#I brought back crates full of them | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

downbad4sylus · 2 months ago

Text

“I told you already…you are home.”

(part 1, part 2, and part 3)

synopsis: Sylus and Zayne team up to save you from Caleb’s clutches in the final part of the Sylus vs. Caleb series.

content: sylus x afab!reader; use of Y/N; established relationship; tension; angst, lots of angst; caleb acts like caleb but worse; zayne cameo; mention of kidnapping; i don’t want to give too much away in the content, so you’ll just have to read it to find out; mostly proofread

word count: ~6k

tags: @blorbohunter @cordidy @sarangsylus @freddy-2002-blog (those i was unable to tag here, i’ve tried to tag in the replies)

a/n: here it is everyone, the final part :’) thank you to everyone who’s stuck through the journey to get here, i’m sorry it took so long but i wanted to make sure i ended the series the way it deserved. enjoy <3

If he had to reveal his true identity to any of your friends, Sylus was glad it was Zayne. He was the least likely to hand him over to the Association, especially knowing that, as a part of said Association yourself, you hadn’t done so already.

It was a tense ride from the hospital to one of Sylus’s many safe houses throughout Linkon. They said nothing to each other until they reached their destination, and Zayne finally broke the silence after walking through the threshold into Sylus’s high-rise, luxury apartment.

“Do I want to know?” he asked.

Sylus glanced over his shoulder at the doctor. “Would knowing change your willingness to help me?”

“I’m not entirely sure why you brought me along in the first place,” Zayne countered.

Sylus led Zayne to a closed door at the end of a long hallway. He turned, facing him as he crossed his arm. “I brought you along because you care about Y/N as much as I do, and because you have a past with both of them that could be used to our advantage.

“I’ll ask again, Doctor, is knowing going to change anything? Once we walk through this door, there’s no going back.”

Sylus saw the weight of the decision Zayne wrestled with in his hazel gaze. His patience was running thin, rescuing you from the Colonel’s clutches taking up every thought in his mind. It killed him enough to be in this apartment rather than following the tracker attached to your wrist, but he needed a level-headed plan first. The Colonel was intelligent, calculated, he would be anticipating Sylus coming after you, so Sylus needed to be several steps ahead to ensure you made it safety back into his arms.

“No,” the doctor said at last. “It won’t change anything.”

“Good,” Sylus said, spinning on his heel and bursting through the door. “Let’s get to work.”

Following Sylus through the door, Zayne was transported into another world.

Harsh, artificial light illuminated an entire wall full of guns, various crates scattered across the floor in front of them. Across from the array of weapons were numerous computer screens with live CCTV footage from what seemed like every corner of Linkon. Others displayed sets of numbers that meant absolutely nothing to Zayne, or radar-looking gps trackers. Sat at the desk below the screens were two men in matching crow masks.

Their heads turned in unison upon hearing footsteps approaching them.

“Luke, Kieran, this is Doctor Zayne, Y/N’s primary care physician,” Sylus introduced as he stood behind their chairs, red eyes flicking from one screen to another. “Play nice.”

“Yes Boss!” they harmonized.

Zayne was rooted to the ground feet from the trio. “What exactly…is all this?”

Sylus remained silent, too focused on what was in front of him to respond.

“Ever heard of Onychinus?” one of the masked men asked.

Zayne’s stomach dropped.

The other man jerked his thumb back toward Sylus. “That’s our boss.”

Zayne’s eyes widened. You were…dating the leader of Onychinus… The leader of the very organization he’d warned you against becoming a target of all those months ago. The leader currently holding the highest bounty on his head at the Association you worked for. And yet rather than turn him in…you fell in love instead? Zayne couldn’t help but marvel at the strange twist of fate, at the star-crossed lovers who’d still found a way to be together despite living in completely different worlds.

In that moment, Zayne was sure he’d put his faith in the right man. If anyone was going to get you back, to ensure your safe return, it was the man who had no problem doing whatever it took to do so.

“Are we good, Doctor?” Sylus asked, drawing Zayne’s attention.

Zayne met the leader of Onychinus’s striking red eyes. “We’re good.”

Sylus’s lips twitched upward. “Then let’s get to work.”

—

“Caleb!”

Your fists pounded against the locked door.

“Caleb!”

You sounded desperate, calling out Caleb’s name, and you were. The man who was meant to be your childhood best friend had taken you by force, brought you to some undisclosed location, and locked you in this room all alone. There was no way to leave this unassuming bedroom—the door was dead-bolted from the outside, the few windows were barred—and even if you managed to escape, you had no idea where you were and how to get home.

Caleb had you well and truly trapped.

You’d barely spoken during the long drive to your prison, too overwhelmed with emotion to even beg him to let you go. Caleb made futile attempts at normal conversation but had given up rather quickly when he realized you weren’t going to respond.

Now here you were, scared and alone.

Your pounding gradually weakened until you stopped entirely, sliding down the door onto the floor, silent tears doing the same down your face.

You had no idea what Caleb was planning to do with you here. You hoped you knew him well enough to say he’d never hurt you but mere hours ago you would’ve sworn on your Gran’s grave that Caleb would never kidnap you. The fear of the unknown was as overwhelming as your fear for the man himself.

Your fingers twisted the bracelet around your wrist. You wanted Sylus. Was this morning the last time you’d ever see him? Was last night the last time you’d ever fall asleep in his arms? Your last kiss. Your last I love you.

A cry bubbled in your throat and tore free, your shoulders hunching as sobs racked your body.

What if Sylus couldn’t find you? What if, despite all that was available to him, it wasn’t enough? What if you were trapped here forever, forced to live on the hope that you’d one day find your way back to each other?

A soft knock on the door had you scrambling away to the bed in the center of the room, clutching a pillow to your chest as if to shield yourself.

“Pip-squeak? I’m coming in.”

Tears still streamed down your cheeks as Caleb unlocked and opened the door, carefully entering the space. His brow buckled slightly when his eyes fell on you, taking in your wild, defensive appearance.

When he took a small step toward you, every muscle in your body tensed, something he did not miss, so he halted.

Caleb held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you, pips.”

You scowled at him. “Oh you’re not? You don’t think you’ve done enough damage already?”

He flinched. “I’m sorry, Y/N, but I did what I had to in order to get you here. You wouldn’t have come willingly.”

“Of course I wouldn’t have!” you screamed. “You kidnapped me, Caleb!”

“That’s a harsh way of putting it pip-squeak.”

Fury erupted within you. “Harsh?! What the fuck would you call it then, Caleb? After you busted down Zanye’s door, forced him to his knees—our friend—before using your Evol on me in order to get me into your car? Then you drive me to the middle of nowhere and lock me in this fucking room? What the fuck is this other than a kidnapping?”

Caleb squeezed his eyes shut, warring with his own raging emotions. He didn’t want to lose his temper with you, but why was it so hard for you to see what he was doing for you? Why did you have to fight him on every single thing?

He took a steadying breath, knowing he needed to maintain control. “If you could just hear me out…”

“Hear you out? Why? Why would I do that?”

Why did you have to keep yelling at him?

Caleb advanced a few steps and you reacted instantly, snatching the alarm clock from the nightstand and holding it in the air, an unspoken threat. Not that you’d ever hit him, his Evol would ensure that, but it was the fact that you’d even try that sent a pang through his heart.

“Don’t you understand?” he pleaded. “I’m just doing this to keep you safe.”

“I’ve never been less safe than I am in this room with you,” you hissed.

And that did it.

Caleb snapped.

Fear skittered along your bones as Caleb transformed into the fierce, unyielding Colonel.

“You’ve never been less safe?” he questioned, his voice low, tone foreign. “Do you have any idea what I’ve done for you, Y/N? Everything I’ve ever done, my entire life, has been for you. To keep you happy, to keep you safe.

“I think about the past year, all the things I’ve done, staying away to ensure that when I came back for you, you’d be safe from the danger I worked so hard to eradicate for you. And what do you do, Y/N? You fell in love with the leader of Onychinus.”

“What did you expect me to do, Caleb?” you snapped. “I thought you were dead. Did you expect me to mourn you for the rest of my life? To never make another connection to what? Honor your memory? Alive or dead, you don’t fucking control me, Caleb. I’m free to fall in love with whomever I want, leader of Onychinus included.”

Caleb stalked toward you. “You just don’t get it do you? You’re mine. You belong to me. You always have, since we were kids. I’m the only one who knows how to take care of you. I’m the only one who can keep you safe.” He ran a hand through his hair, his face softening as he reached the bed where you’d coward against the headboard. “You’ll come around. We have all the time in the world here, and I’ll prove to you that I’m all you need. I’m all you’ll ever need.”

Your body trembled so hard the headboard rattled against the wall. “Caleb, I want to go home.”

Caleb smiled and your stomach sank.

“You are home.”

—

You decided to go on a hunger strike.

All day Caleb slaved in the kitchen, cooking your favorite dishes, only for you to refuse to eat altogether once he set the feast in front of you.

“Come on, pips,” Caleb urged, sounding more like your friend now than the Colonel. “You have to eat something. I made all your favorites.”

“I’m not hungry,” you grumbled.

“Okay, but you still need to eat.” Caleb grabbed your empty plate and piled it with a little of everything. “Just a bite.”

You looked at the food laid out before you, then at Caleb. His eyes were wide, pleading. In his own twisted way, he was trying his best for you.

Maybe if he hadn’t taken you, you would’ve given in.

But he had, so you didn’t.

Instead, with eyes trained on his, you slid your hand under the plate and flipped it off the table.

Gravity caught the plate—food and all—midair and Caleb never broke eye contact. Not as the mess was brought back to the table, placed neatly in front of you, as if nothing had happened at all.

Caleb’s gaze hardened. “Just a bite,” he repeated.

You knocked the plate off the table again, and this time it clattered to the ground.

You snapped to your feet with such force the chair almost toppled over. “I said I’m not hungry.”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he sighed. “I’m not going to force you.”

You scoffed but didn’t deign him with a response. You stormed out of the kitchen and into the bedroom Caleb had locked you in earlier, slamming the door shut.

Caleb remained seated, staring at the mess on the floor he’d have to clean up. He didn’t care about that though, nor the wasted food he’d spent hours making. He cared about the way you’d looked at him, like he was a stranger. Like you wanted nothing to do with him.

He knew he had a long road ahead of him, but he was prepared to fight for you. He wouldn’t be giving you up anytime soon.

—

He should feel bad, watching you like this, but he couldn’t muster any guilt.

Caleb had cameras everywhere, both inside the house and out—well almost everywhere. There were no cameras in the en-suite bathroom attached to your bedroom, that was one line he refused to cross. And if you walked into the bedroom clad only in a towel, he would turn away and wait, giving you privacy to change in peace.

It was imperative that he know what you were up to when he inevitably returned to the Fleet, the feeds available on an app on his phone. He also needed to keep an eye on the maze, to make sure a certain crime lord wasn’t attempting a rescue mission. Caleb knew it was a very real possibility, and he was as prepared for it as he could be, going as far as to have a secret underground entrance at the back of the house for him to come and go unseen.

But right now, Caleb needed to gauge how well you were handling this new arrangement.

Not well at all, actually.

You were curled on the bed, sobbing.

The sight had Caleb clenching his fists, using every bit of self-control to not storm into your room and gather you in his arms. But doing that would only upset you further, and if Caleb had any hope of you coming around, he needed to keep his distance.

So he just sat and watched with a sorrow-filled heart, reminding himself just a little longer.

—

Sylus hadn’t slept for more than an hour or so for days.

He’d returned to the N109 Zone with Zayne, Luke, and Kieran, where they’d been working nonstop coming up with a plan to rescue you.

The tracker within the bracelet Sylus had given you went dark before you’d reached your final destination. However, Sylus only purchased the most sophisticated of technology, and the tracker passed through several jammers before entering what was likely a dead-zone. It wasn’t ideal, but it narrowed down the area in which they’d have to search. Because the Colonel had taken painstaking measures to ensure you were not found, it took several scouts—both living and mechanical—to finally locate where he had taken you.

A compound, was the best way to describe where you were locked away. An intricate hedge maze lay before the structure itself, and Sylus had no doubts it was riddled with traps. The structure looked like a house, innocuous, unassuming, but again, Sylus knew better than to make such a naive assumption.

He expected nothing less from the Colonel but that didn’t mean Sylus wasn’t going out of his mind. With rage at the Colonel for taking things this far. With worry for you, and what you were going through. With impatience for how long this was taking.

Having Zayne around was a cooling balm to his ever tumultuous emotions. A voice of reason when Sylus was on the precipice of destroying another piece of furniture. He’d readily accepted the whirlwind of being whisked away to the N109 Zone. He’d actively participated in the organizing and planning of the scouting missions as well as the rescue mission. All the while remaining calm, clinical even. Sylus would be forever grateful having the doctor by his side.

Now, with all the information they could possibly gather, as ready as they’d ever be, Sylus, Zayne, Luke, and Kieran left the N109 Zone and set out to rescue you from the Colonel’s clutches.

—

A week.

Seven days.

One hundred sixty-eight hours.

Ten thousand eighty minutes.

Six hundred four thousand eight hundred seconds.

Sometimes, a week felt like years, other times it would be over in the blink of an eye.

This last week had felt like an eternity. A never ending stretch of time.

You only knew it had been a week because of the scratches you’d etched into the headboard in the bedroom. Seven marks, one for each day.

For the first few days, Caleb stayed at the house with you. In spite of his persistent coaxing, you rarely left the bedroom, so he would adapt as he always did. Equipped with snacks and various drinks, Caleb would hole himself up in the room with you, putting on a movie and sitting in the armchair near the window at first, then slowly moving closer to you as your defenses lowered until he was on the bed. He still kept his distance, of course, but the fact that you’d allow him on the bed at all was progress in his mind.

Unbeknownst to him, however, you had ulterior motives in letting Caleb get so close to you. You’d become desperate rather quickly, not to escape but to kill the part of you that still cared about Caleb. That warred with your rational mind, trying to convince you that, while severely misguided, Caleb really was doing what he thought was best for you. You were tired of this devil on your shoulder. You often wished he would actually hurt you—on purpose—just so you could extinguish that stubborn devil’s flame. At least then you’d have a definitive, unquestionable reason to do so.

In the following days, though, Caleb left you alone until the evening as he needed to return to the Fleet.

You learned within the first hour of being by yourself that there was no chance of escape. All the windows were locked and barred, with no tool or object available to pry them apart or break them. Just like the windows, any exit was locked so tight the door wouldn’t even budge when you rattled the doorknobs.

All you could do was sit and wait for Caleb to return with your thoughts as your lone companion.

Despite the abysmal path laid ahead of you, you were hopeful that Sylus would soon come to your rescue. You didn’t know how he would do it, but if anyone could, it was Sylus. And when he did, when you were safe in his arms, you would finally listen to him—like you should’ve from the onset—and cut Caleb off for good. You had to hold on to this hope, you needed to see him again if only to apologize and admit he’d been right all along. Why hadn’t you just listened to him?

You often played with the bracelet around your wrist—the one you promised never to take off. It made you feel connected to Sylus, helped keep your hope alive. You’d also caught Caleb watching you fiddle with it and you hadn’t missed the displeasure on his face whenever you did, so, as another form of protest, you made sure to always be touching it. You wanted Caleb to know how much you thought of Sylus, how taking you from him had done nothing to diminish the strength of your love.

The sun was setting outside the barred windows, casting an orange glow throughout the house. On a normal day, Sylus would just be waking up, unless you’d gotten him to ruin his sleep schedule for the umpteenth time. You wondered what he was doing, and if he’d been sleeping at all since you were taken.

Caleb was due back anytime now. Dread sank like a stone in your stomach at the thought.

You retreated into the bedroom, burrowing under the covers. You weren’t in any mood to see Caleb’s face. He would come find you, of course, then invade your space, but at least you wouldn’t have to look at him.

The front door slammed open, making you flinch. Caleb’s footsteps were swift as he strode to your bedroom—

Then walked right by it.

Caleb always went straight to you when he got back, still clad in his uniform. He would greet you, ask you if you need anything, before excusing himself to change.

Another door opened further down the hall.

You were out of the bed and in the hallway in seconds. The door at the end—the one that Caleb sometimes slipped into after leaving you for the night but remained locked when he wasn’t around—was now slightly ajar. You hurried over, staying light on your feet as to not alert Caleb of your presence, and poked your head into the room.

Caleb stood with his back facing you, but you weren’t focused on him, no, you were zeroed in on the wall of screens before him displaying security footage from nearly every inch of the house, both inside and out.

Had he been watching you this whole time? Keeping tabs on you while he was gone and even when he was here?

Movement from one of the outside cameras caught your eye before your thoughts could spiral further.

The air whooshed from your lungs and your knees threatened to buckle.

You’d recognize that snowy hair anywhere.

Sylus.

Sylus had come for you.

Caleb whirled around, his eyes widening in surprise finding you standing in the doorway.

Your gaze snapped to his, determination blazing bright and fierce. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Caleb.”

His face twisted into a scowl.

He cocked the gun you hadn’t noticed, slipped it into a holster on his hip, and surged forward, throwing you over his shoulder before you so much as blinked.

“Caleb!” you screamed, fists pounding on his back and legs kicking against his abdomen. “Put me down!”

He made what sounded like a growl, his Evol locking your limbs in place to stop your struggle.

“Caleb please! Please, I just want to go home!”

Caleb barreled into your bedroom, hitting the door so hard it smacked against the wall. He unceremoniously dumped your body onto the bed, his Evol still keeping you immobile.

He grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him, fury and possession darkening his purple gaze. “I told you already,” he snarled, “you are home.”

He stormed out, locking the door behind him but you weren’t able to move until you heard the echo of the front door slamming shut.

Your body slumped and you couldn’t bring yourself to straighten, too defeated, too hopeless. Sylus was here, he was so close you swore you felt his presence, but you couldn’t go to him. You couldn’t run into the safety of his arms, or hear him tell you everything would be all right. You were trapped in this bedroom while there would no doubt be a battle to the death just outside this prison disguised as a home. And you didn’t know if Sylus would be the one making it out alive.

Tears streamed down your cheeks. How did you get here? Ever since returning from Skyhaven, your life had taken a turn for the worse. You were happy, you were loved. You never thought reuniting with the one person who had meant the world to you would end like this.

You barked a humorless laugh into the empty room.

“To think,” you said aloud, sounding crazed, “had the explosion not happened, I might never have met Sylus.” You laughed again. “Maybe this was doomed from the start.”

A sudden tapping against the barred window had you snapping to your feet and whirling around.

Hope dared to bloom in your chest.

On the other side of the window stood, of all people, your primary care physician.

You rushed forward, wrapping your hands around the bars. “Zayne?!”

He waved his hand, indicating he wanted you to back away.

You listened, going to the bed where you watched as Zayne coated the windowpane with ice, the glass groaning as it froze over. With a blast of his Evol, the glass shattered.

“Zayne, what’s going on?” you demanded, taking a step toward the window.

“Please give me a moment to get rid of these bars,” Zayne answered, holding up his hand to halt you. “I’ll answer your questions once I get you out.”

You stayed where you were as Zayne repeated the same process with the bars, coating them in ice and blasting them to pieces with his Evol once they were frozen.

He reached his hand through the open threshold. “Let’s get you out of here.”

He helped you through the window, making sure you didn’t get cut by any remaining broken glass. When your feet hit the ground, when you were outside, you could finally breathe again.

You started toward the front of the house, determined to find Sylus regardless of whatever brawl was happening between him and Caleb.

But Zayne caught your wrist before you made it too far.

“We’re going a different way,” he said. “The twins are waiting to bring you back to the base.”

You blinked at him, taken aback. You’d have to dissect hearing such a statement from Zayne later.

“I can’t just leave him here, Zayne,” you protested. “I won’t leave him.”

“And I won’t let you walk right into danger,” Zayne said.

You were so tired of being told what to do.

You fixed the doctor with the same determined gaze you had given Caleb when you first saw Sylus on the security footage. “Take me to him, Zayne, I’m not asking.”

—

Caleb shouldn’t have been surprised Sylus was able to destroy the maze, not even a trace of the damn thing was left. It was only ever meant to be a distraction and Caleb knew it wouldn’t stop the Onychinus leader, but he at least hoped it’d slow him down.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t come after her?” Sylus questioned, raising a brow.

Caleb grinned something sadistic. “On the contrary, I was counting on it.”

Sylus frowned. “Very well Colonel, let’s finish this.”

Caleb, still with a smile, reached for the gun at his hip. However, Sylus favored melee, and was on the Colonel in the blink of an eye, throwing a flurry of Evol-laced punches. Caleb was forced to holster his weapon and meet the onslaught with blows of his own.

Gravity and energy were an interesting match-up. Though both Evols were immensely powerful, when pitted against one another, it was if they cancelled each other out.

Where gravity tried to bend and crush, energy consumed and nullified.

Where energy tried to rip and tear, gravity curled and formed a shield.

Black and red sparked, gravity swirled, creating a concentrated vortex of devastation around the two men.

If Caleb could just put some space between them, if he could just get to his gun, then this fight would turn in his favor.

But Sylus wouldn’t give him the chance. Every time Caleb managed to get a little distance, Sylus immediately closed it. Caleb grew frustrated, his control slipping.

Finally, finally, he hit Sylus was a strong enough blast of gravity to send the leader careening backward.

“Sylus!”

The sound of your voice had both men’s heads snapping to the side.

Zayne was there too, trailing after you, a look of apology on his face as he met Sylus’s displeased gaze. Sylus should’ve known you wouldn’t listen to the doctor and follow him to safety. Truly, he expected nothing less of you, but that didn’t mean he wanted you here, in the middle of danger.

You ran toward him to fight by his side. To face Caleb and put an end to this once and for all.

Caleb took full advantage of Sylus’s momentary distraction and once again drew the gun at his hip.

Then everything happened so fast. Too fast.

You were closer to the Onychinus leader than Caleb realized and when he pulled the trigger, it was you the gun was aimed at, not Sylus.

Sylus’s Evol wrapped around the bullet, intent on disintegrating it midair, well before it ever pierced your flesh.

Except this was no ordinary bullet. It was Evol-resistant, meaning Sylus’s black-red mist was useless to stop the bullet from sinking right into your chest.

How many times did he have to tell you not to throw yourself in front of him? He was your shield, not the other way around.

Sylus felt the bullet as though it’d pierced his own flesh.

Before you even swayed, Sylus erupted.

No one truly knew the power Sylus was capable of, not until this moment. His Evol was a force of pure destruction, wrapping protectively around you (and the doctor, as Sylus maintained the wherewithal to do so) only to wreak havoc beyond. He always said he’d burn the world for you if he had to, and he was finally making good on that promise.

As fast as the eruption started, it ended, silence settling thick in the air. A mile-wide black-red scorch mark covered the earth, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

It was impossible to tell whether the Colonel was amongst the devastation or had managed a miraculous escape, but Sylus couldn’t care less as he rushed toward where he’d carefully lowered you to the ground.

He gathered you in his arms, pressing hard on the gun wound to help slow the bleeding.

“Sweetie, please,” he begged, the desperation in his voice foreign to him. “Please, stay with me.”

Zayne fell to knees, already assessing your condition with clinical precision.

“I need you to get the bullet out,” Sylus demanded. Before Zayne could respond, Sylus had his phone out and to his ear. “Get over here, now.”

The loud squeal of tires echoed as the twins gunned it down the convenient 1.2 mile stretch of barren land to where you lay unconscious in Sylus’s arms.

They were there in less than a minute, screeching to a halt. With a prepared medkit in hand, they were out of the car and passing it to Zayne within seconds.

“Get the bullet out,” Sylus snarled. “Once it’s out I can heal her.” Far quieter he said, “Please.”

Zayne wasted no time, slipping on gloves with practiced ease before grabbing the tweezers to dislodge the bullet. You got lucky, so unbelievably lucky that the bullet didn’t pierce your heart, Zayne estimated it missed by about an inch. It didn’t mean you were in the clear, but if Sylus could heal you like he said, then you just might have a chance at surviving this.

Years of working under pressure kept Zayne’s hands steady despite the terror coursing through him. He didn’t want to lose you either, couldn’t even bring himself to picture a world without you in it.

The tweezers closed around the bullet and Zayne slowly pulled it free, letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Sylus’s Evol wrapped around you once more, his power flowing through your wound, healing you before he lost you in this lifetime.

“Don’t leave me, Y/N,” Sylus whispered. “Don’t you dare leave me.”

—

You were positive you were dead.

The last thing you remembered, after getting shot, was being consumed by hellfire.

To be honest, while you were a little sad, you had no regrets as long as Sylus made it out alive. Perhaps you could plead with whatever god watched over the afterlife to tell you if he’d made it. Surely said god would take pity on you since you sacrificed yourself for your lover.

The afterlife was quite comfortable though, and it made you doubt whether it was hellfire you saw during your last seconds or something else entirely. You were surrounded by silk, cushioned by softness, reminding you of Sylus’s bed. Maybe you got lucky, maybe you were in heaven because laying in Sylus’s bed certainly felt like heaven to you.

The afterlife also had music, classical music to be specific. It played in the background, a gentle lull tempting you to fall back into oblivion but you were curious to explore this new world.

Your eyes fluttered open.

Heaven was more than just Sylus’s bed, it looked exactly like his room. Tears pricked in your eyes at the thought of existing here without him. Heaven or not, you wouldn’t be truly happy if he wasn’t by your side.

Swallowing your tears, you slowly sat up, surprised to find you were sore despite having passed on. Your chest ached where you’d been shot and breathing was a bit difficult because of it.

“Sweetie you really shouldn’t be moving so much.”

Your head snapped up at the sound of his voice so fast you almost blacked out.

“Sylus?!” you cried.

There he was, in all his beautiful glory, brow creased with worry as he crossed the room over to the bed. He sank down beside you, and you felt him there, as real as he’d ever been.

You tentatively reached out a hand, your fingertips grazing the edge of his sleeve. “I— I thought I was dead,” you whispered.

Sylus’s lips curled into a soft smile. “Your doctor and I worked very hard not to let that happen, sweetie.”

“Zayne’s still here?” you questioned.

He shook his head. “Not at the moment, but he was.” With all the gentleness in the world, Sylus took your hand in his, thumb brushing over your knuckles. “You’ve been asleep for three days.”

You blinked in disbelief. For you, it had felt like no time had passed at all. “Am I…okay?”

Sylus huffed a chuckle. “Yes, you’re okay. Zayne will come by now that you’re awake to give us a treatment plan.”

You groaned, flopping down onto the bed, much to the aggravation of your healing wound. “He’s always so strict.”

“He’s your doctor, of course he is.”

You glanced at Sylus, meeting those red eyes you loved so much. “What happened to Caleb?”

Sylus’s expression shifted slightly, as though this was the last thing he wanted to talk about right now. “Gone, as far as I can tell. There’s no trace of him.”

You waited for the wave of sadness to hit you, but all you felt was the smallest pang of regret. Not regret over what happened, but that maybe there was something you could’ve done differently to prevent the outcome.

“I’m sorry,” you said, squeezing Sylus’s hand. “You were right, the whole time, and I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorry, Sy.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’m sorry it didn’t end the way you wanted it to.”

“All that matters to me is that I have you,” you insisted. “I love you, Sylus.”

He smiled again, looking at you like you held his entire world in your hands. “I love you too, Y/N.”

You averted your gaze, cheeks tinging pink. “This might be sudden, but after everything, I, um— Would you, um— Would you maybe want to move in together? You know, once we complete my doctor’s borderline authoritarian treatment plan.”

His eyes widened slightly. Then he laughed something genuine, the sound music to your ears. “You never fail to surprise me, sweetie.”

“Is that a yes?”

He brought your hand to his lips. “That is a resounding yes.”

For the first time since coming back from Skyhaven, everything felt right again. You might not have died, but being with Sylus was the only heaven you’d ever need.

—

The black hole was quiet, comforting.

It felt vaguely familiar, like he’d experienced something similar once before, or maybe he hadn’t yet? Time was hard to distinguish here.

There was peace though, around him, inside his heart. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like this.

Yeah, the black hole wasn’t so bad.

He’d be okay here.

Bonus:

“I don’t know why you insist on packing everything, I told you I’d just replace it at the base.”

You huffed, placing your hands on your hips as you straightened from the box you’d been carefully packing. “My things cannot be replaced, Sylus, they are special to me.”

Sylus cocked a brow and held up a clearly neglected pen he’d found under your bed. “This is special to you?”

You gaped at him. “Ugh, you are so insufferable!”

Sylus laughed. “Better get used to it, sweetie, because you’re about be stuck with my insufferability.”

You stormed up to where he sat on the floor beside your bed, bending over so you were at eye level. You then placed a chaste kiss right on the tip of his nose. “Good, because I don’t want to live without it.”

Sylus smiled and cupped the back of your neck, bringing your lips to his for an impassioned kiss. “And I don’t want to live without you, my beloved.”

#love and deepspace #l&ds sylus #lnds sylus #sylus x mc #sylus x reader #sylus x you #love and deepspace sylus #sylus angst #l&ds caleb #lads caleb #love and deepspace caleb #love and deepspace zayne #lads zayne #l&ds zayne #love and deepspace angst #l&ds angst #lads angst

340 notes · View notes

da-shrimping-station · 3 months ago

Text

Cat Shelter AU

A lil expansion on my cats post/headcanon /ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ

[again, sorry for possible grammar mistakes and bad English]

You (MC/reader/whathaveyou) have been recently introduced to a very distant relative named Solomon, who manages a cat shelter. You've only heard about it and seen pictures but never really visited. It was a bit far from your city.

But it's cool! You think that Solomon caring for stray cats in need is very heartwarming.

Then one day, you find your distant relative on your doorstep, a bit haggard but cheery nonetheless. You both go through the motions of being courteous, him as an unexpected guest and you as the host. He cuts to the chase and tells you the real reason for his sudden visit.

"You need me to care of a few cats because the shelter is full?"

"Yes. I know this is all just out of the blue but my hands are tied. Renovations for more space is still underway and there was no one else I could think of." He was sincere and honest, something that you appreciated yet…

"I don't really have much experience with pets though." It was true. The apartment you grew up in didn't allow pets and the short interactions you had with your friends' pets won't compare to being fully responsible for a live animal. On your own especially.

"Well, it's not like I'll leave it all to you," Solomon reassures. "I've brought the supplies you'll need and I'll be sending over money to cover any cat-related expenses."

"That's pretty generous." You've seen shelters get short on funds and have donation campaigns. With Solomon's shelter however, it looks like money is the least of their concerns.

"Oh, no worries! Mr. G won't spare any expenses when it comes to his shelter. I'll give you my contact info too. Just in case."

You smoothed out the details of the arrangement, making sure to get both the shelter's and Solomon's contact details.

Five cats sounded a lot but Solomon tells you that they're absolute sweethearts and won't cause much trouble. With that, you gave him the go signal to bring them in.

Seeing the first cat carrier made you reconsider.

It was red and looked like it went through hell. The plastic material was banged up and damaged so much that you wondered if it would collapse any time soon. White fur poked out of the gaps. You leaned down, trying to get a good look at the cat inside but then it started going batshit, practically howling.

"This is Satan," Solomon says with a big smile. The carrier opened with a click and a white blur shot out. It banged against your coffee table before circling back around Solomon's feet.

"Mrrroooooow!"

The white fluffball stood proudly, red eyes gleaming with mischief. It trotted over to Solomon who easily picked him up. The purring started in no time. His fluff wasn't able to hide the claws hooking onto Solomon's arms.

"Oh, that's loud," you remark. "Sounds like a motorbike."

"Ah, that's just how he is." Your relative cooed at Satan despite the cat practically gnawing at his fingers.

The next one he brought in was a metal crate much larger than you expected. Isn't that for big dogs? Is that a dog inside? The shape in the middle didn't move, much to your relief because Solomon was struggling with the weight. You came over and helped him out.

You caught a glimpse of yellow eyes and patterned fur. Definitely not a dog.

"That's a cat?"

Well, yes obviously but the animal that came out was too big to be a normal domesticated cat. It looked more like some wildcat just from the size alone. Kneeling on the floor beside Solomon made you more aware of how big it was.

Satan trotted over to the newcomer, circling it slowly. The size difference was a bit comical. The white cat was only half its size. You bet the fur gave Satan a fuller shape. How would he look during bath time, you wondered.

Without hesitation, Satan batted a paw right between the eyes. The smack was audible and it sounded like it hurt but the bigger cat didn't even flinch.

"Rude!" You called after Satan as he sped off from the scene.

"Oh, don't worry about that. They're actually good friends." Solomon called the cat over who obliged. "Mammon, this is your new caretaker."

Mammon stared at you and for some reason you felt like an object being appraised. You noticed that half of his right ear was nearly gone. There was only an inch or so left, cleanly cut and healed. The cat walked closer, coming around behind you and bunting your backside.

"What-?!" The cat did it again and you fully sat down on the floor. It let out a disappointed mew before settling on your lap. "Oof!"

"Heavy isn't he?" Solomon chuckled. "He's all muscle."

And he was right. Beneath the silky fur and soft skin, you can feel how solid Mammon was. Despite that, he was a huge softie, eyes closed and draped all over your lap as you pet him.

"The next cat is a bit...special."

The next carrier looked way better than the red one. It was spotless and probably brand new. You can barely peep inside from how dark the interior was. Solomon set it down and opened the door. Nothing came out.

You and Solomon waited for a few moments more.

"Come on, Leviathan," Solomon urged. The reply he got was a faint hissing noise. "Oh dear."

"Is the cat alright?" You tried to look closer–

Satan bolted past you, straight into the carrier. The box rattled, both cats yowling and growling. It tipped to the side from all the jostling and you tried to steady it but the ungodly noises the cats made had you staying still. The box jerked one last time before Satan got chased out. The other cat was all teeth and claws, cream colored fur fluffed up and tail flicking aggressively.

Satan zoomed towards Mammon who was watching the scene with mild interest.

"Leviathan," Solomon cooed gently. The cat's mismatched eyes turned to him as he slowly reached out.

Leviathan looked at the hand with what you can only describe as annoyance. He smacked it away before strutting back into the carrier.

"He's got quite the attitude," you remark as Solomon pouted.

The second to the last cat was inside a half closed cardboard box. Solomon explained that while they all have their own crates and carriers, this particular kitty named Beelzebub loved cardboard boxes. The logo of a potato chip brand on the side was scratched through, barely readable.

"He's a bit of an escape artist, so please double check your doors and window. But he always comes back after some time. Right, Bell?"

The cat responded with an enthusiastic meow. Upon hearing it, the other cats perked up. Even Leviathan poked his head out.

Solomon set the box down, barely able to open the flaps before an orange cat jumped out. He immediately shot straight for Satan and Mammon who eagerly welcomed him. The two of you watched as they played together, literally bouncing off the furniture in excitement.

Satan and Beelzebub must be the main troublemakers, seeing how they ran circles around Mammon. The bigger cat sat through their chaos, occasionally pawing at them whenever he felt like it. Eventually, they must've remembered that there's 4 of them.

Leviathan was hissing up a storm when the others walked up to his carrier. He didn't give them a chance to sneak inside. Instead he ran out, pouncing at Beelzebub who looked more than happy to dodge and give chase.

Seeing four cats zooming around your modest living room made you feel dizzy. You had every right to worry about the state of your apartment if you left those creatures unattended. They took turns bullying each other. Leviathan even went so far as to knock Beelzebub off the back of your couch. You peeked behind the furniture just as Bell wiggled underneath. He ran out the other side, bumping into Mammon on purpose. The bigger cat didn't hesitate to bring his paw down on him.

"And, last but not the least, we have Lucifer. He's the oldest cat in the shelter."

Solomon set the black crate down and opened the latch. When the lock clicked, the other cats stopped what they were doing. You looked over to where they were and saw that Leviathan and Beelzebub stuck close while Satan and Mammon started to make their way over.

A slight rumbling was heard before a big cat leisurely walked out. The light colored fur looked quite soft and thick but it wasn't enough to hide the scars on his back. He looked the mildest out of the bunch but the fangs poking out of his mouth made you wary. He didn't bother getting any closer, just taking a few steps from his carrier and sitting down. For some reason, you were both eager and hesitant to interact with Lucifer.

Satan and Mammon were right beside you while Leviathan and Beelzebub lingered near Solomon. Lucifer was uncaring towards the apparent hesitation from everyone and proceeded to groom himself. His stubby tail flicked lazily.

"Well, that's everyone," Solomon said, standing up to his full height. "I'll leave you with them for a bit while I get the rest of their stuff."

Five pairs of eyes stared at you the moment Solomon left. It was unnerving to say the least. Surprisingly, Mammon took initiative and jumped onto your lap. You expected the others to do the same or even go so far as to knock him off his spot. Instead, they all did their own thing, going around to explore your house.

You saw Beelzebub hop onto your kitchen counter without hesitation, followed by Satan.

On the other side of the room, Lucifer perched himself on the windowsill to catch the midmorning sun.

Leviathan was out of sight but a clatter from your laundry area told you where he was.

As much as you want to stop Beelzebub from going into your cupboards or making sure Leviathan didn't break anything, Mammon's hefty weight on your legs made sure that you weren't going anywhere. He was a big boy, with big and deadly paws to match. You were careful in petting him, not wanting to do anything he deems uncomfortable. He yawned and you cringed at the large canines. Dear Lord, you do not want to be on the receiving end of that.

You look up just in time to see Satan push a mug off the counter.

"Kitty—NO!"

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

aaaaand that's a wrap i suppose

this WIP has been chilling since September and....idk man writing is hard, english is hard lmao

lmk what y'all think

#what in hell is bad #whb #prettybusy what in “hell” is bad?#what in “hell” is bad?#🦐:ramblings #whb:cat shelter au #whb satan #whb mammon #whb leviathan #whb beelzebub #whb lucifer #whb solomon #honestly dunno where it will go from here lol #and im not sure if i wanna add belphie and asmo #idk much about cats RIP

172 notes · View notes

star-spacer · 5 months ago

Text

And Tonight, We’ll Be Warm

It is technically still the 25th where I am so have a holiday-related fic! This is just an excuse to write that obligatory Christmas fic that nobody asked for

Whitebeard Pirates x Reader (no particular pairing but very Ace-centric)

The Whitebeard Pirates never needed an excuse to party, but surprisingly, they always celebrated one specific holiday.

The sight of white flecks on the deck heralded the arrival of the Moby Dick to its destination, the cheery winter island in front of you a familiar sight. You couldn’t see it at this distance, but you had no doubt that if you asked Marco, he’d say that it was decked out in its annual holiday decoration already.

Around you, the hustle and bustle of docking preparations were in full swing, excitement filling the chilly air more than usual. Every year, on the same day and if time was willing, Pops liked to return to this specific island, deep in the heart of his territory, known for its celebration this time of year. It was done often enough that the locals left a special place for the Whitebeards and the crew always brought in supplies when they came. What would commence would be a two-day, island-wide celebration where the Whitebeards and even other friendly crews would toss aside their worries to rejoice. Though Pops’s family may have been a wide assortment of characters from all over the Blues, it was a unanimous agreement that all of you would indulge in this holiday because of how much joy it brought the old man. Though as pirates, there was never a reason needed to party.

You’d been with the crew long enough to have attended a few, the first few times never something you’d never forget. Overwhelming in the best of days, there would be lots of work done once you docked to unload the supplies and crates, but then the locals would whisk it all away and the crew would be able to release themselves upon the festivities. There would be stalls upon stalls of vendors selling indulgent foods, gifts, and knickknacks for the holidays. And—of course—the booze. It was a pirate island, after all.

A relieved cheer broke out as the Moby coasted gently to a stop, a few of those who could handle the jump vaulting over the side onto the dock, while those who remained up top tossed down the mooring line for them. You double-checked the ropes on the winches responsible for lowering the cargo and leaned over to ensure that nobody was in the way.

“Lowering the crates!” You yelled down to the people milling down below. The worn wooden crank was familiar in your work-calloused hands as you cranked it, lowering the creaking platforms of foods and ingredients down. A ‘thump’ and the lines slackening signaled the contact with the dock below you, and you left the unpacking to the ground crew.

Beelining for the rope ladder, you scaled down it to join the others, an eager grin pulling at your cheeks. Wagons waited for their loads, but you left that to those like Fossa and Blenheim, the likes of them able to move much more efficiently when they had no smaller crewmates running underfoot. Your eyes darted across the space, seeking one specific person. For once, a majority of the crew had a shirt and jacket on, only the hardiest of them forgoing it, so it was easy for you to find that tattoo stretched across a tanned back.

“Ace!”

The young man spun around, seeking the call of his name. You started toward him, waving to attract his attention. He returned your grin easily as the two of you met up. Close to him, you couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Despite your layers, it was still bitingly cold with the snow fluttering down. But with Ace nearby, his heater tendencies, courtesy of his Fruit, were a warm balm against the low temperatures.

“You were right, this does look fun!” Ace said, hands on his hips as he regarded the festivities beyond the dock. I’m glad I’ll have someone to lead me around.”

“Hm.” You rubbed your hands, fingertips red. “I’ll show you all the good places to hit up. Ignore what Commander Marco says. He’s a geezer who’s got outdated tastes.”

“Does he now, yoi?”

You stiffened, spine prickling with unease as footsteps came close. The warmth of the other flame-related Devil Fruit user on your back betrayed his approach. You shot Ace a nervous smile, grabbing his shoulders and swinging behind him to escape the fingers that skimmed the collar of your jacket. Grabbing the black-haired man’s hand, you readied to bolt but flailed when he didn’t move.

“C’mon! We gotta run!”

Ace glanced back at you, shrugging helplessly, still gripping your hand.

“You should know better,” Marco tsked as he stopped in front of Ace (and you, who ensured you were soundly on the opposite side of Ace from him). He crossed his arms, a lazy smile twitching into something mischievous. “We have to wait for Pops, yoi.”

As if that mention summoned him, the ground trembled with the impact of your captain landing down from his leap off the ship. He did a sweeping glance over his nakama, still milling about the dock as they waited for his arrival, and unleashed his booming laughter. “What are you all waiting for? Go have fun, my children!”

Noise erupted over the dock, and you suddenly found Ace very agreeable as you ran away from Marco. The two of you darted into the crowd, away from the blonde.

“Go! Go! GO!” You yelled as Ace swept you onto his back, laughing as he bolted. You wrapped an arm around his neck to keep balance, while the other one pointed in front of him to where you wanted him to go. Rakuyo jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being plowed over, and Atmos bellowed in laughter when Ace ducked under his arm, revealing you clinging to his back.

Despite you acting as a backpack for him, Ace was barely winded when you finally told him to stop. He regarded the street around you with wide eyes as you slid off him, dusting your clothes. “Where to know?”

You pointed to a little stall that had a small metal stove by its side. “First order of business: Drinks!”

The little old lady there waved as you approached, a smile of familiarity greeting you. “Welcome back, dearie. I see you’ve brought a friend!”

Nodding, you stepped aside to showcase the now-shy ravenette to her. “Hi again Miss Rose. This is Ace! He joined us a little while ago.”

“Showing him around, I see…” Miss Rose said

“Yep,” you said. “I gotta do it since I don’t want to put him through the history lesson that Commander Marco might’ve exposed him to. And I thought it’d be good to start everything off with drinks from your stall!”

Miss Rose tilted her head, an apologetic expression falling onto her face. “I’m sorry, dearie, but my stove just went out, you see. I sent my son off to fetch flint, but it’s going to be a while before I can get anything warm for you.”

“I can help!” Ace said, straightening up as he lifted a hand, small flames flickering to life. He, however, quickly extinguished it, and added on nervously, “I-If you want.”

The woman didn’t flinch at the small display of Ace’s powers, long-familiar with Devil Fruit displays on an island such as this, and toddled over to the stove, pulling open the door, and stepped aside for Ace. “Oh, if you could, that would be delightful.”

Caught off guard by the open friendliness, Ace glanced at you in a silent question. You bumped him forward with your shoulder. “Yeah. Miss Rose has the best cider all around, and you can’t start the festivities without getting a cup.”

Ace exhaled with a smile, sticking his hand into the open maw of the stove. With a flash of orange, the lumber within it lit up. The door was closed, and Miss Rose quickly put a pot over the top. Within moments, the warm smell of spices suffused the air and the pot’s content bubbled merrily away. Miss Rose moved with a speed that belied her age as she quickly set up two steaming cups of liquid. You barely just finished fishing out the appropriate payment before they were shoved into your grasp. Passing one to Ace, you slid the coins over to her quicker than she could react. Grabbing Ace, you led him away despite the woman’s protests refusing your payment and called back, “Thanks, Miss Rose!”

Your action prompted a curious look from him as the two of you hurried from her stand. “What was that about?”

“She’s too kind for her own good, and if I didn’t do that, she would’ve tossed my coin back at my face,” you explained. Taking a long sip, you let out a satisfied sigh at the warmth spreading through your guts and prompted Ace, “Try it.”

He took a tentative sip. Your catlike grin widened as his eyes lit up, and he went in for seconds. “Woah, this is good…”

“Mhm,” you hummed, turning to look at the busy street in front of you. You pulled the cup closer to your face to allow the steam to warm up your cold nose. “It’s good that we got here before the crew. Otherwise, we’d be fighting Kingdew for a spot in line.”

Ace didn’t reply, and you glanced over to see him staring at the colorfully lit lanterns above you that cast festive colors onto the street. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was nice seeing the awe on his face, and you realized this must’ve been why Marco was chuckling at you when it was your first time on the island.

The growl emitting from him broke you out of your reverie, and you chuckled, hefting a bag of Berry in your hands.

“Alright Ace, since it’s your first time here, you can get any food you want, my treat. But—” You held up a finger when he brightened, “Only as much as this pouch can pay, and don’t spoil your appetite for later.”

“What’s for later?” Ace asked as he began walking to the nearest food stall, something to do with skewers.

“Five, please,” you said pleasantly to the vendor. Glancing back at Ace, you said. “There’s always a big feast and bonfire set up. It’s great. You’ll love it.”

The food was given to you, and you exchanged it with the correct amount of bills, passing four of the roasted chestnut and meat sticks to Ace while you kept one to yourself. Silence stretched between you two for a few minutes as the food was savored. As you were crunching through a chunk of chestnut, you heard Ace murmur, “Lu’ would’ve liked this.”

You swallowed your bite. Aside from his explosive (literally) introduction to the crew, there were a few other things about him that he never kept quiet about, one of them being his very cherished brother. “Oh yeah? I mean, this island is known for good chestnuts year-round, so food like this is common anytime. You can bring him here when you meet him again.”

Ace polished off his second skewer, expression wistful as he murmured, “Yeah…”

“Oi, you two!”

Like twin dogs, the two of you turned to the call. Thatch waved at you, Izou by his side. The former looked a little silly, with a sprinkling of snow piling up atop his pompadour, while the latter looked immaculate in his dark-blue kimono, its woven threats gleaming when it caught the lights. Amusement lit up the two Commanders’ faces when they saw the food in Ace’s hold.

“Putting another person’s wallet to work already, I see,” Izou said with a small smirk on his painted lips.

“Well, better than the alternative,” Thatch quipped, hands on his hips. “The locals may like us, but that can change if someone decides to dine and dash.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you pipped up. “I’m treating Ace today since it’s his first time.”

“How thoughtful,” Izou said. “You would have had the same result tossing your wallet in the sea.”

“I know better! I only brought a set amount.”

“Hey!” Ace protested. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

You, Thatch, and Izou exchanged glances. A beat of silence passed.

Thatch was the first to crack, folding in half as mirth shook his body, and you had to make efforts not to spill your drink in your laughter. Even Izou cracked, one fist coming up to cover his mouth as he snorted. Ace leveled a betrayed look at you all.

“By the way,” Thatch began, once he finally reigned his laughter back in control. “Where are the two of ya headed?”

Shrugging, you motioned down the street you two were on. “Just roaming for the most part, but the goal is to the town center to show Ace the stage before going to the bonfire.

“Hm. Mind if we join y’all?”

You shrugged. “I don’t mind. Ace?”

Silence greeted you, and you whirled around to find him face down in the snow, breathing deeply. Somehow, he still held his drink and food aloft. Sighing, you sent the other men a helpless look.

“We can wait until he wakes up to see what he wants,” Izou amended. “Let’s move him to the bench over there.”

Thatch smiled, lifting a hand. “If ya can grab the food and cup, I’ll carry our resident flamethrower out of the street.”

Chugging the rest of your cider, you crouched down and carefully wormed the sticks and cup out of Ace’s hands. There was no food left, so you tossed those, but Ace’s cup was still three-quarters full and steaming, so you decided to keep that for yourself. At your go-ahead, Thatch effortlessly lifted Ace’s snoozing form, while Izou cut ahead to dust off the coating of snow from the seat. Thatch set Ace down first before sitting down, and you immediately claimed the other empty spot of the sleeping Logia-user, sighing in happiness at the warmth that bled off him.

“I’m surprised that you’re not with Commander Marco, sirs,” you admitted, moving to sip from the cider cup.

You squawked as Thatch took it from you, using his long reach to lean over Ace. He took a sip from it and hummed. “Ah, that’s good. From Miss Rose?”

Sulkily side-eyeing him, you nodded.

“And stop with the ‘Commander’ stuff. We’re off-duty, and we’re all friends anyway.”

“Well, as my friend, you should give me back my drink.”

“Is it really yours in the first place, if you took it from Ace?” Izou asked. He waved the cup away when Thatch offered it to him.

As the brown-haired man was leaning back, Ace suddenly shot forward, knocking into him. The cup flew out of Thatch’s grasp, spilling its contents onto the snow in front of you all. Izou hissed, jerked the hem of his kimono away, and shot the others a poisonous look.

“Haahhhhh? Since when did we sit down?”

“Since you decided the snow would be a good cushion for your face,” Izou replied.

“Ah dang, was I out for long?”

“No,” you said. “Thatch and Izou were wondering if they could tag along with us.”

Ace stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “I don’t see why not! As long as your offer still holds up.”

Sighing in exasperation, you stood up with a shake of your head and a smile on your face. “Fine. But if you want to explore, we gotta get going.”

Your words were a reminder of the changing sky, the days shorter in the thick of winter. The others all agreed, and once everyone gathered themselves, you all set off again. Your motley crew would’ve struck an unusual sight, with Thatch’s stature and hair, Izou’s elegant dress, and Ace completely bare-chested in the snow, but the locals of this island were long-used to it, a few folks even greeting the Commanders by name.

The festival was still as eye-catching as ever, with the soft haze of snowfall spreading a dreamy air over everything. True to his nature, Ace ended up dragging you to a few more food stalls. You four wandered with no hurry, simply basking in the peaceful, jovial air that was seldomly seen on the seas.

“I wonder how long these chestnuts can keep,” Thatch mused as he rotated a candied chestnut in his fingers. Popping it into his mouth, he passed you one from his cup. “I have plenty of recipes that’ll be nice for the colder weeks when we’re sailing.”

“I think if you can store them in the ice closet, they can last up to six months!” you chirped.

You could see his mind beginning to form ideas. “That’s plenty of time. I doubt they’ll last that long. Since it’s so cheap here, I think I’ll arrange for an order to the Moby tomorrow.”

A folded hand fan whapped Thatch on the side of the head, Izou tucking it back from wherever he summoned it from when the brown-haired man turned to him.

“What gives, you bastard?!?”

“Stop talking about work,” Izou sniffed. “We’re here to relax and enjoy the festivities, damn you.”

Thatch leaned down into Izou’s space. “Well, you didn’t need to hit me!”

While the two senior members squabbled like little kids, you turned your attention to Ace, seeing him contemplating the roasted squid in his hands like it contained the secrets of the world.

“What’s wrong?” You said, popping your head over his shoulder. “It raw?”

Ace blinked, shaking his head and taking a big bite out of it. “Nah. Just thinkin’.”

“Don’t hurt your head over it,” you said. “Now’s a time to turn it off.”

He hummed, and you linked your arm with his and marched forward.

“Well, we’re almost at the town center. You’d like it, I think. And if you don’t, it’ll be something to distract you, yeah? No worries.”

Izou and Thatch fell in line when they saw the two of you heading off. One was fixing the collar of his kimono, while the other had a red mark on his forehead. Neither said anything when you raised a teasing eyebrow in question.

You led them down the streets until it opened up into a wide space, the large, towering pine tree in the middle marking your arrival to the town center.

Ace froze as he gawked at the monster of a tree in front of you all. “Holy shit.”

Tall enough to make even Pops look small standing next to its trunk, the ancient growth was decked out in flickering candles and carved, wooden ornaments of all colors. Bands of embroidered cloth swayed gently, depicting the winter flowers that bloomed this time of year.

“This is one of the island’s pride and joy,” You told Ace, banking on the information Marco told you during your first time. Damn, if he knew, he would never let you live this down. “It was said that this tree was already massive by the time people settled onto this island, and it was decided that they would keep it and treasure it. The festivals came later, but this tree was integrated into every celebration as well. Looks like we came just in time.”

Chattering quieted as a door hidden in the tree trunk opened. A pair of men walked forward to the platform mounted there, rolling some sort of canon in between them.

“It’s safe,” you reassured Ace as you saw him shift in nervousness. “Just watch!”

With a muffled pop, a flurry of flat, petaled shapes shot up into the air. The crowd roiled, eager hands reaching up as the large charms fluttered down. This was what you came here for. This town’s yearly charms, hand-carved from a specific type of lightweight crystal only found here. When refined down into the flowers and the snowflakes fluttering down upon you now, they caught the light in a kaleidoscope of rainbows. They were beautiful.

And very desired.

“Quickly,” you hissed, pushing Ace forward. “Try and grab one! They say that whoever got one will have good luck for the upcoming year.”

Unsure, the man reached out, only to have it snatched in front of his fingertips. The old lady who took it from him gave him a sharp glare and toddled off.

A spark of competitiveness lit up in Ace’s eyes. “Oh, that does it.”

The two of you shared a look of determination, exchanging a nod before delving into the crowd.

“Over here, Ace!”

“Too far!”

“Watch out for that lady!”

Your teamwork fell in line seamlessly, the months together on the seas and all the training and fighting giving you and Ace a leg up. Though it always seemed like there were five people trying for every one charm. Eventually, there was nothing left in reach, but you spotted one still fluttering above the crowd. You were not the only one, as you locked eyes with a burly man who was bullying his way through the crowd toward it. The two of you scowled at each other, and you stuck out your tongue at him.

Looking back at it again, you saw that it was out of reach for even the tallest folks.

But not too tall for what you had in mind.

Spinning around, you pointed at the crystal and yelled out, “Ace!”

The man turned around to spot it, and you quickly took a knee, putting your cupped hands low to the ground. A move that you’d done once or twice before.

“Go for it!” You yelled, hiding a wince when an elbow dug into your back.

Ace stepped back, lining himself up before running towards you. His boot landed in your palms, and you pushed yourself upward, propelling him up with you as he jumped. You turned around to see his trajectory, a wild grin on your face. Ace had a similar expression, one hand on his hat while the other was outstretched as he approached the snowflake. With bated breath, you watched as his fingers grazed the edges of the charm, seemingly missing it before, with a burst of flames from his legs, he propelled himself up a bit and the charm landed in his grasp. With the prize secured, he brought it to his chest and pivoted in the air, landing at an empty spot with a perfectly tucked roll.

You let out a whoop, throwing your arms up in victory, before moving your way through the crowd to where Ace landed. Your cheeks ached not just from the cold, but also from the size of the grin overtaking you sported. Spotting Ace, you hauled him up and pulled him into a hug, your laughter ringing out in the air.

“You got it!”

His cheeks were flushed as well when you pulled back, a pearly smile on his face. “Yeah.”

The crowd’s excitement was dying down and a part of you dropped in dismay over the fact that you’d missed your chance to grab something, too busy making sure Ace had his moment to focus on your own. But you were at least glad that Ace managed to get one of the charms of his own, so you shoved down that bit of sadness.

“What shape did you get?” You asked. “Can I see?”

He pulled the hand holding his charm away from his chest, and your eyes widened in excitement at the sight of a flat carving of a flame lily. As he lifted it into the air, the clear crystal caught the light, throwing out fiery red and orange iridescence from within its lattice.

“A flame lily, lucky you!” You shot him a thumbs-up. “That’s the most prized one. A symbol of undying warmth in the cold. Good luck is definitely coming your way.”

“There you two are,” Thatch said, panting a bit as he got through the crowd. “You crazy little cretins, I can’t believe you two did that! And don’t deny it, I saw Ace in the air.”

You whistled, adverting your eyes. “Welllll, it was worth it. Ace got this year’s Flame Lily. How ‘bout you?”

“Right here,” Thatch sighed, reaching into the top of his pompadour and pulling out a glittering, clear hexagonal plate that had flashes of smoky black when he tilted it. “Some lady tried stealing it from my hands after I got it.”

“Looks like all that hair really is useful for something,” you chuckled.

He harrumphed, tucking it in the inner breast pocket of his coat. “Whatever. Did you get one this year?”

You shook your head, a rueful smile on your face. “Nah. Looks like my collection is not growing this year.”

You only caught a flash of guilt on Ace’s face before something was thrust into your face.

“Here,” Izou drawled, a bored look on his face.

Going cross-eyed, you took a step back to see what it was. Your eyes widened when you saw the intricate poinsettia carving in his hand, the details of the flower it was mimicking catching the light prettily.

“I found this stuck to mine,” he said, motioning to the bird-shaped crystal peeking out of the collar of his kimono before you could ask. He shook it. “Take it. I don’t need two of them.”

“Aww, you do care,” you teased as you reached for it.

Izou jerked it out of your grip, raising it out of your reach. “I am not above breaking it over your head.”

“No don’t! I’ll be good, I promise!”

He finally gave it to you, huffing out of his nose as he swept past the tree of you. “Fine. Let’s go. We need to head to the beach if we want to catch the bonfire in time.”

At this point, the sky was blue-hued with the end of sunset, the chill settling deeper into your bones. But still, the lights and candles kept the island festivities in full swing.

“So, what do we do with these things?” Ace asked, inspecting his lily carving.

“You just keep it.” You shrugged. “Put ‘em in a box or something. It’s your choice. Hell, you can even toss them into the ocean, but make sure to point out where you did it so I can go diving for it.”

Ace hummed in thought, glancing over to see your expectant gaze on him. With a smile and shrug, he shoved it into his pant pocket. “I guess I’ll keep it. So what are we doing now?”

“Bonfire should start soon,” you affirmed. “There’ll be food and drinks, the full Whitebeard Pirates shebang, yaknow?”

The growling of a stomach was the response you received from him, and you chuckled.

“We’re almost there,” Thatch reassured.

True enough, you four took the stone steps down from the edge of the town, where your shoes immediately sunk into sand. Already, you could hear the hubbub of conversation, men on their way to getting sloshed. There was a chorus of greetings that rose when those present saw you four.

“Finally,” Atmos roared, his beer sloshing over his tankard. “Was thinkin’ you guys died fighting in the town center.”

Izou scoffed, sweeping past him as he headed for where Vista and Haruta were. “Please. As if I’d be taken out by something so simple.”

“I’m going to check out to see if the Fourth Division needs any help,” Thatch called, splitting away too.

That left you and Ace again, and you steered him toward a table set up with food. You unleashed him upon the meal, picking up a few things that pulled at your interests too, and allowing yourself to mingle with everyone.

Like most other Whitebeard parties, it was easy to be swept up in the merriment. At one point, you managed to wrangle a spot beside Haruta as he lit up the main bonfire, toasts being called out into the air. Smaller bonfires went up around the beach too, like twinkling, golden stars in the dark.

And when the moon was high in the sky, just about the time when you knew the spectacle of the night would begin, you sought out Ace again.

He was warm as you slung an arm over his shoulder, warmer than even the slight bit of alcohol coursing through your veins. “Aceyyyyyyyyy. Come on closer to the bonfire.”

“Hm? Why’s that.”

You pointed to the towering back of Blenheim in front of you. “Too many tall ones over ‘ere. And you’re warm, but I wanna be warmer.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a heat hog,” he said, rising from his seat at your insistent tugging.

Fossa smirked at him when he saw the two of you pass by. “Looks like you’re the victim this time, brat. Good.”

You stuck your tongue out at the older man, aiming towards a log laid on as a seat, angled to look into the island instead of out over the sea. Plopping into it with none of the grace you normally held when somber, you sighed at the heat that suffused your back from the bonfire.

At Ace’s questioning look at you, you raised your arm and pointed over the top of the island, where the top of the pine tree could be seen peeking out. “You’ll wanna watch o’er there. It’s good. I promise.”

Following your words were the lights from the town being extinguished, plunging the inland into darkness. Soon, the only lights came from the bonfires dotting the beaches like fireflies as everyone settled. An air of excitement took over the party, those sober and not tilting their heads up to the sky.

A whistle announced the first of the launches before the sky exploded with color. Fireworks bloomed in their brilliant glory, popping and crackling hues of sparkling rainbows before fading out. It was stunning as ever, but since you’d seen it a few times before, you chanced a glance at the man next to you.

Ace’s eyes were wide, the glow of the firelight making them glitter. You smiled softly at the way it transformed his features into something softer.

Even though you haven’t known him for long, the look on his face earlier was too somber for your liking. The two of you may not be close-knit, but you were at least friendly with him on the account of you two being newer to the crews. So to see that troubled look that bellied something deeper made you worried. You may not be close enough to pry, but at the least, you hoped that this was enough to lift his spirits lightly.

You tore your gaze from the black-haired male just in time to see the second round of fireworks going up. More impressive than the last, this time the fireworks were set up into shapes. All around you, cheers rose from the crew as the doggy face of Stephan bloomed into view, followed by an impressive arrangement forming the Moby Dick.

As this round began to die down, Marco appeared at your side, handing you a steaming drink. “Here, yoi. Keep warm.”

Reaching for it, you asked, “Is it warmed rum?”

“No. I’m not letting you have that again, yoi.” He turned to Ace and jabbed a thumb at you. “No matter how much this one asks, no more of Raykuyo’s rum, alright? I promise you don’t want to deal with the aftermath.”

You sulkily sipped from the cup, finding that it was hot chocolate. Sweet, yet not too heavy to upset your stomach. “Whatever, I drink it ‘cause it chases the chill away.”

“You have Ace with you, yoi.”

“I’m still cold!” you barked. Your eyes gained a calculating gleam as you shuffled closer to Ace, your free hand whipping out to latch onto Marco’s wrist. “But if you’re insisting, why don’t you come have a seat, Marco? I’m sure you’re awfully tired, and it’s an awfully good view to see the fireworks.

His half-lidded eyes were knowing as he moved to sit beside you, bracketing you on all three sides with heat. You sighed in happiness, and relaxed, returning your focus to the sky.

With the bonfire at your back, Ace and Marco by your side, and the crew all around you, your heart was warm.

#x reader #reader insert #fanfiction #gender neutral reader #fluff #one piece x you #one piece x reader #one piece one shot #ace x reader #portgas ace x reader #portgas ace x you #marco x reader #marco the phoenix x reader #thatch x reader #izou x reader #whitebeard pirates x reader #masterlist

171 notes · View notes

nrvcntr · 1 year ago

Text

My Lover is Like

hey remember how i said i'd write that fic about tav coming from a noble background and having a riddle that someone has to answer to date her and no one ever gets it right and then years later she tells gale and he knows immediately? anyway here it is

There are certain scents that bring back memories - warm grass on a summer’s day, fresh linens placed on a bed, and of course, the sickly sticky burn of a bottle of plum fizz, shared among friends. Astarion recoiled after he sniffed the open bottle, his nose scrunched in horror.

“You can’t be serious,” He said.

“You’re being dramatic. It isn’t that bad,” You replied.

You had found a crate full of bottles on your last trek and dragged it back to the campsite, anticipating a heroic welcome at your generous haul. It was nearing sunset and it seemed as good of a time as any to see what the contents of the crate were. Upon cracking the crate open, your eyes lit up at the sight of bottles on bottles of plum fizz. This had been the drink that defined your adolescence as a noble in Baldur’s Gate. It immediately brought back memories of revelry, singing songs next to bonfires, and a young Wyll Ravengard throwing up in the street. You pulled out a bottle and handed it to Astarion, who had reacted like a man who never knew the joys of noble debauchery.

“It smells like it could raise something from the dead and then kill it again,” He said, handing the bottle back to you.

“Look, we used to drink this all the time when we were kids. It’s like a rite of passage among children of nobility in Baldur’s Gate.”

Wyll, overhearing the conversation, came over to see what you were so impassioned about. At the sight of the bottle in your hand, he recoiled like someone had just smacked him upside the head.

“No. Get that thing away!” He shouted, shaking his hands.

“Oh, stop it. I remember you used to beg to play fizzy hands when we were younger,” You said.

“Fizzy hands.” Astarion said flatly, “What sort of braindead activity is fizzy hands?”

You raised your brow to Wyll, who explained that “fizzy hands” was the beloved drinking game of your youth, where a small magical seal was applied to two bottles of plum fizz, which an individual would hold. The seal wouldn’t break until both bottles were consumed.

“Fizzy hands leads to fizzy guts, which leads to…a fizzy mess, in the street. You couldn’t pay me to take a sip of that now.” Wyll said.

You looked around the campsite and gestured to Gale, who had been beginning the preparations for dinner so intently that he hadn’t noticed the failing case you were trying to make in favor of plum fizz.

“It’s nice to know that your taste in wine is nearly as bad as your taste in men,” Astarion mused, causing you to shoot him a farcefully menacing look. Your affections for Gale were no secret, and the two of you had shared an intimate moment in the Weave, but you were unsure of your current status, or even whether he really returned your feelings. You had begun to write it off as a passing fancy, something to daydream about during long days of traveling. Though, there was no hiding how much you enjoyed being around the man, your conversations often dragging well into the night after everyone else had fallen asleep. You had never met anyone else who seemed to understand you the way that Gale did, or whose company you enjoyed nearly half as much.

“You’re a man of taste, and you’re knowledgeable about wine. Can you settle a debate for us?” You asked Gale when he walked over.

“A glass of wine sounds delightful this evening. What’s the topic of debate?” He asked.

“Astarion and Wyll may not be as cultured as you and I. Just tell them about the fine properties of this blend,” You said, trying to communicate ‘please, say this tastes good’ in your expression as you poured a glass and handed it over.

Gale swirled the glass and his eyes widened at the scent. To his credit, he took an honest sip and racked his brain for something kind to say about it. “It has notes of…berry. And cinnamon. And…” He couldn’t do it. “Acid. It tastes like it would eat a hole through a table if you spilled some on it. Do the youth of Baldur’s Gate really ingest this willingly?” He asked.

You threw your hands up.

“Poor taste, the lot of you. It cannot be helped.”

After dinner, Astarion sauntered over to you, two glasses of plum fizz in hand.

“A drink together. Sort of a truce,” He said.

You were suspicious, but took the glass in hand. The spicy, bitter, sweet, and confusing concoction ran down your throat and made your stomach feel hot. Astarion’s glass was already empty, and he poured you both another. By the time you realized that Astarion had been pouring his drinks out to get you to continue drinking, you were drunk enough to begin telling stories of your youth in Baldur’s Gate.

“So, after Wyll threw up in the street -”

“Can you please stop talking about that. I have plenty of embarrassing stories I could tell at your expense, you know. Lock.” Wyll said pointedly.

“Lock?” Shadowheart asked.

You covered your face, feeling a burning sensation creep up your cheeks.

“What none of you realize is that our beloved companion here was once the most eligible bachelorette in Baldur’s Gate nobility. Her family was wealthy and she was beautiful, intelligent, and charming…”

“Whatever happened?” You asked, making yourself laugh.

“However, she never took a partner. Singles of all creeds, genders, and races tried, but no one could get through to her. So, she began to be known as ‘the lock of Baldur’s Gate’. And, what opens a lock but a key? And the key to her heart was to answer a riddle,” Wyll explained with a dramatic flourish.

“A riddle? How droll. That’s a little…presumptuous, don’t you think?” Astarion asked. You shrugged.

“Why a riddle?” Karlach asked.

“I didn’t want to end up with someone who was a complete dunce,” You joked. It was a half-truth, since the whole truth would have disrupted the mood of revelry among your companions.

“Well, do we get to hear it?” Shadowheart asked.

You leaned back and looked at the faces of your companions. Wyll shook his head, having heard this question lamented among the singles of Baldur’s Gate throughout his youth.

“What is loving Taglath like?” You asked, the question rolling off of your tongue like a well-rehearsed line.

“What a stupid question!” Astarion huffed, rolling his eyes. He had no idea what the answer could be.

“Oh, do you know the answer, then? Since it’s so stupid,” You said, unable to wipe the smirk off of your face. It always delighted you to stump someone with the riddle, and it delighted you even more to watch them struggle with it.

“What is loving like?” You repeated, prodding Astarion for the answer.

“Darling, loving you is like poison seeping through my veins,” Astarion said, pretending to be a romantic poet, his hand gripping his chest, “- and it kills me to be parted from you,” He added, taking your hand in his icy cold grasp.

“Very sweet, but no,” You responded.

Everyone laughed, getting a little chuckle out of Astarion’s foolishness.

“Oh come on, it’s not like any of you geniuses know the answer,” Astarion said, raising a brow to the group. He looked around at their curious faces and wonders aloud, “Do you?”

“Uh, I don’t remember my childhood. Much less silly poems,” Shadowheart said, but thought about it for a moment. “Is it like a rose? Something beautiful out of the dirt?”

You shook your head.

“Chk. This is a waste of time,” Lae’zel said..

“C’mon, Lae’zel, what do you think loving is like?” Wyll probed, the githyanki rolling her eyes at him.

Lae’zel replied, “Like a well-won battle, your enemies dead at your feet.” There is a pause before she asked, “Did I answer correctly?”

“No,” You replied.

Karlach wiped her hands on her pants, not waiting to be asked. “You’re barking up the wrong tree if you ask me, solider,” She said, “But I’ll give it a try. Is it like a cool drink of water on a hot night?”

“That’s sweet, Karlach. It’s own little poem, even. But no,” You said.

“Well what’s the answer?” Astarion huffed, getting frustrated at this little display of ignorance.

“Salamander!” Wyll interjected, snapping his fingers like he cracked the code. This made everyone crack up, to his dismay. “No, because - I mean, uh - well, it’s better than corpses!” He insisted. This only made everyone laugh more.

In this revelry, no one even thought to glance at Gale, who had been watching the scene with a bemused little smile on his face.

There was a lull when the laughter died down, the silence of everyone taking a breath after a hearty laugh.

Through the silence, two words cut through the air like a knife directly to your heart.

“The Sun.”

You gasped (a reaction that, in retrospect, embarrassed you with how dramatic it was). You stared at the speaker, Gale’s dark eyes glinting in the firelight. You felt you must have looked ridiculous, your jaw agape.

In all of the years of telling the riddle, no one had ever known the answer. The key to your heart, you joked. But it had been more serious than you ever let on. As each suitor fumbled through wrong answers, it had only solidified your belief that true love would never be yours. That you would eventually have to settle for someone who couldn’t really understand you.

It was like time stopped, the visions of your companions becoming a blur as Gale came into focus.

Gale, meanwhile, appeared to be blissfully unaware that he had just broken your brain (what was left of it, at least).

“That’s…right. How did you know?” You choked out, hardly above a whisper.

“It’s a very clever riddle. See, most would probably assume that the riddle is about the works of Taglath, whom is renowned as an iconic romantic poet. His works adorn his lover with brilliant metaphors that have captured readers since their inception,” Gale explained to the group, lecturing his never-be students.

“That’s probably why Gef Deldus spent one summer immersed in Taglath’s works,” Wyll recalled, chuckling, “He told everyone that he had solved the riddle. He was convinced you would be his bride by the end of the season. What was his answer?” He asked.

“Love is like a poem,” You replied, still dumbfounded by Gale’s answer.

“The education in Baldur’s Gate leaves much to be desired,” Gale snarked, then continued, “What most people don’t know is that Taglath’s most prominent muse was another poet named Alanis. Unfortunately, most of her work has been lost to history. Almost no complete works remain, and only fragments have been collected for publication. But in her most complete work, she compares her lover to the Sun. It’s a gorgeous poem about loving someone who burns brightly and the fears associated with taking a lover of prominence. Loving despite fear,” He said.

You wondered how it was possible that your body felt like it was on fire but also like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on you. Did none of your companions notice that you were going insane? The realization rocked you like an earthquake.

Gale Dekarios was not a passing fancy, someone to think about kissing when the option presented itself. He was neither a daydream nor a wet dream to pass the time at different hours. He was not the greatest friend you had ever had, the person who you most looked forward to speaking to each morning after you woke and each night before you went to bed. The person who you spoke about nothing and everything with, played games with, or just enjoyed a comfortable silence with. He was not your traveling companion, nor even an ally who had risked his life for you as you had done for him. It was impossible for Gale to be any one of those things because he was all of them all at once and so much more.

Oh, fuck, you realized, your knees ready to give way.

You were in love with him.

The sound of your companions laughing and chattering together mixed together and sounded like ocean waves. If anyone turned to ask you anything you probably would have just stared at them blankly. You attempted to take a step toward Gale and the drinks you had earlier in the night went to your head, sending you tumbling forward and onto the ground.

“Looks like the plum fizz kicked in. ‘Key’, maybe you should take the ‘lock’ to bed,” Shadowheart said to Gale.

You thought that if you closed your eyes, maybe the ground would swallow you up and you would never have to look at Gale again. Instead, you felt him help you to your feet, allowing you to lean against him as he walked you to your tent. You were desperate to know what was going through his mind - did he realize the gravity that he answer had?

“Easy now,” Gale said, helping you down onto your bedroll. He treated you gently, helping you to unlace your boots and get settled in under the blanket. You were sick to your stomach at being doted on by him and kept quiet, trying to focus on anything but the way he looked at you. He left for a moment and came back to bring you some water.

“Is there anything you need?” He asked.

You were quiet for a moment, then spoke.

“Gale?”

“Yes?”

“After we had that moment in the Weave…you mentioned that we shouldn’t talk about it then, with the orb being unstable and everything going on,” You said, then allowed yourself to lean into your own intoxication, asking what was truly on your mind. “Was that really the reason? Because if you don’t see me that way, you can tell me. It won’t hurt my feelings.” The words poured out of you too quickly for you to worry about sounding insecure. It was a lie, of course, that it wouldn’t hurt your feelings. Being rejected by Gale would be devastating.

Gale looked thoughtful, then recited the end of Alanis’s fragments of her poem about her lover.

“My lover is like the Sun, Brilliant and bright He eclipses me And yet I yearn

My lover is like the Sun Blinding and unyielding When he touches me I burn”

He placed his hand on your cheek, his gaze looking through you and into your soul. The two of you could say so much without a single word.

“Am I the Sun, or are you?” You asked.

Gale had loved the poem when he read it as a boy, and later thought of it often when he was with Mystra, trying to make sense of the reality of having a goddess for a lover. He had often wondered if he would ever have an identity outside of being Mystra’s chosen, or whether he would forever be tied to the Goddess. And if that was the case, why did the idea of it make him burn with jealousy?

However, the poem had taken on new meaning since he met you. He felt like the Sun, a ball of fire ready to explode in his chest at any moment. As badly as he wanted to hold you close, he knew that doing so would destroy you. Still, he wondered, might it be worth it to burn if he could have one moment of knowing what it was like to be yours entirely?

Or rather, were you the Sun? He was certainly transfixed by you, drawn to your brilliance. You, a mortal who dared to be more brilliant and enticing than his Goddess. Would following you lead him down the path to certain doom - or worse, would getting close to you lead you to your own demise? It was that thought that kept him up at night, wondering if he should escape in the night. To save you from himself, or at least get you as far away from the danger as possible.

Gale contemplated your question.

“I’m not sure,” He finally replied.

“I don’t know, either.”

You placed your hand on Gale’s, your gaze fixed on each other, searching for an answer in each other’s eyes. Neither of you could find it.

However, there was one thing that was clear to both of you: whether through flames of salvation or damnation, you would burn for each other.

#gale dekarios #gale x tav #gale x reader #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #bg3 gale #bg3 brainrot #gale brainrot

507 notes · View notes

jestershome · 5 months ago

Text

Werewolf x reader

[sorry if this one’s not as good as the others I just wanted to get something out for you guys, also sorry if their any spelling mistakes]

Reader lives in the forest by themselves, they work as a wildlife biologist and love what they do, though they do get a bit lonely from time to time. so when their friend who worked at an adoption centre asked if they’d like to take on a particularly feisty dog they recently took in, well they just couldn’t say no plus they knew how to deal with animals hell that’s what they do for a living, but when their friend finally arrived… “[friend name]…” they looked down at the ‘dog’ in the crate their friend had brought. “He’s pretty big I know, we haven’t found out exactly what breed he is though” reader put their hands on their friend shoulder “[friend name] that is not a dog…” “huh?” Reader pointed at the sleep ‘dog’ “that is a wolf, you have given me a wolf, where did you even find it?” “W-well we kinda just found him, he looked a little roughed up so we wanted to make sure he was ok” i look at the and sigh “well I guess I am the most qualified at the moment to take care of him, but I can’t take care of him forever.” that’s how reader gained their new ‘dog’ , the next morning however there was no dog and not even a wolf, but a man holding his head in the cage. “Agh…damn what happened last night…must have drank to much” reader stares at the man “w-what did you? How did you get in there and where’s the wolf?!” This spooked the man “what who are you?” “You don’t get to ask questions here!” Reader walked up the cage “how did you even get in there?!” “Hey don’t yell at me I woke up here” looking at him up close they noticed something… “what’s that on your…oh my god…” the man’s ear twisted, his furry brown ear… “what?”.

Reader ends up unlocking the cage, giving him spare clothes, and cooking him something to eat. “How do you exist?” He stuffed his face full of egg “hell if I know, why was I in a cage, did I meet you at a bar or something?�� “What no?! My friend thought you were a dog and gave you to me” he looked up face full of food “ah no wha” reader could barely understand him. “Alright out of my house” they stand up “what why?” He swallows “you’re a fully grown man who clearly can take care of himself and not a hurt animal, so I’m not taking care of you” he stands up “o-ok hold on, you want a dog I’ll be a dog” and just like that the same brown orangish appears before them. It wags it tail “nope no I’m not doing this out of my house” he quickly transforms back “ok please just let me stay, I don’t really have a place to stay at the moment and I really need one….” Reader crosses their arms “how exactly does this benefit me in any way” he craws to them “you’re a biologist aren’t you?” “How did you?-“ “I saw your diploma in the bathroom when I was changing, anyway what if I told you I could help you with research, plus when the next time I’ll get an opportunity to meet a cutie like you again” he winks “fine…but if you don’t help me with my work by the next month your out, understandable?” He takes their hand “understandable!” He gave a toothy grin.

[ill write more of them later and flesh out their relationship more lol]

#werewolf #werewolf x reader #werewolf x you #werewolf x human #monster x you #monster x reader #monster x human #gender neutral reader #gn reader #🐺isaac

90 notes · View notes

marlynnofmany · 9 months ago

Text

Other Uses for Packaging

I waved goodbye to the customers — other humans this time — then sat back and waited for the trash pickup. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to take all the packing material out into the spaceport. They hadn’t brought a hovercart or forklift, and had been unprepared for the huge crate full of bubble wrap and foam.

Other times, our little courier ship had done deliveries where time was short or regulations were tight, and all we would have been able to do was advise them on where to rent a hovercart or buy a crowbar. Luckily for these customers’ convenience and my conscience, today we could stick around and help them unpack the custom end table or whatever that was.

They’d left happy, with something much easier to carry, and Captain Sunlight had headed for the cockpit to call in the station’s trash crew. (Apparently this was a regular feature at this space dock, which was a nice change from the last few where we’d had to move the ship’s garbage over to the trash area under our own power.)

Zhee looked over the crate that he’d just taken great joy in disassembling. “Wood may be valuable here,” he said with a thoughtful click of a pincher arm. “If not to the station at large, then surely to another ship. I wonder if the captain thought of that.”

I glanced back at the open cargo bay. “Probably?”

“Probably,” Zhee agreed.

We were both silent for a moment while the spaceport bustled around us.

“I’m going to check,” he said, tapping his way up the ramp on his many bug feet. “Make sure none of that blows away.”

“Sure thing.” I looked at the piles. The only breeze in here was the faint wafting of ventilation systems and the occasional gentle landing of other ships at a safe distance, but I understood the impulse to be careful. That one package awhile ago, full of styrofoam beads, had been memorable. And terrible. The darn stuff was almost as bad as glitter, what with the way it stuck to things with static electricity. Nobody wanted a repeat of that.

This set of packaging was much better. The boards made a tidy stack, the foam was in rubbery sheets that didn’t leak bits everywhere, and even the bubble wrap was in long rows instead of individual panels. This was no top-of-the-line cryo suspension or force field generator, but it was respectable.

I organized the mess a bit while I waited. The rest of the crew either had stuff to do on the ship or out in the station, so despite all the ambient noise, things were quiet.

I started rolling up the bubble wrap, thinking someone might want to use it again, but found that many of the bubbles had gotten popped in the disassembly, leaving it only good for one thing.

The first bubble popped with a satisfying snap. By the third I’d pinpointed which direction the sounds were echoing from most, and I enjoyed the different noises I could get by tilting my head. None of the pedestrians were close enough to pay much attention, so I happily worked my way down the roll. I’d seen multiple other types of bubble wrap, some made by different cultures and different materials, and most of them didn’t actually pop. What a simple joy to find the regular old Earth kind again.

Mur’s voice from the cargo bay asked, “What’s making that sound?”

I sighed and turned. “Don’t tell me, this is another swear word in your language.”

Mur waved a tentacle. “No, of course not. I just wanted to know what’s breaking out here. It sounded like a problem.”

Before I could answer, Paint appeared behind him in a rush. “Is there a problem??”

“No,” I hurried to say. “Everything’s fine. It’s just bubble wrap. See?” I held up the section I’d been working on and popped another bubble.

Paint winced. “Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s just garbage.” I rolled up the part I’d already flattened, then twisted it to pop the next row all at once.

“Okay, that almost sounded like a swear word,” Mur admitted.

I had to laugh at that. “Of course it did.”

Blip and Blop hurried out to join the growing crowd in the cargo bay. “What keeps breaking?” Blip asked, frills waving anxiously.

“It’s just bubble wrap!” I exclaimed. “See?” I held it up and popped another one.

Instead of nodding and going back to whatever they’d been doing, my alien coworkers remained perplexed. “Why does it keep popping?” Blop asked. “Are you doing that?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed.

“Why?” asked both Frillians at once. Paint and Mur also looked curious.

“Because it’s fun?” I replied, scrambling for an answer. I hadn’t thought this needed explaining. But apparently it did.

Paint asked, “How is that noise fun?”

“Well, it echoes—”

“You don’t need to worry about condensing materials for the trash pickup, if that’s the concern,” Mur said.

“Yes, I know—”

“Are there food items on your planet that you have to open like this?” Blip asked. “Large fish eggs, maybe?”

“No, ew! It’s just—”

A shadow loomed taller than the Frillian twins. “It is violensssss,” Trrili hissed, making them twitch. (I don’t know how she found a shadow in the cargo bay. Sometimes I think she brings them with her.) “Small-scale, sanctioned violence. These can be destroyed without repurcussionssssss.” She was choosing which words to hiss on, for effect.

“Sure,” I said, spreading my arms and lifting the bubble wrap. “Let’s go with that.”

Trrili wasn’t done. “Each tiny section can be crusssshed individually, with precision, or multiples at once for maximum volume.” She glided forward on quieter feet than Zhee’s, and the others made room for her.

I held out the bubble wrap. “You want a turn?” Her pincher arms didn’t seem suited to it, but I was curious to see where she’d go with this.

“Plasssssse it on the floor.”

“Sure.” I flapped the row out in front of her like a red carpet, and she moved like the predator she was to crush one after the other. With precision. And shiny black bug feet.

It gave me an idea. “Hey, wanna see who’s faster?” I grabbed another section and laid it out to one side. “You’ve got more feet, but my shoes are bigger.”

Trrili spread her mandibles in her favorite creepy smile. “Challenge acssssssepted.” She crouched like a spider and waited for me to be ready.

I glanced back at the others. “Anybody else wanna race?”

Mur spun on his tentacles and scooted back into the ship. “No thanks! I’m going back where it’s quieter.”

“Me too,” Paint said. “But thank you!” She scampered off.

Blip and Blop looked at each other in silence for a moment, fins waving. Then they turned to me. “We’ll judge,” Blip announced.

“All right!” I said. I wrangled my own section of bubble wrap, roughly the same length as Trrili’s, and struck my own ready pose. “Say when!”

The twins chorused, “Start!” and we were off. Pops filled the air along with Trrili’s delighted hisses and my laughter. There were probably people staring, but that didn’t matter.

Maybe I could talk Trrili into a dance-off afterward. On whatever was left when one of us was declared the champion of small-scale, sanctioned violence.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

#my writing #The Token Human #humans are weird #haso #hfy #eiad #humans are space orcs #fun and games with:#bubble wrap #someone pointed out that I hadn't written one of these about bubble wrap yet #me: 'you're RIGHT! I should.'#yes this is the story I typo'd 'bubble warp' in #that sounds like an exceptionally silly speed for spaceships to travel

160 notes · View notes

satorusugurugurl · 10 months ago

Text

The Best Money Can Buy!

Summary: Marie’s Summer Fest prompt: wine tasting

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x AFAB!Reader

Warnings: alcohol consumption, language, aphrodisiac, smut, unprotected smut, creampies, multiple rounds

Word Count: 3,371

A/N: Thanks for the request, Nonnie! I can totally see Gojo doing something like this! I love me a bottle of white wine! Yummy!!

You loved wine; everyone in your friend group knew that. If it was your birthday, you got at least one bottle of wine from either Shoko or Nanami because Gojo, your sweet boyfriend, didn’t know a lot about wine. He didn’t like the taste of alcohol and was a lightweight. He had little experience knowing what wine to buy, so he usually let the professionals handle it.

Until you started moaning at the white wine Nanami had gotten for you. Your eyes rolled back at the taste, and your head leaned back as you sipped on the glass. Of course, your boyfriend was jealous. You should only make those sounds for him, not some inanimate object (other than your toys). Despite lacking the experience, Satoru decided to buy the best wine he could find!

Of course, he bought the most expensive wine he could find, and what better place to get it than Italy itself?

“Baby!” Satoru from the kitchen. “I’m home!”

From the bedroom, you ran into the kitchen, watching as your boyfriend placed three bottles on the counter—wine bottles, to be exact. Excitement swelled inside your chest as you hid the green, huge bottles with labels written in a foreign language, which meant they were your souvenirs from his latest mission.

“Three bottles of wine from Italy for my beautiful, wonderful, amazing girlfriend!” Gojo excitedly announced, motioning towards them. “Three different vineyards, all stupidly expensive for the average person but mere pocket change for me.”

“Welcome home, Toru!” You wrapped your arms around his waist, kissing him deeply against his lips. “Thank you! You are the sweetest ever!”

His lips pressed against yours before he trailed kisses up your cheeks to the top of your head before placing the wine bottle opener in your hand.

“Anything for you, sweetheart? What do you want to try first, red or white?”

“Satoru, it’s eleven in the morning.”

“So? A little day drinking never hurt anyone.”

He had a point there, and it wasn’t every day that your handsome boyfriend brought you home wine straight from Italy. Snatching the bottle opener out of his hand, you ignore the triumphant chair from your boyfriend as you walk around the kitchen island. Gojo watched you gracefully maneuver yourself around the condo, grabbing a couple of glasses from the cabinets as you opened the bottles, allowing the wine to breathe, whatever that meant. You look so pretty in the summer morning light, and your concentration centers on pouring the wine into the glasses. God, how the hell did he get so lucky?

No matter how mundane your task was, it always left him smiling like an idiot. He said happily, propping his chin on his hand as he watched you bring the first bottle of wine to your lips, sipping the red liquid. Your eyes rolled back as you swallowed, humming erotically. From those sounds you made, you enjoyed his wine more than Nanami’s. That left him with an immense sense of pride as you took a sip of water, cleansing your pallet before picking up the second glance and taking another sip. Another moan left your mouth as you swirled the white wine inside the glass.

“Toru—“ you mewled, “These are so good!” You sighed before picking up your water again and taking another sip.

“Only the best for my baby.” Your boyfriend motions towards the third glass of wine. “Try the last one and tell me what you think of it. I want to know which one is your favorite so I can order you a whole crate full of it.”

Gojo watched in anticipation of your thoughts on the third and final glass, waiting to hear the soft moans that resonated from your mouth. But those soft, sweet sounds never left your mouth. All he heard was a puzzled hum. His eyes peaked towards you, watching your face twist with confusion. Your pretty lips smacked together before you swirled the wine in the glass, taking a larger sip.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, straightening his back as you sipped another glass of the third wine and sipped it. “Does it taste weird?”

“It’s uhm—“ you cringed, you actually cringed as you took another drink, “extremely bitter.”

“Bitter?” Gojo glances at the bottles, frustration clear on his face. “I asked for the best. And if it’s bitter, why the hell do you keep drinking it?”

You down the rest of the glasses shiver, running down your spine before you pour yourself a glass from the second bottle. “I’ve tasted plenty of wine but never had one like that.” Pouting down in his chair as you leaned over the counter, you gave him a big kiss on the lips. “But the other two are probably the best wine I’ve ever had in my entire life. Thank you so much for spoiling me, baby.”

The sulking abruptly stopped as your words left, Satoru feeling like he was on cloud nine. It made him happy hearing how much you enjoyed it. It was the perfect way to start his first evening back at home. It was an evening that was sure to be filled with laughter and snuggles, and the evening started just that way. Snuggling you on the couch as a movie played on the television. It was a perfect evening until Satoru noticed how hot your body was, and he didn’t mean by how attractive you were

Your body was burning up like you had a fever. You were shifting, and a sweat began beating over your forehead. Maybe the room was too warm. However, if that were the case, wouldn’t he be sweating, too?

He brushed it off and the fact that you were wearing leggings. But as more time passed, the sweatier you shifted and fanned yourself. That seemed to do nothing for you as you sat up, pulling your T-shirt up over your head, throwing it to the ground, and frustration as you pressed your thighs together. Your face flushed as you groaned out of annoyance before you got up, rushing for the thermostat to check the temperature.

“Why the fuck is it so hot in here?!” It was set at a comfortable seventy-five degrees. “What’s going on?” You peered over your shoulder at Gojo, who wasn’t sweating. “Are you hot?”

From the rage burning in your eyes, your boyfriends decided to reply with ‘Yeah, I’m super fuckin hot’ with a wink was not the smartest approach. “I’m comfortable, baby.”

“Ugh!” You yanked your leggings down, kicking them off and across the room. “What the hell is wrong with me?! What kind of wine was that last one? It was a rosè, was it?”

“No, of course not; I know you have a mild allergy to that kind.”

“Then what kind of wine is it, Toru?”

In a rush of panic for your safety, Satoru quickly grabbed the bottle, eyes roaming over the label in Italian, a language he didn’t speak. Luckily, he could quickly take a picture of the label and translate it with the help of the internet. With a few taps of his phone, he could discover what wine he had mindlessly bought for you.

“Alright, so it’s a white wine—which you’re not allergic to! Bottled in 1989, an amazing yeah, I made my appearance then!” The nearly demonic growl from you made him clear his throat as he kept reading off his screen. “It’s also a—oh—oh fuck.” Blinking his eyes didn’t change what he was reading like he’d hoped it would.

“It’s a what?”

Satoru’s face fell as he nervously laughed. “It’s uhm—it’s a popular aphrodisiac.” Gojo grimaced as he saw pure hot rage flicker in your eyes. “I swear baby, I had no—!!”

“Take off your pants.”

Your blunt request had your boyfriend staring blankly at you. “I bed your pardon?” He questioned as you stepped forward, clearly not fucking around.

“I said, take off your pants.” your underwear was swiftly tucked down and tossed to the side, along with the rest of your clothing. “Did you hear me that time? Or do I need to repeat myself a third time?”

“N-No, sweetheart!” From the sheer fear, Gojo practically teleported his pants off. The second he was in nothing but his boxers and t-shirt, you were dragging him to the bedroom.

Minutes bleed into hours, and Gojo wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The only thing he was confident of was that he was as sweaty as you were, and he hadn’t had any of the aphrodisiac wine. Sweat beaded at his forehead, slowly running down to his neck. He looked at you through pale eyelashes as you dug your nails into his pale skin, adding to the collection of red crescent moon indents that littered his flawless skin. And remove you made in every roll of your hips left his cock begging for mercy. It was overly sensitive, and it was getting to the point that it was almost sore from overuse. You were testing to see if he was indeed ‘the strongest’ in every sense of the word.

But when you frantically ground your hips down on him, he wasn’t feeling very strong at all. “Fuck!” The pain, pleasurable tone of his voice echoed within the bedroom, along with the sound of the creaking bedframe. “B-Baby! Love of my life, I’m begging you to please let me—nngh!!” You’re slamming down on him, silencing any further words left his mouth.

“Shh~! I-I’m—” You tilted your head back with a shuddering sigh, “I’m close again!” Pale brows knitted together as Satoru bucked his cock into your weeping cunt.

His cock twitched as your wet walls hugged him tight, refusing to let him go, squeezing him for all he was worth. There wasn’t much left. Feeling him twitching inside your heart flipped a switch in your brain, telling your hips, which were sore and stiff, to move even faster. Before you knew it, the grinding had turned into you slamming yourself up and down on Gojo’s cock as hard as you could, drawing out a whimper from the man beneath you.

In this position, your clit rubbed perfectly against his crotch, driving you over the edge. When your walls started convulsing around his poor overused cock, Satoru somehow mustered some of his remaining strength to grab hold of your hips, his long fingers digging into your flesh as he madly began thrusting up into you. His sudden burst of energy had flipped the tables, leaving you a whimpering mess above as he snarled dominantly below you. Much like Gojo, your pussy was screaming in protest, every nerve burning with overstimulation. Those whimpers, the intense contractions of your walls, had your boyfriend spilling whatever cum he had left inside of you. Giving you everything he had to offer.

“Fuck—fuuuck—” he moaned out as you pulled your hands away from his chest. “I’m going to be shooting blanks here pretty soon if you keep this up, sweetheart.”

“Mm.”

A pained nervous chuckle sounded from his throat as you pulled yourself off of his cock. Were you finally done? Have the effects of the aphrodisiac finally worn off after eight rounds of sex?

“Oh, thank—nngh!” Tears welled in his cerulean eyes as he threw his head back. His pupils the size of pin-pricks as you put yourself in reverse cowgirl before you slammed yourself back onto his twitching cock.

The sound of his breathless, shaky gasps with music to your ears as his hands groped the fat of your ass, massaging it as you began bouncing yourself up and down on his shaft. Your hands rested on his knees, allowing you to keep your balance. You pushed yourself up for a second before slamming back down, your wet pussy singing happily as you rocked. Satoru was making his music, a symphony of grunts, moans, and huffs of breath as he watched you riding him as if he were your favorite dildo.

Which he didn’t mind.

“Oh fuck, fuck yes, baby!” Despite how sensitive his cock was, Satoru was getting a second wind, eager to please you more. “Ride it~; throw it back, baby.”

Well, your boyfriend was catching his second wind. You were finally starting to feel as though the aphrodisiac was wearing off. Your legs were tired, your back was stiff, and you were fairly certain that you couldn’t take much more of this. You gave his knees a tight squeeze before your movements came to a halt. Gojo took note of the way that your thighs were trembling and how your soft whimpers became more like pained whines.

“Ooh baby,” he cooed, sitting up, grabbing your ass tighter. “Are you tired, baby?” When you just nodded, Gojo hummed. “Poor baby~ do you want me to take over?” Another weak nod. “Okay baby, I got you, no worries. Get into position.”

Without a word, you got onto your hands and knees, looking over your shoulder at your boyfriend, who grinned almost wickedly. “Like this?” Gojo growled, grabbing your ass and spreading your cheeks so he could stare at your twitching pussy leaking cum onto the bed sheets.

“Yeah, baby, just like that.” He smacked his cock against your ass before lining it up with your entrance. “You want it?”

“Yes.”

“You really want it?”

“Yes, please! I fucking need it, Toru! Please, I—gaaahk!” You gritted out as his long cock was shoved inside of you, stretching out your walls, pushing deeper inside of you than you were able to reach before. “Ahh—nngh! T-Toru!”

“Oooh fuck baby~just like that sweetheart!” The palm of his hand connected with your ass in an echoing smack. “You’re taking my cock so good! You’re such a good girl!”

What happened to the man who was whimpering and moaning underneath you a few minutes prior? You thought he would be done after the last round; you would just be milking him one last time before you both passed out from overexertion. This feral version of your boyfriend was something you could get used to.

From the way his hand continued to smack you on the ass to the dirty words that left his smooth pretty lips, you couldn’t find the words to respond. Instead, you just gripped the sheets with both hands, clutching them for dear life. As you moaned and answered every question, he asked if he felt deep enough. Or if he wanted him to come inside for the ninth time that night. He also asked if you were comfortable or if it was too much for you to handle. Usually, it would’ve been. But thanks to the aphrodisiac he had accidentally bought, your stiff muscles were the only thing you could complain about.

“Mmmm.”

“Fuck I love you so much! I’m sorry I accidentally drugged you with an aphrodisiac.” he planted kisses down your spine, his fingers gently massaging the sting out of your ass from his latest slaps. “But I’m also glad this happened. Because I got to spend the evening with you like this.”

“Satoru!” You cried it out as he laid his bare chest flush against your back. “Kiss me!”

When it came to you, you never needed to ask him for a kiss. Before you could sigh, Satoru’s mouth was on yours and a searing kiss. His hand gripped your chin and tilted your head to the side, deepening it. As his tongue gently massaged his hips, ground against your ass, pushing himself deeper inside of you until his tip was kissing your cervix.

Satoru growled into your mouth, eyes opening just an inch to watch your eyebrows twitch with pleasure as you struggled to kiss him in between soft little moans. Seeing that expression, only him seeing such a cute look on your face, had him more than eager to continue to pleasure you. The slow grinding turned into a full, deep thrust as he pulled himself out completely before pushing back in. Your walls eagerly clenched around him, welcoming the change of pace.

“Haaah, oh my god, fuck!” Satoru mewled out against your kiss, swollen lips. “Holy shit, I love you—I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“Nngh, agh~ hngh! I-I love you too, Toru!”

Even though he hadn’t had any of the aphrodisiacs himself, he felt a burning desire deep in his stomach. One that was not fueled by a chemical but by his love and adoration for you. Those pure, raw emotions had his lips against yours and another furious kiss.

“T-Toru—!!” you tried to warn him, but the rough thrust caused every word to leave your mouth and brain as you only found yourself capable of moaning.

“Good girl~ give me baby girl, give it all to me!” your walls constructed around his cock as your legs began to shake. “Fu-Fuck baby, yes, yes—g-gonna!!”

From the heat in the room to the feel of you coming around him, Gojo had been doomed from the start. He slammed himself fully inside of you. His balls slapped loudly against your ass as he spilled above you with a roar of pleasure. The fuzzy oxytocin that pumped through your veins made it almost impossible to register your boyfriend's orgasm aside from the warmth of his cum that filled you.

You blinked slowly, your heart rate slowing down, allowing you to listen to the bed shift as your Satoru pulled out, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. Each blink of your eyes almost seemed to make time fast. One second, you felt Satoru rub at the small of your back before you blinked, watching him leave the room. The next time you opened your eyes, you watched as he stood above you, rubbing a warm, damp rag over your skin, cleaning you up between your legs.

The warmth of his hands and the gentleness of his touch lulled you to a light sleep. You probably would have slept more if he hadn’t gently rubbed circles against your shoulders and drawn you out of your slumber. The second your pretty eyes locked on him, Satoru felt as if his heart was being squeezed inside his chest.

He didn’t say anything as he handed you a bottle of water. The unspoken request was loud and clear. You took it greedily, gulping down the liquid, using the dry burn in your throat. You kept swallowing down the water until it was empty. Without so much as a word, you snuggled into your boyfriend‘s chest, humming contently as he wrapped his strong arms around you. All the while, his hands gently rubbed up and down your spine, easing the stiffness that formed in it.

He stayed like that, embracing each other until Gojo pulled his head back an inch to stare down at you. “You doing okay there, sweetie?”

“Mhm, I’m a little sore, but I’ll survive.”

“Do you want me to draw you a bath?”

“Not right now. I want to stay in your arms a little bit longer.”

Satoru pressed his lips against your head as he tightened his grip around you. “Alright, sweetness, just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll carry you there.” You nuzzled your face into his side with a pleased moan.

“I will,” you whispered, “I love you, Toru.”

“I love you too, baby.”

Gojo Satoru might not know much about wine, but he knew how to love you unconditionally. That was worth more than any overly expensive wine his money could buy. Because the love Gojo had for you was priceless.

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3 @wil10wthetree @luvsymai

Summer Fest Tag List:

@typicalife-101

297 notes · View notes

idkfitememate · 1 year ago

Note

Geovishap reader bothering Xiao and Zhongli perhaps?

It would be cute lol

Zhongli & Xiao Encounter

૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა Pairings : GN! GPV Reader x Zhongli & Xiao + Liyue

૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა W.K. : 339

໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১ Tags/CW&TW : Fluff, golden retriever reader really

໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note : WE HAVE THE FULL SET NOW YAY!!! ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚

Both Zhongli and Xiao stared at the slightly larger and wee bit stronger looking Primo Geovishap that had been following them.

For four hours. Now usually, they would’ve killed you by now, especially seeing as you (despite the previous “wee bit” statement) towered over other primo geovishap, you just kinda… followed them around? Like a big ole puppy?

Zhongli then decided to test something.

The first thing that came to mind…

He summoned a pillar a little was away from the three of you, causing Xiao to look up in confusion.

You, however, ran your big ass all the way to the large pillar, RIPPED IT FROM THE EARTH IN YOUR MAW, and brought it back happily to the duo.

Holy shit.

HOLY SHIT-

You sat there, super fucking proud of yourself because maybe you made the duo proud of your super awesome strength, while they stood in shock and confusion at the situation.

You genuinely?? We’re acting?? Like a big fucking puppy?????

Xiao then also decided to run a small experiment of his own.

Summoning his spear, he launched it into the air. It was now Zhongli’s turn to look down, shocked.

You dropped the pillar, but instead of jumping for it, you sumMONED A GIANT FUCKING HAND OF GEO AND GRABBED IT OUT OF THE SKY. You then gently handed back the polearm to him :).

So when Xiao and Zhongli walked back into Liyue with you following close behind, they were totally ready to explain why you were staying.

You became the mascot for Liyue honestly. You’d deliver letters for people, you’d help set of carts, carry crates, more more etc etc.

And when need be, you’d kill- I mean harm treasure hoarders for the people :3.

You’d do anything to keep your new nation wide family safe.

Anything.

Zhongli and Xiao (along with the other Adepti) are your main caretakers though!

Besides, no has to know what you’ve been doing to the men who try to rob people in the dead of night! No one.

໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note : Primo Geovishap!Creator normally: 😁

When you fuck with a single flower in Liyue: 😃🔪

Mmmm, Chaos Boar, Pampered Otter, Parental Tiger, Eepy Fox, and now Slightly Psychopathic Primo Geovishap. The gangs all here! ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა

Hope you don’t mind I made em a Primo Geovishap, just thought I’d be funnier lol ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

#genshin impact sagau #sagau x reader #sagau #x reader #x gn reader #gn y/n #yandere x reader #yandere x you #Primo Geovishap!Creator #anon <3 #asks <3

815 notes · View notes

mamiobesssionfics · 20 hours ago

Text

Thorns in Bloom

Rhea Ripley x Reader

Summary: After months of quiet, blooming love between you and Rhea, a familiar face from your past returns.

You hadn’t noticed her at first.

Rhea had been doing the delivery run — flowers boxed up for an anniversary, a hospital visit, a hopeless romantic — and you’d stayed behind in the shop, humming softly as you refilled the baby’s breath vase and checked on the pale roses.

Then came the voice, warm, amused, familiar.

“Well, well. Still wearing black like it’s your second skin. You haven’t changed.”

Your heart stopped.

You looked up.

She leaned against the doorway, Camille, the art dealer who once left your heart in pieces, now smiling like she’d never hurt you at all.

And Rhea wasn’t back yet.

You swallowed hard. “What are you doing here?”

Camille shrugged, glancing around the shop. “New gallery in town. I saw you in the window. Had to see if it was really you.”

She walked in, trailing expensive perfume and the past. “The place suits you. Flowers. Softness. You always loved romantic things.”

Before you could answer, the bell jingled again, and Rhea walked in, hands full of empty crates, brows raised when she spotted the stranger.

You introduced them carefully.

Camille offered her hand, all poise and charm. Rhea took it, slow and cool.

“Old friend?” Rhea asked, voice low.

Camille smiled. “Something like that.”

Rhea didn’t say much that night.

She kissed you on the forehead like usual, brought you tea, rubbed your calves while you rested on the couch, but her mind was far away.

“She’s just someone from before,” you said finally, watching her. “It’s nothing.”

Rhea didn’t look at you. “Did you love her?”

You hesitated.

That was the mistake.

She stood up. “Right.”

“Rhea-”

“No, it’s fine. It’s none of my business. You don’t owe me that.”

You reached for her hand. “You’re the one I want.”

“But you wanted her first.”

Her words were quiet, bitter. “And she walked in here like she still owns a piece of you.”

“She doesn’t,” you whispered. “She never will.”

But the jealousy lingered.

Camille started showing up more often. She claimed it was for floral arrangements for gallery events, but her eyes stayed on you too long, her compliments too pointed.

Rhea would leave the room when Camille arrived. Sometimes she wouldn’t say goodbye.

Until one day she didn’t show up at all.

You texted. No reply.

You called. Voicemail.

By the time you found her, she was at the local gym, slamming a punching bag with enough force to crack bones.

“You’re mad at me,” you said quietly.

She didn’t stop.

“I’m scared,” she said finally, breathless. “That she’s gonna take you back. That you’ll remember what you had and decide it was just a phase. That I’m too rough, too much, not-”

You walked straight up to her, cupping her face.

“You,” you said, “are the first person who’s ever loved every part of me without asking me to change.”

She blinked fast.

“I don’t want the past. I want the woman who comes home with flower petals in her hair and bruised knuckles from defending the people she loves.”

Her arms wrapped around you then, tight and trembling.

“I’m yours,” you whispered.

And Rhea, voice shaking, whispered back, “Then I’ll never let you go.”

34 notes · View notes

sserpente · 2 years ago

Text

A/N: This is short and silly and I enjoyed every second of writing it.

Words: 685 Warnings: none

You sighed as you let your head fall back to admire the stars. Thousands of piercing little lights dotting the night sky. It was rather beautiful, and for the first time ever since you had gotten into this mess (and a tadpole had gotten into you), you felt… content.

Perhaps it was because despite all this—you let your gaze wander over the campsite—fate decided to give something back. Someone. Your eyes found Astarion, brooding over one of the books you had recently picked up. Gods, you longed to take a bite right out of him the way he stood there in those tight and dark trousers and his white cotton shirt. It was quite incredible this handsome man… vampire spawn… liked you back. Not only that but you had mutated into his… lifeline, so to speak. Absentmindedly, you brought your hand to your neck, fingertips ghosting over the two puncture wounds his fangs had left behind last night. It had become a pleasurable and enjoyable ritual for you both now.

You’d have dinner with the others and at night, once everyone else was asleep, Astarion would get his fill and have supper for himself.

Another sigh. Dinner had been quite amazing and filling today. Gale had volunteered to cook after you found a crate full of abandoned supplies. Potato chips, carrot soup, garlic bread, and even lasagne… a chef would have slapped his palm against his forehead at the combination of all of these things for one evening but alas… you hadn’t eaten this much in over a week.

You were practically drunk on a full belly and that was before having a glass of wine already. Speaking of which… grabbing your empty glass, you got up from your bedroll, sauntering over to Astarion’s tent.

His head lifted as soon as he sensed you—and you actually liked to think that he could smell you, your blood, before he could hear or see you. A slight smile played on his lips when your eyes locked and he shut the book in his hands, putting it aside.

“Have a glass with me?” you offered, tilting your head as you waved the chalice in the air.

“Oh? Are we celebrating something, darling?”

“No… I’m just in a really good mood today.”

Astarion smirked in response and reached for the bottle of elven wine on the small table next to his tent.

“Well, given the current state of things, I’ll drink to that,” he purred, filling both your glasses. You clinked them, each taking a big sip before the vampire spawn took yours from you and set them both aside along with the bottle.

“Now would you say… you’re also in the mood for a bit of fun tonight?”

You grinned when he pulled you close, his face only inches from yours. “I thought you’d never ask.”

You closed your eyes, allowing him to lean forward and capture your lips in a hungry kiss.

“Ow! Gods, damn it!”

All of a sudden, as if stung by an adder, Astarion released you, half-blowing raspberries and cursing as he coughed as if you had poisoned him.

“What… are you alright? What happened? Oh… oh gods!” Realisation hit you only a second after.

“Oh no… Gale made garlic bread tonight! I completely forgot you can’t… oh, Astarion, I am so sorry. Let me have a look, is it bad?”

“I’m fine! It’s not going to kill me, it just… burns. Gods!” A few more curses followed as he brought his fingertips to his lips, assessing the damage done.

“I’ll go rinse my mouth, alright? I’ll be right back.”

The sound of acknowledgment he made was hardly an answer. It was enough for you to turn back around though, your cheeks hurting from how hard you were holding back a grin.

“It could be worse… I mean… I could have put my lips elsewhere.”

“Very funny, darling.” Still, there was a hint of amusement swinging in his voice and you certainly couldn’t help the little chuckle forcing its way out of your throat. He had to admit… it was hilarious.

A/N: I'm on my second playthrough as Durge right now and I realised one thing about myself: As much as I love villains and misunderstood bad guys, I'm really bad at being evil. 😂 I feel soo bad every time I make a mean decision, hahaha!

#astarion #astarion imagine #astarion x you #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion ancunin #astarion ancunin imagine #astarion ancunin x you #astarion ancunin x reader #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 imagine #bg3 #bg3 imagine #neil newbon

532 notes · View notes

mewwccury · 29 days ago

Text

the look

word count. 1.1k

୨୧ — ꒰ cw. fluff, porco x fem!reader

୨୧ — ꒰ a/n. i love porco. here's more fluff

୨୧ — ꒰ featuring. porco galliard

୨୧ — ꒰ prompt. amidst the chaos of war, you and porco share quiet, unexpected moments that slowly bring them closer, offering comfort and understanding when they least expect it.

you met porco galliard the day you tripped over your own boot straps in front of the warriors' barracks.

to be fair, the ground was uneven, your arms were full of supply crates, and you hadn’t slept in almost twenty hours. but none of that mattered when you faceplanted in the dirt with a very satisfying thud, crates scattering and bandages flying everywhere like snow.

a low grunt came from behind you, which were followed by footsteps. until they stop in front of you.

you looked up to see a man crouched down, lips twitching at the corners, arms folded over his knees. blonde, sharp-eyed, and every bit as annoyed as he looked amused.

“you always make entrances like this?” he asked.

you groaned. “only on special occasions.”

he cracked a grin, the kind that was brief and crooked—almost like he wasn’t supposed to be smiling. “what a great occasion.”

the next time you two met, you quickly learned that porco galliard wasn’t the easiest person to talk to.

he was blunt, often rude, cynical, straightforward, and rarely in the mood for anything that didn’t involve training or grumbling about reiner. he also had a tendency to glare at people who tried too hard to be friendly.

so you didn’t.

instead, you offered a quiet “hi” when you passed him. tended to the bruises on his knuckles after training. handed him rations without waiting for thanks. you didn’t push. and strangely enough… that’s why he started sticking around.

it began small. porco would show up a little earlier than necessary when you were on first aid duty. he’d offer to carry things, then complain about how annoying they were the entire time. he’d walk you back from supply runs with an awkward silence that was weirdly comfortable.

he never said much. but he was there.

and in a world where nothing felt steady, that meant everything.

the first time he opened up, it wasn’t planned.

you were on the roof of the west barracks, watching the sky melt into dusk. porco had joined you without saying a word, sitting down with a huff and crossing his arms like he wasn’t staying long.

but he stayed.

"what brought you here? somethin' on your mind?" you spoke up, glancing at him.

you look back at the sunset spread out in front of you. after a—what seemed like—long stretch of silence, he finally spoke.

“sometimes, i think i wasn’t supposed to inherit the jaw.”

you turned, fully, to look at him, heart softening. “why?”

“because it should’ve been someone else. someone calmer. better. more like—” he stopped, jaw tightening. “it just wasn’t supposed to be me.”

you didn’t say “don’t talk like that” or “you’re wrong.” you didn’t try to fix it. instead, you reached out and nudged his knee with yours.

“you’re not perfect,” you said. “but you care. and that’s more than most.”

he stared at you, eyes shadowed and searching.

then he mumbled, “you’re weird.”

you grinned. “takes one to know one.”

and he laughed—a real one, deep and surprised. like it had snuck up on him.

from then on, everything shifted.

porco started walking next to you instead of behind. he let his hand linger a little longer when you passed him gauze. he’d still snap when irritated, still scowl at reiner, but there was something gentler in the way he looked at you.

it was a small moment—a quiet morning on a day off. the others were off on patrol, and you were sitting under a tree, scribbling on your notebook. porco flopped down beside you, sighing dramatically.

“i’m bored,” he announced.

“go punch a tree,” you replied.

“nah. i’ll watch you write dumb poems instead.”

“they’re not poems,” you muttered.

he leaned over to peek. “are you writing about me?”

“ew, no.”

pause.

“…you sure that's not me?”

you glanced at him. “you're so weird.”

his smirk faded into something softer. “tch. you’re unbelievable.”

then, without warning, he tilted towards you—forehead brushing yours, close enough that you could feel his breath.

“i like the way you look at me,” he murmured.

you blinked. “how do i look at you?”

“like i’m more than just some guy with a titan.”

you stared at him for a moment. then smiled.

“well… you are.”

he kissed you then—short, unsure, but real. and warm. like coming in from the cold.

time passed.

the war didn’t stop, and neither did the fear, the blood, the uncertainty. but porco was always there. with tired hands and quiet glances. with sharp words softened just for you.

he’d grumble about you needing sleep. you’d patch up his cuts with a scolding he pretended to hate. he still argued with reiner. still pushed himself too hard.

but now, he’d come back to you at the end of it all.

one late afternoon, you found yourselves walking through the outer district, boots crunching against gravel. he reached for your hand—awkwardly, like he wasn’t sure it was okay—but didn’t let go when you laced your fingers through his.

you smiled, eyes turned up to the orange-tinted clouds.

porco looked at you, like really looked at you.

“you know,” he said, “i never thought someone would make me want to stay.”

you looked back at him, heart catching.

and then you said, “that would've stuck as a thought if you didn't fall for my charms..”

he huffed, but his thumb brushed your knuckles like a promise.

“then it's a good thing i did.”

and in a world full of broken things, that quiet kind of love—the kind that chose you every day, even when it was hard—was the rarest thing of all.

YALL tbh idek if the warriors had barracks. i was asking my friend for prompts and they mentioned smth bout barracks and i thought it kinda fits since theyre in the military!!!!!!!!!11

#porco #porco galliard #aot #attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin #mew #aot x reader #aot x you #aot x oc #I LOVE YOU PORCO #jaw titan #eren yeager #eren jaeger #eren #yeah #fluff

35 notes · View notes

theodorecanaryhood · 5 months ago

Text

The Coffee Shop guy and The Red Hood: Christmas time

A Christmas special for you all, my favourite series.

Arkhamverse Red Hood / Jason Todd x Male! Nerd reader

It seems it’s here again, the rush of December and before you know. Christmas is less than a week away.

Your glasses sat on the edge of your nose as you wrapped up all your gifts, humming along to the Christmas music playing in the background.

Jason rocked in carrying bags as he walked into the dining room.

‘Am I safe to enter?’ He asked you as you nodded, eyeing up the bags.

‘What did you buy?’ You asked as Jason set them on the table.

‘Food, cookies, some cheeses and meats. I’ve got the turkey for Christmas Day. I also brought some drinks’ he commented.

You had agreed to do Christmas this year at yours, Jason’s family round as you cook for them.

‘Drinks?’ You raised an eyebrow, Jason smiled a little as he pulled out some bottles of the bag.

Vodka, whiskey, gin, tequila … almost like Jason was planning on blacking out with the drink this year.

You just laughed as Jason placed it in a crate, leaving it outside the back with the cold air hitting it.

‘Babe?’ You called to him, he stopped to look at you.

You leant in and kissed him deeply as he greeted it, grabbing ahold of your head.

‘What was that for?’ He asked, you shrugged as you ran a hand through his hair.

‘Just felt like it’ you smiled, kissing him again.

It was a quiet next few days as your work went on Christmas break, no teaching for the next two weeks which meant you could enjoy yourself a bit more. Enjoy the company of Jason.

Before you could even begin to prepare, it was the 23rd of December.

You placed all the wrapped gifts in a big bag ready for the trip to the tree Christmas morning.

Jason was working away in the kitchen as he cooked up some food for the guests coming. Nothing too big, just enough for you guys to enjoy while you talked.

Drinks, food, chatting, laughter … the house was full of the effects of the holiday.

Christmas Eve was soon here as you all sat together watching movies. Jason enjoyed having his family together again. Even if it was just for a few days.

‘Merry Christmas baby’ you smiled as you walked into the bedroom Christmas morning, greeting Jason’s sleepy face with a kiss.

You placed all the presents under the Christmas tree ready for when everyone came down.

Dick was the first one to keep asking if he could open his, you chuckled as he seemed to be a big kid.

You all sat round having coffee and waking up a bit, deciding soon after to go and open all the gifts you’d gotten.

Jason kept glancing at you as you opened the ones he got you, him smiling when he’d see that you loved them.

You near enough doing the same for him, making sure he liked all of yours you’d got him.

Another present session for another year, it was time for the big Christmas dinner. Jason, you, Tim, Barbara and Jim.

It was a strange year without Alfred, but you guys knew he was there in spirit. Watching you all with a smile as was Bruce.

December flew by quickly and the holidays was a success as always. You sat with Jason cuddled by the fireplace as he held onto you, him smiling.

It felt like a lifetime the two of you had been together. And it was bliss. The normalcy of the holidays made you all forget about the pain, the anger and the madness you’d seen.

Here in Jason’s arms as he made you feel so safe, so loved. You making him feel like the most special man in the world.

#red hood #gotham #red hood fanfiction #red hood x reader #red hood x you #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x reader #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x you #jason todd #dc christmas #jason todd x male reader #red hood x male reader #arkham knight x male reader

91 notes · View notes

topazy · 7 months ago

Text

Tomorrow’s promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Swearing: Swearing, blood

4.04

“Everyone, get back into your cells now!”

In the blink of an eye, everything had gone to shit. One minute you and Sasha are helping Hershel put a dead body onto a trolley for it to be taken away, and the next the prison block you’re in is full of walkers.

You shove Mika and Lizzie, two sisters under the age of thirteen, into a cell with you and slam the door shut just as a walker approaches. It tries to grab you, but thankfully the metal bar keeps it at bay.

“Y/n,” the youngest sister says. “She doesn’t look so good.”

Turning back around, you see Sasha slumped against the wall and coughing heavily. “Shit, keep her sitting upright and don’t open the cell for anyone else. I need to get Hershel.”

Using your blade, you stab the walker in the head, and do your best to not think about how this was a person who greeted you every morning, you’ve laughed with them, and survived alongside them.

As you navigate through the block, stepping over dead bodies and dodging walkers trying to rip you to shreds, sweat drips down your back.

You reach the far side of the upper floor and find Hershel attaching a resuscitator to Glenn. Maggie was standing guard at the cell door, shooting at the dead to keep them from getting to her dad and Glenn.

“Y/n behind you!”

The sound of shuffling feet echoes closer, and you spin fast and stab the person in the head. Henry. You feel sick; Henry was just a teenager.

Walker or not, you just stabbed a teenager, a kid.

You somehow manage to hold back the urge to vomit. “Hershel,” you call back. “Sasha’s not looking so good. You need to help her.”

The block is full of nothing but screams and gunfire, but you somehow manage to make out what Hershel is explaining, and you take over from him and start squeezing the bag of the resuscitator, inflating Glenn’s lungs.

You’re unsure how much time has passed, but when night comes, the walkers have been dealt with, and the sudden silence is deafening.

—

There was still pain in your chest whenever you took deep breaths, and your throat still felt dry and scratchy, but at least you were now able to go outside as long as you kept your distance from the others.

At least outside, the smell of death wasn’t so strong.

One of the fences came down the night before, and a horde would have gotten through if it wasn’t for Rick and Carl shooting the walkers down. Now that the rotten bodies had been moved further away, you were attempting to block up the gaps until the fence could be rebuilt more securely.

Maggie notices what you’re doing and comes over to help. “You should be resting.”

Since you’ve already been in close contact with Maggie, it didn’t matter if she was beside you. “I need to do something,” you say while wrapping a wire between a pole you stuck in the ground and a wooden crate. “Glenn is looking a lot better.”

“I know, thank God.”

“Thank Hershel; without your dad, more people would have died. Me included.”

She gives you a sympathetic smile, “Hopefully we can join the others in a couple of days.”

“Hopefully.”

You doubted things would feel normal for some time. Rick told you Carol murdered David and Karen in an attempt to stop the flu from spreading, so he banished her. You cared for Carol but couldn’t help but wonder if she would have done the same to you, Glenn, or Sasha if she saw how sick the three of you were.

“On the bright side, we got plenty of diapers and formula now that Daryl’s back from the supply,” Maggie says, making conversation.

You let out a deep sigh; you hadn’t seen Daryl since being completely conscious. He had taken a few other members of your community on a supply run, and they had only returned less than an hour ago.

Seeing you become teary-eyed, Maggie rests her hand on your shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss Jace.”

You wanted nothing more than to hold your baby and kiss his chubby cheeks and hold his hand. Beth has brought him to the viewing room once, but all it did was distress him; your poor boy didn’t understand the plastic barrier keeping the two of you apart.

“I can’t imagine how hard it is not being able to take care of him yourself, but at least you know he’s well taken care of.”

Following her trail of sight, you see Daryl holding Jace on the far side of the courtyard; he was pointing at the birds sitting on the fence. All you wanted to do was run to them, but you stayed back so as not to upset your son again. But seeing them together gives you peace of mind.

—

After helping scrub the remaining blood off the cell floors, you go back outside to watch the sun set. The atmosphere inside the block was becoming too much for you to bear—too many grieving parents, brothers, sisters, children… nothing you say would be able to help them.

Hershel says it should be safe for those not showing anymore symptoms of the flu to rejoin the rest of your community; you were equally as nervous as you were excited. Being able to take care of Jace, Carl, and Judith again was something you couldn’t wait for, but the fear of the virus spreading to them was still fresh in your mind.

The smell of tobacco fills the air. Looking over your shoulder, you see Daryl with a cigarette between his lips.

“Those things will kill ya.”

He grunts between exhaling smoke.

Sitting atop one of the metal benches, you bring your knees to your chest. “Thank you, Daryl, for always taking care of Jace.”

He takes another puff of the cigarette before dropping it on the ground and stubbing it out with his foot. “Ain’t nothing to thank me for,” he says, coming over to the bench and sitting beside you. “It’s just what we do; we dare for each other.”

Your heart races as you fully take in his appearance now that he is closer to you. Daryl’s eyes were heavy; his body, face, and hair had traces of dirt and blood covering them.

You sit in a comfortable silence for some time until Daryl suddenly turns to you and says, “Doncha, think it’s weird you ain’t ever seen me without a top on?”

“I’ve never really given it much thought; why?”

All of your time was usually spent surviving or looking after Jace, and since you hadn’t had sex yet, not seeing Daryl completely topless hadn’t even crossed your mind.

Daryl turns his head to see if anyone else is around, and after seeing there’s not, he looks away from you and pulls up the back of his top, revealing multiple deep scars on his back. After a moment, he pulls it back down and faces you just as a single tear rolls down your cheek. He wipes the tear away with the pad of his thumb. “Both my parents were alcoholics, and after my mom died, my dad became a complete asshole.”

“Daryl…” The thought of him being a frightened young boy in pain was almost too much to bear.

“It’s why I hated my goddamn brother for so long. Merle left to join the army as soon as he could, leaving me alone with him.”

You link your fingers with his; Daryl wasn’t the kind of person you could pry info out of. He only shares things when he fully trusts someone, so for him to share this with you was a big deal.

Shyly, you start to lean into him, unsure how he will react, but Daryl wraps his arms around. You bury your face into the crook of his neck. “I’ve really missed you.”

“If you're broken, then I’m broken.”

#the walking dead #daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon/you #tomorrow’s promise #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead fanfiction #TWD fanfic #tomorrow’s promise 4.04 #Daryl Dixon/reader #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fic

76 notes · View notes

makeitmingi · 1 year ago

Text

The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 38]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.3K

"We should take it to the vet tomorrow." You said as you and Yunho hovered over the kitten. You placed some wet cat food onto a paper plate and he was so quick to eat it up. Yes, you also learnt that the kitten is a boy.

"We should but the only free time we have is between morning and dinner service. Plus it's Friday so we're going to be busy." Yunho said.

"I'll do it after the morning shift then." You smiled.

"And by 'I', you mean 'we'." Yunho laughed and pressed his forehead against your temple. Instead of hovering, he sat on the floor and pulling you to sit on his lap.

"There, we can watch him like this." He said, resting his chin on your shoulder with his arms around your waist.

"It's late, you still have to drive back." You stood up. Yunho nodded in agreement.

"You can handle the little one?" Yunho chuckled. You hummed, smiling softly as you looked over at the kitten that was rolling all over your rug, happy to have a full belly of food.

Although Yunho wanted to ask to stay the night or thought that you would offer him that option, he didn't want to overstep so he willing got his coat to leave. Maybe you just wanted the house and your bed to yourself since you had all 8 of them over last night. He understood that you needed to recharge.

"Goodbye. I'll see you again tomorrow." Yunho said, gently stroking the kitten's head with the back of his finger.

"Thanks again for tonight." You said, looking up at him as he got ready to leave.

"No need to thank me. Have a good night, I'll see you tomorrow?" He tilted his head. You nodded and tip toed to give him a goodbye kiss before he headed out the door.

"Alright, let's set you up for the night." You said to the kitten. You cleared the used plates and brought the animal crate to your room.

"Here." You placed some blankets inside, making sure it was warm and comfortable before placing the kitten inside.

"There, all comfy for you." You chuckled. You didn't buy a cat bed because you didn't know if the kitten will be permenantly staying with you so you just grabbed a crate to ferry him around.

After making sure the kitten was settled, you went to remove all your makeup and take a shower. However, mid shower, you didn't expect a little black shadow to push open the bathroom door and enter. He let out a loud meow to establish his presence.

"Geez! You scared me!" You jumped slightly, placing a hand over your racing heart. But he just sat there, staring back at you with a tilt of his head.

"Don't be clingy like a golden retriever." You said, snickering. Once you stepped out, you changed into comfy home clothes.

"Hey, Hwa... I'm home." You said to Seonghwa with the phone on speaker as you did you skincare.

"Hey, sweetheart. I was about to call you. You don't have to come in for morning shift, you know? You can go home and rest after your morning session. We understand."

"I know but you guys can't keep giving me all these exceptions, it's not fair and unprofessional of me." You sighed.

"It's not exceptions. We're friends, practically family. We do it for anyone that needs it."

"I know that... And I'm really grateful for the 3 of you being so supportive. But it's fine, really. I'll be okay. Working would serve as a good distraction rather than just laying in bed." You said, finishing up your nightly routine of skincare. You took the phone with you as you did your laundry.

"But-"

*meow*

"D-Did you just meow at me?"

"What?! No, that's not me. I have a... house guest." You turned the call to a video call, turning the camera to show Seonghwa the kitten that was now curled by your feet.

"I thought you were only having dinner with Yunho's family! When did you get a cat?!"

"It's a long story. He's just staying with me until I can get him to a vet tomorrow and decide what to do with him." You informed.

"It's actually really funny, (y/n). You compare Yunho to a golden retriever every chance you get and now, it's like I'm seeing two of you. Can barely tell the difference."

"Very funny, Hwa. You'll be glad to know that Yunho's been making fun of me the whole night, comparing me to the kitten. That's utter nonsense, I am not a black cat or like one." You scoffed, stroking the kitten as it sat on your thigh.

"Sure~ Like how Yunho denies that he's an overly excited golden retriever puppy."

"You know what, see you tomorrow, Hwa." You scoffed and hung up while he was busy laughing at you. You picked the kitten up and placed him in his crate.

"Stay here. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." You stroked its head and went to bed.

When Yunho arrived at the restaurant the next morning, he looked at his phone. He had sent you a morning text and asked about the kitten but you haven't opened the message.

"Maybe she's busy." He shrugged, it was a Friday morning after all. You probably didn't even have time to look at your phone like always. But when he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see your crew already working without you there. Yunho went to the locker room but you weren't there either.

"She's coming in late. Had something to attend to." Seonghwa spoke as he mixed the cake batter.

"Oh... Okay, thanks." Yunho frowned slightly, scratching his head as he went to the front. You didn't mention this to him last night. Did something happen to the kitten during the night?

"Sorry, the number you have dialled is-"

Yunho chewed on his bottom lip, you were not answering your phone or your texts. He straightened up and went to call Seonghwa out.

"What's up?" Seonghwa asked with raised eyebrows as he leaned against the counter.

"Hyung, (y/n)'s okay, right? It's just, I was with her last night and she didn't mention that she had anything on this morning that would make her late... So I'm just worried..." Yunho rambled.

"She's fine, Yunho. There's not much I can tell you... But rest assure, she's okay. But she's not contactable." Seonghwa placed his hand on Yunho's shoulder to give it a light squeeze and gave the taller a small smile. Yunho nodded his head slowly.

"As long as she's okay. Let me know if you guys need any help in the kitchen." He forced a smile.

"We will. And yes, she's okay. If she wasn't, I would have told you. She should be coming in soon." Seonghwa nodded and headed back to the kitchen to continue baking.

"What's up?" Wooyoung tipped his head at Seonghwa when he saw the older come back in.

"Asked about (y/n). You know she's uncontactable and he's worried because she didn't tell him that she'll be late today." Seonghwa said.

"Oh... No wonder he's worried. Wait, she hasn't told him yet?" Jongho asked as he took the cookies out of the oven. Seonghwa shook his head with a soft sigh.

"It's her decision to tell him. We all know how private she is..." Wooyoung reminded.

Just then, you walked into the kitchen, yawning with two big cups of coffee in your hands. Not even saying hi to your team, you went to the locker room to put your things down first. You leaned against the shelves, taking long sips of your coffee. You needed coffee immediately so you bought two cups.

"Hey." Seonghwa popped in.

"Hey, Hwa, sorry. I'll be right out." You grabbed your apron and tied it around your waist. He hummed and went back to the kitchen to wait for you.

"(y/n), are you okay?" San tilted his ehad when he saw you come out, setting your cups of coffee aside.

"Morning, San. Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for stepping in to help." You chuckled and went to wash your hands. With you around, you were able to take over and San went back out to the front.

"They don't need you anymore?" Mingi asked as he filled the machine with more coffee beans.

"Nope. (y/n)'s here so I think they got it handled." San informed.

"(y/n)'s here? Like here in the kitchen?" Yunho blinked. San raised an eyebrow at his question but nodded his head slowly, with much uncertainty and confusion. Yunho put his things down and went to the kitchen.

"Jagiya~" Wooyoung was hugging you from the back, rocking you from side to side with a smug smile on his face. You were unbothered, cutting up something in front of you.

"Woo, this isn't very safe when I'm using my knife." You said but of course he ignores you.

"We should discuss the dinner menu for tonight so I can get started on prep." You told the rest of the team.

Throughout the time he has been with you, Yunho has been learning how to read you. You were functioning and speaking fine to your team but there was exhaustion on your face.

"Kicking it old school, tonight's pasta is bolognese." You smiled and the boys clapped.

"Traditional style, of course?" Jongho asked and you nodded.

"For fish, let's do a mi cuit salmon with microgreens, buerre blanc, potato puree and pickled beetroot." You said, waving your hand to get your thought processing out. (Mi cuit is French for half baked. Salmon is sous vide at a low temperature until firm but still has the texture, look and taste of raw salmon)

"I think we should do a wet brine for the salmon before putting it into the sous vide." Seonghwa suggested and you wrote it down.

"We should do pork chops with stewed apples and blue cheese sauce." Wooyoung raised his hand.

"Alright. We can throw the pork chops into the sous vide machines. If we have the sous vides going, let's do some chicken breast for classic caesar?" You tilted your head.

"We still have those smaller, thin cuts of beef... What can we do with them?" Jongho reminded.

"Let's leave it for tomorrow." You said.

Yunho quietly observed how you continued to lead the discussion on the food menu for dinner. Like the professional you always are, you didn't let whatever was bothering you affect your work.

"Dessert, let's do sticky toff. It's been a while!" Seonghwa was quick to throw his suggestion in.

"I question the personal motive behind that suggestion but I do agree that it's been a while. So we're doing individual sticky toffee puddings with caramel sauce and vanilla custard? Or should we do ice cream?" You chuckled.

"Ice cream is better since we already have caramel sauce." Wooyoung said. You wrote down everything and pinned it up.

"Alright, let's finish up here and start on some prep work. Then I'll continue after you guys leave." You said. They nodded and you got to work right away.

"We'll do the cleaning." Seonghwa and Wooyoung did it while Jongho assisted you with prepping.

"Hey." Yunho came in.

"Oh, hey." You smiled. But of course, Yunho wouldn't just greet you with a smile. He came over to hug you tightly, quickly planting a kiss to the top of your head.

"You want a coffee?" He offered. You shook your head, nodding over to the two cups of coffee you had brought in with you.

"Is it okay to be drinking so much coffee at once?" Yunho tilted his head.

"Nope!" Seonghwa answered for you, making you roll your eyes. You scoffed loudly to show Seonghwa you were ignoring him and patted Yunho on the hip before going back to help Jongho with the prep. Having already missed the morning stuff, you didn't want to lag behind, you wanted to make up for the work that you didn't do.

You noticed that Yunho was strangely quiet but you couldn't put your finger on it. Usually, he was loud and excited when he sees you but today, he greeted you and left obediently.

"Is Yunho okay? Did something happen when I wasn't around?" You asked Jongho.

"Nothing happened but Yunho hyung was worried when he didn't see you this morning. Didn't know where you were..." Jongho informed.

"Oh." You replied, continuing your prep work.

"Fridge?" Wooyoung came over, seeing the containers of prepped ingredients that you were done with. You nodded and he helped you bring them all to the walk in.

"You guys should head off soon, I"ve got it covered here." You said, checking your watch.

"Don't stay too long. We'll see you tonight, princess." The boys all left without argument. Wooyoung hugged you tightly and gave you a big kiss on your cheek, to which you scrunched your nose. Jongho gave you a brief hug.

"Don't overwork yourself, sweetheart, hmm?" Seonghwa stroked your head. You hummed and he hugged you before patting your head with a soft smile.

"The crew just left?" Yunho came in.

"Yeah, I'm finishing up on the prep. After that, we'll go back to mine to pick up the kitten for the vet?" You asked.

"Sure. Do you need help in here?" Yunho leaned against the metal counter.

"Help me fill the big bins with water? I'll need to clamp the sous vide machines and get it heated." You pointed. Yunho helped you do that while you cooked the caramel sauce for the dessert.

"What else is there to do...?" You thought out loud and went over your list of things that you could prep.

"(y/n), why don't I pick the kitten up from yours then we can bring it to the vet from here?" Yunho suggested.

"Oh, sure." You were surprised at his suggestion but you weren't against it. You gave Yunho the key to your place and he left to pick the kitten up. Now you were worried, Yunho and you were always together, given the opportunity. It was odd for him to suggest he go ahead and pick the kitten up first.

"I'm done with my duties." Hongjoong came in, finding you alone. Honestly, he thought he would find Yunho in here with you.

"Can you bring that tray of meats to me, please?" You requested. He brought over the vacuum pack sealed pork chops for you to dump into the heated sous vide water.

"Where's Yunho?" Hongjoong asked, continuing to help you were he could.

"Oh, he went to help me pick something up from my place. He'll be back soon." You informed.

"Are you alright, (y/n)? Is something bothering you?" Hongjoong noted how you were slightly distracted as you were doing whatever you were doing.

"I'm probably overthinking it but Yunho's just acting a little weird today so I'm wondering if everything's okay." You shrugged.

"Hmm, from what I know nothing happened today in the store and he's been fine... You know, the usual Yunho... I'm sure it's nothing, don't be too worried. We all have our off days, even energetic puppies." He gave a comforting smile.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Hongjoong." You laughed in agreement, it was funny to hear Yunho's friends refer to him as a puppy too. Subsequently, the other boys came in to offer help too.

"All these in the fridge?" Yeosang checked.

"Yeah. But keep the trays separate, they're portioned according to the different dishes." You said.

"Sure." He and Mingi brought it whatever you were done with. With their help, you were done relatively quickly. Just in time, Yunho pulled up to the restaurant.

"Bye, thanks guys. See you tonight." You waved to them before hopping into Yunho's passenger seat.

"Thanks for going to pick him up." You said.

"You're very welcome, love. Are you tired?" Yunho softened, reaching over to cup your cheek. You shook your head, leaning into his touch and closing your eyes. You let out a long exhale.

"Shall we talk after the vet?" He asked. You hesitated for a while before nodding, even if your heart was pounding nervously against your chest. With that, Yunho drove to the vet clinic where you had made an appointment for the kitten this morning. He helped you carry the crate with the kitten.

"Hi, I have an appointment?" You went to register at the receptionist counter. Yunho watched your back as you signed the kitten in.

"At least just now when I went to pick him up, he wasn't trying to maul me." Yunho said to you as you took the seat beside him to wait for your turn.

"Maul you? I highly doubt that tiny kitten can maul someone so much bigger like yourself." You laughed.

"He's opening up to me. See? I have that effect on black cats." He coughed, sending you a mischievous grin and side eye.

"I'm not a black cat." You scoffed, picking up the crate and looking at the kitten inside. It let out a small meow and pressed his nose against the gate to try and sniff you.

"Cutie. I hope you slept well." You giggled. He clawed at the gate to show his frustration of being locked up. So you caved and let him out of the crate. However, instead of putting him in your lap, you set him down in Yunho's.

"Since you claim he's comfortable with you now." You laughed, leaning against his arm.

"I said he didn't try to maul me, I didn't say he's comfortable with me." Yunho rolled his eyes but watched as the kitten tried to get comfortable, curling up in his lap.

When the nurse called you, you held the kitten in your arms while Yunho held the crate and entered the vet's office.

"Good afternoon. What can I do for you today?" The vet smiled. However, her smile seemed to grow bigger when she saw Yunho walk in.

"We found this kitten last night in the park, abandoned in the box. We're not sure how long he's been there. So we just want to make sure he's fine." You explained.

"Oh, sure. That's so nice of you to take him in, I'll just do a general check of him." She said, staring at Yunho as she spoke. You raised an eyebrow of amusement at her behaviour and her suddenly flirtatious smile, she was obviously very taken to Yunho's good looks. I mean, who isn't?

"Thank you, doctor." Innocent and ever-so kind Yunho smiled back with bowed his head. He came to stand by your side as the doctor examined the kitten.

"From what I see, judging by his posture, he's about 4 weeks old? But he's malnourished." She said.

"Good that you cleaned him and fed him." She smiled at Yunho.

You were not jealous and you knew how Yunho was. He wasn't deliberately flirting back with her, he was too kind and gracious to anyone he meets. He can't help his golden retriever tendencies.

"Actually, my girlfriend did it all, she's amazing. The kitten isn't too friendly with me yet." Yunho grinned.

"Oh..." The vet cleared her throat awkwardly at the mention of the word 'girlfriend'. You had to purse your lips to stop yourself from laughing at her expression.

"Let me just do some scans and bloodwork. You can wait outside, we'll call you again when we're done." The doctor said a little more uncomfortably now. You nodded and headed to the exit but Yunho quickly grabbed your hand, making you give him a look.

"She kept smiling at me, I felt oddly violated." Yunho whimpered softly to you.

Series masterlist

140 notes · View notes