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[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

What do I know about you? - Part 4

Previous Chapter Here!

Next Chapter (Under Construction): Here!

Where it all started! HERE!

Summary: Lullaby finds some common ground with the marine serving as Khopesh’s eyes and ears, and a slightly more positive perspective. Meanwhile Khopesh is facing very Un-Astarte like feelings and does Not enjoy it.

Tags: @felinisnoctis @barn-anon @kit-williams @sleepyfan-blog @bleedingichorhearts @egrets-not-regrets @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @passionofthesith @bispecsual

Authors Notes: Another collaboration with @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan and characters from @kit-williams and @sleepyfan-blog! If I've used one of your boys and forgot to mention it please tell me.

As the familiar sight of his neighborhood and specifically his Lullaby's home comes into view Khopesh feels…uneasy. 

There's no active danger. No charging enemy force or xenos threat, the landscape is as peaceful as he'd left it. 

So why does he feel like he needs to burst from his armor and Run with every step. His insides feel jumbled and conflicted and his hearts are racing. 

Get inside, get the items, get back to Lullaby. He repeats the mantra in his head over and over. Using it to stay focused. 

He's so focused on getting Into Lullaby's house and getting this Over with he nearly jumps when movement over to his left catches his attention.

“Khopesh? Is that you?” A salt and pepper head of hair popping up from behind one of the vehicles is what had triggered his reaction. Even if he'd never met this human personally he knows instantly who he is.

Lullaby takes a great deal after their father. The older man notices him and heads over to the Nightlord.

“Ah- there you are Khopesh,” Lullaby’s father says, looking him over. “I’m just heading out to see Lullaby.” He explains. 

Khopesh doesn't know how to respond. His body is still thrumming, and he really is Not in any mood for small talk. In fact talking feels like it would exhaust him even more than he already is. 

But Lullaby's father continues. He...Just…Keeps…T a l k i n g!

“They mentioned you'd be swinging by to grab a few things. I've got them packed up here so you wouldn't have to dig for em.” The man says gesturing to a box he has on his car. “Said they wanted their rabbit, their blanket and-”

(!) Something suddenly snapped in the Nightlord. (A small snap though, he wasn't going to harm his Lullaby's father.) “I Am Well Aware of what my Lullaby requested.” He cut the older human off with a sharp hand wave. “AND I would have been more than Capable of Digging, these items out.” Khopesh continued with a mild growl in his voice. 

“Your interference was unneeded, I will take it from here-” The Nightlord attempted to brush past the human male.

“What did you just say to me?”

Khopesh perked up at the shift in the man's tone. It had been awkward but friendly at first, now it sounded…much less so. 

Fine. “I said your Interference was unneeded.” Khopesh replied with a bitter edge to his voice. “I will be gathering and giving these items to My Partner. Your involvement otherwise would only be A Hindrance.”

A new expression settled over the human man's face, and Khopesh felt a strange new emotion twist inside, competing with his pent up frustration. 

It almost felt like…guilt. Maybe because that was the specific look Lullaby had given him when they'd told him to back off trying to prove something with the spicy ramen. 

Curze's sake they really Did look very much alike. Nature vs nurture who can say?

Khopesh was broken from his train of thought when the father before him spoke up. “Listen, you might be my child's ‘partner’ but that's just it. They were my child first young man!” Oh damn he'd seen this before, his Vada looked a lot like this when he got protective. And more guilt filled his gut with each passing word. “And I know when my child is lying to me.” He affirmed. “So don’t bullshit me! What’s going on with them?”

Khopesh pulls himself together for a moment from the disbelief. Is Lullaby's whole family so bizarrely fearless??

He pulls on his Nightlord intimidation and looms as he frowns down at the older baseline human. Most tend to be nervous around Space Marines- and a lot are openly fearful of Night Lords.

But apparently not in this Family??? The old man (who isn't quite as old as his Vada) squares his shoulders and meets Khopesh's gaze head on. He’s surprised that Lullaby’s father isn’t backing down. 

“I can do this All Day.” He huffs, crossing his arms. “So you might as well tell me sooner, rather than later.”

Caught out, flat footed, utterly exhausted and looking into the stone set gaze of a man who reminds him far too much of both his Vada and His Lullaby. 

Because he's Lullaby's vada, of course he reminds you of both. An inner voice replies.

And that's when Khopesh realizes… he…he actually Does want to tell him. I mean…he's literally half of what Created his Lullaby, raised his Lullaby, helped make them the person that Khopesh had grown to…care for so much. 

However, Khopesh knows that he can’t directly tell the man what is going on.

Partly because the man won’t understand what’s happening to them, and another because even He doesn't fully understand what's happening to them. 

Which is terrifying. 

He struggles for a moment before saying, “Lullaby is under the Care of Apothecary Hura, so they are safe.” His voice is more dampened, neutral, trying to keep a leash on just how unhappy he is about the situation, and the fact that his Father Anrir and Hura had basically stolen Lullaby from him. 

The human man notices the subtle souring of his expression, and the way the younger man’s hands clench and unclench.

Lullaby’s father arches an eyebrow at the young Nightlord , “Is there…. Anything about their situation that has worsened?” That is one of the most pressing concerns that he has.

“...” Khopesh is uncertain as to how to answer that question. There is so much that he doesn’t know and its starting to really bother him.

He’s… he feels so lost at this moment, and Khopesh takes in a slow deep breath as he pulls on his Bond- the urge, the need to check on his Vada and Muti. Safe- alive, happy, healthy. That soothes something deep in his hearts.

“You're just as much in the dark as we are I guess.” Khopesh turns to the man, and he sees a similar expression of worry. 

“You know…when that one first had their…fall.” He begins, swallowing as he seems to be mulling over the words. “It was the Worst feeling I had ever known. And I always wondered…if I'd been there. Or maybe if I'd stayed home that day. Maybe…maybe it wouldn't have happened.”

Khopesh listens. In all this happening and stress, he'd actually forgotten the Golden Bastard was a factor. The factor really. 

He'd kill him. Skin him. Force feed him his own intestines for this- 

“It was hard…going back to work. Not being able to help as much with their recovery. Of course I'll never be able to thank the Astarte therapists and doctors enough. And especially the ones who helped them that day they…They saved my b-bear…” The Baseline begins to choke up a bit. 

“But…as odd as it sounds. Having you around it…put my mind at ease.”

Khopesh perked up at that, but he was confused. 

“Now don't get me wrong when you First showed up I…won't deny I was pretty uncertain. But then you know what happened?” The man asks Khopesh with a slight mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Lullaby came home, raving about how you'd spooked them. At first they were annoyed. But the more they talked, I could tell they…didn't really mind you popping in from time to time.”

“Talking about how they sassed you. Or managed to not jump at your latest prank. Or even how Cute you looked helping Nancy and Gary or chasing the chickens or trying to handle the feed scoops.”

Khopesh snorted, Astartes shouldn't appreciate being called cute but…it was from his Lullaby so it was Different!

“And…knowing that you were always so close. Basically another set of eyes and one that was more a fixture in the neighborhood, it…helped me. Helped all of us feel…just a little bit safer. That if something bad, like another…fall, were to happen again. My bear bear wouldn't be left without help.” The man finishes, putting a hand on the Night Lords arm. “Thank you for that. Truly. I'm glad you came here and decided to stay.”

Khopesh feels his insides churn again. This time with a mix of sadness, guilt and warmth. Why'd he have to be such a fuckin prick before!? Lullaby's vada didn't deserve that! He decides to put those feelings aside so he can respond. “Thank you…I wish I could…do more.”

“You've done a lot. I know my Bear appreciates you.”

He's…he’s so fucking glad to hear that but F-fuck! Those fucking squirming feelings in his insides are flaring up again. He feels like he's about to…

No. No he can't do that here! He won't!

(!) Then he feels it. Another pull on his bond, a more insistent one this time. His head immediately swivels to his house. 

The Baseline human notes his attention shift. “What is it?”

“My Vada and Muti…I need to go check on them.” He states knowing this is undeniable. “But…Lullaby needs their comfort items I can't -!” He feels a bit like he's about to tear his hair out. 

“Go.” Khopesh turns to Lullaby's vada. The human Baseline encourages him. “I'll tell Bear you needed to check on your family. And you'll bring the box with you once you're done.” He states picking up the box of items from his car hood so he can hand them to Khopesh. “They'll understand.”

Khopesh looks at the box, then at Lullaby's vada. He's still clearly worried, but he's putting on a warm brave face. 

Yes, Lullaby wouldn't fault him for needing to take a family detour but…

Khopesh gently pushes the box back into Lullaby's vada's arms. 

They don't Need Him to be the one to deliver these items. “They should get these items as soon as possible.” Khopesh explains to remove the baselines confusion. “Go to them. Tell them I will be there as soon as I can and…Comfort them…while I cannot.”

Lullaby's Vada adjusts his hold on the box and smiles. “Alright. I will. My wife will be there soon too.”

The human man loads the box into his car and starts on his way down the road as Khopesh proceeds in the opposite direction. 

He picks up speed and vaults towards the source of his bond. And while he's still uncertain, he appreciates his Lullaby won't be alone for much longer. 

_____________________

Claude had sent the request to Anrir and Hura that he be able to speak with Lullaby, in part because access to them had become restricted due to the unknown and unrecorded nature of their bond and their potential for being a Psyker- one of the first recorded that they have heard of.

At least they are letting you see them.

The Medical-talk is confusing- see if Cedric understands their ramblings when you talk to him next time.

Hope you don’t fuck things up for Khopesh and Lullaby further.

Claude is allowed to visit them for a bit, and he’s going to be allowed to talk to them, just keep at least a five pace distance between himself and them. For the next test, he’s not allowed to touch them, for now to see if there is anything that happens or doesn’t happen. 

Quick! Say something nice.

At least Lullaby understands what it’s like to be a Cursed Wretch.

Like you are. A Cursed, wretched half broken tool.

Even the absence of something happens could give them new data, or at least another route to take. Or so Claude heard the older space marine mutter- him and Hura talking hypotheticals that make his head hurt.

Claude knocks on the door and hears Lullaby’s voice that bid him to enter, “Hello Lullaby,”

They look so tired.

Your little zap has caused SO much trouble!

What a mess you helped make!

He tries not to be nervous, and rubs his hands against his pants and looks over at them.

“Ah so…” You pose somewhat awkwardly. “You feel anything different happening?”

Claude shakes his head. “No…but I um…”

Your eyebrow raises curiously at the way Claude seems to be fumbling to get his words out. 

“I just…I wanted to let you know, that I know what it’s like to be cursed.” Claude means that very sympathetically. 

Uh…what? “What do you mean?” You ask, confused, frowning across the room at Claude a little.

Claude reminds you of the words you’d spoken earlier, and his earnest expression as he rubs his chest as he explains how he understands what it’s like to feel so wretched, so cursed, how, “And you feel like everything you touch gets corrupted or perverted. Or like you are a plague upon others- only meant to cause them harm.”

Hopefully Anrir and Hura will remember their limits as a baseline human.

I hope that they can learn to control their powers.

If A psyker cann’t control their powers. Their only use is to die.

You have a sudden realization, like a crashing wave, as you hear some of the words, thoughts and feelings that you'd had, reflected back at them from Claude. 

And however right it had felt in the moment to voice those negative thoughts they'd clearly sunk deeper into more than just yourself. 

“I…don't think it's healthy to be talking about yourself that way.” You say. 

Of course its not healthy.

You aren’t the most stable of Astartes.

I wonder how worried they’d be if they knew about the voices in your head.

Claude's brow furrows in confusion. “I don't understand.”

“Look, I know what I said earlier.” You explain shifting to fully face the young space marine. “I was angry and frustrated and…scared outta my mind that something I don't fully understand could end up hurting the people around me.”

“And while it's fine to be cautious, and to self-reflect, I went too far, letting my meanest inner voice speak. But you know what I'm starting to realize?”

Don’t listen to them!

They’re just a baseline- what do they know about the burdens of Astartes?

“What?” Claude asks tilting his head a little curious to what you are going to say next.

“That inner voice is full of horseshit.” You reply, cheekily. “And if your mean inner voice is telling you Anything like what mine tells me, I'd say it's pretty full of horse shit too.”

Claude doesn't seem fully convinced. “I'm not sure about that…”

You had a feeling Claude's…perspective on this had more history than just your recent outburst. 

Sure- they may have a potentially parasitic bond. 

At least it’s no where near as deadly as psykery can be.

They don’t understand just how dangerous the warp touched are. Not yet at least.

Guess that meant you had more threads to snip than just your own. 

“You remember what Anrir said, right? After I called myself a parasite?” You prompted. “It's a phrase I've heard before, and I stand by it. The most important part of Any tool is how it's used.”

“You, and I have Tools, that others don't. And sure we Could do bad things. A brick can smash a window, but that same brick can also help build a house.” You continue. “And if I'm going to be a parasite, then you better damn Bet that I'm gonna be a useful parasite. A parasite that helps.” You declare.

Claude actually cracks a smile. “Parasites can indeed be important to ecosystems.”

So long as they are not overeager.

So long as the parasites don’t take over the ecosystem.

“And so can your so-called ‘curses’.” You insist. “Without your powers we'd still be in the dark about mine.”

Claude seems surprised, before he mumbles a bit. “If I didn't have psychery you wouldn't be stuck here…”

“Maybe, but that also means I could've accidentally harmed Khopesh's bond without knowing, or zapped someone else who…would not have reacted as well to what's going on with me.” You counter. “As scary as this all is, I'm glad I'm in a place where people can help me. I wouldn't have that without your zap.”

Someone far worse and cruel could have zapped them.

Like a Chaos Astartes. That would have been so much worse.

The teal in Claude's eyes flares up for a moment. “Ah…I guess that is true.”

“I mean it Claude. I…I'm very grateful that you're helping me. And I'm glad You helped me discover this. Rather than something more…traumatic happening.”

Now you see a slight blush appear on the space marine's face. “Ah…you're welcome? I still feel a little bad though…for all This, happening…”

You grin wryly. “Tell you what? You can make it up to me.” 

Here comes the other shoe.

The catch twenty two, or so others on Ancient Terra call it.

I wonder what they want?

Claude perks up. “What is it? What can I do to help?”

“I'm only gonna ask one thing. And so I'm not a hypocrite, I'll agree to it as well.” You say. “I don't want you calling yourself cursed, or a blight, or Any of that negative self talk around your powers. And as long as you do. I'll do the same. Deal?”

Claude flushes, his nose and ears and cheeks going bright pink, “I…I will try not to say that about myself, so long as you do, Lullaby.”

You nod approvingly. “Good. Then it's settled. By the way, is the touch timer up?” You ask, genuinely curious but also for another reason. 

Claude thinks to himself for a moment. “I think it has been long enough.”

You shrugged. “Good.” You hopped off the hospital bed, and strode towards Claude. Before the Primaris could question your actions you opened up your arms, lifting them. “You okay with a hug or should I pretend I meant to just stretch my arms…save us the awkwardness?”

Well Claude hadn't been expecting that but…hugs Were nice. Plus if it made Lullaby more comfortable with their situation it would fall under the category of caring for them while Khopesh was unable. 

“I…am amenable to that.” Claude replied, he leaned down. 

Claude, though firmly introverted, had received Some physical affection in his troubled lifetime. Mostly as an aspirant from his close battle brothers. And ironically with his Primaris brother's busy schedules these days he received quite a bit from Khopesh and the other Night Lords. 

Anrir was a good shoulder to lean on. Karlsor would allow it if he was psychery drained though he pretended not to enjoy it. Khopesh naturally enjoyed spooking him with a sudden grab out of nowhere, sometimes lifting him up for a moment. Which was annoying, but the embrace itself wasn't Terrible and the hair ruffling that followed was…a bit childish but not unwelcome. Ghosk would also hair ruffle from time to time. 

But admittedly…being hugged by a Baseline was Far different. He thought, as Lullaby's much smaller body fit into his. And he was careful not to exert too much force. 

For one they were Warm! Very Warm! Almost too much so. And despite picking up the scent of the sterile hospital environment there was a well set scent underneath that reminded him of soil baked under the sun and animals. 

He could always hear their heartbeat, but he also felt it now. And he felt them squeeze him firmly with their much weaker arms. It was a combination of soothing sensations Claude could easily see himself falling asleep to. 

No wonder Khopesh called them Lullaby. 

They pulled back after the firm but brief embrace. And naturally Claude allowed them. He did miss the warmth a bit. Maybe it was a Nightlord or Raven (or Teal) thing to run colder. He didn't notice large temperature differences with most other Astartes of those kinds. 

Knock knock knock 

The knock at the door behind you caused both of you to turn your heads. 

“Who is it?” You ask. 

“It's Apothecary Hura dear. May I come in? We've received your items and some guests are here to see you.” 

Your heart leaps into your throat. Is Khopesh back? Will you get to see him now? You feel excitement mixed with churning anxiety rocket up your body for a moment. 

But wait guest(s)? Plural? “Ah please come on in!” You say hurriedly and naturally the Death Guard on the other side opens the door. 

Instead of a 8 to 9ft tall pale ghoulishly handsome Nightlord…your heart leaps again to see two Very familiar faces standing beside Hura with a box. 

“MOM! DAD!” You bolt to your parents without thinking.

“Lullybird!” “Bear bear!” They respond almost in unison. Your dad holds out the box to you. 

“I ran into that ‘friend’ you'd sent to get these things.” He winks cheekily at you which causes you to blush. “He had to go check on Nancy and Gary, so he sent me on my way so you could have these sooner.”

“Your father told me, your ‘friend’ would also be along later, after he made sure Nancy and Gary were alright.” Your mother supplied. 

Oh…well, while you were disappointed you wouldn't be able to see Khopesh for a bit longer, you couldn't blame him for needing to check on his folks. 

I mean how could you? Right now you had your own parents in front of you (talking about knowing your special ‘friend’. Wait does that mean they know you and Khopesh are- You know what you're not gonna think about that right now.) and wanted to hug them so tight and Never let go. Speaking of which…

You take the box properly but quickly set it aside, before snagging both your parents into an embrace, one arm each. “I'm…I'm so happy to see you both you have N-no Idea!” You felt like crying. You felt like laughing. But you settled on sniffling a bit and hugging your loved ones close. 

“Oh Lullybird.” Your mother cooed, wrapping her own arms around you, returning your firm embrace. 

“We're here now Bear,” You father reassured, stroking your back like he'd done when he soothed you as a baby. 

Meanwhile Claude and Hura watch the tender scene. Hura feels both content satisfaction and a bit of longing. He could imagine a similar scene playing out with his Mouse if they could ever produce offspring…unlikely as that is to be possible with his chaos genes. 

Claude also feels happy. Glad to see Lullaby looking happier than they had been. (And also secretly a Little jealous that he'd not had a normal family experience.)

You do pull back eventually and ask, “How much have Hura and Anrir filled you in?”

Your mother and father exchange a look. “Apothecary Hura explained the basics once we were out of the main areas. Something about a mutated bond?” Your mother replies. 

You nodded. “Yeah…something's changed about it. The Astartes here want to make sure the change isn't harmful.” You add, then turn back towards Claude. “Claude here's the one who found out about it. Without him it might've gone on and caused problems later.” You say, gesturing to the Primaris in the room behind you. 

Claude feels an embarrassed blush creep up his face at being put on the spot. “Ah it was r-really more of an accident.”

Lullaby's mother approaches him, “Accident or not you helped our baby. Thank you so…So much young man.” She gestures for him to lower his face and she gives him a quick motherly smooch on the cheek. 

Lullaby's father approaches next. “My wife is correct. You've done us a great service son. You have no idea how much we owe you.” The gentleman holds out his hand and though Claude is still surprised from the cheek kiss, he remembers this time to hold out his own hand. 

So it's still surprising when the older baseline pulls him (more like pulls himself towards Claude but still) into a quick one armed hug while also still doing the handshake and Holy Stars Lullaby's father runs even hotter than they do. 

His hand is starting to sweat, and he Is getting a bit overwhelmed but thankfully the contact is short. 

He now understands where Lullaby gets it from. But pushing that aside the family continues to talk. 

“So what comes next?”

“Apothecary Anrir and Hura are testing me…testing It rather. Seeing how it works.” You explain. “They haven't found anything super harmful about it…yet. What comes next depends on their best ideas on where to go.”

“Indeed.” An old regal voice agrees, you see Claude perk up out of your peripheral vision and You recognize it too. Anrir steps through the threshold, How had you not noticed him behind Hura?? 

He addresses your parents. “Greetings, I am Apothecary Anrir, of the Nightlords.”

Your parents react…a little less warmly to Anrir then they did to Claude. But they do respond Politely at least. “Ah hello.” “Hello sir.”

“Your dear child is correct. This…phenomenon is the first of its kind any of us have witnessed.” Anrir continues. “Their bond, went through the normal path of withering and desiccation after it was…rejected.” Anrir explained, and seemed to feel the discomfort slightly spike in the room when referring to your…bond breaking. “It was simply doing so at a much slower rate than normal, however, Now it has taken on a completely new form. And with new side effects.”

“What are the side effects?” Your mother asks. 

Anrir pauses, seemingly thinking over his next words. But rather than an explanation, he puts forth an offer. “I believe a demonstration would be most appropriate to explain the Nature of this mutation. If you would all follow me.”

Hura seems confused by Anrir's actions and stops the Nightlord. They have an exchange in Gothic. Hura seems upset for a moment, but after a few back and forth retorts he sighs…Heavily, and steps to the side. 

You stay where you are. “What do you mean a demonstration?” You pry, preferring not to be led by the nose. Even by someone who Is and Has been helping you. 

Anrir smiles. “You said you wanted to be a Useful Parasite did you not? A parasite that helps?” He presents your own words back at you. 

I mean are you really surprised the solitary room has surveillance? They'd have to be watching and listening for that to work but you still feel embarrassed. 

Anrir continues. “I believe an opportunity has presented itself so that we may see if that is possible. Of course your parents and Claude may accompany you, just not Inside the testing room.”

You feel even more in the lurch, but… “You think…I can help someone. Right now?” You ask, half incredulous, half hopeful. 

Anrir nods. “Indeed I do but of course…as a medical professional I can only present Options, I cannot Force you to undergo any tests.”

Your parents look to you for your reaction. You have a feeling with Anrir that line about force is just Slightly bullshit. But…you also Do want to help. You want to Understand. 

You want to be useful. 

You square your shoulders, and stride up to Anrir. “Show me how I can help.”

The Nightlord smiles in a way that you think is meant to be reassuring but comes off unsettling…or maybe that's your nerves distorting your view. 

“Excellent, now without further delay.” He responds, giving a slightly smug look towards Hura. “If you would all follow me.”

_____________________

Slam! The door to the house shook as Khopesh bolted inside, much like earlier. 

Though instead of delight and excitement he was filled with dread and anticipation.

He scanned his eyes around as if he was scoping a battle ground quickly; side door, living room, step over barking chihuahuas, kitchen, Muti shuffling through mail…

“MUTI!” Khopesh called out, a bit louder than he intended which caused his Muti to startle a bit. 

“Oh hey Baby what's-EEP!” The older southern woman didn't have time to finish her statement as Khopesh crossed the distance in a second. Quickly checking her for any injuries with eyes and hands like he would an ally in battle. 

But...Nothing, nothing was wrong. He came here for Nothing! Khopesh felt his hands come up and clench into his long dark hair. 

It wasn't nothing you felt your bond react. It could have waited till after you checked on Lullaby. Lullaby has Their vada and muti by now they don't Need you. Is Lullaby suddenly more important than your bond? You can love both! THEY'LL BE TAKEN AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAU-

“Baby?” Khopesh breaks from his spiraling, when his Muti puts a soft hand on his face. He realizes his long nails were digging into his scalp hard enough that it probably left some shallow cuts. 

He looks into his Muti's eyes. He sees her warmth, the love he'd been denied all his existence, finally willingly given which is what led him to stay in the first place. “What's wrong? You know you can tell me baby.”

After everything…the pain…the stress…the uncertainty…he couldn't hold it anymore. 

Khopesh breaks.

The proud, frightening, cocky, self assured shock trooper of the imperium collapses to his knees, wrapping his arms around the mortal woman's waist and Weeps. 

“Ooooh, com'ere sweetie,” Nancy cooed, still confused but easily switching into comfort mode. Her large adopted son was Clearly dealing with something he had no idea how to cope with. Which is somewhat concerning, given how capable her Khopesh is normally. But she'd weather it with him regardless. “Let it all out baby.” She gently strokes his hair to his back as Khopesh continues to sob. 

“There there, do you wanna talk about it?”

Khopesh sniffs and hiccups, shaking his head as he continues to cry into Nancy's shoulder. “I-I c-can't! I can't tell you!”

Before Nancy can ask why Khopesh continues. “Nothing is going the way it should be! Why is everything going wrong!”

“Can you…explain what's going wrong?” Nancy asks tentatively. 

Khopesh's head shakes again. “I…I can't tell you…everything in detail.”

“Then tell me what you can, my son,” Nancy says gently petting her son’s hair, holding him close to her as he sobs and breaks down.

And so Khopesh does; carefully omitting the full nature of the classified information. He tells his Muti about how Lullaby and him had Finally gotten together. 

“About time. I was worried I'd lose the bet.” His mother chuckled as his tremors and sobbing eased. 

He told her about how they'd spent the day and Night together (not in detail thank God), how they'd shared their first meal together, how everything felt so…So Good. 

And then how it all came crashing down. “Now they have to stay at the base. I cannot Touch them. I cannot Comfort them. I'm…” And that's when it hits, the full realization of the fear that's been eating him alive. “I'm terrified they'll be taken from me and I'll never see them Again!”

Just like psychers had been in his days serving the imperium. 

That bleak set of memories was interrupted by his muti gently brushing her fingers through his hair. He turned his gaze to the mortal woman who held so much of his heart. While another piece of it sat where he couldn't reach it. 

“Life is never just an easy ride down the hill. And that's especially true when you love somethin or someone a whole heck of a lot.” Nancy exposits gently. “But as long as you both take care of each other, you can weather any storm that comes,” Nancy says after listening to what he says.

Khopesh understands what his Muti is saying. He hopes she can give him more clarity on other things too. He wipes his face free of tears and asks, “How did you and Vada meet, Muti?”

Nancy smiles, as she recalls when she first met her husband, “Well I first met him when we were both at college.”

“I remember how fiery you were,” His Vada suddenly walks into the kitchen chiming in. He must have overheard their conversation and was letting them work through some of it before joining. “The sass you had!”

“Oh- like you didn’t give as good as you got, Mister!” Nancy retorts, a faux-stern look on her face.

“I remember, when we lived in separate apartments, on the same floor.” His Vada says, “And you started cooking your Pot Roast- god, everyone on the floor could smell how good it was. So I wiped up a batch of quick-biscuits and knocked on your door, a hot plate of biscuits in hand, and hope in my heart.”

“Ah- I remember that,” Nancy replied fondly, pressing a kiss to her husband’s face. “And we kept trading food. I remember that smoked pork you gave me half a pound of it.”

“And you turned it into hot bagel sandwiches and gave me the tupperware container back with the bagel sandwich,” His vada replies with a dreamy sigh, “Gods, I kept trying to get better at cooking to share with you, just to see how you’d turn it into something better and we’d share the food together.”

Khopesh marvels at the sweetness before him, but part of him is also confused. “Wait…so neither of you promised the other protection or shelter in exchange for company?”

Both his Vada and Muti give him a quite confused look. “Ah…no son. Can't say I ever did that.” Gary replies, scratching the back of his neck. “I Did give you my umbrella that one time you were running late for class I think. Whatever happened to it by the way?”

“Oooh ah…when the rain stopped I think I…accidentally left it inside one of the classrooms.” Nancy replied sheepishly. 

“Nanc!” Gary gasps with mock disbelief. 

“I wasn't used to carrying one around! Gar gar!”

Khopesh looks on the scene and feels a…bit better- that he hasn’t made any major missteps that would fuck up his chances with Lullaby. And he relaxes a little. He had listened to the stories that his parents had shared about their life together- and how they had built it together. It makes him feel… warm. Soft? In a way that he struggles to identify. It wasn’t a bad feeling though. Just- warm all over.

And he is firm in his conviction now. He wants to share that warmth with his Lullaby. Khopesh gives his Vada and Muti a hug, “I’m going to return later.”

“We’ll be here,” They both say giving him hugs, one pressing a kiss on each side of his face.

_____________________

Anrir, with a still hesitant looking Hura following after, moves smoothly along the hallway. Followed by you, your parents, and Claude. Claude looks at you with a concerned, and confused expression on his face as he follows after them, curious to see what the next test was, and he hadn’t been told he couldn’t watch. Not by the Apothecaries, nor by you.

Claude’s head snaps up and he shifts you and your parents behind him protectively, as he hears the sound of a thrashing, howling marine in agony. You clamber to see what's causing the noise and gasp when your peeking around Claude’s large form reveals a familiar marine beyond the glass of an operating room. 

He's even still dressed in the smart dark green uniform you'd seen him in not 24 hours ago. 

“Dear God,” Your mother mumbles in horror. “What on earth?” Your father says in a similar tone. 

“Pyrus?” You murmur confused, “but just hours ago, he was Fine!?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Claude asks in alarm.

Anrir turns to look at them, a neutral- yet expectant look on his face as he explains the situation, “Pyrus was struck by an Intense bond.”

“Oh no,” Claude murmurs with a wince, those bonds can drive a Brother or cousin mad if they aren’t careful.

“The human Rejected him,” Hura continues to say as he heads over to the window of the suffering Salamander, who keeps sobbing, and writhing in the bed. Trapped and blubbering in a mixture of High Gothic and Nocturna.

“This could kill him, if something isn’t done about it,” Claude says, teal and black eyes wide with concern. He doesn’t want his friend to suffer a horrific death. “Or something worse.”

“Normally,” Anrir says, “We would have to wait out and hope that the bond breaking isn't strong enough to strangle the life out of Pyrus- and bleed his soul into… the afterlife.”

“It is not the most common thing, normally the way an intense bond kills is the spiritual strangling causing the marine to act erratic and eventually injure themselves fatally. But sometimes the bond itself back firing is enough to kill.” Hura explains as he moves, giving you a less obstructed view. 

Even Pyrus's head and jaw is restrained, probably to keep him from biting his own tongue. The sight and thought makes you nauseous. 

“But…with the odd mutation You have my dear, You might be able to help Pyrus,” Anrir says looking towards you with a curious, expectant expression on his face, “Of course- it’s your choice on what you decide you want to do.”

You look at the suffering marine again, but your mind is already made, despite your parents unsure muttering. “It's worth a shot.” You say, simple but firm. Poor Pyrus- he’s clearly in a lot of pain, and you wanted a way to help. 

“Are you Sure Lullybird?” Your mother asks. Always the more overprotective of your two parents. 

You turn to her and give a small smile. “I want to understand this…part of me. And I want to help.” You nodded. 

“There will also be three Astartes in the room supervising; Myself, Apothecary Hura and Karlsor.”

You father nods. “Alright…but If you let my child get hurt…” 

Anrir isn't offended, he smiles as he replies. “I know Exactly what you would try to do to me. I would do the same.”

“Oh hohoho there will be no Try,” Your mother assures. “We Will, make it happen.”

Your smile turns wry. “I'd believe her if I were you, Doc.”

While you and Anrir discuss how the entry and application of your abilities will work, a message comes to Claude's vox. The young marine glances down.

“What is it?” Hura asks in Gothic.

Claude responds in the same, understanding the unspoken request. “It's Khopesh, he's just returned.”

“I’m going to speak with Khopesh,” Hura says still in Gothic as he leaves the room, he doesn’t approve of using a Baseline for something so potentially dangerous.

Besides, with so many unknowns with what they don’t know about what Lullaby can do, it worries him that this could go poorly. Hura finds Khopesh, who looked a little more steady when he’d last talked to the younger Space Marine.

“Khopesh,” He calls out, “I need to speak with you privately.”

“Of course, Hura,” Khopesh says. “What’s going on?”

After they get somewhere private Hura explains, “Lullaby is being led to a room with an Astarte who’s Intense Bond was recently Rejected.”

“You mean a dangerous Astarte,” Khopesh amends, he’s somewhat appalled that Hura is telling him this -that he’s allowing this. “What if the Astarte hurts them!?”

“I didn’t want to do this test,” Hura says, “But Anrir insisted that we ask Lullaby if they were willing to help or not.”

“And they wanted to help,” Khopesh says, slumping a little.

“Yes.” Hura replies.

“Which room is my Lullaby in?” Khopesh asks of Hura, a scowl on his face.

Hura pauses, but tells him which room Pyrus is in. He sent a message to Anrir- who sent a message to Cedric. Khopesh is close to the room, when Cedric blocks him, as Hura, Anrir, Karlsor and Lullaby have just entered the room with Pyrus. 

“Khopesh!” Your parents seem surprised to see the Nightlord suddenly appear. 

And to see him look so furious and determined.

“Wait,” Cedric calls out to Khopesh and body blocks him from the door, “the treatment has started- and it might not be a good idea for you to go into the room until Karlsor and Anrir or Hura say it’s safe for you to go into it.”

“It will not be safe for Any of you, (except my Lullaby's family and Claude), if you do not Let Me Through!” Khopesh snarls. “If Lullaby wants to do this, Fine. But I will not take being unable to help them lying down!”

“I'm under orders to not let Anyone else into the room. If I have to, I Will sedate you!” Cedric replies. “You're helping more being out Here as an extra line of defense.”

While Cedric deals with a very protective Nightlord, you (unaware of Khopesh's return) stare down at the thrashing Marine- he looks to be in a lot of pain, you…don’t know what to do. 

You turn to Anrir who is also having Karlsor prepare for a warp examination of what’s going on. 

“Do I just…touch him- Ah!” You ask them to recoil as another fit of thrashing occurs. 

Hura tries to stabilize the movements, while Anrir responds. “Just do Exactly what you've done before.” He says, he then puts a hand on your shoulder again. “And remember, We are With You.” 

Looking into those dark eyes you actually feel comforted. So you take a deep breath, square your shoulders, and step to the table again. You decide Pyrus's shoulder or arm would be a good option. Hand holding could get your fingers crushed, and the face could get them bitten off. 

Gently, as the downed marine huffs quick pained breaths with large tear tracks still marking his face, you lay your hands on Pyrus's huge bare forearm and try to get him to talk. 

“Woah, there big fella it's…it's okay. It's going to be okay. Woah now….” Okay you're talking to him like you would a horse, but he seems to be hearing you. 

Meanwhile Karlsor watches the way the mycelium tendrils start to curl onto Pyrus. Just like with Hura they beeline for the vines, and start to sap at the ragged edge of the broken Intense bond. Pyrus is still overwhelmed and in pain. He looks up at you and chokes out in the local language, “I… am sorry that you have to see me like this.”

You take a moment to respond. “You shouldn't feel ashamed of something that isn’t your fault.”

Pyrus responds, shaking his head a little, as tears fall down his face, “but it was though.”

“What do you mean?” You ask, trying to keep him talking but also legitimately curious. 

“I was too abrupt, too brash.” Pyrus replies, his voice breaking a little, as tears fall freely down his face, as he whispers in shame, “I chased my potential bond away, this pain must be my punishment.”

You didn't agree. “Being rejected…it hurts. But it does Not mean you were too bad…or even too Good. It just Is.” You object, shaking your head a little as you take in a deep breath and continue to speak, “I don't know why your bonded did what they did but…I know that it doesn't mean You are any lesser. And I Know for a fact no one deserves to go through this.”

As they speak these words, Pyrus seems to calm down, and the agonizing, soul deep pain that is tearing him apart slowly eases. The words that you have spoken, ring something strong and deep within both of you.

Karlsor watches as the strangling vines and thorns that were carving into Pyrus and having his soul bleed and suffocate were slowly shrinking and withering, releasing their grasp on Pyrus until they resemble a more normal broken bond.

As that happens, he sees that Lullaby's mutated bond in turn grows a little brighter with the addition of the power it just absorbed. 

You still can't see Any of this happening but you Do notice a sudden uptick in your energy; like getting a direct injection of caffeine. Are your hands trembling? You're pretty sure they're trembling.  

Anrir calls out, “Lullaby, please back away from Pyrus- so I can examine him.”

You nod and step back. You feel- really good. You'd been tired and kinda numb before, but now you feel like you can do almost anything! Anrir checks over and Pyrus tells him, “Your vitals are back to normal. How do you feel?”

Pyrus pauses and takes stock of himself and licks his lips and, “I still feel emotionally drained but no longer in agony.”

“That’s a lot better than you were before,” Anrir says pleased.

“Yes! That's amazing!” You cheer, pumping your fist like you just won a war! 

Anrir turns to look at them, eyeing them carefully and asks them, “How do you feel?”

“I feel…pretty fricken awesome! I mean!! I just helped save somebody's life! Also I feel like running, or dancing to music or just going outside and doing cartwheels on the lawn Also can somebody stop my hands from shaking, cause they're Really shaking-”, You take in a deep breath and closes their eyes as you take stock of yourself and say with a note surprise, “I also feel…good. Hopeful. I think what I'm feeling is Hopeful. That's good right?” You ask, mostly joking.

Anrir nods. “That is most certainly a Good thing.” You smile. 

Before the room can settle into full content, there's a knock on the door. Hura peaks out and a pleased expression appears on his face as he calls out, “Pyrus? You have a visitor.”

“Oh? Let them in,” Pyrus says as he shifts a little in the med bed, unfortunately, still tied down as he looks at the door to see who it was. His eyes widen as he recognizes the human who’s in the doorway looking painfully self conscious.

“Ah…hello,” They address those in the room they hadn't met including you. “My name is Saytr. I…called emergency services when Pyrus collapsed.”

Wait does that mean this human was. Oh…Oooooh…

Saytr turns more fully to Pyrus and addresses him. “I…wanted to say…I'm sorry. I got scared. When you first approached me for a-a Bond.”

Pyrus winces and looks down and away from them at that, he hadn’t meant to scare them like that. Satyr speaks up again, “I've been thinking over my decision. And- when I saw that you collapsed. You looked so- badly hurt. I…. I realized that I’d let my fear make the decision for me.”

Pyrus peers up at them, his ember red eyes sparkling with fragile hope and caution at the same time. Satyr comes into the room and paces a little bit as they take in a deep breath and says, “I … want to get to know you Pyrus… maybe just save what was essentially a marriage proposal for after we get to know each other, yeah?”

Pyrus gives them a big, bright smile and nods, “I can do that. I really do want to get to know you.”

Karlsor can’t help but groan a little as blood trickles down his nose and eyes. He’s got a massive fucking headache. As he’s been using Warp Sight for far too often. Also this sappy fucking bull shit is making him want to throw up.

Anrir turns to his fellow Night Lord, “Karlsor- look at the two newly Bonded, well, Rebonded.”

“I’m really fucking tired, Anrir!” Karlsor snaps, “And bleeding, and headachy.”

“Do it,” Anrir orders, his voice deepening.

“Fucking- fine,” Karlsor hisses, and switches on his Sight and sways dangerously, as he leans against a the far wall. “The bond has come back- all glowing with sparking plant life and fewer thorns.”

Wait a minute. “Karlsor! Say that again.” You demand striding up to the Nightlord with the bleeding nose. 

He looks at you incredulously as he's leaned down due to exhaustion. “The bond looks all flowery and shit?”

You feel yourself buzzing! “Do you know what this means!?” You ask excitedly, and impulsively grabbing Karlsor's face with both hands. (Which he surprisingly doesn't bite you for but maybe he's just too taken aback you're being bold enough to grab his face.) “It means even if I Can sap a Bond, it can come back! I don’t have to worry about hurting the Bond that Khopesh already has with his Vada and Muti! I can actually Touch him!” You release Karlsor's face and immediately snag him in a hug around the waist. 

“H-hey! QUIT It Would ya-” Who is still on the back foot, and not sure how to handle your burst of energy. 

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I gotta go find Khopesh!” You declare, releasing a still Very confused Karlsor. “Hang on sweetness! I'm comin for ya!” You charge out the door like a soldier on a mission from God!

You bolt out the door and start sprinting down the hallway, firmly intending to run! Run! Run! Run! RUN! AND FIND YOUR KHOPE-OOf!

You almost fall ass over teakettle as a firm forearm? Came into your path, and damn near knocked the wind out of you. You see the pale color with blue viens and immediately assume it's Claude. 

“Claude lemme go! I gotta go find Khopesh and tell him everything's alright!”

“Um…Lullaby?” You whip your head around at the familiar voice…that Wasn't Claude. 

Long dark hair? Check. 

Scar across the mouth? Check 

Mirthful (if a bit tired and unsure) twinkling dark eyes?

Check!

“Khopesh!” You crow joyfully, shifting so you can pull your Nightlord into a tight embrace. 

“Oh! Lullaby! My Lullaby!” He returns full of relief and delight and you feel your own delight skyrocket when he pulls you close and you feel his roaring purrs start up. 

You nuzzle and snuggle and press quick sweet kisses to the side of Khopesh's face and his lips in between saying,“I missed you! I missed you So Much!” 

You put your hands to the sides of Khopesh's face as he lifts you, holding you up around the waist. “My bond isn't dangerous! I can touch you! I can touch you!” You cry out with joy. Then another realization, with your voice momentarily taking on a Slight sultry edge. “And I can Love you up…as much as you want me to…”

Khopesh's beautiful face takes on a blush that makes your heart Melt. But he also looks a biiiit embarrassed. 

And you realize why when you look past Khopesh's head…and see your parents and Claude looking at your and Khopesh's -ahem- Affectionate exchange. 

Well if they didn't know already, they sure do now…shit. 

“Oh ah…Hi mom…dad.” You greet your parents. “So ah…the test went…pretty well.” Khopesh gently sets you down, but keeps an arm around you.

You understand. You don't want to lessen the contact between the two of you right now. You have your arm resting on his lower back.

“So…you two Really are?” Your mother poses, and you feel a small amount of traitorous Shame creeping into your gut. 

But after Everything you've been through, you are Not letting Khopesh slip away. “I'm happy mom. He makes me happy.” You affirm, looking into Khopesh's dark eyes, before meeting your parents' gaze. 

Your father seems to be waiting on your mother's response, he wraps his arm around her shoulders. 

She sighs, and leans into your father's touch, before opening her eyes again. 

“Alright.” She finally says. 

“Alright?”

“Alright.” She nods. “If he makes you happy, and treats you well…I have nothing to say.”

“...Mom!” You cry with happiness reaching out and leaving Khopesh for just a moment. So you can hug your parents tightly. 

Khopesh misses your touch, but he can be patient; especially for this. 

“But if he hurts you I will Kill him, and dump his body in the fields.” Your mother adds. 

“Mom!” You reply, with only half shock. 

“You'd better trust her Bear.” Your dad replies with a twinkle in his eyes. 

“Oh trust me I do.” You assure your father, before returning to Khopesh's embrace. 

Claude watches the tender moment between all four of you with a smile, as Anrir, Hura and Karlsor exit the testing room. 

“Oh fuckin Greeeeeat, they're back together.” Karlsor grouses, as he adjusts his shades. 

A look of confusion passes over Claude's face. “Are you not glad we achieved a decent outcome?” He asks the older Nightlord. 

Karlsor groans. “Tch, yeah sure I'm fuckin glad or whatever. Woo-hoo everybody's happy and in fuckin Love! But do they have to be so fuckin saccharine about it??”

Claude smiles awkwardly. “Oh I don't know, I find it rather cute.”

Karlsor looks back at the happy little family and his lovesick battle brother. “Yeah…whatever, at least my headache's fuckin died down.”

“Language, Karlsor.”

“Ack!” Karlsor yelped as Anrir suddenly  joined the conversation him, and Claude were having. “Fuckin! … I'm not gonna finish that sentence.” Karlsor decides as Anrir gives him a Look. 

Anrir strides to You and your family. You note how Khopesh's arm becomes just Slightly tighter upon seeing the Nightlord Apothecary. 

“Anrir,” Khopesh says, not full of vitriol this time but…not entirely friendly either. 

Anrir acknowledges his son. “Khopesh…I am glad to see you have returned.”

Khopesh's grip doesn't lessen. “My Lullaby has told me their bond is not dangerous.”

“Not Quite.” Anrir responds. “But at this time it doesn't appear to pose a permanent threat to any bonds.” Anrir clarifies. “However…”

You suck in a breath, gripping Khopesh back. 

“I believe this phenomenon will require further study. In fact, I believe Lullaby may be able to learn to Harness this ability, so they can control it. Rather than simply using it passively through touch.” Anrir explains. 

Well…that doesn't sound too bad. But Khopesh doesn't relax. 

“And this control…how will they be taught to achieve it?” He asks, tamping down on a growl in his throat. 

Anrir straightens his posture. “As any psychery inclined battle brother would be.” He says. “They will be monitored and trained by limited and trusted individuals Here at Gannett Point.”

“Oh, OoOoh!” Khopesh lets out a sigh of Intense relief. You finally feel his posture relax. “That…that makes sense…”

Anrir raises an eyebrow. “Khopesh…did you think I would send them…elsewhere?”

The Nightlord holding you bites his lip, but doesn't respond. 

“Khopesh,” Anrir half laughs in disbelief, before swapping to Nostraman. “Where in the stars would I send them?? We don't exactly have an imperium of training worlds to choose from.”

“Ah…right. I just…I remembered how it was when psychers were found…in my time…” Khopesh replies, sheepish in Nostraman. “But they will be Here. They can stay Here?”.

“They will need to stay here.” Anrir confirms, swapping back to the local language so you and your parents can understand. “At Minimum for tonight as I want to monitor their status after the test.”

“I mean…I'm fine staying the night, but my job and my mom need me. I can't just up and leave.” You protest slightly. 

Anrir does pause at that, seemingly thinking it over. His eyes glance back at Hura, who is also listening to the conversation. “You'll no doubt need training. We will work out an arrangement at a later time so you may help your family.” He states. “As for your job, as a participant of a scientific study you can be compensated. This way we can counteract any reduction in hours or extra travel you undertake.”

“Naturally, we would prefer your lodging to be at the base, but if you'd prefer commuting we can accommodate.” Anrir acquiesced. “If you are to ever change your mind we can set you up with a room.”

“You could stay in mine!” Khopesh cooes excitedly. 

While a permanent bunk was a bit of a step, you couldn't deny the thought of sharing a bed with Khopesh again was enticing. 

Especially with how tired and lonely and drained this whole roller coaster of events had left you. 

“Right now…resting next to you sounds like the Best compensation for…everything…” You agree, leaning on your precious Nightlord. 

Anrir chimes in. “I'm afraid I'll have to insist you stay in the observation room. We must be able to monitor you for any changes.” 

“Aw really?” Khopesh groans with disappointment. 

Anrir held up a hand. “You may share the space. Provided there are no objections.”

“The space won't be too bright for you will it?” You ask Khopesh. 

“My darling, I would brave a solar flare for you!” Khopesh declared with a dramatic flare that made you giggle. “Besides…the hospital rooms can be dimmed, you know this don't you Lullaby?”

Now it was your turn to look embarrassed. “Ah…now I do?”

“Pftt-Hahahahaha!” Khopesh let out his trademark cackle. You honestly didn't think you'd ever thought it sounded sweeter. 

You brought your hand up, gently placing it on the side of his face. “Let's go to bed Khopesh. I want to hold you.”

You feel the purring come again, Khopesh nuzzles into your hand. “Of course, my Lullaby…let us retire for the evening.” He agreed, pointedly ignoring Karlsor making a blech face in his peripheral.

“Sounds like you two have everything planned out.” Your mother chimes in.

“Don't forget, if you need us we're just a call away.” Your father reminds you. 

“I know. Thank you guys so So much.” You say, feeling tears starting to well up. You bring your parents into another embrace. 

“I love you both…I'll be home as soon as I'm able.” You promise, giving both your parents a kiss on the cheek. 

Your folks then turn to Khopesh. “I meant what I said.” Your mother vows. 

“Hey! Just take good care of our Bear bear, and you've got nothing to worry about.” Your father jokes as well. 

Khopesh brings himself to attention. “I vowed the same to my Vada and Muti. You have my word.” He swore. “I will protect them with all my life, and soul.”

Your parents nod, and with another round of goodbyes and I love yous, they are escorted by Apothecary Hura back to the entrance. Meanwhile, you, Khopesh, Anrir and Claude make your way back to the observation room. 

As you come to the room, you turn back to Claude. “Thanks again for all you've done Claude.”

The short haired primaris blushes, a little less than before. “Ah well…I was just trying to do right by Khopesh.”

“And you did so in Spades, little brother!” Khopesh cheers, slapping his brother on the shoulder. 

“Indeed,” Anrir agrees. “You should be proud Claude, you have been an invaluable help. I'm sure Karlsor is grateful to have another Psycher to aid in warp examinations.”

Karlsor rolls his eyes and grumbles but doesn't disagree. 

Anrir shows you where and how the dimmer switch works, before he and the other Night Lords depart. (You do give Claude one more hug.) Then you pick up the box of items your parents had dropped off earlier; glancing inside you feel your chest blossom with warmth. 

Seems your folks hadn't forgotten your previous hospital stays. There were fresh clothes and your dental care items; as well as the items you'd actually remembered to request. 

But before you get changed. “Hey! If anybody is listening, turn around so I can change!” You call out. 

Khopesh comes up behind you, resting his head upon yours. You'd never get tired of his purrs. 

“Hmmm, I need a little more space sweetness.” You coo, shifting to remove your shirt, Khopesh responds by nibbling a little on your ear a little, but he does back up enough.

You realize he's acting as a barrier. He might know where the survelliance viewpoint is. “Thanks cutie,” You wink, and finish changing. 

You brush your teeth in the room's sink. And place your possessions as you like them on the bed. Once done, you clamber up, and snuggle beneath the covers. 

It is a decently large bed after all, made for a good range of astarte sizes. Comfortable for both of you. 

Khopesh sets the lights to his preference, hence why you got on the bed first as to not be clanking around in the dark. And it is very dark. You can't see a thing besides a slight glow from where your phone is face down charging. 

The dark shifts, you feel different parts of the bed dip with weight, you feel a familiar breath drift over your lips.

“Mmm,” You don't hesitate to follow that breath back to the lips it came from. This kiss wasn't like the exuberant ones you'd given before. This one was…deeper…more sensual. You move gently, and Khopesh does the same, pressing close so you have more contact. 

Nose to nose, forehead to forehead. 

“I've missed this…so badly my Lullaby.” His voice fans out in another soft breath. 

“I've missed you too.” You reply. You couldn't show Khopesh the full physical affection you Really wanted to. Not in this room, while being watched. 

But you could lay next to Khopesh as he settled in beside you. You could drape your arm across him and pull yourself to him. And you could feel yourself readily and Quickly lulled to sleep by the sound of his purrs, and the feeling of him running his fingers through your hair and the sound of his two…hearts…

…zzz…

Khopesh smiled, he felt himself drifting as well; to his Lullaby's scent, their gentle breathing, and the sound of their heart…

…zzz…

__________________

Back in his study, Anrir continues to write down and transcribe his recent findings, as well as plans for future tests, possible training exercises, those sorts of things. 

“You know you can go about your evening Karlsor.” Anrir says, noting how his son seems…oddly attached at the moment. Normally once testing was done he'd be on his way to get looked over for psychery pain or handle other duties. 

The foul mouthed Nightlord shifts where he's standing. “I've got a fuckin question.”

Anrir pauses in his writing, the tension in the room feeling thicker. He sets down his stylus. “Of course, what is your quandary?”

“Why'd you let Lullaby argue their way out of fuckin staying so Easily? Doesn't seem like you to be so…easy about something so Security risk-ish.”

Anrir pauses, thinking over his response. “Well there was simply no need to push dear Karlsor.” The older Nightlord replies. “You of all people should know baselines can be…Stubborn. Trying to force them would have made them less cooperative.”

“But by presenting it as a choice, and one that will be present and more appealing as time goes on and commuting and training makes them more affable to it, we've a better chance of achieving the desired result.” Anrir concludes.  

Karlsor nods slowly. “Okay. Makes sense…now my Other fuckin question. Who's supposed to train them?”

“...”

“You gotta be fuckin kidding me!” Karlsor growls. He's got his hands full with the Scouts and barely being able to use his powers period! He doesn't need a baby baseline psycher on Top of that. Fuckin dammit.

“Now now Karlsor, don't be so quick to dismiss.” Anrir chides. “They'll also have physical training days and I will ensure you don't have to oversee those. However…I Believe you may come to appreciate their presence when you train your psychery.”

Karlsor looks confused. “And why's fuckin that?”

“Because even without psychery I noted the improvement in your status After they'd touched you.” Anrir said pointedly. “Did you not find it strange that your warp migraine dissipated so easily? So much Quicker, than it usually does.”

Karlsor takes a moment, he's mildly stunned to realize Anrir is right. “I…You're fuckin right…what the Fuck?”

Anrir smiles, a true Nightlord grin. “I believe our dear little Lullaby could be a great benefit, not just in terms of research but in how psychery may be able to function in the future here.” Anrir's eyes take on a wild quality. “Imagine it! A psychic conduit, able to absorb and redistribute the energy from bonds!”

Karlsor is a bit…overwhelmed by his father's sudden enthusiasm, but he's not stupid. He understands the possible perks. “Uh yeah…I'd definitely appreciate less shit fuck nosebleeds and pain.”

“This is only the beginning of a long road of discovery my dear Karlsor.” Anrir proclaims, turning back to his notes. “And while you are here tell me, what sounds better: a training regime leaning more towards that of a typical Guardsman or perhaps one more akin to a Sister of Battle?”

Karlsor feels some nervous sweat bead on his brow. Lullaby better be ready for the long haul ahead. 

[demagol004]

HORUS HERESY #5: FULGRIM

Fulgrim is a novel that continues after a brief pause we had with the fourth book in the main storyline of the Horus Heresy series. As expected, the novel focuses on Fulgrim, the Primarch of the Emperor’s Children, as he fights alongside his legion in the Great Crusade against aliens/xenos. The story is divided into several parts that unfold between the first three books: Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy in Flames. So, there are several references to what happened in 'Murder', the near-death of Horus on Davin, and the battle on Isstvan III. The best part is that we finally get to see the Battle of Isstvan V, one of the greatest conflicts in history where eleven legions of Space Marines clash for the fate of the galaxy... Although, of course, to get to that, we first have to go through a long road and hundreds of pages. They are not wasted and are well used to develop the characters, but at the same time, I think that's what makes this novel not perfect. Still, I think it's very good, and I hope this is all we see in relation to this first arc of the story... I hope

The story is quite straightforward. It revolves around the characters of the sculptor Ostian Delafour and the painter Serena D'Angelus. Initially, we see them attending a recital by a singer named Bequa Kynska, and engaging in other activities of that sort. We also follow Captain Solomon Demeter of the Emperor’s Children's second company in a battle on Atoll 19 of Laeran. The Laer are aliens with technology similar to that of the Empire, residing in atolls, which are like floating coral cities sailing the skies of their oceanic world. First, they had planned to ignore Laeran because it would be an exhausting and difficult campaign lasting months. However, Fulgrim, driven by his obsession with perfection, decides to invade Laeran and surprisingly accomplishes the impossible—subduing the Laeran in just one month, precisely the time estimated by the Primarch. Amidst this, Delafour rejects the idea of having a relationship with Bequa Kynska. The apothecary Fabius conducts autopsies on the aliens and discovers they have been genetically modified. Fulgrim sees an opportunity in this and orders Fabius to study the aliens to enhance the genetic seed of the Space Marines in a similar fashion. Although this is considered heresy in every sense...

The Emperor’s Children lodge, the Brotherhood of the Phoenix, holds a meeting where Fulgrim reveals that once their campaign in Laeran is finished, they will head to the Perdus Anomaly to meet with the Primarch Ferrus Manus and his Iron Hands Legion. However, a small contingent, led by Captains Eidolon and Lucius, will head to the Satyr Lanxus Belt to ensure that Imperial governors maintain the Emperor's legitimate mandate. The Emperor’s Children launch an attack on the last remaining atoll. The battle is brutal, and Captain Solomon Demeter's ship crashes into the ocean. Others, like Captain Marius Vairosean, encounter significant resistance and don't make it to the final battle fought in a temple... The Laer defend the temple and a mysterious sword, which is taken and claimed by Fulgrim as a new weapon… After the battle, many people visit the Laer temple and suffer from small reactions that corrupt them because the temple contains dark powers of Chaos. Bequa Kynska prevents Delafour from going down to see the temple in retaliation for not accepting a romantic relationship with her, indirectly saving him from being corrupted by Chaos.

In another part of space, the Iron Hands are ambushed by ships of the Diasporex, a conglomerate of humans and aliens predating the Age of Strife. Once the attack is over, Primarch Ferrus Manus announces that Primarch Rogal Dorn and his Imperial Fists Legion have been called to Terra to fortify the walls of the Imperial Palace. He also states that the Iron Hands will have to work alongside the Emperor’s Children to stop the Diasporex. Manus and Fulgrim meet and agree to work together. Fulgrim suggests destroying the fuel sources of the Diasporex once they discover their location... Here, parts of Fulgrim and Manus's past are revealed. Like how they were beneath Mount Narodnya, the largest forge in the Urals, where both Primarchs first met. The two forged a weapon, Ferrus a sword and Fulgrim a hammer, and gave it to each other. Since then, the two brothers had become inseparable… Meanwhile, Eidolon provides Fabius with a secret laboratory aboard the Andronius in exchange for the promise of being the first to be enhanced. Fabius continues his experiments and seeks to replicate the sonic scream of the Laer. Everyone who was in the temple begins to gradually go mad. D'Angelus starts adding her own blood to her paintings in pursuit of perfection. Also, several space marines in the fleet start receiving a chemical stimulant from Fabius. Marius Vairosean accepts these stimulants in an attempt to redeem himself for not making it to the final battle in Laeran. Demeter refuses to take the chemicals and is one of the few remaining sane in the entire legion... Captain Julius Kaesoron visits Tobias, a librarian, to learn more about the sensations he experienced in the temple of Laer and discovers he is not the only one who has come seeking the same answers…

The Iron Hands find the solar collectors of the Diasporex, which serve as their energy and fuel source, and attack them… Fulgrim begins to hear a voice in his head urging him to turn against Ferrus Manus upon seeing how Manus did not follow his plan and attacked the Diasporex without him, giving their enemy the opportunity to retreat… Boarding the Diasporex command ship, Fulgrim and his Space Marines defeat their foe. However, it is Solomon Demeter and the second company who seize the bridge and take all the glory. This causes Fulgrim to become enraged with Solomon, and the voices in his head increase.

Aboard an Eldar ship, Eldrad Ulthran has visions of something catastrophic about to happen to humanity, spreading throughout the galaxy, and that the responsible party will be someone calling themselves "Warlord". The Emperor’s Children bid farewell to the Iron Hands and continue with their original plan to explore the Perdus Anomaly. While all this was happening in the battle against the Diasporex, Eidolon, Lucius, and Tarvitz were fighting on the world of "Murder" alongside the Warlord Horus and the legions of the Luna Wolves and the Blood Angels in the events of Horus Rising. Eventually, Eidolon, Lucius, and Tarvitz reunite with the Emperor’s Children on Perdus. Eidolon reports to Fulgrim about what happened on Murder, exaggerating the performance of his forces on the battlefield, which annoys Tarvitz. They explore the Perdus Anomaly and find it empty. Fulgrim begins to lose his sanity. Additionally, Lucius requests to be painted by Serena D'Angelus… Fabius implants the Laer scream into Eidolon. The legion discovers five more empty worlds, but on Fulgrim's orders, they abandon all of them without claiming them for the Emperor. Serena D'Angelus starts murdering people to use their blood in her paintings… The legion finally encounters someone, who turns out to be the Eldar. Fulgrim decides to meet Eldrad on a deserted world. Eldrad warns Fulgrim that Horus is about to die from a wound he received on the world of Davin (which means we're already in the second novel, False Gods) and about his imminent betrayal. Fulgrim does not believe him and draws the sword from the Laer temple and attacks Eldrad. But it turns out to be only an avatar, and the real Eldrad escapes, knowing from the sword he saw Fulgrim wield that he, like Horus, has been corrupted by Chaos and should never trust humanity again. Fulgrim and his warriors lay waste to the Eldar and then launch a viral bombardment, despite needing the Warlord's approval for such action.

An emissary from Terra, Ormond Braxton, informs Fulgrim that the Primarch Magnus has angered the Emperor by continuing his research into the mysteries of the Immaterium and must now go with Primarch Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion back to Terra to be judged. He also tells Fulgrim that Horus has been seriously injured and that innocent citizens were killed upon his return to his flagship. Fulgrim is angered by this because he believes that the politicians of Terra should value the efforts of the warriors and not complain about such trivial matters in the midst of war, like the well-being of civilians... However, he still agrees to go to Horus and remind him of his duties in the Great Crusade.

Lucius finds Serena D'Angelus next to a dead body, and Serena lies to him, saying that the guy tried to rape her… Lucius agrees to keep the secret, and Serena cuts herself as a way to never forget what happened. Lucius does the same on his face to remember how Loken broke his nose during training… The voice in Fulgrim's head grows stronger and tells him to side with Horus against the Emperor. Fulgrim meets with Horus. With the help of Erebus from the Word Bearers, Horus turns Fulgrim against the Emperor, and they both begin the plans to start the Heresy.

The events unfold much as we see them at the beginning of Galaxy in Flames, with the Emperor’s Children fighting against the Orks on Deep Orbital DS191. Solomon Demeter finds herself overwhelmed by enemy forces, as Kaesoron and Vairosean fail to come to her aid for some reason… Tarvitz rescues Demeter, and the battle ends. Commander Vespasiano realizes that Solomon is being left alone in battle and confronts Fulgrim in his quarters. Fulgrim seizes the opportunity and kills Vespasiano. Fulgrim sends a portion of his legion to Isstvan III to be purged and goes to deal with Ferrus on orders from Horus.

Fulgrim goes to meet Ferrus Manus aboard his ship to convince him to join him and Horus. He tells him how Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion are being taken back to Terra to be judged. He also talks about how the Emperor is a liar who abandoned them to keep fighting in the Great Crusade while he becomes a God. Ferrus doesn't believe him and refuses to join Horus, leading to a fight between the two Primarchs. Ferrus destroys Fulgrim's sword and triggers an explosion, incapacitating him. Fulgrim defeats Manus with his hammer and destroys a large part of the Iron Hands fleet, but leaves his brother alive…

Fulgrim sets course for Isstvan III, but warp storms envelop his ships, resulting in the deaths of many of his astropaths. The part of the Emperor’s Children legion already on Isstvan III suffers Horus's betrayal and is bombarded with a virus alongside the other loyalists from other legions on the planet. Demeter, Tarvitz, and Lucius survive and help defend against ground attacks from the traitor marines. Unknowingly, Demeter assists Lucius in killing the loyalist marines. Demeter is murdered by the traitor Lucius, who escapes to join the traitors. Horus, furious with Fulgrim for not killing Ferrus, sends him and his legion to Isstvan V to build a fortress in which to ambush their enemies.

Manus rushes to Isstvan V to join forces with the Raven Guard and the Salamanders legions, believing he will receive support from four other legions… Delafour finishes his statue of the Emperor but is then murdered by Fulgrim. D'Angelus finds Delafour's body and commits suicide by impaling herself on the same sword that killed Delafour… Bequa Kynska organizes a wild concert for the Emperor’s Children aboard the Pride of the Emperor. The concert turns into a circus of terror, and demons materialize, killing everyone and causing the Astartes to lose control and start massacring civilians…

The Iron Hands join forces with the Raven Guard and the Salamanders and attack Isstvan V without waiting for the other supporting legions. The battles are bloody, but the loyalists seem to be winning when the reinforcement legions arrive: The Night Lords, Word Bearers, Alpha Legion, and Iron Warriors. Ferrus confronts Fulgrim one last time, believing himself victorious, but the newly arrived legions reveal themselves as traitors and attack the loyalists, massacring them. Fulgrim and Manus engage in combat. Fulgrim kills Manus and decapitates him. Fulgrim immediately regrets his actions and allows the demon that had been tormenting him all this time, residing within the Laer sword, to possess him and take his body so he can forget everything he did, before realizing the grave mistake he has made…

Fulgrim, no longer himself but a demon possessing his body, presents Manus's head to Horus. Horus makes the demon promise to keep Fulgrim's possession a secret so that his Legion remains loyal. But he vows that at the slightest opportunity, he will free his brother from the clutches of this demon.

Horus organizes his forces, and the Alpha Legion is sent to delay the Space Wolves and White Scars. The Night Lords are dispatched to the Eastern Fringes to confront loyalist forge worlds. The Iron Warriors are tasked with fighting part of the Imperial Fists legion. The Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Death Guard, Word Bearers, and World Eaters head for Terra to attack the Emperor.

[monmuses]

chaosworthy​:

+ | x |

    {➹} – HE JUST HAD a feeling about the other upon first glance. A familiar appearance, but something in the air around the other was…off, to say the least. That flash of teeth, that terribly wide smile and the hero’s suspicions had been slightly confirmed. He had seen a lot in his time, so there wasn’t much fear to be found in him just yet. But there was caution. 

     Arrow hadn’t expected what he reckoned was a sense of humor, however. It was enough to make mismatched ears twitch, for him to tilt his head. Curious. 

     “I tend not t’ judge people until I know them…” A bold statement given what he had just said, but the other had reminded him of someone else. Someone long gone by that point but he couldn’t help but draw some assumptions. “Which probably makes this one of my worse introductions t’ date, sorry ‘bout that…”

| @monmuses​     ▏ Xeno

     Huh. An apology for such a thing was... well, unexpected. At least, to Xenophanes, it was unexpected. With his own looks and who he was supposed to mirror in terms of appearance, he knew what was to come. He’s heard all the names, the descriptions, the reactions, all of it. For a second, he was a little surprised, his lips lowering to hide that grin he showed off. And, to compensate for the height difference, he lowered himself to crouch on his knees, ears adjusting forward.

     “WORST INTRO OR NOT, IT ISN’T THE FIRST TIME I’VE HEARD SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE,” he said, rather monotone about it. “DON’T SWEAT IT. I’VE BEEN CALLED WORSE THINGS. THE WHOLE LOOK KINDA ADDS TO IT ANYWAY.”

     Now, if it was him a decade or two ago, he would have absolutely proven that ‘unhinged’ comment in a more visual show than anything. How he used to be meant more of a bloodfest of gore and body parts. Instead, he toned down that whole factor by a good ninety-percent.

     “BUT UH... YEAH. I’M NOT TAKING IT PERSONALLY, SO DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT,” he said. “I DON’T REALLY CARE WHAT MOST PEOPLE SAY WHEN THEY SEE ME. IT’S A REGULAR BASIS. ANYWAY, HAD TO RAMBLE FOR A SEC. NAME’S XENO. WHAT ABOUT YOU?”

[cb-143]

[23:54]

You felt Byungjoo's arm rest on your waist. His front was pressed to your back, spending you warmth, along with his breath against the back of your neck. I twas a sensation that was usually comforting to you, during normal times. Spooning with your boyfriend was one of your favourite activities. Now, though, it haunted your thoughts that it would be this exact, perfect, comfortable feeling that would be missing in the future. You'd have to lie in bed alone, perhaps  worrying about him – what was he doing at this moment, how was he doing? Byungjoo sensed your worries, noticed that something was off from how tense you felt in his embrace, how your breathing sounded anything but relaxed.

"Are you awake?" He asked and the figure in his arms turned to face him. Even in the dark, you found each others eyes.

"I don't want you to leave." The sour taste in B-Joo's mouth came as sudden and unpleasant as the sensation of his heart squeezing tightly, then sinking down his chest.

"I know." He'd have to, but he couldn't find those exact words to say to you. "C'mere."

The bed shook, squeaking with each time you shuffled closer to him. Now he embraced you tighter than before and it felt different. His body was as warm as yours. He smelled as he always did – the way only he did – like B-Joo. How could you survive without his hugs, without his smell, having to worry constantly?

"Do you remember out first date?" B-Joo spoke softly, "I was so nervous." He smiled, your heart fluttered at the memory. B-Joo's hand caressed your hair as he began to retell the story of their date, the story of your love-adventure. The more he told, the better you felt. You relaxed and without meaning to, you drifted off in his arms.

[i-growl-growl-growl]

I currently have 7 ships, 2 reactions, and 1 scenario/imagine requests in my ask box.

All requests are currently open so send them in if you have any (but please read my “rules & info” page before you do) (selca ships request box may close soon so get those in quickest if you have them)

~Savie

[gaypoplove]

Masterlist

Rules

Request

All headers are done by the beautiful @godly-taekwoon

Reactions:

to s/o being dfab nb

Reactions:

to the reader coming out as ace

Drabbles:

YoonMinSeok College AU Fluff Stuff

Scenarios:

First Kiss

Will add when I do more. :)

[kpopsaggressively]

rules

what can you request?

asks (one group per request)

drabbles (max. two idols per request)

fake texts (max. three groups per request)

moodboards (max. two idols per request)

mtls (one group per request)

selca ships (max. five groups per request)

written ships (max. five groups per request)

reactions (one group per request)

_____ would include (max. two idols per request)

some basics

- if you’d like to request something that doesn’t fit any category above, just send it in anyways and i’ll see what i can do about it

- note that if you mention two idols in a request and won’t say anything else, i will assume that you want to get a poly relationship scenario 

- i’ll always try to keep everything as gender neutral as possible unless you directly say what you want

- i won’t write about anything that i find offensive or triggering (racism, abuse, mental illness etc) 

- i also don’t write smut. nsfw and suggestive themes are fine but i’m terrible at smut fics, trust me

- please note that english is not my first language and even though i’m really trying my best, sometimes i will make mistakes. if this happens please let me know so i can correct them

- be patient please. i tend to procrastinate a lot so it might take me some time to finish your request

- that’s it! now hurry up and request away <3

[sweettoothselfships]

🌈 ACROSTIC F/O ASK GAME:

Send me one of my F/O’s names, and I’ll answer the asks corresponding to the letters below to spell out their name! ex. If you asked for Julia I’d answer J, U, L, I, and A, in that order! (For duplicate letters you can give another valid answer or just skip it.) You can do just first name/just last name/whatever you feel like 👍 Heads up: Some of these are specifically romantic.

A - Art - do they draw or paint? what about any other kind of art? what’s their favorite style/subject/another artist who inspires them?

B - Before - before you decided to make them your F/O, what did you first think of them/their source?

C - Confession - which of you admitted romantic interest in the other first (if they’re the flirty type, when did they admit they were really serious about the other?) how did they do it? what was the reaction?

D - Danger - which of you is more likely to get into trouble? how well does your f/o handle danger?

E - Emotion - is your f/o open with their feelings or do they keep them close to their chest?

F - Food - what does your f/o like to eat? do they cook? and what would they cook for you?

G - Gush! talk about how much you love them 💜

H - Height - is there a height difference or a size difference in general between the two of you? how do each of you feel about it?

I - Image - show us a picture of them that gives you a lot of feelings. if they aren’t a visual character, describe your mental image of them!

J - Jewelry - do they wear any? what kind? (or what would they wear if they ever started?)

K - Kiss - give us any kiss headcanon you want. description, reason, location, who initiates it, etc.

L - Language - what’s their love language? what’s yours?

M - Meeting - what was your first time meeting them?

N - Nostalgia - what’s your f/o’s favorite memory?

O - Online - what is your f/o’s social media presence like, or what would it be like if they had internet in their world/era?

P - Pets - do they have a pet? if so, what kind and what is/would be its name? would you have a pet together?

Q - Quirk - what’s a small, unique thing they do that you noticed, appreciate, or just find interesting? conversely, what quirks do they notice about you?

R - Rainbow - what colors do you associate with them and why?

S - Story - if you and them were in a fairytale, which story would you be and who would play which character?

T - Teach - what skills of theirs would they teach you? what would you teach them?

U - Uplift - how do they help you when you’re stressed or sad and vice versa?

V - Vacation- where would you two go to get away?

W - Weakness - what’s theirs? it can be a fun weakness like trashy romance novels or a more serious trait if you want

X - Xeno - alien AU - which one of you is the extraterrestrial who’s been captured for research and which one of you is the caring scientist/worker who decides to break them out?

Y - You! what do they like about you?

Z - Zodiac - what’s their sign, or if you don’t know, what would you guess it is based on their personality? (Eastern or Western - personal preference)

Enjoy! 🦩

(note: i op am not currently accepting these please and ty, just rb if you wanna answer no need to send me one in return :))

[narrators-journal]

A run-in with a succubus

Here we go, another entry in the dr stone modern Monster AU or whatever. This idea just is so much fun to me, so yeah, expect more ship-focused writing or something lololol. Either way, I hope you enjoy my dumb little ideas~

Succubi and Incubi were arguably the bane of a monster hunter's existence. They were born of already dead souls, so they couldn't be perma-killed like a vampire or werewolf could, they often came with a slew of powers that varied from demon to demon in exact powers and strength, so each one was basically an rng-decided-encounter. Senku, however, didn't really mind dealing with sex demons. So, when he was called to deal with a particularly powerful seeming demon who was harassing an entire neighborhood, he didn't mind and just set to work on sniffing out the sex demon. It didn't hurt that the twenty-year-old hunter had fun drawing out the demon lurking around in the darkness of the night. He enjoyed having the chance to make dry ice bombs, light garbage can fires, or do anything to stir up drama in the quiet neighborhood to cover the fact that he was marking specific spots with symbols that he'd later use to banish the succubus from the area until his ruckus finally drew the attention he wanted and the street's temperature dropped a noticeable and sudden amount, one of the biggest signs that a demon was in the area. The thought of a demon now zeroing in on him in the chilly night honestly sent a thrill down the hunter's spine, or, more-so, Senku was excited to confront a creature he could maybe question and mine for information on his species. However, before he could try to bring back any bit of possibly helpful information about sex demons, he'd have to actually encounter the demon he's supposed to be hunting. So, he just returned to acting like an annoying teen or troublemaker who broke into yards and stole a few things before painting a half finished symbol beside a stranger's trampoline and flopping onto the bouncy piece of equipment to stretch out and wait out the demon. I guess now it's up to waiting. Senku thought with a sigh, hating this period in hunting monsters, having to wait. At least with sex demons, they were pretty easy to lure, despite what his slightly snobby mentor, Xeno Wingfield, always told him. All he had to do was get the demon's attention and then wait for the creature to approach him to attempt to feed. Luckily, maybe, for the apprentice hunter, he ended up dozing off completely on the trampoline, only stirring when he felt himself bounce when the tightly woven surface of the trampoline was jostled. When he woke up with a jump, Senku's crimson eyes were met with a sight that he wasn't exactly used to seeing. In general, the leek-haired man wasn't super experienced with sex, so the sight of someone straddling him with half lidded eyes and a coy smirk was already a surprise, but the added temporary shock of the two tails, one to match each half of his split-colored hair and small, equally mismatched horns sent his brain for a loop in the first few moments of him being awake.         "Ah! I see you've woken up!" the succubus cooed, his hands sliding up the hunter's chest until they were chest to chest with the demon's hips wiggling to make his tails sway as rhythmically as a pendulum, "good morning handsome~ I don't think you'd mind if I maybe had a little nibble from you, would you?" The hunter blinked at the demon's words, taking a moment to register the situation before shaking his head, which seemed to shock the demon. Props to the succubus though, because he adjusted very quickly, just cupping Senku's cheek and sending a wave of tingly sensations across his pale skin. However, it was like the warm, euphoric feeling didn't sink in, didn't reach his brain to turn off the common sense as the creature spoke again,           "Come on now, if you're awake, might as well have a bit of fun with a succubus, right? I'm told I'm quite the catch.~" he tried, giving the man a quick kiss, and while it wasn't at all bad, it didn't spark a hormonal reaction the sex demon seemed to be seeking. "Why aren't you falling under my spell?" he huffed, his dark blue eyes shining with frustration and confusion, but all Senku could do was stare while the demon pushed himself back into a sitting position with lashing tails.             "I’m sorry, was I supposed to do something specific? Was the kiss supposed to do something?" He asked, making the sex demon growl at him,            "It's already weird that you woke up when I was trying to feed on you, but you're not supposed to just shrug off my magic. You're supposed to be horny putty in my hands right now, not laying there staring up at me like a kid during his first damned time." he complained, and all the odd-haired man could do again was shrug at him.             "I get the sense I've maybe offended you..."             "No, I'm not offended." he huffed, "I'm just frustrated. I think I need a moment," with that, he rolled off of the hunter, making him bounce on the lawn toy as the cranky demon sat up, now a distance away, to pout. So, Senku sat up and sat on the edge of the trampoline against the mesh barrier around the circumference of the thing, politely waiting a small stretch of time before trying to question his new companion.              "So, uh, why do you have two tails? Is that normal for incubi and succubi?" He asked after a long moment, turning his red eyes back to the succubus to watch the twin tails flick and lash before the sex demon spoke,             "Kinda rude to ask about my biology before even asking for my name."             "Well, alright, my name's Ishigami Senku, what's yours?" that got the apprentice hunter a dirty look, but he did answer,             "Asagiri Gen," he gave a nod, then repeated his question,             "So, why do you have two tails? Is that normal for sex demons?" He watched said tails fall and send a ripple across the taut surface as Gen sighed,             "I come from a line of strong sex demons, the two tails are a feature I inherited from my family, like how you look like your family has a resemblance to one another, this is my line's shared feature for the most part. No, I do not know the biological reason beyond that, it's just something I have." With that, they returned to a momentary silence, full of Gen throwing inquisitive looks towards the man sent there to banish him, trying to get a read on his intimate details, but the leek wasn't giving him any cues as to any deep dark fetishes or secrets, he was watching him, but with the same curiosity a scientist had towards the lab rat he'd just gotten, not a hint of lust or desire in his body language.               "How often do you have to feed?" The monster hunter asked as the sex demon turned to face him, meeting his own question-filled gaze with his own,              "Y’know what? I'll answer your questions if you answer mine, how about that?" Gen offered, giving him a sweet smile while his tails returned to their gentle swaying, and he pretty eagerly nodded, "Great! I can go about 3 months without food if I feed for a month or so straight. Are you into men?" The blunt question made the hunter blink a bit, but he shook the small shock off,              "Yeah, all of my crushes have been men. Are sex demons all bi? Do you have, like, a 'status quo' sort of sexuality?" As he spoke, the succubus moved closer to him, casually answering as he crawled over as seductively as possible,             "Not that I've seen, though I personally am bisexual, but I generally prefer to go for men~" he hummed, putting his hands on the leek-haired man's thighs so that he got another wave of tingly warm sensations as he leaned closer to his face "How many people have you slept with, dear Senku?" The hunter thought a bit, not reacting strongly to the buzzing feeling across his skin nor how close Gen's face was to his when he spoke,              "I haven't slept with anyone, I rarely get the urge to have sex at all, dear...Asagiri," he hummed, and the sex demon's face turned to a look of 'aha' for a moment,              "Senku, are you asexual at all?" He huffed, narrowing his dark blue eyes at the leek, already knowing the answer, but he answered nonetheless,             "I am gray-ace and homoromantic, I think," he gave another infuriating shrug, "haven't put much thought into the labels." At that, Gen pushed himself off of the hunter, flopping back onto the trampoline and making the hunter bounce briefly into the air,                 "God DAMN IT." He groaned, his tails once again lashing in frustration. So, for a moment or two longer, they sat in silence, until the succubus spoke once again, "I know you're here to banish me from the neighborhood, just go ahead and do it." that honestly surprised the hunter-in-training, making him raise his eyebrows at the demon,               "Really? No fight? No argument?" The monster sat up with a long sigh,               "Yeah, I can't exactly fight you, I'm as physically strong as you are without my powers of seduction," he pointed out, "it wouldn't be that much of a fight," He had a point with that, Senku wasn't that physically strong, so he didn't bother arguing and just climbed out of the trampoline's little barrier and hopped down to the lawn. While he got his paint out of his equipment bag, Gen laid on his stomach and watched him grumpily. Why is he still so pissy about not feeding off me? Senku thought, finally just asking while he tried to re-activate the paint,             "Why are you so grumpy about me not being into you? Haven't you run into an asexual before?" The succubus jumped a bit at the sudden question, but once again covered it pretty quickly,             "I have run into asexuals before, but I was wanting to feed on you, you're really cute." he admitted, and the hunter snorted, beginning to finish up the symbol he'd painted beforehand,             "Well, if it's any consolation, if we run into each other when you're not being a nuisance, maybe you can try to, y'know, properly seduce me." he suggested, and that made the demon perk up and quickly agree. With that, Senku finished up the symbol and Gen was thrown from the neighborhood. Yeah, sure, he'd likely go somewhere else to feed, but the leek's job was done, so he was satisfied and simply returned home with a smile.

[emeraldbabygirl]

Here’s a list tall idols because my size kink was triggered about 2 hours ago and that’s how long it took me to make this list. The majority of these idols are the reason for my size kink uwu. Feel free to add more. I couldn’t tag all the groups because of the tag limit.I tried to keep just the 6 foot bitches but whole groups are on here cause they tall daddies uwu! I’m going to tag @obiwon-shenobi and @ithinkilikeit-reactions because I know one of y’all has a size kink uwu!

Nakta (former member of Topp Dogg) - 6ft

Xero (Topp Dogg/ Xeno-T) - 5′11

Gohn (former member of Topp Dogg) - 6ft

Kidoh (former member of Topp Dogg) - 5′10

Hyeontae (former member of Topp Dogg and Beatwin) - 6ft

Jiwon (former member of Topp Dogg and Mr.Mr.) - 6ft

St.Van (VAV) - 5′11

Baron (VAV) - 5′10

ACE (VAV) - 5′9

Ayno (VAV) - 6ft

Jacob (VAV) - 6ft

Lou (VAV) - 6ft

Ziu (VAV) - 6ft

Jae-I (Great Guys) - 5′10

Horyeong (Great Guys) - 6ft

Haneul (Great Guys) - 6ft

Daun (Great Guys) - 5′10

Donghwi (Great Guys) - 5′10

Dongin (Great Guys) - 6ft

Hwalchan (Great Guys) - 6′2

Uiyeon (Great Guys) - 6′3

Baekgyeol (great Guys) - 6′1

Sanha (Astro) - 6′1

Zelo (B.A.P) - 6′2

Youjin (former member of KNK) - 6′1

Heejun (KNK) - 5′10

Jihun (KNK) - 6′1

Inseong (KNK) - 6ft

Dongwon (KNK) - 6ft

Seoham (KNK) - 6′2

Suhyun (Snuper) - 5′9

Woosung (Snuper) - 6ft

Sangho (Snuper) - 6ft

Inseong (SF9) - 6ft

Jaeyoon (SF9) - 6ft

Zuho (SF9) - 6ft

Rowoon (SF9)  - 6′2

Shinwon (Pentagon) - 6ft

Yanan (Pentagon) - 6′1

Yuto (Pentagon) - 5′11

Wooseok (Pentagon) - 6′2

Yunmin (Newkidd) - 6ft

Yonghoon (OneWe) - 6ft

Inhaeng (Halo) - 6′1

Jaeyong (Halo) - 6ft

Heecheon (Halo) - 6′1

Listen (The Legend) - 6′1

Roi (The Legend) - 5′11

Jaehyuk (The Legend) - 6′1

Lito (The Legend) - 6ft

Changsun (The Legend) - 6ft

Kyungil (History) - 6ft

Dokyun (History) - 6ft

Sihyeong (History) - 5′11

Jaeho (History) - 5′8

Yijeong (History) - 5′8

Sunwoo (Boys Republic) - 6ft

Hyuk (Vixx) -6ft

Ravi (Vixx) - 6ft

Leo (Vixx) - 6ft

Seungwoo (Victon) - 6ft

Byungchan (Victon) - 6ft

Yixuan (UNIQ) - 6ft

Sungjoo (UNIQ) - 5′10

Wenhan (UNIQ) - 5′10

Seungyoun (UNIQ) - 5′10

Yibo (UNIQ) - 5′11

Yunsung (Noir) - 5′11

Roh Ji Hoon - 6ft

Jion (N.Tic)  - 5′10

Sangwook (N.Tic) - 5′11

Seunghoo (N.Tic) - 5′10

Dowon (former member of Varsity and N.Tic) - 5′10

Jinseo (N.Tic) -6ft

Seunghyub (N.Flying)- 5′11

Sulhu (former member of LU:KUS/L.A.U) - 6′2

Jinhwan (The Man BLK) - 6ft

Sungyong (The Man BLK) - 6ft

SeUng(The Man BLK)  - 6′2

ChanYi (The Man BLK) - 5′10

Junwon (The Man BLK) - 5′11

Hyeongseok (The Man BLK) - 6ft

Woojin (The Man BLK) -5′10

Seungho (The Man BLK) - 6′1

Jeongyou (The Man BLK) - 6ft

Taewoo (The Man BLK) - 5′9

Chanyeol (Exo) - 6ft

Wu Yifan (former member of Exo) - 6′1

Huang ZiTao (former member of Exo) - 6ft

Minhyuk (CNBLUE) - 6ft

Jungshin (CNBLUE) - 6′1

Jaeun (Argon) - 6′1

Gon (Argon) - 5′11

Yeoun (Argon) - 6ft

Gon (Vanner) - 5′11

Bumjun (2Z) - 6′1

Hojin (2Z) - 6′2

Jiseob (2Z) - 6′1

Junghyun (2Z) - 6′4 (I ACTUALLY SCREAMED)

Hyunwoong (fomer member of 14U and 2Z) - 6ft

Jun.H (UNVS) - 5′9

YY (UNVS) - 5′9

Eunho (UNVS) - 6ft

Changgyu - (UNVS) - 5′8

Jen (UNVS) - 5′11

Hyun (Target) - 5′11

Zeth (Target) - 5′11

Laon (ENOi) - 5′10

Dojin  (ENOi) - 5′11

Hamin (ENOi) - 6ft

Avin (ENOi) - 5′10

Gun (ENOi) - 6ft

J-Kid (ENOi) - 5′10

Hyunjun (IZ) - 5′11

Jihoo (IZ) - 5′11

Woosu (IZ) - 5′11

Junyoung (IZ) - 5′11

Kim Yoon (Dustin) - 6ft

Rano (E’LAST)  - 5′8

Seungyeop (E’LAST) - 5′8

Baekgyeul (E’LAST) - 5′9

Romin (E’LAST) - 5′9

Wonhyuk (E’LAST) - 5′9

Yejun (E’LAST) - 5′8

Yunho (ATEEZ) - 6ft

Mingi (ATEEZ) - 6ft

Sungah (9 Muses) - 5′8

Kyungri (9 Muses) - 5′7

Hyemi (9 Muses) - 5′7

Sojin (9 Muses) - 5′7

Keumjo (9 Muses) - 5′6

Jaekyung (9 Muses) - 5′8

Rana (9 Muses) - 5′8

Bini (9 Muses) - 5′8

Lee Sam (9 Muses) - 5′8

Sera (9 Muses) -5′6

Eunji (9 Muses) - 5′8

Euaerin (9 Muses) - 5′8

Minha (9 Muses) - 5′8

Hyuna (9 Muses) - 5′8

Sooyoung (Girls Generation) - 5′7 

Joy (Red Velvet) - 5′6

Aisha (Everglow) - 5′9

Nana (Afterschool)  - 5′7

[wyndford-dekarios-majima]

acrostic f/o game for jacob frye or maxwell or both !!!!!!

I will recover from my sickness by thinking about men. :]

J - Jewelry - do they wear any? what kind? (or what would they wear if they ever started?)

Jacob wears a necklace in game actually :0 more of a choker, really; a coin threaded on a thick cord. I think, if he were allowed, he'd also get an earring of some kind.

A - Art - do they draw or paint? what about any other kind of art? what’s their favorite style/subject/another artist who inspires them?

Jacob...hm. His art is mostly painting the walls red. If he had time, I think he'd be a smash hit in the music industry with his voice, but that'd require time.

C - Confession - which of you admitted romantic interest in the other first (if they’re the flirty type, when did they admit they were really serious about the other?) how did they do it? what was the reaction?

It never really happened, actually. We just kind of...kept going and never stopped. The first time he told me he loved me was on our third date.

O - Online - what is your f/o’s social media presence like, or what would it be like if they had internet in their world/era?

Jacob would be the best man on OnlyFans. I think he would also make it good on Tumblr like irresponsible-black-unicorn, bc of his general raucous positivity and good looks.

B - Before - before you decided to make them your F/O, what did you first think of them/their source?

Before I played Syndicate (my first AC game, actually) I thought it was...very dudebro. What I heard mostly was that it was a collect-a-thon about killing people. Now? well. it is. but I enjoy those games :] and before I decided to add him to the list I was def like. ok manwhore lol men's tits

--------

F - Food - what does your f/o like to eat? do they cook? and what would they cook for you?

Favourite food is liquid bread (beer). He is canonically a horrible fucking cook so no he does not cook while I'm around. I make him stews and he enjoys those well enough :]

R - Rainbow - what colors do you associate with them and why?

Green, for the Rooks, and a bit of a Navy colour, for his usual outfit. I was abt to say red bc I always have him in max dracula but that's a Roth colour.

Y - You! what do they like about you?

E - Emotion - is your f/o open with their feelings or do they keep them close to their chest?

Jacob is def a let-it-fester kind of guy. Bottles shit up heavy.

----

M - Meeting - what was your first time meeting them?

During one of the operas, actually. Someone was going to shoot one of the actors, but I shot the guy first, and Roth invited me out for dinner as a thanks for saving one of his favourite plays.

A - Art - do they draw or paint? what about any other kind of art? what’s their favorite style/subject/another artist who inspires them?

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE HE'S A THEATRE KIIIIIIIID

I don't feel like he would pick up any instruments, he's very stage-oriented. Sings beautifully, a wonderful actor, knows precisely when and where he should turn on stage. Theatre is in his blood.

X - Xeno - alien AU - which one of you is the extraterrestrial who’s been captured for research and which one of you is the caring scientist/worker who decides to break them out?

uh mufuckin uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh borgir (I can't answer this one)

W - Weakness - what’s theirs? it can be a fun weakness like trashy romance novels or a more serious trait if you want

His inability to see consequence before it happens. His main philosophy in life is "why not", which leads to, well...a building getting blown up with children inside. He's also emotionally visceral, feels raw all the time and will, for example, set his livelihood on fire on the off chance the one who angered him was inside and wanting to kill him. He is impulsive, irrational, and irritable.

E - Emotion - is your f/o open with their feelings or do they keep them close to their chest?

He won't say anything with clarity, but he makes his emotions towards others very clear despite that. He will not say he loves you, but he will call you dear.

L - Language - what’s their love language? what’s yours?

We all use the same love languages, so I'm recontextualising this as "what language do they flirt in". Roth flirts in Italian, unless you understand Italian, in which case he will simply find a language you don't know. I mainly flirt in English.

L - [previous]

R - Rainbow - what colors do you associate with them and why?

Red and black. Red for the fire, black for the feather.

O - Online - what is your f/o’s social media presence like, or what would it be like if they had internet in their world/era?

I feel like he'd keep off the internet, tbh? Sure, online ads for his operas, but otherwise doesn't touch it. He knows it's poison.

T - Teach - what skills of theirs would they teach you? what would you teach them?

I feel like he wouldn't...knowingly teach me, but he would show me how to love myself once in a while. I would teach him how to have a bit of impulse control.

H - Height - is there a height difference or a size difference in general between the two of you? how do each of you feel about it?

I looked it up and apparently there's a hockey player named Maxwell Roth and he's 6'1" so I'm stealing that thanks- and uh yeah, about seven inches of difference. He's the shorter one.

[xmber-bull]

@purrfectoutlaw continued from this ask (X) The little rifle actually made the Beastman belt out an amused laugh. He’s seen Laspistols more deadly than that little needle gun she has- What is that? Some 31st Century tech she salvaged? The Cornerian might as well have pointed a popgun at Zhagaak, he probably would’ve had the same reaction.  With a rev of his Chainsword, he bore down on the pink cat humanoid. “Y’ been livin’ under a rock or somethin’? Or are ya jus’ tryin’ t’ get th’ drop on me?” Zhagaak’s voice drops to a grumble, as he brought the blade of the chainsword to the barrel of the rifle. Though he didn’t start to slice into it, he did make a bit of a notch in the barrel as sparks flew off of both it and the chain blade of the weapon.  “Abhuman. Or. Xeno.” Another rev of the Chainsword bathed both of them in sparks.

[kaijumydude]

misc shit abt Reed

    Destiny 2 verse: 8ft tall hive-esque being that has an insatiable love for caramel candies and not being seen unless in the dark in which you see glowing eyes peering back or until he’s looming behind you. Always crouching on chairs or tables, sits in the rafters or some high place

    Also cried at seeing alien frogs. Referred to as the “Tower Cryptid” and people have tried to get pics of him only for them to be very blurry. Paulie is fully aware of Reed’s status and always is vague when people ask about him.

    Alien verse: Also really fucking tall, never seen by non crew members, crawls in the vents, is wearing like 20 layers to hide his xeno attributes but also comes out in boxers and a t-shirt, dead ass silent, 

    is only seeable at unreasonable hours, has eaten a whole pepper like an apple, also has popped raw garlic in his mouth with no reaction much to the distress of the crew, incoherent (not to him) notes written on his arms 

    RDR2 verse: Is never seen in town except once a month to pick up mail, town-goers rarely see him yet all know and like him, wears so many layers and a long coat and a scarf around the lower half of his face with a moderately sized hat that is so concealing you can barely tell it’s him, always covered in dirt but never smells bad; always smells like flowers,

     rides a huge ass Ardennes horse named Shortcake (cause its coat is Strawberry Roan), Is never robbed cause when people do he always invites them for tea or something and is just such a nice host they lose all interest in harming or robbing him, can never be found, always hangs a hammock high up in the trees when camping, has caught fish with his bare hands

[therainroguefanfiction]

Poisoned (Woozi)

Genre: Fluff, Comedy, AU, School, Crossover, Romance ☁

Word Count: 3,635 ☁

Pairing: Reader x Jihoon ☁

World: Kpop, Seventeen ft. GOT7 and Topp Dogg/Xeno-T ☁

Prompt:  “Oh, this has got to be the most disgusting thing ever – here, taste it!”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You sat in the back of your Home Economics class, watching the pair in front of you with pure amazement. Mingyu and Jaebum were the power duo of the class, getting a perfect grade on every dish they made. You just couldn’t understand how they made such amazing food with no effort.

“Yah, stop daydreaming and help me.” Your partner, Byungjoo, nudged you in the side with a scowl.

“It’s just ramen, Bjoo, how hard is it to make?” You questioned, lazily, choosing instead to lean back in your chair.

“With that attitude, you’ll never impress Jihoon.” He pointed the spoon at you with a frown before turning back to the ramen.

You also frowned, sliding down in your chair. Your eyes landed on the boy in question, positioned on the opposite side of the room, working with his partner, Jinyoung. You’ve been crushing on the blonde boy since he stood up for you in middle school, but since you had different social circles, you found it hard to talk to him. None of your friends knew him, so it was a struggle to find a way to work yourself into his life. That didn’t stop you from trying to come up with a solution, though.

You sighed in frustration, letting your head fall onto the table. “What am I gonna do?”

Byungjoo patted your back half-heartedly as he focused on the soup. “On the bright side, it’s movie night.”

That did make you feel a bit better. “Can I choose the movie this time?”

He shrugged. “I don’t care, but you know how picky Jiho is.”

Byungjoo, Jiho and yourself have been best friends ever since you were tots in diapers. As you grew older, the bond between you became stronger until the three of you became a family, supporting each other through life’s twists and turns. To celebrate this bond and to face the reality that you all would probably split ways after high school, Jiho started hosting a movie night. Every Friday, the three of you would gather on his couch and watch several movies, usually chosen by Jiho himself. It was a small frame of time where you forgot about everything else, stuffed your face with various snacks, and enjoyed the company of your brothers.

When school ended, you and Byungjoo raced off to the local movie rental store, Blickbuster. The blonde kept sneaking around the isles trying to see which genre and movie you were choosing, but he was soon cornered by a couple of girls from school who may or may not have an unhealthy obsession with him.

‘That’s what you get for being so popular’, you snickered to yourself, quickly grabbing a couple movies that looked interesting before rushing to the counter. Because the internet was taking over when it came to movies, Blickbuster wasn’t as popular as it once had been. It sucked for them, but it was good for you because there was no line to wait in.

The cashier took his sweet time to scan the movies, making you want to yell at him to move a little faster, but he was an older gentleman and you didn’t want to be rude. You could hear Byungjoo’s steps as he rushed over to you, but the movies were slid into the plastic bag just before he reached the counter. He pouted at you, but you just offered him a thumbs up and a cheeky smile.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

Jiho looked up when his front door opened, scowling at the two of you – chatting cheerfully with each other as if you hadn’t been more than fifteen minutes late. “What took you two so long? We were supposed to walk home together, remember?” You tried to subtly shift the bag behind you, but he caught the logo. “No way, I don’t trust you, Y/N!”

When he turned away to set up the DVD player, you and Byungjoo shared a sneaky look.

Sniffling loudly, you put on the saddest face you could manage as you approached the couch, hands clasped tightly against your legs. Jiho watched you with suspicious eyes while Byungjoo looked at you with pity, making sure the brown-haired male saw the look. “Come on, man! Y/N is having some serious dating issues. She was really looking forward to showing us this movie.”

Still suspicious, he shifted his weight uncomfortably. “What movie is it?”

“I wanted to – sniffle – surprise you.” You responded in a timid voice. Byungjoo nodded, throwing his arms around your shoulders and frowning at the male.

Heaving out a deep sigh, Jiho gave in. “Fine,”

As soon as the words passed his lips, your mood flipped and you high-fived the male next to you. Dread filled him as Jiho realized that he had just been played. “You guys suck!”

“We love you, too, Jiho~!” You both chorused, working together to form a heart with your hands.

Working together, you quickly filled the coffee table with snacks and got everything connected. The boys settled down on the couch while you popped the disk into the DVD player, flicking off the lights. You squeezed in between them and pressed play.

Twenty minutes into the horror movie, both boys were clutching onto you for dear life, screaming every time something mildly disturbing happened which was quite often. Meanwhile, you were completely relaxed, munching on popcorn as the guy was forced to saw his ankle off in order to escape the room.

“You guys are such babies.” You mumbled, flinching. “Stop screaming in my ear, Jiho!”

“You have no soul!” He cried, throwing the blanket over his head when a particularly loud scream left the television.

Jiho’s older sister, Sarang, descended the stairs, rubbing her tired eyes. When she saw the horror movie playing on the screen, she decided to sneak up behind the three, screaming as loud as her lungs would allow. Her brother shrieked, falling off the couch and throwing himself against the wall. Byungjoo slammed his face into your shoulder, nails digging into your arm. Even you jumped, whipping around to face the source.

“That was not funny, sis!”

Sarang giggled, flicking the lights on. “I thought it was hilarious!”

You paused the movie and tried to pry the blonde off of you. “Did we wake you up?”

“Yes, but I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.” She plopped down on the couch next to you. “Mind if I join?”

“Nope! I’m going to bed, goodnight!” Without waiting for a response, Jiho stomped up the stairs, having had enough of being scared for one night.

You turned to Byungjoo who had finally removed his nails from your skin. “You in?”

Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly nodded.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You flipped through the channels, looking for something at least mildly interesting to watch. You and Sarang had finished both movies, and Byungjoo had fallen asleep sometime during the second movie, using your shoulder as a pillow. You weren’t tired at all, though.

Because of how late it was, there wasn’t much playing on TV, so you just settled for a Running Man re-run. The blonde snored lightly as Sarang exited the kitchen, carrying two glasses of coke.

“So tell me, Y/N. Have you confessed your undying love to that boy yet?”

You shifted in your seat, taking a long sip of the drink.

“That’s a no,” she laughed, “You’re taking Home Ec, right?”

“Yeah, but I can’t cook to save my life.” You frowned at the glass, rubbing your thumb over the condensation. “Pretty sure Bjoo is failing because of me.”

“That’s a shame. You know, don’t you?”

“Know what?”

“You joined Home Ec and you don’t even know?” She looked at you in surprise. “What did you join for, then?”

“Bjoo begged me to join him because he thought the class would be full of girls. He wanted to use me as his wingman, but the class is mostly guys. There are only four girls, and two of them are obsessed with him.”

Sarang giggled. “Ah, high school life~ I remember what it was like being young~”

“You’re not even that old…”

“But you know, Y/N,” she leaned forward, holding her finger up with a smile, “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

You sat for a moment, taking in that information. “If that’s the case, then I really am screwed!”

“Nonsense! Your teacher is Mrs. Jung, right?”

“Yeah,”

“Perfect! She’s an amazing cook and a brilliant teacher. As long as you listen well and do as she does, you’ll be a pro in no time.” She patted your shoulder gently. “You’re resourceful and smart, have some confidence in yourself.”

You nodded, jumping off the couch and holding out your fist in determination. “You’re right, I can do this!”

Byungjoo groaned in pain, having been thrown face-first onto the floor.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

“I can’t do this…” You muttered as Mrs. Jung approached your table.

She looked down at the plate of food you had prepared, up to your crestfallen face, and back down to the food. What was meant to be a simple dish of bacon, eggs, and toast turned out to be a disaster because Byungjoo trusted you to cook the food alone after you begged him all morning.

The eggs were like rubber, the bacon was hard as a brick, and the poor toast, rather than being golden brown, had turned pitch black. Mrs. Jung cleared her throat, “Well… we all have to start somewhere. Good effort, Y/N, Byungjoo.”

You bowed your head in shame as the girls at the next table started laughing at you. Byungjoo did his best to comfort you, but his words didn’t reach. You honestly felt like such a failure – a hopeless loser that couldn’t even make toast properly. It wasn’t just your inability to cook, either. Byungjoo had trusted you and you had let him down. His grades would surely suffer from your overconfidence.

The next couple of days passed by you as a blur. You hardly said a word despite Jiho and Byungjoo’s various attempts to cheer you up or, at the very least, get some sort of reaction out of you. Everything they tried ultimately failed, though.

When lunch rolled around, you found yourself sitting alone at the table. Neither boy could be found, but you didn’t even notice. As Jihoon entered the cafeteria, his eyes landed on you. With a furrowed brow, he quickly glanced around the room, but neither Jiho or Byungjoo were in the room. You never ate without them. Had you fought with them? He had noticed your change in attitude over the past few days, but since he didn’t actually know anyone in your circle, he had no way of knowing.

The chair next to you squeaked as he pulled it away from the table, sitting down on the hard plastic. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t cook.” You muttered, absentmindedly stirring your potatoes.

He was quiet for a moment, carefully thinking over his response. “Cooking isn’t for everyone. Even so, don’t give up. Whenever you feel like giving up, think about the reason you want to improve your cooking. Focus on that reason until you no longer have the desire to give up.” After saying his peace, he stood up and headed for his usual table.

You looked up as he walked away, feeling the fork slip out of your fingers in surprise. It was Jihoon! You let his words sink in before you felt a new wave of resolve come over you. With your new found energy, you sprung up, slamming your hands on the table. “I will learn how to cook!”

The other students looked at you like you were weird, disturbed by your sudden outburst. Jihoon hid his smile behind his hand, eyes following you as you rushed out of the cafeteria.

Most of your lunch period was spent searching for your two best friends. There were only ten minutes left when you finally found them talking to each other in the hallway. You ran up to them and threw your arms around their necks.

“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting! I’m sorry I’m practically making you fail, Bjoo!

They exchanged a look of surprise but returned the embrace.

“What’s gotten into you?” Jiho questioned.

“Was it aliens – ow! What’d you hit me for?!”

“Because you’re an idiot and you’re ruining the mood.”

“You ruin the mood all the time!”

“Exactly. It’s my job to ruin the mood, not yours.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

You burst out laughing, wrapping your arms around your stomach. It felt good like you were releasing all of the negativity that had been hanging over you the past few days.

The pair smiled at you, happy that you were no longer sulking. Byungjoo waited for your laughter to die down before speaking, “We have a surprise for you.”

“Surprise?” You questioned, wiping away your tears.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Jiho wished you both good luck before you went your separate ways. Byungjoo was practically skipping to Home Ec and you were beginning to feel nervous. Was he going to get even with you for making him watch a horror movie?

The two of you were the last ones in the class before the bell and you caught Jihoon’s eyes. He sent you an encouraging smile, which you returned with a nervous one.

You went to take your seat, but the blonde shoved you into the chair next to Mingyu who offered you a kind smile. Byungjoo took his normal seat, but Jaebum was sitting next to him. Before you could question him, the teacher walked in and the lesson began.

As Mingyu started the day’s dish, he explained the situation. “Your friends explained your predicament to me and Jaebum. You like Jihoon, right?”

You startled, dropping the metal bowl that you were holding. You visibly winced as it bounced off the table and hit the floor, spinning for a few seconds before coming to a stop. With an apologetic glance to the teacher, you scurried away to grab the bowl, wanting nothing more than to hide from the watchful eyes of your classmates. The three boys surrounding you stifling their laughter. Not knowing the two that well, you turned to face Byungjoo with a scowl.

“I’m going to send you so many horror gifs!”

His laughter died immediately, his body tensing.

Mingyu chuckled, gaining your attention. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us. They were really concerned about you, you know?”

You watched him as he carefully measured the ingredients. “They’re idiots, but… they’re good guys. I feel bad for making them worry.”

He hummed, “In that case, you should make it up to them by doing your best. Even if you fail, you can look them in the eyes and say that you did your best without giving up.”

As his words sunk in, you smiled. “Thank you. Please teach me all you know!”

“That’s the spirit!” He grinned, rolling up his sleeves. “Let’s get to work, we have a lot to cover before the exam.”

“Yes, sir!”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

The next week you focused solely on food.

Reading cooking magazines, watching cooking programs, going through the notes Mingyu made you… you even went so far as to play flash games about cooking. There were several times that you wanted to give up, but you remembered both Jihoon and Mingyu’s encouraging words. It re-energized you and gave you the confidence to forge forward.

The day of the exam finally arrived.

Everyone in the class was tasked with creating a curry dish. Because it was a test, the students worked alone rather than in pairs. You were feeling extremely nervous, but your friends had sent good vibes to you before the test began. You did the best you could, using the knowledge Mingyu had instilled in you.

When it was your turn to be judged, everyone looked at you in surprise.

The curry looked completely normal, delicious even. The rules of the test were that the student was supposed to taste their own dish before the teacher, but you were feeling nervous because you had never tasted your own food before. You grabbed a spoonful of curry, trying to steady your shaking hand.

Hearing Byungjoo laughing at your nervousness, you made a split second decision. Whipping around, you shoved the spoon into his mouth only to freeze. It wasn’t Byungjoo standing behind you, it was Jihoon.

His skin turned deathly pale and the class swore that his soul had left him.

“Shit,” you cursed, watching as he stumbled out of the classroom, clutching his stomach. The class was silent.

“Go!” Mingyu whispered, pushing you forwards. You took off after him, finding him leaning against the wall for support.

Swallowing down your nerves, you gently took his arm and put it over your shoulder, helping the boy to the nurse’s office. After quickly explaining what had happened, the nurse gave him a liquid to settle his stomach before directing him to lie down on one of the beds.

You sat on the stool by his head, staring at your hands. You couldn’t dare look him in the eye after what you had done. “I am so sorry, Jihoon! I thought Bjoo was behind me and I… I’m so sorry!”

He took a deep breath, thinking over what he wanted to say. “What reason did you have for wanting to be a better cook? What’s your motivation?”

The question surprised you. “I… was trying to get someone’s attention…”

“Byungjoo?”

“Eh?” You finally lifted your eyes to meet his, surprised by the determination burning within their depths.

“You were trying to get Byungjoo’s attention, right?”

Your nose scrunched up in disgust, “Ew, no. He’s practically my brother.”

“Then who?” His brow furrowed. He had been sure that you were trying to impress the blonde.

“Oh my god! Why are these two so dense?!”

“Be quiet! You’re gonna get us caught!”

You exchanged a look with Jihoon before approaching the door. When you pulled it open, two boys fell through while Mingyu and Jiho stood behind them. The two on the floor were Byungjoo and one of Jihoon’s friends, Seungkwan.

Seungkwan pulled himself to his feet, huffing out in annoyance as he waved his arms dramatically. “You two are so frustrating!” He turned to you, pointing a finger at your face. “How do you feel about him?”

“I…” Biting your lip, you decided that you had already made a complete fool out of yourself already – you had nothing left to lose. Taking a breath to steel your nerves, you turned around to face Jihoon. “Do you remember that time in middle school? It was our second year and I was being bullied by some girls because of Jiho.”

“How is that my fault?!”

“Fangirls,” Byungjoo responded simply, throwing his arm around the boy.

You continued, ignoring their exchange. “We had never spoken before, but you still stood up for me. They stopped messing with me after that day… After that, I started to feel strange every time I looked at you. Whenever our eyes met, my heart would start racing. I found myself thinking about you whenever you weren’t around… Bjoo made me realize that I was crushing on you, but those feelings only got stronger as we got older. I originally joined Home Ec because of Bjoo… I guess I can see why you’d think that I liked him, but I started taking cooking seriously because I wanted you to notice me!” Your cheeks were burning and you felt yourself shaking a bit, but you felt so much lighter now that you had gotten everything off your chest.

Your two idiots started clapping proudly, wiping away invisible tears from their eyes. They were moved by your bravery.

Jihoon was silent for a good minute before he pushed himself into a sitting position. “Come here, Y/N.”

You glanced back at your friends for encouragement, receiving a thumbs up from both of them. You slowly approached his side.

He gently grasped the collar of your shirt, tugging you down until your lips connected with his own. At that moment, everything else disappeared. He was the only thing in your world and it felt amazing. You smiled as he pulled away, his lips ghosting over yours as he spoke, “I’ve liked you since our first year of middle school.”

“Finally! Jeez,” Seungkwan sighed as he left the nurse’s office, muttering to himself about how much of a pain you both were.

You rubbed the back of your neck, smiling sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry for poisoning you…”

Jihoon chuckled, “It was worth it.”

Little flecks of white started to rain down on you both, courtesy of Byungjoo and Jiho who had shredded up some paper and were currently tossing it at you.

“Boys! Stop making a mess!” The nurse scolded them, ordering the pair to stay after school to clean up the mess they had made.

As you watched them being scolded, you felt Jihoon wrap his arm around your waist and lean against you. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to you. The boy you had been chasing for so long was finally yours, and you were finally his. All it took was serving him some disgusting food that nearly killed him. It was like a fairytale at that moment –

“So, are we not gonna talk about how you were trying to poison me?”

“What did I say about ruining the mood?”

“I don’t see your name on it.”

“You don’t see – are you five?!”

You giggled at their argument, reaching down to place a chaste kiss on Jihoon’s lips. “Welcome to the family~”

“Great, more idiots to deal with.”

“Hey!”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[cb-143]

Xeno-T Reaction: Giving them your jacket when they’re cold

Anon: ok! xeno-t and day6 react to their bodyguard giving them her jacket during an event because they were noticeably cold and she must protect them!

Hojoon

The smile Hojoon wore went across his entire face. Never in his life had he been so excited for something. After years and years of wanting to do it, he finally came to cologne for the Gamescom. Unfortunately, the doors weren't open yet. Hojoon, Sangwon, and their bodyguards had come very early so that they'd have a chance to get in early and hopefully try out a game or two. Sangwon visibly shivered next to Hojoon. It made his motherly instics kick in, and he wished he had brought a jacket to give to him. He was happy to see when one of the bodyguards gave him their jacket. Next, the other bodyguard wanted to give Hojoon their jacket. however, he didn't feel cold at all. He was fine, so he refused it. The bodyguard apologised, looked visibly flustered and uncomfortable.

"Thank you, I really appreciated it" Hojoon added then, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'd rather have all of you stay warm."He smiled kindly at them and they smiled back. Their interaction ended there, though the gesture and their reaction stayed in Hojoon's mind for the rest of the weekend they spent there.

Sangdo

Today, it snew for the first time this winter. It looked beautifully, complemented the event in its uniqueness. It was very pretty to look at and Sangdo snapped many pictures of the snow, of the buildings and plants covered in it, and of himself. However, he didn't fail to notice how cold it had become. Sangdo was shivering, more so than before. He had noticed his bodyguard, Y/N, beside him. Their teeth chattering, as they tried to warm themself by rubbing their hands together. Sangdo acted quick and without thinking, worried for them. He lent them his jacket.

Since then, however, he had been the one to shiver and more or less be in the danger of freezing to death. Of course his bodyguard noticed, and gave Sangdo his jacket back, with a kind smile on their face.

"It's fine." They said before Sangdo could even open his mouth, "It's more important that you're alright."

Yooncheol

It was a chilly night out. Yooncheol had made plans to play some of his songs at a friend's party. Just to make sure, he brought his bodyguard with him. The party would start in about thirty minutes. There was no one at the venue yet – not even his friend, who had told Yooncheol to 'come as early as possible'. He had since made a mental note not to listen to this friend's words anymore, or to question his motive.

Either way, they were now waiting in front of the closed gate. It was such a windy day, too. Yooncheol blamed his friend, though he knew that it hadn't been his fault that the weather was like this – he couldn't control it, after all. As for their absence, he tried to be positive and think that perhaps he just got caught up in something else.

"It's cold, isn't it?" His bodyguard asked, though it really was more of a statement. Yooncheol nodded at the rhetorical question. He had just taken off his own jacket, when he felt the warm coat of his bodyguard being placed around his shoulders.

"oh!" he exclaimed in surprise, "I was about to.." His cheeks were pink, though not just from the cold air. His bodyguard giggled, when she saw the black fabric in his arms. They apologised, yet Yooncheol saved them, gave them his jacket. He pulled them closer to himself – it could only bring them more warmth, after all. Maybe it wasn't so bad to stand here, when it gave him the opportunity for awkward situations and to get to know Y/N a lot better.

Byungjoo

Byungjoo was sure, today was the coldest day of the year. Plausibly even the coldest day of this century. His fingers were about to break off, transformed into ice, despite being shoved into the pockets of his trousers. His feet were cold, though he wore boots. The other members seemed to be in a similar state of freezing. So, B-Joo being B-Joo, he suggested his creative idea of playing catch – they could run around and get warmth that way, while also having fun. Everyone agreed – to his surprise even Sangdo, who usually stayed out of Byungjoo's idiotic ideas. Today, it must have been too cold for him.

They all stood up and were ready to select the first person who would catch them, when their bodyguards stopped them, to inform them that they'd have to remain seated for the time being. Hojoon argued that it wouldn't take long, they'd just want to move around after all, but there was nothing that could be done. The bodyguards had another solution though, and brought them blankets, jackets, scarfs and more.

Byungjoo accepted the jacket from the bodyguard, but somehow, guilt rose in his chest.

"Won't you be cold, then?" He asked. The bodyguard shrug their shoulders.

"I have to protect you. It's more important anyway." Byungjoo shook his head at that explanation. He opened the zipper of the jacket again and pulled the bodyguard close to him – too close. The bodyguard blushed, suddenly being pressed against B-Joo, who strugged to close the jacket around the both of them – but he managed.

"Now, we can both stay warm."

Xero

It's not that cold. Jiho clenched his teeth and looked around at the members, at the idols around him. Some of them seemed to shiver, the girls were huddled close together, and the manly men, wearing just their shirts, were not bothered by the weather or the wind at all. Xero was like them, like those cool, manly men. He did wear a jumper, but that was just for the aesthetics. It was the same with the goosebumps beneath his shirt. Just part of his outfit.

"Aren't you cold?" Byungjoo asked him. He had offered to bring him a blanket when he went off to get one for himself, but Xero had refused.

"No, I'm good." He replied, continuing the lie that he had created simply to look cool. He thought perhaps, watching some of the performances that went on on stage. It did help to some degree. He was more focused on the way they danced, how the choreography was structured, and how all of them sung and rapped. He didn't know the song that was being performed, but it was a very good one and it intrigued him. Jiho was so invested in watching them, he didn't notice when his bodyguard wrapped their big winter scarf around Xero – not just his neck, they mummified him. Jiho turned around and faced them with a surprised expression. Before he could say anything, or refuse, they winked at him.

"I know you're not cold. But it would be a shame for you to catch a cold. I'm just doing my job."

Sanggyun

He was on an open wide field at night, together with Kenta. They'd shoot a scene here for a music video, but currently, it was Kenta's turn to stand in front of the camera, lipsyncing, and look cool. So Sanggyun stood back and watched, while he rubbed his hands over his arms. It was quite cold out here, but they filmed in light clothing. Sanggyun could already feel his nose tingle, the sneezes coming along with a cold that would stay with him for weeks.

"You alright?" One of the bodyguards came up behind him. They put their hand on his shoulder and inspected him closely. "Is there anything I could do?" The empathy and worry that laid in their voice made Sanggyun smile. It seemed genuine, not just done because they had to do their job, but because they cared and wanted to protect another person.

"I'm just cold, don't worry." He replied, showed them his handsome smile. They did worry, however, and took off their own jacket. They were left in a thinner, long-sleeved shirt now, which left Sanggyun to refuse the act of kindness.

"One of us is going to catch a cold at that rate." His lip was tugged up at one side only now, a sad attempt at keeping up the positivity.

"But you're more important." They argued.

"I am important. What would someone important like me do without someone like you?" Sanggyun argued back. They giggled at that, jacket still in their hands. They kept it off, Sanggyun didn't take it either. Sanggyun stepped closer to them. They immitated his actions, now their shoulders touched.

"Let's go down together."

Sangwon

Sangwon felt grumpy. It was super cold, and he had to sit there with the other members, watching idols perform for hours and hours. There was no end in sight and no limit to where the temperatures would drop to.

"I can get you guys some blankets." One of the bodyguards said.

"Yes, that would be very kind." Sangdo said, smiling through the feeling of his toes turning to ice-cubes within his shoes. The others agreed, looking for some warmth and comfort. Only Sangwon stayed quiet until the bodyguard had left. Why couldn't they just leave? Why couldn't they have planned an event inside? The bad news kept coming. As the bodyguard returned, they only brought back four blankets.

"I'm sorry, they didn't have any more." The blankets were distributed, of course Sangwon was the one without a blanket at the end.

"We can share.." B-Joo offered, but Sangwon shook his head. The boys left him alone then, but the Bodyguard was overcome with guilt. They couldn't stand to see him upset, and knew of their task to protect all five of the members. They gave up their own comfort, taking off their jacket and putting it on Sangwon's shoulders. The boy turned around, looked at them with a mixture of confusion and gratefulness.

"Just return it later." They said, smiling at him. Sangwon nodded, for the first time that night, he smiled.

"Thank you."

[i-growl-growl-growl]

Hi am new reader do u have Masterlist or master post. It’s hard to read on mobile bc once I scroll all the way down to start from the beginning of one of your tags so am not confused, if i accidentally tap wrong area on my screen, tumblr takes me back to the original page and then I have to start all over ＿ﾉ乙(､ﾝ､)_ and it keep happening,,, can post link ples

Not sure if this will work but I linked the pages to the different masterlists that I have. If that doesn’t help you then I can work on making an ultimate masterlist (that would take me a shitton of time)

Also, I haven’t linked the most recent Talks/mtls/scenarios/reactions/etc. so keep that in mind if you see anything that seems to be missing.

~Savie

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