was not too hot for your cold body. He turned around when he saw you walked in. You weren’t really thinking at that point. All you needed was the warm water so you took off your towel and slided in the bathtub. There was enough water so that it covered all your body. Lucifer was watching you, slightly panicking at your actions and once you stopped shuddering, you looked at him. You chuckled when you saw his panic look but you quickly got embarrassed when you realised why he was panicking. “Thank you Lucifer. I’m alright now. You can leave, I won’t be long.” You smiled shyly at him and he nodded, his gaze looking everywhere but you now. You stayed a few minutes, rubbing your limbs to get the blood flowing, warm. You emptied the bath and you grabbed the towel to dry off. You left the bathroom enveloped in your towel and ran towards your room.  Lucifer was there, rummaging in your closet for warm clothing. He laid them on the bed for you. “Put that on. I’ll come back later because I would like to show you something but I don’t want what happened earlier happening again.” You chuckled. “Sure, Lucifer. I’ll get dressed appropriately.” He smiled. This charming smile that made you melt every time, no matter how angry you were at him. 

He went by your room and whisked you away to a new coffee that was in an incredible spot. You could see the whole city and the view was breathtaking. It was on a roof of a tall building and you didn’t know there was such a place in the Devildom. He ordered two hot drinks and when they were done he brought you outside. You shivered at the temperature difference and Lucifer instinctively came closer to you. You leaned on the railing to have a proper look at the view. The snow was everywhere, covering the city with a white sheet. You felt the demon coming closer to you and wrapping his arms around you from behind. You could feel his body’s heat even through your layers. “It’s only to keep you warm while you are outside.” You giggled. “Of course, Lucifer” He hummed happily then stopped. He turned you around so you were facing him but you were still in his arms. You gasped as it was sudden and you looked at him, surprised. He looked straight into your eyes and put his forehead on yours. He closed his eyes. “I am sorry”. You waited for him to look at you. “For what?” He sighed. You knew he knew but you wanted him to say it. “For what I said in my study.” You moved your head on the side so you wouldn’t look at him anymore. You started to completely pull away but his embrace tightened. “I-I don’t have any excuse. I went too far. My pride was speaking for me when Diavolo said out loud what I was denying to myself and I let it fester instead of just going to see you and to apologise to you as you deserve. You were right, I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve a lot but I really hope you can forgive me someday.” You didn’t move your head while he was speaking, you looked at the city’s lights, blurred by the tears that were starting to fall. You didn’t look up either when you started to talk. “It hurt, you know? To hear such hatred from you. To hear that I was an inferior being because I was a human. I felt like you never wanted me and I was just an inconvenience even though you have been so kind to me.” He sighed again, lips strained into a thin line. He hugged you tighter, your head was now on his chest and you could hear his heart. “As I said, i don’t have an excuse for what I said. I could say I didn’t mean it but at the moment it still hurt you and for that I apologise, again. If there is one thing I would never do on purpose, it’s hurting you. What I said was me defending myself against Lord Diavolo’s true claims but I shouldn’t have used those harsh words.” Your tears were still flowing while you listened to him through the vibrations of his chest. You wrapped your arms around his waist and he kissed you on the top of your head. You waited to stop crying before pulling away. He grabbed your face with both hands and gently, with his thumbs, he wiped the tears off your cheeks. He kissed your forehead, both your eyes, the tip of your nose then each of your cheeks and he stopped his lips in front of yours. “Do you think you can forgive me?” You leaned into his hands. “I don’t know? Do you hate me or humans?” He chuckled then leaned in to press a soft kiss on your lips. “No, I don’t hate you nor humans.” 

—————————————————————————

THE END

Thank you for reading!

Masterlist

[whaledenwtf]

Astarion x Reader - In the Candle Light

I'm OBSESSED with Baldur's Gate 3. Between Astarion and Halsin I can't choose, so I'm writing both and then will write a threesome fanfic soon!! All my Baldur's Gate 3 fanfics will be uploaded on Tumblr and AO3 so you guys can download them! Thanks for all the love on the Halsin fic <3 Here's the links for the Halsin Fanfic: Tumblr || AO3 The AO3 upload for the Astarion Fanfic: AO3 LINK

Warnings: afab!reader and Male Smut, Oral (Male Receiving), Praise Kink, Biting, Blood, Body Worship (Male Receiving), Angst and Fluff (Astarion deserves the world and I will give it to him)

I was pretty good at writing Astarion in the Halsin fic, so I tried to keep that energy here, but he is significantly softer. I don't normally write angst but I felt it fit with Astarion. His personality is fractured between a mask and his pain, and I felt that the complexity of his character (and his trauma) deserved to be explored. What was supposed to be a smutfest became something so soft and gentle that I couldn't help but tear up while writing it. I hope you guys enjoy this!!

WORD COUNT: 5624

Despite the tadpole in your brain, that was the least of your concerns. Your ragtag group has been bringing their problems to you. Since you became the leader in this journey to deciphering your illithid problem, everyone has come to you to solve their own problems. You love your companions, but holy shit, you're one person.

Well, maybe two if you counted the little bastard wriggling in your brain.

"As I was saying, there is not enough of anything for me to feed off." Astarion tells you, annoyed at your lack of attention. You roll your eyes.

"Alright, alright. You can have my blood tonight. Will that shut you up?" You can't help but be rude to the vampire. He was the fourth person today to ask you for something. You already accidentally gave Gale a valuable artifact to absorb, the wrong artifact; Karlach had accidentally burned your arm when her flames went out of control and then Shadowheart and you had gotten in a fight over her Shar worship. You didn't expect to be travelling with a group of overgrown toddlers, but here you are.

"Easy there tiger, don't need to get mad at me." Astarion tells you, wide eyed. You sigh, rubbing your temples. You feel guilty, you do. Today has just been testing your very limited patience.

"I'm sorry Astarion. I'm just exhausted, and everyone keeps coming to me for their problems." You move your hands to cover your eyes, rubbing them with the palms of your hands. He is silent next to you. He... does feel bad for you. He's been watching you struggle with everyone's burdens, especially since you had been also helping them alongside the tadpole issue.

"Darling, you gotta tell them to leave you alone." You whimper at his words, shaking your head.

"These people need me Astarion, how can I tell them off?" He scoffs.

"Like this: Hello, kindly fuck off." You take your hands off of your eyes and look at him with a smile on your face.

"It isn't that easy." Astarion shrugs.

"It can be." You giggle.

"Yeah?" He looks at you with a smirk.

"Of course, it would never work on me. I know I'm your favourite." You smile, looking down.

"What if Halsin is my favourite?" You both glance over the tall elf. He is playing with Scratch, petting him as he sits in his corner of the camp. Astarion scoffs.

"The tree hugger? Darling, come on. Look at me-" He stands up and gives you a twirl, before bowing in front of you. "I'm marvelous!" You blush, chuckling.

"Maybe I like big beefy elves who carry me out of danger!" That was a lie. Halsin was certainly attractive, but your attentions have always been held by the sarcastic vampire next to you.

"I can carry you out of danger sweetheart, just ask." He tells you huskily. You blush again.

"Would you now?" You ask him coyly, looking up at him. He smirks before holding your chin.

"Of course. You're my partner in crime, darling." You smile at his words. He's not wrong. You've spent the most time with Astarion. He has enthralled you since his dagger was held against your pulse point. Your conversation is cut off when Wyll walks up to you sheepishly. You can feel dread crawl up your spine.

"Sorry to bother you (Y/N), but I'm having a problem-" Astarion cuts him off with an eyeroll.

"I'm sure a big boy like you can deal with it." Wyll's jaw drops open.

"I-" Astarion cuts him off again, frustrating the human turned fiend.

"Look at her, Wyll. She's dealing with all of your guys' shit. Give her a break." Wyll scrutinizes him.

"And not yours?" Astarion scoffs.

"What shit? I'm perfect." Wyll rolls his eye.

"Right. Well, I'm sorry for bothering you (Y/N)." He does sound apologetic, turning to glare at Astarion before turning away. You look up at Astarion.

"Thank you." You whisper to him, before giving him a big hug. His body goes rigid. You let go of him and walk off towards Halsin, needing some very needed puppy cuddles from Scratch. Astarion stays in place, the shock rooting him in place.

He can't remember a time in his undead life that people showed real love to the vampire. The last two hundred years of his life have been riddled with suffering and torment. But you! You have not stopped showering him in love and respect. He craves it now, craves your love and attention. He can't help but want to always be near you. He can't help but feel jealous of Halsin. He watches you laughing with the gargantuan elf as you pet Scratch, and bristles. He turns and walks towards his tent, upset. How could he compete with someone who could walk in the sun? Someone who can love freely, and so openly? He was tired. 200 years of living in the shadows, only to find freedom and then once again not feel good enough. His feelings are brewing up a storm of conflict in his head. You were useful to him, his ticket to eternal freedom, but furthermore you were important to him. You made him feel things he hasn't felt in a long time; if he was honest with himself, he doesn't remember the last time he felt such adoration for someone else. He hides in his tent for the majority of the night, brooding.

Your conversation with Halsin was extensive, talking about nature and his worship of Silvanus. It was refreshing to speak to someone about something other than their problems.

Halsin hugs you tightly. "Have a good night, little one." He kisses your forehead before heading to his tent.

By the time you ended your conversation, it was late in the night and most of your companions were sleeping. You decide to go check in on your resident vampire. You walk to his tent, where the flap is closed.

"Astarion." You whisper from the entrance. Not a moment later, he opens up the tent.

"Oh, so you're done with the tree hugger?" He asks annoyed. You giggle into your hand, trying to muffle the sound as to not wake the others. He smirks at that. He may not be as tall or buff as the druid, but he can always make you laugh. Astarion: 1 Halsin: 0, he thinks to himself.

"Yes I am. May I come in?" You ask him sweetly. He nods, lifting the flap of his tent so you can get in.

"You know darling, you're not a vampire. You can come into my tent anytime." He tells you charmingly. You blush softly at the tone of his voice. Always the charmer.

"I know that. I just don't want to intrude on your alone time." You always said these things, such caring things. You cared about his privacy and autonomy, and his undead heart sung your praises.

"You can never intrude." He says quietly. Truthfully. You smile at him, and he basks in its radiance. If he had the opportunity to continue Cazador's ritual, he's not sure he would. Despite his want to walk in the sun again, he wouldn't need sunlight if he had you by his side. Your brightness rivals the sun and all the stars in the sky.

"I appreciate you saying that, little star." That was his favourite nickname you gave him. Little star. You made him feel special; worth it. He chuckles.

"I'm not that little." He tells you huskily. You blush at his words. If he could have the image of you blushing at his words embedded in his brain, he would. At least it would be better than the bastard parasite that's currently taken his body captive. Always the captive.

He gets this far away look, which worries you. You are the only one who notices these looks, and it always upsets you. Despite not knowing much about Astarion's past, you know it was dark and painful. You put a hand on his arm and he flinches. You back away concerned. He clears his throat before speaking.

"Sorry darling." He sounded so vulnerable, your heart ached. Every beat of your heart was hammering in your chest, yearning for him; yearning to protect him. From Cazador, from his past.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Astarion. I shouldn't have touched you like that without your permission." His chest hurts. He'll never be normal.

"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart." He wishes you could understand how perfect you truly are. His eyebrows furrow. You step closer, cautiously.

"May... May I hug you?" Your voice is hardly above a whisper. His eyes get misty, and he nods. You rush forward, gripping him tightly. Slowly, his arms going around you. Your head leans on his chest, feeling sadness as you do not hear his heart beat. As the hug continues, he leans his head onto yours, just... holding you. As he inhales, he can smell Halsin on you. His heart breaks again.

"I may not know your past, but I'm here for you little star." You tell him quietly. If his heart could beat, it would have sped up. He felt your care for him, but he couldn't help his mind from racing. What if you did learn his past? You would not regard him as highly as you do. A single tear falls from his eyes, and then a couple more. You felt the dampness on your hair, and you hugged him tighter.

"You're too good to me." He whispers, his voice cracking. Your heart shatters again. You are filled with such hurt, such anger, that he is broken. You can't wait to crush Cazador's skull with your boots. You pull away, and see the heartbroken look in his eyes. His hands go back to his sides, clenching tightly, as if he was trying to hold himself together. His tears continue to fall, even though he tries to will them away. He doesn't want you to think of him as weak. You gently put your hand on his cheek, and he savours the feel of your soft palms against his skin. Your thumb goes to wipe his tears.

"Oh Astarion. You deserve so much better." Your eyes well with unfallen tears, his pain becoming yours. He shakes his head.

"If you knew what I have done, the people I have hurt, you would never think of me the same." You continue to wipe his tears with your thumb, looking at him with love.

"Little star... I don't care for your past actions. Who you are today, in front of me is what matters. You deserve the world, and have been forsaken by it. I can never think of you poorly. I- I care about you too much." The confession slips from your lips, and you accept the repercussions. You know that if he doesn't return or want your affections, you would still help him find himself; his purpose. You loved him enough to sacrifice your happiness for his, possibly your entire being.

"Oh darling." He whispers, his hands moving to cup your face. You lean into his touch, eyes closing. Without thinking, he rests his forehead against yours, basking in your presence.

"If you don't feel the same way, I am okay with that. I will still be by your side- if you want me to be. I just want to take your burdens on my shoulders. I want to help you find your purpose; find yourself." Your eyes open to look at his ruby eyes. The shined so beautifully in the candlelight. You try to commit him to memory. You don't know if your mind's eye can fully capture his beauty or his being, but you know you would spend the rest of your life trying.

"What more could I want than what's in front of me?" He whispers softly, before pushing his lips to yours. It wasn't just a regular kiss. Despite its innocent nature, it was a lover's embrace, a connection between two souls. Your love for each other was boundless; but for just a moment, a sweet and tender moment, you felt it and its overwhelming power. You both pull away, breathless. You look into his eyes with such adoration, he can't believe how he had never noticed before. Despite being a rogue, it was you that stole his heart and took it as your own.

"I love you, little star." His eyes widen at your confession.

"I-darling-" He is stunned, your words locking him in place as if you had casted Hold Person and Silence at the same time.

"You do not need to say it now, nor ever. I just wanted you to know I will always-always care for you. In the darkest corners of Faerûn my heart will sing for you. I cannot fathom a world where we didn't meet, and my heart shatters when I see your pain. Let me carry your burdens, Astarion." You tell him passionately. He kisses you again, teeth clashing against each other. You hold him to you, with promise of never letting go. When you pull away, you can see the softness in his eyes.

"Even in the darkest corners of Faerûn? That's where I'll be, darling." You giggle. He smiles widely. You brush a curl behind his ear, before smiling brightly once more.

"You're so beautiful like this; when you are happy." He looks away from you, blushing.

"Now you're just flirting, darling." You bite your lip, looking at the blush on his cheeks.

"So what if I am? Can't I tell the man I love that I find him beautiful?" His heart sings again. Hearing you say that you loved him brought him such comfort, such relief that he felt as though he had sprouted wings and flew into the heavens.

"If you continue my ego will grow." He says, turning back to look at you. You roll your eyes.

"Can't have that happen, can we?" He chuckles at your sarcasm. You pull away from him, before taking a seat on his bedroll and patting the spot next to you. He sits, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"So... now what?" He asks you. Astarion never felt so unsure of what to do. He was always 10 steps ahead, and this uncertainty made him uncomfortable and concerned. You lean your head on his shoulder. He leans his head against yours, closing his eyes.

"Let us enjoy each others' presence. We don't need to speak. I just... want to relish this moment with you." You tell him softly. He's never had someone in his bedroll without ulterior motive. This felt like a new chapter in his life. A chapter where you are the main object of his affections, and one where he can put the past behind him- or at least try. He felt rejuvenated, and he smiles, eyes still closed.

"Enjoy each others' presence? I like the sound of that, darling." The rest of the night is silent, occasionally broken by soft conversation with tender words. At one point, you fall asleep on his shoulder. He has never felt so safe. He tucks you into his bedroll, before moving to sit in the corner of his tent. Before he could, your hand grips his.

"Please, stay." You ask softly, eyes open lightly. He nods, before tucking himself into the bedroll. You don't change your position, holding his hand. He curls his fingers to link with yours, and you spend the night innocently holding his hand, fingers linked.

He closes his eyes and lets himself fall into his meditative state, feeling safe and loved.

The next day was not as stressful as the day before. Karlach had already apologized the day before, but she came to you with Clive and told you that you could hug him and pretend it was her hugging you. You were so touched, that you shook your head and told her "when we fix your engine, I will give you a hug that rivals Clive's." And she cried happily nodding. Shadowheart apologized for her outburst, and spoke about her past, and how Shar was all she knew. You nodded, rubbing her arm and telling her you forgive her. And Gale! Gale felt so awful absorbing the wrong artifact that he gave you some of his most prized spell scrolls as an apology.

You decided that everyone deserved a rest day, and they were all grateful for the reprieve. Everyone moved around camp, hanging out with another or doing their hobbies. You spend the morning playing with Scratch and looking at the map, deciding where to venture for the next day. Halsin walks up to you, smiling.

"Hello little one." You smile at him.

"Hi Halsin." You tell him. Astarion hides from behind a bush, eavesdropping on your conversation.

"I wanted to speak to you about something of a more... private matter." He tells you, biting his lip. You turn your head left and right, before leaning in.

"Is everything okay?" He chuckles, nodding.

"Excuse my forwardness, but I can't go on another day without telling you this. Your beauty and radiance rivals that of nature, and I was wondering if you would spend the night with me underneath the stars?" You blush, eyes bulging and mouth wide open. Astarion shakes with fury. For once, for once, he had someone who cared about him. Now she'll be taken away by some-some bear! The poetic tone of his words was beautiful, Astarion admits. Astarion: 1 Halsin: 1, he thinks sulkily. He leans further into the bush, trying to listen to your answer.

"Halsin! I never expected you to feel such a way about me. I'm shocked." Astarion bites his lip, frowning. His anxiety skyrockets. What will he do?

"Of course, little one. Your beauty is captivating. Not just your body, but your soul and mind. I'm truly enamoured." Fuck him and his Parnassian speech. Astarion: 1 Halsin: 2... Asshole, he thinks to himself.

"Oh Halsin. I'm honoured you think of me so. As much as I enjoy you and your presence, my heart is with another. I'm afraid I can't pursue anything knowing my love lies elsewhere. I'm sorry." Astarion's eyes widen. Of course, you told him you loved him last night, but what if you were just trying to be nice? What if you loved another? Before he could spiral, he hears Halsin hum.

"Nature's love is all encompassing, but I understand if you would not want to pursue multiple relationships. Is the one who holds your heart Astarion?" Astarion shuffles even further into the bush, almost falling out into the open. He sees Scratch come close to sniff the bush. He shoos him away, trying to focus on the conversation.

"Yes, he is. I love him more than I love myself, if I am honest. I cannot imagine a world where I would not chase him to the ends of the realms." Astarion's eyes widen. It was him! He was the one who made you feel such a way. Of course, he knew your words last night were honest, but he was never sure someone could be so certain in their affections; especially when they involved him. His heart soared, and he smiled so wide that his cheeks hurt.

"Ah. I can understand how I can not fit in the equation. Your heart is bound to him and his nature. I can't help but feel jealous that he is the object of your affections. However, I am glad you found joy in another. Thank you for telling me the truth. May the Oakfather protect you both and your love." You smile at the gentle giant, before hugging him.

"Thank you Halsin. For what it's worth, I know for certainty you will succeed with expelling the Shadow Curse and find love- or multiple loves." You both laugh at your words, and he walks away, waving at you before going back to his tent. You hear shuffling and a bark before Astarion appears in your view. You smile at him softly.

"Hi little star." He walks up to you and hugs you tightly. You stand for a moment, shocked, before hugging him back.

"Is everything okay?" You ask him quietly. He hums.

"I... overheard your conversation with Halsin." You giggle quietly.

"Overheard? I knew you were eavesdropping Astarion." He backs away, acting shocked.

"Eavesdropping? Darling I would never!" Lae'zel cuts him off from her tent, sharpening her weapons.

"He was hiding in the bush." Astarion gives her an icy glare, and she smirks at the sour look on his face. He turns to look back at you, pouting. You put your hands on your hips and grin at him.

"Innocent until proven guilty, sweetheart." You chuckle. Before he could speak you cut him off, wide eyed.

"I forgot I said you could feed on me yesterday-" You slap your palm on your forehead. "I'm so stupid! You'll feed on me tonight, right?" Astarion hums, smiling.

"An offer I certainly cannot refuse. Can't wait, sweetheart." You blush at his words, looking down. His hand rubs up and down your arm before he walks back to his tent. Lae'zel chuckles at your blush, so you turn to stick your tongue out at her.

The sun had set, bellies have been filled and Gale's telling a wonderous tale about his time in Waterdeep. While everyone is distracted, you walk to Astarion's tent, a path you are intimately familiar with.

"May I come in?" You whisper at the tent flap, waiting for him. He walks out, grabbing your hand. You blush at the contact, you can't help it.

"Once again darling, you are always welcome." He pulls you in gently. Once in the privacy of his tent, he kisses you softly, like a lover. When you pull apart, you look at him starry eyed.

"Wow." He chuckles at your dumbfoundness.

"You're not the first to say so. Continue the flattery~" You slap him in his chest gently, before laying your hand on him.

"Little star, that sarcastic lilt will get you in trouble one day." He smirks.

"Hopefully you'll be the one punishing me, darling." You blush. Your skin feels hot, and you can't help the images he's putting in your mind. When you are quiet for a moment too long, he chuckles.

"Are you thinking about it darling? You punishing me?" You smirk up at him, blush subsiding.

"I'm only imagining you under me, begging for more, little star." His eyes widen, and he swallows. You grin at his reaction.

"I-well. Didn't know this kitty had claws..." Astarion says, nervous. He'd never heard you reply in such a way, and it was affecting him. He couldn't help it, the idea of you and your love enveloping him in a lovers embrace... he has been hurting for so long, but to have another care for him is enticing. Imagining the amalgamation of that love with you, under him... or on top, as you said; it fills him with excitement and desire.

"I just want to show you how much I care, sweet one. Take your burdens from you, to hold you.... Astarion I love you. I always will." His eyes get misty, but he successfully wills his tears away. He wants you, so much. More than anything in his life... possibly more than eradicating Cazador from Faerûn.

"What is stopping you?" He asks quietly. His hands find themselves on the sides of your head, holding you. His thumbs caress your cheeks. Your eyes close gently, lashes fluttering.

"I want you to feel my love and feel safe. I want to explore us... you... at your pace little star." You tell him truthfully. He couldn't imagine himself loving you more, but you have done it. It must be unnatural how light his soul feels hearing those words.

"Please explore what you'd like." He whispers into your ear sensually. You open your eyes, gazes locked. You look into his red orbs, noticing the small specks of burgundy in his eyes.

"Astarion, are you sure? I do not want you feeling pressured for the sake of my pleasure. I could wait a thousand years and would not regret a single moment." He kisses you, pulling you down so you are both kneeling on his bedroll.

"You make everything so easy. The most impossible tasks seem possible. I want to love you, hold you. (Y/N), I want you. Body and Soul." You seat yourself on his lap, and his arms wrap around your waist. You kiss him on the lips, tongue asking for entrance. He allows you, and your tongues softly roll against each other. You take and give, and he does the same. Like the tide, you push and pull. You draw your kisses away from his lips, before kissing down his cheek, then reaching his neck, giving it extra attention. He moans quietly at your ministrations. You begin to grind on him softly, your body touching his like a whisper. He whimpers when you kiss him on his bite.

"My sweet Astarion." You say against his skin, and he shivers. You pull away, smiling.

"May I undress you?" His tongue feels like lead, so he nods. You hum, pulling off his nightshirt. Your hands caress his muscles and the sinew that ties them together, grazing his chest, his abs and then his arms.

"You're more radiant than the stars in the sky. Do you know why I call you little star, Astarion?" He looks at you adoringly, as you show him and his body love and respect.

"Because of my name?" He asks quietly. Astarion meant little star... For elves, you would only get your adult name when you hit adulthood; his name, much like him, was forever petrified in youth.

"That is an aspect of it, yes." You giggle. "I call you little star because you are exactly like a young star. Full of energy, strength, power. Most would look over you, because you are not the largest star in the sky; but I see you as someone who can grow. You have a long life ahead of you, and that path will be bountiful. I know it." You hum, kissing his chest. You have somehow made his disdain for his youth simmer away. He feels unstoppable, knowing that the one he loves holds such a high regard for him, and sees a bright future for him.

"You're incredible." He tells you honestly. You smile at him, running a hand through his perfect curls. You tug gently, and his head tilts back. He is looking at the ceiling of his tent.

"I pale in comparison to you, my love." You kiss his neck again, starting at his bite. Your kisses trail down to his chest, spending an ample amount of time worshipping his nipples. He groans and pants, thighs quivering and his hips rocking back and forth. His member, hardening under you, catches your clit and you moan. You continue your descent, kissing his stomach and showing him love.

"May I?" You whisper.

"Please..." You undress him carefully, kissing his skin as it gets exposed. Once he is fully undressed you smile at him.

"Would you still like to continue?" His mind has forgotten his past, all his suffering. You in all your beauty and care have taken precedence in his mind.

"We can only continue if you're undressed, darling." You nod, undressing for him. You're both nude, and admiring eachother.

"You're stunning." He whispers. You go back to sit in his lap, grinding down on him.

"That's my line." You jest, and he smiles at you. Your efforts to keep him comfortable have made him warm; and needy. He bucks into you, and you moan, head tilted back. He begins to kiss your neck, mirroring your actions from before.

"May I?" He whispers against the column of your neck, and you whimper.

"Please do." He bites into you, and its euphoric. The first time he bit you all those nights ago was painful; but tonight, in the lowlight of his tent, you only feel warmth and love. He moans into your neck, your blood tasting like the finest wine. He pulls off of you, licking up the blood from your neck.

"You taste... delectable." Despite him talking about your blood, it was arousing you. You bite your lip and his eyes track the movement.

"Have another taste." You take a bit of blood from your wound and rub it onto your nipples, before rubbing it on your chest. You put your bloodied fingertip in his mouth. He takes the finger in his mouth, licking and nipping at you. He moans at the action, enjoying how you are feeding him. You pull your finger out of his mouth with a pop and push your chest into his face. He spares not a moment to descend on you, licking and savouring your taste. His tongue laps at your nipples, one at a time. You whimper at the act, gripping his curls tightly. He takes one nipple at a time between his teeth, tugging lightly. The mix of pain and pleasure was enthralling, and you continued to moan, saying his name like a prayer. Once he has cleaned you, he pulls away, licking his lips.

"You're perfect." He tells you earnestly. You blush, before pulling yourself off him. You kneel between his knees, crouching down so you are face to face with his cock.

"I will show you how perfect you are." You whisper, before taking him into your hand. He is large, and your fist can barely close around his girth. He bucks into your hand, keening. You trail kisses up and down his length, eyes never straying from his beautiful face. You take the tip between your lips, licking at the pearl of precum. You begin to take him into your mouth, taking care to be gentle and slow. You wanted to make sure if he ever wanted to stop he could; his comfort and enjoyment taking priority over your own. One of his hands go to the back of your head, and holds your hair. You slowly go up and down his length, tongue swirling around and tasting him. His musk fills your nostrils, and the smell of bergamot and cloves envelop you. You moan around him, beginning to speed up. The hand in your hair tightens, and pulls you deeper until your nose is pressed against the tuft of white-blonde hair at his base.

"O-oh fuck, sweetheart." You begin to deepthroat him, going up and down. He pants, and pushes himself all the way at the back of your throat, and you gag. He chuckles breathlessly, before pulling you off him. Your spittle has covered your chin and the tops of your breasts.

"If we continue like that, we'll be finished too soon." You smile at him, before getting in position above him.

"You're such a good boy, little star. Can't wait to feel you." He never expected to enjoy praise, but the words coming from your lips make him whimper out. You take him in your hand, pumping him once, twice, before descending and taking him. Once you bottom out, you both moan out.

"O-oh Astarion." You whimper. His eyes are wide, trying to commit to memory the look in your face as he fills you deliciously. You begin to move slowly. He already feels so close, the safeness and love he feels for you keeping him on the precipice of satisfaction.

"D-Darling, oh gods, you're tight. Might not last much longer." One arm locks around your waist, while the other trails to where you are joined and rubs you. You wince, moaning loudly. You begin to bounce in his lap and soon he begins to thrust up, hitting you in your cervix and that sweet spot. You were close too, but you wanted to finish together. The rhythm you set is sweet but brutal, the sounds of your coupling loud, but not as loud as the expletives and moans leaving your lips.

He smashes your lips together, and your bodies are touching; almost melding together. Your pace falters but he continues to thrust, his hand rubbing your clit every time he thrusts deep into you. You whimper into his lips, and his tongue finds its way into your mouth, tongues battling and teeth clashing. His lips trail down to your neck to take a bite. As he tastes you, he continues to thrust. You are lightheaded, between his thrusts and blood loss. The room spins, so you close your eyes and focus on how Astarion makes you feel.

He thrusts up once, twice, then stops. His thumb rubs you and you finish together. Your cunt is squeezing him, and milking him of his seed. He finishes inside you, and separates from your neck to moan out and pant. Still sensitive, you move your hips and he groans out, the hand on your waist tightening enough to leave bruises. You chuckle at his reaction, before he does something unexpected. He takes the hand that was rubbing you to his mouth, and keens at the taste.

"Just as savoury as the rest of you. I cannot wait to devour you again sweetheart." You whimper at his words, and clench around him.

"I love you." You tell him, laying your head on his chest. His hand rubs up and down your spine, caressing you.

"I love you too darling." For the first time in his life, he has said words he knew were truthful, without being sarcastic. He knew that for as long as he was unalive, he would love you with all his heart.

END

[mangohgeckoh]

Chemical Reaction (silco x oc!reader)

A/N: This is a prelude! I honestly can't believe that this is a fanfic I have been cooking up for TWO years! I've always loved Silco's character and what he stands for. The OC that is the love interest to Silco is very dear to me. I am finally getting back into writing, mainly to cope with Arcane (I am NOT ready for it to end). Anyways, enjoy! Chemical Reaction -

The first time. - Heavy boots could be heard through the toxic air of the underground as a small group of enforcers charged after a hooded figure. A loud whistle blew. “Halt!”

Almost tripping, the figure clutched a shiny item against her chest. Strange, scaled legs under the cape sprinted as fast as they could down the mucky streets. She clumsily weaved in between fellow tired undercity citizens just trying to make it on time to their next shift. Suddenly the thief’s avian-like legs clung to one another and she fell with a shriek. One of the enforcers had thrown a bola. “Cheater.” The cloaked person spat. She quickly sat up, trying to use her talons at the end of her legs to cut through the impressive rope. An enforcer caught up and grabbed the thief by the fabric covering her chest. “You have something of ours, kid.” His breath reeked of whiskey. Yellow eyes pierced under the hood as she fought against the grip. “I don’t know what you mean, sir.” The officer shook her in anger. “My badge! Give me my- what the hell?” Dark blue long ears made of feathers emerged from the hood that lowered from the violent shaking. The officer regained his composure, used to seeing Vastayan Zaunites. They were one of the most cunning of the citizens that lived in the Undercity. However, the one he just caught could use more practice. The large enforcer’s grip tightened, making the Vastaya flinch. “Where is my damn badge?” He growled. A shorter officer appeared behind the angry man. “Sergeant, she's just a kid why don't we take her back to the precinct and-” “No! I am tired of being treated with shallow respect from these gutter trash.” His free hand now grips a very well-used baton. “One last chance, where is it?” The baton started to raise the weapon when footsteps were heard behind them. “What do we have here?” A booming voice of masculine teenage adolescence said. The three enforcers turned around. “Move along, kid.” He said gruffly. The teen, who the thief noticed looked to be their age, shook his head as if he was sorry to disappoint them. “I can’t quite do that, let us do this the easy way and let her go.” Ambition flickered within him, his arms were crossed instead of ready for another street brawl. He was fearless. Still holding the Vastayan by the shirt, the enforcer swung around, now fully facing the teenage boy that challenged his authority. “I said move along. Unless you want to be next.” He squeezed his baton, ready to beat the stocky boy. As the situation became more heated, the thief’s feathery ears perked up at a curious sound. ‘Another.’‘Nearby.’‘Armed.’‘Behind me.’ “And I said let her go.” The teen stood still, testing the sergeant’s little patience. “That is it, damn sewer brats!” He ripped the badge from the Vastayan’s clutched and through them on the hard street. Anyone nearby was either pretending not to notice the situation or watching from a distance. Everyone looks out for themselves in the Undercity. Despite being thrown to the ground, making the skin on her  knees and palms split against the ruined cobble street, the thief’s ears stayed trained on the noise.

‘Metal twisting.’‘Timer dinging.’The recognizable sound of a grenade was all too familiar. The Vastayan’s instincts made her duck.

A pop before a small home-made grenade twirled in the dense air of the undercity before clinking on the ground and rolling next to the enforcer’s boots. His reaction time was poor, before he could kick it away everyone was engulfed in green gas. The enforcers, who were not equipped with masks, started to cough violently. This was a great distraction, the teen rushed and grabbed the girl by the arm. There was no time to lose, no time to check to see if she had broken a leg. The only thought on his mind was to put as much space between the enforcers and them.

The pair rounded a corner and the boy leading her yanked open a sketchy cellar door. “Get in, hurry!” He growled. The enforcer’s boots were nearing. She quickly limped in, careful of the steep stairs. The door slammed shut. The air turned stale as the two held their breath until the sound of angry enforcers had faded away.

With a sign of relief, she slumped against the splintering wood wall. “That was a close one.” He grumbled and started to unwrap the bandages on his wrists.

The girl he saved quickly covered her ears with her hood. “Yes, it was.” Her fingers pulled the hood fully over her face. Pushing off the wall, the boy walked over to another figure who was hunched over a blueprint rolled out on the desk in front of him. The room wasn’t much at all, very musty with all the furniture being made from other items. Even the desk that the thinner boy was working at had mismatching legs. A flickering bulb hung low from the wooden ceiling and was the only source of light in the room. Now that she wasn’t running for her life and was in better light she could see the features of the two individuals infront of her. The boy who saved her indeed looked her age, maybe older. He was big boned and had shaggy greasy brown hair.

Her savior gave the very busy teen a light punch on the arm. “Gas canister! Great idea!” His hearty laugh echoed throughout the musty walls.

Her ears perked when she heard a scoff, eyes trailing to the other teen focused on his work. “Hardly. I was hoping to save it for another time.” This boy, unlike the shaggy brown haired one, had darker brown hair. It looked better kept than the hair of the larger boy standing beside him.

“What other time?” The larger boy laughed. “You made it for emergencies,” he gestured to the girl standing in the shadows. “That was an emergency.” The boy with the scruffy brown hair argued. Another scoff came from the boy now screwing together some scrap metal. “Vander,” The boy at the desk now turned to face him. “We should have stayed out of it.” He said in a calm but firm tone of voice.

Just before the boy, she now knew as Vander, was about to argue back the teen stood from his chair swiftly. “If you were caught…” He paused and looked at the girl and seethed. “What were you thinking, poking the bear?” He growled.

“Oh like you two haven’t stolen from the freak police before.” She rolled her eyes. The darker haired boy chewed on his cheek before turning back to his companion. “You can’t be reckless like this. The enforcers don’t take kindly to those who challenge them. If we are to have our nation we need to be smart about how we interact with them.” There was some urgency in his voice, trying to make sense to the man that just saved the girl. Vander only grumbled in response, looking away from his friend. During that moment the smaller boy turned to her again, looking her up and down with half lidded eyes. “Seems to me like you kicked the nest and got nothing out of it?” He said matter of factly, noticing she wasn’t holding the shiny and valuable badge.

“That isn’t what I wanted.” She smiled and wiggled a canister.

Vander’s eyes widened in surprise while the other looked unimpressed. “What is it?” His husky voice asked. “I heard that the enforcers are too haughty to drink our water. This apparently filters drinking water.” She held it as if it was a golden egg, her ears completely focused on it.

With a “hm” the younger teen turned back around to focus on his gadget. There was a silence before Vander asked how she was doing. “I am okay.” She was quick to pull her torn cloak over her legs. “Are you sure, looks to me like you got scratched up good. Best to make sure there is no infection.” As he moved towards her, she took a step back. “Really, I am fine. I need to get going though.” She went to turn. “Oh, and thank you. For saving me.”

“You owe us one!” It was not uncommon to hear that saying after someone within the undercity does another an act of kindness. Everything comes at a price down here.

(Art above by Fricaterpillar)

[jacenotjason]

THE DEEP END - PART ONE

A/N: HEyy this is my first time writing fanfic in a lONG Time! I decided to do a sort of part one/prologue to warm up let me know what you think! ill do part two if this is received well

cw: discussion of murder

Inspired heavily by “The Lamb” by ItsJustHedy “Have you ever thought about it?” The neon lights of the Candy Club buzzed a quiet metronome for their conversation. The four of them sat in a booth in the back, milkshakes on the table. Roy sat next to Robert, Ross sitting beside Susie on the other side. Roy's question hung in the air, a palpable tension enveloping the booth. The lights flickered momentarily, casting fleeting shadows on the quartet's faces.

Susie, unsure of why she was invited to this clandestine meeting, blinked in surprise. She fidgeted with the straw of her milkshake, her eyes darting between the three members of the HatZGang. They weren't exactly her friends, but Robert had promised to treat her to a milkshake, and she was eager to escape whatever eldritch horror Pump would bring home that day.

As Susie sipped her milkshake, she realized the question had been directed at her. "Thought about what?" she asked, trying to feign nonchalance. She had been listening to the conversation, of course, but she asked in hopes that the question wasn’t related.

"Murder," Roy said, his voice low and almost playful. The word hung in the air, heavy with a tension Susie hadn't anticipated.

Susie's eyes widened, and she almost choked on her milkshake. She glanced around nervously, as if expecting someone to pop out and reveal this was all some strange prank. "Murder? Why would I think about that?"

“How would you do it?” Ross explained, “Just hypothetically, of course,” his eyes darted between his two friends, then to Susie as he repeated himself. “How would you do it?”

“...How would you?” Susie replied instead, attempting to direct the attention of the conversation away from her.

Ross looked away from her, looking down at the milkshake in front of him. His calm demeanor belied the gravity of the topic. "I’d do something untraceable, something that could be considered an accident. Like exploiting an allergy and poisoning them… Something that could be written off easily-”

“That’s so boring!!” Robert suddenly shouted, making Susie flinch.

Ross, undeterred by Robert's outburst, continued, his gaze still fixed on the swirls of his milkshake. “But it's effective,” He said, finally looking up from the cup, “A slow-acting poison, too, so there's no immediate connection. Just a sudden, unexpected end. It’ll be treated as a mystery or an accident. The person is dead, and I don’t go to jail.”

“That’s so lame! You don’t even see them die!?” Robert exclaimed, astonished that Ross wouldn’t want to witness the victim’s end. “The whole point of murdering someone is that everyone knows they’ve been murdered!”

“The whole point of murdering someone is that someone dies!” Ross, his patience tested, spat right back.

Robert wasn’t deterred. “You gotta do something gruesome!” Robert insisted, “Something people remember for decades! Something they’re not allowed to forget!!”

Roy, wearing a misplaced grin, interjected, crossing his arms as he addressed Robert. "Okay, what would you do, then?"

Robert's eyes gleamed with excitement as he leaned back, clearly relishing the opportunity to share his grand and macabre ideas. He pushed his milkshake towards Roy and leaned over the table to explain. Susie felt the knot in her stomach tighten, growing uneasy at the conversation.

"You lure your victim to someone that's going to be visited soon, like a school on a Sunday. Then, you kill them simply and easily, with a slit of the throat or head trauma, or something, it doesn’t matter. Then," Robert punctuated each word with a tap on the table, "full body dismemberment."

Susie cringed at the macabre imagery, her discomfort evident on her face. "What?"

"Dude, what?" Ross raised an eyebrow, his initial interest waning into something else. Not unease, but annoyance, as if he’d heard this before.

“Listen! Listen!” Robert continued, his smile unmoving. “You cut the body up into pieces and string them around the gymnasium! Like a fucked up wind-chime!” 

“Robert, do you have any idea how long it takes to saw through bone?” Ross spat.

“Yeah! Dude, plus, where would we get a saw?!” Roy motioned between them, “We have like 20 dollars put together.”

Susie, desperate to steer the conversation away from its dark trajectory, interjected. "I mean... it doesn't really matter, since... This is all hypothetical," she forced a smile, hoping to diffuse the tension that lingered in the air. “...Right?”

The three boys suddenly silenced, looking at Susie. There was a beat of silence. Then another. Then another. Roy exchanged glances with Ross and Rober, the boys sharing an unspoken understanding. Susie's forced smile faltered, her attempt at lightening the mood falling flat in the face of their unsettling silence.

“Right,” Ross finally broke the silence, his tone casual and friendly, but Susie detected a lingering tension beneath the surface. She took a breath, grateful for the respite at least.

“Yeah, duh!” Roy rolled his eyes with a smile, “I mean look at Robert,” Roy grabbed Robert's arm and lifted it, “You think he can kill someone with these?”

“Hey!” Robert took his arm back with a laugh, breaking the tension momentarily. Ross and Roy joined in the laughter, and Susie awkwardly chimed in, the sound hollow against her inner turmoil. There wasn’t anything funny to her, the boys she sat with could very well kill her. 

She let out a breath, allowing herself to breathe as she rationalized her thoughts. The gang wasn’t violent. Sure, they were jerks, but they weren’t murderers. Their bullying was never violent outside of shoves or foot-stepping.

Susie watched as the boys traded playful insults and laughed together, the conversation slowly returning to their previous topic. It was still jarring, but Susie continued to try and see the same playfulness they must be seeing.

“Susie,” Ross returned the attention to her again. She paused mid-sip and looked up at him, her eyes darting to the other two now watching her.

“Hm?” Susie blinked.

“You never answered.”

“...Answered what?”

“If you wanted to kill someone, how would you do it?” Ross asked her again.

“Oh I…” she shrugged. “I’m not.. I wouldn’t kill anyone..”

“Yeah, neither would we! It’s just for… curiosity’s sake.” Ross shrugged.

“I…” Susie fidgeted, looking between them all. “I guess… I-I’d do something simple. A mix of both of your ideas!” She gestured to Ross and Robert. “Uhm… something… easy to clean but… not boring?” She shrugged.

“Like what?” Roy pressed.

“Uhm…” Susie itched her neck, thinking. She tried to remember some more macabre books she’d read. “If.. I wanted to do something big.. Big enough to get on the news… I’d… probably do it in school. Just… stabbing someone is pretty easy…” She kept her eyes down on the empty milkshake in front of her, mixing the last bits. “You could... Slit someone’s throat and throw them in the pool?” She suggested, finally looking up at the boys. They looked like they had been waiting for her answer all night.

“I like that,” Roy responded.

“It’s clean,” Ross nodded.

“And violent,” Robert smiled.

Susie awkwardly smiled at their shared reactions. She felt a strange validation, having not received a negative reaction. She looked down at their empty milkshakes and stood up, “I’ll get us another round.”

“Oh, sweet, thanks!” Robert slid their glasses towards her, allowing her to take them up to the counter where Kevin finally looked away from the glass door to meet her. She set the glasses on the counter and requested refills.

The boys watched her leave before slowly turning to face each other again. They glanced at each other, attempting not to smile at the dark irony.

“That was so fucked, Roy,” Ross finally spoke.

“Yeah, that was dark. Bringing her here in the first place was bad, but making her choose?” Robert said, his words not correlating with his excited smile.

“You think she has any idea?” Ross asked.

All three boys turned to look over their seats, seeing Susie leaning against the counter as she waited for their drinks. She saw them looking towards her and waved. Robert kindly returned it.

“No.” Roy smiled, the two other boys smiling after him.

[blakebow]

For me, what bugs me about the tragedy of Arkos, the darkness of rwby, and Bumbleby over BlackSun is the Self-Righteous Martyr/God-Complex of toxic contingent within these fandoms, to me they seem to ultimately not care the message these stories are trying to convey, but rather enjoy them and flaunt them for their own self-righteous megalomania

With the deaths of Pyrrha, and Penny respectively.

As soon as that happened, many among the fandom would come out and theatrically proclaim the necessity of these tragic deaths, how it is so realistic an shows “thats life”, and brag how ultimately hopeful the stories still are and how it taught them how to be oh-so hopeful despite the odds.

In any these cases, these people act as if they themselves were righteous martyrs, prophets of God,Life,Reality, usually the latter two because they claim "that's life" or "that's reality" all in a tone that reeks of holier-than-thou arrogance and vanity

Same with the Wasps over Bumbleby because “BEST SAPPHIC REPRESENTATION EVAR!!!” and taunting BlackSun fans for being “heteronormative”

They’re like Claude Frollo in a sense

"Of my virtue, I am justly proud..."

Or worse, they speak with ghoulish glee and bragging about it gives them a feeling of power over these fictional characters as if they themselves are God almighty and it bleeds into how they treat real people who didn't like it by passive aggressively or belligerently belittling, judging, shaming, gaslighting, and sneering at them, implying the worse reasons of their distaste, and tell them to go watch a sitcom or slice-of-life anime or something

Then they brag about what story was told with these ideas and concepts to be the end-all-be-all of these concepts in any fantasy/sci-fi epics that have even the slightest tinge of darkness and conflict and Representation and, lock them down into little theories, formulas, dogmas, and rule out everything else as a corruption, heresy, or a worthless little parasite, because they themselves are the infallible, all-knowing, and all-seeing “literary experts” who got everything all figured out and everyone else, wether the majority or minority, as peon reprobates.

Forgive my Catholicism talking, but it reminds me of the Pharisees

“They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”-Matthew 23:4

These self righteous people seem to only enjoy these stories not because of the message the tragedy and suffering is trying to convey, thats just a shield for them, but rather for their moral superiority and the thrill of power over others and being the measure of all things, for they know how life exactly works for specific individuals in specific genres and they know how to carry it out exactly.

Or with Bumbleby, how they are righteous champions of queer culture against eeeeevilllll heteronormative culture which reeks of resentiment

And that's why I am so irritable about Tragedy in these kinds of stories, it feels like they are no longer enjoyed out of humility, compassion, truth, goodness, and beauty.

But rather out of pride, vanity, power, cruelty, and moral superiority

While Bumbleby over BlackSun and the whole Adam fight enrages me because it feels like some sick power fantasy of LGBTQ+ Revenge against “Heterosexuality” while Sun is supposed to be kind of humble cuck

and sometimes it tempts me want to write my rwby au fanfic and original stuff inspired by it in a way that gives them all the finger rather than for what I saw these ideas and concepts could have been, just so I can give them a taste of their own medicine

I know that's wrong, but these people test my patience, especially when they keep invading other people's spaces, bypass other people's "curations" because "there's nothing subjective about this, I need to correct and educate you", and getting away with this kind of nasty behavior

you totally lost me on all the religious stuff, i don't subscribe to that by-weekly at all, fam.

on that note though, i do agree for the most part with the idea that the wasps have taken advantage of the canonization of bees to appoint themselves to some kind of sainthood, like they're holier-than-though over the rest of the fandom. and frankly, i can't stand those insufferable type of people.

they over project themselves onto terrible ships and even though people tell them how toxic and dysfunctional it is, it goes in one ear and out the other. they don't listen. they live in a detached bubble in a separate reality.

sad to say, that's not the first time that i've encountered fans like this in a fandom. some people really should be on a no fly list because they're clearly mentally unstable and a danger to others, but i don't get to make that call, unfortunately...

i want someone from crwby to come out and tell them that bees was never planned, because i think it would utterly shatter their delusional reality if they felt so betrayed by the hand that fed them. they should be soundly slapped several dozen times until they lose all coherrence.

[silvfyre-writings]

Resistant to Change (BSD Fanfic)

My first time writing Kunikida and I like to think I did well! Enjoy~

Kunikida had only been at the Armed Detective Agency for a couple of months now, and he was still unsure as to what his role is supposed to be. When he’d been approached by the man in charge, Fukuzawa had said that the skills that Kunikida had gained in his previous job, along with the virtues he held, would be a good fit for the kind of workplace he was trying to build. He still didn’t quite understand what the man had meant when he said those words, but it was a chance to do something new, to do something better suited to who he was as a person, and to grow—in short, it was an opportunity that only a fool would turn down.

Not once did Fukuzawa mention the use of his ability, which led Kunikida to believe he wasn’t wanted for it, and that was enough of a shock for him to agree. He didn’t mind using his ability to help others, but there was no denying that his current boss used him for his ability more than for his teaching skills, which was fine; Kunikida always did his job diligently regardless of what it was, even if it was just… restoring the office supplies for everyone else.

So it wasn’t a surprise that he hadn’t in his resignation and decided to go down this new path that’d somehow found him.

And then he met his new co-workers and questioned whether or not he’d somehow been dragged into some sort of scam or elaborate joke; one of them was a young woman with a butterfly clip, Yosano Akiko, and she’d introduced herself as the Agency’s doctor before eyeing him with a strange look and disappearing into her office. The other was the reason for the Agency’s existence, a one Edogawa Ranpo that Kunikida would’ve been a fool to have not heard of; a man with the ability to solve crimes just with a single glance, known for his mockery of the police as they came for his assistance, and childish nature. At first, Kunikida hadn’t believed the rumours he’d heard, but as Fukuzawa led him to the main office with a quiet warning that Ranpo may get a little intense, he’d started to believe the rumours.

Ranpo had taken one look at him and huffed before returning his attention to the game that he’d been playing, leaving it up to Fukuzawa to introduce the two of them. And while Kunikida had been polite, Ranpo had completely ignored him.

Even now, two months into his life at the Agency, his senior still refused to acknowledge him unless it was a demand for snacks or a demand for Kunikida to accompany him to whatever case Ranpo was working on. Accompany, not assist. No, that wasn’t fair—he had been out and solved a few cases, one of which had wound up with him earning Yosano’s respect so at least one of the founding members of the Agency acknowledged his existence—he was just annoyed that no matter how hard he worked, it never seemed to be good enough for Ranpo’s extremely high standards.

And normally, his senior’s… aloofness didn’t bother him, however—

When he was stuck on an eleven-hour trip to Sapporo with the man, even Kunikida’s patience found itself being tested. At first, Ranpo had been sated by the snacks that he’d forced Kunikida to purchase on his behalf, but that’d only lasted an hour before his senior grew restless, fidgeting in his seat. And while most would engage in conversation, Ranpo instead chose to huff and sigh without actually looking in Kunikida’s direction.

It was as Ranpo let out what must’ve been the fifteenth sigh that Kunikida finally spoke up. “Do you need something, Ranpo-san?”

Ranpo’s eyes slid towards him and narrowed. “No.”

“Then—” Kunikida started to say, only for Ranpo to turn away and curl up on the seat, facing away from him. Kunikida let out a sigh; this was going to be a long trip.

He pulled out his phone and checked it to make sure that Fukuzawa hadn’t reached out with any further details for the case, which he hadn’t, however there was a notification warning him of a potential blizzard that could happen in the next couple of days. As if this trip couldn’t get any worse. Another sigh escaped him. “There’s a weather warning for tonight.”

That elicited a reaction from his senior, Ranpo tensing in his seat. “What kind of weather?”

“A blizzard, but we should be done with this case in time to avoid it.”

Ranpo grunted, and curled up even tighter, which Kunikida didn’t even think was possible, and fell silent.

A long trip indeed.

“Thank you for coming out so far to help us.” The officer bowed towards Kunikida and Ranpo, a look of utter relief on his face as he thanked them. Kunikida could only nod in response; the man’s relief was understandable considering that it wasn’t often that a small town in the northern part of Japan would have a serial killer problem, and it was a well-known fact that the police in the smaller prefectures were understaffed and overworked—the reason why they’d reached out for the Agency’s assistance in the first place.

Beside him, Ranpo grinned, hands on his hips as he soaked up the praise that the officer was giving him… as Ranpo did of course. “A simple serial killer is no match for my ability! You’d do well to remember that!”

“Yes, yes, of course, Edogawa-san. We are forever grateful to you.” The officer bowed once more before straightening up. “The weather is supposed to turn tonight; will you be staying the night?”

“That would probably be wise. I’ve heard the blizzards can be rather harsh this far north.” Kunikida said before Ranpo could deny the offer. His senior may be keen to spend another eleven hours on a train, but Kunikida would rather spend the night in an actual bed and then begin the commute in the morning after a solid breakfast.

Ranpo flashed him an unhappy look, but didn’t argue.

“Well, we have an inn on the main street. I’ll help you get set up there, the cost on us as thanks for your help.”

“Thank you.” Kunikida said. “We appreciate the offer.”

The town was so small that the trip to the inn only took a few minutes, and it was only a few minutes more before he and Ranpo were let alone in one of the rooms. Being a small town, the inn was rather old fashioned, with futons in lieu of beds—not that Kunikida cared much so long as there was something to sleep on, but Ranpo turned his nose up at the accommodation.

“This is why I wanted to go back.”

Kunikida sighed. “Going back now would risk us getting caught in the coming storm, Ranpo-san. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer a futon to a train seat.”

“Whatever.” Ranpo huffed and stormed into the small bathroom—okay, not as old fashioned as he’d first thought if they had bathrooms—leaving Kunikida standing in the entryway holding their bags.

Kunikida closed his eyes and took a breath. Just another day and then they’d be back in Yokohama, and then he could just go back to work and not have to worry about trying to placate Ranpo, not that he was succeeding much in the first place. He looked towards the door that hid Ranpo from him; he truly didn’t understand his senior, nor why Ranpo was so reluctant to even talk with him. It wasn’t that he was incapable of being friendly because Kunikida had seen him do it to both Yosano and Fukuzawa, and he’d watched Ranpo run around a park playing with a group of children with a smile on his face, so why wasn’t Kunikida privileged to such behaviour? As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything to warrant being treated the way he was, and when he’d asked Yosano, she hadn’t been able to offer up anything either, just as confused as he was.

He hadn’t even bothered to ask Fukuzawa, mostly because he knew he wouldn’t get an answer.

A half hour passed and Ranpo still didn’t emerge from the bathroom, so Kunikida decided it best to get ready for bed. Already, the wind was starting to pick up, the temperature dropping within the room; he’d have to hunt for some extra blankets in case the temperatures dropped even further. The last thing either of them needed was to catch a cold so far from home—blizzards could last from a few hours to a few days, and knowing his luck, the latter would happen. He moved towards the futons and went about setting them up before making his way to a cupboard and pulling out the extra blankets stored there. He didn’t spread them over the futons, instead leaving them within reach for when they would actually be required.

Room set up, Kunikida stepped over towards the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Ranpo-san? Would you like something to eat?”

The weather wasn’t so bad yet that the general store would be closed—at least, he hoped that was the case.

No answer.

Kunikida frowned. “Ranpo-san?”

No answer again.

Carefully, he pushed open the door and peered into the room to find Ranpo curled up in the corner, already asleep in a rather uncomfortable looking position. It seems that the trip was rather draining for him. Without any hesitation, Kunikida stepped into the room and over towards Ranpo to lift the older man into his arms before leaving the room and placing him in one of the futons.

He sat down on the other futon, and pulled out a notebook—not the one he used with his ability of course—in order to start writing the report for the case they’d just solved. It was something that could’ve waited until they were back in Yokohama, but it wasn’t like there was anything else for him to do in the meantime; it was too early to sleep, and the weather was worsening by the minute. Writing the report would do to pass some time.

It wasn’t long before Kunikida found himself yawning, exhaustion tugging him towards sleep even though he was sitting up. And well, he wasn’t one to ignore what his body was telling him, so he put away the notebook and moved to get ready for bed, washing his face and changing into more comfortable clothing before sliding underneath the blankets on the futon. He left the light on, understanding that Ranpo slept easier with light in the room—a conversation he hadn’t meant to overhear, but had still filed the information away in hopes it would help him to grow closer to his senior.

And so far, he’d remained unsuccessful.

Kunikida jerked awake some hours later, unsure of what it was that’d woken him.

The first thing he realised was that the room was far colder than it had been when he went to sleep, freezing actually, for he could almost see his breath in the darkness of the room. That was the second thing he noticed—the light he’d left on had gone out, which no doubt meant that power to the building had been knocked out in the storm that was raging, wind battering the building like it was a child’s toy. He looked around the room, searching for his notebook and found it beside his pillow; if there was no power then he’d simply have to make his own light source.

It didn’t take long for him to call forth a few candles and set them about the room to provide a small amount of like, and that was when he noticed the final thing; that something was off with Ranpo.

Kunikida hadn’t noticed anything when he’d first woken up on account of there being no light, but now that he could sort of see in the room, he was able to see the way that his senior was curled up in a ball with no blankets and sweating.

Shit. Kunikida swore as he threw his own blankets off and crawled over towards Ranpo’s futon, reaching out with a hand to feel the other’s forehead. The skin was hot to touch, and Ranpo let out a whine, no doubt relieved to feel the cool touch that Kunikida’s hand offered. He frowned; he hadn’t noticed anything off with the older when they’d been working—sure Ranpo had been a bit quiet, but he’d placed that down to Ranpo’s usual standoffishness whenever they were in the same vicinity together.

Could it just be a spontaneous fever?

He could only hope so.

It only took a few seconds for Kunikida to formulate a plan in his mind, scribbling in his notebook to bring a few cloths into existence, and then getting up to track down either a bowl or a container that he could use to hold water. He found both, and wound up going with the bowl—it would be easier to use in his opinion—filling it with as much water as it would hold before setting it down within reach by Ranpo’s head. He grabbed one of the cloths and dipped it into the water, wringing it out before placing it on Ranpo’s forehead. The effect was immediate, Ranpo letting out a sigh, body relaxing as the cool water brought relief.

Kunikida sat back on his heels, thinking. With the weather currently storming, it wasn’t reasonable to try leaving, but without the proper tools, there wasn’t much he’d be able to do to combat whatever illness plagued Ranpo. He paused for a moment and then checked his phone. Through some miraculous stroke of luck, he had signal.

He dialled Fukuzawa’s number in record time.

“Is everything alright?” Fukuzawa’s voice was tired, clearly having been woken up by Kunikida’s call, but not letting it show as he understood the urgency.

“There’s a blizzard going on right now so we’re stuck in an inn and Ranpo’s ill.”

“Ill?” Kunikida could hear the frown through the receiver. “How bad?”

Kunikida glanced towards Ranpo and, nestling his phone between his ear and shoulder, moved to wet another cloth so that he could drag it over his senior’s skin. “He has a fever, but that appears to be the only symptom. I just woke up and he was sick. We don’t have power either.”

A hum came from the other side. “Do you have a way to keep him cool?”

“Yes, I’m using cold cloths. It’s all I have on me.”

“Just keep doing that. If he’s still in his detective’s outfit, get him changed into something cooler. If he’s shivering or starts to shiver, get him under some blankets.”

Kunikida frowned. “Wouldn’t he overheat with blankets?”

“The sweat from the fever will chill his body.” Fukuzawa said. “Considering how cold it is up there, you’ll need to be careful. Is there a hospital nearby?”

“A doctor’s clinic, but it’s too small a town for an actual hospital.” Kunikida felt stressed now, knowing that he was now the only one able to take care of Ranpo when he wasn’t well. “What should I do if the fever gets too high?”

The answer came in an instant. “Dump him in the shower and soak him. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best you’ll be able to do unless you can leave. Do not worry, Kunikida, I’ll wake Yosano and we’ll come to you. Just do your best until we can get there.”

“Okay.” Kunikida breathed out, and glanced over towards Ranpo once again. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.” Fukuzawa said, and then there was a click as the man hung up.

What a situation to get caught in. Kunikida thought, wetting the cloth on Ranpo’s forehead once again and replacing it. First thing’s first, he needed to see if he could rouse Ranpo which he admittedly should’ve done to begin with. He placed a hand on Ranpo’s shoulder and gently shook him. “Ranpo-san? Ranpo-san, I need you to wake up.”

He was greeted by a groan, and fluttering eyes as Ranpo cracked them open. His relief was short-lived however when Ranpo seemed to stare right through him and closed his eyes again. Kunikida shook Ranpo even harder. “Ranpo-san!”

“Wha…?” Ranpo’s eyes blinked open once again, and landed on Kunikida. “Ugh, why’s it so hot…?”

“You have a fever, Ranpo-san.” Kunikida explained, and then slid a hand underneath Ranpo’s shoulders. “I need to get you changed into something cooler, is that okay?”

For a moment, Ranpo just stared at him, and Kunikida feared he hadn’t been heard when his senior’s expression shifted into one of discomfort. “Yeah, ‘s fine.”

“Thank you.” Kunikida helped Ranpo to sit up, and the once he was certain that the man wouldn’t just slump over in a different direction, he got up and made his way to their bags, digging around until he found a pair of shorts and a shirt.

Next came the challenge of actually getting Ranpo changed, which would’ve been easy if he’d actually helped. But no, it was up to Kunikida to do all the work and by the time he succeeded, he was the exhausted one.

Meanwhile, Ranpo stared at him through bleary eyes. “Why do you try so hard?”

“What do you mean?” Kunikida questioned, finding the thinnest of blankets and tugging it up to Ranpo’s chin.

“To make me like you.” Came the quiet answer.

Why did he try so hard? It wasn’t like you could get along with everyone that you worked with, and most would’ve given up by now, but something just… compelled him to keep trying. He wanted—no, needed Ranpo’s respect. He couldn’t say why he needed it exactly, just that it felt like his career at the Agency depended on whether or not Ranpo actually wanted him there.

And so far it felt like he was failing.

“I simply wish to earn your respect, Ranpo-san.” Kunikida found himself saying. “I may not be on your level for solving cases, but I enjoy my work at the Agency. And knowing that you neither like or respect me makes it hard.”

Ranpo hummed, eyes slipping shut, but he didn’t answer.

Kunikida let out a quiet sigh and shuffled closer to refresh the cloth once again. “It doesn’t matter. You just get some rest, Ranpo-san.”

Another hum, and Ranpo faced away from him, curling up underneath the thin blanket; somehow the damp cloth doesn’t fall from its now precarious position.

Kunikida waited another hour, checking on Ranpo’s temperature every quarter before he decided to go back to sleep himself. His phone still had plenty of battery left, so he set an alarm for every hour that way he could check on Ranpo throughout the night. He could only hope that the fever would remain mild throughout the night; the last thing he needed was to have to give his senior an impromptu shower in the middle of a blizzard.

Crawling back into his futon, Kunikida pulled the blankets over him and rolled onto his side to face Ranpo, watching his senior for a moment before he closed his own eyes.

And found himself unable to sleep, far too stressed with worry over Ranpo’s condition to get any kind of meaningful rest. Every few minutes he sat up and crawled over to Ranpo’s sleeping form to check on his fever—it still burned fierce, but thankfully remained stable which was a relief, although it didn’t stop Kunikida from worrying. All it would take was one or two more degrees for the situation to become that much worse, and so, despite Kunikida wishing for sleep to come for him, he wasn’t overly surprised when it didn’t.

“Hngh.” Ranpo made a sudden noise that caught Kunikida’s attention, and he saw that his senior’s face was scrunched up. “No—"

“Ranpo-san?” Kunikida sat up, concern on his face. When he didn’t get an answer, he crawled back over to Ranpo’s futon. “Ranpo-san, are you alright?”

Ranpo, face covered in a sheen of sweat, and breathing heavier than he had been earlier, blinked open eyes that were glazed with fever. “Kunikida…san…”

Kunikida brushed his hand across Ranpo’s forehead, moving aside sweat soaked strands of hair gently, and frowned.

Ranpo’s fever was worse than before.

He moved fast, standing to replace the now room temperature water with fresh, cooler water. Once that was done, he replaced the dry cloths with fresh ones conjured from his notebook, placing one on Ranpo’s forehead and rolling another to slide underneath the back of his neck in hope that it would help. Ranpo let out a relieved sigh, relaxing a little.

And then he did something strange.

He reached out a hand towards Kunikida.

Kunikida blinked, but took hold of his senior’s hand. “Ranpo-san?”

“I don’t hate you.” Ranpo murmured. “Just… don’ like change…”

The sudden words confused Kunikida, and he squeezed Ranpo’s hand reassuringly; at least he knew now that his senior didn’t hate him. “It’s fine, Ranpo-san. But you really should rest.”

“’m cold.” Ranpo murmured, shivering slightly.

Remembering Fukuzawa’s words, Kunikida reached over towards the mountain of blankets he’d left at the foot of the futon and dragged a few more to cover Ranpo’s sickly form. “Is that better?”

Ranpo nodded, burrowing into the blankets. And then he spoke, voice muffled slightly by the blankets. “Don’t go.”

Kunikida blinked, confused.

Apparently Ranpo was someone that became clingy when he wasn’t feeling well.

But… it would be beneficial to stay close to him, to make sure that his fever didn’t get any worse throughout the night. It would be several hours before Fukuzawa and Yosano arrived. Several more hours of stress and having to take care of Ranpo who only a few hours ago, had been treating Kunikida like a speck of dirt on his shoe and was no asking for him to not leave him alone. Certainly not how Kunikida had expected the case to go when he’d been told to accompany Ranpo on it. But he was nothing if not diligent, so if Ranpo wished for him to stay, he would stay.

“Okay.” Kunikida lifted the blankets of Ranpo’s futon and slid in beside the man. The futon wasn’t meant for two people, but Ranpo didn’t seem to care, sidling up to Kunikida the moment he stopped moving, pressing his face into the crook of Kunikida’s neck.

Kunikida reacted instinctively, bring one arm up to rest around Ranpo’s shoulders, and using the wrist of his other to feel Ranpo’s temperature—as if he couldn’t feel the fever burning into his own skin from where the other’s head was resting. And with careful precision, he managed to refresh the cloths, settling them back to where they’d been before. “Try to rest. I’ll watch over you, Ranpo-san.”

Ranpo gave a short nod, and huddled closer, his breaths evening out moments later.

Good, Kunikida thought, closing his own eyes, perhaps we’ll get through this night yet.

|||||

When Ranpo opened his eyes, the first thing he registered was that he wasn’t alone in his bed, in fact, there were two new editions to the room that he definitely didn’t recall being there when he’d gone to bed. The next was that his body felt heavy, and that despite sleeping for however long he had, he still felt exhausted—and that was enough to tell him that something happened that he couldn’t remember. He looked over his shoulder and blinked in confusion when he saw that Kunikida was in the futon with him, and well, he had to wonder how that had happened. But first he had to address the other two people in the room.

“Why are you here?” Ranpo asked, frowning at Fukuzawa and Yosano as they knelt on what should’ve been Kunikida’s futon.

Instead of answering, Fukuzawa reached forward and rested the back of his hand against Ranpo’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”

Ranpo’s frown deepened. “Fine…? Why?”

“You don’t remember?” Yosano asked. “You had a fever.”

“… I did?” He didn’t remember, although his was actively telling him that he had been sick. “So, what? You two travelled eleven hours just to come play nurse?”

Yosano’s eye twitched but Fukuzawa was the one to answer, a small amount of exasperation in his voice. “No, Ranpo. Kunikida called me asking for advice because the two of you were stuck in a blizzard and he was worried you’d get worse. That is why we came.”

Ranpo glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Kunikida, a vague memory of a concerned face and a gentle, but cold touch, crossing his mind. “Oh.”

“You should thank him when he wakes up.” Yosano said. “By the time we got here, your fever had broken, but according to Kunikida, he was seconds away from dumping you in the shower to cool you down.” His oldest friend leaned over to flick his forehead, voice taking on that of a scolding tone. “And you are a fool, Edogawa Ranpo. You know that you get sick when you get stressed.”

Ranpo felt his face flush and pointedly looked away. “I didn’t want to get sick.”

Yosano opened her mouth to argue, but Fukuzawa placed a calming hand on her shoulder to stop her. His guardian stared at him. “If Kunikida’s presence is distressing you that much—”

“No.” Ranpo interrupted, and then pulled the blankets up over his face to hide from the two people that knew him best. “It’s fine. He’s proven himself, so it’ll be fine now.”

He didn’t have to see to know that Yosano and Fukuzawa were exchanging looks.

Fukuzawa let out a sigh. “Alright then. We have a few hours until we need to head back, so try to get some more rest.”

The sound of shuffling and then footsteps told Ranpo that the two were leaving the room and it wasn’t until he heard the door shut that he pulled the blankets down and rolled to face Kunikida, studying the man with a curious stare.

Ranpo was a man that was resistant to change. He hated it for the instability that it brought to his already unstable life, and so when Fukuzawa had brought Kunikida on as the newest member of the Agency, he’d hated Kunikida. It was irrational looking back on it now, but Ranpo and his emotions had always had that kind of relationship; it was why he’d always looked towards those closest to him to understand his feelings and how to deal with them. There were cases to solve and snacks to eat, so there was no time for him to play at understanding what he was feeling.

And well…

Taking care of someone who you thought hated you was one way to prove yourself to Ranpo and his irrational mind.

Ranpo smiled to himself and closed his eyes; he’d be watching Kunikida’s next steps in the Agency with interest.

Word Count: 4515

[prolix-yuy]

PedroStories HallowReads Celebration��

A Spooky Salute to Writers! 

There are literally hundreds of fics out here that have stolen my heart, but here are a few of my favorites. Forgive me if I wax poetic about some of these, but I think you'll love them just as much!

For other stories I've loved, check out my fic rec tag!

🎃 Here are my recommendations for @pedrostories’ HallowReads Celebration 🎃

My favourite fanfics I read this year

Point A to Point B by @amywritesthings Description: Escorting a former Empire prisoner of war to a Rebel Alliance safe zone? It should be a piece of cake. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. My thoughts: My space sister even when she's off in another galaxy far far away (aka another fandom), Point A to Point B was one of the first Din series I read that was in progress at the time I started. Nothing made me quite as excited as giving my blow-by-blow reactions to Amy's spectacular story, and I'll come back to a few of those...ahem...firsts time and time again. The writing style is crisp and gorgeously detailed, and I love her religious Din so very much.

Lie to Me by @iamskyereads Description: A recent transfer to the DEA from the FBI makes you a target of hazing from your co-workers. Choosing to forget your bad first day at a bar puts you on a path towards meeting a new acquaintance. An expert on deception and psychological profiling, you are adept at catching liars. What happens when an increasingly stressful work environment begins to test the limits of your personal life and the one man at the center of it all, Javier Peña? Afterall, everybody lies about something. But how many are you keeping from yourself? An AU of Season 3 of Narcos My thoughts: Skye writes some of my favorite "it's canon now" stories, and Lie to Me is a shining example of what her creative mind can do with Season 3 plus an incredible reader character. I have never read a story where the reader was so different than me but also someone I'd so badly like to be that I could really imagine it to be true. Plus her Javi is so thoroughly rendered in perfect introspection I half expect scenes from the show to have Carino in the background. A must read!

Surrender by @ezrasbirdie Description: Weeks after the events in Kansas City, Joel and Ellie stumble across a woman lost in the Nebraska wilderness. With her knack for foraging and unending patience for Ellie's ceaseless questions, Daisy quickly becomes an asset on their journey. But between Joel's capriciousness towards her presence and Ellie's fierce loyalty to her guardian, she can't help but question her place with her new companions--especially when she catches Joel's gaze lingering more and more when he thinks she isn't looking. My thoughts: Listen, I know there's a lot of Joel out there right now, but this Joel? You need to read this Joel. A glorious character study of an intensely broken man finding a new start through the eyes of a complex and powerfully realized OC. There are whole chapters that have me in a chokehold, and the pain is so stunningly offset by the beauty they find in each other. One of my favorite things Birdie has written (and there are lots to choose from!)

Celestial Navigation by @write-and-buried Description: Dumped and drowning in a summer storm, you duck inside a coffee shop to hide from your broken heart. Covered in plants and hand drawn images over exposed brick, it seems like a slice of heaven. The owner brings you a blueberry muffin and a promise; you’ll fall in love with him before the new year. My thoughts: How can I not mention the story I salivated over every week waiting for a new chapter? This Dieter has all of the hallmarks of canon Dieter with so much more depth and a unique twist to his character that works perfectly in this sort-of AU. Every description is lush and ripe, sensuality used to lull you into horny heaven. Gorgeously realized and a wonderful contained read again and again.

Intimidation Tactics by @whataperfectwasteoftime Description: You and your partner, Marcus Pike, are investigating a case that brings you far too close to something much more dangerous than your average art thief.   My thoughts: Penny came out of the gate SWINGING with this series. Marcus and Dave's chemistry is electric, and the three of them together weave attraction and devotion into something much more grounded and confident than I expected. Their relationship blossoms so fully I can't imagine it any other way.

Wild Abandon by @starlightmornings Description: Post-WWII, set in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Ezra Joe Collins came home from the war looking to hide away in the wilderness. His simple, quiet life is turned upside down when you show up in his garden, hungry and desperate, with nowhere else to go. What starts out as a grudging friendship quickly transforms into something that will knit your very souls together — but as you soon discover, such a bond comes at great cost. My thoughts: Kaylie's masterful execution of this thematic story kept me on the edge of my seat for weeks! The setting and voice is some of the most unique writing I've come across, and the threads she weaves together to make the full picture come to light had me gasping. Plus Ezra is the perfect balance of hedonistic and mysterious, just the way I like him.

Beloved fanfics with my comfort characters

First Class to Tatooine by @mandosmistress Description: You’re a flight attendant who’s so entranced by your melancholy, beskar-clad passenger that you decide to cheer him up with some first class treatment. And although the Mandalorian seems to think he can forget his woes between your legs if he tries hard enough, despair and violence seem to follow him no matter how hard he tries to shake them. My thoughts: Mari's fic was some of the first I read in the fandom and if I'm ever missing Din I come back to this story. Her young Din fics are transcendent, but I'm so in love with this post-TBOBF story and the angst she pulls out of it.

Kinktober 2022 by @chaoticgeminate Description: You’re a fanfiction writer turned novelist, which was great since it was the path you wanted your writing to take you down in life. What you never thought would happen was meeting the Javier Gutierrez, who you actively write smutty fanfiction about from his film with Nic Cage, and you especially didn’t expect him to have a crush on you. Fast forward several months of dating, with a good chunk of your relationship being distance due to his constant traveling and having to go home to Mallorca, when he surprises you with a prompt list and a vacation planned around exploring it. You haven’t even worked up the nerve to tell him about what you write and post to Tumblr about him as a character yet. My thoughts: Who doesn't want to live in a world where some happy accidents bring you together with Javi Gutierrez in a sexy funfest full of feelings, healthy relationship conversations, and mind-blowing smut? Plus Kelly made me almost cry several times featuring my beloved Murch in her stories and now our RCs are best friends forever.

Palomino by @fuckyeahdindjarin Description: Unable to get a refund for a week-long horse-riding pack trip you’d booked with your ex, you decide to go solo. As it turns out, a rebound with a cowboy named Jack while traversing the wild landscapes of Wyoming might just be what you need. My thoughts: Palomino is a triumph of a fic by the incredibly talented Cee that is a must-read if you like anything horsey. Even if you don't, come for the soft-spoken cowboy we were robbed of in TGC and their adventures together. Cee took so many unique turns that had me intrigued with my heart clenching at each new chapter, and the ending is truly something beautiful.

Fanfics I wish more people knew about

Calculated Risks by @pedrito-friskito Description: I took a calculated risk, but fuck, am I bad at math aka - this started as friends with benefits but you’re ridiculously good in bed and not as much of an asshole as originally thought and now I’m kind of in love with you? a saga. My thoughts: Kay's Dieter is a chaotic mess in the best way, and she pairs him with someone just as messy and perfect for him. They traverse some highs and lows together, but the love is so carefully threaded through you have to root for them.

Vibes by @mandoblowmybackout Description: Sex toys, Din Djarin, neurodivergent reader and so many feelings? What's not to love? My thoughts: The number of times I've closed my eyes and thought of scenes from this series is too large to count. As sexy as the concept sounds, the trust and care that Ash takes to give these two the love they deserve is even more exhilarating.

Kitten by @boliv-jenta Description: The reader meets Nico at a swingers party. Will he just scratch an itch or carve a place in her life? My thoughts: Liv has so many fics I adore, but the exploration of Nico as a character and how his and Kitten's experimentation grows is just masterful. Plus she gives us one of my favorite OC side characters and so many twists and turns I was gobbling up each addition the moment they came out!

Fanfics with my favourite trope/AU

Love Triangles by @littlemisspascal Description: Soulmates with Identifying Marks AU, including a ridiculous amount of pining, misunderstandings, and Dieter being Dieter. My thoughts: Rae's writing never fails to make me feel the widest spectrum of emotions. This AU is so fun and thoughtfully fleshed out, with a wild but kind Dieter, hilarious nicknames, and a soulmate twist that had me a gooey mess by the end.

Stranger At My Gate by @leslie-lyman Description: A time-traveling Pero. A modern woman trying her best. A kitchen full of possibility. A helping of Midwestern kindness. A dash of magic. And a whole lot of Christmas spirit. My thoughts: I read this around the holidays and it was the perfect treat for my time-travel-Pero-loving heart! The world Leslie creates is so warm and homey I want to live in it always. Plus big gruff Pero melting down for Tessa makes me want to cry, it's so wonderful.

A Galaxy Far Far Away by @grogusmum Description: This fic is as much a story about Din, Grogu, and Reader as it is a little love letter to an old home of mine, during an idyllic time in my life. As with most authors, there are characters who are a reflection of them, and that is certainly so for reader characters in fics. And it is so here, but only a little, but the cottage, the town, the festivities are directly from life. I hope they come across kind of like characters in their own right. My thoughts: Every time I get a new piece of this story it melts me again. The love in this is quiet and gentle, and Grogu is a sweet little menace we adore. The slow growth of love is truly the star, and I'll forever want to live in this town with a big teddy bear of a man and his mischievous son.

The Language of Flowers by @lowlights Description: You’re the only daughter of a wealthy Victorian family living in the countryside. The head gardener, Din, catches your eye and your heart. A series of clandestine rendezvous put both of your futures in jeopardy. One question persists: could you ever truly be together? (A Din Djarin AU) My thoughts: Gardener!Din owns my heart, my nethers, a large piece of my brain. The Victorian vibes are off the CHARTS, and while there's the looming doom of their secret relationship always present, I still fall back in love every time.

Fanfics I NEED to read

A Girl Walks Into a Bookshop by @oonajaeadira Description: Set a couple of years after the events of the film. Ezra owns a bookshop. You walk in. My thoughts: This has been on my TBR forever and I feel like I need to set aside a day to just binge it. I know it'll make me soft. I know it'll give me all the feels. I just need to prepare myself for it, preferably with a warm drink and a cozy corner to melt in.

Meant to Be by @radiowallet Description: Oberyn Martell has spent his life as a second-born prince enjoying all the pleasures that Dorne has to offer, staving off any notion of an arranged marriage under the guise of searching for his soulmate. But after defeating The Mountain and avenging his sister's untimely death, Oberyn returns home to his brother still without a true heir. And so Doran states his plan: To name Oberyn Lord of Sunspear and have him take a wife, soulmates and lovers be damned. So what happens when the fates of Westeros send him an independent and troublesome woman from the north that just happens to fit the title of both bride and soulmate? Which feelings does one bow to? To bend or to break? And what does it truly mean to be meant? My thoughts: Cat's unique take on a Soulmate AU with an unlikely Pedro boy has been tantalizing me for months! And to hear her say that it's one of the formative stories that's developed her unique voice just makes me want to read it more!

Clean Sheet by @haylzcyon Description: Former FBI agent turned tortured crime-author Marcus Pike has never gotten the hang of complacency. The weight of monotonous days stuck writing a loveless character into predictable plotlines is heavy - but he finds ways to shoulder it. Newly divorced and the owner of a print shop where Marcus orders copies of his working drafts, a slip-up in order packaging sparks a fast blooming friendship between you, and reveals a side to Marcus that you've only dreamt of. My thoughts: AUTHOR MARCUS AUTHOR MARCUS I know this is going to get me yearning and I cannot wait for him to meet-cute his way into my heart.

Like a Moth to the Flame by @the-scandalorian Description: monster!Din, sort of a dark Beauty and the Beast AU My thoughts: Oh god. Oh godddddd. Monster!Din. I can't. I need a minute. I'm gonna be such a problem after this story and I need to be ready for that. I'm looking so disrespectfully at this story Simone.

Thank you to each and every writer who's on this list (plus dozens more) and whose words are forever imprinted in my brain, for better or worse. Happy Spooky Season!

[freyaegall]

Haunted (AO3 fanfic, rated Explicit, currently ~187K words) Chapter 17

Astarion x female!reader Chapter 17 summary: Your focus wavers as you keep being tested by someone very persistent, and very insistent. In between temptations, you dig deeper into your newfound ally, and are more certain than ever he knows more than he's saying. All of it is a lesson in patience, if ever there was one.

Tags include: Smut and lots of it, angry sex, rough sex, angst, blood drinking, vampire bites during smut, Dom/sub (Dom Astarion), public/semi-public smut, consensual throat fucking, canon-typical Astarion violence, action/adventure, kind of a slow romance burn, exploration of dark canon issues, BG3 spoilers, who needs sleep I'd just dream of Astarion anyways, spanking, shower smut, use of a makeshift gag, a lil backdoor play, orgasm delay/denial Haunted - Chapter 17 - IntoTheGallifray - Baldur's Gate (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own] Excerpt from Chapter 17 (NSFW):

----

"Demons?" Astarion's tone is pure curiosity, completely at odds with the confident way his fingers slide down over the front of your underwear, and cup you. "Now you have my attention..."

You find yourself wishing you had foregone undergarments again. "Y-Yes. After you left earlier... we all decided we-heeee" – he presses a firm stroke against your clit, and you instinctively clamp your thighs around his hand – "ahem, we all decided we won't weaponize our pasts against each other anymore. I-It's..." You trail off when you feel the fingers of his free hand dig into your thigh and wrench it away from your other one. You hadn't even noticed him putting his book down. "It's not fair." You hoarsely finish.

If Shadowheart knows what's going on beneath the table, she has the aplomb to not show it. There is a draped cloth covering it, and you’re sitting with your backs to the wall, but you know she’s sharper than most. Though she seems more focused on chastising Astarion. "And what are your thoughts on that, Astarion?"

He makes a show of thinking about it, all while making a 'V' with his fingers and lazily running them up and down either side of your entrance. "Well, it's not as thrilling as actual demons..." The timing of Shadowheart's scoff covers your little gasp when Astarion teasingly lifts the hem of your underwear with his pinky. "But I suppose I can play along."

Shadowheart rolls her eyes, "I'll consider that your word then."

Astarion slips his hand beneath the last barrier separating him from you, and starts lightly tracing symbols over your clit. Your thighs try to slam shut again, but he's still got a firm hold on one of them.

With a clenched jaw, you do your very best not to let what he's doing to you show on your face as he asks, "What happens if I break said word?"

Her smile starts small. "We'll find out how quickly you heal from spear injuries..."

Based on his tone, he's clearly unimpressed – though the way his finger speeds its motions and drives you to grip the table hard enough to leave indents tells a different story. "That's hardly-"

Shadowheart's smirk takes on a disturbing shade. "From the inside."

Vaguely, you register he's writing his name on you again, in cursive this time. You try not to read too much it into as you hear his response. "Now we're talking, darling." You almost rip the page you're holding when he abruptly curves his middle finger inside you. He almost sounds excited by the prospect of Shadowheart’s threat. "And where would you impale me?"

Shadowheart cocks her head, and your body trembles with the exertion of remaining still. "That might be more of a spur of the moment decision, but I will most certainly be using holy water as I do it."

As Astarion rocks his hand, he adds a second finger, hitting that spot inside you that sends a jolt of electricity throughout your body. You're pretty sure you get splinters under your fingernails as you dig them into the table – they can join those you got from the shelves – all while somehow keeping your book aloft to try and hide your face.

"I do love when it burns." 

----

[susurusssecret]

Something I've been meaning to put down into words is the compassion I've witnessed on AO3. On one hand, I'm seeing so many sweet and polite comments on my fanfic, but on the other...

I've been seeing the same person comment on my favourite AO3 author's story asking when they were going to update, when is the story going to be written, how they couldn't wait any longer and they wanted a date for the next update...

Sometimes, life happens. The author could be working their ass off during their day job. Or even multiple jobs. They could be writing a dissertation. They could be starting a family. They could be living paycheck to paycheck. They could be spending more time on other hobbies. They could be moving houses. They could be in college, or in high school, studying for a test, focusing on a project at work, busy taking note of their employee's tasks for the day etc...

Or they could've simply fallen out of progress.

You can't get your angst or fluff or suspense without someone spending hours, weeks or months painstakingly plotting every twist of the story that you're so invested in. And that person still has to set aside very limited time they have on this Earth between work and/or studies to sit down and write.

Either ways, all of these possibilities and even more are signs that these authors have a life outside of writing. For the love of god, please have a little more patience. Every writer wants their works to be of satisfaction! And that doesn't come without a cost: which can come in the form of prolonged writing period.

You can find writers of all kinds typing on their phones on their way home from work. Or even sneaking to write a fluff idea between shifts, scribbling a note for a redemption arc scene they'll write later in the break room of a shop, or taking a break between study sessions to finish typing a angsty fanfic on their laptop.

Time is a our most precious commodity. And these fanfiction writers you hold so dearly to your heart are using their limited time in life to create something that they freely share with you! Write a nice comment telling them how much you love their work! Praise them! Give them kudos! Share their work with friends that love the same stuff! These little things shows writers that you appreciate what they're doing. Even coming back after weeks or months to comment and say that you still love their work is a heartwarming reminder to the author that someone out there cherishes their work enough to revisit it.

Remember: they can always write. But they can choose not to share it with the public either. Fanfiction writers are making the world a better place for me and you by expanding our ideas of our favourite characters.

Choose to be kind.

[mldrgrl]

20 fanfic questions

Tagged by @randomfoggytiger

How many works do you have on AO3? 253

2. What's your total AO3 words count? The way I feel like it took me an hour to find this - legit thought this question was going to make me go add up every total. 1,072,878

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files, Hanella (if that counts), The Matrix (all two stories)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

This was surprising to me: Unbridled Tumblr drabble prompts One Lonely Night We Wish You a Happy Holiday Broken Things

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always - though admittedly it takes me some time now. I deeply appreciate anyone taking time to make a comment on a story, so I think it's important to always say thank you, at the least.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Without question, it has to be The Unbearable Weight of Things Unsaid

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I don't know the answer to this...I think a majority of the time I try to write happy endings, with few exceptions, so I honestly have no idea how to answer. Everything but maybe three stories???

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have, yes.

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

I do. What are the kinds of smut!?!? The smutty kind.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

LOL. Yes, The Fall and Californication.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

YES. The absolute worst feeling. And then to be asked to participate in a narrative that I pass myself off as the other person so they would not get caught. Horrible.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. The best feeling!

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Many years ago I used to participate in round robins for another fandom.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Mulder and Scully.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

The WIP I'm working on right now has been testing my patience, but I'm determined that it will get finished, even if it takes me another two years. Aside fro that, I have no other WIPs.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description. The difference between lay, lie, laid, lied, lying and laying. I don't care how many times I have to look it up, which is every time I try to use one of those words, it doesn't make sense to me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I appreciate it when it's authentic and there's a reason for it. I've done it before and sought out a native speaker to help me on it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Lois & Clark

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Broken Things - I would really love to get myself back to that little world and write more for it. I always had an idea for a prequel of sorts, and it would be great if I could actually feel like I can write again.

Tiger seemed to already tag everyone, so if you happen to see this and want to answer, please consider yourself tagged!

[giggly-squiggily]

hello!!! So I finally wrote a fanfic of Muzan being ticklish from that one headcannon I sent in a while ago. Here it is!

The Day Douma Found Out

Summary: Muzan summoned Douma for a private meeting, but things take a new turn when Douma gets a bit hands on (SFW)

Warnings: Not Canon, Swearing

Enjoy! ⭐️

His patience was already running thin. “Douma, you have failed to bring me the blue spider lily. Again.” Muzan spoke calmly, despite his harsh words. “Master Muzan~” Douma spoke from-the floor…”I’m so sorry…I’ve failed you yet again!~Oh what shall I do to repay you? Shall I chop off an arm? Gouge out my own eyeballs-“ “I have no need for your useless eyeballs.” Muzan cut him off quickly. “What I Need is for you to finally show some usefulness around here.” “Oh Lord Muzan~” Douma practically sang. “What would you like me to do!~Anything you wish for me to complete and it’ll be done~” Douma crawled over to Muzan, gripping onto the back of his shirt. “What shall I do for you?~” Muzan growled lowly. “You can start by-“ He stopped, turning his head away. “Hm? I can start by what Master  Muzan?~” Douma cooed, smiling brightly. “Y-you can start by-letting go..and standing up.” Muzan growled out-but, was that a stutter? “As you wish, Lord Muzan~” Douma released Muzan’s shirt and stood up swiftly. But he was curious-why had Muzan acted like that? He ran back through his actions-grabbing the back of his shirt, talking, and-wait. Douma stared over at Muzan, and a slow, shit-eating grin appeared on his face. “Why Master Muzan~” Douma slowly moved to stand right behind him. “Did you get a new shirt? This one seems different from your last shirt~” He reached up and slowly dragged his hand down Muzan’s back, not letting his nails quite touch him. “D-douma-get your claws off of me-“ Muzan growled out, his voice just slightly shaking. “But Lord Muzan~” Douma cut him off. “My claws aren’t even on you~if my nails were on you, it would be much different~Here, like this…~” Douma switched and instead dragged his claws down Muzan’s spine, shocked at the girlish squeal manlysqueak that Muzan let out and the snort that practically flew out of his mouth. And-holy shit-the blushthat immediately came to Muzan’s cheeks. Before he could process what happened. Muzan had whipped around and slashed his hand off. “Never. That-NEVER happened, got it?” This time Muzan spoke angrily, genuinely threatening him. Douma stood shocked for a moment before a wide, once again shit-eating grin appeared on his face. “Oh Lord Muzan~I wouldn’t dream of it~but…in case my mouth slips, to keep me silent how about we test where else you’re tic-“ Before he could finish, Douma’s head was sliced off. “No. And don’t-don’t say that word…” Douma couldn’t see it, but he imagined Muzan’s cheeks were lightly flushed pink. He couldn’t be more wrong-Muzan’s face was a flaming red bright enough to rival the tips of Rengoku’s hair.

The End! I Hope you enjoyed!

KJERKEKJKJREJRJ OH SNAP!!! (It's been a hot minute since I've got this my bad friend akljaejkrjkejr) WOW! I really enjoyed this, friend! I'm not much of a Muzan person, but the idea of Michael Jackson Muzan having a ticklish back is so real to me? Not many are bold enough to try, but Douma's willing to risk it all!

A small writing tip; formatting makes it easier to read your work, so spacing out the paragraphs in your fics helps the eye catch all the words vs a block of text- if that makes sense! Besides that, I really enjoyed your work!

Thank you for sharing, friend! :3 (I especially loved the way you wrote Douma- it was DELIGHTFUL!)