#and she keeps letting him down. and in this scene he explicitly tells her it's her last chance

[curseshared]

thinking soooo much about this storyboard lilith

[i-like-media]

I was wondering when they were going to play with the fact the Doctor is black now. 13 being faced with how people think of women was one of my favourite things in her era, so I was curious how they were going to treat his skin colour this season, if at all.

And honestly, Dot And Bubble exceeded all my expectations on the matter!

What a lot of episodes about racism and bigotry do is coddle the viewer. They make clear early on "this is an episode about RACISM and why it's WRONG!" As if you've never heard of the concept before and don't know it's bad. The episode will often portray racism in an extreme sense and show the viewer the main characters are above that.

What Dot And Bubble did, for the entire episode, was letting the viewer figure it out on their own. There was no coddling, only racism as it silently existed. A perfectly pastel and white community with not a single person of colour and the only visible outlier being a goth white kid. And in this world, the first thing the character we follow did, was to block a black guy with a face of disgust.

The title screen rolls and you're left to rationalise it. Surely it was because he was not in her contact list/saying all kinds of mind blowing stuff... Right? Except when Ruby enters her feed and talks about it, she actually replies back... With an eye roll, but she replies... and keeps talking... and listening.

The episode continues, still not a single POC besides the Doctor. They reveal this is an exclusive place for rich people, and eventually the character in question even admits she thought the Doctor was a different person because "I thought you looked the same".

What this episode also does well, is portraying a character we wish to see change and find a better life behind that change. We see Lindy struggle to navigate the world without her bubble, calling herself stupid, and we genuinely hope she DOES learn to be better, even as you slowly pick up on what's been going on sofar. You are left to hope she'll thank him and realise the error of her ways, and maybe find a new drive to think for herself.

And then she doesn't.

She stays in her bubble, doubling down on how she feels about the Doctor, how they're excited to be like their settler ancestors, and finally CLEARLY revealing to the viewers what's been off this whole time... and the scene asks: did YOU notice the signs? Did you see what went wrong along the way, or did you only notice just now when it's explicitly shown to you? And why do you think that is?

It challenges the perspective of the viewer and tells you to reflect on why you didn't see it coming, and that is so so powerful.

The Doctor's reaction to this scene..... 👌👌👌👌

His mouth is ajar, stunned beyond belief that after all he's done and all he can offer, the offer to literally save their lives, he is reduced to someone who's nothing more than the hue of his skin. He yells at them, telling them he doesn't care what they think of him because he's still the same doctor he's always been, and to still get rejected with a dirty look... Which hits extra hard when you remember how much the Doctor loves being himself. He LOVES being the Doctor again! And he walks with such a pep in his step, celebrating his existence and sharing it with all he meets... and then he tries to save some rich white kids from certain death.

His performance in that moment was literally phenomenal. It's a narrative that's so powerful and so creative in its execution, my jaw was still on the floor throughout the credits.

This episode is definitely up there as one of my favourites sofar

[babygirlhouse]

house md 2024 headcanons 🫡

hi loves!! jumping on this trend :^) i don't think any of these make sense but they made me laugh soooo here u go

House has a very bad pain day and (when pushed) says that he strained the muscle while riding his bike. Obviously nobody believes him, so the ducklings + Wilson spend the day trying to figure out what he did and end up finding security footage of him attempting to hit the griddy in the morgue 

Kutner has a very generic inspirational quotes tumblr blog (he’s so proud of it) and House finds it and just starts dropping quotes from it in DDXs to mess with him & then acting all innocent 

Thirteen has a secret thirst trap tiktok acc that doesn’t explicitly show her face but has her lab coat & maybe stethoscope. When Chase suggests that it’s her she doesn’t confirm or deny it and just keeps winking. Cameron definitely follows the account after this. Thirteen pretends not to realise.

Wilson takes a uquiz to find out what sort of cheese he is and is devastated when it says he’s cheddar. He then has an identity crisis because he thinks he’s too bland and tries to reinvent his aesthetic, leading to one infected eyebrow piercing and a tramp stamp that’s never mentioned again. Potential there for a sappy scene where House tells him he's anything but bland.

Cuddy starts a momblog style podcast. House sends anonymous hate. Taub guest stars. 

I think Taub would get deeply into ASMR. Like it’d start with him finding and playing a video of ASMR triggers for his daughters, then he tries it himself to see if that calms them down even more, etc etc. He starts a youtube channel and it blows up. He gets recognised by patients at the hospital. It goes to his head just a little. He unironically uses the term 'ASMRtist'

A cosplayer has a mysterious illness and the team has to go to a convention to test for environmental factors. Chase is apprehensive but House forces him to go. He’s quickly recognised at the convention and it turns out that he has a cosplay instagram account and they get stopped every 10 mins to take pictures. No one lets him live it down 

Thirteen and Cameron kiss & fall in love & babysit Taub's kids. House makes relentless jokes but is quietly very fond of them and their relationship. Pls i need this

Foreman has a twitter/X account where he posts a combination of work out tips/inspirational quotes (not as sweet as Kutner's blog, more grindset vibes yknow) but he gets mixed up in a pyramid scheme for protein powders and gets cancelled. Also potential for a sappy scene here where Foreman says he admires Kutner for not letting House's teasing about his blog get to him. They're besties now and make each other better.

Cuddy forces all of them to go on a wellness retreat. House and Wilson make a bet to see who can go the longest without speaking. It's not even a silent retreat, they're just like that. Also someone convinces Chase that the utility shed on the retreat is haunted.

The wellness retreat no speaking bet also def has potential for gay chicken. Like Wilson kisses House to see if that will get him to lose the bet. By the next morning neither of them know or care who lost the bet, they leave their room looking Extremely disheveled and return to the hospital very much together. Cuddy is not at all surprised. She planned this. Each of the ducklings hand her $100.

PPTH minecraft server. yeah

[sugawarassoulmate]

not nut november - nov 04/nov 05

after the first few days, they were feeling great. then the weekend came.

tutor!akaashi & shitty bf!daishou

word count: 423 & 290

cw: fem!reader, bimbo!reader, unprotected sex, cheating/infidelity, choking, minors dni

tutor!akaashi

who even does studying on a saturday night? akaashi does, which means you have to too

you're in one of the study rooms at the campus library, which feels a little redundant since it's practically abandoned on a saturday night

"what act and scene is this line from?" akaashi asks, cooly. he's been quizzing you on king lear for the past three hours, making sure you knew could identify the passages for your midterm

"act three, scene two?" you guess but akaashi's eyes already tell you that you're wrong. "ugh, can we take a break, keiji? my brain is turning to mush!"

akaashi would argue that your brain was mush to begin with but there's no use continuing when you've already given up

there was one way he could motivate you to keep studying — it was for your own good really, you weren't smart enough to pass this exam just by winging it

but he remembers the bet he made with his friends earlier this week something about not having sex during the whole month. it was stupid but he knew he'd never hear the end of it from bokuto if he lost

akaashi supposes he could just eat you out while you study but nothing does the trick more than making you sit on his cock, making you read out his notes while you bounce in his lap...

it's not long before akaashi has you bent over the desk, skirt flipped up and panties pushed to the side. "come on, don't just think with your pussy, recite the line for me," he says, pulling you by the hair

"ahhh, 'when thou dost ask me blessing, i'll'—fuck, keiji!" you cry when he pulls out only to slam back into you.

a slap to your ass is what brings you back to reality. "'i'll...i'll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness' uhhh, act five, scene three?" you answered, crying when akaashi's fingers circle your clit.

"look at that, she's finally using her little brain," akaashi coos, snapping his hips harder into you. "read the next one." he says, knowing this is the only way you'll pass

he can say it's for your benefit as much as he wants to but akaashi is just as guilty of thinking with his crotch, maybe even more so

akaashi only lets you cum when you've gone through all of the study guide and he rewards you by spilling his seed deep inside your womb and walking you to your dorm with his cum running down your leg

shitty bf!daishou

saturdays are meant for your girlfriend. taking her on dates and watching shows with her

but it's not saturday and you're not daishou's girlfriend, which is why he's technically not breaking any no nut november rules right now

his friends explicitly said that fucking your girl was off limits for the entire month

which is why he turned to you the first chance he got

"sugu!" the two of you barely made it past your door, with daishou pouncing on you the second he shut it behind him

now he's got you spread out on your floor, a hand wrapped around your throat

"shhh, i know, babe," he whispers, pace never letting up as he abuses your cunt. "you're gonna take all my cum this month, yeah? be my fuckin' cum dump?"

it's so sick and your heart breaks for mika, completely unaware that her boyfriend is balls deep in someone else—someone she calls a friend

but you nod anyway because for an entire month daishou's body will belong to you

mika will have to wonder about the faint smell of your perfume on his clothes, wondering why it smells so familiar

it's pathetic and cruel and so unlike you but it's what you want more than anything

"yes, yes, sugu! i want your cum," you gasp, nails running down his back "i'll take all of it, just give it to me, please!"

and daishou just loves the desperation, grunting a quick "that's my girl," before fucking you harder than ever

and as your eyes roll into the back of your head, and you feel the warmth of daishou's cum flooding your cunt, all that goes through your head is his voice saying "that's my girl," over and over

©sugawarassoulmate 2023 all rights reserved - please do not repost/translate my work on other platforms!

[cvntrlseecvntrlvee]

home is where the heart is

↠ pairing: wonwoo x reader ↠ genres: fluff ↠ word count: 900~ ↠ a/n: thinking abt bestfriend!wonwoo today 🥺 also ty to @hannieween who always reads all the little drabbles i type into her inbox, that’s how we ended up with this. she also helped write part of it, the an at the bottom will explicitly say which bits!! hope you guys like it uwu

bestfriend!wonwoo who keeps you company after your break up with your shitty ex boyfriend.

bestfriend!wonwoo who lets you lean on his shoulder while you guys watch the latest episode of bake off and you’re ugly crying with a tub of ur favourite ice cream.

how he tries to distract you the next day by inviting you to play mario party because some of the boys are over and he doesn't want you to wallow in your room by yourself.

the way, after the boys leave, he takes you into his arms while on the couch and letting you snuggle into the warmth of his chest as you sniffle a little. wonwoo smells like fresh laundry and he rubs a comforting hand up and down your back.

to you, wonwoo was home.

this is basically yours and wonwoo’s dynamic haha.

and he would never admit it out loud, but he honestly loves it. he loves as you ramble mindlessly, asking him pointless questions about nothing and everything at all. he remains quiet, but every now and then he’ll say is that so? setting you off on another tangent. 

you laugh at your own jokes, which makes him laugh as well. it's the kind of laugh that makes his nose scrunch and makes him push the rim of his glasses up a bit.

and when ur away for the weekend, visiting ur parents, and wonu is home alone, the silence is deafening, and he misses you. 

he misses you during breakfast, how you'd grumble about having to go to work and rant about the woes of capitalism and the five day work week. 

he misses you when he's rewatching the previous episode of bake off on the cold couch alone, and how you'd be telling him about the history of shortbread and something about an alliance between scotland and france. 

he misses you when he's out walking the dog after dinner and how you'd be talking his ear off about every little thing that happened to you that day, in chronological order.

wonwoo's life is quiet and greyscale when you're not there and he misses the colour of your laugh and your smile and the sound of your voice.

one night, he finally convinces you to go out to the movies with him. you've been feeling better lately, and you can't remember the last time you cried about your ex.

he buys you the biggest tub of popcorn, making sure the worker slathers it with extra extra butter (even though he knows its gonna give him a tummy ache later). and he watches you fondly as you try to choose between the buncha crunch or mike and ikes (his two favourites) before settling on both. 

he also gets you a cola slushie, but your hands get cold from holding the cup, making you clasp them together between your thighs when you finally go to sit down, and he wishes, god how he wishes, he could just grab your hands to warm them up a bit.

you guys decide to see the latest action movie, a genre which you love, but sometimes you can't handle the blood and gore that comes with it. so when the bad guy's about to get sliced to hell, wonwoo quickly throws his hand up to cover your eyes.

you grab his hands to move it away because im a big girl, wonu, i can handle a little blood (except your pants are on fire and you absolutely cannot) but he knows this and does not budge.

and when the scene is finally over and he moves his hand away from your face, you're still holding on to it, not letting go

wonwoo sends you a look but you've got ur eyes glued to the movie, as if holding his hand is a normal occurance (it's not) and you're not freaking out like wonwoo currently is (you are, in fact, freaking the fuck out).

wonwoo settles back in his seat, loving the way your hands feel around his and laces his fingers with yours. you keep his hand in your lap, squeezing everytime sometimes stressful or surprising happens on screen and wonwoo rubs back and forth on the back of your hand when you do.

when the movies over, you still don't let go of his hand, and neither does he. not when you’re picking up ur bag to sling over your shoulder, not when he's picking up the empty food boxes to throw away, and not when you're walking home together in the cool of the night, as you rehash the movie ending, swinging your hands between you when you get a little too excited with your theories

you're both still unwilling to let go of each other's hands when you make it back to your shared apartment, as wonwoo keys in the door code, and it isn't until you're in the hallway, in front of your two bedroom doors, that you realise neither of you want to ever let go.

so you don't.

you let wonwoo hold onto you tightly while you tell him you had a lot of fun tonight and he replies saying he always has fun when he's with you. and you get on your tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek, both of your cheeks warming up.

and it isn't until then that wonwoo let's go of your hand, choosing to instead grab your face with both of his and leaning down to kiss you sweetly

wonwoo tastes like a mix of movie theater butter, fruity candy and salted chocolate.

and best of all, wonwoo tastes like home.

a/n: this is my first time writing something in this sort of format! let me know what you think!! also the first part aboutt he rambling and the bit aboutt he cola slushie are courtesy of v, she's really fab and you all should go read her writing 👀👀👀

here are some lil extra bits that i didn't put into the drabble but i still think are cute to think abt hehe

gif 1 by @jeonsupershy // this wonu when he finally gets the girl he's loved all his life

gif 2 by @meowonhao-main // this wonu when you shyly nod yes to wonu asking you out to a real dinner date

this wonu (yes, im obsessed w this photo leave me alone) when you climb into his lap to snuggle after a really shitty day at work

this wonu when you whine that his kisses are too sweet and you want him to kiss you like a man

this wonu when he's about to ask you to marry him and legally be stuck w his loser gamer ass for the rest of ur life

u when u say yes because he's YOUR loser gamer ass and u love him so SO much 🥺🥺🥺

[operationslipperypuppet]

to expand lightly on my theory post regarding some of what might be afoot this season (devised and parsed through in collaboration with @stone-stars)

the actions against cassandra and kristen are a revenge plot, orchestrated by a combination of sol, galicaea, and helio. they each have their own vendettas contributing to this. sol has beef with kristen due to the “wholeheartedly reject all offers” scene, where he does turn on her first. he also was incapacitated in freshman year because she let aguefort into his domain. i imagine a sun god isn’t super pleased that there were 4 months of endless night. he also might not like cassandra due to who she used to be. helio once chose kristen and continued to supply her with spells despite her rejection of him and his teachings. she refused to spend any time with him and literally punched him in the face. he’s got some baggage there, for sure. galicaea experienced the first time kristen and cassandra connected, her attempt at convincing kristen was disrupted by the goddess eventually known as cassandra. her followers were responsible for killing the initial version of cassandra. her followers are now facing a revival due to tracker’s pilgrimage (kristen’s ex) and she’s just petty enough to blame kristen for that. plus, her snooty self hated her wolfy side. this revival would arguably make the snootier elves double down on that hatred. as above, so below.

the goings on against fig and the establishment of her cool new horrible luck are probably coming from a devil. the pride armor vision showed that it had ties to that sort of thing. and devils are lawful. fig is not. her ascension into the seat of the bottomless pit was on a technicality and the people who presided over it immediately hated that it happened. she’s been busy (she’s a mortal teen attempting to save the world) and has neglected her hellish domain on a similar level to her father, who lost his job about it. the lawful operatives running hell would not take kindly to that. so they could (would) reach out to her in a moment of her weakness and hand off a curse, as punishment. because hell is also about punishment.

now, i’m sure you’re thinking: why are these in the same post? easy. because i think they’re connected.

the rage stones that were corrupting cassandra and the mages were similar to what happened to ragh’s mom, as zac figured out. lydia is in a medically prolonged state of rage to keep the devil in her chest at bay. (there are some discrepancies over whether it’s a devil or a demon. but i trust ragh to know those minor details over arthur “i forgot to tell lydia i was doing this” aguefort). if something kept back by a prolonged state of rage was given leave to attempt its influence on something (on the astral plane, no less, where rules are almost always different), perhaps its influence would be rage inducing. and, just as she was taken over by one of these stones, kalina, who knew about lydia’s status in sophomore year since she did try to kill lydia, called out “ragh barkrock!”, bringing up another clear and direct connection.

the nightmare king sided with demons during the blood wars. the devils trapped the nightmare king in the forest (this is why arianwen needed gorthalax and why fig’s promotion was vital to their success). the devils would probably want to fight back. the gods we’ve met would probably dislike the imbalance that comes from establishing a new god, especially one who is a riff on one they already destroyed (cassandra establishes that she is not the same goddess she was before her sister killed her. but there have to be similarities. and maybe galicaea doesn’t know that).

the first time we meet our beloved garthy o’brien, they talk about how devils (they say fiends but are explicitly talking about devils and not demons) and celestials and gods are not simply opposed. they’re part of a system that balances out all its parts. angels fall. devils could rise. they work together as part of a bigger system.

so. so. if two specific mortals and their merry band of idiot friends are in direct opposition to some of the most powerful and petty entities in the universe, would they not want to perhaps join forces to attempt to take them down? especially if it could come from freeing one (“important”) devil from decades of being trapped, restoring balance further?

bonus here is the idea that bill seacaster’s goal in hell is to “kill the devil himself”, and perhaps he’s getting too close for comfort and balance must be maintained somehow. and what better way to distract him than by threatening his son?

plus, we know cassandra’s “i thought you were dead” wasn’t directed at kalina or the nightmare king. but maybe, in her brief time back as a god, she noticed the absence of a particular devil. and thought they might have died, when they were actually just trapped.

all that being said, it’s a fun theory to me and maybe we’re completely wrong. but everything we thought about more made it make more sense, which is a wild experience.

[veala2]

“ᴅʀᴜɴᴋ ꜱʜᴇɴᴀɴɪɢᴀɴꜱ.”

✸ shanks n’ buggy ✸

SYNOPSIS - Being in a relationship with 2 pirate emperors is great, but one aspect that comes with a pirates life is a pirates thirst… no, not that kind, you dog!

CW - gn!reader, obviously there’s some intoxication on both sides, reader is explicitly said to be puking, Buggy is doing some dumb shit, shenanigans ensue.

A/N - I’m back from the dead (work), ready to deliver and slowly (painfully) write my next fic (Christmas themed?)

Probably the first to get black out drunk between the two of you.

He’s been a pirate for most of his life, and drinking was a pleasure he so stereotypically enjoys!

So, when you see his flushed face and goofy smile, you couldn’t help but indulge in his silliness. Letting him play with your hair or kiss you all over your face.

But… when the roles are reversed, he’s 100% on you to make sure nothing happens.

It’s not that he thinks you’ll do something crazy while drunk, no no. Rather, it’s what others would do that scares him.

Pirate bars are filled with crude men swinging their swords around, starting rowdy bar fights which leads to terrified bar owners and civilians to evacuate.

Yes he can take care of you with a simple look- his strong conquers haki coming in play- but he’d rather keep the chance of you safe as high as possible.

“Baby… baby, I’m fine, let me gooo…”

You whines fall on deaf ears, as Shanks adjusts you in his arms once again to make sure your head wouldn’t strain. He chuckles as he makes his way down the wooden steps out of Makino’s Bar, the pounding sound of laughter and drunk men filling his ears.

“I’ll let you go once we’re at the port. There’s no way I’m gonna let you throw up on me again.” He laughs, making you clip your tongue and rub your eyes.

“I didn’t even throw up on you!” You retorted. Which brought another chuckle out of him.

He can remember that scene like it was five minutes ago. Well, maybe because it was five minutes ago. He might be a little drunk himself.

Brushing off the warnings of having too many shots, you took your 21st and started to feel nauseous. Before he could drag you away before you hurled up yesterday’s breakfast. Which happened before he could even get out a word. Leaving him disgusted, but even more worried.

“Sweetheart, trust me, I’m not taking that risk again.” He says, planting an endearing kiss swiftly on the top of your forehead, pulling away at the smell of vomit, Making his nose scrunch up.

Shanks sat you down on the pier of Foosha Village. Rubbing soothing circles on your back, letting you take your course. The night sky shined when it hit the slow waves of the sea, a sky littered with stars. A calm, serene night he loved. Especially with you cuddling into his side.

“Are you feeling better, baby?” He asked, a decimal over a whisper. You nod, groaning into his shoulder.

“Good. Let’s get you home and clean up. And maybe apologise to Makino tomorrow morning if she catches us. Other than that, we can always outrun her fury.”

You let out a weak giggle, despite you still feeling not so great. He holds you in a tight grip, sighing happily and looking up to the sky. Allowing himself to indulge in the beauty of the night sky and the beauty that sits right next to him.

“Remind me to bring a bucket next time.” He jokes, landing him a swift punch to the arm and a goofy smile on his face.

Drinking with him has two outcomes:

Either you’re having good times! A couple of laughs, maybe making some great memories that overlap with some of the more confusing ones of drinking with him.

Or… You’re doing the most batshit crazy thing you’ve ever done in your life.

WITH HIM JUST STANDING THERE.

HELLO!?

When I tell you drunk Buggy can take over the world if he so pleases, I mean it

That man has no inhabitions, no thoughts, just a pure drive to do whatever the FUCK he wants for the next 24 hours.

You wonder how such a cowardly clown can become so brave by just a couple of shots.

And honestly, you can be the same way too. It’s not hard to get caught up in all the excitement and thrill of doing shots with a pirate group and almost ending up with a broken limb.

But MAN-

It’s a really mind boggling thing… Like, you could write a psychology paper on it.

“BUGGY, DON'T YOU DARE MOVE!”

“Huh!?”

Your shouts echo the inside of his towering circus top. There your boyfriend was, drunk off his mind due to some of the finest whiskey found in the Grandline (which he happily took), and placing his left leg inside the brightly human- cannonball. He looks back at you, confused but then displaying a goofy smile.

“Aw, c’mon, baby! It’ll be so much fun, just keep watching!”

The older pirate doesn’t stop himself from doing what he wants, and fully places himself inside the cannon, wriggling around as to get comfy. One of his lackies cackles as he reaches for a match, striking it upwards and starting the fire. Your heart only beats louder and faster at the sight of the small flame.

Of course it didn’t occur to you, that the moment that Buggy the Clown asked you to be his partner, you would have to be his temporary mother when he was shit faced on most Tuesday nights.

But, it’s not too hard to keep him in place most of the time. All he wants are some private cuddling, maybe some kisses and words of affirmation. And don’t worry, when the roles are reversed he’ll do anything to help you, too.

Unfortunately today, he decides to act like a crazed toddler.

Too bad he isn’t, it would be easier to wrangle him up.

“Buggy, baby, love of my life,” You start, slowly inching closer towards the red- faced man as he stared at you with lidded eyes and curiosity. “I really need you to step out of that cannon before you blow to infinity and beyond.”

Then there was silence.

And then there was laughter. A drunken one, slurred and almost high.

“I’ll be fine, I’m Buggy the genius- fuckin’- jester! hit it!”

It was too late, the match lit the tiny rope at the end, as it quickly rises towards where the gunpowder lies.

You plug your ears and close your eyes, not wanting to even look or hear the maniac jester shoot up into the circus top’s top, rip past the fabric and blast off again.

Oh yes… again.

[elyssialumengard]

Alastor x Reader - Fragile Link ( Part 3 )

______________________________________________

Link to the first chapter for those who haven't read it : https://www.tumblr.com/elyssialumengard/741783404758073344/alastor-x-reader-fragile-link-part-1?source=share

Link to the second chapter for those who haven't read it : https://www.tumblr.com/elyssialumengard/741972142524088320/alastor-x-reader-fragile-link-part-2?source=share

Summary : In this thrilling chapter, the overlords ( y/n ) and Alastor engage in a breathtaking confrontation, where secrets and tensions reach their climax.

______________________________________________

When (y/n) heard the radio demon's request, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

However, she kept her calm and replied in a calm voice, with her head held high :

- We have already exchanged our views on this matter. I fear that further talk will lead nowhere.

Alastor tilted his head slightly, a disconcerting smile stretching his thin lips.

- Oh, but I'm sure we could discover some interesting new angles to explore ! There are still so many topics we could discuss, it's been seven years, after all.

- You shouldn't keep the princess waiting.

- She won't be alone, since our dearest Taku will be there to keep her company, right ? He asked with a wicked smile, tilting his head towards him.

A vein appears on his forehead, declaring as if each word were filled with venom :

- Because you seriously think I'm going to leave you alone with Lady (y/n) ?

- You seem to think that I am a threat to (y/n). But you should have known by now that I am a demon of my word. I won't hurt him.

Taku was absolutely not convinced by the feigned confidence of the being whom he hated more than anything, having never been able to see him in painting. His features hardened, revealing his deep skepticism.

-Your words are as reliable as the oaths of a serpent. He replied in an icy tone. I will not let you manipulate Lady (y/n) with your deceptions.

Her words only renewed the amusement in Alastor's red eyes. He refrains from saying out loud what Taku wanted at all costs to keep for them, knowing full well that if (y/n) found out, the demon with glasses could give up on the relationship he had with his mistress . Moreover, even if it really itched him, it was stipulated in the pact he had made with him, stipulating that he should not tell it explicitly to the one who had been the motivation as much for Taku as for him to make this deal.

- Oh, you are disconcertingly serious. But I guess that’s what makes (y/n) like you so much. However, you can be assured that our conversation will be most courteous.

A tense silence fell as they looked at each other, each holding their positions. (y/n) observed the scene with an impassive expression. Nevertheless, she knew she had to intervene, knowing that the confrontation between these two beings could have unpredictable consequences, which she did not want in her territory and which she did not have the energy at the moment to take care of it.

Therefore, she broke the silence with a calm but firm voice :

- Taku, leave us. Alastor will not give up. I will call you if I need you.

His advisor and closest friend looked about to protest, but a stern look from (y/n) silenced him. He diverted his attention to Alastor who was telling him with eyes that he had won this round. He stops himself from jumping at her throat to finally get rid of that smile.

- As you wish, Lady (y/n). But don't let your guard down in his presence, I'll be right behind the door.

- Thank you, Taku. Take care of distracting the princess so she doesn't get bored, please. She asked him, giving a small smile, knowing that what she was asking him was uncomfortable.

- Your wishes are orders. He replied with a slight bow, before straightening up and casting a look of concern in the direction of (y/n).

Then, he left, taking his time, staring at Alastor who was taunting him. Once the door opened before closing with a dull noise, and the two overlords found themselves alone, Alastor turned to (y/n), a mischievous smile dancing on his lips.

- My dear, now that we are alone, perhaps we could have a more… Frank discussion.

(y/n) looked at him suspiciously, but she nodded slowly.

- Alright. But I warn you, I will not tolerate any attempt at manipulation or deception.

She knew very well that Alastor was capable of devious tricks and that she had to remain on her guard. However, a small part of her was curious to know what he had in mind. Even if venturing there was often synonymous with danger.

Alastor raised his hands in feigned innocence.

- Let's see, I'm just a demon looking for a civilized conversation. Don't worry my dear, I promise.

(y/n) arched an eyebrow, already not liking what she had just heard.

- Alright, let's get started then. What did you want to talk about that wouldn't merit me killing you on the spot ? She asked scathingly.

Alastor burst out laughing at this, as if he appreciated (y/n)'s biting humor.

- Ah, my dear, always so charming ! I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor !

Then he added with a touch of playfulness :

- But let's be serious, a proper conversation can only be had around tea, am I right ?

Without waiting for a response, he moved with disconcerting ease towards the coffee table to take (y/n)'s empty cup, before heading towards the desk where all the necessary utensils lay. He then prepared tea, a light song without words, filled with radio noise, being heard by Alastor. The melody floated in the air, gently filling the room with its signature ambiance.

Once the tea was ready, Alastor handed a steaming cup to (y/n) with a satisfied smile, as if he had accomplished a small feat. He then left and settled comfortably on the sofa where Charlie had been sitting earlier, a cup in his hands, having placed his cane at his side with delicate elegance.

(y/n), bringing the cup to her lips, smelled the sweet scent of green tea with wild berries, her favorite. She then looked up at Alastor, noticing the satisfying smile that adorned his face.

The atmosphere was strangely calm, almost peaceful, despite the presence of these two powerful and opposing personalities. A fragile balance seemed to reign between them. However, (y/n), still on guard, took a sip of tea, not liking the fact that he could have remembered such a thing.

Alastor looked her up and down with a smirk, his smile widening as his gaze rested on the woman's antlers. He observed for a moment, as if enjoying something in particular.

- I see that you have stopped file your woods. He finally commented, his tone light, but full of innuendo.

(y/n) replied calmly, his eyes not leaving his :

- There was no point in continuing. They were still growing, and without them, I would not have been able to wear the pearls that adorn my antlers.

Her tone was calm, but firm, meaning she wasn't willing to play this little teasing game. Hearing this, Alastor, just before taking a sip of tea, added pettishly :

-And remind me who gave you these pearls ?

(y/n) held back from making a face and she decided to change the subject by asking him what he wanted to talk to her about. Alastor, still smiling with a mocking look that annoyed (y/n), responded by asking her a completely different question :

- Why were you crying when we entered ?

Alastor took another sip of tea, savoring every moment, his teasing smile never leaving his lips. He stared at (y/n) with a discerning gaze, as if seeking to break through her defenses and uncover her deepest secrets.

(y/n) suddenly felt uncomfortable under the radio demon's penetrating attention. She had always been good at hiding her emotions, but something about Alastor seemed to read through her like an open book, which she had always hated. Under this unspoken pressure, she chose her words carefully, seeking to maintain control of the situation.

- My emotions are irrelevant to this conversation. She replied in a calm but firm voice. If that was all you had to say to me, I would ask you to finish your drink and leave.

- You didn't mind showing them to your advisor. He remarked with a smirk, leaning forward slightly.

- Taku is much more than an advisor. She replied in a firm tone. He has been my closest friend since the beginning of this project, especially in recent years. I have complete trust in him, and I know that he would never betray me, unlike others.

- We both know who is the one best able to read your mind. And it's definitely not him.

His tone was provocative, as if he was trying to push (y/n) over the edge, to test her to see how far she would go to preserve her appearance of dignity.

- But anyway, if you don't want to tell me, I just have to guess ! So what was the reason this time, hmm? Insults ? Fuss ? Theft ? Lies ? A murder ?! Really, (y/n), you can't leave me hanging like this. Come on, I know you can't wait to share this with me to make you feel better. So what is this little thing that managed to bring tears to your eyes ?

(y/n) felt a mixture of frustration and sadness rising within her. She knew she shouldn't let Alastor get to her like this, but her emotions were more complex than she cared to admit. Part of her wanted to confide, even if it meant being vulnerable in front of the radio demon. Moreover, she knew that the wound was still too fresh in her heart to hold back as usual.

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about Lynn, about her mistakes, about the pain she had caused. Then, with a resigned sigh, she opened her eyes and looked straight at Alastor.

- Very well, if you insist. It was... A personal matter. Someone I was forced to punish. It weighs on me, even though I know it was necessary.

Her voice shook slightly on the last words, betraying the emotion she was trying to hold back. Alastor's smile faded slightly as he watched (y/n) with unhealthy interest. He knew he had struck a chord with the overlord and he was curious to know more about this personal matter that was tormenting her.

- A punishment, you say ? This seems serious. So who was this person ? What did she do to deserve such a sentence from you ? He asked in a soft voice, almost honeyed, but imbued with a strange glimmer of cruelty.

(y/n) looked away for a moment, fighting the urge to reveal more details. She was used to keeping her emotions and private decisions except Taku, and even then, she didn't tell him everything. But something in Alastor's eyes pushed her to confide, despite her cautious instincts.

As had been the case on several occasions between them, in private.

- She was one of my protected, a person in whom I had placed my trust. She was revealed to be a stalker in her human life. When I welcomed Elodie, a new demon, into our family at Taku's request, she panicked when she saw Lynn and claimed she had no business being here. I then used the terms of our pact to shed light on the matter. As with all sinners I protect, if someone lies to me, the chain around their neck immediately appears. Lynn ended up confessing under duress that she was a victim at the beginning, but had ended up becoming a harasser altogether, having no choice, according to her, despite the words of Elodie who confirmed that it was false, that she had the option not to do so.

As she said this, she held back her tears from falling again, her hands tightening around the cup she held tightly. Alastor tilted his head, silently inviting her to continue. Taking a breath, she manages to hold her sadness, making it feel good to admit all of this out loud.

- I was forced to install the gallows, to plunge Lynn into a pocket dimension for eternity, forced into solitude and pain. I had no other choice to preserve harmony in our family. Even though Lynn had been a victim at first, she gave in to the harm she suffered. The sinners I welcome are just victims of life, are people who have done things like self-defense, for example. And they are fully aware of what awaits them before giving me their soul if they disappoint me.

Her gaze shone with a glimmer of determination as she explained the reasons behind her difficult decision. Alastor, listening attentively, let a heavy silence settle after his words. Then, in a lighter tone, he replied :

- You are terrifying, my dear, beneath your angelic appearance and beautiful words, hides a very cruel and merciless being.

Alastor let out a small laugh, his smile stretching a little further, revealing his sharp teeth.

- But that's what makes you so fascinating, isn't it ? This duality between grace and cruelty.

(y/n) corrected himself with a sigh, a glint of weariness crossing his eyes.

- I'm too tired to listen to your nonsense, Alastor. You better leave.

He nodded with a teasing smile.

- Of course, of course. I don't want to bother you any longer. I'll have to leave soon anyway. I plan to take Charlie to Cannibal Town to ask Rosie for help. Since you refuse to participate in this war, I will have to look elsewhere for help.

(y/n) raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

- Are you serious ? Do you really think that despicable cannibals could face the exterminating angels ?

Alastor rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

- Apparently, your animosity towards cannibals has not disappeared.

(y/n) shook her head firmly.

- She will never be able to fly away. They freely chose to eat humans while they were alive. I can't forget this. Although Rosie is charming in her own way, her nature means that I could never accept her. Moreover, I did not want to add despair to the princess by telling her that your attempt is doomed to failure. You can't kill angels.

Alastor responded with an enigmatic smile that made his eyes shine with a mischievous glint.

- In reality, it is possible to kill them.

- I beg your pardon ?

- Yes, my dear, angels are not invincible, we can destroy them. This offers new perspectives, don't you think ?

Alastor tilted his head, his smile widening slightly, clearly enjoying the shock he had caused.

- How could I believe you ? Do you even have proof of what you are saying ?

- I have no proof on me, apart from my word. It was Carmilla Carmine herself who killed an angel while defending her daughters. She plans to keep it secret so as not to create an uproar within Hell and not risk endangering her family. You would have seen the decapitated head of the angel if you came to the meetings of the overlords when there was one.

At these words, (y/n) frowned, her thoughts swirling in her mind. She didn't want to believe it, but Alastor's seriousness left no doubt as to the truth of his words. She was silent for a moment, absorbing this new information with some perplexity.

- I see... If that's true, I hope she's okay. I would have done the same in his place. She finally whispered, revealing the solidity of her character and her sense of justice.

Alastor let out a soft laugh, his smile stretching further.

- I don't doubt it for a single second. But seeing you now, I tell myself that you did well to refuse to participate. He began, leaning back, crossing his legs and clasping his hands which he placed on his knee. You have neither the fitness nor the strength to protect anyone. Imagine what could happen if the events of 15 years ago happened again, huh ? That would be a great shame for you.

At these words, immense rage invades (y/n). His muscles tensed, his hands clenched. A low roar escaped her throat as she stood up abruptly, dropping her cup which shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor. His eyes glowed menacingly. Its antlers grew longer and sharper like sharp blades, taking over almost the entire room, while its teeth transformed into sharp fangs.

With a powerful step, she crossed the table that separated them, advancing towards Alastor, until her claws were planted in the back of the sofa, right next to his head, overlooking him at all height, but without touch. A dark glow shone in her pupils as she stared at him, the electric tension palpable between them.

- Do you want me to kill you right away or slowly, taking my time ? Declared in a voice that growled like an animal. 

Alastor let out a mocking laugh seeing (y/n)'s reaction.

- You shouldn't get upset like that, you know. It just drains your badly needed energy, right ? You didn't even sense our presence when we entered your dimension. Your shadow was so weak that I almost burst out laughing and ridiculed you in front of the others as I freed myself from your grip. Your face is the very definition of tired, my sweet. Do you have enough evidence to understand that I know exactly what this is about or should I continue ?

At these words, (y/n) was speechless, taken aback by Alastor's revelations. Her grip on the backrest loosened slightly as Alastor's smile continued to stretch, moving closer to her to gently place his fingertips under her chin, his touch as light as a feather.

- Calm down. He whispered softly. Don't embarrass yourself over such a small matter. I will try to pretend not to have noticed anything if you wish.

Under Alastor's light touch, (y/n) felt a shiver run through her skin. She tensed slightly, her mind whirling as she tried to rationalize the situation. The revelation of her weakness, exposed so cruelly by Alastor, made her uncomfortable. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, especially in front of someone like him.

Yet, despite the agitation bubbling within her, she struggled to regain her calm. She couldn't afford to show any more flaws. She then stepped back, withdrawing from Alastor's touch, her demonic form shrinking slightly. A look full of hatred and frustration fell on him as she asked him in a scathing voice :

- Why, every time you see me, do you take pleasure in wanting to play with my nerves ?

- Because you are my favorite entertainment. He replied nonchalantly.

His response made her boil with rage. But before she could retaliate, Alastor stood up, taking his cane, then, with a surprising gesture, he delicately took (y/n)'s hand and pulled her towards him. His gaze held an enigmatic, almost teasing glow as he leaned down to place a light kiss on the knuckles of her fingers. The sudden proximity of his breath against her skin made (y/n) shiver, instinctively stepping back.

She stood there, petrified by this unexpected gesture, her mind in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The heat of his lips still seemed to burn on his skin, contrasting with the coldness of the surrounding air. For a brief moment, she found herself in complete confusion, unable to sort out her feelings.

Then, slowly, she realized that Alastor's kiss was nothing more than a game for him, a way to sow doubt and confusion in her already tormented mind. She felt manipulated but also strangely intrigued by this duality that seemed to characterize their relationship.

As Alastor stood up after delicately kissing the knuckles of (y/n), he observed her reactions with amusement, savoring every nuance of frustration and dismay he could arouse in her. An internal laugh resonated within him as he turned to leave. However, just before crossing the threshold of the room, he turned slightly towards her, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

- Oh, by the way, you didn't ask me how I got here. He declared in a teasing voice.

(y/n) looked at him, perplexed, wondering how he could have arrived in her dimension without her allowing him. Alastor just gave him a sibylline smile before whispering, with a hint of malice :

- Maybe you should reconsider your complete trust in Taku.

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel, declaring happily :

- Looking forward to seeing you again, dearest, at our next meeting !

As the door closed behind Alastor, (y/n) stood there, alone in the room, letting her thoughts calm down little by little. The strange encounter with the radio demon had shaken her, but she refused to let her emotions overwhelm her. Hissing in pain, she holds the arm where the unpleasant sensation was felt, reminding her that she had abused it. She returned to her normal form, trying to provide relief, but failing.

Alastor's words still echoed in his mind, fueling a fire of unanswered questions. She knew she had to stay on guard, but she couldn't help but feel a certain curiosity towards this demon who suggested that he had guessed her condition. Yet she also knew that letting herself be carried away by his provocations would lead nowhere good.

With determination, (y/n) chased away these disturbing thoughts and focused on the tasks ahead of her. She had a territory and sinners to protect. For now, she had to put aside everything that distracted her from it, including her pain.

Being his form of redemption.

______________________________________________

Bonuses :

As Charlie and Taku waited behind the door, Charlie tried to break the silence by striking up a conversation with Taku.

- Sooooo, tell me... Taku, how do you spend your time when you're waiting in situations like this ?

She gets no response, nor a look.

- You know, this situation reminds me of an old proverb : "Waiting behind a door is like watching a kettle : it takes forever and above all it makes a lot of noise !". This fits, right ? She asked, laughing awkwardly, before continuing at Taku's silence. Oh, I have an idea ! We could play "Guess what's on the other side of the door." You want to try ?

But she was interrupted by a gesture from Taku who gestured for her to be quiet, his attention entirely captivated by the conversation going on on the other side of the door. Charlie felt a little frustrated by Taku's lack of response, but she decided to persevere.

- What do you think of Lady (y/n) ? You seem close. I mean, really, close.

But Taku remained silent, his eyes fixed on the door, trying to catch every word of the conversation, but failing to do so.

- Okay… I understand, you want to remain silent, um… She said embarrassed.

She ended up plopping down in a chair next to Taku, rocking back and forth slightly, impatiently waiting for the conversation to end on the other side of the door, unable to do otherwise.

______________________________________________

Author's note : Thank you for reading this chapter ! I hope you enjoyed this electrifying encounter between (y/n) and Alastor. Stay tuned for the next chapter which promises even more mystery, tension and revelations. See you soon for chapter 4 !

[lakesbian]

just read the scene in book seven where they get into a little spat after jake brings up rachel skipping school to fly around as a hawk all day & i think it's fun how after the ellimist places them in the extremely traumatizing quandary of being solely responsible for deciding the entire fate of all of humanity part of their stress response is boiling over & rejecting the individual burdens it is usually their job to carry for the rest of the group.

it's previously been explicitly jake's job to carry the burden of everyone else in the group viewing him as responsible and stalwart. the burden of being willing to claim responsibility for difficult decisions that no one else can sign off on because they're paralyzed by the notion of how they'll feel if the decision gets someone killed--even if everyone else voted for the idea, they can't stand to be the one who approved it. jake is the one who, when cassie "jokingly" states that she just wishes he could make the difficult decision about executing a dangerous plan for her, solemnly asks if she wants him to. because if she needs him to be the one who feels like they have their friends' blood on their hands if it goes wrong, he'll be that for her. & then when jake is stressed by the idea of having to make that sort of decision but for potentially having all of humanity's blood on his hands, he steps back from reflexively trying to manage rachel's safety and instead reacts with--

"I don’t know, Rachel. I don’t have any answers. I’m sick of trying to have answers. You decide. I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t know what your problem is, but you know what? You deal with it."

& then of course there's rachel, who has a fight reflex more intense than a beaten dog--okay, wait, no, now it sounds like i'm talking about rachel lindt (of worm) (cooler rachel), let me start over. who has a fight reflex more intense than a cornered stoat, but only when she's cornered. now that she sees an out, the question of whether or not to go for flight instead is profoundly ethically complicated and disturbing for her. she reacts with anger to marco attempting to call her 'xena, warrior princess' again, because being the warrior who won't go down unless killed (& consequently motivating everyone else to do the same) is usually her burden to carry, but the weight of the ellimist's question (& the possibility of moving to a different city) make it impossible for her right now. how is she supposed to keep up a brave face and insist on a seemingly endless fight against all odds when there's a way out?

and marco Also has his little moment of stating that he's tired of his jokes, too. no humor left in him. there was previously an interaction where rachel, like, explicitly told him to keep up the humor because it kept her going, so i think it's interesting that it's specifically right after rachel insists she's not "xena warrior princess" & that in fact she's tired and scared and confused and wants to escape that marco tells her that he's tired of his jokes, too, and is taking her "losing it" as a sign to throw in the towel. he's like...genuinely filling the role of reinforcing and energizing her--who in turn serves as a marker of motivation & their ability to continue fighting--and when she drops the role, so does he. (and being willing to Give Up and take the ellimist's offer has particularly disturbing implications wrt how broken-down he feels given that it was only a bit ago that he was full-send on fighting to free his mother. he evidently sees that as hopeless/impossible now, to the point of being ready to quit and accept that she's just consigned to a fate worse than death forever.)

cassie it does not look like deviates from her general role Particularly explicitly here, but i do think it's noteworthy that she's going from mediating to just reaaaally starting to firmly argue a point. and specifically the point of trying to escape, at that.

[thecuriousquest]

You Know You Love it Part Nine

Yandere KiriBaku x Reader

Tag List: @issamomma

Warnings: Yandere themes, heavy angst, little bit of fluff, graphic sexual scenes, anal sex, sadism, dominance, submission, masochism, slapping, spanking, violence, degradation

Summary: You watch your bullies flirting with another girl. After everything, your fists clench with fury. How will you react? What will become of your relationship with Bakugou and Kirishima? Will you find the answers you’re looking for?

Checkout my Master List here.

Part Eight here

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You see them talking to a girl, and you feel jealous. Sure, you three have never explicitly talked before about what the fuck you are to them. You know one of their rules is you belong to them, but does it work the other way around? You know they would never belong to you since you have no dominance over them, but aren’t you at least something to them? Still, you don’t understand why they’re paying attention to this other girl. You’re so mad at them, beyond pissed. What are the three of you?

Your niceness washes away as you walk up to the girl. “Hey!” You drop all of your textbooks, except for one. “They’re mine, you skank!” Hitting her across the face with the thick book, you send her flying to the ground. You’re about to kick her while she’s down before Katsuki picks you up around your waist.

“The hell are you doing?!”

Kirishima helps the girl up, and she bolts in the opposite direction. He gives Bakugou a sharp look, trying to convey something without actually saying it.

He seems to get it. “Meet us back in my room,” Katsuki tells him as he carries you off to his dorm with you kicking and demanding to be put down the entire way.

He pins you face down on the bed once he gets there. “If you don’t calm your ass right now, I’ll beat it into an oblivion. Hey!” His palm cracks down against your bottom. “Listen when I’m talking to you!”

Crying out in pain, you sink into the mattress, trying to show him that you’re trying to settle down. Your shoulders still shake with rage, but you blink away the tears that are beginning to form.

Eijiro walks into the room half an hour later.

“You take care of it?” Bakugou asks.

“Yeah, it’s all good.” He responds. “Let her up so we can talk.”

“You sure? Might be better to talk like this.”

“Yeah, I need to talk to her face to face.”

Shrugging, Katsuki lets you up. You slap Kirishima across the face, and not playfully. “Why do you keep doing this to me? Toying with me? What the hell is the matter with you two?!”

He hits you back just as hard. Lacing fingers through your hair, he pulls your head into his chest. “We really have to tame that temper of yours.”

Bakugou licks his lips with anticipation.

“No!” You shout at them. “I want to talk to you bastards!”

Bakugou smacks your ass ruffly, pulling up your skirt. He runs a hand across your flesh. “Little Mouse, you know that’s not how things work around here.”

You pound your fists against Kirishima’s chest, although it has no impact on him. He still remains unmoving, and if you didn’t just turn his cheek red, he would be cooing at your attempts to escape his grip.

“I hate you! I hate you both so much! I hate everything! I hate what you do to me, how you make me feel! For fuck’s sake, I hit someone today over you! I hurt somebody!”

“You hit her over us? Why?”

“Because you were flirting with her! I saw Katsuki touch her hair! I saw the way you looked at her! Fucking let go of me!”

Your voice is becoming shrill with your screams, but you don’t care. You have a right to feel angry. You can’t take not knowing what you are to them in their eyes anymore.

“Why? Why would you do that to me? Why?!” You don’t think you have the energy left to stand anymore. It feels like there’s a weight in your chest, making it hard to think clearly as you begin to feel the beginning of a headache.

“We weren’t doing anything to you.” Katsuki looks at Kirishima. “Should we tell her?”

“We kind of have to now.”

The blonde huffs in frustration. “We were trying to get her to ask you what you want for your birthday. We wanted it to be a surprise. She got…touchy. She thought we were trying to come onto her. It wasn’t like that, though.”

“But you were touching her hair,” you whimper under Kirishima’s tight grip.

“She put my hand on her hair. She wanted me to compliment how soft it was. Said if I did that, then she’d do what we want.”

“I only left because I had to hunt the bitch down and bribe her so she wouldn’t get you in trouble. Fucking gobbled up my money like a troll,” Kirishima explains.

“Wait, so…you weren’t flirting?”

“No, we weren’t flirting.”

You break right in front of them. Your face presses further into the redhead. This ache in your heart hurts deeply, wounds your soul. Your knees give out underneath you, and Kirishima let’s go of your hair, catching you under your arms. He pulls you up against him, trying to get a sense of what’s wrong as sobs overwhelm you.

“Hey, calm down before you make yourself sick,” Katsuki tells you, resting a hand on your shoulder.

On a heave, you squeeze your eyes shut and ask them, “W-what a-a-are w-we th-then?”

“Well, we’re your owners, and you’re our Little Mouse.”

You shake your head. That’s not good enough of an answer. “Are w-we t-together?” You want more of a confirmation, no, you need it. It hurts not knowing the answer.

“Well, yeah, in a way. You’re not allowed to date other guys, and we don’t date other girls.”

Katsuki brings you over to the bed so that you can sit down on his lap. “Listen, shut up for a second. Did you really not know we’re exclusive?”

You shake your head.

He tsks at you. “I guess we’re gonna have to teach you another lesson. Gonna have to stuff that pussy with our cocks. Gonna have to make you come on our mouths. Sluts like you need to know their place. Can’t have you going around not knowing who you belong to.” He wipes your tears with two fingers before pushing them into your mouth. “Maybe we need to finally claim that tight ass.”

You wriggle on his lap, uncertain if you want anyone going through your back door but wet over the idea of it.

“What do you think, Kirishima? Think today’s the day we fuck her ass?”

His smile is salacious as he walks over to you, stripping you of your shirt. “Hell yeah!”

Caught in a mouse trap, they rid you of your clothes until you’re naked on Bakugou’s lap. You don’t even try to cover yourself. You kiss Kirishima while Katsuki plays with your clit. You whimper and squirm a little when his fingers brush against your sweet spot.

Suddenly, you’re bent over the bed. You feel hands massaging and kneading your vulnerable flesh. Smacking, caressing, you moan under each familiar touch, every rough grab.

You suck in a breath when one of them prods your hole. It’s…so different. You can’t exactly relax. Clenching up, you turn and see Kirishima trying to make his way into your backside.

Biting your bottom lip, you meet his crude stare.

“Face forward and relax. We’re gonna make you feel real good in a second. Trust us.”

And you do. You trust them to take care of your needs. They always do.

As Katsuki whispers naughty and degrading things in your ear, Kirishima gathers the arousal from your pussy and uses it as a lubricant for your asshole. You should be grateful he’s taking the time to prepare you.

“Look at you, being our good little slut.” He rubs your back, relaxing you further into the mattress. “Be good for Kirishima. You can be his tough little whore. Let him fuck you stupid.”

You moan as something bigger begins to work its way inside of you. Your fists clench the sheets as you will your thighs to not clench up. Kirishima is actually claiming your last hole, just as Katsuki first claimed your pussy. You know Bakugou is going to take a turn after so that they both can claim your territory. You wonder if it will be any different. For now, Kirishima is being a little gentle with you. You wonder if Katsuki will be rough.

Fuck that though. Eijiro is picking up the pace with his fucking. His hips thrust into you harder, and his hand curls around your locks.

Bakugou’s hand moves from your back to underneath you, playing with your clit just as he was earlier. It makes you even wetter. You’re begging for both of them not to stop, to keep going but to go even harder. You want them to be hard asses with you, rougher than they’ve ever been before.

“Hurt me! Please! Fucking hurt-” you’re cut off by a hand wrapping around your throat. There’s still a hand in your hair. Your eyes are screwed shut so tightly that you can’t get them to open. You have no idea who is doing what to you anymore. All you know is that you fucking love it. The power they have over you, the pure dominance they exude, it makes your core sing and buzz with heat.

One of them works on spanking your ass red. It hurts, but it feels amazing. You try and press further into Kirishima, trying to feel every ounce of pain you can. You’re no longer able to hear Katsuki, no longer able to hear Kirishima’s primitive grunts.

All you hear is your own voice but distantly. You’re crying, not in pain, in pure joy. Extreme ecstasy consumes your entirety. Collapsing against the bed, you feel Eijiro pound you for a few more moments before finishing inside of you.

“She came before you. Wonder if she’ll do that with me.”

“Only one way to find out.”

Katsuki plummets into you with no warning. This is entirely different from how Eijiro fucked your lights out. The redhead started out gentle and built up. The blonde is going at such an aggressive pace, you aren’t even able to think anymore after having just come so hard.

Your cry is masochistic, feeling the pain from his violent thrusts but wanting more. You feel insatiable with his cock in you, you need his come as well coating your walls. You need to feel the essense of both your bullies mixing together inside of you. It’s the only thing you want right now: to have both of them claim your last hole.

With your eyes closed, you grab onto something. It feels like an arm. It might be Kirishima’s. You can’t tell with how badly Katsuki is fucking you. “Please, please, please?” You mutter. You’re not even sure what it is you’re begging for. Do you want him to go harder, faster, more feral, all three?

You didn’t even know he could, but he does. He’s able to figure out what you want without you telling him, and suddenly you’re rocking into the mattress, drooling and gasping.

Tears roll down your cheeks in sexual release. You come all over the sheets, not giving one fuck about the mess.

He bruises your hips by gripping them so hard. You’re helpless underneath him, but it’s where you belong, right underneath Katsuki Bakugou and Eijiro Kirishima.

It doesn’t take long before Katsuki fills you up just as his friend did earlier. He huffs, pulling out of you. He stretches as he stands up, looking at your red flesh.

“We beat her ass pretty good.” Bakugou caresses your cherry red butt.

“She likes it. Little Mouse, you like having a sore bottom?”

You nod, but you can’t find it in you to answer properly. With your tongue hanging out, you look at Kirishima through heavy lashes. You’re not exactly sure what you’re agreeing to because you didn’t actually hear them, but you’re pretty sure you would have agreed even if you did.

“Oh, yeah, we definitely fucked her stupid.” Katsuki pats your rear a few times before helping you stand up. “Let’s get you to the shower, alright?”

You whine. “Wanna sleep!”

“You can sleep later, brat.”

Naked, you let them lead you to the showers.

You don’t return to Katsuki’s room. Instead, they take you back to Eijiro’s since Katsuki’s sheets aren’t exactly clean. Noticing how tired you are, they put you in the middle of the rather large bed before taking place on either side of you. You feel so safe in between them.

“Have you finally learned your lesson, Little Mouse?” Katsuki asks you.

You nod in response. “Yes, Master.”

“Good girl. We don’t want to have to reteach it anytime soon.” Kirishima says with a tint of authority in his voice.

“You won’t, Daddy.” A light blush crosses your face, and you fall asleep with ease.

This is the end of this series. I hope you enjoyed! 🖤🤘

[signanothername]

Hi! I love your rescue bots art and I was wondering who your favorite bot was?

Hello!! Thank you sm! <333

Ngl the show’s characters are so amazing that it genuinely is hard to say for sure, but I’d say Heatwave!!

Prepare for a ramble >:)

I already have a soft spot for grumpy characters and he falls into that category, but i genuinely love how the writers balanced his character so well that you don’t hate him for his gruffness, he’s that trope of “asshole with a heart of gold™”

The thing is, Heatwave isn’t fully a jerk either, he respects authoritarian figures, gives people credit where it’s due and has a sporting spirit and you can tell he cares deeply about the people he loves, but loves to put on a front (especially when it comes to kids)

He does have a bit of an ego but he knows when to keep it in check (basically doesn’t let his ego get in the way of his rescue work or uses it as an excuse to hurt people’s feelings)

In fact i’d say outta the rescue bots he’s the one who has faith in his family the most when it comes to knowing they can handle themselves, he’s the only one who doesn’t think Dani’s test pilot work is a big deal and explicitly states she knows her job and can handle herself, not that the others’ worries are out of place, it’s just that, for someone like him who’s overprotective, it’s nice to see him have so much faith

We can also see how much of a worrier he is in the “changes” episode, he doesn’t wanna leave the team cause he’s worried about them (and to me, it seems as tho he really doesn’t wanna seperate from them) but i believe that worry is less about him believing they can’t take care of themselves and more tied to his overprotective nature, he was worried they’d get hurt and he wouldn’t be there to protect them

He takes his job seriously both as a rescue bot and as a leader and takes responsibility for any shortcomings or reckless behavior that could’ve endangered people and i actually respect that a lot, cause most hotheaded characters are written in a way that they always think they’re in the right, which Heatwave doesn’t, his character breaks away from that usual writing and you’re presented with a hothead who actually takes responsibility for his actions which is really refreshing to see

The only times we see Heatwave acting recklessly is when he’s sure no one would get hurt, so it’s really funny to see for a hothead like him, cause he actually stops and thinks twice most of the time

All that aside, I do love when he acts like a jerk at times, they’re usually comedy gold moments, that one scene of him making fun of Blades cause of the scoop claw and when Cody gets upset with him, Heatwave literally tells Boulder and Chase “you guys never know when to stop do you?” Like MY MAN THAT WAS MOSTLY ALL YOU DHHDGDGDHHD (we here at signanothername do not condone bullying, we do however find it hilarious /j)

His character contrasts so well with Kade’s too and the two’s relationship is honestly so amazing aaaahxhdhdh

But what i love the most is the fact you can clearly see he grows as the show goes on, most his moments of him being a jerk are at the beginning of the series, later down the line he’s a lot more considerate and gentle, still acts like a jerk sometimes (cause he’s HW come on) but it’s a lot less than when in the beginning of the series

Not only that but how homesick he is and how Earth and Griffin Rock grow on him overtime, he starts very (and I mean VERY) angry, very not on board with staying, hell, he wants to leave in the first episode, but it’s so nice to see his struggle with accepting earth as his new home, and while I wholeheartedly believe everyone struggled through the same thing, they were prepared to look for their peace in their new home, Heatwave wasn’t at peace and he was very vocal about it

That’s why, the episode “Space Bots” is one of my favorites in the entirety of the series, aside the fact it’s a fun and unique episode, it’s the episode Heatwave finally calls Earth “home” and ngl it actually made me tear up a bit

Just THIS SCENE MAN (I love Blades’ big smile at Heatwave at the end, Blades is so proud of HW chhcc)

Obviously to someone who never watched the show the scene seems mundane at best, but to someone very invested in the story and characters? (Cough me cough) it was such a heartwarming scene, Heatwave finally finding some internal peace and calling it home??? 10/10 crying and screaming

Of course, he still struggles, as we clearly see with the Allspark day episode in S3, he refuses to celebrate it cause he doesn’t see himself as part of the community yet, yes he accepted Earth as his new home but there’s still that dissonance between him and the people in Griffin Rock

So it’s genuinely interesting to see his journey towards finally feeling at peace and finding himself among the community he lives with

I love when the bots finally revealed themselves as aliens rather than robots in S4, Heatwave was very apprehensive about it, really scared to do so even when he’s grown fond of the community, so you can imagine my absolute joy at the absolute shock Heatwave displayed when the people of Griffin rock immediately accepted them and were very excited about it

LIKE LOOK AT HIM HE CANT BELIEVE HIS OPTICS

And much, much more I can talk about but we’d be here for days hdhxhdhhd

Anyway I’m done rambling have this Heatwave sketch <3

[tabithatwo]

there's a reason that so many people are intensely anxious about whether yellowjackets decides to keep classifying jackie and shauna a "vague teen-girl homoerotic-ish friendship" or to follow through and cement what that type of relationship actually is and actually means. and i've seen a lot of conversation about why it doesn't matter and if it doesn't matter to you, then i'm so happy for you (and jealous of you L O L) but if you're curious to understand WHY it matters fucking DEEPLY to so many people, gather around and buckle up while i attempt to explain it

first let me tell you why we're all acting like animals with lesbian-television induced zoochosis as we wait for 2.02: all signs point to this episode being the big one for jackie in particular (and for jackie and shauna as a relationship), so there's an assumption that the teased makeup scene is in this episode. that scene is what a lot hinges on.

(if you are on board with the narrative arc and already set on the make or break moment of that scene, you can skip ahead to NOW MY FINAL ACTUAL POINT a few paragraphs down)

there's been a distinct narrative arc ramping up to a big reveal (i already have very strange and mixed feelings about sexuality being used a reveal, but for a character like shauna, in a show intentionally meant to capture the tricks we play on ourselves in our minds, i would be absolutely on board with it) that said, the moment is now.

since the pilot, we've been on this journey of shauna's sexuality. sex is central to her character in a way that it isn't to any of the others. we meet her in 2021 masturbating on her daughter's bed, she goes on to have an affair with adam, we explore her boredom in her sex life with jeff, we see it improve post affair/murder. in 96 she has sex with jeff in the pilot, she grapples with the results of that sex for the rest of the season, she's quickly on board with the orgy/murder/shroom fest. (there's more to her and sexuality - rabbits representing her and jackie etc, but that's another post for another time.) suffice to say, sexuality is central to shauna.

in 2.01 shauna's sexuality is again central and even more explicitly sapphic/jackie central. "the thought of you with someone else always scared me. but it also turned me on. someone else's tongue in your mouth. their smell on you. I used to think that made me some kind of pervert." this show is smart. it's thoughtful. that's why we love it. giving us this line in 2.01, after showing shauna watch him with only one other person in the entire show (jackie in 1.01) is not an accident.

likewise, "say it" used in 2.01 by hallucination/ghost jackie, paralleling shauna's "say it" in 1.01 (asking jeff to say he loved her) is not accidental.

(gifs from 2.01 from @yellowjacketsgifs)

this show is very thoughtfully and intentionally weaving the jackie shauna romantic, sexual, obsessive love threads. i'm not going to go into exploring every moment between them that is sapphic (there are plenty of threads doing that, most people who follow me have seen it and understand it, i'm operating on the assumption that the people interested in this post understand that already).

2.01 gives us adult shauna referencing sexual arousal related to jackie. it then shows her being fucked by jeff in front of a painting of herself that is disfigured and decaying. and finally, we get the confirmation that shauna is cannibalizing jackie in 96 (leading to jackie's own disfiguration and decay). we've been led to understand shauna as a sexually driven and deviant character, and a lingering almost-reveal in 96 to jackie's corpse/hallucination/ghost hangs over us.

if this confession doesn't happen, if they walk back the gay, if they refuse to cement the realness of their romantic, sexual love in this moment, it's hard to understand why they'd build this perfect narrative arc just to ignore it and go on to cement it with something else later. anything is possible, but it really lends itself to a forever vague depiction. confession may be too narrow of a word, but what it encapsulates to me is something that you cannot ignore even if you want to - an i love you, a kiss, an i wanted you and i couldn't have you. (even the beginning of one of these, followed by an interruption that delays this heightened narrative arc would mean not losing hope.)

there have been constant interviews with the writers walking the gay back and forth, acknowledging and dismissing it in the same breath, and if that's happening to mask a reveal coming at the peak of this arc, then that makes sense. but if that's the language being used and no reveal is coming, it feels that this is the language we will always get for them.

NOW MY FINAL ACTUAL POINT- it fucking matters if they keep it vague. yes, that's how it goes in a lot of real life relationships like this. yes, it's common for young sapphics to have these relationships and never call them what they are. but that's the very fucking point i'm making.

these "friendships" do not happen to straight girls. i've seen some people say "i'm a lesbian, but even i had platonic friendships like this." and to that i say, i also didn't understand that straight girls don't do this shit for a long time. but they don't. there is no homoerotic tension in a friendship between two heterosexuals.

but women are told time and time again that there is. that everyone thinks girls are pretty. that all female friendship is just intense like that. that it's a part of growing up. and it's gaslighting. it's a thing we tell young girls to keep them in a box, to force them into comphet, to push their feelings down and away, to not rock the boat. it runs so deep we don't always realize we're doing it.

saying it's fine because there are cemented canon lesbians in the show is a cop out. and i understand the urge to say it - we're used to taking the scraps we can get from lesbian media and saying thank you. we don't bite the hand that feeds us, because not much food is coming. and i'm thrilled that i'm watching acknowledged lesbians on my screen, that i get to see their relationships. i love tai and van and tai and simone. but that doesn't fix this. saying be happy with what you got doesn't make sense here. this isn't a situation where jackie and shauna read as straight and viewers are trying to mash them together with no cause. if you think that, i really don't know what show you're watching. it's clear, it's intentional, it's direct.

and so many sapphic women have been constantly told, both in media and in their real lives, that what they had or have with women was less real because it was complicated. was less real because comphet or bisexuality or confusion existed along side it. was less real because they don't look or seem gay. because they never called it what it was. because they were young.

that, in media, it's enough to watch two girls engage in sapphic love without ever calling it that. without showing the audience what it was explicitly. masking it the same way society does and allowing for room to argue that it was platonic. that, in real life, it's enough to experiment. to think quietly about your attraction to women. to smother it, because every woman feels that way.

shauna is the pinnacle of comphet. everything about her screams it. and that's never an accident in creating a character. it includes nuanced and intense depictions. to pretend that it isn't possible for a show this smart to cement the reality of their relationship, while allowing shauna to retain the repression that comes with it as a characters is silly.

they can call it what it is in a million ways. and they are tight-roping the line so very carefully, leaving a small scrap of doubt. if they don't tip it over that line, it's intentionally holding shauna and jackie, both as individuals and together, in the purgatory hell that so many women who see themselves in these character have had to claw their way out of.

and the prospect of that from a show that you love, a show that knows how to depict lesbianism and sapphic love when it wants to, a show that is intentionally curating this entire dynamic in jackie and shauna, is painful.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Uh, listen, I talked to Isabel, and from what she said, it's clear you're a kinesthetic learner, which just means that you need to listen while you're being active in order to absorb things. There's no shame in it. Really. Honestly, it's probably why you excel at being a cop.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 2.02 - The Night General

Not going to lie : Lucy making an audiobook for Tim might be my favourite moment of theirs. Maybe because they were still in the early stages of their relationship, when it was still undefined, when they were more than mere TO/rookie, but not quite friends yet, which added to the beauty of this scene.

It's the way she casually says she recorded an audiobook for him, like it's no big deal at all. Since she had it ready merely one day after Grey gave him the book, that means she probably spent most of her evening/night reading it… after her shift! And it's the way she - still casually - mentions talking to his ex-wife, the one she only spoke to once and not in the best setting, just so she could confirm her suspicion about his learning style. This is such a deeply personal moment. And we can see that she's a bit nervous about it. Interestingly, we don't immediately see Tim's reaction to the recording itself : the focus is all on Lucy. Even with the lighting : the gym is dimly lit, but she's the one in the light while Tim's face is partially in the shadows. One of the best thing in Tim and Lucy's relationship is their special way of making the other feel seen. And it's particularly the case here, when she tells him that what society might call a disability, is actually his strength and not a liability. Those words of affirmation are so important here. With the way Tim abruptly stopped her train of thought earlier in the shop, it's clear that he's self-conscious about this. To Lucy's defense, she was simply processing this new piece of information, without meaning to offend him or make him uncomfortable. But when Lucy brings up both Isabel and his different learning style again, he starts to shut down. That is until she reassures him and he let himself be vulnerable and let her see it. And he looks so pleased at her compliment. Pleased and bashful. His grin at the end, once he starts the recording and hears her voice (and teasing words), is so boyish.

And what makes this moment even more special is how it keeps being referenced later, like when Tim turns down an immediate offer of promotion to finish training Lucy (and we find out that Lucy recorded more books for him)… or when he explicitly acknowledges how Lucy played a huge role in helping him score so high in the sergeant's exam...

[alkaysani]

thinking about 9-1-1 and parents and our core characters, starting from season four with toni, season five with ramon, to most recently with mr. han and then the buckleys, and how, no matter how different everyone feels about each one, it all amounted to the same thing: a way forward.

with toni admission of wrongs and full acceptance. not just with hen but with karen as well. we see toni with both hen and karen, reaching a level of understanding that is healing, especially by the end of season five. she flat out tells both hen and karen that she is sorry for missing their wedding, and she recognized that she was just making excuses when truly she was just flat out wrong. there was an ask for forgiveness and an acceptance to do better

with ramon, it was explicit in terms of efforts going forward: ramon doesn't want to miss anymore of eddie's life, at the time where eddie is finally making steps to be better for himself. it was talked about and verbally promised, and was agreed upon by both parties. so we have a father-son relationship that is improving and flourishing in a time where eddie is probably as his most whole, and how that trickles down to christopher, and the healing of that whole family together, shown with eddie going to his father for advice on letting go

with the buckleys, it's a little more one-sided, on both sides. it's clear that the siblings keep them at arms' length, and are very apprehensive of anything good to come out of it. but we as an audience saw genuine care and concern from the buckley parents when buck was in a coma. they were at the hospital the entire time, and we see them on screen being concerned and terrified for him, talking to his doctors. but we never see neither maddie or buck witness of this. everything they know of it, except for the end scene of taking buck off the machines, was hearsay from someone else. and anything they saw before and after was at an almost superficial level, but it was, ultimately better than before

with mr. han, it was all about pride, from start to finish. chimney's olive branch to his father was ultimately because he found out something about his father that the man is still, to that day, too prideful to admit. nothing was said to him explicitly, and in the end it was an excuse, that was extended to chimney by his step-mom. every communication they may have had is assumed, but it ends on a good note, with jee-yun as a balm, as well as an excuse, to keep going on a positive note

with 613, we see toni saying: "don't repeat the mistakes of the past," which is 9-1-1's thesis when it comes to parents and finding a way to move forward

hen (and karen) may have healed their relationship with toni, but the recognition of the effects in hen's life continues. she serves as a constant reminder to not repeat the pass, unabashedly pointing out her prior flaws to ensure that hen is not repeating the same mistakes on denny, and recognizing that denny's needs now may have been what hen needed when she was younger, and ensuring that hen and karen don't make the same mistakes as her

eddie continues to heal and grow as a person, for himself, and this time he has his father as his confidante, dishing out advise and comparing what he had done to what eddie maybe doing and knowing the flaws in the system, allowing eddie to rethink his strategies and keep being better. they are present in each other's lives, not missing another moment

buck and maddie continue to have relationships with their parents, as superficial as it is. they will take the help for the mortgages and the area rug and uncomfortable couches, because that's how it's going to be, and that's okay. they truly found family beyond the buckley parents through their relationships in LA and that'd be the best way for them to keep growing, building their own families within that circle

and with chimney, we got confirmation that it was chimney that made peace with his father, for himself. everything got too heavy and it didn't make sense to keep carrying it around. chimney recognized that there may not be forgiveness because he may never get that apology. there's too much pride involved in both parties, and in the end, in order to move forward, sometimes you just have to do what's best for you. and for chimney is was finally resting away from all that anger and resentment. setting aside his pride so that he does not grow to be the man his father was, to jee-yun

but in the end, they all move forward. 9-1-1 said yes, our parents made mistakes, and it has affected us. the way it has affected us is not our fault, but it is our responsibility to go forward and do better and not repeat the mistakes of the past

and this is one of the reasons why i love this show so much

[astarionsblueundies]

A scene from the wip fic, in which Astarion sees what he can do about making the process of feeding a little more comfortable for his generous friend, Ashe.

Pairing: Tav/Astarion Rating: idk, not E Word Count: ~5,700

(For context, this is after the Act I Gur encounter. Astarion has been consistently feeding on Ashe, but they've otherwise not outwardly expressed any romantic interest apart from his incessant flirting, which Ashe can't trust since he does it with anyone. She's positive her crush on him is quite unrequited.)

Beside the crackling fire, a comfortable silence settles over camp as everyone winds down from a long day of unfortunate but necessary violence and deception. Ashe still doesn’t feel cut out for these things, but she bumbles her way through them nevertheless, and she hasn’t died yet—not permanently, anyway.

Bumbling is better than dead, she supposes.

With another sunset come and gone, she sits cross-legged on her bedroll, fiddling with the corner of a worn page as she reads a fun little tale about life in The Nine Hells. She wasn’t expecting a slice-of-life story when she looted the book off an infernal corpse, but it’s been page-turningly delightful so far. 

Astarion, on the bedroll adjacent to her, flips through his usual much larger and dustier tome. Ashe doubts his is nearly as fun, but she’s curious about it all the same. Someday she’ll ask about it, but for now she’s engrossed in reading about how much chain devils enjoy karaoke.

While some of her other companions usually take advantage of the fire’s warmth to bed down, it looks like it’s just the two of them tonight. The air is still quite warm despite the night’s light breeze, so it seems that most are sticking to their tents.

Ashe doesn’t have one for whatever reason, so fireside it is for her. 

Astarion always chooses fireside as well. He hasn’t said so explicitly, but Ashe suspects he enjoys the heat in the same way a lizard might. She’s positive he wouldn’t appreciate the comparison, so she’s kept this hypothesis to herself. 

As the hour grows late and Ashe’s eyelids grow heavy, all is peaceful for a single, rare moment. So much so that even the low, sudden hum of Astarion’s voice startles her. “I saw that, you know,” he says. 

Ashe snaps up from her book, brows knitting together as she meets his gaze, which is startlingly on her, by the way. She wonders how long it’s been like that. “Wh-what?”

He barely elaborates, “Earlier.”

She blinks, clearing her throat. “Sorry, let me rephrase that… what?”

“Back there with the Gur,” he elaborates more with an incline of his head. “That little move you made—stepping in front of me like some sort of bodyguard.”

“I—” she stalls out, tamping down the wave of heat rushing to her cheeks. He wasn’t supposed to pick up on that. Clearing her throat, she gathers her wits about her and blusters out what she considers a very reasonable retort. “Well of course I did. He was after you. What did you expect, that I’d just step aside and hand you over?”

“Oh, don’t make it sound so ridiculous. I’m sure it’d be tempting for some,” he muses, waving his hand about in the air, “on a platter even.”

“Please. I doubt they even make platters that big. Be reasonable, Astarion,” Ashe scoffs, trying to keep the amusement from her voice as she imagines an entire Astarion folded up cartoonishly on an oversized platter with an apple stuffed into his mouth. A little garnish on his hiney. “Regardless, no. It wasn’t all that tempting. Despite your concerning penchant for chaos, I happen to want to keep you around. So yes, I stepped between you two.”

“Mm. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted, dear.” Judging by the look on his face, it’s definitely the former. He loves this. “You don’t think I can handle a single Gur?”

She gives him a tired look. “It’s not about that.”

“No? Do tell. What’s it about then?” Of course he wants her to indulge him.

“I-I don’t know, Astarion,” she huffs, marking her page with a dog-eared fold and clapping the book shut in her lap. “I didn’t really think about it, I just kinda moved, okay?”

Did she mention he loves this?

His brow arches and his face settles into something charmingly arrogant–which is annoying, by the way. 

“Oh? Feeling a bit protective, are we?”

To deny it outright would be silly at this point. Best to just be difficult about it, Ashe decides. 

She takes a beat to stare before clicking her tongue. “Perhaps. Is that acceptable to you?” she asks, feigning concern like she’s just performed some sort of grave clerical error. “I can certainly refrain from all protective or otherwise favorable behaviors towards you in the future, if you so wish.”

He smiles and lingers an amused look on her. “No, no. I suppose I’ll allow it.”

“My, so very gracious of you. Thank you, Astarion. Thank you so much for letting me shield you from monster hunters and whatever other scary things might come crawling after you.”

“You’re most welcome, darling,” he hums, looking pleased as blood punch with himself. “I suppose it was rather cute, in a way. You volunteering to be my darling little meatshield.”

“Yes, well, just so you know, if a Shadowheart hunter showed up, I’d have stepped in front of her too. There are plenty of people I would meatshield.”

“Ah,” he pouts—dramatically so, “and for a moment there you had me thinking I was special.”

“Oh, I could tell. Hence my clarification.” With a shake of her head, she shrugs and lets out an overly apologetic sigh. “I’m sorry to say, Astarion, but you’re entirely ordinary. Not special. Boring even. It simply can’t be helped.”

“Boring,” he balks with an incredulous laugh before angling his head to tip low. Like this, his crimson eyes glint playfully in the shadow of his brow as he levels a dangerous look at her. A certain predatory quality seeps into his words, smooth and low. “Do you find it dull whenever my teeth sink into your neck as you slumber, dear?”

“Dull? Oh, no. No, I find that quite sharp, actually,” Ashe retorts, blinking at him innocently, tamping down an expectant little smile because she knows just how much he loves a stupid play on words.

And by ‘loves’ she means ‘despises eternally’.

He does indeed look offended, which pleases her greatly. “You think yourself pretty clever, don’t you?”

She hums thoughtfully. “I’d consider myself a medium amount of clever, depending on the day. Why do you ask? Oh dear,” she clutches her hypothetical pearls, “was that too close to a pun for your liking?”

“Entirely,” he deadpans, not quite keeping his smirk at bay.

“I’ll admit, it was low-hanging fruit. I was feeling a bit audacious. In my defense, you do make it fun.”

“So my suffering amuses you, does it?”

“Only when I inflict it,” Ashe clarifies. “Anyone else will be immolated, of course.”

“I see. Well,” he pauses, fingers idly pulling across and playing with his bottom lip as he watches her intently, clearly enjoying himself in their little back-and-forth, “any more of this rampant audacity and I may have to take drastic measures. Best be careful, darling.” 

“Oh, that shouldn’t be necessary,” she assures with the utmost confidence and a pat of the book in her lap. “I think I got it out of my system. I doubt I’ll blight this world with another pun until tomorrow morning at least.”

“Do try then, dear,” he says, his tenor slipping into something dreadfully concerned. “I’d hate to have to bleed you dry tonight.”

“Ah, the price of a pun?”

“Steep, I’m afraid. Delicious too, but that’s beside the point.”

With a soft smile, she just looks him over for a thoughtful moment. “You know, Astarion, I will give you this.” He holds her gaze with amused anticipation and a raised brow. “That truly is a remarkable talent you have—making death threats sound so very charming.”

“Mm, you flatter me, dear. My years of experience are finally paying off.”

“Yeah, yeah—masterful delivery,” she yawns, setting her book aside and tugging off her outer layer of clothing to get ready for bed. The shirt that remains beneath is a simple cotton tank top. It reveals her neck and the faintest of wounds from the night before—mostly healed now due to a cure wounds cast on her during the day’s battles.

She can practically feel the weight of his gaze on it though. How it lingers there like he’s counting the beat of her pulse, now more rapid than it had been only a moment ago. As much as she enjoys and has grown comfortable with his company, he still manages to make her nervous with just a look sometimes.

Earlier in the evening she’d told him he could ‘visit’ her that night, and he graciously took her up on the offer as he always does. 

With his very elven lineage, he doesn’t really sleep. He simply rests in a state of deep meditation for about four or so hours, and gets up refreshed, good as new—she’s jealous, by the way. It’s usually at that point in the night that he wakes her, by way of opening a vein. Not the most pleasant of wakeups, she’ll admit.

He’s gotten much better at knowing when enough is enough at least. Credit where credit is due, or something.

“Did you want to just do this now?” Ashe hesitates to ask, looking over at him. She knows it’s early, but this way she can sleep through the night unbitten. This way, she can be more aware during it. 

Why she wants to be is something she doesn’t dwell on too much. The answer might prove concerning on a personal level. Ashe likes to ignore that level.

“Hm?” He blinks, humming in questioning like he didn’t quite catch what she said, mind elsewhere.

Her small fingers climb up her shoulder and find the strap of her tank top. She pulls it to the side and lolls her head the opposite direction, neck elongating. A delicate curve with a thumping pulse. Keeping her eyes on him—tired as they are—she says, “I just figured now seemed as good a time as any? The camp is quiet. You… did want to feed, didn’t you?”

Realization quickly gives way to a look of heady satisfaction on Astarion. Anticipation. She is offering herself to him, albeit early, and the expression on his face alone tells her yes, he’s appreciative of this. “Of course, of course, far be it for me to deny your… generosity. I was simply taken aback by the early hour is all.”

“I—I mean it’s not a big deal either way,” she says quickly. “If you wanted to wait for some reason, that’s fine. I just figured since everyone seems to be asleep or occupied anyway, we could just do it now. Sometimes waking up like that can be, mm… a little jarring?”

“Oh?” This actually puts a crease between his brow as his eyes flit over her. It’s almost unnerving, the rare occasions his concern seems genuine like this.

“Which is fine!” Ashe fumbles to assure. “It’s nothing I haven’t agreed to.”

His head tilts to the side, eyes appraising her carefully now. Studying her. “Should I be going about it differently, darling?”

“I… I don’t know… maybe? I wouldn’t mind trying something else, anyway,” she admits, picking at her cuticles. “I-I think if I were a little more alert when you actually bit me, it might be less, erm, alarming?”

“Well, I certainly don’t mean for you to be awoken in a fright. I’ve only done it the way I have for the sake of discretion and timeliness for you, but I’m more than happy to… revise the process—with your input, of course.”

“Okay,” Ashe agrees. “Thank you, I—yeah, we can try that.”

“Good.” He smiles. “Now, how would you like me to go about it then?”

Ashe blinks at him. “I—" Her brain is entirely, annoyingly blank. As it turns out, knowing what she doesn’t want and knowing what she does want are two very different things. “I’m… not sure...?”

Astarion hums in consideration, gears turning behind those luminous eyes of his. “Well, how about this,” he proposes, setting his own book aside. “Why don’t you lie down. Get yourself all cozy and relaxed as if you were asleep, and we can work through some options together. I do have some thoughts. Think of it as a little… oh, I don’t know, a roleplay exercise.”

“A-Alright,” she agrees with a nod, swallowing thickly as she lies back, not entirely sure what he means, but trusts that he knows what he’s doing. “Yeah. That’s—okay, yeah. That sounds like a good idea, I think.” 

“You’re going to hurt my ego sounding so surprised like that, you know.” He gives her a chastising look as he moves languidly to position himself over her.

She’d normally have something borderline rude and/or snappy to retort with. Your ego is that fragile, is it? But right now, he’s leaning far too close for her brain to function on that level. “Sorry,” is all she manages in a whisper, not quite able to look him in the eye.

He lets a breath of a laugh from his nose, looking down at her. “Not to criticize your form, dear, but I’ve seen split lumber more relaxed than this.”

“I’m sorry—I just,” she huffs, grumbly in her admission, “You’re making me nervous. I don’t know.”

“Nervous?” he chuckles quietly, settling in even closer. “There’s no need for that. Your job is simple. I’ll be making some… suggestions, and all your pretty little self needs to do is decide if they suit your liking.”

Her mouth slants to the side as she chews on her cheek, regarding him and not feeling like he’s being terribly disingenuous right now, which is nice. “That’s all?” she questions.

“That’s all. You have my word.”

“Okay,” she breathes, letting the tension leave her as best she can.

“Much better. Now, you don’t normally sleep with your eyes open, if I recall correctly?”

After a quick indignant huff, she shuts her eyes.

Leaning over her, he keeps himself propped up. “Keep them closed,” he murmurs. “For as long as you think you’d stay asleep, keep them closed, darling.”

She says nothing, just continues to lie still in response. The small, approving hum in his throat makes her think it’s the correct response.

“Now…” he whispers, shifting to hover over her even more. “What if I let you know that I was here like this… with a little gentle pressure.” His movements have a cat-like grace as he swings a leg over her, his knee finding purchase in the space between hers. He settles atop her with a saccharine promise, “Nothing painful. Just my body to yours.”

Ashe does all she can to stay calm, lips pressed together tightly, a measured breath shaking out of her nose. Because right now his thigh presses to a spot between her legs and it’s talking all of her to resist the instinct to move against it. To push her hips up and find relief on that leather-clad thigh of his.

A way to ease the fire suddenly burning inside her.

“Well?” Astarion murmurs, and his face is so close to her ear now. “Are we okay with this so far?”

Ashe has to swallow before deciding to just nod. She worries too much about how she’ll sound. What her voice might give away.

“Good,” he purrs, lips just ghosting over the shell of her ear. “You know, I usually try to stay off you as much as possible, but this position gives me much better leverage.”

He takes a moment to inhale slowly. Deeply. Is he… smelling her? If so, the satisfied exhale he looses makes her think he likes it. Nosing at the crook of her jaw, he coaxes it to tilt to the side, leaving her neck undeniably exposed to him. 

“There,” he breathes, “that’s perfect.”

Ashe can’t help it. She cracks her eyes open to look up at him. He’s staring down at her just as she suspected, and a smirk crawls across his face as he notices her peek.

“Surely that wasn’t enough to wake you yet, my dear,” he questions.

“I… don’t know.” Her voice is small and airy. Her tongue moves behind her lips in an attempt to find to moisture.

“Well then,” he contemplates aloud, eyes like perfect jewels as the reflection of embers shine within them. “I suppose I’ll just have to continue until you do, hm?” 

Her stare latches onto his for a moment longer, wondering what exactly she’s getting herself into, and moreover, if it’s worth it. With a reluctant nod she apparently decides it is, closing her eyes once again.

“Here’s what I’m thinking…” Astarion dips down. She can feel each whisper of breath against the thin skin of her neck. “I’ll linger here like this. Let you feel my weight. Let it slowly rouse you.” He settles further as if to make a point and— 

Gods… Gods above, does he realize where his thigh is? Can he understand what it’s doing to her? 

He continues on as if he doesn’t, she’s not so sure about that though. There’s something dark in his voice that straddles the line of hunger and fed. Something insatiable.

“Then… I’ll let you know where I’ll be biting you. Mark the spot, so to speak… no surprises, on my word.” Astarion leans in, hovering over the curve of her neck. Her breathing halts entirely as she waits in nervous anticipation. His tenor sinks low, hardly even a whisper, “Right here, darling.” He punctuates it with a slow, sweet press of his lips to her rabbiting pulse.

And this… this is the thing that makes her breath hitch. 

It’s slight. She keeps it contained in her nose, holding it there tensely. Her hand moves on its own, twitching to grab at his arm as if to steady herself, despite laying flat and still already. 

His lips quirk at this. She can feel them against her, stretching into a smarmy little smirk like he’s just won a bet. 

He lingers a moment like this—his cool skin somehow searing like a hot brand against her—and pulls away ever so slightly. “That’s good, just like that, darling,” he murmurs, the simple praise flooding her face and, um, other areas… with a rush of heat. “You hold onto me and keep quiet. I’ll go on, and… once you feel awake. Once you feel… ready for me,” his voice dips into this low, almost-purr, “you just give my arm a squeeze. That’ll be our signal.”

Ashe takes a deep breath through her nose. For a moment she thinks it’s fine. She can do this. Tamp down whatever bodily reactions are rapidly swelling within her. Sort them out later. Alone.

But then he moves back in and opens his mouth against her neck and—

Composure be damned.

The gentle scrape of canines raises goosebumps across her flesh like brail, and she prays he cannot read whatever it says about her. It runs an undeniable shiver down her spine that she only manages to partially subdue and—ah, his tongue, what the hells is his tongue doing?!

It presses to her pulse unabashedly. Flattens soft and lavs it as if begging for entry. Priming her.

Ashe’s breath stutters out in such a way that makes her chest jump with erratic little spasms. She tries so hard to subdue them with only mediocre success.

His teeth tease at what’s to come as he continues to lavish her neck with sweet, suckling affections. It’s like he’s drinking from her already, but no skin is broken yet. This part isn’t for him.

It’s as he said, he’s just marking the spot.

She nearly lets slip a hot, panting breath. Nearly.

Don’t make this weird. Don’t make this weird. Don’t make this weird.

Her lips press into a tight line, forcing a stuttering exhale from her nose instead. No embarrassing sounds allowed. No, sir. She is sleeping—or pretending to anyway—not panting like a dog in heat, thank you very much.

Oh, but it’s taking everything. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he seems amused by her resistance. Like she’s just posed a fun, unexpected challenge, and oh, how he loves a challenge.

Humming low and quiet against her, he sounds coaxing. Soothing. He sucks and nips at her flesh tenderly like he knows she’s fighting to stay in control, and he wants to assure her it’s just fine to lose it.

With a hand laid on his bicep, her fingers curl around it, but don’t quite grasp. She should though, right? Squeeze him? Surely him sucking on her neck like this would be enough to rouse her, as he would say, then he can proceed to drink and they can be done.

But Gods, she doesn’t want to be done.

The way his body feels pressed to hers... His thigh still tempting her hips to roll up just to see what it would feel like. How very kind he’s being with that tongue that so often only gives a lashing. 

She’s never felt a thing like this.

So she should stop him, yeah, but she doesn’t. It’s a selfish thing, to want more of this honeyed feeling pooling deep in her abdomen and spreading warm throughout. But he’s always telling her to be more selfish, so….

The weight of his body blankets her even more. Even heavier. He settles atop her further. It should be suffocating, but instead it feels… safe?

Is that stupid? Feeling especially safe beneath the vampire spawn charlaton about to feed from her? 

Yeah, probably. But it doesn’t matter because just then he shifts. His thigh rubs deliciously against the heat between her legs and—ah… ahm—

She realizes with no small amount of horror that this little slip of a noise, barely a breath on the breeze, has come from her. 

Worse yet, her hips move on their own, tip up to meet the broad plane of his thigh without so much as a fleeting thought. It’s a shy response. Experimental. A barely-there lift of her hips, just wondering at how it might feel.

Very good, by the way.

By the Gods, she needs to get a hold of herself. Shoot some frantic prayers to Tymora. If Ashe is lucky, Astarion will just assume all that was simply her, y’know, adjusting herself or something. As one does. All normal things.

And if she’s really lucky, she won’t do it again.

The last thing she needs is Astarion realizing the intensity of this ridiculous, unrequited crush she has on him. The absolute fool she is for him. How his mouth humming and lapping at her neck has all but unraveled her and so badly does she want to just unseal her lips and let his name fall from them.

Her hand grips his arm in a panic, suddenly in fear of what else her body might do if she doesn’t stop this.

That’s the signal. She knows that he knows because his ministrations come to a pause.

“Yes?” He pulls off enough to whisper against her neck and she feels his absence with a longing ache. “Feeling ready now, are we? Present and in control of our faculties?”

She wants to scoff. He’s awfully presumptuous about her stupid faculties. She certainly wouldn’t consider herself in control of much. Precisely why she needs him to proceed, like, now.

Squeezing at his arm once more, her fingertips sink into his lean muscle and stay like a vice grip, holding tightly in both confirmation and anticipation. 

While her neck is still stretched out for him, her head tipped back and angled away for ease of access, she manages to shakily nod.

“I’d like to hear you say it, darling,” he murmurs low. “Just this once. Just to be sure. I only need to hear you say ‘yes’.” 

Oh, of course he’s going to make her speak.

He really is evil.

As if her lips haven’t been sealed tight in a desperate attempt to keep any and all noises held at bay. After a thick, audible swallow, she manages to breathe out a flimsy, “Y-yes,” that sounds just as pathetic as she feared.

No time to dwell on it. There’s only a flicker of a second between her consent and his mouth bearing down on her once more. This part she knows well enough.

Or does she?

It’s different this time. He’s not chomping down on her like it’s a freaking timed trial. Some task to cross off his to-do list. 

No, his teeth sink. 

They ease into her languidly, like she’s something to savor tonight.

The pain is still there, sure, but she’s ready for that. What she’s not ready for is what comes with it—or more accurately, what far overshadows it. 

What makes her back jolt into an arch and her chest press against his in surprise. What makes her let out a gasp and do everything in her meager power to hold back the litany of little puffs and noises begging to spill from her.

Astarion groans deeply like she really shouldn’t. Slips a hand beneath the small of her back and keeps her tightly against him as he continues to indulge in her, drinking and drinking like a desert-stranded man to an oasis.

Her hands search for him to hold onto, pawing blindly until they find his arms. The cotton sleeves of his shirt twist between her white-knuckled fingers.

He’s never had her like this. The way he lets the blood pump into his mouth and fill it. Lets it pool and spill a little—decadence—before he drinks it down.

The pain ebbs until she can hardly even find it amongst the waves of gasping pleasure washing over her. Pulling her under. Sweeping her off into the sweetest of undertows.

She’s slipping away and she couldn’t care less. Not of that, and not of her lips that finally fall ajar. The hitching sigh, surrendering from them just one thing—his name.

“Astarion.”

And that might be music to him because he redoubles his efforts. Tugs her tighter. Adjusts his jaw wider. Sinks his teeth deeper. Rolls his body against hers as he rakes his other hand into her hair to hold her still at this perfect angle.

She’s at his mercy—not something he’s known for.

She should be worried. Maybe a small part of her is. This is the most he’s ever drank from her, but it’s also the most incredible it’s ever felt.

As the strength saps from her grip and dark spots dance at the edges of her vision, she paws up his back until her fingertips are met with soft curls at the nape of his neck. Folding her fingers into them, she whispers another soft plea.

“Astar… star…” Her breath grows airy. It’s hard to even get a word out. Her fingertips feel numb as they gently comb through his hair—she’s always wanted to do that. “Star…?” She whimpers once more, scratching tiredly at his scalp. “Stop… please? Star?”

Suddenly he tears back with a startled gasp. Like a drowning victim sucking in their first breath as they come back to themselves.

Her head feels heavy, all swimmy as she stares up at him in a daze.

“Sorry,” he breathes, his face too blurry for her to make out any particular expression. “I… got a little lost there for a moment, but you seem alright, yes?” he asks, not without an anxious uptick. “Ashe?” he prompts when she doesn’t answer straight away, tucking a hand beneath the back of her head, angling her to look at him.

“Hm?” she hums absently, head lolling until he rights it again and pats her cheek to bring her to attention.

“Yes? You’re… alright, yes?”

“Oh, mhm, I’m—sorry, yeah, I’m just… a little light-headed… I think.” She blinks a few times, vision slowly swimming back into focus with Astarion front and center staring down at her. Now, maybe it’s the blood loss talking, but with the twinkling night sky as his backdrop, she thinks this is the most beautiful he’s ever been.

She’s breathless. Speechless. Shameless in her staring adoration.

“You’re sure?” Astarion presses with an odd smirk, his brows knitting with something torn between uncertainty and amusement. She must be making a dumb face, but she doesn’t have it in her to care. “You’ve got this sort of, ehh… lobotomized look about you. Ugh, tell me you haven’t let Volo near you with that ice pick.”

“No…” she whispers absently, clearly distracted.

There’s not a single cloud in the sky that night. The only thing blocking the moon is Astarion’s stupidly pretty head, but the glow still radiates out from behind. Illuminates the wispy edges of his soft curls with this ethereal glow. It makes him look like an angel—damned deceitful lighting. 

But right now, even amongst all the stars in the sky blinking down at her, he outshines them all.

“Beautiful,” she mumbles, thoughtlessly reaching out for his face like she’s in a trance and doesn’t realize how fully weird this is.

Astarion chuckles low in his throat. “You’re talking about me?” He questions as her hand clumsily finds him, feeling at his cheek like a blind person prepping to sculpt him. “Mm, well, perhaps you have your wits about you after all.”

Bold of him to assume. For the record, her wits seem to have gone on strike, and who knows when they’ll resume working.

“Ah hah, this really is a gift,” he says, clearly satisfied judging from how stares down at her. “Look how flushed you are for me, even still,” he brushes a knuckle over the apple of her blooming cheek, “even after I’ve had my fill. I must say, this was one of your better ideas, or at least… as long as it was good for you? Did you find this more… palatable?” he asks like he doesn’t already know. Like he couldn’t freaking tell.

He’s either toying with her or she did a better job than she gives herself credit for.

“I—yes,” she whispers with a swallow, still recovering from whatever daze he threw her in. ”It was fine.”

“Fine,” he repeats. Draws out the word with a tone just dripping with heady amusement, his smirk stretching into a smile. “I couldn’t agree more. It was quite fine indeed. We should do it again sometime—up to you of course.”

“Yes, I-I’ll—” she nods with a swallow, trying to string together a sentence with little luck, “yes, I’ll um, I’ll let you know.”

“Well, I look forward to it then,” he murmurs, leveling her gaze with those heavy-lidded eyes of his. “Sweet dreams then, darling.”

And with that he’s starting to shift off of her. She blinks up at him, absently touching her neck. Bringing her fingertips close to her face, they remind of her morning dew on roses. Wet and red.

“Oh? Did I miss some?” Astarion questions, his long fingers wrapping around her petite wrist.

Ashe stares in awe as he pulls her hand close. He leans in. Tethers her hazy gaze. Brings her fingers to his pouty lips and parts them to take her fingertips in his mouth. “Mm,” he hums, using his tongue to reclaim every bit of her that he’d left behind. “Your blood is even sweeter tonight, darling,” he says, finally returning her hand. She lets it fall to her neck once more, absently feeling at the two neat little wounds there. “No wonder I can’t get enough.”

When she glances at her fingertips again, a fresh daub of red adorning them, a thought occurs to her. A stupid, impulsive one.

“Wait.” Her voice is like gossamer silk, nearly floating off in the cool night breeze. Astarion waits.

Flush-faced and heavy-lidded, Ashe holds his gaze as she brings those fingers to her own mouth this time. He watches intently. Slowly now, she finds the corner of her lips. Presses down. Smears a pretty streak of glossy rouge across them. 

“Oh,” Astarion murmurs with a roguish realization. “Oh, so that’s what you want.”

“If you want,” she whispers, a tinge of sadness peeking through, even in her mystified state.

He breathes out a laugh. “Why, I can’t think of a reason I wouldn’t want that.”

She smiles slow and somber, reaching out to take a curl between her fingers. She misses and nearly pokes him in the eye, but eventually finds one. “You’re just so beautiful, Astarion…” she exhales deeply, pulling her hand back to clumsily feel at the ugly scar blanketing nearly half her face. “And I’m just me.”

Astarion stares. There’s a flicker of some indiscernible expression tugging his brows together before his face takes on its usual wolfish humor.

“I mean this is the nicest way possible, darling, but for a smart girl, you can be rather lacking.”

She doesn’t respond because suddenly his mouth is on hers. One of his hands rakes through her hair to cup the back of her head and pull her up to better meet him. 

Her lips part with a gasp as his tongue swipes languidly across them once. Twice. He cleans her blood from them with a satisfied noise humming low in his throat before pressing his lips flush to hers.

It nearly stops her heart. 

He can’t possibly understand how long–how much–she’s wanted this. A shaky breath blusters from her nose as he holds the kiss. Draws it out. A whimpering sigh slips from her, vibrates against his lips, and he answers back with an approving groan.

When he pulls away, she can do nothing but blink at him like a hot-cheeked idiot. Despite her obvious lack of blood, it still manages to feel like it’s bursting in her chest. 

“There,” he says, a devilish smirk playing across his lips. “All cleaned up and ready for bed, you precious thing.”

“Goodnight, Astarion,” is all she can whisper. Brain no function.

He lingers on her a moment longer with a thoughtful tilt of his head, expression unreadable, and says, “Indeed it is, my dear. Indeed it certainly is.” With that, he’s pushing to his feet and wishing her sweet dreams. 

Ashe isn’t certain she’s not already in one.

[sungbeam]

𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 — act I, scene ii

nonidol!hwang intak x f!reader

when summit poster boy hwang intak's car breaks down in the school parking lot, it sets off a chain of events that leads to you, someone he was perhaps always meant to find. the only problem is that the two of you are far from the ideal couple, and your peers are apt to keep that status quo.

▷ genre, chapter warnings. s2f2l, grief and mentions of death and terminal illness, classism and discrimination, forbidden romance au, minimal swearing, angst, humor

▷ word count. 2.3k

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a/n: there's quite a bit of texting in this one so i apologize 😭

SUMMER (RISING JUNIORS).

INTAK wasn't one to give up easily. A couple weeks after school had been dismissed for the much-anticipated summer break, he was still in town while the rest of his friends were off traveling the world with their families. His dad had left the house early, as per usual, to head to the company building for work, so he enjoyed the serenity of an empty house as he took his time rolling out of bed and making himself breakfast.

As he sat on one of the breakfast bar stools in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal before him, he pulled out his brother's phone and opened up one of the text threads. The last thing he had texted Yn was about properly working out a stain—he'd received a very (albeit amusing) passionate lecture from her about drinking or consuming anything in the car, because if he spilled anything on the seats, she would risk her own identity to come and beat him up.

He'd had a very good laugh at that.

jae's phone: bored

Not even a minute later, he received a reply.

yer a wizard yn!: why r u still using his phone?

jae's phone: well do u want someone to find your contact on *my* phone, miss secrecy?

yer a wizard yn!: fair enough

jae's phone: hey how old r u

yer a wizard yn!: wow it never occurred to u that i could just be some old pervert?

jae's phone: r u??

yer a wizard yn!: lucky for u, no

jae's phone: lucky for me? 👀

jae's phone: before u virtually threaten to hit me again

jae's phone: r u my brother's age then? u must be

yer a wizard yn!: nope

jae's phone: my age then? idk if u know my age actually

yer a wizard yn!: am i 5 years old? no

jae's phone: i will , hit u

yer a wizard yn!: LMAO

In spite of his texts, Intak laughed down at the counter and set aside the phone for a second so he could spoon some more of the sweet cereal milk into his mouth. He and this Yn person had been trading texts these past couple of weeks. All of the conversations had been brief and harmless at most; it was all just his attempts at holding a conversation while Yn deflected anything that would expose who she was. Except for this conversation and their first one, he had no inkling of her identity.

yer a wizard yn!: okay, fine yes, i'm ur age i think

yer a wizard yn!: at least that's what jae said

Intak leaned into the conversation. Do u go to the academy too?

yer a wizard yn!: my friends say that's confidential

jae's phone: ur friends knew my brother too??

yer a wizard yn!: mhm

jae's phone: okay well,,, wait tf they're READING THESE??

He could hear her laughing at him now, even if he didn't know what her laugh sounded like. Did Jaehyuk know all these people in secret? He felt like a right idiot now.

yer a wizard yn!: now they're not, i just shooed them away

yer a wizard yn!: i can't tell u explicitly, but if u figure it out on ur own per se,,,,

jae's phone: ahhhh i see

jae's phone: don't say anything if u go to the academy

jae's phone: LETS GOOOO !! 😩

yer a wizard yn!: u r so…

jae's phone: handsome, smart, funny, etc lots to choose from

yer a wizard yn!: *crickets*

jae's phone: rude 😔

jae's phone: doing anything for the summer?

yer a wizard yn!: nah just working and hanging out w friends. u?

jae's phone: ignoring my responsibilities lol

It wasn't exactly a lie. After Jaehyuk had passed away, his father had made it incredibly clear that Intak was now to step into his shoes. No more second child privileges. Plus, how could he find the energy to get away when that was all he did last summer to forget the pain of Jaehyuk leaving?

yer a wizard yn!: once when jae (well ig *you*) and his family went on vacation, he left the car w me. it was kind of weird having that thing just sitting in my garage

jae's phone: really? huh. what year was that

yer a wizard yn!: i think he said u guys were going to jeju or sumn

Ah, that must have been the last vacation Intak could remember enjoying with Jae.

jae's phone: oh yeah, i remember that holiday

jae's phone: he must've really trusted u then

yer a wizard yn!: yeah ig so… couldn’t even drive it then, so maybe that’s why lol

Minutes passed of silence in the text chain. Intak wanted to know what she was thinking on the other side of the phone, if she was even as sad as he was. He'd figured out that his brother and Yn had been really close, so she must have gone through some type of grieving process like he had? He didn't know anyone else as heartbroken as he was. His dad didn't really care, only that his number one heir was now six feet under. Intak was still bitter that his father didn't even stay after the funeral, but he supposed everyone grieved in different ways.

Intak picked up the phone again and began typing. My brother didn't trust a lot of people, he admitted. Idk why I feel the need to but thanks for being there for him.

yer a wizard yn!: wish i had been there for him better to be honest

Yeah, that one hurt. I get that. I blame myself too.

yer a wizard yn!: ur brother loved u a lot tho, intak. that's why he left u the car

yer a wizard yn!: it was something to remember him by

Intak swiped at the warm tears trailing down his face. He wished he didn't have the dumb car. He wished his brother was here instead.

yer a wizard yn!: i'm sorry if i made u upset, but just remember that he loved u so much

yer a wizard yn!: if u ever need someone to talk to who knew him as u did or close to how u did, then come find me

jae's phone: thanks yn

jae's phone: i wish he had trusted me enough to introduce me to u tbh

Somehow, she had figured out that he wasn't saying this as a joke like all the other times.

yer a wizard yn!: he did trust u. he was just trying to protect me

jae's phone: it worries me when u say that

yer a wizard yn!: it's okay just,,, forget i said anything

As if he could just forget that speaking to her could jeopardize her. He didn't even know how this could get her in trouble, if he was interpreting what she was saying correctly. If only Jae had left him a note explaining who Yn was, but he supposed it wasn't … safe to?

jae's phone: how did my brother even find u lol

Great segue, he shoveled a spoon of cereal into his mouth so he didn't have to look at his gross attempt at a subject change.

yer a wizard yn!: strangely enough, just like this

jae's phone: ??

yer a wizard yn!: he texted my number thinking it was this auto repair helpline he found online w his problems and i fixed his car haha

jae's phone: oh yo that's kinda cool tho

yer a wizard yn!: ur both really bad w cars

jae's phone: oUT OF POCKET 😭

jae's phone: wait so u go to the academy

yer a wizard yn!: bye intak

jae's phone: NOOOO WAIT COME BACCCK

It was late, that much he knew, but sleep would not bless his eyes and body and mind. Intak stared up at the dark ceiling of his bedroom with moonlight streaming through the curtains by his bedside. There were too many things in his head to even think about a peaceful night of sleep.

"You could just look her up in the yearbook," he said aloud into the darkness. "But that would be invading her privacy." And Yn had made it so very clear that she was against him finding out her identity. But she had pretty much confirmed that she went to the academy, that she was in his year, and that her name was actually Yn—

Wait. Okay, so maybe she hadn't confirmed the latter yet, but Intak assumed his brother didn't make contact names that didn't make sense.

He sighed. He wished Jaehyuk could have given him some sort of sign.

Intak reached for his phone sitting on the nightstand, but instead of going to YouTube or some other streaming service he opened up her text messages.

Just as he was about to type a greeting, she beat him to it.

yer a wizard yn!: can't sleep either?

jae's phone: yeah ig not

jae's phone: wbu?

yer a wizard yn!: yeah no same

jae's phone: i wanna ask u stuff, but i don't wanna make u uncomfortable. it's not abt u personally, it's just abt ur connection w my brother. idk really

yer a wizard yn!: this is closure for u, i get it

yer a wizard yn!: ask to ur heart's content

jae's phone: did u know… that he was sick?

There was a long pause, and Intak waited patiently while laying on his side.

yer a wizard yn!: i found out really late

yer a wizard yn!: i knew something was wrong, but he was good at hiding it

yer a wizard yn!: i didn't get to say goodbye to him tho

jae's phone: i'm sorry yn

yer a wizard yn!: don't be, it's okay

yer a wizard yn!: were ur friends close to him too?

jae's phone: they thought he was cool and they got along, but they weren't super close. ig i can say ur one of the very few people who prob grieved like i did

yer a wizard yn!: that's… god, that's really sad. everyone at school liked him tho

jae's phone: tch yeah, but yk our school's full of fake shitheads

yer a wizard yn!: yeah fs… i think ur wrong in one aspect tho

jae's phone: what's that?

yer a wizard yn!: *grieves not grieved, i think we're both still grieving

jae's phone: would u be uncomfortable if i sent a voice message?

As soon as he sent the text, he grimaced. Oh no, he was going to be faced with immediate rejection. Intak scrambled onto his stomach and elbows to get in a better position to text faster and beat the three moving dots at the bottom of the screen.

yer a wizard yn!: sure go ahead

jae's phone: WAITWAIT

He wanted to slap himself.

jae's phone: okay uhm gimme a second

jae's phone: didn't actually think u would agree

Good going, idiot. Now what?

Intak sat up against his headboard. He didn't know why he asked in the first place, but maybe he just wanted to voice his thoughts aloud for once. He licked his lips, gathered his thoughts—

"Hey—" he cleared his throat, coughing and wishing he didn't just voice crack. "Sorry, hi. I thought this was gonna be a lot less awkward, but here goes nothing." He paused, then continued on, "Do you ever… miss him? Just miss him a lot. Sometimes I watch movies and they're always like—sometimes I feel them sitting next to me or hear their laughter—and I don't. I don't feel him next to me, I don't hear his voice or his laugh, Yn. I wish I did though. I wish I could miss him like that. Do you think it would hurt less if I did?"

Intak hit the send button, then exited out of the app so he could look for the right kind of music to listen to. The room was just too quiet right now.

To his surprise, when she replied, it was not in the form of a text message, but in the form of her own voice message. He was about to hear her voice. That had to mean something right?

"Hey Intak." His heart thumped. Woah… "Yeah, I was unsure of replying in a voice message, but I thought it was fair. Don't worry; I've gaslit myself enough to feel comfortable," she laughed to herself. "That was a joke, by the way. Yeah, I laugh at my own jokes."

Intak snorted.

The sound of laughter faded slightly as she continued on though. "Yeah, I miss him a lot. I think… I think this past year, I've been trying to ignore the fact that I miss him, but I do. When I saw the convertible steaming that one day, I just couldn't stop myself from texting his number, I guess. Force of habit. I don't really feel those sensations either, but I don't think it would hurt any less if you did feel that way. I think any way you grieve is valid, really." Her voice went quiet at the end. "You're not alone, y'know?"

His cheeks were warm again and his breathing trembled. Intak hugged his knees to his chest, wondering why his head hurt when he was crying, but maybe it was because he had not cried fully in a long time. He sniffled, collecting himself to reply.

"Thanks Yn," he said, voice slightly hoarse from his crying. "You have a nice voice, by the way." Nice was an understatement. His heart was beating a little too fast at the moment.

She replied with, "Thanks Intak. You, too."

jae's phone: u said ur friends knew him too

jae's phone: were they close?

yer a wizard yn!: yeah, i'd say they had gotten to know him almost as well as i did. they hung out w us at the garage

jae's phone: like an auto repair shop?

yer a wizard yn!: yeah

jae's phone: this feels illegal to know

yer a wizard yn!: maybe u deserve a taste of the forbidden for once tho

And for some reason, that engraved itself in his head and right above his heart. He wouldn't know that from here on out, he would wear that phrase like a crown.

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