#and I stretch and reach A LOT but genuinely that’s actually a major reason why I’m at this point rn LOL | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

r0yalgrimmartz · 11 months

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Because I couldn't be ARSED to sketch all of them and I tend to sketch Kore a lot, here's a list of all my yugioh gx ocs (one I have rambled on and on so much about I'm beating a dead horse at this point but hey ho), so you'll see them sketched at some point eventually.

✨️Kore Markos✨️

Height: 5'1" / 154.94 cm

Age: 15 around early seasons then like 18 ofc in last season.

Dorm: Ra Yellow

Info: As previously mentioned, Kore is an enthusiastic, eager and energetic person who aspires to be an amazing pro duelist once she graduates. A bit of a stretch but she is absolutely determined to hopefully reach the pro leagues. She is inspired by her older brother (Riley Markos) to follow that dream goal, and prove that she can be just as much as a great duelist like him. She thinks the world of her brother, and looks up to him majority of the time when she goes to Duel Academy. Granted, hanging around a certain little snobby and arrogant looking goth might just have some influence on her. Is actually quite impulsive at times, even with her emotions as well, gets a bit overwhelmed easily so she may either lash out or get upset on odd occasions if she is extremely overwhelmed(learning to handle her emotions better sorta?). Tries to understand people's emotions depending on the mood in the room but she's not very great at picking up signals but she tries.

Fiercely loyal with her close friends and loved ones, will fight tooth and nail any day for them. I mean, will literally do anything for them. One time her friend Hanae was getting bullied by some obelisk blue students...to which Kore then proceeded to later that night set a komodo dragon loose in the boy's obelisk blue dorm and cause them to run out in fear. That was a long night of evacuating majority of the frantic students out the dorm. And it was an even LONGER discussion in the Chancellor's office the next morning. Where did she even FIND the komodo dragon on the island?? We don't really delve into info like that. Nor do we know why she is expelled. But she does massively adore her loved ones and friends massively and holds them very close to her.

🧋Hanae Taistelija🧋

Height: 4'10" / 147.32 cm

Age: 15 around early seasons then like 18 ofc in last season.

Dorm: Ra Yellow

Info: Seems like the very basic tsundere type of character with being a bit mean, blunt and all, but genuinely she isn't a fan of majority of the people at Duel Academy. She has severe suspicions about everyone she'll meet(most of the time she's VERY distrustful towards guys for personal reasons). Hanae may seem more introverted, but talk about anything that relates to her interests, she becomes a big massive know it all. She certainly ain't the shy type. She will speak her mind no issue, even it she makes a lot of enemies because of it. She sees no point in keeping her opinions to herself - has gotten into arguments with a few students over certain topics. With what she lacks on height and physique, she'll certainly make up with arguing. Also, Hanae is very much a big know it all it can be quite obnoxious at times. She tries competing a lot not only in dueling, but even in school work. She has very high grades that she tries to keep consistent, and certainly doesn't slack with work. It's kinda why she's severely jealous because of Bastion, as she desperately tries competing against him with her smarts and dueling strategies (Bastion isn't even aware of this and doesn't even know she exists till like half way through season 1).

Despite being a big know it all and having severe distrust with most people she meets (yet somehow is very close friends with Kore and Miyu), she does try her best with fitting in with people. She finds it hard at times to even have small basic conversations with people when she barely has much social skills. She'll try and vent her frustrations with Kore and Miyu, but she still feels as if maybe there's something wrong with her. Kore and Miyu have been the only friends she has ever had, and they act more like family than her uncle ever is to her. It isn't clear with what Hanae wants to do once she graduates Duel Academy, but it seems like she desires anything but to wind up back home with her uncle.

Hanae also has a pet opossum in her dorm room she shares with Kore. Do any of the school higher ups know of this? Probably not. Also, massive boba tea obsession.

🍰Miyu Anastas🍰

Height: 5'8" / 172.72 cm

Age: 15/16 around early seasons then like 18 ofc in last season.

Dorm: Slifer Red

Info: Miyu is viewed upon first glance as someone who seems quite ditzy, which nobody assumes much from her. However, Miyu is actually a very social, outgoing and friendly person, almost managing to make a few other friend groups from different dorms. She also aspires to be a dueling teacher once she graduates, and hopes to be a great mentor figure. Miyu is someone who is very nurturing and mother hen like, being extremely protective over her friends (especially Kore and Hanae). She is absolutely hard working, and seems to always be doing something to keep her busy yet she'll always try and make time for othere inbetween. Ofc mom friend of the group, will encourage you to drink more water and make sure you have eaten plenty food, will scold you for staying up stupid o'clock in the morning, even make phone appointments for you if you have very bad anxiety. Definitely is the main person of the group who will order for the entire table and has no fear speaking to any waiter, etc. As a result, Miyu will chat with anyone and talk about anything with someone. She hates complete silence, or not interacting with people after a period of time, so she'll start up conversations a lot.

Despite her kindness and generosity, she sometimes will get that taken advantage of, which has lead to some friendships being cut off entirely. Like Kore, she is fiercely loyal, except she will threaten you if you dare harm or insult her loved ones or friends. Due to her height and slightly strong physique, she might not hesitate to punch if you went too far. But majority of the time she's quite a pacifist, but on the rare occasion she has had a long irritating and frustrating day, it will only take something so small for her to blow up entirely. Someone will end up getting the impact of it. But she will immediately apologise after for losing her temper, even though it might be out of nowhere, but it is very rare she gets extremely angry. Get good handsy with her inappropriately, she will stab you as a warning.

💎Cytherea Megami💎

Height: 5'5" / 165.1 cm

Age: 15/16 around early seasons then like 18 ofc in last season.

Dorm: Obelisk Blue

Info: Think of her personality being slightly mixed with early season 1 Chazz and season 2 Zane. Okay, now take that, add childhood neglect and excessive constant need to Duel in order to win and prove her worth. You have Cytherea Megami. Cytherea comes from a wealthy upper class background, having always had everything handed to her from the early age of birth. Cytherea may be spoiled, she she acts massively cold, mean and distant with everyone. She has a few "friends", yet they don't exactly mean anything to her. Cytherea is at Duel Academy to become a great pro duelist - to show off her dueling abilities and to also prove that she is worth something to her parents and that she doesn't need them. It isn't as clear to anyone why she duels so hard and works so much, but it seems to strain deep rooted in regards to her parents being mostly neglectful towards her growing up, pinning her off to Cytherea's personal maid (which Cytherea now funny enough views as family) as they seemed to be too busy with focusing on their work to even focus on Cytherea. This included missing out on almost a lot of her big events in her life, especially her big ice skating tournament. It took a toll on her, resulting in her just giving up on her dream of ice skating and leaning more towards dueling to let out her frustrations. She acts like she doesn't need their opinion, yet it seems like subconsciously she stills wants that deep validation from her parents.

Cytherea is viewed as someone people tend to fear. She will not hesitate to instill fear into anyone or stomp anyone out of her way. That was until a certain Ra yellow student (Kore obviously) was completely unphased by her cold and harsh demeanor, which infuriated Cytherea to no end. No matter what, Kore did not see her as a threat and...seemed to admire her and even stood up to her. Cytherea doesn't exactly know how to feel, but she simply views Kore as a very infuriating rival (much to Kore being somewhat oblivious) and wants to destroy Kore in a duel to show her who's top dog. Cytherea is massively unaware of how she actually feels about Kore, and subconsciously she actually enjoys being around Kore and the others, even though she assumes its a desire to destroy them. Cytherea also enjoys playing the piano alot, mainly thanks to her maid growing up who always acted like a main paternal figure. Doesn't see why Alexis is praised so highly as being top obelisk blue girl, but later in the season comes to terms with herself and somewhat becomes mellowed out.

💥Riley Markos💥

Height: 6'0" / 182.88 cm

Age: 17 in early season, 19 (pushing 20ish??) in last season.

Dorm: Obelisk Blue

Info: Riley is the complete 180 to his little sister Kore. While Kore seems more hyperactive and energetic, Riley just constantly has the face of absolutely fucking despising everyone around him and keeps massively to himself. Riley originally before he came to Duel Academy years earlier was a massive trouble maker, constantly getting into gangs and causing massive trouble (had police escort him home when he was like 13 for some slight vandalism - yes he was grounded for an entire year yet still managed to sneak out). Riley began wanting to turn his life around when he wanted to go to Duel acato prove to his friends he could probably end up in the pro leagues. He was of course laughed at that for that thought due to Riley's delinquent behaviour, but since he works on absolute spite he began pushing and pushing to prove he can get into Duel Academy. He started out as a Slifer Red student, till he managed to work his way through and get into obelisk blue in his second year. Since Riley comes from a not so well off background along with his sister, he wants to hopefully make it into the pro leagues primarily just to be able to make sure that his parents will not longer have financial troubles.

Despite being sent to Duel Academy at first to keep Riley out of trouble, Riley was certainly a very scrappy kid and got into many physical fights in his first year. Luckily he's mellowed out in his later years, realising he had to stick in and focus on his school work and dueling. He usually focuses on working out or boxing a lot to let out his frustrations. Due to his height and physique, he is definitely VERY intimidating looking. But, the problem rises when someone dares crossing Riley or mess with his little sister. They have wounded up with several broken ribs and a couple month long recovery. That being said, Riley is massively protective over Kore, mainly due to what happened with Kore in the past but he tries to refrain from intervening in her social life a lot as he doesn't want to come off as some "helicopter sibling", and especially doesn't want to act like their mother in regards to that. However, if you manage to befriend Riley (idk how you'd do it but congrats if you manage), he will become your ride or die brother. I mean it. He will be loyal to you. He is all about loyalty, and takes it very seriously. Have any bullying issues? He will take care of it. They'll be dropping out the next day or they are frightened to go near you. Need somewhere to stay for the holidays because you have trouble with family? You're more than welcomed to his home. His family is your family. However, break his trust and you are completely dead to him. Very much all about grudges.

🥀'Ilya Hadesu'🥀

Height: 5'9" / 175.26 cm

Age: 15/16 in early season (18 in last season??)

Dorm: Obelisk Blue

Info: Ilya is...unnerving. He hasn't done anything to warrant this, just...he seems unnatural. Granted, Ilya keeps to himself, has decently good grades, yet he seems like he isn't all there most of the time. He keeps to himself quite a lot. His unnaturally calm and quiet personality makes him come off as stand off-ish.

He does seem polite if he is spoken to, but he tends to come off as quite abrupt and blunt, as if he doesn't wish to talk to anyone. It isn't even clear to anyone what he wants to do once he graduates, granted it seems like he just showed up one day. Nobody seems really close to him, nor does he seem to even care to make connections. Granted, Kore has found some sort of interest in Ilya's mysterious behaviour and wants to try to befriend him(even if Chazz tells Kore to keep away from a "weirdo like him"). Ilya isn't exactly relevant till the end of season 2/beginning of season 3. For now he mostly lingers.

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God this was LONGER THAN EXPECTED FFS!!

But here's the basic info, tried to keep it as short as possible. Still need to sketch them but there's plenty of sketches so far for Kore. Now imma rest my wee little eyes and have a nap. I know I'll wake up later, re-read these rushed pieces of info and immediately kick myself for forgetting something!!

((EDIT - I apologise for the minor edits on this post, just certain stuff occasionally changing, adding, etc))

#they all need therapy #silly little goofy motherfuckers #my post #yugioh gx #yugioh #yugioh oc #ygo #ygo gx

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multifandom-onigiri · 2 years

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clotted cream and cookie odyssey being released into crk made me realize maybe the way I like characters is probably not that great.

Because I usually go off by personality and morality but then there’s this specific checklist that’s just based on a pattern:

My checklist !

- Is the character placed under immense pressure/high expectations?

- Does the character have issues with any of their parents or family members?

- Do they have identity issues?

- Are they seeking out a goal or course of action that may not be morally sound to fix an overarching issue but the person is in full belief that they are doing the right thing?

Congratulations! If you fit either a definite yes or 2+ possibly to any of these questions, you might be taking over the space in my brain.

#it’s super funny because like I had 0 intentions of liking Clotted Cream by his trailer #and then cookie odyssey Ch 1 came out #and after the first few days I was just ‘wait a minute’#and then I had brainrot for at least two weeks #and like everyone hated him so I’m just like I won’t say a word #I could have but being online has been stressing me out lately #and here we are #clotted cream and the Créme republic is turning out almost like I expected them to :)#depending on how this story goes I’ll probably be talking about clotted cream cookie more #also because clotted cream cookie reminds me of when phos from the manga houseki no kuni [spoiler] [spoiler]#‘how similar is this character to phos from houseki no kuni’ is not the way you want to be judging your characters btw #and I stretch and reach A LOT but genuinely that’s actually a major reason why I’m at this point rn LOL #sorry to anyone if you decided to read the tags

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jisungsplatforms · 3 years

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[Chapter V: Han Jisung, you irresistible young man!]

Pairing: Producer/Music Major! Han Jisung x Photographer! fem! reader

Genre: NSFW! Smut; non idol au, college au, strangers to lovers

Warnings: Mature Content! language, mentions of homicide (no one actually dies!), oral sex (m. rec) (yes again), exhibitionism

Chapter Word Count: 4.2k words

Taglist: @hyunjeongins @seungstarss @es-kay-zee @hyunjinsplaything @formidxble @freckledquokka @lbxgsunshine @cartierbin @solistired @rainbowmagicpixecorn @http-hyxnjxn @dwaebinnie @gothmingguk @minniehohos

Unable to tag: @kayannainsworth19

(want to be added? send an ask or a dm! <3)

“You’re evil,” Jisung pouted, pulling down on his oversized shirt to cover his still semi-hard on as the two of you walked down the hall. You snickered, enjoying the way he walked almost painfully.

“Sorry,” you grinned. “But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

“For you!” he cried. He leaned closer to your ear and hissed quietly, “You’re not the one who has a boner!” You quickened your pace, turning your head to throw a wink and a kiss. Jisung grumbled, awkwardly waddling faster to catch up to you. “Minx. You evil she-devil of a minx!”

“Hey, is it my fault you get horny easily?”

“Yes! It’s you, for fucks sake! Have you seen yourself?” he huffed. “You’re on my mind 24/7, do you even know how much you affect me?”

Your heart raced. You rolled your eyes and laughed him off, hoping that he wouldn’t notice your flustered expression. Scoffing playfully, you said, “Now that sounds like a you problem, doesn’t it?”

“Y/n~! Stop!” he whined.

You briefly glanced at his reddened face and sighed. “Okay, okay. Fine. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, promise.” You were about to enter the canteen until Jisung grabbed your wrist.

“I know how you can make it up,” he said with a somewhat timid look. He took a deep breath before stating more boldly. “Go on a date with me.”

Your eyes widened in shock. “Wh-what?”

“Let’s go on a date. After school. Tonight.” Jisung stared at you with a newfound determination meanwhile your face grew hotter and hotter by the second. You stared at his reddened face, contemplating, before sighing.

“What time?”

“Oh, what? Seriously?” he gaped. “Holy shit. YES!” He threw his fists up in the air, hollering. “Oh my God, fuck yeah!”

You couldn’t help but laugh as he rejoiced, despite the slight embarrassment you felt from the scene he was causing. Putting your hands on his shoulders, you camly shushed him with a smile. “Sorry, I was just—wow. I really landed a date with the hottest person I know,” he chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the top of his fluffy blond hair.

You giggled, moving his hand away from his head to hold it instead. “Better show up all dolled up for me, pretty boy.”

“Pff, I always look good, Y/n. What’re you talking about?” Jisung smirked, obnoxiously holding his head up high. You rolled your eyes at his playful arrogance.

“Watch it. I can change my mind anytime.”

“I know you won’t.” He brought your entwined hands up to his lips to kiss your knuckles. The rate of your heart beat increased, body tingling in adoration. Jisung smiled, letting go of your hand. “Gotta go now, I need to work on some stuff with Chan and Changbin today, but I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yup, see you soon!” You waved goodbye as Jisung walked away. He was only 5 steps in when he turned around and started walking backwards to speak.

“Tonight’s gonna be a surprise! Just be ready by 6, okay?” he called out.

“Okay!” You watched his retreating figure until he was halfway out of the hall. You walked happily into the canteen, thinking about your date with Jisung.

‘5:56pm’

It’s been 5 minutes since you’ve been mindlessly brushing the ends of your hair. Placing the brush back down onto your coffee table, you stood up to check your outfit on the reflection of the blackened TV screen for the umteenth time, bending down to sweep off any dust from your flowy pants. Now, you weren’t typically the type to obsess over your appearance, but tonight is certainly an exception, right? Grabbing the lip balm in your bag, you slathered on a thin layer of the sweet scented stick, smacking your lips together with a ‘pop’, and placed back inside. A notification went off from your phone. Recognizing the unique ringtone immediately, you hastily bent down to grab it.

1 new message(s) from Hannie Bear 🍯🧸

Hannie Bear 🍯🧸: im outside!

Me: Coming out now!

You rushed to the front door, grabbing your keys and switching off the lights in the living room in the process. You double checked everything in your apartment one last time before leaving.

“Hey.”

You jolted in surprise seeing Jisung leaning on the wall right in front of your door. “What the fuck, Jisung, you scared me!”

“Sorry,” he laughed, standing up straight. “I saw Hyunjin earlier and told him about our date. He looked pretty excited.”

“Yeah?” you said as you turned around to lock your door. “Is that why you were standing in front of my door like a creep?”

You giggled at Jisung’s incredulous expression. “I wouldn’t say ‘like a creep’ but yeah, he’s the reason why I found your apartment.”

“Still sounds like a creeper thing to do,” you teased. “I never told you exactly where I lived, that’s lowkey freaky.”

“Oh, uh...Sorry?”

You walked up to him, smiling at his embarrassed face. “It's okay. You’re cute so I’ll allow it.” Grabbing his hand, you led him to the elevator. “Let’s go?”

Jisung instantly smiled, walking fast so he can be the one leading you instead. “Mhm!”

Instead of driving or taking a taxi, the two of you walked. Not that you mind, at least the night was cool enough for you to not sweat. “So? Where are you taking me first?”

“Hey, didn’t I tell you tonight is a surprise?” Jisung grinned. “No questions, no doubting. Just trust me tonight.”

“Well, for all I know, you might be a murderer luring me out for my last night.”

“Please. If I was a murderer, I would’ve killed Hyunjin and Felix for stealing my cheesecake earlier.”

You snorted. “Wait, you like cheesecake?”

“Yup! And chocolate cake! God, I love those.” He looked at you excitedly. “I think it was my mom who got me into cheesecake? She isn’t the type to like sweets that much but cheesecake is the only dessert she genuinely loves.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I remember my brother and I used to go to the store a lot to buy it for her.”

“Cute,” you giggled. You walked a few more blocks before Jisung stopped you.

“Aaand...We’re here!” You looked past him to see a small Italian restaurant. The inside looked homey, not too extravagant, with only a handful of customers inside. It had a minimalistic vibe that you very much enjoyed.

You couldn't help but chuckle. “Cheesy” you joked. “Were you hoping we would ‘Lady and the Tramp’ this?”

“Oh my God,” he gasped exaggeratedly, “that would've been so cool! But no, I heard from Minho one time that you like pasta, so I did some research and found this comfy, and more importantly, affordable place!”

“Aww,” you cooed. “You did research for me?”

“Psh, of course I did! I wanted to impress you,” he said cockily. “So, are you?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Oh yeah, very much impressed.” You reached over to pat his leather jacket. “Especially with this sexy jacket you’re wearing.” Jisung turned bashful, fumbling with the zipper on his sleeve.

“What? Too much?” he chuckled stiffly. “Changbin actually helped me, believe it or not. He told me you’d find me irresistible if I dressed up like this.”

You took a step back to admire his outfit. From his blond hair nicely styled, to the black ripped jeans he wore that showed off his slender legs, to the runstar hike Converse he wore often. Oh yeah, this man is hot shit, you thought, biting your lip. You looked back up to seeing him fidgeting with his black mock-turtleneck with a flushed face. You giggled, gingerly placing a warm hand on his face so he could face you. “You look good, Sung,” you smiled softly, as opposed to the not-so-innocent thoughts running through your mind. “Changbin’s right, by the way. You do look irresistible.”

You grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. “But to be honest, I find you irresistible no matter what,” you winked flirtatiously, causing him to blush even more and smile giddily. You walked inside the restaurant, instantly catching the faint scent of cinnamon. Ooh Sweet… You stood near the door, waiting for a host to seat you. After 3 minutes, someone finally came by.

“Hello! I apologize for the wait, we’re just slightly short staffed tonight.”

“Felix?” you and Jisung said. Felix’s eyes widened, just realizing it was you two.

“Y/n? Jisung?” he gasped. “Hey! I didn’t know you guys were going out already.”

“We’re, well. Not official yet,” you said. “We’re still in the ‘talking’ stage, right?”

Jisung nodded, humming in agreement. “But this is still a date though.”

“Lit,” Felix cheered, fistbumping Jisung. “I’ll show you to your table now.” Your host led the both of you to the corner of the restaurant. As you sat on the chair, Felix handed you some menus.

“So my bros, I’m Felix, everybody’s favorite little freckled Aussie, and I’ll be your server for tonight.” He bowed like he would during a curtain call of a play.

“Your theatre side is coming out, Felix. Is it intermission now?” Jisung joked. You snorted while Felix rolled his eyes.

“Just give me your drinks for tonight.”

Without looking from the menu, you answered, “Water.”

“Just get me any soda you have, man. Thanks!”

“Aight. I’ll be back in 2 minutes to get your orders.” Felix walked back to the host stand to seat another set of customers. You sat in silence, skimming through your options on the menu.

“Didn’t know Felix worked here,” Jisung announced.

You shrugged. “Me neither. I guess that’s why he’s been so busy.” Another wave of silence hit the both of you. You calmly looked at the food presented on the pamphlet. However, Jisung couldn’t take the quietness.

“Remember that photography assignment you’ve been working on?” he paused, waiting for your acknowledgment. You hummed, making eye contact with him. “How is it?”

You grunted, stretching your back. “Honestly. It’s a lot harder than I thought,” you sighed. “I’ve taken countless photos already but none of them seem to resonate within me. I feel so...”

“Trapped? Blocked?”

You stared at him, the mood now oddly serious. “Yeah...Nothing seems to feel right. It’s like I’m missing something.”

“Man, I feel you,” Jisung sighed. “Lately I’ve been feeling that too. You know how many songs I’ve trashed cause they didn’t sound the way I wanted it to?”

“The life of an artist, am I right?” you joked tiredly. He nodded, patting your hand empathetically. From the corner of your eyes, you could see Felix walking back to your table. “Oh shit, Felix is coming back. Hurry up and decide what to get!”

Pain. That was all the two of you could feel.

Your head was on the table, clutching your full stomach. You looked up to see Jisung blankly staring up at the ceiling. Is he still breathing?

All of a sudden, he looked down at you, a smile beginning to form from the corners of his mouth. “You too?”

You groaned, the pain in your stomach coming back. “Why did we order so much goddamn food?”

“Go big or go home,” he weakly cried out, raising his fists up. You laughed in amusement, regretting it immediately after when your stomach started to ache again.

“Holy crap, we’re gonna die in here.”

“‘Least we’re dying happy?”

“Is—shit...A-are guys okay?” Felix asked, worriedly. The sight of your empty eyes greatly concerned him.

“Just had too much food. We’re good,” Jisung answered, giving him a thumbs up.

“Barely,” you muttered as you slowly lifted your head up.

“I wanted to ask if you guys wanted dessert but nevermind…” he eyed you both. You and Jisung made eye contact together before looking back at your friend.

“What’s the special?” you both asked simultaneously.

“Nuh uh. I’m not about to be responsible for your deaths. Go home!”

You pouted. “Come on, Felix. Don’t you love us?”

“Yeah, bro! We can take it, let’s go!”

“If I go to jail for potential homicide, I swear to God,” he sighed. “Fine. The special for tonight is a chocolate cheesecake sprinkled with shreds of Belgian chocolate.”

Both your eyes lit up. You looked back at each other as if you were speaking telepathically. Chocolate cheesecake?

“I’ll get you both only one slice!” Felix scolded. “If you guys need to puke, the restroom is down the hall behind you to your left.” Your freckled friend walked away, into the kitchen, as he glanced back at your drained forms.

“Gosh, now we’re really gonna die in here,” you whispered.

Jisung snorted as he hung his head back over the chair, “At least I’m dying with you.” You stared at his limp figure for a while before feeling the urge to take a picture. Grabbing your bag from the chair, you dug for your phone, finding it, then pulled it out. You swiped to the camera screen and took some candid photos of Jisung. “Hey, hey! Do it again!”

You looked up to see him pouting. “I know I’m handsome but if you wanted to take some pictures, you gotta tell me!” he said, sitting up and fixing his hair. You rolled your eyes, scoffing in amusement.

“Fine. Smile!”

Jisung smiled, winking as he threw up a peace sign. You took two pictures before looking up. “Okay, do something else now.” Now he pointed his index finger and thumb out, placing it under his chin. He winked again, now smiling with his teeth. Then, switching to another pose; he puffed his cheeks, hands cupping his face with his lips pursed. “One more.”

He switched from a cute pose to morphing his face into an ugly one. You laughed, “Gross!” The two of you took a couple more fun pictures together.

“Wow, I’m so handsome. Look at that,” he said. You were about to reply when you saw Felix walking back up to your table.

“Okay, bad news guys. I for real didn’t plan this, but we ran out of dessert.”

“Aww, seriously?” Jisung pouted, looking up at Felix.

He hissed, rubbing Jisung’s back. “Yeah, sorry guys. I guess chocolate cheesecake is in high demand here.”

You watched Jisung frown deepen more, slightly feeling bad. “We can go out to buy some, if you want, Sung,” you offered, holding his hand. He turned his hand so that he was able to hold it properly.

Sighing, he said whilst chuckling to lighten up his mood, “Nah. This is probably a sign for us to stop eating.” He let go of your hand, much to your dismay, and faced Felix. “It’s alright, dude. Maybe next time!”

“I feel bad,” Felix muttered. “I’ll make it up to you guys next time, promise!”

“It’s okay, Lix, it’s not your fault,” you said. “We’ll just get the check now then.”

Felix reached into his apron. “Yeah, here it is,” he said, handing you the black bill holder before walking away. “Sorry, again!”

As You were reaching for your bag to grab your wallet, Jisung stopped you. “I’m paying,” he announced. You gave him a stank look before swatting his hand away.

“I can pay too, you know?”

He refuted. “No, I’m a gentleman. That means me paying for our meal is the gentlemanly thing to do.”

“Equal rights.”

“My treat.”

The both of you tightly gripped onto the bill, death staring at one another. Neither were going to back down anytime soon. You stared hard at his face as he did the same.

“Okay, fine. Let’s compromise. We split the bill. Deal?”

Jisung hummed in thought. He was about to disagree until you pitched in. “I’ll let you pay a little extra?”

“Deal.”

You placed your split payment inside the bill holder and handed it to Felix. “Thanks guys, come back again soon!”

“Later, dude!”

“Bye, Lix!”

You walked out the restaurant, the bell on the door ringing as you left. You were about to take the path to your house until Jisung stopped you. “Park,” he whispered. “Let’s go to the park.”

You blinked, slightly off guard. “Okay…”

The walk to the park wasn’t too far, literally right across from the restaurant. It was a peaceful night, the cool breeze brushed past your bodies as you walked. Silence filled the air between the both of you; nothing but the wind and the sound of dirt crunching under your shoes was heard. The mood was...romantic. There was no one but the two of you in the area.

Your bodies brushed past one another every once in a while—more specifically, your hands. You wanted to say something when Jisung beat you to it. He shyly slid his hand into yours, watching you from the corner of his eyes, and smiled when you entwined your fingers together.

“Tonight was fun,” you said softly. You leaned closer to his body to rest your head on his shoulder. Jisung tightened his grip on your hand.

“Me too,” he whispered. “I just wish I can spend more time with you.”

“You see me everyday though?”

“Yeah, but like, I mean just you and me, alone; no one else. I—” he inhaled sharply. “I’m greedy, aren’t I?”

You looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

“I want to be with you all the fucking time, Y/n. It hurts when I’m without you. I feel alive when we’re together. It’s like, I feel like my world would stop if I don’t see you.” You were stunned. You could only listen quietly to his rant.

“God, I sound so possessive, that’s not what I was trying to aim for,” he panicked. “I don’t care if you’re with the guys, or anyone else, I know you're not the type to pull shit like that; I trust you. I just—fuck, why is this so hard?”

He stopped walking all of a sudden and pulled you away from the path, leading you 7 feet into the trees. In any normal circumstance, you would’ve been terrified. However, this was Jisung—and you knew it, somewhere deep down, that he would never do anything to hurt you. He let go of your hand and faced you. “Jisung?”

His heart pounded erratically, he didn’t know if he was on the verge of getting a heart attack. He felt overwhelmed. Having you standing right in front of him felt like a dream. He took a deep inhale in hopes of calming himself down. “I meant what I said this morning.”

“Wh-wha…?”

“You’re in my mind 24/7, Y/n. Everyday, I always think about you to the point I’m starting to think I’m going insane. Every text, every call, every time we talk, my heart feels like it might pop out. I can’t focus and I don’t know what to do about it!” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Every song I’ve written was about you. Every time I look at my phone, I feel so disappointed when I don’t see a text from you.”

Jisung steps closer to you, nearly pinning you to the tree behind you. “You’re my muse, Y/n. I-I don’t really know exactly what my heart wants but all I know is that, you’re the person I want to spend my entire life with. I think…” he paused to take another deep breath. You could feel your own heart stopping, blood rushing up to your face. “I love you, Y/n!” Jisung declared loudly.

You didn’t know if the loud sound of a heart thumping was yours or his. You were stunned, happy, and scared; millions of emotions were racing within you. Not finding the proper words for yourself, you grabbed his face and kissed him. Jisung whimpered in shock, not really expecting that reaction from you. However, he quickly pulled himself together and kissed you back, wrapping his arms around your waist. You stayed like that until the burning in your chest overpowered the burn of your hearts. You both gasped heavily, taking back in the air you lost.

“You know,” your warm breath tickled his lips. “I never did take it up for the boner I gave you this morning.”

Jisung blushed, remember the embarrassment from earlier. “Yes you did? Our date is—”

“Then this is your gift.” You slowly kneeled in front of him, caressing his thighs as you went down. Jisung watched in shock.

“I—whoa. H-Here? I-in public? Y/n, that’s—”

“Do you not want this?” you looked up, wanting his confirmation. Jisung’s breath hitched, he never would’ve thought he’d be able to see you like this just yet. He bit his lip and nodded. You smiled, kissing his hip, before undoing his pants. You slowly pulled his jeans and underwear down to his knees, his cock springing up and slapping his stomach. You found yourself drooling, finally seeing his cock in person.

Jisung groaned, the cool air hitting his dick. “Fuck…” You licked your lips then took him whole, catching him off guard. He moaned, his hand now gripping onto your hair. “Holy shit, Y/n!”

You bobbed your head, hollowing your cheeks, as you pumped whatever your mouth couldn’t take in. The man above you let out heavy breaths, trying his best not to moan so loud. That was, in fact, proven to be difficult for your mouth was just heavenly. He rested his forehead onto the tree, looking down at you. Regret filled Jisung’s chest, greeted with the erotic sight of your cheeks puffed out, his cock sliding in and out of your pretty mouth. He moaned loudly into his arm. You moved your other hand to fondle his balls, causing Jisung to buck his hip into your mouth.

“Fuck baby,” he moaned. “So good—ah! F-Feels so good, shit!” He threw his head back, covering his mouth to mask his noises. His ragged breathing sounded absolutely delicious. You took his dick halfway out of your mouth, stopping right as you felt only his tip. You sucked harshly on it, tongue swirling around it until you decided to play with his slit.

Jisung roughly pulled on your hair, moaning so loud that it almost echoed through the trees. “Y-y/n…” he whimpered. You looked up to see tears brimming his eyes. You giggled, laughing even more when the vibrations from your vocal cords hit him all in the right places.

“Feels good, baby boy?” you briefly asked, immediately going back to his cock after. He nodded, pushing his hips closer to your face, almost making you choke.

“Y-yes, m-mommy.” A wave of arousal hit your core. You could feel your juices seeping right through your panties. The nickname had you moaning, much to Jisung’s pleasure as well. “Fuck! Mommy, more!”

You continued sucking and playing with the slit on his head as you pumped his shaft with one hand and groped his ball with the other. The higher Jisung’s voice raised, you knew the closer he was.

“Close, baby boy?” you giggled. He nodded, hips no fucking into your hand.

“Yes! Oh my God, I’m so fucking close, mommy!” he stuttered. “Please! Let me cum in your mouth!”

“Such a good boy, of course I’ll let you.” You attached your mouth back into his dick, moving your head once again to bring him closer to his high.

“Holy—FUCK!” Jisung moaned, his hand back onto his mouth to control his voice. His body shook as he released his creamy essence into your mouth. Your tongue swiped across his cock to lap up the rest of his juices. His and your unstable breathing was the only thing that could be heard now. Out of courtesy, you tucked him in back into his pants and stood up.

“Wh-What about you?” he asked breathlessly. You shook your head as you patted his head.

“Nevermind about me. You’ve made me happy enough,” you grinned. “When you’re okay again, we can go back home.”

“So...Is this the part where I’m supposed to kill you?” Jisung laughed breathlessly.

The dim lights of the city were nowhere near as bright as your faces. The two of you walked, hand-in-hand, as slowly as you could, in hopes of the night never ending. But alas, the both of you had a morning class the next day. Jisung walked you all the way to your apartment door, telling you it was only for ‘safety measures’. What a liar.

“Text me when you get home, okay?” You said as you unlocked your front door. Jisung grinned, pecking the hand he held.

“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow? Make sure you get a good night’s sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you playfully rolled your eyes. Letting go of his hand, you finally opened your door and stepped inside.

“Hey, Y/n?”

You turned around to face him. “Yeah?”

Jisung stood there with a smile wider than before. “I love you.”

You giggled cutely. “Me too,” you said as you walked back to him to kiss his lips. “Goodnight, baby boy.”

“Goodnight...mommy.” He laughed.

You rolled your eyes, “Hurry and go home already!” He turned around and started walking to the elevator, calling out one final ‘I love you!’ before he walked inside. It was painfully obvious that he was trying to act cool for you, but the bounce in his walk made him look like he was skipping gleefully. You laughed, walking back inside your apartment.

Inside the elevator, Jisung pulled out his phone to text someone.

Me: hey, minho?

when i finally get married to y/n...

please be our best man! :D

[PREVIOUS CHAPTER] 📱 [NEXT CHAPTER]

#stray kids smut #stray kids fanfic #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz smut #skz fanfic #han jisung smut #han jisung scenarios #han jisung imagines #han jisung x reader #Late Night Indulges

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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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Katara x Aang :3c

are you trying to get me in trouble

-cough-

no but in all honesty, my genuine feelings about kataang boil down to three major points: 1. it's boring, and does not jive thematically with either of their character arcs, to the point of, 2. actively hampering character development on both sides, and 3. katara deserved better.

points expanded under the cut. (please, if you're a kataang shipper and you see this, just keep scrolling. i've tagged it appropriately and put the bulk under a cut and at this point that's literally all i can do lmfao.)

send me a ship and get my (brutally) honest opinion!

1. It's Boring: This is the most subjective point on the list (I mean, in fairness, it's all subjective, but I have evidence from the show and post-canonical materials to support my other points; this one is just preference), but there's just... nothing to kataang. It's cute (when it's not actively aggravating), and... that's about it. It's not even that I dislike friends-to-lovers as a shipping trope (though it's not my overall preference), because there are a lot of friends-to-lovers couples that I do ship (kanej comes to mind, also will/elizabeth from potc, karolsen from supergirl, romione and hinny from hp, among others), but one thing that I think all of those couples have that kataang doesn't is that both sides of the pairing are teens or adults when they get together, with teen/adult dynamics and issues and stories to deal with, rather than one half being a teenager and the other being literally prepubescent.

And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with age gap ships in general. And as far as atla goes, Katara, at 14, has the same age difference from Zuko (16) as Aang has from her, and it's never stopped me--because both Katara and Zuko are well into puberty when they meet and I have no problem picturing them being into one another and growing together as they enter adulthood. Aang, on the other hand, is a child. And he acts like it. Which wouldn't be a problem, if the show weren't expecting me to believe he is a) ready for a romantic relationship, and b) ready for one specifically with Katara, who is not only older and far more mature but is specifically cast as his caretaker in a very maternal role for the entire show's run.

This show asks me to believe that a teenage girl well into adolescence is going to be attracted to and develop romantic feelings for a pre-adolescent child--and it asks me to believe this while showing us otherwise that Katara's type is actually older boys with fabulous hair and angsty pasts in all of her other potential romantic dalliances--and then enter into a relationship with him, all while ignoring the elephant in the room that is the fact that she was basically acting like his mother for the entire series to that point. (Something that is heavily lampshaded earlier in the very same season.) That just stretches the bounds of credulity way too far for me, especially when there's no evidence that Katara herself would get anything out of their romantic relationship.

There's nothing there for me to sink my teeth into. No delicious development, no parallels where they help each other grow, no internal conflicts that they have to work through together, nothing. Certainly no reason for me to actually believe Katara feels (or would grow to feel) anything for him other than the platonic affection of a caretaker. I can easily believe she loves him dearly, as a friend and quasi-little-brother, but I just can't see that developing naturally into romantic love--not the way it's presented in the show.

And even if they did manage to at least make the development of Katara's feelings believable, unless they changed something fundamental about the nature of their relationship, it'd still be boring, so.

2. It Actively Hampers Their Character Development--On Both Sides: I've written before (extensively lol im so sorry) about how kataang is actively detrimental to Katara and to Aang. In short (because ye gods this post is already getting long enough), Katara is narratively harmed by being shoved into a relationship that completely ignores her stated feelings--a relationship that had been presented as a one-sided puppylove crush for the vast majority of the series--and it inhibits her growth as a character in ways that become far more obvious in the comics and lok, where the very same creative forces that lead to her beginning a relationship with Aang in the first place reduce her to 'the Avatar's girl' and very little else, all the way through to the end of LoK (where she is a Healer and the Avatar's wife and, again, very little else).

As for Aang:

As to how this relationship is detrimental to Aang (other than the comics and LoK nonsense)? Just take a look at book 2, when he’s trying to learn Earthbending from Toph. Katara constantly coddles him. Much of the time, she’s afraid to be anything other than gentle and understanding with Aang--partly because of her fear that if she pushes him too far, he’ll run away. (Which he does, several times.) But sometimes, what Aang needs to grow is a sharp kick in the slats, which Toph was more than willing to provide--and which worked. Katara was great for teaching Aang to waterbend, but he needed more than that to grow as a person. And he can’t get that while he’s in a relationship with someone who will apologize for getting upset when he was very explicitly neglecting her.

In addition, it is pointed out by Guru Pathik at the end of Book 2 that one of Aang's chakras is blocked by his attachment to Katara. Aang takes this to mean (incorrectly) that he has to stop loving her in order to become fully realized as an Avatar, but this is actually part of the problem--because the issue isn't that he is in love with Katara, it's that he's possessively attached to her. He believes himself entitled to her love in return, rather than selflessly loving someone regardless of whether or not they return that affection. (This is obvious come the EIP episode, where Aang demands to know why he and Katara aren't in a relationship already--because he kissed her without asking [or even checking to see if she'd be ok with kissing him], which he phrases as mutual even though it very much was not, and he gets angry and violates her boundaries when she says that she is confused and doesn't want to think about it right then.)

It is his attachment to Katara--the need for her to return his love, the belief that she will and it is only a matter of time before he gets what he wants--that he was supposed to let go of, not his feelings for her in general. Unfortunately, while he pays lipservice to doing this (far too late for it to be useful--if he'd stayed with the Guru for five more minutes and unlocked his chakra there, that battle would've gone very differently), he almost immediately backtracks on that development come book 3, and there isn't another single whisper of Aang maybe growing up and moving past his one-sided and possessive crush and realizing that even if Katara doesn't feel the same way, it doesn't mean she loves him less or that their friendship is less important.

What really needed to happen, for Aang to grow as a person and become fully realized as an Avatar, was for him to grow up. To realize that his feelings were not of paramount importance, and that even if he was in love with Katara, he was not entitled to her love in return. He should have been able to move past his need for her to love him back, in order to get past that stumbling block, unlock his chakras, and regain the Avatar State in time to face the Firelord. But he didn't. As a result, they had to find some other way to just give him the Avatar State (a well-placed rock) and the means to defeat Ozai without killing him (the deus ex lionturtle) and his entire character arc just fell apart in the third act rather than reaching a satisfying conclusion.

3. Katara Deserved Better: This really ties into how her romantic relationship with Aang hampered her own development, but I'm still bitter enough about it that it gets its own bullet-point. And the biggest single reason I could never ship kataang--the thing that would've turned me off even if there were substance and a halfway decent storyline for them--is the fact that Aang kisses her without her consent (for the second time) in Ember Island Players, Katara gets angry at him and storms off, and then..... she walks out onto the balcony to make out with him.

With nothing to bridge that gap.

It's bad enough that a show aimed at children had a scene where the child protagonist kissed the object of his affections without her consent when she didn't want him to (made explicit by her angry reaction)--and this is absolutely an issue when the show is aimed at children and it may well be the first experience they've had with consent issues portrayed in media--but this moment is never addressed again. Katara just decides--completely off-screen--that she does love him Really and walks out to make out with him in the epilogue. There's no conversation, no apology for violating her boundaries, no discussion of why that was wrong or any indication that Aang understands what he did and why it upset her. They don't have a single one-on-one interaction between that kiss and the epilogue, and the only other time they are on screen together, Aang yells at her and storms off.

So, even leaving the comics and lok aside, Katara deserved much better from her own romantic plotline. In fact, she deserved to have one, rather than simply being the oblivious object of Aang's affections, given a couple moments where she blushes but otherwise remains completely ignorant of his feelings (she looks shocked and upset when he kisses her prior to the invasion, and then she completely forgets that even happened because she's confused as to what Aang is even talking about during EIP until he brings it up; that's not the behavior of a fourteen-year-old girl who was kissed by someone she was developing romantic feelings for), before the epilogue where it becomes clear that she figured all of that out off-screen and had feelings for him after all.

She's a main character, not a side-character written in solely to give one of the mains a love interest. She deserved a romantic plotline of her own. (She could have had one with someone else, with very few changes made to what was actually on-screen prior to the epilogue, but that's another conversation entirely.) She deserved to have her feelings considered at all important by the person she was going to be paired with in the end, rather than having him just assume she felt the same way and then get mad at her for never giving any indication of it when he'd never asked about her feelings to begin with. She deseserved agency in her own romantic narrative, and she just didn't get that with Aang.

So yeah, at the end of the day, my biggest issue with kataang is that it involved doing Katara dirty, and she's my favorite character and she deserved so much better damnit.

#atla #katara #aang salt #kataang salt #anti kataang #atla meta #katara deserved better #salt for ts #ask meme #invincibleweasel #asked

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glowingbadger · 3 years

Note

How are there no SFW and nsfw modern day Felix HCs? I must remedy this.

Ah, I actually have a few Modern AU Felix thingies- they're just scattered throughout posts about multiple different characters lol. You can find them all in my masterlist, but lemme go ahead and compile everything I've written for him so far~ ((There aren't many NSFW ones yet, so if anyone has a nice Modern AU spicy concept for Felix for me to toy around with, I'm all ears :3))

Felix (FE3H) x Reader, Modern/College AU

SFW (nsfw below the cut):

From the BL Modern AU hcs: He’s a business major, but his heart clearly isn’t in it- he’s only doing it because he’s expected to run his father’s company some day. He’s at the gym every time you go (presumably plenty of times when you’re not there too), before you realize it, you start looking for him there. You tell yourself it’s just because you admire his motivation. He catches you staring though one day, and calls you out. Somehow, you stumble your way through introductions, but before long he’s telling you how you’re not stretching properly at all, how your jogging pace is inefficient, and just like that, you’ve got a gym partner who eventually becomes the most secretly-sweet boyfriend.

From 'modern AU w/ insecure Reader': He’s a funny one about this, honestly- his feelings for you are strong and enduring, and because of the intensity of what he feels, he does have a hard time understanding what you’re insecure about. He’ll grab your hand and grumble that, “I’m your boyfriend, aren’t I? I wouldn’t waste my time if I didn’t love you.” He’s also definitely one of those types who wants to help in concrete ways, so he’ll interrogate you about what’s making you anxious and what he’s screwed up- he knows he’s not good at romantic stuff, but he’s willing to do absolutely anything to make you happy. He will never admit it but he somehow finds himself lurking on relationship forums to better understand how you’re feeling

From escape room BL hcs: This poor boy. He does not understand why you would intentionally put yourself in the position of being trapped somewhere for fun. But you get so excited and so into the whole thing that he simply can’t help wanting to help you if he can- not that he would ever admit it. It’s just that your moods are so contagious to him and he can’t help wanting to see that adorable, triumphant smile you give when you’ve figured out the next clue. Absolutely the type to get impatient if one code or riddle is taking too long, and will 'test out’ the structural integrity of the doors, walls and locks.

From 'modern AU soft hcs': - He’s so bad at being soft, but he wants to be for you, but also doesn’t want to be because ew feelings. Which he has a lot of. This is why the main way he expresses his affection is through physical contact. It’s mostly in private, where he can be super cuddly with you- but in public, he’ll still find times to lightly brush his hand against yours, or an excuse to “fix” your hair, mumbling, “It’s flying all over the place, hold still-” even though it’s really not that out of place, he just wants a reason to touch you.

- Felix is a funny one to bring your problems to. He’s actually a surprisingly good listener for someone he cares about, so he’s happy to just hold onto your hand and listen to you vent about whatever’s bothering you. If it’s an interpersonal problem, he’ll probably offer to confront or straight up fight whoever is giving you trouble, which might at least get you to laugh, even though he fully means it. But for a more serious problem, he’ll quietly wipe away your tears and remind you, “Hey, listen- you just… keep living your life as you, okay? You can’t be anyone else, and I don’t want you to be.”

- He secretly loves it when you play with his hair. While he’s studying or gaming, he likes to lean back against the edge of his bed or a couch and have you sitting behind him brushing out his hair, or even braiding or pulling it up for him if you like. He finds your touch incredibly soothing, and there have even been times when he’s spaced out a bit and completely forgotten what he was doing because he was just enjoying your nails along his scalp and your fingers through his hair. Honestly, it’s a bit like scratching a cat’s ears- he’ll even subconsciously lean against you if he’s not careful.

From general modern AU hcs:

- he’s very cat-like in how he chooses to show his affection. He’ll almost never verbally express it, and to many, he comes across as cold. But if you know what to look for, the signs are incredibly obvious. The mere fact that he goes out of his way to just be near you, the fact that he’ll jump to your defense the moment someone dares to give you a hard time, small gifts that he’ll give with a carefully neutral, “It’s not a big deal, it just seemed like the kinda thing you’d like.”

- Once you’ve been together for a bit though, he’s extremely physically affectionate in private- only in private, mind you. Alone in your dorm or apartment, he’s very cuddly, holding you close to him at any chance he gets and resting his chin on your shoulder, or nuzzling against your neck. Sometimes he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, but he’ll run a hand along your back or your waist when he moves by you, or his thumb will rub little circles along your thigh when you’re sitting together. Don’t call him out on it though- he’ll lurch away immediately and be too shy to touch you for an hour or two.

- His friends definitely know he’s developed a thing for someone very early on. He tends to be notorious among his friends for never checking his phone or responding to messages, and when he does respond, it’s in five words or fewer. Once he’s started getting close to you though, he keeps his phone in his hand while he’s hanging out with the other Blue Lions, glancing down at the screen every ten seconds, and completely impossible to communicate with when he’s thinking of what to send you when you do message him.

NSFW 18+ v

- he’s the type to feel most comfortable initiating sex when you’re just relaxing in one of your rooms together. In the middle of a movie or playing video games together- or even just sitting quietly and studying together on his bed- he glances over at you and it just hits him that you’re his, you chose him, and damnit he’s just so crazy into you. He leans over and kisses you without a word, then slides his tongue past your lips, pulling you closer until you can very evidently feel that he needs you now.

- His roommate (Sylvain) is quite the renowned flirt on campus, and likes to tease Felix by openly hitting on you in front of him. All three of you know that it’s genuinely in jest, and that Sylvain would never push things TOO far… but that doesn’t stop Felix from fucking you extra hard and deep once you have the place to yourselves again. He’s generally not very vocal during sex, but if his insecurities have been prodded a bit, he’ll lift your legs into a mating press and pound his cock into you, groaning out, “tell me you’re mine, Y/N. C'mon- again, louder-!”

- Overall, isn’t much one for intimacy in public places- but once or twice, you’ll encounter a bit of an exception. Gym dates with Felix are generally common and comfortable enough, and he’s actually very helpful in improving your technique and efficiency when working out. But he won’t let on for quite some time that it also turns him on immensely to see your body moving like this, and the scent of your sweat and pheromones drive him near feral. If it’s late enough at night and there’s no one else to overhear you, he’ll drag you into one of the changing room showers and fuck you breathless against the wall, his tongue dragging along your neck and his hands groping every inch of you he can reach.

#felix hugo fraldarius #felix x reader #fire emblem #feh #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem modern #modern au #fire emblem headcanons #fire emblem x reader #x reader #felix fire emblem

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dinosaurtsukki · 4 years

Text

being the MSBY Jackals’ physiotherapist

anon: HEY BOO! LISTEN BEING THE BLACK JACKELS PHYSIOTHERAPIST! I can imagine a lot of damage I- bye 😽 I could I please have that as a headcanon 👉👈 thanks! ❤️ (that is a If requests are open..)

they are most definitely open and OH MY GOD THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING IDEA WHEN I GOT THIS I COULDN’T WAIT TO START. i’ve been watching a lot of vids on what physical therapists do too and i hope you like this it was so fun to write !!

Bokuto Koutarou:

he deadass got you mixed up with the sports psychologist

when he walked into your clinic he was all ‘ah, hey there’ before lying faceup on the cot and just talking about his problems

and at first you were alright cause good to make conversation and everything until you realized.... “this guy thinks i’m the therapist”

bokuto: people always assume that i’m really naive and i kinda am but--

you: bokuto,,,, i’m not the therapist

bokuto: oh 👁👄👁

you: does it, um, hurt anywhere?

bokuto: *points to his heart*

after directing him to therapist’’s office, you finally clear up his misconceptions on what you’re supposed to be

you did hear about bokuto but what you didn’t expect was that he was An Actual Ray of Sunshine

whenever he comes to your office for his weekly check-ups, he always brings some sort of present

he likes to bring a package of cookies and the two of you eat them while you have your session

bokuto still uses the term ‘ouchie’ and it’s adorable

he takes really good of himself and his body so he isn’t prone to serious injuries. as soon as he knows something feels off, he’ll stop himself from working and come to your clinic

except,,, he comes way too often

bokuto: I WAS FLEXING MY FINGER AND THEN IT SUDDENLY MADE A CRACK SOUND WILL IT FALL OFF???

you: you’ve... never popped your fingers before?

bokuto: you can POP your FINGERS???

in interviews, bokuto loves to mention all the people who helped him on his journey and ngl it’s a REALLY LONG LIST but he always, always mentions you as ‘the best physical therapist ever!!’

and it makes you so soft you love your job so much

he actually ends up recommending you to his friend, akaashi keiji, because bokuto knows his shoulders and back hurt

akaashi comes into your office and just goes: “can you crack my back and shake me like a glowstick?”

you: i think you’re looking for a chiropractor

akaashi: ...

you: okay, lie down. i’ll see what i can do

Hinata Shouyo:

he got LOST TRYING TO FIND YOUR CLINIC

like, you were checking your watch wondering where your client was before he burst into your clinic thirty minutes late

also for some reason he was really nervous to see you poor baby he had the misconception that you were there to find what was wrong with him and then after he wouldn’t be able to play again

so he was genuinely surprised after you just made him do a few stretches for him, recommended some ways to move his body to utilize it better, and just sent him off

hinata: just... just like that?

you: yeah, pretty much. unless you feel that something else is wrong

after that he’s not so afraid to visit your clinic. in fact, he enjoys it quite a lot!

hinata really takes note of the advice you gave him (he brings a notepad and everything) and he likes to call you up to let you know that they worked

he actually calls you A LOT, like you’re probably the person he texts and calls the most other than natsu

at one point he was calling you every single day asking about what to eat until you decided to make a whole-ass weekly meal plan for him to just cycle through

he’s actually quite flexible (not as much as sakusa though) and he’s so proud of being able to reach farther than his toes

when you’re not looking though he measures himself against the height chart on your wall and you think it’s absolutely adorable

hinata knows how to take care of his body and TRIES not to overwork himself but sometimes he gets really impatient about wanting to improve so he’ll stay late in the gym, practicing his spikes and serves

BUT since his teammates know hinata listens to you they’ll threaten to tell you when he’s overworking

sakusa: hinata, if you don’t leave the gym right this instant i am calling y/n

hinata: just five more minutes!!

sakusa: *pulls out his phones and presses some random numbers in*

hinata: OKAY OKAY I’M GOING

it’s kind of like the adult version of your parents calling the doctor when you don’t want to eat

also you have no idea that this happens

even though he’s moved on from it, hinata still gets a bit paranoid about playing a major game while being sick

you’re always at their games as part of their medic crew and before it starts, hinata always comes up to you and asks if you can take his temperature

you didn’t know why until atsumu explained everything so now you make sure to always have a temperature on you for hinata’s peace of mind

Atsumu Miya:

someone who actually knows what physical therapists actually do thank god

ngl you’re kinda shookt at how large he is in real life when he walks into your clinic

he also assumes right away that you want an autograph so he gifts you a signed picture of himself which you always have on your desk from now on because come on you are a fan

atsumu’s really nice to talk to, he does flirt quite a bit but he genuinely asks about how you are too or if your family is doing alright

such a sweet boy

atsumu’s the one who visits your office often but for reasons that are actually relevant to your job because this man just overexerts himself too much

and he keeps brushing it off and saying that he’s alright but you know better you’re a physical therapist for god’s sake

atsumu: i’m telling you. it’s just a sprain!

you: *pokes his ankle*

atsumu: aaaAAAAAAHHHH

he’s the one that you have to constantly keep tabs on and thanks to the help of his teammates and a spare key, you’re able to drop by his apartment once in a while

but no matter how much of a pain in the ass he is you still can’t help but want to take care of him. whenever you make yourself dinner you find yourself making seconds for atsumu

before you know it, you’re making dinner for your favorite MSBY boys because you don’t want them to feel left out

you also have to stop atsumu from overdoing on the protein shakes and drinking vitamins

because he’s addicted protein shakes especially the strawberry-flavored one but you’re the only one who knows that so shhhhhh

atsumu: if one vitamin capsule makes me healthy, does that mean drinking more will make me even more healthy ??

you: NO STOP. STOP WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING. RIGHT NOW.

one time you got a call in the middle of the night from atsumu saying that he ate an entire container of gummy vitamins and you had to run to his place in your pajamas

idk you just see him so much because he keeps getting injuries and it’s hilarious

atsumu, walking into your clinic: hey, doc! they sent me here cause my back hurts from carrying the entire team!

you: atsumu, you dislocated your shoulder

Sakusa Kiyoomi:

probably your most normal client among the four of them but that doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy his visits to the clinic

well, actually when he first visited your clinic, everyone else stalked him because they wanted to see his Flexible Wrists in action

you had to chase them out

sakusa is SO HAPPY that you just took one look at his Flexi-Wrists and noted it down without going batshit over it

you always spray the cots and your instruments with alcohol before he comes in and sakusa knows cause he smells it and he appreciates that so much

one thing that you do notice is that sakusa,,, frequently glances at the jar of lollipops you keep on your desk and give out to your kid patients

and after a session he just lingers for a bit before saying good bye and leaving so one day you just take a chance

you: would you,,, like a lollipop?

sakusa: .... yes please

he chooses a cherry flavored one and is about to leave when he sits back down on the chair

sakusa: they’ll never let me hear the end of it if they see me

so you let him stay in your clinic for a bit longer before deciding to also get a lollipop and that’s how the two of you end your sessions

no talking. just lollipop eating

(i know how it looks but pls don’t add sexual connotations i jus want sakusa to enjoy a fricking lollipop)

he actually likes to remember the scientific muscle names and everything just to impress you

also, he doesn’t want to give you a hard time but he also likes visiting your office and talking to you (and eating the lollipops) so he makes up all these excuses to come by your clinic

sakusa: i hit my toe on the table

you: okaay, do you need a bandaid?

sakusa: it was the small toe

sakusa’s quite selective about the people he’s with so he’s kind of attached to you now. like it or not, you’re his personal doctor

prepare to receive texts like ‘y/n, i have a cough. what should i drink?’

you: sakusa, i’m a PHYSICAL THERAPIST

you: also, ginger tea is supposed to be good for you

he’s actually your eyes and ears when it comes to monitoring the team. kind of like the kid who tattles to the teacher in pre-school

sakusa: y/n, atsumu’s overdoing it again

you: is that so?

atsumu, in the background: NOOOOO NOOO I’M NOT !! SAKUSA’S LYING

you have such a soft spot for sakusa. when he had to be confined at home for breaking his ankle, you sent him a whole jar of lollipops

he ate them all in one day

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

taglist (still open to anyone who wants in!): @montys-chaos @miyumtwins @strawberriimilkshake @pocubo @sugawara-sweetheart @akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan @therainroguefanfiction @atetiffdoesart @stephdaninja @oikaw-ugh @charliefredb @dramaqueenweeb1469 @tremblinghearts @applepienation @doodleniella @haikyuu-my-love @waitforitillwritemywayout @kattykurr @tpwkatsumu

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et-lesailes · 4 years

Text

iron crush

pairing: tony stark x reader

word count: 1952

summary: you’re a college student as well as roommates/best friends with peter parker, but you’ve developed a bit of a crush on his world famous, superhero mentor tony stark.

themes: age gap, smut

taglist: @evanstush, @tanyam93, @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @patzammit, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @sammyslonglostshoe, @jadedhillon, @bohemian-barbie, @whysparker, @sebastian-i-stan, @sebabestianstan101, @lille-kattunge, @teller258316, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @heyiamthatbitch, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @bangtan-serendipity, @troublermalik, @beardburnsupersoldiers, @bookish-shristi, @kind-sober-fullydressed, @gingerninjaprincess16, @straightforwardly, @denisemarieangelina, @frencchfries, @xlanawriter, @littlemoistcarrot, @pottxrwolff, @arianatheangelworld, @southerngracela, @nsfwsebbie, @rororo06, @savemesteeb, @raveviolet, @hurricanerinwrites, @captainamerica-is-bae, @shaddixlife, @tessa-bl, @marvelouspottering, @pppsssyyyccchhhiiiccc, @thegetawaywriter, @dwights-new-plague, @rynabarnesrogers, @fckdeusername, @doloreschanal, @ssworldofsw, @la-cey, @buckybarnesplumwhore, @hevans-angel, @chuckbass-love, @stardust-galaxies, @smyfmj

notes: in this story, peter and reader are 18! I know the opening scene is literally from civil war where peter is a minor in high school but shhh just pretend :))) also sorry if you’re tagged and don’t care for tony, i haven’t really been separating my permanent taglist and my cevans only taglist because it’s a lot of work gjfjdjg so just ignore if you don’t want to read, no worries! also as always, graphic creds go to @thewritingdoll !

You first met him that fateful day he was waiting for Peter in his apartment itself, casually chatting with Aunt May while pretending to enjoy her walnut date loaves. Being Peter’s childhood friend, you’ve known of his Spider-Man secret ever since he became the masked hero, and it hadn’t been difficult for you to figure out that Tony was there for Avengers related reasons. You remember the piercing eye contact you made, the way his brown eyes lingered over you in surprise and approval; you had felt flattered beyond belief that you were even noticed in such a way when you were in the same room as Peter’s abnormally attractive aunt.

Fast forward a few months later, and you, Peter, and your other friend Ned now have an apartment of your own. The three of you have always been inseparable; you see them as brothers and you can trust them to have your back, just like you and Ned have Peter’s whenever he’s called to save the neighborhood (and, lately, many areas outside of it).

You’re on your belly on your bed in a tank and shorts, taking notes while skimming through your psychology textbook when you hear a knock on the door. You roll your eyes- Ned always forgets his keys, which is why you tend to leave the door unlocked whenever it’s just you at home. It’s difficult to worry much about crime when you literally live with a world famous superhero. “It’s open!” you call, eyes still scanning the words on the pages before you. The door opens and you hear footsteps, louder and louder until they’ve come to your doorway. “Have you just, permanently lost your keys or something?” you ask in amusement, not even bothering to look up at your roommate.

“Didn’t get any to begin with, actually. Got a copy for me? Would be pretty helpful considering the kid never answers his goddamn phone.”

Your head immediately snaps up, your eyes widening slightly as you stare at the grown man at the entrance of your bedroom who is very clearly not Ned. “Tony!” you exclaim in surprise, moving to sit up on your knees as you gaze up at him somewhat embarrassed- and suddenly feeling much more naked. You’re comfortable with limited clothing around Peter and Ned, you’ve known them practically your whole life- but Tony is someone you’ve seen all over television, only met once… and have the slightest crush on. You’ve always loved a man with confidence, and while Tony has too much of it, you can’t help but find it appealing. You clear your throat, trying not to blush from his amused expression. “Uh, yeah, Peter’s not home right now… do you want me to text him? Maybe he’ll reply to me?”

“What? Reply to his cute best friend he drools over on a daily basis- over replying to me? No way.” Tony smirks slightly, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and you find yourself blushing deeper- though you arch an eyebrow, more than happy to confront what he’s just said. “Cute?” you repeat, and he shrugs nonchalantly, leaning against the doorframe as he takes your appearance in. “Yeah. Cute. What, haven’t heard it before? Because I highly doubt that.”

“Not from a man twice my age, no,” you tease, suddenly feeling a little more confidence as you sit up a little straighter, remaining on your knees, “and Peter does not drool over me. Trust me, our relationship is not like that. We’ve known each other for too long.” Tony keeps his eyes on you for a few moments before suddenly nodding towards your textbook. “Whatchya working on?” You blink, glancing towards your notes. “Psychology. It’s my major.”

“So how do you read me?” he asks, and you assume he’s being some type of smart ass- after all, whenever you tell someone your major is psychology they immediately bring out the “so you can read my mind” joke- but when you look up at his expression, he actually seems genuinely curious. “Lonely.” You reply candidly, eyebrow lifting slightly. “Bored, always running out of things to do so you focus way too much on work.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s because I save the world for a living. Kind of has to be on my mind 24/7, doesn’t it?”

“Yikes, getting a little defensive, hm, Tony?” you tease with a smirk, knowing he can handle it. “That’s never a good sign in counseling…”

“Oh, are you my counselor now?” he scoffs, but the corner of his lip is tugged slightly upward, clearly able to banter just as much as you. “Alright. I’ll bite.” He comes into your room and sits down at the edge of your bed right next to you, looking at you expectantly. “Tell me, O Mighty Therapist, what should I do to alleviate my pain?” he questions dramatically, and you laugh, reaching out to nudge him. “Maybe stop being a pain in the ass to other people? Let them in for once?”

He listens thoughtfully and you're expecting a snarky comment, but instead, he replies bluntly in a low murmur with a raised brow, “What if I want a certain someone to let me in?” It takes you a few moments to realize the innuendo, your blush immediately returning once you do. “Tony…”

He leans in, his eyes focused on yours. “I won’t tell anyone…” You stare up at his features, your breath slightly heavier. You feel a bit of guilt but the desperate want is overpowering it- come on, he’s Tony Stark, and he’s here in your bedroom asking you to fuck. Maybe it’s not for the best reasons, but you decide you don’t care. You grab his face and pull him down, kissing him fiercely in response.

Everything happens so fast. His lips move against yours in intense synchrony, his hands grabbing your waist to tackle you down onto your back on the bed before he reaches out to shove your textbook and notebook off the mattress entirely. You gasp but continue to kiss him, your legs naturally moving to wrap around his waist to keep his body pressed close against yours, already feeling turned on from the friction between you. Judging by the bulge currently pressing against your inner thigh, it’s safe to say he feels the same.

Neither of you even realize how absorbed in this kiss you are- you’re moving, practically rolling all over the place, until you roll off the bed itself. A squeal escapes your lips as both of you go tumbling onto the ground- thankfully carpeted- and you laugh breathlessly as you stare up at him, still underneath him. “Oops,” you whisper, but he just smirks and leans down to kiss you again, muttering huskily against your lips, “That’s alright, sweet cheeks, I can fuck you just as good on the floor too.” Your smile fades slightly, but only because of how aroused you’ve become just from hearing him. You’ve only ever slept with one guy before, and he was nowhere near as experienced or bold as Tony. You definitely needed this.

He notices your expression and smirks, staring down at you as he moves one hand down to rub his fingers against your shorts. “What’s up, Y/N? You like that idea? Me fucking you into the floor of your bedroom, with your door wide open?” Your lips open into a needy moan, though you completely forgot about the door situation. Fuck. You glance to it nervously, but he only applies more pressure to your clothed entrance, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “You’re adorable, sweetheart. Think of it as a little adrenaline rush, hm? You have to take some risks sometimes, right?” He slips his fingers into your shorts and panties, rubbing your clit directly as he breathes out, “That’s my therapeutic advice to you…”

“A-ah…! Tony!” you moan lewdly, arching your back and staring up at him with wide eyes. “Please… I need more…”

He gladly obliges, his smirk growing wider as he eyes you hungrily. His fingers pump you skillfully, sliding in and out of your entrance and stretching you out, his thumb simultaneously teasing your clit. You’re a breathless mess of whimpers and whines, your head rolling back and your eyes shutting from the pleasure. The boy you were with before definitely didn’t know how to use his fingers. Tony, on the other hand, moves at the perfect, steady pace, actually listening to you to understand what you like and what’s working. The way he slightly crooks his fingers and expertly maneuvers them in subtle but hard hitting gestures inside your tight entrance is slowly making you uncoil- when he feels you tighten around his digits, he grins triumphantly. “Go ahead,” he commands breathlessly, “cum all over my fingers so I can taste you already…”

You obey with a gasp, coating his fingers with your release- he withdraws them and places them in his mouth, looking at you with a hungry little smirk. “Delicious,” he growls, his devious eyes filled with lust.

“Take off your clothes,” you breathe out suddenly, and he blinks before chuckling, pulling back slightly and obediently starting to unbutton his shirt. “For the record, I’m the one in charge here, but I also wanted to strip anyways,” he tells you playfully and you laugh, taking your own tank off feeling thankful you didn’t wear a bra that day. That would have been way too much work- you need him now. He stares down at you amazed, biting on his lip. “Damn. Your body is something else.” You widen your eyes upon seeing his cock when he removes his pants, clucking your tongue as you mumble, “I could say the same about you…”

He smirks and presses his throbbing erection against your sensitive entrance, his breaths heavy from anticipation. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, doll. Think I’m already addicted to you.”

He thrusts into you roughly at that moment, letting out a groan of pleasure as he pins you down against the floor. You cry out in happiness as you arch your back towards him, rocking your hips upwards against his and holding onto his back tightly. You don’t even care that you’re on a rug right now- comfort is the least of your concerns when he’s stretching you out so nicely, his brown eyes filled with hunger as he stares down at you in arousal. “You look so pretty underneath me, Y/N,” he murmurs huskily, grunting with eyebrows furrowed in concentration, his dick entering deeper and deeper inside you with each thrust. “And you feel… mm… better than words can even describe…”

“Tony…! Oh, God, Tony- mm…!” You’re at a loss for words; the sensation is overwhelming, pushing you over the edge, filling every crevice of your mind with euphoria and delight. Your body’s beginning to quiver, your walls tightening around his cock- he smirks weakly in satisfaction, knowing you’re close. “Fuck. I’m gonna cum deep inside you, beautiful, I want you to cum for me… God… damn…”

Just as promised, he releases inside you, the feeling adding to your pleasure- you gasp in delight as you cum, your head rolling back and your eyes wide as you stare up at the ceiling. He lays on top of you for a bit before slowly lifting himself off, looking down at you with his signature smirk.

Before he can say anything, though, a voice belonging to a certain web-slinging eighteen-year-old boy standing at the doorway with a wide open mouth screams:

“What the fuck?!”

#tony stark x reader #tony stark smut #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark imagine #tony stark fic

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adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy · 4 years

Text

Supposedly

A/N: this was a request sent in that inspired me a lot for some reason and i figured i’d do it cause i haven’t done any demon!h and demon!reader in a while so i gave it a go and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out :D enjoy!

Anonymous: This may be too cutesy for them, but do demon!harry and demon!reader ever cuddle after they fuck? Or they fall asleep separately but wake up in each other’s arms and just try to play it off awkwardly

word count: 4.5k

content: some angst but nothing major, fluff, mentions of nudity, and some cocky asshole demon!h because that’s his Brand laidese and germs!!

///

Despite the emotionless, unattached agenda demons tend to uphold, let it be known that Harry didn’t really mind what was happening at the moment.

On the surface level, from an outside perspective, this definitely doesn’t fit the bill for what is expected from his kind. Cuddling is an action reserved usually for real couples that have a sentimental bond, which he and Y/N are very much not. He’s not even quite sure what they are, really. Their relationship— if he can even call it that— was born out of three very important, adequately limiting notions: a mutual understanding, the desire for a convenient warm body, and sheer boredom.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The mutual understanding was that neither of them wanted a genuine significant other, given what they are, so it was established that feelings were to be kept out of this arrangement completely. Emotions lead to complications, complications lead to a falling out, and a falling out would be inexplicably messy considering that they’ve shared the same friend group for well over a decade now and neither are willing to let a booty call mishap ruin that. Feelings stay dormant, end of discussion.

The desire for a convenient warm body is pretty self-explanatory— Harry and Y/N had known each other for a while now so there was no annoying getting to know you phase, they both agreed that they found the other attractive, and they both live relatively close to one another so it was a pleasant set-up with minimal issues. Harry could shoot her a text at three in the morning and she’d be at his place in less than five minutes, or vice versa. There was no spending hours at a bar trying to pick someone up, no time wasted learning what the other person likes and dislikes, and certainly no fretting over birth control tactics to keep up appearances— they were both dead, which is a morbid advantage but an advantage nonetheless. It was easy access, easy fun, and easy clean-up.

The sheer boredom aspect was just that. It had started on a drunken night out with friends, where— by a series of fortunate events— Harry and Y/N had ended up together post-bender, sitting in his car in the parking lot of a club. They had been waiting for him to sober up to drive them home and she had made a passing comment about not wanting to turn in for the night quite yet. He’d blinked at her sluggishly, absentmindedly reaching over to tuck a rouge strand of hair behind her ear because he was getting secondhand irritation from it tickling her nose. He’d spoken up, voice numb and thick from the alcohol. “What do you wanna do, then?”

Y/N had glanced over at him, eyes half-lidded as they had raked down his lean tattooed chest, his unbuttoned silk sheer shirt leaving very little to the imagination. When she’d pinned her gaze back up to his, her eyes had inked black as they’d flitted to the palm of his hand for a second, a suggestive glint washing across their reflective surface as the corner of her pretty mouth had quirked. “I have a decent idea of exactly what I wanna do.”

And now here they were, with many restless, heated nights, ruined bed frames, and rumpled sheets littering their past, as well as their immediate future.

And here Harry was, slowly blinking awake after one of those said nights, cruel scratches itching across his back as they finish up healing, an empty content still bubbling at the pit of his stomach.

His lashes flutter open as he inhales a large sigh, flinching at the bright sunlight filtering its way through the lightly swaying curtains. The only sound in the room is the soft thrum of the air vent at the far corner of the ceiling, alongside Y/N’s soft, rhythmic breathing.

In his barely conscious state, Harry goes to do what he always does the morning after he’s spent a night doing Y/N’s back in: he goes to stretch. He does most of the work more times than not— courtesy of his dominant tendencies— but she always gives him a run for his soul. Anything he dishes out, she usually returns with the same amount of energy and will. Last night hadn’t been any different and the ache at the bottom of his spine and along his inner thighs proves it.

Harry instinctively goes to lift his arms above his head, reaching for the top of the headboard to use it as support. He is stopped cold when he realizes a foreign weight is keeping one of his arms pinned to the bed.

He knuckles at his eyes with his free hand, ridding them of the last residues of sleep, and then drags his palm up his face and through his mussed curls to comb away his disorientation. He cranes his sore neck to the side and downwards, eyebrows jolting up in surprise when he’s met with a wall of fluffy, tangled, mandarin-scented hair.

Harry lifts his head up slightly, neck straining to see over the back of Y/N’s wild halo to make sure that the image before him isn’t some type of exhaustion-induced mirage.

It’s odd for her to be so near him— she usually likes her space; says that being too close in proximity for too long is irritating. It’s why she usually sleeps with her back to him at the other end of the bed, and why he’s gotten accustomed to giving her the majority of the mattress space. Despite the fact that it’s his flat, she’s stubborn, hard-headed, argumentative and frankly, he’d rather just forfeit the extra leg room instead of bickering for thirty minutes just to end up losing anyways. It’s gentlemanly, in a sense. Minimal, but it’s something.

Given Y/N’s general disgust for excess contact, it’s no shock as to why Harry is utterly baffled right now. He’s about ninety-eight percent sure she’d fallen asleep all the way across the expanse of his sheets so how did they willingly end up here? How did they end up with her bare back pressed to his chest, her legs intertwined between his, and his arm wrapped almost protectively around her waist, wedged between her hips and the bed.

Harry would never outright admit it but...he’s not necessarily mad about it.

As he lays there for a few more seconds, absorbing the situation with an expression of pensive dismay pinching his face, he slowly comes to terms that he’s actually starting to enjoy this.

The warmth of her smooth skin gradually undoes the knot of confusion between his brows. The sensation of her back flushing against his chest as it rises and falls with her breathing erases the unease dipping the corners of his stinging mouth. The way she’s started to unconsciously rub her calves gently up and down his own makes the last traces of unsettlement melt off his face, replaced by an appearance of subtle affection, lips parting in blank wonder.

Harry relaxes back into the plushness of the mattress, eyes remaining glued to a blissfully ignorant Y/N. His thoughts are scurrying around the inside of his skull, attempting to get accustomed with this new experience, having a difficult time arranging into place. He’s aware that he seems to be taking easily to what’s unfolding, but there’s an unsteady bubble inflating in his chest. He knows that if he lets himself dwell in this too much, it’ll end up biting him in the ass later, most likely as a wave of undealt emotions and crippling loneliness; that’s baggage he’s spent too many years compartmentalizing for it to all just come bursting out.

All those decades of locking away his issues are in danger of resurfacing, and all for some harmless hugging? Doesn’t seem like a fair negotiation, and he knows plenty about negotiations.

However, he can’t seem to make himself pull away.

Especially not when Y/N suddenly shifts in her sleep, turning onto her other side so that she's now facing him, snuggling deeper into his body and tucking her head into the junction between his neck and collarbones. Her annoyingly soft, hot lips smear against his throat, settling into the dip at the center where a pulse would normally be present. The feeling of her exhales washing across his cold skin sends a wringing down his spine, a hushed “fuck…” escaping his dry mouth as the warmth behind the gesture spreads upwards, spilling redness into his cheeks and along the shells of his ears. Her hands come up as loose fists, pressing between his pectorals lightly, her own naked chest flushing against her forearms.

Surprisingly enough, her supple chest isn’t at the forefront of his mind at this instant. Instead, he’s focused on the intimacy they’re sharing in this moment, unbeknownst to her and stressfully beknownst to him.

Harry’s free hand acts of its own accord, coasting upwards towards her face and moving her chin over a bit until his palm can comfortably nurse her jaw. He rubs the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip slowly, every ridge and bump sending miniature shots of electricity surging through his veins, his eyes falling shut at this strange form of pleasure he hasn’t felt in ages.

Y/N just looks so beautiful like that, in such a vulnerable state that he knows for sure no one else has ever gotten to witness— at least not in a very long time.

No one else has gotten to see the way her lashes sit atop her cheekbones so delicately, her face soothed by sleep, not a wrinkle or grimace in sight. She looks as if she were made of porcelain, her features nothing short of perfect. No one has gotten to witness the way she mumbles a handful of incoherent, groggy words, her mind lost in a meaningless dream, or the way her nose twitches in the cutest manner as a draft from the air conditioning runs across it, causing her to sniffle. No one has seen the way she gives into his touch, her face cradling deeper into his hand, chasing the uncommon gentleness behind his demeanor and it hadn’t occurred to Harry that maybe— just maybe— she’s craving this type of innocent bliss, too, though he’s certain she would never confess to it if she were awake.

Harry runs his hand down the slope of her bruised neck and across the curve of her shoulder, tracing the teeth marks he had left the night before. The tip of his fingers follow down the incline of her torso, wriggling around her side, his wrist resting upon the faint dip of her waist. He cups her lower back with his large hand, borrowing a moment to appreciate the way it fits flawlessly. He then leans forward some to give his reach more length, his digits carefully trailing up the middle of her spine, the action timid and tranquil.

He looks down at her from over the tops of his colored cheeks, chewing on his bottom lip nervously as he continues to lull his fingers up and down her back. Y/N releases a shy whimper of gratitude, her whole body bathing in a light shiver. She does like it.

Harry swallows thickly, moving away a few locks of hair off her shoulder with the tip of his nose, glassy jade irises studying her facial expressions to make sure she’s still asleep. He puckers his tingling lips, pressing a bundle of chaste kisses to the fading bite marks on her staticy skin. If his heart still beat, he feels like it would be glowing right now.

He tilts his chin up, settling it on top of her head and sighing in satisfaction as he feels her steady breathing wash across his Adam’s Apple, her flyaway hairs tickling his nostrils.

He decides to stay like that for a while, just basking in her company within this tender setting that he knows he probably won’t receive again anytime soon. Harry lays there, limbs woven between Y/N’s as his black-polished nails scratch gently at her back, swimming in his numb thoughts.

After what feels like hours— but is realistically just ten minutes— he goes to gingerly shift the arm stuck beneath her body, trying to regain some circulation. Y/N stirs, resulting in him freezing in place to prevent a mishap, his mouth finding her warm forehead and placing a lingering kiss between her brows. It eases her.

Harry waits five minutes before trying again.

He manages to escape this time around, lifting his arm above his head and twisting out the cramp in his wrist, then folding it behind his head. He allows his eyes to shut once again, intent on spending a bit longer milling in this bubble of domestic peace.

His plan is shattered to pieces by an alarmed, angry sentence.

“What the fuck?”

His eyelids fly open, ice materializing across his entire nervous system.

Shit.

Y/N launches upwards, sitting up rigidly with her face contorted in startled repulsion, clutching his blood red sheets to her chest as her hair stands up in tousled tuffs. “What in Lucifer’s red, barren hell are you doing?”

Harry now has two distinctive routes to pick from: confess to partaking in the unorthodox cuddling, or fake it and say he was asleep as well and that it had all been an unintentional mistake.

It’s hardly a choice.

He flings his arms away from the other demon’s body as if sickened, shooting up into a seated position and slouching back onto his palms, a look of agitated horror plastered across his sleepy, handsome features. “What do you mean what am I doing? What the fuck were you doing?”

Y/N blinks at him as if he’d just stabbed her between the eyes with a demon blade, irises momentarily flitting black with nerves, the area under her waterline webbing with dark veins. “What do you mean what was I doing? You were the one with your arms around me!”

Harry narrows his sight at her pointedly, thick brows furrowing with faux resentment. “You were the one with your head snuggled into my neck and your hands on my chest!”

“You were the one kissing my forehead!”

“You were the one rubbing up on my legs!”

“Because you were close to me!”

“Because you rolled over here!”

“No I didn’t!”

“Oh, so what?” Harry snaps sarcastically, drawing forward and crossing his arms over his chest adamantly. “Did an angel sneak in and place you there? Because as I recall, you always sleep on the left side of the bed, so what were you doing on the right?”

Harry’s accurate counter renders Y/N speechless, her mouth parting quizzically as if waiting for a response to magically appear. Her eyebrows cinch down begrudgingly, the gears in her head spinning on overdrive, trying to piece together an appropriate rebuttal. Her grasp tightens on the blanket covering her bare body. “Well, I...I don’t know—I don’t think I—”

Harry cocks his head to the side expectantly, loose curls falling across his forehead as he shrugs his brows with a condescending air. He mimics her with a high-pitched voice. “Well, I— I don’t know— I—I don’t think I—I—I—”

Y/N’s face goes sour as heat floods her cheeks, fire threatening to spark across the tips of her sizzling ears. She yanks the sheets off of him, holding them with one hand as she uses the other to begin crawling across the bed towards the edge, a haphazard defense thrown over her shoulder. “Shut up! It wasn’t on purpose!”

Harry scoffs in dark amusement, not even bothering to cover himself up. He bites into his cheek to keep from exploding into a round of triumphant laughter; he can’t believe he managed to turn the tides so quickly. “Oh, so you admit it was you, then?”

Y/N dismounts the atrociously tall bed, stumbling over the long linens as she desperately searches for her clothes. “No! I’m just saying that whatever happened, it didn’t happen intentionally!”

“Obviously.” The brunette demon snorts, shaking his head for subtle emphasis, crossing his ankles offhandedly and returning both arms to the place where one had been prior— tucked behind his head casually. “What do you think we are, mortal?”

“Of course not.” Y/N agrees quickly— a little too quickly, which hints to Harry that she might be trying to cover something up. Perhaps she wasn’t as disgusted by this as she had led on…

He watches as his friend— he uses the term lightly— shuffles around his room, peering at the floor in an determined quest to find her jeans, underwear, and black lace blouse. Or maybe she’s just hellbent on avoiding eye contact with him.

“Y/N…” His tone has lost its arrogantly mocking edge, softened by what she can only decode as...guilt?

She ignores it and doesn’t answer, nearly passing out in relief when she spots her panties and bra hanging off the doorknob to his closet. She snatches them swiftly, panning her gaze around the rest of the room for her leftover clothes, spotting them in a pile sticking out from underneath the opposite corner of the bed. They’d probably gotten kicked there in the heat of the moment.

Harry repeats himself a little louder, adding onto his comment to try and stifle some of the embarrassment radiating from her. “Y/N, you don’t have to leave. You usually stay for breakfast.”

Y/N scoops up her outfit, settling it into the crook of her right elbow and squaring her shoulders as if ready to brace a hellhound. Their gazes lock and he feels his stomach flop when he sees the vulnerability she’s obviously trying to hide. She’s good at it, he’ll give her that, but if he stares intently enough, he can just make out the traces of conflicted longing leaking into the disinterested facade around her pupils.

“It’s fine, Harry.” She sighs heavily, her tone drastically different from the unkempt girl that had been floundering about just seconds ago. She’s now calm, cool, collected, and scaringly so. “I have somewhere to be later. Meeting someone to close a deal.”

She shrugs one shoulder indifferently, grabbing a handful of the sheets arranged around her figure and pulling away, dropping the bedspread at his feet and leaving herself completely nude.

And there she is, the Y/N he so well knows. The same one that uses sex appeal as a shield.

She’s managed to spackle the cracks that had appeared in her typical barrier of heartlessness, her confidence and ease leveling off once again. She places her clothes on top of the crumpled sheets, picking out her cheeky bright red panties from the heap and working them up her tempting legs. Harry can’t help but notice the hickies covering her inner thighs, as well as the finger prints staining her hips.

Y/N catches him ogling, smirking to herself now that she has her composure back in order. She hooks her index finger around one of the straps in her bra, lifting it up and bouncing the lace lingerie in front of him teasingly. She raises her eyebrows at her lover provokingly, a sultry air pouting her lips. “Think you can help a girl out?”

Harry licks at his slightly chapped lips thoughtfully, eyes flickering between the article hanging off her hand to the sly grin decorating the edges of her pretty mouth. When he speaks, it’s low and thicker than usual, accent heavy. “Of course, pet.”

His legs thunk emptily off the bed and onto the floor, a small grunt catching the back of his throat as he pushes himself up onto his feet. He is most definitely sore.

His footsteps are soft against the carpeted ground, faltering as he rounds the corner of the mattress.

Y/N eyes his every move, suckling her bottom lip at the way his muscles flex and contract under his sun-kissed skin. She doesn’t let herself wander below his waist though; she’s never one to pass up flaunting her power of will.

Harry stops about a foot away, taking the bra from she is offering and holding it out for her to slip into. She does so at a mind-numbing pace, her toes curling as she feels his warm fingertips running the material up her arms and onto their designated spot on her shoulders. He tugs at the hooks gently, pinning them into place and tucking the tag in, exactly how he’s seen her do countless of times before.

He then runs the palms of his hands up her arms, sighing softly at the silky sensation of her skin and giving her shoulders a dismissive squeeze. “All done.”

Y/N turns on her heels to face him, looking up innocently through her lashes, lips quirking into an easy smile. “Thank you. Such a gentleman.”

Her playfully seductive personality is unbearably contagious, seen in how Harry returns her action with a coy scoff and a simper of his own. “For you, always.”

“Well…” Y/N turns her lower half to the side, showing him her ass for significance, which is covered in the unmistakable print of his hand and rings. “I wouldn’t say always.”

Harry’s pursed lips break into an even wider shit-eating grin, his cheeky laughter echoing across the walls of the apartment, his arms absentmindedly folding across his broad chest. “Yeah, well, you can’t say it’s one-sided, can you?”

He points towards his neck, stretching his chin upwards so that she gets a good view of all the fading love bites she’d left there the night before.

Y/N’s giggles match his. “Touché.”

Harry rummages through his drawers as she finishes getting dressed, shimmying into her tight jeans and throwing her shirt on, finger-combing her hair into a decent state. He comes up with a pair of maroon briefs, slipping them on as he walks back towards her, letting the elastic band snap into place against his lower abdomen.

The two demons with benefits stand before each other, Y/N with her braided black sandals swung over her shoulders and Harry with his hands fixed on his hips nonchalantly.

“You really can’t stay for breakfast?” Harry inquiries one last time, lifting his eyebrows curiously. “I’m making those cinnamon bun waffles you like so much.”

Y/N sighs grandly, clutching her chest dramatically as if it physically hurts her to decline his offer. “I’d love to, but work is work. Don’t really have a say.”

Her friend nods in understanding, well aware of the truth behind her words. “It is what it is, then.”

“However...” Her sudden continuation makes his head perk. She reaches up, carding her fingers into his messy curls and combing them back from his face, tucking a handful of rebellious ringlets behind his small ears and giving him one final self-assured smile. “Do y’think you could maybe save me two and I can come pick them up tonight?”

Harry cranes his head to the side, placing a slow peck to the palm of her hand and then biting into her skin jokingly, a certain lewdness painted all over the deed. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Great.” Y/N quips happily, wrapping his curls around her knuckles roughly and hauling him in for a sloppy, dirty kiss that leaves his teeth numb and his face buzzing.

Once she breaks their mouths, lightly panting with her skin a darker shade than before, he has to blink three times in order to reign himself back in. His ability to form coherent sentences right now is about as useful as alphabet soup; he just gives her a jerky nod instead.

Y/N wipes at his swollen lips with the pad of her thumb, giving his cheek a playful pat. “I’ll see you then, H.”

Harry can’t tear his eyes away as she leaves, his bedroom door clicking shut behind her, the soft, distant thunk of his front door accompanying the sound a bit later.

Fuck, that was something is the first comprehensible thought that registers in his mind.

It was absolutely something and who knows how differently it would have gone if he had admitted giving into the weakness they had both sworn off of.

That notion haunts him for a while— the idea that he could have driven her away for good if he had confessed that his emotions had bleed through their arrangement. Sure, it had only been this once, but Harry has a horrible gut-wrenching feeling that he’s unlocked a box deep in the back of his skull that won’t easily be chained down again.

He thinks this over again and again as he prepares his morning meal, the looming uncertainties of it all causing him to check out of reality here and there, resulting in a few burn marks across his hands and two charred waffles in the bin.

As Harry finally sits down to enjoy the food that had nearly not made it to his plate, he finds himself mentally running through the awkward encounter he and Y/N had faced this morning. He can’t stop himself from dwelling on the expression he had seen crack through her eyes earlier— one that showed she seemed to be feeling the same kind of emotional turmoil he was. It opens too many unanswered questions for their future and he hates himself for being so worried when nothing had truly happened. For all he knows, it could have just been a trick of the sunlight that had been streaming into the room. He’s getting himself out of sorts for nothing.

However, as he goes in on a forkful of his cinnamon-glazed pastry, one pesky detail suddenly launches him into a coughing fit.

It was so minuscule he had missed it the first fifty times he had run through the events, but it had decided to prick him in the brain now, the weak dam of reassurance he had built crumbling to ashes.

After Y/N had woken up, saw what was happening, and their fight had ensued, she had made a comment about how Harry had kissed her forehead.

On the surface, it had seemed unimportant because yes, that is exactly what he had done. The problem arose when he remembered that she had been dead asleep when he had done that.

Supposedly.

He had gone to remove his arm from below her body, she had fussed a bit, he had pressed his lips to her forehead to ease her, and she had remained asleep for a while longer until he decided to finish removing his arm. That final motion was what had awoken her.

Supposedly.

If she had been unconscious the whole time they were cuddling, then how did she know he’d kissed her?

#demon!reader #demon!y/n #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles dirty one shot #harry styles dirty imagine #harry styles dirty fanfiction #harry styles dirty fic #harry styles #harry styles au #writing au #demon au #one direction one shot #one direction fanfiction #1d one shot #1d fanfiction

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deltas-writing-corner · 4 years

Text

Courtship: Respect

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland (Malleus x GN!reader)

Warnings: Mentions and depictions of smoking/tobacco usage

Next chapter | AO3 version

Slight revisions and full version posted on: 5/4/2021

The alarm clock on your phone is loud and annoying, but it’s the only sound that will wake you up without fail so you can get a head start on your more demanding days, like today.

Groggy and neck a bit strained, a sign that you’ve slept on it wrong, you carefully push yourself up and off your bed. You come across your first hurdle of the day. A few wolf cubs had settled on your chest and your sides during the night. You try carefully to move them off of you and to the side of their mother, who has settled near your feet and isn’t afraid to growl or snap her jaw should you even think of shifting or moving away from her. Unfortunately, the pups seem determined to stick by your side despite your efforts. Luckily the pack’s alpha, Gunter, is settled right behind your head and acted as your pillow for the night. He must be why your neck feels stiff as hell.

You reach back and start petting behind his ear, rubbing into the bunch of dotted scars beneath his coarse hair. You feel his body stretch and shake as he wakes up as well. A small whine comes out of him as he gives out an enormous yawn. It makes you yawn as well.

“Ready to start the day?” you whisper to him.

He huffs with a bit of attitude as if to say, “Not really, but what choice do I have?”

You redirect his attention to his pups, preventing you from sitting up without disturbing everyone else. With silent understanding, he removes himself from underneath your head and carefully steps over one of his brothers, who has graciously allowed you to use him as an armrest somewhere during the night. After another good morning stretch, Gunter begins the slow and steady process of picking the pups up from the scruffs off their necks and setting them elsewhere on your bed.

While he does this, you grab your phone and do a quick sweep of all your notifications. You have a few emails, one a weekly newsletter about current and future school events, most of it spam. You have a couple of dozen messages from Ace and Deuce detailing an argument over whether the former ate the latter’s piece of strawberry shortcake they were saving for after dinner. Apparently, they thought to ask you to be their mediator since it was clear they weren’t going anywhere arguing and pointing fingers back and forth at each other.

Unfortunately for them, they messaged you right after you conked out. You were exhausted yesterday, having to deal with an especially rambunctious and mischievous Grim. You were also scrambling to gather the reading materials needed for one of your classes before the other students can snag them. The most recent and urgent incident is figuring out what to do now that the only generator that powers up all of Ramshackle is going out or outright failing to even start up at all. You also have a decently sized garden to tend to, and the next large harvest is today. Once everything has been properly collected, washed, and either stored away in your pantry or given to Sam so he can sell and make a profit on your behalf and his own (it’s a 60/40 split and you had to fight tooth and nail for that 60), you have to replant everything once again after you’ve tilled the soil…

To say that there’s a lot on your plate is an understatement.

Free from your furry prison, you’re finally able to sit up and move your limbs freely. Something slightly damp presses against your bare shoulder, calling for your attention. Gunter, still clearly tired (expected of anyone, human or wolf, having to wake up at six o’clock in the morning), is now awaiting proper payment for his services.

“I got some dried venison in the kitchen,” you offer. The way his one good eye pops wide open and his tail begins to rapidly wag, the deer jerky will suffice.

You give the top of his head one last rub before standing up and heading straight for your bathroom to take a quick shower. Since the availability of electricity has been scarce lately, so is the availability of heating throughout the dorm. Unlike the ghosts, who can’t differentiate between hot and cold (unless it’s magically sourced), you can. Unlike the ghosts who are already dead, you will die in this late winter cold. Grim has better control of his blue flames compared to when you first met him, so he can now essentially be his own heater. He seemed a bit too comfortable keeping himself warm and letting you freeze to death, considering you’re the only reason he’s enrolled in this school.

You make do with what you have and your situation. Even when you gathered all the untorn and clean blankets and piled them on top of you last night, the cold still found its way underneath your cocoon. Gunter, the leader of a small bunch of wolves you had been taking care of during your first few weeks in Twisted Wonderland, must have seen you struggling to stave off the cold and settled himself next to you during the night followed by his brother, his sister, and finally Gunter’s mate and their pups.

Of course, with three full-grown wolves and four chubby wolf babies as your immediate heat sources, you overheated in no time and had to throw off all your covers and strip down to your underclothes in the middle of the night since your pajamas had quickly gotten soaked in sweat (and most definitely covered in their thick fur). A cold shower is just what you need to clean up after a long night drenched in sweat.

You also need to clean your sheets, but without electricity, your washer and dryer are out of order for the time being…

Dammit.

Cold showers suck, but once the ice-cold water hits your back, it woke you the hell up. You probably spent only five minutes in there before you quickly rinsed off and got out because of how unbearable the ice water was.

Once you’re properly toweled dried, you head to your closet and change. You put on clothes you don’t mind getting covered in dirt and sweat; a simple wool sweatshirt and some overalls lined with thick fleece. You also put on a pair of knitted crew socks and secure them to your leg with a pair of garters.

Right as you snap the final metal clasp on the knotted fabric, you feel a familiar bump on your shoulder. Gunter is giving you his best pleading face he can manage. Most people likely wouldn’t fall for it, what with the many scars littering across his body and face, making him look scary rather than cute. You feel a little tug in your heart. Luckily, you’re all dressed up and ready to start your day, so you quickly straighten up and usher him downstairs to give him his well-deserved treat. You grab your phone before you exit your room so you can peruse it on your way.

As you read over old texts and useless emails, a new notification comes in. It’s another message. As surprised as you are to receive a message so early in the morning (Ace and Deuce are likely still snoring and drooling into their pillows at this hour), it is the sender of the text that makes your slowed strides halt completely.

Good morning. I hope you had a pleasant and well-deserved night of rest. I’m currently getting ready to head over to the Ramshackle dorm to help you with your harvesting, as I promised. The coat you’ve made and gifted me during the holidays also fits perfectly and is by far the most comfortable piece of clothing I now own.

Thank you again for your most generous gift. I will inform you when I have arrived.

Yours truly,

Malleus Draconia

You can’t help but smack your palm on your forehead. You’re not annoyed or exasperated, it’s quite the opposite, actually. You’re happy that Malleus’s charm can somehow manifest even within a text message. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s sent you a message formatted and written like a formal letter. If someone were to look at the small messaging history between you two, they’d see that a great majority of it is just Malleus sending you these long strings of text. They would also find your messages, or rather, your poor and embarrassing attempts at mimicking his language and style (he says he gets a laugh out of them, so maybe they’re as bad as you think). There’s also always a follow-up message, gently reminding and encouraging him to relax and not worry about offending you for speaking casually for you.

His response is always the same, and it makes your stomach feel strangely fuzzy.

You have earned my respect, now I must strive to earn yours.

It’s only been a little over a month since he dropped the bombshell that was his desire for your friendship to evolve into a proper, romantic relationship. To say it surprised you is another understatement. You were thoroughly flabbergasted once your mind finally registered his words as genuine. To hear him say “I love you” and direct such a powerful statement towards you was truly the last thing you expected since arriving in this strange world.

But through all the outer uncertainties there was one thing you were certain of, your inner uncertainties. Malleus is a dear friend of yours. Even amongst Ace or Deuce, two individuals who have been with you since the beginning and nearly every overblot incident that has come your way, Malleus holds a special place in your heart as your dearest friend.

But a friend is all he’s ever been in your mind. There was truly never an instance where you pondered or even held some amount of desire or expectation that your friendship could evolve into something more. You felt like a total prick during the end of his confession, asking him if you could sit on his words for a while and come back to him when you have a more certain and final answer to give. Watching the hope and nervousness in his eyes turn into one of pure and utter sadness and even embarrassment, yet he willed himself to conceal his heartbroken emotions back for your sake. It hurt like hell. What was supposed to be an exciting and relaxing end-of-winter-break party in Scarabia’s dorm (and an apology party for Jamil’s actions against you), turned awkward. Neither of you stayed any longer once you went your separate ways.

Despite what had happened, when you received a proper smartphone (and a proper phone plan to boot) as a gift for Christmas, one of the first things you did was transfer all your old contacts into the new device. The first person you messaged was Malleus, wanting to check in on him after your last encounter and to wish him a happy holiday. He answered back in a matter of minutes, much to your surprise. While he’s not the most tech-savvy, your major concern was whether he was holding up well after what happened and if you guys were going to remain as friends. You went on a whole tangent, trying your best to not sound so desperate and ensure that your response is in no way his fault because it most certainly is not. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you.

Gunter suddenly tenses up. His fur instinctually puffs out, trying to appear bigger in anticipation of whatever threat he’s detected in the kitchen. Metallic clanking and clashing come from underneath the kitchen island where you store all the pots, pans, and heavy-duty appliances. A loud and harsh crash riles up Gunter enough that he feels the need to growl at whatever is underneath the cupboard.

You quietly move past him and wave your arm, signaling him to move back a bit. He listens to your orders and takes a few slow steps back. You position yourself on the side of the cabinet, fingertips pressing onto the top of the door to prepare to open.

“On my mark,” you whisper to Gunter. “One... Two…Three!”

You yank the door open, and Gunter quickly launches himself towards the potential threat. Though, not a second passes before he’s suddenly skidding across the floor, trying to immediately halt himself. He barely avoids hitting his head against the wood and giving himself a nasty bruise. When you ask him what’s wrong, he sticks his head into the cabinet and pulls out the apparent intruder.

It’s Blossom, a young fawn you rescued from the rose gardens of the Heartslaybul dorm. It was during the preparation of the unbirthday party near the start of the school year that subsequently led to dorm leader Riddle’s overblot. Cater assigned Grimm, Ace, Deuce, and yourself to paint the roses red with him. On top of rose painting duty, Cater was also on the lookout for a supposed ‘rose thief’ who had been snagging some roses from their garden right from under their noses. The scoundrel they were looking for was the fawn before you. From the way he still wobbled on his feet, he wasn’t even a month old when you initially rescued him. He’s lucky you found him when you did. His front leg was caught in a rusted and dull, but full-sized bear trap they set up in case the thief was a wild animal.

“What are you doing in there?” you ask the little troublemaker. “Probably trying to find a snack to chew on, huh?”

Blossom thrashes, trying to break free from Gunter’s hold on his scruff. He of course fails, but not without giving out a distressed scream and trying to plead for forgiveness by giving you his best innocent look. You shake your head before looking up at the small clock hung up on the wall above the refrigerator. It runs on battery so you have to worry about the time no longer being correct when the house lacks power.

It’s 6:15, still way too early. You tell Gunter to let go of Blossom and he does it without argument. Blossom quickly runs up to you, using your own body as a foothold to jump up into your arms. Once you have a hold of him, he bombards your face with little licks and nuzzles of his snout. While this action is normal and you would gladly accept it, you know better than to think it’s not the fawn’s attempts at trying to distract you from his misdeed.

“If you’re looking for the sugared flower petals, you won’t have any luck down there,” you tell him. He immediately stops his loving ministrations and gives out a disappointingly snort before relaxing in your arms.

You chuckle and give him a few apologetic pets on the head as you walk over to one of the upper cupboards and rummage around the various jars, trying to locate the dried venison for Gunter. You also grab a jar placed far in the back with the aforementioned candied rose petals Blossom was most definitely looking for. The moment you open the jar and the heavy scent of sweetness and floral whiffs in the air, Blossom begins to excitedly thrash about in your arms and tries to stick his head into the container. Luckily, the small nubs on his head, his newly budding antlers, stop him from reaching too deep.

You spend the next few minutes feeding your companions their early morning treat. The doorbell rings as you let Blossom lick the last specks of sugar off of your now damp palm. After rinsing your hands off and drying them, you head to the door. You open it and take in the sight of a newly arrived Malleus, dressed in a simple black dress shirt and a pair of loose-fitting linen pants you made for him when he expressed discomfort over his PE uniform the last time he helped you in your garden.

“Good morning!” you greet him as brightly as you can without being too loud.

“A good morning to you as well,” he greets back. Unlike you, who is still groggy and slow, he seems properly energized despite the time. You’re jealous. You’ve been waking up at the crack of dawn for years, at least a decade now, yet your body isn’t used to the early routine. Though compared to the hundreds of years Malleus has on you, you probably won’t show any sign of improvement until your hairs are gray.

“Have you eaten yet?” Malleus asks.

You shake your head. “The electricity is out, so I can’t use the stove or open the fridge too often.”

“Crowley still hasn’t replaced your generator?”

“No,” you frown. “Every time I try to bring it up he either gives an outlandish excuse or just flat out tells me I don’t need a new one.”

His eyebrows pressed together, clearly upset as you are at the headmaster’s failure as your caretaker. You reassure him it’s fine. Everyone in the dorm has been saving money for emergencies like this, and it just so happens that the money you’ll make for selling the produce you collect today will bring in just enough to buy a brand new generator. You’ll be out of electricity for another week, two at most, but have enough firewood and nonperishable foods to last until then.

“You should at least make yourself some coffee,” Malleus urges. “It’s bad to work on an empty stomach. You've said so yourself.”

“I will once Grim and the ghosts wake up,” you reassure. “For now, let’s head to the back and get started. There’s a lot to harvest, so the sooner we start, the sooner we’ll finish up.”

He’s clearly unhappy at your dismal of his concerns. You know that being so nonchalant towards a fae is rude, but you don’t want to worry him with your own issues. You also have no desire to eat or drink, not this early in the morning at least. If you tell him as much, he’ll probably freak out like he did last time, thinking you were unwell and forcing you to lie in bed for the rest of the day.

Yes, you could have pushed back and argued that you were fine, but it’s very hard to tell him “no” when his intentions are purely out of concern for your well-being. Better to let him hover over you and see that you’re fine than to leave him stewing in his anxieties in silence.

“What have you been growing this season?” Malleus asks as he tugs on the loaned gardening gloves you handed him.

“The usual spread. Some potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. The only fresh additions I planted are some peas and kale. Oh, and broccoli!”

“Did the crops hold well when you were gone?”

“They did thanks to the ghosts. The heat from the fire faeries around the campus also made them easier to protect from the cold,” you explain. “I should probably give them some type of exotic wood as a little thank you gift.”

“You can never go wrong with a bit of mahogany,” Malleus says as he ties back his hair.

You hand him a straw hat, one that you weaved to accommodate for his black horns. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“Your welcome,” he smiles at you before turning back to your garden. “So where shall we start first?”

“I’ll work on picking the cabbage heads. You can cut off the pea pods and we’ll go from there.”

“Very well. I’ll follow your lead.”

It’s 8 a.m. You know this because Ace and Deuce are woken up at this hour by Riddle and one of the first things they do is bombard you with text messages which usually forces you to turn your phone on silent mode. Despite it being late winter, you’re already working up a sweat from the repetitive and demanding motions of picking and carrying around baskets full of vegetables and cleaning them. Malleus is no better, hand continuously raising to his face to wipe away the constant wetness clinging to his forehead. You know he’s not used to manual labor like you are, so you try to bring him a pail of water every so often so he can stay properly hydrated.

“Oh my, you’re already up?”

You turn around to see who’s speaking to you and see one of the ghosts that live with you and Grim in Ramshackle floating towards you.

“Good morning!” you greet him. “Did you need something?”

“No no,” he shakes his head. “I just came to check up on my bees and saw you already hard at work.”

The ghost (Franklin is his name, but you all call him Frankie for short by his insistence), affectionately ruffles your hair with his large white palm. He’s one of the tamer ghosts, but he’s still capable of pulling a prank on you or his fellow housemates now and then. You and he have been cultivating and maintaining a small beehive since October, but he does most of the work and maintenance since he has more experience in the ways of beekeeping than you from when he was alive.

Frankie does a quick once over of the garden, his scanning gaze doubling back at seeing Malleus carefully rinse a couple of heads of broccoli.

“How long has he been here?”

“Since 6:30,” you answer back. “Why?”

“No one gets up that early unless it’s for someone they fancy,” he says rather nonchalantly, but the way he quickly side-eyes you show that he’s clearly talking about you. You try your best to appear unaffected and give a “Is that right?” type of hum, but your efforts are in vain since he just laughs at you.

“If even you know, that means he’s got it bad.”

You say nothing back because you honestly don’t know what to say, or if you should. You’re content to just go back to plucking potatoes out from the ground, but Frankie doesn’t seem to want to leave you alone just yet. He asks you to come with him to the greenhouse where the hive is being kept. The small glass enclosure also houses some flowers and herbs you use for cooking or medicine.

You quickly close the door behind you once you enter, reveling in the warmer air that hits your face. While Frankie lights his cigar and gets a heavy cloud of smoke going (his personal method of keeping the bees calm), he has you open the top and carefully pull out the panels one by one while he checks for any signs of a decaying hive and ensures the queen is alive and healthy. One of your initial worries about beekeeping was getting stung, but Frankie reassured you it’ll only happen if you purposely upset the bees or fail to care for the hives consistently. Now, you gladly let the buzzing honeybees wander around your bare skin.

As Frankie pulls out his cigar from between his lips and taps off the ashes into the respective ashtray, he looks over at you and asks, “Is everything ok?”

You give him a confused expression as you snap the cover for the hive back into place. “I’m fine?”

“You sure? Because if you ask me, you don’t seem like it.”

“I mean, I already have a pile of schoolwork I need to finish and a rundown dorm to take care of. I’m as ok as anyone in my position can be-“

“I’m not talking about any of that,” he interrupts. “I’m talking about you. Forget about Grim and your studies. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” you answer again.

“Are you sure?”

Well, when he puts it that way, even he must be able to see that you’re clearly not doing alright. In fact, you haven’t been alright since you were literally kidnapped and held against your will in the Scarabia dorm. Luckily everything worked out fine for everyone else, but not so much for you. You’ve noticed that your appetite is waning and you wake up multiple times during the night because you don’t feel safe, even in your own room.

Malleus’s confession unfortunately was another wrench being thrown at you. With your hands already so full of this and that, you’re struggling to figure out what needs a priority and which issues you need to either drop entirely or find someone trustworthy to take care of it in your stead. It’s hard to ask people for help when they either find a convenient reason to say no or you feel as if you can’t trust them to do something as simple as watering your plants. The only person you feel you can trust and ask for help is Malleus, and things aren’t exactly as they were between the two of you.

“Talk to me kiddo,” Frankie prods. “What’s been eating at you?”

He lifts his ashtray and makes to snuff out his cigar so he can focus on speaking to you, but you hastily reach over and stop him. You take the smoke from him and bring it up to your lips and puff a few grey clouds. Strangely enough, it tastes rather pleasant, floral, and creamy. You didn’t expect to taste like this because of the way it smells, like soil that was just freshly rained on.

“Sorry,” you hand it back to him. “I haven’t eaten and I’m practically running on fumes.”

“That’s alright,” he says, handing it back to you. “You look like you need it more than me.”

Malleus carefully blows small bits of green fire onto his freezing fingertips, trying to warm them up after being drenched in the icy water from the water pump. He looks over his shoulder, over the stalks of peas, towards you. You’re still in the greenhouse and frantically moving your lips. He can see your eyes are glistening with a fresh layer of… tears? You don’t allow a single drop to get past your lids, wiping them just at the last second before they can pass over the threshold.

He’s only ever seen you cry one other time, when he came to your rescue in Scarabia over the break. He initially thought he frightened you with his aggressive display of magic. Once the dust settled and the blot on Jamil was expunged, no one was more shocked than he was when you boldly ran straight towards him and jumped into his arms. It was all he ever wanted, what his mind dreamed of every single time he closed his eyes. He could no longer brush off the fluttering in his stomach as the mere excitement of making and spending time with his first genuine friend. He was determined to keep his newfound affections for you with him under lock and key, not willing to risk ruining your close-knit friendship with his selfish and potentially one-sided desires.

Your desperate embrace, your toughie exterior lowering to that of a sniveling and shaking human, gave Malleus the impression that the only reason you would display such vulnerability before him was that you reciprocated his sentiments. It gave him a sense of confidence he never knew he was lacking, usually so sure of himself most other times. It made his chest burn with an aching desire to say “to hell with it all” and spill his heart right then and there.

When you extended the invitation you received from Kalim to him, he saw it as his proper opportunity to let his affections be known. He was upset (according to Lilia, more than usual) that he had to take Sebek and Silver along with him for the usual security, but he was determined to get them distracted long enough so he can pull you aside and confess to you without fear of interruption or letting his personal affairs be known to anyone else, at least, for as long as he can keep something so monumental under wraps.

As a prince, he has been taught to look at the long term for each of his decisions, as they carry substantial weight. The long term of pursuing a relationship with you meant having to deal with the prejudices and stigma against humans that still live within the hearts of his people. For once in his life, he didn’t want to think like an heir. As he watches you continue to talk to one of Ramshackle’s ghosts with increasing frustration, he realizes his love utterly blinded him back then. The only long-term his rose-tinted mind could comprehend was of the happy moments he had long conjured in his head becoming a reality.

You didn’t explicitly reject him, however; he knows your behavior well enough to know that once his feelings were laid bare before you, you would not take them into your arms and hand yours over in return. Arms crossed and avoidance of eye contact, you do this when you’re nervous or unsure, sometimes both. He held onto the self-indulgent hope that you’d show him what you look like when flustered. Perhaps you’d stutter?

You did stutter when you spoke up, but they were not the words that he wanted, that he thought he was, going to hear.

“Malleus...I’m so sorry…”

“Ah, you’re here early!”

“It’s just that…I don’t think I can…”

“Hey! Are you listening to me? You better not be ignoring me on purpose!”

“It’s not that I’m telling you I don’t feel the same way, but I can’t exactly say that I do. It’s just... I’ve never- “

“Tsu-no-ta-rou!” Grim’s shrill voice, still a bit riddled with drowsiness, still pierce Malleus’s eardrums and nearly causes him to drop the vegetable in his hand. “Pay attention to me when I’m speaking!”

“Quiet,” he growls at the monster. “If you need your master, they’re in the greenhouse. Though, you might want to come back another time.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

Malleus lifts Grim from the back of his fuzzy robe (you must have made it and gifted it to him during the holidays) and points to you. Frankie has one of his translucent hands on your shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly now and then while he speaks. You were no longer wiping your face so furiously, allowing your tears to fall and drip off of your jaw and wet your shirt as you listened to your fellow dorm resident.

“What happened? Did you smash all the tomatoes again?” Grim cranes his neck to look at Malleus accusingly.

“No, I didn’t. Those are out of season.”

“Maybe it’s about what happened at Scarabia,” Grim muses. “They haven’t been sleepin’ too good since we came back, y’know?”

Malleus nearly drops the cat. “They haven’t?”

“Nah,” the cat answers, far too casually and dismissively for the fae’s liking.

“This is news to me,” Malleus says, almost whispering to himself. He’s sad, almost offended, at the fact that you haven’t told him you’ve been having some difficulties this whole time. You normally keep him up to date with your personal life. He’s even more offended once he realizes that you’ve been worrying and reassuring him that your friendship with him isn’t ruined after what’s happened.

There’s a small voice in the back of his mind, conniving and twisted, that feeds into his already prevalent belief that your unwillingness to share with him your personal problems anymore is a sign that he hasn’t earned your respect. It’s a ridiculous explanation, but no amount of reassuring from either you or himself is going to stop his Mind from asking such a multi-sided question. Surely, if you thought admirably of him, you’d continue to allow him to bear witness to your moments of weakness and vulnerability. He feels close to you, connected to you in a way he’s never felt. He can be slow and downright miss some references to your jokes and behavior. You always put on a face of understanding, but is he so lost that your patience has worn paper-thin?

Are his feelings for you truly one-sided? Is he still jumping to conclusions too soon and just needs to give you more time and space? Did he just set a course for a ruined friendship or could his hastiness have been a fruitful gamble?

If it’s not iron that kills him, it’s the uncertainty within his heart and mind.

A shrill whistle pierces through the air and Malleus’s eardrums. Grim hisses at the sudden noise and the hairs on his neck stand up. Even Frankie and you can hear and turn your heads towards the source despite still being in the middle of a conversation. The one who whistled was another one of the ghosts who live in Ramshackle. Johnathan is his name, usually shortened to Johnny. His sunken cheekbones make him look unassuming, but you’ve rightly warned Malleus never to turn your back on that one for too long. It’s a miracle that you can keep up with all their shenanigans.

“I got the generator to start up and made some coffee!” Johnny happily announces. “Come get it while it and the dorm are nice and warm!”

“I’ll have a cup or two, so long as there’s a ton of cream and sugar!” Grim says whilst smiling. “And I ain’t skimping this time on the sugar!”

“You better if you know what’s good for you,” you sternly say, now out of the greenhouse along with Frankie. “We’re short on sugar and I’m not stocking up till next weekend.”

“Whaaaat?!” Grim exclaims, his lower jaw almost reaching the floor. “Since when did you become such a cheapskate?”

Everyone, including Malleus, did a sharp intake of breath as soon as the words passed the cat’s mouth. Everyone turns their head towards you, awaiting your reaction to Grim’s comment. This isn’t the first time Grim has gotten lippy with you and, given his nature as a mischievous little monster (a common trait between Ramshackle’s residents, Malleus is now noticing), it won’t be his last no matter how badly you scare or pull a fast one under his clawed feet. Even when your face is all puffy and wet with semi-dried tears, the look of “oh you’re in it now” is still so panic-inducing to everyone, ghosts, and feline alike. To the sole Fae present, he thinks of you as nothing short of adorable and wants nothing more than to wipe your messy face clean.

“Well, if you want more sugar there is one way you can get some more.”

“W-W-What is it?” Grim says, pudgy body shaking and sinking into the comfort and small safety of his fuzzy robe.

You approach him and bend down to grab him by the back of his neck, lifting him so he’s at your eye level before deadpanning, “Get a job, Make some money, and then buy your own.”

Once you set Grim down, he scrambles back into the home with an almost comical amount of fear in his eyes. He screams about how he’s never getting a job even if it kills him and his continued determination to find the small money vault you have hidden around the dorm and spend it all on canned tuna. Johnny, Frankie, and you all give a unison chant of good luck to him before he disappears completely.

“Has he made any progress in his search?” Malleus asks.

“Our money vault isn’t even in the house, so no,” Johnny answers, resulting in you and Frankie cackling and high-five one another.

With the power back on, you announce that it was time for a well-deserved break. It’s your turn to make breakfast and you immediately begin to ask everyone for their preferences. Frankie cuts you off and insists he take over your duties for the day. You normally would protest and insist to whoever was offering to cover for you it wasn’t a problem for you at all. “I enjoy doing [insert chore], so it’s fine!” is your usual go-to reasoning, but not this time.

Malleus notices the way you make to protest as usual, but you quickly back down and just let Frankie go ahead inside to take over for you. In normal Ramshackle fashion, Frankie mentions the cigar you were puffing and waving around earlier and says that you owe him another one, particularly an artisanal one that he’s recently read about in the local newspaper and has been aching to try.

“You got any more highly specific goods you want me to fight tooth and nail for?” you sneer.

“No, just the cigar will do,” he says before turning around to head back inside. Before he can close the door behind him all the way he pulls it back and says, “If you get it sometime this week I’ll buy a new bag of sugar.”

You whisper an impressive string of curses under your breath. Malleus has to restrain the urge to laugh at your colorful vocabulary.

“In that case, I hope your schedule is free tomorrow night. I’ll have it by then.”

Frankie gives you a thumbs up before heading back inside. Once the door behind him clicks shut, you turn towards Malleus and he physically feels his body shift from somewhat relaxed to stiff and proper. You notice this and crinkle your nose a bit, something to do when you find something endearing or as a way of silently giggling. Malleus watches with such an unnecessary amount of focus as you reach up to adjust his straw hat and wipe a bit of dirt off the collar of his shirt.

“I’m sorry for leaving you hanging back there,” you say as you pick off a stray leaf that somehow got tangled in his dark locks. “I’m also sorry you had to see me crying like that. I’ve just been so tired lately.”

There it is again. That damn twisting ache right in his heart.

“It’s fine,” he reassures you. “But if it isn’t too rude of me to ask, is your lack of sleep really all that’s wrong with you?”

You give out a long sigh. “I’m guessing Grim told you a bit of what’s been happening since winter break?”

“He has.”

Your arms cross and the ground suddenly becomes more interesting. You’re unsure, but the way your eyebrows press together is a sign that you’re conflicted. Malleus feels his frostbitten hands accumulate a layer of sweat as you silently mull over your thoughts. Despite the pain and hesitance in his heart, he wills himself to grasp you by the arm and pull you into an awkward hug. He knows it’s not exactly what you might need at the moment, and he was fully preparing you to push him away. He’s relieved when you bring your arms around his torso and reciprocate the embrace.

“I’m tired,” you sigh

“You haven’t been resting well, so it makes sense.“

“No,” you shake your head, the tips of your hair tickling Malleus’s neck. “It’s not just a lack of sleep that’s making me feel exhausted. After what happened with Scarabia, especially with Jamil, I don’t feel safe anymore.”

“Are you afraid?” he asks. To think of you as fearful is an entirely foreign concept for him when you’ve only ever been confident and certain of yourself since the first time he met you.

“Yeah, I am,” you admit without skipping a beat.

Considering what you told him, Malleus thinks your fear is justified. You have no defense against magic…

He fills a strain in his neck as his entire body suddenly seized up. You notice this and pull away to ask him what’s wrong. “Nothing,” he quickly dismisses, but you don’t let him go silent on you.

“If,” he hesitates. He’s thinking too rashly already, yet he’s still so compelled to act upon his thoughts. “Should anyone attempt to do you harm, I swear upon my name and title that I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”

He means every word, but you seem to take it far too casually than he would have liked. You press your face against his shoulder and laugh against his skin, your breath bringing him some much-needed temporary warmth. Such an ordinary action, yet it causes another pang within his heart. It settles next to the one that arose before, but he bites his tongue and endures it for your sake.

“Maybe you could play that electric violin for whoever comes after me,” you jest.

As embarrassing as it is to hear that you know about that incident (he’ll have to reprimand Lilia for telling you about that), he can’t help but laugh along with you. If making a bunch of teenagers’ foam from the mouth amuses you, then so be it.

“Thank you for offering to get your hands dirty for my sake,” you say. “That’s one thing I respect about you. You take care of the people you care for.”

His body goes still once again. “Is that right?” is all his mind can wrap around and say.

“Yes, oh Wise and Great Lord Malleus. I do, in fact, respect you.”

He cringes at that title. It’s something he has heard Sebek try to enforce you to refer to Malleus as, which you never do purely so you can get a rise out of his loyal guard. Before he can ask you to never call him that again, a bunch of howl’s ring out, and the two of you pull away from each other. The wolf’s howling is usually a sign that food is ready, which you seem rather eager to get to as you interlock your arm with his and drag him inside with you.

He looks back at his basket of still dirty vegetables. “What about-“

“It’s alright! I’m not throwing a fuss over a few broccoli heads!”

Crispy bacon, over easy and scrambled eggs, and a mountain of sizzling hash browns. Once everyone grabs a plate and sits down at the dining table (Malleus sticks close to you, hoping he can sit next to you), they grab whatever pieces of food they want in whichever quantity. Somewhere in the next room over, a faint melody plays through the speaker of an old record player. The vintage singer has a rather cheeky attitude in her vocals but with the accompanying music, it all comes together harmoniously. It’s perfect for a rather excitable breakfast.

It seems you never told the ghosts too many details about your sudden disappearance during the break. You downplay the true extent of your dilemma as you willingly giving your time and effort to help a desperate Jamil figure out what was causing his normally kind dorm leader to have a sudden personality switch. The ghosts listen carefully, and as you gradually get to the big climax that is Jamil’s betrayal and overblot, followed by Malleus’s sudden appearance, they’re all practically hanging on the edge of their seats. Your tale even intrigues the wolves and Blossom. They gather and settle near the legs of your chair, ushering you to continue your story by whining and scratching your ankle.

You don’t exaggerate Malleus’s part in your tale, something he greatly appreciates. You tell them how things happened just as they did: Grey clouds suddenly covering the sky and the occasional peak of lightning through their fogginess. Just when it seems like Jamil has the upper hand and is going to put an end to Grim and you, as well as Jade, Floyd, and Azul of Octavinelle, Malleus appears out of nowhere and effortlessly zaps the blot right out of the vice dorm leader of Scarabia.

“That deserves some praise,” Benjamin, the third of your ghostly residents, raises his half-filled mug of coffee and extends it towards the middle of the table. “To Malleus!”

Everyone, including you and Grim, raises your glasses and repeats his chant. “To Malleus!”

“To me, I suppose,” Malleus half-heartedly raises his own cup. “It really wasn’t much effort, or any praise really.”

He catches you looking at him in his peripheral and he feels a lump form in this throat that he immediately swallows. “I simply did what I believed you would have done for me if our positions were reversed.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” you say after swallowing a hefty mouthful of scrambled eggs. “But it’s nice knowing you have my back. It makes me feel safe.”

“Safe?” Malleus is surprised to hear you say this, considering what you told him earlier. “I make you feel safe?”

Now it’s your turn to be surprised. “Y-Yeah. I guess you do.”

“You guess?”

“You do,” you say, more definitively this time. “I promise. If you didn’t you’d know.”

He can’t help but laugh. “I can only imagine what interacting with you would be like then.”

“Probably not that good, or not at all. I steer clear of people I don’t particularly like.”

His eyebrows raise in intrigue as he sips his now lukewarm coffee. “What makes you dislike someone?”

“I dislike people I have no respect for,” you say casually. Malleus thinks you might be joking or poking fun at him, but how you take the time to look up to him while you busy yourself with feeding Gunter a few bits of bacon clearly means you’re trying to tell him something secretly. It’s definitely something along the lines of, “I don’t know where this mindset of me not respecting you came from, but it’s a load of bullshit and you need to get that thought out of your head.”

Even within his head, your language is still so vulgar and blunt. Only you would talk to him in such a rude manner.

But he respects that part about you.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twst malleus #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #twst writing #fanfic: courtship #reader insert #reader insert fanfiction #gender neutral reader

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ddarker-dreams · 4 years

Text

Trips. Yan Illumi x Reader [COMM]

Life brings with it new situations, impeding obstacles that need to be overcome.

Flexibility is the trait that allows such things to be navigated properly, to accept and work with the cards that you’ve been dealt. Unfortunately for you, this character trait has always seemed to be one of your greatest fallacies.

Why this incontestable fact wasn’t enough to deter Illumi, you would never know for certain. Determined is the word you found to fit his likeness the best. Illumi sought out on the long and cumbersome journey of sculpting you into his ideal masterpiece, chipping away at elements unfitting of his taste; while emphasizing any desirable traits.

Dehumanizing as it is, it’s your new reality. One that you never expected to be a chapter in the book of your life, if not the falling action and conclusion now all together. But, as inflexible as you are at times, you can still attempt to make the most of it in your own way.

Having already offered any serious forms of opposition, you quickly learned the petty endeavors would ultimately be pointless. Illumi never so much as blinked at any of your trite attempts at upsetting him, not taking the offenses as seriously as you hoped. Maybe that was for the best, as he’d still reprimand you despite seeming unaffected.

“Aina,” you invite over in a low tone. “Can you come here for a moment?”

There isn’t any reason to voice your desires in a polite manner, seeing as the Zoldyck butlers would carry out your every reasonable whim without complaint. Even if they held the key to freeing you from this grandiose prison, you still couldn’t find it within yourself to harbor any serious resentment against them.

Even if they did come to their senses, and ever tried to assist you, you didn’t want to imagine what the consequences would be for such an offense.

“Do you need something, Master [First]?”

Aina appears next to you faster than the human eye could comprehend, her serious gaze set wholly upon you. Aina was who Illumi assigned to be your personal butler during your first few days here, someone who has become a familiar face. You had asked her before for her age, only to learn she was only a year older than you.

Illumi most likely picked her out for that very reason, wanting to “ease” the transition into your new life.

Aina sports a well cared for bob, having light brunette hair and honey colored eyes. It seems you fell right into Illumi’s trap, feeling a kindling of friendship with her. Even if it wasn’t formed in a natural way, a friend is a friend.

Leaning back in the garden chair, a soft noise leaves your lips as you stretch your stiff muscles. The relaxing sounds of nature always felt like a welcome change of pace. You’ve always expressed your preference for the gardens in the Zoldyck estate, preferring them greatly over the Gothic style mansion.

The air out here feels lighter, the sun inviting as it gently kisses your skin. Different cries from exotic creatures you couldn’t even begin to name fill your ears, along with the sounds of running water from the fountains.

Aina waits by your side ever so patiently, while your mind is full of these thoughts.

Sheepishly looking up at her through your eyelashes, you smile. “I have a bit of a request, actually.”

She’s capable of picking up on every nuance to your words, of reading all the twitches of your muscles and knowing what emotions they indicate. In a way, it almost reminds you of Illumi. But whereas Illumi would exploit this telling information for his own gain, Aina uses it only to serve you better.

“If by chance I’m asking for too much, just let me know,” you request, a nervous laugh leaving your lips. At this you notice her jawline tightening, most likely anticipating the worst. “It’s been on my mind to get some new decorations to spruce up my room. Not to say I dislike the whole, vampires living in the 1800s look, but it’s a tad dreary.”

Aina’s lips quirk up, before she swiftly changes to a neutral look once more.

“Since I can’t really use the internet, it’s not like I can do online shopping. And I’d feel bad for someone having to deliver it on a mountain too. So how do I go about this? Is there like a special Zoldyck amazon that I can use, but no one has told me about yet?”

At any hints of humanity Aina offers, you find it easier to talk without holding yourself back. Being all doom and gloom nonstop is tiring after all, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. Even if that phrase most likely is not intended for being forced into marriage with an assassin, it could still apply here, right?

“If I’m being honest with you, I’m not entirely sure,” Aina places a tentative hand to her chin, eyes narrowing in deep thought. “I’d need to contact Master Illumi for his instructions. Do you want me to do so now?”

At the mention of your husband’s name, you frown. Even if you were expecting your request to be run through multiple channels for permission to be granted, it doesn’t soothe the sting any less. Most things in your life, if not everything, are controlled entirely by Illumi.

Puffing your cheeks out in mild annoyance, you can’t help but sigh dejectedly. “Yeah, yeah. I guess I don’t have much of a choice if I want to get my pink sheets…”

Aina doesn’t so much as flinch at your thinly veiled sarcasm, instantly getting herself to work with the matter at hand. You find yourself watching her carefully as Aina reaches for the black phone in her pocket. If you remember correctly, Aina had informed you that Illumi is on his way back from a job that had him absent a week.

Seeing as he must be in transit, you assume Aina has the green light to contact him whenever necessary without the concern of impeding on his work.

With the press of a button, you hear a low dialing tone come from her phone. One ring later you hear him pick up, Aina’s posture straightening even more than it was before out of respect. Tilting your head at the half heard exchange before you, you’re unable to determine much from Aina’s stoic facade.

Eventually, she pulls the phone away from her head. Before you get the opportunity to ask if you’re in the clear, she holds the phone out in your direction.

“Master Illumi wishes to speak with you.”

At this instruction, you swallow thickly. Speaking to Illumi is always a tricky battle, his words blunt yet crafted all the same. Aina subtly nudges the phone forward once more, prompting you to gingerly pick it up. Placing it against your ear, you bite your lip before finally speaking. Not wanting to give off the impression of being frightened, you put your all into sounding casual.

“So uh, what’s up?” you inquire to him, looking down at your tea cup. By now it’s undoubtedly cold, the amber colored liquid held in a fine china worth more than you could imagine. The desire to fiddle with your hands overwhelms you, so you reach for the handle.

At your voice, Illumi responds immediately in his signature deadpan. “Aina mentioned you wanted to go shopping.”

‘Is this… newsworthy or something?’

“Yeah, I thought it could be a nice change of pace,” you let out an airy laugh, your grip on the handle growing tighter. Even when Illumi isn’t face to face with you, you still can’t help but feel nervous. “It’d make me happy. But I understand if it’s too unreasonable.”

You sit awaiting a response, hearing nothing but the propellers of the blimp Illumi must be travelling on. Does that mean he’s considering it? There’s always a chance he has already made up his mind, but wants to give the impression of taking your feelings into account. It’s a creepy tick you noticed he has, trying to act more human for your sake.

“Alright. We’ll go when I get back this evening,” Illumi eventually concludes, much to your surprise. “You can hand the phone back to Aina now.”

Nodding your head despite him not being able to see you, you give the dark phone back to Aina who stands in waiting. She takes it before confirming a few more minor details, and then ultimately ending the phone call. It’s strange, you believe, that such a mild request requires so many moving parts. Whether it be Illumi’s suffocatingly protective nature over you, or the cost of being a Zoldyck, you’re unsure.

Aina busies herself with contacting other butlers at your behest, most likely planning out in great length how everything will work. If it weren’t for being held here against your will, you might even feel bad for all the effort they’re putting in for your sake. But even if it’s a small one, this is a victory nonetheless!

Having been with Illumi for over a year now, you quickly picked up on what you should and shouldn’t do. Even when you’re upset with him, which you can’t help but be a majority of the time; it’s in your best interest to not show it. A few snarky quips here and there don’t do much damage, but anything other than that can place you in boiling hot water.

Illumi had expressed to you in the past a similar sentiment. That once you adjust to your new life, things will flow a lot smoother for you. Now the fruits of your labor are starting to show, you believe. If he’s placing enough trust in you to do this, then maybe, just maybe; you can have even more freedoms over time.

Once Aina looks to be free for a moment, you begin to speak to her again.

“You know, in the past when I wanted to go shopping I’d just get in my car, and head to the mall.” you recall over to her, wistfully sighing for extra effect. Aina never seems bothered by your musings, always indulging you without a hint of irritation.

“I’m sure things were simpler then. But now that you’re a Zoldyck, there are a lot of extra factors to account for,” Aina points out with a soft smile of her own. Whether it’s genuine or not, you’re unsure. “Master Illumi does the utmost to ensure your safety.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t wrapped me up in bubble wrap yet,” you snicker at the thought, before your eyes widen in realization. “Wait, I shouldn’t give him any ideas…”

“If it makes you feel any better, I doubt he’d do that.”

‘For some reason, that doesn’t make me feel much better.’

Shaking your head, you decide to curve the conversation away from your overprotective husband. “What time are we heading out? I have to wear my finest threads and all, since I’m representing the family.”

Pulling the cuff of her suit back, she looks down at her watch.

“Four hours, give or take. You still have some time.” Aina responds in haste, before covering her watch yet again.

Owlishly, you stare at her, finding her every move to be of interest. It further cements the feeling that you don’t fit in with this estate, despite Illumi’s attempts. The grace the family members have, and even their servants have, is still far from your grasp.

That still doesn’t stop him from trying though.

“In that case, I’ll return to my previous philosophical musings.” you respond while stroking your chin, stifling another laugh. If there’s anything that can bring you comfort in this foreign place, it’s your own stupid words.

Why you caught the interest of Illumi Zoldyck is still one of the world’s wonders, not to say you don’t have your own theories. Some ranging from being cursed as a baby, to having done something in your past life to deserve this.

‘How does the saying go again? Opposites attract, or something. Illumi is probably the opposite of me in every conceivable way, after all.’

“Would you like me to brew you some fresh tea?” Aina asks you, having taken notice of your cold beverage. You purse your lips, knowing that trying to understand Illumi is a lost cause.

“Yes please.”

---

When you used to watch events where celebrities would gather, one of the coolest aspects to you were the cars they’d emerge from. Sports cars, luxury vehicles, limousines. All of them filled you with awe and wonder, a class above what you could ever hope to afford.

Now you stand here, face to face with a limousine of your own, gaping at the tinted windows and expensive tires. Three vehicles just like it line up behind, most likely your other escorts.

Aina looks over at you once more, straightening her posture and then subtly motioning to you. It takes a moment for it to click, before realizing that your gawking isn’t as subtle as you thought it was. Following her example with less grace, you walk towards the car door.

Before you can continue to do so, you hear Aina speak up behind you.

“Do you recall everything I told you earlier?” she inquires, causing you to turn your head back to her. Humming lowly, you remember the myriad of boring guidelines you had to endure earlier. It all felt so dramatic, and if you’re being honest, you zoned out for a majority of it.

Scrunching up your nose, you place a finger to your cheek. “Don’t go around yelling ‘Help! I’ve been kidnapped!’ or something.”

Aina pinches her nose, before shaking her head. “Well, you’re not wrong per se…”

Giving her a cheeky smile, you go to reach for the door handle. But before you get the opportunity, another servant swiftly opens it for you.

“Please, allow me, Master [First].”

He opens it with a respectful bow, revealing a black leather interior. Letting out a small “oooh!”, you bite your lip upon noticing the other occupant of the limousine. Waving off the servant’s attempt to assist you into your seat, you hear Aina speak to you once more.

“I’ll be in the car behind you if you need anything.”

“I’ll yell out the window in that case.” you yell back, undoubtedly earning a reprimanding look from her. Plopping yourself down into your seat, your door is closed before you even get the chance to do it yourself.

“No greeting, huh?” Illumi tilts his head, blank eyes staring at you with an unreadable expression. Fiddling with your seat belt, you finally look over at him in acknowledgement. Managing to hear a click signifying your seat belt is locked in place, you give Illumi your full attention.

“Hey, didn’t see you there.” you greet Illumi who doesn’t so much as blink at your words.

“You looked at me when getting in,” he points out, any form of humor flying over his head. “Do we need to get your eyes checked?”

Throwing your hands up in defense, you swiftly shake your head at his offer. “I was just joking, Illumi.”

“Ah.”

Illumi’s tone is as flippant as ever, one of his signature trademarks. On the other side of the partition, you hear keys being flipped to turn the car on. With a soft hum, the car gains traction with remarkable ease. On such a rocky terrain, none of it is felt as the luxury vehicle glides across the ground.

Returning your attention to Illumi, you find him staring at you as well. For a while it gave you a jittery feeling, having those dark voids for eyes thoroughly observing your every move. While it certainly isn’t any less frightening, you suppose that all this time with Illumi has given you a sort of immunity to it.

“So… how did your job go?” you inquire in a soft voice, hands set in place on your lap. There isn’t much else to talk about, so might as well try your luck with this. Illumi would sit next to you in total silence if he so chose to, not being the type to entertain conversation himself without some kind of agenda.

“As well as expected,” Illumi responds earnestly, seemingly pleased that you’re taken interest in him. “The target was killed without a hitch.”

You let out a hesitant laugh. “Oh. That’s uh, that’s good I think...”

Trailing off your sentence, you find yourself scratching the back of your neck at the topic in progress. The thought of the person next to you having killed someone in the last twenty-four hours is dizzying, so you’re quick to move onto something new.

“So, where exactly are we going?” you ask, the question having been on your mind for the past few hours. The fact you were even leaving Kukuroo mountain in the first place is a surprising one, even your honeymoon took place here. Unless there’s some other Zoldyck owned establishment that happens to double as a mall, your mind is clueless to any possible destinations.

“I made arrangements to empty out a shopping center for a few hours. Aside from employees, that is,” Illumi explains, still not blinking. “Aina went over everything with you, right?”

‘She did, but it’s not like I was really paying attention.’

Clearing your throat, you quickly nod your head to deter any negative repercussions. “Yeah, I remember everything she said.”

He studies you once more, before leaning back into his seat. You feel a sudden urge to do the same, but find it difficult to ever fully relax when Illumi is present. Among other things, there’s still one damning question you still can’t fully understand.

Why Illumi is even allowing this in the first place, after all the insane precautions he’s taken to seal you off from the world. Maybe it’s best not to pry into your sudden good fortune? Since curiosity killed the cat, quelling this question will be in your best interest.

Leaning your head against your fist, your eyebrows furrow.

“You have more questions.” Illumi points out, alarming you. Of course he notices any change in your behavior, having spent hours studying every aspect about you. In his own words, there’s nothing you can hide from him. At every given opportunity he proves those words to be correct.

“W-well, yeah,” you admit out at the unexpected heckle. “If I’m being completely honest… I’m just a little taken aback that you’re actually allowing this. I guess.”

For a moment you wonder if your words were too blunt, as Illumi sits there in rigid silence.

“Think of it as a reward for your good behavior,” Illumi eventually concludes, lips curling into an unnatural, proud smile. “Even though you weren’t too compliant at first, you never made any escape attempts. I would’ve known had you tried. I was largely expecting the possibility, but you never made any serious offenses.”

‘I feel like this is how a judge talks to a defendant or something.’

“I suppose that’s true…” you consider, reflecting back to your time here. Although escaping had crossed your mind numerous times, you never had the guts to act on it. The odds were insourmantable against you. What with all the highly trained assassins and butlers running about, you’d have better luck at winning the lottery than pulling a successful escape.

“I’ve always liked outings like this. I would treat myself to a five dollar coffee and then immediately regret it when I got home,” you recall with a snicker. “There’s nothing quite like opening your bank account and wondering, ‘What was I thinking?’ when you’re out of the moment.”

Illumi nods his head. “That’s true. Your bank account wasn’t in the best shape.”

“How do you even-- whatever, I probably don’t want to know,” you murmur while rolling your eyes at his lack of tact. “The point being that the most fun part is all the little treats you buy yourself in between the stores. Sometimes I’d get those cups of small pretzel bites, then have to eat them really quick since you can’t bring them in the stores.”

“Ah! That explains all the small transactions I saw.” Illumi proclaims, eyes lighting up for a moment.

‘The art of being subtle is all but lost to my husband.’

“Have you ever had pretzel bites, Illumi? For some reason, I get the feeling you haven’t been to the mall that often.” you comment while giving him a once over, taking in his unique fashion that would certainly stand out. How he even goes in public without people badgering him is remarkable.

“Only once for shadowing on a job.” Illumi answers, piquing your inner curiosity.

“You were hired to assassinate someone who hung out around a mall? I thought you only went after politicians or important people.” you point out, tilting your head.

“There’s some variety. The client himself was a wealthy individual, who wanted his daughter’s boyfriend killed. She had been dating someone who worked at a clothing store, going against her father’s wishes.”

Frowning, you lean back into your seat. Some people will do anything for the sake of image, but the thought of doing something that would actively hurt a member of your family doesn’t make any sense to you. But the people that Illumi deal with are in a league of their own, taking part in a world you will never understand.

A somber atmosphere begins to set in, to which you attempt to alleviate with a joke. “Did you trail the guy in one of those mascot suits? Like the ones people give free samples in?”

For a moment, you swear you saw Illumi’s eyebrows knit together. He’s still getting used to unfiltered comments, even after all this time. You’ve been told your personality is a tad on the eccentric side in the past. It doesn’t help that Illumi is incapable of spotting humor even in others.

“No. That wouldn’t have been effective.” Illumi plainly states, unimpressed with your guess.

At his dismissal, you further explain your reasoning. “Think about it! It’s an efficient method. You’d blend right in with the atmosphere around you, and no one would be able to tell that you’re looking at your target because of the mask. I think this is genius, actually. Maybe I should patent it…”

Illumi purses his lips together at your further insistence. At the very least you know Illumi never tunes you out like most would be inclined to at this point. He soaks in every word, every movement of your lips.

“That’s certainly something you would say.” he ultimately decides, knowing your carefree nature and comments well.

‘Is that a good or bad thing? That’s probably a bad thing.’

Not giving too much thought to Illumi’s blunt comment, you content yourself by looking out your window. On the outside it’s impossible to see the interior of the car, but from this angle you’re able to see blurry scenery as it goes by. Having familiarized yourself with most of the Zoldyck estate, this felt like an entirely new world. A welcome one at that.

The temptation to lower the window for fresh air presses against you like a thorn, but you ultimately deny it. Who knows how Illumi would interpret the act, it’s better to not risk it. Instead your eyes go wide at the sights around you, seeing the outside world in what felt like forever.

You can still feel Illumi’s gaze boring into the back of your head, but you think nothing of it. He watches you enough as is, it’s not worth getting worked up about. Through winding roads, a hint of civilization finally makes itself known. Seeing people not donning the standard Zoldyck tuxedo fills your heart with nostalgia of a time before.

Eventually, the vehicle comes to a stop in an almost empty parking lot. Not wanting to make any wrong moves, you sit patiently for whatever security checks the butlers are most likely performing at the moment. Illumi gets out before you do, the chauffeur eventually coming to open the door for you just a minute later.

Taking in the fresh air, you appreciate the ability to stretch your legs while awaiting further instruction. Aina catches your eye for a brief moment, giving you a reassuring nod before returning her attention to looking at the premises. The butlers continue to speak among themselves, occasionally running a few words by Illumi who returns to your side.

Once everything seems to be in order, you’re prompted to walk towards the entrance. It reminds you of a scene from an apocalyptic movie, seeing how this large mall is almost entirely devoid of human life. It seems Illumi’s comment about only employees being present rings true, as you cheerfully enter into the grandiose mall.

Looking around at the interior, you come to the realization that this is an extremely high end mall.

‘So much for my pretzel bite dreams… Maybe they have caviar stands here instead.’

Pausing, you glance over at Illumi to make certain that you’re still in the clear. Not sensing any indication that you’ve done something wrong, you continue on your merry way. It’s an overwhelming selection before you, but you want to treasure this moment for as long as you can.

Anything that catches your eye you indulge, walking into the store while being surrounded by numerous butlers. The employees at the store seem understandably hesitant at your presence, so you make an effort to not disturb them more than necessary. The shops that catch your eye the most are clothing stores.

Eventually, you approach one with a variety of cute outfits. The collection of clothes you currently have is surprisingly tailored to your taste, Illumi most likely having studied that aspect about you. An overall outfit in particular stands out to you, causing you to walk over to it with urgency.

“Illumi! How do you think this would look on me?” you call over to him with a snicker, grabbing the hanger and holding it against your person. Illumi looks at you as if you have three heads, mind undoubtedly wracking to form a husband like answer.

“It would look acceptable.” he eventually responds, to which your shoulders slump. It’s not like your expectations are high, but Illumi’s lack of enthusiasm never fails to shine through. A mischievous thought passes through your mind, grin adorning your face before you can stop it. Placing the outfit back to its previous spot, your eyes roam over the selection.

Spotting a bright pink tuxedo, you pick it up before examining Illumi.

“I think you need a new outfit or two. How about this? It’d really bring out your eyes.” you beam, using all of your strength not to laugh. Illumi looks at the bright, hot pink tuxedo and then looks at you. In your peripheral vision you see Aina place her hand to her forehead. Shouldn’t she also be used to this by now?

“I’ll consider your input.” Illumi reaches for the tuxedo, much to your astonishment. Could it be? Is he actually going to purchase this in an attempt to further win you over? Victory is a fleeting emotion, as he stretches his arms to place the outfit back in record time.

“I don’t think that’s what I’d call considering,” you point out with a frown, Illumi seemingly content with the outfit being out of your hands. “You didn’t even give it a shot. At least try it on.”

At your additional pressure, Illumi offers a simple response. “I am considering it.’

Giving an over dramatic sigh, you nod before busying yourself with the other selections. Adding a few more odds and ends to your bag, it’s paid for by one of the butlers. Most likely to further limit any of your contact with the outside world. You get the feeling that if you even attempt to make conversation with them, they’d be too skittish to say anything in response. It doesn’t help that you have Illumi looming over you.

Humming to yourself, you move onto the next few stores. It’s impossible to curtail all of your old habits, still checking the price tag before remembering it doesn’t matter anymore. This part of being with Illumi isn’t all that bad, despite its shallowness. Guilt never comes to you, however, as you recall with ease all Illumi has taken from you.

The sun starts to set in the sky above you, the glass ceiling of the mall further showcasing the bold oranges and reds. All of the recent sunsets you’ve seen have been on Kukuroo Mountain, where you almost felt you could reach out and touch the clouds yourself. Stopping in your tracks, you gape at the nostalgic scene.

‘This is how it used to look like.’

The thought of never being able to see the sky from your own residence never occurred to you. Despite the undeniable beauty witnessing a sunset on a mountain brings, it’s too surreal. This is a familiar comfort, one that you’ve experienced your entire life before Illumi entered it.

“There aren’t any shops up there.” Illumi points out, his monotone returning you to reality. Jumping slightly at his sudden speech, you offer a small laugh. In a way, Illumi’s bluntness can be unintentionally humorous.

“Now that you mention it,” you begin, squinting and looking around. “You’re right. There aren’t any. Strange, I could’ve sworn I saw some.”

“Maybe you should see an ophthalmologist after all.”

“I’m still joking, Illumi.”

“Ah.”

A butler who you don’t recognize approaches Illumi carefully, whispering a few words into his ear. Illumi looks back towards you, his attention once again yours. Your stomach sinks before he even speaks, capable of guessing what he’s already going to say.

“We’ll be heading back home now,” Illumi states, leaving little room for debate. “Did you get everything you wanted?”

It’s a rhetorical question, you feel. At this point it’ll be best for you to offer your abundant gratitude, for him having allowed this entire trip to begin with. Giving one more glance to the sky, you can’t help but wonder if you’ll ever be able to look at it like this again.

Giving Illumi a bittersweet smile, you nod your head. “Yeah. Everything I wanted.”

#yandere illumi #illumi #illumi x reader #illumi imagine #yandere illumi x reader #yandere illumi zolydck #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagine #hxh #yandere hxh #hxh imagine #Hunter X Hunter #yandere hunter x hunter #hunter x hunter imagines #HunterXHunter #hunter x hunter imagine #my stuff #commissions

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mukubear · 4 years

Text

The Pirate and The Qilin

This is a small rarepair that I actually enjoy, and wanted to make a cute story involving them, so here you go!

Ship: Beidou x Ganyu

With the warmer days starting to come to Liyue, the various food vendors were starting to offer up some cold dishes to combat the heat and many of its citizens are taking breaks from work so they don't suffer from overheating or exhaustion. Surprisingly enough, one of those who were doing so was Ganyu despite how much she loved to work and took a couple days off in a row to also relax for her own health after being advised to do so by her boss, Ningguang.

Today, she was walking along the entire harbor, taking in the cool air from the sea. Ganyu always enjoyed the sights from the harbor, watching ships sail in and out the city, various wildlife appearing from the water, and when it's nighttime during Lantern Rite.

While she was strolling around the dock and taking in the sight, Ganyu spotted a familiar ship just arriving and began to walk where it was docking. Soon reaching the ship, she saw it was the exact ship she thought it was, The Alcor and it's crew, The Crux.

Shortly afterwards, coming from the captain's quarters, the captain and leader emerged onto the deck with an ever so prideful stride as she knows her own reputation to the people of Liyue. She then slowly walked off the deck and onto the docks, seeing the familiar face of her only friend in the Qixing.

"What's up Ms. Secretary, it's been awhile hasn't it, how have you been doing?"

Ganyu gave a tiny smile before walking closer and looking up at the taller woman. "Greetings Ms. Beidou, it has been a while and I've been fine. What about you, what has the sea offered up since we last met?"

"Still the same old you, come on and follow me. I'll tell you about it all while having a proper meal!" With that, Beidou began walking away with Ganyu in tow towards the Third-Round Knockout and ordered her special Flash-Fried Filet for herself and a dish of Universal Peace for her friend while talking about the past couple of weeks.

Ganyu has always been keen on talking to Beidou, always enjoying any time she has with her despite them being polar opposites both in personality and lines of work. The same can be said on Beidou's end, loving the time she can spend with Ganyu, especially because they usually have to be under the radar with meetings since the majority of the Qixing have a major disliking towards Beidou herself.

Soon enough, the two had finished their meals and began walking back to The Alcor, having some small talk of still catching up. Upon arriving at the ship, Ganyu stopped walking and stared at Beidou. "How long are you staying in Liyue this time?" She was genuinely curious as for a few reasons, one of which was because she did want to spend a couple more days with Beidou as they both didn't have many they can call friends.

"Sadly I need to leave by night, having to transport some exports on behalf of the Qixing. However I'll be back in a few days this time rather than weeks. Why do you ask?"

Upon hearing that Beidou would be gone a few days this time, Ganyu grew happy but then realized that by the time she does return she'd have to return to work like normal which instantly ruined her mood before an idea came to her mind. "Could I perhaps join you on this voyage Ms. Beidou?"

A laugh came from the captain before staring directly into Ganyu's eyes. "You ask such an interesting question, not many ever ask to join me on any voyages that aren't part of my crew. What brought interest to Ms. Secretary to join the liking of a pirate?"

A faint blush grew on the Qixing secretary before speaking up. "Well.. I want to know what it's like to be on the open sea seeing how I've never traveled by ship before." While Ganyu was genuine with her response, she also had the reason for wanting to spend some more time with Beidou before having to work once again.

"Well I'll be. Come aboard then, I'll show you around The Alcor so you're acquainted with the different rooms there are below deck."

Upon saying that, Beidou didn't think of the fact that she could possibly be skipping work and grabbed her hand as she brought Ganyu around below deck showing the brig, crew quarters, and kitchen with the canteen. She was quite happy that Ganyu had some interest in joining this voyage along with being able to teach her some knowledge in her area of expertise. After the small tour of the ship, Beidou soon brought Ganyu above deck and to the captain's quarters, decorated with various trinkets and treasures from previous voyages. The room also houses a large bed just for the captain herself. "While you're my guest on this voyage, you can use my quarters like it was your own! I'll be back in a moment, need to have a word with the crew." With that, Beidou gave Ganyu a small pet on her head, slightly petting her horns on accident causing her to blush from the touch as she watched her leave the quarters.

After a moment, Ganyu sat down on the bed, finding it quite comfortable as she laid down on it, taking a moment to properly relax and take in the moment. Not too long into relaxing, she had fallen asleep with how late it was at the time.

Early the next morning, Ganyu found herself waking up in the captain's quarters, feeling something over her torso. As she opened her eyes and adjusted to the lighting, she soon saw Beidou laying behind her, holding her close with arms wrapped around her hips and torso. She began to blush horrendously as she slowly maneuvered the arms holding her in place off herself as she got up from the bed and nearly fell over from the waves guiding the ship to its destination.

Opening up the door to the deck, the warm sun hit her skin, helping her wake up some more as she saw the crew doing their jobs of adjusting sails to catch the wind, changing the length of some so they don't have difficulty when having to turn. She walked over the the side of the ship, looking out over the glimmering ocean water, occasionally seeing a dolphin jump from the water, making her smile as she continued to walk around the deck.

It wasn't long before Ganyu stood at the helmet, watching over everything going on with the ship and it's crew before suddenly feeling a hand atop her head and horns, petting her ever so slightly, making her turn red and had her face behind her hands.

"Hey there Ms. Secretary, how well did you sleep?" After saying that, Beidou looked down at Ganyu, seeing the reaction she was having, finding it cute. "Don't be shy!"

After a moment, the hand left her head and Ganyu looked up to Beidou, a shy smile given behind the intense blush. "I slept well.. your bed was quite comfortable.."

"That's good to hear, I'm glad you found it so. Well, be prepared for a few more days on the ocean before getting back to Liyue. I hope you enjoy your time with me and my crew."

With that said, both girls went about doing different things but for the most part Ganyu ended up following Beidou around the ship as she didn't really know any of the crew and also to keep catching up some more.

Another day and night passes, Ganyu once again wakes up with Beidou holding onto her, making her blush as she copies the same thing she did the morning before and walks to the deck and takes in the view again before heading back into the captain's quarters, wanting to change out of her clothes before the realization that she didn't pack any spare clothes for the trip, making her start to panic a small bit.

The pacing of heels hitting against the wooden boards caused Beidou to soon wake up, rubbing her one eye as she stared at Ganyu, able to tell something was wrong. "Hey. Ganyu, you alright? Did something happen?"

Stopping in her tracks and turning to face Beidou, Ganyu took some deep breaths before speaking. "No. I just realized that I didn't bring any spare clothes for the voyage."

"Is that all? Y'know, I don't mind if you borrow some of mine from that closet over there." She pointed at the closet in question before stretching and getting off the bed. "I'll leave you to change, I need to get to the wheel." With that, Beidou left the quarters, leaving Ganyu alone to her changing problem.

Now that she calmed down, she walked over and opened the closet, seeing the same outfit Beidou wears but in ever so slightly different styles. Ganyu knew that anything she was to choose would be a bit too big on her, but it was better than wearing her dirty clothes for the rest of the voyage. She soon grabbed the light blue coloured outfit and looked at herself in the mirror, feeling happy for some reason she didn't understand. Ganyu left and found Beidou, holding a short conversation as she was trying to steer the ship.

Later that night, Ganyu was having difficulty sleeping and walked to the bow of the ship, watching the moonlight dance on the water's surface and land off in the distance. The quiet was very peaceful as it helped clear her mind until the sound of boots walking on the deck could be heard moving closer to Ganyu.

"Hey Ms. Secretary, what's got you up this late?" Beidou soon joined Ganyu, standing next to her and taking in the same view as she did. "It's beautiful isn't it? It's a luxury for most to see something like this."

"I have just been thinking a lot since I agreed to join this voyage."

"Can I ask what exactly you've been thinking? You know you can always talk to me if needed."

Ganyu turned to look at Beidou, staring up to catch the look in her eyes. "My feelings.. it's nothing important.."

"Tell me. You're my guest and I want to make sure you're enjoying your time on my ship."

"Well.. I'm just uncertain on how I feel about someone.. not sure if it's something more or something less.."

Beidou placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. "I understand that feeling. I've had the same thoughts go through my head before whenever I leave Liyue. Can I ask who the person you're talking about? I'll even say the one I think about if you tell me."

Ganyu grew nervous, finding it hard to breathe a bit before calming down while staring into Beidou's eye. "W-Well.. the person is y-you.." Her face instantly turned red as she tried to hide it.

Hearing the answer, Beidou blushed ever so slightly as she began to pet Ganyu on the head and horns. "That's funny. My person is you." She said that with a smile as she found Ganyu to be even cuter with the reaction on her face.

Feeling as she was being pet, Ganyu only hid her face even more and grew even more flustered than she was, but grew shocked from what Beidou said to her. "Really..?" Then to only see her nod in response, making her happier than ever as she pushed herself forward and clung onto Beidou.

In return, Beidou stopped the petting and held onto Ganyu, rubbing her back softly. "You're the only person who takes the time out of the day to keep up with me and my travels and give me a good time during my time in Liyue. After getting to know you for these years, I couldn't help but grow feelings for you. Then seeing your cute shyness whenever I pet you made it harder to not fall for you."

Beidou held onto Ganyu's chin, lifting her face as she leaned down, pressing their lips together as she gave the short girl a kiss, holding it for a few seconds before pulling away. "I love you, Ganyu."

Ganyu grew the most flustered she's ever been as she hid her face by pressing it up against Beidou's chest, nuzzling slightly into it. "I l-love you too.. Beidou.."

After a quiet moment under the moonlight, Beidou grabbed ahold of Ganyu's hand. "Let's get back to my quarters and sleep for the night, my love."

Ganyu nodded before following behind Beidou back the the captain's quarters and laying on the bed, cuddling with her love.

#genshin impact #ganyu #beidou #genshin ganyu #genshin beidou #writing #short story #beidou x ganyu #ganyu x beidou

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tintinwrites · 5 years

Text

first time | First Order!Poe Dameron x Reader

A/N: Nobody asked for this but here I am with a sequel to ‘first commander’ I wrote this forever ago and kept it a secret!! This boy might be a series of one-shots idek you guys

Rating: M

Warning: Smut. Naughty words. Oral (briefly M receiving and then female receiving to orgasm). Brief Daddy kink. Rough-ish sex. Poe isn’t the best guy but he ok. Orgasm denial?

Word count: 2,285, apparently!!

Summary: You decide to sleep with the commander of the First Order’s toughest fleet seeing as you’re lonely and he’s the only person there who’s nice to you, and he seems more unique than he does genuinely evil like you’d been told.

First Commander

GIF credit: I have no idea, but it’s not mine.

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

He'd laughed when he mentioned that fucking him might earn you a few privileges.

Not because he was kidding about it, but explained that you didn't have to, that it was merely a generous offer rather than a threatening demand.

You were pretty sure you said something about how you'd spit in his face if he ever entertained the thought again, your own mind briefly wondering what it would be like to sleep with someone like him.

He was very attractive and very much a member of the First Order, even if he was much more carefree and you might say friendly than the others.

Still evil, you thought.

Less evil when you'd been there for a few weeks and he was the only one who didn't sneer at you when entering your cell, the only one who didn't threaten to beat or kill you if you didn't give him information.

He was nice about wanting information and he would sneak in sweet-sand cookies and he was probably only tricking you and—

You were lonely, okay? That was your reason for batting your eyelashes at him, for letting him cuff you for show as he walked you to his quarters.

The reason why you were about to sleep with a First Order commander.

He'd been surprised when you propositioned him, but he didn't hesitate to accept.

You'd been surprised when he kissed you like a typical lover, but you didn't hesitate to kiss him back.

"Take off your clothes," he murmured, nudging his nose against your cheek for you to turn your head and give him access to your neck.

"Why don't you take them off?"

"If I do, you're not gonna have anything to wear."

You might have wanted him to tear your clothes and leave you with nothing were it not for the fact that you would be naked for anyone in the First Order to see; Poe insisted you get a weekly shower and fresh underwear as being dirty wouldn't encourage you to offer any information, but no one was doing your laundry and your clothes were grimy.

Maybe you could mention it when he was desperate to cum, earn the privilege of having new or even clean clothes.

Were you really considering using sex to have clean clothes to wear?

It was pitiful and rather immoral, and you wouldn't be telling anyone in the Resistance if you ever went home.

When.

The First Order would let you go or you would escape someday.

If you fucked Poe—

You weren't going to pleasure him enough to have him let you go; you were doing this to be less lonely in the sterile environment that was this base.

He was apparently impatient while you were lost in your thoughts, and you gasped as he tore open the front of your shirt.

Your brow furrowed in slight anger and he simply shrugged.

"You were taking a long time. If we have fun, I might give you one of my shirts to wear."

"I'd smell like you."

A neutral statement, not sure whether you were pleased or annoyed.

He smelled pretty good, but his inflated ego didn't need to know about that.

You slapped his hands when he reached for your pants and paused in case he retaliated with a slap to your face like one would expect of a member of the dark side.

He didn't. You unfastened your pants and took them off, folding them neatly to the amusement of the man watching you set them on a table.

It was when you turned around and saw the mirth in his eyes darken, raking over your form, that you were maybe slightly nervous.

Your bra covered the majority of your breasts and the standard underwear covered your upper thighs, but you felt naked under the starving gaze of your enemy.

Was he your enemy?

"All of your clothes. I want to see what's mine." His voice was soft and lustful.

"I am not yours."

"You belong to me for right now."

"Yeah, whatever."

You were pretending that you weren't wet, forcing your hands not to shake as you took off your bra and your knees not to sway as you stepped out of your underwear.

Was he still dressed as some sort of power move? You being entirely naked while he was allowed to wear the same amount of clothes he always did.

"Undress me." If it was possible for someone to literally sound like sex, he did.

You might have wittily asked why you were doing all the work, but you decided to take off his shirt.

His torso was smooth, maybe a battle scar here or there. You lowered his pants and saw his underwear was the same as yours, tight around certain parts that you didn't have.

Parts that were bigger than you expected.

Not big in the way that you wanted to seal your legs shut, but enough that you were sure it was going to stretch you.

"Use your teeth."

"What?"

"Use your fucking teeth to take it off."

"Okay. Fine."

He sounded more desperate than demanding and you moved down to your knees, carefully taking the waistband of his underwear in your teeth and dragging them down.

His cock sprung up next to your face; you flinched away with his underwear around his thighs, looking up at him with wide eyes.

The breathless laugh was much gentler than the way his hand wound into your hair, pulling you close to where your face was nearly pressed against him. "You ever sucked dick?"

You hadn't, most of your sexual experiences having been brief moments to relieve stress.

"I only want you to do it for a second, okay?" It was confusing that he could be rough one moment and gentle the next, out of place for the First Order, like he was dark with a little light around the edges or maybe light with a little darkness around the edges.

"I've never..."

"I know, baby. It's okay. I want to be the first one."

"Oh. Alright."

He rubbed his tip across your lips then pushed forward experimentally, moaning at the way your mouth opened for him naturally.

About half of him fit in your mouth when you realized it was harder to breathe, and you looked up at him panicked.

You whimpered as he thrust once, then inhaled deeply the moment he pulled away from you.

You thought you might have liked it if you had been the one to do it, to sit over him and run your tongue anywhere you wanted, but it was your first time and it was slightly awkward.

Were you seriously considering how much you'd like sucking him off with some practice?

He was kicking off his boots and pushing his pants and underwear the rest of the way down, nodding somewhere behind him. "Get on the bed."

You did, laying against his pillow and finding that he seemed a lot bigger than you when he knelt between your legs, practically towering above you.

While you kind of enjoyed it, wasn't he shorter when he was standing?

"Poe—" A finger on your lips silenced you, eyeing him in confusion.

"You call me Commander."

"What?"

"I can also answer to sir, Mr. Dameron, and Daddy."

"I am not calling you Daddy."

"Why'd your pupils dilate when you said it?"

"—not calling you Daddy."

He smiled, moving down and kissing along your hips. His head dipped between your legs and he knew you hadn't done that either as your lower half lifted off the bed with one lick from his tongue.

You moved to grab onto his hair during a particularly hard suck on your clit and he grabbed your wrist firmly enough that you knew he could break it if he wanted to.

Would he want to?

"Don't touch my hair," he snapped, somewhat unconvincingly, like someone used to touch his hair and he had loved it, but now it hurt.

You were a little sad if you were being honest, wondering what he might look like with boyishly mussed up hair rather than the perfectly coiffed curls he had.

But when he set your arm at your side on the mattress and looked at you, you kept it there.

He dived back in, licking and sucking at your clit while he moved to push a finger into your entrance, pumping it in and out slowly.

His mouth was wet and the entire act was really filthy, and you had never approached an orgasm this fast in your life.

"Oh, fuck, Commander— right there, yes!" His finger stroked a spot inside of you that made your toes actually curl.

And as the room was starting to spin, he stopped licking you and his finger stilled inside of you, not reaching the spot you needed.

Your orgasm started fading and you looked at him half-bemused and half-angry. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Maybe you should call me Daddy."

"Like hell."

He kissed your folds, purposely ignoring where you wanted his lips, his finger teasing inside you as it hardly offered any friction.

It had your orgasm frozen in time, desperate but needing more.

"It's not like I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do. You secretly like it."

"I don't like it!"

"Come on, sweetheart."

"No way."

He nudged your clit lightly with his nose, his eyes on yours. "Come on. Beg Daddy."

Your cunt squeezed his finger at his teasing words and he grinned knowingly, and you mumbled the words in defeat.

"Sorry, I couldn't really hear that well."

"Please, Daddy."

"Look at me when you say it." His words were sharp and you moved your gaze from where it was trained on the wall.

"Please, Daddy?"

He curled his finger and sucked hard on your swollen clit, and you came immediately, clenching hard and crying out with a buck of your hips.

He licked you until you whimpered with too much stimulation, gently pushing his face away from you.

You stared at him in a daze, your cunt still contracting slightly while he put his finger up to your mouth.

You shook your head and he shrugged, sucking his finger clean.

"Move on your hands and knees, when you think you can take my cock."

"Yes."

Why all you said was yes, you pretended not to really know.

But it was that you wanted it more than you'd wanted to sleep with him already, that you were turned on again as you rolled onto your hands and knees.

His palm slid on your back, arching it to put your ass in the air for him.

Then his cock was pressing against you, his tip pushing into you a couple of times until your little whines turned to much more pleasured moans and he was able to thrust into you.

You were right when you thought he would stretch you out and it almost hurt, but you loved it.

You'd never been this satisfyingly full.

He let you adjust for a moment and then started a fast pace against you, his huffs and moans like music you might hear in a cantina.

That would be a very questionable cantina that was more of a brothel.

"Oh, kriff," he gasped, leaning over you and crowding your space, practically suffocating you in a way you found turned you on all the more.

"Yes, Commander, like that..." You turned your head and he panted hard against your jaw, kissing along the line.

He kissed down to the side of your neck and bit you hard there, sure to leave bruised teeth marks.

Again, again; encouraged by your moans, how much you loved the pain mixing with the pleasure between your legs, which he silently noted.

Your orgasm and how wet you were made sliding in and out of you easy, and Poe was sure he could come already from your tight warmth, but he was going to be sure you came again.

And if your begging was any indication, words forming together in your desperation, you would be coming again very quickly.

Commander, Daddy, sir, master...

He wasn't fond of that last one, but the other ones had him driving into you even harder.

Poe decided that his favorite sensation ever was your cunt clenching around him, your hips pushing back as they sought out the friction for your climax.

Biting into your shoulder, he buried his cock as much as he could and spilled inside you with a string of filthy pet names that you didn't think you'd heard.

You were somewhere deep in your mind, sated by two orgasms, when you realized he didn't pull out.

"What did you do?! I've been here too long for my birth control to be up to date!" Your panicked squeaks didn't seem to be noticed as he pulled away, staring between your legs.

"Mine is. The cum dripping down your pussy ain't making any babies."

You squirmed at his crude words, turning to face him and then stepping out of the bed, walking to where your stun cuffs were forgotten on the floor.

His hands grabbed onto your waist, pulling you into the bed next to him.

"You can stay tonight."

"I can?"

"Have a comfy bed instead of sleeping on the floor."

"Thank you."

You weren't sure whether you should have laid close to him or stayed on the edge of the bed, but he pulled you against him with his cock nestled against your ass.

He hummed into your hair quietly. "It's gonna be fun sending the Resistance a holo of me letting them know their best pilot calls me Daddy."

#poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #star wars imagine #poe dameron fic

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iloveyou3thousand · 4 years

Text

sugarcoat (chapter 3/3)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Pairing: Starker Rating: Explicit Total word count: 4252 A/N: This was written for the @starkerfestivals Summer Bingo. It’s 3 chapters long, which I will be posting in the next few days. The chapters fill the following squares: non-con, object insertion, and body modification, in that order. I will tag the chapters with their corresponding TWs.

Summary: Tony has been offering Peter candies every time they work together in the workshop. Peter always sticks them into his mouth without hesitation, and one day that blind trust proves to be a major character flaw when suddenly one of the mints makes him feel woozy.

Read it on AO3 here!

TWs: Dead dove do not eat, elements of rape/non-con, dark Tony, branding, non-consensual body modification, permanent injury and ambiguous ending

—————————————————————————————

Peter knew by now that he was living some kind of nightmare.

When he woke up again, he felt blissfully empty at least, no more objects rolling inside of him, shifting every time he did and stretching him in all the wrong places.

He felt sore, and confused, and betrayed, but he was a lot more comfortable on his back in a leather chair, even though his arms and legs were bound to the chair itself, and it was leaned back almost in a way that was reminiscent of the dentist.

After this, Peter felt like he’d never have to be scared of the dentist again.

If he survived this, whatever was yet to come (and there was something yet to come, or Tony would have set him free already – right?), then he would never have to be afraid of anything ever again.

Anything but Mr. Stark. Anyone but the man he loved. Had loved. Did love.

Peter looked around and was glad to see that he appeared to be alone. It gave him a moment to recuperate and gather his thoughts.

He was exhausted, and his backside felt like it was on fire, sitting uncomfortably on the leather of the chair. He was still naked, which also didn’t promise anything good. What Tony could possibly want from him in this position, he didn’t know, but he didn’t think he wanted to know.

Peter tried, once again, to struggle against his restraints, but found it futile. He had no idea how much time had passed since Tony had handed him that ‘mint’ back while they were tinkering together, but surely the effects of that pill he’d given him should have worn off by now. Unless Tony had given him something else while he was out…

At that moment, Tony wandered into the room, dressed as if he’d been working with his soldering iron, with a leather apron streaked with smears of ash protecting his clothes, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up, protective gloves on, and safety goggles in his hair.

At least he wasn’t holding the soldering iron. Peter still tensed up when he saw him, though.

He hated the reaction, so contradictory to how he was used to reacting to Tony. He didn’t want to be scared of him. He didn’t want to have a reason to be scared of him. And yet here they were, with Peter’s heart beating faster and his arms struggling against the strong grip holding him down in the chair.

Tony took off the gloves, and sat down on a stool, slapping the gloves onto his thigh and leaving them there while he leaned forward to rest his elbows against his knees and look up at Peter. His expression was pleasant. Peter didn’t like it, and wouldn’t let it lull him into a false sense of security.

Whatever trust had been there before, it was well and truly gone now – even though Peter was still holding onto a little shred of hope.

“One more thing,” Tony said lowly. Immediately, that last bit of hope dissipated. A smile slowly crept up the other man’s face, curling the corners of his mouth up menacingly. Bile rose in Peter’s throat, and he had to look away, heart pounding.

“I think you’ll actually like this one, Pete. The result, anyway.”

It felt like a promise, and Tony sounded sincere, but Peter knew better now. Unless Tony brought out a puppy and apologized and held him close and pet his hair in the next ten seconds, and unless Peter subsequently woke up from this nightmare another ten seconds after that, then there was no way he’d ever be able to like Tony, or anything involving Tony, ever again.

When Peter gave no response and kept looking away, Tony sighed and stood again, putting his gloves back on and his safety goggles back on his nose.

“Alright,” he said, “It’s going to happen with or without your approval, kiddo. I’ll be right back.”

Tony disappeared again, and in the first level-headed moment Peter experienced since he first woke up from being drugged, he called for FRIDAY toward the ceiling. But cold dread settled in his stomach when no reply came, and Tony returned only a moment later, tutting.

“She can’t hear you. No one can, kid. She’s not operating in the workshop at the moment. You don’t think I’m stupid, do you?” he frowned at Peter. Peter blinked, and shook his head, not knowing what else to do.

Then his focus shifted to what Tony was holding. In one hand, there was a blowtorch. In the other, a pair of long, cast iron tongs. Tony grinned at Peter’s confused look, and reached with the end of the tongs to pick up an object from a nearby table that Peter thought must have been the table Tony had put all of his makeshift toys on.

This time, he picked up a familiar looking circle, made out of thin but sturdy metal. When Tony turned on the blowtorch, Peter’s confused expression made place for one of horrified understanding.

“No,” he protested, and struggled in the chair, pulling with every ounce of weakened strength he had at the bindings keeping him down, wishing to break them but being unable to, “No! No please. Please, Mr. Stark, I don’t—You don’t have to do that. You don’t have to do that, really, I—I will do anything, but not—”

Tony gave him a sharp look, and Peter’s eyes welled up again.

Why was Mr. Stark doing this? And why to him?

“I just want to see how quickly you heal this up, Pete. And besides, at least I picked out something pretty for you.”

He directed the blue flame from the torch to the symbol held between the tweezers, until the metal turned orange with heat. Tony stepped closer, and Peter struggled harder, fat tears rolling down his cheeks in panic.

He was still pleading, but even his most desperate begging didn’t stop Tony.

Peter could feel the heat of the iron long before it touched the tender skin of his inner thigh.

He screamed when it finally did, thrashed as it seared the familiar design into his flesh. It sizzled loudly, but not louder than Peter’s wails. He cried until his voice was hoarse, until the air surrounding him smelled of roasted flesh, and Tony had already taken the hot iron away before his skin stuck to it too badly.

Peter was teetering on the edge of consciousness again, wave after wave of harrowing, agonizing burning making his skin feel the way it looked – mutilated, burned, charred, smoldering in the aftermath of the extreme heat.

Tony put the his tools away, and stood by Peter’s side, combing a hand through his hair until the boy exhausted himself and sank wordlessly into the chair. His face was pinched and his body wracked with his ongoing sobs, but Tony sounded cheerful.

“Doesn’t it look stunning?” the man said, sounding genuinely awed, “I think I picked the right image. Now you’ll get to carry me with you everywhere you go, for as long as it takes to heal up. Just like you always wanted.”

Peter peered down at his own blistering flesh, breath hitching on another cry. He wasn’t conscious for much longer after that. At least the next time he woke up, he was no longer in chains. But the nightmare had not ended yet.

Although the brand would heal over time, Peter and Tony eventually found out that one thing remained;

Peter would always carry around his own arc reactor, scarred up on his inner left thigh, reminding him to never trust another person to the extent that he had always trusted Anthony Edward Stark.

#starker #ironspider #tony stark x peter parker #peter parker/tony stark #starker fanfic #my fanfic #my writing #tw body modification #dark tony #tw noncon #tw branding #starkerfestivalsevents

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thiswasinevitableid · 4 years

Note

#7 OT4, NSFW if you please :) Love your work by the way! It’s helped a lot in these times

Thank you! Sidenote: getting a LOT of OT4 requests this time (not a complaint, but clearly y’all a yearning for some lately).

“Still can’t believe you talked me into this.”

“I didn’t talk you into anything, Duck. I asked if you wanted to see what I’d been talking about. And if you want to head back to apartment and risk missing potentially undiscovered species, you’re free to do so.” Joe descends the last of the craggy rocks on the shore, stopping on a large, flat expanse of stone dotted with tide pools.

Duck slides down, stopping beside his...boyfriend? He and Joe have been hovering somewhere between boyfriends and friends with benefits for months now. Joe is droll and smart and so handsome it doesn’t seem fair, has a nice dick and always asks Duck genuine questions about work, has a pathological fear of failure and yet can still be coaxed away from his studies to play FFVII.

Duck kissed him impulsively at a party last fall, ended up on top of him in his cramped apartment, and woke up to him cuddled in his arms, dark hair messy and smile soft when he noticed who was holding him.

They’d been friends since Freshman year, Joe a reserved forensics major and Duck a Wildlife Biology major who was a little jolted thanks to his move from a tiny town in West Virginia to Santa Cruz. Somehow, this seemed like the natural progression. And honestly, what more could Duck want than someone to talk to about trees or video games or to listen to babble about cryptids who would also eagerly take a break to go down on him (Joe’s love of his body borders on worship)?

The interest in cryptids is why they’re currently on this deserted stretch of coast. Joe insists that ever since he found the spot (he wanted a quiet place to eat by the waves) pieces of his lunch go missing.

“Usually candy or dessert or what have you. Whatever it was did take half an order of bao once.”

Tonight, Joe is hell bent on proving to Duck that something really is there. It’s not that Duck disbelieves him; Joe may be obsessed with the unexplained, but he’s skeptical enough to not fall for just anything that seems weird. But he can think of several other explanations for what’s happening.

Joe pulls a caramel apple from the paper bag he carried down, and sets it on a rock, one just out of reach of most waves.

“Right, now we turn around.” He steps next to Duck, turning him away from the waves.

“Joe, you’re not supposed to turn your back on the ocean. Real dangerous.”

“I know. I’m not a complete city slicker, Duck. But whatever it is only pops up when my back is turned.”

“We get swept away by a wave, I’m gonna say I told you-”

Splash

They whirl, find the apple gone.

“See?”

“I see it’s gone. And I’ll admit I didn’t hear no birds dive down for it, which was gonna be my main guess.”

“I know, and I also eliminated seals as a cause. I never see any heads popping up while I’m here.”

“Huh.” Duck scans the waves, wishing their spot wasn’t enclosed on both sides by high rocks. Something could be hiding just out of sight.

“Right?”

“Okay, maybe there is somethin’ weird. But we gotta find a way to figure it out that don’t involve unintentionally feedin the wildlife.”

Joe chuckles, “And you say I’m a goody-two shoes.”

“You are.”

“Which one of us stayed up all night two days ago studying?”

“I wanted to pass! Which, I did, we got the scores today.”

“We should celebrate.” Joe shoots him a playful smirk.

“Oh yeah?” He drawls, looping an arm around the taller man’s waist (the invitation Joe needs to cuddle closer, something he still shy to do in spite of how often they fuck), “how about we start right now?’

“Here?” Joe looks around, and he can see his blue eyes calculating just how messy and hazardous it could be. Then he glances at Duck, smile tugging at his mouth.

“Alright, country boy, how do you want me?”

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

Barclay floats just around the corner from the rock, savoring each bite of the new gift. It’s sticky and sweet and crunchy all at once at he loves it.

“What did he leave you this time?”

“Gah! Indrid how are you so quiet all the time?”

Red eyes framed by silvery hair regard him, amused, “We are not all built for strength and power, Barclay. Some of us must rely on speed and stealth to survive.”

“...Yeah, fair. Here, try this.” He holds out the apple, Indrid taking a large chunk of it with his sharp teeth.

“Ooooh! What is it?”

“Not sure.”

“You could ask him.”

“Indrid, I’m not gonna just swim up to a human and-”

“I told you, I foresee introducing yourself to this human going well.”

“You know Mama’s saying; better safe than sorry.”

(Mama is one of the only humans in this patch of coast that the mers trust).

“Besides, he brought another one with him.”

“Really?” Indrid swims past him, peering around the rock. Barclay looks carefully over his shoulder.

The humans are on the ground, the new one on his back, legs bare and spread wide, mouth open with curse words that can be lipread even from where they’re swimming.

“My, no wonder you’ve become so interested.” Indrid purrs.

“Uh, that’s, that’s the other one. That one is Joe.” He points to the handsome face that’s looking up as it nips playfully at the other man’s thigh before returning to...whatever he’s doing between his legs.

“He’s quite charming as well.” Indrid licks his lips, gaze drifting back to the other human, “I always assumed humans preferred to do such things in houses.”

“Me too. Uh, we should probably give them space. Right?”

“Indeed.” A long, green tail circles his own, “in fact, they’re giving me some ideas on how we could spend our time while we do.”

Barclay swallows, heat coursing in his stomach, “we, uh, we shouldn’t let this go to waste though.” He holds out the remainder of the apple.

Indrid opens his mouth a little too wide for comfort and bites it down.

“Always so hospitable to visitors.” He grins.

“Indrid, we live in the same cove.”

“I know. I am attempting to flirt.” A tilt of the head, “Is it working?”

“Uh huh.”

“Good. Come along, my dear, I know a spot that will suit us well as we, ah, do as the humans do.”

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

Joe really is rubbing off on him. That has to be the reason he’s here, near dusk, with a pack of skittles, two kinds of M&Ms, and BlowPop, laying candy on several rocks in hopes of coaxing their mystery creature out.

The sun hits the water just right, giving him a rare glimpse down into the clear portions, the stray kelp and darting fish.

The very long, horizontal kelp. That seems to be moving in a circle, just out of view. No, wait, it’s definitely swimming, which means it’s either the largest fucking eel ever recorded or…

A face comes into view.

He sits up, startled. Looks down to find the face peering up at him, expectantly.

Cautiously, he holds out the packet of skittles. The mermaid? Merman? Merperson? Takes them, sniffing the package inquisitively. Then it rips the pack open, dumps the entire contents into it’s mouth in one go, and chews while Duck watches with a mixture of revulsion and interest.

“Thank you.” The mer hands the empty package back, “those are delicious. Do you have more?”

“Uh, yeah? Guessin you’re who’s been takin’ Joe’s lunch?”

“No. A friend of mine has. But I share his curiosity for human food, and it’s purveyors. I knew you would be coming down tonight on your own, and wished to meet you. I am Indrid” He gives what must be a bow, head dipping towards the water.

“I’m, uh, Duck. Why, uh, why did you want to meet me?”

“You seem potentially interesting and you are very attractive.”

Duck tries not to blush, “Thanks. Um. Would you be okay if I asked Joe to come down here? I mean, I’m havin a minor existential crisis over your existence. But he’ll be so fuckin stoked to see you. Guy just loves bein’ right.”

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Joe stands next to him, staring at Indrid, who is lazily floating on his back, deep green tail just visible in the nearby lights from town.

“I was right! HA!”

“See?”

“Yes, and this is more or less the reaction I foresaw you having. Joseph, would you like me to introduce you to the mer who has been joining you during your meals?”

“Absolutely.” Joe is still grinning with excitement as Indrid disappears into the darkening waves. When he reemerges, one hand is still under water, still trying to pull something up.

“Barclay is a bit shy. He got photographed a few too many times.”

“We can set our phones somewhere if that would help.”

“No need.” Indrid grins reassuringly as another head pokes out of the water. Barclay has dark hair and a beard, and regards them both warily.

“Uh. Thanks for letting me have some of your food.”

“You’re welcome.” Joe kneels down, holds out his hand, “it’s nice to actually meet you.”

“You too.” A large, wet hand reaches out and takes Joe’s, shaking it a bit awkwardly. Duck sits down next to hi,

“Would, um, would it be alright if I asked you some questions? I promise I won’t tell anyone about you two, but I am dying to talk to a real cryptid.”

“Sure.” Barclay shrugs, smiling shyly.

“I can go-GAH!” Duck jumps when he turns to find Indrid mostly out of the water, laying on his belly as he looks through the candy.

“We can be out of water for short periods of time.” He says mildly, ripping open a bag of M&Ms and downing half before holding the bag out to Duck.

“That’s, uh, okay. I like the peanut ones better. Good hiking snack.”

“Hiking?” Indrid asks through a mouthful of chocolate.

“It’s where you go out and walk in the woods.”

“Is that pleasant?”

“I like it.”

“That’s putting it mildly; he hikes almost every day.” Joe says with a smile, looking up from where Barclay has been letting him see his gills.

“May I hear more about it?” Indrid rests his chin on his hands, watching Duck with excited fascination. It’s…kind of flattering actually.

He smiles back, “Sure thing.”

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

“So, you just float there and watch movies through her back door?”

“Yep.” Barclay mumbles into the rock. He and Joseph are in their usual spot, the merman sunning himself on the rock as they chat. Joseph remains fascinated by the apparently variety in merfolk phenotypes; while Indrid’s lower half is distinctly eel-like, Barclay’s is much closer to that of a harbor seal in texture and color.

The texture feels wonderful under Joseph’s hands. The first time had been an accident; he’d been reaching for a bag of cotton candy, wobbled, and balanced on the merman, causing his hand to glide along his tail. Barclay gave a rumbly sigh, and asked if he would do it again.

So he does, petting along his tail and up to his chest. He actually has body hair, dark brown like his beard, under which two half-moon scars are just visible. Joseph doesn’t ask about them; he knows what they are from Duck, and he knows that it is Barclay’s choice to share, and only if he wants to.

“Alright, my turn.” Barclay rolls over, rests his hands behind his head, “why do humans go to the trouble of cooking fish when you can eat it raw?”

Joseph thinks, petting the upper part of the tail and enjoying the little sigh as he does, “Cultural and personal preference, I think. Some people love sushi, others think it’s gross, things like that. Um” he stops petting, “Barclay? Is something wrong?”

The merman blinks happily up at him, then registers the question and is off the rock and into the water in a matter of seconds.

“Uh, I, I gotta go, sorry, see you tomorrow bye!”

Joseph sits for a moment, hoping he’ll resurface. A seagull lands nearby and as he looks at all he can say is, “what the hell was that?”

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

“What the hell is that!”

“The largest hermit crab in the cove” Indrid beams, “I told you I would show you impressive wildlife.”

“I didn’t know they could get that big.”

“He is very determined. Off you go now.”

Duck snickers as he watches Indrid shoo the crab away as if it were a cat on keyboard. They’ve been meeting regularly, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes all four, sometimes a mixture of three. When he and Indrid meet, they often end up swapping stories of their exploration; Duck of his beloved forest and Indrid of his various expeditions out to warn other mer-communities of danger (his future vision explains why he tends to a laugh a little sooner than makes sense.”

“Duck, may I ask you an odd question?”

“Shoot.”

“Are you and Joseph, ah, ‘together?’”

“Kinda.” He tosses a pebble into the water, “we’re basically boyfriend’s in all but name at this point.”

“Which means you only see each other?” Indrid sounds apprehensive.

“Not automatically. He and I ain’t talked about bein’ exclusive. Guess we should. I know it wouldn’t bother me if he wanted to see other guys. Got a sense he feels the same way. I dunno, I figure just cause he might like someone else and me at the same time don’t mean he don’t care about me any less, you know?”

“Indeed I do.” Indrid’s smile turns wistful.

“Ain’t you and Barclay datin’?”

“Not formally. But we’ve been friends for years, lovers when we were younger and occasionally lovers now, with a period in between where we did not have an interest in such a thing. Well” he claps his hands together, “this has been enlightening. I shall see you soon.”

He’s gone before Duck even has a chance to ask how you ask a merman out.

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

It’s excruciatingly hot, and Duck is just grateful Indrid and Barclay’s secret hiding spot has shade. It’s a small patch of beach, half inside a cave in the rocks, with enough sea trickling in for the merman to move in and out of water as needed, but not so much that he and Joe will drown if they’re there during high tide. It’s the perfect summer hideaway.

Right now, it’s the perfect spot for Duck to feed a half-melted pint of ice-cream to a very appreciative merman. They’re both on their stomachs, Indrid’s tail dragging lazily in the water, and Duck is loving every minute of watching Indrid lick rocky-road off a spoon.

Joe sits next to Duck, Barclays head in his lap (and Barclay’s tail regularly brushing along Indrid’s). He’s feeding Barclay candy from the gourmet sweet shop in town. They’d stopped there right before they hit up the Seaside SweetShack so Duck could buy two pounds of candy for about the same price Joe got the one small box.

“What can I say, Barclay has an amazing, sophisticated palate.”

He sneaks a glance at Joe; he looks so happy, sending a pang of affection through Duck’s chest. And distracting him from the tongue that glides out over his fingers.

“How about a swim?” Indrid nips his thumb before gliding back into the water, Duck following him until he’s up to his chest, the merman swimming gracefully around him. The end of his tail slides up Duck’s thigh and he shudders. The tail repeats the motion, then presses up and drags back and forth.

Duck moans, legs threatening to give as the tail continues teasing. But Indrid is there, cradling him close, even as his tail builds up to a relentless pace.

“Is this alright, my sweet?”

“Y-yeah, fuck, ‘Drid, it feels so good.”

“I have confirmed with Barclay that he is alright with a more, ah, expanded relationship.”

“J-joe and I did too. Decided we were, fuck, boyfriends at the same time, oh fuck ‘Drid please don’t stop.’

“I am afraid I must, or you will cum too quickly and be too tired for what I have planned.”

“N-no, no please ‘Drid, I got great stamina.” He grinds faster, hints of ridges rubbing along his trunks, desperate to cum from Indrid’s creative approach.

“I do not doubt it.” Indrid kisses him, laughing when the gesture makes him work his hips all the harder, “but it is not merely stamina that is the concern.” He withdraws his tail and Duck whines. Indrid gently guides his face so that he’s looking down.

“Holy shit. You got two dicks?”

“Yes. I am aware this is not something humans have. Is, ah, is that an issue?” For the first time, he looks nervous, and Duck reaches out to brush a strand of silvery hair behind his ear.

“Not at all, sugar.”

“Oh good. Because while I can think of some delicious uses for them that involve all four of us, right now I dearly wish to shove both inside you and make you feel exquisite.”

Duck drags his finger up one side of the ‘V’ and down the other, “Bring it on.”

Back on the shore, Josephs cock is trying it’s best to rip through his trunks at the sight of his boyfriend moaning in the embrace of one of two mermen (god his life has gotten weird) he himself would gladly submit to.

“We can join them if you want.” Barclay rumbles, turning over in his lap to nuzzle his cock as he narrowly avoids being hit by Duck’s flying swimtrunks.

“Yes, yes I want. But, um, first” he cups Barclay’s face in both hands, encouraging him to sit up, “kiss me?”

Saltwater and sugar coat his lips as Barclay lunges forward, pulling him into his arms as he practically feasts on his mouth.

“Oh good lord, again, pleaseMMohhh” a full on growl this time, teeth dragging down his neck before sucking a hickey into it, “seems you’ve got a rough side, huh big guy?”

Barclay moans at the pet name, nodding, “I, I love being sweet to you babe, but goddamn does being around you make me wanna do some real wild things. Is, does, I won’t if it you don’t want me to.” His face goes from wolfish to puppy dog in the blink of an eye.

“I very much want you to. I trust you, Barclay. If I’m honest, I feel safer with you than almost anyone else in the world.”

A gentler kiss this time, though no less eager, then, “There’s one other thing. My, uh, my set-up is a little different than Indrid’s” He adjusts so Joseph can see. It’s the same spot he saw starting to open that day on the rocks, where Barclay left in a hurry. Two tendrils appear towards the top, and when Joseph touches one it curls around his finger, stroking it.

“God your body is amazing.”

“Because it’s different?” Barclay asks hesitantly.

“Because it’s yours and you are one of the most incredible men in or out of the water.” Joseph clambers on top of him, slipping two fingers into the slit, Barclay moaning and writhing as he works them in and out rapidly. The tendrils harden the more he plays with them between his fingers, Barclay tightening around him as they do.

“Yeah, fuck yeah babe, like that” Barclay pulls him close, sharp nails stinging his back, “like that, play with ‘em like that, good, so fucking good, holy sh-“ He cums, arching off the ground.

“That’s it big guy, good lord you OW, ow, jesus.” Joseph pulls his hand back, fingers red from where the tendrils squeezed them.

“Sorry, technically it’s a mating thing.” Barclay pants.

“Fascinatin—Hey, come back.” He laughs as Barclay darts into the water, leading him to where Indrid is curled behind Duck, the human letting out a series of slow, soft moans.

“That was quite a show” Indrid purrs, beckoning each of them over for a kiss.

“I’ll say, fuck, oh fuck ‘Drid is that all of it?”

“That is half of them.”

Duck groans in delight, head flopping onto Josephs shoulder. He kisses his forehead, then tilts his chin up to kiss along his jawline, adoring every angle and curve of it as much as he did the first time.

“Joseph, if you turn around and Duck braces on you, it may help.”

“Sure, oh” he chuckles as Barclay surfaces before him once he turns, “fancy seeing you here.”

“Forgot, fuck, forgot to warn y’all, his sense of humor stays even when fucking.”

“Perfect.” Barclay kisses him, works his trunks down and off as Duck’s fingers grip his shoulders.

“Can, uh, can I jack you off, babe?”

“I don’t know, can youOOoh” He moans when Duck bites his upper arm.

“You weren’t kidding.” This Barclay directs at Duck. Then he wraps one strong hand around Joseph’s cock, and all his nerves light up in tandem. He let’s himself let go, enjoy the feeling of Barclay’s strokes, his kisses up and down his neck, the needy, strained noises Duck makes in his ear as Indrid works his way in.

“At last.” Indrid’s words are all the warning he gets before Duck jerks violently behind him.

“FUCK!”

“Oh dear, should I-“

“No, no don’t you dare fuckin stop, god I ain’t ever felt anything like that, want you to fuck me until you’re good and done.”

“Good boy.”

Both he and Duck moan.

“Oh I see, you both like that. I shall keep that in mind. Now, be a good boy for me and take this.”

“Fuckfuck, oh fuck me.” Duck is clinging to him now, sending up waves around them both as Indrid fucks him.

“God, babe, you look so fucking good like this. Like you were fucking made for me.”

“Ohhhhlord, yes.”

“Heh, you’re always so put together, even on the beach, but a little dirty talk and you AH, ahshit, Indrid.” Barclay crowds him even as his strokes pick up, and Joseph feels why; Indrid’s tail has snuck between them.

“My dear, what is the point of me having this odd, long form if not to pleasure you with my tail until you scream?”

“That does, does seem worth exploring.” Joseph pants.

“Kinky fucker.” Duck bites his ear, then clings around his waist, “fuck, oh fuck, ‘Drid, Joe, darlin’ oh fuckin’ Christ.” There’s a groan he recognizes as Duck cumming, followed by a growling howl as Barclay kicks up more water, strokes growing erratic and fumbly.

“C’mon babe, come for me” He sounds so eager to please and so in command that Joseph is undone, spurting into the water with a cry. Barclay kisses him, soft praise interspersed with pecks on the cheek and lips.

Duck is still moaning, jolting against Joseph as Indrid fucks him hungrily.

“That’s it my sweet, just a little more, you are so good, so very good taking all of me and my cum too, such a good little human, oh, oh Duck.” There’s a trill and then the splashing behind him ceases, Duck whispering Indrid’s name. In place of the jealousy he feared, Joseph just feels happy; Duck has found someone else who seems to adore him as much as Joseph does.

They make it back to shore in a graceless swim/wade/flop combination, Joseph pulling out the towels they brough so he and Duck won’t get sand in horrible places. Soon he’s resting with his head on Duck’s chest, Barclay nestled behind him and Indrid behind Duck, tail making passes to pet them each now and then (both mermen are just enough in the water to avoid issues).

“Uh, when, when are you gonna visit again?” Barclay murmurs, a little sleepy.

Joseph looks at Duck, who returns his conspiratorial grin, “Tomorrow, of course. After all, we’ve got way more sweet things for you to try.”

#Indruck #sternclay #agent stern/barclay #OT4: Government Men and Their Cryptid Boyfriends #agent stern/duck newton #agent stern/barclay/indrid cold/Duck newton #mermay fills #mermaid au

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chpkns · 4 years

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BEST ALBUMS 2020

Some albums I enjoyed during quarantine.

Hon Mentions: Campfire Chords - Arkells, A Written Testimony - Jay Electronica, All In One - Jaunt, Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers, Alfredo - Freddie Gibs and Madlib, Thats What They All Say - Jack Harlow, Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs - Colter Wall, This Place Sucks Ass - PUP, Only For Dolphins - Action Bronson, Black Habits - D Smoke, What’s Your Pleasure - Jessie Ware, 3.15.20 - Childish Gambino, Dedicated Side B - Carly Rae Jepsen, Dark Lane Demo Tapes - Drake, After Hours - The Weeknd, color theory - Soccer Mommy, Circles - Mac Miller, Womb - Purity Ring

10) Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa

One of the lesser, although still significant, tragedies of the 2020 COVID era was that weddings and sweaty club basements the world over were robbed of Dua Lipa’s prolific output this year. Future Nostalgia is hit or miss in places, but the hits come hot and heavy delivering banger after 80′s-disco-inspired banger. Dominant summer jams “Don’t Start Now” and “Break My Heart” are the highlights here, along with “Levitating” (equally good with or without DaBaby). Sleeper tracks “Cool” and “Hallucinate” round out the year’s best pure pop album.

Highlights: Don’t Start Now, Break My Heart, Levitating, Physical, Cool, Hallucinate

9) Women In Music, Pt. III - HAIM

The third album from LA’s sister act rock trio HAIM delivers consistency and growth for the band. There’s plenty of retro heartbreak rock on Women In Music, Pt. III to satisfy fans of HAIM’s first two albums, but lots of new on offer as well including the jazzy Lou Reed inspired sax of “Summer Girl” and Danielle Haim sounding positively Joni Mitchell-esque on “Man From the Magazine”. The auditory production flourishes of erstwhile Vampire Weekend member Rostam are noticeable throughout and help stretch the bounds of the HAIM sisters’ signature Wilson Phillips meets Fleetwood Mac summer rock sound into something more of the moment.

Highlights: The Steps, Summer Girl, Don’t Wanna, Man From the Magazine, FUBT

8) My Turn (Deluxe) - Lil Baby

I’ve almost given up on trying to enjoy or understand most “new rap” but every now and then something breaks through that I connect with for some reason. Atlanta rapper Lil Baby’s My Turn was that album for me this year. There are many reasons I feel I should not like Lil Baby’s music, from his liberal use of autotune to his mumbling delivery, but something always drew me back to it and, listen after listen, it grew on me. Lil Baby’s flow is persistent when he locks in, with matching driving trap production from Quay Global, Tay Keith and others, mirroring in sound the story of Baby’s rise from the streets to prison to the studio. The standout track is late addition “The Bigger Picture”, Lil Baby’s protest anthem on race in America, policing and the turmoil following the killing of George Floyd by police, a political statement from an otherwise apolitical artist, showing that Lil Baby has much more to offer than bravado and autotune.

Highlights: Grace (ft. 42 Dugg), Forever (ft. Lil Wayne), No Sucker (ft. Moneybagg Yo), Social Distancing, The Bigger Picture

7) Miss Anthropocene - Grimes

The third major studio release from Montreal native Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes, doesn’t reach the same highs as its predecessors - 2015′s electro-pop masterpiece Art Angels (which rated number 1 on this list for that year) or 2012′s Visions, the synth-laden fever dream that introduced Grimes to mainstream notoriety (number 2 on this list for 2012) - but it’s still very much worth the time. The vibe of Miss A falls somewhere between Grimes’ previous two albums, and a little darker and messier to boot. Grimes sounds a bit like she’s playing a concert for the end of the world, which feels a bit prophetic for an album released just before a global pandemic took hold. As always, Grimes is out to flex her muscle as a technician and across the album’s ten tracks she mixes diverse sounds ranging from rave synths to banjos showing how far her craft has come since making Visions on Garageband in her Mile End apartment.

Highlights: So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth, Violence, Delete Forever, 4ÆM, You’ll miss me when I’m not around

6) evermore - Taylor Swift

Spoiler alert, this isn’t the highest ranked Taylor Swift album on this list. Surprise released in December, evermore was an early Christmas present to fans of Swift’s surprise summer album folklore (more on that later). evermore continues Swift’s reinvention from pop star to indie singer-songwriter, assisted by songwriting partner Aaron Dessner of The National and a variety of indie darling guest stars - this time around featuring HAIM, The National’s Matt Berninger and another stunning guest turn with Bon Iver. Speaking of Justin Vernon, the album capping title track might be the single best song on either folklore or evermore. And for fans of Taylor’s earlier catalogue like me, the return to country music on “no body, no crime” is like reconnecting with an old friend. evermore is a little messier and less consistent thematically than its sister album, feeling a bit like folklore’s b-sides. But when your b-sides are better than most artist’s a-sides, why not release another album’s worth?

Highlights: ‘tis the damn season, no body no crime (ft. HAIM), coney island (ft. The National), cowboy like me, evermore (ft. Bon Iver)

5) RTJ4 - Run The Jewels

Walking the streets of my neighbourhood with the first listen of RTJ4 in my earbuds, I found myself actually crying at the thought that I would not get to see Killer Mike and el-P perform these songs live in the summer of 2020. The memories of RTJ festival sets past came rushing over me in a wave. That was my first “damn, I miss live music moment” of the pandemic. The fourth instalment of Run The Jewels’ historic rap partnership is more of the same in the very best way. Like the dynamic duo’s previous three instalments, RTJ4 is in your face, moves at a frenetic clip, and takes no prisoners. There’s even another album highlighting collaboration with Rage Against The Machine’s Zack De La Rocha. The politics of RTJ4′s tirades against inequity and the police state feel even more imminent in 2020 against the backdrop of George Floyd, the ensuing protest movement that gripped America, and the 2020 presidential election. I really hope we get a chance to see Mike and el-P tour these songs in 2021, the world needs it.

Highlights: ooh la la (ft. Greg Nice and DJ Premier), goonies vs. E.T., walking in the snow, JU$T (ft. Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha), a few words for the firing squad (radiation)

4) Saint Cloud - Waxahatchee

The majestically twangy folk-Americana of Saint Cloud, the fifth solo album from Katie Crutchfield (stage named Waxahatchee after Waxahatchee Creek, Alabama, where the singer grew up), is a nostalgic cure for the ails of 2020. The soft bluesy rhythms of Crutchfield’s songs feel like a lazy long summer day spent by the water. That was something we needed this year. The songwriting is just as beautiful. The standout track, “Fire”, speaks to Crutchfield’s journey finding sobriety and reconnecting with her southern roots. It also speaks to a longing feeling “give me something / it ain’t enough / it ain’t enough”. On “Arkadelphia”, Crutchfield croons: “We try to give it all meaning / Glorify the grain of the wood / Tell ourselves what's beautiful and good”. In the chaos of 2020, the calm oasis of Saint Cloud is certainly something beautiful and good worth enjoying.

Highlights: Can’t Do Much, Fire, The Eye, Arkadelphia, St. Cloud

3) Suddenly - Caribou

Suddenly was my first genuine pandemic listen and, in the early days of lockdown, I found myself going back to it again and again. So much so, that the opening haunting notes of “Sister” became a kind of touchstone as I adjusted to a weird new work-from-home lifestyle. The chilled out weirdness of Caribou was an extremely welcome presence in 2020. It had been long enough since 2014′s Our Love (2014′s number 1 on this list) that I’d forgotten how enjoyably quirky Dan Snaith’s floaty pseudo-house tunes could be. Suddenly is a little more laid back than the club ready Our Love, which maybe suits it more to a world where dancefloors are closed. The tunes are also tighter, more economical in their length and soundscape. The lead single “Home” sounds downright commercial (in a good way) with it’s motown sampled chorus. Other parts of the album, like the closing “Cloud Song” venture into more experimental territories. All throughout, however, are Caribou’s signature warm chord progressions inviting you to lose yourself in them. Whether you’re looking for a guided meditation or an at-home dance party, Suddenly was the perfect 2020 album for it.

Highlights: Sister, Home, Lime, Never Come Back, Ravi

2) Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1 : The Butcher Shoppe Sessions - Sturgill Simpson

2020 was full of unexpected things, many bad but some surprisingly delightful. Firmly in the latter category is Cuttin’ Grass, Sturgill Simpson’s surprise double album made up entirely of bluegrass covers of his own catalogue. A true product of 2020, Simpson recorded the album with a murderer’s row of contemporary bluegrass artists after recovering from COVID-19 and challenging his fans to raise funds for charity in exchange for recording a new album. That album became Cuttin’ Grass, a traditional bluegrass re-imagination of the greatest hits and hidden gems of a country artist who has always strived to avoid being labelled as a country artist. The songs feel effortlessly at home and are given new life amid the frenetic guitar and mandolin picking, flying fiddles, and twangling banjos. If Simpson’s ode to the revelatory experience of psychedlic drug use “Turtles All The Way Down” felt revolutionary on 2014′s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, it feels like an old standard here with its tempo pitched up and enveloped in the cacophony of the bluegrass ensemble. There is some good old fashioned heartbreak to slow things down too. Mandolin player and backup vocalist Sierra Hull shines on “I Wonder” (a cover of a song originally recorded by Sturgill’s former band Sunday Valley) as she joins Simpson on the chorus: “Tell me am I the only one / drinking and cursing your name?” The juxtaposition of Simpson’s unconventional country catalogue with the most traditional of country music styles just works and the entire hour can be listened and relistened for days. And if you’re still not satisfied, the companion “Volume 2: the Cowboy Arms Sessions” released in December brings back the same supporting cast to explore more of Simpson’s catalogue.

Highlights: All The Pretty Colors, Breakers Roar, Time After All, Turtles All The Way Down, Voices

1) folklore - Taylor Swift

Well, I told you there’d be more Taylor Swift on this list, and here it is. Your number 1 album of 2020 is folklore, the surprise release pandemic project in which the world’s biggest country star turned pop star reinvented herself again as an indie artist. Unlike anything else Swift has put out since RED, nothing on folklore is designed to be played in a stadium. Rather, it’s all more at home in a cabin by the fire, or in your earbuds on a fall walk... basically, it’s music meant for 2020. Like its companion evermore, folklore is the product of Swift’s songwriting collaboration with The National’s guitarist Aaron Dessner. The melding of songwriting styles seems like an odd match at first but sounds like a match made in heaven. Lyrically, Swift’s songwriting makes an evolutionary leap, almost leaving her primary auto or semi-autobiographical comfort zone behind completely (other than, perhaps, in heavily veiled metaphor) in favour of invented stories and semi-historical world building. After a few listens, you discover that the same characters appear in different songs like the imagined history of Rebekah Harkness, the real life former inhabitant of Swift’s Rhode Island home, on “the last great american dynasty” or imagery of “battleships” that “sink beneath the waves” in the ghost story of “my tears ricochet”. In the so-called “teenage love triangle trilogy” of “betty”, “cardigan”, and “august”, Swift tells different parts of the same story from the perspective of different characters. Each song stands on its own, but the discovery that the pieces fit together is wonderful. “betty” is the standout track for me, as a long suffering fan of “country Taylor”. In style, it harkens back to her earlier work, but in substance it’s something new entirely as Swift sings from the perspective of James, the boy who has done wrong by his lover and is seeking forgiveness. The pinnacle of the album is “exile” Swift’s collaboration with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The call and response interaction of Swift with Vernon’s true to for emma form baritone is chill inducing. Like so many of the unexpected good things in 2020, folklore came from throwing plans out the window and doing what felt right for the moment. This is Taylor Swift making the music she wanted to make. In Dark Knight fashion, it’s the album we needed, if not the one we deserved. It’s the best album of the year.

Highlights: cardigan, the last great american dynasty, exile (ft. Bon Iver), my tears ricochet, epiphany, betty, peace

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