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conclover · 10 days ago

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Mr. Tenna x GN! Reader | Static Hearts Part 4

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Summary: Apparently, Tenna can’t keep his promise of being a dinner and flowers type of gentleman.

Warnings: +18, sub Tenna, dom Reader, teasing, Reader’s genitals are not specified, Tenna is an awkward and insecure loser <3, praise kink, sexual overstimulation, dry humping, size kink, antenna play.

Notes: So apparently the correct term is bootlicker, not buttlicker. I’ve been living a lie my whole life. But you know what? I’m sticking with the second one.

Word count: Almost 5K

You felt like you were in a video game, racing against the clock.

With every passing second, your heartbeat quickened.

You were taking a risk, but this was also a good opportunity to figure out more about this place.

Calling it just a strange dream felt absurd after the storm of emotions that surged through you.

Tenna was real. Very real.

Just the thought of his growing form and those monstrous fangs peeking from that disturbingly charming smile. Whew. Best not to imagine what he’d do if he caught you sneaking around.

The good thing about him, even if his emotions fluctuated like the relationship between Lanino and Elnina, was that he was easy to please. So as you wandered, you kept a mental list of compliments ready, just in case he caught you.

What beautiful fangs you have, sir. Do they bite?

Did you do something to your... um... TV head?

I love the way your screen colors change when you blush. It’s so cute. Wait. Cute? Is that too childish? Maybe he’d prefer something more classic. Charming? Enchanting? Bewitching? Ugh, that sounds... vintage and vintage is just a polite way of saying old. Okay. Compliment, but make it timeless. Just... flatter him and stay alive.

And just to satisfy some innocent curiosity:

Are you big everywhere?

Despite of everything, you decided to wander a bit through what they called the Green Room. It was a sort of break area for the staff. You weren’t entirely sure why it was called that, especially since smoking was strictly forbidden.

It also looked like a good chunk of the budget had gone into it. It had comfy couches and a gaming area with controllers that looked a bit outdated... just like Tenna. There was even a bar at the back and a few potted plants that gave the whole space a cozy touch.

What surprised you most was how empty it was. Maybe everyone had finished their shifts. Then again, there was no way of knowing. In every room you’d visited, there were no windows, no clocks. No way of telling time at all.

You walked a little further until you reached a surprisingly large door, entirely covered in what looked like police tape. It had the feel of a restricted area, yet you entered without issue, though you immediately wished you’d brought more layers.

Is this some kind of freezer?

As you walked further down the dark hallway, a few screens flickered to life. Their dim light barely illuminated the path ahead, but getting lost in a hallway would’ve taken some real effort. When you finally reached the end, you couldn’t believe your eyes.

Where the fuck am I?

A vast desert stretched across the horizon, completely blanketed in snow. Wandering aimlessly now felt pointless, especially knowing Tenna might be done cooking.

Without further delay, you turned back toward your eccentric date, hoping he hadn’t noticed you were gone. Not that it mattered, as you’d already come up with the perfect excuse, just in case you bumped into him along the way.

“I had to go to the bathroom,” you said, surprised by how naturally the lie slipped from your lips.

He had bumped into you with that unmistakable edge of anger, like he fully expected to catch you mid escape. But as soon as you spoke, he faltered, visibly thrown off by such a solid excuse.

What a brilliant mind you had. Just moments earlier, he’d been seconds away from baring his fangs, already imagining the worst.

“Need any help?” you asked, already taking a plate from his hands. “Smells amazing.”

“I really hope you like it,” he said with a smile, holding the door open for you. “I did what I could with what was in the kitchen.”

“If you made it, I’ll probably love it,” you replied, veering dangerously back into buttlicking territory.

You couldn’t believe how easily a compliment made him blush. If someone had said something like that to you, you’d probably question their motives or honesty. But Tenna? That old TV was practically starving for attention. Sweet words like that were the air he breathed.

You stepped into what Tenna called the movie room for the first time, making sure to look unfazed, like you’d been there all along, waiting. It was nothing too extravagant, but surprisingly cozy. Definitely perfect for a romantic dinner and movie date.

“I thought we might watch some of our favorite films,” he said with that same charming smile, taking your plate and setting it beside his on the low coffee table. “You know… to get to know each other a little better. I really want to find out what movies you like.”

You glanced at the plates, their steam rising in delicate wisps, presenting a meal that looked both exquisite and inviting. Tenna had taken his time making a teriyaki sauce for the udon noodles, then garnished them with thinly chopped spring onions and sesame seeds. He insisted it was a simple dish, but you could tell he wanted to impress you with all the little decorations.

“Oh, and just so you know... it only works with VHS tapes. So feel free to check the closet behind you and pick something you like.”

You walked over and opened the closet door, only to find it was all cluttered with hundreds of VHS tapes. There had to be something you liked.

Lucky you, most of them were your favorites. It was like a miniature library of every movie you’d ever watched. Some you hadn’t thought about in years, childhood classics, underrated gems and all time favorites all mixed together.

“Find anything you like, love?” he asked softly, his hands gently resting on your shoulders.

You hadn’t realized he’d been standing so close the whole time. His red jacket was off now, and the white shirt beneath it clung to his frame, the fabric stretching over his broad shoulders and slightly rounding belly in a way that made it hard to look away. The tie was still neatly knotted, adding to his effortless elegance.

“I have a feeling this might take a while, considering I like almost all of them…” you said, your fingers lightly tracing the worn stickers of familiar titles, discovering more and more that you adored.

He was watching you rummage through the many movies he was sure you loved. Of course he knew. He’d watched you watch them, memorized your every reaction and studied your gaze on every frame.

“Take all the time you need. The night is young, my dear,” he purred, his hands gently massaging your shoulders as they moved closer to your collarbone. He really liked having his hands on you.

He stepped even closer, his body brushing softly against yours, while his free hand joined yours in sifting through the tapes.

“You know what?” you said, glancing over your shoulder at Tenna. “Why don’t you choose? There’s too many good movies in here.”

His smile widened, as if he’d been waiting for you to say that.

“Gladly, my dear! With pleasure!”

His fingers moved with deliberate decision through the tapes, as if he were already intimately familiar with every title, knowing exactly what he was after.

A few seconds later, he pulled one out and held it up between two fingers with a smug smile. The cover was dark and bloody, the kind that promised more tension than resolution.

You narrowed your eyes at it. “Seriously? A horror movie? In this economy?” you asked, raising a brow.

He let out a playful laugh, his voice warm with amusement. “It’s a classic. Spooky. Psychological. A bit gory.”

“You just want the perfect excuse to jump into my arms!” You smirked, leaning in just a little closer. “And here I thought you were more of a dinner and flowers type of gentleman.”

“Stop it,” he said, tapping your head lightly with the VHS. “You’re already making it difficult enough to think straight, especially after that cooking show.”

“I wasn’t the one who told an entire live audience I was turned on because of some whipped cream on my co-host’s body…” You smiled, giving his shoulder a playful tap, which instantly flustered him.

There it was, his true self, unmasked and vulnerable behind the stage persona. The spotlight had always been his shield, giving him confidence, a way to hide behind his performance. But now, alone with you, the one who knew exactly which dials to turn, he felt exposed.

He was more nervous than you’d ever seen him. His color bar blush was brighter than ever, impossible to miss, and he fumbled with his fingers, nervously playing with the VHS tape as if it could somehow hide his embarrassment.

“I was joking,” you said, clearly not wanting to push him too far, at least not for now. “Let’s watch a different movie though.”

That seemed to relieve Tenna. Finally, he had a perfect excuse to stop standing awkwardly in his own embarrassment. With a sigh of relief, he dove into his precious movie collection, rummaging through it in a frantic yet determined search, hoping to find the perfect film to match your taste and set the mood for the night.

“Um, h-how about this one?” he stammered, holding up a new tape, his fingers trembling as he presented it to you. For someone as tall as him, it was surprisingly amusing to see him so flustered.

“I knew it!” You took the tape from his hands in one swift motion, only to see it was a romantic movie. “You’re the cheesy, toxic romcom type of guy, aren’t you?”

“Toxic?”

His expression held a kind of stunned disbelief, as if he’d taken those dusty old romance films as heartfelt instructional manuals rather than outdated fantasies.

You gave him a sideways look, lips twitching with disbelief, before slipping the tape into the VCR with a soft click. The television screen crackled to life, the familiar static hum of VHS filling the room with an oddly comforting nostalgia.

With a sharp clasp of Tenna’s fingers, the lights snapped off, plunging the room into shadow. It felt like a private cinema now, lit only by the flicker of the screen as the opening credits danced into motion.

You dropped onto the couch beside him, closer than necessary. The cushion dipped under your weight, letting out a squeaky sound that cut through the quiet.

You took notice of how Tenna was watching the TV. His back was straight, knees together and his hands were pressed tightly between them. There was a kind of earnest nervousness about him, the kind that betrayed how much he cared about how this all went.

The movie had only just begun, the main character already launching into a monologue about his love interest, when you leaned forward to reach for your plate of steaming noodles.

“WAIT!” Tenna blurted, reaching out suddenly to catch your wrist, his grip gentle but urgent. “You’re going to burn yourself!”

You paused, surprised more by his reaction than the actual heat of the plate. His hands lingered on yours even after you pulled back, like he genuinely believed the plate might instakill you into oblivion.

You looked at him, smiling slightly with a playful spark in your eyes.

“There it is... the gentleman you were talking about!”

A quiet almost sheepish laugh slipped out of him. His TV screen flickered slightly, the static almost mimicking his uncertainty. He lowered his screen in the direction of his lap where his fingers now twisted together nervously.

He really loved this. Your nearness, the warmth of the room, the easy rhythm between you. But something unspoken pressed heavy beneath his circuits, and it was a weight he couldn’t simply ignore.

He glanced at you, then down, then at the TV, then back at you again, like he wasn’t sure if he should speak or stay quiet forever.

“I still haven’t gotten any flowers...”

It was meant to be a joke, but the nervous tremble in his tone gave him away.

You tilted your head toward him, the smile on your lips more playful now.

“Poppies, right?” you asked, even though you remembered perfectly well. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could forget easily.

He nodded, his posture tensing slightly as you inched closer, your breath now brushing the edge of his screen.

“You see...” you murmured, your voice a low hum as your fingertip grazed his glowing screen.

The faint static tingled against your skin, subtle sparks dancing up your arm, making you shiver.

Your breath caught for a second as your gaze dropped to his trembling lips. You were so close you could feel the faint warmth of his shaky breath mingling with yours.

“I can’t get you any flowers right now...” you whispered, words coming out slower deliberately against the growing heat between you.

Your finger trailed slowly down his screen, pausing when it reached his lips. The texture was different than you’d expected and you couldn’t help but linger there, feeling the subtle give of his skin beneath your touch. Even though his lips were pale, they looked impossibly soft and kissable.

“But maybe... I can give you something better.”

The way your voice dipped when you spoke to him, the way your eyes looked at him like he was the only thing that mattered, the way your thumb traced the corner of his mouth with such gentle care... it was almost too much for Tenna. His breath caught. His body was trembling, barely holding itself together beneath the weight of your attention.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this wanted. This seen. And for someone like Tenna who had lived his entire life chasing that feeling, it was almost unbearable.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up. In the dim glow of his screen, it was subtle but you saw it. A flush bloomed across his cheeks, color bars flickering and shifting like static, spreading outward across the rest of his screen like a TV struggling to hold its signal.

He couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t control it. He started to change. His form stretching taller, broader, every edge of him growing. When his emotions surged, his body responded in kind. It was as if he couldn’t help but become whatever he was feeling. A curse... or maybe, just maybe sometimes, a blessing.

At first, you barely noticed it as you were too caught up in the moment to realize. But then, the space between you on the couch seemed to shrink and it was almost impossible to ignore.

“Tenna?” you asked softly, heat rising in your own cheeks as you tilted your head back, suddenly needing to look much farther up to see his face.

Your hand drifted down. This gesture was meant to soothe him, but your hand landed high on his thigh and what you saw there made your breath hitch.

He was huge. Thick, impossibly so.

How am I going to fit him?

Tenna’s attention snapped downward the moment he sensed the change in your expression, and a flicker of panic rippled through his form.

In a blur of motion, he snatched the nearest pillow and clutched it tightly to his lap. It was laughably small against the sheer scale of his body now. But somehow, it managed to cover the evidence of his growing desire for you. Just barely.

“I-Ah-I’m v-very... very... VERY... SORRY!” he stammered, each word tripping over the other.

The room fell into silence, broken only by the low hum of the movie still playing in the background. Conveniently, the actors on screen burst into laughter, their careless joy echoing through the space. It only made the moment feel more awkward, especially for Tenna, who sat stiffly, clutching the pillow like a shield, his face still burning with all the colors of the rainbow.

“Why are you acting all shy now, Tenna?” you asked teasingly, moving a hand closer to the pillow he was clutching with all of his strength.

His head jerked away from you, the weight of his embarrassment pressing down on him like a heavy blanket. Yet, despite the rush of heat flooding his cheeks, he didn’t run away from the room. He was too caught in the moment, too tangled up in the feeling of you to escape.

“You know, when you got angry earlier...” you said, your voice low as you gently reached for his hand, moving it away from the pillow.

He didn’t resist. In fact, there was something almost laughable in how quickly his fingers uncurled beneath your touch, like his body had been waiting for permission to come undone. In that soft, wordless offering, he didn’t just let you take control, he welcomed it. He craved it. His whole being seemed to cry out for it.

There was a teasing glint in your eyes as you continued, “I was wondering if you’d get bigger... everywhere.”

You leaned in closer, your hand gently sliding the pillow aside, placing it out of the way. Your gaze dropped to his erection, now throbbing with tension and need beneath the tightness of his pants.

You looked up at Tenna, catching the flicker of conflict in him. He was torn between hiding his face in embarrassment or letting himself revel in the sight of you, so close to his cock, so focused entirely on it.

“Tell me,” you murmured, your voice hushed with intrigue. “Can you shrink... or is it just going to stay this big for the rest of the night?”

Your hand drifted dangerously close to the top of his thigh, the air between you thick with anticipation.

Finally, he let out a shaky breath, the sound trembling in the whole room. It made everything clear: he wasn’t hiding anymore. He had tried, truly, to hold himself to the high standards of the gentleman he believed he should be. But you, with your teasing words, your touch, your mere presence… it all had unraveled every ounce of control he thought he had left.

He wanted your skin against his, your voice whispering only to him, the weight of your gaze burning into him, that subtle curve of your smile that was driving him wild second by second, to rip your clothes from your body and make you a whimpering mess below him, to turn you and have you on all fours moaning how much you loved him, to fill you with his cum until you cried out his name. Yes, he wanted all of that.

Maybe he’d convinced himself he was the one in control, that he had a choice in any of this. But the truth pulsed beneath every shaky breath he took. He would do anything you asked, anything at all, just to keep your eyes on him. He craved you desperately, in every sense.

Tenna knew that once he crossed that line, there was no turning back. And he was already in it, already lost in the pull of you.

“I actually like it big,” you teased, your voice light, but heavy with intent as you settled gently onto his lap. A soft laugh escaped your lips, but there was something deeper behind it, something that promised more. “We’ll figure it out. We have the whole night to try.”

Now you could feel him. Trully feel him. He was desperate for release, his cock twitching beneath you. And even if it was clothed, you could feel how big it was.

Tenna barely knew what to do, his hands hovering uncertainly, like this was a new territory for him. His hesitation was palpable, almost endearing and you couldn’t help but guide him.

You gently placed his hands on your hips, giving him something solid to hold onto. His fingers trembled, gripping you with an intensity that was more about calming his own nerves than anything else. It wasn’t gentle, but it was real, like a desperate need to ground himself, to feel something, anything, to steady the whirlwind inside him.

“I… I-I , uh, I w-want to,” he stuttered, his voice cracking slightly, as if the words themselves were a struggle. He swallowed hard, his hands trembling where they rested on you. “I really want you… I just… I hope that’s o-okay with you.”

You tilted your head, a teasing smile tugging at your lips as you leaned in just a little closer, letting the heat between you build.

“You want me, huh?” you whispered, your voice low, just enough to send a shiver down his spine. “Well it’s your lucky day because it happens that I want you just as much as you do.”

He twitched beneath you, his breath hitching, the subtle shift in his body betraying just how much your words affected him. It wasn’t just the way you moved against him almost torturously teasing, it was the weight of your voice, the way it stroked him just as much as your touch.

His grip tightened on your hips even further, as if he was holding back his moans. He really didn’t want to give himself away so soon, didn’t want to let you see how much this was affecting him, how deeply it was unraveling him inside.

“You don’t need to be so nervous, Tenna,” you purred, your lips brushing the edge of his screen, the soft touch sending a shiver through his form. “I don’t bite. After all, I’m not the one who has those sharp fangs.”

You could almost picture him sinking those fangs into you, the sensation of his teeth against your flesh, drawing you in as if you were his next meal. But this side of him, shy and unsure, was just as thrilling. It was a different kind of temptation that kept you on edge.

“Would you like me to kiss you, Tenna?” you asked, your voice almost a whisper.

“Yes, oh, yes, please!” he stammered, his breath shaky, the words tumbling out in a desperate plea. “I w-would love that…”

You brushed your nose against his in a soft nuzzle, then leaned in, close enough to feel the warmth and static radiating off his screen. You let the silence linger, savoring the way his composure slowly unraveled, how the anticipation made him ache for more.

“You know,” you murmured, your lips barely an inch from his. “I don’t think I’ve had the chance to tell you how attractive you are. Especially like this. You look so hot when you want something this badly.”

His breath hitched, and he froze for a moment, the words clearly catching him off guard.

“Really? Oh m-my… I’m f-flattered.” His voice cracked, louder than he intended, a mix of surprise and deepening desire.

The effect you had on him was becoming more evident with the way his entire body trembled. It was almost too much for him to hold onto, the compliments unraveling him bit by bit.

And once you kissed him, he gave everything away. His lips trembled against yours with barely contained need, and as the kiss deepened, his control shattered.

His hips shifted beneath you, the movement more urgent, his body betraying his deepest desire for you. And then, he groaned helplessly under your breath.

But what spiked your desire was hearing the sound of your name on his lips. Your hands moved without thought, drawn to him with urgency, gliding over the soft rolls of his belly, the faint rise and fall of his chest, the strong slope of his shoulders.

Your fingers brushed the silk of his loosened tie, then traced the warm line of his throat, all the way up to his screen. You hadn’t even realized you had been grinding your hips against him this whole time, completly drawn to him with a need that spoke through your body before your mind could catch up.

“Mmmmh, ah, sweetheart, keep moving, you m-make me feel so good,” he murmured, instantly gaining more cowrage as the sexual tension between you heightened. His hands gripped your backside with force, pressing you back and forth against his clothed erection.

Tenna was a moaning breathless mess, struggling to hold back as he teetered on the edge. He was on the brink, trembling with desire, and it had taken nothing more than a few kisses and sweet words to dive him mad with lust. The power you held over him was undeniable, leaving him more captivated than any audience he ever had.

What he didn’t anticipate was how quickly you’d discover his most sensitive vulnerability: his antennae. They fascinated you from the start, twitching and shifting in subtle response to his every emotion.

Mesmerized, you reached out and gently grasped them, curiosity guiding your fingers. You gave them a tentative squeeze, then began to twirl them between your fingers with playful intent.

The effect was immediate. A strained, involuntary groan escaped Tenna’s lips, so loud it filled the whole room. His composure faltered even more, his hips bucking against you as you toyed with his delicate appendages, fully aware of the control you now held. His breath hitched, coming in deep, ragged moans that tore through him, each one trembling with desire.

“Ah, w-wait that’s... a-ah! AH!”

The tension in him built palpably, until finally, unable to take it any longer, he reached up and seized your wrists, his grip firm, his face dark with a mix of desperation and disbelief. But it was too late for him, he had let this go on for far too long...

Tenna’s hands still held your wrists, firm yet trembling with the aftershocks of everything you’d stirred in him. His head dropped, avoiding your eyes entirely. He couldn’t bring himself to look at you.

This was supposed to be a special night. A moment of connection, of trust, of passion.

And now his pants were damp with the evidence of just how completely you’d unraveled him. The embarrassment burned through him hotter than any fire. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could turn invisible.

“I-I’m sorry, sweetheart...” he murmured, his voice a bit hesitant as he hid his face beneath his gloved hands. “That was... pathetic. I doubt anything like this has ever happened to you.”

You let out a soft laugh and leaned in, gently tracing your finger along the edge of his screen where heat and moisture had begun to fog the corners.

Tenna’s tall, solid frame seemed to shrink, as if folding in on itself. His form shifted, becoming a bit smaller than before, and it brought an unexpected relief to your neck.

“And that’s what you’re worried about?” you said, your voice bright against his embarassment. “That might just be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

His head rose to meet your eyes, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. “What the... What? WHAT?”

“Oh, and don’t think we’re finished just yet,” you murmured, tapping the tip of his narrow, pointy nose with a light boop.

He flinched, the corner of his mouth twitching upward into a sheepish, crooked smile.

“I just hope you can give me a minute to recover, sweetie...” he said, tugging at the collar of his button down shirt to let in some air, clearly overheating. “I honestly don’t remember the last time I exercised this much... if you don’t count the stage.”

With a sigh, he unfastened the top button of his shirt, exposing the edge of his collarbone, now glistening faintly with sweat. He loosened his tie, letting it hang slack, and you finally noticed just how warm and sweaty he’d become. He swiped at his face with his forearm, wiping away the sweat before turning to you with awe, as if taking in the sight of you all over again.

“I mean it. You left me breathless, sweetheart,” he said, wrapping an arm around you and gently pulling you down beside him.

His body sank further into the plush cushions of the sofa, head resting against the back as if gravity had finally won.

His warm and sweaty gloved hand found yours and he began drawing slow, tender circles into your palm with the tip of his finger. His screen tilted upward, as if replaying everything in vivid detail. He seemed almost in disbelief, caught between awe and affection.

“You really know how to drive someone completely mad, don’t you?”

#deltarune #tenna deltarune #tenna x reader #mr tenna #utdr #deltarune chapter 3 #undertale

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sukirichi · 1 year ago

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[ DUSK ‘TILL DAWN : 013 ]

“we who bear the burden of the crown do not need to love. you only need to stay here, with me, in power, in greed, in lust – in victory.”

cw. modern royal au. infidelity. slight angst. toxic characters & toxic relationships. 18+. smut (nothing explicit.) unedited. suggestive. fluff. alcohol consumption.

notes. feedbacks / reblogs/ comments are appreciated <3 ALSO!! i am very bad at describing places (i tried my best) but just so you guys can visualize things better, i included photos of where this chapter took place at the end of the fic

wc. 12.1k

series masterlist

[ THIRTEEN ] it hurts to be something, it’s worse to be nothing with you. i’ve done the math, there’s no solution. we’ll never last – why can’t i let go of this?

“Rin,” you stopped his hands from going any further, your fingers closed around his. He paid you no mind as he merely flicks your hands away. The top three buttons of your blouse have already been popped open, the white lace of your bra visible to his eyes. They visibly darkened with lust. Grasping his hand again, you held him tighter this time around, preventing him from exposing you to him. “Rin, please. Stop.”

Rintaro finally stopped. His fingers froze in the air, his thumb caressing the button like he’s fighting back an itch to completely rip your blouse apart. Maybe on another day, you would’ve found his hunger to be flattering. But not here, not in the middle of nowhere, and definitely not when he smelled like smoke. Not when he smelled like all the horrible things he’d gotten from her.

Cocking his brow, he leant back at the hood of his car. He stared up at you, his pretty eyes narrowed into slits.

“What? You don’t want me to touch you?”

You vehemently shook your head no. You awaited it – some sort of angry response from him. It wasn’t often you rejected his advances, but it was written crystal clear on your face: he made you uncomfortable. He found it sickening, how you looked at him like he was some vermin.

“Fine,” he spat out, rounding the vehicle as he opens his door. “Get in the car.”

“But… I can’t just leave–”

“I’ll have someone take care of it. Get. In. The. Car.”

You glance back at your car. Kuroo’s cellphone was still inside, along with your gun engraved with your family crest. If anyone were to peek inside, it wouldn’t be far to assume that you were out to kill someone. Not to mention, it was your private vehicle, not the Palace’s issued ones. Quickly, you raise a finger to Rintaro and ask him to wait, running back to your car before slipping the phone inside your pockets. In less than a minute, you’d opened the passenger’s seat and buckled the seatbelt.

The silence was painful.

There’s nothing but the smooth hum of the car’s engine, the rhythmic tapping of Rintaro’s hand against the wheel. He didn’t bother turning the radio on, and you were too lost staring at the trees whizzing by to strike up a conversation. There were too many things to ask, too many answers that demanded your attention, and so little time for it all. You wanted him to break the silence first, until sleep beat you to it. With the clock reading half an hour past four, you found yourself nodding off, shaken awake by the constant road bumps ahead.

Six am.

You straightened your back. The scenery had shifted from the dense forestry. Beside you, Rintaro looked half-awake, cracking his neck from side to side.

You watched as the gentle fingers of dawn painted the sky in hues of rose and gold. With the car travelling along the coastal road, you glanced sideways, captivated by the mesmerizing vista unfolding before your eyes. You’d seen the sea before, but never at this time – never when the sun was beginning to stretch its arms as if to embrace it. The sea, that of liquid sapphire, shimmered under the first light of day, each tiny, soft wave crested with a translucent luminescence – something both haunting and mysterious that made it hard to look away. It was deep and bewitching, like it would whisper to you the secrets of the deep if you looked close enough.

Rolling the windows down, you gazed at the horizon – right where the ocean kissed the sky, and birthed with it the symphony of color. Pastels of pink and lavender blended into a cerulean blue. The sun, a radiant gem emerging from its slumber, cast a golden path across the water and shimmered across the ripples, inviting the soul to wander its glittering trail. You felt the need to reach out to it – to skirt your fingers across the horizon, wondering if somehow the sea could drown you in its beauty and your pain could be forgotten.

As the car cruised along, your eyes remained transfixed on the sea. Drawn to its endless, vast rhythmic dance of a push and pull. The waves rolled in a timeless cadence, their gentle roar a comforting lullaby. Each surge and retreat of the water mirrored your own steady breaths – in and out – a silent meditation that made you feel as if everything was almost okay.

Through the open window, the scent of salt and the crispness of morning air filtered through. It filled the car with the essence of the sea, masking the scent of Rintaro’s stumped cigarette. For a moment, you were filled with a profound sense of peace. A moment of stillness amid the journey. The sea, with its infinite expanse and eternal ebb, seemed to hold all the answers. It wasn’t like Itachiyama whose beauty brought calmness to your soul and silenced all your fears. It was entirely a beauty of itself, one that haunted you and prodded at your bones, picking your soul apart and gently sewing back them together.

Like an unstoppable force, like watching a car crash into another – it was hard to take your eyes off of it.

“Where are you taking me?” you broke the silence after a while, choosing to keep the windows rolled down. Beside you, Rintaro spared you a quick glance before turning his eyes back to the road.

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

Nodding, you propped your chin onto your arm. Now that you were awake, the events from the past few hours finally caught up to you. The meeting with Kuroo, Atsumu’s sex tape, being chased by Rintaro, and your call not reaching Kiyoomi – Kiyoomi. Gods. He must be so worried. But your phone’s battery died long ago, and there was a bigger matter at hand – Rintaro’s accusation, and the way he’d hid his hurt with a smirk.

It was a side of him you’d never seen before.

Sure, he’d been angry when you did anything that concerned Iris, or when you left for Itachiyama after his displeasure about it. But this time, he looked more hurt than angry, as if he couldn’t believe you would go so far.

You rolled the windows up. The sounds of the humming of the car and the breeze slipping through muted.

“Rin,” you mumbled, toying with your fingers in your lap. “I didn’t try to kill you, you know.”

Your husband snorted. “Oh, you didn’t? Could’ve fooled me. It’s not every day you see your wife’s new maid slipping something in my drink, but if you truly did not have anything to do with it, then I guess it’s safe to assume your maid is out to assassinate me,” grip tightening on the wheel, he forced himself to exhale through his nose. “Do you deny this?”

“Airi has nothing to do with this.”

“Do enlighten me, then, because I don’t know what to think of you anymore,” he gritted his teeth, and you were shocked into silence. It was quite the confession coming from him. “I have made mistakes. Many of them. I have hurt you, again and again, but do you really wish to end my life?” he shot you a look, only to turn his head away – staring out into the sea before you. You wondered if it’s because he couldn’t stand to look at you, or he didn’t want you to see whatever might show in his face.

“I didn’t think you could be so cruel, Princess.”

Your face fell, the light in your eyes dimming as his words sunk in. “I told her to crush some sleeping pills in your tea so I could sneak out without you noticing. I wasn’t trying to ‘kill’ you.”

“And where would you go without me? A lady like you should never leave the castle premises unsupervised,” he reminded, the edges of his lips curling into a dissatisfied smile. “Unless you don’t want me knowing who it is you’re meeting.”

Sighing, you let your head drop to your hands. “Enough with the accusations, Rin. How many times do I have to tell you I have never cheated on you?” you rolled your eyes at him, your arms crossed to your chest, irked. “If you really must know, I met up with Kuroo Tetsurou – yes, the man who wrote that article about your tryst and ruined your reputation. You know what I did? I paid him to disappear from this country, and to completely erase any traces of what he’d written. I did it for you. I did it because I no longer want to see you suffering from the hands of another, so don’t you dare go around treating me like I’m your enemy, because at the end of it all, I’m the only one on your side. Do you understand?”

It was a half lie, but a white lie in your defense. The end would justify the means. Rintaro didn’t have to know the whole truth, not when there was a chance he’d ruin your plans. He only needed to let his guard down, to completely trust you on this because that last part you would not lie about.

He could hurt you – take your heart and crush it until there was nothing left. But it would not change the fact that you were his wife, and he your husband. It wouldn’t change the fact you were bound by vows you’d spoken in front of Her Majesty, in front of the Gods they worshipped in a sacred chapel. You would never, and could never, go as far as to make Rintaro detestable in the eyes of others. He was yours to hate and love. No one else could take that right away from you. He simply wasn’t for the world to pick apart.

Silence clouds the car. With a quick glance, you saw his grip loosening on the steering wheel, his shoulders visibly relaxing as his brows pinched together. “You did that… for me?”

You scoffed. “You have no idea the things I would do for you.”

“Then why keep it a secret from me? I would’ve gone with you. I could’ve sorted it out myself.”

“You couldn’t. You’ve barely been touching any of your work ever since the scandal happened,” you pointed out, holding your hand up to flash him your ring – the one you never dared took off, not even in the shower, and especially not when Kiyoomi had been nudging his way into your heart. “I’m your wife. I promised to share the burden of the crown with you. If a time comes that you’re unable to handle the troubles coming your way, then I will step in and do it for you.”

Rintaro blinked rapidly, as if clearing away the images that troubled him. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, “I’m just… You said you hated me, and that you regretted marrying me. So when I saw Airi mess with my tea, I immediately thought you wanted me out of your life.”

You looked out the window. Pursing your lips, you couldn’t help but think to yourself – if only it were that easy.

“You’re my husband. I would be devastated if you died.”

Rintaro drove around for a few more minutes before finally arriving in a gated community. Although community was a stretch, considering there were no other houses around. Not a single person could be seen. The entire beach was closed off from that point on. He wouldn’t answer any of your questions either, simply smiling to himself as he drove past a grove of trees until you broke through – the sounds of the waves audible and muted, as if they were from a distance. Before you stood a large white mansion, hidden by the tall trees, but peeking just enough to be highlighted by the golden dawn.

“We’re here,” Rintaro announced, bouncing out of his seat to run around your side and open the door for you. You couldn’t help but snicker at his sudden chivalry. Nevertheless, you slipped your hand into his, following him as he led you to the pebbled walkway leading up into the house. “I bought this beach for us.”

“Rin, you can’t do that. The beaches should be open to the public.”

Rintaro squeezed your hand. There was a lightness to his step, almost as if he was floating through air – or maybe your reassurance had simply made his body feel lighter. “Indulge me a little, wife. Let me show you around first, and if you really don’t like it… then I’ll put it up for sale, okay?”

You couldn’t argue with that. It was hard to, anyway, when he struggled to open the doors as he refused to let go of your hand. After fumbling for the keys, he finally got them in and pushed the doors open.

You could see much from where you stood. At the break of dawn, the sun’s first golden rays began to dance across the tranquil surface of the sea, casting a gentle, shimmering glow that greeted the grand beach house with a tender embrace.

The luxurious abode, with its elegant arches and expensive terraces, stood proudly against the backdrop of the awakening sky. Its hues of pink and orange melded seamlessly into the lingering blue of the night. Your eyes widened, watching as the colors bounced off the water and reflected back onto the sturdy white pillars of the house’s exterior. The soft, ambient light illuminated its exquisite architecture, revealing intricate details and the soft contours of its stone façade.

Stepping onto the grounds for the first time, you let your hands run through the textures of the pillars, feeling its smoothened out surface.

The house, a vision of opulence and warmth, beckoned you with its ethereal allure. Each window and glass wall, strategically placed, welcomed the sunrise with open arms, allowing the light to flood the interior spaces with a radiant glow. The reflections danced upon the surface of the pristine pool outside, playful patterns dancing along the walls and the ceiling. It made the entire house seem alive with its morning gentle touch.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat – stunned by the beauty of it all.

You moved towards the edge of the expansive backyard, where the manicured lawn stretched out like a verdant carpet leading directly to the soft sands of the secluded beach. The sound of the waves, a soothing melody, called out to you. It mingled with the rustling leaves of the palms that framed the house. The air, crisp and salty, invigorated your senses and filled you with a sense of profound peace and connection.

Unbeknownst to you, Rintaro was drunk on your expressions. He lit up each time you smiled at a corner, his heart blooming and swelling he felt it would burst out of his chest. For one of the few times in his life, he felt proud of himself.

“I bought this mansion a year after I started courting you,” he said, his gaze transfixed on the way your hands were still intertwined. It caused him to trail after you like a lost puppy; not that he minded. He just liked being here with you. With that thought in mind, he absentmindedly caressed your wedding ring with the pads of his thumb. “I didn’t have concrete plans in mind yet, but I knew I would end up marrying you someday, and the Palace didn’t seem like a good place for us to enjoy our married life. But here… we can live separately from the rules imposed on us. Here, we are not Princess or Prince. It could just be the two of us.”

You bit your lip, your heart hesitant. It fluttered at the sincerity of his words, swooned at the revelation he’d been planning this for years. You could imagine it – Rintaro walking through this property a year into your courtship, the young Prince nodding to himself because he just knew this place would be yours.

“It’s still mostly empty, of course. I didn’t want to decorate it without asking for your opinions, and I figured maybe you’d want to take the lead in that area,” he encouraged with a smile.

And really, who could say no to that? When he gave you such a beautiful house and handed you the reigns to do as you pleased, then you would turn this house into something you could call your home.

Every detail of the beach house was meticulously designed for both grandeur and intimacy. The spacious terraces offered the perfect setting for private dinners and joyful gatherings with family and friends, promising countless evenings of laughter and love under the starlit sky. You could already envision long, leisurely breakfasts on the balcony, the sea’s gentle murmur a constant, comforting presence.

You would sip your morning coffee in your nightgown, reading the newspaper, or letting your eyes close as you let the sea breeze gently wake you up from the remnants of your slumber. Behind you, your husband would sneak up in nothing but his sleep shirt, his voice deep and croaky with sleep laced to it. He would wrap his arms around your waist, coo good morning in your ears as he buried his face on the crook of your neck.

It was the perfect house to live the married life in.

The moment is too beautiful that it let the walls you’d put up slowly crumble. It gave way for your mind to entertain the thought of hope, of second chances, of a life where Rintaro apologized for everything he did and you forgave him for it. A life where he finally left Iris behind, and moved in here with you – being a loving husband and wife like he’d promised.

Regardless of his mistakes, you couldn’t deny he chose this haven with care.

He understood your yearning for a sanctuary that felt both majestic and personal. You could see his vision in every corner of the house – in the way the morning light filled the rooms, in the carefully carved openness that invited the outside world to become part of your home, and in the promise of countless memories waiting to be made within its walls.

“It’ll get very bright here in a few minutes,” he murmured, his voice echoing through the spacious expanse. “I know you hate dark places, so I wanted something that had a lot of room for sunlight.”

You hummed. “That was thoughtful of you.”

“I only had you in mind when I was looking for our place.”

Tugging at your hand, you let Rintaro drag you upstairs and show you around. “This is our bedroom,” he gestured, and you stepped inside, glancing back at him and down at your intertwined hands in a silent query. Rintaro smiled, nodding as he gently let go of your hand to let you look around the room.

Taking small, careful steps away from him, you let your eyes take in the sight before you. The room was a sanctuary of tranquility, bathed in the soft, warm hues of the rising sun. The bed, dressed in crisp white linens with accents of deep red, invited you to sink into its comfort. Candles flickered softly on a low, modern nightstand, casting a gentle, ambient glow that complemented the natural light streaming through the expansive glass wall.

The true masterpiece, however, was the view.

The entire far wall of the room was made of glass, offering an unobstructed vista of the ocean beyond. Palm trees gently swayed in the morning breeze, framing the horizon perfectly.

You moved closer to the glass, your heart swelling with awe and contentment. Outside, on the spacious terrace, two elegant lounge chairs awaited, promising peaceful mornings and serene evenings spent with the one you loved. The lush greenery surrounding the room blended seamlessly with the view, making it feel as though you lived in harmony with nature.

“Want to see the best part?”

You giggled. “You mean to tell me something could get better than this?”

“Of course. You know I’m only choosing the best for you.”

Leading you into another room at the end of the hall, Rintaro smirked – proud and barely holding back his excitement as he swung the door open. As you stepped inside, a gasp of pure delight escaped your lips – followed by bubbling laughter in disbelief.

The morning sun streamed through the grand, arched windows, casting a warm, golden light that danced sprightly across the room. The room seemed almost enchanted, a perfect blend of nature and comfort, invite you to lose yourself in your own world and let the time pass you by.

Towering bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with volumes of all kinds, promising endless hours of exploration and discovery. The rich, earthy scent of aged paper and polished wood filled the air, wrapping around you like a comforting embrace. A graceful spiral staircase wound its way up to a second level, where more books awaited, their spines gleaming in the soft light.

Your eyes were immediately drawn to the cozy seating area, where a plush of sofa beckoned you to sink into its depths and get lost in a story. The soft, muted colors of the cushions and throws added a touch of warmth, making the space feel lived-in and inviting. A quaint reading lamp stood nearby, ready to cast its gentle glow over late night reading sessions. Behind you, you could hear Rintaro move through the room as well – gently picking up knick-knacks placed along the way.

“–And here is your reading corner, or… whatever you’d like it to be really. If you want to crochet, or paint with Tobio, you can use this room.”

“I thought you said this place was empty,” you joked, gazing up at the myriad of books displayed.

“Yes, it is,” smiling to himself, he leant against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest, content to let you indulge yourself by exploring. “But I made sure to fill this place up first, as I figured this would be the room you’d spent the most time in. I went ahead and collected all the books I know you liked, along with other things I thought you would enjoy.”

There it was again – the thumping of your heart over his words.

It was too easy to get carried away, especially when Rintaro was being unnecessarily sweet. It almost felt as if… nothing was wrong at all. And for a moment – just for now – you let yourself forget everything and focused on the present. With your heart tucked and hidden away for safety under your sleeve, you pointedly averted your gaze from your husband. You knew you wouldn’t be able to handle seeing him like that – content, unguarded, with hooded eyes watching you tenderly. Like he was in love with you, and he meant it when he said he wanted no one else to spend his future with.

You turned your attentions back to the room, the lush greenery that adorned the space, with ferns and potted plants that brought a taste of the outside world in.

You could already imagine yourself curled up on the sofa with a book, the sounds of the waves gently crashing in the background, or perhaps sitting by the window on a rainy day – the patter of raindrops providing a soothing soundtrack to your literary adventures.

You couldn’t help but feel your heart swell in adoration, even as you tried so hard to fight against it.

The Prince had carefully curated this heaven for you. He’d ensured you could have a space where you would spend countless mornings in, a cup of tea in hand, watching the sun rise over the horizon. Afternoons would be spent exploring the vast worlds in the many books that lined the shelves, each one a new journey waiting to be embarked upon.

This reading room was more than just a space; it was an escape from the world. A place where you could retreat and recharge, surrounded by the things you loved most. As you stood there, bathed in the soft morning light, you were bombarded by a mix of emotions – an internal debate whether to feel elated or depressed.

How could someone know you so well, and still hurt you in the process? Love truly was a dangerous thing.

However, you pushed that thought out of your mind. You did not want any arguments tainting this space, this home. Rintaro’s efforts didn’t deserve to be shattered, either. You would save it for another time. For now, you would explore every inch and corner of this house. “And here’s the backyard – plenty of space for our future kids to play in. I’m thinking twins, one boy and one girl, and then we’ll stop trying for another. Two little devils should be enough. The boy needs to be the eldest though, so he can protect his little Princess,” his eyes lit up, and you can see it already.

Rintaro must’ve seen it, too – the scene of your children running around, chasing other. Your little boy would be screaming at the top of his lungs, your little girl blowing bubbles as her hair bounced around her cute little face with each tiny step she took. If she ever tripped, her brother would immediately be there for her. He’d cradle her soft cheeks in his equally small hands, wiping her tears away and telling her it’d be okay. And then they would run to their parents for comfort – Rintaro would bring them into his arms, pressing kisses to their foreheads before he brought them back to their mama. Then, you’d pull out the first-aid kit, plastering band-aids on every scraped knee and kissing all the boo-boos away.

It was a beautiful thing to imagine. Letting your kids grow up in a beautiful place, with a loving father who would stop at nothing to ensure their happiness, building a family.

It put a smile to your face. “You do know I can’t control who comes out first, right?”

“Yes, but a man could dream,” he shrugged and faced your way, his eyes softening as he scanned your face. You didn’t know why Rintaro looked so beautiful in that moment. The picture perfect image of a Prince Charming, his hazel eyes seeing things you couldn’t, his smile hesitant yet hopeful. “I hope our little girl looks like you. She’d be very pretty just like her Mom.”

Heat rushed at the nape of your neck. It was a flood of emotions all at once – flustered, flattered, frustrated.

You immediately pointed your body in a different direction. Sliding the glass doors aside, you kicked off your heels and sunk your feet into the grass. It was a much needed reprieve after walking and driving for hours with those darned heels. Soon enough, you could hear Rintaro trailing behind you – a quick, curious glance letting you know he’d picked up your heels, your shoes dangling on his crooked fingers.

“Can we have a dog?”

“We could have a dog,” he grinned, and then gestured for you to come follow him. Feet sinking into the sand, your hands found solace in his bicep. Rintaro practically puffs up with male pride the moment your nails sunk into his skin. It was silly, enough to make you roll your eyes, but you kept on walking and walking – the sounds of sand crunching beneath your feet and the delicious warmth emanating from your husband a great way to start the morning. Eventually, you’d made it to the front of the house, where the crystalline pool stood just before the sea announced its presence.

“And in the beachfront, well, we could do pretty much anything. Barbecue, invite friends over for dinner. Oh, and there’s a wine cellar in the basement. I think I had that filled up, too. Do you want to have a quick drink before we go?” Shaking your head at him, Rintaro nods, gnawing at his lip before he decides – fuck it – and finally lets his hand rest on top of yours.

The position was oddly intimate. You weren’t embracing each other, yet you’d never been so close to him before. Your sides pressed against one another, your hand curled onto his arm, with his large, veiny hands caressing yours. It’s a little too perfect, and it makes you just a little too in love. Unable to help it, and drunk in the serenity of it all, you let your head fall back to his shoulder. Eyes closed, breaths shallow – your heartbeat in sync with his.

Thump, thump, thump. The schwaa of the waves. The whoosh of the wind.

It was like heaven on earth.

Above you, Rintaro cleared his throat. “So? What do you think? Is it to your liking? If it isn’t, I could always look for a different house–”

“It’s beautiful, Rin. Thank you.”

“You like it?”

“I love it,” you told him, opening your eyes to smile up at him, your cheek still smooshed against his broad shoulders. “It’d be a perfect home for us.”

“O-Okay,” he blushed, averting his gaze from you as he stared at the sea instead. The motion made you chuckle. It wasn’t always Rintaro could be such a flustered, affected man, but you adored the rare times when he was. Just then, an idea popped up in your head and you grinned, tapping his shoulder with your nails.

“Hey. Why don’t we have a little housewarming party to make it feel more like home?”

“We can?”

“We can do whatever we want, Rin,” you reminded him, and then scrunched your nose as you thought of the whole process. Furniture shopping, talking with interior designers, adding your personal touch, bringing in some of your most important things to this beach house that was literally miles away from the Palace. “–Although decorating it would take a lot of time and you must be busy–”

Rintaro’s eyes widened in panic. “I’m not busy. Well, I am, but I’ll make time. Let’s – Let’s decorate. I want to turn this into our home, too.”

You squeezed his bicep, warmth flooding your senses.

As you wandered through the house, your heart swelled with love and gratitude. The beach house wasn’t just a place to live in; it was a dream woven into reality. A testament to the life you would build together. Standing there, bathed in the tender embrace of the sunrise, you felt an unbreakable bond to this place, knowing that it would be the backdrop to your love story – however complicated it may be – a place where you both would grow, laugh, and find solace in each other for the years to come.

For the next few months following your arrival, you and Rintaro dedicated yourselves to transforming the beach house into a true home. It was a long, arduous process – infusing every corner with your touch, and Rintaro with his love for knick-knacks. Countless mornings were spent wandering through local markets, hand in hand, searching for pieces that spoke to you – the future you would create.

It was a great opportunity to fool the media, too, a silent declaration to the world that your marriage would not be swayed by petty rumors.

Well, they were not just rumors, but the Queen seemed ardently pleased by the amassed support.

Rintaro, suddenly the considerate partner and doting husband, would often pause to hold up a delicate vase or an intricately carved wooden sculpture, his eyes seeking your approval. You, in turn, would smile and nod, trusting his impeccable taste and loving the way he always seemed to know what would make your heart sing.

It was as if he knew what you’d like before you even said it out loud. Maybe it was because he’d spent two years of his life courting you that he now knew you like the back of his hand.

Whatever it was, the media ate it up. The article regarding his cheating scandal eventually became nothing but measly gossip. You remained in contact with Kuroo, however, his article about Iris only waiting to drop at your signal.

It should’ve been released months ago. You could’ve ruined her already, snatched your husband back right under her nose – you just couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not when she’d been pointedly avoiding Rintaro, and your husband was acting like he forgot she existed. Could it be both of them couldn’t handle the criticism, after all? Did they care more about their reputations and image than their ‘passionate love affair’?

But then again, neither of them wanted to be exposed for their trysts.

It was all Atsumu’s doing.

And that actress – poor Hiroda Yuki – still remained oblivious to the sex tape you hid under your closet. A secret you would bury there forever, a secret you’d take with you to your grave. You hadn’t heard news of her getting knocked up, and her career was still soaring. For now, you had nothing to worry about. It seemed peaceful – for now.

In the meantime, you dedicated your afternoons in the arrangement and rearrangement of everything you’ve collected – snow globes from your trips overseas with your parents, Rintaro’s random collection of weapons and key chains from his own adventures. The living room, with its expansive glass walls and view of the endless ocean, became a canvas for you to experiment with. There were no rules here.

You placed a soft, oversized rug in the center, its deep blues and greens echoing the colors of the sea. Comfortable chairs and sofas were positioned to invite conversation and relaxation, while vibrant cushions and throws added splashes of color and warmth. You insisted on color, ensuring that the beach house had to be vibrant and thrumming with life. You refused to let it be like the Palace – dull yet overwhelming with all its arching marble statues and golden chandeliers.

And then the dining area, envisioned as the heart of your home, where family and friends would gather, received special attention. You chose a large, rustic wooden table, its surface polished to a warm glow. Around it, you placed mismatched chairs (which greatly bothered Kiyoomi when you sent him photos), but you told him that each had its own story and character. The space was an organized mess, eclectic yet coherent. Above the table, Rintaro hung a chandelier of delicate glass orbs that cast a soft, magical light during evening meals.

The master bedroom was a different tale itself. It was the room you and Rintaro spent the most time on. You established several rules before proceeding, drilling it into his head that:

Rule no. 1: He was not allowed to bring any women inside. (He scoffed at it, offended, but agreed anyway.)

Rule no. 2: Lavender essential oils were the only scents allowed. Vanilla scents were forbidden. (He didn’t understand why you were so vehemently against it, but again – whatever makes the wife happy, was what he said. That alone made you question… did he not know what Iris smelled like? He knew all your favorite perfumes by heart, yet could not recognize the distinctness of vanilla? You quickly dropped the subject.)

And finally, Rule no. 3: No arguments inside the bedroom.

(Rintaro was barely able to hide his shock at you suggesting it. His eyes widened for a moment, an expression he quickly schooled into that of nonchalance. “Of course,” he’d said, “Any conversation that may require a debate will always be had outside. Never here.” To which you replied, “Never here, Rintaro. This is our space. We will not be enemies here.)

There it was, the master bedroom, a sanctuary of tranquility and intimacy. Soft, sheer curtains were chosen to filter the morning light. The bed was adorned with luxurious linens and a variety of textured pillows, making it a perfect retreat after long days spent exploring the island or entertaining the guests you would have over.

Personal touches, like framed photographs of your wedding, and the candid ones he’d taken of you each time he called for you in the Yuzuru Estate, were placed on the nightstands.

All that was left was to invite his brothers over for the housewarming party.

You and Rintaro decided to keep it a secret for now. After all, it wasn’t every day that the brothers all gathered together for dinner outside the Palace. You debated inviting the Queen over, too, but after that recent fiasco and her snide remarks about your mother, you were heavily against it. Rintaro, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. He just wanted to spend time with his brothers – saying they’ve never done that before. Hopefully, it wasn’t too late for them to rekindle their brotherhood.

It sounded like an absurd idea at first, you admitted. You didn’t have to go so far to help your husband get along with his own brothers, but whether you liked it or not, you were married – and marriage often came with demanding responsibilities.

Of course, there was still the issue of Iris: would she be invited or not?

You gauged it for the first few weeks. Waiting, listening, and watching with a careful eye on how Rintaro would be acting. You’d also piloted the agenda, peering over it like a hawk to see if he would sneak in a thing or two. Or maybe he had a room for her. But – much to your surprise – there was none. There were exactly nine guest rooms; one for each brother and their wife, and one for the Queen or your parents, whoever wanted to visit.

Still, it made you turn your nose upwards.

You didn’t fancy the thought of Kiyoomi sharing a room with Iris. In fact, the image of them sharing the same bed was enough to make your stomach turn upside down. But knowing Kiyoomi? He’d probably make her sleep on the floor than be anywhere near her.

Finally, after some finishing touches, you both sent out the invitations.

The housewarming party was an intimate, private event. It was challenging at first – their schedules did not align with each other, and Prince Wakatoshi was not warming up to the idea. However, his son, Wakashi, badly wanted to see the sea. That was all it took before he’d agreed, and soon, even the busybody Shinsuke accepted the invitation – with the promise Airi could also come.

Pride bloomed in your chest. It seemed like an impossible feat at the beginning, gathering all the Princes into one place. But they’re all here now – Keiji was reading books to Wakashi, Tobio is playing beach volleyball with Tooru, Rintaro, and Atsumu. Osamu declined his brothers’ invitation as soon as he caught sight of your kitchen, pushing past his blond-haired twin and declaring that your kitchen was now his. You all laughed about it, and Osamu hasn’t left since.

Wakatoshi was there in your living room, cuddled up on the couch with his wife, Camilla. They both snoozed in peace, lulled by the Princes’ distant shouts and yells from their game. Behind them, Shinsuke crouched over the paperwork he’d brought with him, Airi happily gazing at her Prince as she wiped glasses and silverware.

Kiyoomi and Iris, for some reason, did not participate in any of the activities. The Second Prince has worn a stormy expression the moment he parked his car, his wife in tow. Iris didn’t look great either – her face pale and lips chapped.

You made a mental note to ask him about it later. For now, you would enjoy yourself.

Stepping out of the living room, you walked past the pool and to the beach. The Princes were still playing on a 2v2, Tobio and Tooru on one team, Rintaro and Atsumu on the other. As you got there, your sundress puffing up from the wind, you noticed Maiko was already on one of the lawn chairs – smiling fondly at her husband who scored once more.

You followed her gaze. Now that was a sight, indeed. All the Princes were shirtless – their muscles rippling with each jump or aggressive spike of the ball. They’d already been tanned after playing under the sun for hours, their healthy golden glow illuminated by the setting sun. Rintaro himself had you struggling to look away. Wearing sun shades, a black compression arm sleeve, and his shorts hanging low on his hips – it suddenly felt hot despite the breeze.

Shaking your head to yourself, you tore your gaze away from him and sat next to the Princess. “Maiko,” you greeted, handing her a watermelon juice.

“Your Highness!” she beamed, gladly accepting the drink and playing with the umbrella before she continued, “Thank you for having us over.”

“It was my pleasure,” Smiling, you watched her closely, not missing the way her cheeks flamed each time Tooru scored and he looked her way. The movement was subtle, barely noticeable from another’s eye, but it was clear in that moment it meant the world to Maiko. Beside you, the Princess hid her giddy smile behind her drink, her bare toes curling into the sand beneath you. “So. You and Tooru seem to have gotten along more.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say that,” she scrunched her nose, “He was really worried for you, you know. He wouldn’t stop telling me how he was going to beat the Crown Prince up. And when that article went out…”

“We’ve moved past that.”

“You have?” she perked up, “I mean, that’s good. Have you forgiven him?”

You took another sip of your drink, and then snorted. “Of course not. But I think we’re at this point in our marriage where we’re pretending to be happily married, and it’s hard for me to not play my part,” when Maiko titled her head to the side, confused, you gestured to the grand abode behind you. “He’s bought me this house, helped me decorate it. We spent many nights talking about how we’d like it to be, and now we’re all here. His brothers, their wives – everyone is laughing and having fun. How could I ruin it by dwelling on the past?”

Maiko didn’t look entirely convinced. You couldn’t blame her – you weren’t very convinced yourself.

Things were going a little too smoothly for your liking. Until now, you still had your doubts that everything was suddenly okay, that Rintaro and Iris have suddenly decided to end their relationship. But you’d asked around, bribed the maids in Belleview Manor, and they all said the same thing.

Rintaro and Iris have not spoken to each other ever since your return.

It felt as if Rintaro had been sincere when he said he only slept with her because he felt lonely with you. A pathetic excuse, of course, something only an imbecile would fall for. But you’d long accepted that Rintaro was an oddity and complexity of itself.

The only way to truly understand him was to let him show all versions of himself, both the good and the bad, before you could see which one of him you could love the most.

And this Rintaro?

The loyal, caring husband who’d given you this home? The one who wouldn’t stop stealing kisses even when no one was looking? The one who proved to you that the master bedroom upstairs indeed had very soft, luxurious beds by fucking you in it all the way until the morning?

You liked that Rintaro very much.

“I’m always here for you,” Maiko said after a moment, her smile genuine as she gazed upon the secluded area. “The house is beautiful, by the way. I can see why you looked so happy ever since the Crown Prince showed this place to you.”

“It’s our home. It was the best thing he could’ve given me.”

Saying it loud felt like an accomplishment. Your mother had always told you that you would be great at managing your own house someday. It felt surreal to see with your own eyes that she’d been right.

“To be honest, I never expected I would have moments like this,” quipped Maiko, her smile wavering as she plucked out the cocktail umbrella. “Before I married Tooru, it was lonely in the Rai Estate. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father married the next woman who presented herself to him. Sometimes I think he did that because he wanted me to grow up with a mother, but my stepmother was never fond of me. It was a lonely childhood, I must admit,” she confessed with a sarcastic chuckle, lifting her head to stare at her husband. “But then Prince Tooru came along. The Queen started bringing him along whenever she visited my father, and the Prince and I would always have playdates. I remember I would cry each time they had to return to the Palace.”

You tipped your head to the side, curious. “The Queen brought Tooru to the Rai Estate?”

Maiko nodded. “Yes. You didn’t know? Her Majesty is my godmother,” she informed, absentmindedly spinning the ring on her finger. “She was close friends with my father, and they remained in contact even when she married the King. I’d say she was the closest I ever got to having a mother figure, but Her Majesty is too busy to waste her time looking after a little girl.”

“I see,” you murmured, and reached over to clasp her bare shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry about your mother, Maiko. I hadn’t known she’d already passed.”

“It’s alright, not a lot of people mourned her death anyway. And people easily forgot she existed because my father remarried very soon,” she shrugged, a forlorn look crossing her sharp features. “My father said I don’t look like her. Sometimes, I think that fact made it easier for him to move on, because he never saw her in me.”

“Did your father love her?”

“Probably not. You know how marriages between nobles are; I wouldn’t be surprised if it was arranged. He never talked about her either, so I wouldn’t know.”

You hummed to yourself, “Does the Queen still visit Lord Rai?”

“Not lately, no. She got occupied handling the Kingdom’s affairs when His Majesty passed away, but they still send each other letters during birthdays. I’m not sure the Queen has written back to my father in a while, though,” as quickly as she said it, Maiko’s back straightened, her free hands waving frantically in the air. “Oh, I hope this doesn’t change the way you see me, Princess. I promise the Queen does not hold any special favors to me.”

“Not at all, Maiko. You’re still the same Princess in my eyes.”

“TAKE THAT!”

Both of your heads snapped in the Princes’ direction. Tobio, pumping his arms in the air as Atsumu tugged at his blond locks from the other side of the net. Tooru was running around – or more like bouncing – while your husband was down on one knee, panting heavily with sweat dripping down his chest.

Before you could process what was going on, Tooru bolted for Maiko’s direction, whooping and hollering as he picked her up and twirled her. Maiko’s squeal was lodged in her chest upon Tooru’s crushing hug. He kept spinning her, enough to have Maiko wobbly on her feet when he finally put her down, holding her at an arm’s length away as he exclaimed, “Did you see that? Rintaro couldn’t receive my serve!”

“It was just a lucky serve!” defended your husband.

“Yeah, right.”

Rintaro turned to you, his ears turning red as he stood up and dusted the sand of his abs. “It was a lucky serve.”

You put your hand up to your mouth, concealing your laughter. “I’m sure it was.”

As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the horizon, the air buzzed with excitement and the scent of blooming flowers from the garden. The sound of waves crashing softly in the background added a serene rhythm to the lively conversations that flowed as effortlessly as the wine. The brothers, their bond evident in their playful banter and shared stories, mingled around the spacious terrace, their laughter mingling with the music that floated through the air.

You eventually left Maiko, seeing as the Princes did not have any plans on stopping their game anytime soon. You didn’t want to rush them into dinner either, not when Rintaro looked like he was having the time of his life.

Dusting sand off your dress, you took yours and Maiko’s empty glasses back inside. Airi and Osamu were still in the kitchen; the former smiling at you when you handed her the glasses, while Osamu remained elbow-deep in some dough. You left them soon to their devices, heading out of the kitchen when you nearly bumped into a firm chest.

“Hey.”

“Kiyoomi,” you blinked up at him, joy radiating from every pore now that he was here. Kiyoomi looked handsome in just his cream, short-sleeved linen shirt, his curls tousled and falling beautifully to frame his face. Until now, you were still beguiled by his striking beauty. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I heard you’d been occupied with some things in Itachiyama.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary, and I would never decline an invitation from you,” he said softly, dipping his head so you could hear him better. His close proximity set your heart racing, and before you noticed it, you had your dress balled into your fists. “You did a great job with the place. It’s lovely.”

“Thank you,” you breathed out, voice light and airy as you gestured outside. “Are you not going to join your brothers in their game?”

Kiyoomi shook his head, a mischievous smirk gracing his handsome features. “If I did, then Rintaro’s team would lose.”

“Oh, are you a better player than him?”

“I’m better than him in all aspects,” he declared, offhandedly gesturing to their brother on the couch. “Though I could never hit as hard as Wakatoshi. You should’ve seen him in his prime – he was a monster as long as he had the ball in his hands.”

“I didn’t know you played volleyball, too.”

“We used to play a lot when we were younger. Before duties called.”

You nodded, silently escorting him out of the kitchen. You could already feel Airi’s gaze burning holes at the back of your head. “How is Iris, by the way? I don’t think I’ve seen her around.”

“She said she wasn’t feeling well, so she’s been holed up in bed ever since,” informed Kiyoomi, scratching his cheek in thought. “Did she have a fight with Rin?”

“No, I don’t think so. I think… it’s because Rintaro is ignoring her, and she might be upset about that,” wrinkling your nose, you raised both hands in the air as a form of surrender. “But let’s not talk about unpleasant things. How was your trip to Itachiyama? And Kanami! How is she? I didn’t get to properly say goodbye to her last time.”

Kiyoomi’s lip twitched with amusement. “She’s fine, just a little mad that I took you home without informing her beforehand. She really wanted to spend more time with you.”

I didn’t want to leave either, you almost told him, biting back your tongue at the last moment.

Finding yourself alone with the older Prince, the air thickened with unspoken tension. A palpable static seemed to crackle between you two. Every glance exchanged was laden with unvoiced words, and every accidental touch sent a jolt of electricity through you. He stood close to you, his presence comforting and warm, yet an invisible barrier held you apart – neither brave enough to bridge the gap.

Your heart raced as you felt the weight of his presence beside you, the magnetic pull urging you closer. The silence was almost deafening – filled with the potential of what could be said, yet the fear of breaking it kept you mute.

Finally, Kiyoomi, with a nervous swallow and a shy, almost boyish smile, broke the silence.

“How was the meeting with Kuroo?” he began, his voice soft but trembling with the same tension you felt.

You told him everything without a detail to spare. Your words were hushed, voice barely above a whisper in case anyone accidentally walked in on you. Kiyoomi nodded as he took everything in, the tension on his shoulders increasing. “I see. Has he contacted you ever since?”

“The last message I got from him was from a few days ago. He says he’s got everything he needs – he’s just waiting for the green light.”

“So we’re just waiting for him to drop the bomb.”

“Practically, yes,” you agreed, when an idea formed in your head. Clapping your hands together, you tugged at Kiyoomi’s sleeve. “Actually, could you come with me? I wanted to show you something.”

Kiyoomi wasn’t able to say his response before you’re dragging him upstairs. You already knew the house like the back of your hand, confident you could navigate through it even with your eyes closed. Once you’d reached your destination, you swung the doors open – arms outstretched to show it off. “This is my reading corner, a library of sorts. And here–” you led him to a wall you’d intentionally kept empty, “–is your corner.”

“My corner?”

“Yes, you know, like how everyone has their own space in your library back at the farmhouse.”

“That’s a family house. This is your house with your husband.”

“Rintaro bought it because he wanted to have a safe space with his family, and you’re his brother. That makes you my family too, doesn’t it?”

Your smile was warm, sincere and elated upon presenting him his ‘corner.’ Kiyoomi couldn’t blame you for not noticing the fleeting hurt in his eyes, his disappointment quickly masked with a practiced, cordial nod.

“Family. Right,” he echoed, “I’ll make sure to add my own things someday here. Thank you.”

“FUCK YEAH!” roared Atsumu from below. All too quickly, the moment is broken. You and Kiyoomi stepped away from each other, both releasing a breath you didn’t noticed you held.

“I should go–”

“Of course,” Kiyoomi agreed, his nods a tad too hurried. He’s looking at everywhere but you now. “I’ll follow in a bit.”

You were hesitant to leave. It’d felt like forever since you’d last spoken to Kiyoomi. Ever since that night your call did not push through when Rintaro chased after you, Kiyoomi had been restless. He’d text you every morning and night, without fail, to reassure himself you did not come to harm. He was sweet – undeniably so – and it felt like a waste. Everything did. You couldn’t spend time with him, or speak to him freely like you did in Itachiyama anymore. Here, in Inarizaki, the cameras devoured everything you and Rintaro did.

It came without question you’d unknowingly distanced yourself from the Second Prince.

With a heart heavy of doubt, you exited the room. The last you saw of Kiyoomi was him slouched over his corner, his eyes closed and his head resting on his arm.

You skipped down the stairs, careful of the ankle-length of your sundress. The living room was already a mess when you got there – Atsumu was shaking Wakatoshi awake by the shoulders, screaming that he’d won against ‘stupid Tooru.’ Tooru, on the other hand, was being comforted by his wife, a pout permanent on his face.

“Hey,” an arm wrapped itself around your waist. Tensing, you quickly smiled when you saw it was just Rintaro – now dressed in a plain white button-up, the top three buttons left open to cool himself.

“Hey back.”

“Why didn’t you watch me play?”

You almost laughed at him. It was a comical sight – your tall husband slouching and pouting like a kicked puppy. Shaking your head at him, you let him pull you into an embrace, his arms engulfing you completely. You’re wholly warm like this, his head on top of yours, your cheek on his warm chest that’s still slightly damp with sweat.

“We have guests over, Rin. I have to make sure everyone’s settled.”

“But I played good,” he whines above you, his head dipping to playfully nibble at your ear. Rintaro crushes you in the embrace, your bodies pressed close enough that the growing tent in his trousers poked you through your sundress. Breath hitching, your tilted your neck to give him more access – warily looking out for onlookers. Thankfully, his brothers were all occupied with searching for snacks.

“I’m not inviting my brothers over next time. They take up too much of your attention.”

“Don’t be weird,” you teased, “I’m all yours tonight.”

Tipping your chin to look him in the eye, Rintaro presses a tender kiss at the insides of your wrist. “All mine for a lifetime, hopefully.”

“We’re married. I don’t think we have much of a choice in that aspect.”

When Rintaro smiled, his whole face lit up, his teeth flashing wickedly. Squeezing your waist, his eyes took in the warm, golden lights of your house. The bustling noise his brothers made, and the aroma of dinner being prepared. “We really outdid ourselves, huh. This place turned out better than I expected.”

You patted his firm stomach. “Should we all celebrate with some dinner?”

Nodding, Rintaro pressed a kiss to your forehead before disappearing in the kitchen. Atsumu followed not long after, complaining that ‘Samu was taking ‘too darned long’ preparing his food. You can’t help the smile making its way into your face. Rintaro was right; you really outdid yourselves. The night was a success – everyone was happy, and it finally felt like everything was normal.

“Nee-chan,” Tobio appeared before you, a towel wrapped around his neck. His grin is bright, cheeks flushed from the game and still breathing heavily. “Thank you for the party. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun before.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Tobio,” you beamed at him, watching from behind him as Wakatoshi shook his head at all the noise his brothers made – not missing the way his lips curled just the slightest when his son joined in on the joyous atmosphere.

“You should teach me how to play volleyball someday.”

“Of course!” Tobio said, a little eagerly. Just then, his eyes dimmed, his smile wavering as he approached you, a hand cupped at the sides of his mouth. “But sis… are you sure you’re okay with Rintaro? He seems oddly clingy to you today. If he bothers you, let me know, okay? I’ll beat him up. I’ll ask Shinsuke-nii to help me too–”

“Calm down. No one’s getting beaten up today. Let’s just enjoy dinner, alright?”

Tobio sulked, his shoulders closing in together with a frown. However, all that disappeared when Osamu and Airi appeared with dinner. Within minutes, all of you were situated in the long table. Everyone dug in, a mumbled ‘thanks’ and a quick prayer led by Wakatoshi.

Beside you, Rintaro squeezed your thigh before standing up. The scraping of his chair alerted everyone – multiple pairs of heads turning your way as he raised a glass.

“I wanted to make a toast – to thank everyone for coming despite their busy schedules. This home – our home – means the world to me, and there’s no one else but family who I’d rather share this moment with. I want to thank my wife, too, for bringing light into my life,” he gestured your way, causing a bout of sniggers coming from Atsumu. You rolled your eyes and decided to ignore him. “Also, I am very happy to announce that the scandal has been officially cleared. The writer of that article has left the country, and the media is no longer attacking me. I am officially an honorable man again.”

“To honor?” Osamu raised his wine with a snort, and everyone glared at him. “Oh, my bad, I thought that’s what we were toasting for.”

“Osamu,” warned Shinsuke.

“To good memories,” you announced, followed by a chorus of echoes, “And to family.” Pointing your drink in Kiyoomi’s way, the Prince raised his drink, his small smile hidden behind the glass.

“To family.”

As twilight deepened into night, the garden lights twinkled like stars, and the gathering moved inside to the cozy warmth of the living room. Stories and laughter continued late into the evening, the house filled with the comforting sounds of family and the promise of many more cherished moments to come.

It was a night of celebration, not just of a new home, but of the bonds that made it a true haven—a place where love, laughter, and the warmth of family would forever reside.

It was a moment you would cherish while it lasted.

Everyone headed straight for the wine cellar after dinner.

It caused a ruckus – half of the Princes were passed out drunk in their rooms, while the rest stayed up playing Mario Kart. It had been Tobio’s idea, and with Rintaro eagerly joining in, it soon turned into the competitive bout it was now. Whoever lost would skinny dip in the pool without turning the heater on.

You shook your head at their antics.

You cleaned up after everyone, Maiko and Camilla apologizing that they wanted to tend to their drunk husbands and couldn’t help. You quickly waved them away, unbothered. If anything, you appreciated how the noise slowly dissipated – leaving you alone with Kiyoomi who’d volunteered to help clean up. The silence is comfortable as you maneuvered around the dining room.

“Your Highness!” exclaimed Airi, wiping her hands on her apron as she rushed to you both. “Please, leave that behind, I’ll take care of it!”

As gently as you could, you snatched back the wet rug from her hands. “Airi, darling, you can go ahead and rest. I’ll take over here.”

“Oh but Princess, I could never! I’ll clean everything up–”

Kiyoomi smiled at her. “It’s okay, Airi. I’m sure Shinsuke’s been dying to talk to you, too,” Airi flushed red, causing the Prince to rumble in laughter beside you. “Go. We’ll handle this.”

“T-Thank you.”

Airi dashed upstairs, sending you both one last grateful glance before disappearing.

Guilt washed over you at the sight of her. Airi and Kita seemed to be happy together, but you knew the harsh reality that the chances of them working out were low. Not only was she a maid, but she had completely nothing to her name – no family, no college degree, and had a mouth that required dire control. At least here in the privacy of your home, they would receive no criticism, but as soon as you all returned home to the Palace… you sighed.

You couldn’t tell whether you were comforted at the thought you were not the only one suffering when it came to love.

You’re elbow deep in the sink washing the dishes, Kiyoomi at your side silently wiping the plates, when you remembered an empty seat at the table. “Iris didn’t come down for dinner. Should I bring her some leftovers?”

Kiyoomi grumbled, uninterested. “I’m sure she’ll come around once she’s hungry, and that should be soon. She’s had a mad appetite lately.”

Speaking of the devil, a light tap came from the countertops. You whipped your head at the soft, lilting voice. Iris stood a few feet away from you, a basket covered with red cloth held in front of her stomach. She looked sheepish; her brown hair falling down her in graceful waves, but her eyes were red and swollen, as if she’d been crying the entire time.

You snuck a glance at Kiyoomi, questioning, but he merely shrugged, turning his back to her and resuming with his task.

“Your Highness. May I speak with you?” her eyes darted to her husband’s figure, shifting from foot to foot. “Alone?”

“Of course. Excuse me for a moment,” bowing to Kiyoomi, you quickly washed your hands and followed Iris. She led you past the living room and out to the pools. The Princes’ shouts and banters became nothing but background noise. There, Iris situated herself in the picnic table under the willow tree, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?”

She nudged the basket your way, lifting the red cloth to reveal… pastries? “I baked these cookies for you this morning before we left the Palace. Please, have some. Consider it my peace offering.”

You fell silent. Mouth opening and closing as you searched for the right words, you settled for a forced smile. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

Iris gnawed on her lip, and dragged her chair closer to you. Much to your surprise, her hands landed on your knee, her big, green eyes pleading. “Listen, Princess, I know we got off on the wrong footing, and I really want to put that behind us and start new.”

“Uh,” you blinked back, “O-Okay?”

“I’m sorry for everything. I really am. I didn’t mean for Rintaro’s lies to drag on and go this far, and if you must know, I never supported him on his plan–”

“Why?” you didn’t mean for your words to come out harsh. But it did, and you tilted your head to the side, oddly calm as you asked, “Why don’t you support him? Don’t you want to be his?”

Iris’ bravado faltered for a minute.

“I-I did at one point. It gets tiring having to hide your relationship, you know? But his plans seemed too absurd to me, and it sounded impossible that he could achieve it.”

“Do you think he’s not fit to be King?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s what you implied,” you reiterated, scanning her face for answers – for the truth – when realization dawned on you. Leaning back, you flicked her hands away from your lap, lips curling in distaste. “You look down on him, Iris. You don’t think he’s a capable Prince at all.”

Iris clenched her jaw in an attempt to bite back a retort. “He has his many great qualities, but sometimes the Crown Prince loses touch of what is real and what is not,” she said, her placid tone betraying the fire burning in her eyes. “This is why I’m hoping we can be friends and start anew, Princess. I’m letting you know I’m breaking up with Rin. In fact, we have not been talking as of lately–”

“You fucked him in my bed lately. Do you really expect I would believe you?”

Her gaze was ice cold as it cut to you. “That was months ago, and he was the one who brought me there.”

“Let’s say he did. But who’s to say you did not seduce him beforehand?”

“He said his room felt lonely without you there, and he brought me for company. Don’t you realize, Princess? Your husband longs for you more than you know.”

Unable to help it, you chortled out a laugh. “What, are you saying he loves me?”

“He might,” she gritted her teeth, “But he needs to get over me first. That’s why I’m letting him go – you’re a kind person and you don’t deserve to be treated as second best. I’m putting my heart aside so you can finally enjoy your marriage.”

Your jaw dropped. “You’re doing this for me? How very benevolent of you, Princess.”

“It’s really not that hard to believe I want you to be happy.”

You shook your head, refusing to believe it was this easy. “Why the sudden change of heart? Is it because you couldn’t handle being called a slut by everyone?”

“I am not a slut, nor am I a homewrecker. He loved me first, don’t you forget that,” she spat out, her words laced with poison. It had you narrowing your eyes at her, and the Princess cowered for a moment, dropping her gaze down her lap as she stumbled over what to say next. “But the truth is… I never loved him. Or if I did, it wasn’t to the point where I would throw away my marriage to him. I want stability, Your Highness, and my union with Kiyoomi provided me that. Stability, security, and power – I have it all. There’s nothing more I could possibly want.”

“Then why were you sleeping with my husband?”

Iris shut her eyes, her hands balled into fists at her lap. “Because my husband wasn’t around. He avoided me like the plague during the early stages of our marriage, and the Palace is too big a place for someone like me. I’m human, too. I got lonely. You cannot blame me for seeking out the warmth of another. He wasn’t yours during those times, so you can’t put this over our heads again and again.”

“You were using him,” you stated, shooting up from your seat. Kiyoomi had told you about it. Hell, even Maiko had an inkling their relationship was nothing but exploitative on Iris’ part, but hearing it coming from her – hearing how she used your husband like he was a mere toy or puppet for her to play with as she pleases… your blood boiled.

“You knew Rintaro was in love with you, and you took advantage of that. How could you?”

“Because he was there when no one else was.”

You stood rigidly, trying to quell the storm brewing within you. Fixing your gaze on the horizon, you avoided Iris’s eyes, afraid that even a fleeting glance would betray the torrent of emotions you fought to contain. Each breath was a deliberate effort to maintain your composure, your mind a battlefield of unspoken accusations and restrained fury.

Despite the turmoil, you held yourself with regal poise.

“I think I’m going to have a drink,” you decided, sending one last forced smile her way. “Care for some?”

Color drained from the Princess’ face. “No, I-I’m laying off the drinks for a while. I’ve never been a drinker anyway.”

You watched Iris from the corner of your eye, noting how she subtly used her arms to hug her stomach, her movements slow and deliberate. Since arriving at the beach house, Iris had looked unusually pale and sickly, her vitality drained. She kept her distance from Rintaro, a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by everyone.

A wild thought flickered through your mind – could Iris be pregnant?

You quickly dismissed the idea, shaking your head, but the possibility lingered – filling you with a growing sense of dread. The realization settled in her chest like a heavy stone, the implications threating to unravel the fragile ‘peace’ between you all.

“Hmm.” You dug your nails to your palm, licking your lips as you tried to still your beating heart. “I think I’ll head to bed soon. Good night, Iris.”

“Princess,” Iris called out from where she sat, her beautiful face crestfallen and desperate. “Have you forgiven me? Can we be friends?”

“I’ll think about it.”

You headed back inside the house, your breathing growing shallower with each step you took. Faintly, you heard Rintaro’s concerned voice calling after you. You paid him no mind, taking two steps at a time as you pushed open the door to their shared bedroom.

Kiyoomi was already inside, in the middle of taking off his wristwatch when you came bustling in. Your name fell on his lips. You ignored him, too, heading for the bed with crumpled sheets from where Iris must’ve slept. You threw the pillows on the ground, the blankets balled and discarded to the side, as you looked for something – searched for answers. Her belongings all came crashing to the ground as you picked it apart one by one, hauling her suitcase from the drawer before kicking it to the floor.

“Princess,” Kiyoomi sounded worried, his hands coming up to reach for you when you slapped it away. Concern flashed over his face, more so when he saw the tears welling up in your eyes. “What’s wrong? What are you doing?”

“She’s hiding something. I know it.”

It didn’t take much effort to open her suitcase. Clothes, shoes, her makeup bag – you emptied it of its contents and felt around for any hidden zippers. None. It was empty, save for some unused tampons scattering right beneath your feet.

Your vision began to grow blurry.

Pushing past Kiyoomi, you dashed for the bathroom and knelt on the ground, opening the trash bin and digging through the heap of dry paper towels. You stared at it, confused. Why throw away perfectly good and unused napkins? Determined, you flipped the bin upside down. A white, thin object fell on the ground with a soft clink.

You reached for it with shaky hands.

It was a pregnancy test – one that read positive.

Behind you, you heard Kiyoomi’s sharp inhale. “It’s not mine,” his words faded into the background, “I never touched her.”

When you found the strength to speak, your voice came out weak and cracked.

“…I know you’re not the father.”

from the left: beach house → master bedroom → reading room

463 notes · View notes

yesimwriting · 4 months ago

Note

Armand: you are cheating

Louis: HOW ? WE DONT HAVE SEX I TOLD YOU

Armand: YOU SLEEP IN THE SAME BED, HAVE EACHOTHER AS EMERGENCY CONTACTS, YOU PRATICALY MANHANDLE HER AND YOU DRUNK KISSES AT THAT PARTY-

Louis:IT WAS JUST A PECK AND IT WAS ONE TIME

i love how messy this is, i am going to make it messier <3

----

Even now, everything remains fully focused on you.

Louis's sitting near the edge of the bed you're passed out in, his own inebriation apparent in the way that he tugs at the comforter. Armand supposes that Louis, in his own way, is trying to tuck you in and failing miserably. Armand might have thought to pity you if your positioning mattered. You've already given into unconsciousness, your thoughts too open and empty for you to be awake.

Armand straightens, his shoulder pulling itself away from the guest room's door frame. Louis grins, turning his head as he tries to look at Armand without moving from his spot on the bed, "Hi."

The coolness of Armand's demeanor isn't enough to impact Louis's easy mood. "Did we wake you? I told her to be--be quiet, but she remembered we had cereal, and for whatever reason--that was really exciting." The story is delivered through laughter.

Armand doesn't ease. "Something woke me." When all Louis does is blink at him, Armand continues, "I have allowed this friendship--this girl--into our home, into our lives, because you swore that it was platonic."

Louis's eyebrows draw together, his head tilting as the accusation settles. "It is." The defense is much flatter than it would be if he was sober.

"Really? With the way that you're always holding onto her when you're out drinking--"

"She goes out in heels." Another argument that lacks the urging structure a more sober version of Louis would have tried to emphasis. "I hold onto her because what am I supposed to do if she trips and--and scrapes a knee?" This is the closest he's come to making a genuine point. "And you've seen how she gets--always trying to run off without a single thought or warning."

Armand steps further into the room. "Really? Is that why you kissed her? Because you were worried she was going to run away?"

Louis's entire expression morphs into one of total confusion. "What?" His uncertainty is so sharp, so all consuming, he doesn't even think to defend you, to try to redirect all thoughts of potential jealousy away from you the way he usually does. "I did not kiss her--"

"Then why did I have to look into her thoughts to see the two of you at that party--"

Scoffing with a cavalierness that doesn't suit the accusation, Louis interrupts him, "Why are you looking into her thoughts at all?"

The question digs at Armand more than it should. He's quick to replace uncertainty with the anger he's entitled to. "That's all you have to say?"

"Yes, because it wasn't a kiss--it was--it was nothing. We laughed about it so hard people started looking at us."

Armand scoffs as he begins to pace across the room. "Well, as long as you say it was nothing, and as long as the two of you found some amusement in your betrayal!"

Louis frowns at the elevation of Armand's voice, his arm stretching towards you awkwardly as he tries to cover the ear you haven't pressed against a pillow with the palm of his hand. He's too out of it to do it properly, the side of his palm finding your temple instead of your ear, his fingertips touching your eyelid in a way that doesn't seem comfortable. You shift in your sleep slightly, eyebrows pulling together in discomfort.

"There was no betrayal!" The reaction is expected and still terribly boring. "If what you think happened actually happened, do you think I would have brought her back here?"

Armand stalls, his attention shifting onto you. Sleep has lulled you back into complicity, but something about your positioning still seems too rigid. Maybe if you were awake...if you were also telling him how out of context his interpretation of tonight's events were, it'd mean something more to him.

"I don't know," the response is harsh, poignant in its sarcasm. With no warning, Armand turns towards the bed. One of your arms is still above the comforter. He reaches for your wrist, the warmth of your skin nearly scalding as his fingers settle into place. "Maybe we should wake the darling thing and ask her."

Louis pulls his hand away from the side of your head in favor of grabbing Armand's arm. "Don't." His touch is firm, leaving no room for argument. "I love you, and if that's not enough for you to believe me, at least believe that she isn't the type of person to do what you're implying." Armand's deeply aware of your morality. You'd have very little interest in participating in infidelity. "You can be mad all you want, you can--you can take it out on me if you have to, but you don't touch her."

Armand's hold on you tightens. Louis can run off with you and do whatever he pleases, but when he so much as dares to touch your oh so delicate wrist, he's regarded as a monster. "You can kiss the beloved saint, but I so much as place a single hand on her wrist, and it's enough to ruin her?"

Louis narrows his eyes at the wording, his expression morphing into something much too pensive. Armand presses his lips together in an attempt at dismissing the unease burrowing itself beneath his skin.

Louis straightens slightly, something overwhelmingly knowing etching itself into his features. "Does she not regard you kindly enough?" The words are delivered with a sympathy so synthetic and mocking, Armand is briefly left incapable of reaction. "Is that what this is about?"

The heat of your skin, the weight of Louis's stare. Armand cannot escape it. He forces himself to release you, his fingers prying themselves away from you before he pulls his arm away from Louis. He steps back, distance returning his clarity.

"This is about loyalty!" The silence that follow only amplifies his lingering irritation. "I have no interest in her existence beyond your relationship with her!"

"Really?" The smugness in Louis's voice is intolerable, and Armand cannot give into his anger without unintentionally validating Louis's accusation. "So you don't care about what she thinks of you?"

"She is insignificant," he begins slowly, forcing himself to feel the weight of his words, "Her only relevance comes from you, and you alone." His gaze flits away from Louis and onto you. The realization that you've slept through this entire ordeal is more grating than it should be. "The nature of her love for you is extremely apparent in her thoughts." He allows his focus to shift towards the floor. "That is a fortunate thing."

Armand turns, moving towards the bedroom's door.

----

Daylight is just beginning to find its hold, the warmth of it tinging the sky an orangey pink. He doesn't have many hours left before he's forced to find his own darkness.

Louis has likely already found sleep, either in the bed you're resting in or his own. Though this solitude is one that invites unnecessary thought, there's a tranquility to the silence he can't bring himself to mind.

This sense of serenity is stolen from him by the sound of footsteps. Armand sighs. Of course you'd find him here, too.

You appear with little warning, drowsiness's weight heavy against your features as you look at him. "Hi," the greeting is little more than a rasp.

He turns his head slightly, doing all he can to avoid your stare. "It's early for you to be awake," he begins flatly, "Go back to bed."

You take in a deep breath before exhaling tiredly, as if to tell him that you'd love nothing more than to be able to go back to bed. "I was--I was gonna get some water."

He watches you for a moment, taking in the stiffness of your posture and the way that your arms remain crossed in front of your chest. You're likely still drunk.

Armand lets out another sigh before moving to stand. The sooner your needs are met, the sooner you can pass out in some other room and he can go back to pretending that you don't exist. "Sit." Instead of moving towards the couch, you blink at him. "You look like you're going to fall asleep while standing, sit."

Instead of waiting to see if you'll listen to instruction, he turns towards the kitchen. He finds a glass and then opens the refrigerator to retrieve the filtered water. Armand fills the cup before returning to the living room.

You're waiting on the couch, head already angled towards him. He sits down, making a point of keeping more distance between the two of you than usual. He turns enough to face you.

At some point in the night, you changed out of the outfit you wore to the party and into an oversized shirt and pajama shorts. However, remnants of the night you've had are still clinging to you. Mascara residue is smudged beneath your eyes and glittery product is smeared across your cheeks. And--and the skin surrounding your lips are stained a reddish-pink.

What could have done that to your lipstick? Was it the drinking? Or sleep? Or perhaps Louis? Or was it something less chaste? Armand dismisses the thought, extending his arm towards you. "Here."

You take the glass, taking a few sips of water before moving to rest your chin against your elbow. "You're in a mood."

You're staring at him with an openness that makes him wonder if his physical form is still capable of nausea. "I haven't fed yet."

"Hm," you mumble curiously before straightening. You take another drink of water before turning over your wrist with a level of focus the action doesn't warrant. "I'd offer you some, but my blood's probably too insignificant to be filling."

Armand stills. You heard his response. Were you conscious enough to hear Louis's accusation?

When he doesn't respond, you let out a soft laugh. "Relax, you've said worse to my face."

At least you're not joking about him harboring a secret fondness for you. "Cruelty's wasted when I can't see your wide eyed reaction to it."

You roll your eyes at the comment. "My, aren't we sadistic?"

"Only to those that invoke a certain feeling in me." He gives the sentiment a moment to stand on its own, allowing a brief silence to stretch over the two of you. Then, once he's sure the words have impacted you sufficiently, he continues, "Like those that eavesdrop."

You gasp in genuine offense. "I did not eavesdrop. I slept through too much of it for it to mean anything."

"Of course you did," he mumbles, his posture relaxing as he moves to rest an arm against the back of the couch. "You sleep too thoroughly, you have no sense of self preservation."

The response makes you frown, but there's a pensive quality to your expression that prevents the look from feeling overly sad. "Seriously. Why are you upset?"

Your ability to accurately make assumptions about him has to be one of the most grating things about knowing you. "I'm not."

"Are you not getting enough attention?" He turns his head towards you, glaring in a way that warns you against continuing. "I didn't mean it in a weird way. Sometimes when I'm upset for no reason, it's a no-attention thing."

He scoffs. "I've noticed."

Your nose wrinkles at the implication. "No, you haven't."

The argument lacks any real significance, and yet he can't help but continue it, "Yes, I have."

"No, you haven't."

"Fine," he states, straightening slightly before continuing, "Then let's talk about what I have noticed." You tense at the change in his demeanor, eyebrows drawing together sharply, but you're not certain enough about the shift to do much beyond that. "You and my companion, together at your party."

Your tilt your head curiously, staring at him with a wide eyed innocence that makes his chest feel hollow. "You--you knew about the party. We invited you, and even though you didn't want to go out, you still made us drinks."

"Yes, and none of that implied that I'd allow you to kiss my companion."

Instead of appropriately begging for forgiveness and mumbling half thought-out explanations, you give him a look that indicates more concern for his mental well being than for your physical safety. "That's why you're upset?" You press your lips together in a way that feels like an attempt at suppressing a laugh. "No, it wasn't like that at all. I was very drunk--"

"That seems to be the excuse of the evening."

The reaction seems to hurt you, the set of your mouth pulling itself into what almost feels like a pout. "It--it lasted like two seconds, and we laughed about it for so long, the group of guys next to us started looking at us weird." When Armand doesn't ease, you continue, "I would have kissed anyone."

Armand angles his head to one side in mock contemplation, "And yet it wasn't anyone, it was Louis."

You let out a small sigh, the sound low and tired. "But it could've been anyone. It could've just as easily been you."

The thought washes over him with the overwhelming suddenness of a rogue wave. He recovers quickly, cautiously raising an eyebrow at your phrasing.

"Not--" You cut yourself off, shaking your head in a silent dismissal of his reaction. "Not in a weird way, just in a totally-meaningless-way. Like I could kiss you in the same way right now, and it would mean just as little." Armand's far from unaccustomed to your alcohol-fueled ramblings, but they usually don't directly involve. "Wait--we should do that."

"What?"

"Yeah." You nod once in a way that feels much too determined. "I'll kiss you the same way, and then you'll see how meaningless it was, and then we can move on."

Armand allows himself to dwell on the idea. It would be such a small, deniable thing. The proximity, however, would not be. By the time you wake up again, it'd mean just as little to you as your earlier Kiss. By sunset, you'd be laughing about it with Louis.

He extends an arm, placing a hand against your shoulder.

"Come on," you gently prompt, "My logic is so good."

He offers you an unconvinced look. "Debatable."

"I don't see you coming up with any solutions."

Armand drags his thumb against your shoulder. You ease slightly at the display of affection. "That's because I'm not the one that created the problem."

The response seems to only make you further committed to your point. "Then let me fix it."

"No--"

"Why?" It's a relatively fair question. Perhaps emphasizing your mistakes isn't worth the satisfaction of forcing you to confront the fact that you're not perfect. "Is it Louis? I don't think he'd mind, but we can wait until tomorrow and ask, if that's better."

He's almost completely certain that Louis would mind, but not for the reasons that you're thinking of. He can't even threaten to wake you up without Louis acting like your life is on the line. "It isn't Louis."

"Okay, then let's just get it over with--"

"No," he repeats, voice a little firmer. Your lips part, and Armand can sense the questions that are to come. His grasp on personal restraint is starting to slip. "Not like this."

Armand feels you pull away from him, your back straightening as you digest the implication of his reaction. He allows you to, his hand leaving your shoulder. An uneasy warmth drags itself up your skin as you stare at him.

"You're drunk," he begins carefully, "I'm not."

The defense, though a weak one, seems to work. "Right." You nod slowly, the gesture directed more to yourself than to him. "I just--I don't want to be in a fight with you."

"We're not," he's not sure if he's willing to give up the moral high ground just yet, but he needs this conversation to end. "We can talk about it tomorrow."

You frown. "Your tomorrow is hours away from my tomorrow."

"There will be something for what I'm sure will be an impressive hangover on your nightstand when you wake up." The response lacks any particular warmth. "I haven't fed yet."

The dismissal takes a second longer than it should to register, but once it does, you move to stand. "Okay." You walk forward a few steps before turning your head to look at him again, "Thanks for the water."

You don't wait for him to respond before turning again, moving down the hall and towards the guest room.

----

a/n this is lowkey based on the new girl episode where nick and jess have their first kiss <3 also armand's reaching his chill persona limit

#iwtv x reader #iwtv x fem!reader #interview with the vampire x reader #bestie reader verse #armand x reader #louis de pointe du lac x reader

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seancekitsch · 6 months ago

Note

Hey! Absolutely LOVE your Gwayne series! You write him so well <3 If you're still taking requests, could you write a Gwayne x reader where he gets jealous of an interaction the reader has with Criston? Thank youuu<3

ahhh thank you!!! this ones a shortie but fun

You can feel his eyes on you before you even see them, a pin pricking feeling at the back of your head that makes your scalp itch. You attempt, however in vain, to ignore it. It is too soon to turn your head, too soon for eyes to meet.

“Ser Criston, can you make sure this gets done?” you ask him, a sweet smile on your lips. The man is all too serious, all too quiet and easy to bristle. It is a wonder the Queen keeps him so close, though he taught the two eldest princes everything they know.

“Yes, Lady Hightower,” he nods, bowing as he turns to leave. His gloved hand slips tight around the small purse you had given him, holding onto it as if it is something that could save the realm. It takes only a moment before another pair of gloved hands touches you, this time the hands grasp your hips tightly. You do not need to turn to know exactly who the hands belong to, nor what words will come from his mouth.

“Must you tease me?”

You gasp, as the closeness of the voice does indeed surprise you. His breath fans out across your ear, and sends shivers down your spine. Oh, you’re in for it.

“Tease you? I simply asked a Kingsgaurd to deliver a letter to your sister,” you tell him, glad that he cannot see your face, in fear your smile may give away your game. He sighs, his heat enveloping you in the morning dew.

“Is that a crime, now?” You ask, loving the way his grasp tightens on you, fingers digging into you.

He chuckles behind you, resting his chin on your shoulder momentarily, notedly not a kiss against your skin. His hair tickles your neck, and you make a point to remember to give his hair a little trim before bed tonight.

“It is a crime when it’s him,” he tells you, lips now ghosting the side of your neck, “And when you look so fucking ravishing today.”

You laugh as you turn in his arms, your husband’s scowl greeting you as his fingers now fall dangerously at the back laces of your gown. His eyes bore into you, though his anger is not for you, never for you.

“Please, that pout is unbecoming,” you chide him, lifting your hands to brush your thumbs against the corners of his lips as if you could wipe the frown from his lips. It works, if only slightly, the harsh edges of his frown starting to melt into a flatter and less offensive line.

“You are a cruel woman, I should have listened to father,” he says, his voice wavering in its heavy tone. You fake a scoff, one of your hands lightly slapping at his chest as your face contorts in fake hurt.

“What has Otto said about me this week? Truly you’re not still thinking of annulment, are you?”

He pulls your flush against him, burying your face into his tabard as he holds you tightly, his hands wandering scandalously towards your ass.

“Now see, while you taunt and humiliate me I cannot bear a thought like that. You want to know why?” he does not even wait for you to nod against his chest, although you do, “It is because you are mine, and I am free to grab handfuls of this bottom of yours anytime I’d like.”

And with that, he makes good on his word, gripping your ass so forcefully he lifts you slightly and makes you rise to your toes. Your hands rise up, arms wrapping around his neck to stabilize yourself as he knocks you off balance.

“Gwayne!” you squeal, giggling like a maiden at his boldness. While the two of you have never been shy about your affections, he often does things that can bring a blush to your cheeks at his audacity.

“Come, tell me why you feel the need to play with my feelings like this,” he nearly begs, his nose nudging at your face to urge your lips closer to his, “Why must you speak to him?”

“Ser Criston?” you ask, not completely ready to give up the game, though you know it now may end with Gwayne pushing you up against a bower in the garden or forcing you to sit in a servants stairwell while he takes what he needs. You encourage it, provoke it even.

“Do not dare speak his name, wife, please,” his voice growing more ragged and desperate, his right hand pushing further down to grip at the back of your thigh and threatening to push apart your thighs where you stand. People can see, and they probably do; but you are but newlyweds, and your love and appetites for one another are still new. Exceptions to decency might be made in your case.

“Ease yourself, husband. I only tease you because of this response. I love to see you hungry,” you tell him, your teeth grazing across his bottom lip. You know you are playing with fire, but you cannot help it. Gwayne stirs something within you that you never felt possible.

“And I am so hungry for you,” he concurs, finally capturing your lips in a kiss biting and rough and all too quick. He pulls his lips from you, and his hands almost entirely save for his gloved hands covering yours as he starts to walk backwards and pull you towards the inner layers of the keep.

“Shall you sate my hunger?” he asks, his smile finally breaking on his face.

And who are you to deny him?

#gwayne hightower x reader #gwayne x reader

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noahsbrat · 28 days ago

Text

Just Don't Lie to Me ~ n.s

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x Reader

Summary: Noah’s girlfriend gets hit on at a bar while he’s off to the bathroom. Possessive Noah feels like reminding her of her place once they get home.

Warnings: possessive-ish Noah, dom!Noah!!!, oral (m receiving), fingering (f receiving), orgasm denial, unprotected sex (p in v), creampie, mention of threesome, general rough sex (let me know if i’m forgetting anything)

Word Count: 3.6k

Author’s note: Hello, this is my first “post” on my new page! Feedback and thoughts are encouraged as I have not published anything in a very, very long time. As always, this is a fictional work about real people. This is entirely made up and for fun only!

Smut below. Minors DNI.

Part 2 - Part 3

You were leaned over by the front door of your apartment, shuffling off your platform boots.

“Listen, I have to say it one more time. She was flirting with you and I don’t believe for a second that you were unaware of it.” Noah said, arms crossed leaning against the kitchen island wearing a playful smirk.

“I swear, I would’ve known if she was flirting and she was definitely just being a drunk girl spewing compliments while she waiting on her drink.”

Although, you had really hoped she was flirting. Even though you shouldn’t have.

And honestly, it definitely had felt like she was flirting, hard.

*Earlier that night*

You were at one of your usual dive bar spots, waiting on Noah to get back from the bathroom. Feeling a little awkward and self-conscious about being alone for the interim, you kept pretending to check a message on your phone and stir your watered down drink.

“You know, if I had brought you here, there’s just no way I would leave you alone.”

You looked to your left, and whether it was the alcohol catching up or the woman beside you, your head started to feel fuzzy. She had glossy, wavy, black hair to her hips, strong brown eyes decorated in winged black liner that bored into yours, and a radiating confidence about her. She smiled at you like she wanted to devour you and for a second, you thought about letting her.

“Hah, well that’s very cute but my boyfriend will be back in a second,” you slurped the last drop of your drink, sliding it to the other side of the bar.

“Well can’t I at least keep you company in the meantime? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a pretty girl taking care of his pretty girl while he left her alone. Plus, it looks like you need a drink.”

You hated yourself but you couldn’t help but feel flushed at this point. You’d always been attracted to everyone and were comfortable with attention from women. But this was wrong. You were ashamed that you were even entertaining her, but she was so captivating you couldn’t help but want to keep her around for as long as you could.

As if she could sense the heat, she reached to tuck one of your ginger locks behind your ear so she could see you. It felt like you could melt at any second.

Shaking yourself out of your pathetic fantasy, you stepped away. “Listen, I really am flattered and you’re stunning and I’m sure a great person, but I really am waiting on my boyfriend to get back.”

She snickered and shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, heard loud and clear. I hope I wasn’t too pushy.” You shook your head at her as she started to turn to walk away. “But seriously, he better worship you like the goddess you are.”

You looked back down at the bar, similar to earlier but feeling antsy for an entirely different reason this time. You were feeling so many things: lust, guilt, shame.

You sat there for another minute or two, lost in your thoughts until you jumped at that familiar hand on your back.

“What was that all about?” Noah leaned into your ear, the same ear that that mystery vixen had just touched a moment ago.

“Nothing. She was just making small talk while she waited on her drink.”

“She didn’t leave with a drink in her hand. She was flirting with you.” He smirked.

You felt like you got caught, even though you knew he was being playful. Feeling like lying to mask your shame, you spoke up. “No she was not. She walked up complimenting my back tattoo and wanted to know more about it because she’d been wanting to get hers done soon.

What a stupid, stupid lie. He’s gonna know you’re lying.

He huffed, “I’m sure she did compliment you, just looked like she was interested in more that tattoo artist recommendations.”

Oh God, how much had he seen? Of course he hadn’t been in the bathroom that entire time.

“C’mon babe you don’t have to be embarrassed to admit it if she was. I’m secure enough to know she can’t take you from me.” He put his hand under your chin and looked at you in a very possessive, but affirming way,

“While I appreciate that, she wasn’t flirting with me, seriously. Look, can we just drop it? I’m ready for sweats and the couch.”

Noah smiled, pulling cash from his wallet, not wanting to bother waiting around for a copy of the tab, “Of course. Let’s get out of here.” He leaned over to kiss your forehead, grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the bar to wait outside for a ride-share home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Baby, I saw the way she touched your hair, like the way I would touch your hair,” He raised his eyebrows, arms still crossed but stepping out closer to you now. “It’s okay that she was, I would too if I saw you alone, but why did you lie?”

Your guilt was eating you alive at this point. You and Noah had always allowed each other openness and transparency in all aspects in your relationship, and he knew that you had a history of primarily dating women romantically and sexually before meeting him.

“I’m sorry, but I just didn’t want to say anything about it because it kind of threw me off guard I guess.” You were starting to come around to the full truth but still feeling upset, crossing your arms now looking at your tights.

He put one hand behind your neck, urging you to look up at him, and cupped his other hand on your upper arm.

“I don’t like when you lie to me, you know that. You can tell me anything, especially where it concerns your emotions.” He began to look at you with a more stern look in his eyes.

Sighing, you felt like you had disappointed him, which is what you had wanted to avoid altogether by avoiding the conversation. You rubbed your eyes for a second, then glanced back up, “What do you mean my emotions? It was a stranger giving me empty compliments.”

Noah took his hands off you, making you internally wince. “Angel, I don’t appreciate you pretending to be innocent in this. It’s obvious that you liked it. You won’t make eye contact with me and your skin is on fire.” He looks like he’s past the point of being patient, but you just can’t bring yourself to speak up.

“Just tell me what she said that got you so damn flustered baby.”

You grew hotter. Noah could call you any pet name in the book and it would make your skin heat up. You turned around, starting to walk past the living room toward the hall.

“She said that if she was with me that I would never be alone at a bar or something.”

You kept walking to the bedroom, suddenly needing to change into more breathable clothing. You knew he was following you closely behind.

He laughed, he actually laughed at you. “And that’s what got you so hot and bothered?”

“Well it wasn’t just that, it- it was everything. She just came up to me, came on very strong, and kind of threw me for a loop. I guess I just haven’t been approached like that in a very long time and I’m sorry I reacted like that.” You sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, half expecting Noah to turn back around and walk out. Instead, he crouched down in front of you, resting one hand on his thigh and one hand on yours.

“Hey, I don’t want you to be ashamed for feeling anything that you feel. But I do need you to be honest with me if there’s anything on your mind. I don’t mind you having a fantasy, but don’t embarrass me by trying to keep it a secret from me, yes?” You knew he was right, and you felt even sillier now for trying to lie to him about anything in the first place.

“Yes,” you nodded at him.

“Uh uh, yes what?” He began to tower back over you, his power looming around you, making you melt.

“Yes sir. I’ll never lie to you again. I was ashamed that I was flattered and I should have just been honest about it.” Tension was really starting to build up in you. You rubbed your thighs together, dying to relieve something. He moved to put one hand on your knee and then smiled down at you.

“Good girl. Now see, was that so hard to tell me?”

You shook your head and he pouted his lips and shook his too, mocking you.

“Now I would say that you and I have a very healthy relationship, wouldn’t you? But when you violate my trust by lying to me, it puts that health in jeopardy, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, I do.” You knew what was next to soon come.

“You’re so sweet, my good girl. You know what I have to do now right?” He takes both of your wrists, pulling you to stand up. Then he moves his right hand to cup your face, holding you in place.

“I have to punish you for tonight. For lying to me, for embarrassing me. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I do. I know I should be punished and I want you to punish me for what I did. I need you to take away all of the guilt and shame I have left. Please.”

You couldn’t believe you were being so vulnerable in this setting, even with Noah. You two had always had a very natural dominant/submissive relationship, first sexually and then in everyday life. But this time was weirdly more intimate, making you feel closer to him.

“Okay pup. You know what to do, take everything off.” He took his hands off of you, taking a step back and even putting his hands in his front pockets. God you loved when he wanted to take full control. He looked so sexy, jaw tensed, muscles bulged, hair rustled in his face.

You started sliding your top up over your ribs. The backless, black fitted top that had aided in your lies. You kept your eyes locked on him…God, he looked so fucking good like this. He looked back at you with blown pupils, his hands moving from his pockets to adjust his strained cock then meet at his front. There was something so carnal about that move and you couldn’t help but moan under your breath as you started to unzip and slide down your miniskirt. You knew when he finally put his hands on you he was going to destroy you, but you were becoming too impatient for touch to even care.

“Turn around.” As you turned, you felt his hand on your upper back, pushing you down onto the edge of the bed, urging you to catch yourself on your elbows. You looked back over your shoulders, his eyes burning holes through your back.

“Now turn over, let me see you.”

You complied immediately. You looked up at him doe-eyed, knees pulled up in some effort to hide from him. All of a sudden you were embarrassed, remembering you have forgotten about one little thing.

He smiled, flashing that wicked look. If he didn’t touch you soon, you were gonna fucking explode.

You were on your back, propped up on your elbows, just taking all of him in. In one swift move, his shirt was thrown over his head and onto the pile alongside your clothes.

“Legs down. I said let me see you.”

Fuck. You slowly lowered your legs and let your feet rest on the wooden frame at the end of the bed.

“Spread them.”

Again, you obliged, instantly getting hot at the sight in front of you.

He unfolded his arms, reaching for both of your knees, looking right at your core.

“Flirting with someone at the bar, okay. That’s one thing. Not wearing any fucking panties in front of everyone and knowing how I feel about that. You’ve been a bad little pup tonight.” He starts to trail his right hand up your thigh, then his left hand. You knew the moment he got close enough he would feel how wet you were. Getting turned on because he was disappointed in you? How pathetic.

“Promise I’ll get you more of these, yeah?” He had his hands on either side of the seam connecting the tights, hovering dangerously close to your folds. Being teased was worse punishment compared to whatever else he had planned.

“What did you just say?”

Oh fuck. Did you just say that out loud? He cocked an eyebrow at you, then suddenly ripped the tights apart. The cool air grazed your now exposed core, causing you to hiss just enough for him to hear it.

“If teasing you is punishment, then why are you so fucking wet?” His fingers were dancing along your center now, lightly grazing your folds ever so often. “Is it because of me? Or are you thinking about her?”

What? You shook your head at him. “No don’t be ridiculous. It’s just… embarrassing sometimes.”

He tilted his head, urging you to keep talking, his fingers now daring to slide up and down your folds.

“You just- you just make me feel too good—Oh God.” You were cut off by an involuntary moan, caused by him slamming two fingers into you. As blissful as you felt, you couldn’t help but feel guilty for tonight.

“Can I?” You sat up as straight as you could manage and nodded to his belt.

“Mhm.” He smiled, smiled, down at you. “Thank you for asking, good girl.” You were so close to the edge, and just like that, he pulled his fingers out, bringing them up close to his mouth. Even though a part of you knew you had that coming, your jaw still dropped completely open.

“Don’t look at me like that, you know you aren’t getting to cum tonight. Go ahead and take it out.” He took those fingers into his mouth, moaning around them.

You got to work, unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning his pants. You paused to look up at him, and you could have lost your mind at the sight.

He was looking down at you, hands now behind his back, signaling he wasn’t going to help you with anything. But he also looked at you with admiration, like he was proud of you. Not breaking eye contact, you unzipped his pants, then pulled them down to above his knees. Like muscle memory, you went straight for the waistband of his boxers, pulling down with no hesitation. His cock sprung free, and you looked away only to take it in for a moment.

He was gorgeous, cock flush against his stomach, angry and red. You took full control, pushing him back far enough so that you could get off the bed and onto your knees on the floor. In the next moment you had one hand on him and your mouth on his head. You immediately started moving both together up and down on his hard length, and you could tell he was already worked up. Glancing up through your eyelashes at him, you hollowed your cheeks. knowing this would pull more moans from him. If you were being honest, you were trying to pull out all the stops early on in hopes he would fuck you. You knew you wouldn’t be able to cum but fuck did you need some relief. The way he was so domineering yet also falling apart into you was enough to make you explode at any second.

“Fuck baby, if you keep that up—fuck.” He grabs your shoulders and pulls himself out and lifts you up onto the bed.

“Stomach, now.” You took the order before he even finished speaking, smiling to yourself thinking about what would come next. As if sensing your mischief, he yanks a fistful of your hair back, enough to see your face clearly.

“I’m gonna use you and show you how much you belong to me. I’m gonna fill you up and the second that you even think about cumming, you tell me. Yes?”

“Yes.” He pulled your hair harder. “Yes sir, use me, please.”

He released your hair and brought the same hand down, hard across your left cheek, then grabbed it before placing his other hand on your right cheek. He slowly spread them apart, the cool air hitting your core once again. You felt him spit on your center—like you even needed it—but fuck did you love when he did that. You had a feeling he was gonna be sloppy and filthy and the thought alone almost brought you to your climax. In one swift motion, he spread his spit along your slit and rammed his cock in to the hilt. You moaned into the pillow beneath you, until he pulled in from underneath you, tossing it off the bed.

“Unh uh. Let me hear you.” So you did.

With every thrust you were moaning and babbling, so cock drunk you couldn’t string a full sentence together.

“Getting closer pup. Help Sir out.”

You knew the second you clenched yourself around him he would collapse. Still crying and moaning you squeezed around him, earning a hiss from his throat, making you giggle underneath him.

He started moving faster, placing one hand on your ass and the other on the back of your head, pressing you further into the mattress.

“Mmm. Gonna fill you up now.” You tried nodding in acknowledgment, telling him you were ready.

He started to fill you, pumping his cum deeper into you as he released. “Good girl, you take it so well for me.”

He stopped moving, staying inside of you for just a while longer. He came down to kiss the top of your head, pressing himself entirely on you.

You two laid like that for a minute until you broke the silence. “I really am sorry about earlier, you know?”

“I know. Just don’t lie to me, okay?”

“I promise.”

“Okay, well let’s get cleaned up. I’ll run us a bath.” You groaned as he pulled out of you and got up, stopping to place a kiss on your hand before walking into the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This had to be one of your favorite places in the world. Your back to Noah’s chest with your head in the crook of his neck. You were fading in and out of it, a combination of bliss and exhaustion. You had long since washed each other off, and now you were just enjoying each other’s warmth.

“Hey baby?” His question was soft in your ear.

“Hmm?” You may have had your eyes closed and remained curled up, but he had your full attention.

“I did get her number for your earlier, the one who flirted with you.”

Your eyes fluttered open and you shot up, turning to face him. “You what? No you didn’t?”

He looked down, nodding. “Yeah, I did. When I saw her walk off from you I walked over to introduce myself, and one thing led to another.”

“What? What do you mean one thing led to another? How did you even do that without me noticing?” You felt so confused, not betrayed or mad, but puzzled his by actions.

“Well it’s no secret that there was something there—I saw the conversation from basically the beginning. And we’ve discussed the possibility of you bringing someone in. Forgive me but you aren’t exactly forward, so I went over to her.”

You felt slightly defensive, but also insanely aroused again. “What did you say to her?”

“I introduced myself and told her I saw her talking to my girlfriend, she was immediately apologetic, then I was pretty up front about thinking that you might like to see her sometime if she was into it. She did seem a little caught off guard, but gave me her number anyway and said she’d love to hear from you if you ever wanted to get to know one another.”

You couldn’t help but feel conflicted. You had been honest in the past that you wanted to bring another woman in from time to time and Noah would do just about anything to keep you satisfied. You also felt guilty, like in some way he was orchestrating your infidelity or something.

“Hey,” he grabbed both sides of your face, forcing you to focus in on him. “I can see your brain going 100 different directions. Don’t do that. I merely didn’t want you to lose out on a possible connection with someone so I interjected. I also don’t want you thinking I’ll be upset in any way. I’m here to be whatever you need me to be. There is no pressure to reach out at all if you don’t want to. After all, you are the one with all of the power.”

You nodded into his hands, he was right. “Well…. you are right I never would have done that on my own, and I did kind of like her, so thank you. I just can’t help but feel… gross? I know we’ve talked about bringing someone else in, whether it’s for us both or just me but I just don’t know how I feel about it.”

“Like I said, no pressure.” He brings you closer in to him, giving you a light kiss on the forehead. “Just think about it before you shut it out.”

For some reason, that last push of reassurance gave you butterflies in your stomach. “Okay, I will. Thank you, I love you.”

He leaned in impossibly close, his lips ghosting over yours, “You have no idea.”

#bad omens fanfiction #bad omens smut #noah sebastian #noah sebastian smut #noah sebastian fanfiction #bad omens cult #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian angst #bladeupnred #just don’t lie to me #jdltm

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nxtaliaistyping · 9 months ago

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Being The Riddler’s favourite camgirl <3

18+ nsfw, stalker behavior

While you weren’t the most experienced cam girl out there, you did your best. And you had to say, you were pretty good.

Three nights a week you streamed yourself, setting the camera up facing your bed as you pleasured yourself in several unique ways for your audience’s pleasure. Whether it was using a vibrator your audience controlled via donations, or fucking yourself on a dildo while you moaned out the names of the several men (and occasional women) who paid. It wasn’t your main job, but it certainly gave you a secondary source of income.

Edward wasn’t typically a man who bothers himself with sites such as the one you post on. After all, indulging in sexual desire via his own hand seemed primitive, an impulse that weaker men have. But alas, his body sometimes needs a release, so he makes do. Online porn doesn’t particularly do it for him, too fake and sterile, not to mention the obscenely stupid noises.

So when he stumbled upon the cam girl website, he figured he’d give it a go, grumbling to himself at how annoying it was to have to deal with such base desires. He clicks through a few girls, finding some satisfaction in whatever way they touch themselves, before receiving a perfectly ordinary orgasm.

It’s only the next time he feels horny, finding the site again that he finds you. Something about you immediately draws his attention, your soft curves unique in the glow of your room. He watches closely as you circle your clit slowly with your finger, just teasing yourself as you read the messages from various men.

“You’re too sweet, thank you.” You say quietly, and Edward knows deep down he needs to hear your voice again, hand instinctively wrapping around his shaft.

He reads the comment you were referring to and scoffs. The imbecile couldn’t even spell gorgeous correctly, and you’re flattered? Clearly you weren’t used to actual compliments.

Although his attention is back on your body as you start your session properly, hand rubbing your clit as the other teases your twitching hole.

“So boys, what’ll it be tonight? I have a new dildo I wanted to try…or perhaps a vibe?”

You watch as the responses pour in, as well as a few donations. You giggle as a clear answer wins, and you grab the dildo. Lubing it up, you give a cheeky wink to the camera as you slowly sink down on it.

Edward quickly grabs the bottom of his shaft tightly, for once not wanting to cum too quickly. He stares at your cunt greedily taking in the toy, before you bounce up and down slowly.

“Oh…it fills me up so good.” You say quietly, moaning when it hits the right spot.

He’s drawn to the noises you make, how you aren’t constantly playing up the pleasure. It makes the moans that do escape your pretty red lips all the more sweet. Pumping himself once again, he wishes he could see your face properly without the masquerade mask you keep on.

As per the viewers requests, you either speed up or slow down depending on the donations. You bring yourself to orgasm once, but your audience want you to overstimulate yourself, so you lay on your side and thrust the dildo in and out of your pussy.

“Fuck, can you hear how wet I am?” You say provocatively, bringing the phone closer so everyone can hear the sloppy sounds of your cunt getting fucked.

That’s all it takes for Edward to cum ropes over his fist and stomach, panting at one of the most intense orgasms he’s been able to give himself. And much to his surprise (and annoyance), he stays to watch the end of the stream, watching you cum a second time before waving goodbye to everyone, blowing some kisses.

He’s hooked, checking your profile and making a mental note of when you stream. Over the next week, he catches most of your sessions, and by the third one he actually sends a donation.

“A-ah…thank you Edward, mmm that means I can turn this up to…o-oh my god…”

He actually shivers when you say his name, watching your eye roll back as the vibrator stimulates your clit and g spot at the same time. Realising he’s becoming almost addicted, he can’t bring himself to care as once again he’s cumming all over himself.

But it isn’t enough to watch you, he needs to see your face, to know who you are. So he hacks your profile, running a trace on your name and location. Oh good, you live in Gotham too…and that’s what your face looks like unobstructed. God you’re as pretty as he imagined. And your name is pretty too, everything about you. Even the fact you’re a college student, oh you get good grades by the look of things. Of course you’re smart, as if his head would be turned by someone dim.

Now, the pleasure he receives from your streams has intensified. He knows who you really are, and he still wants you. These other men wouldn’t want you, they just want a fantasy, an unreal version of you. But not Edward. No he can treat you right, give you money that these idiots can’t dream of, fuck you better than any of them could. He just needs to show you. That’s all.

And as he hacks several security cameras outside of your apartment building, he knows his chance will be coming soon.

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biolumien · 1 year ago

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and with it, a gentle place...

pt 3 to the samurai!hoshina fic. pt 1 and pt 2 are here.

notes: happy hoshina episode.

samurai!soshiro hoshina x fem!reader i dont think any warnings apply but if there are, please let me know ;-; word count: 1359

as it turned out, being the wife of a samurai was far more boring than you could have ever imagined. your life was largely consumed by general diplomacy and far more paperwork. your husband was gone frequently, often complaining about some kind of diplomacy with the narumi clan.

it left you with hardly anything to do, in any case.

or well, you could stare languidly out into the distance. that was something you did quite frequently, staring stormily out into beautiful gardens in tedium. you supposed you could technically throw a fit, throw something at a wall, or start acting irrationally–but that might besmirch your newlywed husband’s reputation for most diplomacy.

so you settled for your naginata.

you spent most of your waking hours in the gardens of your new home, practicing diligently till your movements became a slow and elaborate kind of dance. as new lady of the house, it was your duty, your responsibility, or so you had been told, to defend the house in case it ever came under attack. and the weakened hoshina clan, with a dent in its beautiful, gilded reputation, may come with no shortage of enemies or people who wanted to take advantage of the rapidly forming power vacuum.

you doubted any real assassination attempt on the new lord of the house would happen, but you trained anyway. you wondered why, as you slashed downwards in a circle, why you would bother with defending a man who was a total stranger to you. why go to the effort? why exist in this loop of tedium and boredom, with so little reward? for a husband who was so busy in his diplomacy efforts that he couldn’t spend time with you? but then again, why did it bother you that he never had time for you? you’d never wanted to be married to him in the first place!

you lower your naginata, letting the blade touch the floor.

“so you’re the lady of the house!”

a voice startles you out of your reverie.

your husband is standing next to a younger man, his eyes widened with excitement. his hair was a startling shade of almost white, dressed in shades of soft green. his obi is a dark purple.

“you’re getting quite good at that,” soshiro says, stepping down to meet you. his kosode is in a dark purple again, layered with a black kataginu vest over top. he cut an intimidating figure, in any case, and he bows to you with a measured smile. “the naginata, i mean. i’m quite flattered you’re putting your all into this.”

“of course,” you respond, your voice as sweet as honey, edged with venom. “it’s my duty, of course, as the lady of the house now. who’s this you’ve brought with you?”

“oh, him? pardon my manners.” soshiro laughs, but you can’t quite figure out what’s funny. “this is one of my retainers. ichikawa reno. reno, this is my wife. i told you about her already on the way here.”

“nice–nice to meet you,” reno says, bowing to you. “i wanted to meet you!”

you lower your naginata to your side.

“why?” you ask. “i mean, pardon me.” you laugh, raising your sleeve to your mouth to hide the smile. “i just thought that most samurai of your stations would not bother.”

“well–even so, i’m not most samurai,” reno says, and you laugh at the absurdity of that statement, fully. his face flushes a little bit, and you reach out to pat him on the head.

“don’t worry about that, ichikawa. i am quite flattered you deigned to introduce yourself to me.” you smile, and reno nods.

“of course.”

“now, now, reno,” soshiro says, patting reno on the shoulder. “why don’t you give me and my wife some privacy for a second?”

“okay,” reno says, bowing to soshiro, and then to you before rushing off.

you watch reno leave, a soft huff leaving your lips.

“nice kid,” you say.

“our families have been allied for generations,” soshiro says, watching reno run off as well. “he has the weight of expectation upon his back, too, as the youngest.”

“mm. i see. so what is it you wanted to talk to me about, then?” you ask. “you’re so rarely in the house these days, i’m starting to think you’re avoiding me.”

“please, dear,” soshiro says. “i’m not trying to avoid you.”

you can’t even tell if he’s being honest.

“discussions with the narumi clan grow sour, mostly because i have no stomach for their son, who, coincidentally, also has no stomach for me! can you believe it?” soshiro laughs, raising a hand to push back his hair.

“... i suppose you don’t want to hear my actual answer.”

“not quite,” soshiro amends. “you have a fairly nasty look on your face.”

“do i?” you smile.

“hm.” soshiro watches you, staring down at your naginata. “do you want to spar?”

“spar?” you raise an eyebrow. “what would a samurai such as yourself want to do with sparring with his wife?”

“can’t this samurai be curious about what kinds of things his wife gets up to?” soshiro asks innocently, but draws his katana from his belt, unsheathing it and holding it in front of him in a prepared stance. in response, you hold your naginata at your side, ready as well.

“i stare out into your estate’s gardens,” you say. “and sometimes i do embroidery. and other times, i train alone.” and other times, i wish i had taken that dagger and killed you after all–better to have been known for that than to fade away like this. you choose not to say that.

“i see.” soshiro’s gaze flits for a moment.

“why do you ask?” you say.

“just curious. like i said,” soshiro says. he takes a breath. “but whenever you’re ready.”

as soon as the words leave his mouth, you spin your naginata forward, sweeping the blade downwards. he catches it just barely with his katana, parrying the blow. you realize in a small thrill that you have a farther reach than him–that he has to actively fight to close the distance in front of you. he raises his katana, bearing down hard against the handle of your naginata as you flip it upwards.

“not bad,” he says.

you furrow your brow, pushing him off before you whirl your spear again, forcing his hand to the side.

“it’s been monotonous training,” you respond, whirling your spear for another hit. he deflects it, moving in to strike, but you push him back.

“isn’t it better, then, that i spar with you? as a skilled opponent?” soshiro manages to close the distance yet again, his face and his blade dangerously close to yours.

“you’re a skilled samurai,” you retort, pushing him away again, but just barely. “i think that’s hardly fair, going up against me.”

“come of it,” soshiro responds, feinting for a second–you move to block, but he swings upwards instead, and you startle backward. “there are assassins aplenty that might try to kill you, and doubtlessly far more skilled than even me. i just want you–”

“you know, i’m getting awfully tired–”

as you step forward, spinning the naginata downwards–you watch as soshiro prepares to parry whatever side blow might be coming next–and then you throw the naginata ever so gently, closing the distance to grasp his wakizashi where it remains at his side. soshiro exhales.

“--of what everyone says they want for me.” you pull his wakizashi from his belt, unsheathing it.

it’s silent for a moment, save for your heaving breaths and the sound of birdsong.

would he let you kill him?

you drop the blade soon after thinking the thought, leaning down to pick up your naginata.

“i think we’ve done enough,” you say. “i will return to my quarters.”

you wonder why your face feels so hot as you turn away. you wonder why you wish he would have lowered his blade and kissed you. you raise a hand to your lips, tracing your bottom lip with a finger.

you hate the way your heart wants to move for him.

you do. you do hate it. right?

#kaiju no 8 #soshiro hoshina #soshiro hoshina x reader #hoshina soshiro x reader #kaiju no 8 x reader #x reader #kn8 x reader

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court-jobi · 9 months ago

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Hi, lately I came across your blog and I really adore your writting style :3

I was very excited when I saw you have open requests (if I am not wrong, otherwise ignore me hah), so I have request for Bakugou × reader, when they are in established relationship, but lately it got rocky, because he was barely home, trying to climb ranks and just neglecting their relationship, so they barely even talk. Then reader gets kidnapped, due to being Bakugou's SO, but she feels so irrelevant at this point that she starts saying to the kidnapper that they are wasting their time, because Bakugou is not coming for her, whick Katsuki overhears, you know just good old angst with fluff at the end maybe

If this request is too complicated or specific please don't feel pressured to do this, anyway have a lovely day/night

I am very much receptive to asks, and thank you so much for providing one!! super flattered actually and spent my entire afternoon crafting up this bad boy bc I had an instant idea for it

Hopefully I touched all the right notes on this one, enjoy anon! Don't be a stranger~

Do It Scared

Words: 4.9K

Warnings: Pro Hero!Bakugou x reader TW: kidnapping, intimidation, light descriptions of violence, protective Bakugou is protective, language, angst with a happy ending (promise!!) and potential spoiler: Pro Hero!Deku

for my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on Ao3

Dynamight is on top of the world– or at least working his ass off to get there.

With Deku back on the leaderboard, he’s got twice the motivation and has never been in love with being a hero more.

“That’s what -heh- nine for you this week, Dynamight?” the newly suited Pro beams at Bakugou- not unlike the five year old version of him did back a lifetime ago.

Only instead of bashing the twerp upside the head with a gloating tease, Bakugou simple smirks and gives Midoriya a stiff push on the shoulder,

“Ten, but who’s counting, nerd?”

The winded, black-and-blue villain currently under custody finds the heroes’ track records funny. Midoriya doesn’t necessarily take these villain types’ remarks to heart, but hates the attitude of this one today.

“Yer sidekick keepin’ count?! You wanna badge or a chest to pin it on, smartie pants? –AAGH!”

“HEY- THE ONLY GUY CALLIN’ THIS DEKU A NERD IS ME, DUMBASS!! YOU’RE THE SHITHEAD GOING TO JAIL FOR THAT STUNT– AND HE’S HEADING INTO THE TOP TEN!!”

“HO-OKAY, DYNAMIGHT, I think he’s had enough!!”

Deku corrals the punk’s restraints a bit, but leaves the remaining process of reading rights and detainment for the police who just rolled up. Deku will proudly share that much prefers this ‘thick as thieves’ treatment to the ‘fight me or die’ dynamic they shared in school, and couldn’t be happier to be Pro Heroes once again.

And if Bakugou were completely honest, so was he. He’s in his element and closer to reaching his goal by the day.

Walking out of earshot from the police unit, the two are heading over to Ingenium and Creati who are deeply engrossed with the intelligence officers who just arrived on the scene.

“Ten it is, then– you really need to start leaving some to me though; I can handle it, you know,” Midoriya slips his facemask down, exposing a pleading grin Bakugou still kinda wants to punch some days. “Might give you a little time to actually take a rest day now and then!”

“Tch, if you were fast enough, you’d do it, ‘Zuku.” Bakugou straightens out his gauntlet, but misses his best friend’s tilt of a frown. “N’ who said I need a rest day, anyway? I’ve never been better!”

“I can think of one person..” Midoriya hinted strongly at something that truly escaped Bakugou’s focus. Every now and then, he couldn’t quite mindread the nerd like normal, if he was deep in work mode.

“Heh?”

Midoriya raised a friendly, tired brow, “How’s your girl been lately, hm?”

Bakugou tenses a touch, but quips back, “Whaddya mean. She’s fine, been working a lot too.”

“Not as much as you. What’s she up to? You haven’t said much about her.”

Which was an oddity, indeed. Your successes, your insights, and even your random memes were common topics of conversation from Bakugou’s lips. But Midoriya did raise a finer point between the lines– you’d been put on something of a backburner, and he knew better that something must be off for the blond porcupine to rarely speak of you. Bakugou sensed it himself, but the more repeated check-in texts he received, the cycle of his non-answers worsened. This must be what the nerd is getting at.

“She’s fine-” Bakugou pressed, assuring himself and no one else, “Look, we’ve got our flow, and it works. I keep her in the loop when I’m busy and she gets it.”

Midoriya heaves a disbelieving breath, and just fixes Bakugou a look.

“What’s that shitty look for, huh? Whaddyou know?!”

“I know when she texted me yesterday that she doesn’t sound thrilled about your overtime…” the freckled sweetheart touched a personal chord within Bakugou. “Or that she hasn’t even heard from you to talk about it? I mean, I-I know it’s not my business, but Ka-”

“Deku, Dynamight!” Iida waved the two over from their aside, and back into work mode- to Bakugou’s drop in spirit, “We have a bit of a time-sensitive mission to take care of~”

Deku turned to the officer, raring to go and and straightening up his shoulders to address their more formal counterparts, “Of course, officer- how can we help?”

“Well sirs, we’ve got an ongoing heist over on the other side of the riverbank, and need a bit of coordination to respond.”

Yauyorozu had just finished off a protein pack of some sort and had demurely crumpled its trash in her hand while navigating an ipad passed to her. She’d welcomed Midoriya over when he took interest in whatever footage she’d been presented.

“Well shit, we supposed to be standin’ around like this when time’s wasting, or what?” Bakugou asked brusquely.

Ingenium -in his formal, helmeted fashion couldn’t hide his practiced patience well with the hothead in his response;

“The need for firepower is necessary, Dynamight– but caution is as well,” Iida reminded dryly. “We are in a heavily populated area, and must exercise control.”

Bakugou merely purred a low growl and turned diplomatic.

“Fine. We got live wires? Hostages?”

“To our knowledge, only a select few- a dozen at most,” the officer answered, “We can see most of the victims through the bank’s glass lobby. It’s a small, petty theft group- or so we thought, but there are some decent quirk users among them. Seems they are after more than funds, but records as well.”

Bakugou refrained from rolling his eyes, but only barely. Surely there were bigger and better missions to be pursuing than this– something a bit flashier, more suited for his skills with higher civilian rescue numbers to add to his count.

“One guest was able to contact via the emergency text line, and reported that someone did pull an emergency trigger and was taken further back into the vaults as a prisoner.”

Iida empathized, “Hardly fair- I’m sure none of these customers were armed, and they were simply acting as any hero would trying to notify the authorities.”

The officer firmed up a smile in agreement and proceeded to share some more info about how far back into the bank the team would need to infiltrate based on proximity to servers.

“Sure you don’t just wanna call ‘Tape’, bust in there, strap ‘em up, and call it a day? Y’don’t really need a whole evac team, do you.”

A simple rescue in-and-out should be easy enough, or so he assumed- until Yaoyorozu took a bit of a sharp intake of breath in her nose, alerting Deku to fixate on the screen again,

“Bak- erm. Dynamight,” Yaoyorozu interjected gently, “-you need to see this-”

Bored and still half paying attention to the officer, Bakugou only barely looked Momo’s way, and didn’t really feel like a crowd around a tiny screen -in full sun- was warranted.

“What? It’s frickin’ bright out-”

“Kacchan,” Midoriya shot back icily, “get over here.”

Something alarming had struck him in the face, and he was purposefully putting on a front to those not personally connected to the heroes. Sidestepping ‘Legs’, Bakugou was passed the ipad and played back the security footage of the interior of the bank.

Time stamped at just fifteen minutes ago, a civilian in question had tried dipping around the counter to where some clerks had been bullied up to the opposite wall- but one of the employees jerked her head towards one of the registers- a lightning quick gesture. This cued the civvie -a woman, if the hiked up skirt was a correct indication- in the foreground to feel around the bottom lip of the keyboard for something- likely an alarm switch. Once done so, she’d merely knelt back down, hoping to stay low and sneak back to avoid the thug to lash out at the person who’d tipped her off.

But then -comically enough- the thug sneezed and unfortunately whipped to the side to let it fly. Looking up, there she was in his sightline. With something akin to a spider’s web knocking her flat onto her back, she’d been dragged up and back with the others- trying to ground herself with a squatted stance first, tried to force her elbows back, then bashing her head back in an attempt to hit her captor– until she was ultimately slapped and taken back to the far hallway, hunched over.

Bakugou saw red. His heart stopped then set itself on fire, hotter than Hades. He’d known that self defense response from having taught it, himself.

You pulled the alarm.

For the first time in his career- he knows the target he’s saving. He’s in love with her, after all.

Damn your neck hurts. If your elbows hadn't been glued up to your sides, you woulda used those instead; but now having jerked your head back, you’d given yourself a healthy dose of whiplash.

And got a punch to the gut. And a slap to the face. Joy.

There’s fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. You’d seemingly gone for the fight route, with your body moving before your self-preservation could catch up, but it seems your fawning tactic of remaining calm and quiet wasn’t working out for you now. At least you took the attention off those poor girls in the lobby who were in near hysterics.

Only now it seemed you’d taken on the role yourself, back here. You try to breathe deep, drop your shoulders, drop your jaw. You’d think this would double to avoid showing any fear that your captors can use against you, but it’s honestly just to help keep you grounded and not panic and curb the intense need to vomit or cry.

Please. As if you’d even call yourself heroic for pulling the theft alarm– but you suppose it’s instincts. Carry-over bravery: osmosis you assume, from hanging around these heroes. Your hero. Katsuki.

You’re stunned– you’re shocked– and you’re scared.

Katsuki. You want Katsuki. More than the police, more than your mom.

You want your hero to come for you, over any other in this entire country. The name pounds behind your eyes when you shut them against a wave of pain, the person you want more than anything else in the world.

–And at the same time, that man’s name hurts at the cry for it: given he hasn’t spared you more than a one or two word response in days. Because he’s overworked by his own volition. By his own drive. And you should be angry. You have been, for this is the longest you haven’t seen each other outside of a trip; considering you’ve all but committed your lives together and he’s typically at your place every other night, the drop in communication is a cold bath.

And you’re scared now- it’s a blurry feeling. Time is wonky when you’re stuck in a room with no windows, no visible clock and just waiting. All those tips they tell you about how to react in an emergency to keep calm? The ones you’ve heard over and over again in security briefings and teacher preparedness days before the school year starts? Man, is it easy for those to go out the window when you’re in actual trouble.

You just want Katsuki. And that’s a silly thought, considering how wide the city is. He could be clear across the district right now.

But just saying the name -thinking of any other pleasant time when he had his arms around you play-fighting that could make these bindings feel more bearable- that’s what you want to cling to.

The villains here are pretty pathetic as interrogators go, but that spares you no calm as they taunt you as if you were a captured magistrate or politician. They’re split into two parties; their head honcho trying to tap into the databanks of the servers two doors down while your immediate captors with the creepy quirks are choosing to go through your recovered phone seeking out blackmail like the assholes they are. Your primary apps for insurance and paying your bills are thumbprint protected, so really what could they get to that's confidential? Nothing, to your knowledge. But it seems your camera roll strikes their interest.

Oh yeah, they hit low. They see your lock screen first- a sweet photo of your harmless, dopey dog who they snark that you won’t be home to feed on time. Then even more, as your home screen displays a picture-perfect selfie of you and your darling man. You picked it because it’s rare proof of him smiling at some wisecrack you made before snapping the shutter.

Your handsome and infuriatingly busy man.

“Aww, well just look at little miss hero’s cute lil boyfriend! Bet he’ll be awful proud of you playing the savior~”

“Tehehe, too little too late though, yeah? Gotta be quicker than that for us.”

“Geez, how sappy can you get. This guy’s all over her…and can’t blame him, honestly. Makes me feel a little bad for roughing such a pretty thing up.~”

Gross. Just gross. You act like you don’t listen, your simpering pain turns to nausea the more they talk. Until a renewed sense of fear hits:

“Wait- go back. Oh. Ohhh shit, no.”

“Whuh.”

“Fuck, man, that’s DYNAMIGHT!!” the jerk with the copious amounts of tattoos and chains draping off his arms like whips gets nervous real fast, “We have Dynamight’s girlfriend!!”

Your other guard seems to swallow for a split second, but immediately tips to a feigned dominance,

“Well, ain’t that just icing on the cake~”

“THE HELL DO YOU MEAN? He’s gonna come after her!! You know how scary that guy is?! I’m telling the boss-”

“Don’t wimp out already,” he fires back. “Why do that and waste time- when knowing this, we could get paid double? Heroes ransoms can cost him a pretty penny, and you know he’ll do it for her. Those heroes make bank.”

You flatten your brows angrily.

“Whaddya think, princess? Big man gonna come and save you, huh?

You really want Katsuki. But you truly have no idea if he’d know or care to come at this point. The spiral downwards in the mind is dizzying along with your headache, and just makes your heart sick for him.

When you see him next, you’re not sure if you’d hug him or throttle him. Though now, you just wanna see him.

“Unless.. He doesn’t!” his mood shifts- patronizing, “Too busy makin’ a paycheck and name for himself and all his hero buddies than to settle down and think about the pretty thing at home? Well, I would fix that real quick��”

A muffled boom sounds on your right. Rooms away.

Another, louder. Two beats after, the guards look at each other.

You hear a yell, a harsh one, then another blast that sounds cracklier than the rest. Someone’s close. But you’re honestly not sure if it’s friend or foe.

You’re excited, but get nervous again when the lackeys move into action. Chains loops a rough swing of his appendages around you and starts dragging you back into the adjoining office, while the muscle goes back to type at one of their private laptops that’s downloading something.

You give off a flare of panic in your voice- a sound you hate but can’t control.

“It’s-s not him–” you force your pitch lower, but it shakes despite your best effort. “Cmon, there’s too many heroes, s’not gonna be him– n’there gonna come an’- bust yall anyway!! Whaddya want me for?!”

As you’re dragged, you catch a glimpse of shine from above you. In the vent, you see mustard yellow and teal saturated with shadow- all metal. Then, his voice, through a comm on his wrist that flashes in the reflected light:

“Got her. Light it up, on your left.”

Both lackeys drop what they’re doing and look up to see the vent kicked into the floor– and the wall totally blown in from your right.

Dynamight -the Symbol of Victory- and Deku -the Symbol of Peace- are dropping in at breakneck speed, though the former is out for blood.

“ALRIGHT, WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKERS AM I KILLING FIRST??”

Deku’s landing creates a decent wind with his jump, revealing Bakugou behind where the door usually is, and clocking your position almost immediately.

It’s a powerful thing, to see him in action- you’ve certainly never seen it in person, and you’ve never heard him this mad. To his credit, he never raises his voice enough for you to fear it.

He spots you and the guy who rushes him, but just snarls, evades his whip of weighted chains entirely, grabs him by the calf, and chucks him into the opposing wall with a spinning throw. Then, he sets straight to you.

“DEKU!!” he shouts to Midoriya, “Trash, at your ten!!”

“On it!” Your angel from the ceiling ducts is currently laying into the other guy, but keeps the reeling villain in his sights before he can get up and strike again. You imagine the sucker has more than a few broken bones (or truly is dead, as promised)… he doesn’t move from his figure on the floor.

While you’re still coughing up a storm from the drywall throwing dust everywhere, Bakugou comes to your side and immediately picks your bound body up in a rush from the chair you were perched on.

“C’mere you-”

He sounds rushed and spent, huffs it out of the room and into a separate office down the hall.

You spot Ingenium and Creati moving on to the other end of the hall where you know the final villain remains, but you can already hear the squeals of said wimp once Iida bursts in. This will be quick work for the rest of them, so you weren’t worried Dynamight would be needed anymore.

Inside an executive’s office, Bakugou kicks the door behind him shut with his heel and sets you on the dearest flat surface- a decently sized desk.

“Hey you- you still with me?”

You don’t realize you’re breathing so fast until he’s looking you square in the face with split concern. It’s night and day from when he burst in after one of his more gusty explosions, his voice all cracked and high in pitch.

“Cmon, baby look at me- here, let’s get this crap off of you..”

Your gasps for air turn wet and you can’t keep yourself from crying anymore. It would be notably sweet that he still tries his hardest not to curse wildly around you, but right now you don’t care what font his expletives are in. Every bit of stress leaving your body all at once is a rush for your senses and your emotions.

“Kats~”

After his pocketed knife’s quick, careful work separating your arms from your waistline covered in a still-sticky webbing, he sheaths the blade again and collects you up when you launch yourself at him.

Bakugou holds you hard and fast and you can’t even be bothered to worry about how his shoulder pauldrons are nearly choking you. He’s got you back in his arms, and he’s just saved your life.

“I’m here,” he grunts to you, relieved beyond measure, “I’m here, sweet’eart. You’re safe.”

You’re so thankful. You’re so happy-

“N’d I am so sorry.

-You’re so confused.

In a flippy tone that betrays what heightened nerves you’d just gone through, you ask,

“Huh?”

Bakugou’s fingers thread into your hair when you try and pull back-

“Don’t. S’the first.” His iron-sure voice wavers, “I- I haven't hugged you all week.”

Then, you’re both crying into each other, and it’s a healing thing.

Dragging careful nails across the back of his hero suit, you try to offer a tiny bit of comfort to this mass of man cradling you on this desk. You know you’re still in dire need to talk about his recent absence, but what a reunion this was. Feeling him after a seven or eight day stretch of near radio silence changes the degree of flame you hold against him. Honestly now, you’re in the mind to think he deserves a pass entirely.

Bakugou finally lifts enough to press a kiss to your head, but makes no move to let go of you. “I’ve missed you, baby.”

Has he? He’s barely texted you past the ‘I’m heading out’ and ‘I’ve gotta sleep’ with no room to offer or reciprocate any form of love between you; so much so, it threatened to make you doubt.

“Have you? I haven’t heard.”

“No, you haven’t. And that’s all on me.”

You turn your head very slowly- your entire neck is still tender, but you'd rather listen to him with an ear to his chest, where you belong.

“I’ve missed you too,” you settle on the truth. You might have more to say when you’re not so exhausted, but the truth is you’ll still love him no matter what, and you do always miss him.

You miss every moment, big and small. His wins and losses. Nights where he’s high off a victory or the ones where he’s bone-tired and in his head about how weak he must seem. Nights where he takes out his hearing aids and just wants to fall into your silence to sleep safely, and the mornings where he’s up and ready to go take on the day after he has your kiss and hug to charge him up. Whether he has your chapstick smeared up on his cheek, or the promise of your arms to hold him in whatever state he greets you when he comes home, you just miss him. You notice when he’s not there. The house seeks him out, with lights on for him to find his way inside, and low music to soothe what anger might have followed him home.

You take a few moments to just soak each other in. You hope and pray he’ll come home with you after this.

And thank the Maker, your prayers might just be answered.

“This was a wake-up call, sweetheart.” Bakugou sounds a bit bolder, but still talks softly to you and the dust mites around you, “I’m takin’ a leave. A long one.”

The way he promises time off is something he’s toyed with before, but never followed through on.

“You can’t do that, Kats,” there’s no coldness to the words, but you mean it.

“Yes I can. It’s my race; I can step away.”

You sigh against his pec, “I’m.. I’m not asking you to. I can’t, that wouldn’t be fair.”

To you, sure. But not for his dream. Not the dream he’s worked and fought and lived for since before you met, and long before he fell in love with you. You’d supported him in this chase to save everyone and be the best at what he does from day 1, and you’ve never wavered on that– you still wouldn’t, even if someone asked you now feeling as dejected as you do by his absences–

“Tch. Y’know what's not fair?”

Bakugou finally loosens his grip on you to lift your chin up to him with thick, strong fingers,

“Leavin’ you for days on end; waiting up, worried sick. Leaving, and just assuming you’ll still be there when I get back. And now you’re getting fuckin’ snatched the minute I turn my back on what we have. That isn’t right.”

The correlation is irrational- this incident today was a freak accident. You couldn’t have planned it- or certainly hope that your identity as his significant other is not going to be weaponized. Shuffle in the hallway beyond tells you that the possibility of that information leaking is sufficiently locked up along with them.

Surely Izuku would have grabbed your phone– and maybe set you up a new lock screen with a mean mug to poke some fun at ‘Kacchan’.

You slump against him, at the sound that he’s being too hard on himself, and that’s not what you want for him either.

“I just miss you, Katsuki. And I want to see you succeed.” you study the bold ‘X’ across his chest with fondness and heartache mixed, “I want both those things. I just can’t help but wonder if you have to go at it so fast? And so hard, where I never see you? Like you’re racing against the clock to be #1? I just want you there in one piece; I don’t care how long it takes.”

You have no doubt he’s going to land the spot before he’s thirty. You just hope for a balanced ascension to the height of his power and ability. And selfishly… you hope you’re in the picture of his life when he does.

Bakugou hears and you do believe he listens, as he smooths a calming hand up and down your arm all the while.

“And today..” you clam up a bit with an uncontrollable shake, “Today was- scary. But you couldn’t help that. Any more that you can help it from happening t’ anyone. I know that,”

And you look up at him despite the burn it causes you. And -a funny contrast to your still teary eyes- you smile.

“-but you did save me. And that was- honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The comment strikes him as funny, too, since he gives a little chuckle.

“Me blastin’ in and causing you to choke on my smoke?”

You nodded briefly.

“Kinda hot, all things considered.”

Unbelievable, his headshake and eyeroll at how easily you can -and will- make jokes. Perhaps it is the shock still, deflecting with humor.

You do realize how fragile it is because when you laugh at the absurdity, you catch his eye again and you look just a little too long before you’re sniffling.

The reality is that you could lose him at any time: whether by his end or yours. He’s got the more dangerous job by far, but if today was any indication on your part, you shouldn’t just think yourself as a shoe-in for safety.

Bakugou cups your face in his hands to make himself perfectly clear.

“You’re the hero today, angel. Watched you in 16-bit as you snuck back there, taking that bastard into next week. You saved every- single- one of them.” he placed a kiss on each word as he praised you. “I am so damn proud of you.”

Your hands still skipped, limbs jumpy.

“I don’t feel like a hero.”

His lashes lured you in as he gazed at you through them, “Doesn’t mean you aren’t one. You did it scared. That’s pretty hot, too.”

You huffed your amusement as he thanked you in his own way. Best to let him carry on before he’s whisked away again.

Just as you thought he might release you in ushering you out of the office, Bakugou takes you by the hands so that you can stand, then keeps you in place by his immovable stance.

“Things are gonna change,” he vows, “because none of this shit matters if I don’t have you. Yeah I want you now, but I’m gonna want you after my fire’s burnt out. Which means, I gotta pay attention. I have to set ‘who matters’ just as high as ‘what matters’ and remember why.”

Touched by every word, your trembling lessens. You take in his warmth and his care and his explosive loyalty with confidence and nod in agreement.

Taking one last selfish hug, you sink into your hero again, standing more as equals than you usually feel being held by him. He’s lifted you up in more ways than one. Enough to let safety back into your heart, enough to tease,

“That can’t be your line. When did ‘Zuzu’ give you that one?”

“Hey,” Bakugou flicked you in the temple lightly, “I can be nice too, dammit.”

“Sure you can,” you kiss the dip of his neck in apology.

“You’re just always nice, you can’t appreciate the difference.” he pouts, taking your hand and leading you out of the office.

“...Sure I can.”

You have to give him a solid shot– he’s nothing if not insistent with what he wants.

Outside the room, there are a host of officers, photographers, medics and heroes aiding in the recovery efforts, so you relax your hand in his to let go,

–only he doesn’t let you.

Bakugou glances to you, “You’re in shock, extra. You need to get checked out.”

“I’m fine, Mr. Dynamight,” you chortle with a little head bobble like you would have normally done, only now the movement makes you wince.

“That’s what I thought. OI, Deku- where’s her sh-phone?”

The iron hero stands with the receptionists, looks to you both and smiles gratefully, before nodding off to his company and joins you-

“This, I believe, belongs to you, maam~” he perks up as he comes around to your other side. It’s not so much that you have to pretend to be strangers, but in this high-traffic place, it seems easier to fall into roles of ‘heroes’ and ‘thankful public’.

“How kind, Mr. Symbol of Peace~ I’d be missing this!”

Double checking your lock screen, he did -in fact- change your cover screen to a playful selfie: pointing at the crumbled remains of the wall they’d broken into, with the caption:

>>Whatever Kacchan wants, Kacchan gets <3<<

Muting your laugh, you simply tilt your phone Bakugou’s way and catch Midoriya’s quick wink back to you, before he sets off running with a screaming boyfriend sprinting after him.

At least Katsuki showed up back at your place at 6:30PM on the dot, fixed you both a salmon dinner, and started getting your baseline of support back on track. With his next two weeks off and barely keeping his hands off of you so far, you believed he was making good on remembering his why.

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