#you could never water board this information out of me
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dteamforever · 4 months ago
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just saw the craziest TikTok of a girl saying she changed her location on tinder to find a YouTuber she was like in love with to date him and she never found him but found his friends.
anyway she was looking for Karl Jacobs.
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pleasantboatpress · 1 year ago
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so, you wanted to start bookbinding?
so @princetofbone mentioned on my post for "factory settings" about wanting to know more about the binding style that i used for it. so i thought i might make a post about it.
i was as terrible as i always am for taking in progress shots, but i can link you to the resources i used in order to make my book. i would also like to point out that "factory settings" is my 120th bind, and i have been doing bookbinding as a hobby for just over 3 years now. unfortunately this means some of the methods that i used for that bind aren't particularly beginner friendly, just in terms of the tools and methods i have used, but i would love to point you in the right direction when it comes to resources. i dont say this to sound pretentious which i fear i might come across, just so that youre fully informed. getting into this hobby is fun and rewarding, but it can definitely be intimidating.
with that caveat, heres a list of links and resources that i have used for bookbinding in general, with additional links to methods i used specifically in regards to this bind.
ASH's how to make a book document. it gives you a great introduction into typesetting fics (where you format the text of fics to look like a traditionally published books) and then turning them into a case-bound book (the style i used for "factory settings"). it is comprehensive, and explains how to use microsoft word to do your bidding. it was invaluable to me when i was just starting out! currently i use affinity publisher to typeset/format my fics for printing, but i only bought and learned how to use that after i had been binding books for a year and a half. i made some beautiful typesets with word, and some of my close friends use it still and design stuff that i never would be able to in my wildest dreams (basically anything by @no-name-publishing)
DAS Bookbinding's Square Back Bradel Binding. a great style to do your first bind in! this method requires, when making the case, to attach the cover board and the spine board to a connecting piece of paper, which makes it so much easier to match the size of the case to the size of the text block (your printed out and sewn fic). using this method is what allowed me to get much more accurately fitting cases, and made me much more confident with the construction of the books i was making. a well-made book is something that is so wonderful to hold in your hands!
DAS Bookbinding's Rounded and Backed Cased Book. This is the specific method that i used to create my bind for "factory settings"! even before i could back my books, i found that watching DAS's videos in particular helped me see how books were traditionally made, and i was able to see different tips and tricks about how to make nicer books.
Book Edge Trimming Without... i trim the edges of my text block using my finishing press and a chisel i have sharpened using a whetstone and leather strop with buffing compound on it. i follow the method for trimming shown in this video!
Made Endpapers. i follow this method for my endpapers, as i used handmade lokta endpapers, and they can be quite thin, but they look beautiful! i used "tipped on" endpapers (where you have your endpaper and then put a thin strip of glue on the edge and attach it to your text block) i used for a very long time before this, but these feel like they are much more stable, as they are sewn with your text block.
Edge Sprinkling. this is the method that i used for decorating the edges of my text block. but the principle is basically clamping your text block tight and then sprinkling the edges. i do not believe you need to trim the edges in order to do sprinkles on the edges, and that's what makes it accessible! i personally just use really cheap acrylic paint that i water down and then flick it onto the edges with my thumb and a paint brush.
Double-Core Endbands. i sew my own endbands, which i followed this tutorial for. that being said, it's kind of confusing, and this video is a bit easier to follow, but it is a slightly different type of endband.
Case decoration. i used my silhouette cameo 4 to cut out my design for "factory settings" in htv (heat transfer vinyl). i also used my cameo 4 to cut out the oval of marbled paper on the front, as i honestly didn't want to try my hand at cutting an oval lol. i also glued some 300 gsm card with an oval cut out of the centre of it onto the cover before covering it with bookcloth, to get a kind of recess on the cover. i then glued the oval of marbled paper onto the top of the recessed area once it was covered with bookcloth, so that it was protected. the images i used were sourced from a mix of rawpixel, canva and pixabay. a more accessible way to get into cover decoration is by painting on a design for your cover as described in @a-gay-old-time's tutorial just here. or even doing paper labels, which look classy imo.
physical materials. sourcing these will depend on your country. i am located in australia, and have compiled a list with some other aussie bookbinders of places to buy from. here is a great post describing beginning materials for getting started binding.
@renegadepublishing. this tumblr is great! its what got me started bookbinding, and being in the discord has been inspiring, motivating, and honestly just one of the best online experiences i have ever had. it is full of resources, and most people in there are amateur bookbinders, with a couple of professionals thrown in. the discord is 18+, and anyone can join!
i'm sorry this post got so long, but i hope that this has a lot of information for you if you would like to get started bookbinding. its one of the best hobbies ive ever had, and i genuinely believe i will have it for the rest of my life.
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welty4ng · 3 months ago
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TEAR MY WORLD APART!
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call transcript; “adapting is never easy. jiaoqiu supposes he only tolerates it because you’re with him”
cw; spoilers for the current quest !!! f!reader, NSFW (mdni) !! hurt/comfort, fingering (soft sex tbh), not proofread, ugh jiaoqiu i love you so much, fic below the cut, 4.7k words
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When Jiaoqiu first returns home, there’s a heavy weight in his chest.
It felt horribly uncomfortable, having Moze walk him all the way from the docks to his house. It felt even worse to have his companion fish his keys from his pockets.
In his mind’s eye, he knows where everything is. He knows where you keep your plants and how to avoid running into them; still, he tips one over, the crunch of dirt beneath his feet ringing sickeningly in his ears. He knows where every corner of his house is; yet, he hits his shoulder when he rounds a corner a little too soon.
Shamefully, it takes him longer than he’d like to find someplace to sit. He’d never thought it to be so humiliating, to realize he spent so many years seeing the layout to his own home without memorizing it.
He’s unsure for how long he sits, the silence deafening and the darkness blinding. There’s a gnawing, ever-growing pit in his stomach at the realization that this might very well be the rest of his life. A shiver runs down his spine. He doesn’t think he’ll enjoy having his senses heightened any more than they already were.
Jiaoqiu jolts when he hears the front door open, his ears perking up. The sound of your footsteps reaches his ears before you call out his name, your voice gentler than he’s ever heard it.
“Hey,” you say, hushed. Jiaoqiu shudders when your hand finds his knee, trying to soothe him. His hands ball into fists on his lap.
“Hey,” he echoes, slightly strained. The weight in his chest grows heavier when you thumb at his knee. It’s horrifying, how he can practically picture the pity on your face — he’d never thought he’d be at the receiving end of it.
“General Feixaio told me what happened,” you whisper. Jiaoqiu’s ears twitch when you cup his face and he immediately nestles into your palm. Your thumb is gentle against his skin, caressing his cheek with the utmost of care. “I’m so sorry, love.”
There’s a lump in his throat, a million words on the tip of his tongue — ‘I’m okay. I’ll be fine. It’s nothing serious. I just need to adapt.’
All that he musters is a quiet, shaky, “I want to see you.”
Jiaoqiu wonders if you look as broken as he sounds.
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Being molded into a homebody is not unideal, but Jiaoqiu has far too much to do.
He wonders if that’s why Feixiao sent Moze to inform him of the leave of absence he’d been granted.
It should be welcome. It is, to an extent, when guilt doesn’t chip away at his conscience; when he doesn’t feel like he’s a burden—
The clatter of pots makes him jump, his tail puffing up before matting back down. He exhales, low and unsteady as you call out a sheepish, “Sorry.”
Jiaoqiu doesn’t think he can complain. Not when you’ve carved out time from your schedule to look after him — to help him adjust, or whatever bullshit Moze claimed Feixiao had said. So he’ll endure the ringing in his ears when something is just a little too loud, endure the tangy, bitter smell of something burning, and offer a patient smile, followed by a soft, “It’s okay.”
Because he knows you’re trying.
Cooking was never your thing. He’d never let it be, because, why would he ever let you dirty your hands when he could do it instead?
Part of himself feels guilty that you’ve been forced into a myriad of things that fell under his attention. It’s an ever-growing sense of uselessness that weighs on his chest, burrowing deeper with every ‘tap’ of the knife on the cutting board.
He presses his back against the wall, trying to suppress the familiar urge to take over the cooking for you. A knot forms in his throat when he hears you softly hiss, his eyes yearning to open and treat whatever wound you must’ve gotten.
When a soft rush of water reaches his ears, he inches off the wall just enough, taking a step toward the noise. It feels slightly disorienting, trying to guide himself simply through hearing. Still, he tries, awkwardly stumbling in your direction with an outstretched hand.
A shaky exhale leaves his lips when he touches your shoulder, his tail awkwardly flicking to the side when you jolt at the contact.
“Let me help,” he whispers, his fingers instinctively squeezing your shoulder. There’s something so horrid about being able to hear your breaths before you even speak. He loathes how clear he can hear your breath falter as you hesitate.
“Jiaoqiu, you—”
“Please.” He’s tired of feeling useless. He has enough to deal with, now that his eyesight is gone indefinitely. He wants to help — to be of use, even if it’s just a little.
The weight in his stomach sinks deeper when you gingerly clutch his wrist. For a moment, he expects you to drop his hand and lead him back to the spot on the wall he’s claimed as his own. Instead, you bring his hand up to your face, letting his knuckles brush against your skin.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” you murmur, gentle as you press a kiss to the back of his hand. Jiaoqiu wonders what expression you’re making; wonders if it’s pity or sympathy.
He takes a step closer, his front bumping against yours before his free hand shoots out to hold onto the edge of the counter for balance. “Let me do something, at least,” he pleads, a vague hint of desperation lacing his words.
Your breaths fan his face, tickling his skin in a way that has his tail swaying.
“Please,” he whispers, trying to keep his voice from wavering.
There’s a brief moment of hesitance before you ask, “What do you want to do?”
Jiaoqiu’s heart hammers in his chest, a ticklish sort of hope flooding his being. His hand trembles against your face, softly squeezing your own when you grasp it.
“Anything,” he breathes out. “It doesn’t have to be cooking or cleaning or — just let me do anything.”
When your grip on his hand falters, he grasps it tighter, resting them on your cheek. The smell of something burnt fills his senses, but he can’t find it in himself to care; not when he can feel the faint warmth of your skin. “I want to be of use to you.”
His ears twitch when you sigh, his hand trembling lightly against your face. He can imagine the expression you’re making — pursed lips and furrowed brows, deep in thought. Still, he yearns to see it.
“You can help me stir the pot,” you offer, a hint of hesitance to your voice.
The weight in his chest lightens just a little, his fingers tightening around your own in a light squeeze. “Alright.”
It’s a shred of normalcy, he supposes; even if he’s just swirling a ladle. For a moment, it reminds him of a simpler time, back when he was younger and still learning to fend for himself. The soft ‘tap’ of the knife against the cutting board fills his ears, accompanied by your faint humming.
Will you let him keep helping you? Jiaoqiu can’t help but wonder. Would you let him stop being a burden? Do you even think of him as a burden? He hopes — prays — you don’t. He hopes you let him stay by your side, even if all he can do is rot.
It’s all he wants.
So, when you lead him to your dining table, trying to distract him from the scent of burnt meat, he’ll entertain you. He’ll keep his complaints to himself, even if the soup is far too salty; the noodles are a little too undercooked; and the cubed beef is a bit too charred.
You’re both trying, he reminds himself. Perhaps that’s why he can’t find it in himself to care much when he can hear the ‘snap’ of a noodle between his molars. There’s a slight tingle in his tongue by the time he’s done eating.
Still, Jiaoqiu doesn’t complain. Instead, he smiles, softening when your hand grasps his own beneath the table, squeezing twice in a comforting gesture.
“Thank you,” he whispers, hushed. When your breath hitches, a lump forms in his chest. Quickly, he adds, “For everything.”
For a moment, he supposes the only good thing about being blind is that he doesn’t have to see you cry. Though, he supposes it’s worse, hearing you hold back from it — hearing you struggle to remain composed.
When he opens his arms, you rush into him, leaving your chair behind and opting to perch in his lap — just like you’d always done. He holds you closer, instinctively; though, he rubs at your back with hesitance, almost trying to map out the length of your back.
He shudders when you wet the side of his neck. It feels more present, now that his world is shrouded in pitch black. Your cries sound louder, even when quiet and muffled by his skin.
“I’m sorry.” Jiaoqiu’s unsure if the apology is his or yours, the weight growing tenfold in his chest and ringing in his ears.
He can’t tell if the sobs are still yours, either.
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Jiaoqiu learns to rise when you do. His routine morphs into your own, despite your insistence that he rest longer.
Staying in bed doesn’t feel the same without you, he’d argued. You were quick to relent after that.
His feet drag on the floor behind yours, his grip tight around the back of your nightshirt. There’s a dull ache in his head. He bumps into you when you stop, a quick apology tumbling from his lips before he can stop it.
When the sound of rushing water reaches his ears, they twitch, recognizing the familiarity. His hands perch on the edge of the counter, letting go of your clothes. It never takes long for him to hear the soft rustle of fabric falling onto the floor. It never takes long for him to fumble with his buttons, either, before you come to his aid.
“Will you help me wash my hair again?” he asks, quiet as you ease the fabric off his shoulders.
“If you want me to,” you reply, gentle as you help him out of his pants. When your fingers brush against his lower abdomen, he shivers, his tail puffing up as he sucks in a sharp inhale.
Jiaoqiu’s hand leaves the counter, moving to cup your cheek in a practiced (albeit clumsy) movement. Part of himself still feels like a fumbling fool when you move his hand just a little lower, correcting the placement. Still, you never mention it.
A voice in the back of his head tells him he should reject your offer for help — tells him he’s been more than enough of a burden by making you spend more time ensuring he’s clean than you do yourself. Then, a gentler, kinder voice reminds him you’d expressed your satisfaction at being able to aid him. Pride never stands a chance, when it comes to your delight; he realized this soon after meeting you.
So, he lets his finger brush against the apple of your cheek, his voice softening as he says, “I do.”
It’s become almost instinctive, following you. There’s always a certain gentleness with which you hold his hands, guiding him forward as you step into the shower. He hears the quiet scuff of a stool (your insistence, not his) being dragged across the tiles. Your hands remain gentle as you guide him to sit.
“Tell me if I scrub too hard, okay?” The statement is almost unnecessary, truly. You’ve never once treated him with something other than overwhelming delicateness — like he’s made of porcelain. Jiaoqiu considered himself tough, before losing his eyesight. He thinks that shell was stripped from him alongside his vision. He wonders if you know it, too — wonders if that’s why you touch him like he’s seconds away from breaking beneath your touch.
Still, all he says is, “Okay.” Then, after a moment, “Thank you.”
A lump forms in his throat at the beat of silence, his heart hammering in his chest. Aeons, he wants to see your expression — he needs it so desperately. It’s become hard to tell whether he says the right thing or not. Sometimes, he wonders if he oversteps. There are a million words at the tip of his tongue, all of them longing to spill out.
Something soft presses against his forehead, gentle and so, so soft. Two hands cup his jaw, holding him in place before drawing him in. His arms wrap around your middle almost instinctively, his face burrowing into your chest.
“I want to see you,” he whispers, his words muffled by your skin.
Your lips press against the top of his head, tender. Jiaoqiu melts when you cup the back of his head, holding him in place. He wonders if you realize how soothing your heartbeat is to him, currently. Your fingers weave through peachy strands, washing out the shampoo suds from his hair.
“I know,” you reply, your voice barely audible. “We’ll figure it out, love.”
A soft noise rumbles in the back of his throat, his ears twitching and tickling your skin. “Promise?”
“Promise,” you whisper, kissing the top of his head one last time.
For a moment, something akin to hope blossoms in his chest. It’s the first time he’s felt it, since losing his vision, Jiaoqiu notes.
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Normal still feels out of place, though not as much anymore. It’s become a faint, lingering feeling in the back of his mind.
There’s still a vague sense of discomfort at being surrounded by darkness constantly. Jiaoqiu supposes it’s only through the habit of touching that he reminds himself he’s not alone.
He’s only grateful you indulge him, even if it must be a bother to have him hovering and pestering just to stick to you.
The streets of the Yaoqing — have they ever been this noisy? Jiaoqiu can’t tell. It’s uncomfortable, how loudly everything rings in his ears. He thinks he would rather trade the boisterous noise for the bright, vivid colors he used to complain about.
“We’ll head home soon,” you reassure, squeezing his hand as tight as you can. For a moment, he wonders if his distress is palpable (he concludes that, for you, it must be).
“You shouldn’t rush,” he replies, his words trailing off into a quick apology when someone bumps into his shoulder. His hand squeezes yours — the mere thought of separating from you makes his heartbeat spike in anxiety. Jiaoqiu softly clears his throat, quickly adding, “I’m fine, really.”
Neither of you seem to believe it, though you don’t call him out on the lie. Instead, you slow your pace even more to loop your arm with his.
“I was thinking,” you start, pulling him just a little closer to you as you walk, “We could get the ingredients for those noodles you like.”
Jiaoqiu hums, trying to ignore the way the corners of his lips curl up. “That would be nice,” he says, trying to keep his steps matched to yours.
“You could help me make them,” you offer, gently tugging him closer before someone brushes against his arm.
His steps falter for a moment. When he takes a second too long to reply, you rush to add, “Only if you want to.”
A lump forms in his throat, agreement sitting on the tip of his tongue. All he does is exhale. His heart hammers in his chest, thundering loud in his ears. You’re looking at him — he doesn’t need his vision to tell. A hushed, barely audible whisper leaves his lips when you call his name.
“Is it still too soon?” you ask, a hint of worry in your voice. Your hold on him tightens just a little. “I-I figured, maybe it had been long enough to try and ease you back into things you used to do. We can just pretend I didn’t say any—”
“I want to,” Jiaoqiu says, his voice wavering. He isn’t sure when his breath picked up, but he can feel his chest heaving. His tail lightly sways when you place your hand above his own, thumbing at his knuckles.
“Okay.” Your voice feels as soft as your touch. It tickles his nerves, sending a flutter through the pit of his stomach and down to his core.
He leans down, pressing his forehead to yours (a jolt of satisfaction in his chest at the lack of clumsiness). His ears twitch when the pad of your thumb lightly presses into his knuckle. 
“Okay,” he echoes, trying to match your tone. Jiaoqiu softens, gently rubbing his forehead against your own.
Warmth blooms in his chest when you whisper. The market’s ruckus feels like white noise as your words ring in his ears. Like instinct, his lips part before replying in earnest. “I love you, too.”
He wonders if it’s your face that’s burning up, or if it’s his.
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It pains him a little, just how long it’s taken him to ask this of you.
Jiaoqiu feels you shift beneath him, adjusting your position before wrapping your legs around his waist again. He softly exhales, tracing the slope of your cheek with the utmost of care. His heart hammers away in his chest, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.
“Don’t move,” he whispers, breathless as he pokes at the fat of your cheek. When you sigh, he lets himself cup your face, the pad of his thumb lightly pressing into the hollow beneath your eye.
“How much longer are you going to do this for?” you ask, curiosity lacing your voice. Jiaoqiu softens, his tail swaying when you lean into his touch.
“Until I’m sure I’ve memorized everything.”
“I thought you already knew my face by heart?” you reply. The corners of his lips curl up into a smile when he hears yours. He gently pinches your cheek, drawing a soft chuckle from your lips.
“I do,” he says, loud enough so it’s meant for your ears only. “I just want to make sure I know it, deep in my soul.”
A soft hum leaves his lips when you squeeze his waist. His hand moves, his thumb tracing the shell of your ear.
“How smooth,” you mumble, brushing a few peachy strands away from his face.
“I want to make sure it’s all like I remember,” he murmurs, complying when you pull him up with your legs. Jiaoqiu’s ears twitch when his nose bumps against yours, a breathless chuckle slipping past his lips.
His hand trails down, his thumb brushing your lower lip. When you gently kiss the digit, his breath hitches. He cups your jaw, trying to find an angle. You simply follow his lead, letting him lead.
He thumbs at the corner of your lips, your breath fanning against his skin. His mouth presses against yours in the softest — faintest — of kisses. When you sigh, he lets himself mold against you. His tongue traces the seam of your lips, his tail swaying when you grant him access.
There’s a hint of desperation behind his actions. Jiaoqiu wonders if you can tell, by the way his tongue licks at your mouth — almost like he’s trying to memorize the way you taste.
He barely gives you any reprieve, breaking the kiss to catch the slightest of breaths before he’s attached to your lips once more. When his name leaves your lips between kisses, heat pools in his stomach. It’s a feeling he’d thought dormant since he’d lost his sight.
Jiaoqiu doesn’t think he’d mind its resurgence — not after the way you part with a whined gasp, struggling to catch your breath. His lips press against the corner of your mouth, then lower, until he’s kissing a trail down to the spot beneath your jaw.
When you struggle to hold back a moan, heat shoots through his veins. Your hands find the back of his head, your fingers tangling in peachy strands. He complies when you help him up, cupping his face before capturing his lips with your own.
For a moment, Jiaoqiu wonders if you taste sweeter than he remembers.
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“Guide me.”
“Hm?”
A soft, huffed chuckle escapes Jiaoqiu’s lips. His hand moves to cup your cheek, his thumb applying a delicate pressure beneath your eye. He feels you shift on the bed, your legs tangling with his own.
“Guide me,” he repeats, his ears twitching when you yawn. A gentle noise rumbles in his chest, his body pressing closer to yours and his hand moving lower to let his thumb press against the corner of your mouth. Then, he leans down, his lips replacing the digit.
Heat pools in his stomach at the sigh you let out. His tail lightly sways, the ends puffing out when he nips at your lower lip. “You’ve been patient for long enough,” he murmurs, gently ghosting a kiss over your lips.
“Jiaoqiu—”
“No excuses,” he says, “Please.”
After a light kiss, he adds, “Let me do this for you.”
For a moment, he wonders if it’s your heartbeat he hears, instead of his own. He lets his hand leave your face to rest on the underside of your breast, relishing how your breaths stutter.
“You’ve done more than enough for me,” Jiaoqiu reasons, his voice tender as he moves his face closer to the crook of your neck. “I ought to express my gratitude,” he whispers, noting how you shudder as his breath tickles your skin. He presses his lips against the underside of your jaw — right at the spot he knows makes your breath hitch and your thighs clench. “Shouldn’t I?”
“I didn’t do anything with the intention of getting something in return,” you say. He catches on to the quiver to your tone when his ears twitch. His teeth graze your jaw, soft and experimental as he thumbs at the lower part of your breast.
“Isn’t that reason enough to accept my gratitude with open arms, then?”
You shudder, your hand moving to perch on his shoulder when he trails kisses down to your collarbone. “We both know what your gratitude entails, Jiaoqiu.”
He softly clicks his tongue, letting his canines graze against your skin. The hand on your chest inches upward, moving until his thumb reaches your pert nipple. “Even more reason for you to accept, hm?”
His touch softens when you sigh.
“Isn’t it a little too soon—?”
“I think I should be the one to decide that,” Jiaoqiu mumbles. He presses a soft kiss to your collarbone. 
There’s a slight hesitance to your actions — how you seem to mull over his words. His tail sways, lightly rubbing against the bedsheets as your fingers run through his locks.
“Still, I—” your breath catches, your words interrupted by a wanton whine when delicately rolls your nipple between his fingers. 
Heat shoots through his nerves, fueling the fire in his stomach as he pictures your expression — your face all scrunched up, but your lips parted as you pant. Jiaoqiu slows the barrage of kisses on your skin, softy exhaling.
He wants to see it, so, so desperately.
He wants to feel and touch and see. His ears twitch when you sigh his name, breathless. A soft growl rumbles in his chest in response before he presses an open-mouthed kiss on your collarbone.
“Let me take care of you,” he quietly pleads. “You shouldn’t have to suppress your own needs for my own.”
“I’m not—”
Jiaoqiu nips at your collarbone to cut off your words, his tongue gently soothing the spot. “Don’t lie to me,” he murmurs, his words slightly muffled by your skin. “Not when I hear clearer than I ever could.”
Your grip on his hair falters, your breath hitching. He wonders what expression you wear — are you flustered or taken aback? Or is it something entirely different? 
“Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I can’t touch you like I used to,” he breathes out, gently rolling your nipple between his fingers. You tug on his hair, your breaths uneven. His lips trail kisses along the expanse of your collarbone. “You just need to guide me.”
His fingers leave your nipple, drawing a soft whine from your lips as he trails them down to your hip.
“It’s about time you replace your fingers with my own, after all,” he rasps, kissing a path back up to your jaw, “Isn’t it?”
His ears twitch when a strained whimper slips past your lips. He nips at your skin before pressing a feather-light kiss on the spot. Heat floods the pit of his stomach when you nod against his head, your hand resting atop the one on your hip.
“You’ve been more than patient, love,” Jiaoqiu whispers, his tail twitching against the sheets as you help his hand down between your thighs. He shudders an exhale, his fingers inquisitive as they search for your clit. His breaths become heavy, fanning against your jaw in a way so ticklish that your thighs instinctively press together.
A choked whine leaves your lips, your fingers curling in his hair. “‘s n-nothing,” you murmur, your voice trembling.
He gently clicks his tongue, his thumb pressing against you once he finds your bud. “It’s not ‘nothing,’” he replies, rubbing his nose along your jaw as he begins to circle your clit. “It’s never easy to care for a patient.”
You mewl, lightly jolting when his index finger prods around in search of your entrance. “W-wait,” you stammer, your hand moving to aid his own. His tail thumps faintly against the bed when his fingertips ghost above your folds.
“Here we go,” he whispers, unable to keep the elation from his voice. For a moment, he wonders if you’ve realized the selfish intentions behind his idea to thank you.
Though, he’s sure that even if you have, you probably don’t mind. Jiaoqiu knows how tired you must be from fingering yourself in his stead. Your fingers were never as good as his at bringing you pleasure, after all.
The corners of his lips curl up into a small smirk, his finger pumping in and out of you with practiced ease. “That’s nice, isn’t it, love?” he asks, his voice a soft coo.
“M-mhm,” you shakily hum, slowly rocking your hips against his digit to match his pace.
“Your sweet cunt just needed my fingers, didn’t it?”
He can’t hold back the purr in the back of his throat when you nod, your fingers fisting his peachy strands when he pushes a second finger into your folds.
“N-needed them s-so bad—!” you cry, your voice cracking. Your free hand grasps at his forearm, your breath quick and uneven pants. “‘s never the same when t-they’re mine
”
Jiaoqiu gently shushes you, peppering kisses against the underside of your jaw. “I know, love,” he coos, his voice full of sympathy. “I’ll take care of it for you.”
You moan, your breath hitching as your walls flutter around his fingers. When they curl, you cry, your hips desperately rocking against his hand. “J-Jiaoqiu—”
“Close already?” he asks, though he fails to hide the smile from his voice. You huff and he chuckles, a sense of satisfaction settling in his gut. How long has it been since he’s felt that — felt anything other than a weight in his chest?
Jiaoqiu can’t be bothered to wonder. Not when your cunt spasms around his fingers, your broken cries and moans rising in volume the more he curls his digits against the spongy spot in your folds.
“That’s it, love,” he breathes out, his voice a heavy rasp. “Let go for me.”
When you cry, he can only picture the expression on your face — can only imagine you look just like you’ve always done when you cum. His chest aches for just a moment, then lightens when you mewl his name.
“T-thank you,” you whisper, your words slightly slurred. Jiaoqiu softens when you kiss the top of his head. 
“I should be the one thanking you,” he replies, hushed. He nuzzles into you, slowly pulling his fingers out of your cunt. His chest rises and falls, weightless for the first time in weeks. “For everything.”
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obsessivevoidkitten · 2 months ago
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The Adoring Fan
Kinktober Day 7: Worshipped
Human Male Yandere x Gender Neutral Vampire Reader
CW: Noncon, stalking, kidnapping, religious symbols, reader worshipped, vampirism, blood consumption, general yandere behavior
Word Count: 840
(Hope you enjoy this short fic. At least it's longer than a drabble.)
You were a high-ranking member of the Warrior's Guild. You were pretty renowned and had saved many people from all manner of beasts and disasters.
You weren't as bulky and brutish as most of the members, but you were just as strong and agile as the best of them.
This was because you were a vampire. Though no one actually knew that.
No one but the young man you had saved a few years back from a burning building. His silver crucifix necklace had touched your skin and burned you, forcing you to use your vampiric form. Pointy ears, fangs, dark eyes.
The young man, Nael, had promised to keep your secret. You had saved him after all. To him, your vampiric form was perfection.
But the more he thought about it, the more inspired by you he had become. He also became increasingly worried that someone would find your secret and hurt you. Your renown had gradually grown until you were a famous hero. He reasoned that the more eyes that were on you, the more likely it would be for someone to discover your secret.
His home and livelihood as a farmer had turned to cinders. It made it easy for him to leave his life behind.
Nael researched vampires, lived with monks for a while, and learned how to fight.
Then he set about finding you. It wasn't hard to find rumors and tales of your exploits, but you never stayed in the same place very long.
He decided to join the guild to make finding you easier. It did. It didn't take long for you to come to the main guil hall and pick up some assignments from the board.
Then he just had to wait on the path to your next job and ambush you.
Of course, your keen predatory senses could sniff out a human in hiding easily. Even hear their heartbeat.
Nael was prepared.
He used the most minor magic, available to all humans who were dedicated enough to learn, and silenced himself completely. He used sanctified dirt from hallowed ground to hide his natural smell.
As you passed him, he stuck you with an arrow that had been annointed in holy water. It wasn't lethal but rather acted as a paralytic sleeping agent.
You woke up in a cabin far from civilization that Nael had painstakingly prepared for you.
"Ah, you're awake!"
You were still paralyzed and could only grunt in anger and confusion. Had you been discovered? Was this an assassin? Why hadn't they disposed of you already? Were they hoping for information first? For you to turn them? Were they planning to blackmail you into doing something?
Your frantic racing thoughts were cut off by a greedy kiss and shaky hands rubbing up and down your thighs and then your sides.
You growled both in surprise and to show you did not approve.
"Shhhh, it's okay. You're safe now! You saved me years ago, and now I'm saving you!"
He stared into your eyes in sheer reverence before trailing kisses down your body.
"You m-must have been so scared that you'd be d-discovered! Your selfless nature would have g-gotten you hurt eventually
 I'm s-saving you from yourself."
His voice was a comforting coo, and he pressed gentle kisses all over your face. You grunted, but he ignored it.
"I l-love you so much! I'll t-take care of all your needs, okay?"
He said this as he rubbed his hand between your legs. You made a strangled, high-pitched noise that sounded somewhat like a yelp.
"Blood, sex, safety. I-I'll take care of it all."
He pulled your clothing off and used his mouth between your legs until you climaxed, then he licked you clean of your fluids. After that he lubed you up and slid into your hole, gently fucking into you as he blushed deeply.
"I know your kind have a huge sexual appetite! I-I'll make sure to sate it~"
Nael kissed you constantly during the whole ordeal, moaning your name as he filled you deeply with the physical manifestation of his unbridled love.
When the holy water wore off, you jumped up and headed for the door. You found yourself sluggish and unable to overpower the amorous human.
"Get away from me, you psycho!"
He pulled you back into bed with him and held you close.
"I-I'm not a psycho
 I just want w-what's best for you. You'll s-see soon. Your heroics exposed you, o-others would have found out eventually! Do you want to see the shrine I made for you??"
And you did see. The entire forest had been meticulously blessed and consecrated, and a large fence made from holy silver alloy enclosed the entirety of the land around the cabin.
That combined with the fact that Nael put a tiny dose of holy water in the blood he fed you resulted in you being majorly weakened and almost constantly fatigued.
There was no other choice but to let Nael tend to you in whatever manner he chose.
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eureka-its-zico · 1 year ago
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Chaos in Their Bones
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Ongoing Series
Synopsis: All your life you’d listened to your friend, Usopp spin wild tales about pirates and adventure. Pirates weren’t a thing that came often to Syrup Village, but one straw hat pirate and his crew changed all that the day they arrived. Now, you aren’t so sure if your sleepy little village was always pirate-free or if no one had been paying attention. 
Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader
Genre: friends to lovers, frienemies to lovers, slow burn (I hope y’all like aching) eventual smut
Words: 5k+
A/N: I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, so naturally I did it anyway. This is the first chapter in a planned series with a reader insert following the events of the OPLA universe. I sincerely hope that this is a story you all love as this is my first initial time writing for one of my beloved anime. But let’s be real, after seeing Mackenyu play Zoro (my fav) I knew I was going to be whipped from the start. The reader will go by “Doc” in this story at times, and later a nickname by Zoro himself.  As always, I hope you enjoy this. Much love, Jenn. Also, thank you @thegreatesttttttttt for indulging me.
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The ringing of the bell thundered through the sky above. An upcoming warning of four words that would echo through the street's moments later. 
“The pirates are coming!”
You could practically hear the rest of the town groan with a sigh. Their annoyance stunk up the streets as Usopp sounded the imaginary alarm as he usually did every day around this time. Maybe it was because you considered Usopp a friend that his tall tales and wild imagination didn’t bother you. 
Instead, a sly smile tilted your lips as you continued to grind the seeds deep into the mortar. Mr. Edison’s gruff voice from outside your window reminded Usopp for the millionth time that he needed to stop as he sprinted past. 
“What is that boy going on about?” Naan huffed.
You sent a quick glance behind your shoulder at the older woman who was currently folding the recently washed linens. All of them are used with a purpose to either staunch bloody wounds or for the simple purpose of relieving colds. Naan’s linens, like her home, were used for a multitude of healing services, with the only payment she accepted was that of the kindness of others around her. 
“You already know, Naan,” you replied, your smile evident in your words. “It’s the usual afternoon reminder to stay on your toes.”
A deep chuckle came from behind you followed by the soft cough that came after. 
“These toes can’t do very much standing. So, maybe tell your friend to give me a day of rest soon.”
“Usopp has done this every day for seven years. I don’t think anything anyone will ever say will make him stop.”
Even if you could get Usopp to stop, you wouldn’t be the one to make him. You weren’t sure how many people in town knew who his father was - or that he’d been a pirate. A father by suggestion, Usopp’s wild imagination could only recall small things from the stories his mother had been willing to share, and from those stories, even greater ones grew.
While everyone else may have found Usopp’s stories as an ever-present headache you knew they held a deeper meaning. They were the only thing he knew of a man he never got to know. 
The sound of chair legs creaking across the floor cut you out of your thoughts. Just in time from the looks of the seed putty you’d created. A heavy thud on the boards informed you Naan grabbed her cane and the heavier shuffling of her feet that she was heading in your direction. 
“What are you so intently making over here, child?”
Settling down the pestle, you reached over your workstation to grab a pot. You were going to need to fetch some water to bring everything to a bowl before you strained it into a jar. 
“Water. I need to go get some water,” you murmured as you brought the pot down in front of you.
“Am I talking to myself?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Naan. Did you say something?”
This time you did dare to look at her. Her deep-set wrinkles set impossibly deeper as she regarded your work from over your shoulder. 
“Oh, I only asked what you were making that was stinking up my kitchen.”
Your eyes flew open wide as you took a deep breath in. You were sure the only thing you’d put in that maybe - maybe - smelled was the slippery elm, but you hadn’t even steeped it in the water yet. Naan must have read your panic before it began to stitch your brow together. Your eyes still helplessly peeled to the job in front of you instead of the chuckling woman behind you. 
“It’s fine, child. I’m just teasing you.”
All your panic rushed out in a huff of air as your body finally turned to greet her. Your eyes instantly took in the very tired look of hers. 
“You should get some rest, Naan.”
The two of you knew you meant well. You would never try and make Naan feel older than she already felt, except you didn’t give a damn about her feelings when you could easily spot the sweat on her upper lip. The way her body leaned more into the cane that supported her. She batted your concern away with a swat of her free hand. As if it would be enough to make whatever fear that gripped at your heart magically disappear.  
“Don’t patronize me. I’m fine.”
“You are not fine. You're wheezing with every breath now-“
“I said I’m fine. Leave me alone and start worrying about whatever it is you’re making.”
“Well,  if you would stop interrupting me, maybe I could finish it!”
The irritation in your voice wasn’t hard to miss. Naan heard it too no doubt with the way her brow cocked as if begging you to repeat it. 
The silence stretched uncomfortably between you. Naan wouldn’t even look at you - probably too scared to see your eyes pleading, full of worry for her to just go lay down. 
Why must you always be so stubborn? 
The question sat on your tongue and made your words form like molasses. You weren’t a child anymore. So, it begged the question of why you were still afraid to speak to her like an adult. It didn’t matter if what you said hurt her old feelings. Not when the thought of her not being around made your chest begin to spread wide like an aching chasm. 
“You never did say what you were making.”
You pressed your tongue against your cheek while you debated if it would be worth it to try and argue with her. Of course, you were always the first one to relent and push it under the metaphorical rug.
“It’s a gift for Miss Kaya. Usopp told me her cough hadn’t changed and asked if I would make something for her.”
“Hmm,” Naan hummed in thought. “That boy is strange, but he is kind.”
“Not as strange as Kaya having an unknown illness the last few years and never seeking any aid from the town's doctor,” you grumbled. 
Naan’s hand lightly clasped your shoulder in comfort - comfort you didn’t want to accept. Not only were thoughts of Naan being sick plaguing every ounce of free space in your brain but now so was Kaya. You’d only met her once when you were younger with Usopp and after her parents died that odd butler, Klahadore, kept her under strict observation. 
In all the years you’d been with Naan, learning everything she could teach about healing, you’d found it odd that the staff never came to ask for help. You couldn’t recall a time when Sham or Buchi ever came down requesting any tonics or medicines from Naan, or for her to come with them to examine Kaya in the first place. 
I wasn’t aware they were waitstaff and doctors. 
You knew these thoughts would only dampen your mood until it turned completely sour. You just couldn’t stop the runaway train that was your thoughts from slipping back into questioning everything with the universe never giving you any new answers. 
“How many times have I told you, child, we can’t make people get help. They have to seek it themselves and that- that is when the real healing begins.”
You were already bitter and that bitterness responded to Naan’s words in the form of an eye roll. One you were lucky the older woman didn’t see. 
“It’s just not right.” 
“Right or not, it’s not our place to go butting in.”
She stood behind you for a few more minutes waiting for a reply you didn’t give. You were done talking. Done trying to get her to understand that she was sick too and that all those years of molding words and actions to help others were what drove you to help her. To help Kaya. Only Usopp seemed to notice that something in her grand home wasn’t right. 
Frustration drew tight across your chest causing your hands to seek support against the counter. For a split second, you imagined yourself splitting open and becoming two separate people. One being the doctor Naan trained you to be and the other something less controlled. Someone who was tired of listening but never being heard. 
You listened as Naan began to retreat back to her table where the rest of the linens waited to be folded. You listened as another terrible cough violently shook itself free from her lungs as you focused on your work. 
If you couldn’t help Naan you were just going to settle for helping Miss Kaya. Once you finished making Usopp’s requested medicine you were going to be sure he delivered it to her. 
It was time a doctor paid a visit. 
————
The shipyard. 
Of course, Usopp was going to be here. Why you hadn't thought to come here first felt like a mystery all on its own. 
In all the years you’d known him, Usopp’s routine hardly ever changed. He usually performed his usual pirate ritual just before he started his day in the shipyard. He was hired to care for and clean all of the ships housed within, however, and upon no real surprise to you, Usopp cleaned and polished the Going Merry daily. 
So, it didn’t surprise you to find him already on the ship. What did surprise you were the three people standing with him steps away from the Going Merry, herself. 
You didn’t feel alarmed in any way. Usopp was good with people - he enjoyed talking to anyone willing to listen. The man with the straw hat, who was grinning wildly in the direction of Usopp and then to his friends, seemed happy to listen. He was giving Usopp his full attention and whatever your friend was saying was exactly what Straw Hat wanted to hear. 
The other two people beside him, however, didn’t seem to share in the excitement. Sure, the pretty woman with the orange hair was giving all the perfect signaling queues of a smile and nod to make it believable that she was interested in anything Usopp had to say. Did she probably care about whatever was being said? Probably not, but at least she didn’t look as sour as the moss-hair-colored guy- 
Holy shit
Your feet stopped working. Your knees seemed to refuse to bend, to make any movement forward for the last few feet to close the distance to the group. For what reason? There had to be a perfectly good reason- 
Nope. Thoughts gone. Head empty. 
That was the best way to describe what was currently happening as your eyes stayed glued to the three-sword-wielding swordsman standing next to the woman. 
Three swords? You wondered. Where does the other one go?
Maybe you would ask him if you ever summed up the courage to do just that. If you could just get your legs to function again. 
In all the time you’d lived on Shell Island you were more than positive you’d never seen someone that looked close to him. Especially someone carrying around three swords or standing with so much purpose. Even as your eyes took him in you could tell he was pretending to be relaxed, but after years of mending bodies, you noticed the tightness between his shoulder blades. The ease he tried to display with a hand resting on the hilt of the sword wasn’t actually resting. Even relaxed, this man was ready to unsheathe those blades and use them at a moment's notice. 
While the idea made you consider him a great swordsman, your heart also ached at the thought of feeling trapped and weary of others' intentions. 
Your thoughts would’ve continued to run wild as you embarrassingly gawked at this stranger and his friends. All of that was ruined, however, when Usopp caught a glimpse of you between orange and green hair. 
“Doc!”
Usopp’s excitement translated to a crazy arm wave and immediately caused all three of his newfound friends to face you. God, this meant you had to get your legs working. You had to physically move closer. You could do that. No problem. 
Taking in a deep breath, you allowed a genuine smile to raise your lips in welcome. Luckily, your feet didn’t betray you as you moved the last few feet. You made a mental note as you got closer that the straw hat was meeting your smile with his own, while the other two regarded you with lackluster enthusiasm. 
Great. They were the grumpy types of people. 
“There you are Usopp,” you began cheerfully. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” 
“You know, Usopp?” Asked straw hat. 
You felt your brow crease in question as your smile wilted at the corners. 
“I would hope so. We’ve known each other since we’ve lived here.”
“Impressive,” mumbled the woman. 
Okay, maybe she wasn’t as friendly as you originally thought, but she was still definitely friendlier than moss hair. Who currently felt like he was drilling holes into your chest. 
“Ugh, Doc I was just going to take these guys to visit, Kaya,” Usopp interjected. 
He was still smiling - always smiling. His eyes darted to the three new faces before landing back at you. 
“Why would you take them to see, Kaya?”
“She owns the shipyard and we-“Straw hat interjected, “Are in need of a ship. That beautiful ship behind us, to be exact.” 
You glanced behind him to the Going Merry. Kaya’s family ship. 
You shot Usopp a questioning glance that you weren’t surprised to see him ignore. He was up to something there was no doubting that. The issue was you weren’t sure what angle he was trying to play. 
“Good luck with that.” 
You did mean it. You didn’t think he was going to get it no matter how good-natured he seemed. That was still a family memory you weren’t sure Kaya would be willing to part with. 
“Thanks!”
“Doc, before I take them over there do you by chance have what I asked for?”
You patted your satchel for good measure before you replied, “That’s why I was looking for you. I have it right here.” 
Usopp took a step towards you, his hand outstretched in waiting for you to deposit the bottle. When you didn’t comply with his request he shot you a look of worry. 
“You do have it right?”
“Yes, Usopp I told you I did. I just want to come with you to check on her myself.”
A look of worry dimmed the mirth in his eyes for one second. If you didn’t know what to look for you would have missed it entirely. You knew he’d been asking you for months to sneak in with him to visit Kaya. His own suspicions began to outweigh the doubt that plagued his heart with every heavy decision that needed to be made. 
Deep down, Usopp knew if you were finally going to answer his request of sneaking in with him, it must be serious. A concept Usopp himself purposely tried to run from often. 
“Wait, you’re a doctor? That is so cool!” 
You needed to learn Straw Hat’s name because he was growing on you fast. 
“I’m no-“
“She’s actually one of the best doctors in the whole East Blue,” Usopp beamed. “She’s cured this small village of at least two possible plague outbreaks twice already.” 
You were willing to bet your eyes were the size of saucers. There was no way any of them would believe that kind of nonsense. There was absolutely no way- 
“Wow, now that is really impressive! Sounds just like somebody who should be a part of my crew-“
“No!”
“We are not a crew!”
The absolute verbal whiplash you just experienced left your head reeling to pick up on every conversation. Straw Hat was practically turning into pure sunshine in front of you, while the other two were glaring like you’d sprouted three heads. 
Geez, what a tough crowd. 
“Ok, wait what?”
“It’s nothing he doesn’t mean anything by it,” the woman replied, a tight smile thinning out her lips. 
“We don’t need someone pretending to play medicine woman to join us.” 
Your eyes narrowed in on the now green-haired monster. He met your cold glance with his own. Whoever - whatever - he experienced in his life meant he didn’t find you the least bit threatening. He regarded you like an annoyance and you found yourself wondering why the universe made all the grumpy ones the most attractive. 
If his lips pouted any harder he was going to have to rent a kissing booth. 
“For your information, I’m not a pretend doctor.”
Whatever he was going to reply with was cut off by Straw hat who quickly pointed at himself. “I’m Luffy, and these are my companions Nami and Zoro.” 
“It’s nice to meet you, Luffy,” you beamed letting them know your name in response. “But most people just refer to me as Doc because of Usopp.” 
Nami clapped her hands together to bring you both back to the matter at hand. Kaya’s medicine. Their boat. 
“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, can we get going? We really should stop by and pay her a visit.” 
“Oh yeah! Come on guys, I can show you the fastest way there.” 
Usopp tossed down his rag and skipped backward to the crate where his own satchel sat. 
“Great! If you guys will kindly follow me this way I can show you something really awesome.” 
You wanted to smack some sense into him. Usopp always wanted to be liked - for people to spend time with him and enjoy it. Besides Kaya and you who humored him with his opulent imagination and ability to spin fables like cotton candy. These people, Luffy excluded, did not deserve his endearing desire for friendship. They were both giving off major chip on their shoulder vibes and you vowed to become an even bigger pain in the ass if they were unnecessarily rude to him. 
They didn’t wait to know if you were joining them or even behind them. They all moved forward to follow Usopp, who was spit-firing a conversation at Luffy who easily seemed to match it with his own charisma. Nami and Zoro trudged behind them both and you brought up the rear. 
You’d hoped at some point Luffy or Usopp would drag you into the conversation. Anything that would keep your wandering eyes from constantly burrowing holes between Zoro’s sculpted shoulders. If you didn’t locate some form of self-control soon, you were positive your brain would be sent spinning into a tangent about how martial arts training with weapons was a godsend. So, looking at your feet for the next few miles would have to suffice. 
It was strange how the world between poverty and the rich was such an overwhelming force. The farther you ventured out past the town and into the privacy of the landscape that kept Kaya’s family home hidden, it was a wonder that anyone would know it was there. 
There were endless strawberry fields that farmers planted on one side and potatoes on the other. Dozens of workers tended to their growth with their hard work and sweat until a wall of bamboo cut off any view. All you could see was an endless path swallowed in bamboo branches making the path more foreboding than you thought necessary. 
When you finally came in through the front gates, their iron and mortar was a welcomed sight. The one thing that wasn’t was that stupid Well you’d grown to hate ever since you almost fell in looking over the side as a child. 
“I’ve never seen a house this big before.” 
Luffy’s admission sent your eyes up from your feet to the large garden entrance. And that damned well that sat like a mockery in the middle of the walkway to the front. 
“It’s impressive, right? Kaya’s given me an open invitation to stop by anytime I want.” 
Your eyes darted over to Usopp who was practically skipping with excitement as he and Luffy made their way over to the well. You wanted him to look at you, but you knew he wouldn’t. If he did, Usopp would only find you looking at him - full of questions - with a look calling him a liar. You would never want him to feel bad. It was never your intention, however, it was going to be more embarrassing if you all got caught and thrown out on your ass than just being honest. 
“Wow. That’s pretty awesome,” Luffy breathed. His face was full of wonder as he continued to take in the large space. “All of this is just for one person?”
“Well
she lives here with a few other staff.”
“Yeah. A bunch of asshole staff,” you grumbled under your breath.
By the way, Luffy and Usopp were hanging over the side of the well - ick - neither of them had heard you. Unfortunately, your fellow rear buddies did. 
“You don’t seem to be a fan of the staff?” Nami ventured. 
You eyed her carefully. She came off friendly enough, but she wasn’t giving anything else away. The small smile on her lips wasn’t reaching her eyes. Instead, they were calculating and waiting for you to give her any information you were willing or unwilling to give. 
Nami was incredibly smart and equally dangerous because of it. 
“They do a lot of suspicious things,” you replied slowly, unsure of how much sharing was too much. 
“I’m sure butlers don’t come harboring life-threatening secrets,” Zoro countered.
His hand shoved in a pocket while the other still rested on the sword. He regarded you the way adults do children making up fairytales. The way the townspeople looked at Usopp like a silly child always crying wolf. They both thought you were being silly, and you wish you could say their disregard didn’t make your chest cave in just a bit, but you never were a good liar. 
“No, maybe butlers don’t,” you countered, “but people do.”
When neither of them showed signs of continuing on with the conversation you started forward following Usopp and Luffy. You didn’t care about whatever conversation Zoro or Nami were having behind you. They could’ve been discussing robbing the place blind for all you could care about. 
You were worried more about the people than the objects inside. 
“If you have an invitation, why are we going through the back way?”
Just tell them, Usopp. 
“Oh, well I never go through the front entrance. This is more of a VIP entrance.”
“This guy is full of shit.”
“Yeah, but if he gets us inside who cares.” 
Why was Luffy the only member of this merry band of misfits who weren’t incredibly grumpy? 
“Usopp,” you called out to him in a warning. 
He gave you a glance over his shoulder before he made his way over the giant lily pads without a reply. 
Little shit, you thought as you realized he was very much choosing to ignore your existence. Did you blame him? Not really. You couldn’t remember the last time anyone had humored him this long and you were debating on if you should be the one to crush his newfound hopes and dreams. 
Fortunately for you, you weren’t going to have to be the bad guy in that scenario. One already seemed to exist. 
Just as Usopp reached the second lily pad, you knew something was wrong. The hiccup of an, “Oh,” that came out of him registering as panic. He was already turning back to stop Luffy from coming closer, almost begging him to go to another entrance - an extra special one - when he was interrupted by a knife plunging into the lily pad between his feet. 
A very sharp knife. One you knew could’ve easily severed flesh or nicked an artery. Your blood boiled as you pushed past Luffy, your eyes darting wildly as Buchi stalked towards Usopp who stuttered past a greeting. 
“What the hell are you doing here, Usopp?” He snapped as his hands lurched in to grasp the leather of Usopp’s top. “You know you aren’t welcome here.” 
“I know nothing of the sort. I came to give Kaya an extra-special gift.”
You practically glided past the last lily pad when a sharp hiss cut the air. You didn’t necessarily need to look to see if it was Sham. You knew it was. She stood just off the first step from where they’d been disemboweling the hog, mop at the ready, and her teeth bared directly at you.
“He’s brought the doctor,” she hissed. 
Buchi finally seemed to register your presence from behind Usopp and bared his own teeth in warning. 
“You are definitely not welcome here.”
“A rather odd thing to say to a healer when your mistress seems to be suffering a mysterious illness.”
“An illness we are more than capable of handling.”
“I find that highly doubtful.”
With his hands still holding onto Usopp, Buchi leaned forward to growl - literally growl - in your face like a rabid dog. You wanted to poke him in the eye and were incredibly tempted to do so when a soft voice cut through the tension. 
“Usopp! What a wonderful surprise!”
Everyone’s attention shifted as Kaya made her entrance on the arm of Klahadore. You took a step back and away from the two just so Usopp could twist himself free and walk towards the waiting mistress of the estate. 
“I wouldn’t miss today of all days. Happy birthday, Kaya.”
“You remembered.”
My god, she was practically swooning and Usopp was eating it up. 
“I could never forget.” 
This feels awkward. 
They acted like they didn’t have a captive audience watching them look at each other like two lovestruck teenagers. 
It wasn’t hard to notice how Kaya beamed at him or how that attention brought happiness to Usopp. For as long as you can remember, even as children, Usopp always liked her. Sure, he would play it off as if they were just friends. There was no way she could see him that way, but when Kaya’s parents passed away three years ago what was between them seemed to change. Their feelings became something saturated in an understanding of loss. Usopp knew what Kaya needed because it was something he himself had never truly received. 
So, did it bother you that she actually hadn’t greeted you yet? Not really. What did bother you, however, was the way Klahadore’s eyes slithered over to you. It made you feel like you were going to be sick.
“Usopp. Did you bring the doctor with you?”
Please, let me crawl into a hole and die. 
There was something off about Klahadore. It wasn’t just because he made your skin want to completely crawl off your body. It was the way he sounded every alarm bell in your brain. The way your heart speeds up triggering the fight or flight response that was ingrained in your body's defense system. The way he continued to look at you as if you were a bug that needed to be squashed, only drove the feeling home. 
“Oh, yeah. Kaya, I had Doc make you something for your cough. I figured it might be worth a try.” 
God, he looked so happy. He was completely oblivious to how Klahadore seemed ready to smite you both where you stood. 
You closed your eyes, taking in a deep breath. Maybe when you opened them he wouldn’t be staring daggers into your face. 
Nope. No such luck. 
“Oh, that is so incredibly sweet,” Kaya beamed. 
Klahadore slowly set his hand out in front of him. The cold obsidian of his eyes never left your face as he spoke. “Please hand over whatever tonic you’ve acquired for Miss Kaya.”
You weren’t aware your hand was already in the satchel. Your fingers wrapped protectively tight against the cool glass of the bottle as you continued to stare at one another. 
“Hand it over. Please.”
“No-“
Usopp’s hand on your shoulder stopped you cold. Your teeth ground tightly to stop your next words. You didn’t want to hand that asshole anything. Not when Kaya looked so damn pale. 
Something is wrong. 
The thought wormed its way into your brain until it gnawed at all other thoughts until it consumed every available spot. It was all you could think as your eyes continued to look over her frail frame. 
Naan taught you that as a doctor, and as a healer, it was your job to fight for your patients. To always do what you could and what was best for their care. Was giving the medicine you made for Kaya to Klahadore best for her care. 
No. No, it sure as shit didn’t feel like it. 
Maybe that was why it felt like such a betrayal to take the medicine from your bag and drop it inside his gloved hand. You watched as his disgusting white fingers wrapped around the gray bottle and brought it up to rest closely to his chest. 
“Now, Usopp we’ve had this discussion about coming here unannounced - and this time with a doctor.”
“Nonsense, Klahadore,” Kaya interjected. “They are my friends. What a sweet gesture it was, Doc to try and make me something. Usopp, did you come to tell me more stories about your adventures?”
“I can do you one better. I brought some of my crew.”
With a sweep of his arm, Usopp introduced Luffy, Nami, and Zoro who registered this gesture with sheer disbelief. Well, disbelief would be putting it mildly. 
“Is he talking about us?” 
Luffy sounded as confused as you felt. 
“I’m sorry, but we do not have any room for any extra guests tonight, I’m afraid.” 
“Oh please, Klahadore couldn’t they at least stay for dinner? It is my birthday.”
You hated how Kaya had to beg to have company that wasn’t her staff. You could vaguely remember the butler who was in charge before Klahadore had arrived. Mr. Thorburr had been an absolute delight and genuinely seemed to care about Kaya and her family’s wellbeing. If he was still in charge, you were positive he would’ve believed in letting Kaya outside to enjoy the garden or have friends stop by, even unannounced, to visit. 
One day he was just gone and slowly the only staff that was left were these three assholes. It all felt awfully convenient or maybe you were just being petty because you disliked them.
The way Klahadore looked at her made your stomach turn. 
“Anything for you, Miss Kaya.”
You wondered if he choked a little over each word as they traveled up his throat.
“Great!” Luffy shouted. “When do we eat?”
“You don’t. Not dressed like that. You will change and bathe before dinner. No exceptions.”
Everyone was willing to accept the invitation. The premise of a bath seemed enough to make Nami practically skip forward to be led inside by Sham. Your feet, however, refused to move. Usopp, Luffy, and Nami practically took the small stairs up to the patio in one giant leap. Your earlier dread from the day was back and something dark borrowed its way into your chest. 
Something is wrong. 
You were about to turn tail and run when you noticed Zoro stop at the edge of the stairs. His body turned slightly to eye Klahadore one last time before he turned to follow after his crew. It was small and barely lasted a second, but it was enough. 
Zoro noticed something wasn’t right either and maybe, just maybe, he’d be the one to believe you. All you had to do was join him inside the house to talk to him. No biggie. 
Taking in a deep breath you finally moved to follow behind Kaya and Klahadore. Your eyes intently following a particular green-haired swordsman and wondering how you were going to get him alone. 
The showers seemed like a great place to start.
_______________________
As always, thank you for reading. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.
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threeacttragedy · 1 month ago
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Entry 7: The One Where the Queen Asked, “Did That Go the Way You Thought It Was Gonna Go?”
I’m probably one of the few people in this fandom who find Antonia entertaining.
Goddammit – put down your fucking pitchforks!
I didn’t say I liked her – I simply said I found her entertaining.
If Antonia’s existence bothers the fuck out of you, you’ll likely enjoy my commentary here.
*And, right about here is when I’ll slip in my disclaimer: this is my opinion only; merely speculation based on information that is out there in the public realm.
Now, where was I?
Oh, yes, Antonia. I don’t find her entertaining because I think she’s a great dancer. Is she? You tell me. I mean, I have two left feet so just about anyone is better than me.
And, I have never seen a picture or video where she’s made me “like” her as a person. In fact, she comes off more like a villain, but not a brilliant villain (I might like her, then). She’s more like an Iago to, say, Deux Mois’ Jafar.
I just find her so fucking reckless, but in the most amusing way possible. If she were a movie, I’d give her 4/5 stars. The movie would be a low-budget comedy, of course.
In my opinion, she loves to troll the fandom and I’m convinced she must have notifications turned on for Nicola. The patterns started patterning early on during the World Tour (and probably before). The problem is, she’s just not great at trolling. Her attempts always fall flat, and she ends up making herself look like, well, a tryhard (hence why her movie only gets 4/5 stars).
I’m not sure what Antonia ever was to Luke but, at a minimum, I will (begrudgingly) say they dated. I know some people don’t want to hear that, but she was a player in this game for a reason. Rumor also suggests she, at the very least, squatted in Luke’s flat (and I don’t mean in THAT way).
That said, I believe she was officially taken out of the game at the end of July. However, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t still making noise from the sidelines.
One of the most humorous (in my opinion) “rah rahs” Antonia pulled was on September 28 when she posted some stories of herself at a theatre. I’m not sure if she could have been any more obvious when trying to show us her phone screen. The screen was lit up, her thumb pressed against it, and angled almost directly at the person taking the picture.  We get it, honey. You want us to see what’s on your screen. Not surprisingly, it appeared to be a blurry ass picture of Luke.
Big whoop, right? Well, actually it was because the Conscientiously Stupid took this as confirmation Luke and Antonia were together (again) and the Sincerely Ignorant swallowed their cyanide pills without water (again). And, the Fact Finders, while trying to resuscitate their dearly beloved Sincerely Ignorant friends foaming at their mouths, immediately called “bullshit” (again). The picture appeared to be old and, to be honest, it was too blurry to tell who was on the screen – although I will concede it could have been Luke. In fact, I tend to believe it was an old picture of Luke based on what happened next.
The problem with Antonia’s play style is that she doesn’t seem to catch on to the rules. She moves her pawn two spaces because she can, not because it advances her game. She has this nasty habit of ignoring, say, the opposing party’s pawn, which is in position to en passant her overly confident pawn.
Nicola had been living high on life throughout the month of September, which, in my opinion, is quite possibly the reason why Antonia seemed a bit unhinged by the end of the month (jealousy can make us do crazy shit). Among other things, Nicola had the Emmy’s (and the Wordle), the Gucci show, and, on October 1, she was presenting Simone with a Glamour Award. By this point, I believe Nicola had had enough of Antonia’s gameplay. The phone screen had struck a chord.
So, what does Nicola do?
She plays the game right back but not like she normally does with Scrabble boards, Dewy Skin Creams, and BTS wedding footage dropped at the perfect moment. This time, she does it with a power move that left her hands virtually spotless.
On October 3, Halley Brisker, Nicola’s frequent hairstylist, posted a set of four pictures to his Instagram grid, three of which showed Nicola casually posing for the camera and one showing Nicola in the process of having her hair done. It was the latter picture (#3/4 in the slide deck) that perked every Lukolas’ ears.
Low and behold sat a man, his face conveniently covered by a hairdresser’s arm, but his hands in full view. Hands that, at this point, we (embarrassingly) know too well. To date, no one has debunked the theory – more like, assertion – that the man in the picture is Luke.
Nicola liked this post by Halley, and even commented, “You legend [red heart emoji].” You’re welcome to read between the lines on that one.
I’ve always believed this Halley Brisker photo dump was Nicola’s very clever, albeit indirect, way of telling Antonia, “Checkmate, bitch.”
The point of this entry is not to convince you that Antonia is a red herring (she is), or that Luke is in the Halley Brisker photo dump (he is), or that Nicola plays the game better than most (she does). No, the point of this entry is to tell you Antonia’s game is over (because it is). Antonia lost.
So why does she remain on the roster?
Because, collectively, we as fans keep her there, sitting along the sidelines in her collapsable camp chair making noise with her cowbell. We pay attention to what she posts. We talk about what she posts. We argue over what she posts. We panic about what she posts. WE keep her in the game.
How about we don’t?
Why not start off this week with a positive change? And, not just for the USS Lukola, but for yourself as well.
If you’re following Antonia on social media (for sinister reasons) – stop. Meander over to Instagram, X, Tiktok, whatever, and unfollow her. Don’t look back. Stop checking her page. If you see or hear she has a new post, ignore it. Move on. The first day will be hard. But, the second day will be easier. You know where I’m going with this

I mean, Luke can’t quietly unfollow her if we’re constantly looking in that direction, right?
P.S. If you need more convincing that Antonia’s shelf life has expired, I have a CliffsNotes response for that: https://www.tumblr.com/threeacttragedy/767137910999957504/great-blog-but-if-all-was-not-good-with-l-and-a?source=share.
P.P.S. Moving forward, I don’t give two boiled rabbits about what Antonia does. I will most certainly refer back to her in a historical sense (she does fill in bits and pieces of the Lukola timeline), but if she posts a crockpot tomorrow, don’t expect me to comment on what could be in it.
P.P.P.S. If you have any understanding of what the little chessboard I’ve dropped in to my picture means, I salute you.
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theidiotwhowritesthings · 9 months ago
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Take Care of You [10]
Sugar Daddy!Joel Miller x Female!Reader
Overall Warnings: slow burn, angst/comfort, power imbalance, age gap, possessive tendencies, eventual smut, #daddyissues, independent reader learns to let go and relax, emotionally constipated Joel Miller learns to be vulnerable; (more specific warnings to be added to individual chapters if necessary)
Chapter Word Count: 5.7k
Mood board and borders by @saradika
Summary: You spent your entire adult life supporting yourself and barely getting by. It’s why a life of ease offered to you by a mysterious stranger sounded so foreign and unbelievable. Joel Miller, dressed in flannels that had seen better days, didn’t look like the kind who could promise you the world on a plate, but he seemed desperate to help out. All he asks is that you let him take care of you. That wouldn’t be so hard. Would it?
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[A/N: đŸ€Ą. I came back to life to immediately die off again i'm so sorry. here take this next part and all my love. speaking of my love, i already closed beta readers on tiktok but for anyone on here, if you wanna see why i've been so MIA, shoot me a message with your email if you wanna beta read my original work (i do ask that you do a questionnaire afterwards but that's just to help me out). But, imagine a scifi/fantasy where the book 'Six of Crows' meets 'The Last of Us', and I have good sources that y'all like TLOU👀]
[A/N pt.2: I did not edit this to the degree I should have and there is no tag list at the bottom i am so so so so sorry].
10: THE EVIDENCE IS PRETTY DAMNING
The ceiling wasn’t right. 
That was your first, foggy thought when your eyes opened. Rather than the bumpy, plaster speckles collecting dust it was smooth and off white. You slowly sat up with a groan, head spinning and mouth dry, and you blinked three times before your situation dawned on you. This was not your bed, not your house. Fuck. You set your hands on the bed to lean back then winced. With a hiss, you pulled your hand up and saw the bandaged injury from last night.
You cradled the hand with your other and turned to hang your legs over the edge of the bed. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a note on the nightstand. You leaned over. There was a full water bottle and a bottle of tylenol resting on top of a piece of paper. On the paper, in scratchy, nearly illegible, writing was, ‘Come downstairs when you’re ready. Feel free to use the shower and change if you want. ⏀Joel’. You dragged your fingers to trace the words. 
With a shaky breath, you grabbed the water bottle and took a couple pills in hopes to nurse the aches and pains you felt. You stared at the words again. Last night, Joel admitted to being married to Sarah’s mom and you had responded by passing the fuck out. You had tried to argue, demand more information, but your body fought against your curiosity. All the drinks you had prior and the fading adrenaline from the fight probably hadn’t helped. 
You rose from the bed with a groan and crossed to use the bathroom adjoined to Joel’s bedroom. When you flicked the lights on, you took the first movement to glance around the space. The walls were beige with white tile floors. On one side was a large jacuzzi style tub next to an expansive walk in shower. On the other was ample counter space and drawers with matching him and her sinks. In the back was the small room where the toilet sat and beyond that a walk in closet. The space was lived in. A dirty clothes basket off to the side half full, toiletries on the counter and on the shelves in the shower, you spotted a pair of glasses you had never seen Joel wear resting by the sink on the right side of the counter. That must be the one Joel used most. A toothbrush sat by it and you noticed water by the rim like he hadn’t wiped up when finished.
Also on the counter were a stack of clothes, you stepped toward it and saw it was a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants that must have belonged to him. On top of it was a brand new toothbrush. Your gaze lifted to look at yourself in the mirror and you flinched. You looked a mess⏀ your hair, your clothes, everything. You rubbed at your face with a sigh and slipped into a morning time routine despite the unfamiliar setting. 
Celina.
The name rang in your head over and over and over again. It didn’t matter that you had been only half with it last night. You remembered that clearly. As you cleaned up, your headache began to improve and by time you left the bathroom you at least felt human again. A new anger bubbled just under your skin. You couldn’t quite yet put your anger into words, but you knew it was there. After washing up, you traded the clothes you wore to the bar for the ones Joel left you. The shirt was worn out, like it was aged, and navy in color. It read ‘Miller’s Contracting’ with a number on it for contact. It reminded you of the kind of shirt a small company would make and not a multi-million dollar one. You tightened the waistband of Joel’s sweatpants. They were at least joggers so you didn’t have to worry about tripping over yourself.
You crossed the upstairs, open space to the stairs. Faintly, you heard the sound of someone moving around downstairs. A brief wave of nervousness had you hesitating at the top of the stairs, but it slipped away back to anger. It seemed that was where your heart was making camp this morning.
Slowly, you descended the stairs. The wooden floors under your feet didn’t creak or make noise as you padded into the living room first. A few couches were situated in front of a wall that held a large flat screen TV and a fireplace. The back wall was made of glass, a window and door all in one that revealed the back patio where a small pool and deck were, and the space beside it was the kitchen. Just as open as the rest of Joel’s house. The cabinets were made of dark wood with matching countertops and at the center was a large island with chairs. 
On the island counter looked like to-go boxes of food. You stared at them a moment longer, but a door hidden just out of view on the wall in the kitchen opened. Joel stepped into the kitchen nonchalantly until he spotted you and did a double take. He froze and stared. The two of you were actually similarly dressed. He had on a t-shirt that looked tight on his broad shoulders and a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips. Joel looked exhausted.
“Hey.” He said softly. “Mornin’, sug⏀” Joel stopped himself, it looked like he choked on his words, but he locked his jaw and changed direction. “Mornin’. How did you sleep?” You gave a small shrug and a tight lipped smile. “Right. How’s your
” Joel lifted his own hand. “Your hand?”
You lifted it up to stare down at it. The bandages had been pulled away when you washed up this morning. It didn’t look so bad. “It’s fine. Thanks for the⏀ the tylenol. And the toothbrush. And the,” You motioned to the clothes hanging off your frame, “You know.”
“Can I?” Joel nodded toward you.
“I said, it’s fine, Joel.”
“I
” He sighed and the look in his eyes was agonizing. “I know you’re pissed at me. Understandably so. But, please let me
”
You walked over to sit down at one of the tall chairs at the island counter and set your hand on the marble top. Joel mumbled a quiet ‘thank you’ and disappeared for a quick second. He was back with a small first aid kit again. You twisted your lips when you felt his warm hand cautiously take yours. It was quiet as he reapplied a bit of medicine to the hand before wrapping it up again. 
“You don’t
” Joel started then cleared his throat. You never would have used the word anxious to describe the Joel you had gotten to know thus far, but nervous energy seemed to radiate off him. The tension in his shoulders looked painful to keep hold of. “I had breakfast delivered. Some stuff I know you like.” Joel pulled his hand away from yours. “But you don’t have to stay if you don’t wanna.”
“No. I want to.” You replied. Joel looked briefly hopeful. “I want to talk about this. I want⏀ to know. I want answers.”
“Right. Of course.” Joel nodded quickly. “I owe you at least that.” You nodded in agreement. Joel straightened from where he stood and ran a hand over his chest and shoulder with a quiet cough. “Can I make you something to drink? Coffee, tea, juice?”
You gave a small nod, mumbling a response, and watched as Joel put it all together. He poured himself a cup of coffee after serving you. Rather than take the seat beside you, he stood on the other side of the island counter across from you.
“You mentioned the girl from Vegas last night briefly, but how did you know
”
“Yo-yo told me you had a sugar baby before me. That you married her.”
“I did have a sugar baby before you, yes.” Joel sighed.
“Why did you lie to me?” You demanded.
Joel shook his head, “I never lied to you. I just⏀ I never told you, and you never asked.”
“Really?” You scoffed. “That’s what you wanna hang your hat on here? Semantics?” Joel hung his head then shook it a bit. “I didn’t want to believe her, but yesterday Nima texted someone she knows. A private investigator⏀”
Joel’s eyes widened, “You hired a private investigator??”
“I didn’t hire anybody! Nima just texted them and they confirmed⏀”
“You went to a PI before just asking me?” Joel replied sharply. You leaned back in your seat⏀ in shock at his audacity. He must have noticed how you felt because he held up a hand. “I just mean, that’s a huge invasion of privacy and all you had to do was call me⏀”
You pushed out of your seat and turned to leave. Joel called out after you before following. He grabbed your hand to tug you to a stop and you glared at him over your shoulder. You snapped, “If you’re just going to stand there and be defensive then there’s no reason for me to be here, Joel.” You pulled your hand out of his grip and spun to face him. “I understand that getting in contact with a fucking PI was a crazy move, but yesterday I felt a little crazy.” You scoffed. “I felt like an idiot. I felt like a naive, desperate idiot who got played. So, yeah, I let Nima text her cousin’s cousin’s cousin to find an answer because the thought of standing in front of you and asking⏀”
The rest of your words got caught in your throat. You didn’t want to get emotional in front of Joel. More than anything you wanted to keep your cool and be collected. Just in case he did break your heart, you could walk away with at least some of your dignity intact. Joel took a step closer. Thankfully, he didn’t try to touch you, but he did lift his hands slightly in surrender.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m being defensive. Hell, I'm being an ass.” You locked your jaw and let your eyes focus on something over his shoulder. Unable to stare into those deep, dark eyes. “This is
 This isn’t an easy subject for me to talk about and I⏀ I panicked. I want you to hear me out. I want you to know the truth.” He shifted in his stance so your gaze was forced to meet his. The longing there made you suck in a sharp breath. “Please. Give me another chance to explain this. I’ll do better.”
You rubbed the back of your neck with your non-injured hand and gave a small nod.
“Thank you. Thank you.” Joel repeated himself. He took a step back but kept his shoulders facing you as if he thought you were a flight risk. Joel motioned to his couch. “Do you wanna sit? I’ll grab our drinks.” You sighed and meandered over to sit down on one end of his leather couch. Joel didn’t move back into the kitchen until after you were seated. He came back with both of your drinks and handed you your own before sitting on the other side of the couch. One cushion of space between the two of you. 
You took a sip, trying to gather your thoughts, before nodding once. “I want to know about your wife first. Celina, you said? I want to know about her.”
“Yeah.” Joel swallowed thickly. “Do you remember anything I mentioned about Sarah’s mom before?”
“I didn’t know her name.” You replied. “You said the two of you had dated for, like, three months?” Joel nodded. “She got pregnant, and you worked it out. Things were fine, but two weeks after Sarah was born she left. You never said the two of you got married though.”
“Because we didn’t.” Joel replied softly. “I asked. Proposed to her when we found out she was pregnant with Sarah, and she said no.” Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he wasn’t meeting your gaze anymore. Joel stared down at the coffee mug in his hands. “I loved her. She was my first real love, actually. I knew our situation wasn’t ideal, but
 I wanted it to work. I saw a future with her.” Joel ran his thumb back and forth on the edge of his mug’s rim where it reached. He chuckled, “When Sarah was born
 Those two weeks? It was⏀ It was good. But, uh, then she left.” Joel shrugged in a way that attempted nonchalance but did not meet the mark. “Her leaving hurt for a lot of reasons. For one, in no way was I prepared to take care of a newborn.”
You set your drink on the coffee table before leaning back. Joel stayed silent, his jaw clenching and unclenching, and you recognized the look of someone getting stuck in their own memories. You spoke up, “What happened then? When did you get married?”
“Celina is
” Joel began. He rubbed his jawline. “I spent a lot of time being furious with her⏀ hating her. Not just for leaving me behind, but for leaving Sarah. Sarah deserved better.” He shook his head. “But she
 she came to me, needing help, and I⏀ I couldn’t say no. Not to her. And not because I still had any sort of feelings for her, but because no matter how angry I was at her she gave me Sarah.” A vulnerable softness filled his features and he finally lifted his head to meet your gaze fully. “Without Celina, I wouldn’t have Sarah.”
You could understand that. You knew that his daughters meant absolutely everything to Joel. More so, despite all the shit going on between the two of you right now, despite Joel arguing otherwise, you knew he was a good man. You had a very hard time picturing him saying no to anyone who came to him for help. 
“When did she come to you? And why? What problem is solved with marriage?”
“Three years ago. Just about.” Joel mumbled. “It’s
 She was sick. Cancer. The only feasible treatment was going to bankrupt her because her insurance refused to cover the cost. Celina came back wanting to see Sarah. Get to know her before she died.” Your eyes widened in surprise at both the news and the confusion that came with trying to connect the dots. “I told her that was up to Sarah⏀ she was old enough to make that decision for herself and I was gonna support her with whatever she chose.”
You nodded slowly, “Okay
”
“Sarah decided she did want to meet her mom. And I
” Joel paused. He set his coffee mug down on the coffee table as well and laced his fingers together. He was fidgeting. Another nervous tick of his. Joel could never seem to keep his hands still when he was caught in his own mind. It was like his hands so desperately wanted to fix what stressed him out⏀ even if it wasn’t a physical problem they could fix. “I⏀ I couldn’t stop thinking
 remembering
”
Joel squeezed his eyes shut, and the palpable pain had you shifting closer. It dawned on you. Words clicking in your mind. You set a hand on his forearm and gave it a small squeeze, “Your mom.” Joel had told you, ages ago, that he had lost his own mother to cancer. “You lost her. I remember you telling me.”
“Yes.” Joel unlaced his own fingers so he could settle one hand on top of yours⏀ still resting on his forearm. The tip of his thumb dragged back and forth against the knuckle of your index finger. Tracing the shape of it. “It wasn’t
 It wasn’t the exact same, I know that, but
 Sarah technically had already lost her once.”
“Joel
”
“I offered to pay. Pay for the treatment in full.” Joel’s thumb stilled to squeeze your hand once. “I’d cover all the costs, but⏀ but Celina refused. Said she didn’t want,” Joel scoffed with a humorless laugh, “Didn’t want to be a ‘charity case’. Said she didn’t come back for my money, or for me to fix the problem, she came back for Sarah.” Joel shook his head. “We argued in circles for God knows how long. We finally settled on this. If we got married, she’d have my insurance instead of her own. My insurance would cover most of the treatments and she’d pay what it didn’t.”
You understood that. It matched up with what you knew about Joel. “How is she? Now?”
“In remission. Since seven months ago, she’s been in remission.” A small smile flickered on his features. “She lives in Waco. Wanted to be closer to Sarah. One of the only reasons I could stomach all of us coming to LA while Sarah stayed in Texas for college. I knew she’d at least have her there in case of emergencies.”
Your face scrunched in question, “Then why
 Why are you still married?”
“I don’t have a reason. Not a real one. Not beyond me just being lazy.” Joel said firmly. He held your hand tight, keeping it pinned to his arm, like it was a lifeline. “Up until now, it didn’t matter to me. It made no difference. That’s it. I swear to you, sugar.” The nickname fell out of his mouth like second nature. “And I’m working on changing that already. You can ask Tommy or⏀ or hell I’ll give you Celina’s number or our lawyer’s number. We started the official divorce paperwork the day you and I got back from Vegas. It was the first call I made after dropping you off at your place.”
You did believe him. As Joel held your gaze, all you could see in those soulful eyes was a deep desperation. An ache seeking the comfort that would come with reassurance. “I believe you.” You said softly and his eyes closed in relief. His entire body sagged as the tension seeped out of it. You really did believe him, and of all the ways this could’ve gone wrong technically you supposed this was the best case scenario. However, learning this made you realize what aspect of this bothered you more than most. You slid your hand out from under his. “Why
 Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I was
 I was going to. After.”
“Why though? Why after?” You shook your head. “Why didn’t you trust me with this?” Joel’s face fell again. “I know we haven’t known one another for long, but
” You bit back your words before you admitted to the naive truth that you felt some sort of connection to him. That being with him was as easy as breathing and you foolishly let yourself get carried away. “I don’t
”
Joel quickly scooted closer, a hand held up in surrender, “Had nothing to do with⏀ with me not
 I do trust you. I do.” Joel shook his head. “Me not mentioning this had nothing to do with you. It was me.” His words reminded you of Vegas. This excuse was sounding familiar and the more you heard it the harder it was to believe. He hung his head and winced. “I need to tell you about⏀ about Erina.”
“That’s
” You began. “Is that your sugar baby?
“Yeah.” Joel nodded. “But it was more complicated than that.”
“So, I’m gathering.” You mumbled. The words of frustration left your lips before you could filter them. In this situation, you felt you had every right to be upset and bitter, but the look of pained guilt that filled Joel’s features made every cell in your body vibrate with regret. It felt like you had just kicked a puppy, and those sad, brown eyes were heart wrenching. “Sorry.”
Joel shook his head quickly. “No. Don’t. You don’t need to be sorry. I do.”
“You’re talking to me⏀ answering my questions.” You replied with a small shrug. “The least I can do is not be petty.” You twisted your lips. “So? Tell me about her.”
“She wasn’t my sugar baby to begin with.” Joel started softly. He turned his head to keep his gaze on the mug sitting on the coffee table, and you found the story easier to stomach without those powerful eyes focused on you. “My company got hired for a job. It was a big one, which is why it came across my desk. Some summer project. A finance guy wanted his vacation house completely renovated in Malibu. I decided to take a more hands on position for the entire thing. Stayed on site to work.” It wasn’t a shock to hear. You were plenty aware that Joel spent most of his work time on site if he could. Joel only donned a tie for the board room when Tess wrestled him into it. “The guy who hired us wasn’t there, but his wife was. At least, I thought it was his wife.”
“But it wasn’t.”
Joel gave out a sad chuckle, “No. She wasn’t. Erina was
 lively and energetic. She was fun, and I
 It had been a long time since I experienced that kind of light hearted fun. Plus, the client, when he did come around, was such an asshole to her and I⏀” Joel sighed. “She left him midway through the project, but we didn’t get involved with one another until after it was over. When it started, it was great. The honeymoon phase was
” His voice trailed off as a small, sad smile crossed his face. You found your stomach churn in jealousy at him talking about this other woman. It was damn near nonsensical, but the emotion rose up regardless. “The issues started a while in. I realized that we saw the relationship differently. I thought
 I thought what we had was real, and she only saw me as her new sugar daddy.”
For a while, we just went on. I didn’t think the difference in how we viewed things would matter. Stupid, I know, but
 I thought I was happy.” Joel mumbled the last bit. He lifted a hand to rub at his jawline. “As you’ve probably figured out, I’m not⏀ I’m not good at this. Relationships and
” He tensed. “Some people are just better off alone, but I’ve been too hard headed to accept that.”
“Joel.” You interrupted the flow of his story at his claim. You didn’t believe that and you especially refused to believe it about Joel. “That’s not⏀”
“Things were still working until I
” Joel shook his head. “I told her about Celina. Tried to explain the situation to her, but when she told me to get divorced and I couldn’t⏀ that’s when it all started to crumble. I didn’t actually end the relationship until after I found out she was seeing a few other guys.” You opened your mouth the speak, the beginnings of a sentence you didn’t know how to end slipping from your tongue, but Joel suddenly turned in his seat to face you and the look in his eyes silenced any attempt at speech. He hesitantly reached out and let his hand settle on top of yours. When you didn’t pull away, he squeezed his grip tighter. “You and Erina are not the same. It wasn’t until after we stopped seeing one another that I realized how terrible our relationship had been. So please, please, don’t think I’m comparing you to her because I’m not. I know how she reacted is not some⏀ some default and you wouldn’t necessarily react the same, but
 but every time I considered telling you about Celina, all I could imagine was you leaving. And I, selfishly, stopped myself from admitting the truth to you because I didn’t want to ruin this the way I ruin everything else.”
You murmured his name. Early on, you recognized Joel had trust issues, but you had never realized it stretched this far. Joel didn’t trust even himself. It broke your heart that he thought so poorly of himself. No matter how upset you were at the man you knew deep down he was a good. His mistake had hurt you, but it hadn’t been born of malice. You saw that now. Fear and self doubt had brought the two of you to this crossroads. 
“Joel, that isn’t true.” You said softly. “You don’t ruin everything.”
“The evidence is pretty damning.” Joel chuckled sadly. You opened your mouth to argue, but he shook his head quickly and held out a hand to stop you. “That’s not the point of
 I should’ve told you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I should’ve told you, been up front about it all, and I’m sorry.” Joel sighed. “I’m sorry, sugar.”
He had answered a number of your questions and with the truth came the relief of knowing.  Plus, the answer technically hadn’t been your worst case scenario. God knew your brain was plenty capable of thinking up some nightmare-ish situations. So in comparison, it would be worse. Still, there was an itch that hadn’t quite yet been scratched.
“Why
 Why seek out a new sugar baby?” You asked. His experience with Erina had obviously been less than ideal so why try again? You shook your head, “Why me?”
“Those are two very different questions.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I 
” Joel began hesitantly. You could see his thoughts jumbling in his mind as he struggled to string one along. Conversations like this were hardly considered Joel’s comfort zone so you did appreciate that he was trying. That went a long way as well. “Erina came back into my life not so long ago.” You felt your stomach drop and your heart clench painfully. The emotional response was so physical that it nearly made you sick. Joel must have noticed because he quickly reached out and settled a hand on your shoulder. “No. Not like that. She means nothing to me. She came to me wanting to get back together, harassing me about it, but I’ve made it crystal clear to her and everyone around us that I have no interest in restarting something with her. Especially now.”
“Okay
”
“The idea was
” Joel winced sheepishly. “The idea was to hire a sugar baby as a way to show her that I was serious. We were done and I was moving on.” It was ridiculous enough that from anyone’s else mouth you wouldn’t have believed them, but they had been said in Joel’s sincerity. “I know how that sounds.”
“Not good. It sounds not good.”
“I know. Everyone told me it was a bad idea. Tess, Sarah, Ellie.” You found it interesting that his daughters knew about their father’s love life to that degree. It spoke to how close they were and his stance on honesty. Joel chuckled. “Actually, the only person who agreed with me on the plan was Tommy, but I suppose that should’ve been a sign to give it up.” Your lips twitched up mildly in amusement. “But, deep down I knew it would hurt Erina, and I
 I wanted to be petty.”
You shrugged, “And I’m apart of this
 how? To annoy Erina?”
“No.” Joel said firmly, almost roughly. “Absolutely not. Remember the day you bought me that coffee? I said I had been meeting with some other, um, women?” You nodded and let him continue. “By time I made it to the that coffee shop, I had already half decided to give up the idea. It was obviously going poorly. I was literally just looking for someone I wouldn’t mind spending time with and I couldn’t even do that. But you were
 God, meeting you felt like a breath of fresh air.” He messily ran a hand through his hair while his other continued to fidget. “You stayed on my mind and when I spotted you again
”
“I
” You tried to find the right words. The ones he would want to hear. It felt odd to give forgiveness for a misunderstanding, but you knew that’s what he was seeking. Validation. “I forgive you.” 
The relief on Joel’s face was staggering and when he held a hand out to you, you knew exactly what he was asking for. You closed the space and let him pull you into a hug. His warm, large hands enveloped you as he craddled the back of your head to hold you as closely to him as you could. You wrapped your own arms around him and lazily dragged your thumb up and down where it rested. 
You did forgive him for this. That was the truth and you meant it with your whole heart, but this entire experience was eye opening. You had fallen for Joel so dangerously fast. It made you realize that if this had been a different scenario, one of the nightmare-ish ones you imagined, it would’ve destroyed you. With the speed you were moving in, you would’ve hit the ground at a million miles per hour and shattered. You forgave Joel, but you needed to figure out a way to better guard your heart.
“I’m sorry for reaching out to a PI.”
“No. Don’t be.” Joel pulled back and the hand at the back of your head dragged forward to cup the side of your face. He sighed, “You were right. I should’ve handled this better, but I
 I do appreciate you saying so.” The two of you sat in a moment of silence and for the first time since you met him that silence felt awkward. Joel must have felt it as well based on the clearing of his throat and fidgeting. “So
 Are we— Are we okay?”
You nodded, “I think so.” The tension left Joel’s shoulders and you quickly stood. “I should
 I should go.”
“You’re off today though, aren’t you?” Joel stood as well.
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Stay. Please.” Joel motioned back to the kitchen. “Have breakfast. I called Tommy and he’s gonna bring over your stuff.” Your eyes widened in surprise and he shrugged. “Tommy is gonna bring over your friend who has your stuff I should say.”
You hesitated, nervous after this heart to heart, but Joel held out a hand to you. Equally a peace offering and lifeline. You just weren’t sure if it was a lifeline for you or him. You set your hand in his and he gave it a small squeeze. The smile on his face was soft and open. Two words you knew not many people were able to claim as a description with him. 
Joel led you back toward the kitchen and when you turned to try and go back for your mug he stopped you. He settled you on one of the bar stools, hands lingering on your hips briefly, before going back to the living room for both your mugs. 
“You know, when I pictured you spending the night here this wasn’t quite how I thought it’d go.” Joel chuckled and grabbed a plate. You leaned on the counter and waited since you knew that plate he was making was meant for you. It took a second for his words to dawn on you. Joel pictures you spending the night in his home with him? Your face and neck warmed at the thought. It wasn’t like you hadn’t had those kinds of ideas, but hearing it from him still made your heart flutter. Even with the disaster miscommunication still lingering in your rear view mirror. “Here. Lemme know if you want anything else.” Joel set the plate in front of you and handed you a fork. After making his own plate, he pulled the barstool beside you closer and sat down. He sat sideways to face you and his knee pressed against your stool. “We could, uh, we could have a day in.”
“Hm?” You took a bite of your food.
“We’re both in pajamas and neither of us have work.”
“You don’t have work?” You asked in surprise.
Joel shook his head. “I already called Tess and told her I wasn’t coming in today. Told her I was feeling sick.”
“Did she actually believe you?” You smirked.
“No.” Joel chuckled. “She didn’t. But she also didn’t call me out on my shit, so
”
He gave you a charming smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood, and you found you appreciated it. Things weren't perfect, but for the sake of what had been you were willing to try.
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daistea · 7 months ago
Note
I love love love the scenarios of Kabru with a person who is oblivious, but what about someone who is hyper aware of how other people feel towards them as a defense mechanism? Someone who is constantly aware of everything that's going on and it's something they can't turn off but as a result hates guessing games and won't act unless the other person is genuinely forward. They aren't bad and are polite but will blatantly ignore hints. I think there's another layer of hilarity in that one.
Ya! I don't know if I captured what you're looking for, to be honest. But I tried my best, and I hope you like it!
1600 words !
no tw or spoilers I don't think
Cracks - Kabru x reader
✧: *✧:*
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Your heart was a fortress. There were moats and ballistas and canons aimed straight at anyone who dared approach. You weren’t sure when the fortress walls raised, but you knew when another stone was added, when they grew higher. 
And Kabru’s charming smile only piled more stones atop the wall. 
That smile was intended for another purpose, you knew. He’d realize that soon enough, but until then, you would maintain eye contact and nod along with his conversations. He didn’t talk about himself often, but he had stories to tell, anecdotes, theories. And he wanted your opinion on every single one. 
“What do you think?” Kabru asked. It was a line cast into the water with bait on the hook. It was the sliding of a chess piece across the board. And he didn’t mean to play these games, you also knew that. It was just how he was. 
“I don’t know,” was all you gave him. 
Kabru nodded to himself. He was good at covering up his disappointment, but you could practically see the gears turning in his pretty head. The only thing you weren’t sure of was why, exactly, he had wanted to see you today. 
Finally, he returned his attention to you, “Do I make you uncomfortable?”
You felt yourself tense. Your shoulders slumped a little and you uncrossed your arms— he was probably reading your closed-off body language, but that was all simply habit, not a result of discomfort. 
“No, you don’t,” and you meant it. You weren’t about to inform him of why you never took the bait, but you’d throw him a bone. “You really don’t. I just
 Wait, that was a very straightforward question, Kabru. How uncharacteristic of you.”
“I can be straightforward when I want to be,” He sent you another brilliant smile, though the look in his eyes told you that it was genuine. 
“Why do you want to be at this moment?”
Kabru looked away. He stared at his barely-touched mug of ale, doing his best not to shift uncomfortably on the bar stool. Yet, you saw it; the slight bounce of his knee, how his nose wrinkled. 
Finally: “I’m figuring something out,” he said. 
“Aren’t you always?” You teased. 
And he sent you another genuine smile with a hint of something, you weren’t sure. How annoying. Was it affection? You decided to push the thought aside for the sake of your sanity. 
“Yeah, you’ve got me,” he put his hands up and laughed, then took a sip of his ale as if needing something to do with himself to ease the tension that was slowly seeping between you. Tension: a noxious, invisible gas. It was about to give you a headache. 
You turned on the stool to face him, “What’s on your mind?”
Kabru’s smile turned wry, “Now you’re the one prying.” Your heart clenched. That was another stone on the wall. He knew you and it made you want to run away as fast as you could. 
“I guess,” you said, “Yeah, I do that sometimes.”
“I don’t mind,” Kabru murmured. 
What a lie. 
˚ · ‱ . ° .
“Why are you two like this?” Rin asked. Her eyes were narrowed and her hands pressed down on her hips. Both you and Kabru took in the sight and began silently reaching conclusions. 
Kabru was the first to answer. “What do you mean? What’re we like?” He wasn’t confused in the least but made a good show of it. 
“Like this!” She gestured at you both, how close you were sitting with thighs and shoulders brushing. “You’re constantly dancing around each other and, frankly, it’s obnoxious.”
She was right. One step towards each other always resulted in two steps back. Kabru would create a verbal maze that you would instantly get lost in. You knew the general layout and that you should go a certain direction, but you never did find the exit. 
“Sorry,” you offered, hoping it would quell Rin’s annoyance. (It did not.)
“Are you two aware that
” Rin paused. She seemed to choke on her words as her cheeks slowly went pink. You and Kabru both stared. And stared. And Stared. Finally, Rin groaned, “Nevermind! This is your problem to figure out. Not mine.”
True enough. 
“She’s right,” Kabru murmured after she left. He lowered his head and looked at you, trapping you beneath his spotlight. Unfortunately, you had stage fright. 
“Right about what?” You asked, standing up to create distance; that spotlight was uncomfortably warm. But the lack of that warmth from Kabru’s body next to yours only created a gaping hole in your chest. (You'd have to fill that hole with sweets and distractions later.)
Kabru pursued your attention, “About our feelings, of course.”
Your feelings? At that moment, you were feeling quite shaken as cracks began to run up your fortress walls. 
“What feelings?” You asked flatly. 
His hopeful little smile instantly fell and he started to shift uncomfortably, “Our feelings.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Don’t make me say it.”
“I’m not making you say anything,” you corrected, taking a step backward, preparing your retreat. 
“Yes you are,” Kabru began to argue desperately, “I’ve spent months trying to give you hints! I told you ‘the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’ and you started talking about how the craters kind of looked like Laois’s face. I compared our hand sizes together as an excuse to touch you, and all you said was that I have girlish hands!”
“You do.”
“You know me,” he grit his teeth, standing up from the bench, “you know how hard this is for me. I’ve given you so many hints, so many opportunities, but you’ve ignored them all!”
Hints. Even the word made you frown. Kabru wanted to play guessing games all day, while all you wanted was a simple game of truth and dare where everybody only picked truth. 
Sometimes, you couldn’t help but wonder why you loved this man. He always banged at the walls of your fortress and, recently, some stones had begun to crumble. You added more, but they would only fall when he decided to say something outright on rare occasion.
“I don’t like games,” was all you said. 
“I know,” Kabru exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes, “I know. I’m trying, really. Usually, I’m pretty adaptable, but this is just
 Different.”
“And
 You don’t like it?”
“I–” his mouth opened and closed before he looked at you straight on, “I don’t hate it, honestly. It’s different in a good way, as if it’s forcing me to be better with my words.”
“You’re already good with your words. You’re too good with them, that’s the problem.”
Kabru watched you for a moment. You allowed him to analyze you despite how it made your skin tingle. After a bit, he nodded to himself. “Do you want to get a drink?” He asked. 
“...I brought my water canteen with me, so I really don’t—
“You’re just blatantly ignoring my hints, aren’t you?” Kabru announced. His eyes widened and he threw his hands into the air. Whirling away, he gripped his hair and groaned. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 
“Maybe you should try a new method,” you offered, patting his back, “one that doesn’t involve implications and guesses.”
Slowly, he lifted his head. He looked a bit dead inside, and his jaw tensed. You felt as if you were watching him force himself to eat a monster out of a sheer need to please. It endeared him to you, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the guy. The things Kabru put himself through simply to maintain good graces were endless and difficult. 
“I
” he paused, blinking a few times before he finally looked at you, “Would that work?”
Probably. “Think of it like therapy,” you said as you led him back to the bench and sat down beside him. “Try to be blunt with me. Practice.”
“Practice,” he echoed under his breath.
“Come on.”
His eyes narrowed, “Fine. Where do I start? Give me a prompt.”
Good question. You gave it a moment of thought, “Alright, try asking me on a date.”
“I just did a few minutes ago.”
“No, be blunt about it.”
A heavy pause. Kabru slumped forward a little, an intense look in his eyes. “Alright. Fine. Will you go on a date with me?”
“...Why?”
“Why?” Fear and horror and exasperation filled his eyes, "Shouldn't you already know?"
“I don't. So, why?”
“Because—” just like Rin did earlier, Kabru choked on his words. His hands went up and he made meaningless gestures with them as if that would assist in the process of being blunt. “Because I would like that?”
“Good job!” You patted him on the shoulder. “Now, bluntly tell me how you feel about me.”
The horror on his face, you wanted a picture of it so you would always have something to laugh at. “Really?”
“Really,” you sang. 
“Fine. I—” another meaningless gesture as he cleared his throat, brows furrowing, “You really want me to be blunt?”
“Yeah. Tell me the truth, the whole truth, don’t dance around it.”
“Okay,” Kabru snorted, “Okay
 I want to kiss you, I want to hold you, I want your attention, I want to pin you down on the couch and—”
“That’s enough,” you put up a hand— your cheeks were burning— and smiled, “we’re in a public place. But I get the point, thank you.”
Kabru sighed in relief. He closed his eyes and fell forward, burying his face in your shoulder. You couldn’t help but laugh and pat his back. 
There was a lot of work to do. He still had another layer of walls to break through, but he’d learn how to defeat and conquer. He’d learn how to stop building mazes for you. And it would be good for him, if it didn’t drive him insane first. 
You buried your nose into his hair. He groaned, slack in your arms. Part of you wanted to run, retreat. The other part of you rejoiced in the moment. You weren’t sure which one to listen to, but you and Kabru would figure it out with time. 
You and Kabru would figure a lot of things out together from now on. 
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444you · 6 months ago
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manifestion guide for overthinkers and pessimists
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MY MANIFESTION JOURNEY
*caution: mentions of personal limiting beliefs* you can skip through this if you want, but it’s mainly talking about my own journey and what i struggled with 🩋
for me, i’ve been heavily into law of assumption and law of attraction for about 7 years now. i tried many different manifestation techniques, i never found one that fit. i got into sammy ingram when she first made her youtube channel. she was one of my fav youtubers. not just because of her advice but i loved her personality. i binged her videos. she always gave good information but i knew for me, affirmations never helped. i always looked into the 3d, even when i knew i shouldn’t. anytime i saw a sign, i would freak out because i thought i would continue to manifest signs instead of my desire. i also overthought a lot and felt like if i had one opposing thought, that my manifestation wouldn’t come. the thing is i’m aware that this stuff doesn’t affect how your desires come in, but i still freaked out over it. this is just a few of the many issues i had. i tried scripting, water methods, subliminals. i even had a subliminal channel, people would get results but i never got any from my own or others. now i’m highly aware that i have limiting beliefs yall 😭 this is what is causing me to not achieve what i want. this is something that i’ve been working on for years and i know that i’ll gradually move past it.
WHAT IVE BEEN CURRENTLY DOING TO MANIFEST MY DESIRES
vision boards. i make them for multiple desires or specifically just one. if i want something to come fast, i put a 2 month time frame on it and then i also put the year. so say i wanted to manifest a car right now. , i’d make a vision board of my dream car. then i’d write a text that says “july - august 2024”. i had this strict belief that manifestations come in 3 days or less. however, i always put a 2 month time frame because i know i can easily get upset and doubt it. id make the collage of that i want on my phone. then i’d put it as my wallpaper for 3 days or more. i did this because i’d gradually look at it multiple times a day, this way my mind could be familiar with my desires. with this however, i can talk to my friends about my desires. i can have so many doubts and think the opposite but somehow it still works for me. but anyway, i’d look at it for a few days and then change it to something completely different, any wallpaper. i delete the vision board from my camera roll. (if you go to settings and wallpapers, it’s still there as a choice to view in the future) then i’d just forget about it. sometimes but no always, i’ll put a reminder to check my vision board after the timeframe i put it. so for the car example, i’d put a reminder after august. then i go back and see what manifested. at the end of the day, we all think differently. we all have different ways to manifest. and if you’re somebody like me who has a lot of limiting beliefs, don’t feel discouraged. i used to get upset that everybody got subliminal or manifestion results, but i eventually found something that worked for me. and you will too.
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izvmimi · 1 year ago
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cw: mildly suggestive.
Yuuji doesn’t typically call without priming through a text or when he’s on his way to his former sensei’s home, which is why when Gojo picks up the phone at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning, to hear Yuuji’s loud greeting on the other end of the receiver, he is genuinely taken off guard.
“What’s up?”
It’s barely 7am, and even the great Satoru Gojo is still rubbing the crust out of his eyes. Yuuji sounded partially out of breath when greeting him, and Satoru is partially suspicious that something must be wrong, but the idea of his former student running from a curse on God’s good morning and calling him instead of taking care of the problem at hand is laughable if anything. 
“When did you know?”
Gojo rises, stretching his left arm over his head as he swings his legs over the edge of the bed, instead of rising up straight like a board like the creature he is, and yawns.
“The hell are you talking about?”
Yuuji is still slightly out of breath, and Gojo suspects that he’s outside from the whooshing of air hitting the receiver. “Yuuji where exactly are you?”
“Running.”
Gojo decides not to probe further, but Yuuji always seems to offer more information than necessary anyway. 
“I can’t get her out of my head. I’ve been out here for two hours, just circling the neighborhood. People are looking suspicious. If I get arrested, please bail me out.”
The words come out choppy and agitated and Gojo can’t help but chuckle, knowing exactly who the ‘her’ is.
“So you thought to call me and not Megumi or Todo?” Gojo laughs. The phone is now on speakerphone as Gojo makes his way to the bathroom, setting the phone down on the sink counter as he splashes water on his face.
“You’re the only one who can relate,” is Yuuji’s simple reply.
“Well, that’s silly.” Gojo replies. But he knows it’s true - after all, the first thing he did upon waking is send his favorite person a good morning message that she’ll pretend didn’t make her heart flutter. And now, just like that, he’s thinking about you, and just maybe he should join Yuuji on that lap.
“So how did you know? When does it end?”
Yuuji has finally stopped, and his pants are louder now. Gojo can imagine him, hunched over, possibly at an intersection of roads, squinting from the light of the morning sun, discharging the energy of unrealized feelings.
“Never.”
Gojo was once there, many nights prior where lovesickness made it hard for him to eat or drink, instead preferring to feast his eyes on the image of you smiling, laughing, pouting, turning your head to him and away, biting your lip, scrunching your nose, twiddling your thumbs, reaching out for him
 On that alone, he could feed and feed until he were full to bursting, and then more.
“That’s awful news!”
“Isn’t that the truth?” He replies. Gojo’s camera flips on and he lowers the hem of his pajamas just enough to expose his V-line, the miniscule more reasonable part of his psyche praying that he didn’t actually turn on Facetime, before snapping a suggestive photo and sending it to you.
‘Missed u’ it says in the caption, before he hits send.
Two seconds pass before Yuuji finally says, “Dude what the hell.”
Gojo’s stomach sinks. He was sure he had checked

“That wasn’t meant-“
“Forget it, I’m going to call Aoi. Thanks though.”
Gojo ends up laughing as Yuuji hangs up, amused that his student has turned out more like him than expected. 
A last text message comes from Yuuji.
Angle more on the side and move the towel from the background. I’m sure she’ll like it.
The student surpasses the master.
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firelordsfirelady · 9 months ago
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III. Cookies
Author: @firelordsfirelady
Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancĂ©e, how will life change for the princess? 
Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader
Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal
Word Count: 1018
Destined to be Yin and Yang
I own no rights to Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters/story.
Author’s Notes
The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16 
Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.
See Y/N’s inspiration here. 
Destined to be Yin and Yang Soundtrack (YouTube)
The cooks in the kitchen were steadily busy preparing lunch for all of the crew in the ship, so they looked annoyed when I appeared at the kitchen doorway.
“Not another one.” One of the cooks groaned. “Lunch will be served at the usual time—not beforehand. It’s not my problem if you’re hungry.” The older man grumbled, but I frowned in response. 
“Perhaps, you would like some help cooking then?” I rolled up the sleeves of my robes as I stood up from the doorway. “What is on the menu?” The man scoffed at me as he began to chop carrots.
“Pad Thai.” He then sneered. “Not that I expect you to know how to make it.” I smirked at the man’s snarky comment.
“Aren’t you cutting the carrots for pad Thai too thick?” I made my way over to the cutting board. “Mother always cuts hers into thin sticks.” The man raised his eyebrows at me. “Here, let me chop these while you go manage the chicken. It smells like someone is burning the meat.” I grabbed the knife from the man as the smell of burnt chicken filled the kitchen. The man cursed under his breath as he rushed over to the cook in charge of the meat. I let out a small chuckle as I set to work quickly chopping the carrots into thin sticks.
I was halfway through chopping the carrots when my sense of peace was rudely disturbed. 
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” The voice belonged to none other than Zuko, who looked livid at the sight of me in the kitchen. All movement in the kitchen around me stopped, but  I flashed him a smile as I continued chopping the carrots.
“If you’re hungry, please be aware that lunch will be served on time.” I said, mocking what one of the cooks said earlier. “If you’re impatient, I shall personally deliver your plate within moments of it being ready.” The only noises in the kitchen were the sounds of various liquids boiling, sizzling of meat on the stove, and my constant chopping of the carrots. I could feel the heat radiating from Zuko as he stood there in the doorway of the kitchen with clenched fists.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear my question—“ Zuko began, but I raised my hand to cut him off.
“Oh, no, I heard your question.” I politely said. “Obviously, I am lending a helping hand to the kitchen staff that are working so diligently to prepare food for you, myself, and the whole crew.” Raising an eyebrow, I glanced up at the Fire Nation Prince. “Is that a problem?” 
Zuko closed his mouth as his knuckles turned white. 
“How my father expects me to be betrothed so such an informal princess is beyond me.”
Ouch. I hid my hurt behind a gentle smile I gave Zuko. 
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about caring for those you are in charge of.” I quoted. “Mother and Father always said if you take care of your people, your people will take care of you.” I glanced around at the kitchen staff. “Perhaps I am a bit informal, but I am only merely doing my duty as the princess.” Zuko scoffed at my words before he turned on his heel.
“Kindness is weakness.” He bitterly spat before he walked away. I slowed my chopping of the carrots to watch the prince walk away. His words hurt, but I refused to let him disrupt who I was raised to be. One of the cooks, the same one from earlier, placed a hand on my shoulder. Turning to look at him, he gave me an awkward smile.
“We can handle the kitchen from here, Princess.” I dismissed his words with a wave of my hand.
“Please call me Y/N. The title of princess seems so formal.” I shot a side-eyed glance at the doorway Zuko had just left. “Might as well keep up with the Prince’s thoughts of my informality.” The cook chuckled. “I do not mind helping. I used to help the cooks back home.” The cook bowed to me and gave me a soft smile.
“If you insist, then who am I to deny the princess?” He sent a wink my way, and I rolled my eyes. 
“Perhaps I could insist on utilizing the kitchen after dinner tonight?” I raised an eyebrow at the cook, who shrugged in response.
“We shall see how lunch turns out.” He gave me a curious look. “If it is good, then you are welcome to the kitchen any time.” I smirked and nodded.
The rest of the cooking for lunch went by uneventfully and the crew had no complaints when they were served their chicken pad Thai. So, the cooks allowed me into the kitchen several hours after dinner had been made. I smiled as I set all of the mixing bowls on the counter before I scavenged the fridge and pantry for the ingredients to make my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I hummed as I measured, poured, and mixed the ingredients together before placing small dollops of dough on a few of the baking sheets.
Once I finished washing my dishes, I checked the cookies and found them cooked to perfection. Carefully removing the pans from the oven, I set the baking sheets on the counter. Allowing the cookies to cool, I set a few of them on one of the plates. Then proceeded to put all of the other cookies on a larger tray before I brought them below deck for the crew to enjoy. 
Once I returned to the kitchen, I took a small piece of paper and wrote a simple message: It takes courage to be kind. 
Smiling to myself, I carried the note and the plate of cookies to the closed door of Zuko’s bedroom. Gently setting the plate of cookies down, I smiled to myself as I gently knocked three times then went to my own room across the hall. Just as my door closed, I heard the door across the hall open.
Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @hypnoticbeing
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baddestbittyontheblock · 1 year ago
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james potter fic recs (1)
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you are responsible for the content you consume‌
✧*:·˚ hi everyone!! here is a list of all the fics that are my favs with tagged writers/authors ✧*:·˚
✧*:·˚ remember to like and reblog the works you enjoy in order to support each writer!! ✧*:·˚
✧*:·˚ however, make sure you read the information on each story themselves such as triggers & warnings ✧*:·˚
✧*:·˚ also, if you'd like me to remove your fic from this list, message me! ✧*:·˚
°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。
â€čđŸč you don’t really like me, you just think you do. by @perpetuallydaydreaming james potter x reader | fluff & angst, 5.9k wc, getting together, jamie being the best suitor, charlie is also here
-when james’ feelings did a 180, you find it hard to take him seriously.
â€čđŸč hike and pipe by @gxtitobxby james potter x fem!reader | oral sex (fem receiving), reader has a ponytail that gets pulled on, p in v. idk s’all pretty sweet tbh
-"ready to go, darlin'?"
â€čđŸč chef!james blurb by ^ chef!james potter x reader
-you turn off the water and reach for a paper towel to dry off your hands just as james finishes tying an apron around his waist. saddling up next to him with a bright smile, you watch as he shuffles some vegetables on the cutting board. "what are we cooking today, jamie?"
â€čđŸč his last by ^ james potter x reader | fluff, smut mentions
-"I can't believe you've touched other girls like this."
â€čđŸč breakfast of champions by ^ james potter x fem!reader | oral sex (fem receiving), daddy kink, dacryphilia, overstimulation, 1.4k
-the one where james wants you to sit on his face but you are shy
â€čđŸč a helping hand by ^ james potter x pregnant!reader | mentions of feeling uncomfortable in your own body, allusions to smut, mentions of razors and shaving, james and reader simp for each other the whole time :’)
-you’re taking a little too long in the bathroom. 
â€čđŸč better kisser(part 2) by @quindolyn  jily x reader | poly sex, jily x reader, dom!james, dom!lily, sub!reader, lily’s a sex god, prove me wrong, they’re both cocky as fuck
-lily starts bragging about how she thinks she’s better at other things since she’s the better kisser so they make it a competition over who can like
 get the reader off fastest
 and then it’s like a competition to see who can get her off the most

â€čđŸč third by @midnightsenchanted jily x reader | hurt/comfort, slight miscommunication, angsty teens, insecurities, pet name: sweetheart, 2.4k
-your secret relationship with james and lily was going well, until james made a mistake and outed his relationship with lily, leaving them to the public eye and you hidden in the dark.
â€čđŸč italy 1978 by @redtaylorsversiongirlie james potter x muggle!italian!reader | nothing much just some dirty jokes, james being a simp
-james potter never thought he could be in love with someone else than lily evans. however, that was quickly changed when in italy, he lands his on a beautiful muggle girl from venice.
â€čđŸč wake up, fall down by @curseofaphrodite james potter x reader | mentions of alcohol!
-james doesn't get drunk often but when he does, chaos follow.
â€čđŸč getaway car by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fluff
-stolen stares turn out to be much more troubling than they should have been.
â€čđŸč began with a death by ^ james potter x fem!reader | mentions of death, drowning, y/n being a lil bitchy, angst
-after your best friend regulus dies, you take your anger out on james. 
â€čđŸč twenty/twenty vision by @leahsficemporium james potter x reader | 2.2k
-james finds you that morning struggling to cook breakfast. among helping you, he realizes you may need to get new glasses and he gets very comfortable in helping test out his theory. close is not close enough when it comes to james potter
â€čđŸč surprise by @cupids-crystals james potter x reader | super fluffy! no reader pronouns, 0.9k
-boyfriend!james potter throws reader a surprise birthday party.
â€čđŸč you’re cheating on me, aren’t you? by @luveline james potter x reader
-you see it on your phone and want to try it. no part of you believes james would truly be cheating on you – he's too caring. he irons your socks. 
â€čđŸč james fic by ^ james potter x reader | fluff
-you watch james struggle through a tequila shot with a fond look on your face. leaning against the cold brick wall of sirius black's house, you can smell the comforting wafts of woodsmoke as the outdoor burner putters away, the sticky sweet smell of foxglove that peeks over the tops of his ordinate brown fence, the whispers of james' cologne where it lingers on his jacket. you wrap it tighter around yourself to stave off the cold chill. the prequels (you don't have to read): 1 2 3.
â€čđŸč cute blurb by ^ james potter x reader
-reader having a sore tooth or loose tooth sort of thing? him wanting to have a look or get the tooth out but reader is scared?
â€čđŸč angst blurb by ^ james potter x reader | angsty, comforting
-reader flinches during an argument? with happy ending and a lot of comfort obviously
â€čđŸč your hand, forever by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fake!dating, pining, marauders era, basically a love note for james. fem!reader, fluff, intimacy
-you ask james to pretend to be your boyfriend. he always says yes.
â€čđŸč james drabble by ^ james potter x reader | suggestive 18+
-james coming home to see you walking around the house with a laundry jacket against your hip in just a short shirt and pair of panties, and him being all mushy and soft just seeing you like that. but also a little bit turned on knowing that you walk around like that everyday..?
â€čđŸč james blurb by ^ james potter x drunk!reader
-drunk reader calls james by accident and he goes to pick her up and finds out she is really really drunk and helps her getting sick and he starts worrying this may be a problem and tries to talk to her bc he worries
â€čđŸč bodyguard blurb by ^ bodyguard!james potter x reader | fluff
-bodyguard james and reader somehow endangers herself and after he’s all angry upset cause she could’ve been hurt! but then fluffiness?
â€čđŸč summer love by ^ james potter x reader
-some james romance. the potter's have a summer home/lake house and james falls for the girl in the cabin down the lane (and sirius and remus tease him endlessly).
â€čđŸč james blurb by ^ james potter x reader | injury, tw for burns/ getting burned
-"can you watch the barbecue for me?" james asks you.
â€čđŸč golden snitches and old wounds by @shadowsinger11 james potter x insecure!reader | suggestive themes, references to anxiety and depression
-lily and you were sitting on a bench right on top of one of the twelve colorful towers around the massively wide pitch, waving your gryffindor flags in excitement.
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â€čđŸč james blurb by @roonilwazlibimagines james potter x reader
-similar scenario to when harry fell off his broom due to the dementors in poa happened to you during quidditch, say if the dementors were there for some reason and either he’s on your team or watching from the sidelines and it’s raining and he just sees you falling from the sky, and how he would react when he sees you and by your bedside
â€čđŸč best friends sister by @eddiesbug james potter x fem!reader | lotsa fluff, smut, vaginal sex, unprotected sex (wrap it before u tap it kids), james being literally so sexy (it’s a warning), 1.8k
-james finally convinces you to give him a chance.
â€čđŸč sub!james blurb by ^ sub!james potter x reader | smut, fluff, 6k
-best friend!james coming back from a really bad night out/date/hook up/idk stuck in subspace and going to ur house so you just tease him until he's crying and begging for you take care of him so you do
â€čđŸč jily smutty blurb by @prettybabybaby lily potter x james potter x babysitter!reader | smut
-“good job, sweet girl,”
â€čđŸč sleepy love by @cryonme james potter x gn!reader
-james being a softie for his sleepy love.
â€čđŸč my boys by @velvetcloxds dad!james x fem!nanny!reader | age gap (reader in her twenties, james in his early thirties), 1.1k
-james asking you to move in with him (same au as worth the wait)
â€čđŸč daisy by @marauderslupins dad!james potter x reader | fluff, 1.5k
-who knew the sweet gesture tied into a school boy crush could lead to the best thing in a man’s life. james potter certainly never suspected he would have a baby with you, not after the years of rejection you put him through. but now she was here and the word ‘daisy’ had an even more beautiful meaning.
â€čđŸč skin by @jamespottersmommy dad!james potter x mom!reader | fluff, partial nudity, sensory issues, crying
-focus is mainly on harry and him having sensory issues and reader decides to help him exactly how she did when he was a baby.
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â€čđŸč the bet by @solemnly-mischievous james potter x reader | d/s, dirty talk, fingering, cunnilingus, overstimulation, praise, james is slightly mean (but in a nice way), reader's a bit of a brat, 2.3k
-james claims he can make you come in thirty minutes. you call bullshit. he takes it as a challenge.
â€čđŸč fireflies by @mushroomlupin james potter x fem!reader | male masturbation, sexual references, grinding, p in v sex, unprotected sex (wrap your willy!)
-reader and james grew up spending every summer together. but what happens when the two of them realize that they've fallen for one another? (it's just a best friends to lovers trope in a nutshell)
â€čđŸč wear you like a necklace by @letterstotheflre james potter x reader | smut (boob fucking)
-james fucks your tits
â€čđŸč family blurb by ^ dad!james potter x mum!latina!reader
-a sharp cry and the panicked shout of "mommy!" makes you look up from the counter in alarm.
â€čđŸč james and bagels by ^ dad!james potter x reader
-"oh, darling," james coos when he sees your teary eyes. he scoots the plate as far away from you as he can and wraps his arms around your waist, bringing you into his chest. "you're okay, my love. we can just find another thing for you to have."
â€čđŸč give you my wild, give you my child by ^ james potter x reader | pregnancy, food
-you get pregnancy cravings at 1am
â€čđŸč i think that it's best if we both stay by ^ james potter x reader | mdni, 18+, just the tiniest of smut at the end (nothing too explicit), a little bit of angst maybe
-the morning after your argument with james
â€čđŸč tikotk trend headcannon by @ddejavvu  james potter x reader + others
-how fast do you think the marauders would be with the trend where girls let out a cry of pain and then time their boyfriends to see how long it takes them to come in
â€čđŸč cute easter blurb by @ohlovxr dad!james potter x reader
-james would be this giant ball of energy leading up to easter when your babies are old enough to understand it. 
â€čđŸč marauders blurb by @randomoutsiders poly!marauders x reader | sub!james x sub!fem!reader x dom!remus x dom!sirius, mention of eating, swearing, mentions of sex, nicknames, subspace, hickies, mention of a punishment, 18+, nsfw, 1.5k
-poly!marauders where sub!james and sub!fem!reader sneak off to hogsmead and get caught by dom!remus and dom!sirius when they try to sneak back into the dorms
â€čđŸč four eyes by @sarahisslytherin james potter x reader | fluff
-when james misplaces his glasses you take it upon yourself to get him through the school day.
â€čđŸč whipped by @cosmal drunk!james potter x fem!reader
-james let’s you take him home when he’s drunk. james’s friends think he’s whipped.
â€čđŸč imagining coming home to james drunk by ^ james potter x fem!reader
-he’s not asleep because he’s been waiting for you to come home from a night out with your friends. he’s up watching tv and you stumble in through the door. he’s up in an instant when he hears you trying to shuck your shoes off at the door. y/n! sweetheart, how was your night?
â€čđŸč james wants u to look at him by @strgrlxox james potter x reader | smut
-james has had you in this position only a few times before, although, this is the first time he is looking at all of you. usually you allow him to love you in the dark, with an oversized shirt of his around your frame––concealing yourself from him.
â€čđŸč james always just wants to be your good boy by @sxriusblxck james potter x reader | smutty
-he wakes you with orgasm after orgasm, not stopping until you’re pushing him away and snapping your legs shut.
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hwangism143 · 7 months ago
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pillow talk
synopsis: the three times in which you sleep over at seungmin's childhood home as his friend and the one time you're something more.
pairing: non-idol!seungmin x gn!reader
genre: hurt, comfort, angt
warnings: mentions of abandonment, reader is an orphan and in foster care, swearing, food
word count: 3.3k words
now playing: you make me feel - easha
requested: by the lovely @booksndpoetry
a/n: wrote this is two days no wonder it's so bad (pls dont kill me)
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"the colors of your love came so suddenly"
The first time you slept over at his childhood home was accompanied with the dull throb and apprehension of yet another new beginning.
Your one solitary bag and the pillow that was your only prized possession were the only things you had with you. Your bag hung off one shoulder and the pillow was clutched to your chest.
You found yourself wondering what Seungmin's family was like. Being a pessimist, you didn't hope for the best and braced yourself for the worst. When the door opened, warm yellow light spilled through the silhouette of a middle-aged women and temporarily blinded you.
Your posture slightly relaxed. Families with an abundance of yellow lights rarely mistreated you.
Your situation was laughable really. You weren't even a full two weeks into the Jang's care, and yet the neglect had already begin.
Stop, you told yourself, at least they were willing to take your old ass in. The Jangs' were away for a business trip and informed you last minute that their flight had been cancelled. They told you to g once she locked up left.
It wasn't that you weren't grateful to the Jangs; but the years you had spent being grateful and getting nothing in return caused you to offer a cautious thanking to their actions. They were sweet to you so far, but you didn't blame them for wanting you out of the house when you were gone.
Foster kids and newly adopted kids had a history of stealing, and while you had never done the same, the feeling of paranoia was one that you were well accustomed to.
Mrs. Kim had a kind, slightly wrinkled face and a wide smile. "Hello dear. You must be Y/N. Come in, come in. Don't stand in the cold for too long."
You could instantly feel the maternal protection that radiated from Mrs. Kim, something you felt in dots and dashed from Mrs. Jang. You knew the Jangs cared, but they didn't quite know how to care. You knew that the Kims had two kids however, an older daughter in college and a boy, sixteen and your age.
Younger you would be mentally cartwheeling in happiness at the thought of being under the care of Mrs. Kim, even if it was for a night. Older you couldn't care less.
Two years until I leave the fucking system for good.
You shifted uncomfortably as you gazed around the house. Wow. It was well decorated and definitely reflected the luxury that the Kims resided in. Everything in sight was in warm and inviting shades of color that made you feel very appreciative.
Interior design had always been a point of interest for you. You realized that there was a lot you could learn about a person from the way they designed their home.
Mrs. Kim turned to look at you. "Ah, you'll be in Seungmin's sister's room. I have told him to clean it up, so you won't have to worry about that. His father is out playing golf, but he'll be home soon too."
Mrs. Kim handed you a glass of water which you accepted with a genuine smile. You were gazing at the family portraits on the wall as you sipped quietly. The entire family looked like they were surrounded by an aura of calm, unbothered by the qualms of the world.
Oh how sweet would it be, to live like that.
"Can I- can I go change upstairs please?" you asked Mrs. Kim softly.
She looked up from the chopping board, lettuce diced evenly. "Oh, of course darling. No need to ask. As long as you're here, this house is yours."
"Seungmin!" she yelled to an unknown entity who must have been on the second floor of the house.
"Coming!" yelled back Seungmin.
The sweetness of his voice took you aback. Just one word made you crave to hear more. His voice was smooth and rich like honey, washing over you. You wondered if he had an inclination towards music, singing in particular; with a voice like that, it would be a shame if he wasn't.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs and a boy with a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants appeared in front of you and Mrs. Kim. He was cute, almost puppy like, with flappy hair and defined features. Seungmin bounded over to his mother and looked at you curiously.
"Seungmin, this is Y/N. Take her upstairs, will you?" Mrs. Kim asked.
"Okay," Seungmin replied.
You extended you hand. "Hello. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Seungmin accepted with a non-judgmental, but curious expression. Mrs. Kim visibly smiled into the large pot she was currently stirring, clearly amused at your outdated usage of language. You cringed internally, mentally cursing the British family that you were with for two years from the age of five for forcing you into greeting people this way.
"It's nice to meet you to," his warm hand grasped yours and let go with a firm shake.
"Come on," said Seungmin, cocking his head towards the stairs in front of you.
You followed his slowly, taking in the houses beauty. Somehow, everything worked with everything. This must have been artistic living.
Seungmin opened his sister's bedroom door and motioned you to go in. You gave him a small smile, if it could be called that, and shut the door. When you turned around, you were met with a lot of surprise.
When Mrs. Kim mentioned that Seungmin was cleaning up the room for you, you were prepared to face a light skimming and dusting of things. In reality though, everything was meticulously arranged and kept in it's place.
Such level of neatness was slightly terrifying.
You changed and kept your things to one side. When you came out, you went downstairs with the clear intention of trying to get a read on the enigmatic Kim Seungmin.
⋆˖âșâ€§â‚Šâ˜œâ—Żâ˜Ÿâ‚Šâ€§âș˖⋆
This was going to be a disaster.
Both you and Seungmin were quiet by nature. Albeit for different reasons, you both sat awkwardly, waiting for the other person.
Seungmin was quiet because he liked observing. He was a listener, and enjoyed hearing what others had to say rather than talking himself. He found the art of listening to be the most brilliant that there was.
You, on the other hand, were forced into being quiet to the point where you forgot what it was like to hold meaningless conversation. All your life, you had been taught that the key to a successful life in the foster system was to remain submissive and deferential.
You never even bothered to make connections with people. You had learnt the hard way that when you bounced around houses and cities, it was difficult to maintain contact with people. You had made up your mind at just the tender age of eight that making friends, hell even acquaintances, was pointless. You were just saving yourself and the other person from future heartbreak.
As a result of being alone so much, you didn't exactly know how to hold conversation with people in your age range.
"So, uh, wanna do something?" Seungmin asked.
You shrugged. "Sure."
You both sat in his basement, a bowl of popcorn in between and half drunk iced tea beside you. Seungmin was very respectful, not once brining up your living situation. He brought the drink to his lips and downed the rest (which was very little) in one go.
"Okay, um, twenty questions?" He asked.
You instantly felt discomfort rise in you. Ah, here it was. His opening to ask you intrusive questions. "I- fine," you relented.
You were ready for whatever shade he was going to throw at you. He didn't ask about your personal life apart from the usual questions (favorite color, movie, etc.) a single time. You were slowly warming up to him.
"Last question. What's something you haven't told anyone?" asked Seungmin innocently.
You snorted, "Why would I tell you that?"
Seungmin smirked, "I mean, I'm very trustworthy. Plus, it's always better to tell your secrets to a stranger rather than a person you know."
You found it strange, but conceded. It felt nice to talk to someone after so long.
"You know the pillow I brought with me, right? That's the most important thing in my life. I was found near a train station laid on top of it, covered in a blanket and a sweater. Those were taken away from me a long time ago, but the pillow was something I fought to keep."
You finished nonchalantly, suppressing a laugh at Seungmin's expression of pure shock.
"I was expecting something along the lines of breaking something fancy or something. I mean, I was going to tell you about the time I broke into my parents liquor closet but chickened out and never drank anything."
You regarded him with a guarded smile. Kim Seungmin was an enigma, but for the first time in your life, he was one which you felt an odd temptation to solve.
───  ïœĄïŸŸâ˜†: *.☜ .* :☆. ───
The second time you slept over at his childhood home was full of fear and anticipation that was directed towards your college entrance exams tomorrow.
Although the Jangs never formally adopted you, you had stayed with them for close to two years now. You formed an interesting bond with Seungmin: you weren't quite friends, but you understood each other on a deeper level.
Seungmin was easily the only person you would talk to. You both started engaging in combined study sessions, filled with silence interrupted only by a pen scratching against paper or a groan of frustration.
The night before, you needed to go to Seungmin's house to revise. Or rather, to confess.
You were pacing in his room as he lay on his bed. Seungmin was on his back, flipping through one of his textbooks. Finally, he let out a sigh.
"Alright. What is it?" he asked.
"I need to get the top score," you insisted. Seungmin looked at you with a raised eyebrow.
"Everyone does," he said matter of factly.
"No, everyone wants it, but I need it," you repeated.
Silence with Seungmin was never uncomfortable, post your initial interaction. Silence with Seungmin alleviated your tensions. This silence, however, felt pressing.
"Tell me something you have never told anyone," he asked you quietly.
The routine asking of this question had become a habit between you two now. Whenever you noticed that the other was shifty, holding something back, this was their cue to tell you what was wrong.
"I'm being selfish," you groaned, "I need to so that my name gets published somewhere, anywhere, so that my birth parents know I'm alive and find me. I'm not giving them the liberty of me searching for them. They lost that a long time ago. If they want me, it's them who need to look for me."
You plopped onto Seungmin's office chair and pointlessly spun in circles. He studied you carefully.
After a pause, he responded, "I'll be honest. You are being selfish. You want this, no, apparently need this for reasons that have nothing to do with your future studies, which is what college entrance exams are all about. But considering you situation, I believe it's completely justified."
You instantly felt at ease. This boy you only know for two years astoundingly always knew the right thing to say.
⋆˖âșâ€§â‚Šâ˜œâ—Żâ˜Ÿâ‚Šâ€§âș˖⋆
You and Seungmin had the house to yourself. His parents were visiting his sister, helping her settle into her new apartment. You ads Seungmin had to share his room, the other rooms stored with his sister's things that needed to be moved.
You were practically asleep in his bedroom but an uneasy churning in your stomach kept you awake. You could hear Seungmin lightly open the door and step inside.
"Wait, I'm gonna go get the air mattress," he voiced in the dark room.
You turned towards him. "No, just sleep with me."
"You sure?" He asked.
Seungmin knew about your hesitancy towards forming attachments and committing. You hummed in affirmation, knowing that he would get little to no sleep on the air mattress and wouldn't let you sleep on it either.
He slid in beside you, his face facing yours. You both just looked into each other's eyes until you broke away, turning to the other side. Seungmin felt a part of his heart chip away for reasons he couldn't really identify.
⋆˖âșâ€§â‚Šâ˜œâ—Żâ˜Ÿâ‚Šâ€§âș˖⋆
You felt bile work it's way up your throat and knew you wouldn't be able to suppress it. Carefully getting out of bed to make sure Seungmin didn't wake up, you made your way to the bathroom.
Routinely swallowing your vomit, you got to the bathroom and without even switching on it's lights, heaved out the contents of your stomach as quietly as possible.
Or so you thought. A drowsy Seungmin materialized at the doorway, turning on the light and watching you in concern. You flushed the toilet and violently splashed your face with water.
"Being half asleep is a very good look on you," he mumbled dryly.
"Likewise," you panted, an apologetic expression on your face.
You hated physical touch. Seungmin knew you hated physical touch. But when you reached over to lightly squeezed his hand as an apology, Seungmin felt a similar constriction in his chest.
To Kim Seungmin, you were a mystery he hadn't quiet solved, but he was still, willing to do anything for you, and the unfamiliarity of such a feeling scared him beyond belief.
───  ïœĄïŸŸâ˜†: *.☜ .* :☆. ───
The third time you slept over at his childhood home was full of nostalgia and memories.
You both were twenty two, finishing up your undergraduates, when you mentioned to Seungmin in passing that you would be in town on your way for an assignment that would require you to travel. Seungmin jumped at the idea of you staying with him, since he was house sitting for his parents that very weekend.
Seungmin would be lying if he said that he wasn't hurt by your slowly decreasing contact. Conversation between you both slowly dwindled, but he never pried as to why. He understood that you rarely ever maintained an attachment, and that he was lucky for what he had.
You wondered what it would be like when you went back. The Jangs had never fostered a child after you, but never called you their daughter. They maintained contact with you but never attended events like graduation.
Still, deep down, at the end of the day, you knew you carried two things in your heart: Your now battered pillow and Seungmin.
⋆˖âșâ€§â‚Šâ˜œâ—Żâ˜Ÿâ‚Šâ€§âș˖⋆
You both were sitting in his backyard, legs crossed over each other on Seungmin's folding chairs. Stars littered the sky the way they littered his eyes, and you couldn't help but be entranced by the wistful gaze that Seungmin held.
"Tell me something you have never told anyone," you asked, leaning your head over, near his shoulder. Just a few inches, and it would placed on it.
Just a few inches, and everything would mean something.
Seungmin knew his words carried gravity, but he was tired of walking on coal around you.
"I missed you," he said, a near whisper.
You stilled. "Your turn," came his voice after an eternity.
"I talk to my pillow sometimes. I pretend like it's a family member. It stopped, when I used to live here. But it grew in frequency during college. There is something inherently wrong with me, and I think that it's either me being undeserving of love or me never having been loved."
When your voice finally faded, Seungmin turned to look at you. Your eyes were glassy and unfocused. He wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into you, tell you that you were loved. Hell, he was proof, if you needed it.
"You're loved. If you weren't you wouldn't be here," Seungmin said hoarsely.
You snorted in response. "Yeah, I sure as hell wouldn't be here if I was loved."
Your words stung but Seungmin wasn't deterred. "I love you," he said softly.
Your eyes widened fractionally and you turned to look at him. "What?"
"No," he laughed, "Not that way. I love you as a friend, a confidant, as someone I know I can always talk too. Not... whatever it was you were thinking."
You visibly eased under the effects of his words, but noticed that Seungmin didn't do the same. His body was still tense, still rigid.
"What is it?" you asked.
"I- I know I said I love you as a friend but," Seungmin's voice faltered.
"But?" you prodded, your own heartbeat increasing with each passing moment.
"I would be falsifying my emotions if I said there weren't times when I wanted to love you in different ways as well. Romantically. Intimately. Devotionally," he added in an uncharacteristically shy tone, "If you'll have me."
And you realized, with a start that you did want him. But doubts started plaguing your mind, started seeping into your body and mixing with your being. What is the pain of it was so irreparable that you would never be able to love, if you ever could in the first place, again?
"What if I can't recognize your love for love?" you questioned meekly.
"Then I'll say it to you everyday. Platonically at first, romantically, maybe, afterwards, but I'll say it to you every single day. If every hour if you want me too. Because it's the truth."
You felt the warmth that accompanied thoughts of Seungmin blooming in the pits of your stomach. Or maybe it was the barbecued chicken you just ate. In the heat of the moment, you weren't quite that sure.
"And what if I can't love you? All I have ever known towards this world is hate."
"Then I'll teach you. We have all the time in the world to do so. If all you have known is hate, then love should come easily. They're very similar emotions," Seungmin said softly.
He hesitantly moved his hand towards yours, and laced his fingers through the pads of your knuckles. You did the same and moved you head to place it on his shoulder. Now, everything did mean something.
───  ïœĄïŸŸâ˜†: *.☜ .* :☆. ───
The fourth time you had slept over at his childhood home, Seungmin taught you that love could be found in every aspect of the world.
It was hidden in the way sparrows flew towards each other in the summer, in the way mothers looked at their children and the way a child looked at candy. It came in droppings, reflected in the way you felt about rain and cherry blossoms.
Seungmin taught you how love was found in the grand and the simple.
Love was when he sent you large bouquets of roses that you had know idea where to keep and the surprise picnics you planned for him. It was the coffee he prepared for you every morning without question and the way you paused whatever you were watching when he had to step out for a phone call.
At the Kim house, you experienced even more love.
Sisterly love, when Seungmin's sister showed off the clothes she brought for you. Maternal love, when Mrs. Kim squealed in excitement when she spotted you holding Seungmin's hand. Paternal love, when Mr. Kim placed a bet against his team while giving you a wink. Brotherly love, when Seungmin's cousin tried to steal food off your plate.
You felt love everywhere, and slowly but surely, you spread love everywhere.
That night, Seungmin held you close and sang into your hair the way he did every night.
"I love you," he yawned, and snuggled into you.
And, you wanted to say it back. Mustering up the courage, you replied, "I think I love you too. No, I know I love you too."
Seungmin looked at you in astonishment and you realized that you were right all along.
He did have stars in his eyes.
You didn't know much about love. You were still learning, still faltering. But you knew one thing for certain: the love you held for Seungmin and the love he held for you would never go away.
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please reblog and comment if you liked this fic! it means everything to me and I love reading your thoughts <3
main taglist (reply to be added):
@linoalwaysknows @moon0fthenight @hyulino @palindrome969
@squishybinnieee @lastgreatamericandynasty1 @stayinlimbo @farfromsugafanfic
@hongshuaknow @cookiesandcreammy @kayleefriedchicken @toomanybiasz
@seooj444
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eclectic-sassycoweyes · 3 days ago
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❄Catch Me Before I Let Go❄
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A teaser of my coming 🎁 for the wonderful @ironheartwriter for the Tarlos Secret Santa gift exchange!
Dearest Lana - it’s me I’m your Santa in Secret (no more)!! I don’t regret to inform you of that, because it has been an absolute delight so far to think up something wintery and fun for you from the prompts you gave me! I do regret to inform you however, that I am running a bit behind😔
The Christmas Chaos simply caught up with me with unexpected intensity and I’ve had to ask the wonderful mods for an extension. I am doing my very best to be able to give you the fic in it’s finished form before New Year’s Eve!! To make up for it, and to hold you over until then, I have prepared this teaser for you including the above collage/mood board, and below a summary and a lil’ snippet to gift you on my posting day<3 I hope brings you both intrigue and enjoyment!
Best wishes for a happy holiday,
Your very own Secret (no more) Santa,
MarđŸ’šđŸ„°đŸ€¶
Summary:
As a former member of the school swim team and someone who generally likes to be in charge of whether his feet are moving or not, Carlos Reyes prefers water in its liquid form. As such, a ski resort should not be on his top ten spots to visit. He’s insistent to make an exception though, in order to treat his adventurous, snow-loving husband to some fun downtime before they embark together on the next big step for them, of parenting TK’s little brother, Jonah. He’s booked a cozy wooden lodge in the closest ski resort to Austin, and he’s going to be his most fun and adventurous self while also making sure that his husband is absolutely spoiled. There’s just a few things he hasn’t taken into account: 1) Carlos has never skied before in his life. 2) Carlos really hates doing things he isn’t already good at, especially if they include the risk of falling on your face and 3) One very annoying, and very hot, ski-instructor named Josh who is outrageously obvious in his flirting up a storm with TK.
-In which TK and Carlos go skiing for the holidays, Carlos grapples with the old notion of letting go of control, and has also convinced himself that he has something to make up for.
*****
On the third day Carlos is officially deemed ready to take on the real pistes. At least according to TK. And to.. Josh. Carlos knows it’s probably immature but he still has trouble accepting compliments from the ski-instructor without somehow taking it as the opposite.
Something about the chipper look on his face when he tells Carlos that he’s ‘doing super good’ or he’s a ‘really quick learner’ makes him feel five years old. Carlos might not know the first thing about skiing and yeah, they might have literally paid Josh for his advice and encouragement, but where does he get off telling Carlos what he is and isn’t ready for or that he just needs to try and ‘let go a little’? Ugh. It’s condescending. 
Yesterday Carlos finally managed to slide down the training hill without face planting or tackling any small children along the way, only to be met at the bottom with Josh giving him a way too enthusiastic thumbs up and saying ‘good job!’ Carlos’ own brain had unhelpfully applied the ‘buddy’ to the end of the sentence, making Carlos feel like he was a little kid who had just managed to actually kick the ball at soccer practice for the first time. Carlos had to muster up all his willpower to smile politely and grit out a genuine-sounding ‘thank you’. 
Josh seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on Carlos, and luckily so did TK - his happy smile and rosy cheeks and the hands that Carlos could just barely feel the pressure of as they gripped at his waist over thick layers while he kissed him with lips that felt cool and moist from the snow had quickly improved his mood and made him feel genuinely proud of his accomplishment. 
Despite this, Carlos feels a little less sure about whether he’s really ready for the real thing, especially now as they’re on top of the hill and looking down, the daunting stretch of it is looking longer and more steep than it had seemed from the foot of it. He’ll be fine, he tries to reassure himself. If nothing else, he believes in TK and TK believes in him. According to TK (and Josh but Carlos is trying to reach a state of cool indifference when it comes to him mainly by trying not to think about him too much) it’s good to try the real piste sooner rather than later, to experience the thrill of actually skiing so as to not risk growing tired and frustrated before you’ve even experienced the real fun of it.
Better to fall on your face a few times than to stay on the training piste the whole trip and go thinking you’ve had enough of skiing for good. Carlos is trying to be on board with that sentiment even though he really isn’t the type to normally throw himself into things without feeling like he’s at least prepared enough that the chances of success are somewhat high.
‘Learning by doing’ and ‘crack a few eggs along the way’ are not normally sentiments that resonate with him. He will be the type for those though, for TK. For his wonderful and adventurous boyfriend who has put up with Carlos being a sobbing mess half the time during the past few weeks, carrying the weight for both of them as they’ve embarked on the process of adopting his little brother, and with Carlos’ absent mindedness and late nights even longer. So at least for this week, he’ll be adventurous for TK while he does his best to treat him to everything he desires.
Besides, it’s not like they’re doing the biggest pistes just yet - the plateau they’re on constitutes the starting point to the smaller slopes and they’re doing the smallest one to start with. TK will be with him the whole way, probably bored as they slide slowly down the hill with Carlos pushing the front of the skis inwards to break the whole way. 
He’s already survived the trip up, gripping TK’s hand tight the whole way and trying his best to appreciate the view, mostly managing to appreciate the view of TK appreciating the view, as he found that looking down made him a little lightheaded and made his heart speed up in his chest uncomfortably. 
As Carlos refastens the buckles of his ski-boots (he’s already done it twice, once when they arrived at the pistes and put on their skis, and once right before getting on the ski-lift, images of his skis falling off on the way up and landing right on somebody’s head making him guilty of negligent manslaughter on account of not tightening his boots enough), Carlos ends his little pep talk by sternly telling himself to pull it together. He can do this. This is their second to last day on the trip, and TK deserves to have some fun too, instead of having to spend his whole trip in the training area with Carlos and all the children. 
Speaking of TK, Carlos rights himself and looks around for him. He didn’t want Josh to witness him neurotically double and triple check the buckles of his boots, not feeling sure that he would react nicely to Josh butting in to offer unsolicited advice or, God forbid, crouching down to help him tighten them. So he’d mustered up a confident smile and told himself and TK to go ahead and Carlos would find them.
 Now he’s kind of regretting that. Carlos might allegedly be ready to slide down the smallest of the ‘adult’ hills, but the thing is, he still hasn't completely mastered the whole ‘moving on purpose in a normal walking pace’-thing. He still feels like it’s the skis, not him, deciding when he’s standing still and when he’s moving (and if he’s honest, which direction he moves in). 
Spotting his husband and the ski instructor that Carlos is not currently sparing thoughts for, by the starting point of the slope they’re supposed to try first, Carlos starts slowly making his way there. Luckily they seem to be caught in conversation and Carlos hopes that it stays that way so he doesn’t have to be observed inelegantly and very slowly approaching them. Nothing more awkward than waving and then being stared down for five minutes while you’re sweating and fighting to get within talking distance.
Once Carlos is within hearing range, he picks up bits of their conversation. “Oh,” he hears Josh’s voice say, and Carlos swears he can hear, even from just that one word, that the ski instructor is flirting with his husband. “I don’t suppose they make calendars for those too..?” And at that Carlos has to stop walking to roll his eyes (he can’t do both at the same time). 
Not this again, he thinks angrily. He can’t believe he’s had to witness TK being the victim of this god-awful pickup line twice in the span of their less than five years long relationship and had to fend the guy off (leading to some spectacular sex the first time, but still). Can’t these idiots come up with something better?
Carlos picks up his pace, he needs to stop this conversation before it goes any further and show this Josh-guy, Mr. ‘I’m a hot and blonde ski instructor who probably never gets caught in my head and is a lot of fun’, who TK belongs to. Even if somewhere deep within himself Carlos is finding it hard to measure up at the moment.
Carlos is sweating and panting, his brows furrowed in concentration trying to make his legs move faster, his thighs protesting as he slides one in front of the other in quick succession, using his poles to try and make sure he’s actually causing a forward movement instead of just looking like he’s using the skiing machine at the gym. At one point he gives up and turns so his side is to Josh and TK, awkwardly lifting his skis to take broad steps sideways.
He’s already preparing what to say in his head. Maybe if he interrupts the exact same thing as last time, TK will find it funny and get that wonderful crinkly and shiny eyed laugh he reserves for Carlos’ jokes that always makes his chest feel two sizes bigger, and they can laugh about it later tonight and hopefully have a repeat of the spectacular sex it resulted in last time. 
Deciding he’s as close as he’s gonna get if he’s gonna make it in time before the conversation moves on, he turns towards them again. Trying to make it look deceivingly effortless as he closes the rest of the gap between them, he paints on his cockiest smile and shouts, loud enough to make sure they can hear him even though he’s barely within hearing range, “And his husband is a Texas R-“ 
Unfortunately he doesn’t get further than that because the thing that could absolutely not happen, happens. 
In his eagerness to interrupt the blatant flirting aimed at his husband, Carlos had accidentally turned his skis in the direction of the light downwards slope toward one of the bigger pistes, and, quickly losing forward momentum as soon as he didn’t give it his full attention, has now started to slide backwards. And this time he isn’t in the training area anymore and he won’t be caught by a fence. 
He sees TK’s eyes widen as his form gets smaller and smaller, and Carlos tries desperately to break, but he can barely break while going forwards, let alone when he’s going backwards, and he isn’t succeeding. In fact, he’s picking up speed, and a glance over his shoulder tells him he’s fast approaching the edge where the plateau changes to one of the steeper slopes.
In a last resort to prevent disaster Carlos lets himself fall ungracefully into the snow, but unfortunately, it’s too late. The concerned faces of people clad in ski suits of all colors swim in and out of his vision as he tumbles down the hill. The world spins dizzyingly around him like he’s the immobile center of a spinning snow globe depicting a ski-resort themed winter wonderland.
Through his dizziness, Carlos manages to send a prayer to the universe that he won’t bump into someone and cause some sort of mass casualty event, as he keeps tumbling for what feels like ages. At some point the tip of his left ski seems to catch on something causing a sharp pain to shoot through his ankle, making him cry out in pain.
The world spins a few more times and then he's landing on his back at what he assumes is the bottom of the slope. Squinting dazedly up at the clear blue sky he tries to catch his breath. Trying to move his leg which is bent at an odd ankle so he can sit up, he grimaces and lets out another cry as he’s reminded of twisting his ankle on the way down, the sharp pang settling to dull throb as he stops trying to move.
Turning only his head he sees the bright orange shape of TK in his ski suit zig-zagging down the hill at impressive speed. His hero, his wild heart, come to save him.
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yourgentlegirlfriend · 2 years ago
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Mentor!Reader giving Rookie!Leon a lesson in coercion... or trying to make leon give up information by any (sexual) means possible
Hi!! I’m definitely writing a part two for this because I enjoyed this request so much, and the part two will definitely have the spice. I’m obsessed with the thought of them somehow meeting again-
I hope you guys like it <3 My inbox is open im writing requests for the rest of the night!!
I know we all see Leon in RE2 as this precious baby and he still is he’s so cute, just a little toooo smart
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“Focus up, Kennedy.”
A huff being heard from Leon as he went to punch at the padding at your arms again, his fist colliding with the soft cushion causing you the shake your head, putting your hand out to stop him from swinging again.
“You should be punching, hard. I want to feel it through the cushion Kennedy. Put these on.”
You handed Leon the arm cushions, his chest rising and falling as he slipped them onto his arms, your fingers laid against your palms as you looked at the red padding on his arms, your fists punching into them, causing him to jolt back before standing his ground.
You nodded your head at him, catching your breath as you tapped at the padding so he could put his arms down.
“Leon your arms are much bigger than mine, I should feel your knuckles hitting my forearm like that.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll try harder.”
Leon sigh as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, you pull the cushion off his arms and threw him his water bottle.
“Never, ever be sorry, just do better you have that potential.”
You spoke as you took a drink from your bottle, your hands resting at your hips, clapping your hands together as you finally caught your breath.
“Alright, sit down.”
Leon sat at the chair in the room, watching you walk over to the white board in the room and drag it over towards the training area. His eyes secretly running up and down your body, examining the way the muscles in your arm moved as you wrote on the white board.
“Coercion.”
You spoke underlining the word before turning back to Leon. Your eyebrows raised at him as you walked to the other side of him.
“You have the have sex with me, or I wont sign your papers to allow you out into the field.”
You said tilting your head at him. Leon sat, blinking at you as he shook his head in confusion.
“What?”
His words came out in a stutter as he watched you laugh.
“That’s Coercion. Obviously, I would never truly tell you that, but in the field you’re entering it is a mighty fine chance you will be manipulated. By many people in higher positions than you could ever be in. Or, you could fight back.”
You went to write down another word before Leon cleared his throat, making you turn back to him with raised brows.
“Isn’t it unprofessional to use sex as an example to a rookie?”
Leon asked with a small smirk, leaning forward onto his knees as he watched you stare at him.
“I don’t know what’s crazier you questioning me or you acting like you can cut me off..”
Your tone was attempting to be stern, your body leaning against the white board as you crossed one leg over another. You squinted at Leon as he shrugged, his arms reaching over his head as he stretched. Your eyes flickering over the way his muscles flexed, his head moving to the side to catch your gaze again.
“Seems I lost you”
Leon chuckled causing you to point at him with the expo marker, your cheeks flushing before you turned erasing the word off the board.
“Go on your lunch, Kennedy. And come back without the attitude.”
Leon stood, he was your rookie to train, he was all your responsibility. You taught him everything he knows.
“You told me to fight back.”
Leon walked passed you and out the double doors. Your head nodding, but you couldn’t help but smile. The kid was smart, maybe a little to smart.
———
Half asleep still, your badge hanging from your neck as you yawned pouring the fresh coffee. The station was empty today practically due to some body’s found at the big mansion in town. It was your case but you handed it down, not having the energy today.
You plopped yourself down in your chair, groaning seeing the chief put way to much paperwork on your desk.
You bit at your cheek as you saw Leon’s file laying on top. Opening it seeing his paperwork awaiting your signature, your head shook as you brought your mug to your lips, taking a sip of your coffee. Your eyes shifted up at your closed door, a soft knock being heard.
“Come in.”
You yelled as you closed the file, reaching for your pen in the cup holder on your desk. Feet shuffled through the door and a small click of it being shut was heard, your eyes shifting between your other paperwork and the shoes of the person.
“Yes Leon, what can I do for you.”
Your voice was unenthusiastic as your eyes ran over the paperwork of your two year re contract. Your hand sloppily signing on the line. His silence making you look up at Leon. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jacket.
“Sorry are you busy?”
He pulled out the chair in front of your desk, sitting down. He was a sweet kid, and when you first started training him he always nudged you about how you were only two years older yet you treated him like a child. Though you’re hard on him, he is gonna make one good cop. He is so driven, and his heart is in the right place.
“Not to busy, I thought you’d be with the chief checking out that case.”
You asked as you tossed him his file, his name printed on it. Leon shrugged as he pushed the file open, his finger tapping at the empty line.
“No signature?”
You nodded your head as you leaned back in your chair, the two of you staring at each other, his jaw tight. Leon let out a chuckle as he closed the file pushing it towards you.
“It’s either you sign it, or I tell the chief you asked to have sex with me.”
A laugh roared from your chest as you reached over grabbing your coffee.
“Real funny Kennedy.”
The liquid ran down your throat, but his face was straight. You choked on the coffee, coughing as you tapped your chest. You cleared your throat.
“Leon, this isn’t an appropriate conversation to be having with my rookie-”
“You’re two years older than me. Calm down.”
Anger bubbled in your chest as you glared at him. Your fingers prying the file open, your eyes never leaving his, only to find the line and scribble your name down on all the papers before throwing the file at him.
“Get the fuck out of my office.”
Now he was to fucking cocky. His smirk more than visible as he grabbed at the paperwork, standing. Leon would’ve been lying if he said he wasn’t hoping the conversation ended with you bent over your desk, your hair messy, whining his name. He was obsessed with you, even if you were mean at times he knew you cared and that’s what had him so attached to you. Eventually, time will tell, and he would eventually get what he wanted. He always did.
Watching his back as he walked out the door, your legs crossing before you smirked shaking your head. Coercion. Smart kid used your own teachings against you, and you fell right into it.
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supercriminalbean · 1 year ago
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Fight Club. Part 2
Aaron Hotchner x Male!Reader
Summary: The reader gets closer to exposing the unsubs that ruined his life, but does his team find out?
Warning: Dark fic. Torture, cutting, blood, fighting, death, abuse, kidnapping, swearing, drugs, unsub violence, bad eatting habits, bad self care, scars, angst. This whole fic is just dark and strange the ask it self is amazing and may help you know if this is something you can handle. (Any other warnings let me know xx)
Words: 6.7k
A/N: Check out part one here!!I suggest reading part one to understand this. Next part post next week also tagging thoes I think interested thanking you for the love đŸ’œđŸ–€đŸ’œđŸ–€
Part one. Part three. Part four.
Tagging thoes that seem interesed or asked: @xweirdo101x @alecmores @yn-addams @winter-world @xdark-acadamiax @rexspersonalhell
If you wish to untagged let me know xx if you wish to be tagged let know 💜💜
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PART TWO
You're sharing a room with Hotch, the hotel doesn’t have enough room so somehow you're sharing with the boss. While he’s having a shower, you quickly go through your files, finding the one on Ryan. Reading through it as you hide the other files once more, wishing you could also hide the guilty feelings with all the information you aren’t sharing with your team. 
“I thought you left all the files behind” Aaron sighs as he looks at you sitting up on the bed, leaning against the wall. You look up sheepishly at him, so far in your own mind you never heard the bathroom door open. 
“I did, this is Ryans” You admit, doing your best to keep your eyes off the water sliding down his neck as he dries his hair, a small knowing smirk sliding onto his lips. 
“Right of course you have that” Aaron chuckles softly before sitting down on his own bed.
“And you're not surprised?” Raising an eyebrow up at him, a smirk of your own playing on your lips. 
“It's you, I’ve learnt to not be surprised with this case” He sends you a cheeky smile before holding his hand out. “Let me read through it while you go shower”
“Is that an order bossman?” Sending him a teasing smile as you stand up, passing over the file.
“It's normally the only way you listen to me” He laughs softly, one you haven’t heard in a long time. Smiling lightly as you pass him the file before grabbing your towel and heading into the bathroom.
~~~
You manage to fall asleep for a few hours, before waking up from another nightmare. Shooting forward in bed, breathing quickly and shallow as you look around the room, reminding yourself where you are. Your eyes land on Aaron and notice just how peaceful he looks as he sleeps. Taking some deep breaths to calm yourself down you listen to his soft snores, smiling lightly at the comforting sounds. After you have calmed down you check the time, it's now four am. You have three hours before the team has to be at the precinct and two hours before Aaron wakes up. Quietly you get up, grabbing your bag as you head into the bathroom to change and pack a small bag you will need for the day before sneaking out of the room. 
Seven o’clock rolls around quickly and Hotch is waiting for the team to arrive. He was expecting you to be here when he first woke up and noticed your bed empty but you weren’t. He has an uneasy feeling in his gut but he’s hoping he’s wrong, maybe you went for a run and will be walking in with the team any minute. 
“Morning Hotch” JJ is the first to walk into the room, holding two cups of coffee, handing him one just as the rest of the team minus you walks in.
“Thanks JJ” He forces a small smile before looking through his team searching for you. “(Y/n) Isn’t with you” He sighs as he sets his cup down, the team's faces fall.
“No we thought he was with you already” Morgan responds, watching Hotch with concern, glancing at Reid as he walks past them and towards the map on the board.
“I woke up and he was gone already, I was hoping he was here but no one has seen him” Hotch informs them, keeping the disappointment and anger from his voice. He should have seen this coming.
“There's a boxing gym around the corner” Reid speaks up and just like that the tension in the room disappears. 
“Of course there is,” Rossi smirks, shaking his head, grabbing the car keys from the table.
“Morgan go get him” Hotch orders, making Morgan tenses up.
“Do you think that's a good idea?” Morgan questions, not entirely looking forward to getting a black eye. 
“Go, and make up with him” Hotch huffs before turning away from him, not catching Emily's comment about having ice on stand-by.
~~~
You lost track of time as you let your anger out on the boxing bag, your music blurring through your headphones. You had done a work out before moving onto the bag and now you don’t want to stop, finding comfort in letting yourself go. While punching away on the bag it suddenly stops moving, arms wrapping around it pulling it away from you. Glancing up at the person behind you, you slide your headphones off, taking some deep breath to try and catch your breathing. 
“Morgan, hey”
“How long have you been here?” Morgan stares at you with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
“Um I went for a run before getting here so around five ish” Shrugging your shoulders as you take the gloves off, your fingers all red and aching. 
“Jesus kid, It's seven am, you have been in here since five” Morgan sighs softly looking up at you with sympathy. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself”
“I’m not doing anything” You deny as you start wiping down the equipment and start putting it away.
“Bullshit, you might think your a mystery but your not” 
“Oh then what am I, Morgan?” You stare up at him as you come to a stop. 
“You're in pain, you clearly haven’t dealt with the trauma you have so you hide it, hoping it will go away, news flash kid it won’t” Morgan speaks firmly, but looking at you with kindness something that somehow makes you uncomfortable. You quickly look away from him as his words sink in, having to fix your mask that had slipped away, replacing it with a joking smile.
“Are you trying to get me to punch you again Derek?” Derek, you barely call him that, that's how he knows his words touched you.
“No, that hurt” He laughs deeply, smiling widely at you.
“Oh that was just a warning shot, if I really wanted to hurt you, you would have been on the ground” You laugh along with him, as you head towards the changing room as he goes to wait for you.
“Wait kid” He calls for you, waiting until you turn to him to continue. “You can keep pushing us away, but we aren’t going anyway”
Your smile falters at his words, you don’t believe him. Everyone always leaves you once it becomes too much. 
‘Thanks Morgan” You fake a smile as you walk to the changing room leaving behind a worried Derek.
~~~
Once you are freshly showered and dressed you head out, climbing into the SUV where Morgan is waiting for you. You hold your jacket in your lap, normally you would be wearing it already, but Morgan has already seen your arms before so you find trying to hide them this morning useless. 
“So how mad is Hotch that I’m late?” Flicking a small smile at Morgan as he starts driving. 
“I think he’s just relieved that you didn’t take off to investigate something by yourself,” Morgan chuckles, glancing at you, his eyes flickering down to your arms. Normally you're always wearing a jacket or blazer or just about to cover up your arms, even in summertime. He has seen your bare arms maybe four times over the past three years, and he doesn’t blame you for covering up he just wishes you didn’t feel like you had to when it comes to the team. Your arms are covered in scars, deep ones that look like they never truly healed properly, some scars are in shapes of letters and patterns. Derek may never know what you went through or who did it to you, but one day he hopes you talk to someone about it because whatever you went through you clearly haven’t healed from it. His eyes flicker down to your right upper arm where a tattoo sits. 
“You got inked?” Derek smiles vulgarly as he looks back to the road.
“Oh yeah I got it a few months ago” Shrugging as you remember just how difficult the appointment was, the tattoo artist was kind and lovely giving you plenty of breaks when her touching got to be too much. 
“What does it say?” Derek smiles a bit more as he pulls up outside the precinct, looking back at your tombstone tattoo.
“My last words: Well that didn’t work” Chuckling softly as you smirk at Derek, an amused look over his face.
“You think that's what your last words will be?”
“Oh definitely” 
~~~
The day goes by with Rossi, JJ and Emily taking the jet to Ohio, where Ryan last was and according to Garcia about four other victims that she has identified in the videos. Morgan, Hotch and Garica work together to go through the videos and look for anything in the background to help narrow down where the unsubs could be. Meanwhile you and Reid work on the geographic profile, which is going seemingly well. 
“This abandoned shed is in their comfort zone Reid” You argue once more.
“They don’t have a comfort zone yet (Y/l)” Reid groans, arguing with you again. “They keep travelling the country, they have a comfort zone in each state”
“Fine you can think this, but right here” You stab your finger aggressively against the map. “This is in one of their comfort zones we need to check it out”
“It's too small to house anything!” Reid raises his voice, which you respond with a deadly glare.
“No shit dumbass, but I don’t think they are above ground” Scoffing at him as you see the wheels in his mind spinning. 
“That might make sense”
“Of course it makes sense” You take a sharp deep breath. “Look at the videos we have, there is only artificial lighting, everything looks dark and they are clearly in a swimming pool” Your voice gets louder and a dangerous edge comes to it. Reid’s eyebrows narrow as he stares at you.
“Swimming pools can be underground, so much space and no one would hear a thing no would ever know someone or anyone is down there” You keep arguing, a dark look emerging in your eyes once more. 
“So you think that could be the entrance way?” 
“Yes!” You almost scream at him. You know it's underground, you remember sprinting up those stairs and entering a tiny little shed before leaving it forever.
“We should tell Hotch” Reid nods at you before walking out. 
~~~
You shouldn’t be doing this, you really shouldn’t be. But you don’t care because as soon as Reid is out of the room you grab the car keys and walk towards the SUV, climbing inside. Your mind is spinning as you place your hands on the steering wheel, the car remains shut off. You stare at the road ahead of you, your mind begging you to go and find the place by yourself, but you can’t betray your team like that. A sharp knock on the window makes you jump before glaring at the man on the other side. Soon the door opens and Hotch is standing on the other side looking furious. 
“I didn’t technically leave so I shouldn’t be in trouble” You reason staring back at him. 
“Were you going to?” It was an honest question, because Aaron couldn’t tell what was going through your mind.
“Unsure” Sighing, leaning your head back, resting it on the headrest.
“Come back inside, please” Aaron eyes scan over you, noticing the furstate burning inside of you. 
“I can’t, I need a break” Groaning as you look at him, your eyes pleading for some time. Without another word Hotch climbs into the car with you.
“Then drive” He gives you a vague smile, one that you return before turning the car on and driving off.
You drive in silence for a little while, enjoying the quietness. You drive for a while, heading out of town.
“So Reid showed us what you found and told us what you think but why don’t you tell me why you think they are underground?” His voice is kind as he speaks, wanting to hear your ideas.
“Well there is so much more space, and you can go undetected, no one would hear them, you could scream so loud and no one would hear you. Plus there are so many abandoned underground swimming pools and halls, somebody thought they would take off but it became an issue once some started collapsing so they closed them down” Your eyes stay focused on the road and not on the memories playing in your mind. How you first discover you were trapped underground, you and Ryan were playing around and somehow got into a locked door and found a dodgy staircase that led somewhere. It was perfect for the escape plan.
“So do you have a list?” Hotch notices the far away look you have on, the way your hands tighten on the wheel as you drive. 
“Of course I do” Smirking at him, as you open your mouth to inform him of some information you stumbled onto last month. 
“Fuck Aaron” You scream loudly slamming the breaks on but your to late. 
~~~
Morgan is the first out of the car, showing the officer in charge his badge before sprinting over to Hotch who is sitting on the back of the ambulance. Reid lets him go ahead, deciding to investigate the car crash instead. 
“Hotch what the hell happened?” Morgan asks, his eyes widening at the stitches across his boss's forehead. 
“We were ambushed, I was knocked unconscious, and when I came to (Y/n) was gone” Hotch groans, half in pain and half annoyed at himself.
“So they know we are onto them” Morgan huffs, holding his hand out to stop Hotch who is getting to his feet. “Hotch, sit back down” 
“I can’t we need to go and find him” Hotch ignores the dizziness he feels as he stumbles to his feet. He only cares about finding you. Morgan places a firm hand on Aaron's shoulder and pushes him back down. 
“No, you need to go to hospital and get properly checked out, me and Reid are on this and the others are already on their way back” Morgan informs him, watching Aaron closely. He can tell Aaron is thinking deeply trying to put things together.
“Can you tell me about the car?” Morgan asks, hoping a small task can help focus his mind again.
“It was silver, I saw it for a quick second but then It hit straight into us” Hotch groans rubbing his hand, just wishing the throbbing would stop. 
“Okay that's something, you go to the hospital and I will ring if we find something” Morgan states his eyes narrowing when Hotch goes to argue. “We have a narrow time frame Hotch, us worrying about you isn’t going to help us find him, don’t argue with me” Morgan snaps, taking some breaths doing his best to keep in control.
“Fine,” Hotch sighs, finally giving in. “But the second you know something”
“I will call, now go” Morgan demands, stepping back from the ambulance as Hotch climbs in and the doors shut.
~~~
Hours seem to drag by, Morgan and Reid are at the precinct on the phone with Garcia all three of them bouncing ideas between them, waiting for the rest of the team to get back.
“But I don’t get why they would leave Hotch behind?” Garcia ask, sighing deeply as she leans against her desk, trying not to fall into the pit of fear of anxiety surrounding her.
“He wasn’t their main target, (Y/n) has been investigating them for months” Reid replies, looking over his map.
“Or longer” Derek supplies, staring daggers at the wall. His anger coming to light, he’s scared of what is happening to you but he knows he can’t allow himself to worry so he turns it into anger once more. 
“You think he lied about when he started looking into this?” Garcia's eyes widened as she asks. 
“He knew Ryan may have been there, whos to say he hasn’t been looking into this for a long time” Derek sighs, his head popping up as the door opens, JJ and Emily walking in.
“Please tell me we have a lead?” JJ requires as she sits down next to Reid, passing the boys some coffee.
“Nothing yet” Reid smiles gratefully at her as he takes his cup.
“Where's mum and dad?” Morgan asks, looking at Emily.
“Rossi took Hotch back to the hotel to change, they should be back soon” Emily sips her own coffee before grabbing the crime scene photos of the car crash and starts looking through them.
“Where were they going?” Emily looks up at them, her heart racing. She can only guess what is happening to (Y/n) right now, and that is something she doesn’t wish to picture. 
“No idea, (Y/L) said he needed a break so Hotch went with him” Derek supplies.
“I thought he could have been heading to this abandoned shed he thought could have been important but he was going in the wrong direction” Reid answer, pointing at the map as he does so.
“So what is in the direction they were heading in?” JJ asks, looking over the map.
“As far as I can tell, nothing” Reid groans, sipping on his coffee. 
“Baby girl have you found anything on where they could be hiding yet?” Derek turns his attention to the lady on the phone.
“Not yet, but I'm searching” She answers while analysing the photos and videos on her screens.
“Alright while keep us updated Garcia” Emily holds back a groan as speaks, dread filling inside her as the door swings wide open and Hotch storms inside. 
~~~
“We might have something” Rossi announces as he follows Hotch inside. Both of them carrying a big stack of files each, some looking old and tatted. Setting them down in front of the team, Aaron keeps one firmly in his grasp.
“We found these in (Y/n) to-go bag, they go back years even before they joined the BAU” Hotch informs them, his jaw clenching shut. 
“Holy shit” Emily eyes widen as she opens one of them, the file has three different people inside them, piled with information of their last whereabouts, age, and home life.
“There's about 20 of them here” JJ gulps, flicking through it. “Why didn’t they tell us sooner”
“This is
alot” Morgan glanced up at the rage filled eyes of his boss.
“Garcia, go into (Y/L) personal file” Hotch stares at the phone, his voice growing cold as he goes to confirm his suspicions.
“Um yes sir” Garcia's voice grows softer as she types away, gaining access. “What am I looking for?”
“He has a sealed file, unseal it” Hotch orders, crossing his arms.
“But it's a sealed file” Her voice is barely audible as she stares at it, feeling frozen.
“Garcia!” Hotch snaps at her, his jaw clenching even tighter.
“Okay” Tears spring to her eyes as she hacks away, feeling guilty as she invades your privacy. The room doubles in tension as it grows silent, the only sound is Penelope tapping away. 
“Im in.. holy shit” Garcia breaks the silence, her hands falling away from the keyboard as her screen fills with more icky knowledge. 
“Penelope, what is it?” JJ asks, leaning forward, her heart skipping beats.
“I'm sending you the file now.. But it's not good” Tears slides down her cheeks as she sends them the files, scrolling past the gruesome photos of you.
Morgan grabs the laptop, screening the file on the tv for everyone to see. The team's hearts all drop as the photos of you fill the screen.
“Thats..thats (Y/n)?” Emily stares in terror at the photo of you in a hospital gown, posing for photos. You look to be about twenty in that photo, you seem to be all bones and muscles, except you are covered in cuts and bruises. There's almost not one part of your skin that's not covered in an old scar or a new one. The look of horror and numbness is pressed into your eyes, you're covered in dirt and grime, dried blood all over you. 
‘A young unname man was found on the edge of riverstone, he seems to be sensitive to light and touch. He has trouble understanding a lot of words and doesn’t seem to know how to read or write. He doesn’t understand where he is or what alot of basic things are. He is skittish and afraid, keeps yelling for someone called Victor and Ryan. The FBI has been contacted and an Agent Jason Gideon from the behavioural analysis unit is on his way. This young man has yet to tell us his name or his age.’
The File is full of more information, but nothing regarding what happened to (Y/n) or how they were found. 
“Gideon was on the case” Morgan states, swallowing thickly as what happened to you finally starts setting in.
“I'll be back” Dave declares before pulling out his phone as he leaves the room.
“Why didn’t he tell us?” Garcia's broken voice breaks through the phone, bringing everyone back to the room.
“He didn’t want us to know” Reid speaks slowly, quietly as he processes it.
“We could have helped
 we are family” JJ has to take a deep breath, tears threatening to fall.
“He's never had a family before” Emily rubs her hand softly over JJ's shoulder, doing her best to keep herself together as well.
“We need to go through all his files and notes, we need to know everything he knows” Hotch finally speaks up, he knows he should comfort his team but he can’t find it in himself to do that. He knew you had it rough, but he just wishes you could have told him, you came to him for help and that's all he has ever wanted to do. No matter how bad it is.
“Do you..” Garcia has to stop herself, taking a deep breath before trying again. “He knew they video them while fighting, do you think his videos are still up?” Her question brings the team to silence again, no one wants to find them yet let alone watch and analyse them. 
~~~
“Guys” Rossi calls their attention as he walks back in, phone in hand. He settles down between Morganand Emily putting the phone on speaker before setting it down.
“Jason, are you still there?” Dave asks, bringing the team's attention quickly to the phone.
“Still here, It's been a while I wish this was under better circumstances” Gideons voice floats through the phone, bringing the team to have mixed emotions at this moment.
“So do we, but you were on (Y/n) case?” Hotch speaks up, finally taking a seat. 
“I was, I'm surprised but happy to hear he did indeed make it to become an agent. When I first met him, he was different, he was terrified of everything. He used violence as a normal way of life, someone touched him, even if it was briefly he was ready to attack. He didn’t understand what a hospital was, and he differently preferred women over men” Gideon informs them quickly, remembering how only female nurses were allowed to touch him, making him assume it was a male unsub. 
“He still hates touch” JJ sighs, just imagining how scared you must have been.
“Do you know how long he was there?” Derek taps away at the table as he asks, he doesn’t want to know but he must ask.
“He never said, but I came to the conclusion he was really young, maybe around 6, he never knew his proper age we came up with around age 20” Gideon rubs his forehead as he speaks, this is a case he could never really get over. “I worked with him for years, even after his case closed, he didn’t have anyone so we bonded. We even decided when his birth date would be, because he couldn’t even remember it.”
“He was there for about 14 years?” Dave's heart drops, god it could be longer and no one on this team knew. 
“Yes around about” Gideon conforms.
“Did he ever tell you what happened to him?” Hotch asks, checking his watch. It's been 7 hours since they took you back.
“Nothing with details, he told me they used to train so he could become strong enough to fight. He told me no one ever lasts long, he is the one that lasted the longest, him and his friend Ryan.”
“Ryan, how did they meet?” Emily's eyes shoot open. Gideon goes quiet for a little bit, before finally answering.
“Something you should know first, the unsubs running the place would give them other names and change them a lot. (Y/n) told me his old name was Juptier, and Ryan's name was Victor. (Y/n) was told to go and recruit some boys one day, someone dropped him off at a boxing gym for boys his age, he thinks he was about ten at the time. He went for a few months and got close to a boy named Ryan they became friends” Gideon stops for a breather before continuing. “A few years later Ryan went missing and It must have been the same unsubs, but here's the thing it wasn’t the first time (Y/n) was ordered to do this, but he told me this was the only time he felt guilty about it when he meet Ryan” 
The room falls silent as the team takes this information on board, the unsubs are using the boys to recruit more boys, thats fucked.
“How did he escape?” Reid asks, his throat tightening up at what (Y/n) has been through.
“Him and Ryan somehow managed to keep each other sane enough at points and planned an escape plan. They tried to get out together but Ryan got caught and (Y/n) was too scared to go back for him. (Y/n) refused to tell me much more from that.”
“We think they could be being held underground, did (Y/l) mention anything like that to you?” Hotch asks, his cheating tightening up at the thought of you being hurt.
“Nothing like that, sorry Hotch” Gideon sighs, he's glad the young boy he once knew made something of his life and joined his old team.
“Okay well thanks Jason” Dave sighs, looking around at the scared, empty, afraid looks on his team's face.
“If there's anything else I can do, let me know” Soon the line goes dead and no one speaks, soaking in the information.
~~~
“Alright, I need half of us to go back to the hotel and get some rest” Hotch declares, regaining everyone's attention. “Dave, Reid and Prentiss I want you three to go get some sleep and in the morning, Reid I want you to get a map of this town from ten to twenty years ago, see what has changed. Dave, Emily you two will go to the crash site as soon as the sun comes up” Hotch orders, small agreements and nods come from the agents as they get up and make their way out. 
“Garcia” Hotch calls out, softening his voice as he turns to the phone.
“Yes boss?” She replies, stretching her fingers ready to keep searching. 
“Go home, get some rest”
“What no, I’ll be too far away from my computers if you need me” She argues back immediately.
“You need rest, this is not a debate” Hotch holds back a huff, he knows how she goes when someone she loves is in trouble.
“But Hotch,” Garcia grumbles, going to argue.
“There's a blanket and pillow under my desk, get some sleep in my office baby girl” Morgan pipes up, knowing that's the best arrangement that can be made with his stubborn girl.
“Fine, but the second—”
“The second we need you we will ring now go to sleep” JJ cuts her off, smiling softly at the phone.
“Fine goodnight, I love you all” Penelope's stubborn voice fills the phone before she hangs up. 
“What’s the plan boss?” Morgan sips his coffee turning to Aaron.
“JJ, can you go through these files, make a list of all these names, put them in order of when they were taken and see if any of them knew each other, run them through the missing person reports” Hotch orders, turning to her. 
“Got it” She nods as she pulls out her laptop grabbing a file to start on.
“Morgan” Hotch takes a deep breath, hating what they have to do next.
“We are going to find his videos” Morgan's eyes shut briefly, mentally preparing himself.
“Yeah” Hotch agrees, grabbing the laptop, clicking onto the previous link.
~~~
Groaning softly in pain as you pull yourself into a sitting position, trying to move your hands behind your back. Your eyes flutter open when you realise they are immobile, hiss quietly as a bright light shines down at you altering you to your surroundings. You seem to be tied to a chair, a bright light and a camera facing you. You do your best to look around, but you don’t have to, you know where you are. You’re back where it all began, back in the swimming pool of death. The smell of dried old dirty blood mixed with fresh bleach fills your nose making your skin crawl, you promised yourself you would never turn back into that thing you used to be. You keep searching around the room looking for a way out, you know deep down it's useless, there's no escape. A rough ‘Ahem’ echoes through the room, redirectioning your eyes, glancing over to the only other light source in the room, right by the door. She even so slowly makes her way out of the darkness making her presence known. Beside her stood the man of your nightmares, the one you refuse to think of even with this investigation. 
“You fuckers” You hiss violently at them, they make it to the edge of the pool before stopping, looking down at you with sickening grins. 
“Oh Jupiter, you thought you could leave us?” Her sickening sweet voice fills your ears once more. Your stomach flips making you want to hurl as he chuckles beside her.
“I’m not letting you get away with this” Glaring up at them as you do your best to calm the rage stirring awake inside you. 
 “Oh darling boy, you think we would ever let you get us?” His laugh booms around the room. “You never had us, we gave you enough over the years to come back to us, so you could find your way home” His fake caring smile yanks at your heart, it's all you wanted to see as a kid. All you wanted was his approval, wanted him to be proud of your achievements and be proud to have you around. You now know it's wrong, but what's even worse is, you still crave his approval.
“This isn’t the end” You argue, fighting in your restraints. 
“Oh but it is, Jupiter” She can’t help but giggle at you, your body on fire when she calls you that again. “We won, you are never getting out of here alive”
“My team—” Glaring up at her, before he regains your attention.
“Your team already left, they don’t want anything to do with you” He looks at you pointedly, a knowing smirk in his eyes.
“Bullshit!” You scream at him. No, he has to be lying to you, they wouldn’t leave you. Would they?
“Oh honey, they did and we have proof” She smirks joyfully at you, before he jumps down into the pool with you. 
“Careful old man, might break a knee” You scoff up at him, which results in a strong slap across the face. A chuckle slips out from you, glaring up at him.  “Oh now the fun begins” 
“You sadistic bastard”
“Oh you have no idea” 
~~~
The morning comes by slowly, when Dave walks into the precinct he notices JJ curl up in a chair fast asleep and Morgan and Hotch both asleep on the couch. Sigh softly as he looks around, the team was working themself to the bone once more just trying to find any lead. Everyone knew deep down that this case wasn’t going to have a happy ending, all they can hope for is that they get you out alive. Before even if you live, you might not stay around on the team, you have already broken so many FBI rules and laws it may be impossible for you to continue working with them. But Dave also can’t help notice the effort this case is taking more of a toll on Aaron than anyone else, and he can’t help but wonder why. This isn’t the first time he has assumed there is something between them, and the last time he asked Aaron his head was nearly taken off with his defensiveness. Dave let it be, because the following week and those two didn’t speak a word to each other and a coldness loomed between them. Dave knows with you missing he would have to keep a close eye on Aaron and make sure he doesn’t go overboard. Moving slowly and quietly around the room, Rossi starts to clean up, moving all their empty glasses to the sink and putting all the files back into piles getting prepared to wake them up. But before he can, the door swings open and the three sleeping agents all shoot awake.
“Well good morning” Emily smirks at them all before making her way to JJ, handing her a coffee.
“Oh caffeine, I love you” JJ groans, taking a long sip closing her eyes. 
“Good sleep?” Reid smirks playfully at Morgan before handing him and Hotch some coffee.
“Great” Morgan grumbles before taking a sip. Hotch takes his with a small thanks before moving and sitting at the table, where Rossi joins him, getting ready to ask him something.
“What Dave?” Aaron huffs rubbing his forehead.
“You know you need—” Before Dave could continue, Hotch's phone rings.
“Its Garcia” Hotch announces before putting it on speaker. “Yeah Garcia, your on speaker”
“Sir” Her voice is full of dread, grabbing everyone's attention. 
“Garcia what is it?” His voice is sharp as he prepares for the worse.
“They just went live, I sent you the link just prepare yourself” Her voice trails off becoming wobbly. 
It's JJ that grabs the laptop, clicking on the link and casting it on the tv quickly. Everyone's face drops as they see the blood dripping from your face and the next words haunt them forever.
“So what they left me, I’m someone people leave. If my team doesn’t want to help me then they can go rot in hell” The words drip from you like venom, your heart breaking as the realisation of just how alone you truly are sinks in.
~~~
“Let's turn this into a show huh?” He kneels down behind you, his breath lingering on your neck.
“Go screw yourself” You sneer at him trying to lean out of his reach, you're too late. He wraps his hand around your neck, forcing you to stay still, aiming your face towards the camera. Next second you know the light turns red and you know its recording, your blood runs cold. You promised yourself this would never happen again, another promise you get to break.
“Say hi to the viewers darling boy” His breath lingers on your ear, before licking a stripe up your neck making you squirm and fight against him.
“Don’t!” You snap at him, fighting against the hand wrapped around your neck, making yourself choke.
“Don’t, oh don’t hurt me, oh please I’ll be good” He pouts mocking you, a cruel chuckle rumbles in his chest. He missed the way you would define him, he has been looking forward to breaking you again. “Oh I have so many plans for you” 
“Oh honey, here” She calls out to her partner, grabbing both of your attentions. She climbs into the pool, placing a small table and laptop down, the laptop has a chatroom up all ready. 
“Thank you love, leave it there and go check on the other boys and make sure Robin is ready” He licks his lips as he reads the chat messages, ideas on what he should do to you.
“You don’t want Victor?” Her charming smile makes your heart drop, Ryan you can’t fight Ryan, hell you can’t fight anyone!
“Not yet, not until we have broken him” He finally lets go of your neck, making his way to the other side of the pool grabbing something from the edge as she leaves.
“He’s still here?” Your voice breaks as you look at him, your body shaking already.
“Yes your little boyfriend is still here” His evil smirk makes you fall silent. “Don’t worry he got punished properly for helping you escape” 
“Don’t fuck touch him!” You try to stay quiet you know you should, he's trying to get under your skin and he’s winning.
“Too late little boy” He sighs before walking back over to you, kneeling down behind you, his hand in your hair yanking it backwards, sliding a knife underneath your chin. 
~~~
“Now how about we be polite and say hello to our viewers, and let's see if any of our older viewers remember you” His gruff voice brings you terror but you have had your whole life at being able to practise hiding it.
“Sup fuckers” Smirking at the camera, licking your lip teasingly. He lets go of your hair for a moment, before slapping you hard across the face, your head moves quickly slicing your neck lightly on the knife. A small amount of blood is brought to the surface, you bite your tongue to stay quite glaring at the camera with a powerful smirk. He moves the knife up to just below our eye, pressing just enough to dent the skin.
“Be polite, I taught you manners you ungrateful cunt” He growls loudly in your ear, before pulling his lips away from your body. “Tell them your name”
You don’t respond straight away, thinking over your answer. “(Y/n)” You stare daggers at the camera, bracing yourself for the pain. It comes quick, he slices the knife down your cheek, and it takes everything in you to only let out a deep breath. 
“Do not lie” His voice is full of anger, his pulse racing as he cuts into your skin again. “Tell them your name”
“(Y/n)” You push the name out through gritted teeth, shutting your eyes tightly to shut out the pain.
“Try again” He screams at you, slapping you painfully hard over the cts making you whimper.
“No” You argue, but he’s had enough. Moving the knife up to your ear, cutting it into your skin moving it slowly downwards towards your eye.
“Again!”
“(Y/n)! My name is (Y/N) (Y/L)” You scream at him, a scream full of pain, your eyes shooing open landing on the camera, begging for help. 
“Fucking barstard” He grumbles, dropping the knife. “You know I was trying to stop this, you might not understand but I love you, you are my kid, I wouldn’t hurt you like this but enough is enough” He snaps at you, pulling out some papers from his pocket. “You don’t believe me that your team would leave you but here's the proof this was taken last night, just hours after we took you back” His voice softens at the end as he shows you the photographs. Rossi, Morgan and Hotch board the jet, your heart breaks as you see it, Hotch has stitches on his head due to the crash you guess. You can feel your world around your crumble, you thought they cared about you, what a bunch of lies. How many times had Aaron held you in his arms telling you the team was grateful you were there, or the amount of times Penelope and Reid would drag you to movie nights. What about Morgan and Rossi just the other day when they both told you they would always be there for you. What fucking liars they are. You take a few deep breaths before glaring up at him, fixing your mask. 
“So what they left me, I’m someone people leave. If my team doesn’t want to help me then they can go rot in hell” The words drip from you like venom, your heart breaking as the realisation of just how alone you truly are sinks in.
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