#but they did and it was so good and i loved and cried every second of it

[kentblvd]

clark loving on his sweetest girl . ݁₊ ⊹ . 🌷

pairing | clark kent x hyperfeminine!reader

cw: [mdni!!] pure smut, fingering, praise, kissing, the reader being a cutie, clark is also a cutie

clark’s fingers moved slowly, like he had all the time in the world—like you weren’t already breathless, legs parted, clinging to the sheets with trembling hands. His body was warm between your knees, his free hand resting gently on your thigh, keeping you open for him.

“so soft,” he murmured, eyes locked on where his fingers slid through your folds. his voice was low, reverent. “y’so wet already… just from a little touching?”

you whimpered, hips tilting up to meet his hand. “claark…”

“i know, sweetheart. i know.” he leaned in, kissed your inner thigh, then slid one thick finger into you, slow and careful.

the slight stretch made you gasp, back arching off the bed. even though you always did this with him, his fingers and hands were just so big it felt new every time. his finger curled inside you, brushing that perfect spot, and you moaned, thighs tensing.

“that’s it,” he whispered, watching you intently. “there you go… just relax. wanna make you feel good”

he worked his finger in and out, dragging it deep and slow, adding a second without warning—your body tightening around him as you cried out, overwhelmed by the fullness, the heat, the pressure building fast.

his thumb circled your clit in slow, firm strokes, his fingers still working inside you, filling you up with every thrust. his voice stayed soft, coaxing.

“you’ve just had a long day. lemme me take care of you. let go, baby.”

you were panting now, hips moving with him, chasing it. “clark—oh my god—please—”

“come for me,” he murmured, fingers curling just right. “lemme me feel you.”

the orgasm hit hard, sharp and hot, your whole body clenching around him as you came with a shaky cry. clark didn’t stop, easing you through it, pressing kisses to your thighs, murmuring, “that’s my girl… you’re perfect.”

a/n: i’m ovulating and i just had a very nice date with my boyfriend so i had made a fic inspired by it. i will jsut continue releasing blurbs until i am done packing and have travelled to university again

taglist [dm or comment to be added] @jimmys-tiara @dolleciita @budgiefeatherboa @flixpii @redhairedgardenfairy @faestunna

[yumiblaze]

Cursed - Saja Boys X Fem!Reader Part 21

IBS and Depression are a hell of a bitch so sorry for not posting yesterday >^< Also I want to say thank you for all the likes and comments! I read every comment even if I don't reply and it's all so lovely <3

PROLOGUE / PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7 / PART 8 / PART 9 / PART 10 / PART 11 / PART 12 / PART 13 / PART 14 / PART 15 / PART 16 / PART 17 / PART 18 / PART 19 / PART 20

WARNING: BLOOD AND VOMIT!

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Abby didn’t bother trying to hide who he was so as soon as you reached the hospital people’s heads turned to stare at the idol. His idea was that the Saja Boys would seem even better to the public if one of them was seen visiting Rumi in hospital, however the amount of attention he got made you feel so uncomfortable.

The boy seemed unfazed by the attention though and trotted over to the front desk, a relaxed smile adorning his face.

“Hi I was hoping I could visit Rumi.” He told the receptionist. The brunette at the desk literally did a double take as the boy spoke to her, her mouth hanging slightly ajar as she took him in.

“Yes sir, I’ll get one of the nurses to take you to her room.” She managed to stutter out after quickly clearing her throat.

“Thanks.” Abby replied gazing around the room while you both waited for a nurse to take you to your sister’s room.

You were fiddling with your fingers unable to hide how nervous you were to finally see your sister and how everything would go after last time Mira and Zoey saw you. Abby seemed to notice as he gently took one of your own hands in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. A nurse quickly rounded the corner her eyes locking onto you and Abby, a soft smile gracing her features.

“Sir, ma’am, this way.” The nurse told you both leading you down a maze of white corridors.

It wasn’t long until the nurse opened a door and stood aside letting you and Abby both through. Your eyes immediately locked onto your sister, sitting up in her bed her conversation with Zoey halting as she looked over at you.

“Rumi!” You cried rushing over to her and gently throwing your arms around her shoulders.

“(y/n)! Thank goodness you’re okay!” Rumi gasped her own arms wrapping around you tightly.

“Are you okay? What happened?!” You asked pulling back from the hug and holding the girl by her shoulders.

“I’m fine. What do you mean what happened to me? What happened to you??!!” You purple haired sister replied looking you over with worried eyes.

“Why the fuck is he here?” Mira asked glaring at Abby who was just standing by the door awkwardly.

“He is my bodyguard.” You replied simply.

“No he’s a demon and he needs to leave.” Mira snapped.

“No you know what? This demon has saved my ass on multiple occasions, if he wasn’t looking after me I would be dead by now Mira. I don’t care what he is, what any of the boys are, they have been looking after me with so much love and care! So can you just not try to kill him for a few minutes so I can explain all the shit that has been going on for the last few days?!” You ranted giving the girl a stern glare.

Mira looked at you in utter shock for a few moments, glancing between you and Abby a few times before her face went back to her usual resting expression.

“Does the explanation include why Jinu and the other boys attacked me?” Rumi asked slightly hesitant.

“Yes.”

“Alright go for it.”

“First of all The Saja Boys seem to be my soul mates and until they ‘mark me’ my scent will get stronger and continue to draw other demons in. Second of all you know when I got stabbed by that demon, well turns out he poisoned me and I’m slowly dying. The bright side is there’s an antidote but Gwi Ma has this antidote right now and he won’t give it to me or the boys unless they kill you and break the Honmoon. Jinu was attempting to do that when he attacked you, he also did that behind my back so when I found out about it we had a huge issue and I left the apartment on my own and got caught by the same demon who stabbed me. Which leads me to three, the demon guy who stabbed me is going to punish the boys by hurting me every time they fail. So all these injuries I have, are his fault, not the boy’s fault. Any questions?” You dumped all the lore on them.

“So you’re telling me that these 5 demons are in love with you and Gwi Ma is using that to blackmail them into killing us?” Mira asked slowly.

“Yes.” You replied simply.

“But demons can’t love people! They’re demons right?” Zoey asked confused.

“They can love it’s happened before.” You stated subtly glancing at Rumi.

“Surely we would’ve heard about it if it’s happened before.” Mira retorted.

“It has happened before.” Rumi told everyone with a heavy sigh. “My dad was a demon and my mother was a hunter.”

“What?!” Mira and Zoey cried in shock.

“Celine told me Gwi Ma blackmailed your dad with the exact same offer.” You added not skipping a beat.

“What?” Rumi said this time.

“I called her to ask if she knew about my injury. She said your mum was poisoned too, that Gwi Ma would only give your dad the cure if killed the other hunters and broke the Honmoon.”

“So mum died…”

“…Because your dad refused.”

The room was quiet for a few moments as if all four of you tried to absorb all of the information that had just been shared.

“I can’t do this.” Rumi admitted quietly.

“You can’t do what?” You asked confused.

The purple haired girl took your hands in her own, looking up at you with tears streaming down her face.

“I lost my mum and my dad. And I know we’re not blood related but you’re my sister. I can’t lose you!”

You didn’t know how to respond. You didn’t know what words you could even mutter to help the situation. You just stared at her hands holding yours, like she was gripping something she never wanted to let go of. You stared at how hard she sobbed, like her heart was crumbling in her chest. Yet there was nothing you could do to help her.

The crying started off a chain reaction. Zoey coming over and flinging herself onto you, tears also streaming down her face. You could feel her crying soaking through your top with how hard she was crying into your shoulder. With one glance over at Mira you could tell she was also crying but was covering her face with her hair.

“I-It’s fine Celine said she’ll try and find something, I’m sure she’ll come up with something.” You lied, your voice coming out meek and unconvincing.

You felt own tears sting your eyes, your mind coming to terms with what, or who you’d be leaving behind if you did end up dying. You didn’t want to think about it though, you didn’t want to die, but it wasn’t like there was any other choice.

Before you could say or do anything else you felt your wound once more, the injury sending a cruel wave of pain over your body. One of your hands slipped from your sister’s grasp, pressing it to your injury in an attempt to ease the sharp pain. You felt the urge to double over but tried to resist it not wanting to draw any attention to the poison that was once again eating away at you.

“Are you okay?” Mira asked first to notice something off.

“I’m fi-” Before you could finish your lie a sudden flurry of coughs hit you.

You covered your mouth with your hand, a strong iron taste filling your mouth. You didn’t dare move, you already knew the liquid that had leaked into your now shaking hand. Panic got worse when you realised your other hand on your wound could feel your shirt soaking up a warm liquid from underneath.

“Oh my god!” Zoey squealed, blood smeared across the bottom of her hoodie from your wound. “You’re bleeding!”

“Shit.” Abby hissed, pushing the dark haired girl away from you.

You didn’t realise how much Zoey was supporting your body until she was gone, your legs folding in on themselves like they were made of paper. Abby wrapped his arms around your torso gently lowering you to the floor before you could fall.

The moment your thighs hit the floor you weren’t at the hospital anymore, not that you had time to notice. Your body doubled over involuntarily, blood forcing its way out of your mouth alongside another wave of immense pain.

“Fuck!” You heard someone exclaim as you coughed and spluttered trying to get any remaining liquid out of your throat.

You wheezed slightly, tears flowing from your eyes as you wiped at your mouth with back of one of your wrists. It felt like every breath was irritating your abdomen, like it was angry at every sign of life your body clung to. Your body shook violently though you couldn’t figure out if it was from pain, tears or how much you were struggling to breathe.

The world around you was a blur all your senses consumed by your bodies panic and pain. You could see all the blood around you, all over your hands as big red blurs. Your ears filled with the sound of your own heart pumping faster than usual, voices a blur underneath the overpowering sound. You couldn’t even feel the wet liquid all over your hands over the pain than washed over and over you like unrelenting waves in a storm. The taste and smell of your own blood was overpowering, each breath you sucked in hitting you with another urge to puke that you desperately fought back against.

Then out of nowhere you felt something different. A warmth against your back, cradling you. Dry hands slipping into your own and holding you. There was a hand holding your hair out of your face, keeping blood from staining it. There were words making their way to you as your heart slowly lowered in volume. The pain seemed to slowly recede across your body, the ache keeping to your injury freeing the rest of your body over the course of a few minutes of calm.

After a few more deep breathes you finally summoned the strength to look up from the blood stained floor. Your eyes met by a familiar pair of brown framed by perfect black hair, looking at you with an unnatural amount of worry and sadness. You couldn’t keep contact and quickly flicked your vision back down to the ground.

“I-I’m sorry.” You whispered out your voice dry and strained.

“Why an earth are you sorry?” Jinu asked softly.

“I bled all over your floor.” You mumbled struggling to find a real reason for your apology.

“You think I – You think any of us care about the damn floor?” The man said his voice breaking.

“We don’t care about this apartment.” Romance told you running his hand through your hair.

“We don’t care about this city.” Abby continued one of his hands reassuringly rubbing your shoulder.

“We don’t care about this whole fucking world.” Baby said giving you thigh a gentle squeeze.

“We only care about you.” Mystery whispered against your back.

@ffcfffr @whimsiecat @gremlinartstudio @chugjugg @aerissblog @kitkatpattywack2808 @airwolf92 @fries11 @doggyteam2028 @downbadgirlypoo @kashasenpai @seung185 @faefanatic @izzieg3987 @lansy-4 @weponxwrites @bunniotomia @chaoticfivesworld @clmstorm @sra7riddle-malfoy @vi1326 @justanotherkpopstanlol @jaeyuuns @tikitsune @zzsloth @yumi-does-stuff @ghost-reine @yuurisfavblog @dragongirl642 @just-a-blue-nerd @snowy-violet @justanindiangirl12 @sexually-attracted-to-pans @minthoneynbasil @tatsuri-zomushiki @ellie-x0xo @olxh @satansdaughter123 @reallysparklychaos @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @lostsomewhereinthegarden @avadakadabra93 @szc56 @phoenixflying666 @l0wlifepr1ncess @reverie-sxno @fantasyhopperhea @bakusquadobsessed @adorablepandasuniverse @sad-sie

[sparklestormandsoda]

Throwing this idea your way. But Polytrix x a certified dumbass of a reader.

Like biggest himbo ever (it’s part of their charm). Huntrix keeps dropping hints they wanna date Reader. But Reader is so oblivious to it. Like Huntrix takes them out on dates and reader is just “thanks for inviting me on this platonic outing :D” or the girls will regularly give Reader flowers & gifts and Reader is all “Wow. This is so sweet and excessive. Probably super normal friend stuff for famous people.” and they keep missing the increasingly and blatantly obvious signs, until the girls have to spell it out to them that they’re trying to date the Reader.

It started with flowers.

Not one bouquet. Not two. Not even three. No, it was a rotation schedule. Mira gave you sunflowers. Zoey gave you tulips. Rumi handed you deep red roses with baby's breath.

Every week. Without fail.

“Wow,” you said one day, arms full of blooms as you struggled to balance the door open to your apartment. “You girls are so thoughtful! Is this, like, a celebrity thing? Idol flower etiquette?”

Mira stared at you like you'd grown a second head. Zoey actually choked on her smoothie. Rumi blinked twice and said slowly, “Yes. A very… exclusive form of etiquette.”

“Cool,” you grinned, absolutely none the wiser. “I love idol customs!”

Then came the ‘platonic hangouts.’ At least, you called them that.

Rooftop picnics under fairy lights? “Such a chill friend vibe!”

Zoey holding your hand as you crossed a crowded street? “Thanks, Zo, I’m such a klutz!”

Mira letting you nap with your head in her lap while she played with your hair? “Mira, you’re the best cuddle buddy. You should charge for this.”

Rumi literally pulled you onto a yacht once and said, “I wanted to be alone with you. Just us. No cameras.”

You blinked at her, snack in hand. “You should try Airbnb next time, they have private rooftops now.”

Rumi just stared at you for five full seconds and said, “…I’m going to walk off the side of this boat.”

The group chat was chaos.

Huntrix Group Chat: Zoey: I kissed her cheek. She said "love that for us" and walked away. Mira: I SANG A LOVE SONG INTO HER EAR AND SHE SAID “what a lovely lullaby wow” Rumi: I held her face in my hands and said “you’re mine.” She patted my arm and said “you’re so dramatic” Zoey: I’m gonna die. Mira: Same. Rumi: Emergency meeting.

So, one fateful night, the girls invited you to the studio after hours. You brought snacks. And matching friendship bracelets you made yourself, because you’re literally the best best-friend they could ever have.

You found them sitting together, serious expressions on their faces. Zoey looked like she was about to burst into tears. Mira was pale. Rumi’s jaw was tight.

You tilted your head. “You guys good? Did someone forget a deadline? Or like someone die? Because that’s kind of what it looks like—”

Rumi stood. “We love you.”

You blinked. “Oh my god,” you whispered.

All three girls held their breath.

You gasped. “You do love my new hair! I knew the layers were working!”

Mira groaned and covered her face. Zoey actually hit the wall with her head. Rumi stormed over, grabbed your face, and kissed you.

Hard. Full on. Zero room for confusion.

She pulled back and stared you down.

You blinked again. “Okay. So. I might be dumb. But I think you’re… trying to tell me something.”

“Yes!” all three shouted.

Zoey stood, hands flying. “We’ve been trying to date you! All three of us! For months!”

“We took you on literal dates!” Mira cried.

“We seduced you with gift baskets and longing stares,” Rumi snapped.

“Oh,” you said slowly, like someone just explained 2+2 and it finally clicked. “Ohhh. You guys were flirting. This whole time.”

They all looked like they wanted to scream. Or kiss you. Or both.

You rubbed the back of your neck. “So… if I said I also maybe kind of have liked you all for a while, but I thought I wasn’t cool enough or rich enough to be anything but your dorky sidekick, would that—?”

Zoey tackled you in a hug before you finished the sentence. Mira joined next, practically climbing on top of both of you, and Rumi just buried her face in your neck and groaned, “Thank the gods. I was about to write a PowerPoint.”

You laughed, arms full of idol girlfriends. “This is the best platonic cuddle pile ever.”

Three heads whipped up.

You grinned. “Joking. Joking. I get it now. You’re my girlfriends. My very hot, famous, terrifyingly cool girlfriends.”

“You’re lucky we love dumbasses,” Mira muttered.

“I think I’m the luckiest dumbass ever,” you beamed.

ya girls broke and living off of monster energy so anything in general helps- Buy me a coffee <3

lmk if you wanted to be added to my kpdh taglist! private message me as comments get lost in notifications

kpdh taglist: @spookyanxiety, @forgetfulsmols, @notheroverthinker, @rumiskimbap, @halle5s. @jellyofthefishes, @tundra1029, @zanystarfishpanda, @dinosaur-hehe, @amishreyac, @insomniyuuh, @driedmangoslices6, @sydforreal24, @sra7riddle-malfoy, @tsukimoon-chan, @theselilwonders, @tickle-monnster, @pandafuriosa60, @marcylated, @atomic-babomb, @stxr-lilac, @allaji, @homo-arsonist, @etcherrie, @ludwigvonbaethoven, @all-things-lilac, @kpopgirliez, @sweetcici-123

[sharieb]

Good morning, Shar. Now that your inbox is open, may I request: the LADS men regretting choosing MC over Non-MC Reader when they receive Non-MC Reader's wedding invite; turns out Non-MC Reader had moved halfway across the globe after the breakup and is now a successful career woman.

Regrets in Ivory and Ink

Setup: It’s been years since the breakup. You had loved him deeply, quietly, earnestly. But when he chose MC, you chose yourself. Moved across the globe. Rebuilt. And now, you’re getting married. The invites go out. He opened his. And realize too late what he let go.

Pairing: LADs x Non-MC! reader

Genre: Angst

The Man Who Thought Logic Would Protect Him

He reads the letter once. Then again. Then a third time. He’s sitting alone in his office at Asko Hospital, fluorescent lights humming overhead. The wedding invite sits on his desk, pristine. It’s ivory paper, sealed with your initials and scented faintly of lavender. Of you. A detail only you would bother including, deliberate, quiet, gentle.

You live in Paris now. A renowned neuropsychologist. Head of a research lab. You’ve become the kind of woman he always knew you were capable of being. You’re graceful in interviews, devastatingly sharp in published articles, and always poised in every photograph he comes across. He knows, he’s read every paper. He’s bookmarked every media feature. He’s kept tabs even after all this time. Zayne hadn’t cried when you left. He’d been too certain that what he did was the logical choice. That you’d understand. That one day, perhaps, he’d find a way to return to you with answers and apologies. But he waited too long. When he sees your smiling face in the engagement photo tucked inside the envelope… When he sees your hand laced with someone else’s, a ring where his fingers used to rest. He feels it. The shake in his breath. The pressure behind his eyes. The unbearable silence in a room that used to feel like control.

“She was never just another decision. I should’ve fought. I should’ve known.”

He places the photo face down. Not because he can’t look at you. But because the man beside you is smiling the way Zayne never could, without calculation, without fear. Just love.

The Artist Who Thought You'd Stay In His Gallery

Your name arrives in the post, tied with a ribbon the same color as your favorite lipstick. Rafayel opens the envelope with trembling hands. He’s in his studio, sunlight streaming over half-finished canvases. The scent of oil paint hangs in the air. There’s music playing low in the background, a piano piece you once said reminded you of him. The invite is elegant. Lavish. Dramatic. Exactly like something you would curate. He sees your personal touch in the serif font, the way your initials are embossed. And then he sees the photo, you, radiant, triumphant, full of life. Your gown is unlike anything he ever envisioned, but it suits you far more than any of his sketches ever could. He doesn’t even realize he’s holding his breath until the edges of the paper start to crumple under his grip. You’ve got your own gallery now in New York. Your exhibits are internationally celebrated. He watches interviews where you speak with a calm wisdom he remembers from your soft-spoken critiques. He hears you say the words “my fiancé” and something splinters deep in his chest. He stares at the invite for so long Thomas ends up taking it out of his hands. “You okay?” “…No.”

“I painted her into everything I loved, and still… she walked away. Because I made her feel like a second choice. She was the masterpiece, and I didn’t even hang onto the sketch.”

He wonders if you ever kept the portrait he once left in your apartment hallway. The one you never knew was of you. The one you never knew he drew after he chose MC. The one he still hasn’t finished.

The Silent Storm

He’s not expecting mail. Not in the middle of an special hunter operation. But Jeremiah’s voice coming from the back of his flower shop, telling him there's something urgent waiting in his inbox. He opens it. Sees your name. His fingers still on the controls. His breath catches. It’s a wedding invitation. Heavy cardstock. Silver trim. Your initials glinting against pale blue. It's simple and modern and breathtaking, like everything you touch. There's a handwritten note inside, addressed to him by name, just three words: "Hope you're well."

You live in Tokyo now. Built a start-up from scratch. A sleek, ethical tech firm that’s earned international acclaim. You’re radiant in the photo, framed by skyscrapers and neon city glow. You look at ease in your new world, surrounded by progress and peace, everything you said you wanted to build. He shuts his eyes. The stars outside blur with memory. He remembers the quiet nights you spent tracing constellations on his chest. The soft snort you made when he misquoted a poet. The way you once whispered. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, even if it isn’t me.”

“She loved me first. She loved me gently. I made her feel like a fallback.”

He never told MC how often he still looked at the constellation bracelet you once gave him. He never told anyone how often he reread your old messages. And now you’re marrying someone who saw your worth from the start. Someone who never asked you to wait. He floats there in silence for hours. Watching the Earth turn beneath him. Knowing that the gravity you once offered… is gone.

The Man Who Chose Power Over Softness

He scoffs when he sees the invite. At first. Then he opens it. And falls silent. You're marrying a diplomat. A damn good one too. One who used to be Sylus’s rival in negotiations. Someone who stood toe-to-toe with him once and came out smiling. Someone who didn’t flinch when Sylus threatened, who didn't retreat when Sylus pushed. Someone who respected you, even then. You live in Geneva now. You’re an international policy strategist. The girl who once patched wounds in his base now walks marble halls in heels sharper than his knives. You’re still the same, soft when needed, steel when it counts. Only now, you shine in places he never let you reach. The letter falls from his hand. Lands with a thud on his desk. He stares at it for what feels like hours.

“I thought she’d linger in my shadow. I never imagined she’d learn to outshine it.”

He doesn’t attend the wedding. But he does send a gift. An antique music box that once belonged to your favorite record store. A relic of a forgotten time. Inside is a note: “You were right to leave. I would’ve clipped your wings.” He regrets not letting you fly.

The One Who Let Her Go For Loyalty

He reads your name and stills. You’re in London now. Military intelligence liaison. Clean record. Decorated analyst. You’ve done what he once feared most, you moved on.

Your wedding is next month. Caleb had heard rumors of your engagement, but seeing it like this… in ink, in print, in your own hand...it’s real in a way he wasn’t ready for. You even signed the RSVP card yourself, your old nickname for him scratched out before you remembered to write his rank. He grips the invite too tightly, crinkling the corner. Gideon glances over. “You alright, man?” Caleb doesn’t answer. He’s remembering the way you used to laugh into his scarf when Skyhaven was too cold. The way you waited up for him, even when you were exhausted. The way you told him you just wanted to be chosen first. Not for the mission. Not for duty. For once, just for love. And how he didn’t. Not then. Not when it counted.

“I thought I was protecting her. But really, I just didn’t believe I deserved her.”

He presses the card to his lips. Whispers your name like a prayer he’s too late to answer. He hopes your new world is full of the warmth he couldn’t offer. And that maybe, just maybe, when you dance on that altar, you feel a freedom he never dared to ask you to give up.

[bellapoisonedrose]

i need need need need NEEEEED Ness x reader links 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 rhank u and have a wonderful day!!!

𓂃·˖ ִֶָ ⋆P⚠︎RN LINK —Alex Ness⋆ ִֶָ˖·𓂃

I had way too much fun with this one, hope you enjoy every second of it. Have a wonderful day too! ♡

This post contains explicit sexual content and is strictly intended for audiences 18+. Explicit sexual content, dirty talk, mirror play, breathplay (light choking), video recording during sex, oral sex (f!receiving), dominance/submission themes, overstimulation, possessive behavior, soft dom undertones, reader is referred to with feminine terms (f!reader)

All links in this post lead to external content hosted on Twitter/X. Tap at your own risk (⁠•⁠ө⁠•⁠)

Doggy style: You were on all fours at first… but Ness didn’t let it stay like that for long. One hand slid under your belly, gently pulling you back until your chest met the bed and his body followed—pressing against your back, chest to spine, completely flush. His cock stayed buried deep inside you as he settled, one arm wrapped firmly around your waist, the other trailing downward, fingers brushing over your clit with expert rhythm.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” he whispered against your shoulder, voice low and warm. He kissed the spot right below your neck, lingering as his hips rolled into you with slow, calculated thrusts. “So warm… fuck, you make it hard to take my time.” Your breath hitched when his fingers circled faster, his cock dragging against every sensitive spot with that same maddening control.

“You’re squeezing me,” he groaned softly, burying his face into your neck. “So tight—every time I go deeper, you get louder.”

“N-Ness, I—”

“I know, baby.” His hand left your clit for a moment just to grip your hips, guiding you back onto him as his pace started to pick up, deeper now, stronger. “I’ve got you. Just let me take care of you.” You couldn’t speak, not properly—not with the way your body was trembling, the way he kept whispering filthy promises in your ear.

Oral sex: Ness was always good with his mouth—too good. He was already lying back, arms relaxed behind his head like this was a casual afternoon nap. But the second you climbed on top of him and lowered yourself onto his face, his entire energy shifted. His hands gripped your thighs, fingers sinking in possessively as he dragged you down the last inch—pressing you flush against his tongue. You gasped, fingers tangled in his hair, thighs already shaking.

“Fuck—Ness…” you moaned, breath stuttering.

He didn’t answer. Just groaned low and deep, like you tasted better than anything he'd ever had, the vibrations sending a jolt straight through your core. His tongue moved slow at first, deliberate. Teasing. Drawing long, wet circles that made you grind against him for more. "Faster," you gasped out, tugging his hair.

And he obeyed. Of course he did. Ness always listened. But more than that—he watched. Those sharp magenta eyes never left your face, even when your hips started rocking harder against his mouth, even when your moans turned into gasping cries. He could barely breathe, nose buried in your folds, your slick dripping down his chin—but he loved that. Lived for it.

“Don’t stop—fuck, don’t you dare stop—” you whimpered.

And he didn’t. He just gripped your ass tighter, tongue moving even faster, sucking and flicking exactly where you needed it most. When your thighs started to shake, he moaned again, eyes fluttering shut as if the mess you were making on his face turned him on more than anything else in the world.

Videosex: You were standing, legs parted, back arched just the way he liked—exactly how he told you to. Ness stood behind you, chest to your back, his hand wrapped around your throat with just enough pressure to make your breath catch.

“Look at yourself,” he murmured low, voice rough in your ear. “Look at how fucking good you take me.” The hotel mirror in front of you reflected everything—the way your body trembled with every deep thrust, the way his cock disappeared inside you again and again, slick and perfect. And most importantly, the way his phone captured the entire thing.

His free hand held the phone out to the side, angled to get the view he wanted—needed—something he could take with him.

"Don’t close your eyes," he growled when you tried to look away from the mirror. His grip on your throat tightened slightly, thumb brushing your jaw to keep your gaze forward.

“I want you to remember how fucked-out you looked… when I wasn’t even trying.”

You whimpered, legs shaking as he picked up the pace, thrusts sharper, rougher. The sound of skin slapping, your wetness, your breathless moans—it all echoed in the room, raw and real. His lips grazed your ear again, almost tender. “This video’s for me, baby. Gonna watch it every night I’m gone… gonna jerk off thinking about how you sound when you cry like this for me.”

He shifted the angle, getting the view of your tits bouncing with every thrust, the red mark blooming on your neck from earlier, the way his hand held you steady like he owned you.

“Smile for me,” he whispered darkly. “Let ‘em see how good I fuck you. Let me remember.”

If you wanna see Isagi’s part next, show this post some love ♡

[crashingcryptid]

Sensitive thing

Summary: Simon isn't the most emotionally expressive. He doesn't know how he ended up with such a sensitive partner, but he did. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

"I'm really sensitive."

You had said it like a warning, a phrase you'd find sewn into a service dogs vest. All your life, you've been sensitive. It's been a source of ridicule and judgment and has led to many friendships and relationships ending. So when Simon showed up in your life, a strong, stoic man who rarely showed emotion, you warned him.

"We met because you were pulled on the side of the road crying over roadkill. I know what I'm getting into." He'd promised you.

That's how he found himself here.

"I'm sorry!" You hiccup, sobbing softly into Simon's shoulder. Simon couldn't help but chuckle. Not at you, of course. He'd never laugh at you. "It's not funny! My honey was too hot and killed my yeast! I really wanted to make this bread with dinner tonight." You continue, pulling away from him.

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you, promise." He assures, pulling you closer and kissing your tear stained cheeks. "I'm sorry your dough didn't rise, baby. I know you were really excited about this recipie." He soothes as he swipes away tears with his thumbs. "Breath for me, yeah? It's okay that this one didn't work. Dinner is still gonna be good."

"But we won't have any bread." You sulk, looking at the lump in the mixing bowl. "I promised bread. Now no bread."

"Do you want to toast some sliced of the sandwich bread you made?" Simon offers as he takes the bowl and throws the failed bread project into the trash. You were calm now, still bummed by your failed bread project, but feeling better now that you've cried it out.

"I think that would work." You hum quietly, opening the bread box to take out the loaf. "I can make more tomorrow."

"Can I ask you something, baby?" Simon asks softly, wrapping is arms around you as you sliced some bread. You hum in acknoledgment, leaning into him. "Why do you cry? No, not why, how does it help?" He asks, rubbing your stomach softly. He feels you tense a little and he kisses your shoulder.

"Do I cry to much?" You ask hestiantly as you pop the bread into the tooaster oven. Simon turns you around in his arms, resting his forehead to yours.

"No, not at all. I kind of admire it. You feel everything very deeply, and you don't even feel ashamed about crying." He insists as he presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth. "I just notice that it really helps you. You cry it out, then solve the problem. Or are able to move on. That's new to me."

"Crying is just what happens." You hum as you wrap your arms around his neck. "Like, I can't control it. And if I try to stop it or hold it back, it just makes it worse. If i just give myself a second to cry, then I feel much better afterward." You explain the toaster going off, and you turn to take it out of the toaster. "You make me feel safe enough to cry because you never make me feel judged."

Simon's heart melts a little at that, kissing your cheek and taking down two plates for dinner. "I love you, baby." He hums, chuckling when you pull him into a kiss.

"I love you." You whisper, plating up dinner and adding the buttered toast on the side. Simon nudged your head with his as he took his plate. Sure, he wasn't one for crying. He wasn't as in touch with his emotions as you, but he admired that part of you so much. And if you cried every day, then Simon would just have to be there for you.

There wasn't anything he'd rather do than be there for you, his sensitive thing.

[lacedinribbons]

that george fic was so good OMG

Can i be your 🐞 anon?

more george i ask.. maybe angst of some kind?

-🐞

of course!! you are now my ladybug anon! hope you will enjoy it :)

you're stuck with me now mueheh

The quiet storm

words: 1.2k ┃pairing: george x afab!reader

You heard the door slam before you heard his footsteps

The flat had been quiet all day. Not the kind of peaceful quiet like it usually is, but it's a strange, hollow silence. The sort that made your heart feel sore.

You were sat in the living room, with a cup of tea gone cold in your hands, staring into nothing in particular.

He dropped his guitar case louder than he meant to. You winced, but didn't move.

George was home. But that didn't mean anything anymore.

He stood up in the doorway for a few seconds, staring at you like he didn't expect you to be there, or maybe he was trying to remember how things used to be, used to feel, always standing there waiting for him every afternoon.

"Didn't think you'd be up," he mumbled, brushing past you in the kitchen.

"I couldn't sleep"

No answer.

You waited for his response. You were always waiting, waiting for the tension to break, waiting for the version of George you used to know come back.

"He reappeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. His eyes were tired. Not from just work, but from everything. Maybe from even you.

"Same as always, Paul wanted a million takes, John didn't care, Ringo just bein' there."

He wasn't smiling, he wasn't teasing, he was just stating facts, like he was narrating someone else's life.

you nodded. "You've been gone a lot."

"You knew what this was going to be like," he said sharply. "You knew I wasn't a stay at home bloke."

"That's not what I mean, and you know that."

He turned away.

There it was again, that retreat. The emotional flinch. George wasn't loud like John or charming like Paul, when he go hurt he got quiet, he shuts the door and locks it. And lately, it felt like you were always on the other side of it.

You stood up, unable to bear the distance. "I'm not asking you to quit, I'm asking you to see me, to talk to me like you used to!"

His jaw clenched. "Things are different now"

"They don't have to be," you pleaded. "You're still George. You're still mine aren't you?"

His eyes flickered to yours- and something in them cracked, not completely, but enough.

"I don't know," he said, and it landed like a punch in your heart.

You swallowed, hard. "You don't know..?"

"I'm tired, all the time. And I go out there and everyone is screaming, and I come home and its not like.. It's like I'm still not home. I don't even know who I am anymore, I don't know if I'm George Harrison the Beatle or just- someone who used to love you."

The words shattered something in both of you.

"I didn't ask for 'George Harrison the Beatle," you whispered. "I asked for you, and I thought that was enough."

His shoulders sagged. "Maybe it used to be."

Silence wrapped around you again, tighter this time, more final.

You looked at him- at the boy who once sang silly songs to make you laugh, who would hum melodies to drift you asleep, the boy that cried in your lap after a long tour because he hated how much you were both so far apart.

That George wasn't standing Infront of you now, but maybe he was buried inside this version, buried underneath fame pressure and ache.

"I loved you before the world did," you said quietly.

He blinked, slowly, painfully.

Then he whispered, "I know."

You stepped forward, close enough to touch him. You didn't. You didn't think you could anymore.

"Do you want me to leave, George?" you asked.

He hesitated. That hesitation said everything.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said.

"But you are, George."

You could've screamed, you could've cried, but instead you walked past him, your arm brushing his. He didn't stop you.

You grabbed your coat off the hook, ignoring the tears stinging your eyes. You turned the doorknob and paused- just once- hoping he'd call for your name.

But he didn't.

And so you left.

The flat was quiet again, but this time, it wasn't hollow, it was empty.

(hope you liked this! angst is not my usual thing so i hope it's not too bad lol. enjoy!)

[redvexillum]

A/N: You thought I was going to leave Sunshine and Vox unresolved after that fiasco? Nah, nah, naw. This is a direct sequel to the story Second Place in Hell. As always, @safination this is for you.

Summary: One last date, one chance to decide if your tangled love with Vox can survive the complicated ties that bind him to Valentino. Under the bright lights of the carnival and the hum of tension, passion and loyalty collide in a night that will change everything. Will your hearts find a way forward, or will the shadows pull you apart?

Tags/Warnings: f!reader, established relationship, break up/make up, oral (f!receiving), oral (m!receiving), p in v, fluff, smut

My Sweet Sunshine Masterlist

You lay upside down on your velvet-soft couch, head dangling over the edge as the seventy-second season of Yeah, I Fucked Your Sister, So What? flickered on the oversized screen. The visuals passed by in a blur, the voices blending into static as your gaze stared through the ceiling.

All this wealth, all this comfort, came from Vox—your former boss, your ex-lover, your mistake. When the two of you got involved, he started showering you with gifts dressed up as company perks, bonuses that made it laughably easy to live in luxury for lifetimes without working another day. Even now, after you told him you were done, after you officially quit, the paychecks kept coming. Regular as ever.

You tried to cut ties. You called accounting. You begged, you demanded, you even threatened to send the checks back. But they always hung up on you, like they were under orders not to speak. So you stopped trying. Let him throw money at a ghost. You told yourself it didn’t matter.

But it did.

Because you still hadn’t thrown away a single thing he gave you. Not even the hundred blue roses he gave you that night. They were arranged in their tall glass vase, perched by your bedroom window like a shrine to something you couldn’t name. One by one, the petals began to curl, to brown, to fall. Every day, the flower got smaller, and you thought, maybe even hoped, that your sadness would fade along with it.

But it didn’t.

The grief stayed as loud and aching as the moment you walked away.

You hadn’t left your apartment in two weeks. The same set of pajamas clung to your body like a second skin. Takeout boxes crowded your kitchen counters. Your hair was a tangled mess. Once, you noticed orange crumbs on your cheek when you looked in the mirror; these were chips you didn't even remember eating. The show had been on a 24-hour loop, reruns rolling one into the next while you barely registered the plot.

Then the logo appeared again, sweeping across the screen in bright, obnoxious colours. Your throat tightened. And just like that, the tears came. 

Again.

You cried the ugly, broken sobs that wracked your body and soaked the couch cushions.

It felt so stupid. You had told yourself a thousand times that you were finished. That he wasn’t good for you. That you had to leave. But none of that made it hurt less. None of that made you miss him any less.

Because when he held you, when he looked at you like he was trying to memorize your soul, it felt real. Even if it was temporary. Even if it was always destined to fall apart.

Yet, a small part of you believed that he meant it in his own way.

You gritted your teeth, dragging your hands over your face to scrub away the tears. No. He was a selfish bastard. He had a choice, and he never picked you. You were done chasing scraps of affection from someone who only knew how to love halfway.

You deserved more. You would find more.

Just… not today.

Today, you would let yourself mourn a little longer. You would eat more junk food, cry over more reruns, and sit among the dying roses like a queen in a crumbling palace of memory. The pain hadn’t left, but neither had your will to survive it.

When the last flower petal fall, you might be ready to stand up again.

“Vox,” Velvette snapped, her voice sharp like glass against stone.

He barely flinched. His eyes remained glued to the screen of his phone, where a grainy live feed showed the crumpled figure of his sunshine curled up on her apartment couch. She hadn’t moved much in days. The drone hovered in place like a ghost, bearing silent witness to her collapse. She cried during the sitcom’s laugh tracks, the soundless tremble of her lips cutting into him like guilt-laced static.

He could barely breathe watching her. Every cell in his body screamed to go to her, to wrap her up in his arms, to beg her to stay, to come back. He needed her more than he needed his next breath.

“VOX!” Velvette’s voice cracked across the room like a whip as she hurled her phone at his head.

He caught it in one hand without looking, his jaw tightening. His eyes slowly lifted from the screen. “What?”

Velvette was livid. She bent forward slightly, her arms pinned to her hips, her red eyes glowing like coals about to catch fire. “If you're done swimming in your own pathetic pity party, I need you to deal with those pathetic rats trying to take a bite out of my models and my business. They’re making moves, and I don’t trust anyone but you to put them back in their place.”

Vox groaned and rolled his head back. “Why not ask Val? Isn't this the kind of thing he gets off on?”

She gawked at him as if he’d suggested handing the keys of Hell to a toddler. “You want me to ask your pissbaby boyfriend to handle a delicate situation with tact and discretion? The same Val who once blew up a fashion house because they spelled his name wrong in a press release?”

Tired and worn thin, he rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Fine. I’ll handle it. Just… let me pencil it in somewhere. Shit. Where’s my assistant?” His voice turned softer, distracted, as his eyes wandered back to the phone and his precious screen. He tapped into the feed again, searching for her. His babydoll. 

His world.

Velvette dropped her hands and let out a groan of frustration. “You know what? Why don’t you two just fuck it out like you always do?”

That made Vox jolt. His head snapped up, confusion painting his expression. “Who? Val?”

“No, idiot. Your assistant. The one you’ve been fucking for five years.” Her voice was dry, unimpressed.

He let out a nervous wheeze, laughing thinly. “What are you even talking about?”

Velvette raised a perfectly arched brow. “Really? You think Val and I don’t know? You’ve been as subtle as a car crash. Everyone at VoxTek knows.”

A chill raced down his spine. It was one thing to risk Val’s wrath in private. But public knowledge? Headlines? Tabloids? The CEO of VoxTek cheating on the infamous Valentino with his personal assistant? The fallout would be catastrophic.

“Val knows?” His voice pitched into a whine, his shoulders tensing. The idea of dealing with one of Val’s explosive tantrums made his head throb.

Velvette scoffed and waved a hand like it was common knowledge. “Of course he does. He was the first to figure it out. But it worked in his favour. You left him alone when he ran off to screw around with his latest playthings. Honestly, this open relationship shit is ancient in Hell. You two just took forever to catch up.”

Vox blinked slowly. His mind struggled to catch up with the avalanche of emotion pressing into his chest. He cared about you. It wasn't casual. It had never been. When he was near you, the noise stopped. When he held you, he felt like he was something better, someone worth touching. Being without you made his skin itch. His productivity tanked. His temper frayed. Everything went wrong.

“So… Val is okay with me favouring my assistant?” His voice was cautious now, every syllable weighed with fear. The word he almost said—love—caught in his throat and burned.

Velvette groaned, tossing her head back like she couldn’t believe how stupid he was being. “You are so painfully dense sometimes.” She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, the heat of her irritation rolling off her. “Val bitches constantly about how moody you get when he does what he wants. You were jealous, remember? But you got your own little toy now, so he figured it was only fair. As long as you don’t throw the word, love, around, he doesn’t care.”

That hit him like a slap. Before you, it did bother him. Valentino parading around with his conquests used to make Vox sick. But after you… the jealousy faded, replaced with something else. Something deeper. Something that terrified him.

Because this wasn’t just sex. Not anymore.

And Valentino? If he even suspected that what Vox felt for you went beyond lust, beyond control, beyond fun… he would burn everything down.

Including you.

Vox swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the phone still playing your feed. You sat motionless on the couch, eyes blank, a single tear slipping down your cheek.

He clenched his jaw.

“But over the past few years, you two became more like business partners than lovers,” Velvette said, lazily inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. “He gets to screw whoever he wants, as long as your assistant keeps you distracted. It works out for him. Less whining from you, more freedom for him. Win-win.”

“Oh,” Vox breathed, barely able to process her words as his mind began to churn. He leaned back in his seat, eyes flicking rapidly as he ran through years' worth of arguments with you. Every painful fight, every time your voice cracked, asking why he wouldn’t choose you. Why he let Valentino come first. Why he never held your hand in public.

He always said it was complicated, that Hell was watching, that it wasn’t safe. But deep down, the truth was uglier. He needed Valentino. Not for love, but for leverage. Vox had power in spades, but Valentino opened doors, forged connections, cemented their dominance. Without him, Vox would’ve had to claw his way to the top alone.

But now… now maybe he didn’t have to choose.

His fingers twitched, itching to reach for his phone, to see you on that damn security feed again. You looked so small on that couch, tucked in a nest of pillows and grief. He hated himself for letting it go this far.

He stood up suddenly, posture straightening with purpose for the first time in weeks. There was a solution. A way to keep you and stay standing beside Valentino, without sacrificing everything he built.

“Velvette,” he said, voice tight with gratitude and simmering annoyance, “thank you for the information. Though, I would've appreciated it, I don’t know, sometime before my assistant started melting into the couch like a discarded ragdoll.”

His head twitched slightly, a small glitch betraying the surge of emotion behind his words.

Velvette shrugged with maddening nonchalance. Her gaze was glued to her Sinstagram feed. “Not my fault, you’re stupidly slow at reading social cues. I figured you'd already worked it out. You always act like you know everything.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped short. She wasn’t wrong. For all his surveillance and obsessive need to stay ten steps ahead, this had been right in front of him the entire time.

“Hey—where the hell are you going?” Velvette called, irritation creeping into her voice as he turned on his heel.

“To get her back,” he said, determination slicing through every syllable.

She scoffed. “And I’m supposed to care? My problem, Vox,” she said, jabbing a finger toward her chest.

He halted, jaw tightening before spinning back toward his desk. “Fine. I’ll deal with your little fashion war first,” he muttered, dropping into his chair and pulling up data. His fingers flew over the keys, hacking into the rival company's system. His mind easily planned how to bring them down: hurt their brand, mess up their PR feeds, and leak damaging footage. It would be simple.

But even as he laid digital ruin to Velvette’s enemies, he opened a side chat window and sent a message.

He stared at his message, waiting for you to read it, his heart clawing at his ribs. He may not own your soul, but you owned his heart in every devastating, secret way. And even if he could never say it aloud in public, that truth burned hotter than Hell’s fire.

He would get you back if it was the last thing he did.

You should have locked the door. No. You should have packed a bag, left the apartment, and found some cheap hotel where he couldn’t reach you. Somewhere without mirrors, without memories. Somewhere without him.

But you didn’t.

And now, your heart pounded against your ribs, angry and afraid in equal measure. Weeks had passed in silence. Nothing. Not a word. And then out of nowhere, he had texted you.

He was coming tonight.

Why?

You stared at yourself in the mirror, bile rising in your throat. Your reflection made you flinch. Your eyes were hollow, cheeks dull, hair knotted from too many restless nights. You looked like someone who had lost something vital and had tried to pretend it didn’t matter. And then your gaze shifted to the apartment behind you in the mirror’s reflection, and a loud, bitter curse left your lips.

The place was a disaster. Blankets twisted like wreckage across the floor. Dishes stacked in the sink. Old takeout boxes. Forgotten laundry. It looked exactly like what it was. A den of someone grieving something they weren’t allowed to mourn.

You didn’t think. You didn’t even try to tell him off. You just… started moving. You cleaned like you were possessed, vacuuming and scrubbing as if the act itself would erase your shame. Then a hot shower, too hot, scalding even, as if you could scrape off the weeks he had ignored you. You washed your hair twice. You scrubbed behind your ears. You stood naked in the mirror for a moment and hated the way your skin still remembered his touch.

Then came the chaos of choosing what to wear. You tore through your closet in a frenzy, flinging shirts, skirts, and dresses into messy piles on the bed. Nothing looked right. Everything was too much or too little, too obvious or not enough. You told yourself it didn’t matter, that this wasn’t about him—that you were just going for an effortless look. But every glance in the mirror, every outfit change, said otherwise. You were dressing for him. As if the right look might somehow shield your heart from breaking.

In the end, despite all your claims of indifference, you reached for the sexiest lingerie you owned. The g-string was a whisper of lace, soft and sheer, with a delicate little “V” charm dangling at the front—subtle, but unmistakable. It sat low on your hips, practically teasing, hinting at secrets meant only for him. The push-up bra matched in black lace, framing your curves perfectly and giving you just the right lift to feel both confident and dangerously desirable.

For the dress, you chose something soft and bright, something that made your skin glow. A summer dress, pastel yellow, catching the light like sunlight trapped in fabric. White embroidery curled along the hem in delicate loops, brushing against your thighs with every step. The material hugged your figure just right, cinched at the waist and flowing out gently. The thin spaghetti straps rested lightly on your shoulders, letting your collarbones and neckline breathe in the open air.

Warm, inviting, and sweet with a hint of heat underneath, you looked just like the season. And as you gave yourself one last glance in the mirror, your lips parted in a breath you didn’t know you were holding. By five, the apartment was clean. Your hair was curled. Your lips were tinted with colour again. And worst of all, your door was unlocked.

You didn’t even know when you had done it. Somewhere between folding a blanket and tossing a shirt on the bed, you had decided to let him in.

Why? Why had you let him?

You began pacing the floor, hugging your arms tight around yourself. A storm of thoughts battered your brain. Maybe this was your chance to end things officially. You could tell him to stop sending those damn paychecks. You could cut all ties to VoxTek. You could look him in the eye and say goodbye for real.

Yes. That was what you were going to do.

You would be calm. Professional. Cold.

You told yourself he could take his expensive gifts with him. The jewellery, the designer shoes, the stupid limited edition tech that had once made you laugh. He could give them to someone else. Some new, infatuated little soul who hadn’t yet realized how disposable they were.

Then the doorknob turned.

You stopped breathing. Your face smoothed out. You tried to adopt some neutral expression, but the thud of your heart gave you away before he even walked in.

And then he appeared.

Wearing a soft sweater vest and a pair of worn jeans that made him look almost human. In his arms, he carried a bouquet so large it looked absurd. A hundred blue roses.

Your chest ached.

Why had you thought this was a good idea?

You had walked away for a reason. You had walked away and hadn’t once looked back. Because being near him hurt. Because you were weak where he was concerned. Because some part of you still loved him, even after everything.

You thought a few weeks apart would dull it. Make it manageable. Clean the poison from your system. But instead, the ache had only sharpened and the longing grown louder.

“Doll,” he whispered.

That voice. That smile. Lucifer help you.

You didn’t speak. You didn’t move. But then he stepped forward, dropped the roses like they were unimportant, and wrapped his arms around you.

He held you like he would fall apart without you.

“I want to take you out on a date tonight,” he murmured against your shoulder, his breath warm, his fingers sliding along your spine like he was trying to memorize the shape of you all over again.

You should have pushed him away.

But your hands didn’t listen. Neither did your heart.

“What?” you whispered, blinking like you hadn’t heard him correctly. Your hands were still raised in front of you, suspended midair, like they were waiting for instructions that never came. You didn’t reach for him. You didn’t push him away. You just… froze.

Vox pulled back, just enough to meet your gaze, and grinned with a kind of boyish mischief that made your heart stutter. “Let me take you out on a date,” he said, his voice light, teasing. “How about Voxtek World?”

He waggled his eyebrows, like this was some ordinary moment. Like the two of you hadn’t torn each other apart weeks ago. Like you hadn’t cried into your pillow, gasping out that you were done.

Your mind scrambled for something solid, something real. Everything felt upside down. The sudden shift in him made it hard to find your footing. Instead of the speech you had rehearsed about boundaries and closure, the only thing that came out was, “But that’s… really public.”

You scoffed, arms finally dropping to your sides. “Unless this is just another business dinner in disguise.”

But he didn’t flinch. He didn’t look sheepish or sorry. Instead, he leaned in and kissed you.

And your body betrayed you instantly.

You melted into it without hesitation. His lips were the same. The taste of him, the heat of his electricity, the way he held you like he’d never let go—it all came rushing back like it had never left. You hated how natural it felt. You hated how much you missed it.

“No, sunshine,” he murmured against your lips, brushing them once more with his own, “a real date. Just you and me. Holding hands. Maybe making out under the ferris wheel.”

Then he pulled out his phone and turned it off. A small thing, but one you knew well. He used to do it every time before a proper date, a sign that he was present, that the world could wait. That you were his priority.

Your brows pulled together, the disbelief still refusing to let go. You didn’t understand. None of this made sense. If he was doing this, did that mean he broke things off with Valentino?

No. That would’ve made headlines. The media would’ve exploded.

“I don’t understand,” you said softly, voice barely audible. “What changed?”

He met your gaze without flinching. His eyes, for once, were calm. “I know I can’t give you everything you want, doll,” he said, and his clawed finger traced gently down your cheek, the gesture almost reverent. “But I can give you as much as I’m able. I can try.”

You should have been angry. You should have yelled, demanded more than scraps of affection and broken promises. But instead, you just felt… curious. Suspicious. Hopeful. Everything, all at once.

“What does that even mean?” you asked, voice thin with doubt.

He smiled, slow and soft, and slipped his arms around your waist. “It means our relationship, out in the open. No hiding. No pretending. It’s what you wanted, right?” His voice remained gentle, but there was a flicker of fear behind his eyes. Like he wasn’t sure if it was enough.

You should have shoved him away.

But your heart had been aching without him. The ache was so familiar now, so woven into your daily life, that this—his arms around you, the sound of his voice—felt like coming home. You had missed him. God, you missed him more than you’d ever admit.

Maybe with more time, you could’ve gathered the strength to say no. Maybe. But right now, as he leaned in again, as he searched your eyes for something warm, something forgiving, and whispered, “Please, sunshine?”

Your last wall came crashing down.

The love you thought you’d buried clawed its way to the surface, angry and tender all at once. You hated it. Hated how easily it returned. You wanted to scream, to beg your heart to stop caring.

Instead, you exhaled shakily and said, “One date.”

He froze, clearly unsure if he heard you right.

“You get one date,” you repeated, eyes darting away before he could see the cracks forming again. “To convince me. That you’re willing to take a real risk. To be with me, for real.”

His expression softened with something close to awe. And for just a second, you let yourself believe. Not in forever. But perhaps—just possibly—in tonight.

You didn’t know if he was telling the truth. Part of you wanted to believe that he meant it, that he would finally be open with you in public, finally stop hiding what the two of you had. But doubt crept in, curling tightly in your chest. What if this was just another illusion? Another line? Even so, perhaps it was worth clinging to if he was prepared to make the initial move and if he had the courage to risk everything for a brief moment with you in front of the world's lights and eyes.

“But if you fail, then we’re don—”

You didn’t even get to finish.

His mouth crashed into yours with a force that stole the words from your tongue. His kiss was hot and consuming, lips parting yours with a desperation that bordered on hunger. His tongue swept through the seam of your lips, tasting you, claiming you, stealing every protest you were about to make.

“Yeah, baby,” he whispered between kisses, his breath trembling with want, “one date.”

He kissed you again, slow and deep.

“I’ll make sure you’re the happiest when you’re in my arms.”

He said it like a promise. And even though you’d heard those words before, so many times that they should’ve sounded hollow, your heart still fluttered. You melted, just a little, helpless against the warmth of his voice and the tenderness in his touch.

VoxTek World was loud, dazzling, and filled to the brim with sinners. Neon lights lit up the crimson Hellsky, carnival music drifted through the air, and the scent of fried food and artificial cotton candy wafted around you. Everywhere you turned, there was laughter, flashing screens, and animatronic mascots welcoming guests. Vox, naturally, was glowing with pride, chatting with anyone who stopped him, boasting that it was quickly becoming the most visited amusement park in the Pride Ring. He even said it was starting to attract Hellborns from other rings.

You should have rolled your eyes. But instead, you found yourself smiling.

Maybe it was the workaholic in you, the part that had spent three exhausting decades climbing your way through the heart of Voxtek. You weren’t on this project—your time had been swallowed by the demands of Vinder, Vwatch, and VPhone—but you remembered the endless meetings on his calendar. You remembered how he spoke about the park like it was his child. A dream he wanted to breathe life into.

You had almost forgotten that the opening ceremony had been last week. You didn’t watch it. You hadn’t even asked how it went. And now, standing here, you felt a faint, unexpected sadness for having missed it. A strange pang in your chest at the thought of not being there, even though you were no longer his employee. No longer… his anything.

“I would’ve loved to have you by my side,” Vox murmured.

His claws gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and the tenderness in the gesture froze you.

Your eyes widened. “What?” You stiffened and quickly glanced around. There were people everywhere. Sinners were walking past, some glancing your way, others pretending not to. And Vox… he didn’t seem to care. He wasn’t hiding you. He wasn’t keeping his distance.

He was touching you. Guiding you. Treating you like someone important.

“The opening ceremony,” he continued softly, his palm finding its way to your hip as he steered you through the crowd. “You would’ve been beautiful by my side.”

He sounded wistful, and you weren’t sure what to do with that.

“I had Velvette pick a dress for you,” he added, then hesitated. “But… well, I know you left. I didn’t expect you to come.”

Your heart twisted. You weren’t sure if it was guilt or something more complicated.

“The park’s still a work in progress,” he said, trying to brighten his tone as he looked down at you. His hand never left your hip. “But it’s getting there. Just like us, huh?”

You didn’t answer. You couldn’t. Everyone was looking. His arm around you, his hand resting comfortably on you as if it had always belonged there and making it clear that you weren’t just some guest. You were someone. You were with Vox.

Your cheeks flushed with heat. You weren’t used to this—the attention, the affection, the public acknowledgment. You had spent so long watching other couples walk by, hand in hand, smiling like the world belonged to them. Now, you were one of them. Or at least pretending to be.

And all the fire you had built up inside you, all the anger and hurt you carried to throw in his face, slowly began to quiet.

Not because everything was fixed.

But because for the first time, it felt like he might actually want to try.

You leaned in closer to him, just a little, barely enough to notice. But even that tiny movement made a difference. His warmth radiated into your body, seeping beneath your skin like sunlight in the cold. Your cheeks were burning, the flush of colour high on your face from the sudden affection, from the way his presence overwhelmed your senses.

“Pretty,” Vox murmured, his voice low, affectionate, almost reverent. “My babydoll.”

He came to a stop in front of the mirror house, pausing at the very first mirror—the only one that reflected your image truthfully before the chaos of distortions inside. The glass caught your reflection perfectly. You saw yourself standing there, tucked into him like you belonged.

And then you saw the eyes. The sinners passing by, stealing glances. Some looked on with curiosity, others with a touch of envy, as if they were seeing something rare and precious. But your attention was pulled downward, to his hand still gripping your hip in a possessive manner.

Then your gaze lifted to your expression, and embarrassment struck like a slap. You looked utterly lovestruck. Your face glowed red, your fingers nervously fidgeting, laced together in front of you like some pathetic blushing virgin. You hated how obvious it was. How vulnerable you looked. How affected.

“You’re perfect in my eyes, sunshine,” Vox said, his voice warm and certain.

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek.

You jolted. Not from the kiss itself, but from where it happened. Out here. In the open. That was the first kiss he’d ever given you in public, and your heart wasn’t prepared for it. Your emotions tangled into a confused storm, eyes stinging with heat, chest tightening. Just weeks ago, you were ready to walk away. To forget him. To reclaim your life and leave all this behind.

And yet… here you were. Basking in his attention. Letting yourself soak in every second of his affection. And you were happy.

 Genuinely, terrifyingly happy.

“Vox, you don’t have to force yourself—”

“Force myself?” he interrupted with a scoff. His grip on your hip tightened, and his gaze sharpened like a blade drawn in the dark. “Babydoll, I’ve had to force myself not to fuck you in the parking lot. Or bend you over this mirror, so everyone here would know exactly who you belong to.”

The heat slammed into your body, pooling low in your belly. You expected something lewd—it was Vox, after all—but not like this. Not here. Not now. In public.

Your eyes widened in alarm, and you hissed under your breath as you glanced around in a panic. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Your voice was sharp, but the blush on your face betrayed you, deep and furious and alive.

Vox only laughed, rich and amused, like your flustered state was his favourite thing in the world. “Just being honest, sweetcheeks,” he said, voice dripping with mischief.

Then his hand slipped lower, bold and deliberate, giving your ass a firm squeeze before settling back on your hips as though nothing happened. “Now,” he purred, “shall we keep this date going?”

You were too stunned to speak. Your thoughts twisted into anxious knots as you simply nodded, letting him lead you along.

But beneath the surface of your flushed skin and racing heart, worry began to spread like a slow, creeping vine.

What if you were pushing him too far? What if this show of affection, this rebellion against the roles he usually played, had consequences? You had seen what happened when things between Vox and Valentino soured. You had seen the cracks in his screen, the dullness in his eyes after one of their fights. He would keep working like nothing happened, but you had seen the wreckage. The broken furniture. The shattered tech. The bruises that never made it to the surface, but you knew were there all the same.

Overlords didn’t maintain their power through kindness. They ruled through dominance, fear, and destruction. And now, for the first time, you were starting to grasp the weight of that power. The danger of it. The cost.

Would Valentino hurt Vox for this?

And if he did… would that be your fault?

A sudden weight pressed against your chest, heavy, and suffocating like wet wool draped around your lungs. The thrill of the date, the joy in his laughter, all of it dimmed beneath the creeping fog of realization. This entire time, all you ever wanted was for him to choose you. Just you. To turn his back on Valentino, to draw a line and say, “This is mine.” But now, as you looked around, that hope felt naive.

Voxtek World stretched around you in every direction, loud and blinding, made from lights, steel, and money. His name was carved into every corner of it, stamped with pride. This place didn’t exist without power. Without territory. Without calculated ambition.

And you had loved that part of him once.

You still did, didn’t you?

That ambition, the endless hunger for more, had drawn you in from the start. You admired it because you were the same. You had your own goals, your climb to make. You fell in love with a man who never stopped reaching higher, and Vox had always been more than a lover. He was your mirror in that way.

However, none of this could have occurred if he had not been perpetually engaging in battles for control, forging alliances, and eliminating threats. If he let go of that power, even for a second, it would all collapse. You knew that. And so did he.

It was complicated. You and him. Always had been.

And maybe that was the problem. You didn’t want complicated. You wanted the good parts. The soft touches. The late-night laughter. The warm glances that said everything without a word. You didn’t want to bear the weight of the rest. The danger. The deals. The damage.

He had told you, again and again, that it wasn’t that simple. That you couldn’t have one half of him and not the other. You understood that now, more clearly than ever. Vox without ambition wasn’t Vox. And if you carved that part out of him, if you asked him to trade it for a quieter life, would you even still love what was left?

You stopped walking.

The joyful screams of riders, the clatter of games, the scent of fried food and sugar all blurred together in a distant haze. None of it reached you. Your eyes stayed locked on Vox as he paused ahead of you, turning back, his expression still bright as he began to describe another attraction. Then he noticed your stillness, and his smile softened. Real. Gentle. Just for you.

And at that moment, your heart spoke louder than your mind ever could.

You didn’t need this date to confirm anything. You already knew. You had always known. Vox wasn’t just someone who passed through your life—he was woven into it. Threaded through your memories, your routines, your quietest moments. You could scream that you were done, you could walk away, but your heart would always follow him, aching.

“I want that toy,” you said, suddenly, voice light and trembling. You pointed toward a nearby booth, needing a distraction, something simple to tether you. It was one of the classic games, glass bottles stacked in a pyramid and a bucket of balls beside them. The prize was a plush, oversized blue shark with a wide, cartoony grin.

It looked just like Vark—Vox’s beloved, ridiculous pet shark, now apparently one of the park mascots.

He grinned and leaned in to kiss your temple, soft and fleeting. “Anything for you, doll,” he said, with a warmth that made your chest ache.

He guided you both toward the booth, his hand never leaving the small of your back. He would get you that toy, no matter how many tries it took. Because that’s who he was. He always tried for you. Even when it wasn’t perfect. Even when it hurt.

And as you watched him step forward to pay, his screen reflecting the neon light, his smile sharp but sincere, you knew the truth.

You were in love with him. Fully. Hopelessly.

But those were dangerous words in Hell. Words that could get people killed when said to the wrong man. Especially one with enemies. Especially one like Vox.

Still, love didn’t always need to be spoken. It could be shown, hinted at, lived out in quiet gestures and stubborn hope. And if that was the only way you could say it, then you wanted to find those ways with him.

You clutched the blue Vark plush against your chest, its goofy grin and soft texture already endearing, and you couldn’t stop smiling. Vox watched you with something warm in his eyes, though he’d never admit to how much your delight meant to him. The carnival lights cast a gentle glow over both of you as you walked away from the game booth, funnel cake in one hand, Vark in the other.

“That thing’s bigger than your torso,” Vox remarked, smirking as you adjusted your grip on the oversized plush. “You really going to carry it around all night?”

You stuck your tongue out at him. “I can manage.”

Vox snorted, already pulling out his Vphone. “Or—and hear me out here, dollface—we could send it to your place. Let the VoxTek drone boys handle it. Hands-free experience.” His lips curled around the last words, oozing with sales-pitch charm.

You burst into laughter, half-choking on your joy. “Are you seriously trying to sell me your delivery service like this is a commercial?”

He grinned wider, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “What can I say? I’m always on-brand. Plus, wouldn’t want your arms getting tired before I find something more fun for you to carry.”

You gave him a playful glare and gently smacked his arm with the Vark plush. “You’re impossible.”

“Efficient,” he corrected smugly, tapping a few buttons before you could protest. “Drone’s already on its way. It’ll be at your condo before we’re done with dessert.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn't stop the bubbling laugh that escaped you again. “You’re unbelievable.”

The two of you wandered through the park, riding roller coasters and spinning tea cups. You shared sticky carnival snacks, cheered over rigged games, and held hands under the glow of flickering lights. It felt easy, too easy, and you knew the night was slipping by too fast.

Eventually, you’d have to answer him. You’d have to decide whether you could live with the dynamic between him and Valentino, and whether you could be the one waiting quietly in the wings.

“Sunshine,” Vox called, his hand warm around yours as he pulled you toward the Ferris wheel. At the centre of the towering structure glowed a massive blue VoxTek logo, and each gondola was shaped like a glittering V, rimmed with bright lights that pulsed gently against the darkening sky.

You gave him a look, half teasing. “This might be the most shameless branding I’ve ever seen.”

He grinned. “How about we end the night here?” he said, guiding you into one of the gondolas.

Inside, the seats were cushioned, the atmosphere strangely intimate. You didn’t even wait in line.

“The VIP fast pass really is something else,” you mused, glancing out at the crowd still waiting. It was a clever, if ruthless, system. The more you paid, the faster you moved through the park. The highest tier—the black onyx VIP pass—was reserved for Hell’s elite, and it allowed complete access to the park without ever waiting in lines.

“Naturally,” Vox said with a smirk, settling into the gondola.

When the door clicked shut, your eyes widened. The top portion of the walls had turned transparent, revealing a breathtaking view of the park below. Neon lights blinked in every colour, the noise fading into a distant hum.

“We live in the age of subscription, baby,” he added with a wink.

You snorted at that, shaking your head. “Don’t I know it.” But your attention shifted quickly to the view outside, the lights swirling below like glowing confetti.

“Congratulations,” you said softly, your legs brushing his as you sat across from him, your gaze fixed on the towering symbol of everything he had built.

“Sunshine.” His voice was lower now, heavier. You turned your head and met his eyes as he reached for your hand and gently tugged.

Confused, you let him pull you closer until you found yourself straddling his lap.

His hands slid down your back and gripped your ass, kneading the soft flesh with a low groan. His head tilted forward, resting against your shoulder, and for a moment, the only thing that existed was the heat between you and the quiet hum of the Ferris wheel as it climbed higher into the sky.

The moment your eyes met his, you couldn't stop the smirk from curling at the corners of your lips. You leaned over him, the plush seat of the ferris wheel cabin creaking beneath your shifting weight. Warm air hummed around you, filled with the faint scent of fried sweets and ozone, the glow of neon lights flickering across the glass walls like distant stars.

“Really, Vox?” you murmured, trying to keep your voice steady even as a low ache twisted in your stomach. It had been over eight months since either of you had properly touched each other, truly felt each other—and not one night had gone by where you didn’t feel the absence of his body heat in your bed. Still, you feigned nonchalance, letting your voice lilt with mock disinterest. “Maybe you can stop by my place tonight,” you said, the suggestion hanging heavy in the space between you, thick with implication. “I wouldn’t mind keeping you up all night… you did say, I could scream at you all I want.” 

A slow breath escaped him, and then that damn smirk returned—cocky and hungry. “Yeah?” he rasped, his voice lower now, richer. “How about now and later?” His words melted into the air like warm chocolate, just before his hands slid over your hips and dragged you down, pressing your heated core right against the stiff bulge in his pants.

You gasped and opened your eyes wide as your body felt a jolt of electricity. The contact was sharp and intoxicating, your breath catching in your throat. You darted your gaze to the window, seeing the other carts gently swaying in the distance. Some riders were even peeking into yours, curious and unsuspecting. Heat rose to your cheeks as the cart dipped briefly, revealing a full view of the line below, before slowly climbing again. You had one more cycle left before the ride would end.

“Vox,” you hissed under your breath, shooting him a look, “You can’t seriously think you’ll finish less than thirty—”

Before you could finish, the cabin jerked slightly, and then all motion ceased. A loud static crackled overhead, followed by the distorted voice of an announcer.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. Due to unexpected technical issues, the ride is temporarily paused. We’ll resume as soon as the problem is resolved.”

You sat there, blinking, the world momentarily frozen. Then you looked back at him, suspicion dawning as his lips curled into a guilty grin. You followed his gaze to the top of the cart, where the glittering skyline of the amusement park spread beneath you like a map of coloured lights. You were at the very top. Of course, you were.

“Vox…” you narrowed your eyes.

“What?” he replied, voice dripping with faux innocence as he raised a single finger. A faint spark crackled at the tip before he extinguished it with a wink. “Total coincidence.”

“You’re such a—” The words never made it out. Instead, you let your smile twist into something dangerous and playful, a silent promise, as your fingers slid down and worked open the button of his jeans.

The soft scrape of denim parting, the sound of his quickened breath, the thrum of his pulse—it was all delicious. You fished him out, his cock hot and heavy in your hand, throbbing with need. Your thumb dragged slowly across the slick bead at the tip, and Vox groaned, his head falling back with a soft thump against the glass wall behind him.

“Oh, baby…” he breathed, hips twitching at your teasing touch.

You lowered yourself between his spread legs, the cool air brushing against your thighs as your summer dress rode up. You felt the wet cling of your g-string, soaked and doing nothing to hide just how much you wanted this. Wanted him.

Vox widened his stance slightly, anticipation written in every tense line of his body. His cock pulsed, thick and glistening, his eyes locked onto yours like a man starved. Lust shimmered in the air between you, thick and golden, like honey melting under the sun.

And you had no intention of letting this end quickly.

Your lips parted, warm breath ghosting over the flushed head of his cock. You gave him a slow, teasing lick, the tip of your tongue flicking over the sensitive slit before dragging down the veined shaft. It was shameless, deliberate—like the time you'd joked about sucking on that blue, dick-shaped lollipop last Christmas, but now it was him you were tasting, and this time, it was no joke.

A deep, shaky moan escaped his throat, raw and low. His claws tangled in your hair, not yanking, but anchoring himself to reality as his hips gave a slight, involuntary twitch. He was fighting the urge to thrust into your mouth, trembling from restraint.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, his voice rough and breathless, “I missed this. Missed your mouth.”

You responded by taking him deeper, your lips wrapping around the head and sucking with a wet, deliberate pull. Your tongue swirled underneath as you bobbed slowly, creating obscene, sticky sounds that echoed off the walls of the ferris wheel cart. Saliva spilled from the corners of your mouth, coating him, making everything slick.

Your hand slipped down, cradling his heavy balls, rolling them gently in your palm. They were hot and full, tight against your skin. Vox hissed through his teeth, claws tightening in your hair, mussing it as he tried not to fall apart too soon.

With a loud, wet pop, you pulled back and met his eyes. Your lips were red and swollen, cheeks flushed with heat. “You’re not going to come that fast, are you, sweetheart?” you teased, your voice thick with challenge.

The moment your words landed, something dark flickered across his face.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed you and threw you across the opposite seat. The entire cart swayed with the sudden motion, groaning slightly from the shift in weight. Your breath caught, but you didn’t hesitate—you spread your legs wide, unabashed, letting him see how soaked you were. Letting him smell the heat radiating off your skin.

He growled low in his throat as he knelt between your thighs. His eyes locked onto the tiny scrap of lace stretched over your pussy, the g-string damp and clinging to your folds. “I was wondering if you were wearing anything when I grabbed your ass earlier,” he said, his voice gravelly with lust.

Lifting one of your legs over his shoulder, he pressed his face flush against your core, burying himself between your thighs. “Fuck…” he breathed into your skin, the vibration of his voice sending shivers down your spine.

Then, with a sharp snap of his claws, the thin fabric gave way. The sound of your gasp bounced off the glass, and your back arched as his hot, smooth, eager tongue finally touched you. He licked a slow, deliberate path through your folds before plunging his tongue into you.

You moaned, breath hitching as he fucked you with his tongue, curling it inside and tasting every inch. Then his thumb pressed lightly against your clit, swirling and teasing your swollen nub with purpose. You cried out, fingers clawing at the seat beneath you.

“I missed this taste,” he groaned between laps, his words muffled against your drenched cunt.

You could feel the subtle rhythm of his other arm moving, jerking himself off as he devoured you. He took his time, savouring like a feast, moaning praises against your skin. Pleasure built slow and heavy in your belly, your eyes prickling with tears from the intense heat, the endless teasing.

And then, through the hazy fog of lust, you caught movement out the window. A sinner in a nearby cart had their face pressed to the glass, eyes wide, mouth parted. Oh, God! They could see the outline of your body, your head thrown back, your chest heaving.

Luckily, Vox was on the floor. They couldn’t see the filthy, glorious things he was doing between your legs.

As if plucking the thought straight from your mind, he pulled back with a slow, deliberate motion. His eyes met yours, knowing, sly, and mischievous, and his lips glistened with your arousal, his tongue flitting out to taste it.

Without a word, he moved you, coaxing your pliant limbs with a confidence that made your breath hitch. The cabin swayed gently as he manoeuvred you into position, the low hum of the Ferris wheel and the occasional creak of metal amplifying the pulse in your ears. The seat’s edge dug lightly into your knees as you bent forward, bracing yourself with trembling hands on the seat in front of you. Your back arched instinctively, hips raised in silent offering.

Your thighs pressed together, seeking friction, and your body trembled with anticipation. You could feel the heat of him behind you; he was tall and commanding, and he fit every curve you showed. His fingers skimmed up the backs of your legs, pausing to squeeze the soft flesh before trailing inward, slow and teasing.

“V-Vox…” you breathed, shivering as his cock slid between your folds, smearing a mixture of your slick and his spit against your wet entrance.

His hands gripped your waist, guiding you as the swollen tip of his cock teased your core, nudging in and out of you in slow, shallow motions. It was maddeningly delicious.

As you opened your mouth to tell him to be quiet and be more discrete because people were still looking, he pushed deeper into you and buried himself with one smooth, firm stroke.

Your mouth dropped open, but no sound came out, only breathless awe. His thick length pressed into every perfect spot, and your body clenched greedily around him.

Your legs trembled, vision swimming from the dizzying pace of his thrusts. Just as your body threatened to collapse, Vox caught you with one arm around your waist. The other slipped beneath your loosened dress, claws gliding up the soft underside of your breast. With a low, dark chuckle, he shoved his hand under your bra, gripping and massaging the plush flesh like it belonged to him.

“Ah, Vox!” you cried, your back arching as his cock slammed into your deepest point, knocking the breath from your lungs.

His claws tugged on your nipple, rolling and twisting the swollen bud while he kept driving into you, each thrust sharp and brutal. Your slick walls fluttered around him, every drag of his cock lighting your nerves on fire.

The cart rocked with every movement, creaking as it swung wildly from side to side. Your hair clung to your sweat-slicked skin, sticking to your face and neck. Tears welled at the corners of your eyes from the sheer intensity of it all, but you didn’t try to stop them. You caught sight of the sinner again through the haze of lust. He had his face stuck to the window of the next cart, hoping to get a better look.

You grinned through the chaos, breathless and bold. Let them watch.

“Oh fuck, baby,” Vox groaned, voice rough and desperate, each word rasping past his lips between wet slaps of skin on skin. “You feel so fucking good, so tight and messy for me.”

His grip on your breast tightened, clawed fingers tweaking your nipple hard enough to make you cry out. The pain sharpened the pleasure, sending electric jolts straight down your spine to your aching, soaked pussy.

“Fuck, I need you to scream for me,” he growled in your ear, biting down lightly on your neck. “Let every miserable fuck down there know who this pussy belongs to. Can you do that for me, baby?”

“Yes! Yes, yours!” you sobbed, throwing your head back, overwhelmed by the relentless rhythm of his cock rearranging your insides.

“Damn right,” he snarled, panting, as he dug his fingers into your hips. “And I’m not even close to done with you, doll.”

He lifted you like you weighed nothing and slammed you back down onto his cock. Your cunt swallowed him whole, slick and twitching, milking him greedily.

“I want you all fucking night,” he huffed, thrusting up into you with enough force to make the cart shake. “Might bend you over the hood of my car in the parking lot. Fuck you right there while the engine’s still hot.”

Each filthy word made your core clench harder around him. The cart smelled of sex, thick, heady, and animalistic. It clung to your skin and his, soaked into the fabric of your clothes, the air itself damp with sweat and arousal.

“Maybe you suck me off while I drive us home,” he whispered against your ear, voice dripping with promise. “Tonight I’ll make you come so hard your legs give out. So hard you can’t talk right for days. All you’ll know is how to scream my name.”

Before you could respond, he shifted, gripping your waist and driving you forward. Your knees hit the seat in front of you, and you gasped, both palms splaying against the glass as he continued to fuck you in earnest. The chill of the window shocked your flushed cheek while your saliva smeared across it, dripping slow and wet down the surface.

Then—slap—his palm cracked against your ass, the sting sharp and sudden. Your breath hitched, but pain melted into pleasure the moment he rammed back inside. Your pussy, raw and hungry, sucked him in like you’d never let him go.

“You like that, huh?” Vox grunted, every word ragged. “You like being fucked like my personal fuck doll?”

All you could do was moan, choked and hoarse, as the pleasure crested higher and higher, tight and trembling at the edge.

“Fucking perfect,” Vox groaned, never slowing, fucking you through every twitch and tremble, like he had every intention of wringing out every last drop of your sanity.

Your scream tore through the cart, raw and trembling, as your body convulsed with an earth-shattering climax. Muscles clenched, nerves aflame, your pussy pulsed around Vox’s cock, holding him tight like it never wanted to let go. You barely registered the creak and lurch of the Ferris wheel starting to move again—time felt irrelevant, lost beneath the weight of pleasure.

Then, with a deep, guttural growl, Vox came with brutal intensity. His hips slammed flush against yours, holding you still as he spilled himself inside, thick and hot, in powerful waves. You could feel him paint every inch of your insides, each pulse of release forcing a gasp from his throat and a whimper from yours.

He stayed buried in you, panting against your skin, his body trembling slightly from the force of it. And when he finally pulled out, slow and careful, you felt everything. A warm, slick fullness slipping free of your swollen cunt, followed by the soft, obscene plop of his cum spilling onto the seat below.

You didn’t move. Couldn’t. Your limbs were jelly, your mind fogged and distant, adrift in a post-orgasmic haze. Vox smoothed your hair and fixed your dress with unexpected tenderness, but he hardly tried as you remained a mess, dazed, used, and glowing.

When the cart doors opened, and you stepped out with him, your ears barely caught the ambient noise of the amusement park. Voices, music, laughter—background static compared to the ache between your legs and the steady slide of wetness down your thighs. His seed mixed with yours, warm and slick, coating your inner thighs with every step.

Then you saw it.

A small droplet of milky fluid hit the pavement beneath your feet.

“Oh, shit…” you mumbled, staring in disbelief.

Vox glanced down and grinned, wicked and smug. “Sunshine, might want to take an extra day off work before you come back into the office.”

Your head whipped toward him. He looked so calm, so collected, as if he hadn’t just fucked you senseless in a rickety old cart and left you dripping with the evidence.

“I know I gave you enough vacation,” he added casually, draping an arm around your waist, “but I need my sunshine around. Gets too damn dark without you.”

You barely had time to breathe before he pulled you in close, his arms circling you fully in the middle of the walkway, in plain view of everyone. The breeze ghosted between your legs, cool and teasing against your flushed, overstimulated skin, but you only leaned deeper into his embrace.

Because at that moment, it hit you.

You couldn’t walk away from him.

For all his chaos, for all the lust and rough edges, Vox had wrapped himself around you in more ways than one. You saw it in the way he held you now, not just with his arms, but with his presence—possessive, warm, and fiercely yours.

So what if this wasn’t a fairytale romance? You had something real. Something raw and alive. And Vox, for all his twisted tendencies, was trying. He was trying to be more than just an overlord who took what he wanted.

You gave him a sly smirk and leaned in close. “Understood, sir,” you whispered. “I assume that means you’re taking tomorrow off too?”

He grinned, teeth gleaming, eyes filled with heat and something softer. “Baby, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

And he didn’t.

He didn’t change overnight. He didn’t cut Valentino off or turn into someone new. He still answered when Val called—sometimes with a sigh, sometimes with silence—but he always came back to you.

You understood.

Whatever Vox had with Valentino wasn’t simple. There were obligations, entanglements, histories thick as blood and twice as binding. It wasn’t just a matter of walking away. You’d stopped asking him to.

That's why you didn't fight him when his phone rang, and he stood there with that tension in his shoulders that meant he was going to leave. You just looked at him, steady and quiet, and said, “Come back when you can.”

And he did.

Every time.

He didn’t promise he’d stop answering Val. He didn’t pretend the world he lived in wasn’t dark, messy, and far from fair. But he gave you something more honest—his effort. His presence. His trying.

It wasn’t grand or romantic in the traditional sense, but it was real.

It was in the way he brushed your hair back when you were tired. In the way he asked if you’d eaten, or pulled you close when your laughter faded. In how his voice softened when he said your name, even when the rest of the world demanded the hard edge of him.

And you?

You stopped expecting easy. You let go of fairytale endings and leaned into the complicated truth of him.

Because it was never about making him choose between you and the world he couldn’t escape.

It was about choosing each other, again and again, even when it was hard. Even when it hurt a little.

There were still days he had to go. Nights when Valentino's grip pulled him away.

But there were mornings when he stayed. When he reached for you first. When he made time, not excuses.

No, this wasn’t perfect.

But as he curled around you that night, voice low and lips at your temple, you knew…

Whatever came next, you’d figure it out together.

✨ KOFI -- DISCORD SERVER -- xREADER COMMUNITY ✨

[aingeal98]

Actually cried because of your Cass AU 😭 If anyone wanted to write a fic I would eat it uuuup

Bruce watching her extra closely because he's terrified she's going to hurt herself and he feels like the second he turns away she's going to slip through his fingers just like Jason did

Her thinking he watches her like a hawk and follows her every move because he doesn't trust her anymore-

I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on Tim and Steph in this AU 👀

I love making fic ideas with Cass anons it's a top 10 fave hobby :D

For Tim... It's interesting because he canonically joined after Jason's death but Cass is already there in this au so if I was really thinking hard about it I'd probably end up questioning if he becomes Robin in the first place but since Cass is the focus of the au I'm comfortable just letting Tim exist like in canon. I'd say he was a bit annoyed at first because he was here for Dick and Bruce and had to deal with Cass too but they probably bonded and got closer. He wouldn't shut her out like Bruce did after her secret got exposed, and would probably be on the team trying to get them to reconcile.

As for Steph... Hey remember in canon when Cass accidentally killed shadow thief and Steph brought him back with cpr and promised not to tell anyone? Because I do and I am always rotating that plot in my mind. In canon Cass gains Bruce's trust back quick enough after her secret is revealed, by which I mean he's in deep denial up until the Shiva fight and after she wins he seems comfortable just pretending it means he was right all along. But in this au when it cuts deeper and his denial hurts her even more and lasts longer...

The thing is in canon Cass places a lot of trust in Bruce and his judgement. So much so that she picks him over Steph multiple times during his mistreatment of her. But if Cass and Bruce are on the outs here, if she already feels like she's lost his trust and there's nothing to lose by defying it further and letting her own feelings on Steph take priority, if there's maybe even a hint of bitter rebellion in ignoring his orders to ice Steph out... I think there's a possibility that Steph's 2000s arc might end up going very differently, in a much better way for her.

Cass, 10 times more miserable than in canon: He made her Robin he trusts her more than me this is fine this is good I'm happy for her.

Steph, 10 times happier than in canon: Man it's so good to know that no matter what happens with Bruce I can trust Cass to always have my back and believe in me! Sometimes you really do just need one person to have faith in you, huh.

[arachnidiots-a]

peter parker fully had his mind made up in no way home that he was going to kill the green goblin. there was no escalation in the fight where he suddenly scared himself and didn't think and ended up in a position to kill him, NO. he went into the final battle with every intention of killing the green goblin.

tobey's peter fully takes on the responsibility of making a cure for him when they divide it up in the lab and peter just... says nothing. he has nothing to say because he has no intention on making a cure. there's no cure for the pure evil he sees in that man. "gotta cure all of them, right?" "right." "it's what we do." except peter can't. he has made up his mind and sure for now he'll say whatever to get them working and whatever gets the other peter off his back but when the time comes...

the green goblin beat him relentlessly. peter saw nothing but absolute monstrosity in his eyes, and to top it all off may died. may believed in helping this guy, and she died. if may doesn't get a chance to live and help people, then why should this guy who took her away from peter get to live? and then mj? he almost loses mj there and it really just further validates the decision he's made: this guy NEEDS to die and peter's going to be the one to do it.

he fights dirty, intentionally, and had it not been for the other peters he would've made a choice that he would've spent the next decades of his life regretting. it scares him well after the events that he got that far. he's horrified with himself, he can't bring himself to imagine what would've happened if he wasn't stopped. it keeps him awake at night and honestly there's moments he's worried he will end up back at that point again. it ruins his ability to maintain relationships (god forbid anybody gets so close and then is in danger) and be spider-man for a good while.

he struggles to put into words all that he feels to the other peters before they leave because how does one say thank you for not letting me cross that line? the other peter's don't need him to say it at all of course bc "it's what we do." "yeah, it's what we do."

[inbabylontheywept]

my grandpa was a good man. and it really wasnt his fault - recreationally lying to kids is a proud family tradition - but he told me, once, that cutting a worm in half resulted in two worms.

i think he said it so i'd be more morally okay with fishing? i actually dont remember the context.

point was, he told me this, and he understimated (by a very large margin) how much i liked worms. i was a worm boy. very wormy. and after hearing that, i went home, and i dug through the garden, flipped over every rock, did everything i could to gather as many worms as i could, and then i uh.

i cut them all in half. every worm i could find. all of them. with scissors.

i then took this pile of split worms, and i put them in a box with a bit of lettuce and some water and stuff and went to bed expecting to double my worms overnight. i have math autism, so i had a vague understanding that if i did this just a few times in a row, i would eventually have a completely unreasonable amount of worms.

i was very excited to become this plane's worm emperor.

(i think i was...six?)

anyway, i did not become the inheritor of the worm crown. i instead woke up to a box of dead worms and cried. a lot. i got diagnosed with panic attacks as a teenager, but i think i had them as a kid, i just had no idea what they were. i was kind of processing that a.) i had killed what i had assumed was every single worm in my yard, and thus would have no more worms, and b). i was going to like, worm hell.

(six year babylon spent a lot of time worrying about god.)

so i kind of freaked out, and i climbed a tree, because god can only smite you if you're touching the ground (?) and i sat up there mostly inconsolable until my mom came out and asked, hey, what's up? what happened?

so i explained to her that i had killed all of the worms, forever, and was also Damned, and she took me to the compost pile, and we dug for all of five seconds and found like twenty more worms.

the compost pile was full of worms.

she then told me that a). there were more worms, and we could put them back under rocks and stuff and recolonize our yard and b). that one day, i would die, and go to heaven, and be able to talk to the worms face to face. that i'd be able to tell them all that i was very sorry, and that i killed them on accident, driven only by excessive Love, and that she was positive they would forgive me because worms have six hearts and no malice.

at that point, i think i was sixty percent tear-snot by weight, and i had no choice but to gather enough worms that i could hug them. which my mom helped with. and then after that she helped me put some worms back under each rock.

and for my epilogue: i spent a significant portion of my childhood in trees. and for many years after, even when my mom didnt know i was watching, i would catch her giving the space under the rocks a light spritz with the hose. not because she loved worms.

but because she loved me.

[thebigqueer]

honestly i knew going into a serious relationship before summer was going to be a bad idea because i knew something would go wrong with long distnace. i even wanted to go official AFTER summer but its also like theres no win-win because theres no tellin gwhere wed have been in our 'situationship' by the end of summer. but in a way maybe it wouldve been better if we never dated either because then i wouldnt have to be this fuckign devastated about it

[holeforzenin]

☆ CAMPING WITH TOJI <3

Synopsis - You and Toji went camping with some friends.

Not proofread

"Shhh better be quiet baby" Toji's hot breath fanned your face above you from the brutal mating press he had you in, his mean cock stretching your pussy to accommodate his size as your greedy cunt happily swallows it in everytime he plunges himself into your horny fuckhole.

"Fuckk s'good, feels so good inside tof me toji!" you cried out as your toes curled because of the intense pleasure you were recieving, you whimpered as you saw the way droplets of sweat was dripping from his bangs down to the side of his jawline because of the way he was fucking you like some wild animal with no control.

"Come on baby, what did I just fucking say? Be a good girl and stay fucking quiet yeah?" he grunts as he forcefully stuffs two fingers deep in your mouth to silence you since your always moaning like a fucking whore everytime he dicks you down, as much as he loves hearing your sweet moans and your nasty mouth, your friends were right outside the tent he was pounding you in so you had to be quiet. He continues a harsher pace inside of you, jamming his cock in and out of you ruthlessly as if his life was on the line, your wetness was soaking his thick cock and balls as the pile of pubic hair that sat on the base of his cock brushes right against your clit increasing the intensity of pleasure you were receiving that had your cunt drooling all over his dick.

His heavy balls kissing your tight asshole every single time he thrusts himself into you as your boobs bounces up and down against your thighs because of the fucked up position he had you folded in, he gritted his teeth as your muffled moans became louder causing him to pull his fingers out of your mouth and just press his large palm against your mouth tightly to shut you up better.

"Love daddy's cock so fucking much that you can't even shut the fuck up for a few minutes hm?" he groans with a smirk as he put your legs over his board shoulders then bends down into you causing yourself to be folded even deeper as his face are just mere seconds away from you, the smirk he had plastered on his face making his scar look even sexier had your eyes rolling back as you moaned into his hand.

He had you fucked so dumb that spit and drool were escaping your mouth into his hand as he hisses, trying his very best not to be too loud because the way your warm cunny felt throbbing and gripping around his cock so fucking good was making him lose his mind.

"Or maybe you just want everyone outside to hear how much of a dumb whore you are getting your needy pussy stuffed and fucked in broad daylight?" He teases as he mumered a low "fuckk" from feeling the way your hole clenches around his cock tighter to his words.

He chuckles, "Yeah is that right? you want them to hear how much of a little slut you are, crying on my cock like this? Your pussy is so fucking soaked I bet you would'nt even care if we get caught cause all you want is your dirty slut of a cunt pounded and split open by my dick hm?"

His dirty talk was well enough to have you creaming around his length once again, rings of your cum decorating his fat cock as he continues bullying your g spot with his cockhead. He groans huskily as you felt his dick throbbing inside of you as you pussy continues coating it with cum.

"Holy fuck, such a loud bitch when your getting dick" he eyes annoyingly widens at how loud you were being while cumming even with his hand covering your mouth. There was no fucking way someone didn't hear anything.

"Always so fucking noisy, gonna have to fuck you with your face down next time, that'll surely shut you up"

[mooningningg]

After You - Satoru G.

about. after a devastating accident pulls you back to tokyo, the last person you expect to see again is gojo satoru — the man who shattered your heart a year ago. You swore you'd never forgive him. But he’s showing up in quiet mornings and rainy afternoons, offering everything you used to love. And no matter how hard you try… you still notice him.

pairings. Gojo x Fem!Reader

words. 12.69k

content. angst, exes to lovers (maybe), slow burn, heavy emotions, crying gojo, yelling reader, emotional breakdowns, single tulip at your door, “don’t touch me”, “oh, toru”, soft flashbacks, hospital scenes, self-sabotage, character growth, gojo on his knees, regret-filled apologies, comfort scenes, pacing in a hotel room, rainy confessions, “i miss you”, sleepless nights, soft touches, holding back tears, emotional tension, love that still lingers

notes. stay up for part two??? winkwink, yll deserve a treat after this.

They say when something awful happens, time slows down.

But for you, it didn’t.

It struck fast and cruel, like the sharp snap of a branch underfoot.

One moment you were rinsing toothpaste from your mouth, scrolling mindlessly through notifications, and the next, your phone was shaking in your hand, someone on the other end barely holding their voice together.

You don’t even remember what they said exactly — only that he was in surgery, and it didn’t sound good.

That was enough.

You were already grabbing whatever clothes you could find, already booking the next flight to Tokyo, already letting your vacation days burn for something that didn’t feel like a break at all.

It had been a while since you heard his voice. Longer since you’d seen his face. But the second you heard the words accident and critical, something inside you collapsed without permission.

You hadn’t cried yet.

Not really.

There wasn’t time for it — only motion, only urgency, only movement that felt like survival.

The grief hadn’t hit.

Not fully. But something close to it was blooming beneath your skin, a cold, buzzing panic that had followed you all the way from your apartment to the terminal to the cab ride now speeding toward the hospital.

You try not to think about who else might be at the hospital.

You haven’t asked.

You couldn’t bring yourself to.

The name lingers at the back of your throat like smoke — like a wound you’ve trained yourself not to touch. Even now, even after all this time, even after all the healing you’ve faked in Kyoto, you can’t say it.

Not even in your head.

Not without feeling your jaw clench, your pulse kick up, your entire body remembering the sting of something you were never supposed to feel.

You wish you could say you’ve moved on.

That the distance between then and now had softened the memory.

That you don’t still flinch when certain songs come on, or when someone with white hair brushes past you too fast on the street.

You wish you could say it doesn’t still live in you — that night, that voice, the sound of betrayal dressed in a whisper.

But it does, and it haunts you every damn time.

And that’s why you don’t let yourself say the name.

Not here.

Not yet.

Not when you’re this close to the hospital, this close to seeing him — the one who didn’t hurt you. The one who never left, even when you did.

Suguru.

His name doesn’t sting.

His name doesn’t tremble when you think it.

He was steady, kind. Always there in the background, holding pieces no one else noticed you’d dropped.

The thought of him lying still in a hospital bed makes your stomach twist in ways you don’t have words for. You’ve known him since your first year of high school — back when the world felt too big and the future felt too far. He was the calm between louder voices, the one who made space for you when everything else felt like too much.

You owe him everything. So when the hospital comes into view — tall, gray, humming under fluorescent lights — you square your shoulders and remind yourself why you’re here. Not for ghosts. Not for memories. Not for names you can’t bring yourself to say.

You’re here for the boy who never let you fall alone.

You’re here for Suguru.

And if something else is waiting for you inside those walls?

You’ll deal with it when it finds you.

The hospital lobby is too bright. That’s the first thing you notice. Too white, too sterile, too cold. The kind of place where time moves weird — where minutes drag and hours vanish and the people sitting around you are all waiting for answers they’re scared to hear.

Your bag hangs heavy off your shoulder as you step through the sliding glass doors. The air smells like bleach and something metallic beneath it. You don’t look around. You just head to the front desk, voice barely steady as you say Suguru’s name.

The nurse gives you a room number and tells you gently, “The surgery ended half an hour ago. He’s stable for now.”

You nod, but your chest doesn’t unclench.

They tell you you’ll have to wait until the doctor clears visitors. So you’re directed to the family waiting room — tucked in a quiet hallway at the end of the cardiology wing. You’re almost afraid to open the door.

But you do.

And the second you step in, you see her.

Shoko sits in the corner of the room, hunched forward with her elbows on her knees, a tissue clutched loosely in one hand. Her eyes are red, but her face is still. Blank. The kind of blank that only comes after hours of holding it in.

She looks up when she hears you enter.

And for a moment, she doesn’t say anything.

Neither do you.

You just cross the room and kneel in front of her, the lump in your throat rising the second your eyes meet.

She was the one who called you.

Shoko hadn’t always been part of your circle. She came halfway through high school — quiet at first, almost cold, until she wasn’t. You didn’t expect to grow close to her, but she stuck. A sharp tongue, a good heart. You shared notes, lighter moments, hungover mornings. Somehow, she became someone you trusted. And now she’s here, holding herself like she’ll fall apart if she breathes too hard.

You reach for her hand, and her fingers curl tightly around yours.

“I got the call at 2AM,” she says. Her voice is hoarse. “They said it was bad. That there was… blood. And broken ribs. And—” She stops. Her mouth opens, then closes again. “They didn’t tell me if he was going to make it.”

You squeeze her hand. “He will.”

She lets out a breath, shaky and half-laugh, half-sob. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” you say, even though your voice cracks. “Because he’s Suguru. He’s stubborn as hell. He doesn’t know how to leave.”

Shoko nods, but her lips are trembling now, and when her eyes meet yours again, whatever strength she was holding onto snaps.

The tears fall quietly. No sound at first — just her face crumpling as she leans forward and buries herself in your arms.

You hold her. Tight. The way you wish someone would hold you. Your hand finds the back of her head, and your other arm wraps around her shoulders as she finally breaks. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just broken.

You try to whisper something — It’s okay. You’re not alone. I’m here. But your own voice wavers, and before you can stop it, your cheeks are wet too.

You don’t even know who you’re crying for.

For Suguru, who didn’t deserve this.

For Shoko, who held everything together alone for hours.

For yourself, for everything you left behind and everything you’re being forced to feel all over again.

You cry quietly, tucked into each other like the world outside the waiting room doesn’t exist. You’re not ready to face anything beyond these walls — not the doctors, not the machines, not the possibility of seeing him.

But for now, you don’t have to.

You have Shoko. And she has you.

And maybe that’s enough, just for this moment.

The waiting room stays quiet after that. Just soft footsteps from nurses in the hallway, the buzz of an old TV on low volume, and the occasional sniffle from Shoko as she tries to get her breathing under control. You don’t say much. Neither of you need to. You just sit beside her, shoulder to shoulder, hands wrapped around bad vending machine coffee that tastes like burnt water and anxiety.

You checked your phone a few times, but there’s no point. No missed calls. No new updates. Just time dragging its feet, and your knee bouncing without rhythm. At some point, you both gave up and wandered down the hall to the little hospital kiosk — bought crackers you never opened, a bottle of tea, a rice ball you didn’t touch. The cashier didn’t ask questions. You looked too tired for small talk.

The hours stretched thin after that.

Shoko eventually closed her eyes for a bit, curled up awkwardly in one of the waiting chairs, her lab coat draped around her like a blanket. You didn’t sleep. You couldn’t. You just sat there, chewing your lip raw and staring at the hallway.

And then — finally — the door opens.

You shoot up before your brain catches up. Shoko’s eyes snap open too, and you both stand at once when the doctor walks in.

He looks tired, like he’s been on his feet for hours, but there’s a calm in his posture. A professionalism in his voice that makes you cling to every word.

“He made it through surgery,” he says. “There was a lot of internal bruising, several fractured ribs, and a ruptured spleen. The bleeding was significant, but we got to it in time. He’s stable now. Still unconscious, but responsive to touch. We’re keeping him under observation for the next twenty-four hours.”

You nod too quickly, almost like it’ll make the information easier to digest. Shoko’s breath hitches beside you.

“You can see him,” the doctor adds. “But keep it short, please. He needs rest.”

You thank him, voice barely audible, then follow the quiet sound of his footsteps down the hall. The fluorescent lights feel too bright again. The tiles echo under your shoes.

When he stops at the room, something in your chest twists.

The doctor opens the door, gives a polite nod, and leaves.

You step in.

The beeping is the first thing you hear — soft and steady. Machines monitoring a rhythm that, hours ago, almost stopped entirely. The lights are dimmed low, and the smell of antiseptic clings to everything.

Suguru looks... small.

Not physically. He’s still tall, still long-limbed, still very much the person you remember. But there’s something in the way he’s lying there — skin pale, an oxygen line resting under his nose, his arm bandaged and strapped with IV lines — that makes your heart lurch into your throat.

You take slow steps to the side of his bed. Shoko hovers beside you, her hand covering her mouth like she’s trying not to break again.

There’s a chair near the headboard, and you take it.

“Hey,” you whisper. Your voice feels too loud, even though it barely comes out.

His eyes are shut. There’s a bruise just beneath his cheekbone, faint yellow mixed with violet. You wonder if he even knows you’re here.

Shoko steps closer, brushing a hand over his hair, like maybe that’ll wake him. She doesn’t say anything either. Just stares down at him like she still can’t believe it’s real.

You swallow thickly and rest your hand near his — not touching, but close enough that he’d feel it if he shifted.

“You scared the shit out of us,” you murmur.

Still nothing.

But he’s breathing. That’s enough. For now, that’s enough.

You lean back in the chair and press your palm to your chest, trying to quiet the chaos inside you.

He’s here. He’s alive.

And as long as he is — you can keep going.

You’re not sure how long you sit there in silence, just watching the slow rise and fall of Suguru’s chest. His skin looks pale against the sheets. His lips are chapped. There’s a machine next to him that lets out a soft hiss every few seconds, and the sound digs under your skin like a pin.

Shoko stands near the window, arms crossed, eyes unfocused. She hasn’t cried again, but you can still see the weight in her face — like something’s pressing down hard on her shoulders and she’s too stubborn to fall under it.

You speak first, voice low. “Do they know what happened?”

She blinks, like the question had to filter through layers of static. “Yeah,” she says. “Yeah, the cops called me after I got here.”

You wait.

“They said it was a truck. Some delivery driver lost control—snow slicked road, poor brakes. It was too fast. Hit Suguru on the driver’s side.” She swallows. “They said he probably didn’t even see it coming.”

Your fingers tighten in your lap. The thought of Suguru alone in a car, unaware, unable to stop what was coming—something about it twists in your stomach and won’t let go.

“They said if the ambulance came two minutes later…” Shoko doesn’t finish.

You don’t ask her to.

The silence after is full. Not empty — just packed with things neither of you want to name. So you stare at the beeping monitor instead, and try to focus on the rhythm. It helps. A little.

Then Shoko’s phone rings.

She looks down, already irritated before she even sees the screen. But when she does, her lips press into a thin line. Her jaw flexes.

You don’t need to ask.

You already know.

It’s like your whole body freezes. Like your bones remember something your mind worked so hard to forget. You feel your pulse spike, chest tightening, the cold creeping in from somewhere deep inside.

“I should get this,” she mutters, eyes flicking toward you.

You don’t move. You can’t even nod. But she’s already turning away, already answering.

“Where are you, Satoru?” she snaps, low and sharp, the words like glass.

And just like that, it’s back.

His name.

Said out loud for the first time in a year. Like it never left the earth. Like it hasn’t been rotting quietly in the dark corners of your memory. It lands heavy, sharp — like someone carved it straight into your skin without asking.

You inhale too fast. Look away. Pretend to focus on Suguru’s hand.

Shoko paces a little, voice hushed now but tense. “No—don’t pull that. Don’t—Satoru, you should’ve been here hours ago. He could’ve died.”

You bite the inside of your cheek. Hard.

Not now. This isn’t about him. This isn’t why you’re here. You came for Suguru — because he’s your friend. Because he’s family. Because he never broke you.

But you can hear Shoko’s voice still, even as she walks toward the hallway, trying not to disturb you.

“Yeah. She’s here. What the hell do you expect me to say to her?”

It’s too much.

Your chest tightens, and the room suddenly feels smaller — like the walls are pressing in, like the air’s been sucked out. You stare at Suguru harder, like maybe he’ll wake up and give you something to cling to. A joke. A complaint. A tired smirk.

But he’s asleep. And he is coming.

You push your chair back, quietly. The scrape of the legs on the tile is soft but enough to break Shoko’s focus for a second. She glances back, still holding the phone against her ear, and your eyes meet.

You don’t say anything.

You just need to leave before you fall apart.

You need air. You need to walk. You need to remember how to exist without his name ringing in your ears.

Because four years ended on a Tuesday.

Just like that.

And now he’s coming back into your life like the silence he left behind wasn’t loud enough.

You won’t break.

Not for him.

Not again.

You don’t wait for her to come back in fully.

You’ve already grabbed your bag from the floor, fingers fumbling for the zipper, pretending you’re not moving too fast, pretending your heart isn’t crashing against your ribs like a trapped thing.

Shoko steps into the room slowly, her phone still in her hand, like she’s trying to approach you without startling you.

“Y/N—” she starts, but doesn’t get the whole sentence out.

You’re already swinging your bag over your shoulder. “I need to check in. I haven’t… I haven’t rented anything yet. I need to figure that out.”

She frowns. “What?”

“I mean, I was thinking of staying somewhere for a few weeks. Like that Mimaru place in Ueno East. The one with the little kitchen. I think I saw a listing still open. I need to book it now—while I still can.”

You’re not making sense. You both know it. But your voice keeps pushing forward, carrying you through the panic, through the fog, like if you just keep talking, none of this will catch up to you.

Shoko steps in front of you before you can reach the door. “Y/N.”

You won’t look at her.

She exhales hard, trying again. “He’s coming. Satoru’s on his way.”

Your eyes snap up. The name, again. Spoken like it doesn’t hurt. But it does. It cracks something inside you, sharp and instant.

“I know,” you say flatly. “That’s why I need to go.”

“Y/N, wait—”

“I came here for Suguru,” you say, louder now, your voice starting to shake. “Not for him. I didn’t ask to see him. I didn’t want to see him. I can’t.”

Shoko’s expression tightens. Her eyes soften, but her jaw sets with a kind of stubborn kindness only she could pull off.

“This isn’t about you and him right now.”

Your laugh is bitter, short. “No? It feels pretty damn close.”

“I’m still mad about it,” she snaps. “Do you think I forgave him? I haven’t. I still want to punch him every time I remember what he did to you. But this isn’t about him. Or about you. This is about Suguru. He needs both of you here. Whether you like it or not.”

You shake your head. “I can’t be in the same room as him, Shoko.”

“Then don’t talk to him.” Her voice is quieter now, but firmer. “Don’t look at him. Just stay. For Suguru. That’s all I’m asking.”

You stare at her, trying to find something to fight with — a reason, an excuse, anything that doesn’t sound like I’m scared, because that’s what it really is. You’re scared. Of how he’ll look at you. Of how your voice might betray you. Of the way your heart is already acting like it remembers him — and it shouldn’t.

Shoko sees it. All of it. You don’t say a word, but your silence screams.

She takes a step closer.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you in a year,” she says quietly. “A whole year, Y/N.”

Your lips part, but nothing comes out.

“I missed you.”

Her voice is so soft, it lands right where your defenses are thinnest. You look at her — really look — and you see it in her face: everything she’s carried, everything she’s held together without you. You weren’t the only one who lost something when you left.

The room stays still for a long beat.

And you?

You just hold your bag a little tighter. Because you’re not sure what else you can hold onto right now.

You’ve been staring at your phone for the last twenty minutes, screen dim, thumb barely scrolling. You’re not reading anything. Not really. You just need something to look at that isn’t the door. Something to occupy the space inside your chest that’s been on high alert ever since Shoko stood up and said, “I’ll go get him.”

You didn’t ask her to.

But you didn’t stop her either.

Suguru hasn’t moved. His breathing stays slow, steady, the beeping of the monitors calm like he’s just napping after a long night. Every few minutes, your gaze drifts from your phone back to him. You wonder what he’d say if he were awake. You wonder if he’d be pissed or grateful. Maybe both. He was always better at reading people than you were.

You check the time again. The hallway outside is too quiet.

And then — footsteps.

Two pairs. Light, but unhurried. The sound of them makes something cold unfurl in your stomach.

You don’t lift your head. You don’t need to.

He’s here.

You knew he was. You felt it before Shoko even said she was going to meet him at the entrance — probably so the nurses wouldn’t assume he was some random six-foot-two man barging into the ICU like he owned the place. Because that’s what he looked like. Always did.

Even now, when Shoko opens the door and walks in first, your spine goes stiff.

And then he enters.

You don’t raise your eyes at first. You feel it instead — the way the air in the room shifts like it always used to. The weight of him. The gravity. It always demanded your attention.

And slowly, inevitably, you look up.

The same white hair. Tousled, like he ran his hand through it on the way here. No blindfold. No sunglasses. Just those eyes — the ones that used to soften when they looked at you, like you were something holy.

They’re just blue now. Plain and clear and impossible to forget.

You don’t mean to stare.

But in that second, you remember everything.

The way he used to walk you home, flicking your forehead and laughing at how dramatic you were. The way he used to kiss the top of your head like it was second nature. The night you fell asleep in his lap while he crammed for a test he never studied for. The four years of being so stupidly, completely his.

And then — the night you weren’t enough.

The night he told you everything and cried while you sat there, feeling like something hollow and discarded. The night you walked out of his apartment with a suitcase in your hand and everything else in pieces.

Your eyes drop back to Suguru, and you don’t look again.

He almost says something. You hear the breath catch in his throat, like he’s reaching for your name.

But Shoko is faster.

“Don’t talk to her,” she says under her breath, cutting her eyes toward him like a warning. “Give her space.”

A beat. And then he exhales — long and quiet, like it knocked something loose in his chest.

You keep your eyes on Suguru.

Because you came for him. Not for this. Not for him.

Satoru bites it back. Sighs, low and tired. Rubs the back of his neck.

Because she’s right.

You don’t owe him a damn thing. Not a word. Not a look.

He hurt you — ruined everything — in one night.

And now?

Now you’re sitting there like the four years he loved you never happened at all.

But you’re still the most beautiful thing in the room.

And he’s still the one who destroyed it.

You hadn’t meant to remember.

But sometimes, when the room gets too still ��� when the hum of the fridge starts to sound like silence, when the chair beneath you feels too familiar — it creeps back in. All of it.

The mornings first.

You used to wake up in a sun-drenched room that wasn’t yours, pressed beneath heavy sheets and even heavier limbs. Satoru always slept like he was trying to pin you to the mattress. A leg flung over yours. Arms around your waist. Sometimes his face buried in your shoulder, breath warm on your skin as he mumbled nonsense in his sleep.

He was terrible at waking up.

Always five alarms deep, groaning, dragging himself out of bed like gravity only worked on him. But for you? He made coffee. Every time. Milk and one sugar. Sometimes he forgot the sugar and tried to kiss it back into your mouth later, laughing when you told him he tasted like regret and half-burnt toast.

You used to study together — or at least, you tried to. Satoru got bored easily. You’d be neck-deep in notes while he stacked highlighters into towers or played with your hair, asking what you thought you’d name your future dog. Somehow, you always let him distract you.

Some nights you sat in the tiny ramen shop near the corner of your dorms, sharing pork broth and teasing him about getting extra noodles when he was already full. He never listened. Always said, “If I die, at least it’s with miso in my veins.”

He was loud in crowds, but soft with you. Always softer with you.

Fingers brushing yours under tables. A kiss to the side of your head as you walked. His hand resting on the back of your neck when you leaned forward — like he needed the contact, even in silence.

He took pictures of you when you weren’t looking.

And then laughed when you caught him.

You fought sometimes. Of course you did. Over nothing and everything — who forgot to text, who didn’t show up on time, what he said that came out too sharp. But he always came back. Always found you.

The rooftop of the engineering building. The lawn under the cherry blossom trees in spring. That 24-hour diner you hated but he loved, with neon lights that made your skin look like paper.

He made you laugh until your ribs hurt.

He danced with you in the hallway once, music playing from his phone speaker, swaying clumsily in socked feet on polished floor. Told you, “This is what people mean when they say forever.”

And you believed him.

God, you really did.

You memorized the shape of him — the curve of his grin, the dip of his collarbone, the little mole near his jaw he always forgot about.

He was your first home that wasn’t a place.

And for a while... it felt like enough.

It felt like always.

You didn’t just love him.

You chose him.

Again and again, even when it didn’t make sense. Even when everything else told you not to.

It wasn’t just coffee in the mornings and laughter under cherry blossoms. It wasn’t just the warm way he’d look at you when he thought you weren’t watching.

It was the night he drank too much after bombing a midterm he swore he didn’t care about. You were halfway through your own exam — thirty minutes in, pen moving furiously — when your phone started buzzing in your lap. Over and over. Shoko. Then Nanami. Then finally, a stranger.

The bar manager’s voice was sharp. Impatient. “Is this Y/N? You need to get down here now. He’s making a scene.”

You didn’t finish the test.

Didn’t explain. Didn’t even grab your jacket.

You just ran.

All the way to the cheap bar two blocks off campus where Satoru was slumped in a booth, laughing too loud, eyes glassy, one arm hanging off the edge like he was too big for the world. People were staring. A manager was yelling. Telling you they should call the cops. That he wasn’t your problem.

But he was.

He always was.

You apologized until your voice went hoarse. Helped him up even though he was twice your size. Held his hand like it could shield you both from the embarrassment burning up your cheeks. Got him home, into his room, into bed, and stayed by his side the whole night while he muttered half-coherent regrets into the pillow.

You missed the exam.

Your professor didn’t let you retake it.

Your parents didn’t understand either.

“You're throwing your future away for some boy?” “He can take care of himself, Y/N — why is it always you picking him up?” “He’s not your responsibility.”

But you loved him.

And that made it worth it.

At least back then, it did.

He had this way of holding your face when you cried. Like nothing else existed. Like your sadness deserved reverence. His thumbs would brush under your eyes, soft and steady, and he’d whisper things like, “If it hurts, I’ll make it stop. You just tell me how.”

He made you believe he could fix anything.

That nothing could go wrong as long as you had him.

He’d show up to your apartment with cheap takeout and a new playlist, saying, “You looked tired in your texts. This is recovery food and sonic healing.”

He’d kiss your knuckles in the middle of arguments, just to calm you down.

He’d carry your backpack after class even when you said it was fine. “It’s not about weight,” he said once, “it’s about letting you know I’m here.”

And God, you let him be there.

Even when it cost you sleep.

Even when it cost you grades.

Even when it started to cost you you.

Because being with Satoru made you feel like you were bulletproof — like nothing could touch you, not the world, not failure, not loneliness. He filled your days with so much light, you didn’t realize how dim you were becoming just to keep him shining.

You gave him everything.

Even the ugly parts. The selfish parts. The ones you’d never shown anyone else.

You gave him the parts of you that you now wish you’d saved.

Because at the time, you thought he’d keep them safe.

And for a while… He did.

It had been raining that week too.

Not softly. Not romantic or warm. Just endless, grey, and cold — the kind of weather that felt like it was leaking through the cracks in your life.

Things had been rocky for a while. A month, maybe more. Missed calls. Short replies. Less eye contact. More space between your bodies in bed.

You told yourself it was stress. Finals. His internship. The late nights, the shift in his tone when you asked where he’d been. You told yourself not to spiral.

Until the night he came home at one in the morning.

The dorm was dark. Just the little desk lamp you kept on while studying, your notes spread out in front of you, highlighter ink staining your fingertips. You were barely awake. Shoulders tense, eyes sore.

You didn’t even hear the door unlock.

You only noticed when the floor creaked — and then there he was, dripping rainwater on the hardwood, wiping his shoes half-heartedly on the mat.

He looked exhausted.

But not in the way you did.

You stared at him for a second.

Then said quietly, “You didn’t text.”

He ran a hand through his hair, didn’t look at you. “I figured you were busy.”

“I was. Still am.”

And when he finally turned his head, you saw it.

Just a flicker of it. Half-hidden beneath the line of his jaw, peeking out from the collar of his hoodie.

A kiss mark.

Faint. But real.

You froze.

He didn’t notice — or maybe he did. Maybe he thought you wouldn’t say anything.

But you did.

“…What’s on your neck?”

His mouth twitched.

“What?”

“Your neck,” you repeated, voice thin. “What is that?”

He didn’t answer.

And you knew.

You knew.

You pushed back your chair. Stood. Let the question fall again, louder, uglier, something in your throat already cracking:

“Who was it?”

He scoffed.

Like it was ridiculous.

Like you were.

“Seriously?” he said. “You’re going to start this now?”

“Start—? Are you fucking kidding me—?”

“It’s not a big deal,” he muttered, already walking past you toward the kitchen. “God, I was drunk.”

Your chest burned.

“Drunk?” You followed him. “You let someone put their mouth on you and you’re calling it not a big deal?”

“It wasn’t. I didn’t mean for it to happen, alright?”

Your voice splintered.

“So it did happen.”

That made him pause.

And when he turned around, something in his face was wrong. Not defensive. Not even sorry.

Just tired.

Like this conversation bored him.

“Look,” he said, “I was overwhelmed. You don’t— You don’t understand what it’s been like lately. Everything’s too fucking much, alright? I can’t breathe around you anymore.”

Your stomach dropped.

“What?”

“You’re always hovering,” he snapped. “Always checking in. Always making things heavy. You act like I’m your responsibility or something. I didn’t ask you to give up your classes for me. I didn’t ask you to pick me up from every shitty bar or cover for me with your parents—”

“I did that because I loved you,” you choked.

“Yeah? Well it doesn’t feel like love. It feels like guilt. Like pressure. Like I can’t mess up without you holding it over my head.”

You stared at him.

And you realized something, in that moment.

He didn’t just betray you.

He resented you.

Everything you did — the nights you skipped sleep, the classes you missed, the way you fought for him harder than you ever fought for yourself — he hated it. He hated being held up like that. He hated the version of you that refused to leave, even when he gave you reasons to.

And he hated how small it made him feel.

“Then why didn’t you just say it?” you whispered. “Why didn’t you just tell me you didn’t want me anymore?”

Satoru looked away.

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t apologize.

You waited for him to say something that could undo it. Even now, even bleeding — you waited.

But all he said was:

“I didn’t think it would get this far.”

That was the moment something inside you died.

The part that still believed in him.

The part that thought maybe you were different. That the four years, the late-night confessions, the mornings wrapped in each other — that it all meant something solid. Something real.

Instead, you stood there in a room full of shattered promises, rain pounding against the windows like it was trying to drown out the silence between you.

You grabbed your coat.

He didn’t stop you.

Didn’t reach for your hand.

Didn’t chase you down the hallway or beg you to stay.

Because you weren’t his anymore.

Not after that.

Not ever again.

The hotel room is too quiet.

You’re curled into the corner of the couch, knees drawn up, a cup of coffee resting warm between your palms. The city outside your window is buzzing — lights flashing, cars passing — but in here, it’s still.

Still enough for old ghosts to come knocking.

Your laptop sits forgotten in your lap, the screen dimmed out minutes ago, maybe longer. You don’t remember what you were typing. You barely remember what you were thinking. All you know is that your brain hasn’t stopped spinning since the hospital.

Since you saw him.

It wasn’t the face that undid you — though even now, you can see it in the reflection of the black screen. White hair. Blue eyes. The shadow of a man you used to love more than you loved your own future.

No — it was the memory.

It came back fast. Uninvited.

One minute you were standing in that sterile room next to Shoko, pretending you didn’t feel him looking at you. The next, you were back in that tiny dorm, the rain against the window, his voice in your ears again like a curse.

"I didn’t think it would get this far."

That.

That was the part that still makes your throat close.

Not the cheating.

Not even the kiss mark on his neck.

But the way he made your love feel like an accident.

Like some burden he didn’t ask for. Something you did wrong.

And you hate him for that.

You fucking hate him.

You hate how those words still live in your chest like splinters. How even now, a year later, after therapy and silence and pretending you’re healed, the memory still makes your coffee taste bitter.

You stare down into the mug.

It’s lukewarm now. You should get up. Reheat it. Do anything other than sit here and replay what broke you.

But your body won’t move.

Because there’s a part of you — the part you thought you buried — that still wonders what you did to deserve it.

That part is quieter now, sure. Duller. But it’s there.

It whispers things you don’t want to hear.

That maybe you were too much. That maybe loving someone that hard was suffocating. That maybe if you had just—

You stop yourself.

You swallow it down.

Because no. No — fuck that.

You didn’t break the promise. You didn’t kiss someone else. You didn’t turn four years into a footnote just because things got hard.

He did that.

He chose that.

And no amount of blue eyes or half-hearted apologies will ever change it.

You press the coffee to your lips, even though it’s cold.

Even though it tastes like memory.

And somewhere in your chest, the hate sits quietly — not burning, not loud. Just there.

Heavy, unmovable and earned.

The hotel room was too still.

Too quiet without Shoko's tired sighs or your footsteps moving from the kitchen to the bathroom. No clinking mugs, no charger cords stretched across the bed, no rustling of your oversized hoodie as you curled up with your laptop. Just... silence. And the heavy hum of the air conditioner that sounded too much like guilt.

Satoru leaned back against the headboard, still fully dressed. Jacket unzipped, shoes on, fingers twitching at his sides like they were looking for something to hold onto. But there was nothing left to hold.

You were gone.

And he felt it — finally, in full.

He stared at the bedside lamp, too dim. The walls, too blank. His chest, too fucking empty.

It had taken him a long time to realize what your absence meant. Months, maybe. At first, he called it space. Told himself he was giving you room to “cool off,” to “think.” As if you were the one who needed to apologize.

But then a week passed.

And another.

And then… it hit him.

Not in a dramatic way. No thunderstrike. No collapse.

Just little things.

Like how no one reminded him to eat before heading out to meetings.

How his keys were always missing now, and you weren’t there to laugh and say “Left side coat pocket, dumbass.”

How his apartment stayed cold all the time. How the bathroom floor was always wet. How the playlist in his car kept skipping over the songs you used to sing quietly along to — not because he removed them, but because he couldn’t bring himself to listen anymore.

And then it hit harder.

The way his laundry piled up. The way his calendar never got updated. The way he showed up late to everything, forgot birthdays, left unread emails for days.

You used to handle those things. Not because you had to.

But because you wanted to.

Because you loved him.

And Satoru hadn’t even realized.

He hadn’t seen how much of his life you filled — how much of his chaos you softened with a simple glance, a kiss to the shoulder, a quiet, “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got this.”

He took it all for granted.

Your steadiness. Your small routines. The way you made his favorite tea when he was too exhausted to lift a finger. How you made to-do lists for him and stuck them to the mirror in neon pink sticky notes that always ended with “♥ please don’t forget.”

He remembered the time he was sick for three days and you stayed up, head foggy from your own fever, just to make sure he drank water. The time he failed a certification test and you said nothing — just let him lay in your lap and cry, fingers stroking his hair until he fell asleep.

You never asked for thanks.

You never asked for anything.

And he gave you everything but loyalty.

Now, sitting in this goddamn hotel room with the overpriced minibar and the empty second pillow, he finally saw it.

He would’ve given his blood, his name, his stupid pride — anything — just to hear you laugh again.

That soft, slightly breathless laugh when he said something dumb. The kind that made your nose scrunch and your eyes soften like he was the only boy in the world.

And now it was gone.

You were gone.

And he’d never hated himself more than in this moment — not when you cried, not even when he walked out of your apartment for the last time.

It was now, in the silence.

In the knowing.

That he let something extraordinary slip through his hands — and he did it thinking he’d still have time.

He thought he could fuck up and still be loved.

He thought you’d always come back.

And he was wrong.

So devastatingly, gut-wrenchingly wrong.

There’s a knock at the door.

Sharp. Twice.

Satoru doesn’t move at first. He doesn’t want to deal with anyone, let alone a hotel staff member asking if he wants fresh towels. But then the door handle turns, and only one person on earth would be both ballsy and polite enough to knock before breaking in.

Nanami.

“You look like shit,” he says bluntly, stepping inside.

Satoru doesn’t respond. Just stares ahead at nothing, still slouched against the headboard, still in yesterday’s clothes, still silent.

Nanami doesn’t expect a hello. He just sets down the takeout bag in his hand and walks over to the chair by the window, shrugging off his coat.

“You haven’t left this room in two days,” he says. “Shoko told me.”

Satoru exhales. A bitter, tired sound.

“I’ve had worse.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Nanami says, crossing one leg over the other. “But this is pathetic. Even for you.”

Satoru finally shifts — just enough to glance over.

“You came here to insult me?”

“No,” Nanami says coolly. “I came here so you’d stop marinating in your own regret like a dying poet.”

Satoru snorts.

Then falls quiet again.

A beat passes. The air is thick.

Then, without looking over, Satoru mutters:

“…You think she’ll take me back?”

Nanami doesn’t answer right away.

He leans back in the chair. Eyes him for a long, quiet second.

“No,” he says, flatly.

Satoru flinches. Just a little. Like he was hoping for something softer, even from him.

But Nanami’s never been one to sugarcoat truth.

“Not now. Maybe not ever.”

Satoru rubs a hand down his face. His fingers twitch in his lap.

“She won’t even look at me,” he says, voice low. “At the hospital, she just sat there. Like I was invisible.”

Nanami nods.

“She should.”

Satoru glances at him, brows drawn.

And Nanami continues, tone calm but cutting.

“She loved you like you hung the stars. Gave you her time, her future, her energy — all without asking for anything back. And you... what? You broke her. Because what — you got scared? Bored? Tempted?”

“I fucked up,” Satoru says, almost choking on the words. “I know that.”

“Do you?”

“Don’t do that,” he snaps. “Don’t act like I don’t care—”

“I’m not saying you don’t,” Nanami cuts in. “I’m saying caring doesn’t undo what you did.”

Satoru looks away.

Silence again.

Until finally—

“I miss her so much, Nanami.”

And this time it’s not snark. Not deflection. It’s raw. Soft. A wound speaking directly.

“I can’t sleep,” he says, eyes glossing over. “I keep checking my phone like she’s going to message. I keep thinking I’ll bump into her at that stupid bento shop she likes. I—”

He breaks off. Exhales shakily.

“I remember everything. The way she’d wake me up by pulling the blanket off. The way she’d tie her hair in a lazy bun and still look prettier than anyone else. She used to hum when she studied. I used to hate that sound but now it’s the only thing I want to hear.”

Nanami stays quiet.

Lets him spill.

“I didn’t think she’d really leave,” Satoru says, quieter now. “I thought… no matter how bad it got, she’d still—”

“But she did,” Nanami interrupts. “She did leave. Because she had to.”

Satoru clenches his jaw. Stares at the floor.

And Nanami softens — just a little.

“She loved you,” he says. “Maybe still does. But don’t confuse love with forgiveness.”

Satoru doesn’t reply.

Nanami leans forward. Folds his hands together.

“If you want her back,” he says slowly, “then fix yourself. And not for her — for you. Because the man she loved wouldn’t have done what you did. And right now, she’s mourning him.”

Satoru’s throat tightens.

And in the quiet that follows, he finally understands—

You didn’t just walk away.

You grieved him.

The version of him that held you up when the world got too loud. The boy who remembered your drink order, who studied your face like scripture, who promised you forever and meant it — once.

And now, if he ever wants you back...

He has to become him again, or lose you forever.

It started small.

The morning after Nanami’s visit, Satoru was out of bed before nine for the first time in a month.

No excuses. No dragging. He just got up.

He shaved. Trimmed the chaos that had started taking root under his jaw. Cleaned out his inbox. Replied to four different emails that had been blinking red for a week. Caught up on overdue reports. Folded the wrinkled laundry that had been thrown over the back of his couch since god-knows-when.

Old Satoru wouldn’t have done any of that.

Old Satoru would’ve rolled over, groaned, and told the world to wait.

But the old Satoru didn’t have to see you in the hallway every morning with your clipboard and your unreadable face, your footsteps quick and careful, your eyes never lingering for long.

The old Satoru didn’t know what it felt like to be invisible to the only person he still cared about.

The first few days passed slow.

Suguru still didn’t wake up. Shoko said it was normal — healing was complicated. But Satoru started showing up every evening, sitting quietly by the window, watching you from across the room as you read or dozed or just… stared.

You never acknowledged him.

He didn’t expect you to.

But that didn’t stop him from hoping.

On the third day, he brought coffee.

Two cups.

He walked into the room like it was casual, like it didn’t mean anything, even though his heart was fucking racing. He held out the one you liked — same brand, same custom syrup pump you always asked for — and waited.

You didn’t even look at it.

Just reached into your bag, pulled out your own drink, and set it next to you without a word.

Satoru stood there for a second, awkwardly holding two coffees like a dumbass.

“…Yeah, okay,” he muttered, forcing a smile. “I mean, I’ll take both. That’s fine. I’m kind of sleepy anyway.”

You didn’t respond.

Didn’t even blink.

He sat down in the corner and drank both.

It was bitter. It stung. But he drank every drop.

Later that night, he got back to his apartment and opened up his calendar for the first time in ages. Started color-coding deadlines. Deleted all the mindless things that used to fill his days — the parties, the after-work bar crawls, the late-night games that ended in blurry mornings and hangovers.

He started doing things differently.

Up early.

Work first.

Texting Nanami back on time. Saying thank you to the admin assistants. Actually sitting in team meetings without slouching and zoning out.

He didn’t tell anyone why.

Didn’t say your name.

But they all noticed.

Even the higher-ups. The ones who used to roll their eyes when he sauntered in late with sunglasses and a grin.

“About time you cleaned up,” one of them muttered when he handed in a project two days early.

Satoru didn’t react.

He just nodded.

And went back to work.

Then came the rain.

The kind that turned the city into a blur of umbrellas and blurry headlights.

He was already waiting near the hospital entrance, standing under the awning, sipping a warm can of coffee from the vending machine when he saw you coming from the crosswalk — no umbrella, shoulders hunched, phone pressed to your ear.

Instinct moved him before logic could stop it.

He jogged forward, umbrella open, arm already outstretched as he stepped into your path.

“Here,” he said gently. “Let me—”

You looked at him.

And then walked faster.

No words.

No hesitation.

Just a sharp, desperate speed-walk that ended with you darting under the building overhang, water dripping from your sleeves.

He stood there in the rain like a statue, still holding the umbrella, watching your back disappear into the building.

And he swallowed it.

Didn’t chase. Didn’t speak.

He just walked back to the vending machine.

And bought another can of coffee.

Because even if you didn’t want his help, even if you didn’t want to be near him — he did want to be better.

Not just for you.

But because he hated the version of himself you had to leave.

Back at work, things changed more.

He started showing up to staff meetings early. Left detailed notes for people who missed presentations. Picked up projects he usually would’ve pawned off. He even reached out to Suguru’s old team — offered to help cover while they waited for him to recover.

He said it was out of obligation.

But everyone knew.

It was guilt. It was hope.

It was you.

A week passed like that.

With silent coffees. Awkward hallway glances. You ignoring him in every room. And Satoru not asking for more than that.

He didn’t deserve it yet.

But he was trying.

God, he was trying.

He was halfway through a meeting when his phone buzzed.

He didn’t even glance at the caller ID. Just grabbed it, eyes still on the spreadsheet his coworker was rambling about — until he heard her voice.

“Hey,” Shoko said. She sounded… different. Lighter. Like something huge had just cracked open.

“He’s awake.”

That was all she needed to say.

Satoru didn’t respond — didn’t even bother with a “thanks” — just stood up mid-meeting, shoved his laptop shut, and practically ran out of the office with his blazer flapping behind him and a half-apology to Nanami trailing off in his wake.

The drive felt like a blur. Like time didn’t matter. The whole world melted around the edges, and all he could think about was Suguru. Awake. Breathing. Alive.

By the time he pushed through the hospital doors, his pulse was racing.

And when he reached the room—

He stopped.

You were already there.

And for the first time in a year, he saw it.

Your smile.

Not polite. Not forced. Real.

It was soft, crooked, slightly teary — the kind of smile people only made when they thought they’d lost something for good and finally got it back.

You were leaning over Suguru’s bed, whispering something that made him grin, bandaged and groggy but alive, eyes warm even through the haze of meds. Your hand was resting near his — not touching, but close enough to feel like home.

And then—

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Suguru muttered with a hoarse laugh.

Satoru blinked.

And then that grin — the old one, the bright, obnoxious, Satoru fucking Gojo grin — stretched across his face.

“Well, well, well,” he said, stepping inside like he hadn’t just been holding back tears in the hallway. “Took you long enough, Sleeping Beauty.”

Suguru snorted. “Yeah, yeah. Where’s my kiss, then?”

“Oh, don’t tempt me.”

“You’re not my type.”

Satoru laughed. It came out louder than he meant, unfiltered and boyish and almost too much — but Suguru chuckled too, and suddenly, it felt like college again. Like rooftops and vending machine snacks and stupid inside jokes that never really left them.

They bantered for a while — something about Suguru's gross hospital food, how Shoko would definitely milk this for free drinks, how Nanami probably scolded the surgeon about punctuality. You giggled under your breath once or twice.

And then—

He looked at you.

And this time, you didn’t look away.

Your eyes found his.

And you smiled.

Small. Hesitant. But bright.

Like maybe… maybe this didn’t have to be permanent.

Like maybe, just maybe, there was still something left.

Something worth rebuilding.

Satoru’s breath caught in his throat — just for a second. Just long enough for his chest to swell, full of something warm and familiar and just a little bit fragile.

Because after all the silence, all the avoidance, all the cold hallway glances and slammed doors in the rain —

You were looking at him again.

And smiling.

And for the first time in over a year, Satoru felt alive.

Shoko and you had already gone.

Just one visitor at a time, per the doctor’s rules — the earlier exception was rare and temporary. So now, it was just Satoru and Suguru. Quiet between them. The hospital room had dimmed, the sun finally starting to fall behind the skyline, painting the walls soft orange and grey.

Satoru sat by the window, legs stretched out, fingers loosely linked in his lap.

Suguru cleared his throat, careful of the soreness still in his ribs.

“She smiled at you.”

Satoru blinked. Looked up. “Huh?”

Suguru smirked faintly. “Just now. You didn’t notice?”

He had.

Of course he had. He’d been thinking about it since the moment it happened.

“I noticed,” Satoru murmured.

Suguru looked at him for a moment longer. Then, without preamble, he asked, “You’ve talked to her at all?”

Satoru sighed. Shook his head.

“She won’t speak to me,” he said, voice low. “Barely looks at me. I’ve tried. Not with words, not yet. But... I’ve tried.”

Suguru raised a brow. “Tried how?”

That’s when Satoru leaned back in the chair, ran a hand through his hair, and really spoke — for the first time in what felt like years.

“I stopped waiting for her to forgive me,” he said. “Started working on being someone who deserves it. Even if I never get it.”

He paused. Swallowed thickly.

“I started showing up to work early. Got ahead of deadlines. I picked up your old assignments, handled team rotations, replied to every message Nanami ever complained I ignored. I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since the day she ran in the rain to avoid standing under my umbrella.”

Suguru blinked.

“She what?”

“Yeah,” Satoru laughed once, bitter. “I waited at the hospital entrance like some fool with an umbrella, and she just looked at me… and ran. Didn’t say a word.”

Suguru tried not to smile, but it tugged at his lips anyway.

“I’ve been bringing her coffee sometimes,” Satoru added. “Doesn’t take it. She brings her own now. Same order, but not from our place.”

Another pause.

“I know I don’t deserve her,” he said. “And I know what I did was—” He stopped. Breathed. “It was more than a mistake. It was selfish. Cowardly. I broke something that took four years to build just because I didn’t know how to sit with my own fear. She gave me everything. Even when she was tired. Even when I didn’t thank her. And I...”

He trailed off again. This time, when he looked up, his voice cracked a little.

“I’d give anything to hear her call me Toru again.”

Suguru looked at him for a long time. The kind of look only someone who’s known you your whole life can give — layered with exhaustion, history, love, and disappointment.

“I hated what you did,” he said plainly. “Still do.”

Satoru nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”

“But,” Suguru added, “I’ve also never seen you like this.”

Satoru blinked.

“I mean it,” he continued. “You’ve always had your charm, your talent, your big talk. But this... this quiet version of you, the one who's finally earning things instead of expecting them handed over with a smile — she would’ve loved to see this.”

“I’m too late,” Satoru said, rubbing his thumb against the corner of his lip. “She’s moved on. Or worse — she’s numb to me.”

“I don’t think she’s numb.”

Satoru looked at him.

“I think she’s scared,” Suguru said. “You broke her, Satoru. And people don’t just bounce back from that. But I also think... if she didn’t still feel something, she wouldn’t have come back to see me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

Another beat.

“You want her back?” Suguru asked.

“With everything I have.”

“Then don’t rush it. Don’t corner her. And don’t try to be the man you were before. Be the man she should’ve had all along.”

Satoru exhaled shakily. “What if I don’t know how?”

“You do,” Suguru said, with a tired, certain smile. “You’ve already started.”

And for the first time in months, Satoru didn’t feel like he was drowning in regret.

He felt like maybe — just maybe — he was finally learning how to swim.

You just needed five minutes.

Five minutes away from the machines and the disinfectant, the humming lights, the weight of watching Suguru sleep like if you looked away, he’d disappear again.

So you stepped outside. Coffee in hand. Hoodie pulled up. The sky above Tokyo already dimming into something slate grey, the kind of quiet that warns you rain’s on its way.

You were halfway down the path to the little hospital garden when it happened.

A stranger — tall, in a rush, barely looking — bumped into you shoulder-first. Your hand jolted. Coffee sloshed over your sweater, hot and bitter and ruining the one piece of comfort you had on your body.

“Oh— shit, I’m sorry,” the guy muttered, already walking backward, not even waiting for you to respond.

You stood there, stunned. Chest heaving just slightly. Coffee dripping down your sleeves. Fingers clenched. And not because of the spill — not really.

It was everything else. It was the year that gutted you. The ache that didn’t leave. The fact that you still woke up thinking about someone who ripped you in half like it was an accident.

And then, of course—

“You okay?”

You froze.

Your heart didn’t. It stuttered like it remembered something you didn’t ask it to.

He jogged the last few steps toward you, eyes flicking to your shirt, the wet stain already starting to cool against your skin.

“I’ve got clothes in my car,” he said, breath a little rushed. “I can grab you something, a hoodie or—”

“No. Forget it.”

He blinked.

You didn’t mean to sound so sharp, but it just came out. Too fast, too raw.

“I was just—trying to help—”

“Well, don’t.”

Silence.

You hated this. Hated how his face fell just slightly, like he thought this was going to be the moment. Like he thought a fucking coffee stain was his chance.

You looked at the ground. Then at your hand. Then at him.

“Stay away from me. Okay?”

He didn’t move.

You clenched your jaw.

“I mean it.”

The wind picked up then — brushing past both of you, pulling your sleeves tighter against your arms. A low grumble of thunder rolled in the distance.

He looked like he wanted to say something.

But he didn’t.

Just stood there, watching you like you were the last thing in the world he had left.

You turned around.

And walked back toward the hospital doors.

And behind you, the rain started to fall.

You’d been back and forth from the hospital so often the nurses started to smile at you with tired recognition. Suguru was awake now — groggy, healing, but talking. That alone gave you something to hold onto.

But not enough to block him out.

Because lately, Satoru didn’t hide anymore.

He used to linger. Hang back. Leave a coffee on the bench like it was some apology in disguise.

Now?

Now he waited.

Held doors open for you. Walked behind you in the hallway — not too close, not enough to make you speak, but just there.

The day after the coffee spill, he showed up to the hospital with a bag of clothes.

Not from his car. Not his oversized hoodies or a stupid t-shirt you used to wear to sleep.

New. Folded. In your size. With a little tag still clipped to the collar.

“I didn’t know what color you liked anymore,” he said, holding the bag out. “So I got black. That was always safe, right?”

You didn’t take it.

Not then.

But when you left for the day, it wasn’t in the trash. It was sitting beside the hospital chair, and somehow — somehow — it made its way back with you.

Two days later, it was raining again.

You forgot your umbrella that time. Too distracted. Rushed out.

He didn’t speak when he met you at the exit, already holding his over your head.

Didn’t smile either.

Just walked beside you.

Both of you quiet under the small circle of plastic shelter, boots splashing through puddles. You didn’t say thank you. He didn’t ask for it.

That night, you sat at your hotel desk and stared at the wet umbrella in the corner like it was some kind of ghost.

By the third day, he started showing up with food.

He remembered your old orders — which you hated him for. Because it meant he remembered everything else too. Where you used to sit in cafés. How you hated olives. That weird way you always had to drink something cold with something hot.

He knew all of it.

And he used it.

Not to manipulate you. Not to beg.

Just to be there.

You tried to ignore it. You did.

You’d leave the food untouched sometimes, let the hospital staff take it, or give it to Shoko. You acted like it didn’t bother you.

But it did.

Because it meant he still knew how to take care of you.

And part of you hated how much you noticed.

The dark circles under his eyes. The way he didn’t laugh like he used to. The way he looked at Suguru — with real warmth, like he was scared to blink and lose him — and the way his gaze would flick to you after, like he was already bracing for heartbreak.

He didn’t flirt. Didn’t joke.

He just… showed up.

Every time.

And it was getting harder and harder to pretend you didn’t feel it too.

Not forgiveness.

But the ache.

The memory of what he used to be — what you used to be — before it all shattered.

And the quiet, unspoken truth that he was trying now, when it might already be too late.

You weren’t expecting anyone to be there.

Not outside your door. Not after a long, emotionally draining day at the hospital, not after hours of trying to convince yourself that you were fine. That ignoring him was working. That time was doing what it always promised to do — make things easier.

But there he was.

Leaning against the wall outside your hotel room, like he had nowhere else to go.

A single tulip in his hand.

Your favorite. The kind you used to tell him reminded you of quiet mornings and fresh starts. Of spring.

He looked up the second your footsteps approached — like he’d been listening for them. Waiting.

You froze.

He straightened up. Didn’t smile. Didn’t speak.

Just held out the flower.

You blinked at him. Your fingers tightened around your hotel key.

“Who told you I lived here?” you muttered, mostly to yourself.

He didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

You stepped closer to your door, ignoring the way your heart slammed in your chest. You tried to brush past him, to get your key in the lock, but—

“It’s just a flower,” he said quietly. “It’s not a promise. Not a trap. Just something you used to like.”

You stilled.

Just for a second.

And then, slowly, without looking at him, you took the flower.

Walked inside.

And tossed it to the floor.

Didn’t even look to see where it landed — just stepped over it, like it didn’t mean anything. Like he didn’t.

You didn’t expect him to follow.

But he did.

The second you turned around, he shut the door behind him, slow and careful like he knew you were ready to kick him out the second you had the breath to do it.

You stared at him.

He stared back.

“The fuck are you doing here?” you snapped, voice sharp, brittle.

He didn’t flinch. “I just— I needed to see you.”

“You have been seeing me, Satoru,” you said, stepping back like his presence alone was suffocating. “Hospitals. Hallways. Coffee stands. I told you not to talk to me.”

“I haven’t said a word.”

“But you’ve been everywhere.”

Your voice cracked. Just barely. But enough to make you hate the way your throat tightened.

You looked away.

He stepped forward once. Hesitant. Like he was moving through water.

“You deserved more than a quiet apology. More than coffee cups and umbrellas. You deserved—”

“I didn’t ask for anything from you,” you snapped, eyes burning. “I didn’t want flowers. I didn’t want closure. I wanted distance.”

He looked like he was holding himself together with thread.

“You think showing up with my favorite flower is going to fix anything?” you laughed — bitter, breathless. “You think being visible makes up for what you did?”

His mouth parted like he wanted to argue.

But he didn’t.

Because you weren’t done.

“I came here to forget. I came here to make sure I never softened again— and all you’ve done since Suguru opened his eyes is push yourself back into places you don’t belong.”

“I never stopped belonging to you,” he said.

The room went still.

You stared at him. Heart thudding. Eyes hot. Rage swallowing you whole.

But somewhere, under all of it — you noticed the way he looked at you like this was the last time.

Like every second he stood in that room hurt, nd you hated it.

Because no matter how hard you tried — You still noticed, and that was the worst part.

You didn’t mean to scream.

But it ripped out of you like it had been clawing at your chest for months, desperate for air.

“Get out of my fucking life, Satoru!”

His eyes widened — but he didn’t move.

“I don’t fucking need you,” you yelled, your voice breaking, fists shaking at your sides. “I never will again.”

He didn’t believe it. You knew he didn’t. Not with the way your throat closed mid-sentence, not when your eyes were already stinging.

And that only made it worse.

“You’re so fucking stubborn,” you spat, pacing the small room, barely able to breathe. “Why can’t you just—just stay away? Why can’t you let me go?”

Your hands shot up to your forehead, wrists pressed to your skin like you could hold the emotions in if you squeezed hard enough. But it didn’t help.

Nothing did.

Because you were crumbling.

“I don’t want to feel like this again,” you gasped, pacing tighter circles now, stumbling through your own grief. “I don’t want to be soft again, Satoru—don’t you get it?”

You turned to him, eyes wide, heart pounding, tears now streaming down your cheeks.

“I didn’t want to notice anymore. I didn’t want to see you and remember how good it used to be. I didn’t want to feel that pull again. Because I know myself—”

You sobbed. A sharp, guttural sound that broke through your teeth.

“I know I’ll always have something for you. Even after everything.”

He stepped forward — slowly, carefully, like he wasn’t sure if you’d let him.

But when his hand reached out toward you—

“Don’t fucking touch me!” you shrieked, jerking back like he’d burned you.

He froze.

“You don’t get to do this,” you cried. “Not after what you said. Not after what you did to me.”

Your voice cracked again, trembling, wet, filled with everything you swore you’d never let him hear.

“You can’t just fucking bring me coffee and expect I’ll forgive you,” you hissed. “You don’t get to barge into my life again with your sad fucking eyes and think I’ll forget what it felt like to be nothing to you.”

The yelling stopped, but your sobbing didn’t. Your arms wrapped around yourself as you stumbled back against the wall, as if holding your own body together was the only thing keeping you standing.

“You know how hard I love,” you whispered, voice shaking like glass. “You know it’s hard for me to say no to you.”

Your head fell forward. Shoulders trembling. “Why are you doing this to me?”

He didn’t answer.

“Why are you still coming back into my life,” you choked, “when you already tore it apart?”

You looked up at him, vision blurred, throat aching.

“You weren’t the one who gave everything only to realize our relationship was a fucking accident.”

He flinched at that.

“You weren’t the one who carried that.”

You shook your head, tears slipping down your chin. “You knew how to get me. You always knew. One sorry. One fucking flower. One ‘please,’ and suddenly I’m right back where I started.”

You laughed through the tears — bitter, hopeless.

“The resentment. The hatred. It just—goes quiet. Like my whole world starts spinning again, just because you showed up.”

Your hands dropped to your sides. Exhausted. Done.

“You’re a fucking jerk, Satoru.”

And he just stood there.

Soaking in the wreckage.

Because for the first time—

You weren’t holding back.

You didn’t expect him to move.

Not at first.

He stood there, staring at you like you’d just ripped open his chest and finally saw what was left inside. His jaw clenched. His lips parted, then shut again — like he didn’t know where to start. Like he knew anything he said might make it worse.

But then—

His voice.

Soft. So soft it barely made it past the space between you.

“I didn’t know how empty I was until you left.”

Your stomach twisted.

He took a step forward. One foot, then the other — careful. Heavy.

“I thought I could handle it. That if I gave you time, maybe I’d stop missing you. That maybe it would hurt less.”

He shook his head.

“But it never did.”

You stayed still.

He looked down. Fingers twitching at his sides, knuckles pale.

“I tried to be better. I tried to become the kind of man you’d be proud of. Not because I thought it would fix things—” His voice broke, barely audible. “—but because I needed to believe I could still be someone good… someone worth the way you loved me.”

Your chest tightened.

He looked up again, blue eyes shining under the weight of his own shame.

“I used to think I was the strongest man alive,” he whispered. “And then I lost you. And I’ve never felt weaker.”

The first tear rolled down.

He didn’t wipe it.

Didn’t flinch.

His lips just pulled into that soft, pouty line you’d seen so many times — when he was tired, or sad, or trying not to cry. His mouth trembled.

“I miss you.”

He said it like a prayer.

“I fucking miss you.”

And then — slowly, quietly — he sank to his knees.

Like his body couldn’t carry the weight of it anymore.

He knelt in front of you, looking up with eyes red and full of longing. His hands limp in his lap. His head tilted up, lips trembling, tears streaming down now — silent, steady, shameless.

Your heart cracked in half.

He was beautiful like this. Broken, yearning, soft in a way only you ever got to see. No bravado. No charm. Just the real Satoru — the boy who used to cling to your pinky finger in public like it made him braver. The man who used to fall asleep with his head on your lap, mumbling how he didn’t know how to love right, but he was trying for you.

You didn’t realize you were reaching for him until your thumb wiped the tear from his cheek.

He flinched, just slightly — like he couldn’t believe you touched him.

And still, he kept talking. Barely holding his breath between words.

“I think about you every morning I wake up. Every time I order coffee. Every time I hear someone laugh the way you used to in the car when I played stupid songs.”

He shook his head, more tears slipping out.

“I don’t want anyone else. I never did. Even when I fucked up—god, even then—there wasn’t a second I didn’t regret it.”

You stayed standing.

But your hand… lingered.

Fingertips brushing against the skin beneath his eye, now damp and warm.

He didn’t move.

Didn’t reach for you.

Just knelt there.

Crying for you.

“Please,” he whispered. “Please, Y/N. I know I don’t deserve it. But just… don’t hate me anymore.”

And you could see it in him — every single piece of him cracked wide open, still loving you, still begging you to love him back.

You didn’t speak right away.

You just stared down at him — knees on your hotel floor, eyes wet, face flushed, holding back nothing for once.

It would’ve been easier if he stayed the Satoru you hated. The one you left behind. The one who shattered you.

But he wasn’t.

He was this Satoru. The one crying at your feet like his entire world was on pause, waiting for your voice to bring it back to life.

And suddenly, the fear that had kept you cold for so long — the armor you wore so well — began to crack.

You opened your mouth.

It didn’t come out strong.

“I’m scared,” you whispered.

His head lifted — just enough to meet your eyes. His bottom lip quivered. The quietest breath left his mouth.

“I know.”

You let your hand drop from his cheek. Watched it hang at your side, useless.

“I’m scared of losing myself again,” you murmured. “Of giving everything and watching it fall apart like it never mattered.”

He shook his head quickly, kneeling taller, hands still trembling in his lap.

“I swear to you,” he said, voice hoarse, “I’m not that man anymore. I don’t want anything else. I don’t care about perfect or easy or clean. I just—”

He looked up at you like you were oxygen. Like he was afraid to blink.

“I’m half a heart without you.”

You exhaled — sharp, shaky, gut-deep.

“And I’ve been walking around like I’m fine, like I’m whole,” he went on, voice trembling, “but I’m not. I’m fucking not, Y/N. I haven’t been since the night I left your doorstep.”

You bit down on your lip, eyes stinging.

“I think about it every day,” he whispered. “How cold you looked. How strong you were for letting me go. And I’d give everything just to go back and make you feel safe again.”

Silence.

You let it linger between you.

And then, with the gentlest breath — a thread of sound caught between sorrow and love — you said it.

“Oh, Toru…”

The moment it left your lips, his hands found your waist.

His arms wrapped around you like muscle memory, like prayer.

And he pressed his face to your stomach, forehead resting against the fabric of your shirt as he sobbed — not loudly, not violently, just finally.

Your hands trembled as they threaded into his hair.

You held him.

You held him like you used to — with everything you were. With love and hurt and history all tangled in your fingers. Your thumb stroked the nape of his neck. Your other hand stayed pressed gently to his crown.

Neither of you spoke.

You didn’t need to.

Because something heavy — something unspoken and unbearable — lifted from both your shoulders.

It didn’t make it simple.

It didn’t make it right.

But it made it real.

And in that moment — knees to floor, arms wrapped tight, breath stuttering between you — love didn’t feel like weakness anymore.

dividers by, @cafekitsune

[all-with-angel]

"Could we get that?"

Summary: In which he says No to you buying something, but it backfires badly (request!)

Including: Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Toji, Sukuna

Content: crack, hurt/comfort, gn!reader

w.c. 500ish each || Masterlist || MDNI.

“Could we get that?”

He followed your gaze, eyes skimming the display before flicking back to you. And then he did something you should've expected.

He shrugged. “Nah.”

Your heart stuttered. “Oh,” you said, blinking once. “Okay. Sorry.” You dropped his hand before continuing to walk forward, not once looking back at display or him, for that matter, as both guilt and shame built up in your chest.

❥ SATORU GOJO

The moment he realized you were actually upset over it, he felt his heart drop out of his ass. He stood there, dumbfounded as he stared at your retreating figure that slumped slightly forward. The sight reminded him of something that he swore would never let happen again- No, he won’t get left behind again.

He raced over to your side. “No, wait- baby, wait, heyheyheyyyy-” His voice pitched up, breathless and rushed. “It was a joke! A prank! I was kidding! Of course we can get it, are you kidding me? You want the whole shelf? I’ll buy the whole store if you want it!”

His heart went wild. His hands fumbled for yours again, touch feather-light like he was afraid you’d pull away for good. He cranked the dramatics to eleven. If he had to dig himself out of this hole with the fluffiest, most excessive display of affection in human history, then so be it.

He spun you towards him, before literally dropping to his knees. In the middle of the mall, in broad daylight, by the way.

“I have made a terrible mistake,” he cried, throwing his arms around your waist and pressing his face into your stomach and sobbing like a man who had just lost everything. “I’M SORRYYYY- PLEASE forgive me. I was blinded by hubris. My arrogance has cost me the love of my life.”

He cried dramatically, much to your horror. You smacked him, panic and embarrassment replacing the insecurity in your chest.

It didn’t stop him though, he continued whining and apologizing- Promising to buy you the entire mall and then some more, which terrified you, because he could. At some point, you just tried walking off in an attempt to get him off of you. It failed, and backfired. Because as you attempted to walk away, he was just dragged across the floor with his arms still wrapped tight around you. He never stopped apologizing, promising grander and grander things every other second.

In the end, you ended up consoling him. You had to reassure him that you were okay now, and that you’d continue to ask him for things again and again. All the while he laid his head on your lap after you two got a very expensive spa date.

“Promise?” He sniffed.

“Yes, Satoru. I promise to ask you for things even if I barely want or need them,” You recited, memorizing the words after repeating them a hundred times over already. “-And I won’t feel bad for spending money with your black card.” The thought of doing that sent a pang of guilt through you, but it didn’t compare to the exasperation you felt after saying it over and over again. Maybe getting spoiled once in a while all the time wasn’t so bad.

❥ SUGURU GETO

He hadn’t expected it to hit you like that- he really hadn’t. It was a joke, a stupid little prank the girls had convinced him to do. They were giggling and nodding along and he couldn’t say no to his girls, now could he? Like a fool.

And his stomach twisted as he watched your expression drop. Suguru wanted to say something, his mouth opening but the words were caught in his throat as he watched you walk away.

“Daaad,” Nanako complained, tugging at his sleeve.

“You made them sad,” Mimiko whispered, her lip jutting out as she stared after you. “That wasn’t funny.”

Suguru blinked, looking down at both of them. Weren’t they the ones who suggested this? “And you didn’t even say it right,” Nanako added dramatically, arms crossed. “You were too serious.”

“Yeah,” Mimiko nodded. “Now you have to fix it.”

Both girls had already rushed ahead to walk beside you, gripping the edge of your coat and pouting up at you like you were the sun and they were clouds desperate to stay close. Little traitors. Now they were talking about how Mean Suguru was and how he’d make up for it.

What further broke his heart was how you reassured the girls, saying that it was fine and you shouldn’t ask for such expensive things so randomly like that. That made the girls pout, glaring back at him as if he put that idea in your head. Okay, maybe he deserved that though. Suguru hated that way of thinking of yours. Hated that for a split second, you thought you had to apologize for wanting something so small.

Luckily, the girls had shown their mercy towards him and started dragging you towards the display you were pointing at, saying that they wanted it too- And that you should match with them.

Suguru had made sure to pay for it immediately, taking your hand in his as he apologized. “You shouldn’t have had to apologize,” he said simply. “I’m sorry, it was a stupid prank.” He glanced towards the girls, who looked away to definitely look at other displays.

His eyes were on yours again, offering a soft but guilty smile. “You never have to earn anything from me. Not affection, not gifts, not a yes. You ask, and if it makes you smile, it’s already mine to give.”

By the end of the day, you were tired. You had walked around the mall for nearly 3 hours straight as the girls dragged you from one shop to the next, each time coming out with more bags than ever. 

None of them were held by you, Suguru had made sure of that. He was carrying a comical amount of bags and whenever you’d try to say something about it- About anything about this being too much, something you didn’t deserve, he’d gently shut it down and he nudged you towards the girls who were already looking at some cute plushies you’d like.

❥ KENTO NANAMI

Nanami realized the mistake the moment your fingers slipped from his.

He hadn’t expected you to let go so easily. Or for your voice to drop so small. He thought you’d laugh- roll your eyes and nudge him, maybe pout a little and say, “C’mon, don’t be stingy.” That’s what he’d expected. What he hadn’t expected was the way your expression shuttered, the way your shoulders stiffened like you were preparing for disappointment.

It had been a joke. A dry one, maybe poorly delivered, but harmless in intent. Just a shrug, a simple “nah” meant to be followed by a small chuckle.

God.

He hated himself a little, right then.

He caught up to you silently, his long strides swallowing the distance in seconds. He called your name softly, gently grabbing your wrist. When you turned to look at him, your face was schooled into something polite and a little too distant. The edges of your mouth tried to rise into a smile, but it didn’t quite reach your eyes.

“I was joking, darling,” he said softly, finally. “I didn’t mean it.”

Still, you didn’t fully relax. You just gave a small shrug, like it didn’t matter. “It’s fine, I didn’t need it anyway.”

He exhaled, frowning deeply now, before tugging you into the direction the two of you came from. Your eyes widened in panic, immediately repeating that it was fine, that he didn’t need to, that you seriously didn’t need it. It didn’t stop him though, he continued on with you in tow and bought it. When he handed it to you, his gaze softened.

“You never have to apologize for asking for something, especially not with me. I want to give you things. I want you to feel safe asking.”

Before you could open your mouth to go against him, he continued. “You deserve to be spoiled,” He let the item rest in your hands. “I’ll do better next time.”

“It’s yours,” he said, offering it to you without fanfare, but with the quiet weight of sincerity. “And I want you to enjoy it. No guilt. No apologies.”

You sighed, relaxing and holding what you wanted in your hands, wrapped in a paper bag.

Kento Nanami - 1, Your insecurity - 0.

❥ TOJI FUSHIGURO

Toji had done it as a joke. Hell, he’d been messing around with you like this for as long as he could remember, teasing, pulling pranks that always ended with laughter and you rolling your eyes at him. But this? This wasn’t what he’d expected.

He fucked up. He rubbed a hand over his face, cursing under his breath. 

It only took him a moment to catch up with you, his long stride easily closing the gap, but when he reached you, he hesitated. He could tell you weren’t looking for an apology, not really—that would probably only make things worse. You were too polite for that, too considerate to make a big deal out of something like this.

But Toji was never one to let something slide. Not when it involved you.

So now, you found yourself being held hostage cuddled with one arm as Toji scrolled through your favorite online shops. You were snug in the crook of his arm, your legs tossed over his lap, cheek pressed against his chest. His fingers curled possessively around your waist. You had stopped struggling half an hour ago, knowing he wouldn’t budge.

“Toji- ” you started, voice soft.

“Shhh.” He continued scrolling on the phone, angling it so it was in your view. “Pick.”

“Toji, I don’t want anything-” You tried again- yes, he had been doing this for almost an hour. Making you pick out at a minimum of 5 things from every online shop he knew you liked.

“You heard me,” he said, voice low and firm. “Or I’ll pick everything out for you.”

“No!” You shouted, groaning as you slumped further into him. “It wasn’t even a big deal, I shouldn’t have-”

“It was a big deal,” he said, interrupting, his hand rubbing up and down your back with slow pressure. “I was joking, you took it seriously. Yknow I’d do anything for you, right?”

You swallowed thickly, biting your lip.

“I was tryna be funny,” he went on, quieter now. “But I didn’t realize I fucked it up that bad.”

“You didn’t- ”

“I did.” His tone left no room for argument. “And you felt bad for feelin’ bad. That ain’t right either.”

You sighed. “I just overreacted.”

“I don’t care if you cried in the middle of the damn store, I still would’ve been wrong.” He nudged your cheek with his chin. “Now pick your shit or I’ll do it for you.”

“...Fine.”

❥ SUKUNA RYOUMEN

Sukuna watched you walk ahead, your hand slipping from his like it had never belonged there in the first place. His hand twitched, flexing as if readying to cut someone up on instinct. He felt angry, but not exactly at you. Maybe at your brain, how you thought.

What the hell was that?- The hell do you mean, sorry?

Sukuna’s jaw ticked, crimson eyes narrowing as he tried to process what just happened. He could still see the display in the corner of his vision—the thing you wanted, whatever the hell it was. He hadn’t even looked properly. Just heard the tone in your voice, that soft, hopeful question, and thought, yeah, this’ll be funny.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. He didn’t speak much. Not because he was mad—but because he didn’t know what the fuck to say. He kept stealing glances at you. Watching you act like nothing happened. Quiet. Polite. Distant. Like you were doing your best not to take up space.

Sukuna hated it.

The next morning, you woke up to something absurd.

It started with a faint rustle beside the bed. You blinked your eyes open, brow furrowing, the sunlight just beginning to spill through the window. You groaned and turned over, feeling for your husband- Who was uncharacteristically not sleeping and warm beside you.

Instead, your eyes widened when you saw what was on the bedside. Not just the thing you wanted from the store yesterday.

But that plus a mountain of other gifts. Carefully stacked, painstakingly arranged—clothes, snacks, trinkets, plushies, books you’d mentioned offhandedly. Stuff that couldn’t have been pulled together overnight unless someone went on a tear through every store within ten miles and burned through money like it was paper.

Sitting beside it all, arms crossed, lip curled in a dramatic scowl… was Sukuna. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

You sat up, letting the blanket fall from your shoulders, mouth agape. “Sukuna…”

“It’s not a big deal,” he growled, red eyes darting away like they were allergic to your expression. “You wanted that dumb thing. So I got it. And the rest was- was just there. It was all on sale, probably. I didn’t check.”

Your gaze swept over the pile again. Some of it was very obviously not on sale. Limited edition. Imported. Things you’d only mentioned once while scrolling late at night. You looked back at him—and found him staring at the floor now, like he couldn’t bear to meet your eyes.

“Sukuna,” you said again, softer this time.

He let out a slow breath, tension sagging from his shoulders. “I didn’t mean it.” He grumbled. “Sorry.”

You swallowed. “Sukuna, it’s fine, this-” you motioned towards the pile of gifts. “This is too much for me! I didn’t mean to upset you, I overreacted anyway-”

He clicked his tongue. “You didn’t.” He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “I did. But it’s not like you were bein’ dramatic or anything. You just… looked like I kicked your damn puppy.”

“I wasn’t mad.”

“That’s worse!” he snapped, gesturing at you like you’d committed some unspeakable offense. “You weren’t mad. You were just-” hurt. He didn’t like it. “...Not happy.”

Your gaze softened. “You could’ve just said something there.”

He grunted. “Whatever.” He nudged one of the boxes towards you with his foot, it was wrapped in a pretty pink bow. “Open them.”

A.N. 😼😼😼 I enjoyed this one too much, thankyou for the request moonie ml <3

[rawjutsu]

i wanna fuck! (w/ diluc)

― a sneaky abyss mage hits you with an aphrodisiac on a day out with master diluc!

pairing: diluc x afab reader

the sun had barely crested over the hills when you and diluc stepped out into the vineyard. the dawn light shimmered golden across the fields, dew still clinging to the leaves. the baskets on your arms were already half-filled with bursting grapes and blackberries, their skins shiny and sweet from the midsummer heat.

it was a soft, easy morning. birds chirped lazily in the distance, and diluc—ever the stoic romantic—stayed quiet but close, occasionally brushing his hand over yours to steady a ladder or slipping you a berry when he thought you weren’t looking. you knew he loved mornings like this. alone with you, no knights, no chaos—just the slow rhythm of hands brushing fruit from vine.

until it wasn’t.

the abyss mages came without warning. shadows in the trees, curling frost, sickly blue runes lighting up midair. diluc dropped his basket instantly, stepping in front of you with one hand out and his claymore drawn in the other.

he made quick work of them—fire slicing through their shields, sending their bodies crumpling into dark mist. but one of them, a mage with a cracked mask and trembling hands, let off a final spell before disintegrating. a soft pulse of violet light hit diluc square in the chest.

no fire. no visible wounds. just… nothing.

you ran to him the second the last one dropped. “are you okay? did it hurt?”

he shook his head, slow and heavy, like he was underwater. “no. it didn’t… hurt. just… strange.”

that’s when you noticed the sweat beading at his brow. the tight grip he had on his gloves. the fact that he wouldn’t look you in the eyes.

“diluc?”

his jaw flexed. he was breathing harder now. shoulders trembling. and when he did glance your way, it was with a gaze that made your stomach twist—a dark, starved kind of hunger, like he was trying very, very hard not to pounce.

“i think it was… some kind of aphrodisiac.”

you blinked. “what?”

he swallowed thickly, voice low and hoarse. “you need to go back to the estate. now.”

“but—”

“i can’t—” his voice cracked. “i want to touch you so badly, i can barely think. if i lose control, i—fuck—”

that’s when he lunged.

your back hit the tree trunk hard, the bark scraping against your spine as diluc pinned you, mouth crashing into yours with a raw, desperate growl. it was nothing like the usual soft, hesitant kisses you’d grown used to—this was messy and frantic, teeth clashing, hands tearing at your clothes like they were in the way of something essential.

he groaned when his fingers slipped under your skirt, cupping your ass and hauling you up, forcing your legs to wrap around his waist. “you smell… so fucking good—like sun and sugar—like mine.”

“then take me,” you whispered, nails digging into his shoulders, breath catching when you felt the thick heat of him grinding against your core through his trousers. “i’m not scared, diluc. please.”

he growled again—low and ragged—and shoved your panties aside, guiding himself to your dripping entrance with shaking hands. his tip rubbed up and down your slit, catching at your hole as he fought to stay sane.

“i’m going to ruin you,” he warned. “right here. against this fucking tree.”

“yes,” you breathed. “do it. ruin me.”

and then he slammed into you.

you cried out—half-shocked, half-wrecked—as he bottomed out in a single thrust, stuffing you full with the kind of thickness that left you shaking. he didn’t pause. didn’t wait. just dragged back and slammed in again, again, again—using your body like he couldn’t stop, like he’d go mad if he did.

the tree bark scraped your back with every thrust. his grip on your thighs was bruising. his mouth found your neck and bit, hard enough to make you whimper, to leave a mark that screamed taken.

“you’re so tight—fuck—it’s like your cunt’s sucking me in,” he growled, rutting into you with brutal, unforgiving pace. “look at you—fucking soaking for me—like you want me to breed you.”

“maybe i do,” you gasped, clinging to him as he fucked you harder, faster. “maybe i want you to fill me up in the middle of the vineyard like a slut—like your little wine-stained whore.”

that broke him.

he fucked you like a beast in heat after that—hips pistoning, cock hitting so deep you saw stars. he was sweating, panting, whispering things he’d never say if he wasn’t out of his mind.

“mine. you’re mine. say it—say you want me to breed you right here, with the birds watching. with my cum dripping down your thighs when i carry you home.”

you sobbed out a yes, back arching, body clenching tight around him. the pleasure was searing—each thrust sent your nerves sparking, each word made your brain fog deeper.

and then he reached down, thumb rubbing fast, tight circles over your clit. “come on. let go. i wanna feel you squeeze me while i fill you up. be good. be mine.”

you shattered.

your orgasm hit you like a wave, cry ripped from your throat as your walls clamped down on his cock, spasming wildly. that finally pushed him over the edge—he groaned, hips jerking as he spilled inside you, hot and heavy, thick spurts painting your insides.

he didn’t pull out. just stayed there, buried deep, arms shaking as he held you against the tree like you were the only thing tethering him to the earth.

“fuck,” he whispered against your skin. “i’m so sorry. i didn’t—”

“don’t,” you murmured, wrapping your arms around his neck. “that was hot. you should get spellbound more often.”

he huffed a laugh, face still flushed, still buried in your neck.

“i’m never letting you wear that skirt again.”