#and ill be drowning in debt

[m00ngbin]

I hate that they're making me plan out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life right now cause I'm in highschool, I shouldn't be making such big decisions and i’m terrified that i’ll lock myself into an interest that i’ll no longer be passionate about in a few years like all the other areas of study i’ve pursued over my life!

[layzeal]

like i just can't get these images of the nitzana border out of my brain. "no aid for the enemy" written in plain english to announce to the world they're proud to be starving the people they've kept imprisoned for decades. the cotton candy machine. the children. without context you'd think it's just a bunch of families gathering for a picnic

[silver-la-pixels]

help

[written-in-flowers]

So Unlike You (Yunho x Fem!Reader)

Pairing: Jeong Yunho x fem!reader/ Side pairing: OT8 x fem!Reader

Word Count: 6k

Genre: smut sprinkled with fluffiness/ AU: sugar baby, idolverse

Summary: After hearing about you and Wooyoung, your sweet puppy makes a very surprising request, and you're eager to oblige him.

Warnings: cnc, consensual non consensual, rape play, edging, bondage, light bondage, spanking, pussy slapping, rough oral sex, oral sex, cream pie, unprotected sex (wrap it, but it's also discussed beforehand that they don't use one), pet names, mean names, roleplay, ripping clothes off, groping, polyamorous relationship, established relationship, poly!ateez, poly!reader, sugar baby au, idolverse au, dirty talk, super dirty, like damn. Sex toys, nipple play, nipple clamps

MINORS DNI!

Previously on Idol Companion

*****

Yunho was the sweetest, most gentle man you know. This was saying something considering your other boyfriends were equally sweet. He never hesitated to help or comfort you. You remembered him waiting on you hand and foot when you’d gotten sick. He’d driven you and Mihee to her ex-boyfriends’ house in case they showed up. Yunho never showed you anything other than respect, kindness and compassion. Yunho was your mood maker, your gentle giant, the other half of your “Twin Towers”. He rarely showed his “bad” side in front of you; you almost denied he even had one since he rarely rose to anger.  

So, his request certainly caught you off guard. 

You’d both come back home from a simple date night of arcade games, pizza, and a stroll down by the river. Yunho’s calming, laid back energy always felt refreshing after particularly rough days. You spent an afternoon wrangling toddlers, talking to parents, helping your friend Mihee settle into her dorm, and talking to your mom about your cousin's birthday party. Ending your day with your sweetest boyfriend relieved you of all the stress on your shoulders. Walking into the apartment together, you remained as quiet as possible to not disturb a sleeping Yeosang, so you both drank a glass of wine in the kitchen. 

“You know that I love you, right?” Yunho asked nervously, sitting across from you at the island counter. 

This phrase became popular amongst your boyfriends, since they typically followed it up with something suspicious. Still, how bad could it possibly be? It was Yunho.

“I’m aware,” you gave a sweet smile, “But you can always remind me, if you want.”

He gave a nervous laugh, running his fingertip around the rim of the wine glass. You could see him thinking it over in his mind, turning it around and around for the right words. Several scenarios crossed your mind as you watched him think. He’s ill. He’s in debt. His family is in trouble and he needs your help. There are so few things that could be wrong, but you hoped it wasn’t so bad. 

“Yuyu-ah,” you reached out for him, concerned now, “What’s the matter? You can tell me. Are you sick? Is your family okay? You don’t need to hesitate with me, you know that.”

“It’s nothing like that,” he shook his head, taking your hand gently. “Really,” he insisted, “It’s…Wooyoung told me you and him tried something new in bed a while back and…”

A relieved smile came across your face, “And you wanted to try that too? Yunho, you don’t have to be scared to approach me about trying new things. I trust you with my body every time, don’t I? I didn’t think you’d like free use play, but if you’re curious about it, we can give it a go.”

“That sounds nice, but that’s not what I wanted to ask you about.”

“Then what?”

“I wanted to see if you…if you…”

“If I…?” 

“If you’d ever like to try consensual non-consensual play with me.” He blurted out the words before drowning them back with wine. 

The request stunned you a moment. You sunk deep into your thoughts to try comprehending the suggestion. Not that you’re against rape play. You’ve heard of other people doing it, and you’d done it once with another client in a safe, trusting environment. But, you expected such suggestions from that person, not from Yunho. You pictured Yunho, taller and bigger and stronger, pinning you to his bed and harshly pounding into you while you whined and pleaded with him to stop. He’d have no trouble overpowering you if you truly fought back. Unlike other clients before him, you knew Yunho would only do it if you gave a firm, certain ‘yes’ and after a long discussion over ground rules and safety colors/words. Seeing his large hands, you remembered each time they went around your throat or sharply slapped your ass. Yunho could be rough and dominant if he truly wanted. 

“You want to do that?” you asked, dumbfounded still. 

“Um, well…” he smoothed a hand through his black hair, scratching the back of his head, “I’ve always wanted to try it with someone, but I never dated anyone long enough to feel comfortable asking. Since we’ve done kinky things together, I thought, maybe if you wanted to and felt certain, we could try that?” His puppy eyes met yours, and you melted. “I swear I won’t be upset if you say ‘no’. Please, don’t feel you have to agree with it because you’re my Companion or anything. We definitely do not have to do it, if you’re uncomfortable with that. I only thought I’d ask. It’s okay. It’s totally okay if you don’t want to do it.”

“Yunho,” you ran your thumb the back of his hand comfortingly, “If there’s anyone I’d feel comfortable doing that with, it’s you.”

A light pink brightened his cheeks, and he giggled, “Really?”

“Yes,” you nodded, “I’ll admit I’m surprised it’s you who asked me. I expected Hongjoong or Jongho to ask, if any of you ever did.” 

“I know,” he blushed, “But I thought you might say ‘no’ because it’s not something we’d normally do in bed. It’d be different from the usual dominant stuff we do, and a bit rougher.”

“You want to wreck me, Yuyu?” you teased, laughing softly when he turned away again. “I don’t mind. I trust you to take care of me, and I think it's a new thing for us to explore.” 

“Really? It's honestly okay if you don't want to,” he repeated. 

“Yunho, yes,” you assured him, walking around the counter and into his arms. “I'd like to try it too. You want to do that now or another time?”

“No, not now,” he shook his head, “When Yeosang goes to see his parents. That way he doesn't over hear it and think that I'm actually hurting you. Besides,” he pulled you closer and smirked, “That way you can be as loud as you like.”

A laugh was muffled by his kiss. After getting his confirmation, you and Yunho discussed exactly what he wanted to do. He asked if you both could do “the entire act” which included you refusing sex and him not taking a “no” scenario. Nothing too elaborate, yet enough to set a dynamic and tone. You both decided on a color system, and your usual safe word “Buttercup”. Being a toy user, you told him you didn't mind the toys or if he decided to restrain you somehow, which led to a discussion about ropes or handcuffs that you left up to him. You agreed to a day and time that would be best for both of you, then went to bed together. 

****

“Bye, Yeosangie!” 

You kissed Yeosang for the hundredth time that morning, trying to capture as much of it as you could. He'd be gone for three days to see his parents, so you cashed in as many kisses as possible. Yunho’s request did excite you, so perhaps you appeared a bit eager to get him out the door at the same time. 

“I'm going to miss you,” you pouted in his arms. 

“I'll only be gone three days, babe,” he laughed, hugging you tightly still. “You have seven other boyfriends to keep you company until I come back.”

“But none of them will watch reality shows with me,” you said, toying with the strings of his hoodie. “Who's going to talk shit about bitchy housewives with me?”

You recently managed to get a VPN to watch reality tv shows from other countries. Yeosang quickly became your reality junk buddy after a Real Housewives episode.

“We can stream them online, and watch them together that way,” he replied. “We do live in the age of technology after all.”

“It's not the same,” you whined, hugging him. 

“YN, he's not going off to war,” said Yunho from behind you. “He's coming back.”

“What if a war happens and he has to go before then?” You joked, mocking a sad tone and burying your face in Yeosang's neck. “I'll never see him again.”

The three of you laughed before Yeosang gave you one more kiss, then released you. You'd offered to drive him to the station, but he insisted that you stay home. A part of you wondered if Yunho hinted at the afternoon plans. The both of you let him leave, waving goodbye until he closed the door behind him. You tiptoed to kiss Yunho’s cheek, then went to clean up the breakfast dishes. 

Your eyes paid attention to the time while you washed dishes. Yunho said he'd like to do it around noon, since that gave you both plenty of time before, during and after, so you suspected he was preparing his room right now. The anticipation left you thinking of all the possible things Yunho could do to you. You never experienced a mean Yunho before, but the members said it can be scary. You told him he didn't have to hold back with you; it's his fantasy and you'd be fine with whatever he decided. Since it's his first time doing this, he said he'd be gentle but once that arousal boils up, that might disappear. Finishing up the counter space, you looked at the clock to see it was half past noon. You worried Yunho might have been too nervous and backed out. Even though it was his idea, you told him if he ever changed his mind you wouldn't be upset and he said vice versa for you. You’d moved to wait in the living room when he appeared in the kitchen doorway. 

“Hey you.”

Yunho stood there in a long black shirt and shorts. His face bare and hair free of product, Yunho stripped down to his real self. You often said how you preferred them without all the makeup and hairspray. The stylists always made their skin a lighter shade, and they covered up Yeosang's pretty red wine birthmark. Seeing Yunho as himself, wearing simple clothes, flustered you more than his stage outfits. He leaned against the counter, eyes already peeling off your clothes. Heat rose up from under your shirt at the sight. It reminded you of the villains in dramas, who ooze sex appeal and wickedness at the same time. The kind that are hard to root against because they're so damn good looking.

“Hey,” you kept your tone light and casual, “I just finished cleaning up. I was going to watch this new movie I found, if you want to join me.”

“Nah,” he shook his head, eyes focused on your chest, “I have something else I want to do instead.”

“Game?” You suggested innocently. 

“No,” he drawled, shaking his head. He walked around the counter towards you, eyes glinting with lust. His hands rested on your waist, while he leaned into you, “I'd like to do you.”

“Yunho,” you sighed, sliding from his warm embrace, “Not now. I'm tired, and not really in the mood.”

“But…” Yunho scoffed incredulously, “That's your job though.”

You hesitated. You never thought such words would come out of his mouth. “Yunho…”

“You're a Companion,” he continued, “Fucking me is your whole job. Sure, okay, we go on dates and all that, but at the end of the day if I want some ass, you're supposed to give it to me.”

His words. The irritated look in his eyes. Intimidating and standing taller, you couldn't help being flustered by the change in him. He should do more acting. 

“I don't have to if I don't want to,” you argued back, yanking your wrist from him. 

“Yes, you do,” he roughly grabbed it back, “It's not like you don't like it. You give it up to Hongjoong all the time. You let us gangbang you in front of cameras, and at home. I'm not going to ask you to do anything you haven't done a hundred times before.”

You made an attempt to escape his grasp, but he really did hold onto you. Quickly, he pulled you to him as you struggled and planted a hard kiss on your lips. He told you he wanted you to truly fight him back; he assured you he wouldn't hurt you too badly. You lightly slapped his shoulders, wriggling in his hold as the kiss deepened and he forced his tongue into your mouth. A soft groan escaped him as he trapped you between himself and the counter. You swatted at him, trying to scoot free as he kissed and nibbled down your neck. The bulge grazed against you kindled a fire inside you, but you forced it back down. 

“Yunho-ah, stop it,” you scoffed, pushing him away briefly. When you slapped him lightly, he glared. It aroused you further. 

“No,” he grunted, hands wrapping around you once more. You squeaked at the hands squeezing your ass, feeling it through the thin shorts you wore. “I'm horny, and your job is to fix that. Let me see these.”

“No!”

You tried blocking his hands from sliding under your top to lift your shirt, but it didn't work. He lifted the tight top above your breasts, which he immediately kneaded in his hands. Yunho’s jaw dropped at the sight of them in his palms, your nipples hardening against his palms. You’d opted out of a bra today, and you’re glad you did. The sudden intrusion made you gasp. Using one leg to spread yours, Yunho groaned as he cupped both breasts. 

“Stop,” you said, trying to cover them from view but purposefully failing. “I'm going to call Hongjoong,” you threatened. 

“For? For him to come watch?” He smirked, flicking at one of your nipples. “He loves watching, and I normally don't mind, but I want to keep it just you and me today.” You grabbed his wrists when he moved down to your shorts, shaking your head and breathing heavily. “Let me see you,” he ordered, “It's mine, after all. I pay for it.”

“I don't want to,” you shot back, though you did not appear as confident as you sounded. “Leave me alone.”

“No.” 

You gasped when his hand grabbed your sex. Long fingers sliding fully over your shorts, he massaged it in circles that had you frozen in place. 

“Gosh, it's so warm,” he moaned, his other hand going back to fondling your breast. “And it gets wet so easily. I only have to rub it a few times and it's soaked. We really hit gold when we got you.” 

“Let go,” you demanded, but didn't move. 

Yunho then turned you around, pressing you into the counter once more, and continued feeling you up. His hardon brushing your ass now, he let out a low moan when you instinctively pushed back. Soft panting filled your ear as he lightly touched you. You pushed against his hands, trying to tear yourself from him, but he kept a firm grip on you. 

“Yunho, I mean it. Let me go.”

“Ugh, shut up already. It's not like I haven't done this before.”

“I will tell management. I'm not kidding.”

He yanked your head back, forcing you to look at him over your shoulder, and scowled. “Go ahead. I'll tell them you asked for it and they'll believe me. Nobody believes sluts like you,” he grabbed your chest again and pinched your nipples, “I’ll even tell them you didn’t wear a bra. ‘Well, hyungmin, YN wasn’t wearing a bra, and I was only giving her what she wanted’,” he said in a mocking tone, his voice tickling your nerves, “‘Noonanim, YN wanted it a little rough’. Honestly, YN, who do you think they’ll listen to?” 

This empty threat made you hold back a giggle. You never expected him to be so in character. 

“Buttercup,” you snorted, unable to hold it in.

“What's wrong?” His concern dropped once he heard you giggling. “What? Is it too cheesy?”

“No, it's you being so in character.”

“I did work on a drama once. I guess you can say I'm an actor,” he kissed beneath your ear, “Do you want me to dial back the realness?”

“A bit.” 

“Alright. Time in?”

“Time in.”

Returning to his character, Yunho took your arm and started dragging you to his room. Your heart started racing, a breath catching in your throat at the sudden roughness in him. He brought you into his room, slamming the door behind him and threw you onto his bed. 

“Yunho!” You exclaimed before he forced himself on top of you. “Yunho, stop it!”

“No,” he grunted, taking hold of both your wrists. “You're my girlfriend. You're supposed to fuck me whenever I want, and right now, I want it.” 

“Yunho, please!” You added a whimper at the end as you let him take your wrists. 

He grabbed a belt from beside you and wrapped it around your wrists. You still wriggled beneath him as if trying to escape, but you made no real escape attempt. The adrenaline sent blood rushing to your core. Every single nerve in your body tingled each time his body brushed against yours. Holding down your arms, Yunho kissed you deeply again and grinded into you. His hardon pressed lightly against your thigh each time, and he followed it with a soft groan. You let out more whining, even turning your head before he grabbed your chin to roughly kiss you. One hand putting your hands onto a hook on the headboard, the other slid up your body to your breast for a soft squeeze. Unable to free your arms, you could do nothing but move around as Yunho kissed and caressed your body. Large, warm hands slid up to your breasts, cupping and squeezing them through your shirt. 

“Give me clothes you don't care about. I want to rip them off you.”

You'd left an old tank top, shorts, and underwear in his bedroom last night. When you got them this morning, you saw he'd made small slits in each piece to rip them easier. He'd cut into the tank top by the neckline, which he took a hold of now. He stayed on top of you, grabbing your tits while he continued grinding into you. You never realized how much stronger Yunho is compared to the other members. Mingi, Jongho, San and Yeosang worked out often, so you expected it, but Yunho had size on his side. He kept you firmly pinned even with the belt and hook aiding him, and he made sure your hips did not move too much. 

“I don't know why you bother with clothes,” he grumbled, “Whores don't need clothes.”

You yelped when the sound of ripping fabric followed, exposing your bare chest to him. Hungrily, Yunho took one nipple in his mouth to suck while his other hand pinched the opposite side. He continued grinding into you, groaning softly. You loved how you could feel his dick through his pants, hard and pulsing in his boxers and into your center. 

“Yunho, please stop,” you cried, giving a sniff. “Please, don't do this.”

“Shut up,” he growled, kissing further down your body. 

“Please-”

“-I said ‘shut up’, slut,” he repeated firmly, slapping your cheek lightly. “You don't speak again unless I speak to you first, got it?”

“Yes,” you sniffled, pouting and giving him doe eyes. 

“Sit up.”

He helped you into a sitting position where your mouth came to level with his crotch. With a swift tug of his waistband, his semi-hardon stood inches from your face. Yunho removed his shirt, and you took in his lean form. Not as defined as the others, you still wanted to kiss and feel every inch of him. Yet, despite your clit pulsing from the sight, you pretended to push back and away from him. Shaking your head, you purse your lips as Yunho brought your head back into position. When you didn’t immediately open your mouth, Yunho pinched your nose and slapped his tip against your lips. The light tapping combined with the instinct to breathe caused you to gasp. A gasp that Yunho instantly snuffed out with his dick. Grasping your hair, he kept you in place while he smoothly went in and out of your mouth. You continued whimpering and trying to get away, but not too hard. Yunho’s pulsating cock slid over your tongue, and tempted you into touching yourself. You heard his haggard breathing getting heavier, moans starting to escape him as he stared down at you. Soon, Yunho was thrusting himself into your throat. Your humming vibrated around his tip, and he chuckled. 

“That’s right,” he said through gritted teeth, “Hum around my cock. Go ahead. I know how much you like it.”

You gave a fake sob as he started gagging you. Each deep thrust ended with you gulping and gasping when he pulled off you. Thin streams connected your lips to his tip, and Yunho used this connection to smear himself on your chin and cheeks. Both hands on your head, Yunho forced you to the hilt and stayed there at least a few seconds at a time. 

“Yunho, stop,” you coughed, “It…It hurts.”

“It doesn’t seem to hurt when Seonghwa does it,” he grunted, “So take it.” 

You hadn’t said ‘buttercup’ again, so Yunho did not stop. Purposefully, you didn’t hollow in your cheeks to suck him. When he saw you simply keeping your mouth open he scoffed. 

“No, no, no, suck it,” he ordered, pushing himself into your throat. When you didn’t suck, he poked his tip to your cheek and slapped it. “Suck it right, slut,” he slapped you again, the sting mixing with the ache in your throat. “Don’t act like you’ve never sucked dick before. Hollow out those cheeks and-Fuck, yes, like that.”

Whimpering, you started sucking him properly. This made him give your throat a break and focus on rubbing himself on your tongue and lips. You wriggled around on the bed as your own arousal started throbbing between your thighs. A bundle of his sheets against your sex tempted you into grinding against his mattress, eager for a form of relief. Yet, you knew you’re meant to not want this, so you kept yourself firmly planted on the bed. Yunho chuckled through a groan. 

“Look at you,” he mocked, smacking your cheek again as he pushed against your inner cheek. “Filthy, dumb slut getting turned on by me using her mouth.” When you let out a muffled wail, he plunged deep into your throat again, “Don’t act like you don’t like it. It’s what you’re paid to do. I’m only taking what I pay good money for.” 

He kept you planted there as he started fucking your mouth roughly. A slight pain burned in your throat after a while, making your eyes swim with tears that came down your cheeks. The cheap mascara and eyeliner you’d applied colored the tears with black, a look Yunho asked for specifically. Your clit throbbed while your walls clenched for something to grab onto; your nipples tingled and hardened from imaging his mouth and hands on them. Yunho, seeing your nipples erect, reached down for one as he continued abusing your mouth. Index and thumb fingers rolled it in between them, the twinge of pain adding to the burning pleasure. Sharp slaps to them every so often made you whine around the cock ravaging your mouth. 

Without a word, he pulled you off him and pushed you back onto the pillows. “I know exactly what to do with these,” he huffed, reaching into a box beside the bed. 

You laid there, coughing and clearing your aching throat, as he shifted through a selection of toys, unable to keep yourself from wriggling around underneath him. When he withdrew a chain of nipple clamps, you widened your eyes and shook your head. While the sight of them usually excited you, you pretended to fear it as you struggled to get away from Yunho. This only made him hook your bound wrists back to his headboard. Straddling your thighs, Yunho bent down and greedily sucked one of your nipples. He cupped and squeezed while teasing the sensitive peaks with his tongue. 

“Yunho-ah,” you cried, sniffling and shaking your head, “Please, stop it.”

“Shut up,” he snapped, spanking one of your tits for emphasis. 

“Yunho, please don’t put those. They hurt a lot-”

“Do I look like someone who gives a fuck? Shut. Up. And. Take. It.”

His meanness only turned you on more. You watched him prepare you for the clamps and purposefully moved around to make your breasts jiggle. Yunho looked over at you for a moment. You saw him admiring your hands tied to the headboard, seeing the drool and tears left on your face. You pouted, giving him a pleading look that made his jaw drop. He wanted you to be pathetically helpless against his big, strong body. He wanted you pleading for mercy and saying ‘no’ until the very end. He bent down over you again, pecking your lips softly and nuzzling your nose gently. Neither of you said anything, but you still sniffled and whimpered as he went back to sucking and biting your nipples. You often tried keeping whichever breast he chose from his mouth before he grabbed them harshly and kept you in place. The clamps brought a never ending wave of pleasure that you forced yourself to restrain.

“Just as pretty as I thought,” he gave a self-satisfied smile as the chain pulled your nipples. He slapped the sides to see them bounce against his hands, “They’re prettier covered in loads of cum.”

“Yunho-”

He roughly grabbed your chin and squeezed your cheeks to keep you quiet, “You just don’t know how to shut up, do you? How many times do I have to say it?”

“Yunho,” you sobbed.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” he scoffed. Going back to the box, he took out a dildo-gag. Only a few inches, it wouldn’t go to your throat but it’d certainly keep you quiet. “Open up.”

You shook your head, rolling your lips closed.

“I said ‘open up’, slut.”

He pinched your nose again, and you tried holding your breath as long as possible until you gave in. The second your mouth opened, the gag went inside. He strapped it securely behind your head, enough to keep it from coming loose but not so tight it truly hurt you.

“There,” he said, “Maybe now you’ll finally shut up. You’re prettier when you’re not talking.”

The toy in your mouth caused saliva to build up around it, which you tried swallowing down to keep it from coming out. That didn’t prepare you for what he did next: Yunho went further down your body to your shorts. He roughly and hurriedly tugged them off you, and groaned at the sight of your wet panties. Your pussy ached when he heatedly tore them enough to reveal your sex and ass, the cheap fabric hanging by the elastic bands. When you tried closing your legs, he forced them back apart and sat between your thighs to keep you spread out. Your heart started racing in anticipation, sensing his hard cock close to your dripping sex, and expected him to go inside right away. But no. Yunho planned to drag this out. 

Lifting your legs up by the ankles, he pressed your knees to your chest and swatted your bare pussy. The stinging pain added to the clamps on your nipples, and you thought you might cum if he continued spanking you. Yunho’s quick, hard slaps teased your exposed clit, the brief touch sliding across your pussy each time his hand came down. Seeing you trembling on the bed, Yunho stopped spanking and rubbed your sore lips gently. 

“I know you’re not about to cum,” he said, a threat in his voice. “I know you’re not about to cum before me. I didn’t say anything about you getting to cum first.” He spit right on it, swirling it around slowly, “No, no, no. We’ve told you before that a proper slut would let us cum first. This is for my pleasure, not yours,” he slapped your pussy particularly hard to which you gave a muffled cry, “I don’t pay you to have orgasms. I pay you to give me orgasms.”

You attempted to plead, but your gag kept you quiet.

“What’s that?” he cocked his head to hear you, “You’re going to be a good toy and let me fuck you however I like? Hm, that’s good to know.” He laughed when you reverently shook your head, “Oh, you know you love it. Your pussy certainly loves it.”

He grabbed his dick and started tapping it against your pussy. The teasing motion stirred the pot boiling inside you. You could feel your orgasm slowly rolling to the front, about to explode right onto his wet tip until he’d stop. When you’d calm down, he’d go right back to teasing his length against your pussy. It became absolute torture. If you ever stopped being wet enough, he’d spit right where you both met to keep you slick enough for him. You took the moment to watch his body tense up at the flickers of pleasure grinding into you gave him. One hand gripping your thigh, the other made sure his dick moved exactly how he knew it’d weaken you. You saw the veins in his hands from the pressure, and wanted them inside you. You wanted them knuckle-deep, pushing in and out and wiggling deep within. His fingers always looked better around your throat or stuffed in your holes. But, he didn’t use his fingers. Not once. 

When he finally did enter you, he gasped in surprise. “Oh no,” he said, smoothly gliding in and out of you, “Looks like I forgot a condom.”

Another thing you’d both discussed and cleared on before starting.

“No, don’t do that,” you tried saying through the gag. “Don’t cum in me.”

“Huh? What?” he cupped his ear, starting to rub your clit with his thumb so you mewled loudly. “You want me to cum in you?”

“No! Don't!”

“I bet you do,” he started pumping in and out of you faster, “I bet you love when Hongjoong fills you with cum every night. I’m surprised you’re not pregnant already with all the times he’s creamed your little pie.” He took hold of your thighs and kept them spread further apart. “But, don’t worry. I’ll cum in you,” he sneered, “Maybe I’ll leave you here and call the other members so they can fill up your pussy too. You’ll be so full of it, we’d have to take you to the clinic the next day,” he laughed.

The idea of him taking his own fantasy a step further had your thighs quaking in his grasp. Yunho kept the same steady pace throughout, only stopping when he sensed your orgasm drawing near again. A cocktail of pain and pleasure once again filled your insides, and you realized how much you enjoyed it. You liked mean Yunho. He exhibited a sadistic desire to bring you close to an orgasm, only to deny it to you at the last second. Your disappointed and frustrated whimpers delighted him, usually resulting in him taunting you as he pounded his hips into yours a few times. He meant it when he said he’d be merciless. He proved it when he flipped you onto your front, lifted your head up by your hair, and started pounding your pussy relentlessly. Any plea or cry you gave went unheard underneath the sounds of his skin slapping yours. When the bed banged against the wall, you thought that usual shyness might come out, but it only encouraged him further. 

“Please, please, please,” you cried through your gag, tears watering your eyes again. “Please stop. It hurts so much.”

“Shut up,” he growled, tugging your hair and thrusting faster. “Shut up and take my cock.”

“Yunho-”

“I said ‘shut up’, bitch.” He pushed your face into the pillow, the dildo going further into your mouth and silencing you right away. “Fuck toys don’t talk.”

You sobbed into the pillow, your nose poking out enough for you to breathe. Your eyes rolled back right as his tip started pushing your g-spot. Each thrust sent you closer to the edge once more. You thought you’d go insane from the feeling alone. You felt nothing but the desperation growing inside you. The need to meet his hips with yours, the need to be clenching and squeezing him through an orgasm became far too deep. You lost all sense. The only thing you focused on was pretending to squirm out of Yunho’s strong grip. 

What pushed you the closest was when Yunho’s moans became breathy and erratic. By his tightened grasp, his feverish thrusts and incoherent streams of curses, you knew he’d finish soon. You clenched him tightly, which made him quicken his pace. Soon, a distinct hot sensation spilled inside you and you almost came with him. Yunho continued going until he pumped every last drop inside you. Quivering, your body tensed up in effort to stay on the edge. 

“Tak-Take it,” he groaned, huffing as he squeezed out a few more drops, “It’s the least you can do after…after rejecting me…”

The second he withdrew from you, you weakly scrambled away from him.

“And where do you think you’re going, huh?” 

He roughly pulled you back into his grasp. Restricting your arms with one of his, he parted your legs with his knee and started rubbing your sex again. The tips of his fingers rapidly gliding over your clit had you trembling and clutching Yunho’s arms. Your body caved into itself, a burning tightness building the longer he kept you in his grasp. You tried closing your thighs together and moving from his hand, but he only forced them further apart and went faster.

“That’s it,” he said in your ear, still toying with your clit despite the sensitivity settling in, “Cum all over yourself like the pathetic slut you are. Go ahead. Do it.” 

You shook your head as if keeping yourself from giving into his demands. 

“You know you want to,” he said, stopping to bring your knee further up and then continuing, “You wanted to a little bit ago. Am I not good enough for you to cum for? Huh?” 

You put your hands on his wrist, trying to move his hand away but not doing a good job of it. This time, he didn’t do anything else. He only rubbed; his fingers caused his warm cum to mix with your juices, getting the mess everywhere, but you didn’t care. You came in seconds. The blinding climax made every muscle in your body seize up, and you screamed around the dildo in your mouth. You could do nothing but lay there as Yunho teased an orgasm out of you. Being completely at his mercy, tied up and clamped, you laid there and came hard until the very end. 

When you finally finished, you desperately chased whatever bit of air you could get through your nose. It wasn’t until Yunho undid the gag that you sucked in more air. Keeping you in his arms, Yunho carefully unbuckled his belt from your wrists and tenderly rubbed them for you. He peppered the side of your face with soft, brief kisses as he gingerly removed the clamps to rub your sore nipples. The two of you laid there in the afterglow of this new experience, content to listen to each other’s breathing gradually steady over time. You stayed still when he started wiping the mess from you with a wet cloth, drying it for you right after. A shower or bath would be for later. Neither of you felt up to it at the moment. 

“Did you like it?” he asked in the silence, not having moved an inch away from you. “Was I too rough? Not rough enough? I didn’t want to overdo it with you.”

You shook your head, “I really liked it, actually.” 

“You liked it, huh?” he teased, giving you a gentle squeeze. “Even when I hit you?”

“Yes,” your cheeks grew warm from the confession. “I’ve never seen you that way before.” You turned over to face him, remaining in his arms still, “It really turned me on.” Talking made you realize your throat did itch slightly. You’d need some tea to soothe it at least. 

“Oh?” he lifted your leg to his waist and put his arm around you, “Maybe I should be mean in bed more often.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” You then asked, “Was I…I don’t know how to say it…Fighting back enough? I didn’t want to make you think I really wasn’t into it, but I know you wanted me to kind of fight back.”

“You were perfect, babe. It was exactly like I imagined,” he insisted, kissing you softly. “Thank you,” he said, moving hair from your face, “For doing this with me. I thought it might scare you or you would see me differently when I asked you.”

“Never,” you assured him, clearing your throat. “I’ll admit I was surprised by it at first, but it was something new for us to explore.” You chuckled again, which bothered your throat, “But I did think you getting so into it was funny at first.”

“I wanted to do it right,” he laughed. “I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“You wouldn’t have,” you coughed. “You wouldn’t have disappointed me. We would’ve just had normal sex or no sex or whatever we both felt like doing.” 

“Oh, baby,” Yunho immediately perked up, “Your throat. It must hurt. Is it really bad? I shouldn’t have done it so much.” 

“It itches a bit.” 

“I’ll make you some tea then,” he peeled himself away from you and sat up. Ruffling his hair, he reached for his boxers on the floor and said, “And an ice pack too?” 

“Yes, please.” 

You knew once you really started moving around, you’d know which parts of your body will need to be iced. Yunho gently pecked your lips, then left the bedroom. Sinking further into his bed, you felt yourself drifting to sleep. The events you replayed in your head gave you chills. Nobody looking at Yunho would think he enjoyed such a taboo act; though, you’re not bothered by it at all. A part of you wondered if he'd do it again, since Yeosang won’t be home any time soon. 

You’d definitely have no objections. 

****

A/N: hey hey friends! Sorry this one took so long. Like with all my current wips, I've been having trouble sticking to one and finishing it. I hope this one makes up for it though! I have a Seonghwa one coming up soon too! always like and reblog, it keeps us going <3

[justpoliteconversations]

Apple Merchant [BOTW!Link x Isekai!Reader] (Part 5)

You spend more money. And Link becomes a local legend.

I was intending on working on a different piece tonight, but the continuous notifications for Apple Merchant keeps reminding me of how much I want to write on it. And then the self-indulgent whispers start seeping into my brain and here we are. Enjoy your ill-gotten gains, Lurkers.

Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Alternate Extras: Embrace

Masterlist

TW: Choosing not to display warnings. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise.

---

Lurelin village. A beautiful little coastal town southwest of Hateno with just the right amount of sun and water to make any would-be visitor green with envy. Except no one ever mentioned the humidity (enough to drown someone in their sleep, you swear by it), the lizalfos infestation (something the game got right in concept, but wrong in scale) and the sand. The Goddess forsaken sand. The damned (neverending, grit in your teeth, tears in your eyes, gravel in your lungs) sand that got into everything.

So, no, Lurelin was beautiful and you'd thought once that maybe you'd get a house there (or maybe just plan a vacation). But you'd quickly been rid of the notion the moment you'd stepped foot onto the warm, picturesque beachfront property. Taken a deep, appreciative breath of the fresh, salty air. And then was promptly tackled out of the way of an oncoming spear by Skims (bless that man) as Adino put a pair of arrows into a lizalfos' hissing, gaping maul.

The face full of sand you'd gotten after being pile-driven into the ground just added to the experience. In the worst way possible. It had taken days for your mouth to feel clean of the unpleasant grit of sand grains and your eyes to stop tearing and burning in irritation. If not for Skim's constant care and Adino forcibly holding your hands away from your face when the pain became too much, you could have walked away with far worse than bad memories and a new distaste for sand.

That was the day you decided Lurelin would not be a place you'd be spending any significant amount of time in. No matter how friendly the locals or tasty the food or beautiful the ocean views. It just wasn't worth it. Not to you, at least. Maybe in another lifetime, it would have been a dream to strive towards. But not here. Not now.

You still had moments of unease when you think of what could have happened had Skim's not been so close (as he's always been, and as you'll hopefully always have him). And those moments were more potent when you were in the small village. Keeping you ever on edge and always within sight of your trusted guards.

So, one might ask why you'd chosen to go to that very village when you could go anywhere in southern Hyrule. In fact, (in those whispering moments of weakness) you'd ask yourself that very same question. Especially as you trudged miserably through the thick, muggy afternoon heat with Adino at your back and Skims on point (who knows where Red went. but it wasn't your business and so you dismissed the thought entirely).

The answer? Shock arrows. An unholy amount of shock arrows. Enough to break the purse of the average merchant three times over. And possibly put their children in debt too. And possibly their horse.

It's a good thing you weren't a common merchant.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Mubs." You called in friendly greeting as you set foot onto the dock, casting away your (unease) irritation and slipping into your business persona effortlessly. "Fair weather on the seas I hope?"

Pleasantries were exchanged, the latest information traded (Adino was feigning irritation as he eavesdropped, but you could see the way his eyes and ears flickered with amusement and surprise at the appropriate times. Skims was window shopping, eyeing some of the more exotic fish with open curiosity) and you ended up selling several thousand rupees worth of product to the woman. Fresh produce mostly, but also quite a few ores. Such things were always in high demand in Lurelin. Ores especially, as most coastal deposits were notoriously difficult to mine with the lizalfos infestation so prominent.

More workers died mining along the beach than to storms out at sea. And that's a very unsettling thought, given the ratio of miners to sailors in a seafaring village (of all places). Crunch the numbers, and becoming a miner in Lurelin was equivalent to a death sentence. And the general population knew that.

(It explained why crime rates were so low in Lurelin, when mining was the manual labor criminals were made to do.)

Passing off the last of Mubs' purchase to her, you waited patiently for the woman to finish storing away her newly acquired goods before speaking. "I have a large order request." You said, letting a small, costumer service smile slip onto your lips. And maybe that kind of smile was something that transcended worlds, or maybe Mubs just knew you, but she immediately looked wary (by the way she narrowed her eyes, it was probably the former. maybe).

She gestured for you to continue, and you did with cool (pained) confidence. "I need as many shock arrows as you can afford to part with." She started to gesture towards her arrow display, but you shook your head and she paused. "I need below deck inventory. Everything you've got."

Her brows shot to her hairline, incredulous as she cautioned. "Quite the order. Surely not even The Apple Merchant would part with so much rupee." You kept your smile (even and blank and you were quietly screaming inside), and she sighed. "'Course you would." She sighed again, harder, wiping the sweat from her brow before gesturing for you to follow. "Come on then. Lets see if we can't break yer infamous smile a bit, ya?"

You kept that smile. All through the walk across the rickety old docks, the bustling harbor and straight down into the musty bowels of a weathered looking ship. One guarded by no less than five full grown men. All through the talks with the big boss you kept your lips steadily pleasant and upturned. Right on through the exchange of rupees (even Mubs looked ill at the quoted amount, casting you a questioning, pitying glance as she clicked her teeth), and all the way back to shore.

Right up until the moment you collapsed into your (extra, super soft, not for you Adino you prickly jerk) inn bed, rolled over so your back was to Adino and Skims (who looked expectant and amused and far too smug for your liking) and stared at the wall with that same smiling, blank expression.

And then, slowly. You put your face into the sinfully soft pillow. And screamed.

"Damnit Link! Why do you cost me so much money when you're not even here?"

Skims laughed with his entire belly at your outburst, and Adino smirked, hiding his face to the side as a few rouge chuckles escaped him.

A wordless, muffled bellow was all they got back in exchange.

---

Link stared at the truly mind-boggling number of shock arrows that'd appeared in his inventory. 6800, to be exact. Which to some may not seem like an especially outrageous number, but to Link (who usually found items in the single digits) it was a truly unfathomable number to comprehend, let alone contend with. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to take full advantage of his (thoughtful, kind, wond-) generous AM's meticulous foresight to destroy the local monster population. With feeling (so much intense, pent up feeling).

He'd take every ounce of his frustration (his blood boiling, fist clenching, teeth grinding anger) and pour it all into destroying his enemies. His worry at AM's absence from his side. His displeasure at Ms. Blue's condescending and secretive (and kind too, for all she was withholding information from him. information he'd bleed for) smiles.

And especially his rage at those Goddess forsaken, Ganon worshipping, traitorous Yiga who ruined his chance to thank AM properly for their presence in his life (because he doesn't know where he'd be if not for them. and honestly, he never wants to find out).

He'd take all those emotions and channel it into something productive. Something beneficially destructive.

So, destroy the monster population he did. And how generous of the Goddesses, to have brought him to a land of eternal rain to begin his crash course in violence-fueled stress relief. With shock arrows.

It is said amongst the general Zora population (the more outspoken poetic ones at least) that when the Returned Hero of Hyrule made his ascendance through the Domain, night became day and the land was cleansed of all things foul that would stand before him. A miracle in the flesh. He who brings the light and sun to the land of rain.

And really, they weren't wrong. For the most part.

But for those who saw this supposed miracle for themselves. They all had but one thought.

'Thank the Goddesses it's not me he's pissed at.'

---

Back to the shadows to rest.

[factual-fantasy]

23 asks! Thanks a bunch! :}} 🌠

@mimiocto

She does! Her name is Gloria :))

And if my motivation and health stays in my favor.. ya'll will learn a bit more about her and Bonnie soon... 👀👀👀

(Referencing this post)

The secret 9th eeveeloution, ghost type! <XD

@octonauts16

....Whelp, guess I'm canceling my Netflix account! <XD

(Monopoly post in question)

It was mostly a joke, XDD but none the less I'm sure no one would have taken it too much to heart! Its well known that Grim and V have a very strong bond so no one would have been surprised XDD

@candyglumboy

Thank you so much!! :DDD

AAAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDD I'm glad!! :}}}

(Comic in question)

YOU!!! YOU GET IT!!!! WAHAAG THABK YOU!!! 😭😭💖💖💞

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDDD💞

I just slap the watermark on the drawing as its own layer and lower the opacity :00 usually putting a back blob cloud behind it at lower opacity if more visibility is needed!

....If that made any sense at all--

@userplaysminecraft

This is amongst the highest compliments my fanart can receive. Thank you 🥺🥺🥺

:DD Thank you so much!! I'm glad you love it!! :}}

@minnesotamedic186

Alas, I do not have a good tablet or stylus.. :((

But that's ok! I think I'm getting better! <:D .. I hope so at least! <:}}

@holly-opal

I haven't really ironed it out yet.. but one thing stays consistent. It sucked.

I wanted to create a situation where Mario and Luigi both did not want to go back to Earth. Sure there are things that would undoubtedly bother them a bit that I couldn't just whisk away. Never seeing another human again, never seeing any animals again.. Never hearing human songs again.. never tasting the food from Earth again..

But what I could do is make their old lives so horrible, that they were both willing to give up what they had for this new life as the "Hero's of Legend."

I pictured Mario and Luigi both being very poor. Just barely making it paycheck to paycheck. No friends, no family. No sentimentals even. Perhaps their childhood home burnt down.. so no family photo albums or old plushies to be attached to..

I couldn't decide what kind of relationship they had with their parents.. but either way, they've passed on. They worked a crappy job as plumbers which they both hated. They lived in a cruddy apartment that was too small for them. Rotten neighbors, disrespectful customers..

I pictured them having this terrible company van or truck that always broke down and stunk of cigarettes thanks to the previous owner. They were drowning in debt and bills. Trynna pay off the van, trynna buy new clothes, trynna by food...

I even imagined some of their bills and debt were medical related. I imagined Luigi being very ill and them being unable to afford food and medicine.. So Mario stole food from his clients. Maybe even robed a store or two. Now they've got "criminal" added to their list of problems.

They hated their apartment. They hated the van, they hated their neighbors, they hated people, they hated the world. They hated their lives. The only thing they had the room in their hearts to love was each other. The only thing that didn't hurt them or make them cry was each other. The only thing that made living in this horrible world worth it, was each other.

Then the mushroom kingdom came along.. "Hero's of Legend?" Magical powers? Kind people who care about us and respect us? No more debt, no more bills, no more van or apartment, no more stealing, just.. adventure. And they get to experience it all with their most favorite person in the world?

Why would they ever want to go back?

@raven-bearden-the-interviewer42

Alas, I do not know of any. :((( But I can imagine that the crew is nerdy enough to make their own shanty! A theme song of sorts. And you can bet that Seafoam would take pride in that song and sing it loudly with the rest of the crew! XD

@neo-metalscottic (100,000 reblogs post in question) (Octo clarification post)

Awe! That's so kind! Thank you!! :DD And I've been very glad to see my condition improve too 😌 though I'm not quite out of the thick of it yet.. :(( I hope I can fully beat it soon! <:))

As for the Great green toad king and company, I have actually never heard of them before! <:0 Though it would be very easy to label them as some far off kingdom and not put much thought into it <XDD Perhaps some of the species found in that kingdom could have become wandering travelers like Wario and Waluigi? Maybe we'd see them that way? :00

Now I know mentioning Birdo was a joke XDD But I do have plans for the Birdo species! :00

I had this idea that Yoshi's used to be smaller, about the same size they are in canon. Back then they acted as these passive.. almost farm like animals..?? In a way?? The toads used them to haul carts and as a form of transportation. Like horses! But eventually the Yoshis discovered "Yoshis island". A fruitful island planted in the middle if a giant river. A large sum of the Yoshis migrated from the forest and began to live there. Eating the super fruits and veggies it produced and slowly transforming into the giant mega Yoshis that are there today.

However, not all the Yoshi's left. A fair amount of them were kept and somehow made their way to the coast near Daisy's Kingdom. After generations and generations of Yoshi's eating red cheep cheeps and living in the water, they transformed and are now called Birdos. In present day Yoshi's and Birdos are extremely closely related, though they look a bit different from each other. And while Yoshi's come in all different colors, most Birdos grow up to be different shades of red, Pink and purple due to their red cheep cheep diet. Just like flamingos! :D

Anyways- on to the Goombas. The Goombas start out as these very poisonous brown mushrooms and are brought to life by Kamek. They form mouths and the poison that they originally had becomes poisonous saliva. So when they bite someone the poison does its job.. Even if who ever they bite is somehow immune to their poison, their bites are still nasty. They're dirty creatures and they really shred you up.. So the chance of natural infection is there none the less-

And WHAAAT?? Illumination whyyyyyyy 😭😭I love Toadsworth you had no right to scrap him--

And wow! That last battle looks crazy! My only question is who's this guy?? <XDD I don't recognize him!

Anywho- thanks again for the ask! Feel free to send more Mario ones, or not, which ever you please! I'd love to read what ever you may send :}}}

8 0 0 0 P A G E S ? ? ?

@pink088

That is the most cursed creature I have ever seen- XDD

I wanna say Louis has the most wins, buuuttttt Seafoam is so much bigger than Louis.. I feel like he would have the ability to overthrow him just by using his own body weight XDD Its hard to say!

(Ask was sent in response to this post)

SKSKKDJH ACTUALLY THO XDDDD

Oh- in order to make these ask posts I take screenshots of the asks, crop them, and then compile them all together. Usually I put them together on Tumblr desktop, so they're all blue.

But recently I've been batting some health problems and have been stuck on the couch all day.. which means that I've been making my ask posts on Tumblr mobile. Which is all black themed for me :00

Aw, thank you! Though I advice eating it with a spoon actually! In order to scoop up the tears of the characters- XDD

@caronaro-flipaclip

:0 Sponchbop! :DD Its hard to feel down with him around!

@beryl-shade

I have written many stories where characters have lost family or friends to death... but as for a character that was in the main story and I actually drew them? ..Not that I can recall! :0

[monzterzack]

life has been really rough lately, and i hate to be asking for help again, but im drowning here

between getting kidney stones, the holidays, having my car thowed away by police and general january issues, i havent been able to cover all my debts this last couple months

i dried up the little savings i had with buying medicines and having to switch to a plant base diet due to the kidney issues, so much so that i had to take some small loans

And because its the season after holidays i just havent been able to get enough work to balance things out

im really exhausted and ive been working nonstop to fix the issues, but it has become really apparent i will not make it on time

i need 1600$ to cover my debts this upcoming month

if anyone could help me out, ill really appreciate it, as im just trying to stay afloat without getting overdraft and charged extra

here is my paypal if anyone would like to help

thank you so much if you read and extra super thank you if you donated :((( im really really sorry about it

[relatableblorbopoll]

Round 1 of preliminaries, group 11

The first two places get a place on the bracket

Little reminder: there will be 2 more rounds of preliminaries, the losing blorbos of this poll still have 2 chances of getting in the official bracket

Propaganda under the cut

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)

"Spoilers! She's a college dropout in her early twenties, who suffers from untreated mental illness and dissociation and had a complete breakdown at college, causing her to come home. Now she's living with her parents again, but life in her dingy little hometown went on without her. Her friends are adults now - in a relationship and planning on moving to the big city, or having to waste away in a dead end job instead of following their dreams. Mae is the only one without a new adult role in life. She's not great with people either - she's blunt and often doesn't think things through, and in many ways just doesn't get the world of adults. She's also prone to petty crimes and general anarchy. She's kind of lost and purposeless, and trying to find meaning in life by desperately clinging to the past. Her decision to drop out of college probably saved her life, but it's also put her family in a tough financial situation and is viewed by most people as her just thoughtlessly doing whatever she wants. She's also kind of shamed a lot about not having a job or other productive role in life, despite the fact that her untreated mental issues are actually disabling for her. She also plays the bass real bad. Anyway, i love Mae a lot. Playing this game as a college dropout in my early twenties, sitting in my childhood bedroom in my mom's attic, back in my dingy little hometown, desperately missing my old friends who have all moved on to better, resposible things in life... yeah, it felt like the game was pointing dead at me. Given tumblr's general demographic, i figure i must not be completely alone in this"

Shigeo Kageyama / Mob (Mob Psycho 100)

"autistic. likes milk. if we reach a certain level of emotion we turn into a psychic bomb. cool brothers :)"

Barry the Quokka (The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog)

"Their only skill is working the microwave, they're non-binary, when seeing a trash bin their first instinct is to look through it, they're always the most normal person in the room, they can beatbox, and they were only hired due to being the only one who applied."

Kaveh (Genshin Impact)

"In a fantasy world, be a guy with a regular profession losing his goddamn mind. Poor guy has a guilt complex, (so true) and a lot of deep embarrassment regarding his life.(ehe) He just wants to do what he's passionate about but capitalism is evil and also he keeps getting scammed. Claims to not want anyone to know Things, goes into depth about these Things anyway. Is probably most definitely gay. Can be found face down on a table lamenting his fate. Terrible sleep schedule. (HA) He is such a guy. Wants to believe the world is a good place and people are inherently good. And wants to help people and do good himself. It's just hard. [And he has a roommate. Oh my god he has a roommate]"

"He was, and still is, regarded a genius. He aced his Akademiya days, he has the admiration and appreciation of so many people because he is oh-so remarkable. But what for, when reality is that he sits at home depressed and with guilt consuming him, faking the image people have of him, not only broke as fuck but actually in debt, drowning his sorrows in wine."

Yusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5)

"highschooler who wants to spend the rest of his life doing what he loves. is obsessed with art and beauty and it's on his mind 24/7 received help from his now friendgroup to break from his abusive foster father who he still have complicated feelings with had to move into school dorms and am struggling to live independantly since he'd rather spend money and time on his art but he's still surviving and enjoying the good times id say also ends up saying whatever is on his mind and is pretty eccentric. very passionate about what he loves. doesn't want to do anything else."

Nanami Kento (Jujutsu Kaisen)

"Ex-salaryman, now jujutsu sorcerer. During one life-and-death fight, kept talking about how it was almost six pm with is when he is getting off work at 6pm no matter what because he hates overtime. While his opponent repeatedly almost kills him. Normalest adult in this shonen anime. Teen MC: "Let's go all out!" Nanami: "No. Where moderate effort will suffice, use moderate effort." Some of his quotes from the anime: "I studied at Jujutsu Tech and one thing I learned is that Jujutsu Sorcerers are shit! Then I worked at your typical company and one thing I learned is that work is shit! If both are equally shit I'll take the one I'm more suited to." "You've faced several life-or-death situations, but that does not make you an adult. Finding more fallen-out hairs on your pillow, watching your favourite stuffed bread disappear from the convenience store... The accunulation of these little despairs is what makes a person an adult." "I don't praise or disparage anyone. I adhere to facts and judge on that basis. That's who I am. There was a time when I mistakenly believed society operated the same way." "

[yaskie]

This video is also uploaded on TIKTOK Ko-fi Website: Click Here

A continuous battle and I am scared(URGENT) - you can click on the image to direct you to the Ko-Fi Site.

Dear Friends, Right now I feel despair, and hopelessness. And I feel so tired. I deeply apologize for tagging you all again, please don't get mad. I just really needed help.😢😢 I just got my life back, and recently recovered from my debts from my previous battle in between 2021 and mid 2023. I really felt so ashamed in writing this, because I am avoiding as much as I can to ask help financially again. 

You were there for me during my darkest hours, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. But now, I find myself in a situation more dire than ever before, and I am trembling with fear as I implore you to lend me your aid once again.

The video you see attached to this post is a painful reminder of the recent loss I've endured. Uncle Dindo joined our creator last March 24, 2024, after battling Stage 4 Lung Cancer for a month. His passing has left a void in our souls, and also drowned us in debts too. I am helping with expenses as much as I can, that it also drowned me. My Father died of the same illness as well. I made a post more than a month ago with the Title: FIGHTING AGAINST CANCER sadly we still have zero donation and sales from our Emotes and Digital Stickers sale. 

I do not know how to approach all of you again, but I am so scared right now. The reason I made this new post is I've been doing my best to make ends meet, trying to loan to a bank to be able for me to start my Treatment again(but mostly got rejected). I am already back to work eversince the fourth quarter of 2023, but the income is not enough as I earn only $12-$15/day with 12 hours plus of work.  I am really really scared right now as I am writing this. First, I need to settle my rent within 12-24 hours which cost $500(water & electricity is unstable). My landlord is threatening me that he will lock the house, kicking me out and leaving my pets behind. My cats and my dog are my life. Update(05/02/2024): I asked helped from a local council here to help me talk to my landlord. We have an agreement and I am given enough time until Saturday of this week - May 4, 2024. To settle the rent and for me and my pets to leave the apartment, we found a new one but we need a 2 month deposit. And payment for a rental truck. I need to pay my landlord too - so, I can be able to transfer to another home, and he will let me leave peacefully. Which will have another cost, as I need to rent a small truck because I have my pets with me. I have written this on my previous blogs before that I have been sexually harassed(this SCARES me so much too), and stalked by a former friend. He was jailed, but he is back again(already reported it to police). But for safety transferring home is needed. My trauma is still not yet recovered. We still need to prioritize as well my Aunt's treatment, as her health is rapidly deteriorating too(Stage 3 breast Cancer is advancing, her right breast has already been removed). And I need to start mine again, it spread in other parts of my body(I am holding on). I'm really scared right now. If you can spare anything—money, support, anything at all—it would mean the world to me. I hate asking, but I don't know what else to do. Any amount is appreciated, or you can purchase from my Small Shop as well. Thank you so much. Please take Care. Love, Jasky P.S. Sorry if my writing sounds scattered. I don't have proper sleep at the moment.

Sorry for tagging again, please do not get mad at me. I really help so badly. Reposting, or if you have any at least $5 or buy stickers it will really mean a lot to us, to me.

@boost-the-signal @measurelessdreamer @c1a1r3r3df1e1d @samblerambles @nearlybitches

[steddieonmywaywardson]

What about Steve’s parents who aren’t abusive or neglectful?

The Harringtons have worked their asses off for years to obtain and maintain the lifestyle they currently have. The house isn’t cheap and neither is the fancy furniture.

Things get tough when Mrs Harrington passes away due to an accident or long illness and Mr Harrington has to work harder to cover the loss of income and the horrific medical bills as well as making sure his beloved wife gets the send off she deserves.

More hours means less time away from his son. He knows Steve is hurting too but, with nobody else to turn to, and knowing his son is made of strong stuff, Mr Harrington has to go away on more business trips and for longer, just trying to keep a roof over his son’s head and not drown in debt.

Steve misses his mother, of course he does, but he understands his father is trying his goddamn best to keep the finances under control.

This isn’t the time to think about college. It can wait. He needs to work, needs to contribute. So he puts himself out there, gets any job he can. Even if it comes with a dorky sailor suit.

It’s why he cares so much about The Party. He knows just how much it hurts to lose a parent not only to death but to work as well. El, Max, Eddie, they’re just like him and Steve is going to fucking be there for them, show them that love and care and try his best to fill up some of that hole in their hearts.

And when his feelings for Eddie become something more? Well, the hole in his own heart starts to heal as well.

[citricclown]

i hate to ask, but my family need your help

our house roof is broken, its raining inside, we don't have a guarantee we'll be able to sleep because of the wild forecast, everytime it rains its a risk we face of my only source of income (art) be torn apart. my mother is a teacher and my dad is mentally ill and cant work. we have seven cats who also live with us.

i can do a doodle for you, a commission, anything. we can't afford to rent a place to live because we are drowning in debt.

please send a kofi if you can

https://ko-fi.com/citricclown

[merinsedai]

Dreamling Abbey

My fic for the @the-centennial-husbands-bigbang !!

No lie, guys: I decided to do this after coming out of a heart scan at the hospital on the sign up deadline. The thinking being: I could have a dicky ticker here, why not try something new? And this was perfect because if there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I need a deadline.

And so here we are.

I am MOST affronted by how hard this was?! And how bloody long it took me (mostly because I spent a lot of time staring into space or relentlessly googling 'did they have xyz in Edwardian England) All you wonderful, talented writers have made it look so easy that all that effort came as somewhat of a shock. Honestly, I am deeply saddened that the copious amount of Dreamling fic I have voraciously consumed in the past 18 months has not magically made a fantastic author out of me. Why does osmosis not work for writing?

If you read, I hope you enjoy!

(The ticker's fine, by the way. Not dicky at all.)

Art by the fabulous @lalaithquetzallicaresi Thanks for squeezing me in there, lovely! ❤

Pairing: Dream/Hob

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 50k

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con elements

Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Downton Abbey Fusion, look it's Downton Abbey but Dreamling omegaverse. Sorta. If you squint, I'm not sure Julian Fellowes would approve, If you haven't seen Downton it definitely won't matter, because I've unashamedly just stolen bits and pieces and thrown the rest to the wind, Attempted Sexual Assault, Rape/Non-con Elements, Non-Consensual Kissing, Pining, period typical attitudes to gender. If you reframe gender to include alpha beta omega dynamics, omega rights paralleling the suffragette movement in England, Minor Violence, lots of vague references to classic cars, mention of unethical medical procedures, Time and Night are bad parents, Omega Dream of the Endless, Alpha Hob Gadling, Hob Gadling Loves Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Dream of the Endless│Morpheus Needs a Hug, Unbeta'd

Read chapter 1 on ao3

Fic Summary: Lord Morpheus is the eldest child of the Earl and Countess of Endless, an ancient family hiding huge debts behind a fine name. As an omega, Morpheus cannot inherit his father's title or the family's ancestral home. His function is simple: secure a match that is both socially advantageous and financially viable, thus securing the future of the estate and the title of Earl of Endless for his offspring. The family believe that their troubles are solved when Morpheus dutifully (if reluctantly) becomes engaged to his wealthy cousin, Patrick. However, all their carefully laid plans are thrown into chaos when Patrick drowns on the ill-fated Titianic.

Now Morpheus is navigating treacherous waters of his own and discovering how tight the ties of family loyalty bind him. Will the charming and handsome Duke of Crowborough prove his saviour? Or will the wealthy yet odious Sir Roderick Burgess ensnare Morpheus in plans of his own?

Meanwhile, the family’s new chauffeur, one Robert Gadling, is muddying the waters of Morpheus’s existence even further- where is the line between a servant and a friend? Can Hob help Morpheus see that life exists beyond the confines of family and function?

Chapters below the cuts and in subsequent reblogs, should you wish to read it here on tumblr.

Chapter 1: Complications with the Great Matter.

April 1912.

The papers had been late this morning. Not that Morpheus notices their tardiness. Serious daily newspapers are the preserve of his father and since Morpheus has little interest in the society gossip that proliferated on the pages of The Daily Sketch, the only periodical he is allowed in his room, he rarely bothers to glance at it. However, the large photograph blazing across the front page is so arresting that he finds his eyes drawn to it immediately, ignoring all else on his vanity to take the paper and read.  It is bad news of course, the papers rarely print anything but.  ‘DISASTER TO TITANIC ON HER MAIDEN VOYAGE’ boldly proclaims the headline, beneath which is black and white image of the doomed liner, adjoined by one of her seemingly also doomed captain, John Smith. Morpheus’s eyebrows draw down as he reads the brief article: so many presumed dead, so few saved.  They would know people, of course. His mother knew the Astors, and they had dined with Lady Rothes only last month. Still, the privilege of first class likely meant they would be amongst the survivors. Those below decks… on their way to a better life, well they would not have been so fortunate. What a tragedy, Morpheus sighs and closes the paper. This news rather put his own woes into perspective-

The door bangs open and Desire flounces in without so much as a by your leave, as is their way. 

“Dream!” they shout without preamble, then glance at the newspaper in his hands with a slight moue of disappointment. Being the bearer of bad news is something Desire takes a measure of delight in, “Oh, you’ve seen already, Huh,” They shake their head, before bending over Morpheus to look more closely at his paper, hand gripping his shoulder. This close, the smell of the perfume Desire favours- a rich and spicy aroma deliberately chosen to overwhelm their natural omega scent- makes him wrinkle his nose and move his head away. Desire’s fingers tighten on his shoulder and they huff in amusement. They are not strictly allowed to wear perfumes but Desire goes their own way with everything.  “When Jessamy told me, I thought she must have dreamt it!” Desire continues in a low tone, meeting Morpheus’s eyes in the mirror.  “To think, we were just talking about that ship the other week. Remember how excited old Lucy Rothes was? Supposed to be unsinkable- ha!”

“Every mountain is unclimbable until they climb, so every ship is unsinkable until it sinks,” Morpheus responds neutrally, putting the paper down and shrugging Desire’s hand off to stand. Desire moves with him, smoothing their hands over the non-existent wrinkles on the shoulder of his jacket before adjusting his already meticulously placed tie pin. Morpheus endures the attention for a moment before once again moving away. He does not enjoy this close scrutiny and Desire knows it, but it is always a delight of theirs to make him feel uncomfortable.

“Hm” Desire hums then shrugs, “Come on, now you’re all sorted, lets go to breakfast. Aponoia said she saw the telegram boy come by. I want to find out if there’s any more news. Won’t it be something if someone truly important drowned? Gossip for weeks.”

***

The papers always print bad news. Of course they do. But that news is viewed through a detached lens. Shocking, of course, but not too close to home. Telegrams though- that’s different. They take that news and make it personal. 

Breakfast had proven to be a fraught affair. Their father had been away from the room when they first arrived, speaking with their mother so they were to learn, but he had soon been back and imparted the news of their family’s misfortune to his children with unusual brevity. Then he had left without saying anything further, leaving the three of them to process the news alone: the news that Patrick Endless, their wealthy cousin and Morpheus’s fiance, had been aboard the Titanic with his father, James and neither were listed among the names of the survivors. Morpheus had not felt like eating further and had removed himself back to his rooms with his siblings following uninvited (though not strictly unwanted). He had wanted to think but he also knew the danger of getting lost so deeply in his mind, so Desire’s sniping and Aponoia’s quiet presence would be… grounding. 

The stupid thing was that Patrick was not even meant to be on that cursed ship; he and his father weren’t expected in New York until May. Why? He thought Why did they go? And without saying anything? Perhaps Patrick had planned to telegram from New York- a boast and a surprise. 

“Turns out that the lure of the Titanic’s maiden voyage was too strong.” Desire says as if reading his mind, and with a hint of mischief in their golden eyes. They lounge dramatically against the doorframe whilst Morpheus stands and stares out of his window, gazing at the grounds below. It all looks so quiet, so normal. Why doesn’t he feel sad?  Desire continues, “They wanted to be part of history and now they are history.”

“Desire,” Morpheus chides half heartedly. It is a crass statement but he can’t find it in himself to react more strongly. Maybe they are looking for a reaction from him, or maybe this is now how his sibling processes strong emotions. It certainly seems in character. Aponoia has not yet spoken. She just sits unmoving, staring vacantly ahead, toying with the ring on her finger, turning it over and over. He himself feels oddly disconnected from the news. How is one meant to react upon learning that their intended had been so suddenly and shockingly killed- drowned in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, their frozen corpse not even recovered, just left to sink and rot in the sea. Dream blinks slowly, probably not like this, he thinks vaguely. He feels there should be some weeping and wailing involved at the very least. 

But there is only numbness.

***

“Uh, I detest black,” Desire flounces into the room the next morning whilst Morpheus is busy writing in his journal. He enjoys writing, it helps to order his often scattered and rebellious thoughts. 

Jessamy, the maid he shares with his siblings, has just finished fixing his hair and is busily setting his bed to rights, plumping the pillows and smoothing the coverlets.  Desire regards themself critically in Morpheus’ tall mirror, turning this way and that. Aponoia trails after them silently. She is also dressed in black and it makes her look even more wan and washed out than usual. As for Desire, their outfit may have been the requisite black, but it still looked to Morpheus to be sufficiently rakish as to raise their parents’ blood pressure. Hardly proper mourning material. “At least going into mourning won’t ruin your aesthetic, Dream dear,” Desire stretches languidly and collapses back on the just-made bed, smiling thinly. “Always a silver lining somewhere.”

“Full mourning still seems a lot for a cousin,” Morpheus replies vaguely. He tries to pay little attention to his siblings, bent over his journal and writing quickly. The habit of diary writing was born of necessity: a strategy to help quiet his mind, he’d been told, but now it is a pleasure. 

“But not for a fiance,” Aponoia’s voice is quiet. There is no accusation in her tone, only the retelling of fact.

Morpheus huffs slightly. “He was not really a fiance.”

“No? I thought that was what you call a man you’re going to marry?”

“I was only going to marry him if nothing better turned up,” he turns the page and continues writing.

“Morpheus! What a dreadful thing to say!” Desire looks simply delighted. “Poor dear Patrick was absolutely besotted with you. It was quite pathetic to witness really- your indifference and his lovelorn obsessiveness,” they shudder theatrically. “Perhaps it’s a good thing he drowned; saved him from a miserable life with you as husband.”

“You dare suggest I would have been a poor husband to him?” Morpheus demands, slamming his diary closed and rounding on his sibling. Desire shrugs insouciantly, fiddling with a diamond earring.

‘“Well you didn’t love him. Barely liked him. And he wasn’t the cleverest where you were concerned, but he would have seen it sooner or later, and hated you for it. Of course, I could wish an unhappy marriage upon you, dearest brother. But Patrick? He deserved better.”

‘Better?’ Morpheus raises his eyebrows. Desire’s words were often full of spite towards him but this was such a quick switch around from mocking Patrick to defending him. Was there something here he had never seen? Never bothered to look for, in truth. “You would have considered yourself a better prospect, my sibling? Taken what I would have discarded?” He raises his eyebrows in challenge and they glare at each other for a moment, then Desire drops their gaze.

‘Yes,’ they say softly, vulnerability etching their features momentarily. “Would that I were eldest and not… as I am. Then I would have taken him like a shot.”

They stand, shields quickly  going back up. “Well,” they sniff pointedly, looking away from Morpheus and towards the door,  “It’s not so bad I suppose. Mama says we can go into half mourning next month, then full colour by September. A shame we have to spend the summer so drab- and miss the season down in London!- but at least we’ll be ready for shooting parties in the autumn.  Come on Appy, let’s leave his lordship alone. He clearly craves solitude. To think,” they sneer, “and write in his stupid diary.” They flow out the room without a backwards glance, Aponoia dutifully trailing in their wake.

Morpheus sighs and turns back to his journal, opening it and staring at the blank page but not picking his pen back up. Desire and Patrick… not that he thought Patrick had returned any sort of affection to his younger sibling but still, had he really been so blind?

“I was so terribly sorry to hear the news, my lord,” Jessamy offers quietly into the silence of the room as she finishes adjusting his bed again. “You say these things but I know you are sad. Whatever you say.” “You are a dear,” Morpheus murmurs. “But I do not feel as badly as I should. I do not really know… what I feel.”  That is probably a bad reflection upon me, he thinks. The truth was that beyond the normal amount of grief that came with the sudden and untimely passing of an acquaintance, Dream felt nothing.  Patrick had hardly been a grand passion. They had known each other since childhood but had been thrown together through circumstance rather than any actual attraction and they had barely anything in common.  So no, he was not as sad as he should be and that was what was really making him sad.  This marriage would have been a thing of duty. Their family was old, old enough indeed to have had plenty of time to rack up considerable debts. A lack of money hidden behind a fine name. Morpheus’ marriage to Patrick would have secured the estate’s future, shored up its ailing finances and kept the title very much in the family. As an omega, Morpheus would never have been able to inherit his father’s title but his children could, if they were alphas. And now, there was no marriage, no money and a very uncertain future ahead of them. Morpheus’s one duty, his one function in society, was to secure a good match and that duty lay so heavily upon his shoulders. If only Olly had stayed- but no, there was no use in dealing in ‘if onlies’. Practicalities only, and practicalities meant marriage. And soon.

[lockleysfav]

Medicine

steven grant x reader

summary: The reader was diagnosed with a fatal illness, neither you or the boys knew when your time would be up. When Steven comes back from a mission overnight, he and his alters never get to say goodbye.

warnings: very angsty, death, heartbroken moon boys, mentions of hospital equipment, Marc and Jake make an appearance.

Steven had left you with a forehead kiss and a simple promise that he’d be back as soon as possible.

He was gone for 3 days.

You were incapable of quite literally anything as you were constantly in and out consciousness, Marc had asked one of the elderly neighbours to look after you whenever they were gone but after she saw Steven freak out in the elevator, she never came back. Marc and the rest of them were unaware of that completely.

The heart monitor beside your bed beeped loudly in the silent apartment, it was always so incredibly lonely when they left. There was times even khonshu felt terrible for taking the boys away for a while but it was their job, it was Marcs debt to pay. You understood that.

You were tired, your body felt light as if it was floating. It was calm and peaceful. You knew what was coming, so you weakly sat up and moves some of the wires out of the way and grabbing a pen and some paper to write a note for the men you love dearly.

It took the rest of your energy to fold up the note and place it on your nightstand. The photo of you and Steven sitting nicely behind the note, you leaned down and kissed the frame, a tear rolling down your cheek at all the sudden core memories of you and them.

Tears were streaming out of your eyes uncontrollably when you knew you wouldnt be able to see their faces before you go, but thats life. You cant always get what you want even if its your last wish.

****

Steven had a smile on his face, a bouquet of flowers resting at the bend of his arm as the elevator doors opened. He quickly walked to the neighbours house and knocked on it until the lady opened the door with a small jump.

“H-hello, i uh i’ve got cash but i havent exactly got all of it right now” Steven stutteres, flipping through his bank notes. The woman shook her head in confusion “What for?” and Steven chuckles “Looking after y/n” he replies. The womans face slightly drops.

“I haven’t…i havent checked on her”

Stevens heart sunk immediately. He almost threw up right then “What?! What do you mean?” the woman shakes her head again “I havent been to check on her im so sorry” shes about to ramble on again but Steven jolts down the corridor, barging into your shared apartment.

“No”

Steven dropped the flowers as he stood frozen at the doorway.

He could hear Marc and Jakes distress but at the same time it was drowned out like white noise. It took him a while before he rushed to your side with his eyes already swelling with tears “Baby? please wake up” he whimpers and shakes your body like a little kid trying to wake his mother after a nightmare. His heart felt like someone was crushing it with their bare hands, he almost couldnt breathe.

Your body was pale, the flatline being the only noise he could hear. He was begging you to wake up, he was trying everything he could to wake you up but deep down he knew it wasn’t gonna work.

Marc was screaming at Steven to call and ambulance but Steven shook his head “Marc…” he whimpers breathlessly and his legs give out, his hands clutching onto your shirt as he wailed into it.

Marc and Jake watched the scene, crying not only for you but for Steven. Steven was the one who met you, asked you out, kissed you first, had sex with you first. You were even the one who took his virginity. Marc and Jake loved you so much, but their love could never match Stevens.

He used to sit at the end of the bed looking at the mirror, rambling with a smile to them both about how beautiful and amazing you are after he’d get home from another date. Only a month ago he was talking to them about marrying you.

Jake looked away when Steven started choking on his tears, clawing at his own chest because his heart ached that badly. Marc pursed his lips together and silently cried. You were so sweet to him, during his mental breakdowns, his nightmares and his panic attacks it was always you who would rush to his side and hold him close to you, peppering kisses to his face and shushing him gently until he’d feel safe.

With Jake, he was so distant and hes never regretted something so much until now. You were both just starting to get close, he accepted he loved you and he was going to tell you he loved you for the first time when they got back. Thats why he had to look away, he didnt want his alters to see him cry.

Though they all perked up when a gush of wind caused the folded note to flop beside Steven.

He looked down at it as more tears flowed out of his eyes, you knew you were gonna die. His shaky hands picked up the note and he unfolded it with hiccups escaping his body.

Steven. I understand you couldn’t get here in time but i know how much you loved me, the same goes for Marc and Jake. I love each of you so so much and i hope you all stay safe.

-

-

-

please look in the bathroom. My last gift for you. I love you so much.

Steven gripped the paper in his hands and cried out. His back flopping against the side of the bed with his head in his hands. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t open the damn door until Jake suddenly fronted.

Jake gritted his teeth and wiped his eyes as he forced himself to stand and avoid looking at you because he knew if he did, he’d breakdown. So he straightened his posture and walked to the bathroom door with his knees buckling at the sound of a soft meow.

He huffed as the wall broke and his tears came flowing down his cheeks “Pendejo” he muttered and rested his head against the door, twisting the handle and opening it. He stared ahead into the mirror, frozen before he felt the soft fur of the kitten rub against his leg, another meow coming from it.

Jake looked down and stumbled onto his knees to pick up the kitten “mi amor” he whimpers as he looks into the eyes of the small animal, her eyes the exact same colour as yours. He cried even harder when the kitten started to lick his cheek, ridding of his oncoming tears and nuzzles into him.

Marc fronted when Jake slowly cried himself to sleep, sat up againt the bathroom door with the kitten curled on his lap. He looked down at the kitten and whispered your name with a strained voice. The kitten perked it’s head up and he laughed, tears staining his cheeks but he shook his head quickly, picking up the kitten and standing up to face the bedroom, your body laying lifeless in front of him.

It took him a few minutes before he could get the courage to walk towards you.

“It’s all my fault” he cries “i should’ve- i should’ve ignored khonshu and just come home to you” he was about to go on until the kitten nipped his ankle. He hissed and looked down to see the kitten licking the bite before looking up at him and meowing.

The note left on the desk caught his attention again and he turned to it, flipping it over.

i will always be with you.

++++

Thank you for reading <3

[lavender-rosa]

Kny characters ranked from least to most likely to be scammed

Sanemi: He is so paranoically distrustful to everyone and everything around him (himself included, always) to the point where it is reaching delusional, self-destructive proportions. Sorry for the mental illness king but at least you aren't getting scammed.

Iguro: Growing up in a cult taught him relatable, every day lessons like: If a snake demon asks you to feed your babies to her in exchange for gold, maybe, don't do that? Being raised in this environment made him apply a highly suspicious framework to so many things, a lot of times to his own detriment. Like assuming that every single male wants to steal his crush away because they dare breathe the same air as her or god forbid, engage in small-talk. Despite all that he still manages to rank above Sanemi, somehow.

Shinobu: She will allow people think that they are succeeding in scamming her when in actuality SHE is scamming THEM. We are talking Jimmy McGill level shenanigans over here.

Giyuu: He just wants to fuck off in some hole and die he does not care about your essential oils #toodepressedtogetfinessed

Muichiro: Manages to avoid being scammed by being completely apathetic and dismissive towards the scammer (assuming he is even bothering listening to them in the first place) and immediately forgetting what even the scam was all about in the first place.

Uzui: Most of the times he is able to use his critical thinking skills to distinguish scam from not and he can be a pretty decent conman himself, although he is not immune to being overtly suspicious or on the other end, people getting the better of him.

Gyomei: Is able to objectively analyse and evaluate an issue in order to form a judgement without being gullible or paranoid, like a healthy functioning adult. Congrats on the fully developed pre-frontal lobe, Himejima.

Rengoku: The fact that he suspected that a random 15 year old human was one of Muzan's spies and thus should be killed without any substantial evidence shows us that he is able to be highly suspicious of people (and it makes us glad that he never pursued a career in law) but this does NOT negate the fact that he fell for the greatest scam of all time (fatherly approval)

Tanjirou: People assume that due to Tanjiro's age and kind nature that he would be easy to scam, what these people don't know is that Tanjiro is a human lie detector. Things do get trickier for him though when the interaction is not happening via face-to-face conversation.

Inosuke: Inosuke manages to avoid being scammed by 1) being raised in the wild by boars for most of his life thus blissfully unaware of pyramid schemes 2) resorting to violence when he finds people annoying 3) no sane scammer wanting to chose the boy wearing a taxidermied boar head as a target. But he is NOT immune to getting scammed when his physical capabilities are getting called into question.

Zenitsu: You would assume that due to Zenitsu's advanced sense of hearing he would be able to distinguish truth from lie, but recalling the fact that 8 different girls managed to scam him out of his money and make him drown in debt and that in the Kimetsu Gakuen comics Douma managed to sell him overpriced water under the guise that it was a love potion I guess that's simply not the case, at least not when the possibility of getting a girlfriend is involved. Thankfully for Zenitsu "hot babes in you area" pop-ups did not exist in Taishou era Japan.

Mitsuri: She has a huge heart and wants to believe the best in people even if said people have a huge white van parked outside with a sign saying "Free Candy"on it,alas.

And lastly HUGE shoutout to all the demons who back when they were still human clicked on a pop-up ad by some Kibutsuji Muzan guy saying "CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE" this unfortunately installed a virus in their brains that drove their already fragile minds to complete insanity. Sad.

[m1d-45]

repentance

summary: xiao is well aware of the threat he poses to others, but fails to recognize that the one he hurts the most is himself. or, my wishes for xiao.

word count: 8.1k what-

-> warnings: massive spoilers for liyue archon quest, spoilers for xiao lore, spoilers for the lantern rite (3.4), hurt no comfort, xiao briefly speaks about himself as a tool/weapon.

-> gn reader (you/yours) and unspecified traveller (they/them). reader has yaoyao n yunjin, and isn’t a traveller main

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay

< masterlist >

xiao was happy you were enjoying the lantern rite.

it was… rather unconventional this year, with the music festival making its debut, but you didn’t seem to mind. instead, you were excited, listening to dvorak’s story with rapt attention. you were enthusiastic about helping him, even though you’d just met.

he supposed it was a testament to your kindness.

as with the other times you were in liyue, he followed you closely, ensuring no demons crossed your path. he knew of your team’s strength, and would be a fool to assume you couldn’t safely evacuate if they were outclassed, but still, his spear shattered karma-heavy mitachurls, vanishing the instant before your vessel turned the corner.

even as the karma seeped under his skin and added to his heavy debt, he cursed himself. he should never have allowed such a dangerous enemy to get that close to qingce village. following you was a worthy cause, but shirking his duties for one more than capable of defending themself… it was unwise.

still, he watched until he was certain your party was safe within the boundaries of the harbor, only allowing himself to relax once you met up with ganyu.

with a final look at the lanterns, xiao vanished.

the next time he saw you, he was at mount aocang, collecting some qingxin. though he was rather fond of the flower, they weren’t for him, and instead for verr goldet. he’d heard her complain about how no adventurer wanted to take her commission to collect them due to the rite, and most shops only sold silk flowers or glaze lilies in large amounts due to the same problem. considering the significance of the lantern rite… somebody had to do it.

still, he kept his ears pricked, listening for any calls of distress over the gentle wind. he was cautious to remove all the major threats before he began this task, but he could never be too safe. monsters tended to get more active around lantern rite, and he couldn’t risk-

“help! help!!”

xiao’s hand halted, barely an inch from the stem of a qingxin. the voice… it sounded like paimon, but surely-?

“someone’s drowning!”

in an instant, xiao teleported away, uncaring of the flowers that fluttered from his grasp and down the mountain. he went first to the source of the shout, then dashed to the figure in the water, looping his arm around their chest and taking them with him to shore.

the person coughed and he checked to make sure they weren’t choking, only to be met with the familiar face of the traveller.

he frowned. “what is going on?”

“how do you feel right now?”

xiao blinked and looked away, taking a look at his surroundings for the first time. he was atop mount aocang—what were you doing at cloud retainer’s abode?—next to paimon and ganyu, and a ways away was shenhe, chest heaving in exertion. by the looks of it, she had climbed up the mountain at the disturbance. mentally, he commended her speed.

“ah, shenhe… and the conqueror of demons…”

he stepped away from the traveller, ignoring the way his hand lingered for a moment at their side. your aura seeped from them like tea in a cup, slowly irradiating the air around you. even still, it was not wise to stand so close to them with his debt. it may seek out your light and land within them instead, and he wasn’t sure he could forgive himself if one of your most prized fell ill because of him.

“-looking for an adeptus who's good at being a lifeguard and playing music. but if the adepti aren't gonna stay at home, then how are we supposed to find them?”

even only catching the latter half of paimon’s explanation, xiao knew his time there was done.

“it wasn’t me.”

“ah, yeah, so this adeptus is most likely a woman…”

xiao bit his tongue, but noted the small hint of amusement in shenhe’s voice with a sharp look.

“I am not an adeptus; as you both already know, traveler and paimon.”

paimon nervously laughed, tucking her hands behind herself and swaying side to side. “heh... okay, so this is paimon's fault... no way paimon would've suggested this idea if she'd known how awkward this was gonna be...”

what else did she expect? calling for help after he’d pledged to answer whenever they called, after he swore to assist and ensured they both knew that, and she was still shocked?

…belatedly, xiao realized she never said his name.

“i’m fine. sorry for troubling you both,” the traveller said, giving apologetic looks to the both of them. even though xiao knew they were capable of swimming, he still felt some tense part of him relax.

he nodded, taking half a step back. “glad you’re okay.”

“you’re leaving already?”

“as far as I know, the one you seek is no yaksha. and one last thing...“ he paused, sending paimon a glare. “your actions here caused others a great deal of worry. do not repeat them again in the future.”

he barely gave himself time to see a new wave of guilt wash over her face before he turned and vanished, leaving before he could let himself be swayed into joining your part in your search.

he spoke the truth: you weren’t seeking a yaksha, and he knew the other adepti would be much more help than could be, and without the risk of proximity to his debt.

no matter how many times the traveller privately sought him out after you had left, thanking him for his actions and not-very-subtly implying he answer the stars, he turned them down. he was too much of a risk. perhaps if your team consisted of more gods and less fragile mortals, perhaps if rex lapis finally found a way to keep his karma from latching onto others, then… maybe, maybe he might look to the sky with something more than wistful longing.

finding his eyes beginning to stray higher yet again, xiao shook his head, drawing his spear. even if you did have hardier vessels, he would still be a liability. your light tended to open the soul, to expose and to heal, but with him there it would only result in your team becoming susceptible again, as much so as if they were mortal.

perhaps, he thought, scanning the land for any threats, he was lucky you hadn’t wished upon his stars. he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to deny his god.

with shenhe and cloud retainer by your side, xiao had left you to your own devices, returning to collect qingxin for verr goldet. it was a simple task, one devoid of any distractions, and he returned to the inn before dusk. grabbing a string of ribbon off the large tree encasing the inn—so many people lost their things within its branches, he wondered if it was even worth trying to retrieve them all—and tying them together, he made his way down to the stairs.

she looked up as he approached, having grown familiar with his light footsteps, and smiled at the small bouquet in his hands.

“adeptus xiao,” she greeted, dipping her head as he dropped the flowers on her desk. “what have i done to earn such a gift?”

he crossed his arms. “nothing. i overheard you complaining about not having qingxin flowers, so..” he tilted his head at them. “i collected a few.”

“a few?” the new voice made him jump and he turned towards the source, met with rex lapis’ smiling form. “if i may, i believe that’s quite a bit more than ‘a few’.”

“indeed! i only wanted qingxin as a centerpiece for a few arrangements, but with all of these, i could make twice as many with some to spare!”

xiao’s jaw tensed, but he only gave a sharp nod, turning away. he was halfway enveloped in smoke when morax called his name, forcing him to stay.

he dismissed it, looking over.

“my apologies, but i wish to speak with you. do you have the time?”

xiao nodded again, and followed him up the stairs to the balcony. as he did, he tried to scan his memory for any reason for his sudden visit. he couldn’t remember any significant lapse in his duties, nor anything may have drawn his attention… perhaps he simply wished to warn him about the increase in monsters around lantern rite? but no, the rite’s been happening for years…

a light cough drew his attention, and he blinked, quickly looking up from the floor. “rex-“

“it’s zhongli, xiao. i am a god no longer.”

the need to insist otherwise prickled across his skin, that just because he didn’t have his gnosis and took on a new name didn’t resign him of his status, but he kept that argument quiet. it was one they’d had before.

“zhongli… to what do i owe the visit?”

a satisfied smile crossed his face as he turned to the sky, twisting in search for a specific constellation. “you and i both know why.”

xiao almost wished he was there to chide him about his duties. he could take being told to focus on liyue rather than your capable party, he could take being told to allow you the experience of travel yourself, since he wouldn’t be in other nations, all of those arguments had been quietly and instantly prepared for the moment gold eyes met shimmering amber, but this…

xiao hesitated. zhongli continued.

“i understand any reservations you may have regarding the process, but i must insist any fear you feel has no place here. the first law is more than able to handle one yaksha’s debt-“ arguments sprung to his lips, pushing to be let out “-and while your hesitance would be warranted if it were any other traveling party, this is the exception. please do not show such resistance when the time comes as you do now.”

he crossed his arms, staring firmly at the fake vision of his back to keep his gaze from wandering up, above, wandering to his constellation in the night sky. alatus nemeseos, the bird turned skyward, even as it shone amongst stars.

“who would i be to resist the call of the divine?”

zhongli turned, partially, his profile cast in warm tones from lighting of the balcony. “you tell me, alatus.”

xiao felt his words as a physical hit to his chest, something sharp twisting in his soul. he wasn’t sure why, he knew his argument was reasonable, your party would only be damaged with him there, it wasn’t built for him to slot within it, everybody you travelled with was picked for a reason and who was he to try and-

“xiao.”

“zhongli.”

he turned fully, this time, crossing his arms and leaning against the balcony railing. “they have been awaiting your presence for quite some time now, you know.” he did, ever since he found out how to access his banner he’d been spending more time in it than he probably should, listening to your team travel in search of the primordial gems you cast across the stars. “i expect you to follow their call when it sounds.”

bitter emotions swirled and twisted within him, words he didn’t understand coming to mind as the ones he did know failed him. there wasn’t a word for the sharp conflict within him, no word for the push and pull between the desperate want to be by your side and the need to keep you safe. he’d existed for millennia, and yet even the most flowery of metaphors failed when faced with the overwhelming decision he had to make. how could he choose? how could he pick between disappointing you and poisoning the ones you loved? how could he handle the very real possibility of having to watch as the traveller grit their teeth, as your vessels slowly rotted and decayed, how could he live with that knowledge? that it was his fault, that he had done it, that by simply being near him they were choosing to die?

but how could he live without you?

zhongli had apparently noticed his turmoil and, evidently satisfied with having planted the vine that grappled with his conviction, gave the slightest nod of his head, allowing him to change the subject.

xiao took it in an instant, “it's almost lantern rite, yet you took all the trouble coming here.”

zhongli sighed, an old problem brought back to mind. he’d feel bad about bringing up the rite if he wasn’t horribly uncomfortable with the prior topic. “the director has a way of making it difficult to decline..”

director?

after a moment, he remembered the job he’d taken on. he hadn’t spoken much to the current director of the funeral parlor, but had heard of her eccentricity. “rex lapis-“ zhongli’s eyes sharpened, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for the slip when his mind was still fixated on the concept of the divine “-may I ask what troubles you?”

after a moment, he sighed again, taking the conversation towards something called sesame oil he needed to buy. xiao responded when it was appropriate, letting his answers come whenever they were needed as he continued to think.

zhongli had said you were ‘awaiting his presence,’ but… you hadn’t cast any of your stars across the sky. surely, if you were as eager as he made you out to be, you would have tried to wish on his stars? surely you wouldn’t be out and about, enjoying the rite, mastering paper plays and assisting yelan? you wouldn’t be out with the crux, skidding across the sea in your waverider, or enjoying the launching fireworks that shot your vessels high?

(he, privately, hated that last aspect of your spent time. his heart always leapt whenever you were slightly delayed on shooting yourself forward, his hand tight around his polearm as he made sure that your vessels never fell too quickly. there was only one of these… displays? attractions? set up in liyue, for which he was both grateful and resentful. as much as he hated the loud crackles and bright flashes of the gunpowder, obscuring your vessel’s figure long enough for him to draw unsavory conclusions, he would much rather you fly with sparks where he could watch)

still, xiao kept his arms crossed, forcibly tuning back into the conversation if only to hear zhongli excuse his long-winded ramble and brush by him, an expectation in his eyes. he pulled himself from his thoughts, however heavy, and made the choice to draw his polearm once more.

maybe if he protected liyue, maybe if he pulled villagers from the path of mitachurls and stabbed the jade point of his weapon into the masks of lawachurls, maybe you would recognize that he was much better suited to this sort of work. maybe you would understand the threat that was his soul, and allow him to continue assisting from the shadows, never glimpsed but always seen.

wind swept across the empty balcony, the last yaksha having returned to his duties.

the next day was as easier than the last. your party had strayed north, towards mondstat, and though he admittedly missed seeing them around, he would be lying if he said it didn’t make his job easier. he could move swiftly, acting on autopilot, barely allowing the ruin guards to collapse to the floor before he was gone in a flash of teal and black. one could argue it was dangerous to be so automatic in his movements, to not be paying attention to his surroundings, but he would simply reply with a shake of his head. it wasn’t easy to sneak up on the adepti. by the time somebody set their intent to approach him he had already felt their presence on the wind, and had vanished.

which was exactly why, when he overheard verr goldet talking with somebody in an exasperated tone, he knew the recipient would be climbing the stairs to the balcony before they touched the first step.

he moved, with heavy irritation, to the roof of the inn instead, standing in the shadows. hopefully whoever it was would be gone quickly; he couldn’t see the stars very well from under the tree.

the first thing he sees is a hat, decorated with flowers, then two spiraling twin tails of reddish-brown hair. the ornate jacket is next, familiar in a way he doesn’t recognize.

the person stops in the middle of the balcony, pausing for a moment before bringing their hands to their face-

“conqueror of demons! adeptus xiaaaaao!” he winces at the girl’s volume, at the way it amplified over his name. “guardian of wangshu inn! hero of dihua marsh!”

maybe if he just ignored her she would leave? plenty of people knew him, sought him out for one reason or another, surely she would be the same?

she turned in a slow circle, her hands on her hips. “i know you're thereeee!”

he couldn’t stop the way his tongue clicked at her lack of manners, nor the way the sound travelled down to her. one hand held her hat as she searched the shadows above the inn, and he stepped to the edge before she could climb up herself and get hurt.

“quiet! do not disturb the peace.”

she grinned, another flash of familiarity shooting through him at the sight. “sorry! but you wouldn't show up if i didn't yell your name, would you?”

xiao studied her face, searching for a detail to latch onto. her eyes, the design on her hat… her rings.

“i know you,” he said finally. “you're the 77th director of wangsheng funeral parlor…” he weighed his options. the parlor and the yakshas had worked together in the past, and if there was something wrong…

he held back a sigh. “is there something you need?”

the director—hu tao, his mind finally recalled—invited him down with a sweep of her hand, and he dropped off the ledge of the roof before he could make the conscious choice to.

“well, as you know, the funeral parlor has worked closely with the yakshas in the past-“

xiao tuned out her words. she needed a favor, clearly, and if there was one thing he disliked it was people dancing around what they wanted.

‘oh mighty yaksha, please grant us assistance,’ as if they weren’t actively wasting time by not just getting to the point. he understood the need to be respectful, and honored that respect in turn, but this?

he crossed his arms. “get to the point.”

hu tao faltered, but quickly recovered with a smile. “ah, not one for small talk? that’s fair.”

he sharpened his gaze into a glare.

“alright, i get it… in truth, im only here for one thing. just one tiny little favor, in honor of the lantern rite.”

“…which is?”

“are you free in two days? i’m hosting a dinner party with-“

“no.”

she blinked, red eyes owlishly wide. “what? but you haven’t even heard what i was asking!”

“i don’t need to. adepti have more important duties than dinner. even if that weren’t the case, you of all people should know the danger that i pose at any social gatherings.”

her face twisted. pity. “i do know! which is why-“

“i’m not going.”

her eyes hardened. determination.

hu tao crossed her own arms, her voice taking on a sharper tone. “adeptus xiao. on behalf of the wangsheng funeral parlor, i am inviting you to a dinner in two days, at seven at night, at xinyue kiosk, to celebrate the lantern rite. i have made the necessary arrangements prior, and have ensured everybody at the gathering is well acquainted with elemental power. your karma will not be a problem for the length of the dinner, of which i am certain. i must heavily insist that you come.”

her tone surprised him, the sternness with which she spoke almost reminding him of verr goldet.

maybe it was that comparison that made him revisit her words, or maybe it was the stars beginning to shine in the night as it darkened with dusk. maybe it was because he recognized his own amongst them, his unspoken duty written across the sky.

or maybe, by chance, it was her choice of phrasing. ‘acquainted with elemental power,’ not ‘vision wielders.’ functionally, they meant almost the same thing, but…

his eyes flicked to the sky. to his debt, and not the one poisoning his soul.

“in two days.”

and just like that, the stern facade was gone, a giddy smile in its place. “yep! in two days, at seven at night-“

“-at xinyue kiosk. i do not forget such things so easily.”

she nodded excitedly, one hand going to twist the rings on the other. “alright! uh- have a good night, then!”

and without another word, she brused past him, the small wave of warmth from her vision the last remnants of her presence.

xiao walked to the edge of the balcony, setting his hands on the railing. after a long moment, perhaps extending to two, he looked up.

‘acquainted with elemental energy’…

two days passed.

the clock read five past seven.

xiao was not at xinyue kiosk.

in fairness, he didn’t realize the time. immortals experienced it differently, hours slipping by before he could think to reach for them. he’d vanished from the inn at around five, intending to make a final sweep of the nation, starting at the southern edge.

for safety, he told himself, ripping his spear from the nth hilichurl. he couldn’t bear if somebody got hurt because he wished in indulge in the aura of the divine.

for the dinner, he swore, twisting the tip of his spear into the eye of a ruin guard, seeing the power through its body cut off sharply as it fell to the floor. so he could spend as much time as he dared by your side before having to go.

and for the adepti, he muttered, who had enough to mourn around this time anyway, who didn’t need to have something else to worry about.

for your world, which you had so carefully crafted, and everything within it. for you, who he had prayed to before he left, leaving the last remains of his almost tofu at the shrine for you at the inn.

for you, his god.

by the time he noted the hour and hastily returned to the inn, checking the time in his room, the wind had carried him the call of his name.

“adeptus xiaoooo? conqueror of deeemooons? you’re late for dinner!“

he recognized the voice as hu tao, and met her on the balcony. she had her arms crossed, red eyes sharp when they found him.

“there you are! what are you still doing here?”

he didn’t have much of an excuse. “i apologize. i was caught up in my duties and lost track of time.”

it seemed to appease her, her arms falling to her sides. “fine, i guess you’re excused this time. now come on!”

she took a step towards the staircase back down, but he caught her by the arm, ensuring he had a strong grip before teleporting them both just outside xinyue kiosk. the waitress startled and hu tao stumbled, but both seemed fine.

to his surprise, the director recovered quickly, walking up to the doors and pushing them open with far too much force, in xiao’s opinion.

“ta-da! we're here!”

he followed, carefully shutting the door behind him, taking a quick look around the room. it was mostly empty, likely reserved for the dinner, and though hu tao blocked most of the people from his view…

he met zhongli’s eyes, noticing the barely there widening of his eyes in shock. “i see... so the important guest is the conqueror of demons.” it was strange hearing his title on his tongue, the words that hardly meant anything to him anymore spoken by morax himself. “i’ve been looking forward to meeting you. the director didn't mention anything when she invited us. what a pleasant surprise... gathered here with us tonight are not only young and accomplished individuals, but also the protector of liyue’s peace, adeptus alatus. to convene here with all of you is indeed a great honor.”

the uncharacteristic praise was a shock, one that left him scrambling for a response. he shouldn’t have been so affected, he was thanked daily by the people he saved from hilichurls or abyss mages, but here….

he chalked it up to your presence. it made sense he would be on edge so near your vessels, right?

“i’m sure you're exaggerating, zhong-… sir.“

hu tao huffed, and he couldn’t tell if she was out off by him or zhongli. “ugh, there he goes again! enough with the pleasantries. let our guest take a seat.” despite saying this, she didn’t move to sit down. “everyone here today is well-known in their own field and has probably heard about one another to some extent. some of us are even old acquaintances, so there's no need to be this forma…. i heard that the conqueror of demons and traveler are pretty close, no?”

the traveller looked up and nodded with a smile, keeping eye contact with him despite hu tao speaking.

“great! you two sit together!”

he walked and sat besides the traveller, noting the chair between him and zhongli. was somebody else expected?

hu tao sat after asking the host to bring the food, and your aura ebbed from the traveller. they blinked, as if waking from a deep sleep, and everybody greeted them again, saying hello to them instead of you. they exchanged greetings in turn, and xiao forced out a hello when their gaze landed on him. you may have left, leaving them to eat on their own, but his soul still strained for the remnants of you that permeated the traveller. it was an expected side effect of dealing with your first vessel, but not one xiao had ever experienced so intensely. he usually kept his distance, carefully monitoring the flares and floods of his karma, never sitting directly next to them for a meal.

but it’s just a dinner, he told himself, staring down at food he had no intention of eating. just a dinner. an hour, perhaps two, and his heart rate would return to normal. an hour, and he wouldn’t be so distracted when the traveller tried to gently make conversation, perhaps two until his eyes stopped drifting their way.

below the table, his hands flexed into fists.

your presence waxed and waned during the dinner, attention ebbing and flowing as the conversation went on. it spiked when barbatos arrived, leaving xiao struggling to remember what cover story he’d chosen.

‘venti’ had picked it up smoothly, and xiao let himself lapse back into silence. it was difficult to speak at such a gathering with so many, when he had to put up front after front with your golden aura reaching to tear them down. he didn’t want to pretend, to lie, to swallow oddly-textured meals that scraped the edge of edible, but he also didn’t want to lean too far the other way and fall into the divinity at his side.

(it was so tempting. he could feel his skin prickle where the traveller got close, reaching for a plate or to pass one to another. the stain of his soul reached for your cleansing water, begging to slip under the crashing waves and drown with you in his lungs. with every gasp of air, salt soothed his sting, easing his pain breath by breath)

a sharp call of his name drew his attention, and he blinked. the traveller was looking at him, some message in their eyes. he couldn’t decipher it.

“what’s with the urgency?” his mouth said, unbidden.

“are you done eating? could you come take a walk with me?”

“….sure.”

they flashed a quick smile, placating hu tao and paimon before standing, inviting him to do the same. he walked for the door, though they lingered momentarily to speak with the others.

the room was filled with you. even as you were in the opposite corner, talking with hu tao, he could feel your amusement, your joy. you liked seeing them all together like this, and you brightened the room simply by being in it. tensions lessened, arguments ceased, even the most petty of squabbles were reduced to merely a thought on the wind as you swept by-

the traveller pushed open the door, inviting him out with a smile.

in all honesty, xiao barely paid attention to his conversation with the traveller.

he felt the emotions in his words, the intent behind them clear in his mind, but he let the pull of your command guide him to the phrases themselves. the strings of your device, gentle yet firm, twisted his body, crossed his arms, turned him away, all in a careful act of your design. to bend so easily to another’s will would be a sign of weakness if it were anybody else; yet it was you, and even gods were known to kneel.

and so he spoke, even if he did not know the words. he accepted the plate of almost tofu from xiangling, even as the shake in his hands was stilled by your careful light. he let himself sink into your presence, into the brief glimpse he would have of it before you were whisked off to another adventure. another day of commissions, another day of ley lines and ruined domains, another day where xiao sat silently in the shadows, wishing he could be closer even as he knew his place was to watch from afar.

he walked inside with xiangling, stepping into a circle he expected yet didn’t know would be there. he stood, and basked, feeling like no more than a snake curled up on a warm stone, letting itself sink sink sink into the sun. his skin was riddled with goosebumps despite the pick-up in his heart and the slightest of flushes on his skin. even in the warm room—with warm you—a chill travelled down his back, prompting his speech.

“i refuse.”

he said his lines. he passed the torch to the traveller, far more equipped than he to handle your light; perhaps that was why they should light the incense. they took their place as the spot of your attention with grace, the predetermined words slipping from their mouth with ease.

“you, of course. take a look in the mirror.”

natural, easy, their head moving a hair before the strings told them to, their body so attuned to your wishes that they saw them before you did. the light of the room painted a halo around their golden hair, an imitation of the divinity that rolled off them in waves, washing out to latch onto those near you and pull. you did not call them to harm, never, and yet it felt almost painful to resist, as if it went against their very nature.

“i trust the traveller’s judgement.”

though he meant it, he was not the one who said it. xiao was floating at sea, both wishing for an anchor and praying he could sit and bob atop the water for just a little while longer.

perhaps it was selfish to want to be so close when such a deadly force lied inside of him, but now… xiao could not find it in himself to care as much as he should. he let himself stand next to the traveller, as close as he dared, soothing himself with the knowledge that they were more resilient as an outlander. maybe he was even being safer, by being further away from the others?

(it was a fever dream. xiao didn’t want to wake up)

he followed the others outside again, stood in silence as they said their goodbyes, only ever coming out of his thoughts at the sound of zhongli’s voice.

“well then…”

the knowing look he gave immediately made him think he’d missed some important information, “rex lapis-“

“just zhongli will do.” his eyes softened to sympathy, the knowing switching to understanding. “i live as a mortal in liyue harbor now. i am just one among many who begin work at sunrise, and retire to rest at sundown. if we were to consider status and seniority, as zhongli, i should be respectfully referring to you as adeptus xiao.”

“heaven forbid,” he answered immediately, momentarily forgetting about the binds of his actions. for morax, a god, to refer to him by title? no, that was impossible, unthinkable, so many layers of wrong-

“adeptus xiao,” the traveller called, their voice shaded with a laugh. and there, just beneath it, was you, your influence curled around their words.

you chose for them to say that. you chose to address him as if he were an equal.

…it wasn’t often xiao found himself questioning the divine, but he couldn’t help but ask why you were making it so hard for him to keep his distance.

“…but whether to me, streetward rambler, cloud retainer, or younger adepti such as xiao and ganyu, those adepti and gods that may seem extraordinary to humans are something more akin to close companions. this was as true back then as it is right now. just as xiao may seem unapproachable to most, but the traveller has proved otherwise.”

xiao wondered if they ever got tired of hearing ‘the traveller’ in place of their name. he knew zhongli knew it, as did he, but your device never allowed them to say it… it was as if it was a closely kept secret, but only a secret from the traveller themselves.

“there's no need to dwell too much on certain things.”

“rex- i mean, zhongli, what you're saying is...”

he nodded. “it looks like you understood what i meant.”

he didn’t. though he understood that the traveller was closer to him than most, he didn’t know how it related to the conversation at hand. was it his lack of attention to the meal? surely none could blame him for that, for a wounded man to seek out the balm for his ailments..

“hm…” zhongli’s eyes flicked over the group, quietly assessing his options. “the director asked me to accompany you on your return, but i don't think you'll need my protection. i’ll be taking a walk around and admiring the night scenery. after that... it'll be time for me to go back and meet up with the director. goodbye, for now.”

before xiao could protest, he had walked away, leaving them standing outside xinyue kiosk.

paimon waved, “bye, zhongli!” and xiao took notice of the slight bob in zhongli’s shoulders, and the wave over his shoulders that you could not see.

“everyone's gone now... paimon always feels a little empty inside when a lively celebration ends... but at least you'll always stay by paimon's side!”

the traveller’s mouth ticked up in a smile as they crossed their arms, affection in their eyes as they waited for paimon to recognize her slip.

“no- no no, paimon got it mixed up! paimon, the best and most distinguished travel guide, will always stay by your side, traveller!”

the traveller’s eyes unfocused, your presence bleeding through even further. “it’s my honor,” they finally said, “but i’m afraid there'll be a lot to ask of you in the future too, most distinguished paimon.”

the words, though not their own, flowed so easily off their tongue. they were at perfect ease, used to the strings that puppeteered their actions and working alongside them. xiao couldn’t help but allow himself the brief illusion of imagining how it would feel to go into battle with you at the helm; he’d been controlled by you before, briefly, for a moment here or a group of enemies there, but nothing like the reported battles you’d gotten into before. the glimpses of coordination he’d seen from you as you cleared out hilichurls or treasure hoarders were fascinating, but part of him yearned to know what it was like when you battled azhdaha, or challenged childe yet again at the golden house.

“-xiao, is there anything else you wanna do? oh we could take you on a tour of liyue harbor!“

he pulled himself out of the delusion. he already knew that would be deadly for anybody else on your team, so why did he keep allowing it to creep back into his mind?

“no need. i’ve stayed here for much longer than i had expected. the city lights are a fine sight... but it's time for me to leave. the events of today occurred so abruptly.. i appreciate your kindness.”

the traveller listened, receiving orders from heaven itself. when they spoke, xiao could almost believe it was you speaking to him.

“the feeling's mutual. you don't have to thank me every time.”

he nodded, taking a step back. he hated how much he didn’t want to listen to the strings. “okay.”

what kind of vessel could he be, his mind taunted, when he couldn’t even follow the simplest of orders?

the traveller’s face twitched, worry flashing over their features, but he grit out the last few words before they could stop him.

“i’ll see you next time, then.”

he hoped he would, even as he knew he couldn’t.

xiao stood on the balcony of the inn, letting the wind wick some of the heat from his skin. it was warm, partly due to the lanterns and sparklers set up around the inn, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

not when you seemed so happy.

you had loved the rite this year. you had cooed and fawned over the select vision holders that your device allowed you to see, though with careful precision to their dialogue. you walked around liyue, taking in the sights of the paper lanterns. you had appreciated the bit of history, this year, and though he wondered why, he would not question it. your device had a way of turning the most tragic of monologues into a story unfolding before your eyes, and he supposed even the same opera would be interesting with new props.

not for the first time, he looked to the sky, tracing out the twin constellations nearly directly above him. he didn’t know the name of the other one, nor who it was for, but he recognized his own with ease.

alatus nemeseos. winged nemesis. the constellation of a traitor.

he gripped the railing a bit tighter.

he didn’t choose for his constellation to rise, he knew that, but he was choosing to wish, selfishly, that he’d be the subject of your golden stars.

(it was wrong. it was awful. he was wishing death upon those you loved, he was hoping that those at your side would corrupt from his karma and fall, he wanted to chase his desires despite the lethal consequences. he wanted to break his contracts to ‘always serve, always protect,’ to go against everything he’d learned as a yaksha and an adeptus, to drop to his knees and pray that the affection you had shown to him through the traveller was from you and not them. he wanted, so desperately, for your light to shine upon him once more, ignorant of the way his darkness crept into those around you. he was wrong. he was awful. but even as the thoughts plagued his mind, he didn’t want them to stop)

the stairs creaked and he tensed, ready to disappear, but the wave of your aura kept him from leaving.

ah. he should have expected that.

you liked to come up to the inn’s balcony, sometimes, whether to climb onto the roof and view liyue from a different angle, or to inspect the strange rock formation in the pot up here. and after the dinner… it made sense you’d want a quiet place to think.

your vessel walked up besides him and he turned, eyes quickly flicking over their figure. uninjured.

the vessel flashed a smile, an instant before words were pulled from xiao’s mouth.

“yanxiao just came up here with some almond tofu, but... i haven't finished everything xiangling gave me yet... you should try some too. i’m not as experienced in tasting mortal food as you, and i couldn't tell the difference.”

amusement washed off your vessel, their own mouth twitching into a smile, and pride swelled in his chest.

“...there must be many different stories to tell of the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, too. you can tell me. i will listen.”

part of him hoped you would answer, that you’d take the moment to vent off some of your worries and let the night air take them away… but you didn’t. the conversation ended, and he turned back to the balcony, belatedly realizing his turn earlier was calculated.

your vessel walked up besides him, and though your imprint on them was lesser than the traveller, the proximity more than made up for it. the entire side of his body was warm, almost hot, the pain from his karma lessening.

his karma.

xiao’s eyes flew open—how could he forget, how could he be so risky with somebody so important—but your vessel was gone. he wasn’t standing on the inn balcony anymore, the warmth wasn’t solely to one side of his body-

clouds puffed up all around him as he crouched upon an invisible floor, the binds of your device far stronger when he tried to move.

his banner. why was he here?

he hadn’t chosen to come up, to rest amongst-… stars…

blue streaked the sky in front of him, different than the pale shade of the sky.

a wish.

xiao took in a sharp breath, his lungs filling with divine air. he could hear his heart in his ears, his thundering pulse nearly drowning out the sound of the blue stars falling in front of him.

shooting stars. you were making a wish.

upon his constellation.

why? why did you want him? your team was complete, you were doing excellently, your main was more than strong enough to handle what you needed to. you didn’t need him.

blue.

why? surely you knew of his karma, of how dangerous he could be? you had to, the traveller brought it up at dinner, and though your vessels were strictly vision holders, even they would soon succumb to his debt. he couldn’t- you knew he couldnt go, you had to, so why were you wishing on his stars?

blue, and he could have sworn he dropped a few inches.

he knew you had each of the lesser constellations circling his, he saw the excited tears from yaoyao and heard of the break that yun jin’s opera house had to take. you had no reason to cast your stars into the sky except for him, but he couldn’t go. he wanted to, and he was so selfish for yearning for your touch, but he knew he couldn’t go.

he couldn’t poison your team. he couldn’t bear to watch those around him crumble and die because of his mistakes, not again, not when you loved them enough to build them from ash.

blue.

blue.

blue.

with every star that went by, your aura grew stronger, wrapping around his entire being as if you were getting ready to pull. his mind warred with itself, the needs to obey your call and yet protect your vessels tumbling over and over in his mind, a coin flipped into the air in permanent stasis. he didn’t want it to fall, but he needed it to.

what did he do? did he even have a choice? it was impossible to say no to the divine, but he knew that at least for now he had the illusion of choice, a question posed that he didn’t have the answer to.

were you worth it?

(yes. yes. of course you were. he would put a million demons to rest if it meant a glimpse of your hand on his skin, he’d push himself to the brink of death if you would only pull him gently from the edge, whispering carefully in his ear that you were proud of him. he was yours, in all of his entirety, and were it not for your other vessels he would be fighting tooth and claw to answer your call and turn the stars gold. he wanted, so terribly, to present himself in front of you as nothing more than another tool at your disposal, but what weapon tarnished the blades it was kept beside? what were his wants compared to the lives of others, others who had already seen their god and bowed their head, others who you loved and adored and praised and apologized to? what was an adeptus to one bathed in the light of god, what was rotten, rusted steel to a razor-sharp edge, what was xiao to the ones you loved?)

a star formed, bright gold and illuminating the clouds besides it, and xiao froze.

his thoughts were an anxious mess, his normal clear head lost and discarded in the face of the divine. rationality was gone, selfishness warring with selflessness, every lesson he’d ever learned worth nothing more than dust in the face of the star shooting towards him.

the star flew by.

no.

he reached, desperately, pure instinct kicking in as he pushed against the binds of the invisible space he was trapped in. he didn’t want to be here, he wanted to be there, he wanted to be wrapped in the golden light of heaven and fall to earth in your embrace, shielded from the impact of earth on bone as you swept him into your quiet realm of stars.

the star jerked slightly, but did not turn.

xiao watched, helplessly, as it picked up another, his chest heaving. in an instant, both sides of his mind came to a swift conclusion: he had made a mistake.

what did he do? why didn’t he listen? why couldn’t he just go when he was called, why did he doubt your judgement? of course you knew, you always did, he was a fool to think he knew better than the one who knew all, a fool and a heretic to try and apply his narrow world to the keeper of thousands.

he fell from the clouds, stumbling on the wood of the balcony, his hands automatically finding the railing to stabilize him.

what had he done, and why had he chosen to do it?

he turned, seeing your vessel standing there, looking lost for a split second before you returned, their body relaxing again. they looked at him for a short moment, their eyes sad- disappointed? he couldn’t tell, his heart was racing and his thoughts were blurry, every breath one of acid.

when they vanished in a cloud of golden sparks, the first tear fell. he didn’t have the right to cry, he knew, this sadness was of his own doing, but the knowledge didn’t stop the tears. he had driven the blade into his chest and had no right to cry injustice, but his heart still wept, the severity of his actions only hitting once he could no longer repent for them.

all he could hope for was that you would be happy, even without him at your side.

[icycoldninja]

Good day, would you be okay with writing things sound supernatural? Based on this https://youtu.be/9Y7w6NE0bIY?si=yWJAc2opaDNu_yT7 I'd like to ask for headcanons of Dante and Vergil "chatting" with their lover who passed away (from illness/incident etc your choice) Their love's soul attempted to telepathically communicate with the guys one last time before they "go" in a psychedelic like experience. Thank you for accepting my request.

Oh, absolutely, I love writing supernatural and scary things. You're very welcome; please enjoy.

Dante + Vergil x Dead!Reader psychedelic experience headcannons

Tw: Death and paranormal-ish activity ahead.

¤ Dante ¤

-When Dante lost you, he was pained beyond belief. You were the one who'd helped him out of his debt and depression; you were his light, his love, his everything.

-Now he'd lost you and he didn't know what to do with himself. He eventually began slipping back into darkness, wasting his money on alcohol to drown out the pain.

-Then, one night, as he slept fitfully in his chair in a drunken stupor, he could have sworn he heard your voice.

-At first he thought he was imagining things, but no, this was real, and even if it was a hallucination brought on by his drunk state, it didn't matter, he was finally getting to hear your voice again.

-Dante got to hear words of comfort that he never expected to hear again. Words that restored his confidence and made him realize how stupid he was being.

-You wouldn't have wanted to watch him constantly greive and waste away--to do so would be an insult to your memory.

-Dante thanked you for reminding him that, even if you did so indirectly. He loved you, and getting to tell you that one last time meant everything to him.

-For the first time in years, Dante slept peacefully, knowing that you were dead, but not gone. You'd be watching over him forever, so he needed to give you something worth watching.

-The very next day, Dante made an effort to put his life back together and thanks you for giving him a reason to do so.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil lost half his motivation along with you; your premature departure from this world hurt him more than anyone realized.

-He was inconsolable, and expressed his grief through violence. All at once, everything he had built while you were here, including his relationships with Dante and Nero, came crashing down.

-He'd reverted back to his old mentality, the cold, sadistic, heartless one that you'd worked so hard to soften. The man was motivated, yes, but not as much as he once was.

-Then, one night as he sat in his battered plastic chair, brooding as he always did now, he heard your voice. He thought he was hallucinating at first, but as time went on and you kept whispering to him, he realized this was real and that you were psychically communicating with him from beyond the grave.

-He was so, so happy to hear from you again, even more overjoyed to catch glimpses of you in his mind's eye, fleeting as they were. For the first time in a long time, Vergil smiled.

-Hearing you speak to him filled him with a warmth and happiness he'd long since forgotten about. The man almost broke down into tears.

-He found himself revealing everything to you, telling you about how hard it was to go on without you and how much he missed you. Your words of affirmation comforted him, however, and gave him the strength to move on.

-After you told him you loved him and that you'd always be watching him, Vergil's motivation increased by 5 times than what it was before. He was going to fix his life, himself, and everything else he ruined, starting now.