#Outdo Your Fate

[wickedzeevyln]

Outdo Outlook

Outshine your critics,Outlive your trials,Outwork your complacency,Outplay your challenges,Outrun your doubts,Outwit your adversity,Outsmart your insecurities,Outlearn your limits,Outbid your failure when vying for success,Outgrow yourself, Outdo your fate.

[watchmegetobsessed]

MAKE HER REGRET IT

A/N: i was really in the mood for some smut and the neighbors trope popped into my head, so here we are!

WORD COUNT: 4.1k

WARNING: sexual content

SUMMARY: Harry, your freshly divorced, insanely hot neighbor needs your help: you have to pretend to be his new girlfriend when his ex-wife comes over, however your little stunt outdoes your expectations in a lot of ways.

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It's a basic instinct for you at this point to look up at the balcony whenever you’re approaching your apartment building. However you’re not looking at yours, but the one next to yours that belongs to one hot, freshly divorced guy who moved in next door about two months ago. 

You remember the morning the moving truck appeared and you knew someone was taking the vacant apartment beside yours. You just arrived back from your morning run and you jumped right into guesses about who it will be. Maybe someone your age? A girl you can go to yoga with? Or a sweet old lady you can have tea with on warm afternoons? Hopefully not a noisy family, because the walls are way too thin to endure the screaming of a child. 

Then you saw him. Carrying a heavy looking box up the stairs, a simple white shirt stretching on his torso, tattooed arms flexing under the weight of the box, you knew you were fucked the first time you saw Harry Styles. 

It took you no time to lurk over the next day and introduce yourself as his neighbor. 

“If you need suggestions for coffee spots around the neighborhood, I’m your person,” you smiled at him charmingly as he stood in his doorway in gray sweats and a black t-shirt, hair messy but so delicious, it was screaming for your fingers to run through his locks. 

“I will definitely keep that in mind. I can offer to fix anything around your apartment, I’m kind of a handyman,” he chuckled and your knees almost buckled hearing his creamy british accent. 

Fate played on your hand, because you kept running into each other so it didn’t take long for you to go out for a coffee run together and it was smooth sailing from then. You learned about how he just got divorced, his wife cheated on him and he found out on their second anniversary, tragic story and you still can’t quite understand how any woman could cheat on a man like him. You practically drool every time you catch a glimpse of him arriving back from a run in nothing but a pair of shorts, his tanned skin glistening from sweat. You definitely love to move out to the balcony around the time he can be expected to appear in the late afternoon, you watch him stretch and breathe heavily and the sight alone makes you break a sweat as well, but for a whole different reason. 

You’ve been trying to flirt with him every possible occasion, but you also make sure you don’t come off too pushy. After all he just got out of a marriage, it must be hard on him to recover from being cheated on. There’s also a slight age difference between the two of you, not that dramatic, but that eight years could easily be a deal breaker for him, so you’ve been playing it safe. 

When you’re lying in bed late at night and sleep is not coming to you, you can’t help but think of how he is on the other side of the wall, you imagine him sleeping without a shirt, maybe thinking about you the way you like to think of him… But it’s all just a fantasy, one you fancy very much. 

The door to his balcony is open so you know he is home, but he is not out. You take your time walking up the stairs, your legs are definitely tired from the run you just had and just when you reach your floor Harry’s front door swings open and you stop, watching him walk over to your door. He didn’t notice you, so you stay still and watch him take a deep breath as he lifts his fist up to knock, but then it falls back to his side and he shakes his head, stepping backwards before returning to his spot on your doormat and that’s when you decide to put him out of his misery. 

“Are you out of sugar, neighbor?” you ask, slowly walking towards him. Harry spins around with a stunned expression. 

“Oh, I didn’t–I didn’t see you.” You catch his gaze running down your body and legs and you’re thankful you decided to wear your shortest shorts. 

Playing with your keys in your hands, you finally reach him. 

“What’s up?”

“Um… I have a bit of a situation on my hands and you might be able to help me.”

Unlocking the door you push it in and gesture for him to follow you inside. 

“Do tell me.”

Rounding your way into the kitchen you step to the fridge to grab some water. Harry hesitantly follows you and stops by the kitchen counter. 

“So, I talked to Rory this morning,” he starts. You’ve heard enough about Rory, his ex wife to know that if she’s involved, it’s for sure something messy. “You know that painting in my living room?” You nod. “Well, she insists it’s hers, because a friend of hers painted it, but I was the one who paid for it. Whatever. She’s been trying to get me to give it to her and honestly I’m over it so I gave in. She is picking it up today.”

“When will the part where I can help come?”

“Right here,” he chuckles nervously. “We got into a fight, no surprise. She screamed at me over the phone and told me I’ll die alone because no one can put up with my shit.”

You need to force yourself to swallow the bitterness in your mouth. That woman sounds very much like the spawn of the devil, because who would say that to anyone? Especially to Harry? Aside from being insanely hot you’ve also learned just how kind, passionate and funny he is, basically the whole deal. Rory is the biggest loser in history for letting go of a man like him. 

“One thing followed the other and I just… Um, I told her that I have someone.”

The light bulb switches on in your mind, because you already know where this is heading. And you like it, very much. 

“I don’t know what got into me, but I told her she can meet my alleged girlfriend when she picks up the painting so she can see herself that I’m not the loser she thinks I am. And… as you might now, I do not have anyone…”

“You want me to be your fake girlfriend,” you finish for him, saving him from having to say it out loud. You can see just how awkward he is, having to ask you for such a thing. 

“Basically, yeah. Only if you don’t mind being part of this shitshow. I understand if you find it weird and I don’t expect you to–”

“When should I be over at yours?” you simply ask and watch his eyes go wide. 

“Y-You will do it?”

“Sure, sounds fun. Besides, I’m curious to see the stupidest woman on earth,” you add smirking and he finally lets out a relieved laugh as well. 

“Thank you so much, Y/N. Really, I owe you big time. She’ll be here in about two hours.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there.”

For the next two hours, you do everything you can to bring out the hottest version of yourself. Hair, makeup, dress, everything is on spot when you step out of your apartment and walk over to Harry’s door, ringing the bell. 

When the door swings open and Harry sees you his mouth hangs open, giving you that one last ego boost you need to be the best possible fake girlfriend ever. 

“Satisfied with your girlfriend?” you ask, tilting your head. 

“I-I uh–Yeah! I’m… yes.”

“Can I go inside then?” you ask with a chuckle and he steps aside in a hurry.

“Sorry, yeah come inside.”

“So what’s the plan?” you ask, walking into his living room and making yourself comfortable on the couch. Harry follows, but he takes the armchair across you and you can tell he is still struggling with not ogling you, especially your exposed legs and deep cleavage the dress teases him with. 

“I don’t… I have no idea, I have never done this before.”

“I have.”

“Really?”

“Just once, in college. One of my friends broke up with a girl who did not take it well and I was his fake girlfriend for a week to get her to stop harassing him. It worked.”

“Then… I trust you with anything.”

“What’s the goal?”

Harry opens his mouth, but then closes, as if he is embarrassed to say what’s on his mind. 

“Harry, say it. I’m happy to help with anything.”

“I want to make her regret it.”

“Regret what she said?”

“Regret everything,” he corrects and when he looks you in the eye a shiver runs down your spine from the determination that’s behind his green irises. 

“Consider it done,” you smile at him devilishly. 

At your suggestion you both take a shot to ease your nerves and make it easier to lie. It seems to loosen him just enough that he doesn’t look like he is about to attend an interrogation. 

And then the bell rings. 

“Show time,” you smile at him and as he walks over to the door you take your place on the couch again. 

You hear the door open and then a female voice mixes with Harry’s before the footsteps follow. Harry comes into view first, but then Rory steps out from behind him and you see the pure shock in her eyes when she finally spots you. 

“Oh, hi!” you smile at her almost disgustingly sweetly as you stand from the couch and walk closer. “You must be Rony. I’m Y/N.” You hold out a hand for her and watch as her mouth twitches when she hears you mess her name up. 

“Rory,” she sassily says and shakes your hand at last. “So you’re the… girlfriend.” The disgust in her tone is apparent, she is not even trying to hide it and it just makes it way more enjoyable. 

“Yes and you must be the cheating ex-wife.”

Harry coughs beside you, he was not expecting you to be this blunt, but the look on Rory’s face is priceless, because she can’t deny what she is. Moving closer to Harry you wrap an arm around his waist and though at first he freezes at your closeness, he is quick to recover and join in on the act, his arm finding your waist as well. 

“The painting is over there, just take it and let’s get over with it, alright?” Harry nods towards the painting he already took off the wall, now it’s leant against the console table that’s been underneath it. 

“You didn’t even wrap it?” she scoffs. How am I supposed to take it like this?”

“Rory, I’m not a fucking gallery. You wanted the painting, take it.”

“It’s gonna be ruined if I just put it into my car like this!” she argues. 

“That’s none of my business.”

“Harry, this is so not okay! I can’t–”

“Jesus, Rory fine! I think I have some bubble wrap,” he grunts, heading into his bedroom to find something to wrap the painting in, leaving the two of you alone.

Rory gives you another long, dirty look, as if you were the woman Harry cheated on her with when she is the culprit of this mess here. 

“So how long have you been together?” she then asks, pretending like she is just chit chatting, but you know she is eager to know everything about you.

“A little over a month now. You know, I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but Harry is just the perfect guy and I couldn’t stay away from him.”

“Oh, he is not that perfect, little girl.”

It’s obvious she tried to derogate you by calling you a little girl, she must be around the age of Harry, not more than thirty-six for sure, but she can’t find anything to use against you other than the fact that you’re clearly in your twenties. How mature. 

“I know. But everything he can give me makes it worth it. And the sex, ah!”

She gives you a puzzled look. You knew this would stir her up, Harry mentioned how distant they grew in the last few months and sex wasn’t the same anymore. Looking at the timeline she must have started her affair around that time and Harry couldn’t perform the way he otherwise could because she wasn’t open to him anymore. It was a vicious cycle, but you also know Rory is the kind of woman who must have humiliated him because of that. Harry never said, but you just feel that she criticized his sexual performance when she left him even if it all happened because of her. 

And now hearing that he is giving his all to another woman is definitely something that can drive her nuts. 

“Oh please, he sucks in bed,” she scoffs.

“Not with the right partner. He is so good, I honestly don’t know how you could let go of him.”

“He couldn’t make me cum for months!”

“That’s unfortunate. I get an orgasm basically after every meal. He is so good at it, honestly, it’s like he just wants to please me every possible moment. I mean, I can’t remember a morning when I didn’t wake up with his head between my legs, he loves quickies, I have to sanitize the kitchen counter like twice a day.” You let out a chuckle and just watch as her face grows redder while staring at the kitchen counter, raging jealousy swirling in her mind for sure. It’s clearer than daylight that she didn’t cheat on him because he wasn’t manly enough, this woman is simply a stupid loser who couldn’t appreciate what she had, maybe panicked that she can’t mess around with others and then simply chose to ruin everything. 

You’re more than happy to remind her what she lost. 

“Alright, this is all I got,” Harry emerges from the bedroom with some bubble wrap he probably had left from moving, but when he sees you and Rory staring each other down, he stops. But before he could speak up, you decide to push that knife into Rory’s chest as your final move. 

Stepping over to Harry you push yourself up against him, he drops the bubble wrap and his hands grab you by the waist instantly, though you see confusion in his eyes before you take his face in your hands and pull him closer, lips pressing against his hungrily. 

It’s not a sweet, shy first kiss. This is the perfect show off, messy, passionate, full of tongue and eagerness as you practically devour each other. For a bit you forget about the show you’re putting up and it’s your real desire you’ve been fighting for weeks now. Every time you try to pull back Harry just keeps demanding more and you happily give him what he wants. He bites into your bottom lip when one of his hands moves down to your ass, giving it a not-at-all shy squeeze, making you moan into the kiss. 

It feels like it takes forever for you to stop, when you open your eyes you’re met with Harry’s hungry eyes, his lips are slightly swollen and shiny from your kisses. 

And then you remember you’re not alone. 

“Oh, fuck you. Fuck you both!” Rory pops the bubble around you and when you turn to look at her, she is already grabbing the painting, not even bothering to wrap it. 

“It was nice to meet you!” you call after her.

“Fuck you!” she repeats, marching towards the door and you’re just smirking like an idiot, pleased with yourself for pissing her off so badly. 

Harry follows her to shut the door behind her and you let yourself bathe in the sweet victory you just earned. 

“This went amazing, right? She was so mad, oh my God!” you laugh, but your smile quickly disappears when you realize the serious look on Harry’s face as he is walking back towards you. 

Shit, maybe the kiss was too much. He didn’t want it and now he is pissed at you.

“Are you mad about the kiss? I-I’m sorry if it was too–”

The words die down on your lips when they crash against his again, his hand cupping the back of your head while the other returns straight to your ass, groping you so hard your whole body smashes against his. 

Your mouth opens in surprise and it gives him the chance to push his tongue against yours, he is demanding, rough and so much more raw than what you imagined him to be like. 

“What did you tell her?” he asks against your mouth, moving you around until the small of your back hits the kitchen counter. “What did you tell her that made her so pissed?” he demands, his hand already eagerly moving underneath your dress. He presses two fingers against your clothed clit, making your eyes roll into the back of your head. 

“I said, ah–I said I wake up every day with… your head between my legs, and… Oh fuck!” You’re losing your ability to speak your thoughts as his fingers start circling, the fabric of your underwear is so drenched, if you could think straight you might be embarrassed just how aroused he made you so fast. 

“And?” he urges you to continue, but at the same time he pushes your underwear to the side and pushes two fingers into you without warning, making you gasp so loud that people on the street must have heard it through the open balcony door. 

“A-and that you fuck me on the… the kitchen counter all the time.”

He curls his fingers inside you as he keeps talking.

“Then that’s what I’ll do to you now. Are you okay with that?” he asks and you nod eagerly as you hold onto his broad shoulders. 

The next moment he pulls his hand back and you whine, feeling empty all of a sudden, but then he lifts you up and makes you sit on the counter, he lowers himself and places your legs over his shoulders with careful, but confident moves. You grab onto his hair as he pushes his head between your thighs and his mouth meets your clit. 

“Oh, fuck! Harry!” you gasp out, tugging on his hair as he swirls his tongue against your swollen clit, his fingers teasing your hole again. Then they push into you and he sucks on your clit, making you see stars. 

You imagined him to be skilled, but whatever it is he is doing to you, it feels out of this world and now you know you weren’t wrong when you praised him that much to Rory before. 

You’re totally out of breath when he comes up, he kisses you and you can taste yourself on his tongue, your hands impatiently tug on his shirt to get rid of it. Soon the fabric lands on the tiled floor and you map out every inch of his hard chest with your palm and while you keep kissing like there’s no tomorrow, you faintly hear the zipper of his pants come undone. 

You look him in the eyes when you reach down and take his hard length into your hands and you can’t hold back a gasp when you realize just how big he is. 

“I know you can take it, baby,” he coos, kissing the corner of your mouth and you’re ready to take him right then and there, but he moves back, making you reach for him in panic. “Condom,” he says and you lean back onto your elbows with a sigh as you watch him disappear in his bedroom. You have just a few seconds you process that here you are, on top of Harry’s kitchen counter, with your dress bunched up around your waist, your drenched pussy on show, waiting to be fucked properly. You definitely did not expect this outcome when you woke up this morning, but you’re not complaining. 

Then Harry appears and he is walking over to you, completely naked, his dick in his hands as he rolls the condom on while moving and you bite into your bottom lip, hoping to remember this view until the end of time. 

When he reaches you again he simply curls his arms around your thighs and tugs on you so you get closer to the edge. His erection wedges between your wet folds and the tip pokes against your clit, making you clench around nothing. 

“I have to admit, I’ve been fantasizing about fucking you on this counter since the day I moved in and saw you for the first time.”

“Just on the counter?” you ask teasingly. 

“Every surface of this fucking apartment,” he admits with no remorse.

“Make a list then and I’m more than happy to do them all. But let’s tick the counter off first.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice.”

He reaches down and circles his thumb against your clit a bit before grabbing his dick by the base and dragging it up and down your cunt a few times before pushing the head in first, letting you adjust to his thickness first. When you claw at his chest he takes it as a sign to go deeper and he keeps pushing until you take his whole length, feeling fuller than ever before. 

“I want to go hard,” he breathes out, staying still for now.

“Go hard then. I can take it,” you assure him, though you do have doubts feeling just how stretched out you are now. 

“Of course you can. You’re my good girl,” he praises you and before you could get a word out, he pulls back and slams into you hard. 

There are moments when you actually think you’re about to burst, Harry did not joke when he said he wants to go hard, his thrusts are fast and rough and he makes sure he buries his whole length into you every time he pushes into you. At one point he pulls your legs over his shoulders and it allows him to reach a point in you no one has before and it pushes you towards the edge rapidly. The counter is painfully hard underneath you, but you somehow forget about the pain and only focus on how hard Harry is railing into you. His stamina is incredible, your body already feels like goo and you’re not even doing the actual work. 

“Harry, I’m so close,” you moan and his fingers dig deeper into your thighs at your words. 

“Come around my cock, baby. I wanna feel you squeeze me.”

You cry out his name again, a tear rolling down your cheek, because you’re so desperate to let go. Harry moves a hand to where you meet and his thumb returns to your clit and that’s what throws you over the edge. 

Your back arches and you squeeze around him uncontrollably, gasping for air as he ruthlessly keeps fucking into you. 

“That’s it, baby. You look so fucking beautiful, coming on my cock.”

You can’t stop moaning as you ride out your orgasm. The last waves are washing over your body when his movements fall out of rhythm, he slams into you hard and he sucks on his breath before moaning out your name over and over again, pushing into you a few more times as he comes. He falls forward, his face burying into your heaving chest as he tries to catch his breath along with you. There’s a long minute of silent bliss, his cock is still inside you, his lips peppering soft kisses onto the skin that’s exposed on your chest while you’re mindlessly playing with his hair. 

When he straightens up he pulls out of you, the empty feeling hitting you again. He carefully helps you off the counter, but keeps his arms around you, because when your feet hit the floor you wobble. 

Nuzzling your nose against his chest you take the cross pendant on his necklace between your teeth and pull back, looking him in the eyes. 

“Don’t do that, or we’re moving to the next place on the list.”

Giggling you let go of it and push yourself up to steal a kiss. 

“Give me some time to recover, but I’m all in to check out another place.”

“Jesus, I knew you’d be the death of me the moment I saw you,” he breathes out, before his mouth claims yours hungrily. 

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[cupidriki]

SAD GIRL

(a jakehoon drabble)

𝓟RECIS ⌇You had a healthy marriage with Sunghoon, or so you thought. After finding out that Sunghoon has been planning to divorce you, you seek revenge by being with his arch-nemesis, Jake. Now the question is, who's trying to kill you, and who's trying to make you the queen of the world?

────────────────

𝓘NCLUES⌇Rich CEO Husband! Sunghoon x fem reader x Rich CEO! Jake, love triangle, dark romance, angst, tension, somewhat cheating, secrets, impossible love, other persons lover, mentions of murder

𝓣HEME SONGS ⌇Sad Girl by Lana del Rey

(betrayer will be revealed in part two)

“Come to me, darling..” As you stood before Sunghoon, his gaze met yours with a softness that seemed almost otherworldly. His eyes held a certain power, a mesmerizing quality that could make anyone feel like putty in his hands.

In a tense situation, you found yourself enveloped in Jake's arms, with a loaded gun pointed directly at Sunghoon who stood across from the two of you. Sunghoon raised his arms in surrender, convincing you to choose him.

“C’mon, you’re gonna throw all of this away?” Jake felt a sudden sense of danger as Sunghoon's lips twisted into a sinister smirk. He instinctively held you tighter, as if to protect you from whatever evil intentions lay behind that wicked expression.

You were married to Sunghoon for three years, and while it wasn't necessarily a terrible marriage, it also wasn't particularly fulfilling or happy.

Sunghoon and Jake have a long-standing rivalry, consistently trying to outdo each other to become the top company in their industry.

But the company wasn't what they were fighting about, it was you.

After hearing that Sunghoon wants to end your marriage, you felt really angry and frustrated. It sucks that he wants to throw away all the time you spent together without even considering how you feel.

The situation was intense as you sought revenge for what Sunghoon had done to you. You ended up sleeping with his enemy, Jake, but the consequences were not worth it. The regret was overwhelming as Sunghoon found out about your actions, and you were left feeling lost and confused. In the midst of it all, you found yourself in Jake's arms. However, Sunghoon was determined to convince you to come back to his side, leaving you torn between two conflicting emotions.

As Sunghoon persisted in pleading with you, your body trembled with a strong desire to be near him. Despite your inner conflict, the pull towards him grew stronger. Your heart yearned to reach out and bridge the distance between you, unable to resist his magnetic presence.

“Don’t make me do it, c’mon..”

Despite not knowing if Sunghoon might not be entirely truthful, you couldn't help but feel a strong love for him. You noticed that his sweet eyes were possibly just a facade, but you still see a slight care in his eyes, you couldn't resist falling for his charming demeanor and alluring presence.

As you gazed at Sunghoon and Jake, you suddenly noticed Sunghoon reaching for something in his pocket. In a split second, he pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Jake. The tension in the air was palpable, and you were left frozen in shock, unsure of what to do next.

“If you go to him, i’ll shoot myself,” Jake said with a menacing look in his eyes, Jake tightened his grip around the gun as he directed his gaze towards Sunghoon. "I won't hesitate to use this," he said in a cold, calculated tone, his words dripping with a sense of danger and malice.

“If you keep letting Jake hold you, I’ll do the same.”

As you stood there, heart-wrenched and helpless, you knew that the fate of one of the two men you held so close to your heart will be out of your hands. With tears streaming down your face, you took a deep breath, bracing yourself for the inevitable pain that was to come. You couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them, but you knew that only one would emerge from the fray, and the knowledge was almost too much to bear.

You have a gut feeling that one of the people around you is not being truthful and secretly desires to harm you. However, you are clueless about who that person could be, leaving you feeling apprehensive and on edge.

Your body trembles in terror as tears stream down your face, while the two men prepare their guns. Fear grips you as you watch them ready themselves for whatever comes next. Helpless and afraid, you think of who to choose.

@cholexc @yyawnjun @allforhee @dimplewonie

[yandere--stuck]

AaaaaAAA I was so happy to see you already had a gore fic for Bill in the works! I have reread it like. 5 times. Your writing scratches my gore itch perfectly, and I just adore fics the intestinal stuff especially <33 and his mentions of your heart also… the romance!! I was inspired by what you wrote, I hope you enjoy it once again :D! (also im doing great, hope ur doing well too :D!!) - zagreus gore anon

Notes for anyone else: This contains gore!! So much gore!! Body horror— It’s Bill’s love language!! (intestinal trauma, mouth trauma, eye trauma…. Honestly ‘you’ here are violated in like every way possible.) No sexual content, but it’s suggestive to me. Bill Cipher is a Weirdo.

---------

You never quite get used to the pain. You wish you did.

In your memories, the sensation is dulled. You know it was painful, you know it was one of the most horrible sensations of your life, but the full extent of it… You can’t remember. Your brain must be protecting you from it. Every act of Bill’s love would constitute life-long trauma for anyone else, yet you live through another session of it day by day. No. Scratch that. They wouldn’t be alive to recall it. They wouldn’t make it half as far as you. For you, no such easy, simple fate can ever be attainable. The weirdness of his new world has conquered Death itself.

Bill had cradled his intestines in your arms, laughing as they helplessly twitched and writhed against his body, cooing at them as you howled in pain. “Aww, are you excited to see papa?” He’d said, and only the strangeness of it had kept you from repressing it. He talked to your guts as if they were puppies, as if blood smeared across his bricks were innocent licks against his skin instead. Another time, he’d wrapped your guts around his triangular body, and called it the ‘world’s most intimate hug’ as he whispered sweet nothings about how much he looooves you, and also the health of your gut bacteria. Somehow, he always outdoes himself.

Bill had dug even deeper, crumbling your ribs to smithereens in his hands, and held your still-beating heart in his palms as an object of reverence. “All mine, all mine…” He’d muttered to himself, his pupil momentarily expanding to a large, inky abyss. The pain had been so intense that you’d slipped into shock. A bad habit of yours, as Bill called it, would be your tendency to slip into memories of the past to escape the present. When you should be focusing on him.

That time, he’d jolted you back to reality by fire-hot pain slashing through your heart. All the time, it continued pumping, spurting blood in Bill’s direction with every pump. His powers were the only thing keeping you alive. When, once, blood sprayed right into his eye and he was forced to take a break, you smiled for just a moment. A lopsided, crooked grin. He’d used a mirror to show you his handiwork. In the outer flesh of your heart, he’d burned a little triangle. He’d already healed the skin. The lighter pink scarring stood out against the rest of your heart. Marked forever. Though he’s usually so talkative, at that moment, he’d been quiet for just a few seconds.

Then, he’d laughed, breaking all tension. “Wow, it sure smells like barbecue in here!”

On another occasion, he had hummed a little tune to himself, comically large saw in hand, as he cut off your limbs one by one. You could never forget the sound as the teeth sawed through your bones, bit by bit. Tearing through muscle. The clunk of your arm hitting the floor. Your leg. Rinse and repeat. You swore you could still feel your arms and legs, once you lost enough blood and your vision went hazy. Bill had hugged you against his smaller form. (He could change his body’s size, technically. But he always preferred appearing just as he was to you.)

“Without all those gangly, long limbs of yours, we can really cuddle now!” The next day, all of your limbs had regrown.

He’d cradled your face with one hand, and kept your mouth open with his other wrist. You could see nothing except for that giant eye of his as he pried your teeth out of your mouth, one by one. The taste of blood filled your mouth. He’d tug and tug and tug, not nearly using enough strength, and being entirely aware of it, until finally yanking it out once and for all. (Until it regrew, that is.) Under your gaze, he took your teeth one by one, drilled a little hole in them and strung them together on a necklace.

“Hmmmm,” he’d hummed to himself, a long, drawn-out noise. “I feel like it’s missing something. What do you think?” Before you could answer, not that you had any desire to, he snapped his fingers. “Oh! I know! For a sign of our undying love for each other, it’s a little plain with just teeth!”

In the next moment, Bill had taken out one of your eyes. You cannot comprehend how such a, relatively, small part of your face could hurt so unimaginably much. You wanted him to drape his guts all over himself again. You’re sure a point-blank gunshot to the head would’ve hurt less. Been less discomforting. His fingers had shrunk into paper-thin appendages and slipped past your eyeball, digging and cutting away at the nerves behind it. You cried tears of blood. If there was anything in your stomach, you might have thrown up.

Then, all at once, pain had blossomed into pure, mind-numbing pleasure. Compared to the pain, this is what you would like to forget the most. You’d gurgled out a moan through the spit gathered at the back of your throat. Your limbs had twitched helplessly against your restraints. When your optic nerve finally snapped, you’d whined as Bill took your eye out, exclaiming “Pop!” as he did so. For just a moment, he’d juggled your detached eyeballs in his hands, having left you panting.

“Yes, now this’ll make a good centerpiece!”

Pain had become just pain once again as soon as his touch left you. There is nothing good about a gaping, throbbing hole left in your face. You whine, sniffle softly, to get his attention. You hardly ever speak out loud anymore. Bill can read your every thought and is aware of your every idea. When speaking takes up more energy than it saves, why should you? In that moment, you had lacked the energy to think about it, your body desperately trying to recover itself.

Right now, you wonder why he’d make it feel good. Why, this one time. You don’t immediately get a response. Bill just laughs and laughs and laughs, running his fingers across the teeth of his necklace, poking the eyeball in the very middle. In your eye-socket, an exact replica of it has re-formed itself.

“You’re so funny! Why do you think I did anything at all? That was all you, baby!” His pupil transforms into a heart. It’s a blink-or-you-miss it transformation, and as soon as it happened, you think you’ve made it up. “I told you that you’d come around to it! Maybe we can even share in a little bit of pain next time, huh?”

You haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since, both his words and how mind-numbingly good it had felt. Maybe he’d simply lied to you, maybe it’d all been his doing. That would be the best outcome, right?… With time, you know Bill will ‘show you his love’ again— He always does. But this time, you await it with fear, largely fear, but with a little anticipation, too. There’s no need to tell him. He already knows.

ANON I AM BARKING LIKE A DOG!!!!!!!! BARKBARKBARKBARK THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! God, your descriptive voice is so good, it's so vivid!!!! Bill tricking reader into thinking they like it and them believing it...... Yummy yummy corruption in my tummy <3

Thank you so much for this, I can only hope what I write holds a candle to this!!! You never disappoint raaghh.

Bill draping your guts around as the world's most intimate hug. GOD. Also it's so fashionable! Gut scarf, teeth and eyeball necklace, literally wearing pants of your body to shoe his love and claim of you. Aaaa I'm kicking my feet!!

Thank you so much again holy smokes

[misc-obeyme]

Hi cc💕 could I request some mammon fluff headcanons 🥺🥺

Hi there, anon!

Of course you can, my friend. I'm sorry it took so long! But I actually feel like this turned out pretty okay? It's definitely fluffy at any rate. And what can I say, I love Mammon. I still don't know what it is about him.

Thank you for participating!

COZY COMFORTS EVENT

GN!MC x Mammon

Warnings: none

Everyone knows that Mammon is down bad for you. Even though he tries to play it off, he can't truly hide it from anyone. He will bluster and try to maintain his cool guy persona, but the reality is that no one is fooled. And the minute you're alone with him, it's like he becomes a different demon.

Mammon is a troublemaker, but he's also fun. When you first meet him, he's always scheming to find ways to make some fast Grimm. But as time goes on, he starts scheming about the best ways to make you smile. He comes up with some elaborate date ideas, taking you places that he thinks will impress you, constantly trying to outdo himself.

Despite this, he also enjoys a simple hang out. He'll take you in his car and just drive around the Devildom. He surprises you by stopping somewhere remote with a beautiful view of the city and the stars. Any time he wants you to himself, away from the chaos of his brothers, he asks if you want to go for a spin. You know this eventually leads to steamy make out sessions on the car hood because Mammon has a hard time keeping his hands to himself.

He's overprotective sometimes, but it makes you feel safe so you don't mind. If he ever feels like you're threatened in any way, he will immediately get between you and whatever the danger is. You have to talk him down occasionally, when a perceived insult from someone makes him start throwing punches.

Mammon likes to touch you. He needs the physical reassurance of your presence. He's always seeking out your hand or putting his arm around your shoulders. Even just sitting close to you is enough, your legs pressed together. If he can have his arms around you, he will. In quiet moments, when you're alone, he'll hold you as close as he can. He'll bury his face in your neck, taking in the feel of you, his grip almost desperate like he won't survive if he ever lets go.

It's at those times when he also finds he can't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. Words that he would never say where anyone else could hear. Words that he's kept bottled up for too long. Words that when he finally says them, he realizes he needs you to hear them. You listen and it's like stream of consciousness, almost incoherent, but there's no question that every word is about how much he loves you. About how important you are to him. About how he can't stand being apart from you.

He might even apologize. He knows it's his greed that makes him like this, too needy, too clingy, only wanting more. More of your time, more of your attention, more of your touch and your words and your soul - more of you. He might need your reassurance. Please, MC. Please tell him that ya don't mind. You hafta understand what ya do to him.

You do understand. You tell him as much, as often as he needs to hear it. You hold him close when he wants your touch. You stay beside him when he wants your time. You always answer when he calls you, always focus on him when he's with you. It turns out you've fallen just as hard for him as he has for you. Both of you are so lost in each other it starts to feel like nobody else even exists.

In those rare moments when you are apart, you can almost feel that red string of fate tying you together. When you enter a room that he's in, your eyes find him before anything else. And he's always looking right back at you, a bright grin on his face. When you're thinking of him, your D.D.D. will ding with a message where he's just saying hi. When you're in the human world, it feels like the universe is conspiring to bring the two of you back together.

Mammon will take you to parties and buy you expensive gifts that he worked hard to earn the Grimm for. He will make you feel like you've won the jackpot every day of your life. His favorite thing is to hear you laugh and to laugh with you.

He doesn't bother to think about how human you are. He has told you simply that he just wants to love you while you're still with him. Don't worry about the future. Not when he can have you right here, right now, safe in his arms.

cozy comforts | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[pankowblues]

proofread

requests are open

summary - business!rafe x business!reader, enemies to lovers

warnings - none

It was a brisk autumn day when you first laid eyes on Rafe. You’ve always been rivals in the same industry, both trying to outdo the other at every turn. But when both of you found yourselves seated across from each other at a business conference, the tension was palpable. You couldn't stand the smug look on Rafe's face as he spoke, and he couldn't help but be annoyed by her competitive nature. Little did you know, this encounter would be the beginning of something unexpected.

As fate would have it, you and Rafe were forced to work together on a project that required both of you to spend more time in each other's company. At first, you both clashed out at every opportunity, each trying to assert your dominance. But as you both got to know each other better, you started to see beyond his initial impressions. You discovered that Rafe had a kind heart underneath his tough exterior, and Rafe found himself drawn to your fierce determination and passion for your work. Slowly but surely, both of your animosity began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of respect and admiration.

As you and Rafe continued to work together, both of your feelings for each other began to shift in a way neither of you two could have predicted. What started as a professional partnership soon blossomed into a deep and undeniable attraction. Despite yours and Rafe’s best efforts to resist, you both found themselves falling for each other against all odds. And when you guys finally let down your guards and embraced your feelings, both of you realized that sometimes, love can be found in the most unexpected of places.

And so, Rafe and yours journey from enemies to lovers was a testament to the power of connection and the transformative nature of love. In each other, you both found not only a partner in business but also a companion in life, proving that sometimes, the greatest love stories are born out of the most unlikely circumstances.

A/N - um idk I lowkey hate this one also but I tried my best for this writing style

taglist - @0xstarzx0, @rafecameroncoke, @wearemadeofstardust0, @v4mqvs

[nina-ya]

Paper Rings

Pairing: Sanji x Reader CW: None, just fluff. WC: 1.5k

A/N: Important things to note for this: Pink is the song lyrics Italics is the present. Regular text is the past. This is written with the song Paper Rings by Taylor Swift in mind.

The moon is high, like your friends were the night that we first met. Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet. Now I've read all of the books beside your bed.

It’s late at night and you are flipping through one of Sanji's cookbooks, the room dimly illuminated by the lamp beside your bed. Your thoughts wander as a cherished memory of the night that you met Sanji plays through your mind. You had been on your way home, the streets lit by the moon,  when you rounded a corner and collided with a blonde man sporting curly eyebrows. He’d seemed distressed and was in a rush, but as he looked into your eyes, there was a glimmer of hope. "Oh, I'm so sorry, mademoiselle," he'd apologized profusely, his voice carrying a trace of optimism. "I would never intentionally bump into someone as beautiful as yourself." You dismiss the action, quickly accepting his apology when you noticed he had an exotic blue and white plant in his hand. "Do you live around here? Do you know what kind of plant this is?" he asked. "My dumb friends ingested these and are acting completely loopy." He sighed with frustration.

You couldn't help but chuckle. "I know that plant," you'd said, still amused. "It's a potent hallucinogen. No wonder your friends are acting all loopy."

Sanji groaned in frustration at the revelation, his shoulders slumping. However, your offer to help shorten the effects lit up his face with gratitude.

"You do?! Really?" He'd sighed in relief. "You can't imagine how relieved I am to hear that. Thank you so much. How about I take you to them now?"

Sanji extended his hand to you, a bold move that you found irresistibly charming. You accepted it, your fingers intertwining with his, as he led you to where his friends awaited.

Later that day, once you were back in your own space, you sifted through every newspaper you possessed, hoping to find even a glimpse of the enigmatic cook from the Straw Hat Pirates who had captivated you that fateful night.

With the memory lingering like a sweet dream, you close the cookbook in your hands, placing it gently on the stack of cookbooks on Sanji's bedside table. Each of those books bore colorful tags, bookmarking the pages of recipes you hoped Sanji would make for you. Feeling content, you turn off the lamp and snuggle up against him, his warmth comforting you as you drift into a peaceful sleep. 

The wine is cold, Like the shoulder that I gave you in the street, Cat and mouse for a month or two or three, Now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe.

From the moment you bumped into each other, there was an undeniable spark between you. You tried to brush it off at first, but you couldn't deny that each second with him was filled with tantalizing moments that left your heart racing.

You'd often meet in the most unexpected places, exchanging witty banters and sly smiles. One day you'd find a charming note served with your food, a playful message filled with riddles only you can unravel. The next he shows up next to you, handing you your favorite drink with a wink.

You often would try to one-up one another, each trying to outdo the other with clever surprises and flirty gestures. A bouquet of flowers appeared on your pillow, and you would respond with an exotic fruit that he has been dreaming of trying. The chase was thrilling, and the tension undeniable. Sometimes your conversation would turn serious, and you'd share your dreams, fear and your past. These moments of vulnerability only deepened the connection between you two. You guys would revel in your childhood memories, share your hidden desires, making every conversation feel like a meaningful step toward something greater. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, this little game continued. You knew you were falling in love, but the excitement of the chase and the sweetness of the words left unspoken only added to the magic.

You wake up from your slumber, a smile gracing your lips at the fond memories that your mind replayed. You reach over and gently brush a piece of hair out of his face, watching his serene expression as he sleeps. Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright three times 'cause I've waited my whole life

Your gaze shifts to his lips, eyes lingering as you note the parting of his lips, the rhythm of his breaths like a soothing melody. You smile softly as you notice the drool that had escaped his lips and settled onto the pillow below him. It’s a sight that fills you with warmth and nostalgia, prompting you to reminisce about that unforgettable first kiss you both shared.

The tension between you two had become palpable. It was a warm evening on the Sunny, and the sun was dipping over the horizon, casting a golden hue over the ship’s deck. 

The night held a sense of promise, and it was clear that something was about to change between you and the cook. You found yourselves leaning against the ship’s rail, the salty breeze tugging at your hair and clothes. You had assisted Sanji in preparing a delicious dinner for the crew, sharing longing glances and laughter amongst the sizzling pans and aromatic spices that filled the air. The crew had enjoyed the fruits of your labor and began to disperse, leaving the two of you alone on the deck, the gentle lapping of the waves the only background noise. Sanji extended his hand, and you placed yours in his, fingers intertwining. There was an unspoken understanding between you two. He leaned in slowly, capturing your lips with a tenderness that surprised you both. His kiss was like a promise of all the unspoken words, a promise that was intoxicating. It was a moment of longing and patience, of waiting for something incredible.

As your lips parted, he kissed you again, a little deeper this time, as if to reassure you that the connection between you was real and profound. You felt the warmth of his affection in every touch and the depth of his feelings in the soft sigh that escaped your lips.

And just when you thought your heart might burst from the sheer intensity of the moment, he kissed you a third time. It was a kiss that declared his devotion and sealed the unspoken promise of your future together. I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings. Uh huh, that's right. Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this. Uh huh, that's right. Darling, you're the one I want.

You shift in bed, your eyes drawn to the jar of paper rings lovingly collected over the course of several months. These seemingly simple but deeply meaningful tokens held a special place in your heart, each representing cherished moments and declarations of love. With a smile, you reflect on the unique memory tied to every single one of those paper rings.

Sanji had many charming habits, one of which that he had recently developed was the practice of crafting paper rings. Every time he stumbled upon a stray piece of paper or a napkin, he couldn't resist the urge to fold it into an intricate ring and present it to you. 

These paper rings weren't just a whimsical hobby; they were his way of proposing, of showing his affection without the formality of a diamond ring or a grand gesture. The first time he'd presented you with a paper ring was on a starry night while the crew was celebrating on the deck. He'd taken a napkin, expertly folding it into a ring, and slipped it onto your finger with a grin.

"Mon amour," he said, looking into your eyes, "I know it's just paper, but one day I'll replace it with a proper ring. Until then, consider this a promise."

As the days turned into weeks and then months, he couldn't resist the urge to make more paper rings. You'd find them in your pocket, on your pillow, even in your morning coffee mug. They were simple, yet they held a deeper meaning—one that you cherished. The crew members aboard the Thousand Sunny grew accustomed to the sweet tradition. They'd watch with knowing smiles as Sanji would take a piece of paper and begin his craft. He'd tease you about how you were collecting more paper rings than he had eyebrows, and you'd simply laugh, knowing that each one was a testament to his love.

You're the one I want. In paper rings, in picture frames, and all my dreams. Oh, you're the one I want.

For the time being, you treasure your assortment of paper rings, patiently waiting for the day when Sanji surprises you with a genuine ring. Unbeknownst to you, a dazzling, shimmering ring resides hidden in his suit pocket, awaiting the perfect moment to make its appearance.

[mihai-florescu]

Kaname's mom and Subaru's dad (Kaname's idol fanatic mom jumping on stage and then falling to her death at Subaru's dad's concert, top solo idol at the peak of the industry, leading to uncovering of past misdeeds, his arrest, deteriorating health and death. Kaname isnt told what happened but knows he needs to be an idol because it's the thing his mom loved best, and Subaru spends his whole life under the threat of his dad's legacy, thinking he will meet the same fate as his dad. And yet he still chooses to pursue being an idol to make people smile, starting from his mom. In a funny twist of fate, decades later Kaname is attacked by the non special student body of Reimei when they're shown a video of his mom's sins being a catalyst of That Akehoshi's decline. But when a video accusing Subaru of being his dad's son is projected at the biggest idol event of the year, he is protected by the friends he's made, escaping the same fate.)

Madara's parents and Kanata's mom (Madara's parents with their numerous connections helping Kanata's mom fake her death to set her free, to escape the cult worshipping her. Madara spending his entire youth trying to destroy the cult and give Kanata back his humanity, feeling like he's failed because he couldn't do it on his own when it was never a task that could be done alone in the first place)

Izumi's parents (They're controlling Izumi throughout his childhood to follow their wishes and expectations of him, but Izumi chooses one thing for himself that they don't agree with - Makoto. Eventually he grows up to follow in his parents' footsteps by trying to control Makoto himself to protect him from potentially getting hurt)

Jun's dad and Nagisa's "dad" (Jun's dad raising him to be a solo super idol that can defeat Jin, but Jun only flourishes when he joins a unit with Hiyori and stops seeing being an idol as a duty. Similarly Nagisa being raised to be the next supreme idol, finding warmth and a family in his unit instead of being alone at the top)

Wataru and his adoptive parents (who didn't pay much attention to him, leading to Wataru constantly learning new tricks to outdo himself until eventually he couldn't be understood by those around him anymore...)

Arashi's parents (individualistic and uncaring, leading to her developing the big sis persona to not let others feel unsupported as she was growing up)

Tsumugi and his mom (who has failed, got scammed by religious organizations and brought trouble to the point of divorce, and despite it all, Tsumugi can't give up on her, his mom who was for a long time the only stable connection in his life. Tsumugi who learns the signs of a scam and to avoid them. Tsumugi who is in charge of the SNS at school where the students start railing against Kanata's religion and recognize him as a fake god. Tsumugi who develops a big bro helpful persona to make himself useful. Tsumugi who considers becoming a teacher because of it, who gets confronted by Natsume "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or have you forgotten that's the same vocation your mom failed at?" Tsumugi who is very much aware and had decided to make a separate path for himself, one continuing as an idol in Switch, even before Natsume's words.)

Man. Enstars characters and the relation to their parents, the expectations, subversions, accidental following in their footsteps etc. I couldve worded this entire post so much better and added more characters, but you get the gist. This is all just my understanding, if you think anything is off please let me know. And I did not mention every character so if you think I missed something important also share.

[silviakundera]

18 episodes into Fateful Love, my honest raw thoughts:

It has that classic chinese drama feel - no Netflix-ification or Disney+ influences here!

It feels like a webnovel come to life on screen - you know how The Double is technically a web novel adaption, but it didn't FEEL like the novel at all? Not the case here!

Just like one of those tropey, excessive webnovels where the FL has a secret identity, outdoes everybody, has Very Special Talents™, marries a lord/prince, and there are an endless supply of bumbling, cartoonish villains who are all out to get her (for paper-thin reasons)

Hilariously fake looking props! The dagger with plastic ornaments on it and the scorpion ring really took me out. INCREDIBLE.

Battle guqin!! I unironically love wuxia that uses the qin as a weapon. 👏 👏 👏

YAAAAASSSSS blow shit up with your string instrument

Many entertaining fight scenes and some nice on-location scenery

The emperor character feels like the idea of an emperor if a 12 year old wrote it?? 🤔 He's just very absurd and his motivations are all over the place. Sometimes he is judging murder cases for some reason and sometimes he's scheming with his equally dumb and ridiculous consort. Very unserious people.

I keep having the sense that this is just like watching a mini-drama, except they put the filler back in. (If you are enjoying Fateful Love, definitely check out: "What Happened to My Princess?" and "Rise from the Ashes")

The main couple is fine. They have some chemistry and they're both likeable characters. I do enjoy the 'love after marriage' trope.

Compared to costume drama "Debit Queen", which was just quietly released by iqiyi, this one has a FL who is an adult woman who acts like an adult.

I'm enjoying FL's odd friendship with the enemy prince. Here's hoping he doesn't get weird & lovelorn about her. I prefer it as 'your mom was my shifu, now I'll be your shifu' dynamic - they should keep martial qin instructions going regardless of the larger political situation (yeah I'm at war w your husband, but have you memorized that finger position yet??)

You know you're watching classic cdrama when a female character who has been posing successfully as a man is completely exposed the moment her hair comes tumbling down, the crowd suddenly realizing 😂😂

Bottom line: this is not Nirvana in Fire or Joy of Life or Love Like The Galaxy, nor is it trying to be. It's often quite silly and it's meant to be entertaining. Don't come looking for complex characterization or clever plotting, just ask for a good time and don't think too hard about why things are happening or if it makes sense that character A would/could reasonably act like that to character B. Don't worry, be happy.

[feelmyskinonyourskin]

Who We Are and Who We Want to Be [Enemies to Lovers Trope]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Female Reader

Trope de Sept Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Enemies to Lovers dynamic 1. Two characters overcome their differences/misconceptions about each other, realising they are actually in love. Often with phrases like 'I didn't know where else to go.' and 'I don't hate you, I never hated you.' "After leaving your abusive boyfriend, you end up in the one place you never thought you would - the home of your arch nemesis in both law school and the courtroom, Matt Murdock."

Warnings: No use of Y/N. Female Reader. Mentions of physical abuse to reader (not by Matt. No details of the incident are described, just the aftermath is mentioned.)

WC: 4,350

*I never give permission for my fics, manips, or any other original creation I post on this site to be copied, posted elsewhere, translated, or fed into any AI program. The only platform I currently post anything on is Tumblr. Thanks!*

The rain was falling even harder than when you had left your apartment. Every hit of the heavy drops did nothing to help the pain swelling in your left cheek. 

You weren’t exactly sure where you were going, you just knew you needed to leave where you had been. 

Sure, he’d shown signs of some anger issues before, but tonight he crossed a line. You knew how the statistics ended and you didn’t want to be one of them.

You couldn’t see more than a foot in front of you. The chill in the air clung to your skin through your soaked clothing. With a shiver, you paused for a moment, seeking refuge under an awning to take a moment and finally assess your next move.

The gold letters of the sign in front of you jumped out at you like a beacon of light in the dark, rainy night.

Nelson, Murdock, and Page

Attorneys at Law

Goddamnit. 

Of course cruel fate would lead you here. Sure, let the universe make your boyfriend go full-abusive asshole and land you right in front of the office of the guy who had been your nemesis since law school, all in one night. What higher power did you piss off to deserve this?

There was no indication the rain would let up soon, so you made your decision with a shake of your head and turned the handle of the door in front of you.

ONE DAY EARLIER

Hate was a strong word to describe the relationship that you and Matt Murdock had with each other. Your time together at law school had always been tumultuous, to say the least. Each of you tried to outdo each other in both academic success and extra curriculars and were constantly at each other's throats both in and outside of class. Things had cooled off a bit in the years since, only interacting with each other when you’d occasionally face off in the courtroom, though he still found ways to drive you absolutely bonkers given the opportunity. Anyone who knew the two of you could feel the tension anytime you’d have to be in the same room together.

The tap tap tap of his cane against the marble floors alerted you he was walking towards you, giving you plenty of time to compose yourself and not make a dramatic scene in a public place where the kind of outburst you wanted to have towards him would get you either fired, disbarred, or arrested. 

Court had been dismissed for the weekend. The judge determined the trial needed to carry into next week for even more evidence presentation before the jury would be allowed to deliberate.

“You know, not presenting all evidence to the defense during the gathering phase is technically illegal. That little stunt you pulled while my client was on the stand was cute, but if I report it, it could get you a mistrial.” 

As Matt spoke to you in the hallway just outside the courtroom, you tried not to notice how his cologne was the perfect blend of spiciness and lumber. You also tried not to notice how his suits fit better and better every time you see him, unlike how gangly and awkward he looked in second-hand sports jackets in law school. Curse his suave attractiveness, always winning over juries and influencing judges.

“I did give you all the evidence we had at the time. It’s not my firm’s fault the DA’s office is slower than molasses and got us these files after the evidence gathering stage. We submitted it as additional evidence as soon as we got our hands on it. You also have the capability to pull public records, Matthew. So don’t pretend my firm has some sneaky, unfair advantage in this case.”

“I’m sorry that I use my Columbia education to actually help people. Nice to know not everyone from our graduating class was immune to the appeal of taking big law firm money to make sure corporations can take advantage of as many people as possible.”

A dry laugh escaped your lips. You tried not to raise your voice, as judges and reporters walked by, all rushing to leave work and begin their weekend plans.

“Is that really so bad, Matt? I’m just doing my job, trying to use the law to help my client. Same as you are.”

An exasperated sigh left his lips as he tilted his head skyward, also trying to put aside past tension between the two of you for the sake of professionalism. 

“Have a good weekend.” he said, before turning and walking away

“I… I didn’t know where else to go.” was the first thing you stuttered out as the low light cast him in a harsh glow in the dim office.

Head cocked, listening in to figure out exactly who was in his office at this late hour, Matt crossed the room in three steps to stand in front of you. The water dripping off of you hit the musty carpet with a splat. He continued to not speak, only listen, as you breathed heavily in front of him. Even though you knew he couldn’t see you, you’d still never felt so exposed in front of someone.

He ran a hand with feather-like softness over your face, ghosting his touch against the bruise forming there.

“You’re hurt.” he finally spoke

“I… how can you tell?”

“My dad was a boxer. I patched him up after matches a lot. I know what a bruise feels like, especially a fresh one. What happened?”

“My boyfriend… he um…” but the words died on your lips 

“I couldn’t stay. I just left and ran and the rain and…” you rambled “I ended up here.”

“Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?” he asked

“No.”

“Then you’ll stay with me. For tonight at least, until we can figure something out for you.”

“Matt, I can’t ask that of you.”

“You're not asking, I’m offering. Besides, Foggy and I work on domestic violence cases all the time. We know a lot of people and can get you in touch with a lot of resources.”

You were warry. Matt and you hadn’t exactly gotten along in the past and now he was the opposing counsel in the biggest case of your career. Why was he suddenly so keen to be kind to you? But you truly had nowhere else to go tonight.

“But in the morning.” he continued “It’s late. There’s an Ethiopian place on my block. I could even order some sambusas for you. I know you like them with spiced chicken.”

“How do you know that?”

“Our second year of law school. Professor Hardwick made us pair up on the debate team together. When we’d all be in the library late, it was what you always ordered.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that. Matt, that was so long ago.”

2010

The floorboards of the old building creaked as you stepped, making your way down the hallway to your very first lecture of law school. You couldn’t contain your excitement. Finally done with undergrad, finally at your dream school, finally taking the first steps towards your dream career.

A few students had trickled in already and you took a seat next to a young man wearing sunglasses. He was chatting to his sandy-haired friend, both giving you a smile as you took your seat and removed a few essentials from your backpack.

“What did you think of the readings?” the dark-haired, blind student turned to you

“The readings? Shit! I didn’t know we had any!” you lamented

“It’s okay. I’m sure a lot of people forgot or didn’t know.”

“What were they on?” you asked

“First amendment. Mostly just covered a few cases relevant to section 9.2. I think the cases were Blair v. USA, USA v. Madden and Turner Broadcasting, and Zurcher v. Stanford Daily. We’ve got 15 minutes until class starts, I bet you could give them a quick read through.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re a life saver! Thank you!” you responded, flipping open your textbook and frantically searching for the case summaries.

“I’m Matt, by the way. Matt Murdock.”

You introduced yourself hurriedly just as you found the first reading and he returned to whatever he and his friend with the bad goatee were discussing.

Sure enough, the professor arrived 15 minutes later and began class. It was a rather standard first day - syllabus review, absentee policies, essay submission rules. 

Then he asked “Can anyone summarize one of the cases assigned in your readings?”

You raised your hand eagerly and were selected.

“USA v. Madden and Turner Broadcasting established clearer defined rules for who is considered a journalist and who is able to keep sources confidential in a court of law.”

The professor paused, staring you down.

“That’s true. But the assigned readings were on section 10.2 of the First Amendment. Doctrine on Freedoms of Assembly and Petition… You know close and thorough reading comprehension are essential skills for a lawyer.” 

You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks at the professor’s lambastation. Another student was called on, and the professor began the lecture, but it was all drowned out in a mental spiral of embarrassment and shame. 

“That was incredibly cruel Matt!” you whispered to your neighbor “Giving me the wrong readings just so I’d embarrass myself!”

“I didn’t! I did the wrong ones too!” he rasped back

“Uhuh, sure you did!”

“Is there a problem?” the professor spoke up, causing the whole lecture hall to turn and look at you and Matt, embarrassing you for the second time

You shook your head no, stared at your notebook, and tried to focus as the professor returned to his lecture once more.

All you knew after that day was Matt Murdock was not to be trusted if you wanted to find success for the next three years at Columbia.

Matt’s apartment was cozy. Full of textures, though you supposed if you couldn’t see the place you lived, that’d be the thing to do to make it feel like home. 

You weren’t surprised, then, to find that everything else there was too – the loofa in his shower, the plush towels you used to dry your now steam-warmed body, and the gray sweatpants and navy Columbia law shirt he handed you afterwards.

“Why is a brilliant lawyer like you putting up with a guy like that?” he asked over half-devoured takeout containers

“You think I’m a brilliant lawyer?”

“I always have. But that wasn’t the question.”

“Okay, counselor.” you jested back

You didn’t want to get into it tonight, to relive all the failings of your love life and how you ended up here. But you did; afterall what else did you have to exchange for his kindness except your vulnerability?

After you finished, the story concluding in the present moment, there was silence. It hung between the two of you as Matt chewed on your words.

“Do you remember our law dissertation class in our third year?” he finally spoke

“Yeah.”

“You gave a closing statement about the case we presented, 

‘Legislative judgements of the court serve as constant reminders that, in the view of all-male decision-making bodies, life should be arranged in a way only they see fit for the rest of us. We must constantly use the law to dismantle their notions, in order to create a society that is legally inclusive for all it applies to.’

“Yeah I remember that. What about it?

“I have it typed up in braille, on this little frame on my desk, back at the office. I read it over sometimes. Helps me remember just exactly who the law should be for. For everyone, not just the powerful. I would think the person who said that wouldn’t put up with a jerk of a boyfriend.”

Laughter erupted throughout your body and you felt yourself smile, a real genuine smile for the first time that evening.

“Matt. I didn’t say that. I mean I did but it was… I was quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It seemed relevant to pull a statement on the matter from one of our supreme court justices at the time. It was like in a letter she wrote to Scalia about one of their favorite operas or something. Wait, you thought I thought of that?”

“I actually did, yeah. It was such a strong closing statement, I figured only someone as smart as you could have come up with it.”

“Smart? I’m sorry Matt, did you just compliment me?”

“I did.” he said with a chuckle “But don’t get used to it.”

“And for the past, what like, 12 years you've had that sitting on your desk, thinking of me every time you read it?”

“Yeah,” he sighed “Go ahead, make fun of me.”

“You know what, I will spare you just this one time from my mockery. Only because I think it’s sweet. I can't believe you remembered something I said in law school. You hated me then.”

“I never hated you. Admired you for sure. Jealous at times, absolutely. But I never hated you.”

“Huh, I always just thought you did.”

2013

“Matthew Michael Murdock! Open this door right now!” you screamed as you banged on the door of Matt and Foggy’s dorm

Matt opened it cautiously, already knowing the reason you were about to chew him out.

You stepped up, nearly nose to nose with him.

“How could you? This is low, even for you Murdock.”

“Please, just let me explain…”

“No. I don’t need your shitty explanation. I know we haven’t gotten along since day one, but even so – you know I’m an excellent student, you know I’m gonna be a good lawyer, and yet… Why did you tell Jeremy Landman I wouldn’t be a good fit for the internship?”

“Because you wouldn’t be.” Matt responded, coldly

“Are you fucking serious? I would be an amazing fit at that firm! I work twice as hard as you two chucklefucks in every single class,” you indicated to Foggy, who was sitting listening intently on the bed behind Matt. “You’ve been interns there the whole year, I just wanted a summer internship while I study for the bar! I got the rejection call this morning. And they said it was your fault. Because you told your boss I wasn’t a good fit.”

“Listen. I’m sorry. I know that internship was important to you, but I was being honest. You wouldn’t be the right fit there.”

The tears started flowing down your face as Matt remained emotionless before you.

“Don’t you dare ever speak to me again, Matthew. I want nothing to do with you!” you shouted, turning on your heel and rushing back down the hall, determined not to clue Matt into just how hard you were crying.

Matt closed the door with a sigh.

“Jesus Matt, she’s right. That was really shitty of you.” Foggy said

“Look… I had a good reason.”

“Was the reason because you hate her, because if that’s what it is, I’m gonna come over there and hit you, Murdock.”

“No. The reason I told them not to pick her for the internship, Jeremey Landman is… look, he’s been a great mentor this year but he doesn’t necessarily treat the female interns and employees with as much… respect.” Matt explained

“Okay, so why haven’t you said anything? To HR. To her?”

“I didn’t want to stir the pot, you know, mess things up for us. I was worried if I said anything, they’d just fire me and I worried you’d get thrown in the mix too.”

“Okay, but at least tell her…” Foggy indicated toward the door

“No. She’ll find something better. She’s right, she’s gonna be a good lawyer. She’ll find an even better internship at an even better firm.”

Matt’s sheets were luxurious to say the least. Cool and calming against your skin as you slumbered under the glow of the billboard and the sounds of the heavy rain still beating down hours later. 

You didn’t notice the shadow sneaking out of the apartment through the roof access door, nor did you notice when it returned a few hours later. You slept peacefully as the blood from his fists ran down the drain, as the rain-soaked crimson suit was tucked back into the worn trunk, and as the exhausted lawyer crept back through the living room and tucked himself into the worn leather sofa.

The ring of your phone happened far too early for your liking, an unfamiliar number popping up on your screen as you rubbed your bleary eyes.

Matt tried not to eavesdrop, a difficult task with his precise hearing and the echoing ceilings of his loft.

The words “Nearly comatose” and “Mysterious circumstances” shouldn’t have caused the grin that spread across his face, but they did.

“I’m sorry, but he and I actually broke up. I’ve been staying with a friend, so I have no idea what happened. Please remove me as his emergency contact and reach out to someone else.” 

And then you hung up the phone.

You clued Matt in over a cup of coffee as the sun rose in streaking beams across the brick walls of his home. He listened with concern, trying not to let on to the fact he knew why you’d received that phone call or that he had been the cause of it.

“Don’t act like he didn’t deserve it.”

“Wow, how very Catholic of you, Matthew.”

“So you’re staying with a friend huh?”

An arrogant smile spread across his annoyingly handsome face. How typical of him. He heard your phone conversation and still let you ramble on for at least ten minutes and had the nerve to throw your own phrasing back in your face.

Still, he had been nothing but kind and gentle to you the past 12 hours, so you owed it to him to at least try and not be annoyed with him. You took a deep breath.

“I mean, you let me stay with you last night. And you heavily implied you and Foggy are going to get me some resources to help me. That’s something a friend would do.

“It’s nice. Being your friend. It’s a good change.”

“Yeah I guess it is. Look, Matt… I know I’ve been kind of harsh on you. Sometimes.” you said, extending a metaphorical olive branch

Matt chuckled and shook his head, holding out an open palm to stop you.

“Water under the bridge.”

“But really. Thank you.” 

“Can I ask you something?” he inquired

“Yeah”

“When we were in law school… why did you never give me a chance?” 

“Matt, you had a new girlfriend like, every month. I don’t think there was ever an opportunity for me to even try!”

“I… that wasn’t at all what I was asking. I just meant why you seemed to hate me from the get go. Wait, did you want to… you know, give me a chance in that way?” he asked

“No. I mean, maybe at one time. Like when I first met you, I thought you were cute. But then I got to know what a jerk you were…”

“I was a jerk? What about you?! You literally rented the one braille book on Civil Procedure from the library a week before finals just so I wouldn’t be able to study!”

“That wasn’t why I rented it!” you argued back

“Why else would you?!”

“Because I was trying to learn braille!”

“With a law book?!”

“I was trying to help you! You’d missed so many classes that semester and then your girlfriend broke up with you and it just seemed like you were really struggling and I actually felt bad for you for a change and thought maybe I could help you study.” 

“By renting the one book I needed?”

“My thought process was that it might be easier to study if we could read from the same book but since you can’t see, I wanted to learn braille so I could help you better… then I caught that awful flu that was going around and I couldn’t get it back to the library before finals.”

His pink lips parted, tongue darting out as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. 

You thought about how he looked almost like the Matt you knew back then. So used to seeing him in sharp suits in court rooms these days, his morning ensemble of sweatpants and a simple black t-shirt reminded you more of the heartbroken Matt you knew from late nights in the library and off-campus parties. Even then, you rarely got to admire how the light reflected in his hazel eyes, usually covered by glasses. How unlike him, you thought, to not wear his glasses in front of you. It’s almost as if he was trying to match your current state of vulnerability.

“I had no clue you had a thing for me back then.” he said

You nearly spit your coffee across his countertop.

“I’m sorry, I did not say I had a thing for you. I said you were pitiful enough to make me want to do something nice. That is not a ‘thing’ Matthew.”

“But when I asked why you didn’t give me a chance, that’s where your brain went. You said I was cute.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing he couldn’t see the gesture of annoyance. 

“Then Matt. I said you were cute back then.”

Matt smirked, hearing the wavering of your heartbeat to know it was a lie. You thought he was cute now. Using that information to push his luck, he continued

“You know I sort of had a thing for you too.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am! You were smart and so stubborn. You smelled nice. And your laugh… It’s always the one thing I can pick out of a crowded lecture hall or busy courthouse.”

“Wait, Matt are you saying you had a crush on me?”

“Yeah.” he confirmed

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought you hated me.”

“I never hated you.”

“Oh come on, you absolutely did.” he argued

“No. I didn’t. You were just always so arrogant. You still are. In law school, you got any girl you wanted and you usually did. You charmed all the professors into liking you, meanwhile I worked my ass off and barely got noticed.”

You picked up your coffee cup and took a giant swig, black liquid fueling your rambling.

“And it’s the same these days with judges and juries. It’s not like you aren’t a good lawyer, I know you are. I just get so jealous sometimes that the blind thing seems to get you sympathy and special perks from the get go, plus all the suave personality that I don’t have usually gets people on your side even without all the solid evidence against my prosecution you usually gather.”

“So, you’re jealous?” 

“I guess. But Matt, I promise, I don’t hate you.”

“Well you might, for what I’m about to say.”

“Okay. What could you possibly say that could make me actually hate you?”

He rested his forearms on the kitchen counter, leaning in as if he was about to share a secret, even though it was just the two of you in his apartment.

“Give the case you’re working on to someone else.” he spoke, low voice rumbling in his chest as the seriousness of his request hung in the air.

“What?!”

“You’re in no state to show up in court tomorrow.”

You hadn’t yet dared to look in a mirror to see if there was physical evidence from what happened with your boyfriend last night. But you knew Matt wasn’t just talking about that, it was the emotional component too.

“Are you serious?! You’re telling me to drop the biggest case of my life because my boyfriend was an ass? All in some weird ploy so that you can win?”

“Really? You think I give a shit about beating you in court? This isn’t about that. It’s about making sure you’re okay!”

“You liar! You just want to win this case!” you shouted back

“Are you ever not the most stubborn person on this planet?”

“I am when I don’t have to deal with you.”

He rounded the kitchen counter to stand in front of you, all caution thrown to the wind as he cupped your jaw and pulled you close to him.

“Just shut up.” he murmured before his mouth was on yours, soft and tender and full of years of pent up desire.

You didn’t resist, leaning into his warm, plush lips as they opened up to you, deepening the kiss.

You weren’t sure who pulled apart first, but neither of you dared to separate much, staying close enough that you could feel his labored, warm breath on your face.

“If I promise to give the case to Foggy, will you promise to give your side to someone else at your firm? Then we can spend this week getting you a new place and a restraining order.”

You nodded, not sure what else to say. 

He kissed you once more, a seal on the agreement the two of you just made.

You just got out of possibly the worst relationship of your life and now the last man you thought you’d ever go out with was offering you a new beginning. What did you possibly have to lose by taking this leap?

“Maybe…” you finally spoke up “you can take me to dinner. To celebrate if we get all of that done.”

“Okay.” he agreed

Maybe one day, he’ll tell you what really happened that night after you fell asleep in his bed. Reveal to you what he does in the dark, why he started this double life, intent on protecting people just like you. But for now, he’s content to just share a warm cup of coffee and a kiss in the morning, and the promise of more mornings like this on the horizon.

[yujo-nishimura]

Red Hair or Red Nose?

Comment: I haven't written anything like this in 20 years, so please be gentle with me and my attempt to be creative. ;) Buggy, Shanks x fem reader - I had the idea that the real reason for their rivalry was a love interest. This is rather fluffy and romantic, I tend to write SFW but I might continue adding some spice later.. ;)

Also don't hate me for the title <3

Warning: English is not my native language, I only write for the enjoyment, I have been a One Piece fan for 20 years, but not as dedicated as I am supposed to. ;)

It has been several years since you made the decision to part ways with the Red-Haired Pirates and embark on your own journey. The initial entertainment of the constant rivalry between Shanks and Buggy, which was funny at first, had gradually transformed into a farce that grew increasingly tiresome. As a young girl, you felt incapable of pledging your loyalty to either of these captains. Instead, you held your own vision of adventure and exploration on the Grand Line.

Having spent some years on Gold D. Roger's ship, you reached a point where you felt it was time to forge your own path. With a heavy heart, you bid farewell to your fellow crew members, leaving behind a profoundly saddened Shanks and a furious Buggy. You recognized that it was necessary to discover your true self and create some distance from those who sought to control and dictate your life.

However, deep down, you held onto the hope that someday you would cross paths with your childhood friends once more. You eagerly anticipated that, as they matured, Shanks and Buggy would overcome their rivalry and conflicts, transforming into an unbeatable duo, renowned as the most daring and fearless pirates on the Grand Line.

Little did you expect that fate would bring you together again, reuniting all three of you in one location. To your dismay, you discovered that nothing had changed in their immaturity and insatiable desire to outdo one another. The relentless competition and quarrels went on, defying your hopes for a more harmonious reunion.

Seated in a cozy pub within a small town, you found yourself taking a break while your modest crew of five ventured out to gather supplies for your journey. Beside you, the navigator quietly sipping his drink, engrossed in studying the surrounding islands' charts. With a sense of tranquility, you sipped on your third whiskey, relishing the calm that washed over you. The previous days at sea had been harsh and tiresome, and this brief intermission served as a well deserved break.

Reflecting upon your role as captain, you couldn't help but acknowledge the absence of a warning about the challenges and responsibilities that would accompany your departure from Gold D. Roger's crew. Sometimes you were just really tired and wished you had chosen a different path. Not being the one to everybody was relying on, but having someone to rely on yourself. Your crew loved you and was loyal, but you knew that it was not always easy to make the right decisions.

Amidst the silence, your thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a quarrel coming from outside. A distinct laughter, filled with warmth and familiarity, pierced through the peaceful atmosphere, contrasting against an enraged voice that screamed:

"What did you say? You were lying about the treasure map? Damn you!"

"It was a spur of the moment thing, Buggy!"

As the words reached your ears, a surge of disbelief washed over you, leaving you momentarily speechless. The voice, the name—it couldn't be true! In an instant, you rose from your seat, causing your navigator to stumble in surprise. "Captain...?" With determination across your face, you swung open the pub's door, your eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before you.

There they stood, the two individuals you hadn't laid eyes upon in years. Buggy the Clown, his face split by an angry grin, standing confidently at one end, his blue hair hidden under his hat. Shanks, the charismatic captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, standing at the other end, his trademark red hair shining in the moonlight.

As your gaze fixed upon the grown men before you, disbelief washed over you once more. Both Shanks and Buggy had transformed into striking individuals, tall and muscular. Shanks, draped in a dark cape, possessed an air of tranquility and composure that radiated from him and his charming smile. In contrast, Buggy's flamboyant attire, adorned with vibrant colors, accentuated his clown nose and his face adorned with flashy makeup. They were undeniably stunning.

A gulp escaped your throat as a peculiar sensation stirred within you, similar to fluttering butterflies or perhaps little caterpillars partying in your intestines. It might also just be the Whiskey. When had those two teenage boys blossomed into these charismatic pirate captains? And more importantly, when would they notice your presence, frozen in astonishment, between their encounter?

To be continued...

[wishmemel]

jjk men tropes

Businessman! Gojo Satoru who’s forced into a contract marriage with you through no will of his own. you’ve watched him from afar for years (you could even go as far as to call yourself one of his admirers) but he’s never paid a glance in your direction. that all changes when fate throws a wrench in both your lives and has you preparing for a wedding that you neither want nor need. Gojo Satoru is incredibly good-looking, to his credit, but coming into contact with his arrogant attitude always leaves a sour note in your mouth. he’s nothing like you dreamt he would be in your head: charming, clever, and playful. where had you gone wrong in analyzing his personality? it was those deceptive blue eyes, wasn’t it? they had reeled you in and left you paralyzed, unable to pull away. so you’d made up a fictional world in your head with him as the star, and now that he hasn't lived up to your expectations, you’re finding yourself sorely disappointed. the only thing that can come out of this is Satoru's stubbornness when it comes to suddenly changing your mind, despite his previous nonchalance. maybe it's because he finds that it's not so bad having someone to come home to and eat dinner with and open the wine bottle for and kiss awkward goodbyes to. and maybe the two of you could do this for a little longer than what the contract had stated and maybe he'll give you a kid just so that he can have some memory of you when you leave and maybe he'll be able to convince you that he's not all that bad. (maybe he'll be able to convince you to stay.)

Tattoo Artist! Geto Suguru who has been your best friend since preschool. he’s reserved and shy, different from your usual types, and he spends most of his nights in, drawing elaborate sketches in his notebooks or enjoying movie nights with you. on days where you can convince him to come out with you, the two of you end up drunk at karaoke bars, singing your hearts out. it’s the first time you’ve noticed just how beautiful Suguru can be, especially the way he doubles over laughing after hearing your singing, and the way he outdoes you in every song with a voice that could drive women to their knees. he's not the type to say his thoughts aloud or even the kind to admit his own feelings to himself. if Suguru is good at one thing, it's running. but he hasn't run from you yet. he tells himself that he's just waiting for the right opportunity to let you down and leave, and he tells himself that it's not because his heart clenches at the thought of your eyes filled with tears, hands tugging at his shirt, begging him to stay. Suguru has been here long enough to know that everyone that you needed left the same way: by walking straight out the door without a second thought. so since you were kids, Suguru, only two years older than you, would look out for you like an older brother might, squaring up to the bullies on the playground in elementary and knocking out your persistent ex-boyfriends when you two were a little bit older. he wishes you would read his mind and make the decision for him. everything would be a little simpler if you knew what he was thinking and made him promise to stay before he could even take the first step to leave. (the same way a younger version of you had made him pinky promise on the playground to never leave.)

Boxer! Fushigoru Toji with bruised knuckles, various scars, and a set of washboard abs that you frequently dream of doing your laundry on. he dedicates his fights to you and promises to win in your name, regardless of those around you who call him a foolish romantic. his lopsided smirk, cruel and dangerous, is enough to shut their mouths as soon as they meet his dark eyes. knowing that boxing isn’t really your style, the two of you met at a bar where Toji worked part-time as a bartender and full-time as an arrogant flirt. it had been that troublesome smile that drew you in. danger was never something you balked from. rather, the opposite; it had butterflies swarming your stomach, unable to tell if they were from fear or excitement. it had you swaying on your feet from lightheadedness, caught between good for your heart and bad for your health. but when he takes you on his motorcycle, that seals the deal. it doesn’t matter that he refuses to put a label on your relationship. and it doesn’t matter that he refuses to make you two exclusive. what matters is that you wake up in his bed on sunday mornings and have breakfast with him until he has to leave for “business.” what matters is that you’re the only woman on his phone because Toji’s reluctantly told you that he’s an orphan. what matters is that someday he’ll call you his and that day will come soon. you know it will. you just have to be patient. (someday he'll say he loves you back.)

Ex-Lover! Ryoumen Sukuna who just can’t seem to let you slip from his fingers. he’s possessive and he’s obsessive, but he can’t let you go, and he doesn’t care what anyone else says but you’re his and god forbid you see anyone other than him. if you’re on dates with other guys, Sukuna will have them running for the hills with a mere glance in their direction, and if you’re a little frustrated by that, then it’s no worries. he’s here to cool your anger. he’s here, so you can vent your frustrations and tell him you hate him and call him all those names. he loves when you lie to him. he wishes he could hear it all the time. he thinks you’re so cute when you’re pretending to be mad at him and acting up for attention. oh, you’ll get that attention, all right. Sukuna won’t let you get away without it. then you’ll be on you’re knees, begging and pleading for a second chance, just like his pretty porcelain doll should be doing. he’ll hold you tight and whisper fervent promises of how he’ll never let you go ever again. and it's so romantic in his head; picturing the fear that'll widen those doe eyes, the shortness of breath you'll feel when he tells you his plans like a cliche villain, the irregular beats of your heart that he'll relish in hearing. you know he’ll never ever let you escape from his fingertips like that again. and you'd sooner kill yourself than be stuck with Sukuna a second time but he doesn't know that. (if he did, he'd burn the entire world to bring you back.)

Colleague! Nanami Kento who is so uptight that you can’t help teasing him on every off chance that you two find your paths crossing (which happens to be more and more frequently these days, you must admit.) he’s been in love with you since the day you stepped into the office, your sharp look matching the sleek dress pants that you wore that day, but hasn’t yet found a way to express it yet, other than asking if you liked love in your coffee the first day that you’d been assigned a desk beside his. you’d given him a blank stare that he seems to have interpreted as a death glare and he’d profusely mumbled apologies under his breath, vowing never to speak to you or look in your direction again. however, somehow, through some magic, you’d both reached this in-between point of talking where you weren’t quite friends yet, but you were definitely acquaintances. acquaintances and colleagues and why was he so desperate to put a label on his relationship with you? he's always been able to draw the line first and maintain his professionalism, but you're always leaning over to laugh at jokes that your other colleague makes and he thinks it's so distracting the way your eyes light up and crinkle at the corners. and one day Kento finds that he suddenly has a great sense of humour and a penchant for making you laugh the way your other coworker could never. (it's not a competition. but if it was... Kento would win in a heartbeat.)

[malisorn]

★ || 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝

Pairing | Aemond Targaryen x Fem!Reader

Summary | You always have a way of getting what you want and if you want to marry the prince, you will ๋࣭ ⭑ Inspired by “Mastermind - Taylor Swift”

Warnings & Suggestions | Fluff, very low-key Soft Dark Reader, Reader being a literal mastermind, No Physical Description of Reader

Red Keep is a place full of power-hungry men and determined women. To survive in a place like this, you need to outsmart the fools, yet you can't outdo the wise, you can't be too bright or too dull either. Everyone has their parts to play as each other's pawn. You do too, but the difference is you knew your pawn and the game you play.

Your parents have told you before that your purpose here is to marry a man from a noble house, gain an alliance and live a life raising heirs. But those words didn't please your ears, you won't wait for them to sell you off to a drunkard who would father dozens of bastards. For the least, you would like to wed someone you want and you knew you have a choice the night you saw him for the first time, you knew he was meant to be yours and nothing was gonna stop you.

A Targaryen man from the blood of the dragon, the son of the King, the prince of the realm. The Targaryens often marry within their own family, although his mother is a Hightower. His brother and sister were already married with a set of twin. While he is still a man free of betrothal, soon enough, his queen mother and grandfather would find him a match, a match that would only end with you and him.

After countless nights, you have come up with a plan. You begin with weeks of observing him and caught up to his routine. He wakes up early, practices swordplay every morning and noon. In the evening, he can be found in the library reading a book about the olden days or morals of life. Often times, you saw him on Vhagar as they flew around, breathing dragonfire. You looked up to the wide sky and the mighty beast. Sooner or later, you will be mounting that dragon. On a day where he was not seen in a training yard, he would accompanied his queen mother and sister, those who he seems to be close with the most. After writing down all this information, you try to figure out all about him and every possibility. Now, you know what you must do to ensure a seat beside him.

You started with appearing everywhere he was. He visited the Sept? You were also there praying to the maiden. He read in the library? You were already there, picking one of his favorite book. He goes to spend time with his sister? There you are linked in arms with Helaena as you two walk through the garden. And to lit the fuse, your hand suddenly brushed his as you walked pass him every single time, as if it's all accidental, you didn't even pay a mind to look back, only walk away. After multiple times, brief glances started to exchange, polite smiles spread across your face when you catch his gaze, yet no conversation was ever occurred, not until-

“My Lady” he called out. Finally, you think to yourself with a sly smile before turning to him with a naively confused face. “My Prince” You stood calm and flashed him a smile. All the groundwork you have laid leads you here, to this moment, just as you have planned.

Ever since then, you two have been seen together more than often. A walk through the garden side by side, a match of cyvasse in the library that somehow ends with your victory, and a quiet evening as you two paced on a beach. “I am thankful that the gods have brought us together, My Lady” he said. You're welcome. “Same as I, my prince, fate is truly a mysterious work of art.” You smirk before switching back to a naive one. You cannot be too obvious. He can't know but only if he did. Fate really is a powerful thing, but it is useless without the work of one or another. You wouldn't be standing here with him if all you did was pray and hope for the best. You have to plan and take actions. With that, you get closer to him inch by inch every day. It takes time and you are more than welcome to provide. He grew to trust you, softened only for you, and a bond of a lifetime was formed.

Now, the two of you are holding each other's arms at a grand wedding decorated in shade of white and silver, flowers and silks laid down to perfection, standing in front of the Septon as you exchange your vows to your other half in front of your gods and your kins.

“With this kiss I pledge my love”

“And I, take you for my lord and husband"

"And I, take you for my lady and wife"

The Septon pronounces you as one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever. A husband and a wife, a long lifetime of love and devotion.

After the wedding, you couldn't help but feel a little guilty. You have always been this way since your childhood. You like having a little fun with your head and finding ways to get what you want while also being entertained in a way. You like to be loved but don't like to show others of how much you've done to get them. So is it wrong to trick him into loving you? You were not quite sure. To be fair, you didn't force him! You just set everything up from meeting him, talking to him and then it just presents its way, right? You didn't poison or bewitch him into loving you, didn't even harm anyone through your plan of becoming his wife, so why is it that you feel responsible for it all? You think about it for a while and decide that it must be said.

On a peaceful night when you and your husband lay on your shared bed. You confessed your “little schemes” to him, expecting a confusing reaction or shocking response, but instead, he simply smirks, the very same way you did when he first talked to you, “I knew”. Oh, “You knew!? You never- You never showed me that you did!”. After all these times, he has always knew. A wide smile spread across your face, he knew and he let you do it all. Why wouldn't he? It led him to you and now he's yours.

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images' credits ๋࣭ ⭑

Catching Butterflies - Emile Eisman Semenowsky

Astrology Signs Mosaic - Museum of Islamic Civilization, UAE

Maria Cristina of Bourbon - Vicente López

[nezuscribe]

𝐩𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬

summary: in a land where marriage is set in stone at birth and love is but a myth, a girl tries her best to navigate the life she's been born into. when her father assigns her own knight, somebody he trusts to look after her in these dangerous times, nobody would have expected the brave young soldier to twist her story with his, taking your life into a spin that was unforeseen by the fates.

pairing: bakugo katsuki x fem!reader

genre: forbidden love, royalty au, strangers to friends to lovers, comfort, mild angst, fluff

warnings: mdni 18+, all characters are aged up, detailed sex, heavy making out, cunnilingus, unprotected sex, a little bit of a hand job, grinding, all the works lmao, mentions of depressive thoughts, nothing too explicit

notes: reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated!

as always, thank you so much @jadeisthirsting for beta reading this and helping me throughout this fic!

mha masterlist

The bazaars of Afrasiab were unlike any other, and they dimmed in comparison to what the mind could imagine. All of the land in Persia held its animosity, a secret that can only be revealed by sight, but the bazaars there were something no tongue could describe and no ear to relay correctly.

They smelled of lamb and beef kabobs, cooked to perfection, began wafting around the carts of fabrics early in the morning. The mountains of spices were perfectly balanced in their own little plates, laying undisrupted until they caught the eye of curious passersby.

Many streets carried deep underground, for when the bazaar needed continuing and couldn’t be held entirely on top, and the hidden passages held wonders unknown to man.

Unfortunately, however, for somebody seeing these bustling markets for the first time, they tended to be confusing to figure out at the least, and nearly impossible to navigate most of the time.

The young woman who traveled closely with his cloak perched over her head tried to wind through the serpentine stalls, keeping his chin close to her chest as she only watched through the corners of her eyes, careful not to bring attention to herself nor the satchel in her hand. It was all so new to her, every sight she was intaking a far cry from what she was accustomed to seeing. The faint cries of the salesman trying to sell his silver tableware or the santur being played somewhere distant was an overload to somebody who was used to the strange serenity the palace offered.

Everything was a sight to behold. She never came to buy something, only to see. She liked the way this place almost had its own separate language, how it awoke at dawn and never seemed to sleep. She loved how the shopkeepers, always respectful of one another in their boundaries, tried their best to outdo one another in favor of better business.

The way someone shouted to gain the attention of somebody, the way they laced their words with enough enthusiasm to keep the shoppers interested was something she never grew tired of. In comparison to the bleak life that was awaiting her when she got back, these little bits of excitement were enough enrichment to keep her going for a little bit longer.

She took it all in, enjoying the opportunity as she doubted it’d be trusted upon her again, and smiled to herself at the mosaics that lined the curved walls, the dim light the candles offered helped her navigate through the underground bazaar. She looked through all the silverware, the plates painted with utmost care.

She looked through and let her fingers graze above the satin fabrics all dyed a different color. The smells of turmeric and saffron flooded her nose, mixing with the occasional whiff of rose, and she felt as though all these things at once were too compelling alone for a human mind.

No stories nor descriptions could have prepared her for what she was going to experience. It was magical, something surely out of a book. Despite that, however, every minute she spent trying to enjoy the sights was another minute that clicked in her mind mentally.

“Oi,” A gruff voice snapped, jolting her rudely out of her ongoing daydream, “Watch it.”

His eyes shined brighter than the pomegranate seeds you were used to seeing every day. His jaw was carved, his body stiff. He was large, unusually so, and the only time you had seen a man of his size and demeanor was a man heading off to war.

Even with the little bits, you could see of him you could tell that he was simply gorgeous, a crude beauty that nature had somehow created out of her own force. Sure, all the men you were used to seeing were either a couple of years older than you (or so old you wondered how they were even living) and snotty, but you knew that this sort was beyond anything. Had he not been waiting so impatiently for you to talk, you wouldn’t have stumbled to get something out.

Even with the little bits, you could see of him you could tell that he was simply gorgeous, a crude beauty that nature had somehow created out of her own force. Sure, all the men you were used to seeing were either a couple of years older than you (or so old you wondered how they were even living) and snotty, but you knew that this sort was beyond anything. Had he not been waiting so impatiently for you to talk, you wouldn’t have stumbled to get something out.

Even with the little bits, you could see of him you could tell that he was simply gorgeous, a crude beauty that nature had somehow created out of her own force. Sure, all the men you were used to seeing were either a couple of years older than you (or so old you wondered how they were even living) and snotty, but you knew that this sort was beyond anything. Had he not been waiting so impatiently for you to talk, you wouldn’t have stumbled to get something out.

“Apologies,” You muttered, adjusting your robes again so that they covered your clothing underneath, not wanting anybody to get a quick glimpse of the tunic underneath, glancing up as you gave him an apologetic grin, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

He nodded curtly, seeming to agree with you as his gaze roamed your face, trying to decipher you for whatever reason as he gave a low grunt.

“It’s alright.” His lips pressed into a thin line, moving past you as he readjusted his hood. You opened your mouth, pausing when you watched his lips twitch, looking left and right as you felt your shoulders shrinking in defeat.

But you knew that he had already seen your face, heard you speak. There was no point in hiding yourself from one stranger if he could already identify you based on this encounter. And seeing how you knew it was dark outside, the hours seeming to have slipped quickly through your fingers, and you had no means of getting out, you gave into the one and only rule you had created for yourself.

“Sir!” You called out, watching as he had almost turned his back to leave, watching as he stopped upon hearing you, “I apologize for interrupting, but,” You looked away for a second, your cheeks heating up under his heavy stare, “I seem to be lost. Would you happen to know the way out? Everything seems to twist together here, and I need to go home,” You paused and then added, “Please.” Hoping not to sound too distressed - even if you were - as you waited for him to say something.

The silence felt heavy despite the hustling happening behind you, and you wondered for a second if you had even spoken loudly enough so that he could hear you on top of all the distant shouts and music.

He seemed to search your face once more, maybe looking for signs of trickery or ill intent. But you seemed desperate, at least you know you sounded desperate, and any attempts of trying to fool him would have quickly dissipated under his scornful gaze. Heaven's grace, you thought to yourself, what must a man do for a living to hold such unwavering suspension?

“It’s alright, I’ll-”

“Follow me.” He murmured, cocking his head in the direction he was originally going as he maneuvered his way through the tight bodies, not waiting for you to give any sign of understanding as you quickly scurried after him, trying your best to not get lost in the thick of the crowd. Despite his tall frame, you doubted it’d be difficult to lose sight of somebody in such a congested area.

You kept a keen eye on the back of his hood, never losing sight of it as you managed to wrangle yourself closer to his side. He was surely not the nicest person you’d met all day, but you were thankful nonetheless for his openness to take you someplace without knowing you all that much (aside from you just bumping into him, of course).

“Thank you so much sir I was so incredibly lost and had no idea wh-”

“You’re a maid for the princess, aren’t you?”

You stopped talking, looking up at him with wide eyes, mouth half agape as you almost acted as if you hadn’t heard his words.

“Close your mouth, you’ll attract attention,” He said as he pushed past people, never meeting your shocked eyes once as he expertly moved through the thicker parts of the stalls. Once he looked down at you, seeing that you didn’t listen to what he had just said, his brows creased down the middle, “Are you deaf?” He snapped and your cheeks heated in embarrassment and you begrudgingly obliged.

“I…I don’t know how you reached such a drastic conclusion.” You said through clenched teeth, but you doubted denying anything after your so obvious reaction would help your case. Proving your thoughts right, the man only snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t act daft,” His eyes keenly followed your hands, focusing on your wrist as he clicked his tongue against his teeth, a tsk following shortly after as he looked back up at you, “Gold? I doubt anything other than a servant to the princess or a concubine to a king would be able to afford such a thing. And wearing it to such a leisurely activity? I’d wager good money that you have a heftier bracelet sitting unattended at home.”

Your mouth ran dry as you paused, not believing how he was able to deduce so much in a short matter of seconds, but you guessed that his calculating look wasn’t only for suspicion. He was reading into you much more than you had initially guessed he was.

“Are you a spy?” You asked, your voice hushed though you wanted to bet a hefty amount that nobody other than him would be able to hear.

“Far from it.” He heaved a laugh, looking around every second or so, his eyes darting all over the walls as though he was in search of something. Or maybe as if something was in search of him.

“Then…what are you?”

His eyes fleeted down to you, his lips pursing as they began their curious journey.

“Never mind what I am.” He answered back, his hand wavering above your back as he veered you to the right, saving you from colliding into somebody who came barreling from somewhere you hadn’t even noticed.

“How - how can I trust you won’t harm me?” He laughed again at your naiveté-laced question.

“Had I planned on harming you, I would have done so already,” He made a sharp left turn, “I apologize to be the one to tell you this, but you mustn't be the princess's favorite maid.”

Your brows furrowed, your lip turning downward as you asked him why. There was no point in pretending, or at least to some degree, if he was so willing and correct in reading you.

“Sending you away without any form of security is a clear indication.”

You huffed, looking elsewhere even though he seemed victorious in his statement.

“Stay safe, m’lady.” He said finally, giving you a nod as you stammered to get your thoughts collected.

And you would have pressed him further on how he had such a quick wit, on who exactly he was, and how he had managed to decipher you faster than anybody you had met in your lifetime, but he had brought you to the opening of the bazaar. And before you could even thank the stranger for leading you here, let alone question him on anything else, he had managed to slip back into the crowd. His brown cloak mixed in with everybody else, and no matter how hard you craned your neck, it was as though you were searching for a lost shell in the ocean.

—

“Y/n!”

Damn it.

You winced at the shrill shriek as you felt your entire body tense up at the sound. You were so close, too. Just a couple feet in front of those double doors and you would have been safely shielded away from the wandering eyes of the palace.

“...Yes?” You slowly said as you turned around, scurrying off to take your robes off, the royal garments underneath beginning to bleed through as you tried to hide the evidence behind your back, but to no avail.

Roshanak, though she was far cry from her namesake, trotted up to you, snatching the tattered clothes out of your hands as her nose flared.

Her face was red, beet red, as she looked back at you, seething. Her dark brown curls were tucked away under a loose scarf, peeking through as they fell into her face. Although her eyes were usually calm, warm in tone, and relaxing to look into, they looked almost molten right now. The crow's feet at the corner of her eyes tugged upwards as she raised her eyebrows.

The rose petal she had patted across her lips and cheeks in the morning was almost gone now, but the little bit remaining seemed to only add more color to her already heating face. Had this not been a recurring thing you would have been terrified, but, alas, you only looked away in vexation.

“You were out. Again.” It wasn’t a question more than a statement.

You nodded slowly, angry at yourself that you got caught, clutching your hands together as you felt your head sink in regret. No matter how many times you ventured out of the palace walls, they always seemed to come back to find you, hiding you away when you were fingertips away from knowing the true world. A real shame, you always told yourself, to have land dedicated to your family, yet never know what it truly holds.

“Y/n…why?” Had she not taken care of you for the twenty years she had, you would have guessed she was your mother. She could have acted the part. That you were sure of. You opened your mouth to speak, but she didn’t even give you a chance to explain yourself. Though,  it’s not like your reasoning had changed all that much.

“The last time - okay - I forgave you. And the time before that, too! But you are pushing the limits, Y/n. You cannot keep expecting me to keep this a secret forever, can you?” Which directly translated to: you can’t expect your father to not find out, right?

“Roshanak-”

“No,” She cut you off, shaking her head as she held onto your cloak tightly, wrinkles forming in their presence as she shakes her head fiercely, her brown eyes scorching unlike never before as she raises a finger to pause you, “No more guilt tripping me. I am only so much of a person to be taken advantage of.”

“But-”

“No! You listen to me,” She snapped, “This is a dangerous game you’re playing. Sneaking out? Without notifying anybody? How can I know you’ll come back? How should I report to your father that his daughter has slipped out and is now missing? On my watch? And what if somebody saw you and recognized you -  then what do I do?”

“I-”

“Quiet!” You shrunk at her curt and furious yell, sore fire burning in your eyes, shaming its way across your face as you tried not to yell. A proper woman never yelled. Never in the middle of a hallway, at least, “God help me,” She muttered, her eyes looking up like she was trying to find Him within the ceiling, “Y/n, what will I do with you? All these years for nothing? How am I supposed to make you ready to be wed when-”

“I don’t want to be wed!”

Roshanak almost dramatically gasped, looking wildly around, hoping that nobody had heard your outburst, she went to snap back again but you didn’t let her, “I hope, Roshanak, I pray that every time I go out, that every time I leave this godforsaken place, that somebody recognizes me-”

“Y/n, stop this-” She tried to warn you but you continued.

“That they know me and they hate me. So that if they do something, if they hurt me, kill me-”

“Y/n!” She yelled, no longer caring about how loud she was because you didn’t seem to care either.

“That at least I wouldn’t be shamed to my grave for doing it myself!”

She choked out a cough, her eyes wide as your lips trembled, your chest heaving up and down as you tried to control yourself after your outburst. Your cheeks were wet with tears, gods, you weren’t ever going to get out of that habit, were you? And your hands were shaking, and it seemed like your lungs were contracting up and down, up and down. It wasn’t the first time you had planned on saying these exact words, but damn you, this was the first time you said it out loud.

What had set you off? You wondered aimlessly to yourself. Had it been the awful morning full of your father listing off potential suitors? The way the stranger at the bazaar had completely seen right through you, or the insurance of the people around you on pretending as though you no longer were a person but a mere vessel for carrying out their decade-old plans?

“Y/n! Roshanak!” A third party interrupted the heavy air that sat in the middle of your two bodies, cutting through everything that was left unsaid as both of your attention went to something at the end of the hall. Roshanak gave you a single look, one that simply told you that she was undoubtedly not done with the conversation, as she turned to give her customary bows to the king. You quickly made do with wiping at your cheeks hiding any remnants of what had just perspired from the awaiting eyes that were soon to come as you wiped at your nose with the bottom of your sleeve.

“Shāhanshāh,” She muttered the words of respect to the king, bowing her head down so low to the ground that you wondered if her lips were brushing upon the cold stone.

“Baba,” You said through clenched teeth, your own complimentary greeting to the king as he gave you a warm smile. If only he knew what you were screaming about moments ago, that smile on his lips would surely have fallen by now.

“Y/n,” He said adoringly, his beard bristling upwards as his smile grew upon seeing your face, “I have exciting news. You will - Roshanak,” He paused, his eyes falling upon her clenched fist, “What is that you have in your hands?”

If she was startled, she did well at hiding it.

“Oh…just some tattered clothes one of my girls didn’t need anymore. I was just about to throw it away. My king,” She gave him a swift nod, and you felt your heart rate slow down a bit at her lie, thankful that she was still aware enough not to tell him the truth right now, “Princess.” She gave you one too, her eyes never leaving yours as she swiftly left, leaving you and your father alone to have some privacy.

He smiled warmly, giving her a nod in return as her figure retreated from view, her pattering footsteps no longer echoing across the walls as your father turned back to you, his kingly robes fallen behind him in a cascade of beautiful crimson as his smile grew once again.

“As I was saying, you will be having some new company.”

You felt your eyes squint in confusion, lips curling to the sides as you began profusely shaking your head. Gods, not another suitor, please, anything but another prince ready to pounce on you.

“But Baba,” You tried to keep the wavering of your voice to a minimum, knowing that after this long day it sounded anything but confident, “I don’t need new company. I have Roshanak and the girls, they fill up my time plenty. And I’m still deciding between the Prince of Tehran and the Crown Prince of Persepolis. I…” He held up a hand, cutting your rambling off with a knowing grin. Had you not known any better he looked more like a bazaar salesman rather than a king - too jovial for the position.

“It’s not a new servant - nor a swain, collect yourself.” He snapped at you, his voice commanding and suddenly mirroring a king’s rather than a father's.

“I’ve noticed that some tension has been building up between some cities near us, nothing to worry about,” He assured but tensions between cities were always something you worried about, “But I felt as though there is a significant lack of guards in the palace, at least, guards that serve to protect you.” He grinned, already trying to get you to see where he was going but all you were getting at was bewilderment.

“And this means…?”

“That you will be having your own guard now. Not one that stands outside our door, but one who accompanies you wherever you go.”

If there was a prize for having the worst way of delivering news, your father would surely have won it a couple of years ago.

“I,” You paused, rubbing your aching forehead as you practically felt an aching forming, “Baba, this isn’t the most promising idea-”

“Of course it is!” He clamored, clasping his hands together as his rings clinked together, “You need protection in this growing political climate. And anyway, I’ve only picked the best of the best. In fact,” He looked behind him, but you already felt as though you knew where this was starting to lead to, “He’s here-”

“He’s here?” You exclaimed, trying to keep your whisper-yell down to a minimum but you didn’t know how much the echo traveled.

“Yes, azizam, he’s here. Katsuki,” He yelled out, the shout bouncing off the high arches as you winced at the volume, “Come out!”

Before you could even disagree with this idea, that you were only wearing your simple robes and not made up for company, you could hear the loud thumps of leather shoes upon stone, clothes ruffling together as a shadow began to form of the man who your father seemed more than enthusiastic to show off to you. Almost as if he had just won an irreplaceable accolade for his daughter.

You couldn’t conceal the little cough of shock you let out when the man came into view, your father sending you a confused glance as you apologized under your breath, covering your mouth with your hands as you felt the blood drain from your face.

The man, the very one you had seen in the bazaar, was just a few feet in front of you.

He looked much different, though. Those robes had been ditched and instead, the bright red of the palace colors shined bright on his tunic. His hair was completely out, and you could see how it resembled the color of hay and straw. His frame, which had seemed so intimidating before, was clear to you now; tall and slender yet muscular, something that all knights should be. You could tell easily that his long legs allowed him to be agile when he wanted to, but his sturdy arms were perfect for carrying a weapon. You could even notice how his sword was tucked away in the sheathe, but it was noticeable, it should have been. Everything about him reeked of contained power, and you wondered how such changes could have altered his appearance so much.  

And though he tried to hide his stupefaction, agreeably better than you had, nothing could have concealed the way his eyes widened momentarily, blazing a bright red as the gold bracelet he had mistakenly identified as a simple token for a maid shined brightly in the flickering candlelight from the hallway.

“He’s ranked the highest-ranking soldier in our military. I’ve seen him in action, too,” Your father slapped his back in a proud gesture, “And I’ve spent time with him to know that he’s a suitable man for protecting you.”

You’d heard of him, how could you not have? Every story and rumor that seemed to slip from the noble mouths were either of the scandalous escapades of people ranked in your circle, or of the young knight who seemed to have stumped the Greek army with a single slash of his sword. The Greeks called him the rival of Achilles, a man who wielded the bow and arrow better than Apollo and the soldier who slain an entire army. The people around you just referred to him as the Savior of Persia.

“You're too kind, my liege.” He muttered in thanks, his cheeks glowing a dusted pink as he continued to bow down out of respect.

You swallowed thickly, watching as the man held his head down in respect. But you could see that his gaze flickered to yours, his brows scrunched up so that there were three lines down the middle as he put the pieces quickly together.

“Princess,” He bid his respectful greetings, despite the fact that you two had already met hours ago. His low voice rattled deep inside your head, and you could only pray that he was a man that kept quiet, on top of all his other achievements.

You watched as he reached for your hand, his larger ones almost enveloping yours. His fingers were large yet gentle as they held your hand, the calluses on your palm a stark comparison to the soft and manicured nails you had, a clear difference of class. And you watched as he brought it up to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss on the back of them to let it go, properly though, so that you didn’t get offended. You felt a lingering blaze where his lips had just been, and you wished you could have brought your hand up to the light to see if he had done any sort of magic to it.

Your father tensed his neck as he stared at you, waiting for you to do your own greetings as you stammered, sending him an apologetic glance as you looked at the man.

“Sir,” You ducked your down, hoping that not only would it seem more different, but it might do good in hiding the true sentiments you might have given away had you looked him dead-on, “I’m honored.”

He nodded, and your father seemed pleased with your words because his displeased look was quickly wiped off of his face as he grinned boastfully.

“The honor is all mine, princess,” The man stood up, his eyes focused on you, a thousand tales swimming behind their crimson color as he bowed his head down to you, crossing his arm over his chest, covering his heart, pledging to you, “I am here to serve and protect you. Anything you need, please let me know.”

And with that, your night shifted. No, perhaps not even that single night. After that, it seemed that your entire world began to spin in the opposite direction.

—

The palace was soon awakened from its slumber, it seemed, as it became buzzed with the news of a new knight. Especially one as venerated (and captivating) as he was. All your handmaidens could talk about for the past several weeks, more or less squeal, was how they were going to try to swoon him. But every time you snickered, knowing their little bursts of excitement were clearly heard by the man right outside your door.

And you knew you were being petty, looking away in annoyance whenever one of you girls went up to him with a dopey smile on their face, they had the opportunity to. Of course, they’d be scorned for it later, but their punishment was to do more laundry and spend less time socializing with her friends. Your liberties of choosing had been signed off for you ever since you were born, and ever since then, they’ve been growing thinner and thinner.

Your knight didn’t say a lot of things, especially not about your first interaction with each other, and for that, you were appreciative. Honestly, you could have listed off all the time you two had spoken on two hands and had some fingers remaining.

You couldn’t imagine having somebody by your side every hour of the day and talking erratically at all times. If anything, he was stoic. He didn’t say anything unless spoken to or unless absolutely necessary, and sometimes you wondered if he too was growing tired of these stone walls and the archways. There is only so much of the palace that can be seen until it all grows repetitive.

“He doesn’t talk much, does he?” Roya exclaimed, one day as she dotted roses all over your neck and wrists. You giggled at her exasperation, and with the way all the other girls seemed to, unfortunately, agree with her.

“No,” Laleh said with a heaving sigh, delicately setting the necklace down upon your neck as she angled it looking at the mirror, “He doesn’t.” She seemed to wilt at the words, her smile shrunken seeing how she was so used to men dropping at their feet for her.    

“Come on,” You said, still trying to control your laughter, patting their arms as they looked down at you, “I doubt this is the end of the world, or as you’re trying to make it out to be.” Roya let out a groan and Laleh hurriedly nodded her head in agreement with Roya’s response.

“But it is! He’s so decorated!-”

“And handsome… he is so incredibly handsome…” Laleh said dreamily as she interrupted Roya, giving her an apologetic smile as she continued.

“He can protect and fight -  I’ve heard he’s the best fighter in all of Persia. They say that his strength rivals Darius, maybe even stronger. And he can read incredibly well too; all the tales of the Shahnameh, he’s had them all memorized! Y/n, he’s better than any of the princes and nobles this land has to offer. Having him as a suitor, well, having him as a suitor would only be but the best thing to happen to a woman- '' She droned off as she saw your smile fall a bit, “Well, a woman of our status. You, however, my princess, deserve a prince!” Though she was quick to recover, it didn’t cover the fact that she was right.

“Yes…a prince.” You muttered, spitting the last word out as you balanced your chin on the palm of your hand and dejectedly sulked. The last one you had seen, merely a week ago, had been insistent on seeing you dance for him. He was turned away immediately. And the one before him had tried to sneak his hand up your skirt, but Katsuki had quickly slapped his hand away, giving the man a welt and a large bruise that set him weeping the entire horse ride home.

It seemed that once a man was bestowed the title of prince he no longer remembered what it was like to act human. As if every normal thing he had done once before was cast away and his only intention in life was now to torment women into marrying him.  

“Maybe this one’s better!” Laleh said, trying to cheer you up as she angrily swatted at Roya’s arm.

Yes, maybe this one was better. But given your luck these past few months, the man you were going to meet today was anything but a man. Maybe even worse.

“Yes, in fact, last night I prayed that he would be!” Roya said, and although it might not have been taken as a joke, it did its part in making you smile a bit, giving them both a weak and pitiful laugh as you secured the bracelet around your wrists.

Laleh finished the remaining bits of your dress, tightening up the back as she dusted it off, careful that the ruby color shined at any angle, that you looked radiating at any possible angle.

You eyed the window, the sun right in the middle of the horizon, a sign of noon. You gave them both a thankful smile, one that didn’t quite meet your gaze as you patted them both on the shoulders.

“Khoshgelam,” Beautiful, Roya muttered with pride, giving you a tender smile as you ducked your head down in embarrassment, never used to the kind words they muttered before you were sent in to meet a prince, knowing that some of them were really only to help you get through the day.

“Tashakor,” Thank you, “Roya, Laleh.” You gave them each a small nod, “And perhaps you are correct, maybe this one is better than all the ones before.” They both nodded with excitement, something that will surely be ruined in a couple of hours for now as they led you to the door, opening it for you as you gave their hands a tight squeeze.

You were met with the big back of the guard, watching as he turned around at the noise, his eyes falling upon yours as the two girls behind you practically swooned once again. He was gorgeous.

“Princess, are you ready?” He grunted out and you nodded, giving the two girls your final look of desperation as they waved you off, watching as your two figures retreated in the dark hallway, your footsteps dimming down until they could no longer see you.

The two of you walked in silence, just as you had always done, as you stared at your hands. It was exhausting to have to find somebody who was humanly decent. Everybody you had met so far was horrible, and though you were trying your best to be optimistic, the rumors surrounding the man you were about to meet were only adding more to your growing trepidation.

The man beside you never said a word, and you didn’t expect him to. But right now, you knew that if there was somebody who knew at least something more than just gossip about this potential suitor, it would be Katsuki.

“You know Saum, no?”

It had been the first time you had asked him a question, especially so randomly, and he almost stopped as he tried to understand what had just happened. You hadn’t uttered more than a couple of words to him these past few weeks he had been serving you, so this question you had asked so suddenly made him almost think he had gone insane. But looking down at you to find your curious eyes searching for him, he cleared his throat, getting ready to respond.

“I know of him, princess.” He said gruffly and you nodded weakly, your eyes never leaving the end of the hallway, your dress dragging behind you as you tried to calm your breathing down. You could only do this routine so many times before it mentally got to you.

“What do you know of him?” You questioned, looking up at his face to see in momentarily scrunch up he could have seen the horror that flashed across your eyes at his questionable reaction because he was quick to regain his composure.

“He’s a naval officer.” He said, which is something that you already knew. You scoffed in mock annoyance, rolling your eyes as you shook your head, dissatisfied with his bleak answer.

“Anything else?” You pressed, watching as he scratched his chin, obviously trying to hold back on saying something.

“That’s all I know of, princess.”

You rolled your eyes again, huffing as you realized you could never get anywhere with this man. He always referred to you by your title, gave responses no longer than ten words long, and filled the awkward silence with his even quieter demeanor.

“You’re lying to me.”

He paused, his eyes wide with shock as his mouth parted and he closed it.  

“I would never lie to you, princess.” He retaliated quickly, and had he not been the towering brute that he is, you would have thought the reaction had come from a child who was indeed caught in the act of lying.

“Then why do you try to hide something? You must surely know something about him to not be saying anything.” He knew he was horrible at hiding the truth, he was raised to always be transparent.

“I,” He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sucked on his bottom lip, debating whether or not to continue this conversation. But one look at the pleading look that was laced all over your features and he gave in, knowing that you were desperate after so many failed attempts with the failures that had the nerve to call themselves a prince, “I’ve only heard stories, princess, and I don’t know which ones hold more truth.” He paused.

“Which is…?”

The knight sighed once more, showing more emotion than you’ve ever seen him display as he looked away, anywhere but your awaiting eyes that held so much worry and fright that it reminded him of a lamb being sent to slaughter.

“It’s merely a rumor, princess, so don’t base your judgment on him simply on my words. But,” He winced, his hard gaze breaking for a second as he breathed heavily out his nose, “I had overheard some of my men talking a while ago that he’s an arrogant prince, but,” He looked down for a second before he looked back up at you, a ghost of a smile on his face as you felt yourself ease a little bit at the strangely welcoming sight, “I doubt there has ever been a humble prince.”

You laughed softly, the sound was something that made his barely visible smile grow even more. The tension he could easily see in your shoulders lessened just a tad bit. You said nothing as you waited for him to continue.

“He’s a womanizer, or at least he tries to be,” You giggled at that too, something you were quite used to at this point, “And according to whispers, he doesn’t have the best table manners.”

You pretended to be shocked, even letting out a dramatic gasp as you covered up your mouth.

“He’s sloppy?”

“Disgustingly so, I’m afraid.”

Your smile grew even more at his words, a loud and unlikely laugh falling from your lips as even you seemed shocked at your unexpected outburst. Your fingers stopped their anxious tapping on your forearms as you felt the tension that had been prickling its way through your chest stop, the fear that you had felt these past few hours diminishing as the knight beside you chuckled deeply.

“I feared that might be the case,” You confessed to him, “Thank you, though,” You said as you looked up at him, meeting his gaze as you cracked a little grin, “You've been the first to openly tell me that.” He gave you a small nod in return, pausing as you stopped in front of the large double doors, where the prince was waiting just behind them.

You took a deep breath, feeling as though some of that dread was starting to come back.

“Must I go?” You stalled, your hands lingering above the wood of the door as you glanced over at him. In these three minutes you had been able to talk to him more than you had in the past weeks you had known him, and strangely so, he had been able to tell you more about the man you were about to meet than anybody else had in that short amount of time.

“Yes, princess.” He told you and you scoffed in pity for yourself, tracing the delicate patterns etched into the wood as he spoke again.

“Don’t fret too much about him however, he’s not as strong as he boasts he is. And… princess?” He called out, his voice a little louder so that it caught your attention before you entered the dining hall, “If anything were to happen, I am there to serve you.”

And though it was in his duty, something he was sworn in to say to you, that was the first time in your twenty years of living that you had actually felt safe. Call it guilelessness or the fake hope you held that somebody truly seemed to care, but that was the day that you acknowledged that your father, for once in his life, had made a good decision in making him your knight.

—-

It seemed that after that night (and no, Saum indeed was not the perfect match), the distance between you and Katsuki had significantly shortened. And while it was still difficult to get him to open up and talk, it seemed that the more you pressed him about random topics the more lenient he got with you.

This change was so apparent, even, that others started to notice too. You could pick up on the servants and their loud whispers whenever you and Katsuki would be walking around the hallways - him accompanying you to make sure you didn’t try to do anything outlandish - and gossiped about the way you two stood significantly closer to each other than was deemed socially appropriate.

And sure, maybe they were right in some aspects. For one, you don’t know why a part of you ignited in unknown flames when you saw him smiling the smile he only reserved for you when he talked to a maid you had never seen before, that was something that even you knew was wrong to feel. And you couldn’t forget the time, no matter how much you ached when you saw him whispering sweet nothings into the ear of another girl, his eyes falling upon yours as he quickly moved away from her, his cheeks dusted in a deep pink as he apologized profusely. You hate how you reveled in your pathetic glory when he came up to you afterward, steering you away from the scene with a hand barely apparent on your back, profusely apologizing for acting so unprofessional.

So, you let them gossip. You could have shut it down sooner, but in all honesty, you liked what they had to say. Sometimes, when they spoke of him, you couldn’t help but wonder if their words for once held any truth. Did he actually stare longingly at you whenever there was a feast, watching with fire in his eyes when a prince or nobleman tried to woo you into a conversation? No, surely not. And did he only laugh full heartedly when he was with you, a sight nobody else had the grave of seeing? No, no, of course not. Surely you couldn’t be that funny.

“‘Suki,” You said one day, the name you had now given him freely flowing off your tongue as you two walked in the rose garden, “I have a request.”

He ducked his head down, the sun making his hair almost seem like gold as he walked with his hands behind his back. This is where you thought him to be the most regal, his most beautiful state of being. The wind flowed through his hair, the strands moving east, his face not as stiff as it usually was. The royal red tunic and trousers sat comfortably on his toned skin, hugging him in a way that made you feel terrible for lusting after it as much as you did. In this carefree environment, he no longer embedded a knight, but a person who you could look up to as a friend.

“Anything for you, princess.”

You sighed in fake irritation at the title, telling him many times to just refer to you as everybody else in your inner circle did, but he always stuck to the formalities. You understood why he didn’t want to cross over any lines, but it made getting to know him better that much more difficult.

“Take me to the bazaar.”

“Ah, that, princess,” He grunted, giving you a stern and unwavering look, “I cannot do.”

“But you said anything!” You clamored, your voice still not loud to raise attention, as a pout formed on your lips as you huffed again, your arms crossing across your chest as you continued to walk. You let your left hand glide across the flowers, delicate as to not harm any of the petals.

“Princess,” He tried to bargain, handsome face pulled into a set frown as he tried to get you to look at him, “The bazaar is too perilous of risk to take. I can never plan a single thing when I have no idea who or what I’m going to endure.”

Your frown grew at his words, even though you knew what he was trying to say, and stopped at the pomegranate tree as he stopped with you, his sword thumping against his thigh as his shadow cascaded over the red fruit.

“But I’ve been there before….” You miserably muttered, hearing him let out a snort as he crossed his arms across his chest, shaking his head at the thought.

“And I don't know how you never got caught,” He admitted, trying to sound tough and rigid but a little chuckle escaped his lips, “It’s a great deal of danger if you put yourself in, princess; going there with no guards, telling nobody where you were.”

You plucked a ripe pomegranate off, holding it up in the sun as you took in its deep crimson shade, turning it around as you felt its smooth texture underneath your fingers. It was a favorite of yours, and you had requested a while ago to have a whole section of the gardens dedicated to the fruit.

You dug your thumbs into it, groaning a little as you tried to crack it open but to no avail. Wordlessly, he extended his hand out to you, a noiseless exchange as you placed the pomegranate in his hands, turning around to watch him as he snapped it open with no difficulty, no strain seen on his face as he held the two halves back out to you.

The ruby seeds glistened, and you plucked a few out, munching on them as the crunch of the seeds filled the silence.

“Tashakor,” You muttered with your mouth full of the fruit, smiling a little bit at the tart and sweet taste of them. He gave you a small nod, eyeing the fruit as your fingers became stained with the red juice of the pomegranate, walking alongside you as you carelessly ate.

“Would you like some?” You offered, holding out the half you hadn't touched yet as he quickly shook his head with târof, the complimentary way of refusing something out of politeness. You smile to yourself at his little action.

“Oh, come on, it’s good. Really good.” You obliged, holding it out further to him as you waved the half around, trying to tempt him. Although he was a man of honor and sound reason, refusing something from a royal more than once was unforeseen and rather unsophisticated. So he sighed, giving up as he gently plucked the fruit out of your hand, muttering a quiet thanks as your smile grew wider.

“Is it to your liking?” You said, your words muffled as you tried not to talk and chew at the same time.

“Extraordinarily so.” He said, chewing thoughtfully as his lips became stained red the more he ate. You tried to look away as you felt your cheeks heating up at the sight.

“So…‘Suki,” You said, your elbows purposely bumping into him as you smiled a little bit to yourself, the cool breeze of the upcoming winter biting eagerly at your skin. You swallowed a couple of seeds as you looked at him, “No bazaar?”

“No bazaar.” He repeated, though his focus was intently on getting a couple of the ruby seeds out.

“And no hunting?”

He grunted out a coarse laugh, his face looking nonchalant as he shook his head again.

“I wasn’t aware you were appreciative of the sport.” He notes, glancing over at you as you shrugged, your fingers mindlessly running across the bumpy seeds as you let out a longing sigh.

“I’m appreciative of anything that gets me out of here.” The words tumbled out of your mouth, your eyes drooping a bit as your steps became slower. The times you spent in the gardens, depressingly so, was the only excitement you seemed to have in your day.

His smile fell at your statement, watching the way you seemed to shrink in on yourself.

He was good at noticing things, it was something he took pride in. But by the time he had gotten to know you, the princess who lived the lavish life everybody told him about, only seemed to be a myth. Sure, your bed was warm and your maids ready at your beck and call, but behind the jewels and glamor of royal life, your face held a different story. Early on, he took note of the way your smile never reached your eyes. Your laugh never reached more than an octave in pitch, and you always seemed to be wary of the people around you. Everything you did seemed to be done as if walking on eggshells, and if this was the life everybody said was perfection, he didn’t see any point in wanting to live in it.

Which is why, after a couple of interactions, he felt a part of him soften when it came to you. You were thoughtful in places most people would have grown senseless. You never lost your humanity, nor your compassion when it came to both people you knew and strangers you’ve never met. He observed silently how you would talk to people, your voice laced with care as you gave them every bit of attention. He notices how you’d always save a plate full of traits for him, always managing to find where he was, no matter how dense the crowd of people was, as you delivered it to him with a smile, stating; “you looked grumpy, though this might help.”

“As much as I’d like to take you hunting over the bazaar, I doubt your father would be too fond of the idea,” Katsuki admitted solemnly and you nodded bitterly in agreement, stopping in your tracks as you continued to look forward.

You took in a deep breath, your hands clasped together as a troubled look seemed to overtake your features. He waited patiently for you to gather your thoughts, not saying anything as you gnawed on your bottom lip, seemingly going back and forth between a thousand ideas all at once.

“Katsuki…?” Your voice was faint, barely there, almost swept away by the breeze as you stopped, not saying anything else. You let the seconds tick by until you heard him let out a deep hum, the sound acknowledging that he had heard you.

There were only so many times you called him by his first name: in front of others, an intimidation tactic used to scare a potential suitor, or when you were so timid to talk that you needed to ground yourself down by conceding mainly to yourself that he was there beside you.

“What if I,” You paused again, swallowing your words as you glanced over at him, your eyes quickly fleeting away under his heavy gaze as your fingers gripped tightly onto the fabric of your skirt, the silk wrinkling under your ministrations as your lips trembled, “What would you do if I ran away?”

He could feel his stomach churn uncomfortably at your words, his brows creasing and eyes squinting in your direction as you refused to look him in the eyes. You were notorious for asking spontaneous questions, questions that had nothing to do with a conversation, but he’d be a fool if he disregarded this as just one of your usual queries.

“Then I’d come to find you, princess.” It wasn’t a warning, nor was it something he said to try and scare you. It was the bare truth and something that the two of you knew was something he’d never rest until he fulfilled it.  

“You wouldn’t help me?” You questioned, your words soft and fragile as you searched for anything in his gaze that gave away from his usual, stoic expression.

“I’m here to serve and protect you, princess, not to aid you in doing such a thing.”

Your hopeful expression fell, turning cold and void as you scoffed, hating yourself for thinking that he’d ever agree to such a thing. He was a knight before anything else, not a friend and most certainly not a caring companion. Gods, you were so foolish to think that he’d even entertain the idea. Why would he? Everything he’s been put to do was to go against that very idea. No matter how much he may have cared about you as a person didn’t expel him from allowing you to do that.

No matter how much you pretended that underneath all his cold exterior was a person who cared, you knew that deep down, he was a man of honor and of valor. And caring for people beyond necessity was something he wasn’t made to do.

And, to a high degree, you knew you were being petty. Maybe even obnoxious as you stormed off. But was it so wishful to hope that you had finally made a friend? Someone who you could trust enough to help you escape a life you wished you had never been into? Maybe so, but you were always the dreamer and you never knew when to stop.

“Right, right,” You mumbled, shaking your head as you hurried away, hearing his footsteps behind you as he tried to match your pace, “Stupid, stupid, why would he? Of course not,” You said to yourself, throwing the empty pomegranate shell on the soil as you turned over to look at him, putting on a fake smile that both of you knew was empty as you told him; “Please don’t mention what I told you to anybody else. And…please don’t come after me. I pray you have enough confidence in me to know that I’d be able to find the way to my room by myself.”

“But princess-” He started but you shook your head, already turning around as you scoff angrily to yourself, more in annoyance than anything else,

“If only he didn’t steer a ship on top of everything else he could do - then I’d sail my way out of this miserable place.”

—-

Late when the months turned frigid and white littered the ground, you decided that with help or no help, you were going to leave. You didn’t know if you wanted to go north or south, where was the most suitable option for you, all you knew was that you needed out.

It stung a part of you, a part that you didn’t want to admit was there, at his blatant rejection of your proposal. You had hoped that some part of him was open to the idea, that maybe after seeing what the real treatment was like behind these palace walls he’d bend a little bit more to your wishful thinking, but you knew that being hung up on the idea would only hinder you more.

You decided early on in your plan that there was only one night you could do it, shab-e yaldā,  the night of the winter solstice. It was extraordinarily risky, you knew that. The palace was going to be swarming with guests, all celebrating the longest night of the year, but you knew that this prolonged night of darkness would be the only one that would hide you enough from the prying eyes of the outside world longer than any other night could.  

Weeks leading up to your makeshift plan, you began to take things you decided you would need in your journey. Cold clothes that would protect you against the harsh winters the north held, gold coins that were acceptable anywhere, and food that wasn’t perishable in a few weeks' time. You stuffed them all in a saddle bag you had managed to find in the stable once, one that was large enough to hold all of the things you needed, and did well in hiding it whenever Roya or Laleh came into your room.

You tried to distance yourself from Katsuki as much as possible, only speaking to him when necessary, avoiding any attempts he made at conversation with a curt Sorry, I’m late to my meeting with the prince, or some other pathetic lie to steer away from him. You knew deep down that what you were doing was unfair to him, after all, he was only proving to do his job, but you couldn’t help that vine of anger tangle around your heart and mind until it told you directly what to do.

He seemed to get the memorandum after some time, no longer attempting to make jokes to bring a smile to your face, and not letting his hand linger on your back or arm whenever he tried to steer you towards or away from something. And you were fine with that, more than fine, it was only going to sting less when you left, knowing you’d most likely never be able to see him again. You’d take the hurt now rather than have it wrangle your mind for years to come.

So, when the longest night of winter came, you were ready for any and all problems that were going to come your way.

You let Laleh and Roya do your makeup and get you prepared as they usually would, not wanting to startle them and say you’d do it yourself. You had mapped out what hallways and exits to take, and places that had the least amount of people and guards. You had written a note that you’d be putting on your bed, explaining what you had done in brief detail and that if they were to send anybody, they’d never be able to find you (in hindsight).

You told the two girls to leave, that you had a couple of things you needed to finish before you came down. You made them promise you that they’d tell Katsuki not to lead you to the dining hall, that you’d be wanting to walk unaccompanied. If they had any questions, they didn’t voice them.

The music was already beginning to drift upwards to your room, the loud shouts and laughter from visitors all over the land creating an ambiance that you knew you were going to miss. But you shook your head at the thought, not wanting to go off track when you were so close to freedom.

You quickly got out of the dress they had so carefully put you into, hanging it up as you scrub at your face with water, taking any remnants of makeup off as you tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Your mind wandered off, without you knowing it, to the first time you had unknowingly met Katsuki and what he had told you. How he had so expertly pointed out your gold bracelet and had been able to set you apart from everybody else in the bazaar. So you did well in taking any and all of your jewelry off, shedding anything that had to do with your royal title, and leaving them off at your nightstand.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, your bag was packed to the brim, and you had found a robe and shawl that did an excellent job of hiding your face. You glanced one last time at your room, the only place you really knew, and felt like it was now or never. So with your hand on the doorknob turning it down and getting ready to leave, you did so with a determined look on your face.

That was until you realized that your knight was there waiting for you.

The air seemed to pause as the two of you stared at each other. The only thing you could hear was the rapidness in which you breathed, how you felt like everything was slowly falling down on you as you felt the tears slowly making their way to your eyes.

The two of you paused, your heart falling straight to the ground, melting into the cold stone as your eyes widened. Katsuki tried to hide the look of confusion on his face, noting your strange attire and the bag on your back as he swallowed, his eyes squinting in confusion as he tilted his head to the side. Curse him, you thought to yourself, curse him and his loyalty, curse him for looking the way he did, his soft lips pulled into a worried frown, his eyes holding onto yours as if he couldn’t let go, curse him for caring the way that he did.

“Where are you…?” He trailed off, his red eyes widening as, just like always, he began to quickly put the pieces together.

You knew you could have run, the was an opening between the two of you, but you also knew it was stupid because he could have easily caught you in a matter of seconds. So instead of bolting, which is what you so desperately wanted to do, you fell back into your room, your hands shaking as your knees gave out from behind you, your back hitting the wall as you sunk all the way down to the floor, cradling your knees into your chest as you wept.

The door was quickly shut and you heard the typical thump of his footsteps, but you didn’t have the energy to look up to see the irate and aggrieved look on his familiar face.

“Please, princess, don’t cry,” You heard a muted thud as he fell to his knees in front of you, his voice laced with clear, unrivaled panic as he tried to figure out what was wrong, why you looked so defeated, a sight unlike anything he had ever seen before, “Please, Y/n, tell me what I’ve done wrong - what can I do to help?”

And you don’t know what it was if it had been his words or the way you had missed him so terribly that made you cry even more, your tears running rampant you hid your face in the crook of your elbow to save the last shred of dignity you had.

He had to have known by now; the empty feel of your room, the packed bag on your bag, the dirty robe you were wearing. He knew, but he didn’t mention it. He let his hands waver above your elbows, fearing that if he set them down you’d crack, even more, not wanting to do anything to hurt you as he tried to coax you to just look at him.

“Come on Y/n, please, look up, tell me what I need to do.” He begged, his voice was unlike anything you had ever heard from him before.

You need to let me leave, you wanted to plead, please let me go and never mention it to anybody else.

Slowly, you felt the warmth of his hand grip your elbow, gradually moving up as his fingers tried to find your face, wet with tears, as he gingerly cupped your cheeks, pulling you upwards so that he could finally see you again.

You obliged, knowing you couldn’t fight him for long, especially in your state, and you were met with his gentle smile, the one that always made you melt at the sight. Right now, you just sniffle, your eyes red, maybe even redder than his as you cried.

“Hi sweetheart,” He whispered, his thumb running across your cheek, catching a cheer as he cradled the back of your head, gentle in his movements as he tried to rearrange his sitting in a more comfortable position, “Please…please don’t cry,” His eyes followed the tears tracks burned into your skin, “Tell me how I can help, what do I need to do to make it better?”

You scoffed, a wet and emotionless laugh bubbling out of your throat as you wiped away at your nose, looking to the side to avoid his searing gaze. It was treacherous in trying to avoid him for as long as you had, and you knew that if you were to give in to how you truly felt, you couldn’t push him away any longer. And you knew that by doing so you were only digging a deeper hole for yourself.

“Y/n,” Your name sounded so sweet on his tongue, so fragile and delicate, unlike anybody had said it ever before, “Aziz, please, look at me.”

And you looked back up at him from underneath your lashes, your lips trembling as you tried your best to hold back sobs, little hiccups escaping your lips as his thumb ran up and down your cheek, cradling your jaw with the most care in the world. As if you were a shooting star and he never wanted to let you go again.

“I want to g-go,” You choked out the words, fresh tears sporting from your eyes as you motioned your head to the window behind him, the moon peeking out from the caliginosity night, “I want to leave.”

He nodded, heaving out a heavy sigh because he knew that was what you were going to say.

“I know azizam, I know,” He was going to say something else but he stopped, pausing as he carefully cradled your head in his large palm, “I know you do.” He whispered out into the dark room, another faint cry escaping your lips as you nodded along with him.

“Katsuki,” You muttered, and he sat up straighter, his heart beating so incredibly fast in the limited space of his ribcage that he felt as though it was going to fall out at the small mention of the nickname you had given him so many moons ago, “‘Suki…please let me leave.”

He looked away, his eyes downcast as you followed his every movement.

“I wish it was as easy as you make it out to be.”

You nodded again, trying not to look pathetic as another tear rolled down your cheek. If only you knew how much his heart ached at the sight, if only you knew how he’d lasso the moon if it meant bringing a smile back up on your face.

“I know.” You whispered, your voice cracking as you let your cheek fall down onto your arms, trying not to make another sound as you cried.

He didn’t know what to say or do, because deep now he knew that the only thing that would make you happy in this world was to let you leave, to let you live a life not controlled by others who only pretended to care. So he did the next thing he thought was best, digging out something from his pocket as he balanced himself on his ankles, holding it up to the dim light of the candles so you could see it better.

“Here,” He muttered quietly, placing the bracelet back down on your hands, “I saw it at the bazaar this morning and I thought you’d like it.”

You whimpered at his words, looking down at the bracelet to find little rubies, the color of the pomegranate seeds you adored so much, carefully placed alongside other precious jewels, the shine of the gold, and the feel of it heavy in your hands. You looked back up at him, your eyes wide and shimmering as he stammered to explain himself.

How was his compassion so immeasurable? How could he act as if the cruel distance you had put between the two of you was fake (because it was), but who could he move past it? Was it the hardened exterior from years of war that did it to him? Or was he a dreamer, like you, who imagined things a different way than they actually were?

“I can’t just let you leave, it’s a dangerous and cruel world, and even more dangerous for someone who doesn’t know how to navigate it. But if you’d like, tell me the things you want to see, the things you’d want to do. I can go to the bazaar to get you jewelry or fabrics, or I can go to Shiraz to get you their oranges and to Tehran to get their anar…” pomegranates, “Anything you want and I’d get it for you.”

A small smile made its way onto your face at his insistent rambling, the way he held you as if you were going to fly away from his hands.

“Thank you,” You sniffled again, breathing a little lighter as you glanced at him, “It’s gorgeous. B-but you know that I can’t take this Katsuki, it’d be rude of me to do so. It must have cost you a fortune…” You tried to shove it back into his chest but he pushed it forward to you, shaking his head as he refused to take it.

“For you, I’d give you the moon and stars if it meant making you happy.” He promised sincerely, a tilt in his lips as flicked the last tear away from your face, his thumbs soft, unlikely for somebody of his stature, his words sitting heavily in the vast expanse of your heart. How could he say something like that and not feel anything? Did he know what he was doing to you?

If only he could hear the pitter patter rhythm in your heart, the way it thumped at the rhythm of his words and the way he spoke. Maybe then he’d be more gentle with your fragile self, sugar coat his words so they wouldn’t be so blatant to somebody who dreams for a living.

But you were a foolish person, always had been. You never controlled your actions, always leaving them to be rushed and uncaring of how they affected others. And you never watched what you said, speaking whatever was on your mind at any time you deemed it to be necessary. You wanted to guess that was the reason that let you to blurting out,

“Kiss me then.”

Even you seemed startled as the words tumbled out of your mouth.

“I-I’m so, so, sorry. J-just...I didn’t say that, okay?” You say hurriedly, trying to cover up the mess of words you had just said but there was no point in doing it. No amount of training nor sheer will could have hidden the shock that enveloped the young knight's face as he stared at you, slack-jawed.

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked up, not knowing what to do for the first time in his life as his fists clenched. Millions of thoughts were running through his head, everything he thought he knew was being turned upside down, and he didn’t know if he was living in his best dream or his worst nightmare.

“Katsuki...?”

There was a long pause, a heavy silence sitting between the two of you as he shut his eyes as tightly as he could.

“Yes?” He bit out, and you shielded him from his fierce tone. His eyes snapped over to you and the way your expression fell and he loathed himself even more for raising his voice when you were already in such a fragile state.

He wanted to, you had no idea how much he wanted to take you here right now with no consequences. But he was a smart man, who put his brains before anything else.

How would the world react had they found out a knight, one with as much valor as he has, touched their prized princess in such a sinful way? Ruined her lips with his, made it so that the only man she wanted was him? You both knew that it was a matter of feelings because they were surely there. They'd been there ever since he guided you out of the bazaar, but an unfortunate matter of logistics. Who was to say these feelings wouldn't grow, because they would, you knew they would. All you wanted was to have him to yourself, Katsuki, only yours. And you, his to keep away from the world, the touch, and explore without any restraints. If he wanted to, he would. But it was a matter of shouldn't and couldn't.

"Katsuki...please don't be mad, I-"

But before you could finish your train of thought, you watched as he moved forward, his lips hovering breaths above yours, your noses pressed against each other as you stared at each other, each eye fleeting down to each other’s lips as you felt like your tears were quickly evaporating in the heat of the room. His hand was cradling your jaw, tilting your face upwards to meet his as a silent war seemed to rage behind his eyes.

Pomegranate seeds you used to say as you teased him those summer days, pointing out that his eyes held an uncanny resemblance. But here they looked like they were on fire, burning within as he searched yours, trying to figure out what was going on inside your enigma of a head.

You felt as though the air was stopping its flow from your lungs and out, your mind was working at a snail's pace as you tried to understand what was happening. You hated how your heart could change emotions so suddenly, you hated how even you didn’t understand what sort of riddle you could be at the time.

“Did you mean it?”

You breathed. One second passed and then another. Had the world stopped spinning? It felt like it. Nothing else could explain the rush you felt inside yourself as you slowly nodded, moving a little closer to him as your lips barely brushed past each other.

“Yes.”

He did as you asked, closing the pathetic gap between the two of you, his hand behind your neck guiding you upwards as you pressed your lips onto his.

It felt right. Like two lost parts of a separated soul had been reconnected once more.

And you knew that it should have felt like this.

After months of wondering what he’d taste like, how gentle he’d be, it just felt right. He was swift in his movements, his tongue lapping at your lips, groaning at the taste of them, the pomegranates you had earlier in the day still lingering as he tasted the salt of your tears and the tanginess of the pomegranate seeds on you.

He was careful not to pressure you, not forcing you but rather guiding you as he could tell you were inexperienced, his lips slowing down to the pace you set. Katsuki felt as though he was about to die right here, and if he did, he’d die a happy man.

You clutched desperately at his tunic, the fabric wrinkling under your tight grip as you push yourself upwards, to him, a surprised grunt escaping his chest as you wind your arms around his neck, breaking away from him as you tried to gasp for air.

“Katsuki,” You muttered, your lips brushing against his as you were thankful for his arm circling around your back for keeping you afloat, “Please - please don’t stop.”

He smiled that boyish smile that you always died for as he pecked your lips and then your cheek, shaking his head as his breath fanned against your lips.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” He circled his arms underneath your thighs, and in one swift move heaved you up, your legs mindlessly wrapping around his back as he led you toward the bed, “God’s…you have no idea what you do to me, do you?” And you shook your head, feeling him chuckle as he gently let you go, your back falling onto the soft silk sheets you were so used to as he caged you in with his sturdy arms.

“I do things to you?” You teased, your voice still wavering but better than before as he let out a little laugh in your neck, swooping down as he placed hot kisses all along your collarbone and underneath your jaw, the smug smile on your lips falling as you let out a let gasp as he nipped at your supple skin.

“You drive me insane nearly every hour of the day; I can’t spend a day without thinking about you. Had I known better, I would have accused you of witchcraft.” He mumbled hotly against the skin of your chest, his hands roaming upwards and underneath your cloak as he quickly made do at untying the knots behind your back, slipping it off with all the ease of the world.

“And if I were a witch? A haggard and wrinkle-ridden woman, then what would you do?” You were trying to keep yourself at bay, to not lose sight of your sanity as his teeth bit your soft skin, lifting your hips upwards as he slipped the skirt off of your legs, throwing it somewhere in the room, not caring where it landed as he looked back at you.

“You’d still do the things you do to me, Y/n,” He kissed your lips sweetly as his hands found purchase on your waist, “There’s nothing in this world that could change the way I feel about you.”

You could only muster a single breath, your brows scrunching up with care as your hand traveled up the expanse of his back, holding onto his cheek with all the love you had as you gave him a wet and watery grin.

“And what is that?”

He rolled his eyes, his finger gently poking at your side as a giggle bubbled out of you. The small sound of your laughter was enough to bring a wide grin to his face, his lips stretching up into his cheeks as he watched life seep back into your eyes.

“If only you knew how much I loved you,” He muttered, kissing the corners of your eyes, your smile lines, and your delicate lips as he rubbed his nose against yours, “Maybe then you’d know how much it pains me to see you so hurt.”

You pout, your fingers trudging through his hair as you twirl a blonde lock over and over, not noticing the way he practically melted into your touch.

“I don’t do it intentionally, I hope you know.” You mutter and he chuckles, shaking his head as if to agree with you.

“I know, I know,” His hands trickled upwards and upwards, nearing untouched territory as you gasped at the new sensation, not trying to cover up the little moan that slipped between your lips the moment his thumb gilded across your sensitive nipple, “But it doesn’t mean I don’t like - fuck,” He whispered into your skin, almost not believing it himself as his hands gilded across your breasts, “You’re just perfect, aren’t you?” And you could only nod, not trusting your words as he continued his ministrations.

He dipped one hand back down, hooking it under the fabric of your tunic as he pushed it upwards, your hands voluntarily sliding out as the cold winter air bit angrily at your bare, heated skin.

You wanted to cover up, your hands going to travel to hide your barren chest, something only you and your handmaidens had seen before, but his hands circled your wrist, tugging them down, slow to do it in case you were opposed to it. But you let him do it because deep down the two of you wanted this more than anything in the world.

“Beautiful,” He muttered to himself, almost as if the words just tumbled out, looking up at you with those pomegranate eyes almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing,  “You’re so beautiful Y/n.”

Your eyes wrangled shut, the heat traveling up into your cheeks, and you couldn’t watch without feeling your entire body ignite at the way he brought his face down towards your naked breasts, his hot breathing hitting your cold skin.

Nothing could have prepared you for when his hot tongue pressed flat against your right nipple, his finger working away at the other one, tugging and pulling as he sucked feverishly as if his life depended on it. You couldn’t help the loud moans that escaped, the way you tried to cover up your eyes in embarrassment but didn’t when he stopped, looking down at him as he sent a rather harsh bite to the skin around your breast.

“Don’t cover yourself up, wanna see what you look like when you finally let go.”

And he didn’t let you take in his words as he went back down, working on the other one, making a mess out of it as his spit shined in the pale moonlight. It was maddening the way he kissed and tugged at your nipples, sucking on them, the sound so lewd that you felt like you were burning alive.

He let his curious hands wander down, rubbing up and down your legs, behind your knees, and back up to your thighs, gingerly pinching and prodding at the skin as he tried to mark every freckle, dimple, every little scar you had to memory. You were a work of art, and he refused to let any part of you go unappreciated.

He pulled away, a string of spit connecting itself from your nipple to his red lips as he grinned up at you, an unrivaled fire in his eyes as he moved down, practically melting at the sight of your naked body.

“F-fuck, are you okay if I have a taste, please,” His nose rubbed against the top of your mound, dangerously close to the place where you were warned to never touch, someplace that was meant to be only for your husband. But you didn’t care, not when it came to Katsuki, and you feverishly nodded for him to continue.

“Need to hear you say it,” He muttered, pressing a sweet kiss to your inner thigh as he nudged his nose into your soft skin, “Come on, you can do it.”

“P-please, ‘Suki, please touch me, shit, do whatever you want I d-dont care.” You begged, your fingers pushing his head closer to your wet entrance, and he didn’t need to be told twice as he flashed you a charming smile, his face disappearing as suddenly felt your eyes cross at the sensation.

Gods help you because you had no idea how you were ever going to have been prepared for the way his tongue pushed at your walls, licking away at your juices as he groaned deeply, his eyes screwing shut as your saccharine taste, something that he couldn’t get enough of as he lapped your wetness up with even more fervor.

“O-oh fuck! ‘S-suki, please, please don’t stop!” You whined out loud, hoping with every fiber of your being that the party was loud enough to cover up your wails and moans because you knew you couldn’t keep quiet with the way his hot tongue was making its way inside you. Mapping it all out, putting it into memory which places made you scream the loudest, what part of you to prod at more to get the sweetest sounding moans.

His thumb moved upwards to find your little nub, pinching it between his two fingers as he rolled it back and forth. You nearly collapsed the moment he touched your clit, and he had to use his other hand to widen your thighs because you could barely hold yourself up anymore.

“Fuck, you taste so sweet,” He groaned into your pussy, licking one long strip as you felt yourself clench around nothing, “Sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted. Shit,” He moaned pathetically at the way you cried for him, “Don’t think I’m ever going to be able to let you go.”

“Don’t, please, please don’t stop!” You begged for him, and his thumb moved faster, your hands pushing his head deeper into you as his nose bumped against your clit, the added sensation pushing you deeper and deeper into something you had never felt before.

It all happened so quickly, the way your stomach clenched, your walls tightening around his fingers and tongue as your back arched, your mouth open in a shameless moan as you came all over him, your chest heaving up and down in an uneven motion as you tried to calm yourself down, only able to see white as you came down from your blissful high.

When you opened your eyes back up you came to see your Katsuki smiling fondly, making haste at taking his attire off, the thick line prominent in his slacks now in front of you, and you felt your mouth dry at the sight.

“How’d that feel?” He asked, his hand coming down to prop up your head, his chin glistening with your release as you give him a mindless smile. Your eyes were relaxed and happy, and if only he could commit this to his memory, he’d never let the image go.

“Good,” You muttered into the palm of his hand, turning your head over to the side so you could kiss it, “Really good.” You giggled a bit at the way he grinned happily, no longer looking like the stern knight he always was but a simple man in love.

“Yeah?” He asked and you nodded, his thumb rubbing up and down your cheek as he pressed a small kiss to your forehead.

“Are you tired, d’you want me to stop?” He asked, his eyes tracing your features, not wanting to push you when he knew this was your first time experiencing all these things. If he could, he’d take the time to show you everything he knew. But on the longest night of the year, he’d be apt with stopping right where he was.

“No, no,” You groaned, your lips forming into a small pout as you pushed at his chest, wanting him to get the hint, “Don’t stop.”

He laughed, the sound deep and rich as you smiled along with it, nodding along to your words.

“Whatever you want, princess.” And for the first time, you loved the way your title sounded on his tongue.

As he got himself ready, you took the time to admire his bare body. The way his chest flexed every time he moved, the muscle delicately outlined with the help of the moon and her stars, looking as if he was chiseled from marble. You knew that no other man in your land could look like him, be him. There was only one Bakugo Katsuki, and you were more than thrilled to have him right in front of you.

You let your nails drag along his thighs, noting the little shiver he let out when your finger dragged up to his hip, tracing his v-line and the muscle of his abs, your cold fingers a stark contrast from his stark skin, but he’d be a madman if he told you to stop.

“So pretty ‘Suki,” You muttered, almost as if you were talking to yourself, not even noticing the way his cheeks flushed at your simple compliment.

But your eyes wandered down lower, and you’d be blind if you were to miss the way his cock had sprung against his stomach, his tip red and angry, dripping with pre as it was practically begging to be touched.

You didn’t know much, only heard from the other girls and their experiences, so you aimlessly brought your hand down, lower and lower till it stopped at the vein that traveled upwards. You traced it all the way up to his tip, hearing him shudder and let out little whines at the way your fingers held him. You followed the natural curve, wondering silently to yourself how he was ever going to fit inside you as you gave him an experimental squeeze. He watched the curious look in your eyes as you watched how he reacted, the way he twitched and the muscle in his thigh almost spasmed as you moved your hand leisurely up and down.

“F-fuck, you’re,” He heaved, running a hand through his hair, his jaw ticking as you looked up at him, your fist stopping just at his head as he swallowed thickly, “You’re killing me, can’t,” He heaved a groan as you squeezed a little, a cheshire grin growing on your face as he tried to glare at you but failed miserably when you squeezed his tip again, smearing pre cum all of the palm of your hand, “Shit, it feels amazing azizam.” He muttered, his head falling into the crook of your neck as you paused your movements.

“Why…why’d you stop?” He whined and you patted his hair, his gold locks as you giggled a little bit at the desperation in his voice. He was such a far cry from how you were used to seeing him, but you kissed his ear, moving his chin up as you pressed another kiss to his lips.

“‘Cause… I want you - want you to fuck me,” You said against his tender skin, your cheek heating up but you didn’t care about being proper anymore, “Can you please do that ‘Suki? Please?”

Ad he almost collapsed on top of you but controlled himself as he swooped down, pressing a messy kiss to your swollen lips as you tasted your tangy self on him, moaning at it as he grinded his hard-on into your stomach.

“F-fuck, of course,” He murmured against you, “You know I’d do anything for you, Y/n. Didn’t even need to ask.”

You grinned at his words, watching as he pulled away, balancing himself on the pads of his knees as he looked down at you, a loving and tender look in his eyes as he winked, his strong frame, something that once used to intimidate you, casting a shadow over your body.

You watched with your heart beating in your throat as you parted your thighs for him, still wet from your previous orgasm, as he lined himself up with your entrance, his thick head prodding at your walls as he looked up at you, a final look, a final say in wanting to make sure you were okay.

The smile you gave him was wide, full of every emotion you tried to convey to him as you nodded, your eyes shutting in pure bliss as he gently pushed himself in, the sting of your tight cunt trying to take shape for him was something you were going to get used to, but after he let you get adjusted to his girth you patted his thigh, telling him that you were ready for him to move.

And gods, when he did you could have sworn you were going to pass out. You could tell he was trying to be as slow and as gentle as possible, but with the way he was chewing on his lips, his brows creasing as he tried to focus and being slow with you, you knew that he too was slowly going crazy.

“‘Suki, please,” You moaned when his dick hit a certain spot inside you, your eyes crossing over as you gripped onto his arm as tightly as you could, “Go faster. P-please, fuck!” He could only grunt, holding onto your hips as carefully as he could without hurting you, and he felt like he was slowly entering heaven because there was no way this was anything but that.

“R-really? Are you sure? Don’t - fuck - don’t want to hurt you…?” He said, his tone laced with worry and desire as you shook your head, begging, pleading for him to go faster.

And he obliged, picking up the pace as his cock plunged in and out of you, the sounds full of sin as your juices mixed with his, a sloppy and wet sound bouncing around the room as the two of you moaned in tandem at the blasphemous yet deliriously amazing feeling.  

You tried to open your eyes, crack them for long enough to see him focusing on the way your cunt hugged his cock tightly, the way you didn’t seem to want to let him go as your juices shined brightly on his dick. The feeling was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and he knew that he could no longer pretend and shove his feelings down when it came to you. It was all thrown out the window when you first asked him to kiss you, and now, after this, he’d probably go insane if you asked him to pretend like it never happened.

“Mhh, f-fuck, feels so good, don’t, don’t stop ‘Suki, love it so much!” You cried, and maybe you were just saying random words at this point, but like a fool in love, he clung to all of them.

“I know, fuck, you’re so tight, you’re clamping down on me so much,” He groaned, sputtering through the words as he pistoned his hips and out of you, the bed creaking and swaying heavily with his rapid motions. He prayed to every and any god there was out there that it didn’t crack during this.

“S-shit, Y/n,” He felt his release quickly coming, and he knew it was going to come anytime with the way you gripped onto him, your hot walls not seeming to let him go as his face contracted, “M’gonna, fuck, gonna cum.”

“M-me too, gonna c-cum, ‘Suki, fuck!” You said, your voice airy as you tried to lift your hips up to meet his movement, that knot in your stomach growing tighter than it had last time, your thighs cramping and toes curling as you wrapped your hands around his toned shoulders.

He grunted at the feeling, his dick pulsating inside you as you tried to hold on for a little longer, your back arching, your breasts pressing into his chest as he groaned at the feeling, kissing and licking at your neck as he bit down at the point where your neck met your collarbone.

He stopped when he felt it coming, pulling out of you as his heavy load sprayed all over your chests, your own scream of pleasure mirroring his as you climaxed, your pussy aching without him inside you as you collapsed, your face lined with sweat and arousal as your chest heaved up and down with heavy breaths.

He panted, wiping at his forehead as he looked at you, his heart warming at the intimate sight. He had no idea how he was ever going to recover from this, how he’d come up with a plausible lie for why he was suddenly putting down his knightly duties to no longer serve you.

But right now he couldn’t let those thoughts ache his mind as he climbed off of the bed, his whole body spent as you cracked open an eye, fearful that he had quickly regained his senses and was trying to find the easiest way out.

Even now you tried your best to get your mind straight, but it was impossible when he looked so gorgeous, the pale moonlight washing over his features as the muscle in his back rippled with his every movement.

“‘Suki…where,” You pulled yourself up on your elbows, your chest a beautiful sight as he looked back at you, “Where’re you going?”

He paced back, hearing the worry in your voice as you gently cupped your cheeks, kissing all of the concerns out of your face as he gently rubbed at your worry lines, promising to himself that he’d never let you trouble yourself again if he had the power.

“Getting you a washcloth, I’ll be back, I promise.” He pecked at the corner of your lips as you smiled, nodding as you fell back into the bed, your fingers feeling at the soft sheets as you looked out of the window, hearing some rustling in the back as you tried to calm your heart rate down.

He came back with a cloth warmed with some water, gently dragging it all over your body as you winced, hearing his soothing apologies as he tried to be softer with your sore areas. It was an intimate sight, and you hoped that you weren’t the only one out of the two who felt this way.

His eyes were careful as they tracked all over, careful as to not miss a spot, and then went back to get another towel, this time for your face as he cleaned all the sweat and spit off, not missing the way you held his wrist and pressed an appreciative kiss to his palm your eyes drooping from sleep as you let him pull you into some more comfortable robes, pulling the sheets over your body so that you wouldn’t shiver in the night.

That’s when you let the exhaustion and sleep take over your body, drifting off into a dreamless slumber as you hoped that the warmness that was radiating next to you could only have but one explanation for it.

—

When you woke up, you squinted as the sun shined brightly in your eyes, holding your hand up to hide the rays. You felt sore and the place between your thighs ached, but you had never gotten a sleep as good as the one you had gotten last night.

Looking over, you let out a sigh of relief to see Katsuki next to you, sleeping away peacefully as his cheeks were squished in from the pillow.

Laughing quietly you ease yourself back down, pulling the blanket over your two bodies as you laid your hand across his shoulders, playing with the tuft of hair at the nape of his neck, twirling it around mindlessly as you wondered to yourself just what you were going to do.

Before you could think for long, you felt him shift beneath your fingers, and watched as he cracked an eye open, and then another one, slowly coming to his senses when a big, wide, goofy grin spread across his cheeks to see you there laying in front of him.

“Good morning,” You muttered, your thumb moving across his forehead, tracing his delicate yet war-ridden features with all the care in the world.

“Mornin’,” He said, the gruffness in his voice making you shiver as his hands circled around your wrist, bringing your hands to his lips as he placed a delicate kiss on the back of them.

The two of you let the silence sit between your bodies, mapping a dimple and a scar on each other's face, things you’ve ever noticed before because you’ve never been in such a position to take notice of such things.

But soon the heavy question came back, and you could only let it sit for so long before somebody brought it up.

“I’ve been wondering,” Katsuki started, weaving his hand underneath your naked body so that he could tug it closer to himself, smiling to himself as you let out a shocked squeal at the way he so effortlessly was able to move you, “If your offer’s still up?”

Your brows furrowed in confusion as you let your palm rest on his chest, drawing to be neared to his warmth as you rested your cheek against his bicep.

“What offer?”

He played with your hair, grunting as he looked down at you for really forgetting the words you told him so many months ago.

“The one where I helped you run away.”

You paused, your breath catching in your throat as you looked up at him, wondering where he was going with this.

“I recall something like that...” You said slowly, not wanting to ruin anything when things seemed to be going relatively alright. But he traced little patterns on your back, the action soothing as he flattened his palm across your shoulder blades.

“Well, I reckon you’ll run away either way. If not last night, then another night,” He looked down at you, a promise in his eyes that you knew he would intend to keep to his very death, “And you’re going to need somebody who knows Persia like the back of their hands.

"But...Katsuki," You frowned, moving some of the hair away from his face as he brought your palms to his lips, watching you as you tried to formulate your thoughts. There was no point in lying to him when he could read you so easily, "I don't want you to leave here. You have a life here, people who need you." You needed him, but you didn't want to seem any more desperate than you already were to him.

Regardless, he shook his head, his hand moving over your waist as his fingers marked all the placed he kissed last night.

"You," He kissed your forehead, smiling into your skin as you giggled at the ticklish sensation, "Are my life. What do you not get about that?" You heated under his words, trying to hide your face in his arms.

“And regardless of if I come with you or not, you’re going to be taking a part of me that only you have, so..." He shrugged as if he wasn't saying the most amazing words he could have ever said, "I'll be coming with you."

The smile you gave him could radiate universes to come, it made the stars jealous in your wake, and the sun wondered how something could look so bright, how it was humanly possible.

“Really? You promise?”

He nodded, kissing your forehead as he held you close to his chest, his arms protectively trying to shield you from the troubles of the world.

“F'course, my love," He kissed you one last time as the sun began to rise from the east, "I’d never lie to you.”

---

[ddarker-dreams]

chrollo's reaction at the knowledge that darling is bi is "haha so what?" but then it dawns upon him that he has 2x the amount of candidates capable of sweeping you off your feet

chrollo is 100% the type to say "oh, that makes you all the more interesting to me" before the Realization hits. bisexual... what is the etymology there... perhaps he's misunderstanding...

now hold on a moment. why can't anything be easy? the competition is doubled? alas, so be it. he will outdo every prospect partner. this is simply fate telling him to up his game. he'll see to it that he is the only one your eyes linger on, even if that means no one aside from him is allowed around you.

[that-ari-blogger]

A Look In The Mirror

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power exists in cycles and spirals, that's part of why I call it an tragedy trying desperately to happen. A ton of the tension is driven by the question of whether or not the characters will break out of the cycle. In other words, the story is about agency vs fate (a bit like Romeo and Juliet, I wonder what else the two have in common).

There are many ways to get across this theme, perhaps with carefully laid parallels and nuanced storytelling, both of which She-Ra does. But Signals takes a different, far less subtle approach. The episode tells the audience overtly what the series as a whole is about, and what exactly can subvert it.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, God Of War: 2018, God Of War: Ragnarök)

Signals opens after Entrapta's loyalties become general knowledge, and I would like to start with Bow's story in this episode, because it is a microcosm of how the story works as a whole. A vacancy is opened in a hierarchy and the new appointee tries to do things the way that their predecessor did. People become caricatures of those they see as powerful in their designated area and have to learn that being themself is just as useful, if not more so.

Bow, for example, seems convinced that failure is to be avoided or hidden. He has to be perfect, and able to fix anything. But, as Entrapta herself explains:

"There’s no reason to get huffy because an experiment fails.  Failure is a vital part of scientific endeavor."

For all of her eccentricities, Entrapta is one of the wisest characters in the series, with only Razz outdoing her in that regard. (Swiftwind comes close). To that end, this is rather decent life advice, sometimes the best way to learn is to get something wrong and experience the consequences for that, instead of being either protected from consequence, or being punished for trying.

Hold on to this thought.

In essence, Bow is a relatively simple character by nature, he is necessary to balance out the entirety of the rest of the cast. But the word "relatively" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, because Bow is nuanced, specifically in his relationship with obstacles.

Bow begins with a very simple worldview, but Entrapta single handedly complicates this time and time again. With her death, her allegiance, and her legacy. Bow realises that his worldview needs nuance when his top down perspective gets someone "killed", then he realises that his idea of binary morality is skewed when Entrapta defects, and here he learns about failure and tactics by trying to live up to her image.

Bow remains simple, in contrast with the theme park character development of Catra, Adora, and Glimmer, but he does learn and adapt.

So, Bow sets the baseline, to break from the cycle, you need to change. You need to stop trying to be someone else, and instead focus on being the best you that you can possibly be.

God Of War: 2018 and its sequel use the analogy of fate to describe this principle. Thor becomes an absent father because of his own father's abuse, which then leads to Magni and Modi being schmucks as the cycle continures. Odin explicitly gets to see what his future holds and ends up inadvertently causing it to come true in his attempts to subvert his fate.

Fatbrett on YouTube has a video titled Odin - A Deconstruction of Villainy that delves into the character as a whole, but I would like to zero in on Odin's core flaw and the message of the game as a whole. To change your fate is to change your nature. Odin is incapable of change, so the prophecy comes true.

But Kratos and Atreus do change, but their journey is towards learning to not avoid being themselves. Kratos' journey in God of War: 2018 is directly caused by not telling his son about his past, and Atreus spends the entirety of God of War: Ragnarök trying to be either his father, or Odin. The message of the story is this:

"Don't be sorry, be better"

Learn from your mistakes.

Adora takes this in an interesting direction, because it's genuinely difficult to see her as having much meaningful character development in series one at all, and I actually think this is a good thing. Because on a surface level, Adora goes from bad guy to good guy and escapes from an abusive relationship. But does she? The only thing that happens to the parental relationship is a pallet swap.

All Adora does in season one is change her surroundings, but the key part of that is her foundation. Adora spends season one surrounding herself with people who will enable that character development to flourish and not be broken down... and Light Hope. In season two, Adora starts making strides towards actual agency, and that is all because of the setup she has been doing.

I have gone into Depth as to how Light Hope is a bad influence in other posts, but this episode hammers home just how easily Adora internalises things. She keeps Shadow Weaver's tales of the Weeping, Headless, and Undead Princesses in her mind, for example, absorbed uncritically.

But Adora also keeps the obsessive blaming. She sees a problem and immediately attributes the cause of it to the Horde, a holdover from her time there, where she had the same attitude towards Princesses. In this instance, she's wrong, and the problem is more nuanced, and her assumptions get the better of her.

Speaking of assumptions, the first ones make an appearance in this episode, kind of. The messages that they leave behind give a glimpse into their lives that we haven't come close to getting before.

"I’ve been thinking of them as these big epic figures. But they’re regular people, sending messages to their loved ones."

The theme of cycles and living up to legacies continues with the worldbuilding of this story. Modern Etheria tends to visualise the First Ones as great and powerful and perfect, but they were just as human as the rest of the characters. Once again, those trying to mimic their predecessors exactly come up short.

Over on the Horde side, Catra is going through a similar situation, she is trying to become Shadow Weaver, but coming up short because there was more the story than she realised. Shadow Weaver had to do paperwork, for example.

There's also the fact that she is still in the abusive environment. She still regularly visits Shadow Weaver, so the psychological bullying still happens, but she's also around Hordak, now. I said that Adora has just pallet swapped her situation, and I think Catra has done the same.

When Hordak takes the atmosphere out of the room, it is awful, and it's the moment in which Catra should realise that it doesn't matter how high up in the chain of command she goes, she will still be suffering. She should realise that she needs to get out of there for her own safety and sanity.

But she doesn't realise that. Instead, she applies what she has learned in her upbringing. She is convinced that all she has to do is succeed, and she will get that attention and fairness. Conditional acceptance is what she is used to, so she doesn't see anything out of the ordinary here.

"Failure is when something ceases to serve a purpose. When that happens, it becomes worthless to me."

This is Hordak's worldview, and I hate to argue with a villain, but I think he's wrong there. If success is usefulness, and everything will eventually stop being useful to you, then you have a pretty sad life. If you judge everything by utility and don't care for relationships or things that just look and feel nice, then you are alone.

But on a broader, purely utilitarian perspective, this idea is bunk by that standard too. Failure as worthlessness is an objectively false idea, because mistakes are things to learn from. If something doesn't work, try again differently.

In other words:

"Failure is a vital part of scientific endeavor."

Entrapta is back, and this episode actually gives a glimpse into how to subvert the cycles, specifically through Entrapta and Hordak.

Firstly, Hordak has evidently been trying the experiment over and over again without learning anything. So Entrapta, by nature of her ability to adapt, makes the experiment work. It's a tiny metaphor for what I've been saying so far.

But Entrapta breaks through Hordak's barriers because of her sense of freedom. The best way to break free of a downward spiral is to start moving in a different direction, and Entrapta does that easily. The reason she so easily switches sides is because she isn't tied down by anything (not even morality). She can't even be imprisoned because she is impossible to contain. Entrapta is a free spirit, and I think that that is what the series is about, personal agency.

Catra and Adora are repeating the same story over and over again because they think they have no choice, that's what the tragedy of the series is, the two main characters are on a road to destruction and can't change direction. But the story isn't a tragedy, it avoids being one at the last possible moment when the characters finally realise that they have agency, and that thematic is foreshadowed right here, in Signals.

Final Thoughts

In my plan for this post, I wanted to bring up the Darksouls series, of all things, but I think I will save that idea for a later episode.

In any case, this episode manages to discuss some overarching philosophy, as well as explicitly state that this has happened before, this is a story about repetition, learn from your mistakes.

Also, the cinematography in this episode is really cool. It flies under the radar a lot, but the camera placement and movement really heighten the tension and vibe of this episode.

Next week, I will be talking about Roll With It, an episode that is near and dear to my heart for completely unbiased reasons. Definitely unbiased. Not bias there at all. So, stick around if that interests you.

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