#I also tried blurring the edges out but it didn't go well

[kirk-goes-to-gallifrey]

I call this one Magical or Merriment Communion with Nimrod

:)

[chuluoyi]

𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 !

- gojo satoru x reader // zen'in naoya x reader

the path of love is never easy for you, be it now or back then. love, pain, betrayal and tragedy — you have been through them all. after all is said and done, you just want one chance at happiness. so will your second marriage be what you always want it to be, or will it be one last heartbreak you have to go through?

genre/warnings: 18+ suggestive content—minors do not interact!—might be ooc, angst, hurt/comfort, a lot of fluff, marriage of convenience, explicit smut (semi-public sex), pregnancy, childbirth, mentions of curses

note: loosely inspired by and taking some elements of manhwa remarried empress. this is the final part of remarried empress au trilogy! wc. 9.4k ! i'm so happy with how well-received this little series is :') thank you so, so much for reading!

credit header goes to @/poro06625649 in twitter!

prev. all hail the empress | the crown of diamonds

general masterlist | series masterlist

“Satoru...”

Once, to you, love meant complete acceptance. To be able to accept someone so wholly, unquestionably, as they are.

Until you excelled in everything, a stone throw away from perfection even, and Naoya still spurned you.

When you married Satoru out of sheer impulse just to preserve your standing, you thought you had found that kind of love at last. Until it became clear a part of him wanted something else, and you couldn't accept that.

At the same time, you also felt like a hypocrite, because you wanted that love for you, and yet you couldn't give the same to him and even doubted him altogether. Using each other, you had even said.

But right at this moment... none of that mattered anymore.

Not when Satoru forcefully hurled Suguru aside, fought his way through the searing heat, tearing away debris after debris, punching through the remnants of the collapsing pagoda, all while dreadfully screaming your name.

“Where are you!? Gods, answer me!” He looked like a desperate madman. He was hyperventilating, bloodied, and yet he kept violently flinging the debris, determined to find you.

That sight of him struck you straight in the heart. He could've obliterated the whole tower with his ability if he wanted to, but he didn't. Doing so would seal your fate entirely.

He yelled your name once again, pouring his anguish and frustration into the air that his voice grew hoarse. “Where are you!”

If this isn't love, you thought almost tearfully. Then what is?

“Satoru!” and so you forced yourself to walk, despite being on the verge of collapse. Seeing him like this tore your heart to shreds. “Satoru!”

He stopped abruptly, his chest still heaving violently before turning to you. At first, he thought it was the voice inside his head. Everything around him was a chaotic blur, so when he turned to find you standing there, miraculously unharmed, he was stunned.

A shuddering breath escaped him as he gazed at you, the blue in his eyes filled with so much fright you had never seen before. "Y/N...?"

You staggered on your feet, your dress appearing singed at the edges—but you were there, alive.

"What are you doing!?" you admonished, almost in tears. "Why do you hurt yourself like that!?"

Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, but he didn't hesitate. He flung the splinter in his hand away and sprinted towards you, roughly pulling you into his arms.

"—!" he rasped, almost gasping for air, while squeezing the back of your head closer. "Heavens, I thought... I thought you were—!"

Satoru was trembling so badly in your embrace, unable to utter another word as he buried his face in your shoulder. He was beyond shaken—grunting, taking sharp breaths, and holding you so tightly that it left you at a loss of words.

He only pulled back once, albeit shakily, to have a good look of your face. There was one bruise on your cheek and you were covered in soot.

But you were still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"I'm fine..." you tried reassuring him, lips wobbling, placing a hand on his palm that touched your face. "I'm fine now..."

Then Satoru pulled you close again, and you came willingly. Simply holding you, he inhaled the scent of the roses mixed with ash in your hair, feeling your breath on his neck.

To see this man, usually so self-assured, reduced to such a mess out of fear for you touched you deeply. You nestled closer to him, feeling a sense of peace wash over you.

In that moment, as you two clung to each other, nothing else matters.

"You've always coveted what I have..."

The ice in your eyes and the chill in your words felt like a curse. Hanabi was beside herself every day ever since she had left Western Empire. No way, she even saw you in her dreams!

Granted, her impulsiveness had almost cost her everything. She shouldn't have placed that curse on the necklace— she shouldn't have dared to attempt it in the first place.

But seeing that piece that had tied you two together—the testament to Naoya's remaining affection for you, however small it was—made Hanabi burn with jealousy. Why did he remember you still? Hadn't he dethroned you and chosen her?

Also, why did you put it as if she had been trying to take all that you had? She was now a royal consort, she was just demanding what she was due!

"...and sooner or later, that will be your downfall."

Hanabi shivered as an intense chill seemed to enter her body, spreading rapidly to her limbs and brain, immobilizing her. What is it? Why are your words struck her to the core?

"My lady, are you alright?" her attendant walked up to her as she clutched her chest.

"I-I..." Hanabi faltered, trying to even her breath. "I'm not feeling that well..."

"Shall I get the physician? You do look pale..."

"Please do."

Damn you. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. You must've cursed her, that must be it! Why else did she keep hearing your voice?

"Sending you back to Naoya is a punishment in itself—you know that by now."

No, she had come this far. Even if she couldn't have Naoya's favor, even if she couldn't become the empress... she would fight tooth and nail to remain a consort.

After all, all her life, she was meant for this.

. . .

And true to her conviction... once again, fortune favors the bold.

"My lady, congratulations! You're with child!"

Hanabi blinked at the cheerful royal physician as he delivered the news. "R-really? Are you... sure?"

"Certainly! Oh, this is great news! The emperor will surely be delighted by this news!"

For a full minute, Hanabi sat there, stunned in amazement. She had really done it, and if it was a boy this time, then...

"Aha..." she burst into a small titter then, before breaking into a full-blown laugh. "Ahahaha!"

You're wrong, Empress Y/N. This time, I will show you.

"Congratulations, my lady!" the ladies around her gathered, showering her with praises. And Hanabi knew that finally, her time had come.

True paradise begins in hell. And now, I've risen from that hell.

Contrary to what you told Satoru, you were, in fact, not fine.

Shoko was the one who led you out of the burning pagoda, sustaining burns herself in the process. Immediately after you found Satoru, who was frantically on the verge of losing his sanity searching for you, you collapsed in his arms.

You had inhaled a significant amount of smoke, there was a gash in your arm, and you were even bleeding due to the stress.

And therefore, you were put on bedrest for the next upcoming weeks by the royal physician's orders and by extension, Satoru's.

However, during those three weeks, Satoru never visited you even once.

. . .

"Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around already?"

After being confined to your bedchamber for what felt like forever, you decided to take a stroll in the royal gardens. Shoko was the one in charge of watching you like a hawk these days. She didn't usually follow you around—you noticed she often went out on her own—but lately, she insisted on being by your side.

"Mm-hmm, I'm perfectly well now, Shoko," you gave her a smile as you admired the blue roses in the bushes. "You don't have to keep an eye on me all the time. I'm feeling better already."

You would be lying if you said you didn't miss your husband. A part of you of course wanted Satoru to check on you, or at least, your baby. Three weeks had passed, and your belly was now rounder and heavier.

"Oh, well... That's good then..."

Shoko seemed a bit unsure, frowning even, and you had your guesses, so you decided to bite the bullet. "How is Satoru these days?"

"Eh?"

"You must've seen him. He isn't avoiding you like he does me."

"Your Majesty..." Shoko let out a long sigh, seemingly exasperated and sorry at the same time, and you knew you hit the mark with it. "He's well, don't worry too much about him."

"Is he taking enough breaks?"

"He— err, I'm not really sure about that."

"Then, next time you see him, along with my general condition, tell him that I want him to do so."

You didn't mean to make Shoko uncomfortable, and if you did, then it was most definitely not what you intended. You just wanted a way to communicate with your brooding husband, that was all.

"You absolute imbecile! This is beyond ridiculous, why are you refusing to meet your own wife and talk to her?!"

If it had been anyone other than Countess Shoko, they would have certainly been hanged for their outrageous words against the emperor.

Satoru actually felt bitter for not visiting you ever since that day of the fire. Truth to be told, he was worried sick, the terror of thinking you might have perished in the blaze still lingered with him to this day.

He wanted nothing more than to hug you and bury his face in yours. He genuinely wanted you to be well and safe, always. Preferably, if he could keep you close too.

So, why did he avoid you on purpose?

First, the utter awkwardness. Second, the very fact that you had allowed those scums from Eastern Empire to be released. He still couldn't accept it, no matter how. In his eyes, you did it out of love for Naoya.

And that, in and of itself, was like a betrayal of his heart.

"She is becoming unhappy," Shoko noted earlier, frustration evident in her tone. "And on some nights, she also experiences hip pains due to carrying your baby. You're heartless if you don't even come to look at her even once!"

But then, Satoru felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. His unborn child.

...he had left you more or less alone now, hadn't he?

In reality, you preferred the secluded comfort of your study over the royal gardens.

And yet, that beloved study Satoru gifted you on the day he married you and you became the empress of Western Empire felt constricting lately. You almost felt claustrophobic.

Maybe it was the burgundy walls, or perhaps it was the sting of bitterness in your chest that you tried to suppress so others wouldn't see. You didn't really care which though.

So, you often wandered through the gardens to enjoy the fresh air, and at times, stopping by the spot where the pagoda once stood.

Nothing. Now that was all that left. The image of a once-beautiful tower reduced to dust and the scorched earth evoked a sense of loss within you, and what made it more painful was knowing that you were the one responsible for its destruction.

But still, what hurt the most was... what had happened to the man who had trembled with fear, believing you might not have escaped the burning pagoda? Why had he spared you with nothing at all?

"Meow..."

You looked at the squirming cat in your arms, his fluffy tail tickling you. "Oh, Sugu-chan, do you want to take a walk too?"

The clear blue eyes of Satoru's pet cat looked back at you demurely before he leapt out of your arms and trotted ahead, as if leading the way.

With nothing better to occupy your time, you often played with Sugu-chan to amuse yourself these days. The cat, with its gentle disposition, frequently curled up next to you for comfort and he somehow made those days better.

"Sugu-chan, don't stray too far!" you called out, trailing closely behind him. Knowing well that you weren't well enough to chase after him should he run off, you watched to ensure he didn't disappear from sight. "Oh!"

And sigh, he did just that. Sugu-chan leapt into the bushes, prompting you to release a resigned breath before navigating through the maze-like foliage.

"Sugu-chan, where are youuu?" you drew a breath, glancing around in confusion. "If only you were calmer like your namesake..."

After navigating several corners, you turned another and spotted a fluffy white fur, and you swore to the skies that you would yank Sugu-chan by his tail if he were to wander off again, when—

"Meooow!"

"Bad, bad cat! Why did you bite me—!?"

—and there you saw your husband, crouching down as he clutched his hand, before he whipped his head to look at you—

"Satoru," you straightened your back by instinct, your heartbeat quickening.

His eyes turned blank for a second, before those blue pools regarded you with a look you couldn't really discern. "Y/N."

. . .

It was awkward silence throughout the way. You didn't even realize when you had arrived at Satoru's study.

You had wanted this unsettling atmosphere between you to end. Why couldn't both of you just be honest already? You were about to voice your thoughts when suddenly Satoru, who had his back on you, suddenly said:

"I will not have a scandal. Therefore, you will behave in a way that nothing is known against you. In return, you will retain your privileges as the empress of the Western Empire, and continue to fulfill your duties."

That? That's the first thing he said to you after those weeks sonorous silence? This stiff, faux nonsense of him pardoning you of your supposed treason?

"Is that all you have to say to me?" you blurted almost immediately, feeling your anger rising. "After everything—"

"After everything— yes." Satoru's back was still facing you, his light blue robes shifted slightly as he tucked his hands inside his pocket pants. "Despite everything, I have nothing but concern for you, Empress. And your act of treason— even if you take no offense, I still consider it a stain on my name to let a pair of criminals go free. Consider it my generosity that I decided to overlook it."

Your body felt like shaking, his strained and formal words irked you, and at the same time, pierced through your heart and tore it to pieces.

"I've told you— I can't let Megumi be condemned for a deed he hasn't committed," you stated firmly, staring hard at his back as if you could bore a hole through him. "He is a kind boy, he used to be my ward. And you know as well as I do, he isn't capable of such a thing!"

"What about that consort—the woman who overtook your place?" he suddenly turned to face you, and the expression on his face almost made you shrink. There was no emotions in his eyes, just a dark hue of blue. "She was the one staging it, wasn't she?"

"I'm not vindictive enough to sentence her to her death here, Satoru." The more you argued about this, the more you felt like you were losing him. "Naoya will deal with her as he sees fit."

The mention of your ex-husband seemed to trigger something in him that his lips curled into a sneer.

"So much trust you place in him. As I thought, I should've never expected the same for me. Granted, we're just using each other, aren't we?"

Your own words thrown back at you, it felt like your shattered heart was being stomped on and reduced to dust, because how could he?

Still, you blinked away your tears, steeling yourself with the one fact even Satoru wouldn't be able to refute. "You said it yourself—you intend to use me for your war against the Eastern Empire. How am I not supposed to see that as you using me?"

You let out a scoff when Satoru wasn't able to answer you, but then suddenly it occurred to you that there might be another reason, one you had suspected, and yet still not able to make sense of.

"I'd think jealousy is insulting to you, so why?" you questioned, suddenly feeling a sense of betrayal. "Why is it that you can't believe that I can love you the same way I did Naoya? Or possibly even more?"

To Satoru, that very thought still felt like a thorn inside his chest. How you managed to see through him almost made his facade falter—

"And if you feel that it's unfair to you how you're the one who keeps proving yourself—then tell me," you suddenly demanded with a gritted teeth. "How am I supposed to believe you've loved me when I know marrying me came at just the right time for your goals?"

"That's not true!" he suddenly raised his voice, all pretentiousness forgotten. Right in this moment, to your surprise, he no longer resembled the cold, distant emperor he seemed to be.

“From the very moment you led me by the hand twenty years ago, I’ve longed for you! And now that I finally have you— it goes beyond mere infatuation or obsession! Heavens help me, but fuck it— I love you so damn much!”

It was everything. Satoru had poured his entire heart out in one go, believing it would be enough, until he saw you trembling, visibly holding back tears.

Your pretty eyes widened as you took in his confession. Your precious lips parted slightly, wobbling in effort to hold yourself together—

—until you felt light all of a sudden, as if the boulder in your heart had came crashing down, as if you had let go of all fears, and a small chuckle escaped you.

"You said, the woman you thought to have a semblance of affection for you doesn't exist," your voice was uneven but you tried so hard to sound clear, a relieved smile forming on your lips. "But she does. I do."

“I love you, Satoru.” The first of your tears fell then, and your voice came out in a sob. “I believe I love you. I'm the happiest while being with you. And so, to hear you say that I'm just a part of your plans makes me so incredibly sad, I—”

“I just want… the honest truth from you.” You took a deep breath to steady yourself, your eyes glistening like diamonds as you fought back the tears.

He swore something inside him twisted and bled at your voice, and suddenly, nothing else mattered—

Not when you have bared everything.

Before he could think, he took two decisive strides towards you and pulled you into his arms.

"Don't cry..." he pulled you tighter into him. "I'm sorry— don't cry, sweetheart, please—"

You kept sniffling into him, and Satoru felt his heart break then, as never had he seen you so utterly dejected that you surrendered in his arms.

How was it possible that the mere realization and sight of your genuine affection and tears reduced him to a man who would give up everything for you?

“It’s true, I have been planning to wage war against Eastern Empire for years. I took measures to keep them in check, and I do think having you by my side would definitely give me an advantage. But that’s not it... when I saw how you were being wronged there, I was even more convinced it was the rightest thing to do.”

He loves you. Even if he had committed various things, be it heinous or deceptive, one truth that transcends all is that his love for you is genuine.

“You mean so much to me,” he whispered into your ear, his hand tracing along your spine. “Everything else might be true, but you— no, I have loved you first before everything.”

Oh. You looked up to him, finding his clear, steadfast gaze on you. So this is how he is like when he isn’t hiding behind that crafty smile. When he is being most truthful.

The overflowing emotions obliterated whatever doubts you had left. You felt full. A profound, pervasive sense of love radiated through your myriad thoughts.

And to him, nothing was more liberating than knowing that you returned his love with equal fervor.

You felt bliss... utter bliss.

You didn't really know when you fell asleep, but it felt like the best rest you had in ages. For weeks, you had been waking up in the middle of the night, either in cold sweat or feeling tingling, barely-there stabs in your growing belly. On those nights, you would clutch the pillow beside you for comfort.

But tonight, you felt warm, and the first thing you noticed was Satoru's hair right in your face. He had laid his head above your chest, and his fingers were gently stroking your visible bump.

"Satoru...?" you asked sleepily, and he immediately turned to you in slight surprise.

"Did I wake you?" he looked almost alarmed. "Or do you feel any kind of pain or—?"

"No, just—" and you bit your lip when that familiar stab of pain shot through your hips. Your hand pressed against the spot as you let out a small grunt.

"Hey, what do you feel now?" Satoru immediately moved beside you, capturing you in the warmth of his embrace. "Does it hurt much? Do I need to call for—"

"No need to, it's fine—"

"It's not fine," he firmly retorted, his jaw set in a tight line. "The royal physician will come here first thing in the morning and that's final."

A faint smile formed in your lips as you curled closer and sighed contentedly into him. "Whatever you wish then, Your Majesty."

Satoru took that as a hint of sarcasm, but he simply pressed you closer and placed his warm hand over the spot where your hand rested. "Shoko told me. How long have you been enduring this?"

"Fairly recently, actually. A few weeks or so..."

I never knew. He berated himself because how would he be aware of this when he had completely shut you down? The stress must've gotten to you, and you were so delicate right now...

"Sorry," he sighed into your hair, his voice so quiet it was almost unheard. "From now on, everything that makes you uncomfortable, please tell me."

You looked up at him, searching his face, and when your innocent eyes met his, he relented.

"I'll do everything in my power to ensure you have a smooth journey in delivering our child." His words, sharp yet genuine, made your heart nearly leap out of your chest. "I hate seeing you in any sort of discomfort."

He fretted over you this much and yet he used to think you wouldn't show him the same affection in return. That was so ridiculous when you thought about it now.

"Ah," you giggled freely, wrapping your arms tight around him, and Satoru was taken aback at how that simple affirmation from you made something inside him feel lighter.

His endearing queen, who loved him back, now right in his arms. As he massaged your waist, he thought back to many years of careful planning and schemes, just for one particular goal...

“Not anymore,” he told you quietly, and you sleepily blinked your eye open. “I love you too much to break your heart.”

“Hmm?”

You were puzzled, and could feel his hot breath at such a close distance. And then those blue crystal of eyes met yours, full of warmth, and the corners of his lips curved into a soft smile, one that caught you by the heart.

“I’m made of many things. The emperor of this land, a soldier of many ambitions... but in the end, just a man.” His voice was languid and yet so gentle that it almost lulled you to sleep again. “If it were up to me, I’d have no qualms with warring the Eastern Empire. But now... I no longer wish to do that.”

Anticipation surged within you at his words, but still...

Noticing your reluctance, Satoru pinched your cheek and smiled. "It's not what you want. I thought I could proceed with it even if it'd leave you heartbroken... but apparently I can't."

And with his next proclamation, you knew without a doubt that this time, they were truer than anything else.

“And do you know? Because I love you, I’m willing to do anything for you. Mark my words, my queen— From now on... Heaven and earth, I would give it all to you.”

"Mm..." Whether it was your hormones or the sheer sincerity that shone through his words, tears were brimming in your eyes as Satoru gave you his oath. "Thank you... for thinking of me."

"Anything for you, sweetheart." He dipped his head to press a kiss on your lips and you were about to snuggle closer to him when you felt that familiar flutter and suddenly let out a gasp—

"Satoru!" you exclaimed, almost startling him, but you immediately reached out and placed his hand on your belly. "Feel it!"

And then, his eyes widened slightly. It was the most wondrous moment he had ever experienced in his life as he felt the baby inside you kick and ripple beneath his palm.

"Ah..." he exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Baby... she moves..."

The very idea of a precious baby girl that was an exact replica of you suddenly made his heart lurch. Satoru swore in that moment to protect her with his life... he didn't know it was possible, but he was already in love with her even when she wasn't born yet.

"Why are you so sure it's a girl?" you teased, wrapping your arms around his neck and smooched his jaw when he was rendered speechless. "I want a boy, you know."

Satoru snapped out of his trance and sullenly huffed. "I still hope it's a girl. I want a princess I can spoil rotten."

"I want a baby boy who looks like you." Your sincere wish surprised him, and he turned to you in bewilderment. "That way, even when you're away, I won't miss you as much since I still have the little prince near me."

"Ha." Satoru feigned a snort to cover the faint blush steadily gathering in his cheeks. Good heavens, how cute was it that he wanted a girl who resembled you and you wanted a boy just so he'd look like him? He was so giddy that he failed to come up with a witty comeback for you.

Pure bliss. After everything, this is your life from now on.

Shoko stood in front of your chambers the next morning, her heels clacking like a ticking watch of doom.

Unlike the everlasting frown etched on her face, she was actually in a dilemma, debating her choices outside your chambers. It was late morning already, but she'd hate to go in if you were not alone.

If she went ahead and caught you with Gojo on your bed—and worse, naked—with her own eyes... no, it was unthinkable what the sight would do to her. She would never recover. She would spew unforgivable profanities and Gojo might have her banished for real.

"What are you doing?"

Shoko whirled around so fast to suppress her shriek, and shot a look of distaste as soon as she saw who was behind her—Duke Geto. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You're not small like Sugu-chan!"

Suguru, prim and neat with his tied bun and black robes, raised one eyebrow, clearly swallowing any comments regarding the cat. "What are you doing, loitering in the hallway?"

"The empress hasn't woken up yet, and it's nearly midday. She has engagements with the master of tea parties later."

"Don't bother. Satoru's there. He'll most likely tell you that her schedule can be rearranged, and his word is law."

Shoko barked a laugh and Suguru too broke into a smile.

"So, they're good now?"

"Yeah... seems so."

"Thank fuck. Gojo owes me one for this."

The two friends chuckled again, relieved to know that the cold war between both of you had ceased.

Suguru leaned against the wall, his eyes crinkled at a memory. "Don't you remember those days, when Satoru used to watch the empress at each and every ball we attended, back when she was still the crown princess?"

Shoko crossed her arms, letting out a loud snort. "Oh yes. Everyone talked about him. The prince smitten by a rival country's betrothed... his reputation took a hit, but he never cared."

"I never took him seriously until recently. He was so adamant in his plans for the East that I thought... maybe it was all just to realize his war plans."

"Geto... don't tell me," the countess eyed her longtime friend incredulously. "Have not seen enough of the empress' paintings hanging in the halls? Is that not convincing enough for you?"

Throughout almost one year of your marriage, Satoru had commissioned at least five paintings of you to hang in the palace halls. Servants, members of parliament, and peerage must have seen at least one of your pictures whenever they turned a corner.

"If that's not stupidly in love, I didn't know what that is." Shoko shook her head with a smile. "Gojo has been spellbound for like years. I just never thought he'd really have her in the end though."

Suguru and Shoko had been by Satoru’s side for many years. Suguru was the closest to him still, and he had seen his friend for everything he was.

And knowing that Satoru was genuine in choosing this path, all Suguru could do was be happy for him.

“Life always has its ways… heh, I suppose all’s well that ends well.”

SOME MONTHS LATER . . .

"There, there, Sugu-chan!"

Suguru flinched. Satoru snickered.

"Meow!"

And you continued to tickle the white cat happily, seated a few feet away from both of them with a broad grin on your face.

"Should... Her Majesty be so close to the cat?" Suguru eventually asked, casting a skeptical gaze on you. The presence of the feline was certainly not what he expected when he entered Satoru's study per his summons. "It's dirty often and may affect her health."

"No, no... I never let him walk outside anymore and he has to be cleaned all times before the empress plays with him." Satoru's sly smile was a clear sign of taunt. "Suguru~ Won't you play with him too?"

Suguru shot him a withering look, his eyes twitching again the moment you addressed the cat by his childhood nickname.

"Oh, Sugu-chan, you're so gentle..." you exclaimed with a giggle. Your fingers gently scratched the cat's chin and behind his ears, causing him to purr happily and roll onto his back.

"Meooow~"

"Anyway, why did you call me here?" Suguru let out a sigh, disregarding the background noises and leveled a questioning look at his friend and ruler of the country.

"Hmm, nothing of importance actually, my cat just misses you is all," Satoru shrugged nonchalantly and Suguru really was about to pop a vein at his blatant response.

He then threw a sharp glance towards the pet and Sugu-chan immediately let out a dissatisfied hiss. This was always the way since the first day Satoru adopted him.

"Your cat, evidently, dislikes me at first sight."

"That's because he senses your animosity!"

Seeing how uncomfortable the duke looked, you suppressed a laugh and scooped up the feline into your arms. "Forgive me, Duke Geto. It's my idea to bring you here since I'm curious how you'd react if you and Sugu-chan are in the same room..."

...well, if it was your wish, who was he to deny it? Satoru would come for his head first should he do so.

You winked. "I'll bring him out for a walk, feel free to talk to your heart's content."

"Don't overexert yourself," Satoru warned, his playful expression towards him shifting to a concerned look for you, surprising Suguru in the process. "If walking is too much, take a rest."

"Yes, yes... I'll be fine~"

Satoru never took his eyes off you until you left his study, and Suguru couldn't help but smile.

"The way you always soften around her will never fail to surprise me," he noted with a hint of amusement.

"Then get surprised all your life because that's all I will do," he retorted with a proud smirk. "Oh right... how is the progress for the new courtyard?"

To replace the pagoda lost in your incident, Satoru came up with another gift for you—a private courtyard for your own personal pleasure. It still remained a secret from you, with Suguru tasked to oversee its construction.

"It's expected to be done before the empress' birthday, don't worry."

"Good..." His lips curved with satisfaction, before a blush tinted his cheeks. "And by then, the baby must've already..."

You were far along now, evident from how your dresses were no longer able to hide the curve of your swollen belly. He was to become a father soon, and anyone could see how elated Satoru was.

And suddenly he fixed his sharp gaze on his friend. "And Suguru, what about the other thing I asked? Have you looked into it?"

"Yeah...?"

"Zen'in Naoya's wench—" Satoru's eyes glinted with something akin to malice, as he still had that smile. "What did you find about her?"

Royal Consort Hanabi. A while ago, he also asked him to investigate her background, and Suguru almost forgot about it if he hadn't asked.

"Prior working as a palace servant, she was a former maid for Duke Kamo. As with all servants there, she was not treated kindly."

"Kamo? Interesting..."

The Kamo clan used to sit at Eastern Empire's throne up until Naoya's ancestors usurped it. Now, the heir remained a wealthy duke, and it was well-known that the fates of anyone who crossed him didn't end well.

Satoru hummed, barking a snort. "Well, I suppose that's it then. Suguru, proceed as is."

"I really thought you were done with any of your revenge plans." Suguru really didn't want to bring it up but he wasn't sure if this would bode well.

"I've given up on spilling blood, because that's not what my queen wants..." Satoru's smile froze on his face, yet his eyes sparkled. "But that doesn't mean I'll let that lowly bitch go unscathed. Our empress might be a saint and have chosen to spare her, but I most certainly am not as forgiving."

The chilly white light of the chandelier above him cast an eerie glow on Emperor Gojo Satoru at that moment, and Suguru almost shuddered.

"Didn't I tell you before? Anyone who dares to lay their hands on my empress... they have to pay the price."

Meanwhile in the Eastern Empire's palace, the royal consort still was the object of everyone's praises as of late.

It was almost astonishing how well she was treated recently, all because she was carrying the emperor's child, Hanabi thought with irony. So this was her life now.

Valued when she is able please the emperor, discarded when she fails to do so.

Sometimes it made her wonder, if it were still you in her place, would you be treated the same way? Or would you always be revered just like you were, unconditionally?

No matter. Her thoughts always leaned towards comparing herself with you, despite how much she hated it. Yet it was no use thinking of it now.

After all, now Naoya was in her arms.

She couldn't help but marvel at the sight of his sharp eyebrows and jaw. Hanabi had always thought, he was most handsome when he was vast asleep, when he wasn't hurling profanities at her or anyone else.

At first, she just wanted his love, and then a happy ending. She was never audacious enough to covet the empress' seat. But now she had to, after what you said to her.

"...that will be your downfall."

How could you? How dare you? Hanabi had gone through so much, who are you to dictate how her fates will turn out?

She now carried a son. She had even gone to an oracle to make sure of it. Soon, she would be the empress of this empire, and you would be forced to regard her as an equal.

And she was very much looking forward to that day…

Safe to say... you have long since thrown away any thoughts regarding the one woman who isn't worth a second of your time in your blissful days...

“Satoru, hng— ahh!” a lustful, provocative moan escaped your lips as you bucked your hips against his lips—face—and all the while, you weren’t even properly dressed.

But your emperor of a husband insisted on dipping his head inside your thin bathrobe and devouring you right on the staircase leading to the bathing chamber.

“Ah—aah—hah!” you threw your head back, spreading your legs impossibly wider around his shoulder, as you felt his lips licking your drenched nub.

You wanted so badly to see him, but weren’t able to do so as not only your belly had become such a dome that hindered you from seeing your lower half, Satoru hiding under your robes meant you wouldn’t be able to see him at all.

And so, all you could do was feel, feel and feel.

Feel how sticky wet your womanhood was, feel how his hair was tickling your thighs, and feel how as he eagerly sucked and nipped at you, it almost made you see stars—

“Satoru, the servants… mmrngh! Can walk in!” you tried to reason and yet failing at the same time as a shuddering pleasure washed over you like a rising tide.

“So be it,” came Satoru’s daring reply from underneath. “Let them see… and I’ll tell them— this is how their empress comes to be s-so swollen… with the fruit of my labors!”

You moaned again unabashedly, not even bothering to hold it back as the noises you made echoed throughout the hall, your fingers curling and clawing at the marbled tiles.

And soon, you couldn’t hold it in anymore as you came around his tongue.

“Ah…” you writhed breathlessly, feeling how your cum helplessly gushing out, limp against the stairs. Your body jerked, and cramped as you felt him taking in everything that came out of you.

When he was done, Satoru gently removed your light robe and embraced you, taking in every detail. He admired the cascade of your hair over your shoulder, the softness of your skin—seemingly even softer in recent months—and how your body gracefully accommodated the baby.

So heavy with his child… and yet it only roused his desires.

“Look at you, do I tire you out?” he chuckled, licking the remnants of your juice off his lips. You shot him an unamused look and poked his chest in response.

“Here, let me clean you up...”

After cleaning you, he gathered you and brought you to the bath tub, submerging both of you in the warm water.

Satoru pulled you close from behind, wrapping his arms around your upper body, gently kissing your neck.

“You’re so affectionate,” you giggled as you caressed his cheek. “I had half a mind that you’d be repulsed with how big I’ve become, and yet you never stray far from my bed.”

“Nonsense. Your chamber is the temple and I worship any ground you walk on.”

“You’re not worshipping me?”

“I do more than just worship you, my goddess.” Satoru drawled out with a lazy smile, burning a wet kiss on your face. “You know that.”

At this moment, you felt warm and fulfilled, resigning yourself to your husband's arms with a contented sigh... until you let out a low hiss when you felt the familiar pounding from inside your belly.

"Shh," Satoru warm hand pressed on the protruding spot in your bump, soothing you. "There, there... don't hurt your mama, hmm?"

Soon, you'd have your baby in your arms, and your heart melted at the very thought. That little baby would soon be running the palace halls, bringing joy to this empire.

"You know I'd protect you from anything and everything," your husband said to you in a whisper, lovingly breathing in your scent. "So my only wish for you is to deliver the baby safely. Afterwards, leave the rest to me, hmm?"

I don't want to lose you. That was clearly the fear behind his words. Satoru's grip on you tightened and you kissed his arm, reassuring him.

After everything you went through, this would be your happy ending, and you would do whatever it takes to win it.

And then the day comes —

Your labor pains started at the crack of dawn, and you were immediately brought to the birthing chambers afterwards.

Even within the confines of your chambers, your cries echoed through the halls. Shoko and several of your maids stayed with you inside, while the Archbishop guarded the entrance.

"It's almost a day and a half," Satoru muttered restlessly, unable to go on with his day as he paced outside. He had been with you when you woke up to your waters breaking, and he hadn't been able to think straight since.

A maid rushed outside with bloodied towels and he immediately stopped her. "How is the empress? Is she alright?"

The petrified maid bowed her head. "Her Majesty is losing blood, Your Majesty!"

He lost all reasons that very moment. "I have to come inside—!"

"You can't be in there, Your Majesty!" Archbishop Yaga sternly forbid, standing in his way. "It's women's business inside—you should be ready when they announced the birth of the child!"

Satoru's eyes twitched with fury and he was really about to drive past him when this time, it was Shoko who came out, looking alarmed. "Gojo! She's asking for you!"

"He cannot!"

"Suguru..." Satoru turned to his friend with a look and immediately, the duke went to the man side.

The emperor then regarded him with an unsettling smile. "Do you like being the Archbishop?"

"Huh?"

"Would you want to keep your position as the Archbishop?"

"Your Majesty!"

"Do you believe you can keep your position as the Archbishop... by defying me?"

Yaga fell silent, as if he had just swallowed a sour lemon, and Satoru seized the opportunity to push him aside. "Then move."

Even after Satoru had rushed inside, Suguru remained near the archbishop and Yaga looked at him incredulously. "He went inside already, why are you still here?"

"His Majesty's orders. Have to keep an eye for you for evaluation since he has another candidate in mind should he deem you unfit in your role..."

"Who is the other candidate!?"

"Ah, he told me his name was... Priest Akutami?"

. . .

Pain blinded your senses that you fell back to the sheets after strenuously pushing, and the next thing you knew, Satoru's face was in your sight.

"Sweetheart, hey..." he took hold of your hand and planted a firm kiss on it. His cerulean eyes gleamed brightly as he gazed at you. "I'm here now."

"Satoru—" your voice came out as a whisper, before another contraction seized you and you moaned. Your eyes rolled back involuntarily as the intense pain surged through you once more. You could feel how close you were, yet it was so painful you could barely breathe.

"Take deep breath, here—" he helped you to sit straighter and gave you his arm to hold.

"Your Majesty, I can see the head already!" the midwife exclaimed in joy, and Satoru turned to you with a smile.

“A little bit more,” he encouraged you, pressing a kiss on your temple. “Just a bit more, my sweet, you can do it, hmm? Here, hold onto me.”

And with his voice as your lifeline, you groaned and pushed once more, putting a part of your soul into it before you blacked out and collapsed in his arms.

At first, everything was silent, but then a sound reached your ears— a cry. Your baby's first cry.

"I-it's a princess!" the midwife announced, and the room erupted into gasps of wonder.

You looked at Satoru through bleary eyes, and for the first time, you saw him utterly speechless.

He was struck by the sight of that tiny being being gently cleaned by Shoko before his gaze returned to you.

You were sweaty, panting, limp, appearing haggard with tears in your eyes and streaking your face, and yet...

You are still the most beautiful thing he has ever laid his eyes on.

"A girl... just... like you wanted..." you managed to say with a hoarse voice and wobbly smile, and seeing you, without a moment's hesitation, Satoru went in and locked you in a deep kiss.

"Thank you—" even he himself was near tears when he pulled away and pressed his forehead against yours. There were so many things he wanted to tell you, countless celebrations he envisioned, all in praise of you and the heavens above for granting him such unparalleled happiness—

"...!" But suddenly, you curled into him, suppressing a scream and failing that it turned into a devastating wail, and you dug your nails into the flesh of his arm. "Ahhh!"

"What happened?" Satoru looked at you in alarm, then to the midwife who hurried to tend to you once more. "What happened to the Empress?!"

The midwife probed your belly, her expression lighting up with understanding. "O-oh my... there is another baby, Your Majesty!"

He didn't have time to dwell on the revelation when you cried out again. Setting aside all surprise, he aided you once more, and after more minutes of intense effort—

"A prince! The Empress has given birth to a prince!"

Twins. The whole Western Empire rejoiced at the news that their new empress had delivered a prince and princess for the nation.

Amidst the flurry of upcoming festivities and celebrations, you spent most of your days resting, as the birth had taken a lot out of you. Satoru took charge of the planning again, despite his busy schedule, and of course, he never failed to visit you and the babies regularly.

And whenever he did, his breath was always taken away.

Two precious babies lay still in the bassinet, peacefully asleep. Satoru gently poked each of them on the cheek.

The princess... as if the heavens had answered his prayers, she resembled you so closely that he fell in love all over again. She was so precious and small, and he imagined she would grow into a beauty just like you.

Satoru had sworn it before and did so again—he would protect her at all costs.

And the prince... he was so much like Satoru that it made his heart skip a beat. With his hair and eyes, his one concern was whether he had inherited his curse too. But regardless, he was determined to help and guide him should that day ever come.

When the boy cooed in his sleep, Satoru knew he too owned a part of his heart. He would definitely raise him well, teach him how to protect you and his sister, and one day, to succeed him as well.

As of you... you were asleep much like your children, and Satoru failed to hold back a smile. He gently combed your hair and just like that, you were roused from your sleep.

"Satoru, hello," you croaked and leaned into his touch.

His eyes fondly crinkled as he looked at you. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. It's been weeks. I've been feeling better for a while actually." You threw him a meaningful smile. "I might've cheated my way out of royal duties to rest..."

"Heh. Then keep cheating until the allotted time then. I'll permit it."

You raised an eyebrow. "When will my time be up?"

"The ceremony to present our babies..." Satoru played with your fingers. "We're expected to hold them and show them to the masses. You have to be there so they won't forget who the empress is."

"Right..." but you suddenly deflated and your husband tilted his head. "After that... we can't keep them out of the prying eyes anymore, everyone would delve into their affairs too."

Satoru's eyes fixed on you, sincere and true. "We can't avoid it, but if you wish for them to be out of the limelight for a little more time, I can arrange it. Your wishes come first."

The thought that your precious babies would be faced with many court intrigues made you want to keep them inside the protection of your womb a little longer. Yet, just as you and Satoru had experienced yourselves, sitting at the highest seat of monarchy required unbending will. Both of you would have to teach that strength to your children.

As if knowing what you were thinking, Satoru gathered both of your hands and squeezed it with a smile.

“Still, we are going to be there for them, are we not? Don’t worry. I’m here, and there’s no way I’m letting our son face any sort of curse alone.” He caressed your knuckles. “And you will be here for our daughter, teaching her how to become a magnificent lady just like you. As long as we’re here... they’ll be okay, hmm?”

Right at that moment, as you stared back at his deep, sparkling eyes, you could've sworn that you had fallen in love with Gojo Satoru once again.

You used to think that to love is to be accepted wholly, but after everything you had experienced, you realized that it also came with a load of worries, and you used to fear them, until...

A smile so pretty bloomed in your face as you squeezed his hand back.

“I love you,” you held his gaze unwaveringly, your eyes shining like glitters. “So long as we’re together, there’s nothing we can’t do, yeah?”

He seemed taken aback at first, before breaking into a smile so dashing it was almost blinding.

“Chasing after you and making you my empress is possibly the greatest deed I’ve achieved my entire life,” Satoru declared with a grin, and you knew your heart was truly his in every sense then.

“So, right. From now on and forevermore— You and me. Always.”

. . .

The presentation of the new crown prince and princess of Western Empire was an unforgettable affair. The grandeur of the celebration rivaled even the festivities of your wedding itself.

Given that it was both a ceremony for the babies and also nearing your birthday, Satoru decided to host a grand ball to mark the occasion. This lavish event ensured no one would dispute your position, regardless of how you came to hold it, and it was also befitting the bestowal of official titles upon your children.

Your son and daughter squirmed in their crib as they were brought forward, and once again, as you stood before the assembled court, you felt a twinge of reluctance to finally present them to everyone.

But Satoru's eyes held you with so much certainty that you found reassurance in his gaze.

And by the moment he cradled your son and you held your daughter, and he declared to the court—

"Here I present to you, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Western Empire!"

You feel wholly sure. With Satoru by your side, you let go of all your fears. Time and time again, he had proved the extend of his love for you, and as you ushered a new era with him, you believed all was going to be well.

Just like your coronation not long ago, the crowd cheered in joy.

Gazing upon the sea of people roaring and cheering below… a familiar warmth surged within you.

Once again, it was a sight beyond belief for you, as they chanted praises and acclamations—

“LONG LIVE THE CROWN PRINCE!”

“ALL HAIL THE EMPEROR!”

“LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!”

SOME WEEKS LATER . . .

"We've received a very strange invitation..."

You looked up from your baby boy and curiously peeked at one of Satoru's aides who was on duty today, Todo Aoi. He had come bearing news.

You had always thought he was quite eccentric, but today, he looked uncharacteristically serious.

"Strange, how?" Suguru questioned.

"From?" Satoru added with a totally uninterested expression.

"Eastern Empire," the man coughed awkwardly, as if thinking hard. "Apparently, a prince has been born and the royal consort is to be crowned as the new empress..."

"Who!?" Shoko, who was holding your baby girl, whirled around in surprise.

"Royal Consort Hanabi, I believe her name is. She is to be the Empress of Eastern Empire."

It was such a deafening silence all of a sudden that you could hear a pin drop. Suguru and Shoko gaped. You were stunned.

Only Satoru who didn't seem to show any reaction to the news.

Suguru cleared his throat, feeling the need to double-take. "Empress of... where?"

"That conniving hag..." Shoko muttered under her breath, before her gaze accidentally landed on you.

You were surprised, but strangely, you didn't feel anything. Long ago, you would've been heartbroken by this turn of events, but now, it just eluded you how she could maintain her position as long as she could. Well, when one is favored by luck, anything is possible though...

Satoru suddenly clapped his hands, letting out a mocking laugh.

"Is it really that surprising?" he asked with so much sarcasm, catching all four of you off guard. "When the emperor can barely fulfill his duties, even a scullery maid could rise to become the mother of the nation. The real question is..."

It was as if a sudden chill descended upon the room when he next spoke:

"How long... will she last?"

The question is answered soon enough.

Empress Hanabi's reign in the Eastern Empire lasted for only seven days. It was known as the greatest scandal ever gracing the history.

She had given birth to a son, who was appointed as the crown prince on the same day as her coronation. Emperor Zen'in Naoya personally led the ceremony. At first glance, it really seemed well...

Until seven days later, he suddenly erupted in fury.

The palace walls have ears, and behind closed doors, servants whispered about the incident. It began with Naoya launching into a tirade, claiming that the princess born to Hanabi previously, as well as the newborn prince, were not his by blood.

It was of the highest form of treachery to deceive the crown, and so a death sentence was about to be imposed on Hanabi for this… until the emperor suddenly fell ill due to a stroke, rendering him unfit to rule. Prince Megumi ascended the throne as the new emperor.

Despite his stern demeanor, the young emperor showed abundant kindness. He considered the plight of Hanabi's children, realizing they would be in peril without their mother, so he chose to banish her instead.

. . .

How did it end up like this?

Hanabi didn't know how many days and nights she had cried, cursing fate and her life, as she was being sent away from the palace.

Everything was in her grasp. Her very grasp! Until... until—!

She sobbed her heart out once again, mourning her short-lived life, before it was cruelly robbed from her.

Her children... they were all of Naoya's blood. Despite doubts surrounding them, she was faithful to him and to the crown. All of this... was all a whole scheme to trap her!

...was it you? Could you have orchestrated this? Could you truly be so wicked as to ruin her life entirely?

"You've always coveted what I have, and sooner or later, that will be your downfall."

Was this the price of defying her social status, just like your omen, after all...?

"That can't be!" she screamed inside the wagon set to bring her to the unknown, her voice drowned by the sound of the rainstorm happening outside. "Empress Y/N... you're a horrible human being!"

With every fiber of her being, she hated you so much for ever crossing your path with hers.

Even until the end, she never realized that it was all her own doing.

After hours of journey on the road, she was brought inside a mansion she failed to recognize due to the storm at the first glance. She had given up on resisting because it was futile.

But upon realizing who awaited her in the room, she trembled in fear and backed against the wall.

Hanabi wished she could lose her sanity amidst the whirlwind madness happening to her, because really, it might be better than all of this.

His impressive height gazed down at her from above. It was impossible to hide from his piercing stare.

Duke Kamo Choso, with his crooked sneer, greeted her.

"Well, hello, Hanabi... it has been a while, huh? Did you miss me?"

- END -

🏷️ taglist

@myahfig4 @yoyo-yui @luna-v-roiya @animemanwhamangalover @hotvinimon @anpacax0 @fullwriterpoem @an-ever-angry-bi @tazuduck @alexatiu @washeduphasbeen @theiridescentdragon @aquamarine001 @saucypeanuttt @captainchrisstan @artist1936 @paprikaquinn @megumisthirdog @whatshernameis @moonjellyfishie @spn-obession @poopooindamouf @hhk-jyon @ittomain1 @kalulakunundrum @risuola @jossayuuu @wiccanindigo @alwaysfreakingout @a-trashbag @wannapizzamymindposts @roscpctals99 @chxrv @tnu-ree @sov-sin @estella-novella @homewhereitsat @manyno @coffeeluvr96 @taeminfaerie @inluvkai @mellowarcadefun @sxnkuna @nerdiellers @krokietino @tttttttf @dumb-hore @snore-3 @leopoldonfire @uziwork @hyori2 @gojoful @wr4inn @nnasv @oidloid @deeeeexx

[pick-me-up-im-scared]

Call Me When You Need Me (Ellie Williams x Reader) (Fluff)

Short Summary: When your best friend Ellie has problem sleeping you come over to help her. Like you always do!

Author´s Note: Another random idea I got that I thought would be waaay shorter. It´s not that long, but it's longER than I planned to. Istg, the universe wants me to write +5k fanfics. Everythime I come up with an idea for a blur (cause they're way quicker to write) I end up adding so much to it you can't even call it that. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy just a super cute little story! (I'm the person who tries to fill the "ellie x reader"-tag with stuff that isn't smut. Like I didn't just post two smuts right after each other a week ago.................)

Also! Ellie lives in the same house as Joel in this. Even though I'm well aware she has her own "hut" in the game

Words: 1473

(Pictures aren´t mine! I found them on Pinterest)

The empty streets felt oddly peaceful as you wandered down the oh, so familiar road. Only the streetlights lighting up your path as your sleepy feet stumbled on the sidewalk. It wasn’t unusual to find you walking down these streets at 3 am. You found yourself in this situation a little too often. Not that you complain! When your best friend needs you, she needs you. The crispy night air forced you to cross your arms in order to keep some warmth. Despite being near fall you decided to skip out on a jacket and just go with your outwashed hoodie. Big mistake. But it’s not that bad. Though you’d lie if you´d say you didn’t miss your warm, cozy bed. Just the thought was enough to put a drowsy smile on your face. You continued to kick rocks you stumbled upon on the sidewalk as you, trying to not hit any of the parked cars beside you, cause you know.......karma. Soon you noticed the familiar fence you helped painting white one summer. By the looks of it, it could use a little touch-up. Getting onto the lawn you quickly made your way to the back. The house was completely pitch black apart from one single window on the right corner.

You walked over to the corner of the porch, making sure to sneak a few glances through the dark windows, just to make sure Joel wasn’t up to grab a glass of water or something. But you’re just met with your own reflection in the surprisingly clean windows. You jumped up on the fence that tastefully decorated the porch to reach the edge of the roof. You took a sturdy grip around the aged wood before pushing yourself up the brick plated surface. This was nothing new to you. It was more of a routine. Getting called over to your friends house at least five times a week you kinda start to come up with a few tricks to make your arrival more smooth. Why are you climbing the house like you're a fucking monkey? you may as. The first time Ellie called me over you both thought Joel would be pissed if he knew. So you came up with the brilliant idea, with your life at risk, to climb up from the back. Yes, Ellie tired to prevent you from doing it, but you're too stubborn. She knows that damn well. And yes, you're pretty sure you've got a six-pack from all the times you've pushed your whole body onto the porch roof. But by the morning neither of you considered Joel's daily visit. So when he came to tell Ellie it's breakfast he was sure surprised to see you laying there, holding her. But he wasn't mad.....not at all. And when it was time for you to leave he made sure to throw out "You can take the door next time!". Despite that you continued to take your not-so-convenient way into Ellie's room. You saw it more as a fun thing, and you like to believe Ellie enjoys to too. Even thought she mumbled a "You're so dumb" before giving you a welcome hug.

You carfully got up from your crunched up position, being careful not to strainght out your back too much or you'll probably fall down and break your neck. At this height you could outline more details in the only lit up room, as if you didn’t know it by memory. You noticed the small crack Ellie always made sure to leave every night incase she got the urge that’s currently the reason you’re here. She didn’t want to have to get up and open it when you got there. Also, she’s been very clear that you can come over whenever you feel like it. Day as night. You used your finger to loop around the thick glass and push it up enough to give you the opportunity to get a better grip. You slid the glass into the slit, just enough to squeeze yourself through. The noice made Ellie quickly turn her head from her position on her bed. Just the look of you made her smile. "You came!" she happily exclaimed. You giggled "Of course! You said you had problem sleeping”.

Your beaten up sneakers barely got to touch the floor before Ellie threw herself at you, slamming you into the nearby wall. She continued to hug you, tighten up her grip. You chuckled, "Hey, hey! You shouldn't try to mush me like ground beef. Who´s gonna keep you company then?". Ellie let go off you and took a step back, giving you the chance to get away from the wall. "I'm sure you can take it" she snarky remarked "Weren't you the one who's got a six-pack" she sarcastically asked while slapping her hand against your clothed stomach. "Ow!" you screaked while backing way from her hand. Ellie just chucked before making her way back to her bed, signaling you to take place beside her. You let the strap of your backpack slide down your arms before leaving it by the end of Ellie's bed, to then quickly kick off your lazy tied shoes before crawling up the comfy bed.

You let out a deep sigh as your back hit the mattress, "I´ve told you to just call me whenever you need me". "I know" Ellie mumbled before looking to the side, "But you deserve to sleep too". "I never sleep as good as I do in your bed" you reassured her as. She smiled a little, but she wasn't convinced. She's tried to fall asleep by herself when she has one of these...nights, but it's impossible! There's been times where she hasn't called you even thought she should have. Just cause she feels bad for forcing you out of bed. She never told you this or you'd kill her. She's lost count of all the times you've told her to just call you when she feels down or can't sleep.

You place your hands behind your head, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stickers Ellie swore she'd get rid off, but hasn't "had the time to". But you swore she was lying. She's always been such a bad liar. But you think it's adorable, so you don´t mind. "I swear I'm getting us a house someday. That way you wouldn't have to call me whenever you have problem sleeping", Ellie smirked at you. "Yeah?" she asked while shooting herself closer to your laying from. "Yep! Then you could just come over to my room" you frowned a little "Or we might share the same bedroom...". You shrug "Or I mean, we're sleeping in the same bed now, so we could save a lot of money if we just get one". Ellie smiled at the thought but soon her face fell a little "How would that work when you bring a girl over?". You shot your head to give her a confused face "What the fuck, Ellie?" you grabbed a pillow from behind you to hit her playfully "I don´t even bring that many girls over!". "Suuure" Ellie playfully rolled her eyes while wearing that shit-eating grin.

You huffed before pushing her back against the bed so you could straddle her. Ellie had to stop herself from blushing at the sudden contact, but she's pretty sure you'd still notice if you weren't busy continuing hitting her with the pillow. You giggle "You play me out to be some type of slut!". She just shrugged "Maybe you are". You huffed once more, louder this time, before getting off Ellie's lap with a defeated look. "Fuck you, Ellie" you mumbled before throwing the pillow at her. She just laughs as she catches it and put it back to its original place. "Should we get to bed now? You know, the reason I'm here?". "Oh!" Ellie quickly adjusted herself "Yeah, that'd be nice". You grabbed the cover that was messily tossed to the side and placed it over you to. "You want me to read you a bed time story?". Ellie laughed "Fuck you, (y/n)". You smirked as you reached over her to turn off the lamp on her beside table. The feeling of your body being pressed against her made it hard for Ellie to focus, but thank god you soon got back to your previous position behind her.

You wrapped your arms around her frame before pulling her into your embrace. Transferring your warmth onto her. “You don’t have to come here every time, you know?” Ellie clarified. “No, I know” you answered “But I want to” you added before burring your face in the nape of her neck, automatically squeeze her torso a little tighter. Ellie couldn’t help but release a relaxed sigh, finally at peace.

[mrs-hatake]

JJK Men Crying

genre: hurt/comfort. warning: mentions of injuries, grief & loss, and self harm. relationship: m x afab reader. a.n: i love it when pretty men cry. also i didn't put sukuna cause i don't think he'd cry. he'd make you cry lmao

Toji:

Disinfected clinging heavily in the air has Toji’s nose scrunching at the foul odor. Though it is a scent of cleanliness, to Toji, it smells like death. 

Patients, doctors and nurses blur into faceless silhouettes as Toji hurries down the hallway, a sickening wave of terror welling up from his stomach with each steps. 

He stops in front of the room the nurse has directed him to earlier. Toji’s chest grows tight, making it hard to breathe, at the sight of the room number; gold faded around the edges. 

Toji’s hand slips when he grabs the door handle, his palm too clammy to grip anything. Trying again, he pushes the door with so much force that it nearly bangs against the wall. 

The rhythmic beeping reaches his ears yet Toji doesn’t move an inch. There’s a haunted look in his eyes as they stare at the unmoving form on the hospital bed. His tensed muscles only relax when he catches sight of a chest rising and falling. He moves to the bed. 

“Toji?” A voice calls his name, sounding rough from disuse. “Hey.” It continues. 

Toji stares at the woman in a catatonic stupor. Though the woman is smiling weakly at him, vibrant blues and purples steals her beauty. 

“I was worried.” That one simple statement, loaded with so much care and love, has Toji closing his eyes, going silent as he tries to drag emotion back under where he doesn’t need to feel it. 

“What’s wrong?” The woman asks, so scared, her tone voicing the fear Toji is feeling. 

A cold hand cradles his cheek, shocking Toji, forcing him to open his eyes. Her usually soft thumb is dry, riddled with tiny cuts, as it caresses his skin.

“Don’t cry.” The woman sounds distressed now, the heart monitor showcasing her heart palpitation. 

Toji doesn’t know when he started crying but it is at that moment that he cries harder, his legs giving out, forcing him on his knees as he desperately holds onto his lover’s hand, “I thought I lost you.” His fear is hidden by his lover’s palm, as if ashamed to show the world his bleeding heart.

“Oh, angel,” the woman breathes, “I’m right here. I’ll never leave you.” Though her words are quiet, small, the warmth burns bright, like the early morning sun Toji sees every day at the construction site.

Toji doesn’t stop crying but his heart does feel lighter at the promise. 

Satoru

Opening his eyes, Gojo Satoru is greeted by the concerned stare of his lover.

“Were you crying?”

Satoru blinks slowly, processing her question. A hand tentatively reaches out to him, brushing a stray tear. Satoru’s blue color is the teardrop on his fingertip. 

In a blur, his lap is occupied by a small frame. His lover’s arms wrap around him tightly like a warm blanket protecting him from whatever nightmare that has been haunting him the past several nights. 

Gojo Satoru doesn’t usually dream when he sleeps, let alone have any nightmares. But every year, every summer, for the entire season, Satoru’s concerningly short hours of sleep are haunted by the ghosts of his past, making his sleep even shorter. Yet, he never lets them affect him. 

Until today.

“I’m fine.” Satoru mutters but his body betrays him as he presses his lover closer, burying his nose into her hair. Coconut and vanilla replacing the stench of his fears as Satoru inhales the intoxicating aroma. 

“You sure, baby?” Comes the woman’s muffled question. She tries to push herself off of his chest but Satoru has her trapped. Eventually, she gives up.

They don’t know how long they remained sitting in that expensive leather chair Satoru insisted on getting despite having any free time. Though the room is silent, Satoru’s lover’s reassurances are loud. They remind Satoru that he is not alone, everyone, including herself, is here for him. That whatever has happened in the past is not his fault.

Though the words don’t breach through his thick skull, Satoru appreciates the effort nonetheless. 

Kento:

Spring, the season of love and pretty flowers.

When the cold retreats into the void and warmth slowly starts spreading its way across the air.

The trees gaining their leaves, the floors showing off their pretty petals. 

Spring, the season that symbolizes rebirth but, to Nanami Kento, reminds him of death.

Which is why he finds it incredibly ironic for the living to gift the dead flowers. Regardless of the language they spoke, the message they tried to convey, the dead cannot hear the living and Nanami Kento hates this tradition. 

A soft hand sliding into his larger one does not startle Kento. The gentle squeeze to his hand doesn’t blow away the dark cloud hanging over Kento’s head. His world is painted gray despite the colorful palette next to him.

“Ten years…”

Her voice is distant and near, whispered yet screamed. It’s all that it takes to have Kento choking on a sob. 

Kento’s head is heavy on her shoulder but she continues to support him. Kento’s gasps between cries is a haunting melody that she cannot bear to listen to yet she continues being the rock Nanami Kento leans on. 

Haibara Yuu’s gravestone is decorated with Kento’s tears and flowers from his parents. It’s a pretty sight but to her, it is disgusting. Oh, if she can only remove it and hide it somewhere far, far away where Kento cannot find it. 

Suguru:

The banging on the wooden door is a translation of her heart beating erratically. They speak of fear and dread, leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. 

She tries the door knob again and again but the door still won’t open. 

She shouts Geto Suguru’s name repeatedly like a mantra asking for salvation but her prayer is lost in a song she doesn’t recognize sung in a foreign language.

It is only when the landlord of the apartment complex that her boyfriend is residing in that she is able to rush into his home, screaming his name as she frantically searches for him.

She finally finds Suguru in the bathroom, sitting on the cold tile floor by the bathtub. Crimson liquid is dripping down his arms, falling like tear drops on the same shirt she has seen him in a week ago. His often shiny hair is matted and greasy. The shine in his beautiful purple eyes have diminished, they look empty.

Swallowing the thick bile that threatened to spill over, she takes cautious steps to where Suguru is staring into space. 

“Baby,” she kneels in front of him, gently prying the razor blade from his hand, “Suguru?”

The shell of a man turns to face her but his eyes are unseeing. They don’t even notice how her dainty hands are now painted with his blood. 

“Let me see.” The woman speaks in a calm and controlled voice, masking the turmoil roiling within her as she fights back tears at the sight of her lover harming himself. 

Suguru’s wrists are marred by a disturbing array of cuts, lines slicing across the milky skin. Though the wounds aren't deep, the sight of them is enough to plunge her heart into despair. 

With a steady breath, she kneels over Suguru to open the cabinet under the sink and retrieves soft hand towels. Her hands move quickly but with deliberate care as she wraps them around Suguru's wrists, staunching the flow of blood, transfixed over the white fabric instantly turning red.

“Why would you do this to yourself, Suguru?” Though her voice is steady, a faint whisper of heartache lingers beneath the surface.

When Suguru doesn’t respond, she continues, “My sweet baby boy, why?” she chokes on a sob as she pulls her lover into her warm embrace.

“I hate it.” 

Quickly but with gentleness, she pulls back to stare into Suguru’s eyes that are rapidly filling with tears, “I want it to stop.” he continues.

“What…” The woman still refuses to cry. She needs to be strong to help Suguru. “What do you want to stop?”

That one simple question has the words cascading from Suguru’s lips like a rushing waterfall, each one tumbling forth with an overwhelming force and vivid clarity.

“My thoughts…too loud…I can’t take it anymore.”

Suguru’s desperation feels like a fist is slowly closing over heart. Her heart cries for him and she can’t help but to pull him back in her arms, lovingly kissing his forehead. 

“Suguru,” she chokes on his name, but she continues, “give it to me.” She pulls away to cup his face, staring deep into his eyes. “Okay?”

It is hard to see her past the tears clouding Suguru’s eyes but her words reached his ears, his soul. 

“Your pain, your suffering, give it all to me.” Her thumbs wipe away his tears. “I can handle it.”

Suguru’s breath hitches, his heart fluttering at the fierce determination radiating from his lover. It’s bright, so bright that he looks away. 

A small nod but it is enough to give her hope.

[cera-writes]

HII so I found your page the other day and I loveee your work😁😁. Anyhow I wanted to request if it was okay for me to ask for a story about gambit x reader angst/smut/fluff (it’s a lot I know😭🙏). And let’s say reader gets really drunk at a party and they’re making a fool out of themselves and gambit tries to help you out of the situation and the reader is being bratty in their drunken state refusing any help and it causes gambit to snap at them a bit but ends with some smut and fluff, BUT if that’s Okayy ofc🙏😁. Keep up the great work😁🤍

A/N: I love this idea! And thank you so much! I try! <3 pairing: Remy LeBeau "Gambit" x gn!Reader Tags: Swearing, intoxication, partying, fluff, angst, smut, spanking, reader has a bratty side, Remy punishes reader in all the good ways Summary: Reader is having the time of their life at a party thrown at the X-Mansion while Charles is off taking care of business. Reader gets carried away and has a little too much to drink and well, let's just say Remy is there to deal with the aftermath which eventually leads to smut~

Drunk in Love

The music pulsed through the mansion like a relentless heartbeat, the bass vibrating through your bones. Laughter, shouts, and the clinking of glasses filled the air. You were supposed to be having fun, but the world was spinning, and your vision was blurring at the edges. Each sip of alcohol seemed to send you deeper into a hazy oblivion.

It all started when you made a bet that you could outdrink Logan. You knew damn well you couldn't hold your liquor. But that didn't stop you. Morph was egging you on and hyping you up the entire time. Then, before you knew it, you were shotgunning a can of beer, which, in turn, led to the oncoming of disastrous events afterwards.

Logan, still somewhat sober after his sixth drink, smirked at you as you swayed back and forth after your third shot of whiskey. He knew he had won, but you weren't gonna take that loss by any means.

You found Charles' wine cabinet and poured a glass of Cabernet. You weren't completely drunk but damn were you feeling very tipsy.

A hand landed on your shoulder, steady and grounding. You swatted it away, giggling inanely. “Go awaaay, Remy,” you slurred, your voice a childish whine.

Remy LeBeau, your ever patient best friend, sighed. He’d been watching you for the past hour, his brow furrowed in concern. You were usually the life of the party, but now you were just a stumbling mess. “Mon cher, maybe it’s time to call it a night,” he suggested gently.

You scoffed, your laughter sounding more like a hiccup. “No, I’m fine!” you protested, your voice rising in pitch. “Best. Party. Ever!”

Remy exchanged a look with Scott, who was hovering nearby, a mixture of amusement and worry in his eyes. “Maybe we should get her home,” Scott suggested.

You turned on him, your face flushing an angry red. “I don’t need a goddamn babysitter!” you shouted, your voice echoing through the room. A few heads turned, and you felt a surge of embarrassment.

Remy’s patience was wearing thin. “Enough, mon cher,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re embarrassin' yourself.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Y-you’re e-embarrassing me,” you retorted, your voice slurring pretty badly.

A wave of anger washed over Remy. He hated seeing you like this. He hated the way the alcohol was taking control of you. He hated the way you were pushing him away. He'd always liked you of course, and just because the two of you hadn't made things official didn't mean he still didn't treat you like you were his, especially at times like this.

But seeing you dance on all the strangers at the party, giving them the attention he craved from you, struck a match in him. He wanted to be protective of you, but you were also pissing him off to no end.

"Jus' the alcohol talkin' cher. C'mon, I'll take ya home."

When he tried to reach for your arm, you snapped on instinct. You reared back and slapped him hard across the face.

The sharp crack of your hand against Remy's cheek echoed through the room, cutting through the din of the party like a knife. His eyes widened for a moment in surprise before narrowing, a flicker of something dark and dangerous passing over his features. He rubbed at his cheek, not in pain, but as if to confirm the reality of the slap. Then, he smirked, a wicked glint in his eye that sent a shiver down your spine.

"Don't touch me!" you spat, your voice thick with anger and defiance. But even as the words left your lips, a wave of regret washed over you. You hadn't meant to hit him, not really. It was the alcohol talking, fueling your actions with a boldness you didn't possess otherwise.

Remy stepped closer, his body pressing against yours, backing you up against the wall. The heat from his chest seared through your clothes, mingling with the warmth of the alcohol in your veins. Amidst the music still pulsating loudly through the room, he leaned in close to your ear. "Is dat how it's gon' be, cher?" he murmured, his voice low and husky, a challenge in every syllable.

You could practically smell the scent of whiskey and cigarette smoke lingering his lips. He'd never been quite this close to you before and it made your heart race.

You swallowed hard, trying to steady your breathing. The room spun around you, the lights blurring into a kaleidoscope of color. "I-I...," you stammered, your resolve wavering under his intense gaze.

His hand slid up your arm, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your skin. "Y'think ya can jus' hit me and walk away, cher?" he asked, his tone teasing yet threatening.

You shivered, a mix of fear and excitement coursing through you. "I... I didn't really mean it," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

Remy leaned in closer, his lips brushing against your ear. "Maybe Remy liked it," he confessed, his breath hot against your skin. "Maybe he want more."

Before you could respond, his hand moved to your waist, pulling you flush against him. You could feel every inch of him, hard and demanding. "What're you doing?" you breathed, your mind racing as your body betrayed you, responding to his touch with a surge of desire.

"Showin' you what happens when you mess with me," he whispered, his lips trailing kisses down your neck. Each touch was light, almost playful, but there was an underlying intensity that made your heart race. "Don' think I ain't noticed the way you been dancin' all night."

You moaned softly, tilting your head back to give him better access. The alcohol had blurred the lines between right and wrong, making every sensation more acute, every emotion more raw. "Remy..." you pleaded, unsure of what you were asking for but desperate for more. You wanted whatever this was, desperately.

Maybe he'd had a bit to drink too, in all honesty. He just knew he had to have you, too. Right now.

He chuckled, the sound deep and resonant, sending vibrations through you. "Say my name again, cher," he demanded, his hand sliding up to cup your face. His thumb traced your bottom lip, his gaze locked heavily on yours.

"Remy," you repeated, your voice thick with need. You felt trapped, pinned against the wall by his body, but instead of fear, there was only surrender. You wanted this, wanted him, despite the chaos swirling inside you. You'd wanted this for a while, although you'd never been one to make the first move.

"Dat's right cher," he praised, his eyes darkening with satisfaction. "Now, let's see how much more you can take."

With that, he lifted you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around his waist as he carried you towards the stairs. The crowd parted for both of you, whispers and stares following your progress. But you were beyond caring, lost in the haze of alcohol and Remy's commanding presence.

He kicked open the door, stepping into a dimly lit room. You'd guessed it was his. It honestly wouldn't have mattered if you two had decided to fuck in a broom closet for all you cared.

The air was cooler here, a contrast to the heat building between you. He set you down on the bed, his hands gripping your hips tightly. "Ready fo' round two, cher?" he asked, his voice a seductive growl.

You nodded, your mouth dry, your body trembling with anticipation. "Yes," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the pounding of your heart.

Remy smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Den let's begin," he said, his hands moving to unbutton your shirt.

Remy's hands were rough as they tore at your clothes, the fabric rending under his urgency. You gasped as the cool air hit your skin, a stark contrast to the heat radiating from Remy's body. His lips found your neck, pressing hot kisses that quickly turned into bites, each one sending a shock of pleasure and pain through you.

"Remy!" you hissed, your voice mingling with the sounds of your clothing being discarded. His name was a plea, a demand, a surrender all at once.

He chuckled against your skin, the sound vibrating through you. "Ya like dat, cher?" he murmured, his tongue caressing the skin at your neck to soothe the marks he'd left.

You nodded, unable to form words as his hands roamed over your body, exploring, claiming. The room spun around you, the world reduced to the sensations Remy was creating.

Without warning, he flipped you over, your stomach landing on the bed as he positioned himself behind you. You felt his hand on your back, pressing you down as he whispered in your ear, "Y'need to be punished."

His words instantly sent a thrill through you, a mix of shame and excitement that pooled low in your belly. You whimpered, arching your back slightly, inviting him to continue.

His hand lifted, then came down hard on your ass, the slap echoing through the room. You cried out, the pain sharp and sudden, but beneath it, there was an undeniable rush of arousal.

"Dat's for hittin' me," Remy said, his voice thick with desire. He spanked you again, harder this time, the force making your whole body tremble.

You moaned, your hands gripping the sheets as he continued his assault, each strike more punishing than the last. The pain was intense, but it was laced with such overwhelming pleasure that you couldn't help but push back against his hand, begging for more.

"Please," you gasped, your voice raw. "More, Remy, please."

He paused, his hand resting on your reddened flesh. "Y'want more, cher? You wanna be taught a lesson?"

You nodded, your breathing erratic as you waited for his next move.

Remy chuckled, the sound dark and pleased. "Den let's see how much you can take."

With that, he slicked himself up with something you'd seen him reach for in his dresser drawer and entered you from behind, his thrusts deep and hard, each one hitting your core with unrelenting force. You screamed, the sound torn from your throat as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over you.

"Yes, yes, yes!" you chanted, your body moving in sync with his, lost in the rhythm he had set.

Remy growled, his grip tightening on your hips as he pounded into you. "You like dis, don't you? Bein' punished by me? Such a-mm!-good lil' slut you're bein' fo' Gambit." He bit back his own moan, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

You could only moan in response, your mind too consumed by sensation to form coherent thoughts.

He reached around, his fingers finding your center, touching you in all the right ways as he continued to thrust. The dual stimulation was too much, pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

"Come for me, cher," Remy commanded, his voice ragged with his own need. "Show me how much you love bein' punished."

That was all it took. With a final, desperate cry, you shattered around him, your body convulsing in release as he continued to thrust, chasing his own climax.

"Fuck, you're so tight," he groaned, his voice a mixture of awe and triumph. "S'good fo' me."

You felt him tense, then he was coming inside you, his seed filling you as his body shuddered with his release.

For a moment, there was silence, the only sound your heavy breathing and the pounding of your hearts. Then, Remy collapsed beside you, his arm wrapping around your waist as he pulled you close.

"I think we both needed that," he murmured, his lips brushing against your ear.

You nodded, too spent to speak. The alcohol had fueled your actions, but it was Remy who had taken control, guiding you through a night of passion and punishment that neither of you would soon forget.

[lunarblazes]

The raid was going fine until Scar froze time. At least, that's probably what happened. If the raid wasn't going fine before then, it would be comforting, but Scar couldn't really remember it very well, to be honest. He remembered lots of panic, which was normal whenever he did a raid, but Grian had been doing fine, last he recalled. Very self-sufficient. Impressive!

It probably had to do with the fact Scar refused to wear full armor. It wasn't meant for tree elves--the cold metal was uncomfortable! Grian couldn't yell at him for that!

He could definitely yell at him for this, though. This was a bit of a problem, even Scar could see that.

The raid was going fine, honest! It was fine! Until, well, an evoker had cornered him, and he'd panicked, and Grian had dove towards them with his sword out, intending to help, and. Well.

His magic was defensive. It really wasn't his fault, if you thought about it. Vex magic was fickle!

Scar did do this, though, and they did have a problem. He floated above the ground, his skin tinged a ghostly blue, and felt the red pulse through his veins. He sighed.

"G, I messed up," he complained, turning to his friend, "I--"

He stopped. Grian wasn't standing next to the evoker. He wasn't even standing where the evoker had been.

He was floating. Right in front of Scar. Tiny, blue, and glowing, with his miniature white wings splayed out behind him, his features blurring into each other.

"Ohhhhh, oh no," Scar moaned, putting his head in his hands. "Oh… oh no."

He should have known this would happen. He should have known! Whenever a vex spawned, an allay would follow, and Grian had killed the evoker. If it had hit the evoker, the magic would have just dispersed with the totem, but no, Grian had to come and play the stupid hero…

It really was all Scar's fault. He didn't look up.

"Scar?" Grian said shrilly. "What did you do?"

"You're an allay?" Scar replied timidly.

"I'm a what," Grian hissed, poking at his tiny wings. "What did you do?"

"Vex magic? To phase through the evoker's fangs?"

"How does that have anything to do with me," Grian said. "Also, aren't you supposed to be an elf?"

"The ears are fake," Scar said solemnly. "And you just--happened to be in the blast radius! I don't know! Cub is much better at this than I am!"

Grian paused. "…you could have been wearing armor this whole time?"

Scar's ghostly face flushed. "No! I mean, technically, yes, but it's so unfashionable! It doesn't match my hair at all!"

Grian stared up at the sky, clearly exasperated. His eyes were pure white. Scar shifted uncomfortably, resolutely ignoring the fact that he wasn't really sure how to fix this. It would be fine. Someone had to know, right?

"Well, at least the raid's stopped!" Scar said cheerfully.

"The raid…?" Grian glanced down at the nonchalant crowd of pillagers milling about. "Oh. That's… nice, I guess."

"Yeah, they don't register us as players anymore," Scar said, waving a hand. "So they can't see us!"

"They--they don't see us as players? Are we mobs now, Scar?" Grian stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Um." Scar said. He tried to think of a response that sounded sure and like he hadn't accidentally just unmade his friend's code. "…no?"

Grian's expression did not relax. His eye twitched. That was impressive; Scar didn't think he'd ever seen an allay so frustrated. It was a novel experience.

"Can we at least get the stupid vindicator for your prank before they start trying to kill us again?"

"Why not?" Scar shrugged, floating over to the minecart. He pursed his lips, focusing for a moment, and…

Pop! His hands solidified. Quickly, Scar snatched the minecart's edge and sent it flying towards a nearby vindicator. The poor mob didn't know what hit him before he was facedown in the cart, unconscious.

"There! Easy, see?" Scar grinned, turning to Grian. "All part of my master pl--"

His sentence was cut short by Grian barreling towards him erratically, like a butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalis, and phasing right through the edge of a house before he managed to stop himself about three centimeters from Scar's head.

"These wings suck," Grian panted, jerking wildly in the air, obviously trying to stay steadily aloft and failing miserably.

"You're supposed to float, G. Not fly." Scar demonstrated by doing a little flip in midair.

Grian stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "What? That--no. That doesn't work!"

"I just did it." He did another flip in case Grian had missed the first one. "See?"

Scar might have just exploded his poor winged friend's brain. It was as if he'd entirely bluescreened from the blatant disregard for physics spirits like them showed.

"Chin up, G. Think about all the pranks we can play until we turn back, being able to float and phase through walls!"

Grian brightened slightly, begrudgingly, temporarily abandoning his worries about flight and movement in his strange new form. "Well. I won't say no to a little bit of pranking, once we get this fella back to your base."

"Of course, of course!" Scar said nonchalantly, solidifying once more to push the vindicator on course. "Adios, raiders! It has not been fun!"

Pranking would buy him some time to actually figure out how to turn them back. Probably. Or at least get Cub to do it. It would be fine!

[2smolbeans]

Part 1 Part 2 character info

Love Me, Love Me Not (2.5)

Yandere Best Friend x Obstacle Reader

Summary: You begin to contemplate your relationship with Marco after he's kept you long enough inside his apartment while sending you a few mixed signals..

Tags: One-sided relationship (?), potential poly with one yan and two poor darlings, kidnapping, hostage keeping, mixed feelings, yan best friend, belittling, isolation, nsfw implications, he's in love with his darling- but he's also interested with you.., just me rambling before I put part 3

*unedited

Disclaimer: This is just a scenario I thought of with an Oc! So nothing is really 'official' or canon to the orignal storyline--

_________________________

It's been what? Two months or so, ever since Marco had kept you locked up inside his cozy apartment. Every day is a blur. You always had a hard time telling what time or month it was. Same routine, same everything. It was tiringly comforting. It made you feel safe knowing what would happen. Marco would leave in the morning for work. You'd be left in the apartment to your own devices. Hours would pass, he'd come home, and you'd lock yourself in your room. You didn't have to worry about work. You didn't have to worry about chores. Your only worry was cleaning the place and looking pretty. But. That same routine was starting to eat at you. The desperation in something new was beginning to knaw at you. You wanted more. You felt like a zoo animal kept in captivity. You want to go outside to see the streets - hell to at least go inside a supermarket! Anything!

You're confused about the relationship that the two of you share. He hates you, but he wants you by his side. He often belittes you whenever he has the chance. Going out of his way to demean you with every chance he has. You want something? Well, why don't you go on your hands and knees and beg like the loyal dog you are? You want to talk to him? Well, why should he? Go on, convince him, and give him a reason why he should respond back to those dumb questions you're so persistent on asking.

But at the same time, he's clinging to you from the moment he gets home. Either sitting on the edge of your bed while he talks about his day at work. Cuddling right next to you without any say while you lazily switch through the tv channels. Or even on some nightly occasions, he's tightly snuggled up against you underneath the sheets of his bed. And on rare occasions.. He's often kissing the side of your neck with his hands in between your legs, whispering praises while he drinks in the sounds you make. Of course, only to then miserably make an excuse of how he was doing you a favor since he couldn't reciprocate those feelings for you. He was only making out with you out of pity! Wow, he must feel a lot of pity for you then for it to happen more than once...

What about your darling Marco?

You've asked him about it so many times. If he has her, then why is he doing those things with you? But, whenever you even bother bringing up the topic, he just shuts you up with a glare or threat. You're confused about him, and Marco, at times, seems confused about how he feels about you.. Oh well, it was a useless thought to dwell on. At the end of the day, Marco was a murderer who was soon going to kill you once he got tired of you. But what difference did it make? You were also one as well.. What better were you from him? Sure, you were pressured by him to commit the murders you did.. But you could've at least fought back? Why didn't you fight back? God, why couldn't you have tried to show some restraint? Your life or theirs, you should've at least died trying..

Does that matter anymore? You shouldn't care about that anymore. What's done is done. You should get over it. You don't care if you're being selfish. You want a fresh start. You want to be outside again. You look outside the window, looking down as you see the streets and people who walk around freely.

Just how long was this going to last?

.

.

.

__________________________

[rubendiasthoughts]

Hi girliepops ❤

This is a little blurb about you and Ruben finding out that you are pregnant and the pregancy wasn't planned. I hope you guys like it, you can let me know what you think. Sending so much love ❣️

Unexpected pregnancy with Ruben Dias:

You were sat on top of the countertop of your boyfriend's bathroom, as you felt a sharp ache in your stomach, caused by the racing thoughts going through your head. Your boyfriend stood right in front of you, his hands resting on your thighs, gently caressing them in an effort to calm down your nerves.

"What are we gonna do if it's positive?" you whispered, hiding your face in your hands, the tears in your eyes threatening to spill. Not a moment has passed and you felt a pair of strong hands tearing your hands away from your face. Ruben grabbed your jaw gently and moved your head up, to make your eyes meet.

"Then we will deal with it. I promise I am going to take care of you, no matter what it's gonna be, okay?" he asked, looking you straight in the eye. He waited for you to give him a nod, before pressing a kiss to your temple, his hand caressing your cheek.

You wrapped your hands around his neck, pulling him closer to you. He made himself comfortable between your legs, as you layed your head on his chest. Ruben put his hand on your back, rubbing it, as he let his head rest on top of yours.

The thoughts going through his mind very similar to those in yours. Part of him scared of what the future holds. Scared of taking on such a big responsibility. But he tried to put his best face on for you, he didn't want to freak you out even more. He wanted to be a rock for you in this moment. And truth be told, there was also a little part of him, that couldn't help but feel happy at the thought of a tiny human being that would be the mix of him and you.

He moved one of his hands up to your hair, stroking it slowly, as he listened to your fastening heartbeat. A couple of your tears fell on his shirt, leaving a wet spot behind.

The quiet sobs you were letting out into his chest got interrupted by the noise of your phone's alarm going off. You felt like you couldn't breathe, as you raised your head from his chest, realising it was time to finally know the result.

You looked at Ruben, the image of him blurred, because of the tears that were still welling up in your eyes.

"You check it." you told him. He gave you a nod and pulled away, making his way to where the stick was laying on the counter. You bit down on your lip, your fingers anxiously grabbing the edge of the countertop, as you watched him take the pregnancy test in his hands. He looked at it for a few seconds, his face not giving anything away.

"What is it, Ruben?" you asked, closing your eyes in anticipation. You heard him put the stick down, and after just couple of seconds you felt his arms wrap around you.

"It's positive, baby." he said softly. His lips pressed kisses to the top of your head, as he heard the noises you were letting out, as you tried to hold back the sobs leaving your mouth. Your hand held onto his bicep tightly, as the tears streamed down your face.

"Shhh, it's gonna be alright. We are gonna be alright, angel" he assured you in a quiet whisper, his cheek resting on top of your head.

After a few minutes have passed, your breathing calmed down. You started slowly organizing the messy thoughts in your head. You pulled your face away from Ruben's chest, looking up at him. The fingers of his right hand went to your cheek, caressing your soft skin.

"We're gonna be alright, yeah?" he asked you, his eyes focused on your flushed face, looking for some sort of assurance in your eyes.

"Yeah." you whispered, nodding your head, making a soft smile appear on his face.

[mysteryanimator]

ANIMATION BREAKDOWN PROCESS OF THIS LETS GO (Sorry for any grammatical errors!)

SCRIPT/STORYBOARD: (you can watch here)

Now THIS. The script was very weak because I wanted to board immediately, so it started strong then fell off at the end (also generally I'm not a stronger writer, which haha fics my beloved). Now I know this, spending more time simmering with the script will genuinely only 1) stronger compositions for storyboards 2) it will be so much faster to board. Like I can board fast, but I can board fast AND well if I sit with the idea a bit longer. This will be a massive running theme how I like my shots earlier rather than further in.

side note I LIKE PANEL 11 A LOT, I just feeI didn't translate it well enough into animation which sucks because its a pretty panel and you get a softer moment from Olrox which I found was important to get across.

Also at some point, the 180 rule (which keeps characters on like one line behind the camera... not sure if I worded that right) gets broken and it bugged me for AGES but decided I had to just move on LOL.

These are my thumbnails b4 I go to animatic/cleaned storyboards which are SO MESSY (I'm a lot better at annotating my thumbs now LOL). The original prompt was top service blood bag x powerbottom vampire and i don't think i portrayed that well enough throughout BUT i think the intro did a good establishment. Which fun fact, this was scrapped but there was actually 20 seconds of Mizrak eyeing Olrox "What is it like? Blood?" Then Olrox leans down and commences the thigh glide.

These backgrounds are a mix of texture-bashing (walls/floors) along with some good ol' painting materials from scratch. Also, these are olddd and I can do a lot better yay, but was a good test to see how to make a consistent-ish scene.

ANIMATION: (You can watch the rough anim here)

I'll be super upfront how I don't like most of it AHHA. From starting this in July to posting this in September, I've improved a lot since then.

Since this was a bit ago, I don't remember too much but I remember going ham onto learning material from Dong Chang and animation servers. However in all honesty I think this was only really applied to the earlier shots. I got super frustrated with my "slow speed" so I tried to jump ship and do cleans super early on, which like lets be honest- pumping out two rough anims a day with uni on top is not slow idk what I was on about. This ended up giving me MORE work during the line/colour stage PFFT because I would end up correcting my mistakes in my roughs. Like Myst stop, this is for fun and you're learning, please take it easy LOLOL.

COMPOSITING:

Working on compositing this time around was slightly different, and I'll also admit it is not my favorite composite I've done (and again, I like my earlier shots then my later shots). My after-effects layers looked insane keeping track of the highlight glows on their clothes BUT it definitely paid off. Skin tones however were SO DIFFICULT (mostly in part to the fact I decided to experiment with how I approached it, so it definitely skewed how I worked with this)

I also definitely struggled between the dreamy look and keeping it clean and crisp, and while the dreamy blurred aesthetic does work in some cases, I opted out for the sake of clarity.

Beloved edge light my friend. It's making me learn SUPER late into it how I probably should have planned out a third shadow pass since edge light at the point is a crutch and I think planning it out ahead would get nicer more precise shadows LOL.

Because I brain rotted so hard for this animation I actually commissioned two people to help me work on this! I'll briefly talk about their stuff but please check out their work!

MUSIC: Astralbardkeep

Due the fact I don't have voiceactors, and I had a very specific vision in mind, I decided to go "you know what, let me be super self-indulgent". I had a lot of notes and inspirations for the music, BUT i wanted to have Olrox's theme from the original games peek through, which you will notice happens at the bite AND at the end.

TITLE CARD: Hataui0

This might've seemed overkill, but this friend of mine is very talented at making graphics/typography to suit the requirements of each individual project. (Also a secret ploy to make him make nocturne fanart /lh). So that entire end bit, he illustrated it along with that title, in which the themes I bestowed him were Mucha and Gothic art.

Thank you for reading if you got this far! Suffice to say this was supposed to be a compare and contrast between the animation I did in February, and while I may not quite find this body of work up to my normal standards, it substantial amount of improvement, which is the most important thing here! With the ten billion other things in my life going on, I can only be happy with the progress thus far :D

February on the left/September on the right

[cock-ainee]

"Not good for you"

____________________________

Word count: 730

Category: angst - hurt/no comfort

There are some disgusting descriptions!

Characters: Sanemi Shinazugawa x afab reader

(I checked for mistakes, but it's just not perfect??)

Enjoy..!

The battle with Upper 1 has been going on for too long. Sanemi was on the edge of his limits and his stomach was almost torn open, while YN was struggling with a deep wound on her side.

She felt her muscles aching, a dull unbreakable pain that pulsed trough her veins with her every step. Her stamina was running low as well, but she wouldn't falter when Sanemi was there, holding up despite having to hold his insides in with the sheer force of his muscles. And he was still fighting.

So she could also.

But there it came - a hit. Steel of her sword screeching against the demon's blades, but even her attempt to par wasn't enough to stop the metal that dug into her arm. It got stuck between the bones of her forearm, pulling it sharply downwards and tearing it out of the joint before it could slice trough the bone.

YN yelped in pain, holding her dislocated limb with her other hand, but it wasn't any use in putting it back in place. A shrill cry tore from her throat, catching Sanemi's attention.

- YN!!! -

Sanemi swore helplessly, dodging few of the demon's attacks with a grunt. He was barely going on himself, but seeing his beloved in such pain renewed his will and determination. But he was whipped out, an attack - that could be potentially dodged - sliced trough his leg and practically shred it.

- Fuck-! -

Sanemi cursed, falling to his knees.

And that's when they both became vulnerable. YN tried to raise on her feet and rush towards her lover, to help him, to protect him, but her sore muscles and mind-numbing pain in her arm made it difficult to think about moving.

And that's when YN's heart practically stopped. She watched in horror as the UpperMoon appeared in front of Sanemi, and..

Seconds later his arm was buried in his face.

Sanemi's snowy locks were soaked in blood that gushed down his neck and down to his chest. The view of his face was gruesome, in fact. Thanks to the tears blurring her vision, YN couldn't see the fragments of his brain that splattered over the floor, and the single eyeball, with a lilac iris roll over the ground.

But she didn't miss the way his body started to heal.

And YN knew. She just knew.

And that made her blood run cold.

The silver-haired man fell to the floor, his limbs pulsating as demonic features started to show on his face. Horns grew from his head, as well as fangs.

YN rushed to Sanemi's side, pinning him down before he could pick himself up, in spite of the pain tearing trough her mind. The demon's claws dug into the girl's sides, drawing blood from her flesh. But it didn't stop YN from desperately clinging onto his side.

Sanemi was squirming, trying to get away from her grasp. YN squealed when he bit into the flesh of her neck, trying to rip it of her. Even though it did hurt as fuck, and tears were streaming down her cheeks, she did not try to pull back.

Instead, she wrapped her hands around him and closed him in a hug.

- Oh god.. Hold on, Nemi.. we'll get you back! -

YN was trying to convince herself that his transformation could be somehow turned back. But then...

A really unpleasant sound was heard and the demon torn off a piece of her neck and chewed on it. Then he piece by piece bit her down.

She bled down on him, his clothes soaked with riot, and each drop that fell on his skin seemed to be unremoveable. It burnt into the demon's skin and stayed, as a mark that would forever be a sign of his sin.

°°°

When the antidote arrived, it was too late. All that was left of YN were her bloody clothes. The red spots on his skin didn't leave, soon being the cause of his breakdown.

When realization hit Sanemi, he was beyond the breaking point. His heart shattered, a sharp pain ripping his chest apart, as it downed on him - what he's done.

And when he got to know he'd die in a few years. He was happy.

Happy that he would go to hell and pay for his unforgivable doings.

[alieinthemorning]

Pain, Pain Go Away [Getou Suguru | Gojo Satoru]

Content: Established Relationship, Polyamory, AFAB Reader, Menstrual Cycles, PMMD, No Curses AU, Self-Indulgent, POV Second Person, POV Alternating, Remix of a Previous Work, Reader-Insert

Pronouns: None (AFAB)

Original: Old Pains, New Comforts

Header: @/nikki101pistar on Twitter

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries

Today, you found yourself waking up at the ass-crack of dawn, pulling yourself from your partners' embrace, scrambling around the room for two specific items, rushing into the cold bathroom, and quickly sitting on the toilet. 

You quietly groaned into your hands. 

Your underwear was soiled.

You really hoped you didn't bleed through to the sheets. You dreaded going back to check, not only because you were embarrassed, but because this was your first cycle since switching birth control while living with Satoru and Suguru.

However, despite your fears, you had to check the sheets. So, you quickly cleaned yourself and the soiled underwear (laying them on the side of the tub to dry), and took a deep breath before reentering the bedroom. 

The light was on, and the sheets were off. 

Your heart dropped into your stomach.

Satoru was standing by the bed, scrolling through his phone, and Suguru was nowhere to be found (you assumed that he was in the laundry room).  

"Are you okay?" Satoru softly asked as he approached you.  "Do you need anything?"

You took a step back, shaking your head that was tilted toward the ground. You didn't see the way that Satoru visibly flinched, lips tugging downward.

You wanted to run back into the bathroom, but it was your mess to clean (or finish cleaning, in this case). You turned to the dresser, pulling out a fresh pair of sheets (at least you didn't bleed through to the mattress).

Things were very awkward, even when Suguru returned (You pulled away from him when he tried to reach for you). You still weren't ready to breech the conversation just yet, so you grabbed your phone and charger and relocated to the living room.

Satoru furrowed his brows as he watched you leave. "...what was that about?"  

"First cycle on that new medication, and it's a bad one." Suguru sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We're—and by we're, I mean you, are going to have to be very patience for these next few days."  

Satoru just blinked at him, then shrugged. "Well, it's a good thing I took off today, then."  

"I wouldn't have—" Suguru sighed again, this time more deeply. "You know what. You're just gonna have to learn." Then he pulled back the duvet, "Come to bed."  

"What about Honey?"

"Darling will come back, when Darling wants to come back."

Satoru pouted, looking between the bed and the door. He knew that Suguru was insanely good at reading people, and could trust his judgement, but he also was worried about you and hated going to sleep without at least making sure you were okay before going to bed himself.

"Satoru."

That tone wasn't up for debate, so he begrudgingly joined Suguru in bed. It took him a long time to finally fall to sleep, unfortunately.  

He hoped you were doing okay.

You weren’t okay. The first cycle blurred into a continuous cycle of hell. 

You hadn’t stopped bleeding in five months. 

At some point, the bleeding had become manageable, annoying, but you could deal with it. That should have been fine, but you were on your cycle, which meant your whole body was affected. Your mood plummeted, your appetite fluctuated, you were constantly bloated and just overall felt absolutely terrible. But honestly? You could also deal with that, you’d just have to make more apologizes to your boys. 

What you weren’t prepared for, however, was the blood clots. 

It started one random afternoon, pain shot through your cervix, causing you to jump up from the couch. You knew it was a blood clot, so shifting your gravity should have helped, but it didn’t. The clot didn’t pass, and the pain didn’t stop. 

You were in pain for hours, running back and forth from the bathroom and living room. You thought sitting on the toilet would help the clot pass, it didn’t, so then you tried walking around, which helped, but it still took too long. Not only that, but you also were cramping and needed the heating pad, but couldn’t find a time to use it. So all you could do is cry and bleed, then bleed some more. 

And one day, that’s how Suguru and Satoru found you. Lying on the couch, crying your eyes out. They tried to talk to you, but the pain was too much, you couldn’t hear them over the immense pain that was pounding through your body.  

Suguru stood, running a hand through his hair. “Satoru, we’re going to have to go to the ER—stay here, I’ll pack a bag.” 

Once he was gone, Satoru turned his attention back to you, placing a hand on your knee. "Honey, how are you doing?"

Your face soured at his question, and you only shook your head in response.

“Pain scale—five through ten?”

But you just shook your head again.

Satoru frowned. “Too much pain to think clearly…” The frown deepened when you nodded. “Do you think you can stand on your own?” 

You shook your head. “H-hurts…passing too many blood clots?”

“What?” Suguru’s raised voice announced his presence as he quickly returned to their side. “You’ve been passing blood clots this whole time?”

You nodded, shying away from him. 

“I’m sorry, Darling. I shouldn’t be raising my voice at a time like this.” He then turned to Satoru, passing him the bag he packed. “Pull the car out onto the street, I’ll do the lifting.” 

The ride to the ER was quick, and with two big scary dogs that you called your partners glaring at the reception, you were able to get a room quickly. 

The problems arose when the nurse practitioner came in. She came in as if she knew exactly what you were going through, and as if you were exaggerating the pain you were going through. 

Which…maybe you were, maybe they were right, and you just needed to give the shot 9 months to work—

“So, you’re telling me that bleeding for five months straight and passing blood clots for three months straight every day is fine?” Suguru spoke up, tilting his head at the nurse. “Are you really telling me that we’re here for no reason?”

You tuned out, closing your eyes. You just wanted to go home.

With Satoru hounding the hospital, what would have taken around 6 hours was cut in half. The only procedures, they had you do was blood work and an ultrasound. They sent you home with oral birth control (telling you to stop getting the shots), and something for the cramps. 

“These instructions are for bomb defusal, I swear.” You frowned at the package as you read the instructions again. 

Satoru, who was leaning on you, read them aloud. “Take five tablets by mouth daily for one day, then four tablets daily for one day, then three tablets daily for one day, then two tablets daily for one day, then one tablet daily.” He chuckled, “what the fuck?”

“I’m desperate, what ever gets this shit to stop. 

He stopped himself from sighing, he was going to have to take what he could get.

And it did, within a day of going back to oral birth control, you finally stopped bleeding. 

And once again, did Suguru and Satoru find you crying in the living room.

“Are you still in pain?!”

You shook your head, a wet laugh slipping pass your lips.

“For the first time, in a long time, I’m not in pain.” 

Finally, you were back in control of yourself. No more afternoon pains, no more snapping at the people who were just worried about you. 

"I'm just so happy" You gasped, a hand flying to your mouth as you looked between the two of them. “Oh! I’m so sorry for how I’ve acted these past few months.”  

Satoru sighed, dropping to his knees beside you. “You don’t need to apologize for that.” 

You shook your head, patting his head that had found its way into your lap. "It's really not. I should've tried to talk with the two of you at least a little."

“Maybe,” Suguru began, sitting next to you. “But you had a lot going on for a long time, and you’ve already been gaslit by doctors before. You were trying to be stronger than you needed to.” 

You chuckled, head falling onto his shoulder. "I'm stupidly stubborn when it comes to my period. Get used to it." You gave them both a pat. “Now that that’s all settled, go get cleaned up so we can cuddle—Suguru!” You shoved him away, “Your outside clothes toughed my inside ones, ugh!”

Hello, yes, this version sure seems a bit more pointed, huh?

It's as if someone has been on the Depo shot for five months and has been bleeding nonstop and only after being disrespected at the ER were they able to get some actual fucking help to stop fucking bleeding

ding ding ding

Oh, hey! It was me!

Yeah, I've been in hell lol

Let me know if there's anything specific I need to tag since I gotta a wee bit graphic I think

9/8/24 Edit: So I’m scheduled for a hysterectomy in November!

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist

[adhdduckie]

-stars - pt 4 -Ao'nung x sully!fem!reader

"she looks at you like you strung the stars, and every time she looks at them now, she can only think of you. she loves you."

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

my masterlist

(i originally wasn't going to continue this because tbh i lost dedication, but i got a msg asking abt it so i'll finish off the last part then. so sorry it took ages)

(also i had to add in the percy jackson kiss omg iykyk)

3.8k words.

pt 1-, pt 2 , pt 3

playlist made for this ; ❥irrefutable love❥ (only the fluffy parts)

lowdown-

When Y/N, and the Sullys first reach the reef, a boy catches her eye, and she does her best to catch his attention. She doesn't believe he likes her back, and she thinks it's ridiculous that she's so whipped for this boy. He seems to have no interest in her, and they remain what she believes, friends.

this parts lowdown-

the past couple of months have been hard, avoiding your teacher and the love of your life. You manage it though, with your brothers, family and friends with you. He tries to speak to you and makes up.

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

the past couple of months went by in a blur, and when you try to force your brain to attempt to grasp more than a couple of memories, you can't. The memories you do remember, are the ones where you stand often at the edge of water, feeling the tide lap at your feet, as you try to think.

it's hard, being rejected. Your brothers attempted to make you feel better, telling you things like; "it's just heartbreak, it's not a big deal." thanks, Lo'ak. like he didn't cry when T'sireya said she didn't like the same fish as him.

you question the stability of your mind on several occasions when you couldn't remember much. The first couple of weeks after the rejection, you spent the majority of your time in your hammock in the family marui pod, refusing to come out.

T'sireya had stopped by on numerous occasions, attempting you to go out, spend some time. She felt terrible about what had happened with her brother, feeling some sort of responsibility as she was the one who suggested he teach you the ways of the metkayina. you refused to go out, afraid you would see Ao'nung and that he would sneer and laugh at you again when he did.

she sighed, and would come back a couple days later to try again. This went on for awhile, before lo'ak convinced her to just give you some time before you were ready. lo'ak and neteyam were furious with ao'nung, even haven gotten into one fight with him. you scolded them both when you found out, and made them promise not to fight him again, even if he hurt you.

your parents had disapproved from the beginning, neytiri sending snarls toward ao'nung whenever she saw him, and jake sending glares over to him as well. there was nothing they could do now, since he had already rejected you, except for trying to be there for you.

jake was not a very affectionate father, not the best at talking about feelings and things like that, but he tried his best for you. He'd talk about how it was just a boy, and that there would be more. He said that if it was meant to be, you wouldn't have been rejected, which was not the right thing to say to you after rejection as you burst into tears. ta'heyla rushing toward you when she heard you wail, curling into your side to try to make you feel better.

even avarin, who was still wary of the metkayina clan, had known of your little episode thing, catching fish and other food for you to eat as a way of showing her love. you were grateful for her and ta'heyla, and they made it slightly more bearable.

slowly, you began to feel better, spending more time out of your hammock, and even going for flights on avarin, swimming in the ocean, hunting to pass the time. T'sireya, your brothers and parents were overjoyed that you were finally up and about, but they could still see how your skin had paled slightly, not the same shade of cerulean skin. but, they were going to take what they could get.

when you hung out with kiri and t'sireya, they made sure that you spent as much time away from Ao'nung, hoping and praying you didn't see him as you continued living your life.

unbeknownst to anyone apart from you, one night while you had snuck out of your marui pod to do some thinking, you had seen ao'nung sitting quite close to your marui pod, feet in the water, as he stared at some glowing hammerbrow fish that swam by.

seeing how that it was the first time you saw him in a long time, you froze, your tail swishing back and forth warily behind you. You did not know what to do. you stood there for a couple of minutes and watched him, hidden by the shadows of your marui pod.

it physically hurt to see him look so unaffected by what had happened, as if he broke girls' hearts for fun, on a daily basis. You supposed he could've done and you never noticed. Sick of seeing him, you walked out, striding past him. He didn't seem to notice, so absorbed by the water and the hammerbrow fish.

you told yourself you didn't care and left. His contemplating face was stuck in your head for a couple hours after that, while you switched back and forth between riding Avarin, and your skimwing. When you got back home, the sun was starting to rise, and it seemed as if ao'nung had been long gone.

you sighed in relief, but were pretty distracted for the rest of the day, wondering why he had been in front of your family's marui pod. lo'ak noticed, and had asked on several occasions why you were so distracted, you just told him that you hadn't slept while. He sent you a look that screamed that he didn't believe you, but you weren't bothered to argue with him.

behind your back, he shared a worried glance with neteyam, who shrugged his shoulders and continued eating. the next day you had made plans with t'sireya to spend time by the beach, and so you did. You met her while the sky had the sun prancing on the water, the bluest day you had seen in awhile.

it was lovely to be sitting by the beach with t'sireya, ao'nung off your mind in the first time for months, and you missed this. You missed feeling free and happy, which in all honesty sounded really stupid. He was just a boy, you constantly reminded yourself, but you knew it wasn't true.

T'sireya spoke to you about everything and nothing, before finally getting back into the conversation she's been wanting to have for months. no one knew what exactly happened with you and ao'nung, just that you were rejected. T'sireya wished to know what exactly happened, and how he had rejected you.

"y/n?" she asked slowly as if she was talking to a jittery animal. might as well been, because you tensed up as soon as she used that tone. You knew what she was going to ask, and you sighed. it's time you spoke about it anyway.

"yes?" you responded, fidgeting with your hands in your lap

"what happened with you and ao'nung? If you don't mind telling me." she asks softly, almost hard to hear over the sound of the water meeting with the beach.

you sigh, leaning back on your elbows, sand shifting with the pressure of your weight as you turn toward her. you tell her what happens, and she gets increasingly angry.

"he did that? oh that skxawng, i will have his hide for that!" she growls, ears flattening against her head in anger. she remembers who she's with at the moment when you sigh, and her eyes soften, her bared teeth hidden by a sad smile as she apologises for her brother's actions.

"i'm so sorry, i don't know why he would do something like that. it doesn't make sense, he seemed infatuated with you." she apologises, pulling you into a hug.

"who knows? he has his own thoughts, too." you tell her, shrugging. the conversation ends soon, as your brother comes to collect you for dinner, and you say goodbye to t'sireya.

as soon you and lo'ak are out of her line of sight, her thick tail swishing back and forth angrily behind her as she marches back to her marui, prepared to give ao'nung the scolding of his life.

she finds him sitting at the fire with her parents and roxto, ignoring the former and latter, as she storms in, immediately starting to yell.

"you skxawng! how could you do that to y/n?" she points her finger at ao'nung as roxto scurries away, afraid of t'sireya's wrath. Tonowari and Ronal stare in confusion, as ao'nung seems to deflate promptly.

"hold on, what happened?" ronal asks, stepping forward before any violence can start.

"this skxawng, ao'nung, rejected the advances of y/n, when he is not even good enough for her. he would be the luckiest na'vi with y/n!" t'sireya explains, aggressively pointing her finger at him, shaking in anger.

"is this true?" tonowari asks ao'nung as he steps forward, pushing t'sireya's accusing finger away from ao'nung's eye, afraid his daughter might stab his son's eye in anger.

"yes." ao'nung mutters meekly, stepping away from t'sireya, afraid she will result to violence.

"you idiot-" t'sireya begins yelling again, cut off by her father raising a silent hand.

"do you not like her?" tonowari asks in confusion, ronal stepping beside him.

"i don't know." he answers quietly, making t'sireya groan in frustration, throwing her hands up into the air.

"then why would you be so mean?" she demands to know, stepping closer. "she looks at you like you strung the stars and every time she looks at them, she can only think of you, she loves you, ao'nung. and you were a skxawng telling her you didn't feel the same. why would you do that?" she finishes, and her parents nod in agreement.

"i- i don't know." he stammers, shaking his head. "for the better of the tribe? you said yourself that they were demon children, not true na'vi." he tries to explain, speaking to his parents, however it is obvious that he is unaware why he did it to even himself.

"for the better of the tribe?" his mother repeats in exasperation. "y/n and the rest of the sullys have done nothing but try to prove themselves to us, and don't be stupid, she is the toruk makto. how is she not true na'vi? just because you could not admit your own feelings for her, doesn't mean you get to blame it on the better of the tribe." ronal finishes, and when t'sireya walks closer to ao'nung, neither tonowari or ronal stops her, she swings her hand back and slaps ao'nung across the face.

"you better apologise, you idiot. If i was her, i wouldn't accept it, but eywa knows that she is a better person than i would be. you must make her trust you again." t'sireya sighs, as ao'nung rubs the mark that is already turning purple across his face, as she walks away, sitting down near the fire.

ao'nung had already realised that he was wrong, but with t'sireya's encouragement and the idea of losing you is what moves him to do something. he decides he needs to do anything to earn back your favour. that night, as the rest of his family slumbers away in their respect hammocks, ao'nung stares at the ceiling and thinks of the way he can win back your favour.

the next morning he approaches you with a bouquet of flowers as you walk with kiri by the beach. as soon as you see him, you leave and he sighs. kiri glares at him before stalking away, too.

the next few days he approaches and seeks you out, leaving you little peace. a week later he approaches you while you are on a lone hunt, pulling his ilu beside your skimwing, and while your skimwing feels your discomfort and slight anger, he snaps at ao'nung's ilu and he veers away for a bit.

you think you're free, but he finds you a couple of hours later on a small island as you hunt with avarin soaring above you. you manage to duck out of his sight with a well timed warning from avarin, squatting in a tree as you watch him stumble around like an idiot searching for you.

"y/n?" he continues to call out, seemingly knowing that you are still on this island. "please, i just want to talk." he begs, eyes scanning the trees, searching for your figure.

'he just wants to talk?' you think, 'maybe i should hear him out?' that soft side of your subconscious says. 'no! he hurt us, remember?' the other, more rational part of you thinks.

obviously the more delusional part of you won, so you jump down from your tree as he walks beneath the tree for the third time. he jumps as your feet hit the ground, whirling around startled.

he realises it's you and gives you a shy smile, testing the waters. you do not return the smile, just watching him with impassive eyes before sighing. as you sigh, the smile melts away, and his lips come together in a hard line.

"what do you want, ao'nung? can't you leave me alone?" you ask him, throwing your bow over your shoulder. he tracks the movement as if he's afraid you're going to shoot him, and you laugh at the thought internally, knowing that you could never hurt him on purpose.

"i want to apologise for what i said to you when i rejected you. i was afraid to accept my feelings and i did not know what to do. nobody has ever made me feel the way you do, and i didn't understand how to cope with it. I don't mean anything i said, and i would be the luckiest na'vi if i had your love again." he rambles out, stepping forward, pulling out the necklace you made for him, put together again.

"after i rejected you and you left, i picked up the necklace and instantly regretted it. i want to thank you for it, and i fixed it. please accept it as an apology and a gift from me, in any way you see fit." he continues, holding it out to you.

you hesitate. his apology seems sincere, but a gift and a couple of words could not undo the damage his words made. he notices your hesitation, eyes wide in anticipation, waiting for your response.

you extend your hand, fingers brushing against ao'nung's as you pull the necklace from his hands. in your hands, the necklace is warm, and feels familiar. at the centre, a new bead, one that you did not make, the colour of your eyes. he smiles when he sees you notice.

"may i?" he asks, gesturing toward your neck. you nod, unable to speak as he takes the necklace back from your hands, lifting your hair out of the way, fastening it around your neck. as he does so, you can feel his fingers lightly brushing against your neck, and suddenly it's harder to breathe. when he's finished, he steps back and you turn back around to face him.

"ao'nung... i accept your apology, but it will take time for me to trust you again. if this is a courting gift, then i do not accept it as a courting gift, only as a normal gift and an apology. if you wish to court me, it will require me to forgive you fully. your words have hurt me and it will take some time to heal, please understand." you tell him, and he nods in understanding.

"i will do whatever it takes for you to accept me as your mate. I want you to know i do feel the same for you as you did when you approached me with your courting, and i was a skxawng to reject you." he tells you. you nod in agreement, glad that he's apologised and you feel slightly better. however, you were not going to accept him immediately, knowing that his actions would prove the truth better than the words he says.

your ways separate after that, you continuing your hunt, and him going back to his marui to tell t'sireya the news.

"of course she accepted your apology. i said she was better than i was, didn't i?" t'sireya rolls her eyes. "you need to prove what you mean if you want to still court her. not that you deserve her, idiot." she continues.

he shrugs, just happy you agreed to accept his apology. t'sireya rolls her eyes again, but she too is glad you accepted his apology.

the next couple of weeks, ao'nung is the kindest he's ever been. he saves you the food he deems the best, brings you extravagant gifts, and saves you the best spots at the communal fires. your brothers were not happy at the beginning, but with every new gift, they saw you looking happier and happier, so they just watched from a distance, ready to swoop in whenever something felt wrong. ao'nung gifted your brothers spoils of the hunt, and soon won the favour of your mother and father.

they believed he would be a suitable mate, especially now that he was looking for your forgiveness, and to gain your trust back. they were also happy, believing that he was slightly worthy of you when they began to see your old self again, quick to smile and laugh.

conversation was easy between you and ao'nung, he asks you of your home, and you teach him about the forests you came from. you find out small details about him, like how he used to be afraid of the water, but his father just threw him in and he began to enjoy it.

he doesn't press you for answer regarding being his mate, just easily working up to the moment where you feel comfortable enough to tell him you accept. you never knew how affectionate ao'nung was. he was very tactile with you

it was usually very small things. like when you walked through a crowded area, he had his hand resting gently on your lower back, guiding you through the crowds, muttering about how he wouldn't want to lose you. his arm wrapped around your shoulder protectively when another boy who wanted your attention came by, glaring at them until they got uncomfortable enough to leave. he thought he was being subtle, but he really wasn't.

he also tended to lean into your side during conversations, leaving you flustered on numerous occasions, and him with a smirk on his face. one time, you got irritated by his smirk and noticed his dimples popped out, and you stuck your index fingers in them and laughed while he stared at you like you were insane, before lunging after you as you danced out of his grasp to tickle you.

he did that a lot, actually. didn't know why, but it was probably an excuse to touch you, you thought later. it was a strange relationship, both of you knowing how you and the other felt of each other, but nothing really progressed, as he was waiting for you to accept his courtship, continuing to bring you gifts every day.

it was insane, how many he had. it was like he had been collecting every single thing that made him think of you and giving it to you. your brothers complained about the clutter near your hammock, but they saw how it made you smile every time you got a new gift. it wasn't like you were just accepting his gifts and not doing anything for him, though.

you too gave him frequent gifts, although smaller gifts and less often, about once a week. it was a funny joke among the metkayina tribe members, and a you're pretty sure you saw t'sireya betting with a child on how long it would take for you to cave into ao'nung's advances. you spluttered when you asked her about it and she just grinned mischievously, telling you to hurry it up because she wanted to win.

and it didn't help that you were on your way to ao'nung as he noticed your blush and asked you about it , which made you begin spluttering again, and he laughed lightly, pulling you closer to him as you walked, arm wrapping around your waist.

a couple of months after this specific moment, after you fully believed that he was true to his word, actually caring about you, you consulted your brothers, parents, friends and even ao'nung's parents. they all agreed that he had managed to prove himself to be worthy of you, and since they agreed with you, you decided to accept.

that day, you pulled him along to a small cave you found off the coast of the village, which you had set up nicely. he seemed to know you had finally accepted, but could tell you wanted it to be special, so he just let you do what you wished.

at the small cave, it was dimly lit by blue glow worms, and you pulled him to a small tide pool, pulling him down to sit at the edge with you, dipping your feet in the water. he smiled at you encouragingly, ready for you to accept.

you pulled out a small bracelet you had made for him discreetly while he was literally around you 24/7, that happened to match with one you were wearing.

"ao'nung, i know that i did not originally accept your courting, due to the rejection of mine, but i am ready now. i accept you and i see you." you tell him, handing him the bracelet. he smiles at you happily, taking it from you and putting it around his wrist, before pushing himself into the water.

you sit there confused, wondering what you're supposed to do now, when he gives you a mischievous grin, that looks scarily alike to t'sireya's. using his tail to stay afloat in the tide pool, he reaches his hand out for you to take. you take it, and he pulls you under.

under the surface of the water, your thin eyelid slides over your eyes, allowing you to see underwater. ao'nung's in front of you, smiling at you. he snakes his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him. you can feel your heart thump in your chest, and can feel his heart beating fast in his, too. one hand moves from your waist to cup your cheek, before he leans in and closes his eyes, kissing you.

both of your lips gently brush against each other underwater, and his grip around you tightens, pulling you closer. the kiss is hesitant in the beginning, exploring. the longer your lips remain together, the more confident he gets, grip tightening again.

you can't help but think how happy you are in this moment, grateful you managed to end up together like you always thought you would, happy that you were.

the kiss is nothing like you thought it would be, better than you could have ever expected, his lips soft against yours. he pulls back after awhile, smiling at you, before you both swim back to the surface to breathe.

needless to say, t'sireya was obnoxiously happy she won the bet against the child, and you promised you were going to bet on her and lo'ak with ao'nung, which made her stay quiet. but you didn't mind, since you had ao'nung by your side after all.

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

taglist

@aonungmyaddiction @elizarikaallen @ok-boke @chuckle-nuts @shadowmoonlight0604 @shit-i-say-shit-i-think @plutodestr0yedme @yeosxxx @slutforsmut4ever

a/n - hi guys! finally finished this, it's the last part. i ended up writing more than i expected, but it was fun to do so. i hope you enjoyed!

© adhdduckie 2023 please do not repost, translate or copy.

[newtabfics]

hi. i saw your requests were open. it doesn't have to be a full fic but could you do something with Diluc worrying over their crush and somehow Venti gets involved cuz he's like "I DECLARE YOU KISS" cuz he ships them but also cuz barbatos. Thank you! Also I love you Diluc stuff!!

Thank you! I'm glad you love it. I love Diluc as a character so being able to write stuff about him is awesome.

Diluc blinked when he stepped out of Angel's Share to find the traveler comforting a crying Paimon.

"Aether, what's going on?"

He smiled as Paimon hiccuped as she tried to talk. The boy simply smiled and pointed up the side of the building to see Y/N scaling it slowly, nearly...fifty...feet off the...ground.

He tensed as he watched her carefully move, trying to find what reason she could possibly have for daring such a dangerous tactic. His eyes finally locked onto the pink balloon stuck in the tree near the rooftop.

"Why is she..."

"She insisted," Aether sighed, rubbing his neck before gently patting Paimon's head to soothe her.

Diluc clenched his jaw, watching as she neared the balloon. Y/N's path was cut short as she was at the edge without any more to reach out. He watched her debate for a moment before taking a chance and stretching her arm out. Her delicate fingers were just barely grazing it as she strained and strained, shifting closer and closer.

Just as her hand clamped around the string, her foot slipped.

"Y/N!" Aether shouted as Paimon squealed.

A shadowy blur darted quickly. Diluc's heart clenched as he saw the way she was falling. That height, that angle--If he didn't hurry she'd--

The light echo of a harp's song echoed as the winds picked up, pushing Y/N towards him. His arms quickly wrapped around her as he dropped down to cushion her fall.

She grunted softly, groaning in discomfort.

Not dead, and that was all Diluc cared about as he held her close.

Aether sighed in relief as a certain bard appeared by his side. "Oh wow! Master Diluc sure is amazing!" He cheered as the others around them began to clap and cheer.

Y/N blushed as she sat up and scrambled away from him, wincing as she cradled her wrist to her chest. "Let me see," He said, hurrying to her and gently taking her hand. Pushing up the sleeve, he saw a slight redness. "It's not broken, at least," He sighed in relief

"Y/N, I'm so sorry!" Paimon wailed as she hugged her. Y/N just smiled and gently handed her the balloon. "If you'd gotten hurt even more cuz of my balloon?!"

"No worries, Pai," She giggled before looking up at Diluc. "Thank you, Diluc. How can I repay you?"

"Every knight deserves a kiss for saving the princess!" Venti quickly interjected as Aether blinked. He smirked at the archon, knowing immediately what was up.

He's been unabashed about his plans to coax them together, He remembered.

Y/N went red as Diluc cleared his throat. "There's no need for that," He muttered. "I'm just glad I was able to keep a citizen of Mondstadt--"

"Could you bend down? You're kinda tall," Y/N muttered, shifting nervously.

Diluc gulped and did so, closing his eyes. He held his breath when he felt her lips against his cheek, heart soaring as he straightened again. Opening his eyes again, he saw that she'd completely looked away from him.

He smiled at that. Always trying to keep up appearances, He thought to himself as he said, "We should get your wrist wrapped up. I have bandages in the tavern."

"Really?" Paimon asked, curious.

"Well, yes. Drunken fights do happen occasionally. Though it's usually because someone antagonizes it," He said, staring pointedly at Venti.

"You like it when I meddle a little bit," The bard chuckled, plucking at his strings as he walked off.

[divine-misfortune]

rain and kitty dew <333

give the people (sphy and i) what they want

Ah, shit I guess the people do be asking.

@sphylor bestie wake up kitty time.

By the time the weight of his guitar was lifted off of him, Dew was struggling. Perhaps struggling was an understatement. He was fighting for solid ground but just couldn't seem to find his footing. From the flashing lights to the smell of sweat and adrenaline, Dew was barely holding on.

His breathing came with a bit of difficulty like there was a rock settled squarely on his chest. He was counting each inhale and exhale in some vain attempt to keep himself tethered. Everything felt uncomfortably close, his clothes far too tight and heavy, his skin sticky with sweat, his balaclava suddenly suffocating.

Dew needed out.

The second he'd run out of picks to toss halfheartedly into the crowd, he was slinking off stage with a growing tension in his jaw. He couldn't even bring himself to stay for final bows, not like this.

Minutes felt like hours. Curled up in some semi quiet corner backstage, Dew kept his hands clamped firmly over his ears to drown out the distant sounds of the audience. His helmet had been thrown somewhere in his haste. Someone would probably find it, he couldn't find it in himself to care about a hunk of leather and metal. He was too busy trying not to claw his glamor off, desperate to escape the confines of the magic buzzing on his skin.

At a certain point, he's certain he checked out entirely. His body moved on a well memorized auto pilot. It was like being just outside of his body, connected, but floating somewhere unsafe. It was a blur of bodies. Dew can't even remember changing from his uniform. Only registering a much softer cotton under his fingers.

Even safely locked behind a hotel room door where the rest of the world was far away, Dew could barely hold onto himself but he also didn't want to let go. It was like trying to mentally barricade himself but the brain fog still steadily managed to seep through the cracks.

"Baby?"

Dew ran the tip of his tongue over the back of his teeth, still artificially kept straight and dulled down. He didn't want to give into the nagging behind his eyes and feared tugging at the seams of his glamor would cause him to unravel.

He forced his unfocused eyes to tune back in even slightly to settle on the water ghoul exiting the bathroom. His hair was still dripping, towel draped over his broad shoulders and bare chest.

"What?"

"You haven't said a word since we got on stage."

"I know."

Rain's neutral expression creased. Concern etching itself in harsh lines as he moved closer to him. Dew felt his stomach flip unpleasantly but remained in still.

"What's going on up there?"

He gestured towards his own head, tapping a clawed finger against his temple. His voice was soft, low and sweet and Dew mentally tried to dig his fingers in. Rapidly losing ground when he caught Rain's scent. It was comfort. It was a weak point. It was undeniably home.

"....Stressed."

"Seems like a little more than just stress. Look at me," Dew didn't think he could meet his gaze. "Can I touch you?"

"...Yeah."

Rain cupped his face in both hands and his breath hitched. The walls were cracking, he could feel it. He lifted his face up and Dew blinked slowly when their eyes met. The sharp edges felt softer when Rain did the same in return, a slow blink and a weak smile.

"Long day, huh?"

"Mhm..." His head felt heavier in Rain's hands, like he was the only thing holding him up. "Too long."

"You don't have to hold on for my sake, cattail."

Dew frowned a bit, the words taking too long to register. Response came to him slower when Rain stroked his thumbs gently over his cheeks.

"Not-"

"Hush," Rain whispered and kissed the space between his eyebrows. Dew couldn't help but let the tension slip from his face. "You're safe baby, I'm here."

Every second in Rain's embrace was a losing battle, one he didn't know why he was fighting anymore.

"It's okay, I've got you."

"You...Um," Dew had to blink a few times. Wade through the puddle his brain felt like it was melting into. "Sure?"

"Of course I am. You wanna be my good kitty for a bit? No more stress?"

The mere idea of falling into it managed to pull a little trill from the fire ghoul. One that he didn't entirely register. Rain chuckled and kissed the tip of his nose this time.

"Just let mousey take care of you tonight."

Dew hummed, distantly, in agreement. He allowed Rain to guide his heavy body into bed, and it was only tucked carefully into his mate's side did Dew finally let himself crumble. He could feel the tears prick in his eyes but Rain held him close. There was no need to build walls, not when Rain had him in his arms.

So, Dew let himself be cared for. He allowed himself to relinquish his desperate grip on the reigns because he was safe where he was.

[theokusgallery]

Little Arsenic concept ficlet set right after the incident (so only read if you don't mind spoilers)

As always, cw for implied domestic abuse/violence, discussions of domestic abuse/violence (+ cw for eye injury and hospitals!)

Word count: 718

Next thing he knew, he was waking up on a hospital bed with a splitting headache.

Although Sunny hadn't yet been warned about the migranes — the nurses and doctors had been too busy rummaging around his skull, he supposed — he had been anticipating them. He'd heard just enough about bad eyesight causing migraines and about phantom pains to know they were coming.

(The cornea was part of the brain, after all. He supposed if his eye was the only injured part, he'd been lucky. Though, if he had to be honest, he still didn't like the idea that there had been scalpels so close to his brain matter.)

The next few minutes went past in a bit of a blur as Sunny tried to adjust to his new (hopefully temporary) half-vision. His dominant eye had been the one to get the glass shard, and he apparently had a worse left eyesight — though he couldn't really tell if it was because of the headache that the edges of the bed were slightly blurry. Maybe he'd need glasses in the future (or a... monocle? lense? He had no idea what the plan was from there). Eventually, a nurse walked in (he was evaluating the distance at which things became blurry, so he didn't notice her immediately and thought she might've been standing there for a moment already before she announced herself). A doctor (surgeon? That'd be a doctor anyway) walked in, started explaining how the surgery went.

"There was no way to salvage your eye, so we had to remove it."

Ah.

Well, at least he knew.

(Was this going to affect his abilities? He wasn't very sportsy but his favorite sport did involve depth perception. Was it going to affect his art, somehow? On a 2D plane, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but what if he needed to reference the real world for perspective or something? Would it affect hands-eye coordination while he adjusted? Or even afterwards? Was there anything that wouldn't recov–)

"Well, I still have one left."

The doctor didn't laugh.

"Your brain was completely fine — your eye protected it, in fact. So you don't have to worry about your cognitive abilities — but if you feel any changes you should tell your doctor immediately."

Sunny nodded. "So the headache is just about the eye itself?"

The woman winced. "We can ask a nurse to give you painkillers if the pain becomes too uncomfortable. You will experience headaches as it heals and as you adjust to the new eyesight, it's quite common with issues related to vision. Most of your eye is a part of your brain—"

"I know."

Too quick, too harsh, too short. Course-correct.

"I– The cornea, right? I... study art, s–so we've had to look at how the eye works."

Eyes. How the eyes work. Not eye. Damnit. At least the lie made sense, this time.

"Yes, right. Since it's so close to the brain, it can give very painful headaches. You will be prescribed painkillers for a time, and you'll be able to ask your doctor to keep prescribing them if the pain subsists."

"Okay."

Too short,

"That's good to hear," he added.

Christ.

Sunny just wanted to be alone already.

"One last thing," (for the love of God could they not just let him suffer in peace) "You can't get a glass shard in your eye by making a vase fall to the floor unless you are also falling to the floor."

A mixture of embarrassment and frustration rose through Sunny's chest and he narrowly avoided spitting out a "None of your business."

"I made the vase fall because I was falling," he said instead.

"Okay." She didn't believe him. Of course. (She needed to stay in her fucking lane.) "If there are any issues with your situation, though, please know that you are safe here and that if you feel like you need help–"

"Okay."

"–We do have resources for domestic abuse victims."

"Okay."

Leave me alone.

The doctor stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then got up.

"Rest well, miss."

Go fuck yourself.

____________________

Arsenic came to see him later in the evening. He'd brought flowers.

(When Sunny asked him what vase they were going to put it in, he had the decency to look contrite.)

[minty-mumbles]

For the bingo: Struggling against the caretaker! If you want a character, Wild or Hyrule?

Also, I feel like the mind torture is a little too mean to throw at Wild with his memory problems…but maybe that just means it’s perfect 👀💀

Here's some Hyrule struggling against his caretakers, Twilight and Warriors. Hyrule might have gotten a little bit poisoned. Just a little 🤏 He's fine though, promise!

~~~

“He won’t stay still!”

No, he bloody well wouldn’t, Hyrule thought weakly, putting all the energy he had into trashing against the restrictive arms holding him. The person behind him grunted but was otherwise unmoved by Hyrule’s efforts.

Hyrule was… confused. He didn’t know what was going on. Racking his brain, he tried to remember what had led up to this moment. Why was he on the ground? Why was he being restrained? Where had he been before he’d found himself in this situation? All of these questions remained unanswered as 

He didn’t know what was going on, but he was being restrained, and whatever was happening to him hurt. He needed to get away. He kicked out with his legs, but another pair of hands appeared out of nowhere and easily grabbed hold of his ankles. They held him gently, not needing to use any force to stop his weak attempts at striking out.

Hyrule was growing weaker by the second, and he knew if he didn’t get away soon, he wouldn’t be able to get away 

He whimpered softly, unable to keep himself quiet. His throat was burning from the inside out. His lungs too. Making a noise just made it hurt more, so he fell into pitiful silence. 

For a moment, he didn't even realize he’d stopped thrashing.

“He stopped fighting!” The voice proclaimed. “That’s good right?”

Another voice sounded from behind him, answering the first. “No, that just means he’s too tired to struggle anymore. Go get the antidote.”

Hyrule couldn’t concentrate on what the voices were saying. His mind kept getting caught up in the fact that they sounded familiar. It sounded like Warriors and Twilight. 

That was a funny thought. Hyrule might have laughed if he had the energy to do so. This couldn't be Warriors and Twilight, because they would never hurt him like this.

Distantly he wondered once again where he was, and where the other heroes were, but his capacity for complex thought was quickly slipping away as his head started to pound.

Hyrule’s mouth tasted metallic. Was that blood? He couldn't tell. He swallowed thickly, just in case it was. Despite how it burned traveling down his throat, he didn’t dare spit it out. He couldn’t let his blood touch the ground. He couldn’t remember why, exactly, it was so imperative he did not spill any blood, but he knew it was important. Vitally important.

When Hyrule felt something smooth and cool pressed against his lips, he blinked his eyes open blearily. He hadn’t realized he’d closed them, but that wasn’t important right now.

Hyrule’s field of vision hadn’t been great before, but it was narrowing even further now. The edges of his vision were growing dim, and Hyrule knew he wouldn’t be able to see soon. But he could still see what was directly in front of him.

A gloved hand was pressing a glass bottle filled with disgusting brown sludge.to his lips. The liquid was thick and oozed slowly down the neck of the bottle toward his mouth.

Hyrule pursed his lips, not letting the bottle nudge his mouth open. He didn’t know what was in the bottle, but it couldn't be good. When he tried to turn his face away, he found that his head was being cradled in someone’s hands and held firmly tilted back. 

The voices returned, but they were too soft and blurred for Hyrule to make out what they were saying. The whole world was swirling slowly around him.

After a moment, fingers prodded at his mouth, trying to get him to relax his jaw. Instinctively he tried to bite them. If he were any stronger, the person would have lost some fingers. As it was, all he managed was weakly chewing on the intruding appendages. The person pried open his mouth, and Hyrule braced for the inevitable. 

Sure enough, the bottle was back and its contents were poured into his mouth. It tastes sour and medicinal. Hyrule choked on the taste of it. He whined, trying to jerk his head out of the hold it was in, but he wasn’t strong enough. All his movement achieved was a painful throbbing in his skull. 

He would have tried to spit it out, but the hands seemed to have predicted this and were now forcing his jaw closed. A hand was rubbing firmly at his throat, and Hyrule had no choice but to swallow the bitter liquid.

That proved to be the last thing he could take. His body went limp. He simply had no more fight left in him.

He gave one last pitiful squeak as the world narrowed down to a singular point of light and then winked out of existence. The last thing Hyrule remembered before he fell unconscious was thinking how strange it was that his throat wasn’t hurting anymore.

~~~

Warriors sat back, his muscles slowly relaxing for the first time in hours. 

Slowly, he breathed out, trying to manage his adrenaline crash. It was all he could do to go from crouching in front of where the prone form of Hyrule was splayed out in Twilight’s lap, to similarly sprawled on the ground next to them.

It was an undignified position, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

It’d been one hell of a night, that was for certain. And Warriors hadn’t been the one to stay with a delirious Hyrule while the other ran to the nearest apothecary shop for the antidote.

Twilight was watching him cautiously, his eyes asking if it was really over. Warriors waved one of his hands dismissively. “It’s done. He’ll be alright now. It’ll take a while, but… he’ll recover.” Twilight cautiously removed his hands from where they’d been holding Hyrule's head steady. The traveler’s head flopped backwards, landing bonelessly on Twilight’s shoulder. 

The boy looked so helpless like this that it pulled on Warriors’ heartstrings.

Lady Hylia help him, but he held a soft spot for children. And although none of the other heroes could be called children- not after all they’d gone through- those who were younger than him had a firm grasp on his heart.

He never wanted to see any of them in pain. Too bad that was unavoidable, given that they were all heroes. Still. It had been hard to witness Hyrule squirming in agony. It’d been even harder to force that potion down his throat. 

Thank the goddess that the poison that’s been used on Hyrule was relatively common. Common enough that Warriors could identify it, and common enough that the apothecary knew exactly what antidote had been needed. 

If he hadn’t, Hyrule wouldn’t have lasted long enough for them to figure it out.