#yes i know she needs more brushing its a work in progress her back and shoulders are decent

[elderdoggo]

Puppy time is exhausting for all the humans and cats so far but hey we're still just starting and she can't go for any walks yet, she goes to the vet Monday so we can start doing outings at lower risk locations to work on both socialization getting used to the car and also getting some of the puppy energy out somewhere that she isn't going to get distracted by a cat and try to play with them. She did that earlier while Peanut was napping on the chair and got a pretty good swat for it that sent her yipping she'll probably get a few of those yet before she understands the cats really aren't going to respond to that kind of behaviour and once that really settles into her brain what I consider the worst of it will be over. It's post lunch nap time right now though, we are currently doing three feedings a day to spread it out into smaller meals. We also finally have a dog that likes that orange chew it's strong but has a lot of give so she's finding it satisfying to chew, Luna never liked it and none of my brother's dogs were ever interested in it.

[just12moments]

Dreams of Winter [Preview]

aespa Winter x male reader

1300+ words

A/N: Thanks for your patience. This is a preview of my 6k word draft in progress, but I feel like I'm forcing myself to complete it instead of letting the words flow. For now, I'll take a breather, work on other stories, and come back when the time is right.

I need to do Winter justice, ya know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Fuck me.”

Your eyes jolt open.

You look out to the patio in between blinding rays of light. The summer sun illuminates the wooden deck, and the grass beyond glistens with morning dew. A gentle breeze blows through half-open glass doors. You sit up on the bed and massage the strain out of the arm you had slept on.

That’s when you notice the persistent tension in your pants. You sigh and gingerly pull open the front of your boxers to check if you…

“Well, I didn’t cum to that.”

Disoriented from an imaginary journey, you soak in every detail of the room around you, refreshing your senses to start the day.

“This is the villa, which means…”

Your gaze lands on Winter, fast asleep by your side, her face glowing in your shadow. It’s soothing… the rise and fall of her chest, a pillow in her cute embrace. The sound of her faint breaths puts a thin smile on your face.

Your makeup’s still on. How late did you come back?

She stirs in her sleep, turning on her side to face you. She exhales as her face scrunches up ever so slightly, no doubt a reaction to the strange happenings in her dream. Her body curls up into a ball, and she tightly cuddles the pillow with her arms and legs.

“Yes…”

Winter hums while she slides the cushion along her midriff down to her legs. She moans as she feels more friction on her sensitive areas. She nibbles on her lip and humps the pillow between her thighs, clawing and pulling it closer to her core, rubbing herself with increasing vigour. The unexpected scene sends a wave of arousal to your cock.

“Fuck… me…”

With furrowed eyebrows and curled toes, she acts out the sinful fantasies in her head. She sighs in pleasure, grinding deeper and harder into the pillow. After one especially harsh thrust, Winter lets out a long, sultry mewl. Her body subtly convulses and contracts into a tighter ball around her beloved pillow as her legs twitch with every orgasmic pulse.

The purest, most adorable Winter indulging in her sensual, lustful desires. This is a scene you had imagined many times but never witnessed.

You suddenly feel the hem of your pants at your fingertips. Just as you slowly tug them off, Winter’s eyes begin to flicker open. You quickly yank the blanket up to your shoulder and slip your head onto your pillow in a clumsy attempt to hide your growing bulge. Winter digs her sleepy head into her pillow as she struggles to open her eyes.

“Morning…”

She greets you with a tired croak, muffled by the pillow smushed in her face.

“Morning.”

“Haaa~ that was good…”

“Good sleep?”

Winter exhales deeply and lifts herself to her knees, eyes still closed. She combs her hair and brushes it to the side with a satisfied smile.

“Yeah~ I…”

She gasps with her eyes wide open. She looks down at the bed like she realized something. Then, her gaze meets yours. When you respond with a curious look, she looks away.

“Are you looking for something?”

You sit up and shuffle in your seat, searching for something that does not exist, but Winter answers in a hurry.

“Ah! N-no, no, I mean—I’ll go wash my face. Still have makeup on.”

She crawls off the bed and dashes barefoot to the bathroom. Winter disappears around the corner and into a nearby room.

Was that a dark patch between her legs, or are you still dreaming?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t get your hopes up. That probably meant nothing.”

The game on your phone lost its colour. Meaningless numbers and indistinct noises fill the background while the scene of Winter rubbing herself replays again and again in your mind.

Fuck… me…

“Oh, our tank died.”

Unable to distract yourself, you toss the phone across the bed. You sigh in frustration, contemplating the reality of the situation.

Did she change her mind? Here, of all places?

You can hear Winter whining and moaning as she rocks her hips back and forth against the pillow. She unbuttons her pants and stares right into your eyes. A wet pool of her essence stains her jeans and drips onto the bed sheets.

Hot breaths, beady eyes, wet pussy… she’s begging you to fuck her.

I’m still dreaming.

“Oppa!”

Winter’s sharp cry breaks the illusion. For a second, you forgot she was real.

“Y-yeah?”

“Oppa, please come here.”

“Yep, coming.”

You take a deep breath, hoping and praying to keep it in your pants.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What’s up?”

Even Winter’s reflection looks stunning. Her chestnut hair flows down the curves of her small face, and her white blouse fits tightly on her slim body. She spread her arms across the sink, placing both hands flat on the counter. She’s looking away; her cheeks appear redder than normal.

On the side, you notice a folded pair of jeans with a pearl necklace placed on top.

But that means…

“I… had a w-weird dream.”

“Oh? Weirder than usual?”

“Yeah… I think we were running somewhere, looking for something. I first found you freezing in a blizzard. But I had magical powers to save you and keep you warm.”

As Winter explains her dream, the connections fall into place.

“So I hid under the snow, then I jumped on you when you passed by. You looked scared… but then you said—”

“My queen.”

Winter glances back at you, jaw dropped in disbelief.

“Huh? H-how did you know?”

“I think…”

Is this a sign?

“I think we had the same dream.”

Winter looks down at her feet, hiding the grin plastered on her face.

“So in your dream, what was I doing… on top of you?”

Is this destiny?

“If you were on top of me… that means you were the nine-tailed fox in my dreams.”

You gently place your hands on Winter’s shoulders. Her hands find yours, and your fingers weave into each other.

“Really? I was the gumiho?”

“Yeah. I think it means… you’re beautiful.”

Winter smiles from ear to ear as she pulls your hands to her midriff.

“Beautiful and… uhhh… attractive.”

You bite your tongue before you can say anything stupid. At the worst possible time, your wandering mind returns to that erotic scene.

“Oppa~”

Winter squeezes your hand, and you pull her closer. You try all your might to suppress your urges in this intimate moment. But the scent of her hair, the tightness of her abs, the innocence in her pleading eyes—

“I think I’m ready.”

What?

In your embrace, Winter turns to face you. Her puppy eyes reflect the golden light of the room. The pouted lips between her rosy cheeks look cuter than usual. She caresses your shoulders, fiddling nervously with the seams of your shirt. Then, she tiptoes to kiss you.

Her tender lips melt into yours, soft as a pillow and sweet like honey. Her lithe fingers trace the V-shaped neckline of your top to its center and tug on the cloth, reaching deeper into the kiss as she pulls you in. Winter’s touch rides down your abdomen, circling your waist to grab both of your hands. Your fingers lock with hers, palm to palm. Your passion blooms with every smack of her lips onto yours. And just as soon as it starts, Winter pulls away.

The two of you bask in the afterglow, more questions than answers dangling in the air. Winter breaks the tension between deep breaths.

“I should give you a sign, right? You always tell me that.”

Winter turns back to the mirror. This time, she laces her fingers over your hands and guides them to the silky skin under her blouse. She slides your hands lower… and lower…

“P-please touch me.”

There’s a conspicuous lack of cloth below her waist.

“F-f-feel h-how much I want you.”

[hrtiu]

omg happy birthday!🥳 I hope you're having an amazing day with lots of sunshine, tasty food and happiness.

If you're feeling inspired can you write some domestic bliss with foxiyo? I'm thinking maybe when they're both old(er?) since that's something rarely explored (at least as far as I've seen). Idk I just think they'd be that cute elderly couple yk 😭

Thanks for the prompt and the birthday wishes! Sorry I wasn't able to finish it right away, but hey. I haven't written any fic in months so this is still pretty good for me??

I haven't really edited this so... hopefully it's ok???

Riyo Chuchi could not sleep.

She stared up at the dim, roughly-textured ceiling and blew out a breath. There was a time when she’d work herself so hard every day that she could barely keep her eyes open long enough to fall into bed rather than on the floor. And now she regularly found herself waking up in the wee hours of the morning, her body tired and aching but her mind stubbornly and insistently awake.

She rolled over onto her side and sighed. No, this position wasn’t any better. She felt no less restless, no less stretched thin by unwilling wakefulness. Across the bed from her, Fox’s broad back slowly expanded with a deep inhale. Riyo smiled to herself. At least the view was better on her side.

After another half hour of staring at Fox’s back, Riyo admitted defeat and got out of bed. She went to the ‘fresher, brushed her teeth, and combed her snow-white hair. The texture of her hair was wiry and tough--both its color and texture a far cry from the famously-luscious lavender locks of her youth. Then she went to her terminal and checked her messages. 

A few updates from Ahsoka, a brief, businesslike note from Mom Mothma, and a bunch of adverts. Great. Riyo wondered how she hadn’t appreciated the days when her terminal was stuffed to bursting with urgent messages--full of people wanting her assistance, her opinion, her time. It had been overwhelming, yes. But at least she’d felt needed.

She spent a while--much longer than necessary--answering her messages. Then she checked the news and let her eyes glaze over as the goings-on of distant planets filled the terminal. Several hours passed this way, and the sun finally began to peak through the closed shades of her study.

“Been up long?” Fox’s gravelly voice broke through Riyo’s near trance.

She looked up at him and smiled wryly. “A little while,” she said, knowing he would catch her understatement.

He crossed the room to her, his stiff leg traveling just a little slower than the other. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she couldn’t help but notice the slight tremble to his once-firm grip.

“I’m sorry, my sun,” he said. “The meds aren’t helping?”

“They help me fall asleep, but I just can’t stay asleep for long,” Riyo said with a shrug. “I could take more, but I don’t want to overdo it.”

“That’s probably wise. You should wake me up next time. I’d be happy to keep you company.”

“At least one of us should be getting rest,” Riyo protested.

Fox let out a noncommittal sound and lowered himself into the chair next to her. 

Riyo rested her head on his shoulder, her whole body relaxing at the familiar contact. As her muscles melted into him, he still felt stiff beneath her. He hid it well, but she knew how uncomfortable the stiffness that held every joint in his body tight must be. He had once been a super soldier, a man in peak physical condition. If she was missing the way she used to feel, how hard must it be for him?

She peaked up at him through her lashes, his silvery stubble and strong nose still so attractive to her, after all these years. 

“How are you doing, love?” she asked. “I know you must be having trouble, too.”

Fox shook his head. “No, not at all.”

Riyo couldn’t hold back her snort. “I was at your last doctor’s appointment. I know your condition is progressing. But you never complain!” She sat up, turning in chair to face him fully. “You know you can always tell me how you feel, right?”

“Of course,” Fox said, taking her hands in his. “And you are right. I wake up in pain every day. It’s getting more difficult to walk. And I’m frustrated that I can’t trust myself with a blaster anymore.”

It was what she’d asked for, but still Riyo’s heart constricted in her chest. Fox was in pain, and she knew he wouldn’t even acknowledge any pain if it wasn’t significant. She squeezed his hands. “Fox…”

“But I’m happy, Riyo,” Fox cut in, firm and confident. “The pain is a nuisance, but it doesn’t bother me that much. I hardly even think of it.”

“How can you not think of it? It affects every step you take. It keeps you from doing so many things you love-”

“I don’t think of it, because I am happy.”

Riyo shook her head, feeling that she was still missing something. “I just don’t understand. Here I am, every day complaining and pitying myself for all the most common, least inconvenient inevitabilities of aging. But there you are, happy and unbothered while you deal with this diagnosis. Either something is wrong with you, or something is wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong with you. This diagnosis isn’t easy for me, but it is so much more than anything I ever expected.”

Any words Riyo could think to respond with died in her throat. What could she say to that? Especially when she knew what he said was true?

Fox stood up, moving slowly but with purpose. He held a hand down to her and she took it, rising to her feet at his side. 

One hand still holding hers, Fox stroked his fingers down a wisp of white hair that had escaped Riyo’s utilitarian bun. “Do you know how lucky I feel to be able to grow old with you? I never expected to grow old. Period. And now I get to experience it with the woman I care most for in the entire galaxy? Every grey hair. every aching joint, every hand tremor--every one is a privilege.”

A tear slipped down Riyo’s cheek, and she pressed her forehead to his. Her body still felt heavy and tired, and she still mourned for her youth long gone. But some of the weight of sorrow lifted from her shoulders.

“The privilege is all mine,” she said, meaning it with every ounce of her being.

[myloveforhergoeson]

Your OTP ask game? All the 60s questions for Rames please. (Don’t worry. You can just go making out with these.)

hi! omg thank you so much for asking i'd love to talk about it!

60. are they willing to show PDA? if not, is there a reason?

yes! they absolutely are - neither of them is ever afraid to show affection in public, but being a public couple is a far different story. around the palm woods and back in mn its no big deal and as we'll see in the new chapter, in the outside world it isn't either, but roxy does harbor some anxiety about being discussed in gossip cycles etc! regardless, neither of them are letting it stop them - they got kicked out of the planetarium on her birthday for a reason lolll

61. how would they describe their s/o in one word?

roxy is mad she can't use more than one because she doesn't think one even begins to cover it. but if she had to pick, she'd probably go with something along the lines of "alluring"?

james doesn't need to think about it too long, he's saying "gifted"

62. how would outside characters describe their relationship

longtime coming lol!

63. how would they describe one another at making out?

roxy is stealing james' answer for 61; she's kissed a few guys in her time but it's never been as fun as it is with james :) but to her credit it's also never been as serious with anyone else. he's very good at making her feel cared for and safe when they're together which has in turn made it very easy for them to experiment and try new things!

james is (respectfully of course) saying hesitant, though she's getting more and more comfortable as their relationship progresses. he knows what he likes and dislikes for the most part, and she doesn't really know those things about herself yet, so she isn't as apt to initiate something they've never done before. again, not an issue, he's happy to help her through it and she's very vocal about what's going on in the moment if she needs to say something, but it's just different for him is all. also the most serious he's been with anyone else! so they're working on that together.

64. would they ever answer the above question if it was asked to their face? how would they react?

um yeah roxy is happy to tell jo and camille literally everything that ever occurs between her and james; wouldn't even blink an eye. it's a two way street mostly so she'll hear about their respective relationships as well! for her it's just like "well they're my best friends, if they wanna know i'll let them know! but i wanna know too!" if anyone else were to ask her though, she probably wouldn't be as specific or open about it - in her opinion no one else is entitled to that information but her besties lol so it would definitely spook her if like. kendall just randomly asked if james was a good kisser. just vague "yeah he's good what else did you expect?" and skip the specifics she'd give her besties

james is not asnwering this question regardless of who asks! if someone asked it would jar him and he'd brush it off and change the subject. to him, that's personal and private, no one else needs to be privy to that information! not cuz he's embarrassed, but just because he wouldn't want to be crass about his gf lol

65. who tends to take the lead in intimate encounters?

james does for the most part, just because he's got a bit more experience under his belt. but if roxy heard something from jo/camille or read something in one of her romance novels she wants to try i don't think she'd be too shy about asking/talking about it as their relationship progresses. they're both pretty in tune with each other honestly, so if someone wanted something to happen, they're not shy to get it started lol

66. how they ever been caught? what would be their reaction if they were?

while not as intimate as an encounter as this question is suggesting, yes! in the christmas chapter roxy's dad catches them mackin lol

from ho ho hopefully (2.10)

A voice: Bluesy. Gravely. Unmistakable.

James immediately froze as his girlfriend managed to untangle herself from him, whipping around as she ran worried fingers through her hair, attempting to hide just how messy it was becoming.

Roxy would know that voice anywhere, and while she was normally so excited to hear it, this time, it sent a chill down her spine.

“Daddy? You’re here!” She called as innocently as possible but winced at the crack she could hear on the last word. However, it didn’t stop her from running over to him and throwing her arms around him despite the large backpack and guitar case strapped over his shoulder. “I can’t believe it, what about the flight ban?”

“Drove to Wisconsin and flew out of there.” Declan’s words were simple, but she could hear the uncomfortable amount of strain it had taken him to say. When his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, she knew he was staring James down, but was too happy to see her father to care.

***

For now, it seemed as though James was off the hook, though he was still frozen up against the wall, unblinking as he took the sight of Declan in.

***

“Jay! I’ve got one for you too if you’re done hiding back there,” Her father called, angling his head back so James could hear him, causing more than one of her friends to poorly try and hide their snickering.

A few moments later, the singer sheepishly made his way over to the rest of the celebration, though he sat as far away from Roxy and Declan as possible. With a small thank you, he took the wrapped tape from the man, opened it, and promised to borrow Roxy’s tape player as soon as possible.

<3

67. have they ever made out anywhere questionable?

yes back alley in chicago lol

from no sleep till brookyln

Carlos fucking Garcia has been reading my mail. I’m convinced of it! Because tonight, when the band did the little introduction of their musical accompaniment, Carlos introduced me, walked right up to me, planted to sweetest, wettest, loudest kiss onto my cheek, and told me he loved me in front of the whole crowd.

When I told him I loved him back, we got some “awwws” (mostly “boooos” that I’m choosing to ignore) and continued the show.

Then.

When the show ended.

James grabbed my hand, dragged me off towards the back door of the venue, onto some side street alley where we couldn’t hear the crowds of people leaving the show anymore, and asked me if I wanted to make out.

A reason to act! Carlos telling thousands of people he loved me was a reason to act!

So.

We made out in a dirty, smelly alley and I think it was the best night of my entire life… Besides the five seconds I’m pretty sure a rat touched my foot.

There is hope yet,

Roxy

also the jupiter room of the planetarium in edge of seventeen! maybe cait's basement? but i think that one's pretty normal lol

68. who is more vocal? who is more experienced?

first question is kind of vague, but i'd say in terms of noise making in general, james. in terms of communication during, roxy. james for the second one as well

69. if they were to go shopping, who holds the bags? who decides where they go?

they're both shopping fiends honestly but roxy is picking to go places like thrift stores or discount department stores or beelining to the sales racks in more higher end spots her boyfriend likes to pick out. though she's thankful she's making good money at rocque records, she's still pretty hardwired to penny-pinch. james is more into more expensive and trendy spots like Abercrombie + fitch, hollister, american eagle. he's doing his best to follow trends and look high end, while roxy just mostly picks out things she thinks are cute and inexpensive, still follows trends just not as strictly as he does. if they're both shopping and accumulating bags, i think they both carry their own items, but if they just stop in for something roxy wants he'll pick up the bag!

eee tysm!! i love you writing essays about my characters lol <3 questions sliding into your inbox soon!!

<33333

send me a number 11-100 (not in the 60s tho...) to learn more about rames!!!

[overnightheartbeats]

continued from here // @cursivebloodlines

Getting a call from Tessa usually meant there was a plan in progress. Diego knew he had to prepare for some last minute adventure. He may not tell her, but he had learned to love that about her. He was almost certain that, without her, he would rarely leave the house. That's how he ended up here, still in his work suit - rushing to catch the sunset at this view she swore was the best of the city. He didn't fight her on that statement, at least not yet. Diego had a few spots of his own, though now, he wasn't too sure if they rivaled this one. Besides, it was also a plus that she even chose to show him this place.

Diego laid next to her, tossing his backpack to the side and allowing himself to be captivated by this. The view, the company, and just...the day. It was all mesmerizing, though it also helped that they had not started bickering about their latest disagreement. It was inevitable, a matter of time before one of them said the wrong thing. It was always easy for him to talk back or take her sass, probably because Diego knew that they were close at the end of the day. That, this was their way of communicating and despite it all, they really care about each other. The idea of caring about each other had been on his mind lately. Taking over all his thoughts. Once, he had told her the wrong thing. The right thing to shoot all hope down, but the wrong thing for him and what he truly wanted. It was easier to believe that things were less messy that way, that they couldn't handle an extra layer of chaos now. Still, the question wouldn't leave his mind. Do you love me? A hint of regret immediately made its presence known. Why poke the bear when he had already shot it all down? He couldn't answer that.

As the night took over, Diego was grateful for the darkness. It helped hide some of his embarrassment for asking. He didn't dare look over, the question filling the air and his gaze on the sky. Anyone would guess he asked the stars if they loved him, but Tess knew otherwise. Diego knew. He continued looking up, the words quickly leaving his mouth. "You know what I mean..." Why were they pretending otherwise?

Finally, he turned over to see her. Maybe her face said what she was delaying. Diego liked to believe he could read faces pretty well, it came with the job after all. His eyes closed slowly upon feeling her touch, he didn't fight it or question it. He didn't want to say anything to scare her off. Diego felt her closer, the way her skin brushed against his. He almost wondered if this was his answer, if that's all he needed to know. Would he be content with that? With the in between? In that moment, he answered his own questions. Yes and yes. He could live with whatever she was willing to give him. Anything her generosity could offer.

But, no. Eventually, he would want more. All or nothing. He wanted to be the guy that could be satisfied with crumbs, with bits of love, but that wasn't him. He needed to know that he had earned someone's love, that he could give his love freely without fear that one day it'd be too much. But maybe for her...maybe he could pretend to be satisfied with pieces.

He followed her lead, sitting up on the blanket. The moment was over, the area her fingertips touched now felt cold. Empty. Diego shook his head slowly, knowing this answer all too well. As friends, of course. It felt like an easy let down. Though, maybe he deserved it. He studied her face, the way her eyes missed his, the way she had shifted closer to him, but now moved slightly back when she sat up. Impossible to read. All he did read was that she was nervous. "Friends, that I understand." Inevitably, he rolled his eyes at her last remark. Did she really think he'd joke about this? "Why would I be joking about this? It's a terrible joke." A hand ran through his hair, a deep breath falling from his lips. "I don't mean as friends. I have been thinking a lot about us. I know our last conversation...it was bad. Consider this a redo. Do you have..other feelings for me?"

[ala-baguette]

WIP Word Search Game

Thanks for the tag, @evesaintyves!  I searched through my Work-in Progress folder and wow.  Way to highlight to me that I have a WIP problem.  Gotta get some of these out into the world!  my words: sick | ghost | whisper | sweet | face

Sick- [Found (tentative title), a WIP one-shot companion piece to Knowing Where to Look] Mrs Weasley was on one of her backing stints. No surprises there. No one had the heart to tell her that they were all sick to death of eating turnovers and shortbread and Chelsea buns and lemon drizzle. They all continued to take whatever she gave them without complaint. Because at least baking seemed to keep her brain busy enough to stop her from crying. For a bit anyway.

Ghost- [Untitled Luna Lovegood Left Behind one-shot WIP] “Daddy?” Luna did not look down to see if he was listening.  She didn’t need to.  He was always there when she needed him.  So her fingers did not still, brushing the long red strokes of Ginny’s hair across the ceiling. “Hm?” came Dad’s response.  The soft clinks continued, and Luna doubted he’d looked up from his work. “Why do we never talk about Mummy?” The soft sounds of Dad’s tools stilled then.  There was a long pause.  Luna felt pain and sorrow in that silence.  Felt the comforting ghost of Mum’s presence in the room tugged swiftly away, leaving an empty loneliness in its wake.  They said black was the colour of protection, but Luna didn’t much like that.  She instead dipped her brush in blue and added a cluster of cornflowers to frame Ginny’s face.  It was the meaning she assigned that was far more powerful than superstition.  “What brought this on?” Dad asked at last “I don’t know… I suppose I’ve been missing her lately.  I would like to talk to her.  Tell her about my friends.  About all the amazing things I saw in the Department of Mysteries.  And all the terrible things I saw there.  Tell her about the Christmas party I went to with Harry.  And about the walk around the lake I took with Ginny.  It makes me sad sometimes that I can’t tell her about those things.  Sad that I lost so much time with her.” Her father was silent for a moment more, then he said, “I’ve lost time before.  It’s always in the last place you look for it.”  And the sounds of his tool continued. Luna paused to consider these words quietly.  Then nodded, satisfied. She took up another brush and added a few tiny yellow buttercups among the cornflowers.

Whisper- [Unbuttoned, unpublished and abandoned fic for the teeny tiny Sevenwaters fandom (my one and only time writing outside of the HP fandom, and wowza we're delving deep into the archives with this one. Last time this document was modified was in 2010!)] She reached up, and brought his lips to hers and kissed him softly.  Lovingly.  And like a whisper on the wind, he heard his name upon her lips.  It hurt to open his eyes again, knowing that he would be back on the rocks and there would be no green-eyed beauty looking back at him with adoration.  It hurt, but he forced himself to do so.  For what he wanted did not matter.  He was her protector.  Whatever happened, he was there to ensure her safety.  No matter the cost to his heart.

Sweet- [Untitled Parvati Patil Left Behind one-shot WIP] “Ugh.  Two whole weeks of my parents fawning over Perfect Padma.”  Sitting up straight, she batted her eyelashes, plastered a soppy sweet expression on her face, and grasped her hands together over her heart.  Adopting a high-pitched eager voice, she cried, “Oh yes, Mother dear!  Please let me help you with dinner.   Just as soon as I finish the homework for the twelve OWL courses I’m taking, clean the bathroom, and work up a budget for the Charms Club, which you may remember I’m now treasurer of.”  She let her hands drop to her lap and slumped back into her seat.  “Suck up.” “Oh, come off it,” Lavender said, shaking splayed fingers back and forth to encourage the varnish to dry faster.  With each shake of the wrist, her colour-changing nail polish changed hue wildly in confusion.  “Padma’s not that bad.  You’re exaggerating.” “Easy for you to say.  You aren’t sisters with her.  You don’t get compared to her in every little thing that you do!”

Face- [Knowing Where to Look, upcoming chapter] They were very close now, practically toe-to-toe.  He was not a tall man—half a head shorter than Gawain-- but he raised his chin and met Gawain’s eye defiantly, and he struck Gawain as anything but short.  The silence in the kitchen was deafening as they stared at each other.  Gawain felt the blood drain from his face.  His heart was pounding, his breath coming short and shallow.  But he kept his expression determinedly blank.

I find myself often hesitant to engage in these chain activities because my community is so small and I'm not on Tumblr enough to know who has has already taken part in this. So instead of tagging anyone specific, I will just offer an open invitation to anyone who wishes to take part. Tag, you're it! Your words are: Lost | Glimmer | Fall | Soft | Breath

[akaashisbabygirl]

the tutor

if you know the original source of this picture! please dm me or let me know in my inbox so i can tag them

Summary: akaashi keiji isn’t just a normal tutor. in fact, he has strong, sexual feelings for the girl he has to tutor. but what he doesn’t know is that late at night, she thinks about him too while her fingers stuff her cunt

A/n: i did it. i actually did it. i took a short 300 word story about akaashi being a tutor and turned it into a fic. i hope that you all enjoy this. i tried to keep the same style while writing but i’m not sure if i nailed it :/ nevertheless, i hope that you enjoy and have a great 2021 

Words: 2667

Pairings: tutor!akaashi x female!reader

Warnings: nsfw - male and female masturbation, oral (giving and receiving), vaginal penetration, sex toy use, fingering, riding, multiple positions, overstimulation, praise, akaashi calling reader angel

Just seeing you sitting there, your legs shut together, your tongue flicking out of your spread lips as you concentrated on the equation made Akaashi wonder what would happen if the two of you were in the bedroom alone together.

He watched your lips, wondering how you would look with your shiny pink lips wrapped around his cock. He wondered what you would look like, with your legs shaking, cum dripping down your thighs, hickeys decorating your skin as he pins you down onto the bed, his cock thrusting into your tight walls.

He wondered what pretty noises you would make as he ruins you, tears your tight hole open, leaving you a dripping mess filled with his cum. Thinking about the way your freshly done makeup would run down your face, the way you would close your legs to hide your body from his eyes.

Akaashi sat there, daydreaming in the open. He didn’t even realise that you had stopped working on the equation.

“All done? he asked.

Akaashi knew that you were a virgin, and he wanted to ruin you. He wanted to be the only guy you would go crawling to when you were needy, and that at moments late at night when you touched yourself, you would only think about him, and be reminded that you can’t even pleasure yourself the way Akaashi can. How Akaashi’s fingers could reach deeper in your cunt than your own, small ones.

“Yes! Give me something harder,” you wore a cheerful smile on your face as you asked for a harder equation.

Akaashi chuckled as he pretended to be thinking of an equation to give you. But secretly, he thought about how he wanted to throw everything on the table aside and give you a reward for doing so well.

“Alright, how about this one?” Akaashi asked, handing you back the piece of paper, seeing how your eyes widened at the question.

“I don’t know that…” you said softly, almost as if you sounded like you were trying to admit defeat to the male.

Akaashi could only chuckle, his hand slowly moving to rest on your soft thigh as he looked over your shoulder, watching how you took on the equation.

Your thigh was soft. So soft. He wondered what your thighs would feel like, wrapped around his neck as he went down on you, his soft tongue sliding over your dripping folds. Or the way your legs would wrap his waist, his cock pushing through your walls and tearing you apart as you squirm underneath him.

“Is this right?”

Once again, your soft, adorable voice cut through the lewd thoughts spreading throughout his mind. With his face resting with a smile, he turned to you. A chuckle escaped his lips as he read over the equation.

“Oh darling, that’s not correct. Here… let me help you.”

Akaashi loved being in your company. He loved the feeling of you being close to him, again, which only made him wonder what it would be like if he were inside of you, the two of you becoming one. He secretly craved so much from the small university girl that he tutored, so much that he would rather die than express his thoughts.

However, what Akaashi was oblivious of was what happened whenever he went home. After leaving, you would rush yourself to your bedroom, small fingers moving to your clit, rubbing circles on the sensitive bud, moans and whimpers of his name falling from your lips. Truth was, you craved Akaashi more than he craved you, if that was remotely anywhere near possible.

You imagined him in between your legs, his soft black locks brushing against your soft skin, his large hands keeping your thighs spread as your back arches from all the sudden pleasure. You craved the sight of your cum coating Akaashi’s beautiful face, the way he would lick his lips before pushing you into a position on the bed, beginning to fuck you with a slow, deep pace which would have you screaming out for him.

But you knew that would never happen.

He was just the boy who was assigned to tutor you, not to come and take you in every way possible.

Akaashi was the same way, sitting on his bed, his cock in his hand, jacking off to the thought of you spread out for him. He wanted to feel what it was like to have your soft hands roaming around his body, your soft lips wrapped around his cock, eyes directly watching his every movement as you take more of him into your mouth. Akaashi climaxed, his hair thrown back against the bed as he panted.

He wanted to be with you. He desired you, he wanted to feel you against him. The love that he felt was going unnoticed, the love that strongly sat there for you to run into his arms, pressing your lips against him as the two of you look at each other with such love.

The next tutor session was nothing new – not that it had changed at all. Overtime, the two of you had begun to get closer and closer. You were fine with Akaashi resting his large hand on your thigh, and you noticed how he would slowly move his hand higher. You even tried bucking your hips at him, wearing shorter clothing just to find a way to get him to touch you more.

Akaashi wanted to punish you for wearing short clothing, but he thought that somewhere there was the same feelings he felt for you rushing through your mind.

Every other session felt like the same day on repeat. The same hours of questions and work, only to pleasure yourself when Akaashi would go home.

You opened the door for Akaashi, believing it were to be just another normal day of the two of you working on equations together. Akaashi stood there, a large hoodie in the freezing cold. You began to shiver somewhere throughout the session, causing Akaashi to panic, pulling his hoodie from his body, revealing some of his muscles in the process, which only made you drool more at the sight of his toned body.

You inhaled the scent of his cologne on the hoodie, the way the jumper was too big for your small body, the way it sat halfway down your thighs. Akaashi loved the sight of you wearing his hoodie, even making a comment about how you should wear his hoodie more often. He knew that if he wanted this relationship to progress in anyway, he needed to start being more vocal, other than just sitting there and waiting for you to make the first move. He was smart enough to know that was never going to happen.

“You should wear it more often,” he whispered into your ear as you washed your hands in the bathroom.

Your eyes darted to the mirror, watching how he had to move himself, leaning down so he was able to whisper into your ear. The way his hand sat on the bathroom sink, his other hand, his pointer finger tucking your hair behind your ear. You felt his hot breath on your skin, squeezing your thighs shut to try and relive the ache that sat there.

Yet, once again, you waited for Akaashi to leave before you did anything.

You threw your head back as the vibrator sat on your clit on its highest setting. Akaashi’s hoodie you wore, bunched up at your waist. Your legs shook from the intense pleasure, back arching as cries of his name fell from your lips. You wanted it to be him, not some stupid toy. You could only imagine, pretending your fingers weren’t your own, that it was Akaashi holding the toy on your clit, looking down at you as you squirmed on the bed.

Akaashi was no better, because every night, he thought the same.

The next time was different. You gave Akaashi back his hoodie, but he told you to keep it, only causing you to blush. He knew that the two of you could never be a real couple, so he tried what he could do to make it seem as if the two of you were one.

Days progressed.

Akaashi sat anxiously in his seat, watching how you walked into the room, dressed in his large blue hoodie. Akaashi knew that he wanted you, and he could only think that you wanted him too. He watched as you moved over to him, sitting yourself down in his lap, legs on either side of him as you push your breasts to his chest, head resting in the crook of your neck as your arms wrap around him. Akaashi’s first instinct was to wrap his arms around your waist, holding you close. He could feel your panties against his thin shorts, wondering what you were wearing underneath the large hoodie.

“What’s the matter, angel?” the nickname made your panties wet.

You grinded your hips on his lap. Akaashi took in a sharp breath, not wanting to become hard for nothing.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, you know that,” he mumbled against your skin.

You knew what you were doing. In fact, it had been what you had been planning for ages now. You wanted Akaashi to be the one to take your virginity, you were sure of it.

“Take me… Akaashi. I want you to take me,” you let your lips graze the skin of his neck, sucking lightly on his beautiful skin.

You felt him become hard underneath you, your panties growing damper as you moved your hips. Akaashi wasn’t having it, pulling you from him and watching how you dropped down onto your knees in front of him.

Shaking his head, he mumbled a soft, “Not here.”

You nodded, softly holding his hand and taking him upstairs to the same place you had sinful thoughts about him and did sinful things while moaning out his name. He watched as you pushed him down onto the bed, climbing over him. You rested yourself in between Akaashi’s thighs, spreading them to your liking. Shaky fingers moved to his belt, pulling it off and throwing it to the ground, tugging his pants, as well as his boxers down his legs. Akaashi took in a deep breath as the sight he dreamed of appeared before his turquoise coloured eyes.

He watched as you took the tip of his semi hard cock into your mouth, moving his hands to your hair, wrapping it around his hand, tugging slightly, forcing you to take more of him into your mouth. You gagged slightly, but continued to suck him off, letting your tongue run along his most sensitive spots.

“Fuck, y-you don’t know how long I’ve b-been waiting for this,” he groaned out, watching how you maintained eye contact with him while having his cock shoved down your throat.  

Akaashi let go of your hair, tucking it slightly behind your ear. He grabbed onto the bedsheets for support, moans falling from his lips that he wasn’t afraid to show. He bucked his hips up into your mouth, causing you to gag around him once more.

“That’s a good fucking girl,” he muttered, stroking your hair slowly, “Taking me in your mouth like the good girl that you are.”

At one moment, Akaashi’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he climaxed into your mouth. He watched as you pulled yourself off his cock, watching as you swallowed his cum, opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue to show that you had.

Akaashi flipped you over, praising you, calling you a good girl as he shoved the hoodie up, letting it bunch at your waist. He noticed the red lace panties which sat underneath, his eyes widening when he noticed the damp spot in the middle, right where your dripping cunt was. He pulled his hoodie from your body, removing his shirt so he was fully naked. His eyes widened, seeing the matching red lace bra that you wore.

Akaashi’s fingers were skilled, easily removing your panties and bra. His lips moved to suck around your hardened nipple. His lips sucked dark, purple marks down your soft skin. Your body was softer than he thought it was. He loved the way you felt, the way your innocent demeanour changed when the two of you were alone.

His lips attached to your clit, a cry of his name leaving his lips as he began to suck lightly on your most sensitive spot. His fingers toyed with your entrance, collecting your wetness on his long digits. He needed to prep you for when he was to fuck you.

Lust and the way your tight velvety walls clenched around Akaashi’s digits filled his mind, the way your hands gripped onto the sheets, your hips would move and how angelic you sounded when you cried out his name. He wanted more. He needed more.

“Kaashi’ I’m gonna fucking cum… O-Oh, you’re gonna m-make me fucking cum.”

That’s what he did. He made you climax all over his digits, his tongue now dipping down to your entrance to taste you.

The two of you were stripped of your clothing, looking at each other with lust filled eyes. Akaashi pulled you closer to him, attaching his lips to yours, sharing a soft, passionate kiss.

“Where are your condoms?” he mumbled in between kisses.

“Top drawer on the left.”

Akaashi climbed off the bed, opening the drawer. He observed the small bullet vibrator he found, bringing it out along with one of the condoms. He slipped the condom onto his length, hovering over you.

“Tell me if you need me to stop.”

Yes, there was a slight pain when he thrusted into you, but it felt too good. Pain was washed away with the pleasure of being filled, the pleasure of having Akaashi’s lips on your neck as you moaned underneath him.

“F-Faster,” you moaned out slightly, wanting to be pounded into by the boy.

Akaashi wouldn’t take no as an answer, not when he’s here fucking the girl he’s always wanted to. Slowly, he increased the speed, grabbing hold of your vibrator and pressing it against your clit. You cried out, cursing at the way the boy found your favourite toy and decided to use it against you.

His hands reached out for the headboard, grabbing onto it as he quickened his pace. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, tongue slightly sticking out of your mouth as drool dripped down your chin.

A sharp cry left your lips as you climaxed again, this time, around his cock. You felt Akaashi pull out of you, throwing the toy onto the bed.

“Ride me.”

His voice was harsh, commanding you, not giving you any options.

You straddled his waist once again, feeling his cock enter you from now a completely different angle. Your hands rested around his neck, as his sat on your waist and guided you up and down his cock.

Your head was thrown back as Akaashi moved his to suck lightly on your nipples. Intense pleasure soared through your body as you were driven to your third climax of the night. Your body felt weak, unable to move on its own.

Instead, Akaashi pulled out of you once more, shoving your back down on the bedsheets, moving your legs to sit on his shoulders as he entered you once again. His hand intertwined with yours as he mumbled against your skin,

“Cum with me.”

And that’s what happened. The two of you climaxed at the same time, just like how the characters did in every smut you had read. He pulled out, watching how your cum dripped from your abused hole. He smirked, moving his fingers to your hole, stuffing your cum back into your body.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, angel.”

You could now say, that every tutoring session, you two studied each other’s bodies.

© all content belongs to akaashisbabygirl 2020, do not repost or change

[finelinevogue]

Can you do one where Harry take his children and YN to one of his concert and their just dancing around singing along on stage with Harry.

i love this concept so much!! i kinda of wanna make it sad though soooo it’s gonna be harry’s final show :/ hope you enjoy;

oli - 29, felix - 27, belle - 24

The concert had been amazing, but unfortunately it was coming to its’ end now.

The final show.

That’s what Harry had decided to call it; a clever play on words with reference to his first ever solo single. The last 50 years had been a rollercoaster for Harry, from growing up just a kid in Cheshire, to going on the X Factor and winning the hearts of millions and from being in the most successful band of the decade to going solo and still being absolutely beloved. Times had changed, though. Harry had changed. He had a beautiful family of 3 now, excluding his wonderful wife. His children were his universe, no question about it, but they were getting older now - Harry was getting older. He was 50 this year and with that in mind he’d decided to retire. Retiring had involved a long conversation with you, along with a bottle of red wine, about whether it was the right decision or not. But it was - is.

You had suggested he put on one final, massive show, to celebrate his life and his achievements along with all that the fans have too. Tickets were open internationally and it was being streamed on various TV outlets for those who couldn’t attend. The tickets sold within 47 seconds. 47 seconds. It was being held in the Olympic Stadium in London, because it was Harry’s home and it held the most number of people he could genuinely allow.

The concert had started with ‘Fine Line’ songs, which merged into HS1 songs with a few One Direction songs as well. The entire set list had been composed by the fans with various polls on social media, with the concert supposedly lasting 2 hours (although with support artists and a few extra surprises it was more likely going to be 3!)

It had been beautiful so far. Magical. Unforgettable.

Every chance he got, without making it grossly obvious, he looked at you. He'd told you to stick your thumbs up at him every time he caught your eye, so he knew that you were okay - and every time, you did.

The concert was coming to an end now, which everyone was dreading. How could +30 years feel like it'd only been thirty minutes? You were devastated, so you could only imagine what his fans were thinking.

"Hey!"

The end Kiwi, for the second time, strummed throughout the arena and you knew it was time for the final song. His final song.

"Mum, is this the end?" Belle asked you, from where she was standing next to you. You had been dancing together all night and gotten progressively more tired. Your feet hurt. Your throats burned. Yet, as always, it was so worth it.

"Yes, Belles, it is." You tell her, and she pouted sadly. "Dad won't want to see you sad love, okay? He can still sing to you before bed?" You teased her, reminding her of a time when Harry would do such a thing, not wanting her to be all sad. It was supposed to be a celebration, but even you could admit that is was pretty hard-hitting.

"Really mum?" She asked.

You booped her nose annoyingly, before answering. "Every night if you want him to."

The lights changed from their green tone, thanks to Kiwi, back to a bright, white light. It beamed on Harry, making him look even more like the angel that he is. He dragged his microphone back to the centre stage and took a deep breath for beginning a speech he'd told you he'd prepared.

"So this is it, my friends." He laughed sadly into the microphone. He brushed his hair back and took out his in-ears to hear the audience. They were all awwing and crying, but what else did you expect? Their favourite artist was retiring - who wouldn't be crying a river?

"I, um. I'd like to take a bit of time to thank certain people." He coughed, something he always did after performing Kiwi due to his asthma. You thought it was lovely that he'd planned a speech to thank his management and crew. They did so much work backstage and you definitely didn't think they got enough credit for their hard work.

"Okay. I've made a little list..." Harry pulled out a tiny bit of crumpled paper from his pocket. "Just in case I forget anyone." He joked to himself, but made everyone laugh anyways. "So I guess first off, I should start with you lovely people." He pointed around the whole stadium, showing he was talking about the fans. "What you have done for me is indescribable. I think to myself, everyday, am I worthy of even being here—"

"Yes!" An army of agreement echoed around the arena, making Harry stop, blush and smile to himself.

"Well thank you! Um. You have been the best fans ever, and I know you will continue to be. I know you don't owe me anything, but all I ask you to keep loving yourselves and treating people with kindness, because I know I can count on you lot to do that, for me." He sniffled at the end, making you bite your lip to prevent the tears from falling for you. He looked so vulnerable right now, but you knew he'd be feeling on top of the world.

"Jheez." He sniffles again. "That's one thank you down and i'm already crying." He looked to his band to share the joke with.

“Dad’s such a wuss.” Oli laughed, holding his arm around Beas waist, making the people around you chuckle in agreement.

“Shut up you - Mr-tears-in-your-eyes!” You pointed out, laughing as he flipped you the bird - which then got him a hit off his grandma Anne.

All of Harrys family and friends were here, in a special cornered off section. It was such a thoughtful thing for Harry to do. All his family, and a fair few of yours, were sat down along with Harrys closest friends. Everyone was sharing laughs and drinks, whilst using every inch of space to dance along to your husbands boastful music.

"Secondly, my touring family. From Jeff and Ben, to Sarah's Kitchen, Adam, Mitch, Sarah, Charlotte and Nyoh, not forgetting everyone backstage and behind the lights, music and cameras. You've all been the greatest. Everything you do is second to none. You're all talented, warm-hearted, people whom I will carry in my heart forever. Thank you." You noticed members of the crew and band starting to tear up now.

"Moving on to my boys. We've been through it all, lads, and I couldn't have asked for four better brothers than you all. Louis. Liam. Niall. Zayn. Thank you." Everyone cheered ten times louder, maybe because this was as close to a One Direction reunion as the fans were ever going to get, but definitely because Harry had mentioned Zayn. You saw a girl faint at the mere mention of all the boys in the same sentence. The boys lifted up their beers to Harry, stood close by to where you were standing.

"I guess I should say thank you to the women who made all this possible. Mum. Gem. Thank you for signing me up all those years ago. Thank you for believing in me. You've made me the - crap, sorry! - the man I am now and I love you both." Harry prayed to them both, whilst bowing, and swiftly wiped away the tears afterwards. Anne and Gemma, on the other hand, were proudly crying.

"Ol, Fix and Belles. You rascals make me get out of bed every morning and give me more of a purpose in life. You four give me so much joy and happiness. I love you all, even if you do drive me up the wall on an early Saturday morning! Thank you, my loves." You stood close to all your children, giving them the support they needed in this moment. Belle was crying against your chest, the ever-so-emotional woman she was. Felix was stood up, with Heather, with his drink raised to his dad. Oli was to your side, trying to remain cool and stoic, but you still caught the tears that ran down his face.

"Now." The audience calmed down again after awing over your babies. Harry cleared his throat before beginning again. "This evening keeps on reminding me of a very special person in my life. Someone who is my everything and that's my beautiful wife, Y/N." His words make your breath hitch in your throat. You never expected him to say anything about you. I mean, what had you done?

"Mum." Belle called out to you, in affirmation that this was real.

"She's more than just a wife. She's a lover. She's my muse. She's my best-fucking-friend, apologises for swearing but sue me. I was hesitant to let go of all this, at first. What would I do with myself now? You know? People tell me i'm 'happiest on stage', and for a time that was true. Until I met Y/N. She's made me realise that family makes me the happiest. She makes me the happiest." He jumped down off stage, taking the microphone with him. He ran his hands along the fans in the front row, but had no intention of stopping until he met you.

You felt Belle leaving your side, but you were too captivated by Harry to fully understand what was happening.

"So what am I going to do now, you ask? Well..." Harry cheekily smiled at you. "I'm going to make her the happiest woman alive, just as she makes me the happiest man." You began to cry again and the chorus of thousands of fans clapping and screaming surrounds you, only to all stop when his lips meet yours. He tasted like a combination of salty sweat and mint, but he was home. After a minute of crying, kissing and 'i love yous' , Harry ran back to the stage before Jeff could shoot him.

"Thank you all. All my love." He said whilst adjusting his microphone. "Please sing along if you know the words." He asked, full well knowing every single person will be screaming out the lyrics to him.

"Just stop you're crying it's the sign of the times. Welcome to the final show. Hope you're wearing your best clothes."

[critrolesideblog]

Caleb Widogast pushed his hair out of his face for the ei--nineteenth time in about as many minutes. Caleb and Essek were reading for pleasure this evening, with the aid of Comprehend Languages: Caleb the collected poems of Erdan Niemi, a famous Drow bard, and Essek, Die Waldhexe und andere Zemnische Volksmärchen. They were seated at opposite ends of one of the sofas in the tower salon, their legs in the middle not quite touching. But some time into Essek's reading, the repeated scrape of sweater against paper edge and rustle of hand in hair became too much for him to ignore.

It was a long time coming really. Essek recalled that it had been Veth who had braided back Caleb's hair for him, when they were in Aeor last. Since there was no Veth to braid it this time around, Caleb had fallen into the habit of roughly tying it back in a ponytail or bun, with varying degrees of success, depending on the amount of effort he put into it, which, lately, was middling, and tonight, none at all. There were times when the mess was charming: when Caleb shuffled into the dining room in the morning, stray locks framing his face; when he ran his hand through his hair in excitement at a new discovery; when some friendly wind caused wayward strands to brush just so against his lips. At the moment, though... Essek took a large sip of his wine and set the glass gently back on the table. "Caleb?"

"Hmm?"

Despite the response, Essek knew better than to continue right away. Caleb's head tilted up toward him slowly, but his eyes lingered on the page a moment longer. When blue finally met lilac, Essek took a  deep breath breath. "May I... braid your hair for you?"

Caleb blinked once, twice, three times, before his eyebrow and lips quirked up with a humor that was a little too insightful. "Well, if it’s bothering you..."

Essek gave a huff of laughter at being caught, before pressing his hands together in front of his lips, arranging his features into a semblance of solemnity. "It is driving me insane." Caleb laughed, as Essek hoped he would.

"I apologize if I have driven you to distraction," he replied, in a voice that sounded not remotely contrite. Essek averted his eyes and took another small sip of wine to provide an alibi for the warmth in his cheeks. "Please, by all means." Caleb pulled free the tie holding his hair in place, and with a small shake of his head, the copper strands fell down around his face and shoulders.

Essek gathered his composure, clearing his throat slightly. "Excellent -- ah, Liesl?" He said quickly, turning to the tortoiseshell cat relaxing in front of the fireplace. She opened one amber eye in response.

Liesl was Essek's right-hand cat. She had been standoffish at first, it was true, but it seemed Essek's years in politics were not wasted in the ruins of Aeor. "Liesl, would you please have Jaakko fetch me some additional hair ties and a comb?" Liesl, without raising her head from her paws, turned her gaze to the cat in question, all black and slender, whose interpretation of cleaning apparently included batting a piece of crumpled paper around the legs of a desk with incredible enthusiasm. At some unseen signal, he turned his attention to Liesl, and after a series of tail twitches, trotted off into  a nearby cat door. She turned her gaze back to Essek. "Thank you, Liesl. That will be all." She chirped at him in response and returned to her nap.

Caleb's eyes were back on his book now, but Essek did not recall anything in Niemi's works amusing enough to justify the grin on Caleb's face, which Essek now had an excuse to give due consideration. He did not think the braids that Verin favored in their youth would suite him particularly well, and they were a bit elaborate for a night in, besides. Perhaps just a variation on the Gwardanian-style braid Veth employed.

Jaakko returned in no time, the items required laid out neatly on a tray held aloft by his long tail, and, with one last small sip of wine, Essek rose from the sofa and moved to stand behind Caleb. He took a deep breath as he picked up the amber comb from the tray. There was no cause, he told himself sternly, for his heart to be racing as it was, which was, of course, a lie. He raised the comb above the copper strands. "I am going to begin now?"

"Ja, danke."

Whether the thanks was for the impending braid or the warning, Essek was not sure, but he drew the edge of the comb gently back along the scalp, carefully delineating a section of hair at the top of Caleb's head. He tied the sides and back out of the way, and if his face warmed at the brush of fingertips on neck, there was no one able to see it. He gathered up the hair closest to Caleb's face and divided it in thirds, before weaving the right third over the center and then left over center. He repeated the process, carefully gathering more strands in on the sides as he went. He was about halfway through with the braid, when Caleb leaned to the left without warning, nearly pulling the locks from his grasp.

"Pysy paikallasi!" Essek hissed, decades-old habit causing the words to spill from his lips in Undercommon, but it did not matter. Comprehend Languages was still in effect. "Mitä sinä teet?"

"I want some wine," Caleb explained, extending his arm to the side to demonstrate that the glass was just out reach.

"Did Veth allow you to move around when she braided your hair?"

"She never complained."

"Then she spoiled you terribly."

"Will you hand me the wine?"

"No," he replied sternly, gathering the strands into one hand, careful not to mix them up, and then leaning over and passing the goblet to its owner.

"You are a riot, Herr Thelyss," Caleb said dryly, but Essek caught a glimpse of a grin as he straightened.

"I am glad you think so. I have been thinking of taking my comedy show on the road when we are done here."

"You should ask Veth if she has any material you can use. Will there be a Mighty Nein discount on tickets?"

"Please, if anything, I should charge you all extra for the honor of heckling me."

Caleb gave a mock gasp. "The Nein? Heckle you? We would never."

"Ha! Tell me another one!"

Caleb's shoulders shook with quiet laughter.

Essek stopped gathering new hair into the top braid, braiding the remaining length of the locks together, and tying them off. He then shifted to the left and began the process again with a section starting at Caleb's left temple. From this vantage point, he could spy the gilded edges and precise black script of the book in Caleb hands (and what hands they were! Capable, as he knew, of both great destruction and healing. And, perhaps, from this vantage, he could also glimpse the stately sweep of his cheekbones, the curve of his nose, the strength of his jaw, but who was to say.).

"How are you enjoying the poetry so far?" He asked, affixing his eyes firmly to the task in front of him. He had not known whether Caleb enjoyed poetry, when he gifted it to him. He had doubted, though, that Caleb had much opportunity to avail himself of Kryn literature during his time in Rosohna, and Caleb had seemed delighted, even touched, by the gift. He did not seem to be making quick progress through the text, however.

"Very much so," Caleb replied after taking a sip of wine. "I imagine I am sometimes missing some nuance or cultural context -- Comprehend Languages is a bit of a blunt instrument -- but I am enjoying it even more than I thought I would. You almost made it sound dry in your description, when you gave it to me."

"Ah, no, not dry. Only, all young Drow are forced to read his works as part of our schooling, and it colors our enjoyment of it somewhat."

"I see."

"Do you have a favorite passage so far?"

Caleb did not respond right away. "Yes..." He admitted, at last, and added, "It is from the Courtship of Lael."

Essek nearly lost his grip on the braid as he fumbled the strands mid-crossing. He had forgotten the Courtship was so early in the text. "Oh?" He asked, hoping it came across as polite interest.

"Would you like to hear it?" Caleb's voice had a softer, deeper hue than usual.

"If you like."

There was quiet for a moment.

Caleb did not turn to the page -- he did not need to. He merely cleared his throat lightly, and began:

"My lover's skin is a field of stars. What bliss to wander among the heavens! Let me approach as a pilgrim from the dark. Let me worship on my knees before the holy light. Let no beacon go without a prayer from my lips."

Every opalescent freckle on Essek's skin was now a flame. He swallowed hard. "That--that was, ah ... evocative."

"Ja, I thought so too." Caleb chuckled.

Essek tied off the left braid and moved around to the opposite side. They passed the time in quiet, as Essek's dexterous hands, having found their rhythm, made quick work on the braid on the right. And if he had a new awareness of the freckles that made fiery constellations along the slope of Caleb's neck, he gave no indication.

"You know it is a good thing you are braiding my hair up, with us going deeper into the Genesis Ward tomorrow." Caleb said at last, as Essek gathered the braids and the loose strands left over in the back up into a neat ponytail, tying it off with Caleb's original tie. There was more than a little mischief in his voice. "I should hate for Devexian to see me for the first time in months with my hair a mess."

"You are a riot, Caleb Widogast," Essek drawled.

"I'm glad you think so."

.

.

.

----

Notes: Pysy paikallasi! Mitä sinä teet? -  Stay still! What are you doing?

[sweettodo]

a simple competition.

⟿ Hisoka Morow x freader x Chrollo Lucilfer

Includes : threesome, toys, smut, not even a good plot but yk, consumption of alcohol

word count : 2,7k.

my last little surprise for you guys, some more threesum action .... here you go puppies. THX FOR 300 [ almost 400 rn :) ] <3 !!! your favorite men at your disposal... [y/n is aged].

fun fact, I'm eating takis rn, are these spicier than usual or am I imagining things ? i’m also watching ‘malcolm and marie’ AMAZING movie, i highly suggest it, the dynamic of the two is so detailed, such a good movie.

••

Maybe it wasn't a clever idea to drink, but once you attained that nice and warm sensation in your gut, there was certainly nothing stopping you from finishing the already half-empty bottle of pink whitney.

Laying sprawled out on the couch, staring at the ceiling as the room slowly spins around you. Content and relaxed with your position.

It wasn't your fault, Pakudona reassuring you that it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun tonight, that Chrollo wouldn't heed if you crashed here for the night, he was tipsy, manspreading on the other end of the couch, eyes puffy and glossed over, enjoying the quiet.

Music was playing thirty minutes previously, but as the night went on, one by one, the others hit the road to sleep off their intoxication, it was already past midnight.

One person had yet to leave, that was Hisoka... of course.

He wandered back into the living room, plopping down next to you and your friend on the couch, "leaving anytime soon? Y/n?"

You shook your head, "staying the night." Hisoka's arched eyebrows rise, a little smile tugging at the niche of his mouth.

"Is that so?" Chrollo sits up, staring at the kaleidoscopic man, a sarcastic undergone on his tongue.

"That's what happens when you drive here, and drink" You nod, "although I didn't quite intend on you staying the night, Morow." He hums, Hisoka pinches the corner of the thin card, waving it back and forth teasingly.

"I can't let you have our playmate all to yourself," you roll your eyes.

"It's not like that," you mutter, staring the magician in the eyes, "I couldn't leave if I wanted to."

"That is true," Chrollo interjects, "that doesn't mean you want to leave though, is it?" you shrug.

"No, I wanna stay, got an issue with that?" you ask, he shakes his head.

"Of course not- although, I suppose Hisoka would be better off on his way."

You estimated things would only get progressively worse from here, the moment Hisoka's bloodlust began to fill the air, you felt this was your cue; before you're able to leave the room, Hisoka's hand is fastened around your wrist, sitting you back down.

"Oh, you can't flee now," dread fills your face, "come on, we might as well finish the conversation."

You and Chrollo both knew what he was talking about. No matter how petty or pathetic, it appears to be that the rivalry between the two never seemed to subside, even drunk.

"Go on, since you have so much to say."

"Am I wrong for thinking my friend is a pretty girl? I seem to remind her more than you do."

"You seem to think you own her, it's pitiful honestly, " Blushing, you look down at your thighs, "do you think she's pretty, Chrollo?"

"I do. I think she knows that right?" you peek up at him, he gleams and tilts his head.

"Look at her, my, you must like us flattering you." You shake your head.

"That's because you neglect to tell her more often, does Chrollo ever call you pretty?" with Hisoka pushing Chrollo's every button, tensions were surging, both men now at the edge of their seats- literally.

"No, he doesn't," you speak, the magician letting out a deep chuckle, you felt like you were being scrutinized, the eyes burning into you felt poisonous and dour, you felt minuscule compared to them.

"I could do so much better than call you pretty, right kitten?" your heart sinks to your stomach, gulping hard. It was too hard to look at them in the eyes as you sunk further into the couch.

"Are we making you nervous?"

The inquiry continues.

"Yeah- you are." You retort, "you guys are talking about me like I'm not here."

"Then let's ask the lady herself, y/n." Looking up to meet Hisoka's gaze, "who do you think could take better care of you?"

Heart pounding out of your chest, your stomach filled with butterflies, "I- I don't know, I've never thought about it." Laughing, you look to see Chrollo, who's standing to his feet.

"I think I know a way to help you decide," smug smile peeking from his face, "unless you don't want to?"

A single nod is all they needed to know, Hisoka standing to his feet, seeing how you sat on the couch as still as a statue, "please don't be so tense, you know how good we are to you." Hisoka slowly picks up your hand.

He's steering you to your feet, "what do you have in mind, Chrollo?" the man leading you two upstairs.

"I think I have something that'll work out for all of us."

The dress you wore to this get-together now seemed like you were exposed, bare, and vulnerable, you knew what their agenda was, you didn't fancy the idea of being the center of attention.

Chrollo slowly clicking open his door, walking in, and promptly turning on the light, you're led to the side of his king-sized bed, his room was both contemporary and warm, comforting feeling; the walls a deep vermilion, the sheets plush, soft and black tones.

"We should leave it up to our little kitten to decide," the buttons on his shirt slowly coming undone, stopping at his sternum.

"What do you think, Morow?" Hisoka looks at you with low eyes.

"I'll go first."

Chrollo stalks towards you, sitting there falling apart at the seams, Chrollo's large and reaching behind your ear, thumb gently caressing your jawline, side to side, "you okay with this? Sweetheart?" you nod, the name sending jolts between your thighs.

Hisoka's rubbing your bare leg, sitting next to you on the mattress as his fingertips trail up and down, his hand stopping inside your thigh and pressing a leg open, Chrollo clasping your other knee and you lay on your back

"I'll get some time to please you, Hisoka gets the same when I'm done, yes?"

You're breathless, Hisoka grabbing you and pressing your back against him, his hands pinching the seams of your dress, "cute little dress- you should wear it more often for me." He hums, rolling it up, your thighs buckled together while lifting your back off the mattress, the dress sitting bunched up at your hips, the panties you wore sitting on your hips.

"My, who knew she would wear something so- revealing." Arms linking around your own, Hisoka keeps you completely locked in place.

"Did you wear these for me? Kitten?" Chrollo asks, shaking your head no.

Tugging at the little strong which hardly kept you covered, “I'll keep these, yeah?” you nod, the pants of Chrollo’s fingers barely ticking you, brushing against your already anxious body.

"Stay still for me, okay?"

"Okay." You breathe.

Hand leaning over past Hisoka, he's opening up the drawer beside his bed.

Your eyes widen at the sight of the little pink toy, compact in nothing bugger than four inches long, he sits on the bed in front of you, bringing the little object to your core.

He switches it on the lowest setting, the only noise in the room was the quiet buzzing of the vibrator as he barely touches your clit, the tiniest contact with the toy having your chest rise and fall, "keep these open for me, okay princess?" his fingers hook below your panties, pulling them down and placing them beside him.

"Such a pretty pussy, don't you think, Hisoka?" You're gnawing on your bottom lip from the teasing little touches with the toy, he was doing this on purpose; your legs laid open, the other man holding your arms to where you couldn't do anything if you wanted to.

"It is, I'm sure it's even prettier when it's cumming,"

Chrollo finally presses the vibrator onto your clit, he leans over your cunt, spitting, your mouth opens, the saliva hardly cooling your excited cunt.

He uses his free hand to finish unbuttoning his shirt, dropping it on the floor, he leans down leveled to your cunt, holding your leg over his broad and muscular shoulder, his tongue licking a stripe towards your occupied clit. Your body shakes, digging further into Hisoka's chest, he holds you tighter.

"Fuck, p-please!" you gasp, wanting to dig your hands into his hair, thrashing against Hisoka's arms, "let me touch-" your pleads fall on deaf ears, Chrollo’s tongue swirling into you in sinful ways, your legs twitching, the toy too much to handle.

The euphoric feeling of the overstimulation sending a pool of cream right onto Chrollo's tongue, lapping up every drop of you.

You were dizzy, Chrollo drinking up all of your essences, his hand pressed into your thigh to keep you from buckling onto him, your back grinding against the pressure of Hisoka's growing erection, his hands had grabbed the straps of your dress, one by one pulling them down and releasing your tits from the braless dress.

It's almost too good to be true- the man spending a dangerous amount of time eating your pussy like it was his very last meal, tasting everything he possibly could, the vibrator maintaining its spot in little circles around your swollen and screaming clit.

Ripping orgasm after orgasm out of your body, you're dripping sweat, he pulls off of you, your cum covering his reddish swollen lips, chin soaked. You looked a wreck, makeup streaming down your face, legs numb, his head coming to yours, he kisses your panting lips, releasing you from Hisoka.

The taste of your cum filling your mouth, his tongue licking past your bottom lip and into your mouth.

"Take this off." tearing at your dress, peeling it over your head, unzipping his pants, "you're gonna straddle me and stay still, is that okay with you, kitty?"

"O-okay, what about Hisoka?" Grabbing your hips, you straddle him. He raises you a little.

"He's gonna watch me make you cum a few more times-" hissing in the air as he assists you to slide down onto his cock, the stretch was unbearable, but you push through, trying not to slouch over in pain.

"-hurts, bad!" You sob.

"You take me so well, it'll only hurt for a second, promise."

His hand's move, one to your waist and one loosely around your throat as he holds you up to get a better grip on your already weakened body.

Keeping eye contact with Hisoka as your body is demolished by the man beneath you, eyes boring into you seductively, captivated by your mess of a face.

You felt as if you were being torn in half, crying out his name as he knew just how to fuck you; fucking your pussy just right.

Fucking you so hard you were going numb.

"Gonna cum! Gonna cum again!" you screamed, head falling back as you searched desperately for air, Chrollo rolling his hips into you as he released you, slumping to his chest, his chest stick from sweat.

"You wanna be filled with my seed, kitty?" Nodding in his shoulder.

"Please fill me- I want your cum,"

The feeling of his cum seeping down his cock and deep into your beaten-up cunt, his breath heavy against your ear.

You sit up, large arms wrapping from behind you and pulling you off of your straddle, Chrollo getting off the bed to clean himself off as Hisoka sits you on the bed, tucking your hair behind your ear gently, smiling as you look up at him, blurred eyes.

"My my, I don't think she can handle it, or can you?"

"I-I can, trust me." He smiles, pleased with your answer, his soft hands taking up your arm before leaning you back, onto your back, he was sweaty, so his shirt was clinging to his body, his hair was messily draped over his shoulders, pulling his tie loose while standing between your open legs, "let me see your wrists, princess."

He's leading you against the bed frame, linking your hands together and finishing off the knot around the post of the frame, the man getting on his knees between your legs, letting his shirt hand open as his hands work at his slacks, unbuckling the leather belt and tossing it to the side, "you look so innocent, tied up and quiet as a mouse, even after you just got fucked out," he pushes down his pants, erection throbbing from underneath his underwear.

The area between your legs throb, he was beyond ready to feel your walls tighten around him, he was ready to hear you begging for more.

He needed to one-up Chrollo.

He lifts your hips, your legs propped against his thighs while remaining restrained, his tip aiming into you accordingly before pushing into your beaten cunt.

His arm propped, flexing as he grips the headboard, drilling into your cunt with no tenderness, he spares you no pain as he ruts into you, ready to split you in half the instant he saw you spilling cum at the hands of his rival.

The size of him left you perplexed, the way he was splitting you open while bringing you to an indescribable state of heaven had you a sloppy mess, the thick cock he had with his veins filling in the little nerves you had yet to feel seconds earlier. He filled you, and he filled you well.

Hisoka fucks you until your head is blank, eyes seeing white, one of his hands gripping your hip, keeping you from laying fully on your back.

You try to cry put to him, and he notices.

He slows only slightly, rolling his hips back and forth into you so you can speak, "s-so good, it feels so good!"

Each rut of his hips sends you into oblivion, the way his hips bumped and clashed against your body left you spitting out a mantra of his name, Chrollo inches away from you, rolling your perked nipple in between his fingers, sending chills up your body.

Hisoka brings his eyes to you, "joining in, my friend?" Chrollo pulls his hand back, you almost find yourself whining.

“Did I fuck you better, y/n?” Chrollo taunts, his lips barely pressing against the life of your ear, “is Hisoka making you feel good?” Hisoka's beautiful golden eyes stalk you, waiting for your answer; stabbing right into your soul.

“Answer him, go on, kitten; did he fill you as good as I am?”

The questions were throwing you in for a loop, your stomach twisted, digging your head back deeper into the pillow of Chrollo’s bed.

“Fill me, please- daddy.” You cry, you longed to touch him, to feel his soft hair as he pummeled into you; you tugged on your wrists softly, already weak, the tied limbs going numb and tingling.

Before you know it, another orgasm is torn out of you; groaning out as you tightened and clenching around him, body once again convulsing, legs tightening around Hisoka’s waist. Each time they made you cum, the more came spilling from your cunt, it was almost unreal how much the bed was soaked, how soaked your thighs were, Hisoka’s pants being stained in the process.

This pretty little soaked pussy, sucking me in so good.” Panting, his head falls back, his dick quaver’s while his thrusts become more staggered, hand gripping tighter around your already sore hip.

His seed bathes both you and his cock, hips sputtering as he slowly slips out of your abused cunt. your head spinning, a panting mess at you blink and stare at the ceiling.

You could barely move, the men in the room throwing on clothes, hearing zippers, you lift your head.

Chrollo hands you a blanket, draping it over your body.

Sitting up, the blanket around you, you look at the two men who were fiddling around doing nothing but looming around the room.

While Hisoka buttons up his shirt, he tilts his head towards you, “tired, princess?” you nod.

A devious smirk dances on your lips, they look at you confused, “perhaps though, I might need another round, you know- to decide who was better.”

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Kara Danvers x Reader : Behave

Summary: Only good girls get rewarded. 

Genre: 18+ Smut Includes(d/s dynamic, choking, edging, spanking, bondage, temperature play, overstimulation)

Request: Yes / No

Word Count: 3,104

* * * * * * 

Blazing blue eyes watch you from across the apartment. A deep dent rests between light brown eyebrows as pink lips press together.

This is the third time you’ve bent over to show your ass to Winn and James and there’s no way they weren’t looking with the way you’re dressed tonight. That plus your shameless flirting with Lena.

Kara trusts that none of them will do anything but that is far beyond the point. 

When you raise up you make direct eye contact with your girlfriend and she catches the glint in your eyes. She’s seen it a million times and knows exactly what it means, that doesn’t change a thing for her. 

The second you step away from your shared group of friends into J’onn’s dining room, she’s grabbing your hand and pinning you to the wall around the corner. Her thumb and fingers press into either sides of your neck, the palm of her hand against your throat. When you swallow you can feel the slight pressure of her palm.

“You are testing my patience little one.” She speaks in a lustfully menacing tone that sends a shiver down your back straight to your core.

The way you raise your head and look down at the blonde could be taken as a challenge from anybody else but Kara knows it’s your way of exposing yourself to her, in the only way you can at the moment. More of your neck is laid bare before her eyes, a just barely noticeable vein there that Kara stares at, she could just lean forward and leave a perfect mark right there. You’d walk away from here with everyone knowing you’re hers.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” You feign innocence. 

With the way she narrows her eyes you just barely fear that she’s going to hit you with her laser eyes. 

Her jaw clenches and you swear you can hear it click.“ You do a lot of cute things, but playing dumb isn’t one of them.” Kara keeps her voice low which just adds to the faint throb between your legs that you’ve been feeling since you saw her putting on your favorite strap earlier.“ If you behave for the rest of the night, you can get the reward I had planned for you after your punishment.” 

Knowing that your girlfriend will hold true to her words you nod. And you do in fact behave for the remainder of the night. 

You’d gotten the exact reaction you wanted from her so you have no reason to dig a deeper hole, even though there are times where you like to push the limits. 

By the time everyone is heading out, your anticipation has reached its peak. You can barely keep your expression neutral as you hug J’onn goodnight and walk out with Kara. The blonde wastes no time securing you in her arms and shooting across the sky to her apartment. 

In a matter of seconds, she’s setting you down in the living room, her hands gripping your hips,“ go strip and wait for me.” The swat on your ass is hardly enough to even warm you up for what’s to come but it does make you jump a little.

“Yes ma’am,” you say teasingly, making sure to look back at her when you pull your bottom lip between your teeth.

Inside the bedroom you make quick work of shedding all your clothes off, neatly folding them and setting them on the dresser, before placing yourself on the edge of the bed. 

There isn’t a single noise that gives way to what she could be doing and it slightly worries you. However you trust Kara. This is far from the first time something like this has happened so you know she won’t hurt you or do anything you’re uncomfortable with.

When she finally steps into the room she comes to stand in front of you. With a teasing slowness, she removes each article of clothing without taking her eyes off of you at all. You swallow at the sight of her completely bare in front of you.

The number of nights you’d gotten off on just the sight of her and your own touch plays in the back of your head, only fueling the flames that are growing inside of you.

Reaching out, Kara curls a finger under your chin,“ what’s our word little one?”

“Jumanji.” 

Despite the intensity of the situation, a smile cracks on both of your faces. Your safe word never fails to amuse you both. It was oddly fitting when you’d chosen it, both of you being movie buffs, also what better phrase to use to stop something you can’t handle or don’t want happening. 

The smile wipes from her face quickly.“ Good girl,” she stands up straight,“ lay back and put your hands over your head.”

You do as she says, scooting up the bed and crossing your arms at the wrists above your head. Patience chips away as you wait for her but you remain silent, there’s no need to worsen your punishment. What it’ll be tonight you don’t know but Kara never disappoints.

Your beautiful girlfriend returns from her trip to the closet with an all too familiar cloth in her hand. Made from the same fabric that her cape is, makes this particular cloth perfect for the current situation. Bullets couldn’t pierce her cape so you both know there’s no way you’re getting out of it when it’s tied perfectly around your wrists.

Ever loving, Kara tugs on the perfect bow and glances down at you,“ too tight?” You shake your head in response. 

It truly is a sight to see the woman throw her legs over your body, sitting her ass back on your thighs as she runs her hands up your sides.“ I’m proud of you for behaving,” she speaks softly,“ but I can’t disregard how you acted at the beginning of the night little one.”

She doesn’t miss the way your breath seems to hitch when her fingers brush under your breasts.“ You gonna be a good girl for the rest of the night?”

“Yes.”

“I know.” Dragging her nails down your side ever so slightly, she raises up enough to spin you around. 

Her chosen punishment is a spanking, made incredibly clear when her hand lands on your ass, much harder than it had earlier. The shock of the first hit always sends you pressing into the bed, a near silent hiss slipping through your teeth. 

Each hit gets progressively harder and makes you all the more aroused. The magic number is twenty but you can feel the slick coating your thighs at ten. 

“Oh you’re enjoying this aren’t you?” She pauses,“ you love when I mark this little ass up don’t you?” The next smack tells you she expects a reply. 

A sigh of yes falls from your lips, the struggle of not squeezing your thighs together growing by the second. 

She tsks,“ but this is supposed to be a punishment baby.” Before you can even reply she spanks you harder than she has all night. A mix between a cry and a moan leaving your lips.

The light throb on your backside is welcomed as it accompanies a wave of arousal. 

But you know, as pleasuring as you find this, it won’t be enough to douse the fire in your belly. 

When she delivers the final smack you swear you can feel it all over. It’s possible she put a little more power behind that one, enough so that you never forget but not enough to truly hurt you. Letting you calm down, she straddles your back, hands slipping around to your front. The instant her fingers pinch your nipples you know the break is over. It never lasts long. 

Just as she had before, she turns you over. You can now feel her core against your abdomen. Her slightest movement spreads her slick across your stomach along with a light brush from the harness of the strap. The thought alone of her being so turned on is enough to make you moan, the sound starting deep in your throat.

Soft fingers brush your now pert nipples, one of the appendages replaced by the warmth of her mouth. Her tongue swirls around your nipple, teeth gently biting into it, tugging up to leave a tingling sensation.

You swear you were about to say something, possibly ask that she speed up just a little, but the words are snatched from you mouth and brain at the suddenly cold feeling on your had been warm breasts. 

A glance down shows her mouth still wrapped around you which draws the conclusion that she most certainly just used her ice breath on you. 

It’s an odd sensation at first, completely out of left field, but she repeats it. The cold goes away, she warms you up, and the cold comes back. You can feel the goosebumps rising across your skin as you arch up into her.

Kara places one featherlight kiss on your abused nipple before moving to the other. More than anything you wish to thread your fingers into those golden curls and the inability to do so frustrates you.

Growling lowly makes blue eyes flick up to you, a brow quirking in curiosity.

She pulls her mouth from you with a quiet pop,“ getting impatient are we?” Puckering her lips, she blows down on your breast, cold air bursting over your nipple. 

“Please let me touch you.” You beg, for the first time tonight.

Her head tilts, fingers running down your jaw,“ you think you deserve to touch me little one?” You nod frantically. You need to touch her. For a split second she looks like she’ll let you, only to shake her head,“ not yet.” 

With still cold lips, she kisses your neck. Your heated skin clashes with the temperature of her lips and your toes curl with yet another shiver. 

“Kara…” you groan when those kisses press to your hip bones and pelvis. Just a few inches south and she’ll be exactly where you need her to be, where you crave her touch.

Instead of her mouth though, you feel the digits of her fingers run through your folds.“ Oh you’re absolutely soaked baby.” She whispers against your pelvis, breath no longer cold. 

Collecting your juices on her fingers, she trails them up your folds to your clit, light circles drawing around the bundle of nerves. Your hands clench into fists above your head, hips pushing up in search of more friction. If you weren’t experiencing such pleasure you’d frown at how easily she allows you to get it. 

Her fingers press tighter circles into you, loving the occasional throb she feels, before she moves them back down to your entrance. With ease she slips both digits inside of you, dragging them across your walls and expertly curling against that perfect little spot in you. 

You say her name like it’s a prayer and her need to keep hearing it drives her to finally wrap her lips around your clit. However you aren’t expecting her mouth to be cold again. 

“Oh fuck,” you sigh, body unsure whether to run from the sensation or embrace it. Your back arches into the bed, running from it, while your hips jolt up in search of more. 

She swirls her tongue and curls her fingers like she was put on this earth for the sole purpose of pleasing you. Your moans bounce off the walls and Kara knows her neighbors can hear but she doesn’t care one bit, not when silencing you means stopping. You taste like honey and Kara laps at everything you have to offer like it’ll save her.

The coil in your belly wounds tighter and tighter. Kara can feel how close you are, your walls fluttering around her fingers, clit throbbing more with each lick. Just when she feels you about to let go she pulls away. 

“Kara!” You whine, body slumping into the bed dejectedly as frustration runs over you. 

“It’s only what you deserve little one.” A teasing smirk forms on her lips as she bathes in how needy you are for her. She’d love to say this is only part of your punishment but she’d have done it anyway. It’ll be worth it in the end and she knows that, almost better than you do. 

Pushing your legs even further apart, she kneels between them, blue eyes taking in the mess you made of the sheets. Gods if she didn’t already have plans she’d eat you like you were her last meal, cause there’s nothing better than you coming on her tongue. 

“Kara,” the softness of your voice draws her eyes up. Her eyes widen a little at the look in yours, she isn’t sure she’s ever seen it.“ Please fuck me.” You beg for it so sweetly that she couldn’t say no even if she wanted to. Those eyes reveal your need for it even more than mess between your legs does.

Moving up to hover over you, she raises a hand to cup your cheek, and pull you into a kiss. Your lips mold together perfectly. The taste of yourself on her tongue as she slips it into your mouth elicits another moan and your, now free, hands rests on her back, nails lightly scratching the skin there.

The hand on your cheek slips down your body, smoothing over your breast and ribs and then away. Tracing the tip of the dildo through your folds, deliberately running it against your clit, she covers it in your slick, before thrusting into you. 

She gives you a second, a literal second, to adjust before taking you with a brutal speed. The nails on her back dig in harder, nowhere near breaking skin. Your legs wrap around her hips, bringing her closer to you. 

Every moan and gasp that slips from your lips travels straight to her ear and only fuels her ministrations. But she can’t help but feel like it’s not enough. Her head leans down to bury her face into your neck, seconds later she bites and sucks marks into your skin. 

You could feel that flame that had been inside of you, licking every inch of your skin. The toy drags across your walls perfectly and every angled thrust causes it to hit your gspot. 

If she weren’t a kryptonian you’d swear that her superpower was fucking you so perfectly. 

Feeling you close again, Kara snakes a hand between the two of you, fingers wrapping around your throat. She just leaves it there for a moment, the anticipation enough to build you to that perfect point. Just when you arrive, she applies the slightest bit of pressure to the sides of your neck. 

A whimper falls from your lips, so pathetic that if it weren’t Kara causing it embarrassment would’ve killed you. Your eyes screw shut, lip getting trapped between your teeth. With how hard you’re biting it she knows you're fighting hard not to come without permission and you’d already received your punishment. 

“Come for me little one.” She whispers against the shell of your ear. 

Your legs tighten even harder around her and she slows her thrusts. She feels the pressure of your nails on her back increase and it drives her mad. There will never be a sight more beautiful than watching you come undone. 

Her hand unwraps from your throat and you breathe easier, chest heaving from your orgasm and lack of air. 

When she sits back on her calves, still softly rocking into you, the purpose for her trip to the bathroom is revealed. Two vibes seemingly appear in her hand out of thin air. She clicks one on, slipping it behind the harness to no doubt rest against her clit based on the moan she releases, and the other, she sends it to its highest setting and presses it to your swelling clit. 

The instant vibrations makes you throw your head back into the pillows, fingers now clenching the bed sheets as your back arches. 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more intense, she sets an even more brutal pace than before. Her hips slam into you at an ungodly speed, going deeper than she had before. 

You know the vibe plus her thrusts are going to send you over the edge long before she does and she’s hoping for it. 

Pressing the vibe even closer to your clit pushes you over. It seems as though your body adopts the vibration of the little toy. Your thighs quiver as you come but she doesn’t stop. 

With the next one, you feel as your juices nearly explode from you, soaking Kara and the bedsheets. A loud cry leaves your lips as your fingers wrap around the wrist of Kara’s hand holding the vibe. 

“Please, I can’t-” breathless words spill from your lips and Kara clicks the vibe off, stilling her hips and removing the vibe away from her own swollen bud. 

Blue eyes search your form as you breathe laboriously. Her hands rest at your hips, gently rubbing from them up to your sides in a soothing manner. 

It takes a long minute for you to finally breathe evenly, your chest now rising and falling in a less concerning way. 

Kara slips the dildo from you, your pussy clenching around nothing at the now empty feeling. She leans down to kiss your thigh,“ you did so well little one,” her lips ghost over your skin,“ look how much you came for me?” Sitting back, she allows you to look down at the large damp spot on the sheets, you felt it on your thighs, but seeing it on hers and the sheets makes you realize just how hard you truly came. 

“Well fuck,” you mumble, head falling back against the pillows,“ this is my favorite set.” Both of you chuckle at the little joke.

Having tossed the toys aside, your girlfriend moves to rest beside you, her elbow allowing her to prop her head on her hand.“ Are you okay?” She asks softly, combing her fingers through your unruly mane. 

You nod, kissing the palm of her hand when it lays against your cheek to back up your words. 

“Okay,” her thumb strokes your cheek,“ I’ll run a bath.”

She rolls out of bed and your head lolls to the other side to watch her naked form head to the bathroom.“ If this is what I get for misbehaving,” your words make her stop at the door, gaze catching yours over her shoulder,“ I might have to do it more often.”

* * * * * *

Taglist: @owloftheshadows @zhellas 

[thebadgerclan]

The General’s Visit

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x reader

Requested by Anonymous

Summary: General Kirigan finds more than his troops’ progress on his visit to Kribirsk...

The news had spread like Inferni fire around the Second Army camp in Kribirsk: General Kirigan was coming.  Word was that he wanted to observe how his troops were doing, see their training regiments for himself.  The letter had arrived in your superior’s office with the Darkling’s seal, the sun in eclipse, and you along with the other two highest ranking Grisha were summoned to Lieutenant Ivanov’s tent.

Lieutenant Ivanov was the head of your regiment, a powerful Tidemaker selected by General Kirigan himself.  Below her were three captains, one from each Order of the Grisha.  You were Captain of the Corporalnik, a heartrender, which made you the highest ranking of the three captains.  You had 20 soldiers under your command, 10 heartrenders and 10 healers, each with varying strengths and talents.  But one thing was consistent: they all wanted to impress their general.

“Get your soldiers in shape,” Lieutenant Ivanov commanded.  “They need to look the part as well as act it.  Pristine, strong, well groomed.  I expect to see naught a hair out of place.”  “Yes ma’am,” the three of you replied in unison.  “General Kirigan arrives in two day’s time.  Be ready.”  You and your fellow captains spent the next two days patching keftas, tidying your quarters, and training hard.  Finally, the morning of the Darkling’s arrival came, and you could say with confidence that your soldiers were ready.

You stood alongside your men and women, red kefta buttoned, hair swept back, hands folded at your back.  The other captains did the same, and Lieutenant Ivanov stood before her soldiers.  The black coach rolled into camp, and all of you stiffened.  You watched as the oprichniki stepped from the coach, opening the door for the Darkling.  General Kirigan stepped down, the air of regalness surrounding him.

“General Kirigan,” Ivanov greeted, extending her hand to him.  “Welcome to Kirbirsk.  We are honored by your presence here.”  “I am honored to be here.  I must admit, I’m eager to see my soldier’s progress.”  “They’re doing quite well.  Might I introduce our captains?  This is Captain L/N, head of the Corporalnik.”  “Moi Soverennyi,” you greeted, shaking his offered hand.  “A pleasure to meet you.”

Kirigan’s gaze softened when he looked at you, his whole demeanor changed.  His heart was racing; he’d never laid eyes on a more beautiful woman.  “The pleasure is all mine, Captain.”  He brought your hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over your knuckles, and you gasped.  It’s just chivalry, you thought.  The other captains were men, General Kirigan would not kiss their hands, you were sure of that.  But what if it’s not just chivalry?

Of course you thought the General was handsome, you’d have to be blind not to.  Every woman and a fair amount of men pined for the General, they all wanted to earn his favor, to turn his gaze in their direction.  And you’d done just that, in the few seconds you’d been in his presence.  Your heart was pounding, and you used your power to slow it; you could not afford to be a blushing girl right now.  You were a captain of the Second Army, and you would behave as such.  

***

General Kirigan met the captains of the Etheralnik and the Materialnik, but his thoughts remained on you.  Aleksander had met countless women in his centuries long life, but none of them were nearly as beautiful as you.  You were a vision, powerful and strong too.  “Would you care to see our training regiments?  The Corporalnik are working in the clearing at the moment.”  Of course, part of his trip was to see his soldiers train, to see how they lived and the progress they were making, but he couldn’t stop the leap his heart gave at the prospect of seeing you again.

“I would be delighted,” he replied, following Lieutenant Ivanov into the clearing.  You were walking amongst your soldiers, barking orders as you oversaw their drills.  “Petyr, twilight!” you called, and a young man raised his hands.  The girl before him dropped to the ground, unconscious.  “Alexei, stupor!”  Another soldier raised his arms, and the boy before him dropped into a daze, as if drunk.  You nodded to the woman next to you, and she released a wild rabbit from a cage.  “Ana, down!”  She raised his hands, and the rabbit fell, dead in its tracks.

“Well done,” Aleksander praised, and your soldiers snapped to attention.  “Thank you, sir.  They’ve made excellent progress.”  “I can see.  May I have a word with you, Captain?”  “Of course,” you replied, following him a few feet away from your soldiers.  “Forgive me if I’m too forward, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the privilege to meet.”  The complement set your heart racing again and a blush to your cheeks, but you smirked.

“I’m sure you say that to all the captains you meet, General,” you said.  “Oh I assure you, only to the exceptionally beautiful ones.  And at that, only the strongest and most powerful ones.  Do you by chance have an amplifier?”  You nodded, pulling the tooth of a fox from beneath the collar of your kefta.  “Since I was 12.”  “Impressive.  Would you perhaps like to have dinner with me tonight?”  You smiled, looking at your boots.  “Thank you, sir, but I can’t.  We’ve only just met, and I dine with my men most nights.  But please don’t think me rude, sir, I appreciate your offer.”  “Of course, of course.  Maybe once we get to know each other more?”  You laughed softly.  “We’ll see.”

***

As the week went on, as Aleksander observed the men and women of Kribirsk’s Second Army, he only fell harder for you.  Not only were you stunningly gorgeous and incredibly powerful, you were kind, sweet, and personable.  You were one of the first at your soldiers’ sides when they were injured, you encouraged them when they were struggling, you praised them when they succeeded.

You’d been deeply flattered by the general’s offer, but you’d declined nonetheless.  You wanted to say yes, to leap into his arms and declare your love for him, but duty called, and you were also slightly wary.  If you were going to tumble with the general, you wanted to be sure he truly felt the way he claimed.  General Kirigan had attempted to ask you to have dinner with him, to go on a ride with him, to tour the village with him, but you’d denied him every time.

At this point, you were playing hard to get.  You knew that the Darkling’s feelings were true, that he was in love with you, but it was just a bit too fun to give up the charade.  But on the fifth night of General Kirigan’s visit, Fedyor arrived at your tent.  “The general wished to see you,” he said, and you stood, following him to the large black tent.  Fedyor paused just outside, the Darkling clearly wanted to see you alone.

You entered the tent, eyes adjusting to the dim light.  “General, you asked to see me?”  “Yes,” he said, rising from his desk.  “I did.  Captain, I was wondering; I’ve offered my company to you several times, yet you turn me down.  Is there a reason behind this?”  His eyes glinted in the candlelight, and you stepped closer, smiling.  “Well sir, my duty is first and foremost to my soldiers.  There is little time for much else.”

“I see.  But would dinner with me be too arduous a task?”  The Darkling slowly strode closer to you, and your heart leapt into your throat.  “Perhaps not,” you said, inching closer yet.  “But what would my men think?  I wouldn’t want to be seen as playing favorites.”  General Kirigan huffed, playfulness gone from his face.  “Don’t you see, Y/N?” he asked, using your given name for the first time.  “See what, sir?” you teased back.

But Kirigan was done playing; he stepped forward and took you into his arms, kissing you deeply.  His arms were tight around your middle lips firm against yours, holding you tight to him.  He kissed you for a long time, and when he pulled back, you were both breathless.  “I’ve been wanting to do that all week,” the Darkling said, forehead against yours.  “General-”  “Aleksander.  Please, call me Aleksander.”

“Aleksander, I…” you trailed off, unsure of what to say.  “I love you.  I am in love with you, Y/N.  Come to Os Alta with me.”  He wasn’t sure where the proposition came from, but he was sure of his words.  “I want you with me, love.  Come to the Little Palace with me.”  “What about my men?”  He adored your dedication to your soldiers, and Aleksander kissed your forehead.  “I’ll help you find a new captain.  I can’t bear the thought of being apart from you.”

You went on your tiptoes and kissed him again.  Aleksander held you tighter to him, deepening the kiss.  “I love you too,” you said against his lips.  “I love you, Aleksander, I love you too.”  Aleksander held you for a while longer before leading you to a settee, offering you wine.  “So,” you said after a while.  “Did you find everything you were looking for on this visit?”  Aleksander kissed your forehead.  “That and more, my dear.”

[solalunar-eclipse]

A Gift To Remember

Summary: Shadow receives a gift for his birthday that causes a series of very interesting (and often cute) events.

Word count: about 7500 words

Author’s Note: I didn’t realize today was Shadow’s birthday! At the moment I’m more than a little confused because the release dates for SA2 say everything from the 18th to the 23rd, but this seems to be the one, so here this is!

Also, to that one anon whose question about this fic I never quite managed to answer- sorry about that and I do hope you’re still here to read this!

...

The main room of Team Dark’s home was, on a normal day, at least somewhat clean- which was in and of itself surprising, considering the fact that three teenagers lived there. (It was, of course, slightly less surprising when it was noted that one of these teenagers was a giant robot, one was already a businesswoman, and one had grown up in an incredibly clean environment.)

At the moment, however, said room was currently rather less clean, instead covered in various colorful signs, streamers, balloons, and other such decorations. After all, today was a very special day.

When Shadow and Rouge had discovered they shared a birthday (or creation day for Shadow, technically), they both became infinitely more determined to celebrate it for the other’s sake. This had actually, interestingly enough, also ended up making them enjoy their own festivities more than they had in quite some time.

Omega, meanwhile, had officially decided that this was his favorite day of the year.

Over the past few days, Rouge had already received a few presents from various people she knew in the line of clothes, makeup, or jewelry- but as much as she loved gems, her favorites so far were definitely the ones Omega and Shadow had gotten for her: a laser cutter that could slice through anything and a pair of (stylish) infrared goggles, respectively.

Shadow had just opened his present from Omega, which happened to be a sword that looked very cool...but was also longer than his actual body. This wasn’t actually as big of a problem for him as might be expected, as he’d gotten used to handling weapons several times his size during the alien invasion a little while back. 

He had, however, been told rather quickly by Rouge to put it away ‘before you slice the wall in half, this place does cost money, you know!’.

Next, Rouge placed her present in his hands, but at first all Shadow could do was just stare at it. This was likely because the gift wasn’t actually wrapped, but instead consisted of a box made of wood slats and filled, oddly enough, with paper shavings. There were quite a few ribbons on it, though, in an attempt to make up for the lack of other decorations.

“I couldn’t wrap it, or else the present wouldn’t have worked.” she explained, sitting back down to watch him open it.

After prying off the top and shifting aside some of the paper pieces, the hedgehog froze.

Inside, there sat a single white chao egg.

Carefully lifting the egg out of the box, Shadow held it gingerly, as though he were afraid it might try to bite him if he wasn’t gentle enough.

“Rouge…” he began nervously. “Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate this, but...are you sure I’m the best person to be taking care of a chao?”

“Of course, hon!” she said. “You’ve taken care of them before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but…” Shadow protested, “...are you sure I’ll be able to do as well at home? The garden is their natural habitat…”

Omega folded his arms. “YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. OF COURSE YOU CAN RAISE A CHAO.”

“That’s right!” Rouge added. “The chao are always happy when you take care of them- this time isn’t going to be any different.”

“…I suppose so.” Shadow conceded, taking a deep breath. He began to rock the egg slowly from side to side. “Here we go-”

A crack appeared across the pristine white surface. The split spread rapidly while Shadow sat and watched, making sure not to move the egg about much. Chao had to hatch their eggs on their own- it was the way they first began to strengthen themselves. 

Rouge laughed. “See? You know exactly what you’re doing!”

Shadow studiously ignored her and continued to focus on the egg. Then, suddenly, a chirp came from inside and the whole top half came flying off.

The hybrid looked at his newborn chao...and his heart (though he’d never admit it) immediately melted. Soft, big eyes gazed up at him, an overjoyed smile on the creature’s face. It cooed happily upon seeing him give a small smile back, and he reached out and began to gently pat its head.

The chao broke into an even wider smile as its eyes closed blissfully, the little sphere above its head popping into a heart. Shadow continued to pet it, offering gentle words of praise, and might have continued like that for the next ten minutes had a camera noise from Omega not made him look up in alarm.

“ADDING IMAGE TO FILE: SHADOW BEING SOFT.” he declared, while Rouge looked on with a giant grin.

“You will do nothing of the sort-” Shadow growled, jumping to his feet, before a soft whimper from his chao stopped him. Its eyes were watery, wide and distressed, and the hybrid immediately scooped it up in his arms, holding it close. It relaxed quickly, snuggling into his chest fluff, and he shot Omega one last semi-serious glower before turning his attention back to the newborn.

Omega promptly took another picture.

…

Later that day, at the party that all of their friends had thrown for them, the chao and Shadow were nearly inseparable. It tended to rest in his lap when he was sitting or rode in between his ears whenever he stood up to get something. Eventually, though, the excitement of a new environment overwhelmed its initial nervousness, which unfortunately led to Shadow returning from the dining room with his hands full of plates of food to discover his chao crawling along the precarious edge of a bookshelf.

Suddenly, the chao’s footing slipped, and Shadow froze, unable to move or do anything- but then Sonic of all people noticed and was already there, leaping up and catching the chao before resting it snugly in his arms. “Looks like someone’s already progressed to the giving-their-owner-a-heart-attack stage, hm?” he asked, smirking at the little creature.

“Thank you.” Shadow said as his chao was returned to him, trying very hard to ignore the way his hands and Sonic’s brushed in the process.

(He’d been nursing a bit of a crush on the hero for a while now, but had decided to ignore it until it wore off. Sonic had admirers from all across the globe vying for his attention- it was absurd to think that anything could happen between them.)

…

Over the coming weeks, all three members of Team Dark made sure to rework their schedules so that someone was always home to watch over the chao- no more climbing on bookcases for the little one now. Shadow did most of the caretaking, feeding, training, cleaning, and providing Chaos Drives (mostly green) to the chao. Rouge did, however, occasionally claim she could ‘handle the extra work’ to give him some spare time and Omega even took it upon himself to watch it every so often.

Sometimes, Shadow and his chao would even cook together in the kitchen (a hobby he’d discovered he enjoyed after finding out that Rouge tended to eat takeout all the time- “You can’t live off that day in and day out- you’re not me, Rouge!”). The sight of a tiny pale blue creature determinedly lifting a bag of flour and flying it across the room was awfully cute- especially after Shadow bought it a tiny apron in what he unconvincingly claimed was an accidental purchase. 

Shadow never made accidental purchases.

As much as the hybrid took care of it, though, the chao also seemed to be helping him. He smiled more, glowered less, and generally seemed more tolerant of mistakes than he had been in the past. Nowadays, errors that would once have caused him to go off on a rant or huff about were now met with a calmer ‘it’s okay’ or an offer for help fixing it.

He often laid a hand on it in his sleep or curled around it protectively, and could easily be seen patting its head, carrying it around, or even- when he thought he was alone- nuzzling it gently. The amount of time and care he put into making sure that his chao was happy would have been astonishing to anyone who hadn’t already seen how much he cared about his friends.

It was no surprise then that, before long, Rouge and Omega woke up one morning to find the chao inside a cocoon (and also a very stressed-out Shadow).

The hedgehog promptly called in sick for the entire week- an incredible occurrence for him. He’d originally sworn that since he couldn’t get ill, he’d give his sick days to others when they needed it, but now that was all out the window. He wanted nothing more than to stay home and essentially sit and stare at the cocoon until it hatched.

While the two other members of Team Dark managed to convince him to eat, sleep, and do chores on regular intervals, whenever Shadow had a spare moment he’d stay in his room, watching and waiting. Their friends got so worried that Rouge and Omega had used everything in their power to coax him out of the house twice over those five days, but he refused to do any more. Even then his outings had to come with the promise that they’d both stay home, check it every five minutes, and call him the absolute moment something happened.

On the sixth day of waiting, the cocoon began to hatch while Shadow was attempting to discreetly read out loud to the chao from one of his favorite books. The moment he saw the split, he dropped the novel, jumped up, and shouted louder than he had in months- “Rouge! Omega! It’s HAPPENING!”

He hovered so closely around the cocoon that Omega had to physically pull him back as Rouge reminded him to give the chao more space. Within moments, the split had widened enough for a single black paw to poke out, feeling around carefully for some sort of purchase to pull itself the rest of the way outside. Soon enough, it had succeeded, earning- impressively enough- widened eyes from Omega and a gasp from both Shadow and Rouge.

Frowning light blue eyes were set in an equally grumpy (albeit adorable) face, with two little black ears and three tiny quills on the chao’s head. The ears and quills both had red stripes, as did the arms, legs, and even its tail. A red crescent shape sat on its chest, and two tiny purple bat wings flapped slowly behind it.

In short, it looked a lot like a tiny Shadow.

The hedgehog in question reached out carefully and began to pet his chao, offering some quiet words of praise, but before long it flew up and settled in its favorite spot in between his ears. When Shadow turned around to face his friends, they were met with the sight of a little glowering creature settled on top of his head…which really did look far too similar to the hybrid himself when he was irritated. 

Rouge covered a smile with both of her hands. “Shadow...hon…”

He frowned at her, only serving to make the resemblance more obvious. “What?”

“It looks exactly like you!”

“Not really- it has blue eyes and...bat wings…” He looked up at her suddenly. “Rouge...how much time have you been spending with Spark again?”

“Oh, just a little- wait, Spark?” she said quickly, redirecting his attention.

Shadow flushed a bright green at that. “I might’ve already picked out a name...does it sound alright?” he asked, studiously looking anywhere but at his friends.

The chao chirped at the name and snuggled a little further into the fur on his head, seemingly pleased with the title. 

He began to smile at that. “You like that name, do you?” he asked teasingly.

“It sure looks like it! I think it’s a lovely name, hon.” Rouge added.

The chao cooed, cementing its name with all of the team (whether Omega would admit it or not).

Now, if anything, Shadow and his chao were even more close than before. Rouge even bought it a tiny leather jacket to match his style, which was quickly deemed by everyone (especially their friends, to whom she’d sent about fifty photos) the most adorable thing ever. 

...

One day, Shadow came home from lunch out with Silver and Blaze only to discover a quite unexpected scene- though he really should have seen it coming, considering what he’d noticed after his chao had hatched. Rouge was kneeling next to the sofa, scratching Spark behind the ears and saying in what could only be described as a baby voice, “Who’s your favorite momma? Me, that’s right. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Uh….” he interrupted, feeling more than a little uncertain as to how to respond to this. He was torn between “I didn’t know you had a baby voice” and “I’m glad to see you and Spark getting along” and wasn’t entirely sure which one to go with here.

The bat, on the other hand, jumped a good three feet in the air at the sound before glaring at Shadow furiously. “Don’t startle me like that!” she shouted, more than a little tense...and also a bit worried?

The hybrid didn’t react, instead saying “It’s nice to see you spending time with Spark too, Rouge.” with a smile. 

She relaxed a little at that, and Shadow sighed. “Rouge, I wouldn’t make fun of you- I do the same kind of thing, don’t I?”

“You’re right, you’re right.” the bat admitted. “I just had to! It looks like me- it even has my wings! How could I not?”

Shadow moved to sit down on the sofa at that, reaching out to pat the chao as well. Rouge smiled at him gratefully, and then they both looked down at the cute creature in between them, who was promptly staring up at both with a confused look on its face. After a moment, though, it seemed to realize that everything was alright and nuzzled both Mobians before curling up on the couch happily.

…

Another time, the entire team was out grocery shopping at their favorite store when Spark’s eye was caught by the soft, warm cinnamon buns sitting behind a glass case. After a minute or two of desperate pulling at the seams- to no avail- it flew over to Shadow and began to poke at his shoulder until he turned to look at it.

“Yes? What is it?” he asked, giving the chao a little scratch under the chin.

The chao pointed excitedly at the sweet treats, but its expression melted into one of dismay upon hearing him say “No, Spark, that’s not very good for you- and it’s too big for you to finish all by yourself, too.”

It mimed a clock insistently- they didn’t go to the store that often, after all- its frown deepening all the while. Shadow felt a little uncertain- he enjoyed giving the chao treats, but was now really the best time to feed it so much sugar? It could end up flying all over the place, and he really didn’t feel like getting banned from yet another grocery store. (The last one had been because Omega got a little too excited while messing around with the shopping cart and had melted it and twisted it into a knot...somehow. They were rapidly escorted out after that.)

Suddenly, though, the chao shuffled forward, took one of his fingers in between its tiny paws, and stared up at him with the softest, most pleading look it could possibly manage, its eyes wide and mouth quivering. “No...no, come on…” Shadow protested weakly, but already his resistance was melting away. It practically seemed to be saying haven’t I been good all week? Can’t I please just have this one treat? and the hybrid was in no condition to fight back.

Within moments, Spark was holding a cinnamon roll and dug into it with glee, only pausing once to nuzzle Shadow happily and offer him a quick bite as thanks. He accepted the gesture of appreciation easily (even though now his face had sugar on it after the chao’s affectionate thank-you) and was more than happy to see his chao smiling broadly with the treat in its hands.

…

The chao was, of course, still a great help to Shadow as well. One night in particular, it woke up to the sounds of quiet whimpering and began to look around, startled. For a moment, it turned to its caretaker for help- and then discovered that he was the one in trouble.

Shadow was curled up on his side, his brow creased in distress and his whole body shaking terribly. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and occasionally the most terribly saddening sounds would escape his mouth. Once or twice, a tear escaped and trickled down his face.

Spark crawled up to his face gently, licking away the tear and nuzzling his cheek. Shadow shuddered briefly, but seemed to relax almost infinitesimally when the dark chao pressed itself against his chest for a moment. Eventually, the creature managed to get him to roll onto his back, at which point it crawled onto his chest, hoping that this would help him begin to relax.

It really did work- within moments, the small, warm weight on his chest made Shadow’s breathing even out and his shivers ease as the nightmare that was plaguing him began to fade.

Spark curled up, pleased with itself, and fell back asleep not long after.

…

There was just one problem amongst all this newly-discovered happiness that came with the chao. Ever since it had evolved out of its cocoon, Omega seemed as though he were hardly willing to interact with it.

Rouge or Shadow would hand it over to him, only to get it back less than a minute later. He spent the least amount of time with it out of the three, but when he was asked if he didn’t like the chao, he never said as much. 

Omega didn’t tend to lie...but then why wouldn’t he do anything with it?

Once or twice, they’d caught him merely staring at Spark as the little creature sat on the couch, his optics clicking but otherwise utterly silent. The two Mobians hardly knew what to make of it- he’d never acted like this before.

They finally had the opportunity to discover why he was behaving strangely several days later, though, entirely due to an accident on Shadow’s part. Rouge and Omega had been answering a distress call regarding some rogue G.U.N. robots and needed to call in the hybrid to help. He’d driven his motorbike directly to the scene and leapt straight into battle…

...and hadn’t noticed Spark peeking out of the bag he’d left on his bike.

The chao- while fast, to be sure- was in no way prepared for a full-on battle. While at first it had hoped to help its little family, flying about uncertainly in hopes of doing something, it quickly discovered that the only thing it could really do was to hide behind an upended concrete slab and hope it wasn’t noticed.

That, unfortunately, didn’t quite work out.

It didn’t take long before one of the rogue drones spotted a fourth heat signature aside from the three it was fighting and began to stalk towards it, charging its laser cannon in the process. Shadow, confused at first, felt his stomach drop in horror upon seeing his tiny chao shaking in fear as the machine advanced on its hiding spot. He hadn’t thought to bring a Chaos Emerald, believing this would be an easy battle- and Rouge was busy in the air.

The laser cannon on the drone was almost fully charged, and Shadow fired up his skates in a futile attempt to somehow reach Spark before-

A white hot blast lit up the area.

Shadow couldn’t have stopped the strangled cry that came from his mouth if he had wanted to. The smoke began to clear, and he almost couldn’t look…

Something stirred within the haze, and as it cleared away, Shadow felt his whole body sag with relief upon seeing Omega shifting to an upright position from where he’d shielded the chao with the back of his chassis, blocking the full force of the laser. He let out a sigh as he caught a glimpse of Spark held safely in Omega’s hand as the other one retracted to reveal a flamethrower.

“MY TURN.”

Within moments, the drone was just so much melted slag on the floor and the battle’s tide was turned. Shadow and Rouge dispatched the other robots and then rushed to Omega, who had held onto the chao this entire time.

“Omega...thank you.” Shadow said, taking Spark from his friend and holding it tightly.

“IT WAS- zzzt- NOTHING.” Omega said, a sudden staticky buzz splitting his sentence in two.

“Omega?” Rouge asked, her eyes narrowing. “What happened to you?”

“NOTHING.” he said hurriedly, his voice still glitching. “WAIT- DON’T YOU D-DARE-”

The three had already begun looking to see what had happened...but then froze when they saw the damage his back panel had taken while shielding Spark from the blast. A giant, smoking hole of warped and fused metal was burned into his chassis, revealing a bunch of melted and sparking wiring that definitely needed urgent attention.

“Omega…” Shadow looked horrified.

Rouge frowned, confused. “Why would you do this to yourself? I know how much you hate having to go get repairs.”

The robot let out a burst of static that sounded almost like a resigned sigh. Turning around, he muttered, “IT’S LI-LITERALLY YOU. AND ROUGE. BUT TINY. THAT APPEARS TO HAVE… STRANGE EFFECTS- zzzt- ON MY BEHAVIOR.”

“Do you...not like those effects?” Rouge asked, now clearly shifting into ‘I’m figuring things out’ mode. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding it so often?”

“I AM A ROBOT OF MASS DESTRUCTION. I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR TINY CREATURES SUCH AS THIS ONE. I SHOULD NOT FEEL ANY ‘WORRY’ ABOUT IT- AND YET-” Omega cut off there with a frustrated crackle.

Shadow still didn’t understand. “You’ve always been a robot of mass destruction, but you never thought it was weird to worry about us before.”

“THAT WAS DIFFERENT!” Omega insisted. “YOU BOTH ARE POWERFUL. IT IS NATURAL THAT RESPECT AND CONSEQUENTLY OTHER THINGS SHOULD COME FROM THAT. BUT THIS-! IT HAS NO DESTRUCTIVE QUALITIES! BUT STILL I...YOU KNOW...”

“It’s official, Omega.” Rouge said at that, a smirk growing on her face. “You’re becoming more and more like us...organics are always weak for cute things.”

“IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT I SHOULD COME TO THIS.” he grumbled.

“It’s not so bad, really.” Shadow said, placing a hand on his arm.

“And that’s coming from the guy who never used to admit he cares about people!” Rouge insisted. “Omega, you know you don’t have to be embarrassed about that kind of thing here- you’d never make fun of Shadow for not being tough all the time, would you?”

“I GUESS NOT…” he said, still seeming irritated.

At this point, Spark flew up to sit in Omega’s hand, looking up at the robot with its little frowning face, before reaching out and patting a single finger solemnly with its paw.

“OH NO.”

“Oh yes.” Rouge answered, grinning. “Let’s get you to Tails now though, okay? Then once you’re fixed up you can come home and pet the chao.”

Omega turned his head away and refused to dignify that with a response.

(He did, however, pet the chao when he got home. Nobody teased him about it, for which- while he’d never say it- he was rather grateful.)

…

It was inevitable, eventually, that Team Dark’s schedule wouldn’t be perfect and that they’d all have to be out and busy at some point. This, of course, meant that Spark would have to be dropped off at the chao daycare. 

Shadow had managed to force himself to reconcile with that fact, but the chao wasn’t nearly as good at that sort of thing.

On the day of, it was sobbing desperately, clinging to Shadow’s jacket with a tight grip as though it’d been handed a horrible punishment instead of a day spent at the warm, welcoming building in front of it. “It’s going to be alright. You’ll be okay, it’s just for a day. See, the Mobians who run it are very nice- won’t you look?” the hybrid whispered in a soothing voice, gently rubbing Spark’s head.

Omega stepped forward. “DON’T YOU...WANT TO SHOW HOW BRAVE YOU CAN BE?” he said awkwardly. Talking to the chao was still taking some getting used to for him, but he was definitely trying his best.

Rouge smiled warmly at that. “Of course! We’ll all be so proud of you, don’t you know that?”

“We can make a cake especially for you when you get home too, alright?” Shadow said, and that was the final thing the chao needed to hear. Wiping its eyes with a final few sniffles, it flew over to the little walkway towards the entrance and stood up tall, its body shaking slightly with leftover stress and its attempts not to cry.

“We love you!” Rouge called, blowing it a quick kiss.

“See you soon.” Shadow said gently, waving with a smile.

“YOU’LL BE THE BEST ONE THERE.” Omega added, shuffling in place a little.

The chao whimpered briefly, but then turned away and bounded into the daycare before it could lose its nerve. 

Throughout the morning, it remained relatively antisocial- a bit like the hedgehog whose appearance it had taken- during the music and karate lessons. The other chao all babbled and played together, being mostly neutral and hero-types, and the few dark chao that were there wanted to cause an awful lot more trouble than Spark was in the mood for.

One thing that it noticed very clearly, though, was the extraordinarily frustrating presence of a royal blue hero and speed-type chao.

This chao didn’t seem to think even once (let alone twice) about anything it did. It banged on the drums until Spark’s ears were sore during music class and then somehow managed to smack it in the face during karate lessons twice, and all the while it chatted away with about five other chao all around it.

Needless to say, by midday, when it was playtime, Spark had just about had enough.

When the blue chao rushed directly through the little sand city that it had been carefully building, swiping everything away with a single dash, Spark growled, picked up the plastic shovel it had been playing with, and threw it so hard it whacked the other creature in the arm.

Snarling, it began to stomp off when it felt a hand on its shoulder. The blue chao darted away and began hurriedly to try and rebuild the city, occasionally glancing up at Spark with an apologetic expression in its eyes.

It...looked awfully sad, actually.

Suddenly, the dark chao remembered how it had quickly stopped banging on the drums when the teacher had told it to, and how it had looked rather guilty when it had smacked Spark in the face, and how excited it was when talking with the other chao…

Maybe it was just a little clumsy sometimes.

Spark sighed a little. The other meant well, it decided, as its anger began to fade. It appreciated the apology...but now the sculptures were gone and it couldn’t get them back. Then, though, its gaze fell upon a pair of toy cars sitting nearby. 

Pulling the blue chao over to a strip of flat, packed earth nearby, it gave one car to its surprised companion and then set its own down at a line that could work quite well as the start of a race.

Soon enough, the other creature worked out the idea and began to cheer with delight, and before long they were racing cars like they’d been friends since the start. Eventually, they even switched to running races themselves, over and over again until they were all worn out and collapsed on the cool grass in a heap. Before long, though, they were up and at it again, only this time they started with a building game, and then had a little fun with the musical instruments, and soon enough Spark couldn’t help but wonder how they had ever fought in the first place.

Eventually, they decided that their next activity would be a race to the top of the jungle gym they noticed nearby. Spark was determined not to lose as it scrambled up the bars. It pulled itself paw over paw up the structure, getting closer and closer to the top, until-

Suddenly, a bar that it had been sure existed in front of it only a moment ago was now clearly just a little too far away, and the mistake caused it to reel forward, desperately clinging to the slippery bar it sat on. It twisted head over heels until it slid and fell all the way back to the ground, the wind slammed forcefully out of its little lungs.

Spark gasped soundlessly, trying and failing to pull air back into itself. After several agonizing seconds, it finally caught its breath- and then nearly got it knocked back out again by the impact of its new friend.

Regaining focus, the dark chao realized with a start that its friend was practically wailing into its chest, the soft blue creature shaking with desperate, panicked sobs. It looked up quickly, its eyes swollen and teary, and then reached out with its paws and hurriedly patted Spark’s body down, as though to reassure itself that the dark chao was still there. 

The creature in question sat up and pulled its friend into a tight hug, feeling nothing less than awful as the blue chao sniffled and whimpered worriedly in its arms. Eventually, it managed to calm down enough to amble over to a small nest made of blankets especially for tired chao and lay down there next to Spark. The two chao curled up together, nuzzling gently as the shaky breaths of the blue one finally evened out.

Spark felt the little ball over its head pop into a heart shape, and noticed briefly that its friend had done the same. They remained curled up like that for the last half-hour or so of their time in the daycare, alternately simply cuddling or talking about their respective owners.

Spark hoped they’d get to spend more time with this friend of theirs soon.

…

Shadow pulled up to the daycare on his motorcycle at closing time, doing his best to smooth out his frazzled quills. It wouldn’t be very good to let his chao know that he’d been nearly as worried about it as it had felt itself. 

He sighed, making his way towards the entrance of the building- and instantly felt the last wisps of his composure vanish upon seeing Sonic standing just inside. Before he could panic and flee the area at top speed, his legs (which didn’t seem to have received the message just yet) carried him through the door and inside.

Almost immediately, the blue hedgehog turned to face him with a bright smile. “Oh! Hey, Shadow!” Sonic said happily. “I didn’t know you brought your chao here, too! I’ve gotta say hi to the little guy again sometime!”

“This is my first time bringing it here. If it’s alright with that…I suppose you may.” the hybrid said, trying his best to sound coherent and cool (but actually just seeming stiff and awkward).

They talked for a little while as they waited for their chao to come out, chatting about their lives and friends. More than once, Shadow had to pinch himself in order to stay focused. His mind kept threatening to wander off into dreamland when he was around the hero, ready to admire his many great qualities (and wonderful appearance) at the drop of a hat.

Eventually, though, he became a bit worried by the fact that chao after chao were wandering out through the playroom door, being collected, and leaving…but neither Spark nor Sonic’s chao had even showed up. Soon enough, the two decided to walk into the room and find their tiny charges themselves.

“Uh, hi, mixter!” Sonic greeted the leopard who ran the daycare. “Didja see my lil’ buddy somewhere around here?”

“Oh, hello Sonic!” they said brightly- clearly the hero had been to this place quite a few times before. “Yes, your chao is over there in that nest there, sorry. I just hated to disturb those two…”

Shadow frowned. Those two?

His question was promptly answered when Sonic whisked aside the blanket covering the nest, only for both of them to stare at the sight inside.

Two purring chao, one clearly Sonic’s and the other obviously Shadow’s, were snuggled up together with big hearts floating over their heads. Even the hybrid’s dark chao, notorious for its ever-present frown, looked completely at peace with a small smile on its face.

He tried his best not to freak out.

“Erm…” Shadow began eloquently.

“Uh…” Sonic replied.

The two chao perked up at this, looking happily at their owners before nuzzling gently together in a manner that made Shadow’s stomach leap into his throat and then crash straight through the floor. In a further twist (both in events and in the striped hedgehog’s internal organs), Sonic’s chao then leapt happily into his arms, leaving Shadow to stare at the tiny version of his crush cuddling into his chest fur.

He sincerely hoped there was a convenient couch nearby for him to sit down on.

“Blu- come on-” Sonic began, looking oddly panicked for some reason, but then Spark sprang eagerly onto his shoulder and the hero rapidly fell silent as the dark chao nudged his cheek.

The two hedgehogs stared at each other for a long time. Shadow tried to move or do something other than just stand there, but it was awfully difficult when the hero was looking at him with those wide, soft green eyes….

“Er…Sonic?” Shadow finally choked out, in an odd, strained sort of tone.

“Yeah?”

“I think I’d like my chao back now.”

“Yeah.”

They each handed over their respective creatures, though Shadow felt rather reluctant to let such a tiny version of Sonic out of his arms. And for a moment he could almost have sworn that the hero held Spark a little longer than necessary, too…

…

Once he got home, the hybrid collapsed onto the couch and covered his eyes briefly with a hand. Spark, who had at first rushed into the kitchen (not having forgotten the promise of cake), came back and began to tug on his arm briefly before realizing that maybe Shadow wasn’t quite up to doing much of anything at the moment.

Rouge and Omega walked in just a moment later, their work having ended a little after Shadow’s. Upon seeing him slumped on the furniture, though, their greetings were cut short and instead replaced by worried questions.

Shadow sighed. “Spark...just spent a bunch of time cuddling with Sonic’s chao. And he noticed.”

“And that’s a good thing, hon.” Rouge shot back, having resisted a facepalm the moment she realized what all this was about.

“It is not!” the hedgehog cried out, before realizing that Spark was more than a little stressed by his tone of voice. “I’m not mad at you, don’t worry, it’s just...I already make enough of a fool of myself around him on my own. He’ll figure it out soon enough if we keep this up.”

“SO LET HIM.” Omega said. “EITHER HE STARTS DATING YOU OR HE’S AN IDIOT.”

Shadow blushed furiously. “It doesn’t work like that!”

“EXCEPT WHEN IT DOES.”

“Why don’t you tell him, hon?” Rouge asked. “I mean…” and here she developed a devious smile, “...didn’t his chao technically also act all affectionate with yours?”

The hybrid’s ears were bright green by now. “He’s nice to everyone, Rouge.”

At this point, Spark- who had left temporarily to get a pencil and paper- held up a drawing it had made of the scene at the jungle gym earlier. Shadow, of course, immediately began fussing over his chao, checking for any bruises or scrapes, but the bat in particular saw something entirely different.

“Kinda...reminds me of what happened on Space Colony ARK.” she mused. 

Shadow’s head shot up at that. “What?”

Rouge smirked, but it was bittersweet this time. “Your fall...it really hurt him too, y’know? He didn’t go out in public for a long time after that.”

“He...he never mentioned that to me…”

“He wouldn’t have!” she said. “Sonic isn’t the type to ‘bother’ others with his feelings.” Rouge explained, doing air quotes at one point.

“HE ALSO STARES AT YOU WHEN YOU ARE NOT LOOKING.”

“He what?!” By now Shadow had been reduced to just looking back and forth between his two friends. 

Spark flew in front of Shadow’s face and began to mime something. First pointing at Shadow, then a heart, then talking, then a hedgehog with all its quills pointed down…

“No! I can’t just tell him!”

“We’re hanging out with his team next week at the park- you should do it then.” Rouge replied, ignoring the last thing he’d just said.

“Did you not hear me, I can’t-”

“YOU WILL NEED SOMETHING NICE TO WEAR.” Omega said loudly over the rest of his sentence.

Spark cheered approvingly.

“So...you three have just decided for me whether or not I’m going to confess to Sonic.” Shadow sighed, beginning to resign himself to the fact.

“Absolutely, hon!” Rouge said brightly, slipping an arm around his shoulders.

He glowered at all three of them, but it lacked any real malice. “Alright, I’ll play along...for now.” he grumbled.

“EXCELLENT. LET THE PLANNING COMMENCE.”

…

One week later, Shadow was standing in the middle of a patch of grass, feeling like his knees were about to buckle as sweat trickled through his quills. He was no longer resigned to telling Sonic about his feelings and was in fact considering jumping into the nearby lake and hiding there for the duration of the hangout. His stomach- along with whatever scraps of resolve he may have had- were currently all the way back at their house.

On top of all that, he was frankly surprised he didn’t just spontaneously burst into flames when the other three Mobians showed up, Sonic in the lead.

“Hey guys!” he said excitedly. “Long time no see!”

Rouge snickered a bit at his catchphrase (it was one of many) but Shadow just felt his ears burn. He was just so cute and cheesy and already the hybrid’s mind was devolving into a mushy mess.

“Rouge, Omega.” he greeted them each, but he seemed to pause for a second on the last name. “...Shadow.”

The hedgehog in question thankfully managed a reply, and then the fun began in earnest. Knuckles and Shadow competed in several arm-wrestling matches with narration from Tails (“...aaaand Knuckles looks like he’s in the lead!”) and commentary from Omega (“YOU’RE LUCKY I DON’T ARM-WRESTLE OR ELSE BOTH OF YOUR ARMS WOULD BE BROKEN.”). Rouge and Sonic were busy pranking other innocent people, though once in a while the latter would look over at the competition, distracted.

Eventually, Tails and Omega got bored- which of course meant Knuckles and Shadow had to play the role of caretaker (“No, you can’t blow up trees. No, not even for ‘science’.”) for a little while.

At one point, though, Rouge got bored with the pranks and had dragged the echidna off to a park bench and was now flirting with him enough to turn his face as red as his spines. Tails had promised to behave- which now meant that he was halfheartedly attempting to convince Omega not to modify his cannon to launch ducks from the nearby pond- leaving Sonic and Shadow to themselves. Blu and Spark had been playing in the grass all this time (since both of them had brought their chao without really realizing that the other would do the same), and Shadow had very definitely not been thinking about how lucky his chao was that emotions were easy for it.

He remembered the talk his friends had given him before this outing then and wondered if maybe, just maybe, it could be that easy. Before he could stop himself, he’d already spoken.

“...Sonic?”

“Yeah?” the hero asked, turning to face Shadow.

“I...wanted to talk to you about something.” he said, regretting everything already because look how stupid he was about to seem...yet Shadow Robotnik the Hedgehog had never been one to do things by halves.

“Oh, really?” Sonic said, and now he almost looked relieved, for some reason. “I, uh, was actually hoping to do the same. That’s cool, what is it?”

“No, no, you go first.” Shadow urged him, hoping that he’d take the offer.

Unfortunately, today was not his lucky day. “No, man, you asked first! Go ahead, what was it?”

“Really- it’s fine.”

“No, you had something you wanted to say!” Sonic insisted.

“It’s okay, I swear-”

“Well, I guess-”

“I mean, if you want-”

“Okay-”

“You see-”

“I like you!”

Both hedgehogs shouted the words at the exact same time, before freezing and staring at each other.

“Wait…” Shadow began.

Sonic’s eyes were wide. “You like me back?!?” he gasped, hands flying up to his mouth.

“...yes.” he admitted, looking off to the side in embarrassment. Then it hit him. “Wait. You like me back?”

“Of course! How could I not?” Sonic asked incredulously. “You’re smart, funny, nice-” He’d begun listing off attributes while counting on his fingers, but cut himself off upon noticing Shadow’s confusion.

“Yes, but you’re a hero. The world’s hero.” Shadow began to frown, staring at the grass. “Why would you settle for someone like-”

“No.” Sonic growled, and the hybrid looked up suddenly to see his face twisted in anger. “Don’t ever say that.”

“But everyone thinks it…” Shadow protested weakly.

“Yeah, well, ‘everyone’ isn’t part of my love life.” Sonic assumed a slightly less aggressive stance, placing a hand on his hip. “Whoever’s been telling you that can either leave you alone or get their face introduced to my sneakers.”

Shadow blushed. “Nobody needed to. I just assumed...but perhaps I shouldn’t have.” he added quickly, seeing the hero begin to glower again. 

“That’s right!” he said, zipping over to stand directly in front of Shadow. “No assumptions here- talk to me from now on if something’s worryin’ you, ‘kay?”

Then, he seemed to notice the sudden stiffness in the hybrid’s posture, as well as the green flush slowly creeping up his ears. Sonic leaned forward with a smirk, resting his forearm on Shadow’s shoulder. “Thinkin’ about something?”

Shadow gulped.

For once, he decided that he could do what he wanted. So, he slowly reached up a hand and touched the peach fur on Sonic’s arm gently, like it was the most delicate thing in the world. 

Rather more quickly, Sonic turned a shade of bright red to rival Omega’s paint job.

“So, uh…” he began, his voice shaky. “Erm...do ya feel like sitting under that tree? Together?”

Shadow agreed, and the two walked over to the shady patch, sitting down and resting against each other. Soon enough, though, Sonic turned to face Shadow, a little nervous. “Do we, like, need to talk about this? Figure out...what to do about…us?” He started turning pink again.

“Maybe later. We have a lot of time, after all.” Shadow said, trying to contain the soaring feeling inside when Sonic said ‘us’- until he realized that he didn’t have to any longer.

“What’re you smiling about?”

“You. And me. Together.” Shadow said simply, making Sonic laugh and snuggle up against him, resting his head on a black-furred shoulder.

“Wow. That’s, uh….that’s new. I really like it though.”

Then, the hero looked up at him. “I really like you, too.”

At this point, a loud whistle could be heard from Rouge, who was standing not too far off and had likely heard a lot of what they’d said. Sonic just giggled, while Shadow shot her a death glare. She just winked and mouthed I’ll keep them occupied, at which point the hybrid tried not to show how very much he appreciated that and failed miserably.

And Sonic was purring now. Which of course meant that every single brain cell in Shadow’s head was promptly dead for the next five minutes.

After he’d recovered from that, Shadow wrapped his arms tightly around his...boyfriend? Maybe? He thought for a moment. “Hey, Sonic?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you feel about being my-” Shadow paused briefly to cough, trying to get the words out- “-boyfriend?”

“I think I like that a lot.”

Shadow smiled warmly, feeling the beginnings of a purr rise up in his own chest.

“I like that a lot, too. Almost as much as I like you.”

[isthataneren]

apologies ~ bakugou katsuki

request: hello! I was wondering if you could do a Bakugou x Reader (if requests are open ofc❤️). Maybe Bakugou said something he didn’t mean to the Reader, and she like leaves the middle of class to go to the bathroom to cry- and like some of the girls go to comfort her/ask if she’s doing fine. But that doesn’t help- so Bakugou ditches class and goes to comfort her in the girls bathroom, and the other girls are like “cUtE”. Sorry if this made no sense but I thought it would be cute 😳. love your writing!

a/n: Thank you! And of course! This is a really cute idea and I may have went overboard with it haha but I hope you like it! It kind of turned into a first ‘I love you’ scenario too...

∫ pairing: bakugou x fem!reader

∫ warnings: cussing, (too much?) fluff, slight angst in the beginning

∫ word count: 1.7k+

Being with Bakugou had its ups and downs. Most of the time he was kind to you in his own way; pressing a chaste kiss to your head before class in the morning as he walked by your desk or shoving a drink in your hand when he sat with you at lunch. 

Occasionally he would say things that others would see as mean to say, especially involving you and your fighting. Nothing bad necessarily, just criticizing your form. You knew he meant well with his slightly harsh remarks but sometimes he would say or do something that would hit you deep. Even if you knew what he said wasn’t intended to be offensive, it still could affect you. This has only happened once in your relationship so far, and today was that day, unfortunately.  

You were sitting in the classroom, waiting for the next class to start. Today had been pretty bad so far. There wasn’t much reason for why you felt so upset but you guessed it was all of the all nighters you’ve been pulling to finish a project that you didn’t even want to do to begin with. The other people who were supposed to help you ditched so you were stuck with doing all of the work. Figures.  

The stress had been weighing on you for a while, causing you to be pushed to a limit you didn’t know you had. 

Of course, this was also a day when Bakugou wasn’t feeling too nifty either. I mean, he normally didn’t look like he was happy but today he was even grumpier than normal. When you went to greet him, he only grunted in response, which in hindsight you should have picked up on right away that he didn’t want to be bothered. Due to your inability to pay attention when you’re stressed, however, it slipped your attention.  

It only got worse as the day progressed. You would try to ask him something and he would still only grunt at you, not bothering to look up from what he was doing. This was causing you to become a little more upset than you already were. Was he mad at you? Did you do something wrong? Did something happen that he wasn’t telling you?

All of the negative thoughts were causing your head to spin so you decided to do the only rational thing (at least it seemed rational at the time) and confront him about it.  

The bell had just wrung to signal class switch. You had around five minutes to ask Bakugou what was wrong.  

You slowly approached his desk, taking a deep breath to steel your nerves.

“Katsuki...”  

“...” No response.

“Is something wrong?”

“...”

Biting your lip, you toy with your uniform slightly, trying to push down the tears that are starting to form in your eyes.

“Did I say something yesterday to make you mad?”

“...”

“I’m sorry but please, talk to me!”

He finally snapped; his voice sharp.

“SHUT UP! Holy shit you’re annoying sometimes...”  

It felt like a weight fell on your shoulders, causing them to sag slightly as the tears you were holding back began to fall. His words finally pushed you to your limit.

“Oh...okay...”, you cough slightly to cover up a soft sob, “I-I’ll just go then.”  

And with that, you ran out of the classroom, avoiding the calls of your worried classmates. You ran until you reached the bathroom at the end of the hallway a couple halls down. After running inside, you slammed the stall door shut, collapsing in the tiny space, finally breaking down into sobs.

Mina turned to Bakugou, glaring at him.

“Bakugou what the hell man?”

She, along with the other girls of the class, ran out to follow you.

Bakugou slammed his palm on the desk, before sighing heavily, dragging his hand through his hair. He could feel the glares of some of his classmates burning through his back.

“Fuck.”

A couple of minutes later Jiro came through the door, worry displayed on her face. Her expression caused the others to tense slightly. Kirishima was the first to speak up.

“Is she alright? Where is she?”

“She’s in the bathroom. She won’t answer us. I can tell she’s crying though.”

Bakugou’s heart drops into his stomach when he hears that, his face faltering slightly. Jiro turns to him, giving him a pointed look.

“Bakugou, I think it would be best if you talked to her instead. You know she’s been having a hard week, right?”

Of course, he had noticed you were stressed but you tend to clam up so as to not bother him when you feel this way. Usually you come around and tell him what wrong but you didn’t this time. He felt stupid for not trying to talk to you sooner.

“I knew it had been shitty but not this shitty.”

“Well, right now she needs some comfort and you need to apologize.”

He was already going out of the door before she could finish her sentence.  

“I know.”

The bell wrung as soon as Bakugou located where the other girls were at. They all turned to face him with varying expressions. None of them were happy, though they all looked a little relieved that he showed up.

Not saying a word, he brushed past them but paused when he heard Momo speak.

“Don’t hurt her again.”

He replied instantly, his voice firm.

“I won’t.”

And with that, he let the door close behind him.

It was silent for a couple of seconds until Bakugou heard a soft sob.  

“Y/N?”

You fell silent, not wanting him to see or hear you when you were an absolute mess.

“Leave me alone.”

His heart cracked a little hearing the tears in your voice.

“I’ll leave you alone if you listen.”

“...”  

“I-”  

He sighed heavily. You could tell he was trying to figure out what to say.

“Fuck. I’m sorry.”

When you didn’t speak, he continued.

“I’m sorry for saying what I did. You’re not annoying. You never are. I was just frustrated about some shitty stuff that happened this morning and it had been bothering me to the point that it made me angry. I didn’t want to upset you which is why I wasn’t respondi-”

“You’ll miss class.”

He stared incredulously at the stall door that you were in. You really thought that was important at the moment?

“You think I care about some shitty class when you, the girl I love, are crying in the fucking bathroom because of me? Are you kidding? You’re more important to me than that.”  

His words made you tear up more but this time for a different reason. Slowly opening up the stall you look at him with eyes wide with surprise.

“You love me?”

Not moving, he stared back at you, defiant.  

“Yes, I love you. I know this isn’t the best way to say it,” he gestured with his hand at the fact that you were in a bathroom, “but you need to hear it. I want you to hear it. It doesn’t take back what I said, and that’s not what I’m trying to do but I mean it. I love you so fucking much it scares me sometimes. I thought the only thing I would ever care about is becoming the best pro-hero but then you walked through the door the first day of class.”  

He paused, closing his eyes and taking a breath to try to reign in his emotions a little. You just stood watching him, eyes still wide.

Opening his eyes, he continued.

“I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight because that would be a damn lie. But every day a little more of me seemed to become attracted to you until one day I realized that you were just as important to me as becoming a pro-hero. It scared me, feeling like this. When you ran out today, after I realized what I had said, I knew that I couldn’t avoid this anymore. I was scared that I was going to lose you. I still am. All because I can’t keep my shitty mouth shut.”  

His face was blushing slightly as he looked off to the side to avoid your gaze.  

“Katsu...”

Not even a second later a weight hit him.

“Wha-”

Your arms encircled his waist as you buried your face in his chest. Once he realized you were hugging him, he relaxed slightly, wrapping his arms around you as well.

It was silent for a second before you mumbled against him.

“I’m sorry for being overdramatic.”

He scoffed.

“Don’t apologize, you aren’t being dramatic. I’m the only one who needs to apologize. I should have been a better boyfriend and talked with you instead of fucking snapping your head off.”

Pulling away from him slightly you gave him a soft smile.

“Let’s work harder to talk about our problems then, yeah?”

Chuckling, he ruffled your hair before pulling away completely.

“Yeah.”

After a couple of seconds of looking at each other you had a realization.

“Wait a minute...You followed me into the girls’ bathroom?!”

He deadpanned. 

“Really? Again, you think I care?”

“Well no but...won’t you get in trouble?”

“We’re both going to get in trouble for being late to class so I don’t think it matters much.”

You nodded at his reasoning, ignoring his amused stare.

“I guess we should get back to class then. Everyone’s probably worried...”

“Tch.”

You walked to the bathroom door, opening it as you talked to Bakugou, who was close beside you.

“I wonder if they-” you paused, seeing that most of the girls were still outside of the bathroom, “uhhh guys? Why are you not in class?”

Uraraka smiled sheepishly while Mina eyed you both with a smirk on her face.

“We wanted to make sure you were alright...”

“Mic said he wouldn’t start until you guys were back. Jiro explained what was happening. We’ll probably get detention though.” Mina grinned. “It was so worth it.”

“EH?! What are you talking about raccoon eyes?”

“You guys are cute. You know that?”

“Shut it!”

Mina snorted before turning around waving slightly.

“Let’s go!”

The others followed while you hung back with Bakugou. He was grumbling under his breath about what Mina had said, causing you to grin slightly.  

“Katsuki?”

He looked at you, raising an eyebrow in question. Reaching out, you took his hand into yours before you leaned up to press a soft peck to his cheek.

“I love you too.”  

Letting go, you jogged to catch up with the girls who were walking into the classroom, leaving a very flustered and speechless angry boy behind.

[handsmotif]

The Queercoding of Pinky and the Brain

This originally was just me infodumping to my friends on discord, but I decided it might be interesting to some people on here, so I polished it up and made it an actual essay lmao

To start, we’re going to break this into 2 sections -- the relationship between the mice, and Pinky’s relationship with gender, because queercoding doesn’t just mean gay!

For a 90′s show, Pinky and the Brain (and its mother show, Animaniacs) was very progressive for its time! But there were still lots of things that they couldn’t slip by censors, and thus, that’s where we have to read between the lines. And that is something I wanted to clarify here before we dive in, the actual meaning of queercoding. It’s NOT the same as queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is when the people producing certain media purposefully dangle the possibility of queer representation to lure in audiences (most prominent examples are BBC Sherlock, Riverdale, and Supernatural I GUESS? who knows abt that last one anymore), but never follow through, purely for profit. Queercoding is when media producers WANT to write in queer representation, but can’t, usually because the censors won’t let them. So, they must resort to subtext. (example: the policemen from Gravity Falls) It could also be unintentional, simply assigning certain characteristics associated with the LGBT community to characters. (example: Bugs Bunny, many Disney villains) Either way, it heavily relies on the audience picking up subtext, but whether it’s malicious or not varies, depending on the media. Bugs Bunny is an example of positive accidental queercoding, while a lot of Disney villains are negative examples.

Now, to actually discuss the gay little mice! Pinky and the Brain, whether it be intentional or not (based off comments from Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, and Tom Ruegger, signs strongly point to intentional, but it’s never been explicitly confirmed), is an example of positive queercoding.

There are many moments that I could pick out to discuss here, but we’ll start with some VERY on the nose gay metaphors. 

Remember Romy? If you don’t, that’s their actual biological son! Romy came about due to a cloning accident, where their DNA got combined and spat him out. 

There’s SO many things I could say about Romy. Every appearance he makes has an overarching gay metaphor as the plot. His first appearance in the episode Brinky (yeah it’s literally titled their ship name), it deals with his dads (WHICH I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, he DOES call them both dad, and they do both call him their son) disapproving of the fact that he wants to leave home and not follow in their footsteps of taking over the world. Brain even goes as far as disowning him whenever he tells him, which is certainly something a lot of queer people can unfortunately relate to. Also seen a lot in this episode is Pinky and Brain arguing even more than a married couple than usual, which pushes Romy away even further. Later, when Romy eventually does leave, and Brain starts to regret chasing him away, he tries desperately to reach out to him, but Romy doesn’t want anything to do with him. They end up tracking him down to an apartment building, where Romy is now living with his human girlfriend. When questioned about their relationship, the girlfriend, named Bunny, goes off on a tangent about how people shouldn’t judge others based on labels or relationships (hello?), and that Brain needs to be more tolerant. Brain apologizes and Romy forgives him. Happy ending.

Romy’s only other appearance is in the comics. Essentially, the plot of this one is that Brain wants to become the president of the local high school’s PTA, but he needs Romy’s help to make it look like he has a normal home life. He also enlists the help of Billie, the obligatory Woman introduced to make sure Brain doesn’t look as gay as he actually is, that he has a crush on. She pretends to be his girlfriend, and Pinky pretends to be Romy’s uncle, while they make up the story that Romy’s actual mother was lost at sea. Because if the organization found out that Brain has a son with a MAN??? THINK of the controversy! Anyway, the plan works, and Brain actually manages to get elected as president. Throughout this though, Pinky gets WEIRDLY jealous that Brain keeps brushing him aside for Billie. To the point where during Brain’s inauguration, Pinky actually dresses up as the wife/mother lost at sea and storms into the room.

[ID: Comic panels of Pinky, Brain, and Romy on stage at the inauguration ceremony. Pinky busts into room wearing drag, saying, “Yoo hoo! I’m back from years lost at sea to be with my son and ungrateful husband! Narf!” He then hugs Romy, while glaring at Brain. He goes on to say, “I’ll stand by your side, even though you left me behind!” The people in the audience begin to question this, saying, “Oh great fuzzy bangs!”, “What’d she say?!”, “He deserted her to be with that other woman!”, “What kind of monster is he?!”. Brain then rips off Pinky’s wig and says, “This isn’t my wife! This isn’t even a woman! It’s my roommate, Pinky.” Pinky replies, “Well, yes... But Romy really is my son! Poit!” And Brain responds, “N-Nonsense! He’s my son!” More people in the audience angrily speak up, saying, “What’s that?”, “He lives with a guy who likes to dress up in women’s clothing and the both claim to be that kid’s father!”, “Grumble! Mutter!” /END ID]

Needless to say, this doesn’t end well for them. What we can conclude from this is that homophobia exists in the Pinky and the Brain universe, and our characters are directly affected by it.

Moving on, And-There-Was-Only-One-Bed is a pretty common occurrence with these two. Their cage is big, they have plenty of room for two beds, but? They choose to sleep together? Even in some times where this has been inconsistent and they DO have separate beds, they’re always RIGHT next to each other. (what if we put our minecraft beds together ❤😳)

I would like to mention the episode, You’ll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again! This episode is interesting to say the least. Deals with a lot of the meta of the show. Anyway. In this episode, Brain has a nightmare that he’s in a loveless marriage with Billie. You know, the woman he’s supposed to have a crush on. In the end, he wakes up from the nightmare in the same bed as Pinky.

Speaking of female love interests, Pinky is seen having multiple relationships with characters of different species. Any time this is brought up by Brain, Pinky counters with Brain being too intolerant. An honorable mention with this is in Wakko’s Wish, when Pinky is with Pharfignewton, and Brain’s constant pestering about their relationship could be read as jealousy. Pinky needs a mousy date, after all!

Something else I would like to mention is in one episode (I forget what it’s called, I’ll try to look it up later and edit this), Brain is applying for a job. The employer asks Brain if he’s married, and Brain hesitates before saying he “has a roommate,” but that he’s occupied with his own things, which then cuts to a shot of Pinky applying lipstick.

Leading into part two of this essay, Pinky’s relationship with gender! Pinky has always been very gender nonconforming, and loves to wear dresses, do his makeup, and make himself look pretty. For the most part, this is played pretty straight, and not as a gag, like a lot of shows tend to do! It’s just a casual fact about him that he likes to present femininely sometimes.

This does play into their taking over the world plans pretty often, where Pinky wears drag, usually either to sneak into somewhere. Like in one of their earliest appearances on Animaniacs, Noah’s Lark, where they pose as a couple to board Noah’s, and I quote, “love boat.” After boarding, Noah says to himself, “Who am I to judge?” Okay. Yeah. Alright. Anyway.

I actually had less to say on this than I thought I did, but I wanted to make sure to emphasize that Pinky at the very least is coded as being Not Quite Cis, and that he’s played a key part in helping a lot of people watching the show figure out that they’re also Not Quite Cis. 

Wrapping this up because I’m hungry, but I want to throw in some more honorable mentions that I really do not see any type of cishet explanations for:

They literally go on a romantic date at a very fancy restaurant in Brain’s Night Off. This is played extremely casually, and the only remark from anyone that they receive is that they are “much smaller than the usual clients.”

Pinky, on at least one occasion, daydreams about him and Brain being a married couple, and wanting to be a housewife (the original malewife ❤)

There’s an issue in the comics where Pinky has a crush on another male mouse, and when Brain gets annoyed, Pinky reassures him that he thinks Brain is cute and quite the catch too

Brain attempting to kiss Pinky in the reboot??????

Brain actually did conquer the world once in the Halloween special, because Pinky made a deal with the devil for it, and thus Pinky got sent to hell! Brain actually went to hell and gave up the world to bring him back

Brain was extremely close to conquering the world once more in the Christmas special, but after reading what Pinky’s feelings for him were (nothing romantic, just Pinky basically just praising Brain for being so hardworking and an amazing mouse, and lamenting that he never gets anything for it), he gets so emotional that he sabotages himself and wishes everyone a Merry Christmas instead

TLDR; these mice are very queer and need therapy, and are probably the most heavily queercoded characters that I can think of in children’s media.

[sylverstorms]

Mother Miranda x Lawyer!Oc ----Tilted Scales

Hello guys :) This is another commission I wrote for the amazing, wonderful @saltwatereulogies

Your support has been insane, I can't thank you enough. Hope you enjoy the story ❣

Three days.

That is how long you've been in the village, after years of studying abroad, before everything turns to shit.

As you slowly blink focus back into your eyes, you try to clear the haze from your mind. It feels as though you've collided with a truck. Your body hurts, your wrists protest in their iron cuffs, stuck to the wall as they are, having supported your weight while you were unconscious.

Desperately, you try to recollect the events that led you here...

A grey sky. A bleak day. One moment you were making coffee for your mother, excited to be able to sit down with her in the mornings again... and the next you heard the echo of screams.

Overcome by adrenaline, you bolted out of your house, only to witness a scene straight from a nightmare; humanoid monsters ripping villagers apart, cries and blood and animalistic growls all blending together into one mad mix.

And before you could even warn your mother...

Damn it all, what the fuck happened!

You suddenly struggle against your bonds, hard enough to rattle your whole frame. Your wrists burn from the grind against metal, but you don't care–

“Stop that. It is pointless and you will only injure yourself.” A cold voice, strangely familiar, says from far to your right.

You peer deep into the shadows, searching for the only other person in the empty room... until you see her. A mask advances on you, gold and shaped like a crow's visage, then wings folded into a cloak come into view.

You would be a fool to not recognize her. The local saint. The village's prophet. The very 'saint' your mother prayed to, for your safe return, all these years. Mother Miranda.

The sound of her heels bounces off the walls until she comes to stand directly in front of you. Looking past the openings of her mask now, you realize....

This isn't possible.

She hasn't aged a day. Not a single day, since you left the village. The years should show around her deadly blue eyes, somewhere, and yet they don't.

“I see you remember me...” she says, while you're still trying to find your voice. “Miss Warren.”

“What is going on? Mother Miranda, what happened to the village?!” you demand.

Her expression shows nothing. “The village is in need of... renovation.” she speaks, even, regal. “Repopulation, even.”

You stare at her with wide eyes.

“Now, don't give me that look. You would not be here if you weren't of the ones I chose to keep.” she continues. “You see, from now on, every single person in my domain will make themselves useful in some way, or they will be replaced. And you... you have been abroad studying law for a while now, yes?”

“I... yes.” you reply, still not fully having wrapped your mind around your situation.

“Excellent. What I need from you is simple. You will make the village independent from the state’s taxes as a religious organization... and you will keep foreign investors out from that point onward.”

What... what part of that is simple?!

“Do that for me and in return I guarantee your mother and you will go back to your house safe and sound. You will have no shortage of Lei for as long as you live, Miss Warren.” Miranda promises.

But it is not the sweet part of the deal your mind stays glued to. “And if...” you gulp. “If I can't work around the law to do that...?”

Miranda blinks slowly at you, like you shouldn't even ask such a basic question. Like the answer is obvious.

“Well. Then I have no further use for either of you.”

It is in this moment that it dawns on you.

This woman is no angel and no saint.

She is a devil.

-

-

You spend countless sleepless nights pouring over every single paragraph, every little opening or ambiguity in the law you can use to free the village of taxes.

To keep your mother in the dark about this, you work in the office Mother Miranda has provided for you, in her very stronghold.

Although technically it's her home, you don't see her nearly as much as you initially thought. She is gone throughout the day and returns late at night, not even sparing you a glance before heading for her chambers, at the upper sections of the building.

The days she does come into your office to inquire on your progress are few and far-between, your conversations always short and cold.

This evening is different.

“How is your work coming along, Miss Warren?” the prophetess asks with her aggravatingly nice accent, seating herself like a queen on the chair in front of your desk.

Your eyes are tired, but you force them on hers, through the mask obscuring her face. “I think I've got it. I'll be sending the necessary papers tomorrow and the answer shouldn't take longer than a month.”

“Very good.” she nods, a miniscule curve to her lips.

Icy eyes then drop to the wine in the whiskey glass at the corner of the desk. You think she will make a comment about drinking at work, but instead she says;

“Pour me a glass, will you?”

You will your hands steady as you comply, then carefully slide her drink over.

Miranda takes her mask with claw-shrouded fingers... and soundnessly sets it on the wooden surface. Then she pushes the veil at her hair back, shaking long, platinum locks free.

You do a double take you hope she doesn't notice. Because what the actual fuck.

You didn't think her hair was that long, or that straight, or that it would fall over her shoulders like she's staring in a shampoo ad. You didn't think her lips were shaped like a cupid's bow or that her skin was this flawless and radiant.

The helplessly lesbian part of you could begrudgingly admit she was beautiful before... but now you arrive to the painful realization she's drop-dead gorgeous.

“So. I've heard you won cases others would describe as impossible.” she begins.

“Nothing's impossible. You just need to know where to look.” you reply. Law is your comfort zone and she is not that far above you here. “But how do you know that?”

“I have my sources.”

"Nobody truly leaves this village, huh.”

“Not without my consent, no. But I knew you'd come back.” At your slight frown, she elaborates, “You would never leave your mother behind.”

She's right. There was a whole world of opportunities waiting for you out there and yet... here you are.

“Good work, so far. You can take the next two days off. Your eyes could use the rest, Miss Warren.” Miranda speaks, finishing her wine.

“Sarah.” you say. 'Miss Warren' is for clients and she is your boss.

Miranda's lips give a slight quirk that may or may not be a trick of the light.

“I know.” she replies and exits the room, long hair billowing behind her back.

-

-

The taxes were only the first challenge. Now that the village is free of them, investors are flying in circles around it like vultures over meat.

In the meantime, Miranda comes to talk to you more frequently.

Lately, it seems she has more free time. You wish that was a good thing, but...

“So... are you like... going to stay here?” You ask after reading the same sentence five times to make sense of it, because her gaze on you is distracting as fuck.

“I'm not getting in the way of your work.” she says. You want to argue she is, but can't quite do that in a way that won't get you killed.

“I'm simply not used to working with company. Isn't this boring for you?”

“No, actually. I find it interesting, even though science is my field of expertise.” she answers. “And the way you take notes is… amusing.”

You try not to blush as you look down at your notebook, filled with different colored markers and post-it squares with tiny stick figures pointing to the more important paragraphs. You have been doing this for so long to sort out information you didn't even realize you were keeping it up in her presence.

“What is this supposed to be?” she asks with a small smile, the first of its kind you've seen.

To your horror, her clawed pointer aims at a particularly silly doodle, barely the size of a pencil's eraser.

“A... bird.” you grimace like you've been stabbed.

“Ah, of course.” Miranda holds back a chuckle but you can tell she's dying to make a comment.

Studying becomes hell for the rest of the time she's there with you, those sharp eyes picking apart every little move you make. At the same time, though, the hours you spend with her make you realize...

She's not a saint, though she may look like one. She's not completely a devil, either, even if she may act as one, at times.

She's human.

-

-

Miranda shares nothing about herself when you chat, but she seems to like it when you speak about your time abroad and all the things that left an impression on you there.

Your conversation over wine is cut short, however, when you receive a call from a number you learned means nothing but trouble, lately.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” you tell her.

The one calling you is none other than this month's rival lawyer, trying to dispute your claim over the land for his own boss. He's lost to you before, so it's also personal, but you are confident you have cornered them good with the latest papers you sent them...

And you are proven correct, when, a few seconds later, he is all faux polite on the other line, resorting to offering you money for you to withdraw your arguments.

Miranda comes to stand next to you, listening in to what he's saying.

The problem with that is, the second her arm brushes yours and you catch a whiff of her perfume –which always lingers in your office long after she's left— youare the one who stops listening to him.

Your attention flies to other things, like the inches she has on you, the exact color of her pale blonde hair, the little glint of victory in her stunning eyes.

Oh, no. God, no...

You know what this is, the feeling in the pit of your stomach. Alarm bells go off in the back of your head, as though your own mind is telling your body how foolish it's being.

There isn't a worse thing you can do to yourself than be attracted to Miranda.

-

-

Over time, familiarity with the prophetess brings higher levels of difficulty into your 'try to ignore your crush on her' game.

Miranda joins your side and leans over your shoulder, sometimes, to peer down at what you're doing. You don't move and don't breathe until she's within a safe distance again.

Then there are the wayward 'reward' touches, when you turn another investor away from the village. She may pat your back or leave her hand on your shoulder, or even scratch your nape with her claws as a job well done.

You hope your poker face hides the fact you feel her touch on you for far longer than you should, after she's gone.

Tonight, the situation is the toughest it's ever been for you.

There is a rainstorm going on outside; the waterdrops are tapping against the windows of your office as though they're trying to break it. Miranda has pulled her chair next to you so you can talk easier, without having to shout over the cacophony.

“And basically the judge's decision was that—”

You are interrupted by a blinding flash of lighting, during which your mind lets you know the stronghold is easily the tallest structure in it's vicinity—

When thunder cracks down the sky and strikes the building, you nearly scream. Your body tenses and you jump; but Miranda's hands come to your biceps and hold you steady, against herself and your desk.

Another flash comes before you really have time to think about your proximity. She covers your ears with her palms before the thunderclap can send you into overdrive again.

“You are with me and you're scared of a little thunder?” she teases when things quiet down and your heartbeat eases.

It's true; Miranda is the more terrifying force of nature. At the same time, however...

You feel oddly safe to be this close to her.

“Well... I'm not scared right now...” you quietly admit.

Her pointer comes underneath your chin and lifts it so you are looking straight into her hypnotic blue eyes. How is this color even real...

“And why is that?” Miranda asks, her wings coming around you both. They're curtains of black, cutting out some of the storm's sounds.

You want nothing more in this moment than to run your fingers through each individual feather.

You lick your lips. That's...not a question you can answer if you want the balance in your arrangement with her to remain.

Perhaps, though, the scales have tilted for you long ago. You just haven't been brave enough to admit it.

You have the courage to face it now when she leans down and covers your lips with hers, warm in a manner you never imagined she could be.

Her wings pull tighter around you and your mouths slide more firmly together. Lipbalm and creamy lipstick mix, tongues brush, tasting of wine. You are shaking so bad on the inside from how much you want this, more of this, the rumbling of the thunder be damned.

Miranda's palm cups your flaming cheek when she pulls back, perfectly composed and staring at you with a little smirk in place.

You dare to turn a little, lay a tiny kiss on the inside of her wrist, beyond her rings and accessories.

You aren't very fond of storms, but...

You willingly walk right into the eye of this one.