#idk if i like the ending but i wrote this in a span of an hour 💔💔

[omenics]

Hello! I think your Carmilla writing was really nice and was wondering if you could do a request for Alucard, where the reader was also there to help beat his father but stayed behind with him for support etc., a soft romantic relationship would be lovely.

Thank you and don't feel pressured to write this.

𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄.

› ..tender moments with your beloved. — sorry this took so long! but here it is. written with fem reader in mind, but written as gn. lmk if i missed anything/used gendered terms for reader!

“It’s late.”

“Vampires don’t need to sleep.” His voice was quiet. Soft. The fire roared beside him, but your night clothes were thin, and even with the flames you shivered.

“You are not a full vampire,” you stated. “You can enjoy the simple luxuries that sleep offers. Come to bed.”

Your final words came close to a plea, a beg, to which he sighed at. He could not refuse such a simple offer, especially not from you as you stood in the doorway, arms crossed as you watched him carefully. He would not hurt you, you knew this, but you watched him. You watched his slight movements and twitches, watched his chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. God, he was perfect. Even in the tranquil time of twelve o’clock with dishevelled hair and tired eyes, he was perfect.

He was silent for a while, wood crackling to fill the void.

“Okay,” he said, and he stood. The book in his pale hands shut, and his gaze lingered on the fireplace before he turned to you. His frame was illuminated in an orange light, twinkled with gold that pronounced his blond hair, and his features.

A smile played at your lips, corners twitching up as you moved towards him, taking his pale hands in yours. They were cold, or colder than most. But they were still steady, and you held them with a familiar touch. Your thumbs swiped across the back of his hands, caressing the pale skin as your eyes darted up to his. “Good.” You said, smiling. “Come, the bed had gotten cold. I will need someone to warm me,” you joked, and he let out a breath. A soft smile, different to your coy grin made its way to his face before he shook his head at you.

“Ah, I see.” Adrian mused. “You only wish for me to be a bedwarmer. How hurt am I.” You chuckled at his words, laugh quiet. Your shoulders shook slightly, and your grin grew.

“Precisely. Now come, my love. Join me.” And he did, leaving the hearth of the fire and into a cold, cold bed waiting minute by minute to be warmed by two lovesick idiots.

[the-writing-ninja]

Blueprints

[Synopsis: Samuraishipping confession (Nya x Pixal)]

----------------------------------------------

[A bright and sunny day, Kai and Nya are out in the monastery's training grounds, fighting dummies and chatting.]

Nya: NO Kai, I DO NOT like her that way.

[Nya lets out a grunt and kicks a practice dummy so hard that she ends up breaking it.]

Kai: (Stunned (and scared)) ....

Kai: Tell that to the dummy, holy fuck.

Nya: UGH.

[She kicks the dummy again and is ready to storm off.]

[But then, she appears, as gorgeous as ever.]

Nya: Oh heyyy Pixal!

Kai: Hey Pix.

Pixal: Greetings!

Pixal: Nya, if you're free may I ask for some assistance?

Nya: O-ofcourse- w-with what Pixal?

Pixal: I require help with designing the new mechs. I have a few plans but I am facing some difficulty with the finalization.

Nya: Ofcourse! I would love to help!

Kai: (whispering) Oh you would just LOOOOVE to help right?

Nya: (whispering) One more word and I will not hesitate to drown you.

Pixal: My apologies, you both seem busy, I shall go and ask Zane.

Nya: Nonono I am completely free. Trust me! My schedule hasn't been this empty in ages!

Kai: (whispering) Hah, simp.

[Nya blasts Kai with a huge gush of water and he lands face-first on the monastery's mural-wall.]

Pixal: ...?

Nya: Don’t worry about it, I just saw a bug on his shoulder. Anyway, lead the way Pixal.

Pixal: If you insist.

[Nya and Pixal leave.]

Kai: (Gets up) Ah, young love~

----------------------------------------------

[Pixal and Nya are in the underground HQ, going over Pixal's building plans for the new mechs.]

Nya: These are all brilliant Pixal! I really don’t know how to choose just one..

Pixal: (Smug) I try.

Nya: (Sarcastic) Oh, soo humble.

[They both laugh.]

[Nya manages to snatch a quick glance at her beautiful laugh, and it makes her feel butterflies.]

[Dammit.]

[Well, Nya had known about this for awhile, even Kai did, but she had tried her best to not acknowledge it.. even going as far as to deny it all together.]

[She didn't want to ruin their friendship.]

[But at that moment,]

[She knew she couldn't avoid it anymore.]

[While Nya was lost in her own world, Pixal had gone back to her blueprints. Talking to Nya about the ins and outs of the mechs.]

Pixal: What do you think, Nya?

[Nya snapped back to reality.]

Nya: Oh, yeah, I-I uh think, it- might work?

Pixal: Affirmative.

[Pixal goes back to editing the blueprints further.]

[...]

[Well,]

[Say something.]

Nya: ...Say Pixal,

Nya: Can I tell you something?

Pixal: Mhm?

Nya: (Takes a deep breath)

Nya: So,, I've been developing feelings for you and I... I wanted to ask you if you'd like to.. go out,, y'know like. On a date. Sometime.

Pixal: ...

[Shocked by the nindroid's lack of a response, the master of water starts to panic.]

Nya: Of-ofcourse I-I don't want to make you feel like i'm pushing you into this and you have the full right to say n-

Pixal: Nya..

Pixal: I've been considering to "ask you out" for a while too.

Nya: Really?!

[Pixal lets out a short laugh.]

Pixal: If you wish to confirm it, go ask Zane.

Nya: (Blushes) ...you've talked about me with Zane...?

Pixal: I believe the correct word here would be "Gushed".

Nya:

Nya: God how do you flirt so effortlessly,,,

Pixal: ..Flirt?

Nya: [IT'S UNINTENTIONAL!?]

Nya: Oh, wow.

Pixal: Mhm?

Nya: Nevermind that,,

Nya: Let's uh, finish these mechs now,, shall we?

Pixal: It would be my pleasure, my beautiful girlfriend.

[Pixal looks into Nya's deep hazel eyes, takes her by the hand and leans in,]

Pixal: !Wait.

Nya: (Bright red and now confused) ...??

Pixal: I forgot to ask for your consent. Are you alright with doing this yet?

Nya: (Sighs) Pixal....

Nya: I've been dreaming about this moment for weeks..

[Nya puts her hand on Pixal's cheeks. She can feel the sensors on her face getting warm.. cute.]

[She pulls her in for a soft kiss.]

----------------------------------------------

[azzibueckers5]

i want you to need me (need to want something more)

part 2: in which paige is so up. like so fucking up.

(ao3 link) (part 1) (wc: ~ 8k) (read iwkpa before this series)

cw: sexual content

AN: i hope this fixes the heartache adequately? if not don't let me know I'll cry <3 ummm I wrote the majority of the smut having been up for like 36 hours straight and then edited it after three glasses of wine? so uh good luck— ill go through and edit again in a couple days lmfao but im warningggg you i got really lazy towards the end like. i’m sorry <3333333 also pls suspend your disbelief about the wings theoretically making the playoffs in 2026 cause... whewwwww not looking likely. also this is literally twice as plotless as the last chapter of iwkpa... and three times as nonesensical and ridiculous so just like. keep that in mind. also it wasn't supposed to be this smutty man idk it got away from me. happy day!

+1 october 2026, dallas, texas

paige’s phone finally rings with the familiar ringtone she’s been waiting on for what feels like hours, just as she’s ushering her straggling teammates out of her apartment. she’d hosted a watch party after practice for the final game of the liberty–mystics semifinals, and though she loves her teammates, she’s been subtly (and then entirely unsubtly) trying to kick them out since the final buzzer in dc’s overtime loss. 

nai and lyss had tried valiantly to cheer her up, but not being able to be there for azzi and having to watch her expression crumple through the television screen had been entirely awful and she’d just wanted to sit on the alone couch in silence until her girlfriend called. 

the silver lining of their loss meant that azzi might be able to make it to her semi game tomorrow night, but she puts that thought on the backburner when she answers the facetime, jumping straight into sympathetic girlfriend mode. 

azzi’s already talking on the other side of the line, hammering on angrily about “the fucking shit ass refs” and how it was a “rigged ass fucking game,” and paige fights to keep her smile at just seeing azzi’s face on her screen a secret. post-loss azzi is a force to be reckoned with and she won’t jeopardize putting herself as the target by showing positive emotion.

it seems azzi has skipped being sad about it entirely and jumped straight into being pissed, which is precisely paige’s post game specialty, and she lets her ramble, chiming in here and there with indignant comments on how bad the refs were and agreements with how poor their screens had been. 

azzi had, surprise surprise, played spectacularly, and had unofficially locked in rookie of the year with a 27 point effort, but paige knows the competitive nature of her girlfriend is cut from the same cloth as her own, and her main goal is to try and keep azzi’s anger directed away from her very few mistakes and make sure she doesn’t veer into self-deprecation. 

she’s mostly successful, and by the time azzi leaves the facilities, she’s calmed down enough to let the loss sink in a bit more. when she finally climbs onto the bus that will take them back to the hotel, she seems to relax even further, and lets out a quiet “i miss you.” 

paige’s face softens immediately. “miss you too, az. so bad.”

“booked a flight already for tomorrow morning, but i might not get in early enough to see you before the game.” she says it apologetically, like she’s sorry she can’t charter a flight there herself, and paige smiles a little bit at how in sync they are, how much she can tell they both just want a hug. 

seeing each other four times over a four month span wasn’t exactly conducive to a honeymoon phase, and though they were putting up a valiant effort anyways, she craved azzi’s physical presence more than anything. paige doesn’t think she’d ever been on facetime this much, and that’s including the month before she’d quarantined with the fudds and had been stuck inside all day, on the phone with azzi every millisecond. 

it still isn’t enough, though, and her heart rate speeds up at just the thought of having azzi within arms reach in only a day’s time. 

“s’okay, i’ll play better even just knowing you’re in the stands,” she says, and means it. azzi has always been the best motivator.

“you better. one of us has got to wi-”

“shhhh,” she cuts azzi off, “don’t jinx me.”

“yeah, yeah.” she pauses for a second, just looking at paige through the screen, and then there’s commotion on the other end and she gets distracted for a bit, clearly trying to negotiate seating arrangements. when she turns back, she sighs, “listen, baby, i’m gonna hang up so no one kills me for being on the phone on the bus, but i’ll text you when i get to the hotel.”

paige pouts. “how about you call me when you get to the hotel.”

azzi’s face is soft and knowing when she says “you’re gonna be asleep by the time i get there.”

“nuh-uh,” she claims, fighting a yawn. “gonna wait right here, awake, on the couch till you call.”

azzi just laughs. “if you say so. i’ll see you tomorrow, baby. love you.”

paige hangs up with an i love you too and a smile, and is only a little guilty when she thinks about how excited she is that azzi is coming to dallas tomorrow, instead of having to wait longer for their teams to arrange it.

she wedges herself further into her couch cushions, and puts on a random show, determined to stay true to her word and wait up for azzi’s call. 

she must fall asleep like that, though, nestled into the couch, because she wakes what feels like hours later to the gentle sensation of hands in her hair and the murmur of her name. 

she blinks, disoriented and disbelieving, to the sight of azzi standing above her, looking soft and delightful and angelic. 

paige stares. 

“hi,” the vision before her says, bashful, and paige’s brain suddenly registers that she’s not dreaming and that azzi is in fact, standing in front of her. 

in her living room. in dallas.

she shoots up from her position on the couch to sit up and pull azzi down into a hug, and the brunette sinks into her, pressing her face into paige’s neck like she’s needed the contact just as badly. 

“az, wh- what’re you doing here?” 

her words are slurred into azzi’s shoulder, voice thick with sleep and confusion, and she can feel azzi’s laugh at her bewilderment against her chest, because azzi here. in paige’s arms. 

what.  

“changed my flight, couldn’t wait until tomorrow,” she says, and paige’s heart swells. she doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to hearing azzi say things like that and knowing that she means for them to come across exactly as paige’s heart interprets them. “needed a consolatory cuddle.”

paige just hums and burrows closer, relishing in her presence. “what time s’it.”

“little past three. told you you’d fall asleep.”

paige slides her hands up underneath azzi’s sweatshirt just to feel more of her skin and ignores the opportunity to argue with her about how she’d only fallen asleep because azzi took too long to call, and instead leans back to press a gentle kiss to her mouth. “missed you.”

“mmhm.” azzi knocks their foreheads together in agreement, kisses her again, short and sweet, and then climbs off paige’s lap, ignoring her grumbling protests.

she holds her hand out, waiting, and says “c’mon. more of that after but in your bed.”

and well. paige would be crazy to refuse. 

she latches sleepily onto azzi’s back as they stumble down the hallway, and paige knows azzi has missed her because she doesn’t complain when she stays tucked up against her side throughout their entire nighttime routine– even while they brush their teeth at the same time, knocking elbows– and making the process of getting ready for bed highly inefficient. 

they shed their day clothes simultaneously, and paige bats a t-shirt out of azzi’s hands when she goes to put one on, pressing her now naked front up against azzi’s bare back and running her hands down from her ribs to her hips, grunting in protest at the idea of azzi covering any skin. azzi glares, entirely non-threateningly, over her shoulder.

“s’too late for that. sleep only. save it for tomorrow.”

“yes, ma’am.” she presses a kiss to her shoulder, “just like to feel you.”

azzi melts immediately– score– and when they climb into bed, paige instantly pulls azzi into her arms, relishing in the skin on skin contact and burrowing them under the covers.

she curls closer, trying to crawl inside azzi’s skin, and presses a contented sigh into her shoulder as their legs tangle. “goodnight, rookie of the year azzi fudd.”

her responding giggle is soft and just for paige, and she wants to bottle up the sound and keep it for a day when she’s desperately missing this. “night, p. love you.”

they drift off in seconds, and paige sleeps better than she has in weeks. 

…

when she wakes, a second time, it’s to little rays of sunlight slipping through the cracks in her blinds and the vision of azzi sleeping peacefully next to her, head pillowed on paige’s bicep and face relaxed. 

her heart clenches in her chest at the view and she takes a second to imprint the sight to memory, eyes tracing the slope of azzi’s nose and the birthmark on her jawline and the dark smudge of her lashes. it feels peaceful in a way that waking up first in their dorms in storrs and watching azzi sleep had never been.

aside from the fact that she’s only gotten to wake up next to her a measly four times since july, she also relishes in the security of an azzi that was entirely hers in her arms. 

she’d spent years stirring to the same sight, but never for the reasons paige had so desperately dreamed of, and it was surreal, in a way, to know that she could gently shake azzi awake and kiss her as much as she pleased. 

she’d done just that their first night together, in this very bed. paige had jerked awake before dawn with wet eyes and the crippling fear that she’d dreamed up the entirety of the prior day's events, and even the sight of azzi sleeping steadily beside her hadn’t been enough to stop the racing of her heart. she’d coaxed azzi awake, gently, just to kiss her, to cement it as real, and azzi had caught on immediately to her insecurity, whispering reassurances and apologies into paige’s skin until they’d both drifted off again, appeased. 

paige loves her so much. 

she’d almost forgotten, in the year they’d started referring to as the between, how well they could read each other's thoughts, and she’d missed the intimacy and comfort of just being so wholly understood by someone else. 

they’d slotted right back together as if they’d never been separated, except this time with awesome things like blatant flirting and sex and transparent feelings, and after spending so many years pining after azzi and thinking hopelessly that she’d never have her in the way that she truly wanted, whenever she’s reminded that she does have her, she gets a little bit breathless.

her attention is pulled from her nauseatingly sappy thoughts when azzi begins to stir, blinking awake slowly, and paige watches, enraptured, trying to catalogue every flutter of her eyelashes, every shift of her brow. she opens her eyes briefly, and glances at the way paige is unashamedly observing her, before closing them again and nestling closer, smile growing on her face. 

paige curls the arm azzi’s been using as a pillow tighter around her side, wanting her even closer, and is delightfully reminded by the bare skin of azzi’s lower back that they opted out of clothes the night before. beautiful. past paige was so thoughtful. 

“s’rude to stare, y’know,” azzi mumbles into the skin of her shoulder, eyes still shut. 

paige debates if she wants to be sentimental or annoying in response. being strictly sentimental might have quicker morning sex odds, but why choose one path when you can have both? 

“can’t help it, you’re too beautiful.” her voice comes out raspy in the way she knows azzi loves, and she fights to keep her smirk internal when the brunette’s cheeks flush. incredible. she’s so in there.

azzi pokes her gently in the stomach, yawns (extremely cutely), and says “corny this morning.” 

“s’not corny if it’s true.”

“that just made it doubly as corny.”

“whatever. missed you while we were sleeping.” paige’s grin is wide and pleased, and azzi fights a smile, nose scrunching. paige wants to bite her nose. mornings apparently give her cuteness aggression. 

“how’s that possible when you told me on facetime last week that you dream about me every night.” 

paige brushes a thumb over the smooth skin of azzi’s cheekbone, soft and fond. “s’not the same as the real-life thing.”

azzi rolls her eyes, disbelieving. “alright prince charming.” 

paige flicks her forehead affectionately, and they lapse into a comfortable silence for a minute.

and then azzi makes a point to be a pest and drags her frigid toes up paige’s calf, nudging at the back of her knees, and it’s extremely annoying, and entirely unsexy. 

in an completely unrelated turn of events, heat pools like lava in paige’s core, and her abs clench on instinct. 

azzi laughs, disbelieving and gleeful, and pushes up on her arm a little bit to look down at paige. “there is no way that turned you on.” 

paige has been more or less half turned on since the second azzi got here last night. 

“bruh,” paige turns her face away from azzi in defiance and grunts, “it didn’t.”

“really,” the brunette’s fingers tease down paige’s stomach, and she grins, taunting, when goosebumps erupt across paige’s abdomen. “so you’re saying if i move my hand down-” she drags knuckles lower and ghosts a touch over the apex of her thighs “-here, i won't find you wet?” 

her voice comes out low and intentional, and paige doesn’t know how the mood switched so fast but she’s absolutely not complaining one bit. 

it’s too early to come up with a quick response, so instead paige just surges up to kiss her, tongue slipping in almost immediately, and she shifts azzi fully on top of her when she returns the kiss with the same fervor. 

it’s languid and heated all in one, and paige lets herself bask in the feeling of having azzi on top of her for the first time in weeks, dragging her hands across her back and down to grip her ass, swallowing her moan at the contact. 

“g’morning,” azzi says when they break apart to breathe, smile radiant and achingly beautiful, and paige can feel her own answering grin splitting across her face. 

“excellent, fantastic morning.”

azzi giggles– paige wants to wake up to that sound for the rest of her life– before dragging her mouth down to paige’s neck and trailing kisses down her throat to her collarbone, careful not to leave any marks. this cautiousness must fly out the window when she gets to paige’s tit, however, because she immediately sucks a bruise into the soft skin of her flesh, before continuing on a warpath down across paige’s abdomen. 

she starts at her navel, biting a mark into the muscle of her stomach and pausing to admire, before repeating the process twice more, moving down. by the time she gets to paige’s pelvis, she’s downright dripping, hips twitching against azzi’s arms and begging for contact. 

“azzi, baby, you’re killin’ me,” she slurs, when the younger girl sucks a particularly deep bruise into the meat of her inner thigh, so close to where paige needs her. 

“i’ll get there, be patient,” she says, voice unfairly clear in comparison to paige, eyes dark and teasing. paige has never been particularly patient to begin with, and if she expects her to start now, she’s sorely mistaken.

“need it now, please,” she keens. it seems she’s not above begging this morning, and she’d be embarrassed if it weren’t for how hot the brunettes gaze is, how affected she looks from between paige’s legs.

“need what?” she simpers, the bitch, breath blowing across paige’s cunt in a way that must be intentional. 

paige nearly cries at the ghost of sensation, arching her back in search of more, and whines out “your mouth, please azzi, need it,” hands coming down to tangle in her hair.

it seems azzi is feeling accommodating this morning, because she smiles, bites at the mark she’s just left high on paige’s quad, and then dives in, flattening her tongue immediately and lapping at paige’s dripping center like she’s starving for it. 

and jesus christ, paige is so super not gonna last if she keeps this up. because paige is worked up from the teasing, and from azzi’s general presence, and from the fact that she just slept naked next to her after almost a month of not seeing her. and also the fact that azzi has decided to fucking devour her, hands pressing into paige’s thighs to keep her steady, tongue dragging down to her hole and circling before tracing back up to suck at her clit. 

she repeats that motion several times, before moving down to focus at paige’s cunt, thrusting her tongue inside and letting her nose brush the bundle of nerves above, and. 

and usually, under normal circumstances, paige takes a minimum of ten minutes to come. usually, also, however, paige is not being given the most attentive head of her life, and isn’t coming off a month of being touch starved.

thus, it only takes a few minutes before she’s slurring out  “fuck, azzi m’gonna come fuck,” hips trying to grind up into the younger girls tongue. 

azzi nods, the movement nudging paige’s clit, and breathes out “want you to, please.”

she sounds almost as desperate for it as paige is, like she needs her to come this instant, and this thought combined with another purposeful lick at paige's entrance has her coming with a cry, the world falling away beneath her. 

her vision goes white, hips twitching as her orgasm crashes down onto her, and her legs tighten around azzi’s head. 

but azzi keeps going, flicking her tongue around to trace at paige’s entrance as she spasms, and she whines when paige tugs her off, like she’s actually upset. 

jesus fuck.

if paige hadn’t come literally seconds prior, the sound alone would’ve pushed her off the ledge. 

her whole body is buzzing, limbs lax against the sheets, and she grins lazily down at azzi when her body begins to resume normal functioning. 

“be honest, are you cheating on me?”

“baby, what,” azzi laughs, full and surprised, as she crawls up paige’s stomach and returns to prime kissing range. 

this means that paige has to kiss her for a second, slow and intimate, and she gets distracted by the taste of herself on azzi’s lips and how hot it is to have her in her lap again, nerves still buzzing with her release. 

and then they part for a second, and paige remembers her question. she elaborates,“how did you get better at that. gonna make a girl suspicious.” she pairs this thought with an exaggerated pout for good measure. 

“you’re ridiculous,” azzi says, smiling, trying to lean back down and slot their lips back together, but paige holds her still, stubborn.

“you didn’t deny it.” 

“oh my god. there’s only you, p.” 

“swear?”

“swear,” she says firmly, indulgently, and pairs it with another lingering kiss. 

and then azzi shifts on top of her, but she’s too distracted by her mouth to notice the new placement of azzi’s legs until she grinds down, and paige’s brain shuts off when she realizes that azzi has maneuvered their hips so that their cores are aligned, clits grinding together whenever she rocks down. 

it should be too much sensation– and it is, she’s just come– but she chases the feeling anyways with a strangled cry, feeling her entire body shudder when she realizes what azzi’s goal is.

she wrenches their mouths apart when azzi grinds down again and her head drops back against the pillows. “azzi, fuck,” she moans, and her hips move away from the feeling on instinct, still reeling from her first orgasm. 

“s’it too much?” azzi breathes, and. isn’t that a great question. 

because it is– she’s so sensitive that the pressure of azzi’s hips on her own hurts a little bit– but she doesn’t really want azzi to stop, despite that, so she just chokes out a groan and holds the brunette’s hips above hers for a second, giving herself time to breathe.  

azzi’s kneeling, a little awkwardly, above, and it would be an uncomfortable position to hold steady if it weren’t for the strong muscle of her thighs, flexing a little bit as she hovers, looking like a fucking godess-sex-demon-angel-creature. or something. 

she’s looking down with half-lidded, knowing eyes, and she keeps eye contact as she drags two fingers through the slick at her own core and then grazes paige’s, hips twitching, before mixing their wetness together on her fingers. 

paige watches, in a trance, and her blood gets so hot at the vision that she has to look away for a second to contain herself. 

“fuck, azzi.” 

she doesn’t think she’s said anything but those two words for the past ten minutes. 

“you wanna taste?” she asks, and before paige answers, she’s moving her fingers up to paige’s mouth and asking for entrance and jesus fucking christ. 

paige’s body might ascend to a higher plane

she opens, immediately, and the taste of them mixing together on the pads of azzi’s fingers has her moaning, desperately and without restraint, hips moving up to find azzi’s again despite the sensitivity. she licks at azzi’s two fingers, sucking them further into her mouth and watching the azzi’s expression, her eyes stay transfixed on paige’s mouth. distantly, she appreciates how turned on and wild the other girl looks too, her composure slipping with every movement of paige’s tongue, every meeting of their hips.

“we taste good together?” she asks, voice low, before removing her finger from paige’s mouth to allow her to answer. 

paige can only nod vigorously, though, not sure that she’s capable of words right now considering azzi is trying to kill her. 

the brunette grins wickedly. “wanna taste it.”

she repeats the process from before, dragging her fingers– still damp from paige’s tongue– through her own slick, before sliding them briefly into paige’s entrance. the intentional stroke leaves paige gasping, but she doesn’t get a chance to catch her breath because instead of bringing her fingers to her own mouth, azzi returns to paige’s, pressing them down on her tongue and ensuring their mixed wetness coats her mouth before she’s dipping down to kiss her, hungry and desperate. 

holy fucking shit. 

the action has paige already close to the edge of another orgasm like it’s nothing, hips grinding together and mouths moving messily. she doesn’t know where azzi learned this, doesn’t even want to know, but she just counts her lucky fucking stars that she gets to experience the hottest thing in the universe. 

in an ideal world, paige would wait for azzi to work herself up in tandem with her, would be able to stave off her own orgasm until they could come together. this simply is not possible, however, with how keyed up she already is from getting eaten out, and how hot it is to have azzi moving above her, just as desperate, and the vision of her, fucked out expression and curls bouncing as she grinds their cores together with reckless abandon. 

she grips azzi’s hips to assist her, adding more force to her thrusts, and azzi must be able to tell that she’s close from the noises she’s making– paige has long since stopped paying attention to the string of needy whines coming out of her mouth, too pleasure drunk to care– because she asks, voice desperate, “you gonna come for me again, paige?”

paige keens an affirmative “yeah, gonna come, fuck,” and azzi makes an approving noise in the back of her throat, reaching down to tug at one of paige’s nipples. 

the new sensation, combined with a particularly delicious grind of their hips and the view of azzi’s concentrated, pleasure-ridden expression has paige arching off the bed and coming with a scream, azzi’s name tearing from her throat. 

blood rushes to her ears, muscles spasming, and she tugs azzi off immediately, pulling her up to straddle her abs as paige’s body tries to catch up to the earthquake that just tore through her. 

she’s sure she takes a minute to come down, and when she blinks her eyes open, she’s met with the sight of azzi hovering over her, looking like she’s desperately trying not to grind too hard into paige’s stomach, biting her lip, and the view almost makes her come again on the spot. 

she looks angelic— in a demonic, sinner sort of way? if that’s possible?— curls framing her face, lips bitten raw, a flush spreading down from her cheekbones to her chest. 

“you back with us?” she asks, self satisfied and teasing. which is like. fair, because she’s just absolutely ruined paige, twice, but also. paige needs to even the playing field a little bit. can’t have her getting too big a head. 

there’s a reason paige usually gets her off first– more than just for her own enjoyment of seeing azzi fall apart. because if she doesn’t fuck an orgasm out of the younger, coax out the needy side, she gets an ego like this. paige is determined to fix that. 

she raises an eyebrow and tightens her hold on azzi’s hips in response, before pulling her down so her cunt grinds hard, on the taught skin of paige’s abdomen. 

immediately, she keens, head thrown back, and her hands fly up to her chest to play with her own nipples, fingers tracing the skin of her areola and squeezing. she’s dripping, slick pooling on paige’s stomach, and the feeling of it makes paige dizzy with the desire to get her off.

she keeps her hands rocking azzi down into her stomach and back up, watching the arousal echo across her face and down the rest of her body, and when azzi moans particularly loudly at the feeling of her clit pressing down, paige smirks. “you wanna come, baby?”

azzi keens. “yeah. please.”

paige just hums, and stops the movement entirely, holding her still and relishing in the broken whine that she releases when paige prevents her from grinding down again to get friction. 

she curls her hands behind azzi’s thighs and tugs, almost moaning at the feeling of the strength of her quads and the drag of azzi’s wetness up her navel and in between the valley of her breasts. she looks confused for all of two seconds before realization crashes over her face, and she keens, even before paige tugs her over her mouth. 

she pulls azzi fully over her, gazing at her fluttering cunt, the soft pink just begging for her mouth, and when azzi whines again, waiting, paige listens, settling her over her mouth and immediately getting to work. 

she drags her tongue through her soaked folds, and she feels like a dying man in a desert who’s just found an oasis, moaning at the taste of azzi on her tongue and relishing in the answering moans she can hear above her. 

she sucks at her clit for a few seconds, and smirks into her when azzi’s thighs twitch, before switching to her entrance, tracing slowly and then thrusting in, slick dripping down her chin. 

“please, paige– i need it please– love your mouth so much–” azzi sounds absolutely wrecked above her, and paige thinks that if she could pick the way she dies this would be her choice in a heartbeat: azzi, needy and pliant above her, blissed out expression on her face and moans of paige’s name tumbling from her lips, the muscle of her thighs caging paige in and the taste of her, sharp and sweet, flooding her senses. 

she knows she’s close, can feel it in the tremor of her legs and the grind of her hips and the clench of her walls around her tongue, and when azzi breathes out “so close, please,” and throws her head back, paige drags one of the hands that’s been holding azzi’s thigh to her entrance, curling two fingers immediately into her cunt to press down on her g-spot and sucking at her clit, hard. 

and azzi positively sobs above her, clamping her legs down firmly and cutting off paige’s ability to breathe as she comes, wetness flooding out of her. paige keeps at it, licking her through it, watching as she keeps her head tipped back, fingers still clutching her breast. she looks positively sinful. 

azzi slumps backwards when the last of her orgasm washes away, and paige reaches up to maneuver them into her desired post-sex cuddle position– fronts pressed together and legs tangled. 

it’s a little sweaty, and there’s slick all over paige stomach and thighs, and more on azzi, but they curl into each other anyways, contentment settling deep in their bones. 

“missed that,” she says, pressing a messy kiss to azzi’s forehead, “solid elven out of ten.”

she mumbles “fourteen,” in response and bats at paige’s shoulder lazily, somehow pressing even closer, and paige laughs softly at how needy azzi always gets after sex, wanting to be practically inside paige’s skin. she’s never once minded, knows with certainty she never will. 

she wonders if there will ever be a time when she gets used to the sex– both how good it is, always, and just how unreal it feels to have azzi like that, under her or above her but always wholly paige’s. 

she doubts it. 

she thinks that if she had to pick a moment to hold on to forever it would be this one, them tangled together, skin on skin, just basking in the warmth of each other, and the intimacy of it makes her feel light headed in the best way possible.

they doze for a bit, sun casting shadows through the blinds over azzi’s back and making her look holy in the morning light. 

azzi starts drawing lines, softly, over her stomach at one point, and paige glances down at where her fingers are tracing the marks she’d left on paige’s abdomen and then back to azzi’s self satisfied face. “possessive, hmm?’

“yeah,” she breathes, and then presses down on the biggest one. “mine.” 

and. well. paige is wet again. 

she rolls her eyes a little bit at azzi’s conviction, like she has the need to scare everyone else off, which is absurd. “been yours since we were, like, sixteen.”

“yeah.” azzi smiles and nips paige’s shoulder. “been yours too, y’know. even if i didn’t know the depth of it.” she laughs a little before continuing, “used to get so fucking jealous when you would flirt with girls in front of me, but i convinced myself it was cause they didn’t deserve you.” 

“yeah?” paige grins, wide and happy, something settling in her stomach at the idea that azzi had been just as possessive as her in college even if she didn’t know why. 

azzi nods in paige’s shoulder. “mmhm. i was so stupid. teenage paige was much smarter, should’ve just listened to her.”

“maybe, maybe not. she was a little overeager,” paige says, wistfully. her sixteen year old self had thought they’d be locked in by the time they were twenty, probably would’ve, like, proposed by twenty-two. she’d definitely be a little disbelieving at how long it took them to get here, but she’d think it was all worth it if paige gave her the details. especially if she emphasized how pretty azzi sounds sitting on paige’s face. 

azzi breathes out a laugh, seemingly agreeing. “true. it’s probably a little soon to be married with like, seven kids which is i’m guessing what we’d be according to her life plans.” 

she says it so casually, like the thought of marrying paige, having kids with her, isn’t some ridiculous idea but instead a given. as if it was obviously part of their future one way or another. paige’s heart flutters sickeningly in her chest. 

her grin is a little soft on her face when she asks “yeah? gonna let me put a ring on you?”  and it’s supposed to be teasing but she just sounds entirely soft and hopeful. whatever. 

“yeah,” azzi smiles radiantly right back. “if the ring’s big enough, probably,” she adds airly. 

paige laughs, bright and disbelieving. “liar. you wanna marry me so bad.” she basks in the thoughts of their future, giddy. “an’ imma put at least seven kids in you, mama. prolly more.”

azzi hums happily in agreement. “i’m maxing you out at ten.” 

“so we can run five on fives?”

“exactly.” 

they sit in contented silence for a minute, and paige lets herself revel in the future that azzi is laying in front of them as the other girl curls closer, hiding her face from the blonde. 

“speaking of like- putting a baby in me,” azzi starts, and paige’s ears perk up. this promises to be a delightful sentence. 

she fiddles with paige’s fingers and stays buried in her shoulder, shy. “could we maybe- if you like- if you like wanted- maybewecouldgetastrap.”

the last part comes out jumbled together, and it takes a second for paige to process. and then.

her brain whites out. 

wow her life was awesome. like so, so awesome. 

despite the fact she just came, twice mind you, heat pools immediately in her core, and she feels a little lightheaded from the idea. her imagination is having one of its best days in a while. oscar worthy film productions are being written. 

they are so having sex again before they get up. 

a slow, obscene grin drifts across her face. “azzi fudd, you’re filthy.”

“whatever. your hips just twitched.” she burrows further into paige’s neck.

“i’m ordering one as soon as we get out of bed,” paige agrees, and then, just to be annoying, “gonna get a neon green one for the wings.” 

“absolutely not,” comes azzi’s indignant response, though paige can feel the smile against her skin.

she gasps in mock offense and rolls them over so she can look down at azzi’s wonderful, flushed face beneath her. she pouts.  “you sayin’ you won’t love our children if they turn out a little green? i can’t help what i am.”

it says something about how sickeningly in love she is, probably, that they’re discussing sex toys and she’s focussed on the thought of how endearing it would be to have imaginary little green alien kids of theirs running around. whatever.

azzi rolls her eyes, affection seeping out of her pores. “i’m saying that if you come anywhere near me with a chartreuse dick i’m calling the police.”

paige is sure her grin is enormous. “yeah, baby? what’re you gonna tell ‘em– that your incredibly hot girlfriend wants to fu-”

azzi cuts her off with a kiss. “shut the fuck up.”

they absolutely have sex again before they get up. 

…

paige has to be at the practice facilities at one, so they eventually drag themselves out of bed around eleven, the blonde grumbling the entire time about leaving the warmth of her comforter. 

they bicker in the shower over where they should go on vacation during the offseason (they settle on azzi’s idea, hawaii, because paige relents immediately when she mentions the word bikini), argue about how many vegetables azzi puts in paige’s omelet while they’re cooking (“you need nutrients, paige, they’ll make your muscles stronger.” “you seemed to think my muscles were plenty impressive earlier, given the bite marks on my abs.” “just shut the fuck up and eat your eggs.”), and fight over who has to sit on the rickety bar stool while they eat (they compromise with azzi on paige’s lap on the good stool, and only feel half as ridiculous as they should.)

it's the best morning paige has had in quite some time. 

and then azzi drops her at the facilities, driving paige's car, with a lingering kiss over the console and a “love you, baby, gonna kill it,” before promising to go grocery shopping and stock up on even more vegetables to torment paige with, and she could cry at the domesticity. 

she doesn’t, but. it's a near thing. 

she walks into their shoot around with the most lovesick smile on her face, feeling like she’s floating on air.

the aces won’t know what hit ‘em. 

…

the game is physical in the way only the knockout game of a playoff series can be– elbows jabbing with a little more force than usual and boxing out more aggressively than strictly necessary. paige is expecting this, is prepared for this, and even knocks in her own unusually rough shoulder bump when an aces player throws too much weight behind a screen. 

it’s a close but winnable game by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, and paige can taste the championship finals. she’s proud of her efforts, 21 points overall and 12 from the three. (she always shoots threes a little better when azzi is near, like her impeccable form rubs off on paige).

the wings start really trailing away after a three from maddy puts them up by 9 with four minutes remaining, and las vegas goes from physical to downright reckless, trying to do anything to get a block, a steal, some points. 

young gets the ball to start the aces next play, and paige narrows in to guard her, aware that there’s a screen incoming. it still catches her off guard, however, when a player– she can’t even tell who it happens so fast– collides with her back and gets tangled with paige’s already moving body, somehow catching on her jersey and sending them both tumbling, hard, to the ground. 

paige lands smack on her back, head thumping against the floor, and she takes a second to evaluate the damage. her head is throbbing, dull ache already spreading through her skull, but her limbs seem to be relatively fine, and her jersey is rucked up high on her chest somehow from how the aces player– whose identity is still a mystery to paige and who is lying in a heap a foot away. she covers her face with her hands in an attempt to block out the noise of the crowd and decipher if this feels like a minor annoyance type of injury or a big fuck up. 

nothing seems broken, which is good. 

a little deliriously, she wonders if maybe this clip will go viral, what with her abs being out and her head tipped back in pain. is that weird to be thinking about? she doesn’t really care. 

when she establishes that she’s pretty sure she doesn’t have a concussion, she widens the fingers over her eyes and peeks up at the circle of teammates around her. 

she’s expecting to see some concerned looks, considering she just fell pretty hard and might have hit her head, which is why she’s bewildered by their smirks of amusement, and only a few concerned comments.

“you okay there, lil’ paigey?” says nai, who’s squatting to her left, positively gleeful, and instead of gesturing at her head, like a good, concerned teammate, pokes paige in the stomach, laughing. 

“bruh, what the fuck,” she grits out, and covers her eyes fully with her hands again. maybe if she acts more injured, dijonai will stop being so annoying. 

but even maddy, usually a little more motherly in that regard, looks at paige a little funny when she asks sympathetically, “how bad does your head hurt?”

before she can respond, jj piles on immediately with shit eating grin on her face, saying “her head or her stomach,” and paige finally sits up enough to glance down in confusion. 

distantly, she hears nai say “we should ask azzi,” but she’s too busy looking at the unmistakable trail of marks starting from her navel and sensually trailing down past her waistband from where azzi had been focussed this morning. 

and ohmygod. 

paige now understands why everyone is trying not to laugh at her. 

she jerks her head back up in panic, frantically shoving her jersey back down across her stomach, and generally contemplates how bad it would be to try and hang herself from the basketball hoop. 

jesus fuck she is going to kill herself. 

the hickies were, like, so extremely visible. to everyone. for at least fifteen seconds.

to like. the entire arena probably. and the millions of people watching on tv–

“i don’t- um. it’s not,” she stutters, hands trying to shove her jersey back into the waistband of her shorts while still sitting, eyes wide and cheeks burning. 

this might be the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to her. probably. 

azzi is going to murder her. 

the medical staff crowd in just as arike whistles out a low “she claimed yo ass reallll nice huh, paigey. gotchu all marked up.” fucking bitch. 

and paige has no response, couldn’t even give one if she wanted to anyways because their trainer is helping her onto her feet, and grilling her about her fall. 

she actually thinks she might collapse from the humiliation. 

her ears and cheeks are probably redder than a tomato. 

as the medical staff usher her over the bench to get her evaluated, she glances involuntarily over to where her family and friends are sitting courtside. nika and kk are on either side of azzi absolutely cracking up, and surely saying something exceedingly inappropriate, while azzi stands in the middle, hands over her face. 

awesome awesome awesome. 

it's not like they’d been trying to hide their relationship– it’d be kind of hard to come up with excuses as to why they’d been spotted flying to random cities just to get less than 24 hours together and posting random funny anecdotes from their time together on social media– but this is a level of out there that was sort of undeniable if you were paying attention. it was quite clear that someone had given paige those marks– she supposed a cupping excuse wasn’t going to cut it– and it wouldn’t be hard to put the pieces together on who that had been, especially given the fact that azzi had been spotted in the dallas airport the night before. the plausible deniability of the nature of their relationship had sort of just crumbled into nothing.

cool cool cool cool cool. 

like azzi can feel her eyes from across the court, she lifts her hands for a second and makes eye contact with paige. her cheeks are crimson, concern and embarrassment warring across her face and eyes wide like she can’t believe that's just happened, and yet. 

she looks like the prettiest girl in the arena, prettiest girl in the world. 

and paige can’t help the lopsided, guilty grin that spreads across her face. she’s sure this will be clipped a million times, but she doesn’t even care because the embarrassment is sort of fading away. 

because everyone with half a brain cell now knows that paige definitely belongs to azzi fudd. and that’s the best thing she’s ever accomplished– certainly not something to be ashamed of– and. whatever. let people talk. 

paige can see azzi roll her eyes from all the way in her spot on the sidelines, and her smile only grows, pleased and unabashed, and then turns to give the poor trainer her full attention. 

the short rest of the game involves paige enduring a litany of comments from the bench while trying to convince the training staff and coach to let her back in, insisting that she’s not concussed. she’s unsuccessful, but the wings pull off the win anyways, and then she gets to bask in the glory of a trip to the league championship, which is fucking awesome.

she breezes through the post game handshakes and celebration with her head held high, humoring the comments about making sure she ices her head and her stomach, and simply sits with the euphoria of winning the series. 

when her friends and family are finally allowed onto the court, she’s still sweating, confetti sticking to her jersey and grin wide across her face as she catches drew when he leaps into her arms. 

“you and azzi are nasty,” he says, instead of congratulating her. of course. brotherly love in all its wonderful glory.

“bruh shut up,” she says, shoving him off with a hand to his forehead. “fuck outta here.” 

he just cackles maniacally, and runs off, surely going to find dijonai, his favorite. 

and then azzi herself is in front of paige, smiling small and proud, a little sheepish. 

paige’s grin turns impossibly fond, a little cocky. “hey there, baby.”

“hi,” she says, eyes furtively looking around to see who’s paying attention to them. she must either not realize that the answer to that is everyone or decide she doesn’t care, because she brings a hand up to paige’s cheek and asks earnestly, “you okay? it's not a concussion, right?”

paige smiles at the concern- it's ridiculous how a simple gesture like that can make her cheeks flush– and shakes her head. “nah, we chillin’. you can still kiss it better though.”

azzi just groans, and pulls the older girl in for a hug. “bro. imma kill myself. or you. haven’t decided which yet.”

“nooooo,” she drags out, wrapping her arms tighter around azzi’s back and pulling her closer. “don’t do that, i like you possessive. gotta make sure everyone knows i won jus’ for you.”

azzi huffs, sending goosebumps skittering across the skin of paige’s shoulder, and pokes paige’s side. “makin’ it real hard to want to congratulate you.”

paige grins into her shoulder. “you gonna let me kiss you as a prize since everybody knows i’m yours now?”

“no,” azzi whines, emphatically, and then hums like she’s reconsidering, smile pressed into her skin, and paige knows she doesn’t really care that everyone will be in their business now either, can feel the humiliation in azzi falling away. “beat the liberty for me and i’ll think about it.”

as motivators go, it’s a fairly good one. 

(the wings do not win the championship, and it’s a heartbreaking, well fought loss, but azzi kisses her anyways– wet cheeks and cameras around them be damned– and as consolation prizes go, it’s pretty up there. paige promises sweetly that they’ll win it the following year against the mystics and gets an elbow in the stomach as retaliation.)

(a clip of that interaction goes almost as viral as the tv clip of paige’s fall in the semis: her, getting dragged to the floor by her jersey and immediately covering her face in pain, the hickies ridiculously visible to the camera, and carrying an undeniable insinuation. the broadcast must desperately want to change the stream to a less graphic display because they immediately switch it to the camera view of paige’s family and friends, who begin to realize what’s on paige’s abdomen and who immediately turn to azzi in amused disbelief. the announcers stumble through a comical explanation of the people in frame, and one laughs when the other says and that is azzi fudd, probable rookie of the year for the mystics and paige bueckers’ uh. close friend.)(it's not the worst thing that’s ever been part of paige’s digital footprint, even if her mother disagrees.)

AN: badda bing badda boom. such concludes this journey fr fr fr this time. this was ridiculous I'm. deeply sorry if you wanted plot. if you give me a comment/ask/anything I will personally kiss you on the mouth I'm so serious they make me so happy and motivate me so much. ily for reading <333333 ok bye

[delphi-shield]

BEST IN THE BIZ — !!

— Lycaon x Reader x Rina

— ~3.6k

— mating press (briefly), overstimulation, dacryphilia, edging, dollification (if you squint), knotting, creampie, stone top Rina, service top Lycaon, fem!reader, reader is called 'mistress', pwp

ardently avoids eye contact. i was possessed idk. this started out as just porn and then i wrote plot but it got out of hand so i snipped most of the plot and this is what's left. i hope it's coherent idk. manifesting a lycaon pull by posting this tbh. dividers from @/adornedwithlight.

You knew you were fucked the moment you caught yourself typing ‘thiren dildo knot’ into your phone at four in the morning.

Your crime illuminates the dark of your room, search results reflected in your glassy eyes. The depravity is lost on you. You're so horny you can't sleep, much less feel guilty about drilling your (regular, average, lacking in girth and curve and length, not dripping for you the way he would) dildo into yourself, staring at sex toys and imagining him instead.

It only hits you after you cum. Right next to the usual disdain, the nagging realization that you have to clean yourself up, guilt nestles in. It does two neat little circles and sinks like a stone in your stomach. You find yourself with your phone in your hand, sketchy website leering at you. A countdown scrolling across the top advises you that your cart will be held for another four minutes and 12 seconds. Buy now, or your custom order (wolf thiren mold, large, medium firmness, cumtube included, custom colors) will be released for another horny idiot to pick up.

You delete the dildo from the cart, wonder briefly if you should ditch the email attached to the account, and pay for the eight pack of lube you'd added. Guilty, but not that guilty.

It's not supposed to be like this. You're not supposed to want his knot this badly. Lycaon had said so himself the first time you'd asked for it. It isn't a small thing – wipe that smirk off your face. It isn't something to be taken lightly, that's all he meant.

The entire situation had gotten out of hand; you'd hired Victoria Housekeeping a handful of times to assist with the clean up of your recently acquired property. It was a small place, and you had been in no rush to get the job done. They had divided the project over the span of a few weeks, assigning only Lycaon and Rina for the task.

Each visit had grown less and less professional. By the end of the project, you were scrambling to find something else for them to do, unwilling to let them walk out of your life just because the contract demanded so.

All three of you knew it wasn't professional to keep taking your calls. In fact, their conduct in your home violated several clauses within their contract – but by the time you had messaged Lycaon to ask if he could help you tote a new bed frame up the stairs, he had already stopped insisting on a contract. A friendship had grown, an ease that started between you and Rina and gradually thawed Lycaon's affections.

It wasn't uncommon to arrive at your home and find Rina already waiting. He'd been suspicious, had seen the starry look in your eyes, your swollen lips and the boneless, fumbling way you moved. He couldn't pinpoint when you and Rina had started becoming physical, but he could smell the stench of sex in the air the moment the door opened. He knew what he'd find if he let himself sink to his knees before you, sniffing and licking at your cunt like he wanted.

For months, though, he refused to act. He suppressed his baser urges, whittling them into compliments instead.

Your hair looks beautiful. Rina did it? Why isn't he surprised. And that dress? Yes, also Rina's choice. Of course.

It's not jealousy. It's something else that shares the same form, feels the same way. Lycaon agonizes over how to fit himself into your life, how to be needed, oblivious to the fact that you wanted him as things were.

Rina had been forced to meddle, casually stringing the both of you along until the conversation had occurred ‘naturally’. Even with your shared feelings out in the open, Lycaon remained restrained. His touches were subdued, moments together stolen and short.

The first time he’d fucked you had been a ‘matter of impropriety, ill-befitting an attendant’, as Lycaon had so stuffily put it.

In short, he’d gotten cold feet after he'd made you cum on his fingers, after Rina had gently nudged him aside to lap up the mess left on your thighs.

“We aren't here on business,” Rina reminded him, challenge in her tone all but calling him a pussy.

She twisted you up in her arms quickly, her hands pressed to the backs of your knees to spread you wide. You leaned back against her, almost entirely unaware of the moral crisis Lycaon put himself through. You're barely there after you cum, take time to get back into your own head - but the way you move so eagerly for Rina makes his cock jerk in his pants.

Rina’s hand had slid down the back of your thigh, her nipples hard for the way you tried to keep your leg where she had held you. Her fingers teased your dripping slit. She dragged them through your folds, prodding at your hole, showing Lycaon how eagerly you sucked them in. She made a show of spreading them, showing off the way you clung to her fingers, the way you dripped for them.

His resolve was iron-clad, but you'd melted through with your little whimpers, desperate voice whining "please, Lycaon.”

He was still a man, at the end of the day. You were bound up for him, snared like prey. He had wanted to treat you gently, to be slow and reverent - but he had pounded into your cunt instead, deep and slow. Any faster and he knows he would have popped his knot into you, had you locked together with your legs thrown over his shoulders, body bent nearly in half.

He'd pulled out, breathlessly asking where you wanted him to cum, stroking himself hard and fast, a hand wrapped tight around his knot. Rina had shuffled you up quickly, stretching your arms above your head, wrists gathered by one of her hands. She beckoned to your tits, the same wave he had seen her use countless times to invite clients to their tea.

Lycaon found the time to treat you gently later. He took his time, gentle and reverent as he wanted - still no knot.

You'd taken the rejection to heart, decided that if he said no once, then that was all there was to it. It was his dick and he could do what he wanted with it. You were too afraid of being pushy, or objectifying – or any number of things that might make him uncomfortable. Fantasies were fine.

Fantasies, and maybe a custom dildo. You were still thinking about it, the page still bookmarked on your phone. Next paycheck, you would tell yourself.

It came out the way all of your fantasies do – by Rina pulling it from you. Three fingers deep, pumping into you steadily, so torturously consistent, so committed to the slow build of your pleasure until the truth came gushing out.

She had this game she loved to play – making you narrate your fantasies. No detail spared or she'll stop stroking your needy little clit – and you would hate that, wouldn't you?

This time it had all come to light – how badly you wanted Lycaon's knot, how you were saving up just for a taste of a fake one.

Rina giggles in the aftermath. She dresses you quickly in your sleepwear, gesturing for you to raise your arms so she can roll your shirt down.

"Of course, you know that can be arranged,” Rina says, as casually as if you'd asked her for a cup of tea.

You feel like you've been shocked. Your arms are still sticking straight up in the air when you protest.

“No– it's just a stupid fantasy.”

Rina guides your arms back down, lets you rest and pose yourself without her guidance. She slips her hand into yours.

“I don't think it's stupid at all, Mistress.”

“Don't call me that,” you whine, swatting the air where she had been a moment ago. “It makes me feel gross.”

“Sir Lycaon likes it,” Rina teases.

Your face warms. You mumble a retort, lame and forgotten.

“I'll speak with him,” she assures you.

“No, don't. Don't tell him.”

“Leave everything to me.”

The subject of your objectification knocks on your door at 10 AM the next week. A standing appointment for coffee, Lycaon would call it – otherwise known as your weekly coffee date. Rina wiggles her fingers in greeting, drifting inside casually, the scent of vanilla trailing after her.

For a moment, you wonder if she had mentioned anything at all to Lycaon. He appears overwhelmingly normal about all of this. Clarity strikes you, lightning to your nerves when Rina doubles back to press her hand to the small of your back.

“You aren't just going to stand there, are you?” She asks.

Both of you jolt. You shuffle to the side, nearly tripping over your own feet to get out of the way. Lycaon shuts the door behind him. You speak over each other, both stammering apologies and excuses.

“Rina mentioned –”

“Was the trip here –”

You stall out, trying to give room for the other to speak.

“Sorry, I–”

“My apologies, I didn't mean to –”

Rina finally has mercy on the two of you, taking hold of the conversation before you can fizzle out a third time. She makes things clear upfront: your desire has been communicated to Lycaon. He has agreed. Don't look so serious, you two – this is a good thing.

The rest falls into place naturally. Or, as naturally as it can with Rina pulling the strings.

“We have the entire afternoon,” she informs you, turning to head to your bedroom. You're expected to follow, and you do - of course you do. Lycaon trails behind you, fingers ghosting against your wrist.

“You make it sound so formal,” you drone, plopping unceremoniously onto the edge of your bed.

“Oh, it's not formal,” Rina tuts. She drifts behind you, hands working at the tension in your shoulder. She leans forward, breasts pressing against your back, her cheek against yours, eyes locked on Lycaon. “It's just us.”

Time quickly became a suggestion. Minutes bled together, strung loosely between each touch, held secret in the clutch of Lycaon's pocket watch - the same watch that lays discarded in a heap with the rest of his clothes.

Your chest is pressed to the mattress, head cradled in Rina’s lap. Her hands rove across your hair, fixing it again and again as Lycaon drives into you. His arm is wrapped tightly around your waist, keeping your hips up and pinned flush wish his. His breath is hot at the back of your neck, teeth aching to nip at your nape, to mark your delicate skin. He drags his broad tongue across the places he wants to bite.

You've lost count of the ways they've bent you, the positions Rina had asked of you.

First, it was missionary, your own choice - but the angle had been all wrong, too difficult to squeeze his knot in that way. Rina had taken over from there, posing you as she thought best. By the time she had stopped mid-mating press, you realized this wasn't about trying to find the best position to take Lycaon’s knot. Rina had been playing her own game.

Rina's hand lights on Lycaon's shoulder, a barely-there brush of her fingers. He growls as if she's stuck her hand in his dinner bowl, the noise rumbling from his chest and through your back. He buries his cock in deeper, resisting the idea of stopping again, and his tapered tip wedges against a spot so deep inside you that you spasm in his arms. You cum so hard you swear you blackout for a few moments, your body a throb of pleasure, hips squirming, pussy trying to suck him in all the way.

You feel it - the first slip of his knot, the first stretch. The burn sears into pleasure. Your breath catches in your throat, a strangled moan escaping, pressed into Rina’s thigh.

“Please, please, please,” you sob.

Rina pushes harder against Lycaon’s shoulder. His lip curls, but he pulls back. His cock drags all the way out of you, leaves you empty, clenching around nothing. Your hands fist the fabric of Rina's skirt.

She doesn’t give you more than a moment to recover. Your pussy is still clenching when Rina's hands ghost across your ribcage. Sparks shower across your skin, nipples peaking painfully. She urges you with insistent, well-placed touches, tutting softly at the way you whimper. Her hands smooth sweat-slick hair from your face, fixing the strands reverently. She tucks two fingers under your chin and you raise your sight to her. It takes a moment for your hazy eyes to focus.

A touch on the side of your leg. You swing obediently into her lap. Rina's cold fingers pressing gently against the side of your neck, coaxing you against her chest. Your cheek cushions on her breast

Her fingers smooth sweat slick hair from your face, touch chilled and just on the side of clammy.

“Another, Mistress?” Rina asks sweetly, petting your hair. She pointedly ignores Lycaon's huff.

You peer up at her, tears brimming your eyes, catching the light and sparkling so prettily. You don't have the words. Could you even cum again? You want to plead, to whine – it had been right there. You had been so close to what you'd wanted.

“Oh, you poor thing,” she coos. The backs of her fingers press to your heated cheeks. “Cry if you must. It's all right.”

Rina's smile grows as your tears spill. She makes no move to wipe them from your cheeks. This is how she likes you, how she finds you most beautiful - worn down, fucked out, a mess in her arms for her to clean up and toy with.

Lycaon can't stand to see you cry, though. The bed creaks as he sits up, fishing a handkerchief from his discarded waistcoat. He dabs at your cheeks, tucking a knuckle under your chin to hold you in place.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs against your hair. "It was too much. I should never -”

"No." Your voice wobbles. "No, I just– I want your knot so bad.”

His cock jerks. Pre-cum dribbles from his tip, pools in his fur. Lycaon bites the rumble in his chest into a whine, locked tight behind sharp teeth.

“All right,” he breathes, heart hammering in his chest. “All right. Yes, of course. You'll have it. No more tears, please.”

Rina urges you from her chest. She knows where she's needed, knows not to linger. She presses her hand to Lycaon's shoulder, directing him to lay back against the bed. He's not quite as pliable as you are, never has been - especially not when he's wiping tears from your cheeks, kissing your forehead. His touch lingers when he follows her directive, hand stroking down the back of your arm, across your elbow, along your forearm.

She lets you toddle over to Lycaon on your knees, lets his be the hands that steady you when you swing your leg over him. You're still crying, sweet thing, tears wetting the fur of his stomach.

You wiggle into place awkwardly. His drippy tip glides through you pussy, nudging at your puffy, sensitive clit. You suck a breath through your teeth, lifting off him. The sensation is sharp, teetering on the edge of pain. Your knees pinch in and nudge Lycaon's sides, thighs jiggling. His eye tracks the movement immediately, hand stroking from your ass to your thigh, back and forth.

Rina slots in behind you. She keeps her touch on your hips light, urging you back down. Lycaon’s chest stills, his breath caught as she works you into a simple, back and forth path, dragging his cock along your slit. Once you settle into her rhythm, she reaches below you, gripping the base of Lycaon's cock, holding him steady.

He slides home easily, your pussy still molded to the shape of him. You keen, still sensitive. This new angle has him pressing against spots that dot your vision with stars. You sink deep, trembling and relieved all at once.

You get a few breaths together. Lycaon's head rests atop yours. He swallows audibly. His warm hands flex at your hips, restraint evident, strength held at bay by resolve alone. He's strong, so much stronger than you – he could press you down onto his cock easily, force you to take him to the hilt. The thought makes you clench around him, pussy fluttering.

Lycaon's teeth click next to your ear. His claws prick your skin for the fraction of a second, and then he's keeping his fingers off you, holding you by the palms. His cock throbs, twitches, aching to plug you with his knot.

Before you can grow too comfortable sitting on his cock, milking him dry with the squeeze of your pussy in response to every shallow thrust, every aching press of his knot to your hole, Rina begins her adjustments. At your hips first, the little suggestion of movement in her fingertips. You don't respond immediately, pussy so full you can't think straight. She pinches the fat of your hips, spurring your obedience.

She gets your hips rocking first, guiding you until you settle into the movement on your own. It's gentler than before, but each press of your hips sucks him deeper. This is the one - it has to be.

Rina doesn't let you stay hunched over. Her hands touch to your back, adjusting your posturing until your sitting so pretty on his cock. She adjusts your arms, lets you wind them around Lycaon’s neck instead of curling up behind him to claw at him shoulders.

You're almost there, can feel him slipping in, the stretch making your eyes roll back. Rina makes one final adjustment to your posture. She pries your face from the safety of Lycaon’s shoulders. All your pretty little sounds, your focused expressions, are clear for both of them to see.

“I'm– I'm close–” Lycaon huffs, keeping his face pressed to your shoulder. His body is coiled tight, nearly shaking with the restraint it takes not to thrust into you, to lock your bodies together and flood your pussy with his cum.

You whine, a hand fisting in his fur. Your stomach burns with the idea that after all of this, after being the perfect little toy, you might not get your prize – that he might slip out of you, cum spilling on your stomachs instead of where it belongs.

Lycaon thrusts into you hard just as your hips cycle down. His knot locks in. You gasp, the sensation foreign. You don't have time to savor it. He pounds into you, locked in place by his knot, your walls squeezing him as you cum again.

“Like you're made for me,” he babbles. Lycaon stops himself just before he bites onto your shoulder, his maw held open, sharp teeth threatening to puncture your skin. His moans are loud, pitching into a whine. His cock kicks inside of you, cum flooding your pussy, trapped in place by his knot.

You slump against him, the last few ropes of his cum spurting, his hips still shifting to drive it deeper. Your body is heavy, weighed down with the flood of pleasure still tinging your blood. Gradually, Lycaon's grip on you softens. His jaw closes, tongue flicking out to lap at your shoulder - short, slow strokes, almost apologetic.

Rina sits back and smooths the wrinkles from her dress. She admires the scene before her with a gentle smile, tilting her head to capture it from every angle. You're fully seated on his cock no matter which way she looks at it, escaped cum dribbling to the sheets in rivulets.

“Is it everything you dreamed?” Hands clasped, head tipped to the side - she looks at the pair of you adoringly, as if the sight of you breathless and locked together is the cutest thing she's ever seen.

“Rina,” Lycaon says, muzzle pressed into the crook of your neck. “Some water for our mistress, please.”

There's something hidden in his tone. You're too tired to piece it together, but Rina hones it on it immediately. She strokes along your spine as she stands, bending at the waist to kiss the crown of your head. She drifts out of the room without argument.

The door latches shut. You sag against Lycaon, his arms tightening around your middle. His tongue laps at your shoulder, collecting the salt taste of your sweat. He edges closer to your neck, lapping at it in broad strokes.

"Are you comfortable?" He murmurs against your skin.

"Mmhm," you hum, eyes shut, trusting your weight to his hold. “Feels good.”

Lycaon's tail dusts against the sheets. He presses his nose to the joint of your shoulder and neck, breathing your scent deep. For a moment, he thinks you might fall asleep, your cheek pressed against the soft fur of his chest.

“Let's order takeout,” you mumble.

Lycaon huffs. The closest thing he can muster to a laugh in his exhaustion. His arm tightens around your waist. He shifts you carefully so that you're both lying down, trying his best to ignore the way you squeeze around him, the way his cock gives a tired, painful jerk. He drags a blanket over your bodies.

“Worked up an appetite, did you?”

You nuzzle closer to his chest, letting out a satisfied sigh. “I just don't want Rina to cook for us.”

Ah. There was that, too.

[starrihan]

Lipstick Stain (Woonhak Fic)

-> Pairing: Woonhak x afab! Reader

-> Plot: your 6 month anniversary spells surprises as your boyfriend has the perfect night set up for you

-> Genre: tooth rotting fluff, like its so sweet, Woonhak is so cutie baby i love him so much, mentions of kissing and a little kiss at the end, Jaehyun and Sungho act like his parents

-> Warnings: none (not proofread!)

-> Word Count: 1,377

-> Notes: idk where this idea came from but i wrote this in like 2 hours and in one sitting (say youe proud of me please my attention span has been nonexistent since school started). i also typed this with long nails on (theyre press ons) so literally my fingers hurt but I hope you guys enjoy this 🫶🏽😘

-> Notes pt. 2: this is my 50th post 🤧🫶🏽

-> Here's a link to all my other masterlists!

༄ ༄ ༄

Even though you had been together for a little bit now, you and Woonhak were still romantically shy around each other. You guys had only kissed a handful of times, but it was always so sweet and romantic. Everyone adored your guys’ relationship, and his members were no exception. 

Here you were, at his doorstep, dressed in a cute pink dress, ready for your weekly date. When you knocked on the door, you weren’t surprised to see that Jaehyun was the one who opened it. His reaction to you dressed so cute was priceless, like a father seeing his daughter go on her first date. Granted his reaction was like this every time you and Woonhak went on a date but still, it was very endearing. 

“Woonhak! Y/N’s here!”

Upon hearing the news of your arrival, Woonhak stepped out of his room, fixing his shirt cuff, hair slicked back. You felt your jaw drop, gawking at your stunning boyfriend. Jaehyun is equally as shocked, not knowing how much more handsome Woonhak could get. Woonhak looks up, pulling a mocking face at Jaehyun but smiling when his eyes travel down to you. You’re beaming as he walks up to you, arms open to give him a hug. You let out a yelp when, instead of hugging you normally, he picks you up, spinning you before putting you down and planting a quick on your forehead. Your blush is heavy as you try to hide your face in his chest, careful not to mess up your makeup.

“Y/N! I missed you! You look so gorgeous.”

He says, pulling back to look into your eyes. Your cheeks heat up even more, blush growing deeper at his adoring compliment.

“I could say the same to you. You’re so strikingly handsome.”

The way you two were staring into each other’s eyes was enough to get Jaehyun to fangirl, pulling out his phone and taking a picture of the sweet moment. 

“You’re so embarrassing.”

Woonhak says, stomping his feet like a child throwing a tantrum, which you find so adorable. You both take your leave, walking to the restaurant nearby that Woonhak had reserved for the both of you. Today was your 6 month anniversary and he insisted he take you out somewhere nice, despite not having a lot of money. You found him so charming, how could you not? He was so sweet to you, always taking you out or just having you around. 

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the waiter led you to your table. You’re awestruck when you see the big bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle, something that Woonhak personally went out of his way to set up for you, knowing you love cute gestures like these. His smile is almost as wide as his face upon your reaction, finding your reaction so adorable. 

“Woonhak… this is so sweet. Thank you!”

You fight the urge to jump on him and hug him, sitting in your chair, that he pulled out for you, and smelling the flowers again. 

“And my favorite flowers too… you’re so perfect.”

He chuckles as he takes his seat across from you, taking your hand in his, intertwining your fingers while you look through the menus together. 

༄ ༄ ༄

At the end of the night, Woonhak walks you back to your house. Hand in hand, you guys take your time walking back, talking about anything and everything. You even stop by a small ice cream shop that’s near the restaurant you were at, indulging in the sweet treat despite having eaten dessert already. You take your time savoring the sweet, not wanting the night to end yet. Woonhak swears he can watch you eat forever, smiling never fading the entire time he’s with you. 

“Woonhak stop staring, you’re making me blush!”

You laugh as you look away, avoiding his playful yet strong gaze. He just smiles even harder, getting up from his seat to kneel in front of you, playfully continuing to watch you. He opens his mouth, indicating that he wants a bit, to which you oblige, feeding a spoonful of the strawberry ice cream into his mouth. He cutely eats the cold dessert, winking at you as you throw your head back, laughing at his antics. This truly was the perfect night.

After your ice cream detour, Woonhak takes the scenic route home, stargazing on the way back. To you, he was being oddly affectionate, in a good way. He was never one to express his feelings much through words, but he always tried for you. 

“Not even the amount of stars in the night sky could amount to how much I care about you.”

You were taken aback by his confession, smiling to yourself as you lean into his taller frame.

“You’re so verbal about your feelings today. Are you gonna tell me something crazy like that you’re going away forever or something?”

You thought your joke was funny, but Woonhak gulps, body tensing when you bring up him having to tell you something important. 

“Actually, I do have something really important to tell you.”

Now you’re worried as he stops in his tracks. You’re only a couple doors away from your house, so you tug at his arm, forcing him to continue walking. When you arrive in front of your door, you swallow the lump in your throat, preparing for the worst. Your mind is racing at a million miles a minute, worried that he’s going to break up with you. You try to calm yourself down from those thoughts, turning to face him. 

“What is it that you have to tell me?”

You tilt your head, trying your best to steel your nerves and prepare yourself for what you’re about to hear. Woonhak’s hands are sweating like crazy as he pushes loose strands of hair out of his face. 

“Y/N… we’ve been together for a bit now. First of all, I can’t believe we’ve spent 6 months together. These have been the best 6 months of my life…”

His pause has tears welling up in your eyes, afraid that your worst nightmare is coming true.

“Truthfully, I’m not very good at expressing how much I care about you with words, but I hope it's not too early to say this. I love you, Y/N…”

He closes his eyes like he's waiting for your rejection. But he is instead met with your hands cupping his cheeks, smile so big it could scare a child as a single tear falls from your eye. He panics, thinking that he scared you with his confession.

“Y/N, you're crying. I’m sorry if it was too early I didn't mean it haha–”

“I love you too, Woonhak.”

Now it's his turn to be silent as he relaxes in your hold, the biggest sigh of relief leaving his mouth as he can’t help but laugh at the situation. 

“You love me? For real?”

“Well I don’t love you for jokes. You scared me with how many pauses you took. I thought you were breaking up with me and leaving the country.”

You guys both laugh, looking into each other's eyes when you realize your hands are still on his face. You sigh lovingly, pulling him in for a short, but sweet kiss. 

“I love you so much, Kim Woonhak.” 

༄ ༄ ༄

His walk back to his dorm was spent dazed. He couldn’t believe he told you that you loved him. He couldn’t believe that you had reciprocated his feelings. He can’t wipe the stupid grin off of his face as he enters his dorm, Jaehyun and Sungho already waiting for him on the couch. 

“You finally told her, huh?”

Jaehyun smirks as he knows exactly why the younger looks so lovestruck. 

“You can tell she said it back, he has a big lipstick stain on his lips.”

Woonhak stands there, touching his lips delicately, like he’ll wipe off the lipstick if he dares touch it too much. 

“Our Woonhak has finally grown up. I’m so proud of you.”

He doesn’t even fight off Jaehyun’s hug, too much in awe to care. He finally told you how you felt, and you felt the same. That’s all that mattered. 

༄ ༄ ༄

-> Here's a link to all my other masterlists!

[itsvenera]

ship: sasuke x fem! reader

genre: fluff

sasuke is travelling around the shinobi world during the blank period and he falls in love with a shinobi from one of the smaller villages like, the hidden waterfall after going on missions with them and eventually after a few months of knowing them he confesses ☺️😉

Sasuke x fem! reader

author's note: Once I read the request, I immediately had a scenario forming in my head and the whole story kind of "wrote itself"! I feel I did move a bit from the original request, but I really hope you still enjoy it! <3 Thank you so much for your ask!

Warnings: none really (Sasuke may be a little bit ooc? idk, it's always hard to decide with him, isn't it?)

“Again.”

Taking a deep breath, your hands instinctively moved in front of your chest, forming the now way too familiar hand signs. Feeling a burning sensation forming in your stomach, you brought your hand up to your mouth, creating a cupping motion and exhaling a large wave of water from between your lips. One by one the targets across the wall opposite of you fell on the floor, unable to withhold the strong pressure of the water.

A thin wooden stick suddenly slapped you across the wrist, making you drop your hand with a wince.

“Again.”

Gritting your teeth, you repeated the action, spewing a large amount of water from between your lips, while twisting your body towards the right side of the room. Moving your aim across the wooden targets that stood in a row, you made sure to hit all five of them, before dropping your hand away. Turning towards your teacher, you slightly bowed your head, before clasping your hands in front of you.

Yakizo, the middle-aged woman who your family hired to be your teacher, looked at you with squinted eyes, before clicking her tongue and letting out a scoff.

“Hmph”, she walked around you, the end of the stick hitting the lower end of your waist, immediately straightening your posture,

“You are not fit for a fighter. Perhaps you should focus more on your healing studies.”

You bit the inside of your cheeks, a strong metallic taste filling the inside of your mouth.  The strong urge to snap back at the woman was making your fingers tremble and for a second you entertained the idea of unleashing your water wave jutsu directly at her always scowling face.

Your life has not always been like this.

Years ago, when your father was still among the living, you were trained alongside your brother Shibuki in various fighting techniques. But once he passed away and your sibling became the village head, everything changed. After drinking some of the Hero Water, Shibuki feared that his life span would shorten the same way it happened to your father, which would leave you as the only remaining member of the head family.

And that thought alone was enough for Shibuki to become paranoid and overly protective of you.

You were rarely allowed to go on missions and when you did - they were always lower-rank missions, way below your level of training and skills. Your lessons started to focus primarily on healing and medical ninjutsu, a decision made by Shibuki since "the village would benefit way more from having a highly-skilled healer, than another fighter".

When you refused to give up your fighting lessons, your brother decided to hire Yakizo to be the one teaching you. She was a bitter lady in her late 40s, who was a decent fighter, but a questionable tutor. She refused to let you practice anything more advanced than basic water release attacks and even then, she has always found something to critique.

"Lady Y/N", a voice called out. Both you and Yakizo turned towards the door, where a young male servant stood with his hands clasped behind his back, "Lord Shibuki request your presence."

Nodding your head, you turned towards your tutor, before laying your palms against each other in front of your chest and bowing respectfully. She never returned the gesture, instead clicking her tongue and twirling around, making her way towards the exit. You waited for a minute after her exit, before finally exhaling a breath of relief.

"Tough session, huh?", the servant asked, leaning against the door frame and smiling at you. You playfully rolled your eyes, before making your way towards him.

"Isn't it always, Suni?", you joked, exiting the room, "I don't understand why Shibuki insisted for her to be my teacher. I am pretty convinced she hates me."

Suni hummed in agreement, quickening his step so he could be beside you. Despite being from different social classes, both of you shared a strong friendship, which was formed early in your childhood days. Being the only person who knew the real dynamic of your strained relationship with your brother, he was also the only person you could fully relax and be open to.

"Perhaps this is exactly why he chose her", he said, tapping his index finger against his chin, "Maybe he hopes that since she is so awful, you are going to give up fighting altogether."

You snorted at his words, but you saw the logic behind them. And knowing Shibuki, it would not be surprising if that was his interior motivation for the choice.

"If it is going to make you feel better, I heard he is sending you on a mission", Suni said, bumping your shoulder playfully with his, "And this time it does not involve picking any fruits or vegetables."

A small spark of curiosity appeared in your eyes and you looked towards Suni, silently inviting him to say more. He, however, remained silent, choosing to move his gaze ahead instead.

"Are you not going to tell me more?", you pressed, leaning your head towards him, while trying to catch his eyes again. The way his face suddenly reddened and his eyes twitched in every direction but yours led you to believe that he knew more than he was letting on.

Fortunately for him, before you could enquire more, you both found yourself in front of the wooden sliding doors of the grand hall. Suni gave you a small apologetic smile, before sliding the door open.

"Lady Y/N", he announced your presence, before stepping aside and clearing a way for you to enter. Stepping inside, your eyes immediately fell on two male figures sitting opposite each other in the middle of the hall, one of which was your brother.

"Sister, welcome", Shibuki smiled and stood up, making his way towards you. You bowed your head towards him, before turning your attention to the other man. He remained seated with his head tilted down, calmly sipping from a small cup full of jasmine tea. His long raven locks fell in front of his face, blocking most of it from your view, but revealing enough for you to get an idea who he was.

"Please come meet our guest", Shibuki enthusiastically said, offering you his arm to grab, before he started making his way back to the centre of the hall. The man, who so far has not acknowledged your presence in any way, finally stood up, turning his head towards you. His onyx eyes met yours and for a second, you felt your breath hitch in your throat.

Finally finding yourself in front of him, you politely bowed your head, patiently waiting for Shibuki to introduce you.

"I don't believe you met last time you were here", your brother said to the man, gesturing with his hand for all of you to sit down, "This is my sister, Y/N. One of the best medical ninjas in the village, despite being still in training."

You bit your bottom lip, biting down the urge to snap at your sibling. Instead, you choose to let a tight-lipped smile spread across your face, but you couldn't help the slight gritting of your teeth.

"This is Sasuke Uchiha", Shibuki continued, this time turning toward you, "He is a ninja from the Leaf Village, who kindly agreed to come here to help us with our current problem with the threats we received last week."

Sasuke's face remained stoic, his eyes focused on you. Unlike you, he did not offer any type of response or a greeting, instead choosing to take another sip of his tea, while his gaze remained boring into you.

"Very kind of him, indeed", you commented, refusing to give up in this little staring contest you found yourself in. You couldn't help but feel your body becoming more tense as time went on, a feeling of uneasiness setting deep inside your stomach. Not because of the foreign presence, but rather from the fact that you still did not have even the slightest idea of what Suni was talking about earlier.

"Right?", Shibuki brought his own cup to his lips, closing his eyes once the warm liquid made its way down his throat, "With allies like this, the people of Takigakure would have nothing to fear about."

"Forgive me my bluntness, brother", you said impatiently, your foot twitching nervously under the small table between you, "But what is the reason you have requested my attendance today? I assume it is not only so you introduce me to... your ally."

Before your brother can even open his mouth to reply, Sasuke's deep monotone voice sounded beside you:

"I need a guide."

"A guide?", your head snapped toward him, one of your eyebrows raising in a questioning manner.

"I need someone to be my guide during my time in the village", Sasuke calmly explained, his face remaining expressionless, "The threats you have received are made by a shinobi who, I suspect, are from the village. Their familiarity with the area is already to their advantage."

"I am afraid my duties do not involve providing tours to foreigners", you countered, your eyes squinting at him, before moving your gaze to Shibuki, "Brother, I told you that if you send me after them, I am fully capable to-"

"Enough!", your sibling's voice boomed, immediately silencing you, "Y/N, we already talked about this. You are not fit for fighting."

"But I am a shinobi! I just need a chance to prove myself and-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!", Shibuki's hands slammed on the table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his trembling body. It was a rare occasion for him to shout at you.

"You are to escort Sasuke during his time in the village. I believe you are going to be a good example of our village's hospitality and make sure he is feeling comfortable. You are going to accompany him to the neighbouring lands during the course of his investigation."

Your brother stood up from his chair, casting a quick glance at the clock on the wall opposite him. Nodding his head at the servants sitting in the corner of his room, he turned his attention back to the Leaf ninja.

"Please accept my apologies, Sasuke Uchiha", Shibuki's eyes quickly turned to glare at you, before they focused on the young male again, "I am afraid my sister sometimes forgets her lady manners and her place in this village. However, I believe she would be of great help in your pursuit of these criminals."

With those words, he bowed his head toward the man, before stepping aside and giving you one last warning look.

"Take Sasuke to his room and maybe for a walk around the village this afternoon", he commanded, before pointing his index finger at you, "And no fighting."

You reluctantly nodded your head, embarrassed that a foreign ninja became a witness to your little family row. Disagreements like this were not uncommon between you two, but so far they were rarely witnesses, and when they were, it was usually by people working at the Residence.

Once you were alone with the Uchiha, you took a deep breath, a polite fake smile forming on your lips.

"Well, then", you said, while getting up from your place, "I better take you to your room. Please follow me."

You turned on your heel and started walking, without waiting for him to get up. Your eyes met those of Suni, who gave you an apologetic look, before sliding the door open for you.

Walking through the corridors of the Residence, you had to look back a couple of times in order to make sure Sasuke was following you. He has remained silent the whole time, yet you could feel his gaze burning a hole in your back every time you faced away from him.

Finally arriving in front of a heavy wooden door, you grasped the handle and pushed it open, letting both of you inside. Quickly moving towards the window, you pushed the curtains aside, letting the daylight in.

"We are delighted to have you as our guest", the rehearsed words used for every guest made their way out of your mouth before you could even think about them, "I will be back later this afternoon, once you have a chance to rest. Meanwhile, if you need anything, a servant will be made available for you soon. You can let them know if you desire any food or refreshments."

Not waiting for a response, you started to make your way out, before his deep voice made you freeze in place.

"Your brother is right."

"I beg your pardon?", you turned towards him, waiting for him to elaborate. Sasuke was not even looking at you, instead focusing his attention on removing his cape and swords from his body. Your eyes fell briefly down his body, acknowledging how swiftly he worked his robe and weapon belt, despite having only one arm, but quickly made their way back to his face once he spoke again.

"These criminals are dangerous", he stated, grabbing his bag and starting to unpack it, "They have to be dealt with quickly and efficiently by a skillful shinobi, before they cause even more problems."

"I am a skillful shinobi", you protested, narrowing your eyes at him. Your fingernails pressed against your palms, a painful reminder that you were speaking to a guest and you had to hold your tongue behind your teeth.

"You said you were a healer", he looked at you, arching a brow. It happened just for a second, but you could've sworn that you saw the corner of his lip twitch upwards in what looked like a smirk. It disappeared as fast as it came, leaving his expression blank.

"Shibuki said I was a healer", you corrected, emphasizing your sibling's name. Sasuke hummed, looking you up and down, before focusing on unpacking his back again.

"And is he mistaken? Given your attire, I can already assume you are definitely not a fighter."

"Well, your assumption is wrong", the words came out more snarky than you intended, yet you did nothing to correct the way they sounded. Something about the way he was speaking irritated you - his tone, so calm and collected, sounded almost mocking in your ears. You couldn't help but feel judged by this stranger - whether it was because your brother has said something to him earlier or because he simply lacked a basic respect towards women - you did not know, but you did not like it.

Sasuke did not say anything else, instead letting out a low "hn" sound. He continued putting his clothes away, neatly arranging them by colour and size in the wardrobe. You stood in your place, following his movements with your eyes, before looking down at your dress. Technically, he was right that you were not dressed as a ninja - your long flowy light green kimono would be highly impracticable in a real fight, despite the fact you wore it during your basic training earlier. However, you felt unfairly judged, considering that you were at your own home, so of course you are not going to wear fighting attire.

Irritated by his earlier comment, you decided to bite back:

"You may have fooled my brother, Sasuke Uchiha", your voice came out low and sharp, "But the villagers, including myself, have not forgotten the terror you and your team of rogue ninjas have caused to our neighbours and allies. Do not mistake our hospitality for an opportunity to try and harm our village."

The words made Sasuke's movements halt for a while, his eyes glancing towards your through the thick curtain of raven hair covering half of his face.

"You have heard of me."

You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

"We live in the Village Hidden by a Waterfall, not in a hole in the ground", you replied, turning towards the door again, "And even then, I believe your reputation would've found its way there too."

Before exiting you made sure to stop, giving him a chance to give you any sort of reply, which he did not. Instead, he remained silent, and after a minute of waiting, you heard him walking towards the wardrobe again, carefully arranging his stuff. Realising you won't get a response, you left the room and made your way back to the training grounds.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days have passed since Sasuke's arrival. Little words were exchanged between you, and when they were, they were primarily you explaining the layout of the village and him asking questions about the security around the area.

Being his guide was way more draining than expected. The large amount of time you spend in silence and his always blank expression soon started to bother you more than you'd expected. It was obvious that neither of you was thrilled with the other's presence, but you felt like you at least tried to pretend to be polite and appear unbothered. Something you couldn't say about him.

"He makes a lot of sounds", you complained one afternoon while sparring with Suni, "It is weird. It is like he has never interacted with another human being till this point! He just "hn"s and "mm"s all the time!"

The boy laughed, successfully blocking your swing towards his neck.

"You seem way too bothered about it", he commented, his smile dropping once you cast a harsh glare at him, "Just try to ignore him. I doubt this mission would last that long anyway."

You rolled your eyes, stepping away from Suni and wiping the sweat forming on top of your brow with the sleeve of your top. Taking this as a sign that the fight is over, he took a seat on one of the nearby rocks and passed you his pouch of water. Thanking him, you took it from his hands and took a large gulp of water.

"One mission this is", you mumbled under your breath, before taking a seat next to him, "I'm just walking the Uchiha around the village like he is on some type of holiday. Meanwhile, the threat to our village remains unresolved and my brother keeps holding me back."

Suni's eyes filled with sympathy and he laid one of his hands on your upper back, rubbing soothing circles.

"Shibuki just cares about you", he tried to reason, his words gentle and calm, "You are the only family he has left."

"As he is mine", you argued, turning your eyes towards your friend, " But I would never deprive him of the liberty of making his own choices. It's not fair! It is not right! There is a whole world out there I haven't even seen!"

You let out a sign, a feeling of guilt immediately washing over you. It was not Suni's fault for how you felt. And deep inside, you knew he was right - your sibling treated you the way he did, only because he was trying to protect you.

Sensing the way your body tensed, Suni wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you towards him and landing a comforting kiss on top your head.

"Lady Y/N", a cold voice sounded behind you, making you jump away from the boy and turn around. Dressed in his cape and holding his bag over his shoulder, Sasuke Uchiha's dark eyes stared intensely at you, not acknowledging Suni in any way.

"Sasuke", you cleared your throat, suddenly feeling embarrassed by the idea that he may have heard your conversation. For how long was he sitting there?

"How can I help you?"

"I am leaving the village", he bluntly said, his eyes briefly moving to Suni and narrowing, before focusing back on you, "I believe I have all the information I need now."

You stood there silent for a while, both shock and confusion forming inside your mind. What was he talking about? What information? When did he even gather it, given for the past few days he was just silently walking around?

"I, um...", you opened your mouth, but quickly closed it again. You assume that you should have felt relief hearing his words, but for some reason, it never came.

Shaking your head, you offered him a tight-lipped smile, before moving towards him.

"That is great news", you said, your tone not matching the expected enthusiasm, "Please follow me. I will take you to my brother, before we provide you with enough food and coins for your journey."

Nodding your head to Suni as your "goodbye", you started walking towards the stairs of the Residence. You couldn't hear the Uchiha following you, but at this point, you have learned that he moved so silently, that it was impossible to hear his steps with the average human hearing. His long shadow, however, was an indicator that he was closely walking behind.

Your fingers were just reaching for the doors and about to open them when he spoke again:

"Come with me."

Your movements halted and you felt your breath hitched. Turning your head, you looked at him, sure that you have misheard him.

"Excuse me?"

"Come with me", he said again, this time taking a step closer, so he was towering over you, "We are leaving in an hour."

Opening your mouth, no sound came out, and you closed it again, before repeating. There was dozens of thoughts flooding your mind, yet none of them could make their way to your lips.

"I.. I can't! I have duties, I-", the words died on your lips and you suddenly felt unsure how to justify it.

"Duties of a 'healer', I know", the corner of his mouth twitched just a bit upwards, his expression suddenly looking almost humorous, "Your people seem to be of good health. I am sure they will manage a few weeks without you."

The mention of the word "healer" seemed to act like a switch for you and you managed to gather your composure. Your face hardening, you turned away again, grabbing the door handle one more time.

"It is not about that."

He hummed behind you, staying still.

"That's what you wanted, wasn't it? To finally have a chance?"

Closing your eyes, you nodded your head, before you let out a dry chuckle.

"I wish it was that simple", you mumbled, finally entering the building. Before you could make more than a few steps, however, a calloused hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged you lightly backward. You turned around, ready to question him, but stopped once you noticed how close he was to you.

"It is that simple", he stated, his fingers finally releasing you. His eyes traced your face from your forehead to your lips, before they stopped at your own, "I can find my way to the grand hall. You go and pack your bag. I will see you at the gates in an hour."

Before you could protest, he started walking away with a hurried step, leaving you alone in the corridor with a choice.

Either to finally give yourself what you have been craving for all your life or willingly give it up once and for all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was either something genius about Sasuke Uchiha or something severely wrong about him.

There was no other explanation of how he convinced Shibuki to let you go with him outside the village and for an unspecified amount of time, on top of that. Either way, whatever tactic he used, he refused to share with you, instead saying that your sibling agreed straight away.

Surprisingly, Sasuke insisted on walking, saying that while it was a slower method of moving, it was a better way of caving your energy and chakra. The logic behind his decision was questionable, but you did not argue further, instead deciding to follow him. So far, he has failed to share any details about your pursuit of the criminals, other than both of you are heading towards the Hidden Stone Village.

Hour by hour, the sun was moving lower and lower towards the horizon, letting the forest around fall in darkness.

"We better find somewhere to rest. It is going to rain soon", he observed, looking up at the dark grey clouds that were slowly traveling your way. You followed his gaze, nodding your head, before looking around you. You were surrounded by trees and there was no sign of any caves or shelters, you could use as a cover for the night. Your trained ears, however, caught another sound.

"There is a river nearby", you stated, turning towards the sound of moving water, "We better set a camp there, so we can refresh in the morning."

Just like you suspected, just a few minutes walk away from where you stood, was a stream running in the middle of a small meadow. Wasting no time, you took your jacket off and started going around, collecting fallen branches, bark, leaves, and everything you considered necessary, in order to start building a short-term shelter for the night.

Sasuke watched you with interest, deciding to help you with some of the bigger branches, despite having one hand. While you knew that even like that, he was at least twice more capable of handling himself, you couldn't help but feel bad at his effort to felp.

"It's okay. I've got this."

He scoffed, ignoring your words and lifting some of the materials off your hands. You quickly dropped what you were carrying and grabbed the branches and bark back, while giving him a stern look.

"I said I've got this."

Sasuke looked at you in surprise and after a minute, he raised his hand in a defensive motion. Putting the branches on top of the pile on the ground, you again lifted all of the stuff, making your way towards the middle of the meadow.

"You have an attitude problem", he calmly stated, while watching you build the frame for your shelter. You couldn't help but let out an obnoxious snort, looking up at him with a small smirk on your lips.

"That is very rich coming from you", you mused, wrapping some of the branches together. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he remained quiet, knowing that you did have a point. He watched you for a while, before deciding to start unpacking some of the food and drinks you brought with you.

"You don't talk a lot", you decided to break the silence, still expertly working your hands at making a secure frame on top of which to lay the bark and leaves.

"I have nothing to say", he replied, his voice waving just the slightest at the end of his sentence. If you hadn't listened carefully, you would have missed it.

"That's usually said by people who have awful lot to say."

Sasuke didn't answer and you assumed that was the end of your short conversation. Lifting the wooden frame you managed to build, so it stands, you started to carefully put pieces of bark and leaves on top of it. Putting the last few ones, you felt the first water droplets landing on your skin.

Both you and Sasuke hurried under the shelter, escaping just by seconds the moment the rain intensified. The space was quite small and you had to sit extra close together, your shoulder and knee pressed against each other. While in any other scenario, you would feel quite uncomfortable by the close proximity, now your attention was solely focused on the raging weather outside.

The last time you left the village was before your father passed away. To you seeing the outside world again was almost like a surreal dream and you tried to engrave every single thing inside your mind, knowing that another chance like this may not present itself for a long time.

"I hate the rain", Sasuke suddenly said, bringing you back to reality. You snapped your head in his direction and before you could stop it, a loud "pfft" sound left your lips.

"How could anyone hate the rain?", a quiet chuckle left your lips and your eyes lifted towards the sky again. Rain was a rare occurrence in your village and definitely something that was admired by your people. It was believed that it carried good luck and prosperity.

"It brings bad memories", was all he said, his eyes staring at the distance. You raised your brow, expecting him to continue, but when you looked at him, he seemed lost in what you assumed was a painful memory lane.

Crawling on your knees, you exited the shelter, goosebumps covering your skin the moment the cold water drops hit your skin. Your hair immediately became drenched, sticking to the side of your face, but the small smile that started dancing on your lips hinted you are anything but bothered by it.

Your hand extended towards him, inviting him to take it.

"Come."

He looked at your hand with an unimpressed gaze, before lifting his gaze to your face and clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Do you want to catch a cold? Come under."

With a playful roll of your eyes, you grabbed his hand and tugged him toward you, not hard enough to pull him completely outside, but enough for his sleeve to get wet.

"Are you insane? Now I am all-", his irritated rant got interrupted the moment you laid your fingers on top of his mouth, laughing at his sour expression.

"Is the great Sasuke Uchiha intimidated by some water drops?", you taunted, tugging his hand again, "Come on, stop being a coward."

"I'm not-", he started saying, before letting out a sigh. Gritting his teeth, he crawled after you, his eyes narrowing in annoyance once the water quickly made its way through his clothes and hair. Exhaling an angry breath of air through his nose, he glared at you.

"Happy? Now we are both drenched."

You shushed him with your finger, pulling him away from the shelter and towards the middle of the grass meadow. Once you were satisfied with the place, your dropped on your knees, pulling grumbling Sasuke down with you.

"What are you doing?", he sighed, reluctantly following your silent commands. Sasuke was not one to let someone drag him left and right but he knew there was no point in arguing with you, as it seemed you were just doing whatever you wanted, without real consideration of how he felt about it. He couldn't help, but question if taking you with him was really a good idea.

And then he felt it... a gentle touch brushing the sticky hair out of his face, exposing both of his eyes to you. His immediate reaction was to grab your hand and pull it away, but you slapped his fingers with you other hand before he could do so.

"Let them go."

His eyes widened, unable to move away from your own. The way you stared at him, full of hope and expectation, made his throat suddenly feel dry. Raindrops continue to fall on both of you and he could swear that the way they reflected the moonlight made you appear... almost ethereal. Almost like all of this was one strange dream, one he was not really sure he wanted to wake up from.

"You said the rain brings bad memories", you continued, blinking through the heavy drops falling on your face, "It is time to let it wash them away. Let them go."

He opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. Instead, he closed his eyes, letting the vivid images of his bloody past flood his mind. They felt so real, he almost thought he was experiencing it all over again, the only thing reminding him of the reality being the warm feeling of your hands holding his hair away from his face.

He would never be able to explain what happened that night. Perhaps he was tired, or having a weird sensation due to the cold... But something has changed. When he woke up the next day, you were already up, cooking some fish for breakfast. Looking up at him, you smiled.

"Beautiful day, isn't?", you pointed up towards the shining sun, while inhaling the smell of fresh grass, "It's like the forest had a fresh life brought into it. Wouldn't be possible if the skies hadn't cried their tears last night, I'll tell you that."

And for the first time he had known you, he openly agreed with what you said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You and Sasuke travelled for three months together. During this time you visited many different places, including his home village Konoha. He has not shared any details in your pursuit of the criminals threatening Takigakure, but you assumed that your long journey meant that they kept moving from place to place. It annoyed you that they always seemed to be one step ahead of you, but you used the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and experience the culture of nations, you have only read about in books.

During these months, both of you also grew closer, and you were surprised to get to know the man who was hiding behind this emotionless mask he presented to the outside world. What you thought to be a selfish and arrogant ninja, turned out to be a deeply wounded and hurt individual, who continued to seek its place in this world. He shared with you what happened to his clan, his raging teenage years, spent seeking revenge, as well the truth he learned from his brother during their final battle. He talked you through his journey of change and his ultimate decision to travel the world in an attempt to atone for his sins.

You, on the other hand, had far less to share with him about yourself but still did open up about your dream to be a fighter, your strained relationship with your brother, and the heavy burden you felt growing up in a society where women were expected to act and behave in a certain way.

"Sometimes I'm sick of being Lady Y/N", you shared one day, while you were walking through the woods, "Sometimes I want to be just Y/N."

Sasuke hummed at your words. One thing that hasn't changed is his preference to make noises, rather than use words.

"There is nothing wrong with being both", he finally said after a minute, and you clicked your tongue, before crossing your arms in front of your chest.

"But I don't want to be both", you huffed, annoyed that he couldn't just agree with you and instead wanted to counter your point, "I don't want to sit in pretty dresses and practice medical jutsus all day long. I want to fight for my people and protect them! I want to be a warrior."

Your words made the man stop in his place, turning toward you with unreadable expression. Staring into your eyes for what feel like couple long minutes, he finally lifted his hand towards your head, before flicking you on the forehead with his middle finger.

"Ow!"

He let out a low chuckle, something you have heard only once since you've met him, his expression looking amused, while yours seemed annoyed.

"There are far too many warriors there, damaging the world", he said, before pausing for a minute, looking up at the sky, "and far too few, who can heal it."

Your lips twitched sideways, brows lifting in surprise at his sudden wisdom. Adjusting the bag on your shoulder, you continued walking down the forest path,

"The most I've fixed is a broken wrist of a child", you admitted, grumpily, "The truth is that our ninjas do not get assigned a lot of missions, therefore they do not get hurt. So my healing record is just as bad as my fighting one."

"You healed me."

Those words made you stop in place. So far you've indulged only in two fights and Sasuke managed to handle both of them pretty much by himself without even a scratch on his body. So what was he talking about?

"What?"

He took a few steps towards you, stopping right in front of your face. You were not sure if the sunset was casting it's light into his pale skin or if it was a result of some other optical illusion, but there was the slightest hint of rose colour covering his cheeks.

"You are the most stubborn, impulsive, impatient, and assertive woman I know. You also have a massive attitude problem", he said and you felt your jaw drop. Was he serious right now? Clutching your fists next to your body, your eyes narrowed and were ready to fight back, before he continued:

"And believe me, I know a lot of women with attitude. Yours is unmatched so far."

Pushing him on the chest, you managed to make him stumble a step back, while you got directly in his face. With cheeks and ears reddened from the blood boiling beneath your skin, you were unsure where his sudden passive aggression was coming from, but if he was seeking a fight, he was going to get one.

"Yeah? Well, that's funny, considering you are the most arrogant man- Hmpf!"

Sasuke's hand covered your mouth and he smirked seeing the rage behind your eyes, while shaking his head.

"See? Too impatient", he said, before moving his hand and flicking you on the forehead once again, "It is this tough personality and behaviour, that is often too much to handle, that makes you the woman I admire and respect so much. You showed me what is really important and taught me how to let go of the past... past which has been haunting me for years and which heaviness I believed I was destined to carry for years."

The beating of your heart suddenly increased, loudly drumming against your ribcage. A warm feeling spread inside your stomach, making your muscles tense. You loudly gulped, bringing your hands up to move his palm away from your mouth. He let you do it, relaxing at the feeling of your warm touch.

"Are you saying..."

He nodded.

"I am saying that during these past three months, you made me feel and experience things I have never before. Seeing the world through your eyes felt like... it felt like I was seeing it for the first time too", he moved his glance sideways, focusing on the little white flowers poking out of the grass next to you, "You have brought a fresh life into my existence."

You stayed silent, your brain taking some time to process his words. Sasuke's hand became tense in your hold, a sign of his anxiousness as a result of your lack of response. He was about to pull it away when your fingers dipped into his skin, a small playful smile playing on your lips.

"Say it."

"Say what?", he looked at you confused.

"Say "I like you.""

"I've literally just did that", he deadpanned and you rolled your eyes, tugging him close to you by his arm. Pushing your face into his again, you tried to ignore his musky smell, instead focusing on remaining a serious expression.

"You didn't say it directly, you just hinted at it", you pointed out as a matter of fact, tilting your head to the side, "I want to say it directly."

"No."

"Coward."

You stepped away with a smile, but before you could pull your hand, he laced his fingers with you, before starting to walk again. His expression and attitude seemed completely nonchalant, but the slightest blush covered the side of his cheeks, neck, and ears. You smirked a little, deciding it is enough teasing for now and giving him a light squeeze with your fingers, while continuing your journey through the woods.

"I like you too."

"I know", he said, his voice giving away the small smile on his lips. Clicking your tongue, you slapped him playfully on the shoulder, before your eyes widened.

"Wait a minute...", you stopped in your tracks, noticing the waterfall in the distance, "We are back home."

"We are", he confirmed, seemingly unphased by the fact you were back to the Village Hidden by a Waterfall, completely empty-handed. Not only you did not capture any of the rogue ninjas that threatened your home, but you didn't seem to have made a lot of progress in finding who they were during the few months you were away.

Running in front of him, you laid your hand on his chest, stopping him from continuing forward.

"Wait", you panted, your brain erratically thinking of what you should do, "We can't go back. We have not found those ninjas yet, we-"

"They have been in prison for months now", he interrupted you, "We captured them on the morning of the day we left."

Your mouth fell open and you tried to pull your hand away from his grasp, but he held it firmly. Unable to control yourself, you slapped him on the chest with your free one, emphasizing each word with each hit:

"You. Tricked. Me!"

Sasuke pulled you forward, using the opportunity to wrap his arm around your shoulder and press you against his chest, stopping your movements.

"I didn't trick you", he defended himself, "I said I was leaving because I had all the information I needed, which I did. I knew who the rogue ninjas were and I left Shibuki to deal with their punishment."

You relaxed in his embrace, processing what he said. So the whole time while you thought you were chasing some genius criminals... you were just travelling from place to place?

"The day we left... You said there is a whole world out there you haven't even seen", his words brought you back to the day you sat in the gardens, complaining to Suni, "I wanted you to have that."

His words soon started to fade away and your focus shifted to the sound of his heartbeat. Your arms, which were limply hanging down, slowly moved around his waist, pressing him against you as a silent "thank you". Your eyes set at the horizon, following the shapes of the dark clouds forming in the distance.

"It's going to rain."

His chin gently relaxed on top of your head.

"I like the rain."

cc artwork: Arthur Zima

[kieranneedsahug]

Spinner wheel rolled this AU next weheh

I guess I don't really have AU names so much as I have story names?? maybe? but um, the story it's attached to is called The Secrets We Keep.

Also, rare Carmine appearance! I uh... I think I accidentally faded out her mole cause I thought it was part of the blushies but uh... I'm not fixing it oops

There's not, a ton of lore drop I can do for this one, cause of the way it's set up most of it would be spoilers??? but more will be under the cut ✌️(I wrote it and it ended up being just about as long as the last one? but like, not a lot of actual *story* info s'all)

So, this AU spans the entirety of the DLC, Florian's also done the main story- possibly prior to the events? I haven't decided yet but it all happens off screen (off text? idk)

So! Kieran's family are Zorua/Zoroark (not spoilers since it's like literally in the first few paragraphs lol)

Uhm, a few thingies about that- Their family has been integrated into Kitakami society for generations, so much so they'd almost be considered a different species than the Zoroark line altogether. They can no longer speak with other Pokemon, having lost that ability a long long time ago.

They also see nothing wrong or weird about raising Pokemon since they've been living with and raised around humans for so long (although they do get a little weirded out if they see someone with a Zorua or Zoroark)

Their Illusions work in a way similar to transform, being that their senses and feelings change to match the form they're taking (A Zorua would not feel it's tail if it was in human form, for instance) additionally their senses partially match that of what they're disguised as, although not as accurately as transform (smell hearing and sight are all more acute in their true forms)

Also, certain Pokemon, specifically Noctowl, can see through the disguise. Their disguises are slightly stronger than a normal Zoroark line's, being that it takes a little bit more than a single hit for it to burst. It is very *very* unlikely something like a tumble, or a blow from a human would knock them out of it. They could probably take one, maybe two regular powered blows from a Pokemon, but a powerful blow would take it down in one go. (IE: Terapagos blow would have not just broken the disguise it would have still very badly injured if not killed Kieran)

Also, very strong emotions can sometimes cause the disguise to burst, it has to be in moments of high distraction or otherwise caught off guard to be a possibility though, simply building up to a strong emotion won't do anything.

Clothes work in a specific way- Clothes aren't part of the illusion, when they are disguised they can put on clothes like normal, and when they transform into their true forms, it disappears into some kind of pocket space, and will be there when they become disguised again.

The shadow effect in the picture is just for the cool effect, their shadows cast the same thing that their disguised as typically, however sometimes out of the corner of one's eye it might look odd.

Kieran and Carmine's nails grow in red. Carmine gets away with just saying she paints her nails. Kieran gets away with it too, but doesn't want to look like he's copying his sister so he actually paints his nails.

Kieran never ever uses public restrooms, and when he has to he makes sure no one else is in there before he goes.

This Kieran is far, far more mischievous than my other AUs, it's in his nature.

Sometimes he gets in trouble because of his instincts, an example being going up into the mountains late at night. Partially still because of being drawn to Ogerpon, partially because of being drawn outside at night. When he was younger he had a harder time keeping his disguise and being that Zorua aren't native to Kitakami, it scared the villagers. While his grandparents were a little worried about his safety, they were more worried about him getting found out.

Neither of them know any moves, but if they were put in a very bad situation they'd probably end up manifesting something like night slash or night daze. On Florian's side of things, he attends Uva, I'm not sure what starter he started with? Suggestions welcome lol. He has pink hair and blue eyes. He's also very cheerful most of the time and playful. Loves his mom very much.

annnd I think that's just about it!

I'm really excited for this one, I even have a few scenes for it written out already, but they're mostly later story ones.

Oh! and this one is def a university AU cause of stuff that happens later in the story,

okee that's all for now, will spin the spinner again soon.

[nonverbalnaji]

Merfolk Anatomy and Worldbuilding for my Jayvik Mermaid AU

Cross posting from the threads I did over on Bluesky into one place for ease with some wording adjusted for clarity. This is what I've done for my fic The Ebb and Flow of You which is on Ao3.

Please note before you read on that I will be discussing physical speculative anatomy, the impacts of that on society, culture, and gender, as well as information about reproduction. Additionally, in my fic I tweak how Viktor's disabilities present, and he doesn't have a terminal illness. (Tooth-rotting Fluff is a big tag for my fic aha).

Setting - Undercity Underwater

So in this story, Zaun is the underwater city/region for merfolk and Piltover is much the same but spanning over both sides of the bridge. Topside/Bottomside and Undercity are still used as terms between them

Zaun is made up of three levels in Runeterra and Arcane. The Promenade (where the warehouse is), the Entresol level (the lane), and the Sump (the fissures and mines). Fissures were easy to nod to underwater, while the Promenade and Entresol is more about proximity to the city than levels of depth.

While Vander isn't a Baron in the show, he still holds a position of power that felt analogous to here. He and Silco still had a fight, but in a slightly different context with the scarring becoming promenant due to Gray toxins which is a mixture of underwater gases and pollutants from Topside.

While I figure an air-based and water-based pollutant would work differently, I've gone with the assumption that the Gray is still trapped in certain areas or zones that affect the livability due to the toxicity affecting food sources and farming potential, as well as being a risk to construction.

Merfolk Anatomy and Viktor

A thread on the merfolk anatomy I have in The Ebb and Flow of You. While this was based on the amazing art by Snow Le Art, it was as early as chapter 1 that I realized that there would be some differences that I wanted to make logical sense (or at least to me) in regards to fins and organs.

As a quick aside, Silco is half merfolk and half Sharfin (shak fin with constant elision) hence why he has a sharp sense of smell. It's also thanks to discussing logisitics of mpreg with my partner that 'seataurs' were coined since we were talking about how seahorses aren't actually viviparous.

We'll get to that topic in another thread but this will be covering fins and why Viktor has hearing issues. When I wrote this thread initially, I realize I've hit a bit of a plot hole perhaps, but I'm going with he learnt to talk and the issues were a later development from being born in the Gray.

In my mind, merfolk have: a pair of pelvic fins, one on each hip; an underfin that starts at the edge of their 'seam' or 'pouch' and ends where their tail has a knee-like bone (idk maybe); their dorsal fin extends from their scales and there's a slight colouration there and where scales end.

Viktor was born with a twisted spine, and as such this is shown with his dorsal fin. One of the important functions of a dorsal fin is to keep fish from rolling belly up, so Viktor needed to compensate for this, he swims slower than other mer and with a tilt if he's not moving his hips as he swims

This was to nod to his leg like in the show, even though the injury to his tail fin is also analogous. While he won't be dying in this fic, the delayed impact of breathing the Gray was a usable reason for what I will get to in the fic regarding his hearing which might sound strange buuuttttt

There are some Amazonian fish that have enlarged swim bladders (used to breathe and buoyancy) that have evolved to have *lung tissue* and so they breathe air. Perfect for merfolk! THEN I came across something called the Weberian Apparatus, which connects the swim bladder to the auditory system...

This apparatus uses the swim bladder as a kind of resonance chamber, so my logic here is that it's either not fully developed for Viktor or there's some issues that need investigating perhaps, you'll have to read on to find out but it was a neat find to adapt his lung issues to hearing issues

When I word it like that it sounds weird XD Worldbuilder things though.

Merfolk Reproduction - the Hear Me Out

So. Cloacas. Hear me out. In part, it was from a 'Why Not Both' moment but also because I was trying to figure out if merfolk would have a similar separation of uh, passages like we humans do. For fish, their anal or cloacal fin (which I've dubbed as underfin) can separate these passages.

It also made sense that even without a cloaca that there would be a pouch or sorts to protect uh, appendages. While it's more so amphibians and non-bony fish that can have cloacas, technically by definitions, merfolk *are* a kind of amphibian, being able to breathe both under water and in air.

It also made sense that even without a cloaca that there would be a pouch or sorts to protect uh, appendages. While it's more so amphibians and non-bony fish that can have cloacas, technically by definitions, merfolk *are* a kind of amphibian, being able to breathe both under water and in air.

In the previous thread I mentioned Seataurs or Seahorses being ovoviviparous. Instead of this live birth like mammals, this means that they hold eggs that develop internally before birthing them. Otherwise, fish are ovoparous, in that they lay eggs and either fertilized before or after.

I decided to have both as an option, taking into account environmental and social safety as both can have advantages and disadvantages. While carrying an egg can make sure it's safe, it does put the birthing parent at risk, but laying eggs is also risky depending on where the eggs are laid.

The other thing I wanted to explore was the impact of this physiology on gender identity and expression. And at least in a fantasy setting, accessibility for transfolks and any diversity is a no-brainer to me. So while this story won't focus on the humans, the city of progress is progressive here.

This is also nodding to what I've read about fish that change their reproductive anatomy in response to environmental circumstances as well as some fish like clown fish who literally transition from male to female as part of maturing. So in this fic, merfolk are androgynous and change as they grow

This means that modelling of diversity and education is important for understanding. It wouldn't be a sudden change say from the ages of roughly 12-25, and experimentation with pronouns and expression would be a norm. Viktor's case, he has leant masculine but not too far from androgyny out of choice

The flexibility and choice in part is because I like the idea of Viktor being able to have a space where he can experiment and explore, living his best life vibes. Even when he falls pregnant, that won't make him any less masculine, just like with any seahorse dad. Hopefully I can write this well <3

And if this all sounds interesting, you can find this fic over on Ao3 here:

[frownyalfred]

Me nearing the end of borderline for the first time like “wow this ending makes me sad but hey it turns out it’s a series! Yay I have things to read to make me less sad!”

…. That was a lie. I’ve been lied to (I know you don’t mean it that way but oh my god). Now I just have to sit there and stew in this???????? What the hell??? 💜💜💜

WARNING FOR OTHER ANONS DO NOT READ EYE IN THE SKY AND BORDERLINE IN A SPAN OF 24 HOURS ITS NOT A GOOD IDEA WHAT THE FUCK 💜💜💜

I’m hurting, you’re amazing, idk how I’m supposed to just. Exist with these two universes in my head

Back to back eye in the sky and borderline is a wild choice, anon. And I wrote the damn fics. Both will one day hopefully have a sequel, if that helps at all! I have a plan <<< person with a couple bullet points in the notes app on their phone.

[sundiced]

Recently learned August 21st is Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day and idk if that's a real thing BUT it is an excuse to make a fic rec list and I've always wanted to do that anyway <3 all these are on ao3 bc it's the only website I know with a functioning filter system.

Blue Lock

IT'S OK IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MOVE ON. START WITH SOMETHING EASIER, LIKE NOT GOING BACK. by insaene. Itoshi brothers relationship study that drove me off a cliff I'm pretty sure I reread this fic like three times on the day I first read it. I love the prose sm. main highlights: the poetry!!! + a lot of attention to details about the characters (really liked how it drew from Egoist Bible info) + idk there is a Vibe that appeals to me greatly. side tangent but this author also wrote Little (Dead) Beast about Kaiser and Lorenzo and that one made me cry at 2 in the morning.

Whipper!! by bigdamnher0 bachirinsagi rock climbing AU coming-of-age type story. hear me out okay I have never before cared about rock climbing Ever but this fic. it. it has a special place in my heart I'm never getting over it.

it's rotten work, especially to me, especially if it's you by @kae-karo THE kaisagi getting together fic. I love this fic it is my fanfiction equivalent of a favorite food. chinese fandoms on rednote have the phrase '补药' to refer to content with good characterization that you use to 'cure' yourself after the unimaginable horror of seeing your blorbo be written OOC and that is this fic. to me

we wrote a prelude by @bloodbagzz kaisae fake dating fic that I think about all of the time. and i mean all of the time. and I mean like you know how there are some animated shows that are drawn so well that you could take a screenshot at any timestamp and it could be your wallpaper? this is the written equivalent.

a-z by smallghosts the sweetest bachirin fic. the reason I like trying new writing formats. I confess I read this fic before I actually watched blue lock and it may have played a part in motivating me to start

tear out your heart (it'll always be mine) by MistressSleepless isarin assassin AU that i love dearly. truly i believe it is impossible to fully capture this ship unless they are legitimately trying to kill each other.

Genshin Impact + Honkai Star Rail

okay this one is not a fic rec it is an author rec but literally anything ever written by @birdsofpasssage. I started reading genshin fic when I was like. 13. and i have never spoken to this person before in my life outside of ao3 comments but genuinely my writing style was permanently impacted by rereading their fics about zhongli.

Sword and Shield by chaentics chaeya fantasy AU. again genshin was like formulative to me and this is what got me hooked on rarepairs as a concept.

partial ocean view by Schistosity xiao character study. very very very good characterization that perfectly fills in a gap in xiao's life that i've always wondered about. found family vibes

encryption 00000: respond by koffin. kafhime told entirely in decrypted messages they send to each other on a private channel. emotionally devastating.

history keeps pulling me down by intimatopia. side ratiorine but primarily a sunday & aventurine fic where sunday gets deaged. beautiful dissection of the parallels between sunday and aventurine and what makes their characters so impactful individually.

leftover light by velvetcrowbars. jingheng fic spanning their entire relationship from beginning to inevitable end. i read the entire thing in one sitting and died a little inside.

Assorted Others

i am a sinner (who's probably gonna sin again) by persimmonsandcats soukoku has so so so much good fic but out of all of it this one takes the cake for me. a truckload of poetry served on a plate. this is what it means to love

Gamma by Anonymous. fic about albert and haru from Free!

ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me, il nome mio nessun saprà by @aocello character study of The Salesman in Squid Game that has surpassed canon in terms of how much the characterization interests me

if you love me, then keep it to yourself by @steppingstar lookism kimseo fic that I am insane about if I was only allowed to read one lookism fic for the rest of my life it would be this

I've come to realize I can't just drop all of my ao3 bookmarks here and also I need to go do my online class so. I hope you all have a very nice day :D

[darkdemeter]

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii how we do? hope ur taking care and pls remember to drink water :)

been wanting to send this but scared cuz this is not a request ( ik they closed) i just wanna share this cuz i really love bby reader

been thinking a lot of GHWH reader but if they were in that siruation where they meet dad- I mean Death but WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY back in the past

u know that one fic u wrote (pretty sure it was a request idk tbh) while ago i just can't stop thinking about the idea

like imagen being this 7ft tall killing, basically the goddamn reaper, you seen ugly and uglier things on ur who-knows-thousand-year life span. Earth has yet to even been made and yet you somehow stumble upon probably the tiniest creature ever whose species will populate said earth in who-knows-millenia-years

Just death stumbling upon child reader and those the lil head tilt as she copies him, big ol orbs staring at his orb less ones, raising a brow under his mask as she just raises her lil palms to be held cuz she just fell and wants comfort (weirdly feeling a certain deja vu even tho he isn't suppose to meet her till like millions of years later)

I just imagen just like in the request at the end Death not wanting reader to leave but knows she has to, bends down to try to be her as she makes him do a pinkie promise that they will see each other again

sorry it long but if i could write i would just give u a whole fic 😭🙏

Heya I'm doing well, thank you. :D

And yes, the Even Death Was Once Young request. I tend to forget that quite a few people really liked that one. Would be good to write a little follow up part for that one actually at some point, I have some little ideas.

BUT THAT IS SO CUTE TO THINK OF THOUGH! GHWH reader meeting a younger Death. Poor girl keeps stumbling into serpent holes and going on crazy adventures.

Death would be so very confused at this little bean of a child happening upon him, head tilting this way and that as the mimic each other, palms outstretched and asking for uppies.

And then he doesn't want her to leave-- my heart. Poor Death 😭He will treasure that pinkie promise until they eventually meet again.

[plum-petals]

hey rosie! so, this isn't related to your perfect/stunning spyverse fanfiction, but with the AMOUNT of writing you do and how GOOD it is. I'm trying to write my own book, but everytime i have an idea i only write 5-7 chapters before getting another idea and restarting the process. do you have any tips? also for writing in a good way and plotting, since it's your specialty! <3

hello!! omg this is so nice 💕 i don't know if i have very practical advice since the two biggest reasons i have the freedom to write so much is 1. desk job and 2. no children. 😂 but here are such of the actual, more applicable lessons i've learned for not abandoning my 300k+ series half-way through:

fall in love with organization haha i use docs for writing but goodnotes on my ipad for plotting! it's a paid app (that i would have loved in college tbh) but i love having a virtual notebook for stories filled with planning stuff with options for paper type, handwriting > text, etc. different ones for different stories with tons of customization options to make things pretty if that's your speed (making things pretty is 100% my speed)

planning looks different depending on the story! since this one was covering a year, i did a timeline style outline once i took all my planning bullet points and i laid it out chronologically. this helped me realize stuff like "oh i don't have them doing like anything for this month, let me fix that" or "too many things happening in this span of time, can i move something?" and even tone-setting notes that remembering the season and relation to any greater events. it also lets me drop in moments of foreshadowing very deliberately and add in fun parallels and focus on the literary themes on a larger scale because i can see all the smaller pieces at once.

my timeline organization is generally helped by my color coordination. red for "basically a canon event/needs to happen here/no flexibility" + green for "needs to happen/flexibility in either location or details" + yellow for brainworm stuff i'd like to include if it feels right. blue is for additions and annotations. which are sometimes just an arrow to where a plot point actually happens because i move it or me crossing out an idea and replacing it with what actually happens. blue is my favorite color so it makes my edits to the "plan" feel less like mistakes and more like progress. don't beat yourself up for changing your mind! i do it twice a day. it becomes a bit of a beautiful, chaotic mess by the time you hit *checks notes* chapter 56 but it's okay! like dain redemption arcs, progress isn't linear!

once i have a plan, it's easier for me to jump around as i feel inspired! staring a blank doc isn't really my speed. it's almost soul-crushing tbh. so i'll just close it and write something else. maybe a scene down the line i'm pumped for, or just brainstorming dialogue for future scenes. who cares if you have to make changes when you get there or if it has mistakes? at least it's on the page. or even something silly! for main fic, it was usually xaden pov at first and look how that turned out haha spyverse started with only like six scenes i really wanted to write and built from there! writing also doesn't have to be linear because a story is!

when you're stuck stuck, try writing other stuff in your universe instead of moving to another idea! it doesn't have to the main story to build your understanding of character dynamics and how the plot works together. two side-characters discussing what happened for a scene that's having trouble coming out instead of the scene itself. a random background character seeing odd things while going about their day. your mc doing something wildly outside of the plot like idk studying physics. basically write a slice of life anime for your own protags if you need to feel connected to them, even if a lot of it will end up unused. it'll make the plot-heavy stuff feel easier! even for fight scenes and stuff i never wrote before spyverse, i feel like i have a pretty good idea in my brain about how violet would react to any situation because i know her and it makes everything easier haha

read your work out loud if you can! dialogue especially but all of it really. i worked in a writing center for years and most awkward phrasing and typos can be caught just by reading out loud. ambiguous grammar rules are ingrained in us enough that even if we don't recognize it on the page, it still hits our ears wrong. it also helps me flesh stuff out... i'll just be mumbling violet clapbacks to myself until i find the right one!

oh i also re-read my own writing to get back into the swing of things before a long session! either a chapter back in my draft or just one of my favorite chapters in the main fic. i used to hate this because i am harshly self-critical but now i force myself to because if reading my stuff doesn't still make me smile, i'm doing something wrong lol

7 tips for 7 dragons! thanks so much for your sweet words 💕

[paperstorm]

It's kind of enlightening seeing other people's takes on this, because I've always thought the food stuff we see for TK was just part of the writing's slightly weird attitude towards it, rather than anything specific to him. Like we have Owen refusing tacos because of the wedding, Tommy making that comment to Carlos when he eats the cronut (where it's implied he's also on a wedding diet), Andrea's comments to Gabriel about fitting into his tux, and quite a few more! Idk, I could be wrong, but I feel like the show managed to cram in a LOT of mentions of dieting/eating too much/characters judging each other for what they eat for pretty much everyone!

Yes definitely it does demonstrate the worldview of the people who wrote it this way, as to an extent most stories do! And you're right it does exist in other contexts like the example about the Reyes' you gave.

I do feel like it's more so centered around the Strands than anyone else. We have Paul canonically loving food and cooking, we have Judd being a character with a big sexy dad bod and nobody ever suggests he should go on a diet. Carlos eats 5 times a day, Mateo loves cheese balls, etc. But then you have Owen with the health food stuff that spans multiple seasons (as opposed to Gwyn with her hidden sugary snack foods). And TK being the one for whom a wedding diet is mentioned multiple times (in conjunction with the comments about him in season 3, "AA donuts aren't dinner" and "you always say [you aren't hungry] but then you end up eating at 2am"). Even Tommy's comment to Carlos makes more sense if you consider that because she works with TK, she's aware that he is on a diet so is wondering if Carlos also is, rather than Tommy randomly assuming for no reason that Carlos would be on a diet. It seems to mostly be connected with the Strand men, which is interesting when you consider why it might have been written that way.

Sometimes these things aren't that intentional! Sometimes the writers of a show like this aren't playing 4D chess and things like this are coincidences that they didn't intend to have larger meaning. But I wonder.

[murkystarlight]

I re-wrote Snow White like.. two years ago? Because of a silly story me and my friends were making(the characters did a play of SnowWhite). Anywys. I made a re-write of it, and idk.. just thought I'd share it. Just keep in mind that I didn't really look up a lot on the set of time or the smaller details.

SO. There are two kingdoms. One is where Snow White is born, and the other is where the prince is from. (I made the prince and princess childhood friends. Yes, I know it's not the most interesting story- but I thought of the whole thing in the span of like.. a week. Bear with me)

I'll call Snow White's parents king & queen W and the prince's parent king & queen F

The two kingdoms were allies. When Snow White and the prince were born, the two kingdoms thought it would be a good idea to keep them friends, possibly to maintain the alliance.

Sadly, queen W passed a few years after she gave birth to Snow White. A few years later, the kids are like.. 4 years old. King F passes away from a tragic accident. Soon after the king died, rumors spread in the Florian kingdom that the queen has gone mad. Another thing I added here, is that queen F is from an old bloodline of witches, so the people were always a bit.. unfond of her even though she never did anything.

The rumor spread, and a short while later, reached the ears of King W, who was very protective of his daughter, since she was all he had left. So he made sure Snow White would not be able to contact the prince and that kingdom.

While all that is happening, the prince is also cut off from the world. His mother really did seem like she's gone mad. She barely took care of the kingdom, negleced the prince and was being a total dictator or smth.

No one was allowed to enter her room. She would often be heard talking to someone there, though she was alone. That was because she was talking to the magic mirror, which she had gotten as a gift from someone anonymous not long after the king's death. The mirror was the one who influenced the queen, cursed her a bit. To control her, the mirror used 'beauty' and slowly made it so that the queen would be seeking power, which is what the mirror wants.

Years pass, Snow White is now almost fully grown. The mirror, seeking more power, notices her and tells the queen that to be the fairest in the land, Snow White must be gone. The mirror plans to remove Snow White, enabling Queen F to marry King W. Once this is done, the mirror will tell the queen to dispose of King F, thus gaining control of two kingdoms.

So the queen sends a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her heart.

Now, everything from here is pretty much the same, except that the king (W), as I said, was protective of the princess since the queen died. But he didn't just coop her up in the castle. No, he made sure she would do great on her own, and that also included protection. So Snow White knows how to defend herself; she learned how to handle a sword and keeps one with her all the time. So when the hunter came, Snow White fought back.

They kept fighting until they reached the forest. The hunter, giving up on fighting, told Snow White to stay hidden and avoid being noticed by the Evil Queen. From there, the story of Snow White is similar. She finds a cottage, befriends its inhabitants, and the queen finds Snow White thanks to the magic mirror. BUT. We also have the prince's story.

The prince's story is also the reason we know about the evil queen's plan of marrying king W, and the reason for why the army of king W's kingdom couldn't find Snow White.

The prince started hearing things about the princess's disappearance in the other kingdom. They had been friends and still secretyl met up with eachother for a couple of years before being caught by king W.

He worried and decided to look for her (he also found it odd that a giant army of knights couldn't find a girl who likely wanted to be rescued). The prince searched the land, ending up in a forest. He noticed a trace of magic surrounding a certain area (his mother had the bloodline of witches, and he could sense magic too..?). He stepped inside and soon found an empty cottage. No one was there at the moment, but he could tell it wasn't simply an abandoned house.

He returns to the castle and is informed that his mother and Snow White's kingdom decided to strengthen their alliance by Queen F and King W marrying. King W was convinced by Queen F, saying she would hand him her army to help search for Snow White and protect his kingdom since he sent most of his soldiers out to search.

The prince had to act fast. He took the chance and went into his mother's room, finding only a large mirror. Nonetheless, he managed to find some information. A magic barricade surrounded the cottage (which is why the army could not find it), was placed there by his mother, who was trying to get rid of Snow White. He realized that Snow White might be at the cottage he had found. He hurried there, knowing the wedding would happen soon.

By the time he got there, Snow White already ate the poisonous apple and was put in a glass coffin. He knew this apple would be some curesd magic apple, and he knew how to cure the curses his mother casted.. An act of love. So yeah- hoping his feelings about his childhood friend is mutual, he kissed Snow White. Snow White wakes up, the prince explains everything, and the two hurries back to ruin a wedding.

The wedding is ongoing. Queen F and King W have almost completed all the necessary requirements. Then, the doors burst open with a loud bang, and the prince enters riding his horse, announcing that the marriage is not required anymore, because he found Snow White.

The queen, quickly noticing her plan wasn't going as planned, used magic, and the wedding really started getting ruined.

So there is a big fight happening between the back up the evil queen brought and the few knights that came with king W(plus the prince and princess).

So the fights going on and Snow White puts the pieces together in her head. She notices the mirror on the side and finds it strange. Why would someone bring a giant mirror all the way to a wedding? So she knew it must be connected to all this and told the prince. The prince was about to shoot it with an arrow when he noticed the evil queen sneaking behind Snow White with a dagger. The prince steps in to help, and Snow White takes his place and shoots the arrow. Landing it on the mirror and shattering it.

The curse breaks, the queen is back to normal. She has to make up for the harm she may have caused but other than that, things are pretty good. Then the Snow White and the prince gets married and live happily ever after, yay.

[taegularities]

If I can be so honest your comment about 'but I know the ending, i don't need to share it' re - finishing the series left a really bad taste in my mouth. I've followed your blog since the amortentia chronicles, i've always loved reading your work and left feedback, but the posts you tend to put up now along the lines of 'seems like there's no interest anymore' before/after each chapter put me off continuing to leave feedback because what I do leave isn't enough? The numbers you get for C&F & CMI, multi part series which have spanned literal years and with you, through absolutley no fault of your own, being away from the community at times, are insane, I don't know any other series like them that can pull those kinds of numbers and have people writing paragraphs of love about them in your asks and it's a testament to the community you've built. Of course they're not going to get the same numbers the first few chapters got, it will never work like that.

I make and share content of my own and I understand how important feedback is but I do it because I love and enjoy it, if you don't have the energy or passion to carry on the series then don't do it. These posts about lack of feedback, almost like we're running an engagment crowdfunder to unlock a new chapter always just make me feel so weird as if we're dragging you through cement against your will to write 🤷‍♀️

sigh look idk what to tell you except the things i always say when i receive asks like this one. i write bc i love the characters and the stories, not because somebody's forcing me to. but it's a fact that feedback and interaction motivates writers. and it's not only the case here on tumblr – it's literally the same in general media, too. tv shows or books or movies get cancelled bc ppl stop caring. i know i don't earn any money with my fics, but the power readers have is extremely valuable and makes us want to keep doing what we do. and i share my stuff, so people can tell me what they think and whether they liked it and because i want to talk about the stories i love sm with someone. like if people don't interact, why am i sharing them

and i am not the only writer talking about this. yeah, you're right, i was gone for a long time due to reasons i had no control over – c&f was supposed to drop back in february. i do feel terrible for leaving for so long… i didn't think i'd get sick for months lol and i know this was one reason for the blog being so overall quiet. but you know what leaves a bad taste in my mouth? hyping stuff up and seeing people be super excited about it and commenting and then me getting very excited, too, and then not seeing half of these people ever again after drop day. i wrote c&f not bc anyone dragged me through cement, but because i loved the characters and would've finished the story either way. but i was motivated bc yall motivated me and i got through the scenes despite all the health issues and life, and then to get barely anything back for 20k words does leave a bad taste in my mouth, too. and i'm not the only writer saying this.

i'm also not only about interaction, bc if i was i'd be posting a popular genre fic here every week. i write when i want to which literally proves that i love my ocs and jks and come back bc i miss them, not bc i'm like 'oh i'm gonna get so many asks for this'. but it helps. it helps to see that people are just as enthusiastic as well and want to talk about it. tbh, i am so freaking grateful for all the love i have ever received on here, but it is true that interaction has waned, trust me. i didn't get a single reblog with a comment on this c&f chapter. i am really happy for you that you have your own reasons to create stories, but that doesn't mean i'm not allowed to be sad about everyone's disappearance, yk? tysm for supporting me, but if i'm being v annoying with my stuff, i am okay with you not interacting if it helps you create a safe space for you. i do appreciate you, but your ask did kind of make me feel shitty, too idk

[wawamouse]

⭐, please !!!!! (if it suits you)

Dealer's choice, ei? I guess I will talk about "Life Gets Tedious Enough"/Something Deranged, my very first Oz fic(s). :) Immediate thoughts: horrible title. Doesn't match the theme I created with the rest of the series. The series also has a horrible name—"Something Deranged". Bit of a misnomer. The series is pretty tame. Fic #1 and the series title are both song lyric titles, that's why they don't match the theme. I honestly want to change both but idk what to so eh.

But yes, let's take a walk back to August 30, 2023. I will set the scene and first admit that the I had originally watched Oz in 2018 bc my college had HBO Go lol, but I had not watched it in its entirety (so Rewatch 3 is more like Rewatch 2 if we're honest…). I had read a lot of fanfic back then (mostly Miguel/Ryan) for obvious reasons (abundance) (Keller/Beecher didn't interest me that much) (I actually didn't ship anyone when I originally watched Oz — kind of amazing in retrospect). I download fanfic rather than bookmark it, so a partial Fringe rewatch in 2023 had led me to remember Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) was also in Oz, which led me to remember my treasure trove of Oz fic. I had actually used Miguel's character as the basis of an OC for a story I was writing back in 2018, about these two guys stuck at a cabin in the middle of nowhere, having to pull a lever everyday to prevent the sky from collapsing or whatever (as bad as it sounds), and I was like "hm" maybe I should reread some Oz fanfic to be re-inspired! (Note: I never did end up revisiting the story) Cue me rereading all the fic I had saved. Cue me rewatching parts of the actual show to contextualize the fanfic and Remember. Cue me being like "Hold on a sec, this Chico guy…"

Again, I didn't really ship anyone with anyone, but I thought Guerra was kind of funny for the atrocities (also and perhaps mostly because he was hot) (his pretty privilege...) (But also: him being a character that basically only exists to support Miguel's storyline = very funny. Very gay). In my Oz revisitation of '23, I was like "Wait, d'oh! enemies to lovers! Claaaassic! I'm sure this has been done!" Well, no spoilers there, it had been done. About 5 times, with only @/merelyafigment's wonderful "Dose" existing at the time I would've initially been crawling through the fanfiction archives. WOEEEEE!!! <My bafflement and disappointment.

Here was a dynamic that spanned nearly the entire show that seemed primed for the fanfic girlies (and me lol) to read into. Only 5 fics?? (I will say it was pretty serendipitous that 2 of them were Chinese, which I had taught myself to actually read starting basically just 3 years prior 🫡 物以类聚 人以群分 😆) That said, I think it was perfect that I got back into Oz when I did, though, because I didn't have much confidence in my fic writing ability before 2020 when I lost my mind and wrote 59 fics for a TV show I watched in April a month after most lockdowns began LOL. That experience was literally the only thing that made me go (SIGHHHH) "I guess I will have to be the change I wish to see in the world". And then I wrote "Life Gets Tedious Enough".

Ah, and now the commentary of the actual fic itself begins.

It's kind of funny to read it back and see where some of the characterisations and dialogue quirks I wrote into that fic, and that series in general, differ on how I would approach Miguel and Chico's characterisations now. Firstly, I used "hermano" a lot in that series, something I picked up from reading other fanfic which I don't use at all in my fic anymore, as I realised in subsequent rewatches that it's not really used in the show by anyone except by Ryan, mockingly.

I like the Chico hallucination choice I used in this series, though:

A part of him thinks nah, no way, remembering the fucking shadows—pointing at him, sending him away, back to Oz, that place he’d never left—remembering all those hands grabbing him, ghosts jumping on his back, sliding a garrote around his neck. But the green tab sliding out onto Alvarez’s finger brings to mind other memories, too—music pulsing through him, colors of the world warping to the beat, the world spinning, Alvarez seeming to glow in front of him— The little pill of Destiny sits pretty against the color of Alvarez’s skin, and Chico—Chico starts to lean forward.

And I see my penchant for writing Chico winding up Miguel until they straight up fight about it began here. There is a sensitivity and uncertainty I gave to Chico's characterisation in this series which began at the end of "Life Gets Tedious Enough" that carries into "Holding Up the Sky". I still flip flop on in terms of whether or not I think it's a stupid choice and random characterisation. There's definitely a lot in this series that I think I missed the mark on/feel self conscious about, but I was pretty satisfied with how "Life Gets Tedious Enough" turned out at the time that I wrote it, and I still think it's one of the better fics in the "Something Deranged" series. Idk. It's kind of a whatever series in general imo so I'm a little 🥴 that it's more or less got the most eyes on it out of all my Oz fanfics. It's okay, though. I was trying stuff out. I wish I had made "Thicker Than Water" a little more stand alone, though. It's highly referential to "Holding up the Sky", which is a bit of a weakness maybe... Although it was fun to rework certain moments into Chico's POV and change the emphasis of the scene or tweak the vibe, something I revisited in the alternating POVs with "Third Day of Spring". Worse fics in the series gotta be "Ripples in the Night" or "Aftershock", just because they are forgettable, I guess? Like among all the Oz fics I've written, those two ping the least in my brain and memory 😂. My favorite moments in the "Something Deranged" series gotta be when Chico no-nonsensely holds Miguel's hand in "Rolling On" and also in "Sun Dog" when they're standing in that patch of sun in the private hospital room, and Chico's leaning against Miguel :)

Okay, I've rambled way too much so I will leave things off here.