#But it also made me wonder about other situations in which the lover may have known and/or the heliobi may have developed feelings too

[fragmentedblade]

The story in the longetivity pill of cruelty, and Wenyuan's words when being offered to take it wow

[reputationmunson]

hi mads! how r you? i was wondering if i may request a enemies to lovers with fake dating between reader and steve? where she's shy and kinda nice with everyone but somehow doesn't get along with him... and suddenly they have a situation and have to pretend to be dating... btw, love your writing!

i’m doing well and i hope you are too :) thank you for the request and i’m so happy you enjoy my writing that means so much to me! i hope you like this and i hope it's okay i'm making it multiple parts!

-

Crossing Lines | S.H x fem!reader

Part One | part two | part three | part 4

summary: Steve isn’t your biggest fan (understatement of the year), so why does he ask you to be his fake girlfriend for a wedding?

content: enemies to (eventual) lovers, fake dating, mentions of drinking, swearing, a guy at the bar is kind of creepy, mentions of reader and eddie having a past fling, use of y/n (not too often)

word count: 3.7K

a/n: this is a little shorter than I anticipated, but I’m going to try and make future parts longer.

_

There’s something strange about having an “enemy”. Especially when that enemy is Steve Harrington. You don’t exactly consider him an arch nemesis, but there’s really no other way you can describe your relationship with him. You aren’t friends with him by any means, not anymore, despite your several attempts at kindness.

Cupcakes you made him got thrown in the trash, smiles you’ve given him had been reciprocated with glares, and every time you spoke was the perfect time for him to roll his eyes.

No matter how many times you try to pinpoint a moment in your life where you might’ve offended him or done something to make him have such a great dislike for you, there’s nothing you can come up with.

You never had many interactions with Steve in high school, which isn’t very surprising. You always tried to stay in the background with your nose buried in a book and he was the complete opposite of that.

You admit you had a teeny tiny crush on him in high school, much like the other girls. How could you not? He was so charismatic and carried himself with confidence. You weren’t as immune to the Harrington charm as much as you liked to pretend you were.

It wasn’t until he became friends with Robin a few years ago that you had your first real conversation with him. She’s been your best friend since you were six and if she was convinced he changed, then you were willing to give him a chance.

He seemed like a completely different person than the boy you used to pass in the halls as he talked about how wasted he got the night before with his herd of wannabe Steves.

He was friendly and also a little bit of a clutz. Sort of awkward, as well. He was still handsome, though. A lot more handsome. His eyes were kinder and his hair as lovely as ever. You always wondered how it managed to still look so soft after that much product usage.

After the first two months of what seemed to be a friendship, he flipped the switch. His words to you became grumbles and he always kept a distance from you, like he’d go into anaphylactic shock if any part of him accidentally brushed yours.

It drove you mad. The one thing in life you always tried to do was treat everyone with kindness no matter what and he made it nearly impossible. You had more friends in your life now than you thought imaginable and it was nearly perfect, but all you seemed to be focused on is how much Steve hates you.

From Steve’s point of view, he would never outright say that he hates you. It’s more of an annoyance. Your shared friend group constantly raves about how great and delightful you are. The kids, who aren’t kids anymore but always will be to Steve, idolize you. Everyone thinks you walk around with rainbows and sprinkles shooting out of every single one of your orifices.

You and your delicious baked goods that you make in celebration every time someone so much finds a lucky penny on the ground. You and your stupid perfume that makes you smell like a damn bouquet of flowers. Your dumb dimples and eyes that some might claim light up a room every time you smile. Don’t even get him started on the short, nonsensical pleated skirts you wear.

You’ll probably be wearing one of those skirts tonight when you all go out for drinks later and he dreads it, terribly. Definitely not because he’s attracted to you, no, that’s insane, but because of all the guys that are going to swoon over you and he’ll have to be responsible for making sure none of those creeps try to touch you.

Robin made it very clear to him early on that you are off limits. She told him he wasn’t ready for a girl like you. You’re different from the girls he takes on dates and sleeps with. You aren’t a ‘hit it and quit it’ kind of gal, as she put it. . She said you’re a hopeless romantic, spending the rest of your life with one person, the type of love they write songs about, kind of gal. Steve wants to settle down one day, but he also isn’t ready for that yet.

Apparently, Robin forgot to give Eddie the same speech because Steve caught the two of you in a hot and heavy makeout sesh at a party awhile ago. Steve put all of the puzzle pieces together that you and Eddie were secretly hooking up. It wasn’t hard to figure out with all the glances, giggles, and body language. Plus, the sexual tension was so obvious.

No one else knew, neither of you even know that Steve’s aware anything ever happened.

Yes, you and Eddie were hooking up. Past tense. It was nice at first, way more than nice. You’d never done the whole no strings attached thing and you felt comfortable with him, but then you both quickly realized that it would end in complete disaster and called off the agreement. Surprisingly, there was no awkwardness after, but you did miss him sometimes.

It was gratifying to be out of your comfort zone, but you needed more. You wanted a love that felt like an easy Sunday morning everyday, but as long as you were confined to Hawkins, you doubt that you’d ever find it.

-

The bar was absolutely packed tonight, crawling with regulars, college kids back for the summer, and high school students with fake ids. There was a bachelor party sitting in the corner shouting obscenities and catcalling any girl that walked by them.

It was overwhelming. Usually this place, even on its busiest night, is still manageable to walk to.

Your walk to the table where your friends are sat feels like you’re climbing mount everest.

“y/n! you’re here!” Robin hops out of her seat at the high top table and throws her arms around you, squeezing you a little too tight. You can smell the tequila on her breath and her cheeks are flushed. That, combined with her affection for you, alerts you she’s one drink away from being hammered.

Everyone else happily greets you, apart from Steve who gives you a tight lipped smile and takes a drink of his beer so he doesn’t have to say hi because god forbid he speaks one of the shortest words in the english language to you.

“I’m gonna go grab a drink. Does anyone need anything?” you ask. “I’ll go get your drink. It’s a madhouse in here, what do ya want?” Eddie offers and you lay your hand on his shoulder, making Steve subtly roll his eyes so no one notices. “That’s sweet, Eds, thank you. I’ll have a vodka cran please”

“He’s, like, so in love with you” Robin says and you laugh. Steve laughs too, but not out of being humored like you are. “He’s not in love with me. He’s just nice, unlike most of the guys in here” you say the last part a bit louder and look at Steve when you say it. His eyes roll again and you think that must be the only thing he’s good at because he does it all the time.

“Your beverage, madam” Eddie says as he hands you your drink and sets down a tray of tequila shots for the table. “Do we really need more shots, Eddie?” Steve groans. “Tapping out already, Harrington? I guess we shouldn’t be surprised” you tease and he scoffs. “Oh, that’s just rich coming from you”

“heyheyhey, can you two have your lovers quarrel another time? We’re all here to have a good time, okay?” Robin reminds you and you give her a sorry smile. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Let’s not waste this tequila!” you exclaim

You all cheers your shot glasses and when you lick the salt of your hand, Steve’s eyes can’t leave you. He’s still staring when you put the lime in your mouth afterwards, you close your eyes in satisfaction and suck out all the juices. He hopes he never has to watch you take another shot again.

When your eyes open, you see Steve staring at you and he immediately looks away and pretends to be occupied by whatever the bachelor party to his left is doing. His mind drifts to the wedding he has to go to next weekend. One of his cousins on his fathers side of the family is getting married and he’s dreading it. Being surrounded by his snooty, rich family members who are all CEO’s of some business and they’re all married to or engaged to the ‘perfect woman’ that they undoubtedly cheat on while away on ‘business’ trips.

Speaking of business, they can’t keep their noses out of Steve’s life. When are you going to get a ‘real’ job?, when are you gonna settle down and have kids?, are you still living in that tiny apartment?. So no, he isn’t exactly looking forward to telling his family he’s a single loser who practically lives in a shoebox.

“Steve? Are you okay?” your voice brings him back from his thoughts. “Yep. perfectly fine”

“Ya sure? You seem distracted” he hates that you care. Eighty percent of the time, you’re still so nice to him, apart from a few jabs every now and then, despite his coldness towards you. “Just thinking, so you don’t have to pretend that you care.”

“Okay…I’m gonna go to the bathroom” you say before leaving the table.

“Why are you such a dick to her? She’s the nicest one out of all of us.” Eddie’s tone is sharp as he defends you. “I’m just stressed about this wedding I have to go to and my entire family is going to be there and I’m the only one without a date so that’s just another thing they’re going to criticize me for” Steve sighs and looks down at his drink.

“How about that girl you went out with last month? Trisha?” Nancy suggests and Steve scrunches his nose. “No can do. I realized I slept with her roommate after the first date” he cringes at the memory of walking into her apartment and seeing a familiar face sitting on the couch.

“You could borrow nance? She’d just have to take off the engagement ring” Jonathan jokes and the table laughs. Steve considers it for a half of a second, but realizes his parents already know about her engagement to jonathan. “Nice job, Steve. You let the only decent girl who liked you get away and now she’s with that byers boy” he recalls his dad saying in a snarky tone.

“I have the perfect idea!” Robin exclaims and everyone waits for her to continue “you should ask y/n to be your date!”

“That’s a terrible idea, Robin. Why would I do that?” It isn’t a terrible idea. His family would be over the mood to see him with a girl like you. You’re kind, funny, smart and gorgeous, but he’d never admit those things to anyone, least of all you. But the thought of spending a whole weekend with you seems like torture.

“Actually, that could work. You need to get over this weird hatred you have for her and this could be some good bonding! Maybe you’ll finally realize how great she is” Nancy states. “I know you all worship the ground she works on, but that isn’t good enough reason to ask her to pretend to be my girlfriend”

“Just think about it, okay?” Nancy says, kindly and he half-heartedly nods. The conversation ceases as you arrive back at the table and everyone stares at you. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“No. Nothing. We just missed you” You know Robin is acting weird about something, but you let it go. “um, okay. I missed you guys too for the whole five minutes I was gone. I'm gonna go get another drink.” you tell them before making your way to the bar.

“Hey, beautiful. Wanna take a shot with us?” One of the men from the bachelor party asks as you walk by their table. “No thanks. Have a good night, guys” you walk away and hope they leave you alone.

One of the guys gets up to follow you. Steve’s keeping an eye on you and moves to get up when he sees the guy following you. “I’ll be right back, guys”

“C’mon, baby, let me buy you a drink” Steve hears him say to you as you’re standing at the bar. You look uncomfortable and with the bar packed, you barely have a way to escape. “I already said no. Just go back to your friends”

When he moves closer, Steve steps in between the two of you. “She said no, man. Just leave her alone, alright?”

“you her boyfriend?” he slurs and Steve can’t believe the words that come out of his mouth “yeah, i am. so, fuck off, okay?” your eyes widen when Steve says he’s your boyfriend.

“Alright, alright.” the guy puts his hand up in defense “she’s all yours, buddy”

“are you okay? you’re not gonna cry or anything are you?” he asks when he turns around to face you. “No, I'm fine. You didn’t have to do that. Thank you” you smile at him sweetly.

“It’s whatever. Don’t let it get to your head” And just like that the Steve you know is back. “Can you tell everyone that I went outside for some air?” you ask and he nods then you go your separate ways. He watches the door to make sure you get outside alright.

“So, hypothetically” Steve starts once he returns to the table “How would I go about asking her to be my fake girlfriend?”

“Just be honest about it. Oh! and offer to pay for everything!” Robin says. Her advice could not be more vague. “I still think this is a terrible idea, but I literally have no other options, so when this goes to shit just remember it was all of your fault” he tells them before turning around and bearing the crowd to get outside.

When he walks out the door and into the fresh air, he sees you standing up against the brick exterior of the building. “Don’t tell me you came out here to check on me. Thought you said I shouldn’t let anything go to my head?” you raise your eyebrows at him.

“You are not making this any easier” He puts his hands on his hips and throws his head back, letting out a sigh. “Making what any easier?”

“I have a proposition for you”

“I don’t do prostitution, Steve”

“It’s not- would you just let me talk?” he groans and you make a zipping motion over your lips and throw away the invisible key. “Okay, you owe me a favor after what I did for you, right?- don’t make that face you totally do- anyways, I have a wedding to go next weekend and my family is always harping on me about having a girlfriend and I was thinking-”

“you want me to be your girlfriend?” you ask in a skeptical tone.

“What did I say about letting me talk? and no not girlfriend, fake girlfriend. Just for three days”

“You can barely stand to be around me and you want me to be your pretend girlfriend?”

“Look, I know it’s weird, but we don't have to worry about feelings or some shit like that being a problem because there’s no way that would happen” he explains. “What do I get out of it?”

“A super fancy hotel and all expenses paid. You’ll even get to pretend that you’re dating someone as hot as I am” he smirks and you huff out a humorless laugh. “You’ll pay for everything?” he nods “you’ll drive, too? I hate driving” he nods again “and you’ll be nice to me?”

“Ugh, fine, okay. I will be so nice to you that you’ll puke. Is that a yes?”

“Sure, why not. Can I talk in a British accent and pretend to be part of the royal family? ya know, to fit in with the rich people?”

“Absolutely not”

“Why are you no fun, Stevie?” you whine. “Stevie?” his brows furrow. “yeah, i’m thinking that as your new girlfriend, my nickname for you is Stevie”

“Fake girlfriend” he reminds you “Stevie, you’re so uptight.” you pout at him and he hates himself for his eyes lingering on your lips.

“So, what time should I come over tomorrow?” you ask like you’ve already been invited to his apartment. “What?”

“We need to hang out so you can get used to not acting like I don’t have the plague. Plus, we need to get to know each other” you state. “Fine. Come over tomorrow night and we’ll go over everything”

“Looking forward to it, Stevie”

_

You knock on Steve’s door at 8 p.m. sharp with a bottle of wine in hand because let’s face it, you’re both going to need it. “Hi, Steviekins” you greet as he opens the door. “That’s worse than Stevie”

“You love Stevie and you know it”

“Just come inside” he grumbles. “I ordered a pizza if you want a slice. It’s in the kitchen”

Once the wine is poured and you sit on the couch to eat, you pull out your notebook and two pens from your bag. “Are we writing each other love notes or something?”

“No, doofus. We’re taking notes on each other. Our likes, dislikes, details about our relationship” you tear out a piece of paper and give him a pen. Even your pens and notebook were nauseatingly adorable. “If I knew this was going to be like school I would’ve asked Robin”

“ha!” you laugh loudly “she would punch you if you tried to hold her hand or do anything that was even remotely romantic” you point out “and you’re not going to punch me?”

“I’d like to say no, but I’d hate to be a liar”

You and Steve practically chug your wine and pour a second glass before playing your own version of twenty questions.

“What’s your favorite color?” you ask to start. “My favorite color? you really think my family is going to question you on shit like that?” he responds and you glare at him. “Okay, fine. um, blue, I guess”

“That’s so basic”

“Then what’s yours?”

“all of them” you reply. ���all of them? really?” he snidely remarks. “yes, moving on”

You learn an abundant amount of things about each other, much against Steve’s will. You know each other's favorite candies, movies, songs, all the way to childhood memories and discussing scars you have and how you got them.

Then you moved on to the details of your relationship. Friends first, fell in love, you know the deal. You’ve “been together” for five months. Long enough that it’s somewhat serious, short enough for it to make sense that you haven’t met his parents yet.

The bottle of wine is almost gone and Steve’s cheeks are flushed and his eyes are a bit glossy. If he wasn’t the bane of your existence, you might even think he looks pretty.

“Can I ask you a question? and not one about your favorite food or anything like that” you ask in a soft voice and you seem a little nervous. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Why did you ask me to do this? i’m like the last person you should’ve asked”

“That’s actually why I asked. If I asked a girl that has any romantic interest in me at all, then it might get confusing, ya know? With you, once these three days are over we can go back to normal. There’s no risk of us falling for each other”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. I have an observation, by the way. You always speak of love like it’s a terrible thing. Why is that”

“Holy shit that’s a loaded question. Um, well the first time I was in love was in high school and we all know how that turned out. Haven’t been in a serious relationship since so I guess it’s hard for me to believe that it’s as great as everyone says it is” he sighs. He’s never drinking wine again. If it makes him this vulnerable with you he can’t imagine what it would be like if someone else was sitting here.

“Do you still love her? Nancy?” you wonder. “No, I don’t. I have love for her, but just as a friend. What about you?”

“No, I’m not in love with Nancy. She’s pretty and all, but can’t say i’m in love with her”

“Shut up, you know what I mean. You’re always raving about some dumb romance novel, yet I’ve never seen you with a boyfriend.” he says and you sigh “There’s not much to tell. Hopeless romantic with standards that are too high”

There’s a hint of sadness in your voice and you clear your throat before speaking up again. “So, I think that’s enough for tonight. I know way more about you than I ever wanted to”

“Right back at ya. I’ll walk you to the door”

“It’s a short distance, I’ll manage”

“Hey, I gotta start working on being chivalrous as your fake boyfriend. Can you stop being stubborn for one second?”

He walks you ten steps to the door and even opens it for you. “Same time tomorrow night? unless you're busy” you say, halfway out the door. “What could we possibly have left to learn about each other?”

“We still have to work on acting like we’re in love. You might have to put your arm around me this weekend. Oh, the horrors!” you gasp dramatically and he suppresses a laugh because he refuses to let you think you have the ability to make him laugh.

“Tomorrow's fine. But if something comes up and you have to skip that would totally be okay”

“You’re such an ass” you whine. “Not as much as you are” he retorts.

You flip him off as you walk away and he does the same.

He can’t wait for next weekend to be over so he can go back to pretending like you barely even exist.

-

part two coming soon to a screen near you ;)

-

[white-sinner]

Seven brothers and their boyfriends

fourth born Satan x male book lover reader

Smut

💚💚💚💚💚����💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

all fairy tales start with once upon a time and they all lived happily ever after and it's time for the story between you and satan to begin

when you two first met there wasn't this much interaction the only thing you understood about him was his hatred for lucifer

one of the details that made him fall madly in love with you was your love of reading but not just your personality your looks he loved everything about you. like the little mermaid

and when he showed you his room o holy heaven … it was as if he fell in love with you again your eyes sparkled! it was a whole room full of bookshelves and full of books finally someone who understood him his love for books in short a perfect match

most of the time you could find him opening your door wide with a pile of books in his hand saying

“these are some of my favorite books I think you might like them”

of course you also recommended them and lent your favorite books with the which unlike his was much more attentive

for your dates, these are almost always in the library, in his room pampering you while you read together but one thing that satan likes to do in particular is to recreate one of the romantic scenes of one of his books

now the fights between you two don't always happen but they are more frequent than other brothers but you can swear that after he calms down he will try to apologize in all possible ways for example by sending you pictures of cats with the word sorry, writing you a poem or even coming with a cat in his arms apologizing

SMUT

now this may seem like a fairy tale but this story is not all sugar and candy but there is also a touch of spice now this can go in two ways

SUB READER

satan was returning from the library when he saw a scene in the living room he saw you and lucifer arguing and you fearlessly answered him in kind, after that quarrel and you were still angry, satan he invited you to his room and as soon as you entered the Saw satan shirtless slamming you against the wall kissing you furiously

“you could have told me you wanted to do that wonderful show but you didn't tell me anything, naughty boy~”

“Huh?!”

satan throw you on the bed you were speechless but excited and satan could see it

satan undresses you while he runs his hands over your exposed body, he puts you on your stomach and your ass in the air and starts fucking you very hard, you put your hand on your mouth to stop your moans being heard

“Don't cover your sweet sounds, kitty”

“mmm~ go slowerrr”

to which he smirked and went faster

you know cats when their partner is in heat? this is exactly what happened

the next day Satan had to carry you in his arms because you couldn't move well he didn't mind

TOP READER

you and Satan were in his room reading and drinking tea when you notice something strange under the bed

"do not look!"

“some cat ears and a tail-shaped butt plug?”

“I-I can explain”

now you were intrigued by the tail shaped butt plug you already had an idea where the situation was going but you wanted to hear from him

“I wanted you to fuck me with those…”

said Satan in a low voice even lower than Levi

“What? speak louder baby”

"Come on are you serious? it's embarrassing"

“ok when you are ready to tell me he will find me in my room”

“wait wait! don't go..I want you to fuck me with those”

you only smiled after this and Satan's cheeks flushed red

"undress"

Satan followed your instructions and was left with only ears and tail

now he was under you while you fucked him making him see the stars

“M/NM/Nn-“

“No no,baby kitty don’t talk”

with that said he started fucking harder now you could see the bulge of your cock inside him

“Nyan nyan!!”

and so you continued until the morning

A/N: before this story ends I leave you with a photo

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

[loving-august]

๑𓈒 ' . 𑇛 I'D STILL CHOOSE YOU.

PAIRINGS. diluc ragnvindr x fem! reader

SYNOPSIS. in which diluc notices your worries about the people around you.

GENRE. angst to fluff hurt/comfort

WC. 1.05k!!

WARNINGS. none, slight profanity, insecurity, gossips, bodyshaming

NOTES. hello! this fic will be new expansion to my fandoms hehe I hope you guys will like it just as much I enjoyed writing this fic. blame diluc bc of him I made a decision to create for genshin characters smh /j + reblogs are highly appreciated!

LINKS. navigaion | genshin impact masterlist | taglist form

๑𓈒 ' . 𑇛 REBLOGS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

Being the richest bachelor in mondstat, Diluc is expected to do what nobles do. The way he greets, acts, and accomplishes every job perfectly. He received a vision at the age of 10 and became the youngest captain in the knights of favonius at the age of 14. Of course, he is now just a mere businessman taking care of the winery in the morning or protecting the entire mondstat at night time. His past is yet to be told.

Rich parents of noble women across nations often visit him in hopes to have their daughter as the groom. Yet, he refuses to tell them as he tells them that he has no sole interest in having a relationship with any women. Or so he thought.

You happened to see him in his dark knight duties one fateful evening. You were ambushed by hillichurls while you were on your way to the outskirts of mondstat, your home. You came out from work a bit too late than usual.

You accidentally punched him as you thought it was some treasure hoarder coming at you. You apologised so sincerely that it wasn't some bad guy.

"Master diluc?" You asked.

Shit. He cursed himself.

"Than-"

"Don't say a word about this." He sternly said. And you did.

You scratched your neck awkwardly, "I will. Thank you again!" You walked away from him. To be honest he was scary earlier, barbatos how could this happen to me?

Little did you both know, a certain bard was witnessing the scene. A playful smirk grew into his face. "Huh, may the wind guide each other." He whispered. It's a rare scene to see Diluc in this kind of situation. Maybe the dear archon barbatos, also known as venti would be part of playing cupid.

A time has passed since your first encounter with Diluc, Venti's cupid duties came into reality. He was very happy for you and Diluc and he even played a small tune for the two of you. As much as Diluc appreciated the gesture, he would not change the way he treats venti in his tavern due to his wine addiction. As well as Kaeya, the wonder duo never fails to give Diluc a headache.

Soon enough, you opened your eyes to the noble world. There is a lot of catching up to do. All the stereotypes were shown on to you, the mannerisms on talking, acting, and greetings to fellow nobles. It was hard. As someone like you had no experience on such acts.

You found yourself in your shared rooms with your lover. With your eyes all puffy and red due to crying. You couldn't take it anymore.

"How can Master Diluc find someone so…common.."

"I expected him to choose a noblewoman from liyue."

The voices of other people in mondstat broke your heart. To hear such a thing about Diluc, you felt responsible. Instead of making him happy by his side, you could only be giving him a bad name by just existing beside him.

It felt so wrong.

What you didn’t was that you fell asleep on the vanity where you cried yourself with dried tears on your cheeks.

Diluc just recently returned home from his darknight duties. You were completely aware of his schedule as if its the back of your palm. Why would you know all about it? Of course diluc would tell you things about him, he’s that devoted to you. Adeline, the head maid of the manor, greeted the master of the manor. “Good evening Master Diluc.”

“Good evening to you too,” Diluc greeted back.

He went straight to your shared rooms, not giving any mind of eating for tonight. He was busy eliminating abyss mages around mondstat. When he opened the door, first he saw you sleeping uncomfortably on the vanity table. He immediately removed his coat and placed it on some chair and carried you carefully. Making sure that you were not awake. How long have you been asleep? Your neck is probably sore because of the restricted sleeping position you were in.

He sighed as he saw you still in your morning clothes. He can’t imagine wearing all the heavy clothing from daylight to night time. That's why you've woken up? "Did I wake you up darling?" He asked.

you got up and he followed. "No, you didn't. I just felt my position changed." You groggily replied while rubbing your eyes.

Diluc was observing you. He noticed that you were secretly wiping off the direct tears on your face while pretending to rub your eyes after you had just woken up from a long slumber.

He was worried. Maybe he has been busy lately since he has a wine business to attend to. Not only the wine business but also his secret duties at night time at mondstat. The abyss order has been showing up lately.

"y/n, can I ask you a question?" He started. You looked at your hands, not looking at his worried eyes laid upon you. "uh, sure. What are you trying to ask?" You replied.

Something is not sitting right. The way you said it was as if you changed your sentence and the way you speak. this is not the y/n he used to talk to. A hint of guilt punched at diluc. He HAS been busy. He should reschedule his time for you after this. He felt accountable for your well-being, since he was the one who asked you to live with him and as his lover, it is his duty to take care of you.

"Is something bothering you lately?" He asked. There, he asked for it. Although he expects you to lie to him. You can't lie to him after all.

"No, nothing's wrong dearest, I'm just tired..that's all," you answered and gave him a small smile.

Diluc uses his thumb to wipe off rye excess tears from your face, "No you're not. It breaks my heart whenever you lie to me. Tell me the truth my love, whatever you say is valid, after all it made you feel this way," He slowly opened his arms for you to be able to rest on his chest while wrapping his arms around you, "if you feel like I'm slipping away from you, don't worry."

"I'd still choose you."

© 2022 loving-august. All Rights Reserved. Do not repost. Do not plagiarize. Do not share on other platforms. Will get slapped if u do.

[yyawnjun]

LOVE GUIDE (SAY YES)chap15

The "measurements" are perhaps the quickest and most fundamental moment you faced at the beginning of the year. You were with your friends, and you took the required measures to create an outfit for you to wear at your first fashion show in the new year. It was a quick thing, and with their help, you soon wrote the measurements that now lay in your portfolio.

The measurement notebook - part of your annual portfolio - now it's before your eyes, together with all your modeling photos taken during your university years.

In less than ten minutes, you'd have had to leave to meet with Hoshi to take your measurements...the ones that were already neatly put in the notebook. You knew it was rash to lie to him about losing it so you could have an excuse to see him. But now you had, and the funny chat that followed made the message worthwhile. And while you were still contemplating your decision, you had already taken off the pages with your measurements from the portfolio. 

Now you'll truly need some new ones.

You took a deep breath, put on your headphones, and after checking three hundred times that the front door was closed, you headed towards school.

It was the end of May, and the heat was beginning to be felt. You regretted not wearing sunglasses, but you went under the shadows of rooftops and trees to avoid being blinded and feeling the heat too much.

You continued going till you reached the entrance to the university campus.

The closer you get there, with the music at full volume, the more you let your imagination and the beat of the song flow. Because it was early and lessons started late on those days, there were a few people at the camp. Subconsciously, you began humming your songs and moving to the beat. You walked to the rhythm, shook your head, and allowed your emotions to guide you. You were happy with the music, you were in your music theater, and no one could stop you.

No one except Hoshi. 

Or perhaps not even him?

Actually, he didn't want to take away you from the comforting atmosphere that music took you to. He had seen you from a distance and was catching up with you as you arrived on campus. But suddenly he found himself getting closer to you, dreamy eyes sparkling at your joy on that late spring day.

As soon as you noticed him getting closer, you stopped in embarrassment.

He noticed the change in your movements, which he was mesmerized by. During those seconds, you continued to wonder about what you could have done to avoid an embarrassing situation. As he approached you, the perfect idea came to you. You removed your headphones and placed them over his ears. Before you could say hello, your music blared in his ears. His eyes widened in confusion, and his charming smile vanished for a minute in awe at your unexpected gesture. 

You didn't know what song had just played in his ears, you knew it was from your playlist of happy songs. You also knew that whatever it was,  you would be glad to dedicate it to him. Was it that feeling of lightness that Hoshi brought? Was that the feeling you were looking for?

Little, did you know that it was the playlist that Hoshi had dedicated to you (to which you had added other songs) that became your "happy songs playlist"? 

Embarrassed, you tried to ignore the fact that he had seen you immersed in the world of music, but he couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful you looked in that moment. You began walking together toward the school entrance, and the discussion lightened as you talked about many things and complained about the excessive heat.

You soon arrived at the classroom, and it hit you that you were alone with Hoshi...after realizing your feelings for him.

You felt your heartbeat quicken as he continued to think about your beauty and how lucky he was to be in the same room with you.

Two turbulent lovers hiding their obvious love, what could be the story?

“Uh, first let me show you the sketches I drew!” he told you, taking out his portfolio.

The portfolio included a drawing of a tiger in the center and many more amusing drawings and comics around it; the background was dark green, and the entire portfolio was built on a dark color palette with strong contrasts to bright colors. After he permitted you, you spent some time flipping through his old sketches, and you were amazed by his talent. All of his traits were flawless, and under each model, there was a miniature comic that he used to rate his works. His cartoon figure wore a top with a tiger drawn on it and had the same distinctive expression as Hoshi.

All of his previous collections had the colors of forest undergrowth, but there were also bright colors that drew his attention right away. He was able to combine all of the opposites into outfits that could mesmerize anyone by using numerous accessories and layering techniques. You noted that there were female and male models, and their poses were the most different among the models. You realized his expertise even more when you saw the three sketches he had made for your project.

While you were captivated by his portfolio, he could only observe you and your reactions as you looked at his work. He nodded and silently thanked you for every compliment. He could have stayed like this forever.

“Hoshi, these sketches are amazing, I'm speechless.” 

The first sketch was like a women's suit. The two pieces included long, loose trousers, which tapered below the knee but then continued to flare. The fabric looked similar to velvet, a black velvet that contrasted with the sand-colored accessories of the shoes. But the even more gorgeous part was the piece above. A brick red shirt, with puffed sleeves and a large lace decoration on the back, while the front left room for a corset full of sandy yellow spirals - like the shoes. Your décolleté was adorned with a pearl necklace with a large black diamond, and many small pearls surrounding it. It all ended with a sort of "red skirt", which thanks to a large slit on the front allowed the trousers to be visible. Furthermore, two more golden earrings with pearl decorations ringed her face, leaving her with minimal makeup and a braid in her hair.

The second sketch was inspired by Raphael's portrait from the late Renaissance to the early Baroque period. A long golden veil began at the head and formed a long train; beneath, a white pleated shirt could be seen, while a magnificent dress emerged from the cleavage down. The dress stopped above the knees, and a large skirt delicately surrounded the thighs. The decorations on the frame looked like spirals - typical of baroque decorations - they were golden, and all the jewels alternated between pearls and amber. The necklace was made of simple amber, while the shirt had curls at the top. The model's shoulders were bare and sleeves extended from just above the elbow to your hands. The sleeves were wide, tapered at the ends, and the same milky white as the shirt.

You were hypnotized by the wonder of the sketches that had been presented to you; you had a thousand compliments to give and a thousand curiosities to ask; not to mention that all the attention he had paid to the small details made you want to get up and do what you thought he could do to express his gratitude to him... maybe with a kiss. Resisting that temptation was quite tough, especially after viewing the last of the three sketches he had done.

Yet if you had only raised your head a little you would have given in and ended up kissing the face of that boy who was a few centimeters away from you. As you observed every detail of his creations, he observed every detail of you. And while you smiled at the beauty of the clothes he designed, he smiled at your reactions.

In that air that smelled of love, you ended up remaining enchanted for endless minutes watching the third sketch.

The third sketch illustrated the ability of Baroque sculptors to pay particular attention to the consistency of fabrics. And how they manage to bring the lightness of a feather from hard stone - for example, what Antonio Corradini did with "La Velata". And with this idea, Hoshi created a dress that clung to the body and appeared almost "wet". It was a dirty white and delicately accompanied the model's entire body. It was simple, with horizontal pleats and ankle length. It seemed to be able to be seen a lot, yet everything was graceful and not inappropriate. The central feature of that outfit was a slit in the back, which was hidden by two "angel wings" that stayed linked to the model's back. They were wings wrapped in white feathers, as was customary for baroque headdresses, with red and black gems that matched the heeled shoes. The wings were not large, but they were also not small. They were the appropriate size to not overpower the dress while yet highlighting all of its vivid decorations. Also in this case, the make-up was minimal, and the hair was wrapped with a thin thread band and brilliant gems.

How could one person create all of this? The ability felt almost inhuman to you, no matter how beautiful the three sketches were.

"Hoshi, it's an honor for me to be able to work with you. I feel like continuing to praise these outfits isn't enough, but I promise to do my best to show the world how brilliant they are. These sketches capture your talented soul and charm. Thank you for working with me."

"Yn, they were all created with you in mind - and, of course, the baroque theme. All I can ask for is to see them on you on a runway, and then I can die in peace."

WAIT, WAS THIS A CONFESSION?

chap14 // chap16 ; m.list

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summary: It is clear to everyone that Kwon Soon-young has a huge crush on the model student Yn. But can Hoshi, a passionate and funny stylist make her fall in love in just a month? What if he followed a weird LOVE GUIDE, that he found in the school bathroom?

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a.n. HEY GUYS!! that's the second written part of this smau, hope y'all like this pure sweet and gentle scenario. it's not over yet, i still have some chaps for this smau 🤭 but I am here for the biggest shotout to @sobun1est !! LIA MY FAV GIRL !! and best proodreader <3 this chap is here also thanks to her work and supportive comments😭 (1.8k wc)

[dearestgojo]

Indifferent Love

Gojo x Fem reader

Summary: Satoru Gojo’s life gets turned around when you declare you’ve never held any feelings for him, and an arrangement is formed so that you may live the rest of your days in peace with each other. But upon your declaration, something stirs to life inside Satoru.

A/n: I tried to hurry to write this so I can't guarantee that the writing is that great, and there are probably more mistakes than usual.

Warnings: 18+. Fingering. Grinding. Wet dream. If I missed any please let me know I'm tired so something might have slipped past me.

Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Series Masterlist | Wc: 6.5k

Kenji Ono is a lot of things. A son and grandson to well-known doctors, a medical student doing his residency at his grandfather's hospital, and a future heir. He is the dream fantasy of most women; tall with dark hair and handsome, he has a boyish smile to top it off. Kenji is kind, protective, and observant. But there are also a lot of things Kenji Ono is not. He isn’t the great student his father and grandfather wanted. He was impatient and could have quite a temper when pushed to the end of his limit. Most importantly, Kenji is no longer your lover anymore.

And it kills him. 

The prominent knot that twisted in the pit of his stomach made him search you out, despite you already ignoring his efforts to fix things, and beg on his knees for your forgiveness. Beg for you to listen to him, so that he may explain that things weren't as they seemed. At least from what he could remember from the night.

Kenji would stop making his plea until he got you to listen, which is how he ended up here. In a restaurant, a few blocks from the hospital his grandfather owned with Shoko Ieiri. He'd never been particularly close to either of your friends, he was a few years older than the three of you and had only met you and Utahime when Shoko had dragged the two of you to a party a co-worker had planned. As soon as his eyes landed on you, and your gentle smile as you greeted strangers, he knew he had to figure out a way to know who you were.

From then he'd made an effort to get somewhat closer to Shoko, who had recently started working part-time at the hospital as a nurse, and be able to get a chance to meet you again. After several parties to which only Shoko and Utahime showed up, he'd grown a bit closer to the ladder by association, and he did his best to get from as much as he could about you discreetly. But both of them are smart, and after several long months of trying to lay his eyes on your delicate smile once again, they'd both dragged you out to a party he was attending. Taking it into their hands to introduce the two of you, and plan small gatherings where they would leave the two of you alone. 

And seating in front of Shoko right now, he can't help but wonder if she regrets ever introducing you.

Shoko brings her leg up to rest on the chair., and rests her chin on her knee while stirring the hot coffee in front of her. She doesn't think twice about informing Kenji of your wedding, "She's getting married at the end of the month."

Kenji feels the world tip on its axis. Everything he had ever dreamt of building with you crumbling between the fingers. Every discussion you had ever had about the future fades into nothingness as Shoko’s words repeat in his head. He wanted to be angry at how quickly you had moved on. How quickly you had tossed him aside for the man you had been engaged to for seven years. He wanted to yell at you for proving his biggest suspicions true. But he knew he had no right to. Kenji was nothing to you anymore. And though how he couldn't exactly remember how he had ended up in the situation that he did, he was the one who had sent your entire relationship to its downfall. 

He grips his hands, his nails digging into his skin, nausea settling in the pit of his stomach, "What?" 

"Don't act like you didn't hear me," Shoko answers, moving the food around on her plate, "I'm not telling you so you can win her over or anything like that, I just think you have the right to know. The two of you built something in the three years you were together. I think you deserve to at least know that she's moving on so that you can move on too. Y/n would probably skin me alive if she knew I was telling you this, so I'm warning you not to do anything stupid, she's already made up her mind about the wedding. And trust me when I say that Hime and I tried everything to get to not go through with it, but you know how stubborn y/n can be." 

"I thought she didn't want to marry him," it's a mumble, Shoko barely picks it up over the clatter of the restaurant, but she manages to hear him.

She shrugs, staring out at the street, her lips pressed together, "She'd rather be tied to him the rest of her life than have someone cheat on her again."

"I didn't cheat," Kenji grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Then what exactly happened? 'Cause from the photos y/n showed us it didn't look like you were just talking."

Kenji's eyes squeeze shut, pain forming in the front of his head as he tries to remember what happened that night. All of it blurring together into one large mess that he could make sense of. "I don't know. I don't remember, okay? All I know is that I didn't sleep with that girl...as far as I can remember at least." 

"As far as you can remember doesn't get y/n back," Shoko huffs out, setting her empty cup slowly and standing up from her chair, "so if you want to win her back you need to know for sure whether you did sleep with that girl or not." She looks Kenji over, swallowing loudly, and uttering, "Don't make me regret my choice of letting you close to her even more, Kenji."

Kenji remains seated long after Shoko's returned to the hospital. Turning her words over in his head as he tries to make sense of the glimpses of the night he supposedly cheated on you. All the frames bled into one another until he couldn't distinguish one event from another. The front of his head throbbed as he attempted to recall that night for the sake of your relationship. Kenji knew that if he tried hard enough he could make his case and save the relationship that had been ripped from between his fingers. 

Because if there was one thing he was certain about in this life, it was that he would never dare look at another woman when he had you. 

~

There are several things you never fathomed you would do before getting married, and on that list was having a proper date with the man you were to marry. Yet here you were somehow on the terrace of a famous local restaurant, sitting across from Satoru Gojo himself a week before your wedding. You had secretly hoped he'd reject the idea of doing such a thing, especially his last week as a single man, and were quite shocked when he agreed. 

"For appearances, right?" He had asked over the phone, "Sure, I don't see why not. Might as well get to know each other."

Maybe you shouldn't have underestimated Satoru's dedication to the faux relationship you would present in front of others, and kept your mouth shut to be saved from the glances of acquaintances who were glancing at you. Whispering behind their menus after every lingering peek. 

"They're staring," you mumble, raising your glass of wine.

Satoru skims around, waving at the onlookers who he catches looking, chuckling loud enough for them to hear, "Let them."

You glower, "It's your fault you know? If you hadn't built a reputation of being a lady's man they wouldn't be looking." 

"Says who? They could be staring cause of the rumors going around about you and a secret lover," he challenges.

You don't flinch when he brings up the tale of your escapades with an unknown man, giving him no emotional indication of whether the story was true or false. You simply lean back in your chair and raise your chairs, and riposte, "I highly doubt that when you're the one who's had several close calls."

"So you do have a secret lover."

"And if I did? What's it to you? Jealous?" you inquire, watching Satoru's adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

He leans back in his seat, grinning, "Not at all."

You return his smile, eyes closing so you appear to be sweet and loving for the people glancing at your table, "Good. This marriage will work better if neither of us have any sort of feelings."

"Don't go falling for me then."

"Never in a million years."

The table falls silent again, the sound of your silverware clicking against the porcelain of your plates the only sound that fills the space. Your meal get's interrupted a few times as people approach your table to congratulate the two of you on your wedding, a few of the women looking at you with sympathetic glances before walking away. It's almost as if you can hear their thoughts as they sadly smile at you, can hear them calling you a fool for marrying the man who had no intentions of ever being faithful to you. 

Lifting your glass of wine you smile against the curve, if they only knew that you were using Satoru for that exact reason. You had no desire, or intention, of forming any sort of emotional bond with him. You knew what you were getting by walking into this marriage. Marrying Satoru was a safe way of never risking getting heartbroken or having a hand laid on you again.

"I think we should look for our own place to live," He suddenly says, peering at you over the curve of his glass, interrupting your thoughts.

"What? Why?"

"Well, we'll be a married couple, so we can't keep living with our parents. It would also be hard to keep the help from talking when they notice we aren't acting like newlyweds," he explains.

"It's an arranged marriage, I don't think we're required to act like newlyweds in front of the help...I don't think anyone actually expects us to act like newlyweds when it's quite obvious you never wanted this," you state.

Satoru leans onto the table, his blue eyes staring into yours, white seafoam moving around in them, "Who said I never wanted this?"

For a moment, you feel your breath caught in your throat, your heart speeding while you lose yourself in his eyes. Composing yourself you clear your throat, leaning back into your chair "You've made it pretty clear, these past seven years, that you would rather be anywhere in the world than tied to me," you lean back across the table, fork dangling from your fingers, throwing his words back at him, "don't tell me you already fell for me."

Satoru leans back in his seat, his eyes scanning your face before he smirks. The light from outside hits your head at just the right angle casting a halo around you, and Satoru feels his heart beating against his ribcage, his mind running wild by how beautiful and angelic you look at the moment the words leave his curved lips. "Never in a million years."

The sun hides behind a cluster of clouds, the halo cast over you gone as you give him an apathetic, "Good. Then this marriage should go swimmingly."

You go back to eating your food, not letting the stares of the onlookers bother you anymore, but Satoru continues to study you. Examining the curve of your lashes, and the way your lips press together while you chew your food. He feels something inside of him cracking, something blossoming from out of the crevasse in his facade he had come to believe was the truth, a bloom he still stubbornly stomped on as he felt his chest fluttering. 

Deep down Satoru knew he would eat his words and choke on them. Every single word and sentence repeated over the days, months, and years.

~

Satoru can hear the pitter-patter of the summer rain outside of the car, his eyes closed as he leans back into the driver's seat. It's been hours since he dropped off on the front steps of your house, and he seems to be able to do is crave your nearness again. The scent of your sweet perfume lingers in the car, mixing in with the smell of rain, intoxicating him and bidding him stay seated inside the car while the rain pours down. 

He wonders how you've managed to captivate him, so quickly when he's been so sure that you are the last thing he wanted in this world. He could have any woman, and yet he's sitting here ready to jump off a cliff if you so desire him to. You must have put a hex on him to have him falling to his knees with just the simple sentence of you not wanting him as he had thought you did. 

Searching the depths of his brain he attempts to find the signs of you falling out of love with him. At want moment you had stopped looking up at him with wide eyes as if he held the entire world in the palms of his hands. As far as he knew you had been attached to him since the first time he met you when you were but a newborn baby and he was barely starting to walk. Attached to his hip until you both came of age and it was proposed you marry each other. 

All he can remember is you always stealing glances at him, your eyes fluttering whenever he'd catch you staring. He'd found them endearing at one point, he recalls. 

Though there had been that one time when he was visiting for Christmas when he noticed you acting differently. You had greeted him with the same warm smile but made no attempt to converse with him. Every time he'd look up, he'd find you looking down at your phone, a soft smile toying on your lips, instead of looking at him. Maybe it had been then when your feelings for him had started to change in you.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he revs the engine again, pulling out of the driveway of his parents' home. He drives through the wet roads toward one of his favorite bars, located in the center of town. It's easy to find an empty parking space near it with all the rain, he barely even gets wet when he runs inside the safety of its roof. 

It's mostly empty, save for a few men getting off work and seeking shelter from the rain and their nagging wives. He finds the empty bar stool, raising his fingers to order a drink, looking to his left he finds a man throwing his head back and downing his drink. 

His black hair is a mess, falling into his eyes, which Satoru notices are a hazed over and his cheeks flushed. He can smell the alcohol wafting off of him with every blow of air he puffs out. Satoru watches as the man stands stumbling on his feet, leaving a wad of cash on the counter, and heading into the pouring rain. 

Shrugging Satoru raises the glass placed in front of him, throwing his head back in a similar fashion that the man who left just did, the liquor burning the back of his throat. The bartender laughs, "Seems like you and that guy are having a tough night. Drowning out problems of the heart with strong liquor." 

Satoru taps a finger on the edge of his glass, the bartender pouring more alcohol into his cups, returning his laugh, "Not exactly, I wouldn't call mine problems of the heart," He takes a sip of the glass, "when neither of us feels anything for the other." He looks at the employee in front of him, "Though I thought she did at one point which is making me wonder at what point she stopped."

"That's tough man. At least your not in that guy's shoes," the bartender points towards the door, "his girl is getting married." 

Satoru chuckles raising his glass up, "At least." Satoru has a couple of more drinks before deciding it's time to go back home.

Satoru walks out into the street, the rain has stopped and there are a few people already hurrying home before the next shower comes. He stands there for a few minutes watching, breathing in the scent of the wet cement and ground. A few couples walk past him, and he watches as the girls cling to their boyfriends' arms, fluttering their long eyelashes, and their lips curving upwards when they lean towards them to whisper in their ears or tell a joke.

And he can't help but wonder if that could have been you and him. If that could be the two of you in the future. He doesn't dwell on the questions for too long and shakes his head, running off to his car. Choosing to ignore that he's even thinking of the possibility of a happy marriage at your side. 

~

The day of your wedding comes, and you can feel the house quake from the excitement. There is constant movement within the house; maids scurry in and out of the spare room. 

The room allows you to look out to the warm summer morning, and watch as birds fly to land on the small closed-off balcony while the hairdressers curl and pin your hair and adjust your make-up, their feathers catching the sunlight as they balance themselves on the leaves of the shrub outside. They stay perched on the leaves for a few moments, their little eyes peering through the window as their heads turn before they spread their wings and fly away. 

"And done," you hear the stylist behind you mumble, putting the last hair decoration onto your hair. 

Looking over your shoulder you give them a tight smile as they start gathering their things, "Thank you."

Your mother walks in as they walk out, her heels clicking on the white titles, and her red lips curving upwards, "You look, gorgeous dear," she says walking up to you, her hands coming up to cup your face. She pushes a few strands of hair out of your face, the stench of alcohol reaching your nose when she whines, "My little girl, my angel, is getting married." 

Your hands come up to hold onto her wrists, pulling her hands off your face, "Thank you, mom," you place your hands between your bodies, "A little early to be drinking, no? Especially today of all days."

She gives you a meek smile, wriggling her wrists from your hold and lacing her fingers with yours, "I know I'm sorry. I had a small...disagreement with your father and need to let off some steam." Her gaze meets yours, "I promise no more drinking for the rest of the day."

There's a flutter of hope in your chest, but you knew better than to let the feeling last more than a few moments. It wasn't uncommon for your mother to have moments like these when she was sober, where she'd at you the tenderness of when you were young. You wonder at what point things had taken a turn. At what point in life did your father become a greedy heartless cheater and your mother a drunk? Or had life always been like this and you were just too young to remember it clearly

Exhaling softly you nod and return her cheerless smile, "Okay." You free your hand from hers, and smooth the front of your dress, feeling the rhinestones on the palms of your hands, ignoring her longing look.

"You do look beautiful. Satoru is extremely lucky to be marrying you," she compliments again, reaching up to adjust the heavy dangling earrings you're wearing, breathing under her breath, "I hope your married life is happier than mine." She suddenly lets go of your hands, clapping them loudly the noise resounding throughout the room, "I'm going to get the chauffeur to bring the car around, we need to head to the venue." She does a once over again, her fingers brushing the smooth fabric of the skirt of the dress before walking out. You watch her leave, the door closing behind her before you turn to look in the mirror. 

You stare at yourself in awe, taking in the beauty of the dress for the first time. If you hadn't been as tired the day you went dress shopping you would've seen just how breathtaking the dress you had begrudgingly picked. A wedding ballgown with a plunging neckline that accentuated your breasts, the lace straps resting at the ends of your shoulders. The skirt of the dress matches the top extending out. Decorating the skirt of your dress is a shining lace-like material in the pattern of flowers, that shine brightly when the light hits them when you move. But what really catches the eye is the long veil Utahime placed on your head and situated to rest on your shoulders over the straps of the dress. The lace that's sewn onto your wedding dress is stitched along the edges of the veil, which travels down your back and fades into the train of the dress. 

Tearing your eyes from the mirror you walk towards the loveseat in the room, becoming aware of how heavy the dress is. You struggle to find a way to sit down the train and veil, everytime you attempt to the veil ends up underneath you, pulling on your hair. After several tries, you give up and lean against one of the arms, sighing in defeat. 

The room is quiet, only the ticking of the grand clock in the room fills the space. The silence leaves you alone with your thoughts, the urge to walk out of the house crawling up your spine, and an uneasy twist in your stomach as you wait for your mother to return. Is that what getting cold feet feels like? Is this the felt feeling Satoru felt every time he'd run off overseas? Is he also thinking about running off? 

You bring your thumb up to your lips, chewing on the tip of the acrylic nails you had done yesterday, staring at the door. A few seconds pass and no one walks by or in. Pushing yourself up to stand and walk towards it, pausing right in front of it. Examining the door frame and the walls of the room around you, feeling jittery as you raise your hand up to the knob, hesitantly. 

If Satoru could run away from you, from this marriage, this unwanted bond, so can you, you think to yourself turning the knob, If you're going to do this, the time is now.

The door is pushed open unexpectedly, causing you to stumble back a few steps. Your mother stands on the other side, a small surprised gasp leaving her lips as the door almost slams into your face, "What are you doing there?" 

"I-i," you stumble over your words, feeling as if you've been doing something you shouldn't have been doing. And maybe you had, considering you were contemplating leaving Satoru at the altar and your father with empty pockets. 

"Doesn't matter, driver and your dad are out in the front waiting for us, so come on let's go," your mother reaches for your arm, pulling you through the threshold. She pushes the small of your back, gathering the tail of the dress in her arms, "The bride can't be late to her own wedding."

~

Like any man about to get married, Satoru spends the entire morning doing nothing. He doesn't fret with wedding jitters as he lays back on his bed, listening to Suguru speak on the phone, his wedding suit still hanging from the hanger inside of his closet. The television in front of him is on with the sound all the was turned all the way down. 

Satoru finds himself closing his eyes as Suguru continues to talk, letting his mind wander to what his wedding night with you would be like. His closed lids flicker as he drifts off into a nap. When he opens his eyes again, his still in his room, but Suguru is no longer there, and the lights have been dimmed down. He can hear clattering traveling from the restroom before you appear at the door. clad white lingerie. His eyes follow you as you silently walk up to the end of the bed, your fingers coming up to cup his face, your thumbs drawing circles into his cheeks. Satoru melts into your warm touch, his long fingers brushing over the tops of your thighs. 

"You look beautiful," he whispers, sliding his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him.

"Do I?" you ask, your fingers finding his white hair. 

Satoru inhales, pulling you into his lap, "Mmh."

He can smell the scent of your perfume as you settle down on his lap, his hands immediately falling on your waist as you rest back on him. The inside of his mouth flooded with saliva at the sight of the white lingerie set with embroidered butterflies on the sheer material. Satoru can see your nipple peeking through, pebbled from the cool air. He swallows down hard as you gently grind down on him, your mouth falling open as you feel him getting hard through the material of your panties and his slacks.

"Fuck, you're going to be the death of me," he respires, his fingers reaching to toy with your clit through your panties, leaving open-mouthed kisses on your chest. He lets out a groan when you grind into his fingers, your nose buried in the crown of his head. "Needy little thing aren't ya'. Don't worry I'll fuck you nice and good just as soon as I get you ready," he says pushing your panties to the side and gathering more of your slick in his fingers. He slowly pushes one in, moving it in and out, the heel of his hand hitting your clit. He relishes the way your walls clench around it. He curves it upwards, pushing a second in as he brushes your soft spot, listening to your small gasps for air and whines. 

He makes a come hither motion with both of his fingers, your thighs shaking around his hand, "'Toru too much."

He moans as he feels you cum around his fingers, your walls gripping his fingers. He doesn't stop moving his fingers, helping you ride out your orgasm, "That's it princess, cum all over my fingers." Satoru watches you pant as you cum in awe, your mouth open and eyes squeezed shut. "Fucking hell you're so freaking hot when you cum," He pulls his fingers out and tosses you on the bed, hurriedly reaching down to pull his pants and boxers down, "Think you can come for me one more time, angel. Think you can cum all over my big fat cock?"

He positions himself at your entrance, his eyes never leaving your face as you nod, huffing out a quiet, "Yes. Want to cum all over your cock." Your eyes are drooping, hazed over with lust, your head moving up and down.

Satoru lets out a strangled groan, pushing the head of his length just past your clenching hole before a loud noise interrupts him. You slowly start to vanish from his vision as three more continuous resounding sounds echo throughout the room.

The fifth loud clap near his ear jerks him wake, Suguru calling out his name. Satoru's eyes pop open, Suguru is already walking away from him while speaking. 

"Come on, man you have to get dressed. We have to head to the venue. Your wedding is in less than an hour," Suguru says, going into Satoru's closet to get his wedding suit.

Satoru stays seated in his spot, pants straining against his crotch. He clears his throat, "Give me a second." He reaches down to adjust his boxers, doing his best to hide the raging boner inside of them before he got up. 

~

Your pacing back and forth in a small room in the venue, waiting for the ceremony to start. The palms of your hands sweat as you wait. Your eyes eye the door, which you approach slowly it and turn the knob. No one is outside, the hall bare of all signs of life. Taking a deep breath you walk towards a glass door at the end of the hall, that gives you a glimpse of a garden just beyond it.

You don't hesitate in pushing the door open, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air before stepping out into it. You spend a few minutes walking around the enclosed space, eyeing the high walls of the gate. The sound of the door you came in through opening tears your attention away from them, your head turning to see if Shoko and Hime have come to get you. To your surprise, you find the last person you want to see standing there holding the door open with the tip of his toe.

"What are you doing here? I told you I didn't ever want to see you again last time." you hiss, raising the skirt of your dress to walk away. But the weight of your dress weighs you down, making it easy for him to catch your wrist. 

"Y/n, please listen to me. You're making a mistake. I need you to listen to me, so you can understand that I didn't mean to hurt you. That I didn't want to cause you any pain," Kenji begs, pulling you into his chest, stumbling over his words as he cups your cheek with his free hand. He presses his forehead to yours, closing his eyes while breathing in the same air you breathe out, your heart pounding in your chest as you feel his arm wrapped tightly around your waist, "I know you don't want to marry him, I know that you don't love him. That you love me, so please, just let me explain."

You consider giving in to him and giving him a chance to explain himself. To give in to whatever excuse he comes up with, so you forgive him for sleeping with someone else. You so badly want to close your eyes and let his lips brush against yours.

But you don't. Instead, you push against his chest, letting the anger from his betrayal remind you that Kenji was not the person who had dreamt of marrying one day. That he had let his own vexation with the status of your relationship and the uncertainty if you would ever be able to be together, lead him to bed someone else in the place you had called home with him.

"How would you know? You slept with someone else because you thought I would fall in love with him. That would toss you aside because I had to marry him. What if that's what's happened now? What if I told you that you had been right and that I'm marrying him because I love him?" 

Kenji reaches for you again, his grip tighter than before, "You don't mean that, y/n. I know you love me, what we felt doesn't go away over a few nights."

Your jerk your hand away from him, "Loved. I loved you, but not anymore," you snarl, fighting the sting of tears that threaten to spill. Take in slow breaths of air and steady your pounding heart. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get married."

Kenji follows you as you make your way back into the venue, his hands desperately trying to get a hold of you again before you disappear back inside. "Y/n look all I need is for you to listen and to give me some time. I promise on my life that I didn't cheat on you. You know how much I care about you. How much I love you." 

You reach the door and pull it open, catching a Shoko walking towards the room you had been secluded in, "Save it Kenji, I don't have time." You lift your heavy skirt and walk into the building, letting the door swing shut behind you. But before it fully closes behind you, Kenji calls out one last time. 

"I promise I'm going to prove how much I love you. Prove I didn't cheat. You'll be begging me to take you back, y/n."

His words fall heavy on your chest when you reach the room, Shoko walking out at the same time you reach it, "Where have you been?"

You wave your hand around, "Needed some fresh air."

Shoko quirks an eyebrow, but doesn't question you further as she gathers your dress to help you with it, "Okay, well we need to get you to the front, the wedding is about to start." She leads you down the hall, and to the front of the venue where most of the bridal party is along with you're father, who hooks his arm around yours as the first couple makes their way down the aisle.

He leans down towards your ear, whispering in it before he leads you down the aisle toward Satoru, "You look beautiful...I'm proud of you."

Most of the wedding ceremony is a blur to you, the officiate’s words barely reach you over the loud ringing in your ears. It's not until the person officiating your wedding asks Satoru to say his wedding vows that you come too. 

"Repeat after me."

"I, Satoru Gojo, take you, y/n l/n, to be my wife," his eyes flicker as he looks into yours, "to have and to hold from this day forward," you swear you feel his hand tighten around your hand as he slides the ring on your finger, "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until parted by death. This is my solemn vow." 

The officiate then looks at you, signaling for the ring bearer to hand you the wedding band, "Repeat after me."

 "I, y/n l/n, take you, Satoru Gojo, to be my husband," you repeat, "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health," your eyes meet Satoru's, "to love and to cherish," the words feel heavy on your tongue as you loudly say them, knowing deep down that you could never actually give your heart to him, "until parted by death. This is my solemn vow." 

From the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of Kenji standing near the entrance of the venue his head shaking back and forth, as the officiate's words bounce off the walls of the venue, "I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Your eyes never leave Kenji as Satoru presses a quick kiss to your lips, the crowd around you clapping. You watch as he leaves, and you silently hope that it's the last time you ever see him.

~

The sound of the door clicking shut behind you is deafening, bouncing off the walls of the unfamiliar room. You’re unsure of what to do with yourself you find yourself fiddling with the soft material of the dress and moving around the room. It’s the typical room you’d expect a bachelor such as Satoru to have, the walls are bare of decorations and painted a light gray. There’s a single bed, a futon, and a drawer resting between what you assume is the walk-in closet and bathroom. The bed frame is a few inches off the ground, covered by a gray duvet, a few shades darker than the light gray of the walls. Surprisingly there’s a wooden headboard, but you might attribute that to the fact that Satoru still lived with his parents. There are two nightstands on either side of the bed, each with its own lamp that turns on when the switch of the overhead lights does. The white and black curtains of the room are drawn closed. 

Stepping further in you see that the room is much cleaner than you expected it to be. The nightstands are bare save for the lamps, a pitcher of water with its empty glass, and Satoru’s phone charger. The drawer has a plant and a few picture frames of Satoru and Suguru the year they graduated high school and college, one of him and his mother that appears to have been taken recently, and another with both his parents when he graduated college. You walk closer and run your fingers through the edges of each picture as you look down at them. 

“If you’re looking for photos of us together those are in the bottom left drawer. I can put some out if that would make you more comfortable.” Satoru says from the bed, where he’s bending down to take off his shoes. 

Shaking your head you walk towards him, turning your back to him so that he can unzip the back of your dress, “There’s no need for that, you said we wouldn’t be here long so I don’t see a point.” The mattress shuffles behind you as he gets up, and your body jolts when you feel Satoru’s fingers touch your skin between your back shoulder blades, the sound of the zipper following. 

“Okay. There.” He says when he reaches the part of your back you can reach, “I had the maids put your bags in the closet if you want to change.”

“Thanks.”

"Hey," you turn to look at Satoru, quirking an eyebrow at him, "I-I...let's try to get along." 

You nod your head, "Okay." You walk into Satoru's restroom, noticing your bags near the entrance. You make quick work of changing out of the dress you had put on for the reception, letting it pull around your legs, and start on your daily nightly routine of showering and cleansing your face.

When you come back out Satoru is laying on one side of the bed, overhead lights and his lamp turned off, you assume his usual side, his back turned to the empty spot next to him. You approach the bed, grabbing a few of the pillows he had tossed aside, and putting them between you and him, before climbing next to him. 

"You don't have to go that far," Satoru mumbles as you turn off the light, "I'm not going to touch you when you don't want to." 

You stare at the unfamiliar ceiling, "That's what you say, but I don't trust you."

"Shouldn't you trust your hubby, wifey," you can hear the smile on his face when gives you the new nickname?

"Don't ever call me that again," you warn, turning to your side, "Now go to bed."

You feel the bed next to your shift, Satoru turning to his back, his elbow pushing the pillows further on your side, "Okay...Night, wifey."

© Copyright 2022. Dearestgojo. All rights reserved.

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[fanficapologist]

Of Dragons and Maelstroms

Themes and Warnings: slow burn, enemies to lovers, blood, violence, explicit language, sexual violence, period-typical misogyny, sexual themes, smut, tension, marriage, jealousy, pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, attempted sexual assault, breastfeeding, major character death, divergent timelines

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood/Game of Thrones characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

Chapter Thirty-Four

For twelve long days, Maera retreated into a self-imposed silence. She fulfilled her duties diligently but spoke little to anyone, choosing to spend most of her time in her chambers. The King and Queen, both recovering from their injuries, remained secluded in their respective chambers. Maera relied on her trusted confidants, Thena and Ser Arryk, to keep her informed about the court's whispering. Through Thena's reports, she learned that rumors were circulating among the courtiers. Some believed that the King and Queen had fallen gravely ill, a disease that would further destabilize the realm, and allow Princess Rhaenyra to take her place on the Iron Throne. Others speculated that the royal couple was using this time to strengthen their bond, causing Maera to roll her eyes. The courtiers clearly did not know the royal couple well if that was the assumption made.

In an attempt to not go mad in her solitude, Maera's primary focus during those days was on Queen Helaena's three children. Each day spent in their presence was a gift from the Gods, and a welcome distraction from Maera’s impending destruction at the hands of the King. Accompanied by the nursery maids, Maera would take them daily to the Godswood and allow the children to play and explore whilst she sat underneath one of the trees. Maelor continued to toddle around quite happily but the twins seemed discontent. As she watched over them, Jaehaera approached Maera, curiosity gleaming in her violet eyes.

"Why haven't we seen our mother in a while?” The young princess asked Maera, who granted the little girl a sad smile. She studied Jaehaera, taking in her gown of crimson and black, and silver locks that framed her cherubic face.

"Your mother has important matters to attend to, which is why I am blessed to spend this time with you all, Princess,” Maera assured the girl in an attempt to distract her from the situation at hand.

Jaehaerys had also been listening from a few feet away, brows furrowing in confusion at her comment. It seemed they remained unconvinced, but they did not ask any further questions, continuing to play together.

Amid her interactions with the children, Maera continued to visit Helaena, checking on her well-being. The Queen's injuries, while still visible, were gradually healing, and her spirit was recovering too. One day, as Maera tenderly bathed her friend's face, wiping away any remnants of dried blood, she gently broached the subject of the children.

"Would you like to see them, my Queen? It may lift your spirits to have them around you."

However, the Queen hesitated, her concern evident as she replied, "I fear my injuries would frighten them."

Maera continued to tenderly cleanse Helaena's face, her gaze filled with sympathy. She couldn't help but admire the Queen's strength as she said, "You are such a good mother to those children, Helaena."

The Queen paused, her eyes distant as she reflected on her situation. Eventually, she confessed, "Aegon may be a monster, but he gave me the greatest gifts of all - my children. For that, I can't help but feel some gratitude."

Maera's brow furrowed at Helaena's words. She, too, cared deeply for the children, but she wondered if she would ever willingly trade her suffering for the role of their mother. And as for Aegon, she pondered whether the children truly comprehended the darkness that lurked within him.

With the cleansing complete, Maera carefully placed the bowl of water and cloth back on the bed side table. She then poured a cup of herbal tea, a prescribed remedy from the Maester to aid Helaena's recovery, in a blue porcelain cup.

Expressing her heartfelt sympathy, Maera commented, "I'm so sorry that I could not stop him, Helaena. I wish I had been with you that night."

The Queen sighed softly, revealing, "He hasn't returned to my chambers since..."

Maera carefully handed the cup of herbal tea to Queen Helaena, her eyes filled with concern as the conversation took a somber turn. Helaena, perceptive as ever, noticed the worry etched across Maera's face, and it prompted her to pause mid-sip. She set the cup down and fixed her gaze on Maera, her violet eyes piercing like a hawk's.

Hesitation weighed heavily in the air as Helaena ventured to ask, "What did you do?" Maera released a deep, resigned sigh, her gaze shifting to the window that framed the Queen's chambers. Outside, ominous dark clouds gathered, mirroring the turmoil within.

Turning back to her friend, Maera admitted, "Something that's bound to bring dire consequences, I’m sure."

Helaena's eyes widened in alarm at Maera's words, and she reached out desperately, clutching Maera's hand tightly. She implored, "I can endure a thousand more tortures at Aegon’s hands, but i cannot lose you, Maera, please.”

Maera couldn't bear to look at her friend any longer, the weight of guilt and regret pressing upon her. When she had lashed out at Aegon, her anger had consumed her, a blaze that had burned out of control. But now, as she reflected on her actions, those flames had dwindled to mere embers. Maera understood that, no matter how justified she felt in avenging Helaena, it was she who would ultimately bear the consequences.

Helaena's voice carried across the room, filled with deep emotion. "Maera, you're my best friend," she said, her words imbued with sincerity. "I think you are my only true friend. You have always accepted me for what I am. You have never called me crazy or stupid or dumb. You make me feel…safe."

Moved by her friend's heartfelt words, Maera returned to Helaena's side, their hands entwined once more. Her voice trembled with uncertainty as she spoke, "I don't know what's going to happen, Helaena. I don't even know who knows about what transpired." She fought to hold back tears, turning her gaze away momentarily to regain her composure before locking eyes with Helaena again. "And I don't know how to fix this mess."

Helaena's demeanor shifted suddenly, as if she'd drifted into a trance. She muttered cryptically, a slight smile on her face, "The dragon will trade a doe for a storm," leaving Maera bewildered by the strange words.

Maera, consumed by the relentless uncertainty of her fate, began refusing meals and drinks, plagued by the fear that Aegon might resort to poison her. Her loyal maid, Thena, tried her best to reassure her. "My lady, I've been with the food every step of the way in the kitchen. There's no foul play," she said earnestly. In an attempt to coax Maera into eating, Thena even sampled the dishes herself. But even after confirming their safety, Maera could only manage a few reluctant bites.

The nights were the worst, where repeating dreams of her fate tortured her. In the throes of her nightmare, Lady Maera's breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding like a drum of doom. The specter of treason and execution haunted her, a dark shadow that refused to relent. As the nights wore on, her cries grew louder, a haunting chorus of anguish that reverberated through the chambers, causing Ser Arryk to have to come in and wake her, finding her in a wretched state, hair clung to her sweat-drenched brow, trembling hands grasping at the linens, seeking an escape from the horrors that plagued her mind.

On the thirteenth day of her ordeal, after another sleepless night, Maera completed her letters to her family back in Rain House. She chose not to divulge the impending doom she faced at the King's hands, unwilling to worry her loved ones. Instead, she poured her heart into the words, expressing her deep longing for them, urging them to care for one another, and to foster love, empathy, and understanding. She wanted them to know that she carried them in her thoughts every single day.

That morning, Maera extended an invitation to Thena and Ser Arryk, to join her in her chambers for a ‘last meal’. Her mother’s wise words echoed in her mind, stating “the simple act of sharing a meal holds the power to provide a modicum of comfort amidst the encroaching shadows of grief.”

Together, the trio shared breakfast in a rather solemn affair, the air heavy with a sense of melancholy that hung like a shroud. A jug of ale, dark and hearty, stood as a solitary sentinel, its presence a silent acknowledgment of the need for easing the tension that had been weighing down on her for days.

As they sat together, savoring their food, Maera couldn't help but contemplate that this might be the last time they'd share such a moment. She turned to Thena, her loyal maid, and made a solemn request, "Thena, when the news of my punishment spreads, ensure that my letters reach my family." Thena nodded in agreement, her expression reflecting her unwavering loyalty.

Maera then shifted her gaze to Ser Arryk, her trusted guard. With determination in her voice, she implored, "Ser Arryk, I want you to become the sworn protector of Helaena. Make sure the King never lays a hand on her again, even if it means facing punishment yourself." The knight, his mouth full of food, managed a resolute nod through a bite of his meal.

Thena, taking a sip of her ale, chimed in with a touch of skepticism, "But my lady, we don't know your fate yet. Why plan for it?"

Maera replied with unwavering certainty, "Thena, I beat the King to a bloody pulp. It's unlikely I'll go unpunished."

Ser Arryk, having swallowed his food, added, "And he deserved every bit of it."

Thena continued to question, "What about Prince Aemond? He was with you at the time. Surely, despite his unpredictability, he'll protest a harsh punishment for the sake of your childhood friendship."

Ser Arryk interjected, "If the Prince was determined to protect our Lady, he'd have already come to see her and assure her of her fate."

Maera couldn't help but agree, noting that the Prince had clearly not left King's Landing, as Vhagar, the mighty dragon, continued to soar above the castle, a constant presence in the city's skies. She sat in contemplative silence, her thoughts swirling like a turbulent sea. A mixture of emotions and assumptions danced in her mind. Perhaps, Maera mused, Aemond already knew her fate, but the burden of delivering such news had held him back. It was kind in one way, yet terrible in another.

Pouring herself more ale, Maera downed the goblet until it was empty, her thoughts now morphing into whether she would get to see Aemond again before her impending doom. There was so much she wanted to say to him, and Maera concluded that grudges could not be held from beyond the grave. She wanted to express her disdain for his cruel nature and how he had toyed with her since losing his eye. That his hot-tempered and unforgiving nature would be his downfall, and perhaps if he wasn’t such an arrogant arse, he would find happiness in this life.

She also wanted to tell him how not all of the memories she had of him were bad, how there were points were she admired him and treasured his company, how sometimes simply seeing his face would make her days. Maera wanted to tell him how she thought he mirrored the beauty of the Gods of Old Valyria despite his injury, how she had thoroughly enjoyed the kiss they had shared that night and how she wished that they had taken things further, so she would have known a man’s touch before her head ended up on a spike.

But most importantly, Maera wanted to impart some wisdom to him. She longed to tell him to harness his anger, to use it to protect his family, instead of letting it consume him. She wanted him to know that he didn't need to constantly prove himself to others, that he was already enough just the way he was. And deep down, she believed he should have been the one sitting on the Iron Throne, that he was a born ruler and warrior, far more suited than the foolhardy Aegon.

With resolve, Maera rose from the breakfast table, reached for one last piece of parchment, and began to scribble down everything that had been swirling in her mind. Folding it and sealing it with wax, she pressed the House Wylde sigil of the Maelstrom onto the still-wet wax. The letter was addressed to the One-Eyed Prince, and she placed it onto the growing pile of messages. One more letter for Thena to deliver.

The doors to Maera's chambers burst open, and her father, Lord Jasper, entered with an air of authority. His grey-green eyes, normally sharp and discerning, now blazed with a fury that seemed to ignite the very air around him.

Immediately, the maid and guard rose from their seats as a sign of respect for the head of House Wylde. Maera offered her father a respectful nod as he demanded, "What have you done?"

Maera sighed and glanced over at Thena, giving her a gentle nod as a signal that she could leave. Thena approached her lady and picked up the correspondence on the writing desk. However, before she could depart, Maera reached across her table and handed Thena a burgundy silk purse filled with silver coins, a token of gratitude for her unwavering loyalty during Maera's stay at the Red Keep. She clasped it into Thena’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze before mouthing a silent, “Thank you, for everything.” The maid appeared on the verge of tears but managed to nod before turning to leave the room. Ser Arryk, ever vigilant, remained, knowing that her father's temper was likely to flare.

Maera returned to her dining table, poured ale for herself, her knight, and her father, and gestured for her father to take the goblet she offered. She then asked him, her voice tinged with concern, "What have you heard?"

Lord Jasper accepted the goblet and eagerly took a sip before he began to explain, "I heard that the Queen had been injured, from the Maester."

Maera couldn't help but roll her eyes and sarcastically mused aloud, "Oh, did Maester Orwyle say how the Queen manage to get herself hurt so badly?"

Her father paused for a moment and then continued, "But then, I heard that the King had also been injured." He looked at Maera, concern etched on his face. "I hope, for your sake, you had nothing to do with the King's injuries."

Maera merely shrugged in response, her tone casual as she asked, "What would give you that idea?"

Her father's voice grew gruffer as he replied, "I have not been invited to the last four Small Council meetings since these incidents occurred, and they went ahead without me."

With a contemplative hum, Maera swirled the ale around in her goblet before taking another sip. After a moment of silence, she finally responded, her voice tinged with resignation, "What's done is done." Lord Jasper, frustration evident, slammed his goblet onto the table in anger.

Lord Jasper couldn't contain his anger as he approached Maera, shouting, "Do you realize what you have done? What shame you have brought upon us?!" However, Ser Arryk swiftly stepped between them, hand resting on his sword's hilt, warning Lord Jasper to stay back.

Maera, defiant and fiery, shouted back at her father, "The King is probably going to execute me anyway. You should be glad; then you can be rid of your shame!" Frustration boiled within Lord Jasper, causing him to kick over one of Maera's chairs, releasing some of his pent-up anger. He began to pace the room, muttering, "Oh Gods," repeatedly.

As tension filled the room, another figure entered, the sound of armor clinking softly with each step – Ser Criston Cole, the Lord Commander, clad in his imposing metal plating. He addressed both Maera and her father with an air of calmness, his chiselled features displaying a hint of sternness. “Lord Wylde, Lady Maera. Your presence has been requested in the Throne room. By the King."

Notes: been avoiding editing this chapter but finally got round to it! I’ve been working on the other chapters more 🤣

Tags: @marvelescvpe @grungegrrrl @shesjustanothergeek @blue-serendipity

Thank you so much for reading! Comments, feedback, likes, and reblogs are greatly appreciated 🖤

[syneilesis]

[fic] There is No Heaven

There is No Heaven

Ikemen Vampire | Vlad/Comte de Saint-Germain | T | 1k words | ao3 link

The mansion remembers your longing. Your memories become ghosts living in its walls.

A/N: Happy New Year! This is my last fic for 2023 yay! And it's a little different: it's from Comte's POV, but in 2nd-person pronoun. I've always wanted to try that. This was supposedly for the Halloween but I didn't make it in time. Fortunately, I've made it before 2024 starts! lmao

Unbeta'd. I just want to write more vampire ex-boyfriends, yaknow?

Early on her stay, Mitsuki asks, “Are there ghosts in the mansion?”

Sebastian nearly snickers as he pours their tea, but he's professional enough to curb the urge.

You watch the girl squirm and frown, fragile little thing, and take a sip of the freshly served tea. The garden is bright and beautiful in this time of day, the flowers colorful dots scattered in the verdant space. A little beyond that, the mansion windows glint and glare under the sunrays, and a silhouette glides through one of them, a dazzling glimpse of silver hair and billowing black coat. The figure pauses and glances, and from this distance you can still see the slice of rose-red gaze, almost amused in its crescent shape. You close your eyes and swallow the tea. It's tasteless and lukewarm in your throat. You hum.

“I wonder.”

+

People may try to forget and they may become successful, but the mansion does not.

It does not forget.

+

Sometimes, you still see afterimages of him in the halls, like a memory that's become a ghost to touch the edges of your longing, dead but never buried.

+

Perhaps it's your lingering regrets, but the mansion remembers its owner, the one from several human lifetimes ago, silkthin voice spilling from full, red lips, almost a caress, almost a plea.

Come with me, Abel.

The hallways had echoed the words, pulsed with every syllable, like heartbeat trying to escape its ribcage. His hand, bony and pale and sure, flowerstem fingers confidently outstretched in your direction. And in that moment you almost did take his hand, your body twitching towards him, pulling you in. But the glow of his rich-red eyes slowed you into hesitation.

And what will you do then, Vlad? And more importantly: What will you make me do?

Because all of this – everything – would lead to his dream, aspiringly pure but aspiringly frightening, and it had become a point of contention about the means to achieve it. You had thought that his dream, indeed, was an admirable thing, and at one point you would have also been glad to take a part of it and make it yours, too. Vlad was (is) beautiful when he's determined and dreaming, a radiant god descended from the heavens to spread his blessing amongst the mortals.

But that's the thing about gods, wasn't it? They had the power and they had the freedom. They could do anything they wanted. Dreamed of. Even to the pain of others.

+

The library is where he lingers the most, and where he had spent a lot of time aside from the gardens. This, a whole eternity ago. His hands – carved ivory, beautiful but deadly – trailed along the spines of the books in the shelf situated in the innermost corner of the room. It's where the oldest books reside, one of which waxes lyrical about flowers and their signifieds. It had been Vlad's favorite. Read it the most, his rose-gaze blossoming each time he turned a page.

The book is still here, untouched for centuries. Every spring you stand in front of the shelf at the innermost corner of the library, and the book of flowers is still here, coated in dust.

What kind of flower should I plant today? Vlad wonders next to you, the lilt in his voice tickling your ears.

“Maybe something bright, something hopeful.”

Something hopeful, huh. The words don't echo, but they latch onto the wooden shelves, absorbed by crust and old papers.

Then his voice gets closer, almost like a lover's whisper, the dip of his head next to your ear, parting like a secret:

Hopeful like how you promised me the answers to all my questions?

You whip your head to the side – the cold shock propelling you to tell him that he's wrong, that he misunderstood. That the promise still burns the marrow of your bones and leaves your blood inchoate with waiting.

But you whip your head to the side, and all you see is air, lonely and burdened with failure.

+

“I think there's a ghost in the mansion,” Mitsuki says, come summer.

The teacup freezes millimeters away from your expectant lips, and the girl flusters with wary embarrassment.

Regardless, you indulge her. “Is that so.”

“I'm serious! Last week, in the playroom, Arthur, Dazai-san, and Isaac were playing cards. I was there watching them. I cheered when Isaac finally won, and then somebody said congratulations – except nobody said that among the four of us!”

“And then what happened?”

“Dazai-san suggested it was a ghost, but Arthur and Isaac refused to believe it. Arthur wanted to investigate, but Dazai-san turned it into a ghost storytelling session to frighten poor Isaac.”

“That's unfortunate.”

There were never invisible eyes watching you whenever you lounge in the playroom. Vlad always prefers when you're in solitude – in the library, in the garden, in your bedroom – so your attention falls completely on him. The mansion sighs whenever Vlad smiles at you, and you almost ache to take the step forward.

“Comte … Is there really no ghost in the mansion?”

At the gazebo, Mitsuki's eyes are wide with childlike curiosity, and underneath the glistening impatience, there is fear. She must have grown up listening to stories of spirits and their lingering attachment. Some vengeful, some poignant. Some unable to let go. What are ghosts but imprints of someone who has unwillingly left?

Vlad was never unwilling when he walked away – it was always you who were.

“There isn't any ghost here, ma cherie,” you tell Mitsuki after sipping your tea. “There are only stubborn memories.”

+

Come with me, Abel, Vlad murmurs against the skin of your neck later that night in your bed, right above your jugular vein.

The mansion is always a little emptier during summer, as most of the residents prefer to go out and bask under the sun. And though it is emptier, it's during summer that the mansion is at its most alive.

Come with me, Abel, he repeats, in your ear this time, his tender voice caressed into a sorrowful plea.

The mansion purrs, ripples with its own longing.

I'm not a god, and I can't make you do anything.

All I wanted was for you to take my hand.

I'm still waiting for you to fulfill your promise.

“Vlad,” you whisper, neither plea nor curse.

On the bedside desk the clock ticks on, with no answers to give.

[yanderes-galore]

Been playing to much Disney mirrorverse now it got me wondering how would Yandere Merida react if she starts to fall for a villain who set fire to things ?

Sure! I love Mirrorverse so I'll see what I got for her :) I struggled on this but I think I got something ^^

Yandere! Mirrorverse! Merida with Pyrokinetic! Villain! Darling

Short Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, One-sided enemies to lovers trope, Stalking, Manipulation, Dubious/Forced companionship, Overprotective behavior, Violence.

As a Guardian, Merida is determined and rebellious.

She uses the power of wisps and spirits to help guide her perform her duty as a Guardian.

She has enhanced perception and is an expert tracker around the Mirrorverse.

Fractured are no match for her!

Merida would be Caring, Temperamental, Persistent, Protective, and Obsessive at times.

She most likely met you during a mission to remove Fractured from an area.

She prefers to be independent yet is willing to work with other Guardians.

You may be a villain who got their hands on the Stellar Mirror.

That, or, you work for one of the main villains for one reason or another.

When Merida meets you while scouting, she quickly realizes something needs to be done.

You're a user of pyrokinesis... a power that has the potential to cause more damage than any Fractured ever could.

Merida's first thought is to get help and take you out of commission.

Although before she's able to escape the first time, however, you and her begin to fight.

How the obsession begins is rough.

You're both obviously on different sides and as far as you know Merida could ruin your whole plan.

Merida learns the extent of your abilities and you learn hers in this little fight you have.

Your first meeting concludes by either you being chased off or Merida is.

Her obsession would take more encounters to situate itself in her mind.

That first fight was just a taste... she thought she could take you down alone!

Unfortunately... Merida is ambitious.

It would take many fights with allies to finally take you down.

Merida may gain a small crush on you during fights but her behavior doesn't fully form until she has you caught.

Part of her admits that when she sees you use fire it's... ethereal.

She refuses to accept the idea of a crush so early on.

Once she beats you in a fight, she admits it feels fantastic.

Yet she also feels a bit bad.

Merida begins to learn more about you when you're taken into the Guardians.

Until you learn to 'behave' you're given a charm that cancels your fire powers.

Essentially... in this state you're nearly harmless.

A fact Merida taunts you with at times just to get a reaction.

This is not the first time a villain has been made a Guardian.

It's just with you... it's unwillingly which is more difficult.

Merida takes on the job of settling you in.

The Guardians try to convince you that you should be more careful.

You're being used....

For the most part you don't listen, but once Merida's obsession really starts, that starts to change.

Merida can be caring to those she trusts.

While it will take time to fully trust you... somewhere in Merida does care about you.

Your powers will make you a skilled Guardian with time.

She agrees with her fellow Guardians that you have potential.

The issue is convincing you.

Merida tries to convince you by listing off the benefits.

You half listen to her, finding her attempts to convert you pitiful.

Your lack of cooperation is something that sets off her temperamental trait.

There's times you two have to be separated because of the arguments you two would start with each other.

Despite you angering her at times... something tells Merida to keep trying.

Whenever she looks at you... she feels she can change you.

You must just be misguided.

This makes her persistent.

She does everything from bribes to threats.

Making you become a Guardian will be difficult... if you even do.

She becomes obsessive about this to the point you could probably manipulate her by faking just a little bit of change.

You can manipulate her maybe once before she catches on.

Who knows, maybe you're faking it at the start but soon actually believe your own lies.

A fact Merida would be very pleased with if she found out.

If you convert or just deceive her it doesn't matter to her entirely.

Merida would soon be at the stage where she's overprotective of you no matter the alignment.

The rebellious scout would try to defend you from any sort of distrust you're subject to.

Merida acts like she's your only friend... maybe even something more due to how she defends you so intensely.

It's flattering....

Merida's behavior changes if you are just manipulating her just to get the charm off.

The moment you try to use your fire magic to betray the Guardians, Merida shuts it down.

She'd shoot you down with one of her ethereal arrows, but not enough to kill you.

She's bitterly tell you that this was a punishment before putting the charm back on.

Merida would probably have you chained up even if the Guardians didn't consent to such extremes.

Your wounds will be healed... but you will not taste freedom.

All you'll ever see will be Merida, a loving smile on her face as she caresses your cheek in an attempt to bring you comfort.

You don't deserve this...

She believes she can make you change... she vows to protect you even if you don't...

In the end you're hers and she feels she's yours... she'll stay beside you, even if you are in chains.

[9w1ft]

Hi :) Sorry to disturb but I’m not sure who to ask this to, and I think perhaps you might be able to help?

I’ve been a kaylor for the past two years but I still have my doubts on the timeline from the lover era and forward.

I was wondering if you believe that during these years taylor and karlie broke up. I first got the idea while listening to folklore, and realised that perhaps some of these “fictional” stories were not fictional at all so I’ve believed for a long time that kaylor broke up during the lover era and that lead to the very depressing songs on both folklore and evermore and others on midnights like maroon.

recently, though, I’ve started to have doubts cause I’ve seen some of your posts and there are a lot of coincidences that link karlie and taylor, like that pic of karlie in that blue thing hinting at 1989 tv.

Would you mind clarifying what you personally believe? Or do you have a timeline post that might help me?

sorry to disturb you and thank you if you read/answer this <3

hey! thank you very much for your ask

sorry it took some time to answer. in these trying times it’s always hard to gauge how much you want to lay it all out 😆

here is a post i wrote a little bit ago, though it is kind of vague as well

there is no timeline post i know of that explains the timeline that i believe, sadly. but i have never been in a rush to write one because i kind of think they would want to have this pocket of time that is forever ambiguous, because of the decisions they might have made.

at a base level i don’t think that it’s so difficult to comprehend. what’s the old phrase? first comes love, then comes marriage, then…. you can probably recall the rest. these are milestones that it’s not wild to assume someone might hope to achieve with the love of their life, you know?

i’m going to also assume you believe that they were together during at least part of lover era. seeing as how the lover music video shows the image of two parents in a house gifting their child a snowglobe with their love story inside of it. we see that taylor is already thinking ahead to the kind of life she might want to lead. and because of celebrity tiktoks we have this hint that taylor was very likely to have come out at the end of june 2019 in lover era, but did not.

so if we are to assume that this is what happened, that taylor got the rug pulled from under her and suddenly scooter was poised to profit off of taylor’s work, we might say that one thing taylor decided to do was halt her best laid plan. there may have been several things that froze her but one big reason, i believe, is because it would have led to an explosion of traffic from new listeners, all of which scooter would have financially benefitted from. there’s an interview out there where taylor talks about going out of her way to prove a point, and while you can infer she’s talking about re-recording her work to the interviewer, i think it goes beyond that.

think about karlie in this situation as well. if taylor and karlie were going to be publicly friendly again, that, also, would have led to so much publicity and attention on taylor’s back catalog, meaning more money for scooter. but also, karlie was still managed by scooter at the time, and it would probably have led to more bank for him via her because of taylor’s coming out. in my mind, i believe taylor and karlie decided to once again abandon working toward a public reconciliation, that you could argue they had been working towards for awhile, again. they had to tear down the banners again. karlie at once pared down what she was doing and stuck to several important partnerships. heck, she even gave up on hosting a television show that scooter’s company rebooted. with her adidas line, in the behind the scenes footage of her starting her partnership she gushes about how this is something she’s wanted her whole life. estée lauder as well, was something else she said she wanted since she was a kid. these along with carolina herrera seem to me like the precious few things she held onto.

sometimes i think about how karlie started wearing a necklace that said “i can and i will” in a distinctly tayloresque font as she continued being seen with scooter. how she wore this necklace and took all the heat from all the boneheads out there until eventually, we will get mad woman and vigilante shit. good wives always know. she had the envelope where you think she got it from, etc.. to me, this is the proof that they were still very much fine, although they may have been feigning it a bit to get a few things done.

i tried writing some extra stuff for you but sadly it is just more vague thoughts. but if you are interested, take a look below the cut!

before we get tracks like mad woman and vigilante shit, it is still the failed coming out era and taylor is wearing black jumpsuits with jackets tied around her waist and she looks sad. miss americana becomes a political documentary… sometimes i think about taylor’s explanation of the song hoax to aaron during lpss where she explains how she was mad at a lot of different things and people at once.

but then, it’s the strangest thing because the man music video is released, and while taylor bashes men —as she should— its also a very playful and upbeat video where she embodies this persona who is, among other things, the world’s best dad… and then there start to be all these dad jokes. oh yeah, and then the pandemic happened? taylor’s mother also had publicly reported health struggles. lover fest is cancelled. we are in a new landscape, where taylor is thinking about her life and how she wants to live it. she spends some time out west. karlie spends some time out west. karlie starts wearing the Courage onyx amulette de cartier again. jack leopards and the dolphin club release look what you made me do for finding eve.

oh also, folklore is being written from day two of the pandemic, and in time it gets released and then there’s a huge uptick in rumors and articles but in time karlie announces she is with child and everything gets quiet again. well, with a little clowning here and there for good measure but, a lot of fans who were on the kaylor fence hopped off of it. evermore. a feeling so peculiar that the pain wouldnt be forevermore. leave the chips on your shoulder behind, leave it all behind, and maybe there is happiness. interestingly, taylor says she wrote happiness last and like, a week before dropping evermore. she says its a song where she channels a friend who got out of a long term thing and how it’s about how does she pack everything up and put it (it as in… everything?) in a car and drive away (drive away with everything?) and what does she leave there. she also says that she doesn’t know what’s next, that she has no plans anymore. we are now on to no plan taylor. taylor in her no plan era. then we get bonus tracks and karlie —pregnant— gets so much hate directed her way. like if there was ever a soldier down on that icy ground moment for these two i wonder if it wasn’t here (though i think it was likely earlier) but like you say, the coincidences keep coming and the lyrics keep lyricing and things like renegade get released and all and all things continue to make a bunch of sense as to why they’re still connected to one another. oh and taylor wins a grammy for folklore in march minutes after levi is announced to the world. sometimes i think about how the meaning for the name levi is “unity” or “joined” and i think about the kinds of divides there were out there with the you’s and how across the great divide there is happiness, when you… leave… it behind. oh did i mention she continued to use that family crest symbol as she started her re-record journey?

just gonna skip forward to midnights. taylor releases an album that, for me, miraculously, was not just another ‘confessional’ album, but one that provided several songs that together gave literally all the key elements i was looking for in order to solve the mystery for myself. i can identify a potential reason for why things are the particular setup that they are right now and why not the other way around, i see —and hear— something about an important day, and something about an important period of time, and i see a music video that’s quite prophetic, and i hear taylor telling hard truths to the people that need to hear them, whether or not they choose to is still up in the air.

there are so many tour moments and moments during this tour that i could point toward but… i’m pretty sure most of those beats are fresh in your mind still so i’ll keep my ramblings to here for the time being, pending more signs that might suggest i’m on to something here. for now, this has been another freeform rundown of why i am sleeping fine at night 😌

[luxcherry]

##˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ NO TURNING BACK | STAGE ONE

˗ˏˋ pairing; zombie apocalypse survivor! vinnie hacker x mixed! white american-korean! zombie apocalypse survivor! fem reader ´ˎ˗    

╰┈➤ IN WHICH, the incurable virus took less than 24 hours to tear humanity apart. it was ruthless, it was nothing but destruction. now, your only choice is to head towards a place called eden’s project. a safe community with people, supplies and electricity. on your way there, you come across another survivor named vinnie hacker. your walls of sceptic were up regardless you asked him to join you, after all, there are men in numbers, especially in a crucial time when the only thing in people’s minds is survival and betrayal and death are the only way.

ღ AUTHOR’S NOTE; this has to be the longest fic i have written. but i enjoyed every bit of it now, i will be writing up the request someone asked, hopefully, it will be much shorter than this because it is a simple request. but knowing me, i’ll probably go way above and beyond.

ღ CONTENTS; strangers to lovers, zombie apocalypse au, fluff, gore, angst, swearing, violence, slight suggestive content, graphic depiction of death, wounds, mention of cancer, sexual assault, use of weapons (guns, knife etc), blood, cannibalism, mentions of death and any others that i may have missed.

ღ WORD COUNT;  16 pages, 8.4k

MASTERLIST | SERIES MASTERLIST

THE SUN was setting on the golden horizon quicker than ever, the rotting pungent stench was unchanging and it was something everyone has gotten used to it at this point. Well - that’s if there is anyone out there alive at this point. Fresh air was a privilege. Yet there was something, eerily peaceful about how the world has been slowly taken over by the evergrowing lush greenery. It was like nature was finally taking over what was rightfully theirs.

Vinnie had no time to take in the wonderful fauna and fairy book-like city. Once the night dust settles, it’ll get even more dangerous. The living dead gets more active and they’re like killing machine. It doesn’t help the fact that he accidentally ended up in the forest at a desperate time like this.

❝Fuck.❞ He swears under his breath, panic surging and becoming more evident as he pants heavily, chest getting heavy. There were no houses coming into sight or any type of shelter. He needed something. An abandoned car would do it just as long as it is in a safe enclosed space.

Vinnie has travelled for months, he doesn’t know. How did he end up in this situation? He and his buddy, Jack escaped California when the virus was at its peak, fleeting to Oregon to head to his family up in Seattle. The virus was unstoppable, however, it just got worse and worse. Till Oregon was also hit with the virus at its peak. Vinnie and Jack were separated, Jack was nowhere to be found which left Vinnie in a slump. Lost. He was on the verge of breaking down.

But, he can’t give up now. No, now that he got this far. He’ll reunite with his family and his friend along the way.

He emerges from the dense forest, where he spots a small cabin, it looks like it was barely holding up. Wood was rotting and weathered, lime green slippery moss was sprouting on the roof, the windows were completely boarded up and a lone bench by the front porch. This would do. It looks secure enough, why complain about that?

❝Thank fucking Jesus.❞ Vinnie mutters out of reassurance. 

He makes his way to the cabin, occasionally pushing away the overgrown foliage out his path, squelching mud under his boots. When he gets to the front porch, the creaks of the floorboards was heard as he shifts from foot to foot, he takes a deep breath in and reaches for the doorknob.

❝Hello?❞ Vinnie calls out before knocking on the door. There was no response, he pushed the light rickety wooden door open. He entered, the light thumping of his boots and the weak floorboards underneath him made a light creak.

He gets a proper good look inside; there was a dining table in the middle of the room with a small lamp, a small bed in the corner, and a small window at the foot of it. Floating bookshelf with grey dust piling. A small night table with a rustic lamp on top of it, and on the right was a stone fireplace with some pots and pans hanging above it. Cabinet. A door that was leading to what he believes was a bathroom. A small kitchen on the other side of the cabin. With that, it was empty and no supplies were left behind. 

Figures.

Before he could step any further into the cabin, the door shut closed behind him, and a cold end barrel of a double barrel shotgun poked him from the back of his head. His heart banged against his ribcage and he could hear it loud and clear. The hairs on the back of his head were standing straight out. That’s it. He’s going to die right here, right now.

He began to pray for the heavens above. This was the way he goes and leaves the Earth. Please, somehow, someway, let his family know he loves them dearly.

❝Put your hands up in the air.❞ A voice commanded which Vinnie didn’t hesitate to obey, ❝Who are you?❞

❝I swear, I’m just here for shelter. The living dead get more active at night, I’m just here for the night. I promise you that.❞

The shotgun was pulled away, and there was slight relief that came from Vinnie’s perspective 

❝Turn around and make sure that your hands are still up.❞

Vinnie carefully and grudgingly turns to face, you, someone who was roughly the same age as him with a permanent glare and frown on her face, still threateningly pointing the shotgun at him. He gulps audibly, his mouth becoming dry as he mentally prepares an onslaught of begging to spare his life and he wasn’t here to harm you in any way. He will be leaving this place in an instant and he’ll go far, far away.

❝Do you have weapons on you and in your bag?❞

❝No!❞

You pressed the nozzle flat on his forehead,

❝I SWEAR! I REALLY DON’T, I’M JUST HERE FOR SAFETY! I CAN LEAVE!❞

You lowered your gun down, looking him up and down, before slinging it over your shoulder. Vinnie hesitantly lowered his hands back to his side. His adrenaline was hurling all over his body from what he believed was that last he could be a living, breathing human.

❝You’re here for shelter?❞

❝I really am. I swear. I’m not trying to do anything.❞

You look at him suspiciously.

❝Take out any weapons, you have and throw them on the floor.❞

❝I don’t have any.❞ Vinnie responds calmly. Well, at least try to appear calm.

You jab your finger at his chest,

❝Try anything, I won’t hesitate to throw you out and leave you out there to be eaten.❞

You warned him sternly, sidestepping him and bumping him purposely, he could hear the treading of your footstep. It was almost silent. No wonder, you went completely unnoticed. His ear picked up the clicking, a soft orangey light emitting from the small lamp placed starting from the middle of the dining table, the light swarmed nicely in the small cabin. He finally got to see your face.

The lustre radiating nicely contrasted your face. Shadows created from the curves of your nose, splattered with an occasional blemish here and there, light pinkish lips coming to a slight pout slightly chapped and sharp, serious eyes. You still had the intense look on your face.

Regardless, holy fuck. You’re so fucking gorgeous.

❝I-uh...❞ He didn’t know how to react. Why was he so awkward?

You jerk your head towards the chair on the opposite side of the table, Vinnie awkwardly shuffled to the other end, he slipped off his backpack, setting it down on the floor just by his feet. He watches you move and hover on the counters, setting some bowls then popping open a can. You turned back around where you held two bowls in each of your hands,

❝Here.❞ Sliding him a cold bowl of tomato baked beans with the metal spoon already in it.

❝Beans?❞

You place your own bowl on the table, pull out your own chair take a seat then slip off the gun around your torso and prop it up right next to you.

❝What? You got time to be picky at this time?❞ You raised your eyebrows at this, reaching out for his own bowl and dragging it away from him, ❝Go find yourself some food that you’ll be willing to eat then.❞

Vinnie abruptly stopped you by the wrists.

❝No, no. Beans are perfect.❞

Vinnie’s first impression of you; was rigid, serious and extremely paranoid. Not that he blamed you for being the way you are, he doesn’t know you nor does he know your story. You’ve probably gone through a lot of things in this accumulated treacherous, savage and vicious environment. It makes sense. Hell, even the little noise, he hears, had him leaping and he was ready to fight or just sprint.

❝Do you have water with you?❞ You spoke up. Staring straight into the beans and stirring the spoon around.

❝Yeah, I do-❞

You cut him off right away.

❝Good. Supplies are scarce, right now. I don’t have enough with me to share with you.❞

There was the silence that settled once again, Vinnie didn’t like it, but he didn’t know how to continue the conversation further. He desperately wanted it to. This was the first ever person he made contact with ever since he got separated from his best buddy. Think, Vinnie, think!

A sudden loud bang came from the window followed by an inhumane groan and high-pitched shrieking. It went up an octave and lowered back down, it was almost like someone had poured hot molten lava all over him on a continuous loop. It kept banging and banging, wanting to get into the cabin, every strike gets louder and louder with the seconds that passed. At any given moment, Vinnie swore, it might just break in.

Calmly, you stood, the chair scraping against the floor, walking up to the window then drawing the curtains together. One by one, you drew all the curtains around the cabin, then you come back to the table, reaching to crank the lamp down. Ultimately dimming the lights down. The whole cabin was almost pitch black despite that he could still make out your silhouette.

❝You’re pretty calm for a person with a living dead banging on the window.❞ Vinnie points to your lack of uneasiness, shoving a spoonful of beans into his mouth, struggling to swallow it. Barely passing his throat. It was terrible. Inedible. As you said though, why be picky at this time?

❝Used to it.❞ You plop back down to your seat, ❝I barricaded the windows as soon as I got here. You just do the rest of the work, don’t do anything to attract them. They’re moths to a flame, a little amount of light and too much noise will make them swarm.❞

❝How long have you been here?❞

He notes that you haven't taken a bite of your food.

❝Just arrived this morning.❞ 

❝Why pick out this place? It’s… Kind of falling apart.❞ He carefully chose his words conscientiously. Hey, you may never know, what if you were a crazy person who gets offended and just shoots him? 

❝I’m not planning to stay here long term. As you said, they get more active at night. I would be caught dead being outside this time.❞

Once again, the silence hovered, it's like you were intentionally shutting him down and building a large wall that he would not climb over.

The banging continues to persist. Though, now, it seems like there were more than one living dead deciding that their next meal is inside the cabin.

❝Fucking shit.❞ You cursed, stomping over to the windows, ripping the curtains open and peeking through the small crack of wooden planks that barricaded the windows.

❝You've got to be fucking with my shit.❞ You whisper harshly then turning your attention back to Vinnie who looks at you confused, ❝Hey!❞

❝Grab that baseball bat by the bed!❞ You ordered.

❝We're clearing them off. There's like fifteen of them outside, if we don't, more are going to gather. Next thing you know, a horde of them!❞

You pocket a knife and pick up the axe by the fireplace.

❝We're not going to be the only ones having a nice dinner tonight! So, get your ass up, now!❞

Vinnie did as you were told.

❝Why can’t you use your gun?!❞

He panics,

❝Are you stupid?! Are you deaf?! Or are you both?! I just told you! These things are like moths to a flame, any noise or light will attract them! So, slap yourself in the face and be prepared to kill them off!❞

You swung the door open, and with the right amount of momentum; you swung the axe at the first living dead by your door. The sharp part digging right into its skull, there was a crack that resonated with a mixture of shrieks and groans. It was something that Vinnie had never heard before; he figured that it might be the sound of its skull splitting in the middle.

He followed closely behind you, he swung directly at its jaw, its head spun and permanently faced sideways. He didn’t hesitate to swing once again aggressively, this time its head popped off flying somewhere. A rotting hand slapped right on his shoulder, his adrenaline was pumping throughout his body, he reached for it and ripped it away from him followed by another swing of the bat right at its torso.

This went on for hours or in Vinnie’s perspective, all night, what it felt like all night. It felt endless. He swore that they just kept coming, you were right if you didn’t clear them out as you said. It isn’t going to be a pretty sight. It makes him sick to his stomach to even think of that possibility.

You slid down to the floor in exhaustion, the axe clanging beside you completely caked in blood and brain matter. Vinnie shuts the door behind him firmly and plops a seat beside you, tossing the baseball as rolls across the floor, he has his legs stretched out. His jeans were either soaked in blood or mud, he didn’t know. At this point, he could care less. He was on the verge of passing you. If he slumps over at the bed for sure, sleep would sweep him away.

❝There’s a bathroom over there.❞ You point at the door, it was the same one that he suspected was a bathroom, ❝You have guts all over your clothes.❞

❝I could say the same about you.❞

❝Well, you look exhausted, I’m staying up for lookout tonight. You can go to bed.❞

Vinnie groans getting up to his feet, why pass up the offer not being a lookout and missing out on the sweet, sweet ecstasy that is called sleep?

❝Sounds great. Then, the next thing I’m in the afterlife.❞

You snort,

❝Please, if that were the case, you wouldn’t be talking right now. You would have been some midnight snack for the living dead, right now.❞

Vinnie nods his head and shrugs.

❝Fair point.❞

He didn’t know how he got in bed or when he fell asleep. The next thing you know, he found himself cocooned up in his sleeping bag in the one sole bed in the cabin, it was morning time, he could tell, with the bright light peeking from the small cracks of the boarded window. You were nowhere to be found yet he could see your things are still here; like your backpack. It felt nice having to sleep without the worry of being eaten alive, for the first time in months, he got a good night's sleep. He felt refreshed and all the exhaustion that he’s been carrying was lifted off his shoulders.

Vinnie swung his legs off the bed and sat there for a while staring off into space unsure of what to do. The door slams open, revealing yourself who held a chicken by its feet, droplets of blood dripping on the floor. You slipped off the gun and propped it against the table then walked over to the kitchen area and slammed the dead animal on the counter making Vinne jerk out of his skin.

❝It seems like you had a great sleep.❞ You turn to face him raising your eyebrows questioningly, ❝You’re not going to complain about having chicken for breakfast, are you?❞

❝No, no. Chicken sounds great.❞ More than great. It’s fucking phenomenal.

❝I’m not making a meal that will make you feel horrible and sick. I found some rice in the cabinet and picked up a couple of spices. I’m making some congee. It’s rice porridge if you’re wondering.❞

He didn’t know what you were doing but shit you were working some magic. It smelled divine. The aroma was God-sent. Vinnie could feel his mouth water immediately. Time passed by in a quick flash, the next thing you know, you were placing the bowls on the table. Maybe it was hunger that was making Vinnie hallucinate? 

He didn’t wait for you to call him to the table, he was already moving on his own, and his stomach was twisting and growling from hunger.

The first bite he took, he was lost, in a good way.

❝How is it? It’s not much but it's a great Asian staple.❞ It was much better than canned beans. It was like Vinnie was experiencing a five-course meal at a Michelin restaurant, fuck, a freshly home-cooked meal from the stove was something he didn’t realise he missed dearly. He could shed a tear right now. 

This was, simply put it, heavenly. It might not be much but it’s much better than some reheated crap that you opened from a can.

❝What do you think?❞ Vinnie says as he scarfs down the contents of the bowl, savouring the simple and homely flavours.

❝You can have the whole house to yourself. I’m leaving as soon as I’m done eating breakfast.❞ You shove a spoonful into your mouth.

❝You’re leaving? Already?❞

❝Yes, I need to head to Minnesota and I’m not looking back.❞ You say determinedly,

❝But, Minnesota is so far away! It will take you years to get there!❞ Vinnie says in disbelief.

❝Not really, if I travel like this consistently, I’ll get there in a couple of months. I travelled quite far in just roughly 4 months from state to state.❞

Vinnie shook his head in disbelief

❝Oregon to Minnesota… Damn.❞

You look up. Eyebrows furrowed together,

❝Oregon? What are you talking about?❞ Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, ❝You do realise, you’re in Wyoming, right?❞

❝Hold on, hold on, hold on. In where?❞ Vinnie looked like you had shattered his whole world in a matter of seconds, he dropped the spoon into the bowl, making a loud clinking sound.

❝In Wyoming?❞ You repeat.

❝Fuck...❞ He swears under his breath burying his face in shame, ❝How do you know we’re in Wyoming?❞

He wanted for you to be wrong so bad, there is no way, he was heading North towards Seattle the last time he checked.

❝Um…❞ You reach for your pocket and took out a tiny folded piece of paper and wave it around, ❝Been following a map to get there.❞

❝I swear… I was heading North and kept going, I guess not… Wyoming…❞ He was defeated at this point. Vinnie was swallowing the wallows of shame.

❝Well, even if this isn’t the place where you intended to go, you’re still heading the right way.❞

❝What do you mean?❞ Vinnie peeks through the gaps in his fingers,

❝Well… Considering, Eden’s Project is located somewhere in Canada, any other state bordering it is completely shut off, and the pick-up point is in Minnesota. So, if you’re looking for a safe settlement, that is where the open border is.❞

He was even more confused.

❝What? Eden’s Project? Canada? What are you talking about?❞

This time you’re the one who dropped the spoon.

❝Holy… Fuck…❞ Jaws to the floor, ❝Have you been aimlessly wandering from state to state and not knowing where you are, the settlement and the pickup point?❞

You list off the faults that he had made.

❝How long have you been travelling?❞

❝Weeks? Months? I don’t even fucking anymore! All I know is that I was separated from my friend after driving out of California after the shitshow that went down! I should be in Oregon not fucking Wyoming! If it wasn’t for another breakout there!❞

You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose, the headache you were gaining from this conversation was astounding. You felt terrible for the guy honestly. You don’t know what his agenda is for wanting to head up North, you don’t want to ask nor do you plan to. If his friend wasn’t as terrible at direction as he was, he most likely ended up in the settlement already, that's if the border hadn't closed up in Seattle. He was completely lost and on the verge, if not, already on a mental breakdown. 

You’re aware that he’s a complete stranger. He could do anything that would cost you, your life. Ironic. But, despite that very serious concern of yours, you couldn’t get rid of that humanity that was lacking in this world at this time.

❝Do you want to travel with me to Minnesota? Your friend, I assume, will most likely be in Canada if he headed North unlike you.❞

❝Oh yeah, I so, would want to travel with someone who pointed a shotgun at me last night! Where I could have died! That’s a wonderful idea!❞ Vinnie exclaims sarcastically accompanied by dramatic hand gestures.

You purse your lips together. Well, he made up his mind, you are already packed and are ready to go.

❝Suit yourself. Nice to meet you and good luck.❞ You shrug. Standing up, the chair making a loud scraping noise, you pluck up your gun and slip on your backpack already by the door. Walking out the door, shutting it behind you, leaving him completely by the table, shocked. Unable to speak.

❝Wai- No.❞ Vinnie hurries to gather his own things before bolting out the door. You were already a good distance away from the cabin, so focus on the map already planning your route. He sprints failing to shrug on the straps, once he finally catches up to your side, panting.

He asked,

❝I’m only joking, you know that, right?❞

❝Nope. If you don’t want to tag along, fine by me. Feel free to have the cabin.❞

❝I’m coming with you!❞ He declares.

❝Cool. Keep up then. We have to hurry up and find a safe place to be, we’re missing precious daylight.❞

❝The cabin was okay. Why can’t we stay there longer? Until we find a car or something.❞

You shook your head.

❝Too risky. As you said, a cabin barely holding up, if we go out looking for a car, we’ll just call the attention of the wrong people. They’ll see supplies and people settled in there, and we’ll be in trouble.❞ You fold up the map, stuffing it in your back pocket, ❝We’re no longer the civilised, law-abiding people. We’re like wild animals now who will do anything to survive.❞

You look at him,

❝And where do you plan to find a car in the middle of a forest?❞

Good point.

❝I guess. We’ll just get whatever we come across then.❞

You stopped walking. Leaves stopped crunching as Vinnie followed suit.

❝What?❞

❝I don't know your name.❞ You stuck your hand out for a handshake, ❝Just cause, we're in these circumstances, doesn't mean we shouldn’t have the courtesy.❞

❝My name is (First name).❞ You finally introduced yourself,

He grasped your hand and shook it firmly.

❝Vincent. But, I much prefer being called Vinnie.❞ 

You nod in acknowledgement. You were the first one to pull away.

❝So,❞ He starts off, as you begin walking, ❝Do you know why they chose Minnesota out of all places? I mean, there are so many states bordering Canada. Why just one?❞

❝Well, from what I've been told. It's about control. There should only be one entrance and exit, if you choose to live somewhere else, it would be too chaotic and unorganised if everywhere else is opened.❞ You explained.

 ❝Make sense.❞

People are desperate at this point to get somewhere safe. It'd be difficult if they kept letting people in constantly.

❝It’ll be dangerous getting there. So, do you have a weapon?❞

❝No. I already told you.❞ Vinnie was quick to deny it.

❝I know you're lying to me. You'd be stupid walking around without one.❞

❝Then, why did you believe me when I said 'no' back in the cabin?❞

❝A desperate lying man would rather live and be safe than be out there eaten alive.❞ You paused then turned to face him, ❝Show me.❞

You demanded,

Vinnie jumps at the tone of your voice, he begins patting down his pockets, pulling out a small screwdriver. Presenting it out so proudly like he was at a show and tell presentation back in elementary school once again.

❝That’s it?❞ You raised your eyebrows at him. Crossing your arms together, adjusting your stance and smiling at him amusingly. Shifting your eyes to somewhere else, avoiding eye contact and pressing your lips together trying to hold your laughter in. He definitely is lost.

❝Well, with everything going to shit, what am I supposed to do?!❞ Vinnie flails his arm around in a panic, ❝I have to make do of what I can get!❞

❝Having an additional weapon like a baseball bat and a knife would be a better option instead of just having just a screwdriver. Grabbing that baseball you used last night could have been a good idea, Vincent.❞

❝Don’t call me by my Government name, that’s terrifying.❞

You snort.

❝Have you ever shot a gun before?❞

 ❝I-I’ve, you know, I could-❞ Vinnie attempts to stutter a lie. You are a pretty girl with a lot of badass knowledge, you’ve been travelling and surviving for, God knows how long. He wanted to impress you too. Make himself appear as that gun-slinging man to make up for to clueless behaviour he displayed.

He coughs to clear his throat,

❝Yes.❞ Vinnie simply stated.

❝Good. Let’s find you a gun and pick up some supplies.❞ You pat his shoulder before threading on, ❝Oh, and Vincent?❞

❝Yeah?❞

❝Just so you know, I don’t like beans either. Try not to pick up too much of that shit.❞

The views are breathtaking with every turn, it was all you saw, as you battled the great lengths of the mountains and hills. Its beauty within it and watercolour washed pastel blue sky. There was something unnatural yet natural about everything, though, quietness and stillness were something that came with it yet you could feel the tension. Perhaps, the unnerving thought of humanity crumbling under its feet was always stuck at the back of your mind, where you no longer appreciate it. On the other, your companion looked as carefree as the roaming free birds that soared across the sky.

He looked at everything with curiosity. Wonder. Without care, worry or thought of the world’s current state. You don’t get it. You don’t think you’ll ever get it. You will forever be as rigid as a rock. Hard. Unmoving.

❝This view is sick.❞ Vinnie says breathlessly.

❝I guess.❞

❝Come on, relax, a little. Enjoy this place a little bit.❞

You sigh,

❝We can’t. We have to keep trekking to where we need to get to.❞

❝Fine.❞ Vinnie almost whines like a child, ❝You have to agree though, this view is spectacular!❞

You said nothing. Ignored him. Kept walking down the small hill. Vinnie took a deep breath in and followed you closely, it will take time for you to open up, he sees that. But, he’s sure, you’ll open up like a beautiful blossoming soft-petalled flower on the first day of spring.

It had been hours; there was nothing but just endless forests, and the chance of finding shelter tonight was turning from slim to none. Honestly, it was making you anxious. The tightness, felt like there was a sack filled with sand placed on top of your chest. You were losing sensation in both of your arms like there were millions of ants crawling on them.

Vinnie picked up on your usual fidgeting. He tried striking up a conversation to keep your mind off it but came to no avail, all of it was met by one-word answers consisting of ‘yes’, ‘no’ or something along the lines of ‘quit messing around, we have to keep moving’. It was getting dark out.

❝We could camp out here.❞ He suggests,

❝We could. If it weren’t for that building over there.❞

You point to the little lone building; you began sprinting, almost tripping even and Vinnie followed closely. You didn’t care you were being whipped in the face by the branches outstretched.

❝Hey! Slow down!❞ Vinnie calls out as ducked and evaded, well, he tried to, but he got a face full of lashing from the low-lying tree branches. Muttering a low mumble of ‘ow’ under his breath as he tried to keep up with you.

It was a fairly small lone building in the middle of nowhere with the American flag hanging vertically on the front building, lashing against the violent blow of the wind, the entrance was sealed off by metal shutters. The side of the brick building was rammed by a dark blue matte car, a huge hole was where the car has crashed into. The vehicle stood no chance as anyone might expect, with some bits of the building completely shattering the front window.  It was crushed like a Coke can. There were no doors on it already, you could make out a figure slumped on the steering wheel. 

You could tell, they have been gone for a long time. The smell even from where you stood.

❝Holy fuck…❞ Vinnie was at a loss for words as you slowly come to approach the car, the recognizable stench was not something ignored, it was even worse when you get close. An unforgettable sight. Even being surrounded by death all the time, you’ll never get used to it.

❝Be careful. There might still be danger lurking around.❞ You warn.

❝Yeah…❞ He looks away and follows you to the front, you reached for the crowbar strapped to the side of your backpack crouching and shimmying between the floor and the metal shutters, giving a good push down prying a small space open. Vinnie hooked his hands from under the shutters, lifting them up to his knees, so you could crawl under them, you held the shutter in the same fashion as Vinnie, and a loud groan passed your lips. He quickly crawled in.

You let the shutters go, emitting a loud rattle.

❝Well, if the living dead heard that, at least we’re safe.❞

❝Yeah…❞ You look alleviated, the anxiety was washed off you, ❝Gather anything useful. I’ll grab you a gun or anything that be used as a weapon.❞

He nods as you disappear to the back of the building.

It was a run-down house slash store combination, it was completely trashed and things were strewn about, some furniture was turned overturned, and shattered windows were not completely boarded up. Nothing really major to note. It was a little too dark for his liking but that’s about it. Vinnie explored the room, plucking anything that can be useful and setting some canned food aside. A water bottle here and there, where it wasn’t even in a subpar condition. Bright green moss growing in there.

You emerge holding a shotgun.

❝Hey. I found a gun, this is going to be much better off than the screwdriver but keep it with you still.❞ You hold it out for him to take, ❝Here.❞

❝I-❞ Vinnie was hesitant to take it from your hand,

❝Do you want to die?❞

He didn’t hesitate to take it. You are looking at him up and down,

❝You’ve never shot a gun before, haven’t you?❞

❝I have-❞

You interrupt him,

❝Don’t lie to me. It’s better you’re honest with me now. You’ll put us in more danger than pretending to be all cool.❞ You read him like an open book, read between the blurred lines like you've known him for years. It was terrifying, to say the least,

❝How did you know?❞ That is all he could ask.

❝Well, considering how uncomfortable you look and the fact that your finger is hovering over the trigger when you're not ready to shoot. You could have killed us at any moment.❞ You point at the fatal flaw that Vinnie has done; prying his fingers away from the trigger.

❝Sorry.❞

You held a finger up.

❝Rule number one, don't point it at people when you're not intending to shoot even if you think it's unloaded.❞

You raised another finger up.

❝Rule number two, if you're not certain to fire at something or someone, don't hover your finger over the trigger.❞

He lets your words sink in; each syllable, as he slowly comes to understand the extra weight of great responsibility and repercussions that came with holding the weapon. Not that, he didn’t know, no, it was all coming at him like the waves crashing to the shore.

You placed your hands on him and nodded,

❝Good. One more thing to keep in the back of your mind, Vincent. We have to make every shot count.❞

He looks up to meet you in the eyes.

❝We're no longer regular people. We are survivors. We have to fight for our lives every single day, do you understand?❞

❝Yes.❞

❝Okay.❞

You stayed the night there. It was fairly a safe place. You and Vinnie didn't really talk much; ate dinner that you prepared, and you slept on the opposite side of the room, all done with no words exchanged. There was no danger that arose during the night so you had managed to get a wink of sleep. The flight of anxiety prevented you so, throughout the still night, you listened to Vinnie's even and slow breathing.

The morning came, sooner than you expected,

❝Goodmorning.❞ Vinnie greets sleepily, his voice deep and with a slight 

❝I'm not really hungry. Do you want anything?❞ 

❝No. Also, you're not responsible for making food for both of us. I'll make it too if you don't feel like it.❞

You stare at him for a second, he couldn't help but fidget on the spot. If he was being honest right now, he felt guilty, he felt like he'd just tossed a whole responsibility on your shoulder. Like he was some sort of another mouth to feed and not another asset. Vinnie felt bad. 

It felt like you were doing everything yourself like you were babysitting him.

❝Habit. But, if it bothers you, let's split responsibility. You go hunting for anything edible then I'll be the one cooking it.❞

❝That's a deal.❞ Vinnie agrees with the bargain, ❝Are we leaving now?❞

You nod firmly,

❝Yes. The sun is rising, we’re already both awake and we emptied this house already to its full potential, we need to keep moving. Don’t leave anything behind.❞

You leave the premises the same way you came in, however, Vinnie held the metal shutters open so you could squeeze out first. Just as you were about to squeeze out, a living dead grabbed Vinnie by the ankle and began tugging at him. He backs away letting the shutters drop, completely cutting it off cleanly as it lets an inhumane scream. He kicks off the limb clutching onto his ankle, and the living dead began to bang aggressively.

❝Fuck. Is there a back door?!❞

❝No! Let’s go!❞ You call for sprinting up the stairs with Vinnie following closely behind, your ears picked more and more gathered outside and the increased volumes of groans. There were more gathering outside as seconds passed by. Going straight to the door at the end of the hallway to your right, 

A living dead lunged at you coming for your neck knocking you off your feet and pinning you firmly onto the floor, its yellowing teeth baring at you and its blueish face near yours, there was no life behind those eyes anymore. It was sheened with an unnatural opaque cloudy purple and greenish hue. Its humanity is long gone. You held it by the shoulder preventing it from chomping and eating you alive.

❝FUCK!❞ You were kicking your feet trying to push it off you, Vinnie swung the butt of his own shotgun on its head, brain matter splattering on the walls. You push the collapsed body on top of you. He held out his hand and helped you back up,

❝Come on!❞ He held your hand tightly as he tugs your hand to follow him into the room, he shuts the door and you ran to open the window. It was quite a bit of drop but it was the only way out. You have to leave now.

❝You think we can jump this?❞

❝Well, either we jump now or we’ll be here and more of them will be waiting for us outside.❞ 

Vinnie carefully shimmied himself out the window reaching for the piping to climb down on, but due to its decaying stage, it cracked under his weight and toppled over, where he came crashing down violently on the ground. 

❝Vincent! Look out!❞ A living dead lunges straight at him, pushing him onto the ground. The dead stood no chance, you didn't hesitate shooting it at the back of its skull. Head exploded. You were quick, this was it. The game of survival you talked about. There was no time to be hesitating and diddle around. Or your life will be the price you pay.

Vinnie looked startled for a second but he snapped out of it, grabbing his shotgun, pumping the rearguard and pushing it forward. 

❝Come down! I’ll cover for you!❞ He starts shooting albeit clumsy and clearly inexperienced. Jerking from the violent recoil he didn’t mentally and physically prepare for.

The gunshot was attracting it towards you.

❝Let’s go!❞ You screamed finally landing the huge leap you took from the second floor, readying yourself with your gun.

The two of you ran for your lives, legs pumping, with a horde following closely behind you. A predator chasing after its prey. To be devoured. Sinking its teeth deep down to your skin and bones.

Vinnie spots an abandoned warehouse. 

❝Over there!❞

You ran for your lives,

Once you got there, you and Vinnie immediately shut the door close locking it behind, you hurried to push a large piece of furniture blocking off the entrance as the horde’s banging continued against the metal doors as they try to break in.

❝Fuck… At least, this is better than that place.❞ Vinnie pants, finally breathing, he was fucking terrified. He never got into that situation ever in the time that he was travelling alone. A horde. Like a terrifying tsunami, ready to sweep with its powerful rush of water, it was starting to click more in place, the sole reason why no matter what, you were always on the move.

❝Yeah… Let’s find another exit. Get the fuck out of here.❞ 

The place was a complete wreck and things were completely toppled over, there was a random puddle of water that reached up to your ankles from the leaking rusting pipe above you, it led to a large pool of water, and the top surface of the water shimmering from the light shining down from the open ceiling.

❝You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.❞ You cursed thinking about how you have to suffer with soaking socks and shoes till you get to your next destination, and you aren’t even entirely sure if it’s going to be completely bone dry on your next move.

❝This is going to be a fucking pain in the ass travelling with wet shoes.❞

❝Tell me about it. Well, we’ll just start a fire to help it dry quicker or at least… Dry enough.❞ You shrug, lifting your shogun above your head to avoid it getting soaked and slowly stepping into the cold body of water, you shivered. Vinnie also steps in lifting his own shotgun above the air, the two of you slowly navigate through the chest-deep water, to get to the other side where hopefully you’ll see an exit out of here.

❝It’s fucking freezing!❞ Vinnie’s teeth chattered,

❝Let’s try to hurry up and get out of the water.❞ You look over your shoulder warning him, ❝Be careful and try not to slip.❞

Vinnie chuckles.

❝I’ll try.❞

There was a light splashing water occasionally moving any floating rubbish and plants obstructing your way. Eventually, you get to the other end, completely soaked and your shoes squelch every step you took. It was disgusting and uncomfortable. You felt extremely cold and exposed, it didn’t help the fact there was a light breeze.

❝Fuck me.❞

❝I just hope there are spare clothes and shoes laying around here. I don’t think I can handle travelling like this.❞

❝Tell me about it.❞

❝I’m craving hot tomato soup and some bread.❞

❝Sounds fucking awesome.❞ Vinnie kicks his feet lightly to get at least the majority of the water out, ❝Let’s keep moving?❞

You nod. 

❝Got a torch on you? It’s a bit darker further in.❞

❝Uh…❞ Vinnie pats the chest pocket of his jacket, and he pulls out a tiny torch which was the size palm of his hand, ❝Is this good enough?❞

You snort.

❝Well, you must be fun in bed.❞ You said before walking away leaving Vinnie startled.

❝Don’t insult it! It’s all about the motion of the ocean!❞

Sure, that could be the case but not for the little guy, it was barely illuminating anything in front of you. You’d be way better off without it as it didn’t do much help.

❝Are you sure about that?❞

❝Okay… Maybe you’re right but I stand by my words.❞ Yet it was better than nothing, you'd be walking blindly into danger if you were to step in the dark like that. Vinnie took the lead, and you followed him closely. The dark led you into an office, you were guessing it used to be the manager’s office, especially with the number of metal drawers filled with soggy paperwork and folders, there was bright green mould on it. Dust collecting on the desk.

❝Oh, look…❞ You pick a rusting machete, ❝That horde outside is going to get more aggressive if we start shooting in here. Machetes or anything preferably silent is going to be handy.❞ 

❝Well, it seems like, after that, luck is gaining on our side.❞ Vinnie says, approaching the emergency pulaski that still remained in its box, he unlatches the lock and opens the glass door, he takes it out of the box. Held it firmly in his hand,

You began to head out of the office looking for an exit. There stood a dead twitching and slightly hunched over clutching his head like it was in pain, with its back turned towards you, the thing was groaning audibly. It seemed like; they were just recently infected. There was still some colour and breath of life in its skin. The stench of rotting was still absent. Everything about it was still fresh.

Taking initiative, you quietly snuck up behind it. Holding your breath. Hands gripping tightly onto the hilt of the machete. You approached and held it firmly in your grasp, it flailed around trying to desperately get away and hissing at you. Holding the sharp edge and digging deep into its neck then digging into the soft skin. It stopped, you let go and it fell limply onto the ground.

Another took notice of you, it came running but Vinnie intercepted it before it could even get near you, he hack the pulaski right at its head stopping it in its track and also falling down to the ground with a loud thud.

❝Let’s get out of here. I’m freezing.❞

You nod.

❝Yeah…❞

Then something caught your attention before you could leave.

❝Hey… What the fuck is that?❞ You point towards the silhouette of a man. Though it was dark, you could still tell someone was standing there. Not still, it was twitching and moving in an unordinary and almost uncontrollable way. Quivering like it was the cold. Contorting its body in an unnatural way. You couldn't explain it.

❝I have no fucking clue but, I think it's not a great idea to be seen by that.❞

Then it slowly turned around to face where you and Vinnie currently stand, stepping out of the shadows.

You have never seen anything like it. Horrifying. When you thought, you'd seen the worst of it all. This is a different stage of decay; its face was split right down the middle from the top of its skull down to where its nose is supposed to be, growing inside of it was a hardened symmetrical calloused fungal light yellowing colour with red tips. Skin is an almost entirely white thick leathery layer.

Everywhere on its body looked like there were circular boils and growing fungi. It made a weird clicking sound that rang throughout the warehouse.

You don't know what it is nor do you have knowledge of this whole virus but, one thing is for sure, it's evolving. 

Your heart was beating wildly.

❝Let's slowly back away. I wouldn’t want to mess with whatever that thing is.❞

You and Vinnie carefully take a step back, gradually, occasionally looking behind and keeping a keen eye on whatever that thing is. Feet getting caught at the legs of the chairs.

Shattering a glass bottle, its head whipped once again towards your direction. Letting out a series of clicks.

❝Fuck.❞ You run to hide and cowered behind the desk, Vinnie follows suit. Readying yourself with the rusting machete in your hand. The thing only stood where the bottle had rolled to as it let out another series of clicks and screech. It was defeaning. 

Vinnie spots another strayed bottle by his feet, he picks it up and clutches it before chucking it with all his might in the other direction, your ears could pick up the shattering noise. The clicker whips its ugly head towards the noise, it screeches once again, before sprinting towards it.

You two emerge behind the desk and began heading the opposite where it ran to, 

❝I think those things are just attracted to a loud nose. Good thinking on the machete.❞

❝I don’t even want to think about a horde of them coming at us all at once.❞

❝Have you seen anything like that? It looked completely different to what we encounter every day.❞

❝No, I haven’t.❞ You take a deep breath, ❝The virus is mutating or there could be another type of virus out there that could have bound with it.❞

❝This whole thing is getting terrifying every minute that passes.❞

❝Tell me about it. Whatever that thing is, we avoid it as much as possible till we find out how to kill it, properly.❞

❝You don’t have to tell me twice.❞

You and Vinnie attempt to go around the warehouse trying to find the exit but either you end another part of the warehouse or the doors are completely blocked by a chest of cabinets piled up on top of each other, an attempt to push it off was a fail. It didn’t even move an inch, it was a solid wall. Probably it was something to block off the horde but from the obvious look of it, it’s a flailed plan.

There was a stairwell that led up to the roof; you and Vinnie carefully climb your way up the metal stairs which were barely holding up, all weathered down and rusting, every step made it wobble and made a horrible noise which sounded like it was going to collapse at any second. This was a terrible idea but at this point, you’ve already gone too far to go back. On the roof, there were a lot of abandoned things and some random wooden crates scattered about, all covered with tattered and muddy cloth.

Vinnie removes it,

❝Hey, look Molotov bottles.❞ Vinnie picks it up and inspects it closely, ❝Wonder who left it here? Looks useful.❞

❝Well, whoever it is are pretty stupid.❞ You said looking through more crates, ❝Well, will you look at that? There’s more.❞

From a distance, there was a large boom, it sounded like an explosion or perhaps something large collapsed... You could still feel the aftershock,

❝What the fuck was that.❞

❝I don’t know… No maintenance for a long time could result in things, stop working or just breaking.❞

There was an echoed screech from below, you and Vinnie looked at each other, there were more of those things that you luckily didn’t come across on your way up here. But holy fuck, there were 20- No, definitely more than that. They let off a series of clicks. It was already terrifying as it is seeing those things up close but seeing so many of them in a group. The noise must have gotten their attention to the surface,

❝You think these Molotov got something to do with it?❞ Vinnie gulps.

❝Most likely. I mean, who makes this in their free time? Someone has come across this and figured out how to kill it.❞

❝Want to try it out?❞ He looks over at you,

❝Well, there’s a ladder on the side of this building. We can get down from there if this doesn’t go our way.❞

Vinnie approaches the stairwell, it was barely holding on anyways, he starts kicking away at the stairs creating a clanging sound which caught the attention of the Clickers.

❝Hey. Got any other way to keep this quietly?❞

❝You tell me!❞ Vinnie says at you sarcastically. This time he started hitting it with his axe quickly and desperately,

You grabbed one of the bottles and threw it into the stairwell which shattered into pieces, you grabbed your shotgun and aimed. Once you took your shot, the alcohol bursts into bright flames igniting, the Clickers nearby and drenched in the flammable liquid also combusted. They let out high-pitched screams before collapsing, charred and blistered.

Vinnie finally managed to get the stairs detached. It was quiet for a moment.

❝Let’s get the fuck out of here.❞

[aquariaries]

Kou Mukami 11 - Chaos Lineage + CG

***I do not mind if you use my translations as a base for another language, I just ask that you credit both 46snowfox as the original translator and myself as the English translator if you do!***

Original translation credit: @46snowfox

https://46snowfox.tumblr.com/post/617475223016669184/01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08

You can find Kou's previous chapters in @tournesolia's masterlist linked down below!

https://tournesolia.tumblr.com/

————————————

Yui's Monologue:

-- The next day.

We talked again and decided to hide out in this abandoned house for awhile.

We decided to establish shifts to stand guard, but after a few hours there had been no change.

This place is deep in the forest, so even Ruki-kun and the others might have a hard time finding it.

But we can't let our guard down.

Since we find ourselves in a situation in which we cannot trust anyone, and we do not know when anything can happen.

————————————

PLACE: Abandoned House

Yui: (It was a good idea to decide on guard duty, but ... ...)

Is it really okay if I'm the only one that's resting ... ... ?

Kou: It's fine, it's fine, you rest up on the bed.

Ruki-kun and the others are aiming for you. Wouldn't it be difficult if something happened and you were too tired to move

You should rest while you can.

Yui: That may be so, but ... ...

(Everyone takes short breaks and then returns to watch.)

(So I feel bad being the only one who gets to rest the whole time.)

... ... Please Kou-kun. Isn't there anything I can do to help?

Kou: Resting is your main job, but if you insist so much ... ...

*He comes up close*

Kou: How about curing my tiredness? Nnn ... ... *kisses*

Yui: Nn ... ...

(A-again he suddenly kisses me out of nowhere ... ...)

(I know that Kou-kun is showing that he cares for me in his own way, and it makes me happy however ... ...)

(No matter how accustomed I get to it, what embarrasses me will continue to embarrass me.)

Kou: Fufu, your cheeks are turning red. They really do get quite red.

*He caresses her cheek*

Yui: (He's caressing my cheek ... ... ... ... Nn, it tickles ... ...)

Kou: You're body is giving in to feeling good.

You get excited easily M-neko-chan~. That side of you is adorable too ... ... Nnn ... ... *kisses*

Yui: Ah ... ...

(Now his lips are on my neck ... ...)

Kou: ... ... Nnn *smooch* Fufu. I left you a mark~

Yui: H-hey! Don't leave one there ... ... !

Kou: There's nothing wrong with it, right? Since you like to be messed with after all right?

Yui: Th-, that's ... ...

Kou: I wonder where I should kiss you now. Your ear? Or maybe, your neck again? Ah, your collarbone would be good as well.

Yui: ... ... Nn ... ...

(Kou-kun is tracing his fingers against me ... ... My body keeps growing hotter and hotter ... ...)

Kou: Hey, your face is redder than before. Did you get turned on because I made you flustered?

Yui: Ngh ... ...

(Now his fingers are tracing my neck ... ... It tickles ... ...)

Kou: Your eyes are becoming teary, how cute. Come on, look me in the eyes.

... ... Yui, I want you to show me all of your different faces.

Yui: (No ... ... Any more than this, and I'll -–)

Kou: Just kidding~

Yui: Eh ... ... ?

*He backs up*

Kou: If I keep teasing you like this I think your face might catch fire, so I'll leave it here for now.

You also cheered me up quite a lot ♪

Yui: ... ... ... ...

Kou: Huh? What's wrong?

Yui: G-geez ... ... I don't even know you sometimes!

*She pushes him away*

Kou: Ahaha, you're becoming boring M-neko-chan.

Yui: (Anyone would cringe if something like that happened to them.)

(Haah ... ... It really was embarrassing ... ...)

*Yuma and Azusa return*

Yuma: We're back ... ... Wait, what were you guys doing?

Kou: Ah, welcome back.

Azusa: Eve's face is red ... ... Is she alright?

Yuma: Surely, they were flirting again.

Kou: It's obvious, isn't it? We're lovers after all. We do even more things than –-

Yui: K-kou-kun!

Kou: Eeh? But if it's the truth. Your eyes get all teary and --

Yui: Enough Kou-kun!

(He's completely teasing me for fun!)

Yuma: ... ... When I look at these guys, I feel less nervous.

Azusa: How typical of them ... ... fufu.

Kou: So then, did you feel the presence of anyone approaching?

Azusa: No, it looks like we'll be fine for now ... ...

Yuma: Although, I tried to look for food, and as I thought it seems there's nothing in this area.

Kou: I see. It will be a problem if we run out of food. Thinking of her strength, we won't be able to stay here too long.

Azusa: There's no sign of Ruki or the others coming. Shall we move elsewhere ... ...?

Yui: But we can't go back to the mansions, and we have no other place to go ... ...

Kou: Right, there isn't. In these lands there are only those mansions and the church.

And they would find us right away at the church.

Azusa: Well then, shall we camp ... ... ?

Yuma: Since it's just us we would be able to do it, but.

Kou: ... ...

Azusa: ... ...

Yui: (Uu ... ... Everyone is staring at me ... ...)

Selection:

————————————

-> Let's Camp ♟

Yui: (I have never been camping before, but this isn't the time to be picky.)

I'll be fine. Let's camp!

Kou: No no, we can't just let a girl sleep on the ground.

Yuma: I don't dislike your guts, but that's just how it is.

Yui: I-Is that so ... ... ?

Yuma: Although, in the worst case we will have to consider it, so for now let's find a roof to sleep under.

Azusa: I just hope there's an old house like this ... ...

————————————

-> It would be dangerous to camp ♙♡

Yui: (This is not the time to be picky, but it wouldn't be good for me to run out of strength while camping because I'm not used to it.)

Aren't we getting too far ahead in deciding that we're going camping?

Kou: You're right. If possible I would like you to be in a place where you can cover yourself from the rain and wind.

Azusa: We don't know how our situation will turn out to be, however ... ... For now, how about we try to find a house that isn't being used ... ...?

————————————

Yui: Yeah. I hope there is another place where we can rest.

Yuma: When we decide to change places, we'll go immediately. I'm going to take a look around just in case. Make sure you guys are prepared.

*He walks off*

Kou: We should look for something useful.

Yui: You're right.

*They rustle around while searching*

Kou: ... ... Ah, there's a knife ... ... However, it's quite rusty. I don't think we need it.

Yui: They're a bit old, but what about these sheets? They may be useful for something.

Azusa: I think they're fine. These are ... ... winter clothes? I think it'll be good to take these too ... ...

Yui: Even if we look for something useful, we don't know if these are the types of things to be bringing.

Kou: It's because even useless things can be used for something. Ruki is good at these things.

Azusa: It's true. If Ruki were here, like when we were in the orphanage ... ...

Kou: ... ... As I thought, this situation would have been quite different if Ruki-kun was here ... ...

He may have immediately solved the problem.

Yui: Kou-kun ... ...

Kou: ... ... There's no use saying that, we must hurry up and think of a method to recover his memories.

Yui: Yes ... ...

Azusa: Just how ... ... could we make Ruki recover his memories ... ... ?

Kou: Ruki-kun is the smartest among us.

So it may not be easy to undo the mentality that was implanted in him.

We always let Ruki-kun do the thinking.

But even at this point overthinking is a problem.

Azusa: Even if we try to shock him, it won't work if it doesn't shock him enough ... ...

Yui: (A shock, huh. Now that I think about it, at that time ... ...)

*Flashback*

Azusa: Hey, Ruki-san ... ... Why did you, miss on purpose ... ... ?

Yui: Eh ... ... ?

Kou: He missed on purpose ... ... ?

Ruki: You're wrong. I, intended to kill you–-

Azusa: Then why. When Eve called your name ... ... you hesitated slightly, didn't you?

Ruki: You're wrong!

*Flashback ends*

Yui: (When he cut Azusa-kun, he missed on purpose, and I'm sure that it was because somewhere inside he remembered Azusa-kun.)

(But ... ... Even after that shock, Ruki-kun didn't recover his memories.)

(I guess that means it won't work unless there's a stronger impact ... ...)

(So how on Earth do we go about doing that ... ...)

*Distorted sound*

... ... Ngh, ... ...

(Ugh, I'm dizzy, but ... ... Maybe it's because so much has happened lately?)

Kou: ... ...Getting Ruki-kun to suffer a greater shock ... ...

Yui: (Thank goodness ... ... It seems Kou-kun and Azusa-kun didn't notice.)

(We are already in this terrible situation, I don't want to worry them any further.)

*Yuma bursts in*

Yuma: You guys, hurry! We're leaving immediately!!

Azusa: Yuma? What happened?

Yuma: Ruki is close by!

Yui: Eh ... ... !?

Kou: Ruki-kun is ... ... ?

PLACE: Forest

Shin: It's this way, nii-san.

Ruki: Yes.

(Who would have thought that they would be in the middle of this forest. If it weren't for Shin's sense of smell, we would have had more trouble finding them.)

Shin: The smell is starting to get stronger ... ... We may be about to reach the place where they are.

Ruki: There are not only Kou and Azusa from Violet, but there is also Yuma from Scarlet . Don't let your guard down.

PLACE: Abandoned House

Yuma: I heard from Reiji that Shin had a good sense of smell, it seems he actually followed our scent.

Yui: No way .. ...

Kou: We can't stay here forever. Let's move quickly!

Azusa: Yes ... ... !

PLACE: Forest

Yui: Haah, haah ... ...

(I feel like I'm getting tired more easily than usual. Even though I rested more than the others ... ...)

Kou: Hey, are you alright? You're a little pale.

Yui: I'm fine. It's because I started running out of nowhere, I'll recover soon.

Kou: Then that's fine ... ... But let me know right away if you start to feel worse okay?

Yui: Yeah, thank you.

(Even though Kou-kun says that to me, I can't let myself be spoiled. We're all going through the same hardships right now.)

(But ... ... If we just keep running away and are continuously being chased, what will we do when we have nowhere to run?)

(This place is like a miniature garden. Even if we escape, the places we can go are limited.)

(... ... It's no use. Maybe it's because I'm so fatigued, I keep thinking negative, things ... ...)

(Hu ... ... h ? The surroundings are blurry -–)

Kou: M-neko-chan!!

*He grabs and holds onto Yui*

Kou: Hey, are you alright!?

Yui: Ah ... ... Just now, I ... ...

(Kou-kun, he's holding me up ... ... Did I ... ... collapse?)

Azusa: Lately ... ... you haven't been eating, so your body has probably reached its limit.

Yuma: I would like you to rest, but there's no way we can stop here ... ...

Kou: Then in that case, I'll carry her. Azusa-kun, could you carry her luggage?

Azusa: Understood ... ...

Kou: Here we go.

Yui: Nn ... ...

*He picks Yui up on his back and carries her*

*CG*

Kou: ... ... Alright, let's hurry on ahead you two!

Yuma: Yeah.

Azusa: Yes ... ...

Yui: ... ... Kou-kun ... ... I'm, sorry. Aren't I heavy?

————————————

[Two roses appear on screen with extra dialogue]

***Rose on Kou's head***

It's alright. I wouldn't leave you alone in a place like this.

***Rose on Yui's hand***

Make sure to hold on tight so you don't fall. I'll make sure to carry you properly, so relax and leave your body to me.

————————————

Kou: Not at all! Rather I'm worried about how light you actually are.

It will be fine. I'll make sure to protect you, so relax and get some sleep.

Yui: Thank you ... ... I'm sorry ... ...

Kou: There's nothing to apologize for. Isn't it the best thing for a man to be relied on by the girl he likes?

You haven't done anything wrong. Now let me ... ... Let us take care of everything.

Yui: ... ... Yeah.

(I'm sorry ... ... I didn't want to become a burden ... ...)

(Even though ... ... I don't want to cause any trouble ... In the end ... ... this happens ... ...)

*End CG*

Yui: (Everyone ... ... I'm sorry ... ...)

-END-

[kigozula]

By Your Side: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 3: Fall

AO3 & FF.Net

As some of you may have noticed, this year I am posting every two weeks, since I have written fewer stories in contrast to the last years. Which means this is my second to last entry. I decided to make a difference this time. While writing today's story, I went with a flow of my feelings without planning it through. It was one of these stories that motivated me to write in the evening without a "final goal" in mind. I thought it would need a continuation most likely. In the end it turned out I was right. Personally, I like stories that shape the form of happenings while writing when a sudden feeling arises, inspiring me to put it into words. So, in two weeks you will be able to read the continuation of today's story! 

Lovers liked asking questions they knew the answers to. Only to hear their loved one say it out loud.

Life was not easy. It was full of tests. Everybody struggled in different ways, with different things.

Her test was her family. To make hard choices. It was cruel for being forced to stay away from the one man who gave her the most wonderful things she ever had. That man who made her feel awesome things.

She would like to stay with him forever. It felt wrong to be away from Sokka. An inner desire, a strong feeling almost stronger than her loyalty to her family.

Yet here she was, entering the seas of the Southern Water Tribe, without permission from the Chief. Without thinking it through.

“Princess, your father wanted you to deliver the message with your royal hawk from Kyoshi Island.” the Captain of her guards said.

Azula’s gaze was lost in the horizon. Her back was turned to the him on deck of her ship.

“I know that very well Captain.” she said.

“Chief Hakoda has the right to take us hostages the moment we enter their seas.“

“I know that as well Captain.” she said coldly.

The Captain sighed, “Princess, I respect your feelings and decisions, but…”

“Captain!” she snapped turning around to face him, „Chief Hakoda won’t touch you or my other guards, you have my word. We both know he isn’t some heartless man. If there are consequences, it’ll be on me.”

“I care about your safety and protection Princess.”

“I appreciate that Captain.”

Both of them and the whole crew on the ship knew that Hakoda would never hurt them as long as they meant no harm, which they didn’t of course. Even if their nations weren’t on best terms, years of communication and allying for certain situations made many of them unspoken friends.

Azula would meet Chief Hakoda, deliver her father’s message and that would be it.

Maybe, … maybe she could also see him one more time. Look at him one more time.

Sokka.

The man who made her fall in love…

Oh she was playing a dangerous game wasn‘t she? Her father was likely to get mad at her. So be it. She was tired of all of this.

The arrival went as expected. The Southern Water Tribe had rules. No outsider could lay a foot on their grounds without taking permission first. Hakoda and Kya kept said consequences for Princess Azula and her Guards harmless. The Guards were given food while Azula was in the “Royal Igloo” as Sokka sometimes called it to mock her.

“Princess, as Chief, I can’t let you get away without any consequences. Your ship will be searched through. I believe you meant no harm, but we all have a task.” Hakoda told her.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.” Azula said honestly.

Kya smiled and put a hand on her arm.

“Please make yourself comfortable Azula. Sokka should be back soon, he went hunting this morning.”

Azula smiled at her too.

When Kya left the igloo, Azula couldn’t help but enter Sokka’s room.

It felt like him, smelled of him. The familiar feeling warmed her aching heart. She sat on his bed and her eye caught his necklace. He normally didn’t take it off leisurely. It was one of his most prized possessions. She froze when she saw a carving on one spot. A name.

AZULA.

Her name. Carved into his necklace he valued so much.

______________________________________________

His test was his deep love for her. His Azula. Without her, every breathe he took felt like it hurt. Everything was her. She was in his thoughts constantly.

When he saw her ship, he literally sprinted on snow, forgetting his task. He recognized her guards sitting in front of his igloo and gave them a nod, almost bumping into his father in the process.

“Father! Where is Azula?” Sokka asked.

“Inside.” Hakoda answered with a look that told him many things.

He looked at his son hopelessly, trying to convey a message. Many times he talked with both Azula and his son, that unpleasant things would happen if they acted on their feelings. Their nations would not welcome a union gladly at the moment. But at this point, it seemed like nothing could hold them back.

Sokka kept held gaze for a moment, wordlessly telling him that he wouldn't stay away from Azula. Not out of rebell to his Tribe, but out of true love, which his father out of many people knew and understood very well. With that he entered the igloo.

Sokka’s feet carried him to his room and Azula stood up abruptly from his bed still holding his necklaced in her hand.

Time appeared to stand still. Desperation in their eyes conveying many words. And all of them meant the same thing:

I love you. Never leave my side!

Azula held her hand with the necklace up only lightly.

“My name?” she asked softly, “You carved my name in your necklace?”

“I carved your name into my heart not just there.” He said not a doubt in his voice.

Azula was already on the verge of tears. She was a second away from running to him. His words only intensified all her feelings.

„Why?” she asked desperately.

Lovers liked asking questions they knew the answers to. Only to hear their loved one say it out loud.

„For the same reason that made you come all the way here even though you knew you weren't allowed to? Why?“

She was silent for a moment.

“To deliver the time and place for the meeting of our fathers.” she said finally.

“Couldn’t you have sent a hawk? They way you did to me when you left last fall?”

She winced at his harsh words, sensing his anger and sorrow. And Sokka regretted what he said immediately. He was an idiot. The last thing he wanted was seeing her hurt, be it by him or someone else.

His face softened up and he walked towards her. Azula closed her eyes when she felt his breath on her ear, his nose touching her hair nuzzling it and inhaling her scent. His hands were balled into fists.

“Why did you leave like that Azula?” his voice shook, his emotions coming out more with every word, “I know you had to go to your family. I never held it against you. But it hurt so much. It broke me apart when you left without a word.”

Azula breathed through her mouth. She turned her head slightly, so that their noses touched.

“It hurt me as much as it did you. You know, if I had looked into your eyes, I could not have gone.”

Sokka’s hands went to her waist, holding her tightly.

“I don’t want to leave you Sokka.” she said.

“Don’t leave me Azula. Don’t ever go please.”

With that, the dam broke. Kisses, tears, hands touched the other’s tightly pressed bodies, as if the other would vanish when they let go. No word could describe how they felt. Embraced tightly they basked in each other’s presence.

Night arrived and Hakoda looked that Azula and her guards could stay. The Guards weren given a guest igloo while their Princess was prepared Sokka's room.

Even though it wasn’t allowed, when night arrived, Sokka sneaked next to Azula in bed. She welcomed him. Wrapped around each other with clothes on, they shared a calmed sleep. Not caring what troubles tomorrow would bring…

To Be Continued…

[neonscandal]

Hi, Neon....Are you free now? If yes, please read this BL manga : Loss Time ni Hanamuke o by Cocomi...

It's not the sweetest but it's the one of the most realistic BL that I've read until now. It's an angst with a happy ending. And somehow I got SatoSugu vibes from this couple (sorry if I'm wrong). Like they love each other but lack of communication became their problem. It's a break up come together again story...

If you have read it, can I ask your opinion on it? Thanks.....

ANON. ANON. 🧡

I hadn't read it but prioritized it at your request and so, so Satosugu. Haha I wonder if I'd have noticed that had you not framed it up but at the same time, even visually, the long hair and Suguru's own mane... it was bound to happen. Also, don't apologize for your thoughts or interpretations! I definitely don't and I'm sure I've been loud and wrong before (and will be again✨). I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me and thank you for recommending this!

OPINION

There was something so nostalgic about it. Not just because, unlike most stories, it begins at the tail end of a relationship. But to see what's clearly established affection cooled by the disconnect of miscommunication and a lack of appreciation... I think everyone can relate. It wasn't a sad, traumatic story. But it was a bitter and rueful story that could still evoke tears if you've been in a similar situation. That situation, of course, being one that proves that sometimes love is simply not enough.

Two perfect pieces don't fit together one day and call it happily ever after. Four years in and the couple still struggles with selfishness, with the idea that sex is the same as intimacy or honesty. That someone who can be unilaterally focused on their words, to the point where personal care falls to the wayside, can come up so short when they really matter.

This felt like a really honest (and short!) insight into what broke Tsukushi and Toui apart but also what made them work. In fact, this ask reminded me of another ask wherein I kinda lamented that BKDK or STSG-esque dynamics would be hard to find in something short. But here we are, you with the ultimate sauce and me eating my words. 🏆

We don't know if Tsukushi and Toui end up staying together. Returning to one another with the promise of change could very well be short lived regardless of how earnestly they want to be with one another. But the idea of love spoiling into resentment, especially in the presence of what are clear acts of love being taken for granted do feel SatoSugu-esque in nature. We know there's More (TM) to their story, of course, but this almost shows us that, even if they weren't child soldiers, there would still be a point in their relationship where Geto's overly caring and accommodating nature may want more than catering to Gojo who is so closed off in his own little world. In JJK universe, he's driven by his own identity as The Strongest regardless of how he drags Geto into that entitled status that it blinds him to Geto's own withering mental condition. Moreover, this fundamental idea of Understanding being a necessary part of love is a huge point of contention between SatoSugu that was so disheartening, as well. Thus far, it feels like we only get Gojo's interpretation of events but this story gives voice to Geto's as well which makes him snapping and breaking away from Gojo slightly less uncharacteristic but rather justified when he lacks critical support.

TL;DNR: This story wasn't an emotional rollercoaster fraught with traumatizing drama. Instead, it was a quiet reminder of the love that lingers when things don't end in a bang but rather a whisper. Two lovers desperately huddling their hands around the flickering flame of what once was, uncertain why things simply don't work between them any longer. Relatable pining, would recommend. Especially if you're looking to get a whiff of SatoSugu in another flavor.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

4/5. Releases 10/3/2023.

Vibes: enemies to lovers who actually do battle, secret princess-ness, masks (hot), and fantasy meets sci-fi

When Prince Alaric, son of the Night Emperor, discovers that orphan rebel Talasyn wields magic to counter his own, he knows there's more to her than what meets the eye. Combined, their abilities reach untold degrees of strength. The question is--now that they know this, what are they going to do about it?

Thea Guanzon has taken her original source material, infused it with a Filipino influence, and created a really interesting enemies to lovers romance that is heavy on politics and plotting. It was a step towards world-heaviness for me, but it never lost my attention and set up a compelling love story.

Quick Takes:

--Yes, this is a classic "dark prince/light girl" story, which I know some people are going to rag on, but it does that setup very well. And it's a classic for a reason, you know? Alaric and Talasyn are legitimately enemies, which is kind of hard to find in EtL right now. You begin this novel with them in the heat of battle, and I don't think they're going to overcome their issues easily, however much they may be attracted to each other. It feels like an actual challenge.

I'll add that, to me, Alaric's motivations for standing where he does make much more sense than those of many characters we could compare him to. Frankly, for me, as soon as you make someone the "Prince of the Apparently Evil Empire", you've already done a lot of the work there. We may want to see these corruption arcs, but the reality is that if you were raised on the "good side" (is the good side really good--a question in this novel, for sure) you have to like... either be dumb or naive enough to get seduced into the dark, or legitimately agree with the dark side's points on some level. Alaric doesn't really have a lot of choice here--there is family and responsibility and also simply culture to consider. I found all of that interesting, and I will say that he is undeniably the more compelling of our two leads, but like. That's not a shocker, all things considered.

Also, Alaric has like, never held the hand of a woman, and him getting very literally distracted by Sexy Girl was highly entertaining and pleasing to me and my brand.

--I really liked his mask. I have nothing to say about this except "mask is hot", mask made a big impression on me, I was a fan, 10/10 mask usage.

--You do start right in the midst of the action, but in terms of the romance it's a slow burn. Like, a slower burn than what I usually read; a "this will take a few books to cover" slow burn. However, I didn't feel frustrated by that, because it seemed natural. They could not simply jump into their desires and feelings here. The situation was too complicated, and they would have looked a bit silly if they had acted any earlier than they did.

--I've seen other reviews that call this too romance-heavy, calling out the world-building and magic system... Whereas I as a romance reader am like "this could have used a bit more romance". I would definitely call this a romance--but like I said, there's gotta be some stretch over (I believe) three books. She has to take her time. In the end, and I kind of feel like... I don't know, Thea, you don't need to explain the world much more for me. I'm good, I get it, I don't need the minutiae of magic. So while I'm not saying that fantasy-first readers are wrong in that sense, I do tend to wonder if this book is meant for fantasy-first readers. To me, it's reading as more romance-first, but I DO want to see the romance kick up a notch in the next book, and I'm reading this with the assumption that it will.

For the sake of comparison--as someone who enjoyed Fourth Wing, I would call this heavier on the worldbuilding than Fourth Wing, but still somewhat comparable in a tonal sense. The Big War Plot and the Magic and Shit is secondary to the Feelings. As they should be, in my opinion. Again, I really think that in the next installment, it should be HEAVIER on the feelings. I do worry somewhat that romance-first readers might have an equal but opposite complaint to the fantasy-first readers.

--In that sense, I do think this book is a little denser than it needed to be, and we could've used a little bit of quickening in the general pace. Like, I was engaged, I was interested, I was about it, I just think it could have mored a little faster. That said, I am someone who in general prefers a brisk pace, and I know that this is not necessarily the norm for fantasy-heavy books.

The Sex:

As I said, this is a slow burn. It's not closed door by any means (what happens is explicit and clear) but we're taking incremental steps towards a full................ commitment.

Interesting and romantic and adventurous, The Hurricane Wars is a step outside of the norm if you're not used to fantasy or fantasy romance, but I found it pretty easy to understand and fun to read. Would recommend!

Thanks to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[esther-dot]

"Sansa would call this an enchantment, and tears would fill her eyes at the wonder of it, but Arya would run out laughing and shouting, wanting to touch it all."- Jon(ACOK III).

"I almost fell," she said, with tears in her eyes. "Twice. Thrice. The Wall was trying t' shake me off, I could feel it." One of the tears broke free and trickled slowly down her cheek."- Jon(ASOS IV).

"Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover's kisses, and melted on her cheeks."- Sansa(ASOS VII).

"The ice crystals had settled over her face, and in the moonlight it looked as though she wore a glittering silver mask."- Jon(ASOS VII).

Tell me why wouldn't Jonsa will be endgame. Ygritte was never going to be endgame for Jon.

I also got these anons on this topic:

After Ygritte die, Jon noticed her face covered with ice crystals which shine under moonlight making it seems like a silver mask. Sansa as Alayne in Vale felt snowflakes melting on her face like lover's kiss. Ygritte was Jon's redhead and Sansa was jon redhead cousin. One was dying while other was building WF and hiding herself.

Ygritte told Jon that his name Snow is dark and omnious and she died surrounding ice. In contrast to Sansa feels Snow kisses as lover's kisses and made WF out of snow.

Martin really likes the way silver looks in the moonlight and describing the moonlight as silver, that comes up a few times, including with Sansa's hairnet. Because of the proximity, I did wonder if there was some connection in his mind between the net and mask, but I can't really argue that. Sansa was meant to marry Joffrey, ultimately had an unknowing hand in his death. Jon was involved with Ygritte, and led the defense against the FF during which she died. Reading the passages though, they don’t feel particularly associated to me.

We talked about the Tyrion and Ygritte Wall quotes and the seeming Jonsa connection over here, so it makes sense to read a Sansa and Ygritte foil situation into this too, since Ygritte’s singing reminds us of Sansa, and of course, Tyrion is one of Jon's foils, so it's something to consider. The thought that one girl is being hidden away to protect her from an enemy (even if LF has ulterior motives) while the other girl has died at the hands of hers and snow/ice being brought into the picture...that's interesting.

TBH, I had not thought to compare Sansa’s drifting snowflakes to Ygritte’s ice crystals on my own, but now that y’all mention it, it is striking that one is the sign of death, the other is welcomed as a lover and carries with it the hope for safety, for Sansa to return North and home. That fits in with the contrast between Sansa and Dany who has the lover relationship with fire, rather than snow. Anytime something crosses over POVs and multiple books it's significant imo, so this may be a thing!

Regardless of any specific reading of the ice crystals and snowflakes, I don’t think Ygritte and Jon were written in a way that indicated they had a future. Jon was always loyal to the North even when he didn’t want Ygritte to get hurt/die. I think I’ve seen people say that in GoT they thought he might have considered abandoning the Watch for Ygritte, so maybe D&D's version of Jon/Ygritte has impacted how people think of them. In the books, it seems much more clear that rather than primarily being a love story, the dynamic was really a means for the author to write Jon coming to understand and care for the FF in a way that makes him unique among Northerners (link).