#it's a nice change of pace from the library

[binah-beloved]

binah and you being added to LCB as "auxiliary sinners", extra help for the company due to having worked for l corp in the past

it's a curious combination, to be sure. you're rather kind and understanding, while Binah is cold and efficient, the two of you sharing seemingly nothing in common. you get along fairly with the rest of the sinners with your polite temperament, while Binah prefers to simply observe her surroundings without a word. your fighting style is methodical and steady, Binah's is brutal and entirely deadly- although neither of you will say where you come from

yes, definitely. you're both nothing alike- perhaps you're here to add even more variety to the ragtag bunch, the others muse

and yet you're always sitting together, Binah in the aisle and you by the window so you can point out things to her- you both seem to know more about the world than you let on. she always listens to you whenever you speak, no matter how small the subject is, and you always seem your happiest when Binah is nearby. more observant sinners will notice that she checks your condition and you hers after every fight, and once the sun has gone down and everyone else has retreated to their rooms, Binah will soften, reaching her arms out to pull you close and rest her forehead against yours with a quiet sigh. she smiles at you, barely, and you both laugh quietly together, in the dark shelter of Mephistopheles

[cyofii]

⩩﹕IN WHICH Phainon, always the playful troublemaker, decides to help his friend Mydei get closer to you. With the new library opening next to your favorite café, Mydei, the kind and mysterious owner, has been secretly watching you but has never had the courage to talk to you. Now, with a little help from Phainon, the chance is finally here. As you share shy glances and small talk, the two of you slowly begin to understand each other. Meanwhile, Phainon watches happily, believing his plan will work… eventually.

wc: 3.6k 𐔌 ᯓ modern/college au, slow burn, friends to lovers, mydei being secretly smitten, mutual pinning if you squint, might be ooc!

“I heard there’s a new library that just opened right beside the café we always go to,” Castorice said, glancing up from her book with a hint of excitement in her voice. It looked like she had been jotting down ideas for a new chapter again—her pen still hovering above the page. You looked up from your phone, eyebrows raised in confusion as you tried to recall if you’d seen any signs of construction the last time you were there.

“Really? Are you thinking of going there to look for inspiration?” you asked, slowly lowering your phone on the table as curiosity began to spark in your voice. Castorice nodded, a soft smile spreading across her face, the kind that made her eyes light up. “I thought it might be nice,” she said, “A change of scenery could help me get through this chapter.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” you asked with a warm smile, your voice gentle as you leaned slightly forward, genuinely interested. “We could check out the library first, and then head to the café to hang out like we usually do.”

Castorice looked at you, her smile growing a little wider, touched by the offer. “I’d really like that,” she replied softly, her fingers pausing on the edge of her notebook. “It’s easier for me to write when you’re around… I feel less stuck.” Her gaze lingered for a moment, as if silently thanking you for always being there.

“No problem!” you said with a cheerful grin, flashing a smile in her direction. As you and Castorice continued chatting, the soft hum of the cafeteria around you blending into the background, a familiar figure with white hair approached, looking mildly frazzled and out of breath.

“There you guys are!” Phainon exclaimed, sliding into the seat beside you with a dramatic sigh. “Professor Anaxa just won’t let me go until I finish that one-thousand-word essay about Dromas,” he groaned, slumping forward onto the table as if the weight of academic suffering had finally crushed him. “I swear he has it out for me.”

“Well, you did turn in a blank essay before,” you said with a teasing smile, unable to hold back a laugh. “So honestly? This one’s totally on you.”

Castorice let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, clearly amused by the memory. Meanwhile, Phainon only sighed louder, dramatically resting his forehead on the table.

“I was having a creative block, okay?” he mumbled, voice muffled against the surface. “Totally different situation.”

“Whatever you say…” you said with a playful smile, shaking your head slightly. Then a thought struck you. “Oh, by the way—are you free after class? Cas and I were planning to check out the new library next to the café we always go to.”

Phainon lifted his head, blinking a few times before meeting your gaze. “Library and café?” he echoed, then gave a quick nod. “Sure! Sounds better than sulking in the dorms over that essay, anyway.”

The afternoon sun filtered through the classroom windows, casting golden patches of light across your desk. Professor Anaxa was deep into his lecture about ancient civilizations, his voice steady as he paced across the front of the room. You were half-listening, somewhere between jotting down notes and sneaking glances at your two friends.

Castorice sat a few seats ahead, scribbling diligently in her notebook, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration. It was clear she was trying her best to stay focused, though the way her gaze occasionally drifted to the window hinted that her thoughts were already wandering toward the library plans.

Beside you, Phainon looked like a tired golden retriever stuck in a history class. His head rested on his hand, eyelids drooping every few minutes, and every now and then, he’d scribble something that probably wasn’t related to the lecture, just enough to make it look like he was keeping up.

You nudged him with your elbow. He flinched upright slightly, blinking at you with a betrayed, sleepy expression.

“I was listening,” he whispered, clearly bluffing.

“Sure you were,” you whispered back, trying not to laugh.

Up front, Professor Anaxa paused mid-sentence and turned around. “Is there something amusing you’d like to share with the class?” he asked, arching a brow.

You and Phainon straightened in sync, both shaking your heads quickly like well-behaved students. Castorice glanced over her shoulder with a small, knowing smile, barely hiding her amusement.

As soon as the professor turned back to the board, Phainon leaned toward you again and muttered, “Okay, maybe I do deserve that one-thousand-word essay…”

The moment Professor Anaxa dismissed the class with a sharp tap of his pen against the desk, the three of you practically leapt out of your seats. Phainon let out a dramatic groan as he stretched, slinging his bag over his shoulder like he’d just escaped a life sentence.

“Freedom never tasted so good,” he sighed, trailing after you and Castorice as you all made your way down the hallway.

Castorice chuckled softly, hugging her notebook close to her chest. “You act like you just finished a twelve-hour shift at a coal mine.”

“I might as well have,” Phainon replied, feigning exhaustion. “My brain has withered. My soul aged ten years.”

You smiled. “Good thing we’re going somewhere peaceful. Who knows, maybe the library will help restore your ‘withered’ brain.”

The three of you stepped out into the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. The sidewalk was quiet, lined with swaying trees and the occasional rustle of passing students. Just a short walk from the campus gates, the familiar café came into view—its windows glowing softly, the scent of brewed coffee drifting through the air. But today, your eyes were drawn to the sleek building next to it: tall glass windows, elegant wood paneling, and a freshly painted sign that read Kremnoan Public Library.

“There it is,” Castorice said, her eyes lighting up as she pointed to it. “It looks so calm.”

“And bookish,” Phainon added. “Like a place where the air itself smells like old pages and productivity.”

You laughed. “Let’s check it out.”

The doors opened with a soft chime, and the scent of new books and polished wood wrapped around you like a gentle hug. Shelves stretched high and far, with sunlight pouring in from the skylights above. It was quiet, but not cold—welcoming, like it had been waiting for people just like you.

“I think I’m going to like it here,” Castorice murmured, already drifting toward a corner desk near the window.

Phainon blinked up at the ceiling. “I might actually feel inspired to write that essay…”

You raised a brow. “That’s a big maybe.”

He grinned. “I said might.”

Ignoring Phainon's words, the three of you quietly went your separate ways inside the library.

The space was bigger than it looked from the outside, with towering shelves that seemed to stretch endlessly. You wandered through the aisles, your eyes drifting over titles that sparked your curiosity, history books, fantasy epics, and scientific journals. Despite all the options, you somehow ended up in the light novel section, the one place you often found comfort after a long day.

You slowly scanned the shelves, your fingers brushing across worn covers and fresh ones alike. A few familiar titles stood out, but one in particular caught your attention. It was a book Castorice had recommended to you before. The cover looked exactly like how she described it, and just the sight of it brought a small smile to your face.

You reached out for it without hesitation, eager to finally give it a try. Just as your fingers touched the book, another hand reached out at the same time.

Your hands brushed against each other.

Startled, you looked up just as the other person did too.

A man stood across from you, tall and composed, with an unfamiliar but calm presence. His eyes met yours for a moment, sharp, golden, and strangely warm. He didn’t speak right away, and neither did you.

The silence stretched, not awkward, but still enough to make you realize your hand was still lightly touching his.

“Oh,” he said, voice low and smooth, almost too gentle for someone his size. He glanced at the book between your hands. “Looks like we had the same idea.”

You quickly pulled your hand back, heart skipping a beat. “Ah—sorry! Did you want it?”

He shook his head, the corner of his lips lifting into a small smile. “No, you go ahead. I’ve already read it. It’s a good one.”

He reached up to return another book to the shelf beside you. The cuff of his black dress shirt shifted slightly as he moved, his gestures neat and practiced. Before you could think of anything else to say, he gave you a short nod and stepped away, heading toward another section with quiet, steady footsteps.

You stood frozen, gripping the book.

“He’s… handsome,” you muttered, a bit too loudly.

A soft snort came from behind.

You turned to see Castorice standing there, eyebrows raised and clearly holding back a grin. “That obvious?”

Your face warmed. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

She laughed quietly, linking her arm with yours. “Come on, lovebird. Let’s find a seat.”

The next day, the cafeteria buzzed with its usual midday chaos—clattering trays, low chatter, and the hum of students trying to relax between classes. You and Castorice sat across from each other, your half-eaten lunch long forgotten as the conversation circled back to the one thing that had been stuck in your mind since yesterday.

“I still can’t believe you said that out loud,” Castorice teased, sipping her iced tea with a knowing smile. “You should’ve seen your face.”

You groaned softly, hiding behind your hands. “I was caught off guard, okay? He was just… he had this calm aura. And his voice. And the way he just—ugh. Why are mysterious guys always so cool?”

“He was polite too,” Castorice nodded thoughtfully. “Didn’t even look annoyed when your hand touched his.”

You glanced to the side, then back at her. “I wonder who he is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around before.”

Just then, Phainon plopped down beside you, placing a few snack packs on the table. “You two are talking about Mydei, huh?”

You blinked. “Wait. You know his name?”

Phainon raised an eyebrow like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah. We’re in the same Ethics class.”

Castorice nearly dropped her drink. “You know him?!”

“Sure do,” he said with a casual shrug, already tearing open a bag of chips. “Smart guy. Doesn’t talk much. Kinda intense. Has this weirdly perfect handwriting.”

You stared at him. “And you just… didn’t say anything yesterday?”

Phainon stuffed a chip into his mouth. “No one asked.”

You and Castorice exchanged a look of disbelief.

“He’s a student?” you asked.

“Mm-hmm,” Phainon nodded. “Same year, too. He just keeps to himself most of the time. Spends a lot of time in the library ever since it opened. Pretty sure he works there too or something. Might even live nearby.”

You blinked slowly, the realization settling in. “That explains a lot.”

Phainon smirked. “What, you gonna go back to the library and confess now?”

Your hand immediately went to your drink, taking a long sip to avoid answering.

Castorice chuckled. “Be honest, if we run into him again, you’re totally going to freeze, aren’t you?”

“I’ll have you know,” you said, trying to sound dignified, “that I am perfectly capable of functioning like a normal person around handsome, mysterious guys.”

Both of them stared at you.

“…Sometimes,” you added.

Later that afternoon, you found yourself back at the Kremnoan Library, though you weren’t entirely sure why.

You hadn’t borrowed anything yesterday. There was no real reason to come back. But here you were, wandering past the front desk with Castorice beside you, trying to look casual while your eyes flicked over every aisle.

Castorice leaned in slightly. “So… are we pretending this is just another visit, or are we being honest about it?”

You gave her a pointed look. “It’s a library. I’m allowed to show up and browse.”

She grinned. “Sure. Totally not hoping to accidentally run into someone.”

You didn’t answer, choosing instead to turn into the same section as before—the shelves filled with light novels and some fantasy titles. You pretended to scan the books, fingers lightly brushing along the covers, heart quietly thudding in your chest for no reason you could admit aloud.

Then you heard it.

“You’re back.”

You turned, and there he was again.

Mydei stood a few feet away, holding a couple of books in one hand, a calm expression on his face. His gaze met yours easily, as if you were someone he fully expected to see again.

“Looking for something specific?” he asked, voice as smooth as yesterday, but a touch more curious.

“I… no,” you admitted. “Just browsing again.”

He nodded slowly, eyes flicking to the shelf you were near. “There’s a new arrival two rows over. Same author as the one you were interested in yesterday.”

You blinked. “You remembered?”

He gave the smallest shrug. “It was a good choice.”

You barely registered Castorice pretending not to hover behind you.

“Well, thank you,” you said, trying not to smile too hard. “I might check it out.”

He gave you a soft look, not quite a smile, but something that lingered in his eyes, before turning and walking past. His footsteps were quiet on the wooden floor.

Castorice waited two full seconds before whispering, “Okay. He remembered what book you were looking at, and you still think it was just a coincidence?”

“I don’t know what to think,” you said, trying to steady your breath.

From the next aisle, Phainon suddenly popped his head around the corner, holding a random book and grinning like he knew everything.

“Are we still pretending this is a casual visit, or are we admitting it now?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “How long have you been there?”

Phainon shrugged. “Long enough.”

He tossed the book into the crook of his arm and added, “Oh, by the way, Mydei and I have a class later. I’ll tell him you said hi.”

Your mouth opened, then closed. “You are unbelievable.”

“But you didn’t say not to,” Phainon said innocently, strolling off like this was all a normal day.

Castorice was already laughing beside you. “We should’ve known he’d show up.”

“Mydeimos!” Phainon called out, walking toward Mydei, who was just about to exit the classroom.

“Oh, it’s you. What do you want now?” Mydei raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with indifference.

Phainon dramatically placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt by the cold reception. “When you’re talking to them, you get all soft and gentle, but when it comes to me, it’s all cold and distant!” He pretended to sniff, his eyes wide with playful sadness. “Why do you hate me, Mydeimos?”

“I don’t hate you. I just don’t get all nice and soft for you like I do for others,” he said, his tone playful.

Phainon let out a playful sigh, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth. “I see how it is. I’ll remember this betrayal.”

“You’re impossible,” Mydei muttered, but the smirk on his face said otherwise.

“Still, though, you pulled it off!” Phainon beamed, clearly proud of himself. He hadn’t expected his little plan to actually work.

A few days before you and Mydei spoke for the first time, Mydei had already been admiring you from afar. Ever since Phainon befriended you on the very first day, he’d noticed the way Mydei’s gaze lingered a bit too long whenever you were around. It was a shame, really. Mydei didn’t even share a single class with you.

But Phainon had noticed. Whether it was in the corner of the cafeteria, walking down the hallway, or lingering near the courtyard, Mydei always seemed to be nearby whenever you and Castorice were hanging out. That’s when Phainon decided to do something about it.

He cornered Mydei one day after their ethics class.

“You like them, don’t you?” Phainon had said with a raised eyebrow.

As expected, Mydei did not give him a clear answer. He either dodged the question completely or brushed it off like it meant nothing. But Phainon did not give up. He remembered Mydei mentioning that he was the owner of the new library being built beside the café that the three of you often visited.

That’s when the plan formed.

The moment the Kremnoan Library opened, Phainon made it his mission to drag you there. He figured that if Mydei wouldn’t make a move, he’d give him the perfect opportunity: a quiet space, the two of you alone, no interruptions. Just enough to spark something... or at least get Mydei to finally speak to you.

And now, seeing how things were playing out, Phainon couldn’t help but feel smug.

“You know… I heard something new was added to the menu at the café next to your library,” Phainon said, wiggling his eyebrows at Mydei.

Mydei didn’t even hesitate, he lightly punched Phainon on the arm.

“What are you planning now exactly?” he asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Phainon grinned. “You ask them to go on a date with you! I’ll make sure Castorice and I are conveniently busy so we don’t interrupt.”

He leaned back against the wall with a smug expression, clearly enjoying himself as he imagined how everything might play out. "C'mon, you've got the perfect setting. Just say the word, and I'll handle the rest."

It was a quiet Saturday morning when you found yourself once again wandering into the Kremnoan Library. With no classes and the weather calm and cool, it felt like the perfect day to catch up on some reading.

You were flipping through a book near the back shelves when you heard someone approach. The footsteps were light but familiar, and when you turned your head, you found Mydei standing there.

He looked a bit more casual than usual, wearing the same black dress shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and for a brief moment, he seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low but steady. “Do you have any plans today?”

You shook your head, smiling. “Not really. Just came here to read.”

“Perfect,” he said, a little too quickly, before clearing his throat. “I was thinking... maybe we could go to the café next door. Together.”

You blinked in surprise. “You mean... right now?”

He nodded. “If you’re free. I thought... maybe I could buy you something.”

You couldn’t stop the grin that formed. “Are you asking me out on a date, Mydei?”

He didn’t answer right away, but a small, almost shy smirk appeared on his lips. “Only if you say yes.”

You let out a soft laugh, feeling a warmth rise in your chest. “Then yes.”

Mydei’s smirk grew just a little, and without another word, he motioned for you to walk with him. You both exited the library together, stepping into the gentle morning breeze. The café was just a short walk away, and for a while, the two of you walked side by side in a comfortable silence, the kind that didn’t feel awkward at all.

You leaned back a little in your chair, sipping your juice as you watched Mydei quietly fiddle with the handle of his coffee cup. It was rare to see him look unsure of himself. Usually, he carried a calm, unreadable air, but right now, he looked like he was searching for words.

"Mydei?" you asked gently, setting your drink down. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head quickly, almost too quickly. "No. It’s just..." He paused, frowning at his coffee as if it would help him gather his thoughts.

You waited patiently, a small smile playing on your lips.

"I’m not good with... saying things," he finally muttered. "But... I think you’re... nice. And... I like being around you."

His voice was quiet, but honest, almost vulnerable.

You blinked, your heart fluttering at his words. A warm feeling bubbled up inside you, and before you could stop yourself, you let out a soft laugh.

"That's the sweetest thing I’ve heard all day," you said warmly.

Mydei coughed awkwardly, his hand running through his messy hair as he looked away, his ears slightly tinted red. "I just thought you should know," he added, his voice almost a grumble.

You smiled brightly and leaned forward just a little. "Well, I like being around you, too."

He glanced back at you, and for a moment, the faintest smile touched his lips, gentle and unguarded.

The sun outside glowed a little brighter through the window, but somehow, nothing felt warmer than the look Mydei was giving you right now.

Unbeknownst to you and Mydei, two very familiar figures had quietly slipped into the café. Hiding behind a menu near the entrance, Phainon and Castorice peered over the top, barely containing their giggles.

"Would you look at that," Phainon whispered, a mischievous grin on his face. "Our dear Mydei actually pulled it off."

Castorice nodded, smiling fondly. "They look good together," she said softly.

"Should we say hi?" Phainon asked, already halfway standing up.

Castorice grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him down. "No way. Let them have their moment."

Phainon pouted, but stayed put, sneaking another peek at you and Mydei. The two of you were leaning closer now, smiling and talking like no one else in the world existed. It was honestly too sweet to interrupt.

With a defeated sigh, Phainon slumped in his seat. "Fine, fine. But I’m teasing both of them later."

Castorice chuckled. "Only if you want Mydei to strangle you."

Phainon snickered. "Worth it."

With that, the two of them exited the café, sneaking off down the sidewalk like mischievous partners-in-crime, already planning how they would tease you both the next time you met.

[hey-iam-fire-ghost-but-i-write]

tragically earthbounded 002

Lord Morpheus x Fem!OC (Ophelia) 002: the way things are > CHAPTER INDEX

not my gift, credits to the owner.

English is not my first language, sorry for the mistakes but be nice about it!

Summary: The Dreaming is restored, although your heart craves for the old ways of things. And maybe you're not alone in this.

Warnings: Talks about imprisonment (or the lack therefor) and Morpheus being well, Morpheus.

Word count: 3.1K

previous: 001

next: 003

Hopes rising up, stronger than those who tried to bring them down.

It started with the library, as if Morpheus was gifting it back to Lucienne. 

Healing.

He wasn’t even back yet and things were already changing. 

The Royal Library was back at it’s place in a blink of an eye, which was amazing and encouraging when his absence and the lack of news from him left you restless as you pace around the palace.

But then, there was work to do, for Morpheus did not mind the library as well as Lucienne would’ve liked and plenty of books were misplaced. 

Which made your theory of exhausting feet all the more real after long periods of time taking books from one shelf to another following Lucienne’s instructions closely.

Your dear friend was actually smiling.

Tiredness more often than not made you fall asleep, which was a new and existing thing to do now in the Dreaming for the dreams and nightmares were returning to their home. No dream was spared for you yet, but everytime your eyes closed there was a small hope to see Gregory soaring through the sky again.

Then, it was your tower.

Well, not exactly yours— but close enough to your heart for you to call it that.

It stood tall in the highest place of the palace— new and shiny. It was the one you would perch yourself on every dreamfall to watch the stars move around the dark sky after a long day of straying after Morpheus.

And it came with gifts. 

Rising up on the armchair, you try to not let your body crack at the uncomfortable position you slept on for hours— snuggled on the cushion, cheek squished against your hands as you rest on the arm of the chair. 

The morning light was glorious in the Dreaming, it fill your heart with a sweet but pressing sense of melancholy. You suspected that this burning longing was for something that you used to have that, when given back, doesn't feel real.

Your home was setting course to restructuring, to rebuilding. The palace was already being nursed back to health, and the drought was giving into a flood of flowers and ivy. It was incredibly moving to see everything growing back into place.

You never really minded the room at the top of your tower: it was rather simple, filled with an old astronomy study. Telescopes scattered around, quills and pamphlets. It was where the astronomers of old used to dream themselves in, where Morpheus would inspire their dreams of studying the stars.

Your eyes look quickly towards the tall mirror in front of you, hanging from it was a brand new dress.

Chuckling, you look at your sitting form through the mirror, sleep still on your face. Standing up, you walk up to it and touch your hand to the beautiful and thick fabric. It was bloodstained red, with the cut made for a princess— a new color in your growing collection. 

When you tried it on, it was a perfect fit. Hugging all your curves and the length just enough to cover your mid-calf.

Which for some reason, made you chest flush and your hands tremble in a shameful kind of excitement.

Morpheus didn’t often spoil you.

One approving up and down look from Lucienne was enough to make you feel incredibly good about yourself, once down at the library to fill your free day with a workload of arranging books and furniture.

Turns out arms were just as exhausting.

You spent hours already carrying books from one shelf to the other, cataloging dreamer books with Lucienne's method. She had a particular way of distributing the thick numbers: she did it in geographical order. Political geographical order.

You voiced that it was a funny way, a bit unpractical, for the mortal dreamers where in constant change when it came to their borders. In constant conflict. She would have to change the shelf order way too often.

The librarian just shrugged and then you realized: she liked rearranging the books just as much as she did reading them. So she looked for the most impractical way of catalog possible so she could rearrange them often.

Walking towards the shelf of the African continent, you went straight to the A's to look for the right place to the three books you were hugging. Placing two of them on their place, you chew on your lip looking for the right place of the third.

And then, you feel the slight change around you. The atmosphere felt suddenly charged with electricity, smelled like stardust.

“There you are” you hear in your ear, which makes you spin around in your place as a rush of warmth crawls up your neck.

Morpheus, tall but bending closer to you, looks back at you with inquiring eyes and a soft glint in his eyes. The ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth, like a promise.

Back already from his quest to find his artifacts?

And before you can ask for it, the answer shines through in a warm toned palpitation from the ruby against his chest, calling for your attention. Then, your eyes go to the helm under his arm.

Through hell and back, then.

“My Lord” you croak out, nerves fried at the sudden interruption of your serenity.

Clad in black leather, “Have I startled you, little bird?” His tone was— hard to pinpoint. But then, a cheeky and mischievous grin creeps in.

Finding yourself smiling back, you hug the book of the Angelian dreamer “My Lord won’t be smiling as brightly when he sees Lucienne again, your library’s layover is all over the place”

“A lack of attention on my part, for sure, but then again—” he looks around for a second “I haven’t seen this place in over a hundred years”

How brute. How much you would've liked not saying that.

The disorganization of the Library was another of the consequences of Morpheus' imprisonment.

He had no idea what's happened in the waking world for the past decades.

You look around his face, lightness and easiness shining through “She won’t find it in her heart to fault you for that” you smile kindly at him.

Days of separation shouldn’t make you as anxious as one hundred years of it.

And still.

When he looks back at you, he purses his lips “I was looking for you” he nods, fingers flexing at the end of his hands— his magic tingling and demanding to burst through.

“I’ve been here, my Lord” you nod “How was the—”

“This is not the lady” a voice startles you once again, and you need to look down at it’s source “Boss lady doesn't wear dresses”

A rather big black raven was looking straight up at you. His head tilted to the side so his dark right eye could focus on you. 

You have no idea who this raven was.

Morpheus's expression grows serious as soon as the raven speaks, his gaze flicking from you to the bird on the ground. 

He takes a step away from you, placing his helm on a nearby table "Silence, Matthew" he commanded, his voice firm and authoritative as his eyes travel around the library.

You look between them both, "Your majesty has taken a new raven" you let out, suddenly dry of any amusement.

Oh, how you wished you could be far less affected.

Morpheus's gaze shifts back to you, his expression hardening further as he hears your words. If he finds offense in them, he doesn't show “No, I have not taken a new raven” he rasps out, his tone growing sharper “He was sent to me— I thought it was your doing”

You frown, looking back at Matthew “Who sent you, friend?” you ask the small creature— confused about how he ended up in Morpheus service as well.

He ruffled his feathers, looking between you and Morpheus, before clearing his throat in a way too humanely manner “The nice lady of the books summoned me here, uh, yesterday? I’m pretty sure it was a yesterday, yes—.”

“Lucienne” Morpheus and you answer at the same time— both of you guessing the answer to your own questions.

“How much time have we spend in hell, anyway?” And Matthew looks at you with curiosity “You know her? Boss lady, I mean”

You can't find in your heart to stay bitter in his presence for long.

You chuckle, leaving the book on a shelf as you crouch down— regarding the raven closely “You're utterly confused about your situation. Aren't you, my friend?” you ask softly.

He cocks his head in curiosity as he looks at you, his gaze fixed on your face. “Yes, I am” he affirms, his tone low and soft.

“You've been chosen for a great purpose, Matthew” you offer your hand for him to jump on it “You've been chosen to be the companion of Dream of the Endless” this much he knew, but you were ready to course him on his new duties.

Matthew cocks his head again, his dark eye locked on your hand. He seems slightly cautious, but the words you speak pique his interest.

He glances at Morpheus's expression, noticing the displeasure in his eyes, before looking back at your hand. He spreads his wings and hops onto your palm, his talons gently gripping your skin.

You stand up once again, looking back at Morpheus as you take Matthew closer to your body— as if he was your own.

“If he made it this far— is because your majesty accepted him” you point out to Morpheus, who still seemed a bit apprehensive to the new companion Lucienne chose for him.

Morpheus's expression remains guarded, his eyes fixed on you and the raven perched on your hand— awfully aware of the implications of his presence.

He takes a shallow breath, “Undecided” he states plainly, his tone unenthusiastic and uninterested.

You purse your lips, “I can make sure Matthew is ready to taken onto his new duties” you nod at Morpheus, “I'll mold him for you, my Lord”

It felt strange, the fact that your replacement was holding onto your hand— looking at you with dark curious eyes.

Morpheus's expression softens slightly at your offer, a hint of realization in his eyes.

You wondered what he saw.

He looks at you for a moment, his gaze flickering down to the raven on your hand before returning to your face.

“Very well” he nods, his tone gruff but not unkind.

You give him an easy smile, looking down at Matthew “We have much to do”.

Matthew cocks his head, your smile making him a bit more at ease. He seems to perk up as you speak, ready and eager to start his new duties “Let's get started then” he croaks.

You chuckle, walking away. Your task long forgotten.

Morpheus watches as you make your leave, his expression unreadable— this was it, then.

Another opportunity for his heart to dwell on the old way of things.

It amuses him— you’ve come to realize— how much he can startle you now that your eyes can only see so much in your periphery. It’s a small indulgence he gives into.

One second you see him perched at his throne and the other he’s behind you when you turn.

“Never thought I would see the day when festivities fail to amuse you, Ophelia” he rasps out, smirking when you jump in place and need to lightly stumble back.

“Lord King,” you let out, almost scolding.

The great hall of his palace is filled with his subjects— a banquet in honor of Dream, one that was insisted upon by Lucienne and Taramis, the royal cuisine.

You're looking from upstairs, on the railed gallery that connected to the rest of the rooms.

Dancing, drinking and singing was doubtfully encouraged but overseen by the Dream Lord. He would usually choose to lurk in the shadows, not giving into the insistence of his staff to bring him food or sweet treats.

Morpheus doesn’t eat nor sleeps, he doesn’t need it. 

In all the millennia you’ve spent by his side, it was a very few times you’ve seen him actually indulge in such activities— eat more so than sleep.

When a banquet was thrown in his honor and he was a guest in a foreign court he would accept the plates offered to him.

And when he took lovers, he would bury himself in them until his eyes refused to open up for a good amount of time.

It was rather disorienting to see him in such positions.

“I am enjoying the festivities” you defend yourself.

“Lurking in the shadows when you have two good feet” He walks away from you, standing in front of the railing as he looks down. 

“Feet are exhausting”

“So I’ve heard”

You tilt your head, pursing your lips as you look down at your friends and neighbors. Harmonizing, celebrating and enjoying their homecoming.

It amazed you quite a bit.

You walk away from him too, your feet guiding you towards a column that seemed pretty similar to the one you were stepping on a few days ago. As you hug it, you look straight downwards— to the spot on the dance floor where a dream called Miel was spinning another dream around, Reha. 

Miel was a tall human like dream, he had long white wings— catholic children loved to dream of him while they were young, as he posed as their guardian angel. His skin was pinkish, and his hair was a raven-like kind of dark. He complimented you a few minutes ago, the small cape on your shoulders was filled with dark feathers and he ruffled his own right there in front of everyone but just for you.

He was one of the few who actually kept attending to his responsibilities as a subject and as Dream’s creation even when his majesty was long lost. 

You decide to look away, not entirely sure what you were looking for in the angel-like dream anyway. Sighing dreamingly, you plant your feet as you sway by holding the column to get to the other side so you’re besides Morpheus once again.

“Accusing me or lurking in the shadows when your majesty’s doing exactly the same” you scoff lightly, putting on your tiptoes to rest your chin on his shoulder from behind him— like you used to perch yourself on it when you were a raven.

“I do not wish to be down there among my folk,” he rasps out “you can not use the same excuse”

Oh, he knew you. Even after all these years, he still knew you.

Humming, you step away once again to rest against the railing right beside him as you look down again “Dream folk and Nightmare folk” you breathe out “I’m neither” you shrug softly, the feathers on your shoulder ruffling at the movement.

“I’m glad” Dream nods, without even looking at you “There’s not one of them who’s eyes don’t water upon seeing me” his voice rumbles, deep and hoarse.

It was true, the people of the dreaming all came to see him and bask in the presence of their creator. Their parent. 

One would think he would be happier.

“Oh,” you breath out softly “to be loved— ain’t that the worst thing that’s ever happened to any sovereign” it’s sarcastic, and cutting.

And when you look back at him, he’s giving you a warning look.

You look between his eyes before looking away again.

“There’s something troubling you,” Morpheus rasps out, still looking at your profile, deciding to ignore your biting comment “and I wish to discuss it”

You turn back towards Miel once again, his wings encircling Reha now.

“None of the matter” you let out, still turned away from him.

You feel him part from the railing, and then you have him right behind you— mouth close to your ear as he mirrors your past position “Should you go down there, little bird?” he rasps out.

“This dress is too long for dancing” you let out, weak but dry. The claim lacked any kind of strength since your lace black dress was long but not to the point of being an inconvenience. His gift, his creation “And I do not know how to”

“How to?” 

“How to dance”

He hums next to your ear, then you can tell he straightens up— but doesn’t move away from behind you “You have always been able to share your mind with me” he insists, returning to topic.

“I’m afraid is not my place anymore”

“Nonsense” he lets out quickly, not giving you time to rest in your declaration.

“Everything has changed, has it not?” you turn to him now, looking at him over your shoulder.

He looks down at you, his frown deepening “You are still the same to me” 

It feels like disrespect, to turn away from him— but his eyes bare to much emotion for you to hold them “I do not wish to burden you with my sadness”

“And instead you burden me with your silence”

You don’t know exactly how to continue after that, but you try “Everytime I try to talk to your majesty I have this sinking feeling—” you whisper softly.

He stays silent, and you know you’re wearing his patience thin. You know that after this, he would be hard as a stone to you for some time— resentful of how you shut him out when all he wants to do is for you to return what he lays upon you: camaraderie, companionship.

“The feeling that you’re drifting away” 

Morpheus’ face hardens, and you know you’ve said the wrong thing.

“I do not wish to speak of it”

Your lips tremble slightly as you look away.

You know he doesn’t. You know some things are just too hard to talk about. But this feeling of separation comes from how superficial your encounters have been— how fleeting his feelings would lay bare for you. 

He used to lay on you so much, and now he’s not even able to look at you without you two feeling like a million miles away.

“I do not want to press,” you nod.

“Then don’t” it’s cold, and sharp as he lets you see just how disturbed Roderick Burgess has made him.

His pride was wounded.

The only part of himself that makes him show his teeth.

“Pardon me,” you nod, looking up at him again “it is not my place” you nod “just like I stated before” 

So your wings stay hidden, your replacement stays hidden, his closed heart stays hidden— all the things that are hurting you stay unvoiced although you suspect not unknown by him.

Truth is, you can be just as cold.

You’ve spent millennia with him.

You know how to bite the hand that feeds you.

So you walk away and marvel at how now you had yet one more thing to be angry for, and hide from him.

Ask to be tagged!

next: 003

[jscrawls]

Grave mistakes

Gotham City is full of a lot of characters, criminals, creepy clowns, man eating plants, eccentric billionaires. But all that rolled into one household?

Warning: contains mentions of blood, witchcraft, general spooky stuff, it's an Addams reader they're gonna be freaky,

Part 5: picking up a good read

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Barbara was having a good day, she really was. the sun was out for once and the people in the library were all behaving themselves beautifully, as if infected by the warmth shining through the large windows. her coworker even brought her a caramel iced macchiato unprompted, Then you walked up to her.

She didn't mean to gawk at you, really. She's a professional after all. But she's heard a lot about you the last two weeks from multiple sources, from Cass expressing concern to dick ranting like you made an attempt on his life with your cooking.

She smiles thinly at you when you clear your throat, right, gaping at bystanders is rude.

“Ahem, how can I help you?” what could you possibly want at the library? Please don't start asking about something demonic or inappropriate-

“Hi, I'd like to check these out please.” They smile as they drop a few books on the counter and slide them within grabbing range, Barbara is averse to taking her eyes off you even as you stand there with an innocent, unfaltering grin, yet she forces herself to act normal as she grabs at the books and takes the brakes off her wheelchair…. Botany encyclopedias? Please don't be something nefarious-

“oh are you starting a garden? I tried that last spring, didn't go well.” it's a weak attempt at probing and she knows it, she just hopes it's not that obvious.

You pace the other side of the counter to keep even with her as she rolls over to the computer, still wearing that unnerving smile on your lips. “Something like that, my roommate is quite upset in my plant rearing abilities so I thought I'd do a little reading.”

Barbara knew you didn't have a ‘roommate’ as of two days ago, dick or Bruce would've noticed. How'd that change so fast?

“oh, that's nice of you…. You got plans for a bit of horticulture around your place then? I'm jealous at anyone with a green thumb honestly.”

She sets the books on the counter next to the computer, taking her sweet time to scan them just so she can try to squeeze anything out of you. You've been nothing but polite besides the creepy staring- yet she's more than suspicious of you, you're not just some rich goth with antisocial traits, God knows she's seen plenty of that around this city. you're….. Off. Maybe she's been around zatanna too much.

“maybe a few house plants.” Barbara almost sighs in relief at that.

“though my new roommate does seem fond of the carnivorous ones, she's already covered the front gate in some lovely meat eating fly traps.”

Barbara knew it was too soon to relax.

“Oh….. Sounds fascinating.” She's floundering a bit, her smile getting tighter as she grips the wheel bar tighter with one hand.

You smile wider, either happy with how the conversation is going or you're reveling in her discomfort. For whatever reason Barbara thinks you're somehow not picking up on it.

You reach into your pocket and Barbara tenses, eyes widening behind her glasses as she waits for you to pull something horrible. Instead you pull out a…coin? “Thank you very kindly my friend! Do you accept gold here?” Who the hell carries gold coins around-

“I…. I've never asked?” this isn't how she expected her afternoon to go, she doesn't want to call her supervisor to ask what the libraries stance on paying check outs with gold of all things. She just wanted to sort the last of her stacks and then go home and binge watch bridgerton until it was time for night activities.

“If it's a bother I'll go fetch my wallet my dear.” you lean against the edge of the counter with that same big stupid weirdly friendly smile on your face as you stare down at her.

that’s…..weirdly accomodating? barbara doesn’t see that much with the general public, she just hopes you’re not the type to pay with pennies next thing.

“….that would be appreciated, i don’t think we can process your……currency. sorry.” she tries not to wince as she speaks, watching you put the coins back in your pocket while she neatly stacks the books just so she has something to do with her hands, please stop staring at her.

“that’s perfectly alright! can i leave my books here or is there somewhere out of the way for them?” god barbara doesn’t want to be charmed by your politeness.

“here is fine, there isn’t exactly a line waiting on you…” you both glance around the library at that, this place doesn’t see much traffic on weekdays.

she watches you nod enthusiastically and turn to stroll out without another word, she only cringes a little when she watches you physically recoil when you walk out into the sunlight before continuing your little quest, god you’re like an awkward vampire. she waits until she’s sure you’re out of sight before pulling her phone out and sending a quick text to the groupchat, she doesn’t think you’ll try anything but she still wants to keep tabs on you. she quickly mutes her phone when she sees you coming back around the corner.

“so sorry for the inconvenience my friend!” you say a little too loudly, an old lady with a thick pair of bifocals and tight white curls loudly shushes you, barbara tries not to laugh as you whip around to stare at the woman and just as loudly apologize to her, the elder obviously flinches back from your appearance, she does a hail mary while turning around and shuffling away on clicking knees without another word to you.

barb almost pities you.

“anywho, about those books?” you turn back towards her and drop a hundred dollar bill on the counter between the both of you, that weird stare once again locked on her. barbara deadpans at the large bill.

“…..you know it’s a five dollar check out fee, right?”

“i’m well aware my good friend! i was under the impression tipping was still acceptable in new jersey.” barbara can’t tell if you’re snarking her under that painfully wide grin, once again she finds you almost endearing, maybe it’s just the money buttering her up.

“okay, funny. alright i’ll finish this up hang on…” she takes the brakes off and rolls over to the old register, a small smile on her face despite her initial dislike of you. being nice to public workers is a quick way to endear yourself to barb after all.

with the tip tucked in her pocket she bags the books up and watches you stroll towards the door, calling over your shoulder as you go. “bye have a terrible day my friend!” to the chagrin of many, multiple people shushing you as you duck back out the door.

“by lucifer this weather is absolutely horrid!”

this time barbara giggles as she watches you dramatically try to cover yourself from the sun, there’s something kinda entertaining about how….comfortable you are with yourself.

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“repeat it.” Pamela stands over you with crossed arms and a sour expression on her face as she taps her shoe on the floor impatiently, Harleys doing something in the play room but all your focus is on the green-skinned woman in front of your sitting form.

“Don't feed saltwater to the plants.” You meet her eyes as you lean back against the couch and her expression hardens. “And?”

“Don't cut them down, and if I'm going to feed them blood and bones, ask you first so I don't give them too much nitrogen.”

You parrot her earlier yelled words dutifully, for a moment she looks as if she's going to scold you like a child but then she just sighs and nods her head. At least you were making an effort to listen to her, unlike some people in this house.

“good, as long as I see you actually following through with obeying then we'll have less problems.”

“ooh is someone getting the red special? I wanna watch!” Harley darts in the room and sits on the edge of the coffin-table, resting her elbows on her knees with a large grin on her face.

Pamela rolls her eyes as she glances back at her and points an accusing finger at her. “You're lucky you're not alongside them, I know you helped them feed my babies blood earlier. You two nearly made the ferns sick!”

although her words are just as harsh as she was with you earlier, her tone is much gentler with her girlfriend. You just sigh wistfully as you watch them while getting comfy.

“Ah, you two remind me of when I watched my dear Gomez and Morticia court each other. You'll be making sacred oaths in blood under the moonlight before you know it. I just hope I get to bring the ceremonial athame.” You wipe at your teary eyes while they both deadpan at you with varying degrees of annoyance.

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M.list | prev | next

A/n: apologies for how late this update is! Been a bit busy dealing with the bad weather in my area

Taglist: @lunarapple @ladykamos @itsberrydreemurstuff

[idontmindifuforgetme]

hi cianna sorry for the really broad question but it really smart and ur soul is beautiful and i think lowkey if i asked this irl people would get very worried so i’m asking u. any advice 4 a girl in her late teens who’s just now coming out of a 4-5 year long slump of wanting to kill herself real bad and now needs to be a functioning person and pass exams and go to university next year ect. ?

Hi this literally happened to me in my teen years!! I was not suicidal, but I def had a major slump I had to pull myself out of by uni. Here are some things I think could’ve worked better for me - feel free to disregard at your discretion/based on your circumstances :)

Get therapy!! Teenage me would’ve benefited from it so much. There are therapists who’d be happy to give you student discounts. You’ll be going through a lot of change - re learning how to take care of yourself, discovering your boundaries, battling regret for wasting time etc etc… it’s just better to go through it w a professional who would show you compassion but also push you to improve. It’s not a substitute for real friendships, but it absolutely helps

Ignore people who will tell you they peaked in hs (lol). This will be a lot of people btw. You’ll get major fomo bc you’ll be like?? I didn’t do any of that. I was too busy surviving. I won’t have things to look back at the way they do. But that’s where the uphill battle of saying no to fomo comes in - you have to remind yourself that you’re at the beginning of your life, that you could completely turn it around in college, and peaking in hs is like actually sad and that what matters is the life you make for yourself moving forward

People (family and teachers) want to help. So let them

Push yourself but don’t overcorrect. The antidote to not having friends is not overextending yourself and saying yes to everything and having no boundaries and burning out. Pace yourself. Trying to become someone completely different is also a sign you don’t like yourself very much

You have to aggressively combat the self hatred and re affirm to yourself day by day that you deserve good things and that you are enough and that you don’t need other people to imbue your life and give it dimension. They are a nice bonus but it’s all in you

Hot take but be careful w self help content. It preys on people in vulnerable stages (like you) and is easy to get addicted to

I don’t know where you stand w your phone, but decrease phone time. It’s very personal to everyone how they can accomplish this, so research all the different methods and apply what best fits you / what you think you can stick by best!

Cliche advice is true - getting out of the slump starts w things like a simple skincare routine and an outfit you feel good in

Say yes to things more often. Try to approach people more often, even if it gives you rejection sensitivity. I wish I did this more tbh - I think I did put myself out there but was inconsistent. No “social fuck ups” will matter at your age so just try to learn as much as you can

You have to contextualize this hard time period of your life as a learning experience that gave you a sort of depth that is rarely seen in most people. It wasn’t all for nothing — it shaped you into you

You’re defined by who you are and the values you have — not the person you used to be. The imposter syndrome in you might be like “everyone knows I was xyz girl who didn’t talk to anyone and could not even turn an assignment in on time,” but what are you now? Are you trying to befriend people now? Getting a lot better at managing your time now? Doing really good in school now? That’s who you are.

Unconventional advice but get a cute job at a library or a cafe or something. It will re introduce discipline into your system and acquaint you w people your age

Exercise really really really really really helps. It can start simple but it has to be started

Research programs you want to get into. Make a game plan in accordance to that. Talk to your advisor about it

Join clubs in college :) talk to people but don’t overextend yourself if they don’t reciprocate - you have plenty of time to make friends :)

Journal more. It helps!!!!

The world is not out to get you

Cliche but true - reading helps so much. Even just one book at a time at your own pace. Luckily I was reading so much in my teen years but I’m telling u this in case it’s not really part of ur palette

What’s the hobby that really speaks to your soul?? Aggressively pursue it

Romanticizing simple things helps tbh

Do not hate yourself into getting better!! You were just a child who did the best they can w the cards they were dealt. Now you’re saying enough to passive living and making active effort to get out of your slump — and that matters more than anything. You will experience the FOMO and the regret and the “why didn’t I do xyz when I was younger.” Everyone does, but for you it will be exacerbated bc you’ll feel like you wasted an epoch of your life everyone else romanticizes. This is where therapy and radical acceptance come in — and also just brutally reminding yourself of the facts, including how you’re so very incredibly young. Time is on your side and you can do anything you want

I’m so proud of you for taking the first step — which is understanding the problem!! I know I wasn’t that brave at your age. Good luck with everything xx

[meanderingwistera]

The Empress

< Previous chapter - Masterlist - Next chapter >

Summary - You have prepared for years to take over your Father’s kingdom. You have studied everything from politics to mathematics to philosophy for your future role as Queen.

But when a proposal too good to pass up crosses your Father’s desk your wishes are pushed aside. You are sent off to marry a King from a larger neighbouring kingdom, despite your protests.

Now you have to navigate a new land, people and a Husband who keeps his secrets far from your reach.

Pairing - King!Satoru Gojo x Queen!Reader

Content - Fluff, a tiny bit of angst, comedy, pinning, talk of sex, misogyny, a more Gojo centric chapter, ultimatums, actual communication, sleeping together (literally)

Word Count - 4.1k

A/N - friendship in marriage is very important

Chapter 4 - Heir

Satoru hates meeting with the nobles. Not that he doesn’t want to meet with his people and hear their problems but most nobles don’t talk about that. 

Every single noble except a select few either try to curry favor with him or try to use their age to sway his decisions their way. It is tedious and he is bored out of his mind as Marquis Zenin drowns on and on about his trade plans. 

He looks to his right to see Suguru shuffling his papers for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. His face is the perfect picture of neutrality but Satoru can tell that Suguru wants to get out of here as much as he does.

In a rare turn of events Marquis Itadori is present. He is a rather reserved man and doesn’t make appearances often so this is rare for him. His presence reminds him that he has yet to reply to Lady Itadori’s letters. He wonders when she will be back from her studies abroad. 

Satoru didn’t grow up with the man so he may not be able to read him well but he can tell that everyone is tired of Naobito’s soliloquy.

“What a fascinating story Naobito,” Yuki says from her spot to his left, a fake smile on her face. “But I need to attend to my people and will take my leave first.”

Yuki has never been one for social norms so her leaving is not anything new but it does give Satoru the opportunity to end the meeting a little early.

“I believe that we can stop our meeting for today. We will resume where we left off tomorrow, Marquis Zenin.” Satoru says and stands up.

The rest of the nobles follow suit. They all leave in small groups who trade comments back and forth. Suguru stays, his mask slips just for a moment as he sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly.

“Do we have anything else on the agenda today?” Satoru asks, stretching his arms above his head to make his muscles less stiff.

Suguru flips through the pages and responds, “You don’t have anything for the next thirty minutes, then you have your next meeting.”

A whole thirty minutes to himself- whatever shall he do with so much time on his hands?

Satoru decides to just wander around the halls until his next meeting. He lets his feet carry him out of the meeting room and into the open hall. The cold air feels nice on his skin as he walks.

The interior of the castle has always been adorned in blue and silver. A rather cold combination but one that always reminded him of his mother who was partial to both colors. She was the one who decorated the castle and Satoru has never changed it.

Satoru wonders how you would decorate it. That always fell to the Queen to do so he wonders if you would change the colors. The soft emerald of your homeland and the icy silver of Satoru’s intertwined would be a beautiful sight. 

Maybe one day that could be a reality but Satoru won’t push his luck.

In his wanderings he finds himself at the doors of the library. The left door is slightly ajar so he walks in. He hears faint talking from the back of the library and quietly paces over. Satoru recognizes your voice soon after hearing it.

Your voice guides him back to where you are. He has always been drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Your calm demour grounds him. Your searching eyes see through his many layers have always made him feel seen in a way not many have accomplished before.

Satoru comes to a stop behind a shelf of books just one row before the one you are in. He knows that he is hiding from you but despite his draw to you he wants to respect the strict boundaries you have set for him. 

So he will just listen to you and Riko talk about history books. 

“Gojo?” You ask him from the end of the row he was hiding in. 

Satoru practically jumps at the sound of your voice. While he was up in his head he hadn’t heard you walk around the corner with Riko. He whips around to grab a random book from the shelf to pretend that he was looking at it.

“Yes?” He responds, the picture of innocence, hoping you can’t see the panic in his eyes.

“I didn’t know that you read romance novels.” You say with a sparkle of amusement in your eyes as you walk closer.

Satoru looks down at the book in his hand, it is a soft green color with a rusty gold color on the edges. He has never personally read it but you don’t know that.

“Just occasionally.” He says vaguely.

“This one isn’t my favorite but it is good.” You tell him and take the book from his hands, studying the cover.

“Which one is your favorite?” Satoru asks. 

He is interested in your preferences. Satoru wants to learn more about you and anything to do with you is leagues more interesting than his paperwork or boring meetings.

“I have read so many books that it would be impossible to choose one favorite.” You look up at him and Satoru forgets to breathe for a second. “But there is one I read a while back about a noble falling for their aid. It was quite romantic but probably not to your taste.”

He doesn’t think he would ever dislike what you hold dear to your heart. 

“I will be on the lookout for that one- I may end up enjoying it.” Satoru says, regaining some of his confidence.

“I hope so but what brings you here to the library at this time?” You ask him.

“Suguru found a thirty minute gap in my schedule so I was just wandering to fill the time.” Satoru explains and puts the book back to where he pulled it from.

“Your schedule is much busier than mine, but-” He sees your eyes turn a bit conspiratorial as you speak. “I might be able to help if you let me.”

Satoru, taken aback by your offer, gapes at your offer.

“I thought you-” He pauses on the word hate because he feels responsible for what he knows is your misery.

You pick up where he paused, “I know but the people don’t need me to take it out on them. They deserve a Queen who will take care of them just as much as my own people.”

You look wistful. Satoru can see you going back in through your memories to your homeland. He can see the longing in your unguarded expression and it pains him to have locked you in this gilded cage. But maybe in keeping you in just your traditional role as Queen he has been restricting then he thought. 

Traditionally the role of Queen is very limited in politics. It was really only his mother who stepped out into politics that were deemed not for women. She actually helped pass the laws that made it so women could inherit their father’s titles if they were named heir.

Satoru wonders what change you can bring, what life can you breathe into his court? He is more than ready to find out.

“I will talk to my council tomorrow about it-” Satoru grins wide, “-but I am sure that they would let my beloved wife help out.”

For the first time since his coronation he watches your face shine with joy. It makes his heart flutter in his chest to see you look this radiant. You are always perfect but Satoru believes that your smile is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

“Thank you Gojo.” You thank him softly with a smile.

“It’s really no-“ Satoru is cut off again as Suguru rounds the corner.

“Satoru!” Suguru catches his breath only to see you and bow deeply at the waist. “I did not know you were here- I apologize for my actions.”

Satoru watches you blink in surprise then shake your head at Suguru’s apology.

“There is no need for that, my husband’s time is precious and I will let you two go to the next meeting.” You say graciously.

“You are most kind, Your Majesty.” Suguru says and rights himself.

Satoru is practically dragged away from you by Suguru. He gives you a small wave which you return with a genuine smile. As he watches you smile he is sure that this is the right choice because that is the happiest he has seen you since your wedding day.

Satoru will make sure to provide what you need to thrive here, no matter the cost.

“Absolutely not! Your Majesty!” Baron Kamo exclaims and slams his hand on the table.

“A woman talking to us about affairs of state? She must have truly sunk her claws into you.” Marquis Zenin says, rather lazily, reclining in his chair. 

Satoru should have him hanged for his comment about you but he can’t cross the Zenin’s and Nobaito is smug about his immunity. Instead Satoru takes a deep breath so he doesn’t do anything he may regret later.

“The Queen is more than knowledgeable about anything you may bring up. She has been given the same education as I.” Satoru looks directly at Marquis Zenin who is undeniably the ringleader. “And over the course of these last five months has studied our history and the land.” 

“If she is so knowledgeable then she must know that to secure her position she needs to bear an heir.” Nobaito smirks, “Can her knowledge produce an heir Your Majesty?”

It really shows his restraint that he doesn’t act on any of the ways he has thought about murdering Marquis Zenin. Satoru really should be given some type of award for it.

Clenching his jaw, Satoru switches course, “What compromise would please you all?”

The other nobles besides Zenin and Kamo look anywhere but at Satoru, not daring to make any demands of him. Only these two would have the gall to make demands. 

“An heir by winter would suffice.” Naobito says with a light air to his voice. 

“You have three months, which should be plenty of time.” Baron Kamo says, his face serious.

Satoru wants to put his head in his hands. You have only just warmed up to him slightly and now he somehow has to tell you about this. He would rather jump out the nearest window; his death would be swift since they are on the third floor of the castle.

“I will talk with the Queen about the arrangements.” Satoru agrees, trying to remember all the diplomacy he was taught when he was younger.

Naobito has a triumphant look on his face as he resumes his story from yesterday. Suguru glances occasionally at Satoru in concern.

Only a select few people truly know what happened on your wedding night. Suguru knows the full extent of it and knows as well as Satoru does that this puts the both of you in a bind. Satoru would never force you and you probably don’t think of him in that way.

It looks like your shaky alliance will be tested.

A light summer breeze blows in through your office window. It gently ruffles the papers on your desk but not enough for them to go flying. The breeze brushes over your face, the warmth spreading over you.

Despite completing your work a few minutes ago you haven’t gotten up yet. You are comfortable here and you also want to stay in one place in case Gojo comes to tell you what the nobles said. 

Gojo’s offer almost made your well practiced calm break for just a moment. It was a small start but a start nonetheless on what you want to do. You will have to think of something to repay him with. Leaving him without something in return feels wrong. 

Accepting gifts has never been your strong suit. It has always been uncomfortable since you were young. You don’t want to owe anyone a favor or hinder them in any way. Repayment is always on your mind as soon as a gift or something of the sort comes to you.

Gojo is not without. The royal volt is full, the castle is a fortress and his people love him. So what could you give to Gojo that he doesn’t already have? 

As if blown in by the summer wind Gojo strides in. His face shows no sign of nerves but you see a mechanical movement to his steps that betray him. You wonder if the meeting didn’t go well. Standing up you incline your head in a bow to him. 

“Can I speak with you in private?” Gojo asks, his voice is calm but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Riko, Nanami and Haibara leave the room quickly after Gojo finishes his sentence. You watch as Nanami pulls the door closed behind him, leaving you alone with Gojo.

His shoulders slump a little as he nears your desk. The nervous energy that Gojo brought with him fills the room and you. 

“What’s wrong?” Your voice comes out softer than you meant it too. 

“I talked with the nobles about you helping me-” He takes a deep breath, adding to the suspense building up. “-at first they said no then they came up with a compromise, they want a heir before winter.”

You suck in a deep breath.

Before you even suggested that you could help with matters of state you had known that it would be hard to get the nobles to agree but this is a lot harder than you expected. 

You have been prepared your whole life to have an heir whether it was for your country or now Gojo’s and now you have a deadline. Looking back a Gojo you see that he is also not too keen on the idea of producing an heir so soon.

There has to be a loophole of some kind.

“We don’t have to do that.” Gojo tries to fill the silence of your pondering. “I will attempt to find another way-”

An idea strikes you as he speaks. You interrupt him- your eyes alight with an epiphany.

“They only said that we need an heir by winter, they didn’t say that I couldn’t help while we try for a child. We will just have to convince them that we are in fact…”

Your voice trails off as you feel your face heat up imagining what would happen if you two genuinely were to be together. Gojo is handsome and you would be blind if you didn’t acknowledge that. Images of him plague your mind. 

His hands holding your hips as his lips meet your neck- you blink that away from your sight.

“…trying to produce an heir.” You finish trying to sound calm.

“Right, do you think if I stay in your chambers once a week it would be convincing?” Gojo asks, not noticing your slightly flustered state.

“I believe that would be sufficient.” You clear your throat and get your traitorous mind back on track. 

“I will come by tonight then.” He tells you. His anxiety has left his posture and he looks more relaxed. 

“That will work for me.” You respond.

For a moment the two of you just stare at each other. Gojo is the first to break the eye contact you two have been making and walk out of your office. You watch his retreating back as the doors open.

Riko walks back in, throwing a glance behind her to watch Gojo leave. Her eyes blink owlishly at you as she tries to decipher what just happened. You just smile and walk around the desk to the door.

“I am done with my work for the day.” You tell her as you pass, she follows you as you walk out. “Please call the maids, I need to get ready for tonight.”

“Y-yes! Your Majesty!” Riko stutters out as she rushes in the other direction to get the maids for you.

This will definitely send waves through the castle rumor mill.

Satoru paces back and forth outside your door. Every so often there is a faint noise from inside your room. He still hasn’t gotten up the courage to knock. The memory of your wedding night, despite the five months between then and now, is still in his mind vividly. 

Your tear stained rage still haunts him no matter how many times he tries to forget. 

After five minutes of pacing he knocks softly on your door. Footsteps fall softly as he can imagine you walking to open the door for him. Would you be apprehensive to let him in? Or maybe you are just as nervous as he is to see you.

“Gojo.” You say quietly and open the door.

You are a vision in blue. He is sure your maids put you in blue to give him a heart attack when he sees you. 

Your nightgown is not revealing as it was on your wedding night, it is still beautiful with long pleated fabric falling from the seam around your waist. The gown is akin to a waterfall flowing down your body. Satoru almost forgets to speak as your face goes from neutral to concerned. 

“Are you alright?” You question him gently reaching up a hand to his forehead. “Do you have a fever? You are flushed.”

Satoru is sure that your touch will only increase his flushed face but he lets you touch his forehead in concern. When you retract your hand you look perplexed. And Satoru hopes to keep you in the dark about his heart's desire for you.

“I am fine, just a little tired is all.” He explains. You don’t look the least bit convinced by that but let him in anyway.

You have always seemed to know when he isn’t telling the full truth. He feels your eyes looking at him in a way that is so different from everyone else and he craves that like air. 

When Satoru is in your room you shut the door. He looks around at the room and sees touches of you everywhere. The hints of green in the curtains and bed remind him of the colors of your home. But the silver is surprising. 

The two colors intertwine together in the way he thought they would. 

You walk over to the bed and sit down. He watches you rub your shoulder and he wonders if it’s sore from being at your desk so long. But your body relaxes as you look over at him.

“Are you going to sleep?” You ask him with confusion and a hint of amusement.

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to sleep with you or somewhere else.” Satoru says.

“It will be more convincing if you sleep in the bed with me.” You tell him. “Unless you are uncomfortable with that?”

“Whatever my wife wants she will get.” He grins and walks over to the other side of the bed.

Your bed is softer than his. He isn’t upset about it, quite the opposite since he wants you to have the best of everything. Satoru’s bed is rarely slept in because of the amount of work he has everyday. Most of the time he just sleeps in his office on the couch in the corner of the room.

He swings his legs over the bed and lays down on top of the comforter so you have room without him being too close. After not hearing any movement from your side he looks up to see you holding back laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Satoru raises an eyebrow.

“You can sleep normally,” You lower your hand from your mouth to talk to him. “I will not bite you Gojo.”

“I- just-” Satoru tries to speak but gives up with a huff and gets under the comforter. As he looks up at the ceiling he feels your probing eyes looking at him. “I know that you are not fond of me so I want to give you as much space as I can.”

He doesn’t look at you. Satoru is not one for vulnerability, he hides his heart behind a lot of walls.

It has been the way he has moved through the world since he was young, he needs to hide the vulnerable parts of himself so he doesn’t get hurt. Satoru has a kingdom of people who rely on him and as a ruler you help your people first then act for yourself second.

As he waits for a laugh or a dismissal you do something he doesn’t expect. You don’t say anything- just grab his hand and squeeze it a little. Satoru looks over to see a sad little smile on your face. He wonders if you have been isolated by his actions to help you.

“It is lonely here sometimes,” You admit softly, “I fill my time with books and budgets but I miss my home that is filled with laughter. There was always something going on there that you could get carried away by. Here is very different- it is just you and me in a very large castle.”

Satoru inhales deeply, watching you open yourself up slowly to him.

“At first I was angry. My whole plan for my life was thrown off track and you were the closest thing that I deemed worthy of my rage. But now it has fizzled out into a sense of loneliness. I was not fond before but now I-“ You pause looking for the right words. “I long for companionship, I long for an ally or maybe even a friend.”

He blinks over in surprise at your words. Satoru can see tears threatening to spill over in your eyes. His heart aches at your pain and knowing that he caused it.

“I can be that for you.” Satoru says and it is your turn to look surprised. “Whatever you need, a companion, an ally or a friend.”

“I would like that.” You say with a bright smile despite the tears near the corners of your eyes.

“What do normal friends do? Suguru and I just fight over my unfinished paperwork or fall asleep in the same room.” Satoru asks you to lighten the mood.

You laugh. It is a bit choked by tears but it is the most beautiful sound that has ever graced his ears. If it was a symphony he would listen to it on repeat. Satoru’s idea of how beautiful it would sound is not even close to its beauty.

“I think dinner is a good start and maybe a walk through the gardens here and there?” You suggest, trying to sound serious but he can see the laughter in your eyes as you speak.

“I concur, my Queen.” Satoru agrees with a grin.

“You can call me by my name,” you suddenly sound a bit embarrassed, “that is what friends do.”

Satoru pauses before letting your name leave his lips. It rolls off his tongue like it is the only word he should ever say.

“Call me Satoru then.”

“Satoru-” You say his name in a way he has never heard before- maybe that is the right way it is supposed to be spoken and he has never heard it before. “That’s a good name.”

“My mother gave it to me.” Satoru says and that captures your interest.

“Tell me about her?”

“Of course.”

The morning sun has somehow managed to get through the dark green curtains in your bedroom. You groan a bit at the light and how sluggish you feel. Actually, you feel weighed down by something.

Opening your eyes you see Satoru has fallen asleep with his head on your chest.

You see his white lashes flutter with sleep. His lips are slightly parted as he exhales deeply. As you stare you can help but feel warm, not because of his body heat, but because of what happened last night and waking up to this.

In all your plans for the future you had never thought about love.

You had planned for everything but that. In the back of your mind you had known that you had to carry on your bloodline but you had been focusing on getting the crown first. So now as your heart beats wildly in your chest you are now at a loss for a plan or a mask to hide behind.

Without meaning to you run your fingers through his hair. It is as soft as you imagined it to be last night. While Satoru sleeps you feel a bit bolder than when he is awake.

This is either going to mess up your careful planning or possibly add something new to them.

Taglist- @hyori2 @tenaciousavenueavenue @joyfulweaselbananapanda @miakxn @lovystar @moonz33 @linny-bloggs @straykeeks @vi0let-writes @procastinatingbitch @ughhmenna @sassylav @sugurusladyknightt @kitkatq05

[marauder-misprint]

A walk

Series Masterlist

Sirius Black x Fem!Slytherin!reader

1.5k words

cw: fluff

Once again, you are pacing your dorm before a date with Sirius. You had gone back to your dorm to drop off your things and change. And you pace. You can’t figure out why you’re so nervous for a walk. At least last time, it was dread holding you back. It also doesn’t help that you don’t have a Dorcas waiting for you to get your act together and just go. 

“He’s just a guy,” you tell yourself as you stop in front of the mirror. “Just a guy.” 

Just a guy who you recently fell in love with… You take a deep breath, staring at your reflection. You look good. Yes. You are as physically ready for the walk as you’ll ever be. It’s just your brain that’s preventing you from walking out of that door and meeting Sirius outside the bell tower. 

“Alright. Fuck it.”

You pass Regulus in the common room. His eyes follow you and he smirks. He doesn’t know for sure that you’re going to meet his brother, but he does know that most of your friends are in the library and you wouldn’t bother changing out of your uniform to study. You don’t make eye contact with Regulus so he doesn’t say anything. In fact, you don’t acknowledge anyone on your way out. Your tunnel vision blocks all other people out of your mind. 

You can’t help but smile when you see Sirius waiting for you. He’s not leaning against the wall or talking to anyone, just idly standing and gazing up at the sky. 

“Guess you’ll always be waiting on me,” you say as you approach him.

He smiles widely at you. 

“Better than you waiting on me.”

“Why’s that?” you ask as you start walking down one of the paths around the grounds of Hogwarts. 

“Besides that it’s never good to keep a lady waiting?” he asks with a chuckle. “It might make you think I don’t value your time or you. And I do. I don’t want to waste a moment with you.”

“Hmm. Sounds pretty sappy to me.” 

“Maybe so, but that’s what happens when I grow fond of someone.”

“Awww,” you say teasingly. “The great Sirius Black is fond of me?”

“Yes, and it’s good of you to finally acknowledge how amazing I am!” 

“Too bad great isn’t always a positive thing,” you say slyly, giving Sirius a sideways glance and a smirk.

His face shows the offense he’s taken.

“I’m kidding, Sirius,” you tell him with a laugh. “You really think I’d be here if I didn’t like you on some level?” 

“Then what’s so great about me?” 

“You want me to list them off?” 

“Just one thing then.”

“You smell nice.” 

Sirius’ grin just keeps widening with every step you take. He would be bragging to the boys later that you thought he smelled nice, serves them right for making fun of him for his expensive taste in cologne. 

Unlike your walk to Hogsmeade, Sirius doesn’t have his arm around you. You aren’t touching in any way, just walking side-by-side. You both had your hands shoved deep into your coat pockets. You slightly regret suggesting a walk in late December, but at least it guaranteed you privacy. You suppose that someone could technically be watching from an upper window somewhere inside the castle, but your conversations were private. 

“Oh, look! Jobberknolls!” you say, pointing toward the edge of Hogwarts' grounds. “I don’t think they usually come this close to the castle.”

You give Sirius a bright smile.

“Wait here,” you tell him firmly.

Then you slowly walk toward the flock of birds. If you were able to get close enough and acted carefully, you might be able to get some feathers. You stop walking when one turns to look at you. It doesn’t fly away. It chirps and a few more look at you. After a moment, you take another step. They still don’t fly away and that makes your heart soar. Once you decide you are close enough, you adjust your position so you can sit down. All of your motions are in slow motion to not spook the birds. They give you curious looks, only their heads twisting. You know Sirius is watching you but you don’t care. You haven’t interacted with a jobberknoll personally since you learned about them in Care of Magical Creatures. 

To your delight, one hops toward you and you outstretch your hand. It jumps into the side of your hand, which you take as permission to pet it. A few more start to hop toward you as well. Before you know it, you’re surrounded by most of the flock. You don’t pluck any feathers out, partially out of fear they might attack you if you harm them, but feathers that seem to have fallen out are free game. 

You realize you’ve taken a while to get a handful of feathers. You clear your throat and gently push the birds away from you so you can stand up. Putting the feathers in your pockets, you return to Sirius.

“Sorry. I got excited.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s nice seeing you live up to your Animal Person title,” he says, throwing his arm around your shoulder to pull you to his side. 

You don’t mind it. If anything, you appreciate it. This way you can smell his cologne and grow more comfortable under his arm. Your mind has definitely warmed up to the idea that this was a good place to be. 

As you start walking again, you explain all of the uses for Jobberknoll feathers that you know of and everything you remembered about them from that lesson a year or so ago. You start talking about different animals and Sirius tells you about some of the legends he’s heard about them; apparently mooncalves were involved in the resurgence of golden snidgets. Snidgets brings the conversation to quidditch and James and Regulus and all of your friends. 

It’s getting dark as you return to the castle. You haven’t missed dinner so you figure that you’ll skip out on visiting the kitchens. Maybe another time, you thought. 

“You know, Black, if you promise you’ll respond, I think I will write you over break,” you say as he opens the door to let you in.

His face lights up and you feel yourself smiling at him. Gods, how can someone be this attractive?

“You will?” 

“If you promise you’ll respond,” you repeat yourself. 

“Yes, of course, love. It’ll be the highlight of my day!”

You nod, biting the inside of your cheeks as if to suppress your urge to laugh at his eagerness.

“You know, you really are something else, love,” Sirius says.

“Isn’t that why you like me?”

“I mean, I fell for you while trying to get you to like me.”

“Fell for me?”

“Oh, darling, can’t you tell?”

You laugh. “Maybe I want to hear you say it. Fully.”

“I’m doomed. So beyond doomed.”

“Say it, Black,” you tease.

“I’ve fallen in love with you. You’ve made getting you here a challenge but now that you are, Merlin… I really, really want you to stay.”

“You want me to stay, huh,” you repeat with a lilting voice. 

He scoffs but his smile doesn’t dim. “I give a confession of my affection and this, this!, is the response I get.” 

You tsk him. “You’re confession was missing one vital question though.”

He cocks his head at you in confusion. 

“What question?”

“Well, it would just sound silly coming from me since it was your confession.”

“But if you were to ask the question. What, erm, what would it be?”

“Coming from me,” you start to say as you look away from Sirius for a moment. “Sirius, would you do the honors of letting me be your girlfriend?”

He stops walking, staring at you with a dumbfounded look on his face. That question. And you had been the one to ask it. Despite having said he was in love with you, Sirius thought it was too soon to ask. He thought you’d need more time, more dates, something more substantial from him before putting a label on it. 

“You… You want to be my girlfriend?” 

“Sirius,” you groan. “I’m not asking again.” 

“So we’re dating then.”

You nod, once again biting the inside of your cheeks. He sure was an idiot at times, but he made it work. 

“Oh! And just so you know, the offer still stands.”

You give him a confused look. You hadn’t discussed any offers on your walk.

“To visit the Potters over break. To see Padfoot, or me,” he explains. “You could floo in. Or they’ve got a muggle car. We can come get you. Or meet you somewhere.”

“Oh… My parents can be kind of strict about how much I go out… But I’ll see what I can do to convince them.”

As you walk into dinner, you debate if you should tell Regulus about this new development or keep him out of the loop for now. You laugh to yourself as you imagine his reaction if he found out from a Ravenclaw or Mulciber or, really, anyone but you.

tags: @2dloveshp, @yearninglustfully, @made-for-oliverwood, @ilovejamespottersomuch, @hisparentsgallerryy, @itsseaberri, @corawithfanfiction, @devilslittlehelper, @jllyunn, @barnes70stark,

tags: @crowleythesexydemon, @flow33didontsmoke, @navs-bhat, @louweenier, @l0g0phobe,

@ellouisa17, @theendofthematerialgworl, @marina468, @bmyva1entine, @ravisinghs-wife, @azure-drag0ness, @sunowee, @mysteriouslyperfecttiger

The next chapter will be that last official chapter for this series. I might do additional content later on if inspiration strikes. Again, thank you for all the love you have shown this series :)

[simplyraeblue]

hunter and hunted (jjk)

college (summer) break au: a fic in which y/n is pining over Yuji's older brother Sukuna, while unbeknownst to her, Choso is doing the same thing for her. contents: sukuna x reader, choso x reader, modern college AU, yuji and choso are brothers, sukuna and yuji are brothers, smut warning, fem reader

chapter warnings/tags: mild angst, swearing, filthy raunchy smut, oral (reader receiving), squirting, p in v, creampie, i was diabolic writing this, choso's an oral god, use of "angel" A/N: oh my god I can't believe we've come to the end... how? how how how? it feels like just yesterday I started this hot mess of a fanfic and now it's complete. if you hated it; sucks for you. if you loved it; thank you so much. THANK YOU to all who have commented, reblogged, and showed continous support for this mini series! ദ്ദി(ó﹏ò｡) i love you all so much muah muah MUAH! I've got a little treat in store at the end of this for you, so stay tuned!

index part fourteen | the end no more sorry

master list

part fifteen word count : 5,764 (+ 635 in bonus content)

two months later

school was in full swing again, and the weather was shifting; sandals were swapped for boots, and ball caps into beanies. students flooded the campus in heavy coats, clutching their textbooks, but not everyone could adapt to the change.

your breath formed a fog in front of you as you hurried through campus, realizing you were late. oh so fucking late. Yuji was already waiting for you at the library, ready to scold you for neglecting your studies – though really it would be Megumi doing the actual scolding.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, and as you pulled it out to check the message, you let out a frustrated sigh. of course, Nobara was skipping the study session. she always preferred wild Thursday nights to hitting the books. honestly, you kind of wished you had done the same. 

after rushing (silently) through the library, you finally spotted Yuji and Megumi in a study room. you pushed through the door and immediately felt Megumi’s disapproving gaze. “you’re late.” he said with a tut.

Yuji groaned, sliding him a small bill, and your jaw dropped. “you bet on whether I’d be late?” you asked, setting your things down a bit harder than necessary.

“not if you’d be late, but how late.” Yuji clarified as you took a seat. you quickly flipped open your textbook, trying to catch up to where they were while both of them just stared at you. 

you glared at them, eyebrows furrowed. “what? you’re looking at me like I committed a crime by being late.” 

“we were just wondering…” Yuji started.

“…if you wanted to skip studying and join Nobara.” Megumi finished.

you gasped. “Megumi Fushiguro, you want to party instead of study? what has gotten into you?”

Megumi rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in his expression. “don’t act so surprised. you know how important studying is to me, but even we need a break sometimes.”

you crossed your arms, pretending to be annoyed. “sure, but you’re the last person I expected to suggest ditching our study session. what’s next, are you going to start dancing at parties?” 

Yuji chuckled, nudging Megumi playfully. “hey, maybe we could both use some fun. besides, Nobara always knows how to make things exciting. it could be a nice change of pace.”

you hesitated, glancing back at your textbook, then at their eager faces. “but what about grades?” pfft yeah right.

“they’ll still be there when we get back.” Megumi said, his tone surprisingly persuasive. “just one night won’t hurt.”

you took a deep breath, weighing your options. part of you wanted to dive into your studies, but the thought of a spontaneous night out with friends was tempting. finally, you sighed, a smile creeping onto your face. “alright, but only for a little while! we’ll come back and study after.”

“no we won’t!” Yuji joked as he patted Megumi’s back and stood from his chair. 

so now, here you were, three shots deep into a bar with your friends. “I can’t believe you convinced Megumi to come out!” Nobara shouted over the music, arm slung around your shoulder. 

“actually, it was his idea!” you responded with a grin. everyone was surprised, truly, but you weren’t complaining. 

the last two months had been nothing short of dreary, and you didn’t mean the weather. 

moving out of Yuji’s house had been the right choice. it felt like you could finally breathe again, even though each breath still carried a twinge of pain in your heart. while you were relieved to escape the heavy tension between Sukuna and Choso, you missed the latter with every fiber of your being. 

it wasn’t for lack of effort on his side. for the first month, Choso had begged Yuji for your address, but found that his brother was under strict orders not to share it. he called and texted constantly, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to respond to any of it.

you were determined to stick to the belief that he would find someone better without you. 

Sukuna, on the other hand, had been much more persistent. by the third week of living in your new apartment, he showed up on your doorstep. despite your protests, he somehow ended up on your couch, enduring nearly an hour of your yelling. 

in the end, he accepted defeat. you vividly remember the relief you felt when Sukuna asked, “can we just be friends?” 

friends. yes, you could manage that. any feelings you had for Sukuna had faded away during your relationship with Choso, and while you hadn’t fully realized it at the time, you were sure of it now. 

now here you were, being nagged by both Yuji and Sukuna, urging you to reach out to Choso. how had you gone from hating the eldest brother to listening to him go on about how you’d made the biggest mistake?

“do you realize how this has affected him?” Sukuna asked one night over a pint of beer at a pub. “while I could drown out my heartbreak-“

“oh, sure.” you rolled your eyes.

“-excuse me. get over my bruised ego, then.” Sukuna smirked at your reaction, though he meant what he said. he understood now wasn’t the right moment to delve deeper. “I could go out, pick up a woman at the bar, and bring her home. Choso, though? he hasn’t done any of that. I haven’t seen him talk to a woman once.”

“yeah, right. Choso could walk down the street and charm any girl.” you joked, but the thought made your stomach churn.

Sukuna chuckled. “doesn’t matter. he’s barely left his room.”

“oh.” was all you could manage.

since that day, the calls and texts from Choso had stopped. whether he had given up or found happiness elsewhere, you chose not to think about it.

instead, you decided to spend tonight drowning your feelings with Nobara, Megumi and Yuji. no thinking of Choso, no thinking of Choso, you repeated the mantra over and over just as you’d done over the past two months.

Nobara spent half the night shoving you gently in the direction of other men, trying to get you to flirt and have fun. no matter how many times you tried to dissuade her, she kept telling you that it was time to move on. but even when a guy would be trying to sweet talk you, you kept having to shake away images of those twin black buns and tattoo striped across the nose. how could anyone compare?

Yuji and Megumi tried to lift your spirits as well by forcing you to dance with them. but eventually, their sweet romantics would make you feel even worse, to no fault of their own. you were just remembering the night Choso saved you from that creepy guy in a bar. 

“Yuji…” you whined, leaning heavily against the bar with your head in your hands. the music blared around you as Nobara tried to slide another drink your way, but you waved it off, no longer in the mood. “did I really fuck up? just be honest with me.”

Yuji offered a sympathetic pat on your head, a gesture that only irritated you more. he’d taken to doing it since your breakup; it made you feel like a helpless child, vulnerable and lost. “I think you did what was best for you.” he said softly, but the words felt hollow and you could see past the fake bullshit he was spewing. 

“but… I don’t know anymore.” you really didn’t. the weight of uncertainty settled in your chest. moving out had felt like the right choice, but breaking things off with Choso? that was a different story. “I just really miss him.

“then why haven’t you talked to him?” Megumi interjected, his expression neutral as if he were presenting the most logical solution in the world.

“I can’t. he’s better off without a brother-fucking girlfriend.” 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” Yuji grimaced, shaking his head at your remark. the thought of you being… intimate with either of his brothers still made him a little queasy. after a moment, he leaned in closer. “he’s not better off without you. trust me, I know my brother. he might act like he’s fine, but he’s a complete mess without you. his music’s gotten louder – like he’s trying to drown out the silence – and he spends all his time in the dark in his room. I haven’t heard him touch his xbox in weeks. he’s just… an empty shell now. honestly, he’s even more emo than before, if that’s even possible.”

maybe Yuji was right. maybe you hadn’t necessarily made the wrong choice at the time, but the long-term effects felt crushing. you wanted Choso to be happy, that was why you left. if you were happy, great. if Choso was happy, even better. as you often reminded yourself, it was with or without you. but the idea of him suffering made your heart ache. 

“I just keep thinking about the good times.” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. “I remember how he used to smile when I’d surprise him with his favorite snacks, or how he’d get lost in his music for hours. it’s like I can still hear him playing those songs in my head.”

Yuji watched you closely, his expression softening. “but it’s not just about you and him any more, it’s about what you both need. sometimes love means taking a step back, even if it hurts.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing.” you said, feeling the sting of tears threatening to spill over. “but now it just feels… empty. I thought I’d feel better, but I don’t.”

Nobara returned with yet another full drink, her eyes flickering between you and Yuji. she placed it in front of you, but you just stared at it, not ready to take another sip but not pushing it away either. “you can’t keep punishing yourself for wanting what’s best for both of you.” she said, her tone more supportive than judgmental. “I don’t see why you can’t just talk to him.”

“but what if he doesn’t want to talk to me? what if I end up just making things worse?” the anxiety twisted in your stomach, each possibility feeling heavier than the last.

Yuji suddenly placed both hands on your face, squeezing slightly to get you to turn and focus on him. “listen, you are my best friend in the world – sorry Nobara – and you deserve to be happy. I won’t sit here and listen to you agonize over whether you made the right choice. obviously, if it still bothers you, then you didn’t. I can say with certainty that Choso would want to talk to you, he’d probably cry if he got the chance for one minute to see you. so, get off your ass and talk to him.”

Nobara and Megumi’s jaws dropped, and you could only nod in shock. “I’ve never seen Yuji be so firm.” Nobara muttered to Megumi.

“I know, it’s hot.” Megumi felt the sharp jab of Nobara’s elbow in his side, causing him to chuckle.

finally, after your little pep talk from Yuji, you were stumbling back to your apartment alone, and all you wanted was to think about Choso. what was he doing right about now? was he blaring music through the speakers in his room? maybe he was playing video games or watching a movie. Yuji had said he wasn’t doing any of that, but you could only hope for the best.

you grew nauseous at the thought of him with anyone else tonight.

as you dug for your keys in your purse, you tripped over something right outside your door. fuck, had someone’s food delivery got sent to the wrong address again? “oi, what the hell?” you grumbled as you looked up from your purse, only to stop breathing.

Choso shot up from the ground, buns tousled and eyes puffy. he opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find even a simple “hello” only to give up and shut his lips tightly.

“what are you doing here?” you asked, your voice trembling as your palms grew clammy at the sight of him. your heart raced in your chest, aching for him.

“I had to… I needed to…” Choso stammered, caught off guard that you were speaking to him. he hadn’t expected to run into you; he thought he’d just swing by and maybe catch of a glimpse of you if luck was on his side. “I don’t know what to say now that you’re right here.”

you couldn’t help but chuckle, unfazed by his awkwardness. “do you want to come in?” you slid your key into the door, and Choso nodded firmly. 

maybe it was the alcohol, or just the shock of seeing him after two months apart, but your resolve was slipping.

he followed you inside, mentally letting out a sigh of relief at just being able to speak with you. Choso had begged Yuji every day for even the smallest hint of your new address. to his surprise, it was Sukuna who finally let it slip.

you moved to the kitchen, trying to give Choso a moment to gather himself. “can I get you something to drink?” you asked, glancing back at him.

he shook his head, still looking a bit shell-shocked. “I just… I didn’t think I’d actually see you.”

you turned to face him full, leaning against the counter. “why did you come, then?”

Choso took a deep breath, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I can’t stop. I can’t stop thinking about you, about everything that happened between us. I can’t move on from you.

“Choso…” you whispered, your heart sinking at his words.

he stepped closer, his hand reaching out but hesitating halfway, as if unsure of how to bridge the gap between you. “I can’t move on from us.” he continued, his voice trembling slightly. “I’ll never be able to move on from you.” his hand slowly moved until it rested just above yours on the counter. “I think…” he took a breath, and the vulnerability in his eyes made your heart race. “I think I’ll love you forever.”

your resolve crumbled, scattered like leaves in the wind, as the warmth of his presence enveloped you. “I think… I’ll love you forever too.” you confessed, the words spilling out before you could hold them back.

Choso’s expression shifted, a longing flickering across his face as he fought the urge to pull you into his arms. he wanted nothing more than to kiss you, to hold onto you tightly and never let go, but he held back, willing to let you lead the way. if you wanted him to leave, he would do it, even if it meant breaking his heart all over again.

but standing so close, you felt that pull to him that was impossible to ignore. you didn’t know if you’d regret it, but your body was responding to his proximity, urging you to bridge the gap. “are you going to kiss me now?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. 

Choso’s breath caught at your question, his eyes widening with surprise and a flicker of hope. “is that what you want?” he asked, searching your face for any sign of hesitation. 

you nodded, a nervous excitement fluttering in your stomach. “yes.”

that seemed to break whatever restraint he had left. in an instant, he closed the gap, cupping your face gently with his hand as he leaned in. his lips brushed against yours softly at first, as if testing the waters. the kiss was tentative, filled with months of longing, but it quickly deepened, igniting a warmth that spread through you both.

you melted into him, your hands finding their way to his shoulders, pulling him closer. it felt like coming home after a long trip – a familiar warmth that wrapped around your heart.

Choso broke apart from you, breathless, as he rested his forehead against yours. his eyes searched yours, looking for something within them. “this can’t… I can’t handle it if this is just a one-night stand.” he murmured, breath warm on your face. 

you shook your head against him, a small smile forming across your face. “I don’t think I can let you go again.” as you whispered the reassurance, Choso groaned out in relief before pressing his lips to yours again.

where the first kiss had been cautious, patient, his lips now moved against yours with a fervent need to feel every inch of you. Choso’s tongue dipped past your lips to tenderly caress yours as he pulled you closer into him, heaving chests flush together as your hands fisted the back of his shirt. 

“angel…” he moaned lowly, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip as you panted into his mouth. you felt like you were on fire, his hands leaving trails of flame on your body while they roamed and grabbed at whatever he could get his hands on. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” you whimpered as his lips found purchase between your neck and jaw. he peppered kisses along your skin before you felt his teeth bite into you before sucking a mark. “missed you s’ much.”

the two of you became a tangle of limbs as he tugged you toward your bed, so conveniently close in your studio, until your legs hit the bed and you both tumbled backward onto the mattress. Choso landed on top of you with a thud, causing you to let out a laugh with the extra weight. 

“somethin’ funny?” Choso asked with a grin as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “I missed that laugh. thought I’d never hear it again.”

looking up at him, your heart raced, urging you to speak before thinking. he was so beautiful, watching you with a love-filled gaze, that you couldn’t help but melt under him. “I love you, Choso.” the words slipped out softly from your lips but you had no regrets – you did love him, with your whole heart.

Choso’s eyes went wide, shining so bright that you were blinded by the emotion pouring out from his expression. he was shattered when you’d left. you’d taken the sunshine with you, leaving him to hole up in the darkness of his broken heart. but with those three words, you’d started to piece him back together. 

his lips crashed into yours, teeth clattering together with the force of it, as his eyelids fluttered close with furrowed brows. “I….” he started between your lips “… love…” a nip at your tongue “… you.” 

nothing was holding him back anymore from pulling his shirt over his head with one fluid motion, before latching his lips onto your neck and dragging out the sweet little moans he loved from your mouth as he marked you with his teeth. he’d heard them in his dreams, through his blaring music, every day he heard your voice, and now he wanted to make sure he’d hear it until he went deaf.

Choso trailed kisses down to your collarbone before pulling your shirt off and then unclasping the back of your bra. needy lips found your perked nipples, latching on roughly as he sucked one into his mouth. he made sure to leave bruising red marks on the plushest part of your tits as well – just in case the one on your neck hadn’t taken. this skin was softer, easier to brutally bite and suck, dragging the most incredible noises he’d ever heard from you. with every scratch of his teeth against your skin, you moaned out in a mix of pain-pleasure, and your pulse raced under his touch, shivers running through your bones as he continued his path down to the hem of your pants. 

it felt like the first time all over again; the need and desire taking over both of you. he was relentless with his hands dragging over your body, scratching and gripping everywhere they paused. but his hands would only pause for a moment, before moving on to somewhere else, desperately aching to touch you, feel you, taste you. 

“wan’ t’… need t’ taste you, angel.” he murmured against your skin as his fingers worked apart the button, then the zipper, ultimately forcing the pants down your legs and ripping them from your ankles to toss them somewhere on the floor. he had a one-track mind right now – tasting your sweet cunt on his tongue. “miss the taste of you, been goin’ through withdrawals.”

your face flushed at the filthy words babbling from his lips as he kissed your inner things, making sure to leave bite marks there too. “Choso, that’s so gross baby.” you whined in embarrassment and tried to shut your thighs, only to have them forced open by his hands pushing your knees apart.  “it’s not that great, I’m sure.”

Choso looked up from where his chin was nestled between you, eyes half-lidded as if he was drunk off you already. “it is that great, it’s perfect. could do this all day if you’d let me.” and with that, he licked a stripe up your already slick folds and let out an animalistic groan at the taste. “s’ good, tastes s’ good angel. can’t get enough.”

as he began to eat you like a man starved, spit and arousal coating his mouth and chin, glistening over his face tattoo you loved so much, you fisted his dark hair in your hand at the overwhelming pleasure he was giving you. it had been so long – too long – and you were overly sensitive to every nudge of his nose against your clit as he pressed his face deep into your core.

“Cho, s’ too much.” you whimpered when he plunged a single-digit knuckle deep into your warm walls and curled it into your g-spot. your hips instinctively bucked against his mouth, and he let out a pleased hum at your reaction. 

he pulled his mouth away from your clit with a plop! and smirked up at you through his lashes. “feelin’ good, angel?” he asked, but he could feel the answer on his fingers as he stuffed another one deep into you. your gushy walls were as tight as his pants were around his constrained throbbing cock, no doubt already leaking with pre-cum at the sight of you coming undone from his tongue. “wan’ you t’ cum on me, need t’ taste it before I get inside you.”

“please – hah – please wanna cum s’ bad!” your moans were pornographic at this point as the hot knot in your abdomen tightened into a coil ready to be snapped. as you practically rode his tongue to chase your release, Choso’s eyes rolled to the back of his head at the addictive taste of your cunt, deciding that if he died with his head between your legs and your cum on his tongue, it would be the perfect end to his life. 

“that’s it, cum f’ me ‘kay?” Choso urged before his tongue caressed your clit in circular motions while his fingers curled against your g-spot just right. your orgasm came crashing through you, two months’ worth of pent-up need for him and only him coursing through your bones as you came on his face with wild thrashes of your hips. 

he had to wrap his arm over your hips, forcing them to be still as he didn’t give up his pursuit of the most spectacular orgasm he could give you. even though your body felt like it was on fire, he was unyielding in his torment on your sensitive clit. you were still coming, screaming his name as you tried to scramble away from him in a desperate attempt to escape the overstimulation, but he kept you pinned in place with his bicep, growling into your dripping heat every time you tried to move.

“s-stop, ‘s too much!” you yelped as he continued scissoring his fingers inside of you, forcing open the tightness of your walls as he slurped your clit into his mouth and sucked repetitively. you were going to explode, maybe even die with every wave of release that just kept crashing, the warmth tingling through your body traveling down down down until you felt like a dam had burst, and you heard the squelches of your cunt squirting all over him.

Choso was ecstatic, and absolutely feral to feel your pussy juices spray onto his face and coating his tongue. you tasted heavenly, his cock twitching at the sight of you writhing at his touch – he wanted to lap up every bit of you, but even then, he knew his need wouldn’t be fulfilled.

just as you were coming down, body still twitching with overstimulation, Choso stood up and shoved his pants down to reveal his leaking dick, red and irritated from the confines of his pants, ready to feel you wrap around him. “please, need you to fuck me, Choso.” you begged as you reached for him, wanting him inside of you this instant or else you’d implode. 

“don’t worry, gonna make you feel real good again, baby.” Choso pumped his cock with the same hand that was coated in your release before lining up his tip with your cunt. he kissed your lips, and you tasted yourself on his tongue. of course, he’d never wipe his face of your delicious juices. “missed this s’ much, been dreaming ‘bout it every day.”

with one deep, steady thrust, Choso bullied his dick through your wet walls and bottomed out, balls deep within you and letting out the loudest groan you’d ever heard come from his lips. you gasped at the fullness, somehow forgetting just how large he was when he was pressed against your cervix and filling you so deliciously. he took no time in rolling his hips into yours without pause, ready to feel every inch of you coating his cock. 

“fuck, Choso it’s been too long.” you gasped as his tip continuously kissed your cervix, loud and wet squelches coming from your cunt with every thrust he drove into you. your hips bucked to meet him, need, desperate for him to keep going keep going keep going. without a doubt, you’d be sore and achy tomorrow, but you couldn’t give two shits as long as he was fucking you this good. 

your name was a panted-out prayer on his lips as his hands cupped your face to look at you while he fucked into you, primal instinct taking over and urging him to fill you with his cum over and over. every ignored ache of his cock from the past two months had built up to this, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. no, he’d pull more orgasms from your pretty cunt, and fill you up over and over until you could never forget the feeling of him.

 “shit – hmph – missed feeling your cunt wrapped around me. look at you, so pretty underneath me, like my own personal angel.” Choso murmured through his pants as his thrust became sloppier. to compensate for his lack of control and quickly oncoming orgasm, he slid his hand down, fingers pressing against your clit in slow, deliberate circles to get you to cum on his cock. 

as the knot began to tighten in your stomach again, your eyes snapped open to look at Choso above you – black hair already sticking to his forehead, twin buns coming loose, pupils blown out from pleasure, and mouth agape as he watched you move underneath him. “I love you.” you whined, turning your head and softly kissing his hand that was against your cheek. “holy shit, I love you!”

at your confession, Choso’s pace on your clit picked up and brought you over the edge, your second release racking your body as you trembled beneath him through it. he could not only feel it, but he could hear it too. your warm walls clenched around him like a vice, lewd wet squelches echoing with every thrust of his cock, and your slutty moans of his name had him crumbling. god, you were perfect to him, so soft and pretty and you felt. so. fucking. good. 

he felt like an animal, rutting into you with all of his strength to get himself off, desperate to release himself inside of you. his orgasm found him as you were halfway through yours, and he groaned out, “I love you!” before smashing his lips into yours as his hips stilled to be as deep as he could inside of you, spirts of his hot cum coating your walls as he shuddered on top of you. “I love you I love you I love you!”

he fucked you through both of your orgasms before crashing down on top of you, head buried in the crook of your neck as you both struggled to catch your breath and come down from the high. “I love you, Choso.” you whispered now, brushing his bangs from his sweaty forehead and kissing him. 

“I love you, angel. forever.” Choso murmured back in response, a soft smile taking over his wet lips as he nuzzled closer to you, breathing in deeply through his nose against your skin. “never gonna stop loving you.”

“that’s okay with me.” 

-

it was Christmas time now, fresh white snow coating the ground as you hurried down the sidewalk. you were late, oh so late, again. you could already picture Megumi’s disapproving glare, and you almost lost your footing on a particularly slick patch of ice at the thought.

when you finally burst through Yuji’s front door, panting and flushed from the cold, Megumi gave you the expected side-eye. but then Yuji bounded over, a huge grin on his face. “you made it! thank goodness. if I had to deal with mr. grinch for one more minute, I might’ve pulled my hair out. and I like my hair – everyone likes my hair!” he rambled on, tugging you in the living room and practically forcing you to sit on the couch beside Megumi.

“who’s the grinch this year? Megumi?” you asked playfully, a teasing grin spreading across your face as you glanced at the raven-haired boy. you then turned your attention to the other side of the room. “or is it Sukuna?”

Sukuna, lounging comfortably in an accent chair with a mug that you guessed was filled with heavily spiked eggnog, shook his head and let out a low chuckle. “take another wild guess.”

you raised an eyebrow, confused, until Choso rounded the corner wearing the most hideous Christmas sweater you’d ever laid eyes on. the sight nearly made you gasp. “oh my god.” you breathed, struggling to stifle your laughter.

“don’t. say. a fucking. word.” Choso grumbled, shooting a pointed glare at Yuji who was wearing a matching outrageous sweater.

“you look so cute!” you exclaimed, unable to contain yourself. you jumped off the couch and rushed over to him, planting a fat kiss on his lips. “I’ve never seen you wear so many colors!”

Choso’s face turned pink as his gaze dropped to the enormous, puffy reindeer on the front of the sweater. “you like it?” he asked quietly, a hint of shyness creeping into his voice as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I love it.” you replied sincerely, and when he looked back up at you, a radiant smile broke across his face. “and I love the man wearing it even more.”

“of course, when his girlfriend shows up, he’s no longer a grouch.” Yuji huffed, arms crossed and feigning annoyance as he watched the exchange between his brother and you.

“you know you love it.” Megumi teased, wrapping his arms around Yuji’s shoulders and planting a soft kiss on his temple, a playful smirk on his face.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Sukuna declared, pinching the bridge of his nose in exaggerated annoyance before taking a long gulp from his mug.

you settled back onto the couch, still riding the high of Choso’s blush, when he reached into the pile of gifts stacked beneath the tree. his eyes sparkled with excitement as he pulled out a small, wrapped box with a red bow on top.

“for you.” he said, a shy smile spreading across his face as he handed it to you. “Nobara helped me pick it out, so I can’t take all the credit. she also threatened me to make sure I told you that.”

you snorted out a laugh and took the box from him. you carefully peeled off the wrapping to see a small velvety box hidden underneath, and your breath caught in your throat as you opened it. inside lay a delicate, silver necklace featuring a mountain with two stars atop it. 

“Choso, it’s beautiful!” you gasped, tears pricking your eyes as your fingers brushed over it.

he smiled and gently took the necklace from the box. “while it’s not wall climbing, I thought it would remind you of our first date… and, well, us being the two stars. since… y’know, we went climbing, even though we didn’t do it on a mountain and -”

you looked up, meeting his gaze and causing him to pause his rambles at your expression, and felt hot tears freely sliding down your cheeks at the sweetness of it all. “it’s perfect. I love it.” Choso softly smiled before leaning closer and carefully helping you clasp the necklace around your neck. the pendant settled just above where your heart raced beneath your skin.

Yuji and Megumi exchanged knowing glances, and Yuji elbowed Megumi playfully. “look at you two, all sweet and mushy… makes me sick.” Megumi teased with a tiny smirk.

“I’m sick of all of you.” Sukuna grumbled from his spot, but beneath the mug pressed to his lips, you could see his mouth curving up into a small smile.

Choso’s cheeks flushed again, but he didn’t take his eyes off you. “I just wanted to give you something special.” he said quietly, the sincerity in his voice making you melt. “I love you so much, angel.”

you sniffled slightly, reaching up to touch the necklace that you knew would never be taken off. “I love you too, Choso.” you replied before placing a soft kiss to his lips. 

in that moment, everything felt perfect. you were in love, surrounded by some of the people that you cared about the most on the holidays. and for now, you knew that everything would be okay – more than okay.

-

-

-

-

Sukuna’s POV

months later

he’d never say it to anyone else, but Sukuna’s therapist knows damn well to take the secret to their grave. sure, he’d been in love with you, or some semblance of love at least. so forgive him for being a tad heartbroken that he wasn’t the one chosen after everything.

his therapist had told him not to ruminate over it, that he had sought forgiveness and worked towards being a better person. but had he truly? he’d spent the better part of the cold season getting over it, and while he ultimately had, he was still nagged by the dread of never finding someone to look at him that way again. 

he was happy that everyone else was happy. he’d royally fucked up, he knew that, and he deserved to not be the one chosen in the end. all he could do now was move forward and continue trying. 

try try try. 

it was the mantra he’d carried into the new year, seared in his brain every second of every day. it’s all he ever did nowadays.

well, that and drink himself into a drunken stupor whenever he got the chance. and tonight was no exception – having ditched Yuji’s little party at the house to escape the suffocating romance between everyone but him, he found himself at a quiet bar two pints in, desperately hoping for a mild buzz at least.

he felt like a pitiful fool, drinking away his feelings. this wasn’t like him, or it used to not be. he wasn’t so sure anymore. he still felt the same – angry at the world, annoyed by those lesser than him, but in a way, he was more mature. mindful of the people around him and how he affected their lives. he guessed that was what growth did to a person.

but he couldn’t let his old attitude consume him. he’d try and try and try to be better for everyone else around him.

that was until he met her.

“oi, get your fucking hands off me!” he’d heard a voice shout from just outside the bar. it sounded distressed yet confident at the same time. he wasn’t sure what was going on until he heard two other deep voices, chuckling and hurling derogatory insults in the air as if it didn’t matter.

today, it would matter to him.

Sukuna abruptly stood from his stool, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud crash as he stormed out the door of the bar. underneath the streetlights, he saw her – small and fragile, surrounded by two drunken men reaching their hands out for her. and yet, despite her predicament, Sukuna couldn’t help but smirk at her, rearing back a fist, ready to knock someone out. 

she hadn’t even heard the crash from the bar, focused solely on the annoying assholes bothering her. all she'd been doing was walking home, alone, like an idiot of course. but a little recklessness never stopped her. she doubted her punch would do much damage, but it was worth a shot anyway. 

“I said leave me the hell alone, twatbags!” she shouted, fist shaking but staying firm in a pulled-back position. if they made one more move, she'd muster up the courage and hit one of them. she hated guys like these, her office was filled with them and now she couldn’t even get a reprieve walking down the street.

suddenly, both men went wide-eyed in front of her. hah, so her scare tactics worked, she thought. she'd have to pat yourself on the back later for this achievement. “aw, little ole me got you boys scared? looks like you’re about to wet your pants.” she smirked, crossing her arms in triumph. 

until their eyes traveled from hers, to over her head. 

“these guys bothering you?” 

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . taglist: @nighttwingg @sweetsformysoul @casualpoetrytaco @lvingd3adg0rl @haikomaiko @csolya @deathlypink @sad-darksoul @elisedylandy @jinxiewritings @aldebrana @ravester @futuristiccurlyhair @san-it-is-i-guess @marie-is-in-the-dark @llovergirlll @iseeyouuu @makingtimemine @spicykimchii @shxhari @ratcoone @mollyrocks420 @willybillyletsgetsilly @distinguishedpenguinbread @ren-ni @sugar504 @runfrme @sukuna-for-life @theclassbookworm @avidreadee123 @tibibibi123 bro. just... BRO. we're at the end ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡ i can't believe it!!!! I really really hope I did the end of the story justice, and that everyone is happy with the ending! if not, at least I'm happy about it. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S FOLLOWED, LIKED, REBLOGGED, AND COMMENTED through this whole short story!!!!! and to everyone who's requested to be tagged you have my WHOLE heart. ugh, I'm getting emotional again... but it doesn't make me too sad considering... Sukuna spin off coming soon! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ obviously her will turn into you in the next writing, was that obvious enough? no? damn. anyways, hope to see you all later! ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .

[lazycats-stuff]

Hello, hope you're having a good day/night

I was wondering if I could request Bruce x Bat Dad (and some bat fam)

What if reader knew about the darker things in the world like demons and horrors unimaginable from the time he was small and that's why he doesn't talk about things like growing up or his family.

What if reader gets captured by a cult that torture him in order to force reader to translate strange eldritch books and artifacts.

You can choose how long it takes for Bruce to find reader

(What if Bruce and the batfam find out that reader has been hunting and investigating the supernatural like a small base of operations that looks more like a library with hidden weapons)

Hi, I hope you have a good day or night too. Of course you can request. Hehe. Lets go. Also, I'm sorry for taking so long... I hope you like it! And yes, the ending may be rushed, but it's not that bad.

Summary: (Y/N) gets taken for his knowledge.

Warnings: cult, fight, implications of torture... Nothing is really direct per say.

(Y/N) sighed as he closed his old leather book. He wished he didn't have this knowledge, this... (Y/N) swallowed as he put his book back and left the room, closing the fake bookcase. He rubbed his face as he was tired from this life. He wished he didn't have this knowledge. He knows the things that would turn the world upside down.

He met with hell's worst demons and he saw some of the other unspeakable horrors. (Y/N) never had a good life. He grew up in a satanic cult, the one who was genuinely believing that Satan is coming and that they are going to be his loyal servants.

He was apparently marked by Satan when he was born, but then again, when you are in a cult, you believe what they tell you. (Y/N) escaped when he was 16 years old, running like the devil himself was chasing him. (Y/N) came to Gotham with only clothes on his back.

Soon he met a nice guy who helped him. (Y/N) is smart and intelligent and he managed to start high school. He graduated after 3 years and went on to study history and religion at college. He was always interested in those things and soon enough, he found himself working in a museum.

It was a nice change of pace for once. Learning about old things and older religions and he liked it when he could teach someone something new. Of course, he was vigilant of new people and people in general. He was careful when meeting someone new, hoping that the cult didn't go after him. He could only hope so.

Dating after being in a cult it's difficult. Always suspicious of any one coming into his life romantically. Men or women, being suspicious from the get go was a certified way to see if someone was from the cult. It was also one of the fastest ways to get your relationship destroyed.

Then Bruce Wayne came into his life.

It was a coincidence. Bruce saw an interesting exhibition and decided to treat Damian to a little treat. (Y/N) was making his way through the museum, just enjoying his day and making sure every visitor was taken care of. He saw Bruce and Damian, looking in confusion.

(Y/N) walked over and asked if everything was okay and the rest was history. He lead the two through the museum, enjoying the fact that Damian knew a lot about history and it was actually fun to debate a child who knew something over a fact.

Bruce was quiet, enjoying the tour and well... Love at first sight for Bruce. He was chatting with (Y/N) and saw how guarded he was. Sure, everyone is guarded around strangers, but this is a whole another level of being guarded.

Bruce was rather intrigued, but he didn't want to push any boundaries. So he left (Y/N) his number, saying no pressure to say yes, but do call.

To say (Y/N) was a nervous wreck is an understatement. What the hell was Bruce Wayne doing with him? Was he just looking for a one night stand? Or was just flirting to keep with the playboy persona? He came home and stared at the card for 10 minutes, thinking about it.

Should he?

Should he not?

You know what? He's not made from glass. He will go for it and whatever happens, happens. He texted Bruce, he wasn't really brave enough to call. He really wasn't.

He jumped when he saw that Bruce responded.

To cut a very long story short, Bruce and (Y/N) are together to this day. The date went very well and (Y/N) was happy for the first time. He has never been happier. Together with a man who loves him and the kids who love him.

(Y/N) may love the kids more than Bruce, but Bruce won't complain. Anyone who accepted his kids, he was more than happy and if that person loved the kids more than Bruce...

Of course, in platonic way.

But there was something that bothered the family, well, not bothered, but it was interesting to them. It was (Y/N)'s past. It was something he hid and refused to talk about. He would get closed off and cold and soon enough they learnt to not ask about it.

Of course, in a family full of detectives, they wanted to investigate, but they knew that they shouldn't have because it was an invasion of privacy. So, they have decided to leave (Y/N)'s past alone.

Also, one thing that they loved about (Y/N) was the fact that he was teaching them history, something they all loved. Jason was a fan of Egypt and Sumerians. Dick loved European history, more so medieval times. Tim loved the Enigma and the making of a first computer?

And Damian? World War Two and Arabic history.

Alfred loved (Y/N) too and he would love nothing more for Bruce to marry that man. God knows that this household needs another emotionally stable person. Somewhat...

Alfred was not the one to complain.

He saw how (Y/N) and Bruce complimented one another and Bruce gave (Y/N) a push to write his book about history of religion. (Y/N) has always wanted to write that and Bruce gave him a push he needed. But not financially.

(Y/N) said he would do it all on his own. Bruce had no problem with that statement. He agreed to not pull connections with anyone or any publishing house. But he wasn't against getting (Y/N) his materials. He had no problem delivering the materials right to his door or at his work.

(Y/N) knew that Bruce was Batman so he knew that Bruce was in front of his apartment or in his office. (Y/N) enjoyed and was happy to see them.

(Y/N) entered his apartment and went to the kitchen. He was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a dark figure in his living room. (Y/N) took a sip of the water before he heard a creak on the floor board. He acted like it was nothing before throwing the glass in the direction on the sound. He hit the figure and (Y/N) grabbed a knife.

(Y/N) watched as the figure doubled down in pain, before recovering. The figure has stepped into the light and (Y/N) recognized the face.

" You motherfucker... " (Y/N) said as he gripped the handle of the knife tighter.

" That's no way to talk to your leader. " The deep male voice said and (Y/N) sized him up.

Maybe he can make it out. But the leader is strong and full of muscles. He has to evade him. Somehow.

That plan went down to shit when he saw two more figures. Sure, the leader needs to have protection. (Y/N) glanced between the trio. Someone is going to attack first.

Which one is the question.

(Y/N) ducked a punch and tried to stab the incoming one, but he was hurled over the couch, taking it with him. (Y/N) grunted as he hit the floor and he stood up after a few moments. He didn't have his knife with him.

Shit.

He nearly died when there was a fourth figure picking him up, before throwing him into his glass coffee table. (Y/N) grunted as he hit his head. He hissed as he tried to get up, but a kick to his face sent him flying back and he was dazed.

" I'm not coming with you. " (Y/N) said as he wiped the blood from his face.

" Oh you are. We know you can translate the demon transcriptions. And we need those translations. " The leader said and (Y/N) glared at them.

He won't go out without a fight.

" You are outnumbered. There is no way out. " The leader said and (Y/N) glanced at the other two. They were blocking the exit. They only way is to fight out or at least try.

But there was no weapon in sight. So he was screwed. Kicking and punching his way out can only take him so far.

But he had to try.

So he did just that. He tried to fight, but he was punched in the jaw quickly that he was nearly knocked. He fell down, hitting his head hard once more.

His vision was swimming and he couldn't see who was where anymore. His only hope now was Bruce. He knew Bruce would drop by later in the night and that he would find him. Bruce would never stop looking for him.

The kiddos too...

His jaw got punched once more and he blacked out. Now the cult had him where they wanted him. They could do what they pleased.

And if that meant torture... Well, then so be it.

Two fucking months. Bruce was losing his mind as he was looking for his boyfriend. He was horrified when he learnt of (Y/N)'s past, who wouldn't be terrified? Learning and growing up in a cult?

Bruce remembers the first time he entered the apartment and he will always wonder about a lot of things. More so that (Y/N) is somewhat normal.

Bruce was shocked that (Y/N) turned out normal. The trauma he must have went through... He was even more shocked when they found out the secret library in his apartment... Bruce had to call John Constantine to see what the hell was happening here.

John knew exactly what this was. (Y/N) was a hunter who hunted demons and banished them back to hell. Bruce was officially in the dark now. His beloved, his significant other was a hunter? Who went after demons?

Bruce didn't know how the hell he was going to explain this to his kids. How can you explain something like this? Bruce analyzed every part of the apartment, trying to figure out what happened.

He saw that (Y/N) had a knife, but was threw around the room. Then he was put through his glass coffee table. Bruce sighed quietly as John looked through the books.

" This is an amazing collection. " John commented as he looked through the books and the weapons.

" Is that really important right now? " Bruce snapped at the man and John just shrugged his shoulders.

" I guess not, but I know people who would kill for this collection. Bruce, he has knowledge of the single handedly one of the most ancient languages in the world. I can only count people on one hand that know this language. " John explained.

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

" I think I know why they kidnapped your partner. " John said as he picked up a book. Bruce raised his brow in question.

" The cult that took him wanted some translations it seems. " John said as he opened and old, leather bound book, more interested in the book at the moment.

" That's not good. I'm assuming he will resist... They are going to torture him. " Bruce said solemnly, eyes darting around the apartment.

" We will put the bookshelf the way it was. Maybe they were after the books and weapons. " Bruce said and John sighed as he put the book where he found it and then did what Bruce asked from him.

From that day, two months passed. Bruce and everyone else worked tirelessly to find their favorite person. Bruce his boyfriend, soon to be a fiancé, the boys their second dad, one that is more emotionally open and Alfred needed one person who is going to be somewhat normal.

Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin when he got a location. They boys and him piled into the batmobile and drove as fast as the car allowed it.

To say that they had to fight their way in was an understatement. Alfred was anxiously waiting in the cave.

Bruce nearly died when he saw (Y/N). Bloodied, bruised... Bruce didn't want to know the specifics. He picked his beloved up and moved to the car and he made sure to call the SWAT team from GCPD, alongside a few more organizations.

The cult deserves it, okay? Was he over reacting? Maybe.

But that didn't matter now. What mattered is the fact that (Y/N) is taken care of and is alive and well.

To say he drove like a madman... Would be the biggest understatement of the century. Once they came, they rushed their favorite person to Alfred.

Time was of the essence.

Bruce waited for his boys to finish talking to their second dad. (Y/N) had awoken and although still weak, he still talked to his sons. After 20 minutes, Bruce ushered them out, making them all protest a bit, but in the end they knew that they need to go.

Jason hugged his dad, very carefully and left. Dick kissed his dad's cheek and Tim squeezed his hand. Damian hugged his second dad before leaving and the two partners are soon left alone.

" I'm sorry for not telling you the truth... But it was too difficult. " (Y/N) said and Bruce kissed his cheek softly.

" Don't apologize. I understand that. "

" I'm assuming you found my base? " (Y/N) asked and Bruce nodded.

" John said you have a collection people would kill for... This is such shit timing, but would you like to move in? " Bruce said and (Y/N) snorted, but stopped because of his ribs.

" Yes, I would love nothing more. "

Bruce kissed (Y/N)'s cheek again. " Good. I'll leave you to rest. "

" Can you stay with me? "

Bruce smiled and nodded, changing into his PJs before gently laying down next to (Y/N), wrapping him into blankets and the two quickly feel asleep.

The two were finally reunited.

[omgsecretsecret]

Sweet Fuckboy

Pairing : Lee Minho x gn!reader (use of you/your pronouns) ; friends to ??

Genre : fluff ig ; hurt/comfort if you squint reallyyyyy hard

Word count : about 2,500

Warning : talking about sex ; HyunSung are a couple but honestly it's just barely mentioned twice (I'm just having fun so don't come after me for that please) ; no smut here but in the part 2 there will be (there will be two versions for afab and amab reader) ; cursing (fucking, bastard, bitch) ; english is not my first language

Author's note : idk this just popped in my head when I saw some My Pace era Minho pictures again ; the pics on top are not mine, credits to the owners ; lots of love to @giddyfatherchris who helped me a lot by proofreading this <3

Reminder : you are not “a baby” if you are a virgin, nor are you “a slut” if you are not

Masterlist || Part 2 afab ver & amab ver

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Minho is a fuckboy, and your closest friend. He is known for pretty much giving his dick to whoever asked him to fuck them. You know it’s exaggerated by the rumors and he does not actually fuck anybody, but it’s true that he isn't too hard to convince. It isn't bad though. People do not see him as a whore, he is seen as a boy who can help you out if you are in need of some.. relief.

You, on the other hand, have never slept with someone else. You have already tried some solo pleasure, of course, but you are a virgin. And you are tired of being one. You want to see what real sex is like.

This is how you ended up here, sitting in the school library, talking about it with your friend Hyunjin because to hell with taboos.

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"You can ask Minho, no ?

— Yeah, I guess. But I don't want him to be awkward. you reply with an unhappy pout.

— Who says he will be ? We're talking about Minho here. He'll probably tease you a bit, but he's the sweetest and most understanding guy I know under his 'do not touch me i am not nice' act. He'll stop joking as soon as he sees it makes you uncomfortable and we both know how observant he is, he'll know if it bothers you in less than a second.

— I know. But what if he just doesn't want to ? And if he's too kind to say no ? It's not every day your best friend asks you to take their virginity.

— Sweetie, calm down. Once again, we're talking about Minho here. He's an honest guy, he'll tell you if he doesn't want to do it. He knows it'd do more bad than good to force himself to do it. And worst case scenario, it'll be a little bit awkward between you for a few days, but it'll be back to normal soon. You know him, it wouldn't change the way he sees you. Hyunjin reassures as he puts his hand on yours and gives you a fond look before chuckling. Besides, he'd be stupid to refuse !

— Yeah... You're right. Minho's amazing for that. But you say that like anyone would want to fuck me. It doesn't feel like it. you pout again, playing with his long fingers.

— Well, maybe I wouldn't, because I'm already in a happy relationship with Jisung. But it doesn't prevent me from admitting that you are hot, even though I say it without being attracted to you. Plus I wouldn't be your friend if you were a bitch. And it's always better to fuck someone with a good personality. he winks, trying to make you relax slightly and it actually works as you release the pressure in your shoulders and give him a small smile.

— Mmh.. I'll see if I ask him later. you say softly and shrug before squeezing his hand lightly as a sign for him to get up too. How about we go to the cafeteria grab some food now ?"

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You leave the library and head to the cafeteria to eat with your friends, sitting next to Minho as usual. You talk normally, laughing to Felix's jokes and Seungmin’s fake gag at how lovely dovey Jisung and Hyunjin are being, until the latter starts kicking your leg not so gently under the table. You roll your eyes at him, silently telling him to please stop doing that right fucking now before you throw your ratatouille on his oh so pretty and new white shirt. He immediately puts away his leg, not without glaring at you meaningfully. ‘you know I'm right’. You sigh and go back to eating while listening to the others.

It's only a little bit later though that you get the opportunity to actually talk with Minho when he turns to you discreetly and looks directly in your eyes. He seems to be feeling a mix of annoyance and concern as he puts his hand on your chair before speaking.

“Okay what’s up ? he doesn't beat around the bush when he asks you that, just being his usual honest self. You've been having a whole conversation with your eyes with Hyunjin for the past few minutes without even opening your mouth once. I would have let it be and thought it was none of my business if Hyunjin hadn't been looking at me so intensely while you were pouting, avoiding my face and just openly being unhappy. So I'm asking you. What’s up ?” he asks in a gentle and low voice despite the bluntness of his words, not wanting the boys to meddle in your business.

You sigh again. Great. Now you were going to have to tell him. He would know immediately if you lie, you didn't have a choice. You give Hyunjin a death glare. ‘thanks, bastard’. Why did he always have to be like that ?

“Look, Minmin I… Can we talk about it later ? After school we can go for a walk or I don't know. you don't even really look at his eyes as you speak, too embarrassed.

— Mmh… Sure, yeah.” he looks cautious, yet he nods and squeezes your shoulder lightly as a sign of reassurance.

He lets his arm rest wrapped around your shoulders for the rest of your lunch break, not even bothering to remove it. You're still slightly nervous, but he doesn't say anything about it, trying to not make you uncomfortable or self-conscious.

The rest of the day goes by like this. You're not really able to focus completely on your classes, a part of your mind constantly going back to the conversation you were going to have with Minho. ‘It's going to be sooo awkward if he says no’. Yet you try not to worry too much. As Hyunjin said, Minho is honest and (secretly not so secretly) very kind, so everything will be okay. With that, Minho spends the day being his caring self, even paying extra attention to not tease you too much as he senses your tension.

“Alright. This was the last class of the day. Where do you want to go to talk ? Minho looks at you patiently as you walk together.

— I don't really know, Minho. you mumble and he arches a brow in slight concern at your anxious tone.

— Okay, okay. What about we go to the grocery store to grab a little something to drink while we walk to my place ? We can pass by the park, it's always nice. he offers nicely as he looks at you fondly.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and nod, giving him a small but genuine smile. You walk together peacefully, Minho complaining about random stuff to make you laugh and distract you. By the time you reach the grocery store, you're a lot more relaxed and confident about telling him.

“What do you want to drink ? he asks as he stops in front of the cold drinks section, hands on his hips.

— I think I'm just going to take a lollipop, don't worry. you shake your hand softly for him to let it go but all he does is tilting his head to look back at you with a raised eyebrow and you can't help but laugh at his position.

— You serious ? It's hot out there, you know.

— Yes, thank you. I’m not that stupid. you roll your eyes before staring at him in disbelief when you hear him mumble a ‘not so sure’ and run after your laughing best friend, chasing him until he can't run anymore.

— I was joking ! I was joking !” he pleads as you punch his shoulder more or less lightly, still laughing.

You just pout and punch him once more before smiling at him thankfully. You know he could just push you away but he lets you do that to make you feel better.

“Seriously though, are you sure you don't want anything to drink ? he asks when you finally stop.

— Yes, sir. you answer with a chuckle and he frowns, looking at you with squinty eyes for a moment before moving.

— We’ll share a bottle of juice. he simply states. Which one do you want ?

— What ? No, Minho I–

— Let's go for this one then. he ignores you and grabs a small bottle before heading towards the store cash desk, making you sigh.

— Thank you.. you mumble and he doesn't say anything, yet you don't miss the way his lips curl up slightly.

— Here's your candy !” he says as he throws a lollipop of your favorite flavor at you.

You fight for a minute about who is going to pay until you find a nice compromise. On your way to the park before you go to Minho’s place, you forget to worry about asking him. You’re just comfortable with your best friend and it's all that matters.

“Minmin– you start but he cuts you off.

— Are you seriously going to call me like that again ? he groans.

— But it's cute ! I like it, and I'm sure that deep inside, a little part of you likes it too. And you let me call you that in the cafeteria !

— Because you looked nervous as hell. he gives you a stern look.

— You know what, whatever. I was going to ask if we could talk but forget it. you pout and turn around.

— Seriously ? Oh come on ! Do you want to talk here in the park or at my place ? he asks but you keep pouting for a second before speaking.

— Here.” you mumble as you sit on the nearest bench.

He settles next to you silently, watching you with a soft gaze as you take a deep breath. Although you're a lot calmer than earlier, you're still worried about telling him. But if you keep spiraling on that, you’ll never do it, so you cut your thoughts and begin.

“So…I don't know how to say this so I'll just ask like this, okay ? you pause, waiting for him to nod before continuing. You know that I'm.. y’know.. like.. I've never had sex... And hum.. well I-I don't want it to be like that anymore and I trust you and I know you and I know you're somewhat, like, hum… e-experienced..? So I was wondering if you could help me maybe ? you ramble in a shy voice, speaking more and more lowly with each word and by the time you're done your face is bright red.

— So you're asking me to be your first and take your virginity because I'm your best friend and I fuck regularly, right ? you look at him with wide eyes, his expression unreadable. How can he be so blunt ?

— … more or less yeah. you look down with embarrassment.

— Why did you not just say it like that ? I can't believe you were in such a state for this ! he bursts out laughing. Now I understand why Hyunjin was looking at you like that.

— It's embarrassing.. you hide your face in your hands.

— No, y/n. I’m actually very flattered, you know ? If you want me to do that, it means you trust me enough to show yourself to me without anything. And I'm really grateful for that. I’m glad my reputation can actually be useful. he smiles at you and rubs your back gently as you sigh in relief, slowly resting your head on his shoulder. But I understand why you were stressed about it.

— Yeah.. you whisper with a tiny smile, resting your head in the crook of his neck as you simply enjoy the moment. Everything feels so easy with him.

— So.. do you want to do it today ? We don't have to though if you want to wait a little. he offers softly after a small, comfortable silence. We can just start with some kissing, to see how it feels. he says before you can start panicking.

— You'd really do it, like, now ? you ask and he gives you a slightly annoyed, yet still soft, look. I-I mean… yeah, it'd be good. you blush slightly and he chuckles, ruffling your hair gently.

He doesn't reply, just carefully removes your head from his shoulder to make you look at him. He smiles sweetly as he looks at your red ears, eyes slightly widened in apprehension. He brushes a strand of hair out of your face and strokes your flushed cheek in a gentle, almost romantic gesture, before suddenly bursting out laughing. You immediately look at him with confusion, your whole body tense.

“If you're going to act this awkward we're never going to get through this. he laughs and you look down, embarrassed. It's okay. Just close your eyes and let me guide you, okay ? You trust me, don't you ?” you nod and he smiles softly.

You do as he says, closing your eyes and letting him do the rest. He carefully cups your jaw before leaning in closer and landing his mouth on yours gently. The kiss is soft and tender, and it’s so good. You melt into it as your hand instinctively reaches for his own. He takes his time, not rushing anything. He started slowly moving his lips, letting you get used to it and mirror his actions. When he pulled away and looked at you, your eyes were already opened and shining, a grin forming on your face.

“I guess you liked it. he chuckles again as you nod eagerly.

— It was so sweet ! I didn't know you were such a great kisser. And I didn't think it would feel so nice. you squeeze his hand still in yours and he looks at you fondly. You are so cute.

— So what ? Were you expecting me to be a bad kisser ? he teases.

— No ! It's not what I meant. you roll your eyes. Is it okay if I want another one ? you ask somewhat shyly.

— Sure.”

He kisses you again and it's just as good. There's still no rush, no pressure. It's just full of the tenderness and affection Minho has always had for you as your best friend. You keep going like that, kissing again and again with the same softness until you naturally move to straddle his lap carefully, arms wrapped around his neck to continue to kiss him softly again and again. It's so nice, and you feel him smile against your lips.

“I think we should maybe continue like that at my place, love. Unless you want to do it another day. It’d absolutely be okay.” he whispers when he pulls away, resting his hands on your hips and looking at you patiently.

You're a bit embarrassed at first when you notice the way you're sitting on his thighs facing him. You didn't think you were that close to him when you first moved to settle there. But you quickly forget about it, deciding that it doesn't matter and you can just trust Minho.

“I think… it's a good idea.” you reply with a somewhat shy smile.

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Part 2 coming more or less soon ~

do not repost, translate or rewrite without my written authorisation

[mattslilies]

... barista!chris and academic weapon!reader meeting for the first time ...

warnings: none!

lowercase intended <3

college was stressful, to put it extremely lightly. you had always been a high achiever, and you had never been the one to skip class or assignments, putting so much of your self worth onto your grades.

where most people burned out their senior year of high school or their freshman year of college, you were still going strong, showing no signs of that happening.

in a blink of an eye, half of your first semester was over, and midterms were rapidly approaching. you had spent so many hours in your dorm room, or in the study lounges at the library, bent over your computer, and today you had decided you needed to sit somewhere else. a change of scenery for once, to help clear your mind.

the city you lived in was walkable, as most popular areas in California are, and you had seen a corner cafe as you had been out exploring during your first week there. you'd never gone in, having never had the time, but decided that now was better than never.

getting to walk outside and feel fresh air without being stressed about making it to class on time was a welcome feeling, and it was nice enough outside that the walk was enjoyable. quickly making it to the small cafe, you opened the door, hearing a gentle ding from above your head, signaling your entrance.

a few people behind the counter glanced up at you, not pausing what they were doing, before continuing to finish making the drink or icing the pastry they had been working on. you noticed that one boy's eyes lingered a little longer on you than the others, but eventually, he too tore his gaze away, and you didn't think any more of it.

finding a free table, you sat down, and spread out all of your notebooks, textbooks, and plugged your laptop in to charge, getting back to work. even though you hadn't ordered anything, it was nice to have a change of pace, and be working in a different environment. plus, the shop smelled really good, which helped you relax.

you focused in on your work, the world around you fading into a fuzzy background noise, not paying too much attention to anything.

if you had, you would've seen that the one barista who had been looking at you when you walked in couldn't keep his eyes off of you.

it wasn't until a cup was placed down in front of you that you were ripped out of your thoughts, glancing up to see a stranger standing there. pulling your headphones off of one ear, the confused look on your face prompted them to speak, pointing behind the counter.

"he asked me to give this to you."

you looked over, immediately figuring out which one they were speaking about, as he gave you a small smile and a wave. you instinctively smiled back before he returned to work.

you picked up the cup, unsure of what was in it, and as you turned it around in your hands, you noticed a small note on the side of it, scribbled in what appeared to be black sharpie.

"you look stressed, figured this might help. :)"

his handwriting was a mess, but so was yours, so you found it endearing. he'd gone with a basic choice, just a cup of hot chocolate, not wanting to give you something you wouldn't like.

after finishing your work, you left, not failing to notice his eyes on you. you'd definitely be coming back soon.

taglist <3

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if you would like to be added to my taglist, click here!

[satin-velvet]

ೃ⁀➷ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝓅𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝒸𝑒 ⋆ ★ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓍 𝐹!𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇 ೃ ( 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝟣 )

summary: you’ve been an apprentice under the great and terrible oz for awhile, trying to read the grimmerie. you’re focus on studying is faltering because of the person you expected least of all: the wizard himself.

note: i realized i had been typing all my stories in lowercase, as i usually do, but i went back and changed it to proper grammar so people are not offput by the all lowercase! part 3 of the other wizard story tonight or tmr! <3 if this plot seems a bit messy, that’s my fault! ill obviously go back and clean it up. just wanted to get something out today.

disclaimer: older man x younger woman, ill add as i go

🕰️ . *. ⋆

Moonlight poured through the large window behind you, the moon half obscured by the green curtains you had covered half the window with. A large stack of textbooks covered most available surface space, pages generously covered with notes and bookmarks. You paced the room back and forth, boots clicking on the hardwood as you mumbled the reading material to yourself in the darkness. Your wand, a beautiful gift from Madam Morrible, was gripped tightly in your free hand as you waved it around slowly. You had lost track of time, and the words were becoming barely legible at this point. Sleep seemed like too much of a luxury, not when you were on the cusp of magical proficiency. You were an all-powerful witch in the making, as so many had assured you.

“Theres great potential in you, dear. You must harness it properly.” Madame Morrible had said to you one evening. Whatever potential you had, it surely was playing hard to get. You’d tap into it soon. You closed the book with a soft thud, setting it on-top of another book near your desk. Using the moonlight for guidance, you made your way to a different stack of books. Dropping to your knees, you squinted as you read the titles on the spines. You needed something on.. well, it was hard to get your thoughts straight when your bed seemed to be calling you..

Shaking your head, you stood slowly, eyes half-lidded. A short trip to the library and back wouldn’t hurt. Then, you’d go straight to sleep. You smiled to yourself, the plan formulating in your head. Trudging your way to your door, you opened it with a light tug and stepped into the vast hallway that looked endless in the darkness. The palace was quite nice in the light, and the view was spectacular from your mini-apartment the wizard had made for you. Even better, it was a short walk from the library, and an even shorter walk from the wizard’s bedroom. He must be asleep, though you weren’t going to check.

Gently shutting your door behind you, you began walking. Your footsteps seemed louder with the echo that followed each step, and the darkness was alot colder than anticipated. The lights had been turned off, only the light streaming in from the window being able to guide you. Your hand found the wall, and you used it to keep you a little more stable. You weren’t sure how far you had gotten, but you were stopped by a familiar voice.

“Uh.. [name], is that you out here?” He asked, sleep evident in his tone.

You stopped walking, your heart skipping. “Yes, it’s me.. I need to go to the library.” You explained, willing your voice to steady. You could see him faintly in the moonlight, dressed in a silky green robe that was tied uncharacteristically loose and exposed a little of his chest. His hair was slightly ruffled, as if he had just woken up. “I need.. a few more books.”

“It’s very late. The library will be there come morning.” He assured, walking towards you.

“I just need to pick up one.. or two books, then I can have all the study materials I need for the morning.” You met him halfway, getting small whiffs of his rich cologne.

With an elegant wave of his hand, he seemed to dismiss your concerns entirely. “You should really get some rest. First thing in the morning, we can go to the library.” He placed a hand on the small of your back, and the touch, while small, still sent a shiver up your spine. There was no harm in waiting until the morning, you rationalized.

“You’ll walk me back to my room?” You muttered softly, allowing him to lead you back down the hall.

“Of course, dear.” He replied. The walk after was silent, but the quiet was more comforting than anything. The studying could wait, you supposed. What felt like seconds later, you were back at your door. Though he had removed his hand, the ghost of his touch still lingered. Perhaps it was the fatigue. Sighing, you looked back at him.

“I’ll be able to read the grimmerie soon, right?” You asked, your voice almost a whisper.

“Very soon. You’re making good.” He responded. The encouragement was nice to hear, but you still had some questions.

“How’d you do it? Did you have to study alot, too?” You didn’t know too much about how he read the grimmerie, but as his trusted apprentice, you figured you should know.

“It just.. came naturally to me. But it doesn’t for everyone.” He answered, almost too quickly. “You, however,” he gently cupped your face, “are almost there. Just be patient.”

You murmured something in agreement, completely distracted by him. Maybe it was the sleep you desperately needed, or how gentle his voice was..

“Now, goodnight. Get some rest.” He said, turning back down the hall. You watched him walk away, until you could barely see him in the darkness and his bedroom door shut behind him. You glanced at your bedroom door, reluctantly opening it and stepping inside. You sat on the edge of your bed, resting your elbows on your knees and resting your head in the palm of your hand. Your face felt warm still, and you sighed. You would feel better immediately after getting some rest, and you couldn’t be exhausted tomorrow if you were going to do more studying. You hastily removed your shoes, pulling back your plush green covers and getting under them. You closed your eyes, taking deep breaths as you willed sleep to come to you.

🕰️ . *. ⋆ part 2 soon!

[scuttlingcrab]

The Perfect Teacher

Summary: Late one night, Emmrich stumbles upon Rook giving Manfred dancing lessons in the library, coming to the startling realisation that he might have feelings for her. And boy oh boy, does Emmrich fall hard and fast...

You can find it on AO3 too!

BTW! I'm open to receiving any/all prompts on Emmrich, so please send away! xx

(Image via pictureamoebae)

After an exhausting day of cleansing blight from the streets of Treviso, Professor Emmrich Volkarin was relieved to finally be back in his quarters and have the evening to himself. 

It had been seemingly never-ending, its pools of corruption sprouting up like a plague, not to mention the dreadful legions of Darkspawn that crawled around every corner. Rook, Lucanis and Emmrich were only able to destroy a portion of the growth that day, the mere thought of how much more was consuming the city was enough to give Emmrich consecutive nightmares.

Once he had his nightly bath, donned a fresh set of clothing, and partook in some tea and refreshments; Emmrich nestled up in his red leather chair by the fireplace, ready to begin a new book. Courtesy of Bellara, the rather interesting work was a title he was not acquainted with: By Way of the Fade.  

Since the team’s inaugural book club, Emmrich was keen on reading more than the allocated novels, curious as to what other narratives he had yet to discover. It was his own personal fact-finding mission, purely for experimentation, gaining more insight into the world outside of Nevarra through these novellas. 

Emmrich naturally knew all the classics, had read and re-read the entirety of Thedas’ greatest tragedies and its grandest adventures, but was unfortunately a bit out of touch when it came to the latest trends. That realisation alone caused a new wave of dread to wash over him. However, seeing Bellara’s passion for storytelling, and her eagerness to start the book club in the first place, temporarily put Emmrich’s aging heart at ease. 

Shortly after discussing The Hallowed Halls with the group, he had discreetly asked Bellara if she had any more recommendations. In a burst of excitement, she sprinted back to her room, returning with a massive pile of her favourite novels and serials. In the end, Bellara made not one, but three trips; stumbling back and forth as she struggled to balance the volumes, eventually lining them up neatly by his desk. 

These weren’t normally the types of titles he’d pick up on his leisure. In his youth he most certainly would’ve been inclined to indulge himself in these risqué romances or elaborate espionage thrillers, but now, his motivations were directed elsewhere. To his duties in the Mourn Watch, to fighting the Evanuris, and to his eventual, Lichdom. 

But alas, it was a nice change of pace. It had only been a few weeks since his arrival at the Lighthouse, and he was already accustomed to this lifestyle, his new acquaintances, and the plethora of adventures he’s had so far. Quite the difference from his days writing papers and teaching in the Necropolis, where he was more than content to just keep drowning in his work.

Though he could do with less blight, and Darkspawn for that matter. The amount of washing he’s had to do to rid his ensembles of blood stains and dirt and..! Oh, but he shant complain, he was happy to have been chosen and included in something worthwhile. 

Time passed quickly as Emmrich read, and soon he had reached the final page. He closed the book with a contented sigh, placing it carefully on his lap. He let his mind wander as he watched the fireplace, mesmerised by the flames dancing as he digested the remnants of the story. 

Despite what the title suggested, By Way of the Fade barely broached the topic of the Fade itself, which was a massive upset to Emmrich. It was another romance that focused on love enduring through the ages, even moving beyond death itself. 

Emmrich bowed his head in agreement to that sentiment, his thoughts briefly flickering to his parents, before moving on to the rest of the book. The plot was rife with political turmoil, not to mention an unexpected murder and shoddy third act. In Emmrich’s opinion, the less faff the better, and perhaps not such a misleading title would have made him give it a higher rating.

He made a mental note to speak with Bellara about the ending in the morning as he rose from the chair, stifling a yawn. 

The hour was growing late, too late in fact, encroaching into his sleep schedule. As a man of routine, he seldom liked when he lost track of time, but some things just couldn’t be helped, especially when his hobbies were concerned. 

Emmrich reached for the cup on the table beside him, surprised by how weightless it felt in his fingers. Empty. He moved to the teapot, opening the lid only to find it was also devoid of any beverage. 

He hummed in disapproval, searching his room for any sign of Manfred. His companion should’ve been back ages ago to deliver the final tea of the evening. Manfred’s behavior had been changing noticeably as of late, instances of misbehaving or breaking an established rule; whether it was purposely or by accident, Emmrich would have to investigate further. 

The sound of raucous laughter trickled in from outside, stealing Emmrich from his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow, both in confusion and utter vexation as he wondered who could possibly be making such a racket? And at this hour? Had they no decency for the others?

Emmrich fetched his favourite burgundy dressing gown and proceeded towards his door, quietly exiting his quarters as he let the growing curiosity lead the way. He crept towards the balcony overlooking the library, half expecting to find Taash and Harding giggling incessantly once again or perhaps this time it was Bellara and Neve, engaging in another heated gossip session. 

As he carefully peeked his head over the railing, he caught his breath. Simultaneously Emmrich’s mouth fell agape and his eyes grew impossibly wide at the sight below him. 

Rook was dancing with Manfred, or rather, she was teaching him how to move accordingly. The pair were alone in the library, the table shoved back against the bookshelves to allow more room. A music box sat on its surface, a nostalgic tune, a classical rendition of a Nevarran folk song, resonated through the library. 

For an Elf, Rook was tall in stature, and Manfred just about came up to her shoulders. Despite her muscular frame, she led him with expertise, moving with an air of grace and tranquility as she went over the steps with him. 

The music came to an end as Rook paused her movements, patting Manfred on the top of the head. He hissed back in excitement, jumping up and down and pointing towards the music box. Rook let out another boisterous laugh. 

“Okay, okay… we’ll do it one more time. Remember Manfred…” Rook started, breaking away and standing across from him. “How do we begin?” 

Manfred stared back at her with a blank expression, tilting his head as he thought long and hard. Rook watched him expectantly, clasping her hands together as she waited for an answer. After a moment or two in silence, she smiled warmly and flicked her wrist. Her fingertips illuminated, purple bursts of magic filling the air around them as she used a spell to rewind the music box. The same melody began again and Rook took a step forward. 

“You bow… and I curtsy.” 

Manfred hissed happily and bowed, perhaps too deep, his head nearly reaching his feet. Emmrich couldn’t help but beam with pride at the sight, although he would need to show Manfred how it’s properly done later. Rook curtsied in return, proceeding to extend her hand as Manfred reached for it. 

“Now we move this way…” The two began walking in a straight line, their hands still joined. Rook took single sweeping movements, bouncing on her toes every other step as she moved forward. 

“One, two, three… one, two, three…” 

Manfred attempted to copy Rook but his movements were clumsy and off tempo, his bones rattling to each step.

“You’ll get there, Manfred. Now… the tricky bit.” 

Rook twirled to face Manfred, causing him to blurt out another enthusiastic hiss. She held both of his hands up in front of her as she guided him in a new direction. She took a balletic step and hopped with one foot, repeating the motion swiftly and lightly. 

“We step… and hop, step… and yes! Hop!”

Manfred was lagging behind Rook’s movements and instead of taking steps, he sprang along with her like a giddy rabbit. Rook chortled, trying her best to keep it together while continuing the dance. Manfred, oblivious to his errors, hissed with an amount of happiness that surpassed any level Emmrich had heard come from him before.

Emmrich gripped the railing as a memory suddenly floated to the surface. Images of him standing at the threshold of his parent’s kitchen, watching them dancing in a similar fashion, so full of love and adoration for each other. Another image of his mother pulling Emmrich into the dance, teaching him the steps with care, the three of them, a family, fumbling together, laughing hysterically, so much merriness, warmth... Emmrich’s heart swelled as he relished in this echo from the past, a lump forming in his throat. 

He felt pulled towards Rook, moving down the steps as if in a trance. He was unable to peel his eyes away from how she presented herself around Manfred, without judgment, with unadulterated patience. Rook was the epitome of elegance as an instructor, a side he never thought he’d see from their fearless leader. 

“Yes, good Manfred!” Rook remarked, keeping Manfred’s arms raised as they twisted and turned under each other, and then again. They followed this same motion, twirling around the floor.

Emmrich reached the bottom of the staircase just as the music came to an end, watching as they eventually stopped dancing, Rook’s back now facing him.

“It’s not perfect yet, but we’ll get there with more practice.” Rook exclaimed, giving Manfred a passionate high five. “I promise.” 

Emmrich straightened his shoulders just a little more than usual, pulling at his dressing gown as he prepared to take a step forward. 

“If you would allow me…” Emmrich began.

Rook spun around, a tinge of shock painting her visage if only for a split second, before it was replaced with a smile. Emmrich reached towards the music box on the table, manually rewinding it. 

“It will do Manfred some good to observe how it’s done. I’ve found he learns most effectively when led with concrete demonstrations…” Emmrich bowed, extending his hand in an invitation. Rook curtsied and readily accepted. 

The music started slowly, and so did their movements. Emmrich delicately held Rook’s hand as they strode in sync to each other, matching every swing of the foot and light hop with an exact precision. They went through the choreography, coming face-to-face as they twisted and turned under each other, spinning in a small circle, just as Rook had shown Manfred a short time ago. 

This wasn’t the whole waltz, there were still leagues more that Rook hadn’t taught his companion. Nevertheless, Emmrich decided they would continue through the rest of the motions and finish the dance in its entirety, as it was intended. And he so desperately, selfishly, wanted to test Rook’s skills, see if there was more to what he had just witnessed.

Rook followed along effortlessly. With each step, each twirl, they moved closer to each other, until Emmrich placed one of his hands on Rook’s waist, the other interlocked with hers. It was at that instant Emmrich glanced at Rook’s face, for the whole dance he had been too focused on each step, how they moved together, complemented each other's gestures to truly see the woman before him. 

Rook’s eyes, which were always supported by that infamous hard stare, a characteristic he found to be quite endearing, albeit terrifying; were softer and glittering as they stared at him. Her lips, consistently pursed and ready to chuck an insult at anyone she thought deserved it, were parted slightly, the sides curving into a sly smile. 

It took a moment to register her expressions, and he nearly stumbled while they continued the choreography, moving about in circles. Panic surged through his body like a jolt of electricity, his ears burning. He wanted to look away, to hide himself from that stare which stripped him of all his defenses. But he was mesmerised, caught in an unexpected trap.

Emmrich took this opportunity, at this newfound affinity between them, to savour her beauty. Rook’s short plum coloured hair, an asymmetrical cut, fit her sharp jawline exquisitely. Her complexion was hardened with years spent on the battlefield, faded scars across her weathered cheeks, but she was striking all the same. He caught himself wondering what other scars lay undiscovered beneath the surface of her clothing, if he would ever get a chance to see them, to touch them… he bit his tongue, out of habit, to keep these illicit thoughts at bay.

This was the closest he’d ever been to Rook, a type of intimacy he hadn’t known for over a decade. As he held her closer, the smell of her soft perfume wafted up from her neck. He breathed it in as they twirled, as they stepped, hopped, and twirled again. Warm and spicy, scents of vanilla, perhaps… yes, a floral scent, a familiar one that he couldn’t place…  

When Emmrich was first introduced to Rook, he was charmed by her youthfulness and the commanding presence that followed her into every room. Perhaps he was even slightly intimidated by her tenacity, bluntness, and that peculiar sense of humour. Despite some of the rather vulgar swears thrown about on their excursions, words he hoped Manfred would never hear, it did make him smile. 

Rook’s flirting, with him and the other companions, did not go unnoticed either. Emmrich never missed one of Rook’s saucy exchanges with Neve, her heated glances towards Davrin, or even the abnormal amount of time she spent with Lucanis. 

So, as one might expect, Emmrich was taken aback by Rook’s flirtatious nature towards him. The time for romance was over for Emmrich, or so he thought, now in his seniority, there was barely enough time left for teaching Manfred all he had to know, let alone all of his upcoming plans for Lichdom. 

He initially believed Rook was just being polite, her way of making him feel part of the team. He took it in stride, relishing in the thrill of being noticed, pocketing the compliments, the cheeky banter, and nothing more. But it didn’t end there. He felt her eyes on him whenever they travelled together, how she leaned in closer as he spoke, showered him with those coy smiles, and often came into his quarters to solely strike up a random conversation. 

Then there was the matter of the previous night in the Memorial Gardens, Rook’s words on how impressed she was with his informal tea arrangement still nagging at the back of his mind. 

Emmrich’s chest tightened, a foreign sensation compared to his usual bouts of existential dread. A warmth pooled from the pits of his heart, surging through his being as it travelled all the way to his fingertips. 

It was only when Manfred joyfully hissed, his hands waving about in the air that Emmrich realised the music had ended. Emmrich and Rook came to a stop in silence, their lips dangerously close, a mere hair’s breadth from kissing. They stood there for nearly a minute, unmoving.

“You OK, Emmrich?” Rook whispered at last, her amber eyes still glittering.

He attempted to respond, but found his lips parched, his tongue latching to the top of his mouth. Manfred intervened, approaching the two and pointing at Emmrich as he hissed in a range of octaves.

Emmrich stiffened at Manfred’s statement, looking at him in denial as he instantly pulled away from Rook. Manfred hissed again, clapping furiously. Emmrich brought his hands to his cheeks to hide the fact that they were on fire, convinced his skin would melt away at any second. 

“I…” He cleared his throat, “If I may be honest, Rook. I have not danced like this in quite some time.” 

Rook took a step towards Emmrich and he backed away. She was looking at him intensely, eyes locked, pupils dilated, as if she was possessed by a greater being and ready to devour him whole. He could only stare back at her, his heart pounding so fast he was convinced it would wake the entire Lighthouse. 

Manfred hissed again. 

“Manfred, please!”

Rook laughed, that sly grin he’s grown to admire returning to her lips. 

“C’mon then, what's he saying?”

Emmrich huffed in defeat, putting his hands behind his back as he squeezed his fingers together.

“What Manfred wishes to say… is that we make quite the couple, apparently.” 

Rook burst out laughing, Emmrich promptly joining in, delighting in the ridiculousness of the entire situation. She grabbed hold of Emmrich’s arm and nearly fell towards him in a fit of giggles and he froze, the heat from her touch becoming the focal point of his entire body. He was terrified of moving, for fear of losing control, of what might become of him if he met her lips against his. It was that unseen force again, binding them closer… tempting him to kiss her… if only to see how it felt, how she tasted on his lips… 

He cringed at the thought, bringing him back down to earth.

“Say, Emmrich, isn’t it past your bedtime?”

“I beg your pardon!” 

It was her turn to blush.

“I just… I never see you this time of night. It’s mostly Manfred wandering about. You’ll be surprised what he gets up to after hours… he’s quite the card player, you know. Isn’t that right, Manfred?”

“I assure you, Manfred most certainly does not –”

Emmrich glanced towards Manfred and his jaw dropped to the floor for the second time that evening. Manfred’s expression might be unreadable to some but Emmrich could see right through him; that slight tilt of the head, the shift of the shoulders, enough to know it was true. Is that what Manfred gets up to when he’s asleep? 

“If you must insist, Rook, I was engrossed in a new book.”

“Oh?”

“A story I found to be quite intriguing, if not a bit imperfect. Focusing on a couple…” 

As Emmrich nearly began to describe the intricate plot points of the romance novel, he paused, noticing Rook was giving him that look again. The one where she was digging through the fragility of his armour, stripping him bare, piece by piece… 

“...of interesting developments in my research of the Fade.”

Rook nodded in disappointment, that mischevious look in her eyes fading, and Emmrich let out a small sigh of relief. 

“Ah, well…”  Rook stretched her arms out wide as she walked towards the stairs, “I think it’s time for me to get some sleep anyways.” 

“A wise decision, after such a tiring morning.”

“Mhmm, this was fun though.” 

Rook stopped, turning back to Emmrich as they shared a final lingering look. 

“Indeed,” Emmrich responded, with a bow. 

He could only watch as Rook ascended the stairs, walking further away from him and soon disappearing into her room. His heart sank when she was gone, from the thundering absence she left in her wake. 

Emmrich eventually turned to Manfred, shaking his head. 

“Manfred, perhaps in our next lesson we’ll focus on the traits of decorum.” 

Manfred nodded, hissing in anticipation.

“But first, you owe me some tea, do you not?” 

Manfred jumped and nodded again, running towards the library doorway. 

Emmrich remained as Manfred made his start to the kitchen. He stared inquisitively up at Rook’s room, the scent of her still strong in his memory. 

That floral auroma… 

Emmrich’s eyebrows raised at the flash of recognition, alas.

“Jasmine…” he whispered, nodding, chuffed with himself and her chosen blend of perfume. 

What a curious development. 

Emmrich walked out of the library, a slight pep in his step as he contemplated how he might begin his advancements.

[suugarbabe]

okokokok lorenzo berkshire idea??? your writing is so so good you def do him justice 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼☺️

enzo really likes you and all his friends know (maybe reader is in another house .. personally i’m hufflepuff but it really could be any) and they all flirt w you bc his friends know it gets to him and while reader is polite they don’t really encourage(??) the boys’ jokes/flirting bc they only have eyes for enzo too

possibly ending up together !!

i’m turning into such an enzo girly fr 😭💕💕💕 ilhsm

ugh, i have fallen in love with enzo so much, my little lanky broad boy 🥺 also, my requests are closed right now but I wrote it anyway because it was the last thing in my ask before i can get started on my other projects so no worries love x

You weren't really sure what happened, what changed and started making people act differently toward you, but it seemed like for the past two weeks a certain group of boys were paying you more attention.

So here you sat at lunch, deep in conversation with Luna when she suddenly cut you off, "You're being approached again." Her soft tone made it seem nonchalant, but when Mattheo Riddle sat down on the bench next to you the redness in your cheeks was apparent.

"Good morning, love. You look absolutely stunning in this light," Mattheo grabbed a piece of toast from the pile in front of him before picking up a knife to spread jam over it.

"Thank you, Mattheo, that's very kind of you," You cheeks burned further when he placed the toast on your plate for you before placing a few sausages on it as well.

Mattheo smiled at you, "I know you've got a big test this morning, you should eat well. Though I know you're brilliant so you don't really need any extra help."

You smiled shyly as you took a bite of toast. "Can I walk you to class, babe?" You nodded, not seeing a reason to tell him no. He was a gentleman, carrying your books for you, telling you to have a good class before seeing you off through the doorway.

During lunch you were approached again, however by a different member of the same friend group. Theo Nott approached you on your way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Ciao, amore," Theo's eyes were definitely captivating. A light sea blue that often spoke all of the emotion he never let his face really tell.

"Hello, Theo," you smiled lightly as the tall boy slowed to your pace. "Could I sit with you at lunch?" His tone was gentle and sweet, so you nodded, giving him permission.

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you two entered the hall. If you were more aware of your surroundings, you'd notice Theo chance a side glance toward his own house's table. However you were too in shock that a second boy, a second handsome boy, was not only paying you mind but also eating another meal with you.

Theo was a lot funnier than you expected, making you truly belly, head thrown back laugh. You were surprised that you got along with him, but your humor seemed to be so similar and building off each other.

He asked if he could walk you to your afternoon classes and you accepted. He kept his arms around your shoulders again, continuing to make you laugh the whole way.

After classes were finished and dinner was over with, you and Luna went to the library. You tried your hardest to focus but you couldn't take your mind off of everything the happened earlier today.

"Luna," you called your friends name causing her to look at you, "did you think today was weird?"

Luna smiled happily, "Every day is weird if you look hard enough." You huffed out a sigh, "No, Lunes, I mean, wasn't it weird how nice Mattheo and Theo were to me today. Like, why today? They see me all the time. What's different now. I didn't do my hair differently, what did I do to make them so nice to me?"

Luna sat for a moment, seemingly thinking about her answer, "Are you asking because you think they should be mean to you, or because you wished it was another one of their friends being so nice to you?"

You felt your face pinken for the umpteenth time that day, "Who do you mean? I don't know what you mean..." You knew you sounded unconvincing, but you didn't think you had made it that obvious.

"Lorenzo is actually sitting over there if you want to talk to him," Luna's statement gave you the answer you needed, and also made your stomach fill with butterflies.

But after today, you couldn't hold back any longer. When you got up you saw Enzo a few tables away, his back facing you. You left your belongings at the table with Luna, walking quickly but quietly to where the real boy of your desires resided.

You pulled out the chair across from Enzo, causing him to jump slightly at the sudden movement. When you sat your started immediately speaking, barely giving him time to even register that the individual of his year long affection was finally in front of him.

"Why didn't you come up to me today?" Your question kind of stunned him, Enzo continuing to look at you with a dumbfounded expression.

You let out an exasperated sigh, "Why were two of your closest friends so nice to me today, why did they make me breakfast and walk me to class and put their arms around me?"

The more you spoke of his friends doings, the tighter Enzo's grip was on his quill, tighter and tighter until it finally snapped in his grasp. You let out a small gasp.

"I-I'm sorry. They were doing it to upset me. T-to make me, man up, as they put it," Enzo was playing with the two pieces of his quill, doing anything and everything but looking at you.

You reached across the table, doing your best to cover both his large hands with one of yours to stop the action. Enzo looked up, meeting your gaze, "Why were they trying to upset you, Enzo?"

Still looking you in the eyes, Enzo took a deep breath, "Well, because I, erm, I fancy you, Y/n. Have for some time. But you're just...Merlin, you're so pretty and whenever I get near you I forget how to speak properly and I lose my train of thought."

You looked at him with a goofy grin, "You think I'm pretty, do you? You...fancy me?"

Enzo mirrored your smile, "Well, yeah. How could I not?" He laced his fingers with yours now.

"Well, then I guess their juvenile plan worked," you traced the top of Enzo's hand with your thumb. When he tilted his head in slight confusion, you gave him a further explanation, "I fancy you too, silly."

Enzo's face made a small 'o' before a huge grin broke over his face, "Do you think that, erm, may then, ehm, you would like to go to Hogsmead with me this weekend?"

You nodded enthusiastically, "I would love to."

"Great, wonderful, fantastic. Okay well, erm, I'm going to, just, go tell the guys if that's okay?" He stood abruptly, making his chair squeak slightly and a few other students look your way.

He was much taller than you now, him standing and you sitting. You had to crane your neck to look up at him properly but you smiled, nodding your head to tell him it was okay to tell his friends.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Breakfast together?" he asked, you nodded again, then Enzo did something neither of you expected him to do. He leaned down, placing a chaste kiss to your cheek.

You knew your face turned red instantly, Enzo's turning a similar shade. As he walked out of the library, you made your way back to your friend.

"So are you and Enzo accompanying Blaise and I this weekend?" Luna asked without looking up from her studies.

"Yeah, yeah we are," you smiled to yourself, still unable to get your work done, but now for a perfectly acceptable reason.

[sunflowerwinds]

this love | chapter two [h.c]

summary: you never thought a knight could make you so tense. thanks to a shared love for literature, you finally grow the confidence to speak more than a few words to hazel. you get to meet a special friend of hazel’s while showing her the garden. the queen and king share some news.

pairing: hazel callahan x fem!reader

contains: baby gay in the making, slight angst, fluff. just pure princess and knight fluff. isabel again being the sweetest girl and friend to reader. the king and queen are a warning of their own, soft little gay touches.

word count: 3.7K

a/n: i wanted to treat you guys to chapter two early…. the relationship is brewing.

‘this love’ master list

Your parents weren’t being vague about Hazel watching over you.

It had been two weeks since she had first arrived and you’ve seen her from when the sun first peeks from the horizon to the depths of the midnight sky. She had to be in the room when you apologized to both Prince Jeffrey and his mother before they had to begin their journey back to their kingdom. It was utterly humiliating for you as you had to tell Prince Jeffrey that your reasoning was that you weren’t ‘properly trained’ as your father insisted.

Trained. You weren’t a pet. You didn't need to be trained. You needed to be respected by those ridiculous princes.

The intimidating knight had to see you in such an embarrassing state only two days into her job.

You swore you had seen more of Hazel in the past week than you had your own reflection. Instead of just Isabel in your corner for etiquette lessons, it was Hazel and Isabel.

The two of them seemed to be getting along quite nicely. Every time you caught them talking to one another, you saw Isabel smiling and nodding to her words.

That was one thing you were unadmittedly jealous of. You haven’t gotten the gall to make more conversation. She had mostly just been lingering around every corner to make sure you were doing what you were supposed to be doing.

You can talk to her. It shouldn’t be that hard to just talk. What would you talk about though?

It was just past breakfast time, Hazel following you to the library that your parents had but completely ignored. It was one of your safe spaces to just have some moments of peace.

Your parents weren’t constantly pressuring you about which of the unbearable princes to choose from. You weren’t being compared to Moira. If you could just sit in that library — or the garden as your second choice of comfort — and read a good book, you’d be content.

Your eyes followed to Hazel’s side profile, opening your mouth to start a conversation. Hazel shifted her eyes a little too fast for your liking when she noticed your change in movement. Your mouth clamped shut just as fast as it opened and you continued walking in silence.

Small talk is not easy, you’ve come to realize.

Why was this so hard for you? Every time her vision locked with yours, it made your entire body stiffen.

As you finally approached the library’s grand doors, Hazel sped up her pace so she could open the doors for you. She stood with her back against it, waiting for you to pass by into the secluded area. It was a rather minuscule library as not many people in the palace read books.

You were pretty sure you and Isabel were the only ones that visited the abandoned area. Well, you, Isabel, and now Hazel.

“Thank you,” you murmur as you pass by her, stepping into the room.

“Of course, princess,” Hazel replies, nodding at you with respect.

There that feeling flushed over you again. It was every time she had referred to you as ‘princess’. Everyone in the palace calls you princess as much as you insist for them not to. Hazel was the first person you didn't mind calling you ‘princess’.

Your eyes dance from cover to cover, figuring out where the exact book you were looking for was located. Hazel’s heavier boots echoed behind you, an anxious shiver crawling up your spine to cling to your ears. Your fingers traced the spines of the hardcovers until you landed on the book you were searching for.

You dig your fingertips into the top of the spine, tugging the book out of its place. You place it onto your palm, running a hand over the cover.

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand,” Hazel speaks up from behind you.

You jump slightly at her sudden words, turning around to face the knight.

“I’m sorry?” You ask her as you half heard what she had said.

Hazel’s eyes flickered to the book in your hand then back up to your eyes.

“Frankenstein. It’s one of my favorites.” She adds.

You didn't even know she was watching you so intently to see what book you had chosen. Well, you suppose that’s her job as your knight. You released a chuckle that was so shaky, you wanted to stuff the book into your mouth and down your throat to shut you up.

“Right, I’m sorry. I hadn't fully heard what you said.” You tried to play it off, keeping eye contact for probably the first time since she’s arrived.

“Oh, I didn’t intend to scare you, princess.” Hazel chuckled as well, taking a few steps forward.

“No, no, you didn’t, Hazel.” She raises her eyebrows at you, knowing you are lying straight through your teeth. “Okay, you did but that’s only because I didn’t realize you had even seen what I had grabbed.”

Hazel shook her head as she was now only inches from your body. Her captivating eyes shone bright from the mid-morning sun rays beaming in through the library's white-paned windows. You counted the different shades of blue that decorated her iris’.

You counted four.

“It’s the king and queen's orders to keep a close eye on you.” Hazel hummed, tilting her head as her eyes flickered to the book.

You nod, clearing your throat. “Of course.”

“What are your other favorite books?” Hazel hummed, now staring into your soul.

Your eyes flicker from the slope of her nose to the cupid's bow of her top lip.

“It’s a bit more recent but I did love Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.” You admit, surprising yourself with how good you were doing so far with talking to Hazel.

“Oh, I’ve never heard of that one.” Hazel furrowed her brows.

“Isabel had found it at a bookshop in town and brought it to me. It’s somewhere in my room still but when you have the time, I would recommend it.” You smile at the thought of Isabel thinking of you as she went out as you weren’t allowed to leave the palace.

Hazel only nodded at your words, grinning at your smile. You hoped she took notice of your subtle invite to ask her for the book one day.

“What else do you enjoy doing other than reading?” Hazel spoke up, moving a few steps back.

You wondered why she did so.

“Truthfully, I’m not allowed to do much within these walls. If I’m not in etiquette lessons and getting scolded for my apparent hunchback, I’m having to endure the utterly incompetent excuses for princes from other kingdoms that my parents hand-select.” You grin sarcastically, sighing out as you shake your head.

Hazel’s figure is walking away now, not sure as to what to say to what you had just admitted. You realize how venomous your words sounded and regret settles in your chest.

Too comfortable.

“Other than that, I enjoy visiting the garden. It’s quite beautiful there. Maurice and Hemmings, the gardeners, do a brilliant job at mending to the plants and keeping them alive.” You ramble, picking at the spine of Frankenstein.

Hazel is facing you now, just a few feet away. You suck in a deep breath, hoping she won't bring up how you just admitted you didn't want to get married.

“And where’s the garden?”

The garden was someplace that you probably could live in if it wasn’t outdoors. There were tall bushes that looked as if the tree's leaves were growing outwards from the trunk. In the center is a stone fountain with crystal-clear water. The much shorter bushes held in the midst of them beautifully bloomed petunias.

If you looked above, wisterias dangled from the tall trees on either side of the garden. You wanted to trap yourself here on most days and pretend there wasn’t anything else going on in the world.

“This is the garden.” You grin as you’re staring at the wisterias.

Hazel, too, had been admiring the way the flowers above framed the entirety of the garden. A faint smile spread onto her lips as the sunlight beamed in through the spring leaves.

“I can see why you adore this place so much.” Hazel glanced over at your elated expression and couldn’t help but absorb your radiance.

You drop your head as you lock your eyes on hers, watching her lips twitch into a smile. You’ve never seen her full smile until today; teeth and all.

It was a look you’d love to see more often. When she had to keep that knightly emotionless expression on her face, it felt more just like ‘ knight’ and ‘princess’. Right now, it felt like more than that.

Deeper than that.

“At this time in spring is when the wisterias appear the most beautiful,” Hazel states as she looks back up at the dangly flowers.

“And why is that?” You hum, wanting to hear her voice for the rest of your life.

“They’ve fully bloomed, showing their entire selves to us. That’s what’s so beautiful.” Hazel explained as she trekked around the fountain to make her way towards you.

You feel that familiar tension in your chest as she looks at you while moving closer. You were just fine. What was happening to you?

“I wasn’t aware that you were an expert on botany.” You teased as you avoided her gaze at all costs, sitting down at the fountain.

You turned to sit facing her but you were dragging one of your palms through the warm water. You wanted to look at her. You were quite liking it until she began to walk towards you.

“You have no idea how many things I expert in, princess.” Hazel quipped back.

Your cheeks flush scarlet as you continue to distract yourself. It was entirely too hot outside all of a sudden. You had to move locations as much as you’d love to stay in the garden.

“It’s about mid-day. I have go to the stables and feed my horse.” Hazel stated, adjusting her belt once again. “I can escort you to whichever room you’d like before then, princess.”

You finally looked up at her with a tight smile.

“Whichever room?” You question.

Hazel nodded, a faint smile spreading onto her lips. “You are the princess.”

“In that case, is it alright if I accompany you?” You ask her with a hopeful tone.

This didn’t seem to be something that Hazel was expecting from you. There was a moment of shock covering her features before she simply nodded curtly.

Hazel hesitantly replied; “If you wish, princess.”

You frowned. “If I’m intruding—“

If you wish. Why did that bother you so much?

“No, no, no,” Hazel’s tone had changed completely, a lot more gentle this time. “Just… okay, it might smell a bit. The stables, I mean.”

You nod along to her words.

“I know, Hazel. I haven’t been completely kept inside.” You try to lighten up the mood, anticipating to see Hazel’s smile lines once again.

Hazel chuckles to herself, looking down at her boots. A laugh. Even better than what you were hoping for.

“Alright, princess. Follow me then.”

You do so, taking this time to take in her back profile. You’ve never seen it as due to her knightly duties, she always has to stay behind or next to you; never in front.

It sent a shiver down your spine to be breaking the stupid rules with Hazel. Isabel was right.

Maybe you could be friends.

As you approached the brick stables, an instant deeper and pungent smell filled your senses. You pushed past it as you were entirely too excited to see the horses up close. Hazel grabbed onto the metal handle on the smaller door, tugging on it.

Once it had opened, you had seen a dark horse's head peak out. You slowly inched your way towards him, Hazel had reached into a cloth bag that was on her hip that you hadn’t noticed before.

“Aren’t you a gorgeous horse?” Your voice heightens as you approach the deep-colored horse.

Your parents never really allowed you to get into the stables as they were only meant for the staff and knights. Claimed it was only meant for those who had to be there. As you were standing in front of Hazel’s horse, you hated how you missed out on this because it was ‘too dirty’ for a princess.

Hazel was right behind you now, her hand gripping the handful of hay that she was going to feed him.

“Isn’t he?” She hummed, approaching him with a soft smile.

You nod as you watch her horse gently lower his head to allow her to smooth down the fur on his head. Hazel whispers something to him that you can’t understand.

Whatever she had whispered to him, he seemed to accept the hay instantly. She smiled with contentment, patting the side of his neck.

“What’s his name?” You question, watching him carefully gnaw at the hay straws.

Hazel glanced at you, clearing her throat. You wait patiently for her response, confused when she begins to turn away to search for something.

“Hazel?” You question once more.

“Yes, princess?” She replied, raising her brows at you from her hunched-over position.

Don’t get distracted. She’s supposed to call you that.

“What’s his name?” You raise your brows, focusing on the stallion.

“Peanut,” Hazel replies slowly, wincing slightly as she awaits your reaction.

A sudden laugh left your lips before covering it with your palm. You glanced around the open area around the stables, hearing the birds flutter away from your unexpected laughter.

You stare at Hazel with a straight and teasing smile.

“Peanut?” You tilt your head.

“It’s supposed to be ironic.” Hazel defends with a chuckle. “He’s big, tall, and strong, and well, a peanut is tiny.”

“It’s cute. It suits him very well,” you examine his muzzle and forehead.

You lean in closer, watching his eyes lock on you. He huffs and neighs rather loudly, causing you to back up just as fast as you approach him. You didn't know why or how it had happened but you were latched onto Hazel’s right bicep.

Your grip was tight out of fear that you’d angered him. Hazel’s left hand is carefully placed over your own, keeping your hand there.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hazel mutters to Peanut, her hand that was attached to the one you had a grip on gently caressing his forehead.

“I-I didn't mean to.” You reply, shaking your head.

“He’s okay. I promise. That was my fault for not warning you. He was a war horse before he was mine. It took some time for him to warm up to me. Nearly snapped my arm off the first time I attempted to ride him.” Hazel assured you, keeping one hand on your grip and the other on Peanuts’ head.

Guilt floods into your veins as you watch Hazel calm him down. He had been through so much.

“Oh, poor thing.” You notice he has a scar right underneath his right eye.

You turn your head to look at Hazel and realize you’re still gripping onto her bicep. You release it, muttering another apology as you tried to push away how you noticed the muscle in her upper arm.

“It’s alright. Nothing to worry about, princess.” Hazel assures you with a grin, glancing down at your hand that was once on her body.

“He’s okay?” You ask, worriedly staring at the horse.

“He is. Here.” Hazel clears her throat, pointing to your hand. “May I?”

One thing your mother was right about was Hazel’s professionalism. You rather impulsively latched onto her while she was asking to touch your hand.

You don’t utter a word just lifting your hand to allow her to take it into her palms. A heat rose to your chest as she carefully moved to hold your wrist. You blamed it on the sun’s aggressive rays beaming down onto the back of your head.

“Don’t be sudden with your movements. Be gentle.” Hazel instructs as she carefully places your hand over Peanut’s forehead.

Her voice was just above a whisper, just a few inches away from your ears. You try to focus on how nice his coat of hair felt; not the sudden shivers traveling down your spine from her words.

“Wow.” Hazel spoke up, sounding rather shocked.

“What is it?” You question softly, continuing your movements with Hazel’s more careful grip still on your wrist.

“He usually would be freaking out by now,” Hazel replied, looking down at your wrist. “You really are a special one, princess.”

Special. Princess.

Her words echoed in your mind and rested in your thoughts.

“I am definitely not special. More lucky,” you dismiss her words, wondering why it made you feel both thrilled and uneasy.

“I disagree.” Hazel quips back, eyes locking with yours. “Respectfully, I disagree, princess.”

“Well we’ll just have to agree to disagree.” You grin flatly, wanting the conversation to end.

Before Hazel could mutter anything else to you, you spot Isabel walking into the direction of the stables. You both separated from one another, Peanut becoming completely disregarded.

“Isabel?” You question, smoothing down the front of one of your everyday dresses.

“The, uh, king and queen have requested your presence.” Isabel states, sucking in a deep breath.

“Right, well, I’ll be there.” You nod, giving her a kind smile.

“I’ll escort the princess. Thank you, Isabel.” Hazel nods to your friend.

Isabel’s eyes flicker from you to Hazel, an unfamiliar expression in her face. You scratch at your wrist where Hazel’s warm palm was as she walks away. Hazel gives Peanut one more reassuring pat on his neck before carefully shutting the top-half of the door.

“After you, princess.” Hazel moved to the side and bowed out of respect.

Back to knight and princess.

You begin to trek forward as you notice a few guards holding the doors open for the three of you. Isabel was walking right by your side, silently watching you. She wanted to say something. You know it.

“I see you and Hazel are becoming friends now.” Isabel hummed, glancing at the guards to nod in their direction.

“I suppose. She’s become more… open.” You reply back.

You were hoping that the charming knight hadn’t heard your words. She was merely a few feet behind you so you tried to keep your volume low.

“That’s good. She had told me you—“

“What did she tell you?” You didn't mean to seem so eager but considering Isabel flinched, it was entirely too much.

“That you hadn’t spoken to her other than ‘yes’ and ‘thank you’. She thinks you think she’s not paying attention to you.” Isabel reveals to you before looking at you once again. “She wants to get to know you.”

“Yeah, I’ve… realized that now.” Your mind flickers from the few shared moments no more than two hours ago. The library, Frankenstein, the garden. Special princess.

As you approach the throne room, you spot more than ten guards carrying luggage. You spot your mother and father instructing these guards out the front entrance of the palace.

“Mother? Father?” You call out to them, confusion written all over your features.

Your father turns in his place, eyes locking on your shorter figure. He glances behind you on Isabel and Hazel.

“We’re going to be traveling across the waters to a new kingdom to see if there are any other princes who you haven’t completely degraded. It’ll be three weeks time, at most a month before we return.” Your father motions to all of the heavy wood suitcases.

The words settled in and you weren’t as angry as you would have been. This is usually when you and your father would have a screaming argument about how they were wasting their time leaving.

“Oh, well, have safe travels. I hope you both come back healthy and well.” You simply reply, folding your hands respectfully.

“Ah, well, it seems like Dame Callahan has been a good influence on you this past week.” Your mother’s tone was rather shocked with how you weren’t starting a screaming match with your father.

You bite your tongue at the looks your father and mother were sending you. All it took was for a ‘safe travels’ for them to not be angry with you for a moment?

“I trust Dame Callahan will keep you in line. You know you mustn’t leave the palace gates, indoors by sundown, and you must be attending those etiquette lessons once a day except for Saturday and Sunday as Mrs. DuBois is home.” Your mother quickly explained the rules but all you heard was ‘a month without you guys breathing down my neck’.

“Yes, mother. I will be here.” You sigh to yourself, waiting for them to be on their way.

“Well then, Dame Callahan?” You hear your father address Hazel.

“Yes, your majesty. I won’t let the princess out of my sight.” She states calmly but you were more than calm.

You were over excited for their leave. You walked over to very stiffly hug and bid them goodbye. Physical touch wasn’t something you received from your parents often. Only orders and scoldings.

The carriage at the entrance of the palace was piled in the back full of your parents' luggage. You, Isabel, and Hazel stood on the very top step to wave them bye as the driver yielded for the horse to go onward.

“You seem happy.” Isabel hummed, a grin forming on her face.

“Me? No. I’m absolutely heartbroken that my parents will be leaving for the next month.” You reply in a flat tone, turning to her and smiling at the end of your sentence.

You’re about to be forced into marriage as you knew you weren’t going to have much say in this next suitor. You might as well try to make the most of the next month before then.

“And what do you plan to do for the next month, princess?” Hazel’s voice causes you to jump and flush as you had forgotten she could hear you.

You clear your throat with a smile, nodding your head.

“You wouldn’t tell my parents, would you?” You question Hazel.

Her eyes lock on yours with a small shrug. That wasn’t a no nor a yes. You’ll take it.

“I still have to look after you, princess.” Hazel replied.

“You’ll be there as well, Dame Callahan.”

You were sure of it.

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𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ How? .ᐟ. . . (THE FUCK ARE YOU ALIVE!?) Lloyd Garmadon x Reader | Gender Neutral Reader

ੈ˳light Dragons Rising (s1) spoilers, reference to previous seasons; Ghosts of the past come to haunt Lloyd in the future, while somehow also quelling a long-term ache in his heart. ੈ˳tags / warning: implied relationship, death (slightly detailed), dealing of lost and angsty Lloyd, Jay and Cole are still not back :(, not proof read! 4.9k words.

"Hey Lloyd!" Arin called from the library, catching Lloyd's attention sharply as he tried to pass by. The call didn't seem urgent, yet Lloyd wasn't going to do anything of particular urgency either, so he decided to peak inside; he was also wondering why (and how) Arin was in the Library. Not that it had been locked, or anything of the sort, yet because the Library somewhere that Lloyd would have thought Sora would be, not Arin. Hmm, maybe scratch that. Arin would probably be in the Library if it meant he could learn anything about the ninja. Good dedication, he had to admit, albeit it a tad weird. "Yeah Arin?" Lloyd called back when Arin didn't turn his attention over to him, still engrossed in whatever he was looking at. When Lloyd entered the room, walking over to Arin to peer at the book from behind, he would soon notice it was an old photo album. Zane, Pixel, and Nya used to keep it up to date with adventures and general family outings. "Who's that? I don't think I ever remember a ninja wearing purple on your team before." Arin asked, pausing for a minute before he added on quite proudly. "And I know more about you guys than anyone should know!"

The photo that Arin was looking at was a group photo, one in front of the Monastery before one of the countless times it got burnt down. Sometimes Lloyd couldn't help but wonder why they didn't rebuild the Monastery out of something that was inflammable; though he guessed Master Wu always enjoyed coming back to a Monastery that hadn't changed. And Lloyd had to admit, it was also a nice change of pace of the constant changing world outside. It felt like a part of the chaotic world was standing still; even if that feeling was usually a brief one. Yet, in the photo, Arin would point at a Ninja who was piggy-backing off of Lloyd back. Well, maybe not piggy-backing. It was more of, at the time of the photo, they had jumped onto Lloyd's back and he was in the process of falling down. Meanwhile, Kai had burst out laughing and Nya was elbowing him, rather harshly, with a snicker. Though her efforts were rather targeted as seeing the rest of the team was already bursting out in bubbly laughter. Lloyd swore he could hear all their laughter echo in his pointed ears, like the day had just happened. But he knew he was wrong. His eyes became saddened as much as he tried to smile; if not to soothe Arin, then to soothe himself. "Ah, well, that's the Master of Crystals." Lloyd began to explain to Arin, who craned his neck back to look up at Lloyd. "...um, shoot. What can I say about them?" Lloyd tried not to laugh at his own short comings, a habit that he was constantly teased for yet he couldn't help. "The Master of Crystals?" Arin mumbled in echo to Lloyd's statement. His eyes filtered back down to the frozen photo, taking in how blurry everyone looked from moving. He couldn't help but crack a smile. "You two seem close!" "We were!... we really were." Lloyd's voice drew off a bit, his eyes glancing to the side as he still tried to wrack his mind on what to say. He knew if he said too much he would start crying, yet he also knew that Arin would want to know as much as possible. Yet how could he sum up them in words? That task, Lloyd thought, was impossible. "I wish you could have met them," Lloyd would find himself mumbling. "They were amazing, well as great as a person can be." Lloyd started as Arin turned to face him again, photobook still supported in his hands. "They were rather talented, some of their paintings are actually hung around the Monastery - well those that didn't burn in the fires. They were. . . wonderful, incredibly funny at all the wrong times. Fearless, in their own way, and yet reckless at the same time. Master Wu always scolded them for jumping head first into situations instead of using their head. "They were rather passionate as well, yet somehow managed to be a total introvert; they would not speak to the press, nor anyone they were uncomfortable with. Always gave one of the Ninja this stare that screamed 'help me'. Social awkwardness, that's the word for it." Lloyd couldn't help but smile as memories began to surface themselves after being dormant for years. Arin kept his eyes on Lloyd as he spoke, only occasionally glancing down at the picture to look of the Ninja that Lloyd spoke of. Arin couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't heard of them before. "They were also kind... maybe too kind." Lloyd paused in his speech, he had been rambling for a while before his words fell short. So much so Arin had noticed that Kai stopped to listen from the doorway; he seemed curious on the conversation, yet soon realized who Lloyd was talking about and grew the same solemn look. "What happened to them?" Arin was compelled to ask when he noticed all the past-tense that Lloyd was using when describing the Purple Ninja; furthermore the solemn look that the two grew when speaking about them. Yet, Arin wasn't sure if those looks were because the Ninja got lost during the merge. . . or if something before the merge happened.

The silence was more deafening than a rock-n-roll concert. Arin's brain was flooded with reasons for the sudden silence, ranging from the simplest answer (they were lost in the Merge) and the most complex scenario his brain could possibly think of. He would gingerly close the photo album and try and place it back into the shelf, "We don't have to talk about it if you guys don't want to!" He was quick to rush out. He didn't want to cause any sort of discomfort, and the silence suggested he had; that or he had just resurfaced some horrible memories that were being shoved away. Arin didn't hear when Kai had came over to the two, jumping when he felt the sudden warm hand on his shoulder, and gingerly glancing back over to Kai. He seemed in a much better shape about the question than Lloyd was. Arin knew Kai was trying to offer some sort of smile to soften the anxiousness that coursed through Arin - yet his smile wasn't very convincing. "They gave their life to try and protect us, kid." Kai explained, ruffling Arin's hair in another attempt to soften the mood. Yet, somehow Arin felt worse in hearing the news, turning to look over at Lloyd with apologetic eyes. Lloyd wasn't facing them.

Sora was quick to pick up on the more solemn mood that Lloyd seemed to be slumped in, not being as attentive during training or flat out spacing out - which tended to cause multiple accidents. Sora knew she wasn't the only one who caught on either. During her training with Nya, the Water Ninja continued glancing back at Lloyd with frowned eyebrows and eyes swimming in worry. Nevertheless, they both saw how careful Arin was around Lloyd, and Sora half wondered if some sort of stress caused Lloyd to crack and snap; she's heard from a few sources that he could have a temper on him. Yet, Nya pointed out how Kai acted around Lloyd and claimed that something happened that wasn't Lloyd snapping at Arin. Something much bigger. "How can something bigger than Lloyd snapping at Arin make Lloyd so. . ." Sora fished for the right word. Distant didn't feel right. ". . .I don't know! Not-Lloyd and Arin so cautious?" Nya glanced over at Sora, lips pierced in a frown, before her eyes returned over to Lloyd, "I don't know, but something did happen. Not Lloyd snapping happen, yet something. I've only seen Lloyd this despondent since-" And Nya stopped, causing Sora's interest to peak. She waiting for Nya to continue, dutifully noticing the rise of suspicion mixed with realization that swirled in Nya's eyes. When Nya did not continue, though, Sora asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Since some big even that caused Lloyd to lose someone close to him, and he somehow still blames himself over all these years?" It was a rhetorical question, laced with some humorous sarcasm, as Sora went back to her work. She was fixing up her mech, trying to add some enhancements on it so it would run smoother. All the while she was also trying to channel her elemental power without Riyu's help. This allowed Riyu to be able to lay in the sun nearby while intensively watching Sora's work, ready to bounce onto his feet if Sora needed his help. Sora noticed the silence from Nya, yet ignored it at first as she tightened a screw. Yet, after the third, the silence got a tad awkward. Sora glanced back at Nya, who was staring at her with a baffled look; almost as though she had seen a ghost. "What. . .?" Sora glanced behind her, seeing if she had missed something. Yet, she only saw her mech and came to the conclusion that she didn't. "How did you?" Nya's posture straightened as Sora glanced back at her. Now Sora was positively confused, "How did I what?" And Nya would roll her wrists, acting like that had carried the answer to Sora's question. It didn't and Sora was left just puzzled. Yet Nya seemed to get the hint that, maybe, Sora didn't know what she was talking about and happened to just take a rather accurate jab in the dark with her rhetorical question. As for Nya shook her head, clearing the baffled look on her face, before actually waving off Sora's puzzled look this time. "Nothing, nothing. I just thought-" And again, Nya wouldn't finish her sentence as her eyes drifted back to Lloyd. Sora would notice as she rubbed her neck, her eyebrows frowning more so than before, and a frown tugging deeper on her lips.

"I LEFT YOU GUYS ALONE FOR ONLY A SECOND!" Kai's shouting filled the court yard as Sora, Arin, Wyldfyre, and Riyu stood away from the gigantic hole in Monastery wall. Kai had gone inside only a a few minutes before a merge portal had appeared right above the Monetary; which both frightened and confused the four, seeing as Lloyd had used the dragon cores a few weeks ago! "It wasn't us!" Arin started, instantly trusting his hands up in the same way a cop would ask you to. Kai gawked at the four before rushing down the Monastery steps as Zane peaked door behind him, confused. Sora was quick to add to Arin's plea for innocence, yet she was cut off by Wyldfyre. "This was not our faults!" Wyldfyre crossed her arms, "Someone just fell out of the sky, crashed, and broke the wall! It was not me this time." Sora resorted just to agreeing with the two at this point. Kai groaned, and Sora wondered if it was out of laziness (for not wanting to deal with another broken Monastery wall) or out of 'I'm going to be killed for leaving you all alone!'. Either way he rushed past the four and over to the wall, but to Riyu's concerned growls, to check out the damage. He drew his sword just encase. "Fell out of the sky? But Lloyd should have stopped the rifts from reopening." Zane said as he walked over to Arin's left, staring at the rubble with confusion before he began to analyze the rubble as Kai began to carefully climb onto of it. "That's what I thought!" Arin shouted, thrusting his hands out at the crashed wall, "but then someone just- FELL FROM THE SKY!" Sora would add, "While being spit out of a rift. Though it disappeared after they got spat out." "Again, none of this was Wyldfyre's fault." Wyldfyre stated again, nodding in agreement to her own statement as though to add value to it. Nya didn't seem too amused as she rushed out with Lloyd to the hole in the wall and the proclamations of rifts and people falling out of them. Kai swore he was getting a headache from listening to Arin, Sora, and Wyldfyre explaining the situation again; not from their voices, yet from the sheer annoyance that these rifts were causing trouble again. Especially when they had all thought that they were taken care of. And just as he thought life was getting back to normal, or as normal as life after the Merge could get, life slaps him in the face. Again! Thanks life, you're really helpful. Yet Kai's sour thoughts towards life didn't stop him from checking the rubble and coming to a quick stop after he noticed a familiar gi lying on top of the white stone. His body froze at an instant, the grip on the Monetary wall tightened, both out of fear and unknowing how to process who laid in front of him. "Lloyd-" Kai called into the flurry of voices that tried to figure out what had happened. Gaining no response from Lloyd at first, Kai tried calling him again despite not being able to tear his eyes away from the person. Finally, "LLOYD!" "What?!" Lloyd shouted back to Kai, turning to face the Fire Master both confused and more aggressive than he intended. Though his stance quickly softened as he noticed Kai's face: pale white. A beat. Lloyd gingerly, yet with as much confidence as he could muster, walked over to Kai and where he stood on the rubble. As he approached behind him, Lloyd called out again: "Kai?" Yet the only response he gained was a shaking hand that Kai pointed towards the rubble. Concerned, and with adrenaline now rushing through his blood like crazy (the held silence from the others not helping his nerves at all) Lloyd climbed upon the rubble to come face to face with a haunting face. In an instant, it felt like Lloyd's world was turned upside down as his eyes flickered over every detail of the familiar body that was no longer mangled or torn, no longer gruesomely defiled in the most repulsive way.

Lloyd could still remember how their limbs hung on like strings, or were disconnected entirely. How their blood stained the concrete road blacker than it had been, how the rotting smell filled the streets before the war had ended and they were safe to burry their friend. The details rushed back to Lloyd quicker than he wanted; more graphic than Lloyd remembered it being. The shock, horror, terror, slight disgust all made him recoil away from the stones wall; it forced him to completely turn his back and cup his mouth in fear of puking. His eyes were wide, his pupils shrunk as he tried to get those horrible, god awful memories out of his mind. The smell he remembered that coated the streets hit him, causing him to hunch over. He knew this was all in his head, old trauma resurfacing to bite him in the ass for never fully recovering from that scene. He could hear the voices, panicked and just as disturbed (mostly from the original Ninja) when they realized who laid in the rubble. Lloyd distantly felt a hand on his back, but his mind swirled and circled as he felt like his gut had been punched. "What's going on? What's happening?" Arin panic sounded so far to Lloyd, and Arin seemed further when Lloyd turned to look at his student. Arin grew fearful as he saw the detailed horror on Lloyd. Nya was trying to calm the situation. Zane was examining the body, trying to make sense of what was happening. He first ran a diagnostic and the only words Lloyd picked up were "Alive", "Breathing", "Vital". They weren't mangled and torn and tattered, they breathed and were whole and alive. That was a wild concept to Lloyd, caused his knees to buckle. His hand slid down roughly on the Monastery wall as he crashed to his knees. He was trying to keep the tears from spilling over, hiccupping escaping his throat as he choked back sobs. "Can someone explain to use what's going on?!" Sora shouted as Lloyd balled his hand into a fist against the Monastery. Sora sounded distressed, Lloyd couldn't blame her. He couldn't blame any of the new students for how they felt at the moment, after all this was slowly turning into a shitshow of emotions. Lloyd could feel Nya trying to snap him out of his engrossing thoughts yet the felt all consuming; It's like Lloyd felt everything all at once and yet, somehow, nothing at the same time. He blanked out at the explanation the students were given. He blanked out for a while. He wasn't sure when someone had managed to move him, yet he now sat in the living room of the Monastery with his fists clenching at his pants and this sickening feeling still in his stomach. How can you possibly explain that the fact that someone who had died, gave their life, to protect something greater than them (yet somehow also meaningless after they gave their life) to students who hadn't heard of them before? Lloyd moved his hand to cup his mouth, trying to control his breathing as his eyes zooned out on the floor. His knee bounced now without the weight of his arm. He could hear Nya next to him trying to explain the seemingly impossible to the three students: "A long. . . long, time ago, during one of our last fights with Lord Garmadon, after Harumi had resurrected him, we were almost cornered." Nya explained, "Well, we had been running from their joint forces for a while, taking refugee in abandoned building of Ninjago, yet this time we had no were to truly run. I suggested we split up, confuse Lord Garmadon and Harumi and Lloyd said we needed to all stick together." Nya would pause, allowing Lloyd to notice how she had rambled a little and how Kai had to place a hand on her shoulder. There was a silent nod that was shared from Kai to Nya, something to reassure her. Nya took a deep breath before she continued, "To make a long story short, the Ninja you saw crashing through the wall was the Purple Ninja, Master of Crystals. . . (y/n). "They had, despite much protest, said they would ward off Garmadon and give us a chance to escape; promised that they would meet us back at the base-"

"Garmadon tore her to pieces." The growl in Lloyd's voice didn't go unmissed as he interrupted Nya. His hand pulled down from his mouth, pulling at his skin a little before he rubbed his neck. "Left her to die rotting on the street, limbs hanging on by threads. . ." His statement was followed by silence, stunned if not horrified silence. Lloyd didn't look up at the three students, who sat or stood nearby. He couldn't bare to catch their eyes, to catch the horror that their mind was crafting after the vague description that Lloyd left hanging in the air. The silence was thick, thicker than Lloyd would have wished. "But... but they seemed.. fine?" Arin choked out, trying to get some sort of positivity back into the room; or at least to get some people to start looking on the bright side. Despite the gruesome topic. "We don't know how." Nya answered, shaking her head. "The best explanation would be that she was fixed when their soul moved on to the Departed Realm? But we haven't seen much trace of that realm in the merged... nor have we seen many traces of other realms for souls, like the Cursed Realm." "Yes, and it is rather odd that she would appear now." Zane walked into the room, cleaning his hands with a cleaning cloth. Attention snapped to him in a unsettling way (from his standards) yet he guessed it was just worry for the Ninja he had just been taking care of. "Especially after Lloyd stopped the MergeQuake. We can only hope that means that the Realms are settling into their new place, and returning people to where they're meant to be. Yet, that would not explain how (y/n) managed to resurrect." Zane noticed how Lloyd didn't look in his direction when he spoke, yet he couldn't blame Lloyd, not after all they've been through. Not after all he's been through; Especially since he was the closest to (y/n). "Well, the only thing we can do now is just wait for them to wake up, yeah?" Sora pipped up after a moment and she would receive a nod from Zane. She made sure to think on her next words, as well as her tone, before she crossed her arms, "So then let's go do something! I'm sure your friend wouldn't want to wake up after being dead for so long to see you all depressed!" "OH!" Arin pipped up instantly. "I have just the thing!"

The smell of some sort of bread was the first thing that came to mind, the second would be the warmth of a weighted cover that was tossed up to my shoulders, and the third would be the softness of the pillow at my head and the mattress under me. The warm and softness coaxed me back to sleep, yet my mind made it feel as though I had been asleep for decades. Decades. A soft murmur escaped my mouth as I rolled onto my side, my brain slowly registering the sounds that echoed from where I laid. The sound of birds nearby, the clattering of pans, the sound of laughter and chatter and talking; Feet on wood floors and sliding doors. The smell of different ingredients mixing with the smell of baking bread or maybe pie. It was like the sweetest dream. I grabbed at my covers and turned again on the mattress below me. It was so tempting to go back to sleep, to let the soft, warm sounds bring me to a dream where I was with everyone again. That was until I had fully registered what was happening. With a quick motion I shoved the blanket off of me, sitting up, and looking around feverously. I stared at the room in front of me, all too familiar and all too haunting. My hands had a mind of their own at they first touched the sheets under me, then my cheeks and face, and slowly my whole body as I began to register something: I was. . . alive? How was this possible? Hadn't I died, oh I don't remember, a few years ago? This shouldn't be possible, it shouldn't-. Thoughts circled around my mind like a storm that could not be tamed, panicked and frightened, terrified and horrific. I tried to remember what I could not, at the time, and my only last thoughts were those of the moments before I had died. The feeling of my bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles all pulling apart are screams ripped out of my throat in a piercing way that still haunting me. The tears that streamed down my cheeks, the pain; oh the unbearable pain, all suffered to make sure that everyone else could hopefully see another day. So Lloyd could see another day. I raised my hand, feeling my damp cheeks. I didn't even realize I had been crying, and I frowned my eyebrows as I couldn't understand whether it was because the memories or the confusion. And I couldn't help but sit on the bed, my bed, as I reeled in all that was happening. I was alive, I was back. Yet was everyone else here? What had happened after I died? Did the resistance work? Is Ninjago City back to how it had been? Is- The thoughts brought me onto my feet and tugged at my gi, taking in a shaky breath as I felt it. My feet guided themselves, my mind in a foggy trance, to the door and out the room, down the hallway of the Monetary while following the sounds of voices and laughter. I was led to the kitchen, were I would stand at the door and look in at the scene: Lloyd, Nya, Zane, Kai, and four people I didn't know; three kids, one frog guy. They all were making Pies, from what I could tell, and they were laughing and smiling and joking. Kai had flicked flour at Nya, who sneezed and glared playfully at Kai. Zane was putting pies into the stove, helping as the kid with pink hair read a book out loud. Lloyd with a kid in orange stood at a counter nearby, seemingly racing to make the pie that the pink-haired kid was shouting. The frog guy stood nearby. I didn't noticed as tears flowed back down my cheeks as I stared at the scene, my mouth slightly agape. Everything seemed so peaceful, so right. I could only guess Jay was in his room changing because there was a massive pile of flour on the floor and on Kai and Lloyd. Cole probably in the bathroom from having eaten too many of the sweets, with all the empty pie tins that laid on the table. Nya was the first to notice me, she was about to throw water at Kai yet paused as her eyes caught a glimpse of me and looked back. I could see the way her eyes widened, realization and relief and overwhelm wash her. All I could give her in response was a small smile, a weak bit of laughter.

There was a brief moment were we just stared at each other, and the next thing I knew Nya had rushed away from her spot and enveloped me in a hug. And I couldn't help but hug her back, feeling tears form in her eyes as I choked on mine. "Oh fuck-" Kai mumbled, and I could only guess he had realized why Nya had not shot him with water and instead rushed towards the door. The room grew quiet, confused then realized, as attention darted over to Nya and I. Lloyd's eyes. Oh, his eyes. Despite the pain that rang through them, they way they scrunched and drew out lines on his face. Despite the way he could only meet my eyes for a few seconds at a time. Despite the way they reddened, looking like he was about to cry. His eyes were still lovely as ever. I tightened my grip on Nya, "What did I miss?" I mumbled softly to the shocked silence. I let out something akin to a airy-chuckle. "Most recently, the ending of MerqeQuakes which occurred when all the realms were merged together into one big realm; before that,-" Zane began to respond yet he stopped himself. He couldn't help but smile, and I swear he was about to cry (if he could). "Actually, that does not matter. What matters now is that you're back... and awake." Nya slowly let go of me, I could feel as she tried to break from my grip and I slowly loosened her. She was smiling, yet she was crying; choking on her own tears. I couldn't help but give Nya one last reassuring squeeze before I slowly moved around her and towards Lloyd. The silence seemed thicker as I reached Lloyd, his hesitance more noticeable as his brows thickened and frowned. A thin frown spread across my lips, I knew what this was about (that much didn't take me being alive for years to know). "Lloyd I-" My voice felt weak as I started, reaching out to Lloyd with my hand yet stopping. I balled it into a fist, seeing Lloyd turn away from me, and slowly dropped my arm back to my side. What words could you say to someone who you betrayed? Nevertheless someone like Lloyd, who's been through so much and the last thing he wanted (I knew) was to see my body on the concrete floor. Blood staining the road. Limps ripped apart by his father. I knew that so much that my last thoughts had been about Lloyd had how he would react when he saw the scene. My mouth twitched as I stood there, next to Lloyd, in silence as my head fell. Sorry was not good enough, it would never be good enough; no apology would be good enough to start trying to make up for the time I had missed. For lying, as I knew that I wouldn't meet them back up. For everything. For leaving him alone and making him bear the world without me for so many years. For not being there for him for whatever he had to go through while I was gone; it had aged him so, I could see the aged pain in his eyes. It would never feel enough. "I'm-" And yet, somehow Lloyd turned to face me. And somehow, he came to embrace me, hugging me tightly as though he were afraid I would die again. And somehow, he managed to be near me after everything I had done. And somehow, I had a feeling, we would slowly get through this. Slowly, I wrapped Lloyd in a hug and gripped onto his gi, just as tightly. I buried my face into his shoulder as he did the same and we just stood there and hugged tightly. And everything felt right, even if it was for a brief moment. Everything felt like it had and how it should here in the Monastery, with Lloyd: It felt like home.

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