#yamichar imagine

[lyranova]

For your event, I think prompt 19 of "Love me like you do" would fit Yamichar perfectly.

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Hiya anon! Of course, I apologize this came out very...angsty and sad instead of fluffy and wholesome. It's just the vibe the song gave me, but I hope you still enjoy 🥰!

Word Count: 721

Warnings: Angst, Manga Spoilers

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“ You know, there are a lot of shadows in this world,” Charlotte had said that day, after the battle had ended. “ And just like Lucius’s some of them will try to steal you away into their arms, but I won’t let them,” Charlotte had turned to look at him. “ Because you belong in mine…” 

Those words, that left her lips on that day…had been the Prickly Princesses last.

Yami awoke with a start as the memory of that day had appeared in his dreams for what felt like the hundredth time since that day. That day…that damned day when Julius, no, Lucius betrayed the kingdom and began turning people left and right into Paladins. With Asta’s help, they had managed to defeat him and his Paladins, but not everyone made it out alive or unscathed.

A lot of people died that day. Civilians, Magic Knights, and even those that had died many years ago were resurrected only to be killed again. It…was a lot. What made it worse was a lot of Yami’s friends were among them; Jack, Julius, Morgen, Charlotte.

Charlotte…

Yami let out a sigh as he tried to close his eyes again. That day they had thought they won, and the battle was over.

But it wasn’t.

Lucius had one more trick up his sleeve, and while the attack had been aimed at Yami, Charlotte had jumped in front of it and took the attack for him.

Yami would never forget the way his stomach dropped into his stomach at the sight of her body going limp. The way his arms reached out to catch her, and the way her bright blue eyes went dark and dull in just a few seconds.

He’d never forget the way he held her close and apologized for not realizing his, or her, feelings sooner. How he muttered how they had wasted the last year tip toeing around each other because she was embarrassed over her sudden confession when she thought he had died. And how he was too confused and nervous to bring it up.

But now…now it was too late.

Yami ran a hand over his face as he rolled onto his side, and suddenly the image of Charlotte appeared beside him. He knew she was nothing more than a figment of his imagination, but still he smiled.

“ Shouldn’t you be asleep?” She asked quietly, and he nodded.

“ I should, but these damn nightmares keep waking me up.” Yami muttered groggily as he looked into her beautiful eyes, she smiled and reached out to place a hand against his face. He knew it wasn’t real, but he swore he could feel the warmth of her hand.

“ I’m sorry, it’s all because of me.” She muttered sadly, and he quickly shook his head and placed his hand on top of hers.

“ It ain’t your fault,” Yami muttered as he closed his eyes. “ It’s Lucius’s fault.”

The two fell silent as they just stared at each other. Their eyes saying all the words they were unable to actually say.

“ I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you that day,” Yami whispered quietly, and Charlotte shook her head.

“ It wasn’t your fault, I chose to jump in front of that spell, I chose to sacrifice my life for yours. It was my choice,” Charlotte said as she stroked his cheek with her hand and continued to smile sadly at him. “ So don’t put that burden onto yourself.”

Yami felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes, the words she said sounded exactly like something she would say, and it made him miss her very much.

“ I’m sorry I can’t be there to keep the shadows away, but I’ll still be here, always by your side. Supporting you, trying to keep all the bad things away, so just…be strong and try to keep your head up and try to keep going. All the way until you become an old man.” Charlotte told him softly. “ Okay?”

Yami nodded, his throat dry and tears falling onto his cheeks.

“ Goodnight Yami,” Charlotte moved closer to him and put her forehead against his as she closed her eyes. “ Sleep well, my dearly beloved.”

“ Sleep well, Charlotte.” Yami said hoarsely as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

It had been a long time since Yami had slept so soundly.

———

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[vilandel]

Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 28 – Unexpected For Nobles

A/N It's Waltz Time! The music in this chapter is a very famous waltz, Blue Danube by Strauss... I couldn't resist to use it to make Yamichar and even more Nozessa dance 💙💜 Also, Rill is a cutie pie.

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Vanessa really wanted to try the fancy wine at the buffet, at least just one glass, maybe even one sip. She never had many occasions to try the most expensive wine in the kingdom, after all.

But she hold back, which was easier to achieve she would have thought. But that wasn’t too surprising, as she longed more for Nozel than for wine at this point.

Vanessa sighed deeply. She hadn’t managed to join Nozel yet, as so many nobles tried to get his attention and he tried his best to avoid them. That must be a very daily thing when you were the head of a royal house, but Vanessa knew that her boyfriend loathed this kind of obligation.

All she wanted was to be with him, to comfort him. But to reach him was easier said than done, with the nobles trying to get Nozels attention and his horrible father watching him, ready to do what was necessary to make him yield.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Vanessa was sure that Lac Silvas observant eye was also on her. Rather creepy, but in his mind, she was just a mere stone on his path, a hurdle towards his goal and if he wasn’t paying attention, she could become a danger for his ambitions.

Vanessa hated that Lac Silva considered himself above everyone else. Even worse, given how smart he was, the power he possessed and the immaculate reputation he had, in a way he was just that. From what she learned thanks to Océane Vermillion, he came from a house of low nobility, who was practically at the end of its career so to speak, and he still managed to rise above. It was impressive, there was no denying that.

But… Vanessa had always thought before that when someone came from a bottom and climbed the ranks, it was because of being kind hearted and wanting to do good for others. Asta was the living proof of that.

Sadly, Lac Silva was quite the opposite. One would have thought that by being married to royalty, he would have helped his birth house from complete disgrace and Acier Silva would have been certainly happy to help him. But Lac Silva never did anything, he was only loyal to himself. Even for an arrogant noble, not being loyal to your birth house at least a bit was still a rarity. Either because said birth house was too horrible to stay loyal to it for reasons. Or because your heart was too cold and arrogant to care for a falling house.

Vanessa was rather certain in which category someone like Lac Silva falls.

If she would listen only to her instincts, Vanessa would have loved to beat him up and giving him a piece of her mind. But as good this would have felt for a moment, it would have gotten her only more difficulties and consequences, as well as for the Black Bulls and Nozel, not to mention house Silva and probably also the Silver Eagles.

What had auntie Océane said? Be discreet, play the game and use your own rules to play. Vanessa was such a newbie in this so called game, she was still trying to understand all those complex details. Not to mention that not every noble and not every royal was good at playing this. Noelle, despite her knowledge, was rather lost in the etiquette, and Nozel was too honest, unable to manipulate. He doesn’t even want to, never did.

It was actually impressive how he managed to come this far with secrets and no lies, while never healing from his loss until recently.

Vanessa admired his inner strength, but it was time for him to not be alone anymore. She would be at his side from now one. And for that, she had a lot to learn about the world of royalty and nobility.

Océane Vermillion had said that a ball was a good opportunity to learn and to observe. Vanessa still wasn’t sure how she could learn in a place like this, but observe, this she did since she entered the ball.

She saw Noelle barely left her brother’s side, which was reassuring for Vanessa. At least, Nozel wasn’t alone and Noelle knew about them. She saw Solid Silva standing next to the buffet, a plate in his hand and eating something that seemed to be an éclair, looking bored. She saw Nebra talking to Zora, next to one of those huge golden pillars, almost hiding in the shadows.

Vanessa frowned. Why did it looked like they were aggressively flirting?

She definitely will investigate this in the near future. But for now, she had other things to focus on.

Lital Lys was dancing with captain Fuegoleon, probably the third or fourth dance. Vanessa smiled. If there’s going to be a betrothal during this ball, that wasn’t do to traps and that was decided out of love, then it would be undoubtedly captain Fuegoleon and Lital.

Vanessa was standing pretty close to the dancefloor and so, she waved at them as they danced nearby. Lital took the time to wave back with a smile and captain Fuegoleon nodded very kindly to her.

Nozels rival had also a knowing look in his eyes when he glanced at her. Vanessa didn’t know what to think about it. Could he know somehow? Captain Fuegoleon wasn’t an idiot and he knew Nozel rather well since childhood.

Well, if he knew already or not yet, Vanessa was certain that there was no danger coming from the captain of the Crimson Lions. In fact, he was certainly going to be a precious ally for her and Nozel.

Vanessa watched Lital and Fuegoleon waltz away from her, looking lovingly in each other’s eyes. She envied them a tiny bit. How much she wanted to be dancing with Nozel right now. Letting him lead, being in his arms, feeling as they were the only ones in the world…

Thinking back at their very first talk back in Spade, it was so unbelievable that she came to love him so truly, so deeply. But Vanessa wasn’t surprised at all. Maybe it was meant to be, maybe it was just a coincidence. But it happened and along with the Black Bulls, Nozel was one of the best things that happened in her life. She cared so much for him that Rouge now had also effect on Nozel. There was no way she would let him go at this point.

She looked at the waltzing pairs. So many nobles, so many people who didn’t danced with someone they loved, be it romantic or platonic.

Vanessa didn’t envy those people, she envied those who were actually dancing with the one they loved, whether they admitted it already or were still unaware about it or denial. Lital and Fuegoleon, Gauche and Grey, who looked so lovely in her silver dress and the black ribbon around her neck. Finral and Finesse, who looked so perfectly lovely in their matching green and silver clothes. And was that auntie Dea dancing with Luck at the other side of the dancefloor?

But despite her small envy, Vanessa wasn’t mad at those couple. On the contrary, she was really happy for them. In a way, it helped her, it strengthened her resolve to be with Nozel. As if it wasn’t already strong before.

She looked around this immense ballroom again, trying to find her boyfriend. She had to get to him, to follow one of auntie Océanes plans and win this battle. And show the world that Nozel was neither a chess piece nor a prize to win.

The Black Bulls were of course on edge, like most of the Magic Knights, because of what this ball was secretly implying. But they were also having fun, of course. Because the Black Bulls were always having fun, no matter what how everyone else would view it.

Gauche and Grey were dancing, as well as Finral and Finesse. Zora and Nebra just disappeared behind a pillar and Vanessa giggled, certain that they might started to do something a bit spicy. Luck was bonding with auntie Dea, Gordon and Henry were talking with a bunch of Blue Rose girls. Vice-captain Nacht was apparently in the small side-salon which had been organized as a gambling area. Vanessa giggled as she reminded how with the help of Finral and Noelle, Nacht successfully made captain Yami promise to not gamble in any way this night. A promise their captain probably only took in the end, because he certainly preferred to spent the night with captain Charlotte.

Speaking of, she had seen them dancing a bit and doing their best to avoid one of Charlottes suitor who wasn’t giving up to get a grip on her. And they also hide behind one of those golden pillars from time to time.

How much she wanted to do the same with Nozel…

But still, Vanessa smiled. She was truly happy for Yami and Charlotte. She hasn’t forgotten how surprised she has been to learn that those two captains were finally, finally together. And this like four or two days ago, when they were both coming to try their dresses for tonight’s ball.

Vanessa hadn’t only won an ally that day, but also a friend. Well, captain Charlotte had become a friend of the Black Bulls already during all those visits and being Lucks older long lost older sister. But now, she also became a close friend for Vanessa. They could relate about the situation of their respective love lives and how stupidly adorable their boyfriend could be.

Charlotte had also told her mother about the situation and Orchidea, who already knew that Vanessas loved one was from royalty or nobility, had given her full support as well. Which was actually welcomed, Vanessa certainly needed friends within those circles. It was a good thing to know kind, truly good people like Océane, Finesse, Charlotte and Orchidea up there. Of course, there was also Lital, but she had her own special position as a legitimated bastard daughter.

As she continued to look around, Vanessa saw Charmy at the buffet, which wasn’t surprising. But while she was eating, she was also talking to Rill Boismortier, the captain of the Aqua Deers. And they looked to be rather close. Had she missed something? Nero, absolutely lovely in her black dress with a few red patterns, was watch very calmly Magna and Asta having some kind eating competition. And there was a very upset Noelle walking towards them.

Wait a minute. Noelle had been with her older brother not too long ago. What happened?

Suddenly fearing for the worst, Vanessa looked around her, searching for burgundy satin with silver embroideries. She sighed in relief when she finally found Nozel again. But her relief was short-lived when she saw who was with him.

Lac Silva.

Oh no, that horrible man managed to get a grip on Nozel! Instinctively, Vanessa moved forward before she even realized it. She needed to go to him. And she would go to him. After all, she had promised to never let Nozel alone ever again. Oh, her boyfriend was doing fine, he had his back towards Lac. But still, Nozel was not alone anymore dealing with scumbags, he had her now!

But Vanessa was only able to do a few steps before a hand touched her arm.

“Oh, miss Vanessa, isn’t this a wonderful ball.”

Vanessa did her best to not sigh in frustration. It was just Josephine Roselei, Charlottes younger cousin, who accompanied them as well as Orchidea to the ball.

Of course, Josephine Roselei had no idea that Vanessa was the girlfriend of the captain of the Silver Eagles. Charlotte and Orchidea told their relative that Vanessa had been on a mission nearby and they invited her to get ready for the ball with them, because it would be easier to reach than to go back the base of the Black Bulls.

Thankfully, the young girl had believed it.

Josephine Roselei loved gossip and was a bit snob like a typical noble, but not that much. She was still kind, only a bit naïve and innocent. Vanessa got rather along with her. To her luck, Josephine also loved fashion and her dress had immediately won her over.

“Well, yes, lady Josephine, it is quite enjoyable so far.”

“Do you think that there are some betrothal that are going to be announced tonight? I have heard that this kind of ball was used to organized engagements between noble houses, sometimes also royal houses.”

“Oh, I heard about this as well. But I think it’s not the case anymore today.”

“Yes, it’s not a betrothal ball anymore. No one would do something like that to engage people behind their backs, when there’s nothing official to back them up. And in my opinion, no one can be that desperate.”

Vanessa hold back a bitter laugh. Oh, that sweet naïve noble girl. If only she knew…

“You seem a bit upset about that fact, my sweet lady.”

“Well, of course! I would love to be engaged to a good, honourable lord, who would cherish me and honestly, I would adore to have a bunch of suitors running after me. But well… I’m not the most endearing party of house Roselei.”

“Oh come on, you’re a sweet girl with those brown hair and lilac eyes, not to mention that this gown in autumn shades suits you perfectly. There will be certainly some who would love to court you.”

“Yeah… But compared to my cousin Charlotte, I’m rather bland and still rather young. Of course they prefer the best party of house Roselei to me. But I don’t blame them, Charlotte is rather amazing in every way she looks and even more in everything she does! After all, she’s a Magic Knight captain and I’m just a standard noble lady who just came of age.”

“Well, to be fair, captain Charlotte doesn’t seem to be eager to be courted by all those suitors. I’ve seen her lately with captain Yami.”

“The captain of the Black Bulls? Oh, that’s a good way to scare away some lords. He looks scary and I know he is a mere foreigner, but damn… he’s so hot as well! I love buff men, too bad that it’s not a noble beauty standard. But if you ask me, it should be!”

“I like buff men as well, but between us, it’s not my favourite type.”

“Oh, what kind of men do you prefer?”

“Let’s see. Between buff and skinny, I’d say, fine muscles that doesn’t stand out. Oh, and elegant traits without being too round or too pointy. It’s a bit difficult to explain. The type of men like Nozel Silva for example. I find him pretty handsome.”

“That he is. But he’s royalty and royals are always beautiful. Look, he’s talking with his father, lord Lac. He’s quite handsome as well for his age, but he would be even better without the moustache. I hate moustaches, men should only let them grow once they are old. It’s a grandfather style.”

“Tell me, what do you think are they talking about?”

“Oh, probably about lord Nozels future wedding. There are rumours about it lately and also reasons to believe that they are true. Most people are betting either on Prudence Évantail or Athénaïs Vitrail to be the future lady Silva.”

Oh, yes, Vanessa knew that. It was fair to say that Lac Silva, Prudence Évantail and Athénaïs Vitrail were the three people she was currently hating the most in this ballroom and probably in general. Mostly because how the view Nozel and how they behaved with him.

She had seen Prudence and Athénaïs a few times during this ball. Only from afar, there was no way she wanted to ever talk to them. Besides, both of these bitches probably weren’t even aware of her existence.

Even right now, Prudence and Athénaïs were mostly either glaring at each other like two wild beasts ready to fight or focused on Nozel looking at him with such greed it made Vanessa almost wanna puke. Prudence, looking sadly amazing in this wide dark green and golden gown, wasn’t that discreet, looking at Nozel like a dry plant longing for water. Athénaïs, who was sadly not an awful vision with this royal blue mermaid dress with the golden patterns, was more holding back, probably due to the presence of her sister Rosette, but anyone must have been blind to not see how she looked at Nozel in superior and possessive way.

It really made Vanessa sick.

Josephine hadn’t noticed anything from her, as she continued to talk. “Even those two believe that one of them is going to married to Nozel Silva one day. But, between us, I firmly believe that neither of them will be a Silva princess. Lord Nozel is so secretive and mysterious, he might surprise anyone with his choice. After all, he put lady Noelle in the Black Bulls and from what I heard, she’s doing great so it wasn’t a bad choice like everyone said. I’m ready to bet the family jewellery of house Roselei that the future wife he has chosen is going to be a surprise as well.”

This made Vanessa raise a brow. “You really believe that? Do you think that… maybe it might not even be a noble.”

“That would honestly be very bold, but even though I don’t quite believe it, why not? It would still be a surprise and aunt Orchidea told me that not all commoners and peasants are bad people, and she usually right. I mean, you’re a witch but you’re actually so much nicer than most nobles my age, miss Vanessa.”

“Oh, thank you for the compliment. You know what, as thanks I will make a kind young man dance with you, you clearly deserve that. Let’s see… Oh, Klaus, over here!”

Klaus Lunettes from the Golden Dawn came to them immediately, as the rather stern but kind gentleman he was.

“Miss Enoteca, how nice it is to see you again.”

“That’s Vanessa for you, honeybun. Klaus, I need a favour from you.”

“How can I be of any help?”

“I’m not sure you’re acquainted with lady Josephine Roselei. Isn’t she looking lovely? She is also a very lovely girl, but sadly no lords are kind and polite enough to invite her for even one dance. Would you be such a gentleman and invite her for the next dance?”

Vanessa didn’t even wait for Klaus’ answer, as she practically put Josephines arm on his and pushed them towards the dancefloor.

Good, now Josephine has finally a kind guy to spend some time with and Vanessa could finally sneak behind Nozel and Lac. Too bad she couldn’t hear anything, but she could see disappointed and arrogant Lac was looking, while Nozel has still turned his back to him.

“Continue like this, honey. I know you won’t yield to him.”

“Need any help?”

Vanessa jumped and turned around. An old and a young woman were standing behind her. The younger one was Grenadine, Nozels adorable little newbie, which immediately calmed Vanessa down. But she didn’t know the old lady.

“My name is Julia Ambrosia, probably the oldest member of the Silver Eagles, nice to meet you properly. You can call me granny. Vanessa, right? You want to talk with young Nozel? Let me handle this. You, Grenadine, you stay with her.”

Before Vanessa had any occasion to respond, Julia already walked firmly towards Nozel and Lac Silva. Grenadine put a hand on her arm in compassion. “Granny Julia is still pretty quick for her age, but you don’t have to worry, she will save captain Nozel from his father.”

“He indeed looks like he could use some saving,” Vanessa replied slowly, having the impression to miss something. “How are you, snookums? No problems with your fathers family so far?”

“The worst most of them do tonight is ignoring me, which is honestly the better option compared to others. But not everyone is ignoring me. Thanks to my sister Églantine, I finally was able to meet another brother, Candid, as well as a great-aunt, Clémentine. Those three are the only Évantails that are accepting me and honestly, it’s more than I could ever dare to ask for. I’m actually happy to call them family.”

“I’m happy for you,” Vanessa said with a smile. She became quite fond of this little Silver Eagle, not only because of Nozel, but also because Grenadine was just such a nice young girl.

Grenadine smiled back at her. “Captain Nozel is happy for me as well. You two are truly perfect for each other. Granny Julia was right about that.”

“Wait, what?”

Vanessa had no occasion to properly ask, as said granny Julia pushed a pretty much confused Nozel towards her and said, “Go finally enjoy the ball together, you two lovebirds. Come, Grenadine, our job here is done.”

Before either Nozel or Vanessa could reply anything, both Silver Eagles immediately went away, Grenadine back to her three good family members, Julia to the buffet table were all the alcohol was.

“Honey, please tell me I’m not the only who has the feeling to have missed something,” Vanessa giggled, rather amused by this whole scene.

“Do you think they know?” Nozel asked back, looking so adorably confused.

“Well, it seemed like it. I can’t imagine how they would have find out, though. But maybe they saw me sneak into the base of the Silver Eagles once and added two and two together.”

“We probably weren’t as cautious as we thought. Or at least me. I was always so eager to see you that-“

“Oh, honey, you should really stop to blame yourself. And besides, it was pretty obvious that your two knights were supportive of us. Don’t focus on that, how are you feeling?”

Vanessa put a hand on Nozels cheek and could have melted when he pressed his own hand tenderly against hers. It felt so good to be finally so near to him again, to be filled by his mere presence, to feel his heart beating just as fast as her own.

“Lac wanted to make me swear to dance with either Prudence Évantail or Athénaïs Vitrail, or at least with another suitable noble lady for the upcoming Three Leaves Waltz. That’s why I have turned my back to him. Not replying to him and not looking him at him seemed like the best way to avoid anything you could do to make me yield. If I would have walked away, Lac would have followed me.”

“What a prick. Did he tried to threaten your siblings or anyone else you care about?”

“I’m certain he was about to do that. But Julia barged in before he could even say anything. Thankfully. I don’t if I would have been able to hold back more if Nebra, Solid or Noelle would have been threaten by him. Or you.”

“How can I blame you for that?”

Of course she couldn’t. Vanessa knew how much Nozel could care deep down. It wasn’t open with him, at least compared to Finral and Asta who were also deeply caring. But Nozel cared a lot and this was one of Vanessas favourite traits about him.

Threatening Nozel himself wouldn’t bring anyone anything. But threatening the people he cared about the most, that was another story. Vanessa knew that and it wouldn’t be surprising if Lac Silva was well aware of that fact as well.

Nozels free hand was now softly caressing her cheek, so Vanessa did like him and pressed her other hand against his. They were in the middle of a crowd, everyone could see and at the same time, between all this chatting, it was also possible that no one would take notice of them. It didn’t matter anymore to Vanessa. She didn’t care if anyone could see them now. After all, both of them were ready to finally go out of secrecy.

“You’re beautiful…” Nozel whispered, so simple, so soft, so tender.

“Thanks, honey. You’re very dashing as well,” Vanessa replied with a smile. She had been so happy to see that he was wearing the cape she had made him months ago. He even got himself a new ceremony suit to go with it! Vanessa knew that burgundy would suit him and even better, Nozel was wearing that cape with such pride. A fact that filled her with immense happiness.

Handsome. Just so handsome in every way.

Nozel sighed deeply, before asking, “Did everything went fine for you so far? Did you got no troubles with anyone from nobility?”

“Aw, you’re so sweet when you’re worried about me. But nothing happened so far. For most nobles, I’m just the infamous Drunken Witch of the Black Bulls. Not worth to take notice of.”

“You’re worth to me.”

“Which is good, I care about how feel than about noble jerks I don’t even know yet. But as a future wife to a royal Head of House, I might going to know them. Even though I really have no idea what is expected from such a role. Your horrible old man to be rather an exception on that matter.”

Nozel had blushed when she talked about being a future royal wife. Of course, they haven’t properly talked yet about wedding and marriage and such, but like auntie Océane told her lately, it was just a matter of time at this point. And Vanessa was more a person to call a cat a cat.

Still, Nozel smiled at her and pointed with his head to a direction. “You see this man over there? The giant with the white mane, wearing the crimson and golden ceremony suit. This is Achilles Vermillion, current head of house Vermillion, ancient captain of the Crimson Lions and grandfather of Mereoleona, Fuegoleon, Leopold, Kirsch and Mimosa. And three other Vermillions. I won’t bother you with all his other Vermillion relatives.”

“You did told me once it is a rather big house. Hm… he looks like an arrogant prick.”

“He actually is. I did told you that he loves putting shade on us Silvas for multiple reasons. It doesn’t matter if he gets contradictory, Achilles Vermillion would never admit it, he has too much arrogance for that. Apparently, it was already like that while my grandfather had been alive, always afraid if the other house was making better, always throwing shade, always brag if the own house was making better. Then it was with my mother and then me.”

“Gosh. And here I thought that most Vermillions were nice. Five of his grandchildren are amazing people. But to be fair, I don’t know many Vermillions. I don’t know many royals in general.”

“Six of his grandchildren are good people. Geneviève Vermillion is also very likable, I’ll admit. She became a nun, which isn’t common for royalty, but at least she is happy. The other two, though… they got the arrogance of most royals.”

“And who’s the old frail lady next to that Achilles prick?”

“His wife, lady Violet. Her situation is probably what awaits most royal spouses when you’re married to house head, especially in arranged marriages. Be quiet, staying in the shadow of your spouse and giving heirs to the house. Nothing else. Or you try to play a game and become someone important, you gain your own power. Lac is of course part of the second option. But he is still rather an exception, because of how far he came by playing the game for his own goals. He played everyone like a fiddle and Achilles regrets to not have him in his house. Lac came from a lost noble house and managed to reach the top. But of course, his example is not one to follow, as he only worked for himself. I don’t want either of those two situations for you, Vanessa. I know you will never act like my father. But you see how quiet and invisible Violet Vermillion is. I refuse to let you become like this as well, it would be like a cage.”

“Nozel, I KNOW that you would never put me in a cage. That wouldn’t be you, with how much care and the person you are today. But I needed to know how being a spouse to a royal Head of House would be. Now, we both can make the difference. You’ve been carrying your house and mothers legacy for so many years alone. I want to be at your side, to help you and to make sure you can relax more often. I would a very bad girlfriend if I just let you be all alone again.”

Nozel didn’t answered, but the look in his eyes was worth more than thousands words. Vanessa wished she could kiss him, but this was rather difficult right now, in the middle of a crowd. Maybe if they could hide behind a pillar, just like captain Yami and captain Charlotte or Zora and Nebra… Vanessa grinned. That sounded like a plan.

But just as she took Nozels hand, a sound was heard from the other side of the ballroom, making them both turn towards that direction.

“What happened?” Vanessa asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like Mereoleona has to be hold back by her brothers to beat up someone. Probably a mere noble who might be rather desperate to court her. No one in their right mind would ever dare to court Mereoleona Vermillion.”

Vanessa chuckled. That sounded about right.

All the other people, even those around them, were now focused on the fire Vermillions and the poor lad that try to invite Mereoleona to dance of something. Nozel noticed that as well, as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her into a slow, deep kiss.

Vanessa was very taken aback by his action. After all, even with the focus being on someone else than them, they were still in the middle of a crowd. But it didn’t matter anymore. Vanessa gave in to the kiss, holding on Nozels shoulders as if her life depended on it.

Maybe it did.

“My gosh, honey. That was very bold, especially for someone like you.”

“I don’t care, I’m tired of keeping you a secret.”

Of course he did. And this was probably one of the traits Vanessa loved the most about him. She cupped his face again with one hand, looking lovingly into his eyes. One year ago, she would have never imagined to fall in love with him. But after Spade, it had been just a matter of time.

The orchestra started to play again, announcing a new dance, letting the dancers two to three minutes to find a partner and to join the dance floor.. And something with everyone’s reactions around them gave Vanessa uneasy feeling.

“Is it time already? For this betrothal-trap dance?”

“Yes. This is the music for the Three Leaves Waltz, which goes practically hand in hand with the Three Leaves Glory ball. Officially, it’s not to engage anyone anymore, but this is still the main idea behind it. Especially for those nobles who demanded for this ball.”

“Like Lac…”

Nozel nodded. She could tell that he was nervous, but there was a determination in his eyes she has rarely witnessed before. He would fight for her, for them. If he was so determined, then she was too.

“Are you ready?”

“With you, always.”

Just like at the wedding of Finral and Finesse, Nozel lead her towards the dancefloor. Slowly, as if she was a true princess, showing her off, proud to have her at his side. It felt a bit like they were already married.

Vanessa heard gasps and whispering around them as they reached the still empty dancefloor. But she didn’t pay any attention to it, her entire focus was on Nozel, on the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

It was only as the preparation music stopped and that Nozel stood in front of her, one hand taking hers, the other on her waist, that Vanesa realized they were still the only couple on the dancefloor.

Were the others that shocked?

“Honey, is this fine?” Vanessa couldn’t help but whisper.

Nozel just smiled at her. He was clearly as nervous as she was, but it was still reassuring. Especially as he whispered back, “Just look at me, Vanessa. It doesn’t matter what others think of us.”

Yes, he was right.

The music started.

And from this moment on, nothing else and no one else mattered. It was just them swaying across the dancefloor, only looking at each other.

Vanessa couldn’t take her eyes from Nozel and he kept looking at her as if she was a dream come true. Maybe she was for him. He certainly was for her. A dream she never realized she had before and it became true before she ever knew how much she wished for it.

He hold her hand and her waist firmly, but still in such a tender way. His eyes were full of love. It felt like they weren’t in the ballroom anymore, but somewhere else, a place only the both of them were aware of.

Vanessa smiled and felt her heart melt as Nozel smiled back. There was no need to hide their love anymore.

♣♣♣

Fuegoleon smiled as he watched his rival dancing with his beloved across the dancefloor. Alone, while everyone was staring at them, mostly in shock. Of course, no one would have thought that Nozel Silva would dance with Vanessa Enoteca, the Drunken Witch of the Black Bulls. It was a sight to see the couple dancing all alone and he was still surprised that Nozel, who always hated to be in the spotlight, had for once no issues about it.

Maybe because he was too much focused on Vanessa to realize that they were the only couple on the dancefloor.

The only couple on the dancefloor during the famous Three Leaves Waltz, which was supposed to officially engage people to each other behind their backs. The supposed highlight of the Three Leaves Glory ball.

Probably for the first time in his life, Nozel openly made nobility understand that he didn’t care about what they desired from him. Fuegoleon smiled, he knew that his rival deserved that.

Fuegoleon side-glanced at Lital, who had her arm on his and was watching at the dancing couple with pride. He remembered how his beloved came to him after her first day of work for Soie Velours and telling him that she had found out who Nozels secret lover was. Of course, Fuegoleon already knew that it was someone who wasn’t a noble nor another royal. But it still surprised him that it had been Vanessa Enoteca of all people. His first suspect had been Dorothy, but despite being more or less close, he never had felt any spark between her and Nozel.

But with Vanessa, he could see and feel the sparks. Fuegoleon might not know how those two found each other, but it was obvious much Nozel and Vanessa loved each other. Even though many nobles couldn’t see it.

“What a scandal,” a noble lady whispered next to him, a glass of champagne in her hand. Actually, she wasn’t a noble, but a royal. His own aunt, lady Leocadia Vermillion. Still looking pretty young for her age.

Fuegoleon didn’t like his aunt. In fact, the only aunt he loved was Océane. Who was looking proudly at her nephew dancing with a witch. So, this would mean that she wasn’t surprised, maybe she even knew it before.

“This… This can only be a mistake, right?” another noble lady whispered in a panicking voice. Oh, lady Cristal Vitrail. Fuegoleon wasn’t surprised she was a bit panicked. After all, her older daughter was considered a top candidate for Nozels future wife.

“A mistake, ladies? I don’t think so,” Lital replied with a very innocent voice. “Why would lord Nozel ever risk to make a mistake in front of everyone? We all know that this is not his style.”

Aunt Leocadia was about to reply, when Rosette Vitrail, lady Cristals younger daughter, looking gracious in her dark grey dress and the lilies at the bottom in three different shades of pink, stepped from behind the group.

“I’m certainly not an expert. But I think that they look beautiful together.”

Fuegoleon smiled. He didn’t know lady Rosette a lot, but right now, she seemed to be one of the most intelligent persons in this ballroom.

“You are right, lady Rosette. They look indeed beautiful, do they not?” Fuegoleon replied, putting some authority in his last sentence. Which had the effect he expected, as the other nobles around him immediately started to agree with him.

Sometimes, it was a good thing to use his royal authority.

“Then, why shouldn’t we join them on the dancefloor? After all, it’s not like this particular waltz can betrothed people to each other,” Fuegoleon continued with an innocent smile. “Pardon me, aunt Leocadia, I have to leave you alone now. Lital, would you do me the honour?”

“Of course.”

He lead Lital to the dancefloor, amused that some couples immediately followed their example. Like Yami and Charlotte.

“Do you still want to do it this night?” Lital asked after a moment, while they were swaying across the dancefloor.

“Yes, my dearest. It would help Nozel and Vanessa, not to mention Yami and Charlotte as well, so that the gossip won’t fall completely upon them. We both know how destroying this can be. And also… we waited for ten years, don’t you agree.”

Lital just smiled, her nacreous eyes brightening up as she did. Fuegoleon smiled back while leading her gracefully across the dancefloor.

Yes. Tonight would be a huge step towards the future, not only for Lital and himself.

♣♣♣

“Calm down, Yami. You’re disturbing the dance, just saying.”

“Forget the dance, I need to have a closer look.”

“I can’t forget the dance, since were dancing right now, in this very moment. That you’re worried about Vanessa, I can understand. But you don’t need to overreact like an overprotective brother, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about? She’s dancing with Bird Braid of all people!”

“They’re a couple.”

“That makes it even worse.”

Charlotte hold back a laugh. She didn’t know which was funnier. The fact that Yami was ridiculously upset about Nozel and Vanessa being a couple or the fact that despite his Ki-reading, he still haven’t realized that she wasn’t surprised by the reveal, which meant that she already knew.

Vanessa and Charlotte had agreed to not tell their respective boyfriends about their discovery before the ball. On one hand it was because Nozel and Yami were still rather stiff with each other, even though there was no hate like this between them. But this wasn’t the main reason. To be fair, it was more Vanessas idea, because she thought their reaction could be funny to witness, especially Yamis.

Well, she had been right about that one.

Charlotte just rolled her eyes as Yami tried again to have a better view on Nozel and Vanessa.

Which made them sway right into the third or fourth couple since the start of this dance. Thankfully, it was Gauche and Grey this time.

“You two, keep an eye on Bird Braid and Vanessa. Order from your captain.”

“No, enjoy your dance. There’s nothing to get all fed up about, trust me. I’ll handle your captain, okay?”

Grey was of course blushing terribly and Gauche looked upset for a second, then confused. After glancing suspiciously at Nozel and Vanessa waltzing peacefully, his eyes turned back to Grey. And Gauche seemed to conclude that it was better to trust the captain of the Blue Roses and to focus on his dance partner, who also happened to be his secret crush.

Yami looked like he was about to pout. “My whole squad prefers to obey you than me.”

“Yami, now you’re overreacting.”

“But it’s true! Every time you visit and we had a, well, half-heated discussion, those idiot brats always took your side. And they don’t even know that we’re together yet! As if it wasn’t enough that Luck is attacking me for being with you. Damn, why is he so overprotective, is not the older sibling out of you both.”

“No, he isn’t attacking you every now and then because we’re in a relationship. Luck is attacking you in repay for those ten years you couldn’t tell my feelings for you despite your Ki-reading. At least, this is what he told me.”

“Are you going to hold it against me for the rest of our damn lives?”

“No, I won’t! But Luck will, that much I can tell you. It just gives him an opportunity and an excuse to try to fight you. You know how Luck is.”

“Yeah, sadly.”

Now, Yami was definitely pouting, which made Charlotte unable anymore to hold back her giggle. For heaven’s sake, he could be such a child sometimes.

“Yami, stop making that stupid face, you aren’t five years old anymore.”

“Hey, you’re younger than me!”

“By one year, which doesn’t mean much for adults like us. And no, I won’t let you go over Nozel and Vanessa to play the overprotective father figure. Let them enjoy their dance.”

“That’s bullshit, I need to make sure that this stupid braided face is serious with one of my brats.”

“Oh, trust me, Nozel is more than serious about Vanessa. And she’s also more than serious about me, trust me.”

“Bird Braid, who has at least three sticks up his ass, and Vanessa, who can’t be serious for too long even when she’s not drunk? Serious about each other.”

“I know they are. Vanessa told me and I have honestly no reason to not believe her. So you can trust me on that.”

A beat.

Charlotte hold back a laugh as he saw on his face that Yami was finally connecting the dots.

“Vanessa told you… Hang on a minute! So ya already knew before they danced together all alone this fucking waltz or tango or whatever this is called?”

“It’s a waltz. And yes, I knew already. But to be fair, I only learned about not even a week ago. It was in Soie Velours shop, we came to try our ball gowns on the same day. And before you ask, yes, Vanessa told me a lot how she and Nozel found each other and just so you know, it was HER idea to not tell you or Nozel about it.”

“You mean, I just learned about Bird Braid and Vanessa before he learned about you and me?”

“Probably yes. And right now, Nozel is certainly too focused on Vanessa to even notice us.”

“At least something.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so petty. And again, yes, Nozel is very serious about his relationship with Vanessa. Have you seen the diadem she’s wearing? It was a gift from him.”

“Yeah, and what’s so special about that shiny crap?”

“It has emotional worth. That diadem belonged to his mother, the late Acier Silva.”

“Shoot, are ya serious? Okay, forget what I said, I take shiny crap back. “

Charlotte smiled. At least, he was aware that Acier Silva was a very important topic for Nozel, so the present of this particular diadem to Vanessa was proof enough how serious he was.

“So, would you please do like Nozel with Vanessa and only focus on me for the rest of the waltz? I would love to enjoy fully to dance with you and not to hold you back to spoil the joy of another couple.”

Yami grumbled something, but in the end smiled at her and finally, finally they could fully enjoy their waltz.

Her boyfriend was maybe not the best or the most enthusiastic dancer, so she was mostly the one leading, but Charlotte didn’t mind. It was a wonderful feeling, to be in his arms and to turn around, forgetting everything and everyone around them.

Charlotte closed her eyes and pressed herself closer to Yami, way closer that it was supposed to be for a waltz. But she didn’t care. Her duties and her discipline were for her squad, not for her noble status and her house. Honestly, the only Roselei she truly loved was her mother. And maybe she had some affection for her cousin Josephine.

Yami hold her closer, softly and finally relaxing. It was good that he could be just calm and enjoy the moment, even during a ball like this. Charlotte smiled, while turning around with him. This was how she wanted the rest of her life to be.

But of course, the music and the waltz had to end, bringing them back to reality. And of course, Yami was getting all tense again because of seeing Nozel and Vanessa disappearing behind one of the golden pillars.

“Prickly Queen, ya sure I shouldn’t follow them, just in case.”

“Yes, I’m sure! Try to get a distraction to calm you down. And no, I don’t mean smoking any cigarettes by that or having a toilet break.”

“I don’t want to take a dump anyway and I haven’t brought any cigarettes with me.”

“William is at the buffet, choosing for a drink. How about you catch up with him? It would distract you more or less from Vanessa and Nozel and you always have good talks with him.”

“Yeah, from our days at the Grey Deers and as rivals. Good ol’ times. Ya right, I might catch up with him. Maybe even tell him we’re a thing now. I owe him a bit after all, as he gave me some hints about how there was sexual tension between us and he even got fed up about… how dense I was, I think.”

Charlotte frowned slightly. William, fed up with something? He was one of the most patient people she knew. It certainly means a lot that he ended up frustrated with Yamis density. But to be fair, this was understandable.

“So, Prickly Queen, you wanna join me and Goldie Guts or do you prefer to check on your mum and your lil’ bro first? You haven’t talked to them since the start of this trappy party.”

“You’re right, I should spend a bit time with time, it would made Luck so happy. Go to William, I will join the two of you later.”

Charlotte put a rather passionate kiss on Yamis lips before they part ways. Yami joined William at the buffet, immediately putting a drink of his choice in his hand, while Charlotte went in the other direction, searching for her mother and her little brother.

But she couldn’t find Orchidea and Luck immediately. No wonder, there were many people in this ballroom. Some she knew, others she didn’t. Some she liked or at least appreciated, others she didn’t hold close to her heart at all. And others she just felt either respect for them or just plain neutrality.

It was really a game full of individual feelings towards many people and more complex than it looked like.

Charlotte saw one of her girls, Églantine, laughing with her bastard half-sister from the Silver Eagles. Grenadine, was it? At least some people from her noble family were accepting of her. Next to Églantine, there was also one of her younger brothers, Candid, a shy but very kind boy and their great-aunt Clémentine, who was very rebellious for an Évantail and for her age.

She saw Magna Swing and Noelle Silva arguing over something, while Asta looked he tried to compromise peacefully between his two squadmates, while Nero stood next to the trio, sipping her rose syrup with a neutral face.

Charlotte had witnessed enough scenes like this to know that it wouldn’t end in a big catastrophe. More or less. At least, Luck wasn’t involved.

Still, she wondered what the four Black Bulls were arguing about. Charlotte wouldn’t be surprised if it was about the revelation about Nozel and Vanessa. Didn’t Vanessa mentioned that Noelle knew about them? Well, with that in mind, Charlotte could imagine many reasons why Magna and Noelle started to argue and why Asta had to try to go between them to mediate.

Charlotte decided to not interfere at all and to continue to search her mother and her brother. But still, Luck and Orchidea were nowhere to be find.

But she saw her aunt Rosamund again, walking firmly above the black marble floor.

Charlotte quickly look around, searching for a path to flee. She had avoided this particular aunt the best she could tonight, so that she wouldn’t find herself getting engaged to Reginald Évantail before she could even say Blue Rose.

Only that… unlike the other times she saw her, aunt Rosamund wasn’t in the company of Reginald Évantail.

Instead, she was talking to a servant. A servant wearing the attire of house Roselei.

Charlotte frowned. As far as her knowledge went, only royal servants were at service for tonight’s ball. Not servants from a noble house.

Also… she didn’t recognized that particular servant. Was he new? Did her mother engage him? She was one of the rare ones responsible for the servants within house Roselei. While aunt Rosamund always deemed herself as too precious to take care of mere servants. It was a common knowledge within house Roselei.

Then why was she talking to a servant? And why during a ball she demanded herself, along with others?

Something was fishy.

Aunt Rosamund and the servant disappeared. Charlotte couldn’t decide if it might be a good idea or not to follow them.

“Oh, Charlotte, you are here! How nice to see you.”

Charlotte jumped, but relaxed immediately as she recognized Rill, looking so dashing and adorable in his white shirt with long puffy sleeves, his silky bright blue vest with pink and green patterns and his dark blue and dark green pants. Colourful, like the artist he was.

“Hello, Rill. Do you enjoy this ball so far?”

“Oh yes, despite all traps of betrothal and such, but I wouldn’t let this spoil my fun. I think I’m going to paint a big canvas of this ball starting tomorrow. And besides, I think that after that Three Leaves Waltz, all trap plans have taken a serious hit. And just because Nozel danced with Vanessa. Oh, have seen how beautiful they were? Dancing so gracefully, like angels, looking like the perfect image of love. I shall make a painting of their dance as well, don’t you think? It’s a surprise, but amazing still. Oh, and I saw you kiss Yami behind a pillar at the start of the ball, congratulations! I’m so happy you’re finally together.”

“I… thank you,” Charlotte replied, a bit overwhelmed by Rills enthusiasm. Then again, that was just typical of Rill.

“Isn’t amazing? Six captain are happily in love and in a relationship?”

“Wait, six?”

“Of course! Kaiser is happily married for decades, it’s only a matter of days now before Fuegoleon is betrothed to Lital, Nozel and Vanessa are the image of love, you and Yami are finally together and I’m happy with my beloved Charmy.”

Charlotte blinked. It took her a few seconds to realize what her youngest colleague just said.

“You and Charmy?”

Had she missed anything?

“Yes, I finally found out who my goddess was. I was rather stupid for not realizing it sooner, but that isn’t a big deal anymore, Charmy is now my girlfriend. Now only Jack, William and Dorothy are still single.”

“But… when?”

“Oh, just a few days after our return from Spade. Wait, you don’t know? Haven’t we told you all already? I thought we did. Oh, so this is what we forgot to do? Charmy and I had the feeling we forgot something, but I never remembered what it was.”

Charlotte, still overwhelmed, was about to reply when something small and kinda white caught her eye.

Just were aunt Rosamund were standing with that unknown servant, a small piece of paper had fallen. Had it fall from her aunt or from the servant.

Charlotte immediately went to pick it up, Rill of course following her.

“Oh, what’s that?”

“I have no idea. One of my aunts had been there not even a minute ago, maybe she dropped in inadvertence.”

Still, the feeling of something being fishy didn’t left Charlotte. Instinctively, she unfolded the piece of paper.

The order of the letters didn’t make any sense to her. Still, something about it was familiar. Hadn’t she seen something similar just recently?

It looked a bit like the coded message Sol and Asta found during their last mission in the Common Realm…

A sudden uneasy feeling waved over Charlotte, as a terrible thought came to her mind. If that small piece of paper had the same code like the message from the Common Realm… And if it truly fell from her aunt… Wouldn’t that mean that Rosamund…

Charlotte couldn’t be sure, but her gut feeling, as Yami called it, told her to take action right now.

“Rill, I have a terrible suspicion. Maybe this has to do with the thievery happening in the Common Realm.”

“Wait, what?”

“I can’t tell you more, maybe I’m wrong and maybe I’m panicking over nothing. But still, we can’t be certain. Try to be as discreet as you can and find the Wizard King. Plus, try to warn at least the other captains, but again, as discreetly as you can. We can awake any suspicions from most nobles present tonight.”

“I will do that. But what about you?”

“I have to follow my guts feeling. Don’t worry about me.”

And with that, Charlotte ran towards the direction Rosamund disappeared earlier.

[crepe-of-wrath]

a thought that has me in a chokehold

Sorry, stumbling on this yamichar dynamic has made my brain short out to the point where I can't finish the two smutty x-Readers that I finally started working on after not being able to write for months (don't worry all you Aizawa scarf bondage lovers, we've got an "Aizawa ties Reader up in a chair" upcoming because I. am. predictable. and, finally, thank God, after all this time, I've got an Alucard x Reader fit for the winter underway) so, while I wish I could write this Yami x Charlotte up properly, I just have to get the initial thoughts out of my system, I think. Notes: mdni; oral sex (m receiving); it's kinda hard for me not to project onto Charlotte to some extent so apologies if that shows too hard for anyone here; again, hope you nice Black Clover folks don't mind me butting in here with some fantasizing, working my shit out via writing, and sharing it just in case it scratches an itch for someone else out there

Youuuuuuuuuu guyyyyyyyyyys, just imagine the first time Charlotte goes down on Yami. Just imagine the moment when realization hits her like a brick: the tables have turned! Now he's the one whose eyes are widening, even at something as innocent as her first curious little kitten licks (it's so big! screams the voice inside her head, but she's not running, not this time). Now he's the one who trembles at her touch, as she strokes his balls. Now he's the one who can't stop blushing, as she holds eye contact with him while she tries so hard to take more of him in her mouth. He desperately wants to tell her how good she is and how well she's doing and how she shouldn't push herself too hard, but now he's the one whose breath is stopped, who simply cannot force air into his lungs to speak, whose mind is going blank as she hollows her cheeks, trying to create as much tightness and suction as she can. And then, finally, it's him who now is reduced to broken cries of her name, as she keeps him still with her hands, never vanquishing control, taking him all the way to the heights of his pleasure and then into the soft aftermath of her arms and breasts as he comes down.

[acacia-may]

We Make Our Own Destiny (Black Clover Fanfiction)

Description:   Finral Roulacase wanted a soulmate tattoo more than anyone…until the day it appeared and said his own name, however. Confused and heartbroken by the fact that supposedly even the universe couldn’t find someone to love him, he tries to resign himself to the bitter truth that he will be alone forever, but Vanessa isn’t about to let him throw his life away moping.

Fandom: Black Clover (Soulmate AU)

Relationships:  Finral Roulacase and Vanessa Enoteca (Platonic or Romantic)

Characters: Finral Roulacase & Vanessa Enoteca

Rating: G

Genre:  Friendship/Love (it's up to you whether it's platonic or romantic as both are thrown out as possible options/explanations), Hurt/Comfort, Soulmate AU

Word Count: 1853

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another website.

A/N: This story takes place in the same Soulmate AU as "Maybe My Soulmate Died" (YamiChar story) but they do not need to be read together.

Story below the cut. Thank you so much for reading! 💕

Finral Roulacase was his own soulmate. At least that was the only way he could make sense of the fact that his supposed soulmate tattoo said his own name. Something ached in his chest whenever he thought about how excited he had been watching the dark letters slowly appear on his right wrist: F-i-n… He supposed he had gotten ahead in himself in hoping that they would eventually spell ‘Finesse Calmreich,’ but he would have never imagined they would spell out ‘Finral Roulacase.’ Though he tried to reason with himself that these tattoos were so new that no one really knew what they were or how they worked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with his and, by extension, that something was wrong with him. 

Somewhat ironically, he had been worried that something was wrong with him prior to his tattoo’s sudden and unexpected appearance nearly a week ago. It seemed almost silly now to think of how concerned he had been that he might never get a soulmate tattoo as he watched them appear on the wrists of his friends and squad mates who didn’t want or appreciate them. Vanessa had once told him that he should consider himself lucky that he didn’t have a tattoo. He didn’t know what hers said, but he did know that Vanessa was not particularly happy about it and had gone out immediately to buy a golden bangle to wear on her wrist to cover it up before anyone saw what it said. At the time he hadn’t quite understood how the knowledge that there was someone out there for her, that she was destined to find love, could be anything but good, reassuring news. Now, he did. 

His eyes burned as he stared down at the letters etched into his skin. He had always suspected that he was never going to find love—that there was no one in this world who could actually want him—could actually love him, but up until his own name at had appeared on his wrist, he had at least had a sliver of hope that he was wrong somehow. But now he knew better. Now he knew that there wasn’t someone out there for him—his destiny was to be alone forever. 

“Finral?” A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. “Finral? Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he called hurriedly wiping his eyes. When he opened the door however, Vanessa tilted her head at him with an expression that made it abundantly clear that she didn’t believe him in the slightest.  

“Are you sure? You’ve been moping around for days…” 

“I haven’t been moping,” he insisted though even without the slight hitch in his voice it still wasn’t convincing. 

“Is this about your soulmate tattoo?” she asked, and Finral’s face flushed. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around how Vanessa managed to be intuitive. She always seemed to see right through him, no matter the situation. He thought it was best not to try—and ultimately fail—to lie to her, so he just shuffled his feet and stared at the ground. This must have been answer enough for her because her tone softened as she asked, “You wanna go somewhere and talk about it?” 

Finral sighed. “Where did you have in mind?” 

“Preferably not the roof this time…” she suggested with a shrug. 

Finral’s mouth twitched in the corners as he glanced out the window. It was nearly nightfall—he had somehow lost track of the time. The thought gave him an idea of a place they could go, and he opened a portal for them.  

As Vanessa stepped through it, she crossed her arms and teased, “I like how I suggest something other than the roof and your first thought is to take me to the edge of a cliff.” She gripped onto his shoulder as they carefully moved away from the ledge towards a group of nearby rocks. 

“Sorry. We can go somewhere else…” 

Vanessa cut him off shaking her head, “It’s fine. I was just teasing you. Though I am curious…where are we exactly?” 

“Mount Anahu.” 

“Uh huh…” 

He stopped and held out his hand. “Just wait a second…” 

Vanessa’s brow furrowed but she shrugged her shoulders—seemingly indulging him for a few moments until the moonlight swept over the cliff and a field of beautiful purple flowers sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Vanessa audibly gasped, and Finral smiled. 

“They’re moon blossoms—this is the only place they grow and they only bloom at night…” 

“It’s beautiful…” 

Finral sighed as he took a seat on a nearby rock. “I always wanted to bring a girl here…Guess I probably won’t ever get to now…” 

“What am I?” Vanessa teased—poking him in the arm. He playfully rolled his eyes at her. 

“You know what I mean…” 

“Yeah, I do, but I don’t understand why you can’t still bring a girl here on a date one day if you want…” 

Finral sighed again and bit his lip. “Because I…I won’t ever have anyone to bring here…” 

“That’s not true,” she began to protest but Finral interrupted. 

“Yes, it is. I…”—his voice hitched—“I don’t have a soulmate.” 

Vanessa’s brow furrowed. “What? What about your tattoo?” 

“It says my own name…” Finral swallowed hard and rolled up his sleeve holding out his wrist to her. She stared at it in silence for several moments before Finral added. “I’m my own soulmate, I guess, so…I’m just always going to be alone.” 

“You’re not going to be alone. You’ll always have your squad.” 

“I know and I love you guys, I really do, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still want…” He stopped and turned away from her. Vanessa ran her hand gently and reassuringly across his back. 

“I know,” she said quietly. 

“What’s wrong with me, Vanessa?” 

“Nothing is wrong with you. Honestly, I agree with the Captain, this whole tattoo business is stupid. Just ignore it and go out there and find the person you want to be with on your own.” 

“Even if I did find someone, they wouldn’t want me.” 

“You don’t know that…” 

Finral shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Vanessa, even the universe can’t find someone who’d want me—they just don’t exist.” 

“I think they do…” 

“Then how do you explain this?” he asked holding up his wrist to her. 

Vanessa paused, then sighed. “You know I’ve been wondering for awhile if these tattoos really say the names our soulmates.” 

Finral dropped his arm—shaking his head just slightly at his soulmate tattoo. “What would they say instead?” 

“Well…I think maybe they’re the names of the people who are most important to our soulmates—the ones they care about most in the world.” 

Finral’s brow furrowed. “What?” 

“Like Noelle’s says ‘Yuno’ for instance.” 

“Maybe Noelle’s soulmate is Yuno, I don’t know…” 

“And the Captain’s is Sol Marron—really? How else do you explain that?” 

Finral sighed and conceded, “I guess that’s a good point…Does it work for your tattoo too?” 

Vanessa nodded. “Yes. It was actually what made me think of it, but I’m still not showing you.” 

“I showed you mine…” he protested. 

“I didn’t ask you to,” 

“That’s fair.” Finral sighed. “But supposing you’re right…that still doesn’t explain why I have my own name on my arm…” 

Vanessa took a deep breath and stared down at his arm—clutching it gently in her hand and rubbing her thumb across the dark letters etched into his wrist. “Well…I think it means that…to your soulmate—whoever they are—you are already the most important person—that they already care about you more than anybody else in the world.” 

Something panged in Finral’s chest. “I don’t…I don’t think someone could love me that much…” 

Vanessa took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze until he looked at her. “I know they can,” she said with a slight smile. 

“Really?” 

She nodded. “Yeah…” 

Finral could not longer hold back the smile that tugged at him mouth. “So my soulmate already loves me? That means I already know her…that narrows it down. And I just have to find her…” 

“Well…yeah…but she could be your platonic soulmate…” 

“What?” 

“You know she loves you but in a platonic way…” 

“But she’s my soulmate…” 

“That isn’t necessarily a romantic thing…is it?” 

Finral’s brow furrowed. “I guess not…” his voice trailed and his face fell again. “You don’t think my soulmate could love me in the romantic way?” 

“Oh Finral, I—” she stopped and ran her hand across his back. “That’s not what I meant.” 

“Really? Because it sure sounds like it…” 

“I just meant that maybe you shouldn’t put too much stock in your tattoo. Honestly, none of us should. If there’s something you want—someone you want to be with—you shouldn’t let this idea of ‘your soulmate’ hold you back from that. You should still put yourself out there—try to find the person that you want to spend your life with, and whether or not that person is your ‘soulmate,’ shouldn’t matter…because we make our own destiny and fate or the universe or anyone else—they don’t get a say in it.” Vanessa paused. “I just don’t want you to get so caught up in finding your ‘soulmate’ that you miss out on all the wonderful things that could be waiting for you—and a life with someone you’ve chosen, who really loves you.” 

Vanessa’s face softened, and she smiled at him. Sniffling, Finral felt a smile tug at his own mouth. He knew she was right and the look that she was giving him now told him that she knew it. He stifled a chuckle before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Thank you, Vanessa,” he said, hoping that even these few simple words could convey the gratitude he felt. For the first in a long time, Finral actually believed that there was someone waiting for him out there—“soulmate” or not. He smiled. Vanessa really was right. Destiny was something to be made, not found, and he knew that no matter that person was, the one he was meant to be with, someday he would find her.

Epilogue:

“Thank you, Vanessa…” Finral’s voice trailed, and Vanessa chuckled, ruffling her hand through the hair at the base of his neck.

“Don’t mention it,” she said as she pressed her chin to his shoulder. She was glad to have been helpful, and even though she agreed with her captain that all of this soulmate nonsense was a load of garbage, she really hoped she was right about her theory. She sighed, shaking her arm so that gold bangle on her wrist covered the beginning letters “Lan” of the tattoo on her arm again. No, she thought with a sigh, she knew she was right. She had to be. Universe be damned, there was no way in hell that her “soulmate” was Langris Vaude.

[whackdreamer]

I gotta admit it never occurred to me that their themes go the way you describe them as till you said so. All I saw at first was how they are indeed Beauty and the Beast but Tabata kinda mixed it up with Yamichar. Its easily missed because Yamichar portrays Yami as a beast while Charlotte as beauty in terms of appearance. Like in this promo art shows Char all dressed up nicely like a princess while Yami got horns. And the series keeps referring Yami as a brute who does a lot of destruction. Hence, Yami being pitted as the 'Beast' in their Beauty and the Beast theme.

(It is also how I saw it at first glance and I also am not well versed with the original Beauty and the Beast story. But as I watched it further I felt there was something I am missing)

What you do say however with Char being the Beast while Yami is the Beauty indeed makes a lot of sense and all I could think in addition was how Yami (repeatedly) calls himself a maiden because he's a Virgo (I think he also had this line in one of the light novels) and in the movie especially. Even Yami sees himself as a beauty.

Side note: I only made a quick read of Beauty and the Beast summary in wikipedia, but this scene where Beauty leaves the Beast to visit her family made me imagine Yami leaving Clover to visit Hino and leave Charlotte behind. Hopefully Char won't end up like the Beast almost die from heart attack coz Yami didn't return after some time.

Public Service Announcement

Charlotte and Yami are beauty and the beast, yes, but it is CHARLOTTE who is the BEAST. She is the one who is cursed, and the one who causes an incident from said curse, and the one dependent on roses, and the one who is saved in the last minute by the beauty through understanding her.

Yami is the beauty, the man with a head as dense as a brick and tits as thick as pound cake. Put some respect in his name and stop making him the beast when he is, in fact, the beauty.

[cower-before-power]

Another Piece of the Puzzle

*gif has nothing to do with this story i just like it haha*

Summary: Charlotte and Yami add another piece to the puzzle of their shared life

Pairing: Yami x Charlotte

TW: swearing, mentions of pregnancy and childbirth

Link to A03 here

A/N: So I had another baby this past summer so I guess I’m in my baby feels ha and just had to write something fluffy for the OTP. Also Yami with a baby makes my ovaries go wooooooooo. Enjoy, sweet potatoes!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why’s it so red?”

She rolls her eyes, the tiny movement feeling overwhelmingly exhausting. “That’s just how they come out. And she’s your daughter, not an ‘it’, you moron.”

The being in question gives a quiet little grunt, as if agreeing. Yami chuckles quietly.

“Already siding with your mother, I see,” he says, shifting the tiny bundle in his arms. She feels her heart swell at the sight; Yami Sukehiro, the rough, uncouth, take no shit Magic Knight Captain, cradling a baby with the utmost delicacy. Not just any baby: their baby.

Holy shit, she is a mother. Even though she’d went through nine months of carrying her, and then unimaginable hours of labour, she still can’t quite wrap her head around it. She’d always had a constant sliver of anxiety and fear ever since she’d found out she was with child. She didn’t know anything about being a mother, what if she was terrible at it?

Surprisingly, Yami had been very level headed and reassuring throughout the whole thing. “It’s normal to be scared. Hell, I’m terrified. But after all the shit we’ve seen and done, a baby can’t be that hard.”

(Except for the labour. He’d been a hot mess for that. She hadn’t known whether to laugh, cry or punch him in his stupid face when he’d shouted “Surpass your limits Charlotte! Surpass them right now!” during a particularly rough contraction.)

Well, whatever came their way, they’d figure it out. To think there was a time she could barely hold it together in his presence, and now she is watching him with their child.

“She still needs a name, you know,” she says, reaching out to stroke the dark downy hair that covers their daughter’s head. “Are you sure you don’t want to give her a name from your home country?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, she’s already gonna have my last name, that’s a good enough connection to the past for me. Besides, this is my home now.”

He says it casually, but his eyes meet hers with a softness that takes her breath away. He doesn’t mean the Clover Kingdom. He means here with her, with their daughter. Tears pool in her eyes, and she hastens to blink them away. Was he trying to kill her today? Her heart was going to burst if it was filled with any more happiness. “Do you have any ideas then?”

He hums in thought. “She needs a badass name. She’s got two super badass parents, after all.” His brow furrows for a moment, then his eyes light up.

“Katana!” He shouts, and the little bundle in his arms wakes with a cry at the noise. He quickly rocks it with a few shushing noises, and the sound subsides. She’s vaguely impressed by how good he is at that already.

“You can’t be serious. You want to name her after your sword?”

He grins, his trademark cigarette bouncing with the movement. “Why not? Nothing’s more badass than being named after a deadly weapon.”

Her mouth drops open. He is serious, that asshole! She crosses her arms. “We are not naming our baby after your stupid sword!”

“It’s not stupid!” He says defensively. “She’s gonna grow up to be an ass kicking tough gal with a ton of strong magic, it’s a perfect name. Better than some wishy washy royal name that the King of Hard Noses would pick for his kid or something.”

He softens his face into a puppy dog pleading look, the kind she once thought she’d never see on his face (but was surprisingly common these days, he knows it usually makes her cave). “Come on, Prickly Queen. You can even call her Kat for short.”

Kat Sukehiro. It doesn’t sound half bad.

“No.”

“Please?”

“No!”

“Awww come on, Charlotte.”

She stares into his begging face, so stupid and so damn good looking. She sighs, feeling her resolve crumble into dust. It really isn’t a bad name. Damn this man and his effect on her! She’d give him the bloody moon if he asked her.

“Alright, fine. But everyone is going call her Kat, not Katana, understood?”

He grins that stupid shit-eating grin she’s grown begrudgingly fond of. “Your wish is my command, Prickly Queen.”

She lets out a “hmmmmph,” crossing her arms. “It better be.”

He laughs at her, and adjusts the newly named Kat so he can lean in and press his lips to hers.

“Thank you,” he murmurs into their kiss, and she knows he doesn’t just mean the name. The tears are back; it should be her thanking him. For breaking her stupid curse. For respecting her. For encouraging her strength. For loving her with a fierceness that can’t be rivalled. For making this perfect creation with her.

She kisses him harder, words stuck in her throat, and she knows he understands.

Feet pound down the hallway. Voices yell. The door to her room shakes as multiple fists knock in unison.

“Mister Yami!!! Where’s the little brat??”

True to Black Bull fashion, his unruly squad interrupts their moment by trying to break down her door.

“I told you not to come up till I said so, you dumbasses!” Yami growls, pulling away from her. “We’re having a damn family moment here!”

“Sorry Sir! Sorry Captain Charlotte!”

“I’ll kill you, you idiots!”

She laughs, wiping away the lone tear that managed to wend its way down her cheek. “It’s alright. They’re your family too. Let them meet their new little sister.”

“Tch,” Yami sighs, but she can hear the fondness in his voice. “Alright, idiots. Come in and see her then. But no touching! And don’t crowd me, dammit!”

They don’t listen of course. They’re in the door and immediately crushing around him, shouting and cooing compliments. They are a million times more rowdy than her Knights will be when they visit later, but she can’t bring herself to be upset. Little Kat is only hours old yet already surrounded by so much love.

“I said don’t crowd me, morons!”

“Sorry sir!”

She smiles at the scene. Her already full heart is spilling over in a fountain of boundless happiness. Yami meets her gaze above the sea of bobbing heads, face stoic but his eyes betray him. He’s deliriously happy too; they’re fulfilling a dream that once danced far out of reach. Magic Knights, Squad captains, lovers, parents. An eccentric blended family tied by bonds far greater than blood. Each a piece added to the intricate and beautiful puzzle of their shared lives.

It is not complete. It won’t be until they depart for whatever lies beyond. But it will be a joy to build it, to interlock each piece. Even the ones painted with hardships and sorrow; she will place them will strong hands, for she knows brighter ones will come.

And the final picture, she thinks as she watches Yami proudly show off their daughter, will be beautiful.

[eme-eleff]

Yamichar headcanon:

When Charlotte meets Yami's family, his mother says to Yami: wow, she's gorgeous. How is it possible that she's in love with someone like you?

And he only answers: I KNOW, RIGTH!!?

Obviously, Charlotte blushes SO hard.

[succulentsunrise]

How do your roses grow?

- With misdirection, confusion and ardent love.

My piece for the YamiChar Week, Day 1, combining the prompts "confession" and "garden"! 🥰

If you want to listen to music while reading it for an atmosphere, I recommend this one: Clair De Lune

| All | Day 2

Charlotte Roselei rubbed her hands together. The rising sun couldn’t quite shake off the chill of the early spring morning, and she had been working in the garden for some time now. Most of the sprawling garden of the headquarters was taken care of by the gardeners, but occasionally Charlotte would tend the roses. This was the first time she had tried actually planting them. The gnarled roots didn’t yet seem as beautiful as the roses would eventually be. With a sigh, she took off the dirt-covered gloves and wiped some sweat away from her forehead.

“Yo,” a gruff voice appeared out of nowhere.

Charlotte jumped, her grimoire appearing before her. Who dared! Her icy glare landed on a tall, broad figure with ruffled dark hair and scraggly stubble. She knew immediately who dared then - Yami Sukehiro wasn’t known for his etiquette or gracefulness. Her heart skipped a beat or two as she looked at him, that feeling of familiarity and fanciful crush overtaking her. He looked at her.

Silence ensued.

Charlotte thought he looked more clueless than usual today.

“Too good to answer?” Yami asked. “That’s hurtful, y’know.”

“No--no,” Charlotte stammered slightly.

She coughed, pulling herself together again. Seeing him made her always feel like everything was more difficult - sentences, thoughts, any kind of subtlety. Luckily for her, Yami was as dense as a rock.

“Why are you here?” Charlotte asked, hiding the dirtied gloves behind her.

Yami’s eyes followed her movement, as if he somehow knew. It was the strange dichotomy of Yami Sukehiro in Charlotte’s mind. She felt like he knew everything she thought of, everything she felt, and yet she also knew that getting her emotions through to him was like trying to fight quicksand. He was sharp, but not that sharp.

“Been gardening like the commoners?” Yami commented, ignoring her question.

“Gardening is a noble past-time,” Charlotte remarked with a chill she hadn’t meant to be there.

Yami stretched a little.

“Right. Well, I came here to ask you about something.”

“What is it at this time? It’s barely time for you to even begin waking up.”

Yami took one measured step towards her, leaning towards her slightly. His posture was relaxed, but there was something confident about it. Charlotte's heart jumped a little at the increased nearness.

“I wanted to catch you alone,” Yami said with a low voice.

A flush rose over Charlotte’s face. She couldn't get a word out of her mouth. Was she reading too much into that sentence? It was as if all her muscles had tensed up, clenching her insides and heart in anticipation.

“There was something I wanted to ask you,” Yami continued, his voice smooth and low, and another step bringing him face to face with Charlotte.

He leaned over her slightly, slow and deliberate. Charlotte looked away, her heart beating in her ears. From the corner of her eye, she imagined a kind of a gentle gaze in those dark eyes. She thought she spotted it there, nestled deep within. No, that was silly. She waited for the question, unable to concentrate on anything else. Yami stayed silent for a brief moment. Another. It stretched - too long.

“...where’s the bathroom?”

Charlotte felt her face turn hot red, and as an instinct, she smacked the broad chest in front of her.

“What!” she spat out, part of her wanting to laugh, and part to cry. “You vulgar--”

Yami took few steps back, deterred by the smack, his expression dumb.

“I was in these parts and I really need to go,” he said matter-of-factly.

The tenderness Charlotte had imagined in his eyes had disappeared behind a dumb stare. She felt her blood boil - how dare he! She was embarrassed to be caught with these feelings.

“Go elsewhere,” she answered coldly, turning her back to Yami.

Charlotte could hear him sigh, and could basically see in front of her eyes him scratch his back. He did that often while sighing, when things got awkward.

“Well - I had another thing too.”

“What?”

“A confession.”

Charlotte tensed up, her eyes on the just-planted rose bushes. A confession! A love--no, she knew better than that. She had been disappointed by this man so many times! He never said or did the things her heart yearned for! Yet she couldn’t stop her hopeful heart from beating faster, nor the faint blush from collecting onto her cheeks. She hoped, despite knowing that it was most likely useless.

“I’ve known it for a long time,” Yami continued with a slow cadence. “And the reason I came here so early was so none of your squad would be awake yet. Don’t want any idle gossip.”

Known it for a long time? Gossip? Charlotte’s heart pumped faster, independent of her attempts of reasoning to herself that there was another explanation for everything.

“See, that night when it was just us…”

Charlotte turned slowly towards him, unable to raise her gaze up.

“...I know why you asked me to that restaurant instead of discussing it here.”

Charlotte gulped, stealing a glance at the serious face of the man that had stolen her heart.

“It was because one of your subordinates has a crush on me, right?” Yami asked suddenly.

Nothing could’ve prepared Charlotte for it, except for her insistent reasoning that this is what she should’ve expected. It felt like her very heart deflated inside of her, preparing the way for her spirit to leave her body. It was a gut punch without an actual punch. She stared at him for quite a while, examining those blank eyes and their intentions. It flashed to her mind that if there was anything behind them, that dumbness was a terribly good disguise.

“Don’t be silly,” she said discouragingly, shaking her head. “None of them have a crush on you.”

Charlotte felt Yami’s eyes on her, and for a brief moment, they looked at each other. For a brief moment, there was a fire in those dark eyes, meeting her cold gaze - for a brief moment, it felt like an invitation to a dance she didn’t know steps to. For a brief moment, Charlotte was certain Yami knew and he knew very well what he was doing. Then, the gaze became dull and turned into a sad frown.

“You’re breaking my heart, Prickly Queen,” Yami whined, turning away.

Charlotte stared after him, uncertain of what she had seen and how to react to it. Yami was clearly leaving, lifting one hand up to wave a goodbye.

“Not as much as you break mine,” she said softly.

“Hm?” Yami asked, his head turning around to look at her.

“I said: Go away before you give any funny ideas to my girls.”

“Ah. So cruel.”

“Get out.”

Their eyes met - a question and an answer. An invitation, accepted. Charlotte turned to her roses once more. How utterly confusing. This dance was a strange one. She couldn't even fathom how its steps went.

-

Leaving the headquarters, Yami lit a cigarette slowly. It was a very deliberate, thought out movement.

The roses were beautiful even at this time of the year, he thought.

It was too bad he hadn't been able to say what he wanted.

[moonofiron]

Hardcore YamiChar fan here. Couldn't find the fanfic I wanted so I wrote one for myself.

I enjoyed writing it so much that I thought of sharing it with other YamiChar fans, too! It's my first attempt at a fanfic HA. I'm not sure what the ideal WC for fanfics is but I do know that this is way too long. If you read this, I hope you'll enjoy + leave feedback! 🤗

Anime: Black Clover

Characters: Yami Sukehiro x Charlotte Roselei. Passing mentions of other characters.

Genre: Fluff, romance, friendship, explicit sexual content 🥵

Rating: M

Synopsis: Yami and Charlotte get into an ugly fight and then they try to reconcile.

Word Count: 6,335 😬

Minors, dni.

___________________________________________________

Yami felt steam rise up from his entire body. He stared at the floor in disbelief. He slowly looked up at Charlotte and his disbelief shaped itself into a seething anger.

They both stood in the centre of his room. A sliver of embarrassment shadowed Charlotte's face. She couldn't believe she had slapped Yami so hard that his lip was bleeding.

Charlotte had come to his place to drop some reports from their last mission. Their banter today had gotten out of hand. Yami was teasing Charlotte like always and though she never seemed to mind, today something shifted in her. Whatever Yami said pricked her like never before and she slapped him right across his face for a frivolous remark.

Before Charlotte could open her mouth to apologise, she felt a strong force push her 10 feet back. The apology hung and died in the back of her throat. Pitch black energy enveloped her neck, wrists, thighs, and ankles and pinned her against the wall. Spread eagle on the wall above a small shelf, Charlotte took a second to understand what was happening. Yami had moved with lightning speed and was barely an inch from her now. She could hear him grinding his teeth. She could feel his heat.

“Don't you dare raise your hand...” Yami growled in her ear and felt her ki shift from fear to something else so helplessly and plainly that he stopped mid-sentence. Something dropped in his stomach. His anger changed again but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it had become now. With a hint of a smile in his voice, he asked in a soft whisper, “Oii oii, Princess, what's that, eh?" He didn't meet her eyes and stayed completely still. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Charlotte was breathing heavily. Her warm breath made the hair on his neck stand.

Charlotte said nothing. She didn't want to give away what being so close to him was doing to her. She knew Yami could only read her ki to a point. She put on a determined and strong facade.

“I can taste the speed of your blood rushing to places it shouldn't be rushing to,” whispered Yami as he licked the blood off his lips. Charlotte's eyes widened as it dawned on her that Yami wasn't really dense when it came to these things. She panicked and tried to break free from his magic's restraints in vain. He moved as she did, making sure to not touch her at all.

“Let me go, Yami. Right now," she spoke slowly and firmly but he sensed that everything inside of her said otherwise.

When she stopped struggling, he began speaking in the language of a smirk. His lips were so close to her ear that she could feel his beard caressing her lobe every now and then.

“I can feel the heat rising in your cheeks and I can see that knot in your belly and I can taste the thirst in the back of your throat. Hmm.”

He stopped. He contemplated saying more. He wanted to embarrass her. He was still angry at her audacity to slap him.

“Please...,” Charlotte whispered.

“Hmm?”

Still not touching her, he carefully moved to her other ear, his lips almost brushed hers but his focus was sharp.

“I can hear the blood rushing to your nipples, Princess, hardening them. I can hear the ache in your inner thighs. I can taste the warmth flooding around your soft mound. I can hear your toes curling. I can sense the slight movement in your hips. This unintentional offering of yours to a peasant like me is pretty uncharacteristic of you, no?” Sarcasm oozed out of his words.

He stayed close but still, waiting for her to say something snarky. His lip and cheek still stung from the slap. But what he was doing now would sting her for the rest of her life. Her silence made his anger boil up again, and his whisper changed to a guttural sound. “You think you can slap....”

Before he could complete his sentence, Charlotte spoke in labored breath. “Please, stop this and just do what you want already.”

Half confused and half surprised, Yami frowned.

After a moment's pause, she sighed and whispered, “Yami, please, just take me”

Yami moved back a few steps and cocked his head. Charlotte gasped as if something precious had been taken from her. He looked at her pleading face. Her eyes were fixed on the ground. She looked gorgeous pinned and restrained on the wall; strands of her golden hair stuck to her sweaty face. Yami practically undressed her with the crude way he looked at her body. But he remained unmoved. His face looked bored at worst and indifferent at best. He took out his sword and Charlotte swallowed hard. Maybe he was dense and actually wanted to kill her. Terror flashed in her eyes. The cool blade touched her thighs and she wriggled her hips. Yami made a slit in the centre of her shorts and her wetness bloomed outwards toward him. She was slick with wetness and glistening. In a flash, Yami moved closer to her as he unzipped his leather pants and took his throbbing cock in his hand. He thrust himself in her with such speed and violence that she didn't even get a chance to see him in all his glory. He moved inside her hard and fast, revenge staining each thrust. He moved without making a sound, without touching her anywhere else. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. Her body ached for just one touch. He was intentionally making sure that his chest wouldn't so much as brush against her breasts, or his face wouldn't collapse into her neck. Unsatisfied with how little he touched her, she tried to look for his hands as he fucked her angrily. His hands were on the wall beside hers, a hair's distance between them. She tried to move her hands as much as she could with the restraints, but he moved quickly. With hurt bubbling inside her heart she accepted whatever the hell this was. She gave in and groaned. She clenched around him each time an orgasm took her, her groans turned into moans and she quivered around him. As she felt a final surge of pleasure spreading everywhere, Yami pulled out and came all over her thighs. He turned around quickly, zipped his pants, and sat down on the bed, leaving Charlotte exposed and still quivering with delight. He lit a cigarette and without looking at Charlotte, removed the pitch black restraints around her wrists, thighs, neck, and ankles. She almost fell but steadied herself.

Unsure of what to say or do next, she began, "Yami, I am...."

"Get out."

"What?"

He looked up at her, bore his eyes into hers for the first time since the slap, and spat out something so cruel that it would ring in her ears for a long time, "Get out. You slapped me, I fucked you like the whore you are. We're even. Now get out."

Charlotte, dumb-founded, jerked her head back. She grabbed her bag and grimoire and left without another word. The transactory nature of all of this made her sick to her stomach. This wasn't what she had imagined her first time with Yami to be like. She couldn't believe how inconsiderate and insensitive Yami had been. She had known him to be caring and loving and overly protective of his friends, even if he didn't express it properly. So, this crass exchange didn't make sense to her. Simply put, her heart had broken not because of what had happened. But because she had just lost all respect for Yami. And, how can one love someone if one doesn't respect them?

//

The next morning, Julius called in a meeting of all magic knight captains. Everyone was in a jovial mood. Yami was late as usual. Charlotte, Nozel, and Feugoleon were waiting calmly. There was chattering and bantering and laughter. Until, Yami walked in. Everyone shut up. They had never experienced such a heavy aura from Yami. He always had a chilled out, lazy aura about him. They were all confused but no one dared to say a word. Nozel was sure that Yami had been possessed by a devil. Because everyone was so shaken by Yami, no one noticed Charlotte's visible discomfort.

//

Everything started returning back to normal slowly for Charlotte. Meetings were bearable. Charlotte had made a special request in secret to not be paired with Yami for missions. She cried in bouts, in between chores, after meetings, saddened by the friendship she had lost. She tried to block the memory of that evening but Yami's words came back to her suddenly and again and again. She would shudder with pain and sob till she felt nothing.

Yami remained sharp and focused during meetings and missions. He made sure to never look at Charlotte directly. When and if he spoke to her during meetings, he looked at Jack instead. He stayed aloof and the heaviness accompanied him everywhere.

Everyone slowly realised that Yami and Charlotte weren't teasing eachother anymore. There was no banter from them whatsoever and that greatly changed the dynamic of the meetings. Jack wanted to approach Yami but he thought better of it.

//

3 weeks after the evening of the slap, Yami left the Black Bulls base around 11pm. His mind was unfocused and clouded. He struggled to calm down. He struggled to make a decision. In the end, he found himself perched on the railing of Charlotte's balcony. He saw her silhouette behind the translucent curtains. She was combing her hair. He felt her ki, heavy with an inexplicable sorrow, embarrassment, and worthlessness.

He sighed heavily. He wanted to undo everything. He wanted his friend back. He wanted to apologise. He wanted to make her feel beautiful again. It's not like he wasn't aware of her feelings for him all these years. He just chose to ignore them. He felt he would never be able to live up to her expectations. He enjoyed the chase, the light flirting, but never took any of it seriously. Somewhere deep down, he had accepted nothing was ever going to happen between them.

He sighed again. He could have acted so differently that night. He was ashamed that he let himself succumb to his viciousness. He never thought she could bring out that side of him, but she did. That evening, when she had slapped him, he had boiled with anger. When he had restrained her, he hadn't intended to harm her. When he had moved closer to her, he was just toying with her, mocking the kind of anger that he knew would scare her. But the shift in her ki that evening was so... pure...so innocent, he couldn't keep himself steady. His head spun and he gave in to a side of him that he had always kept at bay around her. Of course he didn't mean what he said to her. He was just trying to cover up his need for her. And in doing so, he had given birth to something awful, something mixed with an inexplicable anger towards her and his need to make her his.

Lost in thought, he didn't realise when Charlotte had opened the door of the balcony. Her hair was braided and tied into a neat bun. She was wearing a shear nightgown. The cold wind gave her goosebumps and the moonlight shone bright in her eyes. She looked stunning and Yami wanted to ravage her right there and then. His entire being ached. He had gotten a taste once but that wasn't even close to what he wanted from her. But he made sure that his eyes didn't drop to her perfect curves or her supple breasts or her shapely legs that he had imagined wrapped around him countless number of times. He didn't look anywhere else except for her face. He felt it was a necessary sign of respect after what he had done the other night.

“What are you doing here, Yami Taicho?"

Her use of the honorific "Taicho" hurt him. She was verbalizing the distance between them. She glared at him, waiting for an answer. Her eyebrows high and and perfectly shaped for him to kiss.

“Just dropped by to say hi. We haven't talked since our little adventure, you know." He immediately regretted making light of the situation. Charlotte gave away nothing, her expression plain and indifferent. But she grinded her teeth ever so slightly and Yami noticed.

“If there's something urgent regarding a mission, then please come straight to the point, kaicho. Otherwise, leave."

Yami remained still. He tried to tap into her Ki to understand what she was feeling. He felt nothing. Just a vast expanse of nothingness. Overcome with regret and guilt, he lit a cigarette and settled in the chair on the balcony.

“Why don't you go back inside? Let me finish my cigarette first and then I'll leave. It'll be like I never came, Princess.” He said princess in his same old mocking way, hoping to bring a sense of familiarity in this cold conversation.

"Oh, but you did! You're here! You're a disrespectful coward who doesn't deserve my time, love, or friendship. Get off my balcony."

Yami looked deep into her eyes but said nothing, nor did he move. Her eyes spoke loud enough for both of them.

After a moment of collecting herself, Charlotte calmly said, “You know, Yami Taicho, a man ceases to be a man when he doesn't realise or acknowledge when he needs to apologise. Good night.”

With this, she turned around, ready to go back in the room. But she felt Yami's firm hand around her arm. She pulled back in vain. She kept fighting but his grip was too strong. She managed to get a few scratches on his face. He pushed her inside and finally, in a broken voice said, "Calm down, princess. Please."

“Let me go, you bastard.”

“Charlotte, please. I am sorry. I am sorry for what happened that night. Let me make it up to you.”

Taken aback by the way her name rolled in his mouth, Charlotte stopped struggling. He had never called her by her name. It was always a mocking "Princess".

"Please." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers.

If ever she saw a broken man, it was Yami in this moment. She couldn't put together the Yami of tonight with the Yami she saw 3 weeks back. Tonight, there was a crack in him out of which a subtle softness leaked; she had never seen or felt it before.

She sighed. Yami let go of her hands and flicked his cigarette in a bowl on her nightstand. He then held her face with such tenderness that she forgot where she was, what she was, or what had happened between them. His thumb caressed her eyebrows and eventually her parted lips. His left hand deftly opened her braided hair, moved to her lower back, and pressed her entire body against his. She gasped slightly, his warmth covering her entire being. His right hand remained on the side of her face, continuously caressing her lips and eyes in slow and small cirlces.

Charlotte suddenly pushed back and spoke in a broken voice, “I won't be able to stand it another time. Please. I didn't deserve whatever you did to me last time and I don't deserve whatever you're planning to do now. I won't let you make a fool out of me twice. Leave.”

Unfazed, Yami moved closer to her, picked her up in his arms, and gently laid her down on her bed. She closed her eyes so she could hold back her tears. Hovering over her, his hands still under her lower back and head, he spoke slowly but with intention, “You're right. You didn't deserve what I did to you last time. But you do deserve to be loved. Fuck love, you deserve to be worshipped. And you shouldn't stop a devotee like me, Princess. Not tonight.”

She was dumbstruck at his words. Even his gentleness was laced with brutishness. She didn't know how to react to what he had just said.

On top of her in an instant, he opened the loosely tied string of her nightgown in a swift movement. He looked at her nakedness. She was truly shaped like a goddess. She never used any fragrance and he inhaled the pure and raw heat emanating from her. She smelt like wet earth. He couldn't wait to lick the folds of her soft belly or her breasts that were perfectly sized for his large hands. He saw tears rolling down her cheeks and he broke. A soft whimper escaped her lips and then everything went still and quiet for a moment.

She shivered from the cold wind. And, from the anticipation of what might be coming. When she opened her eyes, he was nowhere to be seen. She perched her neck to look for him and felt a flutter of a kiss on her right toe. Embarrassed, she shrieked and pulled her legs to her chest, “What are you doing?!”

Yami caught her feet in his hands, and brought them back where they were. “Shhh, princess. Just lie back and let me make it up to you, please.”

Charlotte, uncomfortable at first, finally gave in. He started again, kissing each of her toes gently. He made his way up, kissing and nibbling at her ankles, her calves, and the back of her knees. After each kiss, his hands strongly caressed the part of her legs he had kissed. As he moved up, his face came closer to her heat. He licked all over her thighs, their back, their sides, the insides. He nibbled at the soft skin of her inner thighs. He could feel her moving her hips towards him. She was getting impatient already. He kept kissing her legs till there was nowhere left to kiss. Her legs glistened in the moonlight with the moistness of his kisses.

He moved up and Charlotte put her hands on his shoulders. She didn't know when he had removed his clothes. Yami had only reached her hips and his hair tickled her belly. He was taking his own sweet time, loving every inch of her body that he had refused to even touch last time. He chuckled at how hard it had been to not touch a beauty so real and close. He glided his tongue in the crevices where her waist met her legs, right next to her clit, and around her belly button. He bit the sides of her waist and softly kissed the bite marks. Charlotte was moving with Yami. She shuddered at each kiss, moaned at each bite, and gasped when Yami's rough hands stroked the definition of her body. He licked the skin under her breasts and made his way upwards to her hardened nipples, leaving behind a trail of his saliva. He took a nipple in his mouth and fluttered his tongue on it to make it harder before he started sucking on it. He groaned deep into her skin. Charlotte was panting, moving as much as she could, and his groans built up a tension in her stomach that she couldn't ignore anymore. She moved her hips up, and his cock brushed against her clit. Both of them gasped loudly.

"Please, princess, be patient. I'm not done yet,” whispered Yami as he removed a strand of hair from her face and positioned himself so she couldn't move her legs or hips.

His hand fondled her other breast, gently pinching her nipple so she would make that deep but small sound he loved. He moved to suck on the other nipple, and cupped the other breast so it wouldn't lose the warmth of his mouth. From there, he moved to kissing and licking her shoulders, all the way to her fingers. He kissed the inside of her elbows, and nibbled at her wrist. He sucked each of her fingers and kissed the inside of her palms and her knuckles.

Charlotte had never been loved like this. He was kissing her in places she didn't know could be loved. The tension in her belly had spread its wings and she wanted to wrap her legs around him. But he had made sure to pin her legs down with his, making it difficult for her to move. She tried moving her hand to her clit, now throbbing and aching so much she could feel it in her lower back, but he grabbed hold of it before she could touch herself and restrained her, again. But this time, he was so gentle it felt like he was treating her as one would treat a flower.

“You know I can break free whenever I want, right?”

“Hmm. But don't.”

He had just begun working her neck now. With one hand restraining her wrists above her head, and the other hand in her hair, he began to wet her neck with his tongue. It was as if he was trying to absorb her, learn her curves, her corners. His stubble scratched her neck lightly and goosebumps bloomed everywhere on her skin.

"Yami, please. I can't take this anymore."

"I can't either. I can't take how beautiful you are. How pure and innocent you are. How you move with me, under me, beside me. How you gasp every fucking time the tip of my tongue touches your skin. How you moan my name so deeply; all of me comes out howling and at your service. How your body responds to my hands, all of this shuddering and quivering is driving me insane. I want to take you, make you mine, mark you as mine. This is my worship. Do you approve, princess? I think you do. Your body speaks to me in ways you can't fathom. You're only my goddess and I must be your only devotee. It boils my blood if anyone so much as looks at you.”

He said all of this in the lowest, softest whisper possible and between kisses and licks and nibbles and bites on her neck. He paused and looked directly into her eyes now.

“I can stand anything except being away from you. The last 3 weeks have been hellish. I'm so sorry. I'm so so so sorry for hurting you. I'll never forgive myself for hurting the most precious part of myself. But I hope, one day, you will.”

Charlotte was lost for words. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Yami licked them clean. He kissed her eyes, and then finally, her lips. He smelt of cigarettes. But there was hint of the raw smell of his skin that Charlotte found irresistible. Beneath the cloud of smoke he smelt salty and fresh like the sea.

Yami was careful not to be too harsh as he kissed her lips. He was afraid years of pent up feelings would make him bite her, or shove his tongue in her mouth too hard. So he pecked her sweetly and fluttered his tongue inside her mouth every now and then. But Charlotte bit his lips hard, licked them, and then nibbled at his entire jawline. He stayed still and swallowed. She was kissing him as if this was the last time she would see him. Her greed for his touch was laid out in plain sight. His entire body, hell, his entire being lit up. He let go of her hands and it took her less than a second to pull him down towards her. But Yami made sure to be on his knees still, for fear that his cock would touch her too soon.

Charlotte found a comfort in the weight of his chest crushing her. She ran her fingers through his hair and tried to move her legs so she could pull down all of him towards her, not an inch of distance between them. But Yami wasn't having any of that. He kissed her lips again. Then, he bit her chin lightly and sucked her flesh all the way down to her navel, where he stopped to see her breasts perked up and her face thrown back. Her hands were now out of his hair and cupping her own breasts.

Yami continued sucking and licking till he reached exactly where Charlotte wanted him. His large, warm hands spread her legs wider, and he bent down to cover her plump mound in kisses and suckles. She was moving her hips relentlessly now, hoping to have Yami's lips touch her clit, even if accidentally.

“Please, just once. Please, please, I can't stand it anymore. It hurts to have you so close and yet so far.”

Yami smiled against her inner thigh, spread her lips apart with his hands, and suddenly stuck his thick and wet tongue inside her. Charlotte's eyes flew opened, her eyeballs rolled back, and she moaned his name, long and deep. He moved his tongue in and out of her ever so slowly, teasing her even after all of this madness. His breath on her clit was still the closest he got. When his lips and chin were completely coated in her wetness he moved his face away. Thick strands of her wetness hung between his lips and hers, glinting in the moonlight. He stuck out his tongue again, and started a long hard lick from her soft, throbbing slit all the way up to her swollen clit. Charlotte screamed, her back arched, her toes curled. It was too much for her. She sat up and held Yami's head as his tongue finally fluttered against her clit. She moved her hips with Yami's tongue and Yami lost all sense of control. Her smell, her warmth, her need, her taste, her hands in his hair, everything made Yami lose his mind. He dug his fingers in her waist and suckled at her clit till her groans became moans, till her moans became screams, till her quivering legs together had his head buried between them.

When Yami finally looked up, Charlotte was already so spent that she lay back with a thud. Yami looked at her, taking in her body, her face, her breasts, her hair splayed all over the pillow, everything about her. His mouth was wet and sticky and he was licking his lips as he bore his eyes into her. She covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe how easily she'd given in to him.

“Don't look at me, please. I am so...”

Yami shut her up with a kiss and Charlotte gave in, again. While he kissed her, he caressed her face with both his hands. His familiar weight, scent, and texture seemed to comfort her even more than before. She ran her hands all over his well-defined back, arms, and chest. Charlotte was getting braver and bolder with each passing second and Yami wanted to be owned by her. She pinched his fleshy bum and laughed out loud in between the kiss. Yami was taken aback at first but he joined her in her laughter.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him closer, and gripped his moist, warm, and hard cock with her right hand. Her touch made Yami collapse and bury his face in her neck. He bit down on her flesh so hard that Charlotte let out a little wail. The tip of his cock touched her ever-growing wetness, and Yami moved slightly to enter her but didn't go all the way in. She was slick with his saliva and her cum. He started moving slowly, only giving her the tip of his cock. It was getting unbearable for him to keep toying with her. He wanted, so badly, to just fuck her deep and hard but he wanted this to last for as long as possible.

He maintained a steady rhythm as Charlotte slowly bloomed and eased around him. Moaning his name as she held his shoulders and wanting more of him, Charlotte moved her hips to meet him halfway. When he stopped, Charlotte growled and dug her fingernails into his shoulder. He started moving again.

"Yami, please," whispered Charlotte.

"Hmm?"

"Please."

"Hmm."

In one swift motion, Yami plunged himself deep inside of her, his entire length nestled effortlessly within her soft warmth. He moved in and out of her ever so slowly. Charlotte had lost her voice and all that she could muster were raspy groans and loud gasps. Yami's low gutteral growls were a voice Charlotte still wasn't used to. She found a deep pleasure in his growls, it made the hair on her arms and neck stand in ovation and she could feel her nipples hardening against his chest again. Each time Yami moved, his chest rubbing against her flesh, his arms flexing right next to her face, his hair tickling her neck, his lips constantly kissing all of her, she felt like she was going to burst open. The tenderness with which he moved inside her shocked her, too. To see a beast so feral become so soft for her suddenly made her feel powerful. They moved together, taking their own time. Yami gave her all of him in smooth, steady, and painfully slow thrusts.

Yami hadn't moved his face from her neck and had continued sucking where he had bit her earlier. His hands constantly stroked the sides of her body. Her hands were all over him, digging into his flesh.

“You're so gorgeous," he mumbled.

“Uhun?”

“Hmm.”

“And?”

He chuckled while moving inside her, “And what?"

”What else am I?"

“It's tough to find the right words for you, princess." He unburied his face from her neck, propped himself on his elbows, and kissed her nose.

“Let's..." she let out a slight moan mid-sentence, "...let's start small."

"Yeah? Like how?" He pecked her lips sweetly and smiled at her. What she said next made Yami skip a beat.

"Like if I'm tight enough?"

Yami grunted. He hadn't taken Charlotte for someone who was vocal in bed. She was always so prim and proper. He would go as far as calling her a prude. He felt himself getting slightly harder inside of her and Charlotte clenched tighter around him. And then, she immediately unclenched to tease Yami. She could see Yami's face change as he started moving slightly faster. His left hand was moving behind her head now.

She spoke between moans again, breathing heavily, "Or if I'm wet enough for you, Yami Taicho," and arched her back towards him suggestively, taking him in even deeper.

Charlotte could feel Yami throbbing inside of her. She could tell he was slowly increasing the speed with which he moved in and out of her. Yami, usually very vocal in bed and used to ordering around in crass language, was at loss for words. This was too unexpected and his heart was racing. This was a woman he loved. Charlotte's candidness woke in him something he didn't understand. He couldn't believe that the strongest woman he had ever known and fought alongside, was asking him something so intimate.

“Yami Taicho, tell me, is my cunt tight enough? Is it slick and wet enough for you to fuck me harder?”

Yami felt his chest tighten. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He struggled to stay put but couldn't. He pulled her hair with a jerk, put his right hand under her right thigh and pushed it up so her knee touched her breast. Spread even wider, Charlotte could feel Yami's urgency. He shifted gears from loving her to fucking her so quickly that Charlotte covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn't be too loud. There was no stopping him anymore. She bit her lip and a ringing laughter birthed itself out of her plump lips. Her moans were getting longer, getting punctuated with deeper sighs.

"Oh, Taicho, I've touched myself so many times thinking about you fucking me till I cum all over you" she teased and breathed heavily. Her face glowed with Yami's and her own sweat.

Yami suddenly pulled out, and a guttural cry emerged out of Charlotte. Before she could understand what's happening, Yami had flipped her around. His left hand pinched her left nipple so hard, Charlotte cried out. He pulled her hair back with his right hand and bit her jaw and kissed her lips with an urgency he had kept at bay till now. He then let her breast go and thrust his cock inside of her, and started fucking her relentlessly. Charlotte couldn't catch her breath in time and her eyes rolled back. His arm snaked around her waist and he started rubbing her clit. He felt her legs shivering, giving away.

“Hard enough?"

She couldn't say anything and nodded as she tried to steady herself.

“Rub your clit while I fuck you, Charlotte." He bit her shoulder and stroked her waist roughly. A deep flush rose in her cheek. She was surprised at how shy she suddenly felt. Still not used to him saying her name, Charlotte felt herself clenching tighter around him. When she didn't move her hands, Yami pulled her hair harder and growled, “Rub it," and guided her hand towards her clit. With his hand on top of hers as she rubbed herself deep and hard into another orgasm, Charlotte came all around Yami. Yami felt the slickness and warmth spreading all around his balls and her thighs. The sounds of his groin and balls slapping against her hips and mound got louder and louder. Yami put three fingers deep inside her mouth, and with the other hand he began punctuating her pants with loud slaps on her plump hips. With every spank, Charlotte seemed to push back into him harder.

“Now slap it, Charlotte, slap it when I spank you.”

Charlotte couldn't believe the intimacy between them. So effortless. She slapped her clit hard and felt herself gushing around him again. She didn't think she could cum again so soon. She began slapping her clit as he spanked her ass and with each slap, she moaned Yami's name so loud that Yami had to cover her mouth with his hand. He was scared the other members of Blue Rose might hear her.

Spent and tired, Charlotte tried to reach for Yami's balls. She tried to cup the plump warmth with her hand but Yami was moving so fast inside her that she couldn't grab a hold of them. When she finally did, Yami gasped and plunged into Charlotte hard and deep and came. She felt him spread his heat inside of her in quick successions. He moved in short and slow thrusts as he came. His fingers dug in the flesh of her hips hard and a deep grunt mixed with a moan escaped his lips.

They collapsed beside each other, panting and gasping. Yami put his hand between her legs, cupped their cum and stuck his fingers in Charlotte's mouth. She stared deep into his eyes as she licked his hand clean. Eager, she sat on top of him, caressed herself and rubbed their cum all over her waist and breasts. Yami's cock, limp and spent, throbbed again when he saw what Charlotte was doing. He held her waist and brought her closer to his face and lazily licked her swollen clit, still warm and sticky with their cum. Charlotte was too sensitive and as her legs were beginning to tighten around Yami's head, he came up to lick her moist belly and breasts. He laid her down beside him, and continued to kiss where he had licked her earlier. He didn't realise when she fell asleep from exhaustion, cradled in his arms. He smiled and let her be. With her right leg hugging his waist and her head on his arm, Yami traced light circles on her thigh, deep in thought, till he fell asleep.

//

When the mellow early morning sunlight hit, Yami woke up. He looked at Charlotte, breathing softly against his chest. Her hair were tangled and spread all over his left arm. He kissed her forehead, slowly recovered his arm from under her head, and got out of bed. He freshened up and came out to see Charlotte sitting up in bed. She was glowing. Her perfect body was bruised lilac all over and she wore the bruises proudly. She looked at Yami, a hint of a shy smile playing on her lips.

Yami leaned against the doorframe of the washroom and folded his hands. She walked over to him, naked and stunning. Yami skipped a beat and his eyes looked hungry still.

“Oii oii, princess, you should wear something. Are you trying to seduce me?”

He put her hair behind her ears, put a hand on her lower back, and kissed her nose. Charlotte squirmed when the cool leather pants touched her.

“See you around... my queen.” He kissed her jaw sweetly and started to leave. Charlotte grabbed his arm and Yami raised his eyebrows.

”I have to leave, I'm going to be late for a mission."

“I love you, Yami."

Yami's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He picked her up, spun her around, and then both of them collapsed on the bed. He burrowed his face in her neck. Charlotte laughed out loud, his stubble was tickling her neck and his hands were stroking her body. She loved how she had just gotten to see another side of Yami; a playful, childlike side. In just one night he had opened up like a soft flower before her and she wanted all of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, in between laughs.

“I thought you were never going to say it.”

“I love you, Yami."

“I love you, my queen.”

She laughed beautifully and then pushed Yami away, ”Now get going. You'll get super late!”

Yami grabbed her waist and burrowed his head in her breasts.

“I'm sure Asta can handle the mission."

[lyranova]

💕💙🤍 Yamichar

Of course! I hope you enjoy 🥰~!

💕 -- As a Parent/As Parents

They would be great parents! Yami would be stern but a big softie, especially if he had girls, and would definitely teach his kids how to surpass their limits. He would also teach them about Hino and their customs, the ones he could remember! Charlotte would be a great mom, she would be loving, caring, and supportive, and I can imagine her spoiling her son to death 😆! She would teach her daughters how to be strong and capable so they don’t have to rely on any man.

They would be great parents!

💙-- Hurt/Comfort

A hurt/comfort HC I have is that after the battle with Spade that Charlotte has nightmares about what happened and how Yami nearly died. Of course she’d try to hide it from Yami, but he notices instantly. So one night when she has a nightmare Yami pulls her into his arms and holds her against his chest, he whispers softly into her ear that everything is fine and safe and that he doesn’t plan on dying anytime soon.

🤍-- Fluff

A fluffy headcanon I have is that Yami gets the best sleep of his life only when Charlotte is beside him or is in the room. He just feels…safe and comforted when she’s near, he isn’t sure why though. Maybe its because she has such a calm and tranquil aura m, or maybe its the way she holds him in her arms when he’s asleep, or how she runs her fingers through his hair. But either way he can’t sleep without her 😆!

[eme-eleff]

OMG, THIS IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT THESE TOO. IT'S LIKE I'VE WRITTEN THIS. 💖

If you're still doing the ship ask, Yami x Charlotte please. 💕

Yes I love YamiChar! 💕

When I started shipping them: From the monent I saw them interact in that battle against the Midnight Sun. Like the first sentence she ever said to him before we got that internal monologue. I thought she’d be cute with him. 10 seconds later I was like “YES YES YES”

My thoughts: Definitely Beauty and the Beast. I think her squadmates were right on the money with that one. Speaking of squadmates they are so supportive! But anyway. I LOVE their contrast! She’s so prim and proper and responsible. Some say she’s too uptight, but she’s the perfect contrast to Yami’s laid back attitude. She’s pretty but she can also hold her own and Yami likes women eho can take care of themselves. Charlotte fits the bill in every aspect.

What makes me happy about them: I love their banter! I don’t know if anyone else feels the same but their bickering is priceless.

What makes me sad about them; That they aren’t together yet. I know it’s not the best time but I really just want them to be canon!

Things done in fanfic that annoy me: I think the YamiChar I’ve read is pretty good ngl. But I rarely get the feeling that one of them may be slightly OoC? Again, I feel like this doesn’t really happen but there was like one time.

Things I look for in fanfic: Domestic headcanons or life outside of their Magic Knight duties. I just want anything where they’re already a thing!

My wishlist: More art of them together,, more fic.

Who I’d feel comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Nope, I want them to be a thing. I’d say Yami and Vanessa maybe, but to be honest I don’t like the weird power dynamic that would produce.

My hapily everafter for them; I want them to get married. Is that too cliche? Don’t care. Lol

[rainycitysworld]

I love your yamichar headcanons. Could you write something for their wedding? 💒 I think Julius would like to plan it. 😂 Thank you! 💞

+Okay I've thought about this a lot and here's what I imagine happening

+Charlotte is fucking stressed

+her parents have been waiting years for her to get married and settle down but here she is getting married to another captain so the dream of her settling down is dwindling and it's to a lowly foreigner well below her station

+they're harsh and critical but still expect a perfect wedding and charlotte just wants her parent's approval and for them to be impressed by her

+yami just helps where he can and tries to support her. He gets it, I mean if his parents were around he might also do some crazy shit to please them but still, he doesn't like seeing her this stressed

+one night I feel like Charlotte has a break down and admits to Yami she wished he didn't care so much about what her parents think and that she doesn't even care about having a wedding, she just wants to elope and be done with it

+so they do

+and it was honestly magical, they had Julius marry them with Sol and William as witnesses and then they disappeared to god knows where for a few days

+everyone keeps it a secret though and on the day of the actual wedding they show up and tell everyone to drink and eat because they got married weeks ago

+Charlotte tells her parents that she loves them but she had to marry the love of her life her own way

+it's just a huge party with all the people they love and who love them

+the black bulls initiate Charlotte as an honory member

+while the blue roses give yami one of the errand boy caps they give to all their male members

+Julius is way too interested in what kind of magic their future children will have

+Vanessa and Charlotte have a moment where they agree to set their dumb differences aside as now that Charlotte is a honory member Vanessa is now here mom/big sis

+after partying and everyone is either asleep or left Yami and charlotte sneak away to their honey moon because hey, why not take a few more days off, I bet the two of them have a shit ton of vacation days saved up

[acacia-may]

I really love the bingos and it really gives insight on what kind of Black Clover ships exists out there. Nozel x Vanessa was a surprise, but... I find the idea of it already interesting and what you said in your bingo sounds good as well. I'm interested in this ship, so what kind fics did you found about them and which would you suggest?

Aww thank you so much, anon! 🥰 I'm so delighted to hear you enjoyed the bingo game! I had lots of fun with it so it makes me happy to hear others enjoyed it as well. 💖

Nozel x Vanessa surprised me too, to be perfectly honest. I think I mentioned this somewhere in the bingo game so I apologize if I am repeating myself, but Vanessa is definitely one of those characters I could see happy with a lot of different characters (and different types of characters), so I like and/or could see lots of different ships with her in them. I could also see her perfectly content as the unmarried fun, 'wine aunt' of all her Black Bulls nieces and nephews too. It's really up to her and what life she would choose for herself! (Or, I suppose, that the author would choose for her. As Vanessa's love life hasn't played much of a role in the story, I doubt we'll get much of a resolution on that point in the canon, but you never know... 😂) Vanzel/Nozessa may not my all-time favourite ship with Vanessa in it, but it definitely could be fun! [Vanessa x [Fill In The Tsundere] is just such an entertaining dynamic in general! Really fun stuff!! 😁] I'm glad you liked what I had to say about them. I really have the fandom to thank for helping me see the possibilities of that ship! 💕

I'm certainly no expert on Nozel x Vanessa fanfictions by any means 😅--I've really only dabbled in the ship a little bit, but here are a few I really enjoyed! (Listed in alphabetical order below the cut)

Hurdles by Oighear (on AO3) -- Domestic fluff about Nozel and Vanessa trying to assemble baby furniture. Really all the warm and fuzzies! [I've really enjoyed all of the Vanessa/Nozel fics I've read by this author, but this is probably my favourite! It was just so adorable! 🥰]

Poetry Hour at the Bookshop by @crazedstoryteller (on AO3) -- This was one of the very first Vanessa x Nozel fanfiction I read, and it brought the biggest smile to my face! Just fun, funny, and fluffy in a modern AU (Also really shows off Nozel's tsundere side and gives Asta his moment to really shine with an absolutely inspired poem about potatoes 😂).

Night of Vows by Vilandel (on AO3. Rated T) -- This was a great story even if the premise didn't exactly fit with my personal headcanons of how I imagine their relationship. I loved the depiction of vulnerable Nozel (and gosh he's such a tsun too), and Vanessa comforting him. Also, the traditional Clover Kingdom vows the author came up with are just beautiful! 💖

Sugar, Spice and... by succulentsunrise (on AO3) -- It's about Vanessa and Nozel's first kiss with each other, and the author gives them a refreshingly healthy dynamic for a secret romance. Very cute! 💕

I also loved this one @lyranova wrote on request about Yami and Charlotte discovering Nozel and Vanessa are dating! (It has a little bit of YamiChar and some great Yami and Vanessa friendship in it too!) 🥰

Finally, I'm not sure if this one is actually Vanessa x Nozel or not because it's really more focused on Vanessa giving up her feelings for Yami, but there is an excellent moment between her and Nozel towards the end that is really what first endeared their friendship (or the idea of their friendship). I don't think I would have been as open to the idea of them as a romantic ship without having read this, so I'm mentioning it here. It's also very well-written, and I really like the author's insights into Vanessa's character. Little Birdie by S.C. Tucker on FFN. (Honestly one of my favourite Vanessa fanfictions in general too! 💗)

Thank you so much for the ask! I hope this helps! 😊

[toutorii]

Hey mama Tori ❤️ (I'm sending u this bc I need love tbh 😅🥰). Love youuuu.

Ahem, my time has come.

First of all, thank you bby I love you too 💕💕💕

But girl, you are so amazing.

When I was just starting out, this little baby of an artist, you requested a Yamichar picture.

At that point I thought about giving up the whole tumblr thing cause nobody saw my work anyways.

But you came down, with angel wings, a halo, and a kind smile. And requested that picture.

And ever since then, you have inspired me and lifted me up to keep trying. To keep drawing.

You are so kind, welcoming, encouraging, and talented. And I couldnt imagine this site without you.

So, to cut a long story short—

Take all my love dammit💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💞💞💞💕💕💕💕💜💜💜💜💜💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💞💞💞💞💞💞💞❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💙💙💙💙💙💙💙❣️💜💜💜💜💜💜🖤🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍💞💞💞💞💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💖💖💖💖💖

Sorry for the rant

​also ik this was for the 'hey' asks. but i felt like this needed to be said

Also this is my answer for why youre fucking awesome

[cower-before-power]

Hearts at Twilight

Summary: Yami and Charlotte escape their own wedding celebration for a little bit of romance

Pairing: Yami x Charlotte

TW: swearing, smoking, implied sexual content

Link to A03 here

A/N: So ridiculously fluffy. I hate the title. Also mentions of wedding planner Julius, because you know he has to be involved when one of his sons gets married asdfghjkl. Enjoy, my sweet potatoes!

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The sun hangs low in the sky, painting the garden with dazzling reds and golds as it makes its journey below the horizon. It will be twilight soon, time to serve dessert and coffee and after dinner liqueurs. He knows he should head back inside, but he’s a little reluctant to leave the peace of the outdoors. Not that he isn’t enjoying the party; he’s just always liked a little time to himself when things get too noisy. Living with his unruly ragamuffins has taught him that. He puffs contentedly on his cigarette. Just a few more minutes, maybe one more smoke, then he’ll head back inside. 

Back to her. 

“There you are.”

The quiet is broken. Seems like she came to him first. He smiles. 

“Thought I’d run off?” He teases, turning to look at her as she makes her way to him. She’s angelic in the glow of impending evening. He’s always thought her beautiful in anything (or nothing), but there’s something about her tonight that makes her seem practically celestial. His heart gives a lovesick thump.  

He wonders if he’ll ever stop turning into a sap inside when he sees her.

“It’s a little late for that,” she replies, sitting down on the bench beside him. He automatically lifts his arm so she can snuggle up to his side.  

“I just needed some air,” he tucks her closer to him as she shivers from the cool evening. She’s always cold. He doesn’t mind; it means he gets to spend a lot of time wrapped around her. 

“Are you having a good time?” She looks up at him, a touch of worry colouring her face. “I know this isn’t exactly what you wanted.”

(It isn’t, well not the trappings anyways. Seriously, who decided on live doves?)

“It’s not so bad,” he shrugs, brushing a stray strand of hair off her forehead. His fingers linger on her skin, soft and supple. “Food’s good. Booze’s good. I don’t have to pay for anything.”

She snorts. “Ugh, typical. You’re such a cheapskate.”

“I’m miles in debt!”

“Then stop drinking and gambling so much, you moron. Or get better at it.”

“Ouch, Prickly Queen. I’m not that bad.”

“Sure you aren’t,” she rolls her eyes, but her pink lips are tugged up in an amused smile. He can’t help himself; he flicks the now dead smoke away and leans down and kisses that smile right off her face. She makes a contented noise and melts into him, arms reaching up to wrap around his neck. He pulls her closer, closer, until there isn’t an inch of space between them. 

He’ll never, ever get enough of this. 

“The part where you became my wife wasn’t so bad either,” he murmurs into her mouth, unwilling to break their contact. “It might have been my favourite part.”

She brushes her nose against his, a gentle gesture that sends a shiver down his spine. “I figured, considering you had tears in your eyes.”

He pinches her side. “I did not.”

(He totally did. He’ll never admit it.)

She giggles, moving away from his mouth to press kisses against his jawline. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Besides,” her voice grows quiet, loving, “it was my favourite part too.”

He captures her lips again; they kiss some more, lazy and unhurried. The twilight grows around them, somewhere an owl begins hooting softly. It’s easy to believe that only this moment exists, that it’s just the two of them suspended in a perfect bubble of time. 

Eventually they have to breathe but they don’t let go of each other. He leans his forehead against hers, gathering her to his chest as he pulls her onto his lap. 

“Did there really have to be live doves though? I’m never gonna live that one down.”

“You try reigning in both my mother and the Wizard King,” she sighs. “They were this close to throwing a parade.”

“Damn Julius,” he grumbles. “Who said he needed to get involved?”

She strokes his face with cool fingers. “He wanted to be because he cares about you. Did you see him after the ceremony? He was practically bawling like a baby. You mean a lot to him.”

He has a brief flash of that moment, the one he tries to never think about when he thought he’d lost a father all over again. His throat tightens. 

“Tch,” his voice comes out too hoarse. He banishes those thoughts from his mind. “Crazy old man.”

He’s grateful when she doesn’t mention the change in his voice. They fight and they tease, but they both know some things are not to be touched. 

“We better get back, they’ll be wondering where we are,” she changes the subject instead, attempting to disentangle her body from his. He doesn’t let her. 

“Yami!”

“What?” He’s decides he doesn’t want to go back, not anymore. Let the others drink and eat and toast to the happy couple. He’s suddenly aware there’s much more fun things he’d rather be doing. His hand slides under her dress and up her leg.

“You know what!” The words come breathy, and she starts to blush. 

His hand creeps higher. “Can you blame a man for wanting to start his wedding night early? Especially when his wife looks as fucking delectable as you do?”

She’s fully red in the face now. “We’re in public! Someone could come out here at any moment!” But she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans into his touch. 

“Hasn’t stopped you before.” He mouths at her neck. She shudders.

“That was one time!”  

“And what a glorious time it was.” 

“I doubt it needs to be repeated on my parents‘ garden bench!”

He strokes his fingers against her thigh, lightly, teasingly. “Hmmmm, true, it may put a damper on how much they like me if they catch me fucking their daughter where they like to have afternoon tea.”

“You’re so vulgar,” she whines, arching her neck. He knows what she’s asking for; he sucks a pretty bruise just below her ear. “Whatever am I to do with you?”

“Nothing that involves this bench, apparently.“ 

She huffs a laugh at that, pulling back to look at him with hooded eyes. “You idiot, why would we even consider a bench when I’ve still got a bedroom upstairs?”

He grins salaciously. “Don’t wanna head back to the party then?”

“They’ll survive without us,” she presses a hard, hot kiss to his lips. “I’m tired of sharing you. Let’s have our own celebration.” 

“Now you’re talking,” he scoops her up and stands all in one fluid motion, the sound of her delighted giggle music to his ears. He’s on fire, every nerve ending in his body buzzing in anticipation. But there’s something that needs to be said before he loses himself in her. Something that comes easier with actions than with words. But this occasion calls for it to be uttered aloud.  

“I love you,” he says, and he means it with every fibre of his soul. He may struggle to express his emotions, but he never ever wants her to doubt him. They spent years and years dancing and doubting, circling each other but never being brave enough to leap. 

All that is over now.  

She smiles; it’s like a flower blooming after the last frost. “I love you too,” she says, and  the joy in her voice threatens to bring him to his knees. “Now take me to bed, husband.”

“Your wish is my command, wife.”

And no one but the moon sees them for the rest of the night.

[eme-eleff]

Who are your top ten favorite black clover characters and ships? Talk about them.

Hello anon! 🌸💗

Thank you so much for asking this! I really wanted to do it even though it's something hard.

So, here we go!

Fav characters:

1. Yami Sukehiro

Because he's HOT. 🔥

Hahahaha just kidding, not only because of that.

I like Yami cause he has a group of people who nobody wants in their squads. He's protective with the Black Bulls and he'd given them the family that they didn't have. And that's beautiful. Besides, he was a foreigner who was able to become a captain (with all the difficulties that this implies). He really surpasses his limits when needed.

And the most important things: he's hilarious, strong and doesn't care about anything at all lol.

2. Noelle Silva

So powerful girl, but sweet and tsun tsun. I really love her attitude.

THIS PANEL MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME:

This is how female characters have to be shown. With resolution!!!

This is usually the attitude of the male protagonist and I think it's VERY important that the shonen girl fights this way too, without giving up.

3. Asta

Sweet baby boy. 🥺💞

Asta is a very very good protagonist, I've already talked about that, so read it here if you want. 🤗

It's curious because I never ever like shonen protagonists. Seriously, never. But Asta is different, it's impossible to not love him.

He gets what he wants with his own effort and not because he's OP like usually protagonists are.

4. Mereoleona Vermillion

Badass, powerful, amazing character. She's a beast!!!!

Fucking perfection, she's the best female character created in a fight shonen.

I love everything about her. Btw, happy birthday Mereo!! 💗

5. Charlotte Roselei

MY WIFEEEEEE!! 🌸🌸💞

Tsun tsun Prickly Queen 👑 is the definition of duty, loyalty, beauty and responsibility.

I fell for her the same second I watched her in the anime, BUT in the manga she's drawn even more beautiful:

And she leaders a squad full of strong women. Is this a dream come true!? 🥰

But it's true that I wish she would have more moments, I'd love to see her fighting more and kicking some ass, yassss!

6. Finral Roulacase

Another sweet boy that needs to be protected! 💚

He's not the typical womanizer or perv that anime has, he only thinks that all women are pretty! And he's working so hard to be the man that Finesse deserves, so give him more love, please.

7. Charmy Pappitson

Charmy is my soulmate. 😂 She's simply hilarious and loves food as much as I do, so how couldn't I love her!??

8. Leopold Vermillion

He's having a very good character development, I loved seeing him shining in this arc and I know he will do it even more.

However, I think he needs to trust himself a little more and to not live under the shadow of his siblings.

9. Julius Novachrono

I like this character so much. He's a cutie and a dorkie who is obsessed with different kinds of magic. But he also a daddy lol.

I wanna hug him! 🥺💕 And I remember I suffered a lot when he "died".

10. Vanessa Enoteca

She's crazy and I love that!!! Imagine drinking with her, I'm sure she's so funny and a very good person.

And have you seen her magic!? She can control the destiny. That's amazing!

Fav ships

1. Yami x Charlotte

Have you ever seen my blog? This is obvious lol.

I've made several posts fangirling over yamichar, but here you have one where I explain why I love them.

Seriously, I need them to be canon...

2. Noelle x Asta

Cuteness overloaded? Yes.

I like that Asta is very protective and supportive with Noelle. He was the first person who trusted her strength and he encouraged her to become the amazing girl she's now.

Probably they'll be together by the end of the manga.

3. Grey x Gauche

I've already talked about these two too lol. You can read it here. But, to sump up: they can help each other.

Gauche with Grey's shyness and Grey with Gauche's obsession for Marie.

I also like Yuno x Charmy, Vanessa x Finral and Luck x Magna!

Oops, I think this took me too long. 😅

Thank you for the ask, anon!!! 💕💕