#I just need a couple more of two things for the alchemy

[thirsty-4-ghouls]

so... you know how I said I wasn't going to make the 'grandma's sewing scraps' dragon? I looked in the auction house out of pure curiosity and did not expect to see her. THE perfect dragon for it

plans:

maybe even

[guess-my-next-obsession]

the alchemy | iii. the first time

pairing: no outbreak!dbf!joel miller x fem!reader

chapter rating: Explicit [18+ only, minors dni, dbf/secret relationship, age gap (joel is 34, reader is 24), alcohol consumption, one douchebag of a man interacting with reader, jealousy, angst, oral (f!rec), soft dom!joel, unprotected piv, not proofread—may contain some typos but i can’t be bothered to check]

summary: you go out to the bar with your friend Maria and run into the Miller brothers. jealousy arises, feelings are made known, joel shows you just how badly he wants you.

wc: 4.4k

the masterlist | next chapter

You never did get the chance to sneak over to Joel’s place. Most nights, your dad found himself over in Joel’s backyard or in his living room, the two of them tossing back beers while talking work or watching whatever game was on. 

You tried to tag along, if only for the sake of seeing Joel, but it quickly became apparent to you that Joel had no intentions of slipping up around your father. He hardly looked your way, save for a few longing glances whenever your dad left the room. So, instead of sitting there like a third wheel, you busied yourself with hanging out with some old friends at the bars downtown. 

Tonight, a Friday night, would have been the perfect opportunity to try and spend some time with Joel, except that he was busy celebrating Tommy’s birthday. Tommy had invited you out, too, but the thought of hanging out with both Miller boys seemed a bit too awkward. Tommy had no idea about you and Joel, and Joel had heard every detail about you and Tommy. It didn’t seem fair to Joel to force him into watching his brother flirt with you all night, and vice versa. 

But you weren’t about to let Friday night go to waste by locking yourself up in your room and reading. 

You decided you’d head downtown with one of your old roommates from sophomore year, Maria. You could always count on her to turn a bad night into a drunken memory, and that’s exactly what you needed. Slipping into one of the few mini-dresses that you’d kept from college and a pair of chunky heels—you were not about to be wearing stilettos to the club—you called yourself an Uber and headed downtown. 

The bar she picked for drinks before the club was more of a dive, leaving you feeling a bit overdressed in the dim lighting. A couple frat boys tried to catch your attention as you walked past them to pull up a seat by Maria at the bar, but you ignored them. After your date with Joel, you had no interest in flirting with anyone, let alone a couple of little boys. 

You could only hope he was just as faithful to whatever this thing was between you as you were. 

“Look at you!” Maria let out a squeal and pulled you in for a hug before giving your outfit a once over. “I see you came out tonight on a mission.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes. “Yes, to get as drunk as I did freshman year.”

“I can get you there,” she assured, giving you a wink before grabbing the bartender’s attention. “We’re gonna need a couple shots. Tequila, maybe?”

You groaned but nodded your agreement. Tequila turned you into a drunken mess, but wasn’t that exactly what you were aiming for tonight? 

“So,” she said, smirking at you. “Tell me more about your older man.”

“Stop,” you said, laughing. “He’s not even a decade older than me.”

“Old enough to be scandalous,” she said, shrugging. “And no judgment, by the way. I love an older man.” 

“He’s so…ugh,” you groaned, rolling your head back. “He’s perfect. And totally off limits. And god, I just want to ride the wheels off him.”

“You talking about me?” A man entered your conversation from beside you, forcing you to give him a scrunched look of disapproval. He was older, that much was true. But he was also sleazy, smelled like cheap beer, and looked to be the same age as your father. 

Not Joel in the slightest. 

“Definitely not,” Maria said, gagging. “Turn around and fuck off.”

“Cunt,” he spat, as if he expected the two of you to cower. Instead, his insult was only met with laughter. 

“Anyways,” you said, turning back to Maria. “His name is—“

“Is that who I think it is?” This time, the voice hitting your ear was familiar. Too familiar. 

You carefully turned around, a faltering smile on your face as you met Tommy’s eyes. “Tommy, hey.”

“Thought you said you were too busy to come out for my birthday,” he said, arching an eyebrow at you as he smirked. 

“Yeah, she’s busy with me,” Maria replied, mimicking his stance. Tommy eyed her with amused shock, chuckling at her refusal to back down. She turned to you, nudging her chin towards him. “Should I tell him to fuck off or no?”

“No,” you said, chuckling. “Tommy, this is Maria. Maria, Tommy.”

He held his hand out for her to shake, which she accepted after making him sweat for a few seconds. “Nice t’meet ya, Maria. Pretty name.”

“Wish I could say the same,” she said. “Tommy’s a little boy’s name.”

“I keep tellin’ him to change it.” 

Oh god. That voice. You knew it like the back of your hand. You heard it in your dreams, you fantasized about the way it would sound when he was moaning your name. 

Joel. 

“There you are,” Tommy said, patting Joel on the shoulder as he joined your group. You turned around to face the bartender as he set your shots down on the counter. “Maria, this is my brother, Joel.”

“Nice meetin’ ya, ma’am,” he said, polite and southern as ever. “Y’all takin’ shots?”

Maria looked your way, curious over the fact that you had yet to do so much as acknowledge Joel. “You good?”

“Yeah,” you muttered, nodding your head absently before picking up your shot of tequila and downing it. 

“Bitch, we were supposed to do that together,” she said, laughing as she reached for hers to do the same. 

“Next round is on me,” Joel offered, squeezing in beside you in the empty space the sleazy guy from earlier left. His arm brushed yours as he settled his elbows on the bartop, the sensation warm in a way the burn of tequila could never replicate. You trailed your eyes up from the contact he made, slowly lifting to meet his. He smiled once you locked eyes with him, a look of relief washing over his handsome face. “Didn’t think I’d run into you.”

“Yeah,” you chuckled, a soft sigh of a thing. 

“Y’alright?” he asked, lowering his voice as he leaned in just the slightest. 

You glanced over at Tommy, finding him in the midst of a debate with Maria. Turning back to Joel, you twisted your mouth and shrugged. “I’m good. Just…fighting the awkwardness.”

“What’s awkward?” he asked, turning to face you better. “Are you…regrettin’ things?”

You were quick to shake your head, your eyes softening as you noticed the brief look of panic in his. “No. No, not anything like that. Just…you know. Tommy.”

He let out a sigh, nodding his head. “Don’t worry ‘bout that. I told you, I could care less about what went on between y’all.”

“And what happens when he tries to flirt with me in front of you?” you asked, smirking as you tipped your chin to look up at him. 

“Someone’s got an ego,” he teased, his smile enough to make you weak in the knees. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry ‘bout all that. He seems awfully interested in your friend.”

You turned to check the two of them out, and just as Joel said, Tommy looked as smitten as a schoolboy over Maria. “Well, look at that.”

“Mmhm,” Joel hummed in agreement. “Stars in his eyes and everything.” 

“Why don’t you look at me like that?” you asked, just to tease him. 

“I do,” he countered, drawing your attention back to him. “Just not when you’re lookin’.”

“Is that right?” 

“Mmhm.”

“Then how come you act like I’m not in the room whenever I come over with my dad?” You crossed your arms over your chest, pushing your cleavage together just to watch his eyes fall to it. 

“Because I like bein’ alive,” he said, chuckling. “But don’t think for a minute I’m not lookin’ at you every time he stops payin’ attention.” 

You smiled, rolling your eyes at him to hide the fact that inside, he was burning you alive with his words. Melting you to the fucking core. 

“What’re y’all talkin’ about?” Tommy asked, ruining the moment. 

“Just brainstormin’ ideas for y’all’s weddin’,” Joel said, the lie smooth as silk on his tongue. “I’m assumin’ we’re gonna be the best man and maid of honor. Only right given that we were here the first time y’all laid eyes on eachother.” 

“Shut up,” Tommy said, chuckling as he tried to hide the flush in his cheeks. Maria, however, didn’t bother to deny it. 

“I’m thinking Vegas for the bachelorette party,” she said, looking at you. “Hire as many strippers as you want.”

“Y’all are stupid,” Tommy chuckled again, shaking his head before leaning over to counter to order another round of shots. “You’re payin’, right, Joel?”

“Mmhm.”

“Then make it top shelf,” Tommy said to the bartender. “Gotta treat my future wife.”

“Technically, it’s Joel who’s treating your future wife,” you said, earning a laugh from Maria. 

“Yeah, why don’t I go talk to him instead?” 

You bit your lip to keep yourself from declaring him taken, the jealousy brewing in your chest foreign and entirely baseless. 

“Come on, Joel,” Maria said, walking over to loop her arm in his—the entire time keeping her eyes on Tommy just to watch him bite his tongue. “Come have a cigarette with me outside.”

“I don’t smoke,” Joel said, his eyes glancing your way. 

“Then come watch me smoke,” she said, tugging him to follow her. 

You could only stand there and watch as she dragged him off into the back patio of the bar, leaving you alone with Tommy. 

“I’m gonna marry that woman,” Tommy declared, watching her sway her hips as she walked off. 

“Joel might beat you to the punch,” you muttered, folding your arms over the counter to stare blankly ahead at the wall of liquor in front of you. It beat watching Maria walk off with the man of your dreams. 

“Nah, he’s seein’ somebody,” Tommy said. “Won’t tell me shit about it, but he seems into her.”

You smiled to yourself, feeling a bit of relief. 

“I think it’s that girl that moved in a few houses down from y’all,” he added. “Ava, I think. Pretty blonde, has a daughter around Sarah’s age. He was actin’ flirty when we went over to help fix her water heater a couple of days ago.”

Well, there went the relief. 

Ava…the name was unfamiliar, as was her description. But it wasn’t like you made a habit of going around to meet your neighbors. Joel, apparently, was more than happy to do just that.  

“What about you?” Tommy asked, nudging your side. “Still not ready for the whole datin’ thing?”

“No,” you managed. “Thought I might be, but…I don’t know anymore.”

“You’ll find somebody,” he assured, the words that were meant to be comforting only sounded patronizing. “Just gotta keep your mind open.” 

“Hey, I’m not feeling good. Could you tell Maria that I decided to go home?” You weren’t about to just stand here and fake a smile when jealousy was tearing through you, alluring your mood and stomach. 

“Yeah, you alright?” He furrowed his brows at you, concerned and confused. 

“The alcohol’s not mixing well with my dinner,” you lied. “Just gonna go home and lay down.”

“Alright, well, I’ll call you a cab.” 

Twenty minutes later, you were back at home, all alone. Your dad had gone off to Vic’s place again for the weekend, and though you’d normally be glad to have the place to yourself, it just seemed so dark and lonely now. You wanted him around to distract you with boring conversation, to throw on one of his old action movies so that you could tune out your inner thoughts. But now, all you had to cling to was silence. 

Somehow, you found yourself out in the backyard eating the burger and fries you had delivered to your door, the night sky clear overhead. You sipped your soda and chewed mindlessly as you stared up at them, praying that a shooting star would streak across the sky just so that you could wish on it. You wouldn’t ask for much. Just for Joel to finally be yours. 

You’d come so close, your date with him fooling you into believing that the stars had aligned. But tonight threw that all off. 

Even if he was being flirty with you, even if he did look at you with the same twinkling brown eyes Tommy had fixed on Maria, that wouldn’t help the fact that you’d never get to claim him like you wanted to. Be it Tommy or your dad, someone was bound to get hurt if they found out about the two of you. Not to mention this Ava that Joel was apparently flirting with. 

Hope slipped through your fingers like water, leaving you with nothing but the chill of your reality. You’d never have him. Not completely. Maybe not at all. 

It was nearing one in the morning when your phone began to ring on your bedside table. You scrambled for it in a half-conscious haze, blindly accepting the call in case it was Maria. 

“Hello?” you said, your voice groggy with exhaustion. 

“Hey.” The sound of Joel’s voice shooed away any hopes of going back to sleep. You sat upright, pulling the phone away to check that it was, indeed, Joel who was calling. 

“Joel? What—what’s going on?” 

He sighed, the sound drawn out. “Well, one minute I’m standin’ outside with your friend, givin’ her Tommy’s entire life story, and the next, Tommy’s walkin’ over, tellin’ us you’d gone home. Didn’t say goodbye or anythin’.”

You let out a breath through your nostrils and sagged your shoulders. 

“I just wasn’t having a good time,” you admitted. “Didn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun with my bad mood.”

“You weren’t in a bad mood before I left,” he countered. “So what happened? Tommy say somethin’?”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes at no one. “Yeah, he said something about you flirting with a girl named Ava earlier this week. Ring any bells?”

“I wasn’t flirtin’ with her,” he argued. “Tommy might’ve thought I was, since he doesn’t know the difference between bein’ polite and tryin’ to get into someone’s pants, but I was just bein’ neighborly.”

“Yeah, just like you’re only being neighborly with me.” You shocked even yourself with your tone, the clipped bit of attitude that you’d never once given him.  

Another sigh slipped from him, along with a muttered curse. “Can you come downstairs and let me in so we can talk about this face to face? I’m not doin’ this over the phone.”

“There’s no point,” you said, though you found yourself doing exactly as he asked. “You have every right to flirt with other people. Just wish you would’ve told me about it so that I could move on.”

“Honey, I promise you, I wasn’t—“ You cut Joel off by opening the front door, finding him pacing on your doorstep with one hand rubbing his temples. He let it fall as he took you in, your old sleeping shirt and bare face, your frown and your arms crossed. Joel slipped his phone into his pocket and shook his head, his eyes softening. “I wasn’t flirtin’ with that Ava lady. Believe me or don’t, but I take this—“ He gestured between the two of you. “Seriously. I’m not lookin’ for anything else. I don’t want you to move on. I want…”

“What do you want, Joel?” 

“God, I want you.” He took a step towards you, and you allowed it. You might’ve even leaned in when he lifted a hand to cup your face. “I know I can’t give you what you deserve. You’ll have to hide and lie, sneak around and make excuses, but honey, I’m ready to do all that, too. I’ll lie to whoever I have to lie to, I’ll make the excuses so you don’t have to. Whatever it takes to have you, because I’ve wanted you from the minute I saw you.”

You knew this wasn’t going to end well. That be it you, or Joel, or Tommy, or your dad—someone was going to walk away upset. But god, when he looked at you like that…nothing else seemed to matter. You’d lie, too. You’d do whatever you had to do, just like he would, because despite all the roadblocks, your heart had chosen him. And it would continue to choose him, no matter the cost. 

“Joel,” you sighed, tugging him close by his shirt until he was pressed against you. He tilted your head back to slant his lips against yours, slow and careful at first before both of you grew too needy to care. 

He walked you back into the house, kicking the door shut behind him, all the while continuing to map the curve of your lips with his. “Tell me you want this, baby.”

You moaned against his lips, nodding your head as he pressed you against the wall. 

“Uh-uh,” he tutted with a smirk, pulling away with a shake of his head as he held your face in the palms of his hands. “Tell me. I wanna hear it from these pretty lips.”

“I want you, Joel.” You lifted your hands to the back of his neck, pulling him in again to kiss him slow and deep. One of Joel’s hands slid down to your waist, squeezing you tight against his body as he pinned you to the wall. You let a hand wander down his chest and stomach until you were cupping him through the soft denim of his jeans. “I want this.”

Joel groaned, pushing his arousal into your palm as he trailed his lips down your neck. You canted your head, giving him room to suck a mark against your thumping pulse, a soft sigh escaping your lips. “Better take me upstairs, otherwise I might just fuck you here against the wall.”

You liked that idea. 

So much, in fact, that you took it upon yourself to pop open the button of his jeans, tugging his zipper down to emphasize your point. 

“Fuck me,” you purred, slipping your hand beneath the cotton of his briefs to grasp the warm velvet of his cock. “Right here.”

“You’re gonna kill me,” he sighed, pulling away and taking the warmth of his body with him. But before you had the chance to pout over it, Joel was crouching to the floor in front of you, his hands roaming up your bare legs. “These fuckin’ thighs…want ‘em wrapped around my head ‘til I suffocate.”

You giggled, combing his hair back. “I prefer you alive.” 

He smiled, leaning in to kiss the inside of your thigh as he hiked your leg to rest on his shoulder. “Least I’d die a happy man.” 

You grinned down at him as he trailed his lips across the soft, sensitive skin of your inner thigh, inching closer and closer to the area that throbbed with need. You lifted the hem of your sleep shirt to watch as he pressed a kiss against your clothed seam, his nose brushing against your clit. “Fuck, Joel.”

He hummed at the desperation in your voice, hooking his fingers into the side of your underwear to tug them to the side, exposing your wetness to the cool air around you. Dragging his thumb against your arousal, he pressed and circled it when it reached your clit, sending a heavenly strike of pleasure down your spine. “Look at that. Such a pretty fuckin’ pussy, honey.” 

His words and ministrations had you tossing your head back against the wall with a dull thump. 

This man was going to kill you, and god, you would go gladly.

“Look at me when I eat your pretty pussy, baby,” he commanded, bringing your hooded eyes back to him. “That’s it.”

He kept his eyes locked on yours as he leaned in, dragging the flat of his tongue up your seam and moaning at the taste. Your face scrunched up in pleasure, your fingers tightening their hold on his chocolate waves. “Fuck, y’taste so good, baby.” 

“Shit, Joel,” you whined, your hips bucking instinctively every time he swirled the tip of his tongue over your clit. 

Oral had never felt this good before. It had always been enjoyable, but never enough to bring you to the edge. But Joel kept you there the moment his tongue touched you, as if he had a special, sinful superpower he was keeping to himself. 

How on earth did his exes want anything more than this, right here? This beautiful man, his warm hands, his skilled tongue, those eyes that screamed adoration? 

You shoved them out of your mind. You wouldn’t waste a minute of this pleasure by giving them any attention. They’d made their choice, and now you were reaping the benefits of it. 

Joel’s lips molded around your clit, sucking the swollen bud into his mouth between swirls of his tongue, the tempo driving you closer to the edge with each switch. When he guided two thick fingers into your fluttering cunt, the dam inside you broke. You writhed against him, fucking those fingers deeper as your hips bucked against his mouth, curses and praise filling the silent room along with the wet sound of him drinking down your arousal until you felt boneless. 

“So fuckin’ sweet,” Joel murmured, kissing your sensitive clit softly before rising to his feet. He held your face in his hands, sharing your taste with you as he kissed you, his tongue dancing with yours. 

“Joel,” you whined, tugging at the waistband of his unbuttoned jeans. “I need you inside of me.”

He growled at that, turning you around to face the wall. “Yeah, you want my cock, baby?”

“Mmhm,” you moaned. You listened as he slid his jeans down to his knees before feeling him do the same to your underwear. 

“You want it inside?” he purred, slapping the heft of his thick cock against the flesh of your ass. “Want me to fuck you nice and deep?”

Shivers covered your arms in goosebumps in response to the beautiful filth slipping from his lips. “Yes, please.”

“Love it when you say please like that,” he murmured against the shell of your ear, his hips thrusting as he sandwiched his cock between the globes of your ass, teasing you with what was to come. “Wanna hear you say it again.”

“Please, Joel,” you whined, arching your back to meet his thrusts. “I want it so bad.”

“Good fuckin’ girl,” he groaned, one hand leaving your hip to grip his cock. He slid the fat tip of it across your wetness, coating himself in it before pressing lightly against your entrance. “Want you t’use your words when I’m fuckin’ you, baby. Alright? Tell me what you need.”

“Okay,” you managed, biting your lip as you turned your head to the side to watch him through your periphery. 

“So fuckin’ good,” he mumbled, shaking his head as a smile brightened his face. 

He didn’t keep you waiting long, his cock pressing into you slowly to give you time to adjust to his size until you’d swallowed him down to the base. Joel let out a ragged groan at the way your walls squeezed him in welcoming, his grip on your hips turning rough as he dragged himself out to the tip before slamming back in. You held onto the wall for purchase as his thrusts came on sharp and deep and deadly accurate. 

“Fuck, it feels so good right there,” you whined, clawing at the wall as he snapped his hips against your ass, the room filling with a lewd slap. 

“Yeah?” He narrowed the aim of his thrusts to target that spongy soft spot deep inside, making your stomach clench and thighs tingle. “Right there?”

“Fuck, yes,” you cried, reaching one hand back to rest on his hip. “Don’t fucking stop.”

“Uh-uh,” he promised, drilling into that spot like his life depended on it. “Not gonna stop ‘til I feel you comin’ all over me, baby.”

“Shit!” Your knees buckled so much that Joel had to wrap an arm around your waist just to hold you up, his free hand moving to your clit to rub circles into it. “Joel, I’m so fucking close!”

“That’s it, baby,” he growled, pressing a kiss to the side of your face. “G’on and come for me.” 

You let out a strangled sob and went lax in his arms, your climax spreading from the tip of your head down to your toes as he fucked you deep and slow, drawing it out until you were sure you’d blackout. 

“Where d’you want me?” he asked, his chest heaving against yours. 

“Inside,” you panted, only half-there, the other half lost in bliss. 

“Fuck.” Joel moaned into your ear, the sound sending another pulse of pleasure down your spine, making your walls squeeze him as he spilled deep inside your cunt. “Fuck.”

The two of you stood there, leaning your weight against the wall as you caught your breath, a comfortable silence washing over you. Your thighs were weak and trembling when he slipped out and pulled away, forcing you to cling to the wall for support. Joel turned you around to face him, a grin that spread from ear to ear on his face as he took you in. 

“Fuck, you’re pretty when you’re fucked out,” he said, leaning in to kiss your lips. “How was I?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Too good. Suspiciously good.” 

He helped you over to the couch after buttoning his pants and helping you slip back into your underwear, plopping down beside your pleasure-limp form. “I’m gonna get addicted to watchin’ you come like that.” 

You rolled your eyes at him and snuggled into his chest, breathing in his familiar warm scent. “Not to do the whole ‘what are we’ thing, but—“

“I’m yours if you’ll have me,” he said, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “It’ll be hard to figure out, sure, but I’m committed to this.”

“Well, then so am I,” you said, tilting your head up to look at him—his flushed cheeks, his hooded eyes, that satisfied smile. 

All of it was beautiful and addictive and ruinous. 

And the best part was that it was all because of you.

[ominosus]

snatch, latch and loose your head — ominis gaunt x fem!reader

Ominis grows tired of the the long game and hearing other people ask you out – so he takes matters into his own hands as he makes it clear what you are to one another ˚∗✴︎ ❤︎

plot summary: (slightly possessive) older ominis gaunt x fem!reader

During one of your late night readings in the archives of the Ministry of Magic you’re interrupted by someone you thought were out of town. Feelings that you’ve tried to stifle claw within you at a sudden and unfamiliar closeness. A shift in the air makes it clear that you're not the only one feeling frustrated.

warnings: recommended 18+ , kissing, smut, hot, heavy and all things nice

It was getting late, but the new alchemy study touching upon metaphysical speculations and the refinement of transformative magic within the branch of herbolical alchemy was just starting to get interesting. Your hand moved rapidly and decisively on top of the parchment as you wrote down points throughout the text. ”Surely it would be better to use the sap of sequoia in this case…” you spoke quietly to yourself before underlining your notes: Try sequoia instead. ”They should know that…” you muttered. 

Being the only known keeper alive had its perks, one being you were allowed to come and go as you pleased within the Ministry of Magic, borrow artifacts, space – or whatever it was you needed, the ministry could more than often supply. This time you had placed yourself within one of the ministry’s smaller archives in the department of mysteries. It had large windows with deep alcoves along one wall of the room that emanated the perfect blue soft light to read in. The space had started to empty out a couple of hours ago until it was only you and an archivist named Melvin left. He had diligently assisted your every wish, managing to find the exact papers you were after while completely ignoring his colleagues need for help as they vexed him with their eyes. He had then roved all around you like a restless ghost before he finally mustered up the courage to ask you out on a butterbeer or two. He was good looking and pleasant enough, but, alas, you weren’t attracted to him. So, you kindly declined. Perhaps another time, you told him, to let him down easy. Finally you had the space all to yourself. The room had fallen perfectly quiet and the only thing you could hear was the pencil moving against the paper.

”Oh… Murtlap and Valerian, huh…”you whispered to yourself as you dove deeper into a paragraph. 

“It's endearing hearing you mumble to yourself...” a quiet voice suddenly spoke, pulling your nose from out of your notes. You felt your heart skip a beat at the realisation that you weren’t alone anymore. A sharp cramp shot through your neck as you, by a mere reflex, quickly twisted your head to where the voice had appeared beside you. Your eyes caught ahold of a sleek figure leaning against one of the shelfs, misty eyes looking down towards you. “Merlin, Ominis…” you winched as your hand flew up to your neck that cried and twisted itself painfully at your sudden movements. ”One of these days you’re going to make me loose my head.” you whined while massaging your neck.

Ominis couldn’t help but tug a little at his lips. ”Oh, I wouldn’t want that-” he spoke, swaying slowly, both on his words and heels. ”–besides, that’s Sebastian’s pastime... It wouldn't be fair of me to steal that from him. You know how he gets.” he spoke. Even if he couldn’t see it, you rolled your eyes at him. Although, you always had an inkling he knew each time you did. ”Also... I like your head right where it is.” he finished. You looked up at him just in time to see the grin grow slightly larger. You watched him in silence for a little while, still massaging your neck. ”Cheeky.” you mumbled, a smile tugging at your own lips as you stretched out your leg to nudge his with yours. You felt a growing and familiar sensation flutter in your stomach at the sight of him – one that always yanked at your heart, that you’ve taught yourself to submerge, quiet, stifle, choke… Well, you had tried it all, but to no lasting effect.

”I didn’t know you had already returned fro-” you started before your neck retorted by twinging again, making you winch. ”Merlin-” Ominis spoke at the sound of your soft wails beneath him. ”I didn’t mean to cause any actual harm.” he added as a somewhat guilty frown bowed above his eyes. ”I’m more and more certain you actually enjoy hearing me whimper.” you mumbled. Ominis huffed out a light chuckle. ”Now, I wouldn’t necessarily phrase it that way…” he spoke quietly. The fluttering in your stomach took on new life at the sound of him, releasing a melting hot flood that washed over you - leaving you soaked in the alcove.

You didn’t decline Melvin’s invitation because you weren’t attracted to him – you declined it because you were hopelessly in love with someone else: your best friend, Ominis. It’s rather difficult to catch feelings for someone when someone else had already caught them. A couple of years back, something shifted within you that shed new light on Ominis . He had always been one of the trio, your best-friend-Ominis, the proper, level-headed friend keeping both Sebastian and you out of trouble, always by your side when you needed him, aiding you both in physical pains as well as mental ones, attentive and gracious, a guiding hand – and suddenly you all grew up – and he grew to be more protective of you as you had to travel across the world to different sources of ancient magic, always keeping tabs on you (almost to a fault), patching up your wounds when needed... and he started to smell intoxicatingly good, and his lips curved in this really, sultry, yet boyish kind of way whenever he smiled, and he was always awfully dapper, something that you hadn't really cared for at all, until you noticed how well he carried it... and when he started to work at the ministry he became a renowned auror, and with every other charm of his it all accumulated to him becoming a popular bachelor (which he was outside of the ministry as well, which pained you each time the boys and you went out) – and girls in all ages fell for his effortless flair, swooned after him… and, eventually, you couldn’t resist his charm and swooned too… or perhaps you became brutally aware of the feelings that had always been there: love, but not only platonically. Dwelling on those feelings scared you. He was your friend, your best friend – and he’d always been that. Sure, some borders seemed to have been blurred along the years, and he seemed to stretch the meaning of friend to its brim, but then again he taunted you mad, like a friend would... The feelings would subside, eventually – right? Well, hopefully they would. Otherwise you would have to give Melvin a proper chance… or any of the other wizards drooling after The Hogwart's Hero. Gosh, it was exhausting. Nevertheless, you tried your very best to quiet the soft, longing and rather embarrassingly needy voice that clawed at you whenever Ominis was around – or away, for that matter.

You couldn’t help but twist your head up towards him where he stood, eyes somewhat shielded behind your lashes. Once again you winched. ”Easy.” Ominis spoke before he stepped closer towards the alcove where you sat. ”You’re tormenting me on purpose… I’m sure of it.” you cried weakly before sighing – referring not only to your muscles contorting but the way he made you feel. You heard a soft sigh leave his lips as he placed himself beside you where you sat in the window. A soft glowing red beacon of light lingered in the air next to you both. A couple of years back he had managed to separate it from the tip of his wand so that it existed on its own, part of him but apart from him, always around him – allowing him to move more freely. You peered up at it pondering the fact Ominis was peering back at you through it. ”Perhaps I am.” he spoke at your side. You turned towards him, frowning slightly. ”I thought that was Sebastian’s pastime…” you mumbled. ”Well, it’s a complex hobby – better to share the responsibility… You are a handful.” he teased. You nudged his leg again, making him smile. ”You’re awfully smug this evening.” you mumbled again, trying your best to sound as unaffected as possible. If he could have seen you, your cheeks would have given you away in a heartbeat. Ominis shot you a soft grin. ”What are we dissecting tonight, hm? Except for that head of yours, of course.” he spoke as he leaned back against the alcove, making himself more comfortable. ”Ha-ha… hilarious. There will be no dissecting of heads.” you muttered as you peered at the red light looming in the air, your hand still gripping at your neck. ”Well, it’s a new study within Spagyric… I’d like to be able to create – perhaps a smaller bush, with smaller leaves – that in itself held the same properties of wiggenweld… yet more soothing, as dittany itself – that lasted longer, more concentrated, acting with more efficiency-” you spoke a tad too hurriedly, making your neck cry again and you groan irritably. "Merlin, knows I need it.” you added as you pressed your eyes together. ”Sounds… complicated.” Ominis answered to your ramble.

”Here.” Ominis suddenly spoke as he motioned you to turn to him with his hands. ”What?” you mumbled as you turned towards him, frowning at his hands floating between you. ”I can try to ease the ache a little.” he spoke leisurely. ”I don’t think we can conjure up that new plant of yours tonight… but some good ol’ fashion kneading might do the trick.” he added with a soft smile. Your frown deepened – first looking at him, then at his hands – you were still pinching at your own neck as it twisted itself defiantly. ”…or you can continue to suffer, since you seem to enjoy it so much.” Ominis spoke, his hands falling down into his lap as he sighed, his smile evaporating into thin air. ”Are you actually offering me a massage?” you asked, frowning even deeper. You felt your stomach twirl a little at the mere thought of it – his lean hands on your neck, sitting close to him… You felt yourself grow a little bit lightheaded as your thoughts trailed off. You shook your head in order to return to the room in which you both sat. ”Yes.” Ominis spoke. ”I am.” he added matter-of-factly. There was this tone that lingered in his voice, as if he indicated that you were being childish the way you reacted to his proposal, which made you want to prove to him that you didn’t care about the situation at all – that the thought of him massaging you didn’t affect you the slightest. So, you straightened your posture a little, as much as your neck could muster, and shrugged. ”Why not.” you spoke, feigning apathy. You felt yourself swoon as you realised what you’d agreed upon – i.e, id est, that is, the most intimate physical contact the both of you had ever had. Merlin, pray he’s horrible at it, you thought to yourself. ”Swell.” Ominis spoke knowingly, a soft grin creeping up on his lips.

You turned where you sat, making Ominis reposition himself at the sound of your movements so that you could place yourself between his legs in the alcove. Once again he motioned with his hands for you to scooch closer. You swallowed down what felt like a stone as you slid yourself into the gap. You felt the warmth of his body emanate against you as you moved closer – sending a shiver up your spine. Trying to ease the sudden and almost deafening silence that creeped into the space between you, you chuckled lightly. ”Lucky me – ” you spoke, trying to sound as calm as possible, yet coming off rather meekly. ”–the ministry’s renowned auror himself offering me a private massage in the archives... Scandalous, really.” you added. You felt your cheeks burn hot. ”Not only does he have nimble feet, my dear wizards, witches, goblins and other fiends – he also has nimble hands… Who could have guessed.” you spoke musingly. ”Oh, you’d be surprised.” he spoke cooly before you felt the fingertips of his hands grace the back of your neck as he removed your hair. You tensed at the feeling – resulting in your neck twisting itself again. ”Relax.” Ominis spoke as he felt you do the opposite of what he wanted you to do. You merely nodded, falling completely silent at the close proximity of you both. ”There’s no use if you’re going to clench up like a shell – despite popular belief, I’m not going to hurt you.” he added. You felt his breath behind you. It was warm against your skin and smelled slightly of mint. ”I am relaxed.” you retorted, slightly irked – but only at your own lack of cool and the slight fear Ominis might smell your faltering composure on you. You felt Ominis huff out a breath. ”Right… you’re in desperate need of a rub if you’re always this stiff.” he spoke before his hands made contact with you, making you blush madly.

He felt soft and rough at the same time. ”Merlin, Ominis…” you instinctively breathed out. You couldn’t help but close your eyes at the feeling of his hands and fingers gently pushing into and against your neck. Of course he’s good at it, you cursed within your head. His thumbs rubbed slow circles on you as he traveled up and down your skin while his other hand gently held onto your shoulder – keeping you in one place. Without realising it you leaned backwards a little, tilting your head to the side as he strengthened his grip. "Is this alright?" he spoke softly. You could merely hum in agreement as an answer, completely captivated by the movement of his hands. "Hm, good." he mused quietly. The muscles in your neck cried out in joy as they released tensions that reached down your spine – making you feel ten times lighter. It felt as if you were standing right next to the sun as it warmed you from within, intensely, turning you into a mere puddle where you sat. Ominis smirked behind you as he felt you grow more relaxed with each second that passed. As you were melting into him he could feel himself grow more tense as you leaned against him. ”I heard Zatcher asked you to grab a couple of butterbeers with him…” Ominis spoke quietly behind you. ”-and that you kindly declined.” he added. ”Oh...” you spoke hazily, finding it difficult to speak when you felt as relaxed as you did. "That's how you knew I was here." you mumbled, mouth slightly open, eyes closed. ”I met him as he was heading out – and he asked me about you…” he spoke. You couldn’t help but feel a little smug. ”-wondering if there’s anyone else in the picture, and if I could... put in a good word...” he added, almost sounding a little repulsed as he continued to massage your neck and shoulders, tracing your skin with his fingers. Without any one of you knowing it, you both cringed at the idea of him pairing you with someone else. You moaned quietly in front of him. ”It’s a crime that you’ve kept this talent of yours a secret until now…” you mumbled even more hazily, not really focusing on what he was talking about as your head gently swayed back and forth as Ominis kneaded your neck. ”Is there?” he asked earnestly. "Is there what?" you mumbled. Ominis sighed behind you. "Is there someone special in your life?" he repeated. You couldn’t help but feel a little bit frightened that he’d be able to hear your inner thoughts screaming that he was the one making your knees week, thighs tense and your heart unable to function properly.

”Well... " you gulped. "- no, not really.” you eventually answered quietly, sounding unsure. Ominis hummed behind you. ”Not really, huh… Then why’d you decline?” he continued. You sighed before you opened your mouth again. ”I just... I didn’t… feel like it…” you managed before he pressed down on just the right spot. ”Merlin, that feels good…" you breathed out. "The – world – needs – this – gift – of – yours… ” you added, breathing out your words in puffs to the rhythm of Ominis hands moving against you. Ominis chuckled quietly at you before sighing. ”Perhaps I don’t feel like sharing it with the world.” he spoke with a low voice – making that shiver travel up your spine again, sending goosebumps across your skin like a wildfire. Ominis felt your skin grow prickly as a slightly devilish smile grew on his lips. "Feel like it..." you repeated quietly, pondering his words. "Mhm, feel like it." he confirmed with a low voice. He clenched his jaw – but he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on you a little by impulse. His nails softly dug into your skin as your heart fluttered wildly within your chest. What in merlins name is happening, you thought while high on the feeling of your muscles being kneaded into a soft pile of nothingness while Ominis whispered sly remarks behind you that crawled under your skin. You gulped again. 

”Well…” you mumbled, voice thick as your mouth grew dry. ”-in that case, I’m deeply… honored…” you continued as Ominis’ fingers creeped up a little into your hair. ”Mhm.” he hummed quietly behind you as he roamed your skin, making that little pit in your stomach flip again. ”-to be the exception…” you continued, trying to keep some type of composure, albeit finding it incredibly difficult, if not impossible as his fingers started to travel more freely in your hair, sending tingles across your body that tugged at your lower stomach. ”- and I’ll cherish it… forever – tell tales about… the hands… of… yours – no one will ever be able… to measure up…” you trailed off, leaning slightly more against his hands as he deepened his movements, slowing them down as he listened to you. His hand on your shoulder had now moved up into your hair, holding your head up in place as his other fingers traveled across your exposed skin that had moved closer and closer back towards him. He inhaled slowly.

”Only my hands?” he asked. You felt his hot breath much more clearly now, painting your neck with his humid words. Your eyes opened. ”Huh?” you mustered, choking a little on the air in your lungs. ”You’ll only tell tales about my hands?” he repeated. You felt your blood pulsate through you, echoing within your head. ”What else… would I tell tales about?” you asked. You tried to turn your head slightly back towards him, but he held your head in place – and it took you by surprise – he had you in a little lock, and he wasn't planning on letting you go. Ominis breathed in heavily. You felt his chest bump against your back, making you want to lean back with it as it retracted. ”Those nimble feet of yours, perhaps?” you teased, fumbling for a better reaction – not knowing where you were heading. He shook his head. ”You always try to wiggle yourself out with wits.” he spoke with a low voice, still grasping onto your hair, messaging your neck ever so slowly. ”And no, not my nimble feet – even though they deserve honoree mentions…” he added, musing you. A silence grew between you as he continued to knead your head and neck. Your eyes were still open. You didn’t dare to close them in order you’d miss something. ”What then?” you asked with a soft voice soaked with anticipation.

You felt Ominis’ fingers in your hair tangle themselves deeper as he gently tugged you back. Suddenly he pressed his lips against your neck – softly. They were gentle and wet – and they burned cold against your scorching skin. You gasped as he pulled away. The tip of his nose graced against your skin until it reached your earlobe, breathing against you. You closed your eyes again, swooning at the sensation as he placed yet another soft kiss on you. ”Right…” you swooned, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape. ”I… can tell tales... about that...” you mumbled quietly. "-but..." you continued quickly. "-I might need more, just to be... sure...." you added. "-more information about it, and such... for the tale's sake, of course..." you finished rather incoherently as each word grew smaller. Ominis crowed behind you. ”Oh, is that right? For the tale's sake?” he quietly spoke against you as he scavenged your skin with his lips and nose – you merely hummed in response. ”Well, you have always been meticulous when it comes to your research.” he spoke with a low voice as he traced your neck with his lips, making your lower stomach ache. You hummed again – hoping he’d place another kiss on your skin, longing for it. 

”And a tale should have depth… and layers, don’t you think …” he whispered. ”-suspense, several acts... interludes… before it all, eventually…” he whispered, placing the softest of kisses beneath your ear before leaning even closer. ”-reaches its peak.” he spoke quietly into your ear as you listened intently. His words echoed into your eardrums before they bounced within your chest until they landed somewhere deep down below – sending those goosebumps across your skin once again. ”What are we doing, Ominis?” you spoke rather breathlessly as a last resort, slightly afraid what this would turn into, yet longing madly for it. He hummed again. ”Hm…What are we doing...” he repeated quietly. ”Well, perhaps I’m merely educating you on the art of creating a compelling story…” he spoke slowly. ”-or I'm taking advantage of having you all to myself for once, actually enjoying tormenting you a little… ” he added before he placed a hot and heavy kiss against your neck, making you whimper lightly. ”-because I enjoy seeing you like this, all flustered…” he continued. The pit in your stomach widened and it felt as if you’d both would be consumed by it. ”-or perhaps I'd like to make it very clear for Melvin that there actually is a special person in your life…” he finished, voice low. "Isn't there?" he asked. You felt faint and you tried to catch your breath that was faltering slightly. A flood of emotions washed over you as you felt incredibly exposed. You merely nodded softly making Ominis hum. "And who is that?" he spoke, wanting to sweat you out. Your eyebrows bowed above your closed eyes, as in capitulation. You groaned quietly. "Ominis..." you begged. "Mhm?" he answered, cooly. Your head fell forward slightly. "Who is it?" he whispered, somewhat more stern. You sighed softly. "It's you." you finally spoke, very, very quietly.

It felt as if something flipped within you and Ominis quickly turned your head towards him, pulling your lips onto his. It was as if you had both gone without water for a century only to stumble upon a lagoon and instead of drinking slowly, you consumed and devoured. You breathed him in and you both clasped onto each other, pulling and tugging closer – wanting more, more, more. You gasped against each other’s lips, fighting for air in between kisses. The entire room grew hot, humid and heavy. The taste of him – spearmint and a certain deep and tangy sweetness, like plums, made you feel positively insane. His lips moved against you with ease and his hands were completely entangled with your hair and tightly wrapped around your neck as he pulled you even closer. ”This is insane.” you mumbled against him. ”Mmm, the good kind…” he hummed back. ”-like you.” he added. You groaned as you shook your head against him, not breaking the kiss. None of you were sure if you’d ever be able to stop now. It felt as if you’d entered nirvana and why would you ever leave heaven, willingly? They’d have to pull you away from each other, this window – or perhaps you’d become one with it.

You turned yourself towards him, making him move with you again – both flowing like water in a stream – pulling his other leg down as you straddled him. As you kneeled down, you keened quietly at the feeling of him pressing up against you. He placed a hand on your hip, harshly pressing you down even harder – making you both moan into each other’s mouths. His head fell backwards against the window as he tried to stifle another groan. You looked at him, his pale skin glowing in the soft blue light from the window, his eyes pressed closed. You softly traced his jaw with your finger, slowly moving down his neck and the strained veins traveling towards his hidden chest. Your fingers grabbed ahold of his tie as you began to loosen it. Ominis’ head leaned up towards you again, his milky eyes looking straight at you. You smiled a toothy grin before placing the softest of kisses on the corner of his lips, making him try to catch it with his as it caught him off-guard – but you started to sway your hips against him, continuing to loosen his tie – making his head fall back again as he sighed heavily. ”Merlin, y/n…” he mumbled quietly. You smiled again as you looked at him – slightly at a disbelief. The tie untangled as you tugged at it before you moved on to the buttons of his shirt, unbuttoning half of them before you became greedy and dove in with your hands beneath its fabric. You showered his neck with kisses as you slowly moved against him, tracing his skin with your hands, feeling him grow even harder. He sighed heavily at the feeling, overwhelmed with how good it all felt. He grabbed ahold of your neck and pulled you from his before intertwining his lips with yours. You whimpered against him as he pressed up against you, growing more impatient. ”Now you’re the one loosing your head…” you teased him, rubbing your cheek against his as you whispered into his ear – driving him insane at the sound as you reeled at the feeling of him pressing against your core as he groaned more loudly, sounding frustrated, as if you weren’t yet close enough. He placed one hand on your hip pressing you further and further down on him, guiding you as you swayed back and forth – one hand around your neck. You wailed quietly into the air before Ominis forced his thumb into your mouth, pulling your jaw against him and his lips. You keened at his forcefulness, his hunger – it seemed you hadn’t been the only one daydreaming about this. ”I’ll lose my head… heart… all.” he mumbled against you, breathing out his words. ”It’s all yours, anyways.” he finished. Those words became the nail in the coffin to whatever composure left in you. 

Your hands flew down to the hem of his trousers, searching desperately for the buckle of his belt. Ominis waisted no time and started to unbutton your vest and shirt as well, and without much effort he pulled the fabric aside. ”Wait.” he panted, grabbing your wrists as your hands had started to zip down his trousers. You pulled back slightly. Both of your chests heaving madly from the lack of air as Ominis grasped onto the exposed skin of your waist. He allowed his other hand to slowly travel across your stomach, taking his time up towards your breasts where he felt the soft sheer fabric of your bra. You gasped for air at the feeling of his fingers on you, tickling you slightly. Ominis pulled down the thin fabric so that he could cup your breast as he drew circles around your nipple before tightening his grip, making you cry out quietly in a pleasurable pain that flooded all over you. ”You’re gorgeous.” he spoke quietly, gazing towards you, his cheeks flushed red. ”You can’t even see me, Ominis…” you panted softly.”I don’t have to.” Ominis answered. At that you both met in the middle, lips crashing against each other. Your hands tried to continue removing his pants but to no avail, tugging at its hems. You whined against him.

”I need you.” you muttered. A sly grin grew on his lips. ”Come again…?” he spoke quietly. You sighed. ”I need you.” you repeated. He hummed smugly before you felt his arms lift you off of him with ease, making you both stand up in front of the alcove. Your legs felt weak as you turned your head up against his as he looked somewhere above you. ”Well, why didn’t you just say so…” he mocked, the grin returning to his lips as he pulled down the last bit of his zipper before pulling down his trousers completely – as well as his boxers. You gaped, gasping quietly at the full sight of him. There was something feral in you that wanted out as you looked at him, heaving heavily where you stood. Since you weren’t moving or speaking, Ominis’ hands reached out to you. You peered up at his misty eyes again, seeing his eyebrows bow a little – concerned to why you’d gone quiet. You pulled his face down with your hands, seeing as his eyes fluttered a little at the touch of your hands on his neck. You pulled his lips against yours, making him bend above you. As he deepened the kiss you started to remove your own pants. It looked as if you both were dressed in rugs at this point – shirts half opened, vest on one shoulder, no pants… As you stepped out of yours, you pushed your hands against Ominis’ stomach for him to sit back down. You gulped where you stood, looking down at all of him – the proper and prim Ominis Gaunt now naked, love-drunk and completely disheveled in the window. His chest slowly moved up and down. Once again he reached out his hand between you and this time you took it – once again straddling him, without any layers in between. You lowered yourself onto his lap, this time there was a sense of gentleness to it all, and he clasped your face with his hands as he kissed you, softly. Your wet and warm core landed on top of his hard cock that twitched beneath you. You both sighed against each other before you both grinned, laughing lightly. 

”This is insane.” Ominis spoke this time. ”The good kind…” you answered, lust soaking your words. ”-like you.” you both mumbled simultaneously against each other’s lips, making you giggle and Ominis shake his head, cringing a little at your sudden and unfamiliar lovey-dovey-ness… but at the same time you both reeled from how good it all made you feel. You broke the tenderness by starting to grind against him. Ominis groaned, slowly leaning his head against your shoulder. You held onto him, tightly, intertwined, as you both swayed – melting into each other. He felt incredibly good beneath you, but you wanted more of him, all of him. You kneeled up slightly before repositioning yourself on top of him, feeling his tip at your entrance. Ominis was still clasping onto you. You gently bopped up and down on his tip, making both yourself and Ominis cry out softly in pleasure. ”Merlin…” Ominis groaned, tightening his grasp on you, looking almost in pain. With one soft and slow movement you lowered yourself completely, feeling him stretch you to the brim as he tightened his grasp around you as you both gasped euphorically. You leaned your head backwards at the sensation as Ominis held you in place in his lap. It felt as if the entire room swayed. You moved slowly against him, both of you finding a soft rhythm, groaning and moaning into the empty space around you. ”Dearest-fucking-merlin-good-lords, y/n… you feel criminally good.” he groaned before he removed his forehead from your shoulder back to your lips. He felt a little bit starved for you as he returned, pulling you close against him as you began to sway, ever so slowly.

”You have no fucking idea how much I’ve wanted this.” he breathed into your lips, his hand caressing your hair. ”For how long I’ve wanted this.” he mustered. You’d never really heard him swear, ever. ”Language, mister Gaunt…” you teased, panting against his lips. He tugged harshly at your hair to reprimand you – you plunged deep on top of him to punish him back, making you both gasp and groan. You hummed slowly, panting in between kisses, feeling Ominis smile against you. ”You have no idea for how long I’ve wanted this.” you confessed, seeing this was a good time to do so – calculating that the risk of him not feeling the same way was rather low – since he was inside of you.”Is that so?” he hummed, pushing himself up into you rather forcefully, making you wail and dig your fingers into his skin. ”Mhm.” you bit down quietly, reeling from the feeling. ”Mhm.” he mirrored as you began to sway faster against him. You felt a knot start to unleash within you, crying softly against Ominis’ neck. The sound of him breathing heavily against you, humming, his quiet moans, your skin melting into his – both of you steaming, reeking with lust – drove you closer, and closer to the edge. ”I’m really, really close.” you whimpered into him, merely coming out as a whisper. ”Hm?” Ominis hummed pulling your face against his lips so that you faced each other. He held onto your neck behind your back as his other hands fingers curled into your skin as you started to sway more inconsistently. He was highly focused on not reaching his peak before you did. ”I’m really close.” you squeaked against his lips. You felt him grin, nod and hum happily before he thrusted up against you making you squeal into his mouth. ”Mm… just like that.” he groaned. You grabbed onto him with all the force left within you as you moved hurriedly against him, feeling him within you and around you, he was everywhere. He kissed your neck as you leaned against his shoulder. You wailed at him thrusting softly into you as he breathed heavily next to your ear. The knot started to unravel completely and you gasped for air – feeling as if your head was about to implode for reaching too high too quickly. Ominis felt you spasm around him, growing tenser each time he moved. ”Mhmm… just-like-that, love.” he panted heavily, leaning his head back against the window, both of you clasping onto each other as if your life depended on it. You felt yourself twitch on top of him, pulling you up high above, scorching you by exposing you to the very center of the sun. Ominis pushed into you, hitting your wall. ”Ominis.” you gasped, digging your nails into his shoulder, clasping onto the back of his hair, pulling him backwards as a wave of pure ecstasy washed over you, sending tingles down your entire body, bouncing back and forth. Ominis hissed at your nails scratching his skin and the feeling sent him above and beyond his limits. His grasp around you grew even tighter, almost suffocating the blood flow beneath his grip, likely to leave purple little labels on your skin tomorrow. He groaned harshly into the air before a sea of profanities flooded out of his mouth. You felt a hot, heavy flood push into you – you cried out softly, slightly deliriously, drunk on all things Ominis as he pushed you down deep. You both collapsed against each other, utterly dazed from your high, sweaty chests heaving against each other – and you stayed like that until the room grew quiet around you and all you could hear was the beating of each others hearts. 

Ominis played with your hair as you leaned against his shoulder, letting his hand travel from your hair down to your back as he scratched tenderly, drawing small shapes as he hummed slowly. It felt as if you could fall asleep there and then. You started to move off of him only to have him tighten his grasp again, quickly stopping your movements. ”No.” he spoke. ”I want to stay like this.” he added, sounding positively inebriated on love, lust and longing. You laughed softly against his shoulder before you sighed. Bending up to his face, your nose gracing against his, eyes hooded as you breathed in his ruffled self, you placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was tender and quiet, but it spoke volumes. You both pulled away hesitantly. ”I’m not sure I’m ready for your colleagues to see me like this just yet.” you teased quietly making Ominis chuckle. ”No, I don’t think I want to share you like this either.” he spoke softly before licking his lips. You sat there for a while, just looking at him and his misty eyes gazing back at you, noses still touching against each other. ”What happens now?” you asked as a pit started to take shape within your stomach, twisting uncomfortably. A soft and gentle smile grew on Ominis’ lips before he inhaled slowly. He pressed another tender kiss on your lips, making you swoon again. ”Now…” he spoke. ”-I suggest we make ourselves look slightly more presentable – and after that I’m planning on snatching you home to my place – or you’re free to snatch me to yours, of course – but someone’s getting snatched, that’s for certain – and after that, we’ll take a long nap together, preferably in a bed, where we can do this again, and again, and again-” he spoke, making you giggle before you cut him of with a kiss. As you pulled away you both sighed. ”What do you say?” he asked quietly. You looked at him and his rosy cheeks and tousled blond hair. ���I’d love to get snatched by you.” you mused. Ominis hummed against you. ”Oh, I’m going to snatch you real good then.” he mused back.

[sadnymi]

「 ✦ The Alchemy.✦ 」

[Quidditch player Lorenzo Berkshire× famous!reader][ttpdm]

Summary:Lorenzo and Y/N shared a mischievous history during their Hogwarts days, often causing accidents and playing pranks. Years later, they crossed paths again as the most renowned figures in the wizarding world, sparking intriguing developments.

Warnings:fluff, toxic past relationship x smut.

Words:6k.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯.

The Daily Prophet's Patronus Parchment magazine:

Sparks Fly in Paris? Y/N Y/L/N Dines with Quidditch Star Lorenzo Berkshire!: Hogwarts Reunion or Something More?

Paris, France -Love was in the air in the City of Lights last night! Our very own golden girl, Y/N L/N, was spotted enjoying a cozy dinner with none other than Quidditch heartthrob Lorenzo Berkshire at a quaint Parisian bistro.

Fans were quick to recognize that Y/N and Lorenzo were Hogwarts classmates, though their paths haven't crossed publicly since their school days. But based on the lively conversation and lingering smiles captured by our eagle-eyed correspondent, their Parisian rendezvous seemed far from a casual catch-up.

Y/N, a multi-talented powerhouse, needs no introduction. From captivating social media influencer, fashion icon and model to brilliant researcher and entrepreneur, she's an inspiration to witches and wizards worldwide. The Ministry of Magic even considers her one of the brightest minds in our time! Y/N with no doubt is the it girl of our generation

Lorenzo Berkshire, has stolen hearts on the Quidditch pitch with his dazzling plays and undeniable charm. As a Chaser for the The Montrose Magpies , he's considered one of the most exciting players of his generation. known as the "most lovable boy in the wizarding world," and it seems he might have just charmed his way into our girl Y/N's company.

A Match Made in Magical Heaven? Could this Parisian rendezvous be the start of something more? The thought of these two brilliant minds and captivating personalities joining forces has the magical world abuzz. Imagine the power couple they would be!

Neither Y/N nor Lorenzo have commented on the nature of their meeting. Were they reminiscing about Hogwarts days, or is there a spark of something new brewing? Only time will tell!

One thing's for sure:This unexpected reunion has ignited the flames of curiosity. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any further developments!

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

when the magazine mentioned a special guest for the next photoshoot, but I wasn't fazed. They usually paired me with actors or other celebrities. Just when the office door swung open, revealing Lorenzo Berkshire himself standing beside the manager. My smile widened involuntarily, mirroring his own surprised delight.

"Y/L/N," he greeted with a charming smile, taking a seat across from me.

"Berkshire," I replied, a wave of nostalgia washing over me. We weren't exactly close in school, but we had a shared history – one I wouldn't soon forget. The memory of him accidentally ruining my dress and land spectacularly on top of me, readily came to mind. And who could forget the time I broke his Quidditch broom before that important match?

"Congratulations," I blurted out, remembering his recent victory. He'd just clinched the European League trophy, the most coveted prize in the magical sporting world, along with the title of Best Player in the League. World Champion and the best of his generation – it was a well-deserved title.

"Thanks," he smile, "and congratulations on… everything, honestly. Is there anything you can't do?"

My laugh echoed through the room."Probably stopping you from ruining my Yule Ball dress and dance," I teased.

"Ouch, low blow," he chuckled.

Our manager chimed in then, "Since you two already know each other, and are practically the biggest names in the wizarding world right now, we thought it would be perfect to have you do a double photoshoot together!"

Lorenzo and I exchanged glances, then simultaneously nodded. "Sure, no problem with me," I said.

"Me too, I'd actually really love that," he added, his voice surprisingly husky. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks as I stole another glance at him.

"Great! I'll iron out the details with your managers," she beamed, launching into a flurry of logistical planning. My attention, however, had become somewhat… divided. I found myself stealing glances at Lorenzo, a goofy grin plastered on my face. There was something about seeing him after all this time that made my heart skip a beat. Every time I caught his eye, he'd smile back.

As the meeting wrapped up, Lorenzo held the door open for me with a gentlemanly gesture. "Thanks," I smiled, a warmth spreading through me.

"Do you have anything to do now?" he asked.

I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips. "Not really. I have the day off."

"Great, so can I get you a coffee?" His suggestion was simple, yet the way he asked, made my heart skip a beat.

"Yes, sure," I agreed readily.

Paris, with its timeless charm, never failed to enchant me. Yet, on this particular day, the city's magic paled in comparison to the warmth radiating from Lorenzo. He led me into a quaint little coffee shop, a hidden gem tucked away from the bustling crowds. The cozy atmosphere instantly calmed my nerves.

Fame – a double-edged sword. Places like this were a luxury sometimes.

Sipping on our steaming hot chocolates, we fell into conversation easily. I congratulated him on his recent victory, the European League trophy a much-deserved achievement.

"Being on the best team now, that's huge," I said, genuinely impressed. "I mean what I want to say is you really did it, Lorenzo." The pride in my voice surprised even me.

He met my gaze for a moment, his smile softening. "You too," he replied. "I might tease my teammates about knowing you from school, but honestly?"

"No way" i smiled.

He chuckled. "Almost half of them follow your Instagram like lovesick teenagers."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously?"

"Absolutely. You're kind of a big deal, Y/N."

"Well, you're not doing so bad yourself, Mr. Champion," I countered, playfully returning the compliment. "you're quite the charmer yourself, Half the girls I work with seem to have graced the arms of a Quidditch star at some point you have a thing for models?”

His hand reaching up to brush something off my cheek. My heart skipped a beat as his fingers grazed my skin. "Just a little something..."

He held up a chocolate smudge from my hot chocolate. Relief washed over me, quickly replaced by a warmth that spread through my cheeks.

"Just a coincidence," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"We call that a 'type,'" I teased, trying to mask my fluster.

He chuckled again. "What about that actor? What was his name… Aaron?"

My smile faltered slightly. "Antonio," I corrected, a touch of bitterness creeping into my voice.

Lorenzo seemed to pick up on the shift. "Right," he said, his gaze searching mine. "He was a jerk, by the way. His movies sucks. Glad you broke up with him. You were way out of his league."

His words warmed me more than the hot chocolate. There was something about Lorenzo, something genuine and kind, that made my heart flutter in a way it never had before.

"Yeah, he was," I admitted, a genuine smile returning to my face. "Tell him that," I added playfully, "because he cheated."

Lorenzo's smile dropped. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice sincere. "That's messed up."

"It's okay, truly," I reassured him. "I'm way over it."

The conversation flowed effortlessly from there. We reminisced about Hogwarts, teased each other about past crushes, and shared stories from our careers. Time seemed to slip away unnoticed, the afternoon sun dipping below the horizon painting the sky in hues of orange and pink.

"Let me drive you back to your hotel," Lorenzo offered, his voice gentle. The warmth in his eyes sent a familiar flutter through my chest.

The ride back was filled with laughter and easy conversation.By the time we reached my hotel, a pang of disappointment settled in my stomach.

"So," Lorenzo began, his voice hesitant as he stopped the car, "I really enjoyed today. I'm glad I met you again, Y/N."

My gaze met his, and the intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine, and the playful banter of the day took a more serious turn. Looking up at him, my heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs. A feeling bloomed within me – a warmth unlike anything I'd ever known.

"Me too," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

"I didn't want this to end here," he murmured.

My heart soared. The butterflies returned, a swarm of them taking flight in my stomach. "Me neither," I confessed, mirroring his sentiment.

A slow smile spread across his face. "Can I take you to dinner tomorrow?" he asked, his voice husky with unspoken emotions.

The world seemed to shrink to just the two of us. A wide smile bloomed on my face. "Yes," I breathed, "I'd love that."

My smile stretched wider. For the first time in a long time, I felt a genuine connection, a spark of something real.

Tipping my toes up, I leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against his cheek. His breath hitched, and a flicker of surprise crossed his features before melting into a smile.

With a final lingering look, I stepped into the elevator, As the doors closed, I couldn't help but lean back against the cool metal.

Lorenzo Berkshire. On a date. With me. The little girl inside me would have laughed hysterically at the very notion back in school.

Today, however, was anything but a joke. Today was perfect. From the fancy Parisian restaurant with its impeccable service and breathtaking view, to Lorenzo himself, with his easy charm and genuine conversation, it was a fairytale come true. By the end of the night, I couldn't deny the giddy, lovestruck teenager bubbling beneath the surface.

As we exited the restaurant, paparazzi swarmed, cameras flashing like angry fireflies. We were caught in HD.

"I really liked you back at school, you know?" he confessed as we finally reached his car, the Eiffel Tower shimmering majestically in the distance. I perched myself leaned against his luxury .

"Wait, really?" Surprise mingled with a secret delight I hadn't allowed myself to acknowledge before.

"Really," he chuckled. "Though I wouldn't say I didn't mind ruining your Yule Ball dress a little."

My jaw dropped, then a laugh erupted from my lips. "So that wasn't an accident?"

"Maybe not entirely," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Needed a reason to talk to you and stop you from dancing with that stupid boy. Besides you were always surrounded by your girls."

A blush crept up my cheeks. "I did that on purpose too being angry and act like running the dress was a big deal ," I confessed. "So you'd notice me." Schoolyard tactics, but it seemed they had worked.

The revelation hung between us for a moment, a shared secret from our past. Then, Lorenzo leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. "Well, it worked. And you, Y/N, have become even more beautiful than I ever remembered." His voice was a husky whisper, sending a rush of heat through me.”

His breath sent shivers down my spine. Before I could respond, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was a soft, hesitant touch at first, then deepened, his lips moving perfectly with mine. The world melted away, leaving only the warmth of his touch and the intoxicating feeling of him.

He finally pulled away, his eyes searching mine. My heart hammered against my ribs, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

We reached my hotel in a comfortable silence, the kiss hanging heavy in the air. Stepping out of the car, I hesitated, looking up at him.

"Do you want to come in?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them, an entirely unexpected invitation.

The moment we got into the room and the door closed, we jumped into each other, he kissed me again, pushing me up against the wall. My hands found their way to his chest, feeling the heat of his body through his shirt. His lips were soft, yet insistent, and I moaned into the kiss.

My dress rode up as he lifted me, his hands gripping my bare legs. I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his hardness pressing against me, and I rocked my hips, desperate for more.

He pushed my dress up, his fingers tracing a path up my bare legs. I shivered as he reached my thighs, his fingers teasing the edge of my lace panties.

"You're so wet," he murmured, his fingers tracing the outline of my pussy through the fabric. "I can't wait to taste you."

His lips trailing down my neck. I tilted my head back, giving him better access. His stubble scratching against my skin, sending shivers down my spine. He pulled my dress over my head, leaving me standing in nothing but my matching lacy black bra and panties.

Lorenzo looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and it made me feel powerful.

I reached for his shirt, undoing the buttons slowly. I wanted to savor every moment of this, to remember every touch and every kiss.

Lorenzo helped me, shrugging out of his shirt and tossing it aside, I ran my hands over his chest, feeling the muscles ripple under my fingertips.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," he whispered, his lips finding mine again.

I moaned as he kissed me, my hands exploring his body. I could feel his hard length pressing against me, and I knew that I needed him inside of me.

"Let me show you how good I can make you feel baby."

He picked me up again, carrying me to the bed. He laid me down gently, his body covering mine. I could feel his hardness pressing against my core, and I rocked my hips, desperate for friction.

He kissed me again, his tongue exploring my mouth. I met his tongue with mine, our kiss growing more passionate.

"I want to leave marks all over your body. Can you handle it?" I nodded in response and pulled him to another kiss.

He trailed his lips down my body, his hands cupping my breasts.

"I've been thinking about this all day.“ He squeezed them gently, his thumbs brushing over my nipples. I arched my back, pressing my breasts into his hands.

He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking and biting gently. I arched my back, moaning with pleasure. He moved to the other breast, giving it the same attention. I cried out, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

“I want to taste every inch of you. Spread your legs wider for me." He moved down my body, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

He hooked his fingers into my panties, I nodded, he pulled them down slowly. I lifted my hips, helping him, exposing my wetness. He kissed my inner thighs, teasing me, working his way up to my core.

He ran his tongue along my slit, making me gasp. He teased my clit, his tongue flicking back and forth. I moaned, my hips bucking up I moaned loudly, grabbing onto the sheets.

"Don't stop, please Enzo fuck, you're so good at this," I begged.

He slipped a finger inside me, curling it up to hit my G-spot,and I exploded. I screamed his name, my orgasm washing over me.

He didn't stop, continuing to lick and suck on my clit. He added another finger, fucking me with his fingers. His tongue still teasing my clit. I could feel my orgasm building again, my body tensing up. He increased his pace, fucking me harder. I cried out, and came again, my body shaking.

He kissed his way back up my body, his lips meeting mine. I could taste myself on his lips, and it only made me want him more. He reached for his pants, pulling out a condom. I watched as he rolled it on, my body thrumming with anticipation.

He positioned himself at my entrance, his tip teasing me.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" He whispered in my ear, his voice husky with desire. I nodded, unable to speak.He thrust into me, filling me completely. I cried out, my nails digging into his back.

He started fucking me, hard and fast. I met him thrust for thrust, our bodies slapping together. He pounded into me, and I could feel another orgasm building up.

"Fuck, you feel good," he moaned, his lips finding my neck.

He sucked on my neck, his teeth grazing my skin. I moaned as he bit down, my orgasm building again.

"please Enzo," I begged, my nails digging into his back.

“ please what baby?” Lorenzo picked up the pace, his hips slamming against mine. I could feel the orgasm building, my muscles tensing.

"You're so tight around me. Do you like it when I fill you up like this?" He say , and I kept nodding at him he pushed my tears away and put kisses in there places.

He reached down, rubbing my clit. I came again, my walls clenching around his cock, and I could feel him getting closer to his release.

I screamed as I came, my body shaking with the force of the orgasm.

He thrust a few more times, and then he stilled. I could feel him cumming inside me, and I moaned. He collapsed on top of me, both of us panting heavily.

He rolled off me, and I snuggled up next to him. We lay there, our bodies entwined, as we caught our breath. I couldn't believe what had just happened. It was the hottest sex I had ever had.

“Forget about the European league, this is the best night of my fucking life,” he said, a satisfied grin on his face.

I huckled softly, resting my head on his chest while playing with his hand. “Me too,” I whispered, feeling a rush of warmth and affection for him.

He turned to me, his gaze softening as he took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on my palm. “I don’t want it to be just a one-night thing,” he confessed, his eyes searching mine for a reaction.

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I had to admit, the connection we shared tonight felt deeper than just physical attraction. I traced circles on his chest with my finger, pondering his statement.

"I don't want that either," I admitted, feeling a sense of vulnerability and honesty between us.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

The Daily Prophet's Patronus Parchment magazine:

Love in the Air: Y/N Y/L/N and Lorenzo Berkshire Spark Dating Rumors (Again!)

The rumor mill is churning once more, thanks to the undeniable chemistry between Y/N Y/L/N and Quidditch superstar Lorenzo Berkshire.

Holding Hands in London. Sharp-eyed fans spotted the pair strolling hand-in-hand through the charming streets of London. This heartwarming sight comes after their Parisian rendezvous last month and now-famous photoshoot, fueled further speculation of a blossoming romance.

Despite the growing buzz, Y/N and Lorenzo remain tight-lipped. Neither has officially confirmed their relationship status, leaving fans to decipher the undeniable sparks flying between them.

A Match Made in Magical Heaven? The pairing has the entire magical world swooning. Y/N, the multifaceted influencer, model, and researcher, and Lorenzo, the charming and talented Quidditch champion – they're a dream couple on paper and even more captivating in reality.

Is it Real? The lingering question remains. Is this a whirlwind summer fling, or the start of something truly special? Only time will tell. One thing's for sure: we'll be keeping a close eye on these two lovebirds!

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

Lorenzo sprawled on the couch, a defeated sigh escaping his lips as he surveyed the culinary disaster in the center of the coffee table. What started out as a valiant attempt at a romantic home-cooked dinner had morphed into something resembling a misshapen, charcoal-tinged UFO.

"Don't worry about it," I chirped, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Those YouTube tutorials made it look so easy!" Maybe a dash of optimism would salvage the situation.

Lorenzo took a valiant bite, his face contorting into a grimace he tried his best to disguise. "It's...interesting," he managed, his voice thick with forced cheer. Bless him, he was trying so hard.

I snatched the offending slice from his hand before he could ingest another questionable morsel. "You're adorable, but food poisoning is not on the menu tonight." A laugh bubbled out of me, the tension easing.

He pulled me in for a kiss, flour smudging his cheek. I couldn't help but giggle as I retaliated, dusting a heart and smiley face onto his face with the rogue flour.

grabbed another wad of dough and shaped it into a heart, a playful smile adorning its surface. Flour dusted his face as I added finishing touches, my smile widening at his sheepish grin.

"Aww, look at you," I teased, pulling out my phone to capture the moment. A picture of the unknown -shaped pizza and Lorenzo, flour-dusted and grinning, filled the screen.

My finger hovered over the 'post' button. Suddenly, a wave of uncertainty washed over me. Was it too soon? Too public?

"Hey," Lorenzo murmured, his voice soft as he tilted my chin up. "What's wrong?" His gaze followed mine to the phone screen.

"I was just...thinking," I admitted.

"About posting it?" A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Is it weird?"

He shook his head, his smile widening. "Absolutely not. Post it. Put a million red hearts on it, let the world know you have a boyfriend."

The playful jab sent a blush creeping up my cheeks. "Boyfriend, huh?" I teased, a shy smile gracing my lips.

He leaned in, his eyes holding mine. "I'm whatever you want me to be, Y/N. Just know that I'm serious about you."

My heart did a little flip-flop in my chest. "Me too," I whispered, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

With newfound confidence, I hit 'post,' adding a caption: > Dinner may not have gone according to plan, but the company is definitely five stars! ❤️❤️❤️.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

The Daily Prophet's Patronus Parchment magazine:

Antonio Garcia's Latest Film Flops: Karma's a Witch, or Just Bad Scripting?

Box Office Blues: Antonio Garcia's highly anticipated film, "Galactic Guardians," has crash-landed at the box office, leaving critics and audiences equally unimpressed. The film, touted as a summer blockbuster, has garnered a mountain of negative reviews, with many citing a weak plot and forgettable characters.

Worse Reviews Than Revenue: The critical drubbing is compounded by the film's dismal financial performance. "Galactic Guardians" struggles to pull in viewers, with its earnings barely covering its production budget. This financial flop marks a significant setback for Garcia, who previously enjoyed a string of successful films.

Karma's Calling? The timing of this double whammy couldn't be more curious, especially considering Garcia's personal life. News of his messy breakup with Y/N Y/L/N, the wildly popular model and influencer, dominated headlines last year. Rumors of infidelity swirled around Garcia, rumors he never fully addressed. Many fans are quick to draw a line between his alleged infidelity and the film's disastrous performance, whispering of a touch of karmic justice.

Coincidence or Consequence? Whether this is a case of bad scriptwriting or cosmic payback remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Antonio Garcia's career has hit a major snag. Can he bounce back from this double blow? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure – Y/N seems to be doing just fine. In fact, she's recently been spotted with Quidditch champion Lorenzo Berkshire, and the pair seem to be radiating pure happiness. Looks like karma might have a sweeter side.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

Lorenzo dimmed the living room lights, the soft glow of the TV casting flickering shadows on the walls. We were sprawled on the couch, a mountain of popcorn between us, halfway through a cheesy rom-com that neither of us were taking very seriously.

Suddenly, I hit pause, the silence thick after the movie's soundtrack abruptly cut off. Lorenzo looked at me, a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Hey," I said, taking a deep breath. "Can I tell you something?"

He scooted closer, concern etched on his face. "Of course, Y/N. What's wrong?"

The words tumbled out, a jumbled mess of emotions. I told him about Antonio, about how young and naive I was back then, how he used me for everything I had to offer: my fame, my connections, everything but me. I confessed to feeling unloved, unseen, a trophy on his arm rather than a real person. And then, the final blow – the cheating rumors that turned out to be all too true.

"You were so young," he murmured, his voice filled with empathy. "He didn't deserve you, Y/N. Not even close."

His words were like a balm to my soul, the anger and hurt momentarily soothed. He pulled me closer, and I rested my head on his shoulder, the familiar scent of his cologne grounding me.

"You know what the best part about all this is?" I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.

He shook his head, his arms tightening around me.

"The best part is you," I confessed, looking up into his eyes. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Lorenzo. You make me feel seen, valued, loved – everything I never felt with him."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't decipher. Then, he leaned down, his lips brushing softly against my ear, "I love you," he murmured.

The words hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. My breath hitched, surprise flickering across my face. Love? Here, now, with Lorenzo? It felt like a beautiful dream, too perfect to be real.

"Enzo…" I stammered, completely thrown off guard.

He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs gently brushing away stray tears. "Don't say anything," he pleaded, his eyes searching mine. "Just know that I do. I have for a while now."

Taking a deep breath, I met his gaze, my voice trembling slightly. "I… I love you too, Enzo."

A wide smile bloomed on his face, a smile that mirrored the warmth blossoming in my chest. The cheesy rom-com on the screen suddenly seemed unimportant.

One night, while he was staying over at my apartment, we found ourselves in a candid conversation.

I admitted that the first orgasm I had ever experienced was with him, after our first date. The confession seemed to shock him. After all, I had dated Antonio for three long years, so it was a significant revelation for both of us.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

The Daily Prophet's Patronus Parchment magazine:

Antonio Garcia's Sour Grapes: Y/N Y/L/N Responds with Class

A Case of Ex-xcuses? In a recent interview promoting his (commercially challenged) new film, Antonio Garcia took a not-so-subtle jab at his ex-girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N. When asked about his ideal partner, Garcia launched into a rambling diatribe about needing someone "grounded" and "focused," seemingly throwing shade at Y/N's multifaceted career as a model, influencer, researcher, and all-around powerhouse. Sources close to the actor claim he's been making negative comments about her to anyone who will listen. Considering their public breakup last year, fueled by rumors of Antonio's infidelity (which he never fully denied), this behavior comes as no surprise.

Lorenzo Berkshire Sings Y/N's Praises: When asked about Y/N during a recent interview, Lorenzo's face lit up with a genuine smile. " She's the kind of person who makes everyone around her better." His words paint a picture of a strong, supportive woman – the complete opposite of the image Antonio is trying to portray.

Fans Rally Behind Y/N: Needless to say, the internet erupted in support of Y/N. Fans flooded her comments with messages of empowerment and praise, applauding her success and her dignified response. Many pointed out that while Antonio struggles with box office flops, Y/N continues to excel in every aspect of her life.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

Today was the day. The Montrose Magpies, Lorenzo's team, were facing off against their fiercest rivals, Puddlemere United. It was always a tense match, but this year, the stakes felt even higher. The crowd crackled with energy, a mix of nervous anticipation and Magpies pride.

I knew Lorenzo would be incredible. He exuded a quiet confidence that was contagious. Before he stepped onto the field, I leaned in and kissed him softly. "Good luck," I whispered, my voice barely above a murmur. He smiled, a hint of nerves flickering in his usually calm eyes.

"I don't need luck with you cheering me on," he replied, squeezing my hand before disappearing into the tunnel.

The match was a whirlwind. Both teams played with an intensity that bordered on aggression. Cheering and groans filled the stadium as players soared and cursed, the Quaffle whizzing through the air at lightning speed. Penalties were called, tempers flared, and the score remained stubbornly tied.

Just when it seemed like the game might go into overtime, Lorenzo pulled off a move that defied gravity. He weaved through a sea of Puddlemere Chasers with the grace of a dancer, dodging Bludgers left and right. Finally, with a powerful flick of his wrist, the Quaffle soared through the goalposts.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy. Fans screamed, flags waved, and the stadium pulsed with pure joy. The Magpies had won! Lorenzo, the hero of the day, was hoisted onto his teammates' shoulders, the golden trophy gleaming in the afternoon sun.

He spotted me in the VIP section and winked, a playful glint in his eyes. As the celebrations on the pitch unfolded, Lorenzo made his way over, a wide grin plastered on his face. He scooped me up in a hug, the trophy still clutched in his hand, and planted a celebratory kiss on my lips. The taste of victory and the warmth of his touch sent shivers down my spine.

Moments later, I received a text from Lorenzo. Just two words: "Come over, baby." My heart skipped a beat. It wasn't unusual for us to meet up later, but the changing room? That felt… different. A knot of worry formed in my stomach. Was everything okay? Had he gotten injured?

With a mixture of apprehension and excitement, I excused myself and headed for the changing room . My mind raced with possibilities as I knocked on the door, a nervous flutter in my chest. The door creaked open, revealing Lorenzo, his hair damp from the shower.

Before I could question the unorthodox location, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "There you are," he whispered, his voice husky with something that wasn't just exertion.

fingers tangling in my hair as he deepened the kiss. I could feel his desire, hard against my thigh, and I couldn't help but respond. My own hands found their way to his shoulders, then up to tangle in his damp hair.

"Lorenzo," I murmured, breaking the kiss for a moment. "What about your teammates?"

He smiled, a wicked glint in his eye. "They all left. It's just you and me here, babe."

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I had never been with him in such a public place before, and the thrill of the possibility was intoxicating. Before I could protest, his lips were on mine once more, his hands working their way under my shirt, caressing my skin.

I moaned softly as his fingers found my nipples, teasing them to hard points through the lace of my bra. His other hand was busy undoing my jeans, pulling them down just enough to free me from the constraints of my underwear. I could feel the cool metal of the locker against my back as he pressed me against it, his hips grinding against mine.

His mouth moved from my lips, down my neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin. I gasped as his teeth grazed my ear, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine. "You like that?" he murmured, his voice low and husky.

I could only nod, my breath coming in short, desperate gasps. His fingers continued to tease my nipples, his thumb brushing against them in slow circles. I could feel the heat building between my legs, my body aching for him.

My breath hitched, and I nodded, my hands gripping his shoulders. "Yes, Enzo, don't stop."

He didn't need any further encouragement. His fingers left my nipples, tracing a path down my stomach, then lower still. I gasped as he found my clit, his fingers circling it in slow, teasing movements.

"You're dripping wet for me," he murmured, his voice full of satisfaction “You're my favorite addiction. I can't get enough of you."

His fingers slid lower, parting my folds, then entering me in one swift movement. I cried out, my back arching off the locker as he began to thrust them in and out, each movement sending waves of pleasure crashing through me.

"Yes, just like that," I I moaned, my hips bucking against his hand.

He continued to fuck me with his fingers, his thumb still teasing my clit. I could feel myself growing closer and closer to the edge, my body tensing with each thrust.

"The way you look at me when I touch you drives me wild. Keep those eyes on me,"

His words sent me over the edge. I cried out, my orgasm crashing over me like a wave. I could feel myself clenching around his fingers, my body shaking with the force of my release.

Lorenzo didn't give me a chance to catch my breath. He pulled his fingers out of me, his lips curling into a wicked smile as he brought them to his mouth, tasting my release.

“ I love how you moan when I do this. You're mine, all mine." he murmured.

Before I could recover, he was pushing me back against the locker, his hips grinding against mine. I could feel his cock, hard and hot, pressed against my entrance.

"Do you want me to take you right here, right now?"he asked, his voice low and husky.

I could only nod, my breath coming in short gasps. I was more than ready. I needed him inside me, filling me up, claiming me as his own.

He didn't make me wait any longer. With one swift thrust, he was inside me, his cock filling me up completely. I cried out, my back arching off the locker as he began to thrust in and out, each movement sending waves of pleasure crashing through me.

I could feel myself growing closer and closer to another orgasm, my body tensing with each thrust.

He didn't hold back. His thrusts grew harder, faster, his cock hitting that spot inside me that drove me wild. I could feel myself teetering on the edge, my body begging for release.

“I want you to say my name when you come. Let me hear how good I make you feel."

I cried out, my orgasm crashing over me like a wave. I could feel myself clenching around his cock, my body shaking with the force of my release.

Lorenzo followed me over the edge, his own orgasm ripping through him. I could feel him pulse inside me, filling me up with his release.

He collapsed against me, his breathing ragged. I could feel his heart racing, matching my own.

His lips finding mine once more.

My body still trembling with the aftershocks of my orgasm. I had never experienced anything like that before, and I knew that I would never forget it.

"I never knew public places could be this thrilling," I whispered, still caught in the haze of pleasure.

Lorenzo smiled, his eyes full of affection. "Don’t worry I have a lot of in my mind for you " he promised, his lips claiming mine in another searing kiss.

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓍯

[starcandybby]

“where’s the trophy?

he just comes running over to me.”

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heeseung x reader, fluff, wc: 590

summary: in which, Enhypen wins their first daesang and you are the first person Heeseung looks for

now playing: The Alchemy by Taylor Swift

warnings: brief description of nervousness, heeseung is sooo in love, mention of MAMA (yes that’s a warning)

minors please dni- ty !!

Heeseung’s hands shook as he reached to grab Jungwon and Jay’s hands. He felt Ni-Ki’s hand grasp his shoulder from behind, fingers drumming on him nervously. The presenter for MAMA’s Artist of the Year award had just walked on stage, queuing the group’s nervousness. It was their first time being nominated for the award, hence the anticipation. Heeseung knew the other nominees were just as deserving of the award, but god he wanted it so bad. Enhypen just had their best year yet, surely the Kpop industry had recognized that too.

“And Artist of the Year goes to….”

Heeseung held his breath, closed his eyes, and prayed to whatever higher power may be listening.

“Enhypen!”

The presenter had barely finished announcing the group’s name before the 7 boys jumped out of their seats. Shouts of joy could be heard around the venue; applause from other groups and the audience soon joined the celebration as Enhypen was granted a standing ovation.

Heeseung departed from the group hug with his brothers and moved his eyes around the venue.

He knew who he needed to find. He needed to find you.

Admit the adrenaline rush and surge of joy, Heeseung tried to rack his brain for where you’d be sitting. He remembers vaguely what section you’re in and decides he’s too impatient to figure out the rest.

Soon the whole Kpop industry witnessed a side of Heeseung they had never seen before. He’s too happy to care what headlines will make the news tomorrow- he just wants to see you.

Darting away from the group, Heeseung is running, yes running, toward the back of the venue. He’s bounding up stairs and around railings, navigating his way through the maze of the venue.

Finally, he spots you, leaning against the railing on the front row of an audience section. Tears are streaming down your face, no doubt from the pride you feel for your fiancée.

Heeseung doesn’t slow down. Now that he’s seen you, the anticipation builds even more. He races over to you, jumping on the ledge and reaches over to pull you into a hug.

Now you’re both crying and the only thing between you and Heeseung is the section railing. But it doesn’t matter, Heeseung finally has you in his arms.

He jumps down from the ledge for some stability, but doesn’t let you go. He gently, but firmly, grasps your upper arms as you cup his face in your hands. You press your forehead against his; your faces are so close you aren’t sure whose tears are whose anymore.

“I’m so proud of you, baby. You’re a daesang winner.” You whisper, only for the two of you to hear.

“Couldn’t have done it without you honey. I love you.” Heeseung whispers in reply. Your soft voices don’t reflect the loud emotions you’re feeling in the moment.

“I love you-“

“Yah! Lee Heeseung, get on stage. We have an award to accept!”

Your sweet moment is adoringly interrupted when Jay’s voice resounds through the venue’s speakers. Heeseung turns away from your hold to see his six members on stage, award in hand, adoring smiles, and waiting for him. He hears your giggles and turns back to face you.

“Sounds like they need you, baby. We can celebrate later yeah?”

Heeseung smiles and gives you a quick peck before jogging back to the main stage.

The headlines that may arise tomorrow or the hate he may receive online was all worth running over to see you. Anything is worth celebrating with you.

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a/n: hi my first ever fic post :’) i was inspired by all the lovely couples at the Olympics celebrating each other !! (also manifesting Enhypen winning a Daesang)

pls lmk if i may have missed a warning <3

Comments and reblogs are always appreciated :)) (i hope you like im so nervous posting this KKSJSKS)

[keeksandgigz]

roll for initiative (part two of lessons in alchemy)

barista!eddie munson x fem!barista!reader AU

summary: You venture into your new position at Eddie's cafe, but you seem to be having a hard time. Eddie gives you hell for refusing to be trained. The confrontation comes to a head after you say something you shouldn't have. A heated game of DnD leaves you wondering about the purpose of this place. Things heat up after you and Eddie close the store alone.

cw: 6.8k words, swearing, modern setting, Eddie and reader being mean to each other, shitty description of a DnD game, teeny bit of angst (sorry), horny sexual tension, smut, spanking, choking, not quite piv yet, fingering, denial this is 18+ minors dni!!

a/n: Surprise! One day early because I'm an impatient little shit. i dunno how to play DnD i'm going off whatever my boyfriend tells me. also kill em all IS the best metallica album, argue with the wall. Debated on making it a two- parter but i wanted to get to the smut <3 pls like and reblog! feedback always appreciated and my ask box is always open if u wanna talk!!!

baby taglist: @corrodedcoffincumslut, @sleepy-bunnie,, @crybabyddl (let me know if you want to be added!)

Eddie's right.

You're indeed crashing and burning as you make those stupidly named lattes, but the rest of the crew is nice enough to help you along the way. Virginia really is coming into her own, quickly mastering every drink that is thrown her way.

Yet you can't shake off the feeling of Eddie stalking towards you, his hot breath on your face. How it didn’t scare you, rather, it excited you. You enjoy picking fights with him, ripping him apart and him doing the same to you. It's not healthy, but it helps with your anger.

“Those were three pumps of elderflower. I believe you need four for a large, sweetheart. Crashing and burning so soon?” he comes up behind you, startling you. 

“Get the fuck off of me before I throw this scalding hot drink at you” not when you're working. You cannot take his taunts while working. 

“Just checking up on you” he shrugs “maybe you might have changed your mind about me training you. I know these are not the dumb little detox drinks you do at your cafe. Which is really what makes the store much more interesting and attractive, doesn’t it?” 

“Eddie I swear to God” it becomes more than taunts. He seriously wants to fuck with your brain. 

“Jeff” he snaps his fingers towards the guy “I’m gonna go take my lunch, you’re in charge ‘til I’m back” his attention diverts away from you for a second, then back to you. “Could you be a dear and make me an extra hot flat white with almond milk? Add a couple pumps of Irish cream syrup in there. I’m expecting a white dot, after all if you’re so perfect you don’t need training that’s gonna be a walk in the park for ya, huh?” he leans against the counter and he’s so condescending it makes your knees tremble. 

“Yeah, duh. I’ll spit in it for ya too. Sounds good?” you panic a bit. Flat whites are not your forte. 

“I knew you’ve been spitting in my drinks, sweetheart. Kinda hot, to be honest. But that’s a violation, wouldn’t wanna get Jim involved, do we?” he raises his eyebrows at you, looking down at you, making you feel like a coffee bean on the ground. Kinda hot. 

“I was just joking, dickhead” 

“Hm. Better be. Another filthy word from you and I’m sending you home.” he whispers. “Alright, going on my lunch. Virginia, you’re off you can go home, Chrissy, take your last break in thirty minutes” and with that, he disappears to one of the tables, watching you make his drink.

That should be a form of cruel and unusual punishment. Just him staring at you, making sure you get his drink right. Pull two ristretto shots.

You aren't buzzing anymore, rather, your brain begins shutting off, drained by all the tension that has been building between you and Eddie. Two pumps of Irish cream. Maybe you actually aren't good enough to be here. Froth the almond milk. Maybe he's right, maybe you are meant to work in a mediocre cafe, making shitty drinks. Espresso first, then milk. You aren't good enough for this level of mastery. 

Fuck. No white dot. 

You tremble as you walk towards Eddie, sitting at his table, watching you bring him a cup of mediocre coffee. 

“No white dot” he says, looking at you with displeasure. 

“I’m sorry, I-”he interrupts you.

“You wanna get trained or are you gonna be a little know-it-all and then deliver me this?” he sips on his flat white. 

“Ok, fine. Train me, whatever.”Embarrassment overtakes you, wanting a hole to form under your feet and engulf you. 

He's right, he has been right all along. Tears begin to prick at your eyes.

“You okay there? Y’know I was joking, right? It doesn’t matter I just-” a spark of guilt lights itself in his throat, you look like you're about to cry. 

“Can I take a second?” you say, the knot in your throat threatening to snap any second. 

“Yeah, um go- go take your break” he breathes. Fuck, he's made you cry. 

You run off towards the back, wanting to disappear. Everything that has happened within those past two days begin to wash over you.

Your cafe is gone, the project you had worked on with your dad before he got sick, gone for the next year. And he’d likely not see it reopen.

Eddie being an asshole, holding a grudge on you because you took his customers, making your life a living hell. 

You sit in the back as you wipe some tears that fell from your eyes. Across the room, there's a door that you have not seen before, and it's ajar.

Curiosity gets the best of you, as you walk into a small, secluded room. It's full of beakers and jars of ingredients, really selling the whole alchemist thing. You look through the ingredients elderflower, rose, peppermint, honey, basil. Basil syrup sounds disgusting. 

You turn towards the work bench, noticing a bottle full of clear liquid labeled lavender syrup. You open it and immediately smell the astringent flavor coming from the bottle. You pour some on your finger and take a taste. Ew.

He needs a better lavender syrup recipe.

“The fuck are you doing in here?” Eddie’s voice makes you drop the bottle to the floor, shattering and spilling the astringent liquid on the floor. 

“Oh- shit sorry! I was just- i just got curious” 

“You can’t just come in here and act like you own the place. Curious my ass, you were trying to steal” he accuses, and that hurts you.

“You know I won’t fucking do that, I take my work seriously. Also your lavender syrup tastes like ass, and basil syrup? That sounds foul” you wince, stepping over the broken glass, to make your way back to the front.

He grabs your arm and stops you. “Aren’t you gonna clean that up? Broom’s in the closet” he says, offering you a smug smile. 

“Get the fuck away from me, asshole” you reply, jerking away from his grip. 

“Alright that’s it” is all he says before he slams you against the wall.

He's close. He's so fucking close. 

Your back slams against the brick, hitting a random canvas panel. You can feel his breath on your face, the smell of coffee and cologne inundating your senses. 

“You have been a fucking pain in my ass since you opened your dumb little cafe. You’ve been rude, unruly, untidy and down right mean towards me, and I’m fucking over it” he seethes, he has you caged in between his tattooed arms and all you can think of is tracing every line of his tattoos with the tips of your fingers.

“It’s been four fucking hours, y’hear me? Four hours and I’m sick of you. Y’think you’re cute? You’re a fucking brat, sweetheart, and I don’t like dealing with brats like you.” Your stomach feels funny, like you're taking on a challenge rather than a scolding.

“Clean your shit up and go home, I don’t wanna see your fucking face today. Come back when you have gained some common sense in that empty fucking head” he lowers his arms, but you aren't done. 

“Or what? You think you’re so scary, Eddie, with your stupid tattoos, your fucking stupid hair and your stupid satanic shirts. I don’t give a shit who you are, I’m employed to work here and you can’t fucking send me home because you don’t like me. I’ll fucking report you, freak” 

Freak. His breath hitches at that, years of high school bullying getting under his skin again, making him swallow hard at the unwelcome memory of being slammed against a locker on Monday mornings before class. He stiffens up.

“Alright” he swallows “clean this up and get back to work, I don’t wanna see you right now” you notice that his demeanor has changed, you visibly hit a nerve. Guilt pools at your chest.

“But what about- about the training?” you ask, voice hitching.

“I’ll get Gareth to train you, Virginia should have gone home already. That way we’re both happy. Take tomorrow off, I’ll see you Tuesday” and with that he leaves.

He keeps himself buried in his office until the end of your shift. He can't bear to stand the sight of you, not after you had called him a freak. That stung more than whatever stupid insult you could have flung his way. 

When you turn up on Tuesday, Eddie is nowhere to be found. 

“He took the day off,” Steve says. And you feel real fucking bad. You're scheduled for a mid- shift from three to seven.

“Hey” Jeff says “we’re closing early today ‘cause we’re doing a DnD campaign after. Since Eddie’s not here, would you mind taking over for me so I can start setting up? We close at six-thirty, so after that you can, like, sweep, do dishes and then you can go home” 

You aren't in the mood for a snide remark or a witty comment, so you just agree. “Is Eddie gonna be here tonight?” you ask. You’ve been trying to hound him to apologize for whatever happened the day before, it's clear he's avoiding you. 

He was supposed to be on the schedule. 

“Yeah uh” he replies “he’s our DM, so we kinda need him” he shrugs. 

“DM?” you froth a cup of oatmilk, turning towards him while he's making his drinks.

“Yeah. Dungeon Master?” he gives you a Isn’t that obvious? expression and goes back to his iced hazelnut macchiato. 

“Kinky” you retort, he laughs a bit. 

At six-thirty you lock up the store and you confine yourself to the back for dishes. Keeping an ear out for Eddie’s voice, hoping he’d show up before 7. 

Colette left with Steve to work on the Halloween menu and “I don’t fuck with that nerd stuff” said Steve, fixing his glasses after putting his coat on. 

“…no Henderson you don’t get it “Kill ‘Em All” is definitely Metallica’s best album, are you shitting me? …No don’t come at me with that “Enter Sandman” bullshit you’re so basic for that, you fucking poser” your ears perk up at that. It's definitely Eddie. 

You peek your head out of the back door to see him set up a big table, followed by a bunch of what look like  high school students as they sit down, with their spiral notebooks and pens.

A bunch of small figurines scattered on the cardboard mat as Eddie sits at the head of the table, pulling out a leather bound folder covered in stickers and a cardboard screen. 

They're serious about this.

You're too busy staring at the crowded table to notice Eddie running towards you.

"Daddy didn't teach you it's rude to stare?"

You press yourself against the green tile wall to let him pass, words caught in your throat as you follow him into his office.

"Apparently daddy didn't teach you that stalking is bad either. What is it? Need somethin'?" he spits out and you can feel the venom in his words.

"Yeah, I just" you clear your throat. Talking was hard. He cocks an eyebrow at you as he begins rummaging through his desk drawers.

"Well?"

"I just wanted to apologize for-"

"For being a bitch the other day? Took you long enough" he scoffs as he retrieves a small tin box containing what you assume are dice.

"Um- yeah. I guess that" you shrug and turn your feet to leave the door.

"I need to hear you say it, sweetheart. It's not a real apology otherwise, is it?" he has this ability to make you feel so incredibly small with only the power of his words. Like he's talking to a toddler.

"I don't think that's necessary, Eddie, I mean um- I have to get back to work" you protest.

"You can go back to work when you give me a full apology" he's ticking you off, gloating in his victory of you admitting defeat. The white banner you're waving slowly turning red.

"You're being a cunt, take the apology and go play your stupid nerd game" you snap, and you can see his lips curling in a wicked grin. Challenge accepted.

"All this talk of me kicking you to the curb for your filthy mouth really isn't sticking huh? Sorry sweetheart, can't accept an apology you don't mean" he shrugs, heading out of his office, you follow him suit.

"Eddie what the fuck?! Are you actually mental?" you want to strangle him, shove those dice so far down his throat he chokes and dies.

"I'd recommend you scrub those dishes really hard, I can still see the grime on the blenders. If you'll excuse me, I gotta lead my party through the rivers of Bagodan" he winks and then he walks over to his table, leaving you mortified.

You do a once- over with the dishes, while hearing Eddie's shrill voice screech and laugh every time one of his players miss. What's so fucking funny about a couple kids rolling dice?

"Looks like you've made it to the last river" he narrates in a solemn voice, deeper, hotter "Oh, but what is that? You hear shrieking from a distance. It's a sphynx. To cross the river you have to behead the sphynx and bring it to the king of Bagodan. Only then he will grant you access to the wings of Saurion the Elder, and you... will be... free" he says in a whispered tone.

"What do you do, my brave adventurers?"

"Shit" you hear one of the kids swear, he's tall with black hair. "We don't have enough hit points to kill the sphynx AND get through the king's palace guards"

"You’re astute dipshit, congrats!" says another, a girl, looking much younger than the rest.

"We would have had enough points if Dustin here, hadn't fucking sold his to the market for a stupid cloak" says Gareth, shoving the kid who you assume is Dustin

"it was aN INVISIBILITY CLOAK" Dustin yells. The room booms in laughter at the kid's tantrum.

It makes you think. About how you've never had a group of friends like that. Someone to share a common interest with. Sure, you have Colette, but you've moved to town just fairly recently, and you have lived and breathed work for the first two years. No friends to make when you're cooped up home buried in projects among projects. No friends to make when your dad is sick and you have to take him to the hospital on Saturdays for his treatment. You sigh a bit at that. Maybe your cafe exploding is the catalyst that is gonna bring you a new life, a new perspective.

Coming to a store that has unity as a top value really makes you reflect on how lonely your life has been so far.

"Alright children, let's take a break and you can talk strategy. Anyone want a drink?" He stands up from his chair and walks towards the bar. Startled, you go back to the sink and begin scrubbing.

"Y'know you can join us, right?" he leans against the green tile wall, looking at you.

"Join in on that nerd shit? No, thanks. My shift is over" you say putting the last blender on the drying rack and heading to the back.

He follows you "Okay, whatever. I just wanted to tell you it's gonna be me and you tomorrow. Chrissy said she can't make it. Something about midterms" and you roll your eyes.

"Fucking perfect. Tell me in what world does this shit always happen to me" you say exasperated, taking off your apron, which allows your shirt to rise just enough that it gives Eddie a peek of your tummy. Enough to make him gulp a little. Enough to distract him for ten seconds.

He shakes his head. "Listen, I'm not happy about it either, but let's keep it civil, okay? I do my thing, you do yours, we're outta here by 9 pm" he offers, leaning over the metal lockers.

You're not sure if it was the Dungeon Master demeanor he keeps on for the sake of his game or what, but he feels so tall. The thought of it makes you shiver. You put on your jacket.

"How you gettin' home?" he asks.

"Driving" you lie, your car broke down the day before, but you don't want him offering you a ride.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow for closing, then" he says, giving you a tight smile.

"Yeah, bye" you respond hastily, heading out towards the bus stop. Eddie keeps an eye on you through the store window the whole time.

Wednesday night at the "Mad Alchemist" is busier than you expected. Steve left for the evening, leaving you and Eddie to man the fort by yourselves.

Meaning you have to watch him flirt with every fucking customer. Young, old, boy, girl. His self assured demeanor is like a magnet to those coffee- hungry teens, the older women just blush and deliver him a meek "aw, stop it, Eddie" swatting the air and giggling.

Because you both have been so busy, it has not given you time to run your mouth and deliver him some snarky comment.

By 8pm, the store is closed. You have an hour to sweep, clean the counters, mop and do the dishes while Eddie counts the money at the register.

There is a tense quietness in the cafe. Almost as if you know that if one opened their mouths the world would explode. Or you’d start fucking, whichever one comes first. There is no noise aside from the register opening, the broom dragging across the floor and Eddie whistling.

After a day of talking, listening, screaming, shouting, the last thing you want to do is hear Eddie whistle. You let him do it, one minute, two minutes, five minutes in hopes he would get tired.

“Eddie, please” you whine.

“Helps me count money better,” he shrugs, beginning his atrocious whistling again.

You wait one, two, five minutes again. The noise of the sweep and the whistling and the money become too much for you, so in an exasperated rage, you kick the chair in front of you.

“Eddie shUT THE FUCK UP!”

The noise of the chair is the only sound in the building. Eddie stops counting, and stops whistling.

He's just staring at you. At the fallen chair. At the broom next to your feet. You find the floor to be really interesting.

“Pick it up.” Eddie’s voice is distant. A few seconds go by, and your eyes are still on the floor.

The sound of paper being put down and the stomping of heavy boots follow, until his boots arrive in your line of sight. You can't help but raise your head.

“What part of ‘pick it up’ does not register in that head? Hm? Do you kick chairs at home?”

Defeated, you shake your head.

“Do you call your daddy names?”

Another head shake.

“Do you spit in your daddy’s coffee in the morning?” his voice becomes a whisper, so, so close to your face. So close to your lips.

“I didn’t-” he cuts you off.

“I don’t appreciate liars, sweetheart. Did you spit in my drink?” he's cornering you, making you feel small.

You nod. “Only once, though” you defend yourself.

“Only once” he mocks, chuckling to himself “sixteen.” he mutters.

“Sixteen is the number of times, from the first time i stepped foot in your goddamn cafe, I’ve seen you spit in my fuckin’ drink” he seethes, no, growls.

“Now you’re fucking lying” you interject, finding a small crumb of courage within you.

“Don’t act cute, I’ve seen you. Pick the chair up” he says, his chin tilting towards the chair on the floor.

“I can’t pick it up if your stupid arm’s in the way, can I?” he grunts and moves his arm. You bend over and picked the chair up, breathing through your teeth. You're furious.

“Watch your attitude, here we don’t-”

You snap your neck around “You’re a fucking control freak, that’s what you are” you mutter. There's that word again. Freak.

“Don’t you fucking dare call me that word again” he's furious.

You turn around to face him. It's your turn to be close “Or what? You gonna spank me?” it's barely a whisper, looking at him through your lashes. A challenge.

He exhales, crossing his arms “You know what? That’s the best idea you’ve had since you’ve stepped foot in this place. Bend over the table” He whispers, and you freeze.

If there is a definition to fuck around and find out, you're it.

“Seems you might be a bit hard of hearing, sweetheart. I said bend over.” he says, more gently, yet keeping that domineering aura to him. He nudges your arm.

You quietly follow through.

“Now you’re following orders. Before I start I need to know you’re okay with this” he whispers, caressing your back in an almost soothing manner.

You nod.

He tuts “None of that shit. I’m not doing anything until I have your green light. With words”

“I-” words suddenly become hard. You swallow and breathe through your nose “I’m- I’m okay with this”

There is no denying you're extremely turned on, in addition to being revved up by your previous fight. It feels like wildfire spreading itself from every tip of your body, finding a home right between your legs.

“Alright, good. If you want me to stop we can stop at any time, just say ‘chainmail’” he says, looking around to check if the blinds had been lowered. He has a safeword. He knows what he's doing.

“O-okay” you say with all the power you can muster.

“You wanna act like a toddler, sweetheart? I’ll treat ya like a fuckin’ toddler” he says, before delivering the first smack right on the meat of your left butt cheek.

You’ve tried spanking before, with previous partners, but this is different. The smacks are calculated, like he knows where to hit. A yelp escapes you.

“Need ya to count” he says, caressing the area he just hit.

“‘Kay, fuck. One” you exhale, still feeling his handprint on your ass. The red hot sting from the impact leaving tiny pinpricks through the fabric of your jeans. 

Smack. Two.

“How ‘bout this?” he stops, speaking to no one, really. “How ‘bout I give you one spank for every time you’ve spit in my coffee, hm?”

That makes you tremble a bit. Sixteen slaps. 

“I dunno if I can, I mean I-” 

“Then you know what to say if it gets too much, right? Say ‘Yes, Eddie, I do’” his voice makes your knees give out as his other hand, the one that isn't squeezing and groping your ass, makes its way into your hair and pulls. 

“Ow- Fuck, Jesus Christ Eddie!” you yell, but the pull at your scalp makes you wish he’d drop the antics, pull your pants down and fuck you immediately. 

“Not what I wanna hear, sweetheart. Try that again” He smacks your ass again, pulling his hand out of your hair to hold your back down from the waist. 

“Three, fuck. Yes, Eddie, I-I do” you exhale and prop yourself up on your elbows. 

“Good girl,” he says. Good girl. He could easily smack you in the face and that is would shock you less. Where the fuck did he learn all this shit?

By the time you’ve reached spank number ten you think you're ready to tap out. Tears welling in your eyes, making your vision go blurry. You're turned on, but Eddie’s heavy hand is becoming too painful.

He notices you trying to squirm away from him with every hit of his hand, all he says is “You know what to say, don’t you, sweetheart?” 

But you let him keep going. Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen.

The last slap feels like the roughest, leaving in its wake the phantom of a heavy hand. His hand rubbing circles on your ass, almost like he doesn't feel ready to stop touching you.

You turn your head around, so you're able to see his face.

“Mmmm, so what now?” you ask, still hazy “Gonna take me home, Eddie? Finish the job?”it's like your brain has forgotten who you are talking to.

“C’mere” he says, sitting you down on the table, your ass rough and sore under the fabric of your pants.

You can feel the slick feeling between your legs through the seam of your black jeans, hoping he’d move you to keep going, take you home, his office, his van, anywhere. 

His body settles between your legs as his hands run through the expanse of your stomach, your back. Your hands make their way to the buckle of his belt, trying to quickly undo his jeans. Eddie inhales as if to convince himself to stop you as he grabs your wrists and pushes them to your chest, his belt left unbuckled “Not tonight,” he murmurs.

You pout in protest.

“Aww, you’re pouting” he mocks, a dry laugh escapes his lips. It brings a twang of embarrassment "pouting 'cause I'm not letting you take my dick in your mouth, sweetheart?" he taunts. 

“I‘m not pouting” you mutter, looking at the floor. His hands grab your chin, lifting your eyes to make you look up at him. He looks so tall standing over you like that, eyes still glossed over, pupils blown from the spanking he’s just given you. 

“You look at me when I speak to you, yeah?” Oh fuck. You know better this time. 

“Yeah” you croak out, nodding your head in case he doesn't get the message. 

“Yeah? You liked getting spanked? Being put in your place?” his demeanor never fails in making you feel impossibly small.

The hand that holds your chin travels down your neck and you lean into his touch, in the way his hand wraps itself around your throat, warm and rough. Who are you to say he isn't gonna strangle you and kill you? 

But the feeling of his hand around the column of your neck, covering its whole surface area feels too intoxicating, like you want him to make you stop thinking. Your breath hitches. 

“You’re lucky I didn’t have my rings on. With the way you’ve been running your mouth you would’ve more than deserved it” his grip on your neck going from resting to actually applying pressure to the sides of your throat. You gasp. 

He just watches you, eyes glossy and desperate while you try to press your thighs together to relieve some pressure. Poor thing. He almost feels bad for you. The way he sees you keen into his touch, labored breath, watching your chest rise and fall slowly. 

“We can’t do this here, Eddie. The health violations” you say,  barely a whisper, mustering whatever breath and thought you can. Your brain feels foggy and fuzzy with the slight pressure of air being constricted. He chuckles. 

“Didn’t you go to UCLA or something? Aren’t you supposed to be really smart?” his tone is mocking, you swallow at the embarrassment, hand letting up on your throat to grab your hand. He isn't here to be soft with you. He is here to make a point.

“Me choking you got you actin’ all dumb already?’M impressed. C’mon get off the table, we can’t be here” he says, making you stand up. 

“Where- where are we going?” you feel winded, and you haven't even done anything. He leads you through the cafe, the bar, the back of house, where the drying dishes sit abandoned on the rack. Right at the threshold to his back office, the cold green tile arch pressing against your back.

“I don’t know, but I really wanna kiss you right now.” and you feel like your breath has just gotten knocked out of you. He wants to kiss you?

"You wanna- huh?" he slams you against the wall, just t prove a point "Shut the fuck up" he says as he puts his lips on yours. Famished, animalistic.

There is no room for gentleness. No room for sweet caresses and soft praises. His hands groping and feeling your hips, grinding into him. The friction against his tattered jeans make a whine escape you. Too much and not enough.

His teeth clash with yours as you both open your mouths, the way he tastes made you dizzy. His mint gum and cigarettes inundate your senses as you pull at the hair tie that is keeping Eddie's unruly hair in place.

Reaching under the mane of hair, you pull at his nape, where his curls are smaller, more defined. He groans.

His nose skims your jaw and licks at the hinge between the bone and your neck, making you yelp. A small oh escapes you when his hands work to untuck your shirt out of your jeans, his cold hands sneaking past the barrier of clothing to touch at the skin of your stomach, the sides of your breasts.

His mouth is warm against your neck, tracing every ridge, every line, every mole, 'til he reaches the juncture between your neck and your shoulder and he bites.

"Eddie, you fucking freak don't bite me" you hiss, head thrown back as he lifts your shirt up, leaving it completely abandoned on the floor.

He moves you off the wall and into his office, mouth not stopping his assault on your neck, stumbling towards his cluttered desk. With one move, a space big enough for you to sit is created. His shirt comes off in the process. His pale chest, skinny, but toned and littered with tattoos, is the only thing you are able to pay attention to.

"I hear that fucking word come outta your mouth again I'll-" he begins.

"You what? More spanking? Consider me terrified" you interrupt, all an evil plan to egg him on. Blinking your eyes up at him. He is seething.

"God, do you ever shut up?" he asks, a groan leaving his lips continuing to kiss you, teeth and tongue and spit, his hands coming out from under your shirt to grab your chin.

You look up at him, hair wild and unruly, eyes blown out, a wicked glint in his eye, almost like he's plotting something.

“Open your mouth” he says, and you looked at him, a puzzled look on your face. He squeezes your cheeks in response, forcing your mouth open. “You fucking brat” he mutters.

You keep your mouth open, expecting his finger, something. Instead, a glob of spit makes its way onto your tongue. He spit in your mouth. You throb.

“Eddie what the fuck-” you begin, but he interrupts you.

“You didn’t seem to mind spitting in my coffee, did you? Consider this a payback. Swallow it.” he smirks against your lips, lightly tapping his fingers on your cheek, not quite a slap. You obey immediately for the first time that night.

His hand travels down to the seam of your jeans, your breath becoming more labored with all the building tension from the night.

“Eddie…please” you whine, arching into his hand, not wanting to pull back anymore. You want release, brain hazy with the feeling of being under him, the way his rough hands are touching you, exploring you, grabbing and groping at the curves of your body as you arch into him.

His hand begins moving back and forth, the heel of his palm making direct contact with the seam of your pants, forcing a strangled whine out of you.

You grind your hips in sync with his hand, as the other sits on your cheek, cupping it, moaning in his mouth at the small amount of friction he's giving you. “Can I take your pants off?” he asks, soft against your mouth. You’ve never nodded so fast in your life.

He quickly makes work of taking your shoes and jeans off, pooled at his feet while his hands caress and grope their way up your thighs.

“You’re cute when you’re not being a cunt, you know that?” he whispers against your mouth, hand ghosting over your panties, practically feeling the heat radiating off of you.

“Fuck you, Eddie,” you say through gritted teeth, motioning to hit him in the chest. He stops you, grabbing your wrists with his hands.

“I suggest keeping that filthy mouth at bay if you really want me to do something about that big, wet patch on your panties, hm?” he whispers, licking your bottom lip, his hand still keeping an iron grip on your wrists.

“How ‘bout you stop being a cunt and fuck me?” you’ve had enough of his teasing and taunting.

“Who said anything about fucking?” he chuckles, his hand moving down to grope at your ass. “No, see, that would be improper, don’t you think? Fucking your boss in his office. You kinky bitch” he delivers a sharp smack down to your ass, reviving the dull sting from the spanking earlier.

“You’re not my fucking boss, Eddie. Stop talking and- ohmygod”

His other hand begins massaging over the crotch of your panties, making direct contact with your clit over the fabric. “Made you this wet from spanking you? Think you might have actually been the freak this whole time, sweetheart.” He hooks his fingers on the sides of your panties “Lift.” He taps your thigh, you immediately lift your hips to let him take your panties off.

He laughs when he sees the mess that he’s made of your pussy.

“Fuck stop- stop laughing” you whisper out while his hands begin to spread your legs further.

“I think you secretly love me laughing at you. You think you’re so tough, bein’ all mean, callin’ me a freak like it doesn’t turn you on just imagining how much of a fucking freak I really am, huh sweetheart?” he skims your jaw with his nose, his words making you shiver as you clench around nothing.

His free hand sneaking its way around your neck, squeezing just enough to make you squeak.

Your hips lift off the desk, looking to find some kind of stimulation aside from Eddie’s cruel teasing touches.

He looks at you through his dark lashes “What is it, baby?” baby. baby. baby. The nickname makes your head spin.

“Eddie, I- fuck- please! I need-” your hips arch off the wooden surface as you feel his fingers prod your entrance.

“You need my fingers? Can you ask me nicely?” you want to kill him. He's reveling in the torture that he's putting you through.

“I f-ucking ah hate you” but you aren't really sure if you believe that yourself.

“You hate me sweetheart? I’m hurt. You won’t mind then if I just leave you here, do you?” he caresses over your inner thigh, the tips of his fingers coated in slick, clear arousal.

“No!” your hips lift once again “your fingers…please” His smile is pleased as one of his fingers enter you.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it? Good girl.” He's making your head spin, a choked noise leaves your lips as he pumps his finger in and out, finally getting the stimulation you need.

“More” you whisper, his other hand still on your throat.

“So greedy. Y’gonna thank me? Say ‘thank you, Eddie’”

At that point you can't even think about acting up. “F-fuck. Thank- thank you Eddie” and with that, he adds another finger.

God, you already feel so full and teetering the edge.

“Good girl. Now that I think about it, I believe you owe me an apology” he begins, his fingers working mercilessly inside you, while a string of breathy ah ah ahs are all the sounds you could muster.

“You were so mean to me the other day, I didn’t appreciate your tone while you were trying to apologize” he taunts, his fingers prodding deeper inside you. A small yelp escapes you.

“You were- you were ah” his fingers curl on your g-spot and your vision goes white.

“What was that? I was what, baby?” he begins to thumb at your clit, smiling like a maniac at the state he's reducing you in.

“Oh yes there” no idea how you're gonna finish your sentence.

“Feels good huh? Needa finish what you were saying, sweetheart, can’t have you going stupid on me just yet” his hand on your throat moves up to your cheek, delivering a couple light smacks to your face. You clench.

“Fuck, uh, you we-were being a oh god cunt” you say, mustering all the mental strength you can.

“Is that right? Funny how my fingers are in yours right now and you don’t seem to complain.” He laughs to himself, his thumb speeding up its assault on your clit.

“C’mon, sweetheart. I just need you to say ‘Sorry Eddie, I won’t be a bitch to you again.’ Can you say that or is your brain too fucking far gone to understand a single word i’m saying?” he teases, which briefly brings you back from the ecstasy of Eddie’s fingers working wonders on you.

“Fuck you, Eddie” you hiss through your teeth, immediately regretting it at the feeling of the coil in your belly beginning to tighten.

“Oh. It’s like that then. Alright” he simply says as he picks up his pace. Head thrown back as you revel in the feeling of nearing the edge of your release.

“Oh shit, get-getting close” you breathe.

“Apologize and I’ll let you cum” he smiles, a wicked show of bared teeth that only makes you both want to punch him and fuck him.

“Fuck n- Oh God- ‘m not apologizing for- for shit” you arch your back, trying to make yourself cum before he changes his mind.

“Fucking apologize” he insists.

“Fuck you” you say, followed by the unwelcome feeling of emptiness as he takes his fingers out. You really thought he was bluffing.

An empty ache grows in your stomach, feeling unfulfilled and disappointed. You sit there in disbelief, as he cleans his fingers off with a tissue.

“Pity” he shrugs “Get dressed, I’m taking you home” he turns around, heading towards the front.

You throw the box of kleenex at his head. You miss.

“You’re a real asshole, you know that?” you jump off his desk, ignoring the dull throb between your legs as you put your panties and jeans back on, following the trail of your clothes he left in his wake.

“Could’ve said sorry” he just says, closing up the register, while you put on your shirt and shoes “C’mon my van is around the back” he offers, grabbing his keys.

“I’m not fucking getting in your car. I can drive” you protest.

“Yeah, uh huh, you and what car, you fucking liar? Saw you at the bus stop the other day, and your car isn’t in the parking lot. You either let me drive or you can sleep in here tonight.”

You let him drive you home. The sound of Judas Priest blaring through the speaker only makes the stubborn silence between you two louder.

The ten minute drive to your house feels like an hour, as you itch to get off the dingy van and take care of what he left unfinished.

He finally parks up in front of your house, you quickly book it towards your door as he shouts “You’re welcome sweetheart” before you fumble with the keys and enter inside. He stays there until you do.

Your dad was asleep already, so you crack his bedroom door to check up on him. You sigh. Everything seems to be alright.

Once all the lights are off, you run towards your room. Still in disbelief of what happened with Eddie, you strip off your coffee- smelling clothes, wincing at the thought of Eddie’s hands sneaking under your shirt, his fingers hooking on the sides of your panties.

The feeling of hatred and arousal battling each other off while you recall his stupid smiling face as he removed his fingers from inside you. The dull empty ache as you came down from the euphoria of his touch and words.

That night, you kick yourself for not saying sorry to him.

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #14: Skin-Deep

Prompt: telling || Master Post || On AO3 (coming in October)

---

Alakhai does not initially understand just how Synnove and Dancing Heron remain friends with one Rereha Reha.

Oh, sure, the girl is nice enough (‘girl’ as if she isn’t just a few years younger than Alakhai herself), especially for someone that filthy stinking rich. (Who needs that many purses?) But she’s loud and rambunctious and bawdy, a bit too fond of parties, ostentatious in the extreme, the exact opposite of the far more reserved Synnove and Heron.

Clearly, she’s missing pieces of this puzzle, not helped by her infrequent visits to Ul’dah, and then Rereha running screaming for Gridania of all the cities. But Alakhai is very good at fading into the background to observe, so that’s what she’ll do.

It’s all the little moments that count for the most.

The time she and Synnove arrive at Rereha’s family manse to find Rereha’s room a minor disaster with clothes spilling out of the walk-in closet and Rereha sorting things into various piles.

“Shirts to keep, trousers to keep, dresses to keep,” she had said, “shirts to donate, trousers to donate, dresses to donate. Forgot to do this before I went to Gridania. Oh! Gotta let Ruru and Roro at the donate piles, too, they get first dibs on whatever I’m not wearing anymore, should be a couple of things they like…”

There’s also the cheerful pride Rereha always has when she speaks of her baby sisters. She isn’t particularly close with them, but none of them seem to mind that. Rereha has her own path, and she speaks with naked relief about how much better Ruruha and Roroha will be as castellans for the family businesses. “They actually enjoy goldsmithing and alchemy and all the business management stuff!” But she’s always happy to share a list of her sisters’ latest accomplishments when asked, and at one point, Alakhai is present when the young twins decide they want a song from their elder sister. And Rereha immediately puts down her bow, and picks up her fiddle.

There’s the time they were all out shopping the market stalls, and Alakhai sees Rereha clock a minor jeweler down on their luck. Worn hems, unpolished shoes, a collar very carefully turned to hide a faded stain. Their wares are good, even to Alakhai’s untrained eye, and Rereha quite happily purchases a necklace and two sets of earrings from them. But Rereha doesn’t haggle quite as ferociously as she would with a better-off merchant (and there is, apparently, an entire etiquette about haggling in Ul’dah and greater Thanalan that Alakhai has no hope in hell of grasping), though she manages it in such a way that if you’d never seen her actually put her whole effort into it, you’d never know she’d deliberately gone light.

And then she puts on the necklace as they wander off, and hooks in one pair of earrings into her lobes and the other onto her cartilage just at the points of her ears, and gushes to everyone on Sapphire Avenue who asks about her baubles about where she’d gotten them.

Then there’s Rereha’s about preternatural memory for keeping all of Heron’s numerous relatives straight. Synnove’s dead to the world on the couch in Rereha’s room, recovering from exams, while Heron whisper-shouts in frustration over some family squabble that’s boiled over and Rereha is nodding along. Heron finally wears herself out and presses her forehead against the couch with a low groan.

“It’s so stupid,” she finishes.

Rereha wiggles off the still-sleeping Synnove’s back to smush herself against Heron’s head and pat her shoulder in commiseration. “Your uncle’s a moron,” she says. “Has anyone bothered to write to your Great Aunt Intrepid Star to get her to settle the matter already?”

Heron heaved a sigh. “Trying. She went on holiday in the South Seas, which has turned into her island hopping her way to Thavnair, and the runner keeps just missing her in every damned port.”

“Damn.”

Finally, there’s today. Synnove is making eyes at an enormous topaz she just bought like it’s a Bismarck ice cream sundae and Alakhai has a hand on her elbow to keep her moving through the crowd. Rereha, however, isn’t quite so distracted, and she yanks at Alakhai’s belt to get her attention.

Alakhai looks down and can’t help but blink in surprise at the expression of utter loathing on the lalafell’s face. Then Rereha points, and through the heavy crowds, Alakhai sees a hyur woman of middling years, pale-skinned and black-haired and blue-eyed.

Alakhai has never met Isolde Greywolfe and quite frankly probably shouldn’t (oops there’s a knife in someone’s kidneys, so clumsy, how awful of her), but now she knows for sure what the woman looks like.

Rereha has already moved to Synnove’s other side and is tugging at her friend’s skirts, and Alakhai assists by gently pushing Synnove into the movement. “Come on, babe, you’re gonna get us mugged making buffalo eyes like that,” Rereha drawls.

Synnove merely grunts.

Even with her eyes still glued to that topaz, Rereha and Alakhai manage to get Synnove down one of the less busy side streets, and from there, Rereha guides them through the maze that connects the various major Avenues until it spits them out near one the clusters of cafes.

“Time for coffee!” Rereha says, and that finally gets Synnove’s attention.

Alakhai shakes her head in amusement, and levels a considering eye on Rere. The pieces are beginning to fit together, and what a strange creature this Rere really is. Funny, though.

Let’s see where this goes.

[darkmagicmirror]

The Dark Magic Symbol and Alchemy

I've been wanting to make this post since before S5 and never got around to it, and I decided hey, might as well try to get it out before S6, at least. SO here it is. I know S6 came out today, but I haven't seen it yet, so shh, this still counts.

So in a Reddit AMA back in 2020, Aaron and Justin answered a question confirming that they drew inspiration for the dark magic symbol from the Rod of Asclepius and the Caduceus.

Just because of Tumblr image limits, I put the screenshot and symbols (linked in the comment) in the same picture, but you can follow the link to the AMA comment and look at the image there if you need a bigger version.

SO I got curious and started looking up some more info...

Here are just the first couple paragraphs of the Wikipedia pages for the Caduceus and Rod of Asclepius.

So at first glance, just like the comment in the original question says, the Caduceus is associated mostly with Hermes, and the Rod of Asclepius is associated with health care and medicine.

But a little further down the Wikipedia page, we get:

Although the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and no wings, is the traditional and more widely used symbol of medicine, the Caduceus is sometimes used by healthcare organizations.

And it turns out that there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the Caduceus as a symbol of medicine. So, already, upon finding this, I found it fascinating that the dark magic symbol is inspired by not just one, but two symbols seen as medical symbols.

Onto the article focusing on the Caduceus as a symbol of medicine, I go on to find this:

I have to come back to the Quicksilver thing, but first off, the being a symbol of alchemy is interesting to me. (Partially because I definitely think of Fullmetal Alchemist and the whole equivalent exchange concept there and the questions about whether people should be messing with life and death and how everything has a price -- all pretty relevant to TDP, but I digress.)

I looked at the article linked in footnote 16, which is titled The earliest medical use of the caduceus, and I found this fascinating image!

Most importantly, this has a single snake with two heads. Which sounds familiar!

I do think it's worth noting that the very first time an example of dark magic is discussed on screen, it's with the discussion of the two-headed snake, being held by Viren's staff. The spell isn't actually done, obviously, but it's the first impression we get of dark magic in the series!

Also I just find it interesting that the article mentions that:

Hermes had some medical roles in that he did assist in conducting the dead to the underworld and also received some credit for relieving plagues and epidemics in Asia Minor.

Another article linked on Wikipedia, called Snake and staff symbolism in healing, brings up the same point, saying:

The caduceus was indeed a magical wand, a gift from Apollo which protected Hermes and enabled him to guide departed souls along unknown pathways to the Underworld, and to awaken the sleeping. The latter aspect was sometimes associated with powers of resurrection — of awakening the dead, and also of curing the severely ill (Schouten 1967:119; Van Rooyen 1982:731-5).

So I just think it's interesting that it all ties into dark magic very well, especially considering that Claudia uses dark magic to resurrect Viren, and dark magic has been shown to be used for healing purposes (such as healing Soren -- both before and during show-canon).

The last mentioned article also goes on to mention the quicksilver thing, so I just wanted to say that I also find that particular point interesting considering that many people theorize that the different types of primal magic may have one underlying magical source that powers all of them, which to me reminds me of quicksilver being considered the basis of all matter.

But wait! There's more!

When I looked at the Wikipedia page for Alchemy, I found this interesting snippet:

An important example of alchemy's roots in Greek philosophy, originated by Empedocles and developed by Aristotle, was that all things in the universe were formed from only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. According to Aristotle, each element had a sphere to which it belonged and to which it would return if left undisturbed.

This especially reminds me of the primal sources. Also spheres? Really? Funny how the primal stones are shaped that way,

The beginning part of the Wikipedia article also mentions how one of alchemy's aims was to create panaceas to cure diseases, and also that it played a role in the development of chemistry and medicine, which is fascinating!

And then I did decide to look at the Rod of Asclepius page as well, and it talks about how the snake and rod/staff were originally separate symbols.

Both the Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine and The New Medicine and the Old Ethics (links are to Google Books) talk about the snake/serpent as symbols of renewal/restoration of health because of how snakes shed their skin. The latter also has this snippet, which I think makes snakes sound like a great dark magic symbol as well:

Back on the Wikipedia page, it also says:

The ambiguity of the serpent as a symbol, and the contradictions it is thought to represent, reflect the ambiguity of the use of drugs,[8] which can help or harm, as reflected in the meaning of the term pharmakon, which meant "drug", "medicine", and "poison" in ancient Greek.[11] However the word may become less ambiguous when "medicine" is understood as something that heals the one taking it because it poisons that which afflicts it, meaning medicine is designed to kill or drive away something and any healing happens as a result of that thing being gone, not as a direct effect of "medicine".

I looked at the source A History of Medicine as well, and this was where it talked about pharmakon:

So it literally talks about magic there, which is really interesting to me.

Anyway!

TL;DR: All that to say that while the dark magic symbol obviously has influence from the caduceus and Rod of Asclepius, I think that the concept of dark magic in general also draws some inspiration from the meaning/history behind both symbols, especially with regards to the connection to alchemy, two-headed snake, and also the connection to healing/medicine.

Which all just contributes to my opinion that I hope the canon universe in the series doesn't eliminate dark magic use in the end but instead puts limitations on dark magic use so it can still be used for the healing purposes as well. And if alchemy ended up contributing to medicine, then... who knows?

... also that's without even getting into how the series refers to Sir Sparklepuff as a homonculus, which:

And the page goes on to mention the "Arcanum of human blood" so... yeah.

Lots to think about!

[senditcolton]

hiiiiiii my beautiful friend!!! I’m sure I speak for a lot of us when I say that I would love a check in on we’re a bad idea matty—whatever that means for you and where you vision they are now! (request 1 of ???)

- @comphy-and-cozy

Who Are We to Fight the Alchemy?

a/n: i will gladly write anything for this universe because i love it so much and i will happily write anything for you @comphy-and-cozy. if you couldn't tell from the title, a Taylor Swift mashup inspired the final part of this series so it's only fitting that a Taylor Swift mashup inspired this fic.

Word Count: 3.7k Warnings: brother's teammate, references to alcohol consumption, but mostly just pure romantic fluff!!!

Things change.

It was a statement that brought pain and heartache. But it was also a statement that sometimes brought about such joy and happiness. You were thankful to say that in the past year, the latter was more applicable to your life.

The amount of change that you had experienced felt astronomical whenever you sat down and tried to quantify it. In just a few short months, you went from being miserable in Los Angeles, trying to get over a man that broke your heart and left you reeling to being happy back in New York City and coupled with that same man. A man who had changed even more than you could’ve ever imagined.

Matt Martin used to be a bad idea. Last summer, when the two of you reconnected, he was a surprise. Now, you could safely say that he was one of the best things in your life.

It was jarring at first. There was a part of you that was still distrustful, remembering who he used to be: someone who wanted you to himself but never wanted to claim you. But that summer night, he proved how much he had changed and how much he wanted you. Completely. And he had continued to prove it every day afterwards.

That wasn’t to say the transition was easy. There was a lot of bridges to cross: emotionally, physically, metaphorically. It took a while for you to believe that Matt meant what he said and what he did; that it wasn’t all just an overcorrection brought on by guilt or that it wasn’t just another elaborate ploy to get his hooks back into you. But the one thing that convinced you was how patient Matt was. He understood your reservations, took responsibility for how he treated you, and gave you as much space as you needed to process – even if that space was thousands of miles.

You went back to Los Angeles. Mostly for realistic reasons, like your job and your lease. But you would be lying if you didn’t think of it as a test for Matt; to see if he would wait for you, to see if he still wanted you.

And he did, in every single way.

That was enough for you to take the final leap, move back to New York, and fully commit to being his, the way he was ready to commit to being yours.

That was six months ago. Now, you were Matt Martin’s girl.

It was a massive mind-blowing change, one that you never expected. You had wished for it when you were younger, the massive crush you had on your brother’s teammate making you a fool. You desired it that winter you went to a bar with your brother and ended up leaving with Matt. You craved it every moment, during the stretch of hookups and illicit meetings after charity galas and nights out and engagement parties. You resigned that fantasy when you left for Los Angeles. You tried to banish the dream from your mind while you were underneath California’s sun.

But when you saw him again at Scotty and Emily’s wedding, the fantasy of being his resurfaced. Only this time, it wasn’t just something that you wanted. Matt wanted it just as much, if not more. And now, it was no longer a dream. It was your reality.

You were his. He was yours. Something that everyone in your life knew.

You had told your brother Scotty and sister-in-law Emily shortly after the two of you became ‘official’ and were happily surprised when they seemed okay with it. You were sure that their reaction would’ve been much different if they knew the entire timeline of your relationship with Matt Martin (something you were unsure if you would ever tell them). Your friends from college knew, although they were more skeptical, having known part of the tryst you and Matt had shared. Eventually, the news spread to the whole of the New York Islanders, as well as their wives and girlfriends, who welcomed you into a whole new world, one that you never experienced when you were just Scotty’s sister.

But the person that knew before anyone else did was Mat Barzal; the person who knew the entire history of you and Matt Martin and the only person who had one foot in each of your worlds. He was the most supportive of the change, a fact that was slightly surprising but not at all that shocking when you thought about it. You even sometimes thanked him, for giving you both the necessary push that allowed you to reconnect.

While everyone in you and Matt’s personal circles knew, you hadn’t – quote unquote – gone public with your relationship. The gossip blogs had deduced that Matt Martin may have been taken off the market but there was nothing confirmed by you or Matt or anyone else. Whenever you went to Islanders games or appeared in pictures with the other WAGs, you were still known as Scotty’s sister. There was never an implication that you were something more.

And when the New York Islanders had clinched their spot in the playoffs and the discussion of the ever-important WAG jacket began, you told Matt and the girls that you weren’t going to wear his last name on your back; a boundary that Matt respected and the girls playfully ignored. Something that you realized when you were invited to the ‘jacket reveal’ party (out of principle, of course) and had a large package placed on your lap.

In the moment, you were a little annoyed at them for ignoring your wishes, even though you knew that they did it with the best intentions. But now, in the friends and family box at UBS Arena, the jacket wrapped around your frame and your hands clasped in Lyla and Emily’s, you were happy that they did.

It was game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals after all. And the New York Islanders were less than five minutes and one goal away from reaching the peak of the mountain.

Your gaze is glued to the ice, your knuckles turning almost as white as the surface that the Islanders and the Jets were zipping across. You felt as if your breathing stopped every time Winnipeg entered the zone, also vying for that single goal that would bring the Cup to Canada instead. You flinch as Mark Scheifele took a shot at the net, your muscles only slightly relaxing when Ilya made the save. The Jets manage to secure the puck and throw it to back to the point where Josh Morrisey waits. Morrisey attempts to pass to his teammate Vilardi, but a miscommunication causes the puck to bounce off his skate instead.

The black disc sits in the expanse ice until someone scoops it up. And you can’t stop the screams of his name that escape your mouth as Matt Martin skates down the ice, his focus on the net in front of him, a Vezina trophy winning goalie between him and the deciding goal.

The puck flies off his stick and you swear you can feel the entirety of UBS Arena holding its breath. Until the rising shot sails by Connor Hellebuyck’s blocker and hits the netting. Then the arena seems to explode.

The goal horn coupled with the cheers from seventeen thousand people is deafening. However, it all seems like background noise to the way you’re screaming, your pure excitement not even muffled by the pile of bodies that rush over to hug you. You swear you can feel tears in your eyes as the girls pull away, your gaze connecting with the giant screen hanging over the ice as you watch Matt skate by the benches, receiving aggressively excited fist bumps and helmet pats from his teammates.

The reality that there was still two minutes left in the game washes over everyone quickly, the seasoned fans realizing that while things change quickly in life, they can change even quicker in hockey. But as the clock counts down, the nervous energy slowly transforming into that of pure excitement, your eyes scan the arena to find the number 17.

You see him on the bench, his body almost draped over the side as the Islanders hold the puck against the boards, the seconds dwindling down.

Three. Two. One.

The sound of the final buzzer almost makes your knees drop out from under you, your body wanting to collapse in pure relief. You don’t have the opportunity to because before you can blink, Lyla is gripping your shoulders, shaking you with pure joy.

“They fucking did it!!!” she screams in your face and you can do nothing except pull her into a bear-hug as the excitement from the girls, the fans, the players, the coaches, everyone fills the arena. Your eyes flick up to the Jumbotron to see the mass of blue jerseys surrounding the net as the team embraces.

You watch content as the traditionally handshake line happens, your eyes forever glued to Matt as he skates around, occasionally being pummeled with hugs and cheers befitting the game-winning goal scorer. The Conn Smythe trophy is brought out and you hug Lyla tight, cheering almost as loudly as she did when Mathew is announced as the winner.

When the Stanley Cup is brought out, you think it’s a miracle that you can even hear the commissioner over the sound of cheering – a noise that only becomes louder when Anders lifts the trophy over his head.

The girls slowly start filtering out, bustling to get down to the ice but you wait until Matt gets the Cup handed off to him, not wanting to miss the moment he holds the greatest trophy in all of sports for the first time. If you thought there were tears in your eyes when he scored or when the final buzzer went off, there was no denying their presence now as you watch Matt skate around the ice with the silver chalice held proudly over his head.

You feel Emily gently tug at your hand, pulling your attention away from the celebration and pulling you into the hallway and down into the bowels of UBS Arena. The ice is almost blinding as you walk out onto it, your arm linked in Lyla’s. She quickly abandons you when she spies Barzy, running towards him and enveloping him in a massive loving embrace, leaving you to catch up.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Conn Smythe winner,” you tease as you walk up to him, his arm securely wrapped around Lyla’s waist. His grin is wide as he pulls you into a hug. “Congrats Barzy. You deserve it.”

“Thank you,” he mutters to you, letting you go as you step back. You watch his eyes glance over your frame, registering the material wrapped around your torso. “Nice jacket.”

You laugh, the joy in your eyes reflected in his – your insanely supportive best friend.

“Have you seen him yet?” Mat asks, his question causing your eyes to dart around the arena.

“Not yet, but I’m sure he’s getting interviewed or something. I’ll just congratulate Scotty while I wait.”

“Does he know? About this?” he says, gesturing to your body. You reply with a playful shake of your head and Barzy whistles. “This will surely be a night he’ll remember forever.”

You giggle, Mat’s statement not even close to an exaggeration, even without the innuendo that one could easily attach. You give him a quick wave as you wander away, taking a moment to spy Emily standing next to Scotty and your parents. You run up to him, head butting him in the chest in greeting – a ritual that started when you were younger that the two of you continued to this day. Scotty embraces you, smiling as he takes in the moment.

You are laughing with your family when you feel the weight of someone’s gaze attaching to your frame. It is a slow turn of your head until your eyes connect with the ocean blue irises of Matt. You can see his chest rising in heavy breaths, the adrenaline of the moment still buzzing through his body. But the thing that nearly stops your heart is his expression; a mixture of shock and wonder so clearly painted on his face.

You smile, your attention falling completely from your family as you drift away, walking slowly towards him. He coasts up to you and you’re still unsure if his disbelief is related to winning the Cup or to the sight of his last name on your back until he stops in front of you.

“What – ” he begins to say, his hands reaching out to trace down your arms, fingers gliding over the material. His almost hesitance makes you giggle, a smile pulling at his lips in response.

“Surprised?” you laugh, before twirling slowly, the weight of Matt’s gaze raking across your frame undeniable. “It looks good on me, don’t you think?”

The confirmation Matt gives isn’t verbal at first. Instead, he simply lifts you into his arms, your legs instinctively hook around his hips. One of his hands flies into your hair and tugs you forward until your lips press together. The energy and excitement that had been sparking around the arena seems to funnel directly into the kiss. The way your body was buzzing had nothing to do with the glasses of white wine that you had consumed in the past hour and everything to do with the feeling of Matt’s lips against yours.

He finally breaks the kiss and sets you down on the ice, keeping you wrapped in his arms as he stares at you with just as much reverence as he looked at the Stanley Cup.

“You look fucking fantastic,” he mutters and you can’t stop the laugh at the bluntness of his statement.

“I thought I should dress up for you,” you muse, your hand lifting to brush away a few of the sweat-soaked stands of hair from his forehead.

“Glad you did. I think you were my lucky charm.”

“If that’s so, then why didn’t you sweep every series?” you tease, the joke falling from your lips.

“Because the universe needed to know that you were mine.”

The seriousness of his words has you pausing, your eyes looking into his, seeing the sincerity and relief reflecting in his pupils. You realized the gravity of the situation. What you were wearing… it wasn’t just a jacket with his last name sewn between your shoulder blades. It was a confirmation to him, to the team, to the fans, to the world that you were his, even after everything that lead the two of you to this moment.

It was a symbol of your commitment, your trust, your love. It was a public declaration that you were his. Completely.

You could never resist the pull of him, even before this moment, and you certainly can’t stop it now as you lean in and press your lips against his again in a kiss that was just as – if not more – passionate as the last.

“I think I’ve been yours long before I put this jacket on,” you whisper to him, your quiet confession clearly heard as Matt pulls you impossibly tighter against his body.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he replies, a remark that he has made a dozen times before and one that you never tired of hearing. You step back, the playful smirk appearing on your lips.

“Even now? After you scored the goal that made you a Stanley Cup champion?”

“There’s absolutely no comparison,” he asserts, lifting your chin to kiss you again.

Things change, that much was true. They morph and transform, get created and destroyed. What you and Matt shared had shifted more than you could possibly imagine. But it had changed for the better. The connection you two shared was the purest form of alchemy; taking something sordid and turning it into pure gold.  

tagging the "we're a bad idea" babes: @texanstarslove @smileysvech @laurenairay @dissonannce @cowboybarzy @cellythefloshie @provokedgoalie @m00nlightdelights @tkachvkmatthew @cixrosie @alwaysclassyeagle @geospatialharmony

[abstractmouse]

Alright, so I finished all the story branches from the FMA mobile Valentine's event, and I've compiled a summary/translation. Now let me preface with this: I do not know Japanese. I can read katakana, hiragana, and a handful of kanji, and I know basic sentence structure. So 99% of this is from Google Translate, and it may not be 100% accurate. It is long. I included some screenshots. With that being said, the summary is under the cut.

Chapter 1

It seems to be a dream sequence. There's this novel called Two Phantom Thieves that has become a sensation across Amestris, and everyone, including Roy Mustang, is reading it. He falls asleep while doing paperwork and imagines himself and Hawkeye as the titular thieves. It seems they have a rivalry, always hunting the same treasure. On their latest heist, they are caught in a trap set by Detective Hughes (with Havoc and Breda on his squad), and instead of fighting for the treasure, they have to work together to escape.

After escaping, Phantom Thief M (Roy) asks Phantom Thief H (Riza) to look at the moon with him and chat for awhile. She expresses her gratitude that their combined effort allowed her to escape. Roy says something along the lines of "We work well together. If we joined up, we could steal any treasure in the world." Riza is not keen on the idea. Apparently, she steals for the poor, while Roy steals for the wealth and fame. He says he has higher goals than wealth and fame and wants to change things from the top. Riza is surprised at the idealism and asks if he really thinks he can do it. He says he would tell her all about it, but the police are coming. Riza remarks that he seems different than usual, but regardless, next time the treasure is hers. She leaves and Roy has a moment where he reflects on her true identity and decides to have some fun with it.

The next scene shows that the Phantom Thieves have day jobs as reporters for the very same newspaper (return of glasses!Riza here). Their boss wants them to cover an event featuring the Eternal Chocolate Heart, but the viewing is only open to couples. Their assignment is to pose as lovers in order to write an article about the treasure. There is also something about alchemical research being revealed at the party and a competition for the alchemists to win the heart or something like that. Set up for the fighting portion of the event. It’s said that whoever touches the heart will be blessed with eternal love. Roy thinks to himself that this will be his next treasure hunt as Phantom Thief M.

Chapter 2

Reporters Mustang and Hawkeye arrive at the party, which is being hosted by Alex and Catherine at the Armstrong mansion. Hawkeye is holding Mustang’s arm stiffly, going over the type of information that they need for their article. Mustang says something like, “I know we’re just acting, but if you don’t seem a little more natural, they’ll find out we’re not a couple.” She ignores that and continues observing the situation.

Detectives Havoc and Breda are there, chatting with Catherine. Detective Hughes is also present with Gracia and Elycia. Hughes wants to get the Eternal Chocolate Heart for his daughter.

Armstrong gathers everyone and reveals the Eternal Chocolate Heart on a small table in the middle of the room, explaining that it has been imbued with alchemy. It’s divided into 4 pieces, and he says whoever eats one will be granted some kind of power, which works best when shared between two people. For that reason, they’ll be giving it as a prize to one of the couples tonight.

On the table, Armstrong is shocked to find that there are two envelopes: a pink one with the letter H and a blue one with the letter M. Notices from the Phantom Thieves. Armstrong then announces that if the thieves are here, stealing isn’t necessary. He invites them to join the competition as well. Mustang thinks to himself that it may be better to just do it fair and square.

Then the chocolate at the center of the table… disappears? Idk this part is a little unclear. Regardless, it was a decoy. The real chocolate is hidden in a labyrinth under the mansion. The winner will be whichever couple successfully recovers the chocolate.

Riza pretends to be dizzy, presumably so she can get away from Mustang and transform into the Phantom Thief. Roy also dons his disguise during this time. 

In the fight sequence, the Phantom Thieves have appeared again, and Detective Hughes and his squad are all over the place. They agree to join up again and manage to lose them.

Chapter 3

Another couple at the party, Bard and Emma, have progressed a little further and are in the gardens, but there’s a puzzle they can’t solve. They hide and try to let someone else figure out the mechanism instead.

Roy shows up and notices Riza has escaped to the same place as him. Annoyed, she says she was just about to stop him with her bullet. Roy flirts and says something like “I wish I had the time to celebrate our reunion.” Riza says she’s got some information to share: they’ll have to solve the mystery together to progress, but “We’re only working together for now! The chocolate is still mine.” Roy notes that the chocolate is in four pieces, and they could just share it. But Riza says that only half of the chocolate isn’t worth as much, and she needs to help as many poor people as she can. Roy agrees, and the matter is dropped as they solve the puzzles.

They notice Bard and Emma are following them. The story branches slightly here depending on player choice:

3A: Pursue Emma and Bard

This leads to a small fight sequence. Emma wants to get the treasure before the Phantom Thieves to ridicule them. After they run away, Riza looks pensive. Roy asks what’s bothering her. She says, “Nothing, I was just wondering if I could use them to get one up on you somehow.” Roy says “Well I’ll just continue to keep my guard up…”

3B: Ignore Them

Nothing really happens during this option. They get through the puzzle and Riza makes some remark about getting the treasure before Roy.

The different paths lead to slightly different versions of chapter 4.

Chapter 4-1 (Choose option 3A)

Mustang and Hawkeye are getting closer to the center of the labyrinth. They seem to be the first ones to get this far. Bard and Emma come up on them again. Mustang asks if Hawkeye is going to launch a surprise attack on him after helping her solve the mystery (?? I think. This could be directed at Bard and Emma). She says “I’ll watch your back. You focus on solving the puzzle.”

Roy goes through the puzzle (following a rabbit through the right flowers). Bard and Emma followed again. Now Bard wants to fight, but they are overwhelmed by the Phantom Thieves' synergy. Bard decides to fight another time and runs. 

Chapter 4-2 (Choose option 3B)

Bard and Emma have reached this point of the labyrinth before Roy and Riza. They are apparently not very good at puzzles and are lost again. They decide to hide again and let someone else figure it out. Roy and Riza arrive on the scene and chase the rabbit together this time. They arrive at the center of the labyrinth and note that it is eerily quiet and that it shouldn’t have been this easy. 

Bard and Emma launch a surprise attack. Roy says, “They seem to be quite skilled. Can I trust you with my back?” Riza says “It’s an honor to have your trust. Let’s win this.” Bard and Emma are overwhelmed by their synergy and run to fight another time.

In either path, the chapter ends by cutting to Detective Hughes with his family. They hear the fighting, so Hughes goes ahead of them to secure the path. He wants to catch the Phantom Thieves and get the chocolate for Elycia.

Chapter 5

Ngl this bit was a little confusing, so idk how accurate this is.

Hughes, Havoc, and Breda are blocking the next section. As they try to get through, Mustang tells Hawkeye that their only goal is the chocolate, so she should go on ahead. It seems the fight can’t be avoided, so they fight together. Roy remarks that it would do the detectives better to just solve the puzzles rather than try to chase them. Riza points out that Hughes’s family seems to have disappeared. The traps in this next section have tiles that make you teleport to another location.

They agree to truce and work together here. Roy doesn’t like the idea of a small child being all alone. 

Chapter 6

Gracia and Elycia were teleported just outside the labyrinth.

Cut to the group inside. The puzzle has a bunch of tiles that all need to be activated. They have to work together. Hughes wishes his family were here to solve it with him. He hears Elycia encourage him from outside the maze somehow??? Riza remarks that she’s just happy his family is safe.

Now that the tiles have been activated, all that’s left are for the 6 remaining tiles to be stepped on at the same time. However, they only have 5 people present. Emma comes out from hiding, saying Bard left because he was sick of losing. Now they have 6. They step on the tiles, and some creatures come out, guarding the chocolate heart that appears in the middle. They all have to fight to reach the treasure.

The ending is determined by which character you let grab the heart.

6-A: Riza gets the heart

Phantom Thief H reaches the heart first, announcing her victory, but Phantom Thief M pulls some trick and manages to snatch it. He says it’s not over yet. They can still catch him as he escapes from the labyrinth.

6-B: Roy gets the heart

Roy says, “The treasure is mine, Phantom Thief H. With this, I can reach the top.” He starts posturing, announcing to everyone that he got the heart. He says it’s not over yet. They can still catch him as he escapes from the labyrinth.

6-C: Any other character gets the heart

Exactly the same as 6-A, but replace Phantom Thief H with Hughes, Havoc, Breda, or Emma.

On a high balcony, Alex and Catherine are watching. Catherine says it’s finally her turn.

The story’s final ending is determined by your choice in this chapter.

Chapter 7

Roy is running away, noting that the party started at night, but it’s already dawn. As he is escaping, he falls into Bard’s trap, where he was waiting for the winner. He releases poison gas, disabling Roy. The fight sequence is against multiple Hugheses, caused by Roy’s confusion from the poisoning. 

Riza runs onto the scene and says she can’t let her partner lose to such cowardly tricks and helps him. Roy asks why she doesn’t just take the chocolate and run. She says she doesn’t want to win with dirty tactics and wants to beat him fair and square.

Catherine appears and determines that the bond between them is real (???) and leads them to the exit. Alex declares the Phantom Thieves as the winners as they emerge, but Roy is still affected by the poison, being supported by Riza. He mentions that the chocolate has the power of healing as well.

Riza lays Roy across her lap on a bench as she feeds him the chocolate.

Havoc, Breda, and Hughes wonder what they were fighting for to begin with or something and says they all worked together to solve the mystery.

Catherine and Alex talk about their intention with the chocolate. Apparently it was designed to make people work together, which is why she held the tournament.

Meanwhile, the chocolate seems to have worked. Mustang says “I feel a lot better. Thank you for your help, Phantom Thief H… or should I say, my colleague, Ms. Hawkeye?” Hawkeye grits her teeth but doesn’t say anything. He asks again if she will be his partner. He says if they work together, they can change the world. “After challenging the labyrinth with you and being rescued so many times, I’m convinced.” Hawkeye still doesn’t give an answer. He says not to rush. She can give him the answer soon.

Cut to Catherine and Alex again. She says the effects of the chocolate are maximized between two people with a particularly strong bond, which was proven by the Phantom Thieves. Alex says something like, “Too bad it only lasts 15 minutes…” lol. Hughes snaps out of it and shouts, “What the hell am I doing?!”

Back in reality, Mustang is woken up at his desk by Lieutenant Hawkeye. She says he must have been dreaming, since he was stirring and making noise in his sleep.

Roy tells her about the dream he had.

Chapter 7-1 (Choose option 6-A)

He says, at the end of the dream, they were able to escape from their pursuers after a fierce battle. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Phantom Thief M and Phantom Thief H are overlooking the grounds where the chocolate was. Mustang remarks that the chocolate makes people want to join hands together. He says he wants to give Hawkeye the rest of the chocolate. She is a bit skeptical. He says it’s so that he can “join hands with her” and he asks for her to be his partner again. She says that they were only allies temporarily for the competition, and their rivalry stands. She says instead of relying on chocolate to steal her heart, he should try stealing it with his own hands. Roy says he seems to have decided his next target.

Cut back to the real world. (biiiiig question mark about all of this:) Hawkeye remarks that she can’t believe he gave away all the chocolate in the end, but that sounds like him after all. Roy says that his rival was one step ahead a few times (?????), and a woman’s heart is deeper than the sea. Hawkeye says, “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

Chapter 7-2 (Choose option 6-B)

He says, at the end of the dream, they were able to escape from their pursuers after a fierce battle. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Phantom Thief M gives Phantom Thief H part of the chocolate. She asks why he would give her some when he was the one who won. He says, “If it’s mine, then half is yours, since you’re my partner.” She says she never gave him an answer. He replies, “But you’re here now. Can I still expect to see you by the beautiful moon?” (not 100% on that translation either) They hold hands in the moonlight.

Cut back to the real world. Hawkeye says that they have to continue to work hard to reach their goal, and she will continue to watch Mustang’s back. “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

Chapter 7-3 (Choose option 6-C)

He says, at the end of the dream, Hawkeye escaped under the cover of heavy rain, but he was caught by Detective Hughes, who was chasing him. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Mustang is being apprehended by Hughes while Hawkeye looks on from atop a tall building. She says that even though he may be a perfect phantom thief, his only weakness is water. All this heavy rain was just bad luck. She then says, “It’s sad that there’s no one left to compete with, but I’ll make your dreams come true some day.”

Cut back to the real world. Hawkeye says, “Even in your dreams, you’re useless on rainy days. What a shame.” Mustang says, “Don’t look at me with such pity, Lieutenant…” Hawkeye then says, “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

END

[tarotchariotpickyourcard]

PAC: Your unnecessary self doubts

PAC: YOUR UNNECESSARY SELF DOUBT

Hello, I’m back again after a big rest (rest? Focus on material aspects of life? It’s been busy).

Ironically, during Mercury retrograde, I was thinking I should get back on the reading wagon and get out there.

Happy birthday aquarius people, also.

Wasn’t sure what to do straight away, but I saw this idea of mine from a while back and thought, hey, we often doubt ourselves far too much. It can really hurt us in life, and get in the way of what others might think are simple acts or decisions. If you struggle with doubt, worry, or decision making, I see you.

So there we go, we’ll see what the cards want to say. This could be how we expect, or not at all.

We have 3 groups here, and I would like you to breathe deeply a couple times. Try and make sure things are fairly quiet for a minute. You can choose one of these lip balm pots from anything. It could be a favourite flavour, or colour, or a word, or number. You could ask your guides, angels, deities. Do your thing, yo.

From left to right: group 1 - salted caramel. Group 2 - chocolate truffle. Group 3- strawberry sprinkles.

GROUP 1: SALTED CARAMEL

I wonder if you’re detail oriented or observant people here, because I picked the item up and inspected it.

So your self doubts… We have the star, 7 of cups, and 7 of pentacles.

You know, the two sevens here remind me of something I read once. It regarded true love. I wonder, if this comes to mind for me now, does this mean you doubt your ability to obtain, or keep true love in your life?

I also got a sense of slowness. This could be regarding my point above, or general worries that you are slow as a learner, in terms of development, or in work. With this, this could literally be doubts that you would be able to take action on a dream or idea of yours. (I know, cliche, right? They all talk about following a big dream). The fact is, 7 of cups here is allllll about creativity and ideas, but I got the thought block that creativity is bursting out of the seams of you. You have all the ideas, bay-beeeee.

Things happen in their own time, yo. Just like how creative you can be, the universe can be just the same in how it allows life to unfold. Things work, they don’t work, they bring you to something unexpected, they remind you oh yeah I don’t actually want that yeah nevermi-.

You know what I mean?

Now, we have Dress of Alchemy - Release your power.

I see a lot of insecurity bottled up inside, and I feel a lot of pent up anger actually. I feel the need to protect people, or nature. You have ideas no one could ever take on as their own, because it was born from your own unique feelings and experience.

If you fear anyone would take your idea, or think it up before you, I want you to know, the way you would execute it would be so different from what they would ever do, You have value, inherently.

You know those stories, where someone is put down time and time again, and they win or succeed despite it? Ironically, those things are what made the story so much more intriguing and inspiring.

If someone just got up and did something and everyone clapped for them immediately, all the time, straight away with no problem, it wouldn’t be something so… full of depth and connection for others. 

I just keep getting the idea of, hard time in life, put downs, but this is your special story, and your special contribution.

Ps. do you cry when angry?

You don’t think you work hard enough? Have you seen what you’ve had to traverse through, pal?

Angel of time - working too hard.

With 7 of pentacles, this is too perfect.

I feel like there’s some unnecessary self doubt surrounding this because you appear to take a lot on, or think over many different things or have multiple priorities in mind. So when you think you’re being slow, in reality, you’re using a lot of brain power and generally completing many things long term.

Pps. you probably need a break. You deserve rest. With the power card, I wonder if you need to express the word “no” to others a bit more.

YOUR time, YOUR pace, YOUR journey.

It’s special, I know it sounds weird, but we need it. We need to see it, and you. I feel like it helps people to see something, about life, about themselves. You don’t have to air your life out, or blog, or anything, it’s about people who connect with you, every day. Any day.

Everything is going to happen at the perfect time for you. There is nothing wrong with you, everything is right with you. In the most cliché ending I can muster: Trust in the universe. Trust the timing. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Trust yourself, too, and your development pace, both personally and professionally.

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GROUP 2: CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE

I got the energy here firstly while I picked the cards of “that’s it. I’m not going to ask for more and more, or go over it. That’s it.”. Perhaps this means there’s an emphasis here of needing to, or learning to, leave things be, not worrying as much when something is done.

So we have 2 of wands, ace of wands, 4 of cups, and the tower. How interesting. I got the thought about worrying about mixing things up. 

2 of wands can be about decisions, ace of wands is taking action definitively and in a passionate, direct way. But 4 of cups here talks about disinterest, and I got the word denial. Do you deny yourself your passions? Projects, hobbies, job or study opportunities? The tower is like saying “I shouldn’t, I’ll only mess it up.” or these cards saying “why would this employer or whoever be interested in me anyway”.

You should do the thing anyway! Stuff gets messed up in all sorts of quirky ways, the world is a ball in space and us humans have literally made society up out of our imaginations. Crazier stuff could happen, so what the hey!

Don’t allow yourself to feel unhappy or bored for a minute longer if there’s something you know could help it.

There’s also a branch meaning here as well of finding it hard to choose between options because what's the point if it doesn’t work out. The point is you get out there and develop in a new way, whether short lived or not. You’re here to live, my amigo.

If you’re worried about disaster, the real disaster would be not giving yourself a chance. Don’t shoot yourself down before you’ve even made a decision. Or before anyone even has the chance to.

Sea beacon fairy - Guidance: but where will it lead you?

You-wha-what did I just SAY?! Just do the things! You might be right, you might be wrong, sometimes you’ve just gotta see. I feel like your guide wants to like, SHAKE you, this is hilarious to me.

The point isn’t to be RIGHT. It’s to experience, and your guides or those in spirit you connect to, want to assure you right here, that they will assist in making things the most pleasing it can be.

And if something does ever go pear shaped, what’s that friends reference? “PIVOT!” ?

Then we’ve got the three witchy sisters - The power of three.

Are you worried something bad would happen again? Or that you would make an ill fitting decision after having one happen before? You must trust yourself. Give yourself the chance, to prove to yourself, that you can make a good one. And if you feel you didn’t go for something you should have, perhaps there can be another chance. Let yourself have this chance, what ever it is for you. Study related, relationship related, work related, anything.

Don’t hold yourself back. You can trust you, and spirit has your back too. If things move and shake, let them, and take the next moment.

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GROUP 3: STRAWBERRY SPRINKLES

Do you worry about having fun, or if you’re fun enough? I just suddenly felt a little joy.

I feel a bit clearer with this group than the others, so I wonder if you’ve been trying to actively raise your confidence lately. I also find myself shuffling the cards quite harshly, so there’s a lot of energy and force here. This might mean something such as feeling the need to put their all in things to prove themselves, or you’re the type of person that really cares about what they do.

You can’t leave things alone, can you lol. I didn’t get a card for a bit and felt more forceful about getting it to happen. I feel like you’re being advised already to be more easy going.

Accident prone gang here?

2 of cups, queen of pentacles, and 7 of wands.

This makes me think of connections, but also boundaries. The queen reminds me of practical matters such as upkeep of the home, management of money.

This gives me thoughts of partnership, or family/home matters. With my original impression and 2 of cups, it does suggest to me that you worry about being able to make friends or connections as well as if people might like you.

This makes me feel that it’s unnecessary, because I see like… bubble popping. You know when you destress by getting bubble wrap and doing that? It’s like you’re that for other people.

I get the self doubts regarding keeping things in order. Being pragmatic. Maybe you also worry that you’re not strong enough, or that you might be seen as a pushover. However, with the queen of pentacles I really feel that this is your energy. Someone who is more firm, but still helpful and still there for others.

I get the sense of feeling tired or dizzy. Are there worries regarding health or the maintenance of a condition?

There are people you can count on, it appears, if this is the case. 

Mildew fairy - clean up time

Fairy of the divine hand - intoxication, distorted view, overindulgence

There may be a couple here who literally have struggled with intoxication. Addictions and so on, and there may be self doubt here about your ability to get clean of whatever it is, to begin, or to keep clean.

There is reassurance here, that you have seen more of yourself much clearly. No, you are not ruined. You are your own unique individual with your own quirks of life. Much like a cat that has a missing piece of its ear, you become aware that they have fought. And that is it - a history.

For others, this might literally be about being able to keep your home clean, or your body clean health wise. Perhaps there is anxiety about health in general. This could be like still asking for a 3rd examination, after being told something is fine.

For any of these scenarios here, you guys are doing better than you think you are, and a lot of it is due to the fact you have more self awareness than you think. I believe you are especially hard on yourselves. You are holding yourselves to higher standards than before, and for that, I see pride regarding you from spirit.

You are doing better than you think, and you CAN do better than you think.

Faceless ghosts and the haunted girl - ghost people.

You worry something will come back and take over? You have grown too much.

Even if the person, thing or situation does try and return, know you can refuse it. You can handle a situation or concern much better, and with far more education.

I feel you guys have opened your eyes so much.

There are some here that may have mediumship skills also, because the boundary point I made can connect to protecting yourself spiritually. There are many techniques you can use such as cleansing your home, using an energetic shield of white light, calling on archangel Michael to protect you, and much more. 

I can't help but think you might be wondering, is there something you're missing, what am I not seeing. But I think you guys know everything you need to. Please try not to get paranoid. You're doing great.

I feel like this is a very “know thyself” group. Trying to ensure they don’t make a mistake again, or that they manage things more wisely. You have support, it might not seem like it for some of you, but there are 1 or more out there who think kindly of you. You have a lot going on inside that brain of yours, let yourself step out of it a minute and experience life. Take the walk, enjoy a healthy meal, listen to music you connect with. SMELL THE FLOWERS. Something like that.

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Ok thanks bye hope it made sense.

[darklinaforever]

Anti-incest shippers make me laugh trying to imply our real life morality and going so far as to say that we have an incest fetish.

WTF ?

Incest is once again a super common trope in fiction that we can appreciate for various reasons linked to the narration and the issues it poses.

I like this trope, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ship every incest couple that comes my way.

For example, even if I appreciate their inclusion in the story for various reasons, I still don't ship Thomas & Lucille from Crimson Peak (even if the chemistry between the actors is great). I ship Thomas with Edith, the heroine. I don't ship Jaime & Cersei either. I ship Jaime with Brienne. Or more recently, in the film Flowers in the Attic : The origin, I do not ship the character of Corinne with Malcom, even if instead I ship her with her uncle and half-brother Christopher (🤭)... To go to Greek mythology, I certainly ship Hades & Persephone, uncle and niece incest, but I do not ship Hera & Zeus, brother and sister incest, for example.

Why don't I necessarily ship these relationships ?

A lot of factors come into play. Depending on whether a healthier and more convincing relationship is offered next door or not, for example.

I mean, clearly Thomas with Lucille, Jaime with Cersei, Corinne with Malcom, it reaches levels of toxicity leading to the probable destruction of the characters at a given moment, even the most sympathetic of the two, who we tend to like more and generally support and wish him out of this horrible relationship.

And do I need to talk about what a dysfunctional and toxic relationship Hera & Zeus is ? I do not believe. Although I know many actually like it, and it's to their credit if that's the case.

So when I'm accused of having an incest fetish and only liking a relationship if it has that aspect, that's stupid.

We ship for the chemistry, the history between the characters, what they bring to each other or not, the way they are represented within the relationship as horrible or not so horrible, etc.

As in the end... any type of ship.

It's not for nothing that we ship brothers and sisters or other members of the same family in fiction even when there is nothing incestuous between them. Usually, it's as simple as enjoying the chemistry between two actors. Nothing to do with a fetish either, since I don't ship all the fictional non-incestuous brothers and sisters that exist.

So accusing me of that is once again stupid.

It's like when I'm accused of shipping only when it's extremely problematic (especially for the woman whereas.. wtf ? I also ship when women are the bad guys, or the couples are lgbtq+ these people are stupid), which is ridiculous.

I can appreciate a ship with toxic aspects, but I will inevitably reach my limit at some point (and sometimes I'll just ship chips that are healthy). And even if I ship something truly objectively horrible in the story as this post shows :

That doesn't mean I expect the characters to get together, not at all.

I just generally appreciate the chemistry between the actors, more than the story of the characters itself which would lead me to ship which is certainly not the case when you see the horrible things that happen there.

At least, that's in my case, everyone has their own tolerance for toxic relationships depicted in fiction.

Saying that we have a fetish about incest or toxic relationships because we appreciate fictional tropes or alchemy between actors is just an excuse made by the antis so that they can justify their hateful attacks behind their screen.

Basically giving yourself a good moralizing role.

[injoontz]

♡ :: nct dream as taylor swift the tortured poets department songs ↳ just a silly song analysis of nct dream in a relationship

~ oc = original character ~ ~ unedited ~

🤍 — MARK LEE ! !

[ SO HIGH SCHOOL ] when it comes to mark i feel like the concept of a giggly, high school romance is something that would fit him perfectly. if i was a delusional mark stan i would say that mark gives high school crush, he's everyone's friend and is overall a very kind and bright person. he would be the type of boy that all the guys would want to be friends with and all the girls would have a crush on. but because of this, he would also be a bit oblivious to oc's obvious crush on him. he would make silly mistakes and be the slowest person to realize that oc has a crush on him until she finally tells him. only then would he start to pay more attention to her and slowly fall for her.

🤍 — HUANG RENJUN ! !

[ THE ALBATROSS ] this song makes me so emotional and to think of this song with renjun really makes my heart hurt. the concept of falling in love with someone that everyone is telling you that will hurt you but the reality is the opposite. renjun seems like the type of person to fall for someone and love them unconditionally, however those around him warn him about getting into a relationship. they'll say that him being in a relationship will ruin him and his reputation. renjun would fall for oc and oc would love him just as much as he loves her, but the public disapproves of their relationship warning renjun and telling renjun that he should break up with her. but oc tells renjun that she will protect him and that she will always be there for him, even if the public doesn't like their relationship, she is willing to put up with the hate so that they can be together.

🤍 — LEE JENO ! !

[ THE ALCHEMY ] jeno is just so the alchemy coded, the concept of a love that only happens once in a life time and two people forming new memories and love together. jeno and oc would be one of those perfect couples that while they may have arguments here and there, they are able to work through it together. they are the image of a perfect healthy relationship. they are the champions of the world because they are together. not to mention taylor's line "where's the trophy? he just comes running over to me," just seems like a very jeno coded song. he would win an amazing award at a music show but the moment he gets off stage, he doesn't rush to take a photo with the trophy but instead runs to oc and embraces her.

🤍 — LEE HAECHAN ! !

[ IMGONNAGETYOUBACK ] you can't even argue with me about this song because it's just so haechan coded. in this song, the narrator is singing about their ex and how they are going to get them back. however, the double meaning behind this song makes it obvious that the narrator is confused about what she wants to do to her ex. she's fighting between wanting to get back together with her ex and loving him, or if she should get revenge on him for hurting her heart. in this instance, the narrator and haechan had an amazing healthy relationship, but a series of mistakes led the two to break up with both of them ending on bad terms with one another. i can imagine a second-chance romance with a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers trope. there would be high tension between the two as they try to force themselves to hate one another but secretly they still like one another and eventually after some pushing from their friends, they are able to talk things out and be together again.

🤍 — NA JAEMIN ! !

[ DOWN BAD ] do i need to say anymore? the lyrics themselves scream jaemin. from crying in the gym to longing for the lost relationship, i feel like for jaemin, this would be another one of those relationships that ended abruptly due to some sort of misunderstanding. in this case, the misunderstanding came from oc and her inability to talk it out problems with jaemin. additionally, letting his emotions get the better of him, jaemin and oc wouldn't be able to talk out their misunderstanding and he would leave her to protect himself from further heartbreak and distress. but now the oc is torn due to her mistake and inability to communicate with jaemin. she's singing about how she's still in love with him but is lost in how to approach him and fix their broken relationship.

🤍 — ZHONG CHENLE ! !

[ I LOOK IN PEOPLE'S WINDOWS ] with chenle i feel like this is the type of relationship that ended quietly. there was no crazy fight or misunderstanding but there's still a loss between the two. after they break up, there's a odd sense of emptiness that the narrator is trying to fill. the lyrics depict a narrator who had a minor yer also significant personal loss. she finds herself obsessively looking into the windows of houses in hopes of catching a glimpse of chenle. additionally, seeing chenle online and seeing his performances, she finds herself longing and seeking him out more. despite having broken up with one another on good terms, there's still a desire to understand where their relationship went wrong and to reconnect with one another to try and bring back the love that they lost.

🤍 — PARK JISUNG ! !

[ FRESH OUT THE SLAMMER ] this song refers to the narrator breaking out of a relationship that she feels jailed in. however, the narrator is still reliving parts of the relationship that she misses and yearns for. i feel like with this song, jisung and the oc are in a healthy relationship until they become public. once the public eye catches wind of their relationship everything changes and now the relationship seems to be holding the oc hostage. everything that they would do would be publicised, and the oc hates that. however, the second message in the song saying "now pretty baby, im running home to you", rather than applying it to a second relationship as many swifties have in terms of joe and matty, i like to think of this as the oc runs to jisung for consolation. she's trying to escape the public eye ("the slammer") by running to jisung ("home") because he is always there to comfort her and support her. despite the pressure from the public, she doesn't want to ruin her relationship with jisung and instead she would rather push through the bad parts so that she can remain with him and cherish their relationship.

©injoontz 2024

[emeraldtart]

Different scenarios where one of the first years gets really hurt? (first years bonding!!)

:D

(Warning: Blood and injury mention on some of the first years)

Ace Trappola

He gets himself hurt every other day.

It can range from alchemy class incident, got hit by a basketball or even tripping himself.

But when he came to Ramshackle with bruises, a split lip, and red eyes, Epel is immediately asking for names.

Apparently he got into a fight in town and got overwhelmed, so he ran before things could get worse.

Jack and Sebek deals with Ace's injuries while Deuce, Epel and Yuu (+ Grim) are helping Ortho get payback at that person.

Yuu later invites Ace for dinner at Ramshackle.

The money isn't theirs, but it's alright.

Deuce Spade

Probably get into a fight with the more delinquent students, or he tries to stop a fight.

Anyway, he ended up with a swollen cheek.

Yuu gets some ice from the fridge while Epel is asking for names.

Deuce, being the sweetheart he is, asks them to let it go.

It was just an accident, there's no need to escalate it.

Unfortunately, Deuce forgets that his friends are not normal.

The student that picks a fight with Deuce lost their money for the month.

Jack Howl

He fell into one of Rook's trap holes that was meant for Leona.

The hunter helped him get out, but the damage is done.

So now Jack is forced to stay in his room for two weeks until his ankle healed.

No jogging or any activities that might put too much pressure on his legs.

He was bored out of his mind and was considering jumping out of the window to escape and have a quick run.

Luckily the first year squad help keep him company.

Sebek offers to carry Jack, but he can't even get a step out of the door before collapsing.

Epel Felmier

Most likely alchemy incident.

He was making potions in Crewel's class but ended up tripping and have one of his arms smashed under a cauldron.

He ended up with a cast and has to wait until it healed.

Problem is, that injured arm is his dominant one.

Yuu helps him takes notes, and even offers to help him study later.

The first years all sign his cast, with Grim stamping his paw on it.

Epel was a bit sad in having the cast removed.

Ortho Shroud

How should I say this...

It's not an injury per se, but

Ortho kinda... Forgot that he's a robot.

It happened during recess, and everyone was eating.

Ortho forgot that he's not supposed to eat solid food and eat the food that Yuu bought for everyone (using money from the people that picked a fight with Deuce)

It wasn't until Grim, of all people, that realised why is Ortho eating. When everyone realized he immediately shuts down.

The panic and took Ortho to Idia.

It'll take a couple of weeks for Idia to clean Ortho's body, so for the meantime he'll use the floating tablet to go to class.

The others help Ortho by picking up his stuffs and playing games while they wait for his body to be cleaned up.

Ortho founds out he can enter his game avatar and play in first person pov in game.

Chaos ensues.

Sebek Zigvolt

Got hurt at the field.

He was busy yelling at Silver to wake up, because they're on a broom.

He didn't watch where he was going and ended up crashing to a tree.

The last thing he remembered was a wet feeling on his forehead, feeling dizzy and before everything went dark he heard Lilia yelling his name.

He woke up at the infirmary with his head bandaged.

Turns out he hit his head pretty hard and landed in a patch of magic flowers just outside the field.

Said magic flowers will make people speak no louder than a whisper.

It's mostly up to Jack and Ortho to help Sebek, since he can't even speak at normal volume.

It wears off in a week or so, so Diasomnia was... Strangely quiet.

So quiet that some students had insomnia (lol) because they were used to having Sebek's loud voice as background noise.

Grim

Poor guy got kicked by a random student.

He ended up with a broken hindleg and has to stay at Ramshackle until it heals.

Meanwhile, the other first years are holding back the prefect who is beating the person who kicked Grim into a bloody pulp.

How are they so strong?

Not even a robot, a huge wolf beastmen, a half fae and three students could hold them back.

The other students who witnessed the bloodbath silently vow not to mess with the cat.

Back with Grim, Yuu makes him special food to raise his spirits.

It was peaceful until Grim asks Yuu;

Grim: "Hey, what happened at school? I heard some guy got beaten to a bloody pulp or somethin',"

Yuu: "... Just the usual fighting, you know how it is,"

The rest of the first years: 'It's not the 'usual' fight, your other student half nearly committed homicide!!!'

Yuu

Some students probably picks a fight with the magic less prefect while thejr friends aren't with them.

When Grim finds Yuu on the ground with blood on their face, first thing he did is get help.

Second thing he did is tell the others what happened.

It is on sight.

Of course, they didn't pick a fight with other students, Yuu would definitely tell them to be more creative.

So Ortho just hacks into their student account and steals two months worth of money.

Then he hacked into Monstro Lounge's bank account and transferred the same two months worth into the bullies' account.

Then he messaged Azul that someone hacked into their account.

Azul, along with the Tweels act accordingly to Ortho's plan. Those students ended up working at Monstro Lounge to pay back for the money they never stole.

The first years use the money to fix up Ramshackle, buy food supplies and buy get well gifts for Yuu.

If you think that's the end of it, you're mistaken.

The rest of the NRC friend group found out what happened, so they delivered punishment to the students who beat Yuu up.

Since Yuu is friends with all of the dorm leaders, none of those students could escape their dorm leader's wrath.

[chaoticspeedrun]

Donnie x fem! Reader The little merturtle 3

Summary: Prince Donatello was the third of four brothers, the prince of an underwater yokai city, but he has always been searching for something else far more interesting than the mystic arts he is used to, he wants to know everything about the human world, their traditions, their creations... But when he finds himself entranced by a human princess it might just be the last push he needs to make his dream of exploring the land a reality.

"Without listening to Raph trying to stop him, Donnie hurriedly gulped down the fuchsia liquid, it went down quickly to his brothers' dismay, and he left half of it untouched.."

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, tooth-rotting fluff

PREV • MASTERLIST • NEXT

The alchemist and the queen

A pair of eyes stared at Donnie as he sobbed at the bottom of his treasure cove, now only filled with piles of dust and burnt memories, the gargoyles slowly came out of hiding, swimming in circles around him.

“Oh, poor guy” Huginn said “That was really tough, don’t you think?”

His companion nodded sympathetically while Donnie raised his head to see them, a glare prominent between his brow “Oh, yes it was, I didn’t expect king Splinter to treat one of his children like that! It was so unfair.”

“Yes! So unfair!”

“What do you want?” Donnie snarked “That was private, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong” He growled.

“Man, sorry! We’re being rude Huginn” Muninn said, and Donnie heard Huginn apologize “We don’t have any ill will, we were just passing and hear the whole thing, it sounded like someone was in trouble.”

“Yeah, and after what we watched we just wanted to see if you were okay” Huginn finished, Donnie loosened his guard slightly, he was way too tired to fight them now, the crying had taken away all his energy and he just wanted a long nap.

Before he could tell them to leave again Huginn spoke once more “The collection you had was incredible, oh I love human stuff”

“Yeah! Master Draxum has a lot of their things lying around” Muninn said happily, grabbing Donnie’s attention.

“Draxum?” The turtle asked.

Hook.

“Oh yeah, you’ve heard of Draxum right?” At Donnie’s deadpan look that said he absolutely didn’t or he wouldn’t have asked Muninn continued “He’s a great warrior alchemist! He has been experimenting with human DNA since forever, he and Big Mama used to work together but that was, well, it was when Big Mama was still queen.”

Donnie raised an eyebrow, he had heard about Big Mama, at least briefly, but she had been long since dethroned by his father when Donnie was just a guppy, the only thing he knew about her was that she was dangerous and had been exiled because of that.

But of course, he thought bitterly, his father didn’t tell him many things it seemed.

“Why would he experiment with human DNA?” Donnie asked.

Line.

“Well usually Big Mama would give favors to her most valued subjects and a couple of times the requests were for them to be able to walk on land with the humans, with her magical powers as an energy source and Draxum’s alchemy they managed to find a way to give yokai the ability to live up top and vice versa, it was a time when both humans and yokai coexisted!”

Donnie’s eyes widened and he could have gotten whiplash with how fast he looked back at the gargoyle; the words that had just been spoken to him seemed like an impossible fairytale, it couldn’t be true, could it? A time when humans and yokai interacted together.

His mind went into overdrive, piecing all the puzzle pieces together, the mandate for yokai to not get in contact with humans was only put in place when his father acquired the throne, maybe that was how he himself had learned of yokai while being a human?

Donnie gulped loudly, his father had said he was ‘turned into this’, maybe the two of them had done that? And maybe that was why Big Mama had been exiled.

His eyes shifted between the gargoyles “So Draxum could help yokai walk on land?”

Huginn nodded “Definitely, why? Are you curious? It’s only natural, humans make so many cool things, it just makes sense.”

Donnie hesitated for a moment, he looked down at the pieces of debris covering the floor of his cove when he found it, his eyes paused wide on a piece of rock that had been separated from the rest, your statue had broken mostly in tiny pieces, except for your face, it lay there right in front of him sending a pang through his chest again, of both sadness and anger.

It pushed him to make a choice.

“Guide me to them” He ordered.

Sinker.

Huginn and Muninn smiled at him “Sure buddy, come on! Follow us.”

Swimming around in circles somewhere still in the reef were Raph and his two brothers.

“I didn’t mean to tell” He swore, “It was an accident!”

“We know, big guy” Leo said, kicking a pebble with his tail.

“We just need to give Donnie some space, what happened was…” Mikey cringed “Devastating to him, to say the least” He muttered, it didn’t make Raph feel much better.

He was about to say something else when they both heard Shelldon calling out to them, they turned to see the little turtle hurrying their way.

“Dudes! It’s Donnie! He’s going with some gargoyles far away from the limits!” He explained rapidly.

The guys all looked at each other worried “Which way was he going?” Leo asked.

They soon caught up to their brother who was swimming along the gargoyles, Raph recognized those gargoyles, he’d heard tales from the castle’s servants when he was little, of a banished alchemist and his subjects, it made him hurry as his mind alerted him of danger.

“Donnie!” Raph called swimming close to his brother “Where are you going?!”

“I’m going to see Big Mama and Draxum,” Donnie said in a monotone, a firm frown still set on his face that told his brothers he didn’t plan on changing his mind or listening.

Raph still tried “What?! Donnie no! Draxum is dangerous, he’s a demon!”

“Why don’t you go tell father Raphael?” Donnie bit back, looking at his brother for just a moment before continuing on his way “You’re good at that.”

Raph faltered slightly but Mikey gave him a reassuring look and the three all followed their brother into the lair of the exiled queen and warrior.

Donnie shivered and swam faster, wanting to get to the end quickly, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Wow” Donnie winced once they reached the entrance “Stunning choice of décor,” He said sarcastically, looking at the dry algae laying around the unkempt place, he saw then something that petrified him, in between the algae there was something else, something alive and looking dry, many of them shriveling where they stood stuck to the walls of the cave, some beings with eyes, staring straight at him.

One of those things took grasp of his arm and he gasped, pulling rapidly, grossed out by the thing, and feeling nauseous, he managed to unlatch it from his wrist, and without looking back he reached the end of the tunnel as fast as he could.

“Come in, come in~” A feminine voice called out to him, Donnie breathed heavily after the experience but turned to see a yokai with pink skin and white hair looking back at him with a sweet smile. “Oh my, you look so white! Such worry is not good for your emerald complexion, here, sit, sit, I’ll get you something to drink.”

The woman guided him to a seat and Donnie by reflex sat, now holding a flower in his hands as a cup, he recovered from his panic and looked attentively at the woman with skepticism “Are you Big Mama?” He asked.

“That I am turtley-boo, oh look, your brothers are here” She said smiling at the other three turtles that swam in with caution. “come, come, I do not bite, oh it’s been so long since we’ve had guests” The woman hummed, her attitude and his brother’s presence –Though he’d deny it— calming Donnie slightly and apparently his brothers too who while still weary sat down next to him.

Before Donnie could get to the point of his visit she spoke again “Now, you’re here because you have a thing for this human, a human princess at that! You certainly know how to choose them, darling, she is quite a catch.” Big Mama said nodding her head approvingly but making Donnie tense up once again.

“How do you know that,” He asked with his eyebrows furrowed, Mikey was surprised he didn’t deny it.

“Oh dear turtley-boos it used to be my job, as you might know, to know everything about my subjects, to help the hidden city prosper! And of course, you do not remember me, but I was right there the day you were all created” She hummed knowingly making them all look at her questioningly “Oh you were such adorable little turtles just before Draxy made you into what you are, better, stronger! So powerful and intelligent!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, that’s nice and all, uh? Auntie? I guess, can I call you auntie? But I’m sorry, you just said we were ‘created’? As in, you know, do you mean born? “Ok, no, I’m confused about whatever you’re going on about” Leo blabbed looking for an explanation for this whole entire messy affair.

Big Mama hummed “You’re right, that’s so rude of me, perhaps Draxy can help me explain, Oh Draxy~!” She called out and from another room inside the cave a goat yokai walked out, firm in every step he took, way more serious than the old queen attending to them.

He didn’t have a friendly look to him, Raph thought, no wonder Big Mama was the one greeting guests with that attitude.

Draxum greeted them all as if he knew them personally to their shock, the two gargoyles hanging from his shoulders “It has been too long, my warriors.”

“Thank you, yes hi, this only raises more questions” Leo groaned loudly.

It wasn’t for long, the two exiled yokai used a magical orb to show them the day of their ‘mutation’ is what they called it, or bits of it at least, not that the boys would know.

It was explained to them how with Splinter turned into a merman they were mutated from mere turtles to merturtles and how Splinter was accidentally mutated into a rat afterward, what was left clear was that Draxum had created them, to Mikey that essentially made him their second dad and Big Mama had been there that day, working as the power source that helped in their creation.

“Your father and I had our disagreements” Big Mama looked sad, only Leo wasn’t buying it “After he was rejected by the human world he started going against all of our work in uniting both worlds, Draxum and I were exiled out here because we were the last connection between both” Big Mama lamented but then smiled softly at Donnie “Poor turtley-boo, longing to be understood, for a world he cannot have, humans are so full of curiosity aren’t they? Just like you, is that why you crave it so much? But thankfully, you found us, and what could be better for the relations between humans and yokai to thrive again than an alliance between the royalty of both worlds? Oh darling, wouldn’t it be beautiful?”

Donnie’s heart was beating hard in his chest with those suggestions, was it possible? Or was it dumb for him to believe? But his mind kept telling him that everything was right there in front of him! Draxum and Big Mama had just placed all of their cards on the table, while his own father had hidden the truth from them for their whole life!

His chest filled with hope when he saw how Raph and Mikey were much less tense, processing the situation with softer eyes, he could even see Mikey smile slightly.

Leo though wasn’t buying it at all, he could tell something wasn’t right.

“Donatello” Draxum spoke this time taking Donnie’s attention “Follow me for a moment will you?”

Donnie looked from the yokai who stood up to walk through one of the halls to his brothers, Leo was about to stop him but Mikey spoke first “Go! We’ll be right here!” He said cheerily and Raph agreed hesitantly, they were right there after all.

Donnie followed the yokai and they walked silently for a moment “Child, your curiosity is not a fault, in fact, without people like you our world would never get anywhere” The yokai assured finally looking back at the merturtle who was giving him his complete attention, his words reassured Donnie, no one had ever truly understood his fascination with the human world but this yokai had been working with humans before he was born, and Donnie, well Donnie craved the approval, he started smiling smugly at the older yokai’s words.

Draxum continued speaking “It is the intelligence you were blessed with that would make the world you seek a reality, do not let anyone fool you, here” Draxum stopped in front of a table filled to the brim with colorful potions, shining bright with unnatural colors, he took a fuchsia-colored one that reflected its light on his skin.

 “This is the potion that you need, the only way to get what you want is to become human yourself, it requires a strong energy source which Big Mama will help you with, after finishing the correct ritual you will be fully transformed.”

“A human?” Donnie was hesitant before questioning “I heard you helped yokai walk along humans.”

“Well that is true” Draxum agreed, Big Mama and the rest of Donnie’s brothers entered the room then, listening by the door “However I fear humans have not seen yokai for decades, it might be dangerous if you kept your form, looking like a human would help you socialize with them,”

Donnie nodded his head and his father’s words from before were back in his mind.

“That human you saved may have been grateful the moment she breathed, but once she realizes who saved her, she won’t look at you as a hero but a monster.”

It pained him slightly to think it might be true, a new insecurity had made its way into his mind, turbulent as it was already through so many events, but with that potion, he wouldn���t have to worry about that, if he could meet you as a human then –his heart beat a little faster— his chances with you might be much better, and eventually, he could tell you who he truly was, once he knew you’d be open to it.

Donnie nodded taking the bottle in his hands, Big Mama placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Now, before anything you must know this first, every spell has to be extremely specific and it has a cost as you boys may know” She began explaining “The potion and my magic will make you human for one month! It is very important that you keep track of the time because before the sun sets on the last day you need to make the princess fall in love with you.”

“What?!” There was a chorus of the four turtles exclaiming at the same time.

“But why?” Donnie asked blushing wildly.

“Well, the terms and conditions settle with a true love kiss as many do, I’m sure you know, but don’t worry I am sure you can do that!” Big mama pinched his cheeks, and he batted her hands away “The reason for that is the cost of the wish, to keep the form and remain on land for more than a month would be too expensive, only the true love kiss may seal the magic then.”

Donnie grunted in acceptance, he knew how costly spells could be and this wasn’t a simple one, his request was huge.

“If she does kiss you before the end of the month you may remain human, permanently! But if she doesn’t, you’ll turn back into a merturtle.” Big Mama finished.

Raph looked like he was about to say something, to pull Donnie away and tell him he shouldn’t go through with it, Leo beat him to it.

“That’s it?” He asked doubtfully “He’ll just be back, no other consequences?”

“Oh Poseidon, no” Big Mama assured, “Just like that! The only thing I ask of you Donnie is that you reunite our worlds, after all, you wouldn’t want to leave your brothers behind surely, nothing would be more perfect than that.” She said, turning to Donnie.

He was excited, a moment ago all his dreams seemed to have shattered into a million pieces and now he had a chance to explore the human world and its wonders like he had wanted his whole life and he could meet you! Properly, like he had wanted, there was only one more thing he needed to ask, even if he just wanted to dive right in for the potion before his brothers decided to pull him away.

“What is the cost to transform in the first place?” He asked and the attention of his brothers went back to the exiled.

“Your voice” Big Mama answered easily.

Raph gasped “His voice?! How is he even supposed to make the princess fall in love with him in a month if he can’t even talk?”

Donnie winced, his brother did make a good point, of course, the situation couldn’t be so perfect.

“Oh don’t worry, there are so many other methods of communication my dear! I am sure you will figure one out, and if she truly is worth it, I’m sure she won’t mind! So, whenever you want turtley-boo! You only need half of the potion and I’ll make the contract.”

“Donnie” Leo spoke quietly close to his twin “I know you want this but I don’t trust Big Mama, there’s something they’re not telling us.”

Donnie rolled his eyes “Oh come on Leo, this is my chance! This is the only way I would ever get to see the human world!” Donnie’s voice made Leo deflate “If I tried anything else dad would chain me down to the castle’s floor, I’m ready.”

Without listening to Raph trying to stop him Donnie hurriedly gulped down the fuchsia liquid, it went down quickly to the dismay of his brothers, and he left half of it untouched.

Rays of golden color started enveloping him, coming out of Big Mama’s hands, her eyes now glowing white, and a piece of paper floated right in front of Donnie, he took the pen in front of him and quickly signed his name on the paper, he tried to read its contents while doing so but only got so far because once his name was fully signed in it disappeared, the golden light turned green and Donnie started feeling a scratch on his throat, he coughed loudly before feeling like the water left his body.

His brothers looked at him in panic and determined Leo took the bottle with potion out of his grasp, chugging a whole gulp of it in before reaching out towards Raph and forcing the drink on the eldest’s mouth who coughed wildly after that having been taken by surprise, Leo did the same with Mikey and pulled them both toward were Donnie’s transformation had just begun.

“Wait!” Draxum yelled but the three other turtles were engulfed in the light too.

Mikey watched in terror as Donnie yelled, his tail separating in an instant and suddenly there was a pair of feet where it used to be.

He himself started feeling weird, but on his upper body, before he could think about it though Mikey felt someone pulling him to Donnie and he realized then that his brother could not breathe under the water anymore.

Donnie’s lungs felt like they were on fire, he was clawing at his throat and realized his gills were gone, he tried to pull himself up, but thankfully he was dragged up out of the cave by some pairs of…fins?

They reached the surface and Donnie gasped, breathing heavily, the air was sweet salvation from all the pain he’d just endured, two bodies pushed their way under his arms, pulling his tired body toward the shore, belatedly, he realized the fish pulling him forwards were his own brothers, transformed into fish, or well, Mikey was a fish, an overly grown goldfish.

It made Donnie wonder if they were more related to Piebald than they’d originally thought.

Raph however, looked like a full-grown alligator snapping turtle, it must have been the effect of drinking just a bit of the potion without the contract Donnie had made with Big Mama.

Donnie was deep in his delirium, trying to make sense of what was happening to deviate his mind from the pain he had just experienced, so he looked for Leo, assuming surely that like his tail he’d become a sailfish after the spell.

They were about to reach the shore, but Donnie couldn’t stay conscious any longer, unable to find Leo to distract himself, he blacked out.

You were walking outside the castle, the building lifted from the sea but overlooking it by rocks and pillars, you rested your back against one of its walls while Mayhem played around close to the water, Mayhem had always seemed to love the sea as much as you did, sometimes it seemed like if you left him alone he would swim deep into the waters like they were home.

Your smile was soft but was soon eclipsed by your thoughts as they wandered back to a couple of days ago, your mind kept repeating the words of your savior over and over again, it made your heart flutter, what you remembered him saying about wanting to know your world and you, you wondered what he meant exactly.

You were snapped out of your daydreaming by a bark from Mayhem, sighing softly you pulled yourself away from the wall and started walking away from the castle.

“Do you think Casey is right?” You asked your companion with a small frown “Maybe a did drink too much seawater? I mean I swear I saw a tail disappear into the water” you chuckled humorlessly, worried that so many mermaid tales had just messed with you that day and you had just imagined an impossible romance.

Mayhem’s bark in response made you smile again “You’re right, I can’t just give out hope already, right? I know what I felt that day” your confidence returned, at least slightly, maybe you should go around town again. You weren’t able to see him properly that time but you were sure you’d recognize his voice anywhere.

Donnie felt the beginnings of a headache and groaned while recovering consciousness, he must have been laying on the beach because he could feel the sand beneath his…actually, his back felt weird over the sand.

His hand reached up to his head to get rid of the headache when he felt it, Donnie jumped up to sit up straight at the feeling of five fingers on his forehead instead of three; his eyes examined the foreign hand in front of him with fascination and his expression turned gleeful at the realization of what he was looking at, a five-fingered hand in golden brown that was his own.

His gaze went down quickly to where his purple tail would rest to find in its place a pair of legs the same color as his arm, he was human! He was truly human! He moved his feet in fascination, the fingers moving almost one by one while his hands were flapping rapidly; he was so excited he could scream!

No sound came out of his mouth, but he was too elated to care or notice at that moment.

Mikey gasped with sparkly eyes “Donnie! You’re human!” His little brother screamed like he hadn’t noticed already “Ohmigosh, you look so weird but so cool! But what will dad say?! Oh what if he finds out, wait of course he’s gonna find out, oh and I’m a fish now, he’s gonna be so pissed, maybe he’s worried already! What if he comes looking for us? What if he mobilizes everyone and—”

“Mikey!” Raph called out beside him “Calm down! We can’t panic now! No one panic!” He said, already panicked, his eyes barely leaving Donnie who still looked too excited to care about what was happening around him, he was trying to stand up on both legs, at first, he almost fell down, but he managed to hold himself up, even though his legs trembled under his body.

That was until he heard Raph’s next words.

“We need to go back and tell pops, I should have done that the moment you started swimming to Draxum” Raph’s words sent Donnie into a frenzy, he reached out to his now more of a turtle brother, shaking his head over and over to express his discontent “Don’t shake your head at me, young man! Look at what’s happening! Maybe we can get Big Mama and Draxum to turn you back and give you back your voice! We’d go home and back to normal, then you’d just be…”

Raphael’s rant stopped slowly while he stared into his brother’s eyes which were just the same despite his human appearance, Donnie looked pained and it sent guilt straight into the core of Raph’s being “Just be…miserable for the rest of your life” Raphael conceded looking down at the sand and sighing, yes, he was worried, but it wasn’t fair of him to take away his brother’s final chance at everything he had ever wanted. He sighed before looking back at Donnie “All right all right, we’ll find that princess and get you that kiss.”

Donnie grinned wildly, his legs unconsciously moving up and down under him, making him unstable for a moment before he steadied himself again, he only then noticed one of his brothers must have covered him up with an old boat sail while he was unconscious because it was tied around his figure, ignoring that, for now, he instead punched the air to show his excitement, his brothers chuckled at him looking much calmer now.

“All right! We’re getting Donnie his smooches and giving dad a vacation, let’s go!” They heard Leo’s voice call out and looked around but couldn’t see anything “Right here big guy, ugh it’s weird calling you that instead of Raph” The merturtle mumbled.

Instead of what Donnie thought he’d find his eyes stumbled into a tiny red-eared slider turtle looking at him from over a rock and the now man couldn’t stop himself from falling backward on the sand as he tried to recover his breath, laughing soundlessly but wildly at the appearance of his twin brother.

Raph’s and Mikey’s laughter was much louder, and Leo only rolled his eyes “Oh give it a rest, would you?! I do all of this so we can help Donnie out and all I get from you guys is mocking!”

“You turned us into turtles and a fish!” Raph exclaimed “We don’t even know how to get back to our bodies! And how is Mikey going to follow Donnie on land?”

“Well yeah, I didn’t know what exactly the effect would be on us” Leo mumbled almost in a whisper “But! We do know when we’re going to be back to normal! We didn’t make a contract and only took a small dose of the potion, in a month regardless of what happens the three of us will just be back to normal no worries! Right, Donnie?” Leo said confidently and Raph looked from him to Donnie with skepticism.

Donnie who’d just recovered his breath looked thoughtful, he considered what Draxum and Big Mama had said and it seemed about right, he nodded in reply and started looking around for his mask which was nowhere to be seen, while he marveled about it being gone and realized finally that there was hair where it usually rested on his head Raph sighed and Leo looked smug.

“All right fine, now, how do we find this princess?”

You were still walking close to the shore when Mayhem suddenly started jumping around you, barking and trying to pull you further away “Woah, what’s up Mayhem?” You asked the pet who kept making motions for you to follow, and you gave in with a chuckle, following Mayhem as they ran far away from you.

“All right Donnie, can you just tie that better? It’s gonna fall any moment now and I really don’t wanna see THAT” Leo groaned pointing at the cloth over Donnie’s body who was trying to hold it over his shoulder and waist.

A familiar bark took their attention, nearing them quickly.

Mayhem rushed over Donnie’s way and not knowing what to expect he hurried over to a rock, trying to hide from the creature behind it, Mayhem jumped close to Donnie who looked back in amazement before he heard your voice, repeating the scene back at the ship when he had seen you for the first time.

Donnie’s knees wobbled for a moment but he stabilized himself again quickly seeing you reunite with your pet before your eyes went up and clashed with his.

You seemed to pause in surprise and he wondered for a moment if you had recognized him somehow despite how different he looked now.

Mayhem went back to Donnie, jumping around and turning back to look at you like he was saying ‘Here! He’s right here!’, when you looked at this man you had the same feeling from before with your savior, you were confident Mayhem was right, this was him, it had to be, he looked shipwrecked, his hair drenched and he was covered in only a battered sail that had probably belonged to your own ship.

“Are you okay sir?” You asked as you neared him, Donnie’s eyes never leaving your face as he smiled and nodded rapidly at you, you smiled back before looking back at Mayhem and reaching out to hold them in your arms “I’m sorry if my, uh, dog, scared you, they’re harmless, just a bit hyperactive sometimes” You chuckled trying to avoid his gaze, it made you a bit nervous, you wanted to ask, you really wanted to ask if he was whom you thought, but if your eyes crossed with his again you were worried you’d stutter your question instead.

If you could only hear him speak it would confirm everything.

“Have I met you before?” You asked still petting Mayhem “You seem very familiar to me” That wasn’t true, you had never seen his face before but the feeling wouldn’t leave your body.

Donnie’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he heard you say that, he wanted to answer ‘Yes! That was me!’ but knew he couldn’t, if you just looked back up, he could nod in confirmation.

As if you had heard his thoughts you looked back up at him again allowing him the chance to nod in response, your smile seemed to widen impossibly and he could have swooned, feeling dizzy from your reaction “We HAVE met! I knew it!” You said letting go of Mayhem to get closer to him, forgetting how nervous you had just been a moment ago at the confirmation “You’re the man who saved me, I had been looking for you! What’s your name?”

Donnie faltered, realizing he couldn’t tell you his name.

Your smile dropped slowly “What’s wrong?” You asked worriedly and Donnie tapped his throat with his hand, trying to explain he couldn’t speak, you caught on “You can’t speak?” Donnie nodded and noticed you looked surprised then a bit disappointed “Oh, then you couldn’t be who I thought, I’m sorry for mixing you up” You smiled in apology and Donnie felt like smashing his face on the sand, no! He was! This was recent, his mutism happened just now! Oh, but how could he tell you so? How would you even believe that?

Donnie could hear the groans of his brothers coming from behind him and felt the need to groan too, instead, he leaned over the rock he had been standing behind and tried to make signs with his hands, there had to be a way for him to explain this!

You looked up at him curiously as he once again tapped his throat trying to communicate something, he waved his hands away from his throat in a leaving motion, trying to explain his voice had left, your head tilted to the side in confusion “Your breath?” he quickly made a dismissing motion, repeating the signal from before and then making a wave with his hand to simulate swimming “You need help?” you asked and his movements became wilder, in his frenzy he leaned over too much and almost fell, you gasped but managed to catch him quickly before he did.

Donnie was shocked at realizing he was now in your arms, his movements halting while you tried to lift him back to his feet “Woah careful!” You said worriedly but his cheeks felt really warm and if he could speak he would be completely unable to form a coherent sentence, for once he was relieved for his mutism if only for a moment, how were you so strong?! Despite lacking his tail he knew he couldn’t be too light.

“You really must have been through something” He tuned back into reality when you spoke, you looked worried about him but then smiled reassuringly “Don’t worry! I’ll help you” You said, with him standing up again you still laid one of his arms over your shoulders thinking he might need help walking since he seemed to have trembling legs.

Donnie was surprised but happy, you were taking him to the castle! He looked back over his shoulder towards his brothers with a grin, Mikey and Raph were making signs of approval and smiling back at him, but Leo was once again nowhere to be found.

Or so did Donnie think before realizing there was a weight on the sail covering him, he looked down to see Leo sitting on it, traveling along without doing anything and smiling lazily back at Donnie, Donnie rolled his eyes at his brother, secretly thankful that he was small enough to follow along.

He kept walking with you, his legs a bit wobbly but you helped him keep steady all the way to the castle.

[manias-wordcount]

May I please request headcanons for how Roy would behave while being trapped on base with his high ranking girlfriend during a winter storm?

Snowed in Together HCs (Roy Mustang)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼! 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

Although most people decided to hightail it out of central command to be home with their families before the storm hit, there are quite a few people left on base at the moment including you and Roy

So because of that, nothing too crazy can go down between the two of you haha

In the early hours of the storm, you, Roy and the others stuck there just busy yourself with all the leftover paperwork and research you need to do- hoping the storm will pass over after a little away

But after 12 hours of pretty steady and heavy snowfall, you find yourself putting down the paperwork in favor of going to your boyfriend’s office and plopping yourself in his lap for a well-deserved cuddle

And because he’s alone and the biggest slacker when he wants to be, he had absolutely no qualms with this LMAO

The next couple of hours are spent doing a lot of cuddling in different places around his office and catching up about things you’ve never really had the time to talk about

He tells you about his early life, the war, his current job, and ambitions- and he even has the time to explain to you a bunch of the fundamentals of alchemy 

After two full days of snowfall and a full day of sunny, clear skies helping melt down the inches, it’s finally somewhat safe to make the trek back home in military uniforms that were clearly unequipped for the cold

However, you and Roy decide to stay one extra day- just for good measure

Although being snowed in sucked, this moment offered both of you some really good quality time together and allowed Roy to get some peace of mind about his troubled past (with the girl he loves more than anything in the world <3)