#I’d rather have a shirt that sits properly and have to accept the fact that a couple buttons towards the top are gonna have to struggle

[tsuchinokoroyale]

Hrrnnggg… this shirt was so cute but I got it in the wrong size… I’m still gonna wear it tho… pour one out for her lads she’s gonna need all the support she can get…

Bonus fun fact: One of my friends thought I was lying when I talked about how dense my body is. I said I weigh close to 200 lbs and he didn’t believe me, gauging that as a 5’ 7" (( and a half ❗️)) king I should be closer to 160, 180 max. Eat your shorts kid!!!

[honeybunnybeez]

If you want to you could write some C! Dream being soft around reader?

Secluded Cabin's and Gentle Touches

♡Pairing: Dream x GN!Reader (with hints of platonic!GN!reader x Tommy and Tubbo)

♡Genre: Fluff

♡Format: Fanfiction

♡Summary: It's not uncommon for Tommy and Tubbo to bring people over to your place so you can help calm them down after a prank, but today they seemed to drag by a familiar face that you have yet to properly spend time with. Lucky for you, he seems to be longing to talk to you as well.

♡Au Setting: Au where the war never happens but tensions are still high.

"Get back here!"

Despite the voice ordering them to stop, Tommy and Tubbo continued to run like their lives depended on it, and to be fair, it kinda did in this situation. Wet hands stained in different coloured dyes served as proof of their crimes and a green hooded man wearing an awfully smudged looking mask makes it clear who their latest prank victim was.

"What were we fucking thinking!?" but a laugh at the end of his yelling as he dodges Dream's outstretched hand makes it clear that Tommy doesn't regret his life choices at all.

"I don't know!" Tubbo on the otherhand, was starting to regret his involvement in the prank. His legs were starting to ache and his chest began to burn as he slowly became exhausted. A wild chase like this isn't exactly new to them but Dream's persistence really makes it hard for a person to catch a breather between runs. "Tommy, where are we even going!?"

Tommy opened his mouth to respond but a trail of scattered lanterns and torches answers Tubbo's question for him. Tubbo lets out a knowing, "ooooh!" And uses whatever remaining energy he can to keep up with Tommy, knowing exactly what his friend had in mind.

In the distance, they can see you sitting on your porch, playing with a parrot you had managed to tame while out searching for cocoa beans. Relief washes over them when you lock eyes with them and start jogging over with your bird in tow, a worried expression evident on your face.

They're quick to hide behind you when they get close enough, clutching the back of your shirt while trying to catch their breaths to answer your questions as to who they were running from this time and why.

"Dream-" is all Tommy can manage to wheeze out before he's coughing up a lung and swearing again.

"Ah," honestly, after knowing the pair for a good few years now, just mentioning a name gives you a pretty good idea of the type of prank they pulled and the danger they could be in. Thankfully, Dream wasn't a major threat, to you at least.

"Alright, alright, go hide in the house quickly and don't come out until I tell you guys to. If I die, make sure to take care of the farm animals and bees for me."

"Bless you, (y/n)."

"Your sacrifices won't be in vain, we promise!"

You give them a joking salute and urge them to go inside quickly, informing them that you can hear Dream approaching closer. Once the boys were safely inside, you tried your best to look as natural as possible with the limited time you had to adjust yourself. When Dream arrives, you can see that he's just as tired as the boys are thanks to the chase, though his stance continues to be tense as he frantically looks around for them, fists clenched tight until his knuckles turned ghost white.

"Fuck, where did they run off to?"

"Not gonna give a stranger a kind hello after walking onto their lawn with murderous intent?" You and Dream weren't really strangers per say, you had to meet up with him when you moved into the server after all, but due to conflicting schedules and how often Tommy and Tubbo dragged you away whenever he tried to make conversation, you two didn't know each other all that well. That doesn't mean that you didn't want to try though.

When Dream realizes where he was and who he was talking, he's quick to adjust his mask and hoodie to make himself look somewhat... presentable, as presentable as he can look with sweat marks and a messed up mask at least.

'Why did those two have to run up to your house out of all places,' Dream mentally whines to himself, clearing his throat and giving you a single awkward wave as he walks up to you.

"Hey, (y/n). I didn't know you lived in this part of the server," that was a lie. Dream did know where you live, he knew where everyone did but it would be a little creepy to just put that information out there, wouldn't it?

"It'd be a little weird if I just started screaming out my address to random people on the streets, wouldn't it?" You try to joke, earning a little laugh from Dream.

"Okay, yeah, you got me there."

You pat an empty spot beside you on your porch step, inviting Dream over for a bit of rest and he accepts your offer gratefully, practically slumping beside you as he suddenly feels just how tired he is.

"Love the new look you gave your mask by the way," Dream groans at your teasing and pulls at his hoodie strings, hoping to cover his whole mask with his hood. He's glad you can't see his face right now because he can feel his cheeks practically burning at the fact that when he finally gets a chance to talk and get close to you it's when he's a sweating tired mess who looks like a wreck at best.

"I'm going to kill those two when I find them," he mumbles under his breath.

The slam that follows within your home could not have been more terribly timed.

"What was that?"

"Must be my wolves," you lied through your teeth, knowing damn well that your actual wolves were sleeping in your bedroom, "they learned how to open doors recently, I think they're messing around at the moment."

While he's distracted, staring at your window to check what's going on inside of your home, you're quick to read through your most recent private messages on your communicator.

Tommy: HE'S HERE!

Tommy: (Y/N), WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING HIM TO FUCK OFF!?

Tommy: Fuck this, we're hiding in the kitchen.

Tubbo: We're making a run for it through the back.

Tommy: We'll hide in your barn like runaway children.

Tubbo: Isn't that what we technically are right now?

Tommy: (y/n), we're making a fucking run for it if you don't answer us in 3 seconds.

Tommy: 3!

Tommy: 2!

Tubbo: We'RE OUT! I REPEAT, WE'RE OUT!

"Yup," you pop your P a little at the end, annoyed yet amused at the string of frantic messages still continuing to pop up on your communicator as they make their escape, "definitely my wolves causing all of that chaos."

Dream knows that you're lying from the way you read through your messages but he doesn't say a word about it, choosing instead to take this golden opportunity to get closer to you without worrying about anyone getting in the way.

"Not really how you thought the day would go, huh?"

You can't help but laugh and shake your head, "Not at all, I thought it was just going to be another boring day with my bird, but hey, I'm glad you showed up to make it a little more special."

"Really?" Dream hates how happy he sounds to hear you say that, but he'll beat himself up over it another time.

"It's not everyday you see Mr. WasTaken himself visiting your humble home, now is it?" Oh, or maybe he won't.

"I guess not, that really should change, shouldn't it?" You can hear the little grin in his voice as he realizes the game your playing.

"It really should, but a quick heads up would be good, unless you'd like to deal with said 'wolves' I mentioned earlier."

He chuckles and shakes his head, mentioning how he's more than aware that those two 'wolves' of yours would probably rip him apart if he ever visited you unannounced.

It isn't long before you invite Dream inside, offering to help clean his mask as an apology on the boys's behalf. He claims that he doesn't mind but he would rather not take his mask off in front of you when he hasn't gotten to know you all that well.

"You don't have to remove it if you feel uncomfortable, I'll just wipe away whatever I can with a cloth, but if you're still hesitant, I'd understand."

He takes a moment to consider your offer, trying to see if you have any other ulterior motives. It's not that he doesn't want to trust you, he does, but sometimes you just have to be a little extra cautious even with people you like. Sensing no ill intent on your part though, he relaxes himself once more and accepts your help, letting his hood finally loosen and fall back to ease your process.

Your actions are incredibly comforting to Dream who can't help himself from leaning into your touches every once in a while. He watches you with his fullest attention as you wipe away the mess on his mask with a damp cloth. He loves how focused you look while doing so, taking in every little quirk you may have while you concentrate. His little crush on you that he's harboured ever since he saw you running around the server can't help but grow every second you give him your attention.

There's a certain draw to you that Dream can't fight off no matter how hard he tries, you just manage to hold a certain power over him and that was evident by the fact that he completely lost interest in continuing his hunt for Tommy and Tubbo even after finding out that they were still most likely on your property. Dream was a persistent man, he was never one to simply drop something with no proper reason at all. There was just this appeal to you that he couldn't describe and he was desperate to find out what it was about you that made him act differently than he normally would.

"Okay then, that's the last of it," he has to stop himself from letting out a whine when you pull your hands away from his mask, he wants to say something to try to get you to continue on longer but decides against it, not wanting to seem desperate. His eyes don't leave you even after you pull away, watching you rinse off the dirty cloth before throwing it into what seemed to be a bin filled with laundry. When you return to sit by his side, he can't help but swallow a bit of his pride to rest his head on your shoulder. It's a big risk to take, but at least he has an excuse for his actions if he ever needs it.

"Tired, Dream?"

"Mhmm," he feels himself melt when you let your fingers run through his slightly sweat damp hair, clearly unphased by the state of it much, to his joy.

"You wanna rest here for a while? I'm sure you could get a good nap in before leaving."

"That depends, can I still use you as my pillow?"

"Not like I have anything else to do for the rest of the day, knock yourself out."

"Then if you'll excuse me," his head is quick to leave your shoulder to instead rest in your lap and the blissful sigh he lets out escapes his lips before he can even stop himself. You just feel so comfortable to him. "I'm gonna drift off, wake me up in an hour or so, will you?"

You let out a hum in response and it isn't long before you start to see Dream's body go slack, his breathing now steady and deep as he slowly falls asleep. It's quite endearing seeing Dream act so affectionately towards you, something you certainly didn't expect from a guy who carries himself with a subtle wave of authority, but you definitely weren't complaining as you continued to play with his hair once again.

Dream would never tell a single soul about it, but this was quiet possible the best sleep he's gotten in years, if he even tried to sleep at all to begin with. The thought to just slow down and relax is never really on his mind, his head always spinning with things he has to do. However, with you, he's glad to know that he can look to you for comfort from now on, something he now realizes is rather hard to find on the server. It pains him to know that he'll have to leave in just a few moments but for now, he'll take what he can get from you and maybe, if you let him, he'll be sure to return your sweet gestures tenfold one day.

A/N: Hello, everyone! I am so sorry for being absent recently, I know the writer's block excuse can only go so far but- yeah ^^' I'm so sorry again for everything and I'm sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for anon! Thank you so much for the rquest and feel free to request it again if you want me to remake this to hopefully suit what you wanted. Anyways, I hope you all have a good day and thank you so much for reading!

(Requests are open and anon is on!)

[blu-joons]

You Get Jealous ~ Kim Namjoon

Your eyes lit up as soon as the boys reappeared in the dressing room having completed their rehearsal for the show tonight. Namjoon’s eyes looked straight for you as soon as he walked in, throwing himself down beside you and resting his head in your lap.

Your hands moved to run through his hair, instantly regretting it when you felt the damp beads of sweat that sat in his locks, wiping it off over the material of his shirt.

“That’s disgusting,” you sighed, shaking your head at the teasing smirk that appeared on his face, “I can’t believe you didn’t warn me.”

Since you’d arrived backstage that morning, he’d been unable to hide the smile on his face. It was the first time you were attending a show of the current tour tonight, and Namjoon was beyond excited to finally have you there supporting him.

“It wouldn’t have been funny if I told you,” he finally replied, sitting himself up properly beside you. “It’s easier to just leave for hair and makeup to sort out rather than me fix it.”

“Hair like that is going to need a lot of fixing.”

Only a few moments later, the stylists appeared in the dressing room to start preparing for the show after the rehearsal. With a quick peck on your cheek, Namjoon excused himself so he could get his hair fixed. You caught on quite quickly to how close one of the stylists were to him, how she’d smile at everything he said or did.

“Everything alright?” Jin asked, taking a seat beside you, following your gaze. “Don’t worry about it.”

It was much easier for him to say than for you to do as you continued to watch everything she did. Whilst Namjoon didn’t react, it still unsettled you to see someone so close to him without any regard for the fact you were in the room.

“She’s always been this way,” Jin added, sensing how uncomfortable the situation was making you. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but please don’t let it get to you,” he added, resting his hand cautiously against your shoulder.

“Am I just invisible or something?” You asked him, feeling the anger inside of you grow. “Did Namjoon tell everyone I was coming today? Do they even know that he’s got a girlfriend?”

The silence that came from Jin in response told you everything you needed to know. You scoffed loudly, looking away from the two of them in search for your phone beside you. Jin quickly reacted as you stood up from the sofa, positioning himself in front of you.

“I just need some space,” you assured him, taking a step to the side so you could walk out of the dressing room, not even acknowledging Namjoon.

The reflection in the mirror of your figure walking out caught his attention, he glanced back at Jin who simply shrugged, knowing he had no place to really get involved. Namjoon quickly stood up from the stylist’s chair, removing his apron despite her protests that he needed to finish.

“What happened?” He snapped at Jin, placing the blame firmly on him. “You can’t just let her walk off on her own in this place, it’s huge and she has no idea where she’s going. I thought I could trust you guys to look out for her?”

His attitude struck a nerve with Jin, who pushed lightly against his shoulder. “Have you ever stopped and thought that maybe you could be the problem? Look a bit closer to home Namjoon for the reason that she’s left.”

“What am I supposed to have done?”

“Did you tell the stylists that you have a girlfriend?”

“No,” he sighed, finally realising what had gone on. “I’ve been such an idiot.”

Before anyone had the chance to respond to him, he ran out of the dressing room, turning left and right for a sign of you. Instinct carried him left as he ran down the corridor, stopping when he finally saw you sat in the cafeteria.

“Y/N,” he sighed, standing beside the table that you sat at. Your head slowly turned up to look at him, using the sleeves of your shirt to quickly wipe under your eyes before he had the chance to see that you’d been crying.

After a moment of silence, he sat himself down opposite you, refusing to walk away from the situation and let it continue.

“Jin told me what happened, and all I can say is I’m sorry,” he began, resting his arms across the table, “I can’t begin to imagine what the situation looked like to you, especially when she’s still under the impression I’m single. I guess it just never came up in conversation with her.”

Your eyes rolled, continuing to look away from his glare that was firmly on you. Your whole body shook as you desperately tried to maintain your composure, refusing to let Namjoon see just how upset you were.

“What can I do to make this right?” He asked you.

“How do you think this looks to me Namjoon? Do you get that?”

“Of course,” he acknowledged, “it probably looks terrible to you, but I promise you that’s not the case. She’s flirty with everyone, it’s nothing to do with me.”

You didn’t care at all how she acted around the other members, the only thing you cared about was how she reacted around your boyfriend. You understood some people had flirty personalities, but even they could tune that down, if they only knew the person, they did it with had a girlfriend.

The overwhelming feeling you had was shame, trying to figure out if there was a reason Namjoon hadn’t told people about your relationship. Was he embarrassed of you? Ashamed to admit that he was dating?

“I’ll go back now, and I’ll introduce you to everyone, as my girlfriend, if it will put your mind at ease. I don’t want to argue over this Y/N when nothing really happened. All I can do is apologise; can you at least accept that?”

“I can, but why didn’t you tell everyone?”

“I really don’t know.”

Finally, your eyes looked across at him, resting your head in your hands against the table. “Do you want to keep us a secret? Is that what this is about?”

“Absolutely not,” he quickly assured you. “You drive me crazy in the best possible way, I’d love to shout it from the rooftops how in love I am with you. It’s never been about keeping it a secret, it really just never came up in conversation, it would have seemed strange if I just randomly told her about you.”

“But it would have stopped her acting the way she does around you, so when your girlfriend finally came to visit you, she wouldn’t have to see her carry herself around you like she does?”

It was a lesson learnt for Namjoon; a mistake he knew he’d never make again. He hated how he’d made you feel and how inconsiderate he’d been towards your feelings, and whilst nothing could change what had happened, he just hoped he could make it up to you.

“All I want is you, yes, I get a lot of attention sometimes, and there might be thousands of females around me at times, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one for me. You never have to feel jealous of anyone around me.”

“I don’t get jealous.”

“Y/N,” he giggled, “there’s only one way to describe the way you acted right now.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but words failed you, as your heart reminded you that you were most definitely jealous of her.

“I’ll continue to reassure your mind forever if I have to but trust me when I say there is nothing for you to worry about.”

“You promise?”

“Of course, I’m yours, forever.”

---

Masterlist

[officerjennie]

I’ve been meaning to write about some platonic pet play for a while, but have officially been encouraged enough by @kalikatze to do so. So! Have some modern aro/ace!Geralt and Jaskier pet play, in the form of a headcanon bulleted list because I really don’t have the time or energy to add yet another fic idea to my WIPs.

(Jaskier is called ‘Julian’ for the first bit of this)

CW: purely platonic pet play, Jaskier being a pet, consent discussion, brief mentions of sex (with other people), mentions of past sexual pet play (with other people)

Geralt and Julian have known each other and been friends for years, and really are closer to each other than they are to anyone else. It’s kinda just natural for them to move in together rather than seek out another roommate, since they know each other’s boundaries rather well and trust each other.

There had been some worries over moving in together, of course. Some people work best as friends at a distance, but as luck turns out they work extremely well in the same apartment! They know how to communicate with each other, their schedules match well, and overall their routines feel natural together.

Though Geralt had mentioned it to Julian several years ago, and it had come up a few times since, he still cleared it up at the start that he wasn’t interested in them becoming anything other than friends - he trusted Julian to respect that as well. And of course Julian did. Julian even promised to keep his own sexual exploits out of the apartment to help Geralt feel the most comfortable.

Cuddling had been a part of their friendship off and on for a while, on nights where they’d stay up late at each other’s places and order food and watch a movie. It had really never been much more than leaning on each other, sharing a blanket, or sometimes having an arm around the other, but it had always been something that Geralt had found so peaceful. To be allowed to be close with someone and not have anything expected of him.

Now that they lived together and could spend a lot more leisure time together, the cuddles happened more often. Sometimes they would just sit on the sofa, Julian hugging Geralt’s waist with his eyes closed, Geralt watching TV or reading a book while he loosely held his friend.

It first came up when Julian was having a particular rough day.

He came over to be held like most days, worming his way under Geralt’s arm and smooshing his face against him. But unlike most days, he didn’t relax from it.

Julian fidgeted, and sighed. And frowned in that particular way that Geralt knew he wasn’t just being dramatic - something had gotten his friend rather Down and Geralt hated to see it.

But as much as Geralt had always been good at picking out Julian’s moods, he’d never been much good at Knowing how to solve them himself. So he simply asked, “What do you need, Juls?”

It took a little while for Julian to be honest, his nerves getting the better of him, but eventually he asked Geralt to play with his hair. So Geralt did. And after a little while of scratching his head and running his fingers through his hair, Julian relaxed against him. 

Though it wasn’t really a habit to discuss every single little change between them (when Julian had started to wash Geralt’s towels for him they hadn’t discussed it, like they hadn’t discussed when Geralt started to make sure Julian always had his favorite tea stocked), this felt different enough that Geralt, though bad at words as he was, wanted them to talk about it.

It wasn’t a conversation that happened overnight. As a matter of fact, for a long while, this was the only change that happened. When Julian had a particularly hard day he’d come back home and worm his way into his spot, and ask for his hair to be played with. And they were both happy with this.

But Jaskier had a lot of friends with a lot of different experiences, and eventually he came across pet play, and it got him thinking.

Geralt wasn’t the first person he brought it up with. He was actually the fourth or fifth, but the first ones...didn’t offer him what he Needed from it. And after some mixed results he decided to bring it to the person he trusted the most in his life.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous about it. He wrung his shirt in his hands as he sat on the sofa and waited for Geralt to come home, wondering how on earth he was going to properly explain what he wanted/needed, wondering if Geralt would be okay with it, wondering if his dearest and closest friend would judge him for even bringing it up

Of course he’d understand if Geralt didn’t want that. He’d understand and accept it, and ask if they could stay just as they were with their cuddles and occasional head and hair pets. But it didn’t mean that he didn’t very very much hope that Geralt would be okay with pet play, even if just a small amount.

And there was, of course, the fear that Geralt might think it was a sexual thing. Actually Julian had tried the sexual part with someone and just...did not care for it. He wanted to be cared for in a platonic way, he didn’t want to be any sort of sexual pet for someone.

When Geralt got home and sat down next to Julian, he at least listened to his friend. Didn’t interrupt him once, didn’t seem to be judging him, and listened while relaxing back against the sofa as if the conversation didn’t bother him.

“I’d like to try that.”

The words were a flood of relief to Julian, and he nodded eagerly when Geralt said they’d have to discuss it more along the way.

At the start, it was little more than what they’d already been doing, just with tweaks here and there. Geralt would sit on the sofa and Julian would hug him or lay in his lap, having his shoulders rubbed or hair played with. It was relaxing for the both of them, to be so close and it mean nothing else.

The more they relaxed into it, the more they were willing to try.

Julian one day mentioned he’d like to have a collar - one with a cute bell on it, and maybe even a bow. Geralt snorted and said it sounded very much like Julian, to want to be flashy and be heard, but he agreed that he liked the idea.

When they got the collar, the idea of a tag came up, but Julian paused when it came to putting his own name on the tag.

“I’d...like to have a different name.”

And so Geralt and Julian sat down, and they both decided on the name “Jaskier”

Jaskier was a cat, though he liked to be called kitten. He liked to have his head rubbed in just the right way, liked to lay on his person. Liked to lay in the sun on some cushions he pulled over to the best patch of it in the house, and be allowed to relax and not worry about anything.

That was one of the big Needs Julian had out of their play, he realized and explained to Geralt one day. He needed to feel cared for and like he didn’t have to worry about small things. That he could simply nap and let someone else tell him when it was time for food, that he didn’t have to worry about talking or explaining himself, that he could be cared for and patted off to brush his teeth and go to bed when it was time.

Geralt, for his part, needed to be close to someone. To be allowed to hold them and give them affection, to feel someone close to his body without fear of them wanting something from him. It worked out well that his kitten loved to be held and squished between him and the back of the sofa.

When Julian had a rough day, it was his one and only job to let Geralt know that he wanted to be Jaskier. It was up to him to bring Geralt his collar, and if Geralt was in the mood. And it was up to Geralt to put the collar on him all snug and secure, but not too tight, to always check and make sure Jaskier would be able to breathe and not feel strangled by it.

They found some things really worked for them, and some things didn’t.

Julian did not care for being on all fours. He felt like it made him small in a very uncomfortable way, and it took him too long to follow after Geralt and to do things. It wasn’t a warm and safe thing to him, so they decided that was not how Jaskier moved around the house.

Geralt was not comfortable with the thought of punishing his kitten for anything. Though Julian was indifferent about it on most minor things, it made Geralt feel cruel - he had always been soft on his own actual cats so he did not want to punish his kitten either. So they decided that there would be little correcting of behaviors beyond Geralt telling Jaskier if he was doing something that might be hurting him (sitting on a painful part of his leg, etc.). The correcting was always done with a kind voice, and though Jaskier might pout he always listened.

One thing they found they both loved was encouragement and spoiling. Jaskier got gentle pets and cooed at for the smallest of things. If he brushed his teeth, he got to be held extra tight and told he’d done so well, and that’s when Julian finally felt like this was it

This is what he’d been after.

“You’ve done well, kitten.”

“Good job.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Did you finish your food? Ah, good.”

“I’m glad this wasn’t too much - did you want to be held longer?”

“If you sit still I’ll brush your hair in a minute, kitten. Why don’t you bring me your brush in the meantime?”

“You’ve been so good today. Just lay here for me, I’ll take care of dinner and be right back.”

Julian’s mind was always so busy, so full of endless buzzing. Things he needed to get done, people he needed to contact, all of the chaos at his work, the homework that was due that weekend, the songs he wanted to write, the songs he should have written - and so so so much more.

But Jaskier - Jaskier was allowed to be quiet. Allowed to be content and in the moment, to not be asked for anything he couldn’t do. To stay still and quiet and be told he’d done so well even when he’d only done the bare minimum. To be cared for and given physical affection without the expectation of anything else.

And Geralt was allowed to care for someone so deeply, to give them affection and hold them close and love them, without the expectation of romance or sexual attraction blooming between them.

[adenei]

Summer of Jily Week 4

It's week 4 for @efkgirldetective's Summer of Jily challenge! You sure did send me for a loop with this one, but I've managed to keep the one-shots turned multi chap story going!

This week's prompts: Picking Berries and "I know I kissed you before, but I didn't do it right."

Read on AO3

************

James didn’t sleep at all that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about the carnival. His thoughts shifted between being mad at Sirius for winning that damn prize and presenting it to Lily—that was his stupid, cheesy plan that his best mate had hijacked—and the Ferris wheel ride.

About saving your letters or waiting for you to ask me out?

How could he have been so thick? And how is it that he keeps royally mucking things up? He’d had the perfect opportunity to kiss Lily right there on the ride, but then it had to move again, and he’d gotten sidetracked at the feeling of flying on a muggle contraption.

Hadn’t he come along with the boys to crash the girls trip so he could spend more time with Lily? He’d devised the perfect opportunity to sweep her off her feet, and he swore to himself he would only ask her out if she made it blatantly obvious that she wanted him to. As much as it killed him, he’d rather not lose her friendship over pressing her one too many times.

But now, she had made it clear that she was waiting for him to make a move, and what does he do instead? Lets her walk away after the sunrise, hits her with a ball by the lake, and then avoids her throughout the entire carnival until their friends force them to share a compartment on that bloody ride.

He’d had the perfect opportunity to kiss her right there, to ask her to be his girlfriend, and what does he do instead? Freezes. James Potter, master of smooth pick-up lines, carefree, easy-going Gryffindor heartthrob (says the Hogwarts gossip circle, not that he pays attention to any of that—why would he when he’s got his heart set on one girl?) freezes.

Well, he didn’t totally freeze. After they’d apparated back to the cabin, he and Lily were the last two in the sitting area before they went to bed. He walked her to the door of the girl’s room and kissed her on the cheek before bidding her goodnight.

It had taken all of his willpower to not pull her into his arms and snog her senseless after her confession earlier that evening. Yet, after seeing her disappointed face before she shut the door to the bedroom, he wished he had. She’d thrown his entire game off, and he needed to fix it before he lost his chance with Lily for good.

Resigning himself to the fact that he was awake to see another sunrise, James dragged himself out of bed and picked up his glasses on the nightstand before stepping around the mattress on the floor where Peter currently snored away. He grabbed the nearest shirt he could find and threw it on before slipping out of the bedroom.

It was lighter out than he was expecting, meaning he’d probably missed the sunrise. The boys preferred to sleep in pitch black, but the spell they cast on the window the night before was fading, allowing the daybreak to sift through and consequently throwing off his sense of time. He started the coffee pot and leaned against the counter while he waited for the pot to brew.

Caffeine would be necessary to stay awake today, or maybe he could sneak a nap in at some point. Hell, maybe he’d be able to convince Lily to join him for said nap. He could think of plenty of things they could get up to whilst they were in bed together. James let his mind wander to thoughts of getting to know her in a more intimate setting. The kind that he’d often wank to when he needed a release.

The rich smell of dark roast wafted through the living area. James forced his thoughts away from images of Lily writhing beneath him as he reached for a mug. He only barely heard the click of a door as he pulled the pot off to pour himself a cup.

“Another early morning?”

James looked up to see Lily standing there, her hair messy from sleep. She ran her fingers through it in an attempt to comb it out. The green of her eyes were barely visible under still somewhat droopy eyelids. Something stirred within him, and despite the fact that he was only seventeen, it was a view he knew he could get used to.

“That would imply I slept. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, but I couldn’t resist the smell of coffee. Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Peter’s snoring reached new levels last night.”

The lie slipped off his lips with ease, although it wasn’t altogether convincing. A simple Muffliato charm would have allowed him the peace and quiet he needed to fall asleep. Her skeptical look wasn’t lost on him as he absent-mindedly began fixing the cup he’d poured with the amount of milk and sugar Lily preferred. He wasn’t aware he was doing it until he handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she said. “Since when do you know how I take my coffee?”

“Come on, Evans, you don’t think I’ve noticed? Some things stick after eating breakfast with someone over the last year.” James smirked.

He grabbed another mug from the cabinet and poured his own cup without adding anything to it. James blew over the dark brown liquid to help cool it off as he watched Lily take a minuscule sip of her own.

“That’s fair. I still don’t know how you can drink yours black.”

“Some say I’m sweet enough on my own.” The quip was automatic as Lily laughed at his humor.

Merlin, her laugh is infectious. James swore the reason he said half of the stuff he did was so he could hear her laugh.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

The question came from nowhere, but the early morning was so peaceful that he wanted to experience it with her, preferably hand in hand.

“Sure.”

They left their coffee mugs abandoned on the Formica as they headed to the door and slid on their shoes. Lily grabbed a jacket off the coat rack and zipped it up halfway. James closed the door quietly behind him then led her over to the trail he and the boys explored yesterday. The path wasn’t terribly long, but it ended up in a quiet and secluded area where the lake met pebbled terrain.

“So, was the dolphin a good sleeping partner?” James’s voice cut through the light layer of morning fog.

Lily chuckled. “I don’t know, I let Marly sleep with him instead.”

“Ah, Sirius will be heartbroken if he learns of your betrayal.” His words were meant to be a joke, yet they didn’t come across as lighthearted as he’d hoped.

“Well, good thing you won’t tell him. Right?” Lily’s questioning eyes made James’s heart skip a beat.

“I suppose I can keep your secret, Evans, but it’ll cost you.”

“Oh? And what might that price be, Potter?”

The green of the trees and shrubbery only enhanced the sparkle that glinted in her eyes. James wondered if she was testing him. Shouldn’t she know by now that he never backed down from a challenge?

“Ditch your friends and spend the day with me instead.”

“Like a date?”

“Yes, Evans, like a date.”

“Well, good thing we’re getting an early start. Now we can make the most of the day.”

James grinned at Lily’s acceptance as they continued down the trail.

They were nearly at the clearing by the water when Lily stopped, causing James to turn around. “Is this the path you and the boys were on yesterday afternoon?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, when Mary asked if you found anything interesting, you said no.”

“Because there isn’t…”

“That’s not true! Look at the blackberry bushes over there!”

James’s head turned to the direction Lily was pointing at, and sure enough, there were several bushes, low to the ground and full of clumps of blackberries. Lily bent down to pick a few off the branches.

“How do you know they’re blackberries and not nightshade or something?”

“Honestly, Potter, did you not pay attention when Sprout taught that unit on edible plants and where to find them in the wilderness?”

“No? Guess I was a bit distracted.”

“Nightshade grows off the stem in one circle. They look more like blueberries, except they’re shinier and darker. Blackberries have all the little bumps on them like this. Almost like a raspberry, but a different color.”

Lily picked a handful of berries during her explanation and stood when she was finished. James saw her holding them delicately in an effort to stop them staining her hands. Using her forefinger and thumb, she picked one up and held it to James’s mouth.

“Try it.”

James opened his mouth and let her place the berry on his tongue. He locked eyes with her as his lips closed around her fingers. An explosion of flavor bursts on his tongue as he bit down on the fruit. The tartness caused him to squint and pucker his lips slightly. Lily smiled at his reaction as she popped a couple berries in her mouth.

She was right—they tasted way better when picked fresh. He held out his hand for more, and she gave him a couple to munch on as they continued walking through the woods. James’s brain was fixated on the way she fed him as his feet moved him forward. Their hands grazed against each other, and James held on after the third bump. He felt her fingers intertwine with his as their steps aligned on the dirt path. As they inched their way toward the rocky clearing of the lake, a plan formed in his mind, and he knew exactly what he needed to do to match Lily’s brazenness of the night before and kick off their day-long date properly.

“Oh, wow,” she whispered as the trail gave way to the stunning view of the calm water ahead of them. The fog had settled across the still water, preventing them from seeing the other side of the lake.

“Lily—”

“Okay, the berries were one thing, but hiding this view from us? How—” Lily froze mid-sentence as comprehension dawned on her. “Did you just call me Lily?”

“Yeah, I did, but please go on about how we didn’t tell you about this.”

“No, I think I’d rather hear what you have to say instead.”

“You sure? I know how much you love being able to prove us wrong.”

James paused, waiting for Lily’s reaction. He loved riling her up like this. The way he alluded to something but then held it just out of her grasp to ensure that she truly wanted to know what he had to say. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he waited.

“What do you mean, am I sure? Would I have asked you to tell me if I wasn’t?”

He thought about keeping up with the banter, but he was tired of waiting.

“That’s fair. Look, I know I kissed you before—y’know, last night—but I didn’t do it right, and I’d like to make up for that right now if you’ll let me.”

There was a sharp intake of air, and if James could pat himself on the back for catching Lily off-guard, he would. But she regained her composure before shooting a challenging look in his direction.

“Since when does James Potter ask permission before kissing a girl? I thought he—how did Sirius put it? Sets his eyes on what he wants and goes for it?”

James chuckled and cringed at the same time, remembering how Sirius explained James’s intentions during fifth year.

“Well, as true as that may be, I still try to be a gentleman about it. I’d never make an unwanted advance if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Interesting, considering I thought I made it clear what I wanted last night.”

Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or did Lily just take a tiny step forward?

“Is that so?”

“It is. And it sounds like you’re stalling.”

“Please, Evans, you’d know when I’d be stalling.”

“What are you waiting for, then?”

The words barely escaped her mouth, James didn’t waste any more time as his hands lifted to cup Lily’s face. He leaned in and captured her lips with his, the tangy taste of the berries still lingering on her mouth. Everything about Lily’s lips were soft and inviting as her hands found a home on his lower back. He felt her mouth open slightly as her teeth grazed his bottom lip, eliciting a small moan from his mouth.

James deepened the kiss as his tongue swiped across her lips. Her hands pushed him closer as her mouth widened, inviting him to explore. A quack in the distance was the only thing that reminded them where they were, as James slowly broke away. She was more beautiful than he remembered, with her lips swollen from his kiss and the dazed look of bliss on her face.

“Well, I’m used to ending the date with a kiss, not starting it,” her words were breathless.

James chuckled at Lily’s words. “Am I to take that as a good or bad thing?”

“Good. Very good.”

“And just imagine, we’ve got the whole day ahead of us now.”

“This is true. Should we head back and get ready for the rest of the day?”

“Sounds brilliant.”

James had no idea what they were going to do for the day, but he planned on making the most of their time spent together. Nothing could go wrong.

[yeti-the-infinity]

hanami

matchaloveblossom - founder's trio festival day 1

Kojiro and Kaoru were from respectable families themselves once upon a time, but even back then they had not been permitted to visit Adam’s family estate due to the fact that they were pierced up, loud-mouthed, skateboarding hoodlums that had once landed a teenaged Ainosuke in a holding cell for an hour and twenty-three minutes.

It’s part of the reason they eventually agree to Adam’s invitation. The other parts being that 1.) Adam will not stop asking, 2.) they are trying to give Adam a second chance, and 3.) they want to see what he’s planning.

Adam spends the better part of the first hour of their visit leading Kojiro and Kaoru on a tour of the Shindo estate’s sprawling gardens. He lists off the names and meanings of flora and fauna like poetry before leading them across a stream over a whimsically ivy-hung stone bridge and into a grove of vibrant, sweet-smelling cherry blossom trees.

As Adam steers them both by the arm into a small clearing, they set eyes on a large blanket sprawled across unnaturally healthy grass. A hefty picnic basket weighs the center of the blanket down, with a bottle of a wine poking out of its top, and a cat has settled itself just beside this, snoozing in the warm, breezy afternoon.

“Well, isn’t this fucking adorable,” Kojiro croons, the first to settle on the blanket, kneeling, one leg stuck out as he pops open the basket and peers inside. “Did you do all this yourself, Adam?”

Kaoru recognizes that Kojiro’s gauging how much effort Adam put into this versus Adam’s servants, trying to understand how much this gesture matters.

“Yes.” Adam shoos the cat away with a feign of his boot and a canine snarl and then lowers himself gracefully onto the blanket as if he hadn’t. He sprawls onto his back, not unlike the cat had been sleeping, and crosses his arms. Kojiro catches but ignores the mild glare he receives before lifting small containers of strawberries, cherries, and sliced peaches out of the basket and retrieving three stemless wine glasses.

“Not all of us went to culinary school, sweetheart,” Adam drawls and kicks at Kojiro’s thigh across the blanket. “You could at least pretend to be impressed. Wouldn’t want to hurt my feelings.” He pulls a long face, his hands flutter over his heart, and Kojiro snorts.

Adam turns toward the shadow stretching above him and reaches out both hands, his long fingers callused for an aristocrat’s, but clean. “Sweet, delicate, Cherry Blossom, will you kiss my feelings better? You like it don’t you?”

Kaoru smothers an indulgent smile with the back of his hand and makes a show of surveying the picturesque, sugar-scented, sunny grove, with its swaying pink trees. Petals drift on the wind like fresh, warm snow, and Kaoru’s always been partial to the trees he had been nicknamed after, even if sweet, delicate cherry blossom had once been an ironic title given to a teenager who enjoyed getting into brawls and beefs and generally didn’t lose them.

It’s difficult to argue that the scene is not idyllic.

“It is very beautiful here…” he allows, his eyes gradually drifting back down to Adam and Kojiro, sprawled comfortably on the blanket. They look fairly idyllic themselves, well-dressed, casual, relaxed. Kojiro with his sleeves rolled up, to show off his absurd muscles as he pours out a Riesling, liberally as always, and Adam licking sugar from a strawberry a little too slowly. “And I see you brought wine, so, I’d say I’m content.” Kaoru lifts his sandal delicately onto the edge of the blanket, feeling for rocks underneath. The garden is immaculately manicured and all is smooth as he folds himself neatly by Adam’s legs. “Although, I didn’t expect we’d be roughing it…”

“Hm.” Adam’s hum stretches too long, his smile a little nasty as he rises to sit, the better to hold his wine glass—the better to reach out with his free hand to run his thumb across Kaoru’s cheek, just before pinching it. “You must be misremembering my proclivities.”

Kaoru snaps teasingly at Adam’s fingers with his teeth—he knows better than to rap at them with his fan—and Adam retracts them with a smug smile, as Kaoru mutters, “I remember them just fine.”

Kojiro pretends to ignore their antics, his eyes shifting from the trees to the picnic arrangement, drawing both of their gazes as he replies to Adam as if he hadn’t paused, “No, he’s right. It’s… nice… Just not exactly your usual fare.”

Adam holds Kojiro’s stare for a moment in recognition of the challenge in it. Kojiro seems to both tease and approve of Adam’s softness at once and it makes Kaoru’s stomach flutter faintly.

Adam breaks the gaze with a downward glance and then sighs. “Mm, yes, well,” he tilts his glass, making the wine swish, “my therapist might have suggested it.” Adam’s gaze shifts to Kaoru, because Kaoru asks more often, “And I do rather like this one. I think I’ll continue courting her a while…”

“You have your therapist giving you dating advice now?” Kaoru bats back, the muscles of his jaw stiffening.

“Not exactly,” Adam dodges and frowns back, fine lines between his brows, and leans forward to smooth Kaoru’s hair and give him his wine glass, since Kojiro had been distracted from pouring a third. “Relax. There you are, pet.”

Kaoru’s lip juts out, eyes narrowing, and he gives Adam’s shoulder the mildest of bats with the back of his hand. “I am not your pet.”

“No, of course not,” Adam sings, fond yet dismissive. He looks perfectly aware he has the upper hand as Kaoru accepts the glass and leans unconsciously into another caress of Adam’s palm, also callused, against Kaoru’s cheek. Kaoru’s skin is faintly pink from the blatant attention, and Adam wonders dimly and not for the first time if that’s why Cherry Blossom really wears a mask.

Kaoru swats Adam’s palm away when he lingers too long, but Kaoru does not flit his golden eyes away from the ruby ones that stare longer.

“You’re our beautiful Cherry Blossom,” Adam sings.

Kaoru can see Adam’s eyes flicker with devilry as his lip curls. “Joe’s our pet.”

Kojiro grunts an objection. “Come say that to my face why don’t you?” he challenges from over Adam’s shoulder, smiling and rising up to his haunches, all rippling muscle.

“You are our tiger,” Adam flirts, pleased with the response, crawling across the blanket on all fours, with more catlike elegance than either of the other two. “Big, strong, fiercely protective. Overly fond of very bold prints.” Adam reaches his target, and Kojiro leans back to let Adam climb into his lap. Adam sportingly tugs open the collar of Kojiro’s loud sky-blue shirt with its pattern of palm leaves, as he straddles Adam’s thighs.

Kojiro laughs, bright and overwhelming as direct sunlight, as Adam rests one hand on his collar bone. The other plucks one of the various blossoms Adam had collected in his coat pocket earlier and tucks it prettily behind Kojiro’s ear, smoothing back green curls with his thumb. “A tiger lily for a tiger man.”

Kojiro bares his teeth at Adam with a sly smirk, and then his eyes shift Kaoru’s way, smile warming, tone mocking, “I’ll take that over gorillaany day.”

Kaoru rolls his eyes, sips at the wine, and watches Kojiro’s brawny arms wrapping Adam’s broad chest as Adam shifts in his lap to watch Kaoru. Heat rises under Kaoru’s skin, and he feels a bit like a steaming up kettle as he exhales slowly.

“And how does your therapist feel about your fascination with pet play?” Kaoru counters, closing his eyes to better appreciate the feeling of the sun with its fuzzy pink cherry blossom glow heating the bare skin of his cheeks, neck, ankles…

All the sun, of course, he tells himself.

“Need I remind you your skateboard calls you Master, darling?” Adam counters quickly enough that he may have had the comment on standby for just such an occasion.

“I…” Kaoru grimaces.

“Yeah, wait a second.”

Kaoru finds himself saved by Kojiro who wraps his hands around Adam’s which have absconded with Kojiro’s wine glass and is lifting it daintily to his lips.

“What exactly are you focusing these sessions on, Adam,” Kojiro echoes, “that led to sappy, romantic picnic?”

“Oh, the usual.” Adam gives an exaggerated eye roll, ruffles his own hair in mild exasperation. “We’ve been talking about healthy outlets: ways to relax, destress, let off some steam without…” Adam swishes his hand in a euphemistic circle, “maiming anybody.”

Kaoru tenses, eyes flickering open and finding Kojiro’s already on him, soft with concern. Adam is oblivious, head leaned back on Kojiro’s shoulder, watching the flowers above shift and shimmer in the breeze like a mirage. Adam’s hand shifts restlessly with his explanation, “Not an entirely fruitless effort, I suppose. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with yoga and the sacred art of meditation, and my therapist suggested hanami.”

Kaoru’s shoulders relax again hearing him sound so comfortable with such formerly foreign concepts.

“Meditating and connecting with nature, huh?” Kojiro’s hands have wandered from Adam’s arms to his chest, roaming with a thoughtless kind of ease. “Well, look who’s turning over a new leaf.”

“Everyone could do with taking a little time to stop and view the cherry blossoms,” Kaoru says, voice unusually soft, shifting closer to the center of the blanket, where the basket had been. Petals polka dot the warm fabric, and Kaoru scoops up a handful, leaning forward to lift them over Adam’s head. “Here, let me help you appreciate them properly.” They flutter down his face and broad chest, catching on his hair, his cheek, his lip.

“Full of yourself, are you?” Kojiro teases, flicking a few petals from Adam’s shoulder.

“I deserve it,” Kaoru counters, eyes still focused solely on Adam’s.

Adam chuckles quietly, as Kaoru touches the petal sticking to his lip, and then Adam kisses his palm and wraps his wrist in his hand.

“Not just view them, Cher,” Adam purrs, “breath them in, admire them, meditate with them, worship them… and I thought…” Adam sets down his glass and reaches for Kojiro’s wrist, drawing Kaoru and Kojiro’s hands together, watching their fingers intertwine.

Kojiro’s grip is firm and Kaoru’s tightens to match it. Their eyes meet, always, Adam observes, with that sharp sizzle of tension and the thick underlying glow of trust.

Adam eases himself off of Kojiro’s lap, squeezes their wrists and releases them. “…Who would know more about viewing Cherry Blossom in all his glory than you, Kojiro?”

“My glory?” Kaoru smirks but his eyes flicker nervously between them, his fingers twitching. “Why don’t I like the sound of that?”

Kaoru watches Kojiro’s pupils dilate as a smooth, confident smirk slides across his face, his expression beginning to mirror Adam’s.

Kojiro’s knuckles bump Adam’s shoulder. “You know I never pass up a chance to show off.”

Adam reaches to the shoulder and begins to shrug off his suit jacket. “I’m going to have to insist that you do. For my therapy.”

Kaoru’s scoff catches in his throat and his voice comes out a little thin, “Need I remind the two of you,” Kaoru pauses as Kojiro lifts their folded hands and kisses the inside of his wrist, and Adam crawls to kneel at Kaoru’s back, his hands settling possessively on Kaoru’s shoulder blades, “where we are right now…?”

“In a grove of sweet, ripe cherry blossoms…” Adam’s fingers knead hard into Kaoru’s back, and Kaoru can’t help but lean into the warm, certain attention.

Kaoru’s head rests against Adam’s slow, steady heartbeat, his chin tilting up as Adam’s face draws closer. Kaoru can feel Kojiro’s lips pressing and nipping their way up his arm, drawing the flowy fabric of his sleeve up to his shoulder. “Ah…”

“Flowers waiting to be outshone by a more…” Adam whispers, his tongue tracing Kaoru’s lips before Kaoru leans up to close the distance. Adam’s kiss is firm but brief. “… superior specimen…”

Kaoru feels a faint pinch in his bicep and a low pained noise comes from Kojiro’s direction. Kojiro watches a string of saliva pass between their lips, before the distance closes again with a muffled squeak from Kaoru that might have been inspired by Adam’s teeth or Kojiro’s hands dropping to wrap Kaoru’s slender, muscular thighs, effortlessly easing them up onto Kojiro’s thick, stony ones.

“Ko… Kojiro,” Kaoru scolds, voice thin, half-breathless, hand reaching out and grabbing blindly for Kojiro’s arm, as the hands slide slow and hot up his thighs. “You big, thirsty galoot—” The heels of his palms trace the grooves of Kaoru’s hips on their assent toward the belt of his trousers. “We’re out-outside…mm.”

Adam’s fingers press briefly to Kaoru’s lips.

“Hm, so, what?” Kojiro purrs, his massage spurred on by the way Kaoru melts and rises against his hands.

“On private property…” Adam tacks on, sliding his chest down Kaoru’s back and wrapping Kaoru’s hair around his hand. “You said you’d help me appreciate you properly.” Adam’s lips find the back of his neck and Kaoru’s eyes flutter half shut. “Let us appreciate you, Kaoru. All of you.”

“I have not had enough wine,” Kaoru insists smooth and articulate as ever, leaning the back of his neck into Adam’s teeth, sliding his hands along the muscles of Joe’s upper arms, “to take off all my clothes in the middle of your garden, in the middle of the day…” Although the thought of skateboard rough hands on his bare skin makes him sound increasingly less certain with every breath. “Why don’t you ask Six Pack Joe here?”

“I can get you more wine,” Adam muses into the nape of Kaoru’s neck, and gets swatted in the shoulder by Kojiro for his trouble.

“You spend so much time appreciating my muscles,” Kojiro answers, and Kaoru watches Kojiro’s tan arms stretch as he grasps the collar of Kaoru’s shirt. “Maybe I just want to return the favor, Lord Cherry. What, too intimidated?”

“Our tiger’s muscles might be intimidating, but you’re captivating in your own right. I’ve seen you at S and on the news. People line up to see you too.” Adam’s hands wrap Kaoru’s stomach and reach toward the lower buttons of his shirt, as Kojiro’s thumb presses in on the top one. “What are you so afraid of, Master Cherry?”

“I’m not intimidated by you, musclehead,” Kaoru leans forward to butt his forehead against Kojiro’s, the challenge straining his face slipping into a more thoughtful expression as he worries his lip, “I suppose I’m just afraid the three of us, the two of you, are too good to be true. But…”

He realizes Kojiro and Adam have gone still. Their playful expressions hardening with concern, maybe guilt, and it’s contagious.

Kaoru shakes his head, feeling the light delicious pull of his hair against Adam’s immobile hand. “I don’t want to feel that way anymore.” He meets Kojiro’s eyes and burrows further into Adam’s chest, “I want to let you see all of me, touch all of me, have…” “We’ve got you, Kaoru,” Kojiro leans forward to brush their lips together carefully.

“There’s no safer place in the world…” Adam’s tone is half comfort half-threat, as he presses his lips to the back of Kaoru’s neck once more and begins to pluck open the bottom of Kaoru’s shirt. His touch is almost unfamiliar, his palm smoothing over Kaoru’s abs careful as if he’s cradling a flower blossom. “Yes, I know.” Kaoru closes his eyes, giving into the friction of their hands, feeling the warm air on his chest mingle with the damp, mind-dazzling softness of their lips, their kisses falling everywhere like petals. “I trust you.”

[ikingsley]

Ina x MC: That Day

Ina x MC: That Day

Loosely based on chapter 6 of QB. Read the other parts of the series here: The Dance, A Small Detour, One Chance.

Summary: Ina and Luna discuss their past.

Warnings: Sadness, I guess. Warning for coming out stories?

Tag: @samanthadalton @domakir @kulaykape @hellyeah90sbaby @dopeyouth @kwaj05 @thedaft1​ @swimmingshoebakerydreamer (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed)​

Author’s Notes: Sorry, I’ve been real busy, but here’s another installment of my series.

——————————————————————–———–———–———–

Luna strolled into Ina’s office at a quarter past seven. It’d been a long day for both of them. Ina had a full day of lectures and quizzes while Luna had midterms approaching. 

“Professor,” Luna said, putting down her bags.

“Good evening, Luna. How are you?”

The two made small talk while Ina pulled the stack of quizzes she needed graded. But as well as Ina could hide her emotions, Luna felt there was something off about Ina.

“Here’s the answer key,” Ina began. “It’s all multiple choice so it shouldn’t take too long.” 

Ina handed Luna a red pen. But Luna wasn’t paying attention to Ina. Instead, she scoured through the stack of papers, pulling one out and comparing the answers.

“Whose is that?” Ina peered over Luna’s shoulder. “Oh, that’s right. You took this quiz today.”

Luna hummed in reply. “Aww man. I got one wrong.”

This time, it was Ina’s turn to tease Luna. “Nerd,” she scoffed.

“Shut up.”

The two worked in silence, except for Ina going ham on her keyboard. That research paper wasn’t going to write itself.

“Why are you typing so vigorously?” Luna commented absent-mindedly.

“Hmm...I don’t know, maybe because this paper’s due at midnight,” Ina said quite uncharacteristically. Ina, the polite and beloved anthropology professor, was not one to be so brash.

Rude! For no reason! Luna thought. While Luna was pondering the true reason for Ina’s disrespect, Ina stood up and began pacing back and forth. Finally, she stopped, slumping onto the couch that sat at the corner of the room.

“Ina?” Luna questioned, getting off of her chair. Like usual, her initial intuition was spot-on, something was, in fact, off. 

Ina laid on the couch, her head resting on the couch’s arm. When Luna finally approached it, she took a look at Ina. Her face was slightly glossy, tear-stained.

“Scoot over,” Luna said firmly.

Ina huffed a little, but she moved further into the couch. Luna faced Ina, acting as a handkerchief, wiping away Ina’s tears.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Luna finally broke the silence.

“No.” 

“Okay. We can just lie here together. It’s okay.” Luna wrapped her arms around Ina. Ina subsequently buried her face in her shoulder, her tears falling slowly, wetting Luna’s shirt.

The two stayed like this for a few more moments, until Ina sat up, wiping the lasts of her tears. “I apologize, Luna. I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t need to-”

“Please, I want to. I feel like you should know.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I am.” Ina had gained her confidence back. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I trust you. Maybe it’s naive or too early, but well...I feel like I could tell you anything, and you wouldn’t judge me. So here goes.” 

And boy, did Ina open up. It was unlike anything Luna had ever witnessed from the mysterious professor. But she wasn’t complaining. This was arguably what she loved most about Ina. 

“It was my freshman year of high school and I was sitting in my US history class. I was such a little nerd,” Ina recalled fondly. “Anyway, this girl walked into my class and god, I was smitten. What she made me feel...I’d never felt before. I mean, I hadn’t been with any guy, but this was different. Sure I’d thought some guys were attractive, but every time I looked at her, I got butterflies.”

“Aww! I’m imagining a little nerdy Ina staring at a pretty high schooler now.”

“Mhm. Well, we got assigned each other for a project. And we hit it off. She was brilliant, passionate, caring...I really liked her, but I thought it was just as friends. One afternoon, we went to the library together to prepare for the presentation of the project. She asked me if I liked girls, and I hadn’t really considered it. Some sort of internalized homophobia, I guess. I went home that day just deep in thought. But God, she made me feel so alive. It was something I’d never experienced before. And then I just started thinking of kissing her and I never wanted to stop. I think I knew then and there that I liked women.”

“Well? What happened after?” Luna asked, invested in Ina’s anecdote.

“A few days later, some teacher was berating her for not knowing an answer to something rather trivial and I found myself defending her. I guess my protective side came out.”

“Not the only thing that came out then...” Luna smirked.

Ina scoffed but had a huge grin on her face. But just as quickly as it appeared, her smile faded.

“When we left school that day, she uh thanked me with a kiss. And that’s how I knew for sure that I liked her. A lot. I asked her out a few weeks later and we were together for a little over a year. At the time, she meant the world to me. We’d do everything together and she was my first for a lot of things, my first kiss, my first love...”

“A year? That is...surprisingly long for a relationship at that time. Why’d it end?”

“Her parents were incredibly supportive. They knew about us since the beginning of the relationship. Mine...did not know. I had told Lilian, and she listened and supported me a lot. We were always pretty close. Well, after a year together, Emma asked to meet my conservative parents. I was both giddy and nervous, but I thought I was ready. I truly thought love was unconditional. Maybe I was naive to think acceptance was guaranteed. And well, I told my parents that I had someone special for them to meet. In retrospect, I should’ve told them more details. Maybe they were expecting a dashing young man that could escort me to Prom in the following year or whatnot. And well, Emma came over for dinner and I told my parents about us. They...were shocked. Their perfect little nerdy daughter was gay. They didn’t handle themselves well that night. They said some unforgivable things to Emma. We tried to work through it, but we were young and broke up a few weeks after that.”

“Ina, I’m so sorry.”

 “I...it’s okay. It’s been a while now. They didn’t throw me out of the house, but they didn’t talk about my sexuality at all. Emma was always my ‘friend.’ No one in the extended family knew. It was like they were ashamed of me. Lilian was the wild child and I was the apple of my parents’ eyes, but they never looked at me the same after that dinner. It was a tough time. Lilian and my friends at school supported me. If it weren’t for them...I don’t know where I’d be now.”

Luna caressed Ina’s check, wiping away the flowing tears.

“I just existed in their house for a while. I had a brief period of dating guys who were’t too good for me, probably out of my parents lack of support. Trying to be straight. But there was never any feelings between the two of us. They just...weren’t Emma. The last guy I dated was sweet, but I felt nothing for him romantically. And then Lilian was pregnant. And that was the last straw for my parents. They kicked out Lilian and I left with her. After all those years of her supporting me, I needed to support her. They said some inexcusable things to her and I’m glad we left. But it was incredibly difficult. Lilian and I struggled a lot. We had to work odd jobs just to pay rent whilst still going to school. Today’s the anniversary of them kicking us out. Today I have to be strong for Lilian’s sake, but I lost my parents that day too. I guess it all just hit me now.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Come here.”

Luna wrapped Ina in her arms once more. Then, she held Ina’s face, staring intensely into her eyes.

“You are the strongest woman I know. Strongest person I know. But it’s okay to not be strong too. You don’t need to pretend to be strong 24/7. Strength and weakness...that’s what makes us human.”

Ina smiled at Luna, tears falling freely. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Ina then leaned in, closing the gap between them. She captured Luna’s lips slowly, but as the kiss prolonged, the passion increased. When they finally pulled away, both women were out of breath.

Ina cleared her throat, standing up and beckoning Luna to get on her feet.

“Dance with me.”

Luna took a second to play a song on her phone, but she then gratefully accepted, leaning into Ina’s arms as they moved slowly.

Tu cabeza en mi hombro 

Quiero yo tener siempre

Acaríciame, cielo

Si me quieres tú

Ina smiled again at Luna, a hand rising from Luna’s waist to cup her cheek.

“I hope your coming out story is better than mine,” she jested.

“Well, yeah I guess. When my family moved to the States from Venezuela, my mom always emphasized the importance of getting a good education, being prudent, all of that. I was very involved in high school, and I was a part of a lot of science extracurriculars. My freshman year of high school, my mom forced me to join mock trial to improve my public speaking. I thought it was useless since I knew I wanted to do neuroscience. She drove me to every practice, every conference...I fell in love with it. The more I did research for trials, the more passionate I became about public policy, law, and civil rights. And of course, gay rights. I guess that’s how I knew. Mind you, I was one of those kids who cuffed their jeans and got called out for not sitting in chairs properly.”

“It makes so much sense now. And you are...extremely well-spoken. Anyway, how’d you tell your parents?”

“We were at a mock trial competition. I had just used Obergefell v. Hodges as legal precedent to win the trial. My parents picked me up and I told them all about the case. My dad kinda stopped me mid-sentence and asked me if I had anything to tell them.”

“And?”

“I told them, but they said they already knew. They didn’t care who I’d be with, as long as they’re someone decent, kind, protective...the whole nine yards. The only problem is that they’re just very nosy about my love life. If I texted someone and smiled they’d look to see who it is. They also acted as if each person I’d bring home to meet them was the love of my life.”

Unreasonable jealousy flashed through Ina’s eyes, but her voice remained steady. “Did you bring a lot of people home to meet your parents?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Luna smiled smugly.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Puzzles & Pleas

A JSE Fanfic

A new part whoooo! As I’m writing this description I’m very tired so I’m not sure what to say. We’re basically following up directly from the last part, like literally only a few hours later. Chase and Marvin are having a nice visit with Jack, and at the exact same time, their other three friends are having a variety of bad times with Anti. Fun fun fun! Well, not for the characters, but probably for us. Enjoy :)

You can find the other stories under the pw timeline tag!

“You look nervous.”

“I’m not.”

“I mean, it’s understandable if you are—”

“I’m not fucking nervous, Chase.”

The elevator doors opened, forcibly stopping the brief exchange. Chase stepped out onto the third floor, glancing back over his shoulder at Marvin. “Well, if you were, I was just gonna say it’s okay to be. Now c’mon.”

Marvin hesitated. Despite what his protests would indicate, he did look rather anxious. He kept twisting the edge of his shirt around. But he took a moment to steady himself and followed Chase out of the elevator, saying nothing.

“It’s just the same room,” Chase said, gesturing down the hospital hallway. “Let’s go.”

They walked in silence for a while, passing by closed doors, each with a room beyond. Chase kept looking back towards Marvin. This would probably be the first time he’d left his house in a couple weeks, something that Chase knew from experience wasn’t good for your health. Marvin looked fine, physically. His hair was combed and pulled back in a ponytail, his shirt and pants neat. But he just seemed...not as energetic. If that made sense. Hopefully, this would be good for him.

They soon reached the room they were looking for. Chase was about to knock on the door when Marvin suddenly asked, “Do you think he’ll be mad at me?”

Chase blinked. Then laughed, in an effort to lighten the mood. “Why would he be mad at you?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I hardly ever went to visit him.” Marvin continued to twist the hem of his shirt. “A-and I haven’t seen him at all since he woke up.”

“Marv. Trust me. Jack wouldn’t be mad at you for something like that.” Chase instinctively went to pat him on the back, but Marvin leaned away, so he dropped it and settled for a reassuring smile. “He’s not that type of guy.”

“Would he be...disappointed?” Marvin asked tentatively.”I-I don’t want to make him feel bad, he probably has enough to deal with—”

“It’s going to be alright, Marvin. Jack knows you didn’t mean to hurt him by not visiting. And besides, you’re visiting now, aren’t you? So it all works out.” Chase waited for Marvin to say more, but he just nodded, breathing out slowly. “Alright, we’re gonna go in now, okay?” Marvin nodded again, and Chase knocked on the door before slowly opening it. “Hello? It’s me.”

Jack turned to look towards the door. The moment he saw Chase, he smiled, and reached to the side and adjusted the controls of the bed to a sitting position. “Hii Shhays.”

“Hey bro. Look, I brought a friend.” Chase stepped into the room, allowing Marvin to take his place in the doorway.

Marvin froze for a moment. He stared at Jack, taking in the bed, the wires, the oxygen tube. Then he waved. “Um...hi.”

“Mahfin!” Jack grinned even wider. “‘S good t’see yuh!” He waved Marvin over.

“Ha. Y-yeah, good to see you, too.” Marvin stepped inside. “Oh, uh, d’you want this open?”

“S’fffine.”

“Alright, then.” He closed the door.

“Hey, c’mon, Marv, sit down.” Chase walked over to the side of the bed, indicating one of the nearby chairs. “Get comfy in the plastic hospital chair.”

Marvin laughed, and followed Chase over to the bed. They both sat, and Jack leaned over to pick up his communication board from the nearby table. He pointed to the How are you? box. 

“Eh. We’re alright, I guess,” Chase said, glancing at Marvin.

“I...well, I’ve been...” Marvin stopped, the words getting caught in his throat. “It’s fine, though. Probably nothing compared to what you’re going through.”

Jack frowned. It was a small, awkward gesture, something his facial muscles were still having trouble with. He indicated the I don’t think so box.

“What’s that s’posed to mean?” Marvin asked, confused.

“It means he’s doubting you,” Chase explained. Jack nodded.

“Well, I mean...it’s fine,” Marvin said slowly. “Honestly, I’d rather talk about you. Like, how are you doing? What are you doing? It can’t be too fun being stuck in here.”

Jack still looked unsure, but he shook his head, and tapped a box labeled I agree.

“You’ve got a TV in here now, though,” Chase said, pointing to the corner. A big box television sat on top of a wheeled cart. “It looks like the ones they used to bring into classrooms in elementary school, y’know?”

Marvin and Jack just stared at him. “I think that’s an American thing,” Marvin said. “Or at least, something that wasn’t common where we were from.”

“Ah. Well, they did it all the time. A couple classrooms had them bottled to the ceilings in the corner and you watched movies on it, but you were always too far away to see it properly.” Chase laughed a bit. “But still, there’s probably only so much TV you can take.”

Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. He emphatically tapped the I agree box.

Marvin smiled a bit. “Well, don’t you have hospital stuff to do? Like, examinations and shit?”

Jack pointed to the Yes box. “Therrs...th’rapy. Lotta it.”

“Yeah, like speech therapy, physical therapy, probably a million other kinds.” Chase nodded. “Oh, speaking of which, you sound much better! Good job, bro.”

“Thnkss.” Jack smiled a bit.

“Y’know, I did some, uh...I don’t know if it was physical therapy exactly, but I did some exercises as a kid,” Marvin recalled. “Because I was severely uncoordinated. Tripped over my own feet to the point Grandmam was worried about it.” He paused. “I don’t know what I mean by that. I guess I’m just saying I relate a bit. It’s probably not the same thing, though.”

“Nnoh, ‘sfine,” Jack assured him. “I geddid. Ah.” He made a face. “I. Get. It.”

“Good, then.” For a moment, there was just silence. It stretched long enough to get awkward, and just when Chase was about to change the subject, Marvin blurted out, “I’m sorry I never came to see you, Jack.”

Jack blinked. “Hm?”

“Well I did but—it wasn’t that often. A-and not since you woke up, and I’m really sorry about it, it’s just—I’ve been having...a...moment.” Marvin clenched his fists as he tried to find the words. Sign language wouldn’t work here; Jack couldn’t understand it. So he was stuck with verbal speech. Not always his strong suit. “You know, when you have...a moment? When it’s hard to do anything because you...don’t...really...feel like anything?” Chase nodded encouragingly, and Marvin took a deep breath. “It’s not because I didn’t want to come see you. I really did, I-I’m really happy you’re awake again! It’s just...my fault. I put it off for so long, and then I got nervous about it, like, that it would be weird to suddenly show up and start talking like nothing had happened—I-I do that a lot, y’know, that’s why I don’t really talk to anyone besides you guys—and it’s not you, it’s me, and I’m sorry.” He finished with a rush and then stopped, waiting, his posture stiff and tense.

Jack was quiet for a moment. Then, he leaned closer, reaching out and putting a hand on top of Marvin’s own. “Mahfin...Mmmahrf...Marrrfvin.” For a moment, he looked frustrated at his inability to pronounce his friend’s name properly, but then he took a deep breath, and moved on. “Mahrfin. ‘S not...yoh fahlt. Thin’s happen. ‘S alright. ‘M happy t’see yuh—yyou. Yohr herre now. An’ tha’s what’s...i-im....important.” And he smiled.

Marvin’s face swelled with a mix of emotions. Relief, hesitancy, joy. It brought tears to his eyes. “You’re sure?”

“Yeh. O’courrrse.”

“I...good. That’s...good.” Marvin wiped his eyes. “Y’know...if you’re having trouble, you could just call me Muffin or something, for the time being.”

Jack laughed. “Shurr, Maffin.”

The moment was interrupted by a faint buzzing sound. Chase jumped a bit, feeling something vibrate in his pocket. “Oh, uh, sorry guys.” He took out his phone, face turning red with embarrassment as the other two watched him. “I didn’t think anyone would be calling me.” He glanced at the screen. “Huh. I don’t recognize the number.”

“It’s probably spam,” Marvin dismissed.

“Maybe. Or it could be important. Like, the kids are in school now, what if their teacher’s calling?” Chase hesitated. “I’ll just—just see if it is spam, really quick.” He tapped the Accept button and pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello? Who’s this?”

—————— 

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. Something was squeezing his chest, his lungs—something was inside him, it was—no, no it wasn’t. This was panic. That had to be the explanation. He had to calm down, and—and do...something.

Schneep had woken up a few minutes ago. It took him a while to remember what happened before that. How someone had been in his room. No...not just someone. He knew—it was him, it was—there was no escape, there had never been any escape—

Okay. Calm down. Breathe. Focus on the facts. He was lying on the floor. In a strange room that he didn’t recognize. Near the wall. And he wasn’t alone. But he couldn’t focus on that fact now, it just made it hard to breathe again, thinking about being watched, being stared at, being—stop. Calm. Breathe.

Maybe if he looked around, it would help. But there wasn’t much to see in the room. The walls were dark gray, the floor was rough white carpet. There was a circular black rug in the middle. And a window with blinds. Besides those features, the only thing of note in the room was...a desk. And its chair, with someone sitting in it. But he didn’t want to look towards that. What about...the window? Was there anything outside?

He hesitated, and briefly glanced back towards the desk. It looked like the chair’s occupant was busy, attention fully focused on the computer monitors on the desk’s surface. But he knew he was still being watched. Perhaps...if he moved slowly, then it wouldn’t be too strange? It would be natural?

Deciding that was worth a shot, Schneep cautiously sat up. His head was still a bit dizzy, and heavy, too. He grimaced, then glanced out the window. The glass was a bit dirty, and looked unusually...thick, if that made sense. Outside, he could see a street corner, and houses. This room was in a house like that, then? And it was at an intersection, with a pair of street signs marking the roads that crossed here. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make out the street names this far away without his glasses. But one of them had some graffiti on it, a spray-painted square with a diamond inside it, and a black dot inside that. It might’ve been more elaborate than that, but again, he couldn’t quite make out the details.

“I see you.”

Schneep yelped, pressing against the wall as he turned to look towards the desk. Anti. He’d turned around in his desk chair and was staring at him now. Staring with those mismatched eyes that haunted his nightmares.

“Enjoying the view?” Anti nodded towards the window. “Sorry, not much to see. Nothing particularly helpful. Especially since you can’t read the street signs from this distance without your glasses.”

He knew what he was thinking?! Was he in his head again?! Schneep squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, and opened them again. No, that wasn’t true. Anti was human, he’d never read his mind, humans couldn’t do that.

“What? Do you think you’re safe up here?” Anti tapped the side of his head and grinned. “Don’t be so sure. You’re so easy to—”

“Shut up, you are lying,” Schneep interrupted. “You—you cannot do that anymore. I know it’s a trick.”

“You don’t know anything,” Anti said, still grinning. “Because I’ve been watching you. I know you’ve heard me. And I know you’ve told others about me. Don’t you remember what I said about that? The more people know about me, the stronger I become.”

“That is more lies,” Schneep insisted, pressing his back to the wall. 

“I’ve never lied to you. And I’m not about to start now. I’ve been watching you. I know you’ve seen my shadow in the corners, and my eyes in the ceilings.”

“How do you know about that?!” Schneep shrieked.

“Because I sent them, of course. To keep an eye on you, make sure you didn’t break any rules.” Anti sighed dramatically and shook his head. “I hoped it wouldn’t be needed, but I thought, better safe than sorry. And it turns out I was right.”

Schneep pressed his hands to his ears, trying to block out Anti’s words. They had to be lies. He knew that Anti wasn’t some supernatural creature, he was just a man. Anti had to be guessing about the things he saw. Though...how did he guess about the eyes in the ceilings? Schneep couldn’t remember telling him about them, and that had to be a fairly specific hallucination. Maybe he really...? No, there had to be another explanation.

Anti laughed, and Schneep flinched at the sound. His eyes darted around the room once more. There was a door, but it was on the other side of the room, and he was willing to bet it was locked. Same with the window. He could try to break the window, but there was nothing to break it with. Unless he wanted to try and grab one of the computer monitors and throw it through the glass, but he knew he’d be overpowered if he tried.

“That’s right, you’ve got no way out,” Anti said, leaning back. “You’re lucky I haven’t tied you to a chair or anything. The only reason I haven’t done that is because you know it’s hopeless, anyway. Unlike certain others...wearing red jackets.”

Schneep felt a chill pass over him. Jackie. Of course. Anti still had him captive. “I-it’s different, now,” Schneep protested weakly. “They know about you, a-and me, and that we are not the same. They will be trying to rescue me this time.”

“Probably,” Anti admitted. He grabbed something off the desk and stood up, approaching. Schneep’s eyes widened, and he pressed further into the wall, pulling his legs and arms close. “That is, they’ll be trying a search and rescue as long as they think I’m involved.” Anti stopped, standing over Schneep, and leaned down. “So here’s what’s going to happen.” He showed him the thing he’d grabbed from the desk: a phone. “You’re going to call the lovely Dr. Laurens and tell her you left on your own.”

“What...wh-why would I do that?” Schneep stammered.

“Because you got scared. Because you didn’t feel safe in that hospital. Because you told her you saw Anti in the hospital rec room, and you think that he’s real, and that he can come after you.” Anti smiled. “It’s built on truth, isn’t it? Because you told her you saw me, didn’t you?”

Schneep stared at him in disbelief. He had told Laurens about seeing Anti in the rec room. At the time, he thought it was just him seeing things, but...had it been real? The whole time? And how did Anti know he’d told Laurens about that?

Because he hears your thoughts. He can twist them to control you.

No! No, that wasn’t real. But...the idea still lingered.

“What are you waiting for?” Anti held out the phone, staring at him. Staring, staring, staring. Always staring.

Schneep swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. “..okay. I will call her.”

Anti didn’t say anything as he took the phone, still watching him as he dialed the phone number. Schneep tried not to think about it too much as he held the phone to his ear and listened to the call connect.

The other end rang for a long time, and Schneep swiftly grew afraid that nobody would pick up. But just when he thought it would hang up, the ringing stopped. “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Um. Hello.” Schneep reminded himself to breathe. “It’s me, it is—well, you can probably tell by the voice.” The voice that was shaking quite a bit.

“What the f—Schneep?!” The voice on the other end shouted in disbelief. “Why are you calling me?! No, wait, how are you calling me? I thought you weren’t allowed to have a phone there.”

“No, I—there is—something has happened,” Schneep said carefully. “I-I am not at Silver Hills anymore.”

“Well then where the hell are you?!”

“I am...I am somewhere...else,” Schneep said slowly.

“Yeah, where?”

Anti narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Get to the point,” he hissed.

Schneep froze for a moment. He needed to speak freely. “It’s because of—of him,” he said carefully. “You know who I mean, yes?”

“You mean...Anti?” The other end went silent for a minute. “Schneep where are you? Can you tell me, give me a clue or something? I-I’ll call the police, but if you could tell me anything—”

Anti frowned. “Put it on speaker,” he said.

Schneep’s heart sank. Impossible. Anti would immediately know that he hadn’t called the right person. He had to do something drastic. “Er ist es, er hat mich mitgenommen,” he said, speaking quickly. “Ich weiß nicht wo ich bin.” Anti’s eyes widened, and he lunged forward. Schneep cried out, and rolled to the side, just avoiding him. “Ich weiß nicht wo ich bin! Ein Haus an einer Straßenecke—Ich kenne die Straßennamen nicht! Das Schild hat Graffiti, es ist ein Kreis in einem Diamanten in einem Quadrat—”

“You little—!” Anti grabbed Schneep’s wrist and twisted the phone out of his hand.

“Bitte komm—!” Schneep didn’t manage to get the rest of the sentence out before—

Smack!

He fell to the side, half of his face suddenly alight in pain. For a moment, he was too dazed to respond properly. Then Anti grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him upward. He instantly started struggling.

“You worthless little fucker,” Anti hissed, grabbing a handful of Schneep’s hair and pulling his head backwards. “Can’t believe you did that. Fuck. You deserved that. Your friend’s gonna have worse for that stunt you just pulled.”

“N-no!” Schneep gasped. “Leave him alone!”

“No, you know the rules. You know how this works.” Anti glared at him. “You’ve just gotten cocky. So you need a reminder.”

Schneep felt a tear trickle from his eye. He hoped that call was worth it.

—————— 

“Schneep?! Henrik?! Are you there?!” Chase shouted into the phone, but got no response. There’d been a rustling sound, like a struggle, then Schneep had shouted, and then there was—there was another sound, a sound he’d most often heard when his kids would fight each other, and he had to scold them. That sound was a lot more sinister in this context. Especially considering the call had apparently dropped after it. “Fuck!”

“What happened?!” Marvin asked, shaken by the half of the conversation he’d heard. “Was that really—?”

“H-hang on, I’m gonna call his doctor first,” Chase said. He hurried to dial the number for Dr. Laurens, misdialing at first because of his rush and entering it a second time.

The call was picked up surprisingly quickly. “Chase? Is that you?” Laurens’s voice came through loud and clear.

“Yeah, it’s me. Listen doc, is...is Schneep okay?” Chase didn’t know how else to ask.

“Is he—oh, Chase,” Laurens said softly. “I was just about to call you. We...we don’t know where he is.”

“You...don’t know where he is?” Chase repeated, feeling the bottom of his stomach dropping out. He heard Marvin gasp, and saw him squeeze Jack’s hand, who was now sitting up as straight as he could. “What do you mean?”

“He never showed up to dinner. When Oliver went to check on his room, he wasn’t there. We’ve been searching the building and the grounds, but he’s nowhere to be seen. I thought—since you’re his friend, a-and his emergency contact—wait a minute.” Laurens stopped, realizing something. “Why are you asking?”

“Because he just called me,” Chase explained. “From some number I didn’t recognize. He said that—he said that Anti took him.”

“Shit,” Laurens cursed. “Chase, I need you to hang up right now and call the police. We’ll keep searching the nearby area, just in case. I-I’ll call you if we find him.”

“Y-yeah. Okay. And I’ll call you again after I talk to the cops.”

“Great. Go do that.”

“I’m doing it. Talk to you later.” Chase hung up.

“So he just disappeared?!” Marvin whispered harshly. “Just—just like that night.” He glanced over at Jack.

“Wh’s happennin’?” Jack asked, his features drawn.

“You guys heard that call, right? Henrik called me, h-he was speaking...haltingly, I think, with a lot of pauses, I think that’s the word.” Chase squeezed his phone case. “Then he freaked out and started shouting in German—I bet because Anti can’t speak it.”

“What did he say?!” Marvin demanded.

“I don’t know all of it, it’s been a while since I—give me a second.” Chase opened up a translation app on his phone and quickly typed in a few words, trying his best to match the spelling of the things he thought Schneep had said. He had to fill in the gaps. “Okay. He said that Anti took him, and that he didn’t know where it was, but it was a house on a street corner. He couldn’t see the street names, but mentioned some sort of like...graffiti? On the sign? A circle in a diamond in a square.”

Jack’s head shot upward, and he cried out.

“What?! What is it?!” Marvin leaned forward, checking all the wires and monitors.

“Nn—noh that!” Jack clumsily pushed him back. “That sss...ssymmbel. Know it.”

“Wh—you recognize the symbol?!” Chase repeated in disbelief. “Square-diamond-circle?!”

Jack nodded. “H-he...fffakes. Th’ fakes, th’ one...prtendinn tuh be yuh two. I...rmemmber now.”

“Huh?” Marvin asked, utterly confused.

“Right, you don’t know,” Chase realized. “Jack, he—he’s said some stuff about fake versions of us visiting him. Anti, in disguise. I-I know, I ran into him pretending to be you one time, and I heard about an imposter me from Dr. Emerson another time. Apparently Anti talked to him, said some freaky stuff.” He gasped. “You mean—he told you about this symbol?”

“Symmbl. Symbel to...to haf others recogniss him.” Jack pressed his hands to his forehead and leaned forward. “Put outssside...places he...h-has? I don’...don’ rmemrrr.” He fell silent, squeezing his eyes shut. “On a sighhn...steet signnn...ffahk. Fahk!”

“I’m gonna call the police,” Chase said, already dialing 999. “I’m gonna tell them everything, a-and meanwhile, try to remember anything else.”

Jack nodded, eyes still shut. Marvin squeezed his shoulder, an anchor to the physical world. He could hear Chase’s voice relaying what happened over the phone, but the words were indistinct as he tried to concentrate on his memory. Everything was all mixed up and blurred. None of it made sense most of the time. He remembered hearing voices, but he wasn’t sure when it was Chase, when it was this Anti, or when it was just a dream. But he’d definitely heard that description of a symbol before. When...when had he...when...when......?

——————

......

...

“It’s a calling card. Or a warning, if you want to think of it that way...simplified version of my...”

...

The man had no eyes. Or maybe he was just missing one eye. A blank, dark spot in the middle of a white face. He looked like a friend, but that dark spot was wrong. It told him it was a lie.

“Most people don’t know what it means exactly, only that it’s trouble. The area...claimed.”

And the voice was wrong. It...it sounded a bit like his own, actually? Was this...him?

Was that why he couldn’t move? Why he couldn’t look away?

“...outside safe houses, where I store my...and other equipment. They’re also secondary bases. Just in case...never know in this line of work. I don’t want...caught. Living...prison...just be the worst. You have no control.”

The man was smiling. His teeth stretched...his skin was melting. He—he couldn’t understand. What was happening? Who...was this man...? Was he him? Who are you? Who am I? Are we the same? I can’t understand. Something...something is broken up here. My thoughts...they’re scattering. Like throwing paper in a bowl of water, watching it soak it up, then stirring violently. Everything came apart.

“I’m never going to let anyone control me. No. I am in control. Everyone else...my little puppets. I like watching the shows.”

The white ceiling and walls were burning his eyes. It was curving, like a bubble. They were in a bubble. He was floating. He couldn’t feel anything.

“...times I worry about you telling people. But then I—” Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. “I remember you’re a veggie. People rarely wake...after something so severe. So...doesn’t matter. Maybe you can hear me. Maybe you can’t. Doesn’t...”

Green line. Up and down. Up and down. Crossing the man’s face. Cutting him in half.

“Why am I even doing this?”

Green light. Everything is green.

“I don’t even know. It’s a waste of time, a waste of resources, and a risk. Maybe...need it? I’ve never talked so freely. Not even to Jamie. He...a kid, you know. Always will be.”

Light is gone. Everything is black.

“...it doesn’t really matter what I say. I can tell you about the marks outside the houses. Ha. Hell, I can even tell you where they are. Like, for example, on the corner of—”

——————

Jack’s eyes flew open. “Ah!”

“Wh—?!” Marvin jumped a bit. “Jack?”

“Th’ steet! Strreet! Is—is—” Now the problem was just getting his mouth to form the sounds properly. “Ay...airrr...loom.”

Marvin blinked. “Air loom?”

“Hhay. Hhhhair loom.”

“Oh, heirloom? I don’t know that street, uh...” Marvin turned to look at Chase. “Did you catch that?”

Chase nodded in response, still on the phone, then returned to his conversation with the emergency line. “Um—maybe try on one of the corners of Heirloom Drive? My friend thinks that might be it.” A brief pause. “Uh, I don’t know.” And he looked over at Jack, pulling the phone away a bit. “Hey bro, do you...remember the other street? It’s at an intersection, right?”

Jack closed his eyes again. But this time, the memory wouldn’t even come to him. “No.”

“That’s fine.” Chase returned to the phone. “My friend doesn’t know, but on the phone call he said—my other friend—said that there was some sort of graffiti on the sign, that was a uhh square around a diamond around a circle. That probably helps right?” He paused. “No, I don’t think he’d see them. He’s near-sighted, and I don’t think he has his glasses. That probably means that the graffiti description is pretty vague, but it’s an idea.” Another pause. “Yeah, that’s it. Oh, wait, uh...I think Detective Nix was involved in this case? Can you tell him?” And another. “Yeah, his name’s Henrik.” And one last, long pause. “Alright, thank you ma’am. I’ll wait.” And he hung up, letting out a long exhale.

“It—it’s going to be fine, right?” Marvin asked anxiously. “They’ll find him?”

“It might take a while, but I think so,” Chase replied. “God...Hey, uh, Jack? You’re sure about this?”

Jack thought about it, then nodded slowly, head bobbing. That memory was a bit weird, but Dr. Emerson told him it was common to have dream-like memories, with everything that had happened to him. He was confident that the conversation was real. He couldn’t forget the times Anti came to visit, just because of how deeply unnerving his words always were.

“Alright. Well, they’re going to call me to update me on what happens,” Chase said. “Uh...not sure how long this’ll take. Visiting hours might end before they sort everything out.”

“Mm.” Jack shrugged. He picked up the communication board again—he’d just done a lot of talking, and needed a moment—and pointed to the I’m okay box.

“You sure?”

Yes box.

“Well we’re not leaving until they kick us out,” Marvin asserted, folding his arms. “If they call us back, you need to hear it. You just helped out a fuckton.”

Jack smiled, a bit lopsidedly. Thank you box.

Chase laughed, but it quickly faded. He looked down at the phone in his hand, already anticipating the call. “I guess...we just wait now.”

——————

There were footsteps passing by outside the room. At first, Jameson had tensed, waiting for the door to open and Anti to walk inside. But that didn’t happen. They just kept passing back and forth. You hear those, right? JJ asked.

Jackie didn’t respond, so JJ looked back over at him. He was lying on the bottom bed of the bunk and staring up, eyes glazed. Something he’d been doing quite a lot, JJ noticed. When he asked about it, Jackie always said he was daydreaming, which would be fine normally, but JJ was pretty sure that he was doing it too much. Well, he couldn’t blame him. But still, it would be nice if Jackie would look at him when he was signing.

Jameson walked over and, after a moment’s hesitation, shook Jackie’s shoulder. He blinked, made an odd gesture like he was asking someone to wait, then looked at JJ. “What?”

Have you been hearing the footsteps outside? JJ asked.

“Huh? Oh, uh, sorry. No. I wasn’t really paying attention,” Jackie admitted. “What do they sound like?”

Like someone’s running up and down a hallway outside, JJ described.

“Really? Well...I mean, I can’t really think of anyone but Anti who’d be doing that.” Jackie’s face scrunched up in thought. “Maybe he’s...doing something? I dunno. Running, though...it must be important.”

Jameson frowned. That was a good point, why would Anti be running about? I’m going to try to look outside, he said, walking over to the door.

“Look outside?” Jackie sat up, turning so he was on the edge of the bed. “You mean, through the gap?”

JJ nodded. He got down on his hands and knees and pressed his head to the floor, peering through the gap under the door. Nothing much to see. He got to his knees and was about to stand up...when he heard the footsteps again. Wanting to see what happened as they passed by the door, he quickly peered through the gap between the door and the doorframe. The steps were approaching—

Then the door slammed open, directly into Jameson’s face. He cried out as he fell, clasping his hands to his face.

“Oh my god, Jamie?! I’m so sorry!” Anti covered his mouth, staring down at him in shock. “It was an accident, I didn’t expect you to—are you okay?!”

Jameson didn’t answer. His face was in pain, and his nose in particular was throbbing. He pulled one hand away and saw it covered in blood, felt it trickling from his nostrils and soaking into his mustache.

“Shit. Fuck! I-it’ll be fine, I can—i-is it broken?” Anti bent over, grabbing Jameson’s head and trying to inspect the damage. But Jameson pulled away, waving at him to get back. “Hey, I just—okay, fine. This isn’t the time. We can look at it later.” Anti took his phone out of his pocket and checked the clock. “We need to go.”

Go? Did he say go? As in, they were leaving? Jameson stood up, keeping one hand on his face, trying and failing to stop the bleeding from getting everywhere. Why did they have to leave? More importantly, why was Anti trying to move the two of them? Unless...something happened that meant he had to move them. Like...the police coming. At that thought, Jameson started backing away.

“Jamie, this isn’t a joke, we need to leave now.” Anti insisted.

Jameson shook his head. He glanced over his shoulder at Jackie. Judging by the wide-eyed expression on his face, he’d come to the same conclusion as him. It was strange to see the glimmer of hope in his eyes. And that thought made Jameson’s heart hurt.

“Are you going to—?! Fuck, I don’t have time for this.” Anti rubbed his eyes, then adjusted the strap of the bag hanging off his shoulder. He stared at Jameson for a moment. Then followed his line of sight over to Jackie. For a moment, he hesitated, thinking about something. And then he made a decision. “Okay, fine.” Anti pushed past Jameson, reaching into his bag as he did so. He grabbed Jackie, yanking him upwards to a standing position, and pressed a knife to his neck.

Jameson gasped. “A-an!”

“I’m going to kill him,” Anti said calmly. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I can’t handle three of you after all. And he’s the most useless.”

“A...aan.” Jameson shook his head slowly. He didn’t dare to take a step forward. Jackie had looked terrified when Anti grabbed him, but the moment he said he was going to kill him, all emotion seemed to drain out of him. Now he was slumped, eyes blank, not there at all. Please, Jameson simply signed.

Anti looked him in the eyes. “The only way you can convince me not to is if you come with me right now.”

Oh.

So...that was the plan.

Jameson wasn’t sure why he wasn’t more shocked. No...no, actually, he knew why. But somehow, it surprised him to feel this lack of...well, surprise.

But in any case, he couldn’t let Jackie die. Alright, he signed slowly. I’ll go with you.

“Good. Follow me.”

Anti walked out of the room, right through the door, and Jameson followed behind him, quietly. He tried to catch Jackie’s eye, but Jackie wasn’t paying attention to anything at all. He just let Anti pull him along with the blade at his throat.

They went down a hallway and arrived in another, which they then walked down to arrive at a door. Anti pushed it open with his shoulder, and then they were in a small backyard, hardly more than a strip of grass. Jameson glanced at the neighboring houses, but they looked empty. But...maybe someone could see them? Maybe someone would call the police, if they hadn’t already been called.

There was a car parked in the gap between their house and one of the neighbors. It didn’t have anything distinct about it, a simple, gray, four-door car. But the trunk was a bit open. Jameson caught a glimpse of some sort of suitcase—maybe multiple suitcases—before Anti kicked the lid closed. “Stupid boot,” he muttered. “Jameson, get in the passenger side. Leave the door open.”

Well, he didn’t have much of a choice, did he? Jameson walked around to the passenger side and got in, sitting stiffly on the edge of the seat. He wiped his face, clearing up blood from his nosebleed.

“Good.” Anti nodded once. He then shifted his knife to his other hand, still keeping it pointed at Jackie, and used his other to rummage around in his bag until he pulled out a small bottle. He popped the lid open. “Hold out your hand.” When Jameson did, Anti shook a few small pills out of the bottle and into his palm. “Swallow three of those.”

That was the part that got Jameson to finally say something. Or, try to, at least. “A-annn? Yuh...c-c-cannn’...beee sss—”

“Don’t do this, Jamie,” Anti said through gritted teeth. “I know what you’re trying to do. Just eat them, okay?” He put the bottle back in his bag and switched the knife between hands again. He pressed it firmly into Jackie’s neck, causing a drop of blood to trickle down from where the blade met skin.

Jameson nodded, and hurriedly threw the pills in his mouth. Anti watched him closely, making sure they were eventually swallowed. “Good,” he said again. Then he closed the car door. Immediately, Jameson heard the clunk of the lock. He was expecting that...but he wasn’t expecting Anti to walk back towards the back door they’d come from, taking Jackie with him.

“Hhh—!” Jameson pressed his face and hands to the window. “Aaaan! N-nuh!” He banged a fist against the glass. “Nnnuh! Nn—n-n-no!” He screamed. But Anti didn’t even look towards him as he disappeared back into the house with Jackie.

He tried pulling at the door, but of course, found it useless. And looking around the inside showed there wasn’t a way to open the car from the inside. That was probably a safety hazard, but Jameson was willing to bet that Anti had the car modified. He spun around in his seat, looking for anything that would be of help in the back. But there was nothing. Except for...a man. Asleep, sitting in the back seat. Pale skin and brown hair, with a yellow-purple bruise forming on his cheek. Jameson was confused for a moment, until he noticed the plastic medical bracelet around the man’s wrist and remembered. That was Henrik, wasn’t it? Schneep? He hadn’t recognized him. Of course, they’d only met once, and Schneep had spent most of it freaking out, thinking that Jameson was Anti. He looked unharmed, but he was clearly unconscious, and therefore couldn’t help them get out of the car.

Frustrated, Jameson started kicking at the door, leaning back to build up as much force as possible. He tried hitting the window. But it felt as solid as the actual door. This went on for a few moments, until he saw the back door opening again. And Anti came back outside. Alone.

That made him stop, fear shooting through his heart.

Soon, Anti sat down in the driver’s seat. “Alright, finally,” he said under his breath, glancing up at the dark, early-night sky. “We’ve wasted enough time—”

Smack!

Anti was too surprised to even cry out as Jameson’s fist connected with enough force to whip his head to the side. “Y—you just—” He pressed his hand to his cheek and looked at Jameson in disbelief. “Jamie, you hit me.”

Don’t fucking call me that! Jameson threw his hands in Anti’s face, almost hitting him again. Not after all that! You don’t deserve it! You’re the most horrible person I know!

Anti glanced back towards the house. “He’s not dead.”

Well I don’t trust a word you say!

“Just...” Anti sighed, and rubbed his cheek. “Just go to sleep and be quiet, Jameson.”

Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Jameson seethed. You’d like to have a perfect, quiet, naive kid brother that you can protect and therefore feel good about yourself for once. Well he doesn’t exist. Not one of those words describes me. Jameson turned away. Don’t ever call me your brother again. You make me sick.

Anti didn’t say anything in response, and Jameson refused to even look at him. The car started, then pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

As the house on the corner faded into the distance, Jameson’s anger lessened, overtaken by the fear and all-consuming worry he’d felt before. He could only hope that Anti wasn’t lying about Jackie. And he didn’t like that. He didn’t like relying on this...person for anything. But, unfortunately, he was at his mercy for the time being.

He had to find a way out. Not now, though. He could already feel the sleeping pills starting to take effect. But as Jameson closed his eyes, he swore that he wouldn’t let Anti be in control of anyone ever again.

[jamestrmtx]

Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Chapter Thirteen | Waterfall (Part 3 of 4 | His POV)

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

"This is actually our first date, but we're getting there."

His soul almost stops at that sentence, yet he tries not to let it show. Based on how charmed (Y/N) was around monsters who weren't heavily involved with the intentions of the Royal Guard, Sans assumes they're lying for the sake of not letting Roger down. He observes and listens to their exchange by the side, only intervening when he's escorted with them into the shop.

Before arriving at the counter, he brings up that sentence and the meaning behind it. He has some confidence as to what their reply will be, but when they actually speak up, it only complicates his thoughts and the pace of his soul more. "I'm not sure what to think of this myself, but… In the end, I only did it 'cause I couldn't bring myself to get his hopes down."

He'd hit the nail in the head.

But what was the reason behind their doubts?

Did they feel forced to go out with him, simply for having gotten to know Frisk during their journey?

It didn't feel that way, yet he didn't exactly know them well enough to be one-hundred percent sure of those assumptions. For all he knew, they could be pretending and trying to get along with him just for the sake of Frisk's happiness and the rest of their monster friends. It wasn't safe to cross out that possibility yet.

A bunnywoman greets him and he words out his orders, saying (Y/N)'s, then his, and finally Frisk's to-go. He can see the human's wallet already in hand, though they hold it back when he's directed with them to a table, no upfront payment needed. "But even if this was a date, I still don't think I'd be able to accept having another one after today's," they add, sitting down and facing their lap.

At that, his curiosity rises, and he can't help asking them for a little more detail. "What do you mean?"

They fidget before answering. "I need to focus more on raising Frisk before going anywhere with my love life."

"Why?" The monster wants to disappear with how abrupt, rude, and plain nosy that question comes out. Knowing he's already screwed up and not wanting to ruin things further by making them angry, he hurries to elaborate his question better, saying, "So you haven't dated anyone ever since that day?" He breathes out as subtly as possible, relieved to see them nod. 

A brown bear appears, referring to himself as the waiter in charge of the table for today. He's in formal wear, something the human seems to be charmed by; it's an undoubtedly similar look to when they didn't want to disappoint the rabbit. They continue when the bear leaves, words once more catching the skeleton off guard. "I haven't, and to be honest I'd…" They keep quiet for a while, making his doubts return. He's worried he's asking questions far too personal for them to be in any way comfortable with him, but they don't stop with their answers. "I'd like to keep it that way for as long as it's needed. I need to be there for Frisk, and I need to be more careful of who I date from now on." They sound more at ease the further they talk, helping calm some of his own tension down. "You see, I… I really don't want Frisk to grow up in an environment full of constant fights and disagreements." 

That seems to be the final drop in the bucket for them to expose their heart out to him. Words practically flow out of their mouth as they continue to explain the reasons behind their self-imposed limitations. They tell him of Jerry and their relationship with him post-divorce, of those six years without dating anyone, and over the responsibility they felt was on their shoulders ever since Jerry stopped acting as a father for Frisk. He's irked with everything they say -- especially the last part -- but again, he tries not to let his emotions show too much, wanting to listen to them instead. 

As they speak, Sans wonders whether it's okay to continue being all chill and buddy-buddy with Jerry, now knowing him in a different light. The guy was fun to be around with, and he was truthfully the one who'd given him a push to make a move on (Y/N), but he couldn't bring himself to meet up with him again without wanting to use the same sense of judgment he specialized in at the Underground. He was strict and stern when it came to the consequences of others' actions just as he was when it came to judging himself for his own choices in both past and present times.

If Jerry was well-aware he wasn't ready to be a father, then why did he still agree on (having/adopting) a child?

Had it been an unforeseen result, or was there more to it?

A piece of information slips by, though (Y/N) doesn't seem to catch onto it. After the words 'I let him go', follow: "I, well… I was over the moon when he said we could be parents, and I didn't really think about his real feelings about the situation the second he said we could give it a try, so it's… It's primarily my fault all of this happened, either way. I- I should've paid more attention and discussed the situation with him more properly." A bitter smile shows on their face. "Children aren't pets, and even pets aren't that easy of a responsibility, either. I… I should've stopped to think about that choice some more before immediately assuming we were both ready, once he... once he brought up the possibility of us being parents."

Based on how little they react after that confession, it's plain evident they haven't noticed they've let that information slip past, so he chooses not to bring it up. To make up for it, Sans intervenes when he notices they're too caught up in wanting to make things right all in one day. He steps in with his own view on the subject so far, saying, "Don't wanna assume things right off the bat, but…" He pauses, picking up a fork and piercing it through his dish. Then, he faces (Y/N), continuing with, "You kinda feel like you've gotta make up for that? Limiting yourself that much ain't really the best option, though."

They face away and pick up a portion of their dessert along the way. With how calm they look right now, he wonders how they would react had he chosen to bring up the fact they'd just confessed something far too personal in the midst of them being honest with him. "I just don't trust myself enough to make the right decision again." They take a bite.

Sans tries to look away from their lips, not wanting to make himself come off as an indecent person by staring there for too long. While they were dressed far more strikingly and looked far more cheerful compared to previous times, that's no excuse for him to stare, and even less at their face. They were here wearing their heart out on their sleeve for him. Taking advantage of that with any sort of flirting or advancements simply didn't feel right presently.

He offers his point-of-view, only to be interrupted by what he fears is trouble lurking right behind (Y/N)'s back. There's two human men standing close by, pointing at their waist and muttering comments about how 'chunky' they are and how small the off-brand 'Grim Reaper on vacation prop' sitting with them is. He waits and keeps an eye socket out for the two as he continues, only to be interrupted by a loud comment from one of the pair not long after.

"Hey, Kevin," the burliest one of the two says, voice irritatingly loud. "What did the skeleton say to the hog?" 

Laughter follows and the lankier one replies with, "I don't know, Brayan. What?"

Brayan fakes a swoon and attempts to mimic what Sans can only interpret as his own voice with how exaggeratedly rough and Batman-with-a-cold deep it sounds, saying, "Oh, you're the exact opposite of me -- all fat and no bones. What a catch!"

More laughter.

"Wait, wait," Kevin says, voice now heard from closer by. "I've- I've gotta good follow-up to that one." Brayan snorts at that -- obnoxiously rather than cutely. "I might be fat, but you're the real pig here -- liking me only because of those weird tastes of yours!"

"What's bothering you, mi chicharrón? You're my type. I'm only saying the truth!

"And I'm done with you, you bonehead!"

Just as the skeleton expects to be pushed off his chair, his company intervenes by standing up and approaching the man about to send him to the ground. Their stance is firm and their gaze is pissed, the light in their eyes far different from when they snapped at his own flirting. They grab the man by the arm, but it doesn't take much for him to retaliate and seek out help from his partner-in-crime. Far-too soon, a splash is heard and the skeleton sees (Y/N)'s shirt drenched, an empty glass being held by one of the two men still standing nearby. 

Now his turn to act, Sans takes advantage of free Karma and tosses both his drink and theirs at the man responsible for throwing one at (Y/N). The rest is a blur as he pays more attention to them and their condition. Only the comments Kevin and Brayan made about them and the drink thrown at them stay in his mind, occupying the rest of his thoughts. He takes a towel and wraps it around their torso, being extra cautious not to brush his hands anywhere improper, something better said than done with his current situation. They're soaked from neck to waist, the subtle warmth emerging from their body making him further concerned by assuming the drink was still fresh. 

"Was it hot?"

With that question, he receives yet another surprise, both in words and the bold look they give him along with it. "No," he hears (Y/N) say, grinning bright and wide as a subtle, flirty curve shows on their smile. "But you worrying about me kinda is."

His soul lurches at the feeling of their lips on his cheekbone. It's a sensation far too soft for him to have ever been prepared for it, and it's made a lot more intense when they drag the kiss all the way to his ear cavity, lips brushing against his face as they whisper him a 'thank you'. His hands are firm on their waist as the crowd cheers on. It's only when he backs away and lets go of the towel that he can escape from the situation, plopping back down on his chair to recover from it. 

• • •

With the remnants of the earlier incident, it’s a different experience giving the human a ride to his home. The skeleton's now overly alert of everything around him, from their hands around his waist to the rumbling of other engines near him. Thankfully, a cloudy sky, strong winds, and a light drizzle aid as a distraction. He dodges busy streets by taking detours wherever possible, and he focuses on one thing only: getting there before the rain pours any harder. While the helmet shields most of it away, the roar of the clouds above alerts him and seemingly the one holding onto him, based on how they press closer and ask if he’s okay.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop?” they suggest, voice muffled from too many things at once. There’s the rain picking up, other vehicles zooming past, and the warning of future thunder from the clouds. Add in the helmets, and it’s a necessity for him to take a turn and park by the emergency lane.

The stillness of his surroundings helps provide a better look at the options nearby. Four were available, the last of them the most risky. It was either turn left and stop at a gas station, turn right and stop at an inn, go back and stop at the nearest shopping district available, or continue forward without any proper sense of direction. 

Just as he’s imagining there’s no way (Y/N) could be any bolder than they had been with their kiss, they say, “Let’s stop by the inn.” Their smile quells any hidden meanings. Their tone, on the other hand, has plenty left to be said. “It’s the closest option there is, and judging by the situation up there, it’s the best one, too.”

Right.

He scolds himself mentally for letting his imagination run too far.

Of course, it was his fear of thunder they were referring to!

What else could it have been?

“Alright,” he says, giving in with a huff. “You sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah,” they reply, shrugging. “It's getting darker, and the weather’s not too good. I’ll just call Undyne and let her know we'll be returning a little later than expected."

The monster finally grins at that and props the motorcycle back into shape. “You’re being awfully chill about this whole thing, pal.” He jolts when their hands find their place around him once more, settled down when he hears them laugh, airiness present in their tone. They rest their head closer to his shoulder, helmet bumping with his. “Gettin’ real comfy around me, too.”

They pull back, a frown heard in their question, “Would you like me to stop?”

He shakes his head, bringing them closer at a red light. “Not at all.”

Their laughter sounds again, more cheerful and light. Had he no context of where they'd been before the ride, he would’ve assumed they'd taken a drink too many. To see them relax and play along was about as rare as a day not passing by without the sudden awfulness of the weather. It’s been worsening, yet he can’t quite determine why exactly. There were plenty of factors contributing to it, one of the most common being the current season, and the most uncommon somehow related to the accusations monsters received about the bad weather being all their fault.

Flashing, neon lights greet the skeleton when he parks close to the inn, right below a tent made specifically for keeping customers' vehicles out of the bad weather. ‘Open 24/7. Vacant. Family Friendly. Monster Friendly. Absolutely NO pest problem. Suspicious wall stains are actually retro wallpaper patterns, not blood,' and a bunch more other things blare at him in bright lettering. There’s tiny wording at the bottom of the word ‘Inn’, reading: ‘formerly a criminal hideout’, in parentheses.

Sans expects all but more stifled laughter from (Y/N)’s mouth. When he looks towards them, he sees they've already taken their helmet off, revealing teary eyes and a smile. “What's next?” they ask, giggling. “Bet now the hotel guy'll say: ‘Sorry, we’ve only got one room left’.” They take him by the arm and lead him in as soon as the rain pours completely, their laughter drowning out as thunder clashes from nearby. “C’mon,” they call out, tugging him in. “You’ll get sick!” The door jingles as he passes through with them by his side, revealing a lobby far more decent than the outside suggests. “See that? It’s gonna be fine!"

He doesn't say anything and instead lets himself be tugged along. If he'd annoyed them too much with his flirting and this was the world's way of punishing him for it, he accepted it despite what that was doing to his soul. He accompanies them to the registration counter, where an even worse problem waits.

"Welcome!" Mettaton calls out, greeting both him and the human next to him with a smile. Funky music plays on the radio, matching almost eerily with his gaze and the purpose behind his smile. "Room for two, I assume?" He takes out a log book, and a calculative frown shows on his face as he taps his chin with the pen, a smile returning when he looks up. "...Either way, I'm afraid that's all we have right now."

His companion snorts (cutely, in comparison to Brayan), though they cover it up when he tries to get a better look at them, seeing a smile still on. "Told you so," they say, jabbing his waist. They then turn over to the robot, seriousness falling on their face. "We'd like to book it for a night, please."

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

• • •

Note

This chapter was originally meant to be only 2 parts long, but the request seen here (an older one, as it was suggested in the first version of this fanfic) ended up enriching the story's plot wayyy more than I thought, lol.

• • •

Tag List (Comment or message me if you want to be added to [or removed from] it!)

@the-simp-express

@nektotersh

@disastrous-l0vebug

@therealchickenjoe

@mintyflakes025

@pandaquick

@timelock97

@candle-creeps

[barisiscourtroom]

@randofando-spoonie​ asked for Barisi and forehead kisses, and suggested a 5+1, and my brain really latched onto that idea, because yeah, that is cute af =D It took a while, but I managed, and I’m not sure that this is what you wanted at all, but I hope you like it! =D

Once again a big thanks to @novemberhush​ for the beta! ♥

Warnings: There's a brief non-explicit injury to a minor character with a mention of blood, and there's some alcohol at one point. Less than canon levels on both tbh. This is just fluff.

Forehead Kisses ao3

2000 words | Gen characters: Rafael Barba, Sonny Carisi, Minor Characters (Lucia Barba and Olivia Benson) tags: Establishes Relationship, Fluff, 5+1 Things, Forehead Kisses, Asexual Sonny

Five times Sonny kissed Rafael on the forehead, and one time it was Rafael's turn.

1.

The first time it happened, Rafael didn’t think about it until long after the fact. He got a call when he was at the SVU, in the middle of talking to the squad about the latest case. He excused himself and stepped to the side to take it, and a teacher at his mother’s school told him his mother had been in an accident.

"I’m at the hospital, but they won’t tell me anything since I’m not family," she said, clearly distressed.

"What happened?" Rafael asked numbly.

"She fell and hit her head, and she passed out, so I called 911. She woke up before they got there, but there-" she stopped to take a shaky breath "-she was bleeding too."

Sonny quietly came over to Rafael, eyebrows furrowed in concern, and Rafael was torn between needing space and wanting his support and physical reassurance that he was there.

"I’ll be right there," he told the teacher. "What hospital are you at?" She told him where they were, and he promised to go there, then they hung up, and he looked at Sonny. "Mami’s in the hospital."

"Okay, let’s go," Sonny said, starting to lead Rafael to the elevators, then, addressing the squad, "Family emergency."

Liv fell into step with them, a worried frown on her face.

"My mother’s in the hospital," Rafael said, his voice only slightly wavering.

"Okay, stay as long as you need," Liv told Sonny, who nodded and pressed the button to call for an elevator. "Call if you need anything."

"Yeah," Rafael said.

The elevator got there, and once him and Sonny were alone, Sonny wrapped his arms around Rafael. "It’ll be okay," he murmured softly and pressed a kiss to Rafael’s forehead.

It was okay. Lucia had a concussion and four stitches on the back of her head, but she was mostly okay, the biggest bruise was to her ego, which she did not like.

"I slipped and got a concussion, Rafi," she complained, and he nodded for the umpteenth time. "I can never show myself at the school again."

"I think you’ll be fine," Rafael said patiently, and Lucia sighed.

It was a few days before Rafael remembered Sonny’s kiss on his forehead, but when he did, it hit him harder than he would have thought possible. He and Sonny hadn’t been together for long, just over a month, but they had kissed and shared a bed and discussed boundaries and consent and all the things that was necessary when in a relationship with a sex-indifferent asexual. A kiss on the forehead was tame. Mild. It shouldn’t be a big thing.

But it was a big thing, and Rafael had been too stressed to properly enjoy it when it happened.

2.

The second time was better. It was a couple of weeks after his mother’s fall, she was back at work, everything was calm, and Sonny had spent the night at Rafael’s on a weekday. He was wearing Rafael’s tie to work, and when Rafael got to the SVU later in the morning, he saw Sonny smile out of nowhere and stroke his hand down the tie. He noticed Rafael a second later, and he self-consciously put his hand down only to immediately adjust the tie as he came over to say hi.

"Sunshine," Rafael greeted, and Sonny’s face split into a beaming smile.

"Hi," he said.

Liv rolled her eyes at Sonny, and Rafael shot her a glare, making her roll her eyes at him too, then she started talking about the case they were working on.

He stayed longer than he strictly needed, because seeing Sonny looking so happy about wearing Rafael’s tie made it much harder than usual to leave. Rafael wasn’t sure he liked what that said about him, so he decided to not think about it. And he did manage to leave eventually.

But a few hours later he needed to ask Liv a question, and instead of picking up the phone like a reasonable person, Rafael went back to the SVU. The smile he got from Sonny was worth the knowing look he got from Liv. And he could get a better update about the case in person than via phone. Well he would have if they had actually made any progress.

"Twice in one day, Counselor," Sonny said when he walked Rafael to the elevator.

"Yes," Rafael said, refusing to try to justify the second visit to Sonny.

Sonny still smirked though, looking equal parts amused and pleased. "Well, it was nice to see you," he said.

"You too, Detective," Rafael said.

"I’ll see you later?" Sonny asked, just as the elevator got there.

"I’ll see you later," Rafael confirmed.

Sonny smiled and leaned in to press a kiss quick to his forehead. "Goodbye, Counselor," he said.

"Goodbye, Detective," Rafael said and stepped into the elevator.

He touched his forehead once the doors had closed, confused and pleased and happy. And annoyed. Sonny could just kiss him on the forehead like that whenever he wanted, but Rafael couldn’t kiss Sonny’s forehead without making him bend down or wait until he was sitting.

3.

The third time happened the next morning. Sonny was already out of bed when Rafael’s alarm woke him up, and he could smell coffee, so he padded to the kitchen to find him. He was making them breakfast, French toast, it looked like. There was bacon on the counter too.

"Good morning," Rafael said.

Sonny turned to smile at him. "Morning, babe," he said, grabbing a coffee cup for Rafael.

"Been up long?" Rafael asked.

"Nah, just twenty minutes or so, figured I might as well start breakfast," Sonny said as he finished making Rafael’s coffee. He came over to hand it to him, then pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Rafael said. "Woke up miserable for a moment, but it’s all better now."

"Oh?" Sonny asked, full of concern.

"I was alone in bed," Rafael explained, and Sonny’s smile was instant.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry in the least, just happy and pleased.

"I can see that," Rafael said.

He wanted to go stand in front of Sonny so he would kiss his forehead again. It really had no right being that nice. And Sonny really had no right to be that tall, so Rafael couldn’t kiss him back.

4.

It was getting to be a regular thing, and Rafael loved it, even if it was slowly driving him crazy. And the fourth one was just plain rude.

Sonny had been visiting Bella, getting some toddler time and giving Bella and Tommy a night off cooking, which was very nice of him. Rafael had thought it would be nice to be home alone for a day, to relax and recharge, he used to appreciate those days, but then Sonny had ruined that too, and Rafael found himself whiny and needy. And utterly fucking alone.

>> How is everything with Bella and Tommy?

That would be okay to ask, just checking in.

<< They’re good.

Well, that was a disappointing text. He frowned at it, trying to figure out what to say to keep the conversation going just a little longer. He got another one before he did.

<< Don’t tell me you’re bored already? What about your relaxing and recharging?

Rafael glared at his phone.

>> I’ll have you know I’m having a very good time.

<< I’m glad. I do miss you, if it makes any difference. Toddler kisses are great and all, but I’d much rather kiss you. A lot less saliva everywhere.

>> Wonderful, I’m a better kisser than a toddler. Such high praise.

<< It is. But I’d rather be kissing you than pretty much anything right now.

>> You’ll just have to owe me one.

<< Do you want me to come by after dinner so you can collect?

>> If you’re up for it, I’d like that.

<< I’m always up for seeing you, I thought you’d figured that out by now.

>> I’ve had my suspicions, glad to have them confirmed.

<< I have to get back to the cooking, but I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.

>> Say hi. See you later.

It was easier after that, knowing that Sonny would get there within a few hours. Rafael spent some time tidying his home and listening to music, and by the time Sonny texted to let him know he was on his way, he actually felt rested and recharged.

Sonny looked a happy mess when he got there, his clothes wrinkly and with a couple of stains on his henley, his hair tousled, and his smile big.

"She wants to touch everything," Sonny said, gesturing to the state of himself, then pointed at the stains, "and she insisted on being in my lap for dinner."

"Charming," Rafael said.

"Do you have something I could borrow?" Sonny asked, picking at his shirt.

"I’ll get you something," Rafael said, heading to his closet.

Sonny followed, pulling his shirt off as he walked, and when Rafael handed him a clean henley, he accepted it with a smile. "Thanks," he said, pulling it on.

"I believe you owe me a kiss," Rafael said. He had planned on waiting, but Sonny was right there, and he hadn’t seen him since the day before.

"I do," Sonny said and cupped Rafael’s cheeks. He kissed his forehead, then pulled back with a badly suppressed smile.

"Really?" Rafael asked, his stomach fluttering and his chest warm.

Sonny stopped suppressing his smile and leaned in for a proper kiss. Rafael loved kissing Sonny, and it was better than the forehead kisses, but not by much.

5.

A couple of days later, they were at Liv’s place, the whole squad and Rafael. He had had some scotch, and he was slightly tipsy. Sonny was too, smiley and happy and all kinds of perfect. Rafael went to the kitchen to get some water, finding Liv already there, getting another bottle of wine.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course, I’m just getting some water," Rafael said.

"Are you sure?" Liv asked, and Rafael furrowed his brow. "It’s just that you’ve been glaring at Sonny all evening."

"Oh," Rafael said.

"What’s wrong?" Liv asked.

"Nothing’s wrong," Rafael said, smiling reassuringly.

"Rafael," she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

Rafael sighed and stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Okay, but you can’t tell anyone, okay? I will kill you myself," he said.

Liv looked delighted at having her life threatened. "Hand to God," she said.

"He kisses me on the forehead," Rafael said.

"Uh. Okay?" Liv said.

Rafael sighed, frustrated. "He’s so tall, Liv, he just has to lean in and my forehead’s right there, and it’s the best thing ever, you don’t even know, and it’s driving me crazy because he’s so damned tall, I can’t kiss his forehead," he said.

Liv was pursing her lips together, looking like she was about to burst into laughter any second, and she didn’t cow at all when he glared at her.

"That sounds-" she started.

"Like a short person problem," Sonny finished from behind Rafael.

Liv started to laugh, and Rafael clenched his jaw and closed his eyes to breathe for a moment. "You knew he was there," he accused.

"I’m so sorry," Liv said, wheezing with laughter.

"Oh, I can tell," Rafael said.

"Babe," Sonny said, and Rafael turned his glare at him. He just looked happy, though. Tall and happy. Then he cupped Rafael’s head between his hands and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"I hate you," Rafael grumbled, his chest warm with happiness.

Sonny grinned as he pulled him close and put his forehead against Rafael’s temple. "And I love you," he said softly, his breath tickling against Rafael’s ear.

+1.

"Get down here," Rafael said, turning to cup Sonny’s cheeks, and when Sonny lowered his head for him, he pressed a kiss to his forehead, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I love you too."

[cno-inbminor]

adsentio

a/n: for some reason, i got the idea of prince!akaashi stuck in my head. mildly inspired by the swan princess. 

wc: ~2.1k 

genre: arranged marriage!au, royalty!au, emerging feelings. fluff mainly? idek, it’s word vomit

royalty!au: adsentio (pt. 1) | bonus letters (pt. 1.5) | the masque (pt. 2)

-

Prince Akaashi likes to believe he’s a smart cookie, even if he’s only seven. Then again, his parents aren’t exactly the most subtle people on the planet, and he believes it’s quite obvious as to what they’re planning. In fact, not only is he aware, but the whole castle is as well. Hell, even 90% of the citizens in the kingdom are fully aware of what’s to be expected. He strongly dislikes it, and he wishes it didn’t loom over him every summer.

Ever since the summer of the year he turned five, Princess (y/n) of the West Kingdom would show up for two months to make his life miserable. To be fair, it wasn’t exactly your fault, as you were very much forced into this arrangement as he was, but it was easier to blame you. He’d rather just play fight with Bokuto all summer rather than try to include a girl. It’s not because you’re capable of kicking his butt.

That is absolutely not the case here.

His mother, the queen, is scrambling to get all the preparations done in time for (y/n)’s arrival. Akaashi almost rolls his eyes when he spots her rearranging a bouquet of roses in the dining hall. Unfortunately, she spots him from the corner of her eye and beckons him over with a frantic hand. Never one to deny a parent, he quickly jogs over to her.

“Oh darling, would you be a doll and check in on your father? He needs to be dressed properly for the West Kingdom’s arrival. Tell him to wear that cyan blue shirt of his, it’s much more flattering.”

“Do we need to be so overboard like this again? They’ve already been here twice, it’s not like they don’t know us.”

“For reasons you don’t know, they’re extra special to us. Aren’t you excited to see (y/n) again? You two got along so well last summer!”

Akaashi wrinkles his nose in distaste. “It feels like I just saw her yesterday. Bokuto and I just wanna play by ourselves.”

“Nonsense, dear. Now go check on your father, please,” His mother implores before scurrying off to another bouquet of flowers.

It’s so obvious, he thinks to himself as he jogs towards his parents’ chambers. Did they really need this alliance with the West Kingdom? Would they be that much more powerful together? “In due time, you’ll understand,” his parents always said. Akaashi was starting to become tired of hearing those words.

Why is it so hard to just tell him now as to why they want him to marry Princess (y/n)?

-

“You know why I’m here, right?” (Y/n) asks him one evening. They’re sixteen now – Akaashi counts that this is your twelfth time at the castle. You call the castle your second home, as he once heard you tell your assigned handmaiden, the same lady who attends to you every summer. Somehow, the statement strikes a chord within him – his initial childish annoyance at your presence had long disappeared and been replaced with something akin to defeat. There was very little chance that they could run from this, but in the late nights, Akaashi found himself believing that if there were someone to be betrothed to, (y/n) wasn’t so bad.

“What do you mean?” He replies, slowly turning a page in his book. You both found that one way to quickly pass the time was to raid the royal library. At first, it was custom to read your respective books at opposite ends of the castle. Yet as time passed, you found yourselves meeting closer and closer towards the middle. If desired, the servants could find you two either together in the library, in an empty ballroom by the massive windows, or on the balcony in the summer sun. Most times, Bokuto, Akaashi’s most loyal friend, was with you as well. Reading wasn’t necessarily one of his top hobbies, but he’d rather be with friends than alone wondering around the castle.

This time, the two of you have taken refuge by a fireplace, a terrible thunderstorm casting a chill over the building. Bokuto is conveniently off doing his own thing.

“The reason why I’m here every summer.”

Akaashi casts his best exasperated look towards you, but it goes unnoticed as you refuse to look away from your book. “I’ve known since I was six.”

You sigh and gently shut your novel closed, one finger stuck between the pages to keep your place. With the grace of an angel (Akaashi thinks), you pick yourself up from the lounge chair and drift over to the couch he’s sitting on. Because he’s sitting upright towards the end closest to the fire, there’s more than enough space for you to sit and stretch your legs across the cushions. In fact, you do just that, settling for leaning your back against Akaashi’s strong side profile, his arm supporting most of your weight. Without meaning to, Akaashi finds himself adjusting his sitting position for your comfort. He feels your body tremble slightly and a small wave of concern washes over him.

“Should I ask one of the servants to bring a blanket for you?”

“That won’t be necessary. But thank you for your concern, your highness.”

“You don’t have to address me as so.”

“My apologies, it’s a force of habit.”

“Hmm.”

Akaashi has long given up on reading the words before him. Your question repeats in his head like a broken record.

“Doesn’t it frustrate you?” You whisper, interrupting his thoughts. “Doesn’t it anger you that since my birth, you’ve been forced into a game that you have no choice but to play?”

Akaashi hesitates. This topic has never been broached before, and he’s not sure how to address it.

“I’ll admit it was more frustrating in the beginning. Nobody enjoys being told what to do, especially when you’re little. But I learned to just accept it. In fact, to call it a game would assume that there is a losing side. From what I’ve studied, both of our kingdoms would benefit from this merger. What’s the loss?”

“Our freedom and choice,” you bite out, yet refusing to look at him. You’ve also given up on reading, yet you don’t want to arouse suspicion that this conversation is happening. If a servant were to hear, rumors would fly around the castle like a plague. “I think it’s only human that I want to experience love the way ordinary people do. We don’t even get a say.”

“What about both of our parents? They were arranged yet they love each other.”

“Simple, they got lucky.”

“Then would you rather run away and find another man to fall in love with?”

“More than that, I just want to experience life beyond the castle walls. My position is different from yours.”

“How so?”

You purse your lips, pausing. “Your Highness, what do you think would happen to you if I were to disappear, or god forbid, die?”

Akaashi’s eyes widen in bewilderment. “Why would you ask that?”

“You just need to answer my question.”

“Well,” he ponders. “I…believe I’d be somewhat sad. We would mourn the loss, surely.”

For the first time this summer, he hears a genuine chuckle from you. “I’m honored by your sentiment, your highness. I’m asking more of what you think would politically happen to you.”

Akaashi’s cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I guess…politically I’d be okay. Mother would be devastated, but I guess they’d find me another match. The merger with your kingdom would’ve been our strongest move, but it could still happen since we’re already on such good speaking terms. Supposedly there are other princesses waiting for a chance, and a merger could result from that as well.”

“What a humble braggart you are, your highness,” you tease.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“I know. But in all seriousness,” you switch to a more solemn tone. “The point is, you’d be okay. As you so nicely put it, you have women lining up to be with you.”

“Aren’t men lining up to be with you as well?”

“It’s not the same, Your Highness. As a princess, I’m brought up to constantly prove my worth to others. More importantly, I’m raised to prove my worth as a wife and a queen. We’re left to care for the children we must bear, we must keep our noses a reasonable distance away from kingdom business. If this engagement were to break, many outsiders would automatically assume that I was deemed unworthy of you, that I must’ve wrapped myself in some horrible scandal.”

Akaashi hums and stares into the fire. “I suppose that it’s rather unfortunate. I wish I had realized that sooner.”

“Your self-awareness speaks volumes. I usually wouldn’t admit this to you, but I know you’ll be a great king when it’s your time. Your people already love you, and they will only continue to love you more.”

“That’s very kind of you, Princess.”

“I only speak honestly. There’s no need to sugarcoat my words around you.”

Somehow, Akaashi finds that very comforting. Perhaps as someone in his position, he would consider honesty and wisdom to be valuable. Just because he’s destined to be king someday, doesn’t mean he would always make the right decisions. He would appreciate having you by his side in his decision-making.

“If this happens,” Akaashi finds himself speaking, also not one for beating around the bush. “I can promise now that I’ll try to change that. Even if we end up never loving each other, I’ll do my best to ensure that you never feel confined to such a role. As my w-wife,” he stumbles over the word. “I would want your input. You have a good head on you, and I’m sure you have valuable wisdom that I will need in due time.”

“Somehow, that’s the most romantic thing a man has ever said to me,” you say. He can hear the smile in your voice, his own small one forming on his face. When you move off the couch, his body immediately misses the warmth of your body pressed against his. After you’re done dusting yourself off, you begin to curtsy. He knows that this means you’re retiring for the night, but he’d rather you not leave right now.

“Wait,” he calls out, reaching for the hand not holding your book. You stay silent as Akaashi delicately holds your hand, then breaking out into a slight blush when he lays a soft kiss on the back of your hand, eyes never breaking contact with yours. He’s never been more princely to you than this moment – though his mother had made him do this on every first day you arrive at the castle, it never held so much meaning. This was of his own doing, his own volition, and that spoke volumes to you. He was trying to make this work in his own special way.

You don’t miss the way his thumb ghosts over your knuckles before releasing your hand, although the movement seems hesitant and troubled. “Good night, Princess,” he bids quietly, eyes looking back at the ignored book in his lap. Your heart beats with adrenaline, the chemical fueling you to step closer to him and bend down to place a kiss on his cheek. Akaashi does his best to not look surprised, but he knows that he has failed when he hears the sound of your gentle laugh.

“Good night, Keiji.”

The prince concludes right then and there that he has never heard anything more beautiful.

-

When you return to your chambers the next night, it’s hard to miss the most beautiful glass vase you’ve seen that’s sitting on your dresser. Inside stands a half-bloomed peony, a flower you recognize from the castle gardens. The petals have a tender shade of a light blush pink – if the flower-arranging lessons taught you anything, they stood for romance, compassion, and bashfulness. A neatly folded cardstock with your name stands demurely by the vase. The handwriting is strikingly familiar, and you can’t help but smile at the words neatly written inside.

To my future queen.

As you bring the flower to your nose and inhale the sweet scent, you begin to think that perhaps, you and Akaashi might just be lucky enough for love.

 -

feel free to send requests for this au! 

[farfromparker]

Too Busy Being Yours Part 2

Peter Parker x Avenger!Reader

Read Part 1!

Summary: Tony sent you on a mission with Bucky and Sam and Natasha and not Peter. When you finally get back, you’ve got a lot of time to make up for.

Warnings: smut, oral (fem receiving), sub!peter (Peter is 19!)

Word Count: 4.5k

It’s worse.

Oh it’s so much worse.

Peter’s not sure what he was expecting… to not want you more? To think about you less because he’s slept with you? For the dreams to stop? Wrong, wrong, wrong.

And as luck would have it, or rather not have it, Tony had sent you on a mission the morning after your first night together. With Bucky and Sam and Natasha, and not Peter. You’d left so early, Peter didn’t even get to say goodbye. It was supposed to take a few days. But it had been almost two weeks now and Peter was losing his mind. He’d jacked off more in the past several days than he had in months but it was never enough. He’d started pouting instead, hassling Mr. Stark for any update on when you’d be back.

“Top secret, kid,” he’d always reply, smirking.

It was closing in on 16 days without you when F.R.I.D.A.Y. finally wakes him. Alerting him that you and the others had finally returned. He trips over his sheets trying to get out of bed fast enough. He doesn’t even bother pulling a shirt on, his boxers alone will suffice.

He gets down to the ground floor just as you and Natasha are walking in. Your black stealth suit hugs your body, hips swaying as you talk over details of the mission with Tony.

Peter feels about 5 inches tall suddenly, bare foot, shirtless, waiting for you. But you’ve got to debrief. Tony needs to know everything that happened and it’s barley 1am. You won’t be free until the morning and by then all you’ll want to do is sleep. He wrings his hands together nervously.

For a moment, he debates just going back to his room in an attempt to save face but as soon as the idea crosses his mind, you see him.

Your eyes lock and a wide grin spreads across your face. “Peter,” you say, interrupting Tony.

Peter returns your smile, cheeks aching with how happy he is to see you. Tony takes a moment to be dramatically offended, studying the two of you before telling you to just meet him in the third floor conference room. Natasha winks at you as she walks by, following Tony upstairs.

“Hey,” you breath.

“Hi,” he returns, sighing as you wrap your arms around the nape of his neck. His hands settle on your hips as you press against him. You smell like gunpowder and dirt… and blood. “Are you hurt?” He asks, eyebrows pinching.

You smile at his concern, “Nothing I can’t handle baby boy.”

And that pet name shouldn’t turn him on as much as it does. He bites his lip and watches your gaze flick down to the movement. Finally, you lean in and kiss him. Lips molding together and that itch he hasn’t been able to scratch starts to ease. The silence is broken quickly though by whistles and catcalls. He freezes, making out the voices of Sam and Bucky. He thinks of pulling away, telling them to fuck off but your grip tightens on the back of his neck, holding him in place and deepening the kiss. Thankfully the two of them make no more fuss, continuing upstairs.

He sighs when you pull away, not nearly close to having his fill of you.

“I need to debrief, and then shower,” you state, trailing a finger down his stomach, “wait for me up in my room?”

“Okay, yeah, course.” He sounds eager but with the feeling of your lips still burning against his, he knows you feel the same way.

You wink, “Perfect, shouldn’t be too long.”

Famous last words.

He falls asleep in your bed just past 2am, and when he wakes to the door opening, the neon red numbers of your clock tell him it’s almost 4am.

“Hey,” he rubs sleep from his eyes and sits up so he can see you properly.

“Sorry Peter, clearly I underestimated just how detail oriented Stark can be.”

“No, no it’s fine. Do you uh - want me to go back to my room?”

You smile sweetly, “Only if you want to.”

He definitely doesn’t want to. When he makes no move to get off your bed, you smile again, shutting your door behind you.

“Good. I need to shower. And I’m going to ask you to join but not in the fun way.” You walk into the bathroom and turn the light on, looking back at him. “My injuries may be a little worse than I initially lead on.”

Peter jumps out of bed then, coming over to you, hands hovering close to your sides as if he’s expecting you to collapse.

“I need help getting out of this suit.”

He nods, following you into the light. Carefully, you thread your fingers into your hair to pull it to the side. Peter can see the zipper now, and delicately, he pulls it down. He feels like he’s been punched in the gut as your bruises began to make themselves known. Your spine is riddled with them, dark purple and angry looking. Some are green around the edges, a few days old by now.

As you shrug out of the suit he sees stitches wind around the curve of your waist, roughly the length of his thumb. The suit pools around your ankles and he drops to his knees, helping get your legs free. There’s another large bruise on the outside of your right thigh and he finds himself leaning in, placing a soft kiss on the purple flesh.

“Y/n,” he whispers, voice cracking.

You turn to look at him, and he hadn’t even realized he was crying until your thumb wipes away his tears.

“Downstairs, you didn’t seem - why didn’t you tell me?”

You rub his cheek, smiling sadly, “I’m on a hell of a pain killer, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well I’m officially worried.” He pouts. Catching sight of a cut on your arm, dried blood smeared across your skin.

“I’ll be fine,” you reassure, running your fingers through his hair, “I’ve been through worse. Now c’mon, help me shower.”

He’s reluctant, he has so many questions but the look in your eyes tells him to stop, so he succumbs. He’ll fish the answers out of you later. And so he brings himself to the present, focusing on what’s important now. He helps you out of your bra and underwear, kicking his boxers off quickly as well before turning the water on and reaching out for you.

You hiss when the water first touches you, spraying across damaged and tender skin. Peter’s gentle, helping rub away dirt and blood.

He offers to wash your hair and your eyes sparkle at his words. You don’t have trouble raising your arms above your head, you could do it yourself. But in this moment, you really don’t want to. So you accept his help, guiding him through the steps.

“I never use conditioner,” he confesses, having no clue when and how much of it to use.

“The fact that your hair is that soft without it is really offensive.” You grumble, body sagging under his touches as he massages your head. Small moans of pleasure slipping past your lips.

You stay under the spray of the water longer than necessary, feeling the heat pound against your tired body. Peter is next you, keeping himself close, arm loose around your waist like he still doesn’t trust your legs to keep you upright. He’s at an awkward angle though, you notice, hips turned away from you and you smile to yourself.

“You’re hard.”

“What? I mean - yes. But don’t mind him, he’s a prick, doesn’t know how to read a room. This is clearly not the time.”

You laugh against his shoulder, “It’s a complement honestly, if we were in here together and you weren’t hard, I think I’d be offended.”

You pause for a second, chewing on your bottom lip before turning and looking him in the eyes, “Are you going to take care of it?”

He sputters, “Wha- now? I don’t- I’m - no?”

You smile at him, that innocent way about him you remember is still there. His big, puppy dog eyes stare back at you for answers. He wants so much, you can feel it in the way he touches you, see it in how he interacts with you. It pleads with you to crack it open. And god do you want to.

You turn the water off and decide, baby steps. You must crawl before you walk, walk before you can run.

As you step out of the shower, Peter’s already reaching for a towel and wrapping it around you. You dry off as quickly as you can, tenderly dabbing at your injuries. Peter’s rubbing a towel against his curls, turned away from you, still subconsciously embarrassed. You hang your towel, running your fingers through your wet locks when he reaches for his boxers.

You touch him softly as you walk by, enough to get his attention and he looks at you. “Sleep naked Peter.” It’s meant as a suggestion, but there’s enough of an order in your tone that Peter doesn’t think twice about not listening.

He swallows harshly, cock still hard between his thighs and he wants to have a real conversation with his dick because this is so not the time. Yes, you’re still naked, and gorgeous as ever… but covered in bruises, and minutes ago he was still watching your blood circle the drain. Fuck hormones.

You crawl into bed gingerly, finding the best position to accommodate your sore body. He flicks the bathroom light off, hoping to regain at least some of his dignity in the dark. But no, your blinds aren’t pulled and there’s a full moon, light streaming in and he feels like, if anything, it just accentuates the fact that his dick has a mind of its own.

He lifts up the sheets, settling down easily into your bed. You’re on your side, facing him, and he can feel your stare.

He turns towards you, reaching out to cup your cheek, “Should get some sleep.” He suggests, rubbing his thumb along your skin. He feels you smile, turning your head to kiss his palm.

“What if I’m not sleepy? What if I don’t think you are either?”

“Y/n we can’t have sex, you’re not-”

“No, I’m in no shape for that. But I wouldn’t mind a show.”

It takes him a second, his brain processing what you're suggesting. “You wanna watch me?”

You nod firmly, reaching out under the sheets to touch him. “I’d like that very much Peter. I want to hear the sounds you make when you touch yourself. I want to hear the obscene wet noises as you fist your cock. I want you to tell me what you think about; what you have been thinking about since I’ve been gone.”

His mouth pops open. He was annoyingly hard before, a small voice in the back of his mind. Now it’s screaming in his face, throbbing and aching and he can’t ignore it any longer. You read his expression, not needing a vocal affirmation to know he’ll do exactly what you want.

“There’s lube in the drawer,” you nod towards your nightstand behind him. He fumbles, the moonlight not helping aid in his search. His fingers grope along the contents and he hesitates when he realizes what he’s found. “Don’t mind the vibrator. Or… you can use that on me later if you want to.”

Peter whines pathetically. Cock twitching, leaking a bead of pre cum. You haven’t touched him, you won't be touching him, and yet the hold you have over him is tangible. Finally, his fingers wrap around the little bottle and he settles onto his back, pushing the sheets down his body so you can see. He chews on his lip, finding your eyes on the dim light and waits, wanting you to guide him.

“Touch yourself sweetheart.”

He eagerly pops the cap on the bottle of lube, drizzling a dollop of liquid onto his palm. You shake your head.

“More. I want your dick to be as wet as it would be if you were fucking me.”

He groans, dropping his head back into the pillow. His cock jerks against his stomach again, more pre cum dribbling down onto his skin.

You reach a hand out, fingers hovering over the head of his dick. “Are you getting wet for me baby boy?”

He nods, squeezing his eyes shut to try and get a grip. He feels your hand on his jaw then, turning his head towards you and he opens his eyes.

“Answer me, Peter.” Your voice is soft but firm.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“I’m so fucking hard for you my cock is leaking.”

You smile devilishly, proud of his dirty mouth. You drop your hand away, giving him the signal to continue. He sucks in a deep breath, squeezing more lube into his hand. You don’t comment this time so he assumes you’re happy with the amount. He shuts the lid and tosses the bottle aside, immediately forgotten. Slowly, he reaches down, wrapping a fist around himself and his hips flex up into his hand. He spreads the lube around generously and in no time at all that obscene wet noise you wanted to hear is ringing in his ears.

He tugs at his cock gradually, you wanted a show and he wants to give you one. But fuck if this isn’t going to test his stamina. His teeth dig into his bottom lip, the sting of pain a mild distraction.

You trail your fingers down his stomach, feeling the muscles work beneath your touch. “Have you been doing this since I’ve been gone?”

“Yes,” and he knows you want to hear more so he brings up the courage to keep talking, “daily, multiple times a day.” His breathing is starting to labor, that ache in his groin is growing stronger.

“And what do you think about?”

“You, always you. Your skin, your touch, how wet you were…” for me.

“I’m wet now, Peter. Do you wanna feel me?”

There’s only one thing in this moment that could have pulled his hand off his cock and it’s your offer. “God yes.” He says quickly, hand falling away from himself. He turns towards you and gingerly you move onto your back, spreading your legs for him. His fingers ghost along the inside of your thigh. He’s touched you before, hell you’ve cum on his cock already. But this seems different, more intimate and he’s shyer than he was that first time.

He dips his finger along your pussy slowly and his chest tightens when he feels how wet you are. You sigh as he skims across your clit, and he moves down, carefully pushing his middle finger inside you. His cock throbs as your wetness and heat envelope his finger.

“I - can I-” he clears his throat. “I wanna taste you.”

You reach up to run your fingers through his hair and he moves easily as you tug his head back to look him in the eyes.

You nod, “If you want to Peter, you can. You can do anything you want to me.”

He whines and squeezes his eyes shut. “You can’t just say things like that.”

You smirk, continuing to rake your fingers along his scalp, “Why? It’s true.”

He glares at you, trying to keep his voice level to hide the fact that he’s putty in your hands (like you don’t already know). “You’re gonna be the death of me.” He grumbles, getting up to settle between your legs, careful not to bump against you.

You laugh, “Death by orgasm? There’s no better way to die.”

He doesn’t have a retort, mostly because you’re right, and so he just rolls his eyes, focusing on what’s in front of him. And what’s in front of him has him dizzy with arousal. You’ve spread your legs further for him, and he can see your wetness now, can smell you and all he wants to do is bury his face between your thighs.

He’s self conscious though, now that his brain has caught up with his body. You reach for his hand, seeing his hesitation and squeeze, he glances up to see you staring back at him.

“You don’t have to, Peter.”

“No! God no, it’s not that. I want to - I really want to. I just - I’ve never…”

“You might not like it.” You say, realistically. And you’re not going to force him into anything, there are a million different ways he could get you off without his tongue.

He rolls his eyes, “I’m going to like it, I just - I wanna make sure you like it.”

It’d be impossible to say that eagerness and willing to please didn’t turn you on even more. “I’ll tell you what I like.”

He likes the sound of that, he likes when you tell him what to do, and all he really wants is to hear his name falling from your lips. He nods, mostly to himself and leans in.

He’s not tentative like you thought he would be. For lack of a better word, he dives in, forcing a gasp from you lips. He moans when he gets a real taste of you, hands gripping into the sheets to pull you closer. He can properly bury himself deeper in your cunt now. Nose bumping steadily against your clit.

“Fuck, Peter.”

And he doubles down on his efforts, he wants to keep hearing you, knowing he’s the cause. It's a little uncoordinated, but his ambition is more than enough to make up for it.

“That’s good, yeah.” You moan, reaching down to curl a fist in his hair. “You can -” and you guide him a little, bringing his tongue up to your clit. “Suck.”

And he does, eyes opening for the first time since he got his mouth on you and his cock throbs with the sight he’s met with. Your back is arched off the bed, nipples hard, but skin soft under the glow of the moon. He almost forgets to keep his hands off you. Wanting nothing more than to feel you under his fingertips but he can’t remember where you’re hurt and the last thing he wants to do is fuck this up.

So he closes his eyes again, trying to focus but it’s hard to ignore how hard he is now. Your whimpers and moans going straight to his dick. And if he can’t touch you then he has to touch himself.

He groans as he wraps his hand around his cock, tugging quickly, to turned on to try and make this last.

“Don’t touch yourself Peter, I wanna be able to see you cum.”

He lets go immediately, making a desperate noise against you as he opens his eyes to meet your stare. He twitches under your gaze, aching for release but he won’t disobey you. Wouldn’t dream of it.

So he focuses back on you, your scent, your taste. You’re trembling under his touch now, eyes slipping shut as he flattens his tongue and works it against your clit.

“Oh fuck Peter, so good sweetheart.”

He’s completely buzzing under your praise, he’s dreamt about this, doing this to you, making you feel this way, and now it’s real. The whole situation is heady.

Your hand is searching for purchase when your fingertips skim across Peter’s knuckles. He reaches for you and you intertwine your fingers, squeezing his hand as he brings your closer and closer to orgasm.

Your toes curl and you’re doing everything in your power to stop yourself from squeezing your thighs around his head. It’s building quickly now, you can’t stop yourself from rocking your hips against his mouth.

“Peter, Peter, I’m gonna cum,”

It slams into you hard and fast. Back arching off the bed, body absolutely shaking from the force of it and Peter is working you through it, tongue steady against your clit and he can feel you clenching and fluttering.

When you sag back into the mattress, he pulls away. You body is glistening under the moonlight, chest heaving and Peter did that to you.

You look down at him, still breathing hard and run your fingers through his curls. He sighs into your touch, “How have you not eaten pussy before?”

And as it ridiculous as it feels in the moment, he blushes. Simply shrugging as an answer.

You rub along his scalp gently, “Did you like it Peter?”

“So much, could do that to you every day, twice a day, and not get sick of it.” Licking his lips to accentuate his point. Because hearing you like that? Doing that to you? Peter feels on top of the world.

You smile, “Come ‘ere.”

And he does, crawling over you carefully to situate himself against your side. You pull him into a kiss, and he opens his mouth to yours. You can taste yourself on his tongue. His cock nudges against your hip and you reach over to touch him, fingers running lightly up his hot, hard flesh. He moans, pulling away from your mouth because it suddenly feels like he can’t breath.

“Still feel like putting a show on for me?” You ask, eyes sparkling.

He laughs, rolling onto his back, “Won’t be much of a show.” And he’s not kidding, he knows once he gets his hand around his cock this will all be over soon.

You smirk, pushing up against his side, “That’s okay, the finale is the best part anyway.”

He can feel your nipples hard against his skin, lips ghosting along the shell of his ear as you whisper to him. He gets a hand around the base of his dick, squeezing as his stomach muscles jump.

“You’re gorgeous, Peter.” You purr. His breathing is uneven already, hips beginning to thrust up into his hand. “Such a pretty cock too. Love how you feel inside me. Can’t wait until you can properly fuck me again.”

He’s whimpering now, gasping loudly on every down stroke. “Y/n, I’m gonna - I can’t… I’m so close.”

“That’s alright baby boy, go on, cum for me.”

He moans your name, long and loud, echoing around the room and you’re sure he’s woken the entire tower. Pride prickles along your skin having Peter sound like that with your name on his lips.

He spills across his stomach, shuddering under his own touch. His eyes are screwed shut, head thrown back and you can see the veins prominent in his neck. He’s gasping, aftershocks of his orgasm vibrating through him.

His hand falls away and he opens his eyes just in time to see you dip your finger along the cum scattered across his stomach. You lock eyes with him as you bring your finger to your mouth, sucking obscenely.

He moans pitifully, “Fuck me.”

You pull your finger out your mouth slowly, savoring his taste. He can’t peel his eyes off you and you smirk. “Since I literally can’t fuck you, I’ll take it that was a figurative statement.”

He laughs, “It was definitely meant as both, just have to wait a bit for the literal part to come back into play.”

He gets up and heads to the bathroom to clean up. You reach for the sheets to wrap around your body, the air the room feels chilly now.

He comes back to bed and the heat from his body is lovely welcome. He kisses you on the cheek before moving to your lips, “Goodnight beautiful.” He says sweetly, one last kiss on the lips before he moves towards the side of the bed. He lays down on his side, facing you.

You prop yourself up on your elbow and you can see him watching you, “What are doing all the way over there?”

“I - your bruises, I don’t wanna hurt -”

“Remember what I said about a hell of a pain killer?” You ask as you slide up against him, nuzzling into his neck. “Besides, I'll sleep better if I’m on my side.”

Delicately, he wraps his arm around you, helping you snuggle against him. He pulls the blankets up around the two of you, relaxing into your bed.

“I missed you so much.” He confesses. Nervous to admit it out loud but figures it’s best to just be upfront with you.

You press your lips to his neck, “I missed you too Peter.”

The sky is starting to lighten, soft blues cascading over the horizon. You’re snug against his side, breathing deep and even and Peter falls asleep smiling.

***

You and Peter walk into the kitchen in the morning, nay afternoon, body stiff as your bruises continue to heal. Steve, Bucky, and Natasha are at the dining table. Natasha is in sweats, drinking coffee, no doubt having been awake not much longer than the two of you have. When she sees you walk in she breaks into a grin, leaning back in her chair and cocking an eyebrow at you. You smile back, knowing what’s coming.

There’s a chorus of ‘mornings’ around the kitchen and you pour yourself some coffee. Hopping up on the counter top after you’ve filled your cup, legs dangling against the cabinets. Peter hesitates for a moment, wanting to step into your space. You reach for his arm, giving him the okay to be close to you in front of them and he moves to stand between your legs, resting his back against your chest.

Bucky’s curled over a bowl of cereal. Steve’s reading the paper, and you notice how he pulls it up past his eyes as you glance in his direction.

“Peter, how was your night?” Natasha asks cooly. Smile cracking open wider when she watches Peter blush.

Steve groans. “You can’t leave anything alone can you?”

Natasha simply laughs and Bucky cuts in, “C’mon Steve, the whole tower heard em, it’s only fair to give them hell for it the next day.” Bucky turns his attention back to the two of you, “So Peter, I think Nat asked you a question.” He’s poking, wanting to embarrass Peter further but you can feel his demeanor change.

Peter squares his shoulders, his confidence returning, “Good, I had sex with my girlfriend I hadn’t seen in over 2 weeks. How was yours?”

You can see a smirk twitching on Steve’s lips and Natasha looks akin to the Cheshire Cat, leaning over the table, “I think Peter asked you a question Buck.”

Bucky grumbles, returning to his cereal. Steve gets back to actually reading the paper and Natasha settles back into her coffee.

You run your fingers up Peter’s arm and he turns to you, hands splaying across your thighs as he looks at you. “Girlfriend?” You ask quietly.

And that beautiful blush returns, “It just slipped out,” he whispers, trying to keep this conversation between the two of you, “I’m sorry - I know we haven’t - I mean I don’t know if you-”

“I like the sound of it.” You cut him off, saving him from his own rambling.

His eyes widen, “You do?”

You nod, biting back an even bigger smile than the one adorning Peter’s face right now.

“Girlfriend,” he says again, leaning in to brush his lips against yours and you can’t help but smile into the kiss.

Taglist:

@xximaweirdoxx​ @selfcarecapmain​ @billythebully09​ @cyrusandhiscollaredahirts​ @honeymarvel​ @billieishottttttttt​ @lovinnholland​ @oh-annaa​ @little-miss-naill​ @holland-in-disguise​ @wordless08​ @multifandomgirl-us​ @tiktok-spideyy​ @fangirlfree @theolwebshooter​

[anarchy-n-glitter]

Nothing to Fear

Summary: Lake County, Colorado 2011

Dr. Catarina Crane arrives at Mount Massive asylum to check on a patient who happened to be working there. She’s offered a job instead.

(Warnings: more uncomfortable flirting, minor stalking, gore, illegal experimentation)

CHAPTER 1

Chapter 2

Screams filled her ears and echoed in the halls. It was her work at its finest, though her victims probably wouldn’t agree. She was sure their cells had morphed into some hellish realm, with their worst fears surrounding them. One was screaming about spiders, which was amusing to Dr. Crane, and the other muttered about water. She was more intrigued by the water inmate.

He was huddled on his bed, looking down at the floor with wide, glassy eyes. He was sobbing, begging for help. She wondered how long it would take for him to realize the water wasn’t real. Another doctor was standing next to her, she was shorter than her, with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was young, and she just finished her residency at another nearby asylum. She was sweet, but Dr. Crane suspected that she wouldn’t last another few weeks. It almost felt like she didn’t know what she was getting into when she accepted the job.

Her name was Lillian Dawes, and she wouldn’t last longer than a year.

“Is that normal?” She asked, placing her hand on the glass and stepping closer. Dr. Crane grabbed her shoulder and gently pulled her away.

“I wouldn’t get too close, Dr. Dawes. I’ve seen people break through observation glass like it was nothing. Fear is such an interesting thing, but the mind can only take so much. Let’s see how long this’ll go on for.” Dr. Crane stated, watching intently as the man stood on his bed and reached for the ceiling. He was definitely panicking now, and he was calling for help.

“Shouldn’t we send someone in?” Lillian asked, clearly distrubed by the scene in front of her. Dr. Crane shook her head.

“No, check on the other subject.” She nodded and walked toward the other observation cell. The scene before her, however, was gruesome. Blood covered the walls of the cell as well as the floor. The man had clawed the skin off of his arms, and now he was laying on the floor unconscious. Lillian gasped and jumped away from the glass, shocked by the scene before her. Dr. Crane practically rushed over, a little too excited about the situation. She peered into the room with a sickening smile before looking back at Lillian.

“Get security. Tell them to take this man to the medical center immediately,” she turned back around as Lillian ran past her, “if he isn’t dead already, that is.” She finished, watching the man lay there motionless. Sometimes, the toxin was so potent the person dies, but she wanted a strong reaction without the death, and Murkoff wanted the same. They believe that her fear toxin would help in Project Walrider, but she needed strong doses to keep the subjects in a terrified state for hours on end. Most of the time - with the stronger doses - people only lasted five minutes. At this rate, she’d go through the whole damn asylum and not even be able to perfect the toxin.

She moved back to the water patient and, just as she predicted, his heart gave out. The stress of the constant terror (and the brain believing he was drowning) put enough strain on him to kill him. Depending on the fear, they either die from self mutilation, or they have a heart attack. She suspected the man didn’t realize it was his heart that gave out, and she had a feeling his last moments were far from pleasant. He was lying face up on the floor, with wide, blank eyes staring up at the ceiling. She was surprised he didn’t pass out from holding his breath, but she figured his heart stopped before he suffocated.

She quickly wrote down the results of the tests, and felt disappointed. She knew she could do better than that. Fear toxin that lasted hours normally created hallucinations that came and went in waves, what she needed was something strong enough to create a panic even when the hallucinations died down. They needed to be aware of their surroundings when they weren’t hallucinating, but afraid of what would come next.

Dr. Crane decided to take a break and return to her office to try to figure out where to go from there. She ignored the guards rushing into the cell of the mutilated man, and ignored Lillian as she asked a slew of questions. All she wanted to do was lock herself in her office and think for the rest of the day; do a little problem solving.

She rushed through halls full of screaming patients, not bothering to stop on her way to her office.

Yet, when she got there, a familiar face was waiting by her door. She’d worked there for weeks without running into him again. Bright colors seemed to be his thing, though this time he wore a blue shirt and a white sweater over it. Instead of khakis, he wore black dress pants, and black shoes that shined under the lights of the hallway. Dr. Crane stopped in her tracks and gritted her teeth.

“What are you doing here? You’re not in this division.” She asked, daring to step a little bit closer. He smiled widely, but there was something off about it. It looked like a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and that was just one of the many things about him that was off-putting to her.

“Relax, doc, I was just coming to congratulate you on the job!” Rick explained in his usual cheerful tone. Dr. Crane couldn’t help but glare at him. He was in her space now, even if he wasn’t exactly in her office. She wanted him to go away, and when she accepted the job nearly a month ago she figured the facility was big enough so she wouldn’t see him again, but she didn’t account for him seeking her out. The fact he did seek her out sent shivers up her spine.

She hadn’t felt fear in a long time, but when she was around Rick Trager, she was terrified.

“Thank you,” she responded, “I’d like to get into my office now.” Rick nodded and stepped aside, letting her step into her office. She didn’t stop to close the door properly, instead she let the force of the door shut it for her. However, the door didn’t slam shut like she thought it would. She let her shoulders drop and let out a small sigh of irritation. He was still there.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me, Mr. Trager? After all, I assumed you worked here and had actual stuff to do rather than wait outside my door.” She asked, not even attempting to hide her disdain. He let out an airy chuckle and took a step toward her. He towered over her, despite the fact that she was rather tall herself, and while he was jovial in tone there was almost something sinister about his action. It felt like he was trying to intimidate her for whatever reason. She wanted to act like she wasn’t afraid, but too many things about him didn’t add up. He scared her more than anything.

She took a step back before turning around and sitting at her desk. She hoped she could get her act together and seem calm when she was sitting down and going over various medical records. He didn’t follow her - not right away, at least. He watched her walk behind her desk and sit down, much like how a predator would watch its prey. He would learn though, sooner or later, that Catarina Crane was not some small, meek creature to be devoured. She was much more than that.

She wasn’t completely aware of how he had her picked out from the moment he walked out of his office to see her asking his assistant a question. Murkoff might’ve known about her before him, but he was going to take what he wanted from her eventually.

“So, Cat, I was wondering,” he began, leaning over her desk and peering at the documents in her hand briefly.

“It’s Dr. Crane.” She interjected, speaking through gritted teeth this time. He ignored her obvious annoyance.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner sometime this weekend?” He flashed her another smile, but she could only stare at him blankly. In spite of all the signals she gave off that she wasn’t interested, he still pushed forward. This time she was cornered in her office, but she wasn’t afraid - not this time. She was frustrated. She was borderline angry.

“I’d rather have my fingers cut off. Let me put it this way, since you ignored my multiple signs that I wasn’t interested, no. I don’t want anything to do with you, Mr. Trager. Please, get out of my office, I have work to do.” She looked back down at the documents in her hand, refusing to spare him even another glance. He scared her, yes, but she was repulsed by him even more. It wasn’t like he was particularly unattractive, but his persistence and refusal to read the signs she put off made him unattractive. He couldn’t seem to grasp that she was uninterested, and that was what frustrated her, and this was only their second meeting.

She didn’t see the dark look that came over his features at her rejection. He knew she would be tough to get, but he wouldn’t give up. He had Blaire to cover his ass, or at least he hoped Blaire would cover for him. He half scoffed, a smirk immediately made its way to his lips.

“Damn, Cat, I didn’t think you could be that harsh.” He stated, this time he stood straight. His hands were buried in his pockets, and despite the fact that she wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were trained on her. She didn’t bother correcting him this time though.

“Perhaps you were more incompetant than I thought.” She muttered, though she didn’t think he could hear her. He did, and it struck a nerve. He turned around and all but stormed out. He stopped at the door, feeling the need to have the last word.

“See ya around, Cat.” He said, but Catarina thought nothing of it. He left without another word spoken between the two of them, though she could have sworn she heard him greet someone happily outside of her office; a faint ‘hey buddy’ that slightly concerned her. She wasn’t entirely sure that he wouldn’t spread nasty rumors about her - not that she cared if he did - but after their conversation she could see him doing it.

Little did she know, he had bigger things to worry about than her.

Shortly after that uncomfortable exchange, Catarina decided to actually go to lunch. She locked up her office, but deep down she wished she could double up on security to keep creeps like Trager out. She really didn’t feel like getting ambushed again, though she doubted he’d do it twice in one day.

The walk to the cafeteria was almost as tense as the walk past her father’s office when she was younger. He always had frightening masks and other scary things hanging in his work space, and chances were he would try to get her to understand why she feared those things. He’d try to make her feel better about it all, but there was always one mask that terrified her, and that terror never faded. It was a burlap mask with straw coming out of the top and various stitches around the mouth. It had blank button eyes that stared down at her, much like the blank eyes that would stare up at her in her career. It was a scarecrow mask, and nothing sent shivers down her spine more than scarecrows. She was lucky to grow up in the city, the same couldn’t be said for her father. It was an interesting case, the fact that they were both afraid of scarecrows, but it was enough to get her interested in fear and phobias, like her father before her.

The line in the cafeteria wasn’t too long, with only a few members of staff waiting on line to order something. The man in the front of the line was staring at the menu on the wall and placing a seemingly long order, which had Cat mentally rolling her eyes. She wondered if there was another place she could get something to eat in the building. Going to lunch off the premises wasn’t allowed, so it was eat at the cafeteria or bring something from home.

In front of Catarina was a short, plump woman with red hair. She wore a light blue dress and a string of pearls around her neck, she was dressed nice, though Cat doubted she was an executive. The woman glanced at her nervously, and it was obvious to Cat that she was getting impatient too, but she doubted this woman would speak up about it. She smiled awkwardly, letting out an airy chuckle.

“If I knew he’d be ordering for a whole circus I would’ve brought something from home.” She joked, prompting a small smile from Cat.

“Sorry, it just feels like I’ve been standing here forever.” She continued, turning completely around this time. Now that Cat could see her completely, she came to the conclusion that this woman was pregnant.

“I’m Michelle, by the way.” Cat smiled at her, and while normally she’d formally introduce herself with her title and whole name, she decided against it.

“Catarina.” She introduced, and for a moment she swore she saw something short of recognition flash in her eyes. If she had heard of Cat, she didn’t mention it to her. Instead, she went the more predictable route, recognizing her as the new doctor and welcoming her, even if she had been there for nearly a month.

The line had finally moved up, but Michelle hadn’t noticed. Cat smiled awkwardly and pointed behind the woman, who promptly turned around and moved up a little. This time the line was moving faster, with people knowing exactly what they were ordering unlike the man who held the line up. After ordering and paying for her food, Cat was going to walk to her office, but she was stopped once more by Michelle.

“Hey, just let me know if you need anything. I work down in IT, so just call that line and I’ll probably be the one to pick up.” She stated. Cat smiled and nodded, but deep down she knew she wouldn’t really go to her if she needed something. Michelle seemed nice enough, but it looked like she was hiding something just below the surface, like she wanted to reach out to her and tell her something. Cat wouldn’t pry, she wasn’t one of her patients and even then it was up to her to tell her. It was intriguing, and she couldn’t help but see it as a mystery for her to solve. Maybe one day Michelle would open up about what was bothering her, but Cat knew she couldn’t count on that. At least she knew she wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

[jacmyheroacademia]

Hanahaki Bakugo X FemReader Part Five

Writers: Jac and Zeptikye Warnings: Mentions of blood, sickness, and medication Pairing: Bakugo X Female Character All Chapters

[Y/N] rolled over in bed at the sound of her phone buzzing, reaching for the device on her nightstand. Her throat burned and her chest ached, [Y/N] gritting her teeth in pain as she fumbled for her phone.

She yelped slightly as it nearly fell, barely catching it and turning the screen towards her. Her heart nearly stopped at the contact- and her flowers flared as she realized when she picked the phone up, she'd accidentally accepted the call.

“Hey-” Katsukis gruff voice came from the other line, [Y/N] panicking as she quickly sat up, “h-hey-!” She squeaked in surprise. 

She rubbed her eyes, holding the phone away from her a moment as she cleared her throat. “Wh-what’s uh.. up?” She mumbled sleepily. Katsuki grunted, “I didn't mean to wake you up… Sorry” he grumbled apologetically. 

[Y/N] stifled a yawn, taking a shuddered breath as she reset- her lungs struggling silently. “That's ok.. you alright?”

Katsuki was silent for a bit at that question before speaking quickly. “Would it be alright if I came over?” he questioned, even if it sounded a bit more like a demand, “I feel like we should talk.” he managed quickly.

[Y/N] blinked quickly, trying to quell her panic. “U-uhm- what about?” She stumbled, trying to shake the remnants of sleep. Katsuki cleared his throat slightly before speaking, “Just uhm … I’ve been- thinking about some stuff.” he said pensively “And I’d like your opinion or whatever.

She paused for a moment in confused thought. “O-okay, um- me too actually.” She murmured quietly. Katsuki paused for a second. “Good. Cuz I'm outside.” [Y/N] made a startled yelp before answering quickly, “Oh! O-Okay- give me just a second!” she exclaimed, leaping out of bed and throwing on a shirt over her tank top, trying not to cough loudly enough for him to hear.

[Y/N] gripped her chest as she stood, the room spinning at her lack of air combined with the sudden movement. She coughed violently, reaching out for anything to grab so she wouldn't fall.

Her knees buckled from under her, [Y/N] not sure what she grabbed but knowing whatever it was, she took down with her in a crash- but coughing too hard to care.

“Shoot! [Y/N]?” She heard Katsuki swear from outside the hall, “I’m coming in, okay?” he grunted, opening the door as [Y/N] curled her knees to her chest in embarrassment.

Her eyes watered as she panted, grasping her throat as it felt like the thorns stuck in it were trying to push their way through her skin from the inside. She felt her quirk materialize out of instinct, flailing miserably and crashing into more miscellaneous items.

“[Y/N]! [Y/N]!” Katsuki spoke to get her attention, quickly kneeling in front of her, “Hey- look at me, calm down.” he said, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other hand reaching for the water bottle she had knocked over. “Deep breaths through your nose.” he demanded, forcing her attention onto his crimson red eyes.

The flowers erupted under his stare, [Y/N] curling inward with a soft squeak of agony, scrabbling at her neck. Katsuki quickly backed off, looking at her in alarm. “[Y/N] what’s going on?” he questioned, his eyes searching her in confusion before his vision snagged on something. Tears streamed down her face, [Y/N] coughing violently to try and get the flowers out of her throat so she could breathe again- Katsuki losing her attention as she tried and failed to pull herself up.

“[Y/N] …” Katsuki said quietly, holding something in his hands that she couldn’t see. [Y/N] only shook her head, trying to pull herself up to sit properly as her lungs tried to hack up another flower, [Y/N] mortified that it was happening while Katsuki was literally right there.

She silently cried harder, her arms arching to shield her as petals and full fledged flower heads finally cascaded from her lips- the betraying, cheerful, peachy petals spattered red.

The explosive blonde fell silent, still kneeling on the floor as rose petals fell to the ground at [Y/N]’s feet- a strangled sob making it’s way to her throat before suddenly Katsuki was moving quickly in the corner of her blurry vision. “[Y/N]-” he said again, [Y/N] recognizing the sound of a bottle of pills hitting the ground as Katsuki dropped it to kneel in front of her, lifting a hand up to her face to cup one of her cheeks and tilting her head up the few inches to meet his eyes. 

“Are you in love with me?”

She shook violently, tears still streaming down her face as she tried to make herself as small as possible. “I- I'm so sorry- b-but… Yes..” she hiccuped.

Katsuki shook his head as a shuddered gasp left his lips, heaving a deep breath as the hand holding her face warmed. “D-don’t apologize.” he muttered quickly, his cheeks tinted pink. “I love you too…. Gosh [Y/N] I love you so much …” he whispered passionately.

She drew back as her mind reeled, that not being the reaction she expected at all. “Wh-what..?” She whispered tearfully in shock. Katsuki’s crimson eyes met hers, his face still it’s usual glare- but it wasn’t angry, it was determined and passionate and genuine. “I love you.” he repeated again, “I love you and good gosh I don’t want to see you hurting.” he cursed in a whisper.

[Y/N] blinked her wide eyes back up at him in silence, biting her lip so it wouldn't tremble. Her eyes screwed shut and she slowly ducked her head, silently setting her forehead against his chest as she hugged herself.

Katsuki wrapped both of his arms around her protectively, tucking her tight to her chest as [Y/N] let her brain comprehend the last chaotic three minutes of her life … Katsuki loved her?

The pain that had resided in her throat for so long and caused her so much pain was gone immediately, as if it had never been there as [Y/N] felt her lungs be released from the crushing grip of the roses vines- the sickening scent of flowers leaving her airways as she took in a shuddering gasp as the sudden sensation.

She panted quickly, her eyes shut tight and her brows furrowed as she hugged her arms to her chest, holding her neck. “I'm sorry..” she whispered- the cuts left in her throat still making it raw. Katsuki shook his head, “I’m sorry.” he said in retaliation. “If I would’ve known you were going through this s*** too, I would’ve told you the second I found out.” he swore, tucking her close as if doing so would help relieve the pain.

[Y/N] tucked her legs next to her, allowing herself to be immersed in his safe grasp as she tried to grasp his last sentence. She turned her head so her cheek was against his chest instead, still shivering. “I'm just.. I'm sure this isn't… The way you wanted to hear it. I don't want to.. to make you feel obligated…” She mumbled.

Katsuki scoffed, shaking his head, “[Y/N]- after puking up flowers for the past 48 hours I couldn’t care less how it happened … I’m just relieved to be able to breathe again …” he said softly, [Y/N]’s eyes widened in realization as she hadn’t even considered until this moment that he could’ve been going through the same thing.

She pulled her head back to examine him, her exhausted mind still trying it's best to function as quickly as her adrenaline wanted. “Y-you..?”

Katsuki scoffed, nodding quietly before pressing his forehead to the top of her head. “Just breathe for a bit- we can talk about it in the morning …” he said quietly, taking a deep breath himself.

[Y/N]  paused, her mind screeching at her to keep talking, but her tired, aching body got the best of her, nodding and slumping against him. Katsuki nodded quietly, squeezing her close for a minute before speaking. “Is uhm … is it okay if I just … hold you for a bit?” he grunted embarrassedly.

[Y/N] smiled at the sentence, her face warming comfortably and for some reason the question making her rather happy. She nodded, closing her eyes and settling against him. Katsuki squeezed her close, tucking his head on top of hers and [Y/N] feeling content to realize that they just kind of fit well together.

She nestled into him, finding how naturally warm he was comforting- as her arms tentatively looped themselves around his waist in return. Katsuki tensed slightly, but only for a minute before he tucked himself closer with a small huff, [Y/N] taking a deep breath and relishing in not feeling dizzy for a moment.

A deep inhale slid down her throat and into her lungs- [Y/N] not knowing if she would ever be able to relish the feeling of air actually moving freely down her airways as much as in this moment. And finally, after a torturing few days, her body began to relax.

…

Katsuki’s eyes fluttered open as he registered a crick in his neck- and also the fact that he was apparently sitting on the floor rather than sleeping in his bed? 

He grunted in displeasure, lifting his head against what it was leaning on and his sleep-fogged mind extremely confused. Katsuki turned his attention down, brows arching as he found [Y/N]- the two having fallen asleep leaning against each other and the wall.

His eyes widened as he remembered the phiasco that had been both of their attempted and mildly forced confessions- Katsuki taking a deep, flower free breath as his mind woke up.

He rolled his neck to stretch, smiling subtly. He turned his eyes back down to her after a moment, his hand absently playing with her hair while his mind ran. He had expected his thoughts to be anxiety ridden, and maybe they would be once he was fully awake, but right now he was  more than content to just hold her close.

Katsuki shifted to lean more comfortably against the wall, pulling [Y/N] with him and tucking her back close. [Y/N] shifted in his arms, offering a small yawn and tucking herself close.

Katsuki blinked quickly in silent startlement, flushing quietly but squeezing her as close as she could possibly be. [Y/N] hummed contentedly, Katsuki reaching a hand up to pet through her hair and closing his eyes again. A quiet sound reached his ear, what was close to a cat purring- almost silently, and slightly raspy as though it hurt a little bit… [Y/N] nestling closer.

His eyes fluttered open in surprise as he realized the contented sound was coming from [Y/N]- the thoughts making his cheeks redden. Katsuki looked her up and down for a moment, a tiny smile crossing his lips while he set his head atop hers.

[Y/N] continued to purr softly as she slept, Katsuki wondering if he should move her to her bed but also really not wanting to stop holding her. 

He settled with staying where he was, hugging her tight and petting her hair while he rubbed her arm.

The sun would be coming up soon anyway and they would have to go to class, no sense in waking her up now. He sighed softly, leaning back against the wall and exhaling a deep, contented breath. Of everything, this was not the outcome he predicted.. but knowing he was beyond grateful.

…

[Y/N] rubbed her eyes blurrily with a quiet yawn as she stretched, her head nestling against … Something? Her brows furrowed as she realized she was sitting up, leaning against something rather than actually in bed.

She blinked open an eye, brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out where she was.

The sight of strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist brought her back to her surroundings with a jolt as she remembered the events of last night. 

[Y/N] blinked quickly in surprise, sitting straighter and jumping as she looked up to her eyes meeting crimson red.

“Finally woke up.” Bakugo grunted with a small smirk, [Y/N] blushing. She quickly turned her gaze back down, flushing as she rubbed an eye. “S-sorry..” Katsuki grunted again, “don't worry about it.” He muttered, setting his head back on top of hers. 

She made a soft sound of surprise, a quiet, contented smile drawing over her lips as she settled back against him, nodding.

The two sat in silence for a bit. She exhaled a shuddered breath, nuzzling closer to him with a flushed face and a happy smile.

Katsuki grunted, ducking his head- “... Were you puking up roses?” He asked quietly. [Y/N] bit the corner of her lip, but nodded, the sentence bringing her to realize her throat still ached.

Katsuki nodded, tapping his forehead to the top of her head. “Do you … I mean should we talk about it or- … Whatever?” He grunted embarrassedly. [Y/N] bit her cheek, shifting softly. “Do you… Want to?”

Katsuki was silent for a bit before answering, “not really … But we probably should.” He said briefly, turning away with a blush. [Y/N] nodded, hugging him gently.

“K… What.. what should we talk about then?”

Katsuki shook his head, “heck if I know … I just … Are we- are we dating now, do you want to? How long has this ish been going on? What were you thinking falling in love with me?” 

[Y/N] sat back, thinning her lips. “Because you're a good person.  Because you genuinely try, at everything, and you genuinely care. You've made me a better person in just a year than I ever thought I could have been- and you're determined to keep going even when everything's against it.”

Katsukis crimson eyes stared at her in surprise, his cheeks darkening. She paused as she realized what she said, flushing as she looked away. “A-among.. other things… That's.. what I was thinking..”

Katsuki blinked a few times before clearing his throat quietly, looking to the ground. “H-how long have … Uhm- …” He spoke gruffly through his admittedly kind of cute blush. [Y/N] smiled quietly, aware of how hot her cheeks were herself as she wrung her hands together. “U-uhm- I don't really.. know?”

Katsuki grunted in agreement, his grip around her tightening slightly before he spoke… “I think I've liked you for a while.” He admitted. [Y/N] felt her face continue to warm, a smile yanking its way into her face against her will. “I… Think, me too..”

Katsuki nodded, “are we … Do you-?” He tried before growling and dropping his head, his eyes in a glare as he undoubtedly tried to process his emotions. [Y/N] paused, encouragingly waiting for him to continue.

“Are we like … A couple now?” He growled the tips of his ears turning red. [Y/N]’s face followed the same manner, ducking her head. “Um.. do you… want to be?”

Katsuki cursed quietly, “How should I know- I don't know how to do any of this crap I just want … I just want to …” his voice faded as he squeezed her, tucking her close. [Y/N] looked up at him in timid curiosity, waiting for the end of the sentence as she bit her lip.

“Whatever…” He finally muttered, “I don't know- shoot-” he swore. [Y/N] squeezed him gently, tucking herself close. “It’s ok to want something, even if it’s different from mine.. And I don’t even know what I want.” she murmured in faint amusement.

Katsuki growled, “whatever.” He muttered “I just … I don't really care about all that crappy romance and dating and stupid stuff like that. I just wanna …” He faded off before growling, “I just wanna be your freaking boyfriend or whatever! Take care of you and love you and s***! Whatever that means for … This.” He said, gesturing between them.

[Y/N] paused for a second in surprise, her eyes wide while she went silent. It took a second, but she felt her face shift to a wide smile, giggling softly as she blushed with a quiet nod.

Katsuki cursed, looking down at the ground again with a raging blush. “Don't laugh! I'm bad at this!” He shouted, only making [Y/N] smile wider.

She cupped his cheeks tenderly, shaking her head with a giggle. “No, no, I don't think it possible for you to be bad at anything honestly… But I uh.. I think that's a good.. idea.” Katsuki looked up to her with a softened glare. 

“So do you wanna be my girlfriend or not?” He growled, [Y/N] laughing softly. She smiled as she tilted her head, her face softening. “I-if… that’s what you want.. I’d love to.”

Katsukis crimson eyes widened as of even after all that he still hasn't been expecting that answer, “I'm gonna be a crappy boyfriend.” He warned, “but I can learn to be the best dang boyfriend in the entire world.” He said confidently. 

[Y/N] giggled, gently tapping their foreheads together. “And that’s how I know you already are. Or at least to me.”

Katsuki gave a firm nod, squeezing her into a hug. [Y/N] giggled happily, hugging him in return, tucking herself closer. Katsuki rubbed his hands over her back for a moment before speaking again. “We should go to recovery girl. Just to make sure the flowers are all cleared up.”

[Y/N] chewed her bottom lip with a sigh, nodding quietly as she sat back. Katsuki nodded as well, glancing to her for a moment before blushing and looking away, shifting to pull himself to his feet and cracking his back. 

She folded her legs beside her, reaching her arms up to stretch with a yawn. Katsuki glanced around her room, “ you're gonna need a new bed table.” He said, [Y/N] noting she had broken the shelf in her fall. She face palmed with a sigh, laughing ruefully.

Katsuki smirked, shaking his head. “We’ll worry about it later” he grunted. She nodded softly, holding one of her arms with the opposite hand and smiling sheepishly. 

Katsuki glanced toward her like he wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it, walking towards the door and holding it for her. “C'mon.” She paused curiously, studying him for a moment or two longer before she nodded.

[cuddlepilefics]

Our own Christmas movie

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Seungmin

Caregiver: Hyunjin

 Seungmin’s POV.:

This year we were going to celebrate the first Christmas together since Hyunjin and I had gotten together. In fact, all Stray Kids were going to celebrate together. Since it was difficult for some to travel home to their families, we had decided against leaving anyone behind and instead stayed at the dorm together. In order to spend some romantic time together, Hyunjin and I had planned to go for a long walk around the neighborhood on Christmas morning. We wanted to look at all the pretty lights and decorations, holding each other’s hand and just be a sappy couple for once. It being Christmas Eve, Chan and Felix were preparing dinner with the help of Minho and Changbin. We let them choose a meal they usually eat when at home with their families in hopes it would help them with their homesickness. The rest of us stayed clear of the kitchen. As we were unfamiliar with what they were planning to cook we weren’t of much help and knowing how chaotic it is when Stay Kids cook it was probably better the less people were hanging around the cramped kitchen. I had been nursing a bit of a headache for most of the day, so I sought the quiet of my room to rest a bit before the others were calling for either dinner or fun group activities.

 Hyunjin’s POV.:

I had been hanging out with Jisung and Jeongin in the living room, listening to the bickering in the kitchen. Though the bickering was difficult to hear over Jisung’s ridiculously loud performance of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas”. While singing, the squirrel boy pair danced with Jeongin, pulling funny faces to mock cheesy k-drama couples. Speaking of couples, I haven’t seen my boyfriend in quite a while now. Seungmin had been rather quiet all day, which made me kind of sad because I expected a little more excitement on our first Christmas together. Since I hadn’t noticed him leaving the dorm, I guessed the younger was hiding away in our shared room. Frowning, I made my way to our room, determined to drag my boyfriend out to socialize. I don’t want to sit there all alone when everyone else is having fun. I knew, I probably should be more worried about Seungmin but him avoiding me did hurt a bit. This wasn’t what I imagined my first Christmas in a relationship would be like.

I also didn’t expect to find my boyfriend curled up on top of my sheets, cuddling with a hoodie I had left lying around somewhere. I silently closed the door behind me and approached the bed tiptoeing to not wake the seemingly asleep boy. Only upon closer inspection did I notice the tense look on Seungmin’s face. Nobody looks that tense when they sleep. Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I carefully brushed the hair out of his face to get a better look, when he tiredly blinked up at me. “Hey puppy, I was looking for you. You had suddenly disappeared and I was lonely”, I pouted. “Hmm, sorry babe”, he hummed as he sat up, scrubbing his hands over his face, “They were just so loud.” – “Is everything ok? You’re usually just as loud”, I frowned, shifting a bit, so I was sitting right next to my boyfriend, and nudging his head to rest on my shoulder. Not receiving a reply, I assumed the younger had fallen asleep on me and looked down to confirm. Apparently, he wasn’t asleep, as his eyes were only half closed, mouth hanging slightly open. I studied Seungmin’s face in confusion, before he quickly twisted to the other side, startling me with a sneeze. He sniffled a bit before laying his head back onto my shoulder. “Sorry”, he hummed, closing his eyes, “I’ve just had a headache for the last few hours.” I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a gentle comforting squeeze. “I hoped it would go away if I just rest a bit, so I can have fun with everyone later”, he mumbled quietly, but I was still able to pit up on the slight waver in his voice. “It’s ok, sweetie. I can just fetch you some painkillers, alright?”, I shushed.

After Seungmin had given me a small nod as confirmation, I went to the bathroom to fetch him some medicine. When I went to the kitchen to also collect a bottle of water, I informed Chan about the situation but assured the leader that I had it handled for now. Seungmin was my boyfriend after all. I snuck back into our room, which was only dimly illuminated by some Christmas lights we had put up. They were enough however, to make the tear streaks on my lovely baby’s face visible. Quickly dropping the water and medicine onto the nightstand, I wrapped my boyfriend in a tight embrace. Being this close, I could feel every hitch of his chest, as Seungmin tried to keep from sobbing. “Feeling this bad, Minnie?”, I whispered sadly, petting his disheveled hair. To my surprise, he shook his head a little, clearing his throat before speaking up: “I-It’s just, this is not how I wanted my first Christmas with you to be like”, he confessed, voice hoarse from crying, “I wanted to have fun and be with you.” – “Well, you are with me now. Let’s get some medicine into you and then we’ll see about you having fun later”, I chuckled, handing him the pills, which he gratefully accepted and rinsed down with a few sips of water before cuddling back into me. However, I stopped him, almost causing more tears but I wanted Seungmin to rest properly, so I shifted into a lying position before opening my arms again.

Seeing the invitation, my boyfriend quickly snuggled up to me, resting his achy head on my chest and humming in satisfaction when I started to lightly scratch his scalp. “Jinnie”, he mumbled, absentmindedly tracing his finger in circles over my chest, “you should go to the others and have fun. I don’t want top ruin my boyfriend’s Christmas.” I tensed a bit, before resuming to scratch his scalp. “You know, all I need to make my Christmas perfect is you by my side. I’d much rather lay hear with you than fool around with the rest of the group. Let’s just rest till the medicine kicks in and then we can join them together”, I assured him and held him tight with one arm around his waist, not untangling the other hand from his hair.

Way too soon we needed to get up for dinner. “You holding up ok?”, I asked Seungmin, who nodded with a small smile, allowing me to help him up. With our hands intertwined, we joined the others at the dinner table. I had to admit, despite being a bit skeptical about not having a traditional Korean dish for a Christmas meal, I was amazed by my member’s cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I totally trust my members, just not in the kitchen. I knew, my boyfriend liked the meal as well, because he was actually eating, despite claiming he had no appetite. I watched him wince a little from time to time, whenever the volume in the room rose too far. I made sure to gently squeeze his thigh every time and when the bickering got really out of hand, I spoke up for them to tone it down a bit, which earned me a grateful smile from the boy next to me. Seungmin himself barely spoke at all. His voice was still as hoarse as it was when he cried earlier and he kept clearing his throat.

After our meal, we played a few different boardgames as a group, before we split up into smaller groups, some watching movies, some going for a late-night walk and some disappearing to who knows where. I excused us, leading Seungmin back to our room. Despite him trying to put on a smile, which fooled everyone but me, I could still see the dullness in his eyes. Tonight, we’d have the room to ourselves, because Minho would be staying over in Jisung’s room from where Jeongin would move to Chan’s room. Dropping down onto his own bed, my boyfriend gave a rough cough, which he had been trying to suppress by clearing his throat for who knows how long. I went to my closet, pulling out one of my largest sweaters, knowing how much the younger loved stealing my clothes. “Come on, let’s go to bed, baby”, I smiled, handing Seungmin the sweater before getting changed myself. “Jinnie, you don’t have to go to bed this early on Christmas Eve because of me. I don’t want to be the reason you miss out on all the fun”, he sounded so guilty, it almost brought me to tears. “Fun? You mean watching Minsung make-out on the couch? No thanks. Jisung said it quite accurately earlier: All I want for Christmas is Yoouuuu”, I imitated my dongsaeng, “Besides, I want Christmas cuddles”, I whined, dramatically plopping onto my bed.

Chuckling at my antics, Seungmin got changed before slipping under the blanket, I lifted up for him. I was only wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, so when he put his head onto my chest like he had done earlier, I could now feel the fever he was obviously running. “Minnie, you’re running a fever. Do you feel worse than earlier?”, I whispered, adjusting the blanket around us. He only shrugged, nuzzling into my chest. Our plan to just go to sleep like this sadly didn’t work out as easily. Seungmin kept coughing, from the moment we lay down flat, so after an hour of trying to relax and fall asleep together, I found myself sitting up against the headboard, rubbing my boyfriend’s back, to comfort him through his latest fit. How he could go from seemingly fine this morning to where he is now is a mystery to me. I was glad, the coughing was less frequent, now that I was supporting him in a more upright position, so I hoped we would be able to sleep now. We weren’t. Seungmin kept shifting and squirming, in an attempt to get comfortable. “Sorry”, my boyfriend rasped, “I’m just so achy.” – “It’s okay, love. That better?”, I asked, shifting my own position slightly. “Mhm, thanks”, he muttered, snuggling into me and closing his eyes.

However, the fever still made him restless, only allowing him to sleep fitfully in twenty-minute intervals. I had basically been awake all night. Around five in the morning, Seungmin had finally managed to drift into a deeper slumber but me being used to getting up around that time, I had completely given up on sleeping. At six, when I was confident the sick boy on my chest would stay asleep even if I wiggled my way out underneath him, I snuck out of bed and grabbed some clothes. I got ready and dressed in the bathroom before putting on a thick coat and boots. Seungmin would most likely be upset if I didn’t take him on our walk we had planned but no way would I let him leave the dorm in the condition he’s currently in. Having some time to spare anyways, I made use of the fact that it was still dark outside and the streets were illuminated by the colorful decorated houses. This was just another occasion on which I was glad that my phone camera had no problems with darkness. We had already had a certain route in mind, so I walked exactly where we had wanted to go, filming the entire time, sometimes stopping to zoom in on small details that I found important to show. When I arrived back at the dorm, everyone except for my boyfriend was already awake and waiting impatiently for Seungmin to wake up, so everyone could open their presents. “Guys, I really think you should just go ahead and open them without us. Minnie is pretty sick and only really fell asleep around five”, I explained, while shrugging out of my snowy coat. The boys seemed conflicted about leaving their friend behind, Chan was mostly just worried. I assured them again that it would be fine but that I’d be with my boyfriend now and probably for the rest of the day. After having a quick bite to eat, I went back to my room, where I found my boyfriend knocked out in my bed, wearing my sweater. I had to suppress a squeal at how adorable he looked, before I set up my laptop as quietly as I could. Via Bluetooth, I sent the video onto my laptop because the details would show better on a bigger screen.

When I had everything set up, I went to the kitchen and prepared a pot of Seungmin’s favorite tea. Taking the teapot and a cup back to my room, I already heard weak coughs from where I was standing in the hallway. I entered the room and set the tea down on the nightstand. My boyfriend was still half-asleep, the poor boy had woken himself up coughing. I gently helped him sit up and rubbed his back till he caught his breath again. “Good morning and merry Christmas, love”, I smiled. “Hhhmm, merry Christmas. Love you, Jinnie”, he yawned. When Seungmin had woken up properly, I handed him a cup of tea before settling in next to him with my laptop on my legs. “You know, since there is no way you are getting out of this bed today, I went for a walk and videotaped the entire decoration we wanted to view”, I explained, opening the file. “Oh my god”, Seungmin sighed hoarsely, taking a few sips of his tea, “You really are the best boyfriend I could have ended up with.” We watched the video with our hands intertwined and my boyfriend’s head on my shoulder. To say I was proud of the smile I had brought to Seungmin’s tired face would be an understatement. To say I was in love was an understatement as well.

About two hours later, I received a text from Chan. Apparently, the others had managed to refrain from opening their presents and were now asking if Seungmin was awake and if they could come to our room. I replied with yes and soon the entire group was gathered in our room, on the two empty beds and the floor. Seungmin’s presents were piled on the foot of the bed, similar to the Harry Potter movies and despite still feeling a lot worse than he would let on, he was having a good time. The rest of our day consisted mostly of napping and listening to music, which I had no problem with at all, since I had slept even less than Seungmin. However, in no way did I mind losing sleep if it meant being there for and with my boyfriend. I just hoped he’d have a better Christmas next year. If everything goes as planned, I’ll be by his side for so many more Christmases to come, that I can make sure of it.

[cheliceraekisses]

The Arrangement

F/F - Drider/Reader - smut

When you have 36,000 kids with someone, you start to catch feelings. You had no one but yourself to blame.

TW: pregnancy, spiders, oviposition

I did a last check through my backpack, making sure I had everything I needed for a month away. Lots of video games, meds, laptop, seemed like I was ready. I zipped up the bag, threw it onto my shoulder, and trudged to the door, feeling significantly less excited than I should have been.

I first met Araniae around three years ago, at a bar I went to to forget about student loans. She was sweet, and gorgeous, and listened to me bitch about debt, and her deep, sultry voice had me soaking through my panties even before she kissed me. She told me she wanted to help solve both our problems, and that I was beautiful and perfect and her voice pulled me all the way back to her place and straight into her bed, and it was well after midnight when I sobered up enough to count how many eyes she had.

Eight beautifully dark eyes had stared at me, and I finally registered what she was. The fuzzy, red-brown body of a tarantula below her waist, towering over me on the bed. What I’d thought were her hands softly touching my face when we’d kissed turned out to be chelicerae, holding me in place while she stole my breath away. The upper half of her body was curvy and soft, heavy breasts resting in my hands, arms and belly dark with yet more fuzzy, prickly hair.

The morning after, lying naked, tangled together between sheets she’d spun herself, she told me her solution to our problems. She wanted children, and needed a warm, safe place to lay her eggs for several weeks. As she described it, she wanted to rent out my womb for a month or so, taking care of me the whole time, and in return she’d give me five thousand towards paying off my debts. I asked lots of questions, but I never even thought of saying no to her, and by the next week she had me stuffed full.

Our agreement had stood since, with her calling me over three or four times per year, always taking incredible care of me. After the first few awkward, painful times, we’d ironed out most of the bigger issues, and the experience was pure pleasure. She was incredible at sex, a wonderful cook, adorable and kind and always gentle with me. Between my life of underpaid freelance design work, living on my own in a tiny, cramped apartment, the months visiting Araniae became my light, the thing that kept me going. There was only one problem with the arrangement.

I was completely in love with her.

How could I not be? She treated me like a precious treasure, she kissed like she was starving and showered me in praise when we fucked. She worked as a chef at a fancy place downtown, and she spoiled me with food when I visited, trying out new recipes and making anything I requested. I’d paid my debts off almost a year ago, and I felt horrible accepting her money, but I couldn’t shake the fear that she didn’t want me the way I wanted her, that she wasn’t looking for a relationship and all her affection was just part of the agreement. That I had nothing to offer her.

The bus ride to her place was long, giving me plenty of time to dwell on my anxieties. I’d promised myself I’d tell her this time, just like I had the last two times. I’d even set aside the money she’d given me since paying the last of my debts, intending to return it as soon as I worked up the courage to tell her the truth. The truth that I didn’t want to leave when the month ended, that I wanted to stay and help raise her, no, our children.

I finally stepped up to her door, taking a moment to compose myself before knocking. The moment she opened the door I could tell she’d been cooking something, the smell making my mouth water. She threw her arms around me, pulling me against her apron, a silly novelty thing that read “Mega Silk” across her generous chest. She kissed me lightly on the nose, and pulled me inside.

As soon as the door closed, she kissed me again, properly this time, chelicerae hugging my cheeks. Almost before I could react, her hand was slipping past the waistband of my panties, groping at my butt. This was almost tradition by now, her feeling me up at her earliest convenience. One time she’d driven over to pick me up and spent the entire ride back with her hand between my thighs. Another, we’d met at her work and hadn’t even been out of the restaurant before she had her hands under my shirt.

Not that I ever minded getting caught up in her pace. I could only imagine what needing to lay must feel like. By the time I arrived her lust must have been driving her up the walls, it was no surprise she was so eager to go. I was more than happy to let her sweep me away, just using me to release all her pent up lust and eggs from the last few months.

She finally broke from the kiss, giving me a sweet smile and dragging me further inside. “Now, we’re having lobster fettuccini Alfredo for dinner, darling,” she said. She never bothered with introductions, instead launching into whatever plans she had for us.    “It’s almost done if you want to unpack your things?” She kissed me again, swirling our tongues together before giving me a push towards the living room.

I tossed my bag on the couch she kept for guests, taking a moment to walk by the enormous, empty terrarium. I’d never seen anything in it before, and I assumed it was where she put her eggs after I’d laid them, something like a cradle for her children to live in until they were old enough to leave the nest. She’d explained to me once before that the vast majority of the thousands of eggs she laid would grow into perfectly ordinary spiders, that in fact so far all her eggs had. Very, very rarely an egg would develop further, staying inside me and growing larger until it developed into a creature like her. She’d told me if I ever suddenly found myself pregnant again after I’d left her home I needed to call her immediately. Secretly, I always hoped I would, just so I could stay with her longer. Would our children look like me?

A light nip at my neck startled me back to awareness, arms slipping around me as she pressed herself to my back. The spot she’d bitten stung and turned hot, a sure sign she’d given me a little venom with her kiss. I smiled, leaning back into it and moaning, teasing, hoping to goad her into giving me more. No such luck sadly. She giggled, pulling away. “You’ll get plenty later, darling,” she whispered darkly, eliciting a second, far more genuine moan. Her venom always made my head swim and my body turn hot and pliant for her. The tiny little taste she’d given me wasn’t much, but it was enough to feel a spike of warmth shoot through me, coiling into my gut and making my panties wet with anticipation.

She pulled away, breaking the tension of the moment. “Dinner’s ready,” she said happily, tugging me towards the kitchen. “I’ll help you unpack later.” My cheeks reddened at the reminder that I’d spent so long thinking about children that I’d forgotten my bag entirely. Sheepishly, I let her lead me away.

Dinner was of course spectacular, rich and creamy and filling. It helped that she’d made massive portions, with plenty extra sitting on the stove. She always made sure I was well fed before we began, telling me I needed my energy to keep up with her. The first time I’d scoffed at her, laughing that my sex drive had never been beaten, and had ended up passing out before she was half done. My usual diet of instant ramen probably hadn’t helped. Since then she’d insisted, making sure I’d eaten at least one good meal before stuffing me with eggs.

She sat directly next to me at the table, getting handsy the whole time. It was soothing, seeing how comfortable and normal she was being. It was almost enough to make me forget my anxiety, settling into the routine we’d had for years now. At least, it was until she pulled me into a deep kiss and my heart jumped into my throat. I almost fell off my chair, heart hammering my eyes, eyes turning down to look away from the expression she must have been giving me.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” The concern in her voice nearly broke me on the spot, nearly spilling all my fears to her. No, no, I didn’t want to tell her like this, if nothing else I wanted it to be romantic, rather than sobbing on her carpet.

“I’m... Fine, don’t worry, please. Really. You just startled me is all.” It was a lie, it sounded like a lie, she had to know it was. I just prayed she wouldn’t ask.

“If you say so, darling,” she said with a smile that broke my heart. I had to tell her before I left. Just not... Right now. In a few days maybe, once we were settled in for the month.

I pulled myself back into my chair, managing to stomach a few more bites of the delicious pasta. Abandoning the bowl, I leaned against Araniae, letting my loose top fall off my shoulder, exposing my neck. I was afraid she might not take the bait, considering the circumstances, but she reacted almost immediately, pulling me closer, biting at my neck again. This time, the lance of heat that shot through my veins was much stronger, and I knew she’d given me the first of (hopefully) many venomous bites for the evening. Barely releasing my neck for a second, she pulled me into her, shifting her arms under me and picking me up in a bridal carry while she sucked on the tiny, reddening bruise she’d left. She stood up from where she’d been kneeling by the table, effortlessly lifting me, and carried me to the bedroom.

The bedroom was more like a nest. Thick sheets of web covered every wall and hung taut around the room, a miniature network of tunnels that she slept within. She carried me deep into the room, to where an enormous bed sat in a cavern of webs. Rather than place me on the bed, she gently laid me down on a suspended sheet of web.

By now the venom in my veins was making me hot, uncomfortably so, and I let out a needy whine as she pushed my shirt up, sinking her fangs into my breast. We’d learned quickly that my sensitive breasts were wonderful targets for her venom, the pulsing heat in my nipples burning so hot it nearly made me cum on the spot. It wouldn’t have been my first time cumming before she’d even gotten my clothes off. She kept teasing at my nipples with her tongue, dragging it out until I got impatient, pulling her apron off and groping at her.

“Eager, are we darling,” she said in a seductive whisper.

“Yes,” I whined back, not even having the energy to defend myself. I just wanted more of her venom, and for her to hurry up and fuck me so I could forget everything.

She kissed me again, biting my tongue with yet more venom, removing my pants with one hand as she did so. My groping turned into tugging, pulling her sweater off and finding nothing underneath. She grinned, stepping forward to stand over my hips.

Hey body was massive compared to mine, seven feet long, her legs and abdomen thick and fuzzy. She leaned her torso down, dangling her tits in my face, letting me suck at her nipples, quiet little moans from above spurring me on. I felt her pulling my arms above my head, deftly tucking them through the sheet above me and twisting, leaving my arms trapped. Goddess her confidence was hot, the way she knew exactly what she was doing and how to do it, immobilizing me without a single unnecessary motion. The ache between my legs got stronger, pussy soaking the web underneath me. I needed her to breed me, soon.

The first bump of her ovipositor against me was always intimidating. No matter how many times I’d taken it, it still shocked me when it came out, massive, nearly as thick as my arm and more than two feet long. Even knowing that I wouldn’t be taking the whole thing, I could hardly believe it fit. The knowledge that it would swell even wider when her eggs passed through had me bucking my hips, and if I could I would have been pulling myself onto her already

She seemed to notice me staring, whispering in my ear in her sultry voice. “Like what you see, darling? I hope you’re ready, my perfect little thing.”

She rubbed the tip against me, taking her time opening me up. She was so kind, always taking the time to make sure she didn’t hurt me any more than necessary, but today it just made me mad. Just fuck me already, just hurry up and slam inside me so I can forget everything. Don’t be so kind if you won’t be in love with me. I could feel tears welling up, threatening to fall, and I buried my face in her chest, not wanting her to see, afraid she’d stop to demand an explanation.

She sank her fangs into my neck as she entered me, giving me one last dose of venom for good measure. My body was on fire, and the ovipositor stretching my cunt barely hurt at all as she slid inside. I heard her hum happily as she began to shift her weight, pulling out nearly to the tip, only to drive back inside with a smooth thrust. I moaned, trying to throw my head back but mostly just succeeding at lolling to the side, tongue falling out as she picked up speed. Her fuzzy body tickled as it shifted above me, and I laughed, finally getting what I’d been craving.

Her humming stopped with a grunt, stilling for a moment. “You’re still so tight darling, even after years of this. Tell me, do you try to keep yourself so perfect for me?” she asked with a giggle.

Yes, I thought.

She smiled down at me. “Don’t fret darling, I’ll give you everything you need and more. Just lie there and enjoy, my beautiful little pet.”

The first few times we’d fucked, she’d let me ride her ovipositor for quite a while, worried I wouldn’t manage to cum once she started laying. We’d been entirely wrong though. This time, she was clearly impatient, only giving me a few minutes of preparation before her ovipositor pushed its way into my womb. I shuddered but, thanks to the venom, barely felt it. She stilled, shaking slightly, and before long I felt the first egg make its way down the shaft.

The egg felt thick, swelling the ovipositor up, and it took a moment to stretch me open, the pressure finally overwhelming my pussy and slipping inside. I gave a loud groan of pleasure as the walls of my cunt squeezed greedily around the egg. The egg, our egg, sliding inside me. As the first egg dropped into my womb, settling inside me, I felt Araniae’s arms wrap around me, her face dropping level with mine. Already I could feel the next egg coming, as she kissed my cheek and her lips came away wet.

“D-Darling,” she said, clearly struggling to get the words out as she laid her eggs. She’d never tried to talk seriously while laying before. Why was she still trying to talk? “Why are you crying, my sweet?”

Oh.

The concern on her face finally broke the dam, and I started sobbing, only pausing for a scream to rip its way out of my throat as the next few eggs pushed inside me. Quietly, she released my hands, pulling me forward so I was hugging her and softly petting my hair, waiting for me to speak.

“I... I... Gah.” Another egg, splitting me open, almost toppling me off the edge. “I love you,” I choked out. This was it then, the last eggs I’d ever take and I was ruining the experience like this. “I love you so much, and I don’t know how you feel about me. I don’t want to leave, I don’t just want to carry your eggs, I want to stay and help raise our children and I want you to get me properly pregnant like you said could happen. I’ve been hoping every time I went home that I’d suddenly have your child inside me and I could come back and stay with you but... Guh, I don’t know if you want that, I can’t tell if you like me or if you see me as a toy to fuck full of eggs or if you just think of this as a mutual arrangement. I don’t even have debts to pay anymore, but I don’t want you to leave me just because I don’t need you.” I was babbling, pathetically, my words barely making sense to me through the tears. Another egg, forcing it’s way inside me, leaving me moaning with pleasure. “I do need you, I love you. I know you get horny when you need to lay, and I’m convenient, but I-”

Two fingers pushing into my mouth cut me off. I looked up at her, confused, to see her tilting her head to the side, looking incredibly pleased with herself. “I get horny when I see you.” She did? “You want to know how I feel about you darling?” She paused, thrusting hard, dropping yet more eggs into me. My belly was starting to swell, visibly pregnant now. “You want me to breed you properly, get you knocked up for real?” Horny filth always sounded so classy coming out of her mouth, Her voice dark and slow and full of promise. I whimpered, sucking her fingers hard as another egg pressed me open.

“Then I suppose, my love,” she said. Her love. Me? “That I’ll just have to keep you here from now on. We can have you full of my eggs every month, until one of them takes. How does that sound, my pet? Our children will be beautiful,” she leaned down, whispering into my ear, and the sound of her voice promising everything I wanted tipped me right over the edge, cumming hard as yet more eggs squeezed into me. She groped at my tits, hands squeezing hard, plucking at my nipples, pushing my orgasm longer and longer. As I came down, her voice, whispering in my ear yet again.

“No more of this now, my love. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about how in love we are in the morning.” My heart soared, as her fangs sunk into my neck again, releasing yet more venom. The world swam out of focus, and my head lolled back as I lost myself in the pleasure and the heat, letting her sweep me up yet again.

We woke up, tangled in the handmade silk sheets of her bed, bodies close together. The first thing I noticed was my belly, swollen full like I was eight months pregnant, and I smiled blissfully at the sight, my favourite thing to wake up to. The next thing I noticed was a conspicuous ring on my finger that hadn’t been there the night before, black and patterned like silk. The third thing I noticed was Araniae, lying on the bed next to me, eyes open and watching my face. Seeing that I’m awake, she leans in close, kissing me deeply, chelicerae holding my cheeks tight. Finally, she seems to have had enough, leaning back.

“Do you like the ring my love?” She smiles, her expression adoring, her eyes already lusty again. “You had a lot to say last night, didn’t you?”

“Nah, nothing important,” I said with a smile, kissing her.