#almost done with the backlog.. i promise

[realchrollo]

i know im late for new year but hear me out: its been a rough year so far

[ophelieverse]

Can you please write anything you want with Aegon and Tully!reader?I love this house and no one use them to write images🥺

ʚ the lovers ɞ 

Aegon II Targaryen x fem!reader

I also like House Tully,even though i don’t like Cat and Lysa but I’m more than willing to write a Tully reader.

Aegon and Y/n are married,now that he is king he doesn’t have much time to spend with his wife so she takes the matter in her own hands.

A little smutty piece that i don’t know how to feel about😪

Thank you for requesting and let me know what you think💕

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The midday sun was burning in the sky with all the violence this time slot could offer on a mid-summer day.

The hot rays of the sun were beating on the streets markets,roofs and the chairs at the corner of their balcony.If she squeezed her eyes,Y/n could even see the air vibrating on the railing.

Till a moment ago,in the shared maritals chambers of their majesties a small servant girl was using a fan,moving the hot air from one side to the other,without really doing much to bring relief.

The temperature was so high that even the floor had cooled,and staying there lying on the ground was becoming counterproductive,as well as uncomfortable.

Y/n turned on her side,grunting when the hard stoned floor met her bones,the heat that killed her every initiative to get up was trailing up her bare legs till her back.

Not too bad... from the new location she could admire a much better view than the sky paled by the heat.

Aegon,the new King of the Seven Kingdoms and her adored husband,was sitting at the large table in the middle of their chambers a few steps away from her.The thin shirt sleeves rolled up over the elbows,the unbuttoned collar and a wrinkle of concentration between the eyebrows.In front of him a stack of backlog reports to complete.

His cheeks were redden thanks to the heat and the wine,pale hair stuck to nape of his sweaty neck and lilic eyes moving fast through the pages in his calloused hands.He was so beautiful when he was assorted,becoming king had changed his demeanor,taking the responsibilities and duties on his shoulders more seriously.

Y/n didn't understand why he decided to get to work with that heat,especially when it was Sunday morning and they could have done anything else.Also,the fact that she hasn't had his attention for almost an hour made her want to go there and tear up that paperwork in front of his beautiful eyes.And she would have done it even if she hadn't been too hot even to stand up.

Of course,it would have been great if he had gotten up to come to her instead.The two of them had been married for three years and knew each other for six,Y/n knew that Aegon would’ve done that.Seeing her,so beautifully tempting in her white transparent nightgown,long hair wild on her shoulders,full red lips and soft cheeks with sparkling needy eyes.He would’ve pounced her like a starving animal.

But that was prince Aegon,the same person that took her on Dragonstone beach,promising her that he would made her his queen,the mother of his children and that made love to her like it was their last night on earth.King Aegon was a different story,he had his head on his shoulders and his mother and grandfather on his back constantly.Ruling a whole continent was hard, tiring and took all of his attentions.

«Aaaegon.»Y/n called him,stretching the first syllable of his name,with a sweet voice.

«Mmh?»he replied with a distracted murmur,without even looking up from the table.

«Do you still have a lot of those?»she asked him,watching the pile of papers becoming smaller not fast enough.

He shook his head«I'm almost done.»

«You said that even half an hour ago!»she emitted a sound of affliction.

«I would do it faster if you got up and came to give me a hand,instead of standing there complaining.»he scolded her,not in the same teasing and playful way,but almost irritated.

Being Queen wasn’t easy and it was something that Y/n never wanted.Her mother had planned that future for her since she was a child,promising her to prince Jacaerys in the beginning and then to prince Aegon.The only thing that her mother taught her about marriage was being a good and docile wife and give her husband healthy and male heirs.No one taught her how to be a queen,not even her husband mother.

Y/n was good at being a gentle and loving wife,she supported and took care of her husband and gave him two beautiful sons,heirs to his throne.But she missed him,she knew he loved her very much and that they should have other children to strength the blood of the dragon,if only he wasn’t so busy all the time.

Not at all satisfied with the kind of reactions she was getting,Y/n pouted and reached out towards the golden cup lying on the floor:the only thing in her range that had a temperature of less than thirty-six degrees.She brought the cup to her mouth and the last residue of cold wine now vented into her throat.

When she finished,she passed the empty cup behind her neck and chest,continuing to observe Aegon out of the corner of her eye.

As much as he was trying to keep his eyes fixed on those papers,it was evident that his body was also suffering from the heat.The silver locks stuck to his sweaty forehead as his shoulders lifted and fell under the weight of long,fatigued breaths.He put the ink down for a second and sipped his wine too.

Y/n watched him arch his neck and swallow,adam’s apple moving rhythmically over the larynx.She bit her lower lip in front of the show,her hand automatically slipped below the hip line.

Fuck… “Family,duty,honor”as her House words said,looked so good on him.The ethereal aura of his royal presence,the way he carried himself and spoke in the throne room or in the Small Council,the crown on his head.Even though she missed care free prince Aegon,the King was something so divine to look at.

Seriously... they could have done anything else in the moment,she could still give him another child and show him how much of a great job he was doing as a ruler.Literally anything but staying there on the floor while he worked.

An idea caught on her mind.Suddenly the heat stopped being a problem.

«Aegon.»she called again,voice now lower.

And again,he replied without looking at her«What do you want?»

Y/n opened her mouth,then closed it.She reflected on what were the best words to use,those that would be best to persuade him.It was supposed to be something provocative,but not too much.Something sober,but impactful.

She rubbed her legs,the ache between them,and uttered candidly:«You,my King.»

She couldn't help but smile triumphantly, because at those words Aegon finally looked up from the table.His deep purple eyes stared at her,a spark of involvement and desire shining under his eyelashes as he took in all of her appearance.

It didn't last long.

«Not now.»was his calm answer,as he looked away and brought the focus back to his work.

As he spoke he wrote something with his pen and Y/n thought she wanted to bite his fingers.

«Also it's too hot for it at this hour,»he added,«better tonight,when the sun is down.»he continued.

Y/n stretched her limbs on the floor and lazily curved her back like a cat«I thought that dragons preferred the heat.»she smiled,licking her dry lips.

«Yes.But little,cute fishes like you are too sensitive for it.»the smirk in his voice made her shiver and smile even more.

He wasn’t wrong,she was still a pure maiden when they first laid together and since that time,as he showed her the immense and colorful world of pleasure,her appetite had been insatiable.Especially with a husband like him.He would take the lead and have her crying underneath or on top of him in less that five minutes.

«Hmm... I don't know if I'll be able to wait until tonight.»she purred with a vibrating throat.

Aegon scoffed,tracing the paper in his hand with a finger,rereading the same sentence for the third time«Then go on our bed,put a pillow between your legs and do it yourself.What do you want me to tell you?»he sounded exasperated.

They both were,pent up and dying by the hot weather.

«If this was a dirty talk attempt,know it was really terrible.»a laugh escaped from her.

Aegon stopped responding,bowed his chin and went back to immerse himself in the silence of concentration.

Y/n accepted the challenge.

It wasn't the first time she found herself playing with Aegon self-control since he was crowned and so far she had never lost.She had often enjoyed making him restless and starving for something else during dinners with his family:fleeting caresses under the table and winking glances between the glass bottles.

But it was easy to shake him like that when they were in public,surrounded by other eyes.The fact that they were now alone in their room,the only spectators and participants of their game,made Aegon less tense,and therefore more firm on his positions.

It would have taken a lot more to move him.

«All right...»she whispered,more to herself than to him.

Y/n stretched on her back on the floor,oriented her delicate hand vertically on her soft belly,and slid two fingers under the hem of her small cloth,trailing up her body the thin layer of her nightgown.She began to touch herself nonchalantly,lazily at the start,describing slow and interspersed circles around the clitoris.She kept her head turned to the side,ready to catch the slightest sign of distraction from Aegon.

She had to wait five long minutes before the pen slowed down on the paper.

Y/n grabbed the opportunity and began to speed up the work of her fingers.Her body was giving in to stimulation:a pleasant tingling was building up in the lower abdomen as moisture began to cover her fingertips.When a choked moan of his name formed in her throat she did nothing to repress it.

That's when Aegon raised his eyes for the second time.

His gaze on her was a mixture of surprise,opposition and embarrassment,with a small spark of lust.Y/n pointed at that.

«Y/n.»he began,with what clearly wanted to be a warning,but which did not go beyond her name.

She saw him licking his lips and swallowing.

«What?»she bent her lips into a smile«Wasn't what you told me to do it myself?»she asked sweetly.

Aegon blushed in spite of himself,he felt like a twelve years old again«Yes,but not here on the floor.»he said.

«Why?Am I distracting you?»she said with a fake tone of concern.

«What do you think?»he sarcastically said,his eyes not leaving the hand that was still moving between her legs.

The ache growing in his pants and the fire tickling his lower belly,made her proud of herself.The look he was giving her,filled with lust and irritation,told her that she was winning.

«Well,my love,as a refutation of your thesis:so far you didn't notice at all.And it's not like i started at this very moment.»she informed him with a breathy and witty response.

The blush on Aegon face reached the tip of his ears,but his gaze remained of ice«You've been... silent... so far.»he noted,trying to find a comfortable position on the chair.

«Oh?So if I keep my mouth shut I can continue without any problems?»Y/n immediately asked.

It took him a while to answer her.He stopped staring at the spot under her navel where her hand lay and took a big sip from his cup full of cold wine.The two countermeasures seemed to work.With his mind a little more lucid and the trail of freshness in his esophagus,he started talking to her with the same firmness as before.

«Absolutely not.Get up and go.»he said with the same seriousness he had adopted in the last year as a ruler.

In front of his serious face,Y/n smiled even more.He was cracking and was trying so hard to keep it together.

“As if you didn't want me here.”she though.

Y/n huffed«I don't want to.I'm too hot to move.»she said,returning to distractedly moving her fingers.

Aegon made an effort with all of himself not to look at her.He took the pen in his hand and began to turn it between his fingers to have something to engage his eyesight in.

«Your logic doesn't make any sense.»he pointed out to her.

And in fact no,it didn't have it.But in all honesty Y/n was starting to lose the thread of the argument,the need for release was becoming more pressing and Aegon had not yet moved from there.In the absence of a witty response to counter,she raised her hips and moaned his name deliberately,trying to appear as provocative as possible while doing so.

A few seconds of silence followed,then the ticking sound of the pen on the table,and finally a sigh.Y/n didn't bother to hide her immense satisfaction in finally having Aegon body bent over her.

«Can you stop?»He blew on her lips.The baritone voice with which he said it threw a burning pang between her legs.

Y/n raised her chin.The game of the challenge that made her blood tingle in her veins«Make me.»

Aegon wrinkled his forehead.He knew exactly what game his wife was playing,and he also knew he would win.He always won.He was the one in control.

«Gods,you can be so childish sometimes.»he said with a long exhale.

«And you can be serious and snoty like an old man... sometimes.»she told him with a childish attitude.

Yes,sometimes.

Aegon mind went involuntarily to the other times,where it was the exact opposite.Between him and Y/n it worked like this:they almost always ended up at the antipodes,at the two ends of the line,exchanging places with each other all the time.There was almost never a balance.And when he was there it didn't make it easier for him to define their relationship.

Sometimes Y/n was a little girl,hungry for affection and attention.An accomplice mistress who kissed and touched him when she didn't have to,who stretched out her fingers under his arm and who filled his glass when he didn't look.

Sometimes it was him,with his hands sneaking under her gowns,his lips trailing dow her neck in the empty hallways.Playing with her foot under the table.Whispering dirty thing in her ears and watch her blush in front of everyone.

Other times Y/n was an adult woman,with a deadly seriousness in her eyes and a melancholy over something lost.A kind of younger sister - or even a mother - who seemed to have lived a hundred lives,who applied patches to him even on the smallest scratches,and who stroked his hair when she realized he had cried.

Other times it was Aegon who takes the responsibility,guiding and sheltering her.Much like a king would,a husband who duties were to make her a happy wife,a old friend to keep her company and loving to read and sit together in their solarium.

When they were like this,when they took a part and left the second one for the other,Aegon remembered those few years of difference that separated them,remembered how much ambiguity there was in what they did and in the behaviors they adopted towards each other when he promised to marry her on that beach,the first time they had laid together on the cold sand when he was drunk and guided only by lust.

And an unpleasant cold ran on his back. Despite this,he had never done anything to change things.Because Y/n was still very young and was tremendously good on both sides,because - after all - condoing by that ambiguity was convenient for him... because he liked it.Because he did kept his promises and married her.

He liked to play lovers,he thought,looking for her lips.For two like them it was easier than really being king and queen.

Aegon lips were warm,but Y/n welcomed them as if they were the freshest and purest of waters.She liked it too.The lover was her favorite role.Not the wife,the mother or the queen,but his lover.

«The balcony... is open.»Aegon felt a duty to remind her of it,of all the servants that could be outside,snatching words from her increasingly insistent kisses.

She stroked his cheekbone with her tongue«Good,some fresh air.»she replied,letting him know that she didn't care.

«You are shameless.»he told her as if he didn’t taught her to be like this,but the balcony remained open and the papers abandoned on the table.

Y/n smiled as she felt his hand run down her stomach to get to surround her wrist.Her wet fingers slipped away from her throbbing sex,and her hand was carried to the height of their faces.The lack of contact caused her a bit of annoyance,but it took a back seat when Aegon put her hand close to his lips.

He began to place soft kisses on her knuckles, without stopping for a second looking at her. Slowly.Meticulously.Y/n closed her eyelids and breathed a sigh.She contemplated in awe of his lips opening,then the index and middle fingers disappear between them.Aegon moved his tongue under her phalanges,sucked them, enjoying the taste of her melting in his mouth.

«Aegon...»she called him,he groaned around her fingers in response,without interrupting his occupation.

«Take this thing off,»he continued,pointing to the skimpy nightgown she was wearing.«It's too hot.»

«You first.»Y/n whispered out and he smirked.

Receiving the message,Aegon began to unfasten his belt with his free hand,then his boots,and the first buttons on his shirt.He soon realized he couldn't do much else.Surrender,he let go of her fingers to allow both of them to undress.

Although he was now used to seeing her walking around their chambers with just one or two garments,Aegon would never stop appreciating his wife body.At that moment the sun in its apogee illuminated her nudity like white marble,skirting the curves of her profile with light.

If beauty was something describable in words,Aegon would have described it that way.

He stood to contemplate the play of light on her skin as he went back to lying down,unaware that similar thoughts were going through his wife mind.

In fact,the more Y/n looked at Aegon,the more she was convinced that there could be no such thing as graceful and aesthetically pleasing in the world.She would spend hours observing the way his moon locks cast shadows on the clear features of his face,or tracing the veins paths on the muscles of his arms.

As she thought about these things Aegon caught up with her,taking her wrists with his hands and slowly crossed them over her head.

Y/n gaze lit up,not surprised and intrigued.

She had never shown a particularly dominant personality during sex;she usually just indulged in his initiatives,following the instructions of his voice and body,doing and letting herself do whatever he decided.

Aegon was never displeased,on the contrary.In that way of behaving in intimacy he found the same confidence as when they risked their lives together: proof that she was ready to put herself in his hands in any circumstance.

That’s why seeing herself caged to the floor by his body,with his austere eyes scrutinizing her from above,made her lower belly languish in the same and delightful way.The idea of being the one who abandoned herself in his hands once again was tempting,having her king finally giving her all of his attention and devotion.

At the expense of his expression,Aegon 's grip was not very firm and the slowness in his actions betrayed a certain insecurity.It’s had been a hard week and he was tired.

Y/n caught him in a kiss to reassure him.She could still taste herself on his tongue,along with a vague aroma of cherries and wine.She was already addicted by the combination.

Aegon moved aside first,his lips ran down her jaw to the curve of her soft neck.Y/n did not oppose it,waiting for his next move with a rapid beat.She felt him adjust his grip on her wrists, then place his knee in the middle of her legs.

A soft command tickled her ear«Grind on it.»

Y/n gasped.She felt on fire,little fishes like her were too sensitive to the heat and her body's reaction was unexpectedly immediate.Her hips lifted obediently,then lowered,then went back up,until she found herself rocking against his knee at a fast pace.

Aegon kissed her neck with his mouth open, feeding on her accelerating heartbeat.He could feel her skin moistening at the point where she met his leg.

«Good girl.»he whispered in her ear,hot breath tickling her.

He bit her shoulder to suppress a moan,she arched her back and her breasts brushed his chest.His erection was throbbing in pain,but Aegon gritted his teeth.He thought of those backward papers that would force him to do the wee hours tonight,and pushed his femur forward,wishing for a little revenge.

Thanks to the previous stimulation,Y/n was already on the vege of an orgasm.She groaned restlessly,debated her hips and calves to the ground,squeezing his thighs around the bone bump.

Aegon free hand traveled along her waist and went to surround one of her tits,stroked the perky nipple with his thumb,soon replaced by his mouth.

It was hot.Y/n felt it inside and out,in every single particle of the air and in every single fiber of her body.

Sweat dripped from Aegon hair on her chest, his mouth left hot trails where he touched and his breathless breath condensed on her skin.But oh,he never wanted to stop.

Y/n moved her hips faster,craving that sweet, liquid pleasure that was heralding.

She was so close,so close...

«Stop.»the sound of the word reached her ear indistinctly,all her senses blurred,her body continuing to move tirelessly.

Just a little more...

«I said»Aegon grip on her wrists tightened,his hot palm pressing on her pulses«Stop.»with such an authority that made her even wetter.

One hand stuck her hip against the floor and Y/n stopped,stunned.Aegon bowed to one side and removed his knee,leaving fire in her lungs and her belly burning for release denied.

He looked at her,with the power of a man and curious like a child,his purple irises reduced to two thin circles around his dilated pupils.He waited in silence for her to calm down,then relaxed his fingers and released her wrists.

Y/n reached out for him,numb arms circling his neck to bring him closer.A compressed energy that still permeated it from head to toe.

«Aegon,please.»she whined,kissing his jaw and holding him.

«I know baby,you were close?»He asked her,kissing the reddened inside of her wrists with a mest expression.

She moved a lock of hair behind his ear and nodded enthusiastically«Yes.»with a cute pout on her lips.

Aegon nodded in turn,looking slightly relieved.

«I'll make you come,only if you promise that you won’t bother me and let me work for the rest of the night.»he caressed her cheeks,his thumb playing with her lower lip.

«B-but-»she tried to protest.

Aegon hand gripped her face,their noses touching«Will you do that?Will you be a good girl and do what your husband asks you?»he murmured on her lips slowly.

«Yes!I promise!»she immediately answered,trying to get him to kiss her again.

He ran his hands over her hips for a few seconds,focused,as if he was about to make an important decision.Y/n wasn’t surprised when from his mouth came another command,albeit more docile than the previous one.

«Turn around and lay on your stomach.»he ordered,before kissing her and caressing her hair.

She did as he had told her,turning around to give him her back.

The floor was warm and she was so sensitive that the mere pressure of her flattened belly against the stoned pavement was enough to snatch a moan from her.Meanwhile,a finger began to trace her spine,slowly flowing the vertebrae from the coccyx to the cervical.

Y/n curved her back under that touch,while looking for more friction under her hips.

«So desperate to get fucked on the floor?»Aegon murmured on the back of her neck,before licking the salt from her skin.

«F-fuck yes.»she whimpered out.

«Oh»Aegon said amused«I thought i married a proper lady not a slut.»his shoulders trembled with a laugh.

Y/n face was crimson red«I’m not a-a…a slut!»she answered embarrassed,but she knew he was right.

«Mmh,i should’ve know since you had let me fuck you on that beach before we were even betrothed.»he kissed and bit the skin of her back making her tremble.

He kissed her between her shoulder blades,with one arm separated her abdomen from the ground and held her to himself,hip to hip.And Y/n felt him,damp and hot,stinging her entrance.

«Please.»Y/n called for him,hands digging on the floor and wiggling her ass up to get more friction.

«Behave,or I’m leaving you here.»he spanked her,the sting of the slap and the way he caressed the redden skin of her ass made her choke on her saliva.

«With how eager you are,the castle should be filled with our children.»Aegon continued,massaging her.

«Maybe you should give me another,»Y/n breathed out,closing her eyes.

She felt him curse under his breath and holding her closer«Is that what you want?Another kid to keep yourself occupied with?»the idea of seeing her full with his child made his head spin.

The anticipation was a tongue of fire that tickled her from the inside,licking the walls of her stomach in an agonizing way.

She didn't have time to perform in the plea she had thought.Aegon grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him as he sank into her. The movement was unique and fluid,facilitated by abundant lubrication.

Her mouth opened,the air scratched her re-stuck throat.He began to move slowly,with soft and precise blows,while with his tongue he explored her mouth and swallowed her moans.

Her neck hurt from the position,but she still stretched out backwards when he brew the kiss to pay attention to her shoulder.Aegon moved his lips over the curve of her neck and marked the skin with his teeth.He bathed her with his tongue,feeling genuinely guilty.

He thought maybe he wasn't cut for a more dominant role in sex,but the moment he did,Y/n voice shouted«More!Please!»And his mind was silent.He was the one in control and yet he would give her anything she wants,even another child if that meant having her happy.

He anchored her to his body with one arm and used the other as a lever to increase the pace and intensity of the thrusts.And every time she asked to go deeper,faster, stronger,something stretched inside him,like a rubber band on the breaking point.

It was his turn to moan.To feel how warm,wet and tight her welcoming cunt was for him every time.Made by the gods for him.

The open balcony remained a distant detail,the world restricted to that fierce union of their bodies,a bubble of heat,blood and pleasure.Just like when they got married and unite House Targaryen and House Tully.

«You’re there already,baby?»he was out of breath as he felt her clench around him again.

All she did was nod and the hand he was pressing on abdomen dropped lower.One,two,three circles and the pleasure poured into her,dense and glowing like lava, poured out from that point deep that he kept hitting with his thrusts.

Above her Aegon looked at her with fascination and desire.The torso raised to admire her body contracting in irregular spasms,his head tilted to grasp fragments of her face.

«You are...so beautiful...Y/n.»he moaned.

Y/n hoisted herself on her elbows,bent her arm to reach his head,and kissed him as if he was the most precious thing in her life,because he was.He really was the love of her life.

Aegon moaned in the kiss,feeling Y/n last contractions taking him to the limit with her«You want it inside?»he asked her urgently.

«Yes.»she pleaded again.

Her approval,in a seductive tone and oblique smile,was the last straw.He poured into her,moaning and growling on her shoulder,until his muscles gave way.

They lay facing each other on the sticky floor, their limbs suffering and heated by the effort. Only when they both stopped having a shortness of breath,Aegon pulled her close to him to let her lay her head on his chest.

«We are going to have another baby.»Y/n suddenly murmured,placing a hand on her stomach.

Aegon didn't seem upset by the information.He remained silent looking at her,as if at the moment there was nothing else in the room that deserved more attention than her.And Y/n lived on moments like these,the exclusivity of his gaze on her,his needy touch on her skin, shared kisses,his worries.

«I pray for a girl.»he said then«Baeron and Rhaego are going to drive me insane.»he continued thinking about his sons and how much they were like him.

This time he wanted a baby girl that,even though she would probably look like him,taking in the Valyrian features,she would be just like her mother:sweet,gentle,a little playful.

«They just miss you.»she whispered,almost feeling guilty«Like I do.»she admitted with a sad tone.

Aegon held her closer,he felt ashamed for neglecting his wife and his own children.As soon as he become king he forgot that first he was a husband and a father.

«I’m sorry for interrupting your work-»she started to apologize.

«Don’t.»he stopped her immediately«I’m the one who’s sorry for not being around lately.»he said kissing her temple sweetly.

Y/n smiled warmly«How about we have dinner together tonight with the kids?»she asked hopefully.

He nodded,it felt like forever since he had last spent time with his little family all together«Sound perfect.»he kissed her on the lips one last time before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

[nouearth]

because i love you.

jason todd x male reader.

summary: your birthday is a memory you often ignore. jason is determined to forge a new, unforgettable one.

wc: 3k. genre: fluff, comfort. warnings: domestic!au, crying, descriptions of food.

a/n: happy belated birthday, anon! i know this was late, but i wanted to priortize this over my other requests before it would be even later, LOL. hope you had a great one, and that this was a gift to remember!

request: anon.

“so,” a gruff voice briefly broke your focus from peering through the oven door, but the cookies had seconds left in the oven, so you'd figure a hum to acknowledge jason's presence would suffice.

it was a painful and mundane process to squat and watch the cookie batter form into heavenly, ooey-gooey chocolatey goodness. sure, you could’ve done something to pass the time—finish your backlog of books, or even the tv dramas you promised your friends you would finish soon—but the cookies always came out perfect like this.

once, you decided to do laundry while letting the cookies bake. as soon as the oven rang, the thought of over-baking your perfected recipe of cookies, that everyone had gleefully devoured and expected at every potluck, chased you faster than a wild fox could. to your bewilderment (and exhaustion), a few seconds longer in the oven changed the texture of the baked treats. though no one noticed, even if you insisted that the taste changed as well, it ruined your entire day and since then, you’ve made a silly promise to yourself to never let these cookies out of your sight.

even if your boyfriend was squatting with you, kissing you at the neck now. 

“earth to (m/n),” his lips brushed deep into your skin, and you could hear him inhaling your natural scent. for a minute there, he forgot you were baking, so the smell of chocolate and brown sugar certainly awakened an unexpected appetite in him. it growled. 

“hello.” jason stretched a whisper into your neck, and you chuckled when his gruff voice tickled you, vowels vibrating lowly into your skin.

“someone’s needy.” you turned to finally greet him with a smile, some kind of acknowledgement, and he begrudgingly accepted it with a kiss. it was almost as sweet as the sugar crystals in the cookie batter he sampled earlier. 

two more minutes now.

“guess i’ll have to bake myself into a cookie to get your attention these days,” jason muttered, pressing his chest to your broad back. the heat from the oven radiated in front of you, yet your back felt warmer.

your head leaned back on his shoulder, grinning towards his frown while he tucked his chin in the vacant space between your neck and shoulder. “whoa, are you envious of my cookies now? that’s kind of sick considering you inhale them within seconds after i take them out of the oven—“

“i eat anything.” jason stated dryly, his palms roamed over your stomach to chase his appetite away as if your body and his were connected. his lips found your neck again, adding to the flush of your skin while one hand slipped under the waistband of your shorts to satiate a different craving. your legs slowly sprawled to accommodate his inviting touch, humming. “they make a great pre-workout.” 

and with the close of your legs, access had been denied. “so, they’re not delicious like you’ve been claiming?”

jason widened his eyes, yanking his hand out of your shorts to put his hands up defensively. “wait, no. that’s not— okay, we’re getting off-topic!”

“hey,“ the oven sang, and with a delighted hop, you abandoned your boyfriend on the floor to tend to your long-awaited baked goods. “you’re the one that brought it up!”

the smell of chocolate and sugar billowed in the air when you opened the oven, and jason’s appetite returned like a parasite once the delicious aroma hit his nose. 

it hadn’t been that long since you’ve started baking, but your hobby had quickly become a beloved activity (and expense), and your affection for it was telling through the wear and tear of your oven mitts. you burned yourself a few times when the baking sheet pressed into various ripped holes, but despite jason’s concern, you never found it damaged enough to purchase a new one. besides, it didn’t take very long to learn the pattern of the hot spots.

two baking sheets, filled with freshly-baked cookies, slid onto the stovetop, and you closed the oven, turning it off after. steam rose from the bloomed batter and you marveled at the sight: rustic, crinkly brown doughs that harbored mounds of comfort and nostalgia in one snack. though for some people, in one bite. the smell hits you after, stung your nose with brown sugar and chocolate chips, and you approved the batch with a deep inhale. 

“what did you want to talk about?” a crack of kosher salt was topped to the cookies, adding to the rustic presentation of the baked goods.

“well,” the smell of the cookies pulled him back to his feet, then by your side as he watched the chunky salt enchant the goods to a higher level. “it’s someone’s birthday soon.” though he knew not to, he reached out to sample an edge of the dough anyway.

“careful,” you watched him with amusement and high curiosity, eyebrows raised to inquire him of the taste. though you knew the answer by the time the chocolate hit his tongue, it was tenfold more interesting than the topic of your birthday.  “what about it?” you asked, and he hummed in approval, greed guiding his hand back to the piping hot cookies.

“so—ow,” the heat bit at jason’s fingers and his hand yanked back to immediately flick remnants of the sting off. “didn’t you want to do anything? a party? dinner? you never even told me what you wanted for your gifts.”

“hm,” you took the oven mitts off and directed the draft towards the steam with quick and light swings, then towards jason’s fingers as he began picking at the chocolate that oozed out. “i never took you as someone who cared about birthdays that much.”

“yeah, well,” he blew on his chocolate stained finger once more before pressing it to your smile. “we’re learning more about each other every day, aren’t we?”

“and it’s kind of incredible how you haven’t dumped me yet.” you laughed and licked the bittersweet stain off your lips. jason only joined with a mere chuckle. he never liked it when you talked about yourself like this.

“seriously though,” jason leaned on the counter with his elbow, nudging your waist with a gentle pat. his hair delicately parted to the side, watching you like you were the only one. “what do you want to do? we can do whatever you want.” devouring the cookies was the last thing on his mind now. 

you’re the only one.

“jason,” the steam slowly waft in the air as you averted your gaze to the cookies cooling. salt glinted under the lights, and they have never looked sweeter. “it’s sweet of you and i appreciate it, but…” yet, there was a bitter aftertaste when you nibbled on a crumble. “i don’t really celebrate my birthday.”

“what?” his immediate instinct was to hold you, taking you by the waist as if it could protect you from the memory of the past. “how come? did something bad happen?”

“no, no. nothing like that!” laughing it off always helped you alleviate the bitterness of your thoughts. “it’s just…” but for some reason, your throat began to swell when you do.

“just…?” jason pressed his hand to your waist in a heartfelt attempt at squeezing an answer out of you. “come on, i’m at the edge of my seat here.”

you laughed, taking his hand off and then into your own, as you guided him out of the kitchen and to the living room. the sweet smell was dizzying now. plus your legs hurt from the squatting earlier. you needed some place to snuggle yourself into. preferably, your couch. 

“my family could never afford stuff, so it hasn’t been a thing since…” a yawn escaped your lips as you found comfort into the embrace of jason’s arms. his broad chest was a pillow you never asked for, and these days, you found it to be the best solace your head demanded for. “i guess when i was eight?”

“oh,” jason realized, then began stroking the side of your head as an apology. “i didn’t mean to pry or—“

“it’s no big deal.” in between his caresses, you quickly tilted your head back to press a kiss to his palm—a measurement to dispel his worries. “i’ve spent a longer part of my life not celebrating it, so it’s just a norm now! honestly, i didn’t even notice that my birthday was coming up until you mentioned it to me.”

closing your eyes, images of your family appeared in soft, fading blurs. they smiled through gritted teeth, as did you, and sweated through hard labor of work that managed to put food on a table. “and i also don’t blame my parents, if that’s what you’re thinking. i did at first, but shit happens.” 

though, never a cake.

“you really do nothing since then, though? not even cook yourself dinner or something?” the affection caresses spread to your cheeks and the warmth pulled at the corners of your mouth into a smile.

“i did once,” you shifted to connect your warmth to his. in midst, you were reminded that the smell of jason’s cologne will always triumph over the scent of your cookies. “but it just kind of made things sad, to be honest. it felt weird.” 

“but you celebrated my birthday.” the memories warmed him. “for someone who never celebrated their own, you sure knew how to throw a great party.” laughter, a delicious dinner, and drink shenanigans echoed in passing. “even if it was only us.”

you chuckled at the irony of it all, satisfied that you’ve managed to impress your boyfriend despite your inexperience. 

“well,” glancing up, you then held jason’s doting stare, collected it into your soul, and then sealed it into a vault.

“that’s because i love you.” 

the stroll from your car and to your apartment seized all the energy left in you. aside from carrying bags of groceries, the heavy weight slowly drained your arms of life, the long day of work had a major factor to your exhaustion. awaiting approvals while you were approaching a tight deadline was never ideal, but luckily it got extended, so you can sleep a teensy-bit better tonight. 

grunting, your veins pulsed when you lifted the heavy bags with one arm to punch in the code to your keypad, refusing to be defeated by packs of frozen fruit, greek yogurt, jason’s protein powder, and his mandatory cereal boxes. the beep and green light compelled a satisfied noise out of you and you immediately bouldered into your apartment, stumbling through the garden of your shoes and jason’s, and into the kitchen within a single, hurried stride.

“jase?!” you grunted loud from below, setting the groceries down as soon as the handles pressed into a certain spot in your vein that made you wince. jason’s voiced boomed from above. 

“yeah?!”

as much as you hated it when jason left his soda out, today would be an exception. you downed it in one dreamy gulp, and you could feel your body absorb the sugars, working overtime to churn it into energy afterward.

“can you put the groceries back for me?! i want to go shower!” the kitchen sink alleviated some of that humidity built atop your hands, but you needed it off your body.

“yeah!” jason shouted out. “i’ll be down in a sec!” 

it took you a moment, still high from the amount of energy you’ve exerted within the short amount of time, but the air smelled sweetly familiar. of vanilla, brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon, you sniffed out. 

must’ve baked the cookies i froze for him. you looked around, a sudden desperate need for another ounce of sugar in your body after your commendable performance today. 

and of course, he ate them all.

as soon as you came up the stairs, jason met you outside with a kiss—a password to your bedroom, you’d reckon.

your arms opened up for a hug. “they didn’t have the flavor you wanted, so i—“ but embracing the body of your lover, they were immediately occupied by a pile of your clothes for the night.

“yeah, yeah! that’s fine.” jason began nudging, then pushing you to the bathroom, scrunching his face. “you stink, go shower.”

“wait, why are you acting—“ bewilderment passed you as you stumbled back, and your curiosity was met by more push back, literally. the latter looked nerved, unusually antsy, and that was never a good sign. “jason, are you okay—“

“uh-huh, yeah! yeah, yeah. fine.” before you could even get another question out, the door slammed shut. “wash up! i’m gonna put the groceries back!”

oooookay..?

it took a few beats to register what exactly happened, but all of it was buried to the back of your mind as soon as you started the shower. refreshing and cooling as that soda you downed earlier.

damn, i should’ve restocked on that…

the cold draft cooled your damp skin when you stepped out the bathroom, releasing harbored humidity, and your stress for the day left along with it.

“hey,” your voice echoed while you stepped downstairs, expecting jason to either be on the couch or in the kitchen, most likely eating away at your snacks. “what do you want to eat for dinner—“

“jason?” instead, you were met with complete darkness—well, as dark as it could be while impending dusk approached your windows.

he wasn’t on the couch, entertainment-free. 

you stepped into the kitchen. not there, either. the groceries were put away, but the plastic bags were scattered around the floor. not a single soul, a whisper, or a sound, except for the crinkle of the bags as you stashed them into your recyclables.

either the shower cleared your sinuses, or jason plugged in a new wall fragrance, because the smell was sweeter compared to before. chocolate in its new top note, and vanilla, again, in its base. 

it was strange, you checked the oven. though it was warm, nothing was out of place. then the fridge, nope—jason didn’t stash any leftovers there. once again, catalogued the entire kitchen, suspiciously nothing.

you figured you’ll ask jason about it later, whenever he would come back, but for now, your priority was satiating that grumble in your stomach. as you browsed through your fridge for ingredients after turning on the lights, the cooling air wafted the sweetness away, only for it to return stronger.

and just as quick as the smell of chocolate returned, the lights flickered off.

“what the—“ you turned, and your curiosity was immediately startled by the presence of the missing man. “jesus, jason. where were—“

the only source of light that lit the room came from a soft yellow blur that flickered near jason’s chin. gentle, then not so when he took a step. another waver of light when the draft caught onto the light as he approached you. the light grew bigger, flickered stronger, as if it was connected to your heart and memorized every beat, and the smell of chocolate was pleasantly stringent to your nose.

cake. 

it was a chocolate cake all along, and jason held it with a smile that had been shadowed by the candle. anxiously, you’ve never seen him wore it with a grin before, but it made your heart skip another beat, then two when he confessed.

“happy birthday,” the dark of your orbs refracted the candlelight, yellow and orange light reunited with a wave, several excited waves as if they’ve lost you, and the smoke burning off it cooled the impending wetness of your eyes.

“what— what is this?” your breath hiked, and the candles found it calming, like the sea breeze as it brushed against them—through them. “what are—“

it felt like an eternity since you’ve been celebrated. no, it had been an eternity.

tears slowly rolled down your cheeks as you felt years pass by, heard the cries of a child that received nothing. 

the first year, it was because you were expecting of it. a gift that was never promised, but your hands were bare of nothing. 

the second year, it was hope. something that clung onto because you were promised something. 

the third year. it was denial. it had to be this year, right? you rocked yourself to sleep the night before.

the fourth year. anger. you screamed as if a gift was the only testament in the world to truly display a parent’s love for their child. 

then, the fifth year. acceptance. 

and since, you’ve matured, learned why, and thought it was for the better.

“make a wish,” jason said calmly, breaking you from the spell of your own thoughts.

“what?” you croaked weakly.

years of sheltering your birthday made you clueless, but luckily, jason was here to teach you—to remind you.

“make a wish, then blow.” as much as he wanted to hold you right now, he couldn’t risk his hard work dropping to the floor.

“oh—“ you did as you were told. you wished silently, closing your eyes until another swell of tears were forced to roll out, then blew. 

when jason turned the lights back on, the sight of the cake pulled a laugh out of you. slanted in its position, chocolate smeared all over the cake board, thick icing to cover up the mistakes, you laughed until you wiped tears.

“did you bake this for me?” you snickered, taking the cake and setting it down, because you needed to hug him, embrace him, squeeze him.

“god,” jason laughed, pressed a kiss to your head as he took you in with a strong hug. “if i bought a cake that looked like that, i’d demand two refunds. one for the cake, and one for the happiness they swindled from me.”

“i told you not to, though!” you playfully beat at his chest, the blush on your cheeks pulled a smile wider than you have ever felt, than jason had ever seen. “why?”

“because,” he sighed, then pressed his forehead to yours, holding your damp gaze like it was a prayer. the tension in both your bodies go limp, and he held you closer, worshipping you until he became besotted in your smell, your voice, your gaze, your touch.

“because,” jason repeated, and you held his cheeks, caressing his rough skin.

until even your existence wouldn’t be enough to sober him.

“because i love you.”

nouearth. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my works. andif you like this story, please reblog and leave a like!

[icypantherwrites]

It is finished.

Words I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to write, but at 11:51 pm last night they became reality.

Bottled Ocean is finished.

I am really, really proud of myself for being able to come back to this story. I started writing it in all the way back in May 2020 so it has been almost four years from start to finish and it's been a really long, bumpy road. So much has happened over those four years and the story went from a vibrant, engaged audience when it first published to, if I'm lucky, one or two engaged readers and maybe five reading it total. It's been really hard to put forth the energy into writing such a monster of a story (it is officially over 250,000 words long) knowing that there's no one there really to read it and even now I'll be lucky to have one or two engaged readers for it.

But it is done. My legacy after writing over 400 fanfictions in the last 7 years is not an incomplete story. It's something I can look back on and be proud of that I wrote that and as anyone knows, 250,000 words is not a small undertaking.

I had promised myself that if I went back to writing this I would finish the story before it began publishing again on Patreon (which resumes today) and then life hit. I had Covid the last two weeks and felt really terrible and dizzy and unable to focus. I thought writing fight scenes was hard, bah, writing fight scenes while you're distracted by the word 'sword' because it says 's-word' and going off on a tangent of swear words you think pirates would say while still trying to write a fight scene is hard. I kept going.

I reached yesterday morning and realized that I still had at least four chapters to write and I wasn't sure how I was going to do it and even if my deadline was self-imposed I was going to fail it.

I didn't.

Outside of taking breaks to walk the dog (it reached 42 here in Chicagoland and for this time of the year that's practically tropical) and guzzling down over half of a 2-liter of Dr. Pepper and trying to drink water in there too, I did it. I sat down, wrote my ass off, and a little over 16,000 words of the most pinnacle parts of the story as it all comes together and concludes I did it. I am exhausted and I honestly didn't even recall most of the final chapter so I went back and read it this morning and not to toot my horn but damn I'm a good writer, and I am just so relieved and happy it is done.

I am done too. My writing journey comes to an end with this story (I'll still for sure be posting on Patreon for the rest of 2024 though with my insane backlog and of course Bottled Ocean and some works on AO3 too) and I'm hanging up my keyboard. It has been a long seven years full of the good and the bad, the bright spots and the dark, but I can look back at this chapter of my life and see that I wrote over 3.2 million words worth of stories to share and I feel...

I feel content. And relieved and honestly my wrists are aching from pressing against my laptop all night, but I am happy. Thank you to all who came on this writing journey with me, who have been with me since As Color Fades Away posted in 2017 or stumbled across my works this year. It has been a life-changing seven years of writing.

I'll still be around here posting updates and hopefully, maybe, trying to get a few of y'all to bite at Bottled Ocean and join me in reading my final fanfiction, but this author is finally, finally finished and it is the start of a new adventure.

Thanks everyone ♥

[unicorn-gallerexy]

Hello, my name is Uni and im a chronic procrastinator. I've been meaning to post so that way it wasn't just a random year of nothing but as we can see, i did it. Just not like i wanted to. Anyway, here's a little something for ya. I'm still posting backlogs so give me a moment pls. Oki luv u, mwa

CW: NSFW (MDNI), Drug use (fully knowing and mostly willing to do so), minor taste of coercion if you squint a bit, dubcon, Dealers Sugawara and Tendou (this was made as a thing between a friend and I so shh), exhibitionism, reader x Suga.

Help me out?

The party was just as lively as any other, and i was just as bored. Normally while Tendou and Sugawara made deals, i can usually sit in the car and wait til they're done but every so often there's a party that i have to attend with him as his arm candy. I'm not normally one for parties, only going for the sake of someone else normally. Suga used me to his advantage, being bait to lure in new customers and catch the attention of regulars alike. After pointing people in the right direction, i had to occupy myself with something else. With parties like these both of them normally tried pushing new things they made onto party goers, and they'd normally manage to do it with at least one or two for quite the good price.

Being called over to the couch where he sat, selling, was the odd part. He'd usually just leave me to wander around and do as i pleased in order to focus on pitching product. "There's my lovely little sugar cube, here." Koushi proceeds to hand me a small heart shaped baby blue colored pill, making a hand gesture. I simply raise my eyebrow at him, looking the pill over. "Where did this come from?" He sighs but leans his head against the back of the couch, looking up at me with eyes on so pretty. "It's something new Tendou and i made, it's safe, i promise. I tested it already." I keep my expression as i play with the pill in my hand. "Well if you've already tested it, why do i have to take it?" He manages to keep his smile as he explains. "I can't test it for our new clients, love. One, that's a sure way to get robbed. Two, it doesn't look credible. It could look like im overexaggerating or faking. Just be my little tester, baby, please?" He pouts, and it's times like this that i'm reminded that i'd harvest his liver if he weren't so pretty. I sigh heavily and give in, popping the pill in my mouth as Suga grabs my wrist. "Let it sit and dissolve a bit." He catches me quickly as i almost swallow it. He guides me around the side of the couch into his lap, holding me close.

"How's it taste?" He keeps eye contact with me from the moment i sit in his lap, his eyes telling me not to turn around and acknowledge the group of people he was trying to pitch this stuff to. I knew he could tell i was uncomfy, the stares i could feel making me fidget and shift in his hold. I mildly zoned out in a small panic, wondering if i truly looked presentable enough in front of these rich ass kids, their rich ass aunts and uncles, in the nice ass castle of a mansion. Koushi can read me like a book, tapping my thigh to gain my attention again. "Honey, how's it taste?" the look in his eyes is intense, wanting an answer. "Sweet... why does it taste like fruit?" I couldn't help the slightly confused face i made at the flavor, making him chuckle as he turned me so that my back was was against his chest. He held me close and kept his hands on my thighs, prompting me to swat away his hands as they kept creeping higher under my dress. "It's meant to be mixed into a participants drink or be fed to them straight like you. So we made sure it tasted good, like an easily dissolved candy." He always used the word participant when selling in order to not seem like he was promoting assaulting anyone. He might sell drugs but he has at least a few standards.

As the pill in my mouth dissolves, i swallow the rest, continuously swatting at Koushi's hands as he keeps trying to lift my skirt and force his hands between my thighs. It can't have been more than 10 minutes, but things started seeming hazy. My body was feeling hotter than before, like i was going through my own personal heat wave. I was starting to sweat, wanting nothing more than to peel away the dress that began to cling to my skin. It was an uncomfortable heat, causing me to shift and squirm around in my boyfriend's lap as he kept trying to feel me up. I lost track of when but at some point i stopped trying to smack his hands away, allowing his hands to travel up between my thighs and play with me as he kept up with the casual conversation of drugs and life experiences. I could tell i was still being closely observed by the group, though i couldn't really tell if the group had gotten bigger or not. My eyes were closed as my brain tried it's best to sort out the heat, feeling like the pleasure i got from Sugawara simply gently rubbing my clit over my panties was way more than normal.

"Ko..." The whine i let out was quiet, and the response i got was just as quiet. "Yes, love?" I could feel him press his lips against the back of my neck, devil like smirk plastered across his face. " 'M hot... wanna leave..." It seemed like my brain had figured out why i was so hot, so willing to let him touch me, vision so hazy i could barely see straight. I grind against him again and again, the feeling of arousal coursing through every fiber of my being. It was almost like i was having to hold back from fucking him in front of his clientele, feeling that if he'd just fuck my brains out, i'd finally be able to cool down and recollect myself properly.

"Awww, but i wasn't done talking... There's still so much life left in the party." He fakes a pout as i lean my head back against his shoulder with a real one. As he continues mocking my pouting face, i feel his fingers slide under the fabric of my underwear, tracing around my entrance. I involuntarily buck my hips at the feeling, whining and pushing back into him. "Koushi, please... I wanna leave, i can barely sit still or think right... Let's just go home already, promise i'll make it up to you." I beg, making him giggle more into the back of my neck, sliding 2 of his fingers inside witha bit too much ease.

"But sugar, i'm making a sale and you're doing so well for me. You're the perfect little test subject in public, especially for this." I do my best to keep my mouth shut as he quickly picks up the pace, my body feeling even hotter. I turn a little and push more of my face into his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne as i kiss up and down the side of his neck. The growl he lets out is quiet in my ear, his fingers moving even faster, his free hand wrapped around my lower waist to keep me from squirming away. I burry my face into his neck as much as i can as i release around his fingers, whining loudly in his ear. The heat subsided for a second, allowing me to catch my breath before coming back tenfold. I could feel Suga mildly grinding into me, still managing to talk to the people that surrounded us.

"Yeah, one sec..." He puts his mouth against my ear, starting to slowly move his fingers again. "Babe, you could've just said you were that horny, our friends here wouldn't mind a show. How about you get on your knees and help me focus so i can make this sale, then i'll take you home and fuck you like you want." The preposition was too good to pass up, but for different reasons than i expected. I slid off of his lap and settled onto my knees in front of him, mouth watering. He smiled from around his coated fingers, placing his other hand on my head and ruffling my hair.

He lets go of his fingers, muttering about how good i taste, before undoing his pants and sliding himself out. His tip is flushed and drooling just as much as i am, his hand taking a tight hold of my hair as he pulls me closer so that his length rests against my face, eyes locking as he stares down at me. "God, you look so pretty when you're this eager for me." He turns his attention to the group of people who haven't moved nor turned away, my eyes sliding to see them out of my peripheral. "See? Just 10 minutes ago she was swatting away my hands under her dress and worried about you all watching. Now, she's on her knees, drooling for me, and unbothered by you guys." He gives them that same thousand watt smile, my mind spinning with the small thought that it's only been 10 minutes. He lets go of my head, leaning back completely as he keeps his eyes on the group and motions to me with his hand. I go to reach for him only for him to smack my hand and make the same gesture. I pout but obey none the less and take him as far as i can into my mouth, pulling up to swirl my tongue around the head.

He lets out a minor groan, taking a deep breath as he relaxes in his seat. "A question... Does it work on both men and women?" I hear a younger woman, hair long and dress longer, ask. He nods and hums in affirmation. "I test everything my partner and i make, and she just thought i was being a horny pervert. This is the first time she's even seen it. Guaranteed to work on anyone who doesn't have a viagra addiction." He manages to rouse a small chuckle from the group, groaning more himself as i go faster than before. "Fuck.. So, what are we thinking? Got a deal or two?" I hear a few yes's and confirmations, but i can hear a hum of apprehension. I pull off of him with a gasp, moving to suck on his balls as i see him raise his brow.

"What's wrong now, Harry?" He has this determined look on his face, only faltering a bit when i make my way back up to his dick and far enough down him to gag. "I'm just a bit skeptical is all, i mean, how do we know she's not faking? Or just a whore in general." At that moment, i feel Suga's hand on the back of my head, pulling me off and pulling me back onto his lap. I squirm around, mildly helping him as he pulls my dress up to my waist and my panties to the side, sliding in with ease. I toss my head back against his shoulder and moan as he immediately starts moving. "A couple of things, Harry. Number 1, i dont appreciate you talking about my girl that way. If anything, all of you are getting a front row seat to something i only get behind closed doors. Consider yourself lucky for the view and watch your mouth. Number 2, I assure you, it's genuine. Under normal circumstances, she'd have gotten off my lap awhile ago and probably slapped me for trying to touch her during a public party."

He pulls the neckline of my dress down beneath my chest, taking my tits in his hands as he turns and plants both feet firmly on the ground to fuck me even harder. I squeal at the change, letting him have me any way he pleases, moaning loud enough for at least the people in the kitchen to hear me over the music. I hear a few more confirmations of deals to the side as he leans to whisper in my ear. "Look at you... Look at how much money you're making me. You really are a good luck charm, aren't you? So fuckin' good for me, bet if i asked you to suck one of them off to close a deal you would, wouldn't you? Fucking dumb slut." I whine loudly at his words, moving my hips to grind against him as he brings himself to a stop and moves a hand to wrap it around my neck, choking me as he tells me to keep going. I put my arms on his thighs and use what mild strength i have left to fuck myself onto him, having him let go of my throat and chest to instead opt for my waist.

The more desperate i get, the faster i get, Suga encouraging me by telling me he's close and to make us both cum. I hit the wall before he does, sitting firmly on his dick as he starts thrusting up into me again until he fills me in front of his clients. He pulls me close, taking a moment to catch his breath against my neck before pressing a kiss against my jugular holding me tightly as he looks back over to the group. "Now, which of you wanted to make a deal again?" I turn my head slightly to see the now even larger group of people, everyone with a hand raised. "Wonderful."

[summerwritesfics]

🪽🌎Heaven Ablaze In Our Eyes

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 1945 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Angels & Demon AU, Demon!Hanzo Hasashi, Fallen Angel!Kuai Liang, Blood and Injury, Gore, Demon Deals, Angel/Demon Relationship, Hurt/Comfort

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist - In The Nightside Of Eden Masterlist

Notes: Alright, it’s been a while since I posted. I’ve had a lot going on IRL and some general apathy towards the fandom, if I’m being honest lol. Buuutttt I am going to try and edit and post at least a couple of my current backlog over the weekend :) (Well I mean. I just this week got back into Neopets so it’s dependant on if I can separate myself from that enough to get some editing done lol) This is the prequel to “We Are The Fallen” I promised a while ago, showing how Hanzo and Kuai met and their deal came to be :) Title is from “Wings Of A Butterfly” by HIM!

“When did humanity get so boring?” Hanzo complained, taking a drag of his cigarette and looking at his companions. “Even when they’re high as hell, they still find a way to be dull as fuck.”

“Don’t worry my Lord,” Junpei started, linking his fingers and cracking his knuckles, “I’m sure we’ll find something interesting soon.”

“There’s got to be someone to corrupt around here,” Katashi chimed in, almost as if to not be left out of the conversation.

Hanzo sighed dramatically, and rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure they would find anything. It seemed to get harder and harder to find humans with any interesting qualities. It used to be that he could find the most innocent of humans and corrupt them over time. Now it seemed humans just had a much higher tolerance for sin, and as a result were so much more uninteresting.

All three of them had their attention drawn to a very loud bang in a nearby alley. Hanzo shared a look with Junpei before they both turned their gaze to it. While it was likely just a cat knocking over a bin or something else equally mundane, there was a 50% chance it could be the interesting thing they were looking for. Hanzo decided he liked those odds as he began to stroll forward.

He peered into the alley, immediately taking in how the bins were all scattered across the floor, contents spilling out. More curiously, the concrete was cracked like a spider's web, as if something had hit it with force. Blood splatter and feathers were mixed together and stained the ground. But most importantly, in the centre of the alley, lay a man.

He was facing away from Hanzo, face down to the floor, but his chest was rising and falling rapidly. There was a gurgling sound, like he was struggling to breathe due to liquid in his throat. As Hanzo approached, he got a better look at the man’s form. His clothing looked traditional, a cheongsam if he had to guess, nothing like the modern fashions currently trendy amongst humans. The outfit left his back exposed, where there were two large bloody stumps.

Hanzo smirked to himself as he realised what he’d just come across.

A fallen angel.

Freshly fallen if the way the stumps were still bleeding was anything to go by. Hanzo licked his lips. Once again, humanity proved useless in bringing him entertainment, but by the Gods this was so much better than anything a pitiful human could bring him.

He slid down onto the floor, bracing his knees either side of the angel’s torso, his large hand pressing at the small of the angel’s back and pushing him to the floor. The angel wheezed in pain, shifting his face to try and see what was pinning him down. His eyes widened when he made eye contact with Hanzo.

“Hello, little angel,” Hanzo greeted, not able to stop the toothy grin spreading across his face. His sharp teeth must have been a terrifying sight to an angel, the poor thing trembled under him. “Nice of you to drop by.”

Running his free hand along the angel's shoulder, he stopped when he reached one of the stumps. The angel cried in pain as Hanzo’s fingers began to examine the wounds. They were rough and uneven, like they had been hacked at rather than taken out in one fell swoop like most of the fallen Hanzo had encountered. It was sloppy work, the creature was probably in an immense amount of pain, no wonder there was so much blood.

“Please,” the angel weeped, coughing up some blood that stained his lips. “Please.”

What the angel was begging for, Hanzo didn’t know. Maybe his life? It was likely that whatever God this angel worked for had told of how demons oh so loved to torture poor innocent little angels.

Well, most did, to be fair. This angel was right to fear that fate. But Hanzo didn’t find pleasure in torture, he had far superior ways of entertaining himself.

“Hush,” he hissed, leaning down and over the angel. More weak whimpers and pleas spilled from the angel's lips and Hanzo reached around to smother his hand over the angel's mouth. “Easy, I won’t hurt you.”

Not that he’d really need to. The angel was already heavily injured, he doubted there was much he could do to make things worse. He must have really pissed off whichever God he works for.

Before he could continue talking, he heard a shout in the distance. He hissed, not wanting any hapless human coming across them. Pulling the angel to his chest, he hauled him off the floor, dragging his body like a rag doll towards a small side path in the alley. Junpei and Katashi followed.

“I see blood and feathers down there,” one of the voices called, followed by two sets of footsteps coming forward. In the dark of the alley, whoever it was hopefully wouldn’t see Hanzo and his companions, but his grip on the angel tightened to try and keep him silent. “Kuai Liang must have fallen here. Spread out. He’s injured and couldn’t have gone too far.”

Hanzo frowned, shifting just enough to peer around the corner. He was met with two winged gentlemen walking off down the alley. Angels. Angels who were presumably looking for the fallen one currently shuddering in his arms. But why? Everyone knew falling was a punishment akin to banishment. Why would they do that and then search for him immediately afterwards?

Once he was sure the angels were gone, he twisted around, pushing Kuai Liang against the wall. He gave another pained whine, wide blue eyes looking up at Hanzo like a puppy.

“So, Kuai Liang,” he started, and Kuai’s breath hitched at the mention of his name. “It seems someone is searching for you.”

“Please,” Kuai begged again, his hands scrambling up to loosely grip Hanzo’s shirt. “Please don’t let them take me.”

Hanzo grunted, that made things more confusing, if he was being honest. There was more to this than a simple case of an angel being cast out. Something else was going on here.

“I won’t, if you answer my questions.” It took a couple of seconds for the angel to nod in agreement. “Why are they searching for you? Angel’s who fall are not typically brought back to the heavens.”

Kuai blinked a few times, lowering his gaze. “I… escaped.”

“Escaped?” Hanzo questioned, trying to figure out what the hell he meant by that. He thought about the wounds where Kuai’s wings had been. How they looked like someone had struggled and hacked through them. Maybe because someone had tried to reach behind their own back to do it. “You cut your own wings off?”

“Yes,” Kuai Liang whispered, voice tinged with sadness. “I had to… to protect my brother.”

Hanzo had seen a lot of things in his time, he’d met many fallen angels, yet this was the first time he’d met one who had done it to themself. He brought one of his hands up to the angel’s face, gently brushing some loose hairs out of his eyes. He didn’t know the full story, yet a part of him couldn’t help but be slightly in awe at the bravery to protect a loved one in such a way.

Such bravery would suit well by Hanzo’s side.

“They will hunt you,” Hanzo softly told the angel, as if Kuai didn’t already know that.

“I need to find my brother.” Kuai blinked slowly a few times, clearly delirious from the pain he was in. “I need to warn him.”

“Your brother has fallen too?” That was the only thing that made sense. Kuai nodded slowly. “Then let’s make a deal.”

“A… deal?” Kuai looked at him warily. He was right to be, Hanzo supposed. Demonic deals were not exactly known to be fair, heavily favouring the demon making it. And well, this was a desperate situation that Hanzo may have been taking advantage of.

But he was interested in helping the angel, this was unfortunately the most efficient way of doing so.

“I will protect you from those that hunt you and aid you in your search for your brother.” He watched Kuai’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at him. “All I ask in turn is for you to aid me in whatever I require of you.”

“That…” Kuai swallowed, and attempted to pull back from Hanzo, stopped by the wall behind him. “That is vague. That could mean anything.”

“I like to keep things open.” Hanzo licked his lips slightly. “I have never met an angel like you, one who would forfeit his own divinity for the sake of another. I find that an endearing quality, one I am interested in having by my side.”

Kuai closed his eyes and lowered his head, mouth twitching in pain. Honestly, even if the angel didn’t accept the deal, Hanzo considered at least still healing him. He stood no chance in this world in the state he was in.

“With the injuries you have received, you will not get far on your own.” Just because he might heal Kuai regardless, didn’t mean he couldn’t use it as a bargaining chip. “And even if you manage to evade them, this world is large, and will be difficult for you to navigate without help.” He reached to push Kuai’s hair out of his face, feeling surprised when Kuai almost lent into the touch. “I can keep you safe. I can help you find what you need. All I want is your loyalty.”

There was no reply, but Kuai’s shoulders began to shake, a wavering sob coming from his lips.

“Shh.” Hanzo continued to stroke Kuai’s hair, gently trying to calm him down. “I know, you have just escaped one beings servitude, and now I am asking you to bow to another. I won’t make you do anything against your will, or anything that would leave you in distress. I don’t expect you to kill thousands in my name or harm anyone, I am not that kind of demon. I prefer to corrupt, rather than kill.”

Kuai’s head swayed and he looked up at Hanzo with big pleading eyes. “You… Will help me if I agree?”

“You have my word,” Hanzo promised, although he wasn’t sure how much the word of a demon would mean to an angel. He moved ever so slightly, and held out his hand. “Do we have a deal, Kuai Liang?”

He paused for a moment, before nodding slowly “yes, we have a deal.”

Kuai accepted Hanzo’s hand, as they shook, the binding magic of the deal set off, fire circling their arms for a few seconds before it settled. The deal was done, Hanzo and Kuai Liang were now bound.

At this point, Kuai’s energy seemed to completely leave him, as he stumbled and fell forward. Luckily for him, he fell into Hanzo’s chest and arms.

“Easy, I’ve got you,” Hanzo whispered in as assuring a tone as he could manage. He shifted his grip on Kuai, supporting his back with one arm while the other scooped down to lift up Kuai’s legs. Both Junpei and Katashi took the opportunity to go ahead, silently agreeing to take the lead and warn Hanzo should he need to hide with his newest follower.

With Kuai comfortably in his arms, Hanzo’s first task was getting him back to his lair. From there, he’d work to heal him. And beyond that? Well, Hanzo wasn’t sure yet. But there was something that he did know.

Whatever happened next would be far from boring.

[ineffable-rohese]

Sometimes I really wished anyone in my house was neurotypical. But I'm definitely inattentive ADHD and the spouse is almost definitely autistic and very definitely has chronic mental illnesses.

What this means is that we're, after 20+ years of living together, still shit at housekeeping.

What that means tonight is we have a constant backlog of dishes (no dishwasher), especially the leftovers containers. They had promised to do the dishes while I was out of town for 2 weeks dealing with major family things, but they didn't because depression. Zero dishes were done during that time. They did do some in the last two weeks (as have I) but the backlog remained. And then they were going to do them before they left for a trip today, but they didn't because time management issues.

The landlord is coming by with the pest guy tomorrow because the building had a mouse issue a couple years ago and they are proactive (which is great). So I have to do the mountain of dishes. Which I just got to this evening due to time blindness and an inability to judge how long anything takes ever.

I opened a glass container. It looked like it had some old food in it. Ew, but fine, whatever. I put it in the sink. I turned on the tap. Clouds of spores. It looked like smoke.

Did I mention my mold allergy? I have a mold allergy.

I now feel like my whole body is pissed at me for breathing. I have abandoned the kitchen as a toxic waste zone. There is still a pile of dirty dishes that won't get done. A smaller pile, as I'd done 2.5 loads so far today. But still a pile.

I hate everything about this.

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Hello! May you please tell me when your request box will be open again? I wanted to ask but I kept hesitating and now it's closed 😭 I'm sorry, I don't want to pressure you 😔

Soonish- lmao

I don't tend to work on one shots or anything else when I'm working on a series which is why MisD is almost done being drafted but I've got like... 50 one shots and requests right now because of that!

BUT! The good news is I'm planning to dedicate one day a week to writing one shots and kick some of these out. Once I clear the backlog and get a lot of it drafted (not posted, just drafted lol) I'll be opening it back up.

I promise to announce it when I do!

I just got caught rather unprepared- I've had my requests open for *years* and only had a few trickle in and then BOOM I got slammed

[thessalian]

Thess vs Cautionary Tales

Okay, here's another reason for all of you in the US to please please please fucking vote Democrat in November. Because there's shit going on in the UK right now that's a hangover from our fifteen or so fucking years of Conservative government, and it's ugly.

The other day, a bunch of people got arrested for conspiracy to organise protests.

Not even, like, actually protesting, which would still be pretty fucking egregious (and has been happening for awhile here in the UK, frankly), but for planning one.

Full story is that back in 2022, a bunch of Stop Oil people were planning on blocking the M25 in a large non-violent protest. They planned this on Zoom, apparently. Someone went undercover, found out what they were planning, and arrested the ringleaders. Because the Crown Court's been rather backlogged, and even more so because of the Covid lockdowns, they only went to trial a couple of weeks ago. The ringleader was sentenced to five years. His "co-conspirators" were sentenced to four years each.

Look, I get that blocking the M25 is not a great thing for a lot of people and businesses, especially in London (which is still basically the hub of everything in this country). For you Americans - the M25 entirely circles London. If traffic isn't moving on the M25, you aren't getting into or out of London. Plus even if you only block parts of it, you're causing traffic chaos in greater London because you'd have to travel through the city to find a spot that wasn't shut down. Blocking the M25 is to England what the Evergreen blocking the Suez was to ... well, a lot of places.

Thing is? They hadn't done it. They took no actual action. I can see where your non-violent protest there would come with a host of ancillary criminal charges for which they would be arrested, but there was a way to both stop it and not be all about the fucking thoughtcrime. An insider could have sabotaged the whole thing if they even came close to enacting their blockage of the M25, and then they'd have an actual action to arrest them for. But no. They arrested them for talking about it. That was it.

This country has gone to hell, and a lot of it is down to what the Tories put into practice during their years in power. There's voter ID, which Jacob Rees-Mogg outright admitted was gerrymandering and voter suppression, and was almost certainly at least a part of the painfully low voter turnout earlier this month. There's the Public Order Bill, which made arresting these people for even talking about protesting legal. There's the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts bill, which preceded the Public Order Bill and started the job of eliminating our right to peaceful protest in this country. They're outright banning puberty blockers not only in NHS practice, but in private practice as well.

For those of you thinking, "Well, you have a Democrat equivalent in government now, and nothing's any better for you, so why bother?" See, this is why you bother. Your news outlets don't talk about it enough, because it's not sensational enough (because, c'mon, they're in it to generate ad revenue or very occasionally sell papers; they want entertainment and the spectacle is profitable for them), but Biden has done some wonderful things for the US already. Also, he seems quite keen to do even more once the razor-thin Republican majority in the Senate and Congress gets overturned and stops blocking him at every turn. This is more than our so-called Labour government has promised to do.

The thing is, the reason Labour went this way is that our actually progressive Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was a) moving too fast with the changes for most people, and b) slandered to hell and back by the opposition, with no critical thinkers looking any deeper into the slander at all. They called him antisemitic. They said he was going to bankrupt the nation. (Not that the Tories didn't do a great job of that, frankly, but y'know.) He was reactionary and the people who rely on sacrificing most of the population for the wealth of a few panicked and basically got him blackballed. Labour decided he was unelectable as a result, and they threw him and every other progressive in the party out - that in favour of people who quote Thatcher and seem happy to continue the punitive policies of the Tories. They decided that this bigoted bullshit is what gets votes.

Do you want to show that "slow and steady wins the race" doesn't get votes? Because if you do that, take it from me - the entire Democratic party will boot out anyone remotely progressive and take the party to the right in self-defense. I know because I've seen it. I know because I am living it even as we speak, and it is fucking terrifying.

Biden is playing the game but he still seems to be playing the game for you. He's moving slowly to not panic businesses, because if he moves too fast, they will destroy him. He's not doing anything sensational because sensational policies alarm people. But he's moving, and if you actually do some research, you will see that. And yes, he's willing to let the genocide in Gaza continue, but Trump just wants to nuke them. So if every vote not cast, or cast for a third party, is a vote for Trump? You're voting for a localised Armageddon in Palestine.

Voter suppression. Transphobic policies going into effect nationwide (not just the puberty blocker ban, by the way - there's very much a turn on banning trans women from single-sex spaces). The erosion and basic destruction of our right to peacefully protest. We can be arrested for even talking about a protest that disrupts anything (which is the only way a protest actually works). Labour may be a little better than the Tories, but it isn't by much. That all happened because the so-called left leaned too far to the right to achieve power, and now we look from the pigs to the men, and then back, and discover that there is no difference. Yeah, basically this entire country is a piquant little blend of 1984 and Animal Farm. Those were supposed to be cautionary tales, not how-to guides!

Yes, I am passionate about this. I have to be. I've been where you are, and I'm living what happens next. I want better for you. If I have to live in a cautionary tale, I want the people who can still learn from it to have better.

[princesscolumbia]

Double Isekai - Chapter 8

Okay, back to getting this updated. I'm really enjoying having a backlog, even if it is just a few days. I'm seriously thinking of just pausing all updates until I get, like, a full month's worth or something. Maybe do a chapter a week for 26 weeks...? Not sure, but this is nice.

Summary:

Ranma finally gets some alone time with all her girls in one private place...and promptly has a meltdown.

Notes:

There will be some off-screen sexy times. If this were an anime this would be the episode that guarantees it'll never see a broadcast release. This isn't porn, but it's edging (heh) pretty close to it. I didn't start this fic with the intent for smut to be in it, but I won't shy away from the characters behaving as teenagers that're hot for each other do. If that bothers you, back button on your browser is the solution to many of the Internet's problems, please use it. And speaking of the sexy times, yes. This did escalate quickly. That's on purpose and done for a specific reason. Hang tight until chapter 9 for how it impacts the story.

Preview below the cut:

Akane could tell that all three of them were sensing Ranma was a coiled spring. Once they were in the relatively lower light conditions of the inside of the Saotome house, the redhead ushered them into seats in the living room and she then set about closing all the blinds and drapes to all the windows before yanking the flimsy plastic shades off her face.

"Alright," she said as she tossed them on the end table near the door, "I'm gonna go make lunch. Everyone okay waiting here for a bit while I go do that?" she waited for all of a couple seconds before turning and heading into the kitchen. "Great! Be back in a few, make yourselves comfortable."

Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo sat in silence, giving each other looks that they all recognized as containing the exact same concerned thought, What's wrong with Ranma?

While they had all come here with the understanding that they would be discussing the odd four-way relationship they were embarking on, they were quickly realizing they were about to have a bit of a trial by fire that would show how far they already were on that path.

Shampoo cast a glance between Akane and Ukyo, then toward the kitchen. Ukyo just shook her head and then looked pointedly at Akane. Akane gave Ukyo an uncomprehending look and shrugged. Shampoo gave Ukyo an incredulous stare only to be met with a slightly raised hand as though saying, 'wait,' then almost glowered at Akane before tilting her head in the direction of the kitchen and nodding her head in that direction twice.

Akane, finally deciding to play along, rolled her eyes and stood, almost gingerly making her way into the room she was generally always banned from.

Ranma stood at the counter, her back to the rest of the room. She clearly heard Akane come in as she turned just enough to communicate she knew someone was there but not enough to allow that someone to see her face, "Hey 'kane, sorry it's takin' so long, tryin' t'figure out what to make with two sets of taste preferences arguin' in my head for what works best for lunch. I'll get somethin' soon, promise. Go sit back down."

Akane may not have had much time or opportunity to get to know 'New Ranma' as much as she wanted to (and she was realizing more and more she really wanted to), but if she were dealing with 'old Ranma' she'd have said the almost barely perceptible tightness in the girl's voice was her holding an extremely tight rein on her emotions. She'd seen this Ranma overflowing with love and affection, blowing her top in anger, venting her frustrations, and laughing readily...but the girl was holding something back now.

Akane didn't slow her stride, moving in behind her fiancée and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. A tiny, whimpered, "...no..." escaped Ranma before she hunched over, curling up on herself awkwardly. This helped the yen drop for Akane, her mind casting back to what felt like a lifetime ago but was only a handful of days when she first laid eyes on this girl. She'd seen Ranma, not knowing the Ranma she had known was gone from the world for almost a full day by that point, curled up on herself in nearly this same manner. I wish Nodoka had shown us...shown me how she dealt with this... "Ranma..." she almost whispered.

"I'm so awful," Ranma squeaked out, "I'm an impostor who stole Ranma's life and I'm pretending to be her...gods, what if I just...rewrote who Ranma was? What if I just put my own pain and dysphoria into Ranma's memories before we merged? And...and I'm s...s-seducing you...y...you should leave." A sob tore from Ranma's throat, "Leave and save yourself from me, please. I'm not right, I'm not worthy of any of you, please...go..."

Akane was panicking, but managed to keep it internal. So much about that seemed...wrong. There were lies in that statement, everything that came out of Ranma's mouth just then was thick with them, but Akane was honestly at a loss to pick out the falsehoods from the truth simply because she didn't know enough. She didn't know how the isekai worked, she didn't know the life of this other person that joined with Ranma, and she didn't know what caused this... 'spin out' from the playful, aroused person that had managed to ease Akane's own concerns to the fragile, broken girl in her arms.

"Ranma...you're the smartest person I know," Ranma snorted wetly but didn't respond otherwise, "You are! I think even Nabiki is a little in awe of you and your mother right now. But you're also very good at explaining things, so please," she pulled Ranma close, hugging her gently, "Explain this to me."

Ranma sighed, a little bit of a shudder shaking her, "I...my other life I was...it took me..." she sighed, scrubbing her palms over her face, a gesture that Akane was starting to find endearing. "My stepmother, she was...so evil. I know it's a trope and all, but she was absolutely uncaring, cold and vicious. She hated men, but she loved fucking men. She wanted a man who she could control, and she snuck her way into my dad's life...but that's too long of a story for right now. She wound up in control of me and my sister, and for years of our life she dictated...everything. And when she came home one day after work and caught me trying on some of her clothes and using her makeup," she shrugged and leaned back a little, finally letting herself take some comfort in the arms around her, "I was already too big for my sister's stuff...I mean, she was two years younger than me. As soon as we both hit puberty I rocketed up in height. She wasn't far behind, but she never did get more than...what, five-eight? Five-nine? I was six feet...sorry, I was nearly two meters by the time I was sixteen. So I had to wear my stepmother's stuff 'cause she was shorter than me, but she was wider in the shoulders and hips than my sister, so her stuff actually fit...well, not the shoes. Always did have a fucking hell of a time finding shoes..."

Ranma shuddered, turning just a little, almost snuggling into Akane's hold, one hand gripping Akane's sleeve, "She found me wearing her stuff and I found out that as much as she hated men...she hated men who wanted to be women more. My life became a... a web of lies and psychological torture. She gaslit me so bad..." Akane must have unconsciously made a questioning sound because Ranma paused, "Oh, sorry, she created a double-lie. She'd lie about something...I had to get my homework done to get dinner, but when she decided I was lying about finishing my homework she'd deny me dinner anyway, then later told everyone that I refused to eat her cooking and her proof was that I didn't eat dinner. It's called gaslighting and it's specifically meant to make the victim question their own perception of reality." Akane could imagine a few people in her life capable of such a thing but was sufficiently horrified at the very idea that she felt confident that such an act hadn't been done to her, thankfully.

She hugged Ranma closer, which prompted the girl to continue, "And, I mean, you said it, I'm smart. I started figuring out her games and her methods and her motivations and..." Ranma suddenly jerked, not like she was jumping away or trying to get out of Akane's arms, but like her whole body just reflexively quaked with nowhere to direct the energy. "And sometimes when you study the devil, you become the devil."

Ranma seemed to just sag against her after that pronouncement. Akane was starting to understand, at least, she thought she did. It was like when Ranma had tried to talk about the ten-year journey. There were too many little things that made up the whole of the picture and if you focused too much on any one part of it you lost sight of the whole of it. Ranma had, to use the redhead's own life as an analogy, just told her about falling into the cursed spring, but there was so much before and after it that went into who Ranma was now.

(Read the whole thing at AO3)

[stereax]

I know the details might be messy if some of Pettersson’s salary is retained by the Canucks and/or a third team, but what do you think a trade to the Canes would look like?

To clear the air first: this anon sent me this ask BEFORE the extension went down. I just have a little backlog and a pounding headache. Everyone who's still in my inbox, fret not, you WILL get answers, I promise.

So clearly Petey ain't getting traded no more. That being said, let's speculate under the cut what a Petey to CAR trade could have looked like. For science!

Science under the cut, woot! Okay, so. First off. No way Vancouver trades Pettersson before the playoffs at its current state. Teams expected to be Cup contenders do not trade off their star centers in the middle of the season. Much more likely would have been a trade prior to or during free agency to send his rights to Carolina. (Petey is still an RFA at the end of this season, so his rights are easily flipped.)

Now, what would that trade look like? Pettersson is a franchise player. The price tag on him should reflect that value. We know Carolina's offer was "overwhelming", but Sebastian Aho (the lesser) was not involved in any such offer. So, here's my guess.

I think the talk started with Nikishin and Necas. Nikishin, if you don't know, is widely regarded as Carolina's top prospect, an LD who plays in the KHL and whose rights are thus indefinite. There's no guarantee he would ever come stateside, however, which drops his value significantly. If he does, though, he is touted as NHL ready from the jump. Necas is a center who often plays wing and has been a Cane for several seasons now, scoring 71 points last season. I mostly know him from Canes twitter always going "can't spell Canes without Necas" whenever he does anything. Annoying.

As "untouchable" as Nikishin is claimed to be, this alone doesn't get it done at all. There was almost certainly at least one first-round pick involved, probably multiple, and perhaps a few later-round picks or lower-tier players and prospects as well.

So could it have been Nikishin's rights, Necas, CAR 2024 1st, CAR 2025 1st? Maybe. Maybe a second in there too. But there's another intriguing piece available, one that could certainly blow away Allvin and co. And no, I'm not talking about Kotkaniemi. He's kind of a bust and we all know that.

What if the overwhelming part of the offer... was Svech?

Okay, I know. Svechnikov is one of the Canes' best offensive players, a premier power forward when he's healthy. Emphasis, however, on "when healthy". Dude gets hurt. A lot. In the last five seasons including this one, he has played over 70 games only once and has not broken the 70 point mark. It's not great. That being said, if you can keep him healthy, you have an offensive dynamo. There's definitely a level left to be unlocked there.

Would Waddell move one of his best forwards for Pettersson? Who knows. Go big or go home, right? Zito did the unthinkable two years ago with the Tkachuk trade, selling a 100+ point winger and a franchise defenseman for Tkachuk, and see how well that ended up for Florida. (And how badly for Calgary.) Could Waddell have tried a similar trade?

To review, the Tkachuk trade was:

To FLA: Matthew Tkachuk, 4th round pick

To CGY: Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt [prospect], 1st round pick

Could the Pettersson trade have been:

To CAR: Elias Pettersson, 4th round pick

To VAN: Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, Alexander Nikishin [rights], 1st round pick

?

Who knows. But what's certain is that it spooked Petey enough to re-sign in Vancouver.

[ladyazzyscoffeecorner]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged in this from @crossroadsdimension

If I need to re-edit this to credit someone, please let me know. Tumblr is a strange place for me and I'm still learning.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

33 works and hopefully counting!

2. What’s your total word count? 92,157 published on Ao3. It's closer to 110,000 considering some of the backlog I have for two fics. I really want to get back to writing some more but life has lifed.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Predominately Tales of Arise, the Tales of Series (Symphonia & Vesperia <3), a smattering of Persona 5 fics, and one Final Fantasy 16 fic with a multi-chapter planned burning a hole in my pocket I want to finish and then begin posting. I have no doubt this list will grow the longer I write and post.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

What's Included in a Promise (175 kudos, Tales of Arise), Is the Coffee Hot or Cold? (160 kudos, Tales of Arise), Fighting Spirit (70 Kudos, Tales of Arise/Tales of Symphonia), Paperwork (62 kudos for the lone FF16 oneshot) and lastly, Law (50 Kidos, Tales of Arise)

5. Do you respond to comments? Always!

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Side Quest Blues, is a Tales of Arise canon compliant very short one-shot. I like my happy endings as much as I like my tragedies but I definitely skew towards writing happy.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm probably my ToA Modern AU, although that is three separate stories with an overall happy ending that timing-wise happens in the second fic in the series? Does that count?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have yet to get hate on my fics and my fingers are crossed it stays that way.

9. Do you write smut?

Nothing published and only an experiment. I doubt that I'll ever post anything.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Technically yes! If you count crossovers between different Tales of games. Crossovers have been love of mine for a very long time <3

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I feel like this would either be a labour of love done by myself or someone asking (and if so I'd be honoured).

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Never co-written a fic but I have been a part of a collab with the Keep The Flame Alive Discord server! This Magic Burns My Soul

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Does my marriage count?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Zephyr lives. I'd love to write more of it! But that's almost a whole freaking re-write of the game tweaking canon events, which considering I plan to do so with What's Included in a Promise? I feel my soul want to leave my body. I should have one-shotted this one. Thank You For Being My Home

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ooooo. I want to say character interactions and dialogue. But I also know that I've done excellent scene work. The subtly of characters interacting with others or their world? Hmmmm I live for that writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting. World Building. Remembering to describe more than just the characters. I get a little too invested sometimes and have to remember there is a world the characters live in, not just their immediate surroundings or dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I think you should at least learn some of the language you're writing dialogue in if you do not already speak it, OR have someone who speaks/writes it willing to review the translation you want to use. Google Translate only gets you so far.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh. Oh I feel old now.

In the before times many many years ago when I was a new face to the interwebs, it was probably Naruto. Do I have those fics or files? Absolutely not. They died with an old computer that will never see the light of day again.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Dad!Duke, my Tales of Vesperia one-shot. But it is tied with Fighting Spirit because without Fighting Spirit introducing me to one of my best friends, the idea of Dad!Duke wouldn't have existed. But it is the fic I get some of my favourite comments on.

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Bowser's Castle Chapter 8: Don't Need Saving

[A/N] I said I wanted to update again at the end of January or start of February and I am! Yay! Even despite the fact that I don't have as much of a backlog as I would've liked before posting another chapter. But I kept my sort of promise and I am working on this fic again, just slowly because it's not my main project. So when's the next chapter going to come out? I have no idea. It might be a while though if I decide I want to get a good backlog of chapters going again before updating so don't hold your breath. I'm excited to be working on this fic again though.

~

“We’ve managed to cast basic protections over the castle. Of course, making exceptions for our boos and dry-bones is something we’re still working on. I have also found a suitable candidate to spy on the Boo Kingdom, ready to be seen by you at your leisure, sir.”

As Kamek spoke Bowser paced in what little space the secret room behind the throne room had to offer. He stopped now to look at Kamek, standing in front of the part of the wall that turned into the door. “That’s it?” It’d been more than a week since the whole thing with Luigi and King Boo, Bowser had expected more. “He didn’t show up at all?”

“I would’ve informed you if he had.”

If it were Bowser, he’d have gone for vengeance the next day. … Maybe that was why he struggled to properly enact his vengeance so much though. Perhaps taking time to properly plan and do whatever King Boo was doing was the way to get things done. … Nah! He’d lost to Luigi three out of four times, not a good win rate at all. Bowser’s way was still clearly superior. King Boo was not only being a fool in whatever patient planning he was going for he was also being a pain. Bowser wanted his easy victory sooner rather than later; he was starting to get bored of this.

“Damn coward.” With a huff Bowser started pacing again. Why had he decided to hold this meeting here again? It’s not like a spy overhearing it would have anything useful to pass on to anyone. “Send the boo spy to me tomorrow around noon.” He wasn’t in the mood to deal with that right now.

“Noted. Now, out of curiosity, how goes your plan with Luigi?”

Bowser stopped pacing again to looking properly down at Kamek. “You’ve seen it so you tell me.” He may have originally invited Luigi to dine at his table purely on a whim but it had proved to be a genius move in that it had set a precedent to invite him every night. After being fed such great food and treated like a high-ranking minion, Luigi had to be so thoroughly on Bowser’s side by now he’d probably be almost willing to betray Mario.

“I still have my doubts and believe you’re being friendlier with him than is wise. Even if we did save him and even if he is now officially your minion, he’s still Mario’s brother and thus not to be trusted.” No doubt that’s why he’d asked the question because he’d wanted a chance to say that. He almost never agreed with Bowser’s intuition about people and always went out of his way to make that known. Yeah sure, he was often right, but this time he was wrong. “Letting him stay at the castle is one thing but having him dine with us and letting the kids talk to him unsupervised as much as they have been may not be a good idea. It puts him in a good position to spy on us even more than whatever spy the Mushroom Kingdom already has watching us.”

Maybe he had a point but Bowser had already made his decision. “I have it under control.” During the occasional run in and sub-sequent conversations they’d had, Bowser was careful not to reveal anything important – he always was when it came to practically everyone except for Kamek and sometimes the kids. Rarely was anything important discussed at dinner. And the kids were all smart enough to know not to tell secrets to just anyone… probably anyway.

Kamek was silent for a few seconds before replying. “Of course you do. Your people skills are as sharp as your spikes, Your Royal Astuteness. Now sir, if we’re done here, I have work to get back to.”

“Yeah, yeah, dismissed.”

With a wave of his wand Kamek vanished in a puff of smoke. Bowser took a step towards the secret door, lifting a hand to open it but paused before actually doing so. His spikes weren’t sharp; maintaining them as such was more effort than he was willing to put in. Did Kamek know that though? … Maybe not, they did look sharp after all and thus it was an easy assumption to make.

With a shrug, he opened the door and stepped out. He waited for the wall to finish closing behind him before stepping out from behind the throne’s dais. He intended to keep going and head off to take his boredom induced frustration out on something but paused instead as his eyes met the goomba’s standing in the middle of the room. It was too late to pretend he hadn’t seen them either, they were already rushing over.

“Lord Bowser sir! Mario’s here! He said he’s come to save his brother. But E. Gadd’s here too and said not to worry about him and that he would make sure he didn’t cause trouble. We weren’t sure what to do and they were insistent about being let in and E. Gadd’s never been barred entry before so we let them in. Captain sent me to tell you but that was a while ago because no one could find you so I don’t know what’s going on anymore.” They spoke so fast it was almost hard to understand their words especially as they hopped from to foot during their whole spiel.

Normally Bowser would’ve been furious to learn that Mario had been just let into the castle basically uncontested. This time though he had a surprise weapon. It was a bit earlier than he would’ve liked but whatever, King Boo was failing to show up to finish being dealt with while Mario had delivered himself to his doorstep. He’d gladly accept the opportunity to rub Luigi being on his side and his minion in Mario’s face. “I’ll handle it.”

***

The green dress did actually look good on Luigi, better than Peach’s. He’d never had a problem with wearing dresses but also he’d never had one fitted specifically for him. It made more of a difference than he would’ve thought both in terms of how it looked as he examined himself in the newly added full-length mirror and how it felt on his body as he swiveled the skirts a bit. It was comfortable and looked good. He’d have to thank the tailors later when he…

The bedroom door slammed open. He yelped, already gathering his skirts up so they wouldn’t trip him as he ran away from the danger even as he turned to look at it.

“Luigi!” Mario shouted as he jumped in.

Letting out a heavy shaky breath, Luigi relaxed as Mario ran over to give him a hug. They’d talked on the phone almost every day but it somehow felt like a long time since they’d last seen each other in person.

“I’m here to rescue you!” Mario said as he stepped back, grabbing onto Luigi’s wrist to try to tug him towards the door.

Luigi pulled back. “I don’t need saving.” He’d already been saved.

Mario scowled but obediently let go of Luigi’s wrist for now. “It’s Bowser though, Bowser.”

“We’ve been over this.” Several times on the phone until Mario had seemed to drop but apparently he’d only been biding his time until he got here in person to bring it up again. “But, uh, now that you’re here in person I can finally tell you…” Luigi took a step closer and leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I was thinking that I could spy on him for you.” Bringing up his vague idea to convince Bowser to be better likely wouldn’t be met favorably by Mario and thus there was no need to bring it up when things were already this tense. “So that I’m not being totally useless while hiding here. I think I’m actually in a good position to…”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

Despite his initial relief Luigi was already tense again and had to struggle to keep a calm demeanor. “Leaving is what’s too dangerous. King Boo’s still out there. And he’s mad at me still… even more than before. If I leave he’ll get me for sure.”

“No, no.” Mario shook his head as if to emphasis his point. “We know what to expect now so we can fight him off when he shows his face again. You don’t gotta rely on Bowser and Kamek.”

“We already talked about…”

A familiar bark cut him off, making him jump to look at the door again. Polterpup barked again before rushing over to zip around Luigi and Mario in a circle a few times before lifting his paws up onto Luigi in demand of pets. Which he got of course even if, seemingly unlike him, Luigi hadn’t gotten over their last encounter. Obviously the bite had been for King Boo but it had still hurt and even now still wasn’t fully healed yet. He was a good boy though, deserving of a bone if only Luigi had one.

“Hey, sonny.”

Once more Luigi’s gaze was drawn to the door. E. Gadd now stood within it, breathing heavy as he leaned into the door frame. “Your bro sure can run fast, huh? Almost as fast as you when you’re fleeing from ghosts.” He chuckled as if that were funny. “Anyway, I brought Gooigi too, as promised.” He stepped into the room, allowing Gooigi to step in behind him. They raised their hand in a greeting as well.

Luigi returned it. “Hey. It’s good to see all of you. I missed you guys.”

“I brought the Poltergust 3000 that you had stored in your room, safe from King Boo’s wrath.” E. Gadd went straight over the bed pulled it off his back to plop it down on the bed. “I would’ve liked to bring the upgrade I was working on and was almost done with but it was in my lab so it’s a small piece of the mess in there now. We will have to make due with this old model.” His tone typically quite jolly grew a bit bitter with those words. “My lab being in such a state also means however that I don’t have any other ghost hunting or even detecting equipment. We’ll have to depend solely on Kamek for a bit. Which shouldn’t be a problem. Knowing him, he’s probably been…”

“No,” Mario interrupted again. “I already told you, I’m gonna convince Luigi to come back home with us.”

“And I already told you I’m not going back yet. I’m safer here.” He was thoroughly convinced of it now. During dinner and while hanging out with the Koopa Kids he’d overheard or straight up been told of the preparations Kamek and the magikoopas were taking to defend the castle from King Boo. It wasn’t exclusively for him of course but because Bowser had angered King Boo and that likely meant King Boo would attempt vengeance on him too. Knowing the castle would be attacked wasn’t a pleasant thought but if he left, he’d be exposed and hunted down for sure. At least here he had a chance. “And… and I know I’m a coward but… I don’t… I, I can’t face him again. I just can’t.”

Honestly, he'd always felt that way and had only done so to save Mario. Now though, it was even worse than before because what if King Boo possessed him again? Maybe expecting it, he’d be able to fight it but… could he really win in any mental battle against King Boo? Probably not. And then, having been forced out once, King Boo would likely be far more careful not to end up in such a situation again. Dooming Luigi to his whims until he decided he had enough fun and either killed or put Luigi in a painting.

“And you won’t have to,” E. Gadd said, the bitterness gone from his voice. “With Kamek’s help I’m sure we’ll have King Boo under control as soon as he dares show his face here. So really Mario, there’s no need to make a fuss.”

Mario shot him a glare before turning a concerned look onto Luigi. “Is this about how I couldn’t do anything? All those times you saved me from King Boo and then when you needed my help against him I…”

“You couldn’t do anything but I could.” It was Bowser coming through the door now, wearing a smug grin that grew as Mario turned to look at him. Bowser walked right past him, placing himself next to Luigi before turning to face him. “I saved Luigi after you failed to.” He put a large hand on Luigi’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “And now he’s my loyal minion.”

Mario’s face grew red with held in anger as he clenched his fists and glared up at Bowser. “I… I… thank you for saving my brother. But he’ s not your minion and I’m not going to let you keep him locked up here. Is that why you want to stay, Luigi? He’s making you?”

“No.” Nor was he staying because he was afraid of what Bowser might do to him if he left. “And as I was telling you earlier before you interrupted me, I, uh, am kind of Bowser’s minion now.” He winked, hoping Mario would get it because he liked his little plan to spy and maybe convince Bowser to stop being a bad guy. He was a weak coward but he was determined not to be useless any longer.

Bowser chuckled triumphantly, his hand still on Luigi’s shoulder, jostling him slightly. He was surprisingly not being overly rough though. Luigi could probably easily escape his grasp if he wanted to. There was no need to yet though.

Mario took a step back. “That’s dangerous.” At least he got it though and didn’t assume Luigi actually meant he agreed with the idea of being Bowser’s minion. “Far too dangerous.”

“I assure you he’s perfectly safe with me.” The smugness in Bowser’s voice and possessive hand on Luigi’s shoulder was a good reminder that this was indeed dangerous. He was clearly viewing Luigi as a pawn here to get to Mario and that wasn’t a position any wise person would relax in. But regardless Bowser had already proven himself to be not as bad a guy as he seemed so...

“Yeah. I’ll be fine here. Trust me.” Luigi put more confidence into his words than he felt right now but he was staying here no matter what so he was going to do his best to enact his plan too.

Mario flexed his hands, his gaze going from Bowser to Luigi and back again. “I can’t stay here with you to help protect you though.”

That was downside but there was no choice. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”

And with that all of the fighting spirit seemed to finally drain from Mario as he let out a heavy sigh. “Okay. But you,” he pointed at Bowser, “you’ll pay if you ever hurt him, got it?”

Bowser chuckled again even louder and more triumphantly than before. “I’d like to see you try.”

Mario’s only response was to take a deep breath before turning and marching out. Probably for the best otherwise a fight between him and Bowser would likely break out sooner rather than later.

“Ha-ha!” Bowser patted Luigi on the back. “That went even better than I thought it would. Keeping you around was the best idea I ever had.” He stepped back at last, moving to the door as well; his business apparently done here. “That dress looks good on you by the way, be sure to wear it tonight during dinner.” And with that, he was on his way out too.

“Hmm… that went well.” Whether E. Gadd was being sarcastic or not was hard to tell as his tone and expression remained jovial. “I should probably be off too, got to talk to Kamek about our now shared ghost problem. I’ll leave Gooigi and the Poltergust here though in case you need them.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. See you later, sonny.” Unlike the other two when he left he had the manners to close the door softly behind himself.

With a sigh, Luigi looked around the room. Polterpup had run off somewhere, probably chasing a ghost scent or something. That was perfectly all right though, he could use some quiet time with just Gooigi as company. He’d have to catch up with Mario later but for now he should probably show Gooigi around and make sure they knew that Bowser’s boos were temporarily on their side and thus not to be vacuumed up.

[writers-ex]

hi you're back!! idk what happened, i don't wanna know as well but i'm sending you a huuug 💗 and hopefully you saw my ask about how to deal with nosy anons and found it helpful for you 💗

in celebration of me getting closer to finishing my backlogs (and claiming that I get all of it done today whew): a request! the one with the song stuff hihihi although i'll let you choose between two because i have lss from a lot of songs these days 🤧

A. Fluff!

song: I Feel Good by BINI

lyrics: *those in bold aren't sung in English*

"I feel good everytime that I'm with you, my eyes won't stray from you oh, oh, don't ever wanna part, even if I'll have to wait for you forever. Oh wait! turns out I can't wait anymore, I'm so eager for your love, and all emotions start to get real oh boy I love how you make me feel. It feels unbelievable, Cupid shot me, whenever you're there everything feels lighter yeah yeah"

idk but this song (and mv phew - it's a feast for my eyes lmao) is so colorful and fun it makes me feel like i'm also in love 😅

B. Angst :(

songs: Maharani (Great Queen)by Alamat and Hanggang Sa Huli (Until the End) by SB19

lyrics:

Maharani - "he doesn't understand what he's wasting, while I'm over here just waiting, like your numerous other suitors by the sides, I promise I'm not going crazy, you're my only Great Queen - will you give me a chance, if ever I might attain your love? Queen, let me be your King, I swear to god I'll never get tired of you, Great Queen"

Hanggang Sa Huli - "if our paths cross, then we're meant to be. Had I said everything then, would things be different now? With every breath, I pray that I could be with you. And if this is our last moment together, I want you to know that I love you, I love you, I love you"

okii I'm leaving it in your hands, hope you feel the vibe of the songs and get those creative juices flowing ang and and have fun with whichever prompt you wanna do!! don't forget to eat well todayyy 💗

- 😚

ok the girls in the MV are so cute and this at home arts and crafts vibe is so cute uwu so i thought of doing domestic things with lia bc yes like its a rainy day and you're both stuck at home so what better thing to do than use the paint set you bought a while ago and paint your jeans together to match each other while lia attempts to bake some cupcakes to watch a movie together however you panic and almost spill paint on the couch when you hear her cry out, running to the kitchen yuo see her sucking her finger that she managed to burn taking out the cupcake pan from the oven without gloves T_T so you kiss and wrap her boo-boo and start scolding her when she cheers and points out the window to show that the rain has stopped and a rainbow graces your window making you look at your shy girlfriend smiling before pulling each other into a soft kiss whispering how much you loved each other

the angst- its a bit dark for even my standards the mv actually made me think of arriving too late to stop yeji from leaving the office after your heated argument about a project you were both working on, she storms out furious and heads home but turns around to hear you calling out to her and…fails to notice the car turning the corner and hitting her, screaming you rush over to her bleeding body her face frozen in shock as the color drains from her face as she stares into your eyes, you plead and beg for her to hang on but its too late she can't hear your apologizes and i love yous as her body goes limp leaving you at the crossroad while the ambulance drives over too late T^T damn now im sad

[corvus--rex]

I don't like resolutions usually since they end up feeling so forced. So I'm not doing that, but what I am doing is instead of saying "I'm going to do xyz this year", I'm promising myself that I'm going to work on finishing things - ie, working through the backlog of yarn, sewing, cleaning, etc projects, and also all my unfinished fics that have been just sitting there half-done.

That said, I've started going through my wips folder and realized that I actually have almost half of the next chapter of Here Come the Vultures already done. I've mentioned it a few times as this is the chapter with ~1350 words dedicated to just their clothes (send help). It's probably not going to be finished for a little while, but I'm posting the first part here anyway.

The first two chapters are up on ao3 here, and the accompanying, basically unedited (and fuck does it need to be), oneshot is here. There are already two songs in this chapter, Combustion and Tragedy of the Commons. Also I do have links/reference photos of their outfits if anyone's interested

☆・* ♪ *・☆

The next outfit change went as smoothly as it could.  Keith was clinging to Lance, and Shiro was flirting with Adam, but it was still successful.  The last part of the day was the one Allura had the most anxiety over.  The fourth, and final, shoot was for their tour outfits.  They would be doing the main promo shots for the tour while in what they would be wearing on stage during the actual shows.  While they all personally picked out and bought what they were wearing, Allura kept their outfits at Oriande under lock and key until leaving for the tour.  This was the first time the six saw their clothes in person, and would be one of the last until the tour actually started.  Back in the dressing room, every section had a black garment bag and shoebox waiting for each member of Castle of Lions.  The room was silent except for the sounds of clothes changing for the next few minutes.  Even when they were done, no one left their dressing areas, taking in their new outfits.

“I, um…I am never taking these off,” Keith said to the sound of a soft swish of fabric.

When Pidge had first opened her garment bag, everyone heard, “I like this even more in person.”  A few minutes later, “Oh.  I really like this even more in person.”

A soft shifting of chains came from Matt.  “Ooh, nice.”

Shiro was still getting dressed and making frustrated grumbling sounds.  “How in the absolute fuck…ah.  Got it.”

“Oh, this is even comfier than it looks,” Hunk said appreciatively.

Lance stomped on the floor once, making chains somewhere on him rattle, and giggled.  “I Love that.”

Allura came back after what she had thought was more than enough time to find the main dressing room empty.  “Aren’t you six dressed yet?” she asked.

“Oh.  Shit.  Sorry.  I think we all got distracted,” Lance said.

All six members of Castle of Lions walked out of their dressing areas at the same time, looking each other over when they gathered in a loose circle.

Hunk always favored practicality with his fashion.  His hooded sleeveless top was a textured black, leather accents at the shoulders, antiqued brass rings and buckle on his right, all brought together by the front lacing.  He always wore shorts on stage, and these ones were covered in zippers and buckles, the cargo pockets featuring their own leather straps, studs, and rings, all of the metal hardware in the same antiqued brass as his top.  Finishing his outfit were thick-soled, combat-style boots that featured a pair of wide straps, their hardware in antiqued brass as well.

Beside Hunk was Matt, who had also opted for a lack of sleeves, although he cared far, far less for practicality.  A tight-fitting tank top sat under the mesh overlay, the solid black broken up by two diagonal lengths of lacing in bright silver chain.  Skin tight black pants had a subtle sheen to them, two exposed silver zippers over the right pocket, but it was the V-shaped lacing over both knees that made them out of the ordinary.  At their core, Matt’s boots weren’t dissimilar from Hunk’s, but where Hunk’s had two thick, buckled straps, Matt’s had five, all with bright silver buckles, complete with grinning skulls in profile.

Taking up Matt’s other side was Shiro.  His outfit was overall more subtle than either Matt or Hunk, and the details were far less likely to be noticed on stage.  At a distance, his top looked like not much more than a long-sleeved black tee.  Up close, the asymmetrical hem was obvious, as was the black lacing on both his right shoulder and left side from ribs to hem, and the fact that it was just a little sheer.  The more unique feature was at the bottom of the sleeves, which ended in a thumb hole and a sort of half glove up his index fingers.  Shiro kept his tight black jeans simple only featuring a patch with pewter D-rings on his right hip and a buckled strap around his right thigh that connected to a black chain which clipped to a belt loop.  All of the deceptive simplicity let his boots take the spotlight.  Knee-high black leather, three thin pewter-buckled straps, layered leather that swept up to his calf, and black leather lacing that stopped just below the top two straps.

Pidge was the most colorful of the band.  While her pants would be taken over her cold, dead body, she allowed herself to indulge in her secret love for dresses on stage.  This one was deep emerald velvet, black spaghetti straps disappearing into the black ruffled trim along the neckline.  The skirt ended at mid-thigh, but the deep, black lace trim brought it almost to her knees.  Her favorite lace-trimmed black velvet choker fit perfectly, as did the black and green spiderweb-patterned, elbow-length fingerless gloves topped with wide buckled straps.  One thing she would never compromise on were her shoes.  Giant chunky 10cm heels and thick platforms every time.  It was no different for the knee-high black leather boots with full lacing and three buckled straps that finished off her outfit.

Lance stood between Pidge and his mate.  Much like Hunk and his shorts or Pidge’s boots, Lance had his own signature piece.  For him it was black damask dress shirts – which started when Keith once told him just how damn good he looked in them.  Like every other one he owned, this one had been tailored to his broad shoulders and narrow waist.  It was left untucked with a pair of points dipping down at both the front and back.  The long sleeves echoed those points, finishing the deep, turned cuffs.  Lance usually went for the more traditional button-down, but this one had a zipper, intentionally left partially open and exposing his collarbones and the tattoo-wreathed mating mark that sat just above them, blue-highlighted black wrought iron curling and twisting around the scar Keith left there two years earlier.  His flair for drama continued with tight black pants with lacing from hem to thigh up the right leg, more lacing on his left hip, and a leather buckled strap wrapping all the way around the same thigh.  Rounding out his outfit were black combat-style boots like Hunk and Matt, with a pair of buckled straps, but it also revealed where the rattling had come from – several heavy pewter chains wrapping the back of each boot, just for that little extra bit of chaos.

Completing the circle was Keith.  Narrow, grommeted leather bands that ran from hem to left shoulder framed the cutout and made up half of the wide v-neckline of his black light, woven cotton top.  He’d picked it even knowing that its long sleeves were inevitably going to be pulled up under the heat of the stage lights, despite the lacing that ran 4 inches up from the bottom of each sleeve, and that the leather and pewter left shoulder weren’t going to make it any better.  Inside the cutout was a layer of sheer black under distressed deep red lace, black lacing crossing over and connecting the bands.  The lower neckline showed off his own mating mark, wrapped in a similar tattoo to his mate’s, the more lace-like wrought iron design highlighted in a deep rose-violet.  Individually, most of the components of Keith’s black painted-on jeans were nothing out of the ordinary for him.  Three buckled straps, one the the thigh, two around his calf, exposed side zipper with spiked studs and dangling zipper pull, and the fact that the pants themselves were shredded, not just ripped, were all things that could be seen on any number of his extensive collection.  But these had, attached to a narrow belt threaded through a second set of beltloops that sat just below the usual ones, a pleated half-skirt that wrapped around his left hip and fell to the knee.  Not much could top that, and he kept it simple with his choice of footwear.  Black leather ankle boots, with two studded straps, studded heels, and a 3cm platform and its 8cm heel completed his outfit.

They all looked each other over appreciatively, some more so than others – Lance and Keith could not take their eyes off each other.  The rest of Castle of Lions ignored them, while Allura had gone back to the interview schedule for the rest of the week.

Lance took a step into Keith’s personal space, something that didn’t exist when it came to his mate.  “Fuck, you look good.”

“Yeah?” Keith answered, closing the distance, “So do you.”

“Oh my god,” Pidge groaned, no longer able to ignore them, “You’re practically eye-fucking each other.  Save it for later.  Way.  Later.”

“Aw, you’re no fun, Pidgey,” Lance said, not looking away.  He slipped his hands around Keith’s waist, nuzzling his omega’s mating mark, despite the scent blocker.

The purr that rolled out of Keith was a soft rumble, the interested and inviting hum that accompanied it anything but innocent.  He slid his hands up his alpha’s chest and around his neck, and pulled Lance in for a kiss, the taste of a promise on his lips.

Shiro’s voice broke them apart.  “Oh for fuck’s sake.  Do I really have to pull you two apart like horny teenagers?”

“Nothing you haven’t threatened before,” Keith shot back although any heat in his voice was muffled by Lance’s neck.

“Alright, last shoot.  And if we want to end on time, we need to go now,” Allura said then turned and left the room, not waiting.

Keith refused to let go, even when Pidge, Hunk, and Matt all followed Allura.  He squawked indignantly at his brother’s arms around his torso, pulling him away from his mate.  Shiro didn’t stop, holding Keith off the floor, leaving him to hang there, looking every bit like a disgruntled cat.  Lance, of course, found this hilarious, but took pity on his mate, rescuing Keith from Shiro.  Keith sent a pathetic scowl Shiro’s way, wrapping himself around Lance as they left to catch up with the others.

They missed the first few quiet notes filtering down the hall, nearly running into their bandmates who had stopped at the end of the corridor.  But then they heard the next echoing chords, what they knew were two different guitars playing together in perfectly synchronized tandem, a keyboard setting the stage.  The seven of them fanned out, Keith tucking himself against his mate, all watching the video playing of a concert from their last tour.

Lance was closer to the center of the stage and Keith, who held his own blood red and black guitar.  As the music picked up, another stage light came on, illuminating more than just the matepair, Shiro emerging from the shadows.  The other lights gradually came on, revealing Hunk, Matt, and Pidge.  Keith and Lance alternated between playing together and separately.  When asked later, they said that that part wasn’t the most difficult.  The hardest part came when all six of them played in total synchronicity, each part keeping perfect time with the others.  Keith picked up the melody, switching off with Lance not long after, leaving his alpha to finish the song.

The few seconds of silence between the end of one song and the beginning of another was filled with the roaring scream of the crowd, quieting when the first notes began.  Keith’s smoky vocals quickly joined the instrumentals.  Unlike the last song, he returned to his usual show behavior, wandering the stage, never staying in one place for long.  The rest of Castle of Lions joined in for the backup vocals during the chorus, but the crowd exploded again at the beginning of the third verse when Matt stepped up to provide the growling lyrics.  The song began its path to the end, Keith repeating the second half of the chorus, Lance layering over him as that section was split in half.  The video stopped only seconds from the end when Adam and Curtis realized they were no longer alone in the studio.

[makeitastrength]

Love your oneshots and Chenford fics! Do you take prompts but also are you working on anything currently?

Hey anon! I do take prompts, feel free to send them my way and I’ll see what my brain can come up with. I’m sometimes kind of slow (currently have a couple that have been in my inbox for 2 months, oops), but I promise to make my best effort at all of them eventually!

Currently I am working on my backlog of prompts. If you follow me on AO3, I have two one-shot collections I’m working on which is where I’m putting all these prompts once they’re written. One is a set of missing moments (meaning scenes we didn’t see on the show, but that were alluded to), and the other is future Chenford relationship moments. I’m almost done with a couple of them, hoping to publish at least one in the next week 🙂