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maya1525 · 1 year

Text

After-School Activities

18+ MDNI

Pairing✩࿐Fem!Reader X Satoru Gojo, Toge Inumaki, Megumi Fushiguro, Yuuta Okkotsu

WARNINGS✩࿐unprotected group sex in the classroom, Male Teacher x Female Student, overstimulation, teasing, praise, size difference, Fem! Receiving oral, anal, vaginal sex, cream pie, choking, tit-fucking, multiple Fem!Reader orgasms

BONUS✩࿐Reader gets fucked in a skirt

Word count✩࿐7.1K

Summary✩࿐This is part 2 to my jjk series (reading part 1 isn’t necessary, but it is appreciated) The school changed the living situation for the students and they have to live in shared apartments. The reader is living with Megumi Fushiguro, Yuuta Okkotsu, and Toge Inumaki. She is being shared among those three as their girlfriend. Satoru Gojo figures out what’s going on between the four students and (for his own selfish desires) decides to give them a lesson on how to please the Fem!Reader.

A/N✩࿐I made a few minor changes to this fic, I hope you like this updated version better. Not sure where my mind went when I wrote this… I hope you enjoy it, I had fun writing from multiple viewpoints.

“How long have you been standing there?” Questioned Megumi as Yuji leaned against the island casually.

“Oh, you know. Like ten minutes. I’m surprised none of you heard me come in. Yuuta was taking too long to grab his running shoes, so I came up to see what the hold-up was. Gotta say I’m impressed.” Yuji smiled, eying all of you with approval. “It was like I was watching a porno in real life!” Megumi let out an irritated groan at his friend's choice of words, while Yuuta face-palmed himself

“Shoot, I completely forgot you were waiting for us! Sorry man kinda got distracted.” Okkotsu flushed as he picked his t-shirt up off the floor. Toge pried you from Megumi’s lap and covered you up more efficiently with the blanket. Not liking the fact that Yuji eyed you with such lust. He pulled you into his arms protectively and led you upstairs to your bedrooms.

“Aww, so is that a ‘no’ then? It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone about your guys’ interesting relationship!” Called out Yuji from the kitchen, you let out a little giggle. To be honest, you never thought of Yuji in that way before. But if you were ever given the chance, would you let Yuji do you? You pushed the thought away as you shakily walked up the stairs, hanging on tight to Toge’s hand. Yuuta followed close behind with his hand on your lower back for support. Toge led you guys to his bedroom and personal bathroom. You’ve showered in his bathroom a couple of times before, typically after sleeping and having sex in his room. The smell of his sandalwood-scented candle always made you feel invited.

Inumaki got the bath ready for you, while Yuuta pulled you into him for a sweet hug, “You did so well taking all three of us for the first time.” You felt his smooth voice through his chest. He pulled away to smile down at you fondly, but then a shocked gasp left his lips. “Inumaki, look what you did to her!”

Toge brought his attention from the bath's temperature towards you, his expression changed to an excited one. He quickly got up and turned you to face the mirror. There on your face, you had his matching cursed speech markings.

This was a side effect of your cursed technique, which allows you to digest any curse user's DNA and mimic their abilities (to a lesser extent). Depending on how much DNA from someone you consume the effects of their techniques will vary.

Toge eyed you proudly and tilted your chin upward to his face. He opened your mouth to look at your tongue. He nodded as a gorgeous smile formed across his features, his viper seal was on your tongue just like his. He pulled you close to his lean porcelain-colored chest and gave you a gentle kiss.

Toge and Yuuta carefully removed the soft blanket from your naked body and led you to the nice warm bath. They took turns washing you as carefully as possible. They treated you as if you were a delicate doll. You felt so relaxed you snoozed off a bit in the bath. You groggily remember Toge carrying you to his bed afterward, and then Yuuta kissed your forehead before he left.

You woke up slightly when you felt Inumaki’s smooth hands run across your skin, as he rubbed lotion on you. Not a single part of your body was missed. His fingers ghosted over your nipples, across your stomach, and dipped down between your sensitive thighs, causing you to shiver.

“Toge, I’m cold. Cuddle me.” Your words melted his heart, he could never say no to you, especially the way your soft voice sounds extra cute when you’re sleepy. He covered you up in his dark gray comforter and pulled you into him. Snaking his arms around your waist, while resting his lips on the back of your neck.

Megumi felt guilty about how marked up your neck was from him, but secretly he couldn’t help but feel a flash of pride knowing he was the one who left them on you. He let you wear his uniform shirt to help hide the hickeys since it had a turtle neck. It was extremely baggy on you because of how petite your figure was. Your school uniform was a black button-down short-sleeve shirt paired skirt that fell midway down your thighs, along with black thigh-high socks. His turtle neck covered your face partially, but when you’d move slightly or speak, Toge’s curse speech marks would become noticeable. During class, you got a few curious glances from the girls, Satoru even flashed Toge and Megumi a proud and knowing smirk.

“And that’s it for our lesson today,” Gojo said clasping his hands together, everyone stood up and began to grab their belongings. You were about to head out of the door when Gojo spoke up once more, “Y/n you wouldn’t mind staying a little later to chat, would you?” You froze right in your tracks; Megumi, Toge, and Yuuta all shared shocked looks for a split second. “Don’t worry boys, she’s not in trouble,” Gojo smiled devilishly at their reaction.

“Uh- yeah, that's fine Sensei.” You said politely.

Once everyone else was gone and the door closed behind your boyfriends Gojo leaned back in his chair as he eyed you through his blindfold. “So, how are things going?” He said nonchalantly with the smirk on his face never faltering.

“Good.” You found yourself fiddling with the waistband of your skirt nervously.

“And your living situation? It looks like those three are treating you well.” His smooth voice rang out.

“Yes, they’re all very nice to me,” You sighed warmly.

Gojo let out a hearty chuckle, “Oh, no need to be so mousy.” He stood up from his chair and placed both of his hands on his desk, leaning towards you in a dominating manner, “Like I said you’re not in trouble... Do you have any idea why I asked to speak to you?”

“No-” You said shortly, but then changed your mind “Well, is it because of my... appearance?”

Satoru snickered once more, “Right on the nose!” He praised, “My first question is-“ He lifted his index finger to represent the number one, but then he hooked the Megumi’s collar at your neck. He pulled down the fabric to expose your neck covered in possessive love bites. Now Toge’s cursed speech marks on your cheeks were visible as well. You gasped in shock.

“Did Megumi leave those on you? Hmm?” You were appalled, he then gently gripped your jaw and tilted your head side to side as he inspected further. His presence was so overwhelming, that you felt too nervous to speak. A familiar feeling in your stomach began to stir up, arousal.

“Aww, cat got your tongue?” Gojo cooed with fake pity. “That’s ok, you don’t have to answer me. It’s written all over your pretty face. But please answer this next question; Toge emptied himself in your mouth, didn’t he?” His dirty words caused you to shudder.

You were beyond flustered, “Yes, he did.” You said defeatedly, and Gojo’s smug look increased.

“I’m guessing Yuuta’s involved too?” Satoru hummed as you felt a faint blush creep across your cheeks. You nodded shyly. With his grip still on your jaw he placed his middle and index fingers against your lips - they looked so kissable to him.

“Are you able to use your cursed technique through saliva? I’m curious to see how long it can last through a kiss-“ he cupped your face firmly and brought his hot lips to yours. His tongue snaked its way into your mouth for a split second. You were too shocked to move or believe that this was happening!

Your phone in your skirt went off, someone was calling you! You tried grabbing it but Satoru beat you to it. Your phone screen had said that Yuuta was calling, he slid to answer with his thumb as he kept his fingers on your lips.

“Hello?” He hummed smugly, bringing your phone close to his face and putting it on speaker for you to hear.

“Oh, uh- hey Gojo, I’m guessing that you and Y/n are still talking then?” Yuuta said in a confused tone.

“Yeah, we’re still talking,” Gojo said smoothly, with a wicked smirk. If he wasn’t wearing his blindfold he would’ve winked at you.

“Um, well are you guys almost done? Just wondering, since I’m outside waiting for her.” Yuuta explained.

“We’re just finishing up, don’t worry.” Gojo paused, “Are Megumi and Toge waiting out there as well?”

Yuuta went silent briefly, “Yeah, we are.”

“Perfect! Why don’t you three come back inside? There’s something important I need to teach you guys.”

Gojo had you shirtless in seconds, the younger men were baffled at how effectively he undressed you down to nothing but your school uniform skirt. Your bra was particularly flung off by the flick of his fingers. They watched captivated as the experienced man stripped you. It was as if he was a skilled magician showing off an elaborate trick right before their eyes. He’s clearly done this countless times before.

All of their mouths water for you. The energy in the room shifted immensely. You could feel their longing eyes staring you down as if you were a delectable meal.

You felt so vulnerable sitting on Gojo’s desk with nothing on but your skirt on. He had you bring your feet onto the edge of its hardwood surface, and he gently guided your torso back with his large suave hands. He had you leaning on your elbows. “I’m having her in this position, so you can all see clearly what I’m about to do.” Explained Gojo in a matter-of-fact tone, he had all three of them sit at desks up close to his. “Make sure you pay attention to her reactions and her facial expressions.“

Satoru stood behind you so he was facing his students, he placed both of his warm hands on your shoulders. He massaged them lightly, “no need to be so nervous,” He whispered down into your left ear, “Relax...”

You tried your best to ease your nerves, but you couldn’t help but feel anxious. Gojo’s magical hands made you melt to his touch within seconds. ”Good girl.” He uttered under his breath, his seductive scent filled your senses with how close he had gotten to you.

His hands then slid across your collar bones and then he ghosted them down to your perky breasts. Groping them gently from behind, you held back a quiet moan as he teased your nipples delicately.

“Don’t hide your cute sounds darling, let them hear you enjoy this.” Satoru purred.

He then gave your breasts a rough squeeze causing you to tense up in pain, “Did you guys just see that? She doesn’t like it when I’m rough with her tits, be gentle with them from now on.” He then caressed your breasts again but this time much gentler.

Gojo moved his torso closer to your shoulder as if he were a snake enveloping its prey. He lowered his head down to your collarbone to give it a fluttery kiss, causing ferocious shivers to wake in its place. He grazed his lips up to your hickey-covered neck to place another kiss. “Ahh…” You sighed at the feeling.

“Her neck is extremely sensitive, Megumi you took advantage of that. Good job.” Gojo praised his pupil against the crook of your neck. He tested the waters and licked up your neck slowly, earning another sigh to escape from you. He loved how reactive you were being to his touch. Your cute little moans made a tight feeling swell in his chest (and in his pants), oh he will take his time and savor you for sure.

With his hands still lightly teasing and caressing your bouncy breasts. He brought his lips to your right ear, licking the lobe ever so fluently, causing you to arch your back instinctively. A lazy smirk made itself known on Gojo’s handsome features. No one has ever done that to your ear before and the heat from his breath alone gave you goosebumps. Right before everyone’s eyes, your nipples grew even more pebbled. Satoru delicately kissed your ear making you squirm with bliss. You felt your voice get caught in your throat at this new sensation. The neediness between your thighs increased tremendously. He hasn’t even touched you down there, but you could feel the dampness in your underwear skyrocket. As if the feeling wasn’t exquisite enough Satoru amplified your emotions tenfold by whispering in a voice too soft for anyone else to hear. “I bet you’re a soaking mess right now. You want me to take of that?”

“Okaka.” You heard Toge growl under his breath. You flashed your attention over to see Inumaki sitting at his desk with his arms crossed, his hardened gaze staring directly at his teacher.

“Don’t worry Inumaki, I’m just giving her some words of encouragement.” Gojo sighed lightheartedly. “Words are just as crucial as actions when it comes to the art of… seduction.”

Satoru placed his hot mouth back to your ear once more, initiating you to arch my back without thinking. He then removed one of his hands from your nipples and brought his index and middle finger to your lips, “suck 'em.” He ordered.

You obediently parted your lips slightly, and his long fingers pried their way into your mouth. They immediately went down your throat, your breath remained calm as you gently sucked them with ease. Your gag reflex has improved tremendously, compared to the first time you deep-throated. It was with Yuuta’s dick. He was so sweet and patient when you got used to the feeling.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to suffocate yourself.” Yuuta gasped out as you choked on him, his fists tightened around the sheets as he tried to calm down at the new wonderful sensation he was experiencing. You were curious to see how far he could go down your throat, so you forced yourself deeper onto him. You felt happy to give him so much pleasure with your saturated mouth. A few tears escaped from your eyes, and then shortly after your nose began to run. Regardless, you loved the way Yuuta’s sweet dark eyes rolled to the back of his head and how his black hair fell messily in front of his face. “You feel so good…” he struggled to say while you slurped his rod.

Remembering that now while you sucked on Gojo’s fingers, caused your panties to dampen even more. You flickered your eyes over to your boyfriends. Making eye contact with Toge first; you could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted you. Megumi had a similar look on his face but was still curious to see what else Satoru planned on doing to you. While Yuuta had such a needy look on his face, he was turned on and fought the urge to run up to the desk and snatch you from his teacher's grasp.

Gojo’s words brought your attention back to him, “I’m impressed that they were able to corrupt an innocent beauty into such a little slut.” You naturally sucked on his fingers a little harder when he called you a slut. You’ve never been degraded before, but when he said that you felt even more turned on. Gojo chuckled, “Oh? Do you like being called a slut?” His voice sounded deeper than usual.

Satoru then moved to your other ear to tease you with his viper-like tongue. You pictured his tongue down between your legs and you couldn’t help but whine onto his fingers. Gojo was drunk with power at the moment, he got off to the thought of doing you right here and now in front of your boyfriends. His cocky smile not leaving his face throughout the whole ordeal.

He reluctantly removed his fingers from your mouth and got up from behind you. He kneeled at the front of the desk but still made sure everyone could see what he was doing. You felt his large hand sweetly touch your ankle. Then he ghosted his fingers up your shin and to your thigh, lifting your skirt to expose your drenched underwear.

“Aww you gotta little excited, didn’t you?” He announced, you felt so lewd when everyone’s lust-filled eyes stared directly at your wet panties.

To your disappointment Gojo didn’t even touch your underwear, you felt him place a hand on the inside of each of your plump thighs. He gave them a gentle squeeze causing you to gasp with delight.

“Yep, my suspicions are correct. Not only does your girl have an extra sensitive neck but her thighs are just as bad.” The way Satoru talked about you, reminded you of the way expert mechanics talk about cars. “Please tell me that at least one of you knew that?” He directed his attention to your three boyfriends.

“Shake-shake,” Toge spoke up, causing Megumi and Yuuta to whirl their heads in the cursed speech user’s direction. No one except you could notice the proud glint in Inumaki’s eyes.

“Oh? Do care to elaborate.” Satoru said to you as he gently rubbed your soft skin, erecting a sigh of delight to come from your lips.

“Toge likes to give me full body massages from time to time, which most of the time leads to…” your cheeks grew hot as if you weren’t already aroused.

Your thoughts drifted to when Inumaki discovered your sweet spots on the inner parts of your legs. You were on your tummy in his bed watching TV as he massaged your naked ass. He started with your neck and shoulders and worked his way down. You enjoyed the feeling of your ass being massaged by his slick lotion-covered hands. As soon as he slid a hand down onto your thighs a loud gasp of satisfaction came from you. Toge immediately pulled his hand away with the fear that he hurt you, “Takana?” His voice rang with concern as he brought his face in front of yours.

“It’s ok! You didn’t hurt me, it felt good but also sensitive at the same time.” You blushed.

The look in his eyes got what you meant, so he situated himself back behind you to rub your thighs again. He managed to make you whimper uncontrollably with his teasing hands. His curious fingers were delicate at first, but then increased pressure- which drove you wild. Your entire body twitched as you flung over to close your legs. You were greeted with a sly smile and a playful look in his gorgeous violet-colored eyes. “Inumaki, be nice.”

His reflexes were slightly faster compared to yours and managed to get a hold of your right leg pulling you into him, dragging your back across his sheets in the process. He flung your leg over his shoulder as his lips came crashing down on yours for a heated kiss.

Megumi fought the urge to fuck you on that damn desk himself. His pants felt unbearably tight as his dick grew harder for you. How did Gojo manage to get you so turned on when he hasn’t even touched your pussy yet? The desperate way you looked at him as Gojo teased your overly sensitive thighs, made him ache for you so badly. He knew that Satoru was experienced and was helping you guys unlock new ways to get their girlfriend rilled up, but he felt impatient watching him tease you so blatantly.

You became a squirming and whiny mess because of Satoru’s hands on your soft skin. You felt your walls crumbling from the inside, as you lost your self-control. You felt too hot, too turned on, and too empty. “I-I…” I want you to fuck me, anyone to fuck me. You couldn’t muster up those dirty words, so you babbled uncontrollably.

“Hmm? What is it dear?” Gojo’s lazy smile irritated you, he knew what he was doing but chose to keep you in this desperate state.

“You’re not- ahh,“ another wave of pleasure hit you hard, his damn hands were so close to your soaking core. “You’re not doing a good job.” You managed to say between gasps.

“Oh? Be more specific hun, what am I not doing a good job at? Is there something else you want me to do?” That bastard knew what he was doing.

Toge couldn’t help but feel a little envious of the blindfolded man. Yes, he did have good tricks that he planned on teaching them; but Inumaki wanted to be the one responsible for those cute gasps and moans coming from your mouth. While at the same time, he was intrigued at how unraveled you’ve become.

“I…” you trailed off once more, in your desperate state you still felt too shy to say it. His skilled hands were so close yet too damned far away. A sudden wave of bravery overcame you. You shifted your weight onto your right elbow and leaned forward with your left hand. You snatched one of Satoru’s hands and set it on your drenched panties. “Touch me here,” you begged.

Your beautiful pleading eyes and words melted Gojo’s heart, you sounded so adorably horny to him and he loved it. He ghosted his fingers along the line of your pussy lips causing you to grind your core onto his fingers for more friction. “You want me to touch you here?” You nodded, your voice caught in your throat with excitement. “Tell me that’s what you want.” Satoru taunted.

You glared at him when he pulled his hand away, “Please sensei.” You pouted, “Make me feel good.”

That’s all Gojo needed to hear, in one skilled motion he removed your saturated underwear. Yuuta’s mouth watered at the sight in front of him, it took all of his strength and willpower to remain seated and watch his teacher at work.

Your dripping cunt was now exposed for all to see. Gojo slid his fingers against your folds to gather some of your juice onto them. He brought his slick-covered fingers to his mouth to have a taste, as if he was trying a delicacy. “Heavenly.”

He then directed his attention to his students, “So when it comes to pussy worshipping there are three ways to go about it. Eating. Fingering. And fucking. I’ll demonstrate in that order.”

He placed his warm finger on your clit, prodding it gently, making you whimper with anticipation. His fingers suddenly swiveled around your bundle of nerves with such speed and pressure causing you to moan embarrassingly loud. All you could feel was a hot white pleasure, and you came immediately onto his fingers.

“Oh fuck.” Gojo groaned as he ripped his blindfold down around his neck and brought his handsome face down between your thighs to drink up your squirting liquids. You couldn’t believe you came that fast and that suddenly.

Megumi, Toge, and Yuuta watched astonished as you came onto Gojo’s fingers. They didn’t know you could finish that fast, they all wondered what else their teacher was capable of.

The feeling of Satoru’s skilled mouth drinking you up made you feel so hot. You never would have thought that something so lewd and inappropriate as this, would ever happen with him, which made you enjoy it more. He kept his sultry mouth on your pussy, expertly zigzagging his tongue over your wet folds. You saw his brilliant blue eyes look up at you friskily. His hands gently rubbed and gripped both of your thighs.

“Instead of directing your attention onto one part of her body at a time, it’s crucial to stimulate more than one area. This will make her a slutty mess for you.” He hummed against your slick privates, the vibration of his voice feeling so good you clenched your tight hole yearningly.

As if he knew your pussy craved attention, right on cue he plunged his tongue inside of you. “Mmh, Satoru!” Your cunt practically squeezed his tongue further into you, begging him to tongue fuck you. His skilled mouth sent you over the edge once again, you instinctively gyrated your hips as you rode out your second orgasm. His eager mouth enveloped your pulsating cunt as he drank from you again.

Yuuta was awestruck when he so you come undone again. He didn’t even know that it was possible for you to cum twice in such a short amount of time. He made sure to memorize the way his sensei moved his mouth on you.

Once Gojo finished drinking from you he reluctantly pulled his face away, revealing that the lower section of his face was glistening from your overly saturated cunt. He looked over towards his male students, they were all clearly turned on by how he made you so wet and ready. “All of you are going to eat Y/n out, Megumi you’ll go first.”

Megumi immediately got up from his desk with a starved look on his attractive features, he was more than willing to help contribute to making you feel good. His teacher scooted over and now Fushiguro was situated between your legs. “Show me what you know.” Satoru’s lustrous voice rang out into the quiet classroom.

Your boyfriend slid his tongue up your folds and onto your clit, erecting a sigh of bliss to come from your lips. He could grow addicted to the taste of your sweet arousal. He swiped his tongue over you again, but this time faster and with slightly more pressure. Fushiguro remembered how you became undone when Totality’s fast tongue slid across your clit so he copied that method. You squirmed underneath his hot mouth. Gojo smiled at how fast his young pupil was able to move his tongue on you. Without thinking Megumi brought two fingers up to your dripping cavern, but Gojo grabbed them with a knowing smirk, “Not yet, let’s give Yuuta a turn.” Megumi obeyed and unwillingly pulled his mouth away from you, as Yuuta hurried over, practically kicking his desk out of the way in the process.

“Fushiguro, why don’t you give your girlfriend some love while Yuuta eats her out?” Satoru purred as you felt his large hand stroke your thigh in a comforting manner.

Yuuta settled between your legs with a ravenous look in his dark eyes. Megumi leaned against the desk and kissed you passionately. You could taste yourself on his lips. The sudden feeling of pleasure woke through your body once more, as you felt Yuuta’s tongue swivel across your folds, in a manner similar to Gojo’s. “Mmm.” Your moan was swallowed by Megumi’s avid kisses.

Yuuta then lowered his mouth so he could tongue fuck you, while his slender fingers stroked your sensitive nub. Satoru was pleased that Okkotsu was focusing his attention in more than one spot, as he instructed. Yuuta burrowed his face between your legs as if he didn’t need air to breathe. Gojo was impressed by how enthusiastic Yuuta was about eating your pussy. The thought of teaching you to sit on his face while he ate you crossed his mind for another day of teaching.

“Let’s give Inumaki a turn before she cums Yuuta.” Satoru chimed while prying the dark-haired boy away from your soaking cunt. Okkotsu moved to the other side of the desk to kiss your neck, while Fushiguro and you frenched feverishly. Yuuta’s slick mouth trailed kisses up to your ear, making you writhe in ecstasy.

Inumaki unzipped his face covering and grabbed both of my thighs towards his face, similar to the way Yuuta did. You always loved it when Toge would eat you since the heavy amount of cursed energy coming from his mouth felt like static. He latched his lips onto your clit and sucked hard, “Inumaki!” You whined onto Fushiguro’s lips, the sensation was too much for you to handle.

You felt overstimulated; with Inumaki’s buzzing mouth down on you, Satoru’s eyes raking over your body, Megumi’s heated kisses, and Yuuta’s steamy mouth on your ear. All of which drove you to the edge completely. You arched your back and flung one of your hands into Toge’s platinum white locks, “Cum.” He mumbled against your sloppy cunt, you tried to clamp your legs down onto him from the intense feeling of your release but his strong grip on your thighs kept you in place. He drank from you as if we were a starved animal, his alluring face between your legs made you go weak in the knees.

After cumming three times now, you felt like a rag doll. They could all easily manhandle you if they wanted to, which you wouldn’t mind at all. Your exhausted gaze drifted downward to see that Satoru had the largest tent in his pants you’d ever seen. The thought of him squeezing his huge member inside of you made you shiver with anticipation and fear.

Satoru took the initiative and stuck his middle and index fingers inside your dripping entrance. “Ahh!” You moaned out enjoying the feeling entirely. Toge was still between your legs and began to lightly kiss and suck on your thighs, little did you know he was leaving hickeys all over them.

Gojo pumped his long fingers in and out of you in a steady rhythm. He loved how your walls clamped down on him whenever he went a little too deep. He then arched his fingers so they were stroking your G-spot. He lifted his hand from his firm grip on your hip and announced “This is what I’m doing inside of your girl right now. That will make her cum for sure.” While his other hand in the air mimicked what he was doing inside of you so everyone could see.

It was all too much for you, and you couldn’t take it anymore. All this teasing and touching your overly sensitive body, “just fuck me already.” You whimpered quietly. Not sure if you directed your words to your teacher or one of your boyfriends. You were too overwhelmed to care who did the dead. As long as you could feel one of them fill you up. A dashing smirk came over Gojo’s face. While you sensed Megumi and Yuuta exchange a glance with one another.

Gojo’s fingers inside you went still at your lewd request. “Here Toge, take over.” Gojo took his fingers out of you and licked them clean as he walked to the other side of his desk. He stopped behind you, with his blue iridescent gaze looking down at you. “If you want me to fuck you, I’m going to need your mouth on my dick first.”

You felt Toge’s slender fingers begin to pump in and out of you, as he brought his mouth down to your clit. Megumi and Yuuta shifted their attention to your breasts, each licking and sucking your nipples as if they were a treat just for them. Gojo unzipped his pants and his massive dick sprung free, ready to play as ever. You gasped at his size but weren’t surprised because of how tall he was. Satoru adjusted your head so it dangled off the edge of his desk. Your mouth watered uncontrollably as he lightly guided his dick to your lips. You licked his velvety tip first and then his entire length. Making sure his entire penis was coated with your drool. You carefully took one of his balls into your mouth to suckle, he let out a little hiss of pleasure.

“You’re doing so good.” Gojo purred with approval as he placed both of his hands on your head. You mustered up as much bravery as you could to take him down your throat. Immediately, panic began to arise in your chest, due to the lack of air; but that was soon replaced by your dirty thoughts, enjoying the fact that this was happening. I bet this looks so hot to him. You thought, and you couldn’t be more right.

The sight before Satoru was a moment he will never forget. Your small throat squeezed him snuggly, causing his dick to twitch with pleasure. He was able to see the outline of his massive cock in your throat. The way your mouth salivated uncontrollably, along with your tongue beckoning him further down made him crave you even more. He’d be satisfied finishing your mouth right here and now, but the greedier side of his personality wants to claim your pussy as his. And that’s just what he’ll do.

Gojo then took himself out of your mouth, and a long strand of your drool connected your lips to the tip of his dick. “Which one of you would like to take her ass?” Gojo asked with a deep voice.

Toge mumbled “shake-shake” through your cunt as he ate you. He lifted his head out from between your thighs, his lips shining with your wetness.

“Perfect, coat your dick with her pussy juice before you shove it in. So it doesn’t hurt her as bad.” His wise teacher instructed. Toge slipped three of his fingers inside your sloppy pussy to gather as much wetness as possible (which was pretty easy). He wiggled around inside of you, causing you to whimper uncontrollably. While his other hand unzipped his pants. He removed his fingers from you, making you feel suddenly empty and needy.

His lust-filled eyes stared at you as he stroked his dick with his wet hand. You were more than ready to get filled up. Satoru had Toge take your place on his desk so he was laying on it. Gojo picked you up as if you were weightless and had you straddle Inumaki in reverse.

You gingerly settled yourself onto Toge’s sprung dick. You felt grateful he was slick with your wetness, otherwise, it would’ve been a bit more painful.

“Ahh.” You heard a small groan of satisfaction come from him. Inch by inch, you let gravity take you down further onto him until he was in you completely. Your skirt hid what was going on below you two. You felt Toge’s nails dig into your hips from his firm grip on you. You could tell he holding back the urge to pump into you wildly. To calm himself, he began to gently kiss the back of your neck and ears. Making you shiver in response, your nipples instantly become pebbled.

Satoru had unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his well-toned muscles, his pants draped to his thighs and his dick stuck out proudly. He settled between your legs, lifting up your skirt. He guided his massive member to your wet folds. The anticipation caused you to whimper as he slowly pushed the tip inside of you. Gojo clenched his jaw with concentration as he focused on not plowing into you just yet.

You became a mewling mess, “I don’t think you’re going to fit.” You cried as Satoru shoved himself another inch into your slippery pussy. You could already feel him rubbing against Toge’s penis lodged up your ass and he was not even halfway in yet.

“Don’t worry hun, I’ll make it fit. Megumi, put her mouth to use.” Gojo groaned as your walls clamped down on his extensive member. “Yuuta climb on top of her and fuck her tits.”

Megumi did as his teacher instructed, his dark blue eyes gleamed down at you as you opened your mouth for him. Sucking on him hungrily, you enjoyed the taste of his precum leaking into your mouth. Megumi loved how enthusiastic you were for him, “Ugh... you’re such a good girl.” He groaned out as he caressed your head gently.

Yuuta agilely maneuvered on top of your torso, he put his weight onto his knees being extra careful not to squish you. He unzipped his pants to set his elongated member free. He spit down onto himself and guided your hand up to his dick to stroke him. You enjoyed his warm smooth texture. Pumping him quickly, you earned a few gasps of pleasure to come from his lips.

Satoru couldn’t take it anymore, and plunged himself deep into you, instantly hitting your cervix. A cute and muted, “Ahh! Sensei....” came from your stuffed mouth at the sudden feeling, creaming onto him. Your pussy pulsated around his rod with delight.

“Shit. Your slutty little cunt can’t handle me.” Gojo hissed under his breath, loving the fact that your body cums so easily for him. He settled into a solid rhythm, pushing in and out of your petite body. He made a note to get you for himself sometime. He’d love for you to moan his name, and see your adorable face distorted in pleasure because of him.

Toge, felt your release drip down onto his thighs and penis, which helped lubricate him. With the extra wetness, he increased his speed. He rapidly pounded up inside you. He bit down onto your shoulder passionately, his hot breath initiating goosebumps to rise on your smooth skin. “Oh Toge...” you panted onto Megumi’s dick.

Yuuta began to rub himself onto your supple bouncy breasts, his penis felt hot and hard against your squishy skin. He was able to get a perfect view of your gorgeous face. He loved the way your pretty eyes watered as you deep-throated Fushiguro. Even though what you were doing was incredibly lewd, he knew that in his heart he would protect you. He would kill for you, and there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you. The thought of love crossed his mind, but was afraid to say that word too soon.

“Grip her neck Okkotsu.” Ordered Gojo from behind him, snapping him out of his ogling over you, “she’ll like it.” He heaved as he shoved himself into you once more.

Yuuta tentatively brought his lean vein-covered arm up, and his fingers went around your throat and gently squeezed. “Mmh.” You moaned out, enjoying the feeling of being at his mercy - especially from your shy and sensitive boy.

Hearing you whimper, awoke a dark urge inside of Okkotsu. The thought of fucking you with his hand around your throat made him pump his dick faster against your squishy and sensitive tits.

The way Yuuta’s dark eyes looked down at you with such dominance, caused you to clench your walls around Gojo and Toge suggestively. Erupting groans from both men inside of you. Gojo’s grand penis kept hitting your uterus with every stroke. He went in and out effortlessly because of how drenched he was from your soggy cunt. Satoru and Inumaki stimulated you simultaneously, their speed accelerated dramatically along with the power behind their hard thrusts. “You’re taking us so well hun.” Panted Gojo with approval.

Your legs began to tremble, you could feel your release building up again. You felt Satoru’s skilled fingers run against the sensitive bundle of nerves between your legs feverishly. The sensations they made you feel were too much for you to handle, and you came undone. Drenching Satoru in the process.

You whimpered onto Megumi’s dick as his hips began to move a bit rougher against your mouth. Yuuta’s movements against your breasts had increased in tempo as well. “Ahh.” Yuuta sighed with pleasure, as strands of his cum squirted all over your breasts, painting you like a picture. His grip on your throat tightened, causing you to clamp down a bit more on Megumi’s penis lodged inside. Earning a groan of pleasure to come from Fushiguro. He sprayed himself down your throat and you drank him eagerly.

“Shit, her pussy is too tight and wet. I’m gonna cum.” Gritted Satoru through his teeth. He cherished the way your petite body welcomed him in so easily. He was clearly much too big for you but got off to the sick thought of that at the same time. He gripped your little waist tightly as he shot his bountiful load of seed deep against your cervix, knowing it’d reach your uterus in no time. Toge came shortly after, you could feel him pulsate through your ass as he released himself deep inside of your bowels. A delicious groan escaped his lips as he bit down on the back of your neck.

Megumi gingerly pulled himself out of your mouth and leaned down to give you a sweet kiss. Yuuta carefully hopped off of the desk, as Satoru removed himself from your used sloppy hole. His cum spilled out of you like a waterfall. His gorgeous blue eyes raked over the mess he made in you. He helped you up and off of Toge. Your legs felt like jelly when you stood up, so you leaned against Yuuta for support. He tried to help you put your bra on, but couldn’t get the clasps figured out. So Satoru took over as he explained how the contraption worked.

You felt Inumaki’s and Gojo’s cum drip down your legs from underneath my skirt. All of your clothes were a disheveled mess, but at least the walk from class to the dorm building was a short one. Toge sneaked his way over to you to hug you from behind, you rested your head on his shoulder sweetly. Megumi came in front of you two to kiss you passionately, “You’re so perfect.” He gave you a heart-melting smile with a quick hug, sandwiching you between Toge and himself. Okkotsu approached you from the right and gave you a small peck on the forehead, while you felt his comforting touch on your cheek.

Satoru walked up to you with an affirming look in his eyes. He brought his face down to yours to kiss you tenderly, “You were exceptional dear.” He hummed against your lips. “If you ever need anything, ask me.”

Abruptly, the door to the classroom opened, “Here’s my late homework Gojo!” Said an all too familiar voice, Yuji Itadori stood in the doorway of the classroom with a can of soda in one hand and a packet of papers in the other.

“Uhh, it smells like sex in here!” As soon as the words left his mouth a knowing look flashed over his face. He realized how messed up everyone's clothes were. Noticeable strands of gooey liquid rolled down your legs. “Did you guys-?” He cut himself off with pure shock and then his expression changed to a hurt one, “without me...”

Gojo briefly walked up to Itadori and took the packet of papers from him with a smirk. “As a matter of fact,” Satoru sighed lightheartedly, “we were just performing some after-school activities.”

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wileys-russo · 9 months

Note

my girl maybe :)

my girl ficlet

despite popular opinion you knew the mean girl act your girlfriend put on was merely that, an act.

that wasn't to say you excused the way alessia treated people sometimes, but you also knew the other sides of her and had the pleasure of seeing the real her behind closed doors.

maybe an act was the wrong word for her abrupt attitude and behaviour, but you knew your girlfriend had more substance to her than the foul mouthed quick tempered hothead who'd bite at the drop of a hat that everyone else perceived her to be.

more often than not you knew there was more to it, especially when her attitude worsened and it for once wasn't anything to do with you or the green eyed jealous monster which lay forever coiled in wait in her stomach.

which is why when you heard about the training long before you saw her, you knew something was off.

"how bad was it?" you winced as you asked lotte whose look told you all you needed to know, paired with the sweltering summer heat and the fact she was as red as the bib she had in her hands, training had been brutal.

on tuesdays the coaching staff held their media meetings so as captain it was alessia's job to follow along with the program she'd be given by them and run that afternoons session with her team.

it was a day that the team forever dreaded, they respected alessia immensely as a captain, a teammate and a friend, but they were also well aware of the lengths the blonde would push them to to see results and just how terrifying she could be sometimes.

but hell no one could deny that was part of the grounds why she was made captain so early on. the blondes drive to do her best and get the best out of others paired with the fact she wasn't afraid to be hated or the bad guy if it meant the team were pushed to their limits and played at their best every weekend.

again, there was a reason the junior team were back to back state champions and like or hate her, a large part of that reasoning was alessia.

"get some water yeah?" you murmured to lotte squeezing her shoulder, sending sympathetic smiles as the rest of the girls trudged their way off the field, most avoiding your eye for fear of alessia which you knew had meant she was even harsher than usual.

"hey baby." you smiled at your girlfriend who had a face like thunder, though the sharp frown softened seeing you waiting for her at the edge of the pitch. "wait there, i'll be quick." she mumbled nodding over to the bleachers, pecking your lips and walking off without another word.

normally after training you'd just wait for her to either show up to your dorm room or invite you to hers, but having received a text from lotte during their water break you'd changed and made the journey toward the field arriving just as practice finished.

you winced hearing the sounds of throwing up echoing from the change rooms followed by your girlfriends stern voice ordering a few of the girls into an ice bath which wasn't optional, wandering away to the bleachers and taking a seat.

you lost track of time as you doom scrolled your social medias, pausing to chat to a few of the girls who passed you, though most could only offer you a nod or a small smile as they limped away toward the dorms.

your girlfriend among the last to appear, having changed into shorts and a tank top she merely nodded for you to fall into step with her, silence falling between you as she walked the two of you in the direction of the dorms.

you could sense the moment she emerged that something was wrong, but not wanting to push until the two of you were safely alone you allowed her to wordlessly lead you away, hands tightly gripping the strap of her gym bag as she detoured and headed for your room instead of hers.

you frowned a little in surprise at the choice but didn't say anything, fishing out your keys from your pocket and unlocking the door as the two of you stepped inside.

her stone like facade cracked the moment your lock clicked, her bag dropping to the floor as the taller girl all but collapsed into you. "hey, hey, lets sit down babe." you murmured quietly, moving the two of you to the bed.

you moved to sit against the headboard as your girlfriend wasted no time laying down so her head rested on your stomach, your fingers threading through her hair as she clung onto you tightly and her taller form settled between your legs.

"whats wrong lessi?" you asked softly, gently scratching at her scalp as you messed about with her hair like you knew she loved. "i'm tired." was all that was mumbled, her fists balling your shirt even tighter as she pulled herself closer to you.

"just tired?" you dared to ask again, moving her hair from her face as she moved to look up at you. "everything is just...trainings, games, exams, assignments, time difference trying to speak to my family, the whispers when i walk past, the dirty looks. its exhausting!" the blonde exhaled, though this one seemed to hold an air of annoyance rather than sadness.

"you don't make it any easier for yourself when you bite peoples heads off for those little looks so quickly baby." you raised an eyebrow, further proving the point that you really were one of the only people who could call her out on her behaviour.

"shut up." the striker rolled her eyes but shuffled about so she was laid more so on top of you, burying her face in your neck. "have you tried being nice?" you teased, snaking a hand up her top and scratching gently at her back.

"i am nice." alessia huffed into your neck making you squirm a little at the sensation. "can you help me study for my biology final tomorrow please baby?" the blonde pulled her head back with a pleading look, pecking your lips repeatedly as you nodded.

"but we're studying my way." you warned her with a smile as she groaned, rolling off of you and laying on her back. "but your way is so boring." she pulled a face and pouted, making grabby hands as you slid your body down so you laid beside her.

"and your way means that no studying gets done!" you laughed, knowing her tricks all too well, relieved her bad mood had seemed to settle, as being around you always seemed to do for the striker who truly was head over heels.

"thats not true. you know i just benefit from a little extra encouragement and motivation!" the blonde pushed herself up onto her forearms so she hovered over you with a grin.

"making me take my clothes off anytime you get a question right just motivates you to do anything but study lessi." you shook your head with an amused smile.

"well yeah but i deserve a reward for all my hard work, no?" her leg hooked over your hips and suddenly her body was settling itself on top of you as her lips ghosted over yours, warm breath fanning your face.

"in fact, i think we should studying right now my pretty girl."

#alessia russo x reader #woso community #engwnt #alessia russo #woso blurbs #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso #woso fanfics

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fatkish · 3 months

Note

Aisles and Class 1A x Fem Quirkless reader platonic hcs who’s cold, reserved, but still polite and nice to others. She’s a strict badass who’s also street smart and masters a bunch of weapons like throwing knives, guns, pole arms, etc, to replace her lack of a Quirk. One of the top students as well as the scariest girl in class as she gives it her all in class, sending anyone who challenges her to the infirmary anytime they fought her. Unlike Izuku, who at least grew up with a parent’s love, she had nobody and had to survive on the streets and illegal underground rings, earning many nasty scars that she hides behind her bandages and clothing which she always covers up with stuff like scarfs, gloves, even if it’s super hot out. She craves any love but backs down due to heavy discrimination, bullying, etc. hcs?

(So I’m gonna assume that Aisles is Aizawa because I don’t recall a character with that name. Also I’m gonna make the reader similar to Illumi Zoldyck from HxH)

Aizawa & Class 1A x Quirkless Reader

Growing up in the underground was harsh and brutal. In order to survive you had to be willing to do whatever it took

Whether it was stealing food, or fighting, you did anything that could increase the chances of your survival

Living on the streets, you grew up facing villains and thugs in the alleys, they would see you as an easy target so you had to learn to protect yourself

After years of fighting and being subjected to multiple quirks, you’ve built up a high resistance to physical pain. Not that you can’t feel pain, you just tolerate more of it better than others

You’ve learned various techniques and skills when it comes to fighting but you’re not just skilled with combat

Having no parents, you had to learn to cook for yourself and became somewhat skilled in the culinary arts

In order to make up for not having a quirk, you learned to wield every possible weapon and mastered the use of each

And in order to have money, you fought in illegal and legal underground fighting rings. These fights landed you plenty of scars to the point that you’re covered in them

You wear bandages and long clothing to hide the scars, however your choice of style can make you look suspicious

Due to growing up the way you did, you developed a rather cold and reserved personality but you maintained your manners and are very polite

You don’t really show a lot of emotion which can make people uncomfortable being around you, but you don’t really care

Originally, you weren’t going to go to highschool but you came across Aizawa one night when you were cornered by some thugs. He was about to step in when you seemingly appeared behind the thugs, then they all fell down unconscious. Aizawa thought you used a teleportation quirk. He understood that you were essentially homeless and had no family so he offered for you to stay with him for the night

As he began to understand your predicament, he was amazed at how quickly you picked up on things. You were incredibly smart and observant but that’s probably due to having lived on the streets

When Aizawa learned that you didn’t have a quirk he originally didn’t believe you. But after testing his quirk on you, he realized you were telling the truth

Aizawa actually gave you a recommendation to UA since he deeply believes that you would make a good hero

When you took the recommendation exam, you met Inasa who surprisingly quickly managed to worm his way past your walls and became your friend during the exam

After having passed the exam with flying colors you were given Inasa’s phone number since he learned you didn’t have a phone

Aizawa had later that day, bought you a phone for you to connect with the friends you would hopefully make

When school came around, Inasa had been coaching you on how to make friends, despite your cold personality you managed to befriend Izuku on the first day (more like he just didn’t have the balls to tell you you were scary)

You saw how Bakugou treated Izuku and you didn’t like how scared Izuku was so you decided to make an example out of Bakugou

During All Mights hero class, you were paired with Izuku and Uraraka. You followed Izuku and protected him from Bakugou. When Bakugou ignored All Might and used his stored up sweat, you decided that you had enough. You quickly went behind Bakugou and started to let loose on him, in the end, you accidentally sent him to recovery girl’s office since you didn’t know how to hold back

When Izuku saw this, he realized you weren’t that scary and you’re just not that good with social situations, he then took it upon himself to make you apart of the Dekusquad and you decided to keep hanging around him

Shoto and Momo have become some of your closer friends. Momo takes you shopping and loves to dress you up

Mineta, Koda and Aoyama are terrified of you. The girls all love that Mineta is too afraid to perv on you, so they use you as a shield to ward off Mineta

Kirishima and Ojiro are constantly asking you to spar with them as well as Bakugou. They don’t care that you can’t hold back most of your strength, the don’t care that sparring with you is a one way ticket to Recovery Girl, they admire your strength and they want to get stronger

When you’re relaxing, Shoto likes to hang around you since you both have the same cluelessness in the sense of social interactions

Although you have a hard time initiating affection, Aizawa makes sure you receive plenty of it whether it’s just a simple head pat or a small hug. Aizawa and Midoriya help you with learning how to express yourself since you’ve closed yourself off as a means to protect yourself

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #aizawa x reader #aizawa sensei #platonic class 1a #class 1a x reader #midoriya izuku #izuku midoria x reader

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angelwings-crossbowstrings · 10 months

Text

Blood Ties Chapter 4

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Typical TWD violence and gore, canonical character death, sexual themes/situations, masturbation

A/N: The series will heavily follow the timeline and events of the show but there will be additional non-canonical events/injuries/etc.

Moodboard by @dannyo000 💙

You sat quietly in the passenger seat of Daryl’s truck after the caravan had stopped for a problem with the RV. There had been introductions after you had gathered your bearings during the last stop, and your trauma-addled brain was working overtime to retain the information.

Along with the RV’s issues, the group was currently saying goodbye to one of their own. It seemed too intimate an affair for you to include yourself, an outsider. The man had been bitten. It was your understanding they were all headed for the CDC in Atlanta, desperate for a cure before the sickness could take him.

But the fever had won, as it always did.

You watched as the frail man was carefully moved to the base of a tree, but then averted your gaze as they bid him farewell. They were all affected, heads down as they returned—one by one—to their vehicles. They intended to leave him, per his own wishes. You weren’t sure if that was a choice you could make were you the one in his predicament. It was both admirable and ludicrous.

Daryl returned to the truck, remaining quiet as he climbed behind the wheel. He hadn’t spoken a word to you, which left you with a tight feeling inside your chest that you couldn’t—wouldn’t—name. You wondered if you were only there because of the possibility that his baby was growing inside of you. It hadn’t been mentioned.

I told ya she’s good.

He hadn’t given the group any information. They knew your name per your own admission, which alone was enough to twist the archer’s face into a scowl. You were a dirty little secret. You had placed your remaining fragments of hope in Daryl after losing everything and he was treating you like he’d left a few loose bills on a dresser after fucking you in a sleazy motel.

You scrutinized him from the corner of your eye; the way he was tapping the tip of each finger against the steering wheel as he drove. His other arm was resting on the door, the window down, while he rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip. The broken skin on the sides of the digit suggested that it was indeed a habit he turned to in times of stress. He was consciously trying not to indulge.

You cleared your throat, keeping your eyes on the back of the vehicle in front of you. “I’m sorry about your friend.” You dared a glance at the same time he gave you a once over.

“Weren’t no friend’a mine.”

Lie. You could clearly see he was affected. It was borderline offensive that he’d even try to deny it. “Right. Well, I’m sorry anyway.” The uncomfortable silence stretched on, leaving you with vivid images of your encounters with the redneck. Even after you had told him you might be pregnant, there hadn’t been this thick tension in the air between the two of you. “Thank you.” He looked at you again, barely moving his hand away from his mouth. “For saving me.”

He hummed, this time parting his lips to nip at the irritated skin of his thumb. You wanted so badly to reach over and guide his hand away, but you knew that was a bad idea.

“Ya take one’a them tests?”

Ah, there it was. Your back slid down the seat while you nervously twisted the hem of your flannel around your index finger. “Uh, no. I lost them when I ran from the camp.” He shot you a look so quickly you thought he might have given himself whiplash.

“Y’fuckin’ serious?”

You nodded, expecting an outburst, but you still flinched when his fist came down on the doorframe, keeping it clenched when he brought it back to his mouth. “It was an accident. I wasn’t exactly thinking of them when I was wrestling a geek for my bag. Lost most of my clothes and my canteen, too.”

He let out a condescending humph from behind his hand. “Ya sure it’s even mine?”

Now it was your turn to pin him down with a look of your own. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Means exactly what I said.”

You felt the sting of tears behind your eyes, along with the urge to throttle him right where he sat, regardless of the fact that he was driving. “Well, there was that other hunter I’d meet at dawn and then the one that would wait patiently until you got your rocks off first.”

“Ya think your funny?”

“I’m not trying to be funny, asshole. If there’s a baby, unfortunately, it’s yours.” His piercing gaze met your narrowed eyes, only holding for a moment before he had to look back at the road. “Can you pull over?”

“Gonna puke again?”

“No.” You snapped, angling your body toward the door. “I want to get out.”

“Why?”

“Because being trapped in such a small space with you is going to make me puke. Now, pull over.”

To his credit, he did slow down. “Nah.” He pressed the gas and easily caught up with the car in front of him.

“Don’t worry, Daryl. I won’t tell anyone your secret.” You hissed the word with such venom that you swore you could taste the remnants of it on the tip of your tongue.

“Settle down. Ain’t lettin’ ya out so ya can get your fool self killed.”

You threw yourself back against the seat with more force than necessary, crossing your arms. You wondered if you suddenly began to pray that god or whoever was listening might possibly just see fit to bestow upon you the monthly occurrence that most women deem as a curse.

This was the reason the time between you in those woods was so limited. No feelings involved. Little to no social information exchanged. You liked the Daryl that made it priority to worship your body and fuck you senseless, his only words being filthy encouragement that would catapult you to and over the edge. Even when he accompanied you to the pharmacy, his presence wasn’t a negative contribution to the journey. You had actually felt oddly—comfortable.

But the Daryl that you were currently trapped inside a beat up old pickup truck with had spoken all of seven sentences and you wanted to shoot him in the groin. You couldn’t imagine having a child with that man. Didn’t want to imagine it. If only your baser instincts hadn’t been so prominent over common sense when you saw him in the woods that third time.

You could vomit now when you thought back on that specific meeting. You quite literally propositioned him while stalking toward him and simultaneously ripping off your shirt. He had looked so confused at first but caught up quickly. He was deep inside you while you straddled his lap less than five minutes later. Why hadn’t you at least had the brain power to tempt him just enough and send him to get condoms first? Nope. You jumped straight on his dick like a horny teenager.

“For the love of fucks sake.” You pinched the bridge of your nose, ashamed at how recalling the carnal moments spent with the man across the bench seat from you had heat pooling at the apex of your thighs. You shifted, crossing your legs and pressing one down on the other, the tough inseam of your jeans rubbing just right over your clit to send a jolt of pleasure all the way down to your toes. You only barely stifled a moan.

A quick glance found Daryl still watching the road, lighting up a cigarette. Yet another thing you didn’t know about him. You shifted your hips while casting quick, discrete glances. He was seemingly oblivious. Biting your bottom lip, you turned your face toward the window and continued the careful side to side of your hips, very slowly but very steadily working toward what would undoubtedly be a quick and not totally satisfying orgasm. Still, it was better than the alternatives of either sliding your hand into your panties or asking the man beside you to slide his hand into your panties.

You noticed your breaths quickening and inhaled deeply through your nose to try and calm both that and your heartrate. The hot coil burning in your lower belly was tightening, pulses of pleasure bleeding out to culminate at the swollen bud that your jeans were stimulating. You were so close, almost there—

Daryl cleared his throat, flicking his smoke out the window and unintentionally bringing a sudden halt to any progress you had made toward release. You openly glared at him.

“What?” He huffed, sneering at your obvious resentment.

“You’re an asshole.”

It was near dusk when the caravan finally pulled up to the CDC. There had been stops to siphon fuel, take bathroom breaks, and go over plans and strategies. You had remained inside the cab of the truck, not trusted enough to be privy on their plans. You couldn’t really fault them. Even if they had included you, nothing they had said could have prepared you for the devastation outside the government building.

“We’re really going out there?” You asked, feeling nauseated at the thought of seeing the bodies up close.

“Yep.” Daryl replied casually, already outside the truck. He was holding his crossbow as well as a shotgun and was looking at you expectantly. “C’mon. Get the lead out, woman.”

Puffing out your cheeks in a forced exhale, you opened the truck door. The stench of death and rot was even worse when you stepped out onto the pavement. Flies and maggots were in abundance, feasting on the fallen littering the ground. You gagged behind your hand, ushered forward by a surprisingly gentle hand from the redneck.

“Can’t stop here.”

When you caught up with the group, the one called Shane was directing everyone like a traffic cop, trying to keep fear and panic to a minimum. “All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go. Okay, keep moving. Stay together.”

Rick joined in, urging everyone forward while Jacqui and Shane tried to keep the group quiet. You were at the rear of the main cluster of people with Daryl following closely behind you. You could hear the commotion before you saw Shane pounding on the shutters that were keeping the entrance blocked.

“Walkers!” Daryl called out, firing a shot that made you flinch.

“Walkers?” You blurted before realizing exactly what he meant. “Oh fuck!” You had no weapon, absolutely no method of defending yourself. Before you could protest, Daryl had reached back with one arm and pushed you behind himself. You didn’t have time to think too hard on it before he was yelling.

“Ya led us into a graveyard!”

Your hands had fisted into the back of his shirt, subsequently allowing him to guide you where he needed you without sacrificing his focus.

“He made a call!” Shane sounded from somewhere behind you.

Daryl growled harshly, the sound vibrating your hands against his back. “It was the wrong damn call!” He shouted. The commotion continued, blame and orders being thrown about in shouts and pleas you ignored in favor of burying your face between Daryl’s shoulder blades. You had survived; lost your entire family and stayed alive only to die with a handful of strangers and a man you almost wished you had made more of an effort to get to know. Amidst the crying children, the screaming women, you could clearly hear and focus on Rick’s desperate declaration:

“You’re killing us! You’re killing us! You’re killing us!”

“Daryl.” You sobbed before you could stop yourself.

Then, something unexpected but no less of a miracle.

The shutters began to open, dousing you all in a most blessed light.

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iridescentdove · 1 year

Note

👏I👏AM👏TIRED

of seeing so many Yandere! BSD x Reader, and it’s always the character or everyone being Yandere for Reader, I have to request a Platonic! BSD x Yandere! Teen! Reader, in which Reader is in any organization of your choice, and since Reader is underage, they see said organization as their family, precious people that they hold dear to their hearts, and don’t wish for any of them to die or leave and abandon them. This triggers their Yandere instincts, and ultimately they kill anybody who’s hurt their darlings in any way or attempts to "steal" their attention or worse, guide them away from Reader.

LONELINESS NO MORE.

platonic!bsd x yandere!teen!reader

A/N: It's nice to go a bit gruesome sometimes lol- anyways, so I just decided to choose the PM for this.

Let's just say you were similar to Dazai in a way. As a homeless young child, you had no home or family and friends to even call your own.

And to say the least? It was a little lonely.

This was something rather different, as you grew up to have an understanding that the world is never fair. Even before being taken into the Port Mafia by MORI, you were already much of an unhinged criminal yourself.

In a way, it was bad due to how young you were, but given this was a wretched world on it's own – many things can happen.

You killed, you stole, you did many things. At some point you probably rivaled Dazai's crime list because yours looked like an entire fucking receipt.

And that is what lesd you to the mafia.

MORI had found you, and went 'fuck it', deciding to just grab you and take you back with him to the base.

Well at first – you got a bit defensive, not knowing his real intention and thinking of fighting back yourself. But it was when he gave you new clothes, gave you food, and actually took responsibility of you was when you realized.

This man was just ... taking care of you.

And for the first time? You were really excited. It didn't take very long for you to grow accustomed to the Port Mafia.

Sure they made you do dangerous and gruesome missions, but you were used to it honestly. So it didn't matter that much. You met new faces and grew very attached to them, the dreaded loneliness that creeped into your heart grew into–

Obsession.

Yes, that's right. You found no other reason to dislike them at all, and they treated you like no one else ever did.

Like family.

CHUUYA was rather nice to you, despite his aggression and the rough edges he seems to pull off. Since you're underage, he drinks grape juice with you. Lmao ye, we love that shit. You liked being around him, defending him against accusations and giving him a shoulder to lean on.

He was like a brother to you. You adored most things about the fancy hat man. Scratch that, everything about him.

He releases one of those rare genuine smiles – mostly only to you, and he just thought you were the sweetest.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It was only one simple conversation. CHUUYA was talking to another mafia members in the lower ranks, discussing about the topic for the next PM meeting at hand.

Of course at first glance, they didn't look close at all. Just a normal chat between acquaintances. But did it make you mad?

Obviouely it did.

The very next day, the orange haired-man was looking for the same said man he spoke with the day before. Yet he was rather confused to see he wasn't around.

What the hell? Well that was weird, he could have sworn that he asked to meet them in this same spot right now.

Well, guess he wouldn't be meeting with them after all. In the distance, you were smiling – hiding that dead, cold expression on your face as you wiped the blood off the saw, a few splashee of blood and guts on the weapon.

But of course, you wouldn't let him know anything~ ♡

And simply, KOUYOU made it much easier. She was like a sweet, elder sister that spoiled you and taught you everything that you needed to know.

You simply loved her, and loved the times when you'd just hang around each other and dress one another up in various clothes. Be it trendy outfits or putting makeup on one another.

She took care of you as she should, and she grew very attached as well. KOUYOU was rather protective and sweet.

So when you saw her spoiling another girl in the picture, you were fucking livid.

How dare she pay more attention to another kid than you?

She was treating KYOUKA in private as if she was more important than you ever were. And it began to hardem your heart once more, growing angry at your elder sis paying more attention to some useless assassin.

You were way better than her, stronger even.

So imagine how relieved and prideful you felt when that girl had left the mafia to be with the detective agency instead. She wasn't even loyal! She doesn't deserve to be in the PM!

It left KOUYOU feeling agitated and sad, so you did what a younger sibling would do. You were the one comforting her, even manipulating her with your sweet words. You lured her in and had her give you more attention than before.

Just like how you wanted it to be.

AKUTAGAWA was honestly a tough nut to crack. You can easily tell he doesn't care about you at all. Well, he'd acknowledge your abilities a little but that's all you're getting.

But that won't stop you from killing those who tried to get even the slightest close to him.

After all, family members must stay with one another forever.

You didn't really mind much about that blonde girl who admires him and follows him around. It's not like she can take him away, he doesn't give a damn about her.

Plus, his sister was very nice! She gave you the love you needed, and she actually cared. Even though her brother was pretty cold, you'd think she also was – but in reality, GIN is a sweet, somewhat shy girl who gave you gifts and attention.

No matter which mafia member it was – wheneve ryou were with them, you were so sweet and caring, such an adorable teen who looks out for all of them and their wellbeing.

Yet behind closed doors, while they weren't looking, you glared daggers at other kids or people they payed attention to, your greedy self wanting all of it to yourself.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't!

You never held back. You spilled their guts out, you ripped out those fools' hearts – crushing it under your foot, knowing you deserved the love more than their ignorants asses ever did.

And most of all? No one noticed a thing. MORI had continued to send you out mission after mission. He didn't notice the desperate pleads of those immature adults, the heartbreaking cries of those innocent children.

If it was for family, you'd do anything.

After doing all that – you give them a sickly sweet smile, as you pull them to hang out and play with you, no questions asked.

They never noticed.

And quite clear, you were a sadistic young teen. After being so pissed seeing those people getting close to them, it's like a breath of fresh air when you hear the bloodcurdling screams coming from their mouths.

TACHIHARA wasn't that observant, but he could tell that there was something not right about you at all. Yet, he himself was not free from the depths of your pure, honest love. He'll find himself spoiling you, loving you – like you're his very own sister.

He was going to fall into the trap whenever he likes it or not, because you love them way too much.

If someone else tries to destroy that happiness,

They'll just have to dissapear like the rest.

#port mafia x reader #bungou stray dogs #bsd x reader #port mafia #chuuya nakahara #yandere #bsd yandere #mori ougai #ozaki kouyou #platonic bsd #teen reader #bsd akutagawa

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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 3 months

Text

Closed Position: Week 4 (Jive Part 2)

Closed Position Masterlist ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo x OFC (Katarina)

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo, now sober, was looking to change his bad boy image after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition, Dancing with the Stars, would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble.

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dancer on the show to go the same as it had for the past thirteen seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo.

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

Chapter Word Count: 16.6k

👉 Warnings: Themes dealing with intimate partner violence (not from Dieter), past alcohol abuse, and past drug abuse. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn. Read at your own risk. Dieter Bravo comes with his own warnings.

Chapter Quote: I’m so fucked.

Kat's POV On my drive home from the diner, my thoughts were only of Dieter. His mood had been all over the place this week. I really had been concerned about him slipping up and felt more relief than I probably should have when he mentioned his therapy appointment. At least he seemed to be handling things the right way. I couldn’t figure out what suddenly had made him so upset, but I felt like it had something to do with me. He had been more distant since the show on Monday, and I didn’t understand why.

When Dieter came into the dance studio on Wednesday, I could tell that Alec’s presence was affecting him. Having both men in the same space with no one else around made me nervous. It was obvious that Dieter didn’t care for Alec and vice versa. The tension between the two of them was so thick, I was concerned about another confrontation. Luckily, Alec didn’t stick around long.

However, the tension was still there even after Alec left. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to ask Dieter what was going on. I figured it had something to do with me giving Alec another chance. I knew how Dieter felt about the way Alec treated me, but for a brief moment, I couldn’t help wondering if there was more to it - if maybe he was feeling something for me too. Something more than concern for a friend’s safety.

It pissed me off when he said he was disappointed in my choice, even though he had every right to be. It was hard to hear because I knew he wasn’t wrong. It was a bad decision, and I could already feel the regret setting in. The burst of anger did fuel me to ask what I really wanted to know, if there was another reason he was so upset about it. I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t answer it honestly, but he did falter. I briefly considered his response, something about it causing butterflies to form in my stomach. My gut was telling me there was something else, but the logical part of my brain didn’t believe it.

His pleas that followed to not let it get bad and the burning look in his eyes caused a shift in the tension. I couldn’t fight the urge to touch him, my hand involuntarily reaching for his cheek. He surprised me by leaning into it before taking my hand in both of his. The moment turned oddly intimate, and I wanted nothing more than to tell him how I was feeling, but I knew I couldn’t. It was wrong to be feeling those things for him. I knew that I needed to keep it professional, for all our sake.

Dieter seemed to return to his normal self after that, which had me questioning things all over again. Surely that wasn’t all that had been bothering him? I worked to brush that thought aside. I was just happy to have him back. Given that the day had ended so well, I wasn’t ready to be away from him. I had missed his light and wanted it to shine on me just a little bit longer. So, I asked him to try the Greek diner with me, which turned out to be a terrible idea.

The last two hours had sent my thoughts and feelings into a tailspin. Dieter seemed to be opening up to me more and more each time we were together. Tonight felt…different. Not unlike how it felt when I had dinner at his place. He was attentive and maybe even a little flirty. The way he kept looking at me was causing my thighs to clench together under the table. I wasn’t sure if it was just a physical attraction or more. He definitely had me reevaluating things during my whole drive home.

It was already getting late by the time I pulled into the garage. I hadn’t heard from Alec at all, even though he said he was planning to come over for the night so we could go out for breakfast before our rehearsals started the next morning. I was both annoyed that he hadn’t at least texted me and relieved that I might not have to deal with him. I was settling into bed, planning to go down a social media rabbit hole on the Dieterina hashtag when I heard the front door open. I sighed, set my phone on the docking station to charge, then laid down to go to sleep.

I could hear Alec moving around to get ready for bed, eventually settling in at my back and pulling me against his body to kiss my cheek. He smelled of cigarettes and something else I couldn’t figure out. Something floral maybe? It wasn’t normal and it made my stomach turn. When I only acknowledged him and didn’t escalate things, he sighed heavily then turned away and quickly fell asleep.

My mind began racing. Was that perfume or something he had eaten or drank? I couldn’t tell and it was sending me into a spiral. I hated having to worry about this. I shouldn’t have to. And did I really have a right to? I wasn’t behaving much better than him today, and the thoughts I had been having were a whole other thing.

And so what if it was perfume? He had been rehearsing with Lana half the day. It could just as easily be from that. Surely that’s all it was, if anything. Right? I was trying my best to be rational about this and give him the benefit of the doubt, but it was hard. Would I ever stop thinking like this when it came to him?

It took forever for me to finally fall asleep, but I had managed to calm my thoughts by then. Not that it was a restful sleep. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, plagued by weird dreams that I couldn’t remember after waking. They only left me with a sense of foreboding that I couldn’t seem to shake.

The following morning, I was in the bathroom getting ready when Alec came in. He hugged me from behind, burying his face into my neck and sighing dramatically.

“Baby, I’m gonna have to skip out on breakfast. Marc just texted me and asked if we could switch rehearsal times. Something about a sick kid…So, we’re gonna head in earlier than planned.”

He raised his head, giving me his best sad puppy face in the mirror as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

I let out a controlled breath, sticking the mascara wand back into the container. No sense in getting ready now. “That’s ok…it’s understandable. It was nice of you to do that for him.”

“Yeah, so I guess imma head out. Maybe we can grab dinner later?”

I nodded, turning to kiss him goodbye. Only, he didn’t kiss me on the lips, he kissed me on the forehead and walked off without a second glance or another word. Something about that didn’t sit right. It stunned me actually.

After I heard the front door shut, I moved to peek out through the curtains. Alec already had his phone to his ear with a smile on his face as he got into the driver's seat. Something about this felt off.

I took a deep breath, moving to get my phone from the nightstand. Alec wasn’t a huge fan of Marc, often calling him a stuck up prick because he wouldn’t go out partying with the rest of the guys at all hours of the night. Marc was married and had young kids, so of course he didn’t do that. It was hard for me to believe that Alec would do anything to help Marc out given his feelings about him. Alec wasn’t typically very accommodating to people he didn’t care for. I was also fairly certain Marc usually had evening rehearsals, so he could be home with the kids while his wife was working.

I pulled up Marc’s contact information and hit the call button. I worked to steady my breathing as the phone rang. Part of me hoped he didn’t answer out of fear from what I would learn. He did answer though.

“Hey Kat, what’s up?”

“Hey Marc, sorry to bother you. I just wanted to double check, did you by chance change your studio time for today?”

“Nope, it should still be our usual evening time slot. Why?”

His answer knocked the air out of my lungs. I knew Alec was lying. I somehow managed to compose myself and quickly think up an explanation.

“Not a huge deal, they had us double booked, but I think I’ve figured out a solution. I just wanted to check first before calling Dieter with the change.”

“Oh damn, that’s annoying. Do I need to do anything?”

“Na, I’ve got it sorted. You guys should be good.”

“Awesome. Thanks for catching that or we might’ve been sharing.”

“No problem. I may see you around later. Enjoy your morning.”

“You too. Thanks again! Bye.”

I wasn’t sure what to do with this information. It didn’t necessarily mean he was cheating, but why else would he need to lie like that? I puffed air out of my cheeks, deciding to throw on my gym clothes and go to his place to see if he was there.

A short time later, I found myself pulling into a parking spot at Alec’s apartment complex. I noticed his car was in its usual assigned space, so I decided to go in. As I was unbuckling my seatbelt, I spotted Lana walking up the steps leading to his second floor landing. I froze, watching as she knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Alec was there, pulling her tightly against him and kissing her with a lot more enthusiasm than he had with me lately.

It hurt to see it, but I needed to. With the previous incidents, Alec swore he was never physical with those women. I didn’t believe him, but I also had no proof either. This time, there was no denying it. They definitely had something going on and clearly had for some time.

The oddest mix of emotions was swirling inside of me. There was relief of course, but there was also hurt and anger. I had given up so much for this asshole and this was how he continued to repay me. After letting anger win the battle as the dominant emotion, I sat trying to reason with myself on the best way to handle this. I wanted to confront him, but I was also worried about his reaction. Would he get violent?

I hesitated, but eventually stepped out of the car and began walking toward his apartment. When I reached the 2nd floor landing, I realized his door was still slightly ajar. The dumbass didn’t even get it shut all the way. As I got closer, I could hear them, on the sofa I assumed, already fucking. I felt sick from the sounds. It was made worse by the words that were coming out of Alec’s mouth; She’s the only one he needs, the only one who means anything to him, the only one he wants…it went on and on. I couldn’t listen anymore, reaching to push the door open with force, causing it to slam into the wall.

Alec was seated on the couch with Lana straddling his lap, now trying to cover herself with her hands at the sound of the door. I got an eye full as his unprotected dick slipped out of her when she turned to look in my direction.

I was seething. He couldn’t even wrap it up. He wasn’t even worried about bringing something home to me. Looks like my concerns were valid.

“Kat…w-what the fuck are you doing?” Alec sputtered, shocked by my sudden appearance.

I took a steadying breath, determined not to cry in front of him. “I just wanted you to know that I heard it with my own ears and I’m seeing it with my own eyes. There’s no sweet talking your way out of it this time you fucking asshole.”

“Baby, come on. Let’s talk about this…”

He moved to get up, but Lana pushed him back against the sofa, refusing to get off his lap. Then she turned back to me, a sly smile on her lips.

“What are you smiling about? He’s your fucking problem now.”

I turned to leave, overhearing Lana telling Alec not to go after me as I moved toward the stairs. I had to applaud her, at least she seemed to have some authority over him. For now, anyway. In time, he would probably break her down too.

In an odd way, I felt like that confrontation had taken some of his power away from him. He couldn’t lie his way out of it. There was no way he could twist this in his favor and save face. He wasn’t going to control me anymore. He couldn’t. My chains were broken, and I wasn’t going back.

After sitting in my car for several minutes, the adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off, and now the hurt was setting in. The things he had said to Lana told me how little he actually cared about me. Why did he fight so hard to keep me around if he didn’t want to be with me? Or had he just been telling her what she wanted to hear? He was good at that tactic.

I was left feeling like I had wasted the last six years of my life, for nothing. I was suddenly full of grief over everything that I had given up for Alec, and regret for the way I had allowed him to treat me. It was a relief to be done with him, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. I loved him once after all. We had been happy in the beginning and at one time I believed we could find our way back to that. The tears were coming now. I needed to get away from his apartment.

I backed out of the parking spot and headed home. Once locked inside, I let the tears fall as I crawled into bed and sobbed into a pillow. An hour had passed when I finally checked the time. Realizing that I needed to pull it together and get ready for rehearsals. We were filming today, and I refused to do it looking like an emotional mess.

After dragging myself out of bed, I moved to the bathroom to examine the damage. My eyes were red and swollen. I applied a warm compress, hoping it would take some of the swelling out. It helped some, but not enough. After washing my face, I worked to put a little more makeup on than I would normally wear in hopes it would make it less noticeable. It seemed to help some.

I had to rush to make it to the dance studio in time. The camera crew was already there setting up and coming at me with a mic pack as soon as I walked through the door. I did my best to act normal, but from the way Dieter was eyeing me, I could tell he knew something was off. I knew he wouldn’t ask with hot mics on us, so that gave me some reprieve.

My mood improved as we began to rehearse. Dieter of course found ways to make me smile, like he always did. Things seemed almost normal by the time the camera crew left for the day, leaving us alone for the last two hours of rehearsal time. Dieter did ask if everything was ok since I seemed flustered and was a few minutes late. I lied and said Alec and I had gone out for breakfast, and I had gotten held up by a traffic accident on the way here. I didn’t think he bought it, but he didn’t question me on the topic any further. I hated lying to him, but I wasn’t ready to share what happened. I needed time to process and deal with it on my own first, otherwise I was going to break down into a crying heap if I tried to explain it now.

Our last bit of studio time went on as normal, allowing me to forget about the whole Alec thing for a bit. Once our time was up, we gathered our things as Dieter shared the latest Zee antics with me. Mentioning that he was heading to the pet store as we walked to our cars to leave. He lingered for a moment after saying goodbye, like another question was on the tip of his tongue, but he never asked it. Instead, he smiled and gave me a quiet, “See ya tomorrow” as he got into his car.

I was considering my next steps as I left the dance studio. I knew that I probably needed to get checked out since I had no idea what Alec had been up to. I was certain he used a condom every time we were together since I had first found out about his infidelity, but I realized that wasn’t fool proof, and he was a fucking idiot. I also realized that it didn't protect me from all STDs. There were other ways of catching things.

I was silently cursing Alec as I pulled into the parking lot of one of the local walk-in clinics. It looked fairly empty, which was a positive. I sat there for a moment, trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do. I would have to explain my situation, which meant I would have to finally say it out loud. I just hoped I could keep it together. The fact that I was having to do this made me hate him more than I had ever hated anyone.

Luckily, they got me in quickly. I gave a urine sample, had an exam, then had blood drawn, and was swabbed in all the places to be tested for every STD possible. I was stoic through the whole process. It was the only way to keep from falling apart on the poor medical staff. I was told it would take 5-10 days to get the results, which seemed like an eternity when dealing with stuff like this. It made me feel dirty and used. I shouldn’t have had to do it, yet here I was. I should have listened to my gut instinct a long time ago. It would have saved me a lot of stress and grief.

With that out of the way, I finally made my way home. I decided to soak in the tub for a bit to try and relax. I was feeling a little achy, probably because I hadn’t really been taking care of myself this week since Alec had been around. I needed to do better so that it didn’t become an issue. We still had a lot of weeks left to get through.

As I sat in the tub, I started browsing Instagram. Eventually finding myself on Dieter’s page. I had given it a quick scroll when I first followed him but hadn’t looked since. I noticed he had added “Cat Daddy” to his bio which made me snicker. Then, I scrolled all the way back to the beginning. He didn’t have much posted. Based on one of his earlier posts he had removed a lot before he went to rehab. I assumed it was the less than flattering stuff from his party days.

There had obviously been a shift in him. I could tell just from the few posts from before rehab that were still available. Most of his newer content focused on Zee, plants, and painting, which I loved to see. There were a couple of the same shots provided to us from the show that I had shared, but nothing else.

I caught myself going on a liking spree. I had to force myself to stop before I ended up liking all of his posts. As I scrolled back toward the top, one picture caught my eye. It was a shot from his “sanctuary”, the corner with the leather seats and guitars where we played together the previous week. He posted it the day after I had been there, with the hashtag #MyFavoritePlace. I couldn’t help but wonder if his post was related to my visit. I shook that question from my head. What a ridiculous thought, Kat.

I was then drawn to a picture of his hands covered in dirt as they potted a plant. He really did have nice hands. They were large with long, thick fingers. The small bullseye tattoo only added to their appeal. My mind momentarily wandered to thoughts of those hands on my body but dismissed them. I can’t go there. If I do, there’s no coming back. I moved on to the next post. I was chuckling at Dieter’s Croc covered feet when notifications started to pop up.

“bangingbravo1 liked your photo.”

They came in one after another. My liking spree must have prompted him to do the same. The only difference, he did like all of my posts, except for the ones that had Alec in them. OK, Bravo. You made your point. Publicly. He was so unapologetically himself and was not afraid to make his opinions known. I honestly loved that about him, but damn if that wasn’t going to cause some gossip if anyone noticed.

I hit the little notification bell at the top and turned all notifications on for him without a second thought. I smiled to myself, hitting the ‘message’ button.

ME: I feel like I’m being Instagram stalked right now…

He didn't keep me waiting long for a reply.

DIETER: I’m pretty sure you were stalking me first, sweetheart. 😉 (wink emoji)

My smile widened, he was trying to push my buttons. Truth be told, I kind of liked it when he did that.

ME: I told you not to call me that, Bravo.

DIETER: My apologies…Kit Kat.

I rolled my eyes. He was never going to let that nickname go.

ME: What are you up to this evening, besides liking all my posts?

DIETER: I was painting until my phone started blowing up with Instagram notifications.

ME: Oh yeah? What are you working on?

DIETER: Something new…it’s a secret.

My brow furrowed. What a weird response. He’s usually very open and excited to talk about his hobbies.

ME: Oh come on, not even a hint?

A picture came through. It was obviously a close up shot of part of a painting. It just looked like swirls of purples, magenta, and black with oranges and yellows at the edge. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I was intrigued.

ME: Those are new colors for you. I like them.

DIETER: Well, I have new inspiration...

Why was he being so cryptic? It was causing butterflies in my stomach again.

ME: And that inspiration is…what?

DIETER: My �� (cat emoji), of course.

Why didn’t he just say Zee? Unless he thought he was being slick with double meanings? Surely not. I held my breath as I typed my reply, then hit send without reading it.

ME: Your feline or your human 🐈 (cat emoji)?

He started typing, then stopped. It took him a good thirty seconds before he started again.

DIETER: I’m afraid you’ve hit your question and answer quota for today. My turn. What are you up to this evening?

I snorted, this was about to take a turn. Did I want to go there? I decided to keep it PG, not wanting to make it weird.

ME: Just trying to relax my aching bones.

DIETER: And how does my human 🐈 (cat emoji) do that? No hints? 😏 (smirk emoji)

My thighs clenched together. He did not just fucking say that. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Were we flirting? I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought through my options. Another message popped up.

DIETER: I’m sorry. That might have been a little inappropriate to say.

He was one hundred percent flirting and now worried he overstepped. Alright Bravo, if you’re gonna go there…then I am too.

ME: If I give you an inappropriate hint, will you answer my question?

DIETER: That depends on how inappropriate your hint is…

I chewed my lip again, thinking. I muttered a quiet “Fuck it” as I propped my bubble covered legs up on the side of the tub and snapped a picture. It’s not like he hadn’t seen more than that from my costumes. Then again, this implied I was currently naked and wet.

I decided not to send it through Instagram, instead pulling up his contact info and sending it as a text. I felt nauseous afterward, worried I was misreading things. He was taking entirely too long to respond. The bubbles finally started bouncing, indicating he was typing.

DIETER: I feel cheated. Your toes are cropped out. Your answer is a no go.

I snorted. He obviously didn’t have a problem with it.

ME: Please tell me you don’t have a thing for feet. That’s just gross.

DIETER: I’ll take what I can get. I’m not picky. Besides, you probably wouldn’t say that after one of my foot massages.

My thighs clenched again. Fuck. Why is that doing things to me? Probably because it implies he’s good with his hands…his very large hands.

ME: Are you offering?

DIETER: All you have to do is ask, honey. I’ll do anything I can to help you feel better. 😉 (wink emoji)

Fuuuuck. I can't deal with him. He was sending my mind spiraling straight into the gutter. For a brief moment, I wondered if my vibrator was charged before scolding myself for going there. I was so fucking ridiculous. How did I go from being distraught over my ex cheating on me to this? I needed to chill and get my life figured out before I ruined mine and Dieter’s friendship.

ME: Well, I hate to cut this conversation short, but my water is getting cold. I’ll see you in the morning?

DIETER: Of course. And for the record, I do have a hydrotherapy tub that doesn’t get cold. You can use it anytime.

DIETER: I swear I’m not trying to be weird with that. I know it helps with arthritis pain. 😂 (laughing to tears emoji)

I laughed, almost tempted to ask if it would fit two people but refrained. I knew he was only trying to be helpful.

ME: That’s good to know. 😂 (laughing to tears emoji). Go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.

DIETER: I will do as I’m told. Goodnight Kit Kat.

ME: Goodnight.

I got ready for bed after that. My mind was now jumping all over the place. I realized that I hadn’t heard from Alec since leaving his apartment, which was unusual for him. Normally he would be blowing up my phone with calls and texts. Maybe he knew it was over this time and wasn’t even going to bother to try to fix it. I could only hope that was the case because I didn’t want to deal with him.

Then my thoughts went back to Dieter. I was so confused about my feelings for him. I wanted him physically, yes. That much was obvious. What I didn’t know was what I wanted beyond that. I wasn’t sure if I could trust what I was feeling. How much of it was real and how much of it was a result of our situation? We were both in a perfect storm of emotions, looking for happiness and somehow finding it in each other through dancing.

It’s not unusual for dance partners to fall for each other because the physical closeness and intimacy involved does cause the release of oxytocin in the brain. That fact is common knowledge among dancers, and it fuels the long debate about if the dance connection between partners is real or if it’s just a temporary psychological effect from hormones. Is that what was happening here? Would the intense feelings for him fade once the show was over? It was certainly something to consider.

Granted, I’ve had a lot of dance partners in my life and never felt like this before. It was similar with Alec, but nowhere near as intense and those feelings with him waned over time. However, I could attribute that to his shitty personality and the way he treated me. We still danced together, so in the end that didn’t save us either.

By the time I finally started to fall asleep, I was more confused and conflicted than ever. I decided that I would just go with it and see what happened. It was really the only thing I could do. It wasn’t like Dieter had expressed interest in anything more anyway. He was in recovery after all and did say he was taking a break from dating as part of that process. So, I was probably getting myself worked up over nothing.

The next morning, I awoke feeling surprisingly lighter and more relaxed. The prospect of being done with Alec for good seemed to remove a lot of pent up stress and anxiety. Plus, Friday rehearsals typically went pretty easy for us since we had our routine down. It was just about fine tuning with the music now, allowing us to have a little more fun with it.

When I got to the dance studio, Dieter hadn’t arrived yet. I wasted a few minutes getting the music ready and stretching. Then I checked the time, realizing he was a few minutes late. I was suddenly worried that something might be wrong, he was usually a few minutes early if not right on time. I was reaching for my phone to send him a quick text when he walked through the door with his cell phone to his ear. He looked a little wild-eyed as he said his goodbyes to end the call, but also seemed to be fighting a smile.

Once he was finished, he dropped his bag onto the floor and gave me a cheesy grin.

I gave him a confused look, “What’s going on?”

He put one hand on his hip, the other was rubbing his chin. “Well, I got invited to do SNL. I didn’t think that would ever happen again.”

I gave him a toothy smile, “Dieter, that’s awesome. I’m excited for you!”

He held up his pointer finger and grimaced, “Slight problem though…” He paused.

I raised my brows, waiting for him to continue.

“It’s for next week. That Gosling dude dropped out at the last minute, and they don’t have a lot of options.”

My face fell, “How’s that supposed to work?”

He laughed nervously, “Well, how do you feel about going to New York with me for the week…so we can still rehearse?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I can’t do that. “Dieter, I don’t know if the producers will allow that.”

He was smirking now, “Actually, Lenny, my manager, talked to them this morning and they’re willing to make it work if you’re willing to go with. We would just have to film some things ourselves and there was something mentioned about promo stuff but I dunno what all that entails.”

Fuck. He was really excited about this. I could tell from the look on his face. I knew this was a big deal for him and for his career. I really didn’t want to be the one thing to hold him back, but I needed to think about it - consider how it could affect things between us.

“When do you have to let them know something by?” I asked.

“By tomorrow morning, but preferably as soon as possible.”

I nodded. “OK, let me think about it and figure out what exactly that means for us, work wise, if we go. I’d like to know those details first.”

He was nodding along now, “That makes sense. I know it’s short notice and a lot of extra stuff you were not planning on doing, so if you don’t want to, that’s OK. I swear. I don’t want you to feel pressured. I think we can make it work though…and I think it would be fun for us.”

I chuckled, “What I’m not fun enough for you already?”

His eyes bulged, “No! That’s not what I meant. You know what I mean…and…I did also wanna ask if you’d be willing to do a skit with me.”

I snorted, “What? Like a SNL skit?!?!”

He nodded, “Yes. I have an idea for one.”

I shook my head, “Dieter, I’m not an actor. I can’t…do that.”

He rolled his eyes, “Sure you can. It could be one of the pre-recorded skits, so you don’t have to worry about the live part. I can coach you through it.”

I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He seemed like he really wanted to do this, “What’s the idea?”

He snickered, “Well…you remember when you said ‘Nobody puts Bravo in the corner’?”

I wasn’t following, “Yeeesss…”

“Well, I think it would be fun to do a Dirty Dancing parody, with the roles reversed.”

I snorted, “You’re so fucking ridiculous.”

He burst into laughter, “I know, that’s what makes it funny! It’ll be gold! Come on!”

I sighed, “Let me think about it. I’ll let you know something in the morning, ok? It’s not a no…yet.”

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child, “Ooook, fine. I’ll wait for you to think about it.”

I rolled my eyes at him, then poked him in the chest, “Don’t be bugging me about it either, or I’ll say no.”

He smirked, “OK. OK. Got it. Let’s rehearse then. I’m ready to get my Jive on today.”

Dieter did his best Elvis hip wiggle on that last line, curling his lip upward as he spoke. It sent me into a fit of laughter that I struggled to come back from. This set the tone for the rest of the day. He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, even for him. The jokes kept coming one after another and he was acting a complete fool the entire time. I’m not sure we ever stopped laughing. He didn’t take himself seriously and I loved that about him. Alec had been the complete opposite, an uptight asshole, which often kept me on edge. It was a nice change, one that I wouldn’t mind being permanent.

I was actually a little sad once rehearsals were over. We had a good day, and I wasn’t ready for it to end, but I needed to go home and figure out what to do about New York. After we said our goodbyes, I sent a quick text to Stacia and Joe. I needed to know what they were thinking because it sounded like they had a plan. As I was pulling into my garage, my cell rang. It was Joe asking if I could come in for a quick meeting the following morning. I agreed, which was essentially the end of the conversation.

I had a million questions and did not understand how this was going to work. What about group rehearsals? Or the weekly behind the scenes filming? And what promo stuff would we be doing? Most of all, how the hell would we fit all this in around Dieter’s SNL schedule? It seemed like a lot, but I would be doing it with Dieter. Something told me that if I did go, things would not be the same when we got back. I just didn’t know if that was good or bad.

The following morning, I had to get up extra early so I could go to Television City Studios to meet with Stacia and Joe. I thought it odd that they didn’t ask to meet with both Dieter and I together, so it automatically had me on edge. The fact that they had agreed to this told me that it was playing into whatever story they were trying to manufacture. So, I knew I had to watch myself.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have to wait. I was taken back to the conference room straight away where I found Stacia and Joe in unusually bubbly moods. They were chomping at the bit to follow through with whatever they had planned for us.

Once I was seated, I noticed Stacia looking at me oddly. I couldn’t figure out what it was about. She eventually realized I had noticed her staring, which prompted her to get things started.

“Kat, how are you doing? Everything still going OK with Dieter?”

My brow furrowed slightly, “Yeah, everything with Dieter is great. He’s doing well.”

She nodded, “Good. That’s what we like to hear. So, I guess he told you about New York then based on your call?”

I nodded, “He did. I was surprised to hear that you guys approved it. I’m curious to hear your plans because I don’t understand how we can possibly pull this off. It’s a lot.”

Joe smiled, “Actually, I think we can work it out pretty easily. We’re thinking you could take a break from group performances next week. In lieu of that, we can book you on a couple of morning shows. That would meet part of your contract obligations so that some of that stuff is out of the way.”

I took a minute to think about that, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would keep me away from Alec for the week too.

“OK, and what about the behind the scenes filming? Will a crew be coming with us?”

Stacia laughed, “Na, I really don’t think that’s necessary. Dieter can handle some of the filming if we provide the equipment. We also ask that you two ramp up your social media posting a little bit more…maybe even come up with a hashtag or something.”

They are being way too cool about this. What’s the catch?

“Where will we rehearse?”

Stacia was still smiling as she continued to stare at me in that odd way, “We’ll book you a space in the hotel. You can rehearse as you have time. It obviously won’t be as structured as it is now, but we think you can work it out.”

How had they figured all of this shit out so quickly? What made them think I would even agree to go?

I pursed my lips in thought. “And our Tuesday morning pre-production meeting?”

“You won’t have to worry about that. We can go over everything now.”

My brows knitted together, “Without Dieter?”

Joe smiled politely, “We trust that you can pass the info along to him with no problem.”

I narrowed my eyes at them, “Why didn’t you meet with both of us together about this?”

Stacia leaned forward, placing her hand on the table in a gesture that was meant to be comforting. “We wanted to run it by you without his influence. I didn’t want you to feel pressured by his presence. His manager made it pretty clear that he really wants to do this.”

I scoffed, “I appreciate the thought, but Dieter would never pressure me into anything. So that wasn’t necessary. I would appreciate it if we could keep our meetings together.”

Stacia’s lips set into a tight line, “My mistake. Perhaps I should have asked first. Anyway, as far as the plans for next week, we have you doing the Rumba to Thinking Out Loud.”

The fucking Rumba. Perfect. It was obvious she was fighting a smirk now as she dug around in her binder, and I knew why. The Rumba was one of the most intimate and sensual performances in ballroom dance. It was obvious they were doing everything they could to milk this situation.

Stacia pulled some papers out, sketches for our costumes. “Luckily, we already had these ready to go. Dieter’s is pretty simple and shouldn’t be an issue. Stop by wardrobe before your spray tans tomorrow evening and they’ll have something similar ready for you to try on. They’ll rework parts of it to make it more like this. We wanna make sure your costumes are ahead of schedule just in case you have travel delays or anything like that.”

I sat staring at them wide-eyed, “Why are you telling me all this? I haven’t agreed.”

Joe laughed nervously, “Well it’ll be the same details even if you don’t go. Just don’t tell the others you got your dance and song early or they’ll consider it an unfair advantage.”

No shit. This is so fucking bizarre.

Stacia leaned forward on her elbows, “So, Kat…What are ya thinking? Is it manageable enough for you? Anything else we can do to make this easy on you?”

What the actual fuck? The crease between my brows deepened.

“No…I think I’m good. I’ll let you guys know what I decide. Anything else?”

Stacia leaned back in her seat, eyeing me in that weird way she had been since I arrived. “How’s Alec doing?”

I could feel my hackles rise. Why the fuck does she keep doing this? I glared at her for a moment before composing myself, somehow managing a small smile, “Alec is doing just fine...” With his fucking tramp. “If that’s all, I need to get going. I don’t wanna keep Dieter waiting for rehearsals.”

They both smiled, “Of course. We don’t wanna cut into your time, obviously.” Stacia added.

I got out of there as quickly as I could. I was feeling frustrated and angry. It was obvious what they were up to, again pushing us together for their narrative. However, what frustrated me most was that I knew it might actually cause something to happen between us…or at least I wanted it to. This couldn’t have been set up any better for them.

On the drive to the dance studio, I considered my options. The most attractive thing about going was being away from Alec for a week and not having to dance with him. Fuck. I still have to dance with him on Monday. That was going to go over well. Maybe Emily will swap me with one of the other dancers. That’s going to be a big red flag to the entire cast, and they’ll instantly know something is up, but I guess it’s inevitable. They’re going to know eventually anyway. I was also going to have to face Alec at some point. I needed to prepare myself for that.

I did need to consider Dieter in this. It was a big deal for him, I could tell. I didn’t want to be the only thing keeping him from doing something that could have a major impact on his career. I was also wondering what it would be like to spend the week with him, away from all this. It would allow us to get to know each other a little better, outside of the studio. It would also give me a chance to see him at work, which I was strangely curious about too.

I pulled into a parking spot with a few minutes to spare. I sat there going through the pros and cons. There were only two cons that I could think of. One, which was honestly also a pro, something might happen between us. Two, if something did happen, it could ruin our friendship. Was the risk worth it? If Dieter is as amazing as I feel like he is and he wants to be with me, then yes. I think it might be worth it.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly to calm my nerves. “I can’t believe I’m gonna do this.”

After a few more deep breaths, I grabbed my bag, got out of the car, and started walking toward the main entrance to the dance studio before I changed my mind. I found Dieter sprawled out on the floor, looking at his phone. He dropped the phone on his chest when I walked in, a smile spreading across his face as he greeted me.

“There you are! I was about to text you. You’re later than normal.”

He sat upright and slid his phone across the floor toward his bag. He moved to get up, but I stopped him. “Stay there. We can start our stretches on the floor.”

He nodded, eyeing me as I sat my bag down and dug my water bottle out. When I turned to face him, he was looking at me expectantly. I knew he was waiting for my answer, but he wasn’t going to ask. I was tempted to wait until the end of rehearsal to tell him, but I knew he needed to know.

I sat down in front of him and started stretching. He didn’t make any move to stretch with me, instead he continued to stare, his brows arching further into his hairline by the second.

“Is there a reason you’re not stretching?” I asked, pretending I didn’t know what he was waiting on.

He scoffed, “Are you messing with me right now?”

A smile tugged at my lips, I couldn’t fight it.

A tentative smile spread across his face once he realized it, “You’re gonna go with me?”

I nodded. He jumped up, leaned down, and pulled me to my feet before I even realized what was happening. His arms wrapped around my middle, lifting me off the floor in a tight hug as he spun us around, thanking me over and over again. I laughed at his overly dramatic reaction, but I knew his excitement was real.

He finally sat me down, holding my shoulder briefly to make sure I had my footing.

“Kat, you seriously just made my day. This is a big fucking deal for me right now.”

“I know. I don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity. It’s gonna be a lot of work though. You know that right?”

He nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “I’ll work my ass off, I promise…oh! I need to text Lenny so he can get things moving.”

He ran over to grab his phone off the floor and started tapping away.

“So, when do we need to leave?” I asked.

He paused and stared at the ceiling, like he was doing calculations.

“Umm…” He grimaced. “Tomorrow, like right after the show is over probably? I don’t know the flight times though. We might have to do a red-eye.”

It was my turn to grimace, “Oof. That’s rough. Damn, when are we gonna have time to pack?”

He shrugged, “You think we’re far enough ahead this week to cut out a few hours early? We do have the fucking spray tans later this evening. Ugh, can we skip that?”

I chuckled, “I doubt it. Maybe we can next week though? Hopefully.”

I looked at the time. “Let's get four hours in and see how we’re feeling. If all is well, I say we go pack. Otherwise, we’ll be up late doing that.”

He nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

I watched as he opened the camera on his phone and put it in selfie mode, “Guess we better start our social media campaign.”

He quickly leaned in, snapping a pic of himself and half of my head. I laughed, “I’m sure they’re gonna love that one.”

He snickered as he tapped away at his phone for a couple more minutes, before setting it back down next to his bag. Suddenly, my phone dinged with an Instagram notification. Well, that’s embarrassing. He looked at me with narrowed eyes, “Do you have notifications turned on for my posts?”

I shook my head, turning away as I fought a nervous smile, “No…of course not.”

He stepped in front of me and placed his pointer finger under my chin, raising it so that I was looking at him. I felt the heat of his touch jolt through my entire body as he gave me the cockiest smirk.

“Say that to my face, please.”

I couldn’t say it without smiling, I was the worst liar. “I-umm…”

His smirk turned into his cheesy lopsided grin as he tapped my nose with his finger, “That’s what I thought…Don’t worry Kit Kat. I know you love me. You don’t have to hide it.”

He said it with a teasing tone, but that didn’t stop my eyes from widening at his words. “I-I just figured if we have to do all this social media stuff, I wanna know what you're posting about me. That’s all. Don’t get any crazy ideas.”

He chuckled, “Mmmhmm. Sure. I’m on to you.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, “Whatever, Bravo. Get to stretching so we can get out of here.”

He locked eyes with me, leaning in as he spoke. “Yes ma’am. Where do you want me?”

What. The. Fuck. Is that? I was fairly certain that I stopped breathing. His eyes were smoldering - absolutely burning into my soul. I cleared my throat, “O-On the floor.”

That came out breathier than I had intended. He arched a brow at me.

“You need to stretch.” I reminded him.

His eyes darted around my face as his teeth sunk into his bottom lip, trying to hold back a smile. Something told me that he knew exactly what he was doing. New York was going to be interesting.

Once I managed to get him focused, we hit rehearsals hard. The Jive was not an easy dance, so we were exhausted by the time our four hours were up. My hips and feet were beginning to ache. That figures. Just before a long ass flight too.

We were feeling pretty good about where things were, so we did end up leaving early to go pack before the cast spray tan session. When I got home, I quickly checked Dieter’s Instagram post before I got started.

I felt a rush of excitement when I saw the post. He really put #SheSecretlyLovesMe as a fucking hashtag? I wasn’t prepared for that. It was obviously a joke, but something about it felt a little flirty. There was also something about seeing a selfie of us together. It wasn’t like one of the performance shots from the show. This was personal and intimate in a weird way. We were letting the public into what I thought was our carefully crafted bubble.

I had to push those thoughts out of my head, I didn’t have time for that now because I had to rush to pack. It was a struggle, half of my laundry was dirty because I hadn’t felt like doing it. I had to get creative with my outfit choices for the week, only having time to wash and dry one load. I managed to get most of it taken care of before it was time to leave for our latest spray tan session.

During the drive over, I could feel my nervousness setting in over the possibility of seeing Alec and Lana. Not knowing how they were going to act toward me or behave toward each other was the biggest cause of it. Their behavior had the potential to cause some serious drama.

Once I got to Television City Studios, I waited in my car until I saw Dieter arrive. I didn’t want to chance getting cornered by Alec or Lana alone. By the time I moved to get out, Dieter was already there with a questioning look on his face.

“What are you doing? Hiding in your car?”

I laughed nervously, “I wasn’t hiding…I was just taking care of some last minute stuff.” I lied.

He nodded, “Yeah, I feel you on that. I’ve had to make a long list of instructions for my assistant. He’s on plant and cat duty while I’m gone.”

I chuckled, “Shouldn’t he be coming with you?”

Dieter snickered, “Umm, normally he would, yes. But he can run my calendar and boss me around remotely. I guess I need to find a permanent plant and cat sitter for when I’m gone though…”

He looked pensive for a moment, “Are there professionals that do that sort of thing? Like certified? I’m pretty picky about that shit…I can’t leave them with just any random person. Especially Zee. She’s probably gonna be a mess while I’m gone...”

I would’ve laughed at him if he didn’t look completely serious and sincere with his words. Could he be anymore fucking adorable? The care that he gave to his plants and Zee was completely melting my heart. If I knew nothing else about him, that alone would probably make me fall for him.

I stood there taking in his expression, his lips pursed as he considered the question before he reached to rub at the back of his neck and sighed. The prospect of having to find someone to fill those important shoes while he was out of town seemed like a massive feat for him. My mind wandered, questioning if that was something I could do for him - take care of the things he cared about most when he couldn’t. I found myself wanting to. I wanted to take care of him.

I suddenly realized Dieter was staring at me with questioning eyes. Shit, he said something to me, didn’t he?

I shook my head, “I’m sorry, what?”

He smiled nervously, “Are you ok? You seem a little distracted. Am I boring you with my plant and cat problems?”

I gave him a genuine smile, “Absolutely not. I love hearing about your cat and plants.” We started walking toward the front entrance. “Please never stop telling me about them.” I added.

He chuckled shyly, “If it gets annoying, just tell me to shut the fuck up. I know that I get carried away sometimes.”

I shook my head, “You will never hear that from me.”

He reached to pull the door open for me, then lightly placed his hand at the small of my back as he followed me through the door. His touch caused sparks at the base of my spin that shot out all the way to my fingertips and toes. I don’t know why because he often touched me there while we were dancing. This was nothing new. I can only assume it had to do with how casually he touched me off the dance floor these days. Especially since he had such an aversion to it in the beginning.

We made our way toward the dressing rooms, eventually parting ways so we could get changed for our spray tans. Just as I was closing the door behind me, Alec and Lana passed by. Figures they would be here already. I sighed. I really did not want to be alone around them.

I toed off my shoes, then stood there for a moment, feeling like there was something I was supposed to do. Then suddenly I realized I had forgotten that we were supposed to go to the wardrobe department first. “Shit.”

I grabbed my phone to text Dieter. I wasn’t even sure if he knew we were supposed to do that.

Me: Hey, I forgot…we’re supposed to check in with wardrobe about next week’s costumes before tanning.

Dieter: That would make sense…heading your way.

There was a knock at the door. I turned to open it without a glance. Instead, I wandered around the room to find my flip flops as Dieter pushed the door open and leaned against the door frame with his arm above his head. Once I had my shoes on and moved toward the door, I was taken aback by how good he looked. I’m almost certain I froze on the spot as my eyes scanned up his broad towering form. It must have been obvious what was going through my head based on the smirk that appeared on his lips when my gaze finally met his.

“You see something you like, honey?” He said in a husky voice.

I swallowed thickly, “No, I see someone who’s standing in my way. Are you gonna move?”

He chuckled, stepping to the side to let me pass, but I hesitated. Tensing once I caught sight of Alec and Lana walking back down the hallway toward the spray tan room. Alec’s back was toward us, but Lana’s was not. Her eyes connected with mine, she gave me a curious smile as they passed by. I could feel my jaw tighten as I inhaled a deep breath. I felt Dieter’s hand on the small of my back again, grounding me from whatever spiral I was about to go down.

I felt him lean in close to my ear. “Kat is everything ok?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, of course. Let’s go.”

He gave me an odd look before motioning for me to exit through the doorway. He followed, closing the door behind us.

Minutes later we found ourselves in the wardrobe department, Amy and her assistant were in a tizzy trying to find clothing in the proper size for us. Apparently, Dieter had slimmed down some since rehearsals started, which wasn’t unusual given how much exercise we were getting. So, they had to size his black pants down. They were still having an issue with the white button up shirt being too tight in the shoulders and chest. Of course they are, because he’s so fucking broad.

His slightly smaller waist was now emphasizing just how broad he actually was. I couldn’t help staring at his reflection in the mirror as they fussed over him, pinning and marking for alterations at the waist of the shirt as they joked about how many buttons he would need to leave open so he could move properly without ripping the shoulder seams.

As I took him in, I noticed the pants were a different style than what they usually gave him. The fit was snugger in the thighs and ass, emphasizing all the right parts of him. Add that to the way the plain white button up shirt was hugging his biceps and shoulders…it nearly had me salivating like a crazed animal. Who knew such a simple outfit could look so fucking hot on a man.

My attention was drawn back to the conversation happening around me when Amy asked with a sly smile what I thought about the costume. Fuck, she totally caught me ogling him. My eyes were drawn to Dieter’s in the mirror. He was smirking at me as he waited for an answer. Busted. Again. If I kept this up, he was eventually going to ask me point blank what my fucking problem is.

I cleared my throat, “I mean…I think it looks great. Can’t go wrong with the classics.”

They seemed happy with their handiwork at that point. Helping him remove this shirt so that he didn’t get stuck with pins. Meanwhile, I was ogling him again. I did not need to see him like this because he looked too fucking good. It seemed like his belly had shrunk some, but he was still soft around the middle, the way I liked. His shoulders and chest seemed more sculpted if that were even possible. I had to force myself to turn away before I got caught again, though from the cocky glances I noticed Dieter shooting my way, I think I may already have been.

After that, Dieter was off to the changing room to put his clothes back on and it was my turn to be poked and prodded at. They had put me in a backless white dress that had a low cut sparkly bodice and a feathered bottom half. It looked nothing like the sketch Stacia had shown me, but I didn’t question it.

“Alright Kat, instead of making yours from scratch, I’m gonna rework this one. That way we at least have the sizing on the bodice and straps worked out.” She turned, grabbing a bolt of fabric, offering it to me to look at.

“I’m gonna redo the bottom half with a sheer white fabric that I’ve ordered. It’ll have silver threading and beading to match the bodice. It’s similar to this but has a little more bling and it’ll be more romantic and flowy looking.”

I nodded, “Sounds good. I trust that it’ll look amazing with you in charge.”

Dieter was behind me now, coming closer to inspect the bolt of fabric I was holding before letting his eyes scan over every inch of the dress. He arched an eyebrow and smiled at Amy, “I think that’s gonna look awesome, Amy. Then again, Kat can make a potato sack look amazing.”

He turned away, like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb, going to stand out of the way so Amy could get to work. I was shocked over his comment as I turned to Amy with my mouth slightly agape, catching a look pass between her and her assistant. Great, there’s some gossip for the cast to spread around.

After Amy was satisfied with her alterations, they left Dieter and I alone for a few minutes to go pull shoe options for me. I decided to break the tension by suggesting we snap a quick picture for Instagram, figuring we might as well get into a habit of it now. Dieter leaned over in front of the mirror with a small smile while I snapped a few pictures with my phone. I took the opportunity to make a teaser post that we had big plans for the following week.

A few seconds after posting it, Dieter’s phone chimed in his pocket. I gave him a smug look, “Now who has Instagram alerts turned on?”

He shrugged, “I mean, if you’re gonna be making posts about me…I wanna know what you're saying.”

I narrowed my eyes and nodded, “Mmmhmm. Sure.”

Amy returned then, offering me four options for shoes. Once I made my choice, I went to change out of the costume. We hustled to get back to our dressing rooms so we could change into our “spray tan” gear, then made our way to where the cast was congregating to wait their turn. They had already started the session, but to my dismay, Alec and Lana were still waiting. I had hoped they were done and gone already. I made a point to stay as far away from them as possible while also trying to not look in their direction. Of course, Dieter noticed.

“Is Alec too good to talk to you when I’m around now?” he asked, eyeing them on the other side of the room.

I sighed, “He probably hasn’t noticed me. It’s not a big deal.”

His brows furrowed, “Oh he one hundred percent noticed you. I saw him looking…”

I felt panic rising in my chest and my face tensing, “I said it’s not a big deal. Drop it.” There was no way I could explain what happened without getting emotional right now. I didn’t want to give Alec that satisfaction.

Dieter gave me a look of confusion but didn’t question it further. If he hadn’t realized something was up before, he definitely did now. I changed the subject, more so to give myself something else to focus on than anything, “You wanna grab some dinner after this? I’m starving.”

He gave me a guarded look, “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

I thought for a moment, “I’m thinking burritos. It’s a burrito kind of day.”

He nodded, “I think I can get behind that.”

We managed to avoid Alec and Lana for the reminder of our time there. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long before one of the production assistants called us in. The staff had apparently been told to get us through as quickly as possible, which I appreciated. Stacia and Joe had actually done something right for once.

Dieter and I finished up with our spray tans around the same time. I took advantage of it and walked back toward the dressing rooms with him, still paranoid about running into Alec or Lana. Luckily, we didn’t. We briefly parted to our respective dressing rooms to change. I was digging around in my gym bag, trying to find my shirt when Dieter knocked at the door. I yelled for him to come, not paying him any attention as I got more aggravated that I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

I puffed air out through my cheeks and placed my hands on my hips, confused as to why I couldn't find my shirt. I finally met Dieter’s wide-eyed gaze, now realizing I was standing there in jeans and a black push-up bra.

I sighed, “Put your eyes back in your head, Bravo. It’s not like you haven’t seen me in athletic wear before.”

He laughed nervously, “That’s true…however, athletic wear doesn’t emphasize things like that.”

I rolled my eyes at him as he tried not to stare at my chest. He eventually leaned down and picked something up that must have fallen out of my bag.

“That what you’re looking for?” he asked as he handed it to me.

My forehead dropped into my palm as I sighed, “Yes…it is. Thank you. I thought I forgot it.”

After throwing the t-shirt over my head, I started gathering my belongings. He watched me intently as I shoved things into my bag more forcefully than necessary. I wasn’t even sure why I was suddenly so irritated. I assume it was from seeing that asshat with her again.

“Kat, did something happen? You know you can tell me. I feel like something’s going on with you the last couple of days.” He said gently.

Great job hiding it, Kat. I turned to face him, fighting back my emotions before I responded. “Yes. Ok. Something happened…but…I-I don’t wanna talk about it right now. Can we just have a normal evening? Please? I promise I’ll tell you. I just need time to process it.”

His brow furrowed as anger flashed in his eyes.

I shook my head, “He didn’t hurt me, if that’s what you're thinking. It’s…not that.” It seemed to calm him knowing that much at least. I shoved the last of my stuff in my bag and zipped it up.

“Come on. Take me to get some food…please.”

He opened the door, allowing me to walk out ahead of him. We were quiet until we got to the parking lot. I opened the trunk, threw my bag in, then turned to Dieter, “You’re driving.”

He arched a brow at me and smiled, “Yes ma’am.”

I followed him over to his car and plopped down in the passenger seat as he threw his bag into the back. Once he got situated behind the wheel, he grabbed a pair of glasses and popped them on his face. I couldn’t help admiring how adorable he looked with his glasses and messy hair. He glanced at me, looking slightly worried, “What? Is my spray tan fucked up or something?”

I chuckled, “No. Just admiring your glasses.”

He smirked, turning his head forward and starting the car. As we were on our way, I called in a pickup order. Dieter gave me an odd look but didn’t question it. After disconnecting the call, I tried to lighten the mood by asking about Zee. That seemed to do the trick, keeping him talking until we got to the restaurant. We sat in the parking lot, waiting for the text that our food was ready. After about forty-five minutes of waiting, Dieter was beginning to get impatient as his stomach grumbled loudly.

Just as he started his tirade of complaints, I snapped a quick picture of him making his annoyed face, snickering as I posted it to Instagram before he even realized what was happening. His phone chimed with an alert. He paused mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes in my direction.

“What did you just post?” he asked sternly, before cracking a smile.

I shrugged, “Might as well get used to it. If we have to post social media shit, I’m gonna be as obnoxious as possible with it.”

He looked at his phone and snorted, “Fucking hell, Kat. OK…it’s on now. Just remember anything that I post going forward is your fault. You started this.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “Whatever you say, Bravo.”

My phone dinged with a text that our food was ready. I moved to get out, but Dieter locked the door on me.

“I got it. You sit,” he said sternly.

I scoffed, “Well…OK then.”

He was back within minutes, shaking his head as he handed me the food through the window. Once he was back in the driver’s seat he gave me an exasperated look.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Apparently the girl working the front is a Dieterina shipper. I got questioned out about why the food was in your name and why I was the one picking it up. Like that means something…”

My head dropped back against the seat, “Great. Here we go with that stuff…they’ll look for anything.”

I felt my stomach do a little flip at the thought of it meaning something. It didn’t bother me as much as it once did. Especially now that Alec was out of the picture. However, I didn’t want Dieter to be associated with that new development in any way. He didn’t need a reputation as a home wrecker to add to his list.

Once we decided that we would eat in the car, I began filling him in on the details from my meeting with Stacia and Joe - not having told him everything yet. We got a head start on discussing our dance for the following week as I pulled up the song to listen to while we devoured our burritos. We sat in silence, listening to it in full, twice. I could feel the tension forming between us as the realization set in of how intimate this dance was about to be. All while we were off on our own together in New York.

We sat almost a little stunned as we considered our options for the Rumba. I finally suggested we think on it and discuss it more once we made it through the Jive. It felt like an added pressure to worry about it right now. At least it did for me now that I was thinking of everything else that was coming at us with it.

After we finished eating, he dropped me off at my car so I could head home for the evening. Once home, I rushed to finish up the last of my packing since we would be leaving for the airport directly from the studio after the show was over. I wasn’t even sure of most of our travel details. I just knew a car would be picking me up in the morning. As bad as it sounded, I was relying on Dieter to know what was going on since his people were working with both studios to figure everything out. It was a little nerve wrecking, but I brushed it off as I crawled into bed and passed out from the exhaustion the last few days had brought.

I was in a rush the following morning, double checking that I had everything and also trying to get ready before my ride was due to arrive at 7AM. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything to come as I stood at the kitchen counter, reading through an email from Stacia and Joe with my schedule of promo appearances for the week when a text came through from Dieter. I checked the time. It was 6:55 AM. Confused as to why he was texting me so early, I switched to my messenger app.

Dieter: Your ride is here. Do you need any help?

A crease formed between my brows, “What the fu…”

I walked over to look out through the curtains. Sure enough, I could see Dieter through the open back window of a SUV that was sitting in my driveway. My phone dinged again.

Dieter: Also, your plants look sad. I’m disappointed in you. Have I taught you nothing? 😂 (laughing to tears emoji)

I rolled my eyes.

ME: First of all, shut up about my plants. I do not have a green thumb and I have accepted that. I’ll be out in a minute.

I hurried around, double checking that everything was turned off and locked up before grabbing my bags and heading out the front door. The driver got out of the car, rushing to help me. He took my bags as Dieter pushed his door open and slid to the opposite side of the car so I could get in without having to walk around.

I got in and sat down with a huff, “I wasn’t aware that I would be riding with you this morning.”

He shrugged and handed me a coffee, “Ehh, it’s on the way.”

I gave him a confused look, “No it’s not.”

He chuckled nervously, “It is if I’m getting coffee…and take the long way.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He was so extra sometimes.

He elbowed me gently, “Hey…about your plants…can I send someone over to take care of that for you? I don’t like sad plants.”

I snorted, “You’re joking…”

His eyes widened, like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t, “Yeees. Totally joking.”

I gasped, “You’re not joking!”

He shook his head, “No. I’m kind of serious…actually.”

My head shook from side to side, “Dieter…no. Absolutely not.”

He pouted like a petulant child in that way he does.

I poked him in the arm, “Stop that right now. I’ll take care of them when I get back.”

“When you get back!?!?! They’ll be dead by then!” he said dramatically.

I couldn’t help laughing at him, it was honestly cute that he cared that much.

“I’ll have my assistant stop by to water them. He’s on plant duty anyway.”

I scoffed, “Dieter…no.”

“Shhhh. It’s happening. I’m not discussing it any further.” He waved his hand dismissively in my direction as he turned his attention to tapping at his phone.

My mouth dropped open in shock over his sassy attitude, “Did you just…”

“Yes. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate to type up these instructions.”

He gave me the side-eye with a small smile tugging at his lips. I shoved his leg with mine as he burst out laughing. So, this is how this week is gonna go.

After arriving at Television City Studios, the driver helped unload our bags so we could store them in our dressing rooms. We got several odd looks as we wheeled our luggage through the lobby and down the dressing room hallway. The sight was sure to cause some gossip since no one knew about our plans for the upcoming week.

Once we dropped off our luggage, Dieter and I headed to the ballroom to get the first few run throughs with the band and camera blocking out of the way. I tried not to pay attention to the eyes on us because I knew Alec and Lana were among them, but by the time we finished, I could feel my nerves setting in. I would have to face Alec soon enough for the group performance dress rehearsal.

I spent a fair amount of my time in the hair and makeup chair trying to focus and not let that asshole get to me, determined not to let him mess me up today. I knew Dieter could sense my tension from the way he kept looking at me with concern, but he never said anything. Instead, he tried to keep me distracted by talking about anything and everything as we sat there getting lathered in hair spray, gel, and makeup. Occasionally, he would reach over and give my arm or hand a reassuring squeeze when he was able.

Then, Lana and Alec walked in. They sat on the opposite side from us, thankfully, but we could easily still catch glimpses of each other in the mirrors. It wasn’t lost on me that Alec was keeping an eye on us when he was able. His gaze making me feel more tense by the minute, causing my chest to tighten and my breathing to pick up.

I turned my chair facing away from the mirror, toward Dieter instead. Dieter’s wide-eyed reflection told me that he could see the panic setting in. Without warning, he turned his chair to face toward me, which resulted in a minor scolding from the girl working on his hair. He didn’t say anything, but I could see how concerned he was from the way his eyes were focused on me.

I sat staring at the rise and fall of his chest, attempting to match his breathing. After a short time passed, I felt something pressing against my lower leg, just above the ankle. I glanced down and found Dieter’s outstretched leg against mine, grounding me to the here and now. It was unexpected and exactly what I needed. When I finally looked up and met his gaze, I realized my eyes were pooling with tears. He saw it too.

He looked around, checking to see if anyone else had noticed. He cleared his throat, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask…do you mind if I list you as Zee’s secondary emergency contact on her paperwork? You’re the only other person she likes so far. You know, just in case I’m outta town or something?”

His question took me by surprise, which I’m pretty sure was his intent. It also made me feel emotional in a different way. I knew he was putting a lot of trust in me for something like that. I sniffled.

“Really? Does that make me like her godmother or something?”

He shrugged, “Is that a thing for cats? I mean, I guess so…”

The ladies working on our hair let out a chorus of “awwws” over his question. I gave him a genuine smile, thankful that he was here with me. He always knew what I needed.

“Of course, anything for Zee.” I finally answered.

He returned my smile with one of his own. He almost looked…relieved? I wasn’t sure if it was from my answer or the fact that the distraction had worked.

Another girl stepped in to start working on my makeup at that point, so Dieter had to move his leg away from mine. I found myself longing for his warmth the second it was gone. We did, however, stay facing each other.

We soon found ourselves talking and joking with the ladies who were getting us ready, and I had completely forgotten about Alec and Lana on the other side of the room. Dieter kept the laughs going by giving suggestions on my hair and makeup. Most of it was said with the intention of being funny, but they did take him up on the suggestion to add a red rose accessory to the side of my hair that was pinned back. He went on to say that it would make my red lips and nails pop a little more, seemingly thrilled that they actually agreed with him.

Time flew by after that, and we were finished in hair and makeup before we knew it. Dieter had refused to leave his seat until I was finished, and surprisingly they didn’t make a big deal out of it. I think they enjoyed his company just as much as I did. When we finally got up to leave, he followed closely behind me, somewhat blocking my view of Alec and Lana. I had a feeling his actions were intentional but couldn’t know for certain.

Once we got into the hallway, I felt his fingers slide around my left hand, his thumb gently gliding back and forth over the engagement ring that I still wore on my finger. I noticed his brow furrow slightly before asking if I was ok. I nodded. He smiled before leaning in next to my ear and speaking in a low voice.

“Just for the record, I think you look amazing in red.”

I could feel the heat creeping up into my cheeks and a tingle between my thighs from his words. I gave him a shy smile just as we reached my dressing room door. My grip tightened on his hand, before pulling him into a hug. A real hug. Not one of those half-assed side hugs we did more often than not. I didn’t hesitate to bury my face in his neck, inhaling his scent as deeply as I could.

“Thank you for keeping me together back there.”

I felt his arms tighten around me, “You don't have to thank me for that. You know I’d do anything for you.”

I pulled away and cupped his cheeks with both hands, letting my eyes roam over his face before I gave him a sad smile, “I know you would. Thank you just the same though.”

I felt his fingers twitch on my hips, suddenly making me aware of how this might appear to onlookers. I dropped my hands and stepped away, “I guess we better get changed for dress rehearsal.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I’ll meet you back here so we can go together, OK?”

I nodded. He seemed to sense that I didn’t want to be left wandering the halls alone. He could already read me better than Alec ever could.

Minutes later, we had changed and were heading back to the ballroom. Quickly getting through our dress rehearsal with a few minor errors on my part. Having Alec lurking around was really starting to become a distraction. Knowing that I would soon have to dance with him was making me extremely anxious and I was having a hard time moving past it. I hoped once that was out of the way, I would be able to focus on our routine the way I needed to.

After our dress rehearsal, Dieter walked me back to my dressing room so I could change into the group performance costume while he waited just outside the door. When I was ready, he escorted me back to the ballroom. He tried to keep the conversation light through it all. Even managing to make me laugh a few times. I had to appreciate his efforts, I’m not sure I would have made it through the day without him.

Before I knew it, the professional dance cast was gathering on the dance floor to run through the opening performance. Dieter stayed nearby, casually sprawled out in a chair, watching. It did give me some comfort knowing he was there.

As we were standing around the center of the floor, awaiting instructions from Emily, Alec approached me. I refused to look at him directly. For once he seemed nervous and unsure of himself as he worked up the courage to speak to me.

“Kat, can we talk later? Please?”

My eyes briefly cut toward him, “I have nothing to say to you.”

He sighed, “Please. Just let me explain.”

I could feel the rage bubbling inside of me. What could he possibly have to say that would explain his behavior? I turned to face him, my expression not hiding the anger I was feeling.

“I don’t even want to be in your presence right now. You should consider yourself lucky that I’m not making a big deal out of having to dance with you today. So, just keep your damn mouth shut and let’s get our fucking job done.”

His eyes widened, shocked that I was standing up to him in such a way. I could sense several cast members watching us, clearly having overheard me. It seemed to make Alec uncomfortable, probably because he couldn’t react how he normally would to my defiance. His only response was to nod and stand there quietly. He stayed that way until we started the routine. Surprisingly, he did drop the issue. The only communication between us was what the performance required. We managed to make it through without any issues.

I walked off the dance floor without saying another word to him, feeling more relaxed and realizing that he no longer had any hold over me. This thing with him was finally over and I could let him go. He had to know there was no coming back from it and he couldn’t blame me for it either.

Dieter stood and moved to meet me at the edge of the dance floor with a questioning look on his face. I gave him a genuine smile now, looping my arm through his as I pulled him toward the exit, “Come on, let’s get our final fittings done.”

The rest of the morning went by in a blur as we rushed to finish up with our final fittings and stop in for touch ups on hair and makeup. Before we knew it, we were in the staging area, waiting for the live show to begin. I managed to make it through the opening performance with Alec without any issue. He didn’t try to speak to me at all outside of what was necessary. It seemed he had finally listened to me for once. Afterwards, I rushed to change for my performance with Dieter. I was eager to be back with him, finding that his presence was like a comforting balm to my still raw emotions that threatened to break free at any moment. I was more than happy to be done with Alec, but there was still some residual hurt there too. There always would be since he had taken up such a large part of my life. However, Dieter seemed to make it a lot more bearable.

When I finally made my way back to Dieter, he gave me a brilliant smile before leaning in to tell me that I stole the show once again. I rolled my eyes at the compliment but was flattered by it just the same. We took a minute to take some quick pictures in costume to post on social media to make the bosses happy - both of us adding playful comments about each other just to make it more entertaining.

He stood there for a moment, staring at his phone before glancing in my direction.

“You know, those shorts should be illegal. I can’t believe they’re letting you dance in those.”

I scoffed, “Excuse me? I’m pretty sure I’ve worn less clothing to dance in than this before.”

He chuckled, still looking at his phone, “That may be true, but those little skirts don’t hug your ass like that.”

My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline as I stared at him. His eyes widened, like he just realized he said that out loud. He slowly raised his head to meet my gaze and gave me a sheepish smile, his cheeks turning a little red.

He shrugged, “I’m sorry. I’m a man. I’m gonna notice a nice ass. Especially when it’s shaking in front of me on the daily. Sue me.”

I snorted at his openness. He had no shame. If only he knew all the parts of his body that caught my attention on the daily…

To break the tension, I pulled out my phone to get our weekly hype song ready. I handed Dieter one of the earbuds, he gave me a questioning look as he listened before bursting out laughing.

“The Brian Setzer Orchestra? Really? I swear I never know what you're gonna pick…I love it.”

I laughed, “Keeping with the theme of the week. Gotta get you in the Jive mindset.”

We started moving to the beat of the music, getting into the right mindset for the high energy dance we were about to perform. Out of nowhere, a camera was suddenly being shoved in our faces reminding me about the behind the scenes filming they were starting this week. It sort of took away from the moment, but we smiled and waved. Luckily, they didn’t stick with us for long. Dieter and I both shared a look of annoyance as they moved to another area to film. I made a mental note to find us a place to hide for the following week.

Minutes later, we made our way out onto the dance floor and took our places. The spotlight dropped down on Dieter, who was standing in the middle of the stage. He opened with some of his signature Elvis Presley hip wiggles to the audience’s delight. He soon joined me on the main floor where we shifted into our high energy swing style dance. Neither of us missed a beat as we made our way through the routine - rock stepping, kicking, and twirling with smiles. Dieter added to the theatrics by giving several lip curls as he continued to gyrate around the floor. We finally ended with a flourish, settling into our ending pose as the lights dimmed to darkness around us.

The screaming and applause from the crowd was almost deafening as we made our way over to the interview area and awaited our scores. Dieter was his usual charming self as he answered questions about his struggles for the week. He shifted to praising me for my patience and ability to get him to where he needed to be for the competition, hugging me tightly into his side as he spoke. His occasional glances in my direction were causing all sorts of reactions from my body. Clearly the high energy atmosphere was only intensifying things for me because the only thing I could think about doing was getting him back to his dressing room to straddle his thick thighs and have my way with him.

I was drawn from my thoughts just as the judges began to read off our scores, giving us three 9’s and one 10. We were inching closer and closer to a perfect score every week and I absolutely could not believe it. Especially since the judges tended to get more critical as the weeks went on. Dieter was beyond excited, lifting me off the floor with a spin as we briefly celebrated the results.

We spent the rest of the show watching from the staging area. Again, our only real competition this week seemed to be Alec and Lana, which grated on my nerves. Everything in me was hoping they would fuck up and get voted off the show, so I didn’t have to look at them anymore. It didn’t look like that was happening anytime soon though.

Dieter didn’t leave my side until we returned to our dressing rooms to change out of our costumes. When I opened the door to set the dry cleaning bag outside for pickup, Alec was there with his hand posed to knock on the door.

The anger that I felt in that instant was beyond anything I could describe. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to try and “explain” this situation to me after what I saw. I dropped the dry cleaning bag beside the door then crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to allow him to enter my dressing room. I didn’t want to be alone with him out of view of other people.

“I believe I told you that I didn’t wanna speak to you.”

He tried to crowd me so that I would move backward into the room, but I didn’t budge.

I gave him a pointed look, “Whatever it is you have to say, you can say right here.”

He scoffed, “We have no privacy here.”

I shrugged, “Well… I didn’t wanna hear what you had to say anyway.”

I moved to close the door, but he stopped it with his hand.

I huffed, giving him a frustrated look.

“Kat, come on. You can’t blame this all on me. You’ve been checked out for months. You’ve wanted nothing to do with me. What was I supposed to do?”

“I dunno, maybe try to earn my trust back? I’m sorry but worrying about who you’ve been fucking and if I’m gonna get an STD is kind of a mood killer in the bedroom.”

His eyes widened, anger flashing there briefly before he remembered where he was.

I laughed sarcastically, “Did you really think this little talk was gonna work after what I walked in on? This wasn’t texting other people or chatting online, Alec. There is no talking your way out of it. You fucked up and it’s all on you. I told you this was your last chance, and it literally took you…what, all of three days to fuck up again? You didn’t even try. So, fuck your excuses. I’m done.”

I moved to pull the ring off my finger. He looked like he was about to have a meltdown as I held it out to him. Something between hurt, defeat, and anger was swirling behind his eyes as he took it from me. I don’t think it ever occurred to him that this could be an outcome for his actions.

His jaw ticked to the side, it seemed anger was winning. “This is because of Bravo, isn’t it?”

I shook my head, “Dieter doesn’t have a damn thing to do with this, so don’t even go there. You did this when you decided to fuck around with other people. YOU. No one else.”

I sighed, realizing there were now a couple of people hanging around to be nosey. Fuck this. I don’t owe him a conversation. “Give me my house key and leave please.”

Alec shook his head, “I don’t have it on me.” He was such a fucking liar. His keys were half hanging out of his pants pocket. I rolled my eyes, reaching to grab them before he realized what was going on. I took my key off the ring then tossed the rest back at him before shutting the door in his face and locking it.

I sank down in one of the plush chairs, letting relief wash over me now that that part was over with. I hoped he would let it go, but deep down, I knew he wouldn’t. I couldn’t have been happier that this was my last season on the show for this reason alone. It was probably also a good thing that I was going out of town for the week. At least it would give him some time to cool down.

My phone chimed with a text from Dieter asking me to let him in. I drug myself up out of the chair to turn the lock and open the door. Dieter didn’t make a move to come in, instead he reached for my chin, tilting my head upward to meet his gaze before settling his hand on my shoulder.

“Are you OK? I overheard someone say you and Alec were arguing.”

My eyes scanned the open dressing room doors behind him. It seemed like there were more people milling around than normal. Without a word, I pulled Dieter inside and shut the door behind us. I didn’t care what anyone thought about it.

When Dieter turned to face me, I was fighting back tears. He pulled me against his chest into a tight hug. He hadn’t hesitated to come to me when he thought I might need him. I really didn’t deserve him. We stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke.

“Can you please tell me if you’re OK? He didn’t do anything to you did he?”

I shook my head against his firm chest, “No…not physically anyway.”

I could feel his body relax against mine as he hugged me just a little tighter, causing me to melt into his arms. He really did give the best hugs, completely enveloping me with his scent and warmth. Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt safer or more content than in that moment. I never wanted to let him go.

Our moment was broken by his cell chiming in his hand. He sighed, pulling away to look at it. He left his other hand resting at the nape of my neck.

“Our ride to the airport is here. You ready to go?” he asked. His fingers lightly threaded through my hair as he spoke.

I nodded, moving away from him to collect my bags. He helped me get them into the hallway, then I followed him down to his dressing room so he could grab his. There were more than a few curious eyes on us as he emerged with his own suitcases. I was sure that our strange departure together would only add to the gossip in the days to come.

We were silent during the ride to the airport, but that didn’t stop him from reaching between us for my left hand, settling his on top of it, squeezing in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. His thumb made a few passes across my knuckles before pausing. In my periphery, I could see his head turn toward me slightly as he glanced downward. A crease formed between his brows before he met my gaze. I could see his jaw tighten as his eyes danced around my face before he eventually turned to stare out the window. He rubbed his chin for a moment, then I felt his fingers move to entwin through the tops of mine. We stayed like that until we got to the airport.

Of course there were paparazzi at the airport, shouting questions at us about the show and asking why we were traveling together. Dieter was quick to mention that we were traveling for work. That was really the only question either of us answered. I was in no mood for it and Dieter didn’t seem like he was either.

By the time we got on the plane, we were dragging. It had been such a long day already and we still had to make it through the five hour flight and get to the hotel. We knew we were going to be running on fumes the next day after considering the three hour time loss in our schedule. So, we did try to sleep on the plane. After falling asleep on Dieter’s shoulder, I did manage to rest better than expected, but it wasn’t enough.

It was nearing 6 AM by the time we finally made it to our Soho hotel. Dieter and I stood leaning against the check-in desk waiting as they looked up our room reservations. We were pretty much dead on our feet by this point and hoping to get at least a few good hours of sleep in before we had to head over to Studio 8H for Dieter to start digging into his SNL duties. The lady behind the desk finally turned her attention back to us, sliding our room keys over along with some paperwork for Dieter to sign.

The desk clerk smiled, before going into her spiel about the hotel amenities. Dieter waved her off, “I’m sorry, we’ve just gotten off a five hour flight. We really just wanna sleep right now.”

Her smile widened, “Totally understandable Mr. Bravo. So, you’ll be staying in the South Loft on the 16th floor. The elevators are just over there.” She paused, motioning with her hand. “Do you need help with your bags?” She asked.

This woman’s full attention was on Dieter. Not that I blamed her, but damn. I was standing here too. I tapped on the countertop, “I’m sorry, but where will my room be?” I asked impatiently.

Her smile faltered somewhat as she looked between us, “Well, you’re both in the South Loft.” I felt the color drain from my face before she even finished the sentence. I’m so fucked.

Next: Week 5 (Part 1)

A/N: Happy Friday my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. I'm sure you did given that Alec is now officially out of the picture. Please do share your feelings on his latest (major) fuck up. How do you feel about how Kat is handling things? She's kind of all over the place with it. We didn't get any of Dieter's POV in this chapter (because it was so fucking long... sorry), but we got a pretty big hint at the end when he realized things were about to change. What do you think was going through his head on that drive to the airport? What about his reaction? Also, now that he knows Alec is out of the picture, fully expect the menace to come out.

Stacia and Joe are of course up to their tricks. How much do you think they know about what's going on with their cast?

Speaking of the cast...WTF is up with Lana? Do you all hate her yet? How do you think she feels about Kat and what Alec did to her?

The next chapter(s) will be focused on Dieter and Kat in NYC preparing for the Rumba and SNL. Let's just say Kat wasn't wrong about the trip changing things between them. 😏

Below is your Jive video for this chapter. It was some nice inspo for Dieter's Elvis dance moves. 🤭

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astrae4 · 3 months

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THE HUNTER AND THE PREY | SHEN QUANRUI

FEATURING Zerobaseone’s Ricky as the son of Duke Shen, Prince Shen Quanrui and you as the daughter of Duke Han, Princess Han Y/N.

GENRE romance, angst, fluff | historical fantasy, supposed enemies to lovers, forced marriage, northern duke au

WARNINGS 2.8k words, non-gender neutral reader (reader will be using female pronouns/titles), forced marriage, infidelity, mention of heart attack, mild swearing, and blatant favoritism.

NOTE i do hope you enjoy this chapter! thank you for the support you have given me so far! reblogs would be greatly appreciated if you’d do so ☺️💗

MORE — masterlist | next chapter

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN, all your life, you’ve been told to hate someone because they’re your family’s opponent and then all of a sudden (in a matter of five days), you need to act as if you’ve been on good terms with them? No guidebook or school course could have prepared you for what’s to happen right now.

Yes, of course you’re aware that you’d be married off to your father’s choice of family for all your life, you think you’ve accepted it already. I mean, one would think so after being reminded of it all your life right? It’s not like it’s uncommon anyways. Everyone in the nobility marries through convenience and then has flings with their lovers. It’s more common than you think. You’d know, since you caught one of your father’s friends with their mistress once.

Yet, who’d assume that you’d be married off to the Ducal House of Shen of all people? You don’t think you would have put that in your bingo (yes, bingo exists back then) list this year—or any year to be honest.

For a bit of background to the confused readers (breaking the fourth wall let’s gaurr), The Zerose Empire exists with four ducal houses: Park, which exists in the west; Kim, from the South; Han of the East, and Shen of the North. Your family, The Ducal house of Han, has always been in opposition with the Ducal house of Shen. It was a fact that everyone knew, and it was a dislike that stemmed from way back then. (one so long that you don’t even know the reason anymore, just that you weren’t supposed to like them.)

And yes, the dislike is still rooted to this day. You could imagine how tired the Emperor, other noble houses, and ministry workers were. By this point they were quite sick of the petty arguments from both the ducal households. So sick, in fact, that Emperor Zhanghao IV, used the imperial command and declared that “Duke Han shall bring forth his most beloved daughter to marry Duke Shen’s successor.”

Your father almost had a heart attack after the declaration, but it was of no use to bargain since the imperial command was used.

In your opinion, father was a pretty good man. Not perfect or clean of course, but good. Your mother was the first wife, and surprisingly, the only wife he truly loved. It was unfortunate that mother died a year after you were born because of her weak body, and even more unfortunate that her only child turned out to be pretty weak too. He had remarried once more since then, and has had a few mistresses and children out of wedlock in an attempt to cure his aching heart. Despite the new ladies, you were still the first in his heart considering you were the only child he had out of the wife he loves.

Having a big room beside your father’s in the second floor all to yourself when all the others had to be in the first floor spiked a few jealous hearts, but your father was persistent and only allowed you the best despite your not-so-healthy body. So it was to no one’s surprise that Emperor Zhanghao meant for your father to pick you to be married to the young master of the Shen Ducal house.

That was five days ago. Your father had begged for your understanding to comply with the Emperor’s words despite him not liking the command either. He had told you that it was for the unity of the Empire and that the Ducal house of Shen had promised to your father and the Emperor that they would treat you with utmost respect; and that if they break that promise, you would be sent back with ten times the alimony paid by your father. (and boy was the original alimony already a crazy amount)

You had told your father to not worry about it as you knew your father worried for you greatly. After all, in his eyes, you were still the weak baby that he held in his arms just last week. How could he send a weak child to the harsh northern lands where you were unfamiliar with everything? Of course, you had your own worries too. Different from your father’s, though. Mostly about your own soon to be husband.

Unlike your family, where many children reside, the Ducal house of Shen only had one heir. The young master of the North, Shen Quanrui, was said to be a cold man according to the rumors you’ve heard from your maids. He was quiet and reserved, only showing his face in high society once in a blue moon. Similar to you in that matter, except it was because you were often too sick to attend rather than introverted.

You too had only met him once, in the Empire’s founding anniversary ball. Though you didn’t have the best memory, you could easily recall that face of his. Blonde hair that seemed to be dyed and striking blue eyes, it was as if he stepped out of a fantasy storybook. You’re sure he wore colored contacts back then, considering that both the Duke and Duchess had dark eyes. Nevertheless it didn’t change the fact that he was probably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. You remember exchanging eye contact with him for a bit longer than you should have, and you remember how he raked your appearance with his eyes as if he was the hunter and you were the prey. You rolled your eyes and left back then despite the butterflies you got.

The sound of your bedroom door opening strips you out of your imagination.

”Sister,” said the voice of a young boy, “can I come in?”

”Yes,” you answered, “come in, Yujin.”

Han Yujin, the son of your father and his second mistress, was the only half-sibling you deemed close to you. His mother had died early on due to the same sickness as yours did, leaving him alone to fend off all the jealous eyes around him. You had sympathized with him, so you decided to keep him close and make him untouchable as one of your people. The young boy has since then grown attached to you, listening attentively to everything you say. Now, the young boy had become strong and wise, making him one of the successor candidates.

”I heard from father that you’d be married to that damned man, Shen Quanrui or whatever,” Sulked Yujin.

”That damned man,” you sighed, “is still a respectable man who fended off the wild beasts and is a close aide of the Emperor, you shouldn’t speak of him with that tone.”

“But—sister! He’s our enemy, we’re not supposed to like him! And—and, I heard from the maids that he’s a cruel and heartless man. What if he treats you harshly and locks you up in a tower or something!? What if he’s an indifferent husband who never looks after his wife and just messes around with other women? You deserve someone who’d love you and treat you as the apple of their eye—someone like—”

”Yujin,” Your voice stopped his train of thoughts as you held his hand, “don’t worry too much, okay? It’s not like I’m going there alone. My personal maids and Dr. Seok would be with me in the North, and they would report to father if anything happened. If he ever treats me cruelly, then I’ll be back here before you know it.”

”But still…I don’t want you away from me..”

“AWEE is my baby brother worried for me~” you teased as you squished him into a hug, emitting a loud Hey! from him as he tried to get out of your tight grasp.

Whether your words were to reassure him or you; however, you don’t know.

YOU’RE CLOSE TO SLAPPING Emperor Zhanghao. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration unless you want a one way ticket to a death penalty. But what the hell man. It was so (notice the sarcasm?) nice of him to let you marry a man you’re supposed to hate that he even gave you a due date of two weeks to be locked in for life. What is the meaning of marriage to him? Homework? I mean it might as well be since no one wanted this…

But here you are preparing for your wedding as the maids have meticulously worked their magic on you. Hours of hard work to make you “the most beautiful bride to ever exist that not even the cold young master could resist.” (says them) They expected him to fall on his knees and have his spring blossom the moment he laid eyes on you. Though you didn’t believe it, you still laughed along with them.

When you looked at yourself in the mirror, you were honestly taken aback. Clad in a simple yet elegant dress with your hair up, you looked like a painting. Damn, did they really outdo themselves. If that man doesn’t fall in love with you (or at least find you the slightest bit attractive) at first sight then he’s probably just not into women. (It honestly doesn’t sound impossible considering that you’ve never heard of him being in a relationship with a woman before.)

It doesn’t really hit you that you’re getting married until your father comes in. The moment you see the tears in his eyes, you also feel your eyes water. You remember being young and dreaming of how you’d marry someone you love. You remember planning your dream wedding. This was it. This was what you had always imagined. Yet, all at the same time, it seemed so different. The reality of your situation juxtaposing the wedding you have always dreamed of. Oh, to be young and naive.

You bite your lip and look down, unable to face them. It seemed as if your father could read your thoughts as he took your hands in his.

“Oh y/n…” He started carefully, as if thinking on what to say next so you wouldn’t feel upset on your big day.

“It’s fine—”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I-I know you’ve been dreaming of this day for a long time, I’m sorry we only had a short time to prepare for it. But, I promise you, I did my best to make it as grandiose as I could possibly do so and—”

“No, seriously, it’s fine,” you denied, despite not being the most pleased, you know that your father had tried his best for you and you didn’t want to seem ungrateful, “I’m just melancholic that we won’t be as close anymore. I was informed that even though the Duke and Duchess are here in the capital, Prince Shen handles the matters in the North.”

“Ah!” Exclaimed your father as if he had just realized, “Don’t worry about that! The North has the fastest trains in the kingdom. You can visit us anytime, it would only take you five hours.”

“Oh really?” You said, pretending that you didn’t know that fact, “That’s great then, I can visit anytime I want.”

“Yes yes—now come, hold my hand once more. It’s time to walk the aisle.”

You hold his arm, finally walking out of the dressing room and towards the venue. The walk was mostly silent, and no one talked until you both reached the closed door that opens to the venue.

“Y/n.” said your father in a heavy voice.

”Yes?”

”I know I don’t say this often, but I hope for your happiness. If he ever makes you unhappy, then come back to me. I’ll even commit treason if the Emperor stands in the way, haha.”

“Father…”

”I know, I know. Gosh, I sound so old. Ready to meet the son of that corpulent piece of shit?”

”Father!”

“Oops sorry, old habits die hard. I mean, ready to meet your husband?”

”Yeah yeah, let’s just go already.”

Your father signaled the attendant to open the door, and shortly after, you could hear the announcer call your title. You realize that this may be the last time you’d be called with the surname Han.

You had little time to ponder on it though, as soon the gates opened and you had to focus on not tripping on your heels as you walked beside your father down the aisle.

The wedding venue was…wow, honestly. Your father is surely a big liar, you conclude. Pretty? Not even words can describe how beautiful the venue is. You’d think the wedding was planned for two years if you were an onlooker. The venue was held in a historical building which had lots of carved statues and decorative designs. Huge pillars hold up the roof, each pillar covered in vines and flowers. The roof in itself had hand-painted art that seemed to wash out from time, and a huge chandelier held on to the roof in the middle, sparkling so bright that it seemed like diamonds. Fresh white and purple flowers decorated the guests’ tables, and all around the venue were violinists in white dresses, standing on a short and small podium, seeming to mimic the sculptures that decorate the walls.

The road in front of you seemed to be shining, and you don’t realize how near you are until you feel your father let your hand go. Ah, this was it. He transferred your hand to an unfamiliar one, and it was only now that you finally looked at your soon-to-be’s face. It was slightly distorted thanks to the veil, but from what you could tell, the man was wearing a full white tux made from silk and decorated by pearls, with a black tie to complete his outfit.

‘At least he doesn’t have a boring fashion taste,’ you conclude.

Time passes, and before you know it, you have already said your promises and ‘I do’s.

“Please exchange rings,” says the priest.

Prince Shen takes the ring first, and then holds your hand. As he puts the ring on you, you could slightly feel his hand tremble.

‘Ha?’ you think, ‘does he despise me so much that the touch of my hand makes him furious?’

It leaves a bitter taste to your tongue, surprisingly. Your thoughts make you miss the lingering touch of his thumb on your ring finger. And, when it got to your turn, you quickly put the ring on his finger, letting go of his hand right after.

“You may kiss the bride to seal the promise,” declares the priest.

You could see his hands hold the bottom of the veil, before lifting it, finally giving you an opportunity to see his face. You conclude that God certainly took a long time to make that face. His face was the same as you remembered. Striking and attention-grabbing in a good way. The only thing that bothered you seemed to be his eyes. It seemed cold and distant, yet sharp. It was as if he was able to uncover all your secrets, and it made you nervous.

You feel his hand reach out to your chin, and you hold your breath. It was like you couldn’t breath, eyes searching all over his face on what he’d do next. He leans in, and your thoughts flood in a panic. It was like you were frozen, unable to move. Your heart starts beating so loud that you can't hear anything else. What should I do? How should I react? Why is he getting so clo—

“May I?” He breathed out, and you can just feel his breath right in front of your lips.

No? I don’t know. No, thank you. No, no, no—

“Yes,” you answered breathlessly, as if finally letting yourself take in the air.

And before you could overthink once more, his lips crashed into yours, so desperate for it that you had to hold his arm to stabilize yourself. It was as if he had been waiting for this for a long time—like an impatient tiger having to wait for the right time to finally strike its prey. And, just like a tiger who never lets go of its prey, he doesn’t seem to have any intention in letting you escape.

CLARIFICATIONS IN THE STORY

An Imperial command means that if you don’t comply with it, you’re committing treason. An Emperor can only use this command a few times in his lifetime.

Why is Yujin a candidate successor but not you? Back then, only men were allowed to be successors.

“Young Master” is what the employees call their boss/client who have not earned a title yet.

The term “Spring Blossom” is commonly used in old korean folk stories and means that one has started to find love in their heart or is beginning to love someone.

“Prince” and “Princess” is the term you officially use for the daughter/son of a duke/duchess. A king or emperor’s child is called your majesty.

The term “Spring Blossom” is commonly used in old korean folk stories and means that one has started to find love in their heart or is beginning to love someone.

“Prince” and “Princess” is the term you officially use for the daughter/son of a duke/duchess. A king or emperor’s child is called your majesty.

comment down or send an ask if you’re confused about anything!

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bobbydagen24 · 6 months

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Trolls overall has a Big problem with the idea of Holding people accountable for their actions.

here's a numbered list of examples of what I'm talking about.

Cloud Guy in the Tv shows not only because he Harasses Branch most of the time with no consequences but also because Poppy goes out of her way to defend him even when his actions cause trouble for many other people.

like when he flooded the village just out of spite because Branch wouldn't do what he wanted anymore and not to mention how even when she found out that he also Harassed other people from each of the Troll Tribes she still took his side and got mad at them when they stood up for themselves and "" upset Cloud Guy "".

which even if it hadn't been revealed that it was all an act by him just to mess with them it would still make Poppy look bad since she Refused to do anything about his Blatant Bullying yet got mad at his victims when they stood up for themselves.

and not to mention made excuses for why his behaviour wasn't so bad making out like he only Harassed them because he was trying to help them which is just all kinds of wrong.

2. a lesser example but still a bad example imo is in the Trollstopia episode where Dante uses Branch as his muse and he stalks him breaks into his home and disrupts his daily Jobs which he does.

and when he goes to Poppy for help she makes out like Dante's behaviour is reasonable and tells Branch to suck it up.

and after Branch does something to get Dante to back off Poppy then gets mad at him when Dante isn't able to come up with any music ideas like that's somehow Branch's problem?

Dante needed help but Rather than ask for it he just went ahead and took it by invading someone's privacy.

and breaching their trust and then Poppy made out like Branch was wrong for setting down Boundaries with him which is just iffy to be honest feels like this episode was written by Joe Goldberg or something lol.

3. and there's Creek as I've said in the past I love him lol but I do agree that his Return in TBGO could have been done better where he could have had a little arc of slowly earning back people's trust maybe over the span of a few episodes.

4. some people like to go on about the Bergens being forgiven too easily and I agree to an extent but given how Gristle Jr couldn't exactly punish the majority of the population I don't think they really had much choice in this matter.

I feel the only problem is them acting all chummy with the rest of the Bergens like letting them off for killing their species is one thing but acting like friends with them is a whole other like staying friends with Bridget and Gristle is fine given their history and the fact that they were too young to have eaten any Trolls prior to the escape.

but acting friendly with the rest of them feels a tad insensitive like in the opening of TBT we see Branch and Poppy acting all chummy with Random Bergens and Branch even High fives a couple of them and I was just thinking to myself

"" dude they probably ate someone's loved ones in the past how would you feel if you saw other Trolls giving Chef a friendly High five? ""

5. anyway moving on there's Barb who enslaved countless people destroyed their homes and tried to wipe out all other kinds of music and she was let off in the end.

its not even like she had a last minute change of heart she literally just got beaten and that's the only reason why her plan didn't succeed and afterwards she was just instantly forgiven.

6. Bro zone I've already talked about them in Depth in the past but yeah unreliable selfish insensitive and at worst cruel not to mention they never truly change their ways.

they keep on doing the same crappy behaviour and they don't show that much remorse for their past actions yet they still get forgiven in the end Despite everything.

because yaaaay family is amazing even if they Treat you like shit over and over again.

the films message feels like it was written by a toxic parent to please other toxic parents to be honest which judging by how this film won over general audiences I'd say it worked like a Treat lol.

so yeah Despite my love for it Trolls overall as a franchise has a serous problem with actually Holding people accountable for their crappy actions and Behaviours I feel the only exception is Veneer as even tho his turn at the end felt Rushed and out of nowhere imo.

I was pleasantly surprised that the movie didn't just let him off the Hook and he still got arrested and accepted the punishment for his crimes in the end.

I feel the same thing should have happened with Barb given everything she did.

anyway if you've made it to the end of my post thank you you have the patience of a saint lol anyway what do you think about this aspect of the franchise?

#trolls branch #trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls brozone #trolls band together #branch trolls #trolls dreamworks #branch #brozone #trolls 3 #Trolls #Trolls Branch #Trolls Bro zone #Trolls Brozone #Trolls bro zone #trolls deeper analysis

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harrystylesfan2686 · 7 months

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Swordsmen Ship

Pairing: Nesta x Reader

Summary: When Nesta's ignorance to you increases so much that you have no other choice but to challenge her to talk to her.

Warnings: fighting with swords. Not much really.

A/N: Trying to write things I've never thought of writing before. Plzzz tell me your thoughts on this one because I'm really proud of it and want to hear you thoughts as well.💕🫶

Masterlist

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You were twelve when you first met Nesta.

Hiding behind a tree, she was watching you with big intrigued eyes. Watching your every moments as you skillfully moved your wooden sword. You noticed her in mids of trying a new move your father taught you.

She was confused, seeing a girl with a sword for the first time. Her father always said that fighting of any kind was for boys. He was always a bit narrow minded in his beliefs of what boys and girls should do.

When you beckoned her to you, she had hesitantly obeyed. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Swordplay." You answered with a tone. Your sassy teenageself was surprised to see confusion in the girl's blue eyes.

"Are you a swordsman?"

"Well not yet obviously," You rolling your eyes. "But father says I'm getting better. One day, I'm going to be the best swordsman ever seen!" Your bight grin had encouraged a small smile in Nesta's face as well.

"Will you teach me as well?" Nesta's voice unvering as she asks. She wants to learn too. And if her father wasn't going to listen to her then she'd find her own way.

Your grin widened into a smirk. "You think you can handle it?"

Nesta's confident smirk was well of an answer.

The both of you met every week after that. In the same garden, at the same time. Both, telling your father's that you were going to play, not a lie but not entire truth either, just not say play with what.

The two of you became quick friends, having meeting so frequently, you two become so close, you were inseparable. Your families disapproved of the other, being so different than each other but you didn't care. The two of were stubborn, having similar traits for getting what you want, no matter the cost.

When Nesta's family ran poor, none of her other friends cared. All of them turned their backs to her, not caring about her. But not you, no, you stayed. You stayed and helped them all as much as you could.

You brought them little money from your allowance without you parents noticing, went food hunting with feyre when you could. You treated her like a little sister, still do but now she's all grown up. A woman through and through. You sometimes did the chores that were given to Nesta which she never did, you or Feyre ended up doing them.

You have to admit you were very disappointed in Nesta in that particular time. Who sends her fourteen year old sister to hunt in the forest for food. You knew Nesta was, ashamed of herself for not doing anything but was too arrogant to admit it.

You had let go of everything that time, you were damned if you let it go this time too.

The night Hybern soldiers came to kidnap the Archeron sisters, you were their too. Your parents out of town, so you thought it would be alright to spend the night there, oh how wrong you were. They took the sisters and you, knowing you weren't the one they wanted but took you anyway because leaving you here meant the humans finding out about them and only other option was killing you, they thought their king would be the one to decide wether or not you seemed important enough to live.

"We are already throwing two girls in, why not a third one too, just to be sure."

You still remember the smirk on the King of Hybern's face as he waved his hand to order you in the Couldron. The face filled with evil and cruelty, still haunting you in your nightmares. And as if surviving that wasn't enough, you found out before the War that your entire family had been killed. Everyone starting from your parents and ending with distent relatives you don't even remember the names of.

Nesta grew so heartless after the War, towards everyone, even you, and as much as it hurts to admit, you miss her. Miss the version of her that you remember in the garden, training with you, with a smile so wide on her face. You miss when you both would sneak out at night from your houses, despite of your families wishes, just you see each other and talk and laugh until the first rays of sun crept up, popping your bubble of happiness.

You think of all the times she ignored you after the War, breaking whatever relationship the two of you had left. All the times she tuned away from where you stood or got out of the room when you walk in.

It hurt you. She hurt you.

So when you take two swords from the rack of weapons in the Illyrian camp, you don't think of anything but the times she destroyed you, and wanting to talk to her in any way you can. You could only think of one way to get her to pay attention to you, the one game the two of you have been playing since you were twelve.

Swordsplay.

With one sword in each hand you go near the rock Nesta perched at while Cassian sparred with some male. Nesta knows you're here, Mor having winnowed all three of you, and still didn't care to even glance at you.

You throw the sword at her feet, the blade landing with a thug on the ground. You walk back a few steps and get in starting stance. "Pick it up." You bark the order at Nesta and she eyes the weapon. She raises an eyebrow at it as if to question why.

"I challenge you to a sword fight." Your voice ringing in the air as you stand with you legs apart and holding the sword with both hands in front of you, the point slightly tilted towards her.

That seems to get her attention, blue eyes finally landing on you. The disinterested expression fuling your anger. She scoffs, taking in your position,"I will not fight you."

"Too bad. Cause I will." You swing you sword toward her, almost hitting her head as she instanty ducks and misses your blow. Her eyes wide when she finally stands up straight and realises your not joking.

"Pick it up!" There are eyes on you now but you don't care as you again go through a series of attacks which she brilliantly parries and drops down to take her sword with a curse. You pause for a second to let her get steady with the weight in her hands and then attack.

Again and again and again.

You sort through different moves, all of which she defenses, surprising you that she remembers everything and does without mistaking, even after not practicing these months.

"Why are you doing this?!" She spits out in between trying to block your moves. You stop for a second,"Why?" You mock before twisting and slashing the blade aimed to her stomach. She flips her sword and stops yours with enough force, preventing it from slashing her half.

You step back,"Because you're insufferable!" You swip your steel to her head and she rolls hers against yours in a full circle before pushing you and stepping away. "You haven't looked at me in two years! Haven't talked to me! Haven't showed me any care at all!" Every sentence starting and finishing with an attack and defence move.

Her lips curl, in anger or annoyance, you don't know. "If I've been so bad, why Haven't you given up yet?" This time she attacks and you dogde without worry. "Why not just accept you hate me and leave me and move on?" The forces of the blades harder now, both of you brimming with anger, if any of you manage to not block the attack coming, you might injure the other badly.

You scoff and slice the blade through air, aiming right in front of her and she stops the move with the exact same force, your swords now formed in a cross, forced to stay still as the energy equivalents on both sides, snips of orange fiery sparkles releasing from the ajoined sharp edges.

"Don't you understand?" You release the cross and twist, slaming your blade at her grip, sticking with all the force you have, landing just above her fingers and she loses grip of her sword, releasing it with a grunt. The sword falling to the ground a few feet away from you but before Nesta can even try to see where it landed, you knock her down with your elbow below her chin and turn your leg to kick behind her knees, forcing her down.

She falls with a groan and you step over her, pushing your knees on her thighs to prevent her from getting up and put the sharp point of the blade under her chin with enough force to scare her without breaking skin.

"I can't hate you because if I do, I won't have anyone left to love."

Everything freezes. Only the deep breaths of you both sounding in the air. The exhaustion finally hitting you like being poured on by cold water. Your eyes blur with unwanted tears and you get up from her, stepping away and throwing the sword off in an instant like it burned you.

You look into her eyes one more time, letting her see the pain and hurt and agony in them before turning and walking away. You dont know where your going but know that anywhere away from her.

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#acotar #acotar fandom #acotar fanfiction #nesta archeron #nesta acotar #nesta #nesta x reader #nesta x you #nesta x y/n #nesta angst #nesta fluff #acotar angst

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sapphicseasapphire · 6 months

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It is I! The person who called Malon a woman of steel! Honestly something about your answer is so sweet but also horribly dark. Everyone Time knows will eventually die.

(Well, I don’t know about Saria, or the other Kokiri… no idea what happened to them in the child timeline. Or how their lifespans work… my only hope is that his little forest friends stay alive super long so that he isn’t as lonely…)

the dude’s gonna outlive his own KIDS. And that begins my next big question. Time likely had kids after becoming a God. And if that truly is the case, his kids are Demi-Gods. Would his kids be like Twilight? How long is the lifespan of someone who is only part God?

(Anon •••)

Okay. I read this and then literally paced around my dorm room thinking about how to properly answer this question without going on a million tangents about forest spirits and how Faron Woods from Skyward Sword is just the Lost Woods but before the Lost Woods were a thing and Wars and Wild and Flora and a million other things.

So here is my (hopefully concise) very much rehearsed response:

Time’s children are mortals. The way I treat Gods for this au is either you are one or you aren’t, and there’s no in between. Mortals can possess the powers of a God, either through genetics or having earned from a True God, but their lifespans are that of the average Hylian. And, like I said in my miscellaneous lore post, anyone with God Powers needs to Awaken them.

Time’s children are no exception. They have the potential to be very powerful, being the first generation direct descendants from the literal God of Time. They have their Marks, which are completely unique to them- no real resemblance to Time’s- but they cannot use their powers until they’re properly Awakened. And because God Powers are rooted in desperation, there’s a very good chance that Time’s children will never Awaken their powers.

There’s really only one example that I can give you that’s a) a fully fleshed out idea and b) not a spoiler, and that’s Twilight. God Powers, in their purpose, are not genetic. The potential, the strength, are all dependent on the amount of God Blood (icky wording) that one possesses, but what those powers do is completely unique to each person. Twilight Awakened his powers when he was very young, in a life or death situation. He had no other choice than to shift, and so shifting was the power he was given. I cannot stress this enough: God Powers awaken when there is no other choice.

I can’t imagine that Time and Malon’s children would ever find themselves in such a situation. When your dad is a God, not much can hurt you.

But yeah! Time’s story is extremely tragic! But we can take solace in the knowledge that he will not face eternity alone. As I mentioned before, Warriors will stay with him. Wild, also a spirit, is pretty much immortal as well. And so is Flora. I’m… not saying that it will be pretty. Thinking about Time’s fate has brought me to tears many times.

…. Hehehehe

#the legend of zelda #chain as cryptids au #i answered question #cryptid lore #sapphire rambles way too long #my bad #I really tried to keep things short this time #anyway GOD LORE #cryptid time #links meet au

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forest-hashira · 9 months

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Noble Blood - Chapter One

well guys.... it's finally here! the first chapter of the AU that has consumed my brain for the last few months. we're starting out with everyone as little kiddos, but i promise most of the fic will actually be after a timeskip, so the main players will all be in their 20s. for more context for this AU, you can check out the "dragon rider au" tag on my blog!

cw: gender neutral reader, some little kid shenanigans, that's about it for this first chapter really | wc: 4.4k | read on ao3 here

Footsteps hitting cobblestones and heavy breathing were the only sounds that filled your ears as you raced across the village, determined to reach your destination as soon as possible. The chilly weather had kept most people indoors, but you had an important task to accomplish, and you would not be deterred by cold wind – even if your mother had insisted on wrapping you up in the warmest coat you had before letting you leave the house.

You spotted your destination soon enough, a smile brightening your expression as you closed the remaining distance to the building. Leaning all the weight of your little body into the door, you pushed it open, taking in a deep breath as the smell of the bakery greeted you.

“Good morning, Nanami-san!” you called, pushing the door shut before walking over to the counter, where your friend’s mother was smiling kindly down at you, her hair tied back messily from her face, a little bit of flour still dusted across her cheek from earlier that morning. Her mottled brown dragon sat obediently at her side, tail twitching in greeting. “Good morning, Cinnamon,” you added, waving politely at the dragon.

“Hello, sweetheart,” the woman replied. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s Satoru’s birthday!” you answered, unable to contain your excitement. “I came to buy him a treat.”

“Is that so?” she mused, your excitement causing her eyes to crinkle slightly in the corners. “In that case, what kind of treat were you thinking of? We have a lot to choose from.”

You nodded in response, gaze shifting to scan the shelves that held all of the baked goods. “I want to get him something sweet. He likes sweet things.”

With a nod, your friend’s mother told you all of the sweet treats you could choose from: chocolate chip cookies, shortbread cookies, pastries with apples or pears or persimmons, cinnamon buns with frosting, and small chocolate or vanilla cakes.

The number of options overwhelmed you a bit, and you could do nothing but stare at all the desserts in front of you for several moments. You were so caught up in trying to think of what to pick for your friend for his birthday that you didn’t realize anyone else had come into the room, until you heard another familiar voice call your name.

“Kento!” you said, relief washing over you as your friend stepped around the counter to join you, his hand trailing lightly across Cinnamon’s wing as he stepped around her. “What do you think Satoru would like best? I’m getting him a treat for his birthday.”

At the mention of the older boy’s name, Kento’s nose crinkled up slightly, but he took your question seriously, looking over all of the options before you. “I don’t think he likes fruit very much,” he said after a moment. “But he does really like chocolate.”

You nodded in agreement, thankful to have another friend to help organize your thoughts as you considered your options. With that knowledge in mind, you were able to narrow it down to just two choices, which made deciding much easier for you.

“Can I get some chocolate chip cookies, please?” you asked, looking back up at your friend’s mother. Your smile returned to your face as she nodded, picking up four of the cookies and wrapping them up in paper before handing them to you.

“Thank you, Nanami-san!” you said excitedly, before remembering that you needed to pay for the cookies before you could take them to Satoru. You shoved your hand into the pocket of your coat, pulling out the little coin pouch your father had given you and opening it. You poured a few coins out into your palm, counting and recounting them carefully before you offered them up to the baker; it was almost everything you had managed to save up over the past couple of months, but you were more than happy to spend it all on this gift for your friend.

Once Kento’s mother had taken the coins from you, you shoved the coin pouch back into your pocket before taking the package very carefully. “Are you going to come with us to the festival later?” you asked, turning to face Kento again. Everyone else – you, Shoko, Utahime, and Satoru – had agreed to meet up later in the day so you could all watch the fireworks show the Gojo clan was supposedly putting on for their precious heir’s birthday, and you hoped that Kento would join you; he was younger than all of you by at least a year, but he was good company, and you liked having him around.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned and looked up at his mother, who just gave him a slight shrug, though her meaning was clear: it was up to him whether he joined you and your friends or not. “Can Kokoro come too?” he asked, turning back to you after a moment of consideration.

“Yeah!” you eagerly agreed, smiling brightly. Everyone in your friend group was fond of Kento’s little sister; it was hard not to be, with how sweet she was. Having her around always made you smile, and she even seemed to bring out a more well-behaved side of Satoru than almost anyone else could. “Shoko said to meet up at her house when it gets dark and then we could go find Satoru. I’ll see you then!” You bid a quick goodbye to your friend and his mother, then rushed back out into the cold.

The Gojo estate was a little further from the heart of the town than any other residence was, and as you made your way up the path to the front gates, you were glad your mother had insisted on your thickest coat; it had begun to snow at some point while you walked, and though it wasn’t snowing hard, it was enough for you to really begin to feel the chill in the air on the skin that wasn’t protected by layers of clothing.

When you finally began to approach the gates, you were stopped by a guard; if you had looked up, you would’ve been able to spot his dragon circling the estate, keeping watch from the air, just as all the other guards’ dragons did. “State your name and your purpose,” the guard said, face serious but impassive as he stared down at you.

You introduced yourself, then held up the cookies, still carefully wrapped in the paper the baker had packaged them in. “Satoru is my friend, I’m here to give him a present for his birthday. May I see him, please?” Normally, you were inclined to behave more like Satoru, who liked demanding what he wanted from his family, rather than asking for permission, but you doubted you would be granted permission to see your friend if you acted that way this time.

The guard looked you over for a moment before apparently deciding you posed no threat, and he gave you a slight nod, taking out his key and unlocking the gate for you. He ushered you inside, closing and locking the gate behind you once again.

As you stepped onto the estate, you spotted a woman about the same age as your mother, and you recognized her as Satoru’s favorite nanny, her grey and white dragon walking figure eights around her legs. “Hello!” you called out with a wave, smiling as you walked a bit closer to her. “Do you know where Satoru is? I have a present to give him for his birthday.”

The woman looked up when you called out to her, and she smiled as she recognized you. “Good morning, love. Last I saw Satoru, he was still in his room. I doubt anyone has been able to make him leave yet. You know how he is.”

A soft giggle escaped your lips before you could stop it; you knew exactly how Satoru was. He hated early mornings – in his mind, anything before ten o’clock was “early” – and he refused to leave his bed before that time. Even after he did get out of bed, he often refused to change out of his sleep clothes to get dressed in “real” clothes for the day. You thanked the nanny for her help, then turned and raced off in the direction of Satoru’s chambers. He had almost an entire wing of the house to himself, and a large section of the gardens to go with it. The gardens on the Gojo estate had always been one of the most beautiful things to you, even in the winter, so you chose to continue your journey outside, rather than go inside and have to fuss with taking off your shoes and your coat, and have to worry about staying quiet and respectful.

It didn’t take long for you to reach Satoru’s area of the house – you’d been to the estate enough times to know your way around by now – and you hastily climbed up onto the engawa by his bedroom. You paused for a moment to catch your breath, then knocked on the wood frame of the shoji screen in front of you. “Satoru,” you called out. “Are you awake?”

“No,” came the muffled reply from within. “It’s too early, go away.”

“But it’s me, Satoru!” you insisted with a whine.

“Go away,” he repeated.

“I brought you a birthday present.”

There was a pause, then the sound of grumbling and a shuffle of fabric approaching the door. Satoru slid the door open enough to peek at you, eyes narrowed against the light of the sun, and in apparent annoyance at your insistence for him to come see you. He had a thick blue blanket wrapped around him like a cloak, and his hair was sticking up in completely unnatural directions from his sleep. “What did you bring me?”

“I don’t even get a ‘good morning’? No ‘it’s so good to see you!’?” you asked somewhat playfully, unable to help but tease your friend a little bit.

“No,” Satoru replied shortly, a small scowl on his face. “I can’t say good morning because it’s not a good morning, you woke me up early. On my birthday.”

You sighed dramatically at his words, though a small part of you did feel bad for waking Satoru up when you knew he really wasn’t a morning person. Despite your antics, you held out the paper bundle to him, and he was quick to take it from you.

It was clear that Satoru was eager to open the package and see what you’d decided to get him, but he was careful as he unwrapped it, not wanting to damage whatever was inside. When he finally opened the paper enough to see what was inside, his eyes widened, and he looked up at you in amazement. “You got me cookies?”

You nodded excitedly, grinning brightly at your friend. “Yeah! I know you like sweet stuff, and I wanted you to have something you didn’t have to share with anyone else.”

Satoru stared at you for a moment longer, then dropped his gaze back to the cookies in his hands, like he couldn’t believe they were real. “Where did you get them?”

“I bought them from Nanami-san earlier,” you said. “Kento said you probably wouldn’t like the fruit pastries, so I decided to get you the cookies. I know you like chocolate.”

“You bought them?”

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Satoru, are you feeling okay?” You tilted your head slightly as you looked at him, your brows pinched together in concern.

He nodded slowly after a moment, looking up from his hands to meet your eyes again. “I just didn’t think anyone would get me anything,” he said quietly, and you frowned even more.

“Don’t you always get a lot of gifts from your family?” From what you could remember of his birthday the previous year, Satoru had been surrounded in gift boxes wrapped in silks and satins, everything too expensive to even consider putting something as simple as paper on the outside.

Satoru shrugged then, lowering himself carefully to sit on the floor just inside the doorway, the blanket he’d dragged with him from his bed still somehow wrapped around him. “Yeah, my family gets me stuff, and sometimes the other clans will send things, too, but it’s not anything I want, y’know? It’s always super fancy clothes I can’t sit down in because they’ll wrinkle, or books about war or politics or breeding dragons. Stupid grown up stuff.” He scowled into the middle distance, clearly not looking forward to another year with the same types of gifts. As his gaze drifted once again to the cookies in his lap, though, his scowl melted away. “This is the first time I've gotten a gift I liked. Thank you.”

Heat flooded your face despite the chill in the air; Satoru never said thank you to anybody for anything, so for him to say it to you, for something as small as birthday cookies? You were beyond surprised. After a moment, you realized he was staring up at you again, his too-blue eyes wide and full of… something you couldn’t quite name. He didn’t look upset, though, which was reassuring. “You’re welcome,” you replied, suddenly feeling a little bashful.

“I, uh, I have to go home now,” you added after a moment, giving your friend an apologetic look when he seemed to pout. “My mom told me to come straight home after I gave you your present, and if I’m late she’ll get upset. But everybody’s gonna meet at Shoko’s house tonight so we can find you for the fireworks! I’ll see you later, okay?”

He nodded, still seeming a bit disappointed over the fact that you couldn’t spend more time with him. Before he could get too lost in his own head, though, you dropped to the floor and squeezed him tight in a brief hug. “Happy birthday, Satoru,” you said quietly, then pushed yourself back to your feet, turning and racing towards the gates so you could go home like you’d promised your mother.

Because your back was turned, you failed to see the blush high on Satoru’s cheeks, and the way he smiled brightly in your direction after you left.

You hated being late. It always made you feel like you were wasting other people’s time when you were late, and even at the tender age of seven, you didn’t like making anyone wait for you like that. Luckily for you, none of your friends seemed as concerned about your tardiness as you were; Kokoro in particular seemed excited to see you, smiling brightly and waving at you enthusiastically as she clung to her brother with her other hand.

“Your mom got caught up fixing your hair again, didn’t she?” Shoko asked as you approached, before you could even apologize for holding everyone else up.

A frown tugged the corners of your lips, and you reached up to touch your hair with one hand. “Can you tell? Does it look bad?” Everyone knew your mother had the habit of fretting over every detail of your appearance whenever you attended events put on by the Gojo clan, though you never really understood why; it wasn’t like the Gojo clan cared much for children outside the family.

Utahime bumped Shoko lightly with her hip, then offered you a smile. “I think it looks really nice,” she said kindly, and you could tell that she meant it.

“Really nice!” Kokoro agreed enthusiastically, her sweet little face already a little pink from the chill in the air.

You smiled back at the youngest member of the group, though you felt your cheeks heat slightly at her earnestness, for some reason. “Okay, we’re all here now,” you said, turning your attention back to Shoko. “We should probably find Satoru before his parents lock him down.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and together you headed off to the center of town, ducking and weaving your way between adults lingering around food stalls and talking loudly amongst each other, though everyone’s dragons for the most part stayed out of your way, not eager to be jostled but a bunch of children. You kept an eye out for your friend’s shock of white hair as you navigated through the festivities, but you couldn’t quite catch a glimpse of him. You were so focused on your search, in fact, that you nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt someone wrap their arms around your waist and lift you a couple inches off the ground.

“Found you!” Satoru cheered, and even without being able to see his face yet, you could tell he had an impish grin plastered across his lips.

“Satoru, please put them down before you cause a scene,” Utahime sighed, and when you looked over at her, you could already see a hint of annoyance in her features.

“Who cares if I cause a scene? It’s my birthday,” Satoru replied indignantly, but he did set you back down on your own two feet.

Once you were free from your friend’s surprise embrace, you turned to face him, and you were able to see his grin return in real time. It looked like maybe someone had tried to slick his hair back into some sort of more refined style, but he had managed to get it back to its usual fluffy, slightly messy state. He was dressed in a silk kimono – real silk, the expensive kind that your parents would likely never be able to afford – that was a pretty shade of light blue, dragonflies dancing across the fabric in a slightly darker shade of blue. The fabric seemed so thin you had to wonder how he wasn’t shivering.

“You look nice,” you told him, taking a moment to straighten your own kimono from where it had gotten twisted when he’d grabbed you.

“I always look nice,” he replied, looking a bit smug. When he caught Kento scowling and Utahime rolling her eyes at him, though, he added, “But thank you. You look nice too.”

“When do the fireworks start?” Kokoro asked, sounding like she was about to burst from the anticipation.

Satoru turned to her with a grin as he answered. “Pretty soon,” he told her. “And I have the perfect place for us to see them, without anyone else getting in the way. You wanna go?”

“Yeah!” she cheered, then seemed to mellow out a bit and follow it up with a “Please can we go?” You could only assume her brother had squeezed her hand to remind her of her manners.

Her reaction almost seemed to make Satoru’s chest puff up with pride, and he nodded eagerly. “Yep! Everyone follow me!” Without any further warning, he took off across the town center, leaving the rest of you to scramble to keep up with him.

“Satoru!” you called after him, trying your hardest to catch up to him, somehow managing not to trip or step on anyone’s feet, though you did get squawked at by a few dragons. “Satoru, slow down!”

You surged forward a few more steps, managing to close the space between you enough to grab his hand in your own, thankfully causing him to slow down a bit as he turned to look at you.

“Slowpoke,” he teased, and you just stuck your tongue out at him. When someone took your other hand, though, you turned, seeing a somewhat breathless Utahime clutching your hand, Shoko on her other side, followed by Kento, then Kokoro bringing up the rear, everyone looking a bit red in the face from the sudden sprint across the festival.

Seemingly satisfied that everyone was with him now, Satoru began leading the way again, though this time at a blessedly slower pace that made keeping up with him much easier.

He led everyone through the festival, all the way out of the town center and towards the peach orchard that occupied a good chunk of the space between the town and the Gojo estate.

“You’re not expecting us to climb trees in our nice kimonos, are you?” Utahime asked, sounding somewhat horrified at the idea. She stopped in her tracks then, bringing everyone else to a halt as well, either to avoid crashing into her or to not wind up dragging her across the orchard.

Satoru turned, a frown on his face as he looked over at her. “What? Of course not, I’m not stupid,” he said, clearly offended by her words.

Utahime continued to stare at him, unconvinced.

“I’m not!” he insisted, his frown pinching into a full-on scowl.

“If we’re not climbing the trees,” you cut in, not wanting this to escalate into an argument. “Then where are we going to watch the show?”

“The observation deck,” Satoru answered, as if it were obvious, before pulling everyone along behind him once again. It didn’t take long to reach the observation deck, and you all stared up at it for a moment; the platform was almost level with the treetops, which meant there was a completely unobstructed view of the sky.

“Is it safe?” a small voice asked, and you turned to see Kokoro clinging a bit tighter to her brother, her brows furrowed with worry.

“Yes, it’s safe,” Satoru answered, before Kento could get in a word of his own. “The stairs to get up and down are sturdy, and there’s a railing on the platform. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

You were a bit surprised to hear how serious he sounded, though when you turned back to face him he was still smiling, doing his best to reassure the little girl.

“I’ll go up first so you can see, how about that?”

Kokoro hesitated for a moment, then nodded in response to the question, though she already seemed a little more at ease just from Satoru’s confidence.

Satoru nodded back, grabbing onto one side of the handrail and climbing easily up the stairs, not pausing or looking back until he was up on the platform. “See?” he called down, stepping to the railing and waving at the rest of you, a bright grin on his face. “Nothing to be worried about! Everything’s okay!”

You exchanged looks first with Utahime and Shoko, who shared a look between themselves before shrugging, making their way over to the stairs; they hadn’t exactly been worried in the first place, but now they had no reason not to join Satoru on the platform. As they climbed the stairs, you turned your attention back to the two youngest members of the group, tilting your head curiously.

“Do you want to come up and join us?” you asked gently. “You don’t have to, if you’d rather go back to the festival and find your family, I’ll walk you back.” Though the idea of missing the fireworks with the rest of your friends did make you sad, you knew you wouldn’t be able to properly enjoy them anyways if you were worried about Kento and Kokoro navigating their way out of the orchard and back to the festival all on their own.

“Yes,” the little girl said after a moment, nodding slightly as she walked closer to the stairs, though she paused and looked back at her brother before she started climbing. “Are you coming too, nii-chan?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” Kento promised, offering his sister a gentle smile of encouragement.

With that, Kokoro was holding tight to the handrail, making her way up the stairs slowly but surely, her brother following right after her, fully prepared to catch her if she were to somehow lose her footing.

You gave them a few moments to begin their trek up the stairs before you followed them, not wanting to crowd them at all. Within a few minutes, all three of you were stepping up onto the platform itself, and you took a moment to admire the view of the stars before the fireworks started.

“It’s pretty up here, isn’t it?” Satoru’s voice was quiet beside you as he spoke, as if he only intended for you to hear.

You nodded in agreement, looking over at him after a moment longer of stargazing. “Have you been up here before?”

“A few times, yeah,” he said with a shrug. “I sneak up here when my family gets annoying, sometimes.”

Unused to such vulnerability from the boy beside you, you were unsure how to respond. “Why fireworks?” you blurted after a moment, immediately feeling your face grow hot with embarrassment; it was definitely not how you’d meant to respond, but there was no taking it back now.

“Huh?”

“Why are your parents doing fireworks this year? Is there something big in your family about turning eight? It’s not like you’ll meet your dragon this year.”

“Oh,” Satoru said, then shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. If it’s a big deal nobody ever told me. They just said they were doing a fireworks show.”

It still seemed a bit odd to you, but it was obvious you weren’t going to get any other answer out of the white haired boy, so you decided to drop the subject. Luckily for you, though, the first of the fireworks launched into the sky with a shrill sound before bursting into bright red sparks overhead, effectively pulling everyone’s attention and pushing the question of why there were fireworks in the first place far from your mind.

All of you stared, completely enraptured by the flashing lights and colors above your heads, for several minutes. When a smaller series of bursts created the shape of a dragonfly in the air, you remembered the kimono your friend was wearing, and you reached over to take his hand, never looking away from the fireworks. You leaned a bit closer into his side, wanting to make sure he could hear you when you spoke.

“Happy birthday, Satoru,” you said quietly, in a brief lull between explosions.

He said nothing in response, nor did he look over at you, but he gave your hand a light squeeze, and he leaned his head lightly against your own; a small, silent moment, just for the two of you, even with all your other friends around.

If you had known that that would be one of the last moments like that you’d get to share with him, you would have treasured it more.

i really appreciate everyone's support & patience on this! i have so much i want to do with this fic (& this AU in general, really), so i hope you'll stick around to see where this goes! reblogs & replies are always appreciated, i wanna hear what you guys think! also feel free to drop by my ask box with questions, i'm more than happy to talk about little worldbuilding details!

tagging: @ghost-1-y @kentohours @whatthefucksatan @why-the-fuck-am-i-so-tired @mitsuristoleme @lu-dao-writes @peachdues

#dragon rider au #noble blood #jjk #jjk fanfic #jjk au #jjk x reader #gojo satoru x reader #gojo jjk #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #gojo x reader #fallon's fics #divider credits to cafekitsune & saradika

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