#OH i forgot about the smile on his neck! that's mostly just something he got to be Scary/monsterous

[wraithsoutlaws]

Honestly I'd like to ask you about the thought behind all of Dagger's design cus it's so fuckin' sick and your art is sick (I'd buy an art book of Ur art) I'm like actually slightly ignoring the ask prompt thing u reblogged so I hope you don't mind but do Dagger's tattoos have any meaning? They're all very cool and I'm going to stop talking now before I ramble about how sick (positive) your art is

aaaaaAh omg i don't mind at all this made me so happy :') thank you so much i'm!! really flattered and happy you like 'em!! there is some meaning behind some of them, and some of them are just a little silly. i've also been in the process of actually trying to fully finalize them (they've sort of been ~up in the air~ for a long time/subject to change)

his most important tattoo is the heart/snake/dagger on his torso:

i've messed with the look of it a lot. originally the dagger went straight up his torso, but i think the angled placement works a little better. the right side is still a WIP, but it's probably more in line with what i want (partially because he's /also/ supposed to have a really big "M" shaped scar that covers his torso as well, and i think it looks really messy with all these elements running vertical on him which is why it hardly makes it into my art). ANYWAY, this one is meant to signify his self-transformation into the "Dagger" persona. the heart in the middle is representative of his humanity, or who he once was as a child. the snake is who he grew into and what generally harbors a lot of his self-hatred and guilt (which is sort of another post worth of Lore so I won't go there rn), and the knife represents who he makes himself, choosing to kill the other parts of who he is and severing himself from the past (including that humanity and guilt). It's his self-made rebirth, no longer beholden to the cycles and feelings of the person he used to be. the "unkillable" beneath the handle is a newer addition, but it's just edgelord enough that i know he'd have it. in a sense, he's killed himself already and now nobody else gets the pleasure of doing so.

now the rest of his tattoos are just kinda stupid and that's why i love them.

the "FVCK" tattoo on his left arm was the first one he got and he gave it to himself stick-n-poke style when he was 16.

the abomination on the right hasn't made it into artwork yet because i'm constantly changing my mind of where i want it. most likely it's on his left shoulder blade and it's pretty self-explanatory. the man loves cigarettes. he got this one in his late teens when he was riding with a group of smugglers between texas and mexico, drunk in front of a campfire, and of course, smoking. (it's worth mentioning that i haven't gotten tattoo mods for him, and though he keeps a big portion of the vanilla tattoos on the front, none of the back piece is canon for him.)

he has a rat king on his thigh (also self-explanatory), as well as cockroach's little rat prints running up the side of his leg.

the last Definite tattoo he has is a small scorpion on his back (as reference to the scorpion and the frog. dagger's in a constant cycle of self-destruction. he's both the scorpion and the frog).

[inlovewithl3vi]

Could you write MC with a daddy kink ? With lucifer (and diavolo If you feel like it but separated)

Love you

Ngl to you I got so excited about this when I saw it I shut down and forgot to write.

I tried something a little different with the formatting this time, not sure if I like it though. I’m also not too happy with how Lucifer’s turned out but I honestly don’t write about him often, I hope you still like it tho 😭 honestly this whole little fix kinda sucks… I still hope you like it (though I might write this prompt again in the future)

I’m also not the best at writing NSFW. It’s probably because I’m an autistic virgin, but eh whatever. I also cut if off kinda at that part since I’m writing for a gender neutral Mc, and when writing NSFW I find it easier when you know what genitals both people have (idk if that’s just a me thing… I fear it might be)

P.s I did not proofread this, I’m sorry in advance

(Bonus Note: I also love you!) (is that weird? Idk I love people who send asks)

-Lucifer-

✧ With him you never really brought it up before.

✧ I mean you’ve thought about it and the fact that you wanted to call him daddy, but you just didn’t have the time. And whenever you did have time it wasn’t the right moment.

✧ Until your spread out on his bed with him over you keeping you in place. He had been teasing you for what felt like hours. you can feel tears welling in your eyes, your body feels like it’s on fire, your whining and helplessly trying to move beneath him, and yet he still won’t touch where you want him to.

“Beg” he has a smug look on his face as he stares down at you. “Please…” it’s almost hard to speak, your body desperate for any sort of simulation. “You can do better than that” he moves his hand and places it on your cheek, gently caressing your face. “Please please please! I need it Lucifer-“your cut off by your own sob. He slowly starts to move, but you want- no, you need more. “Please- daddy I need more. I’ll be good for you daddy I swear!” He pauses for a brief second. He’s never had anyone call him that. But he immediately knows he likes hearing the way you sound when calling out to him in such a way. His lips attach to your neck, leaving dark bruises that your sure others will see tomorrow. His hands are roaming around your body before he reaches down and grabs his cock, pumping it a few times before finally sliding inside of you, making you loudly moan out from pleasure.

✧ The next morning he teases you slightly about the name.

✧ Though he isn’t fooling you, he loves every minute of it.

✧ Since then, whenever you two are being any kind of intimate he wants you to call him daddy.

Bonus: if you come up behind him while he’s working in his office and wrap your arms around him before whispering “daddy” in his ear he will immediately abandon his work for you.

-Diavolo-

✧ You actually ended up taking about it with him earlier in the relationship. Probably after you’ve had sex together for the first two or three times.

✧ Mostly because he asked first.

“Oh MC, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Since our relationship has gotten more serious, do you have any preferences for when we sleep together?”

✧ He’s always been a little blunt when asking about things, but that caught you off guard.

“Uhm… no nothing that I can think of right now”

✧ He could totally see right through you, I mean he literally has powers to see if you’re lying.

“That’s a lie, you can tell me anything you know.”

✧ He grew a little more concerned when you lied. He wanted you to know that he really does love you, and that you could tell him whatever it is.

✧ After a slight bit of convincing (he just made a sad face and you gave in) you end up telling him.

“Uhm… I kinda wanna call you daddy” your face immediately flushed after admitting it as you turned away from him. He chuckled slightly and placed his hand on your cheek to make you look at him. “That’s it huh” his normal warm smile overtook his features as he looked down at your flushed face. “You just wanted daddy to take care of you”

He ended up picking you up and carrying you to his room before sitting on his bed and placing you in his lap. He started undressing you, eventually getting everything off leaving you naked in his lap. “Daddy please” you mumbled as you started to grind against his thigh. “Hmm? Do you want daddy to take care of you?” You nodded yes as you felt his large hands wrap around your hips. “Then just relax and be good for me ok?”

✧ From that point of it was more of a normal thing for you to call him daddy in bed.

✧ He quite enjoys it too. He loves to show just how much he loves you and loves to take care of you, and the name just makes him feel good.

✧(Bonus: on rare occasions he’ll use it to rile you up while at a party or even whenever he knows you can’t immediately go with him. He’ll go up to you and whisper how your “being so good for daddy”

[princessbrunette]

omggg i adore kitty!reader so much shes so !! me !!! how do u think jayj would put her in her place … i feel like whenever shes having her mini tantrums people get equally as frustrated bc she gets feisty but jj has like .. magic on him or something 💭

"⭒˚｡⋆🍡⋆⭒˚｡"

you’d been in a bad mood since coming home from work. bartending wasn’t for the weak, especially when the locals constantly harassed you and berated your drink pouring skills — which was mostly put down to being a woman. by the time you get back to jj’s empty house, the blonde sat on his messy porch with a bottle of beer when you got back — you had quite the attitude.

“if it ain’t my favourite bartender. how’s m’girl, come over here.” he opens his arms and you storm right past making his brows shoot up, lips pressed together as he adjusts his cap. “alrighty, guess someone’s in a mood.” he pushes up onto his feet, swaggering in through the open door.

“‘somethin’ happen? what’s up?” he calls after you, spotting you in the kitchen angrily opening and closing cupboard doors as you try to make yourself something to eat.

“where is my plate?” you demand, clearly frustrated. he blinks, thinking back to your special plate that you always ate off. some cutesy antique thing you found at a yard sale, a beloved item of yours. he silently winces, eyeing it sat in the sink, soaking in bubbles.

“yeah uh, so basically i ate my lunch off it ‘cus i forgot to do the dishes, uh — again. that’s my bad. i got paper plates you can use? great thing about those is that when you’re done with ‘em you don’t gotta wash ‘em. you just throw ‘em away. makes me wonder why we even buy regular plates in the first pl—”

“no i don’t want a paper plate jj j want my plate! i just want to eat my food and— and you’re here just— just—” you explode, still refusing to offer him even a glance as you continue hunting for something to eat your leftovers off.

“hey, hey— put them claws away kittycat. no need for that. c’mon pretty girl where’s that smile?”

you spin around, fists balled at your side, tears of anger in your eyes.

“dont tell me to smile! go away!” you yell before turning away with a loud huff. jj drops his head down, tongue in his cheek as he nods, thinking for a moment before approaching slowly.

“easy, alright? you’re not gonna take that tone with me, mama i’m on your side.” as he speaks, you feel the warmth of his front press to your back, an arm cautiously sliding around your waist to keep you stable. his other arm snakes around your neck, pulling you into a light headlock, just enough pressure to ground you. he lowers his head to talk into your ear as you stare directly at the cabinet, already melting a little against him. “you wanna talk ‘bout your day? y’already know i’m all ears baby. but you gotta watch that attitude, yeah? you’re home now, i’m here. just… dial it back.”

there’s some silence, and you nod — releasing a shaky breath as you feel some of the grossness from your day leave your body. “uh-huh, that’s all you needed wasn’t it babydoll? needed to be told. that’s okay, i get it.” he kisses your temple before removing his arm from your neck, using both hands to squeeze your waist and turn you around.

the gaze he receives from you is nothing short of guilty, doll-like eyes blinking up at him slowly as you take deep breaths. “now what you’re gonna do, is sit that cute lil ass down and let me fix you up a plate. you’re gonna eat that shit, then, you’re gonna talk to me about your day,” he walks you backwards until your legs hit the chair at the table and you drop down to sit in it. he leans forward, hands cupping your cheeks. “and after that, oh i’mma fuck the shit out of you. like, you’re not even gonna remember what day of the week it is— let alone what shitty customers ran their mouth at you today. that sound good?”

“yes, jj.” you respond, pupils pretty much taking up your whole eye like an entertained kitten.

“thats what i like to hear, ma’am. alright, wait there. i got you.”

"⭒˚｡⋆🍡⋆⭒˚｡"

[maiiuelle]

Now I'm picturing the opposite: Mermaid!reader bringing jj something she thinks is really valuable but is kind of worthless. but jj sees how excited and hopeful she is so he pretends it's valuable and carries it around in his pocket all the time so she'll see that he likes it. and then with time it ends up being one of his favourite things he owns because it reminds him of her 🙊

ooo i love thiss!! opposite of this ask :)

jj is relaxing on the warm sand after a long day of surfing, watching you run around the beach in search of shells to bring home as a souvenir. since leaving the sea, your obsession with exploring has only grown, especially with so many new things to find on land.

it’s not long until you’re running back over to him with something tucked safely in your fist. “jayj! i got somethin’ for youu.” you drop to your knees beside where he’s sitting, your hand hidden behind your back.

“oh yeah? lemme see.”

you pull out a handful of sand and seashells, but you carefully pick out a shard of green sea glass, dull at the edges and translucent from tumbling around in the surf. you’re practically shaking you’re so excited, eyes locked on his face in anticipation for his reaction.

as always, his face lights up. truthfully, he doesn’t care what you bring him, just the fact that you want to give him anything is enough to melt his heart. “oh wow, look at that!” he holds his calloused hand out for you to drop it into his palm so he can take a closer look.

“you like it?” you smile, putting it in his hand while you shove the rest of the shells back into your pocket.

“uh, yeah! ‘course i do, cupcake.” jj slips it into the pocket of his cargo shorts where it stays from then on. he pulls it out if he needs a reminder of you, which is really any time you’re apart. it’s mostly just that he likes you so much, but there’s always a twinge of anxiety about something happening to you. you’re curious, but really oblivious — if you got yourself into trouble, or if someone discovered your secret, he doesn’t know what he’d do. the way his thumb glides over the smooth glass grounds him, helping him at least calm down until he sees you again.

jj loves it so much he ends up drilling a little hole in it, tying a thin black string through it to hang it around his neck so it doesn’t get lost. you honestly forgot all about it until he shows up wearing it, and you just about fall in love all over again <3

[httpiastri]

literally any driver: burying head in crook of neck, night kisses and shutting the other up with kisses

lacii my love <3<3 did this with lando, hope that's fine! merry christmas again, and i hope you enjoy this!! 😁

"lando, did i tell you about that time when i first met my friend clara?" the words are flowing out of your mouth like you're spitting bars. your boyfriend doesn't even get a chance to answer your question before you've started talking again. "oh my god, it's a great story. you'll love it. so, i was in a french class when my other friend, sarah-"

lando is smiling subconsciously as you ramble on about your adventures, just as you have ever since he picked you up from the club. his fingers help you slip out of your heels – not that you even seem to understand what's going on, way too focused on speaking – before one of his hands lands on your waist. he takes a deep breath to keep his composure and hold back the laughter threatening to burst from his chest at your continuous gibberish, before he guides you to his bedroom with soft touches. he chuckles quietly at the way you almost take the wrong turn and end up in his kitchen, too engaged in your storytelling to remember the layout of his apartment. he isn't surprised, though, because;

alcohol always makes you blabber.

in most situations, you're not the most talkative, preferring to choose your moments to speak with great care. but when you start to get tipsy, it is like you are the world's greatest extrovert. even after getting just a little alcohol in your system, you talk to anyone with ears, somehow assuming that they're really interested in whatever you're ranting about.

thankfully, if you have your friends around, they usually drag you away by your arm, apologizing to the poor stranger to whom you've over-explained the storyline of your favorite movie.

lando learned about this side effect of your drinking early on in your relationship. on your third date, after sharing a few drinks at a local bar, you wouldn't shut up for half an hour, not giving him a second to interject with anything. he'd been surprised, but mostly confused, until he got your text message the following morning: oh my god, i did it... didn't i?

he'd tried to pretend he didn't know what you meant, wanting to put it all behind you, but you'd persisted. i didn't shut up. i never do when i drink. i'm sorry :(

lando was always one to be quick to forgive and forget, not wanting you to feel too bad. everyone does some questionable things when drunk, and he'd seen tons of people act worse than you did. but after that date, there would be uncountably many more occasions of you not being able to hold back when booze was in the picture. award shows, drinking games at home with friends, podium celebrations. once, he even found you outside a club after a race, sitting on the curb with one of your hands petting a stray dog as your other helped you explain the meaning of life. safe to say, he is used to your habits by now.

so tonight, when he picked you up from your night out with a few of your friends, he wasn't surprised that your mouth didn't shut once during the trip back to his apartment. you were excitedly telling him about the people you'd met and the drinks you'd had, so eager to explain every detail to your boyfriend when you were getting into the car that you forgot about everything around you and he had to lean across the console to put on your seatbelt for you.

most of the time, he finds your habit endearing. but sometimes, like right now, it gets just a little tiresome.

"and then, when jamie came around, she was like, what are you doing?, and i was like, i'm just having some fun!"

you're both sitting on the edge of his bed by now, after lando's helped you change into something more comfortable for the night, your mouth still running like you're one of the gilmore girls. you don't even flinch when his hands reach for your cheeks and he stares intently in your eyes – but he can't do anything other than smile.

lando loves your voice. he loves it when you're whispering something in his ear when you're out with friends, when you're ranting to him about some stupid coworker, and maybe especially when you're moaning and whining his name.

but now, he reckons you've talked enough for today. your vocal cords must be sore, and his ears are about to fall off, so it's time to call it a night – and he only sees one way to shut you up.

mid-sentence, lando leans in, pressing his lips to yours. he swallows the yelp you let out in surprise, one of his hands gliding to the back of your neck to keep you close. it doesn't take long for you to relax into the kiss, your lips moving with his while your hands reach for the neckline of his hoodie.

it's so easy to get lost in kissing lando. when he parts the kiss, you find yourself wanting to seal your lips again, already missing the feeling. your mind is now completely blank; all you can think of is the kiss. the man beside you laughs at your hazy expression, utterly amused by how you're suddenly quiet for more than five seconds (something he's sure hasn't happened yet tonight).

when you slowly open your eyes, the very content look on lando's face makes something click in your mind. he sudden kiss, his big grin...

"was i rambling again?"

the silence that follows gives you your answer, and you throw your head back as you let out a little groan. "hey, don't worry about it."

"i really didn't mean to. you know how it is, it just happens, and i don't really feel it as it happens, you know? it's just, the alcohol, it's not my intention. i actually told sarah today that-"

and for the second time, lando pulls you into him, quieting you down with his own lips. this time, as you (for the most part) understand what he's doing, you can't help but giggle into the kiss. your boyfriend matches your smile, taking your bottom lip between his teeth as a joking warning. he lets it flop back against your teeth as he pulls away to look at you again, but you've already lunged forward, head resting against his shoulder.

"i'm sorry," you start, nuzzling your nose into the crook of his neck. "i really am."

his arms snake around your waist before he leans back against the bed, pulling you down with him and into his side. "don't be," he answers, one of his hands reaching up to the back of your head, stroking your hair. "it's cute. you're cute." you continue hiding in his skin and he makes himself more comfortable in bed, pulling the blanket over you both. "we'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"

he feels you shake your head. "i'm done talking. i've talked enough. you know those tiktok videos where you only have a certain amount of words you're allowed to say every year? that's me. i've run out of words, i used them all today."

"oh yeah, i can tell," lando chuckles, pressing his lips to the top of your head. "close your eyes, baby. tell me about those tiktok videos tomorrow."

"didn't you hear me? i said no more words. i won't talk tomorrow because-"

lando sighs. it's going to be a long night.

[bruisedboys]

congrats on 6k!!! loved the prompts lists you used soooo: sirius black + "you've got me flowers?" i think it would be cute if it was him being gifted the flowers BUT! totally up to you and your creative juicess

hi angel thank u for your request! loved this prompt for sirius!! join the celebration

rockstar!sirius black x fem!reader

Sirius knows you’ll be here soon, but he wishes he didn’t, because he feels a bit nauseous with the prospect of seeing you. You’ve never been to one of his shows before, this is your first. He’s worried you’ll hate it. Worried he’ll mess up his notes or trip over on stage and you’ll never want to see him again.

He’s thinking all this as he sits on a worn sofa backstage, plucking away at his guitar, practicing notes. Well, he’s not really practicing. He’s mostly just playing random chords with no rhyme or reason and thinking about you. He’s about to call you and maybe pretend the show is cancelled when the door opens.

“Hello!”

It’s you. Sirius looks up and finds you in the doorway looking so pretty and so excited to see him it hurts his chest. You’ve got on a lovely dress, and one of his leather jackets he leant you that you never gave back. Sirius thinks he actually might throw up.

“Hey, dove,” Remus says, happily leaning into your one armed hug. “You look nice.”

“Your boyfriend’s stressing,” James supplies unhelpfully, kissing your cheek in greeting.

You laugh and shove James’ curly head (he deserves it, Sirius thinks). Sirius watches, totally transfixed, as you cross the room and move towards him.

“Hi, Siri,” you say happily, coming to a stop in front of his knees. You give him a once over that makes him blush all the way up his neck. “You look killer.”

Sirius grins sheepishly and sets his guitar to the side. His face feels like it’s maybe on fire. You take his cheek in your lovely soft hand and bend at the waist for a kiss. Your perfume washes over Sirius and he thinks, I’m going to die. She’s going to kill me. But then you pull away, and he’s not dead, just very, very lovesick.

“It took me forever to find this place, it’s like, in the middle of nowhere,” you’re saying, apparently oblivious to Sirius’ weird mood. “Oh! I almost forgot-“

You reach into your tote and pull out something crinkly, holding it out to Sirius with a smile that could set him on fire.

“Here. They’re for you.”

Flowers. A huge bouquet of them in buttercup yellow and dusty pink, bursting out of cream tissue paper, tied with a lovely thick pink ribbon. Sirius blinks.

“You got me flowers?”

You giggle. “Well, yeah,” you say, like why wouldn’t I? “To say good luck. And I love you. And I’m so excited to see you play, I was listening to your stuff the whole drive here.”

Sirius thinks his heart bursts. What was he worrying about again? He takes the flowers from you, your fingers brushing his. “I— thank you, doll. That’s really sweet.”

You flush, clearly very pleased. “You’re always getting me flowers, aren’t you?”

“I suppose.” They’ve never seemed as significant as the ones you’ve just gotten him. These feel like pure gold in his hands.

“And I’m serious about being excited,” you say, flopping down onto the couch next to him, your hand moving to squeeze his knee. “You realise you’ve never looked more attractive, right?”

James laughs. Sirius chokes on air.

[roguelov]

Okay, an idea that's been rattling my brain for awhile, BUT IMAGINE;

Morpheus has been thinking about asking you to marry him and when he finally decides he's going to do it, he sets up a whole romantic day and things go so well THAT HE COMPLETELY FORGETS TO ASK!

Que to like 2-3 months later, Morpheus ask you something about the wedding and you're so confused because "What wedding?" That's when he realizes that he completely forgot to ask and he just starts ranting to himself mostly while you just sit there listening then you finally interrupt him to say "I would love to marry you".

HE WOULD HE WOULD SO DO THAT

Morpheus slid up behind you, pressing his lips into your temple. You let out a gentle hum then smiled at him, “Well, hello to you.”

Morpheus’s eyes softened. “Hello.”

You spun around and threw your arms over his neck. “And what brings you here?”

He wrapped his arms around you. “A bit of business.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, I wanted to get started on wedding preparations.”

You blinked. “I’m sorry did you just say … wedding?”

Morpheus tensed up. Why were you confused? “Yes, our wedding … did you have something else in mind for our union?”

You pulled away from him, now utterly baffled. “Morpheus, you - you never proposed.”

Morpheus almost felt a bit angry. He did. He planned such a wondrous day a few months prior. He meticulously arranged all the details from the dinner down to petals on the flowers he created for you. He brought you to a part of the Dreaming then -

Oh. Oh no.

Morpheus’s eyes flickered down to the silver band on his hand. A ring he wore to show his love to you, a ring that matched yours. However, his eyes darted to your hand finding it empty.

Hot embarrassment washed over him. And frankly, you had never seen him so flustered. He glanced away from you. A tint of red poured into his cheeks as he tried to take slow even breaths.

“Morpheus?” You stepped forward. You cupped his face bringing his attention back onto you. “Talk to me.”

He sighed heavily. He placed his hands onto of yours, holding onto your wrists. “Apologies my dear, it seemed I got ahead of myself … or forgotten in my daze.”

You cocked your head.

“Do you remember a few months ago when I planned a day for us?”

Your eyes sparkled at the memory. “How could I forget?”

He smiled - one of those small rare smile. “Yes, well, in all my planning I forgot one thing … I wanted to propose.”

Your breath hitched.

“Forgive me, I was -“

“Yes.”

Morpheus blinked. “Pardon?”

“Yes, I want to marry you.”

Morpheus forced himself out of his stupor. “I - I did not -“

“You don’t have to do anything. You asked and I’m giving you an answer … although I suppose you never outright asked but it doesn’t matter,” you chuckled.

Morpheus shook his head, hiding his smile. He stepped out of your grasp then slowly knelt down before you. “You may not need to hear it, but I wish to speak it.”

He stretched out his palm and with a swirl of sand a ring box appeared. He opened the box revealing a silver band, a ring forged from starlight. You gasped.

“My dear, would I have the honor of calling you mine forever? Will you marry me?” He spoke so softly yet his usual calm tone was laced with emotion.

Tears welled up in your eyes. “Of course, you idiot.”

Morpheus let out a small laugh. He slipped the ring on your finger. You immediately pulled him up to his feet then kissed him.

Pulling away, you laughed while happy tears streamed down your cheeks. Morpheus only smiled wiping them away. “Ok, now, we can start planning for a wedding,” you joked.

[bi-bard]

Small Moments With... Dick Grayson [Titans]

Small Moments With...

Pairing: Dick Grayson X Reader

Word Count: 1,425 words

Warning(s): mention of injury

Author's Note: I haven't written one of these in a hot minute.

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

New Titans Acting Like Your Embarrassed Children...

Dick and I were usually the first ones awake in the morning.

It was mostly because we had more experience in this kind of work, which seemed to make us some kind of leaders. Even with Jason's history as Robin, Dick and I had more time in the suits than all three of them combined.

The two of us were enjoying our morning to ourselves. Dick was throwing together two bowls of cereal while I got our coffee ready.

While I waited for the coffee pot to fill up, Dick wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"It's so quiet before everyone else gets up," he muttered in my ear.

"Stunning observation, Grayson," I chuckled. I paused to enjoy the quiet. "I like it."

"Why is that," he asked.

I turned around in his arms before wrapping my own around his neck.

"Because we have a chance to have just a bit of privacy," I explained.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He hummed, pulling me a little closer to him. I grinned against his lips. After all this time, I was finally growing used to experiencing moments like this.

"Oh, gross!"

I pulled away when I heard a voice behind me. Jason had just walked in. He scrunched up his face as he did. I rolled my eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Jason," I said.

"Would be better if you two would not chew on each other's faces in front of the coffee machine," he replied.

I rolled my eyes again before moving and pulling Dick out of the way. "Don't take all of that coffee. I didn't make that for you."

"That sucks for you," Jason shrugged as he walked away with his cup of coffee.

I scoffed at him as did. I looked over at Dick, who was chuckling. I slapped his arm.

I forgot how much of a headache living in a shared space could be.

Dick Appreciates Your Approval of His New Suit...

I watched Dick stand in front of the mirror and look over his new suit.

It was nice. Black except for a symbol on his chest that was a dark blue. He looked more like himself in that than he ever did in his Robin uniform.

He looked good. Really good. There was something about seeing him be so comfortable that made me smile a little bit wider.

"What do you think," he asked.

"It's nice," I replied, walking in a slow circle around him. "Figured out a name?"

"Nightwing."

Again, he looked so confident in it that it brought me happiness.

"I like it," I said.

"Thanks."

"Fancy suit," I commented, completing my circle and letting my eyes wander a bit. "Very nice."

"Are you looking at my ass," Dick asked, looking at me through the mirror.

"Maybe," I muttered. He chuckled. "It looks good."

"Oh my God," he shook his head and looked down.

I scoffed. "Are you going to act like you've never looked at my ass in my suit?"

He stopped, eyes snapping up to meet mine in the reflection again.

"I'm hypervigilant to everything around me," I explained. "You didn't actually think that I missed that, did you?"

Dick didn't respond, he just looked down. I saw him blushing.

I walked around him. I kissed his cheek.

"It's okay," I mumbled to him. "When it's you, I find it quite sweet... as long as I get to return the favor sometimes."

He looked at me again, a grin pulling at his lips. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his briefly.

"Anytime you want," he said against my lips.

"Ooo, careful with those promises, Dick."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him as he kissed me again.

Yeah, the new suit was pretty nice.

The Old Titans Ruined a Lot of Romantic Moments...

Dick and I were in the main sitting room.

I was curled into his side, my head on his shoulder and a book in my hands. He had an arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close to him.

We were kind of just... existing together.

He would kiss my head every once in a while, but would otherwise leave me to read my book.

It took him a while to speak up, "Your reading glasses look cute."

I looked at him. "Thank you. I think they make me look clever."

"It's a shame that I know you. I see right through the trick."

I whacked his chest with the book. "You're an ass."

"Aww, I'm sorry," he muttered as I went to bury my head in my book again.

He tilted my chin up again and kissed me gently. I kissed him back, tossing my book onto another cushion nearby. My arms wrapped around him as I shifted a bit. His hands touched my back, holding me in place.

"Ay! Look at the lovebirds!"

I pulled away and grumbled at the sound of Hank's voice. "I'm gonna kill him."

Dick chuckled and pressed another kiss to my head. Hank walked into the kitchen area, followed by Dawn.

"Don't get busy on the couch," Hank added. "We all have to use that thing."

I rolled my eyes and hid my face in the crook of Dick's neck. He was still chuckling at the whole event.

"Leave them alone," Dawn scolded him. "They're in love. It's sweet."

"It's gonna leave a stain."

I heard the sound of her hitting his chest.

"Sorry," she called out to us. "I really am!"

"I'm not!" Hank added.

I grumbled, "Please let me kick his ass."

"Focus on looking clever," Dick mumbled into my ear. I smacked his chest again.

There was definitely one con to this little superhero team that Dick had created.

Going on Patrol Together...

"I won!"

I threw my hands up as Dick landed on the roof seconds after me.

"You cheated," he accused.

"Oh, you are such a sore loser," I chuckled.

He rolled his eyes as I continued my little victory dance. It had been a slow night of patrol, so I suggested a race. It was just meant to keep us active and ready to go.

These were the moments with him that I loved most. The small ones that focused on something other than our jobs and the city that was around us.

"What does the victor want," Dick asked.

I tapped my finger on my chin, pretending to put a lot of thought into the idea.

"Come here," I waved him over.

"Why?"

"Because I won, so you owe me. Come here."

When he got close enough to me, I grabbed his hand and dragged him forward. I pressed my lips to his, grinning into the kiss. He slowly kissed me back.

I pulled away. "Perfect."

"That's all you wanted," Dick asked. "A kiss?"

"Would you like to see what I can come up with when I'm given more time?"

He paused for a moment. "Y'know, I think a kiss is very fair."

"I thought you'd say that."

He leaned in and kissed me again.

Yeah, a kiss was more than fair.

Date Nights Involving Bandaging Wounds...

It was a tradition after a while.

After a night working, Dick and I would meet at my place, change out of our suits, and then worry about each other's wounds. The deal was that the first one to call it got to take care of the other person first.

"You first."

Dick groaned when I beat him to the punch that night. He sat on my mattress and pulled his shirt off. The worst of the night's wounds was on his shoulder. Just needed to be bandaged up.

We sat facing each other, probably closer than necessary. Dick's breath fanned my face as he patiently watched me work. It would've made me nervous if this wasn't such a common occurrence for us.

"Does it hurt," I asked.

"Not right now."

I nodded.

I finished putting the bandage in place before looking at him. He grinned at me. I grinned back before leaning forward to kiss him gently. I cupped the side of his face as I leaned even closer to him.

He pulled away from me. "You can't just kiss me to distract me from your wounds."

"I was planning more than that."

He scoffed. "Sooner we do it, the sooner it's done, right?"

I grumbled before rolling my eyes and relenting.

He was so lucky that he was cute.

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

"Small Moments With..." TAG LIST: @musically-ambiguous

DICK GRAYSON TAG LIST: @igotanidea

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

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[desultory-novice]

Sir Uther walks up to Noir Fontaine with purpose, having his usual happy-go-lucky smile and perky attitude. It was a surprise to see yet another human in this tournament ...well, atleast human-like. He instinctively reaches out for a handshake, eyes locked on Noir's face.

"Are you human?! MY~! I only ever saw the other one named Jade! Unlike her, you seem to be named after a color in french! Do tell, are there still any left of your species? Or are you all nearly extinct? Do you also have a history with Dark Matter in particular? I have so many questions~!! ☆"

His crystal eyes twinkle in delight, this truly was an opportunity to gain so much useful knowledge!

"Oh! And that entity, Zero as well! Does she exist in your world?"

"Hi! Wow! You're big! Bigger than I thought you round guys got!" 

Noir greets you with a boyish smile, though... ...He does not accept the handshake.

"You look like one of those Galactic Soldier Alliance people! I wrote fanfic about you! I can't let you read it because it's really cringe, but that's only cause when I was young I dreamed of being a hero, so...if you're ever recruiting, let me know maybe?! I'm not all that strong... but I'm passionate and have a strong sense of justice and somehow, I've got a lot of experience handling situations where all the evidence you killed anyone is gone because their bodies just disperse into matter once they're dead enough and the snow hides all the blood!"

[cw: mild body horror below]

"...What was I saying? Oh, yeah! I'm human! Whoa, there's another human here too? I should've figured that out, huh? I feel like I've been in a daze since I got here (or maybe even longer than that) and have been having a really hard time paying attention to stuff till lately when it all started coming back into my head REALLY FAST!"

"?! Do you speak French?! My mom taught my sister and me a little French and Japanese, cause of our ancestry, (what's my dad? I don't know! Maybe he's French-Japanese too?!) though we mostly speak Global at home. My name's supposed to be in Global but it's pretty cool that it means something in French too. 'Dark.' Sometimes I wonder if I was named after my hair? Though my sister's is the same color, pretty much, so that couldn't be it. Probably a coincidence?"

"Speaking of, my sister's human too and she's still around! We're separated right now, but my little brother's with her! (He's Dark Matter, since you brought it up! Yeah, he's adopted, but he's my little brother and if anyone says anything mean about him, I'll ****** them!) They're surrounded by friends too, so I don't worry!"

"It was really hard to get off the planet last time I was there, and it was getting pre~tty cold and people who got left outside tended to disappear till next year when you could find them again thawing out on the road but it's hard to imagine we've just gone extinct! I mean, the people from the New World had to have gone somewhere!"

"Hmm? Z...e...?"

"...r...." "...o...!?"

"M-muh...M-Mas..." "...pl...ea... ey...e...c-can....t... "...bre...athe...."

-

Noir clutches his throat. The dark, burn-like cracks on his skin that had been easy to ignore till now seem to crawl up, to his chin and beyond. A thick metal collar around his neck, barely visible between his gloved hands, hums with a dark violet glow before he passes out.

Elsewhere, an otherwise unremarkable looking sword in the stolen stash of a small Dark Matter begins to vibrate, seeking its host.

@kirbyoctournament

PS: Wisp belongs to @moonsharkss and while he's still in the lead this round, it's close, so if you want to give him a vote...!

(Help I forgot his hands!)

-

Noir's Field Trip Masterpost

-

AN: Welp, add another one to Sir Uther's body count/list of crimes...

So, I still have some "Cheerful" (...although more like his brains have been scrambled) Noir asks to answer/send out that I'll get to when I have time (writing him is a bit exhausting tbh... ) but I have gone ahead and drawn this to "progress" back to the main tourney story! (You didn't think he could stay this way forever, did you?)

TLDR, We're back to regular Noir (...or whatever other AU hijinks happen to come his way that affect him in some manner?! Magic anons...???) but if you wished to interact with or send another question to Noir explicitly during his short lived cheerful phase, lemme know! Though whether I get to it will depend on how I'm feeling ^^

-

(...Fwiw, I'm pretty sure if he stayed this way for too long, the emotional cascade would eventually give him a full on mental breakdown as his refreshed, innocent psyche finally catches up with processing all the traumas that made up his life.)

[lunamaraproject]

LUNAMARA: Fragments [3]

🦢

“What’re you doing?”

Felix doesn’t startle - Elsie is hardly the most stealthy in her approach. He pulls himself bodily out of the large filing box he was halfway falling into, having to unstick a stray notepaper from his long hair, and turns to smile at the young girl.

He would never call her that out loud, now that she’s reached that particular age where a youngster insists they’re grown enough and hates to be treated like a child. To do so would be inviting her wrath, which in turn would mean Rufus’ wrath, and Felix can’t afford that. 

“Sorting through some old historical documents,” Felix replies, holding up a few sheafs of paper. “Though, it hurts my soul a little that items from my youth are now called ‘historical documents’.”

“Well you fought in the war, you must have known you’d be making history,” Elsie says, sitting on the edge of the box in her wide, poofy skirt, quite unlike the typical style of courtly formal wear. Her moonlight silver hair is worn in two buns on either side of her head, which always makes Felix think of those adorable ‘bear’ animals from the surface. He knows that if she let her hair down and dressed appropriately, she’d be the spitting image of her mother the Queen. Perhaps that’s why she never does so. 

“Actually, at the time, I was more worried about where the next meal was coming from. We were on the surface, and there’s no manna there, so it was quite nerve wracking,” Felix chuckles, turning the old scraps over in his hands. “And I wasn’t the only one. We don’t have many official documents left from that time, since all of them were digital, and the systems are down or gone now. Mostly just these letters sent to home by soldiers, or other odds and ends.”

“Hmm,” she kicks her feet back and forth, craning her neck to look at what’s in his hand. He shows her, though her face immediately twists in a frown when she realises it’s in Common. He should really teach her how to read it, but they have other priorities than learning nearly-dead languages. “If there was no manna, what did you eat?”

“Surface substances. They grown on the plants, and sometimes it’s the plants themselves. I was somewhat loathe to eat any of the moving, breathing creatures, but the humans weren’t, and nor were most of my comrades by the end of it,” he tucks the sheets into a pocket in his tunic, and glances around the cavernous shelves of the palace archives. “It tasted amazing.”

“Tasted?”

Felix smiles at her, chuckling. “Surely when you were very, very small, someone brought you something from the surface to eat…? Someone devastatingly beautiful…?”

Elsie looks thoughtful, then snaps her fingers in realisation. “Oh, yeah! Cassius brought me that thing! An ah-pull!” “I did! I brought it!” Felix whines miserably, hanging his head by her knees like a forlorn pet. “I can’t believe you forgot my thoughtful gift! My beautiful apple!”

“Oh please, I was like, 25!” Elsie huffs. “How am I going to remember one gift from a century ago!”

Felix clutches his chest. “So cruel! I got that apple from one of the last attempts to reclaim the surface! I almost got chipped! Look!” And he hitches up the edge of his tunic to reveal…

“...I can’t see anything,” Elsie declares, squinting at his thigh. 

“There! This hairline fracture!” he pokes pointedly at the thinnest, most nigh-invisible line just above his knee, showing the faintest glimmer of orange fire-opal bright crystal underneath. “Never been the same since!” 

When he raises his gaze, he’s met with the patented ‘Totally Over It’ Elsie look. “How can you be so old and such a whiny baby at the same time.”

“Ack! You’re too cold, Princess Elsennae!”

“Ugh, stop! Stars, can you be any more embarrassing?” she shoves his shoulder, though with no real force, and stands up, dusting off her skirts. Certainly, this room isn’t the cleanest. “I’m going back upstairs, come find me if you discover anything actually cool or useful.”

And with that summary end to the conversation, the last of the royal family of Lunamara marches her way out of the archives, leaving Felix in the dark, surrounded only by the history he himself is a part of. He smiles, and tries to remember what an apple tastes like. 

Maybe one of the files in here will describe it. 

🌗

More from LUNAMARA:

Fragments [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]<-- More every Thursday!

Comic [Prologue]

Art by Luka (http://nousanti.tumblr.com/) Story by Pidge (http://pidgestories.tumblr.com/)

[thevelria]

Promise me something, Kitten (SFW/younger!Gojo x neko!fem!reader)

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

Author's note: This was a lovely request I got on Wattpad. I have never written anything like this before, so please be kind lol Otherwise I hope you're gonna enjoy it. 

Warnings: slight angst in the beginning and spoiler alerts if you haven't watched JJK season2 yet, or you didn't read the manga. 

WordCount:1.8K

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Since Geto left Gojo tried to find his place in the world once again. He struggled and fought so hard but this whole situation was way new to the strongest sorcerer. His best friend wounded him in a way he never even thought it was possible. And even if Geto made big mistakes, made horrible decisions, still he missed him. He missed the laughs, the time together. Suguru was like a brother to him and he mourned their friendship after all these years just as much as he did in the beginning.

It's been 3 years, on this exact day, when he saw him for the last time. Gojo felt down and lost, walking home from a mission which wasn't a bother at all. It was as easy as mostly every other nowadays, he kept getting stronger and stronger. But he couldn't care less at the moment. It seemed the weather adjusted to his mood, big, dark clouds spread in the sky, threatening the possibility of a huge storm. Small droplets of rain started to form on the sidewalk. Satoru didn't bother about his infinity, he let the rain hit him. The cold, freezing feeling sent shivers down his body. He took off his sunglasses and faced the sky with a bittersweet smile on his face.

A soft whimpering hit his ears and he frowned immediately, putting his glasses right away back on and trying to find the source of the noise. It didn't take long for him to find a snow white little kitten shivering under a messy bush. It didn't take long for him to find you.

You looked horrible with your dirty fur, yet adorable. At least Gojo thought so. He reached his hand towards you, being completely unaware that you weren't a simple house cat. The way he smiled at you melted your heart. Somehow you felt safe, you felt a click, a tension, so you let him lift you up.

Gojo was holding you in one of his arms, while popping his umbrella with his other one. Even if his infinity could save him from the rain, he didn't want you to get wet either.

"Let's get you home, Kitten, shall we?" he kept admiring you.

On the way home he already decided to keep you. No matter what, you were his little furball now. As he passed a pet store he snapped his head at the window of the shop.

"Oh, you will need some things, won't you? Let's buy you everything you might need."

With four huge bags in his hand he walked out from the store. The second he realized he was going to need both of his hands to carry everything home. At least the rain stopped. So he zipped down his jacket. And gently placed you against his chest, zipping the jacket back up just as high as you could still pop your head out. You lifted your head up, blinking at him with your lovely eyes and he swore he saw you smile.

You were excited and tried to find the perfect spot on his chest. As you wiggled a bit and turned around, so now you faced his neck, you took a deep breath. His scent made you dizzy, he smelled so amazing. Like a light summer night with wild cherries.

"Stay still, Kitten. We are almost home." he smiled. At his words you started to purr and knead his neck softly, which caused him to chuckle. "What a cute creature you are."

His home looked cozy, but it definitely seemed like the home of a young man in his 20's. The first thing you spotted was the huge bookshelf with many many books on it. As he put you down the floor you rushed to the shelf. Almost forgot about your form. The living room became your favorite spot with the huge windows around. Gojo took out a huge box from one of the bags which was supposed to be a cat tree. He kept unpacking everything he got for you. A big, fluffy bed. It looked nice but you already knew you were going to sleep in his bed with him. Bowls for food and water, a pretty collar with a tiny bell on it. He even got a cute name tag "Kitten". Some stuff for your fur and you noticed a big plushie. Your pupils went wild and you ran to him immediately.

"You want it?" he giggled adorably before letting you grab the toy. As you held the ear of it and dragged it across the living room he kept laughing at you. "Alright, sweetheart." he stepped next to you and gently lifted you up by holding your tummy. "It is time for a bath." He wanted to hold you the way he brought you home, but before placing you against his chest he kept staring into your beautiful eyes. To show him how good he made you feel you leaned your head forward and quickly licked the tip of his nose. "Oh, fuck..." he laughed out loud "I'm already in love with you."

Gojo had no idea what to expect, he heard so many horror stories about bathing a cat. But not with you. You were such a good girl and let him bathe you easily, you even let him dry your fur with a big, fluffy towel. He kept rubbing your body, being very cautious and gentle.

"Look at you how beautiful you are." he kept talking to you. "Are you hungry, baby? Or maybe tired? Wanna play? We can do anything you desire."

Your heart was pounding against your chest, he acted so cute you could hardly handle it. After spending the afternoon together, you decided to take a nap. He started to build you the cat tree, so you laid down next to him and purred as long as you fell asleep.

Satoru carefully petted your head and back, causing you to wake up. "Princess, look, I finished it. Do you like it?" and once again he swore he saw you smile.

The rest of the day flew by and it was time for him to go to bed. "I'll take a quick shower." he looked at you. "Will you be a good, little kitty, yeah? Please don't destroy anything, okay?"

You almost rolled your eyes at his comment but instead you kept sitting straight, staring at him with soft eyes.

The second he walked out of the bathroom with only a towel loosely hanging around his waist your pupils went wild once again. His body looked incredibly hot, his broad chest, perfectly built abs, that V line and a tiny treasure trail made you drool.

"I swear, if you weren't just a kitty, I would say you were eyeing me up and down." he chuckled at his joke. Only if he knew...

During the night you made your way into his bed. He slept peacefully on his tummy, while you nuzzled on his lower back and wiggled into a comfortable position to sleep. From that on you spent every night in his bed.

Gojo talked to you as if you were a person, told you where he needed to leave and around what time he was going to get home. When you were alone at home you shifted back to your human form, wearing his clothes were the highlights of your day. But you were always aware to place everything back as he left it. You were not ready to reveal yourself just yet.

"Honey, I'm home." he cooed as he opened the door. You were running to him and the little bell on your sweet collar let him know you were on your way. "Come here, come!." he sat on his heels. "Did you miss me, hmm?" he pressed his forehead against yours as he lifted you up. You let out the cutest whine ever which made him smile.

He talked about his day, his mission. How he needed to fight more curses than he expected and how amazingly he handled everything all alone.

It became a tradition. He came home, you greeted him and he talked about his days. Sometimes he talked about his feelings to you. "I have no one to talk to, baby." he sighed, while you purred in his lap. His legs rested on the coffee table, the TV was on but he didn't care about it a bit. He played with the tip of your ear and sighed. The way he talked about Suguru almost made you cry. You wanted nothing else but comfort him.

"I feel so alone." he sighed. That was the moment you decided you were going to reveal yourself.

At night he was sleeping on his back only in boxers with you sleeping on his lower tummy. Out of nowhere you started to purr and knead on his abs. And slowly shifting into your real form. You turned into a beautiful woman with cute white ears and a long tail. As you kept purring your face nuzzled against his neck. One or two gentle licks woke him but still he was in a half asleep state.

"I'm so lonely that I'm dreaming about my cat turning human." he hummed a bittersweet laugh. One more lick before he frowned "Are you real?" he asked, as he rubbed your back up and down. He felt your bare skin against his.

"I am, 'Toru." you whispered. You bit your lower lip and the licks turned into little kissies on his neck. He let out a soft moan and turned his head to look at you. His mesmerizing blues always made you excited, so you stared back with huge pupils.

"Do you want me to shift back to my other form?" you asked, not knowing what his answer could be. Your lips were so close you felt his warm, uneven breath on your skin.

"Please, stay like this." his voice almost cracked.

The next you remembered his lips pressing against yours. His lips felt soft and sweet. He was eager to explore your mouth and the moment you let his tongue meet yours, he smiled into the kiss.

Gojo sat up, pressed his back against the headboard and positioned you on his lap. Your tail automatically hugged his waist as you kissed him once again. You lost counting how many times he kissed you before he pulled a bit back. Resting his neck on the headboard, admiring your true self. You didn't bother to let him see you naked, because you were already sure he was going to be your mate anyway.

"Promise me something, Kitten." his husky voice sent shivers down your spine.

"Anything."

"Don't leave me like everyone else does." he caressed your cheek.

"I'm yours for eternity." you rested your head in his palm. 

[romanarose]

Acts of Service with the Triple Frontier Boys

Triple Frontier Master List All fanfic masterlist

Physical Touch Word of Affirmation Quality Time

Just thoughts of how the TF boys express their love for you in acts of service. Let me know if you'd like to see the other love languages!

Warnings: Refernces to abuse in the past (v vague, brief), nightmares, drinking, sleeping issues, but it's mostly soft

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

Will Miller

Will had gotten up at an ungodly hour. Well, he always did. Will got up before you, going for a run if the weather was nice, and working out in the basement if it wasn't. Today was one of those days. You stayed in bed sleeping until the alarm went off, it looked too cold and snowy out there. Then you hit snooze. and again. and again. and- OH SHIT! You're gonna be late. You always allot for hitting snooze up to five times, but you forgot about the cold! Scrambling out of bed, you quickly dress and head for the door, preparing to scrap ice off your freezing cold car and sit in it, knowing it wouldn't really warm up before you got to work. As you scramble out the door, wrapping your scarf around your neck, you suddenly realize why you didn't hear the familiar sound of Will's weights. The walkway, steps, and driveway were shoveled and salted, and your car had already had all the snow removed and ice scrapped. It was running (doors locked of course) and would be nice and warm for you. Shit, you had enough time you could stop at McDonalds for a McMuffin...

*

When Will came home that night, after a long day, he found the dinning room table set, wine on the table and a multiple course meal laid out before. He never did anything for something in return, coming home to you was gift enough, but nights like this, when he was tired and aching, knowing he had good food waiting for him at home made every aching step that much easier. Aw shit, you made pie?!?!?! You had that Miller sweet tooth wrapped around your pretty little finger

Francisco Morales

Frankie showed his love in small ways, things you never failed to notice. He was used to self-sacrifice, but with you, it didn't feel like a sacrifice at all. You always thanked him, verbally or with a smile when he opened the door for you, brought you coffee in the morning, or ordered for you when you were anxious (always remember exactly how you liked your burrito bowl). But what got you was years into the relationship. Frankie was in the bathroom when the food came, burgers and fries for everyone, and you snatched the pickle right out of his basket, and Benny made the comment "Damn, he must really love you if he lets you eat the pickle", to which you reply "Frankies doesn't like pickles?" This set off a chain of reactions from the boys, assuring you that no, no Frankie loves pickles, and always tries to steal theirs. If you weren't already married you would propose to him right there, as he exited the bathroom, shaking his wet hands and griping about no paper towels.

*

You wake up to an empty bed, and realize Frankie must've had a nightmare. You really wished he would wake you when this happened, but you knew it was hard for him to ask for help. You find him asleep on the living room couch, his comfort hat on as How I Met Your Mother played loudly in front of him, no doubt an attempt to stay away. Careful not to wake him, lest he never go back to sleep, you turn off the tv, pull a blanket over him, and put on a nightlight as you turned the lights off, just in case he had another one.

Benny Miller

"BENNYYYYYYYYYY" You shout loudly through your cell phone. "I know it's late but Uber's are like, $70 right now!"

"I'll be there in 10, honey"

Benjamin was there in 8. He picked you up, and all your friends. As you sat in the front seat, you watched as he helped them into their respective places. When asked how they all made it to bed alive after all that fireball, they told you how Benny (who they were all comfortable around, and who had asked before entering their homes) had held their hand as they got their heels off, had them each drink water, and chastely waited in the hallway until he was sure they safely in bed. You had woken up that morning with a raging headache and nausea, but promptly found a trashcan by your bedside. Benny came in when he heard you throwing up, entering with a slightly sarcastic, but none the less sweet "morn'n sunshine" He cleaned out the soiled trashcan, and spend the better part of the day taking care of you as you promised repeatedly to never drink again.

*

You wake up to your phone buzzing at 2 am, Benny gone from your bed, and his name lighting up your phone. "Benny? What's wrong?" Benny explains he couldn't sleep, a common occurrence for him, so he went for a run. Ben was prone to long bouts of depression, and thought he could just exercise them away. He found himself 2 miles down the road, unable to take another step. You hoped in your car, quickly parking and running to him as he lay sprawled out on the grass. He apologized for waking you, but said he just couldn't move. Something wasn't connecting in his brain. He felt exhausted despite running a forth of his usual. Drained. Taking off your flannel, you lay beside him and pull it over the two of you. 'It's okay, we'll lay here until you're ready'

Santiago Garcia

Santi was protective by nature. He kept you tightly around him at bars and crowds, unless of course you wanted to do something or talk to someone. He wouldn't stop you from doing stuff, of course, but if he could be there to protect you in any way you could. He'd pull you in away from the street when you walked so that you were on the inside of the sidewalk, cover the end of a table if you went over to grab something so you didn't hit your head, and if he stopped too fast to avoid an accident, his hand was always in front of you like a seat belt. There were things of course he couldn't protect you from, things that happened long before he knew you. But Santi was always there. Holding you every nightmare, taking you to every therapy appointment and going in with you if that'd what you needed, and letting you cry if you just needed to be sad. One day ou said you felt like you could scream, like something was clawing inside you. He drove you out to the beach, where no one was in January, and let you scream your lungs out as he stood with you in the cold.

*

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine"

"Get your ass inside"

You had caught Santi bent over when you were bringing him lemonade as he mowed the lawn. Sitting him on the couch you bring out two packs of peas wrapped in towels, you prop his legs up on the coffee table you usually yelled at him to get his feet off, and handed him the lemonade and remote, going outside to mow the lawn for him, something you hated doing, but decided to try and at least help with from now on, since his knees seemed to bother him more.

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

How you enjoyed! I love my TF boys <3

LMK if you'd like to be added or removed from my tag list! I decided I'll keep one tag list for triple frontier, and one for moon knight, so if you only want to be on one or the other!

@welcometostayingawake @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @kittyofalltrades @luciannadraven33 @littlenosoul @jake-g-lockley @milkymoon2483 @in-between-the-cafes @howaboutcastiel

[kiwibeanv]

Astray in the Black Water: Chapter 3

Fatal Frame 5 x Bungo Stray Dogs x fem! Reader

Prologue --- Chapter 1 --- Chapter 2

Notes: Mostly Chuuya chapter. Slightly OOC. You could read it alone. Terrorized by ghosts lol. Long chapter... Will update this chapter with post chapter content in these days.

6/4/2024: All post chapter content posted!

You managed to finish the written report in the afternoon. After collecting the photos from the printer, you compiled the papers together and went up to Kunikida.

“Kunikida-san, the paperwork is finished,” you say handing him the clipboard with the files.

He turns to you and takes the paperwork. He quickly scanned over it to ensure you filled out everything.

“Perfect. You are free to leave and thank you again for your assistance.”

You nod and turned around to the exit. Just as you were about to leave the office completely, Dazai's voice calls out to you.

"Oi, (Name)! Wait a minute!"

Dazai caught up to you with a smile. "So what kind of plans do you have? Anything tonight?"

"I will be busy. I have another request to search for someone," you replied.

"Oh... it doesn't happen to be with a certain ginger?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned forward with suspicion.

"Uh... how did you know?"

Dazai pursed his lips. "Well he did approach you yesterday and asked how to get in contact with you. It's not hard to put two and two together."

You didn't think he would remember that detail. But then again, he knew Chuuya.

"If you're gonna go with him, keep your distance. He's loud, arrogant, and he's a brute! So be extra careful to protect yourself."

You blinked twice and realized how his words were much like Chuuya's. Aside from the different adjectives they used to describe each other.

"But," he leaned forward. "We might need you again."

You raised your brow. "What for?"

"Kyouka was searching for a missing girl, however with her condition she won't be able to get back to work right away. So~ I request that you search for the girl while with Chuuya."

"I can't promise I'll find her right away, but I will keep that thought in mind," you replied.

"Good! Just focus more on the girl than Chuuya!" Dazai beamed.

You sighed to yourself. "No promises," you mutter under your breath.

"Just in case you do," he pulled out a slip of paper out of his pocket, "Update me!"

He handed it to you. Inside was his phone number, the photo of the missing girl, and a little note.

Call me~ ;)

"Will do..." You say as you shoved his number in your pocket.

You managed to leave the Armed Detective Agency office and return to your district. Knowing that you had another object to repel spirits, you searched for it. That way Chuuya could have a way to push them back should the situation arise.

Later that evening, you waited in your cafe. You helped your coworkers clean and serve orders until the bell announced his presence. Chuuya walked in and looked around until his eyes landed on you.

"Oi, you ready?" He asked.

"I am," you nod.

Realizing that you forgot to mention to bring an item of the person he was looking for, you decided to ask now.

"Do you have a personal object or a photo of the person we are looking for?"

He tilts his head. "Huh, what for?"

"To have a trace. It would be easier to follow it than wander aimlessly," you replied, now feeling bad that you failed to mention it to him this morning.

"Shit, I wish you told me sooner," he sighed, rubbing his neck.

You frowned. "I apologize...I forgot."

"Do gifts count?"

You nod, since the object could have a connection.

"Got a knife she gave me, but I might need it if something happens."

"It's good enough."

He was about to turn to leave through the door when he paused and looked at you. "Just to make sure, you're fine with riding a motorcycle, right?"

You shrugged. "I'm fine with it. Let me get a few things first. I will meet you outside."

Chuuya nods, exits the cafe, and heads to his motorcycle. While he was doing that, you retrieved your camera, flashlight, and a few other items you need. Then you joined him, settling behind him, and he took off.

He drove you to Mt. Hikami. Curiosity crept in your mind. What sort of man was Chuuya? After all, he was dressed well with his suit. The cropped jacket, the long coat he wore as a cape, and the hat made him stood out more. You managed to see into Atsushi's memories, however you are aware of the possibility of seeing something more personal than you expected. This was a good opportunity to glance into his background. However, you decided against it, deeming this time to be inappropriate. After all, you barely met him.

By the time you reached to Mt. Hikami, the sunset had just begun. The red skies glowed, drawing your gaze in. The bike stopped and snapped you out of your thoughts and the two of you entered Mt. Hikami.

You held onto the knife to feel the trace. The trace was stronger with Chuuya, leading one figure to him. However, there was another figure, one of a silhouette of a woman. Her hair seemed to be in a bun and had long robes as if she wore a kimono. She walked to the path in the middle, the one that lead to the pool of purification.

You told Chuuya to follow you and you went up the path. Up the trail, you passed the waterfall. The skies were only getting darker at this point, the red hue fading into darkness. The two of you started to use flashlights. As you passed the waterfall, you heard a swoosh on your right and saw something falling. Chuuya looked over, probably seeing the same thing. Though, he saw nothing and figured it could have been a bird swooping down or a falling rock.

As you passed through the Pool of Purification and into the Unfathomable Forest, you could see more spirits wander. The infamous hanging tree showed brief flashes of those who hung themselves. There was still a lone hanging noose.

Proceeding further into the forests, you and Chuuya heard faint laughter in the distance.

Po...Po...Po....

Chuuya shined his light to find the source of the sound. It sounded like a woman's husky voice.

"What the hell?" He kept looking around and didn't see anything.

You remembered hearing that same laughter when you were fleeing with Dazai, Atsushi, and Kyouka the night prior. The pale woman in the trees that you thought you saw. Though, you don't have a clear image of her.

"I have told you before that spirits are more active at night," you remind him, turning to him. "But let's not let their presence distract us. We should keep moving."

Chuuya nods, his lips pressed tightly. You gave him an assuring nod and pulled out an adorned flashlight.

"Here, just in case," you held the fancy flashlight out to him. "Like my camera it can repel the spirits. Just press and hold that little moon button above the switch. You will know when to release when you see a blue outline."

Chuuya takes the flashlight into his hand, putting away his regular one. He studied the intricate designs. Above the switch, he saw the button you mentioned, shaped like the moon.

"So... that's all I do?" He asked, turning it on and moving the light around.

"Precisely. But only use it when a spirit attacks," you said as you led the path again. "Otherwise, you can use it as a regular flashlight."

Chuuya hummed and followed you through the forest. He felt better now that he has something to protect himself against the malevolent spirits.

The trace started to get weaker, the deeper you went into the forest. After all, the knife had a stronger connection with Chuuya. By the time you reached the Shrine of Dolls, the trace faded completely. You couldn't tell if it went further into the forest or into the shrine.

"The trace ends here," you say, turning to Chuuya and handing him his knife. "Our next best option is to see if the person dropped anything."

Chuuya took his knife and looked over at the Shrine of Dolls. He shined his light on the dolls, their dead eyes staring back at him. He can't imagine Kouyou checking out the shrine first.

"Hey, is there a map of the area?" He asked, hoping to get a reference of the mountain.

"I have one," you said as you reached for the pamphlet you brought.

He leaned close and observed it. He could see the other points of interest of the mountain. The Shrine of Ephemeral, cable car stations, and the House of Joining. He pointed at the Shrine of Dolls icon.

"So we are here. Have a feeling Kouyou--" Chuuya cut himself off when he heard distorted static.

In the trees, a tall woman in white walked out of the tree line and towards you both. She had a long dress, a hat, and a smile going from ear to ear. The closer she got, the bigger she was. The two of you had to look up and she was freakishly tall. Her arms and legs were abnormally long.

You can't escape.

The tall woman lunged and reached her arms out to grab you. As soon as she started moving, Chuuya screamed and stumbled to dash away. You take a few steps back and took your camera out. Your eyes darted between Chuuya and the woman before you looked into the camera lens to take a picture.

"What are you doing?!!" Chuuya screeched. "Fucking run!!"

You managed to take the picture before she hit you, winning a shutter chance. You took a chain of pictures, the tall woman crossing her arms over her face until you had to reload the film. Chuuya watched in awe as you managed to hold her off. He decided that this was too much and took a hold of your wrist, yanking you away to flee with him.

"Chuuya!" You gripped onto the camera and struggled to follow his pace.

But he didn't listen to you. He continued dragging you back to the base of the mountain where his motorcycle was parked. At that moment, you knew he wouldn't heed your words so you quickened your pace. You wanted to warn him that if you didn't repel a spirit, they might follow wherever you go.

Once you two were mounted on the motorcycle, he drove off. The drive calming his adrenaline down. Chuuya took you back to your cafe-residence. He cleared his throat, not wanting to meet your gaze after that incident.

"Um... You good?" He asked.

You got off the motorcycle. "Yes, but now we could be followed by that tall woman since we did not repel her."

Chuuya paled. "Oh... Do you know if... she's could follow me or you?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"Unfortunately, I do not," You shook your head with a sigh.

Chuuya considered the scenario. He came up with three possibilities. Either the tall woman haunts you and you have to fight her alone, or she haunts him but he didn't have the equipment to fight her off. Plus, he still had your flashlight but he assumed you wanted it back he goes home. The last scenario was staying with you, ensuring that the tall woman comes to you and getting the chance to take her down together.

"How about I stay the night here so you don't have to fight the woman by yourself?" Chuuya paused before adding, "You don't have to agree..."

You thought about his offer. There were more pros than cons if he were to stay the night. With that, you nodded your head.

You opened the side door that lead straight to your residence. Chuuya noticed that you set your shoes on a rack and did the same before both of you walked in. You led him to your office and turned on the computer. He raised his brow and set his coat on the couch.

"So... what's the plan?" He asked.

"We monitor the cameras and watch out for any spirits that could have followed us home. This way, we won't be surprised of any visitors," you replied as you opened the camera system application.

You and Chuuya scrolled through the cameras of your cafe-home. So far everything looked good. While nothing happened, Chuuya took a look at the bookshelf to your right. Until that faint familiar laughter came again.

Po...Po...Po...

Chuuya's gaze shot back to the computer screen. From the second floor looking down the stairs, you saw the tall woman walk down them. Both of you heard heavy footsteps hit the wooden floor. The two of you looked intently at the computer screen, waiting to see other sightings of her. You kept scrolling through the cameras and when you got to the same camera above the stairs, you were met with the pale woman's face. It was so close to the camera, her soulless eyes staring blankly at you. That same smile, from ear to ear.

I found you...Hahahaha.

Chuuya yelped and fell back onto the floor. Her face soon dissolved from the screen. He couldn't believe how pathetic he was over this ghost. Remembering the flashlight you gave him, he gripped onto it. He looked at the full moon button, remembering the directions you gave him.

"She's at the stairs... let's get her," he said as he fixed his hat.

You nod and took the camera. Chuuya opened the door, only to scream when the tall woman's face appeared in front of him. She was bending down and started to rise to her natural height. You got the camera ready. Since she was so tall, you took the bold move to step out of the office to get a good shot of the tall woman.

Chuuya wasn't going to let you take her down alone. Part of this was his fault that the tall women went after you...or him. He could see how you were suppressing your fear to take this malevolent being on. And he had to as well.

The spirit was getting more frustrated as you continued to drain her health. You were in the middle of loading new film and she took this opportunity to swipe her hand at you. Just a mere touch made you fall to your knees. It felt like your life was drained out of you, just barely holding on.

This was Chuuya's moment to take. You were struggling to get up and any moment now the tall woman could get you. He held the flashlight and pressed down on the button. It took a few seconds, the tall woman reaching to grab your arms, and the blue outline appeared. He released the button, the light harming the spirit. You managed to bring your camera up and take the final shot.

The tall woman screeched in pain. She leaned back, putting her hands on her head as she fell to her knees. You held your hand out to touch her spirit to see if she had a past, but your hand went through. No visions, no feelings, nothing... What the hell was she? She disintegrated into nothing, your home feeling warm again.

"(Name)!" Chuuya ran over to help you up. "You alright?"

You managed to get up on your feet, leaning on the wall for support. "I am...just... My energy's drained."

Chuuya took hold of your arm. "Here, let me help you lay down."

He guided you back into the office and set you on the couch. He took your camera and set it on the desk, also placing the flashlight with it. He retrieved his coat and draped it over your frame.

"Just keep it for tonight, I'll come back tomorrow," he muttered, turning and walking out the door.

Dazed, you stared at his retreating form and several seconds after he left, you blinked. I could have told him to get a blanket. Eventually, you succumbed to your slumber.

Nightmares plagued your mind for the second time. Faint voices call upon you to return to the mountain. Visions of the past.

You woke up to the sound of your alarm upstairs. The cafe needs to open. You went upstairs to turn off the alarm but you realized that you must have slept through the initial one. It has been over an hour and the cafe was supposed to be ready and open at this moment. You went down to unlock the cafe doors. You apologized and told your workers that you will have to stay inside to rest. A few customers were waiting outside too, however, you were not paying attention to their faces.

All you remember was heading back to the couch to sleep. You didn't wake up until noon and sat up on the couch.

"Oh! You're finally awake!" said a male voice.

You opened your eyes to see Dazai with a silly smile on his face. He was sitting on the chair on by the desk with the computer. He was currently scrolling through the camera footage of your residence. To the left, Atsushi sat on the floor where you had the TV stand.

"Good morning~" Dazai greets, not looking back. "You have a nice home by the way." He turns to look at you. "I see Chuuya left you a parting gift." His gaze shifted to Chuuya's coat.

"How did you get inside?" You wondered, your eyes darting from Dazai to Atsushi.

Atsushi averted his eyes, recalling the method. As soon as you opened the doors to the cafe, Dazai and Atsushi got in along with the customers. While your workers were getting the counter ready and taking orders, Dazai picked the lock of your door. Atsushi stood by him to hide his work. Really, he was dragged here by Dazai as an accomplice. Once he picked the lock, they entered and immediately found you in the office room.

"You had pretty good locks. It took me another five seconds to pick it," Dazai's smile grew.

Atsushi shook his head, sighing, "We didn't walk around your house! We found you here and... decided to wait for you to wake up."

You blinked a few times in silence, processing their words. "Please don't come in unannounced again."

"I was gonna wait in the cafe! But Dazai insisted," Atsushi raised his hands in defense.

"Hey, you wanted to see her too," Dazai pointed at him, accusingly.

You rolled your eyes and set Chuuya's coat on the side.

"So how was your little adventure with Chuuya?~" Dazai smirked. "Did you find who he was looking for?"

"Last night we made little progress..." You contemplated whether you wanted to say that Chuuya got scared. Though, considering their kind of relationship, they would probably make fun of each other. You refrained. "So tonight we are to go out again..."

Atsushi and Dazai noticed the bags under your eyes. Your eyelids covered your irises halfway.

"You must have come home late then," Atsushi adds as he got up from the floor. "We'll let you rest. Let's go Dazai."

"Huh?! But--" Dazai cut himself off with a sigh. "Fine..." He pouted.

"Kunikida will scold us again."

"I know, I know."

Dazai rubbed his neck. "I'll be seeing you later then."

You bid them goodbye and went back to rest. Hours passed, and you fixed yourself before Chuuya's arrival. Again you waited at the cafe for him. It wasn't until the evening, nearly the same hour he arrived. Dressed the same as usual, minus the coat.

You took the coat you had on the side and went up to him. Another day to search for Kouyou. This time, he brought a picture of her. The photo had a stronger trace than the knife. Chuuya brought a black car this time, as there was going to be a chance of rain at night.

The two of you returned to Mt. Hikami again. You remembered the trace ended at the Shrine of Dolls. Though, would Kouyou really end up there? You had a feeling that a woman like her could be at the Shrine of the Ephemeral. To make travel short, you suggested to take the cable car up.

Since Chuuya came earlier, there was a small grace period of less spirit activity. Once the cable car stopped at the next station, the two of you took the path to the large shrine. It was a bit of a long path, but that was the only route to take to reach the shrine.

Along the way, the sun was getting further down into the earth. Darkness laid over mountain. You started to see more spirits wander and you avoided their gaze so they do not know you can see them. As some spirits could be desperate.

Until you catch wind of a white figure in the forest. You turn and see the tall woman facing away from you. She isn't attacking, but what is she looking at? You raised your camera for a picture and heard the laugh you knew so well.

Chuuya heard it too and the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He gripped onto the flashlight you gave to him. Though, in the distance, the two of you heard a yelp. After snapping a picture, you decided to check it. There was the tall woman looking at a man in a tan coat fleeing. You heard a faint voice flirting in panic.

"Huh?... Is that Dazai?" You asked, trying to see if it was an illusion.

"Let me see!" Chuuya's eyes glimmered and took a look at the picture. He recognized the fluffy brown hair and started to snicker.

"And you caught that motherfucker on camera." Chuuya laughed aloud, easing his nerves.

You and Chuuya continued along the path. Kouyou's trace did not falter and you even caught a picture of her echo. You showed Chuuya the picture on camera.

"This is the same place where I found Kyouka," you add.

Chuuya knew that Kouyou had a soft spot for Kyouka and this was not surprising to him. It made sense.

"Then hopefully we find Kouyou here," He nods.

Her trace led the two of you down some stairs on the first floor. That part was flooded but still walkable. Her trace led you to a boat in the center of the courtyard. There stood a maiden in a white kimono and a veil over her head.

When a shrine maiden's heart is full of the pain of those she's glanced, she returns to the water.

The line echoed in your mind as you captured the photograph of the woman. She disappeared shortly after her words faded. Chuuya gave you a confused look on why you took a picture.

"Why the hell are you taking pictures?" Chuuya asked. "Was Kouyou in it?"

"Not this time. You did not see the shrine maiden on the boat?"

He shook his head. "No."

You showed him the picture on the camera. "This is what I saw."

Chuuya leaned in to see. "Huh, so you think that ghost can lead us somewhere?"

"I can't say..." You looked in the direction where the ghost was looking. "But her trace goes beyond the water... We will have to use this boat."

Chuuya raised his brow. "But isn't that a closed gate over there?" He points at said gate. "I could open it with my ability. We don't need to waste time."

"Very well," You got hold of the wooden canoe. "Let's go."

The two of you got on the boat and rowed to the gate. You felt your camera react but Chuuya moved the wood with his ability. Beyond the gate was a lake with thick fog. Chuuya trusted your abilities and soon, you arrived at the Shrine on the Water.

You and Chuuya got onto the shrine. The wooden floors creaked as you walked. Shrine maiden ghosts appeared. Two guardians and a regular. While Chuuya felt uneasy, this was not as bad as the tall woman.

"Chuuya, you take the drowned ones. I'll deal with the shrine maiden," you say, taking out your camera.

He nods at your words and took out the flashlight. He held the light and held down the button to wait for the blue outline to appear. The drowned guardian attacked and made Chuuya let go too soon. Still there was damage made since the guardians flinched.

Chuuya and you managed to take down these spirits. You decided to touch them before they completely vanish. For the guardian, you saw five maidens holding hands as they walked into the lake. Further and further, knowing that they will all die together. They looked up to the sky, darkened by a wave of black water. Swept by the tainted water, they all drowned.

The shrine maiden's memories showed her glancing into people's souls before their suicide. Taking on their pains, memories, and reading their thoughts. This one was swept away, just like the guardians.

"Black water overflowing...." You muttered, seeing the connection between the visions.

"Huh?" Chuuya narrowed his eyes.

"Something I saw in their vision... not related to the person we're looking for. Let's go."

He nods and followed you further in the shrine. You opened some doors and got inside a room. There was a black box, similar to where Kyouka was found. You opened the box and inside, you recognized the kimono and light-scarlet hair.

Chuuya's eyes widen. "Ane-san!" He grabbed her to get her out of the box.

You helped her out too and took this opportunity to peer into her memories.

I'm going to be the one to save Kyouka this time. Not Dazai.

Kouyou entered from the Mikomori Bridge and wandered the mountain. She found a few tracks of Kyouka and went through the Shrine of Dolls to the Shrine of Ephemeral. If only she knew, she was so close to finding Kyouka. Kouyou passed that door.

Spirits arose and Kouyou's first instinct was to use her ability to cut them down. The ghosts were unaffected. Startled, Kouyou did a few more attempts but more spirits emerged. One spirit engrained in her memory, a tainted bride in black. She had no choice but to run from the spirits. The front doors locked, and the last thing she remembered was the black bride catching up to her.

Kouyou's eyes fluttered opened. "Chuuya..."

The two of you managed to get her on her feet. Her eyes were foggy and there were strange, black stains on her clothes, perhaps from the black water in the box.

"Come on, we're gonna to get you home," Chuuya assured as he pulled her hand. He looked so worried, it was the softest facial expression you've seen from him.

Kouyou stayed silent and didn't move. Chuuya tugged on her hand. You noticed black hair crawling out of her sleeve. He felt the hair crept onto his hand and you two turned back to Kouyou, only to be met with her pale face. Her hair lost its vibrant color, her bun undone. Her robes became drenched, becoming very similar to another spirit you encountered with Kyouka.

"Kouyou!" Chuuya released his grip and his expression faltered. "No..."

"She spirited away. We have to repel her spirit," you urged Chuuya, taking his arm.

"No!" He yanked his arm away. His voice was shaky. "It's Kouyou... You can't do this!"

Kouyou's spirit floated in the air with a laughter that was not hers.

"Chuuya... I know it will be difficult, but we need to handle this."

The wraith charged towards the two of you. You grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the attack. Chuuya was still in a state of shock so you had to step forward.

Chuuya backed away to give you more space and into a corner, crouching down, holding his head in his hands. He refused to accept the fact that Kouyou became a phantom. But the evidence was all there in front of him. The flashes of your camera withdrew him from his mind. However, seeing you battle the specter alone, he couldn't sit on the sidelines this time.

With a new mindset he stood up, Chuuya wielded the flashlight. You saw a light shine on the ghost, and from the corner of your eye, he was holding the tool. Because your attacks combined, the spirit was swiftly defeated.

Kouyou returned to her initial form. Chuuya felt the urge to speed over and hug her, but refrained from doing so. He let out a sigh of relief.

The two of you brought Kouyou out of the storming mountain. Chuuya expressed his gratitude and took you home before departing with Kouyou.

Post Chapter Content:

-> Dazai -> Chuuya -> Atsushi

[captainlilyuniverseworld]

Forever and Always

Whoops, I slipped and wrote a follow up in class

Forever and Always

Gale hummed under his breath as he made his way to Sorcerous Sundries, the book he'd ordered nearly a month ago had arrived. The letter has been almost swallowed by all the other pieces of mail. 

Most of it, as usual, was for Astarion. Thank you letters for his assistance funding the rebuilding of Baldur's Gate. Invitations to dinner parties. People he consulted with for whatever reason. 

Gale didn't ask. He didn't want to know. 

Gale only received letters from his mother. And those weren't very often either. He never knew what to say to her when the time actually came to write back. He didn’t think Astarion would stoop so low as to actually read his mail. Even so he always gave the standard response. 

‘I’m doing well. My book is coming along nicely, might even talk to the Bladur’s Mouth about printing some excerpts. Astarion is good as well. Busy with all his endeavors. How is Tara? Not still cross with me I hope?’ 

Sometimes he managed to include a few gifts. Something he thought his mother would enjoy. She’d stopped asking to visit, he never gave her any direct answers. 

Astarion could have many things, and Gale was willing to do many things, but he wasn’t going to subject his mother to Astarion’s volatile temperament. 

“Morning, Gale,” the woman behind the counter yawned. 

“Good morning Iris,” he smiled at the bookseller. “Early morning?” 

“We’ve had a hoard of students, mostly young mages and sorcerers descend on this place like mindflayers at an all you can eat brain feast,” she yawned again. “Spent most of the night setting things to sorts again.” 

“If you’d sent word I would have gladly come to assist,” he told her. “Anything to get out of the palace is time well spent.”

“And have you get into a pissing match with one of the instructors?” she raised an eyebrow. 

“That was one time, and he started it,” Gale crossed his arms over his chest. “Not my fault they’re a bunch of idiots.” 

She smiled. “It was alright for the most part, the new owner has been a much better help. I never met Lorroakan, but he sounds like a dick.” The tiefling turned and walked over to the large cabinet behind the counter and took a small key from around her neck to unlock the door. 

“Right...Lorroakan,” Gale tried not to wince. “I’ve heard much of the same.” 

“Here we are,” she returned and set down a small stack. 

“Iris…this is, five books…I ordered one,” he told her. 

“It is one book,” she replied. “Split into five smaller volumes. Oh,” she went back to the cabinet. “Nearly forgot. Its own translation guide.” She dropped it on top. 

“...You didn’t think to mention this when I was placing the order?” He ran a hand through his hair. 

It wasn’t that he couldn’t manage the books on his own. A simple portal would solve that issue, but it was still four more books, plus a translation guide, more than he’d been expecting. 

“You didn’t ask,” she shrugged. “What do you need these for anyway?” 

“Just something I read made a small reference to this, or these anyway, and I got curious,” he answered. He picked up the translation guide and flipped through it. Picked up one of the books and looked through it.

Forever and Aways

The Willingly Unwilling

[goldenraeofsun]

Day 13: Morning After

Castiel wakes up, wincing against the sunlight hitting his eyes at the wrong angle. But that’s what he gets for falling asleep on the couch instead of his own bed. He cranes his neck, squinting around his living room.

An empty bottle of red sits on his coffee table along with two wine glasses, one still half-full. Wrappers from an overpriced bag of Halloween candy are scattered all over the table surface with more than a few crumpled on the floor.

And, of course, Castiel can’t miss Dean Winchester sprawled over his legs, dead to the world.

Castiel stares down at him. 

Dean’s never stayed over without sex before.

Dean’s eyes are still slightly swollen from all the crying, and the gel holding his hair swept up and away from his face gave out from the many times Dean raked his fingers through it. His hair flops unattractively (relatively speaking) over his forehead.

Dean kicked his boots off sometime during his third round of Castiel's wine, and threw his flannel over the empty armchair by round five.

Castiel looks away before he gets ideas about what it would really be liked if Dean stayed over more often, if, god forbid, he lived with Castiel.

Dean stirs, and Castiel waits with bated breath as Dean blinks himself awake.

“Cas?” he says, twisting around to see Castiel clearer.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Shit, I fell asleep?” Dean asks. He rubs at his eyes, wincing. “Christ, how long was I here?” He pushes himself into a sitting position, and Castiel tries not to miss his weight.

“Other than all night?” Castiel asks. “You got here around nine.”

“Sorry,” Dean says gruffly. “I’ll make it up to you.” He smiles at Castiel, a poor imitation of the charming grin that ensnared Castiel so thoroughly at Charlie’s housewarming party close to three months ago.

“Don’t be sorry,” Castiel says quickly.

Dean shakes his head. He groans.

“I’ll get you some aspirin,” Castiel says as he extricates himself from the couch. In the bathroom, he stares at his reflection in the mirror. He looks better than Dean, but not by much. The long hours he’d been putting into work show in the shadows under his eyes and his unruly hair that Castiel meant to get cut last week but forgot.

He shakes out two pills and fills the bathroom cup with water. He pauses in the doorway, breathing in once for fortitude, before he heads back out to the living room.

He finds Dean reaching for his boots.

Castiel hurries forward. “Here,” he says, all but thrusting the aspirin and water into Dean’s hands.

“Oh,” Dean says, surprised. “Thanks.” He swallows the pills and takes a large gulp of water before setting the empty glass of water on the coffee table. He bends back down to grab his boots.

“Do you want breakfast?” Castiel blurts, his brain descending to full-on panic mode.

Dean has to stay - by any means necessary. Something changed between them last night, and Castiel can't let it go, can't go back to being semi-strangers sharing a bed. He’s never offered breakfast before, mostly because his cooking skills are abysmal. But he has eggs in the refrigerator, and a loaf of not-yet-moldy bread.

Dean just gapes at him, so Castiel springs into action. He darts around his kitchen island (empty, of course, except for a bowl of plastic fruit so, your apartment doesn’t look like a squatter lives here) and pulls open his fridge.

Dean’s footsteps approach from behind. Quietly, he says, “You don’t have to do this.”

“You had a horrendous day yesterday.” Castiel cracks several eggs into a bowl, frowning as bits of shell fall in too. He fishes them out with his fingertip.

Dean leans against the counter, staring out Castiel’s barebones kitchen. “It wasn’t like it was a surprise.”

“That often doesn’t matter when it comes to grief,” Castiel says crisply. He already went over the details of his father’s death (quick, car accident) and mother’s death (slow, cancer) last night with Dean. Castiel wasn’t on the best terms with them, but that didn’t stop his emotional reactions of bizarre bouts of weeping or scalding anger that persisted for months.

“I should be on a plane right now,” Dean groans.

“You hate flying, and you already made plans to go to Kansas tomorrow,” Castiel says sensibly. “Bobby has that doctor’s appointment today that he didn't want to move, and it’s not going to matter in the long run if you wait an extra 24 hours to meet your brother.”

Dean hums in agreement, his lips pursed.

Castiel ducks down to open one of the cabinets beneath the counter and pulls out his frying pan, frowning at the thin coating of dust or other kitchen grime. He sticks it under the faucet to rinse it off. As his hands busily dry with a paper towel, he says, “Your brother isn’t dropping everything to head to Kansas either.”

“But his job –”

“Environmental law cases generally take months, if not years, to settle,” Castiel cuts him off firmly. “And if he’s truly under the wire for a particular client, that’s why firms hire associates.”

Dean blinks. “You remembered what Sammy does?”

Castiel opens his mouth, and closes it right up because every response that comes to him is too revealing. Eventually, he settles on, “You talk about him frequently.”

Dean throws him a wry look. “In between all the blow jobs and wall sex?”

“Uh, yes,” Castiel says. He turns on the burner and sets the frying pan down. “But not in a weird way, though. I’ve told you about my family, my job.”

“Not a lot,” Dean says, his brow furrowing.

Castiel shrugs. “Because most things in my life are tremendously boring.”

At least, compared to Dean, who dropped out of high school to take care of his brother. He studied for his GED while working two part-time jobs and applied and attained custody of Sam after their father left for an out-of-state job and never came back.

He supported Sam all throughout Sam’s college years, and is still helping Sam pay off his law school loans. 

And, if that wasn’t enough, when his dad got back in touch five years ago, Dean actually forgave him six months before his father’s terminal diagnosis. He called every week, often coming over to Castiel’s after hanging up, so Castiel could distract him with copious amounts of sex and orgasms. 

Was it healthy? Not exactly. But Castiel had hardly any complaints laying in bed with Dean, sated and already gearing for round two.

Before last night, Castiel had about half of Dean’s story. And, in the beginning, he was just Charlie’s handsome friend who was quick to laugh and who ould sell shoelaces to the barefoot.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dean says quietly.

Castiel picks up the bowl of raw eggs like one might a bowl of dead cockroaches. He eyes the stove warily.

“Dude,” Dean’s hand shoots out to grab Castiel’s wrist. “Aren’t you gonna grease the pan first?”

Castiel deflates. “Oh, right.” He turns to the fridge, only to find Dean blocking his path, his expression inscrutable. “Dean?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

Castiel cocks his head. “You just said I need to grease the pan.”

“I meant make me breakfast,” Dean says curtly.

Castiel freezes. “My culinary skills might be mediocre,” he forces out, furiously reddening, “but I can manage eggs.”

“Not what I’m talking about.”

“Well, then,” Castiel narrows his eyes, “what are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to make me a – a pity breakfast,” Dean practically spits. “I shouldn’t have even come here. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It’s not pity,” Castiel says, dumbfounded

Dean glares. “You’ve never made me breakfast before.”

“I didn’t want to scare you off with my abysmal cooking,” Castiel says, and he had no clue his face could even get this heated. “I have toast for breakfast most mornings, and I eat a PB&J for lunch every day.”

Dean sighs, but he looks less likely to bolt from the premises, so Castiel takes the bright spots where he finds them. “Move.”

“Move?” Castiel echoes.

Dean opens his fridge and takes out a stick of butter. Without a word, he nudges Castiel out of the way. He turns down the heat on the stove, critically eyeing the frying pan. “I might be a mess, but I can pull off breakfast,” he says, his tone resentful.

Castiel gapes at him. “I’ve never thought you were a mess.”

“Not when I was crying all over your couch,” Dean’s eyebrows fly up, “and eating all the Halloween candy you were saving for the kids in your apartment building?”

Castiel purses his lips. “After my father died, I drank three mini bars by myself and got banned from the Motel Six in Blue Earth, Minnesota.”

Whatever Dean was about to say dies on his tongue.

Castiel waves off his questions. “Your definition of ‘mess’ leaves much to be desired,” he says, turning to grab the loaf of bread he keeps on top of the toaster.

Dean busies himself with smearing butter around the pan.

“I think you’re one of the most resilient men I have ever met,” Castiel says quietly as he slips two slices into the toaster. “Raising your brother, staying in contact with your father after all he did.”

“Dude.”

Castiel shrugs. “I’ve thought so for a long time, and last night only solidified my conviction.” He chances a glance at Dean, who looks dumbfounded. “Are the eggs supposed to be that color?”

Dean glances down with a small, “son of a bitch,” and hastily turns off the burner. “I think there’s something wrong with the pan.”

Castiel bites back a groan. “Of course it is,” he grumbles. It figures the one time he tries to offer Dean something more than physical comfort, it all goes to crap, as Dean would say. 

“So, uh, I was thinking maybe we could get breakfast out?” Dean says haltingly. “If you know a place.”

Castiel smiles, probably too wide and showing too many teeth, but Dean doesn’t seem discomfited in the slightest. He seems almost happy, actually.

[phantomdoofer]

Chapter 11: Bella Giornata

Giuseppe sat up from... wait, where am I? Ugh. My head. My BACK. He stood, stretching as his back painfully realigned with a series of loud clicks. He looked around. Oh, I'm still at Peppino's apartment. Guess I fell asleep. He groaned as various muscles and joints complained, especially his neck. What you get for falling asleep on a table, old man. He smiled a little. Good company makes the time fly. He glanced at the couch - Peppino was snoring, one arm thrown over his eyes, tangled in a blanket. He really needs a bed at his age. Maybe I can talk him into splurging on himself for once. He snorted quietly. Listen to me, I've got a whole house to set up and I went and got smashed instead. He went to the faucet, poured himself a full glass of water, and chugged it down. His stomach churned at the sudden weight. Not good on an empty stomach, but the hangover's still worse.

He heard a groan from the couch. Giuseppe grinned, filled another glass, and walked to the couch. Peppino dragged himself to a sitting position, clutching his head. "Ay, porca puttana, it feels-a like my head is full of-a razor blades." Giuseppe proffered the glass. "Grazie." Peppino downed it and made a face. "Ugh. I'd-a forgotten what the morning after was like. I have to get ready. What time is it?"

Giuseppe looked at the clock. "Looks like about 0730. You open at 1000, right? Plenty of time."

Peppino stood up. "Not-a when you have a ball of cats fighting in your head. Next time, fratello, let's-a keep it a little lighter."

Giuseppe gently punched Peppino's arm. "You've turned into a lightweight! But that's a good thing, in your case." He opened the refrigerator and bent to look. "You have anything here for breakfast? We'd both be better for some food."

Peppino shook his head. "Sorry, I-a normally pick something up on the way. Wasn't expecting to spend-a the evening drinking."

Giuseppe stood, then regretted the motion as his own head throbbed alarmingly. He grabbed his head. "Agh. No problem. I should get going anyway. I need to actually set up my place."

"You-a want some help later? I could-a come by."

Giuseppe waved a hand. "I should be done by the time you get off, really. It's mostly decorating. Grazie nonetheless."

"Of course, Seppe." Peppino moved towards the bathroom. "Feel free to come by if you want anyway."

"All right. See you later, Pino." He moved towards the door.

"Seppe, wait. I nearly forgot." Peppino moved jerkily towards a table to the side, grabbed a small package, and handed it to Giuseppe. "Here. This is-a for you, from Mama. Don't open it til-a you get everything set up." He smiled. "I promise, it'll-a be worth it."

Giuseppe looked at the small flat object, wrapped in plain brown paper. "What is it?"

Peppino grinned wider. "You'll-a see. You'll like it."

Giuseppe nodded. "All right fratellino, be mysterious. I'll message you later." He left.

Peppino had thought long and hard about how to present their Papa's note to Giuseppe, and this had presented a perfect opportunity. Hope it helps him as much as it did me.

~~~~

Peppino pulled his scooter up in front of the pizzeria. Merda, forgot to stop for food. He looked across the street at Noisette's. Well, no one's complained in a while. Maybe it'll be safe... he chained up the scooter and walked into the cafe.

Being midmorning, it was still pretty busy. The smells of coffee and pastries drifted everywhere, and it smelled delicious. Noisette bounced up from behind the counter. "Peppino!! You finally decided to stop in! I'm so excited!!" She clasped her hands and smiled hugely.

"S-sì, Noisette," Peppino stammered, "I need something to pick me up. W-what's-a on the menu today?"

Her eyes practically shone. "Why, Peppino, I've got JUST the thing!" She spun around and grabbed a tray of lurid orange pastries. "Because it's getting cool, I decided to try to make some pumpkin pastries!" She held the tray out - Peppino saw they were vaguely pumpkin-shaped, with a gap-toothed grin and triangle eyes picked out delicately in brown frosting. "Everyone's been talking about them! Try one!"

Peppino picked one up in slight trepidation. Just because they're talking about them doesn't mean they're good! But at this point she'd probably cry if he declined, and as annoying as she might be sometimes, he didn't want that. Here goes. He took a huge bite and chewed.

The delicate spices tingled his tongue, just a bit of pumpkin flavor lacing the taste. It was sweet, but not overpowering. The frosting added a bit of a sour bite. Wonder what that is? Maybe lemon? The pastry was flaky and just a little salty, just as it should be. Peppino smiled, genuinely impressed.

Noisette was grinning from ear to ear. "You like it?"

He looked down at her. "It's really good, actually. Reminds-a me of pumpkin pie, but drier." He pointed day the tray. "Can I get three? And a black coffee?"

"Of course! Right up!" Noisette spun and went to work, while a sleepy-looking pig-lady bagged the pastries. Shortly Peppino was outside, Noisette's cheerful farewell following him out. He chewed on another pastry. Guess she's got a talent for coffee and pastries! Feeling much more himself, he unlocked the pizzeria's door. "Hey Fake, I've-a got something for you to try!"

~~~~

Apparently the pastries had been a big hit, because many of Peppino's customers all day had come in bearing coffee and a bag full of bright orange goodies. It hadn't slowed down the pizza orders, though. In fact, Peppino was actually getting a bit concerned he was going to run out of supplies. The weather had people in a good mood, and Peppino admitted he was no exception. Gustavo had been even more chipper all day. Fake had asked if there was a chance they could try adding to the menu, something Peppino was hesitant about. But if he's part Bruno, it should be good stuff. As long as he doesn't put bugs in it or something. So he'd agreed to a few small trials - nothing fancy. The lanky clone had loped happily off to get supplies. Even Brick was happy, outside getting pets from passerby.

"Hey, Fat Man!"

Figlio de puttana, I knew it was too good to be true!

The Noise has slipped in and was sitting across from him at the counter, grinning toothily. Peppino sighed. "What is it, Noise?"

Noise leaned forward and spoke in a stage whisper. "Heard you like 'sette's pastries."

Peppino leaned back. This is... unusually friendly for Noise. I think. "Sì, actually, they're really good. Why?"

Noise looked uncomfortable. "I, uh... I was thinkin' of doin' some advertising for her on NTV. Y'know, some ads, so on. But, I know people talked about her... uh, early stuff." He growled, and looked like he was grinding his teeth.

Peppino crossed his arms and tried not to look smug at the little gremlin's discomfiture. He was curious. What has he got up that ridiculous sleeve?

Finally, Noise bit his words out. "Yer name's got weight now, Spaghetti. Not just here. Lotta people know you took down Pizzahead. I was... hopin'..." he growled, as if it hurt him to even say it, "maybe you could... endorse her, a bit."

Peppino's eyebrows practically shot off his head. "Y-you... want me... to endorse her?" He was trying really hard not to laugh. Not for Noise's sake - he'd laugh in the little stronzo's face any day of the week. But Noisette had always been nice to him, so he gave it some thought. "Why not you? You're the-a big-shot executive, after all."

Noise actually looked even more uncomfortable. "That's the problem. People'll see it as favoritism and ignore it if I do it. But you, you got clout now. If you's says it, people'll listen."

Peppino thought about it. Do people really know about me?

Suddenly a customer, a young woman, nearby spoke. "Excuse me, Mr. Spaghetti, sorry to butt in, but I gotta say, he's got a point. I didn't even know about this place until you took down that Tower. Now I drive here from La Crosta at least once a week. She does make good stuff. If you say it, it'll definitely help her out." Several other customers nodded and murmured agreement.

Noise looked at him, more businesslike than Peppino was used to. "Listen to 'em, Spaghetti. Tell ya what. I'll sweeten the deal. I'll record some bits for yer pizzeria and show 'em for free for a while. I'll get my people on it. What do ya say?"

Peppino was shocked by the offer. He's very serious about this. He smirked inside. But I can't let him just get it all his way... "Tell-a you what," he said, "I'll do it if you run my bits during your show every day for a year. And-a you don't call me Baldy or Fat or anything-a else derogatory til after-a Christmas. Bene?"

Noise looked ready to bite a hole in the counter, but held out his hand. "Deal." They shook hands - Peppino was surprised not to get a joy-buzzer. The customers clapped and went back to their own conversations.

Peppino took his hand back. "No pranks, no-a jokes? You really are-a serious."

Noise looked down. "I, uh. Just want to look out for my lady, is all."

Peppino smiled a genuine smile. "Maybe you're not-a all bad, Noise."

Noise hissed and waved his hands. "Shaddap, shaddap! I got's a rep to maintain!" He slid a card across the counter. "There's my people's number. They'll get with you soon to set everything up." He hopped off the stool and turned, then turned back. "Er. Um... thanks, fa-ahem, Spaghetti." He scrambled out the door.

Peppino stared in disbelief as the Noise ran out of sight. He reached down and pinched himself just to be sure. Will wonders never cease.

Later that night, as Peppino was closing up the shop, his phone buzzed with a message. He looked down and grinned: Giuseppe. He clicked on it.

You sneaky son of a bitch. You were right. I did like it. Screw you for making me cry like that. And thank you.

Peppino smiled and laughed. He texted back: You're welcome, fratello. Glad you liked it.

~~~~

A few days later, the local businesses had decided to have a Trick-or-treat event, and Peppino had decided to participate. He'd baked up some dessert pizzas and was handing out slices. Gustavo had made up a batch of various candies, Fake had made some little frog-shaped tarts, and Noisette had baked a cornucopia of sweets up too. Everyone was in costume - Peppino had decided to do his classic bedsheet ghost (he'd actually wanted to do something else but the local kids had begged him), and Gustavo had shown up dressed as Gerome. Fake had just shapeshifted to look like they were wearing a frog outfit. Peppino looked across the way and saw Noisette handing out little bags, her Moon Bunny outfit sparkling. Despite himself, Peppino was enjoying the whole thing. The kids were asking for stories from him just as much as the sweets, and he found he was happy to oblige. Even though some of their parents probably sported a few bruises from the experiences he described. Hope there's no hard feelings...

After the sun had set, Noisette had thrown a party at the Cafe, and she'd invited the whole crew. Noise was up on the counter, being himself; Vigi was nursing a coffee, looking outlandish in a cow costume; Pepperman had painted himself with what looked like some painting of a person screaming. There were a lot of other patrons there, dressed in a variety of outfits. There were even a few Pizzaheads, some so realistic Peppino had nearly had a heart attack when he saw the first one. Then they'd started talking and a totally different voice came out, and he laughed at himself.

Peppino and Gustavo sat with Brick in the corner - Brick kept blowing on a party squeaker that no one remembered giving her.

Gus looked up at Peppino. "Nice to have some fun and quiet for once."

Peppino found himself smiling. "Yeah. It's-a nice. I could-a get used to this."

Suddenly Noise reached behind the counter and slammed a speaker beside him.

"ALLLLL RIGHT FOLKS, IT'S KARAOKE TIIIIIME!"

Gustavo grabbed Peppino's arm and started to drag him to the counter. Peppino laughingly protested. "Gus, no, stop! You know I have-a the singing voice of a cat having a hairball!"

Gustavo grinned hugely. "Ah, give it up Pep! Just relax and have fun! You're among friends here!"

Peppino looked around at the partygoers. Friends? At least half of these people tried to kill me! Of course, they apologized later...

He stood up. "Maybe just-a one song."

Gustavo grinned and dragged him to the counter.