#Can't believe anyone has made fun of The Merciful One yet

[zoguy1]

Dose Aaravos care about Viren?

I just recently watched the clip about Aaravos Santa Clause crying and The Merfical One coming in to say some cripted shit. And it has me wondering, What was Aaravos crying about?

At first, I thought he was crying about losing his power, possibly before the events of the series. Or after season 5, when Viren died.

But then I Don't Want To Be Mercy came in and said "We're all held together by love, for an instant." So it's confirmed that this has something to do with love. But who was Aaravos' loved one?

My first thought is Viren, cause throughout the series, he's interacted with Viren the most. Plus I'm a Viravos shipper, so of course I'd think that.

Though the vibes I've gotten from this ship were that Aaravos and Viren didn't *actually* care for each other. I mean, they do care for each other. But just as business partners in crime. The most you get from "something more" is Aaravos playfully teasing Viren which comes off as flirty to me. And that "our son" bullshit Aaravos pulled. Viren doesn't care for Aaravos the same way he cares about Claudia, Soren, or Harrow. He cared about what Aaravos brought to the table. And Aaravos cared for what Viren brought to the table as well. I didn't get the vibe that Aaravos cared about Viren more then than that.

However, we've only seen their relationship from Viren's perspective. Maybe the reason why Aaravos came off as only caring about what Viren gave him was just how Viren saw the relationship. Maybe Aaravos did actually care about Viren. I'd be invested to see how Viren's death impacts Aaravos.

Though, Aaravos could possibly be crying over a previous loved one. Possibly a lover, possibly a close friend, possibly even a family member? I've been under the assumption that all the Startouched elves died out long ago, and that Aaravos was the only one. So if You Should've Picked Mercy is around, then this could take place before all the Startouched elves died off.

[obsesssedblerd]

life after you and satoru adopt the first years 💜💜

fic of that here. i recommend reading that before these hcs 💕

contains: mentions of pregnancy / birth

yuuji still can't believe it. he now has a large room in you and satoru's large home, parents that adore him, and siblings that'll forever have his back. he cries about it sometimes. after everything he's been through, he finally has his happy ending.

megumi is the most relaxed he's ever been in his life. it felt so good resting, knowing that he was safe and that you and satoru wouldn't let anything happen to him. he sleeps so much. you and satoru saw it coming. he's been in survival mode ever since he was a kid. of course, he's going to want to rest. whenever you see him napping in the sunroom, you put a small blanket over him.

like yuuji, nobara also can't believe it. sometimes, you see her just watching everyone else in disbelief, unable to believe that she's now a part of the family. she's always smiling, though. her favorite part of the day is that last hour before bed, where she's next to you in one of the large bathrooms doing skincare together.

three months into the adoption (and four months into your pregnancy), you ask the three of them if they'd still like to be sorcerers. to your surprise, they said yes. when you ask why, yuuji points his thumb over at satoru and says, "gotta help dad out."

satoru definitely cried later because yuuji called him 'dad' for the first time.

though satoru accepted that, he preferred for the three of them to take far fewer missions so they could enjoy the rest of their childhood. to his relief, none of them disagreed with it.

however, the higher-ups of jujutsu society weren't too thrilled at the news of you and satoru adopting them because that meant that they would have fewer sorcerers.

what they did express great interest and delight in, was the fact that you were pregnant. they were already chatting about how powerful the baby would be and what great things they could achieve; not just with satoru's technique but also yours. hearing those old bastards talk about his child as if they were already a perfect weapon, like he was made to be, made his blood boil.

satoru shut it down swiftly and told them that the baby wouldn't have anything to do with sorcery, regardless of what technique they were born with. they deserved a happy, safe life far away from the horrific system that devoured children. he saved yuuji, nobara, and megumi from it before it could kill them. every day, he wished that he and suguru were saved from it.

when the higher-ups objected, satoru gave them a chilling warning—that he'll show no mercy to anyone who tries to threaten his family's safety and happiness, and that's final.

yuuji, megumi, and nobara keep up with their training, but they also spend a lot more time doing things that genuinely interest them.

you and satoru spoil them rotten. obviously. when it comes to fun family trips, you all always go overboard, but it didn't matter. all three of them never got to have fun experiences, plus, you can tell that satoru is making up for all of the things he missed as a child.

your old colleagues and students from jujutsu tech showed up to your baby shower, and it warmed your heart to see just how loved this baby was even though they weren't born yet.

you and satoru decide to wait to find out the gender until they're born. every evening after dinner, all five of you sit on the large couch in the living room, and the four of them take turns talking to your stomach.

they're always so excited when the baby kicks.

the final empty room in your massive home is stocked with everything that your newborn is going to need.

you're with megumi and nobara when your water breaks. you call satoru, who was shopping with yuuji, and tell them the news. "don't panic, but my water broke, and-" too late, they're both already screaming.

after so many hours of labor, you finally give birth to your beautiful baby girl. her hair is mostly like yours, but she also has a few white strands that she took from satoru.

she also inherited the bluest of eyes, and while satoru is extremely happy, he's also worried. because of the power he was born with, he was hunted. he never wanted that for his princess.

you can tell what he's thinking, and you stroke his cheek, telling him that it was going to be okay because your daughter had so many willing to protect her.

yuuji, megumi, and nobara—a little teary-eyed because their new baby sister was so freaking cute—assure satoru that he wouldn't be the only one with the role of protecting the family. they were sorcerers too, after all.

that brings the most gentle smile to satoru's face.

[yandere-daydreams]

You never seem to make it past your fourth drink, at Angel's Share.

Not for lack of tolerance, Kaeya's sure. You've never been the competitive type, never made an effort to drink him under the table, but you're not one to shy away from a good time, either, and he knows you can handle your liquor. He's seen the way you fawn over the sakes and ales he has imported from Inazuma and Snezhnaya, watched you put away the small fortune's worth of Dandelion Wine he keeps hidden in his office for the small, slow hours after your shared patrols, and on the rare occasion his preferred tavern is otherwise occupied and you're able to coax him into the Cat Tails' loving embrace, you're often the one carrying him home, as affected by Diona's vile cocktails as you would be by lukewarm water or stale cider. You're not a lightweight. Your blood isn't thin. You're not fragile, or delicate - no more than he is. No more than anyone else.

And yet, you can't seem to make it past that fourth drink. Not at Angel's Share, at least.

Not when Diluc's the one pouring your drinks.

For as concerned as he claims to be by Kaeya's intake, he seems to have found the strength to turn a blind eye to your drinking habits. He's never refused your service, or cut you off, or done anything but frown and curse under his breath and pour you yet another Death After Noon, whether or not you're aware enough to order one. It's not like you're inebriation can be easily ignored, either. Kaeya's made a game of jotting down the signs, of tracking your progress over the course of the night. It's more or less the same, regardless of what you ask for, of what you do to try to stave it off. He has it down to a fine art, by now, a vague outline of a story he's heard a hundred times.

After your first, you're relaxed, just loosening up. You tip the bard a little more than you normally would, any other night, or try your hand at the ancient piano in the corner of the tavern yourself. It's entertaining, and when Kaeya tries to, he can usually convince you to call it an early night and let him take you back to the Knight's barracks. Not that he tries to very often.

By your second, you're giggling, laughing, stumbling over your words. Everything's funny to you, from Diluc's scowl to Kaeya's half-hearted quips. You're touchy, too, prone to clinging to whoever there is to cling to. He likes it, when you're like this, when you let your more affectionate side shine through. This is Kaeya's favorite stage, by far.

On your third, you're slurring, slumping onto the bar counter, too preoccupied with holding yourself up to do anything more than play with his gloves and give bleary, mumbled responses to any questions you're asked. Sometimes, you can keep your eyes open, and other times, you can't. Either way, he rarely ever gets to have any fun.

Your fourth is never touched. It's abandoned, left to gather dust or given to another fortunate patron as Diluc collects your limp body, your eyes glazed over and your tongue to heavy to complain as he clicks his tongue and drapes his coat over your shoulders and carries you deeper into the tavern, up to the annex slotted above the second floor. When the mood strikes him, Kaeya protests on your behalf, offers to take you home himself, mentions the bruises you've been finding on your wrists, around your neck, and sometimes, just sometimes, dares to ask what Diluc does up there in that tiny, tiny room while you're asleep and helpless and completely at his mercy, but Diluc only ever rolls his eyes, shrugs Kaeya off, says that he lets you spend the night in the tavern to keep you away from people like Kaeya. That he's trying to keep you safe. That you'd get yourself hurt, if you're left to your own devices.

Excuses, obviously. If Kaeya was any more sensitive, he'd be insulted that Diluc excepts him to believe them at all.

But, that doesn't mean he ever pushes the topic any further.

He could, if he wanted to. Diluc isn't subtle. He's not good at hiding the small, unlabeled flask he keeps in the pocket of his coat, the one that always seems a little lighter with each drink you're served, and he likes to hover around you, keep an eye on what state you're in, mix your drink accordingly, if you're looking a little more or a little less coherent than he'd like you to be. There's enough evidence for it. Kaeya could do the paperwork, spout off all his little accusations, make it all look so official, but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?

He's not going to say anything, and Diluc knows that. He knows Kaeya's going to keep his mouth shut, regardless of how sore you might be, how ugly the bruises get, how difficult it's starting to be to convince you to drink with him at all. He can only hope that Diluc recognizes his scarifies, that Diluc is thankful for his loyalty.

He can only hope his favorite bartender is feeling thankful enough to share.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

A Thousand Year Love ~ Ryomen Sukuna x Kitsune!Reader

Okay, I wrote the Reader's name as "Kitsune", but that's mostly because I envisioned a nine tailed fox without an actual name, that everyone would just call her "Fox" as if she wasn't anyone worth naming, despite her rank.

This is a little fic which explored Sukuna's supposed backstory, 1000 years prior to he action of Jujutsu Kaisen - Idk if it's accurate, I didn't yet read the manga, I still have 6 more episodes from the anime, but I had this idea and I couldn't stop myself from writing about it.

Most of it builds up the bond that very slowly grows between Sukuna and Kitsune, then snaps during a scene somewhere around episode 4 of the anime, when Sukuna takes over Yuji's body, and Yuji can't switch for a while, but with enough altercations that it's not exactly the same as in the said episode.

Hope you enjoy this <3

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"What are we doing here...?" Kitsune asked her parents in a voice that was barely audible as she looked left and right at the huge estate's gardens.

Estate? Rather said, palace, since this place was grandiose - Most likely, even more so than the Emperor's own Palace, the girl thought to herself. Everywhere she looked, cherry, plum and pear trees were in blossom, even though it wasn't their time. Statues and little shrines, along with various small pools with flowers, lanterns and lotuses were scattered as much as her vision would allow her to see. Looking up at the estate, she realised just how small she was in comparison to the intimidating and imposing energies radiating all over the place.

"You are going to meet someone very important, dear." her mother spoke, yet her voice wasn't as gentle as usual, rather, it sounded stiff, on the edge...Almost afraid, maybe? It was foreign for young Kitsune, as she has been confined in her little palace her whole life under the pretext of keeping her safe. But it did exactly the opposite, she believed, considering she itched to explore and go on adventures with each second passing. "Who is it?" she asked as soon as they stepped inside the palace...But it was so dark, save for the red, malicious light from the lanterns and candles lit in just the perfect places so it would guide them to the room they had to go to. "...You will find out soon." her father snapped at her, and she could only frown, her fluffy ears flicking as her tails wrapped protectively around herself. She knew something was wrong, and she had half a mind to believe she was brought there as a sacrifice for some War Deity that would allegedly save them from this era of war...Or something along the lines.

After a longer walk than expected, they found themselves in front of two large, red doors, and without any kind of reticence, Kitsune effortlessly slammed the doors open and saw a dimly lit room with a few stairs and a throne where a man with short, kinda spiky pink hair, garbed in a loose, white kimono was smugly sprawled over that royally embellished chair, while tons of gorgeous women dressed in the most luxurious kimonos, their hair done up with intricate headpieces and flowers that would put any living being to shame...

But what is this about? Kitsune was more confused than anything, and she could only step inside the room, slowly and carefully, before turning to look at her parents, who had a pitiful look in their eyes.

"What is going on?" Kitsune demanded an answer, her voice agitated, her body ready to go into a fight or flight mode, her eyes darting rapidly between her parents and the man on the throne whose name she wasn't interested in finding out. "Well, darling...You see...You had to find you a husband. You are old enough to be married, and you can't stay with us forever. You need to have a family and children. You are the princess of the Fox clan, there is nobody more beautiful than you -..." her mother tried to reason, but the young girl wasn't stupid. She understood what was going on. "No. No. If you want to speak - Then speak the truth. Don't lie to me. This guy is strong, isn't he? Some kind of demonic thing that everyone is afraid off. You are giving me away to this guy...To be his...Thousandth concubine in his harem or something, just because you're too weak to take care of our kin. That's the truth, isn't it? Go on, admit it. Stop trying to sugar coat the situation." her nine tails opened from around her in a large, undulating fan, making her aggression obvious, as fire began to immolate the tips of her fur. "SHUT UP, IMPERTINENT, UNRULY CHILD!" her mother slapped her face, not wanting their benefactor to hear his future concubine speaking so foul of him. "You are a woman, and the princess, nonetheless, and your role is to continue our kin and obey your family and husband. Do not speak unless you are allowed to!" but before her mother could grab her face, Kitsune's tail slapped her hand away, and she stepped back. "I am nobody's toy. I will not obey anyone's orders. Not yours, and not his. I will not be just another concubine for some disgusting, good for nothing lecher with no redeeming quality." the girl snarled at them, ready to make her escape out of there, if needed. "If your sister was alive, she would have sacrificed herself for the greater good of this family! You are nothing more than a selfish brat!" it was her father's time to accuse her, which made her ears perk up, while her tails completely deflated. "Yes, of course, how could I forget. It was me who should have died, not my perfect elder sister. Sorry, but you should curse the Gods, not me for that. But, since it seems that my life is meaningless to you, then I will make you a favour! I will end it myself! I'm sure you'll be happy without me, won't you? Ahh...But how will you save our war-ridden? Too bad I won't be alive to witness your demise, huh?" with a dark chuckle, Kitsune's hand went inside her kimono, taking the small kodachi sword and unsheathing it, hearing only the gasps and shrieks of fright from the harem girls. Kitsune could only guess that these girls were all high-born and unfamiliar to the horrible things happening outside of these walls. "What the hell are you doing, you idiotic child?! Cease this madness at once!" her mother shrieked at her, lounging towards her, trying to stop herself from impaling that blade through her body, and yet...

The second the girl launched her hand down to stab herself...She got stopped. The whole place became instantly silent, save for the sound of a blade bouncing down as it fell on the wooden floor. "Enough." a dark, annoyed voice resounded through the place as Kitsune's wrists were grasped by the man's...Front hands? While her body was immobilized in an embrace by his other two arms. "I was promised a beautiful princess as a concubine, and you failed to do as you promised. Leave, before I get bored and kill you." he threatened the two adult fox people who scurried away in a hurry, leaving behind their only daughter without a second thought. "You, however...Will remain here." he chuckled in her ear, but Kitsune wasn't one to be messed with. Her answer came in the form of lighting up her tails on fire an wrapping them around the man, who hissed and unhanded her, allowing her enough time to go into a corner and get in a fleeing stance. "Why did you stop me? I have no intention of being one of your whores. You should have let me end it right there." she scoffed at the man, who dismissed the bottom pair of arms and laughed. It was almost a psychopathic laugh, she thought, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up - Unsure if it was from fright or disgust. "You amuse me, little vixen. Very much, you amuse me. Having a little fox wag her tails around this place, all fired up, would give some sense of fun, wouldn't you say?" his voice was grating her, and she only wanted to sock him in the jaw. "Keep on dreaming. I'm not your toy, and I'm not here for anyone's entertainment. You have enough girls in this place to amuse you. I'll be going now, and even if you chain me, you can't stop me from achieving my freedom." Kitsune growled at him, slamming open the sliding door that would lead into the balcony, from where she could jump the hell away from there. "You proved you value your life even less than your parents do, so chaining you would do nothing. I have never seen a woman as fiery as you. All the ones I have are the same. Meek, soft...Afraid. Boring. They all like the same things, and hate the same things." he groaned pitifully, evidently bored out of his mind. "They hate you, don't they? You want women, but you don't bother treating them right. Can you get even more typically terrible? Pitiful and disgusting, that's what you are. You just want to break people for your entertainment. You are nothing more than a selfish megalomaniac. No wonder you are in need of entertaining, you are thoroughly boring." Kitsune's degrading words, however, didn't seem to phase the man at all - In fact - It made him laugh. Never, in this life, has he heard anything this degrading before - Everyone tried their best to appeal to his benevolent and merciful side - To at least spare their lives. He was stronger than anyone alive, so nobody dared speak up in front of him. It was obvious she had no idea who he was - All the better - He thought. "Ryomen Sukuna, missy, but you can call me your Emperor." that confident laugh was enough to drive Kitsune up the wall with anger as she stomped to his side and actually punched his jaw. It was annoying - The height difference - As he towered over her entirely, but at least she managed to reach where needed, little miss firecracker. "Piss off." the fox girl growled in anger at him...And yet...He only...Laughed. And he cupped her face, getting his own so close to hers that they could feel each other's breaths. "You. Are. Mine." his grin was so wide and sociopathic that he might as well have had his face split in two. "I will never be yours. I will never be anyone's. I'm not an object. I will not obey anyone. The second you leave me out of your sight, I will flee, and you will never see me again. And if I can't, I will find a way to kill myself. I have nothing to live for, but everything to die for." Kitsune bared her elongated canines at him, and gosh, was she enticing. "And if I get rid of the harem?" he asked, not bothering with everything she talked before. "You'll be a heartless jerk who'll destroy

the lives of so many women." she refuted just as quickly. "And if I don't fuck anyone but you?" he threw that, wanting to fluster her, but the fire in her eyes only ignited even higher. "As usual, you can only think with the wrong head, can't you? There's nothing to you but your stupid little prick. How pathetic. And you call yourself a man. Go die in the war or something." she grabbed him by the loose neck line of his kimono, only to hear him laughing condescendingly. "But darling, that just couldn't possibly happen. I am simply too strong to get killed. Everybody fears my power, why else do you think your parents were so willing to give you away? They were weak, just like you said, and every weakling needs the help of Ryomen Sukuna, Japan's own God of War." this statement made the girl's gorgeous eyes widen in shock...Only to start laughing, almost hysterically. "Oh, bow down to the self proclaimed God of War! Can you believe that! Your majesty, tone down your arrogance, it's gonna get yourself killed! I knew it, you're absolutely useless! All you can do is bark, no bite, little puppy! The only thing intimidating about you is your height, other than that, you are just a generic man who thinks he's all to powerful. How ridiculous." the fox girl couldn't stop her degrading laughing, which confused the man for a while, only to smirk and pick her up bridal style, carrying her out of that room, not letting her get out of his grasp, no matter how much she tried to wiggle or burn him. "I won't let you go until you acknowledge my infinite strength, cute, little fox. But don't think that just because I favour you, I will let you get away with all the shit you called me." his voice sounded darker, more ominously, but it didn't seem to intimidate the girl. "Not in a million years. Not even in your sweetest dreams. You're pathetic and I'll never acknowledge you as anything else but a disgusting, lecherous pig!" she yelled at his face, to which he responded by letting her roughly fall on a soft futon, then crouching by her side and gripping her face just as her mother did before. "Say that again when you'll end up screaming my name as if your life depends on it." he laughed at her before leaving her new room, which she won't leave for a while.

This annoying girl, Sukuna was intrigued by her, but at the same time, he was very tempted into strangling her or snapping her neck - Despite all that fire she lets out, he was curious if she'd end up groveling in self-pity, begging him for mercy, going back on her previous misguided and foolish courage. Wasn't it bad enough that she had no idea who HE was? He also had to endure such disrespect - And even worse - Enjoy it? That little fox bitch was ready to commit seppuku in front of everyone just to prove a point, what the hell else could be more entertaining? All the women he's had were given away by their families as tributes, and none said a word. He was a jerk to them, he fucked them, he mistreated them - Sukuna didn't give a fuck about any woman, man, child, animal...Or any living being in the world, except for himself. All were beneath him - Unworthy, weak, frail -...

And yet, they still lie to his face, trembling as they say all the fake, sweet nothings - "I love you, My Lord" the women would say, their voice shaky, jumping in fright as he'd touch them. He was a rough man, he never knew gentleness, nor mercy, no love - Through all the words spewed by the firey woman, the part where she declared he had no idea how to treat women properly - Yes, it was true, but did he care? Of course not.

Humans were all puppets with whom he could play as much as he wanted - All instruments for his entertaining in this terribly boring world, he would manipulate everyone like dolls on his strings, and when they've exhausted their means of entertaining him, the string will be cut, and the puppets will fall in an abyss of infernal fire.

For the first two weeks, Sukuna and Kitsune were literally acting like a cat chasing a mouse - And each time, the cat would surprise the mouse just as she was about to survive - He was giving her hope of success, only to pick her up by one of her many tails, or embrace her from behind, pick her up, trip her, show up from behind a tree, play with her hair as he came up from a tree behind her, and sometimes, even going as far as to mock her by pointing her the way out of the place.

But very soon, she gave up, and decided to starve herself to death by not leaving her assigned room, ignoring him entirely whenever she'd get visited by him - But that ended in the worst way possible - With her fainting and unable to wake up, and Sukuna freaking out because he didn't want his little toy to die before she got boring.

He laid next to her on the futon, holding her in his eyes, brushing her hair out of her face, playing with her vivid red hair - She truly looked like a fox in Sukuna's eyes, and he almost felt his heart warm up as he felt up the soft fur on her tails, waiting for his cursed energy to heal her up. After some time, he noticed the little red ball of fur getting smaller and smaller as she cuddled into his chest, resembling a defenseless kit searching for warmth, love and safety from its mother. She was so much smaller than him - So frail, so thin, so soft...So cute? - What was it that he was feeling? Calmness? Protectiveness?

He was furious at her for neglecting her health just so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of toying with her - But that was also endearing, in its own, messed up way? She would go to such dramatic extremes to prove him wrong...It seemed that no matter what she did, it would still make him enjoy her company.

Whenever he'd fuck one of his harem girls, he wouldn't stay over, not even for a kiss - Hell, he didn't even know most of their names - Why should he? They were all the same to him - But he felt such a strong sense of protectiveness over he - He didn't want to strangle her to death anymore - Maybe just a bit of fun, some teasing, some startling - His hand around her supple neck as she looks up at him with her sparkling eyes, calling out his name - Sukuna, Sukuna - Pleading softly, but desperately to him for her sweet release - Sukuna, Sukuna - And he will be merciful, for once, and give her what she wants.

Just as he was caught in his own, sick fantasy, he felt the girl move and grumble, turning on her back, her small hands flying to rub her eyes awake - And he rolled over her, a playful, teasing smirk on his face as he waited for her to realise the position they were in - And yet, she was still out of it, for her eyes were half-lidded and gleaming, she was still weak from her lack of self-care, and she could only look up at him, dazed..."Sukuna...?" she mumbled in a whispery tone - What is she doing to him?! How dare she entice him so much? He wasn't supposed to be attracted to her in any way, so why...?!

"Relax, sweet-cheeks. I'm here." he spoke in a low voice, not wanting to alert her...Wait, what - "...Thanks." muttering that, she let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes again, the corners of her mouth slightly turned upright as she allowed herself to fall back asleep and rest, not caring too much that she felt a slight pressure on both of her hands, in the form of the demon man pressing his own hands to hers, intertwining their fingers together as he towered over her, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically as she breathed, her kissable, pink lips just a tiny bit parted. He couldn't stop himself - She was too irresistible, and he was much too insatiable - And he leaned down, pressing his own lips over hers - Gently - Very gently in fact, almost as if afraid of breaking a porcelain doll, as if afraid to crush a snowdrop he just picked from a glade, one just just barely managed to get out from under the remaining, melting snow of early spring. "You'll be the death of me, cutie." he found himself saying as he licked his lips, taking in the sweetness of the kiss.

Since then on, despite not being exactly friendly with the man, the fox girl didn't hate him that much anymore. It even got well enough for them to eat in the same room, or play shogi - The girl beating him at it more often than not, which left mixed feelings in his heart - And then he showed her the musical instruments that the concubines would sometimes use whenever he'd want a banquet and more sinful indulgences. He didn't ask her to play for him, though. He realised that the more he tried to push the girl, the less likely she'll actually do anything he wants.

Even more, the more time they spent together, the more his concubines would get neglected - So much that he was completely drawn to this fox girl and all the other women were completely wiped from his head. - And he started gifting her a bunch of beautiful kimonos, only to find them in front of his room's door, rejected. She didn't want anything from him, nor did she want his favour, so she continued wearing her simple clothes.

Until...

Until one night - It was a special night, really - For the moon was full, and big, and gleaming with such a beautiful silver light that neither of them saw in the many years they've been alive. And Kitsune dressed in one of her festival yukatas and went to the lotus pond, surrounded by a few wisteria trees, as the mirror of the water reflected the celestial orb like sparkling zircons. The fox gingerly jumped in the middle of the sheen, walking on it like a spirit, only her feminine silhouette being seen, as her long hair was gently blown by the warm spring wind and her tails were dancing around her in perfect sync. As her feet moved to the sound of the melody she played on a vertical flute she was given by the owner of the place, Sukuna found himself unable to move from his place on the palace balcony, his sight fixated on the woman's form as she alternated playing the instrument and dancing with ribbon-fans.

Her moves were fluid and mystifying like those of a priestess leading a will'o'wisp to rest into kakuriyo, the land of the dead - what was he supposed to do now? He was confused and mesmerised. He's seen his fair share of beautiful women playing instruments and dancing for him - Hundreds of them, in fact - But none could match the effect this nine tailed fox girl had on him.

This continued days on end, but he never admitted to her that he was stalking her every night, nor that he was completely enchanted and under her spell, at the point of no return.

"I'm going to war tomorrow." he told her one evening as he poured himself some sake. "...Good for you. Finally, more entertaining for the most powerful man on Earth...Or something. Bring me a souvenir when you return, I guess." the girl merely shrugged her shoulders as she took the tea pot and poured herself some tea, not bothering with any reaction. "You're not worried for me, are you? What if I die tomorrow? Will you weep for me?" he leaned forward, taking her chin between his fingers. " 'Course not. You're the one who keeps boasting about how you're the most powerful man on Earth and The God of War or something. Besides - If you die, I will just steal all your money and get the hell out of this place, so I can finally see the world through my very eyes, not through inked letters on paper. I want to be free and fly. Life here is boring. I've had enough years of being home stuck, don't you think?" she snapped at him as she snatched the now empty sake up and poured herself some alcohol. "And what if I promise to take you out to see the world when I return?" he smirked at her, watching her ears perk up a bit at the proposition. "...I don't believe you." she looked away before she could reveal any real emotion in her eyes. "I promise. But you also have to promise to relax around me. You're always on the edge, even if you've been here for a whole year. I saw you play in the winter, jump to collect autumn leaves taken by the wind, pick up fruit after climbing up the trees, and make flower crowns in spring. I saw you get buried completely in snow, only one of your tails being seen, I saw you make fruit wine in autumn, send paper lanterns into the sky and bathe in the lotus ponds. We're not strangers anymore, and I've never hurt you even once. So, do we have a deal?" his hunter-like eyes carefully watched her every reaction, noticing how her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, before biting into it softly - She was nervous, that much was obvious - And Sukuna was now a pro at reading her behaviour. "...I'll try. But if you go back on your promise...I promise you, you won't wake up the next morning." she scoffed, threatening him, but it only ended up making him laugh. "The little kitten has claws, how adorable. That's fair, I'll let you have that." the man chuckled at her, petting her hair just between her ears, making her close her eyes and blush just a tiny bit. He was finally able to reach her - Not by much, but even this much was enough for him...For now.

For a whole month, Kitsune was all alone in the palace - Or so she felt, despite the numerous harem girls and the servants - All who had to obey her every order - But she refused any of that. If she wanted to eat, she would make food for herself. If she wanted to drink, she'd get some herself. If she wanted to bathe, she would prepare the bath herself - Just as she's always done. However, all this time, she was never in need of company. She couldn't handle people, nor their fakeness and many other useless emotions that would only make them vulnerable and susceptible of being used and taken for granted.

She's been through that numerous times while living with her family, and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

Thankfully, Kitsune never felt lonely, nor bored - However, she realised that she actually enjoyed Sukuna's annoying presence, and somehow, she found herself awaiting his coming back sooner.

"Master came back, vacation's over. Take care, everyone...I heard he's been injured. Can you believe it? Never thought demons can bleed." the many rumours circulated around the palace, but the fox girl only snapped at the gossipers, glaring at them to shut up. But she didn't go to greet him, like everyone else did. Instead, she waited until night to go to his room, and she found him on the ground, calmly drinking some sake.

"Ah, look at this, a little fox found its way in my humble abode. What ever could you be doing here, I wonder?" he chuckled teasingly, as she only looked down at him, giving him a slight head tilt, yet no expression on her blank face. "Are you wounded?" she muttered in a low voice, almost half-wanting not to have been heard...But she was. "Ha! So you heard those rumours too, haven't you? How ridiculous! Me? Ryomen Sukuna, the God of War, getting injured? Preposterous!" his bark-like laugh echoed through the place, but it didn't move the girl in any way. Instead, slowly crouched next to him, snatching down the already loose kimono top from his torso, letting it fall down to his chest, as her delicate fingers traced his chest, arm and back, analysing each and every fresh wound and scar alike. "I thought you could heal. Cursed energy magic or something. What you did to me when I passed out. Stupid liar. All you know how to do is to boast to everyone, but you can't even admit that you are still capable of making mistakes sometimes." her voice was obviously pissed off, but not enough to sock him in the jaw again. "Anti-regeneration magic. I didn't know something like that existed. Gimme a break." he scoffed, looking away in mild embarrassment. "Lucky you. Now don't move, or you'll really piss me off." she sneered at him as she made blue fire light up her palms and focused on healing him. It was then that she realised how good it felt to feel someone's bare skin, to feel his muscles, sore from fighting so much. He was finally beginning to look more like a man - A warrior - Not like some obnoxious, bratty, entitled casa nova. "I didn't know you could heal people. It tickles." he smirked slightly, turning his head to watch her focused face. "You don't know many things about me, Sukuna. Don't even bother trying, you'll never be able to, anyway." she scowled at him, but this time, it wasn't as aggressive as usual. "I've always loved a challenge, sugar." he chuckled boastfully, only for her to frown and look at him. "Is that all I am for you? A challenge?" she asked in a softer voice, sounding almost disappointed. "Not anymore. You've always been an enigma for me. You were fun, that's why I kept you around. If you weren't, I'd have killed you. I have no regrets about killing anyone, reason or not. But you got under my skin. I don't want to unveil the enigma behind you anymore. I just want to know you." carefully, his hands found their way on her hips, just before pulling her on his lap, only for her to stiffen up completely, her hands quickly taken off of his skin, as she quickly snapped her head away from him, her face covered by the long hair that resembled the blood he spilled on the battlefield. "Aww, are you shy, cutie~?" his seductive voice was back again, one of his hands reaching up to cup her face - But she couldn't bring herself to speak - Instead, she just gulped and jumped away from him, taking a few deep breaths before getting out of the room, and climbing up to the roof, hugging her legs to her chest, leaning her chin on her knees, her bottom lip bitten into to the point of drawing blood.

What the hell was she thinking, letting herself getting touched like that? By someone like Sukuna, nonetheless, who, if given the chance, would have his way with her, then toss her aside like he did with all the other women in his enormous harem. Her heart was beating so hard, so fast against her chest. It was a foreign feeling that scared her so much that for a long while, she couldn't help but avoid him once again, going out of her way to only leave her room when she was sure he wasn't there. It didn't always work out as she wished, but she still tried nonetheless, as succeeded for most of the time.

"Are you scared of me?" Sukuna asked the girl one night, when he found her softly shedding tears up on the roof. "...No." she offered a monotone answer. "Then why are you avoiding me again? Do you hate me?" he asked again, only for her to hang her head and hug herself. "I realised that I shouldn't be alive. All my life I've known only two emotions - Hatred and Rage - All of them masked by a facade of complete neutrality, passiveness and uncaring. But, now...I can feel my heart beating. And it hurts. I was so ready to throw away my life, and I knew I would have no regrets. I lived for nothing. I have no memories of anything good happening in my life. I thought that...I thought that maybe...I would be able to feel, staying here, with you. I wanted to feel something good, for once. What was that called...Happiness? Love? I wanted to feel those too. I guess it's too much to ask from this cruel life. The second you touched me, I started panicking and I got scared. I was afraid. Not of you, but of the idea of possibly getting hurt. I don't know how to feel, and I don't think I'll ever be able to be a proper being...But maybe...Someday...I will be able to look up at the same sky, at this very same moon, and the very same stars...And smile...And my chest won't be hurting anymore. And I won't be afraid anymore. Maybe, in the next life...Or the one after that...I will be lucky. Maybe times will change, and people won't be so cruel anymore. I'm sorry, Sukuna. I didn't end up being who and what you thought I'd be. I will forever be a disappointment to everyone I meet." she wasn't sure if her words were directed to anyone at all, or if she just found the courage to speak for the first time in her life - To acknowledge the existence of feelings altogether - But Sukuna understood her. Except for the thrill of the kill and fleeting quenched lust, he didn't feel any relief. Just like her, anger and hatred, for the entirety of his life. How different and similar the two of them really were, he realised, as he went to hug her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. "You have never disappointed me, Kitsune. You cannot disappoint me. I understand what you're feeling. It's a cruel world, and we are much crueler to everyone around us, including ourselves. If you ever think you have it in your heart to accept me, I will be waiting. Forever, if needed. And if not, I will be awaiting in the next life. Or in the next one. I won't give up on you." and saying that, he planted a kiss on her temple before leaving her alone to watch the same silver moon they've been looking up at for so long. "...Thank you." she spoke to herself after who knows how long.

And she smiled.

Every day passing, she would look at the pink haired warrior, and every day, she'd want to throw herself in his arms, but every time, she'd start shaking, and she'd turn around and leave the place. This whole ordeal continued for well over three months, until one day, the palace was attacked with burning arrows, and the whole place was lit aflame.

In the mayhem in cause, the fox girl made sure to gather all the civilians in the huge estate and lead them to safety, and by the time she was done, she rushed to search for Sukuna, the person the enemies wanted to bring down, once and for all. However, by the time she found him, the whole place was ablaze, the once blooming garden was now turned into ashes, and the Demon God of War was heavily bleeding, slouched and leaning his back against a wall.

Opposite of him, many meters away, a menacing looking enemy who had spears in his hands was ready to throw them at him...And Sukuna merely smirked, defeated, and closed his eyes, awaiting for the impact of his ultimate death.

"Sukuna...Keep your eyes closed." Kitsune's low, shaking voice called out to him, but instead of doing as he was told, his eyes snapped open, only to widen in terror seeing the girl he grew to love, impaled by numerous spears, acting as a shield for him. "K...Kitsu...Ne...?!" he managed to usher after getting over his shock. "I told you...To keep you eyes closed...Idiot." she shook her head as she curled her fingers on the wall, taking a few deep breaths, despite her legs shaking. "Idiot. Idiot. You are such an idiot." "No...You...You were supposed to run away...I told you to run away...I told you...To...Live..." his voice was desperate, trembling, not believing what he was seeing before his very eyes. "Not without you...We were supposed to...Go...together...And be happy...And look at the moon...And stars...Together..." but as she said that, she heard the air getting split by yet another set of spears that go through her tails and torso, making her lose strength and fall over the man she was shielding. With her last strength, she punched back the spears out of her body and crawled on his lap, cradling his body, wrapping it up protectively with her tails, holding tightly onto him. "I never learnt how to fight...I never had anything to protect...Until I found you. I have no regrets dying, if you live. Close your eyes, Sukuna. I...I love you." and just before all strength left her body, she cupped his face and stole a weak kiss.

She was happy. She finally found her courage to act as she wished - With her heart, not with her fears. She was finally able to expel all the bad things possessing her. She died, and yet, she was finally smiling. She regretted nothing.

She was really happy.

"...Look there, Kitsune. Look at the moon. And the stars. And we are together. In this life. And the next one...And the one after...I will find you. And I will protect you. Don't be afraid anymore...Nothing will hurt you again. Until then...Sleep well, my Princess...Wait for me...Very soon."

---------

"Don't worry, Yuji! We will find all the victims of this place and rescue them! You'll see!" the cheerful nine-tailed girl wagged her fluff left and right as she dragged her best friend to the ominous place, as their other two team mates followed soon after, both having different reactions, as usual.

As her shikigami fox and Megumi's white wolf were assigned to make sure no cursed spirit would sneak up on them, they tried to make heads or tails of the distorted reality inside the place - They knew they may be dealing with a Special-Grade monster, but to have power of such magnitude seemed...Unreal...And unsettling.

"Guys, calm down. This is the Innate Domain...Cursed energy made this foul play...But I've never seen anything like...This. We have to move fast, and not split up, or we'll get picked one by one." Kitsune gritted her teeth, feeling the fur on her tails stand up. "Where's the door?!" Megumi yelled, turning around, only for everyone to gasp, realising the way they got through completely disappeared. "Th-The door's gone?!" Yuji blinked, incredulous at what he was witnessing. "How?! We just came in through here, didn't we?!" Nobara freaked out, only to make a short, brain dead dance with Yuji. "Calm down. The dog remembers the scent of the entrance." saying that, the two fawned over the two canines as they let them lead the way, only to find three mangled corpses, one of them having a name tag - It was the name of the child of the desperate woman outside of the place, pleading to the police to rescue him.

However, a fight erupted between the two boys who couldn't decide whether they should run away or rescue the corpses, as closure for the woman outside, at least, and while Nobara yelled at them, trying to make them stop...She...Disappeared?! Through a makeshift hole in the floor that wasn't there before.

"B-But...Megumi's demon dog and my fox should have been able to sense the curse...!" Kitsune then quickly turned around, only to gasp, noticing the bloody corpses of the said shikigami protruding from the walls. "NO! CYNDER!" she whimpered, hating to see her lovely companion in such a state. "ITADORI! KITSUNE! WE HAVE TO RUN! WE'LL LOOK FOR KUJISAKI AND -" but before he could finish speaking, Kitsune's whimper, that grew louder, along with the presence of the demon she was pointing at, staring straight at her...Made both boys stop in their tracks, wide eyed and shocked...And very much afraid.

The trio was sweating bullets, trying to move, trying to get the hell away from there - But Yuji moved first, taking out his knife, slashing at the Special-Grade....Only for his hand to go flying far away...From the impact.

"Megumi, run away! Go find Nobara, I'll stay here and create a diversion! Give us a signal when you're out of here! Yuji can get Sukuna and save us!" the fox girl yelled at her brunet friend desperately as she pushed him away, but a mouth on Yuji's cheek, speaking very derogatory, pointed out he doesn't give a fuck about Yuji's body, and that he won't die, even if his vessel does. "Nope~! Even if parts of me inside you die, I've still got 18 other fragments of my soul! Still, irritatingly enough, I don't have control of this body, so go away and switch, if you want! But once you do...I'll kill that brat before the cursed spirit can! Then, I'll go for that woman. She's a lively one. I'll have fuck with her. And then...I'll claim this cute fox girl that you care so much for!" Sukuna kept talking, and it was creating a state of panic in Yuji's heart. "Don't listen to him, Yuji! I know you won't let him take over you completely! You can't hurt us!" Kitsune yelled at her friend, trying to snap him out of the trance Sukuna put him in. "No, no, no, darling, you're wrong. If he's too focused on me, his friends WILL die~!" the demon kept laughing at his vessel, until the Special Grade unleashed a full blast of pure, cursed energy. "Yuji, look out!" she jumped at him, getting him out of the blast's range. "Stop listening to him, and take care of yourself! This isn't Jujutsu, this is pure cursed energy! We have to buy Megumi and Nobara enough time to get the hell out of here! Look at this jerk, he's having fun. I'm sure we can figure something out." the fox girl gritted her teeth in anger, but before either of them could try to attack or dodge - In the blink of an eye, really - She felt herself getting picked up and slammed on the wall before her by yet another blast of cursed energy - Followed by another, that flew her on the bridge in the next room, rendering her barely conscious. "KITSUNE! KITSUNEEEE!" she heard her pink haired friend's desperate wail as he tried to shake her awake. "...Sukuna...?" she asked, her shaking hands trying to rub away the tiredness from her eyes, as she looked up at him with gleaming, half-lidded eyes.

Before he could answer, shocked that she would call him by his demon's name, and even more, his own demon shocked, hearing her say something like that, she managed to cling onto the boy enough to get herself back on her feet, turning towards the attacker, her big, fluffy tails opening like a protective fan for the boy, as she created a blast of blue spirit fire to try to counter the cursed energy blast from the enemy. It made her growl from the pain, but her mind was blank - She had no regrets - No matter what life she was living, she will only get stronger and stronger, until she succeeds and protects the ones dear to her.

But not in this lifetime.

She wasn't strong enough yet. She was nowhere near her mentor, Satoru, in power. She had no way to compete with him, nor could she protect her friends when needed.

How pathethic.

It was her last thought before the cursed energy took over her, burning away some of her skin and creating even more damage after getting slammed and breaking yet another wall. With the last bit of consciousness she was able to hold onto, she saw her pink haired friend still alive and well - By some standards, at least - And she could merely smile and fight back the darkness threatening to take over.

But...Something happened, for the boy now seemed fearless - And he even taunted with the special-grade...And then he healed his own arm, before going to her, looking down at her, shaking his head. The markings on his face...This wasn't Yuji. This was...

"Idiot." a much darker, more masculine voice came from the body of the teenage vessel as he crouched down to the girl. "You never change, no matter what life you reincarnate into, do you? But that's the charm about you, stupid fox. You never really lose your memories of the past, do you?" he gently caressed her face, feeling his heart beating a bit faster as he noticed she was smiling and leaning into his touch. "You said you'll find me...So what is there to fear?" she mused weakly, before she got picked up bridal style, allowing her to cuddle into his chest, finally allowed to rest at ease. "Let's teach this weakling a lesson and get the hell out of here. The moon is up." Sukuna chuckled as he walked up to the demon, effortlessly punching in the head, slamming it into the bridge, only to smash his foot into its head, breaking the bridge altogether. As they fell, the monster grabbed his leg, but the fox-fire burn on his hand was enough to get his to shriek in pain and let go, as Sukuna jumped on one of the falling rubbles, taunting and laughing condescendingly, as he ripped apart the monster limb from limb before impaling it into a wall, as soon as they reached the watery ground. "Honestly, I'm jealous. I could never get to your power with jujutsu alone. Satoru said this thing is 80% born talent. How disheartening." she grumbled, feeling better already. "There's nothing cursed in your heart, sugar. Let the killing to me. I promised I'll protect you, I'm not going back on my word. I'm not going to see you die again." he threw her up a bit to get a better hold on her. "Hang onto me, foxy. Let's show this sucker how we do things." seeing his infamous smirk on his face, she threw her arms around his neck, holding on tightly, seeing as he did a hand seal, calling out his Malevolent Shrine...And they were back home, dressed the same as they were so long ago...A thousand years ago...And the monster got split in 5 slices, before Sukuna dug out another one of his soul-fingers, and he started grinning even laughing even darker, realising that Yuji couldn't switch bodies again, which made villain jump out of the facility, right on top of it. "I guess...No matter what life we live, the sky is going to be forever beautiful." Kitsune sighed as soon as he let her down, but she didn't let go of him. Not this time. Fears won't take over her life anymore. "And yours is even more eternal than the moon's or the stars." he cupped her face, taking in her beauty for the first time in over a thousand years. "It's been to long. I made you wait far too long. I hope you didn't miss me too much." one of his hands found its fingers raking through her hair, and she closed her eyes a bit, taking in the warm, loving feeling that completely took over her. "I'll forgive you. You did take your bloody time...But at least you're here now. And you're not going anywhere. I won't let you." her hands slid down to the neck of his blouse, pulling him to her level, which only made him smirk smugly. "Good. That was my intention." his charming, dark voice spoke, making her heart beating faster, and feeling the hair on the back of her neck and the fluff on her tails stand up from excitement. "Won't it be weird? Being Yuji's body...?" she asked shyly, as he only chuckled, pulling the same Malevolent Shrine trick, so they finally looked as they did when they first met. "Better, sweet cheeks?" he pulled her flushed to his body, as she got on her tippy toes to get closer to his face. "Spectacular."

As the fox girl couldn't stop touching his face, raking her fingers through his hair, feeling his body closer to hers as her whole body felt hotter than ever before - It was just a kiss - His lips so sweet against her own, his arms, so strong, holding her, feeling her, loving her.

It was only them, under the gentle light of the silver moon, guarding them, as the stars softly twinkled, embellishing gold into the dark sky - Just like this love light up the darkness in their hearts.

Her tails wrapped around him instinctively, as they pulled apart, and looked each other in the eyes for the first time since they've known each other. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness, her lips were curled into a kitten-like smile, and she was glowing - It made Sukuna's heart have a pleasant arrhythmia as he saw in front of his very eyes a sight that he's been dreaming about for over a millennium - The woman that captured his heart - Happy, in his own arms, safe, and very kissable.

This feeling and image were worth waiting a thousand years.

[moririki]

⤷ AN EIGHT-LEGGED PROBLEM

OIKAWA TOORU & SAKUSA KIYOOMI & HAIBA LEV & MIYA ATSUMU X READER -> 1.8K
you save your boyfriend from a massive problem which is currently in the corner of your bathroom )

REQUEST -> n/a
CONTAINS -> spiders, bugs, you picking up said creepy crawlies, hq boys being no! help! at! all! (but that's ok bc we love them for it), fanon-ish sakusa cos i haven't read the manga and he had like 5 seconds of screen time so i'm just going off of what i've read + seen, clear favouritism despite the fact that i know basically nothing about sakusa, manga timeskip spoilers in sakusa's
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> haven't seen one where the reader is the one in the relationship who takes care of bugs so since i'm a #girlboss who throws spiders out of my room whenever i see them without breaking a sweat i'm writing that into a fun lil thing with the haikyuu boys that i strongly believe are scared of bugs. also besides the point but look at the pretty colour palette that their banners make fjfjfjdj will go back to writing the requests after this! inspiration just struck

❍ OIKAWA TOORU

-> omg this fucking guy

-> don't let his pride fool you this man HATES bugs with a burning passion

-> he'll never admit it though

-> between you and the aoba johsai team he would never hear the end of how the great king oikawa would cower at the sight of a moth doing laps around a lightbulb

-> so when you pretended not to hear the shriek that left your boyfriend when he saw something flying around the bathroom light and he declined your offer to get rid of the moth for him, this left oikawa in a pretty difficult situation

-> it was just him alone in the bathroom, trying to brush his teeth while eyeing the bug warily

-> you came in a few minutes later, getting ready to go to bed as well

-> "you know, babe, that moth's been there for quite a while," you teased him

-> oikawa hummed in response, his eyes never leaving it as it continued its circumnavigation of the light fixture

-> "oh, you know. who am i to kick someone out of their home? i'm no monster"

-> you almost snorted at how poor of an excuse that was, but ruffled your boyfriend's hair anyway

-> "i'll take care of it, ru, you just finish getting ready"

-> "but y/n-chan, that moth has feelings! don't be mean to it!"

-> you gave tooru a very blank stare at that

-> "so do you want me to leave you alone with your new friend?"

-> "......no"

-> "that's what i thought"

-> you went up to the moth, managing to trap it in your hands before releasing it from a window

-> oikawa shuddered as you came back to the sink, giving your hands a quick rinse before resuming with brushing your teeth like nothing had happened

-> "you're so brave, my love"

-> "anything for you, babe"

❍ SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> bless this poor boy

-> so it's no secret that sakusa isn't the fondest of germs

-> and that extends to bugs and spiders too

-> besides a normal amount of disgust that he held for them, the thought of where the insects had been or placed one of their many feet on never failed to make his skin crawl

-> that's where you, his wonderful significant other, comes in

-> as much as he loves you, he just can't understand how you always stared at bugs with wonder in your eyes

-> you'd even pick them up, cooing at the way they crawled up your arm while sakusa just stared at you in disbelief with a can of bug spray in hand

-> tonight was one of those swelteringly hot summer nights

-> you know, the ones where the air seems to be still no matter how many windows you open and every insect in a mile radius is actively trying to enter your home

-> you were spending the night at your boyfriend's apartment, ready to have a relaxing night in with him since your schedules had finally synced up and allowed you both to enjoy a day off at the same time

-> it took months of trust before sakusa finally admitted to you how much he enjoyed doing skincare

-> so whenever you two spent the night together, you decided to start the evening with some face masks and idle binging of a tv show

-> against his half-hearted protests, you had insisted that sakusa wore a headband while this happened (one that had a very cute duck face printed on it)

-> just to keep the curls out of his face, of course

-> whenever he caught you sneaking a candid of him with facemask and duck headband on, he just shot you a halfhearted glare and threatened you to never send that to atsumu or the rest of the msby team

-> (you set it as your home screen instead)

-> anyways, i digress

-> so tonight you decided to cool down from the heat with a few facemasks and cuddling in your boyfriend's heavily air conditioned living room

-> but he kept all his skincare stuff in the bathroom, so you went to go get them as he set up a show to watch along with some snacks

-> you flicked on the light, going to his cabinet when something in the corner of the room caught your eye

-> there was a fairly large spider, desperately trying to crawl up the smooth tile wall

-> you decided to take pity on it and release it

-> but when you had it cupped safely in your hands, you decided to terrorise your poor boyfriend just a little

-> "hey, omi, look what i found!"

-> your boyfriend perked up at your signature nickname for him, though his eyes narrowed as he saw your clasped hands held in front of you

-> "no"

-> "but baby, you haven't even seen-"

-> "no"

-> you giggled at how defensive he had become

-> "come on, don't you want to name it? it's very cute"

-> "i want you to throw it out, y/n"

-> "alright, alright"

-> you took the spider to a window, releasing it back outside before heading back to the bathroom and grabbing a few masks for real this time

-> sakusa gave you the cold shoulder as you sat down next to him, humming as you gave him a face mask and putting it on without a word

-> "aww, baby, i'm sorry"

-> "..."

-> "i'll give you a head massage if you stop ignoring me?"

-> sakusa turned to you, his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared you down

-> the act soon broke, though, and he smiled against the sheet mask that was on his face

-> "it better be a good one," he huffed as he tugged the duck headband off, already sighing at the sensation of your fingers against his scalp

-> "omi, come on, what do you take me for?"

❍ HAIBA LEV

-> ngl lev gives off equal amounts of being terrified of like the tiniest spider or just finding bugs insanely cool vibes

-> it's funnier to imagine this 6-foot-something guy scramble away from a fucking crane fly in terror though so this is how it's going to play out

-> when you invited your giant of a boyfriend to your flat, you didn't anticipate just how small he made everything appear

-> he even towered in your doorway, having to stoop to step through into your hall

-> "woahh, i love your place!"

-> it was his first time staying over for the night, and lev was making sure to drink in every aspect of your interior design

-> you found it sweet of him, and watched as he stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little trinkets you had collected over the years to make your small apartment seem more like a home

-> you didn't expect him to scream at the top of his lungs and practically run back to you, though

-> you jumped at the sound, watching as he scrambled away from your lamp and pointed back at it with a shaking finger

-> you squinted at it, making out the very menacing form of a crane fly as it bumped into the lampshade and continued on its path

-> "lev, you big baby," you giggled, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass and trap it

-> "y/n, don't leave me alone with it!" he yelped, and you rolled your eyes at his antics

-> you came back, smoothly capturing the insect and throwing it out of a nearby window

-> lev was sat on your couch the whole time, hands covering his eyes as he curled in a ball

-> "is it gone?" he asked, and you you giggled at how childlike he was acting at the moment

-> "it's all good, baby" you smoothed his hair and lev gratefully leaned into your touch, a sigh of relief leaving him

-> "thank you, y/n"

-> "i'll get rid of all the bugs in the world for you, lev"

❍ MIYA ATSUMU

-> gives off the vibes that he used to eat bugs as a child i'm sorry but

-> have mercy on his soul lmao

-> so twins are supposed to be identical right?

-> anyone who spends more than a few minutes around the miya twins know that that's a complete fucking lie

-> and you've had the misfortune of being friends with them for a very long time

-> like your mums were friends and you were all born around the same time

-> you've been pulled into their shit before you could walk or talk

-> so you're well aware of just how different these mfs are

-> even though they were both absolute bastards, osamu always had a slightly more mellowed out approach which would always end up with atsumu getting the blame for what they got up to

-> especially as a child, osamu loved to terrorise his twin with the unwilling help of you

-> one of the ways was through osamu exploiting one of his twins' fears

-> that being bugs and spiders

-> he always cackled at the sight of atsumu screaming and trying to run away from him due to the spider he was holding

-> as they both grew up, this became less of a frequent thing for osamu to do

-> you also somehow started dating atsumu, but nobody could exactly pinpoint a moment that signified a beginning to your relationship

-> but since you're dating the world's biggest manchild in disguise, and osamu gets annoyed with atsumu quite easily, you would have to swoop in to rescue him from time to time

-> recently the twins had been getting a little snappy with each other, and it had yet to sort itself out

-> from what you had heard your boyfriend was in the wrong this time, but you still listened to him whine and rant about it

-> you were going to the inarizaki school gym to say hi to your boyfriend and best friend before practice started, only to see absolute chaos unfolding

-> with kita yet to arrive, the twins were effectively unleashed and that much was clear with the way atsumu was practically screaming his head off as he ran around the gym

-> your eyes took in the rest of the players- aran had his head in his hands, suna was snickering with his phone out to record the newest miya twin fight, and osamu's deranged laugh could be heard above everything else as he chased his brother, hand held out in front of him

-> only one thing was capable of making atsumu scream like that, so you already knew what was happening

-> atsumu quickly spotted you hovering in the doorway, and made a beeline to where you were

-> his eyes were panicked, and you were quick to wrap him in a hug as you shot osamu a nasty glare over his shoulder

-> literally this lmfao

-> "that's enough, 'samu"

-> your best friend paused, before a smile spread across his face as he dangled the centipede in front of him

-> "you know it was rubber, right?"

-> you felt your boyfriend tense in your arms and you bit your lip to stifle a small giggle

-> but at least they would be back to normal by the end of today

back to the menu - ,, 🕷 ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Chapter Thirty-Six: How I Did It - By Jack The Ripper

Rated PG-13: For dark themes and language

Masterlist

~We'll never get free Lamb to the slaughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water? The price of your greed Is your son and your daughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water?

Beg me for mercy Admit you were toxic You poisoned me just for Another dollar in your pocket Now I am the violence I am the sickness Won't accept your silence Beg me for forgiveness~

"He's here."

Crossing the Event-Horizon

That's what that's called. I've always thought that's the most beautiful way of putting it. The words have a certain ring to them.

Crossing the Event-Horizon

It means crossing the point of no return. That itself - the point of no return - could mean a lot of things. It could mean the beginning. It could mean the end. It could mean the infinite. It could mean life. It could mean death. It could mean war, peace, happiness, sadness, or anything in between.

But it means one thing for sure.

Crossing the Event-Horizon means there's no going back.

If I had to identify a beginning to the end of my story, then I think that little red dot on the map of time is where I'd stick my proverbial pin. That one little sentence, those two little words.

Yes, it was that moment, I think.

That was when it all started to go wrong.

"Felix is here," I said quietly, "He's outside."

I didn't know what I was going to do to get my revenge from that point. All I knew was, in order to kill Felix, I would need to get to him. And that meant getting away from Jack. Getting away from the son of the devil is something certainly easier said than done.

I would have to do it in a manner which would compel him and the Winchesters to come 'save me'. Of course, I could just knock Jack out and ditch him, but then I would have no back-up if things with Felix went sour. Now, if there was one thing I had learned in the five years leading up to my presence in that lighthouse, it was redundancy. It never hurts to have a safety net. Mine just happened to be a Nephilim.

"You remembered to lock the door, right?" Jack joked. I huffed a laugh. "We're safe in here. Don't worry, Marty. I'll protect you."

Isaac shook his head. "Felix has hostages. Two of 'em." He informed me.

"It's not me I'm worried about," I said to Jack, "This is a hostage situation."

The Nephilim's expression darkened and Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Personally, I say we go on the offensive. I mean, ya boyfriend here has more than enough juice to disintegrate seven dudes, right? Just waltz out there like we own the place, boom, clap, poof, TA-DA!"

"Ya know, that's actually not that bad of a plan," I said, nodding. I relayed the message to Jack who nodded.

"I could do it." He seemed confident.

"Felix brought six helpers. Have you ever dusted that many guys before?" I asked.

"I have, yes. Many more, in fact."

Well, that was... thoroughly disturbing. He seemed so calm about it. As if anyone who stood against him was nothing more than an obstacle. That could be me one day. That could be me tomorrow.

"Alright then, lead the way," I said, smirking.

Is it bad that I hoped something would happen to Jack? Nothing deadly, of course. Just something that would stop him from using his powers to take my revenge for me. Felix was mine. I needed to be the one to kill him. If Jack did it then what had been the point of it all? So, was it bad of me to hope that the quickest, cleanest solution wouldn't be the one that played out?

Was that wrong?

Did that make me evil?

Did I care if it did?

"Everything's going to be fine, Marty. You'll see." And Jack smiled at me softly and I wondered how long that would last.

I found myself standing beside him at the door to the lighthouse. My blood was boiling for a fight because this was it. Felix was on the other side of that door and in a few hours, I would be free, one way or another. Jack turned the handle.

Across the Event-Horizon.

A vampire, a ghost, and a Nephilim stepped out into the muggy night air. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it was more the beginning of a new era, at least for me. I stayed mostly hidden beside Jack, maintaining my air of powerlessness. Isaac stepped into place at the Nephilim's other side to match. I could feel the heat of Felix's presence bleeding through the space between us. He carried with him the foul stench of burning tar and just his scent made me want to wrinkle my nose.

He stood about ten feet away from Isaac, Jack, and me, flanked by six other vampires. There was no army, not that I had expected there to be - that wasn't how Felix worked. He didn't need an army, he'd brought two hostages. Two humans knelt on the ground in front of each of Felix's lackeys, poised to die.

Felix's lips stretched into something that approximated a smile but his little ruse was transparent. I could see the hate simmering in his eyes.

"This little game of ours has been fun but a score still stands to be settled and its resolution, I do believe, is long overdue. There is no place left for you to run, child. Are you finally ready to face judgment for your crimes, Martina?" He said. A smile spread across my face to match his.

"Are you?" I challenged, leaving all human emotion out of my voice. I had been so afraid of him before, but that fear was in the past. I had come to witness true power, I had seen it up close and Felix Ashton Monroe was nothing in comparison. I wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"I suppose you'll just have to find that out," He said. "Now, I've just had a rather unsavory chat with one Samuel Winchester. Barbarians those boys are - him and his brother. I do so hope you'll remember the manners I taught you and come along like a civilized being."

"Ready when you are," Isaac reported. His Darth Vader figure was tucked safely in my boot and I counted the fact that Felix didn't know about him as one of the few advantages I had. Both Isaac and I knew that in order to keep that advantage my brother would have to suffer through being dragged behind a car via his attachment to the figure to prevent Felix from noticing his presence. We had decided a long time ago that I wouldn't face Felix alone. Isaac had protested against us facing him at all.

It was ironic, really. He was the ghost, yet out of the two of us, I was the vengeful one. See, Isaac had never sought revenge against Felix. The only person Isaac wanted vengeance against was himself. He sought punishment for his failure to keep me safe, to keep any of us safe. I suppose he got his wish. Ever since that night, Isaac remained trapped on earth with what was less of a mission and more of a duty. To keep me alive. If one looked at it properly, that was another advantage. Isaac had been formidable when he was alive, but as a vengeful spirit and with a threat on my life to power him up, Isaac was alarmingly deadly.

I didn't need to send him a discreet nod to acknowledge his words. The two of us had been preparing for this moment for five years. We knew our roles. We knew what we had to do.

"Marty isn't going anywhere with you," Jack cut in, his voice firm.

"You're Jack Kline I presume," Felix said in his usual drawling tone. His voice too reminded me of tar with the way it oozed lazily around his words. Everything about him was so clean and sharp yet somehow it was all horrifically revolting.

"I am, yes." Jack nodded. He was trying to sound confident and authoritative, mimicking Sam or Dean or Castiel. But he wasn't like them, it wasn't in his nature. Jack was too soft. Felix regarded him with a smirk, studying the boy in a calculating manner as if Jack were merely a rare antiquity he was appraising in an effort to determine its value.

"The boy born to rule..." He hummed, drawing out the words almost reverently. "Yer smaller than the rumors describe ye to be."

"So are you," Jack replied, standing up straighter and lifting his chin confidently.

"Oh, I'm afraid not." That slime ball cracked a smile. "I'm much too careful to allow for rumors of my physical appearance to drift beyond my reach."

"Really?" Jack challenged. "Because it seems like Martina found us. She told us everything about you."

Felix just laughed like he was talking to something as insignificant as a flea.

"Do ye never listen, young one? I said I don't allow rumors to drift beyond my reach. Seeing as Martina is standing directly ahead of me, I'd say she is well within my grasp. That which is mine does not escape me, laddie. She knows that better than anyone," Felix said.

"If you're so careful, then why come here yourself?" Jack asked, struggling to remain impassive. He didn't really have a poker face.

"Why, because unlike an amateur I actually quite enjoy getting my hands dirty every now and again. Especially with a vendetta this personal. Isn't that right, Martina?" Felix taunted. "Will you be coming willingly or not?"

"I said you can't have her," The half-angel forcefully growled. Jack pushed me behind him, shielding me from my creator's gaze.

"Is that so? I was unaware you had a choice in the matter," Felix accosted, seemingly amused. "Were your circumstances not clearly implicit in the situation? No? Very well! If you insist against using so much as a modicum of intelligence, I suppose I'll have to explain this situation to you. See, these dirty, pathetic excuses for intelligent life forms you see trembling before you are called humans, dear boy. I hear you're quite fond of them, and today they are playing the role which we in the criminal world usually refer to as the hostage. Now, their miserable little lives are in your hands, Jack. I am a man of my word thus I will gladly release them, alive and well, upon the prompt return of my property. However, I will not hesitate to rip them both to shreds right in front of you if I don't get my way. Do you understand that , boy?"

Jack didn't respond. He appeared torn between protecting me and saving the lives of the hostages.

"Good," Felix droned, "Now, are you ready to leave, Martina dear?"

" You don't get to speak to her ," Jack snarled. His teeth snapped together with an audible click as he threw his arm out in front of me, not quite ready to give up. Felix rolled his eyes.

"Must we really do this the hard way?" He asked, boredom evident in his tone.

"Yes."

Felix tilted his head and his gaze flicked to me. I could see a hint of amusement in his expression.

"Tell me, lassie. Have you kissed him yet?" He chuckled. Then, abruptly, his expression darkened. "Or is he just that stupid? "

"Who says I did anything?" I replied evenly. Felix huffed, rolling his eyes.

"So you have?" He turned his attention to Jack who just seemed confused. "Did you enjoy it, me boy? If you'll recall, I did wish you a very exciting first, did I not?"

"Marty, what's he talking about?" Jack asked, doubt wavering in his voice. I didn't answer him. Felix was taking a chisel to the wall I'd built in that boy's head. Not causing enough damage to send it crumbling, but planting enough doubt for it to hurt even worse when it did.

"Ah, my devious little Martina," Felix sighed, shaking his head dramatically. "You're as predictable as you are appallingly cruel."

"Guess I learned from the best," I hissed, glaring at him.

"Does that mean you'll be sensible?" He asked, raising a brow.

"You're not taking her!" My angel boy yelled. "She's mine. " A shock ran through my bones as Jack's powers ignited and his metaphysical wings spread out in front of me in a terrifying reminder of what he truly was.

Felix didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled.

"That's cute," He said, gesturing to Jack's massive wings. Then, he straightened the cuffs of his suit and sighed. From out of his pocket he retrieved a box of matches, pulling one out and striking it. He tossed the match lazily in front of him, the reflection of its tiny flame dancing in his eyes.

The match hit the sand and flickering orange flames erupted from where it landed. The fire spread outward in a ring that encompassed the entire lighthouse, trapping me, Jack, and Isaac inside.

Jack hissed through his teeth as he watched the flames die down. They were low enough to pass easily through, so how were they supposed to contain us?

"In case ye can't tell, that there is holy fire," Felix informed, tucking the matches back in his pocket. "Any angel who finds themselves encircled by holy fire is rendered powerless, and if one tries to step through those flames, one will be instantly vaporized." He looked up again, unimpressed. "Don't get smart with me, boy . I am thousands of years your senior. I'll do with that disgusting whore whatever I damn please."

"No, you won't !"Jack yelled. His wings flared out and a blazing golden light poured from him like molten metal. The air buzzed with a divine power that burned my skin from standing so close. He was like sunlight, and it burned. I cowered away but watched in awe as Jack's veins lit beneath his skin as if gold were pumping through them instead of blood. Because that's what Jack Kline was. He was power. With a sudden ferocity, the flames leaped up, roaring around his body in an effort to keep him trapped inside. But Jack did the impossible and stepped beyond the ring with a cry of effort.

Felix did not cower away as his underlings did; he merely tilted his head with slight interest.

"How intriguing," He mused, folding his hands in front of him. "Tell me, lad. How did you manage that?"

Jack glared at Felix, his chest heaving, for I could tell that act had caused him pain.

"I'm not an angel."

Jack raised his hand, poised to snap the monsters all into dust.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Felix half-heartedly warned.

"Why not?" The Nephilim ground out.

The vampire smiled coolly. "Because these fine specimens here are not my only hostages." Of course, he had more. He was always prepared.

"Where are the others?" Jack demanded, eyes flaring.

"They're safe and sound, I assure ye. Unless, of course, you try to do somethin' stupid, such as kill me. If that's the case, and I do hope it's not, then my people have orders to do some rather unsavory things to a room full of children." Felix raised a brow, daring Jack to make a move against him.

"I can save them," Jack said, confident.

"Please! Ye don't even know where they are!" He scoffed. "Do what ye must, Jack Kline. But I really do fear for the children." Jack gritted his teeth but said nothing. He knew he was beaten. "That's better." Felix turned his attention to me. "Give up this pitiful act of yours, Martina. Come on out. You know this is checkmate."

I stepped away from Jack and stood tall, allowing the thing that had made me to see the steel in my eyes. I passed Jack and planted myself in front of Felix.

"This isn't checkmate, Monroe. This is merely check. I'll be damned before I walk into something with no way out, you know that better than anyone." My voice was calm and cool and I let it chill him. It was my real voice, not that other one I always used to put people at ease. My real voice was the one that makes people do what I want.

The corner of Felix's mouth twitched up. "Oh, yes. I know." He leaned down, his face merely an inch away from mine. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So, where's the car?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Right this way, m'dear." He gestured towards the dirt road a ways away and started toward it. I began to follow but Jack's voice made me stop.

"You're a monster," He spat, shaking with rage. His pained expression had morphed into one of hatred and his glowing golden eyes fixed on Felix.

Felix twisted around, mildly amused more than anything.

"Empathy, humanity, and morality make you weak, boy. Alas, weakness is a bitch , isn't it?" He smirked, basking in the pain he caused.

"I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!" Jack screamed. His power flared with his anger but there was nothing he could do. The absolute helplessness and hopelessness of his situation finally dawned on him. He never could stand feeling helpless.

"Hold on, I'm confused. Is that not what you do ?" Felix jeered, lifting a brow. Jack froze, his eyes going wide and puppy-like as the vampire's words hit him in the heart. His rage and power dimmed.

"W-What?" Poor thing. His voice sounded so small. He had never been made for this.

"You're the Winchester's attack dog, are ye' not?" Felix clarified. "Playing judge, jury, and executioner for anything you deem a monster."

"You are a monster," Jack scowled, clenching his fists.

"Oh, I know that!" Felix laughed. "But I like to think I've done quite a bit to earn me that title. There are, however, six quite innocent and quite human patients in critical condition at a Manhattan hospital. Six patients, who you put there. Those weren't monsters now, were they?"

Jack's face paled. Sam and Dean had said everyone was fine. Sam and Dean had lied. "H-How did- How did you-"

"That was some stunt you pulled in Times Square, boy," He mused. "Did you really think I wouldn't know about it?"

"Th-that w-was... I-it wasn't... I didn't mean to I-" Jack shook his head in denial. "It was an accident!"

"Why, of course it was!" Felix laughed. "You've not a malicious heart nor the disposition to take an innocent life. Dear boy, you are but a loaded gun for the Winchesters aim at anything they don't like."

Jack shook his head. "T-that's not true! I kill things that are evil because they hurt people." His words sounded hollow like they were something practiced. Like something that had been pounded into him.

"Do ye now? Because as I recall, you killed your own mother and ye' don't even know why. Sad, that." Felix smiled. "You kill because you were bred to; it's your purpose. It's almost cute, the son of the devil thinking he's a hero."

"I am ! I'm a hunter!" Jack insisted.

"You are not a hero," Felix sneered, shaking his head. "You are a murderer, Jack Kline. What else could ya be?" The Scottish man turned on his heel, not caring much to hear what the Nephilim had to say.

"Y-you're wrong. You're wrong about me!" That was all Jack could force out. He tried so hard to keep the tears at bay. I shook my head and turned away from him to follow my creator. "M-Marty?" Jack called out from behind me, his voice laced with desperation and confusion.

I stopped.

In that moment, I finally stripped away the final pieces of the human girl I'd made for him. The girl I'd designed for him to love. Jack would never see her again. That girl was gone now. And good riddance to her; I hoped she'd never come back.

Because she was weak.

And I was not.

Because she was human.

And I was a monster.

Because she was kind.

And I was cruel.

Because she was innocent.

And I was insane.

Because she was honest and grateful.

And I was a deceitful manipulator.

Because she was the blissful mirage.

And I was the horrid reality.

Because she was perfect.

And I never could be.

Because Jack Kline loved that sweet girl.

But that girl wasn't ME.

She never had been.

Of course, I still loved him which only made this harder. But I supposed that in a few hours that would be of no consequence. He wouldn't care. And that fact hurt like a needle to the heart, but pain only brings power to those with nothing left to lose. So, I threw my head back and I laughed as I embraced that pain, just as I did for every other cut and bruise I had ever received. That needle was one in a million and all that pain was what made me real. So, I sighed and turned back to where my angel boy stood, staring at me like some lost puppy.

"I'm sorry, Jack," I said sweetly, "Thanks for getting me this far, I don't think I could have done it without you. Unfortunately, this is something I have to do on my own. This is my last page and nobody can write it for me."

"You can't go," He said, shaking his head. There were tears in his eyes but none in mine. I smiled at him and that was the first he'd seen from me that was real, because, for the first time, Jack was talking to me.

"Why are you worried, Jack?" I was surprised at how smooth and pleasing my own voice sounded, now that I took notice. My real voice was why I was dangerous; when I used it I could make anyone do anything. But there was a reason I had been masking it for so long. It was what had gotten me into this in the first place. "I know you'll come to save me."

"What if I'm too late?" He asked, his voice breaking.

"Then I'll be there waiting for you," I answered.

"You'll die," Jack whispered. I laughed lightly, shaking my head.

"I'm not going to die today, Jack."

"You don't know that!"

"I've known for longer than you think," I said. I watched his teary, desperate expression and copied it to my memory as best as I could. It was the last time he'd look at me that way. At least for a while. "Just do me one last favor?"

"Anything," Jack promised.

"There's a girl you haven't met yet, try not to hate her when you do." I smiled and Jack nodded, trying his best to stay strong.

Then I left him there.

Alone in the sand, he watched a stranger he thought he loved going to what he thought was her death and vowed to save her from it.

Was it wrong for me to deceive him?

Did I care if it was?

***

Sam paced back and forth along the length of the lighthouse as he waited for Dean and Castiel to return. Every few minutes or so he would check his watch anxiously and run a hand through his hair, muttering something unintelligible under his breath before he resumed his pacing.

But Jack wasn't paying attention to that. He was busy staring at his hands. There were too many thoughts racing through his head for him to focus on any one of them. It had all happened so fast and there was nothing he could have done, but it didn't feel that way. Jack felt responsible. Martina was going to die because of him. It was his fault.

It was always his fault.

The door of the Lighthouse burst open, revealing Dean and Cas standing there in the driving rain that had come on before anyone had time to notice. Dean threw himself inside and Cas trailed after him, taking the time to close the lighthouse door while Dean shook the rain off like an oversized dog.

"What took you so long?" Sam was immediately questioning. "Where were you?"

"Gettin' information," Dean smirked. "It took a while, but one of the bloodsuckers squealed. What happened here, Jack?"

"I kissed Martina," Jack blurted out.

"What?" Sam, Dean, and Cas asked in unison, sharing the same disbelieving expression.

Jack hadn't meant to say it but it just sort of came out. It probably wasn't his fault, though. Jack simply couldn't stop thinking about every detail of his time with the girl in the lighthouse. He wanted to focus on what had happened after, but his brain simply wouldn't cooperate.

"I, um... I kissed Martina..." He repeated, somewhat nervously. "And I think I liked it..."

Had he liked it? Jack thought so; he was pretty sure. But something about it felt off.

Why had he kissed her in the first place? What had compelled him to do that? Jack didn't know.

His memories of the kiss were strange. He remembered clearly the emotions he'd felt, and the intensity of them. Yet, for some reason, Jack couldn't seem to recall where those feelings had come from. He had wanted to kiss Martina, but not like that... Or... maybe he had? It felt to Jack as if the decisions he'd made weren't his own. He couldn't even remember making any decisions, really. All he remembered was those feelings and acting on them. Something about that seemed off to him but Jack wasn't sure. He supposed it wasn't that out of the ordinary for him to behave impulsively. On the contrary, he tended to do that quite a lot. So, what was bothering him?

"Wait..." Dean paled, "You and Marty... You- You two didn't, like... do it in a lighthouse, right?"

Jack tilted his head, brows furrowing. "Do what?"

"C-Cas?" Dean's face whitened another shade as he turned to the seraph. "Please tell me your son didn't-" Castiel gave a long-suffering sigh.

"No, Dean. I really don't think they did anything," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Not everyone is like you," Sam added. Dean waved him off.

"Yeah, okay, but why am I the only one gettin' weirded out by this?" He exclaimed.

"Because we have bigger problems, Dean!" Sam pointed out, exasperated. Sam seemed anxious and Jack wondered what he wanted to tell them.

"Well, I think this is pretty big!" Dean insisted, turning to Jack. "Dude, what the hell?"

"I don't understand what you mean. Martina and I kissed." Jack said simply.

"Dean, seriously. I-" Sam tried. Dean held up a hand, sighing.

Dean sighed. "Jack... Y-You don't do that."

"Dean! Listen-"

"Not now, Sam!" Dean cut him off again.

"Why not? Jack asked, frowning.

"Look, ya just- Ya gotta wait a little while, man!" Dean said, running a hand over his face. "I mean, Marty's like, twelve!" He insisted. By then, Sam had decided he'd had it.

"No, Dean! She's really not!" The younger Winchester yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"What?" Dean was shocked by his brother's sudden outburst. Sam took a deep breath to calm himself now that he had everyone's attention.

"Martina's not as young as we think she is. I-I think she's older, m-much older." Sam said, stress leaking into his tone.

"What are you saying, Sam?" Cas asked.

"I'm saying we've been played."

***

The car ride was smooth and it was the first time I'd been in a limo, so naturally, I took the comforts offered me. I stretched out across the seat, lounging as I stared out the tinted window. I didn't worry about Felix sitting directly across from me. I knew he didn't want to kill me. Not yet anyway.

"I'm curious, how did you manage to fool them?" He asked, watching me with a comfortable expression.

I shrugged. "Long story, lots of boring details."

"Indulge me," He insisted.

"Why should I?" I asked. He shrugged, mimicking me.

"I'm simply curious."

I hummed. "I bet you are."

He smirked. "Well, what can I say? It's just my nature." I nodded vaguely, continuing to stare out the window. We both knew how this would end. There was no real reason not to tell him.

"Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel..." I said their names thoughtfully, allowing the corner of my lips to twitch up into a sly smile. "They seem so simple at first glance. You have the poor unfortunate soul who lost so much yet kept his kindness, the perfect killer who spent his whole life at war, and the fallen angel who found a home. But if that was all there was then I never would have fooled them. However, for men who claim to be so faithless, there's so much they want to believe in."

"Whot do ye mean?" Felix asked, tilting his head. I smirked lazily. T

"I'll start with Sam. Sam is kind because he's damaged, but the last thing he is is a fool. When someone's good at unraveling lies, the last thing you do is give them a really big one to unravel. If you do that, then they'll cut right through and they'll figure you out easily. So, what do you do? You give them distractions. Hide puzzles within puzzles and Sam will stop to solve each one because he loves it. But how do you get him to ignore the big picture?" I stopped and grinned.

"It's easy really. All I had to do was appeal to his hate. Sam Winchester is so extraordinarily full of such raw and powerful hate, that if you simply aim it at a conceivable target, he can ignore anything else. And of course, with his hate blinding him to the truth, Sam can't figure out the lie. All one has to do to fool Sam is give him a puzzle to solve and something to hate.

"So, I made him hate you."

***

"How?" Castiel asked, tilting his head.

"It's Marty. We can't trust her," Sam said. Dean scoffed

"After all that lecturing earlier? Why the hell not?" He demanded. Sam took a nervous breath.

"Because she's been lying to us, Dean," He said. "I-I think she's been lying to us this whole time."

Dean's jaw clenched and he crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about, Sam?" His voice was tight and guarded.

"I talked to Felix after I saved the little girl," Sam admitted.

"You just stood there and talked to that son of a bitch! He's a sick, messed up, psychopath! Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Dean yelled. Sam held out his hands in a peacemaking gesture.

"I know w-what he is, Dean. A-and, believe me, I thought the same things you are now and I swear it was over the phone a-and all he did w-was tell me things. But-" Sam hissed through his teeth and tugged at his hair, seemingly at war with himself.

"But what, Sam?"

"I don't know. He- he just-"

"You don't know?!" Dean interrupted accusingly.

"H-He said things, alright! Felix told me things. Things about Marty. A-and they- they made - They just made so much sense! And I hate him just as much as you do and I don't wanna believe him but-" Sam's voice faltered and he shook his head seeming lost.

"What did he tell you?" Castiel pressed, gentle but still firm.

"He told me Martina killed his wife."

***

"Now, Dean? Dean's a little harder," I said as the driver made a sharp left-hand turn. "Dean's not just a hardened killer, though that's mostly what he wants people to see. He wants people to see the machine without a heart so no one will see how horrifically broken he really is." Thinking of what Dean was really like made me laugh and I flicked my gaze at Felix. "And believe me when I say that there's nothing that could fix him by now."

"But there's so much more to him than the killer and the brokenness. Dean's the righteous man who's never known a day away from war. There are so many things he wants so desperately. Dean dreams of walking peacefully along a beach yet he's never even been to one. For all he's never had Dean tries to give it to others. For all the blood and death he's seen he's remarkably full of love. Love is the key, really. Dean Winchester loves more powerfully than anyone I've ever met. If Dean loves someone he'll do anything for them.

"He sees my age and sees in me the child he never was. He sees me afraid and wants to provide me the protection no one gave him. He sees me flinch when someone yells and wants to offer me the security he never knew. He sees an orphan and wants to give me the parental love he never had. All one has to do to fool Dean Winchester is give him a child to love.

"So, I made him love me."

***

"And you believed him?" Dean scoffed. "Marty is a kid, Sam! She's a kid! Just a scared kid who needs our protection! Marty never could have done something like that."

"Why not?" Cas spoke up. All eyes snapped to the angel.

"BECAUSE SHE'S A KID!" Dean roared. Jack flinched away from him, he'd always hated when Dean yelled. It scared him. Though, this time Dean sounded less angry and more desperate. As if there was something he didn't want to believe. As if yelling the words would make them true.

"T-that's what I thought too. But what if we're wrong?" Sam asked.

"How could we be wrong?" Dean demanded.

"What if Marty's not a kid?" Sam carefully spoke, "What if she's not human?"

Dean shook his head. "No," He said, "No, you're wrong. I know what you're thinkin' and you're wrong." Jack shook his head too. There was no way... was there? Something itched at the back of his mind. He didn't know what it was. Did he want to?

"Dean, I know this is hard to accept, but we need to think this through," Sam said, holding his hands out beseechingly.

"We don't have time for that!" Jack spoke up. "Felix is going to kill Marty! We can't just let her die!"

Sam held up a hand. "He's not gonna kill her, not for a while. We have time."

"No, you don't get it! I promised I'd save her!" Jack said.

"Exactly!" Sam pointed out. "Jack, that's exactly what she wants! She's been planning this the whole time."

"What do you mean 'the whole time'?" Dean inquired, crossing his arms.

"Think back to the beginning, w-when we first met Marty," Sam said, walking them through it. "Why were we in Copper Harbor?"

"For a ghost hunt," Jack answered, impatience leaking through his tone.

"You're right, but there was another case there. What was it?"

"Blood was being stolen from the hospital..." Cas said slowly as if remembering.

"Exactly! Exactly." Sam took a breath. "Now, that ghost in the viral video, who was it? Was it whoever's bones we burned?"

"No, it was..." Jack made the connection. Why hadn't he noticed that before? "It was Isaac."

"Okay, so that means..." He trailed off.

"That Marty was lying about the hunt and the bones," Cas finished.

"Right, now why would she do that?"

"I dunno, professor. Maybe so we wouldn't torch her brother?" Dean rolled his eyes.

Sam pursed his lips, sighing. "Well, yes, b-but no! This isn't about Isaac, this is about Marty. What would she have been hiding?"

"The blood theft," Cas said decisively. Dean shook his head.

"That's a coincidence. Marty can't be - She can't-" He couldn't even say it. He could hardly think it. "Marty can't be a vampire."

***

"Castiel was harder," I continued. "Aside from the fact that he's a multi-billion-year-old cosmic being, Castiel also lacks a soul. That made tapping into his emotions significantly more difficult, but once I did that it was quite clear that I could never fool him. At least, not directly. He's intelligent, not easily deceived, and he always tries to do what he thinks is best. Whatever that course of action might be, more often than not, it hasn't been the right one.

"Castiel is, primarily, a screw-up. There's a lot of history and even more drama involving his fellow angels and the Winchesters, and he has consistently attempted to fight for both sides of the war between them. His torn loyalties have caused a great many more problems than they've fixed and it seems as though any attempt to fix one of said problems breeds yet more chaos. Castiel is rebellious. He can never seem to do what he's supposed to. So, naturally, that makes him the most dangerous piece on the board.

"When Castiel sets his mind on something, there isn't much that can sway him. His actions have proven, repeatedly I might add, that he is even willing to go behind the backs of the Winchesters if he believes it's for the greater good. But his destructive pattern stops only for the one person he's never betrayed. Thus, to fool Castiel one has to fool his son.

"So, I got my hands on Jack."

***

"Why not?" Cas snapped.

"'Cause she just can't!" Dean's voice broke.

"She single-handedly killed five vampires, Dean! Remember?" Cas pressed. "There's no way a mere child her age could have done that."

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe it. "Marty can't be a vampire. Dad, she just can't be."

Castiel sighed, his eyes soft. "I know you want to believe that."

"Why shouldn't we?" Dean challenged.

"Because she killed five vampires single handedly! What part of that escapes your understanding?!" Cas repeated with frustration.

"We don't know what happened in there!" Dean persisted.

"Exactly! WE DON'T KNOW!" Cas yelled.

"THEN WE CAN'T ACCUSE, CAN WE?" Dean shouted back. Jack flinched again and Cas took notice, forcibly relaxing his posture in hopes of reassuring his son.

Sam groaned. "Look at the facts, Dean. The research!"

"Damn the research, Sammy! This is Marty! We know her!"

"We know she's an empath!" Sam spat. "She's been playing with all our emotions, we know that! We need to look at this objectively and, as hard as that might be, it means looking at the facts!"

"What about the facts?" Dean asked reluctantly.

"Think about it," The younger brother said. "W-we did the research, remember? Remember how none of it lined up?"

"Yeah, because Felix messed with it!" Dean tried.

"Not all of it," Sam pointed out, "Marty said she was nine when she died, but her youngest brother was ten. Remember that? How could she have been younger than her youngest sibling?"

"Sam, that-"

"Because she wasn't, Dean," He hissed, "She wasn't nine. Marty was sixteen."

"I-I remember..." Dean froze, his eyes flicking up to meet his brother. "Sammy..." He said, his voice tense and shaking, "How did I forget that?"

Dread coated Castiel's tone as he answered instead.

"I think she wanted us to."

***

"Jack is a very special boy," I said, sarcasm lacing my tone. "Although, he is the offspring of a fallen archangel, so I'd assume that 'special' comes rather naturally. Thanks for that clue, by the way. It would have taken me much longer to figure him out if it wasn't for that itty bitty little detail."

"You would have gotten it regardless." Felix shrugged.

"Of course I would've!" I snorted, shaking my head. "I didn't think my abilities were of any question."

"They weren't," Felix replied. "I know what you're capable of, lassie."

I smirked devilishly. "You should." Felix's hand clenched into a fist and he sent me a tight smile.

"Indeed." He forced the word through his teeth. "Which is why I'm surprised you enlisted to lie to that boy so completely. Doesn't that violate whatever moral code of Donoghue's it is that you've adopted?" I nodded and shrugged with a sigh.

"You're right, it does. Jack is in many senses young and vulnerable and on top of that, he's dreadfully naïve. He could never deserve what I did to him." I huffed out a humorless laugh as my face twisted into a sneer. "But you do. So I made an exception."

Felix shook his head as if disappointed. "Now, now, Martina. When one has a goal, one does not make exceptions. Lest they desire to fail, of course. Only hypocrites make exceptions. Did I teach you nothing?"

"I'm not like you," I spat.

"Is that what it looks like from where you sit?" He mused quietly. I flashed him a barred toothed grin and continued.

"There's only one that Jack Kline truly wants in this world. He wants to be good - to prove to himself and those around him that despite his parentage, he can be good. He's been told that there's something wrong with him, so he wants to find a way to somehow purge it. But he can't because there's nothing wrong and there never was. Yet, he can't believe that. So it leaves him with an insatiable desire to please.

"It's pathetic, really. He seeks validation in everything. He thinks he has to be useful to be loved. Otherwise, he's just a burden, one that nobody wanted. Jack doesn't want to believe that; he wants to be told that isn't true. Jack Kline may be powerful but he's also soft - moldable if you will. See, he's so haplessly needy that it's honestly sickening. He'll do anything for you to tell him what he wants to hear. And he'll do anything to keep hearing it.

"Jack is a combination of his three guardians. He's desperate. Like Dean, he doesn't want to see what's right in front of him. But he's not stupid. I had to erase his memory more than once. Then, like Sam, I simply distracted him and, much like Castiel, I had to keep him in line by appealing to that insatiable need of his. To fool Jack Kline one has to give him someone to save.

"He thinks he's saving me." I smiled fondly when I'd finished, glancing up at Felix with a challenge in my gaze.

"Well, we both know that's impossible," He said, eyeing me with a smirk, "There's nothing left in that cold shell of yours worth saving." I grinned, showing him the insane thing he'd created.

"You're damn right."

***

Then, like a memory, there were words running through Jack's head. Words and voices, but he didn't remember hearing them.

'You said you were nine then! But y-you - you weren't!' That was his voice in his ears. But Jack couldn't remember saying those words. 'You haven't aged a day... Five years and you haven't aged a day.'

'I aged about a month, actually.'

The other voice was Marty. The words buzzed like static, making his headache. Jack shook his head. It was like Deja Vue but entirely more vivid. Sam, Dean, and Cas kept talking. It was hard to hear them through the ringing in his ears.

"Cas, are you saying she can wipe memories?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure," Castiel replied, shaking his head. "But she can certainly suppress them."

"But it-it must only work when she's around b-because when she's gone - I know for me - When Marty's not around I-I start to remember," Sam said.

The ringing in Jack's ears intensified, making him groan and grasp at his head. He clamped his hands over his ears but the ringing only grew louder. It was like angel radio, but instead of being surrounded by fire, Jack felt like he was burning from the inside out.

"Jack?" Cas was calling his name. "What's going on?"

"I-I don't- I-" Jack gasped, the pain growing stronger. "It hurts! Dad, please make it stop!"

"Jack? JACK!"

He stumbled into Cas's arms as another blurred memory hit him like a train.

'I'm gonna need you to forget that,' Marty's voice whispered in his head. She sounded so gentle, so inviting. She sounded like a spider.

'I wish I could,' His own voice shook as Jack listened to himself say words he couldn't remember speaking. It felt like a memory that didn't belong to him.

There was more to it this time. There was a picture frame, but the picture inside was out of focus. There was an image. It was Martina. She had fangs. And there was something else too. Jack could feel it like a phantom pain. It was terror. The paralyzing kind. The feeling of being trapped. Jack felt the shadow of limbs and he couldn't move. He was trapped. Jack couldn't get out. He was trapped like a fly in a web. Marty was the spider. He couldn't get away. He couldn't get away from her.

She wouldn't let him.

'I can make you forget,' She was going to hurt him. ' Take us back to the night we met. '

'What do you mean?' His voice asked cautiously. He was scared. He was so scared. He couldn't get out.

'I'm going to talk to you, and then you're going to forget, and everything will be back to the way it was.'

'You're a monster.' He'd said

The ringing in Jack's ears faded and he bolted upright, gasping and shaking as panic set in. He needed to tell Sam, Dean, and Castiel what he'd remembered but he couldn't seem to find the words.

"S-She lied." That was all he could force out.

"Jack, what happened? Are you okay?" Castiel worried, checking over him. Jack just shook his head.

"She did something to me," He choked out, shaking. "I don't know. I can't remember. Why can't I remember? She did something to me!" He felt sick. There was something wrong with him.

No.

There was something wrong with Marty.

She was sick.

"What? What did she do?" Dean demanded, eyes wide.

"She-She made me forget. I knew. I-I knew and she made me forget!"

"Forget what?" Sam asked.

"I figured her out a-and she made me forget but I remembered." Jack stopped and only then did he realize he was crying. "She's one of them."

Because she had betrayed him. Marty had betrayed all of them. Jack didn't even know what to believe anymore. Had any of it been real? Or was it all some twisted lie?

"I'm sorry, Jack," Cas offered quietly.

"You were right, Sam," Jack whispered. He couldn't stop his voice from shattering. "Martina is a monster. A-And she lied."

There was silence for a moment. Then, Dean spoke up. Because someone had to take the lead and it was always him. It wasn't fair, but it was always him.

"We gotta go," He said, struggling to make his voice sound cold and firm. But he'd lost a daughter today.

"W-Where?" Sam asked.

"Me and Cas know where Felix is taking Marty. That kid's got some answering to do," Dean answered, his green eyes darkening with his tone. Castiel stood, helping Jack climb to his feet.

"Martina is dangerous, Dean. Are you sure you're willing to do what may be necessary?" Cas asked, watching Dean with a somber expression.

"It's not gonna come to that," Dean said.

"And if it does?"

"I will." Jack's voice was quiet but it caught the adult's attention.

"Jack, are you- Are you really sure?" Cas asked gently. Jack shook his head.

"I don't want to kill Martina. But you're right, she is dangerous." His voice faltered. "I can't let her hurt anybody else."

***

Felix's limo pulled into the garage of what was easily a multi-million dollar home. It was four stories and it reminded me of a castle with its dull grey stone and tall windows. The interior of the garage was constructed simply of polished cement and was entirely empty aside from the car now parked within it. I sent Felix a smirk and climbed from the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind me. The car was surrounded. Twenty or so of Felix's vamps stood guard but I knew they were more for display than anything else. Some of them I recognized, some I didn't.

"And here I thought this little girl's night was just gonna be you and me," I huffed dramatically upon seeing them, "You had me feeling all special."

"Sorry to disappoint, Lassie," Felix drawled. "But don't worry, I invited some of your friends too. Well, just one to be exact."

I shot him a curious glance but shrugged before sauntering my way past Felix's lackeys like I owned the place. I supposed I had, but that was so long ago. Were his minions really still so afraid of me? I surveyed one of the vamps as I passed him, taking notice of the bead of sweat dripping down his neck. He was clearly terrified.

So, they remembered who their queen was. Good.

Spinning on my toe like a ballerina, I let a bubbling laugh escape my throat. All of Felix's soldiers turned to face me, watching with careful eyes.

"Hello, Lovelies!" I called, grinning. A few of them shifted nervously. "Just thought you all should know, both your beloved Prince and Princess are dead! I killed them!" Murmurs spread around the empty garage, echoing off the polished grey walls. "That's right! Boyd's head I ripped off with a tractor, though I'm sure your leader was glad to finally be rid of his bastard son." I glanced at Felix who stood there stoically and winked. "I knew about that, by the way. As for Elwyn, I had the Devil's son snap her into dust like Peter Parker in Infinity War. 'Cept she ain't comin' back!" I giggled in reaction to the horrified expressions of Felix's soldiers and send the man himself a smirk before whipping around again.

"Ye know, Martina?" His voice made me pause though I kept my back to him. "I look at you and I don't see anyone looking back..." He trailed off, his tone thoughtful. "Where is that soul you used to have?"

"Just like I told your daughter, I lost it in the woods in favor of something else. You wanted me to learn something and I learned it!" I eyed him over my shoulder. "You never should have sent me there."

"I know that now." Felix sounded almost solemn. "Whatever Sampson brought back with him wasn't the girl I tossed in, was it?"

I shrugged. "That's where you're wrong. It's still me. Like I said, I just learned something over there is all."

"And what did you learn?" He wondered.

"That you were wrong."

"It doesn't seem I was," He said. I chuckled softly.

"You said I was made to be a queen. You were wrong."

"Aye?"

"I'm not a queen, Monroe." I turned to face him. "I'm a damn Empress." I grinned. "And, honey, you should see me in your crown."

I didn't bother to watch his expression. I just turned and walked.

Pushing my way through the garage door, I skipped down a long, dark hallway decorated with dark wooden pieces that I was sure had cost more money than they were worth. I smirked upon hearing Felix's footsteps trailing behind me. Whirling around and walking backward, I grinned at my former torturer.

"Got anything you didn't wanna say in front of your minions?" I taunted.

"I do, actually." He huffed a laugh that held no humor. "For the record, I'm sorry."

My expression soured. "No you're not."

"I am, truly." He placed his hand over his heart in a gesture of sincerity. "I apologize for my greed and my stupidity. I unleashed you upon this world; that will be my greatest regret, I think. I made you into a plague and I lost control over you."

"You never controlled me," I hissed.

"And I the second I realized that I should have put you down," Felix said. "I just hope the Winchester's don't make the same mistake."

I shook my head. "That's the think, Felix. They will."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." He shrugged.

"I guess I'll find out, won't I? So! Where's this friend of mine?" I asked, rubbing my hands together.

"Two doors down on your right," Felix answered. I glanced at the door he was referring to then back to him.

"Ooh, goodie. Before I open it, why do I get a present?"

Felix shrugged. "Call it a joke."

I nodded. "Dope."

Then I skipped over to the dark wooden door and grasped the handle. It wasn't locked, of course, so I pulled it open. I didn't look for traps. I knew Felix would never stoop that low. The room was pitch black and there were no windows, but I found the light switch easily enough. Bright fluorescent bulbs flicked on and washed the space with light.

Sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of the room, was a rather muscular man. His arms and legs were tied to the chair and his head was tilted down. I may not have been able to see his face, but I would have recognized that old, grungy cap almost anywhere. I crossed the space between us and tapped him on the shoulder. The man inclined his head, squinting against the light, but when he caught a glance of my face, his usually bright eyes filled with terror.

I had forgotten how fun it was to instill that level of fear. I smirked.

"Hey there, Benny! I haven't seen you since the Hunger Games!"

~We'll never get free Lamb to the slaughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water? The price of your greed Is your son and your daughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water?

Beg me for mercy Admit you were toxic You poisoned me just for Another dollar in your pocket Now I am the violence I am the sickness Won't accept your silence Beg me for forgiveness~

Lyrics from: Blood In The Water by grandson

[jaycewrites-192000]

Growl: Chapter 12

Warnings: None Tag List: @theravencawsatmidnight @etroman @kaariqueen

Today was the day, the day where Seijoh would face off aginst Kaisei Academy, a well known school with a very skilled Volleyball team. They were so good in fact, that they would become an obstacle for Aoba Johsei if not taken down a peg. And that's why Seijoh was here today, to show Kaisei Academy that they were the best! Right now, each team were having a team meeting before the game starts. While Seijoh were confident in their skills, there was still a hint of tension in the air.

"Alright guys, this is it." Oikawa started, as the captain it was his job to get his team hyped and ready for the match. But it was also his job to restore their confidence, make them feel like they could do anything if they really put their whole hearts and souls into it. "We're going to show those Kaisei jerks just who they're up against. We are Seijoh, we back down to no one! The moment we step onto that court, we show no mercy! Kaisei and every other team that challenges us will known that our team is nothing to mocked or looked down upon. I believe in all you, I know we can win this! Now, let's show them what we go!" The teamed collectively gave a frim, "Right!" back to their captain.

"But before we do, L/n-Chan has something she would like to say to everyone." Oikawa stepped aside for Y/n, who approached the team nervously. She cleared her throat and tried to ignore their eyes as she spoke. "I-I know things have been a little weird recently, I haven't stepped up as a manager like I promised I would. I gave you all my word and then I failed to make good on it, and for that I'm very sorry." She bows her head. "But, from now on, I'll be there for each and every one of you. I'll be here for this team like I should, I'll give you all my best, and I'll try harder every single day. Because that's what a manager does." She continued.

"Starting from now, you can rely on me. And I'll rely on you guys to win this match and many more like this." She gives the team a warm smile. "Good luck!" The team all felt their hearts flutter at her kind words. It was nice having a girl, a cute girl at that, cheer them on. But it was even nicer when she was this caring and appreciative of them. But secretly, Y/n would be cheering on Kyotani the most, and he knew that.

The bell that would signify the beginning of the match was blown. "Now go out there and win!" Y/n tells them. "Yeah!" The team says in unison as they approach the court.

The game was near it's end, and the score was tied, one more point was all that was needed in order to win this game. Things were starting to look slim for Seijoh, tension was clear in their movements. They were just as unsure as Y/n, who was on the sidelines watching with bated breath. She never knew volleyball could get so intense, she never understood why there was so much passion put into each match. But now she understood, she understood what it meant to be a part of the team, what it meant to have your teammates backs, and what it meant to support them all every step of the way.

The crowd watched as the ball was sent up into the air, Kyotani was the closest person to it. It was all up to him, to make that final hit, and win the game...

Kyotani took a running start, and just as he jumped he heard the encouragement that made him forget any trace of doubt in his mind. "Go for it Ken!!" Y/n cheered over the crowed. Kyotani yelled fiercely as he hit the ball with every ounce of strength he had. It swooshed over the net, and passed the opposite team member's head, right onto the floor.

The whole gym went quiet, as the ref made the final call...The final whistle was blown...Seijoh, had won!

The gym filled with the cheers from the crowd, Y/n included. She ran to the team who was currently celebrating their victory. She tackled Kyotani in a tight hug, he lifted her up and spun her around. "You all did it! You won!" Y/n kissed his forehead. "Of course we did! We're Seijoh!" Oikawa exclaims happily. "You guys were amazing! Congratulations!" Y/n tells them with a big smile. With a few more celebratory words, the two teams gathered at each side of the court, and thanked each other for the match.

At the end of the day, the whole team decided to go out for a nice dinner to celebrate. And all at the cost of their oh so wonderful captain Oikawa, who was currently regretting that decision. Each person raised their glass to make a toast. "Here's to another victory for Seijoh!" Oikawa starts. "You all worked hard out there today, I say this win was well deserved." The teamed cheered in agreement. "And, I would like to thank Y/n for becoming part of the team." His kind words made her blush. "Don't think I didn't hear you cheering for Mad-Dog out there." He winked. "Speaking of, congrats again on your relationship! Here's to Y/n and Mad-Dog! May they have a wonderful life, and many beautiful children!"

Y/n and Kyotani turned red, silently cursing their captain. "Oi, stop embarrassing them." Iwaizumi elbowed him. Y/n glanced over at Kyotani and smiled softly. As embarrassing as Oikawa's words were, she hoped for the same. That Kyotani and herself would stay together for a very long time, and maybe, even have a kid or two. Not now obviously! But at some point, it would be nice. Kyotani noticed her gaze,  and discreetly held her hand under the table, so the others couldn't see. Y/n rubbed her thumb over his hand gently, as a silent, "I love you too."

After a night of age appropriate drinking, eating, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company, it was time each team member made their way home. Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kyotani and Y/n were the last to go. "Be safe on your way back." Iwaizumi tells them. "We will. Thanks again you guys. I had a lot of fun tonight." Y/n says appreciatively. "Anytime Y/n. Don't forget to show up for practice tomorrow you two." Oikawa waves as he walked side by side with Iwaizumi. "Goodnight." Y/n waved before turning to Kyotani.

"You ready?" He asked, reaching for her hand. Y/n nods and takes it with her own, they then walked their way back home. "You were awesome out there Ken." Y/n says as she snuggles into his arm. "Was I?" Kyotani's cheeks heat up. "Yeah, you were intense before, but during that game, you were something completely different. You were...you were just so amazing! I can't wait for the next game." Y/n says happily. Kyotani grinned, he really liked that Y/n was warming up to volleyball. Even gaining the same love he had for it since he was a kid.

It just made his love for her grow even more. "Y/n?" Y/n looked up at him with a hum. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on her own. It didn't take her long to relax into the kiss and return it. She sighed breathlessly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. She felt Kyotani's arms snake around her waist, pulling her in closer to him. The two pulled apart, needing air, before locking eyes with each other.

All that the two could ponder in this very moment was, 'how did I get so lucky?'. Kyotani reached up and moved a stray lock of hair from her face, then gently strokes her cheek. "I love you so much Y/n." He speaks softly. Y/n smiled and leaned into his touch. "I love you too Ken, so very, very much." The two stayed in each other's embrace for a bit longer before continuing on their way, hand in hand.

It was strange, at first glance, you would wonder why Y/n would want to be with someone like Kyotani. He could come across as just another cruel delinquent, but underneath all that was a misunderstood,  kind, and gentle person that Y/n loved with all her heart. She couldn't have asked for anyone better, and it was the same for Kyotani. He never thought anyone could love him for who he was, and yet, here Y/n was. Willing to love him with everything she had. He would make sure to never forget the kindness she had shown him, and the love that she held only for him.

He would make sure to care for her, and love her like it was his final days. He would never let her slip away so easy.

And to think, all this started...with a growl...

The End

Eight years had gone by since that day, and every since then, Y/n and Kyotani had stayed together, their relationship as strong as it was since they first started dating. Their love for volleyball had never went away, as Kyotani was now  a V. League Division 2 player. He played on a team called the Sendai Frogs. Y/n, while not a manager anymore, worked her dream job as a (career/occupation). Still she would always go to his games and cheer him on, he started to call her his own personal cheerleader.

Many changes had occurred in their life, they graduated high school, got jobs, their own home, and now, Y/n and Kyotani were expecting a new addition to their little family. It wouldn't be long now before the bundle of joy would arrive, less than a month in fact. It was quite the shock when they both found out that they would be having not one, but two babies. Twins, one girl and one boy.

And of course when Oikawa found out, he was more than excited. Too excited. Like he was the one having the baby. He chipped in and bought all sorts of baby clothes, mountains of diapers, and two very expensive cribs for the babies. Iwaizumi had to take charge and hold onto his idiotic husband's credit card for a while. He was going to cause them to go broke all on baby items! Don't get him wrong, he was more than happy for Y/n and Kyotani, and couldn't wait to meet the babies when they arrived. But seriously, Oikawa was going to cause them to go bankrupted.

Another bittersweet change was that Killer, Kyotani's dog had passed away of old age two years ago. It left Kyotani devastated, he loved Killer, and he was gone. Y/n was just as sad, Killer was like family to them both. It just felt so empty without him around, so Y/n came up with an idea. She knew no dog could ever replace Killer, but she gifted Kyotani with a Shiba puppy on his birthday. When Kyotani started to cry, she figured she had done something wrong. But quite the opposite, Kyotani loved the new puppy. He even named him Killer Jr.

So life was pretty good. Kyotani and Y/n were still happy and in love, expecting twins, and had a loyal companion. What more could they ask for?

Kyotani held Y/n in his arms, gently stroking her pregnant belly, chuckling whenever he would feel his children kick at him. Killer Jr. was laying across her legs, staying alert for anyone who would try and harm his owners. Y/n looked up at her husband, his eyes were closed and a warm smile across his face. Her eyes trailed to the wall in front of them, above their TV was his old jersey from back in high school. Number 16. His number, proudly displayed for all to see.

On the TV stand were pictures of Y/n and Kyotani from over the years. When they graduated, when they both got wasted at that collage party she dragged him to, when they first moved into their shared home. She figured there was room for one more. "Ken?" Y/n says softly, Kyotani hummed. "Can you grab the camera for me?" She asks. Kyotani sits up right. "Why?" He asked as he stood up from the couch. "I want to take a picture of us. You can never have too many happy memories."

Kyotani searched around for a bit before finding the camera. He hurried back over and snuggled up to Y/n again and handing her the camera. She raised it up high and kissed his cheek, Killer Jr. walked over and laid in Kyotani's lap. The camera clicked and flashed, Y/n pulled away and took a look at the picture. "Perfect." She smiled. Kyotani chuckled and pet Killer Jr.'s head. "Wanted to be in it too bud?" Killer Jr. barked and licked his hand.

"You're so photogenic buddy." Y/n giggled. "He should be a dog model-oh!" Y/n put her hand on her stomach. "That was uh...a big kick." Kyotani puts his hand on hers. "You ok?" He asked. "Yes, it was just-Ah! Ooookay...um...Ken? I think our babies want to be free." Kyotani's eyes widened. "N-now...?" Kyotani mutters. "Yep." Y/n nods. "Now!?" Kyotani exclaims. "Yes now Ken!" Y/n flinches at another harsh kick. Kyotani jumped up and quickly grabbed his keys.

He ran back over and helped Y/n up and got her out the door and into the car and rush to the hospital.

It was hectic at first, but after hours of labor the twins had finally made their way into the world. Y/n held her two babies close to her chest, even drenched in sweat and exhausted Kyotani still found her beautiful. His knees nearly gave in at the sight of her and his two children. He kneeled down next to the bed. "They're so...small." It was all he could say. Y/n smiled and kissed her babies' heads. "Yeah..."

The door to the room opened wide, no other than Oikawa himself strode in. "I came as soon as I heard!" Iwaizumi followed in after. "This is a hospital, tone it down!" He hissed. "Ohhh, let me see." Oikawa walked over to the other side of the bed. He teared up at the sight of them. "What are their names?" He asked. Y/n looked down at the girl. "This one is Yui." She looked down at the boy. "And this one is Ryu."

(Sorry if they're bad, I'm not creative when it comes to names.)

"They're so precious." Oikawa whines. Iwaizumi walks over with a smile. "Congrats you too. They're beautiful." Y/n and Kyotani thanks them before turning their attention back to their kids.

"Yui and Ryu...Welcome to the world."

Previous | Completed

[kaissauce]

Undertale characters are already so cool and funky and although aus are cool and all it loses it's spark when people only focus on sans (he's a cool character i get it but so is literally all the other main characters). here's a bunch of stuff i wrote down about them characters because idk there's so much that can be explored with the base game instead of jumping to aus

sans: a character who very clearly just wants to vibe and no way shape or form wants to be in the spotlight or the main character. casually threatens the player to show that he's more than meets the eye but also does not want to fight but is capable of doing so. has weird powers and apparently pranking people across time and space is the norm for him (according to papyrus). absolute troll. likes astronomy and science stuff. his right eye glows light blue and yellow for a few frames in very specific moments during the fight (the beginning, when he slams you into the walls during the last attack but eventually it stops glowing even when he's still slamming the soul around, and when he teleports you to the middle when you try to go to the fight button when he's still awake.) has a key to a lab with a machine which could also belong to papyrus ( twitter post suggests two people tried to fix that machine the two people could either be sans and papyrus or sans and alphys) what's the machine for? most popular headcanon is time machine presumably connected to gaster

Papyrus: an enigma, literally nothing about his past is revealed. Has weird powers that he uses so casually. barely fazed by dying and continues to believe the human. he does not kill the human and will always end the battle once the human gets to 1 hp, flat out gives the choice for the human to skip the fight after a few tries. barely sleeps, has nightmares. hates hotland, indifferent to echo flowers, online friends with alphys, knows things that did not happen yet (mettaton having eyes, the phone turning into a jetpack). why does he never take off his gloves this detail is forgotten by so many people. CHECK in the genocide route his description is "Forgettable" that could mean multiple things and none of them are good. his stats change in other routes unlike other people who have stat changes that happen because of specific scenarios: undyne's stats are different during the hangout fight, asgore's stats lower after smelling toriel's pie. Has connections to the River person, Flowey, and the Annoying Dog (pretty peculiar people). Keeps secrets, like he's MUCH better at keeping secrets then Sans. also a troll but isn't as big of a troll as sans. appears to be naive and is much more mysterious than sans and also more subtle at being mysterious. presumably also can use gaster blasters

Asgore: the king of the underground with a tragic life and carries the hopes of his subjects and the guilt from all the people he's hurt. Shows signs of knowing about resets (talking after being killed the player tells him that he's killed them and he nods sadly in response). wait that'd be really sad if he could remember previous timelines because then he'd know that he dies in every outcome except for true pacifist. most definitely did not want to kill those children but had to for monsterkind, he probably wasn't even the one to kill most of the fallen children because their stuff is in places where they presumably died. Took a long time to get a new royal scentist after Gaster was lost to his creation. Tries to get back on good terms with Toriel. he's old as friiickkk. he's horrible at naming things i find that really funny that he mashed his name and toriel's name to get asriel. first person besides alphys to meet flowey, dude i will die with the headcanon that asgore named flowey. HIS TRIDENT CAN BREAK THE MERCY BUTTON MAYBE EVEN THE OTHER BUTTONS

Undyne: The captain of the royal guard. She's missing an eye with no canon explanation. She was trained by the king of the underground and looks up to Gerson aka "The Hammer of Justice". Met Alphys at the dump and watches anime with her. Intimidating at first but she can be a really goofy person or very threatening. Tried to get Papyrus into cooking instead of wanting to join the royal guard because she knows he's against killing and he'll probably die when facing a human even though she knows he's tough. Plays piano. cheats death, basically does the impossible it's no big deal

Alphys: The Royal scientist after Gaster. Created a body for Mettaton, lied and claimed she made a robot with a soul (which alphys never revealed to anyone, the player only finds this out by getting the mystery key and the lab entries in the true lab). Experimented with DT and human souls. Knows that souls can't be artificially created. Knows about alternate realities and probably also studied timeline shenanigans (maybe sans and alphys studied that stuff together, maybe even more than just timeline shenanigans since sans is hinted to bring dog food for the amalgamates). Created Flowey. LITERALLY MANIPULATES THE GAME CODE TO TROLL THE PLAYER

Mettaton: ok how often did he forget that he's supposed to be playing as a robot with an artificial soul. like come on he had to slip up at least once. does he continue with that facade on the surface???? like i thought alphys wanted to be honest and she just never said mettaton is just a ghost?? also need me more ghost family interactions that's always fun. ALSO HIS ENDING COME ONNN THERE'S SO MUCH POTENTIAL THERE WHY ISN'T THERE MORE FICS ON IT IN FACT THERE SHOULD BE MORE FICS ON THE NEUTRAL ENDINGS IN GENERAL like i've already read some fanfics that touch on his ending and they're SO COOL but also mEssed and sad

ok im getting sleepy and this post is getting long so this next one's gonna be short

Gaster: probably actually broke people's ps4s when they typed in his name because the code to simulate a crash on a computer actually crashes the game on the console and causes a fatal error. dude gaster what the heck

[yamithediaperdork]

Just a pup (inuyasha)

Kagome smirked as she looked out the window of her bedroom, watching as Inuyasha popped out of the well looking excited and blushing. It was the second Friday of the month, which per the agreement the two of them agreed on, meant it was Inuyasha's punishment night.

Many of their friends, and well, ANYONE who knew Inuyasha would of been shocked to learn that the bad ass demon slayer was a natural submissive, who got his rocks off being ordered around and teased by people weaker then him, and more to the point, being spanked like a naughty little boy. Lord knows Kagome had been shocked when he confess (Well shocked and amused) and she had agreed to humor the silly pup and spend the second and fourth Friday of every month making him a little bitch, the First and third were romantic date nights.

With date nights in the past (it was just easier to get a seat at a inn then a fancy restaurant in the present) and punishment nights in the present (So no one heard Inuyasha yowling for mercy, They timed it for when Kagome's mom and grandpa would take Souta out to a movie) it was working out to a point, though Inuyasha had started to phone in his half of the deal to Kagome's annoyance.

'Well after tonight he'll know what to expect if he can't measure up~' She thought with a evil little giggle, then went down to meet him at the door.

Inuyasha couldn't help but grin like a fucking school girl as Kagome answered the door, giggling softly. He didn't quite understand why he wanted to be dominated when he hated being hurt (a big part in picking Kagome to punish him, At her hardest she barely hurt his behind, though he played it up like she was killing him) But he knew he was at his hardest when she abused him.

"About time Pup. Your five minutes late." Kagome said, sneering at him and making his cock twitch in his pants.

He knew of course he was on time, it was all part of the role play.

"I'm sorry Miss Kagome, I couldn't help it." Inuyasha mewed, looking down at the floor, his ears drooping, and trying not to grin.

"Oh you'll be sorry alright~" She said and grabbed him by the collar and lead the way to her room. "Though I have a surprise for you my dirty little pup."

"O-Oh?" Inuyasha asked, though he was distracted by a scent in the air as they got to the second story of the house. it was familiar but there's no way it could be what he was thinking it was.

"A yup~ I've noticed that despite all the wailing and whining you do, I'm not really hurting your cute little butt." Kagome said, opening the door to her room.

And sitting on her bed, holding the fire harden wooden paddle with holes drilled into it to cut down on air resistance, was Koga.

"So I asked Koga to help me give you the punishment you sooo seem to need and want. Your welcome." Kagome giggled as Inuyasha froze, blushing and then snarling.

"Now now Pup, none of that!" Koga ordered. "We both know a fight between us would be a draw, but think of how much everyone back home would loooove to hear about what a little fucking wimp you are, that you beg to be spanked and stepped." Koga said, smirking and wagging a finger.

The thought of all of his other friends and well, everyone that they both knew knowing what a little bitch he was took the fight out of Inuyasha, even as his cock twitched and throbbed and tented out his pants, a small damp spot appeared from pre.

"I..but..Kagommmme! the deal wa-" Inuyasha turned his attention to his mistress/girlfriend, but was cut off.

"The deal was I dominate your subby bitch ass and get romantic dates in exchange. do you recall what our 'date' was Pup?" Kagome asked, frowning and shaking her head, and trying not to laugh at how hard Inuyasha was despite looking so mad and scared.

"W-We had a picnic by the lake an-"

"And you spent half of it whining about me not bringing any ramen cups and the other half chasing fish in the water because you didn't like the pasta dish I made for you." Kagome said, glaring.

"O-Oh uh..I'm sorry?" Inuyasha said/asked and poked his index fingers together.

"Like I said before, you WILL be. Koga here knows how to treat bad little pups like you and has lots of fun ideas planned out, and all he wants in return is a little loving." Kagome coo'ed.

"Y-Your not gonna.. with him..are you?" Inuyasha whined, but his cock was leaking big time now.

"Of course I am..Maybe He'll last longer then 30 seconds..Of course if you're THAT against me getting fucked by a real man, someone who doesn't need to be scolded like a naughty little boy..you could always ride Koga." Kagome giggled. "Lords knows you love it when I finger you."

"Heh, Hey I'm a open guy, as long as i get to fuck a nice tight hole i'm game." Koga laughed.

"but..but.." Inuyasha mewed.

"That's right, in your butt..or you mouth. actually yeah, Your gonna wanna suck it first." Koga said, chuckling and gesturing Inuyasha over with a finger. "Now enough of this huffing and puffing and whining, the longer you put this off, the more likely it is more people are gonna find out what a subby little bitch you are."

Inuyasha knew he should just storm out. or at least try and fuck Koga's shit up, even though the wolf demon was right that they were basically equals and would only in a draw. there was a lot of should of's.. but in the end Inuyasha's body betrayed him and he hooked his thumbs in the waistline of his pants and dropped, them, then walked over and knelled in front of Koga, who chuckled and patted his head.

"Good puppy."

Koga found himself a little jealous as he looked down at Inuyasha. just wasn't fair that a total bitch like him could have such a huge piece of fuck meat, 9 1/2 inches when Koga was only a 'mere' 7, though Koga's was thicker.

"Since you went and wasted time with all your whining and bitch, I think you owe me a little something to make up for wasting my time." Koga said, press his bare foot on the tip of Inuyasha's cock, not hard enough to hurt but the puppy let out a whimper even as his cock leaked on Koga's foot.

"Y-Yes Sir. I'm sorry sir." Inuyasha mewed softly.

"The bottom of my feet are dirty from walking to the well and coming though JUST to humor you, so I think they deserve a little tongue bath, don't you?" Koga asked, shifting his weight around on his foot and then switching up, Inuyasha's cock juice coating his soles.

"Heh, Really? I don't usually make him do THAT." Kagome giggled, sitting back and enjoying the show.

"Well I dare say he enjoys the idea." Koga chuckled, raising a foot for her to see the pre all over it,then held it in front of Inuyasha's face. "I'm waiting~"

He was actually testing to see how far he could push the little bitch, and if Inuyasha had outright refused well he'd just make up for it with the paddling. Instead though Inuyasha's cute pink tongue darted out, taking quick fast licks on the sole of of his foot.

"Pfttttt Bwhahahaha!" Kagome laughed. "No way!"

"Heh, good boy Inuyasha, however I want long heel to toe licks. so you get the full experience." Koga instructed.

"Y-Yes sir. Sorry." Inuyasha whined, closing his eyes and leaning in.

"Ah ah ah, and eyes open and looking at me while you do it. I know this is your first time worshiping a alpha males feet so I'm be nice, but we DO have to nip bad habits in the bud~" Koga chuckled.

The half demon nodded and locked eyes with Koga, as much as he could as he slurped and licked away on foot, only closing them when hitting super foul tasting spots on Koga's foot. when the first one was clean, Koga simply offered up the other one and made small talk with Kagome while Inuyasha worked, as if he was just a object.

when it was all over Koga held his feet up, using Inuyasha's shoulders to do see and had Kagome inspect them.

"Hmm yup, they're spotless. Good to know I have a good widdle foot licker I can count on to take care of my feet every night. you wouldn't believe how dirty and smelly they get walking everywhere." Kagome said and Inuyasha whimpered.

"Oh, you don't like that idea pup?" Koga asked, smirking. "It's ok if you only like to worship men's feet. I always figured you played for both teams."

"N-No! I'll lick Kagome's feet!" Inuyasha protested.

"Awww! that's so cute! you think you had a choice!" Kagome squealed and with Koga's feet down she was gonna give him a hug and a kiss, then pulled back and held her nose. "Yuck! foot breath!"

"Yeahhh you're gonna wanna keep lots of mints around if you wanna kiss him after he's been cleaning your feet." Koga laughed as Inuyasha squirmed. "That or just don't kiss him anymore."

"Hmm I'll have to think about that."

"I..but.." Inuyasha whined, turning back and forth looking at both of them.

"Pup, stop fussing and get over my lap, it's time for your reward for being SUCH a good little foot bitch." Koga said, patting his lap.

"...Yes sir." Was all the defeated by his own perverted desires half demon could say, and he got over Koga's lap.

Laying over Koga's lap Inuyasha could feel just how 'excited' this turn of events was making the wolf demon, Koga's manhood was poking him in the tummy.

'a manhood that'll end up in me..or Kagome..All because I couldn't be a good boyfriend.' Inuyasha thought.

He'd never pictured being spanked by anther man, or having to clean someones feet and yet here he was and the most damnable thing of it all was his hard-on wouldn't go away!

his leaking manhood was dangling as Koga kept his legs spread but Inuyasha was fairly certain he was gonna be cumming ropes before long.

'Maybe once I nut I'll be able to clearly..' He thought, then Koga's voice drew his attention.

"Now Inuyasha, as I understand it, Kagome spanks you for 10 minutes., a time length I'm willing to match but I will let you end it early if it's too much for you. All you have to do is say 'Daddy pwease stop!' However if you do that, Or if you wet yourself or cum, you're little bitch ass will be going in diapers for the rest of the night." Koga said and nodded to Kagome who tugged out a pack of thick, nursery print diapers and smirked.

"...What?!" Inuyasha yelped trying to get out of Koga's lap and being held in place with ease, his own submissive nature keeping him for going all out to break free.

"I didn't stutter. But hey, it's ALL you, all you have to do is keep your bladder and cock under control, and take my paddling like a good boy! You can do that can't you?" Koga challenged.

"Yes!" Inuyasha huffed while thinking 'No!'

"of course even if you pee or nut, the spanking will go on till the time limit is up, but every 'accident' means one diaper.. Hope you're not big on repeat performances because I WILL put your butt in that whoooole pack if you 'earn' it." Koga chuckled.

"Is it weird I'm finding the idea of him in huggies while we fuck hawt?" Kagome asked, biting her lip.

"Not at all, we all have our kinks!" Koga said cheerfully and tapped the paddle lightly on Inuyasha's butt. "Right pup?"

"Yes daddy!" Inuyasha said then covered his mouth as Kagome and Koga laughed.

Watching her boyfriend/bitch quiver over Koga's lap, Kagome had no doubt that Inuyasha was gonna be in at least 3 diapers, the little bitch liked to edge himself for at least 3 hours a day on the week when he'd be getting spanked.

'Hell, forget three, I might have to go out and get anther pack of diapers!' Kagome thought, her folds getting damp as she pictured Inuyasha in a massive diaperzilla hugging a teddy bear and watching her get fucked. 'Huh..Kink unlocked.' She mused.

She was drawn out of her little fantasy as the first swat stuck and she could almost feel the force of the blow herself and winced.

the effect on Inuyasha's was almost cartoonish, his semi bubble butt seemed to deform around the force of the paddle as Inuyasha's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide.

Before he could even begin wailing (which followed quickly enough) Koga stuck anther 3 blows on the pup's backside, quickly turning it bright red and then the howling and sobbing came.

'Damn, 4 blows in about ten seconds..Inuyasha's not gonna be able to sit for a week!'

As blows 5 6 7 and 8 hit Inuyasha was a blubbering mess and couldn't even talk right as a massive cum shot hit the floor.

"Wow that didn't take long." Koga teased. "Kagome could you be a dear and keep count, I don't think our little puppy is gonna be able to."

"of course~" Kagome cooed, and ripped open the package of diapers, taking one out and setting it on the desk next to her, then she winked at Inuyasha. "I think you might wanna toss in the towel pup.. It hasn't even been a minute yet."

"I-I'll never gi- AH FUCK!" Inuyasha had been in the middle of declaring his iron will, how he'd never give up when the paddle started to come down on his red cheek and reduce him back to sobbing and crying, kicking his legs and pounding his fists but there was no way out for him.

Kagome gave up trying to count the blows and just watched Inuyasha's useless big cock swing back and forth and seeing it twitch and tremble at the 2 minute mark got ready to pull out a second diaper, and wasn't disappointed when he indeed fired off again.

"Wow Inuyasha, you much REALLY like being Koga's bitch! Normally you only cum ONCE for me!" Kagome teased. "Or was it worshiping his feet first just primed you up?" She snickered.

Inuyasha couldn't even try and reply, at least with words, but but his body did and Kagome pulled out a third diaper.

Koga had to give Inuyasha credit, the mutt had lasted five minutes so far, which was four more then Koga had counted on. Of course he wasn't going all out either as he wanted Inuyasha able to walk. The pup was up to 6 diapers, and Koga was glad Kagome had insisted on putting down a puppy housebreaking pad since only five of the diapers were from cum shots.

Inuyasha had stopped fighting and was just taking the blows now, and if Koga didn't know any better the half demon seemed to be raising his buns up to meet the paddle.

"C-Come On.. That all you g-got?" Inuyasha said, sniffling and giving a impish grin as he looked over his shoulder.

'Ohhh he's adapted to the pain.. heh..and thinks he's got my number.. adorable.'

"Actually I've been holding back..Trying to be nice. but since you want full force." Koga said,Smiling like he was offering Inuyasha a treat for being a good boy and trying not to laugh at the look of terror on Inuyasha's face.

"Y-Your bluffing!" Inuyasha squealed.

"Heh, I dunno pup, I think he has been, since he'd have to make this last 10 whole minutes." Kagome chimed in, a hand down the front of her panties. "But go ahead, flip that coin. I'm loving the show."

Koga raised his arm up and got ready to deliver a full on blow to Inuyasha's red and bruised back side when Inuyasha screamed, wet himself and JUST before the paddle could hit..

"Daddy pwease stop!" Came out of his mouth.

The paddle stopped though the force from it made the pup's red bubble butt ripple and Koga chuckled as Kagome huffed.

"Boooo!" She whined.

"Now now Kagome, a deal's a deal. Inuyasha, go and stand with your nose in the corner while we clean up and get your DIAPERS ready." Koga said, tugging Inuyasha up in his lap and trying not to melt as the sniffling and sobbing pup hugging him and nodded.. giving Koga a kiss on the cheek before going to the corner.

'If I didn't know any better I'd say someones getting a crush on me.' Koga thought, then him and Kagome started to take care of the clean up.

Nose in the corner and his butt on fire, Inuyasha fought the urge to rub his cheeks since good boys took their lickings. he was confused as to why he had smooched Koga and tried to just play it off as caught up in the mood though as he waited for the ok to come out of the corner he caught himself almost sucking on his thumb three times.

Between the claw on his thumb and how sharp his fangs were he knew THAT wouldn't end well and just shifted from foot to foot.

"Don't tell me you need to use the potty before we diaper you up little guy? You already did two super piddles!" Kagome asked, clearly mistaking his fidgeting for a potty dance.

"N-No Sowwy.." Inuyasha called.

"Well if you wanna try and uh-oh before you go back in diapers, let us know." Koga said.

"Oh? your gonna be that nice?" Kagome asked.

"..Do you really want your room to smell like a poopie diaper?" Koga pointed out

"..Touche...Inuyasha go sit on the potty and try and boom boom!" Kagome ordered, a little too fast.

Inuyasha didn't really feel the need to go, but knew better then to argue and walked by, seeing them laying out the seven diapers and cutting slits in the front and back.

5 minutes later, after giving it a honest try and just pooting on the bowl, Inuyasha walked back in and looked at the massive diaper they had put together for him, apparently taking the time to glue the diapers together to make sure they wouldn't sag.

"Ready to go back into huggies pup?" Koga asked, smiling and grinning, kneeling by the diapers.

Kagome meanwhile was Naked and on the bed, tapping her fingers on the bed frame impatient to get her fun for the night.

"Do I really have a choice?" Inuyasha asked, poking his index fingers together.

it was odd, he was still aroused but for some reason, his wonderful piece of fuck meat was drooping now between his legs.

"heh, not really." Koga said.

"So hurry up! Someone us wanna get laid tonight!" Kagome whined, then glared as Inuyasha blew a raspberry at her. "Koga, spank him again."

"Wait what!?" Inuyasha yelped, and his hands went to his poor bruised backside.

"I don't think I'll have time to spank him and fuck you Kagome." Koga said, sweat dropping.

"finnne just hurry upppp!"She whined.

"Sheesh, are you sure she doesn't need a diaper too daddy?" Inuyasha asked, grinning impishly as he walked over and plopped down on the diapers, feeling like he'd sat on a thick pillow and stirring up some baby powder.

"Hey!" Kagome huffed, blushing.

"heh, Inuyasha, be good. Kagome, settle down." Koga said, shaking his head a little and then quickly got Inuyasha tapped up nice and snug in the diapers and kissed his forehead.

He also reached and grabbed a stuffed dog he'd taken from Souta's room and gave it to Inuyasha to hug and cuddle, then stood up and started to strip.

"Alright Inuyasha, I want you to pay attention and watch how a MAN fucks a woman. you might ONE day be able to please a lady, though I think it's more likely your sex life if gonna be getting spanked and diapered from now on." Koga said, and winked. "and from the look's of things, you don't mind."

Inuyasha went to argue that and then looked down, realizing he'd gotten hard from the mental image of never getting pussy again.

He could of said it was the attention, he could of claimed it was because he knew he was about to get a show..but what Inuyasha did instead was hug the stuffie to his chest and nod.

"Yes daddy."

Somehow seeing her boyfriend reduced to a oversized baby had Kagome hotter then she'd ever been, and as long as he didn't fill the back of the diapers she could see A LOT fun in the future with him in diapers and being cucked.

Of course the fact that Koga was thicker then Inuyasha and would hopefully last longer might of had something to do with it.

Laying on her back and spreading her legs, she looked up at Koga with loving eyed and coo'ed out a plea. "Take me~" feeling like this was some sort of romantic novel...and only to have Koga show apparently all demons could be stupid as he got a confused look on his face.

"Uh..But I thought you wanted to fuck..where am I taking you?" he asked.

"..Demon's..Just stick it in me already." She muttered, face palming.

"Humans.." he muttered and then thrusted into her in one fast motion and grinned as she barked.

As Koga went to work and Kagome found herself unable to speak, she did have enough brain power as she was fucked into bliss think about how many, just maybe.. she shouldn't of assumed she could handle a thicker cock with ease.

Half a hour later and Kagome was left a quivering mess on her bed, drooling and eyes glazed over. Koga had given up trying to keep track of the orgasms she'd had compared to his but knew in the long run of things he was technicality the loser of the night, trailing behind Inuyasha and Kagome with a mere 3.

Licking her clean to improve her chances of not getting knocked up (He wasn't one of those prunes who couldn't handle their own flavor) he covered her up and opened a window to help get the sex smell out of the room, then looked over at Inuyasha.

the half demon had conked out early on in the love making, after squirting in his diapers and the stuffie was thankfully out of his grip even if it was damp with drool from Inuyasha making out with it.

'Now what do I do with him?' Koga thought, rubbing his chin, though his still ready for action cock had a answer even as he got dressed.

He had a inkling that it would be nothing but a headache for Kagome and the pup if he left him here like this, curled up on the floor in his diapers.

'I suppose it's my fatherly 'duty' to just take him with me.' Koga thought, smirking as he slowly scooped up the half demon.

There was no shortage of fun he could have with something like this back home, and heck, wasn't he always getting pestered to settle down and raise a cub of his own?

Two birds one stone.

He thought about leaving a note to explain to Kagome that he was taking Inuyasha with him, but then recalled that the chances of her being able to read wolf tribe were slim to none and besides, she was a clever girl.

Slipping out the window as a car was pulling in the driveway, Koga vanished into well with Inuyasha, musing how he had showed up to be a bull, and left a daddy.

The end

[foxymoxynoona]

Foxyyy the chap 59 satisfied a hunger in me that I didn't even know I had it was bittersweet to read their experiences and all the snippets of this we've been reading in previous chapter

It was like an out of body experience many a time in the story it felt like that

Before when we read the second "first" kiss scene and her remembering how she was testing waters if jungkook would be interested in being her first everything and then miscommunicating

But then actually reading her in that moment made it all different it made it all real

And also now I get why jungkook was so upset and jealous about Landon and bella being in the treehouse like that he was in LOVE with her when he was younger that treehouse was like the foundation of their friendship, their bond, their affection

Bella didn't under and was confused in the Halloween chapter because she didn't believe he loved her then and sure the treehouse holds the same value to her but because of that miscommunication she didn't understand

Waaah if there are other previous chapter after this it would really be difficult to read her struggles after she left with Landon and then with Stig and even Jungkooks struggle with addiction and then his journey to be sobriety but it would be great to read that too so we could understand it all more

Although I'm still dying to move forward after chapter 58 🥺👀👀

I'm really pleased that this worked for you like I hoped, like now you have more of the picture of these little moments they've referenced. Someone on ao3 commented "now I understand why his family wasn't very surprised when he said they were getting married." I love that you called out the treehouse, another really great example!

That was my hope! We spend so much time in this story seeing the ways they are reacting to pain others have caused them, and gradually seeing them each other hold of the person they want to be and hte life they wanted to have regardless of anything anyone else has done. But I see their past together as this incredibly important experience they have both spent their lives reacting to, and yet they've neither one ever taken a step back to understand or align on the actual intentions behind any of these experiences. Even you readers have all been at the mercy of hearing about them second hand!

Yes, these narrations still each have a slant (alternating years between Isabella and JK, in the way I wrote it), but it's still closer to the source material. And hopefully starts to make it so much clearer where they are blinded by biases, projecting, or where a missed step here or an assumption there spiraled out of control (did JK actually think Isabella was the ugly girl next store? no, he was projecting his unhappiness; did Isabella really not care if JK kissed Katy at a birthday party and didn't tell her? hm...)

One benefit of them having been so close together is that they were so close, they could predict things, they could wordlessly comfort or communicate, they knew exactly how to show up even when the other person didn't explicitly ask. But that's faulty, becaues it means they could rely on it too much, and they couldn't actually read minds! They still needed to communicate! That's incredibly important for them to get right. They can't have a happy furture together just be refinding that old familiar comfort and companionship; they need to inject better communication...

ANYWAY I'm really having fun writing this part of the story :)

[scandalsavagefanfic]

You are my thoughts fuel right now. Can't stop thinking about your aus and fics even when I'm working! Like your werewolf Ra's and turned hunter Jay: What if after a while Ra's gets intrigued by Tim? How Jason would react? Or Once he is left alone at the base in wolf form and the Hunters Bats break in and take a random wolf for interrogation. The shock when they see its Jason and is pregnant! And that just for that one!

Hello darling! I wanted to answer this so much sooner but I had to get to this point in the story (which didn’t start as a story, just some smutty fun, until I got so many amazing asks with such amazing ideas).

Anyway, I was so flattered that my fics were on your mind! You are so sweet and amazing! Thank you so much!

Words: 1626

Rating: T? M? (I don’t know… there’s no sex in this part either… what’s happening to me?)

Read the previous chapters on AO3!

Jason knows something isn’tright when Ra’s tries to send him away with Talia and Damian.

Ra’s usually likes to keephim close, especially when he’s this far along. Jason takes some comfort fromthe fact that the Alpha didn’t seem to realize how attached to his omega hewould become. Those unwanted instincts and feelings to make one’s mate happyand protect them are apparently a two-way street. Ra’s gets particularlyprotective and territorial toward the end of Jason’s pregnancies. And he onlyhas a few weeks before he gives birth.

Again, he thinks bitterly. On the one hand, he’s grateful that hedoesn’t have to spend 9 months pregnant like a human (though he would muchprefer the 65-day period of wolves) and on the other he despises that the 4month pregnancy and short recovery time means Ra’s has kept him swollen withhis spawn practically all year.

He wonders if that’s normal. Humansand wolves usually only mate once a year and though his first year with thepack is past, he was pregnant a third timebefore it ended.

He’s also a little bitterthat he’s going miss his change by about a week and he is going to have to popthe new ones out as a human. He had his first litter as a wolf and the secondas person. He much prefers going through it as the wolf. It’s less…embarrassing? Certainly less painful.

And even though he loves allhis pups, there’s already too many for him to handle on his own.

Jason sighs. He doesn’t mindgoing off to wherever Ra’s wants them to go.

With Damian.

Damian’s still a pup and asthe oldest child he’s actually been pretty helpful wrangling all his littleaunts and uncles. Jason knows that much of the kid’s motivation is to make surenone of his grandfather’s new children supplant him in the pack hierarchy, toestablish his dominance over them early. But Jason also knows who Damian reallyis, that Damian feels the same pull to Jason’s pups that his little ones felttoward Bruce and Dick, that they’re pack twice over. No one had to tell him,and no one has. But he can see so much of Bruce in Damian it’s almost scary.

But Talia? He knows Ra’strusts his Alpha daughter as much as he trusts anyone. But he doesn’t think hismate sees the way she eyes him sometimes. He’s the only omega in the pack(apparently it’s normal that only the lead Alpha takes a mate) and she’d beenaway on a mission when Ra’s let everyone else have a go at him after hisill-fated escape attempt. He gets the feeling she thinks she missed out. It’spretty unlikely the opportunity will arise again. Even if Jason were to try torun away… at this point, Ra’s is too invested. He has no doubt the Alpha wouldpunish him severely. But it would be private. Ra’s won’t share him now. Regardless,Jason doesn’t really want to be alone with Talia.

So he’s grateful when hisAlpha changes his mind and says he can stay. That it ‘actually works out betterthis way’ which then puts Jason right back on edge.

Their current keep, a remote Gothic castle somewhere in northern Germany, is strangely quiet as Jasontiptoes around. Something is going on, he has a sick feeling in the pit of hisstomach. And it’s not however many pups are in there this time.

Ra’s had told him to staywith the kids. But that’s always been a given so the fact that he had felt theneed to say something… well, it makes it impossible for Jason to resist leavinghis pups with Damian to go snooping around.

The few people he does runinto don’t try to stop him either so the rest of the pack must not know what’sgoing on any more than him. Though he does disappear into a shadow to avoidTalia.

As he creeps deeper into thelower levels he hears speaking coming from a room at the end of a long stonehall. Jason recognizes Ra’s’ soft, low tone easily and spares a moment to hate the way it immediately calms him.The other voice is too quiet to make out.

“—my eye on you since youstarted looking into his disappearance,” Ra’s is saying as Jason carefullymakes his way to door, “You’re very nearly as good a hunter as your ‘father’.What you lack in his physical prowess you make up for with intellect. Too badintellect only gets you so far when you go off on your own.”

There’s the sound of chainsclinking together and little grunting noises that indicate a struggle. Thensomething is mumbled too gently for Jason to hear.

“No they won’t, son,” hisAlpha drawls, “They do not know where you are and they believe he is dead.”

More garbled words, most ofwhich he can’t quite catch. He hears ‘found you’ and ‘babies’ and ‘you’re sick’and finally ‘knows the difference’ but not much else. However, there’s a smallnote of familiarity in the way it sounds. It pulls at the loose ends of faraway memories.

“Ah, yes. Thank you forconfirming that it was your meddlesome family who broke into our last home. Asfor Jason, I’ll have to have a word with him about it, I suppose. After all,family should come first. And Jason’s family is no longer your’s. It’s mine.”

Jason freezes. One of hisbrothers is chained up in that room with Ra’s. Just as he had been once.

Suddenly his Alpha’s desireto send away the only omega for miles makes more sense.

The wave of conflictingemotions that flood through him are debilitating. He’s hurt and angry that hismate would try to make another, especially now, while he carries yet anotherlitter of their pups. But he’s also terrified for…

Tim… that’s who’s in there,that is whose voice he hears. Restrained and at Ra’s’ mercy.

An internal war rages as hisinstincts clash. He hadn’t really had much time to get to know Tim before hewas captured by the Shadow Pack. Tim had been new, only been with them forabout a year. Bruce had taken him in after a lone wolf killed his parents.Jason had liked him but Tim hadn’t had a chance to come out of his shell yet.

Regardless, Tim is part oftheir clan. He is family. Who does Jason protect when both parties are pack?

It’s harder than it shouldbe, to choose Tim, and he hates himself for how long it takes him to stumblethrough the doorway begging “No, please, Ra’s don’t—“.

But it’s nothing to theself-loathing he feels when he sees Ra’s pull away from Tim’s limp body, teethbloody, and realizes he’s too late.

Jason’s knees hit the flooras Ra’s turns and smiles down at him.

“What… what did you do?”Jason asks softly, staring at the drop of blood that drips down Tim’s claviclefrom the bite in his neck until tears sting his eyes. He doesn’t expect andanswer. It’s obvious.

Ra’s slips his fingers underJason’s chin and tilts his head up before cupping his cheek. Jason meets hisgaze and the tears fall.

“You need assistance, Beloved,”Ra’s explains. Jason closes his eyes at the term of affection and leans intothe warm touch. “There is no appropriate option within the pack. So I’ve madeyou one.”

Jason glances back to Tim,still hanging unconscious against the wall, already starting to sweat profuselyas his body begins facilitating the changes to come.

In that moment he’s struckwith a sense of clarity. He won’t let Ra’s do to Tim what was done to him.He’ll help Tim get away before the bond that keeps Jason at his Alpha’s sidemore than anything else can be established. He’s relieved to find that it hasnothing to do with jealousy, nothing to do with Ra’s finding another, or a new,mate, nothing to do with being replaced. But everything to do with protectinghis brother. Ra’s will never touch Tim the way he’s touched Jason.

As though he can read Jason’sthoughts in his expression, Ra’s chuckles and leans over, pressing their lipstogether. Jason opens his mouth without complaint when Ra’s’ tongue prods athim for access.

When the Alpha pulls away andstraightens he cocks his head, regarding Jason with an odd warmth.

“Do not worry, my dear. Youare not being set aside. It did occur to me that two omegas would give me moreoptions in the future. But the pack has no need for another, not to mention theadditional temptation and distraction of an unmated omega, or the resentmentthat could build under a greedy Alpha with two mates. Our kind do not take wellto such departures from protocol.”

Jason tries to suppress thetingle of relief he feels. Focuses instead on his confusion because the packcertainly doesn’t need another Alpha and an Alpha wouldn’t be much help to him.He also tries to focus on that streak of fear he feels for Tim; the anger hefeels toward Ra’s.

“Timothy is much bettersuited to being a beta anyway.”

Jason frowns. He has neverheard of betas.

But then Ra’s’ fingers are inhis hair, his nails scratching lightly at his scalp.

“Come, Beloved,” Ra’s growlsdarkly, tugging him to his feet and pressing him back into the door frame, “Yousmell delicious. I want to spend the rest of the night inside you with yourneck between my teeth.”

[creativegago]

Beauty and Disgrace (Poetry Collection)

Deleted wattpad post under the pseudonym: goldiiblox

🦋 angela's note: To the friends that I wrote these poems to in the past, thank you for the memories. I wish you well, even if we all fell apart. And on second thought, I really think these poems are so strange. What was on my mind while I was writing these and making rose lollipops out of paper? There are also two poems I did not include here because.. I just don’t want to remember them anymore. I don’t like the ideas.

Synopsis:

A 'collection' of poetry that I wrote for two weeks sometime in January to give to my friends whom are special to me on Valentine's Day.

"For writers always have their heads up somewhere. When we think of somewhere, we look up at the sky. Maybe we're thinking where, or asking it for an answer."

Kamusta? (A written introduction for the website)

Ang Simula

Ang mga tulang inyong mababasa ay isinulat ng isang dalagang maraming tanong sa mundo. Ito ay mga tulang isinulat ko para sabihin ang mga nararamdaman ko. Nagkakaroon tayo ng mga kaibigan, kahit pilit natin itong iwasan ay darating sila sa mundo natin upang patunayang hindi tayo nag-iisa. Hindi ibig sabihing mahina ka kapag may katulong ka, ipinapahiwatig lang nito na malulungkot ka lamang kung mananatili kang naglalakbay na mag-isa sa mundo.

May nakapagsabi sa akin, na pakaunti nang pakaunti ang oras na nabubuhay ang isang tao. Palala ng palala ang mundo, tila may isang malubhang karamdamang walang lunas. Masakit man at hindi katanggap-tanggap, ngunit tayo ang dahilan ng paghihirap na kanyang dinaranas.

Naisip ko na, bakit nga ba minahal natin ang isa't-isa? Kung ikaw lang naman sa atin ang nasasaktan ng malubha? Isang tanong na binulong ko sa langit, na parehong nilulunod ang paningin ng mga bituing na kailanma'y hindi ko masusungkit.

Patawad, mundo. Mahal na mahal kita. Patawad dahil hindi ko alam kung mahal ka pa rin ba ng iba.

Ang mga tulang ito ay hindi man ang pinakamahusay sa lahat, ngunit kailangan pa bang alamin kung ito ay binuhos ko mula sa aking pusong maraming linalaman?

Magkikita tayong muli pagkatapos ng labing-isang tula.

(Paalala para sa mga banyaga: Labing-isa, maghintay ka bago mo maintindihan ang iyong binabasa.)

Pag-uulit

Siya ang gabi, at ikaw ang buwan.

Dumating ang araw

Iyak

Sa isang lugar na kung saan

Mga tanong na hindi nasagot

Hardin

Isang inang nagaabang nag pag-asa

Ang anak, naghahanap ng pagmamahal

Namatay na ang hardin

Pag-aalangan

May mga bagay akong kinatatakutan

Ang mga bisyong hindi ko matakasan

Hiling ko sana'y hindi na ako matakot.

Nakakalito

Pag-ibig sadyang nakakalito

Sapagkat napakatulin ng iyong pagtakbo.

Pag-asa Para sa Mga Bulaklak

Pakiusap, sana diligan mo naman sila.

Hinawakan ng iyong daliri

Sumpa

Hangin, tubig, lupa at apoy

Biniyayaan sila ng misteryo

Ang lupa at apoy

Panaghoy

Nakatutulog ako tuwing may bagyo.

Nagagalit ako tuwing nakakaramdam

Diyamante

Madalas hinahanap ng mga babae

Naadik sa kanya ang isang perlas,

Buti pa ang mga bato

Tamlumpu’t Isang Pahina

Sinabi nilang mahusay ako.

Ano nga bang meron sa hinaharap?

Ako ay dapat nakasulat sa ika-tatlumpu't isang pahina.

Paalam! (A written post to section the Filipino poems and the English poems)

Sa nakaraang pahina ay nagtapos ang parada ng mga tula. Masaya na ang aking kalooban dahil nailagay ko na rin sila sa lugar na kanilang dapat paglagyan. Sa ngayon ako muna'y mamamaalam, dahil ako naman ay magsusulat sa ibang wika ng isang liham na mayaman din sa tula.

Hindi naman ako kagalingan, ngunit wala na akong ibang pinaghuhugutan. Ang pag-ibig ay hindi ko man nailarawan sa mga tula, naipahiwatig ko naman ang aking naintindihan dito. At dahil sa pakikinig ko sa kwento ng iba't ibang tao, marami na din akong natutunang aral galing sa kanila.

Huwag tayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Hindi natin kailangang pilitin masagot ang lahat ng ating itinanong, dahil may mga katotohanang magdadala pa sa iyo sa mga mas mapanlinlang pang kasinungalingan.

Hearts (An Overheard Conversation)

"Can I touch your heart?"

"Well, no, you cannot."

"Why so?"

"You have to open me up first, an you will never know how painful it is."

"Oh. I apologize for being rude."

"You know, people like you are rare. People with genuine care are rare."

"How could you say that?"

"People who came were crows who opened me up and touched my heart. Some even have nails too sharp that it left a scar."

"What's worse is that they spoke no words while tearing me open. I reckon the times I feel nothing, my cries for mercy withered away, and I heard my own silence."

"I feel really sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's my mistake. I sincerely apologize."

"It's natural for you to feel sorry, but don't be. After all, you won't like the hideous sight I've been keeping inside me."

"I should stay away from my ignorance. A treasure chest doesn't always contain luxury."    

The Chase

"Perhaps hopeless isn't a place."

Embroidery

They were series of dreams

Define

The fish swam in the sea

Fear crept in its veins

Flight

Sometimes, it's good to be free.

Oh no, there is an approaching storm

Promise

I sat at the back, feeling discouraged.

L O V E

I haven't found it yet but still searching.

Is it really love?

Is it love when we only think of bliss?

I see the paper.

Questions From a Mutual

Is the flower pretty?

I love you dearly

Hesitant

Silence is asking for a dance.

Aurora spoke in eloquence.

"I miss silence"

The existence of silence, my heart beating

Tsunami

If pain is never permanent

Asking

Troubled lots of times

The clouds are speaking the truth.

Strangers

Timid was my perfect profile.

We are two celestial bodies embracing.

Gradient

Why are we distant?

Cashmere skies, reflected your dreamy eyes.

Abundance

I woke up from my bed of roses.

On The Shelf

"Hey moon, please forget to fall down."

Tearing worlds apart, crossing the black hole

Just In Case

This world, a chaotic place.

Now just in case,

Alive?

Sometimes, it's good to be alive.

I wrote during the midnight,

The Good Side

Wasteland became a home.

Dreams have fallen

How Could I?

Should Valentine's last long?

The chase is pointed at me

But they didn't.

Pieces of You

No, I can't fly without wings.

You thought you fell on clouds,

Question: Are you the lost fallen angel?

Delete

Delete the sea in your mind

You sat, barely listening

Tired?

A house built from cards.

There are at least three questions

Saints

Here they are, dancing.

Their lips spoke a prayer.

Evocative

Honestly, I feel tired

Who knows when I'm writing this?

Haven

When I was a star, I loved being warm.

100 Letters

The crack of dusk

Feels like slowly spreading ink.

The rising sun

Is she blinding someone?

I wanted everything to be perfect.

There's a list of wishes

But they feel like I'm becoming more

Hopeless.

Voiceless at 9 o’ clock

Moments, rooms, voices

The house is filled with voices.

It has such clear windows.

But once destroyed by hopeless

All these shows

Are gone by morning.

Perhaps even late in the evening,

Where wild hearts are sleeping.

Voiceless, hopeless is screaming.

Swimming Pools

Things hit rock bottom.

It feels heaven to be in love

Why does it feel hell to break in half?

The swimming pools are calming underneath.

Morning

Parties are fun, do you want to lose your mind?

I tainted my mind with lust.

The throne is made of gold,

Torn in Two

I believed that in this world,

My hopes are as high as a tower.

The cards have cut a slit in my chest.

Misinterpretation

Even if I don't want you to expect much,

Hello, this is me.

I'm a stranger.

Play

She loved the mystery of love.

Why is love serious with their games?

Nemesis granted me a pill.

I wished to be in love.

And now I'm aware that I'm included in this mystery.

Solitude

Pardon, I know you're getting tired.

Sunny, happy, and care-free

We both need rest.

February

Could be as sweet as honey

February, could be a common name

Be safe in playing with the cards.

They are dangerous, all the time.

Wishing Wells

Wishing wells are one of our old spells.

Possibly, we fail.

It's for you to be happy.

H a l f w a y

A variety of poems.

I.

Bubbles float in the virtual world.

I couldn't care less.

My mind, a deep chasm.

Our hearts, disconnecting

But our dreams, slowly forming.

II.

Crimson filled the cloudy afternoon.

The sun cries with vivid tears.

They chose to escape this disaster,

The stars became blind.

Now I see, that the night is gone.

III.

Obsessed with perfection

Obsessed with the passion

Is this the place where they belong?

Or is this another illusion?

IV.

Wistful, I pride for my ocean.

Why do I feel like I'm inside a whirlpool?

I wonder what is going on.

V.

Instead, why am I receiving worlds?

VI.

We are finally on the first lap.

How can I say things

You're halfway.

Can you offer time to stay?

His Story

I | Sculpture

It is a sculpture of a heart

II | Squares

It is a Polaroid

III | Barrier

It is a wall

IV | Puzzle

False discoveries.

V | Things That Grow

Thus, he expanded mulch.

VI | Location

He planted the roots of a musical note.

He called it his true sanity.

VII | Evening

It was dark.

VIII | Oblivion

It was cold.

IX | Creature

His creature, now a monster.

X | Unsolved

A domino of film is played.

Warmth.

XI | Idle

His eyes closed contently.

XII | His Epilogue

Without anyone knowing

Blue

You are deep.

You may not be the heart's color,

But you are here, a peaceful harbor.

Red

I spotted you walking with an old friend named Rose.

Why do I see nothing but violence

I heard you sing with passion.

Even more alive.

Yellow

I see you in between.

You shine so bright.

Avalon

Now, this is a childhood tale.

It might be a sequence.

Avalon, better left as an enigma.

Exit - I end here. Goodbye, friend old.

[itswhatimreallythinking]

My boyfriend can't be this cute (guidelines to dating Lance McClain)

My gift to @tamaraneankori. Merry Christmas to you girl (hope it’s still christmas at you place). You ask for a fluffy fic and this is the sweetest thing I ever written. It came out longer than I expected (happens to all my fic actually) but I had so much fun writing this. Hope it lives up to your expectation.  

@klance2017secretsanta

AO3

Summary: Keith have a cute boyfriend

A.K.A Keith’s constant dilemma of battling his raging hormones while his boyfriend remain oblivious

A.K.A Keith is doomed

From the first moment, he laid eyes on the blue-eyed boy across the campus ground Keith knows he was doomed. From tantalizing caramel skin to a dazzling smile, and sparkling eyes that he wants to keep looking into for the rest of his life, Keith had fallen hard.

 And the worst part is the boy, Lance McClain, have no freaking idea.

 Despite his flirty words and affectionate behavior, Lance is actually very dense when it comes to people’s affection towards himself.

 Many times, Keith just want to forgo all the courting (that all went unnoticed) and kiss the Cuban till he gets the memo. If Hunk didn’t constantly remind him that Lance like romantic gesture he might do just that. It’s not easy though. From the number of times Pidge came close to ripping her hair off, he guessed that she too is close to saying fuck it and shove both of them into a locked room.

 So, it’s understandable when he believes that Hunk is sent from heaven to be his impulse control and the best wingman ever. Without him Keith would have bombed this a long time ago.

 But he didn’t.

 After months of pining and extreme courting, (he once brave a snowstorm to get Lance McDonald’s because he happens to mention in the group text that he have a sudden craving, even Pidge was impressed) Lance finally get the message and reciprocate his feelings.

 It was the best day of his life.

 Yes, Shiro, it’s better than the day the papers finally went through and they really became a real family. Stop looking at him like that. Go complain to someone who cares. Who? Oh, he don’t know, Allura maybe? Of course, he’s still mad. His ‘brother’ decide to ditched his birthday party because he rather ‘Netflix and chill’ with his girlfriend for god sake. DON’T TOUCH ME!

 Anyway, that day was the best day of his life, but also the start of his unending dilemma. He’s not sure he’s going to live past 50 if this continues. Not with the constant spike in blood pressure and head trauma.

 Being friends allow Keith to spent time with the Cuban, while this is good it’s not enough. Keith always wants more. They said to be careful of what you wish for and only now did he come to fully understands that saying. Because, if he thought Lance was cute while being his friend he is so not ready for the level that is of the boyfriend.

 He can’t count how many times he bangs his head against hard surface just to keep his emotions under control.

 Thus to save himself from early demise he constructs up a list of guidelines that will (somewhat) make his life as Lance’s boyfriend (and to be the best boyfriend ever) a little easier.

 #1 Be more open-minded

He had said this many times. Lance is gorgeous. Anyone who disagrees can fight him on that. Even Pidge once admit it to them in secret (and also threaten them with a lifetime of suffering if anyone as much as hint it to the Cuban). So it’s quite understandable when someone tries to make a move on his boyfriend.

 More than once that Lance’s friendliness got taken out of context as an invitation to sweep the Cuban off his feet. Now that will not do. Sweeping Lance off his feet, literally and figuratively, is Keith’s job.

 He’d hold his tongue when they were still friends but now he’s not going to let it slide. Many times it became a fist fight (if they’re a guy and of course he always wins) because talking doesn’t work with these people.

 Lance always gave him an earful while tending to the cuts and bruises, asking why he feels the need to start a fight, that he was never like this before. He keeps mum during all of it but after months of coaxing and disappointed looks, he cracked.

 “Because you’re you and I’m me that’s why.” The answer rendered the brunette speechless and Keith to gather himself for a bit to soldier on.

 “Lance do you realized how amazing you are? You… you’re beautiful and smart and friendly and hundreds of other positive traits. I’m unsocial and hot-headed and…and I still don’t understand why you agreed to go out with me.” Lance stared at him with a blank look on his face, Keith turned his head away. “When I saw those guys, with their slick hair and perfect teeth…and money to spoil you the way you deserved. I just felt so threatened, so scared, that you would suddenly realize that you can do a lot better than me and-”

 “Leave?”

 Even if that what he’s about to say hearing it coming from Lance’s mouth made his heart dropped to his feet. He heard the brunette heave a tired sigh and he grinds his teeth. He really shouldn’t say all that, now Lance will know what a loser he is. A sharp flick to his forehead made him yelp in surprise. Looking up he was met with a murderous glare. Lance is furious.

 “I could not believe what you just said,” the words were drawn out in a snarl that reminds Keith of a predator. The Cuban got right up in his face, their nose touching, “you see me that shallow? That a pocket full of money and a few nice words could lure me away?”

 “NO! I would never. It’s just that…”

 Lance pinched the bridge of his nose, muttered a few words in Spanish, and if Keith has ears they’d be drooping right now.

 He didn’t hear Lance take a huge calming breath but he did feel it when two warm hands cradled his face and then he’s looking into a pair of deep azure eyes.

 “Now you listen to me Keith,” gone were the terrifying snarl replace with a voice so soft his heart shuddered in his chest. “To me, you’re the most passionate and loyal person I’ve ever met. You’re kind-hearted and so strong, and may God have mercy on those who dared lay a finger on any of us because I know you will do whatever it takes to protect us. You have no idea how happy I am when I know you love me too.” Keith’s breath hitched when Lance lay his forehead against his, looking at him so adoringly it makes him want to cry.

 “I love you so much, Keith. I want us to be together for the rest of my life and I hope you feel the same way.”

 Instead of a verbal answer, Keith pulled Lance in for a kiss, desperate and sweet and full of promises. When they part Lance give him a soft smile before gaining a serious look. “I don’t know where you get those silly notions about yourself from. So, I need you to write down all the names of every person who ever made you feel that way so that I can have a private chat with each of them.”

 Keith burst out laughing.

 After that, whenever he saw someone flirting with his boyfriend he would step up beside the brunette and laced their fingers together. If that is not enough to drive them away the kiss (tongue included) usually does.

 #2 Accept that you will always come after Hunk

Halfway through the second year of college, they decide to move in together. By moving in he means moving into the recently available room across from Lance’s old one that he shared with Hunk. Shay is replacing Lance next semester when her contract expires.

 They were in the middle of unpacking (mostly his stuff since Lance just has to carry his from across the hall) when the Cuban's phone rang. He was not paying attention but after hearing the sound of the phone hitting the floor and seeing Lance’s devastated face, Keith wished he did.

 Hunk was involved in a hit and run case. Thank god the other party was a motorcycle. The Hawaiian got a concussion, twisted ankle, a broken arm and dozens of cuts and bruises. But he was fine. The smile he gave them the moment Lance burst into the room is proof enough. Lance has to refrain from jumping from sheer relief.

 Hunk has to stay in the hospital for another 3-4 days to make sure that nothing is critical. Lance demand he be allowed to stay with him. Hunk also begs the doctor to let him stay.

 He shared a look with Shay then. The large Samoan girl had known them longer than he does and was the one who constantly assured him that there is absolutely nothing going on between Hunk and Lance. They’re just really really close.

 He looks at Lance smoothing down Hunk’s hair who’s giving a sweet smile and have to bite his tongue. Shay has been doing this far longer than him. If she can then he can too.

 After Lance grabbed his stuff and leave for the hospital again, Keith is left alone to looked around at the messy room. More than half of the boxes were still unopened and he couldn’t be bothered to continue. It’s not moving in together if he’s the only one unpacking.

 He has a quick late dinner and went to bed. Before he can drift off his phone rang.

 “Hey, mi amore, you’re asleep yet?” Lance's face is illuminated by the light of the screen while Hunk snores softly in the background. Keith smile tiredly and they spent their first night together apart, talking till he fell asleep at the phone.

 Lance called 5-7 time a day, once in the morning, once before going to bed and anytime in between. Whenever his thought drifted to the messy room (boxes still at the same place where he left them) his phone will be blowing up with messages from Lance saying how much he missed him. With the hospital visits, constant phone calls and text, Keith didn’t have the time to be lonely.

 The day Hunk was released Keith came home to a candlelit room and homemade dinner. Seeing the brunette standing in their room again made everything right with the world. After dinner, Lance took him by the hand and led him to their bedroom.

 The sight of caramel skin scantily clad in delicate white lace undergarment made it suddenly hard to breathe.

 “How about we start breaking in the bed,” voice dripping like honey with kisses just as sweet, Keith lost himself in Lance.

 Yes, he thought, that is an excellent idea.

 #3 Ignore the morning complaints

With his sunny personality, one would think Lance is a morning person. Oh, how wrong they were. A morning Lance is a cranky Lance and you don’t want to approach him before he has his morning coffee.

 Keith untangles himself from the bundle of blankets and clinging long limbs. He drowsily stretches out his body and drops a kiss on his still sleeping boyfriend’s cheek before making his way to the bathroom.

 Lance was just stumbling into the bathroom when he got out of the shower. The other was wearing the same pair of sweatpants he was wearing yesterday. Well, he was wearing it before Keith decide that he look better without it. Bite and kiss marks littered tanned body, couple that with tousled hair and a slight limp in his steps, Lance looked thoroughly fucked.

 “Wipe that smug look off your face Kogane”, Lance spit out venomously, “this is all because of you.”

 If this was half a year ago Keith would have been hurt. Now, he took it in stride.

 “You weren’t complaining last night”, he invaded Lance personal space, “or do I have to remind you.” He blew teasingly into the Cuban’s ear and quickly move away to avoid the other’s hand from swatting him like a fly.

 “Get away from me!” The Korean barked out a laugh and walk out of the bathroom. He searched around in the closet with Lane still going on in the background.

 “Look at all these marks, and after I told you to go lightly on the neck because I have a presentation today. I can’t cover all these with make-up. Now I have to wear a turtleneck, in summer. Who wears a freaking turtleneck in the summer? A douche that’s who. I’m going to look like Steve fucking Jobs trying to sell an iPhone.”

 Keith laughs at the last comment. Pulling a shirt over his head he realized that Lance had gone quiet. He moved to a blind spot the mirror can’t reflect and peek inside.

 Lance is staring at himself in the mirror with a soft smile on his lips. Fingers lightly tracing the marks Keith left behind from one to the other with a look of utter fondness in his eyes.

 Is someone screaming? He’s definitely hearing screaming. Oh never mind, that’s just him. Screaming. Internally. BECAUSE HIS BOYFRIEND IS FUCKING ADORABLE!

 Keith felt the blood rushing to his face…and the lower region.

 Maybe if they’re real quick? No no no nope. Lance would kill him if his perfect attendance is ruined because Keith can’t keep it in his pants. He took a couple of calming breaths and announce that he’ll be outside making breakfast.

 “Bacon and sunny side up for me, please. Love you.”

 DAMMIT LANCE! YOU’RE MAKING THIS REALLY HARD.

 #4 Always have an extra set of contacts at hand

“Aww, I’ve run out of contacts.”

 That was the comment that turned Keith’s normal weekend into a nightmare. He poked his head into their bedroom to see Lance rummaging in his side of the bed nightstand drawer. He walked closer to see if there’s anything he could do to help.

 “AH HAH!” Keith's mouth went dry when Lance plopped a pair of glasses on his nose. Of course, Lance has a pair of emergency glasses, anyone who wears contacts does, it’s only common sense. But, damn, why is it getting hot in here?

 Since they planned to stay in and study for the upcoming exam week, they postponed the contact lens shopping to this evening when they go out for dinner instead of now. Sitting on opposite end of the dining table, books and pens scattered messily on the surface, they lost themselves in their reading.

 Actually, it’s only Lance who’s reading.

 Keith is busy gawking at his boyfriend.

 The more he stared the wilder his imagination became.

 Lance is an honored student who got roped into tutoring the delinquent Keith after class. They’re going over everything Keith learned that day. Lance was patient while Keith kept getting angrier at his own failure.

 “This is useless. I’m never going to get it, you should stop wasting your time with me.” Keith sulked in his seat while Lance looks at him calculatingly. The honored student’s glasses flash as he got up and got right in Keith’s face. The Cuban’s arm was on either side of his chair caging him in. The sharp glint that Keith had never seen in the good-natured boy’s eyes before sent a jolt of electric down his spine.

 “How about we try a different method,” Lance whispered against his lips before closing the distance. The kiss was hot and wild and ended quicker than he would have like. Chasing after the departing lips a finger stopped him in his track.

 “Ah, ah,” the Cuban said in a sing-song voice, “only if you get the next question right.”

 Lance sneezed and Keith snapped out of his daydream. Lance smile sheepishly at him and he quickly looks down not wanting him to see the blush on his face. Keith can only get a paragraph in when he turns the page and saw a picture of a team of doctors on the other side.

 Lance is a doctor and the owner of a small clinic. Keith is a police officer who often comes in to have Lance take care of his wounds of the day.

 It was after midnight when Keith stumble into the facility with blood down his arms. Lance's face paled and he orders the officer to sit down on the bed while he rushed around gathering supplies, mouth complaining all the while.

 “He was holding a knife to the woman’s throat. What do you suggest me do then?”

 “Not offering yourself as a substitute would be the first step.” The doctor bites out harshly and Keith let it slide because he knows Lance was only worried about him. He took off his shirt as instructed and shiver when the cold air made contact with his skin. He bites down the hiss at each pierced of the needle just to keep the doctor from frowning any deeper.

 When the cut was stitched and wrapped up nicely Lance dip down to kiss tenderly at the bandages. Keith’s heart melts at the sight. His breath hitched when those lips glided up to mouthed at the old scar on his collarbone as he's pushed down onto the bed.

 “That one and this too. All because you have to be a hero. Coming here with blood all over yourself, always threatening to kill me with a heart attack.”

 “Sorry,” his take in a shuddering breath when the brunettes bite at his neck.

 Lance climb on top on him and settle himself on his stomach, pants gone leaving him in only his briefs. Keith wants nothing more than to run his hands down those smooth thighs.

 “Nope. It won’t heal if you keep moving it.” Lance hold down his wrist gently as he looks down at Keith. Hooded eyes from behind the glasses met his own hungry ones.

 “Now be a good boy and lay still while I punished you for scaring me.”

 The doctor grinds down on his crotch and Keith shiver in anticipation.

 A sharp cold against his cheek abruptly ended his fantasy. Lance smiled at him cheekily eyes dancing with mirth from behind those damned glasses.

 “Here”, the brunette hand him a can of soda before popping his own. Tanned fingers caressed his shirt, looking him up and down appreciatively. Lance did buy it for him after all.

 “It suits you.”

 Suits

 Lance and Keith are high profile lawyers working for a different firm who often handle the same case. This time Keith is the defender while Lance is the prosecutor, both going neck-to-neck, not backing down an inch.

 Keith can’t remember how he ends up sprawl on the bed underneath Lance but he’s not complaining.

 The Cuban looks downright sexy in that form-fitting deep navy suits that accentuate his eyes behind those clear frames. One tanned hand combing through soft brown strands while another slowly pulled off the tie. Keith swallowed thickly. His eyes follow as pink tongue dart out to lick their owner’s lips seductively.

 Lance give him a vicious grin promising one hell of a good time, “you’ve been a very naughty boy, Keith.”

 Keith slammed his head on the table making Lance leaped away in surprised.

 Shit

 This is serious

 Also, why the hell is he always the bad one in those scenarios? Is he developing a new kink? Fuck, he is, isn’t he?

 “What the hell Keith!? Are you alright?” Lance is frantically checking his forehead (ow that hurts, he shouldn’t have done that). The close proximity with Glasses Lance makes him take a sharp breath. Before his brain can conjure up another fantasy he quickly dragged Lance towards the door.

 “Hey! What-where are we going? Keith!”

 “Contacts shopping. NOW!”

 #5 Endure the scratches

Lance is a scratcher. Whenever the Cuban is on the receiving end Keith will come out looking like he’s been in a fight with a vicious cat. Long thin red lines will adorn his back for days stinging irritatingly whenever he got sweaty.

 So, for the sake of trying out new stuff, Lance suggests they use handcuffs.

 Keith didn’t know he has a bondage kink until he saw his boyfriend naked and cuffed to the bedpost. The sight of the brunette writhing on the bed stir up something primal within him. That night he couldn’t get enough on Lance. Not that he ever had enough but that night was on a whole other level.

 Keith went to sleep thoroughly satisfied not noticing that Lance was less vocal than normal.

 He was eager to go again the next day. The thought of his restraint boyfriend plaguing him throughout the day. They barely made it to the bed before Keith was ripping off his clothes and Lance’s.

 He let out a blissful groan when he finally gets to enter the Cuban, but somehow he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was missing. A sniffle pulled him out of his thought and his heart dropped when he saw tears running down Lance’s face.

 “No”, the brunette whimpered and fear grip at his heart.

 He hurt Lance

 He wants to die right now

 Keith quickly gets off him and tears spring to his eyes when he sees Lance weakly tugging at the restraint.

 “Lance,” he choked out past the lump in his throat, “baby, I’m so sorry.” He unlocked the cuffs and the brunette throw himself into Keith’s arms holding on tightly. Keith hugged back just as fierce, head burying in the crook of Lance’s shoulder, “I’m sorry I hurt you, Lance.”

 He felt the brunette shook his head, “no, you didn’t hurt me. It just…” Lance pushed away from him but Keith holds on tight not allowing the brunette to go far. “When I have that thing on, I can’t touch you.” He nuzzled Keith’s nose, “you’re right there but I feel so far away. I don’t like that.”

 “Then we’ll stop using it.” He kisses at the red mark on the brunette’s wrist apologetically.

 “But you like those handcuffs.”

 “Not enough to make you cry.” He lay the hand on his cheek nuzzling into it, “nothing is worth making you cry for.”

 Lance’s tears come back anew and his heart clenched, “I’m sorry Lance, please stop crying.” He kissed away the tears at the corner of those blue eyes he loves so much, “I never know what to do when you cry.”

 Their lips meet in a soft kiss, so sweet and loving and everything Keith wanted. When they joined together again as one, with Lance’s arms clinging to him, he finally understands what was missing. This is what missing. This connection, this intimacy, they always have when making love.

 His back is full of scratches again, but with Lance laying soft kisses on each one as an apology, Keith realized he don’t mind.

 #6 –

 “KEITH!” The owner of the name came back to his senses and look at the boy sitting beside him. Oh, they’re on a date right now, aren’t they? Keith kicked himself mentally. Before he could apologize Lance was already resting his forehead against his, looking at him with worried eyes. His heart hammered in his chest.

 “You’re a bit warm and you look kind of dazed. Let’s go home, we can do this another day.” The brunette tugged at his hand for him to stand up. Keith wants to protest, but after a bit of contemplation, decide against it. Who is he to say no to having Lance fuzzing over him. Also, if he plays his card right he’ll get to monopolized his boyfriend for the whole weekend. Now isn’t that a thought.

 Making their way home Keith lift up their joint and to lay a kiss on the back of Lance’s. The Cuban looked back at him with a fond smile, soft red splayed across his face.

 Keith fell in love all over again.

 He understands long ago that Lance is dangerous. Deadly so. He’s a lethal weapon tailored to bring Keith to his knees with only a smile. Trapping Keith within his blue eyes with no means of escape and he loves it. Lance could ask him for the moon and he swears he’ll find a way to give it to the brunette.

 Keith smiles happily as he watches his boyfriend flitted around the room, gathering blankets and pillows and piling it around him creating a comfortable nest on the sofa. He took hold of the bronzed wrist before its owner can disappear into the kitchen. He tugged lightly and Lance yelp as he falls into Keith’s waiting arms.

 Their lips gravitate towards each other. Languid and soft, he carefully pours his feelings into the kiss, and the next, and the one after that as well. He scoots closer to the backrest and Lance climb in beside him without protest. Smiling exasperatedly the brunette open up his arms and Keith tuck himself into them. He breathes the smell of Lance in deeply into his lungs and felt himself relax.

 “You’re spoilt. I’m spoiling you.” The Cuban lament half-heartedly as he lay soft kisses along the milky temple. Keith agreed by trailing kisses along the column of bronzed-colored throat, making pearls of laughter spill forth from Lance’s mouth.

 Listening to that wonderful sound while being encased in Lance’s arms Keith wondered if this is what happiness feels like.

 Yes

 It definitely is

[ahopkins1965]

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Why Will the Meek Inherit the Earth?

Bible / Bible Study / Topical Studies

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Heather Adams

Contributing Writer

Sunday, August 30, 2020

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).

Jesus spoke this familiar verse on a hillside near the town of Capernaum. It is one of the Beatitudes, a group of instructions the Lord gave to the people. In some ways, they echo the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses, in that they provide directions for righteous living. These focus on characteristics believers need to possess.

I have to confess that I used to look at this verse as if it were an item on a spiritual to-do list, but that is much too shallow a view. I was also puzzled a bit by it - I wondered what it meant to be meek and how that would lead to blessing. Have you wondered that as well?

As I've explored this verse more, God has shown me that it holds a lot deeper meaning than I realized. Jesus' words challenge my desire for instant gratification, and offer me blessings as I let God be in control of my life.

"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (Psalm 76:9).

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Suwaree Tangbovornpichet

What Does "the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth" Mean?

Dividing this verse into two sections helped me see how important Jesus' choice of words was.

"Blessed Are the Meek…"

 In modern culture, the term "meek" might conjure up the image of a person who is mild, passive and even timid. But as I searched for a more complete definition, I discovered what a beautiful trait it actually is.

The ancient Greeks, namely Aristotle - "the character of one having the passion of resentment under control, and therefore is tranquil and untroubled."

Dictionary.com - "humbly patient under provocation from others, compliant, gentle, kind"

Merriam-Webster Dictionary - "enduring injury with patience and without resentment." 

Bible Dictionaries add to the idea of meekness bringing a sense of calm to the soul. The King James Bible Dictionary says "mild of temper, not easily provoked or irritated, submissive to the Divine will, not proud or self-sufficient."

The Baker's Evangelical Dictionary entry builds on the notion of meekness being connected with having a longer view: "It describes strong people who are placed in positions of weakness who keep going without sinking into bitterness or a desire for vengeance."

Meekness, then, comes not from fear, but a firm foundation of trust and faith in God. It reflects a person who keeps their eyes fixed on Him, who is able to withstand unfair treatment and injustices with grace.

"Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility…" (Zeph. 2:3).

The second half of Matthew 5:5 refers to the result of living with true meekness of spirit.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw

"...for They Will Inherit the Earth."

This phrase was confusing to me until I understood more of that longer view God wants us to have. In other words, we are ideally living here on Earth while being aware of the life that's yet to come. In our humanness, that can be a hard balance to strike.

The inheritance Jesus' means is peace, joy and contentment in our daily lives, wherever we find ourselves, and hope for our future. Again, this is not a popular idea in a world that places importance on grabbing fame, wealth and accomplishments as soon as possible. It highlights the things that matter to God versus those of men, and Jesus wanted the people to see the clear difference between the two.

Jesus knew that most people in His time made their living as farmers, fishermen or tradesmen. They weren't rich or powerful, but had to deal with those who were. Being oppressed by both Roman rule and the religious leaders led to frustrating and even fearful moments. Jesus wanted to remind them that God was still present in their lives, and they were called to live by His standards.

This passage as a whole also hints at the persecution that first Jesus, and then His followers, would face. He would soon share with the Apostles how he would be put to death and rise again. Most of them, in turn, would later experience some of the same treatment. It would be vitally important for the disciples to see Jesus' circumstances, and their own, through eyes of faith.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Nastco

What Are the Beatitudes?

The Beatitudes are part of a much larger teaching Jesus gave near Capernaum. He and the twelve disciples had been travelling through Galilee, with Jesus teaching and healing as they went. Crowds soon began coming from all over the region to see Him. Finally, Jesus went up onto a hillside to speak to the enormous gathering. The Beatitudes are the opening to this message, popularly known as The Sermon on the Mount. 

Through these points, recorded in Matthew 5:3-11 and Luke 6:20-22, Jesus laid out characteristics that genuine believers are to have. They can be seen as a "Christian code of ethics" that clearly show how different God's ways are than the ways of the world. Jesus meant the Beatitudes to serve as a moral compass to guide people when facing temptations and troubles in this life.

Each begins with "Blessed are," and presents a specific trait. Then, Jesus states what the ultimate reward will be for those that are faithful in it, whether right away or at a future time. He goes on from there to teach other principles for Godly living. 

In Chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel, verse 5 is the third Beatitude of eight. Before that, Jesus introduced the traits of being poor in spirit, and of mourning. All of these first three qualities speak of the value of humility and acknowledge God's supremacy. 

Jesus continues, speaking of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, of being merciful and pure in heart, of seeking to make peace and of being persecuted.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kovop58

All Believers Are Called to Be Meek

God's Word emphasizes meekness as one of the most essential traits a believer can have. In fact, this quiet but powerful endurance is one way that we are set apart from those of the world. According to Scripture, everyone who desires to please God will:

See the value in meekness, embracing it as part of a Godly life.

Desire to grow in meekness, knowing we can't do it without God.

Pray for opportunities to show meekness to others, hoping it will lead them to God.

The Old and New Testaments are full of lessons and reminders about this characteristic. Many of the early heroes of the faith lived it out.

"Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3).

Jesus taught over and over about humility and loving our enemies. Those two elements show that being meek is not passive, but making an active choice motivated by God's love.

"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:43-44).

In this passage from Matthew 11, Jesus spoke of Himself in this way, then invited others to join Him. 

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus showed us the ultimate example of meekness during His trial and crucifixion. He willingly tolerated abuse and then death because He knew the result would be salvation for us. Isaiah shared a prophesy of this event that reads, "he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, he did not open his mouth…" (Isaiah 53:7).

Later, the Apostle Paul encouraged the new church members to respond to Jesus' meekness by “putting it on” themselves, and letting it govern their behavior.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12).

As we think more about meekness, though, we need to keep in mind that we are not meant to stay silent all the time. God always takes care of us, but He may call us to speak out and defend Him to others, maybe even loudly. Jesus provides us with a model for that as well. He knew the passions of His Father's heart, and let those lead Him during His ministry. For example:

"When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’” (John 11:43).

"So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” (John 2:15-16).

Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden

What Does This Verse Mean for Believers Today?

Meekness may sound like an outdated idea. But if God calls us to it, He will show us how it applies to our lives. We may not face open persecution, but we certainly can find ourselves caught up in unfair circumstances. The question is how we handle those moments. 

For instance, how do you think you'd respond if someone talked about you behind your back, or your faith was made fun of, or another person took advantage of you? We can try to defend ourselves, or we can ask God to equip us with quiet dignity to go through. One way leads to momentary relief, while the other leads to spiritual growth, and may even be a witness to others.

If I'm honest, meekness is not always my first response, because it goes against my human tendency to get justice and to stand up for myself. My heart needs to change, but it won't happen without God's touch. With a prayer, I can invite Him into the process. The Lord will build each of us up, revealing practical and powerful ways to walk out the trait each day. 

The mindset of meekness is a discipline that will strengthen us to face any type of difficulty or bad treatment. Having this kind of spirit is one of the hardest yet most rewarding goals we can set. Now that I see what being meek means and where it will lead me, I'm more determined to make the journey. 

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Merlas

Heather Adams is an author, speaker, and singer living in Connecticut. Heather’s passion is to equip and encourage believers to seek more of God’s truth and to experience more of His joy each day. Her book, Bow Down: The Heart of a True Worshipper is a practical, 30-day devotional about worship based on the writings of King David. Heather's blog, Worship Walk Ministries, offers weekly Scripture passages and insights to ponder. A native New Englander, Heather is settling into her home in the South, trying out local foods and watching for the alligators that live nearby! You can connect with her on her website: heatheradamsworshipwalk.com

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Do Not Sell My Info (CA only)

[davidwindsor97]

For a while, I've been an asset to the U.S. Government. Since then they have continually asked what it is I want for my service. Since I am apart of a group of Missionaries that doesn't believe in payment due to service it has become complex to perceive what it is I do want. It comes the time to put into detail what it is I desire:

I want to reclaim my real full name, David Windsor. Of course, I want my blood to accept me. But at the moment it is irrelevant. I have an obligation to a people I can seriously relate to. People who if I was in the same position would gladly do the same. Maybe some of them wouldn't but why should that make the difference?

My circumstances have really been unnecessarily shameful. All I've wanted is to explore my identity and yet people offer secrecy. What I've noticed is in every branch of this United States Government there are those of advocacy and heresy. No sector of the organization feels solely the same for me. To consider such a thing would put everyone in the same bubble of thought. Such a form of segregation is something the Enemy holds in high regard. Which is why I shall remain intentionally ignorant of such practices.

I had the money and the means to get to Israel. But some fools froze my accounts impulsively and just plain extemporaneously as if I am some sort of terror threat. When I risk my life for there sakes they decide to paint me as an enemy. The kind of enemy destined for execution by there spiteful hands. What is logic? Simply put I am a Christian who is not swayed by their sinful indulgences.

I don't want a new identity or a new life. I want to accept the identity I've always had and enjoyed the life of which so many fools attempted to control. If my enemies face me like men instead of hiding like children and grow courage in the midst of numbers then I'll be ready. Why fear the wrath of man when I know the wrath of God is exact? Nothing could be swifter. So when I see these Barbie spies hiding every time I call them out I laugh. Because it reminds me of Adam and Eve. Didn't they try and hide from there mistakes? I too have tried to hide from my sins. The sin of deception, of arrogance, of selfishness, of lust, and there's probably more that I'm just not ready to accept. But that is the point, isn't it? We are all sinful people trying to make amends for our mistakes. But the only true way to do such a thing is to accept Christ as your savior. No government could give you a better chance than the Holy Trinity.

Another aspect that just bothers me is there constant attempt to find a code in everything I do. I was looking out this pleasant window expressing part of the Houston downtown area and people act as if I'm scouting out a sniper. My survival is based on a number of factors. But when God tells you you are safe their's no reason to doubt it. Relaxation is something I'm fond of. You just add anxiety when you anticipate something that isn't there.

They've made silent offers to go to school in the states. But frankly, this school system sucks. Elementary, Middle, High, and a bit of college. What did I learn? Absolutely nothing. Every useful skill I learned when I left the states or experienced extremities in the states. A school setting makes me want to regurgitate. Ergo, I would rather throw up than set foot in a ridiculous system. The education I required no money but all commitment. Sure some skills I acquired through favors and some coin. But the most important lessons were learned through earned respect. There's no way a school teacher respects every student. But when you first earn that mentor's respect thereby gaining the important lessons that are when you gain more than any college could give you.

That's not to say you can't gain a wealth of knowledge from any known education system. I've just learned more from the unknown ones.

I'll most likely come back to the U.S. to eventually pursue the arts. But that is not my main objective. I don't have scores to settle but relationships to build. No matter the high or the low that is all that matters. Perhaps the U.S will offer some resources for my journey other than the mud some of them (not all of them) have thrown on my face. But I really am fine either way. Here I can anticipate being treated like I have leprosy. So if I get nothing it would be by no means surprising. Plus they have the audacity to act as if they saved me. When really they're like a dad who decided to stop by after 22 years of abandonment while the mother (the Missionaries and other great heroes) has been protecting and guiding me from day one. And this mama bear hasn't taken any breaks. Even when a lot of them have. I have no doubt some of them relished the thought of my enemies killing me. But I am untouchable by God's grace not by any pitiful physical "mercy".

I am just so sick of feeling like I'm in a prison of misunderstanding. Despite my continual transparency. I'm transparent, not translucent.

There have been times where if they would have told me we're protecting you I would have to ask: how can you protect me from yourself?

Because if I didn't have my license and social a lot of them would have killed me by now. Does that mean they represent the entirety of the U.S. Government? Hell no! People like that are just examples of a load of cowards who can't accept how wrong they are because they're too busy bolstering up their egos. Honestly, I'm surprised they still have a job. How can you rely on someone who's more interested in saving their own asses then the guy next to them?

Oh, and do these pricks get pissed when I call them out on their bullocks. Then they try to act as they care about me. If I was a corpse on the street you would take a selfie, you sick demented morons! But have I, throughout this entire process, had a reason to anticipate death? By Gods Grace: no.

Their mistake is a heavy reliance on fear. I am referring to the cowards of course. Such people are a form of the slaver. They wish to keep their informants in fear so they can do anything they can to take advantage of them. To make the person bend over as they relish in their sadistic pleasures. Such people are the inevitable viruses of any system. Just because a car is dirty doesn't mean it can't be cleaned. Yes, I've given a wealth of information and exposed a wealth of criminals. But that doesn't mean I'm for free. Money has never been an object of concern for me. I've thrived with or without it. Its freedom I will continually seek. No amount of money, no occupation could be worth more than that to me.

Why should anyone fear my expression? Has it ever been a crime to express oneself honestly? Since I don't fear who I am I've officially accepted that cameras will follow me in some way. It seems my reputation has finally landed in the states. But at this point I quite like it. Just as long as personal space is constant. After all, I don't want to be treated like a slave again. A lot of people have called me a weirdo or just been confused by my actions as if I have to fit a certain mold. But I realized when I read the biographies of celebrities they were treated the same way. So I guess I could look at it as a good sign. I do think the photos and videos of me would be fun to watch in certain cases and just a plain invasion of privacy in others.

Despite these neanderthal's, I know a lot of them to care about me. But sympathy or apathy doesn't change that I need to go to Israel. Do I give a damn if my enemies know my destination or not? Of course not and I shouldn't have to mention why. There fear their of overt caution is just evidence of the fact that they have very little understanding of what they're dealing with. But the Missionaries do. And whether they help us or not makes no difference. We will still pursue the mission objective. As we always have and always will.

Yes, the Missionaries could get me there in a matter of days. But the relationship between the U.S and the Creed of Christians (Missionaries) needs to have a solid structure. Its clear to me now the whole purpose of coming back to the US to spill the beans was so I could be free to go where I please. Which thanks to my training is exactly where I'm supposed to go. I definitely can't dispute if it wasn't for the scrutiny of law enforcement and the constant surveillance (for a time) I wouldn't have had the chance to tear away from the fake family. So yeah that tearing away from that toxic mold couldn't have happened without them. It has been freaking cool working with them. Especially when I drove to LA. It was so composed. Every maneuver was a different thrill. And watching my enemies flee in fear wouldn't have been so satisfactory if it wasn't for my exposure induced by there surveillance. Recently the cowards tried to drug me which I can't help but laugh at. If my calculations are correct this is the second time they've attempted this. Even the Russians stopped drugging me because I learned how to fight through it. When it comes to any drugs as long as you physically exert yourself it is plausible to shatter that barrier between you and your capability.

One of the big mistakes some of them have made is thinking I am in some way going to be some sort of Edward Snowden ergo a boy who thinks he could run the country better by pointing out the flaws but totally ignoring his own hypocrisy by sleeping with a Judas of a Government. Look everyone can agree mistakes were made on both sides. As long as we remain transparent and not look for ways to annoy each other we really shouldn't have any problems. Yeah, I've been pissed off at the stupidity that has come my way, but that doesn't change the warm hearts I've come across as well.

Wither they be military, investigative, or a mixture of the two it's not hard to see that the people advocating for me within the U.S. Government and abroad are by no means few in number. This is why it is of the utmost importance for us to work together to put a stop to these extremists by any means necessary.

[fairytalesandtimetravel]

Come Wayward Souls Ch 13/14

The Rescues 

Trapped in the Infinite Forest as a swan, Emma has one chance to turn back into a human and save her parents from the Evil Queen’s curse: delivering the newly freed brothers Jones to the Blind Witch. (Thank you to the lovely and wonderful @spartanguard for betaing! <3 And for the amazing banner!)

FF.net | AO3 | Other Chapters on Tumblr

His whole body was throbbing with the rhythm of his heartbeat. Liam tried to move but it felt as if he was submerged in a pool of molasses. He moaned in his efforts to try to move, but gave up with a sigh. He heard his name, but it sounded far away, almost as if it got lost, not making it through that molasses he felt smothered in.

Slowly, he gained more awareness. He was lying on the ground. It was kind of soft and loose, with a lumpy pillow under his head. Liam slowly opened his eyes, the low lighting harsh on his bleary eyes. A figure with a familiar bun on the top of their head leaned over him.

"Tink?" Confusion and happiness filled his being at the sight of her. Liam tried to get up, but it felt like a large weight was on his chest.

"Oh good, you remember me."

"You're hard to forget," Liam slurred.

"After how I found you: debatable."

"What happened?" Liam asked slowly as he tried to piece together the last things he could remember.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I found you washed up on the shore behind the castle."

Images of the man with blood-shot eyes and an Evil Queen assaulted him. "Killian!" Liam tried to get up, but Tink stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest. Instead of rising, he leaned back against a boulder.

"Liam, you're in no state to be moving around right now."

Liam grumbled. "But I don't know if they're safe. If he is safe. I can't—"

"Lose him. I know. But if you go running off right now, you'll only hurt yourself; you won't be helping Killian."

Liam took a deep breath and stared at his hands in defeat. His body was still throbbing. He looked around just realising that they were on a rocky-shored beach. One huge bolder sat behind him, offering a little shelter and security.

"How did you find me? How did you catch up with us so quickly?" Liam asked after a short while, collecting himself.

"Well, I when I was venturing through the forest, everyone was leaving. Emma truly broke the spell. I spent two days checking on everyone. I was planning on leaving to catch up with you all when I met someone I had helped a long time ago. They had found a magic bean and needed to get to Misthaven as quick as possible, she offered me a way here."

"Quite the tale."

"Lucky, really."

"I'm glad you came," Liam blushed.

"Yeah, I'm not sure you'd still be alive if I hadn't," Tink laughed.

"Aye, you are right about that." Liam stalled before continuing. His exhaustion loosened his tongue. "Besides that, I found myself… missing you these past few days."

Tink's eyes widened and a blush bloomed across her cheeks. Before she shook herself and small smile stretched across her face that didn't quite meet her eyes. "I think you might still be delusional. You should get some more rest." Tink slowly moved her hand to his forehead in a light caress. "You're a little warm; you'll need your strength to help your brother and Emma."

Her soothing touch—that lingered longer than it should were she just checking for a fever—made him relax. His exhaustion took over once more and he nodded off, feeling safe with Tink there.

/-/

Emma woke up to the sound of the door being thrown open. She started to get up and felt Killian's arm moving from it's spot on top of her. Emma's frantic eyes found Killian. He was pushing off the floor, eyes also wide in surprise and fear. Emma sat up as quickly as she could, her limbs heavy with exhaustion.

Emma's eyes landed on Hyde carrying two trays.

"Good morning," he greeted snidely. Neither Emma or Killian responded with anything but a glare. "How lovely to see you in such high spirits," he said sarcastically. He quickly placed Killian's tray in his cell and slammed the door shut. Emma thought this could be her only chance, so she crouched on her feet as quickly as she could staying close to the floor, trying to make it look like she was sitting on her legs underneath her thin dress and long coat.

"Don't try anything," Hyde warned looking at her dangerously. He opened the door and Emma lunged at him. She couldn't let this opportunity go by without trying.

Hyde was ready for her, and instead of dropping the tray to the floor, he quickly swung it at her. But Emma was prepared for his counter-attack and ducked down and out of the way, diving past him. She felt the magic slowly returning to her as her bust made it past the cell's threshold.

Yet, she was not quick enough.

Emma felt a tug on her head and heard her name from Killian's lips. Hyde had grabbed her by the hair and threw her back into the cell. Emma fell hard on the floor just as the door slammed shut. Pain shot up her back and up her arms, head throbbing.

"I warned you. Enjoy your breakfast. Maybe the dirty floor with add a little extra flavour." Hyde looked over her prone form on the floor once more with an eerie smile before turning and leaving the dungeon.

"Emma?" Killian asked with his fretting face pressed between the bars, his knuckles white.

Emma glanced at Killian in sorrow before looking to her would-have-been-breakfast spilt across the floor and then back to the door.

"Love," Killian said holding out his hand beckoning her towards him. Emma stared for a few moments before she crawled the short distance to him. She leaned her shoulder against the bars between them. Killian gently placed his hand on her back. "Does it hurt?"

"It's fine."

He slowly caressed her back and it did surprisingly help relax her. She never had anyone's touch bring so much comfort to her before. Not since she was a child and had her parent's warm embrace waiting for her anytime she needed it.

Killian removed his hand and she felt the loss acutely. Emma brought her knees up to her chin, placed her arms over them and rested her chin against her arms.

Killian grabbed his tray and brought it over to her. "We can share."

"I'm not hungry," Emma mumbled. Her eyes trained on the door.

"Love, we haven't eaten since yesterday morning; I find that hard to believe." Killian took a spoonful of his bland porridge. "You know, this isn't too bad, are you sure you don't want some?"

"Do you want to pretend the fairy is flying through the air to deliver it to me, too?" Emma asked, frustrated.

She heard his spoon clink against the bowl in the silence.

"You need it more than I do," she amended, quietly. Emma finally turned to him then.

"Not true. If we get out of here, you're going to need more energy to use your magic." He was sincere. What he had just gone through with the Jabberwocky be damned. He was still determined and in that moment, he did give her hope.

Emma's eyes went from searching his face down to the porridge in his hand and then she noticed his spoon. It was odd. It was put together with a little metal wire. Quickly, she turned away from him and scrabbled to get her spoon. She pulled it apart and took the metal wire from it.

"What are you doing?"

"What if we used this to pick the lock?"

Killian's slow smile lit up his face. "You are bloody brilliant."

Emma smiled back before scrambling to the door. Emma inserted the metal wire into the lock and started turning her wrist and fiddling with the thing. Emma's clenched jaw began to ache the longer she worked at the lock to no avail.

Emma sighed in frustration and smacked her hand against the bars. "It's not working!"

"Love, you can do it—just try again."

Emma glanced over at Killian and saw the belief in his eyes as well as the fatigue he felt. She had to open the lock for both their sakes.

Emma leaned back towards the cell door and inserted the metal wire once again, trying her hardest to feel the clicks of the tumblers.

After what felt like an hour the lock opened. Emma looked at in awe and she heard Killian's lighthearted laughter and Emma chimed in.

The dungeon door open with a loud bang and Emma jumped. Fear ran cold through her and she scrambled to get the lock off the door. But she was too late. Hyde shoved her back through the bars. Regina was right behind him with her murderous gaze trained on Emma.

Hyde tore open the cell, grabbed Emma and tied her hands behind her. He roughly pulled her to the back wall of her cell. He pulled her arms back some more to tie them to the ring on the wall. Killian was yelling her name, but all Emma could focus on was the sudden appearance of the Jabberwocky. Her gaze glued to Emma, her sadistic smile promised no mercy for Emma. The tense air was suddenly suffocating her.

"Your turn," Regina said in delight. "When will you learn that you cannot escape from me unless I will it?"

"Never," Emma spat.

"So, it's pointless to ask what you've done since coming here?"

Emma pulled again the ropes tying her hands together, she could feel them biting into her skin. She glowered at Regina.

"Jabberwocky, she's all yours. Have fun." Regina stepped from the cell door and the woman practically slithered into the cell. Hyde left the cell and shut the door.

"No, take me instead!" Killian called out. "Emma! No!"

"Gag him," Regina said to Hyde with a slight turn of her head.

"With pleasure." Hyde went into Killian's cell and gagged him quickly and tied his hand to his opposite arm. Killian didn't make it easy for him, but after his round with the Jabberwocky yesterday, he was still sluggish. Emma tore her eyes away from him, she couldn't take the fear she saw on his face.

The Jabberwocky approached Emma and ran a finger down her face. Emma's eyes widened. The fear that ran through her was unlike another she felt, even surpassing the day when Regina had kidnapped her.

"Aw, little Princess Emma taken from her home when all she wanted to do was pick a fresh bouquet of flowers to give to her mommy on her birthday."

Emma felt the tears pricking at her eyes. The Jabberwocky's words felt like a physical thing cutting right through her. The magic was truly terrifying. All those painful memories dredged back up, emotions fresh as they were way back then and even worse now.

"Little, lonely princess trapped in the forest with no one to rescue her for so long. Her parents gave up on her."

Emma pulled away from the Jabberwocky but was met with the wall at her back. The ring that kept her tied there pushed into a sore spot on her spine. The Jabberwocky went on, the tormenting words melting together as her magic ravaged Emma's mind. Something was said about Killian and how she feared her status as a princess was a deterrent.

She felt her face flame even more then. He was watching her go through this. He knew everything now. But, maybe it was fair since she watched him go through he same thing. She now knew how it felt. She couldn't decide whether it was better or worse that it was him who had to watch her go through this and see her this way.

And then she heard a scream. Everything was fuzzy, but she suddenly felt free from the dark magic. She could breathe again.

/-/

Killian watched in horror. Felt the bindings at his wrist chafe against his skin. He wanted to call out for her but every time it came out as a muffled whimper.

Emma had tears running down her cheeks, and her face a mask of fear. The Jabberwocky was going through her heartbreaks and fears. Killian felt as if his own heart was breaking with every word spoken.

"You're afraid that boy over there doesn't want to be with you because of your status as princess. All the responsibilities, and commitments. Who would want that?"

Killian thought his heart stopped at the Jabberwocky's words. Emma was afraid he wouldn't want to be with her? Was she daft?

Killian trembled as he watched Emma's face twist in pain and then, there was a loud bang. Killian whipped his head towards the opening of the dungeon. Hope filled his entire being at the sight of the king running towards them, sword drawn.

Regina was shocked by his appearance. Hyde quickly stepped in front of her. Regina called for the Jabberwocky in fear. Emma slumped down at an awkward angle, hands still secured by the ring. Killian called out to Emma, not taking his eyes from her.

There was a horrific scream and Killian turned to see the Jabberwocky dead on the floor. Regina was clutching her side as Hyde supported her, sporting a black eye. The two of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

David quickly ran to open Emma's cell and grabbed her. As he was untying her hands, Killian could see the red bands around her wrist from the coarse rope. David gingerly touched them before tucking her in towards his chest.

"Emma?" David asked in fear caressing her face. She moaned quietly before opening her eyes.

Killian sighed in relief.

"Dad?" Emma asked in quiet disbelief. David nodded with a smile. Emma pushed her face into his shoulder and breathed him in for a moment.

"I'm so sorry. I was afraid I lost you again."

"Did you find Mom?" Emma asked weakly as she pulled away to look at him.

"I couldn't find her. Let's get out of here, regroup and come up with a plan."

Killian wanted to voice his agreement with the king, but the gag in his mouth prevented him from doing so. Just then, Emma's eyes darted to Killian.

"Killian!" she said in shock. She quickly scrambled out of her father's hold, but struggled to stay balanced. David quickly got up and put his arm around her. Together, they made it to Killian's cell. Emma waved her hand and the door opened.

Emma's shaky hands were untying his restraints in seconds. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked completely knackered. He glanced down at her hands and desperately wanted to tend to the raw skin on her wrists.

His own skin stung as she untied him. Once free, Killian embraced her, tucking his head into her neck. "Are you alright?"

Emma was a second delayed before hugging him back just as tight. She nodded into his shoulder. Killian's hand tangled in her hair. Emma's slight, trembling form in his arms was breaking his heart. He didn't want to let go. But he also couldn't help but wish in that moment that they could soon embrace like this under better circumstances. He ached for it.

David awkwardly cleared his throat and Emma sniffled before leaning back with a slight blush darkening her cheeks. She gave him a shy smile before turning towards her father, still a little unsteady. David gave him a nod before placing his arm back around Emma. Killian left the cell and followed them to the exit.

Killian noticed something shiny out of the corner of his eye and saw his hook left on a shelf near where the dwarf was keeping guard earlier. Killian quickly snatched it and clicked it back in place. The click of his hook had Emma and David looking back at him. Emma gave him a small smirk.

Killian approached them ready to ask about Liam, but Emma quickly grabbed his hand.

"We're getting out of here," she warned and his stomach dropped. She shouldn't teleport them. Not now when she was already weakened!

But he had no chance to speak up. They were out of the dungeon in an instant and out in the woods. Killian could just make out the castle through the trees.

"You've really gotten good at that," David said with pride. Emma blushed as she averted her gaze to the ground. Killian was half tempted to yell at her again, but she didn't seem any worse for wear.

"Liam. I have to find Liam." Killian's heart pounded in his chest. One thing after another.

"Do you have something of his?" Emma asked.

"Aye." Killian reached around his neck for the chain that held Liam's ring. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Locator spell," David supplied. His hand found Emma's shoulder blades, running back and forth in a soothing motion. She seemed to relax into his touch. "Will it take too much out of you?"

"No, it should be fine." Emma took the ring that Killian offered. She closed her hand around it and shut her eyes. A small flash of light shown through her fingers. Emma opened her eyes and palm and the ring gently floated up, out of her palm, and then deeper into the woods.

Killian watched the ring with his heart in his throat. He would find his brother and he would be alright. He had to be.

"Let's go," Emma said determination in her eyes.

Killian's eyes never left the ring as he followed its gentle path through the trees. He should have been exhausted, and he was, but determination won this battle. Emma was fading but also undeterred. The king was hovering over Emma, watching out for her.

Killian was thankful for his daring rescue. He didn't know what would have happened had the King not appeared when he did.

The ring started to float towards the water and Killian's stomach dropped to his toes. If that ring kept going, that would mean Liam would be lost to him forever. He was sure he was going to lose his head, but then it turned as they reached the shore of the lake.

Relief flooded through him. Down the beach there was a large boulder; the ring kept moving towards it, faster then. Killian was practically running, his pulse loud in his ears. When he turned behind the boulder he saw Liam. And Tink? With a knife banished at him, ready to attack until her mind caught up with her body.

"Killian?" she asked in disbelief.

"Tink? What are you doing here?"

"Oi! I was thrown into a moat and you don't greet me first?" Liam asked with a cheeky smile from his spot on the ground.

Emma and David caught up with Killian then.

"Tink!" Emma approached her friend. "What—"

"You, too?" Liam asked laughing.

Killian crouched down to Liam with a smile on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Aye. All thanks to that wonderful fairy."

Killian turned his attention back to Tink. "Thank you for helping my brother. I'm afraid we are both eternally indebted to you."

Tink rolled her eyes. "Please, stop being so noble."

Emma stifled her laugh. "I'm glad you're okay, Liam."

"Thank you, Princess."

Emma sighed in fake frustration at 'princess' and turned to Tink, happy to see her friend again. "What are you doing here?"

"The forest didn't need me anymore, thanks to you."

Emma looked a bit taken aback.

"I told you, Emma, you saved us all. Is this your father?" Tink asked Emma, changing the subject, he was sure, for Emma's sake, if the blush and uncomfortable look on her face was anything to go by. Killian's eyes landed on David, forgetting he was with them. He was watching their reunions with a kind smile on his face off to the side.

"Yeah." Emma turned to her father. "Dad, this is Tink. She helped me a lot in the forest."

David stepped forward and extended his hand. "Thank you for helping my daughter."

"I'm glad to see you are well, Your Highness."

"Please, just call me David."

\-\

Emma looked completely exhausted as they moved their makeshift camp into the cover of the woods. They all were tired and it was not yet noon. Liam was favouring his left side as he walked. Killian wanted to offer him some support, but he honestly didn't think he had it in him.

Once they had finally found an area suitable enough to make camp, Emma approached Liam. "Liam, where did you get hurt?" Emma asked kneeling down with him.

"Emma, you don't have—"

"Where does it hurt?" Emma asked, more sternly this time. Killian bit back the laugh that threatened to bubble out of him. He did not envy Liam for being on the receiving end of Emma's glare.

Liam looked a bit put out before vaguely gesturing the left side of his chest and his left ankle. Emma waved her hand and a shimmering white light shined over Liam.

Liam sighed in relief, his whole body relaxing. "Thank you, love."

Emma nodded at him and then turned towards Killian. "You next."

"I'm fine," Killian said backing up. He was, for the most part—minus the dull throbbing he felt still on the back of his head and his chaffed right wrist. He could thank his brace for protecting the left arm from anymore harm.

Emma gave him a stare that clearly told him she did not buy his lies and stepped over to him. He reached out to her, but she gently pushed his hand down. The magic radiating from her palm soothed his raw skin instantly with a light cool breeze. She moved her hand up to his head and finally the ache that was with him all day subsided.

"Thank you," he said with a small smile. Emma returned it with her own shy smile then turned her attention to her wrists to quickly heal them. Killian put his hand by her elbow to help steady her.

"You three stay here. Tink, would you mind coming with me? I have an idea for getting into the castle," the King said.

Emma's eyes widened with her father's words. "But, Dad—"

"Emma, you need rest. Don't worry; we will be quick and we'll bring back some food." Emma stared at her father with her eyebrows reaching for her forehead. "I promise we'll be back right after sunset."

"Okay." Emma hugged David tightly. His hand went to cradle her head as he placed a gentle kiss on her hair. Killian watched, a longing clear as day in his heart.

"Get some rest."

Tink confidently approached David, ready for whatever he had in mind. Killian admired the fairy and could see the gratitude on Emma's face. A nod was shared between them, no doubt a promise to make sure Emma would not be losing her father again.

Once David and Tink were out of sight, Emma deflated to the ground to her knees. Killian and Liam went to her, fretting over her. Emma placed a hand out to stop them, not unkindly, but simply to reassure them.

"I'm alright, I just need to rest."

"Come on, love." Killian grabbed her arm to help her stand. "Let's get you somewhere comfortable."

Liam grabbed her other arm and lead her to a patch of grass clear of any rocks.

"Thanks." Emma sat down.

Liam wobbled a bit before he excused himself and it was just Emma and Killian again. Killian watched Liam lay down not far from them to rest. He couldn't imagine how Liam must be feeling. Granted, Killian himself still felt pretty rotten, but he didn't nearly drown after getting thrown into a moat.

"Do you need anything?" Killian asked before he too laid down for some much needed sleep that was tugging at his eye lids.

Emma looked at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes. He hated seeing that. He kneeled down next to her.

"What's got you vexed, love?"

Her face tinted with the hint of a blush. She stared at her hands in her lap. "Just worried about my dad."

Killian watched her for a quiet moment. Her eyes flashed to his briefly.

"No, that's not all is it?"

Emma took a deep breath, still refusing to look at him. "I still feel her magic," she whispered.

Killian took a deep breath and gently place his hand on her arm. "I still feel it, too. Not much, not as bad as yesterday, but it's been lingering all morning. Sleep will help."

Emma looked at him, watching him and absorbing his words. She nodded but still seemed so small and unsure.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "I want to thank you for yesterday. I don't know how I would have pulled through if it wasn't for your presence." He felt his cheeks flame. He wanted to approach the subject of—well, them, but he didn't think now was the best time.

Emma finally smiled enough to reach her eyes. But it ended entirely too quickly.

He wanted to continue but he didn't know how. He felt too exposed from yesterday and she had the same treatment today. He didn't know where to go from here and it hurt. Was that what that thing did? Dredge up their fears in-front of them only so that they couldn't move past them? Was he reading too much into this? Maybe rest would help them both.

Killian deflated slightly, trying to hide it from Emma. "Get some rest, lass." With one last smile, Killian got up to find a spot closer to Liam while longing to be closer to Emma.

/-/

For the second time that day, Emma woke with a start at the sound of stomping footsteps. Emma sprang up from where she was sleeping ready for whatever might pop out at them. Liam roused from his sleep as Killian quickly got up, his hook ready and glistening in the dusk light filtering through the trees.

Emma glanced at the brothers; Liam quickly got up and Killian gave her nod. The three of them stared at where the noise was coming from.

"Your Majesty, it's this way," a familiar voice said.

"Are you sure?"

Emma's guard dropped, and a smile spread on her face with her father and Tink's words.

"Yes!" Tink sounded exasperated.

David and Tink stepped into their small clearing, David half tumbled into it with a large sack in his hands. David smiled when he made eye contact with Emma.

"Told you I'd be back just after sunset."

Emma smiled wryly. "I hope you didn't bring any guards with you."

"Do you think I'd let them tail us?"

"With all due respect, Your Highness, you were stomping through the woods like a drunken sailor in a storm," Killian supplied with a smile. He seemed a little surprised at his own easy remark. Emma giggled, enjoying the image of a more confidant Killian.

"You try carrying this thing through the woods."

"What's in there?" Emma asked.

David placed down the large sack and opened it. He started taking out a bunch of clothes and food. "Disguises," David looked up at Emma with a conspirative smirk and a raised brow.

Emma looked at him in surprise.

"And plenty of clothes to keep warm tonight." David pulled out a long crimson cloak and handed it to Emma. It was a guard's cloak. And then he handed her a guard's uniform to go with it. It was so different from the prisoner rags Regina's had her wear for years that she was still wearing her underneath her borrowed jacket. A change of clothes sounded glorious.

David then handed Killian and Liam two more guard uniforms.

"How did you get these?" Emma asked with wide eyes.

"I'm still good at sneaking around," David said defensively. "And besides, not much has changed with the curse; the storerooms are where they've always been."

"You forgot the part when you almost walked right into the moat," Tink said.

"Dad!" Emma laughed as the two Jones' tried to muffle their own snickers.

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The next morning, Killian pulled at the tunic, the heavy weight of the chain mail unfamiliar and awkward. Killian awkwardly put on the finishing touch of the cape and helmet before clicking into place his false hand. Liam was next to Killian, fastening his sword to the belt.

David—in his own guard's uniform—came around the bush that separated them from their temporary camp. "You two alright?"

"Aye," Liam said straightening up. Killian rested his left arm on his sword nonchalantly and gave the King a nod which he returned and led them back to the camp in the low light of dawn.

Killian's eyes landed on Emma. She looked well rested. Her hair was braided and laid over her shoulder. She too was in chainmail and a long tunic. He felt like a fool staring at her as he was. She looked like some kind of warrior goddess.

He noticed Emma's cheeks pinken and he tore his eyes from her and shuffled awkwardly.

"Everyone ready?" David asked.

Emma's attention went to her father and she gave him a determined nod. "Let's do this."

David smiled at Emma before turning to lead the way to the castle. They all followed, determined. Tink, Liam, and David went over the plan one last time. Killian tuned it out, he knew the plan, he didn't want to get in his head. He glanced at Emma, who was worrying at her bottom lip.

"You know, love, you look quite fetching in that uniform," Killian chanced, hoping to make her crack a smile; and wanting to say it because she truly did.

Emma's cheeks darkened and her dimples flashed. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Killian blinked in surprise. He felt like a boy playing dress up, while she looked like she fit the part of a noble night. It must have been her upbringing no doubt. But the look on Emma's face had him blushing and standing up a bit straighter. Their pace slowed as they stared at each other, smiling. But the spell was broken with Liam turning around calling for Killian.

Emma looked down, her smile gone; only the anxiety remained. She walked quickly to catch up with them.

The sun was almost risen by the time they made it to the entrance of the secret tunnels by the docks. The five of them prepared themselves before they entered the caves. Killian prayed to all the gods this would go well. He just wanted to see Emma happy.