#I have been spelling her last name wrong for TOO LONG and I can’t go back and fix them all; fuCK

[libraryofloveletters]

Bound By Fate

Jenson Button x Fem!Teammate Reader

series summery: the strings of life connect two people; teammates, friends, perhaps lovers. Even when you think you’ve gotten rid of him, the strings of life pull you back in. some things are just meant to be. 

author's note: this was prompted by god knows what but this is my new passion project. jenson girlies, this one is for you. shoutout to @mev33 for losing her mind over this with me <333

bound by fate taglist!

chapter one: united front

attached at the hip, jenson button and y/n l/n are the unstoppable duo. the same soul in two bodies. all but 4 points separating them. // “where you go, I go. What you see, I see. I know I’d never be me without the security of your loving arms, keeping me from harm. Put your hand in my hand and we’ll stand.” - Skyfall by Adele

chapter two: time cast a spell on you

spending nine months with someone is a long time, especially when you’re forced to be with them. feelings grow, both good and bad.  - “Time cast a spell on you but you won’t forget me. I know I could have I loved you but you would not let me. I’ll follow you down ‘till the sound of my voice can haunt you. Oh give it just a chance. You’ll never get away from the sound of a woman that loves you.” - Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac  

chapter three: the blame is on you

two mclarens spin out, drivers at each other’s throat but only one’s to blame. what’s said on track doesn’t always stay there. - “It’s my own design, it’s my own remorse. Help me to decide, help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever. Everybody wants to rule the world.” - Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tear For Fear 

chapter four: no grace

jenson can’t take it anymore; the back stabbing, the betrayal. he did what he thought was best and left. on what was supposed to be the happiest night of y/n’s life, she’s heartbroken and upset. — “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace, so the battleships will sink beneath the waves. You had to kill me, but it kills you just the same. Cursing my name, wishing I stayed. You turned into your worst fears and you’re tossing out blame, drunk on this pain. Crossing out the good years and you’re cursing my name, wishing I stayed.” -  My Tears Ricochet by Taylor Swift 

chapter five: the final tango

y/n and jenson find themselves front and centre, smiling for the cameras in their sunday bests, yet their hearts are in different places. - “it hurts to be something, it’s worse to be nothing with you. I’ve done the math, there’s no solution. We’ll never last. Why can’t I let go of this?” -  Promise by Laufey 

chapter six: secrets of us

when all is said and done, it’s never really over, is it? jenson spills far too much in a tell-all interview that back fires on both he and y/n. - “And you don’t seem to understand, a shame you seemed an honest man. And the fears you hold so dear will turn to whisper in your ear. And you know what they say might hurt you and you know that it means so much, and you don’t even feel a thing.” -  Duvet by Bôa

chapter seven: a chapter of me

four long years have passed, both y/n and jenson are in different places of life but they find themselves at Silverstone, together once again. jenson’s a commentator and y/n’s still a racer. seems the dust has settled. - “Just wanna let this story die, and i’ll be alright. We can’t be friends, but I’d like to just pretend. You cling to your papers and pens, wait until you like me again.” -  We Can’t Be Friends by Ariana Grande 

chapter eight: a glimpse into the past

people come and go, life moves on; that has always been your view. you can’t move on when your past comes back to haunt you. -  “So I ask myself, do I let you go or do I keep you in the frame of my mind? Now I’m growing wise to your sugar coated lies, nothing’s sweet about my misery. Yeah, I finally found what went wrong, i finally found the wrong in you.” - On My Mind by Jorja Smith

chapter nine: twelve steps forward, one step back

the final race of your life, mixed emotions truly. your career was one out of a movie, you’re waiting for the final shoe to drop and when it does, it hits you hard. - “Isn’t it strange? I am still me, you are still you, in the same place. Isn’t it strange how people can change from strangers to friends, friends into lovers, and strangers again?” - Strange by Celeste

epilogue - chapter ten: the last bow

life post retirement is a funny thing, you thought you’d be having fun but you’re bored out of your mind. a solo trip results in seeing a ghost from your past.  -  “I'm sure we're taller in other dimension, you say we’re small and not worth a mention. You’re tired of movin’, your body’s achin’. We could vacay, there’s places to go. Clearly this isn’t all that there is, can’t take what’s been given. But we’re so okay here, we’re doing fine.” - White Ferrari by Frank Ocean 

[steddieas-shegoes]

Request: wrong number au, Eddie texts Gareth something personal but puts in 1 wrong number & ends up texting Steve. The two of them hit it off & start chatting & then when they meet IRL they are completely head over heels in love & its cute as fuck

MY LOVE MY LOVE MY LOVE!!! LOVE A GOOD WRONG NUMBER AU!!! I can't believe I've never written it before now. I also had to actually include Gareth because I am actually obsessed with him lately, and I just think it's really neat that we can make these characters our own. This was such a fun and cute request! I didn't do the inappropriate route because I thought this was hilarious so sorry about that. I made up for it with something else! - Mickala ❤️

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

GARE BEAR! You won’t believe it but i dropped my phone in a sewer. Lost everything.

He had never been so happy about having his closest friends’ numbers memorized. His phone was somewhere under the streets of Chicago, floating through dirty water and sewage, dying a slow and painful death.

He texted everyone else one at a time, let them know he had a new number and to completely delete the old one because it would never be recovered.

They were used to things like this happening; He lost his phone annually at this point and it was cheaper just to get a new number than transfer everything to a new one.

He went to dial Wayne, the old school part of him insisting on phone calls instead of texts still, when Gareth’s name popped up with a new text.

Not sure who Gare Bear is, but sorry about your phone. That’s shitty.

Eddie let out a loud laugh.

did you mean to make a pun?

Did it make you laugh?

yes

Then yes.

Eddie sat down on a bench, entirely focused on his conversation with this stranger.

Did you find your Gare Bear yet?

Not yet but i think i’m pretty happy talking to you for now

Smooth, Eddie.

Admittedly, he was in a hell of a dry spell.

Going on almost two years, actually.

A little flirting with a stranger never hurt anybody, not when he clearly needed some practice.

Not sure if your Gare Bear would like it very much though

Wait, what?

Eddie stared at his phone, trying to comprehend what that could mean. Why would Gareth not want him talking to a stranger?

I hope you find your partner though!

Oh.

Oh!

Eddie hit the call button in the corner before he could even register what he was doing.

“Hello?”

Oh no, he sounded hot.

“Hi. So, Gareth is very much not my partner. He probably actually wishes I would really forget his number,” Eddie rushed out.

“Um. Okay?”

“He’s been my best friend for ten years and he thinks I’m a mess. Not a partner,” Eddie further clarified.

“Got it. Not a partner.”

“Yes, exactly.”

They stayed silent for a moment before Eddie coughed.

“I’m Eddie, by the way.”

“Steve. Sorry about your phone, seriously that sucks,” he sounded genuinely apologetic, like he personally threw Eddie’s phone in the sewer.

“Oh, no big deal. I lose my phone more often than I go out with someone,” Eddie said.

Why did he say that?

Steve let out a laugh and it was like music.

Eddie couldn’t help the smile taking over his face at his laugh, already knew he wasn’t gonna be able to let this guy go without learning more about him.

“So you’re, what? Celibate?” Steve asked.

“Far from it. Well, maybe not far from it. Temporarily, maybe. It’s been a while,” Eddie admitted.

“How long?” Steve asked, a loud bang coming from his end of the phone. “Sorry, I had to go outside for some privacy.”

Eddie wasn’t going to read into that. He wasn’t.

“Two years give or take. I mean I’m not counting shitty dates that ended before they got worse. So, yeah. Two years.”

“Been a year for me, but. Yeah, I get it. My last relationship didn’t end on the best terms. She decided I was too in love with her I guess,” Steve sighed, voice sounding pained.

She.

Steve was probably straight.

There was no way he’d be lucky enough for Steve to like men.

Or for Steve to like him.

“I can’t really imagine breaking up with someone because they loved me too much. I’m usually the one who falls too hard,” Eddie admitted.

“Yeah, well, same here,” Steve sounded sad, a bit withdrawn.

Eddie wanted to hear him laugh again.

“I doubt either of us have ever fallen as hard as my phone did down a drain,” Eddie said sadly.

Steve let out a loud laugh and Eddie smiled.

“This might sound crazy, but I’m kind of glad your phone decided to live in the sewers,” Steve said when he finally calmed down. “And maybe a little too happy that you typed your friend’s number wrong.”

“Oh really? Why’s that?”

Was this flirting? Was he successfully having a flirtatious conversation with a potentially very hot guy?

“So I can be bold and ask if you maybe wanted to meet up somewhere?” Steve asked hesitantly.

“So you’re in Chicago?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“For the last five years, yeah.”

“You busy tonight?”

Eddie’s heart stopped.

He was really going to meet up with a stranger just because he liked his laugh and hoped he was hot.

He’d done more with less.

“Yeah, actually. I’m getting dinner with this guy I accidentally texted,” Eddie smirked, looking down at his feet.

“Dinner? What a lucky guy. Where are you going?” Steve sounded amused.

“Well, it depends on what he likes. I’ve been craving some pierogies. Ever been to Staropolska?” Eddie asked.

Gareth’s family owned it, and he used to eat there two or three times a week while they were in college, usually working off his bill in the kitchen doing dishes after.

He hadn’t been in a couple months, work keeping him busy and his budget being pretty tight when he moved into a studio apartment by himself.

He had enough to treat himself tonight though.

“The one on Milwaukee? Yeah. One of my favorite places to get devolay,” Steve sounded surprised that he knew it.

“You won’t believe this, but the friend I was trying to text when I got you, his family owns that place.”

“No way! Then we have to. We owe it to the guy who has almost my exact phone number,” Steve responded.

“Meet you there at seven?” Eddie asked, suddenly more nervous.

“Seven sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Steve giggled. Eddie fell in love.

“We should probably hang up.”

“Should we?” Eddie asked, not wanting to stop talking to him yet.

“Yes, I have to do my hair. Gotta impress the guy who drops his phone in the sewer and texts strangers about it.”

“He sounds like a loser. Don’t put too much effort in,” Eddie sighed. “But okay. See you at seven.”

“See you then.”

They both stayed on the line for a minute.

“Okay. For real. Bye,” Steve laughed.

“Bye, Stevie.”

He hung up before he could convince himself to talk to him for the rest of the afternoon.

He breathed out a loud sigh, smiling as he realized he had a date.

He dialed Gareth’s real number immediately.

“Gareth, I have a date!”

“What is this number, Eddie?”

“Oh, I dropped my phone in the sewers. Not important. I have a date!”

“Jesus Christ. Okay. Come over then.”

—-----------------------------------

Gareth had been his pre-date hype man since high school, though he wasn’t very good at it.

Mostly he calmed Eddie’s nerves and helped make sure his hair didn’t look like he just woke up, which was often its unfortunate state of being.

“So, you don’t know this guy,” Gareth said from his bed.

“No.”

“And you talked for like two seconds and decided you’re in love with him,” he continued.

“Yes.”

“And you think this is totally normal and sane?”

“I didn’t say that. But we just…I dunno. We clicked. I haven’t been that at ease with someone in a long time. It felt natural,” Eddie fell back on his bed, starfishing so his arm and leg hit Gareth’s legs.

“Dude, I’m not discouraging it. I’m happy for you. I just don’t want you to be disappointed if it isn’t as easy when you meet,” Gareth said softly.

“Yeah, thanks. I think it’ll be okay, though.”

“Alright. Tell babcia I’m coming by tomorrow for lunch.”

Eddie sat up and gave Gareth a quick hug.

“Thanks Gare Bear!”

—-------------------------------------------

He arrived 20 minutes early so he could sneak in the back to say hi to Gareth’s grandmother, who still insisted on getting her hands on the food every day for a couple of hours despite being nearly 80 years old.

“Babcia!”

“Eddie! My kochany! You forget to visit and I forget what you look like!” she rushed over, flour and oil stains all over her apron.

He should have kept some distance so his shirt didn’t get ruined, but he ignored the part of his brain telling him to look perfect for his date so he could get a hug.

“You know I have to watch my money,” he said against her shoulder.

“And you know I feed you for free if you clean up after yourself. No excuse,” she pulled away and looked him over. “You look handsome. Why?”

Eddie put his hands on his hips.

“What? Don’t I always look handsome?”

“Of course, but this is different. Your hair is smooth and you smell like the perfume store,” she smirked. “Is it a girl? Or a boy? Or a someone?”

“It’s a boy. We’ve never met in person, so I wanted to make a good first impression,” he admitted.

“Oh! How lovely! What’s his name?” She was back to kneading dough, but kept her eyes on him.

“Steve. He actually has been here before, loves the devolay?”

Babcia froze.

“Steve? Oh goodness.” She turned to the sink and washed her hands, muttering under her breath about something.

Eddie’s heart sank. Babcia didn’t seem happy about this.

“What’s wrong? You know him?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Is he not a good guy? Has he been mean to you? I’ll call and cancel right now,” he insisted, reaching for his phone in his pocket.

“No, no. Nothing like that. He is a very sweet boy. He got broken up with in this restaurant a few months back. Tore me to pieces. He just sat here for hours crying. I moved him to a corner booth for his privacy and he left me a $100 tip and ever since then when he comes in I make sure to give him as many szarlotka as he wants.” She touched Eddie’s shoulder. “You be good to him. He has a nice heart.”

Eddie’s mind raced.

Why had Steve agreed to come here for a date if this is where he’d been broken up with? Why did he even bother coming back if it held such bad memories?

What if he didn’t see this as a date?

The front door chimed and he heard the employee at the front welcome someone.

“He will be good for you, drogi.”

Eddie nodded before making his way to the front, stopping in his tracks when he saw the most beautiful man he’d ever seen standing at the podium, talking to the employee with a smile.

“That’s him,” Babcia said from behind him. “Go get him.”

She shoved him forward, nearly making him trip, which caught the attention of Steve.

He looked over with a curious smile, and then realization seemed to hit him.

“Steve?” Eddie managed to ask, loud enough to be heard over the few full tables in the restaurant.

“Eddie?” he asked back, hesitantly moving towards him.

“I, um,” Eddie started, then cleared his throat. “I usually sit by the window, if that’s okay?”

“That’s perfect,” Steve nodded.

It was cliche, like the room around them closed into just them existing together, like the stars had aligned exactly right for this moment to happen.

They sat down at the table Eddie usually sat at, staring across the table at each other in slight awe.

Eddie really hoped that Steve was having the same feelings he was.

But one thing was stopping Eddie from being completely enraptured.

“Is this a date?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” Steve seemed surprised by his question. “I mean, yeah. I’d like it to be. I thought it was.”

Eddie nodded once, but remained quiet, thinking.

“Oh God, it wasn’t, was it? You were just being nice. What is it with this restaurant? If I didn’t love the food so much or babcia, I would never step foot here again, I swear-”

Eddie put his hand on Steve’s to calm him down, frown on his face.

“Woah. What?”

“I just. I don’t have the best history with dates here and I guess I didn’t learn the first time something bad happened, and now I’m being too much too fast again in this place and-”

Eddie pulled Steve’s hand up to his face, placing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“Stevie, calm down. This is a date. I’ll have as many dates here as you want to to get rid of whatever negative stuff you associate with this place. Babcia would hate that I ruined this place for you,” he said quietly.

Steve seemed to relax at his words.

And if you wanna tell me about what happened, you can. If it’ll help,” Eddie offered.

Before Steve could reply, Gareth’s cousin, Ben, came to take their order.

It was a quick order, both knowing exactly what they wanted, and then Steve looked back at him.

“It’s just. My last girlfriend, who I was with for almost three years, dumped me here. It was kind of out of the blue for me, and I had a really hard time that night.”

Eddie felt his heart break.

How could someone do that to Steve? He didn’t need to know him better to know that he didn’t deserve that, especially not if babcia had taken him under her wing so quickly.

“She must be awful to have let you go like that,” Eddie squeezed Steve’s hand in his, resisting the urge to go to his side of the table and hold him.

Steve shrugged and looked down at their hands.

“I mean, I should have known. She was never much for romance or spending time together that didn’t involve work or school. I was looking at engagement rings and she was looking at apartments to get away from me. I was just…really blinded by what I thought was love,” Steve smiled sadly at him.

“It wasn’t?”

“Well, it may have been a type of love. It was more comfort than anything. She was kind of all I had for the first year we were together, and I think I just ignored how unhealthy that was for both of us. And then I met Robin in college, and she was like the opposite of Nancy in every way. A few months before Nancy broke up with me, I told her that Robin’s parents kicked her out when she came out to them and that she needed a place to stay until we graduated. She agreed, then never made any attempt at getting to know her. And I didn’t read into it, Nancy isn’t like, super talkative with people she isn’t already close with, and Robin just kinda stayed to herself when Nancy was home.” Steve took a shaky breath. “But it turns out she didn’t bother getting to know her because she already knew she was gonna break up with me and leave the apartment to me and Robin, so.she just. Didn’t bother. Robin warned me, but I didn’t listen.”

Eddie wanted to cry.

Steve’s voice was full of pain, but not in a way that told him he still loved her, or still hoped they would get back together. More that she broke a part of him that he still hadn’t been able to fix no matter how hard he tried or wanted to.

“Was she jealous?” Eddie asked, trying so hard to understand what could have happened.

“I dunno. I mean, Robin’s a lesbian, and I definitely never had feelings for her anyway. Nancy was always so sure of herself, I can’t imagine she’d be jealous.”

“It sounds like she didn’t appreciate you very much.”

“What do you mean?” Steve didn’t sound mad, just curious.

“Well, she didn’t even make an effort to get to know your best friend, right? And it sounds like she was too busy focusing on her future to even think about what you looked like in it, and instead of trying to plan it with you, she made a future for her. She sounds a bit selfish,” Eddie shrugged.

Instead of being upset, Steve laughed.

God, Eddie loved that laugh.

“Sorry, it’s just that you sound exactly like Robin. You’d probably be two peas in a pod.”

“Tell me about her,” Eddie genuinely wanted to know more about the person who kept Steve going.

Their food arrived in the middle of the story of how Steve and Robin met, but it didn’t stop him from continuing.

Eddie listened with a fond smile, filling in Steve’s gaps of silence as he chewed a bite of food with questions or something related to what he’d been talking about.

It was easy.

It was fun.

Halfway through the meal, Steve’s foot rested against one of his and it felt like electricity shooting through his bones.

Eddie told him about Gareth, and his family who had pretty much adopted him when they both moved here from a small town in Indiana. He talked about his uncle who raised him for most of his life, who visited every Christmas despite being on a really tight budget.

Time passed quickly, but not at all.

They hadn’t realized how long they’d been sitting there until babcia came out without her apron to hand deliver an apple tart.

“You boys enjoy. I’ll see you both soon!” she said as she smacked a kiss on top of each of their heads.

Both of them blushed, but tried to cover it up with a bite of food.

As they finished, Steve looked outside to see how dark it was, how few people were left walking the streets.

“Guess we should head out,” he muttered, sounding like that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Would you wanna come to my place? We don’t have to do anything except talk, I promise. I just don’t really want this to end yet,” Eddie suggested.

“Really? I haven’t bored you?” Steve asked, just a hint of self-deprecation in his tone.

Eddie shook his head.

“Not at all. I’d really like to get a chance to love you the way you deserve,” Eddie said.

Steve’s eyes widened.

Eddie should back up, should say something less intense.

But if this ruined it, then at least he said what he was thinking.

“You think you could love me?” Steve asked, barely more than a whisper.

“I think I already do a little,” Eddie admitted.

Steve blinked at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape.

“I need to kiss you,” he finally said.

“Now? Here?” Eddie smiled.

“Now. Here.”

“I won’t stop you.”

Steve stood from the table and stood in front of Eddie, placing both hands on his cheeks and leaning down.

Their lips brushed in a barely-there kiss, softer than Eddie expected.

Steve stayed there for a moment, eyes closed, and Eddie couldn’t help the words tumbling from him.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

If someone had said it to him, he would think they were just trying to get him into their bed, but that wasn’t the case here and he hoped Steve knew that.

“People used to call me a charmer, but I don’t think I’m half as good at it as you,” Steve whispered, his breath ghosting against Eddie’s lips.

“Just honest.”

“Take me home,” Steve said, opening his eyes and staring at Eddie, his eyes glowing with something close to love.

—-------------------------------------

They stayed up all night, never doing more than kissing and mapping out patterns on each others’ skin.

They talked about everything, even the painful parts of life, even the parts that they hadn’t shared with anyone else.

It didn’t make any sense that someone who had been a stranger not even 24 hours ago could already mean so much.

When the sun started to shine through the curtains of Eddie’s apartment, Steve sighed and buried his face in Eddie’s neck.

“I have to go to work,” though he burrowed his entire body further into the bed and Eddie’s side.

“You could call in sick,” Eddie suggested, pressing a kiss to the top of Steve’s head.

“Robin would kill me.”

He and Robin worked together as team teachers at an elementary school. When one of them missed, it left the other with 34 kids alone.

Plus, Steve loved his job, worked hard to be a teacher, and hated missing a day if he didn’t need to.

“Maybe you could bring Robin here after work? I can make dinner?” Eddie’s job was pretty easy, marketing for an Indie record label based out of New York remotely really kept him busy for a couple hours a day and the rest of the time was spent writing his own music.

Steve sat up and looked down at him, his hair ruffled from Eddie running his fingers through it for the last eight hours.

“You’d wanna meet Robin?”

“Yeah, if you want me to. She sounds like fun.”

Steve started crying.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry. Good job, Munson, already ruined something good,” Eddie was reaching for a tissue from his bedside table.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I’m just tired and emotional. And just. It means a lot that you’d wanna meet her,” Steve said between gasps for air as he continued to cry.

“Of course I do. I could even invite Gareth over, too, if you want. He won’t believe that our date went well,” Eddie joked, brushing the tears away from Steve’s cheeks.

“I’d love to meet him,” Steve said, sniffling.

“When can you guys get here?”

“Usually we’re done by four, but sometimes we stay later to finish grading stuff. Maybe we should say six?”

“Got it. Any allergies?”

“Robin is allergic to shellfish. She says she is. I think she just doesn’t like them,” Steve rolled his eyes.

“No shellfish, got it. Any preferences, my love?”

Steve blushed at the term of endearment, looking down before he leaned in to kiss Eddie softly.

“Anything you make will be great.”

“You wanna borrow some clothes for work?” Eddie asked.

“Do you have any business casual stuff?”

Eddie gagged.

“Unfortunately, it’s required for the job sometimes. Far left of the closet should have something,” he nodded towards the small closet by the bathroom.

Eddie watched as Steve walked over and picked out his only pair of khaki pants and a navy button down. Steve looked back at him and winked before he nodded towards the bathroom.

“Could use some help working the shower if you’re willing to,” he smirked.

Eddie jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom, ignoring the way Steve was laughing.

“The hot water is tricky sometimes. I should probably get in there too to make sure it stays hot,” Eddie said as he stripped off his pants.

“Definitely. Wouldn’t want me to get cold,” Steve put a hand on his shoulder to slow him down. “Kiss me?”

Eddie leaned in to kiss him slowly, letting his tongue brush along his lips just to get a taste.

“Okay?” Eddie checked in.

“Yeah. You remember what you said last night? About loving me like I deserve?”

Eddie nodded.

“I want you to. And I want to love you back.”

“I think we can arrange that.”

[syddsatyrn]

Chapter 1⛤Chapter 2 ⛤ Chapter 3 ⛤Chapter 4 ⛤ Chapter 5 Masterlist

⛤Pairing: - Eddie Munson x FemReader

⛤Warnings: Swearing, drinking / smoking, drugs, fluff, friends to lovers, kissing, a little angst if you squint.

⛤Words: 2.7k

⛤Song: "Photograph" By Def Leppard

⛤Summary: Moving away from Hawkins was the biggest mistake of your life. You left your best friends and forgot to stay in touch. Years later, you decide to hit up your good friend Steve. Its time to make a plan and make amends. The one thing you didn't expect was feelings to resurface when you saw your old high school crush.

⛤Notes: This series is 18+ Minors scram. I've got a super extra long chapter for you guys today! @hellfiremunsonn is my faithful beta reader and assists me so much. Thank you guys for making my come-back series a fun one. My next chapter will be the end of this series.

⛤Chapter: 4 "Subtle" Chemistry Star court mall is always at least a little crowded. The lively hum of conversations, laughter, and distant music formed a vibrant backdrop. Storefronts beckoned with their displays of trendy fashion, electronics, and enticing sales. Shoppers meandered through the wide walkways, their bags filled with many treasures. Neon signs buzzing, the occasional sounds of a cash register, and the scent of cinnamon drifting through the air. It was just like you remembered it. You had a blast hanging out with Robin. She picked out a brand new pair of ankle length combat boots. You both decided to get ice cream and take a break from walking around. The food court wasn’t super crowded, it was the perfect place to chat. “Can I tell you something? It’s a secret so dont go telling Steve.” “Ohhhh is it secret time?” I won't tell Stevie boy, I promise.” Robin raises her right hand, “Scouts honor.” “Okay. Uhhh…well…I slept in Eddie’s bed last night. He came home from tour in the middle of the night.” Your face turns redder with every word. “Oh shit. Wow Y/N, I didn't think you had it in yah.” She chuckles and puts another spoonful of strawberry ice cream in her mouth. “We didn't do anything!” You affirm your tone a little on the defensive side. “What!? I’m just saying you guys have been madly in love with each other since sophomore year and neither of you have had the audacity to tell each other for some unspoken reason…until now.” She's not wrong, Robin has always been one to spell it out for you loud and clear. She never holds back, it's something you’ve always appreciated about her. Robin has been telling you to come clean for ages now.

“Look, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I don't want to screw up my friendship with Eddie. Also, he's like a big rockstar now, I doubt he has any time for stuff like that.” You explain as you sink into your chair. "He probably has some cool metalhead girlfriend I don't know about.” You take a bite of your vanilla ice cream. It's so fitting for this conversation, vanilla ice cream for a vanilla person.

“God it's been years and I still can’t wrap my head around your stupid self doubt.” Robin says, shaking her head. “Eddie doesn't have a girlfriend. When you left he moped around his trailer for weeks. No one could get him to come out, not even Dustin. One time I went over to his place to check on him and he was sloshed out of his mind. He told me, "The songs he sings don't mean a thing if you’re not there to hear it.”

“He didn't say that.” You scoff.

“Oh but he did, and he keeps a photo of you in his wallet.” Robin says teasingly.

“You know about that too?!” It's becoming apparent that everyone knows this except you.

“Of course I do. It's me, I know everything.” Robin says with a cocky tone.

You and Robin decide to float around the mall a little longer. A small department store was calling your name. The story had low lighting and they were playing some classic rock on the radio. Robin's goal was a pair of shoes, your goal however, was a hot outfit for tonight's party at the hideout. It honestly didn't take you long to find the cutest black skirt with chain embellishments, you picked out some new stockings too. —-------------- After the girls left Eddie felt like he could finally breathe. He finishes his coffee and breakfast, then falls backwards onto his bed. He stares at his ceiling as he finds himself lost in the intricate dance of thoughts that revolve around you. Images of you smiling genuine and heartwarming, flashed like snapshots in his imagination. Casual conversations, stolen glances, and the subtle chemistry that lingered in the air when you were near. The anticipation of his next encounter with you and the sweet nervousness that comes with it. The soft glow of the afternoon sun is casting a warm hue across his room. Steve and Dustin went grocery shopping, the apartment was silent. Eddie pulls himself out of his thoughts and shakes them off. He grabs a pre-rolled joint and lights it, Eddie is nervous and he knows it. All these years and he still can't tell you the truth. His life has changed so drastically for the better ever since he signed that record deal. But there was always something missing, something he was holding out for. Of course many girls are interested in him, but he's not interested in many girls. He promised himself after you left that next time he sees you, he is gonna tell you. If he misses this opportunity, he might lose you entirely. He almost completely gave up on you after a year of no contact. But every time he opened his wallet, he saw a glimpse of your face, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of you or the photo. Eddie puffs on his joint, each inhale making him a little less anxious. He tries to think about something else. It will be nice to hang out at the hideout again. That was where he played his very first gigs when the band was just starting out. They barely had any attendees and the band definitely sounded rough. Then Eddie recalls you being there for every single show. Your smiling face in the crowd, cheering him on after every song.  “Uhgg, get it together, man.” He says under his breath. He finishes his joint and decides to get dressed. —--------------- When you returned with Robin, Steve was putting away the last of the groceries. “We’re back!” Robin announces. Dustin is reading on the couch, when you look down the hall, Eddie’s bedroom door is open. “Welcome back, we will head to the bar when I finish this. I also need to get dressed. Eddie is out, said something about dropping off some equipment with Gareth. He’s gonna meet us there.” Steve says. Honestly, you were a little bummed. You were hoping he’d be around when you got back. But you shrug it off and take your stuff to his room. Robin follows you and shuts the door behind her. You both change into something a bit more stylish. You had a cropped Def Leppard shirt that you paired with the new skirt. This outfit would go well with boots and stockings. Robin didn't change anything really, just her shirt and shoes. You put on a couple of layered chain necklaces, a few rings, and a pair of small silver hoop earrings. “I am astonished really.” Robin says with a smile as she looks you up and down. You tilt your head in response and she laughs. “Eddie is gonna have a full on heart attack when he sees you.” Your face feels a little hot and you laugh nervously. “Do you think so?” “Oh yeah. No doubt.” She smirks. “Someones lookin’ to get lucky.” “Shut up!” You place your hand over her mouth. She does the unthinkable licks the palm of your hand. You give her this horrified face followed by both of you hysterically laughing like a couple of hyenas.  ---------------

The sun was setting and the sky grew darker with every passing minute. There is a chill in the air, which makes you shiver when you open the door. Steve drove to the hideout, it wasn’t far, maybe ten minutes away. When Steve pulled into the parking lot, you looked out the window and saw Eddie’s van. He’s already here, and you start to feel a bit anxious. The Hideout had not changed a bit. The neon signs in the window buzzed as you walked inside. Posters, fliers, and rustic decor filled the walls. You hear the low hum of chatter and the clinking of glasses, the place has a warm glow to it. You used to watch Eddie play here all the time. It felt like your heart was swelling, it's that bittersweet feeling again. You turn the corner and see Eddie and Gareth sitting in a booth. Eddie waves and one by one you all walk over and pile into the same booth. You sit across from Eddie, you can see his face getting a little red. “You uh…look really good, Y/N.” Eddie says with a half smile. He reaches over and adjusts one of your chain necklaces. Robin sees this and covers her mouth, trying not to laugh at how embarrassed you are. But you had to pull all that on hold for now. Nancy and Johnathan walk up and greet the group. You practically climb over Robin and wrap Nancy in a tight hug. “Oh! Y/N? You’re here?! When did you get into town?!” She hugs you back just as hard. “The other day! It's so good to see you, Nance.” Nancy smiles and fights back tears, she didn't expect any kind of reunion. The thing is, You both grew up together. Your mom was friends with Mrs. Wheeler. You spent a lot of your childhood with Nancy and her brother Mike. When you left, Nancy thought she lost you to the city for good.  “Don’t cry! I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long.” “They are happy tears, it’s fine. I’m just so happy to see you.” Everyone in the group is touched to see two best friends reunite. Robin looks like she might start crying too. You give Jonathan a hug as well, It's nice to see him doing well. He wasn't always full of smiles and you’ve wondered how he's been over the years. You remember Jonathan used to take photos of the gang, half of the polaroids you have were probably taken by him. A bartender comes by and takes our order. Eddie ordered whiskey and so did you. Vodka soda for Nancy and Robin, Steve and Jonathan order beers. The clinking of glasses, the occasional burst of laughter, and the subtle hum of the other patrons deep in conversation created a soundtrack to this shared experience. You updated your friends on your new life, and once again apologized for being an awful friend. Everyone was so happy to see you that it didn't matter anymore.  “You better not leave and go back to ignoring us.” Robin says. --------------------

The sun was setting and the sky grew darker with every passing minute. There is a chill in the air, which makes you shiver when you open the door. Steve drove to the hideout, it wasn’t far, maybe ten minutes away. When Steve pulled into the parking lot, you looked out the window and saw Eddie’s van. He’s already here, and you start to feel a bit anxious. The Hideout had not changed a bit. The neon signs in the window buzzed as you walked inside. Posters, fliers, and rustic decor filled the walls. You hear the low hum of chatter and the clinking of glasses, the place has a warm glow to it. You used to watch Eddie play here all the time. It felt like your heart was swelling, it's that bittersweet feeling again. You turn the corner and see Eddie and Gareth sitting in a booth. Eddie waves and one by one you all walk over and pile into the same booth. You sit across from Eddie, you can see his face getting a little red. “You uh…look really good, Y/N.” Eddie says with a half smile. He reaches over and adjusts one of your chain necklaces. Robin sees this and covers her mouth, trying not to laugh at how embarrassed you are. But you had to pull all that on hold for now. Nancy and Johnathan walk up and greet the group. You practically climb over Robin and wrap Nancy in a tight hug. “Oh! Y/N? You’re here?! When did you get into town?!” She asks and hugs you back just as hard. “The other day! It's so good to see you, Nance.” Nancy smiles and fights back tears, she didn't expect any kind of reunion. The thing is, You both grew up together. Your mom was friends with Mrs. Wheeler. You spent a lot of your childhood with Nancy and her brother Mike. When you left, Nancy thought she lost you to the city for good.  “Don’t cry! I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long.” “They are happy tears, it’s fine. I’m just so happy to see you.” Nancy says between sobs. Everyone in the group is touched to see two best friends reunite. Robin looks like she might start crying too. You give Jonathan a hug as well, It's nice to see him doing well. He wasn't always full of smiles and you’ve wondered how he's been over the years. You remember Jonathan used to take photos of the gang, half of the polaroids you have were probably taken by him. A bartender comes by and takes our order. Eddie ordered whiskey and so did you. Vodka soda for Nancy and Robin, Steve and Jonathan order beers. The clinking of glasses, the occasional burst of laughter, and the subtle hum of the other patrons deep in conversation created a soundtrack to this shared experience. You updated your friends on your new life, and once again apologized for being an awful friend. Everyone was so happy to see you that it didn't matter anymore.  “You better not leave and go back to ignoring us.” Robin says.

“I wouldn’t even dream of it.” You reply.Hours slipped away unnoticed as the night unfolded, a mosaic of laughter, camaraderie, and the shared appreciation of the moment. Eddie could help but sneak glances at you, it was hard not to. He’s been trying to keep his cool all night, he had several shots of whiskey to build up some liquid courage. The world outside the café window dimmed as everyone delved into stories and life updates.

Eddie hands you his pack of cigarettes, silently asking if you’d like to go outside with him. You take one and place it between your lips. You and Eddie excuse yourselves from the group and head outside, the cold air sent a shiver up your spine.

“Brr! I forgot how cold it is when the sun goes down. I should have brought a coat.” You offhandedly say as Eddie lights your cigarette for you. Eddie removes his leather jacket, leaving him with a thick black hoodie. He drapes it around your shoulders and you are immediately much more comfortable. Your face gets a little red, he’s always been such a gentleman. You both lean up against Eddie's van. His thoughts are a symphony of emotions, dancing between hope and uncertainty. The evening was filled with a serene ambiance, and even in the quiet moments, you still felt comfort in his presence. “Y/N…” Eddie finally pipes up. “Yeah?” “I think we should talk. Y’know…about where we stand with each other.” Eddie admits. Your eyes widen, this is finally happening. The anxiety sets in and you try to swallow your nerves. Eddie stands in front of you, looking at his feet. “Do you remember, right before you left, that time we got high in my van next to lovers lake?” “Yeah. I do.” You answer quietly. “Do you remember me telling you that no one could ever replace you in my life?” He asks and you nod. You remember it like it was yesterday. It was a sunny day, the light glistening along the top of the water. You and Eddie passed a joint back and forth. You gave him a small wallet sized photo from picture day. “I still have that photo, I keep it in my wallet. You told me to keep it as a reminder, so I don't forget you. The thing is, meeting you was like finding my favorite song in a world full of noise, and I can't stop hitting replay no matter how many times I hear it.” Eddie takes a deep breath. It's like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. You were stunned, absolutely speechless. In that moment, the unspoken became words, there was no going back now. Eddie moves a few inches closer, pinning you between himself and van. Under the glow from a nearby streetlamp, the air was charged with tension. You met his gaze with a gentle smile. Without another word, Eddie cupped your face in his hands. Time seemed to slow down as Eddie leaned in and pressed his lips against yours. You kiss him back, It spoke volumes with no words at all. Eddie presses his body against yours and you wrap your arms around his neck to bring him closer. You can't stop shaking, your nerves combined with the cold air made it impossible to be completely still. Eddie finally breaks away from you and opens the back doors to his van. “Hop in, you’re freezing to death.” Eddie says, you take his hand as he helps you into the van then he climbs in after you and shuts the door. You take a seat on an upside down milk crate while Eddie starts the car and cranks the heat. You still can't believe what just happened, you’ve only ever dreamed of this moment. Eddie grabs his acoustic guitar and sits on top of a large amp. He took a deep breath, fingers gently caressing the strings of the guitar, and he started to strum. “I feel so stupid for leaving you alone out here.” You say while looking down at your hands. “If anyone deserves an apology it’s you. I just assumed you moved on and didn’t need any reminders.” “Don’t worry your pretty little head, I forgive you.” He chuckles. “Besides, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?” You recognize the tune he's playing, you’ve heard it before. “What song is this?” You ask, it's so familiar. “Photograph by Def Leppard.” He answers with a half smile and you smile back at him, your eyes widen as you recall the lyrics. He played this song for you before, but you ant remember how long ago. 

“Y’know, I still haven't figured out how to sit across from you and not be madly in love with everything you do.” You reply, hearing him play was actually really calming, you’ve missed this side of him. The guitar became an extension of his feelings, his voice carrying a sweetness to it, like warm honey. ♫“I see your face every time I dream

On every page, every magazine

So wild and free,

So far from me

You're all I want, my fantasy

Oh, look what you've done to this rock 'n' roll clown

Oh-oh, look what you've done

Photograph~

I don't want your photograph

I don't need your photograph

All I've got is a photograph

But it's not enough”♫ As the last chord resonated. Eddie sets the guitar against the wall of the van. You spring into his arms, tears stinging the corners of your eyes. You bury your face in his shoulder, you didn't expect to get so emotional. You’re so happy but you still feel so guilty, you question why anyone would leave this feeling behind.

Eddie pulls you into his lap. “Are you crying?! Oh shit, no don’t cry…”Eddie squeezes you a little tighter. “Shhh…it's okay, sweetheart.”

You took a deep breath, “I love you, Eddie.” The words spilled out.  “I love you too. I’ve always loved you.” Eddie says, when you look back at him he smiles and brushes a few strands of hair away from your face. “Do you want to go back to mine?” He asks, it's like he read your mind. You nod in response and Eddie chuckles. “Let's get out of here.”

[klausinamarink]

Hi Klaus! Ah, the birthday special is such a fun idea! If it's still available, I'll request:

You should have raised a baby girl, I should have been a better son

for Platonic Stobin

Happy early birthday! <3 Hope it's a wonderful year ahead -Jules

“Ok, I got another. If you were born a boy, would your parents still name you Robin?”

Robin snorted as she threw another almond in her mouth, “Oh, you should have seen their lists of names before I was born.” She shifted her seat on the couch and started counting off her fingers, “For their nonexistent son, there was Sebastian, Rocky, Thorn, Jay, Harry, Claude, Ethan, Todd, Luka-”

Steve already felt overwhelmed by the list. He almost interrupted but Robin was still going. 

“-Aloysius, Odysseus, and a couple more really obscure names. But the other ones they almost named me were Athena, Roberta, Viola or Violet, Crystal-”

Steve kicked at Robin’s shin, laughing, “You’re answering the wrong question!”

Robin kicked back before she too fell into laughter. Once she recovered, she wiped at her eyes and said, “Well, Robin wasn’t on the little boy’s list, so I guess that’s a no.”

“Oh god,” Steve moaned as he covered his face with his hands, “now that I know all of those other names, I’m afraid I can’t call you Robin anymore.”

An almond pecked him on the forehead. “Sure. Like you didn’t just already forgot all of them, dingus. Not that I’ll blame you.”

Steve peeked through his fingers, then took his hands off as he stretched up discreetly. “Yeah, you’re right. By the way, Viola, why didn’t you tell me your name was spelled Violet?”

Instead of taking his bait, Robin scowled at Steve and chomped on a few more almonds. Then she swiftly stole the pillow under his head so it bumped rather hard against the couch’s arm he was laying on. It didn’t hurt but he winced anyway.

“Robin!”

“I’m running out of ideas so I’m stealing your last question and making it my own. If you were a girl instead, what would your parents name you?

Steve answered immediately, “Stephanie.”

Robin blinked at him with surprise, “Wait, really?”

“I guess creativity is a Harrington weakness so,” he shrugged, “Steve for a boy or Stephanie for a girl.”

“Don’t tell me they did the same with your middle name.”

“Yep. Otis after my grandpa, Dorothy after my grandma.” He paused before adding, “They’re my dad’s parents. Not that my mom’s are bad, but I haven't seen them since I was, like, three.”

“Huh,” Robin said. Then they both fell into silence.

It didn’t take long for Steve’s thoughts to steer their way back to an old subject he hadn’t touched in ages.

The night after the fateful fight with Jonathan and the monster in his house, his parents had came home and his mother gasped at the state of his face. Steve had latched on the careful warmth she exhibited while she tended him in the bathroom. 

Steve had almost cried then. He had missed when his mother had dropped everything to take care of him whenever he was hurt. That was how she expressed the words ‘I love you’ to him without even saying it.

But his eyes had immediately went dry when his mother had looked at him and sighed like Steve was a stain on the kitchen napkins. 

Then she’d said, “If you were a proper lady instead, neither of us would be here.”

He had gone to bed, hollow and confused. Replayed her words over and over, thinking what did she mean?

And then it was like some floodgate was open. 

It didn’t matter if it was over the sparse phone calls or face to face, Shirley Harrington had found a new mission in making mournful quips towards her son of how much she had desired a daughter and how much better the never-born Stephanie would be.  

“More low grade this semester? A girl studies much harder than a classroom of boys anyway.”

“No more girlfriends? Oh, but a daughter of mine would keep a boyfriend for far longer than you had with that Nancy girl.”

“Why are you being more difficult these days, Steve? If you were a woman, you would know exactly how to keep quiet.”

And then came that fateful day when Steve had admitted to his dad that none of the prestigious colleges had accepted him. 

After his father’s fury continued to ring in Steve’s ears long after his departure, his mother had shook her head in tired disappointment and hovered to her reading room.

Steve had called out to her, trying to reach out and grab on the edges of her old warmth he desperately needed. He wanted to beg her for something. Anything simple like a hug.

But he’d asked her, “What if I was your daughter who got herself pregnant before graduation?”

It was such a ridiculous question. But Steve had been getting sick of his mother’s ‘what-if’ comments and wanted to retaliate anyways.

His mother had paused but answered so quickly as if she was waiting for the opportunity.

“Then I would marry her off to a bachelor and wish for a son instead.”

“But I am your son.”

“Your father wanted a son anyways.”

She had left him in the kitchen as if her words were a snide compliment at an art gallery. Like she hadn’t just dove her hands inside Steve’s hollow chest, found the remains of his heart, splattered the walls bloody-red with it so he would be surrounded by the proof of his mother’s love, and wiped her hands clean.

That was three months ago. But fuck, it felt like it had happened three hours ago. 

A poke on his knee brought Steve out of the churning void he was about to fall back into. Robin was looking at him with a furrowed expression that yelled ‘I am very worried about you right now, should we talk?’

“I’m okay,” Steve said automatically. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat up.

“No, you’re not.” Robin said, mirroring him so they were now sitting side by side. She bumped her arm against his.

“No, I’m not.” Steve echoed wearily.

Robin dropped her head on his shoulder. A comforting weight. She didn’t ask anything which Steve found grateful. But he couldn’t bear to hide the new aching in his chest from her. It would make him a hypocrite after the Russian torture.

“I guess it’s kind of funny that my mom wanted a daughter but she still would be disappointed in me.”

Robin made a small sad noise in her throat but said nothing. Instead, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“As much as I would fear the tyranny of Stephanie Harrington, I wouldn’t regret being her platonic soulmate.”

“With a capital P.” Steve finished automatically, a tiny smile forming on his face. 

“With a capital P.” Robin echoed with a warm smile.

They sat together like this for several minutes. Then, Steve turned to her and asked, “So would that mean you would get a crush on me for having boobies?”

The bowl of almonds immediately exploded in his face. Steve fell back to the couch, clutching his stomach as he howled with laughter and Robin yelled, “Way to ruin an emotional moment, Steve Dingus Harrington!”

[alecvolturi]

Dual Usage of a Secretary On Her Desk

This is the third part in the Uses of a Secretarial Desk Series.

Part 1 is here.

Part 2 is here.

A very fitting song for this fic:

Characters: This part is Demetri/F!Reader/Felix, and is ungodly long. The entire series is now over 8k words combined.

There are several pet names used, but none of them are derogatory.

The biggest warning I can think of other than sexual content is second-hand embarrassment.

Finally, I wasn't originally going to continue this so soon, if at all, but thanks to @kiiwiigii 's endless support and encouragement it exists. Seriously, guys. It took me five months between parts one and two, and parts two and three (this part) have less than a week between them. I can't thank her for her help enough.

10:27AM  

The time reflected on the clock had been taunting you ever since you’d arrived at your desk promptly at eight o’clock this morning.   

Struggling to fall back asleep after yet another dream last night had been terrible. You struggled to fall back asleep once awoken at the best of times, but that dream. Oh, that dream. It had left you with an ache and no time to care for it. An ache that seems to only have steadily increased in fervor since that first dream.   

“I’m a vampire, it’s said to be in my nature. Besides, it’s not cruel if you like it.”  

You’d been thinking about those dreams since they’d happened, even as you tried desperately to focus on anything else.   

Like today. Like now. You were trying desperately to focus on your tasks for the day but unwittingly you’d find your mind wandering. Often lines that Demetri or Felix had spoken within your dreams whispered across your subconscious, feeding that delicious, distracting throb between your thighs.   

“I need you, sweet girl. Now.”  

You shifted in your seat, begging your mind to focus on your boring paperwork.   

“What a spoiled girl, wanting to be fucked by Demetri, and wanting to be devoured by me.”  

Perhaps pressing your thighs together would help? God, the wetness between your thighs was unbearable.   

“Look at you, squirming on my fingers.”  

Your pussy throbbed, and you took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. You were tired, but you really should have touched yourself last night. Maybe if you had, you wouldn’t be in this situation.   

“You’re so wet for me. Right here on your desk, love. Is that okay?”   

Squeezing your eyes shut, you decide that you’re never going to make it to the end of your shift like this. It’s too early for your lunch break, but perhaps….   

You sigh. No, going to the bathroom wouldn’t work. What if you were away from your desk too long? The last secretary had spelled one of Master Aro’s dear friend's name wrong and been retired. You weren’t going to take that chance.   

That settles it. You can’t leave your desk, but you also can’t continue like this. You’ll have to take care of the issue here. Right at your desk.   

Biting your lip, you shuffle in your seat so that you’re sitting as far back into it as possible. If you push yourself into your desk so that you’re sitting as close under it as possible…   

Yes. That may work.   

Slipping both hands under the desk with you, you begin to pull the skirt of your dress up your thighs. Thankfully, you’d forgone any sort of tights or hosiery underneath making your task easier. When the hem of the dress reached your hips, you wiggled in your seat, pulling it up a little higher closer to your waist.   

Pausing to check your surroundings, you rest one hand on your stomach. You need to check for others nearby, particularly if any vampires have suddenly decided to populate the area, but none have. Relieved that you're alone, the hand not on your stomach moves to rest upon the desk, ready to fake a task should anyone appear.   

The hand on your stomach slowly slips lower, until your fingers rested upon the fabric of the panties covering your soaked pussy. They weren’t anything fancy, just a pair of pink, plain cotton hiphuggers with small, white embroidered hearts on the front. You can feel those hearts against your palm as you move your hand, fingertips finding your clit through the fabric and rubbing softly.   

The relief is almost immediate and you have to fight to keep your mouth closed, jaw wanting to drop open with relief and pleasure. Every circle of your clit sends small sparks up your spine, and you want to moan so badly in appreciation.   

It’s so good.   

Your wetness has made its way through your panties now, the fabric under your busy fingers wet and starting to stick rather than helping to provide you with friction. Humming quietly to yourself, you quickly shift and push your panties down to your knees before resuming your motions.   

The first touch of your bare fingers circling your clit causes you to clench, the walls of your cunt flexing and flaring the feeling of emptiness, of needing to be filled, inside you. You start to whine, but bite the sound off abruptly. You need to remember to be quiet. Your fingers gradually get faster, chasing the release you can feel building low in your abdomen. Your legs have slowly spread apart, pressing against the inside of either side of your desk, opening further to provide better access to yourself. The panties previously around your knees have slipped down, and you’ve kicked them off your left leg so they lay hanging off your right ankle. You’re right there when suddenly your ears pick up on approaching footsteps.   

You freeze, stilling your hand. Your skirt is still bunched up lewdly around your waist, with no time to correct its placement. You know that if you stand up to greet the approaching guard as expected, you’d expose yourself, and your activities, to them. Keeping your hand in place, you decide to stay seated. Hopefully, the guard will pass by, paying you as little attention as possible, as is their usual, and won’t notice your lack of standing. You also hope, that if your hand is noticed they’ll simply believe you to be resting it upon your lap.   

As a figure rounds the corner, you plaster a smile on your face, scrambling for any semblance of normalcy, and call out cheerily.   

“Good morning!”   

Demetri slows his pace as he rounds the corner, eventually stopping before your desk.   

“Morning.”   

He greets you with a raised eyebrow. You know it’s because you’re not standing. You both know the routine, the secretary is to stand when greeting a vampire. Something about showing respect for your betters.   

You remain seated. You cannot stand up.   

“I’m feeling a bit under the weather today,” you rush to explain “so I’m-“   

“Ah.” He cuts in, nodding slightly. You’re thankful for the interruption as you hadn’t planned anything more to say. "Nothing too serious I hope?"   

"No!" You clear your throat nervously, "No, I'll just be uh- sitting today. Instead of standing. Because I'm ill."   

He stares at you, his head tilting to the side. He's looking you over carefully and you have the urge to do something but the thought of moving is terrifying. What if moving draws his attention toward your indecency rather than away from it? His gaze pauses on the floor, near the side of your desk, and you relax slightly. Maybe the floor is dirty. That has nothing to do with you. Cocking an eyebrow at what he sees, his eyes lift again to meet yours. Holding eye contact with him is excoriating, your current predicament and the dreams making it difficult. You want to look away. You want to run away.     

"Did you drop something?" He asks, his voice is... odd. Slightly deeper than you're used to hearing and there's an almost husky quality to it.   

"No?" You don't recall anything falling from your desk and you shift slightly, careful to keep yourself hidden, and peer down beside your desk.   

Immediately your face is scarlet. Oh, you wish you could die. Right now. You wish the ground would open up and swallow you whole. Peeking out from under your desk, still around your right ankle, is the corner of your panties. The pink fabric taunts you, looking so innocent in such an unfortunate scenario.    

"Oh," You start to say, about to provide an excuse for why there would be fabric there. Maybe a purse?   

It's too late though. Demetri is already bending down and grasping the fabric in his hand, attempting to pull the offending mystery out from under the desk. Your right ankle jerks as he tugs, following the fabric.   

"Demetri, wait!" You scramble to explain yourself. "That's....um, not what it looks like." You finish lamely, mortified to be in this situation.   

"Oh, I think they're exactly what they look like." He's grinning as his eyes lift from the panties in his hold, traveling up the length of you. Up to your embarrassed face, and past your eyes to lock onto-   

"It seems that I've arrived right in time."   

Felix. Felix is behind you, and Demetri's eyes have locked onto him while he grins.   

"Oh yes," Demetri intones "I've just discovered our naughty girl's panties around her...ankle."   

You're flushing, embarrassed, and confused by his words. Our girl? Does he mean our as in the covens? Or-   

"Her ankle? " Felix's voice breaks your train of thought, and his hands are on you suddenly. His hands close down on your shoulders and pull. The wheels on your chair's legs help him to pull you out from under your desk and towards him.   

He lets out a dark chuckle, and your legs are clenching as you're exposed to his sight, standing so tall behind you and able to see everything. The chair lurches to a stop as it meets his front and you instinctively grab the armrest with both hands to steady yourself. With your hand no longer covering you, your wet cunt is exposed to the open for anyone to see. You're just forming the thought to close your legs when suddenly Demetri is there, kneeling between your spread thighs, and stealing the hand that had been between your legs from its place upon the armrest. He hums in the back of his throat, and then your cunt slickened fingers are disappearing into his mouth. His tongue laps at them, cleaning them of your juices.    

You whimper audibly. Demetri moans.   

Felix, not one to be ignored, moves his hands from your shoulders. One hand circles firmly, but gently, around your throat, his thumb brushing your jawline as he tilts your head back towards him. His other hand travels downwards and cups a breast. The hand cupping your breast squeezes gently and the second your mouth opens in a gasp, he's there. Felix's tongue invades your mouth, exploring you and pulling another sound from your throat.   

Demetri's mouth releases your fingers, and you feel hands upon your knees. The thumbs rub a small circle across each one before they're hooking under the back of them, pressing your legs up and back to hook over the armrests of your chair. You make a questioning sound in your throat, but Demetri makes a soothing one in return before he presses close between your rearranged thighs. Kisses begin to rain down upon your legs, moving from the inside of one knee and inward. When he reaches that spot where your leg meets your hip, Demetri switches to your other leg to repeat the process. You squirm a little in response and receive a warning squeeze from Felix's hand around your throat in response.   

"Look at you." Demetri's voice cuts through the relative silence of the hallway you all occupy "A pretty little snack, so kindly prepared for me to enjoy."   

And then his mouth is on you.   

Your back arches and you let out a muffled yelp. Felix laughs softly as he breaks your kiss, the thumb of the hand around your throat brushing your jawline softly before it drops to join the other on your chest. He releases your captive breast and then his hands are fisting in the fabric of your dress and pulling. The fabric gives way, tearing down the middle as easily as wrapping paper, exposing your naked tits.   

"No bra?" He questions tauntingly.   

You open your mouth to answer, but Demetri's tongue pressing into your opening provides a distraction. Felix had already begun to speak again, anyway.   

"You know, those dresses you wear are very pretty. Almost as pretty as the sight of your hard little nipples poking out within the confines of them." His hands are cupping your breasts again, thumbs brushing lightly across your nipples before retreating. The feeling combines beautifully with the way Demetri's currently fucking you open with his tongue. "I've wanted to do this for ages."   

"Felix" You plead with him. For what, you're not sure. Just that it feels right. "Please..."   

"Please? Oh, such nice manners. Did you hear that, Demetri?"   

Demetri hums affirmatively in response and you almost scream, the vibrations against you are intense. You're still so sensitive from your earlier touching, especially since you never actually got to finish, and his hum causes sparks of pleasure to shoot up your spine. You start to beg again, but Felix sliding two of his fingers into your mouth puts a stop to that.   

"Be a good girl and get these wet for me."   

You're staring up at him and sucking his fingers, not even questioning why and Felix grins down at you.   

"So obedient, perfect girl."   

You moan around his fingers at the praise, and he slides his fingers out slowly, sensually dragging them across your lips as they retreat. His wet fingers return to the breast he'd been neglecting, closing around your nipple to pinch. He's gentle at first but adds more pressure until he gets the reaction he was seemingly aiming for. He has you suck the first two fingers of his still-dry hand until both hands match, and then his focus is on your nipples. His fingers tug, brush, and pinch relentlessly. You're gasping, and then moaning, as the combination of both Demetri and Felix's efforts combine. You're squirming, hips bucking up before Demetri pins them to the chair with his hands. You can feel that cliff getting closer again, stronger than earlier. The feeling burns, but it's so good. You're absentmindedly grinding your hips, moving against Demetri's mouth as much as you're able and begging.   

"Oh, god, please. Felix. Shit. Demetri. I'm-" You gasp, as that cliff is suddenly right in front of you and you're about to go hurdling off. "I'm going to come. I'm, I'm going to-"   

Except you don't because just as you're about to be shoved that final inch over the edge, they both stop. They stop. You gasp, this time in outrage, and Demetri laughs.   

"Don't laugh at me," You complain, pouting and unable to keep the whine from your voice. "That's the second time you've done that to me."   

Felix takes a step closer to your desk and suddenly the surface is cleared. Your pens, papers, and other items hit the floor with the sweep of his arm. Demetri stands, taking you with him, and moves to the now cleared desk. Depositing you on the cool surface he shoots you a questioning look.   

"Um- Well, earlier...." You stutter out, struggling to explain just how he'd interrupted your irresponsible self-care session earlier. "I was... when you came around the corner earlier."   

They both let out an amused sound, bastards.   

“You can come on my tongue later. Right now, I’d prefer you do so on my cock.” Demetri pulls you in for a kiss, lips moving with yours momentarily before he’s pulling away again.   

"Don't worry, princess. We'll make it better." Felix soothes you.    

Demetri applies pressure with a hand between your breasts, pressing you back to lie on your desk.   

"Yes, we will. We promise. Would you like to know how?" Demetri speaks this time.   

You nod.   

"Demetri," Felix says, "is going to fill that needy hole between your legs." He's standing by your head now, a hand lifting from his side to run through your hair. "And while he's doing that, I'm going to keep your mouth occupied while I wait for my turn."   

“Oh, fuck.” You gasp out.   

“That’s the idea, love” Demetri grins down at you from his resumed place between your thighs, standing this time. His hands move to his belt buckle, and he begins to undress. His belt opens first, and then his slacks. Felix’s hand has moved, providing support for your head as your stare down your body, watching Demetri free his cock.   

You lick your lips, wetting them before you speak.   

“No underwear?”   

“You’re one to talk, sweetheart.” Demetri quips, a hand wrapped around his base to steady his cock as he positions himself so that the head is rubbing along the seam of you. A muscle in your thigh twitches, and then he’s directing his hand so that the tip of him is brushing over your clit.   

Your mouth has dropped open, and you’re panting in anticipation.   

“Please.”   

Demetri smiles, his teasing speeding slightly, but not giving you what you really want.   

“Please,” you try again “I want you- I need you inside me.”   

“You beg so beautifully.” He praises, and then he’s notching his head at your entrance, and inside of you. You moan, voicing your delight at finally being filled, and clench around his intrusion. Demetri isn’t small, but he’s also not overly large. There’s a slight pleasing stretch as he first enters, but you adjust quickly. His hands settle on you again, one on your hip and the other holding one of your legs hooked on his hip. He begins to thrust inside you steadily, and as he finds a rhythm Felix decides it’s time your attention was shared once again.   

The hand he has holding your neck begins to lower and your head follows until eventually it’s just hanging off the end of the desk. While you were distracted by Demetri, Felix had also undone his pants. Unlike Demetri, however, Felix had been wearing boxers. He’d shoved the front waistband down, and it now rests below the base of his cock. And his cock- oh, god, his cock is huge. You shouldn’t be surprised, the man is almost seven feet tall. While not worryingly large, he looks to be around seven or eight inches, he is thick. The sight of him, and the feeling of Demetri angling to hit a sweet spot inside you, makes you moan. The thought of Felix inside you makes you clench around Demetri. If Demetri feels this good, Felix may kill you.   

”I think she likes what she sees” Demetri laughs lowly, “if the way her cunt fluttered is any indication.”   

“Don’t give me all the credit, Demetri.” Felix fists a hand around his cock, stroking it slowly a few times while you watch transfixed before his hand drops away. “She’s making such pretty sounds for us while you fill her.”   

“Unfortunately, I’m going to muffle them.” The hand that had been stroking his cock is now cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip. “I have plans for that sweet mouth of hers.”   

The thumb on your bottom lip presses down, opening your mouth to slip inside. He presses down on your tongue with it and you feel your saliva pooling around the digit. Closing your lips around it, you suck. Hesitantly at first, but as his eyes heat you get bolder.   

"P-please. Can I please-." You gasp as Demetri thrusts into you, cutting you off momentarily.   

"What was that, sweetling?" Felix bends down to murmur in your ear, hands fisting in your hair.  

"Can I please suck your cock." You practically moan, begging for permission to taste him even as blush restains your cheeks.   

Felix pulls back and lets out a surprised laugh. Demetri groans, cursing under his breath.   

"Our girl is naughtier than I thought, Demetri."  

“She is,” Demetri agrees. “Our brave girl,- fuck. So tight - asking for cock even though it’s so hard. Look at that blush.”   

“Hmm.” Felix hums, thinking. “Since you begged so prettily. Go on, wrap a hand around it.”   

You don’t give him time to change his mind, a hand immediately raising to wrap around the base of his cock. It’s heavy in your hand and your fingers have a gap between them, unable to meet while wrapped around him.   

Gathering your courage, you glance up at him through your lashes, lean in, and run your tongue over the slit of his tip. The taste of his precum covers your tongue, and your lips tingle when you lick them. They’re chapped, so maybe it’s from the venom? You don’t linger on the thought, going back for another lick, firmer this time. When he moans, you open your mouth and suck the head of his cock in. Opening your jaw this wide causes an ache, and you know you won’t be able to keep this up nearly long enough. You’re going to try anyway.   

Sucking the few inches you can fit into your mouth, you hum. The vibrations are a success and Felix hisses. His hips jerk forward before he corrects himself, and you begin to move your hand in tandem with the bobbing of your head. What you can’t fit in your mouth, you can stroke with your hand.   

Unintentionally, you find your motions lining up with Demetri’s thrusts inside of you. Your hand strokes down Felix’s cock as Demetri fills you. Upwards when Demetri pulls back. It’s a cheap illusion to being inside of you, but from the way Felix’s eyes dart to glance down to where Demetri repeatedly fills you, you know it’s one he’s caught onto.   

You hum again, this time stronger, and are pleased when Felix grunts. His hands tighten their hold on your hair and he stiffens.   

“Fuck, okay.” He’s guiding your head off of his cock not long after. “Hands only, sweetheart. I’m going to cum.”    

One of his hands joins yours around him, guiding you to touch him how he needs.   

“Stimulate the head. Yes, like that. Good girl. Such a good- fuck, good girl.”   

You lose focus on your task, mouth falling open with a moan as Demetri’s tempo suddenly speeds up. He’s hitting that spot from earlier perfectly and the knot low in your abdomen is back with a vengeance. Every thrust pulls the thread of it tighter. Felix lets out a long moan, and then cool streams of cum are painting your tits. You’re gasping every time Demetri bottoms out inside of you, you can feel a sense of anticipation the closer your release gets. Having been denied twice, it’s aggressive as it nears with pleasure coursing roughly through you.   

“Fuck, Demetri.” You cry out, just as your vision goes white. You see stars the orgasm is so strong. Your hand shoots down to grip at the one Demetri has grasping your hip, your pinky fingers interlocking. It’s a poor man’s handhold, but it feels so right. Demetri groans, and his thrusts begin to land harder, his pelvis meeting yours roughly before you feel a cool liquid filling you.   

“There,” Demetri pants “nice and full. Isn’t that better, precious girl?”   

You hum appreciatively, still coming back to yourself. Demetri’s hand on your hip shifts and his thumb grazes across your sensitive clit, causing you to jump before he’s pulling out.   

You can feel his chilled cum begin to leak out of you, starting to trail down towards your ass. You attempt to free the hand entwined with Demetri’s to reach down, intending to feel the mess he's made of you, but he refuses to release your pinky from his. He keeps your fingers locked together even as he swaps places with Felix, your arm lifting as your hand moves up above your head. The trailing cum never makes it to its destination, as Felix uses his new location between your thighs to his advantage.   

Felix gazes between your thighs hungrily, and you almost give in to the urge to close your legs. The urge to hide from his intense gaze is a strong one, but somehow you resist.  

“Good girl.” He must have noticed the instinctive jerk of your thighs towards one another, and their return to position. The praise fills you with warmth, and you shift them open a little farther. He’ll need the extra room.   

The fingers of one hand graze along your ass cheek as they brush a light path along your skin to catch the cum leaking downwards. His fingers drag upwards, bringing the escaped cum with them, to your opening. His fingers gently dip in and out of you, pushing Demetri’s fluids back where they began, before shifting to trace the length of you. Up. Down. And up again.    

“Messy girl” he murmurs, staring distractedly at the sight of his fingers dragging along you, spreading the mix of Demetri’s cum and your fluids. You are messy, you can feel how wet you are. Your fluids combined with Demetri’s make you sticky and slick.   

“Absolutely perfect.” He praises, those fingers still moving along you. “Are you ready for my cock?”   

“Yes.” You answer immediately. “Please, Felix.”   

Like Demetri had earlier, Felix rubs the head of his cock along the seam of you, spreading your fluids along the both of you. Unlike Demetri, who had done so to tease, Felix also does so out of necessity. You’ll both need the lubrication to make taking him easier. Finally, when he decides you’ve soaked his cock acceptably he notches his head at your opening.   

“Oh, god!” You exclaim, the sight of him lined up against your needy hole is a potent sight and your walls flutter in anticipation.   

“Just Felix will do, love,” Felix answers cockily.   

“Oh, shut u-“ Your reply cuts off abruptly as he shifts forward slightly and, with a pop, his sizable head slips into you. Your head falls back with a whimper, and Demetri is there. His hand cups the nape of your neck and he takes advantage of your exposed neck to pepper kisses along it. A bruise is sucked into your skin at the corner of your jaw.   

Felix doesn’t move far, letting just the first inch or two sink into you before pulling back. He repeats the forward and back motion, slowly working his length into you. The stretch is exquisite, and you want to beg him for more. His face is tilted downward, staring down at where the two of you are joined and watching the progress as your cunt slowly swallows his cock. Felix is most of the way inside you now and he’s dragging along spots you’d never had stimulated at the same time before. The experience is overwhelming, and on one particularly pleasurable thrust, a mewl escapes your throat. You’d been valiantly trying to keep relatively quiet, but that last sound had been louder than any you’ve made so far.    

“Oh, that was a pretty sound.” Felix taunts you, pace speeding slightly “Imagine the sounds you’d have made if Demetri hadn’t worked you open for me first. The whole castle would be able to hear you. Say, thank you, little girl. Thank Demetri for opening your pretty cunt up for me.”   

Your eyes lock onto Felix’s and from the grin he gives you, you can tell he’s serious. You’re panting from the stimulation of both of their ministrations and speaking more than one quick word at a time is going to be a challenge. A fact he clearly knows.   

“Thank- oh!.” You try, you really do. They’re making it difficult for you though, Felix is purposefully targeting the spots inside you that cause you to see stars as he thrusts. Demetri isn’t helping either, his hands cupping your cum covered breasts and pinching your nipples.   

“Thank- fuck. Thank.”   

“Come on, sweetheart.” Demetri prompts you, tauntingly. “Are two little words so hard to say to me?”   

You make a sound at him, intended to be one of annoyance but it sounds more whiny than anything. They’re such bastards. Both of them. Demetri’s head bends down over your chest, lips closing around a nipple and sucking.   

“God,” you gasp out, an unfiltered thought spilling out unbidden “your mouth. Magical.”   

That gets a chuckle out of both of them, and you remember the task you were trying to accomplish when Felix pats your thigh.   

“Thanks.” No dice, his thrusts increase punishingly. Not enough to hurt, but you feel like your eyes are rolling back from the increase of pleasure pouring into your nerves.   

“The right words, pretty girl. You know that’s not what you were told to say. Thank him properly, brat.”   

“Thank yo-“   

Felix suddenly hilts fully within you, his pelvic bone pressing against you just right and you’re flying. Suddenly shoved over that mind-blowing cliff once again, you’re sobbing out your pleasure as your cunt clenches as tightly as it’s able around Felix’s thick cock. Your thighs clamp around Felix’s hips, and you vaguely register Felix muttering a rough fuck while Demetri chuckles.   

“Ooh,” Felix coos “Are you playing favorites? You didn’t do that for Demetri.”   

“That’s not very nice of you” Demetri chimes in, his words vibrating against the nipple he still has in his mouth. “I’m going to claim partial credit though” Demetri continues, “My mouth does feel magical after all.”  

“Magical mouth or not, she’s going to come on my cock twice.” Felix is bragging.   

There’s a derisive snot from Demetri.   

“Speaking of magical mouths” Demetri drawls, lips withdrawing from your tit. “It’s my turn with yours.”   

He stands up straight, no longer needing for his mouth to reach your tits.   

“No hands this time, pet. I want those pretty lips of yours wrapped around me the whole time.”   

Finally releasing his hold on your pinky finger, Demetri guides your hand to touch his thigh. Gripping your wrist, he makes your hand tap where your it rests before pressing firmly until you grip his pant leg. You keep your hand where he’s placed it, clearly there’s a purpose.   

“Three taps, baby, and I’ll stop. Do you understand?”   

You start to nod, but at his raised eyebrow you choke out an affirmative answer, struggling to form words against the tide of pleasure caused by Felix’s resumed movement inside you.   

“Y-yes!”   

“Perfect, brilliant girl.”   

His hand is cupping the nape of your neck again, supporting your head and neck as it hangs off the end of the desk. You open your mouth eagerly, earning a low chuckle from his, and then he’s pressing inside.   

Your jaw isn’t as strained as it was with Felix, and you know you can keep your mouth open longer for Demetri. He starts slow, shallowly thrusting into your mouth. When he doesn’t feel any tapping, and decides you’re okay, he begins to deepen his thrusts. You attempt to use your tongue, moving it to hopefully help add some stimulation, but that proves useless.   

Eventually, Demetri’s thrusts into your mouth have you moaning around the entire length of him. You’re proud you manage to do so, and the faces and sounds he makes as he fucks your mouth make for delicious validation.   

When his thrusts begin to line up with Felix’s, you whine. Both of them thrusting into your wet, willing holes at the same time is filthy in the best way.   

“Yeah?” Felix purrs “Do you like this, little girl? Being stuffed full of our cocks.”   

You squeal when Felix’s thumb finds your sensitive clit. The tight, fast circles he’s making on it are causing a severe degree of pleasure. You almost wish you could remind them that this will be your third orgasm, you’re so sensitive. Seeing as your mouth is full of Demetri, you can only moan brokenly and hope they’re feeling merciful.   

“You can take it.” Demetri’s words are firm. “You will take it.”   

“Just this last orgasm, sweet girl. Give us this one, and we’ll let you rest.”   

His fingers are relentless as they circle your clit, as are their thrusts. Felix’s cock nudges against a specific spot inside you and you scream. The sound is muffled by Demetri, who pauses momentarily, waiting for tapping. When none comes, he resumes. It feels as if your body is on fire, the starting point of your cunt quickly overtaking the rest of you. The hand fisting in Demetri’s pants is sure to have white knuckles.   

Please.   

After you’d screamed, Felix had angled to hit that spot on every thrust. It’s well-executed agony, and when Demetri reaches out and pinches your nipple you’re tossed headfirst into release. You know your eyes are rolling backward in your head this time, and you clench so hard around Felix that he snarls. He hilts inside of you, grinding himself against you once, twice, and then he’s filling you.   

Demetri pulls out of your mouth abruptly, his hand moving along his length in three rough strokes before his cum is joining his fellow guards across your chest.   

Gentle hands stroke your thighs soothingly, and when hands tangle into your hair you open your eyes. You didn’t know you’d closed them.   

“Hey there, love. You still with us?”   

“Mhmm.” Your response is weak, and such a happy sound that they grin.   

“Lovely girl,” Demetri’s grin is wide “Was that better than your dreams?”   

You’re too fucked out to gasp at the knowledge that they know. They know! Have they known the whole time?   

“Maybe I’m dreaming right now.” You sass.   

Felix moves a hand from your thigh to pinch your ass, and you yelp loudly before shooting him a disbelieving glare.   

“What?” They both speak simultaneously “Now you know you’re awake.”   

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Pomegranate Ink: X

Series Synopsis: Unable to heal but willing to fight, with a fiancé in Kyoto and a last name that looms over everything you do, you accept an offer to study at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. What you did not know was that your salvation and your ruination alike would soon join you at the school, neatly wrapped in the form of a boy followed by death.

Chapter Synopsis: The worst curse user, Suguru Geto, moves against jujutsu society, with devastating consequences.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 9.9k

Content Warnings: angst, misogyny, naoya zenin, forbidden relationships, canon-typical violence, character death, original characters included

A/N: the end of jjk vol 0 except it’s pomegranate ink

“Wow,” Maki said, sounding impressed, “Seems like you did exactly the opposite thing you planned to.”

“Yeah,” Tullia chirped, “I mean, you were all ‘I’m going to avoid Yuta and not talk to him until my feelings go away’ before you left, and now you’re telling us you’ve made out with him?”

“And you told Noritoshi? Why didn’t you just lie when he asked you?” Maki said.

“To be honest, it didn’t really occur to me. Anyways, he would’ve seen through anything like a lie. He’s perceptive,” you said.

“At least he’s okay with it. That’s a good thing,” Tullia said. You nodded.

“Yes, it feels like a weight off of my chest in a sense. As long as the higher ups don’t figure it out, we’ll be alright,” you said.

“That’s good. So, are you two, like, dating now or something?” Tullia said, grinning evilly.

“Uh, I’m not really sure. We haven’t really talked about that night yet, and nothing has happened since, so I don’t know. Do you think he doesn’t want to date me?” you said in worry. Tullia cleared her throat dramatically.

“Oh, Y/N, you are my biggest weakness and I’ll kill anyone that looks at you the wrong way. Also, I kissed you, and the super scary curse attached to me wants us to get married,” she said, lowering her voice as if to imitate Yuta. You gave her a dull look. Maki snorted but tried to hide it with a cough.

“That’s not what he sounds like,” you said.

“You’re right, I made my voice too deep,” she said, “No matter. Seriously, all of that is basically what you just described to us, and you’re questioning whether he wants to date you? The answer is yes, he does. Probably very much.”

“I’m not the greatest with all of this romantic stuff, but even I can tell that Yuta cares about you a lot. He’s probably more scared about how you feel and the state of your engagement and whatnot than anything,” Maki said.

“He’s already been slated for execution once before, I doubt he wants to go through it again. You’ll just have to talk to him and make sure he knows the full story. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that the word ‘assume’ is spelled as such because it makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘you’ and ‘me!’” Tullia said.

“That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Maki said.

“It was pretty bad, Tullia,” you said.

“The sentiment is fair, though,” Maki acquiesced.

“The point is that you can’t jump to conclusions about what he wants without communicating! Otherwise, you’ll just end up looking like a fool — an ass, if you will,” Tullia explained.

“We can speculate all we want, but the only person that can tell you how Yuta feels for certain is, well, Yuta,” Maki said.

“You’re both right,” you said. “Enough about all of this, though. Do either of you have feelings for anyone? I mean, we only ever talk about my problems. I’d like to be the one giving advice for a change!”

“You’re out of luck on my part,” Maki said quickly. “No feelings from me.”

“Aw, shame,” you said. “Tullia?”

“Hm, I don’t know. I think that I want to have a crush on someone, but I’m not sure who,” she said.

“What do you look for in a potential partner?” Maki said. Tullia considered this, biting her lip in thought.

“I think it’d have to be someone patient,” she said.

“Definitely,” you said.

“Anyone dating you needs to have the patience of a saint,” Maki said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tullia said with a frown.

“Just keep thinking of ideal qualities,” you said.

“Kindness is important to me. And they don’t have to be a special grade sorcerer or anything, but certainly someone that can hold their own in combat. A sense of humor would be a plus, but not in an obnoxious way. I’d like it if they were on the calmer side, too. But this is all super-specific, I doubt anyone with this exact mix of qualities exists in real life,” she said.

You exchanged looks with Maki, who seemed similarly amused at the fact that Tullia had almost perfectly described your classmate, Toge Inumaki. You arched a brow, and she shook her head. You both would let Tullia come to this conclusion by herself, even if playing matchmaker would be entertaining. Well, maybe a tiny shove wouldn’t be so bad, if only because Toge would never make a move and Tullia was too oblivious to realize she basically already had a crush on him.

“Have you ever dated anyone before?” you said.

“Yeah,” Tullia said, scoffing. “This guy back in America. He was obsessed with swimming and rarely texted or called me back, said it was his fatal flaw or something. It was annoying and made me feel like shit, so I dumped him.”

“Good for you,” Maki said with a nod.

“Sorry you had to go through that. He sounds like a terrible person,” you said.

“Oh, he was. He ended up following me home one day. I was going through a crisis because I had recently drank an entire carton of expired milk that tasted like vanilla ice cream for some reason, but thankfully I noticed him and broke his jaw before telling him to screw off. Who knows what he would’ve done if I hadn’t realized he was there? But no use dwelling on it, I guess,” she said.

“That must’ve been your cursed technique manifesting,” you said.

“Does expired milk count as poison?” Maki said.

“I don’t see why not. I doubt it would do her much good when fighting an actual curse, but against a teenage boy, sure,” you said.

“That’s about when my parents began to discuss sending me to stay with Kaito, so you’re probably right,” she said.

“What a horrible first boyfriend, though,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m sure if you date anyone over here, they’ll be much better.”

“If you have someone in mind, let me know,” she said.

“There’s always Toge,” you said innocently.

“Nah. He’s way out of my league,” she said with a dismissive wave. “Thanks, though.”

“You think Toge’s out of your league?” Maki said.

“He’s a strong and proper sorcerer. I…knocked him out with a frying pan the first time we met. The difference between us is like an ocean,” Tullia said, smiling brightly. “It’s alright, I’m sure I’ll find someone someday. Someone actually attainable.”

“I’m sure you will,” you said, once again glancing at Maki, who seemed incredulous at the turn of events. All of you had caught on to Toge’s crush on Tullia, bar Tullia herself, and Panda was certain they’d date at least once before graduation. The way things were going, though, you weren’t sure how likely it was to happen.

“Anyways, do you have any idea where the others are? Gojo gave us the day off, and I was hoping we could go do something together, especially if Y/N can convince Ijichi to drive us somewhere,” Tullia said.

“That’s a good idea. We haven’t hung out as an entire group in a long time,” Maki said.

“I’m sure Ijichi will be fine with it,” you said, nodding. “It’ll be fun! We should go shopping.”

“Do you really think anyone but you and I will enjoy shopping?” Tullia said dryly. True to form, Maki was already making a face at the prospect. You flicked her on the forehead.

“Come on, just for a little, and then we can get food! We can make Yuta and Panda carry all of our bags, too,” you said.

“I do love making them do stuff for me,” Maki mused.

“I think they’re outside. We should find them and let them know our plans. Well, maybe not the ‘making them carry our bags’ part, but the rest of it,” you said.

“It’s kinda chilly out today, isn’t it?” Tullia said with a shiver as you stepped outside into the courtyard. It was true — the wind had a bite to it, and you shoved your hands into your pockets, attempting to warm some feeling back into them. It was marginally successful, although your face and ears were still cold. Maki, who had on a bright magenta scarf, seemed rather smug in her coziness, adjusting it around her neck with a smirk.

“You guys should’ve been better prepared,” she said.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m cold. It was regularly far below freezing where I used to live; this is nothing compared to that. Just an observation. I feel like it’s been pretty warm recently, so I was taken aback, that’s all,” Tullia said.

“I’m miserable,” you offered.

“Sucks,” Maki commented. You scowled at her, elbowing her in the side, to which she shot you a dirty look but did not retaliate further.

“Oh, there they are! Hey, guys, wait up!” Tullia shouted as you rounded the corner and were met with Yuta, Toge, and Panda. Panda wore a bright green scarf with a pattern of little panda faces — you believed it to be an ironic choice on his part. Toge had on his signature teal collar, and Yuta had tied a blue scarf around his neck, though he frowned when he saw you.

“You look cold, Y/N,” he said, and before you could protest, he had taken his scarf off and draped it around your neck. “There you go!”

“Thanks, Yuta,” you said shyly, pulling the fabric up to mirror Maki’s style. She stuck her tongue out at you when she noticed; you reciprocated in kind, far too childish to take the mature route of ignoring her antics.

Yuta went to respond before pausing, pursing his lips and looking into the distance. You cocked your head in confusion, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Yuta, what’s wrong?” Panda said.

“I don’t know. Something just feels…off. I’m getting this weirdly bad feeling,” he said.

“Your cursed energy perception still isn’t the best because of Rika. It’s probably nothing,” Maki said.

“Salmon,” Toge said with a nod before turning to you, “Mustard leaf?”

You hummed, placing a hand on Yuta’s shoulder to balance yourself and closing your eyes. The others were silent, waiting for you to confirm or deny Yuta’s claims. It was something of an unspoken rule — you were the final authority when it came to cursed signature detection.

You sucked in a breath when blinding energy crept into the edges of your vision, a pit forming in your stomach.

“It’s someone powerful,” you said. “I don’t recognize their signature, but they’re nearly as strong as Gojo. They’re getting close to the school.”

“So I was right?” Yuta said.

“Seems like it. But if they were so powerful, shouldn’t the rest of us have picked up on them by now?” Tullia said.

“We’re too close to Rika and Gojo. They can both be overwhelming if you’re not used to them; together, it’s almost impossible to pick out anyone else’s signatures without practice,” you said, opening your eyes and furrowing your brow. “We had best get back to the school before —”

There was a crashing thud as an enormous curse shaped like a pelican with four wings landed in front of you. An elegantly dressed man with long, dark hair half tied up landed daintily on the ground, and you knew without a doubt he was the one that you had detected earlier.

“I’m pretty sure he’s not supposed to be here,” Maki said, brandishing her polearm and narrowing her eyes.

“What a cool curse! It’s huge,” Panda said.

“It reminds me of this one movie I used to like as a kid,” Tullia said, toying with the cap of the bottle of bleach she carried around with her. “Though this isn’t exactly the dentist’s office…”

A whole crew of others followed after the man, arguing amongst themselves as you all watched, bemused. One of them squealed in delight at Panda, who did not visibly show his uncertainty, but they did nothing more. And even though they had shown no signs of violence, there was a sense you got that they were dangerous.

“Yuta, we really need to get out of here,” you murmured. “They’re all bad news. I don’t like it.”

“Hey!” Panda shouted. “You all better scram if you’re up to some funny business! Y/N and Mr. Yuta won’t tolerate troublemakers!”

“What?” you said.

“Yeah! Leave this place before they knock you out for good!” Maki agreed.

“What?” Yuta said.

“Yeah, Yuta’s a special-grade sorcerer! And Y/N’s a feminist!” Tullia said.

“Salmon,” Toge said with a firm nod.

“What?” you said. In the blink of an eye, the man was in front of Yuta, shaking his hand eagerly. You flinched back in surprise, darting to Maki’s side and eyeing the interaction warily.

“Nice to meet you, Okkotsu! My name’s Suguru Geto,” he said. Although he stopped shaking Yuta’s hand, he did not let go, instead beaming at him expectantly.

“Nice to meet you, too?” Yuta said, voice high-pitched and questioning with nerves.

“As that girl said, you’re a special-grade sorcerer, correct? What a wonderful power! I think you could do truly special things with it!” Geto said. Yuta looked uncomfortable, eyes trained on the ground instead of at Geto, who did not seem offended. “There’s just so much wrong with this world, wouldn’t you agree? We jujutsu sorcerers are forced to protect society from the shadows — in a way, we are subservient to those weaker than us. Isn’t it just deplorable?”

“That’s not really how I’d phrase it, but yeah, I guess so,” Yuta said, staring at you with pleading eyes. You winced in apology. His shoulders sagged, resigned to his fate.

“Humans are willingly holding themselves back. It’s just…it’s just nonsense! In order for the human race to flourish, we must earnestly reflect on the state of our species, and that’s where I need your help!” Geto said.

“With what?” Yuta said.

“Killing all non-sorcerers and creating a new society, one where only jujutsu sorcerers exist, of course!” Geto said. Yuta went pale, his eyes wide at the proposal. Disgust formed in the deepest parts of you — what Geto spoke of was truly nothing more than genocide, a mass murder on a scale you could not even imagine. And he was so relaxed about it, too, as if all but wiping out the human race was a casual afternoon topic to be discussed over tea with friends!

“That’s enough. There’s no need for you to fill my impressionable students’ heads with your ridiculous ideas,” Gojo said. He and Principal Yaga, along with more sorcerers than you could count, stood a little ways away from you, expressions dark and ready to fight.

“Satoru! It’s been so long, how have you been?” Geto said cheerfully. Gojo’s face and tone were flat when he responded.

“Step away from them, Suguru.”

“You can hardly blame me. I’ve heard so much about the talent of the first-years, I had to come meet them myself! It’s no wonder they’re under your tutelage; they’re truly exceptional. A special-grade cursed human, an abrupt-mutation cursed corpse, the first fighter from the L/N line in all of recorded history, an American with the harshest cursed signature I’ve ever encountered, and a cursed speech user descendant. The only thing I can’t understand is her,” Geto said, pointing at Maki with a sneer. “The Zenin family failure.”

You snarled, a retort on the tip of your tongue, but Maki beat you to it, her shock melting into fury at Geto’s words.

“You little —”

“Careful,” Geto said, cutting her off imperiously, “I don’t need someone like you in my world, monkey.”

At this, Yuta smacked his hand away. Geto’s eyes widened in surprise at his sudden disdain, but Yuta glared at him, suddenly emboldened.

“Look, I’m really sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about quite yet. What I do know is that I’m not going to help someone who talks like that about my friends,” Yuta said. Geto softened, halfheartedly smiling at him.

“My sincerest apologies. I had no intention of upsetting you,” he said. It was not an apology to Maki; he did not care about her. It was only a ploy to get back in Yuta’s good graces, one which you doubted would work. Yuta was far too loyal for that — he would never look upon Suguru Geto fondly, not after what he had said to Maki.

“Why are you here, Suguru?” Gojo said, lips pressed into a thin line.

“To declare war, it seems. All of you gathered here, I hope that you are listening! On December 24th, at sundown, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons will commence. I will release a thousand curses at two locations — Shinjuku, in Tokyo, and the sacred land for jujutsu, Kyoto! These curses will have one objective, and that will be to kill everyone in their paths. Should you wish to avoid the hell they will bring about, give up everything and risk your lives to fight!” Geto said.

“What is he talking about?” Tullia said.

“Let’s curse each other to our heart’s content!” he said with a malicious grin.

“Master Geto! The store is going to close soon, we have to go now!” a girl said, interrupting the menacing aura that had settled down on the surrounding area like a blanket. Geto sighed affectionately.

“Ah, duty calls. Sorry, Satoru, but I have plans with the girls, so we’ll be on our way now,” he said.

“I don’t think so. You’re not going anywhere,” Gojo said. Geto arched a brow, and an enormous curse appeared in front of you students, while several smaller ones manifested in every other direction. You were surrounded, and despite the fact that there was six of you, you doubted you could take them out. Even the small ones were powerful, despite their size, and that was not to mention the large one in front of you.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t. Your beloved students are in my range, so unless you don’t value their lives at all…” Geto threatened. Gojo froze, though you could tell he was clenching his jaw in frustration. Geto grabbed the leg of the pelican, waving gaily. “See you all on the battlefield!”

The curses vanished once Geto was a distance away, and only then did the six of you relax. Gojo strode over to you briskly, arms folded across his chest.

“Are you all alright?” he said.

“We’re fine,” you said, answering for all of you, “Just a bit shaken, is all.”

“Who was that?” Tullia said nervously, thrumming with anxious energy. Toge put his hand on her shoulder, which served to calm her down, if only a little.

“Suguru Geto. He’s notorious as the worst curse user to exist in recent times,” Gojo said. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.”

“Why is he so interested in Yuta?” you said. You longed to reach over and hold Yuta’s hand tightly, but you were all too aware of your audience, so you settled for gazing at him in worry.

“Doubtless he wants to use Yuta’s, or, more importantly, Rika’s strength, in order to accomplish his goals,” Gojo said.

“He can’t!” you said in alarm.

“I won’t let him. We’ll take care of this Night Parade and stomp it out before it can create any problems, and then we’ll deal with Geto before he can get anywhere near achieving his ideals,” Gojo said, patting you on the head. It was hard to disbelieve him — he was the strongest. If anyone was capable of following through with such a promise, it was him, so you took a deep breath.

“Alright,” you said.

“I still don’t like any of this,” Tullia said, biting her lip, “This whole Night Parade thing feels off. I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t think that two thousand curses are the only things we’ll have to worry about on December 24th.”

You tugged the fabric of Yuta’s scarf up to cover the lower half of your face, disguising the fear spiking through you and protecting you from the cold.

“I think you may be right about that, Tullia,” you murmured, and as the other sorcerers dispersed, called to Principal Yaga’s office for a meeting, you gave into temptation and gripped Yuta’s hand tightly. He squeezed so hard that you thought your fingers might break, but you made no move to rip away. In fact, you squeezed back just as hard; it felt like the second you’d let go, he’d vanish, taken away by Suguru Geto.

“It’ll be alright,” Yuta said bravely, “Gojo won’t let anything go wrong.”

“I know,” you said. “I don’t doubt him, not at all. It’s just that Gojo can’t fix a problem he doesn’t know exists. If something unexpected goes wrong during the Night Parade…he’s only one man. How much can we realistically ask of him?”

“It’s Gojo,” Maki said flippantly, “‘Realistic’ doesn’t really apply.”

“Salmon,” Toge said, nodding his head.

“I guess so,” you said. Despite their reassurances, you and Tullia still looked at one another with apprehension. Maybe it was because of your different upbringings, but you knew the two of you were the only ones that didn’t trust anything Geto had to say.

Later that night, there was a knock on your door. You opened it and were met with Tullia, dressed in her pajamas and using her phone as a flashlight. You switched on your lamps and motioned her in.

“He’s full of shit,” she said.

“Agreed. I don’t know why the others think he’s being genuine, but he has something else up his ridiculously flowy sleeve,” you said.

“It’s a common tactic. I’m willing to bet that the Night Parade is something like a diversion, though what the real attack is going to be, I can’t tell,” she said.

“We’ll have to stay on our guard more than ever,” you said, “Looks like our shopping trip will have to wait until after the 24th.”

“I guess it’s an exercise in delayed gratification,” she said.

“I didn’t realize you knew such big words!” you said in mock-surprise, pretending to clap for her. She gave you a dull look.

“I didn’t realize you had the guts to kiss Yuta while in the same building as your future husband, but I guess everyone’s full of surprises,” she said.

“That…is fair, actually,” you allowed. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Just didn’t feel like being alone,” she said, sitting on the floor and hugging her knees to her chest. “I don’t know. I mean, I just feel like in the time I’ve been going to school here, I’ve finally found something like a family. You, Maki, Yuta, Panda, Toge…it feels too good to be true for that many people to really care about me. Would you do me a favor? If it’s possible, at least give me something like an advance warning before you leave, too.”

“I’m not going to leave you,” you said instantly. “None of us will.”

“Why not? I’m not strong like Maki and Yuta. I’m not smart and experienced like Toge and Panda. I’m not talented like you. I’m just Tullia, a girl from America with a stupid flashy cursed signature that has no power behind it and a taste for bleach. We all know that I’ll be left behind even as you all continue to improve, and what use will you have for me then? When will I just be annoying instead of endearing? When will you grow tired of me?” she said.

“I’ll never grow tired of you. How could you say such a thing? You’re my friend. You give me advice when I’m confused and support me when I’m scared. And you’re not stupid or weak, by the way. You’re more observant than you let on, and your instincts are sharper than we really give you credit for. As for weakness, well, the reason your signature is so flashy is because of the nature of your technique,” you said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said.

“The more poison you drink, the stronger you are. Sure, at a base level, you probably couldn’t compete with any of us, but who says you have to fight without any help? Work with your cursed technique, not against it. If you drink enough poison, I’m almost certain that you’ll have as much cursed energy as I do, probably more. It won’t be permanent, but who needs it to be permanent, anyways? It’s not like I use my cursed energy to brush my teeth or anything. You only need it in a fight,” you said.

“I guess you’re right about that,” she said.

“I’m not really all too strong, either. I just think outside of the box and try to work within the limitations of what I’ve been given. Some people — like Gojo, for example — have everything handed to them, in a sense. They’re born with a powerful technique and huge reserves of energy and everything is just fine and dandy. But you and me, we’re not like that. Drinking poison, seeing weak spots, neither of those in and of themselves really sound particularly special. But I earnestly believe that if you embrace who you are and the skills you possess instead of wishing you were different, you’ll be a lot stronger than most sorcerers you’ll ever encounter,” you said.

“You know, I should talk to you about my worries more,” Tullia said. “You’re good at giving advice.”

“It comes with the territory. I have so many problems constantly that I’ve gotten good at solving them. Well, at least for other people. As for myself, well…that’s what I have you and Maki for, right?” you said.

“Right,” she said. “I won’t leave you, either. We’ll be friends until — until —”

“Until the sun sets in the east and the moon rises in the west,” you said.

“You’re so poetic,” she said, shaking her head in amusement, “I was just going to say until we die, but I like your version more.”

“Both can be true,” you said. “I like both.”

“Me, too,” she said. “Yeah. Both…both are good.”

Shinjuku was beautiful, but you could not marvel at the sights of the city, not when any second now, a quantity of curses so large the thought made your head spin would appear. You stood with Tullia, Toge, and Panda; the four of you would be fighting together, while Maki and Yuta had remained back at the school for their safety. Tullia had already consumed at least two bottles of laundry detergent, and now she was inspecting a vial that she held in her hands. Toge nudged her curiously, snapping her out of her daze.

“Oh, it’s tetrodotoxin, the toxin that’s in pufferfish and such. Gojo got me some for the occasion. We’ll see how much it boosts me, though it’s such a small amount that I won’t take it until absolutely necessary,” she said, carefully tucking it into her breast pocket, securing the button and then smiling at you.

Toge furrowed his brow, inching away from her — which made sense. Tetrodotoxin was nothing to play with; it was genuinely lethal, one of the worst toxins in existence, and Tullia would have to be careful that nobody else got their hands on the liquid. Unlike her, they would not survive ingesting its contents.

Almost like clockwork, hundreds upon hundreds of curses manifested out of thin air, the atmosphere so heavy with negative energy that you almost fainted due to your sensitivity. The gathered sorcerers all exchanged grim looks, and you knew without a doubt that you were all ready.

“So,” you said conversationally, “Do we want to stick together as a group, go solo, or pair up?”

“I’m fine with whatever,” Panda said.

“I vote that we pair up. There’s simply too many curses around — we’ll all need someone else to watch our backs, but a group of four is going to be difficult to coordinate in such a high-stakes situation, when literally every second is the difference between living and dying,” Tullia said.

“She’s got a point. How do we split up?” you said as the rest of the sorcerers began to get into battle stances, the curses rapidly approaching, ignoring the buildings in favor of drifting towards all of you.

“Toge and I have a lot of practice together,” Panda said.

“Yeah, and we worked well with each other last time, Y/N,” Tullia said.

“Right, then that sounds like a plan. Let’s have a party once all of this is over, yeah?” you said.

“Toge and I can handle the cake,” Panda said.

“Salmon,” Toge said, saluting at you before the two ran off to deal with an approaching Grade 2 curse.

“Let’s get this over with, then, Tullia,” you said, cracking your knuckles and then taking out a few needles, silently activating your technique and carefully aiming them, hitting the weak spots of a few lower-level curses that were getting dangerously close.

“I’m all for that plan,” she said, taking out the water bottle she had filled with cyanide and taking a swig. “Ugh, I’m going to have to go to the bathroom so bad after this.”

“Then we had best not take too long,” you said. “Up above!”

There was a curse slithering through the air as if it were water, high in the sky, making a strange chattering sound as it went. Because of its height, nobody else had noticed it yet, but as things were going, it would take out a large majority of your ranks due to the advantage of surprise alone, not to mention that it was certainly a Grade 1 based on its signature.

“Can you throw that far?” she said, tilting her head back and squinting.

“I don’t think so,” you said. She bit her lip and then opened her bottle, downing the entire thing in one gulp. Her spine stiffened, and you saw her body begin to almost vibrate from the adrenaline undoubtedly flowing through her veins. She wiped away some excess from the corner of her mouth and grinned at you.

“No problem,” she said.

“Uh, what are you going to do? Why’d you just waste all of your cyanide?” you said.

“We’ve gotta get rid of that thing, but the only way we can is if one of us can get closer,” she said.

“Right, but neither of us can,” you said, suddenly getting a bad feeling about the turn of events.

“Not true. You can,” she said, cupping her hands.

“Tullia, you don’t mean —” you said.

“If you have to fly to beat that curse, then you will fly. Jump into my hands; I have enough cursed energy stored up that I should be able to get you up pretty high,” she said.

Against your better judgement, you backed up a suitable distance before taking off into a sprint directly at Tullia. At the last second before impact, you lifted your leg, stepping into her cupped hands and using them to push off. She thrust you up, and it was her momentum more than yours that had you soaring through the air as if you were a bird.

“Dissection!” you gasped out, too terrified to focus and use your technique silently. The curse’s underbelly glowed green, and you stabbed a needle into the white scales, hanging there for a second and catching your breath before screaming as the curse burst into nothingness, sending you into a freefall.

You were caught by somebody before you could hit the ground, and you opened your eyes to see who your mysterious savior was, only to be met with Kento Nanami’s regal face and exasperated expression.

“Why did you just fall from the sky?” he said.

“N-Nanami, sir!” you said, feeling yourself go starry-eyed at the fact that you were currently being held by Kento Nanami. “I am so sorry for inconveniencing you. My sincerest apologies, truly! I just exorcised a flying curse in the sky, but then it vanished, so I fell, but then you caught me, so I’m okay. Obviously.”

“I see,” he said, setting you down on your feet and patting you on the head, “Good job, kid, we all owe you one. Try to stay on the ground until you can grow wings, though.”

“Understood!” you said, watching in awe as he rejoined the fray, leaving you to swoon before throwing a needle at a wayward curse that tried to swipe at you in your distraction.

Right when you were about to go after another Grade 2 curse, a hand grabbed the back of your shirt, dragging you along beside Toge, who seemed similarly confused at the turn of events. The two of you were tossed beside Tullia and Panda, and you face-palmed when you realized the identity of your kidnapper was none other than Gojo himself, though he was far more serious than normal as he began to draw a circle around you with his fingers.

“What’s going on?” you said.

“Suguru’s at the school. He’s going after Yuta; I need the four of you to hold him off until I can come help,” he said.

“Shit, I knew something like this would happen!” Tullia said.

“Do you really believe we can do anything meaningful against Geto?” you said.

“You’re going to have to, because to be honest, we can’t spare anyone else at the moment,” Gojo said, completing the circle and then nodding sharply. “Good luck.”

You were shot into the air, the force of his power all but teleporting you. You were above the school suddenly, where a veil had been formed. Once again, you found yourself plummeting to the ground, directly in opposition to what you had just promised Nanami. This time, however, as you broke through the veil, you were more prepared, rolling to disperse the shock to your joints and then springing to your feet as soon as you could.

“I’ll go through the walls and take him on first,” Panda said, not even waiting for a response before charging through the stone walls of the school, clearing a path for you, Toge, and Tullia to race after him.

“If there was ever a time for your tetrodotoxin, it’d be now!” you said to Tullia.

“Not quite yet,” she said as the two of you began to fall behind. Toge, though he was certainly no Maki, was incredibly athletic, and Panda was on a bit of a rampage, leaving you and Tullia in the dust. You crossed your fingers for luck, hoping that the two of them would be enough, that you wouldn’t be met with something terrible when you caught up to them.

Blood. You almost slipped on the sticky substance, and then you almost vomited when you realized that the source of it was Maki, her skin white like snow and her body sprawled out on the stones of the courtyard, blood seeping out from her torso and her head. A little ways away, Panda lay, surrounded by debris, and Toge was facedown, though at the sound of your footsteps, he raised his head slightly, making direct eye contact with Tullia.

“Tullia…Y/N…you have to…save Yuta,” he said before collapsing, and though it was technically a cursed speech command, he was so weak that it did nothing but cause blood to drip from the corners of his mouth, his eyes fluttering shut from the effort. Blood, blood, there was so much of it. Everyone was bleeding, everyone was dying. Was Maki dead? Would Toge soon follow her if she was?

“More of you? How stellar!” Geto said, appearing from behind Tullia and striking at her. She ducked, barely dodging and giving you a panicked look.

“Now! You have to drink it now!” you said, throwing a fistful of needles at Geto. A few pierced his cheeks, his clothes, but they were nothing more than annoyances. He tugged them out with a scowl.

“Is that all you’ve got, L/N girl?” he said.

“It’s all I need,” you said. The moment of distraction had been enough for Tullia to unscrew the lid of her tetrodotoxin, pouring the contents of the vial down her throat and then shuddering at the influx of cursed energy.

“I see how it is. Your strange signature is harsh because it’s like an unfilled glass,” Geto mused, observing Tullia. “And now the glass has been filled!”

“So it seems,” she said before moving faster than you could even process, coating her limbs in cursed energy and sending a flurry of punches and kicks at Geto, so quick that she was nothing more than a blur. Despite this, he still managed to avoid most of them, conjuring up curses for you to deal with and setting some on Tullia as well.

There were too many. You were strong, and with the tetrodotoxin, Tullia’s cursed energy reserves were momentarily equal to Yuta’s at least, but Geto’s curses were insistent, beating down on you until you were out of needles and Tullia’s temporary boost had faded. With the loss of the poison that had been coursing through her circulatory system and keeping her on her feet, she fell to the ground, an easy target for a cursed to rake its claws across her face and then smash its tail into her head, leaving her unconscious.

Defenseless, you turned to hand-to-hand combat, but you had never been a master at it. A curse picked you up and tossed you to Geto’s feet. He looked down at you in disdain, a frown evident on his face.

“You all are a talented lot. If only you weren’t so blinded by your ideals,” he said, sighing dramatically.

“Go to hell,” you said.

“Looks like we’re already there, don’t you think?” he said, delicately toeing you away from him, towards a curse that blasted you with enough cursed energy to leave you unconscious for weeks. You could only widen your eyes and then succumb to the darkness, too exhausted to dodge and finding no use to it, either. What was the point? You weren’t strong enough to face Geto. You weren’t strong enough to save Yuta. You weren’t strong enough to do anything.

“There’s a story I’d like you to hear,” your mother said. You were about seven or eight; this was the first of many times that you’d hear this same story, over and over and over until you had memorized it. But for now, you were happy to listen to your mother talk, so you only nodded.

“Alright, mother. But can we have cookies with the story?” you said. She looked around furtively before holding a finger to her lips.

“Promise not to tell your father?” she said.

“I pinky swear!” you said, holding out your pinky. She laughed and interlocked it with her own.

“Well, then. Go ahead, but not too many. You don’t want to run out of space for dinner,” she said.

“I have a special spot in my stomach that’s just for cookies, so I won’t run out of space for dinner,” you said.

“Is that so?” your mother said in amusement.

“Mhm! But tell me the story now, please!” you said.

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m certain you know how your father is a wonderful healer, and about how your great-grandfather healed an entire army in minutes, but have you ever heard the story of your ancestor from the Heian period?” she said.

“What’s the Heian period?” you said.

“Don’t chew with your mouth open,” your mother chided. You obliged immediately, shutting your mouth, swallowing, and then staring up at her in confusion, waiting for an explanation. “It was the golden age of sorcery. The most powerful sorcerers to ever exist lived back then; in fact, they were the ones to seal Ryomen Sukuna.”

“Sukuna was real?” you said, jaw dropping. You had always believed that the King of Curses was nothing more than a story told to children in order to make them behave.

“He was. He was a terrible, terrible being, and it took every last bit of strength those sorcerers had to defeat them. Your ancestor’s wife — who I suppose would also be your ancestor, but it is not her name you bear — was a part of the battle against Sukuna, and indeed was instrumental in defeating him. But the defeat came at a price: Sukuna stabbed her through the heart, leaving her for dead,” she said.

“I hate Sukuna,” you said.

“Who doesn’t?” your mother said, gently, rhetorically. “Anyways. There was no point to doing anything but planning her funeral — her heart had all but stopped. And then your ancestor arrived, and he fell into such great despair that he ripped the knife out of his wife’s chest and nearly turned it upon himself.”

“Huh?” you said.

“He almost killed himself. He could not bear it, the thought of living without his wife, who he loved more than anything, than anyone. And then he remembered — he had a Reverse Cursed Technique, did he not? So he ignored all rationality and used it on his wife. It meant nothing, but he refused to give up until he had healed her,” she said.

“Did he?” you said.

“He did. By some miracle, he managed to bring her back from death, managed to close her wounds and force her heart to beat again, cementing the L/N clan’s position in society — not that your ancestor really ever cared about such a thing. All that was important to him was his wife’s wellbeing. And do you want to know the most wonderful thing of all?” she said.

“What?” you said, enthralled by the story, by the way your mother’s eyes sparkled as she told it.

“Your ancestor’s name has been lost to time, despite the miracle he accomplished — in fact, most people put his story off as nothing more than a romantic fairytale, a truth embellished into fiction. But his wife’s name lives on as a true hero, one of the sealers of Ryomen Sukuna. Would you like to know what it was?” she said.

“Yes!” you said.

“Y/N,” she said, smiling at the way you gasped, “Her name…was Y/N.”

You moaned as something insistently shook you. Your head was pounding, and as you were abruptly awakened, you sat up. It was eerily silent; there was no trace of Geto anywhere. Tullia, Toge, Panda, and Maki lay beside you, all of them sleeping, all of them looking perfectly healthy and safe.

‘Hurry up! Hurry up!’

Rika was the one who had shaken you awake, and now she was screeching at you. You blinked at her, reaching out blindly for something to help you stand. She yanked you up impatiently, baring her teeth at you.

“What’s the matter?” you said in confusion, completely disoriented. “What’s going on? Where’s Geto?”

‘I got rid of the bad man, but not before he got Yuta. Hurry up, you have to save Yuta! Save Yuta!’

“What do you mean? He got Yuta?” you said, alertness washing over you like cold water at this.

‘Hurry up!’

“Where is he?” you demanded.

‘Follow me.’

The courtyard that you had been walking in only the other day. Invisible hands choked you, the air leaving your lungs as you were met with the sight of Yuta’s body. He was still, so horribly still, that you knew without a doubt what had happened. He was dead, or at least close to it, and a strangled cry left your throat.

“No, no, please, this isn’t real, you’re not gone, this is made up, you’re just pretending. Stop pretending, Yuta, this isn’t funny,” you said, gathering his limp form into your lap, digging your fingers into the side of his neck and waiting to feel his pulse. But there was nothing; your breaths were quick and short as you pressed your ear to his chest, waiting to hear his heartbeat. Tears filled your eyes as you waited and waited and waited for nothing. There was nothing but silence, silence and silence and then a single, shallow pump. He was struggling to hold on, but you began to sob when you realized that nobody, not your father, not Shoko, not anyone, could save him now.

‘Fix him!’

“I can’t! No one can, not anymore. He’s going to — he’s going to die!” you said, holding Yuta’s body tightly. Please, please, please, please come back.

‘Do something, or I’ll kill you.’

“Don’t you dare put this on me,” you hissed. “Why didn’t you protect him better? Why did you let Geto kill him? This is your fault, Rika!”

Rika was silent, and even in your grief, you knew that you had gone too far. It was nobody’s fault, nobody’s fault but Geto’s. So you swallowed your pride and ducked your head.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It was cruel of me. It wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?” you said.

‘Is Yuta…really going to die?’

“Yeah,” you said. “Stupid idiot. Gave up his own life for the rest of us, it seems. I never even — I never even —”

“But that’s my name!” you said. Your mother nodded, taking one of your cookies and biting into it, chewing carefully and methodically.

“It is. Do you know why I named you after her?” she said.

“Why?” you said, thrilled at the newfound connection between you and your ancestor.

“I’m certain that the rest of the clan believes it’s because I want you to be a great sorcerer like her, and that is true, of course. But — and this is another secret, okay? — the real reason is love,” she said.

“Love?” you said.

“Love,” she affirmed, “Your ancestor loved his Y/N so much that he was willing to reach into the darkest depths of his soul to save her. I know it is foolish and maybe unrealistic of me to wish for, but I hope that one day, you will find someone that loves you that much. And if you do, promise me that you won’t let anything happen to them, alright? You must do your best to protect them as much as they will undoubtedly protect you.”

“Alright, mother,” you said, even though you both knew that you were likely to marry whoever your father decided you would. Love had no place in the equation. “I promise.”

This was the truth of the matter, you realized with startling clarity. Yuta was that person, he was the person that loved you so much that he would’ve died because of it. He had died because of it, had died because he loved you.

You knew your teacher believed love to be a curse — the greatest one of them all. Whether that was true or not, you did not know. You did not care, either. Would you sully Yuta’s sacrifice by calling it a curse? You would not. You could not.

‘I don’t want him to die.’

“I know,” you said, setting him down on his back, arranging his limbs so that he was spread eagle. “I don’t, either.”

‘What are you doing?’

“I love Yuta,” you said. “I love him more than I can really understand. I will not let him die.”

Activating the Dissection half of your technique, you winced at the way his entire body glowed red. But the glow was concentrated on his heart, so you focused on that, knowing it was the area of most concern.

His pain became your own, and you reached deep into your soul, into the darkest sorts of pain, trying to coerce it into taking a shape it was stubbornly against taking. Sweat poured off your brow, and blood began to flow from your nose, droplets staining the white of Yuta’s shirt, but you ignored it.

The familiar blade began to drive into your heart, the same way it had when you had tried to heal Kaito, but it was worse this time — because Yuta had reached that point of irreversible fatality already. You bit back a scream and rested your hands on Yuta’s chest.

“Composition,” you murmured. There was nothing, no heartbeat. The imaginary knife twisted deeper; the blood from your nose was like a river now, trickling down your chin steadily. Still, you ignored it. “Composition. Composition. Composition.”

You repeated the word like a mantra, embracing your pain, stealing Yuta’s pain, owning them both and making them yours alone. Rika watched without saying a word as you fought a losing battle, but you would not back down, not if it killed you. You could not let Yuta go.

There was a thump. You inhaled sharply at the sensation.

“Composition,” you said again, one final time. Another thump, and then another. The pain that had become a part of your very essence slowly faded away into nothingness, multiplied with the cursed energy of your Reverse Cursed Technique as it was. You could breathe again, and your nosebleed stemmed.

Another thump. His heart was beating, albeit slowly, but it was beating. You had done it. You — the failure of the L/N clan, the girl who could not heal — had brought Yuta Okkotsu back to life.

“...Y/N?”

His voice was hoarse, but his eyes were open, and he was gazing up at you in concern, eyelashes brushing against his cheeks as he blinked slowly.

“Yuta,” you said.

“You’re bleeding,” he said, and though by all rights he should’ve barely been able to lift his arm, he raised it up anyways, using his sleeve to wipe away the physical proof of the toll that healing him had taken on your body.

“You just died, and you’re worried about my nosebleed?” you said incredulously.

“I died?” he said. “But I seem pretty alive.”

“I brought you back,” you said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said.

“It means I finally figured out how to use my Reverse Cursed Technique, and I used it on you to compel your stupid, sacrificial heart into beating again,” you said, and now you were crying again, but it wasn’t sadness that fueled your tears. Rather, you were relieved, so relieved that it stung. He was alive, Yuta was alive. He had almost died, but you had saved him. You had saved him. You had done it, you were the one that had brought him back to life.

“I’m sorry that you had to do that,” he said. “It seems like a waste.”

“What?” you said, watching dumbfounded as he pushed himself to a sitting position. “What do you mean?”

He held your face so softly, as if you were made of porcelain, liable to break at the slightest of touches. You tried to discern what he was talking about, but he gave no indication, only smiling slightly, sadly.

“Thank you for everything, Y/N,” he said, leaning his forehead against yours. “You made me realize that it’s okay to live, that there is a place in this world for even someone like me. But I promised Rika that if she lent me her power one last time, I’d be with her forever. You know what that means, right?”

“No,” you said, gripping his wrists with a strength you did not realize you still possessed. “That’s not fair. You can’t do that. I won’t let you.”

“I won’t go back on a promise,” he said, closing his eyes. “I’m really sorry. You’ll find someone else to care about. Someone, anyone, be it Maki or Noritoshi or Toge or Tullia or a person you haven’t even met yet — Gojo seems sure that that Megumi boy, whoever he is, will take good care of you. You probably won’t even remember me soon enough.”

“That’s not true!” you said, fishing in your pocket and pulling out the pair of rings that your mother had given to you. “I won’t. I won’t forget you, Yuta, I won’t. Can’t you see that I love you?”

You put one of the rings onto his finger with hands that were weak from exertion and placed the other in his palm.

“I can’t even say it back,” he said mournfully, even as he slid the ring onto your ring finger, “I curse the people I love, and I can’t do that to you. You deserve better. Please, Y/N, just forget about me. I won’t do to you what I’ve done to Rika.”

“I would rather be cursed than forced to watch you leave! Do it, then, curse me. If that is the price I must pay for you to stay with me, than I shall pay it gladly. Curse me as much as you’d like, Yuta, I’ll still love you all the same. Just don’t go,” you begged.

“Y/N, I…” he trailed off helplessly.

“Yuta.” It was a musical, feminine voice, and you both shifted to look at its source. The spot where Rika’s curse had once been was now occupied by a young girl with brown hair and shimmering eyes.

“Rika?” Yuta said.

“Congratulations,” Gojo said. He was missing his bandages, and his smile seemed more forced than usual, but he was in one piece, which was almost more than Yuta could say. “You broke the curse.”

“How long have you been there?” you said.

“Long enough. What a way to start your journey with the Reverse Cursed Technique, Y/N! Bringing someone back to life? Ambitious, but I’d expect nothing less from one of my students!” he said, giving you a thumbs up.

“Why’d you have to stick around and watch the rest of it like a creep, though?” you muttered under your breath, mortified that he had probably heard your emotionally-charged pleading.

“Anyways, Yuta, our background reports came in. It turns out that you’re a descendant of Michizane Sugawara, one of Japan’s Big Three Vengeful Spirits and an incredibly powerful sorcerer. That actually makes us distant relatives! So, given this lineage, it only makes sense that when you rejected Rika’s death, you caused her to manifest as such a powerful cursed spirit,” Gojo said.

“So it was my fault,” Yuta whispered, beginning to cry, burying his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, Rika, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault that you were stuck like that. All of those people that got hurt, this whole Night Parade that only happened because Geto wanted me, it’s all my fault.”

Rika reached out and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his head, which served to halt his crying only slightly.

“Yuta,” she said again. “Don’t be upset. The past few years that I got to spend with you made me happy, even more than when I was truly alive. I’m glad we got to be together for a little longer.”

He sniffed. “Really?”

She hummed in agreement before turning to you, tilting her head as if to see you from a better angle.

“Y/N L/N,” she said. “Thank you for making Yuta happy. Thank you for bringing him back to life. I feel a little better, knowing that you’ll protect him. Even though I wish that things were different…at least he has you.” And then, to your surprise, she smiled.

“You have a pretty smile,” you said, unsure of what else to say. She blushed slightly, face pink.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that,” she said.

“I’m glad I could be the first,” you said, mustering up the strength to smile back at her. She considered this before nodding firmly.

“You…are very beautiful, Y/N L/N,” she said. “I thought that you were lucky to have earned Yuta’s love, but maybe it’s he who is the lucky one after all.”

“Thank you,” you said, taken aback at the casual way she spoke of such things. But she was no longer paying attention to you and your flusteredness, instead placing her small hand on Yuta’s cheek.

“Bye, Yuta. Be well. Don’t come over too soon, okay?” she said as her form began to dissipate into nothingness.

“Okay,” he said, lifting his head to watch as she vanished. You sat beside him with your hand on his shoulder in a silent gesture of support as Rika’s spirit finally went to rest, truly rest.

Later, once things had settled down after the Night Parade, word came that you were to appear before the higher-ups at their headquarters. Ijichi drove you and promised to wait for you until the meeting was finished.

Had they discovered your relationship with Yuta and your subsequent infidelity? Were you to be ostracized from jujutsu society? All sorts of worst-case scenarios ran through your mind, and you walked as quickly as possible to avoid getting sick from the suspense.

When you entered, you were surprised to see Kaito and Nanami there, along with the rest of the higher ups. And, for some reason, he was there. That strange man, your newfound rival of sorts, it was none other than —

“There she is! The ideal woman herself has arrived!” Todo shouted, lifting you into his arms and hugging you tightly.

“Hi, Todo,” you wheezed out.

“Put her down, you meat-headed oaf, or else I’ll withdraw my recommendation,” Nanami snapped. Todo took this to heart, and in the blink of an eye, you were once again on the ground.

“What are you talking about?” you said.

“Although all sorcerers performed exceptionally well during the Night Parade, we believe that the two of you deserve special recognition for your contributions, as well as your overall skills in the daily routines of sorcery,” Nanami said.

“I’m still confused,” you said. Kaito grinned.

“The story goes, little L/N, that Todo here beat five grade 1 curses without a cursed technique, as well as exorcising a special-grade curse all by himself!” he said.

“No way,” you said. Todo smirked.

“Cry about it. You may be the perfect woman, but there’s no way you could have done anything nearly as impressive,” he said.

“On the other hand, Y/N, not only did you save the Shinjuku forces from being wiped out by that grade 1 curse, you also unlocked your Reverse Cursed Technique and brought Yuta Okkotsu back from the dead,” Nanami said.

“What?” Todo said.

“I’d wager that’s pretty impressive,” Kaito said. “Sorry, man, looks like you’re out of luck. She’s keeping up with you, if not outright surpassing you — because she’s the first jujutsu sorcerer in recorded history that has equal aptitude for fighting and healing.”

“I’ll be better next time,” Todo said. “I will beat you one day, Y/N!”

“In your dreams, maybe,” you said with a good-natured scoff.

“Given this knowledge, both Kaito and I were inspired to take it to the higher-ups,” Nanami said.

“Wait, is this what I think it is?” you said, and suddenly the suspense was replaced with eager anticipation.

“I think it is what you think it is!” Todo said cheerfully. Nanami nodded at you before straightening his tie and clearing his throat.

“Y/N L/N,” he said.

“And Aoi Todo,” Kaito said.

“These are the two that I, by my name as Kento Nanami —”

“And I, by my name as Kaito Hinode —”

“Recommend for Grade 1 sorcerer status.”

[themollyjay]

Am I The Asshole For Refusing To Die?  (AITA D&D Edition)

First some Background.  When I(25f) was 12 years old, a gang of monster hunters broke into my dad’s lair and killed him.  My mom and I escaped through one of the secret passages he’d built into the lair, while my dad was busy roasting the monster hunters with his lightning breath (dad was a 2000+ year old Bronze dragon).  After my dad was killed, my mom and I ended up settling in a small town with an active smuggler community.  Mom ended up as the top lieutenant to the head of the largest smuggling operation in the city, and I was one of their best forgers, so it was a pretty sweet set up.  Not as nice as living in a dragons lair, but still, we were doing pretty well.  I even got a nice Tiefling girlfriend. 

About 8 years after my dad died, I was out for the night with my girl, and this guy, call him Smugface (fake name) killed my mom, her boss, and all the boss’s lieutenants.  I found out about it the next morning when I found one of Smugface’s goons dumping my mom’s body in the trash outside her boss’s headquarters.  I killed the good and took his gun, then loaded up my mom’s body in a stolen wagon, and buried her next to my dad in his lair.  Then I went back to town, swearing vengeance on Smugface for killing my mom.

The whole experience messed me up.  I broke up with my girlfriend because I thought maybe Smugface hired her to lure me out of position so it would be easier to kill my mom and her boss, and since Smugface took over the smuggling ring, I was out of work, and had to take jobs smuggling stuff across the desert instead of on ships.

Since then, I’ve built up a good reputation as one of the best couriers on the sand sea, but I can’t go more than about four months or so without Smugface sending someone to kill me, which is annoying.  But every time I send a piece of one of his goons back to him to let him know I’ve killed his latest assassin, he acts like I’m the one in the wrong.  I’m like, ‘Hello, they were trying to kill me.  What am I supposed to do, just stand there and not kill them first?’

Seriously, I just sent back the fifteenth assassin’s ears about 6 months, and word on the street at the time was that Smugface upped the price on my head by another hundred gold pieces.  I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.  Dad always told me that if anyone tries to kill you, you kill them first.  I’m just trying to follow dad’s advice, but after the fifteenth time Smugface has thrown a fit, I’m starting to wonder, Am I the Asshole for non dying?

Edit:  I know I said he usually sends a new assassin once every four months, but the city state we live in got caught in the middle of a civil war, and that’s been taking up most of Smugface’s time, while I’m trying to destroy the death cult that engineered the coup that started the civil war in the first place.

Edit Number 2:  For those who are asking, no, it turns out my girlfriend wasn’t working for him.  I found out recently that Smugface was trying to kill me that night.  Turns out the head of the monster hunter gang was actually one of the leaders of a cult worshiping a death god (same one that started the civil war at home), and they wanted me dead because killing me with break a magic spell that was cast a thousand years ago to imprison their death god.  The GF and I got back together.  We ever have our own flying ship now.  My GF is the captain of the ship, and my other friend and I are leading a coalition of 7 armies to kill the death god.

Edit Number 3:  Guys, the bit about leading an army wasn’t me bragging or anything.  It’s the shittiest job you can imagine.  Long hours, high stress, people trying to kill my all the time (that part isn’t *too* different).  I’m a fucking mailman.  I have no idea what I’m doing, but everyone looks at me like I’m some kind of champion out of the sagas, off to save the world.  I tried to explain that I won the last battle by sitting on the general of the opposing army, but everyone thinks that’s impressive somehow just because I turned into a dragon first.  I’m like, “Hello, my dad was a dragon, how is this not normal?”, but everyone still looks at me like I’m some sort of hero, when all I want to do is crawl in a nice, damp seaside cave and nap for a couple of centuries.

[gatorinator]

SO I just watched the miraculous movie and I would like to say two things:

1) I really enjoyed the movie

2) it’s a very bad movie

Spoilers

The movie, as a miraculous fan, was fun to watch. But it’s not because it was a good movie. In fact, I think fundamentally this movie failed both as a movie, and as a movie musical.

Bad movie

The animation was absolutely gorgeous. But the writing was bad, and even looking past that (I haaaate how the beginning of the movie was like the beginning of every single kids/tween movie ever) the pacing of the movie was abhorrent. Lots of the jokes didn’t land, the moments they tried to set up cut away scenes didn’t have enough set up or flow (the back and forth of adrien telling plagg how much ladybug prolly liked him vs Marinett saying how dumb chat was, the back and forth of Alaya and Nino talking to marinett and Adrian) and felt weird and disjointed, and any time it felt like a scene was finally starting to flow, the movie would cut away to something else.

I’m just trying to imagine being a new viewer of the movie who hasn’t seen the show, and it feels like a nightmare. Gabriel is set up but somehow both too much and not enough. The final battle doesn’t last long enough. There’s a lot to complain about (don’t get me started on the fart jokes I can’t. I was in HELL).

Bad musical

The most egregious of crimes was the fact that this was a movie musical. I am sad that my friend told me it was a musical right before we started watching it because that would have been hilarious, but still. When marinett started singing I got jumpscared because I completely forgot.

Sarah Z has talked about how in musicals, when characters emotions are too overwhelming to say, they sing. When their emotions are too overwhelming to sing, they dance. Fundamentally, if you are going to have characters burst into song, that song should be led my emotions. Most of these songs felt led by a “ah this is a musical we need to have them sing a song.” That’s why the music always surprised me. The emotional buildup wasn’t there.

Yes, marinetts voice (am I spelling her name right? Oh well) sounded wildly different, but I’d be able to forgive that if the songs felt driven and not just inserted.

The other problem is: most of the songs are bad musical songs.

The greatest showman has the same problem. The songs are so bland and generic, all these “I want” songs where the character never clearly defines what they want, or sad songs about loss that don’t have any substance to them. The movie tells marinett over and over again to chase her dreams—but what are her dreams?? The opening number shows her sketchbook come to life—but she doesn’t sing about wanting to be a designer, or help others, or be able to fit in with her classmates and not endanger her life every time she leaves the house bc of how clumsy she is.

The songs sound like generic songs that would play nicely over the radio, and that means they fundamentally fail as a musical song because musical songs should drive the plot forward or deepen our understanding of the character, and most of these songs do neither.

Don’t get me wrong

I had so much fun watching this movie. I squealed at adrien and marinetts (I am so spelling her name wrong this is embarrassing but I cannot be bothered to change it I’m so tired) interactions, i wheezed over whatever the heck Gabriel was doing, I awwed over the lovesquare moments. I also LOST MY MIND at some absolutely wild moments (looking at you, careless whisper. Also at long-haired Gabriel). But the movie was so . . . vague about having any sort of message aside from “be yourself, be true, don’t be afraid, follow your heart, be a hero, saving lives is good, also love is awesome.” All true things, but how does this apply specifically to marinett? Love is powerful, but it isn’t going to save me from getting crushed by a runaway Ferris wheel, ladybug. Also, why are you singing this has nothing to do with the moment.

TLDR

It was beautiful, fun, cheesy, and bad. 10/10.

[jlemonster]

[Image Description: an ao3 light mode screenshot of a short paragraph and eight dialog lines, that reads "The way he says it, Crowley knows immediately that it’s a false name. Oh, the man is good, she can’t argue with that. He’s been at this for a while. But she has, too, longer than this human could ever dream of, and she knows how untruth sits in the mouth. Cozzetti balances it well on his tongue. It warms her to him.

“I am Miss Ashtoreth.”

Cozzetti tips his head to the side. “I have to say, I’m happy to hear you’re a miss.”

“And who says that means anything to you?” Crowley says it coolly, but she extends her hand. Cozzetti raises it to his lips with a flourish. It’s rather compelling.

Crowley flags down the bartender. “A beer for me, please, and another one for this gentleman.”

“Do you have a first name, Miss Ashtoreth?”

“Ashtoreth is the name that matters. Encantada de conocerte.”

“You sound cute in Spanish.”

Crowley grunts. “It has been a long time since any man called me cute, Señor Cozzetti.”

“Do you object?” ".

End ID.]

"every morning the same big and little words all spelling out desire" by marveling_under_an_open_sky (@two-hands-toward-the-sun)*

is a banger fic and you should give it a look even if you don't know shit about Los Simuladores and Emilio Ravenna.

*+ juli beta reader

Here are some of my favorite fragments:

"and she knows how untruth sits in the mouth." is alone such a tactile line; it itself gives such tangible weight, reminder to the audience of the silver-tongued nature of any words coming from these two.

▪︎

""Ay, Dios. ¿Qué te hicieron a vos?”

“¿Cuánto tiempo tienes?” Crowley laughs. (...)

Cozzetti rests his elbow against the bar and gazes at her. “Todo el tiempo que quieras.” "

I'm just twirling my hair in spanish at this point. i have two hands and a passion for slutty little waists and you cannot hold me accountable for this.

▪︎

"Crowley finishes telling an anecdote about a director that leaves Cozzetti in stitches, and she downs the last of her beer with a grin. Conversation lulls between them. Cozzetti considers her, chin balanced on the back of his hand, laughter still lurking in his eyes and the corners of his mouth. It’s this crooked, delighted little twist of the lips that makes Crowley ask abruptly, “Are you staying at this hotel?” " now, from somebody that's fixated on Peretti (Ravenna's actor)'s little flirty and dorky gestures every time fae's watched El Colaborador Foráneo -& other instances where he gets drunk and acts fruity as hell- a maybe not normal amount, these details here are SO evocative and bring such nice images back. For this paragraph my only comment is: fag approved. Peretti chapame.

▪︎

"Balancing untruth, as it turns out, is far from the only thing Cozzetti’s tongue can do." no iba a comentar en la parte horny pero aguante Ravenna Good At Cunnilingus headcanon xoxo.

▪︎

"Cozzetti obeys, slumping down onto his back; the grin plastered across his face is so outrageously smug that it should come with a warning sticker." it should

▪︎

"“Plotting.” Cozzetti exhales a plume of smoke and stares down at the cigarette cocked between his fingers. “Scheming. Having a nightmare about it all going wrong.” " ,.,, marido,,, ☭NUESTRO marido☭. No but seriously this line makes my chest ache. Santos' nightmares..... i hope there's a "i woke up from a nightmare again, can i sleep with you" fic somewhere for these fags.

▪︎

"Slowly, Cozzetti lowers himself back into the pillows, never taking his eyes off of her. She hadn’t expected that, either. Actual concern. She knows humans, she’s been with many humans; she has seen the better part of everything and very little about them can outright surprise her anymore but—apparently—she can still feel stung by their kindnesses." what was that one quote? how heavy this human-ness? idk. that.

▪︎

im not gonna spoil the fic's last line, because i think its so well executed i refuse to take away any of the inertia it cultivated so well. but let it be said: it plunged a fist into my guts and i thanked it for it.

▪︎■▪︎■▪︎■▪︎■▪︎■▪︎

NOW a mini rant-review:

que placer leer una pieza tan claramente escrita por alguien bilingüe, el cambio del inglés al español en diálogo se siente tan nuestro, en vez de tener esa textura alien del latinismo pre-fabricado.

la caracterización personalmente me pareció hecha con cariño y cuidado, lo cual aprecio muchísimo porque no hay mejor cosa en un fic que leer las micro-expresiones que uno por su cuenta nota en pantalla. (sobbing) that's my little guy and their shit-eating grin etc etc

extrañaba a estos personajes y la verdad no esperaba reencontrarnos de esta forma, pero honestamente me encantó- un pairing que no se me había cruzado por la cabeza pero que funcionaría 100% en el canon.

also aguante she/her crowley. ahora falta she/her ravenna-

[glapplebloom]

((The final part. No pictures))

After hearing that the Elements of Disharmony are the same as the Elements of Harmony, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked confused. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy don't seem to care. Rarity was the first to respond. “I’m sorry darling, but how are they the same? How could Geneosity be, well, disharmonious?” Twilight walked to the former Fashion Pony. “Look at yourself. So generous to keep all your trauma to yourself. Willing to spread your pleasure to your sister. You’re still as generous as always, Rarity.”

She walked up to Applejack. “Applejack: the truth you know would cause the ponies of Equestria to distrust their current ruler. Imagine the uproar of their Princess of Friendship being the reason for so many deaths.” Twilight then walked up to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash: your loyalty to Cloudsdale is so strong, you are willing to kill your other friends to maintain its secret. And you don’t hesitate to grind up fillies ino Spectra.” 

The Unicorn then walked to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie Pie: the same laugher that would bring ponies together becomes horrifying when they figure out your true intentions.” She finally walked to the last creature. She didn’t know its name, it doesn’t seem to actually talk outside saying things are cold. “I’m just going to call you Fluttershy to make things easier. But you are the consequences of Kindness given to the wrong pony.”

Twilight then turned towards the door that would lead them to the outside. “So let us return to the Castle of the Two Sisters and finish what I started!” They all nodded as they headed out. Instead of sneaking around, they were more straightforward. Twilight didn’t care if Nightmare Moon knew they were coming, she wanted to confront her once more. The guards that did try to stop them were powerless against these ponies.

Applejack beat the pony who was trying to stop her to death. While she doesn’t remember what happened during her sleep-deprived time, it seems her body still has muscle memory of doing that. Rainbow Dash took care of any airborne guard. If anyone knew how to keep a Pegasus down for good, it was her. Anytime a guard did somehow get an attack in, it was towards Rarity who moaned in pleasure. This freaked out the guard.

And the poor guards who had to deal with Twilight, Pinkie Pie or the Entity called Fluttershy. What happened to them was too horrifying to say. They continued through the Everfree forest and made it towards the bridge with no issue. Except this time the Bridge was no longer there. So with no other option, they decided to go the long route and go down the cliff. But as they reached down, they noticed a cave glowing.

They head towards it and what they see is the Tree of Harmony. And in front of it is Nightmare Moon. Apparently she was trying to destroy it but failed to do so. But she did sense the presence of her new visitors and turned around. “Twilight Sparkle. I see you have returned. But even with the Tree of Harmony, there’s nothing you can’t do.” Twilight smiled. “I think me and my friends have an idea.”

Then suddenly, the six ponies leap towards Nightmare Moon. The Alicorn was caught unaware, so before she could respond Twilight placed a spell that would disable her magic for a short time. Short, but more than enough for the six of them to tear Nightmare Moon apart. The blood spilled upon the Tree of Harmony. It absorbed the blood into itself and formed new Elements. They look similar to the ones we know, but deformed in a way like a funhouse mirror.

They flew to their rightful owner. Nightmare Moon, still alive but looking like she’s been in a car wreck, can only look up as the six ponies gained these new and twisted Elements and used its magic on her. When it was all over, Nightmare Moon was gone for good. Not a single trace was left of her. And from this day forward, the Equestria of this world and others will wish that they were under eternal night.

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

And that’s where I’ll be ending this story for now. But you could imagine the horrors that will be coming.

[kirkfall]

putting the L in LGBT

this is just the first part of my DND / Curse of Strahd character’s backstory. his name is sopping fucking wet. i love him.

length: ~3.1k

They’ve been choking on the mist for what feels like decades; the dead have been piling at their feet for even longer.

There’s something about this shithole that Sop can’t put his finger on—something beyond its suffocation and the masses of the undead that have been clawing their way out of the dirt for days. Something far more sinister, like turning to find the path they’d taken gone, or finding themselves turned around in the woods at least five times before they finally managed to escape it.

Something like the hissing in the shadows. Or the figures that Clara swears she sees, just at the edge of her sight, but never catches.

“I can smell evil,” she’d noted, grimacing and wrinkling her nose as if she’d tasted something unpleasant. Maybe the vomit from earlier, when she first dug her hands into the soil to feel out the space. “But I can’t see it.”

Sop understands that, sort of. He’s studied, examined, and healed the dead, the undead, and the dying—respectively—long enough to know something is wrong. There's nothing he can see beyond the skeletons being shat out at them, nothing he can hear beyond the scrape of their bones as they stumble across fields, nothing he can smell beyond death, and death, and death.

But he can feel it. Sop can feel an unease just underneath his feet. It radiates through the land. Like a poison—slow acting, lethal, hard to detect. Hard to identify. Seeping into the veins of the people living on it, making it near impossible to save a fucking soul. It’s an energy he’s never felt before. Something ominous and malicious and entirely wrong.

Something like the bodies piled up before them having fought for their lives—only for the latest toxin of the week to snuff their lives out.

“Any survivors?” Sop sits back on his heels, hands dropping to his sides as he releases his spell. Shakes the remainder of it from his fingers, tries to ignore the feeling of blood underneath his nails. The woman wasn’t going to make it from the beginning—none of them were. The undead were rising fully armed, something that the average family is woefully unprepared for.

“No.” Graves’ voice has a light tremor to it. Sop lifts his head, gazing up at his friend—his free hand is wound tightly into the fabric of a cloak, war pick tossed to the side. His shield is still up. Shards of bone are embedded in the metal—remnants from the undead shattered by Bane’s spell. “The father died fast, I saw ‘im go down. I tried to save the kids.” When he looks up, Sop sees the torturous grief etched into his eyes. “Three of ‘em.”

Damn. “How old?”

Graves shrugs. “Maybe ten, same as my kids back home. Didn’t stand a fuckin’ chance.”

He hears Bane’s low whistle behind him. “Looks clear,” she calls over, “Lawson went to finish off the bastards who ran into the woods.”

“Told her not to go alone,” Clara adds, exasperated. “Never listens to me.”

Graves’ laughter, though hollow, makes it easier to breathe. “Eh, she never listens to anyone. You’re not special.”

“That,” she says, “is not what your mother said the night we left town.”

“S’that the truth? If memory serves, your father—”

“Alright! Okay,” Sop pipes in, lifting an arm to wipe the blood from his forehead. He won’t be able to do much—maybe a minor healing spell, what with the way he’s fucking exhausted himself—but he should check. “Everyone alright? How are we looking?”

“I’m okay!” Bane says, a bit more cheerful than any of them have any right to be. “Sexy as hell, too.”

Sop can’t help but snort. “That’s because you put yourself in the middle of a storm and blew up most of the skeletons, Bane. Nothing touched you. Probably not even the bone dust.”

She sticks her tongue out at him. “Damn right. What, are you jealous?” she asks.

“Remind me—when was last time you cast a spell that didn’t nearly kill one of us?”

“Hmm.” Bane pretends to think about that for a moment. “Probably a year ago. Before I picked up shatter.” Her shoulders droop, lips slipping into a pout as she points a finger at him. “No one’s died!”

“Then no. Holding onto the fact there’s still time,” Sop says, solemn and as serious as possible. It lasts only a moment, after which Bane flicks a couple of sparks in his direction. He blows her a kiss that she pretends she doesn’t see. “Clara?”

“Twisted my ankle,” she complains, lifting her leg to examine it. Scowls, but shrugs. “But you and Graves kept me right the hell up. Kiss it better in a bit and I’ll live.”

“Done. Graves?”

“Fuckin’ drained.” Sop looks up at Graves, who grins at him through bloody teeth. He drags himself up, hand pressed to his side and his own weapon and shield lying forgotten on the grass as he stumbles toward his friend.

“Where is it? How bad?” he asks.

Graves’ lips are set in a grim line.

Sop puts a hand on Graves’ shoulder, shifting to force eye contact. “Where?” he repeats, and then a bit more gently: “I’m going to cast the spell anyway—but it’ll be more helpful if you’d stop being stubborn and tell me—”

“Back.” he grits out. Immediately, Sop gives his shoulder a light, comforting pat, and shifts around to peek at his back. There’s a sinking feeling in his gut, and his hands are shaking. Sop isn’t sure if it’s the exhaustion or the fear—he knows this isn’t good. Yes, they’ve been injured in the last three days. Minor injuries—cuts, bruises, a mild concussion—but nothing serious. Nothing life threatening. Nothing like whatever it is that Graves doesn’t want him to see. And Sop, for the millionth time in the last three days, doesn’t know that he can save him.

Graves’ wrist catches his arm, jerking him back. Graves meets his eyes, and Sop can see it in his eyes that he knows it’s bad.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” is all he says.

And then he lets go. His handprint adds to the mess that the woman’s blood left all over his clothes and his skin. Sop pushes it down—something to think about later, or preferably never, and moves behind Graves.

He finds an arrow, cut clean through his armor. The chain mail and the leather underneath. Deep. It explains the blood—and why Graves was hesitant to let him look.

“Bane.” It could just be a standard arrow. It could be poisoned, or barbed. But without knowing who fucking fired it it, Sop can’t even guess unless they pull it out. He turns, looking over his shoulder, and shouts a second, more panicked “Bane!”

She’s crouched at his side in an instant, one hand on Graves’ shoulder to keep him steady. The other hovers over Sop’s shaking hands. “Right here. It’s gonna be okay. Small spell, good as new. Right?”

“Yeah,” Graves pipes in, voice lower and raspier than a minute ago. He spits blood on the ground. “S’what I heard. Got the best fuckin’ healer right here takin’ care of me.”

“We need to take the arrow out. Where the hell is Lawson?” Sop glances over his shoulder, toward the woods. There’s no sign of her yet—he looks over at Clara, standing a few feet away and looking lost. “Clara?”

“I’ll find her,” she says, glad to be given something to do, and then she’s gone.

“Don’t worry about Lawson,” Bane tells him, reaching into her pack for a waterskin. She pours the water over her own hands, and Sop offers his own for the same. “She took down an entire camp of bandits on her own. Couple of bones in the woods? Easy. What first?”

Sop tries to remind himself to breathe. He remembers Elias, back home—the arrow had pierced his front, but it was a similar enough procedure. Arrow comes out, healer steps in. He’s just not sure that their combined strength will be enough for this, and he’s fucking terrified that whatever poison is killing these people has had enough time to infect them.

Arrow comes out, healer steps in.

“Arrow comes out,” Sop says, forcing his voice to stop shaking. He shifts back around to his friend’s side, laying a hand on his neck and turning his face toward himself. He waits until he knows Graves sees him. “Graves, we need to take out the arrow. It’s going to hurt, but you—you’ve already lost a lot of blood. You’ll probably pass out.”

Graves scowls at him.

“Shut the hell up.” He knows that look. It’s the same one he turns on the others when they’re about to waste a spell on healing him—when there are more important things and people who need that strength. “You’re not fucking dying. We’re getting the hell out of here and retiring.”

“Knew you wouldn’t last five years.” Graves spits out, a smile still on his face.

“With you four? You’re lucky I’m here now. I should have fucked off after the first bar fight.” 

He can do this. He’s done it at least once before—just not in a land where healing magic won’t stick, or the dead refuse to stay that way.

Bane shifts, holding Graves still as Sop wraps his hand around the arrow.

“On three?” she suggests. Sop nods.

“One,” he says.

Bane meets his eyes. She nods, murmuring a prayer under her breath—the color drains from her eyes, a glow spreading down her arms. “Two,” she breathes.

Sop braces himself to pull the arrow out. “Three,” he says, and—

A bloodcurdling scream echoes in the woods. He feels the magic slip from Bane’s grasp, hears the sharp intake of breath as she recognizes the sound of it.

Clara.

“Get his shield.” She’s moving before Sop even finishes saying it, abandoning one of her daggers for the bloodied shield. “I’m going to take this out and heal it myself. You’ll have to—”

“Are you out of your mind?” she snaps back at him, but steps to the side to guard them anyway. “You’re running on empty, and I saw your side.”

“I’m fine. Take a potion, it’ll close right up. But if I don’t do something now, Graves won’t be.” Sop doesn’t wait for her okay. He yanks the arrow out with one hand, grateful that Graves is already unconscious, and murmurs a healing spell under his breath as he tosses it to the side. He imagines the threads of a tapestry—torn, but fixable. The thread of life can be woven back together, organs stitched and blood replenished. It only takes a bit of patience and a hell of a lot of energy. He pours his into the wound, forcing flesh and bone back together through sheer force of will.

But it doesn’t close.

Blood seeps through where Sop’s hand is pressed against the wound—slower, perhaps, but not nearly enough. The spell took hold. It’s just not enough.

He’s about to call out to Bane when a figure bursts out of the woods, a hand is pressed to their throat. Their arm is covered with blood—their entire body is drenched in it. It takes him a moment to recognize them, but—

“Lawson!” Bane drops her blade, sprinting to meet her halfway—Lawson collapses against her with a sharp cry, and Bane hugs her to her side to drag her back toward their safe spot. But the sound of movement in the woods doesn’t stop. “Sop, check her. Give me status.”

“But Graves—”

“Is already fucking dead, and I get the feeling the rest of us will be very soon if we don’t get our shit together.” She’s right. Sop hates himself when he lets go of Graves, lying him down on his side to ease Lawson to lie in his lap. He can’t see shit with all of the blood—he lifts a hand, mumbling a quick apology as he summons water above her head.

And drops it on her.

She sputters, flailing for a brief moment, but meets Sop’s eyes a second later. Her breaths come in quick, terrified pants, and it pains him to ignore it in favor of looking for wounds.

“Sop?” Bane asks.

“Scrapes from the trees,” he says, framing Lawson’s face with a hand on either side of her face. “I don’t think most of this is hers, Bane. I don’t see any major wounds. We need to find Clara—”

“No,” Lawson breathes, nails digging painfully into Sop’s arm. His breath catches in his throat at the sheer terror in her eyes. “No, no. Clara—Clara, they—oh, god, there was so much blood. They’re coming, they can smell her blood.”

“Who?” Sop asks.

“Her throat.” Lawson’s voice is small, shaking. More afraid than he’s ever heard. “Ripped it like fucking paper, oh god.”

Sop doesn’t know what the fuck he’s supposed to say to that. It could’ve been an animal, but that wouldn’t have spooked her this much. And it sure as hell wouldn’t have taken out the nature cleric. There’s not been an animal alive—or undead—that Clara couldn’t persuade to hang out with them for a while.

Whatever’s out there—whatever rustles the trees, making the leaves and trunks groan and shake—Sop is a bit terrified to find out.

“We need to get the hell out of here,” he says.

“We can’t!” Lawson grips him tighter, and Sop can feel her nails breaking skin. But what the hell is he supposed to do? Throw her off? “No, we can’t leave her—we need to find her, and—and maybe we can bring her back—”

Sop wishes he could. He wishes he could give himself for it, breathe his life into Clara and Graves so they can live. Because he can’t watch this happen again—he can’t let them die again, not when they deserve live so much more than he does.

“Law,” he starts, voice soft. He tries to fight the pity and agony that seeps into it, but realizes it’s pointless. “We can’t—”

“Sop.”

His gaze snaps up to Bane, who is studying the forest intently. He follows her gaze to the now still and silent forest.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” she says slowly, “but I don’t think the woods are supposed to be this quiet.”

No, Sop thinks. No, they’re not.

“And things were definitely moving just a minute ago, yeah?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Sop says.

The realization seems to smack something into Lawson—her grip on Sop loosens, and he inhales sharply as the air hits the new wounds. Ignore them for now, he tells himself. There’ll be time when they all get out of here. 

“They’re here,” she whispers, both horrified and horrifying.

“Well,” Bane exhales, rolling her shoulders. “Time for round two.”

Sop’s throat is tight. His own weapon is too far away, and the strength he has left is hardly enough to heal Lawson’s insignificant wounds. “Don’t do anything stupid.” he tells her.

Bane doesn’t look back at him. “Who’s gonna stop me? Graves? You? Someone’s gotta make it back home to take care of his kids, Sop, and it’s not gonna be me.” She hesitates. “Listen. When you get home, tell my parents—”

The silence breaks.

A dozen figures spill from the void of the woods, fangs and claws dripping with fresh blood. His stomach turns as he realizes exactly what they’re facing—and it’s no surprise he didn’t realize it or detect them sooner. The energy surrounding them, the masses of the other undead—it would have been more than enough to cover their trail.

“Stay back!” Bane shouts, raising her shield—thunder rumbles overhead, threatening and warning. A promise of death, should they come any closer. The vampires growl and hiss as they stare up at the clouds, and wisely make no moves against them.

“These bastards killed Clara,” Lawson says, and Sop lifts a hand to her back as she starts to sit upright. The whole of her is shaking as she reaches for Graves’ abandoned weapon—he can’t tell if it’s fear, shock, or anger. A mix of the three seems likely. “I will take as many of them down with me as possible.”

Sop doesn’t know what to say. “Maybe—”

“No,” Bane interrupts. “No maybes. No miracles, no gods. It’s just us.” She turns away from him, jaw clenched. Her voice breaks when she adds, “It’s always just us.”

Lawson drags herself to her feet. She takes up Sop’s abandoned shield—puts herself next to Bane and looks back at him. The fear is gone, overwhelmed and overpowered by vengeance and anger. A feeling all too familiar for every one of them—anger at the world, at the gods, at the people who left them. At the people who took them away. At themselves. “Stay down,” she orders. “Or I will hit you with your own shield.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sop says weakly.

Satisfied with the answer, she turns back toward the vampires. “COME ON, THEN!” she screams, bashing the war pick against his shield. One vampire snarls, taking the taunt—it lunges forward, invading their space in the blink of an eye.

Lawson buries her pick in its eye, shoving it to the ground and yanking its head off with a guttural noise. Its blood splatters over her, over Sop’s shield, and the ground beneath them.

“WHO’S NEXT?” she challenges. Because they’re already going to die—things can’t get worse from here, can they?

The vampires, clearly, accept the challenge. There’s a movement between them, like a wave as a mutual decision is made—and like a wave they stumble forward, a tide of destruction.

Lawson swings her pick up, murmuring a quick spell under her breath; a beam of dark, pulsating energy bursts from her hand, blasting a vampire back a few feet. The second beam hits as it tries to regain its footing, leaving in its wake a gaping hole where organs might have been. That is, if they hadn't disintegrated, or weren’t spilling out onto the ground.

That gives the rest of them pause. Pause, for a few moments.

Then they remember that there are three worn adventurers and ten of them.

The air becomes tight and prickles with raw power as the undead surge forward, and Sop has just enough time to rip free a thread of magic to weave a shield of pure faith around himself—faith in the people that he loves, rather than a god who watches idly as their followers are cut down—before lightning strikes and Bane’s rage shatters the world around them.

[landfilloftrash]

Lyrics are Youth by Glass Animals; makes me think of Addrus as I cry lmao

[softtcurse]

can u please write something where Josie(sorry if I spelled her name wrong😭) where she is in high school, pls and thank you.

Years like these

“Breakfast is ready!” You called out to your entire household. It had been a long morning of trying to get two teenage boys out of bed and ready for their first day of freshman year of high school. Both of them had soccer try out, and although you had no doubt in your mind they would make their selective teams it didn’t mean the stress of trying to even get them there didn’t weigh on you.

Josie was starting her first day of senior year. Your sweet little baby was now a -7 year old lady and she was gorgeous as ever. You were too much nervous for her, she was very responsible and made sure to wake up an hour early to get herself ready as well as make sure to help you pack her brother’s lunches. You were more that capable of doing it, but she didn’t want you stressing out as you had walked into Leo and Luca’s rooms to wake them up for the 2nd time.

“Thank you mama” Josie placed a kiss on your cheeks, small amount of makeup graced her natural features and her hair was done up in a loose ponytail that she manages to style perfectly. Her outfit of choose was a simple long sleeve green shirt with and some flared jeans. Jose grabbed her plate and sat at her seat. “Where’s dad?”

“I think he’s trying to get your brothers to come down with all their things, you know how they are” You winked at her and she giggled. Jose loved her brothers dearly, but even she could admit that they were a handful, just like you always told her Urban was in your younger years.

“You excited for your first day? Last year too”

“Yeah! I already have my classes memorized so I don’t have to run all over the school”

Loud foot steps followed her words.

“Mom! Leo is being annoying again!”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Leo!” Urban’s voiced boomed. There was silence from the bickering and then laughs followed for your twins. They came into view with their father behind them. Their duffel bags slung over their shoulders that held their cleats, and their soccer outfits to try out in.

“My babies” You cooed at them. A spitting image of their father right down to the eyes. “Look at you two being my freshmens!” They smiled at you and leaned down to place a kiss on your cheeks. They practically towered over you already and they were only 15.

“Mooom please don’t cry” Leo begged you, eyeing the food that you had made for them. They always loved your cooking. Often for sleep overs they would eat before they went to their friend’s house because they preferred your cooking.

Luca rubbed your arm and walked over to steal a piece of bacon from his plate,then grabbing it and taking his seat. Munching on the smoky apple wood treat. “I can’t help it, Urban look at all my babies” You sniffled. Urban laughed and shook his head.

“Eat up guys, moms going to want to take a picture after breakfast is over” Something you did every year, only this year it would be your last with Josie in the picture.

///

“Alright boys! Have a good day at school, I’ll pick you up a quarter to 5!” Urban yelled as his twins practically ran to the school. They shouted back their goodbyes to their dad and waved. Josie was still in the passenger seat. Urban had noticed she had been quiet on the car ride there. He didn’t pry too much in front of the boys.

“You okay Posie?” Urban watched as she toyed with the strap of her backpack. That was now on her lap.

“I’m scared daddy” She looked at him. Big glossy eyes that took Urban back to the time on her first day of Girl Scouts, and how scared she had been.

“I scared” She whimpered.

“I gonna be not so good” She sniffled. You wiped her eyes and shook your head. Urban raised his eyebrows and looked at her, not in anger but more so in confidence.

“Josephine Wyatt, look at me.” Urban said, moving his sunglasses up on his head.

Josie stared at him.

“You are the most smartest and hard working little girls I know, do you hear me? You worked so so hard to make sure to give all your love and attention to this little flower right here and look at it baby! It’s so pretty just like you and your mama” That earned him a smile from her. You smiled as well, he was such a good dad. You truly couldn’t ask for a better father for her.

Josie knew that if her daddy said it, then it must be true.

“I didn’t want to tell mom because she’s already so stressed with the twins but” She sniffled, and it only added to Urban’s crack in his heart. “It’s my last year and I go to college a few months after graduation, and I’m just so scared and overwhelmed.”

“Oh Josie”Urban wasted no time unbuckling his seatbelt and wrapping his arm around his daughter. Who held on to her dad like she would never see him again.

“It’s okay to be scared, there’s been so many times where I’ve been scared, where your moms been scared. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you’re the smartest girl I know. You’re so bright baby and you have a future ahead of you that everyone can see.” Urban rubbed her back. He’d breath stabilized and Urban’s eyes filled to the brim with tears of his own. She was not so much a little girl anymore.

“You’re turning 18 in a couple of months and that scares mom and I a lot” He confessed.

“Really?” Josie asked.

“Yes, because now the world is going to have its hands on you and even if we know you can take on its poison, that doesn’t mean we still don’t look at you and want to keep you in a bubble forever” Urban poked her side, earning a smile from her.

“Promise me you and mom will visit me when is go away?”

“We promise, you’ll see us in your dorm room more than your own roommate”

“Come on Josie!” Someone shouted form behind them. Mila Harlow waving her hands. Josie’s bestfriend had a wide smile on her face. Jack’s car in the back waiting for both girls to get in the school safety, much like Urban was going to do as well.

“Hi uncle Urban!”

Urban laughed and waved at her. “Hi Angel! You excited it!”

“Hell yeah!” Mila shouted back, Josie giggling and pressing a kiss to Urban’s cheek before gathering her stuff and getting out the car.

“Mila!” Urban heard Jack scold softly.

“Love you dad!” Josie yelled and blew him a kiss, Mila’s arm grabbing Josie’s.

“Love you too Posie”

Urban watched as they both disappeared through the school doors.

Watching Jack roll down his window a little bit further down. He saw the man’s equally tear stained eyes staring back at him.

“You too huh?” Urban commented.

“Oh you have no idea man”

[devildomdisaster]

Idk if you read Lore Olympus but chapter 129 gave me an angsty request idea.

So Persephone, who’s the goddess of spring, goes into a hibernation-like state and when her emotions go out of control, she ends up growing her hair really long and her body sprouts a lot of plants from her; to the point of covering her and whatever area she’s in with her plants.

So I would like to request head cannons of the Brothers reacting to an MC who gets really sad whenever the brothers insult or threaten them and after several weeks of being berated by demons it causes MC to shut down and go to their room but mistakes a comfort spell with a plant curse that causes their hair and plants to grow continuously long. The plants fill up MC’s room and while they would normally be surprised at the mistake, they don’t care any more. They allow the plants to to grow, even wrap around their neck and body, and hopes the curse kills them off before the brothers notice as they go in the “hibernation” stage of the curse (The curse causes the victim to grow a lot of plants and vines from their body until they die, which can take a few days).

I’m sorry for being so long and descriptive, I just wanna see the Bros panic and feel guilty that MC felt pushed to do this to themselves but I understand if you don’t want to do it

I don't read Lore Olympus but you described the situation really well so I hope this is something close to what you wanted.

Comfort spell gone wrong

Lately, nothing seemed to be good enough for the demons. No matter what you did one of them would find something to berate you for.

“Mc, your grades are subpar even for an exchange student. You’ll have to try harder in order to not be a disappointment to Diavolo and myself.” Lucifer warned over breakfast.

“Mc, you burned dinner. You should learn to be a better cook.” Beel grumbled. As if you had ever seen any of these ingredients before ending up in the Devildom.

Even Mammon seemed to be in a particularly unpleasant mood. A never-ending string of complaints about how hard it is to protect an ordinary human. “Geez, you’re such a hassle human.”

Taking refuge in the library to study and to give Mammon a break from you proved disastrous and nearly deadly. Somehow you’d managed to spill your cup of tea all over an old somewhat rare text after Asmo had barged in and startled you. Your string of bad luck continued when Satan rounded the corner and saw the soggy tea-stained pages you’d been trying to decipher. In his fit of rage, he’d called you several unpleasant names and asked if you were “capable of doing anything right or if all humans are as stupid as you?” You’d left as quickly as you were able to avoid any more of his wrath.

No matter where you went you kept walking in on Belphie napping and without fail he’d say something nasty to you, that would make tears burn the backs of your eyes.

Levi had angrily called you a “useless normie,” who he wished would “never come back.” and had pushed you from his room with a slam of his door.

Even Asmo who usually just ignored you when he was upset found every reason imaginable to critique your every aspect. Physical and personality. Not a single one of which made you feel any more than worthless.

So was it any wonder when at the end of a long week you’d locked yourself in your room and decided to try that comfort spell you’d heard Solomon talking about? It seemed simple enough. But then your tears had blurred your vision as you’d recited the words and your Latin was still shaky at best. But it was just a few lines! And there was no way you were going to go to one of the brothers for comfort when they had seemed perfectly happy to make you miserable for the last few weeks.

You’d read the spell aloud and curled up hoping that the spell would kick in and you’d feel even just the slightest bit better. The blinding green light and sudden drop in energy was the first and only warning the spell had gone wrong. But being new to magic meant it still sapped your energy, so you didn’t stop to think something might be wrong. By the time you realized what was happening, everything was out of control. Plants had begun to sprout from your skin and the floor around you, growing and growing. With each inch they grew you felt your exhaustion creep up and consume you. You were just so tired. Your eyes fluttered closed. This was wrong! You forced your eyes open again. You need to fix this. The spell! But a short nap wouldn’t hurt, would it? You’d have more energy after you woke up. Then you could go get one of the brothers. Satan would know how to fix this. Or Lucifer! He’d clean the spell up easily. Yes, after you woke up…

Lucifer hadn’t seen you all weekend. He figures you’re most likely studying. But you don’t show up for meals and none of his brothers have seen you either… and oh Diavolo! He can feel the spell from the dining room. How did he not notice sooner? The cold pulling sensation of the spell, like it was sucking the warmth and life from its surroundings.

When Lucifer reaches your door Mammon is already there. Knocking and shouting for you, but there's no answer. He all but breaks your door down, his brothers behind him, and finds you at the center of the spell. Unresponsive and covered in the plants using your energy to grow. The plants had begun climbing up the walls and twisting through your hair, sending out snow-white flowers.

“Beel! Don’t!” Lucifer warns as Beel reaches out to pull a handful of plants from you. “We don’t know what did this and what will happen to Mc if we just rip the spell off like that.”

“Lucifer, Mc did this to themself,” Satan points to the open spellbook. “It looks like they got a comfort spell mixed up.”

Fortunately, your last tired thoughts were correct and Lucifer is able to break the spell quickly. You wake surrounded by the brothers.

Lucifer:

All this happened for a comfort spell? Because you didn’t feel like you could come to him, to any of them?

He’s so sorry Mc. Enough that as he leans down to pick you up out of the mess of withering plants you can feel tears fall onto your face.

“Nothing I did was good enough for you Lucifer. Any of you. I just wanted to feel… I just wanted-”

His heart breaks when he realizes this is his brother’s fault, his fault. “You are always good enough, Mc. Much more than I could ever ask you to be, and if I ever made you feel like you weren't. No, the fact that I made you feel like you weren’t, means I have been truly terrible.”

You’re choking back your own tears now and you curl further into his arms as he carries you down the hall. “You said I was a disappointment.”

“My dear Mc, you have never been, nor could you ever be a disappointment to me. Forgive me for ever making you feel as if you were.”

Lucifer takes you to his bathroom and draws you a bath to wash away the last of the plant matter from your body.

Afterward, he’ll bring you anything you ask for. He wants to wrap you in his arms but doesn’t want to push you, so he asks softly if he can hold you.

He’ll spend weeks trying to make this up to you, even after you forgive him, he’ll be sure to tell you how much he loves you more often than he did before.

Mammon:

Shit human! Why didn’t you come to him? He loves you so much and oh. He made you feel like a burden.

How could he be so stupid when he knows how his brothers make him feel?

Mammon begs for your forgiveness in front of all his brothers.

“Please can ya forgive me? I never meant to make ya feel like a burden. You're the only human I- I want to protect you Mc. I’m so sorry.”

Mammon helps you up and since your room is covered in plants he offers to let you sleep in his room for the night.

He wraps you in blankets and brushes the hair from your face with trembling fingertips.

There are still a few stubborn leaves sticking to your face and in your hair so Mammon takes a warm washcloth and wipes them from your face before gently untangling the plants from your hair.

You’ll be getting little gifts and tokens of mammon’s affections for the foreseeable future.

Levi:

He threw you out of his room when you came to him for comfort and the guilt at seeing you almost die because of it is eating him alive.

He feels frozen

Maybe you would be better off without an otaku shut-in like him. He starts avoiding you like the plague.

You start to think that Levi is so disgusted with the fact that you did that spell that he doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore.

Despite this Levi still checks up on you. He wants to know that you are ok, he just does it without you knowing.

He’ll ask his brothers about you and discreetly glance at you during meals to make sure you’re eating enough and look healthy.

A few days later when your favorite and manga anime start showing up outside your door you confront Levi. “Are you mad at me? Do you just not want to be around me after what happened? Levi, I miss you!”

He is shook, and he can’t believe he messed up so badly.

He’s happy that he can invite you to hang out again, and he makes sure to spend long nights gaming or watching movies with you until you fall asleep against him. He’ll even stutter out how much he treasures his time with you, blushing fiercely all the while.

Satan:

Satan feels anger swell up inside him. How could he have let this happen? How could no one have seen how upset you were?

Once the spell has been dissolved he is at your side instantly. Brushing vines from your skin. His fingers are shaking in anger but his touch is so gentle.

When both you and your room are cleaned up Satan sits at your bedside, book in hand, reading to you.

He just wants to be close to you now. He wants you to know how much he cares about you but is still too worked up to get his thoughts out properly.

Eventually, his thoughts calm and he stops reading in the middle of a sentence. “Mc, I am so sorry. I never meant to make you feel unwanted. Every day I spend with you is infinitely better than a day without you. I know the spell was a mistake but… we almost lost you. I almost lost you.”

He wants to talk about what pushed you to do this. He won’t push but he really does think that he will be better able to help you if he understands.

Satan makes sure to spend more time with you from now on. He makes a conscious effort to check his temper at the door and be with you when you need him.

Sometimes he’ll just read to you until one of you confides in the other in quiet voices.

Asmo:

As you blink your eyes open Asmo gently brushes some plants from your cheek.

You are so pale and his heart breaks as you flinch away from him. You feel like a mess and you know you must look like one too so curl your body away from him trying to hide. Trying to avoid his critical gaze.

This is the moment Asmo knows he screwed up.

He draws his hand back, for a moment, before reaching out to you again. Cupping your cheek and wiping your tears away with perfectly manicured hands.

Lucifer has him take you to his bathroom to clean up while the rest of the brothers work to clear the plants from your room.

Asmo is quiet for a long while as he untangles plants from your hair.

“You’re so loved, Mc,” he says softly. “You are.” he insists when you shake your head no.

“More than you could ever know, and it’s our fault for not telling you. My fault for not making you feel worthy.”

After this incident, Asmo wants to make sure you know how beautiful you are. He starts self-care days once a week that soon turn into whole family affairs. Each week different combinations of his brother attend and you all work to pamper each other.

Asmo makes sure nothing like this happens again, he never wants to be part of the reason you feel unloved ever again.

Beel:

At first, Beel thinks you did this on purpose. Once the brothers realize you messed up the spell he is less angry but no less distraught.

Once you wake up, he wants to take you to get desserts. He’s heard humans eat Chocolate/ other sweets to feel better. And this makes sense to him, food does make everything better.

But you don’t want to go to Madam Screams or the kitchen to make your own. You’re still so tired. Not to mention embarrassed that you screwed the spell up this bad.

And now they are all staring at you like they care so much when none of them had any time to notice how they were making you feel before.

When you become unresponsive to the brother’s questions and apologies Beel scoops you up in his arms and walks away with you.

Something about the way he holds you close to his chest and his warmth causes you to finally let go.

You bury your face in his shirt to muffle your crying.

“I just… I felt so alone! And… I...but no one” you gasp out shakily between sobs.

Beel soothes you with soft murmuring as he gently cards his fingers through your hair and strokes down your back.

Once your crying quiets he starts to speak “Don’t do that again. You can always come to me Mc. I’m so sorry you felt like you couldn’t”

Belphie:

Belphie thinks it’s a joke at first. “Man, how could they mess up this bad?”

Then he sees Lucifer’s panicked expression and it hits him how serious this is.

Belphie is immediately by your side. Hands frantically feeling your wrist for a pulse.

After Lucifer breaks the spell and your eyes flutter open Belphie is filled with relief until a wave of guilt washes through him.

He can’t believe he fucked up so badly again. Sure this time he didn’t directly cause you physical harm, but he did play a role in causing you to almost die again.

“I am so very sorry Mc, I never meant to hurt you.”

He does everything he can think of to make it up to you. Anything you ask him for, as long as it’s within his power, is yours. No questions asked.

He asks permission just to hold your hand for weeks afterward as if he thinks you’ll come to your senses and decide you don’t want anything to do with him.

He wants to comfort you so bad.

To make sure you don’t feel like this again Belphie pulls you away to nap with him as often as he can get away with it. Most likely only a few times a week (much less often than he would like). Sometimes he uses this time just to talk with you. Others you really do nap, and Belphie curls himself around you. Occasionally he enters your dreams while you nap together to make sure no nightmares can touch you.

[captainmalewriter]

Magic Dust

In my defense, what happened was a complete accident and none of it was planned. Also, I didn't think magic spells would actually work. Now I might have a man’s life in my hands...

You see, the other day I was scrolling through Instagram when this fine ass man came up on my explore page. 

He was hot! And at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like I had seen him somewhere before. He looked vaguely familiar. 

“Jason Ruiz Jr.”

Even his name sounded familiar. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it at the time. 

That is, until I went to the gym not too long ago and I saw Jason there. He was in the locker room bathroom, flexing for the camera. 

I hid in the far end of the locker room before Jason could spot me freaking out at the sight of him. I finally remembered where I had seen him before. He was one of the personal trainers that worked at my local gym, and I used to be one of his clients about two years ago. In an attempt to stick to a New Year’s resolution I had, I hired Jason to help me get fit. 

That didn’t last very long. I quit after a week. Though I never really formally quit, I just stopped showing up at the gym. He had my phone number and did try reaching out to me several times, but I just ignored all of his messages until he just stopped trying altogether. I stayed away from the gym for a while, and I only came back after I figured out Jason’s work schedule. I feel like it’d be too awkward if I ran into him, after ghosting him for so long.

“That was close,” I whispered to myself as I sat down on a bench. That was actually the first time I had seen Jason since I quit two years ago. I wasn’t expecting to see him, he’s usually scheduled for the evenings. 

I thought about just leaving and coming back another day, but I figured that after two years, it should be fine by now. And even if it wasn’t, I could just go to a corner of this massive gym and avoid bumping into Jason.

“Yeah, that’s what we’ll do,” I said as I opened a spare locker to put my drawstring bag in. I took out my bottle from it and took a sip. I immediately spit it back out when I realized it wasn’t Gatorade inside. Fuck! I accidently grabbed the wrong bottle! I grabbed one of my Mom’s bottles filled with God knows what! My Mom has been pretty into witchcraft lately. I thought she agreed she would only use the glass bottles for her “magical potions” or whatever she called them. Now she’s using my personal bottles again... 

I stood up, ready to throw out whatever concoction was inside my bottle and replace it with water. 

“Hey, aren’t you-”

I rounded the corner and bumped into someone, that someone being Jason no less. I couldn’t catch myself in time and accidently spilled the bottle’s contents onto Jason. He got covered in that glittery substance. 

“Bro what the fuck? What is... What is......”

I could see Jason’s eyes daze out of focus. He started acting loopy. He was leaning back and forth as if he was about to fall. His face suddenly looked very tired too. The glitter on his body kept glimmering in the light all the while this was happening.

“Dude are you okay?” I asked him. I could see him open his mouth, but it looked like just doing that was taking a lot out of Jason. I saw his facial muscles hard at work just to open his mouth. 

“We...ird.... I, I... fee.... feel... weird...” Jason said with very spaced out syllables. It took me a while to figure out what he said. 

“Man pull yourself together and talk normally, I can’t understand you!”

Suddenly, Jason stood up straight. His eyes were still dilated, but now they seem focused. 

“Yes Sir.” 

That’s all he said. He stood perfectly still, not even moving another inch. I got closer to him, but no visible reaction. It was honestly kinda freaking me out. 

I went back and grabbed a white towel out of my bag.

“Here, you can use this to wipe that stuff off your face,” I offered Jason the towel.

“Yes Sir.” He took the towel and wiped his face with it. He called me “sir” again. Something was off. 

“Jason, do 10 jumping jacks.” 

“Yes Sir.” 

He then proceeded to do 10 jumping jacks right then and there, just like I had commanded him to do. 

“Goddamnit, it must have been that stupid glittery spell.” I muttered to myself. I don’t know what I did, but Jason was under my control now! 

All of this happened yesterday. Not knowing what to do, I decided to take Jason back to my house. He’s still in a trance, and he won’t do anything unless I tell him to (including the bathroom...) 

At first, it was weird, having Jason as my personal servant. But I quickly got used to it when I realized everything Jason could do.

“Jason? Come here,” 

“Yes Sir.”

He hurried over to the living room where I was. He’s so cute, always on top of things. He stood there in front of me, glitter shining as bright as always.

I admired him for a while before issuing my next command. 

“Jason, go make me an iced coffee. Then come back and give me a back rub.”

“Yes Sir.” 

He turned around and began making his way to the kitchen.

“Wait, come back.”

“Yes Sir.” 

He promptly returned to me. I reached out and grabbed his shirt to double check something. 

“Take this off first.”

“Yes Sir.” he took it off, and now was standing shirtless and glittered up in front of me. I loved that this was all mine now. Then, an idea came to me.

“Actually... Jason, give me a back rub first.” I flipped over onto my stomach on the couch. “Take off my clothes before you massage me.”

I could feel Jason put his hands on my lower back. He began massaging, and soon put his hands on my sweats and slowly took them off.

“Jason? Take your time with my ass, I’m really sore down there.”

“Yes Sir.” he said as he began massaging my bare ass. I moaned as I felt his big strong hands rub my butt. I don't know how to get rid of the potion effects, but that can wait. I have plenty more for Jason to do before he goes back to normal.

[sinner-as-saint]

I saw you and I knew.

Biker!Bucky x Reader AU

Run-through: You met Bucky unexpectedly at an unfamiliar bar one night - one of your last nights of freedom before your parents marry you off to some rich, young man. Bucky happened to be so different from all the men you had dated or you were used to seeing that it was a little bit of a surprise how reckless and open he was. You had been subconsciously looking for a way out of the situation you were in for days, so when Bucky makes you a rather unusual proposal; you accept immediately. And it ends up being one of the best things you ever agreed to. 

Themes: smut, fluff, 

a/n: remember this Bucky? Yeah, me too. 

The moment you stepped into the bar, you felt all eyes on you. 

Not in a bad way, more like in an intrigued way. 

A couple of steps in and you realized why; there was no one but bikers in this club. Large, built, mean looking men. But judging by the sound of laughter and the bouncers scattered around the room, you felt oddly safe in the environment. 

You went up to the counter and ordered yourself a drink. Once you found a seat in the less crowded area of the bar, you settled in next to the large window pane; looking out at the passing cars while sipping on your drink. The sun would set soon so the sky was all pink, and-

You felt a tap on your shoulder. “This seat taken?” A male voice spoke up behind you. 

You placed your bottle down and turned to face him. You were aware that you did stare at him for a while. How could you not? Dark, slightly long hair, worn out leather jacket, and tattoos… a lot of them, peeking through his collar and around his wrists. And a perfect face. He gave you a slight smirk when he noticed that you were checking him out but you soon recovered, your heart racing. 

“No, it’s not.” You gestured to the seat across from you, which he then walked over to. 

You watched him, how he moved so confidently. You kept watching as he placed his own beer down, and took his leather jacket off to reveal a loose, ripped t-shirt underneath, as well as his muscular arms; one of them metal and glistening in the dimmed lights of the bar. He folded the jacket carelessly into a ball and placed it down on the table before taking a seat in front of you, leaning back and placing his muscular, tattooed arm over the seat of the booth. You noticed his pierced ears then. 

It almost felt like a strip show. He had barely said enough to you and you were already feeling a little hot, with him staring at you. 

“I’ve never seen you around here before.” He said, and something about his ease, and the softness of his tone, despite his rather mean and dangerous appearance, chased away the little bit of awkwardness which was forming in between you too. It soon vanished. 

You licked your lips and answered, “It’s my first time here actually.” You gave him a polite smile which he returned, giving you the same look that everyone gave you for the first nanoseconds you walked in - an intrigued look. 

He leaned forward, and gently toyed with your car keys laying on the table top. You got a whiff of his scent. You expected him to smell like cigarettes but he smelt like some fading, strong and expensive cologne. Very manly. “You’re a long way from home, aren’t you, Princess?” 

You furrowed your eyebrows at him slightly, not minding the nickname. “How’d you know?” 

He chuckled, and the sound echoed in your head. He sounded so boyish when he laughed, it warmed your heart for some reasons. Something about him screamed trouble, and recklessness and danger. 

“You drive a Benz which no one here does, you’re drinking a martini while everyone is having cheap beers and you’re dressed like a classy lady in a place filled with leather and chains. So tell me, am I right?” He pointed out, his tone cocky and confident like one would expect. 

You leaned back into your seat as well. “You’re judging me.” You pointed out. Funny, you thought you were somewhat blending in here with your little black dress - but clearly not. 

He laughed again, making you crack a little smile. “Princess, look around. You don’t belong here. So tell me, what’s your story? How did you end up in a place like this?” 

You sighed. “I was just… driving around, and I ran out of fuel not far from here. So I called for my chauffeur and didn’t want to wait by the side of the road until he arrived so I figured I could get a drink while waiting.” 

He looked you dead in the eyes while you talked. Nodding at each bit of information. “I meant your real story, Princess. You drove a long way, why? I see it in your eyes. Something’s bothering you. What is it?” 

He was reading you like you were his favorite book. And you found that quite… interesting because no one was ever able to do that normally. It felt intimate. 

“And why should I tell you?” 

“Because you want to. You need a friend, and I’m not half bad, am I?” Cocky, as expected. 

You chuckled. “You won’t get it.” 

He raised an eyebrow. A warning. “What is it? Your conservative and rich father won’t give you your pocket money in thousands this month?” 

Despite the words, he managed to get yet another laugh out of you. “I earn my own money, thank you.” 

“I’ll believe you. Then what is it? Your snobbish, rich playboy boyfriend is acting up?” 

And yet another chuckle left your lips. “You seem to have issues with people who are well-off.” 

He smirked. “Trust me, I don’t. I just want to figure you out.” 

“Why?” 

“Because your eyes are telling me that you’re sad. And that you’ve been contained for too long. You want to be freed. Am I wrong?” 

Your lips parted at the accuracy of his words. “No, you’re not.” You lowered your eyes to the table, but he was quick to reach out with his metal arm and grab you gently by the chin. He tilted your head just enough so you could look at him. 

“What is it, angel?” He asked softly. 

“I… I don’t want to go home.” You whispered, your voice tired and low. 

“Okay. Parents?” He spoke like he could relate. 

You nodded and he gently let go of your face. “Parents.” You confirmed. “They want me to marry one of their friend’s son because according to them it’ll be good for the both of us. And you know, for each of the families’ businesses.” 

He frowned. “You don’t like him, I assume.” 

You sighed. “I don’t know him. He’s a good man according to my mother, who also hasn’t seen him since we were kids. Apparently I met him once or twice but I was too young back then to remember…” you sighed again, “It doesn’t matter anymore.” You shook your head, picking up your glass and taking yet another sip. “ Whoever he is, I can’t say no.” 

He scoffed. “Yes you can.” 

You chuckled, dryly. “You don’t understand. My dad will make my life a living hell if-,”

“Who cares what he thinks? He married the one he loved, didn’t he? Then why not let you find love on your own as well?” He did make sense. 

You smiled sadly, thinking of your parents and their marriage. “I don’t think so.” 

He stopped midway through picking his beer bottle up. “What?” he asked, then went back to picking it up again, bringing it to his pink lips. 

“My dad. I don’t think he married out of love.” You let out a quiet scoff, “I don’t think my mom did either. They just realized that that would be the best for the both of them, I suppose. Now that I think about it, I don’t think they ever truly loved each other at any point.” You tilted your head while looking out at the passing cars out the window. “Mom always told me that marriage isn’t always about love, it’s about convenience.” 

He let out a shameless chuckle. “I’m sorry, but what a bunch of bullshit! You believe her?” He asked in disbelief. 

“It’s all I’ve ever been told all my life. Besides, I don’t have much of a choice anymore, might as well.” 

He frowned at you, setting his bottle down to give you his full attention. “Come on, Princess. You can’t be serious. You can’t give up on love just because your parents did.” 

That earned him a smile from you. “You sound like you know a lot about love.” You leaned forward, placing your elbow on the table, resting your chin on your fist. “It’s your turn, tell me, who has you under their unescapable love spell?” It was surprising how easy it was to talk to him. Almost felt like you had known him all your life. 

He laughed again, that same boyish look on his face. “Nah, none of that. But I do know what it’s like to be contained, and I also know what it’s like to be finally free, with no worries about family pressure or expectations and let me tell you, Princess, it’s the best feeling in the world.” 

That sounded exquisite. It sounded like… like everything you wanted right there and then. To not bother about what mom and dad might think and live for yourself for however long you wanted to. 

“And what gives you that freedom? Riding down the highway at full speed on your mean bike?” You sassed. 

You watched how his eyes lit up. “You’re right. And that’s exactly what you need, Princess. Come on, let’s go!” 

Before you could process anything, he grabbed your hand and stood up. All you could do was quickly grab your purse and keys and you went along with him. You only realized what you were doing once you stepped outside. 

“Wait! I- I…” You were stumbling over your words. A million thoughts rushing through your head all at once. And the piercing pair of blue eyes staring deep into yours weren’t helping at all. 

He walked up to you. “It’s your life. They can’t tell you how to live it. You have every right to find love on your own, and if you don’t want to marry what’s his face then don’t. Parent or not, they can’t do that to you. Come on, let’s go before some old, broody chauffeur gets here.” 

He tugged on your arm gently, walking towards the many bikes which were parked outside the bar. 

“But, I- I’m supposed to leave tomorrow, to see the guy. I’m… I can’t just disappear. Where are we even going? I just met you and I- I don’t even know your name. Besides, you had alcohol. You can’t-,”

“Apple juice.” He stopped, and turned around to look at you. He repeated, “Apple juice. Don’t tell anyone.” 

You looked at him like he was speaking another language. “What?”

“The bartender is a cool guy, I told him I don’t consume alcohol when I ride so he poured apple juice in beer bottles for me so that I can mingle with the crowd but also get home safe.” He explained. 

You giggled uncontrollably at his answer and he lowered his blushing face. “That was funny, but I don’t believe you at all, I-,” you cut yourself off as you laughed; quite unladylike. 

Without another word said, he circled his arm around you and pulled you into him, and his lips were on yours in less than a second. He kissed you deeply, thoroughly. Still gentle, but passionately. He held you by the neck with his metal hand and you melted in his embrace. You kissed him back and you heard a little moan escape his lips - sending shivers down your spine and making your heart flutter, and other places throb. He teased you by biting down on your lip, making you gasp as his tongue soothed it right after. He pulled you closer, pressing you against him even more, kissing you deeper if that was possible. 

Your hands found themselves around his neck, your fingers sliding into his hair. He chuckled against your lips once he noticed that you were getting a little breathless. “Now tell me. What do I taste like, Princess?” He whispered against your lips, his voice sending shivers throughout your body. 

Your face felt really hot at his question and only then did you realize that he did in fact taste tangy, and sweet. “Apple.” 

He smiled against your lips before kissing you deeply again. “Told you. Now come on, trust me and let’s go. You can go home later tonight, or tomorrow morning. I’ll drop you wherever you wanna go. But right now, come with me.” 

Fuck it. 

“Yes.” You agreed. He gave you a big smile and tugged you along once again. You spoke up again. “And if you plan on killing me, just make it quick. Please. And don’t do weird things to me after I’m dead. Definitely do not feed me to animals, or humans for that matter. And don’t-”  

He cut you off with another kiss once you reached his bike. “Shh.” He laughed. “I won’t do any of that. Now come on, put these on.” He handed you his jacket from earlier and a helmet. 

You put those on quickly, not giving yourself the chance to overthink and prevent yourself from living a little. Once you climbed onto his bike, you realized that you would be pressed up against his back quite a bit. You didn’t mind it, it just made your heart race a little. His leather jacket felt nice and cool against your skin. 

“Hold on tight, Princess. It won’t be that long of a ride. But it’ll be great, trust me.” 

You nodded, and he chuckled at how adorable you looked with his huge, black helmet on. “Don’t kill us.” 

“I won’t, angel.” 

He kicked the engine to life. It roared so loudly that you couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline rush already. You giggled as he drove off, away from the pub, away from where you had left your car, away from where your chauffeur was supposed to pick you up. Away. 

You felt the wind against your bare legs and parts of your face. Cold, rushing - making you forget. You wrapped your arms tight around his waist and tipped your head a little, looking up at the saturated, pink sky, the stars had started showing faintly and suddenly you realized how much of your life you had missed while chasing the dreams your parents had assigned you to chase. 

Your friends would often talk of reckless nights back in university, but you never got to experience those because you were always busy studying to make sure your parents remained proud of you. 

But you were now. You were on a mean bike with a drop dead gorgeous man, riding down the highway while the sun set in the background. You felt alive. Slowly, you loosened your arms from around his waist, lifting them away from his body. You lifted your arms upwards, feeling your hands tear through the icy winds and you let out a genuine laugh. 

You noticed he slowed down a little when you did so. You let your arms up for some more time before you lowered them and wrapped them around his waist again. You inched closer and pressed your chest to his back, feeling his warmth seep through the many layers of clothing. 

“Thank you.” You whispered close to his ear. You knew he heard you even if he didn’t respond right away. 

“Wanna see the sunset better?” he asked, barely a second later. 

“Yes, please!” 

About ten minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of what seemed like a motel. You got off the bike once he came to a stop and he did too. He helped you take the helmet off and immediately grabbed your hand and ran towards the motel. 

You followed, giggling like a kid. “Where are we going?” 

“The roof. Come on, quick.” 

He answered and led both of you to what seemed to be some sort of fire escape. You climbed the metal stairs as fast as you could, not more than a few steps behind him until you reached the roof. It was filled with empty cans, cigarette butts and what not but it also gave you a view to die for. 

The sky had turned orangish by now, the sun was halfway down the horizon and you were mesmerized. You couldn’t look away. The sky darkened with each second, and you felt too much at the same time. You wanted to run. And never come back. You wanted bike rides everyday. You wanted to take the time and admire each sunset like this. You wanted to not worry about anything for a while. 

You felt strong arms wrap around you from behind. Then he placed his chin on your shoulder, pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek. “Don’t cry, angel.” Only then did you realize that you had a tear slowly falling down your cheek. 

You wiped it away and kept staring at the sky, watched it change colors. Your racing heart calmed down and a certain body heat wrapped around you, comforting you better than any blanket ever could. 

You turned in his arms, facing him once the sky turned a darker shade of blue when the sun had set completely. Another tear escaped your eye. He caught this one before it fell down your cheek. He looked down at you with a soft look in his eyes. It almost made your heart hurt. 

“I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to marry him. I don’t want any of it.” You whispered, keeping your eyes on his neck, admiring his tattoos through your teary eyes. You couldn’t tell what they were just yet, but they looked incredible on his tan skin. 

“Then don’t.” He answered, easily. “Don’t go home right away. Don’t marry him if you don’t want to. Stay.” He whispered the last bit, his metal arm reaching up to cup your face. “You might just be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

You giggled through the tears. “So this is where you bring all the girls?” You asked, your tone much more playful and teasing. 

He shook his head, laughing quietly. “I don’t. I don’t even live in this town. I have a family thing I need to attend in a day or two, so I was just passing by. I got a room for a couple of nights and boom, now here we are.” 

You nodded slowly. “Here we are.” You whispered back, your eyes flicking down to his lips a couple of times before looking back up into his eyes. 

He gave you a faint smile before leaning in for a kiss again, sighing once his lips touched yours like he had been craving it. You wrapped your arms around him, kissing him back. He kissed you recklessly, tugging and biting your lip, allowing his hands to slide up and down your side and he tilted your head to the side, stroking deeper into your mouth with his tongue. 

“Let’s go.” He murmured against your lips before kissing them again. 

“Where?” 

“Downstairs.” He kissed along your jaw until his mouth reached your ear. He gave you a kiss and you visibly trembled in his arms. “It’s my turn to see what you taste like.” He whispered, blunt and hot. 

Your face felt really hot, again. And when he pulled away, he had a handsome smirk on his pretty face. You got over the shyness and leaned in to kiss him again, aggressively. He chuckled into your mouth and pulled away before tugging you along as he took the stairs again, leading the two of you downstairs. 

The night was properly dark by the time you got to the front of the motel, both of you unable to keep your hands off each other, stopping multiple times to push one another against the wall and make out like there’s no tomorrow. 

There were not many people in sight. You could hear murmurs of muffled conversations coming from the restaurant which was attached to the motel, and a group of bikers were having a chat and smoking out in the parking lot but that was all. 

He led you to his room, unlocked the door and pulled you inside, both of you giggling and moaning as you kissed like horny teenagers. 

He pulled away again, “Oh and, my name’s Bucky. Remember that when you’re moaning later.” He whispered breathlessly against your lips as he slammed the door shut behind the two of you and wrapped his arms around you immediately, pulling you closer as though he needed you like he needed air. 

“I’m Y/N. You remember that too.” You moaned into the kiss and shrugged his leather jacket off as quickly as possible, eager to feel his skin on yours. You helped him take his shirt off, tossing it aside carelessly. You briefly let your hands roam around his torso, feeling each indent and firm muscle, your heart racing with each inch of skin you explored. 

He unzipped your dress while walking the two of you backwards, and by the time you made it to the queen sized bed you were both left in just your underwear. 

Bucky pushed you down on the bed, it was surprisingly soft and comfortable. He was on top of you not even a second later. You whined when he moved to kiss down your neck, nibbling on your skin and leaving dark red marks behind. You wrapped your legs around him, moving your hips against him slowly, grinding on him out of desperation and he chuckled against your skin. “Eager, are we?” he whispered and peppered your neck with soft kisses.

You moaned when his hands reached up to wrap around your breasts, fondling and teasing you through the lacy bra. He moaned against your skin as your fingers slid through his hair and tugged at his roots. 

“Bucky…” You dragged his name out, squirming under him as he took his sweet time kissing down your body. 

“Hmm?” He acted oblivious as he took your underwear off and tossed them on the floor as he settled himself in between your legs properly. His handsome, perfect face just inches away from your dripping core. 

You whined. “I want you, please…” 

He chuckled, kissing your inner thighs. “I know, angel. I know.” His warm breath fanned your sensitive skin as he spoke, and he noticed the way the goosebumps erupted all over your skin. He looked up at you for a quick second, scanning your face. 

You held your upper body up on your elbows by now, looking down at him with your bottom lip in between your teeth. He sent you a shameless wink before leaning in and kissing your wet folds, his tongue slowly circling around your throbbing clit and licking down, parting your wet folds with ease. He teased your entrance with his tongue and your body felt hotter than earlier. 

A pressing need to release formed deep inside you as you felt his tongue stroked your most sensitive parts. “You taste better than I imagined…” Bucky chuckled as he looked up at you and found you with your eyes shut, head thrown back in pleasure. 

He grinned to himself, glad that he was the one bringing you such pleasure. He wrapped his arms around your thighs, keeping you in place and close to him. He placed his mouth back on you again, and licked in between your wet folds, making you whine as he tasted you. His touch was slow, pleasurably agonizing. “Please…” you cried out, whimpering and begging. 

“Oh?” He taunted. “But I’m not quite done, so don’t you come yet angel.” He whispered against your wet skin. He kissed down all the way to your core, and gently bit your skin, making you hiss in pleasure. You could feel your arousal trickling out of you, one drop at a time. But Bucky didn’t let none of it go to waste, he leaned in and latched his mouth onto your core, sucking and licking and teasing you. Your arousal coated the lower half of his face, but he didn’t mind it one bit. 

He watched how you lost control under his touch; legs shaking as he teased your entrance with the tip of his tongue. His hands wrapped around your thighs, securing you in his grip as he pushed his face further into you, making you cry out loud. He had you coming undone all over his mouth in no time. 

“That’s a good girl… cum for me, Princess.” 

You were gasping for air in no time, your body squirming under his. Bucky kissed his way up your body again. He gave you a brief kiss on the lips then lifted off you for just a moment to get rid of his underwear and grab a condom from the drawer and put it on. Once done, he was hovering over your naked body again. 

Bucky’s body settled in between your legs comfortably again, and he leaned in to kiss you on the nose and then down to your lips. You smiled through the kiss as he pulled you even closer. You could feel his thick and hard cock resting against your thighs. He touched you wherever he could; letting his hands linger at your breasts and taking his sweet time; caressing and kissing your skin. His hands slipped in between your legs with ease; caressing your inner thighs as he went. 

You moaned into the kiss; his touch was slow, and gentle and enticing but also fiery. He ran his fingers up and down your folds, gathering and smearing your arousal around. He stared into your eyes, his face still dangerously close to yours. “You okay, angel?” he asked. His voice strained and deep, gravelly with lust.

“Yes… please, I need you.” You whispered against his mouth. You were burning up under him. 

Bucky pushed his tongue into past your lips while he pushed his erected cock past your tight entrance. You immediately lifted your legs up to wrap them around his waist like earlier. You moaned quietly as he pushed into you. He grunted once he filled you up entirely, and gave you a couple of seconds to adjust. He grabbed both your hands, laced your fingers together with his and pinned your interlaced hands down on the bed, above your head. 

He pulled out and pushed himself back into you, and watched in awe how you struggled to keep quiet. He lowered his face again, and leaned into your ear. “It’s okay, angel. Let me hear you.” He whispered, groaning by the end and let go of your hands to hold your body. 

He gripped your waist and pushed deeper into you. You heard him gasp and swear under his breath as he rocked into you. Your nails sank into his skin, around his shoulders; which you held onto for dear life as he pounded into you. He kissed you, bit your lips, kissed your open mouth, and shoved his tongue past your lips while he rammed into you; and you never once complained. 

Your legs trembled around his waist, he thrust deeper into you, and in the daze he was in, he mumbled right in your ear about how good you felt. The sound of his moans and grunts sent tingles dancing down your spine. 

Never in a million years did you ever think that you would find yourself in a motel room, having mind blowing sex with a hottie you met about an hour ago, but here you were. And you loved each moment. Your back arched off the bed as you felt a familiar warmth washing over you. Bucky growled and bit down on your shoulder to keep himself from making any loud noises while he fucked you. He was relentless. And you loved it.

“Cum for me, angel. Come all over my cock…” 

Your moans got louder as your walls clenched violently around him, your body shaking as the waves of pleasure washed over you. You gasped, trying to calm your racing heart but he wasn’t done with you yet. Bucky flipped you onto your stomach and pulled you onto your knees by your hips. He kissed the back of your neck.  

“More.” He growled against your skin and pushed your face down against the pillows, making your ass stick out for him. He gripped each side of your hips, tightly. He pushed his cock into you without a word said; earning a sinful moan out of you. He groaned and grunted as he filled you up again; your butt cheeks pressing into his pelvic bone as he pounded into you.

You moaned out loud at the new sensation of him rocking into you from behind. Bucky’s hand found its way to your front and he pressed the palm of his hand against your lower abdomen. He liked the rush of excitement which coursed through him each time he felt his cock deep within you.

You felt him quicken his pace. “Fuck…” he moaned. 

You tightened around him, and he groaned, pounding into you; growling and mumbling swear words under his breath. You felt the pressure in between your hips grow until you could barely hold back anymore. His other hand reached around and toyed with your folds; his fingers furiously rubbed the skin around your clit and made you tremble and whimper again. 

“Bucky… please,” You moaned, craving more and more of him.

With a few more strokes of his thick cock, you felt his thrust becoming irregular, and felt his cock throb against your walls. You tightened around him, feeling the burning hot need to cum grow hotter and hotter inside you until it exploded. You came with a loud moan, gushing all around him. Bucky came right after you; buried deep within you – growling and mumbling swear words under his breath. 

His soft kisses are the last thing you remember feeling before you snuggled up to his warm body under the sheets and drifted off to sleep without a single care in the world for the first time in a long time. 

--- 

You laid your head on his bare chest, a thin white sheet barely covering either of you properly. The sun was coming up and you could tell that your phone would be blowing up by now if you hadn’t turned it off the night before. You quickly chased those thoughts away, you didn’t want to think about anyone this morning. 

Just Bucky. 

You lifted your head up slowly so as not to disturb him but when you looked up you found him staring down at you with a soft smile on his face. “Hi.” You whispered, your voice hoarse and strained. 

He chuckled, pushing some of your hair out of your face. “Hey angel. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?” He asked, concern written all over his face for a moment. 

You shook your head. “I’m okay.” You lowered your head again, placing your ear right on top of his heart. You let out a sigh. You knew you wouldn’t be able to escape your family forever and your father will track you down and you would have to explain yourself, possibly even marry whoever they ask you to but this right now, last night and this morning - you would cherish that forever. 

You lazily ran your fingers up and down Bucky’s tattooed arm wishing for a different reality, while he played with your hair. You gently traced the lines and curves of ink on his skin, some were hard to decipher because they overlapped with the others. Some words you could make out, some you couldn’t. A few of the discreet, smaller tattoos looked like he had done them himself, and their messiness made you giggle. Like the poorly done smiley face on the inside of his wrist, and the fading initials next to them: j.b.b. 

You froze. Hang on… 

“Bucky?” You felt like you would explode with the amount of emotions and thoughts which rushed inside your head. 

“Yes Princess?” You could hear the sleep in his voice. 

“What’s your last name?” You asked, anticipation building inside of you and almost choking you. It couldn’t be… could it? 

“Barnes. Why?” He answered, looking down at you with confusion all over his face meanwhile you looked like you had seen a ghost. 

You closed your eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Let me guess, your real name is James. And your father has a very close friend and fellow businessman named Y/L/N?” 

He furrowed his eyebrows at you. “Yes. How did you-,”

You got up and straddled him, pinning him down under you. He didn’t mind the nudity, quite the contrary actually. “Bucky! You’re the guy I’m supposed to marry! You’re James Buchanan Barnes!” You went on to tell him your full name and you watched how the realization hit him just as hard as it hit you. 

“Oh…” His smirk faded for a moment as he processed what you had just said, before it formed again. “Well in that case…” He flipped the two of you around and pinned you down under him just like he had last night. “It’s nice to finally meet you, future wife.” He leaned in for another kiss.