#any monster au I’m in love with and give my heart to all of you

[vivalabunbun]

Let's Look Over The Garden Wall

Summary: One wants an easy meal and one wants to play house. 

Word Count: 9.9k

Tags: Alhaitham x Fem!Reader, Smut(r18+), MDNI, Modern AU, Vampire AU, Contract Marriage, NSFW, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Unrequited love?, Vampire! Alhaitham, Dom! Alhaitham, Human! Reader, biting, pet name? (calls you good girl) TW: Blood & Blood drinking, TW: Death, Terminally ill! Reader, slight orgasm denial, slight corruption kink, wedding night, temperature play? He falls hard, slow fic, tragedy

Authors note: This whole fic was a challenge since I wanted to write it kinda from Alhaitham’s pov. I’m not really knowledgeable about vampires, so in this fic they’re just a type of monster and not undead, and vampire blood can turn humans into monsters. Enjoy!

Side note: Here is the other side, Finale

The secretary had just arrived at the office not too long ago, shift starting at six pm and going until midnight. The typical hours for a creature of the night. 

Like a sweet breeze that blew stray leaves through his office’s open window, a stranger came gallivanting through the boundaries of his door, contract in hand. Faruzan, the office receptionist trailing after you with your proper introduction. 

“Secretary Alhaitham, this young lady here would like to make a blood contract with you.” 

He certainly wasn’t expecting this when he walked through the sliding doors of the building. The biggest company in Sumeru, the firm that specialized in such dubious pacts. 

In an age where humans now outnumber vampires, with new technologies and weapons that can now threaten the once untouchable creatures, immortal beings now have to play by mortal rules. One such rule, vampires can no longer drink human blood. 

Animal substitutes were of course inferior in both taste and satisfaction, any vampire would know this. However, there’s a loophole to this law. Vampires can’t drink human blood legally unless it’s consensual by both parties, established through contracts. Business exchanges for money, power, or glory. 

Of course, this practice is heavily regulated. Hunters who uphold the balance ready to rip the hearts out of those who dare make an unfair deal. Alhaitham is the simple secretary who files these contracts, not one of the agents tasked with such things. 

Still, he’s intrigued. Even in this office there are many who have yet to see the face of this elusive vampire, how did this human identify him? He was looking for an excuse to stray away from dull lines of files, might as well entertain your musings. 

The ashen-haired immortal pulls out a seat for you, nodding to Faruzan sending her out of his office, giving you privacy. Alhaitham ambles to the other side of the polished wood, settling down on his plush office chair.

“The process for filling a contract is straightforward, even though this consultation wasn’t planned, if negotiations go well you’ll then undergo a psychological evaluation.”

You nodded your head lightheartedly, posture relaxed in the chair. 

“So,” he begins.

“What are your demands?” 

“Marry me.”

Dead silence. He certainly wasn’t expecting a proposal this Monday night. Were you wasting his time with a joke?

You must’ve read his unfazed mask. Quickly pulling a pen and notepad from your pocket.

“I’m being serious, I want you to be my husband.” Hands swiftly jotting sentences down on paper.

In your graceless handwriting, you listed all your qualifications. Age, name, blood type, and financial status. You also detailed some self-prescribed personality traits. 

Alhaitham skips over that section. 

Marriage contracts weren’t unheard of, nor were marriages between humans and vampires. He believes such practices weren’t deemed illegal solely because of human morbid curiosity and desires.

No immortal, with their centuries of knowledge and wisdom, would waste such energy on a mortal, without a price of course. It would be a fool’s errand to not have fair compensation.  

“For a fraction of your time, I’ll give you all of mine.” You point the pen toward him. 

How romantic. 

“I’d say you’re getting the better end of the deal, Mr. Alhaitham.” There’s a curl to your lips, resting your elbows upon his polished desk. 

With a slight sigh, Alhaitham pulls out a form, pen swiftly recording the necessary information. There’s going to be a long process of straightening out the clauses, but this should suffice for approval.

“Why me?” He inquires, straightening out the proposal on his desk.  

“You’re handsome, have money, and I like your voice.”

The rustling of papers and pens stopped. Dead unamused silence. 

“Pfft! Too brash? Sorry, sorry, I was only joking,” giggling as you waved it off. 

“Well, to be fair the real reason isn’t much better, to be honest.” You leaned in closer, creeping towards the unseen boundaries of his personal space.  

“I often see you passing through the streets, guess I got enamored from there.” Your smile was shameless but your cheeks were tinted pink. 

A hopeless romantic, that answer suffices him for now. He could’ve easily shown you the door, but life has been stagnant for a few decades. History repeats itself if you live long enough to see it, new occurrences are rare. As the sky deepens from indigo to midnight, two bodies sit across from each other, discussing sentences written on paper.

“I’ll contact you in three business days with the verdict, have a good night.”

“I shall await the news.” You beamed at him, warm and icy hands meeting for a handshake. 

Just as you entered, you left with that same giddiness. Now left with his thoughts, Alhaitham reviewed the documents, he had three days to ponder whether or not to submit them to the legal team, and through the judgment of a certain scarlet-eyed General Hunter. 

As per Sumeru regulations, all offices run by vampires must have uncovered glass windows. An attempt conquered by humans to enfeeble creatures of the night. Alhaitham’s beryl gaze traveled up the length of the building stationed across the street. 

What an ironic placement for a hospital to be facing the biggest firm staffed by immortality. Or perhaps it was strategic, after all the most desperate humans are the ones who lay upon their deathbeds for one last hurrah. 

The perfect scheme to keep the blood contracts flowing in. 

Teal eyes observe the room right across through the glass, it seems freshly vacant. New untouched sheets, new unflatten pillow, and fresh towels. 

Alhaitham can now confirm the validity of your statement, a half-truth. 

When deciding on a contract, one must weigh the pros and cons, to see if they balance or if one side gives away to another. Your demands? You wanted to experience married life, all aspects of it. Your offer? Your everything. 

All your assets together can’t hold a candle to the amount Alhaitham has accumulated for centuries, but it’s a decent amount. Perhaps due to a medical settlement. 

Alhaitham has lived long enough to rein in primal desires, he can suffice off animal substitutes just fine. However, it doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want a taste of the real thing again. You offer him a steady supply, and to give him every last drop after seven years.

Yes, all of this for a mere seven-year contract. A deal heavily tipped in the favor of the vampire, not even a mere fraction of the time immortality offers. However, what piqued his interest the most weren’t the benefits listed.

A garden wall the tall vampire can’t peer over. Insight only attainable by those who near the end of their finite paths. What’s it like to have agency? What’s it like to have such finite time? 

He’ll have seven years to observe. He submits the forms on the third day, delivering your verdict over the phone. Alhaitham agrees to entertain your little daydream. 

On part that it was Alhaitham who personally filed the forms, the approval process went swimmingly, skipping the paper line. Tighnari oversaw the psychological evaluation, test after test confirming the sanity of your mind, speeding up the process of getting that stamp.

–

“What flowers do you like? I’m planning the decorations.” Your legs swinging under his kitchen table. 

The contract was approved, hands held and certificates signed at the town hall, your belongings moved into his house. It’s excessive to want a celebration after all of that. 

“Whichever flowers you want.” 

Alhaitham will hold his tongue, after all, he’s signed to play the role of a husband.

–

The venue was spacious, high ceilings with marble floors and pillars, all of which were lavishly cluttered with Padisarahs, Sumeru Roses, and Kalpalata Lotuses. Alhaitham stood at the altar just off to the side of the wedding officiant. Tuxedo crisp and hands folded together, he scans over the rows of guests invited. 

Since there weren’t any in-laws, Alhaitham assumed you wouldn’t have much of a social network. No one’s correct all the time, he ignores the piercing glares of a few eyes. The all-too-loud tones of a grand piano resound through the room. The previously shut doors open to reveal your figure. Embellished dress and veil perfectly framed by the carved entranceway as you ambled your way up the aisle. 

The twilight hues of the sky dye the white gown in everchanging vibrancy as you passed by the standing crowd, up the steps to the altar, and finally in front of him. The overwhelmingly floral scent of the bouquet itches his nose. 

Alhaitham pays no mind to the soliloquy of the officiant, he simply follows the rehearsed procedures. Sliding the gold band onto your finger and allowing you to do the same to him, lifting the veil to reveal your starry-eyed gaze he places a practiced kiss against your warm lips.

Is this excessive ritual over yet? No.

Alhaitham stands in the corner of the reception hall, hand nursing a glass of wine. The rich spices of the buffet offered to the guest irritated his palate. Supernatural creatures with their enhanced senses, a double-edged sword. Human food serves no purpose to vampires, it’s over-seasoned and pungent. At least your species has created drinks such as coffee and wine, delicacies even immortal creatures can enjoy. 

In the center of the artificially lit hall, you eagerly greeted all your guests as they beamed at you. Giggling and hugging each person as an entourage of three friends helped with that embellished gown of yours. Two pairs of eyes from said entourage occasionally glared at him, their bodies forming a barrier to separate groom from bride. Candace and Dehya were the names you introduced to him. 

Your starry-eyed self blissfully unaware of the silent cold war as the scarlet-haired dancer calls the attention of the two hunters back for the bouquet toss. Alhaitham was nothing more than just a decoration, you just wanted an excuse to prance around in a pretty white dress and throw a fancy party. He’s your husband, he’ll tolerate this daydream.

–

“Did you enjoy the reception?” 

Only after the send-off and closing ceremony of the celebration, when the bride and groom were behind the thick oak doors of their suite, that you seemed to remember the decoration named ‘Alhaitham’. 

“Yes, it was lovely.” The wine provided by the venue was of the highest quality, it entertained him enough. 

“I hope you’re not upset at me being busy with guests.” Your arms found their way around his waist. 

Quite comfortable encroaching on his space huh. 

“I’m not.” Better they talk to you and not him. 

As his cold hands pat the exposed skin of your back, his teal eyes didn’t miss the trail of goosebumps that prickled your skin. Shall he move on to the next scene? The lacing of your dress seems quite complicated, he assumes that it must have taken a few pairs of hands to tie it. Should he be a good husband? 

“Do you need help with this?” His baritone voice was right against your ear, noticing the flush on the tips. 

“Yes.” For once your voice was just barely above a whisper, a blushing bride. 

The lacing weaved in and out of eyelets running down along the length of your back, how troublesome. Always one for efficiency, Alhaitham simply takes a handful of the taught lace and pulls, they snapped like simple threads. Such things offer no resistance to a creature of the night. The gasp that escaped your lips feed into something deep within. 

With the bonds loosened, the embellished dress of yours lost the fight against gravity, fabric pooling at your feet. Revealing to teal eyes the lacy white stockings, garter belt, and panties, all the hallmarks of a wedding night. It’s impossible to deny the hunger crawling up his throat, no force of nature could resist such a sight. 

“Aren’t you forgetting something? It’s rude to not offer the groom some help, no?” His hunger enjoyed that scarlet flush on your face.

Indecisive fingers going for the easiest button, opening the tuxedo jacket allowing him to shimmy it off his broad shoulders. Teal eyes continued to survey your flushed face, the smirk on his waiting for your hands to continue. Obeying his silent command like a good bride, you loosened the bow tie next, finally freeing him from that stiff collar. 

Slowly your eyes peered up, asking if the torment was over yet, the slight rise in his ash brow directing you to resume. From your lips came the beginnings of a whine to which he sternly shushed. If you couldn’t even undress him how would you be able to do the other vulgar activities? 

Finally relenting, your fingers continued with their clumsy attempt at unbuttoning his dress shirt, once a small window of his chest appeared your face pressed against the cool skin, staying there until all the buttons were undone. Oh? So even you can feel shame?

“Shall we continue on the bed, my bride?” 

Your face was still hidden in his chest as you nodded, where did that shameless nature of yours go? With your gaze adverted he didn’t even bother hiding the curl of his lips. Sweeping you off the ground, he could hear the flutter in your chest increasing as the distance between the bed closes. 

Upon silk sheets, Alhaitham settles down with you in between his legs and back against his chest. One key difference between humans and vampires? Body heat, one creature’s cells produces warmth, while the other simply remains the temperature of the environment. Your flushed skin seared itself into his, icy and hot mending together to create an equilibrium. 

Of course, a good husband would warm his wife up. Alhaitham runs his cool palms along the length of your plush thighs and leg, absorbing the warmth as his own, soothing the shivers and goosebumps on your skin. Every now and then boldly creeping up the sides of your waist to twist at your perked nipples, enjoying every jolt and whine. 

“Oh? Since when was this transparent?” 

A firm hand grasps your chin, directing your vision towards white lace panties, the fingers on his other hand tracing over the shape of your cunt through the soaked fabric. Another lovely whine left your lips, face burning even more as you weakly protested in his hold, too powerless to do anything. 

Skilled digits honed in on the nub that made your body jolt away, rubbing the faintest of circles over the delicate fabric, your legs trapped by his robust arms standing no chance to preserve your shattered dignity. As such, you had to follow his desires tonight. 

“Or are you excited just by a few fleeting touches? What a lewd bride you are.” 

It seems that you were telling the whole truth when you exclaimed how much you liked his voice, his finger could feel the slick that began to seep through the lace. Brushing the fabric to the side, Alhaitham allowed his middle finger to collect the slick along your slit allowing the rest of his digits to warm up against your cunt’s soft mounds. His throat felt parched as the sweet scent teased his nose, but now was not the time, maybe later in the night. 

“Will you be honest?” The heel of this palm freely pressed against your clit as his middle finger continued to run up and down your wet lips, every now and then almost slipping. 

Your body couldn’t hide its eagerness, hole clenching at nothing every time his finger passed by. However, he needed confirmation from you. Communication is important in a contract no?

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“I’ll be honest.” You pressed your back flat against his chest, trying to hide your face but his firm hold wouldn’t allow it. 

“Good girl, then tell me what you desire.” His crisp breath provides your searing skin some relief. 

Your plush lips pressed into a thin line as your eyes shut, cheeks heating up even more. It wouldn’t be good if you passed out from heat exhaustion so quickly. He grinds his palm into that sensitive nub, tormenting the answer out of you, nectar now dripping onto the sheets below. 

“I want to c-cum,” You breathed out. 

How direct, close but it wasn’t what he was looking for. 

“You have to be more clear with your instructions, how do you want to cum?” 

“Y-your fingers.” 

“Good girl.” Finally, his finger breached your soaked entrance. 

Pulsating walls welcomed him with unyielding squeezes, dragging his soaked digit further. Your sweet moans and whines resounded through the spacious suite, the volume of your voice directing him toward that spongey spot deep within. You were wet enough for another finger, so Alhaitham adds another, two digits stretching and exploring your soaked cavern. 

“Mmmh! T-there!” Your toes were curling. 

“Mmm.” The hum vibrated in his chest as his fingers went hard at work, thrusting into your quivering walls. 

Each time his palm would slap against your clit your honest hole would clench down so endearingly. Your chest rises and falls rapidly, the muscles in your leg tensing up more and more. It’s obvious that you were close, but before he fulfilled your demands, he decided to be proactive and prepare for the next step. 

Releasing your chin from his grasp, allowing your head to lull back against his shoulder. Alhaitham reaches between your bodies, hands never pausing their pace, swift fingers undoing the confines of his trousers. Allowing for his member to lay right against your back, the jolt of your body at the foreign object pressing against you made his hunger worse. 

“Did you get more turned on? You’re clenching down tighter, did you want it that badly?” 

Even if your eyes refused to meet his, the way your hips grind against his length, warming it up, told him all he needed to know. Your gummy walls constrict more around his fingers, it’s time to wrap up this scene, the next one is even more exciting. So his palm now digs into your clit, circling the now swollen bud in combination with his finger pressing against that nice spot deep inside. 

“C-cummin-” 

How cute, he didn’t even need to ask you to announce it. Letting your body ripple with the force of the orgasm, trembling limbs within his solid hold. If he was merciful, he would’ve continued to slide his fingers in and out, or maybe continue to caress your little nub, guiding you back to reality. However, hunger doesn’t allow for mercy. 

Removing his soaked digits away from your pulsating cunt, teal eyes observing the transparent strings that clung to them with amusement. A small appetizer wouldn’t spoil the main meal, skilled tongue cleaning his fingers of your slick. Your head still limp against his shoulder, eyes rolled back in the throws of pleasure. To bring you back down to earth, it's best to use a new type of force. 

Effortlessly, your hips were lifted up dripping cunt lined up with his impatient length below. In one fluid motion, your walls encase everything, drenched cunt giving no resistance as his tip kisses the spongy spot. Alhaitham lets a hiss escape him, it was as if he thrusted into the sun, your walls quickly bringing his member up to its temperature. 

From your lips another moan was ripped out, oh it seems that you’ve plummeted back to reality. Your cunt trembled yet gripped onto his cock like a vice, coaxing him to go in deeper, encouraging his hunger to abuse your gummy walls even more. Barely riding out one wave of pleasure before another drowned you. 

The hunters at your wedding could stick to your side the whole celebration, they could glare at him all they wanted, and they could try their damndest to keep the vampire at a distance. However, it was all efforts wasted in vain. For it was you, the blushing bride, who walked straight into his arms in the end, so open and receptive. 

As he slides out just the slightest bit, your cunt protested by desperately clamping down, begging for his thick girth to stay in. In response he tightened his grip on your hips, lifting your body back up before bouncing you back down. What a glutton for pleasure you were, even as your little mouth whimpered and babbled, your walls thanked each slap of his hips with squeezes. 

Sadistic hunger wanted more, to thrust deeper, to bully that poor spot inside of you over and over again with his thick tip as your walls stretch to accommodate the girth. His thighs collected the mixture of sweat and slickness from your body at each thrust. Your fingers dug into his hands, fingers white as you tried to grasp at anything to ground yourself. 

“F-fast, too m-much.” There was drool escaping the corner of your parted lips, eyes barely back from seeing the inside of your head. 

“Oh? Do you want me to stop?”

Alhaitham grinds to a stop, member still pressing deep inside you as he pulled you closer so his breath could ghost over your nape. In an instant, your mouth and cunt protested, you should be more clear with your instructions. 

“N-noo.” Crying over the ruined tension. 

“No? You wanted this.” His finger finds its way back to that swollen nub, flicking it a few times to watch the jumps of your body.

“If I let you cum, then I’ll do it my way, is that clear, my bride?” Tormenting your clit with firm circles. 

“Yes! Please! P-pleasee.”

So weak against his voice, the sweet calls of a beast to lure you into the depths of depravity. Such is the fate of a shameless bride. Thus, his hips sprang back into action with renewed vigor. One hand keeps your hips still and the other remains on your clit to force that knot to reappear deep inside you. 

Nothing but nonsense and moans babbled from your loose face, nectar dripping down to his heavy balls as they slapped against you with each pistoning of his hips. Your frantic hands entangled themselves into ash-mint locks as he felt gummy walls closing in tighter and tighter, your toes curling at the end of spread legs. Sinful slaps increased in frequency throughout the room as did the pace of the finger on your clit. 

Your tense body held the warning of another storm, another fall off the edge into the depths. Alhaitham brushes his nose up your nape, the floral scent didn’t distract him from the goal laying just behind the skin. Your nerves were exhausted from the shooting pleasure, now was the perfect time to finally get his share. It’s only fair. 

Prepping the area with a slow lick as his hips continued their brutal pace, incisors brushed against the delicate skin before piercing through. His hand shot up from your hip to your neck, a loose grip holding you still as your body tensed then violently shivered. The frenzy clamping of your cunt on his length was proof of your fall. Loose jaw uttering out broken moans as tears dripped down your chin. 

The fresh scarlet flooded over his tongue and down his throat as Alhaitham continued with his slow suckling. Ah, you were very much like a flower, so delicate, so fragrant, and so bittersweet. It’s been almost a century since he last tasted the real thing, his body celebrated by filling your walls with thick release. An equivalent exchange of some sort. 

A human body is quite frail, losing over two pints of blood borders on fatal territory. It’s not good to deplete a resource so quickly. Alhaitham releases your neck, running his tongue over the wound to seal it up. Teal eyes checked your complexion to ensure his measurements were accurate. Cheeks still with a healthy red flush as your chest heaved with pants, eyes glistening with tears. Such a shameless sight. He allows your head to roll onto his shoulder. 

The rhythm of your heart settles back to its resting state as Alhaitham analyzes the taste he just experienced. 

“I love you,” you breathed into his shoulder. 

Alhaitham stiffens, the herbal aftertaste of your blood was bitter, the tang dried out his mouth causing a drawn-out pause. This is no good, he can’t miss the cue to say the line a bride longs to hear from her groom. 

“I love you too.” 

The choir of crickets from the world outside filled the void along with your pants.

“Pfft! Maybe let’s not say that, it’s too weird.” You shamelessly laughed, lifting your face from his skin. 

What a relief, at least you seem to still have sense. Such words felt forcefully wedged into a script that wasn’t written for it. Might as well remove the line altogether. Moving on from the scene, Alhaitham lets you enjoy the warmth reflected off his body by yours. 

It’s in the clauses to allow you to enjoy all aspects of marriage, so enjoy this honeymoon segment.

“Haitham, can you carry this for me please?”

“Haitham, I can’t reach, can you get it please?”

“Haitham, let’s have panipuri tonight!... Can you cook it please?”

It would’ve been better if he remained nothing more than just a decoration. It would’ve been easier if he was just a view for you to see behind glass. Perhaps Alhaitham’s acute eyes misread the contract, did you want a husband or just a maid? 

Instead of sitting down in his own house to enjoy a book, he finds himself saddled with domestic responsibilities. 

Must you call on him for everything?

Laundry and groceries aren’t that heavy. If you can’t reach the top shelves with the duster, then just get a chair. No ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ could prevent the downward tug of his lips every time you call him that doltish name. Your justification of a ‘nickname’ between lovers was moronic. 

“Huh… Haitham how come you only use salt?”

Why do you make a creature who doesn’t consume such foods cook them? You’re more than capable of cooking for yourself every day. Although, Alhaitham would prefer it if you stopped using such overly fragrant herbs and spices. 

Of course, when two breaths occupy the same space, there are bound to be pieces that don’t fit together, just as two breaths never sync. Alhaitham already factored those into his decision, but this was more proof of why a theory is always second to application. How troublesome the reality of marriage is, no wonder divorce rates are so high. 

A good actor knows how to stay in character, so he’ll keep these thoughts to himself. Just as he lists your quirks silently. 

One, you’re capricious. One moment silently enjoying a drama on the TV you asked him to purchase, body hogging the entire expanse of a couch. The next, you’ll be humming as plates and cups clatter in the sink, or the heavy thumps of your steps as you bound through the house with a mop. Alhaitham prefers it when you’re stationary, at least it doesn’t disturb his reading.

–

Two, you drink tea, an unfathomable amount of it. A warm cup always nestled between your fingers, bitter water mixed with honey. The herbal tang finds its way into your blood, making it taste like medicine. Thus, Alhaitham treats it as such, medicine just to alleviate suppressed bloodlust taken in moderation. 

–

Three, you wanted to celebrate everything. Each square of a calender marked with scribbles. Why celebrate a celebration that’s already past? What is so special about a birthday? The past two years you purchased the same bundle of pungent flowers that made up that bouquet on that day to gift to him. 

“Don’t you want a taste? I saved a slice just for you. Oh, would you eat it if I sprinkled some of my blood on it?”

Alhaitham swiftly accepts the plate from you, lifting the fork of overly sweet birthday cake into his mouth. Useless carbs take up space in his body, but such a thing causes no harm. Better to taste like pure sugar and not medicine. 

–

The worst quirk of yours? You rise as soon as the sun greets the sky, adamant to not miss a single second of a day. Every day’s itinerary is filled with spur-of-the-moment decisions, such as going to a farmers market only open on Saturdays between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm. And how you drag him along. 

 Curses, only a human would drag a creature of the night into the day. What sadistic creatures, delighting in others' misery, you’re no exception. 

“I thought you said vampires aren’t like how TV depicts them.” Curious eyes observe his slouched figure. 

Vampires aren’t like how those dramas of yours depict them. No formal invitation to cross wooden thresh holds, no garlic braids as an effective shield, and no turning into a pile of ash at the mere rays of a star. 

If so, then vampires would’ve been long gone by now. However, just because the sunlight can’t kill a vampire-

“It doesn’t mean it’s not unpleasant.” His stoic voice was too tired to add a bite. 

You continued to stare at him with wonderment, as if what he said was the most complex theory known to the universe. Those dramas must’ve rotted that mind of yours, he concludes. You’re beyond saving. 

“I see.” Gentle hands lift the excessive sun hat from your head. 

Reaching on your tiptoes you place it atop his head, the straw brim providing some reprieve for his irritated skin. Shuffling the hat around until it’s securely nested along his now trussed ash locks. Satisfied, you lower yourself back down. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. We can go home..” 

Tenderly, your hands clasped around his, guiding him into the shade. The whole walk your hands never left his, eyes always searching for the next patch of shadows to lead him into. For the rest of the weekend, you just watched your dramas, the sensation of guilt must’ve muted your voice. 

Good. He celebrated this rare break in his library away from you.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Monday night rolled around again, as he passes the living room, he spots your loafing body napping on his couch as the TV acted as white noise. Tsk. Regardless, it’s time to get to work, he walks toward the front door.

“Wait,” came a soft command, dripping with sleep. 

From around the corner, your figure comes stumbling towards Alhaitham, his hand still firmly on the knob. Hands busy trying to rub the fatigue away from your eyes, blinking away the pleasant dream you were just in. 

Why did you abandon it? Alhaitham doesn’t know. 

Your frame reaches his, transferring some of your warmth to him, arms outstretched towards his neck. Teal eyes don’t miss the way your drowsy legs were wobbling. To prevent any accidents, he supports your body with an arm around the waist. 

Just as he feels your body steady, clammy palms encase the sides of his face. Pulling it down as your supple lips pressed against his cool cheek. Did you traverse all the way from the sofa just for a kiss? 

“Have a good night at work.” Your shameless smile beamed. 

A habit formed from one of your dramas, a wife bidding goodbye to her husband with a sweet kiss to boost his spirits. Curiosity must have gotten the better of you, or maybe you wanted to amuse yourself, two possibilities Alhaitham devises. 

–

“So, how’s married life treating you?” Kaveh’s smug tone grated against his eardrums as the blond rested an elbow on the bar table. 

Alhaitham couldn’t stop the frown from forming, nor the heavy sigh, so he took a hearty sip of his wine. Emptying the glass in one fluid motion. 

“Heh, I see you’ve been enjoying the spoils of marriage very much,” Tighnari snickered. 

“Sure, if you wish to see it that way.” Alhaitham’s hand found itself pouring another glass. 

It seems that everyone around the ashen-haired vampire was enjoying the spoils of this odd union, everyone but him that is. His miseries fueling the chaff nature of his acquaintances, still he needed a reprieve to drink. 

Not that herbal blood of yours, but something actually palatable like the fragrant wine washing the frustrations down his throat. It’s not marriage, it’s having to work overtime. 

“Regardless, you signed a contract, you must uphold the clauses.” Cyno’s scarlet eyes leered over the rim of his glass. 

Alhaitham sighs, he should’ve drank alone. 

–

The tavern wasn’t a far journey away from his house. The deep hues of night slowly shift to the youthful flushes of dawn. He’s been drinking for quite some time, it didn’t matter, alcohol has no effect on a body such as his. 

Alhaitham twists the key, the door creaking ajar just to reveal your figure with arms crossed. Disappointment ever so clear in those eyes of yours. 

“Where’ve you been?” No chirp in your tone. 

After a few hours of reprieve, Alhaitham is welcomed home with an interrogation. Wonderful. Why should he answer this meek creature standing in front of him? He could just walk to bed and get the rest he deserves. 

‘You must uphold the clauses.’ 

Right, Alhaitham has to play the role of a husband, he signed a contract, too late to just burn the papers now. 

“I went drinking with coworkers,” he curtly answers. 

“Why didn’t you call beforehand?” Your head tilts, disappointed eyes still honed on him. 

Why does he have to inform you of his every movement? Who were you to demand so much of his individuality? Alhaitham couldn’t help the frown that reappeared, directed at you, the hurdle that blocked him from entering his own home. 

The grandfather clock counted the seconds in the background, two sets of eyes locked in a stare-down. One frowning and one disappointed. How long will this last?

Your shoulders slumped as a sigh left your lungs. Eyes finally finding rest behind two heavy lids. 

“My life’s too short for misunderstandings and messy communication,” you huffed. 

Your back straightens again as you lean in closer, eyes recentering on his towering form. They no longer held the burden of disappointment, they twinkled with something else. 

“I’m your wife, and you’re my husband.” You stated the obvious.

“So when my husband, who usually arrives home at half past midnight on the dot, didn’t arrive home until dawn without a single text or call. I got worried.” 

What wasted concern, why worry for an immortal creature?

“You don’t need to report every movement to me, I don’t want that either, but if you plan on staying out please give me a simple text. So I don’t have to spend hours worrying about why my husband isn’t answering my calls.” 

Alhaitham scans over the discoloration hanging heavily under your eyes. An unpleasant sensation crawled up his spine. Phone shut off by habit, unaware of how you were losing sleep as he emptied bottle after bottle. He has to remedy the situation now, it’s what a husband should do. 

“I understand, I’ll do that from now on,” he answers. 

Is he allowed back into the confines of his own house now?

Your hands were now positioned defiantly on your hips, brows quirked up as if expecting something more. 

No. 

“You’re supposed to apologize, ya know. ‘I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time, my wife’,” you advised. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time, my wife,” he parroted. 

The magic words to finally open the path into the house, words that finally returned that grin to your face. Arms outstretched you wrapped them around his neck as your lips warmed up his cool cheek. 

“Welcome home, Haitham.” 

Ah, he knows what that twinkle in your eyes was, sincerity. 

Audiences rarely see the behind-the-scenes of a movie, with directors always handpicking which mistakes are charming enough to be shown as a blooper. Audiences don’t see the multiple scenes filmed then refilmed, they can’t experience the long hours, and they don’t know how many times lines were misread. Three years is enough time for actors to learn their lines. 

“Is my drama too loud?”

Alhaitham peers over the top of the journal, focusing on your face peeking through the entrance of his library. Judging by the apron, he guesses it's almost time for dinner, the dialogue playing on the TV was just above a muffle from here. 

“It’s fine, remember to turn on the kitchen hood.”

“Okay, which wine did you want to baste the meat in?”

“Top left, how long will it take?”

“Pfft, famished already? 15 minutes, you won’t waste away in that time right, Haitham?”  

The ever-so-adventurous palate of yours and the ever-so-drab palate of his. An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, two existences that bend and twist each other until equilibrium. Equilibrium in the form of a steak basted in red wine, rare for him and medium for you. A dinner that could be enjoyed by both breaths. 

–

“Oh?” Your bewildered eyes blink at the bouquet presented to you. 

A wrapped box held tenderly in your hands. Alhaitham had taken note of a certain scribble marked on the calendar, it was he who got the fourth bouquet. Placing an order ahead of time to ensure the freshest flowers. 

“You said they smelled bad.”

“I’m used to it.” A half-truth. 

Your lips couldn’t suppress its toothy grin, balancing the box in one hand as the other accepts the bouquet. 

“Since you have every book in existence, I got you something else.” You nudged the wrapped present toward him. 

Unraveling the decorative paper his eyes were greeted by the sight of a carved figure of a… what is it? Meeting your eager gaze, the quirk in his eyebrow told enough. 

“It’s a hawk, I saw in storage that you used to collect these decorations.” 

Ah, you found a petty hobby he had decades ago to torment a certain someone. A figure serves no practical purpose in a home, but the eagerness of your eyes was enough to find the endearing gift a place on a shelf. 

–

“How does one make their blood tastier?” You pondered into his embrace. 

His tongue traveled up the nape of your neck to collect the escaped drops of scarlet and to close up the wound. Your bare skin pressed against his, rising his temperature to a pleasant warmth. 

He could feel every shiver as his length shifted within your overstimulated walls, recovering the overwhelming pleasure experienced just moments earlier. 

What an obvious answer, stop drinking that tea of yours. However, Alhaitham prefers when you have the energy to trot through crowded walkways at dusk with him in tow. Bittersweetness is an acquired taste, one that took him some time. 

“Since you have enough clarity to ask questions, I’m assuming you’re up for another round.” His husky breath ghosts over your ear.

“Wait~ I’m still sens-Ah!” 

–

Over time, something as short as five years, even a trickle of water can crave a home for itself in the rocky foundations of the earth that’s existed since the dawn of time.

The side of the polished dinner table with the clearest view of the TV was your side. 

The mug left in the sink with the faint aroma of tea and sweet honey was your mug.

The couch with cushions misshapen and molded by repeated use was your couch.

 Such is the lull of domestic reality, each kiss at the door to bid goodbye and each kiss to welcome him back.

Nothing, not even immortality, is resistant to time.

Due to the crowd you’ve built your circle from, hunters were semi-frequent guests at his home. Much to your delight and his dismay. A husband should get along with his wife’s friends. 

“Your complexion has gotten paler.” Candace’s heterochromatic eyes narrowed, her hands turning your face from side to side. 

“Mmm, I haven’t been going out during the day as much.” Resting the weight of your head within her palms. 

“Bullshit, he’s been using you like livestock,” Dehya snapped. 

“Mmm? Not really, he says my blood taste like leaves.” Halfheartedly lifting your face out of Candace’s warm hold. 

“Don’t cover for that bastard,” the Flame-Mane hunter scowls. 

“Need I remind you ‘that bastard’ is still in the room?” Alhaitham breaks his silence. 

“Who said you could speak?” Sapphires clash with beryls. 

“Who’s home are you currently guests in?” 

Even without glancing down, Alhaitham could tell that Dehya’s hand was twitching to reach for the silver dagger hidden up her sleeve. The hand then falters back down, Candace must’ve also noticed, steadfast eyes sending a warning to the other hunter. 

“Of all people, why did you have to marry this vampire?” Dehya turns to you exasperated. 

“Mmm,” you hummed. 

With the finger pressed against your lip and your eyes wandering up towards nothing, Alhaitham couldn’t tell if you were deep in thought or just faking it.

Your pondering filled the room with silence, three pairs of eyes intently trained on your frame. Eyelids closed as you deepened your thought. After a few beats, they fluttered back open.  

“Because he’s just too handsome.” There’s that shameless smile again. 

The disgusted expression that plastered itself all over the hunter’s face at your response almost pushed a quiet laugh from his lips. However, Alhaitham wanted to avoid a physical confrontation from starting in his house. 

If there’s one virtue you have, it’s that you’re a fair person. You perplex your friends and husband to equal degrees. 

It’s now time for the hunters to start their night, much like how Alhaitham will soon report to the office. The two women and you were now at the threshold of the door bidding goodbye, their skeptical eyes every now and then glaring behind you at the vampire. 

“Oh, one more thing,” your voice perks up. 

Arms encapsulated two sturdy frames, pulling them close against yours. 

“I love you guys.” Your words make the two robust warriors take a sharp inhale, bodies tensing up momentarily. 

“We love you too, very much.” Candace’s voice forced itself to steady. 

“Yeah.” Dehya pulled you closer. 

After a few beats, you pulled away from your friends. Lighthearted grin lopsided on your face. 

“Alright then, stay safe out there,” you chimed, waving at them. 

After their figures disappeared from view, Alhaitham shut the oak door. You still peered out the curtains, daydreaming something as the stars reflected in your eyes. He observes for a moment before he collects the cups and dishes that once held tea and sweets to entertain bygone guests. 

You were already surrounded by love, genuine love. Why did you sell your soul to experience something you already had? Alhaitham will save that question for another day.

Would you try saying that line to him again? Maybe this time he read his line without hesitation.

–

Alhaitham’s heavy lids shot open. The unwelcome greetings of morning birds signaled the time of day. Keen eyes scanned over the empty space beside him, sheets still trussed in the shape of a smaller figure. The bird songs rang like sirens, heightening his senses. 

For once his ageless body left the bed without protest, swift steps pattering through the dim halls until the backyard came into view. Sunlight poured in through the open door, the wooden mounts perfectly framing your slumped figure. 

Tired body balancing upon the basket of damp laundry, halfway from the backdoor and clothes line, you stopped to take labored breaths. 

Swiftly he was by your side, towering stature blocking you from the harsh rays. Alhaitham lifts your fatigued body from the ground, giving your aching legs relief. Even with the sun hanging high in the sky, your skin didn’t absorb an ounce of warmth. 

He takes you to the safety of the dim house, settling you onto the soft cushions of your couch. 

“Don’t push yourself.” Alhaitham shifts a few pillows behind your back. 

“I wasn’t, the laundry needs to be hung,” you huffed. 

“Just call for me.” 

You sounded out a whine of protest, but your breathing steadied. Alhaitham moves to stand back to full height, ready to finish the task awaiting out in the sun. 

“Wait,” came your soft call. 

Plucking your favorite sun hat off, you bestowed it upon unkempt ash locks still dusted with sleep. Fussing with the oversized straw brim until it stayed in place. Once satisfied you beamed, fingers caressing his smooth cheeks before placing a peck from curled lips. 

“Thank you, Haitham.” 

Adamant hands smoothed over the damp clothes, ensuring that they didn’t dry on the line with wrinkles that stayed stubbornly. The morning rays felt like sand against his exposed skin, but the hat bestowed upon him made it tolerable. 

–

“It’s dusk, would you like to stroll through the market tonight?” Beryl eyes inspect the curled figure of his wife among cushions and blankets. 

“Mmm, maybe not tonight.” You sink deeper into your couch, drama long forgotten. 

“I see.” Alhaitham moves to the armchair just adjacent to you, a frequent perch of his now. 

“Come here?” 

Just as you finished blinking Alhaitham was by your side again. Slowing lifting your upper body just off the cushion, you pat the now free space, welcoming him to sit. He wouldn’t be a good husband if he were to deny such a request. So he sits. 

Once the ashen-haired vampire was fully situated, your head found its place upon his thighs. 

“Lap pillow,” there was that giggle of yours. 

Alhaitham sighs, but he couldn’t prevent the corner of his lips from curling up, so he hides it with his book. This must be something you learned from those dramas again. He’ll humor it. 

His cool fingers run along your scalp as his teal eyes switched between your resting face and the words printed along the aged paper.

Maybe not today, perhaps tomorrow when the rays of a selfish star kiss your cheeks.

–

The drinks were served quietly, the tavern didn’t seem as lively tonight. Perhaps because it’s the busy season, Spring air carries with it the signs of renewing life and tax forms. 

“So, how is she, the wife?” Kaveh traverses the stagnant air. 

What a redundant question, Alhaitham knows they can smell the fragrance lingering on his body from you, the aroma of flowers only found in a garden beyond a line immortals can cross. The scent of an ending journey. 

“I’ll send some more Kalpalata Lotus tea, one cup a day should help with lethargy.” Tighnari prescribes, making a mental note to prepare the delivery once he returns home. 

“Thank you, how much would I owe?”

“None, just a gift for your wife.” 

Alhaitham hums in gratitude, and the table continued to play cards placidly. Throughout the rounds, his teal eyes stole glances over to a dark screen. 

The group dispersed at dawn, but it wasn’t long before Alhaitham acknowledged the presence behind him. 

“Alhaitham.” 

He only glanced over his shoulder at the tan vampire. 

“Remember the punishment that awaits those who dare disturb the cycle of life.” A threatening crackle resounded from the curled fingers by Cyno’s side. 

Alhaitham already knows and Cyno knows it all too well. After all, the privilege of a good true death was stolen away from the white-haired man many years ago. Cursing the shorter man to eternity. Thus, Cyno now spends eternity punishing those who dare break the most sacred law.

Alhaitham responds with a nod and with that the two men parted ways as the rosy hues of dawn dyed the sky. You’re probably in bed already, it’ll be his kiss to announce his return.

–

In an age where humans outnumber vampires, with new technologies and weapons that can now threaten once untouchable creatures, immortal beings now have to obey mortal laws. The most sacred of laws, vampires cannot turn humans into immortal beings. It’s illegal, it’s immoral even to curse such fleeting creatures with eternity. 

However, vampires are creatures born outside the grace of god from the very start, lurking in the shadows of iconoclasm. What difference would it make? 

It’s his night to make dinner, steak with red wine sauce. 

What is the difference between blood and wine to the inattentive eye? The scarlet hues could be easily mixed. All it would take is a sprinkle, drops stirred into the fragrant sauce served over the juicy meat, for you to abandon your humanity. For the ticking of a grandfather clock to stop its hands.

Who wouldn’t want more time? 

A scene from a night now long past resurfaces at the front of Alhaitham’s mind. 

–

“Would you want more time?” Came a question that broke the silence after a moment of passion. 

Your damp skin glistens under the moonlight, your chest rising and falling as the lust slowly blinks away from your eyes. Alhaitham’s hand on your back guides you down from cloud nine. You stared at him inquisitively, teal reflecting back to him as he remains silent. 

Ashen hair tussled and scratches fading away from cooling skin, he awaits your answer, schemes manifesting. 

You let out a hum, signing that you’ll humor his question this time, as your face rests against the pillow comforted by his woodsy scent. 

–

If you had more time, he would have more time. More time to pick your brain. More time to search through the archives of your thoughts to decrypt you. More time to grovel at your feet for forgiveness after he rips the humanity away from your arms. 

Alhaitham is a prideful thing, but he’s not a dense fool. He knows when an apology is necessary, insight gained from his time shared with you. 

Teal eyes glance back behind him towards the living room, where your figure sat quietly, attention distracted by the pair of lovers on screen in the midst of a tense argument. Never once turning behind to glance into the kitchen, not one ounce of suspicion. The scene finishes.

–

“I was born a human.” Your lids opened again, meeting his beryl-like eyes. 

Irises pure like the moonlight reflected in them. He hums in acknowledgment, fingers tracing mindless scripts into your tender back. 

“I will die as one.”

He hums in confirmation. 

–

A riddle he couldn’t quite solve to bypass the sphinx who guards the sanctuary of your mind. Humans are greedy creatures of conquest, always wanting more, always hungry for more. That’s why creatures like him exist and thrive, feeding into the natural greed of humans. 

Every human wants more power, more money, more wisdom. Every human wants more and more and more. Every human, so why can’t you want more? It seems that the breeze who gallivanted into his office, proposing to him with a contract, won’t reveal her secret. 

As it was outlined on the paper signed by two names, he shall honor your wishes for now until the end, such is the character of a husband. 

Alhaitham runs his hand under the kitchen sink, shameless eyes watching as the water turns clear again, and as the skin closes up. A feature only a creature born outside the jurisdiction of god would have. 

He finishes the meal with a few sprinkles of freshly cut herbs, serving the untainted sauce over juicy cuts of steak, one cooked medium and one cooked rare. He calls you over to the dinner table. 

The average human life span has increased drastically in the past centuries, it’s now about eighty years give or take. 

Still a mere fraction of the time held by vampires. 

Eighty years, and yet you could only have a fraction of that. You could only offer him a sliver of a fraction. 

–

“It’s been a while since you’ve fed, aren’t you hungry?” Your eyes peered over at him. 

Alhaitham wipes the washcloth along your back from beside the porcelain tub, steamy water carrying the fragrance of Nilotpala Lotuses. The humidity of the bathroom made the shirt cling to his skin like a wet rag, but the moisture helped with your coughs. 

“I’m satisfied.” Another half-truth, teal eyes scan for any signs of discomfort, he can bare it. 

“Really? I’m sure my blood doesn’t taste like leaves anymore.” You rested your cheek again on the warm washcloth, eyes twinkling under the fluorescent lights as you looked into his. 

The gift by Tighnari sitting untouched in the corner of a cabinet. Perhaps you’ve gotten tired of the bitter herbal taste, or maybe because there wasn’t a point in drinking it anymore.

Alhaitham fought the urge to click his tongue at your brash humor, only you would worry about how you taste during the closing days of a contract. However, his lips couldn’t form a frown when you beamed at him like that.

–

On the path to work, beryl eyes landed upon a bouquet arranged with familiar flowers, the petals dyed by the rich hues of dusk. The florist was busy gathering up the displays to bring them back inside for the night. 

“Excuse me, I’d like to purchase this bouquet.” 

That night at the office, the staffed vampires crinkled their noses at the overwhelmingly floral scent that plagued the floor. Alhaitham just shut his office door, bouquet resting in a hastily prepared vase, such a thing won’t kill a vampire it’s such a minuscule issue. 

“I’m home.” He locks the door after him. 

Keen hearing not picking up the pattering of feet along the hardwood floor. Placing the flowers on the entranceway table along with his dress shoes, the ashen-haired immortal trekked through the halls, silence ringing in his ears. 

Behind the solid bedroom lay his answer, turning the knob, Alhaitham feels tense muscles loosen as the steady melody of breaths resounded through the room. 

You’ve been here since this afternoon, body now imprinted into the plush mattress. Still, your blood still runs and your chest still rises, even if there were faint hints of wheezing it was good enough. Quiet as a shadow, Alhaitham removes his blazer and tie before joining you under the sheets. He’s been craving sleep. 

A timeless body doesn’t need sleep, ageless cells don’t require such downtime to recover. However, claiming that vampires don’t enjoy sleep would be a blatant lie. A calm way to pass the endless time offered by eternity, a nice way to escape boredom. 

Or maybe it’s because sleep gives immortal creatures a taste of an experience they’ll never have. Peaceful expiry. 

Teal eyes observe the ever-present curl of your lips before cool lips are pressed against your plush ones. A habit formed after six years. The flowers were still left at the door, but they’ll survive the night. Alhaitham will show them to you in the morning, and you’ll beam that grin at him in the morning. 

–

Fresh flowers rested in a vase gifted by friends on the nightstand, the last flowers of Spring. The delicate blooms give way to the vibrant greens of Summer. Such a cruel season for vampires, with days so long and nights so short. A cruel season that offered your body no additional warmth. 

Alhaitham’s hand brushes against the apples of your cheeks, your unconscious body protests in an instant with shivers and curls away from the thief stealing what precious heat you had. As if burned by fire, the vampire retracts his hand. 

Right, he can’t be greedy. Teal eyes watch every tremor until his legs finally remembered how to walk. Pacing to the closet Alhaitham pulls the Winter covers out from storage, insulating your body with the thick duvet. 

The layers form a barrier protecting you from icy touches as he smooths out the wrinkles. 

When humans walk into a garden, their eyes are immediately drawn toward the most beautiful blooms. Watching intently at how the petals of the young blossom unravel, their senses enjoying the heavenly fragrance. It’d only be a matter of seconds before their inevitable greed takes over, and they wish to claim the flower as their own. 

In this sense, the gods are no different than the mortals who were crafted in their image. Greedy to pluck the most beautiful blooms from the garden for their mere amusement. 

Is that what went on behind the garden wall those born outside the jurisdiction of god couldn’t peer over? Alhaitham wonders if you’d answer this inquiry of his. However, if he wants answers, he’ll have to ask soon. 

How should he say the last lines of this script?

Alhaitham ponders. There wasn’t a director to give a cue, no parenthetical to follow. Perhaps he’s entertaining such futile thoughts to distract himself.

With each wheeze of your chest, the itch in his palm grew unbearable. His thumb begged to dig its nail into the smooth skin until scarlet droplets trickled out. However, it never got its chance for soon your ailing fingers occupied the space, interlocking to halt its motion as gold rings clinked together. 

“My husband is such a handsome actor.” Breathy voice babbling with a giggle. 

Alhaitham’s cool skin hogged your warmth, trying to permanently sear the temperature into itself. 

“You don’t have to play this role anymore.” You craned your neck away with a deep exhale, exposing the vulnerable skin to him. 

There’s nothing viler to a vampire than stagnant blood. Blood that no longer runs tastes rotten, cold blood is worst than bile. Your blood still ran warm, he could sense it. This time it was his incisors that itched. 

Keen eyes don’t miss the way your nape prickled at the breath that ghosted over it as his lips parted. Your lids gently shut, bracing yourself. The incisors brushed against your exposed jugular, but they couldn’t break through the delicate skin. They wouldn’t. They just wouldn’t. 

Like the cowards they were, they retreated. Alhaitham closes his lips, deciding to press a tender kiss on the spot instead. His free hand guides your head back into a comfortable position on the plush pillow. 

“You don’t have to hold yourself back.” Your eyes were open again. 

“I’m not holding myself back,” he spoke the truth, the whole truth.

You were born with blood, it’s only right that you die with it, Alhaitham concludes. 

The ending clause of that contract be damned. 

“What a silly vampire.” Your bell-like laughter twinkled in his ears. 

Yes, he is. Even after all these centuries, Alhaitham realizes he’s still no better than a fool. A shameless fool. An idiotic hypocrite ready to stray away from the principles he thought he held firm. He’ll accept this verdict, he’ll continue this fool’s errand, if and only if you continue to giggle at his antics.

Outside the window came the dirge of Summer crickets, gentle crips accompanying your fleeting wheezes. Alhaitham shifts the thick comforter up your body, smoothing out the wrinkles as the soft warmth lulls you away. 

Your still fingers in between the spaces of his, your head curled within the space between his nape. 

Under the moon’s pure rays, lay two bodies atop soft sheets, curled towards each other, the fleeting warmth long dissipating. Atop silk sheets, one body envisions the two buried under cold dirt and not clean comforters with hands somehow still locked together. Deep under the garden wall.

Once the cruel sun creeps into the sky, and the night flees into hiding with her stars, Alhaitham will have to make a call. 

He’ll have to speak with the receptionist on the other end, with their bright customer service greeting, and get a legal pronouncement of death. Then soon after that, he’ll have to arrange the transportation of your cold husk. He’ll have to lower you into the ground alone.

However, the morning is still hours away, the moon is still here to lend her quiet sympathies. So tonight, just for tonight humor his little daydream.  

Fin~

©️vivalabunbun DON’T PLAGIARIZE, REPOST, OR TRANSLATE ANY OF MY WORKS. 

[navybrat817]

Any chance we'll see tattoo artist Steve soon? 🥺

Here's a bit of Steve's birthday, nonnie.

By Any Other Name

Pairing: Tattoo Artist!Steve Rogers x Teacher!Female Reader Summary: You're the only thing Steve wants for his birthday. Word Count: Over 900 Warnings: Implied sex, implied oral sex (f. receiving), future couple, Steve Rogers (he's a warning, okay?). A/N: Meet Thorn and Rose, set in the same AU as Hottie and Sugar. ❤️ Thank you to @jobean12-blog for chatting with me about this! Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics and Steve edit by the wonderful Nix. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

The first thing you thought when you woke up was that you couldn't believe how well rested you were. The sun was already up, shining bright through the window and curtain. You didn't normally sleep in and had no idea what time it was, but you didn't care as you nestled back into the pillow. It was going to be a good day.

If indicated by the wonderful ache between your thighs.

Your eyes widened when the figure beside you wrapped an arm tight around your waist. For a second, you almost forgot that you weren't alone and weren't in your bed. The large body was so warm and solid, practically a furnace. The beard that tickled your neck made the ache in your core throb with need.

So, I did actually sleep with my tattoo artist. It wasn’t a dream.

"Morning," Steve rasped, his lips lightly brushing against your skin as you held back a whimper.

“Morning,” you whispered back.

Your heart fluttered when he raised his head, his deep blue eyes focusing more as he smiled. His blonde hair was slightly dishevled, but he managed to still look perfect. You probably looked like a monster. It didn’t stop him from pressing a kiss between the center of your eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his muscular arm pulling you a bit closer.

"I'm okay," you replied after a moment, lightly tracing one of the tattoos on his forearm.

"Just okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

You weren't sure how to respond. The gorgeous man who talked you through getting your tattoo was practically a stranger. And you slept with him. To say he rocked your world was an understatement. The man shattered you and you couldn’t believe how he was able to put every piece of you back into place.

“Steve, Steve, Steve!”

“That’s it, sweetheart. Scream my name when I make you come for me. I’ve got you.”

The mere memory, along with his chest against yours, made your nipples hard and made you damp between your legs. You didn’t draw any attention to it though. While he didn’t seem like the type to kick you out of his bed, you had no idea where he wanted to go from here.

“More than okay. I slept really well,” you admitted, backing up just a little. He didn’t need your morning breath in his face.

Steve only pulled you closer. “So did I,” he smiled, cracking his neck a little. “And how’s your wrist feeling?”

“Just fine. Thank you,” you said as he gently took it to check. You still couldn’t believe you ran from the chair when he turned the tattoo gun on. Needles weren’t your thing. He managed to get you through it and you were glad for it.

The rose and single thorn tattoo was beautiful and worth conquering that fear.

“I’m glad you went through with it. And I’m not afraid to tie you down if you try to run from me again,” he winked, making your cheeks hot. “I have to say, this is the best way to wake up on my birthday.”

“Wait, it’s your birthday?” you smiled when he gave you a sheepish look. “Happy birthday, Steve. I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything.”

To be fair, you didn’t know and you hadn’t expected to go home with him last night.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, slowly tugging the sheet away. “But do you want to give me something?”

Instead of trying to cover yourself up, you let him fully see you in the sunlight. The way his eyes darkened, he liked what he saw. “What did you have in mind?” you asked, your voice huskier than before.

“Well, Bucky and the guys are having a small thing for me tonight,” he said, lightly running his fingers along your torso. “Would you, maybe, want to go?”

Not what I thought he’d have in mind, but that kind of sounds like a date.

“Sure,” you smiled, happy that he wanted to see you again. “I’d love to go.”

Watching his face light up was almost like you gave him a real gift. “Is it selfish to ask for one more thing?” he asked, bracing himself over you before he leaned down to capture your mouth.

Any self-conciousness about your breath and anything else disappeared as desire took over. His cock was hard, trapped between your bodies as he lightly grinded against you. “That all depends on what you ask for,” you teased as he moved his kisses down your neck.

“Scream my name again. Do it while my tongue’s deep inside you,” he said as you bit your lip. It sounded more like a command and one you knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. “And do it again when I give you my cock.”

“Steve,” you whimpered, slipping your fingers into his hair.

“Louder than that, Rose,” he said, nipping your collarbone and making you giggle at the reference of your tattoo. “And since it’s my birthday, I get to eat as much as I want.”

“You really are going to be a thorn in my side, aren’t you?” you asked affectionately.

“I prefer to be the ache between your gorgeous thighs,” he smirked. “So open up and let me eat.”

Your legs spread without another word. You’d let him have his fill. It was his birthday, after all. And it would’ve been wrong to deny him.

Steve deserves it, right? Love and thanks! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Steve Rogers Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[wildestdreamsblog]

Latibule VI

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader (Mafia/Detective AU)

Summary: In which you didn’t know who he truly was- until it was too late. Or in which he found heaven in you.

Warnings: Secret Identity, Yandere behavior, Obsessiveness, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, Violence, Mention of death, Disability, Sexual themes, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

A/N: never tell me I don’t love my readers when I’m here writing when I just got my heart broken hehehehe

Masterlist, Latibule V

You turned around when you heard a dull thump of mug hitting the wooden table, distracting you from looking at the stars. Suga was standing behind you with his own steaming cup of coffee, looking tiredly at you before taking a seat.

“Finally got him to sleep?”

He sighed before taking a sip from his coffee. He brushed his hair away from his face as he looked up at the stars. “Seriously, who needs bedtime stories in order to sleep?” He scoffed, remembering how Jackson insisted that he read him stories because, and he quoted, ‘Ahjussi has a deep, nice voice perfect for princes and monsters’.

See, he didn’t even know why he digressed, but that little child looked up at him expectantly that he found himself doing voices that made the child laughed. It was so out of character for him, the big, bad mafia. If his men saw him like that, they would surely thought he hit his head or something. Even he thought that he hit his head. Otherwise, why would he do all those things?

“Children, Suga,” you chuckled at his exhausted face before returning your gaze at the stars, of how they twinkled back at you, of how tragically beautiful they were. You never tired of looking at them night after night, committing them to memory, admiring them from afar. “Didn’t your parents read to you when you were a child?”

He chuckled tonelessly. His family wasn’t exactly…conventional. Hell, if he was raised with normal childhood where parents loved their kids, would he have turned out fine and not the fucked up man he was? The one who was incapable of love?

You looked at him as he looked up at the stars, his hands resting behind him, supporting his weight. The night was quiet, peaceful even. He looked so stoic, so tranquil that you thought he would never answered. After all, you practically knew nothing about him. For heaven’s sake, you had to name him because he refused to give you his name. Despite him existing in your life for months, you didn’t know any truth about him. He was always quick to dodge your questions, asking you questions of his own instead of answering. You didn’t expect him to tell you any of his truths.

This was also the reason why you convinced yourself not to look too much into what you felt, or how your heart seemed to calm when he was near…or how you felt like you were no longer alone for the first time since that tragedy that changed the trajectory of your life. This was all temporary, you kept telling yourself.

One day, he would leave and you would be alone again.

However much to your surprise, he finally answered. “My mother…used to sing lullabies to me every night,” his deep voice divulged, his eyes still trained to the stars you loved to look up to every night. This was the first time he talked about her, the first time he looked back on the nightmare that was his childhood. “She loved singing those French love songs,” he chuckled humorlessly, remembering how her voice calmed the young Yoongi.

“She’s probably worried about you right now…” you mused, thinking of how he had been gone from his normal life for months now. What parent would have not been worried, you thought.

He smirked before looking at you with emotionless eyes. “Why? She’s dead. And even if she’s alive, I don’t think she’s the kind to be worried.”

You frowned, surely that wasn’t the truth, you thought. “Suga-“

He leaned in, looking intensely at you, taking your space as though it was his. He placed his fingers under your chin, tilting your face to his liking. “She gave me this scar,” he whispered, his tone light like he was merely talking about the weather. “Daddy dearest made her choose. Her face-“ he tucked your stray hair behind your ear, his fingers touching your softly as though he wasn’t telling you his tragic childhood. “-or my eye. Guess which one she chose?”

Your lips trembled at what he said. You struggled to look at his eyes, your eyes shifting. What kind of twisted parents would hurt their child? What kind of demon would scar a helpless child? This close and you could see how deep the scar was and it pained you to think of the young Suga bleeding and crying as he clutched his eye.

“And now, I’m hideous,” he sneered, taking your silence as rejection, as disgust, as loathing. He was about to step back when you reached out and slowly, oh so slowly, traced his scar.

“Who told you that?” You asked softly, looking at his eyes with sincerity that it terrified him because no one had ever looked at him like that. You smiled at him, “You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, Suga.”

He looked at you with wonder, his expression slowly relaxing. How could an angel such as you thought of him as beautiful? If…if you knew what he had done, what he was capable of doing, would you still willingly touch him?

Would you still call him beautiful?

Would you finally see him as the monster that he truly was?

You were about to pull away from him when he laid his hand on yours, unwilling to be separated from this feeling that he couldn’t name for how could he when he was never shown love? When he was never taught of love?

How could he knew he was falling for you when that emotion was foreign to him?

“I-is your father still alive?”

He shook his head, not trusting his voice. He thought he would feel regret when he opened up about his past to you. Strangely, all he felt was peace. He felt lighter.

“Good,” you whispered, nodding your head. They didn’t deserve to still be in Suga’s life after the horrifying deeds they did to a defenseless child.

“Noona?”

You snapped out of the trance that you were in, quickly putting distance that Suga hated upon hearing Jackson. He was rubbing the sleep off of his eyes as he walked to where the two of you were. “I woke up from a nightmare. A monster was chasing me, ahjussi,” he said sadly, cheeks damped from his tears. He looked up at Suga with a pout, lifting his little arms expectantly. Yet Suga looked at him in confusion.

“What? W-what does he want, Angel?” He asked you, shifting his gaze from the young child to you as though he was asking for help.

“I think…he wants you to pick him up.”

He sighed before easily picking him up. The child was quick to wrap his arms around Suga’s broad shoulders, his chubby cheeks leaning on his shoulder. “I wasn’t scared, ahjussi! I knew you can fight the monsters,” he boasted sleepily.

Suga didn’t even notice himself smiling at the sentiment. Of course he would slay all the monsters…despite him being one. Once the two of you got him in bed, Suga was about to turn around and leave when he called for him, whining about wanting him to stay so he could slay his demons.

And in that moment, Suga looked at you for permission. He held your eyes captive, his eyes gently awaiting your decision. You nodded at him, and the three of you laid quietly. Jackson was fast asleep in between the two of you, the darkness of the night making it difficult for you to know whether Suga was sleeping. Yet, when you turned to look at him, he was already looking at you with his dark eyes, his body fully attuned to yours.

You turned to him, your hands under your head as you looked at him. “I’m glad you survived that,” you whispered truthfully, your eyes tracing his scarred one.

He looked as though he was contemplating. You thought he would never answer as he was only looking at you, but then he asked, “Why?”

“Because you’re here now.”

In that moment, he was convinced now more than ever that they never loved him. Because when you loved someone, you would never hurt them, you would never even entertain the thought of hurting them. No. When you love someone, you protect them. You cherished them. You would never, ever, lay your hands on them. Yoongi thought that he would rather die than hurt you.

-

“May I help you?” You asked the tall and broad shouldered man. You noticed him looking around the clinic, his back facing yours. He looked like he was at loss as to what to do.

He turned around slowly, his dark eyes focusing on yours as he took you in. You weren’t ready when you finally saw him. He looked like he could say that he was a movie star and you would completely believe him with no question asked. He could claim that he was a prince and you would say, ‘yep, that sounds right’.

In conclusion, his beauty was out of this world. And he looked like he was aware of it. He had this clean look in him, almost clinical in nature. His hair was neatly combed back, his long-sleeves folded to his elbow.

“I…” he started, his brows furrowed as he considered what and how he was going to say. “I lost my cat.”

“Oh no, that’s terrible!”

He scrunched his nose and thought whether losing Yoongi was really terrible. His life was way quieter without him. Did he really want to look for him, he thought. He looked like he was in deep contemplation. “It…is?”

Your head tilted to the side in confusion. Wasn’t it a terrible thing to have lost your own pet?

At your expression, he straightened and nodded his head solemnly, willing you to believe him. “Yes. It’s terrible. It is.”

“What did you say you lost?”

“Yoongi,” he whispered under his breath.

“What?”

“I meant- a cat. I lost a vicious cat. A dangerous one,” he stated, his voice strong. “It is imperative that I find him.”

You blinked at his statement, and then some more when he wouldn’t stop looking at you. “Do you want my help?”

Suga looked at the clinic’s secretary with a dull expression on his face. For weeks since he started working at that diner as a waiter slash guard when rowdy teenagers visited the diner with no intention to pay, he always picked you up from the clinic. It became your tradition to go home together. He would go to the clinic as soon as he finished his work, and you would be where he wanted you to be- in your office waiting for him.

So where the fuck were you now?

He had his arms crossed, his eyes trained on her despite her trembling form.

“She’s not here,” he repeated slowly, not liking the thought of not knowing where you were. It pissed him off. It unnerved him. It didn’t sit right with him.

“She left early with some guy…”

Min Yoongi had never felt that exceedingly terrifying feeling before. It gnawed at his bone, it punched his heart as his brain thought of million grotesque scenarios concerning you. Did his enemies find you? Did his enemies found out that he was fucking alive? Did they somehow get to you?

Did you now know who he truly was?

His hand curled into a tight fist as he felt darkness clung to his mind. Was this how his paradise end?

You eyed the man sitting on your sofa. You helped him looked all over the town to no avail, yet when you asked him if he had a picture of his pet so that the search would be easier, he claimed that he lost his phone early that day.

He was calmly sipping the coffee you made him, looking around your house with nonchalant observation. It was already dark outside and you kept on looking at the clock. You wondered where Suga was. It was hours past his shift and he still wasn’t home.

“I’m sorry we didn’t find your cat.”

He smiled gently at you before softly placing the cup of coffee back on the table. You noticed that his movement was always refined, that he moved with an air of elegance as though he was born with a golden spoon.

“That’s fine,” he started, his voice deep and his eyes shone with intelligence like he knew something you didn’t. “He’ll come.”

You were about to ask him what he meant by that when the front door slammed opened. Suga’s eyes seemed to appear darker than the usual, his form menacing. This was the first time you saw him resembled a wild predator. He seemed to appear unhinged, his look of bewilderment when he finally found you made you unconsciously stepped back as he neared you with heavy steps.

But you didn’t get far.

You would have fallen had it not been for his arms that wrapped around you tightly as though he would never let you go. You never knew how big he was until he had you plastered to him, his form completely enveloping you. This close and you could hear how hard his heart was beating, how it wanted to break free from the cage that was his ribs. This close and you could feel how his body was trembling with an emotion you didn’t know.

“S-Suga-“

“Never,” he growled, his dark hair cascading on his face making him looked more feral. He gently pushed you away, his hands on your shoulder as he made you looked at him with ferocity. He was taking you in, the alarm in his face hadn’t gone down an inch. But the moment he saw you, he looked as though a weight had been taken off his shoulder.

He had never felt as thankful to whatever deity or Gods that were out there than he did the moment he saw you alive, that you were still here in front of him, that he could still fucking hold you.

“Never, ever go somewhere without telling me first,” he growled at you with a dark look on his face . He was imposing and serious like you had never seen him before. “Never go somewhere where I cannot fucking follow-“

“Suga, please calm do-“

“Do you understand me, Angel?” He cut you off as he tilted your chin up, making you understood how fucking terrified he was, of how he would find any other answer unacceptable but your agreement. And when you finally nodded did he reluctantly let you out of his hands.

And only then did he notice the man sitting on the sofa with a smirk on his face.

“Hyung.”

- National Police Agency, South Korea -

Park Jimin was staring at his laptop unblinkingly. Ever since he found out who the traitor was, he was at loss with what to do. He was raised to value both the organization and family. And right now, he needed to choose between the two.

He couldn’t find the answer as to why he was able to do what he did. He couldn’t understand why he betrayed Yoongi when he protected them like they were his own brothers. Min Yoongi, as dangerous as that man was, took lashes for them. He would tell them to fuck off and then catch a bullet for them. He made the difficult decisions for them. He bled just so the seven of them could live.

Min Yoongi was the most loyal man he ever knew.

And so, how could that traitor do that to him?

“Detective Park.”

Jimin lifted his eyes to the man who called him. He was wearing his uniform, just having been temporarily promoted to Yoongi’s position. He was smiling like the sunshine he was perceived to be, yet behind those smiles lied something dangerous…something sinister.

“A word.”

He smiled at the traitor.

He smiled at Jung Hoseok.

Latibule VII

[marknee]

bts fanfics i think shakespeare would plagiarise the absolute shit out of.

chapter iii. ✷ chapter v.

KEYS ON SEVERITY OF SHAKESPEARE’S STATE:

( ✮ ) — the bastard needs to find better hiding places to ‘secretly’ plagiarise. the tavern, really?

( ♬ ) — notes were found in the trunk by the foot of his bed. not the sharpest quill in the pot, i’ll say. 

( ✎ ) — word on the street is he’s been arranging a performance at the globe theatre next week.

( ♛ ) — why is this play being taught as part of the british exam curriculum? he didn’t even write it!

THE SHAKESPEARE SERIES.

WARNING: keep in mind, some of these authors are very strict on the rule that no minors should read their work if they’re underage, and i will honour that. but, at the end of the day, i am not your parent. so, there’s that. but heed my warning wisely. any smut or 18+ content is highlighted in bold.

NOTE: dear readers, welcome to phase two. did you miss me? it’s been a long time coming, i assure you, so i’m glad to finally get the ball rolling on the next few chapters of incredible stories. my quill has been neatly sharpened, so are you ready?

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( ♬ ) KEYNOTE — by @missgeniality

!! hoseok x reader | 18.5k !!

strangers to lovers, non-idol!au, smut, slight fluff.

dear reader, after some time away having finished phase one of this series, i happened to unwillingly stumble across some newfound knowledge of shakespeare, which enlightened all that i knew of. unbeknownst to me, shakespeare did write about sexual endeavours within his plays. exhibit a: “but i might see cupid’s fiery shaft, quenched in the chaste beams of the watery moon.” a midsummer night’s dream, act iii, scene i.

but, did shakespeare write: “a gruelling war between your self-respect and lascivious yearning, a war waged for way too long - the fact that you're even thinking about it, your self-respect has to give in to your desires.” indeed not.

effectively, this story doesn’t grant you time to settle in. if anything, you have all but one option when diving in to the sharks: to surrender, allowing yourself to be thrown into the deep end - to a dark predator, who from that moment, sits at the table he’s created within your mind, body and soul, and feasts on every last ounce of sanity you thought existed.

truthfully, what could say it better than: “metal could melt under his scrutiny — you’re nothing but a mere mortal.”

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( ♛ ) ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR — by @faryn_rose (ao3)

!! seokjin x reader, jungkook x reader | 48.4k !!

historical!au, violence, drama & romance.

“no, you decided. monsters did not spare people's feelings.”

there are those who fall under the supposition of being an iron fist in a velvet glove, and there are those who persist it. if anything, i argue a third exist: those who prove themselves neither.

throughout this story, it appeared two emotions were consistent in their approach of lurking within its entirety - heartbreak and betrayal. after all, people find themselves doing wild things in the name of love. in the battle between two men, both equal in their share of time on the battlefield, to win the precious heart of the reader, it provokes the question: who do you choose? the proud general willing to die for you, or the gentle chief who vows to keep you safe? certainly a tough choice.

the title is seemingly a perfect choice for this exhilarating fifty-thousand-word story. for the loser is left wondering whether the fight was worth the struggle.

not mentioning the loss of pride knowing their attempts were, in fact, faulty.

but, as said, all’s fair in love and war.

“he treated me like i mattered, like i had power in this world. and i decided that i couldn’t let someone like that go.”

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( ✎ ) 1999 — by @tattookoo

!! campus royalty!jungkook x reader | 17.9k !!

90s!au, college au, hockey!au, fake dating, smut.

“kook, it’s really not hard to pretend to be into you. you’re very easy to love.”

with an unruly raven-haired rake with devastating dimples as the love interest, i am fully subscribed to the belief this utterance lies true. if anything, you’d be a fool to not swoon over this dashing playboy of the 90s.

this story hones into the idea of fake dating for the sake of rebuilding a reputation. but, as it seems, nobody’s fate truly rests in their own hands.

as we know - or will come to in time - a real relationship requires more of something that a fake perhaps less so: vulnerability. true, it carries the burden, yet it leaves space for commitment to linger, though as a visitor, and not as a resident. it seems commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.

the author does an incredible job of bringing every aspect of being exposed to the susceptibility of love, and that is what earned itself a place in my series.

yet, why is it we continue to delve into stories like these? well, for the greatest adventure we humans can ever go on: to run the risk of rejection, and to be completely okay with it.

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( ♛ ) HOOKED — by @joopiterjoon (ao3)

!! namjoon x reader | 102k !!

friends with benefits, smut, angst, 18+.

typically, when tornado warnings siren, it’s our cue to turn tail and flee. so when tornado warnings siren within people, why is it we do not take initiative until the damage is done? even worse, what if they siren within ourselves? as we know, we cannot run from ourselves.

“i need to work on me with me." while this quote may appear ordinary, i fear its the most impactful, and arguably the most important, piece of dialogue in this story - the understanding that the only person who is going to fix you, is yourself. a tough pill to swallow - especially if you were shattered against your will - but one we must digest eventually.

shakespeare wouldn’t have a clue, regarding all his characters are broken beyond belief - and that, in most cases, ends up being their demise.

alternately, this story leaves you with two ending options. i shan’t tell you which is best, dear reader, as that choice belongs to you. but, a simple thing i like to remember:

“love is loss.”

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( ♛ ) HEARTBURN — by @jiminrings

!! jimin x reader | 41.7k !!

heavy angst, emotional infidelity, more angst.

“the ones we love have the power to inflict the greatest scars, for what thing is more fragile than the human heart.” i can’t remember for the life of me who said this, but dear lord, does it just hit the mark for this story.

to cheat is to lack integrity. which jimin palpably inherits. but, it seems in order to acquire agency, sometimes bad things have to be someone’s fault.

throughout this tripartite story, you witness the growth of each individual character - and perhaps the loss of parts, too. each has their depths, their faults, their beauty. nobody is left dry, and it truly brings the story together in a way that connects so well.

“guard your heart, y/n. let it be yours before you share it again.” i ask you, author, what provoked you to write such heart-rending words? and i ask you, dear readers, to bathe in the words i say next: your heart is yours before it is anybody else’s.

this story is not just about the destruction of a great trust, but about a birth of trust within yourself and what it means to wholeheartedly put yourself first - especially in desperate times when nobody else will do it for you.

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( ♬ ) TOLERATE IT — by @archivedkookie (ongoing)

!! taehyung x reader | 6k !!

heavy angst, one-sided love, forced marriage, smut.

“the worst way to love somebody’s to watch them love somebody else and it work out.” body better, maisie peters.

unrequited love is a killer. a crushing, sinking pain when your heart reaches the depths of your stomach, and it’s more common experience than one might think - especially between you and i.

whilst this story is still ongoing, i know i’m about to be completely swept off my feet. especially with leading quotes such as: “because before all this happened, you were his friend.”

this story feels familiar - the words familiar too. simply because i assure we’ve all been the the exact boat - the one floating upon stormy seas of rejection. we understand the readers pain, we sympathise with it, and we connect to it.

“not your love to be tolerated when you know you should be celebrated.”

we’re fools of love, that’s all we are. there’s no magic or defiance behind it.

and in the words of the perks of being a wallflower: “we accept the love we think we deserve.”

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( ✎ ) LEVEL OF RESTRAINT — by @lemonjoonah

!! jimin x namjoon x reader x taehyung | 13k !!

office!au, bdsm!au, 18+, thriller, smut.

“any position beneath you would suit me nicely.” why don’t you shut the fuck up?

now, tell me, at what point does one cross the thin line between obsession and possession? what are the defining factors, and when down that very same faded line, does one reach a great epiphany they’ve reached a place of no return? does ‘love’ not beg for sacrifice? does it?

setting the scene, with characters like these, it’s hard to not risk the fall of betrayal from the thrust of arguably non-consensual sexual situations, but i’ll let you be the judge of that. effectively, this story is one you have to experience for yourself, dear reader, in order to understand. there is only so much i can tell you- reveal, express, without running my mouth and ruining the whole plot line.

though, i shall leave you with one piece of advice. a thought for you to ponder on: pay attention.

and talk about jimin and namjoon being sex on legs all you want, but there is no denial this story has a deeper, more sinister verona.

lady macbeth said it herself: “look like th' innocent flower, / but be the serpent under't.”

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( ♬ ) WANT A TASTE? — by @suga-kookiemonster

!! yoongi x reader | 18.3k !!

friends to lovers, humour, shopping mall!au, smut.

"who are you, yoongi? what is your truth?” if there is something i can respect, should it be this line.

i believe there is a rich beauty in the small, gentle exchanges between strangers, to which ripen, transforming into the most special of connections between friends - and before long, between lovers. it’s a slow and steady process i’m sure, but i find those types of love are the most worthwhile. 

patience is, of course, dear reader, a virtue.

in my humble opinion, this story does nothing but breathe fun from its very core, encapsulating the sweet essence of excitement - of belonging - and burrowing itself around you like a warm blanket. that’s the sheer power of a writer - to familiarise the strange and mystify the familiar.

tell, aren’t you intrigued?

“all the time you've spent with him has already alerted you to the fact that his hard persona is all a front.”

took you long enough.

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( ♛ ) THE WEDDING ARRANGEMENT — by @sugaurora (ao3)

!! namjoon x black!reader | 44.2k !!

enemies with benefits to lovers, smut, romance.

“and maybe that's because it wasn't the kind of love you always expected, but something different that you hadn't fully let yourself accept.” if this were any other topic of matter, i would let wit take its course. however, as it is not, i am inept from doing so - rather i shall let your own imagination prove itself dominant, dear reader.

effectively, if there is anything this story has mastered, it’s the realisation that assumptions can erode any relationship, and inevitably are a fate we, the human race, continue to face and to fight.

“strangely, the first thing you thought of was home.” while i presume i join the line of overdue attendants to stumble across this indescribable romance, to say its definitely left its mark - perchance, more.

if you seek a delicious story to sink your teeth into, let this take the cake. besides, the story isn’t the only appetising option on the menu.

“you're a walking erotic novel cover, namjoon.”

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( ✮ ) FINAL SLEIGH — by @floralseokjin

!! seokjin x reader | 23.3k !!

office!au, rivals/enemies to lovers, smut.

in order to reach the beautiful rose nestled within its bush, you must first combat the prickly thorns to which ensure its survival by the name of protection. mind you, shakespeare never said that - i did. my quill is just as sharp it’s practically lethal.

the art of protection within humans, i say, is much different. it jumps out in strange forms, but each is just as valid as the other. which is what indefinitely makes this trope all the more interesting - especially in this story.

“feelings was a scary word, an uncertain word, but you thought you liked the way it made you feel.” arguably, if a pair are able to surmount this indescribable nine letter word, possibly even sit with the idea, then perhaps their journey marks itself a success. and that to me, is worth fighting for.

this story is a perfect mix between comedy and actuality, plenishing us of pure enjoyment while hooking us round the legs in the name of desire disguised. a perfect mask, indeed.

we’re all playing with fire. but if you don’t take that foolish risk, how’d you know you’d burn?

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( ✮ ) SIT. STAY. — by @daechwitatamic

!! seokjin x reader | 14k !!

neighbours!au, dog parent!au, smut.

“if you love somebody, let them go.” not to delve too deep into things, but baring in mind society’s self-destructive addiction to faster living, it poses the question whether “stay” within this context carries a much heavier weight than intended. asking someone to stick by you in a world which thrives on the act of haste, is a form of intimacy one may not throughly tread.

but understand this, dear readers, i do not miss anything.

the affinity within this story is one to point out. it’s so raw and genuine that it feels uncomfortably natural - to the point that freshly reading this felt like returning to an old friend your soul grew attached to in a past life, glad - and almost grateful - to encounter them once more.

“would you be better off telling him later, when things are settled, when you can tie up the story nice and neat?” oh, how you wound me. just so, the new in a relationship is a hard course to navigate, especially when it comes to our deepest shadows - perhaps it would be easier to stick a decorative bow over the cracks.

but then again, how else would light get in?

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( ♛ ) BLOOM — by @hobidreams

!! florist!namjoon x assassin!reader | 20.7k !!

smut, action, angst, opposites attract.

in the nature of life, it is normal for us to resist death. but in the nature of the world, in the end, death overwhelms life. but ‘tis not death itself we find ourselves afraid of, rather the possibility of it. “like how a child fears what might lay beyond a closet door, beneath a four-frame bed.”

even i fed the dark, hungry demon of that spiralling thought once.

within this captivating story, the two main characters of life and death coexist beside each other. neither try to dominate and drain the power of the other. they simply rest, side by side, together. while joon grows life through his plants, the reader strips that of what is so. to each to their own. the birth, and the destruction.

but, dear reader, does life beg the existence of death? or simply, is it the other way around? can death suffice without existence? “you can't seem to sleep… without the comfort that there's something growing, thriving in life just a few feet away.” …perhaps.

despite the pair being so different from one another, neither allow that defining characteristic the chance to ruin their dangerous, but very real connection. well… until the last petal falls.

but i shall let you discover that for yourself.

TAGLIST: @screamertannie @bebejungkook @taleasnewastime​

© marknee, 2023. all rights reserved.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

okay, monster!au characters reaction to Yuu(s) having hiccups. Like the high pitch squeaky toy type of hiccup. I feel like it would be seen as cute to concerning by everyone depending on how long they last.

Hiccups can be extremely annoying to the one experiencing them (and sometimes be painful), but highly entertaining to observers! 😆 I remember at one point that my nephew had a little trick to get someone to stop having the hiccups by asking them a completely random question, like, “What did you say about [insert random thing]?” and the sheer confusion and attempt to clarify what was going on would end up stopping the hiccups!

The trick kinda loses its effectiveness when you use the same phrase over and over again though, so shaking it up a little might work!

Anyway, it’s not uncommon for animals to get the hiccups either, though the pitch and duration will vary. As such, most monster species experiencing them tend to be less vocal than us humans. Now imagine that Yuu gets these high-pitched hiccups in the middle of class one day. >v>

/--------------/

Yuu: *stirring their cauldron in potionology* “How’re the ingredients coming along, Grim?”

Grim: “Mrrrgh…this is too tedious. Why can’t I stir and you prepare the ingredients?”

Yuu: “Because the last time we tried that, you slipped on the book pile and fell in. We had to start all over again!”

Grim: “Okay, okay, sheesh! What do we need first?”

Yuu: “First, we need…three grams of wild chicory.” *takes dish and pours contents into the cauldron* “Next, we need a—[hic!]”

Grim: “Need a what?”

Yuu: “We need a—[hic!]”

Grim: “Eh?”

Yuu: *getting frustrated* “Pass me the—[hic!]—the—[hic!]—oh for the love of—[HIC!!]—ow!”

Grim: “Fygah?!”

Deuce: “What was that?? Are you okay?!”

Yuu: “What? You mean the hi—[hic!]—ccups?”

Ace: “That’s what human hiccups sound like?”

Crewel: *stalks over* “Why are you pups yapping instead of working?”

Grim: “Yuu has the hiccups!”

Crewel: “Hiccups?”

Deuce: “They sound so…squeaky.”

Yuu: “[HIC!!!] Ow!”

Crewel: *looking concerned* “Do you need to go to the nurse?”

Yuu: “I’m fine, really! They’ll—[hic!]—go away eventual—[hic!]—ly.”

///Two hours later in Magical History///

Yuu: “Ugh…I hate thi—[hic!]—is!”

Ace: “Dude, how long are hiccups supposed to last for humans?”

Yuu: “It var—[hic!]—ies. Ow…”

Ace: *ears twitch* “Are…you okay? That sounded like it hurt.”

Yuu: “Yeah, like I said, it hap—[hic!]—pens. Never had them last thi—[hic!]—is long tho—[hic!]—ugh.”

*Trein continues teaching the class, Yuu’s hiccups getting progressively more frequent as they try to stifle it. They try everything they can, from holding their breath to taking slow sips of water, but they end up getting more and more embarrassed as students stare at them and Trein gives them a concerned and annoyed look at the same time*

Yuu: “Can this g—[hic!]—et any—[hic!]—worse…?”

Crowley: *drops in out of nowhere* “Pop quiz!”

All except Trein: “Gah!?”

Yuu: “………”

Deuce: “…Yuu, your hiccups are gone!”

Yuu: “They are?” *pauses* “They are! Thank you, headmaster!”

Crowley: “Hm? Oh, well, you’re welcome, Yuu!”

Trein: “You have no idea why they’re even thanking you, do you?”

Crowley: “The fact that a student thanked me in the first place is more than enough to know I’m doing my job right, Mozus.”

///Later///

Ace: “Wait, so you mean that humans scare each other to get rid of hiccups?”

Yuu: “Yeah, that’s why when the headmaster jumped in like he did, I got surprised and the hiccups went away.”

Deuce: “How does that even work?”

Yuu: “I……don’t really know. But it can be effective, if a little bad for the heart at tim-”

???: “Screeeeeeaaaah-!!”

Yuu: *looks up as a large shadow charges at them* “AAAAAAAA-!!!”

WHUMP!!

Ace: “Gyah! Floyd? What the heck, what’d you do that for?!”

Floyd: *holding Yuu in his arms* “Hahaha! Why not? Lil’ Shrimpy has the funniest reactions when Seagull does the same thing.”

Yuu: *looking panicked and horrified* “[Hic! Hic! Hic! Hic! Hic! Hic! Hic! Hic!!]”

Floyd: “Eh? Why’s Shrimpy making that sound?”

Ace: “Ugh…and we just got the hiccups to stop.”

Grim: “Wait, I thought scaring humans got rid of them, but scaring them can cause them too??”

Yuu: “Just—[hic!]—get me—[hic!]—some wat—[hic!]—er!”

///------///

And there we have it! The good news is that Yuu will definitely have plenty of help getting rid of the next round of hiccups. The bad news is that it may not be so good for their heart with how terrifying some of the monster boys can be. 🤣

By the way, the last part was inspired by the last strip of a Calvin and Hobbes comic where Calvin had the hiccups, and was trying all sorts of tricks to get rid of them. Believe me, it was a tossup between Floyd and Rook in terms of who was going to pull that stunt at the end!

[danikamariewrites]

can i please request a modern au with rhysand x reader where rhysand is sitting in very important meeting and his daughter calls him on readers phone to tell her about her day and what she learned in school today. He answers and doesn’t give a shit that this is a meeting. he just smiles and talks to his daughter. The others in the meeting wait impatiently for him to finish snd someone says

” this is absolutely ridiculous it’s unproffesional, disrespectful and rude to to this in the middle of a crisis meeting “

and he says coldly:

“If my daughter calls me, I’m going to answer. I don’t care if the mother herself sat here. And you’re crazy if you think I’m not going to speak to my wife as well.”

and he keeps talking to reader and their daughter,

” give me one minute sweetie, daddy is coming home very soon. i’ll pick you and mommy up some ice cream from the place you like. yeah okay sweetheart hand the phone over to mommy. Yeah, i’ll be there in 10 minutes my love see you soon. ”

” this meeting is completely unnecessary, i’ll go out and fix this situation in 2 seconds and then i’m going home. ” he says unamused and walks out.

Pointless Meetings

Modern!Rhysand x reader

A/n: I love modern!Rhys who is obsessed with his family 😋

Warnings: fluff and not proof read sorry lol

Rhys was perpetually bored. Two of his board members called an emergency meeting over nothing, Rhys could solve the problem if they simply let him speak. He is CEO and the fact that he can’t get a word in is ridiculous.

As the others argued he simply spun in his chair staring out the window of the high rise. He stared in the direction of home. Where you and your little girl, Isla, are waiting at home for him. Rhys could’ve left thirty minutes ago if it wasn’t for this meeting.

His phone buzzed in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. Looking at the screen a text from you pops up, Isla wants to call if you’re not busy 😊.

Rhys smiled at the message as he replied. He would always make time for the two of you no matter what. Seconds later your contact photos graced his screen. He loved looking at the sweet photo of you and Isla smiling, frosting from her birthday cake all over her cheeks and little nose.

Sliding to answer he heard Isla’s little voice as she spoke to you. “Did he answer yet mommy?” “Yup, here sweetie.” She screamed in excitement. Isla hadn’t spoken to him all day and she was desperate for daddy’s attention.

“Hi little bean.” “Hi daddy!” Rhys heard the room fall silent. He stood walking over to the window facing away from the board members. “I miss you, when will you be home? You promised we would watch Monsters Inc.”

A breathy giggle leaves his lips. “Of course we’re gunna watch Monsters Inc. bean, I-“ “Excuse me Rhysand! Taking a personal call during an emergency meeting is highly inappropriate. You are the CEO! Set an example.”

Anger took over Rhys’s features as he looks back at the full meeting table. “This is barley an emergency. And if my daughter wants to speak to me I’m going to answer the phone. I don’t care what’s happening I will always speak to my family.”

He turns back to look out the window, holding the phone back up to his ear. “Sorry daddy, did I get you in trouble?” Rhys could hear the wobble in her voice like she was about to cry. “No bean, not at all. Remember daddy’s the boss so I can do whatever I want.”

Isla’s sweet giggle sounded again causing his smile to widen and heart to warm. “Can you put me on speaker so I can talk to mommy too?” “Ok say hi.” “Hi y/n/n.”

“Hi baby.” Your voice calmed him immediately. Making him miss you even more, wanting you and Isla in his arms. “I’m leaving in a minute and I’m going to pick up your favorite ice cream, any other requests?” After the short list you said goodbye to each other.

Rhys angrily shoved his phone back into his pocket and stormed back over to the table. “So you’re just going to leave without-“

Rhys grabbed the pen from the man’s hand and started scribbling notes on the paper in front of him. “There. There’s your answer. See how easy that was. And stop fucking calling emergency board meetings at the end of the day, this is the seventh one this month and it’s very disturbing you can’t do your job.”

Throwing the pen down on the table he aggressively opened the glass door and sped walked to the elevators. His dress shoes causing an echo to sound in the empty hallway. He slammed the buttons, willing the elevator to arrive so he can get home to the two of you.

[cb97breathing]

THE WOLF KING - A BANG CHAN SERIES

PREVIOUS NEXT

CHAPTER NINE: MINE TO LOVE

Pairing: Bang Chan x Afab! Reader

Theme: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Fantasy AU, Werewolf!Chan, MDNI

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: Long before you were born the war between the ever knew the true cause of it, but humans were forbidden to ever enter the woods that bordered their lands. But you were never one to follow laws, you had always felt drawn to the beauty of the woods and never have you once felt in danger there. One day you come across a large black wolf watching you in the distance. It never approached you, but it watched you as you would lay against a tree in the sunlight and read your favorite books. From that moment on you would always see it, watching you. You felt as if it was protecting you. You would smile at it and never dare go near it. Little did you know, that the wolf who watched you carefully, was not just any wolf, but also a man, the man they called the wolf king.

A/N: Please do not repost or translate my work! Let me know if you wish to be on the tagged list.

Chan reached out in his sleep for her, even unconscious he needed her near. But when he felt an empty space beside him his eyes shot open. When he saw she wasn’t there he shot up and looked around the room in a panic. He called out for you, but was met with silence. You never left him. Not once. He knew something was wrong. His heart pounded and tears flew down his cheeks. That’s when he spotted them, the letters. He slowly walked over and gently lifted up the one with his name on it. He let out a shaky breath and opened it.

My Love,

By the time you read this, I will have already left. I’m so sorry. I promised you that we would be together forever. But I can’t let him hurt you, I can’t let him hurt any of you. I love you too much. So please, please do not go after me. Please respect my choice. I am giving myself up, to protect all of you. Because you mean the world to me. I truly do believe I was born to be with you, that I was created for you and you for me.

But maybe it’s not meant to be in this life. I am going to San and I will give him what he wants. I know this will anger you, I know it will hurt you and I’m so sorry. One day, maybe we will meet again. But for now, please, please take care of yourself and everyone. If you do end up finding someone to love and make you happy please don’t hold back because of me. I want you to be happy. I love you Chan. I love you more than anything in this world and that is why I have to go.

Sincerely,

Y/n

“N-No.” The ink began to smudge as his tears landed on the paper. His lip trembled and he slowly fell to his knees. You were gone, you had left him. His reason for living, his reason for breathing, was gone. He choked on a sob and clenched the note in his fist. He could still smell you, your scent lingered in the air, you were close, you hadn’t made it far. Could he really do as you asked? Could he let you surrender yourself to that monster of a human? No, no he couldn’t. He dropped the letter and went to the balcony. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air to catch your scent and when he did, he shifted.

His large wolf form howled loudly after you before running in the direction your scent was in. There was no way, no way he would let you give up everything for him. There also was no he was going to let that man have you. You were his, his packs, not that bastard’s. He continued to howl as he rushed after you wanting you to know he was coming for you. There was no way you could outrun him. You could try, but it was hopeless. No one could outrun a werewolf.

You could hear his howls, you could hear the pain behind them. You didn’t expect him to wake so soon. Your heart shattered at the sound as you gazed behind you. He was coming after you, you knew it. Your heart pounded as you stood frozen by the lake where you both had made love the first time, you wanted to see it one more time before you left and now you stood there as his large wolf form slowly approached you from the shadows. Tears welled in your eyes as you stared into his eyes, that beautiful glowing yellow of his wolf was something you always loved.

“You have to let me go.” You choked out. “Please.” His whimper made your heart shatter further. He moved into the woods behind a tree, and where a wolf walked in, a man came out. Chan stared at you, his eyes broken and blood shot. You did your best not to stare at his body, or his eyes. “Chan please.” You begged in a whimper.

“No.” He whispered. He stormed over to you and pulled you close to him and pressed his lips to yours in a deep and desperate kiss. You tried your best not to give in, but the power he held over you took control quickly. You melted into him and kissed back just as desperately as your fingers tangled in his curls. “I’m never letting you go.” He whispered into your lips. “I’m never letting him have you. You’re mine.” He whispered as he nipped your lips. “You will always be mine, and he will never know what you taste like, he will never know how soft your skin is, he will never have you. Never.”

You used all your strength to push him away. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be Chan. Please. I need to do this. If I go to him he won't hurt any of you again. Just let me go. I’ll be okay.”

“Will you? How can you be so sure?” He cried out. “How do you know he won’t hurt you? That he won’t force you to do things you don’t want?” He cupped your cheek. “Y/n he wants you the way we all do. But what do you think is going to happen when you tell him you don’t want him touching you? You think he will let that slide? — I can’t bear the thought of that man touching you. I’d rather die than let him have you, do you understand? At least then I know Changbin and the rest will be here to cherish you. Someone who loves you truly. Not someone who views you as a bloody trophy.”

“I’m willing to do whatever he wants if it means you don’t have to die.” You whispered. “If it means that you will be safe and unharmed. I’ll do whatever he wants.” Those words made Chan shake with anger.

“I will never let you.” He breathed out. “You can’t outrun me. You can’t fight me. I will never let you do this. I will drag you kicking and screaming if I have to.” He pulled you close and looked into your eyes. “There’s only one way you could ever convince me to let you leave.” Your eyes widened as you stared at him. “Tell me you don’t love us. Tell me you don’t love me.”

“I can’t.” You choked out. “I won’t. But I am leaving.” You backed away from him.

“The hell you are.” Chan growled. He pulled you close and kissed you with everything he had. You whimpered and your knees gave out as you clung to him. He picked you up bridal style and pressed his forehead to yours. “You’re mine. Mine to love. Mine to kiss. Mine to hold. Mine to make laugh, to make smile. Mine to make love to. Mine to marry. Mine to be with forever. I’m never letting you go. Never.” Tears poured down your cheeks and you choked on a sob. He kissed you again softly and gently. “I love you.” He whispered into your lips.

“I love you.” You whimpered as you buried your face in his neck. “I love you so much.”

“Pardon the interruption.” You gasped at the sudden voice and both you and Chan looked over to see two men standing at the edge of the forest.

“Yeosang…Yunho… what are you?” You breathed out as you looked at them with wide eyes.

“We need to talk about San.” Yunho said quietly. “He’s not going to stop until he has her your highness and I’m scared that this time someone will actually die.”

“We don’t want anything to happen to Y/n. We don’t want anyone else getting killed. We saw what happened to Hyunjin and what he has planned for Changbin is much worse.” Yeosang added. Your eyes widened at his words.

“What do you mean? Why does he want to hurt Changbin?” You asked as Chan gently placed you on your feet.

“He knows you love him. Just as much as the king. He wants to kidnap him and use him as leverage to get you to come to him but even though he is going to ask for you in exchange for him. He’s going to kill him no matter what.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach and you looked to Chan in terror.

“C-Chan…” You choked out.

“We have to go back now. But we wanted to warn you. I don’t know when or how they plan to. But please keep her and Changbin safe. We aren’t the only ones who don’t like what San is doing. We will do our best to keep an eye on him and try to stop him as well.” Yeosang walked over to them and looked to y/n softly. “I’m sorry. I wish there was more we could do. But you know how powerful he is.” You nodded and looked down at your feet. “I know you were planning to but please don’t ever go to him Y/n. He will only hurt you.”

“Just don’t let him know you helped. I don’t know what he would do if he found out.” You said quietly. “Keep the rest of them safe. I never wished for any harm on any of you.” He took your hand gently and squeezed it before rejoining Yunho and going back into the woods.

“We need to find Changbin.” Chan said quietly. You nodded as you took his hand in yours. “Neither of you are leaving my sight till I know you’re both safe.”

“I’m right here.” You turned to see Changbin panting heavily as tears flew down his face. His hand clutched the letter that you left in Chan’s chambers. He stared at you in despair as he walked over to you slowly.

“Please tell me you’re not leaving. Please.” He choked out. You rushed over to him and jumped into his arms. You buried your face in his neck as he held you tightly.

“No she isn’t ever going to leave.” Chan said quietly. “Did anyone else see the letters?” He asked as he gently placed his hand on Changbin’s shoulder.

“No. They’re all asleep but I heard your howl. I thought something was wrong so I rushed to your chambers and that’s where I found them.” He breathed out as he buried his face in your hair.

“Let’s burn the rest when we get back to my chambers. Then you and I are going to show our queen how loved she truly is.” Chan said quietly as you all headed back to the castle.

Tagged List: @casualenthusiastexpert @inara-a @obeythemasters @ashrocker123 @allmonstersxarehuman @blossomwritesthings @maeleelee @hyunnieshannie @binchansbiceps @d4vekat-otp @miin17 @changbinisms @levantea @sherituhhh @whatudowhennooneseesyou @mooncallerautumn @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @emmxxsworld @sammybirdseed @queenmea604 @storytowrite @bangchansphatass @sunshinesquokka @what-the-jams @dreamingsmile @wordsfromthehills @hyunlixwife @marsattacks @skzswife

[genshin-scenarios]

Feel absolutely free to ignore this, but after the corrupt!xiao fic I’m curious: got any corrupt venti thoughts you’re willing to share?

Corrupt!Venti AU

DISCLAIMER: the rest of this is just an AU setting! not canon-compliant + may reference SPOILERS in general for the archon quests and genshinlore

"My dear warrior, have you come to devote your voice to me?

Don't worry now! I'll make sure to put it to good use. With my help, your story will never fade from the songs of time. That is what my love can promise you. Have I ever led you astray?"

I can see this being caused by the defiled statue the Traveler found a while ago! Along with some other attempts from the Abyss to weaken the Anemo Archon's power...

Perhaps in this AU, Venti tried going against the summoning of archons to Khaenri'ah, which led to a warning/consequence from Celestia; tying the entrance to Celestia somewhere on Mondstadt, so that if their enemies were to seek it out, he would be placed under the burden of protecting them, for if not, Mondstadt would too be run down (punishing a god for his kindness... things like that)

ANYWAYS, in this case, I think if the Abyss did manage to weaken him enough, he'd probably sense his own corrosion coming and put Mondstadt into a timeloop as a last means of keeping his people safe + keep out the Abyss?

It takes the last of his power and he leaves to the outskirts, where he hides away in a hidden domain to 'rest', but of course he can't stave away the corrosion forever, and it takes form.

You're within Mondstadt during this timeloop, and are eventually led to the hidden domain because you're the only one that can hear a mysterious song calling out to you

Cue corrupted!Venti luring you in, because by now, he's not exactly himself anymore - dark purple energy replacing his previous anemo teal powers and the shade of his eyes

But it's Venti, and even if he's forgotten about his nation by now (only that they're locked away to keep them safe, in the illusion of freedom and peace), he remembers you.

...Well, he remembers his attachment to you, and asks if you'd like to stay with him there, in that domain. If you lend him your voice, perhaps he can figure out a way to keep you with him forever too! (Read: do not, he is stealing your voice as a source of power to use)

But perhaps even this is because a part of himself deep down remembers how he loved to hear you calling his name, laughing with him, and the way you used to look at him with...

"Is that fear in your eyes?" Venti hums, circling around you with lightness in his steps. He's in his archon form, wings brushing against your shoulder. You try not to think about the last time he showed you this form - back when it was a secret between the both of you, under clear skies and teal feathers that made your heart soar. The purple that cuts into your gaze sobers you. "Would you prefer if our new home was more reminiscent of old times?"

New home, as if he's already decided you aren't leaving now that you've found your way to him again. You briefly wonder if there's any ounce of the old Venti still in there, and if he was perhaps keeping you close to stop him from doing all this.

...Or maybe, he was asking you to keep him company before the world falls down, knowing that once the timeloop could no longer be sustained, even with his corrupted powers, you'd have to step up as a hero once more. Slay the monsters, free the kingdom. Save your friends.

With a lilting giggle, Venti covers your eyes with his hands. And when he takes them away, the domain has turned into...

Windrise? No, some condensed version of it, with azure skies and calming wind trailing on for miles. The tree still sits there. You remember the first time Venti introduced you to the sight.

He calls your name, and before you is Venti, still in his archon form, but with his blue glow and green eyes again. He gives you a cheeky smile, and you feel your heart ache.

"Better?" Venti cups your cheeks, stepping closer to you to place his forehead against yours. It's gentle, but you feel a foreign energy that's seeping away at yours, like it's trying to steal more away.

Like he can no longer love the same, needing to take something as a keepsake, before this illusion ends.

Maybe doing so in this form is an act of mercy to you. Venti's always been one to make sacrifices that were lost to the wind.

[straylightdream]

𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

full stray kids list

feedback and reblog with tags are greatly appreciate when you read one of my fics!

@straylightdream — all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any fic, reaction, or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.

~

contains smut: ♡

ｃｏｎｎｅｃｔｉｎｇ ｓｅｒｉｅｓ

ssfw - college au

ilysb (i’m gonna love you) - coming soon

between the lines ♡

arranged marriage au

↳ After being used a nothing more then a pawn to gain the upper hand on Chan. They’re left in a strained marriage and only one way out.

outta my head ♡

neighbors au / fuckboy chan

↳ He’s a lives next door and is someone who sleeps around often. You’re a nurse who is struggling to get enough sleep because of his night time activities.

illicit affair ♡

modern royal au / star-crossed lovers

↳ He was Prince and soon to be King, and she was his a royal assistant who looked after him. Thing between them have changed as they cross a line that they probably shouldn’t of crossed.

somebody else ♡

featuring: bang chan x f.reader, lee know x f.reader

friends to lovers au

↳  She loved him more then anything or anyone in all the galaxy. From the moment they met he was suddenly her everything.

give yourself a try ♡

fake dating au

↳ She had to attend her estrange fathers wedding, and didn’t want to go alone. Chan offers to go as her fake boyfriend so she doesn’t have to face the wedding alone.

where were you ♡

exes to lovers / fuckboy chan

↳  They were high school sweethearts and Chan let his ego get the best of him. He her high and dry without a second thought.

golden hour ♡

featuring: bang chan x f.reader x hwang hyunjin

↳  The three of them had fallen into a habit for sharing a bed and cuddling. What happens when feelings get involved?

almost losing you ♡

monster hunter au

↳ Loving him was never easy and you wished that someone else could of stolen your heart. Someone who is wasn’t too afraid of breaking your heart.

about last night ♡

↳ you have been playing a game of cat and mouse for too long. Things come to head when you dance with someone while he watches.

i think I like you ♡ (ssfw)

friends to lover, mutual pining, college au

↳ I’ll be right here waiting for us.

not in the same way ♡

friends with benefits

↳ things get messy with feelings get involved with casual sex.

I wanna be yours ♡

roommates / friends to lovers / blind date

↳ “If you keep pacing you’re going to burn a hole in the title,” Minho said standing in the doorway.

Stopping in your tracks you looked up at Minho with wide eyes, “is it too late to cancel?”

crying over you

established relationship

↳ even after a bad fight he’ll still come to you to protect you during a thunderstorm.

its not living

friends to lovers

↳ after years of being friends you talk about what the future holds for you.

champagne & wax ♡

↳ after two years together you decide to spice things up.

death by a thousand cuts ♡ (my lover)

↳  one bad fight leads to you breaking up. What happens when you can’t stay away from the one person you truly love.

run to you ♡

friends to lovers

↳ after running away from an abusive ex there is only one person you know you’ll truly feel safe with. 

what am I missing? ♡

feat: 3racha

↳ in your mid to late twenties you’re left wondering if you missed your sexual awakening. With a the help of friends you start to really find yourself.

rose-colored boy ♡

↳ Life never goes as planned, when you were younger you always imagined as reaches your mid twenties you would be married with kids. Instead you’re stuck at home helping take care of your sick grandmother and still desperately searching for her fathers approval. The only thing in your life that makes you feel normal is Chan.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

be my mistake ♡

featuring: bang chan x f.reader, changbin x f.reader

roommate / friends to lovers au

status: 40% done

↳ It started out as a simple crush and led to so much more. Unexpected feelings come to a head when when you learn you mean so much more to your roommates then you ever expected

[chuuyasheaven]

HAPPY 1k FOLLOWERS !!

Rules!!

ALSO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!

1st: This is a different Event! 

All of the fics will be based off songs from my playlist! 

(MUSIC IS THERAPEUTIC!)

I will interpret the meaning and kinky them up and stuff!

You’ll be able to choose which character would fit the best with it! Most likely, it won’t be easy to choose so I’ll be making two versions with different characters each.

2nd: Here’s my no-no list!

M*ri and any minors 

S3xual assault / R@pe

Any weird kinks (p1ss, sc@t, vom1t, hardcore stuff, etc.)

3rd: This is a nsfw Event only, but maybe, I’ll open up a sfw one after!

4th: Here’s my character list!

Chuuya Nakahara

Dazai Osamu

PM! Dazai Osamu (18 ofc)

Kunikida Doppo

Atsushi Nakajima

Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Fyodor Dostoevsky 

Nikolai Gogol

Ranpo Edogawa

Edgar Allen Poe

Tetchou Suehiro

Jouno Saigiku

Fukuzawa Yukichi

(THREE NEW CHARACTERS!)

5th: Requesting should go like this;

"Hi! I personally think that day four would really fit with Dazai! Could I request him with a afab!Reader please?" 

And to make it better, I will genderbend SOME characters! But only for fem!/afab!Reader tho!

Also mention what gender the reader should be: fem!/afab!/gn!/amab!Reader (trying amab! too!)

6th: Please be patient. 

Lately things have been fucking with me, so I may be a little slower or even take breaks! Writersblock can appear any time.

7th: Au's will and can be included, example; College!Au, Modern!Au, etc.

1st day: 

"I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight.."

— You and your partner went out on a date, sitting in their car, you guys got heated while enjoying the moonlight..

Tags: making out, car sex,modern!au, soft sex, praise kink, pet names, etc.

2nd day:

"He had a cigarette with his number on it, (and) gave it over to me.."

— You boss called you to their office, wanting to 'talk' with you. But no need to worry, they just want to reward you for being good!

Tags: office!/normal!au, Office sex, teasing?, praise kink, pet names, etc.

3rd day:

"I hope, you’re ready, for what I’m about to do.."

—  You/Your Partner notice your/they’re kinda feeling low today, so you/they decide to cheer them/you up a little!

Tags: Oral sex, normal!au, praise kink/degradation kink, pet names, stress relief, etc.

4th day:

"He tore my clothes right off, he ate my heart and then he ate my brain.."

— A incubus, who was in a need of energy, needed you, really bad. So you let him fill you up!

Tags: Monster fucking?, incubus!au, praise/degrading kink, breeding kink, petnames, rough sex, cream pie, overstimulation, etc.

5th day:

"I’m gonna fuck you up, fuck you until you ask me for more.."

— You went out to a party with your partner, but someone tried flirting with you! So they got a little jelly!

Tags: Jealous sex, normal/modern!au, rough sex, praise/degrading kink, teasing, overstimulation, petnames, etc.

6th day:

"Buckle up, tonight I’m gonna give it to you stronger. Heads up, we can go a little longer.."

— During 'it', you got a little carried away. You needed to cum, so you got a little rougher, which made them get more submissive..

Tags: Switch!Character, normal!au, fingering, teasing, taking control, hickeys, overstimulation, petnames, etc.

7th day: 

"You’re dangerous, I’m loving it.." 

—  Your Partner/You are known to be the most dangerous person to Yokohama, but still, they/you can’t resist you/them..

Tags: Normal!au, marking, overstimulation?,slight breeding(?), petnames,  etc.

8th day: 

"As you recall, you know I love to show off.."

— Your Partner loves you very much, and they make sure you and everyone else knows, by showing you off. Bringing you gifts, kisses, cuddles and most importantly, making you feel good!

Tags: Modern!/Normal!au, passionate sex, overstimulation?, praising kink, foreplay, pet names, etc.

9th day: 

"'Cause I’m a jealous, jealous, jealous girl.." 

— Now the tables turned; someone was flirting with your partner?! You can’t help but feel jealous. You can decide, they could make you theirs or you’ll make them yours!

Tags: Jealous sex (2nd), modern!/normal!au, praising kink, pet names, overstimulation, teasing, etc.

10th day:

"Treat me like a slut, little bitch who loves to fuck.."

— You and your partner didn’t do it for a while, which had you sexually frustrated. So you were a brat, and how do you tame one? Easy, you fuck ‘em into oblivion!

Tags: Brat taming, rough sex, overstimulation/edging (u decide), (loving/degrading) pet names, etc.

Also, if you have any song-fic ideas feel free to request! 

Maybe smth like this;

"So, I had a idea for another song fic! The song "she’s so nice" by nice guy where the reader is like really nice but (character) fucks them really rough and calls them their slut? Also the reader's an afab?"

(Yes, mention what gender you want)

So can’t wait for your requests!! :3

Again, we’ve come so far! I can’t believe I have 1k People who like my works, so thank you all so much!!

[swampstew]

Trafalgar Law, B-14~ Dirty Talking

Summary: You always wanted to travel and so you made it your mission to do so as often as you could. Working from your laptop gave you plenty of freedom and you found yourself spending all your free time overseas. Searching, hunting, exploring, investigating. You never really had a goal in mind besides visiting as many historical sites and legends of myths and monsters that you could in your lifetime. They were your biggest interest growing up and it felt amazing to be able to go to the homelands of all the tales you read about. Interested in the legend of the Rübezahl, you soon found yourself in his clutches. He’s pretty touch starved and affectionate, be careful what you wish for!

Warnings: Spicy - list of sexy pillow talk you'd get from Law, modern monster au Law as Rübezahl with GN reader, suggestive content no actions performed.

Rübezahl: a folkloric mountain spirit with the ability to change his appearance as he pleases. With friendly people he is amiable, teaching imparting medicinal knowledge and giving them gifts. If someone derides him, he will exact severe revenge; he was also known to be a trickster if he felt the need. In lore he could test a person at any time to know whether their heart is pure and that if is, that person would be shown the way to treasures hidden deep inside his mountains.

My Kitten takes me so well, gonna give you so many treats.

I’m going to mark you as mine – no I won’t tell you how, but there will be signs.

So hard to control myself when I see you like this. Needy and bent over for me, like a good little toy.

I lied about the treasure, sort of. You see, the real prize is my tongue.

You were naughty today so know you need to make it up to me. Get down on your knees and tell me you love me. Show me how much you care.

Do you like the way my cock hardens when you graze it? When you kiss it? Does it please you to know that your very scent made me this hard already?

Tonight I’ll give you a choice: anal or oral?

God that face, that fucking face you make could have me bust in a second.

You’re not just my love, my pet, but my personal sex doll. Look at how wet that made you.

I’ll make you cum your brains out, make you go cock drunk. You’ll look so dumb and stupid. If you grow tired, I want you to know that I’ll keep going. Heh, I felt you tighten at that, little freak.

Fuck – you bring my inner monster out.

Tonight I’ll give you a special gift: I’ll let you use me.

Do you like the way my cock drills into your holes to fit me? Do you feel the shape of my cock being molded into you every time I fuck you?

I want to watch my cum drip down your holes, to see it dry and crack on your skin as I keep fucking you.

You bring out the horny slut in me.

7 tiles to go, 50 calls made so far.

[scoops-aboy86]

Cute hospital date shenanigans for the boys, and a brief shovel talk from Robin. 😊

Part 1, part 1.5, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9 of the love spell no go au

They do have their hospital cafeteria date a few weeks later, and the food is as terrible as Steve promised. Or it looks terrible, anyway; Eddie sticks to jello. Eventually Steve gives up on the saddest attempt at a club sandwich either of them has ever seen (and Eddie has been privy to Wayne’s half-hearted bachelor attempts in the kitchen for years), gets back in line, and comes back with a tray full to capacity with more jello cups. 

They attempt to treat them like jello shots until Eddie nearly busts a stitch laughing. Not quite, but It still hurts, and Steve keeps falling all over himself apologizing for the next half hour, but Eddie genuinely doesn’t care. It feels like he hasn’t been able to laugh like that in years, and before he’d grabbed his side and said “Ow” he thinks Steve looked more carefree than he’d seen him in… possibly ever. The existence of Upside Down had been weighing on him for years, and even though Eddie hadn’t known at the time he can tell that Steve holds himself differently now that it’s gone. In just the time Eddie has been awake, the dark smudges under his eyes have gotten lighter, less severe. 

And, Robin tells him one of the rare occasions Steve isn’t at his bedside, the obsessive jogging and workout sessions have tapered off. 

“Thank god,” Eddie groans, leaning theatrically back into his pillows as if in a swoon. “I don’t think my delicate constitution could handle it if he ever asked me to go for a run with him.” But really, he’s relieved that Steve isn’t pushing himself so hard, running himself ragged to prepare for a threat that has finally been put down for good. 

Robin snorts. “Yeah, I think we can safely rule out that happening. He pestered Dustin into helping him find books on physical therapy at the library though, so I’m pretty sure you’re still in for it.”

“… Okay, that sounds ominous.”

“Doesn’t it just.” She leans forward, eyes narrowing slightly. “The dingus is very invested in making sure you heal up as best you can, and I think you know what happens when he sets his mind to something. You’re going to get well to within an inch of your life, mister, and if you ever bitch enough to make him truly upset or feel unwanted in any way, I will destroy your fretting hand. Got it?”

Eddie swallows hard. “Loud and clear, Bucks.”

“Good!” Robin sits back, switching easily from deeply threatening to relaxed and smirking. “Now that that’s out of the way, I can tease you for being just as much of a romantic as he is. A love spell, really?”

That’s when Steve returns from the bathroom, overhears, and groans. “Rob, I hadn’t told him I told you yet! You’re making me look like a jackass…”

“No no, I knew what I was getting into with you two,” Eddie says, recovering from the threat Steve had missed and flashing him a grin—because he does. Even before he was clued in on all the monster hunting stuff, he’s seen how close Steve and Robin have become since last summer. It makes even more sense now that he knows about the Russians (and that as a lesbian and a bisexual dude they’d bonded over a shared appreciation of boobies) but he already knew they tell each other everything and support each other relentlessly, even if it’s something dumb. Maybe especially if it’s something dumb. 

And then he turns back to Robin with a gleam in his eye. 

“By the way, Bucks, you might want to get used to the door swinging both ways, because I heard about the time you screwed up the laundry and crawled in his window before dawn on a school day looking like a pink marshmallow peep trying to steal some of his clothes.”

Robin whips her head around towards Steve. “You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone about that!”

“Why are both of you doing this to me?” Steve asks with a pout. “What did I do?”

“You’re a gossip, sweetheart,” Eddie tells him with a grin. “But we both still love you, don’t worry. Here, you want my pudding cup?”

“I thought that was the only part of the shitty hospital meals you actually like,” Steve protests, but gamely comes over (via the side of the bed opposite of Robin, who sticks her tongue out at him) and settles himself carefully on the edge of the bed at Eddie’s side. 

“The meatloaf is marginally more edible than whatever that chicken casserole thing they usually serve. But we can share,” Eddie offers, and takes Steve’s pleased hum as his answer.

“You guys are going to give me a toothache,” Robin grumbles. 

Steve lifts his head a little. “Shit, that reminds me. Help me remember later to call the dentist?” He’s looking at Robin, but quickly redirects his attention as soon as Eddie nudges the pudding spoon against his lips. 

“Oh? What happened to Mr. Oh So Superior, ‘I never have to go to the dentist Robs, that whole summer eating ice cream and not one single cavity’?”

At the word ‘cavity,’ a tiny landslide of memory is triggered in the back of Eddie’s head and he clears his throat sheepishly. “Uh, that might’ve been me, actually. The not getting cavities after Scoops, and the, um, getting them again now.”

Steve pauses with his mouth full of a second spoonful, little traces of chocolate on his lips that Eddie is valiantly resisting licking right now. His “Mm-hmm?” sounds like it’s maybe meant to be a ‘Really?’

So Eddie explains some of his panicked spellcasting while Steve was missing beneath the mall. Steve and Robin keep exchanging these looks—”Was it to protect teeth or nails, Munson? Which one?” “Yeah, because I almost got a nail pulled off with Russian pliers, so maybe it was both” is a series of sentences that will haunt him for a long time—and by the time it’s over he’s promised to recast that spell for the entire Party. He declines to mention it’ll probably be a while before he has the energy for that and will leave him with a monster headache whenever he does, because they just saved the fucking world. And yeah, the government is flat out paying them not to tell anyone about it this time along with the usual NDAs, but they definitely deserve to exist free of dental expenses for the rest of their lives. 

Also by the end of the conversation, Steve has absentmindedly finished off the pudding. Eddie doesn’t even mind, just chuckles and kisses Steve’s nose when he tries to apologize, because he’d wanted his boy to have it anyway. 

Tag list (comment to be added): @hotluncheddie @8em-em-em8 @anaibis @connected-dots @lawrencebshoggoth

Part 11

[pinkykats-place]

BakuDeku AU demons

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

None of the stories linked are mine.

Most contain mature content.

Read tags. Check Ratings.

Art not mine[demon deku & demon baku]

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

i glow pink in the night by beekz

Summary: "Hah?" Katsuki exasperated, "Like it? What– What exactly is it that you're fuckin' doing to people?"

Suddenly, Izuku snaps, eyes lighting up as if it'd all suddenly clicked in his head. "Ah! I see where I went wrong!"

Katsuki's brows quirk, and then suddenly Izuku is climbing into his lap, arms wrapping around Katsuki's neck as he giggles.

"Kacchan, I forgot to tell you, my apologies!" Izuku's pupils dilate, and when he blinks, the hearts have returned to the center of his iris, "I'm not just a demon– I'm an incubus. My assignment is to get you to fuck me!"

— — —

Or, Newbie Incubus Izuku takes on his first human, who, unfortunately, seems to want nothing to do with him.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

All My Life by ContraryBee

Summary: Katsuki has an imaginary childhood friend who has horns, claws, and a spiked tail. Or, well, he’s eventually convinced he was imaginary, because Deku doesn’t show up again for ten whole years. And then, just as he almost believed he was back, the little shit was gone for yet another ten years.

At least, until Katsuki makes the mistake of cutting his thumb over his dinner one night.

Complete | 10 Chapters

Rated- Explicit

How to: Lose Your Virginity To An Incubus by meow_writes_meow

Summary: “Anyways, Izuku,” Katsuki uses a finger to lift Izuku’s chin up to meet their eyes. “Why did you summon me?”

“I-well…” He starts.

“Spit it out, baby boy.”

Izuku gulps, “I-I want to lose my virginity.”

“Alright then, nerd. I’m gonna ruin you for anyone else.”

— — —

In which Izuku makes a bad decision, but maybe it's not all that bad.

{One Shot}

Rated -Explicit

Lucky for Me by Daiako (Achrya)

Summary: Izuku, Katsuki's summoned succubus, takes an attack meant for him. Katsuki decides to deal with an unwanted rush of emotion in the only way that makes sense between them.

Complete | 2 Chapters

Rated - Explicit

baptize me by supercrunch

Summary: Izuku watches long fingers slowly reach out of the glass, wrapping themselves around the mirror’s edge as the man steps into real life. It smells like sugar and smoke. The clouds follow him out as he bows his head to fit his deadly-looking horns through the frame, red tattoos glowing faintly all over his bare torso and half onto his leathery wings. He makes the rest of the room seem dimmer just by standing in it. Molten metal eyes bore into Izuku’s, paralysing him as he kneels on the floor in front of this beautiful, terrifying apparition.

“I summoned you because want a boyfriend,” Izuku says and then winces at the shallowness of his own request. “I mean, I want to fall in love. I want to be assured that I’ll find someone someday who’ll love me the way I love them. Who isn’t grossed out by me. By the way I am.”

The demon tilts his head. "I offer you a place at my side. You want companionship? I give it in exchange for your soul.”

Complete | 3 Chapters

Rated - Teen & Up

Monster in the Closet by MJBunnyLuv

Summary: Izuku could ignore the flickering lights, objects disappearing, the messages written in steam on the mirror, the strange sounds, the feeling of eyes always watching. But what he couldn't ignore were the explorative touches when the creature thought he was asleep, the claws sliding up his legs that made his skin crawl. Those flaming eyes that illuminated the darkness, luring him into a succulent nightmare - a siren's call that could only end in tragedy.

— — —

OR Izuku buys a haunted house and tries his best to ignore the strange occurrences, but Katsuki refuses to be ignored.

Complete | 13 Chapters

Rated - Explicit

clouds of lust by iShipMinetaWithDeath

Summary: Bakugou barely survived birth, when he flatlined a certain someone claimed him as his own. when he was revived back to the world the demon wouldn't let up easily.his mother was very sick and promised the demon that once she had passed he would pact with him and he'd get his way with her son.but he's not the only one who wants the boy, two demons are sent out in disguise and want him.

Complete | 3 Chapters

Rated - Mature

A Sigil Mistake (Take It) by CatieBrie

Summary: From a young age, Izuku had been told his curiosity would be the death of him. Sitting in the center of a summoning circle surrounded by black candles and the copper tang of his own blood, he was inclined to believe that. 

— — —

In which Izuku summons the demon Katsuki on accident and Katsuki wastes no time making a deal for his soul and dicking him down nice and filthy to seal it.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

A charming witch by silverynight

Summary: "Instead of getting married, like humans do," Ashido says. "Demons mark their partners with a mating bite; it has to be done on the scent glands, which are on our necks."

The information unlocks a couple of memories in Izuku's brain that he didn't know he had up until now.

There's a blond demon with red horns and red eyes that looks like a kid and is telling Izuku that he needs to bite his neck immediately.

"The demon I summoned tried to bite my neck, that's why my mom got scared..."

Complete | 3 Chapters | No Quirks au

Rated - Teen & Up

I Summoned a Demon 101: an In-comprehensive guide to Corporeal Demon Do's and Don'ts by EAter

Summary: Midoriya Izuku was born with a quirk: the ability to summon and bind demons from an alternate plane to do his bidding. With only a few days left until the UA entrance exam and still no offensive-type demons in his arsenal, Izuku makes a desperate venture at summoning one corporeal, a feat he had never before attempted. He'd say it was a success- but he doesn't actually know if it'll be more a help or a hindrance. Especially since Bakugou Katsuki is, well, kind of a shit.

Incomplete | 36 Chapters | Quirks au

Last Updated 2018

Rated - Explicit

Mailman? More like Breeding Slave. (Demon-King!Katsuki x Izuku) by FireFaithe

Summary: Izuku Midoriya is offered as a continental mailman, delivering mail between the various human countries and the infamous Demon Kingdom. Very few deliverers make it through to the Royal Family, but what happens when an incubus, Katsuki Bakugou, decides to claim Izuku as his own? Will Izuku be successful in delivering mail to the Royal Family and returning to his home country? Or will Katsuki spell the end for Izuku's human life...? Find out!!

WIP | 18/? Chapters

Rated - Explicit

Series: A Lonely Existence by sumimasn

Summary: Angel x Demon AU

2 Works

[nicole-timey-wimey-stuff]

Fix You

Sam Winchester x Fem Singer Reader

Soulmate AU very loosely based on the Coldplay song ‘Fix You’.

‘Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones and I will try to fix you’

Sam Winchester x reader

Warnings - slight angst, soulless sam briefly, johns terrible parenting, mentions of death, fluff, my terrible writing/ editing.

Mainly fluff but some angst

Words- 2.2K

The term soulmate is used to describe an all consuming love, a love so deep it was created by God? Fate? When two souls are destined to be together, two halves of a whole. Who knows where they originated from, some say it’s when the universe was created with a big bang, every atom was split into two and spread miles apart, you are one of those broken atoms, trying to find your other half.

The idea has been romanticised by happy couples across the globe, who have been lucky enough to find their soulmates. But it’s not sunshine and daisies for everyone, some never find their soulmates, others don’t have a soulmate at all, and some very unlucky people lose their soulmates death pulling them apart.

At 18 years old you received your mark, a burning sensation carved into the skin above your heart, searing pain as his name branded into your skin. The day started like any other, you woke up early your Dad knocking on your door “wake up kiddo we’ve got a job” you dad calls through the door. “Yeah ok dad, give me five minutes and I’ll be down” you reply voice still laced with sleep. You made your way quickly to the bathroom to get ready, before grabbing your to go bag and heading through the front door. “What’s the monster of the week then dad?” You ask hopping into the passenger seat of your dads run down mustang. “Vamps we think, the Winchester's are meeting us there” he replied. You’ve known the winchesters since you were a small kid, practically growing up with the boys. They would stay over yours for weeks at a time while John was working a case, so naturally you were all close friends, you were especially close with Sam though who was only a year older than you. Together you shared a love of books, animals, watching the stars and annoying Dean.

The vamp case went well, the nest was extinguished and you were all back at your motel rooms. John and your dad were outside your rooms, sitting on the steps to the motel sharing a drink, while you and the boys were settling down for the night. While brushing your teeth in the bathroom it started, the burning across your chest. The pain was pretty unbearable and you toppled over into the shower space, sitting now on the damp floor of the shower you held your chest gasping.

After what felt like hours the pain sizzled down to a soreness, which felt very much like a sunburn. Giving yourself a second to gain composure you stood up and walked to the bathroom mirror, with a deep breath you pulled your oversized band tshirt over your shoulder and peered at your chest. And there in neat cursive writing was the name ‘Samuel Winchester’ “holy shit!!!” You gasped completely in shock. You braced yourself before running out the bathroom and out of your motel room, startling John and your dad as you banged on the room two doors up from you, Dean answered the door wearing an equally as shocked expression as you were, he stepped to the side allowing you access and there on the motel room floor was a very distressed Sam holding his chest still, “it’s you!” He exclaims, “your my person?” He questions, a quiet “Yeah” is all you can muster up at that moment, panicking that he’s annoyed or worse disappointed.

When Sam stands up and starts walking over to you, you really start to panic, but to your surprise he throws his arms around you, and pulls you in snug to his chest, nuzzling his face into your neck. ‘I always knew it was you, well I hoped anyway” he confesses a blush across his cheeks, “me too” you reply, smile gracing your lips and unshed tears in your eyes. “I’m so glad it’s you” you continue , before standing on your tiptoes and placing a small peck to his lips. All the while Deans still stood in the doorway with a vacant shocked expression on his face, before coming out with “damn it! Now we all have to put up with this chick flick mushy crap from you both”. Sam huffs out a laugh before turning to his brother and answering with a “yep, get used to it man’. After that your dads come in to see what’s going on, your dad congratulates you both, all while giving Sam the don’t you ever hurt her speech, John on the other hand looks anything but pleased, muttering something along the lines of ‘no good will come from this’.

That was nearly a decade ago now, and you have been through hell together since then, quite literally. You followed him to Stanford, starting a degree in literature and eventually sharing a dorm with him. Unlike his dad, your dad Bobby was supportive, happy you we’re both getting out and living life. You left Stanford and said degree with him to help find his dad, started travelling with him and Dean, and hunting again much to your dads despair. You held his hand through the whole psychic thing, with the yellow eyed demon, told him he wasn’t a freak and it wasn’t his fault. When he died your soul shattered with him, you held him sobbing into his hair while Dean took the deal to bring him back. You had to hold him again when Dean was taken to hell for making that deal. You both tried everything, read every book, asked every Demon, monster and hunter if there was any way to bring him back.

Lucifer was one of the biggest obstacles you faced together, with Dean safely back things were better for a while, only to be pulled into the lucifer and Michael war. Seeing him fall into that pit after your touch snapped Sam back into control of his body, was one of the worst pains you’d ever felt. Watching Dean and Cas fall into their lives and some normalcy was incredibly hard. “Will you be alright sweetheart?” Dean had asked, “Yeah I guess, I’ll probably head back to dad’s” you had replied, a complete lie obviously you were far from alight. You felt left behind, broken and alone, you couldn’t just move on when half of you was missing. But his name never left your chest, usually when a soulmate dies the other loses their mark. But not you, you’d later come to realise this was because not all of Sam was in lucifer’s cage.

Soulless Sam was one hell of a challenge at first you were just so glad to have him back, that you didn’t question how wrong he felt, you did every test on him and he smiled and allowed you to do so. But that pull to him, the warmth and unconditional feelings were gone. You’d felt awful, riddled with guilt. This was Sam your Sam, and he was home with you, safe and breathing! So why couldn’t you shake that feeling something was off? Especially when he kept telling you to not tell Dean he was alive and well.

Working with the Cambels was exhausting and you didn’t like his grandfather Samual at all! He was hiding things you knew that much, and he treated his so called family terribly. You eventually found some comfort when Dean was back with you guys, he was soo mad to start with why hadn’t no one told him. Then he also began to realise Sam wasn’t Sam, the first time he talked to you about it you had fallen apart, just sat there and sobbed on Dean. It had felt like such a relief to talk to someone about it, your dad had said it may just be Sam now, that Hell may have changed him. But you’d told Dean that you couldn’t feel that connection anymore, your couldn’t feel him! And that was enough for Dean. He had called your dad to explain further to him “Even y/n can tell somethings off Bobby! I’m tellin’ you when his soulmate says she can’t feel him in there, I’m inclined to believe her! My skins crawling just being with him Bobby please just ask around, find something!” Dean had yelled through the phone.

Cas had eventually come when Dean had called, and discovered what we had all thought, Sam’s soul was missing. Cas had said putting it back into him would be “ill advised” but neither of you could leave him like this, and the way he had been treating you saying he didn’t care, it was crushing your heart. “Death said he will go to hell and collect his soul, he’ll put up a sorta wall in his head sweetheart to block out Hell, it’s going to be ok. I promise I’ll get sammy back” Dean had explained to you before ‘playing death’ for 24 hours, a wager Death had set in order to place Sam’s soul back.

You felt it before you saw it, Sam’s soul was in that bag death was carrying, it called to you desperate to feel yours. That moment was all too much, the desperation to be near his soul again, the screams from Sam begging not to have it put back in, “don’t do it Dean please! It will kill me! You heard Cas!” Sam yelled, “I’m sorry Sammy we have too” Dean replied, emotion clutching at his voice. “Now Sam, I'm going to put up a barrier inside your mind... You might feel a little itchy. Do me a favour... don't scratch the wall. Because, trust me, you're not going to like what happens.” Death had explained, “Now y/n I’m going to need you to hold his hand, feel the energy connecting between your souls, you need to hold onto it. And when I push his soul in, use that energy to surround it, your connection will help to hold that barrier in place and heal his soul, it won’t fix it completely, but it will get Sam on his feet” Death further explained to you. You’d blindly followed his instructions, moving towards Sam on shakey legs. You sat on his cot with him trying to ignore his violent thrashing and took hold of his hand. As soon as death opened the bag your energy’s pulled together like magnets. It was in that moment you saw and felt the pure power of soulmates, blinding white light filled the room, Sam’s soul was forced back in place and you pushed your energy in too, healing, binding, connecting. And you knew it would be ok, you would be there to help him, to help fix what’s broken.

For a little while things were good again, Sam woke up not remembering the year of being soulless. Dean had refused to tell him but as always the truth outed, and Sam was left feeling guilt ridden, sad and for weeks now he could barely look at you.

You walked into your kitchen where Sam was sat staring aimlessly into his beer bottle, worry lines creasing in his forehead.

“Sam” you signed, walking over to stand beside him. Rubbing your hands over his shoulders you continued, “Hey look at me” you gently caressed his chin before bringing his face up to meet yours. “ you have to stop blaming yourself, you weren’t you and Dean and I forgave you the second you were you again, I don’t blame you for this ok!” You said sternly. “You can’t keep pushing me out ok? That’s what’s killing me here, not what you did last year” he looked up at you eyes laced with tears, “But everything I’ve done to you, Dean and your dad! I tried to kill him y/n I can’t just get past that!” He cries. “He has Sam, he’s passed it. No one blames you ok, it’s done and we can’t change it, but we can all move forward, don’t push away everyone who loves you, you need us and we need you! I need you…..” you reply desperation in your voice, tears slowly trailing down your cheeks. That seems to do it, he pulls you into his lap, his face in your neck and arms securely around your waist, hugging you close to him, and he lets it all out, you both do.

Dean silently stands against the doorframe small smile on his lips, while he watches you and his little brother cry it out, holding each other close. “Hopefully things can only go up from here” he thinks.

“I’ll be there for you Sam, that’s what a soulmate does, your stuck with me whether you like it or not Winchester” you smirk. Sam looks at you, brows pulled together small smile on his lips, before he pulls you in for the softest kiss, conveying all the love he feels for you. Once you part he whispers “I wouldn’t have it any other way, I love you”

“I love you too Sammy, always”

[kendsleyauthor]

💙Cherish + Soothe + Glimpse💙

Promptober 2023

Shot in the Dark - Dark Future AU (Cliff, Sylvia, Zia, Oliver)

~1400 words

Life got in the way, and I had to put off Promptober for a bit! But I'm determined to finish the rest of my planned ideas with the prompts. 💕 Enjoy this lovely angst fest 🥰

@marydublinauthor 🌸

Sylvia was still new to hunting. Although Cliff hid his worry behind quips and teasing, it tore him up inside each time she experienced a new horror. Not only was she improving as a hunter, but she was also improving at hiding how distraught she was.

Or maybe she was becoming as numb to it as he and Jon were. Somehow, that was worse.

Even still, she hadn’t learned every trick of the trade. 

Some monsters, like ghouls, were as stupid as they were hungry. Since they preferred living meat, they would shuffle right past a corpse—even a freshly killed one. Play dead well enough, and a ghoul would ignore you in favor of chasing someone who was still moving.

There was no time for Cliff to give her a heads-up. Hey Sylv, don’t worry, I’m not actually dead. Just pretending.

He and Jon had gone for the divide-and-conquer method in the abandoned factory, which was overrun with ghouls. The only ones left were the strongest—and a surprise attack was the best way to take them out. Jon was approaching fast through one of the branching halls that led to the main floor of the factory.

Cliff didn’t hesitate. Nasty as he was, he dropped beside a few of the other corpses and held still. He shut his eyes, listening closely for the right moment to spring up.

Jon hurried past him, aware of the impromptu plan. 

Sylvia screamed. To her, it was real.

The moment the last three ghouls moved past him, Cliff had no trouble springing up and shooting them all in the back of the head in quick succession. From there, it was all too easy for Jon to finish the job.

“Fucking stars, Cliff!” Sylvia’s voice was thick with tears as she flew to him. “I thought you were dead!”

For a second, she looked like she might send him a blast of ice in her rage. But her anger flickered out, and she flew into his chest. She gripped fistfuls of his shirt, burying herself against him as though to check if his heart was still beating.

He chuckled softly, cupping a hand beneath her. “Get a hold of yourself, sweetheart. I’m fine.”

She sniffled, but when she looked up, her expression was oddly blank. “Help me,” she whispered, voice cracking.

Fire reflected in her green eyes. Searing flames burst in every direction—an explosion that took his breath away.

Cliff held her close, looking around in alarm. The factory was gone. There was only fire. When she looked back down at his hands, Sylvia was limp. 

“Sylv?” he breathed. “Sylv!”

She stared up at him with glassy eyes. Empty.

Dead.

~~~~~

A sharp sting attacked the back of his neck.

Cliff jolted and sat up, eyes flying open to entirely new surroundings. His room at the safe house—mostly dark, save for faint glowing lights nearby. He caught his breath. A nightmare, he told himself. Just another nightmare.

“Did you have to be so harsh?” Zia demanded from the nightstand. She was the source of one of the glows, and her annoyance was directed at the other light.

A slight weight settled on Cliff’s shoulder, accompanied by Oliver’s voice. “You realize there’s no way to gently shock someone awake, right?”

Steadying himself, Cliff gruffly shooed Oliver off and rubbed the back of his neck. The sting faded, but his heart still pounded wildly as his racing mind caught up with the reality that he wasn’t in any danger.

As Oliver fluttered up closer, his teasing smirk dropped, eyes widening like he couldn’t figure out what to say.

Faintly embarrassed, Cliff realized his face was wet with tears. “Shit,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “How bad was I?”

“You were talking in your sleep,” Zia said delicately. “When it started getting worse, we called your name, but you were sound asleep.” She fluttered up from the nightstand and approached him, laying a tiny hand on his forehead. “Are you alright?”

Judging by her tone, she already knew the answer.

“M’fine,” he muttered. He pulled away from them both and started to get up. “I’m going on a walk.”

“No!” Zia and Oliver said as one.

“You’re exhausted,” Zia said. “You need sleep.”

Cliff rolled his eyes, avoiding their concerned gazes. “What I need is to walk it off and get my mind away from it.”

But the moment he stood, Cliff wavered. His head spun with exhaustion. The past three days had been nonstop with minimal time for sleep in between his drives to and from the safe house. He had little to show for it, too—only a handful of fairies rescued. Of course the first time in days he tried to get a full night’s sleep, he was plagued with nightmares.

“You look like you’re about to collapse,” Oliver said. “And besides, if you head out, I’ll follow, just out of reach, and talk nonstop. You know I will.” He would. 

Cliff hesitated. Zia and Oliver took the opportunity to share a look and nod in agreement. They flew up to Cliff, each of them choosing a shoulder to push against and urge him back to bed. He could barely feel them, but he complied anyway. Laying back down with a sigh, he glared at the ceiling and tried to rid his mind of fiery images.

He felt a slight weight occupy the pillow beside his head. Zia’s soft voice was close to his ear. “Do you want me to do the calming spell?”

She had suggested it many times, but he rarely accepted the offer. It was a mixture of glamour and healing—the kind of spell that any fairy catcher and scientist would kill for. She decided he was worthy of that magic at every slight inconvenience. 

Sylvia’s corpse flashed through his mind. Then Jon’s.

Swallowing hard, he nodded. Not even a beat of silence passed before she started chanting in Fae.

Not too long ago, he was unfortunate enough to get sucked into one of the many news broadcasts that explained the understood science behind fairy’s healing abilities—about every affinity, really. Healers sped up the blood-clotting process and turned off pain receptors. Glamour had the same mind-altering hallucinogenic effects as hard drugs. Lightning magic was the result of a drastic reconfiguration of the electrons in the air.

Strangely, Oliver kept his distance, choosing a perch on the bed’s headboard post. He stared at Cliff with a strange, knowing look as though he’d worked out what Cliff may have been dreaming about. 

After all, Oliver could say he had similar dreams regularly—sometimes when he wasn’t even asleep.

While Zia worked her magic, Cliff raised his eyebrows at Oliver. “What’s got you shy all the sudden?”

Oliver cracked a smile. “I’m not much use for this part.”

“Who says you’ve got to be useful?”

“Who says you do?” Oliver challenged, gesturing grandly at Cliff’s dog-tired form.

There was little Cliff could do to argue against that, so he offered a soft, meltworthy smile and tapped his chest in invitation. “Fine. You wanna be useful? C’mere.”

Oliver gave him a flat look, but his forced indifference lasted for all of three seconds. His wings buzzed, and he landed softly on Cliff’s chest. Cliff’s muscles relaxed as Zia’s magic began to take effect. He felt Oliver crawl under his hand. He closed his fingers slightly, embracing him in a loose fist. He swore he could feel Oliver grip a handful of his shirt, though the gesture was so slight.

“How do you feel?” Zia asked. “Is it too much?”

Cliff turned his head and caught a glimpse of her again. Her gaze searched his face in the dark, eyelids heavy.

“It’s perfect,” he murmured. She knew him well enough by then—the pain was dulled, but not completely erased. It was just enough to lull him back to sleep without feeling that he was taking the easy way out or abusing her abilities. Not that she would ever call it that.

He brought his other hand to her and scooted her closer to his face before letting his grip relax over her. She nestled against him, a tiny exhalation of her breath brushing against his cheek. He had a feeling she’d allowed the net of the spell to wash over her and Oliver too.

With both of them clinging to him, Cliff fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

[detectivemarvelingcomics]

Not Your Classic Vigilante [Ch. 9]

Alternate Dimension AU

TW: Language, Mentions of Death, Descriptions of Violence, Slight Body Horror, Monsters be destroying shit

CW: OC Use, See the OC Guide [Here]

Genre: Angst, Light Comedy

Pairing: Batfamily & Batsis!Reader

(9/?) [First] | [Previous] | [Next]

[DC Masterlist] | [Not Your Classic Vigilante Masterlist]

YN Pronouns: Female (She/Her)

Word Count: 4.1K

Notes: SURPRISE another update before the year ends (lmao)

Not Your Classic Vigilante: @gabytodd @peachydokii @marshmallow12435 @f0leysgurl @luminaaz @lolsnack @akuri-shinsou @pansinspace @time-shardz @lovely-maryj @urminebutidontwantyou

Disclaimer: This series is originally by @fandom-meanderer who is a close friend of mine, but she has since fallen out of her Tumblr days and asked me to finish a few series for her, hence why I am now in ownership of the Not Your Classic Vigilante series, I hope I can still live up to her writing as I rewrite this series! (I promise not to change too much, hehe)

29 July 2022 - Earth 1123

Your office was a welcome space for you. Behind you was a large window that overlooked the training grounds, and to either side of you were large bookcases filled with records of monetary transactions, notes on individual knight’s trainings, previous decrees affecting the Templar and the Brigade, and other official documents. Off to the side, placed rather messily despite it’s importance, are your two weapons of choice that usually accompany you to your battles. The first was a break-action rifle, a gift to you from the previous Captain of the Templar, your mentor, engraved on its barrel was a magic circle that allowed for it’s magical properties that have saved your life more than a number of times. The second was a rapier gifted to you from the Royal Family upon your ascension to Captain, the magical circle engraved onto the base of the blade serving as a protective charm. And both of which were in desperate need of dusting.

You slouched on your chair, staring at the repercussions of your mission. The stack of papers on your desk was more daunting than any monster you’d ever faced, and you’ve faced multiple of them by now. You took the first one from the top, your eyes skimming over the paper and pulling out the important details as you’ve done many times before. Usually, you’d have Aldryn go through it for you, but the knight had been sent off in an impromptu mission by the Crown, leaving you without your usual secretary.

“Maintenance, maintenance, more maintenance…” you muttered to yourself, going through each page quickly yet carefully. The knock at your door prompted you to place your current paper down. “Enter.”

“Captain, I had no idea you’d returned already,” the crown prince entered your office, taking a seat in front of you. Calvin had been in your office many times before. Originally, you thought that he did it in a way to monitor you, but recently you’d realized it was more out of his own personal curiosity. Needless to say, his presence in your office had become a constant, something you didn’t particularly mind unless you were busy, such as right now.

“Yes, about,” you looked at the clock on your desk, “twelve hours ago.” You signed one of the documents and placed it aside. “Can I help you, your royal highness?” You asked with a sardonic smile. Hopefully, he’ll get the hint.

“Just… just checking up on you, Captain,” he stumbles over his words and you could only redirect your attention back to the various papers in front of you.

“Well, I’m doing alright. Alex is handling the filing for the mission right now, and I’m waiting for,” you were cut off when the door to your office, once again, slammed open. “Henry, give me a brief on what happened in my absence.”

“Your royal highness,” Henry bowed his head in respect, placing a hand over his heart, before turning to salute you. Carefully, he side eyes the Prince. You motioned for him to continue, if all went according to how you expected it to go, you knew exactly what Henry was about to say next. “Captain Wayne, while you were gone, there was another monster outbreak in the Lower East Writles.” You figured there would be. Right around the time you left there were a few minor outbreaks around that vicinity, it was only a matter of time before another one appeared. But you couldn’t ignore the tense feeling around the room, another thing you knew would be coming. You haven’t yet alerted the Royal Family about how frequent the monster outbreaks have been. “We had dispatched members of the Guard under Jones to deal with the case.”

“And?”

“They were successfully able to bring one back.” This caught your ear.

“Show it to me,” you stood up and Henry quickly stepped ahead of you to get the door. “Your highness, I advise you come with me, I’ll brief you with the details and you can relay to the King.”

“Certainly, Captain,” Calvin scrambled after you. By now, the Knight’s Keep was bustling. Various knights of varying ranks were walking around, chatting, training, or having their breaks. As you followed Henry, various knights gave brief salutes or nods toward you, and you quickly dismissed them with a wave of your hand. At the wave of a keycard, the elevator doors slid open and, as soon as you were situated inside, the elevator began it’s rapid descent.

“What floor?” You asked.

“B50, ma’am,” Henry answers. “We had to clear the area out, the beast is unpredictable,” Henry mutters.

“As I’d expect,” you glanced at the Prince’s morphed reflection against the elevator doors. “Over the past year, there has been an alarming number of monster outbreaks throughout the continent, I’ve been working with the separate divisions to keep track of them all,” you begun your explanation. “It started out as smaller beasts exhibiting strange behaviors, some minor mutations, and maybe slight changes to their usual routines. It was something the rangers brushed off for a while, until the larger beasts started exhibiting the same signs,” you shook your head. “Then…”

“Captain,” Henry cut you off.

“No information should be withheld from the Royal Family,” you shook your head again. “Caveacre was attacked, well, decimated would be the right word to use. The entire city was reduced to ruin, even the Northern branch of the Guard was essentially wiped out by a mutated strand of frost bears, it was unlike anything I’d ever heard of, bears with icicle claws that were sharper than steel,” you sighed. “The only one to make it out was Lieutenant Cross, and even then, he’s been in the psych ward since, information probing from him is a slow and delicate process, even as much as the mention of the species’ name sends him into a mental spiral,” you stared at the number counting down.

“What other kind of mutations are you referring to, Captain?” Calvin asks.

“… The ones that don’t happen naturally, your highness.” The elevator doors slide open to reveal a large room with a cage in the middle. Made of reinforced steel and surrounded by various protective magic circles, there was a lone beast in the middle, looming over the figure in front of him. Calvin’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the beast. Mutated, menacing, and mutilated. Parts of the beast’s skin had been clawed off and fractured bones were clear in the large wounds. Swords and arrows alike stuck out of the beasts back while dried blood crusted around the beast’s mouth. It was horrific.

“Captain,” Nixon saluted stiffly.

“How’d you get it in here?” You asked.

“Eve warped it while Chandler and I restrained it,” Nixon huffs. He catches Calvin’s expression. “Sorry, Highness, not used to the normal Wilderbeasts, huh?” He scoffs. Wilderbeasts, a notoriously docile creature to the point of domestication. The monster in front of you was nearly thrice the size of a normal one and, from the looks of it, thrice the strength. The insides of the steel bars had been clawed and gnawed at, no doubt, the only thing keeping the beast in were the protective sigils around it. Just one misstep, one line undone or smudged, would spell demise for everyone in this room and, hell, probably even the whole facility.

“This beast under here is top secret, am I clear?” You looked at the three members of the Guard around you before looking to the Prince. “We wouldn’t want a panic, would we?” You made your intent clear. You looked back at the monster before you. You didn’t realize it until you were up against the sigils, but it loomed over you, towered even. “Was this the only one?”

“Yeah, and it took out half the squad too,” Nixon frowns. You took a step closer to the cage and the beast started to snarl.

“Half, and their names?”

"I'll write you a full report later, Cap," Nixon leans on one leg and stares at the beast.

“Well,” you circled the cage. “Keep it in here, for now, then. I’ll hand select the researchers for it,” you leaned closer to the cage yet and, curiously enough, the beast stopped snarling, instead, it held intense eye contact with you. Its deep abysmal eyes stared at you, in you, and through you simultaneously. It let out a short huff before it’s sliced tongue lolled out of its mouth. True, there were some hints of the beast it was before, a Wilderbeast, or more of a giant wolf, if anything. Half, it took out half a squad alone. A beast of that power. “It’s disgusting,” you straightened and took a few steps back. The elevator doors opened once again.

“Captain Wayne!” Aldryn was out of breath, sweat plastered his brown hair to his head and his green eyes seemed to shake with fear. “Ca… Captain and your highness,” he stands in a messy salute, clutching on to your rifle and sword in one hand while the other holds attention.

“At ease,” you watch him fumble the weapons in his hand, “what are your findings, Aldryn?”

“S-Starspire, ma’am, there was a sighting in Starspire,” he responds.

“Alright, I’ll call the rest of the Brigade,” you glanced at Nixon, who was already sending a message to the other members, “Aldryn, finish my paperwork for me, would you? You look like you need a break.” You held your hands out and Aldryn handed the two weapons to you. “Your highness, if there aren’t any pressing matters, I have to deal with the sudden monster outbreak in the countryside, it seems in my absence, their numbers only multiplied,” you frowned. “Ah, one more thing, Aldryn, if you could fill in Miss Marion and Sir Inigo for me, I would be very happy,” you grinned, but Aldryn’s expression couldn’t match yours.

“Well, highness,” Nixon nudges you harshly and you both bow your heads in respect. “Let’s go kill some monsters,” Nixon follows you to the elevators.

“Aldryn, show his royal highness out,” you instructed.

“Wait, allow me to come,” Calvin steps towards you.

“Absolutely not,” you turned your head just enough to make your point clear. “My first job before anything is to ensure your safety, your highness, if you were to follow the Brigade into this mission, you would only be getting in our way,” you took no time to sugar coat your words.

“Your highness, if you’d follow me to this elevator,” Aldryn, always the cautious one, diffuses the situation as best as he could.

“Aldryn, I suspect we will be gone for the next two weeks, Henry, you’re the stand in as usual,” you shut the elevator doors before the others could answer. For a few brief moments, you and Nixon stood in silence, until the latter snickered, a small smile rose on your face and Nixon broke out into full laughter.

“Holy shit, Cap, when you said you suspected that his highness liked you, I thought you were just pulling my leg!” Nixon said between laughs. “Tell him one more order and he’d have fallen on his knees,” Nixon wipes the tear from his eyes.

“Well, sons who don’t have a good connection to their mothers tend to cling to the first woman who shows them interest,” you shook your head. “I know from experience,” you said aside.

“Ya know, (Y/N), you could just say he has mommy issues, right?”

“I have a suspecting feeling that he won’t be the only royal we deal with today, I’m trying to stay in the Captain Wayne mindset, Nix.”

“Man though, personal trauma with mommy issues?”

“I had four brothers… well, only three had mommy issues,” you scoffed. “My oldest brother tended to have a thing for older women, no shame, I understand him a little better now,” you chuckled.

“Damn, Cap,” Nixon grins. “Well, back into the fray, yeah?” The elevator door slides open. "Eve is on her way.”

“What’s the E.T.A. of a woman who warps everywhere she needs to go?” You ask. Nixon looks at his watch.

“Apparently half an hour,” he shrugs. Then, as if Eve had been listening this whole time, a portal opened next to Nixon, and before you could raise your hand in greeting, Nixon had made himself comfortable in your arms, much contrasting the shriek he would’ve let out had your hand not flown to cover his mouth.

“Hello, Eve,” you smiled.

“My Captain, how are you?” Her voice was akin to one heard from the heavens, certainly. As Eve stepped into the Keep form her portal, her dress fluttered around her and a low whistle escaped Nixon’s-still-covered mouth.

Ah, right. You dropped him without another thought, paying no mind to the groan he let out.

“Eve, you must’ve gotten the message.”

“Right! You know, Starspire is usually so wonderful around this time of year,” Eve presses a delicate hand to her cheek. “It’s a shame it’s been overrun by monsters, I suppose that means we’ll be taking care of it, right, my Captain?” She turns to you.

“Right, we’ll gather the remaining members and make for Starspire immediately.”

~

29 July 2022 - Earth 617

They should’ve known it was too good to be true. When did this family get anything good? Tim regained consciousness only a few minutes after you had knocked him out, but he wasn’t shaken from his stupor until Dick shook his shoulder.

“Tim? Tim! Hey, man, what happened?” Dick, still slightly groggy, spoke hurriedly despite it. Tim could only stare at the table in front of him. It was dented. You slammed his head so hard that you damaged the table. You. You could barely hurt a fly. It was now when the sound of the alarm blaring suddenly became apparent to him. “Where’s (Y/N)? We have to get her to the cave,” Dick continues to shake him. Tim only shakes his head and looks at the spot you were seated at, your cup still there, half finished and still steaming.

“She’s gone,” Tim mutters.

“What did you say?” Dick follows his gaze.

“She’s gone. (Y/N) knows this manor as well as we do, if she tripped the alarm system, it was on purpose,” he says. Then, heavy footsteps.

“Tim, what’s going on?” Bruce asks, suit already on, followed by Damian. Tim raises a hand to his head. Bruised, but not bleeding.

“The alarm, who set it off?” Dick asks.

“There was no one outside,” Damian shakes his head. “And, as far as we can tell, all the valuables have been left alone—”

“Not all of them,” Cass speaks up now, entering the kitchen. She places her mask on the table. “She left with two men. Some device teleported them away from the manor,” she says, leaning against the counter.

“Well, hello to you too,” Dick stands up straight now.

“Two men… Jason mentioned that two men helped (Y/N) escape in the first place, could it be those two then?” Dick wonders aloud.

“Well, we have to find her!” Damian speaks up.

“I don’t think we should,” Tim shakes his head, stopping as soon as he felt the nausea kick in. “The reason why I was knocked out was because of her,” he says. “I don’t think (Y/N) has ever…” his words got caught in his throat.

“(Y/N) knocked you out? You’re pulling on my leg now,” Jason scoffs, entering the kitchen next and tossing all his gear on the counter. “Hey, Cass,” he nods in her direction and she raises an eyebrow in response. “I went around the perimeter. No one.”

“You just missed Cass’ brief,” Dick says. “Bottom line, (Y/N) left.”

“And she tripped the alarms? That’s not like her, she knows her way around the system better than we do,” Jason responds. “Kid snuck out more than I did.”

“She did?” A small chorus.

“Not the issue right now,” Bruce cuts in. “Cass. What did she take?” The atmosphere grows chilly. Cass took a deep breath.

“Files. A lot them. Stolen from the computer on a device that bypassed all of its security protocols.” Bruce’s jaw clenched. What could you possibly need with those? True, it’s been years. True, you’d claimed to have only been brought back to life yesterday. And, true, he didn’t sense anything different with you. And, although he and Selina taught you many things, lying wasn’t one of them. If the look on Cassandra’s face was right, then that means she came to the same conclusion as he did.

You were being used.

“We can’t rush hastily into this, we don’t know if (Y/N) is doing this herself or if someone is using her as a means to an end. She could be disposable,” Bruce says.

“Or it could not be her, not the first time we’ve dealt with magic,” Jason shrugs.

“No, (Y/N) is definitely herself,” Cassandra mumbles, chewing on the tip of her gloved thumb in thought. “Everything I could read off of her matched (Y/N), just with slight differences,” Cass mutters.

“So you had eyes on her for a while now?” Jason asks, a slight tone of annoyance. “And you didn’t tell any of us?” He glowers.

“Relax, Jason, I only had eyes on her as soon as you alerted us, no sooner than that.”

“Then… you knew she was lying to us this whole time?” Tim asks. Cass presses her lips in a straight line.

“… yes, I did. But, it wasn’t all a lie,” she says. “There were some feelings of fear, uncomforted, and maybe some relief when she was talking to all of you,” Cass shakes her head. “But, when she ran out a few moments ago, it was strange. There were so many things at once that I can’t tell you what she was thinking with confidence. All I know is that she’s gone, and I haven’t the faintest clue where,” Cass folds her arms.

“We’ll start our search in the morning then.”

“You’re all cruel,” Damian points his gaze to the ground. “You want to wait? It’s like you all forgot what happened the last time we waited?” His voice seemed to waver in a way uncharacteristic to the usual boy. “Fine, then, you all wait. I’ll look for my sister,” he shakes his head and turns to leave.

“It’s a fool’s errand, Damian,” Cass tries to stop him.

“She wouldn’t be gone if you tried to stop her,” Damian doesn’t turn to look back and marches out of the manor.

“Damian! Come back! At least clear your mind before doing anything stu— And, he’s gone,” Dick makes a move to run after him, but Cass only shakes her head. They should all know that once Damian put his mind to something then there was no going back for him.

“Run the cameras, we’ll work with what we’ve got,” Bruce places the cowl on the counter. “After we gather enough information and after Damian returns, we’ll go pick up your sister,” he says. Tim’s gaze lingers on the spot you were seated at a bit longer. Murmurs of confirmation filled the room before everyone filtered out, leaving Tim behind. Tim sat back down on his seat, still looking at the spot you were once at. Then, as he leaned closer, a clue. Almost placed too well to have been an accident. He reached over and took the pocket watch from where you were seated before. He lets the silver chain fall through his fingers and hang loosely while he turned the watch in his hand. There was an unknown coat of arms on it. A dragon, a serpent, and a lion stood in a triad formation, crossed by swords and atop a shield, it looked like an artifact straight out of the medieval ages.

“Now… what are you?” He mumbles before shoving it into his pocket just as Dick called out to him.

~

Damien ran around the streets of Gotham, the night was still young and the moon was still high in the sky. He still had so much to tell you. He wanted to tell you about school, about Jon, about his mom, and about all those missions he’s been on. He wanted to tell you about the different places he’s been to, he wanted to give you all the postcards he’d brought from them that were addressed to you, and he’d wanted to show you all the souvenirs he thought you’d love. But among those, he had many questions. Why did you go alone that night? Why didn’t you call sooner? Why did you have a falling out with their father?

“Hey, you.” Damien didn’t stop. “Aren’t you looking for your sister? I know where (Y/N) Wayne is.” That got his attention. He turned around and an unfamiliar figure stood behind him amidst the crowd. No one noticing him, yet still making way for him. He was dressed neatly, yet he also seemed out of his time. A pocket watch hung loosely from the pocket of his lab coat and in his gloved hand, with his round golden glasses reflected the moonlight. His graying head was the only physical defining characteristic of his.

“What’s it to you?”

“I may have some information you would want to know, all free of charge,” the man plastered a sinister smile. Damien thought for a moment, before nodding slightly. “Wonderful, now, focus your eyes on this pendulum,” the man says, the watch falling loosely from his hands and the pendant swaying back and forth, somehow, the watch seemed to slow with each swing. Then, the engraving on the watch became apparent. A coat of arms with a dragon, a serpent, and a lion. But, those small details were all Damian was able to make out before the world blurred around him.

~

29 July 2022 - Earth 1123

You wiped the blood from your sword, examining the beast that lay at your feet. It was eight feet in height, had to at least be two hundred pounds on muscle alone, maybe an extra fifty with its thick brown fur. Its glowing amber eyes dimmed to black as it took its last heaved breath, and its razor sharp teeth, stained red with blood, made one last attempt to attack. You looked down in pity, but nevertheless used your heavy boot to grind its skull into the ground, coating the black material with an obvious deep red.

“That’s the fifth one in this area,” you murmur. Alex walks up to you.

“Seventh, Nixon and Eve just disposed of two others over there,” Alex nods his head in their general direction. You were lucky that the monsters’ mutations were rather mild and, another blessing, the beast that mutated was one that was easily handleable.

“There’s something going on, Alex, and I think I have a feeling, but I don’t have proof.”

“I agree, these attacks seem less random, and more planned. As if they were experiments of a sort. They’re increasing in numbers too, we can’t ignore that.”

“I should’ve known you would’ve caught on too. Every attack has been in a certain radius, and all in small remote villages, specifically ones that are far from ranger stations. And the way they’re spread out makes it difficult to locate a base of operations. But regardless, whatever this is,” you nudged the beast on the ground, “it’s not a natural occurrence.”

“Captain! Lieutenant!” A soldier runs up. “You’re going to want to see this,” he huffs. You and Alex exchange a glance before running up to the village.

“What the hell…” You watches as ten or so beasts rampage through, leaving behind chaos at every step. Many houses were or were already burnt to the ground. Beast, no, the beings that grabbed villagers and bit into them were no mere beasts. These things in front of you, certainly, must be daemons. The difference is stark. Beasts were a common umbrella term for a species, daemons, on the other hand, were ones that specifically targeted humans out of necessity or even out of enjoyment. Humans could also become daemons easily, a fact that you had the displeasure of learning in the worst of ways. You, who’d seen countless battles and who’d shed enough blood yourself, found it hard to move, hard to breathe, and how to speak. Without removing your gaze from the mayhem, you could only state an order plainly, “get the rest of special operations in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“This is a Level Seven attack, no threat to the royal family, and with multiple casualties. Tell the others to pull back once back up gets here. Alex, take the B7 squad and focus on rescue. I’ll hold them back for as long as possible. Clear?” You gripped your sword in your hand.

“Crystal, Captain. Good luck.”

“You too.” With the flick of your scarlet cape, the Captain charged into the flames.