#you could learn the sound of his heartbeat or watch how his chest rises and falls when he breathes
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shewhoeatssand · 4 months ago
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Activities you can really do with Kaneki:
Go to the grocery store and buy a new cereal. If it’s late at night and there’s no other customers, he might even agree to sit in the cart while you push him around
Fold paper planes and throw them around the house! Unless you have Tsukiyama’s money the house might be too small for them to ever go far, but it’d be fun watching him so carefully fold his plane knowing it could only go 5 meters before being stopped by the wall. Unless you go outside
Take a taxi! Imagine the incredible feeling of sitting next to the real Kaneki Ken in the backseat of a car. I was in a cab for 12 minutes once while I was in Tokyo and it was amazing! It’s so cool driving through the city at night and it’d be even cooler with Kaneki there.
You could show Kaneki a cool rock or pinecone! I think he would always try to have something to say about it. Hopefully he’s not too judgemental, but he’s cute like that anyway ( I can imagine him asking if you always do that lol)
Go to the aquarium. I think aquariums can be good entertainment whether you’re into fish or not, and Kaneki is sure to find various marine specimens cooler than the stamp museum. He would read every plaque to you!
THE LIBRARY. Extremely obvious one considering how much he likes to read and him having his own library card, but it’d be so cute seeing him show you around and try recommending you titles!! He could navigate that place with his eyes closed and he’d always find a private corner to sit in. He might just forget you’re there once he’s settled and reading though
Watch the way his eyelashes flutter when he blinks against the sunlight. Maybe some lashes are different shades than others, or simply catch the light differently
Get a leaf laminated with him. This one came to me in a dream, basically we went for a walk in the park (also something you can do with him!) and I found a nice red leaf, then the next day he came home with it laminated! Really nice of him to do :)
Visit different coffee shops and write down your thoughts about them in a little notebook. Amon does this and I think Kaneki should too. Maybe get them to team up and they can work together to try find a place that sells both good donuts and good coffee
Visit a bridge with him!!!!!!!!!! Imagine going for a nice walk with him and being able to look over the water with him it’d be so nice, he could have his canned coffee and you could ask if he knows any poems with metaphors about bridges
Find an old martial arts master in the mountains and make him learn how to kick ass better
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rottiens · 4 months ago
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⊹ synopsis. . as your beloved husband, it is his duty to indulge you in your fantasies. even in the unspoken ones. ⊹ tags. . (18+), husband nanami x reader with female anatomy (no pronouns used), petnames (honey), suggestive, dirty talk, finger sucking, reader has a hands kink. divider creds: cafekitsune.
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Discreetly you glance back, your eyebrows raise unconsciously and your heart does that unusual throbbing that you hadn't experienced in a long time in Kento's presence, at least since you got married. You didn't want to admit that married life had tempered a bit the passion of the early years, when your hands couldn't be still standing next to each other, when you struggled to control your restless gaze and burning cheeks because you had to share the same team for a mission with your boyfriend. On the other hand, Kento was always more reserved, more serious. When asked if you were dating, he would simply say it was no one's business, although his cheekbones would change color every time someone mentioned your name.
After you left school behind, graduated as sorcerers and began accepting special grade missions, Kento and you talked about your relationship and how you saw yourselves together for much longer, starting a family, growing plants together and perhaps enjoying a quieter hobby that didn't involve exorcising curses. The two of you considered joining a book club or visiting the countryside on weekends.
Then one day he dropped one of his knees to the ground and handed you the beautiful ring that now decorates your finger, physically sealing a union to which you were both long committed: it has been exactly four years and three months since the wedding that only close people and family members attended. Since then you have kept a low profile, you had accepted married life and the everyday life it brought with it, although that didn't mean you had stopped loving Kento like the first day —on the contrary—, it meant seeing him every day and extinguishing a little of that adolescent spark that once burned you from inside every time you spent more than three days away from each other.
However, since a couple of weeks that spark had come back to life hungrier than ever and it's not until now that you find out why.
The sound of the paper sliding under your husband's fingers is soothing to you. Kento does this almost every night: reading a book, sometimes even reading aloud to you until you fall asleep. His glasses rest on the tip of his nose, his bare chest rises and falls like the waves of the sea, and he's wearing gray pajama pants. You've watched this scene so many nights that you've learned to recognize the meaning when his brow furrows or when he pouts as he immerses himself in rich reading. At this moment, as he sometimes does, he gently caresses your calf, sending shivers along your limb, generating fluttering heartbeats in your chest and between your legs.
Kento turns another page and calls out to you, "Honey," without looking away from the book. The timbre of his voice draws you to him. "Are you okay?" he asks again, now watching you with wrinkles in his forehead that denote concern.
"I'm fine," you assure him without maintaining eye contact. "Can't I enjoy the sight of my handsome husband while he reads?" The word "husband" draws a smile on his face, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up. You only need to utter that one word to have him completely captivated.
"I'm almost done," he announces as he dives back into reading.
You gulp. It's his hands, you suddenly recognize. The realization hits you in the forehead. There's something in the way his thumb runs across the page, something in how his open hand holds the back of the book, in his thumb tapping the cover and then bringing it to his mouth to play with his lip. It all gets your bloodstream pumping adrenaline.
The thought makes you run away from the scene like a teenager in love. At first you were in total denial, hands? How could you tell him that his hands turned you on, wouldn't that be weird? However as the days go by you find it harder to control it and make it go unnoticed, you find yourself looking at them when Kento takes your hand to go outside, when he holds the steering wheel of the car, you find yourself squeezing your legs when his fingers tighten around the watering can to water the plants and the worst of all, when he cooks.
Now, as he finishes decorating the cake, he was wearing those black jeans that were your favorite, along with a brown shirt that had the first two buttons open, leaving part of his collar exposed. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to his elbows. You couldn't help but stare at him in fascination, feeling the saliva pool in your mouth.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" The question sneaks in among your swarm of thoughts, and you stop yourself from watching him work to stare into his eyes that don't look at you.
"I know," you reply simply, which elicits a purr of approval from him.
"Want to try?" He abruptly changes the subject, but still, encouraged, you nod your head. With his index finger and thumb, Kento pinches a small piece of cake and brings it up to your mouth. You stretch your neck to catch his fingers, and the taste of vanilla and cream glides over your tongue. Even after swallowing Kento doesn't withdraw his fingers, and you don't move either.
The playful thumb, still with traces of cream, reaches just beyond your lips to meet your tongue. Your eyes widen as red alarms go off in your mind and your thighs press against each other.
"My hands, hm?" it catches you in mid-act, unable to move, your body turning to stone in the middle of the kitchen. "What's so special about them?"
"I-I…"
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Kento purrs as he pushes a little further, the pad of his thumb massaging your tongue in small circles spreading the sweet taste on it. "Suck it, I know this is what's been filling your mind." And you do, closing your eyes at his command, wrapping your fingers around his wrist as Kento begins to fuck your mouth. "I can't believe you didn't comment to me about this little kink of yours, it offends me even." You groan, unable to look him in the eye, succumbed to the feeling of fighting for your dignity or surrendering to pleasure. "Maybe you need me massaging your thighs, maybe you want them around your neck… playing with your tits or maybe I need to make you watch my thick fingers go in and out of you, my thick veins standing out in my hands as I pump my fingers inside that wet pussy." You whimper, Kento laughs. "I guess I'll have to cancel my dinner tonight, I need to get each and every thought you've had with my hands out of that pretty head of yours while you comment on what it is you like so much about them."
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lovelyunholyc · 2 years ago
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starving, darling
!!nsfw, minors and blank/ageless blogs dni - will be blocked :)!!
fem!reader, names (sweetheart, baby, darling, my love, reader calls him good boy). praise, spitting, oral (f! receiving), cum eating, creampie, unprotected sex. gratuitous descriptions of making out...bc who doesn't want to eat choso whole.... ',:|
you have no measure of the power you hold.
to bring a strong, towering curse to its knees, to make him feel something he had never felt before, had been missing for a millenia, an eternity, it seems, sometimes. choso himself cannot fathom the power you hold over him, cannot seem to comprehend why he so willingly lays himself at your feet - you, a delightful little beauty, a simple little human.
choso likes to be held like this, you had learned quickly. in quiet moments, in the safety of your bed, he buries his face in your bosom, arms secure around your waist, and you brush through the tangles of his hair with your fingers, soothing his scalp; just that morning you'd helped him brush them into those unruly buns he likes, that endear him to you so much. his weight across your bottom half is comforting, his warmth seeping into you.
he's still a little shy to ask for what he wants, but already you've learned him and can glean from the tired droop of his eyes (though they shine just a bit when he sees you), the pout pulling at his lips, and you open your arms and pull him into you.
he'd known he loved you when he watched you dress his brother's wounds that first time. your touches were tender, yet firm and sure, unwavering.
and then you had turned to him, that adorable pinch of concern to your brow, giving him a once over to ensure he was unharmed, before wrapping him in a bone crushing embrace. he'd laughed at the contrast of your gentleness with yuuji to the strength you displayed when you squeezed him.
you're full of contradictions: soft yet hard, tender yet tough, loving yet - when necessary, ruthless. he wants to unravel every single one of them until he has you figured out completely, and then memorize every aspect of you until he can think of nothing else.
he still hasn't had the courage to tell you.
when you hold him like this, so soft and warm and adoring, soothing the aches in his muscles, the cloudiness in his mind, he thinks he doesn't have to.
choso looks up just to be able to admire your beauty, cheek to your chest, ear pressed to the steady thrum of your heartbeat, and you pause stroking his hair to smile softly down at him. "hi, handsome," you purr.
heat rises to his face; he'll never get used to your praise, would rather sing yours instead. still, it makes his heart flutter every time, makes a giddy feeling take over his chest.
he hides his face back in the fabric of your shirt, suddenly shy. it was bad enough for his heart that he'd found you lounging in bed in nothing but one of his undershirts and your underwear, warm and smelling fresh and faintly like your favorite perfume.
you giggle, a sound so lovely that he swears he could listen to it forever, and revels in how it vibrates through your chest and seeps into him. "choso," you call so sweetly, he has no choice but to turn to you once more, cheeks burning. "can i kiss you, sweetheart?"
the nickname makes him blush even harder, though a zip of pleasure buzzes through his body at the confident way you address him, knowing he wouldn't ever refuse.
choso just nods, raises himself up gently to meet your lips.
though you're below him, you dominate the kiss. with a soft nibble to his bottom lip, he parts them easily, lets you slip your tongue into his mouth to coax his out for you to suck on. you lick at his lips, slow and purposeful with your movements, intent on getting him to moan sweetly against you (which he does quickly), on making the back of his neck prickle with pleasure, his fingers to twitch at your sides.
he loves the way you taste, how quickly you can make him fall apart on your tongue. the way you tug lightly at his hair to maneuver his head the way you like, to delve even deeper and take over his mouth. he loves letting you take control of him, his pleasure; you take such good care of him, let his thoughts and worries fade away and allow him to just (feel).
when you pull back, you leave him breathless, panting lightly but smiling because you continue to trail your lips up the line of his jaw, across his cheek and over the bridge of his nose to follow the inky black line bisecting his face. he closes his eyes and revels in your careful attention, your soothing touch. he hums in satisfaction, like a cat purring low and lovely, and the sound makes you giggle softly against his skin.
you touch your noses together and grin, kissing him once more before beckoning him to lie next to you. you sling your arm around his neck and lean over him, your faces still barely a breath apart, basking in the closeness, the comfort.
"how are you today, baby?" your words are simple, soft against his skin as they brush along the strong line of his jaw, but they make his chest warm.
before you, who else outside of his brothers had cared enough about him to know?
choso takes comfort in the warm weight of you settling across his chest, soft hands cradling his face, the pads of your thumbs smoothing absently over his cheeks, and the intensity of the day that had worn away at him so forcefully, instantly dulls and melts away beneath your touch. he relaxes completely in your hold, a bliss he'd never known and from now on would never let go to the best of his ability.
"fine," is all he says, though watching his expression change, knowing all his tells, you know he means much more. "i missed you." and that, you know he means tenfold by the emotion in his voice, the tender hold of his hands on your hips, long fingers drifting up along your lower back beneath the hem of your top, chasing the warmth of your skin.
for someone so skilled in blood manipulation, he never seemed to be warm enough without touching you.
the constant little reminders he gives you that in his overabundance of time on earth, you're something completely new to him, entirely different and extraordinary, somehow - it never fails to make your heart race.
"mm, missed you, too, my love."
you grin almost sheepishly when you say it, though he knows that doesn't take any sincerity away from the sentiment, especially when it brings heat to your cheeks, makes your smile so lovely.
my love. your love. his love.
choso can't help but smile with you, tilting up almost imperceptibly in search of your pretty lips again, yet you indulge him so easily, as if on instinct, as if you can read his mind as naturally as breathing.
you kiss him soft and slow, savoring the taste of him, the feel of him, as if you were memorizing his mouth all over again. the quiet moan he lets out, that you swallow up without hesitation, coaxing out more, more, more, makes you shiver inexplicably. you only let him go for mere fractions of a second to breathe, and neither of you could be happier to drown in each other, in the deep, passionate movements of your lips, your tongues, sharing breaths until you're lightheaded.
it's dizzying, how much he wants you. now, more than ever, but always. now, most, because it's the present - later he knows he'll want you even more than he ever has.
when you pull away a final time you're grinning devilishly, cheeks full with it and a shade darker with the rush of blood, lips wet and bitten an irresistible red that makes his mouth water even more. you've somehow migrated into his lap, legs on either side of him, fingers woven into his soft hair, his own hands caressing your back beneath your shirt and squeezing appreciatively at the thick of your thighs.
you see the lovesick look in his pretty eyes, clouded with desire and syrupy sweet, and can't help but chuckle quietly to yourself, though you must know you're not much better off.
"what do you want, darling?" you ask from mere centimeters away, tracing his plump bottom lip with your thumb, leaning in to kitten lick at it and swipe your combined spit away from the smooth skin.
choso nearly whimpers, his tongue darting out on instinct to follow the trace of where yours had been, his eyes glazing over even further. you know, of course you know.
you pull back a bit further, sitting up on his hips, hands propping you up on his chest. you had felt his cock stir a long, breathless moment before, and it ached now, hard and heavy against the heat of your center, confined beneath both your layers of clothing, twitching and throbbing for attention.
"you look like you want something, sweetheart," you purr, teasing, and the difference in your tone presently from when you'd first spoken, the dangerous gleam in your eyes now, is enough to make his head spin.
choso wets his lips again, desperation coating every syllable. "i want you."
you smile wide, satisfied, reward him with a slow roll of your hips that makes his jaw drop just a little. "yeah?"
"yes, i-" he cuts himself off with a gasp when you do it again, "-i want to make you feel good."
the sincerity, the wholeheartedness that floods his voice and the look in his eyes, how eager he always is to please you, always makes your heart melt. you pause, leaning back down to kiss him again, short and sweet, a small reminder of your overwhelming affection.
"you will, choso," you murmur against his lips, feel his whole body tremor with excitement and anticipation beneath you. "as long as it's you."
when you pull away again, he follows you, holds you close to his chest with big arms winding across your back, fingertips traversing over the smooth expanse of your skin. you smile when you capture his lips again, reluctant to part until he finally asks, "may i pleasure you?"
you can't help but giggle quietly at his politeness, charmed as you always are by how earnest he is in everything he does, a sort of genuine innocence in his actions and the way he carries himself that opposes his physicality and age. it never fails to send you reeling, heat blooming in your gut.
you nod easily, kiss him as if in answer. you nip at his perfectly petal-soft lips, sucking his bottom lip into your mouth before releasing it with a satisfied hum, grazing your teeth along the skin just to make him shiver. your fingers drift back up to his jaw, caress at the edges of it as you shift carefully up his body, straddling his stomach instead so you can stare down at him from a higher angle with a wanton smile.
"can i give you something first, darling?"
the hazy lust gleaming in his eyes intensifies as he blinks slowly, eyelids heavy under your own hungry gaze. he's breathing heavy from your kisses and the anticipation, chest heaving beneath one of your palms.
"please," choso breathes, ever so polite, the movement of his lips tickling the pad of your thumb when you trace over them again, hand gliding down to pinch his chin gently between your thumb and forefinger. there is no pressure behind your touch, merely a guide - support, because his body knows instinctively what to do, poised and ready.
your grin is nothing short of wicked. you can't help but lean down for a moment to peck at his lips again, before rising back up and pursing your own.
choso clutches at your waist with lightly trembling fingers, pretty lips parting so nicely as he opens up for you, tongue resting dutifully on his bottom lip. you splay your fingers out across his throat in a loose grip as he bares it just for you, thumb tracing over the edge of his jaw. the hand on his chest moves to tangle through his soft, soft hair, like silk between your fingers, and he looks up at you expectantly, eagerly, eyes shining with the thrill of it, the silent plea for you to take care of him.
it doesn't take you long to gather enough saliva. you watch him carefully, releasing it slowly to drip like syrup down onto his waiting tongue, stroking lovingly at his jaw with your thumb.
"good boy," you whisper sweetly when he swallows you down like it's nectar, and you feel his adam's apple bob beneath your palm. he shivers at the praise, tilts his chin up in that way again, hearts in his eyes and all across those pretty lips, slick with your spit and his own, searching for more of you, so you giggle softly and shift again to kiss him deeply.
when you render him breathless again, he speaks through soft pants. "i want you to-" -there's that hesitation, the pause before he can say what he truly wants, encouraged to continue when you peck lovingly at his pretty face- "-can you cum on my face?"
and who are you to deny him?
you nudge your nose against his fondly, already shoving at the flimsy waistband of your panties, giddy at his promise. "of course, darling," you breathe against his lips, swallow down his low groan as he helps you wriggle out of your underwear and slides his fingers up between your folds.
you're soaked - his long, elegant fingers glide easily along your slit, his thumb practically slipping over your clit and making you jolt.
choso doesn't bother much more after the initial touch - he's impatient, and feeling your sweetness on his hand isn't nearly enough to satiate him and only further delays what he really wants. you huff a little when he grabs at your thighs and hoists you up to nudge your pussy closer to his face, laughing softly at his eagerness and petting at his hair before positioning yourself properly, his head below you and between your knees.
before you can ask if he's even ready, choso pulls you down, kissing at the crease between your inner thigh before diving into your sweet, dripping cunt.
he groans appreciatively, deep and guttural, after giving your slit one long, slow lick, from your hole to your clit, punctuating it with a swirl of the tip of his tongue at the swollen bud, wrapping his lips around it to flick at it until you're whining and trying to squirm out of his hold from the intensity. choso holds you firm with those strong fingers dug into the flesh of your thighs, a smile playing at his lips when he finally releases your clit to lap up your sweet nectar instead.
he takes his time, savoring you, sliding his tongue smoothly along your folds and relishing how you mewl for him, at each gush of arousal he coaxes out only to lick up and moan with satisfaction. the vibrations of his deep voice against where you're most sensitive leaves you reeling, clutching at the headboard and his soft hair below you, back arching when he delves his tongue deeper, dipping into your entrance as far as he can go, his nose nudging at your clit in tandem.
"oh, fuck, baby," you whimper when he thrusts his tongue into you, shameless in his open enjoyment, whining along with you as you spout random praise, and bucking his hips into the air inadvertently.
he snakes one hand down to relieve some of the ache, squeezing desperately at his straining cock, your breathy cries of his name and the obscene, wet sound of him lapping up your slick like music to his ears. he could swear he sees heaven when you tug at his hair, when he withdraws his hand from himself in favor of urging you to start grinding on his face, two of his fingers slipping easily into your entrance.
your hips stutter first in uncertainty, concerned about him, like always, but choso doesn't loosen his hold, one hand clutching at your bottom and pushing you forward onto his flattened tongue. soon enough, with his fingers pumping in rhythm, it feels too good for you to resist, and you lose yourself on his hunger to taste you, to take from you until he's satisfied. your hips are moving wildly, chasing the sweet friction of his smooth tongue, the tip of his nose, the tremor his voice elicits when he moans so deeply, pleased at what he can do for you, how much pure pleasure only he can give you.
he knows your body so well, he can tell instantly when you're close - the choked up gasps, your muscles beginning to tense - he sucks ruefully on your clit once more, curling his fingers in just the right way to press into that sensitive spot inside you. he doesn't relent even when you throw your head back with a sharp cry of his name, hips shoving down on him and undoubtedly complicating his ability to breathe - no, instead, he doubles down, pulls his fingers back and forces his tongue as deep into your fluttering hole as he's able, just so he can feel your walls spasm around his tongue and greedily swallow down everything you gush out as you orgasm, completely lost in his brand of euphoria.
choso loses himself too, forgets about his own aching cock begging for release still confined in his pants - he could care less about breathing properly either - he licks into you with vigor, mesmerized by your sweet, pretty little pussy, until you're wriggling away from sensitivity, thighs quivering, weakly pushing at his fingers still gripping tightly at your cheeks (where he's surely left bruises in the shape of his fingertips, and the thought makes him shiver in delight).
when he finally lets you go, you collapse into bed beside him, rolling on your side to sling a shaking leg possessively over his waist, grinning gleefully up at him; the sight of his face, reddened with exertion, tainted all across with a mix of your arousal and his spit, hair mussed and sticking to his dampened forehead - gives you a whole new rush of giddiness. you're both breathing heavy, but despite that, you bring him closer with a hand on the nape of his neck. you run your tongue along the seam of his wet, red lips, shades darker and swollen with use, moaning softly at the taste of yourself, before licking into his mouth, sucking that capable, lovely tongue into your own mouth.
"oh, you're so sweet to me, aren't you?" you coo when you pull back, laughing breathlessly and swiping at the mess on his face with your fingers. "so lovely." you pepper kisses across his cheeks and nose as you go, nosing at his heated skin and delighting at his soft smile and the gooey look shining in his eyes, clearly lovestruck.
choso preens under your attention and praise, fingers twitching on the small of your back when you trail yours down the solid plane of his abdomen. "my love," you continue quietly with your nose pressed to his cheek, your tone so gentle yet palpable, your breath tickling his skin, making him shiver, "you're so good to me, so handsome too." he closes his eyes and can't help but whine helplessly when your hand slides under his waistband and fists his cock.
you thumb at the glistening head before pulling it out fully, glancing down just to catch a glimpse of how pretty you know it to be, thick and heavy in your hand, throbbing with need and already so wet with his excitement. you squeeze tighter at the base then, cooing at him once more when his whole body jolts at the sweet pressure. "oh, my poor baby." you kiss him again, pumping his cock simultaneously, eager to swallow up all the pleased little sounds he makes. "i'll take care of you, too, okay?"
choso just nods vigorously, eyebrows scrunching up adorably as you swirl your thumb over the tip of his cock again, flicking at the frenulum and toying with his sensitivity. he gasps out your name when you twist your hand on your downstroke, and you nip at his jaw playfully, so charmed by his reactions.
"you wanna cum inside me, baby?" you're back at his lips, biting lightly at them as you wait for him to compose himself enough to answer between heavy breaths, his fingers kneading restlessly at your waist. "i want you, choso, want you to fill me up nice and deep, like only you can."
he bucks up into your hand at that involuntarily, and it takes all his strength not to keep going lest he spill into your fist before he can even get between your legs again. "y-yes, please," he nearly whimpers, spurred on by another passionate kiss you grace him with, to switch positions and hover above you, on his knees between yours.
you pull at his top until he tugs it off and tosses it away carelessly, your fingers immediately tracing over the ridges of muscle along his chest, his abdomen, nearly purring with satisfaction when they flex and jump beneath your touch as he moves. you trace along his scars, too, etched into his otherwise smooth skin, cruel imperfections that you've already memorized, continuing your trail even when he bends to get closer to you, capturing your lips again like he can't bear to be even that far from you.
he moans so deliciously into your mouth when you find his dick again, wasting no time and pressing him against your pussy to coat him in your slick. he ruts against your folds, he can't help it, you're so warm and wet and heavenly, and he didn't know he could be so impatient.
"inside, baby," you murmur against his lips, breaking him out of his trance only to put him in another spell when you guide him to your entrance.
your back arches as he pushes into you, agonizingly slow despite how wet and wanting you already are, your muscles barely offering any sort of resistance. choso splits you open in every way, you think, his forehead pressed to yours, breathing you in just as deeply as he feeds into you, stretching you wide on the swollen crown of his dick and pinning you in place, hands fisting the sheets beside your head, his elbows locked behind your knees. you're taking him so nicely it's like your cunt is sucking him in, walls clutching so sweetly at his cock, as if you're made perfectly for him.
you sigh happily when he pulls back just a bit to thrust back in to the hilt, when he finally fills you so completely you think you can feel him lodged in your throat, throbbing with desire for you and hot, hot, hot. your eyelids droop with pleasure, watery with your blissful little smile as he pauses right there where you can feel the most of him, just to hold you even closer until you're sure there's not any possible space between you.
and there's nowhere else you'd rather be.
"feels good, love?" your words are heavy, thick with emotion and the overwhelming pleasure you're feeling, nearly slurred together with your adoration for him.
choso nods again, kisses at your cheeks and nose, nips at your pretty lips. when he looks at you again, you think his eyes hold stars in them for you, sparkling in his irises and falling across his cheeks. "s'good, darling, so good." he sounds just as intoxicated as you, raw and vulnerable, and you giggle softly and bring him back to your lips then, swiping tenderly at the skin just below those pretty eyes, at the tiny droplets of diamonds that escape them, at the stark black mark across his face.
"you're so beautiful, choso," you whisper, and his cheeks burn so furiously you wonder how your palms haven't been scorched by them, laughing quietly to yourself at the thought. it seems silly, but you can't be bothered to believe it is, not when he feels so good inside you, so snug and warm and lovely, and he's enveloping you so wholly in his embrace, and his heart beating erratically against your own feels all too much like you're home. safe, blissful.
choso wants to hold you forever. he wants to mold you to himself so that he never has to let you go, doesn't care in the least how irrational it may be, he loves how you feel, how you make him feel, just by being this close. he wants to tell you you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, he'll ever see all his life, and if he were to live another millennia, that your eyes may just hold all the answers in the universe - but he chokes on his words when your walls flutter around him, when you claw at his back and wordlessly urge him to start moving.
instead, he whispers, too, a broken, breathless confession, dripping with emotion, "i- i love you."
you gasp, whether from his revelation or the slow roll of his hips he isn't sure, but he is sure you heard him and know how sincere he is, breathing out a stuttered response just as ardently.
choso thinks he loses himself again, in the sweet clasp of your pussy, in your low moans and how your body moves for him, only pulling him closer, until he all but drowns in you, happily.
his pace is unhurried but undeniably deep, balls squishing up against your ass, savoring the tight heat of your walls around him, the sharp, fleeting pain of your nails raking across his back - he loves the sting, is too lost to wonder whether it seems wrong to. the wet sound as he pounds into you, so deep it takes your breath every time, nearly drives him into a frenzy, makes him want to make a bigger mess of the both of you.
he doesn't stray too long from your face, he loves your sultry, blissed out expressions just as much, loves every little reaction you give when he nips and pinches lightly at where he knows you're most sensitive, when the head of his cock hits undeniably deeper, teasing at that spot that drives you wild. he doesn't even pull back far enough to remove the shirt you're still wearing, instead rucking the hem up with rough fingers just so he can lick and suck at your nipples and make your back arch off the mattress.
"so pretty," he murmurs into your skin, almost to himself, but the deep cadence of his voice against you gives him away, makes you shiver. "my love, my love." he repeats it like he can't help himself, carves into you like he's trying to shape your perfect cunt to his dick, like he wants to forget how it feels so he can keep doing it for the first time again and again and again. you all but squeak when his pelvis grinds up against your swollen clit on every downstroke, breath caught in your throat when he licks at your pulse, squeezes at your thighs. he's everywhere, devouring every part of you, it seems, and you couldn't be happier to let him, to trust him so thoroughly with the softest, most vulnerable parts of you.
choso groans so deeply, it vibrates through your entire body, makes you shudder pleasantly. he finds your lips again, swivels his hips a little quicker, and you're panting lightly into his mouth, that little smirk shining through.
"close, baby?" you lick at his lips, fingers tugging at his hair. his pupils are blown charmingly wide, eyelids heavy as he only grunts in response, hips stuttering, cock twitching inside you - you laugh lightly, nibble at his bottom lip. "cum for me, handsome, i wanna feel you."
his next moan is so resonant, it shakes through him - and you by extension. he pulls out until only the flared head of his cock stays inside you, shifts a little higher on the bed, gravity stretching your legs even wider, hips lifting up along with his. when he plunges back in all the way in one smooth thrust, you nearly scream. the angle somehow makes him hit even deeper, the tip of his cock nudging at your cervix. you're mewling, grasping desperately at his shoulders, his biceps flexing with you trapped between them as he drives his cock deep into the sweet clutch of your cunt.
you're rendered speechless by the force of his thrusts, your whole body jostled by it, your insides undoubtedly battered.
the reminder of his silent strength makes you whine a little higher, like wordless praise spilling from your lips.
choso whispers out your name like it pains him, over and over as he chases his high, his dick spasming inside you within just a few more heavy, gut-wrenching thrusts. you reach up to weave your fingers into the roots of his soft hair and tug, back arching, and he gasps, pretty eyes rolling back in his head. in one startlingly deep stroke he's spilling inside you, pumping you full just as he'd promised, wave after wave pulsing into you, the feel of it making your walls clench and squeeze in turn. you whine along with him, hold him as close to you as you can, choso clutching onto you just as desperately, almost as if he's melting into you, until you're molded into one.
he ruts into you lazily until it's too much for him, until he feels raw with oversensitivity. he comes down panting heavily into your sweat-dampened skin, just as you start to languidly chase the sweet grind of the base of his cock against your swollen clit.
you're still stroking his hair, praising him softly, "good boy, so sweet to me," trailing gentle fingers across the planes of his back, almost as if in apology for where your nails had dug bright red lines into.
choso shivers blissfully with the aftershocks of pleasure, with the soft tickle of your fingers on his skin, and he feels insatiable. he presses wet lips onto wherever he can reach, up the line of your neck, your jaw, your pretty lips, and pulls back just for a moment to look at you. just as dazed as he feels, warm and rosy with love, eyes droopy and shiny with it, fluttering along your lashes and in the playful little smile on your lips.
oh, how he adores you.
he kisses you again, licking at your lips and sucking on your pretty pink tongue before drifting back down the way he came, dropping kisses all along your body with reverence. he spends precious time at your chest, finally sliding your shirt off and kneading at your breasts and sucking and nipping at each pert nipple until he's satisfied, until your voice catches in your throat from moaning.
when he has to pull out to continue down further where he truly wants to be, he bites his lip in displeasure at the loss of your warmth. but he's immediately appeased by the view before him, by the lewdness of his seed spilling forth from your hole, the way it leaks out and catches on your folds, the inside of your thighs.
choso almost instinctively slides his fingers through your pussy, scooping up what he can and pushing it back into you, plunging his fingers into your entrance in a futile attempt to keep it in. your fingers tighten almost painfully where they're woven in his hair, and wordlessly, he continues his trail of kisses down your stomach. he's handsome even in the mess of you, in the wreck you've both left of each other, and especially when he's down between your legs.
he presses his lips against your hip, nips at the supple flesh of your thighs.
"darling?" you question breathlessly, but he's so thoroughly lost in you he barely registers it as he suddenly laps at your swollen clit, his fingers still plugged up in the sweet clutch of your cunt.
your reaction is immediate, back arching and voice breaking on his name as he kisses and licks at your sweet pussy. his tongue flicks at your sensitive bud, teeth grazing at the hood of it before his lips wrap around it and he sucks, and you nearly scream his name. your hips start to buck up against his face, and he holds you down with a strong hand splayed across your hip, the other still occupied, fingers now pumping into you.
choso takes his time. his lips are laden with worship, his tongue reverent, gratuitous. he eats you out like he'd rather be doing nothing else for the rest of his life (he thinks that's true), like nothing makes him happier than feeling your walls hug at him, sucking him in so sweetly, your sweet nectar leaking out just for him to swallow up and savor. he licks his release clean from you just to mess you up again, just to make you whine and cry from pure pleasure, tears dripping from your eyes because your body can barely comprehend so much of it.
he hardly realizes it when he's rutting against the bed, hard once more just from eating you out again, his fingers now replaced with his tongue because he wants to taste from you directly, wants to feel it on his tongue when you clench up and cum just because of him.
and he hardly realizes when he cums too, almost instantly after you do, until his vision goes white and he whines against your pussy just as your velvet walls pulse and squeeze around his tongue, your release spilling into his greedy mouth, lips smacking lewdly as he laps it all up through both of your orgasms, filling him just as he'd filled you with his seed.
he loves giving to you, receiving from you. he's so tired of taking, weary of seeing destruction at his own hands.
when he sees the wreck he's made of you, your entire body trembling with the force of what only he can give you, he thinks he's found the measure of his own power.
and when you still reach out for him, kissing him like nothing else matters to you, he knows you have much more of it than he.
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runaway-dreamers · 1 year ago
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An opportunity for Wally request has arrived!! Exited-exited!
Since im a tiny bit evil it would be fluff turned angst >:)
How about while Wally and Reader cuddle, Wally asks about our heartbeat, we answer explaining that its a sign of us being alive, as a consequence of that he learns about our mortality
Ty for your consideration 🌹
Hmm, I'm a little awkward here. I do hope you like it! Thank you, Anon!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
Here in deeper conversations, I find myself wishing to be folded into you.
The Everyday Life of Wally Darling
Word count: 1,116
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The sun dipped low in the cloudless sky. Shadows of buildings were slanted across the now empty roads, a deepening orange filled the spaces between. A breeze lifted the weightless blinds filling every corner of the room with the smell of late spring afternoons. The gently lifting and falling curtain cast its own shadow on the two sleeping bodies held close to one another. 
You were laying on your back with Wally's head resting on your chest. Your hand was gently combing through the soft blue waves of his hair. A comforting silence had built around you. Nothing was said as his hand pressed gently against their skin. It gave way, but remained taut against the pressure. What started off as helping a stranger turned into this.
During that time spent caring for each other things were thought of, but never asked. Questions weren't able to pass from their lips. There was a clear wall between the two. A wall that made conversation tough. They would converse about the general, but just as important, well being of one another. They would chat about Wally's new painting. You would ask about the different techniques he used this time around, and he would give them all the information he could offer. The two were close friends. 
There was a mutual understanding expressed in eyes half-looking as they passed by one another. They shared it when they said their goodbyes or see you later. They shared it when talking over morning coffee. A moment's grief made painfully acute by avoidance. They ignored it as much as they possibly could hoping that this was the correct path. 
It must have grown over time nurtured by him admiring you in the morning sun as they gazed into eyes still glittering from sleep. It may have been when you first saw him with his hair down watching the sun rise from the kitchen window. All you really knew was that this little pang of joy grew into a pulsating surge of longing. Without much words spoken the both of you had begun sharing a bed. Wally would go quiet first as he felt the tautness of your skin. His head would always rest on your chest. Your hand always traced along the fine stitches on his body. 
The first time Wally had his head on your chest, he had squeezed you so tight and pressed his ear as close as he could. You said nothing when he did this, but you could feel the racing of your heart. At some point you had slept and woke to him still listening. He never asked. You never offered.  
The growing weight of unspoken words would always become too heavy, and those questions must flow. Wally moved propping himself up on his elbow. His thick blue hair slipped from between your fingers. The movement roused you from your sleep, and you looked at him concerned. 
"Neighbor, I've been meaning to ask," His voice was low as he spoke, "What is this sound in your chest? Is it a crank? A voice box?"
Wally rested his hand on your chest, his fingers curled and his pointer gently tapping to the rhythm of your heart. His eyes held the same sweet look they always did. The same look you'd always seen when he offered you tea or a bite of his apple. His hair hung down to the side with strands caught in the golden hours glow, and you wanted to run your fingers through again. He looked like a dream, a fantasy. 
"That's my heart. It keeps the tempo of my life." 
Wally stopped tapping as you spoke, "Keeps the tempo of your life?"
His confusion was showing. The walls were slipping. The moon had risen and the night spread its deep blue glow. They stared at one another waiting to see what would happen next. Behind the silence tension had sprouted.
"Yes. If it stops, well, it means the show's over." You tried to laugh away the uneasiness hoping the conversation would change quickly. 
Wally laughed montone and robotic, "Hahaha, what show would that be?" 
"The, uh, Y/N show." Your heart sank. 
He was confused, "How would I turn it back on?" 
"You can't. No one can, really. Maybe I'm not explaining it right," You sat up, "My heart is why I'm alive. When it stops beating I'll be.. not alive." 
Wally sat up and stared at you, his eyes never leaving yours. They widened as yours winced. 
"What happens when you're not alive, neighbor?" 
"I imagine it's us returning to the primordial soup, the creation of all things, but I don't know." 
"So when your heart stops, you'll no longer be here?" Wally's voice cracked as he struggled with the weight of what he just learned. The pieces were not clear and didn't fit well together, but from the jagged edges came an idea so startling it caused him to cry. You pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back and kissing the side of his head. Neither of you spoke as Wally clung to you listening once more to your heart.  
"That isn't right now. Right now I'm here with you still living, still with a beating heart. You can hear it whenever you need to. Imagine my heart beats for you, too." You spoke softly, your words barely a whisper in the dark. 
You sat there for a while just holding one another. It felt like new questions were waiting to pour out from the both of you. New conversations waiting to be explored. Things to understand and things meant to cause arguments. Why did it suddenly feel like these things now had an even tighter deadline? Like they might not ever be spoken of. The potential of you and I was a burden threatening to drag us under. 
With Wally's head against your chest and your hand absently rubbing his back, you could let yourself believe an ending was far off. This moment could last forever through the winding night, through the rising sun, and through the cool blue of daytime skies. If this was the anchor in the now uncertain ending then so be it. Assume for a second this is all there is. Being here together for a moment in a lifetime of change and hardship was more than enough.
"If.. You leave. That loss would change me. You'll have gone somewhere I can never go." Wally spoke next, his voice would shake and crack. 
"An eventual inevitability, but not right now. I promise I'll stay right where you can see me for as long as I possibly can." 
"I'll memorize the tempo of your life, Y/N."  
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obxsummer · 2 years ago
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Lean on Me // JJ Maybank
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pairing: jj maybank x neutral!reader
summary: as much as you love being the go-to person for your friends, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. all it takes is a shitty week and an argument with your boyfriend for your strong exterior to break.
warnings: angst, arguments, brief wound description
a/n: i lowkey hate this bc it didn’t turn out how i intended but whatever. enjoy!
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--
The Outer Banks was lucky to have you. That’s what JJ would say within a heartbeat. He knew there were a lot of deserving people amongst his friends, but man, you were way too good for the Pogue life. He owed you so much in the year and a half that the two of you had been dating. You were his rock against all odds, between his shitty dad and the raising anxiety in his chest after almost losing John B, you kept him grounded.
JJ loved watching you interact with your friends at the current kegger on the beach. You were so gentle and weaved your way along them them like it was second nature. The smile on your face was addicting, you seemed so carefree under the glow of the bonfire. The summer air, warm on your bare skin.
“Hey there, handsome.” You plopped on the log next to JJ, elbow nudging him gently as you made yourself comfortable. “You okay?”
JJ could really only force a nod and pushed a smile onto his face. He leaned close to press a kiss on your temple and let his arm fall around you shoulders. “Just love you, a lot.”
You were a little shocked at his outward affection but smiled nonetheless. “Love you too. A lot.”
--
You fell into a caregiver role naturally. Growing up, you had to learn how to take care of yourself first and foremost and when you did enough of that, you went for those around you. The broken bits of your upbringing reinforced your selflessness but increased a lot of anxiety and stress at a young age. You tried to never let it get to you, and if it ever did, you handled it in private.
Your friends adored you in every way possible. You were always there when they needed you - a reassuring rock to lean on at any moment. You were the best listener and always gave such great advice and the best hugs. Your overall presence could comfort a room without any words. They were internally grateful for everything you did.
It was very rare the Pogues saw you lose your cool, but in all honesty, this week was creeping up on you. Tensions were on the rise with the investigation of the Cross of Santo Domingo, and as much as you loved your friends, you were growing exhausted. You missed the way life was before the gold, when you would all just mess around without any worry while doing stupid teenager things. Your anxiety was growing and it felt like you would break at any sudden noise. You knew you needed some space, maybe a good cry if it came to it, but there was a lot going on right now.
“Y/N, hey!” John B came barrelling through the door with a burst of energy. You winced at the loud noise but forced a smile regardless.  “Are you able to make a quick grocery run really quick? You can take the Twinkie. We just need some basics.”
You had just settled down on the couch and wanted nothing more than to lay there in silence. “Yeah, yeah sure!” Pushing yourself off the couch, you grabbed your own keys from the table, opting to just drive yourself in hopes that it would lessen your stress. “Just text me a list!”
The day didn’t seem to ease up as the grocery store was packed, not to mention one of the bags ripped and spilled chips and yogurt across the parking lot. You managed to keep it cool until you were back in the safety of your car, letting a few tears slip before taking a deep breath and moving on.
After loading everything into John B’s kitchen, you set to work prepping dinner knowing everyone could use a home cooked meal and some quality time together. Shoving a pack of beers and a few wine coolers into the fridge for later, you decided spaghetti and meatballs sounded entertaining enough. Putting a pot of water on for the noodles, you managed to find some garlic bread in the freezer to heat up too.
The chaotic noise of your friends soon filled the room, lots of laughing and conversation filling the suffocating silence. “There you are!” JJ’s voice overtook the others as he came sliding towards you. You smiled at the motion, letting him wrap his arms around you as you stirred the noodles ahead of you.
“Hi,” You murmured, leaning back against him in comfort for a second to press a kiss on his lips before he disappeared right after. The beer was soon discovered, Sarah grabbing a seltzer and kissing your cheek in thanks before joining the rest of the crew on the patio. 
Normally, you didn’t mind them having fun while you busied yourself with something for them. It just felt like the pressure in your chest was building and you didn’t know how to slow it down.
Opting for a cup of water in hopes that it would help, you started grabbing dishes from the cabinets. One of the glass cups slipped past your fingers, a sharp gasp escaping your lips as it shattered against the worn hardwood floor. You stepped back in shock and managed to land right on a shard of broken glass, slicing through the skin of your foot in a second.
“Shit!” Being a bit more cautious, you avoided as much glass as possible and grabbed a wet paper towel to handle your foot. Admitting defeat, you sat on the ground and tried to slow the bleeding.
“Hey, babe? Food ready?” JJ slammed the screen shut behind him as he entered the room. Eyes scanned the room for a moment before he realized you weren’t in the kitchen. “Babe?”
You winced at the harsh cut in your skin and put pressure on it. “Down here.” JJ’s face came into view seconds later, taking in the scene of you on the floor.
“Hi, hey.” He carefully avoided the glass, although his boots could withstand some damage, and made his way over to you. “Let me grab something.” He returned shortly after with a hodgepodge of supplies from John B’s cabinet in hopes that some of it would work.
You took some peroxide and gauze from him before cleaning the scrape. “Thanks, J.”
JJ busied himself with cleaning up the broken glass while you did your best to stop the bleeding. He watched you for a moment, concerned about your lack of reaction. “Are you okay?”
You nodded, refusing to look at him because you knew you were holding on by a thread. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault and you felt bad for making them think that - if they even did. Grabbing some gauze, you laid it across the scrape before wrapping your foot and taping it off as a temporary fix. “Dinner’s almost ready if you want to get everyone.”
Everything seemed to move smoothly. Dinner was great, all of you laughing and joking around with some delicious food. The summer air was warm and the sound of crickets chirping was calming. You had hopes that this was just a momentary flicker of weakness and you’d be fine before bed tonight.
Sarah joined you in the kitchen to tackle cleaning dishes. “So, Y/N… are you joining Kie and I for our vacation weekend whenever life blows over?”
A question you’d heard many times before. Kie and Sarah had been joking for a while now about a getaway weekend since all the three of you did was spend time with your significant others. Of course, it was always pushed back for the chaos of your lives and would probably never happen, but it was a comforting question nonetheless.
You laughed in response, nudging her gently as soap splashed from the sink. “You know I’d be there in a heartbeat, Miss Cameron.”
“What trip?”
You turned to glance at JJ, the smile not leaving your face as you stacked the plate in the strainer. “Nothing. We’re just joking.”
JJ obviously had lost his fun mood and stared at you with an incredulous face. “You’re going on a trip out of OBX? When?”
Tossing the towel on the counter, you moved to fully face JJ. “J, I’m serious, we’re just-” You didn’t get a chance to explain before someone interrupted you.
“You’re leaving?” John B’s voice came in next, looking at his girlfriend with a goofy smile. “Do I finally get a weekend to myself?”
You shook your head aggressively, not suspecting the sudden third degree. “No, we’re not leaving and no, you don’t get a weekend to yourself. JJ, what’s going on?”
You didn’t know what had been set off in him, but this was not the same JJ that pulled you into his side five minutes ago and held you like no other. JJ aggressively ran his hands through his hair. “I just don’t understand why you’re hiding things from me.”
“Excuse me?” Your shoulders tensed at the tone of his voice, knowing this wasn’t going to end well. “I’m not hiding anything!”
JJ tossed his hand out. “First, you won’t tell me what’s wrong and now you’re jumping on vacation when we have some serious shit going on here? What the hell, Y/N.”
“JJ, nothing’s wrong! And we aren’t going right now, John B and Sarah literally just got back and we have the cross to look for.” You put your hands on your hips. “Why are you starting an argument with me over a joke? That’s so unlike you.”
“Yeah, well maybe you don’t know me!” His voice rattled around you. Your friends were quick to seclude to the pullout and create their own conversation to give you space. “You’re so busy fucking taking care of everyone else that I barely see you anymore, and when I do, you barely talk to me!”
Shaking your head you didn���t break eye contact with him. You had no idea where this change of heart was coming from, but you were already on a thin sheet of ice today and knew you couldn’t argue with him all night. “JJ, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m here literally-”
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re not here for me. If you’re going to leave me, Y/N, just fucking do it. Rip the bandaid off. I don’t need you to linger and make it hurt worse.”
“You know what JJ… you’re right.” You folded your arms across your chest as tears burned in your eyes. You weren’t fighting over this, not with him. “You’re right. Don’t know why I even bothered. Sorry for trying.”
You left the words in the air and brushed past him, trying your best to walk on your injury. A heavy sob broke rattled through you as soon as you made it out of the Chateau. Your chest burned with pressure, unable to let enough emotions out at one time. You needed to stop doing this.
Climbing in the car, you slammed the door shut and immediately curled into yourself. You tried so hard to keep everyone happy. You did everything you could to keep your friends, your family together as much as possible. Always putting everyone first, never saying no if you could help it. Everything you did was for everyone else and it still wasn’t enough. You wouldn’t ever be enough.
Back in the Chateau, JJ knew he fucked up. When the screen door slammed shut behind you, he let out a loud groan and slammed his head against the counter. “Okay,” Kie was up in a second and pulled him away from the possibility of sharp objects. “Let’s not give yourself a concussion now.”
“I fucked up,” JJ whispered as he dropped to the floor and covered his face with his hands. “I fucked up so bad.”
Pope let out a scoff. “Really? I didn’t think so,” He answered sarcastically. “Seemed like such a loving conversation.”
JJ didn’t have the energy to glare at his friend. “I just… Dad got in my head earlier and I totally just reacted instead of talking it out.” He knew he shouldn’t have stopped at the house, but he knew even more to never listen to what his dad had to say about him.
“You don’t need to tell us,” Sarah tried to guide him as best as possible. “I’ve never seen Y/N that close to tears, in all honesty.”
JJ pulled himself off the ground and peeked out the window to see your headlights still shining across the grass. He surprisingly avoided eating shit on the rug and took off outside, scrambling to talk to you.
Your vision was blurry as you tried to blink tears from your eyes. You couldn’t even bring yourself to drive home, knowing it would be too difficult with everything going on right now. The whole argument was more dramatic than you intended for it to be, and maybe if you weren’t already upset, you would’ve just walked away instead of yelling back.
Your car door was suddenly ripped open as you flinched away in shock. JJ’s form appeared a second later, his heart dropping at the sight of you so upset. He took a moment, observing the rapid movement of your chest and your tear-stained cheeks. He could curse himself a million times over for doing this to you.
“Babe, you gotta breathe,” JJ’s voice was gentle as he moved your seat back so he could get closer. He knew the telltale signs of a panic attack a little too well.
You let your head relax against the headrest and forced yourself to take a deep breath. It was shaky, but it was enough to start calming your racing head down. When you were young, you were taught to never show weakness in front of anyone, no matter how bad it got. You hated that JJ was seeing you like this…vulnerable, weak.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Tears of his own were building in his eyes. He hated to see you in any pain, but knowing he was the cause of it was even worse. He rarely ever saw you cry. “I saw my dad earlier a-and I took it out on you what he said… Y/N, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Your voice cracked as you looked away from him in an attempt to break eye-contact.
JJ’s fingers were gentle as they turned your gaze back on him. “No, it’s not. What I said in there, it’s not true. You do so much. For me, for our friends. We don’t deserve you, not one bit. You never expect a thank you, never ask for anything. I am so grateful, I’m so so lucky, to have you in my life. Don’t ever think differently, please. Even if it comes out of my own mouth. We all know I can be pretty dumb every now and then.”
“Don’t say that,” You whispered. You hated when he talked down on himself like that.
“See, proving my point. I hurt your feelings and you’re still being nice to me even if I don’t deserve it,” He countered. JJ reached over to turn your car off and took your hand to guide you out. “Come on, let’s get some ice cream and I’ll make it up to you.”
Sniffling, you climbed out with his help and let him close the door behind you before wrapping you into a hug. Another shaky breath escaped your lips as you clung to him, letting him hold you tightly until you could catch your breath and calm down fully. You were so grateful for JJ and his bubbly energy. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up with their busy lifestyle but you wouldn’t change it for the world. As long as you had your chaotic boyfriend with you at the end of the day, everything would be fine.
--
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storm-angel989 · 8 months ago
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Outside The Office Part Nineteen
Hi all,
Some voted for an exploration scene between reader and Val, so here it is! I have to say, it was fun to write and for sure helps solidify their relationship. If anyone has any suggestions for things they should explore together, please feel free to DM me or leave a comment!
Mature content warning! As always, thoughts, comments and feedback are appreciated!
I felt myself shiver at his words. I watched him drape the stethoscope around his neck and he pressed his lips against mine. Butterflies fluttered. Just the sight of him wearing it, another position of dominance, had me dripping. God, he could listen to whatever he wanted if it meant putting me in that submissive role. Why was this such a turn on?  I wrapped my arms around him, the fire ignited in my belly. Questions. I needed to ask them. 
“I need a little more information about this one, Val.” I said as I reached up and touched the stethoscope around his neck. His grin gave away just how pleased he was that I was asking. A desire to learn myself with him as my partner. 
“It’s called cardiophilia, my princessa. Quite simply, it's when a person is in love with the sound, sight or…” he paused and pressed his hand against my chest, “feeling of the heart- more specifically, the heartbeat.” He ran his hands up my neck and pressed over the pulse point, “oftentimes, it’s combined with a love for feeling the blood rushing through the veins or arteries, but not always.” His fingers pressed ever so slightly harder and his grin widened. “More questions?”
I shivered at his touch, certain he could feel my heartbeat speeding up. “Is it…just heartbeats that turn some people on?”
I honestly didn’t think he could look anymore thrilled and he pulled his hand from my throat, sliding his hand down my side, all the way to my belly. He pressed my stomach gently as he leaned in closer to me.
“No, princessa. It isn’t. It falls under a much wider umbrella. An auscultation kink- when one enjoys the sounds a body makes. Your belly rumbling, for example.” He kissed down my neck again and paused. “I wonder, my princessa, by how often you cling to me and bury your face into my body if this is a kink of yours?” His lips pressed against my neck again and held in place, just at the pulse point. 
I swallowed.
“There is a kink for swallowing too, mi amore,” he breathed. “But let’s explore one at a time, shall we?” With a firm movement, he pulled me upright into his lap. I wrapped one arm around him for balance and leaned into him. He took the stethoscope from around his neck and placed it in my ears. His hand covered mine and he guided the stethoscope to his chest, holding my hand in place. 
I felt his hardness underneath me as I listened to the frantic beating of his heart. The feeling of security, of safety, of what Valentino offered coupled with the sound left me squirming in his lap. With his other hand, he reached down, his fingers found my clit. He toyed with me, gentle motions until I came around his fingers to the steady thumping in his chest. 
He gently removed his hand from mine and took the stethoscope from my ears. He draped it back around his neck as he shifted me so that my head was against his chest. I struggled to catch my breath for a moment, and his fingers fell against my neck, again finding that pulse point. I could feel his cock twitch under me and I waited for him to speak. 
“I enjoy both feelings and listening to the inner workings of your body, mi amor,” he said softly as he held me. “To feel the rise and fall of your chest against mine, the frantic beating of your heart after I make you come. The sounds your body makes that prove to me you’re alive.” His hand pressed against my chest and slowly slid down to my belly. He laid back and cradled me to him, toying with the stethoscope, almost hesitantly. “Tell me your thoughts, princessa.”
“I feel safe in your arms and when I hear your heartbeat Val I know that you’ll protect me. I think that turns me on more than the actual sounds. The position of power you have over me, and sort of the doctor thing, but Val…” I intertwined my fingers with his. “If it turns you on to hear my heartbeat, or my belly grumbling, or the feeling of my chest moving, my body is yours to explore.” I leaned up and kissed just under his chin as I reached down and rubbed my hand against his cock. “I mean it, Val. My pleasure is just as important as yours. I know you’ve seen it all in your studio, but I want to explore these kinks together, and find what feels good for both of us.” 
He groaned as I toyed with him, and allowed me to do so for a few moments before he sat up and rolled over so that I was pinned under him. He reached as if to grab my wrists but pulled back at the sight of the bruises. His face reddened and for a moment, I thought he was going to pull away. 
“Val, my neck, my chest, my belly,” I pleaded under him, “my body is full of…”
He pressed his lips to mine, effectively cutting me off. One hand fell lightly to my throat and I felt him push into me. I left out a soft moan. 
“I want to fill you up until your belly swells, princessa,” he groaned softly. “Hard and round under me. Listen to your heart beat frantically as you try to manage the pain and pleasure that comes as I exert that control over you. And there are so many fucking ways to do it. A tummy filled to bursting with toys…air, water, cum…” he paused for the briefest of moments and his hips thrusted quicker against me and he pressed his thumb deeper into my neck, “my babies…fuck the idea of your tummy swollen with my….fuck!”
I felt him spasm deep inside and let out a soft moan of my own. Valentino’s babies? My stomach round? I had never given it a thought, but god he was right- that was a turn on. He held himself inside me until he was completely spent, and slowly pulled out, laying next to me. 
“Fuck,” he panted softly. “Fuck.”
I reached over and pulled him to me as I guided his head to my chest. His breathing was quick as he tried to catch his breath. His hand fell to my abdomen and he gently rubbed my belly as he closed his eyes. Under the weight of his head, I could feel my own heart thundering. 
“Did you mean that Val?” I asked after a few moments of nothing but the sound of thundering hearts and quick breaths. 
“I meant everything I said,” he answered, exhaustion in his voice. And then, something else crept into his tone. Vulnerability. “Please don’t let that frighten you. I would never…”
I pressed a finger to his lips and he fell silent. 
“Do you mean my actual stomach or do you mean my…”
“Both, princessa,” he replied tiredly. He pressed his head harder against my chest. “We can talk about the stomach kinks another night, but to the other you need to know I mean what I said. And I’ve never thought about having kids before, but just the idea of you carrying them in your belly makes me absolutely feral.” He exhaled slowly, his voice starting to fade as he drifted to sleep. “If I’m being honest,” he mumbled, “just the thought of making your belly round turns me the fuck on, almost as much as laying here listening to your heart does. If I wasn’t so spent I would…”
He went silent, his breathing slowed and evened. I wrapped my arms around him and settled back against the pillows. His words left me both curious and intrigued. A rounded belly. Frantic heartbeats. Valentino’s babies. My own exhaustion swept over me, and with him cradled in my arms, I allowed myself to succumb to sleep. 
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i-think-i-did-it-again · 1 year ago
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The Tour XVI
A/N: Another heavy Rook chapter!
Warnings: swearing
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When you awake the next day, your body is stiff and your muscles sore. You figure that’s what you get for having sex in small spaces. Colson’s soft snores fill the room and you relish in the sound. Lightly brushing the hair back from his forehead, you stare at his soft features. The way his lips are slightly parted, the twitching of his eyes as he dreams. You run your finger down his sharp jawline, stubble resisting against your fingertip, the pulse point in his neck, the dip of his collarbone. You trace the outlines of the ink that litters his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, his heartbeat thumping against your palm. 
You could lie in this moment with him, fast asleep and nestled against you, forever but your bladder is making its presence known. You slip out of the bed and creep out his bedroom door. When you’re done in the bathroom, the memories of being in there the night before playing through your mind while you peed, you practically fall into a solid mass. You look up to see Rook’s bruised face angled down at you, his eyes watching you closely. Part of you wants to be mad at him but the gentle side of you just feels…guilty?
“Don’t look at me with those eyes,” Rook mumbles, averting his eyes from your face quickly.
“What eyes?” you ask, playing with your fingers awkwardly as you stand less than an inch from each other.
“Those pitiful eyes. I don’t need your guilt or your fucking pitty. You were right, I had my chance and I fucked it up and now I have to live with that but you don’t. I don’t want you to anyway.”
“I…I’m sorry. I just- I want things to be ok between us again and I’m so scared they won’t be. I don’t want to lose you but I don’t know how to fix it.”
You hadn’t realised you’d been crying until Rook reached out to swipe a fallen tear from your cheek. You wanted to hug him. You wanted to tell him that you’d do anything to make him feel better, fix his fractured friendship with Colson but you can’t. You’re too afraid he’ll ask you to not be with Colson and you just can’t do that.
“You’re not going to lose me. I just…I need time. I need to adjust to the thought of you and…Kells. I won’t stand in your way but I can’t just push everything down overnight. I’ll always be your best friend, that will never change. I just need to learn to accept that I’ll never be anything else.”
His works tear at your chest and for the first time since your date, you look at him in that way. Why didn’t you see a relationship with him? Would you have ended up falling in love with him if you’d given it a chance? No, probably not. You were so stuck in the idea of ‘love at first sight’ that anything less seemed like a waste. You’d ended a lot of relationships over that idea and you began to think it was never going to happen and then you met Colson. Suddenly it wasn’t just an idea, it was reality.
“I can give you time and if it’s easier, I’ll go onto the other bus for the rest of the tour so that you can have some space from me and you don’t have to…”
Your voice trails off. You were going to tell him that he wouldn’t have to watch you and Colson be together because you didn’t want to hurt him but somehow it seemed insulting. You also didn’t think you could be around Colson without touching him, kissing him, especially now that you’re ‘officially’ a couple.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Colson’s rough voice fills the space. 
Rook takes a visible step away from you. You want to tell him he doesn’t need to but you don’t. Colson steps beside you, slipping his arm around your waist and pulling you to his side. You can’t explain it but the gesture is uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. The way Rook’s eyes study the space where you nestle into Colson makes your stomach knot anxiously but the feeling of Colson’s warmth, the way his arm tightens a little, is the best feeling in the world.
Rook doesn’t say anything else after that. He just turns on his heels and stalks off to his bunk, pulling the curtain closed. You feel the guilt settle in your chest again, the weight of his sadness resting squarely on your shoulders. You can tell Colson feels it. The way your shoulders tense and you hunch your body protectively. He rubs circles on your hip bone, comforting you.
“He’ll come around, just give him time,” he whispers in your ear. You nod but somehow you can’t seem to convince yourself of that, no matter how hard you try.
********
The days begin to blend into one. You’ve made your regular check-ins with Francis and he’s happy with Colson’s improved mood at his PR obligations and his performances on stage. Your friendship with Rook still seems to have some life in it too. He doesn’t leave the room anymore when Colson and you enter it together laughing, hand in hand. He no longer flinches when Colson touches you, kisses you or tells you something sweet. Slowly, he begins talking to you normally again and he occasionally has a conversation with Colson that doesn’t have to do with the tour. Just general conversations, almost like they were before their fight.
“You’ll get back to where you were again,” Ashleigh told you with such confidence you almost believed her.
The rest of the group accepted Colson and you being together pretty easily. Sophie and Ashleigh were ecstatic for the both of you. Exclaiming that it was about damn time Colson ‘manned up’ and asked you out. Baze, Jus and Slim nuzzled your head and threatened Colson to not mess with you. Sam simply smiled at you and nodded at Colson in his quiet Sam way.
You lay in the bed of your hotel room in a city you didn’t recognise, listening to the sound of Colson’s deep breathing. You had both gone to bed hours ago and after making love and showering, you still lay there wide awake and your mind racing. You’d never been a patient person so the idea of Rook taking weeks or even months to start acting normally with you again was slowly killing you. You didn’t expect him to just wake up one day and be over it but he can’t hold what you did against you. Rook was the one that messed up not you and in your logical mind, you believed he had no right to be upset. You decided in that moment, enough was enough.
You swing your legs over the edge of the bed and slink to the door. You slip out and stalk down the hallway to Rook’s room. You bang on the door, not even sure if he’d hear you in his deep slumber. You wait a moment and the door opens revealing a shirtless Rook, rubbing sleep from his eyes and mumbling about the time. You push past him, anger building in your gut at an uncontrollable rate.
“You are such an asshole,” you scold him, pacing the messy floor of his hotel room. “You couldn’t man up and tell me how you felt all these years and then I finally find someone that makes me happy and you suddenly think you have a right to be jealous?”
“I know,” Rook agrees with you but your blood is pumping so loudly in your ears you barely register it and continue.
“I have been single for as long as you’ve known me! You’ve had so much time, so many opportunities! When your house flooded, you lived on my fucking sofa for a month for god’s sake. You didn’t think to mention one day over your lucky charms ‘Hey can you pass the OJ, oh and by the way, I think I’m in love with you’? Would that have been so hard for you to say?”
“Why does this bother you so much?” Rook stands in front of you abruptly stopping your pacing. His eyes are pleading with you but what they’re asking you have no idea.
“Because I thought you were my best friend. When I thought our friendship was growing, you were falling in love with me. Do you know how much of a betrayal that is?”
“How is that a betrayal?” Rook snorts and you see red.
“It changes everything Rook. How can you not see that? When I thought you were doing something nice for me because I was your friend, you were doing it because you wanted me to feel the same way you did. That was your hope wasn’t it? Get close to me, treat me right and hope one day I realise that this was more than friendship?”
Rook doesn’t say anything. He simply stares at you, mulling over everything you said. He sinks to the bed, the full weight of everything finally settling and his shoulders slump and he leans his elbows on his knees to stare at the floor. You don’t know what to do. Everything that had been festering in your brain has been said, you have nothing else but the feeling of relief you were expecting doesn’t come. It’s just replaced with a feeling of guilt. 
You know deep down that Rook never intended to hurt you and maybe he thought it wouldn’t take years for you to fall in love with him. Maybe he believed after a few months of spending endless hours together, you’d catch his stare and a fluttering feeling would expand in your chest. Maybe you’d brush your hand over his cheek, nestle closer to him and close the gap between your lips. 
Maybe that’s what he’d hoped for but the feeling never came. The touch never happened. You never kissed. You never saw him as any more than a friend because you were so focused on the fluttering when you saw Colson. The heat when he brushed up against you while you stood in his kitchen at 2am making a snack. The buzz when you caught him watching you in your bikini as you dived in his pool with Casie. You’d been so enthralled with Colson, you’d never noticed Rook watching you. Never saw his hugs, his hand holding as anything more than just an affectionate friend. You never questioned it because you wouldn’t have if he was a female friend. You didn’t want to make assumptions based on his gender and besides, he dated for crying out loud. He’d bought girlfriend’s along to plenty of events and catch ups. Hell, you’d even caught him having sex with one of them in Ashleigh’s guest room. It wasn’t fair and suddenly you realised, it wasn’t fair for either of you.
“How come you never told me?” you ask finally, sitting next to him on the bed. It was the question that had been the loudest in your mind.
“When you told me you didn’t really feel a spark with me, I respected it. I had kind of assumed after that first date that most of my feelings were lust more than genuine interest in a relationship,” Rook shrugs like it was obvious. “Then you joined the group and we were spending a lot of time together and the feelings didn’t lessen the more I got to know you, if anything they intensified but then…” his voice trails off and you know exactly what he was going to say.
“You introduced me to Colson,” you finish for him and he nods softly.
“I felt that spark, that electricity between the two of you the moment he shook your hand. The other day I said you’d never looked at me like you look at him, well it goes both ways. I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. He was going to marry a woman that I’d never once seen could make his face light up the way you do. That was the moment I knew I was fucked.”
You can understand why Rook held back. In his mind, there was something between Colson and you just begging to be explored but you were just too closed off to it. You had such a low opinion of yourself that you couldn’t bring yourself to even let your mind wander for a moment. The first time you thought about Kells as more than a friend, you put a wall up and pushed him away. You made rules for yourself, you trained your body to not react to him. 
“How come you still didn’t say anything to me when Megan came along? He was with her for so long which meant no chance for him and I to get together.”
“I really did think about it for a few days but then I saw them together. They were always so…intense,” Rook chuckles and you can’t help but laugh in agreement. 
It was true that Megan made you so tense that you tried to limit your time spent with her as much as possible.
“I knew it wouldn’t last. I was just waiting for who would call it first. Gotta be honest, I was surprised it was her.”
“Why did that surprise you?” you look over at Rook in confusion.
She was always the leader in their relationship. The one who called the shots, made the plans and spoke for the both of them. The way in which she ended things was surprising but the fact that it was her ending it, didn’t surprise you in the least.
“He never stopped looking at you that way.”
Your cheeks heat and your heart flutters. You make a mental note to ask Colson about that. You wonder what held him back from pursuing something earlier but then you remember your walls and figure he probably thought you weren’t interested. How wrong he was.
“I don’t know if I have any right to ask this of you because your feelings are your feelings but…are you ever going to forgive me?” you ask Rook with a serious tone laced through your tone.
“That’s the funny thing about love, I already have,” he smiles at you and the guilt and the weight vanishes from your chest and you can see your Rook again. “And for what it’s worth, I am sorry for not being honest with you but I’ve decided, you could do worse,” and the shit eating grin that overtakes his face is so intoxicating that you have to join in.
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wearingaberetinparis · 2 years ago
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Regency Style Jily Microfic
@jilymicrofics
Prompt: Pity Word Count: 907 “Miss Evans,” he breathed, holding his hat in his hands, his chest heaving from exertion after braving the journey from Peverell Palace to Gryffindor House. His manner was uneasy, his eyes darting all over her face as if he were looking for signs of her own unrest. “I’ve just heard the news, I –” he opened and closed his mouth, as if not knowing what to say. “You have?” she asked him. “And here I thought I might be able to surprise you for once, Mr Potter. Alas, again you are my superior in every way possible –” her cheeks glowed despite the gloomy April air that had caused goosebumps to rise on her arms a moment before he had arrived. She hoped one look in her direction did not rouse his suspicions. She had guarded her secret – the depth of her feelings for him – so carefully in the past months, she did not wish to fail in this final moment. He took her gloved hand in his then, holding it to his heart, startling her and causing her eyes to widen significantly. Her heart beat wildly inside her chest. “Miss Evans, I must say –” the expression on his face was pained, “– while I’m sure it will seem impossible now, time will heal all wounds and –” he swallowed, “– I hope that perhaps in time, your heart will learn to love once more, that it might carry the affection it has known again –” She frowned slightly, his words a riddle to her. “He truly is an abominable scoundrel, but – rest assured – he will soon be gone and –”
“Mr Potter,” she started, understanding dawning all of a sudden, “I’m not –” her heart fluttered at the warmth he showed her, at the regard he took to what he had assumed to be the truth of her innermost feelings, “ – you are very kind, but you are also mistaken, I have no regrets and wish the happy couple nothing but the very best –” He took a small step towards her, squeezed her hand that was so warmly placed in his own. “You are too good,” he almost whispered. “Miss Evans, he did not deserve you –” She was certain she blushed now. “I do not deserve your pity –” “Pity?” he sounded alarmed. “I have nothing but the deepest and warmest compassion for your situation for I am so well-acquainted myself with a love unrequited –” “Is it?” He stilled almost, wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue and this emboldened her. “Unrequited, I mean. How can you be sure that the lady you hold in such high esteem may not love you as you do her –” He dropped her hand, turned away slightly. “I have long lost all hope –” “Then I must pity you, Mr Potter –” He started to pace, hands curled around the brim of his hat. “I’m not here to talk about my own misfortune, I am here to tell you that Mr Diggory has been a most foul creature indeed, engaging your attentions so –” Her eyebrows rose, the question on her lips before she could stop to think about it. “Do you envy him?” “In every respect when it comes to you!” Time seemed to have stopped at his declaration and so had her heart. She watched him as he came to the realisation of what he had just revealed. He turned to her, spluttered out an apology, fully and completely horrified to note the impropriety of his conduct. “Miss Evans, I do so sincerely apologise, I had not meant to startle you so –” She was the one to move towards him this time, her fingers resting gently on his elbow as she said: “You did not, Mr Potter,” her voice was barely more than a whisper as he looked down on her, seemingly entranced by her very presence. “It appears that I am right to pity you for it seems that you have far too long been misguided –” “Do not remind me,” he spoke with anguish, “of the folly of my hoping you might ever return my feelings –” She stopped him by raising herself on her tiptoes and placing her lips – ever so softly, ever so hesitantly, ever so anxiously – against his, her heartbeat louder than it had ever been as it pounded through her veins. She let herself fall back, avoided his gaze for sheer nerves. “I have never loved Mr Diggory,” she confessed. “It’s you who has been on my mind for the longest of time, even if I didn’t know it at first or recognise its meaning for what it was –”   His hand now curled around her cheek and he brought her eyes up to his, noted the brilliance of the smile that played at his lips. “Could you be –?” he asked. “Are you certain –?” She very nearly scoffed, but didn’t want him to question the feelings that she harboured for him so dearly yet again. “Pity me, Mr Potter, for I am fully at your mercy.”
His kiss was all she had ever needed and more than she could have ever imagined herself wanting.
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hinatastinygiant · 1 year ago
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7 | 死亡
Pairing: Uzui x Fem!Reader
The Emptiness You Left
UZUI'S P.O.V.
"How the hell is this going to help?" Y/N sighs after several more failed attempts.
I sigh. She doesn't get it. Of course, she doesn't get it. Why would she? This girl hasn't had any experience or training.
"I am trying to teach you breathing techniques and the rhythm of your surroundings," I begin to explain. But she just looks at me as if I have three heads. "Just stop complaining and do what I say."
"It's hard when I don't get it," she whines, and I can't help but roll my eyes.
"Listen. This is going to be important if you ever want to fight any demons," I explain. "There are different breathing styles that the demon slayers have to use in order to properly destroy demons."
"So there's more than one?"
"Yes, there are ten."
"And which one am I going to learn?" she questions, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
"Sound breathing."
Her face immediately falls and she lets out a sigh. "Of course."
"What's wrong with sound breathing?" I scoff, a bit offended.
"Well, nothing, but," she shakes her head, "it's just that it'd sound a bit cooler..."
I laugh. How could she possibly think my breathing style isn't flashy? "Well, the Sound Breathing Style is one of the best and strongest there is. So I'd think you'd be honored to be learning it."
"I, uh, I'm sorry," she nods. "You're right. I should be grateful."
"Exactly. Now, let's start over. Remember to take a deep breath and focus on the rhythm."
Y/N nods and does as I say, trying to connect with her surroundings. She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. I watch her closely, noticing how calm she is and how peaceful her features appear. I can see her chest rise and fall slowly as she takes each breath. She is quite beautiful.
As soon as she opens her eyes again, she looks up at me, waiting for me to speak. But I can't help but be distracted by the sight of her.
"What is it, Master Tengen?"
"Nothing," I shake my head. "Just keep practicing."
I have her practice for awhile, giving her the strategy to breathe each time a snowflake falls.
"This is hopeless," she groans, her head falling into her hands. "I'm never going to get this right."
"It's not hopeless, Y/N. You can do this."
"Yeah, yeah," she nods, looking back at me. "I've only been trying all morning."
"Maybe we should try something different."
Y/N'S P.O.V.
"Like what?" you ask Uzui, feeling rather disappointed in yourself.
"Cheer up, Y/N. I'm proud of you for working so hard."
"Really?" you ask, shocked by his sudden compliment.
"Of course. Now, let's work on the basics of swordsmanship."
You stand up straighter, smiling and feeling a bit happier now, and follow him around to the back of the estate. There, he gives you a new assignment.
"Connect with the sound of the wind and the sound of your heart," he says, pointing his finger towards your chest.
"Are you telling me to breathe?" you ask, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. "This is the same thing we were doing before."
"Not exactly. Just feel the vibrations. Close your eyes and try to hear the difference."
"Okay, I'll give it a shot," you shrug.
He steps behind you and holds his sword to your throat, and you instantly tense. But suddenly you can hear a faint noise. The sound of a heartbeat. You listen as carefully as you can, until eventually you can distinguish two separate sounds. Your own and Uzui's. Judging by his heart, you can tell he doesn't have any bad intentions.
"I can hear it," you whisper. "My heart and yours. The snowflakes, too, now."
"Good. Now, let's spar," he suggests, stepping back.
"What? Right now?" you ask, looking down at the two swords in your hand.
"Yes. Now synchronize your breath with the rhythms around you," he instructs, and you try to follow along. "Let your heart rate increase as you fight me."
"I can't do this," you say, shaking your head. "You're a hashira and I'm just some amateur."
"We'll start slow, don't worry," he smirks, raising his sword to attack you. You manage to block his blow and dodge his second attack.
"Good job, Y/N," he praises.
You maintain your serious composure as he charges towards you again. As you evade, you can feel a strange energy begin to pulsate through your body. But, before you can figure out what's going on, Uzui manages to hit you in the side, throwing you onto the ground.
"What the hell?" you snap.
"Get up, Y/N. Let's try again," he instructs, but you can't bring yourself to move. Did he purposefully knock the wind out of you?
"Can't get up? We've got a lot more to work on," he shakes his head. "Come on. I promise I'll go easy."
"This isn't fair!"
"What? Why not?"
"You're not going to go easy on me," you complain, still unable to move.
Uzui smirks and holds out his hand to you. "You're right, I'm not. You're not some helpless girl anymore. Don't forget that. You have to be ready for anything."
You grab his hand and pull yourself to your feet. "Fine," you agree, getting into position again. "I'm ready."
"Good. Now, as you breathe, focus on the speed of your heart and the sound of your blade," he explains, before charging at you once more.
This time, however, you're able to dodge his attacks and land on your feet. He looks at you with wide eyes.
"You're pretty good," he smiles. "But don't let that get to your head."
"Oh, we both know that it will," you grin before charging at him and managing to make a shallow cut on his forearm.
"Impressive," he smirks, and you feel a sense of pride swelling inside your chest.
"Doesn't seem like it takes that much to impress you," you huff, already out of breath.
Uzui laughs. "Maybe not, but it's been awhile since I've seen anyone so skilled in their first match," he tells you, before launching his next attack. You're not sure if he's being sarcastic or not.
This time, his attacks are quicker, and you can't help but lose your balance and fall to the ground. "Shit," you mumble, rolling onto your back.
Uzui leans down and offers you a hand, which you reluctantly accept.
"Are you alright, Y/N?"
"Yeah," you nod. "Let's keep going."
The Emptiness You Left
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decibelcoatl · 2 years ago
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Little Heartbeats II
Read on AO3
Behold, the long-awaited sequel no one asked for, but is getting anyway.
Also, Happy Valentine's Day! ♥
-
He awoke to the sound of snow thumping loudly against the balcony door, slowly rising from his bed and the blankets that covered his body. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Lan turned to notice several imprints on the glass where several snowballs had struck, partly blocking out the moonlight that shone upon his room. Looking around, he was surprised (and relieved) that the noise hadn’t disturbed MegaMan from sleep mode.
What kind of maniac throws snowballs in the middle of the night, and what do they even want from me, he thought as he trudged to the door. The moment he opened it, he found himself being blasted by a rush of cold air, causing him to shiver. It almost reminded him of the time he’d braved a fierce snowstorm trying to restore the weather in Sharo, risking his body heat while MegaMan lit the Cyber Torches.
Well, I’m not going to stand around and freeze to death, he thought with a grumble as he shut the door and locked it as tightly as he could. He started to turn around to get back to sleep, only for the snowballs to resume once more.
Letting out a groan, he returned to open the door once more right as a stray snowball flew right in his face. Lan quickly dodged it and watched as the snowball slammed against his collection of action figures. Some of them wobbled in place, while others fell with a resounding thud.
“You gotta be joking…” Lan sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. All that time spent organizing his collection, only for it to be partly wasted. At least none of them broke, including that limited edition Owl Guard figurine. Lord knows how much Zenny he’d spent on that figurine, and having it broken meant his efforts would have been all for naught!
Well, putting the figurines back in place would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, he needed to find out the cause behind those snowballs.
“Finally awake and showing your sleepy face?” a familiar girlish voice called out to him from below. Lan turned around to find none other than his dear friend Mayl standing below the balcony. Her ruby eyes were shimmering as she grinned from ear to ear.
“M-Mayl?! What are you even doing here?! It’s the freakin’ middle of the night!”
The girl quickly shushed him before beckoning him to come down. Lan sighed as he went back inside and closed the door. “She better owe me an explanation,” he muttered to himself as he slipped on his bandana. He then headed downstairs to put on his coat and boots before opening the door and stepping outside.
To his astonishment, a gentle snowfall had descended upon ACDC Town, blanketing the whole world in pure white. Up above, the moon was as bright and silvery as ever, coupled with the glittering stars that dashed across the endless black sky. His breath caught in his throat and his hands unconsciously clasped over his chest as his heart began to beat at a slightly faster tempo.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Lan stifled a yelp of surprise upon hearing Mayl’s voice, causing him to turn around to find his best friend right beside him.
“M-Mayl, don’t sneak up on me like that!” Lan scolded her. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”
But Mayl only giggled. He looked so adorable when he was flustered like this – that was one of the reasons why she liked him…more than he realized.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “But there’s something I want to show you. I think you’ll love it!”
She was always like that. Lan had known this aspect of her for as long as he could remember. When they were little and their friendship was nothing more than a bud, she’d take him wherever she wanted to take him, show him what she wanted to show him, and more. He’d been lonely for much of his early life – a fact made more prominent when he learned that MegaMan was his identical twin brother Hub, who died of HBD when they were only one. But he knew he’d be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate Mayl’s company.
Back then, Lan was much more timid and sheltered, with his only “friends” being his dad’s colleagues from SciLab. Mayl, on the other hand, was much more brave and outgoing, and also a secret fantasy nerd. A complete contrast to their present selves, except for the third aspect. Lan never stopped hanging around SciLab, and Mayl continued being a secret fantasy nerd.
With little warning, Mayl grabbed Lan’s hand and began dragging him down the streets. Lan opened his mouth to protest against her act of throwing him off-balance, only to quickly close it upon laying his eyes on her smile – that damned, beautiful smile that always seemed to make his ears burn and his heart race these days (and all without him knowing or understanding why).
Without even thinking, he gently squeezed her hand back as she continued dragging him along. She wanted to show him something she thought he might like; there was not a snowball’s chance in hell he was going to ruin it over something so trivial!
As the two passed by snow-covered buildings and trees, Lan kept his gaze trained on the snowflakes that lazily fell from the sky, noticing the contrast between now and during the snowstorm crisis in Sharo. It made him wonder how Raika and SearchMan were doing back there. Perhaps he should write an e-mail to them sometime, even though he and Raika weren’t exactly what one would call friends.
“And here we are!” Mayl’s chipper voice snapped Lan out of his reverie. He looked down and let out a choked gasp to find a view most beautiful.
There, right before the two, was a sprawling lake encrusted with white snow. Its surface was clear and reflective as any mirror as starlight and moonlight danced upon it, while snowflakes whirled about it in their slow movements. Not a creature was stirring, save for the occasional hoot of an owl or two, and there was nothing that could disturb the stillness of the lake.
All things considered, it was a view and a moment most resplendent.
…Until he decided, against his better judgement, to open his mouth.
“So…you brought me here to tell me that you found yet another possible portal to that realm of witches?”
He was quickly punished by a sharp jab in the ribs, followed by a swift kick to the back of his legs that knocked him off-balance. He grunted in pain as his back met the cold, hard earth, knocking whatever air he had stored in his lungs straight out of them.
He lay there, wheezing for a few moments before slowly sitting up to brush out some snow that had gotten into his hair. He then turned to glare up at the girl, who had turned away with her arms crossed and a pouty expression on her face. “What the hell was that for, Mayl??”
“You’re such a moron, Lan,” Mayl simply retorted. “I didn’t bring you here just to show off some portal!”
“Then what?” Lan rose back to his feet and dusted the snow off his pajama pants, muttering half to himself about how he was going to have them air-dried in the morning.
Just as quickly as she had lost her temper, Mayl was able to regain it as she looked out at the lake. “I heard this place was at its most beautiful in winter, when the sky was clear and there was no one around,” she explained. “I’ve always wanted to see it for myself, but never really got the chance to do so…until now.”
Lan raised an eyebrow. “And you decided to bring me here because…?”
There was a pause as Mayl shuffled her feet in the snow, sprinkling the fluffy pink trim of her boots with a powdery white. She then looked up bashfully at him with a light pink blush on her face.
“Lan,” she began. “Do you know what today is?”
Lan found himself absentmindedly flicking a snowflake off his nose. “No…?”
The girl let out a sigh. “Of course you wouldn’t,” she muttered half to herself before turning to face him. “It’s Valentine’s Day!”
Oh.
Oh crap.
He always forgot about THAT day! The day when he would receive so many cards that he’d go completely speechless, and so many chocolates that he could stuff himself full if he wanted to (though not without receiving a scolding from MegaMan). He knew Mayl would have plenty of competition that day, with all the other girls fawning over him – except Yai, who saw him as more of an older brother figure.
He turned away as he put a hand to his chest, his heart pounding a little bit more than usual.
Mayl frowned. “Is there something wrong, Lan,” she asked.
“W-well,” the boy stammered. “It’s got nothing to do with you, or the scenery. And I do appreciate coming out here with you, even if you had to drag me out here in the middle of the night…but…”
How could he formulate his next thoughts into words? It had been a few months since the fall of the Nebula crime syndicate and the permanent deletion of Nebula Grey. Dr. Regal had been completely reformed through mysterious circumstances, but he and Dr. Hikari were certainly on better and more friendly terms now that they were colleagues in SciLab.
Despite all that, however, Lan just couldn’t shake the feeling of regret and guilt that was building up inside of him. All this time, he’d been hiding so much from Mayl, Dex, Yai…even his own mother, whom he’d disobeyed for the sake of working alongside Chaud and Baryl to rescue his father and put a stop to Regal’s abuse of the SoulNet. In the end, they did succeed…but Lan was worried that he had put a wedge between himself and Mayl in the process.
He recalled how upset and distressed she was when she learned the truth. The only thing he could do was comfort her with words of reassurance that he would rescue Roll, GutsMan and Glyde, and all the other Navis who were corrupted by Regal’s Dark Chips, and that he would come back to her…and even then, he knew these words were just illusions to keep her out of any more danger than she was in now.
He turned his attention to the distant horizon, taking note of an owl that had just crossed his line of sight before vanishing into the dark canopy of the trees.
“It’s not on you, Mayl,” he spoke rather absentmindedly. “It’s on me.”
Mayl blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Lan let out a shaky breath as he felt his eyes begin to water. “During the SoulNet incident, I’ve been nothing but selfish. I lied about teaming up with Chaud and Baryl, I hid the fact that I was operating within Higsby’s chip shop to take down Nebula…hell, I even disobeyed my own mother about staying put! And all because I was too weak and selfish to stop Regal from hurting the one closest to me! If I hadn’t asked Dad to bring you, Dex and Yai along, Roll and the others wouldn’t have been kidnapped, and the whole mess wouldn’t have happened to begin with!”
You don’t deserve me.
Tears were now streaming down his cheeks, but he pushed himself to continue. “I’ve done nothing but screw things up. I couldn’t protect my family. I couldn’t protect my friends. I couldn’t even protect myself or Hub. I pushed everyone away to try and change who I really was.”
He lowered his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Chaud was right…I’ll always be just a burden.”
You deserve better.
The feeling of Mayl’s pinkie finger intertwining with his own caught Lan’s attention as she inched closer to him. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Lan, and you were never a burden,” she told him as gently as she could. “You did the best you could – no one can blame you for that.”
She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder as she bumped her wrist against his, smiling softly. “The fact that you’re still here is more than enough. After all, you mean the world to me. I brought you here to remind you that there’s more to life than stopping cyber terrorists.”
A light blush appeared on Lan’s cheeks as her kind words touched him. He could almost swear the beating of his heart filling his ears as it hammered within his ribcage.
“I…I don’t know what to say,” he whispered.
Without warning, she suddenly wrapped her free arm around him, pulling him in for a hug. Lan was completely caught off-guard at first, but then slowly returned the embrace. He felt a warm feeling overcome him as he did, and he couldn’t help but smile a little.
“By the way,” Mayl said as they pulled away and she placed a finger on the tip of his nose.
“U-um, yes?”
“No more putting yourself down and calling yourself a burden,” she admonished him. “Or I’m going to get really mad.”
Lan gulped, but smiled sheepishly and nodded. “A-as you wish, captain,” he replied.
His only response was a silly little giggle that escaped the girl’s mouth.
* * *
After what seemed like a long time, Lan and Mayl decided it was time to head home. Though Lan would have liked to spend just a little more time at that moonlit lake, he also knew that if stayed there too long, MegaMan would likely get suspicious.
The two of them spent the entire return trip home in complete silence, taking in the gentle snowfall that surrounded them and the quiet, snowy town of ACDC. The only lights to guide them other than the moon or stars were the streetlights that illuminated their path, and even then there wasn’t anyone around except for themselves.
All the while, Lan kept Mayl close to him, his hand held in hers. He could feel his heart thumping a happy tune in his chest as his cheeks became flushed. Normally, such display of affection from Mayl would have left him feeling bewildered and confused. But tonight was not the case.
Tonight, he just felt happy having her by his side.
Plus, Valentine’s Day was coming up. Maybe for once he should try and get a bit more involved this year (provided he didn’t die of secondhand embarrassment first).
“Well, here we are,” Mayl’s voice broke the peaceful silence as they finally arrived back home.
Lan let out a sad sigh as he reluctantly let go of her hand, knowing that this would be a parting of ways for now. But at the same time, he also knew that they would meet again in school.
“I had a lovely time going out with you,” Mayl chirped, drawing his attention back to her. She had her hands behind her back as she smiled her brightest yet (damn, she could outshine both the sun and moon with that smile if she could!) “Even if it meant having to wake you up in the middle of the night.”
Lan remained speechless. Then, he chuckled. “I-it’s alright,” he replied, averting his eyes and clutching his right arm with his left hand. “I had a nice time, too.”
Mayl smiled, drawing out those adorable dimples on her face as she did.
Then let out a yawn.
“Well,” she said drowsily. “I’d better get some sleep. You’d better, too.”
Lan chuckled. “Heh, yeah,” he commented, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. “I bet MegaMan is probably out of sleep mode and wondering where I snuck off to.”
Mayl giggled. “I bet Roll is, too. Well, see you.”
She then turned on her heel and began to walk towards the front door of her house. Lan did the same, but only took a few steps before he paused.
“H-hey, um…Mayl?”
“Hm?” Mayl turned to him, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
Lan took a deep breath and turned to face her, this time with a much more genuine smile. “Thanks for what you told me back there,” he said. “You…” He turned away and blushed while maintaining eye contact with her. “You mean the world to me, too.”
Mayl’s eyes widened with surprise at this statement. She hadn’t expected Lan to say something like that, especially after all that emotional turmoil he went through.
Still, she couldn’t help but smile warmly. She was glad she was able to at least help him in her own way, even if it wasn’t what either of them had expected. It felt like a weight had been lifted off both their shoulders, and they could finally rest easy with the knowledge that Nebula was gone for good.
“I’m glad,” she said. “Well, see you tomorrow.”
Lan nodded as she watched her disappear behind the front door of her house. “Yeah…see you.”
He stood for just a little while longer before a sleepy feeling came over him. He decided it was best to get home and get some rest.
As he approached the door, he took one last look outside, taking in the moonlight that shone upon the streets, and smiled. Tonight might not have been what he had expected in the slightest, but he knew in his heart that it was one he would treasure for as long as he lived…just being that that moonlit lake, alone with the one person who mattered the most to him.
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rainy-wallflower · 8 months ago
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I totally did not scroll through my entire blog twice in an attempt to ensure that I had actually posted all of the little stories about my guys noooooooooooooooooooooo
ANYWAY
here's the one about Alex that I TOTALLY didn't forget to post lol
Alex had gotten used to hospital rooms. Ever since he’d been alive, his father had been sick. No one would tell Alex what was going on with his father, but they all assured him he’d be fine, though he never seemed to get any better. Eventually, after going in and out of the hospital for a few years, they gave him a permanent room. At every chance he could get, the five year old convinced the family butler to drive him to the hospital so he could talk to his dad. He’d take his backpack after school and get his dad to sign things instead of his mother. The young boy could talk for hours about his friends at school, his assignments, and all sorts of other things he was learning. His father would sit back and listen to it all, interrupting only occasionally to ask a question, which Alex was happy to answer. 
However, there were many visits where something would happen and a doctor or a nurse would rush in after a loud beeping sound pierced the room. Alex would watch in fear and they messed with his dad’s tubes and things before leaving once more with promises to check in regularly. The whole ordeal usually made Alex cry. He didn’t know how to identify it yet, but the fear of losing his dad always spiked in those moments. He’d run over to his dad’s bedside and climb in to cuddle next to the larger man, avoiding any tubes and wires if he could. His dad would always scoop him up and place the little boy on his lap, whispering assurances to him as the little boy listened to his father’s heartbeat, still going strong.
“It’s alright, my little mountain man,” he cooed, gently rocking the boy. “You have nothing to worry about. Your papa is a strong man,” he’d flex for the young boy, despite not having much muscle anymore, but it would still make Alex giggle through his tears. “I’ll make it through alright. And I have a lot of great people looking after me. They’re not going to let anything happen either.” 
Alex was nearly six when it happened. The whole family was called to the hospital in an emergency. Upon arriving Alex noticed that the familiar beeping that he’d learned to associate with his father’s heartbeat was slower than normal. His breathing was shallow and instead of tubes in his nose he had a mask over his face to let him breathe. One by one, everyone was allowed in the room with him for some, possibly final, one on one time. When Alex was allowed to enter, his chest felt hollow and he stared at his father as fear clouded his mind. His father must have noticed because he smiled as gently as he could and patted the space next to him. Alex padded over and crawled into the bed, nestling himself up against his father’s chest as he had many times before. 
“You know, Alex,” his dad started. “I’m a little glad to see you’re not crying.” 
The young boy looked up in surprise. “Really? But…everyone’s acting like this is a really sad time. I-I’m sad too, but I just don’t feel like crying this time. I think I feel…empty,” Alex mumbled.
“That’s okay bud,” his dad assured him. “You don’t always have to cry when you’re upset.” A large hand started to pet Alex’s head and the young boy snuggled further into his father’s slow-rising chest. “Hey. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but they don’t think I’ll be around much longer,” he said sadly. “I’m going to miss you. You coming in here and telling me about your week were some of the best moments while I was here, mountain man.” 
“Don’t say that,” Alex croaked. The hollow feeling in his chest expanded and suddenly it felt like a great cavern had opened inside of him. “You’re gonna make it. You’re strong and have a great team looking after you.” The man beneath him chuckled. 
“That’s true.” There was a short pause before his father sighed. “Alex, look at me real quick.” The young boy pulled away to look up at his father and two pairs of identical green eyes met. The older man smiled gently and continued to run a hand through Alex’s hair. “I know that you’re going to do amazing things with your life, my son. The passion you have while talking about what you do at school is something I want you to carry with you your entire life. And, I hate to say it because I love your mother to death, but I know she’s going to want you to help with the family business when you’re old enough.” Alex made a face, causing his father to chuckle. “I know, I know. Not very exciting stuff, huh? But listen, she’s going to push for it until you agree. But if you don’t want to do it, then don’t agree, okay? 
“You are your own person, and I would love nothing more than for you to go and do whatever you want to do when you’re grown up. That’s for you to decide. The world may throw a lot of things at you and try to keep you from your dreams, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t get to fight back. I call you my little mountain man for a reason, Alex. You’re so strong and I know that nothing can move you when you put your mind to it. Keep that in mind as you grow up, okay?” 
“...Okay.” Alex searched his father’s eyes, looking for any sign that these wouldn’t be their last words together, but his father just smiled sadly.  
“I love you, my son,” he murmured, as if it were a secret to share just between the two of them. “Even if I leave you, I promise I’ll watch over you however I can. Now, go send in your younger brothers. I’d like to see the two of them together, please.” 
Not even a month later the family was dressed in black, tears quietly streaming down their faces as a coffin was gently dropped into the ground on a sunny afternoon, the type of day that he’d loved so much. Alex held onto his eldest sister’s sleeve, watching it through blurry vision. It wasn’t until they were out of sight from any visitors that all the siblings broke down with each other, screaming and crying into each other’s shoulders, allowing their true feelings out instead of keeping it in for any press that might have been present. Even the youngest ones were crying, even if they weren’t sure what for. 
After that, their mother officially took over everything. She was given the law firm her husband had created on top of the business she’d been running. With the double workload she nearly disappeared from her childrens’ lives, save for one. She spent a lot of time with her eldest daughter, Azalea, but usually left the children in the care of her housestaff as she went about her day dealing with business. 
_____
“Aleeeeeex!” The boy’s bedroom door burst open as his older sister, Terra, glared at him, her brown eyes narrowed in a stare that would make any person freeze in their tracks, but Alex was used to it by now. “How did you get a perfect score on your most recent math test?” 
Alex frowned, unsure of why his sister was upset. “How do you even know about that? I didn’t show it to anyone but Lizzie.” 
“She put it on the fridge!” Terra pouted. “We can all see it!” 
“Oh,” Alex blushed a little, looking off to the side. “I didn’t know she would do that.” 
“Uh huh,” Terra barged in, closing the door behind her and dropping a textbook on the floor. “Well, since you’re so good at math these days, teach me.” The younger boy slipped off his bed and looked at Terra’s textbook before making a face. 
“I don’t know any of this!” He cried. “This is all big kid stuff! You know this more than I do. Go study on your own and you might actually pass your tests!” 
“You’re the one who’s always saying that three years isn’t that big of a difference!” Terra said, crossing her arms. “Besides, if you’re in advanced math classes they’re probably teaching you this-” 
“They’re teaching us stuff one grade up at most! I’m not learning about…long division,” he said, frowning at the textbook once more. “If you want to sit in here and study I can’t stop you, just be quiet and don’t expect me to help you.” Alex climbed back up on his bed, resuming reading the book he’d started before Terra barged in. 
“Be quiet? Since when do you care about being quiet when people are studying?” Terra pouted, opening up her notebook. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex asked, his attention being pulled to his older sister again. 
“I mean,” Terra huffed with a smirk on her face. “I can think of so many study sessions between me and Azalea where we couldn’t concentrate because you and Dimitry were running up and down the halls, giggling and screaming like there was nothing happening other than your playing. Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when people are shrieking right outside your door?” 
“Are you seriously complaining about kids playing?” Alex asked, incredulously. “Some of my teachers say that’s what kids are supposed to be doing. Wouldn’t you rather play than do your homework?” 
“Of course I would,” Terra huffed, pushing her long, dark hair out of her face. “But mom wouldn’t allow it. You’ll see soon. Once you hit third grade she’ll really get on you about making sure your grades are good.” She glanced up at Alex before focusing on her textbook again. “Though I guess she doesn’t really have to worry about you, huh?” 
“What happened to being quiet?” Alex asked, flopping back on his bed and putting his hands over his ears. “If you’re going to be so obsessed with what mom wants you to do, then shut up and start studying!”
Terra glared at him. “Consider it payback,” she spat. “You were so loud during my study sessions so I think I can be loud during my study sessions, even if I’m in your room. I mean, seriously, this is only a fraction of what Azalea had to go through. It got even worse once Parker could chase after you two. Childish laughter is super annoying when you have a tutor yelling at you for getting a single question wrong on your most recent test. I know Azalea hated it too. Like, what’s the point of running around, screaming and laughing when one day you’re going to have to throw it all aside and focus on something completely different? Did you know that mom took away all of my dolls once third grade started? I wasn’t allowed to have any because she wanted me to focus on my grades. And yet you three get to run around and play as if she won’t do the same to you! I wish I had a muzzle, or something. Anything to keep you from making noise because it’s just so-
A slam made the older girl pause. Alex had closed his book and fixed his older sister with a glare. “Gee. Thanks. That really helps a lot,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe we should get you a muzzle too. You whine and complain all the time about not getting your way. Yeah, it sucks that mom took away your toys, but you don’t have to be mad at your younger siblings because they aren’t doing what you’re doing yet. If we’re going to be suffering like you later, why don’t you help us instead of complaining about us?” The room fell silent for a moment before Alex sighed. “Get out of my room. I don’t want you studying in here anymore. Go to Azalea, she can probably help you.”
“Azalea’s with mom, I can’t just-” 
“Get out of my room!” Alex shouted, launching himself out of bed to stand in front of his sister. “Stop bothering me and go study!” 
The older girl scrambled back, reaching for her things before bolting out of the room. Alex sighed and climbed back into bed, finding his place in the book and continuing to read, ignoring the muffled sobs that came from down the hall.
The world may throw a lot of things at you and try to keep you from your dreams, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t get to fight back. I call you my little mountain man for a reason, Alex. His father’s words rang around his head as Alex tried to read the same page over and over. In the back of his mind he knew Terra would go screaming and crying to their mother and he’d get some sort of punishment for being rude, but he couldn’t seem to make himself care. It was only fair after what she said after all. 
_____
Alex had always been a bit of a jokester. When his father was in the hospital, Alex was always excited to share any joke he’d learned, especially when his dad gave a genuine chuckle in response. Alex had tried the same trick a few times with his mother, but he learned very quickly that she was not a fan of humor. So as he grew up most of Alex’s jokes moved to his younger brothers, making the two laugh and giggle, especially after a harsh talking to from their mother. 
When Alex met his current friend group he’d won them over with his charm and humor, even making the stone-faced Thorn full belly laugh a few times. Alex and Cameron became unstoppable with their schemes, playing pranks and making jokes that brought joy to Alex’s life like he hadn’t felt in…forever. It was a part of himself he could never show at home. The place had become like stone. Gone were the cries of children playing games and instead the occasional loud scolding from a tutor would fly through the air. 
At fifteen Alex was starting high school while his oldest sister was beginning to shadow their mother at work, preparing to take over as CEO of their company, despite being only 20. Family dinners were tense as their mother went on and on about how wonderful Azalea was at her job and how she couldn’t wait for her children to follow in her footsteps, working for the company. Each time it happened, the siblings would share quiet glances amongst themselves, trying to alleviate some of the pressure they were feeling. Alex spent as much time with his younger brothers as possible when he was home, but even then, the feeling of suffocation never left them.
“Hey, what happened to all those jokes you used to make?” Dimitry asked one day as the two were doing homework in Alex’s room. 
“What do you mean?” Alex asked, looking up from his homework. Dimitry shrugged and reached up to play with his hair, twirling a strand from his bands around his finger.
“It’s just that…when we were younger I feel like you’d always try to make Parker and me laugh. It was a constant, but now you’re just kinda…” he shrugged again, not meeting Alex’s eyes. 
“Well,” Alex mused. “I guess I grew out of them,” he said. Dimitry smiled sadly and nodded. 
“I miss them,” he said quietly. 
“You could always come up with your own,” Alex suggested.
“I mean, yeah,” the younger boy said. “But it felt better when you did it. Like, I didn’t have to think about it and just feel. I almost can’t remember the last time I felt happy at something that wasn’t getting yelled at by my tutor for once.” 
“Oh, yeah I get that.” The older boy shook his head. “I guess that’s kind of the reason I stopped. It’s hard to keep making jokes and smiling when the people around you aren’t receptive to it. If no one is going to laugh with you, then what’s the point?” 
Dimitry huffed out a dry laugh and flopped back to lay on the floor. “I don’t think you realize how much that makes you fit in here. It’s like you’ve found how to put yourself into mom’s vision and therefore aren’t…” he sighed and raised his hands as he struggled with his words. “You seem so confident with your place in this family.” He decided on. “Like, I don’t want to join the family business or become a lawyer or something like that, but I can’t tell anyone that. Not to mention I’m second to youngest, so I feel like there’s less pressure for me to follow mom’s plans, but at the same time it’s expected that I follow along, ya know?” 
“I can see that,” Alex agreed, also setting his work aside. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think I’ll be joining the family business when I graduate. That’s still a few years away, but I’m already making plans. I have some colleges in mind and I have some friends who I want to ‘run away’ with, I guess. We’ve been dealt a shitty hand, but we don’t have to play the game, ya know?” 
Dimitry just huffed out a laugh and sat up. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re so confident in what you say and do these days and it’s just enhanced by the way you’ve stopped joking around and trying to be the funny guy.”
“Oh,” Alex frowned, glancing at all the work spread out on the table between them. “I guess…I didn’t realize I was doing that. It just came naturally. I don’t want to stop being the funny guy. I remember that dad really liked it when I would joke to him while he was in the hospital, so I kept doing it. Eventually it was obvious that everyone here at home didn’t appreciate it in the same way.” He met Dimitry’s eyes with a small smile. “However, I do have friends at school who I can be a bit more open with. Mother’s not breathing down our necks there so it’s a chance to explore who I really want to be and who I am without any pressure or watching eyes.” 
“Seriously?” Dimitry asked, a bit of awe in his voice. 
“Seriously.” Alex responded. “You have a couple years yet, but you can start now. Middle school is weird, but it's mostly everyone trying new things and finding who they are while school gets harder.” Alex stood up and moved around the table, placing a hand on Dimitry’s shoulder. “You don’t have to fit yourself into mother’s box of what she wants her family to be. I absolutely refuse to, and you can as well. I’ll be there for you no matter what, Dimitry, so if you need help with anything you can ask me and I’ll help you.” 
Dimitry surged forward and pulled his brother into a hug. Alex sat stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around his younger brother and pulled him even closer. 
_____
A few years later, Alex found himself shadowing his eldest sister at her job, interning at the family business. He sighed inwardly as another meeting ran long as potential clients continued to ask actually great questions about the process of their project. If there was one thing that Alex had learned since interning at their company was that he personally did not agree with most of the methods they used in the name of “environmental conservation”. Yeah right. 
“And you’re positive the energy for this won’t cause more carbon emissions than needed?” A client asked. Azalea smiled tensely and nodded. 
“Our methods have been tested and proven to be in the lead of modern conservation efforts. I promise you that despite how it looks it is quite environmentally friendly, that is what we’ve built our company around, after all.” 
The conversation hadn’t gone anywhere in the last ten minutes due to this debate. Alex had allowed himself to pull a blank sheet of paper out of his folder and start doodling discreetly as the negotiations continued. Alex tuned them out as he started drawing, letting little bits of information enter his brain occasionally as things seemed to heat up. Eventually the conversation died down and the scrape of a chair drew Alex’s attention away from his paper. The client had stood up and Azalea followed. They shook hands, tense smiles still on their faces and the clients walked out. Alex’s older sister sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. 
“That was a pain in the ass,” she grumbled. She was only 23 but her stress made her look much older in Alex’s eyes. He smirked slightly and patted her shoulder. 
“It’s okay. I think that guy is a pro at causing pain in women’s asses.” He teased, which only caused his sister to glare at him. 
“Not appropriate.” She chided. “Just because you’re my brother and an intern doesn’t mean you can just get away with stuff. I know you’re a teenage boy but you’re almost an adult and you’ll be joining the workforce in a year. Grow up.” She sighed and went around to push chairs back under the table. 
Alex just shrugged off her comments and pulled out his notes from the meeting. “You said it yourself. I’m simply a teenage boy trying to find some joy in the boring setting that is office work.” He said. Azalea just fixed him with another stare before shaking her head. 
“You know how important this business is to our family,” she scolded. “It’s what mom has been pushing all of us towards since we were kids. Would it kill you to finally start getting serious about this? You’re here now, so actually do your job. Don’t think it escaped me that you were doodling for the last few minutes of that meeting.” She sighed and glanced around before sitting down in her chair again and motioned for Alex to join her. The younger boy furrowed his brows but sat as well. 
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “But you have to admit, they made great points. I know I’m not the only worker here who questions-” 
“I know!” Azalea cried, placing her head in her hands. “I know you all do, I did too but it’s not like I can actually do anything about it!” She leaned back in her chair, massaging her temples. “Mom still has quite the hold on the company. She expects me to run it the exact same way she did, so if I change even the smallest thing she’s going to be all over me. I don’t have a lot of choices in the matter.” 
“Mother isn’t the CEO anymore,” Alex argued. “She may still have influence but she’s not the person in charge. You’re in charge! Who cares what she thinks? She gave this position to you for a reason, so the least you could do is create some good with it!” 
“I care greatly about what she thinks!” Azalea said. “So do many of our investors and project partners. Do you know how frustrating it is when people talk to you simply because of who your mom is instead of your position in a multi-million dollar company?” 
“No. I don’t,” Alex sighed and slouched in his chair. “But I don’t think it’s any surprise that I haven’t cared for the longest time now.” Azalea looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 
“What do you mean?” 
Alex grinned. “Mom wants me to start at the company right after school right? It’s the whole reason I have his internship,” he spread his arms. “However, I’ve already sent out a few different college applications.” 
Azalea’s mouth dropped open and she glanced around the room. “You’re kidding,” she hissed. “Do you have any idea what that’s going to do to her-” 
“Why does it matter what she wants?” Alex asked, expression becoming guarded. “It’s my life, isn’t it? I don’t care if she’s groomed me to work in this bullshit company for the rest of my life. She may have claimed a hold on all of you guys, but I refuse to let the rest of my life be dictated by someone I don’t even like.” 
“You can’t say that about your own mom-”
“I can say whatever I damn well please!” Alex stood up, his chair scraping. “She’s not my mom. My mom would have loved and cared about me after my dad died and not tossed me to the housestaff! 
“Stop acting like a child!” Azalea chided, keeping her voice calm. “You’re almost an adult. That doesn’t matter anymore. There are people depending on you, so instead of thinking back on what you wish had happened, look at the present and what needs to happen in the future.” 
The room was silent before Alex reached for his things. “Is that what she’s been telling you?” He asked, venom dripping from his voice. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re allowed to grieve and be upset, and wish that things were different. I wish dad had been able to live because maybe we wouldn’t be having this fight. Maybe mother would have allowed you to have feelings instead of making you into some puppet to run her company for her.” 
“Alex-”
“No. I’m done. I’m clocking out and heading home.” 
“The day isn’t over yet.” 
“Good for you.” Alex fixed her with a hard stare. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell mom I'm not coming in anymore for you.” 
“You can’t quit your internship halfway through!” Azalea stood up as well, chasing after her brother as he began to leave the room. 
“Watch me.” He growled, and slammed the door to the meeting room. 
_______
“You’re not serious, are you?” 
Alex turned to see his youngest brother, Parker, standing in his doorway, panting with a panicked look in his eyes.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow and continued to pack his suitcase. 
“Because you can’t just leave us! What about Dimitry? He’s looked up to you for so long and you’re about to walk out on him-on us!” Parker fully entered the room and closed the door behind him. “I can’t let you go!” 
Alex sighed and zipped up his suitcase. “Dimitry’s gonna be fine. If he actually wants to do it, he’ll do it.” Alex glanced around his room, making sure he had everything he wanted before turning to his brother with a softer expression.
“Don’t look at me like that!” Parker cried before Alex could even say anything. “I can’t believe you’re going to just up and leave! All my life you’ve stood up to everyone in this place! Hell, you even told off Azalea today! But now that you’re dealing with the consequences of your actions you’re just going to run? That’s not the Alex I know!” 
“Parker,” Alex interrupted. “I gave mother a letter to let her know I’m quitting my internship at the family business,” he said gently. “I told off the CEO of our family business, who just happens to be our oldest sister, and I’m terrified.” Parker stared at his older brother with wide eyes at the last word. “My entire life I have been terrified of pissing people off. You don’t know what people are going to do when their emotions are out of control, especially when it comes to mother. Most of my life has been spent trying to find ways to get out of her grasp while keeping you and Dimitry safe. The Alex you know has always been terrified, but more terrified for you than he was for himself.” 
The older boy padded forward to wrap Parker in his arm. The younger quickly pulled his brother in closer, hiding his tears in Alex’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to go,” he whimpered. 
“I have to,” Alex murmured. “But hey, listen to me,” the older boy pulled back and placed his hands on Parker’s shoulders. “You were too young for this, but on our last full family visit to the hospital, dad told me something very important. He said, ‘You are your own person, and I would love nothing more than for you to go and do whatever you want to do when you’re grown up. That’s for you to decide. The world may throw a lot of things at you and try to keep you from your dreams, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t get to fight back’.” 
Parker’s mouth dropped open. Nobody in the house talked about their late father at all, especially around their mother. The youngest boy had only been two when his father passed away, so he had no memories of the man. Instead he’d always looked to Alex. Alex was the oldest boy in the house and took the time to make Parker and Dimitry laugh, to help them with homework, to make sure they had something to eat, to take care of them on the most basic level and more. Tears fell down Parker’s cheeks and he pulled Alex close again, sobbing into his shoulder. 
“I should have told you those words sooner,” Alex murmured, burying his face in Parker’s dark hair. “But they’re from dad, and I’m passing them to you. I know mother has been waiting for you to make a choice, but you can make a choice that isn’t one of hers. Leaving is my choice. If I get away from her then things will get easier, and the same goes for you, okay?” 
Parker nodded against Alex’s shoulder and the two continued to stand in their embrace for a while longer before a door slammed somewhere in the house. The two jumped apart, standing still and waiting before Parker moved first, reaching for Alex’s packed suitcase. 
“You need to go,” he whispered hurriedly. 
“Yeah,” Alex agreed and started to move before reaching for an old notebook. 
“What are you doing?” Parker hissed. 
“One last thing,” Alex said, finishing his task and ripping the page out of his notebook. He folded it and handed it to Parker with a smile. “Don’t you ever forget these, okay? I”ll see you on the outside.” 
Parker took it with a smile and nodded. “Now get out of here before mom-uh, mother finds out,” the youngest said sheepishly, handing Alex his suitcase and hurrying them out of Alex’s old room. 
_____
Six years was a long time, but not long enough to keep the chills from Alex’s spine when he saw his childhood home. An olive branch had been extended to him from Azalea in the form of an email, asking him to come home for one night to celebrate Parker’s 21st birthday.
Azalea had taken to sending him the occasional update email about his siblings. Work milestones, birthdays, engagements, weddings, the like. Alex accepted them quietly, only reading them but never replying. However, the most recent email explained that Parker had secretly been wishing for his older brother to appear for his birthday this year, and who was Alex to deny the birthday boy, especially when he practically raised the kid. 
So Alex showed up, dressed in a dark green button up and black dress pants with his hair tied back and a present in his hand. Parker had decided to work as a secretary in the family company, which Alex thought was a damn shame, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. 
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, making his way up to the front door and knocking. A part of him wanted to just barge in, but this wasn’t his house anymore, and he could barely call them his family. A few moments later one of their butlers opened the door and Alex smiled tensely at the man. 
“Mast-ahem, Alex,” the older man returned the tense smile. “Thank you for coming. Everyone is currently gathered in the living room, would you like me to show you the way?” 
“No, I think I still remember where it is,” Alex said politely. “Thank you, though.” Alex toed his shoes off and moved through the house. The walls were still cold and lifeless, but the sounds of his siblings talking floated through the halls, leading him to the living room. Everything was the exact same as he remembered it. Lavish, but not exactly comfortable. The four siblings sat on sofas around a coffee table, cups in front of them and polite conversation flowing between them, sounding fake to Alex’s ears. He frowned a little but quickly fixed his expression as the conversation died down. 
Everyone was staring at Alex in awe, except for Azalea, who instead anxiously took a sip of her drink, avoiding the middle child’s gaze. Alex took in the scene in front of him before glaring at the eldest. “You lied to me, didn’t you?” He asked. 
“Well…no, not exactly,” she said, swallowing nervously. 
“You actually got him to come,” Dimitry whispered far too loudly to himself. Alex’s eyes jumped to him and then to his other siblings before sighing and moving toward the group. 
“Well, I’m here now, so if nobody minds, I'm planning to stay.” The seating arrangement between the five of them hadn’t changed. Just like at their dinner table, Azalea sat at the head, with Terra next to her, and then Dimitry, and then Parker. Alex barged his way in, sitting in the empty spot on the sofa next to Terra and handed Parker the gift he was holding. 
“I hope your tastes haven’t changed too much,” he said easily. “I should have asked, but I figured it wouldn’t matter too much. If you hate it you can just throw it out, I won’t be mad-” 
“Why are you even here?” Parker asked, causing everyone in the room to go stiff. 
“For your birthday, of course,” Alex replied after a moment. 
“You haven’t bothered to come to any of them before,” Parker glared. “Or anyone else’s, for that matter.” 
“Azalea said you wanted me here, so I came,” Alex said without missing a beat. “All anyone had to do was ask.”
“Yeah, sure,” Terra coughed from next to him. Alex glared at her before sighing and slouching down on the couch. 
“Okay, fine, so maybe none of you wanted me here. I can just go-” 
“No no, it’s fine,” Parker interrupts, continuing to glare at the older brother. “I’m just trying to understand why the fuck you think it’s okay to show your face here after everything you’ve done.” 
“Parker!” Azalea cried in shock. 
“Am I wrong?” The youngest looked at his siblings. “All you’ve ever done since you left is spread slander about our family. You’ve said so many things about the family business, the law firm, even the stuff that happened here at home and you think it’s okay to just barge in here like you’re not trying to ruin our lives?” 
“Ruin your lives?” Alex asked incredulously. “There’s only one person's life I’m trying to ruin, and it’s hers. So what if I’m trying to expose her years of corrupt business dealings or the abuse she inflicted on her kids? Has it picked up any traction? No! And the reason for that is because somebody keeps paying good money to erase it all! If anything, I’m trying to fucking help you guys from the outside!” 
“Nobody asked for your help!” Parker growled. “We were all doing just fine before you decided to mess everything up!” 
“Parker-” Azalea tried
“No! He needs to know!” Parker reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper and threw it at Alex. “That should look familiar to you, asshole. I don’t think those are father’s words at all. I think you made them up that day just so you could manipulate me.” 
“Are you fucking serious?” Alex asked, opening the note to see his handwriting had been viciously scribbled out in black sharpie. 
“I am! You almost got Dimitry to fall for it too!” Parker said.
“This is exactly what I was trying to warn you about!” Alex cried, throwing the open note onto the table. “Did she put all of this in your head? When have I ever led you astray? What have I done in my life that made you think I didn’t want the best for you? For any of you? I’m sorry that mother decided to worm her way into your head and fuck you up, but you don’t get to take that out on me!” 
“Okay, hold on now,” Terra said, placing a hand on Alex’s arm. “Mom hasn’t done anything-” 
“Bullshit! Our entire lives she’s been brainwashing us into thinking all we have to do for the rest of our lives is work for her! That’s what all of you are doing right now! Azalea is being a puppet CEO, you’re keeping the legal side of things clean for her, and you two and playing underlings as well! This is why I left! Did you really expect me to stay around when throughout our entire childhood she made us work and work and work with the expectation that she’d control us for-” 
“Ahem.” 
The room’s temperature dropped ten degrees and all the children sat up, still and silent as the older woman entered the room.
“I do hope my children aren’t fighting on my youngest’s twenty-first birthday,” she said gently, floating over to where Parker was on the couch. She ran a hand through his bangs and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. “Happy birthday darling.” 
“Thank you mom,” Parker replied quietly. 
“You’re welcome sweetheart. Alex, it’s good to see you again.” When she got no response she pursed her lips and then beckoned to him with a finger. “Let’s walk and talk dear. We can rejoin your siblings once we’re done.” 
“I’d rather not, thank yo-” 
“It wasn’t a request.” 
Terra swallowed nervously and Alex glanced at her before standing up stiffly. “Fine. But if things go in a direction I don’t like, I’m leaving.” 
“Whatever you wish dear,” his mother said, her voice becoming light again as she floated out of the room. Alex glared at his siblings before following. 
The two were silent as they walked but Alex recognized the path. They were headed to his mother’s home office where she had only the most serious of talks with her children. Her personal butler opened the door for her and the two entered. Her office was an interesting space. The walls were a dark, icy blue that sucked the warmth out of the room with a dark green carpet to give it some sort of “outdoor” feel. The room was on the inside of the house so it had no windows, but a sun lamp was placed on the desk. The desk itself felt like it took up half the room. It was large and bulky made out of a dark wood. It was kept meticulously clean and organized, showing off how little the room was actually used. Behind the desk stood a plush chair that Alex’s mother situated herself in, leaving Alex to stand, seeing as she wasn't nice enough to keep any other chairs in the room. 
“You know,” his mother started after sizing him up. “Much like your…sexuality I thought you leaving home was going to be a phase. Either this is lasting longer than usual, or there’s a problem.” 
“My sexuality was never a phase. Unfortunately for you I’m still as gay as they come,” Alex sighed, rolling his eyes. “You can expect my branch of the bloodline to die with me. Don’t worry, you have four other kids you’ve brainwashed to give you grandkids.” 
“Don’t give me that sass,” his mother chided, fixing him with a cold stare. 
“Oh, forgive me, mother dearest,” Alex pouted, fluttering his eyelashes and letting his voice drip with sass. “Nah, honestly though,” he sighed, voice returning to normal. “You don’t have a hold on me anymore. That’s why I left. If this is all you wanted to discuss, I’m leaving.” 
“You’re wasting your talents,” his mother said bluntly. “There were many great things lined up for you and you threw them all away to be with those…low lifes.” 
“Don’t call my friends low lifes,” Alex growled. “They may not be as rich as you but they’re still people.” 
“Don’t be so generic,” his mother sighed. “Did you know that fire elemental you hang out with has a criminal for a mother? Who’s to say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree?” 
“Have you seen yourself?” 
“And what about the water girl? Isn’t her family involved in some sort of illegal ring? A fighting one, if I’m not mistaken.” 
“It’s not illegal. In fact it’s cultural-” 
“And don’t get me started on the ice boy. What a weak link. He was in the hospital for quite some time growing up. Pity he didn’t do as well as your father-” 
Alex slammed his hands on the desk, seething at his mother. “You don’t get to talk about my family like that,” he growled. 
“Your family? Darling your family is-” 
“My blood family hasn’t done shit for me,” Alex interrupted. “Those people took me in while I was struggling and made me feel like I belonged. They made me feel loved, which is more than you’ve ever done.”
“I see you’ve stooped down to their level,” his mother sighed wearily. “People like them will only drag you down in life. They come with so much baggage, debt, and tainted pasts that will come back to haunt them, and by proxy, you. Is that really what you want? Do you want to get caught up in some dangerous scheme?” She glared at him from across the desk and Alex felt a shiver run up his spine. 
“I have pride in my family, son,” she said lowly. “Whether you like it or not, you are mine. You come from a place above them, and that is where you belong. Have you no pride in your upbringing? Do you really think your father would be impressed with those you affiliate yourself with? It’s disgusting. You’re smearing your reputation. Our family is made up of pure earth elementals. We control the very planet that everyone lives on and yet you choose to throw all of your power away for some sort of rebellious plot? It is unbecoming of you. You are twenty four. Act like it. There is a spot available for you in our field research department should you want it. Otherwise we’ll have to send you to law school so you can work in the firm-” 
“Woah woah woah,” Alex held up his hands as he tried to keep himself from laughing. “Just because I let you talk you think I’m going to come back just like that?” He smirked down at her. “Oh mother, look at what your old age has done to you. Your four other children have let you control them, but I refuse to.” 
“Now son you don’t know-” 
“I do know. I have known for quite some time. I refuse the world you offer to me. And contrary to your beliefs, I do have pride in myself. I have so much pride my friends constantly have to knock me down a peg or two. My pedigree doesn’t matter anywhere else than in this office,” he growled. “My schooling and my family don't matter anywhere else other than in this house. I’m sure you know since you appear to be a stalker, but the five of us have a nice house, good jobs, a steady source of income, and happy lives, which is more than your other four kids can boast about.” 
“I refuse to be spoken to like this.” 
“So do I, which is why I’m giving you a taste of your own medicine,” Alex smirked. “Talk about dad all you want, but before he died he told me he knew you were going to push us to join the business or the law firm. He knew it was what you wanted above all else, and you know what else he told me? I’m sure you’ve heard these words before. He said, ‘You are your own person, and I would love nothing more than for you to go and do whatever you want to do when you’re grown up. That’s for you to decide. The world may throw a lot of things at you and try to keep you from your dreams, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t get to fight back’.” 
His mother’s eyes grew wide and her jaw clenched, which only made Alex’s smirk grow. “Yeah, I’m the one who gave those words to Parker. I bet he tried, didn't he? He tried real hard but after losing me you couldn’t suffer another defeat, could you? I bet you doubled down and whispered all sorts of things into his and Dimitry’s ears. Well, guess what? You’ll never have me. You can do whatever you want but your reputation will always be smeared by your middle child, first son, Alex, who fucking hates your guts.”
Alex cackled and backed away from the desk, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Oh, and just so you know, I’m never going to stop posting shit online, not until it takes off and someone decides to look into it. I hope I get to fully ruin you before you die.” His smile turned sickly sweet and he waved at her before leaving the office. He padded through the hallways, feeling much lighter than before. He found all of his siblings in the living room once more. They all stared at him in stunned silence and he was certain the oddly happy smile on his face was throwing them off.
“I’m about to head out,” he said, leaning against the wall. “If you guys want to say anything to me before I leave, I’m all ears. Just know that I’m not coming back to this building until that old bat has kicked the bucket.” The room remained silent and Alex shrugged, pushing himself up off the wall. “Fine then. Sorry if I ruined your birthday, Parker. That wasn’t the intention. I hope the rest of it goes okay.” He gave a small wave to his siblings before turning and walking out of the room, making his way to the front door and leaving, giving the butler an easier smile and then climbing into his car to head home. 
“Oh man, Thorn’s gonna lose their shit over this,” Alex cackled to himself, pulling out his phone and dialing a number. 
“What’s up man?” Cameron’s voice came through the speaker. 
“Is everyone home?” Alex asked, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. 
“Uh, yeah. Did everything go okay?” 
“Put me on speaker, I can’t wait until I get home to tell you guys.” 
“Oh shit, this is juicy,” Thorn’s voice said and Alex simply laughed. 
“You have no idea.” 
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reginrokkr · 9 months ago
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Caelus' struggles with negative emotions not dissimilar to what would've drowned Dáinsleif into becomes a warning that this place is unsafe. If there is one thing he has learned in past experiences dealing with the Abyss is that this dark energy magnifies the negative and at worse, distorts one's senses into pseudo-reality that becomes the truth to that person. In this case, a person whose only fault is to feel too much and too intensely, or rather staying true to his sentiments until personal growth makes itself manifest and he learns that one can stay true to one's feelings in a more cautious manner.
For prudence isn't a means to clip one's own wings, but to act as a necessary warning that there will always be appropriate timings and places to display one's emotions without filters. Neither this dreamscape nor timing are adequate.
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◜Caelus. Close your eyes.◞ Tranquil and deep as his voice always presents itself, his words cease to pose suggestions or offer kind advices. This is a command to take at heart, and so Dáinsleif expects it to be for the silver-haired's present wellbeing. In discarding one of the senses that act as an opening to absorb the negative of this place, whatever entity that is watching them will have less ways to reach out to him. ◜Think carefully what your answer will be to thus: You know that this contraption could be key to our investigation for our way out as well as we could go away empty-handed. Then, why does it provoke such ire in yourself?◞
His intention with this question is none other than for Caelus to come to the realization that perhaps this ire of his isn't his own, or at least not in this magnitude. That there is an external influence that causes him to be so irritated. Thus icy sapphires turn towards the mechanism that continues to play the bizarre tape and, with one calculated kick, the tape is ejected. As if that item was the very core of the device, the strange clock-shaped contraption fades to nothingness, leaving naught but that tape on the floor. One less source of fury.
If Dáinsleif wanted to cut to the chase, he could've imbued the silver-haired with aetherial flames at once and hopefully he would bring him back to a neutral state, at least. Nevertheless, chances are that he may see himself in another situation such as this as he'd already been in the past according to his tales— what use would it be to solve his present issues in a click of his fingers if he won't know how to get out from this state in the future?
◜Fury exacerbates one's heartbeat and breathing. Slow breaths, focus on its sounds instead of the entity's voice.◞ He himself followed this principle, but it is also true that he counts with a vast experience in calming himself down when the corruption was hitting him at its most merciless form. ◜You warned me of this kind of entities to exercise caution, and so I must remind your own words in kind: these wills feed off your negative feelings. The more infuriated you become, the more access you give to them to do with you as they please. In this case, what must you do in order to not let them have their way into you?◞
A brief pause follows thereafter, to allow him to think the answer for himself and put it into practise— to be one way closer to emerge from that madness. ◜Despite proclaiming that you lack experience in these planes, you are more sentient than you give yourself credit for. Filter the dark voices you hear and feel your surroundings. Can you hear it? There is someone else's voice, humming a song.◞ Dáinsleif hums briefly the song, sufficient to guide Caelus into focusing into that but not enough to finish it himself, so he may chase after it and find the song's end on his own. Replace the rush of emotions that turn into obscure for the serenity of another source.
Ultimately, Twilight Sword rises his hand to the other's chest without touching him directly, sapphire flames bathe his hand at his silent command and rush to the other's core. Purification for good measure, a guiding light for the lost in the darkness. Hard as it may be to come out of this maze of hysteria on his own, a luminescent thread will suffice to follow the right path for him to walk into a stage of calmness or, at least, neutrality for a clearer mind. Once his judgement decides that he imbued Caelus with enough aether does Dáinsleif retract his hand and turn to pick the tape up. If he happens to encounter this world in reality, he will make sure to give investigate it thoroughly.
◜How are you feeling?◞
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Now he receives the warnings, he gets that, understands at least on the level that a better life will be carried if it's genuinely taken.
That doesn't change what transpires after the helplessly sparking automaton finds itself repaired. (The idle detail of their way of repair work is tucked away unconsciously.) What manages to take the frontal current of his mind is this indescribable sensation. As if there was an alien emotion that made its successful latch the longer he perceives this robot. That stupid ass, agonizing annoying grin that it managed to preserve!
Wasn't that bastard supposed to be finished? Wasn't his stupid, prankster face supposed to be engraved at the plaza like a tombstone?
"....?" Blinking once, twice, the emotion that filtered through his being was sparsely translated. The initial confusion upon Caelus's countenance grew increasingly grim. His jaw grows stressed from the force that he begins to clench it, leading to a glow, golden and unnatural to begin hinting at this innate ferocity that was irritably floating through his stream of thought.
Suddenly, an inexplicably rage overwhelms you.
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"This useless piece of fucking--" The words felt as if they were visibly distorted, as if the very words brandished a different brand of life, his own voice being used as a medium. The alarming awareness of the matter both surprises and immediately draws concern to him. It felt as if there were chains bursting from any surface of this area as the morbid tale continued on. Trying to reach around him, to pinch hooks into his flesh, to dig some unseen gaze into the core of his unconscious mind.
This is what led to the aura of his power to abruptly heighten, to immediately wash across the surroundings like a violent, forceful weight that intends to crush primarily this damn robot into dust. Its figure whines in discontent as hints of a tape unveil itself, though it doesn't stop retelling a harrowing scene. Enough awareness was exercised to keep Dainsleif out of the conjured dominion, and it's the thought that he wasn't alone that enacts that sense of awareness. The Trailblazer was a lively one, they loved the lively, to be the very source that could rend their flesh apart, to let the blood on themselves or each other spill..!
"Shoot.. something's off.." Caelus immediately admits as he reaches forth, grasping at his head as a piercing, whining pain tore through his senses. Stumbling back, static images of not just the automaton, but the animated clock found itself scratching into another unknown figure, one clocked as a silhouette within a distant dream.
Steam found itself spilling from his mouth while the feverish heat violently amplified within his skull. His strength felt like it was being siphoned in.. some way? It couldn't be entirely discerned as it was. So the attempt was to harness a better grip upon his focus, as shaky as it may currently be.
All of these violent images, of a falsified lead allowing the indulgent to serve as lambs to the slaughterhouse tucked in the dream's deepest folds. A building that lives and names etched into the annals of mystery all the same.
"I'm gettin' what you meant earlier on this.. Can I get a bit of a hand?!"
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hanjisick · 2 years ago
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yandere skz reaction .. you have a nightmare
warning. this is not how i portray the members of stray kids or how you should either. this is purely for entertainment purposes.
trigger for stalking, murder, written gore, gets a little graphic at minhos part?
a/n some of these might not be as obviously yandere </3 i wrote this late at night too so please forgive me!! i’ll fix it in the morning probably lol. **and the reader is gender neutral!
wc 1.7k
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bang chan
the sound of your heavy breathing soothed chan, your chest rising and falling as he held you tightly in his arms. chan had a hard time falling asleep at night, even by your side with no work to be done. his chin would rest on the top of your head as he let himself sink deeper and deeper into his thoughts.
he was zoned out, wide awake with his hands absentmindedly playing with the drawstrings of your hoodie— well, his hoodie, with you in it.
underneath him, you began to stir. immediately paused his actions, holding his breath in fear that he disturbed your sleep. watching you closely, he noticed the way your face contorted into a look of fear.
“baby?” chan whispered with a groggy voice as you dug your face into his chest.
his hands stroked through your hair, finally realizing what had been happening. chan knew that you needed reassurance.
“it was all a dream, love. you’re safe with me in my arms.”
the sound of his voice mixed with his heartbeat against your ear distracted you from the images in your mind. you listened to his words, knowing that he meant everything that he told you.
“i won’t let anything happen to you, ever. i’ll always protect you more than anything in the world, understand?”
lee minho
nightmares were inevitable when your boyfriend was lee minho. you had seen things that no human should ever witness, things that would make the average person faint or at the very least throw up. but over time, your brain began to get used to the twisted reality you lived in, and you stopped being so affected by it.
but these images always had a tendency to creep into your dreams, the place that your walls weren’t quite built up enough to stomach the images of what you’d normally see even in reality. torn limbs, eyeballs, blood, the faces of the dead people you once knew. even so, you were able to stay silent next to your boyfriend’s sleeping body, taking in deep breathes and learning to calm yourself down.
but tonight the dreams were worse than usual, causing you to shoot up in bed, hyperventilating at the images in your brain that you were exposed to.
you felt warm arms wrap around you, minho’s chin resting on your shoulder, “nightmare?”
nodding, you let out a shaky breath and leaned into him, letting him tug you back into his grasp, “do you want to talk about it?”
“no, just lay with me please.” and he did exactly that, not allowing himself to drift back into sleep until you were resting peacefully, watching your face closely to make sure that you didn’t have another unpleasant dream.
seo changbin
“changbin?“ you called out, the room suddenly feeling much more cold than it did when you feel asleep.
panic rose in your voice when he didn’t respond, yelling out again. after the third time, your cheeks were stained with tears, almost convinced the nightmare was true.
you began to let out quiet sobs, calling out his name as loud as possible in a last hope.
it didn’t take long at all for your boyfriend to burst through the door, only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist as he heaved. you could tell he had jumped out of the shower at your first call.
“did something happen? are you alright?” he ran towards the bed, water dripping from his hair.
“i had a nightmare,” your voice shook, “and you died.”
his mind had been racing with so many possibilities that he couldn’t help but be a little relieved at what had actually happened, giving you a soft smile.
leaning down to kiss your forehead, he excused himself briefly to properly dress himself.
once he was back he gathered you into his arms and reassured you.
“i’m just fine, darling. nothing is going to happen to me. i’ll always be right here with you.”
hwang hyunjin
hyunjin wouldn’t even think about waking up in the middle of the night for anyone in the world. nothing is more important than his pillow and the warm bed— except for you.
when you were with him, he was always on high alert, ready to help you with anything you could possibly ever need, even when he was resting.
so when you shook him awake, it only took a few good seconds for him to meet your glossy eyes.
“i had a nightmare.”
without any further words, hyunjin gently pushed your face into his neck and tugged the blanket up to both of your shoulders. a hand found it’s way to your scalp, playing with your hair.
you let out a relaxed sigh as his hand dragged down to your back, drawing light shapes on top of your thin t shirt. 
hyunjin wouldn’t be able to sleep until your breathing became heavier once again, letting him know that you were peacefully dreaming once again.
he let his hand fall onto the mattress, kissing the side of your head as a silent reminder that he loved you more than anything in the world.
you would always be safe with him.
han jisung
jisung had gotten into a sticky situation. it was the middle of the night, perhaps early into the morning at this point, and he had snuck into the room through your bedroom window. it wasn’t a new thing for jisung to watch you sleep, laying beside you with his hands loosely wrapped around your waist as to not wake you up.
what was new though, was the whimpers falling from your lips as you tossed around, obviously in the midst of a nightmare. jisung had never been more unsure of what to do. should he wake you up and comfort you or would that make things worse? should he let you continue to dream?
he couldn’t bare the look of fear on your face, but if he woke you up, perhaps you’d be even more frightened. jisung settled for gently pulling you a little closer to his body, hoping that he could relieve your distress even a little bit.
to his surprise, your arms wrapped around him, perhaps subconsciously, and your breathing eventually became steady once again.
as a wave of relief washed over him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud that he had helped you calm down. and the feeling of your arms around him was nothing short of euphoric.
“i love you,” he whispered into the air, lightly kissing the top of your head.
lee felix
felix let himself into your apartment using the spare key that you gave him access to. it was late at night and you would be fast asleep in your bedroom, but he still turned on the kitchen light, running the water at the kitchen sink in hopes to scrub off the blood under his nails.
you believed that at times he would just get clingy and sneak in. you thought it was adorable. but that wasn’t exactly the case. felix had a habit of wanting to cuddle after spilling blood for you, almost as a reward for himself.
recently you had complained about a coworker. they had been the reason that you cried every day before work. naturally, felix decided to take care of her for you. so he cleaned the blood off of his hands and slowly opened the bedroom door, only to find you sniffling with your phone in hand.
“y/n? what happened?” you looked up in surprise, dropping your phone as he tackled you in a hug.
“i was just gonna text you,” your arms wrapped around him, head nuzzling into his shoulder and finding much needed comfort in his smell, “i had a bad nightmare about my coworker.”
felix’s jaw clenched, anger rising inside of him. to calm himself, he replayed the memory of ending her life. he wished that he could tell you all about it, but that was most definitely not what you wanted to hear.
instead, he rolled to your side and planted a kiss on your temple, “i’m here now. everything is okay.”
kim seungmin
you were fast asleep on his lap as he scrolled through his phone, doing his best to distract himself from waking you up since he knew that you needed the rest. but he couldn’t stop himself from looking down every few minutes to coo softly at your adorable resting face, snapping multiple pictures that you would have to beg him to delete later.
after a while, he noticed the way you began to lightly jolt, clinging to his sweater a little tighter than before.
“honey?” he whispered, placing his phone to the side and running his fingers up and down your tense arm.
his worry only grew when whimpers escaped your lips, wasting no time in lightly shaking you awake from your slumber.
it didn’t take long for you to burst into tears, setting his heart on fire. a part of him felt guilty for not waking you up sooner.
“you’re awake now, it’s okay,” he would cup your face in his hands, leaning down to place small pecks onto your lips. they traveled up to your nose, and then your cheeks.
in no time, you were giggling, seungmin’s favorite sound in the world.
your boyfriend was willing to go as far as possible in order to cheer you up once again. after all, your distress was his worst nightmare.
yang jeongin
you didn’t want to disturb jeongin’s sleep, so you reminisced back to the terrible dream, sniffling quietly at his side. you had dealt with nightmares alone before, so you tried to convince yourself that it was no big deal.
suddenly, he turned over and faced you, his voice filled with sleep, “what’s the matter?”
you couldn’t contain your tears anymore, letting them spill down your cheeks.
without a word, he sat up, gathering you into his arms to try and calm you down. he didn’t know how to comfort someone from a nightmare, so he hugged you tightly, “what can i do to help?”
there was a moment of silence before an idea hit you. “could you sing me a song, innie?”
his face grew red, thinking of all the reasons why he couldn’t sing for you. he had only just woken up. he wasn’t all that good. but when you pulled away to give him a small anticipating smile, he had to give in.
it didn’t take long for you to fall back asleep at the sound of his angelic voice, leaving him to feel quite awkward. what was he supposed to do now? should he keep singing? should he go back to sleep? eventually he decided on the latter, letting out a yawn as he fell to your side.
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requested. masterlist. / @hanjisick
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lxffy · 3 years ago
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ꨄ restless nights…☾
pairing: luffy x gn!reader
synopsis: you finally learn about luffy’s ptsd.
word count: 0.85k
note: angsty? a little fluff, marineford spoilers, established relationships, not proofread; happy luffy week! i’ll post something fluffy for his birthday too :)
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Luffy had a habit of never keeping anything to himself. If there was nothing on his mind, he’d tell everyone about it. If he has an opinion about something, he’ll definitely let someone know. When there’s something he wants, he’ll definitely get it. There’s almost nothing Luffy will keep to himself, even secrets are bound to slip.
Unless it was something that affected him.
It wasn’t something you knew about, or something he told the crew either. And it wasn’t something that you’d be able to guess at a second glance. If he didn’t tell you, you would’ve never found out about it.
You suddenly found yourself being able to perceive your surroundings through touch and sound, realizing that you’ve woken up. The sound of rustling sheets and soft aberrant panting filled the quiet bedroom, overlapping the waves of the ocean. Something else was missing— the usual warmth that surrounded you— Luffy’s arms.
Missing his comforting presence, you slowly opened your eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. Finally coming to your senses, you could clearly make out Luffy as he was lying inches away from you with his arms splattered on the bed. Something was wrong; his bare arms were covered in a sheen layer of sweat and his chest was rising and lowering rapidly. His face was scrunched up, mouth slightly agape as he was whispering something. With how lethargic you felt, you couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it obviously wasn’t doing anything to ease his distress.
You slowly rubbed your eyes while you were rising up from the bed and watched as Luffy brought one of his hands to his chest. It laid on his scar, his fingers digging into his scar as if he was trying to grasp it. Your eyes widened when you finally realized what was happening; Luffy was having a nightmare.
“Luffy? Luffy!? Wake up!” You frantically whisper, gently shaking him with both of your hands. You could feel how erratic his heartbeat was through the palms of your hands; just how frightening was this dream?
Luffy’s eyes shot open and his arms immediately swung backwards, lifting him until he was sitting up. Now conscious, he brought back one of his hands to his chest to try and calm himself down.
“Luffy, are you okay?” You asked calmly, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. His head turned towards you, his feelings clearly displayed on his face. Luffy’s breathing finally slowed when he met your eyes but it was still unsteady.
He shook his head lightly.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He shook his head again, which didn’t surprise you. It was obvious that his nightmare was about the events that took place at marineford— the day he lost Ace. Luffy isn’t someone who talks about the past, always dismissing it since it rarely pertains to the present. Everything you knew about him came from spontaneous comments every once in a while, or when someone from his past comes into the picture.
Of course you were upset that Luffy wasn’t going to talk about it, but you also knew that he wasn’t someone who would. It was who he was; someone who protects, never wanting to be protected, although those feelings strengthened after marineford.
Luffy didn’t tell you about his ptsd because he didn’t want you to worry or any of his friends to. All he wanted to focus on was keeping his friends safe from any further harm, not wanting any repeats of history. He rejected the thought of someone protecting him because it’s the exact reason he lost his brother.
It wasn’t hard to come to that conclusion, but you wish you could tell him that it wasn’t his fault he lost Ace that day. It was no one’s fault but the perpetrator. But tonight, you couldn’t say that.
“Can you just— just hold me? Please.” The strain in Luffy’s voice was prevalent, and it broke your heart. But the question was also new; he’d never asked for something like this before. It was always Luffy wrapping his arms around you, never giving you the chance of being the big spoon.
Immediately, you nodded at his question because there was absolutely no way you would refuse. It was almost as if he was asking you to protect him, even if just for a little bit.
Luffy moved closer towards you and the both of you let your heads hit the pillow. Your arms snaked around his torso, pulling him closer. His head rested on your chest and his arms wrapped around you. He could hear the soft beating of your chest and its steady pace soothed him.
“Thank you, y/n, for everything,” He said quietly, getting pulled back into sleep. His words surprised you, it wasn’t often he’d say thank you, especially out of the blue like that. You just smiled in response knowing that he was already fast asleep.
With the comforting smell of Luffy’s natural scent invading your nose, you found yourself slowly drifting off to sleep as well. Finally, you could hear Luffy’s soft snores filling the room.
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🏷: @underscar + @thatsprettycoolbro + @blackweebtrash + @levistiddies + @zorosq + @heartsforteruhashi + @nami66k
join my taglist here !
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strangernstranger · 2 years ago
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We Gotta Get Out of Here | Part One
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Eddie x Fem Reader (Mentions of blood, injury and death. Contains spoilers.)
Summary: Both of you find yourselves trapped in the Upside down. While you were the key in Eddie's survival, he may be the one to help you figure out what happened to you and maybe how to escape back to Hawkins.
------
It was cold when she found me. She told me so, but then again when wasn’t it. Priests and preachers alike will all tell you Hell is fire and brimstone, but they couldn’t be more wrong. I learned first hand, Hell is cold.
How y/n pulled my mangled body to safety, I’ll never know. I have no recollection of it. The last thing I remember was Dustin’s face hovering above me. His eyes brimmed with tears. Panicked. Scared.
I remember the pain being unbearable. I knew it was bad, but I lacked the strength to lift my head to observe the damage myself. I didn’t need to. Dustin’s face was a mirror for everything I feared. He tried to lie, saying it wasn’t that bad to reassure me. I tried to do the same for him, telling him I was going to graduate. But in my body and mind, I knew I was dying. Every breath was stifled with searing pain and shallowing by the second. The metallic taste of blood hanging on my tongue as I slowly felt myself drown in it. Sometimes I can still taste it. Just as sure as I know hell and earth, I now know life and death. I know what it feels like to die. -Eddie
Movement began at the lowest point of his body, the twitch of a toe. Then another. Several. It travelled upward to his feet and legs. Stiff mobility where there hadn’t been any in days. It continued to his fingers and hands. Weak fists formed at his side then eased back limply. But with the surge of neurons reanimating what he thought was dead came the pain. Eyes still closed; he placed a hand on his torso. Beneath it, a cloth bandage was wrapped tightly around his core, hugging his sides where majority of the pain sat. Beyond that, he could feel the rise and fall of his breath. The thud of a heartbeat. I’m alive? The broken boy slowly became more aware of his surroundings. Am I in a bed? As he tested the movement in his legs, he came to notice a blanket was draped over them, providing warmth in a place that seemed to have very little. A hint of smoke hit his nose. A fire was present at some point. Slowly, he pried open his eyes. His vision was blurred, but in the lowlight, he was able to make out four walls and a ceiling hanging above him. How did I get here? He struggled to perch his body up on its elbow. His head dropped to his chest as he did so. Sitting upright was nothing short of a struggle but Eddie managed. He blinked harshly at his surroundings searching for some kind of familiarity. He found himself in a living room, but not one he recognized. His aching body had been resting on a pull out sofa bed. Across the room laid a mattress with blankets and a single pillow. Orange embers burned in the fireplace where the fire had been. Outside the house, a shrieking could be heard in the distance. Eddie’s blood ran cold at the sound. The bats.
With maximum effort, he managed to sit up straight and drape his legs over the side of the bed and plant his feet on the floor. His knees nearly buckled upon standing. Their disuse left them weak and unreliable. He slowly limped across the room to a window. His heart sank seeing the landscape beyond the pane of glass was colored cool and gray. Dark clouds loomed overhead as if something terrible was forever impending. I’m still in the Upside down. The shrieking continued. In the distance he could see a silhouette fending off four demobats alone. What if it was Dustin? Steve, Nancy, Robin? Eddie was in no condition to fight, but he couldn’t sit back and potentially watch one of his friends die. He had to get out there. Hazed and still in a stupor, he trudged out the door as quickly as his body would allow. He watched further from the porch of the strange home. The silhouette was that of a girl but with no recognizable features. “Come on, Eddie.” He pushed forward through gritted teeth trying to get a better look. He watched the girl swing wildly at the beasts with a plank of wood. A stray nail pierced one of the bats. It cried out shrilly as she swung again, hurdling the creature into another of its kind, sending them both lifelessly to the ground. Eddie watched in amazement as the mystery girl took them down, one after the other. He tried to call out to her but could only muster a single sound. It was strong enough to be heard, but exhausted what little energy was left in his reserve. With the last of the demobats suffering at her feet, the girl snapped her head in the direction of the sound. There stood a shirtless and bandaged Eddie, holding on to the porch railings. He had pushed too far too fast. He dropped to his knees, legs giving out. He continued to grip the rails, trying to remain upright.
“Eddie!” The girl rushed to him. His vision turned hyper realistic and tunneled as his head pounded. She managed to catch up to him before he limply toppling over to the weathered wood of the porch. “Eddie! Come on, stay with me!” She pulled the upper portion of his body into her lap and tapped his face lightly trying to keep him grounded in consciousness. He weakly draped his head over her forearms. Her plea was reduced to a murmur. The ringing in his ears far too loud. The tunnel vision becoming brighter and brighter til things began turning white. Just before losing consciousness he looked to the person holding him. Her face haloed in the light.
“Y-…Y/N?”
————
That was the closest the bats had ever came to your place of refuge. The quant home you had begrudgingly became accustomed to seemed forgotten by the hellscape of a world you’d found yourself trapped by. The vines dissipated and ceased a couple miles back. The further from the home you embarked, the more creatures you encountered so you tried not to make it a habit to venture too far from your corner of the world. Only for supply runs did you leave. That’s how you found Eddie. You were searching nearby homes for food when you saw him still and bloodied on the cold, hard ground. He was the only other person you had seen since being in the strange world. You approached him cautiously, afraid you were stumbling into some kind of trap. You stood over him, makeshifts weapon in hand, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Past the blood, you were met with a familiar face. Eddie Munson. You two were barely acquaintances. Your time in Hawkins was short before being dragged into it’s alternate. But Eddie made his presence known in that small amount of time with his big personality and reputation among the locals. Why would he be here? You wondered, but then again you still weren’t sure why you were there either. You knelt down to him. His condition was bad, but a pulse remained. If left there, you were sure he wouldn’t make it through the night. It was a decision you were afraid you’d regret, but it wasn’t in your nature to leave him behind for something far worse to find him. You kept watch over your shoulder as you slumped one of his arms over you and hoisted him up. Bringing him back to the house proved to be a challenge being as he was literal dead weight to you, but the journey was surprisingly void of monsterous creatures. It was as if they were all preoccupied in another part of the world. More concerned somewhere else.
You gave Eddie your bed. Once on the pull out sofa, you examined his injuries. There were multiple but luckily all seemed fairly shallow. Not deep enough to kill a man but certainly enough to anguish and scar. You assumed him to be in some kind of shock. Blessed by the first aid knowledge you acquired as a young lady-eagle scout, you began tending the wounds. You gently cleaned and bandaged using fabric and garments from around the house. You elevated his legs and made sure his pulse rate was consistent. You swaddled him in blankets and kept a fire going for extra warmth. You weren’t sure if it any of your efforts would be enough, but it was all you could do. Three days he laid in that bed. You were losing faith. The possibility of burying Eddie loomed over you. If such an outcome was met, it would haunt you for the rest of your life. Intrusive thoughts of Eddie’s young and lacerated face, slowly disappearing into the ground with each shovel of dirt by your hands kept you up at night. It kept you eyeing him from across the room, praying for a turn around. You felt the hopelessness of the world around you each time you looked at him. This place was so void of life. You needed that spark of hope that it’s horrors could be overcome. That you had some sort of power against it. That you wouldn’t be alone anymore. In those three days, you rarely left his side. Anticipating a sound, movement, something. Anything. But you were running low on wood for the fire. It was a necessity so you had no choice but to set out in search of more.
Your mission was going off without a hitch until the bats began accosting you, but you had dealt with their kind before. A stiff blow to the head was typically all it took. As long as they didn’t swarm in large numbers, you could handle them. You’d become somewhat experienced in the matter. But nothing could have prepared you to see Eddie standing on his own two feet again. It was like an apparition or delusion. A ghost standing on the porch of your homestead. By the grace of a God in a world he had forgotten, Eddie was awake. You regretted the fact you weren’t there when he came to. You imagined he must’ve been scared to wake up in his condition, somewhere he didn’t know. Did he even remember what happened to him? He passed out likely from the lack of food and water in those three days, but you had been gathering plenty of supplies to assist with that. His strength wasn’t there yet, but just seeing him out of that bed gave you the hope that he would be alright. It gave you the hope that you so desperately needed.
————
Eddie was only out for maybe thirty minutes to an hour that time. A huge development in his condition. You had drug him back inside to the pull out sofa and waited patiently on your mattress which sat on the floor. He stirred softly, his brown eyes wincing at blinking at the light of the fire.
“Try not to move so much this time.” You tone was calm and soothing. You immediately grabbed a bottle of water and a straw you had set on an end table by his bedside and encouraged him to drink. Eddie looked at you with a bewildered expression. He thought himself to be dreaming but the ache in his body reminded him it was real.
“Y-Y/N.” His voice was hoarse and dry. Twice he had said your name now. It was the only word he had spoken yet. You helped him into a sitting position, fluffing the pillows behind his back and head for comfort.
“Eddie Munson.” You smiled. You were surprised he even remembered your name given how scarce you were back in Hawkins. You watched him drink as if he had been stranded for weeks in a desert.
“Where am I?”
“Um…hell? I’m assuming. I haven’t quite figured it out myself yet, but for the most part your safe now. That what really matters.” You worried you were saying too much too soon but your time in isolation had made your social skills rusty. Eddie looked back to the window where he first saw you.
“It’s the Upside down.” His voice quivered but was still matter of fact. You thought him to be speaking nonsense.
“Just take it easy okay. Can you remember what happened?” You sat next to him on the bed as you inquired.
“D-Demobats. We…we were……Vecna.” Demobats? Vecna? You were confused and perplexed by his utterances. What happened to Eddie? Did he somehow know more about this place than you did or had he lost his mind in a struggle.
“Okay. Eddie, go slow. Can you tell me what did this to you?” Your voice was a coo. He touched the bandage at his jaw and winced. Still tinder.
“The demobats. I was….trying to lure them away from Vecna.” There was that name again. “Is he dead? Wh-Where is everyone else?” He looked at you in confusion. Anxiety rose within him the more aware an coherent he became.
“I don’t know who Vecna is. You were alone when I found you. I didn’t see anyone else around. Just you.”
“Shit shit shit! They might still be out there man!” HE attempted to fling himself off the bed, but you quickly pinned him back in place, careful not to hurt him. Still, he cringed in the struggle. Again, pushing himself too far too fast.
“Eddie, listen to me. There’s no one else out there. It’s just us. Believe me. I would’ve saw them.” He wasn’t entirely convinced but nodded assuming you half-way knew what you were talking about. It’s not like he could just set out to find them in his condition. He had to take your word for it.
"Wh-why are you here?" His brown eyes fixed on you in confusion.
"I'd like to know myself. I don't even know how I got here. Or how long it's been." Not a day had passed where you hadn't posed that question silently to yourself.
"...It's been over a year, Y/N" Eddie's voice was quiet and gravely. He sounded almost remorseful as he spoke. You knit your brow together, unsure of what that was in reference to.
"Over a year since what?"
"Since you went missing." A shiver crept over you as if ice water had been injected into your veins. Your hands began to shake. "Your mom hung flyers all over town. The police said you were a runway." Your entire body began to quiver. You wanted to know more but didn't think you could handle it. You stood up from the bed to pace the room, shaking your head in denial. Eddie watched you. He hadn't indented to upset you but felt like you should know. He began to worry about himself and the situation he now found himself in with you. Was he trapped too>
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wingsdreamt · 2 years ago
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steeleidolon​:
Wandering hands and heady kisses, the flash-over of heat smoldering to warmth, affection metered out with action, with touch, here in this nook that they called their own. Here in this space where they learned that home is not a place. Cold feet, Zack says, and he earns a chuckle for his trouble, a click-tut of tongue and a squish of nose to nose. “As if.”
Reclined with his cheek propped to his knuckles, Kunsel finds himself struck quiet, not for the first time, looking on. Just looking, kiss-swollen lips rounded and lambent eyes half-lidded. Just watching, keenly conscious of his own heartbeat–brimming, full, not a weight in his chest but an almost unbearable lightness–in the incomplete silence. Maybe Zack can hear it too. Alive. Alive, resonant with the aftermath of a lightning strike, tingling fingers to toes.
The approximation of a window with its permanent blinds allows for a certain quality of light on flushed skin, on the tousle of raven feather spikes and long locks so black as to gleam nearly blue, on the glint of hammered gold that survived against all odds, one link among many. Not quite silhouetted, but nearly so. Not quite sepia, but nearly so, warmed at the edges with a glow beyond afterglow.
And he wonders.
He wonders how he ever managed to keep the truth locked behind his teeth, how he ever managed to choke it down. How he ever managed to prevent himself from saying those three words. How he ever feared that something so effervescent could become a weight, when the tags around his neck were never a burden but a promise. ShinRa would have held that truth like a loaded gun aimed straight at their hearts, but they had faced things worse than death. Zack did face things worse than death. Five years, two months, two weeks.
Maybe ‘I trust you’ was a sufficient stand-in, where trust, real trust, was almost impossible to find and assure during their tenure as SOLDIER.
Obvious, Aerith had said. Obvious. Maybe it was. Maybe it screamed, howled, in every deed, shouted from the rooftops in every action, in every way but the spoken word.
“Oh,” Kunsel exhales with something that aches like awe when Zack looks back his way. Blue-flash, limitless, lively.
Beautiful.
“Um, no, not too much. Have you met us?” There, easy as anything, he cracks a grin, lingering while Zack searches the shared dresser. Folded socks, a sealed box of thumb tacks, a novelty pocket knife/bottle opener in the shape of a Costa del Sol longboard, a rubber ducky with a pirate hat and a hook-wing, and there–a tag and its chain, pristine. They always received spares with every deployment packet. It became an unofficial tally, and now it has taken on a whole new meaning.
Rising smoothly - well, mostly smoothly, since shifting on the measly padding dumps another materia orb onto the floor - Kunsel steps over their discarded clothes and crosses the scant space, and somehow the air feels thinner as he takes the tag from Zack’s palm.
“I do,” he finds himself saying, maybe aware of the irony in it, maybe not, participating in a ceremony that feels as close to sacred as anything. Fitting that they are in a space they occupied for so much of their lives, naked and with nothing to hide. Kunsel leans his brow to Zack’s as he pinches the chain’s closure open, slipping it around, body-warmed alloy to skin, clasped behind his neck with the softest of 'snick’ sounds. If his hand drops to press the little sliver of metal to Zack’s chest in wonder, perhaps he can be forgiven for the sentiment.
He has no regrets.
He might just wear this smile all the way up to the Drum. Science and its horrors be damned. Planet, he probably looks completely daft standing there with one hand over Kunsel's, grinning to a squint, nosing up from where they are pressed brow to brow into messy auburn curls, mouthing 'I love you's and dropping kisses along his brow.
His voice might crack if he tries to properly say those three words right now. But then… He's lived through worse situations.
And he wants to say them. He wants Kunsel to hear them as much as he can feel his own heart fluttering beneath Kunsel’s hand resting over his breast. 
"I love you, Kunsel."
Hope gave him so many reasons to forge onwards. Before and after. Whether they knew their actions to be the right thing to do or not. Text messages, always. Covers and retreats, advances and initiatives through the winding forests and their gnarled roots, long grasses swaying in the wind under the auspices of the stars, or the loopy late nights, mako thrumming in their veins. Sharing in laughter with erstwhile friends and playing dumb to the obvious. And then, diverted patrols, the apparent, bubbling frustration of his hunters playing on false trails, airdropped caches found where they ought not be. Presence in absence on even the slightest chance that any of it could make a difference. Little spoon privileges and full kitchen access too.
"Or should I say, Mr. Blowfist?" Laughter does nothing to stop the tears brimming in his eyes, joyful ones, glinting in low light as he sweeps the pad of his thumb over Kunsel’s cheek, along an old scar, then down, along the ridges of the newer ones too. There are still plenty of monsters they must face so long as Shinra maintains its chokehold on power and resources, but not alone. Not anymore. 
Zack tucks his chin in, bringing them brow to brow once more to admire the grounding element he needs to see so badly before the remainder of his common sense is blown away with the rest of him. 
Best get a move on before their curious neighbors invite themselves over to join in the festivities too, and that is an explanation they do not want to give as much as they leave other mysteries behind for their past selves. He rubs at his face with his hands, massaging the aching muscles in his cheeks to no avail. Still smiling, giddy and smitten. 
Totally worth it.
“Okay,” Zack exhales in a determined huff. “I am. Getting. Dressed.” Each word is enunciated carefully, more to convince himself than anything as he sidesteps around Kunsel (not without a passing peck on the cheek) and plucks his boxers off the ground as he goes. Their new purples are only slightly rumpled. “Right now.” 
The sleeveless knit is the closest thing within reach, and Zack pulls that on over his head after an alternating one-legged wobble into each leg of his boxers. His lengthy hair remains trapped underneath the sweater, for the moment. Looking on at the now-messy sleeping space, Zack quirks his lips thoughtfully to one side as he shakes out the wrinkles of his pants. Maybe it won’t be enough to change anything in this time, maybe it will, what with scents and aftermath that cannot be hidden from their noses, but the question remains. “So…think we should actually leave a note behind or..?” 
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