#Elements of Royalty au

[bluedragonfairy2000]

A few days ago I mentioned having and idea for a hermitcraft/life series/empires au based off of some songs that I have been listening to lately. Now while I didn’t get much feedback on the idea I figured after having a few days to mull it over I might as well post it since even if it doesn’t get a lot of love, I’ll never know until I post it and it would be a good to free up some head space before going back to school. Though I do want to thank the people who did like it as I really appreciate it! It kept me from scraping the idea all together.

Given how long the story is turning out to be I might break it into parts to make it more manageable to read. It will probably be at least three parts with the synopsis being the first part, the prologue/background being a second part, and the actual story being the third part. I will break up the story more if I think it needs it, and I will link all of them here

Synopsis (Here), Prologue, Story

Ok first off! This au is inspired by multiple songs! So I am going to quickly give a shout out to them and their creators.

Tower of Ai by Hitoshizuku x Yama and animatic by Kaurnival.

Daughter of Evil by Mothy, revenge version English cover by JubyPhonics

The Court Jester by Joe Swensen, Featuring Fukase.

The King by Rosendale

The Lonely Prince by Rosendale

Fairy King by Rosendale

The Pond by Rosendale

Elements of Royalty au:

Most of the prologue is based off of Tower of Ai by Vocaloid and animatic by Kaurnival. As it features most of the life series group. (i.e. Grian, Scott, Pearl, Scar, Bdubs, Joel, Gem, Cleo, Lizzie, and Jimmy). Beyond this point is spoilers for the Tower of Ai song as well as basic run though of what the story for this au will be. So go watch/listen if you don’t want to be spoiled before you see/hear it.

Prologue:

I will go more in detail when I write the Prologue for this au but basically the world where these characters live has fallen into ruin because The Ancient Builders wanted to stop relying on the Watchers to protect them. Since the cost of the Watcher’s protection was that selected people would have to fight in death games. In response to that when the next time the Watcher’s became bored the next time they just threw every natural disaster in the book at them. When it seemed like everyone was going to die the Watcher’s decided to send a prophecy that chosen person (Grian) could go retrieve 9 gifts that relate to the world and restore the balance, but he would have to travel to a tower at the ends of the earth to do so. Not wanting to go alone Grian asked around and Scott, Pearl, Scar, Bdubs, Joel, Gem, Cleo, Lizzie, and Jimmy were the only ones who would go with him. As they travel the group gets extremely close as they face dangerous situations together and only survive thanks to their friendship. Once they finally reach the tower Grian goes to relieve the first gift only for Scott to come in at the last second and steal it. This sets up a pattern where each of the nine people who came with Grian steal one of the nine gifts Grian was supposed to receive In the end Grian is left alone feeling betrayed and like he failed to save the world. Climbing up the tower he finds that the nine gifts are actually waiting for him there and it’s revealed that this was all an elaborate trick set up by the Watchers. The Watchers had sent all of the others a vision of what would happen if Grian took the gifts. Basically the original gifts were traps, and whoever took them would be killed as a kind of sacrifice to reveal the real gifts. So each member of the group decided to sacrifice themselves in hopes that once the real gifts had been revealed that Grian would be able to use them and save the world. None of them informed Grian of this as they knew he would try to stop them if he found out what they were doing. Each of the members of the group died in a way that related to each gift. Scott drowned, Pearl was burned alive, Scar basically had all of the water drained out of him a dehydrated, Bdubs went insane and since the song doesn’t make this clear probably died of sleep deprivation or disappeared all together. Joel was torn apart by vines, Gem was struck down by lightning, Cleo was torn apart by blades of wind, Lizzie froze to death, and Jimmy was consumed by lava. When Grian receives the true gifts he also gets to witness what happened to his friends as well as being shown why they did this. At this Grian is devastated as now even if he does manage to save the world he will have to do it without his friends and the he was basically the cause of their demise. So in misery he tries to fulfill his friends last wish to bring their world back to glory all the while mourning the lost of those he held dearest.

This is basically where the Tower of Ai ends and my au begins. This story was created when I tried to figure out the the other members of the life series (Ren, Martyn, Etho, Impulse, Skizz, Tango, and Mumbo) would fit in, and they would possibly met the other members of life smp if they had all died. So I’m this au when Grian tries to restore the world his desire for his friends to be alive is stronger than his desire to fix a already decaying world. So the Watchers run with that and offer to fulfill his desire since he won their game. When he agrees the world that the group has lived in fades away and all the people basically have quick painless death as they fade into oblivious. When Grian gets angry and confused at what the Watcher have done they explained that his desire was for his friends to be alive and since their souls were now trapped in the gifts they bestowed upon him they had to clear away the old world in order to create a new one where his friends could be alive. Grian is stunned to hear this but before he can do anything the Watchers take the gifts and use them to create the new world. In the process each member of the group is revived as they become the immortal spirit of their element.

Scott becomes the spirit of water able to control the ocean, rain and anything else made of water.

Pearl becomes the spirit of fire with her dog Tilly (who is going to be with her in the full story) as the embodiment of smoke.

Scar becomes the spirit of light, able to not only control light but magic and luck as well (gambling man)

Bdubs becomes the spirit of darkness, able to control the monsters of the night.

Joel becomes the spirit of the earth, able to create massive earthquakes.

Gem becomes the spirit of lightning, usually only showing up during stormy weather.

Cleo becomes the spirit of the winds, able to guide ships along their course.

Lizzie becomes the spirit of ice and snow, able to create blizzards.

Jimmy becomes the spirit of lava, he doesn’t have a vary big role in the overworld but with a new nightmarish dimension added into this world he had dominion over the nether.

Grian is overjoyed to see his friends alive again but the he stops when he realizes that while the Watchers did make a new world they didn’t put him in it. They instead left him on the remains of his old world which was just a singular tower on a floating island in the void. The Watcher’s tell him that as compensation for having to take his gifts away they we give him three new ones. The first is the remains of his old home which they refer to as the End dimension, the second is the ability to have control of death in the new world they created. However this will make him unable to visit the new world as since he is the embodiment of death now if he goes there the world will wither away at his presence. Lastly they give him the gift of being able to Watch over his friends for all eternity. With that the Watchers leave grian to his cruel fate. Forever knowing his friends are alive but being just out of reach of them as he sit in a dead world.

This is where the main story kicks in. After centuries have past the rest of our main cast (Ren, Martyn, BigB, Etho, Impulse, Skizz, and Mumbo) are born into the world that was created by Grian’s wish. I won’t go too in depth here since this post is already long enough. The last things I will cover is this first Mumbo won’t be making a appearance until late into the story. I have a good role for him it just won’t show up till later. Secondly Tango isn’t initially a blaze hybrid. I know that odd but I have a good reason! The only people who are initially hybrids are Ren and Martyn. Lastly I have been really into Fabric Fsntasy SMP so for this au Martyn with be a Ice Dragonborn.

Main Story Synopsis:

Prince Ren had been on the brink of death after being kicked out of his kingdom by his greedy father and his ruthless citizens. If he hadn’t accidentally stepped into Martyn cave he probably would have given up long ago and just let himself be consumed by the elements. As it was now though he and Martyn had found a surprisingly loyal group of companions and were spending their days traveling the land and hunting down new and exciting challenges. It had been months since his exile and Ren could honestly say he had never been happier. While he still held onto a few fond memories of his time growing up his fathers castle, deep down he had known that the kingdom hadn’t been his home in some time, if it ever was to begin with. He had easily discarded the idea of trying to go back and reclaim his thrown, However, after months of nomadic lifestyle and dungeon crawling he was starting to become desperate for a sense of stability for not just him but the companions he had made during his exile. With the only skills he had being the ones taught to him as the crown prince, Ren was unsure how to give his new friends the comfortable life he desired for him. So in a bid that was probably caused but what little bit of childhood naivety hadn’t been stamped out by father he made a wish on a falling star that he could be given the powers to create a paradise where he and his friends could live out the rest of their days in peace. Unfortunately for Ren there were forces out there that had been Watching over him for some time. Hearing his wish They decided to grant it but in a way that he would come to regret.

[vanillaxoshi]

I love that solfang are basically platonic soulmates in almost all your AUs. Its adorable

[boimlerkisser]

Good morning ough all I want is to talk about star wars 😭😭😭

[radarsteddybear]

[For the Anastasia AU ask game] Back to the Future? (I mean, did you expect anything else from me...?)

Send me a piece of media and I'll tell you how I'd do an Anastasia!AU for it!

Oooooh, that's going to be tough because I've only seen the film once and that was probably...somewhere around 10 years ago? But let's give it a go. (I apologize in advance if this doesn't actually fit.)

In order to keep the royalty element, I'd stick Marty and co. in a fictional country that recently overthrew their monarchy and replaced it with communism. The country is buzzing with the rumor that the youngest of the king and queen's three children survived. Meanwhile, Marty, as above, has amnesia and is trying to eek out a meager living while trying to piece together who he is, only having bizarre flashes of memory fragments to go off of--fire, nearly being run down by a strange-looking car, blinding flashes of light, the sound of tires squealing against the pavement. He arrives in this fictional country's version of Twin Pines, where he finds himself drawn to Doc, former Scientist to the Crown, who's now working as...something that is definitely not science and is unquestionably beneath his ability/skill level. Doc, much like Marty, exists on the fringes of society as the sort of person that everyone else tends to avoid because they're different and weird and tend to say stuff that doesn't make any sense and are probably doing things that could probably get them in a lot of trouble with the law. Which Doc is, by the way. Doing things that could get him in a lot of trouble with the law, I mean. Idk what he's doing exactly (probably multiple different things), but he's doing it to earn money to fund his scientific experiments and hopefully get out so he can relocate to somewhere he can have the freedom to pursue his scientific endeavors.

Now, this next part's a bit tricky, because Doc is, at heart, a very kind person who would absolutely never intentionally do anything that would ever hurt his good friend Marvin (or whatever the heck's going by at this point in time), but let's see if we can make this work. Soon, what remains of the government in exile announces a monetary reward for whoever finds the Lost Prince, Marty McFly. This gets Doc's brain going, and he starts to put some details together in a rather "I've connected the two dots/you haven't connected shit" sort of a way. Dates line up, places line up, and the kid even sort of looks like the lost prince. And if he is the prince, the reward money is more than enough to get Doc (and Marty, because Doc doesn't really think through the idea that Marty being the prince would lead to their separation) out of this fictional country and set them up with the tools and equipment to do Science™️. Doc uses his knowledge of palace life to teach Marty how to be a prince as they make their way towards Fictional Country #2 where the government in exile is currently exiled. Marty slowly begins to regain more and more of his memories, though they don't paint the happiest picture.

After they arrive in Fictional Country #2 and start to prepare to meet with the Fictional Country #1 Government in Exile (which is mostly going shopping for snazzy new clothes), Marty starts to realize that, this whole time, Doc has been more motivated by money (and freedom) than by the idea that Marty actually may be the lost prince, that Doc has been twisting the facts in his mind to fit the picture he wants to paint. And Doc starts to realize this, too, and he is absolutely horrified because, again, he'd never do anything to hurt his friend, and now...he has.

And just before realizing this, Doc also realizes that, if Marty is the Lost Prince (which Doc hopes he is, after all this), Marty is going to stay in Fictional Country #2 to take his place as the exiled king leading Fictional Country #1's government in exile as well as take his place in Europe's royalty. Sure, maybe they'll still get to see each other here and there, but it'll never be the same; they'll never again get to live in the same world.

Marty is understandably angry and decides he needs his space. Doc decides that the best thing he can possibly do is respect this, so he wishes Marty the most genuine, heart-felt "good luck" he can and starts making arrangements to return to Fictional Country #1 (because without the reward money, he can't afford to start a new life in a new country; there also a definite element of some self-flagellation in there as well).

I guess Biff gets to play the role of Gleb, working as an agent for the government of Fictional Country #1, which has a vested interest in not having any of the members of its former royal family return from the dead. Biff's mission is to either bring Marty back to Fictional Country #1 to be made an example of (if he's not the lost prince) or kill him (if he is). So at this point, Biff has been following Marty and Doc for their entire journey, and this is the moment he chooses to make his move, having determined that Marty is, in fact, the lost prince, and therefore he needs to die.

Marty, of course, isn't going down without a fight. The ensuing fisticuffs somehow catch Doc's attention, as he's still nearby and hasn't left yet. He joins in the fight, probably with the help of an invention or two, and quite literally throws himself in front of Marty to protect him from Biff once Biff reaches for his gun. Biff doesn't get the chance to fire because Marty is able to use whatever invention Doc brought along to defeat Biff once and for all (he doesn't die, of course; he just ends up getting arrested by the proper authorities).

Doc and Marty hug it out. They don't have to say much to convey their apologies to one another. They decide to ditch the whole lost prince business and find a place for themselves in Fictional Country #2, starting from scratch, because they don't need much as long as they have each other.

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

After all I’ve done, I offer you my sword. My life is in your hands, you decide my fate as I have tried to decide yours, Ice Prince.

Not canon to the AU just a visual stuck in my head

Solstice belongs to @sunandmoonshow-unofficial

[2ducks-agoose]

Some Splatoon Medieval time period art. This all started because I thought Callie’s original outfit looked like a jester a bit.

[moonfurthetemmie]

so the funky magic royalty AU is based on a dream I had, and it’s even more convoluted than Sunfall and Deimos’ Understudy; both of which were also based on dreams.

It’s got JMV, DINTIS, DS, and F!JMV/F!DINTIS. Mainly just F!JMV Mercury (grouchy old Arsenic my beloved <33), but that implies the existence of everyone else. And I can’t deny onyx his husband so F!DINTIS is there too. Probably. There’s also OGMV in the corner. But that isn’t why it’s convoluted.

It’s, as I said, a royalty AU. There’s also a funky magic system (hence the name) with six base elements, which can combine into secondary and tertiary magics, but if you combine all six at once you get lightning. which is so powerful no mortal can channel it, because they are immediately vaporized. But that doesn’t make it convoluted either.

There are three main kingdoms (excluding OGMV). But one of them is very new; in fact, by the present it’s only ~5 years old. They’re still the most magically and technologically advanced kingdom in the known world and here I have to admit I’d been watching Arcane when this thing came about, so it’s a lot steampunk-y magitek/hextech stuff

This still isn’t why it’s convoluted.

It’s convoluted because of who the fuck is in charge, and where other characters came from and currently live.

Jet and Obsidian are kings of Aphotia; a kingdom which views all other elements of magic as inferior to that of darkness, and claims the god of darkness as their patron deity.

Dream is king and Jade is prince of Luminance; a kingdom which, by virtue of its own views on magic, directly opposes Aphotia; light magic is superior, and darkness is evil. Jade originally came from Aphotia and is the only reason that using tenebris isn’t completely illegal and punishable by death. He’s the voice of reason. Pats his head.

Dark is king and Nightmare’s prince of Stateras, which by virtue of being five years old is mostly neutral to all other feuds between kingdoms. They firmly hold the belief that all the elements are equal; no one is inherently evil or better than any other. As a result, they have accomplished some crazy magical feats, and already have several kingdoms clamoring for some of their sick technology. Dark came from Aphotia and Nightmare came from Luminance.

btw Stateras is now on a floating island due to an accident with wind magic. it’s fine dwbi

Koroit and Zuli came from Luminance.

Finch came from Aphotia. Ink sorta did too but mainly she was kidnapped and that’s where her knockoff winter solider arc happened.

Lots of named characters have run off to Stateras, including Silver who’s praying Paraiba can make it before shit hits the fan.

Oh there’s also a side timeline where Obsidian and Jet overthrew the former Queen of Aphotia, who was batshit insane and is now even worse because she’s pissed at them. And she’s trying to figure out how to harness lightning. Which should kill her. But it won’t because she’s Hashtag Girlboss (also the creators are gay)

(Seriously though, we don’t have a valid excuse as to why she hasn’t been killed for her hubris. Her name is Virion and she’s actually a version of Obsidian, but she got genderbent here. Because pretty scary unhinged evil ladies >>>>> everything else)

In other news Nightmare’s new princely duties involve playing around with magic for science and his team is working on a huge mech suit they can pilot around and, maybe, channel lightning with by all of them channeling their own magics through it. No one is more excited about this than Bobby. And yes, she is on the team. She’s not allowed to help with some things because she’s fifteen and Nightmare thinks Randy would kill him anyway if something happened to her, but she’s very resourceful and is so thrilled to be learning so much about magic from the guy who invented fucking airplanes (presently only used in an offensive capacity because Nightmare’s too much of an airship nerd)

Nightmare and his team are presently the foremost experts on combo magics. Nightmare is also a pioneer in ’mixing opposing primary magics without killing everyone in the room including himself’. So far it’s just been light and dark magic but they’re working on applications for more such combinations

I have two (2) tables dedicated to the combo magics and I’m fighting with myself to not try in fill in all the tertiary magic because dear fucking god. Also more fun and story accurate if I leave it open. The secondary one is almost certainly going to have to filled out tho

I also have just (yesterday) named the OGMV’s kingdom as well as the H!DS queendom

Because I’m very creative, the H!DS queendom is called Phrikeh, after a Greek goddess of the same name (without the last h)

The OGMV’s kingdom is Cormeum. It’s a mashup of Latin words. Anyone who figures it out gets a virtual high five and also gets to ask me how late it was when I came up with it

I think that’s all I can say without giving away all the secrets before I can make the others from Phrikeh

Aside from sharing the magic charts but we ain’t got time for that my break’s over

[saph-writes]

I promised chapter 7 of "A Crumpled Red String Laced Around Our Throats" is coming out soon 🙏. 2 months and a writer's block episode later, we are 3.5k words into this chapter. I can't say how much longer it will take me but for now, here is a little sneak peak of the beginning portion <3

[fissions-chips]

Hmm… vaguely-royal AU where Valentine is a sorcerer and uses his magic to transform Spiro into a dragon, causing him to be driven from his own kingdom. To make matters worse, neither Tim nor Butler recognize him right away and believe he is a dragon that has killed their beloved Jon, so they too are trying to hunt him down.

[cherrifire]

I can't believe I forgot to post this. Changelings of the mlp au

[Elements of Harmony] [B Team] [Royalty]

[appleshy-king]

with few exceptions i don't ship any of the m6 with any of the princesses but I wanted to challenge myself and do exactly that; I combined a bodyguard au and an arranged marriage au and came up with this! - an au where bearing an element of harmony comes with a union to one of the princesses, and serves functionally as both a spouse and/or adviser, and a bodyguard.

been calling this either the harmony marriage au, or the elements of marriage lol

Rainbow immediately addresses the elephant in the room and all but volunteers to form a union with Luna; something she does partly to prove she isn't afraid of anyone or anything, but also because… look man she said she was sorry and she's gonna start her new rule with everyone against her - someone has to be there for her. Celestia especially approves of this union, as, even if these marriages are largely political, the element of Loyalty would make a true companion for a pony like Luna. Despite that, I think their start would be difficult, given all the ways the two are opposites… but ultimately flying by moonlight is just as nice as flying during the day, and the long stretches of peaceful nights give them plenty of time to get to know each other.

Cadance solves the unbalanced issue and forms a union with both Pinkie and Fluttershy. There's no limit to virtues that are compatible with Love, but Laughter and Kindness just have that little something extra that catches her attention, nevermind how stinkin cute they are. All three take to their new marriage well. It’s especially helpful that Pinkie and Fluttershy have a pre-established friendship that could easily remain platonic, or turn romantic or queer-platonic; there’s also the fact that Cadance herself was once a humble pegasus raised by earth ponies before being thrust into this royal life, which could be why they caught her eye in the first place. 

(Shining is still here, as someone needs to train these girls in the art of guarding, and their relationship is still active (although PinkieShy would not be considered his wives); bc if there’s one thing I’m going to do with the princess of love, it's show off some poly pride!)

Twilight would, at this point, ““have her choice”” between Generous Rarity or Honest Applejack; either would be fitting for her new title as the princess of Friendship, and both are good ponies who she could rely on. However, given just how much Twilight’s life is about to be upended with new, well, everything - ultimately Rarity turns out to be her best match. She’s generous with her patience and tact in a way AJ isn’t quite, and more importantly she understands the ins and outs of the high class, making her a real asset in Twilight’s transition to royalty. Nevermind that the two were maybe already a little smitten before their union even took place…

This leaves Applejack sort of “auto-paired” with Celestia. At first Applejack seems like a horrible choice for a princess who is practically a queen, given how very little she knows about this life, and the way the upper class look down on her, but it ends up that her more open/harsh honesty that would have maybe been too much for Twilight in her new role is actually perfect against Celestia. It takes Applejack a bit to learn how to hold her tongue in royal public but she learns to play the game in her own way, and her willingness to speak openly and bluntly with Celestia - in private - is so refreshing to Celestia, who hasn't had a pony tell her like it is in ages. That said, i think this learning curve takes quite some time to even itself out, and in the beginning they spend a lot of their marriage clashing with each other, though ultimately i see Applejack as a respectful enough horse that her southern charm does just that, charming the princess in a way she couldn’t expect.

The six are still all friends with each other, although given the sister pairs some of them see each other more often; Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are a bit closer in that sense, while Applejack and Rainbow consider each other best friends. I’d be willing to say maybe something is going on between them, if i didn’t think that went against what the element of loyalty stands for, but there’s definitely rumors…

[nostarfights]

I Would Do It Again

Pairing: king!Bucky Barnes X lady-in-waiting!Reader

Summary: After the King and Queen of your kingdom pass away and their son Prince Bucky Barnes is made King, he begins to become more aware of his loneliness.

Warnings: Royalty au, forbidden love, mutual pining, yearning, mentions of arranged marriage, loss of family members, Bucky’s parents being verbally abusive, classism and a planned murder, kissing, violence, Bucky standing up for and protecting the reader, a few uses of y/n and y/L/n, dialogue is mostly modern English with a few old English elements mixed in.

Word Count: 5.7K

a/n: for the purpose of this oneshot, the reader is a servant who became a lady-in-waiting not a hired one.

the gif below does not belong to me

The past month since Bucky’s parents passed away and he’d become King had been a blur. Even as he got used to his duties as King, he had to admit, he’d become tired of how lonely and repetitive his life had been. He did the same thing day after day, week after week and with the men on his court persistently proposing arranged marriage, all he wanted was to be left alone in the company of someone who wasn’t being forced to marry him. 

Prior to their passing, Bucky’s parents had once been the reason he was always alone; they hadn’t even allowed him to leave the castle or have his own servants. But now that he was King, things were going to change. 

As a way of achieving this goal, Bucky had decided to announce an idea he came up with the night before to his court during one dreary morning. He quietly cleared his throat to grab their attention as he sat in his chair at the head of the table, causing eight pairs of eyes to almost instantly land on him.

“As you all know, I have been a bachelor for quite some time and now that I am King it is time for this period of my life to end. I have decided to select a companion for myself until I marry.” Bucky said, earning a few nods in agreement and not much else from the men in his court since it was unnecessary to discuss his love life more than this when there were much more important topics at hand. 

Their wordless agreement encouraged Bucky to select who exactly was going to be his companion, something he did in his head whilst the men sitting at the table began to discuss matters of a possible impending war and the foreign dignitaries that would be arriving today to speak with Bucky.

There weren’t many women he knew that he could select from now that his mother had died then the idea of you, the young woman who had been one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, becoming his companion popped into his head. You were beautiful, kind, soft, delicate and someone he wouldn’t mind having around and if his mother trusted you then so would he. But he made sure to vow to himself that he wouldn’t fall in love with you, you would simply just be someone to spend his time with.

And once the meeting had come to an end just thirty minutes later, Bucky quickly began to start speaking as the men in his court started to get up from their chairs, “I have selected a companion, Lady (y/Ln), one of my mother’s former ladies-in-waiting.” he announced, earning a few eyebrow raises from the men in the room. “But Sir, she is a servant, she is below you. At least pick someone more respectable.” Bucky’s Chief Advisor, Antony, commented, which prompted a bit of anger to arise in Bucky. “Do not question my decisions, I have made up my mind. That is final.” Bucky sternly replied and that was the end of it. The men surrounding him then became silent as they waited for him to leave the room, thinking he’d get bored of you eventually and give into the idea of an arranged marriage soon enough. 

Following this meeting, Bucky immediately went to one of the guards outside of the room, “You,” he began as he walked directly up to this guard, “Go find Lady (y/L/n) and tell her to meet me in the throne room right away.” he instructed, instantly eliciting a response from the guard. “Yes, Your Highness.” the guard replied as he bowed his head then proceeded to walk away to find you. 

—----------------------------------------------------

Your heart basically pounded out of your chest as you walked up to the doors of the throne room, extremely nervous to see why the King had wanted to speak to you alone when he had never spoken to you personally the entire time you had worked in the castle. “Have I done something wrong? Am I to be punished?” you wondered as you stopped at the doors and the guards let you enter, not giving you time to weigh out any possibilities in your head. 

Bucky’s breath hitched in his throat as you entered the room, you were ethereal, even in the simple dress you were wearing, it was as if you had become more beautiful since the last time he had seen you. The longer he stared at you, the more he felt himself falling in love with you in this moment, his rule to not let himself feel this way for you going out the window. And as soon as the guards closed the doors behind you, you walked up to the throne Bucky was sat upon and curtsied, “Your Highness.” you said as you began to stand straight again, discontinuing his thoughts. 

“From this day forward, you are to be my companion. You will accompany me to meetings, meals, training as well as my other daily activities. You will also spend time with me in my quarters in the morning before I tend to my duties and at night after dinner. You are to start this evening at dinner.” he explained, resulting in your worries going away now that you knew that you weren’t going to be punished. “Yes, Your Highness.” you replied as Bucky then dismissed you to attend to your responsibilities in the castle.

As you left the room, that lonely feeling that had long buried itself in Bucky’s heart began to slowly disappear now that he knew that you would always be by his side. And although he’d never been one for love or marriage due to the lack of love his parents had shown him, he found himself looking forward to seeing you again, causing him to feel like a fool for falling in love with you so quickly. 

—----------------------------------------------------

Hours had passed since you had spoken with Bucky that morning and he had informed you of his decision to make you his companion while you entered the Great Hall where you were to accompany Bucky as he ate, finding it empty except for the two guards who stood outside. Awaiting his arrival, you quickly walked over to where you remembered Bucky’s father used to sit and stood behind the chair next to it, not wanting to risk not being in the proper spot before Bucky got there. 

In good timing, once you had gotten comfortable where you were standing, Bucky entered the room wearing a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of loose pants, an outfit a lot less formal compared to what you were used to seeing him wear. Seeing him like this made him seem less intimidating and in a way you longed for him, you longed to kiss him and stroke his cheek with your thumb, something you would have been allowed to do in a private situation like this if you were also royalty. And in this moment, you cursed yourself for feeling like this and began to ignore your thoughts before you got too ahead of yourself. 

“Your Highness.” you greeted as you curtsied with a calm look on your face that you hoped didn’t reveal what you were feeling. Bucky barely acknowledged you at first as he crossed the room to his chair, something he was doing to secretly punish himself for falling in love with you, and a deafening silence took over. “Sit.” he plainly said as he pointed to the chair that was next to his and looked into your eyes, causing your heart to pound once more. “Yes, Your Grace.” you replied as you sat down next to him, resting your hands in your lap. 

The two of you sat in silence before Bucky finally spoke up after a few minutes, “How was your day, (y/n)?” he asked as he peered over at you, fork in hand. You were shocked in this moment, shocked to hear that a King of all people wanted to hear about how your day had gone. “Good, Your Grace.” you answered as you briefly looked into his eyes, their beauty causing you to quickly look away. You wanted to stare at them forever and that made you feel ashamed, it didn’t feel right to you to have these feelings for a man you worked for. 

“You needn't be so proper, I want you to be comfortable around me. So from now on you may call me Bucky.” he told you, creating a shocked feeling in you yet again. “Are you sure, Your Grace-I mean, Bucky? This doesn’t seem appropriate.” you asked him as you bravely looked into his eyes again, you’d never been allowed to call anyone above you by their first name before. “Yes, I am sure.” he replied, encouraging you to not question him again while the two of you continued to talk. 

But even with formalities out of the way, you still felt shy about being around Bucky and not having to be proper like you were so used to being. “You shall adjust soon.” you thought as Bucky began to tell you about his own day. 

—----------------------------------------------------

Upon finishing his meal, you followed Bucky back to his quarters, the entire five minute walk spent in silence as you trailed behind him. When the two of you arrived, you began to feel shocked once again. This time at the size of the room and how kind Bucky had been to you tonight, after all you had been used to tiny bedrooms and being treated horrible your entire life. The mere idea of suddenly being treated better simply because you were the King’s companion was a peculiar feeling to you. 

But now was not the time to get lost in your thoughts as you followed him out to the balcony attached to his quarters. “Sit, I wish to watch the sunset with you.” he requested as he lowered himself into the chair next to you. “As you wish.” you quietly replied with a slight bow of your head while you sat down. 

As for the rest of the evening, the two of you sat together in silence once more, this time a more comfortable one whilst the sky became a beautiful orange and the moon reclaimed its spot in the sky. The longer you sat there together, Bucky found himself being reminded of you by everything around him. From the sky to the moon, to the warm nighttime breeze that danced around your bodies. No matter what he did, he could not escape the fact that he had already fallen head over heels in love with you. 

“Goodnight, (y/n).” he abruptly said as he stood up from his chair, signaling to you that it was now time for you to go back to the servants quarters for the night. “Goodnight, Bucky.” you quietly replied, a soft smile on your face as you curtsied, accidentally forgetting how he had told you that you didn’t need to do that anymore, and left his quarters. 

And even though you had only been gone for a few moments now, Bucky still began to miss you again but once more, he started to ignore his blossoming feelings for you. You could never be together, it wouldn’t be approved of, he had to accept this. He had to wake up early in the morning anyway, he didn’t have the time to think about how badly he wanted to kiss you and call you his. 

He then dressed for bed in silence as these thoughts continued to fill his mind. You were just trying to do your job, there was no possibility of you loving him back and this too was something he had to accept. 

—----------------------------------------------------

You walked with a pep in your step the following morning as you approached the doors to Bucky’s quarters shortly after the sun had started to rise. You knew it was wrong yet in this moment you couldn’t help but feel excited to see the man you had started to fall for all too quickly. 

Your thoughts were soon interrupted by the sight of Bucky sitting in a chair by the windows in his quarters, reading, seemingly as if he had been waiting for you. “That is not possible, I am his servant. Why would he ever wait for me?” you reminded yourself as you kept walking into the room. 

“Good morning, Bucky.” you said with a curtsy, forgetting yourself once more, Bucky smiled at this. “Good morning, (y/n). There is no need to do that around me any longer.” he reminded you, making both of you smile softly. “Right, my apologies.” you replied, causing Bucky to dismiss your apology with a wave of his hand as he tried to ignore how happy seeing your smile had just made him feel. “You can never be with her.” he reminded himself. 

“I do not have much that requires my attention today. You will accompany me while I attend a court meeting, receive people in the throne room, train and tend to my garden.” he informed you as he looked into your eyes, causing goosebumps to appear on your partially exposed arms. Which Bucky had seen, the sight of this alone caused him to worry that being around him made you nervous. 

But little did he know, these goosebumps had appeared because the feeling of his eyes on you made you feel as if your body was on fire. All you wanted was for him to kiss you and touch you, in spite of how ashamed you felt. “Understood.” you simply replied as Bucky abandoned the book he had been reading and rose from his chair. 

—----------------------------------------------------

Once it was time for Bucky to train, you followed him to the one of the castle’s courtyards after he had changed into his training gear, trying your best not to stare at how big his muscles were or how gorgeous he looked. It was practically torture not being able to touch him and kiss him in this moment, you felt like a caged animal forced to watch its prey get away. 

Watching him train with one of the knights was a whole different kind of torture. From the skillful way he sparred with this knight to how his hair moved as he moved to the way he twirled his sword through the air to the way his skin glistened in the sun, you didn’t know how you would get through being his companion without eventually becoming his lover. It was all you wanted, no matter how ashamed it made you feel to have these feelings for your King. You yearned for him like a man who had been starved for days. 

But it didn’t matter how badly you wanted him, that feeling of shame soon took over any other feeling yet again. Seeing as you were a servant, you felt like you weren’t good enough for him and you never would be in your eyes. He deserved to be with a princess, not the lowly woman who used to assist his mother. You could never be together even though that’s all you wanted. You were from two different worlds. 

And just like Bucky could feel the temperature change outside, it was as if he could feel your mood change too, worrying him. “Is everything alright, (y/n)?” he asked you, hoping it was nothing and that you were simply lost in thought. “I am fine.” you said, your jaw clenched. Bucky knew right away that you were lying and that something was bothering you but unfortunately he didn’t have the time to bother you about it any further. He had to keep training but he promised himself that he’d bring it up again later. 

—----------------------------------------------------

Uncomfortable silence blanketed the two of you as you walked around the garden with Bucky and he occasionally stopped to water a few of the plants and cut any weeds he spotted. 

While these were things the castle gardener normally did, Bucky had insisted on helping out ever since he’d found a book about horticulture a few years ago while looking through his father’s library. Being here gave him peace, it gave him a place to feel normal and as he fell in love with you, it became a place he wanted to show you. He wanted it to be your favorite place to be as well.

“Why were you so quiet before?” Bucky asked as you continued to walk with him and he bent down to cut a rose out of its bush. Your heart sank at the sound of this question, you’d hoped that he wouldn’t bring this up again. “It is nothing, Bucky. I just got lost in my thoughts.” you explained, hoping that he’d take this explanation and not keep trying to get the truth out of you. “Ah, I understand. I get that way too sometimes.” he replied as he cut the thorns off of the rose in his hand, he didn’t entirely believe you but he could tell that you were done with this topic so he let it go. 

As you neared the end of your walk and you got closer to the doors that lead back into the castle, you both felt yourselves growing sad. Neither of you wanted to leave each other’s side, no matter how forbidden it felt to have such strong feelings for one another. Still, it was time for you to part until dinner. 

You then began to walk in the direction of the servants quarters until Bucky stopped you. “Wait! This is for you.” Bucky said once you had stopped walking away from him, now nervously handing you the rose he had cut for you. Your cheeks blushed as you took it from him and your fingers brushed it against his, “Thank you.” you replied as you stared at it, not having the confidence to look into his eyes at this moment. 

He then placed his index finger and thumb on your chin and gently tipped your head up so that you were making eye contact with him, causing your heart to pound while you started to get butterflies. “Will you eat dinner with me tonight?” he asked you, the tension in this moment causing you to feel as if you were floating. “Of course.” you answered as you slowly removed your face from his hand and started to walk away, trying to ignore how good his touch had felt. 

You’d heard of how flirty Bucky could be first hand from his mother but now that you’d actually experienced it, you couldn’t believe that Bucky didn’t have Princesses, Ladys and Queens from every Kingdom throwing themselves at him. “How is it possible that he seems to care for me more than any other woman? More than women who deserve to be with him more than I?” you wondered as you walked back to the servants quarters. 

—----------------------------------------------------

You were alone with Bucky for dinner in the Great Hall once again as you ate side by side that evening and talked about the random things that came to mind. In this moment, as a result of the day you’d just spent together, you both felt yourselves falling deeper in love with each other but no matter how much you wanted to give into these feelings, you still decided to ignore them. 

Bucky wanted more than anything else to be your husband, your lover but he feared how frowned upon your relationship would be so he decided to keep what he felt for you to himself forever. If he could bear to keep his feelings a secret for the rest of his life that is. But even so, he would still be kind to you and show that he cared for you. You deserved to be treated well.

Soon enough due to your busy minds, you and Bucky lost your appetites and abandoned your meals. “Follow me, I have something else to show you.” he said, causing you to nod your head in response and follow him right away.

The short walk to where Bucky was taking you in the castle saddened him. The two of you were barely speaking again while you were together, making him wish that he hadn’t held your face in his hand. It had clearly made you at least a little uncomfortable around him and he hated himself for making you feel like this. He just wanted to be someone you could trust, be comfortable around and love, even.  

This time instead of going back to his quarters after dinner, you and Bucky went to the castle’s library. “Sit,” Bucky said as he sat down in one of the chairs in the room, “I want to read to you.” he told you while he patted the chair next to him a few times. You softly smiled as you nodded your head and sat with him, making Bucky feel a little better about how he’d made you feel earlier. 

He then retrieved a book from the small end table next to him that had been oh so carefully placed earlier in the day by a servant and he began to read to you from one of favorite books, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The sound of his now deeper voice as a result of all the talking he’d done today easily started to lull you to sleep the moment he’d started to read to you. It was calming to hear him speak and just an hour later after the moon rose in the sky, your eyes fluttered shut and you fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep in your chair. 

Once Bucky noticed, he began to softly smile to himself and returned the book to its spot on the table next to him. He’d put it back another time, he had to get you to a much more comfortable place to sleep, his bed, not wanting to risk waking up the other servants if he returned you to the bed you normally slept in. So he gently scooped your sleeping body up in his arms and began to walk down the hall to his quarters, his heart warming at the feeling of you snuggling into him in your unconscious state. 

And once he reached his bed, he gently placed you beneath the blankets, tucked you in and pressed a light kiss to your forehead. What you didn’t know couldn’t ruin what the two of you had, right? As for where he would sleep that night, he grabbed an extra blanket he’d stashed away for when the castle got particularly cold, his pillow and laid down on the settee in his quarters. You sleeping comfortably was far more important to him than his own sleep.

—----------------------------------------------------

It was almost the afternoon when Bucky awoke the following morning, shamelessly using the time before you woke up yourself to admire you as he sat next to you on the bed. You looked so beautiful as you slept, so calm and relaxed. But before he got too ahead of himself, Bucky’s shame stopped his admiration of you. 

Admiring you like this was what was causing him to continue to fall in love with you. But the longer he thought about his shame, his fear of what people would think if people found out he fell in love with his companion and your differences, the more he began to not care about any of those things. He loved you and that’s all that mattered, not anyone or anything else. Now all he had to wait for was the perfect time to tell you how he felt. 

Amidst his thinking, you started to wake up and soon began to feel stunned as you realized that you were in Bucky’s bed and that it was a lot later in the day than when you usually woke up. Bucky began to smile once he realized you had woken up, “Good mornin-.” he’d started to say before you interrupted him. “Why am I in your bed?” you rapidly asked as you started to get up and slip your shoes back on. “You fell asleep not long after I began to read to you last night so I brought you here and slept on the settee.” he explained as you started to stand closer to where he was sitting. 

You were appalled at this, your King let you sleep in his bed while he uncomfortably slept on a settee. “Why did you not just wake me? I would have been fine with that.” you asked him, a confused look now present on your face. He softly sighed then began to speak again, hoping you wouldn’t be angry with him, “You just looked so peaceful, I did not want to wake you.” he told you, causing your heart to skip a beat while you and Bucky both started to blush. “But you must wake me up the next time this happens. Alright?” you jokingly said as you pointed at him like you were disciplining a child, making him laugh. “Alright.” he replied, still laughing. 

But now that you knew that Bucky was so willing to sleep uncomfortably so that you could sleep comfortably, your thoughts began to shift. Maybe he really did love you? And if he did, would that really be so bad?

No.

—----------------------------------------------------

Three Weeks Later

As you and Bucky stood next to each other under the moon and stars, the feeling of not being able to touch you became unbearable to him. So as you stared up the stars, he slowly began to brush his fingers against your own and hold your hand in his. It felt so good to be able to touch you in any way but this feeling soon ended when you snatched your hand away, causing Bucky to look over at you immediately. 

“What are you doing, Bucky?” you asked him as your eyebrows furrowed. “I love you, (y/n). I have been in love with you since the day you walked into the throne room. I have been yearning for you and your touch for weeks. I cannot bear to not be yours for another moment.” he explained, causing a shocked expression to take over your face.

“But how? How could you ever love someone as low as me?” you asked him, the fact that you had been ashamed of yourself this entire time becoming more and more clear to Bucky. “I just do! You make me feel as if I deserve to be loved for once in my life!” he shouted, letting his emotions get the best of him. “But I am not worthy of you, you deserve someone better. I am not good enoug-.” you’d started to say until Bucky cut you off with a kiss, you kissed him back almost instantly as he placed one hand on your face while his other arm wrapped around your waist and brought you closer to him.

“I love you too, but I’m scared, what will people say if they find out?” you said as your eyes started to well up and a few tears fell down your face. Bucky then started to hold your face in both of his hands, “I’m sorry for yelling, my love, but remember I am their King. What I say and want goes and what I want is you.” he said as he wiped your tears away, comforting you. Hearing him say this started to ease the worries that had been running rampant in your mind for weeks and you kissed him again, feeling grateful for him and his kind words. 

But little did the two of you know, you were being watched by a guard who had seen and heard everything from the castle garden during a nighttime stroll. Seeing this was appalling to him, to see his King with someone as low as you, he needed to report this to Bucky’s Chief Advisor right away. He ran and ran across the castle until he finally discovered the Advisor in his office, working on the details of a possible impending war. 

Without thinking, the guard shut the door behind him and began rapidly speaking to the Advisor, without apologizing for bothering him first, “Sir, I have something I must report to you. The King has fallen in love with his servant!” the guard practically shrieked at the man. This was not good, not at all. “Keep your voice down! What are you talking about?” he asked, wanting to confirm what was just shouted at him. “It’s true, I heard him profess his love to her tonight.” the guard explained. 

Antony’s eyes widened, “If it got out that the King is in love with a servant, the kingdom’s reputation would be ruined. We have to kill her.” he replied, causing the guard to nod in agreement. “But how? They never leave each other’s side.” the guard inquired as he looked around the room, worried that someone might be listening to their discussion from the hall.

“Here’s what we’ll do, we’ll wait a couple hours, I will wake up the King and get him out of his quarters with the ruse of getting him to take a look at battle plans. And once she’s alone, you’ll sneak in there and slit her throat.” Antony proposed, wanting the guard to do his dirty work because he knew that Bucky would suspect him immediately if he killed you. “Got it. And now we wait.” the guard said impatiently as they both began to prepare themselves for the night ahead.

—----------------------------------------------------

“What is it, Antony?” Bucky sleepily muttered, an annoyed tone to his voice. “I have just had a breakthrough in our battle plans, you must come to my office now to look at them.” he quietly explained as Bucky sleepily got out of bed, feeling too tired to tell that his Advisor was clearly lying to him. “Fine, but make this quick.” Bucky said as he started to exit his quarters and head for Antony’s office. 

And once you were completely alone just minutes later, the guard snuck in, dagger in hand and approached your sleeping body. He slowly peeled the blankets back and started to position the blade just centimeters away from your throat. But unluckily for him, you had started to wake up the second he moved blankets, thinking he was Bucky. Once you felt this unfamiliar man’s breath on your face and you opened your eyes to see him hovering over you, you started to scream as loud as you possibly could, with all the strength you had, hoping it would save your life. Unfortunately for the guard and Antony’s plan, the guard had completely forgotten to threaten you to stay quiet.

“Bucky! Help!” you screamed, prompting Bucky to immediately run as fast as his legs could carry him to his quarters. What he saw once he arrived terrified him, someone had found out that he was in love with you and tried to have you killed. Not someone, Antony. His father had warned him years ago not to trust the man but instead of listening to his father’s advice, he let Antony become his Advisor. 

And without another second passing, Bucky rushed over to where you were, ripped the guard off you and pinned him against a nearby wall, the guard's own dagger now pressed to his throat, “Who told you to do this?” Bucky demanded through his clenched teeth, knowing it was unlikely that a guard would do this unless ordered to. “Your Advisor! I am so sorry, Your Highness.” the guard explained, the amount of fear Bucky had instilled in him encouraging his surrender. 

“Save it.” Bucky sternly said as he dropped the guard to the ground as Antony walked into the room. “You! You did this.” Bucky accused as he made a beeline for Antony, the tip of the dagger pointed directly at his throat. “I had to! She’s not good enough for a King, she’ll ruin the Kingdom’s reputation!” Antony explained as he held his hands up in surrender, his voice shaking with fear. 

“Shut your mouth, you do not speak for me! You have until morning to leave and if I see either of you ever again, you will be executed.” Bucky sternly said as he removed the dagger from Antony’s throat and before he had the chance to change his mind, both the guard and Antony ran out of the room.

Once they were gone, Bucky threw the dagger on a nearby table and rushed to you as you got out of bed and ran into his waiting arms. “My love.” he tearfully muttered as he caught you and began to hold you in his arms. In this moment, he was more than relieved that he was able to save you. He wouldn't have been able to ever forgive himself if he had failed. And although he hadn’t failed, he was still furious with himself for falling for Antony’s lies. 

Bucky cupped your face in his hand and kissed you, his tears dripping down both of your lips. “I thought I was going to lose you, my love, I’m so sorry I let this happen.” he said as he sat down on the bed and cried on your shoulder whilst you were still in his arms. You then gently rubbed his back as you opened your mouth to speak, “Do not be angry with yourself, Bucky, neither of us saw this coming. I’m glad that you got here when you did but please, promise me that this will never happen again. I was so scared.” you replied as your own voice started to break.

“No one is ever going to take you away from me, even if I have to go to the ends of the Earth to stop that from happening. As long as I’m here, you will never have to worry about what other people say or someone hurting you ever again. You will always be safe in this castle, I promise.” he reassured you as you nodded against him and he started to tighten his grip on you as if he was afraid that you’d disappear.

Silence took over the room once more before Bucky started to speak again and you removed your head from his shoulder, “I cannot bear the idea of you not being mine forever. Please, marry me.” Bucky begged as he started to hold your face in his hands again. “Yes.” you simply replied.

NAVIGATION

send me a request!

[rosy-hollow]

｡ﾟ•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ꒰ა ʚɞ ໒꒱ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈• ｡ﾟ╰┈➤ @lillycore ⦂ OH OH, since you’re requests are open, can I request high school au with sukuna (established relationship) where he asks reader out to prom and what they’d do there? 》 ✐ᝰ UHM YES?? I LOVE YOU THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE HEHEH

｡ﾟ•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ꒰ა ʚɞ ໒꒱ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈• ｡ﾟ

If you ranked Sukuna Ryomen on a list of the classiest men alive, he’d be dead last.

You knew that when you started dating him. Hell, you’d been together for two years now, so if his lack of finesse bothered you, you wouldn’t have stuck around this long.

Which is why you weren’t even surprised when, in the middle of some random conversation, he just told you that you’d be going to senior prom together—like it was already a given. No asking, no buildup, just a casual declaration.

Because in his mind?

It was a given.

It was just a stupid dance, anyway. No need to make a big deal out of it.

Right?

God, he was so wrong.

Now, standing outside your door, waiting to pick you up, Sukuna feels something entirely foreign settle in his chest.

Nerves.

It’s almost pathetic, how anxious he is. Not even during high-pressure games does his heart race like this. At least then, he’s in his element.

This? This is uncharted territory.

Loving someone—hell, even dating someone—always seemed like something that happened in theory. Something that happened to other people.

But he didn’t just love someone.

He was in love with you.

So utterly and completely in love that the very idea of being without you makes him feel like a dead man walking.

You, with your pretty face and knowing smiles. The way your laugh makes his heart do annoying things. Your witty comebacks, your sharp tongue.

You make him feel alive.

And ironically, the second the door swings open—his heart stops.

You are breathtaking.

To be fair, you always are, but—god.

"Holy shit."

He doesn’t even realize he’s said it aloud until you giggle, stepping forward and shutting the door behind you.

Sukuna suddenly feels very grateful you insisted on matching outfits, because with the way you look right now—he’d be damned if you looked like anything but his.

Just the thought makes his feel strange - a good strange - inside.

You’re his.

And he’s yours.

“I… wow,” he mutters gruffly.

You hum, stepping closer, tilting your head in amusement. Teasing him.

“Is that a good ‘wow’ or a bad ‘wow,’ ‘Kuna?”

A large, warm palm finds the small of your back, pulling you in, his lips brushing over yours.

“Definitely good,” he murmurs, before pressing his lips against yours—the first of many tonight.

Some might call you a miracle worker for convincing Sukuna to actually drive to the venue. Because if he had it his way? You’d be heading straight back to his place, where he could have you all to himself.

It’s cute, honestly. The way he grips the steering wheel like it’s the only thing stopping him from devouring you whole. Like if he so much as looks at you for too long, he’ll lose whatever shred of self-control he has left.

You, on the other hand, have no such limitations, happily being the passenger royalty you are.

So you drink him in—the way the streetlights cast shadows across his sharp features, how insanely handsome he looks in his suit.

You were just as whipped as he was.

Just... better at hiding it.

When you arrive, the entrance is already packed with familiar faces, student IDs in hand, waiting to be let in.

Sukuna steps out first, then, to your delight, makes his way around the car to open your door for you.

You giggle at his rare act of chivalry, taking his outstretched hand.

Inside, the venue is stunning—twinkling lights, lavish décor. You definitely have to congratulate your friend on the prom committee for a job well done.

Sukuna, however, could not give less of a shit.

Because while you’re admiring the decorations, he’s admiring you.

The soft, awed expression on your face is worth more than any stupid floral arrangement.

When you glance back at him, his eyes are warm—softer than they ever are in public.

You smile, leaning in to kiss him again, and he happily obliges, though it takes everything in him not to pull you flush against him and forget the whole damn dance.

When you pull away though, there’s a mischievous glint in your eye.

Oh no.

“‘Kuna~?” you draw out, sing-song.

He groans. He’s screwed.

“Will you dance with me?”

Sukuna just stares at you blankly.

“Fuck no.”

“Pleeeeease?”

Oh, fuck you and your stupid puppy eyes and your perfect face and your perfect everything—he can’t say no to you.

And that’s how he finds himself standing in the middle of the dance floor, awkwardly shuffling while you happily bop along to the music, grinning like this is the best night of your life.

It goes on like this for a while—your poor, hulking boyfriend completely out of his element, staying only because he loves you.

Then—suddenly—the music shifts.

The bass-heavy beats fade, replaced with something slower, softer.

Sukuna’s eyes widen slightly as yours light up.

You step toward him, all soft smiles and adoration.

You bow teasingly. “May I have this dance?”

Sukuna clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes. But there’s no real bite. “Ain’t I the one who’s supposed'ta ask ya that?”

You hum as he tugs you closer, his arms encircling your waist, your own draping around his neck. “Maybe… but I like to keep you on your toes.”

He lets out a rare, genuine laugh before kissing you again—deep, slow, tender.

He rests his forehead against yours, voice lower now, softer.

“That you do.”

Your eyes shine, drinking in the way he looks at you.

“And unfortunately for you,” you tease gently, “I always will.”

Sukuna snorts.

“You’re a little shit.”

But you both know he doesn’t mean it.

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHH (that's it, that's all I have to say)

[dreameffectss]

Day 1: Knight x Royalty AU for @xavmc-week !!!

My MC would be one of those knights disguised as a maid so she has the element of surprise, I definitely did NOT miss the knight part OK 💀💀 also Maid Day!

This is as good as my rendering is gonna get for this week of drawings guys and i am probably gonna skip a day or two bc i am lazy BUSY</3

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 (nsfw) | Day 6 (nsfw) | Day 7

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

Redrew the rainy day Prince Solar and Head Assistant Eclipse art because I thought it would be fun (and it was) I still love the original on the right but it was fun to redraw

Note: Both are OCs, Prince Solar is mine and HA Eclipse is my friend below’s!

Here’s the sillies @sunandmoonshow-unofficial

[mostlycompetentwriter]

Thunderous

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Bang Chan

Word Count: 11K

Genre: Werewolf AU! Royalty AU!

Warnings: There are some elements of non-con in this fanfic. Please don’t read if you don’t like those elements. Mentions of knotting and rough sex. There’s also a lot of explicit smut and language throughout.

Summary: The Wolf King’s name seared your heart. You had been chosen as the youngest and most expendable daughter to be his mate. But you were terrified of the legends surrounding his bloody campaigns. How were you going to survive?

Tag List: @armystay89 @captainchrisstan @starseekersworld @melsunshine @kibs-and-bits

The Wolf King’s name whispered through the trees and hummed between the villages like the ancient stories of the gods.

Some of the villagers claimed that he could transform—bones cracking and teeth elongating until there was no man left. They said his claws could cut through trees and that his howl silenced the instincts of the mountain lions who cowered in their dens. In place of human skin, fur sprouted thick and rough, darkening until it matched the color of the shadows.

The myth and lore had been passed down for years, and you found yourself on the receiving end of all those stories. As the Wolf King’s future mate, you had also become something of an enigma around the kingdom. People looked at you with a glint of respect, bowing their heads and moving out of your way whenever you made your rounds. 

The attention that you hated. Especially when the marriage had been arranged without your willing compliance. Young girl fantasies of handsome princes and distant lands vanquished in an instant. But even if you couldn’t indulge in happiness anymore, there had been a time when you allowed yourself to dream about your wedding. 

Bubbling colors of red and green—like your kingdom’s annual yuletide celebrations—and a long, flowing white gown extending across the floor like an elegant brush of paint. Pure as you had always been. There was beautiful music in your dream, and a gorgeous prince to take you into his arms and glide you across the floor like the clouds moving in the sky.

Fantasies, indeed.

Instead, of merriment and goodwill, you found yourself trembling from head to toe, holding tight to the sleeve of your handmaiden’s gown as she escorted you through the recital hall, down the aisle to where you recognized the Wolf King waiting.

You had only met him twice before. Once, when you had just turned twelve, on the day your families agreed to meet over the prospect of securing peace between your rival kingdoms.

When you were both little children, the Wolf King had no reputation. He was just a boy, and you greeted him with a smile—ignorant of the true purpose of your first meeting. While your parents talked about the future, you showed the Wolf King your favorite flowers, handing him individual stems while your mother bargained your life away:

“A union is our commitment to peace,” your mother had once proclaimed, reaching out to softly pat your curls. “We think they’ll do well together.”

“Yes.” But Chan’s mother didn’t seem convinced. She was an elegant and beautiful woman with long black hair and bright red eyes to match his defining features. “Chan will decide who he wants to marry,” his mother said.

“Y/N will make a good wife when she comes of age,” your mother insisted. “We’ll hire the best teachers to ensure that she is prepared for her duties.”

“That matters little to us,” Chan’s father spoke, and he regarded you like one might grimace at an annoying ant to step on.

You shied away from his intimidating stare, looking instead at Chan as he designed a flower crown for you, placing it on top of your head with a proud smile.

It was the last time he would ever show such kindness.

Over the years proceding your first meeting, Chan became a man, and his reputation for ruthlessness and fury ignited a storm of gossip. 

“The Wolf King stands taller than the gods!”

“The Wolf King slaughtered a village because they refused to bow down to him!”

“He’s a monster! Have mercy on us all!”

You became terrified at any mention of the Wolf King, wondering if your parents were still serious about a union. You found out the hard way when your mother invited the Wolf King and his generals to your kingdom. But you didn’t stick around for very long.

The next time you met, you were sixteen, and you ran away to the gardens in a rare show of rebellion against your parents who had expected you to dress pretty and show off for Chan.

But that wasn’t in your nature, and your instincts screamed at you to avoid the Wolf King. And you thought that you were alone in the forest. Surrounded by the quiet of the thick foliage. But then you heard the bushes move, and you noticed a large black head peering at you with piercing red eyes.

You relaxed when you realized that it was just a common wolf—probably one from the mountain packs, and you weren’t frightened. Animals had always held a special place in your heart, and you approached the wolf with palms upturned to show your peaceful intentions. The wolf never moved, and you stroked your fingers through the coarse fur on his head. 

You returned home that evening thinking your father would scold you for running off like that. But you were instead warmly greeted by your parents who were both ecstatic. “He agreed to marry you, Y/N!” your mother exclaimed. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

It wasn’t.

Not at all.

And you had never experienced real fear in your entire life. But walking down the aisle in the chapel to where the fearless Wolf King waited for you, there was a bone-chilling tremble aching down your spine.

“So beautiful,” you heard faint whispers join together, urging you closer and closer to the Wolf King who gazed at you with the most intense stare you had ever received.

When you were within earshot, the Wolf King snatched your hand from the poor handmaiden who had been helping you walk down the aisle.

The girl quickly jumped to the side, bowing her head as the Wolf King forced you to stand in front of him, reaching down for your other hand. You reluctantly gave it to him, still looking at everything except for the Wolf King’s eyes, even if the little growl he gave showed that he disapproved.

You could hear your mother’s chastising voice in your head, scolding you for not pleasing the King. But you didn’t care anymore. Wasn’t it enough that you were standing there, giving your life away to a monster?

In the distant background, you could hear the priest delivering his lines, and when it was your turn, you gave your vow of allegiance, even if the words fell hot like acid from your unwilling tongue.

Thankfully, the ceremony did not require you to kiss him, dodging his wayward lips when they fell too close to yours. 

There was a rush when the proceedings concluded, the firm ushering of hands leading you out of the chapel. You stumbled in your heels, bringing yourself inadvertently closer to the Wolf King who held tighter to your waist. You did not enjoy the closeness, swallowing down your nerves as you tried not to think about what came next.

The crowd eventually parted, giving you enough space to walk down the steps in the open air, briefly acknowledging the cheering crowd spread through the streets. There was a distinct awe in the noise from the people around you, clambering over one another to get a good like at yourself and the predator who would soon claim you for his own. Wanting to acquaint themselves with your kingdom’s bargaining chip—a small sacrifice to ensure an alliance between your people and the ones who fought under Chan’s domain.

On paper, it seemed like a worthy solution to helping your kingdom protect its borders and fight off invaders. The problem was that you felt the weight of pleasing a man you had no interest in—someone who frightened you to your core. A sick knot tightened in your guts and your stomach clenched tighter as Chan led you to Castle Miroh—the notorious landmark of his territory symbolizing the power of the ruling family.

As the main doors parted, you winced at the sensation of the cold and harsh air inside, and a shiver passed down your spine as you forced yourself to keep up with Chan’s incessant pace, footsteps clacking against marble. It was dark in the corridors, and the only lighting came from the flames ensconced along the walls, casting everything in shadows. Ahead in the distance, you could see the outline of a grand staircase, and your eyes worked tirelessly to mark each step on your darkened path.

It turned out that Chan kept his quarters on the highest floor, latching your fingers together the entire time, even as you forced down the bile permanently hitched at the back of your throat at the thought of all the blood that had stained those hands. 

At the top of the staircase, you were pulled to the left, marching down an impressive corridor with a soft, velvet carpet beneath your soles. Eventually, you found yourself in front of a large, wooden door, and Chan ushered you through the frame, a hand to your lower back as your eyes paused on the King-sized bed waiting beneath an unholy painting of a bloody battle scene.

You will present yourself to the Wolf King, you recalled the words of your tutor. He will expect obedience from his mate.

You blinked away tears, knowing what you were expected to do next, and deciding to push through your nerves before you lost the contents of your stomach on the floor. Every fiber of your being screamed at you to run, but you ignored your instincts, loosening the straps of your dress to allow it to pool into a mess on the floor at your feet, and kicking it aside as you eliminated the remaining distance to the bed. 

You didn’t want to show him that you were weak. That he had any sort of influence that might condemn you a coward. You could not be seen as pathetic in the eyes of a monster, crawling on hands and knees to the center of the bed, head ducked down between your trembling arms and waiting.

Your breath caught when the bed dipped beneath his weight, and you gritted your teeth, feeling his hands take your hips with a powerful grip, nails digging into the soft skin.

The Wolf King will fuck you, your tutor had said, Then he will bite you to complete the mating ritual.

You had seen the Wolf King’s teeth. Sharp like razors and pointed at the ends. You would be a bloody mess at the end of this, but no one could ever accuse you of shirking your responsibilities. You had done everything expected of you, holding on to this thought of solace as you waited for him to take his fill.

“Don’t,” he abruptly whispered, startling you as he laid down on the mattress at your side, closing his eyes and letting out a grumble, completely unbothered with his own nakedness. 

It must’ve happened while you were turned away, but it was still jarring to see so much pale skin on display, marred with jagged scars and scarlet bruises. Eyes trailing over the swell of his chest, over the ridges of his abs, and down to this impressive cock. 

You swallowed hard. “Aren’t you going to fuck me?”

“No,” Chan said, chest deflating. “You do not want that.”

His response surprised you, and you wanted nothing more than to hurriedly tuck the sheet around your body to hide you from him. “I thought you were meant to-”

“We are equals,” Chan interrupted with a much firmer tone. “And you are afraid.”

Equals? The word didn’t seem right coming from him, but you weren’t about to question what was seemingly amounting to an act of mercy. Quick as a flash, you had the sheet bundled against your chest, eyes wide as you looked him over. “The mating-”

“We can do the bite,” Chan continued as if he didn’t care that he wasn’t fulfilling the only purpose you had been given. “But in the morning. The celebrations earlier exhausted me. Such frivolous trivialities.”

“Won’t they notice-”

“Who are they?” Chan barked with a hint of a growl that had you flinching. “There is no one who orders the King around.”

His dark pupils met yours in the dark, searching for something. You swallowed hard, unsure what he was looking for, but focusing on the calming sensation of relief flooding your system at his unexpected mercy. “Thank you.”

He gave a curt nod, dipping his head to the space next to him. “Sleep.”

You obeyed, wondering if you could sleep next to him, even if he had shown you some degree of kindness. It still didn’t erase his bloody reputation, and it worried you to no end that you would be sleeping next to a killer. Born to fight his way to power and rule over his kind. 

You took a deep breath, holding tight to the sheet, and closing your eyes. Perhaps it was the roller coaster of emotions weighing down on you from the day’s events, but you did manage to find sleep, even if it was troubled. Nightmares of wolves following you through the woods, red irises piercing you from the shelter of the trees, and claws slicing through flesh. 

You gasped when your eyes sprung open against an onslaught of bright, morning light, heart palpitating in your chest when you met those same eyes looking down at you from above. Chan was a step ahead of you as if he could predict your movements, grabbing your hands in one of his own to hold them above your head. One of his powerful thighs slung across your lower body, holding you in place with a strength that ignited a fire of burning adrenaline. 

“Hold still,” he said, giving you no other warning before teeth sank into the side of your neck, and your body panicked, fighting against him. Like he might take a chunk out of your neck and leave you on the bed to bleed out. Crimson against the cream-colored sheets. 

Immediately, a pulsating shock erupted from the site of the wound, forcing a scream from between your lips at the overwhelming pain. “I know,” he said, and it was barely discernible over the sounds of your cries, unashamed to lose all inhibitions at the sensation of a pain you had never experienced before.

The Wolf King moved over top of you, and you flinched when you felt his tongue start to lap at the painful bite mark on your shoulder. “The pain will stop soon,” he said. “I’m sorry you have to suffer.”

You held back a whine, digging your nails into the soft flesh of your palms. You supposed he had helped the sting, but it still felt like a piece of glass was being sliced across your skin. Even if the guilt and remorse in his gaze were almost enough to distract you.

“Relax,” he soothed, releasing your hands which instinctively went to wipe at your eyes, drying the salty wetness that had accumulated. 

“I- I can’t...”

“You can because you are mine now,” he declared in a tone that had a different flame sparking in your chest. 

You nodded against the pain, focusing on taking deep breaths, and letting darkness take you under once more.

When you woke again, the King was ready for you. He explained that you were needed in the Throne Room to meet some important people. It turned out that the King had three brothers. They were all younger than him. Or so you had been told.

Their names were Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin. Feared and revered for their triumphs in battle.

Your Wolf King seemed proud to show them off, standing before you in an organized line: from oldest to youngest.

Felix reminded you of your own cousins, with his lithe figure, so much different from the King’s own bulk, and a head of flaming orange-red hair. 

Next to him, in the middle, stood Seungmin. Dressed in dark clothes that only made his already dark hair even more onyx-black. Bright green eyes appraising you slowly.

Finally, there was Jeongin. The tallest of the three. And sporting the same dark-colored hair as his middle brother. He seemed to be the most innocent, eyes wide with wonder.

“They are here to support you,” Chan went on after introductions had passed. “Call on them if you need any help.”

Unlikely, but you forced a nod nonetheless.

“You are dismissed,” Chan informed them after you gave your acquiescence, and you watched them retreat in the same formation down the hall.

In their stead approached a shorter man, dressed in full battle attire. Well-muscled to stretch the fabric of his shirt and pants, with serious dark eyes. “My King,” the man said, bowing once. “You are needed on the training fields.”

You flinched when the man’s eyes found your neck, likely noting the swollen mess that Chan had left behind. “I’ll be there shortly, Changbin,” Chan said, and he waited until the man was gone before looking at you. “The Castle is yours, my Queen. Feel free to look around and acquaint yourself with your new home.”

“I will,” you whispered, forcing yourself to stay still when he leaned in to press a chaste kiss to your forehead. 

“Tonight, we can eat together,” came his parting words, and you grimaced at the idea of sharing a meal with him. 

But the concept of sharing a meal with him was nowhere near as horrible as the idea that this place could ever be considered your home. What a nasty thought! This place was nothing more than a prison forced upon you because your parents were desperate for Chan’s allegiance.

“Why did he agree?” you huffed to yourself, spinning on your heel to start the trek back to your room—as much as you could remember. “Leaving me here as if I know where anything is!”

For months leading up to your shared nuptials, you had pondered the reason why the powerful Wolf King had even agreed to marry you in the first place. Neither of your meetings had been particularly impactful, and your Kingdom had nothing to benefit his own; in fact, your alliance was more of a detriment to Chan and his people—a burden that he willingly took on.

You turned the corner to the last corridor, grateful that you had managed to retrace your steps, faltering when you noticed something on the floor outside of your door. You kneeled to retrieve it, glancing at the writing and noting with a happy hum that it was addressed from the Northern Highlands!

“Grace!” you exclaimed, clutching the envelope to your chest as you quickly rushed inside your room, glancing back to ensure the door was locked before hopping onto the bed to rip the contents open.

Dear Y/N,

Congratulations on your marriage to Bang Chan - it will be a strong alliance for our parents and their Kingdom. 

I apologize for my absence - Hyunjin was unable to make the accommodations.

As you know, snowfall comes to the Highlands in the upcoming months. It will soon be impossible for me to journey to you, or for you to make the journey here. I’d love to see you and your new husband before it is difficult to do so.

Please write to me when you can to arrange a visit.

Lovingly,

Grace

You read over the letter twice before releasing a deep sigh. Would your Wolf King even indulge in such a trip? Perhaps it wasn’t even necessary for him to go. You could make the trip on your own.

You held fast to that thought, of getting away from your prison even if only for a few days, as you lounged around in your room for the remainder of the day. There was little to entertain yourself with, re-reading Grace’s letter over and over again, and sitting outside on the little veranda attached to your room to watch the clouds moving in the sky.

It would be another mercy to escape Chan’s presence if you were to head North alone, but you were afraid that you were pushing your luck, wincing when you heard the door to your chambers opening again, returning inside from your observation of the grounds to greet Chan as you were expected to do.

“My queen,” he rumbled, reaching out to hold your shoulders between both hands, a grip that was impossible to mistake. “Were you able to see more of the Castle?”

“Yes,” you lied through clenched teeth, only breathing a little easier when he released you, eyes dropping to the letter in your hands.

“What is that?”

“It is from my sister,” you explained. 

“I see.”

“She wasn’t able to attend the wedding,” you went on, saving yourself a bit of time as you scrambled for the best way to drop the news to him. Maybe it would just be best to try a blunt approach, giving him your demands since he insisted on calling you an equal. “I wish to see my sister,” you said, refusing to meet his gaze. “Before it is too dangerous to make the trip to the Northern Highlands.”

Chan grunted at your request, and you weren’t well-versed in his language to know what that meant. “She invited you?”

“I can go alone,” you said. “If it is too much for you.”

“I would love to come with you,” he said, disregarding the determination in your tone. “It will give us more time to spend together on our own.”

“Oh.” Your gaze remained trained on the floor, hopes dashed that you could leave him behind. 

“It will be nice to visit there,” he said. “I will make the arrangements. You may write her back to expect us very soon.”

“As you wish,” you sighed, trying to keep the disappointment from your tone, flinching when he grabbed one of your wrists. He didn’t seem perturbed by your reaction, and you watched as he pulled a delicate piece of jewelry from his pocket.

“Well?” he smiled, something that made you shiver. “What do you think?”

“What is it?” you asked in return, resisting the urge to pull back the wrist clasped between his scarred fingers. Even if you did manage to finally meet his gaze.

“It is a gift for you,” Chan said with a smile you were not expecting—blinding and warm. “I made it myself.”

“You made this?”

“As our traditions dictate,” he agreed, keeping a firm hold on your wrist to clasp the little bracelet around your delicate flesh. “It is meant to show our bond to the world.”

You studied it curiously, noting the simple design and the small wolf-shaped carvings engraved in the metal. It was cold against your skin, even as the heat from his body balanced it out.

“Shall we eat?”

He dropped your wrist, and you were able to gather your bearings. “Of course.” You managed a nod, watching as he opened the door wide, allowing a small servant girl to enter the room.

The girl offered you both a respectful bow before she started to set the table, laying out silverware and fine china plates. Behind her, another girl rolled in a cart, wheels squealing on the floor, with prepared food steaming from beneath metal lids. 

“Here, sit with me,” Chan said, patting the space on the bed next to him. “Until they are ready.”

You obeyed, sitting down next to him. Your gaze remained trained on the servant girls, moving about in a well-rehearsed manner as if they had done this too many times to count. 

He reached for your hand, and you did your best not to flinch. “Look,” he whispered, urging you to follow his gaze. “This line on your hand, do you see the way it moves?”

You shivered as he traced the mark he referred to, following it up and down the length of your palm. “Yes,” you whispered, struck by the unexpected intimacy of the gesture.

Goosebumps followed the trail he left on your wrist, and you held your breath when he brought it to his lips. “The same as mine,” he said, almost reverently. Your eyes widened, breath hitching as he aligned your hands together. “A perfect match.”

You could hardly believe it, eyes searching back and forth, but seeing the same line digging into both of your skin. Like it belonged there. 

“There are reasons for everything,” he said, and you felt a small flicker of shame when you read his knowing gaze as if he could sense those dark thoughts that you sheltered about him—wondering why you out of everyone in the world had been chosen to stand at his side. “I wouldn’t question so much,” he continued. “The things that fall into place so perfectly.”

He offered you a wink, surprisingly playful for a man of his reputation. “Let’s eat.”

You nodded, the most you could, and followed him to the table. He was polite as always, allowing you to pick first, waiting until your first bite before claiming his own. You were content, at that moment, to answer the questions he threw your way, increasingly aware of the way the place he had touched warming and the mark on your neck drummed in a gentle pulse.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, and there was less trepidation in your soul when you lay with Chan to sleep. 

You journeyed to the Highlands the next morning, riding behind Chan on horseback, leaving the Wolves’ imposing Castle behind. There was a lightness about you as distance added more miles to your ride, growing brighter and brighter the further you traveled. Even with light conversation petering between you and Chan, you had never been freer in your entire life, the wind blowing back your hair as you soared across the plains.

Despite his repeated requests for you to take a break, you were determined to make it to your sister’s palace before nightfall. You wanted to see her outside, in the meadows that spread invitingly across the Highlands, and walk together just the two of you as you did as children.

There was excitement spiking hot adrenaline in your veins when the hills opened up in the distance, revealing a gorgeous mountain Castle with imposing towers and the familiar flags of your sister’s powerful family. She belonged to Hyunjin, taking his name and crest, and it made you sad to realize that there was a greater distance between you both. You loosened your grip on Chan’s waist, not realizing your grip on him.

You had grown tired of being around him, constantly blinded by the weight of his shadow. At least out here, with the sun beaming down from above, you could feel great relief from the pressure lightening. Perhaps there should be shame associated with your actions, but as soon as you could identify a familiar shape up ahead, you were already leaping from the horse despite Chan’s protests.

Thankfully, your sister was there to greet you, surrounded by two guards. Immediately, you jumped from your steed, falling into her arms and inhaling the familiar scent of her perfume. “Grace,” you squealed, keeping her held tight to you as if it would be the last time you could ever do so. 

“Y/N,” she sing-songed back, and you smiled at her playful attitude, only growing a little despondent when you detected Chan’s approach from behind.

“Hello,” she greeted Chan with a polite bow. “It is an honor to welcome you to the Northern Highlands.”

“Your palace is beautiful,” Chan complimented, and you shivered when he drew fingers down the length of your spine—a show of affection that you would never get used to experiencing.

“Thank you,” she said, turning around to gaze back at it as if she were seeing it for the first time. “It has centuries of history.”

“I have heard the tales,” Chan remarked. “From when I was a boy.”

You tried not to snort, not wanting to relive any memories of Chan from his boyhood. Grace’s careful eyes, however, seemed to detect something, and she looked at you with a curious gaze. “Well, I can show you to your quarters.”

“No need, I’m sure one of your guards will know the way. I think Y/N has been waiting for some time with you. I’ll leave you both alone,” he said, even without your prompting, and your sister gave you a familiar smile.

“As you wish,” she said with a little curtsy, beckoning a guard forward with stern orders to help the Wolf King settle in while you and Grace took a stroll of the grounds.

You held your breath, not wanting your impatience to show as the arrangements were made. Only once Chan had started in the direction of the Castle, guards following him closely, did you exhale. Reaching for Grace’s hand, and tugging her forward.

“No need to drag me!” Grace chuckled at your actions, and she linked your arms together, steering you toward the familiar meadows.

You both settled into easy conversation as it always seemed to happen, topics flowing from one to another. There was a lot to catch up on, things left unsaid from your sad exchange of letters. Rumors swirling around the highlands, and stories from your own homeland that you consumed greedily, excited for any mention of your little Kingdom.

Even if you didn’t really belong to it anymore.

You wanted to walk forever, to keep going beyond the highlands. Escaping to a distant land with just you and Grace. A place where you could both live in peace and go about your days just chatting and reading together by the fireplace as you did when you were children.

She laughed at your complaints, forcing you to return to the Castle when the sun had started to set. Thankfully, you didn’t go all the way inside just yet, and the two of you sat down at one of the picnic tables in the gardens. As you settled next to Grace, bowing politely to the maids who brought you both a cup of tea, you frowned as you recognized Chan between the hedges, strolling along with Hyunjin, Grace’s King, down the trodden paths between the mazes. 

You did your best to ignore him, focusing instead on the moment you had with your sister. The setting sun was warm as you reclined your head, eyes closed as you accepted the gracious touch—burning just as hot as your sister’s intense stare.

“Do you have something to say?” you huffed. “I can feel you looking at me.”

Her smile was clear in her tone. “You just seem...different.”

“How so?”

“Like you’ve been tamed.”

Your eyes flew open at the comment, glaring at her. “Stuck in an arranged marriage, you mean?”

“Mine was arranged as well, but you can rest assured that I don’t take the same comfort from my particular suitor.”

“I hardly take comfort from the Wolf King,” you argued, but Grace simply shrugged.

“You’ve never seen things as I do.”

“What’s so bad about Hyunjin anyway?” you asked instead, to direct the conversation away from Chan,

Her smile curdled. “He keeps busy with his whores,” she said, shocking you with such an accusation.

“Grace-”

“Don’t.” Your sister sighed. “There’s nothing you can do.”

She attempted to restore her previous smile, looking back over your shoulder with a sigh. “I like your Wolf King,” she eventually said. “He cares about you a lot. I haven’t seen him take his eyes away from you once.”

Grace must be imagining things. “He’s tolerable at best,” you decided, earning yourself a sigh from your sister.

“My how your perspective has changed,” she remarked, finally turning her attention to the lukewarm tea in front of her. “You were kicking and screaming when you first learned of the marriage.”

“It is something that was forced on me!”

“But you’re not the only one, Y/N,” Grace said with a tone filled with sadness.

Suddenly, you felt chastened and guilty for even protesting her. “For us both, it has created nothing but discomfort.”

“I think there is potential in your match,” Grace argued. “You resist because you are stubborn in nature, but I think there could be good things for you if you just tried to make it work. Wouldn’t it be better, sister, to live with him as lovers than as cold strangers?”

“He is too wild for marriage,” you weakly protested. But your argument held no merit, and you hated the logic in her words, turning away to glare into the distance.

Night passed before your eyes, like the dimmest flicker, and you had never been more unhappy to greet the rising sun. 

It seemed that all good things inevitably came to an end, and you were holding back tears when you parted from Grace the next morning, holding the embrace for far too long. Even as you allowed Chan to help you back onto the horse, positioned directly behind him on the saddle, you kept your gaze trained behind you, watching Grace grow smaller and smaller.

Until she was gone.

Your heart was heavy when you returned to Chan’s castle that same afternoon, but your foul mood didn’t last for long. Distracted as you were, surprised by the bustling activities throughout the grounds, everyone scrambling for something you couldn’t identify. “Our moon festival,” Chan explained. “We will be shifting tonight.”

Oh, right. You had forgotten about that part, too distraught reminiscing on your brief moment of freedom with Grace. “I almost forgot.”

“There will be a feast tonight,” he explained. “We will both join as King and Queen.”

You scowled at the idea. “As you wish.”

Chan frowned at the comment. “You must be tired from the journey,” he continued, choosing not to react to your passive comment. “Feel free to rest in our quarters. I will come get you later.”

You agreed with a half-hearted grunt of acknowledgment. Sleep did sound like a much-needed relief from the exhaustion threatening each unsteady step you took up the stairs. It was what you blamed your disorientation on, barely noticing when Chan leaned in to give you a chaste kiss on your cheek.

That same spot burned under the barely-there attention. But you chose to ignore it, instead focusing on how your feet were throbbing when you landed on top of your bed with a huff, allowing tears to escape as you gave yourself a moment to purge the nasty emotions that had built after leaving the Highlands. Unable to do so as you rode behind Chan.

There were too many different emotions piled on throughout the day, mixing with a heady combination of your exhaustion from traveling. Countless thoughts also swirled through your head, and it was inevitable that you would fall under, losing yourself to the easy promise of sleep. An easier task than grappling with your conflicted feelings. 

Darkness greeted you like an old friend, and your dreams were wild. One moment you were back with Grace, strolling through the meadows. The next, you found yourself in an empty forest, shadows chasing each breath evaporating on cold air, ensnared by a pair of red eyes in the thick foliage.

You stumbled on the undergrowth, falling backward ungracefully. You only had the wherewithal to put a hand over your face, trying to block everything out, as those eyes descended on you. Fear caught in your throat, and it was the lasting image that haunted you as you jerked upright in bed, barely withholding a scream when those same eyes met you in the real world.

“Y/N.”

Chan’s voice was deep, guttural in its intensity, and filled with concern. You flinched when fingers came out to gently remove sweaty bangs from your eyes, heart thunderous inside your chest. His hand paused in its motions, and for a fleeting second, you thought you might drown in his stare.

“Sorry,” you whispered. “Bad dreams.”

“I see.”

There was a question in his tone, but you didn’t know how to provide an answer, choosing instead to gently push his hand away. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

He nodded, lower lip caught between his teeth. “If you’re certain...”

You studied him for a moment, wishing that you could confide in him. But there was still a great distance between you, perhaps put there by your own accord, but heavy in its existence. “I shall get ready.”

Chan allowed you the space, agreeing to meet you in the hallway as you rose to get dressed, finding the dress that had been laid out for you by the maids. You slipped the fabric over your body, shivering as the silkiness slid across your skin like a lover’s caress.

True to his word, Chan was waiting patiently on the other side of the door, and you hesitated before taking the outstretched hand offered to you. Unprepared for when it pulled you in closer, under the scrutiny of his affectionate gaze. “Beautiful,” he declared, nostrils flaring as if taking in the scent of the perfume you sprayed. 

“Thank you,” you offered in return, choosing to keep silent as he led the way, helping you down the stairs in your heels. 

For once, you willingly stayed close to Chan, especially as you approached the Great Hall where the festivities would take place. Chan led you into the dining room, perhaps a bit too hastily, uneasy with the weight of his people’s stares boring down upon your figure. Dressed simply in that white gown—pure, as you had always remained—and looking entirely out of place amongst battle-hardened soldiers. 

You caught Changbin’s stare from across the room as you sat at the head of the table next to the King. There was lust in his gaze. And it deeply unsettled you, to the point that even Chan caught your shiver.

He followed your gaze to Changbin who looked away at once. “Tradition says that the King can share his mate,” Chan whispered. “But I will not share you with him. So he can only look.”

You weren’t sure what to say to that. So you didn’t say anything in return. “I didn’t know.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Chan stood, addressing the room. “Let’s feast together, comrades! We run together at the moon’s highest cycle!”

A chorus of cheers and howls greeted his words, and everyone started to fill their plates, easy conversation flowing between the wolves like the smell of the delicious-looking platters laid out before you. Still, your stomach revolted, swimming in circles as you picked at the helping Chan had served you. You wrinkled your nose when his grease-stained fingers brought a piece of chicken to your lips, and you forced yourself to take it from him. 

Chan sighed as you chewed, forcing the morsel down your throat as it stung. “I won’t be with you tonight, of course. We will likely stay out in the moonlight until dawn. But I will return in the morning.”

“Okay.” You shrugged, seemingly indifferent. Some time to yourself seemed nice. And you weren’t keen on being outside when they were no longer human. 

“You don’t have to be miserable here, my Queen,” Chan suddenly said, tone taking on a hardened edge. Perhaps the first time he had ever sounded stern with you. “Wolves mate for life, and they choose their partners seriously”

You contemplated his words, chosen ever so carefully. “I - I will try,” you managed, recalling Grace’s advice from the previous day.

To live as lovers rather than strangers. 

He hummed at your agreement, eyes glued to your form as he appraised you with something akin to curiosity. “Don’t roam so far from the castle tonight. It isn’t dangerous, but it is your first time. Of course, there’s usually nothing to fear in the gardens.”

There was a layered hint in his words, but you chose not to think about it too much, simply nodding your head as you resumed your task of picking at your food. There was nothing wrong with the offering in front of you, but your newfound uneasiness mixed with your emotional charge from earlier—it had not yet completely dispelled itself from your system—left an unpleasant ache in your chest.

As if something was missing…

Later that night, long after the wolves left the castle, you realized you couldn’t sleep even if you tried, listening to the chorus of howls from outside the castle walls. They rang through the night, loud and clear, and harmonized with one another as if perfectly in sync. Perhaps they were since Chan and his wolves shared a tight bond, and you wondered what it must be like to be so perfectly in tune with one another.

It was these thoughts that plagued you, and even as midnight came and went, you grew more restless. You resolved to walk through the castle, to quell your thoughts and ease your mind. Even as your footsteps echoed through the halls, you found yourself becoming more awake instead of the opposite effect.

Fresh air would be nice, you thought until you remembered the wolves outside. But then again, Chan did promise you that the gardens would be safe. You could trust him, right? Or was that the problem? Your lack of trust in someone meant to be your partner. 

You resolved yourself in that moment to try. And if that meant venturing out into the gardens, then no one could accuse you of being silent and passive. This was your attempt at trying, and if it ended badly, then you would have all the more leverage to ignore him.

However, despite your attempts to steel your resolve, you found your heart beating impossibly fast when you greeted the moonlight outside. Each lungful of air that you forced down your lungs felt like sharp knives attacking your flesh. Gaze swimming in front of you, footsteps unsteady as you entered the hedge maze surrounding the gardens.

You inhaled deeply, trying to find comfort in the familiar smell of the foliage. There was a strange air of peace surrounding you, and that was all the solace you needed to keep going, admiring the way the colors of the blooming flowers bled in a different light. It was easy to grow distracted by the sight, as beautiful as it was, and perhaps you could blame your wandering eye for failing to adequately identify the rustling of something large in the undergrowth of the forest. 

You hummed to yourself, leaning down to run your fingers over the soft petals of a rose. Its usual red was subdued somehow, under the moon’s glow, and you smiled at the effect, completely ignorant of a different red seeping through the hedges near your right.

It wasn’t until a gentle whimper sounded that you jerked to a stop, hand fluttering to cover your chest as you whipped around to locate the source of the sound. And what stood before you, as powerful as the looming mountains above the castle, nearly had you falling to your knees.

Except, you realized upon a second cursory glance, that there was something uncannily familiar about the beast in front of you, and it only took you another moment to make the connection. A gasp fell from your lips when you realized that it was the wolf from your childhood—the one you had found that day Chan visited your home for the second time. The one you played with in the gardens. The one you spent time with just talking and believing it was nothing more than a common wolf.

You stumbled then, recognizing the now familiar crimson eyes looking back at you—the same ones that belonged to your husband. The wolf, your Wolf King, butted his giant head against your outstretched hand, giving an affectionate lick to your fingertips.

“I understand,” you whispered, unable to decipher the emotion in your voice, but one thing that you knew for certain—there was a clear absence of fear. Because you had never feared this wolf, always approaching it with happiness, completely ignorant of its true state. 

The wolf gave you a meaningful look, and you were struck by the humanness of the gesture. Understanding dawned on you—Chan had always known. He had always known it was you—the one his wolf had chosen. The girl who had never shown fear to a beast that others considered a monster. 

You had known Chan for your entire life without even realizing it, and your eyes welled with tears, watching him toss back his head and release a spine-curdling howl. One that was joined by a chorus of beautiful melodic cries, merging and joining together, and reaching down to your very bones.

You dropped to your knees then—a mere speck before the Wolf. You cried without fear, and this time, the tension between you and your King vanished like the stars in the night sky when dawn cracked across the horizon.

Three Months Later

On most mornings, Chan was gone before you woke up, and that left you with a disconcerting feeling of disappointment. You supposed there was much to do for the King of the Castle, but lately, it made you ache for something you couldn’t quite discern.

For the past several months, you found yourself opening up to the Wolf King in ways you would’ve never imagined. The truth of who he was, the Wolf from your childhood, along with Grace’s well-intentioned advice, had managed to crack through the stoic guard you had raised from the moment you bound yourself to him.

He taught you about the bond—how, even if you weren’t a Wolf and couldn’t experience the same emotions, he could feel each flicker of happiness or stroke of sadness as it moved through you. 

You had not known of this connection before—because of your stubborn nature—and you would always regret resisting it. But things were better, and you could see the beauty in the bond and how truly spectacular it was to feel and understand another person so intimately. It made you wonder—for longer and longer periods of time—just how deep you could make that bond.

Curiosity weighed heavy on you, and your eyes cracked open at a gentle knocking on the door—an opportunity presenting itself when you recognized a familiar servant girl entering your room. “Good morning, Y/N,” she said, and you nodded in return.

At first, you had kept yourself closed off to the other maids, but this one in particular, Ivy, had been insistent. It was hard to deny her, especially when she became your best teacher, indulging you in learning everything related to the wolves and their way of life.

She was also quite willing and open to help you with anything, even if it involved the more intimate parts of your relationship with the Wolf King. You brought it up again that morning, growing more and more confident, especially since Ivy was completely shameless when it came to that sort of thing.

“I thought about your words from the other night,” you opened the conversation, watching as she put your breakfast down onto the table.

“You’ll have to remind me.” There was a teasing note in her tone, and you glowered at the playful look she shot in your direction.

“We spoke about the King,” you said. “You told me things…what I can do to please him.”

“I remember.” She took a step closer, and you were wary of the look in her eyes. “Does he not fuck you well?” Ivy asked, and her tone was absent of the same filter that would stop your tongue.

Still, you were embarrassed, looking down at your feet, wondering how to disguise the truth. “It doesn’t feel good when it seems like he just uses me to get himself off.”

That much was true as you had heard Chan masturbating next to you on countless nights, and your name often fell free from his lips.

“I see.” Ivy nodded. “He doesn’t know better. He was taught that a good alpha fucks his mate and makes sure that she is pregnant for him.”

You winced at her blunt explanation. “Is that all...wolves need?”

“Not necessarily,” Ivy said with a bright smile. “I can teach you...if you want.”

“Teach me?” you asked, gasping when Ivy placed a hand on your chest, forcing you to fall back on the bed.

She was all smiles when she crawled into your lap, grabbing your hands and securing them to her waist. You gasped when she started rocking her hips into your own, feeling the pleasant ache resonate up and down your spine. “The most important lesson of them all,” Ivy said with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. “The art of seduction.”

“I - Ivy...”

“Tell me, Y/N,” Ivy interrupted your ramblings, leaning down so that the tips of your noses brushed together. “Would you like that? Seducing your wolf? Driving him to the point where he can’t resist taking you?”

You moaned around your response. “Yes! Please show me.”

Her hips rocked harder into yours, and you could see white forming at the edges of your vision. “Leave it to me.”

And you did, surrendering to her touches, and the wicked way she showed you all the ways to drive a King mad. 

The following night, you bravely waited for your Wolf King to return from patrol, wearing nothing but a sheer robe that left little to the imagination. Sitting on the edge of your shared bed, you caught each breath as it rattled between your lungs. Nervousness eating away at your resolve and leaving the poor skin around your cuticles abused by your touch. 

Ivy’s advice rang clear in your mind as if she were there with you, holding your hands between her own as she taught you how to please the King. You blushed at the memory, hands covering the bare skin beneath your robe, caressing the delicate flesh as she had done the night before. Demonstrating to you the best ways to please a man, and to make him beg for you. 

That kind of power held its curious appeal, and you thought about it constantly. Wondering what it would be like to make Chan lose his mind to the sin of your smell and touch. You could hardly wait, bouncing your leg and jostling the flimsy material of your coverings. 

Thankfully, your Wolf King didn’t make you wait for very long, punctual as always in these recent times of peace in joining you during the evenings. The easy smile he always offered you vanished as soon as he closed the door behind him, eyes locked on your figure clad in so very little.

“Be assertive.” You recalled Ivy’s words, and you stood on shaky legs to take a few tentative steps towards him. The implication was not lost in translation. You could barely get out a greeting before Chan was on you in seconds, gently pushing you back against the wall. He pressed his forehead against yours and you closed your eyes. “You look beautiful,” he whispered, initiating the first indulgent kiss that lit a fire that you felt down to the tips of your toes.

“Then have me,” you said against the purse of his mouth, tongue tracing that full bottom lip. His gaze widened perceptibly, holding you at arm's length.

“What do you mean?”

“Take me the way you want,” you replied. “I’m ready. You love me, don’t you?”

The intensity in that gaze you had started to yearn for burned even brighter. “You know that I love you Y/N, and I understand why it would be hard for you to believe. I’m more than willing to take this chance to show you.”

He pulled away despite the tight grip you kept on his powerful bicep. Even so, you kept your eyes open as wide as possible to enjoy the scene playing out in front of you when he kissed you again. You curled your fingers into his thick black hair, remembering Ivy’s advice, and pulled his mouth against yours, crushing your lips to his. Chan’s chest rumbled as he kissed you fiercely in return, grabbing onto your arms as his tongue plundered the hot cavern of your mouth.   

Your lungs screamed in protest, and you pulled away suddenly, shivering at his resounding whimper. You opened your eyes, keeping your hands in his hair to hold it back from his crimson orbs. You found the lust there, making his eyes appear darker.  “It’s so hard for me to do this,” you said softly. “I- I want to please you…”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Chan replied. He pressed his hips into yours and you felt something hard against your stomach. “Y/N,” Chan murmured, leaning into your neck to inhale deeply. “I want you more than anything else.”

You shivered as you felt his other hand come to the sleeve of your gown, slowly sliding it down your shoulder. His fingertips slid across your skin, weakening your resolve. His lips followed his touch, peppering soft kisses along the exposed skin. He tugged on the fabric more and you felt the fabric at your right breast start to fall, slowly exposing the flesh to him. His blazing eyes looked down at what he had uncovered, as his hand moved up to hold your breast in his palm. You moaned when his thumb started to rub against your nipple, growing alarmed at the sudden ache between your legs. Like before, his lips soon replaced his fingers and you cried out when he gently nipped the sensitive skin.  

He suddenly tugged the fabric back up, releasing your wrists so that he could have both hands when he grabbed the sides of your robe and tugged it aside to reveal your bare skin to him. Your hands fell to your sides as your chest heaved up and down to match each of your panting breaths. Clad in the lingerie Ivy had helped you pick out the previous night. 

Chan’s eyes were glued to your bare torso. With a moan of his own, he pressed a soft kiss to your lips before he trailed his mouth down, over the soft skin of your throat, down your chest, and between the valley of your breasts, over your smooth stomach down to the top of your lace panties. Looking up at you with hungry, lust-filled eyes, Chan started to tug the fabric down your legs.

Clenching your fists against the wall, you couldn’t begin to describe what you felt when he pressed a kiss against the front of your panties, holding your thighs in his strong hands. Standing back up to his full height, he pulled his shirt off next, tossing it onto the floor. You breathed out deeply as your eyes greedily took in the sight of his muscled torso. Timidly, you reached out a hand, aware of his eyes watching your movements as you hovered your palm over his firm abdomen. “Touch him with your fingertips,” Ivy’s words whispered against your ear. He groaned, bracing his arms on either side of you, moving his head against the wall next to your ear. You heard Chan’s husky voice whisper: “Baby, please touch me.”

Your eyes fluttered at his request, and you placed both palms on his hard stomach, moving them up and feeling the muscles tense beneath your touch. Your hands danced across his pectorals, rising along with the muscles. You moved your palms over his shoulders and then back down, pausing when you hit the top of his pants. Before you could muster up the courage to move any lower, Chan’s lips were back on yours, kissing you senseless. You wrapped your arms around his neck, working your mouth against his, feeling your lips become swollen from his kisses. As your tongues touched, you felt Chan’s hands return to your thighs, lifting them so that you had no choice but to wrap your legs around his trim waist. Holding you against him, he carried you into over to the bed to deposit you on top. You missed his warmth as soon as he was gone and opened your eyes to meet his black gaze.

This was your chance. You remembered Ivy’s words and scrambled to get in position. Present. The command burned its way through your whole being as if you had no control over it. Instead, you turned on your hands and knees, arching your back and keeping your ass held high in the air.

You had never done this before, and you felt so exposed, but at the same time so good, so right, and you restrained yourself from trying to cover up against the shameless crimson stare watching you.

Suddenly, all went quiet, prompting you to glance over your shoulder. The Wolf King was staring at your ass, his mouth slightly agape. “Good girl,” was all you heard before Chan dove down abruptly to taste your dripping cunt, dragging his tongue all the way up to the source of the wetness leaking from you with a single, hot swipe, before latching on and sucking eagerly at the sensitive skin around your opening. 

You keened at the sensation and shivered at his satisfied grunts and moans as he took his fill of your taste. It made you want to please him. To do whatever it took to make him completely lose his mind.

“Chan!” You moaned out, reaching beneath him to flick at your neglected clit. “More!” 

Your demand did not go unanswered. With a grunt, Chan yanked your ass up higher for a better angle, digging his hands into the plush flesh of your hips. His touch was rough, and strong, undoubtedly leaving marks behind, but you absolutely loved it. And when the wiggling muscle of his tongue finally pushed inside, you cried out in absolute bliss and pleasure. Time itself seemed to slow down as that tongue relentlessly moved inside you, searching for that spot that could make you see stars and, once found, pressing down hard. Again and again, Chan dipped inside with his tongue, and each time you moaned for him. It didn’t take you long until your body tensed and shuddered, squeezing around the intrusion as you rode out your orgasm. 

With a satisfied groan, Chan released your hips, and you collapsed on your stomach, still aching for him.

You attempted to look back at Chan, groaning when you realized he was pushing down his pants and underwear, freeing his stiffening cock before crawling back over you. You were met with a flurry of kisses, on your lips, your cheeks, and your neck, before his tongue trailed lazily over your chest and down to the delicate curls damp from your release. 

You squirmed under him as he held himself up on his arms, dragging his eyes unbearably slow from your face and down to your toes. He moved one finger down over your stomach, and you watched it enter the forest of blonde curls around your center. Panting, and nearing combustion, you found yourself instinctively thrusting your hips up, begging him for more than just touches. Growling, he practically shoved your hips back to the bed, reaching down and jerking his thick cock with rough strokes. He abruptly flipped you over onto your back, craning his neck to look down into your eyes. “Let me make love to you, Y/N.”

His words sent a flurry of heat straight to your core. You had never had sex before, but you wanted it desperately. You told him as much and could see him visibly shaking. “I’ll go slow,” he promised, kissing your lips tenderly, before reaching down to line himself up at your entrance. You closed your eyes and winced as he pushed into you. Pliant and soft from his earlier ministrations, the bulbous head found little resistance as it breached your cunt.

You could feel his face bury itself into your shoulder, his knuckles turning white as they gripped the bedding, as if it was taking everything he had to go this slow. Once he was buried inside of you completely, you groaned, adjusting to the sudden intrusion. You could feel him still above you, and his teeth teased the skin at your shoulder. “Son of a bitch,” he growled. “It’s taking every ounce of control I have not to flip you over and fuck you senseless.”

His words, as crude as they were, only served to heighten your arousal. “Move,” you said, grabbing his black hair and pulling his face to yours. You kissed him quickly. “I’m fine.”

He needed no further encouragement, as he slowly pulled out before pushing back in. You could see the sweat breaking out across his forehead from the exertion, causing strands of his hair to stick to his forehead. His right hand moved behind you to grip the headboard as his hips slowly rocked against your own. As good as it felt, you could see he was about to lose it. “Faster,” you told him, and he complied, speeding up his thrusts and allowing some of the tension to escape his body. It was a little painful, especially when he let out a low growl and really started grinding his hips.

You could feel it building inside, the pleasure of his rough movements far outweighing the discomfort. You let out another moan as he moved in and out, feeling the smooth friction all the way to the tips of your toes. The Wolf King chose this moment to draw his hips back, dragging his length out to the tip, before slamming it back inside with a powerful thrust, rocking your body to the point that you felt your vision turn white for a moment. Without giving you time to recover, Chan repeated the motion over and over again, speeding up and adjusting the angle to relentlessly hit deep inside, hips bumping your clit with every smooth grind.

He grunted from his efforts, one hand on the headboard while the other came to grab your breast, his lips sucking at your neck. For your part, you arched your back against him, allowing your hips to come up a little to meet his movements as he hit even deeper inside of you, just barely kissing your cervix. Your fingernails scraped down the smooth skin of his back at this new angle. He moaned when your nails dug into his flesh, bringing his lips up to yours and you kissed him feverishly, tasting him like your life depended on it. One of your hands curled into his smooth black hair while the other gripped his bicep tightly, sighing happily as you felt the muscles move.  

You wrapped your legs around his waist, trying to not feel overwhelmed by all of the things he was making you feel. Buried deep inside of you, you could feel him hit all the right spots, sending waves of pleasure to your tight center. Meanwhile, his lips were working magic against yours, leaving you breathless.  

You could feel an intimate warmth building inside of you the longer he snapped his hips against yours. Groaning, you let out a cry as you felt something inside of you break open, releasing wave after wave of heat through your core, leaving your body drowning in pleasure.  

There was a haze of lightheadedness clogging your senses, and you almost didn’t even realize the swell pushing against your ass, until it breached your core. “Chan!” you hissed at the combination of pain and overwhelming pressure, retreating and then swelling again as he ground that hot mass against you.

“My knot,” he groaned, and you could feel the heat from his chest against your breasts as he pressed even closer. 

You vaguely recalled Ivy warning you about this, telling you that it would be hard to prepare for the massive instrution. You felt a spike of fear as it stretched you even further, and you worried that your virgin body would suffer. All you could do was grit your teeth and bury your head into the blankets beneath you, feeling the swell of his knot pressed against the cleft of your ass. You fisted the sheets between your hands. He would split you in half, and then you would be nothing.

“Y/N!” he growled, slowing his hips to a timid roll as his knot locked between you both, and your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you felt his release flood your insides, filling you to the point that your lower stomach had started to swell from his cum. 

He groaned as you both came down from your highs, and you gently petted your finger through his unruly curls. He experimentally rolled his hips to test how firmly the knot was locking him inside and it wouldn’t budge. Your cunt squeezed the knot, eliciting another grunt from Chan, another twitch, and another spurt of hot cum inside of you.

The pop didn’t swell until Chan was fully seated, his thick cock barely able to seat itself fully between your pulsating walls. It was a painful stretch, of course, but you were hardly focused on it.

Chan continued to hump against you, long after his release and teetering on the cusp of oversensitivity, but those seductive hips had lost their rhythm. It was only moments later, as Chan pulled away from your lips and buried his face into your chest, that he growled when something warm filled your center. You let your hand wander down his spine, stroking along the individuals knots. You could feel him breathing hard above you, and you tried to soothe him back to normal.

You were locked together for a long time, and you were almost asleep when Chan was finally able to pull out, collapsing onto the mattress next to you, looking up at the ceiling. You watched as his chest rose and fell quickly until you could barely see it move at all, signifying his return from his high. Your own breaths came out much shorter, and you were aware of the sweat that coated your skin. 

You watched as Chan ran his hand through his dark hair, moving it out of his face. Looking over at you, he turned on his side and used one hand to bring you closer to him, wrapping an arm around your waist. You hummed in delight as your chests pressed together, moving in sync with each other. Chan’s eyes scanned over your face as he leaned in and kissed your forehead. “I love you Y/N,” he said. voice rumbling. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it to you.”

You were barely coherent, collapsed against the sheets with a line of drool pooling out from your mouth. Closing your eyes, you let your head fall against his chest, savoring his warmth.  “I trust you,” you said softly, and you could feel him sigh in relief. Simply holding you against him, surrounded by his warmth, you suddenly felt very much like you belonged.

“You and I have always been destined,” Chan whispered, and for the first time since you had taken your place as his Wolf Queen, you weren’t afraid.

Instead, you were irrevocably alive.