#as soon as I saw him in those glasses I KNEW it reminded me of something | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

simpingland · 1 year

Text

The punch and the car.// Jacaerys Velaryon x Fem!Reader

Modern Au! Jacaerys Strong never liked the girl his mother adopted, and made his life's mission to let her know that. But years past and reader can't handle that much hate from someone as intense as him. Baela and Rhaena have an idea.

TW: smut and angst a bit of fluff! P in v, masturbation (female receiving), unprotected sex. Someone gets a punch.

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

As you had told her, the din of the overly loud music drilled into your brain. But your friend Rhaena's enthusiasm to see you and Baela out of your routine made up for it all. It was overwhelmingly crowded, but even so, her beautiful white hair made her stand out from the crowd and she ran to give you a hug.

"I can't believe you came, I thought you said yes to shut me up," said the girl with the sweetest smile.

"I never break a promise," Baela replied earnestly. Always with her dignity and honour.

"And I see you have convice our girl as well," she addressed you.

"Well, I'm afraid Baela threatened me if I didn't come..." that was absolutely true.

"That's how I made sure there was someone around who I liked" she justified herself.

You smiled at her, Baela had always been like a big sister to you, protective and loving in her own way. And Rhaena was also one of your favourite people, she knew how to boost your self-esteem and transmit energy. Maybe the party wouldn't be so bad.

"Baela!" someone shouted from afar.

You changed your mind after a second, from now on everything would be bad. The voice belonged to Jacaerys Velaryon, Baela and Rhaena's cousin, a.k.a 'Jace' to friends, which he always reminded you you weren't.

"What are you doing at a party, and out of rugby uniform? I don't think I've seen you in a skirt in years..." he hugged his cousin, smiling with those dimples. Then he saw you. "Oh...and you came too."

"Jacaerys..." you replied. "I'm surprised you saw me, I thought you'd be drunk as a skunk by now."

"I could hear your little voice beeping over the vibrations of the glasses as soon as you came in," he tried to mock.

"The plastic cups you mean?"

He fell silent, sighed and refocused on his cousins.

"I hope you're having a good time, cousin, I've got to go and get the playlist ready. It's my turn to DJ in a bit!"

The twins congratulated him and let him go, Jace gave them flirtatious winks before giving you a sidelong glance, as if he suspected you were going to nudge him at any moment. When he finally disappeared, Rhaena started waving to people and you and Baela decided to go get the first drink of the night.

"'I could hear your little voice beeping over the vibrations', ugh, what a clown..." you grumbled in Baela's ear.

"Oh, no. Don't start." She stopped concentrating on choosing liquor to look at you.

"Start what?"

"Complaining about Jace for anything. It's a tiring subject, both sides."

"He complains about me too?"

"Of course he does. He's always asking about you, like he's waiting to know something so he can complain even about things he hasn't lived through."

"Do you guys talk shit about me during training?"

Baela and Jacaerys were in different years at university and didn't study the same subjects (Baela studied sports, Jace politics and geography), but what they did share was a rugby training routine. Both were great players, and from a young age they had found a strong friendship through sport.

"No, I can mention to him, I don't know, things like we went shopping for panties last week and he finds a way to complain about you, asking me about you and overreacting to everything I tell him."

"Don't tell him about my panties, Baela!"

"It was an example..." lie, you had gone panty shopping, and Baela would most likely have told him about it because she doesn't think much of such things as embarrassing. "The thing is, I've had enough. I'm here today to get drunk and have fun."

She turned her attention back to her drink.

"So...you think I have an annoying voice?"

When she filled her drink twice as much, you took it for granted that her level of irritation had been overcome. You took pity on her and let her dance alone until you saw her stop to dance with a companion of hers. Perhaps the best idea was to walk around, and say hello to everyone you had even the slightest interaction with. And it seemed to work, albeit short greetings, nods or smiles, but no one stopped you to talk. As you sipped your drink, looking around the huge fraternity house, someone came up to your ear.

"Don't you have any friends here?" You were ready to smile at him, but you recognised Jace, though you didn't know whether by his voice or his smell.

"I'm looking for someone, actually," you lied. "You don't have anyone to hang out with to complain about me?"

"I'm afraid no one here cares that much about you."

That hurt. It would have been easy to reemphasize how obsessed Jace seemed to be with you, but it had crossed the fine line where you just wanted to cry because his insistence had made you want to hit him. Maybe it was true, maybe there was no one who cared about you as much. He must have noticed something in your eyes, his twisted smile disappeared, but because Jace couldn't stand to empathise with you, he decided to get angry.

"Oh, don't tell me you're going to be like that," he said.

"I don't even know why I bother to talk to you."

And you disappeared, turning your back on him. If he said anything else, you didn't hear it, the music was drilling into your head so much that you decided to finish your drink in two gulps, trying to numb your brain.

It hadn't always been like this with Jace, you just had trouble remembering the good times because the boy had made things difficult for you from moment one. From a very young age, living in the same house where Rhaenyra had lovingly taken you in, Jace had been a good boy, obedient to do his homework, help his brother Luke, and play with his cousins whenever they visited. But with you he was always different. It went from deep affection, sharing daily activities at home like drawing for hours on the same floor, dressing up and playing in the garden on summer mornings, swinging with each other in the park or enjoying cartoons lying on the sofa. But all that changed so drastically in the last years of school that you only had pictures and videos to remember those moments. When Joffrey was born, Rhaenyra began to count on you as a help around the house, while you put up with Jace pulling your hair when no one was looking, or "accidentally" throwing a ball in your direction. Nothing you said seemed right to him and all your good deeds were an attempt to lick his mother's arse. If Rhaenyra hadn't been there, you probably would have cried every night in your bed, but you held out hope for many years that he would grow up, just as Rhaenyra promised you would happen. Worst of all, you could only scold him so much, because Jace was smart. Sure, he talked back to his parents, he went out between days without warning, stories came home about girls he'd been seen hanging out with and doing things with, and he was a dick to you and didn't hide it. But he also passed all his exams with flying colours, he still had that unconditional affection for Luke, Joffrey and his cousins, he was a sportsman on a par with his mother in his youth, he helped his father Harwin whenever he needed him to fix something around the house, and he knew how to make anyone he came across smile.

Meanwhile, you had always felt like an outsider because of him, because the others had gone out of their way to include you. Harwin was a father to you, he had taught you how to drive and showed up at all your music recitals, no matter how bad they were. And Rhaenyra always told you everything. What was going on in her work, what she was talking about with Harwin, what she had discovered in Jace's drawers, or how happy she was to be promoted in her job. She had taught you how to do your hair and had more than kept her promise to your mother after she left this world. And yet, Jace made you feel like that wasn't enough, and at the same time it made you feel selfish. You couldn't just focus on pleasing one person, you couldn't please everyone. But it was frustrating that no one loved you with such passion but you had someone who apparently hated you with such passion.

All that went away from your head as the alcohol took effect, and you got so hot mixed in with the people dancing. You didn't even notice that it was Jace who had gone up to the DJ booth. That he played good music would be one of the things you could never admit to, and on top of that, he was happy to take requests from the pretty girls who piled up to ask him for tunes. You could stand it for a little while, noticing how the odd person approached you with strange intentions. And all of them you brushed aside, ignoring them almost unwillingly, so much on your own that you gave little thought to whether or not to offend others.

As you carried the cup again, an activity you had done a few times already, Jace played one of those songs that irritated you the most, and of course, there were people who agreed with you and there were many more who cheered Jace's choice. The least you deserved was to ask him for a song. So it was to the mixing desk that you headed, awkwardly, with a full glass and clearly drunk. If you pushed someone it was likely, that you cared about it was out of the question. And Jacaerys found it so strange to see you standing there that he gave you some attention, lending his ear for you to speak to him, mind you, with a scowl.

"Play my song!" you shouted at him.

"Your song?" He looked disgusted, and shook his head when you nodded.

"The one before was shit, play my song!"

"I don't take requests...especially not like the shit you want me to play." But hey, he did know what your shit song was...

"Yo do take requests, asshole, and it's a shame you had to learn a whole profession as a dj to get girls to listen to you,"

"Get the fuck out of here before you puke on the table," he snapped.

"Are you calling me a drunk?"

"Clearly you're not?" he mimicked your tone of voice and the dumb expression you must have had at the time.

"I don't talk like that, enough of--" in your anger, the drink had ended up spilling out of the glass and onto the huge, button-strewn table. Jacaerys turned away, but you, panicking and confused, tried to wipe the alcohol off the table. And then sparks flew, and for an instant you felt that intense burning sensation in your fingers. You felt yourself being pulled within seconds, but you couldn't see who it was because the whole house went out. People were soon protesting, shouting and hissing, but all you could smell was Jace so close, his hands in your arms.

The lanterns lit up the room, though the complaints didn't disperse, and loud footsteps sounded overhead.

"Who destroyed the mixer?" the voice shouted. The lights focused on him, surely more than one was recording. His tense and serious face brought you back to your senses a little. Just a little.

"Aemond, I'm so sorry about the table, it was an accident..." apologised Jace, trying not to look nervous.

"I knew accepting you into the fraternity was a mistake. Do you know how expensive the mixer is?" he approached both menacingly, though he wasn't looking at you.

"We're so sorry..." you interjected.

"Shut up and get the hell out of here," snapped the boy everyone knew as Aemond One Eye, a legend on campus and also Jacaerys' uncle.

"Hey..."

"I'll try to pay you back, okay?" Jace slyly placed you behind him, trying not to feel provoked by Aemond. "I'm telling you, it was an accident."

"You'll pay for it? I can already see you whining to your mother to spoil you again for everything you want. No, not this time, I don't want you to pay for it, I want to make it clear what a cunt you are. I don't want you to come back here anymore."

"It was me who did it-" you were interrupted again.

"I have friends here too, Aemond, don't forget that."

"That's because everyone forgets that you and your brothers are the worst scum they can come across. None of them know your brute of a father."

"Leave my father out of this," Jace was on the verge of fisticuffs.

"You're right, I suppose he's been duped by your slut of a mother--"

Then he took a fist, and everyone stifled a scream, and there was the odd brave one who dared to clap. And no, it was not Jacaerys the puncher. So drunk, angry at the interruptions, and even more provoked by the comment, no one had foreseen the blow you threw at Aemond, nor the strength you had hidden. The fact is that the boy started to bleed from the nose, and that applause had perhaps encouraged you too much.

"What the fuck?" Aemond said to you.

"We told you it was an accident. And it wasn't even Jace, you fucker. It was me...yes! Me! And the only scum I see here is you!"

The whispers and the dreads returned, and now there was no more applause. Jace tried to push you away again.

"Don't mind her, she's drunk," Jace excused you.

"I'm not going to hit a woman," Aemond wiped his nose.

"You better" you said and Jace threw you knives through his eyes.

"How brave, Jace" he then exclaimed in a higher tone. "You need a poor girl to cover your back...pitiful."

He then lowered his voice as people seemed to start talking again, commenting on what they had just seen. Someone was able to turn the light back on, and the cheering returned.

"Both of you get out of here right now. If you don't, I'll make sure no one talks to you for the rest of the college." The blond finally whispered.

As you stepped aside, Baela and Rhaena were already there to find out first hand what had happened, and Rhaena saved you from falling straight to the ground.

"Is she drunk?" She asked Jace.

"Clearly...though she's never been very smart."

"Jace, don't be cruel," Baela urged him.

"She needs to throw up, and I'd rather she do it here than in the car," Rhaena looked at her cousin ruefully, you trying to regain the mobility of your fist. "Give us a hand getting her upstairs...please."

Without a word, Jace was able to hoist you onto his back, with Baela and Rhaena watching to make sure you didn't let go and fall down the stairs.

"I think I cracked my finger," you said slurring your words. You held out your hand to Rhena to show her. "Can you see if I've cracked it?"

"I don't have x-ray vision, honey," she replied.

"You punched it with your other hand," Jace corrected you. Only you laughed, clutching his neck again. He still smelled exaggeratedly good and his hair was there for you to sink your face into. But soon you reached the bathroom.

Rhaena grabbed your hair and it wasn't long before you were puking. Outside the bathroom, Jace avoided Baela's gaze, who knew that Aemond's words must have hurt him. And soon your consciousness came back. You rinsed your mouth and rethought your life choices.

"Did I just punch Aemond Targaryen?" You asked the girl. And she nodded at you, smiling. "I just punched Aemond Targaryen!"

And then you smiled, and a little gasp escaped you, leaning out into the hallway to join Baela and Jacaerys.

"I just punched Aemond Targaryen!"

Though Baela was smiling, it was Jace who wanted to burst your little bubble of happiness.

"What you just did is make a fool of me," he cut you off, his tone serious and low, shifting his gaze from the floor to you.

"Hey...I stood up for you." You were instantly out of any joy.

"I didn't need your help, in fact, what I needed was for you not to be here. It was all your fault."

"Aemond would have used any excuse to insult you in front of everyone, no matter what happened, just like you don't need anything to insult me."

"Don't compare me to Aemond! He hates my mother and everything we have. Instead you..." he paused for a moment, frustrated and waving his hands around, not knowing what to squeeze, "you just need to exist to..."

"To hate me?"

Though he didn't answer, he didn't need to. He turned his eyes away from you, and closed his mouth. And then you were overcome with all the ridicule you had always made, not just today. Whatever had been going through his head about you had always mattered little to you. But now you could understand that it was you, your personality and everything that you would never change that bothered him so much. And that confused you more, because if Jacaerys saw you like that, when he was an admirable person in many ways, did that make you a despicable person?

"I'm going back to the flat" you whispered after a few seconds. You started down the stairs, getting as far away from Jace as possible.

"I'll give you a lift" Baela offered.

"No need, I'll walk..."

"No, I'll take you, I don't feel like being here anymore." She grabbed you by the shoulders and made you stop.

"Are you sure?"

"If my friend doesn't have a good time I'll never have a good time...I hope you feel the same way." She winked at you and you smiled a little. "Go to the car, I have to say goodbye to some colleagues."

She left you the keys and you walked alone to the place where you remembered getting off. And opening the door, the warmth of the car comforted you and although you thought you would be grateful for the silence, it brought back the bad memories and your head was spinning again. It took you a while to realise that Baela was taking a long time, but you refused to go back into that house.

Biting your nails in the dark, with a few stealthy tears falling, you half lay down in the back seat, because you always got dizzy in front, as all your friends knew. And when someone opened the door, you were instantly glad to think it was Baela, but it wasn't. The smell was different, and though it was a smell you loved, the presence made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Jacaerys sat in the back seat in awkward silence, and slammed the door shut. He didn't make you step aside, for he shrank back in his seat and turned on the car's light. And even then, he didn't look at you.

"Where's Baela?"

"Inside."

"And... And why are you out?"

"I'm not technically out of a place if I'm inside a car." He replied in a pedantic tone. To that you said nothing, just let out a snort, giving up. "Rhaena told me you'd be here."

You stood silent waiting for him to develop, but he struggled, shaking his leg, making you incredibly nervous.

"If you're going to be like this you might as well have stayed outside. In the open air if you wish me to be more specific..."

With a look of disgust, he opened the door and walked out. And you felt a little silly because the light made you look a little ridiculous in that posture, waiting for someone who wasn't coming and having blown the only chance you had to make amends with Jacaerys. And you watched from the window as he paced back and forth, his coat pulled tight and trying to cheat the cold. You enjoyed watching him for a while, and it wasn't long before he gave up. When he tried to go back inside, you quickly got into his seat, not letting him sit down.

"It must be minus twenty degrees in here, let me in," he demanded.

"You're too much sometimes."

"Please, my nipples are going to turn blue!"

At your hesitation, Jace decided to have his way, sitting down roughly and causing you to pull away. Locked in the car again, Jace took a breath, and finally spoke.

"I don't hate you!" Though from his tone it didn't sound like it. "But it's as simple as that every time I've run into you, you've managed to overshadow everything."

"Jacaerys, we've lived our whole lives together. It's natural for you to hate me--"

"But thats what I'm telling you, that I don't hate you, and that's what irritates me the most. You've been the apple of my mother's eye ever since you were adopted. Her only daughter, while I, the one already there, the eldest, the first-born and the supposed to be the dearest, have always remained in your shadow."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't, you'll never know what it's like to have everyone telling you how great you are while I choke on trying to make someone proud of me. You smile and you have it all."

"I don't know? Listen to yourself, Jacaerys, it's you who only has to smile to get what you want. You're a taciturn, stubborn and rather obtuse about a lot of things and everyone lets you slide because you're the favourite, the handsome, sporty one of the brothers and you get good grades even though no one's ever seen you study." Your raised voice made his eyes widen quite a bit, that or maybe you were moving dangerously towards him.

"I study at night!" he justified himself.

"I know, your mother always thought it was the hours you masturbated but I've always known you studied because you get anxiety about not answering an exam!"

"And you know everything because you are a know-it-all and everyone tells you everything because they want to be your friend!"

"Then why don't you?" That sounded a lot more desperate than you thought it would.

"Because I want to feel like a real leader for once in my life, I want to feel independent and you've never stopped trying to match me. You haven't even let me fight with someone who has insulted me, not you!"

"And you needed to ostracise me for years and remind me how lonely I am to get me to leave you alone?"

Then you stepped back, and the dim light let the two of you watch each other carefully. Your tears had long since passed, but Jacaerys seemed to have them on the verge of coming. And then you felt sorry.

"I'm sorry."

You said it unwillingly at the same time. Silence returned, and your gazes parted, though you couldn't help but glance sideways at him.

"The worst thing about all this..." he started to say, "is that I like the song you wanted to play too. But I didn't want to play it because it makes a lot of sense that people would have loved it and the wanted to be friends with you, you're someone...quite unforgettable."

"Well, you didn't need to learn the whole DJ thing to get girls' attention." That made him smile a little.

"Luke's not going to believe you called me 'the handsome one of the brothers'," he joked.

"Oh, that's all you got? Now I feel stupid. I'm going to go get Baela," you moved to open the car door, but again, Jace's hands picked you up, pulling you back towards him.

"I know I'm taciturn, stubborn and obtuse, but you know I'm more than that..." he then rested his hands on yours, checking those small burns that had been left over from the accident.

"Of course I know that, Jacaerys..." then you realised how close you were to his face. His greenish eyes were now completely black, and never before had you felt as seen by him as you did at that moment.

"Your fingers must be burning..." he put one of your hands to his lips.

"And you must still be a little cold."

Without quite knowing what was going on, the alcohol reminded you that you were indeed much looser than you were used to, so when Jace kissed your fingers slowly, you couldn't help but caress his lips, which went from cold to incredibly tempting.

As soon as you pulled your hand away, Jace launched himself at your lips, and first it was a strange, slow kiss, soft and silky. Jace smelled so good...and kissed so well...it didn't end there. He pulled you on top of him and continued kissing you, the passion increasing with each kiss. As your tongue entered, your hand moved down to Jace's chest and you felt it grow so close to your own sex. And the music coming from the party so far away seemed to increase in your mind, the movements of the car getting faster and faster.

When you undressed is something you'll never know, but you do remember undressing Jace with that stupid car light on. You were no virgin, but Jace felt so new, and the readjustment he gave you made you feel that instant electricity. And it was you moving up and down, with Jace trying to capture your lips, even though it had been feeling so good for a while that he could barely do anything but moan softly. He knew how to move his hands and his sweat made him look a thousand times more handsome than you'd ever seen him.

"I'm going to cum," he warned you. "Fuck, even for this you're the best..."

"Don't exaggerate," though it brought a smile to your face and red to your cheeks. It didn't take you long to feel that explosion as Jace closed his eyes and caught his breath.

Dismounting from him, the tender kiss that followed surprised you, and you could feel a smile on his lips. You hadn't cum, but the experience had been worth it, though you didn't think about the consequences at the time. Then Jacaerys brought his hand to where you wanted it most, and a moan escaped you in that supposedly high-pitched voice that didn't seem to bother Jace so much now.

"Tell me how you like to be touched," he whispered softly. And you put your hand with his to change the rhythm.

"I like it like this" you replied, his fingers were still a little cold and that made it all the better. You were concentrating but when you opened your eyes your enjoyment increased. Jace's face was pressed to yours, and he kept his eyes on you as he moved his hand without even penetrating you. He looked into your eyes, or he looked at your lips, but he was full of affection for you, for the first time it was only and completely for you.

Then that tingling feeling ran through you from your stomach to each of your fingers and toes, and Jacaerys delighted in seeing you with the favour returned.

And it all ended with another kiss, lacking tongue or eagerness, but full of tenderness that made you forget every single bad thing that had ever happened.

"Your mouth tastes like good weed liquor," he confessed as you got dressed again, his dimples peeking out.

"And yours tastes like rum-cola."

"Clearly I win this one."

Laughing and blushing, you nodded. And before you kissed him again, Baela and Rhaena's voices began to grow closer. And the two of you parted as if it were routine as the car doors opened and closed.

"I'm sorry for the lock-up," apologised Baela. "I hope it's all right."

"It is...it is," you responded.

Jace opened the window, trying to disperse the smell a little, and his attempt at being sneaky was a little too funny to you.

"I'm glad...something smells funny though..."

"Did you know that cars are cleaned on the inside too, Baela?" The twin teased.

The two engaged in an absurd argument that was amusing, but your eyes and mind focused on Jace as he placed his hand gently on your leg, and then turned his palm over to offer it to you. And you took it silently, interlacing your fingers and letting them rest in your lap.

You had cried about Jacaerys, you had executed an act of violence in defence of Jacaerys, you had left Jacaerys in the cold. You had made love with Jacaerys...now you could understand why wars were difficult. What a weirdly victorious night that was.

#house of the dragon imagines #house of the dragon #hotd x reader #jacaerys strong #jacaerys velaryon x reader #prince jacaerys #jacaerys targaryen #jacaerys #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys smut #jacaerys velaryon #hotd jacaerys #hotd smut #hotd angst #hotd fluff #harry collett

531 notes · View notes

dxstopiaa · 2 years

Text

Justified Jealousy…

Synopsis: A series of provocative glances, or a unwanted momentary touch drives your lover crazy, envy lacing their face.

Characters: Jealous! Zhongli, Ayato and Al Haitham x Fem! Reader.

Warnings: None, perhaps just suggestive and description of jealousy. [Reader wears a sari/lehenga in alhaitham’s bc i said so, something that isnt nsfw lately? Also quite a lengthy fic, aaaaaa enjoy! but 200 followers aaa \(^ヮ^)/]

[Now Playing: Earned it]

Zhongli

• If there was one ability the former archon had learned over these millennia, it was controlling his emotions. Initiating battles, losing his dearest ones, witnessing his darkest fears accumulate- all of it. Ardour washed away with tides of erosion yet one remained with the sight he saw before him.

• You were seated next to the young harbinger, his acquaintance, smiling fondly at his words as he seemed to entertain you. Of course, Tartaglia did have that passionate charm within him, those fierce eyes and a grin worth remembering. Yet the sickening concoction of fury, envy and frustration built up in Zhongli’s stomach.

• He approached your table at Third-Round Knockout, seating himself beside you. You greeted him kindly, pushing a glass of wine towards him. He graciously accepted it and took a measly sip, not intending to get intoxicated as soon as Childe had.

• It was apparent how much of a lightweight he was, slurring his words ever so slightly. Likely the reason for his boldness. The consultant dismissed it, listening to the storyteller intently. That is, until the Snezhnayan diplomat began speaking.

• “So, Mr. Zhongli, who do you think has a better chance of attracting little miss here?” Childe brashly raised, returning his daze to you. You averted your own eyes from the man, humming. Appeared as if the Harbinger was oblivious to social cues also.

• The archon, still poised, rested his glass on the surface. Inside was a different matter however, for he wished to draw his polearm at that instant, so harsh and imprudent. Zhongli looked over again, seeing your subtly entertained face stung him.

• “Childe, I remind you, handle your alcohol more responsibly. As for that question, it’s none of your concern.” He half-hissed possessively, unusual for his nature. Pleasantly surprised to say the least, Tartaglia chuckled.

• “Hah! That’s more like it, I knew you weren’t as reserved as you present yourself!” The younger man snickered, watching Zhongli’s expression morph into something akin to displeasure. He simply crossed his arms flush against his chest, eyes squinted.

• You noticed the prior grasp the brunette had on the glassware, positive it would of shattered. Sure, the funeral parlour consultant was a gentleman, but what further feelings did he conceal in his heart?

• “Oh i see the issue, you’re jealous!” Childe gasped, dramatically clasping his hands over his ajar mouth. Irritating as always. Zhongli huffed, about to leave the table with that irked countenance of his. Until you stopped him, clasping tightly onto his gloved hand and pulling him down.

• With nothing else in mind, you kissed his cheek, which was reddening rapidly. You despised seeing such a look on his handsome face, resolving it with another drastic action. Despite its quick ending, the consultant’s mind was clouded. He excused himself, what a stuttering mess you’ve made of him.

• Giddily approaching his workplace, which he should of been at an hour ago, his boss exclaimed strings of words he couldn’t make out. Perhaps these emotions he’s avoided are his own drug.

• “Stop smiling, Mr. Zhongli! It’s beginning to scare me!”

Ayato

• As a prominent figure in the Tri-Commission, Ayato was not exempt from meetings and gatherings to discuss Inazuma’s development, and neither were you as his wife from another clan yourself.

• The heavy burden of the nation’s wellbeing weighted heavy upon your shoulders, the fear of directing your people in the wrong direction ever-present. A gentle grasp and comforting squeeze of your hand pulled you away from your thoughts.

• Your husband smiled warmly, using another hand to stroke your hair. He could almost sense your apprehension, if it wasn’t from the brief frown on your face. Right, you were currently waiting for the other nobles to join you in Komore Teahouse. The exorbitantly expensive teacups in front awaiting your other guests in the same manner.

• The tranquility was short lived as two other commissioners sat opposite you both, one face painted with a rather imperious expression. The other seemingly focused on your appearance, unpleasantly. Maybe you were being paranoid, you thought, greeting the men as respectfully as one could.

• Ayato was quick to discuss the subject, immediately presenting the paperwork, sipping his tea whilst he awaited a response. The Tenryou spokesman glanced at the terms, signing them off with the flutter of a quill pen.

• “Perfect, though i can’t help but take notice of you, My Lady, what importance do you have here other than to look alluring?” The man spoke up, rather confidently. Your breath hitched, unwillingly smiling, pushing the statement aside as not to anger him.

• Your husband eyed the man, clearing his throat to retrieve his attention once more. Ayato was patient by nature, but his fists clenched tighter at his ignorant words. Was your relationship not obvious enough? Or worse, did he choose to ignore it?

• The representative continued his conversation, although the constant flickering of his eyes towards you was quite daunting. Poor attempts to be subtle finally catching up to him, deciding to be outright confrontational.

• “I’d like for you to join my clan, after all you aren’t married from what i can see, i’ll provide you with everything and anything.” Again, the plain incomprehension. The Tenryou Head droned on, almost as if he was under the influence of alcohol.

• No matter how you stammered that you weren’t interested, he persisted. Ayato grew angrier by the second, struggling to keep his composure. He latched onto your hand, bringing it up to the table and infront of the commissioner, playing with the golden ring on your finger.

• His indigo irises never left your own, contemplating whether he had to kiss you infront of the ignorant clan member to show his love for you. The stare he gave you wasn’t cold; more so irritated and envious. The thought of you with anyone other than him was ill-fitting, the way his name rolled off your tongue was a melody only he should hear.

• “May i remind you that this is a professional matter? I assure you my wife isn’t interested in the slightest.” Ayato partially threatened, malice dripping from every word, taking your hand in his and kissing it delicately. Reputation won’t be an issue infront of such a vile being.

• The stammering man’s face was red with sheer embarrassment, claiming how he was very sorry and how it wasn’t his fault. The Kamisato heir hoisted you up from your seat, disregarding the meaningless protests as you both left the room, entering another desolate one.

• “Do i have to physically prove you’re mine? How about carrying my bloodline further, sweetheart?” He secured you against the wall, smoothing his thumb over your lips.

Al Haitham

• It was well known how gorgeous the sunsets were in Sumeru, countless couples sitting upon stone benches to cherish it, or friends giggling and joking with eachother, basking in it’s glow.

• Al Haitham didn’t know where he’d place your relationship with him on that scale. Would you both be in the developing rosé hues, friendly with a sense of intimacy? Or would you be in the deep saffrons, an established unbreakable infatuation? Or perhaps a blend of the two.

• Deciphering your perception of him was much more challenging than he expected, a price which came along with bonds. Moreover, he needed to recognise his own feelings first, putting that matter beside once your voice could be heard behind him.

• You tapped his shoulder, smiling warmly at him, intending not to startle him from the thoughts, or books even, he often indulged in. Al Haitham knew your charismatic character differed from his reclusive approach, but that’s what drew you together, he supposed.

• Usually, you’d be asking him how his day went, or if anything happened whilst you were gone, but you were oddly quiet. He glimpsed at you momentarily, observing your timid demeanour as you followed beside him. You’d open up eventually.

• “I don’t understand why Nilou made me wear this, it makes it seem like we’re a couple…” The Scribe looked at you again, except for much longer than before. Right, the turquoise lehenga and veil draped across your shoulder fitted quite well with his own colour scheme. A little too obviously than he had planned it to.

• “How unfortunate.” Al Haitham sarcastically stated, not missing the way you side-eyed him, almost hearing his smirk through his words. “..Anyway, i need to pick some items up from my home, care to accompany me?”

• You were piqued by his offer, although you had met him a few times outside his house, you never had the opportunity to see inside, causing you to nod your head enthusiastically. You wondered if he was as organised as he claimed he was, or if his house was a mess in disguise.

• Simultaneous footsteps pattered against the stone pavement, coming to a halt a little further from the heart of the city. The residence was actually quite nice from the outside, simplistic yet larger than most.

• Al Haitham reached into his pocket, pulling a golden key from it and began unlocking the door, pushing it open and gesturing you inside with a brief nod. You could hear a series of light tapping sounds before it stopped, more steps upon wooden floors approaching.

• “You’re back already? Ugh, I didn’t even get to-” The unfamiliar man had ceased to speak, simply looking back and forth at you and the Scribe. His crimson eyes squinted slightly, and then widened in some sort of realisation.

• “Don’t tell me, you’ve actually got a girlfriend? I almost feel sorry for her already.” He continued, voice contorted into a discredited tone. Girlfriend? You two weren’t dating!

• “Yes Kaveh, and what?” You snapped your head towards Al Haitham at his words, scrunching your brows. To your surprise, he was nodding his head, still seeming unbothered as ever. Now he’s lying too?

• “Haitham, We’re-” His hand tightening further around your waist told you enough, an inaudible message saying to be quiet. Kaveh sighed, rolling his eyes. Honestly a reaction you would give to the insufferable man beside you too.

• The Scribe merely chuckled, sitting you down on a cushioned couch, right beside him. The blonde-haired man sat opposite, apparently still in disbelief as he stared quite unnervingly at you, a small grin present.

• “She’s too pretty for you, i’m sure she’d prefer if she was dating me instead.” Kaveh spontaneously admitted, laughing as heat crept up your face. Though this would be an opportunity too amusing to pass on, now that you thought of it.

• “Maybe.” You replied, enjoying the slight blaze of envy in Al Haitham’s irises. If he was going to tease you, he should expect the same back. It was your turn to giggle, resting your head on your ‘boyfriend’s’ shoulder.

• Your sudden playfulness surprised him, whilst he knew this was only a comical tease of yours, he wanted nothing more but to make you and that roommate of his realise just how far he’d go for your love.

• Kaveh focused his attention on him instead now, he knew that the Scribe was just putting on that stoic act to refrain from shouting infront of you. Why not add salt to the injury?

• “How did a grumpy ogre like you catch the heart of a princess such as her?” The architect cackled, winking at you. Another suppressed laugh from you, covering your mouth with your palm, intending not to hurt Al Haitham too much.

• What you didn’t expect was for him to tilt your chin to the side, cupping your cheeks as he pressed his lips onto yours. His soft lips parted slightly, melting whatever dignity you had left and drowning out the gasp you emitted. Passionate enough for your heart to accept it as an unspoken confession, begging for more. Al Haitham pulled away, pressing a last, delicately light kiss onto your forehead.

• “That’s how.” He simply stated, almost ignoring the reality of what he had done, wordlessly wrapping you around his finger just as you did, excusing himself from where he was sat, draping his cape over your shoulders before he headed to his room, “..Goodnight, love.”

• Between you and his roommate, you couldn’t decide which of you were more shocked. Kaveh almost resembled a gaping fish, jaw dropped, looking as if he wasn’t far from losing it. Appears as if the Scribe’s plan had worked.

2K notes · View notes

ohtobeleah · 1 year

Note

for #PL1 can you please do some jake seresin fluff with 15 18 👀💗 also congratulations on reaching the milestone!!!! u deserve it sm ♥️♥️

15 - “She’s/he’s not my boyfriend!”

18 - “I think it’s adorable how easily you blush.”

Okay what else do we need?” You asked your daughter as you strolled the isles of the grocery stores looking at your list as you both did this week's weekly shopping haul.

“Aunty Nix said we need plums—“ Isabella reminded you politely as she held onto the side of the shopping cart. “And washing powder, because Rooster broke the glass jar, remember?” Neither of those items were on your list—but both items you needed.

“Okay, you go get the plums for me and I’ll grab some ham for your sandwiches alright?” You watched as your seven year old nodded and let go for the shopping cart. “Okay, grab about eight? And watch out for bruises okay.”

“I got it mum!” Izzy called out as you chuckled softly and watched her make her way through the fresh produce section as you strolled over towards the deli and took a number.

You and your daughter had moved to Fightertown for a few months after you and your husband finally settled your divorce. You were still looking for a place to settle into so you were currently living with your half sister Natasha. From your mom's second marriage. Seems as though you were following in her footsteps when it came to love.

For a while it was just you and Izzy—but then you finally met the one and only Jake Hangman Seresin. To be quite honest Natasha was purposefully trying to keep you and Jake from meeting as long as she could. She knew once he’d met you it was game over, he’d weasel his way into your life on a more permanent basis eventually.

And that’s exactly what Jake was trying to do.

“Hi there Izzy girl.” Jake beamed as he ran into your daughter by the plums in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. “Stone fruit season is pretty good isn’t it?”

“I guess, whatever the hell that means?” Izzy shrugged, focusing on picking out the best of the bunch. Jake just chuckled out his nose as he looked around, trying to see if he could spot you.

“Where’s your mum?” Jake asked as he picked up a quarter of a watermelon and placed it in his basket. Izzy just pointed in the general direction of the deli. Jake followed your daughter's trajectory and soon enough he felt the heat rising in the apples of his cheeks as he caught the sight of you. “Ah, hey—do me a favour will you and say this to your mum when you go over to her.”

Jake crouched to whisper in your daughter's ear and she giggled. She knew you liked Jake and that Jake liked you. She saw the way he looked at you like you were some sort of goddess who walked amongst mere mortal beings. Bradley looked at her Aunty Nix the same way and they were engaged, surely it had to mean something right?

Izzy knew that Jake really liked you because she couldn’t ever remember a time when she’d seen her dad look at you the way Jake does.

“Child labour is a real thing you know.” Izzy sighed as she turned all her attention to Jake, he absolutely adored your daughter. She was so vibrant and witty and kept everyone around her on their toes. “What’s in it for me?” Izzy asked as she kept Jake's stare, just waiting for him to fold.

“Five bucks—“ Izzy contemplated Jake's offer for a few seconds before she politely accepted the transaction. She could buy a few lollipops with five dollars. What a score. “Go.” Tussling Izzy’s hair, Jake grinned as she laughed organically. “Before I call child protective services on your mother for letting you out of her sight.”

Isabella took off without much to add with her bag of plums in her hand and a cheeky grin smeared across her face as she ran back toward where you’d just ordered two handfuls of shaved ham off the bone.

“I'm back.” She exclaimed as she held up the bag of fruit. “I ran into your boyfriend too.” Izzy laughed as she watched your eyes widen in shock horror at what she’d just said. “He said to tell you that he thinks you’re really pretty mommy.”

Looking around the fresh produce section, your eyes scanned every square foot before they landed on none other than Jake Seresin. Immediately you felt yourself getting hot with embarrassment,

“He’s not my boyfriend honey.” You tried to play it cool as Jake made his way over, ever so casually placing a gentle kiss to the warmth of your cheek. It made you melt into a puddle at his forwardness. The feeling of Jake's large hand splayed across the small of your back made your heart do leaps inside your chest. “Hi Hangman—“

“Hi mama, fancy seeing you here on a Sunday morning?” Jake cooed, his signature smile plastered across his perfect face. You’d only just made it back to your sister’s place this morning before Izzy was waking up, you’d stayed the night at Jake’s after dinner at Alfonso’s diner.

“Just doing the weekly shop—“ You replied as Izzy watched the two of you interact, watching a live story play out before her very eyes. “What about you, Flyboy?”

“Same thing, maybe we could carpool next week? Save on gas?” Jake teased as he watched you try and calm down, still flustered to the highest heaven after your daughter had referred to Jake as your boyfriend. “Oh you should see your face Y/n, I think it’s adorable how easily you blush.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

Leah’s 4K celebration 🎊

#Leah’s 4k celebration 🎊#jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman imagine #jake seresin x you #jake seresin fic #jake seresin x y/n #jake hangman x y/n #jake seresin x reader

687 notes · View notes

nexysworld · 1 year

Note

Hello!

I hope it’s ok for me to request this (and sorry if my English is not well)😭👉👈

Can I request for Leon and his girlfriend/wife being on a mission together (maybe during re4r, vendetta or re6) and during the mission reader finds out she’s pregnant with Leon’s kid. She’s maybe reluctant on telling him because it might jeopardize the mission or put more weight on Leon’s shoulders, but eventually tells him.

Leon is truly over the moon with the news but at the same time worried since they’re on the mission and was about to call Hunnigan to get her to safety. but girlfriend/wife refuses to abort the mission and leave Leon.

the angst and overprotective and soon to be father leon >u< pls

Thanks so much for the request! The plot for this one actually got away from me more than expected so it's not quite as angsty as I had planned. I had most of it written already so I didn't want to scrap it tho. I hope you like it anyway - I might just redo this one in the future because I like the prompt so much and think I could do it more justice - especially expanding more on Leon's internal feelings. ~ Expectations to Keep Going ~ Read on AO3 🖤 Requests are Open 🖤 Masterlist Pairing: Fem!Reader x Vendetta!Leon Tags: Fluff, Angst, Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy Word Count: 2.2k

You paced back and forth in the living room of your once-shared apartment. 60 seconds felt like 60 minutes as you watched the timer slowing ticking down, heart racing. With a shaky hand you picked up the stick and to your dismay saw the little + indicating it was positive. “For fuck’s sake, this can’t be happening right now.” Ever have one of those moments where you say ‘at least it can’t get worse.’ Well, this was the universe’s way of reminding you that things can always get worse.

Leon had walked out on you. He didn’t explicitly say the relationship was over, but he didn’t really need to. He’d shown up drunk, shoving everything he owned into a suitcase, and disappeared on what he called his ‘vacation.’ Except that vacation had lasted weeks now, with not so much as a phone call home. When you attempted to contact him, same thing, radio silence.

You tried remaining calm, knowing what had happened on his most recent mission. You just told yourself he needed time, but with each passing week the feeling that things were over kept washing over you.

You weren’t one to wallow, freak out, or really deal with your feelings in general. So you did the only thing you knew to cope, you threw yourself into work. Mission after mission, clearing them as fast as you could – that was until weird stuff began happening. Fatigue was the first thing you noticed. You were always tired no matter how much sleep you got. Then came the nausea. Your skin had even begun to break out, your breasts were sore. It was like PMS cranked up to the max – except no period. That in of itself hadn’t been alarming since you didn’t really get one on birth control, the other symptoms though? They had freaked you out, leading you to this moment right now, standing alone in your apartment, positive pregnancy test in hand.

“I can’t deal with this.” You said to yourself, slumping back onto the couch. Luckily for you, your phone rang. “Redfield? Yeah…yeah…No, I don’t know where he is…yeah, I can help.”

A mission. Relief flooded through you. Was it a good idea to accept it considering your current condition? Probably not. But a mission would make a great distraction right about now. Besides, with enough willpower, you were sure you could overcome any symptoms for at least a few days, especially if the fate of the world was at stake, right?

That’s the plan. Save the world again and afterward, you’d figure out what to do.

Your heart stopped when you saw him at the table chugging down another glass of alcohol. He didn’t look great, and he didn’t look happy to see you or the two companions who’d followed. His normally clean-shaven face was now scruffy, the bags under his eyes intensifying the steely blue even more - his hair was dark and greasy. This wasn’t your Leon. You would’ve been happier to not have seen him like this, but Chris and Rebecca insisted on locating him. “Cancel that!” Chris shouted when Leon attempted to order another glass. Leon instantly pulled out a flask from his back pocket with a smirk – of course, he had a backup. It honestly would’ve been funny and so very Leon if the context of the situation didn’t have you feeling so awful. Leon hadn’t acknowledged you once, and you hadn’t tried to speak. What could you possibly say? Now wasn’t the time to talk about your broken relationship or the other elephant in the room - he looked so broken down. “I never plan that far ahead anymore.” He slurred to Chris. “There’s no point. There’s always some new bad guy to fight. My life is just a vicious loop. So what’s the point in thinking about the future?”

Ouch .

Those words definitely stung, adding to the growing barrier between the two of you. Now a new worry bubbled in you that if you did tell him, it would be too much. That would be the thing that sent him spiraling over the edge he was already teetering - you couldn’t do that. Not to him, not to yourself. No. This was something you would need to deal with alone .

This was a mission. You were a professional. That’s all that mattered right now – let everything else go. Following through on that was hard. Much harder than expected, especially now that you’d found yourself alone with Leon, separated from Chris, and Rebecca abducted.

Nausea had come back in full force, this was the third time you found yourself making him stop his bike so you could lurch behind a dumpster to spill stomach acid and spit.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” “I’m fine.” You assured standing up. You knew he wasn’t buying it, even a half-sober Leon still remained a great agent, sharp as ever. Moodier than usual - even if you hardly spoke. Slower than usual - almost getting mowed down by the Gatling gun in the hotel. You almost never got sick - now you’d spilled your guts several times. Something was definitely up, and he didn’t need to accuse you for you to see the suspicion on his face. Not to mention how he’d been hovering over you like an overprotective guard dog ever since the attack at the hotel.

Guilt. Guilt is what you felt when he looked at you. He was worried about you and you had the truth of what was wrong kept caged behind closed lips. You took in a few deep breaths to help ease your sour stomach - it doesn’t work and you’re in tears now as more gagged coughs are ripped from your throat. A comforting hand rubs your back as a bottle of water is placed in front of you, not bothering to question where he’d gotten it. Greedily you downed the entire thing, using the last sip to swish the terrible flavor from your mouth. “Were you bitten?”

You shot him a glance of horror. “No! Of course not.” “Then tell me what’s really going on.” “I’m fine.” “You’re obviously not fine.” “Well of course I’m not fine. I’m stuck alone on a mission with the guy who walked out on me after 10 years together. Now can we go?” You don’t know why you said that, your mood just kept ping-ponging through different emotions. You guessed this time it just landed on anger. When his hand was on your back you wanted to cry from the comforting touch, but now that you had to stand and look at his face you were annoyed. This wasn’t the time or place. You knew that, you’d reminded yourself of it several times, and yet emotions were getting the better of you. Damn these stupid hormones. His brows came together in thought and confusion, you really weren’t acting like yourself. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” He finally responded. “I know. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have – “ “No, I deserved that. I’m surprised you didn’t come into the hotel swinging, honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed you. It was shitty how I left.” It wasn’t an apology, but the acknowledgment definitely helped a little.

The two of you stood there awkwardly for a while. Leon had radioed Chris for a status report, his team had breached the building and were on a steady path of clearing out the enemy. It bought you and Leon a little more time to continue your awkward stand-off. He brought his gaze to meet yours again. “Look, I know I don’t deserve to know what’s going on with you. I get it. But at least for the sake of the mission, tell me what’s wrong physically. If we need a medic–” “I’m pregnant.” You didn’t know what possessed you to say it after you’d spent the entire time telling yourself that you couldn’t - no - shouldn’t. It was probably the fact you couldn’t stand the way he was looking at you anymore. But there it was, the truth slipped right out.

“What.” “I’m pregnant.” “I don’t understand.” You’d never seen such a stupefied look on him before. It was like you had just spoken in tongues, for some reason that irritated you. You finally confess your big secret in the middle of a super important mission, and that’s all he had to say? “What don’t you understand? I’m pregnant and it’s yours. You got me pregnant. I am pregnant with your baby. You put your –” You were cut off by your own crying, feeling every emotion simultaneously, the tears continued to spill against your will. Damn. Damn. DAMN these stupid hormones.

“Ok. Ok. I get it, calm down.” He put his hands out defensively as he walked towards you, caging you against the wall. “I can’t!” You shouted. Leon pressed your foreheads together, snaking his arms behind you into a hug. He didn’t say anything, just held you tightly for a few moments letting you sob it out. Once the waterfall of tears was reduced to some hiccups and sniffling, he began to rub soothing circles into your lower back. You dared to glance up at him through wet lashes, there was an unmistakable smile plastered to his face. “It would be just like you to distract yourself from huge news with work. But you shouldn’t be here if you’re pregnant. Let me call Hunnigan, we can have a ‘copter sent in to pick you up.” “No!” You brought your hands up to push him away from you, shaking your head. “No, I am not abandoning this mission. Chris needed my help to unlock the building’s computer systems so they can collect the virus’ information. I’m not going anywhere - wait - why are you smiling like that?” His gleeful look didn’t waver. “Sweetheart…you’re asking me why I’m smiling? Obviously, because I’m happy.” “What?” “I’m happy? You told me I’m going to be a father. There’s going to be a little ankle-biting Kennedy running around. I’m happy! Not quite as happy you knew and came here anyway. I guess that’s my own fault though.” “I don’t understand. You left me. You literally said there was no point in planning for a future.” It was your turn to look absolutely stunned, it was so far from the reaction you had expected it almost gave you whiplash. He reached out and grabbed your hand, squeezing it assuringly. “Yeah, I was wallowing in some deep self-pity. But seeing you almost get killed in the hotel was a sobering reminder of what I can’t afford to lose. Hearing that I’m going to be a father? That doubles it for me. I realized I was looking at things the wrong way. I know I’ll always be running headfirst into danger, but maybe having a future to look forward to is the motivation I need to stay alive while I do it. Wait are you seriously –oh, come on Honey don’t start crying again.” He sighed pulling you close. “I’m calling Hunnigan and getting you out of here.” “No! I have to complete the mission. Just give me a minute.” Your words lacked the bite you intended. “Look, I think I’d already flop at this whole fatherhood thing if I let the mother of my baby get hurt or killed on day 1.” Leon pressed a few soft kisses on your forehead and wet cheeks before finally connecting your lips together. He tasted like alcohol masked with mint and the short hairs on his face scratched you, but it was still comforting. “Let’s negotiate then.” You offered. “This isn’t the time for that. You’re jeopardizing the mission and you could get killed, it’s not safe.” His tone was caring, but stern now. “Look. I know it was stupid of me to take this on while pregnant. You’re right it was a distraction and I thought I could handle it better. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m the only one who can get into those systems.” You managed to finally get the tears to stop, rubbing your eyes dry and raw. You could see he still wasn’t fully convinced. “Leon, there isn’t going to be a future for our baby if we can’t stop this. Please.” “Fine. But only if you promise to stay on the defensive and avoid action as much as possible. Do as I tell you to and let me handle any enemies that his team may have missed.” “Come on Leon, I can handle–” “No. We do things my way or I’m calling Hunnigan and you’re leaving.” You were annoyed despite knowing he was right. You would’ve argued further but the look of worry on his face shut you up instantly. “Alright. Alright. I’ll follow your lead, promise.”

“Good, and Baby?” “Yeah?” “No more missions for a while. Got it?” “Deal.” You shook his hand as if it were a business meeting, rewarding you with a laugh on his part. He captured you in one more quick kiss before leading you over to his bike, both steeling yourselves back into your professional personas. You hopped onto the back, wrapping your arms around him tightly as he took off in the direction of the building to get the remainder of the mission over with.

619 notes · View notes

skz317cb97 · 1 year

Text

Everything in it's Place

Han Jisung x Female reader

Word count: 4.9K (hahahah!😅)

Synopsis: Sometimes you just couldn't help but be a brat, and sometimes Jisung had to put you in your place.

A/N: 18+ ONLY! A wise person @cessixja asked why we don't see more dom Jisung so I answered the call to duty! If you like this absolute debauchery please reblog, like, comment, hit up my asks, maybe there'll be a part 2? Who knows! 🤷🏻 As always warnings and smut below the cut!

Warnings: 18+ ONLY MDNI! Cursing/ strong language, LOTS of dirty talking and name calling, Jisung hard dom/MC sub(brat), masturbation(m&f), oral(m&f receiving), punishment, scissors(Jisung cuts MCs dress off), mentions of the color system(yellow/red not used), bondage, blindfolding, spanking(flogger/hand), hair pulling(hard), deep throating/throat fucking, breath play/gagging/choking, spit play(Jisung spits in MCs mouth), cum shot, cum play, cum eating, unprotected piv sex(please use condoms), cream pie, anal(butt plug), sex toys(bullet, vibrator), clit/pussy slapping, squirting, degradation/name calling(slut, whore, hole, cum dump, cock slut, Jisung mentions letting Chan/Minho use MC), mentions of gang bang, mentions of double penetration, praise/pet names(good girl, good slut/whore, beautiful, angel, etc, MC calls Jisung daddy but not like in a ddlg way), breeding kink. I thiiiiink that's everything but if I missed something please let me know and I'll add it asap!

There was a certain dynamic between you and your boyfriend Jisung in the bedroom. The way it worked was Jisung was in charge and you were to listen. Well that was the way it was supposed to work. Every now and then what would happen was, you’d be a brat and egg him on until he was forced to remind you yet again, just who was in charge. In actual reality Jisung respected the shit out of you and was a caring, attentive boyfriend. So, when the line crossed into the bedroom you gave him the reigns... for the most part but sometimes you just couldn’t help yourself and today was one of those days.

You and Jisung were going to have a date night. You got into your sexiest black cocktail dress and went to the studio to pick him up for your dinner reservations. When you got there you lightly tapped at the door and walked in. Jisung’s eyes lit up when he saw you standing there a whole glass of gorgeous in that sexy fucking dress. He held up a finger signaling to give him just a moment. You nodded smiling and quietly sat on the couch while you waited for him and Chan to finish recording the part of the song they were working on. As soon as they cut, both of the men stood to properly greet you.

“Hey beautiful!” Jisung gripped your waist with both hands and pulled you in for a kiss and then sat back down. Chan gave you a hug and you made a point to push your breasts that were on full display in the dress you were wearing firmly against him, when he pulled away you gripped his arms tightly.

“Wow Channie, your arms are getting so big!” Jisung immediately started side eyeing you. You ignored him and touched Chan’s chest squeezing his pec a little, making his ears turn red.

“Your chest too Channie you’re massive!” He chuckled shyly while your boyfriend had both eyes narrowed on you. You ceased your groping of Chan.

“Uh thanks y/n I’ve been eating more meat so...” You smirked at Jisung before looking at Chan again.

“Well whatever meat you’re eating...” You cocked your eyebrow licking your lips.

“Keep it up... big boy.” You winked and Chan quickly sat down, turning to the computer trying to not blush profusely. It was just too easy to embarrass Chan and rile up Jisung.

“Baby, why don’t you wait in the hall and I’ll be right out.” He said it like it was a choice, you knew it wasn’t. You nodded your head sweetly.

“Okay Sungie!” You bent at the waist, leaning over and wrapping your arms around your boyfriend’s broad shoulders to peck his soft cheek. It also left your thick round ass bent over eye level for Chan who, despite his best efforts, couldn’t help but sneak a look or two. You sat back up very pleased with yourself and rolled your hips, swaying your ass as you walked out to wait for your man.

“Bye Channie.” You blew him a kiss and wiggled your fingers at him.

“Uh, bye y/n... nice... seeing you.” You smiled and shut the door behind you. Jisung sat there and looked at Chan for a minute. Chan shrugged and raised his eyebrows.

“What!? What did I do?” Jisung just laughed shaking his head.

“I’m heading out hyung. Don’t work all night.” Chan laughed and nodded.

“You either...” Jisung laughed.

“Oh I have my work cut out for me tonight I think.” Chan shook his head.

“Yea I think so too brother. Good luck! Have a good night.” Jisung clapped his friend on the back and then headed out to have dinner with his beautiful girlfriend who, obviously wanted a little attention. Well you had Jisung’s now but Jisung couldn’t let you know that of course. You smirked at him expecting him to admonish you for your behavior just then in the studio but he had his big toothy smile plastered on his face.

“Heya gorgeous, let’s eat!” He placed his hand on the small of your back and led you out. Jisung was all smiles on the car ride to the restaurant too, his hand gently resting on your thigh as he drove. You with your cute bratty little pout for not getting the reaction you’d hoped for. When Jisung parked he got out and quickly ran around to open your door for you. Your silky leg emerged from the car and he took your hand, helping you out. You smiled at him finally. Teasing or not, your man treated you well and you were thankful for that.

“Thank you Sungie.” You kissed the beauty mark on his cheek, your favorite place to peck him. He winked at you.

“Anything for my angel.” He palmed your ass and you giggled and went inside. You were seated at the usual booth you reserved when eating at that restaurant. It was a half-moon shape and allowed you to sit next to each other instead of across. Jisung liked sitting by you. Everything was lovely as usual. You ordered your drinks and an appetizer, your meal was absolutely delicious, both of you picking off the other’s plate as well. You’d both opted for one more drink instead of dessert tonight. Jisung had his own ideas about dessert for later. The hand that had rested on your thigh since dinner was done slowly slid up higher. Jisung wanted to tease you a little to get you back for that move with Chan, wanted to trace your slit over your panties and make you squeeze those sexy thighs together but when Jisung ran his finger up your slit, there were no panties to tease you over. You let out a breathy laugh and Jisung stiffened up, moving his hand back down your thigh. He leaned over his lips right against your ear.

“No panties? In this short slutty little dress? Really?” You licked your lips smiling and nodded.

“So when you bent over for Chan earlier were you just trying to show him what I get to fill?” His hand left your leg and rubbed the back of your neck before gently grabbing a handful of hair at your nape. You shrugged and cocked your eyebrow.

“Get your ass out to the car now. I’ll pay for dinner and then when I get you home, you’re gonna fucking pay beautiful.” He pulled your hair a little tighter, you moaned softly, and he let go.

“Now go.” You slid out of the booth and made your way out of the restaurant and to the car like Jisung had told you to. You were so wet already and still had the drive home. There was still time to press Jisung’s buttons too and you were going to every chance you got tonight. Jisung got in the car silently, started it and headed towards your shared house. No sooner than he’d pulled out of the parking lot you lifted your skirt, spread your pussy lips, and started playing with your slick cunt, teasing your clit. Jisung glanced over and his eyes narrowed on you again.

“Oh I know you aren’t playing with my pussy when you know your ass is getting punished tonight.” You gathered your arousal and rubbed faster panting.

“If you know what’s good for you, you won’t cum.” He warned you again but did nothing to actually stop you. You stuck your fingers from your other hand inside your hole and started pumping them teasing your clit harder. Jisung licked his lips, fuck he wanted to taste you so bad, you knew he did too. You pushed yourself into your orgasm, shaking in the passenger seat as you worked yourself through your peak. You rubbed your juices around with your fingers and went to put them in your mouth. Jisung gripped your wrist tightly stopping you. He pulled your hand over and sucked on your fingers cleaning your cum from them himself. He took your fingers from his mouth then shoved your hand back down in your lap and pulled your skirt down. He looked ready to spit fire.

“You’re so fucked tonight baby.” The rest of the car ride was dead silent and the tension was building. As soon as Jisung put the car in park he reached over and grabbed your hair, pulling you nose to nose with him. He licked at your lips and pulled a little harder.

“Get the fuck in that house now. Act like a dirty cock hungry slut I’m gonna treat you like one.” He let go of your hair, you got out of the car and walked towards the front door like he told you to. He unlocked and opened the door, letting you walk in first. As soon as the door was shut and locked Jisung pushed you against it hard and wrapped his fingers around your throat.

“You’ve pushed my button’s all night baby. Flirting with Chan, no panties, playing with my pussy and coming?” He tsked you. You smiled ear to ear pleased with yourself. You wanted to rile him up and your task was achieved. He squeezed tighter and you could feel your arousal start to coat the insides of your thighs.

“Oh you think it’s funny?” You cocked and eyebrow and shook your head yes. He grabbed a hand full of your hair with his free hand and pulled your head back.

“We’ll see how funny you think it is here in just a minute. Bedroom... NOW.” He let go and pointed towards your room. You walked at a leisurely pace, wiggling your ass with each step. Jisung just shook his head and followed behind. Once you both were in the bedroom the real fun could begin.

“What should I-” Jisung’s hand was around your throat again.

“You should shut your mouth unless I’m stuffing my cock into it understand?” You nodded.

“Say it.” He let up off your throat enough for your to speak.

“I understand.”

“Good now what’s our one unbreakable rule?”

“Red means stop.” He cupped your face and kissed you sweetly.

“That’s my girl.” The switch flipped back on.

“Get on the bed, face down ass up.” He squeezed your neck and then pushed you back towards the bed letting go so that you could do as he’d told you. You crawled on the bed on your hands and knees. He walked over and kneeled by you.

“I said face down!” He grabbed your wrists from between your legs and pulled them back making you fall into the mattress face down. He ran his hands over the swell of your plump ass over your dress. He left the bed for a moment to grab something. When he came back he was behind you again, he gripped your dress and suddenly you felt the cool blunt side of a pair of scissors as they cut up the back of your dress. Once he had it cut up the back entirely, he roughly yanked the fabric from your body then started cutting it into strips. After he cut your dress into four strips, he went to work tying you up. He grabbed one of the hands he’d pulled between your legs and tied it to your ankle, then he pulled on the other and tied it to the other ankle. Now there was no getting out of the position he’d demanded you take. He grabbed another strip and tied it around your eyes.

“Ji I can’t see eith-” You whined and he interrupted you.

“Is my cock in your mouth? I don’t think it is because you’d be choking if it was. Now close your mouth. This is a punishment. No touching no seeing and...” He walked over to your dresser and pulled out a pair of your panties. He shoved them in your mouth and then took the fourth strip of fabric tying it around your mouth stuffed with our own panties. Jisung got up off the bed and admired his work. You were naked, tied and gagged. Your cunt was glistening with your juices, he was dying to taste you again but he had to punish you. He took off his shirt and unbuckled his belt, you could hear all of this happening, hyper aware of sounds with your other senses taken away. You wished you could see him, fuck Jisung had a beautiful body, tan and broad defined.

“I’m going to grab a few things; don’t you go anywhere.” He laughed as he made his way over to a very specific drawer you kept. He was pulling out his arsenal for punishment and you had no idea what that meant. He grabbed a few things it sounded like and then was back over on the bed behind you. Jisung spread you apart and spit on your asshole, suddenly you felt something cool circling your hole and you clenched with excitement.

“Open up baby, your ass is getting stretched.” He spit on your asshole again and then started to push in the tip of the butt plug you were all too familiar with. It was a pretty pink glass one that he got you for your last anniversary. You moaned around the panties in your mouth as you felt it slide in and fill you. Once the cute little glass rose was the only thing sticking out of your ass Jisung grabbed his next tool. He was going to spit on your pussy but you were so creamy he didn’t bother. He pushed the bullet he had grabbed inside you, then he was off again, grabbing yet another tool he’d pulled from the special drawer. Jisung drug what he grabbed across your ass cheeks and you clenched around the butt plug. You felt the little leather straps of the flogger trace your skin causing goosebumps to erupt all over your body.

“You know your ass is in trouble now don’t you?” He gently slapped you with it.

“You think you can just act like a whore?” Smack, a little harder, you clenched again and moaned.

“Try and show Chan my holesl?” Smack, a little harder, your juices were dripping down your legs.

“You would've let him fuck you right there wouldn’t you?” You shook your head no but he smacked you again anyway, light pink marks started to appear after that one.

“Don’t lie to me dirty slut! I saw you flirting with him!” He smacked you again. You wanted to moan out but your mouth was stuffed with panties keeping you quiet, just like Jisung told you to be.

“I’ll keep your holes so busy you won’t think of anyone’s cock but mine.” Jisung grabbed the remote to the bullet he put inside you and turned it on low. Your muffled sounds and the buzzing inside you were all that could be heard. Jisung slapped you with the flogger again, not as hard but this time the soft leather straps landed across your cunt. You tried to press your legs together but couldn’t. He slapped your pussy with the flogger again then teased you with the tips of the straps your pussy juices were dripping down your belly.

“Are you gonna cum? Did I fucking say you could cum!?” Slap across your ass again, hard. You tried to answer but couldn’t.

“Quiet! I don’t need an answer, I didn’t say you can cum so you can’t.” Smack smack smack then leather straps slowly drug across your ass that was burning now. Jisung tossed the flogger and took off his pants and boxers, stroking his thick cock.

“I’m gonna take this gag off your mouth for one reason and one reason only and that’s to replace it with another. You better get ready to choke down some dick. I'm fucking that throat hard tonight. “ Jisung crawled by your head and gathered your hair into a ponytail pulling on it hard, lifting your head from the mattress, holding it up and untying the gag. As soon as it was loose you spit your panties out and took a deep breath the bullet vibrator and butt plug still driving you mad. Jisung tilted your face up towards him.

“Open your fucking mouth.” You did as you were told and Jisung spit into it. He stuck three fingers in, rubbing it around, pressing on your tongue, then gagging you with his fingers, making your mouth water more. He pulled his fingers out and rubbed your spit all over your face, then shoved his cock into your mouth, two hands gripping your hair tightly as he held you up and fucked your throat hard. The gagging and squelching made Jisung throb. He pulled you off patting your cheek.

“Open wide whore.” He shoved his cock back into the back of your throat thrusting. Slapping your cheek again then he reached over and started slapping your pussy and you screamed around his cock. He pulled out, drool and precum dripped from your lips and chin. He leaned down close to your already fucked out face as you gasped for air.

“I’m gonna fuck your face hard now baby and then I’m gonna cum down your throat and you better swallow every drop I give you. Got it?” Your open mouth was his answer.

“Stick out your fucking tongue.” He slapped his cock on your tongue and face then rubbed his tip against it hard.

“That’s right open up, that’s my good little cock hungry slut.” Jisung had fist fulls of hair again, he pulled hard tilting your head back and spit in your mouth again then fucked your throat hard, he could see the tip bulging in your neck. He held you up by your hair tightly with one hand and pinched your nose with the other as he continued his relentless thrusts to your face. You gagged hard around his tip and a strangled moan was your only warning before Jisung started coming down your throat warm and thick. With your nose plugged you had only one choice which was swallow. He let go of your nose and pulled you off his cock panting, face covered in spit and cum. He let go of your hair and your face fell back into the mattress your ass perched up still. Jisung looked at your glistening cunt and tsked you again.

“And you were doing so well... coming without permission. He slapped your pussy and you jumped still sensitive from your orgasm you had hoped he would miss seeing.

“Well now you’re gonna cum until I say stop.” Jisung pulled out the bullet and grabbed something else. You only realized it was a wand vibrator once he pushed it against your clit and turned it on. You moaned out and you were thankful you weren’t gagged anymore. He pushed two fingers into your hole and started pumping them fast and hard while he turned up the vibrator.

“Cum.” Your legs started shaking as another orgasm washed over your whole body. He pushed the vibrator against your clit harder and turned it up more. The squelching of his fingers pumping in and out of you got louder and louder. You still tried to squeeze your legs closed even though you knew it was pointless. Jisung spit on your cunt and started slapping it, turning the vibrator up more and then pushing three fingers inside you. You screamed and got a warning.

“Keep it down or I’ll cum on your panties and shove them back in, do you fucking hear me?!” You nodded as you came again quieter with your face buried in the mattress. Jisung kept going taking you to another peak and pushing further and further until you were a drooling babbling mess begging him.

“Awww baby... check in huh? What’s your color.” You took a deep breath.

“Fucking green don’t you dare fucking stop.” You panted out. He gave you that mischievous smile of his.

“Such a good little whore for me, begging for me to stop, I’ll stop baby, I’ll stop... I’ll stop when you squirt all over these sheets.” His fingers pumped inside you deep and hard hitting your g spot over and over, harder and harder, your asshole clenched around the butt plug still nestled inside you and Jisung turned the vibrator all the way up. Your juices sprayed from you as you screamed into the mattress to keep the volume down. Jisung dropped the vibrator and started slapping your clit as you squirt and dripped cum down your legs. He rubbed his fingers back and forth as you sprayed a mess of your cum all over yourself and the bed. You could hear Jisung sucking on his fingers, savoring your taste he leaned over and licked and sucked at your cunt collecting your cum on his tongue as you twitched and shook from overstimulation. Jisung crawled up by your head, his cock long, thick and hard again. He pulled your blindfold off and after a second you could see clearly. You saw Jisung kneeling stroking his big dick.

“You’re gonna lay there and watch me stroke my cock until I paint that pretty fucked out face. You haven’t earned my cum in any other holes yet. So you’re gonna wear it and eat it.” Jisung spit on his cock and started jerking off with both hands, tugging roughly on his balls, twisting his wrist as he squeezed his tip. The squelching and fapping in front of your face got faster and louder, he spit on his cock again moaning as he felt his orgasm approaching. He aimed his cock at your face.

“Open that fucking mouth up, open it slut!” You opened your mouth and Jisung leaned in, twitched and started coming on your face and in your mouth.

“Ohhhh fuck yeaaa wear it baby, lick it up, ohhhh fuck yes so hungry for my cum aren’t you?” You licked your lips and any cum that dripped down your face nodding. Jisung shoved his cock in your mouth.

“Suck it out, get it all.” He pulled his dick out of your mouth and slapped it against your cum cover face. He smeared his load all over your face with his hand, then shoved his fingers in your mouth gagging you.

“Fucking suck them!” You sucked and cleaned his cum from his fingers and he gently slapped your cum covered cheek.

“Such a dirty fucking whore. Let’s clean you up a little.” Jisung wiped up your face and tossed the cum rag crawling behind you again.

“You’re gonna take this cock now, as hard as I want to give it to you, and you’re gonna thank me while I wreck your cunt. Got it.” You nodded any fight that was in you completely fucked out already. Jisung pushed the tip of his cock inside you then shoved his whole fat cock in to his balls making you scream.

“I asked you a fucking question! DO YOU GOT IT YOU FUCKING SLUT!?” He rammed into you harder.

“YES! FUCK YES!” Deeper, harder.

“YES WHAT?!” He spanked your ass hard.

“YES PLEASE DADDY! THANK YOU!!!” He held you down and started railing you.

“You’re my fucking cum dump understand?!” He started fucking you harder just absolutely ravenous.

“Your’s Daddy I’m your hole to cum in fuck fuck fuck!”

“You want Chan to fuck your mouth don’t you? Huh? Fucking slut. Maybe I’ll leave you tied up, call Chan let him fuck you open too hmm? I know we talked about Minho joining before, maybe call him too huh?Let him take a hole too? Sounds like a good idea to me. You were so eager to show Chan my fucking holes, dirty fucking slut.” He rammed his dick into you harder and harder your juicy pussy dripping and squishing.

“Fucking whore, look how wet you are thinking about me and my friends taking all your holes.” He pumped the butt plug in your ass and continued his breakneck pace pounding into your abused hole.

“You wish that was Minho’s dick in your ass don’t you?” He shoved the butt plug deeper and you moaned out.

“Want Minho to fuck your asshole open while I tear up this cunt?! DON’T YOU!?” You couldn’t speak he was fucking you so hard, so good, all you could do was gasp for air and nod. He grabbed you by the hair with both hands again pulling hard, holding you up as he fucked your tight cunt fast and hard, his balls slapping wet against your pussy lips.

“Want us to gang bang you huh? My cock hungry little slut aren’t you?! FUCKING SAY IT!” He pulled your hair yanking your head back further.

“I-I-I'm a-a-a cock h-hungry s-s-slut! W-want you a-a-all to f-f-fuck my-my holes!!!” Jisung started spanking your ass hard over and over as he fucked you.

“I knew it you fucking whore! These are my holes, you fucking hear me?! If they get filled it’s because I let them understand!? SPEAK!” You nodded and screamed.

“YESYESYESYES your holes fuck! They’re yours Daddy YOURS!!!” He slammed into you hard one more time and pulled out. He reached over to the table and grabbed the scissors cutting the straps that had you tied together. Your body fell flat against the bed face down as you tried to catch your breath. Jisung rolled you over and settled between your thighs.

“Checking in baby what’s your color?” You sighed as he ran his fingertips up and down your body.

“MMmmgreen Sungie.” He smiled and smoothed your hair away from your face and started rubbing your whole cunt with his hand.

“I’m gonna fill this pussy up with my babies, that way everyone knows who you belong to. You gonna have my pretty babies gorgeous?” You nodded.

“God yes! Cum inside me Daddy, put your babies in me!” He smiled.

“There’s my angel.” He slid into you and started rolling his hips slow and deep. When he bottomed out you could feel him rub against your g spot and the butt plug and your body buzzed as the coil inside you wound up again. Jisung leaned over and wrapped both hands around your throat squeezing as he fucked you harder snapping his hips into yours.

“Such a good girl, my sweet sweet angel, you’re gonna cum for me one more time right? You’re gonna cum with me?” You nodded as he squeezed tighter your face turning red.

“GOD FUCK! SO SEXY! FUCK! TAKE THAT COCK! I’VE GOT A BIG LOAD FOR YOU PRETTY! GONNA FILL YOU UP!!” He slammed his fat cock into you harder and harder pushing the butt plug deeper with each thrust. You started coming hard, your mouth falling open in a scream silenced by Jisung’s hands choking you as he chased his own orgasm.

“Beg for me baby! Be a good girl and beg for my cum! Maybe I’ll give it to you if you beg me real nice!” He let up off your throat, gripped your hips and started jackhammering into you, the sound of wet skin slapping filled the room along with your begs and screams for Jisung’s cum.

“GIVE IT TO ME DADDY FILL ME UP GOOD! FUCK YOUR CUM IN ME DEEP WANT MAKE SURE IT TAKES DADDY WANNA HAVE YOUR BABIES FUCKFUCKFUCK PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! GODFUCKSHITFUCK!” Jisung moaned out loud, pushed his hips flush against yours as he started twitching and coming inside you.

“Oh you feel me beautiful? OH FUCK!” He pushed in deeper as his cum filled your cunt. He kept thrusting making sure to get every drop inside you.

“Hold it in there angel.” He stroked his cock, his tip still pressed inside you as the last of his load filled you. He pulled out grabbed the back of your knees and pushed your legs back, lifting your ass up off the bed so his cum would slide deeper inside you instead of squeezing out of your swollen hole.

“Good girl, hold it in.” He massaged your ass cheeks and then gently pulled out your butt plug. After he set your legs down he fell on top of you, his body weight crushing you. You liked it when he crushed you after. You liked to feel Jisung so close after you had hard intense sex like that. He cooed in your ear as he laid on top of you, whispering sweet nothings about his endless love for you. How perfect you were, how lucky he was to have you, his hands rubbed up and down your body as you both came back from the earth shattering sex you just had. After cooling down Jisung rolled off of you and got up to get a bath ready for the two of you. Jisung turned and looked at you laying on the bed fucked out.

“You know...” You looked over at him when he spoke up suddenly.

“If you’re really down... I can talk to Chan and Minho. I’m sure they’d be game.” You leaned up on one elbow biting at your lip as you could feel your body flush thinking about what your boyfriend was proposing. You could feel his cum starting to ooze from you.

“Really?!” He walked over and kneeled on the bed kissing your lips.

“Absolutely, one rule though...” Jisung ran his fingers through your slit rubbing the cum that was leaking from you all over your tender cunt then shoving them inside your pussy, making you tremble.

@acciocriativity @caroline-ds-world @chansynie @ughbehavior @jquellen27 @jisuperboard @fixation-dump @lachinitaaaaa @rinrinndou @bangchans-angel @laylasbunbunny @owo-manii-uwu @armystay89 @b00dyguts @purplenimsicle @caticorn61 @lauraneuuh @channieandhisgoonsquad @minnysproutgriffinteddy @svintsandghosts @the-sweetest-rose @alice0528 @3rachasninja @m0ri-apeuda @eastleighsblog @linoification @mlink64 @smally97 @fun-fanfics

“Only I get to cum in this hole.”

Please do not repost or translate any of my works. My blog and stories are NSFW and 18+ ONLY! Minors, ageless, and blank blogs will be blocked!

#stray kids smut #skz smut #han jisung smut #jisung smut #skz317cb97 #cal 🖤

532 notes · View notes

homeofthelonelywriter · 5 months

Text

Drawn to you | Pt. 5

(A/N) Another short part, sorry about that

Pairing: Alastor x bunny demon!Reader (no Y/N)

Warnings: nothing specific I think

Synopsis: You finally wake up. But...what were you mumbling in your sleep?

“Why don’t you remember me?”

Alastor spun around as soon as he heard mumbling coming from you. He had stayed by your side since he’d saved you from the Vee’s, no matter how often Charlie had offered him to take over and give him a break. No, he felt responsible for you and your recovery. So he stayed.

The demon quickly rushed to your side, hoping to see your eyelids flutter, your fingers twitch, your lips move. Any sign that you were waking up. He sat down on the bed beside you and reached for your hand, holding it in his.

“Come on dear, you can do it.”

A relieved sigh escaped his lips as your eyes slowly fluttered open. Out of instinct, he dimmed the lights in the room, trying to make you as comfortable as possible. After a few moments of you coming to consciousness, your eyes focused on Alastor, a frown on your face.

“What happened?”

If you didn’t know any better, you’d have sworn that Alastor’s face softened at hearing your voice. He raised your hand he was holding until he could press a chaste kiss to your knuckles.

“Do you remember Valention? In front of the hotel?”

You nodded weakly.

“And what happened at the tower?”

Another nod, paired with a flinch as the memories flooded your brain.

“Do you remember me coming to get you back? And us arriving at the hotel?”

It took you a few moments, but you nodded again.

“You passed out as soon as we got here. Charlie helped me take care of you and we’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

With a quiet grunt, you tried to sit up, but Alastor gently pushed you back down.

“Don’t. You need to rest.”

After the dear demon was sure you’d stay in bed, he grabbed a glass of water off of the nightstand and carefully helped you to drink a few sips, gently wiping away any water that spilled. You blushed under the attentive eyes of the overlord, his demeanor reminding you of a past life and before you knew it, tears flooded your eyes.

Alastor’s eyes widened in surprise as the tears started to spill. He frantically started to wipe them away, not sure what to do.

“Wh-What’s wrong? Is it the pain?”

You only nodded. What else were you supposed to do? Alastor didn’t remember you, or the time you spent together. And in some form, it was true. You were in pain. And yes, you were in physical pain. But the emotional pain was a thousand times stronger.

Alastor rushed to the dresser nearby and came back with a pill.

“Here. Charlie got you these, said that you’d probably need them once you wake up.”

With his help, you swallowed the medication and some more water before laying back down. Exhaustion was starting to creep up on you and you felt your eyes grow heavy. Of course, Alastor immediately noticed.

“Get some more rest, dear. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

That confirmation was all you needed before you let sleep overtake you.

Did he hear you correctly?

“Why don’t you remember me?”

Those words started haunting Alastor’s mind as soon as they left your lips. His brows furrowed as he studied your appearance. Of course, you had seemed familiar to him the moment he saw you at the hotel door. You had pulled him in without even knowing. But…why would he remember you? He was sure he had never seen you in hell. And you had only died a few years ago. Nothing compared to Alastor who had passed away in 1933.

Maybe you had been dreaming and those words weren’t directed at Alastor. But…something felt off. Not that Alastor could pinpoint what exactly.

The overlord kept staring at you while you slept. He had to admit that he felt like a creep, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to figure out what was going on. The longer he looked at your form, the heavier his heart grew. But he still couldn’t tell why.

With a defeated sigh, he returned to the chair he had been sitting on before you woke up. He leaned back and closed his eyes, swearing to himself that he’d rest his eyes for only a second.

@impulsivethoughtsat2am @dasimp777 @fanficwriter5 @wonderlandangelsposts @mo-0-o @xalygatorx

Please consider reblogging and following me! It helps a lot!

Hazbin Hotel - Masterlist

Master-Masterlist

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel fanfic #alastor #alastor the radio demon #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor fanfiction #alastor fanfic #alastor love

109 notes · View notes

unabashednightmarepizza · 1 year

Text

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑀𝑒

Summary: Remus loved Defence Against The Dark Arts, even though every year, he would have to listen to his class and their hateful words about werewolves. What they said was right, and he was getting worse, everyone was worried but they didn't know what to do.

Who knew, all it took was a kind spirit reminding him of his homeworks and bringing him chocolate?

Warnings: General hate about werewolves, self-deprecating thoughts, mentions of thinking of "unaliving"

Inspiration: this, this

A/N: Tiktok should be banned for me, really. Every time I see a cool pov video, I get inspired and that's why I have a bunch of unfinished works but still start a new one *sighs angrily*

Remus Lupin was your rival.

That was a fact almost everyone one in the whole school knew.

It wasn't an unpleasant one that would make everyone cower in fear, or get uncomfortable around you two. It wasn't the kind of rivalry which would end with pranking the other one or scare the hell out of you by suddenly appearing beside you.

It was a sweet one, where you two would sit together in the library with candy and chocolate covered lips as you both studied and made bets who was going to get the higher grade.

Remus, naturally, was someone friendly and even cute, dare you said. With the mop of brown hair and big eyes that twinkled with mischief- not many knew but he was actually the mastermind of the best pranks they did- you knew, because he often explained those pranks to you in the middle of your study session in which you had to stiffle your giggles because how much chaotic the school would become sooner and unknown to you, he would try to hide his blush at your cute reactions too.

The first time you noticed him, was when you both answered one of the questions of Slughorn at the same time. You looked at him with squeezed eyes and a slight hmph, a playful smile over your face as you made a mental note to talk to the boy who was way too shy to look you in the eye after class.

But the first time he noticed you was the very first day of coming to the Great Hall and staring at you laughing to your heart's content at one of Sirius' corny jokes. The sight made him blush slightly, something that would become more intense through the years, but also remind him that he would never be the reason of that laugh.

After all, seeing his crush laughing with his bestfriend who every girl had a crush on and would giggle and blush at wasn't an ideal sight for an insecure boy like him to watch through the years. He never blamed Sirius, though he often wondered how he was able to get all the girls of the school around him even with that flirty, Casanova persona of his.

And, as the self-destructive boy he was, he often pushed aside his friends' teasings about how you always eyed him and stared longingly, so sickly in love at the scarred boy.

"No way that she is looking at me, Pads. She is looking at you." He pointed to where you were sitting as usual, reading, without even looking up, making James whistle teasingly at him.

"And how do you know that, Moony? You didn't even look up~" James smiled as Remus sighed out tiredly and lifted his head to answer the boy...

But instead was met the shining eyes of yours catching his own across the Hall.

"Aaand just like that, we have lost our Moony for good, mates." Sirius teased him as he leaned back like a proud mother but soon found himself falling, pulling James with himself when he wanted to grab him for balance, and made both of them fall on their butts.

"Dude, not cool! What if I broke my glasses and my precious lilyflower saw me and..."

But Remus didn't even listen to them, their words becoming blurry as he stared at you with his own shining eyes.

He was impressed, and a little bit bashful, at how intensely you were looking at him and how... in love you looked. His heart started to beat faster and harder, his sweater suddenly became too much for him and he had to fan himself quietly. He wasn't even doing anything remotely different like Sirius who often winked at the girls and blew kisses at them with a charming smile!

He was the same boy who chose to read his book as his friends goofed around, the same shy boy who couldn't look a girl in the eye- especially his longtime crush who was also a "rival" at this point-, the same boy who studied and then gave a last-minute lecture to his friends so that they could pass...

But also the same boy who thought himself to be a monster who deserved nothing good in life.

You frowned when his eyes downcasted and he didn't even nod his head at you. No smile, no acknowledging.

Nothing.

You nervously shuffled on your seat as he continued to read his book, though his eyes stayed fixed on one page and you were sure he wasn't reading but instead was pretending. Though you were saddened by his actions, you were also proud of yourself for being able to hold eye contact longer than the last time and got a reaction out of him without bursting into a fierce blush yourself, you were worried about Remus.

You knew how smart Remus was, you saw it firsthand at Slughorn's test or the Charms lessons when you both answered the question at the same time. Or that when time in Minnie's class when you both were the first ones to achieve performing Evanesco and then later Vera Verto in the same lesson, and earned praises from the stern yet soft you two's favourite teacher.

A rare occurance by itself.

But he wasn't just as academical smart. He was also emotionally smart too. You weren't sure if it was about him being silent and often watching around himself, but for some reasons, he always knew what mood people were in.

He always knew when you were feeling overwhelmed, for example. He would come with your favourite sweets and some water to keep you hydrated since you often forgot, and though he used to scowl at those times, you knew he cared for you.

His worry and wide, caring eyes gave it away even if he tried to hide.

He is really so pretty, so handsome, so caring is what passed your mind as you sighed out lovingly. You knew he was insecure of the scars decorating his face and body, you knew he often stayed away from you or didn't touch you in fear of disgusting you with his touch. How absurd, you thought while eating your dish. He doesn't even know how smart he is, how lovely his smile was and how elegant he looked under one of the trees near the lake, hand holding his book gracefully-

Oh, you were so in love with him it hurt.

But then again, you two were nothing but friends, friendly rivals. Besides, talking to the Marauders took a huge toll on you by how... intense they could get, especially if pranks are included, so you kept your distance most of the times but instead spend time with the calmer one in the quiet confines of the library.

But lately... He had been sadder than normal, more quiet and kept to himself, he fiddled with his hands more than usual, picked on his nail more than he did and made them bleed painfully. You always carried cottons and bandaids for him solely for that reason and had they not run out of stock, you wouldn't even realize it.

And it worried you, not being enough to comfort him.

Because you were obviously at that state where you were more than friends but below lovers. You couldn't exactly go up to him and demand answers but also couldn't leave him to suffer. Maybe it was the secret he kept from everyone, or something concerning his family... Why were you so concerned anyways? He wasn't anything to you, though the soft exchanges between you, the shy touches of hands under the table and stares you gave to each other, the way he hugged you close to himself whenever you fell asleep accidently on the table said other wise...

A few more days, you thought bitterly as you collected your things and left the Hall in hurry to go to your next lesson.

A few more days, and if things don't go for the better, I will talk to him...

As his group of friends watched you walk away silently, they angrily turned to Remus and put a pause to their bickering- which said enough about the importance of the situation at hand- as they exclaimed how he could do that to his future spouse and their sibling-in-law.

Which they deserved to be hit with a bludger, and then hang upside down on on the ole of course, right straight in their skull for.

This was for the better, he thought painfully as he slowly put his books back in his bag with a frown. With slow steps, he would make you dislike him enough to stay away and save yourself from the misery that was him.

Remus never let anyone know about it, even though his friends already did from how fond he grew of you, but to him...You were a miracle.

A miracle that lightened his dark and empty life.

All his life, especially after his condition, he had come to make a peace with the fact that he wasn't and would never be normal in people's eyes. He knew how people viewed werewolfs, how they despised and even feared them and he didn't blame them.

He also feared himself and what he was capable of doing.

He had seen what he could to in his wolf form, to both himself and those who deemed as family. When he turned, he wasn't the same kind boy everyone thought him to be. He wasn't the same boy you had come to have feelings for, both of you laying your heads on the hard surface of the table in the library and dozing of together, though he secretly watched you with an easy mind and peaceful smile.

He was a monster that could end your life in less than a second.

Therefore, he pushed and pushed everyone away to protect both himself and others whenever the Full Moon came and he was turned to a bloodthirsty, carnal monster. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the only people who he cared about, the only people who knew his biggest secret but still chose to love him and stay next to him.

The Marauders and above all you, were the most important thing in his life. They were already deep in this mess anyways, but he wouldn't taint your happiness and innocence with a disgusting person such as himself. For the longest time, he pushed his friends' teasing remark about how he was smitten by you- even though they never said your name bir he still knew it- and how you also felt the same for the boy beyond that academic rivalry.

Making friendships was already hard enough for him, he needed months to just to open up to them about normal, mundane things! You and him didn't talk that much outside of those "Study Dates" as Sirius and James called it with wiggling brows, even if he wanted to talk to you about anything and everything like any other person.

Like, your favourite hobby, or movie, perhaps music band? Or what kind of books you wanted to read, places you wanted to visit or simply, what you wanted to be when you were out of Hogwarts.

But he... destroyed all of those chances when he burst out at you right before the full moon. He already felt awful, like a total and royal douchebag, and it was no excuse for him to act that way when you both were finally able to land on a playful and friendly "friendship" but the teasing of his friends had become too much alongside the stimulation he felt.

He knew he could never be a decent boyfriend you deserved, this accident proved enough, someone present and whose emotions didn't change depending on the moon. You definetly didn't deserve someone who kept secrets, someone who was scarred badly either.

You deserved someone who would be your rock when you needed, someone who would hold you without any fears of ever hurting you. You were so adorable, so pretty and he could never taint it.

So, if he needed to be turned into a douchebag for you to hate him... He would do it, even if hurted him more whenever he would see your frown after his mean word and draw back to your shell.

The loud, cheerful, bubbly and teasing person was gone and instead... A shy and silent one came, in fear of irritating Remus more than usual even if you were worried for him.

But, that was also the end of your "friendly rivalry" since you two no longer talked... Which concerned even the teachers.

"Moony, I'm sure they would understand... Just, why don't you give a chance to-"

"I said no, Prongs, and that is final. I'm not gonna talk to them."

"Even if it makes you and them miserable when they don't even know what they did wrong?"

Remus groaned at his friends from where he laid on his bed, face buried in his pillow in a pitiful attempt to hide away from the truth reflecting in their eyes. To be honest, his day was already shitty and his misery of treating you harshly 2 days ago added salt to his wound. His body was aching painfully, and his own mind and body was restless. The usual quietness of the common room and even their dorm was nothing but suffocating, like water slowly rising in level and coming closer to kill him mercilessly, in fake comfort. He planned to retire to his bed to sleep, the assignment he was supposed to be working laid all by itself on the table in the common room.

One that he was supposed to write with you.

Instead, he buried his face deeper into his pillow, tears of frustration escaping his thightly closed lids as he tried to find some sleep. The reason of his yet another meltdown was... Everything piled on his poor heart and mental state.

The harsh words spoken about him, inderectly or not, in the class... How he felt the immense guilt crush him slowly whenever he looked at your face, still smiling at him kindly with a hint of sadness... How his friends' pitying eyes turned to him before Sirius and James almost threw the desk at the people who uttered all those... insults.

"Monsters, that's what they are!"

"They all should be kept away!"

"They would kill you the moment they see you!"

"To be honest, they only deserve death."

He didn't do anything except making a cacoon of some sorts with his arms, burying himself there with tears stinging his eyes and without listening to the rest of the lesson as the teacher scolded both sides for it and continued as if everything was fine.

It wasn't.

Because as Sirius comforted him, or at least tried to, Remus' mind was in a frenzy. Maybe what they said was true? Why did he even think that somehow he could have a happy life? What did he do to deserve it anyways? All he ever did was hurting people...Maybe he should come closer to the cliff next time and...

Your eyes, even from the first rows, didn't leave Sirius and Remus, as you and Lily tried to make what they were doing and feeling. Sirius supported a frown on his face, lifting it only to shook at you with sad eyes as he let Remus be with a single pat to his shoulders but still sat close to him.

The sight of him all miserable, at the verge of tears made your heart clench painfully as your hands bundled your uniform anxiously. You were blaming yourself for not speaking up before, not confronting him because of your crush on the boy and the "rivalry" between you two.

Even if his outburst at you a few days earlier, not showing up to any of the sessions or book readings said enough to you: He didn't care about whatever was happenig between you two, or in other words, could have happened.

Besides, the reason of your absence had a logical explanation in your mind to you, and it was utterly understandable when you didn't want to irritate someone and therefore stayed away.

You thought you were alwasy disturbing Remus, by how he would glare at you silently with a frown (not knowing it was one of the many times he was considering to just blurt everything out and let you hate him freely in his mind) even if your intentions were good. You were only worried for him, especially after DADA lessons, much like this one, or whenever he didn't show up for classes after full moons. James and Sirius often tried to play it off by teling you to not to worry and that he was just having... A bad day, a headcahe that just wouldn't leave poor Moony alone, or how he was having the flu that made his body ache slightly.

They assured you that he would be fine and come back to your "library dates", looking at you cheekily as you blushed and grumbled at them before slipping away, head and heart full of worry for the kind and soft boy.

Because, even if you two were "academic rivals of some sort"... You knew what was going on with him.

Yes, maybe they thought of you to be an idiot or not, but it was plainly obvious what Remus was, by how he disappeared the night before the Full moon, during the Full Moon, and the next day of it. At first, you weren't sure about your suspicions, after all it could be something else.

But when it became regular, and he would come back with more scars visible on his arms and face, and when you saw Madame Pomfrey comforting a crying Remus wrapped in bandages, was how you knew it.

And it did nothing to change how you saw him.

To you, he was the same boy who always offered you a piece of his chocolate under his friends' shocked eyes, he was the one who would land you one of his jackets when it was colder than normal, he was the one who knew where to find you whenever you cried, he was the one you always found in your usual spot just to irritate you and watch fondly as you lost it, he was the one who hugged you when shit went down and you needed someone to believe in you...

But above all, he was the boy you loved.

Even if he hated you, or didn't want you near him... You had to help him, confront him if needed. This could go in two ways: You leaving with tears as he kicked you out, or achieving your goal successfully.

And you made sure that the second one would be the case as you brought your notes from today and the books he had forgotten in the class, knowing that if he was in a good shape enough to talk to you, he would let you in with all these.

As you walked towards the boys' dormitory with an anxious biting of your lips, you were sure that you would make it all clear.

How you didn't see him as a monster, how he deserved good things in the world and even more, how there would be people loving him unconditionally even if he pushed them away...

Maybe not immediately, but through time.

James already made sure that none of the Marauders would enter or disturb you both, silently cheering for his ship that was about to sail as Sirius watched from next to him while biting on his fist with proud tears in his eyes. You could still hear their choked cries as Peter mumbled a surprised what the fuck, giggling to yourself as you slowly knocked on the door and let yourself in.

You already guessed Remus would be out for good, sleeping as he recovered from the night of Full Moon, so you quickly took a look around and sighed to yourself at the messy state of the dorm.

Boys, you sighed affectionately yet still tired. Putting everything together and tidying up didn't take much time and soon you were seated on Remus' bed with a thundering heart, silently cooing at how cute he looked with his mouth slightly open, face smushed to the pillow he held it thightly to himself.

"You're really pretty..." you murmured softly in admiration and love softly, heart flipping inside your chest as you swiped his slicked with sweat hair back, feeling the slight burn of his forehead under your finger tips. All this time, you always stared at him from afar and everything was fine, you could control your body's reaction from that distance but now that you were so close to him, eyes raking through his half-naked upper chest and back, you didn't know what to do with your shaky hands and heart full of love for the boy laying before you.

Watching him sleep, laying prettily was probably a good idea but you were sure the boys would be able to hold back anyone entering only for so long.

And even if no one entered, Peeves would, since the ghost loved drama and "peeving" into students' lives.

"Rem, wake up." you shook the boy slightly to not alert him suddenly, giggling when he mumbled a groggy five more minutes Sirius when his eyes snapped open at your next words and he stood up on his hands shakily, still not quite out of the clutches of sweet sleep.

"Wow, Sirius wakes you up with swiping your hair back and so softly?"

After the initial shock wore off at seeing you right in the middle of his dorm, smiling down at him with a soft smile as he stared at you... He didn't know how to feel and just blurted out whatever was in his mind as he leaned back on the bed frame.

"Why are you here?" he internally cringed at how hoarse and rude the question left him, hoping that you weren't angry but you only shrugged your shoulders noncholantly and smiled at his obvious confusion.

"I saw you in the infirmary and offered the boys to help them with their assignments for 2 weeks to leave us alone."

"That one was one big deal you got yourself, love." he couldn't help the sweet name leaving his lips, so naturally that he didn't realize it at first but soon flushed as soon as possible, looking at anywhere but you with his ears tinted red on the tips.

"Well, it was worth it. Besides, I needed to talk to you. And you forgot your books and I brought you the notes of today's lessons." you tried to hide the blush covering your cheeks at how the word warmed your insides sweetly and lifted your eyes to gaze at his confused ones. This was the only time he wasn't irritated and you had to make the most of it. (Remus would never be that asshole to you again, not when you came here even if you didn't have to and he had become calmer at your presence.)

"Then... What's the problem? If it's about the infirmary, you don't have to-" he immediately started to ramble excuses as to why you should never be worried about him, as if it was something forbidden which made you sigh tiredly and take his hand between yours, thoughtfully rubbing circles on his much larger ones and shutting him up immediately at your warmth coursing through him as his eyes widened.

"Why don't you accept that someone could care for you because they want to, Rem?"

Well, why would you when he was a bloodthirsty monster?

"I'm not that good of a guy as you think of me." Remus spitted angrily, venom towards himself visible to you as your heart once again broke for the boy, and felt anger at the injustice and harshness he was met all his life. You had a good guess that his sour mood was a product of those comments from before, as normal as it was, but still... Remus was never this affected, this sad and... gloomy.

It was something else, but for now... You wouldn't comment on it.

You hummed thoughtfully to yourself. Of course, it was normal for people to have different sides that they didn't show to everyone but yet again... Remus was like an open book to you, whether he tried to hide the biggest secret of his life or not.

"Why? Because you are a werewolf?"

Your question made the boy freeze in shock and fear, mind suddenly running with questions and trying to find a way to dodge your "assumption".

But as soon as he saw your understanding and kind eyes, he crumbled and a single tear rolled down his eyes.

"Who... Who told you that?"

" No one, I figured it out a few months ago when you started to act weird with me but waited until you came to me with your will... I wish I came myself though, maybe you wouldn't be miserable right now." you wiped the tear softly and craddled his face as if he was a delicate doll, the harsh skin of the scars running his face. To think that he thought he was ugly and disgusting...

If only he saw himself through your eyes...

"I see you for who you are. Doesn't matter if you turn into a wolf every month for a day, I want to be there for you to take care of you..."

"Besides, the boys don't know shit about taking care of a sick person." that made the tension disappear in a second as you both stared at each other for a few seconds and soon burst out laughing. Maybe you wouldn't be able to confess your feelings today, and Remus wouldn't actually talk to you about the probelm he has, but as you two hugged thightly just like you used to...

Everything felt right.

And, without you knowing, you saved Remus from committing or doing something he would regret later, from ending it all in one transformation day... It was you reminding him of his homeworks every day from that day on, always being there for him through thick and thin with your soft touches and kisses, coming to his dorm with a bunch of books and his favourite chocolate...

And accepting him for who he was.

"By the way, I know you knowingly did the last question wrong on the last week's test."

A deep chuckle as he hugged you thighter.

Yes, maybe he deserved happiness.

#remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine #remus x reader #remus x y/n #remus x you #moony x reader #moony imagind #harry potter x y/n #harry potter imagine #harry potter x you #harry potter x reader #fluff #angst #remus lupin x you #remus lupin fluff

283 notes · View notes

the-blind-assassin-12 · 9 months

Text

Change of Plans

A/N: Although I am SEVERAL days late at this point, this is a gift for @something-tofightfor - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHAEL! I hope your day was all that you wanted it to be, and that this year is the best fucking one yet. I so badly wanted this to be done in time, but you know me. Anywho, I love your guts and I hope you enjoy this chaotic little cake I whipped up with the help of one of your favorite cowboys.

Word count: 4k

Warnings: listen, don't do what Reader does here. Other than that... just some language. It's very tame. But don't do it.

Summary: Jack is there on business. You're there for pleasure.

He noticed you right away.

Sitting in the waiting area near gate A-7, right leg crossed over your left and an open book in one hand, you caught his eye -

Well hello, gorgeous.

- and he had to repeatedly free his focus from your direction, reminding himself why he was at the airport in the first place.

Damn it, Agent, you’ve got a job to do.

You turned the page of the book you were reading, letting out a sigh and stretching your neck, and Jack adjusted his position on the barstool he occupied so that he was forced to change his line of sight. He cleared his throat, lifting his glass to his lips and taking a sip. The bold, smoky flavor of the deep amber whiskey coated his tongue, and by the time he swallowed he was back on his task.

He’d been sent to locate and detain a known associate of a crime boss that Statesman was attempting to bring down. Intel gathered from Agents assigned to the case suggested that the associate - a mid level player who occasionally dealt in black market weapons - would be traveling through Louisville on his way to meet with the mysterious and nefarious man they knew only as The Gatekeeper. The current theory was that The Gatekeeper was operating out of San Francisco - or more specifically, out of a secret underwater lair that was built into one of the foundational structures of the Golden Gate Bridge, hence his nickname. But Statesman had been unable to confirm that yet. Catching up with the Gatekeeper’s gun runner was their best bet when it came to pinning down his location for sure, and since he had the most experience with facial recognition and planting trackers, the assignment had gone to Agent Whiskey.

So let’s find this shit kicker and get on with it so I can get on with… He resisted the urge to turn back in your direction.

Setting his glass down on the cork coaster it was served to him on, he brought his newly emptied hand up to tap the arm of his gold wire glasses. At the touch of his fingertip, the stealth lens screens activated, and he used them to scan the faces of the people moving through the terminal. So far none had hit as a match for the Gatekeeper’s associate, but since the man was clever enough to book himself tickets on multiple flights that day to make it harder for anyone who might be looking to follow him, Jack had to keep checking until he either found his target or the last of those flights had taken off.

I’ll find him. Soon as he shows up I’ll-

But Jack didn’t even need to finish the thought, because his lenses detected the person he’d been waiting for before he could. Just as he was about to get up from his seat and position himself to intercept his target, though, he saw something else flash across his lenses.

Mission directive has changed. Do not detain. Intel from Kingsman suggests associate may also be working with Golden Circle remnants in Canada. New directive is only to place the tracker and not to pursue until we know for sure who he is meeting. Agents in Vancouver and San Francisco have been put on alert and will be activated as needed.

Jack blinked twice to acknowledge Ginger’s message, then used the movement of his eyes to send a question in response.

Received. Return to HQ?

He had his jet on standby there at the airport in the event that he needed to abscond with The Gatekeeper’s man, and he assumed that since that was no longer necessary, Champ and Ginger would want him to come back and await further information. Keeping one eye on his target, he used the other to read the new message that flashed across his lens, finding it to be a surprise.

Negative. Don’t want to risk the chance of counter tracking. Take the Pony somewhere for a few days first. Vegas or Denver are preferable but Mexico City is also available.

Well, shoot. Looks like I’m takin’ a vacation. My favorite kind of mission.

Ginger had listed cities where Statesman owned properties that were reserved for off duty use - for when Agents had to lay low for a while, or for when they needed a safe place to recover from injuries sustained in the line of duty. There were several more located around the world, but judging by the selection that was presented to him, they wanted him to stay close enough to either have him back in Kentucky in a matter of hours, or send him to California or British Columbia in a pinch when the intel on who the associate was meeting with came back.

Received. Target inbound. Contact when directive complete.

With that, he lifted his finger up to tap the arm of his glasses once more, the screens deactivating so that he could remove them, folding them for safe storage in the inner pocket of his jacket. In a turn of luck, his mark headed straight for the bar he was seated at and sat down two stools over. He showed no signs of having made Jack for a secret operative, not even bothering to look in his direction as he ordered a drink from the bartender.

Perfect.

Jack’s grin was imperceptible as he used his thumb and pointer finger to pull one of the small “buttons” from the cuff of his jacket sleeve. Flattening it with a tight pinch, he dropped the bio-tracker into his own beverage and watched as it dissolved into the liquid. It finished just as the bartender placed a rocks glass of whiskey on a coaster in front of Jack’s target. He waited for the other man to take a sip, and then he closed the distance, scooting over one stool so that he was right next to him, and then he greeted the man with a jovial tone.

“Did my ears deceive me just now, or did I hear you order the Statesman 12 year, my friend?” Jack pointed to the other man’s glass while holding his own.

The other man turned to face Jack, a semi-scowl on his face, his annoyance over being addressed by a seemingly drunken stranger as a “friend” clearly written in gray-green eyes. “What?” He glanced down at Jack’s glass and then at his own. “Oh.” He grunted and gave Jack a nod before taking another sip of his drink. “Yeah. You drinking the same, I take it?” He arched one eyebrow and turned back to face the television screen behind the bar without waiting for the answer to the question he’d just asked.

“Smoothest bourbon there is.” Jack held up his glass, inspecting the contents. To anyone else’s eye - even the man beside him - it would appear as though he were simply appreciating the way the overhead lights streaked through the rich amber liquid. In truth, he was making sure that the button-turned-tracker had been completely infused into the drink. Seeing that it was, he glanced over and caught his mark with his own glass midway to his lips once more.

Slow down there, son, leave some for our toast.

Reaching for the man’s elbow, he stopped him from draining the last of his beverage. “How about we both raise our glasses to good taste and safe travels?”

The other man jerked his arm away as though he’d been burned, the motion accompanied by a deeply frustrated sigh. Checking his watch, he rolled his eyes and shook his head at Jack. “Sure Fine. Just make it quick, I have a flight to catch.”

As he presented his glass for the toast, Jack aggressively clinked the rim of his against it - with just enough force so that some of his drink had sloshed into the other man’s glass without him noticing. “Quick it is. Safe travels.”

“Uh huh.” The sketch of a scowl was back as the man nodded again, knocking back the remainder of his drink, including the tracker. “Same to you.” With that, he slapped a fifty on the bar and left his empty glass, on his way to whatever gate would take him to whatever scumbag was waiting for him.

The Gatekeeper or the Golden Circle… or whoever the fuck else. We’ll know soon enough.

Taking his glasses back out of his pocket, Jack unfolded them and put them back on his face. With a tap of his finger the one-way screens hidden in the lenses activated again, and through a series of blinks and subtle eye movements, he sent confirmation of his mission back to Ginger Ale.

Tracker planted. Target in motion.

Before he got a response, though, he was distracted by a voice coming from over his shoulder. “Excuse me? Is anyone sitting there?”

He turned towards the speaker and his eyes widened, lips lifting into a slight grin when he saw that it was you.

Hot damn, she’s even prettier up close.

His grin grew at your sudden, small intake of breath when your eyes met. “All yours.” Using one hand, he pulled the stool out for you as Ginger’s message started to scroll across his field of vision.

You muttered a thank you as you chewed your lower lip. “You didn’t have to-”

Well done Agent Whiskey. The tracker is live and we are following its movement. Which location did you select?

“Now darlin’, what kind of gentleman would I be if I only did what I had to do?” He smiled, covertly answering Ginger’s question.

Not sure yet. Stay tuned.

You let out a sound that was almost a laugh, shrugging. “You’d be like most gentlemen I’ve known, I guess.”

Agent, we need to know-

Jack brought his hand up and tapped the side of his glasses, closing the communication screen and letting Ginger’s message go unfinished. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it and it wouldn’t be the last. He always eventually got back to her and never made her wait too long. But his focus had been drawn to you all afternoon, and now that you were sitting directly beside him, he wasn’t going to rush the interaction he’d been putting off for hours.

“Then allow me to introduce to you a different kind.” He reached up and swept his hat from his head, laying it on the bartop, and extended his free hand to you. “Jack Daniels.”

– – –

15 Minutes Earlier…

You checked your watch with a sigh, noting that you still had a little under an hour before you’d be called for boarding.

It’s fine. That means I can start another chapter now. You rolled your eyes. I’ll need a new book for the flight home at this rate, though.

It was one of those flights that didn’t make sense - with a 4 hour layover in a city that was completely out of the way of your destination. But that was why you’d been able to find tickets for only $48 each way, less than three days out. Things at work had been hectic, and you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to get the time off until the very last minute. So even though it certainly wouldn’t have been your first choice if you’d been able to book it months ago when the trip was first brought up, you were perfectly content to take the unnecessary stopover in Louisville on your way to Las Vegas.

Doesn’t hurt when the people watching prospects are this interesting, either.

You glanced over at the nearby bar and the astoundingly attractive man seated there who’d snagged your attention as soon as he arrived. He, like a handful of others in the terminal, wore a dark felted Stetson But unlike most, it suited him. As did his perfectly tailored suit and-

Oh, fuck, he’s wearing glasses now. And they look damn good on him, too.

You cleared your throat and forced your thoughts back to your trip and your reason for taking the less than desirable layover. Even though it meant spending hours alone in an airport, you were excited, because it also meant being able to see several of your friends who lived far away, and being able to celebrate your birthday with them. Well, not just your birthday. The trip was meant to be a group celebration to make up for the fact that you hadn’t all been able to get together for a birthday in years. Since there happened to be two of you who had birthdays in January, that was the month that was chosen. But the dates that were settled on had included your actual birthday smack dab in the middle of them, and you were looking forward to having something fun to do with people you missed.

Which was why you groaned as you read the notification that popped up on your phone regarding the flight status.

Delayed - Mechanical Issues

“Fuck.” You muttered under your breath, closing the airline app and tapping your phone screen to open the group chat so you could fill the others in on your situation. Before you finished typing though, your phone vibrated in your hand and a picture popped up of two of your friends - Jess and Maddy - both wearing ear to ear smiles at Harry Reid International, the text from Jess simply reading two words followed by several exclamation marks: We’re here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kayla chimed in next, responding with an emphatic YAY! and sending a screenshot of her GPS, showing that she was just under 2 hours out. Be there so soon!

Nat still had her phone on airplane mode since she’d only taken off from LAX about an hour earlier, so you didn’t bother waiting for an update from her before you finished typing your own.

Bad news, my flight out of Louisville is delayed. :( Mechanical issues… No idea when I’ll be there now, but I’ll keep you all posted.

You sent the message and tucked your phone into the outer pocket of your bag as disappointment set in. As it was, the rest of your friends were already supposed to arrive half a day before you. But now, it was looking like you were going to miss out on the entire first day of the trip.

Or more.

Frowning at the thought, you tried not to let yourself get too upset until you had a better idea of your situation. You told yourself that it could be something quick and easy to remedy - maybe you’d only have to wait one more hour. Maybe less. Either way, you decided that since half of the group was already there, it meant that the vacation had unofficially started, and it was time you treated yourself to a drink.

And if I know Jess and Maddy, they’re doing the same right now.

You picked up your bag, slinging the strap over your shoulder, and headed towards the bar. It was moderately crowded, only a few stools left vacant scattered here and between other travelers. But as you got closer you noticed that the man you’d caught yourself spending more time watching than any of the others was still seated there - and that the seat beside him had just become empty.

Perfect timing.

That confidence lasted only until the man spun at the sound of your voice, and seeing him up close had nearly knocked the breath from your lungs.

Oh, shit. He’s-

By the time he’d given you his name along with his hand to shake, you’d noticed things about him that you hadn’t from across the room. Like the flecks of tan and gold that lightened his dark brown eyes, the distinct bow of his upper lip beneath his mustache and how it rested against the plush pillow of the lower one, the way you couldn’t see a stitch of leather on him aside from his boots, but the smell of it - along with bergamot - clung to him and made him even more appealing.

You swallowed, his warm hand wrapping around yours and squeezing as you managed to tell him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack.”

Without letting go of your hand or releasing your eyes from the lock his own had on them, he repeated your name back to you, the sound of it making your face grow warm. “Pleasure’s all mine, I promise you.”

When he winked as he withdrew his hand, you knew you were screwed. You ordered yourself a drink - something local, a bourbon you’d not seen before called Statesman - and Jack, though approving of your choice, simply asked for a glass of water. As you brought the glass to your lips, another thought popped into your head.

But am I really screwed, though? Because… he seems just as interested as I am.

Over the next half hour, you and Jack made small talk and subtly flirted in smirks and glances. You asked him what brought him to the airport that day, to which he’d answered:

“Had some business here earlier. But that’s done, so the rest of my evening is completely free.”

You shook your head at that, taking another sip of your drink. Damn that’s good. “Don’t you have a flight to catch?”

At that, he grinned and spread his large hands wide. “Ah, well, that is one of the perks of being my own pilot.” He raised one eyebrow and leaned towards you. “I can leave whenever I choose.”

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. That definitely makes him even more attractive somehow, though.

You mouthed the word wow and let out a stunted laugh as you reached into your bag to retrieve your phone. Some time had passed and you were hoping that there would be another notification about the status of your delayed flight. “That must be nice.” You groaned as you saw that there was nothing new from the airline, and several texts from your friends expressing their dismay over your travel woes. Shaking the phone in your hand, you sighed. “I’m here on a layover that got delayed and the rest of my friends are already in Vegas.” Looking over at him, you wet your lips with your tongue. “I’d love to be able to just… hop in and take off whenever I wanted to.”

– – –

Well, shit. Did she just say Vegas?

Clearing his throat, Jack reached up to tap the arm of his glasses. Several missed messages came through at once, all from Ginger, but he blinked them away as he spoke. “Well, I know we’ve only just met, and I’m not trying to make any suggestions-” Though I could. “- But I happen to be going to Sin City myself tonight.” He had to contain his grin at the flash in your eyes as he used the nickname for the gambling town. “I’d be more than happy to take you with me.”

Destination selected. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

You sucked in a breath at his proposition, and though he knew you were likely considering saying no, he hoped you’d say yes. “I… Jack, I couldn’t ask you to-”

“You’re not. I’m askin’. I’ll show you my license and everything to prove that I’m legit, but darlin’, I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.” He tilted his head towards the window. “No tellin’ how long they’ll need to fix that bird, and if your friends are already there…” He trailed off and shrugged, returning his gaze to you. “My jet is fully fueled and ready to go. I could get you there so you don’t have to miss out too much. More than you already have, I mean.”

He could practically hear Ginger’s reply when it came through, but he fought the urge to let out a snort as he read it.

IT’S ABOUT TIME, AGENT. Make sure your friend buckles up. We’ll contact you when you can return to HQ.

You bit your lower lip again, and he couldn’t help but watch the way your teeth dug into your flesh. “I…” He saw the rest of your protest dissolve the same way the tracker had earlier, your eyes shifting from skeptical to excited until that’s all he saw in them. You laughed, then, lifting your hand and holding up one finger. “Alright. I’ll… yes. I’ll take you up on it. But on one condition.”

Received. Will await contact. Over.

Jack reached up to tap his glasses before removing them and stowing them in his pocket. He leaned in closer to you, concentrating on the quirk of your lips and the mixture of impulse and instinct in your eyes. “Let’s hear it.”

“You let me buy you a drink once we get there.” You said it over the rim of your glass as you finished the last of it, eyes on him as you swallowed.

An excuse to go out with a beautiful woman? That’s the condition?

Jack flashed you a smile. “I think those terms are more than agreeable, ma’am.”

– – –

What the fuck am I doing?

You half laughed at yourself, but at the same time there was something about Jack that made you feel like you could trust him. You were aware that that could be a danger in and of itself, but your gut told you he was a good man, and you had always felt that you were a good and accurate judge of character.

How’s it any different from meeting a guy and getting in his car with him? It’s not, really.

It was, and you knew it was, but you hadn’t been wrong yet. And as much as you wanted to get to Vegas to see your friends, you also found yourself wanting more time to get to know Jack. He was offering you the chance to do both of those things, and even though you were looking for one, you couldn’t find a downside.

Pulling out your phone, you opened the group chat and sent one text before switching it to airplane mode.

Change of plans. Met a (really good looking) pilot who was on his way to Vegas and offered me a ride. Sending a screenshot of his license number in case I go missing hahaha. Just kidding. I’ll be fine. See you soon!

You knew what they’d say when they saw your message.

Jess would likely just send a thumbs up - or possibly a photo of herself giving a thumbs up.

Maddy would emphasize your message and respond with something like Okay but don’t die!

Kayla’s message would be a more whimsical reaction like Jesus take the wheel! (Wait do planes have wheels?) or Life is short, take rides from hot pilots when you can with the peace sign emoji.

And Nat would send advice from several documentaries and podcasts she’d seen or listened to, about what to do if you were being abducted.

You laughed to yourself again at the entire situation.

“Alright, Jack.” You hopped down from your stool and picked up your bag. “I’m ready when you are.”

He stood, taking his hat from the bartop and placing it on his head. “No time like the present.” Running his hands over his clothes, he smoothed out his suit jacket. “Follow me, darlin’. And give me that.” He pointed his chin towards your bag. “I’m a gentleman, remember? Where would my manners be if I let a lady carry her own bags?”

You shook your head with a smile and handed over your carry-on, leaving you with only your purse. “I don’t know. You’re teaching me about gentlemen, remember?”

You knew when you saw his eyes darken that you’d made the right call.

“Oh, sugar. I remember. Few hours to Vegas. Plenty of time for me to teach you things.” With that he started walking and you were left to follow, slightly stunned at the implications in his tone and in his words.

This is definitely going to be a trip to remember, that’s for sure.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please feel free to let me know by sending a message or filling out the form on my masterlist! :)

tags: @something-tofightfor @dihra-vesa @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson @harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @trickstersp8 @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @competentpotato @pedro-pedrito-pascalito @jedi-in-crocs @hannahkatharine @novemberrain221 @chiyo13 @myloveistoolittle @Noisynightmarepoetry

#HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHAEL!#pretend this was on time #jack daniels x reader #jack whiskey daniels x female reader #jack daniels x female reader #pedrostories #jack whiskey daniels fic #kingsman the golden circle #jack daniels x you #agent whiskey x female reader #pedro pascal character #agent whiskey fic #jack daniels fic #it's cowboy times

92 notes · View notes

thiniceofeternalyouth · 5 days

Text

MISLEADIN' ME SERIES: CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BETELGEUSE

⊳ Gojo Satoru x f!reader

series masterlist

Genre: angst, fluff, sci-fi, cosmology.

Words count: ~15.7k

⊲ previous

[May 11, 2022, 06:54pm, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Restaurant X]

Rei couldn't feel the cold granite beneath his hands, only your heated skin. You were malleable for your age, and he could mold you into anything he wanted. Besides, you absorbed everything he told you like a sponge. As he washed his face with cool water, he tried to regain his senses so as not to lose face before his guest, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the drawings he had made on your body.

"Eyes can fail you," he told every time he blindfolded you, and afterward all you felt was a blade cutting into your flesh. "You must learn to perceive the world through your other senses."

Before you could squeak, he liked to inject you with new doses of black orchid - he enjoyed watching you squirm and squeal in pain, and then go limp and docile, listening to his every word. At the very least, Rei expected you to thank him for the opportunity to be his favorite canvas, but you were so immobile and paralyzed that you wouldn't even look at him.

"You should rely on your surroundings," he instructed softly, cutting the skin on your back. "It will tell you exactly where the enemy is at all times."

The demon didn't care if you trusted him, if you followed his teachings - what mattered was that you were getting stronger every day, and more importantly, you were already struggling to keep your essence under control. He scrubbed his hands in the sink with irritation like he was washing away the sins your terrified gaze had left on him. There were no vices in the demon that required confession - he just wanted to show you who you really were even if you resisted it.

"Oh, does it hurt?" asked Rei affectionately, deliberately overdoing the dose of orchid. You shook, nearly throbbing from the flames that flowed through your veins instead of blood - like tiny shards of glass, the flower's extract cut you from the inside out. "If you want, I can take your pain away," he whispered, taking you by the chin. The closer his face got, the more your aching body tensed, and before he could kiss you, you sank your teeth into his lip with force, nearly tearing it off.

Rei was almost resigned to the way he looked now, his frail body a constant reminder of his lack of strength. He couldn't drag you down or strangle you with those hands, but seeing you in agony was the most beautiful picture. He had to do something.

"Oh, really?" the demon hissed, spitting saliva and blood. "Not into fucking with me anymore?" he laughed hysterically, grabbing you by the hair and dragging you across the dirty floor. The realization that you couldn't resist him, but only whimpered pitifully, spilled over him with a warm, sticky honey that he didn't want to wash off. When he opened the doors and saw his hungry parts, he tossed you to them. "Do what you want with her. Just bring her back at least half alive," he paused in the doorway, almost walking out - the demons didn't dare move until he was completely out of sight. "Oh, yeah, and don't touch her face. It's a pretty one," he grinned, watching you shake with panic, unable to do anything. "Have fun," Rei knew what would happen as soon as he left the room - where there were no windows and the doors were forever closed, tears would start to drown the paper airplane. And he stepped out.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been so cruel to you, and you would have stayed by his side forever. Or at least on his side. There would have been no need to play catch-up, plotting and scheming to get your head off his shoulders - Rei really didn't want that, but you were poisoning his life and his parts a lot. "You're surprisingly calm," the voice in his head said.

"Is there any reason to be angry?" wondered Rei sincerely, looking at himself in the mirror - he was annoyed by the human tendency to blush due to emotion, physical exertion or stuffiness.

"Four, at least."

"Oh, you mean the cores?" he chuckled nonchalantly, tearing off the paper towels and rubbing his hands together maniacally. "Come on, what's to worry about?" the demon shrugged, dumping the papers into the bucket one by one. "You think I don't realize this little fool is just provoking me? Anyway, she doesn't have long left, how many more can she destroy? Three more?"

"Anyway, it's our land. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"Oh," he clicked his tongue in satisfaction and smoothed his black, disheveled hair. "That's what I'm doing right now. I thought it might be a good idea to return the favor," he smiled, frantically adjusting his tie - Rei couldn't leave his already faultless appearance alone. "God, she should be here by now!" the demon exclaimed worriedly, glancing at his watch.

As he stepped out of the men's room and into the restaurant's lounge, Rei saw the silver-haired girl at his reserved table. Straightening his back, he smoothed his suit with his hands one last time, and walked over and sat down across from the woman. "I hope you didn't get me out from overseas for nothing," Mei-Mei purred, giving him a hand.

Leaning down, he took her palm and kissed it. "Certainly not, my lady. I hope we work well together."

Grinning languidly, she pulled back her hand. "Don't misunderstand. I'm only here because Gojo told me about you. And also about the fee you promised him."

"Believe me, I'll offer you many times more," the girl's interested look excited him, interested him - the demon liked a compliant person with passion who was capable of going to over the heads for the sake of their desires. "You won't even have to move your dainty fingers, much less get them dirty," Rei assured her, and the more he told her, the more the girl counted the money in her head. "All I'll need is your powers of observation."

Mei-Mei gently tapped her fingernails on the table and decided to test the man sitting across from her. Rei had lived here for a very long time and he had no trouble reading her emotions - he uncorked a bottle of wine without hesitation. Smirking, she muffled her laughter embarrassedly against the palm of her hand. "To meeting," she cooed seductively, raising the glass filled to the brim.

[May 11, 2022, 09:09pm, Hopetown]

The smell of late spring mingled with the scents of peach and nectarine - the immersion blender whirred quietly in the kitchen, the refrigerator door opened every now and then, and the glasses clinked quietly, unhappily, when they were touched. You watched Ieiri with curiosity, and as you saw how she handled the fruits, berries and alcohol, you thought for some reason that many doctors were probably alchemists in past lives. If those existed, of course. Shoko looked like she was in the operating room, the honed and deft movements of her hands making it impossible for you to see how she was getting the strawberries into the bowl.

You shivered as the wind blew into the room and disturbed you, shamelessly grabbing your wet body and tugging at your wet strands. You couldn't even get up to close the window, and from under your half-closed eyelids you could only watch the insolent raven that perched on your eaves and pecked at something.

A quiet exultation crept into your head as you felt the soft couch beneath your body instead of the hard, cold ground covered with black sand. Having completed another raid and destroyed the core, you tried to enjoy the delights of this world - the warm spring air, the cool but endless water, the allure of all the various colors of this world that reminded you of itself by knocking on the window with the hands of the sunset, and Shoko, eternally impenetrable and cold. She hadn't looked in your direction before, and you felt an unfamiliar alienation every time you passed her, but now Ieiri had not only come to Hopetown with you, she had silently volunteered to spend time with you and Rachel.

Your happiness was only hindered by the fact that Rei didn't show up even when you destroyed the fourth core.

"I'm so tired," your sister sighed wearily, coming down from the second floor and rubbing her wet hair with a towel. There were dark circles under her green eyes, so heavy was the blow of the disembodied hand of exhaustion. "Next time, I'm going to the bathroom first," she huffed, sticking her tongue out at you and flopping down on the couch next to you. You, before you could wrap yourself more tightly in your terrycloth robe, were taken captive as Rachel unceremoniously sprawled on the couch, resting her head on your lap. "And how did doc let ya go?" wondered Rach, glancing at Ieiri. "We've got a lot of people out, and the infirmary's a busy place right now."

"I didn't bother asking," Shoko said nonchalantly, pouring the potion into two glasses. "It's simple."

You and your sister tightened your lips and looked at each other warily. Shoko seemed so unperturbed that she wasn't afraid of any consequences. Approaching you, the girl handed you a glass filled to the brim with ice and red-orange liquid and garnished with an orange slice - in her hands was the exact same one and another dark bottle. Rachel, snorting resentfully, crossed her arms over her chest. You took the glass and looked at your sister sympathetically - it looked like you all had to stick to a non-alcoholic diet, so as not to stir her soul. "And this is for you," Ieiri said to your sister, setting the non-alcoholic beer on the table.

The offended snort was immediately replaced by a pitiful whimper. "Thank ya," you chirped, comfortingly stroking your sister's head and sipping from the glass - what a relief it was to know that Rachel would never try it or else this temptation would have turned into another binge. The sweet pulp of the peach that coated your tongue, the warmth of the tequila that warmed your heart, and the aftertaste of the orange zest that completely obscured the flavor of the alcohol, making it unapparent - Shoko really was either a sorcerer or a witch.

Kicking the chair closer to you, Shoko sat down, relaxed, sipping her cocktail slowly under your sister's desperate gaze - she seemed to enjoy torturing people. No matter how much the girl had not praised Gojo, she seemed to have unconsciously adopted some of his habits. "What are your plans next?" she asked, throwing her legs straight over Rachel.

"No raids yet!" exclaimed Rach exhaustedly but quickly, trying not to let you get a word in edgewise. "We'll wait until Mike's birthday at least, and then we'll see."

"It's still a month away," you objected, frowning unhappily.

"And?" Rachel didn't even have the energy to argue with the enthusiasm, she spoke sluggishly and quietly. "How much can we accomplish in a month? Start without me if ya want, and I've run away from my parenting duties for too long as it is."

Earlier in her soul, conscience had played the role of a small, almost invisible mentor - Rachel easily brushed it off and quickly extinguished the outbursts that it caused, but now, with a sober memory, shame took the dominant position and did as it pleased. She was angry at her father for not being around most of the time, and if the reflection in the mirror told Rachel that she looked nothing like him, her conscience told her otherwise. Mike's room was littered with expensive gifts and toys, but there was no hint of Rach's presence - no scent of perfume, no red hair on the floor, no her son's smile.

Rachel wondered - how could children love their parents despite all their faults? The girl thought that she was unworthy of such gratuitous love of a little person, and instead of wallowing in self-defeat and alcohol, she decided to do something else - brave, courageous, maybe even a little boorish because that was what she had always done. To leave behind the regrets, the thoughts that it might be too late. It wasn't as bad to be late as it was to not show up at all.

With a sigh, she pulled out her phone. Seeing her face softly contorted with longing, you rubbed the top of her head. "What's up?"

"Oh, man," she whined, staring at the screen. "Mike kept wanting that expensive model of the Boeing, and it's not on sale. See?" she turned the phone toward you, and you just caught a glimpse of 'sold out.' "I've been following this stuff for a month."

"Is this model only fish in the sea?" Ieiri wondered, skeptical. She didn't understand Rachel's whining or the despair on her face. Couldn't she just replace what was missing with what was there?

"Anyone can tell ya're childless," Rachel muttered, taking the phone from you and continuing her search. "Better get me a beer."

"Take it yourself," Ieiri grinned.

Rachel gave her a threatening look, but then smiled wryly. Her fingers deftly began dialing a number, and she gave one last warning glance at Shoko, who was sitting there, nonchalantly sipping her cocktail. "Hey, Doc?" Shoko's eyes immediately flew open, "Do ya know where your coworker is right now-" Ieiri, unable to remember herself, grabbed the nearest pillow and pressed it into your sister's face - her loud voice was replaced by a muffled scolding, and the phone fell out of her hands. Ieiri immediately picked it up and frantically punched the disconnect icon several times.

The pressure point was found unhindered - no matter how unperturbed Shoko seemed, she was still afraid of something. Or rather, someone. The big man in the white coat who was in the infirmary and demanded the same of Ieiri, but as much as she loved money, she wasn't a robot. Fear was literally read on her face and in the way she pressed the icy glass to her flushed cheek. With a relieved exhale, Shoko tossed the phone to Rachel and tiredly plopped into a chair. "Ya forgot something," Rach extended slyly.

Rolling her eyes, Shoko stood up and handed her the bottle. Perhaps if you weren't here, Ieiri would have just smashed it over your sister's head. "That's better," Rachel sent the girl an air kiss and uncorked the cap, but as soon as your sister took a sip, she wrinkled her nose squeamishly. "God, what a shit."

"Get used to it," Shoko hissed, pleased with Rachel's ordeal.

"That's it, get off me," you whimpered, lifting your sister's head. "My leg fall asleep," you stood up from the couch and picked up Shoko's empty glass from the table and went to get a refill.

Rachel, pressing her lips together, stood up and lay down on the other side of the couch, her whole face showing her resentment at your neglect. Only now the girl remembered how much love she really had in her, which couldn't be showered on Mike alone - an immature boy could just be blown away by this wave, and you, as it happened, remained an impregnable fortress. You shied away from long hugs and kisses and avoided tactility as much as possible, but Rachel couldn't be angry with you; she was angry with the situation as a whole.

At such moments the girl remembered her husband. Rob may have been a slovenly lazy man who couldn't even put cotton swabs on place, but he'd always gladly accepted her obsessiveness and loveliness - for lack of an opportunity to give them to him again, she'd begun to choke them down with wine, and her son served only as a reliable reminder that she'd never fall into her husband's arms again. "Ya know," she chuckled wistfully, putting the phone aside. "Ya can't imagine how many times in the void I've thought about running across my husband's corpse right now," shy tears glistened in her eyes, and all she could see was Rob's face. "And even more I thought about how he could have come out of the void and just left me and Mike," his features began to drown in with dark sand - she couldn't see the wrinkles or the color of his eyes anymore. "I didn't know whether to cry or be angry, and now... When we finished this roundup, I suddenly felt relieved. I don't know if he's still walking this land or if he's been buried under strange one for a long time, but I accept it. May God be with him," she sobbed, taking a sip of non-alcoholic beer, hoping to soften the lump lodged in her throat.

Your hand nearly trembled as you filled your glass. As your tongue became more and more tied in a knot, in your sister's imagination, the sand increasingly covered her husband. Would you ever find the courage to admit it? "But I have a tiny bit of him left," Rachel wept, smiling bitterly. Walking over to the girls, you handed Shoko her glass - she nodded gratefully, blurring the estrangement between you all the more. Sitting down on the couch, you threw your sister's legs over your lap and began stroking her ankles, though you realized it wouldn't atone for your sin. "And now I'll do anything for Mike. Buy him every model airplane in the world, take him wherever he pokes on the globe, kill for him or die myself. "As long as he's happy."

There was silence in the living room, with only a modest, brief sniffle of the nose. Shoko wondered, and she was frightened at the thought that there might be someone in her life who would make her think that way. Self-sacrifice and bravery were not qualities that Ieiri praised; she was content to be practical and sensible, but as she heard Rachel's ragged breathing, she shamefully brushed away a tear.

Rachel, hastily wiping her wet cheeks with her terrycloth sleeve, sipped some more from the bottle - she could only justify her dizziness as a placebo effect. "Geez, did I ask for much?" she laughed, trying to lighten the dreary atmosphere. "I just wanted a bunch of men praying on me."

You glanced meaningfully at Shoko and decided to play along. "We could buy you a lifetime prayer for health in a friary," Ieiri offered seriously, but she betrayed her playfulness by waggling her foot coquettishly, either on purpose or involuntarily.

"That'll do too," Rachel sighed dreamily. "Also, we should talk about a place to celebrate... What do ya think about an amusement park?"

"Is it safe?" you asked hesitantly.

"Mike has to live in this town for the rest of his life or what?" snorted Rachel. "He's almost an adult and he hasn't seen the light of day yet!"

"Whatever ya say," you said, rolling your eyes.

Shoko had never understood how people felt when they looked at pictures of babies, kittens, puppies or the tiniest of snakes - she felt a little less than nothing when she looked at it. But looking at your sister's instantaneous mood swings and the way you supported her unconditionally, Shoko felt emotion for the first time. Now it was her turn to dream. Could she really have someone close to her who wouldn't pester her, trying to get on her nerves by saying she was too cold and unemotional? Wouldn't look down on her, letting her know that she is far from their level? Wouldn't they leave just because their view of the world had changed? She glanced furtively out the window, confused, trying to find answers, but all she could see was a raven still perched on the ledge, pecking at something.

[May 12, 2022, 01:29am, Hopetown]

The open window had been a constant for you ever since you'd started sleeping together. If nightmares and Rei had taken away your sleep before, now it was the heat from the sorcerer's snow-white skin that did it. In your half-sleep, you kept trying to pull away from Gojo, but at those moments his grip grew from just tight to unusually insolent - even in his dreamless slumber he couldn't leave you alone. You couldn't complain, though, because instead of the bloody images before your eyes and the sharp pain of long-healed scars, you felt only a single drop of sweat trickling down your neck.

Gojo's deep, measured breathing was a metronome for you - each time you breathed in unison with him, you calmed down more, and when you exhaled together, you fell further into a half-sleep. The feeling of a protected back made you cling to him more despite the abnormal temperature of his body. It was like the sorcerer wasn't asleep at those moments, just holding you tighter and burrowing into your neck, letting you know he wasn't going anywhere.

On the other side of your closed eyes, absurd scenarios were beginning to emerge. There was Doc putting someone's severed arm back in place with duct tape, there was Frank trying to grow hair in the beds, and just as you stepped aboard the pink icebreaker, you felt someone bite your arm. The bite was faint, almost insensible, and you, wanting to check who it was, turned around. There was no one in front of you. "Y/N-ie," came a quiet, thin voice from somewhere below. Lowering your head, you rounded your eyes. Standing in front of you was Tris, who was cradling a stuffed cat. "Y/N!"

"Huh?" you jumped up, not quite realizing where you were now or what year it was. There was a muffled grunt behind you, and the grip around your waist was so strong that it was hard to breathe.

When you blinked, you distinguished reality from your dream - Tris was standing in front of you along with the toy - the girl was pocking at the floor with her toe, her lips pursed guiltily. "Bun," you sighed sleepily, wiping your eyes with your hand. "What is it?"

"I need a craft for class tomorrow," she muttered modestly, not looking up. You were speechless at that statement, only able to reach for your phone to look at the time. It was past one in the morning.

You plopped your face into the pillow tiredly. "Whose problem is that?" you muttered muffled, for which you received a hard pinch on your side. "Ouch!"

"Come on, get up," Gojo said sleepily, rising up. "Can't you see the kid needs help?" he asked reproachfully, trying to make you feel guilty. "And you, little one, come here," his cocky threat made Tris backpedal, but he quickly crawled over you and grabbed the little girl. "So what kinda craft do we need?"

"A fox in the woods," Tris giggled playfully, swinging her legs.

"How original," he clucked his tongue. "What were the orders to make it out of?"

"Said to impro… improvise," Tris mewed, beginning to chew on a nail on her thumb.

A sudden desire played in him to cut off her bad habit immediately. "Aren't you scared?" he asked slyly, lifting the girl even higher.

"No!" she snorted haughtily. "Frank carries me in his arms every day. And he's actually taller than you."

Gojo raised his eyebrows in exasperation and threw Tris over his shoulder - she shrieked. "Your upbringing," he shook his head censoriously, looking at you - you only shrugged guiltily. "Alright, I'm gonna go put her to sleep, and you, young lady, get dressed. Let's go improvise in the woods," the sorcerer mentored before dragging a giggling Tris out the door.

"Maniac," you plopped back on the bed exhaustedly, spreading your arms. When had Tris been assigned this craft? Why hadn't she mentioned it the day before, or at least a few hours ago? And her whole innocent and guilty look - was it sincere or had she just learned how to manipulate people from someone? If so, she was pretty good at it - your injured side was still tingling from the way Gojo had pinched it, jumping up and ready to help Tris.

You pulled yourself off the bed, dragging tiredly with legs, and walked over to the closet, swinging the door open angrily. With your arms at your sides, you sighed and grabbed the first thing you saw without looking. You took off your pajamas and realized that even the clothes made a mockery of you - it took a lot of effort to zipper up your jeans, and your head was stuck halfway up the collar of your sweatshirt.

You sat down on the bed and sighed indignantly into your collar. When the door swung open, you met Gojo's confused stare. It took him a second to realize what was happening. At first, he tried not to move, then he bit his lip, but when you whimpered, the sorcerer broke. "Wait a minute," he wheezed, grabbing his phone. Gojo knew he should have helped you, but he couldn't even help himself. "It's for the record," you were blinded for a moment by several flashes, and you squirmed and tried to hide - just then his heart stirred. "God, honey, I'm sorry," he cooed through a smile, stepping closer and helping you out of bed. You'd already resigned to your fate, obediently letting him help you.

The sorcerer gently pulled the collar down and released you from the soft captivity of the fabric. "I don't wanna go anywhere!" you whimpered, throwing your head back. "I'm tired!"

"Honey, I know, I know," he tried to reassure you, stroking your cheeks and kissing your forehead. "But Tris is a much bigger baby than you are today," Gojo could have sworn he saw the way you were pouting your lips. "At least we'll walk around for a while, freshen up," he encouraged you. "You couldn't sleep well tonight anyway," you squinted at him, and the sorcerer faltered. It was hard for him not to hear you panting and sighing, but it was harder not to feel your body squirming against his. "You sleep longer tomorrow morning, and I'll make breakfast, 'kay?"

"Mark my word," you sighed exhaustedly. "She'll sit on your neck like that."

"I have broad shoulders," he grinned, grasping at the lifeline of your words to swim out of the maelstrom of embarrassment. "I can handle you, too, by the way."

"Oh, man," you brushed off his joke. "Better get changed, Apollo. I'll wait for ya downstairs."

"I have nothing to be shy about!" shouted Gojo after you.

As you carefully made your way to the first floor, you were surprised not to see Tris there. You'd expected to see her right at the door, already dressed upside down, complaining and yelling that she'd come with you despite the dull night outside the window - It was her dubious temper. But she was not here. You scratched your forehead thoughtfully and began to pull on your shoes. How had Gojo bribed her? Reading a fairy tale was out of the question - too little time had passed. Sleeping pills? You made a puzzled grimace - your thoughts were too unobvious and strange when you woke up. You had to get the sorcerer's secret of calm because you couldn't keep that girl still for more than a minute.

As Gojo quietly snuck up on you and just as silently dressed, you walked out the door, leaving the house in peace and quiet. Wrapped in the night spring air, you moved towards the path of life that ironically came to life only once a year. Sleep dispelled to the chirping of crickets and rare cicadas that sang in defiance in the middle of the night oblivious to the sunny day. As you stepped off the road and into the dark sleeping forest, you searched with your eyes for the best leaves that would be suitable for crafts, occasionally sighing for the fall - this beauty would provide you with a variety that was beautiful in its colors. The forest whispered and trembled, its shy movements reflected in the moonlight on the grass in shadow. The branches, seeing familiar faces, hid their threats and saw you off with a smooth sway. "What are we gonna make the fox out of?" you asked, stepping over the roots.

"Hmmm," Gojo drawled thoughtfully, looking around. The forest, as it was, was monotonous and green. "How about we cut a few strands off Rachel's hair?" you glanced at him skeptically, dumbfounded by such a suggestion. You simultaneously pursed your lips and shook your heads together, imagining the horrors that would happen to you. "Nah, bad idea."

"I'll have to look for plasticine," you yawned, stretching.

You picked up randomly fallen leaves, sometimes the sorcerer would pick you up so you could reach the one you liked. Your pockets were filling up more and more with resources for crafting - pinecones, small twigs, pine needles that sometimes pricked your fingers. You walked forward, deep into the forest, completely oblivious to the fact that you would have to return someday. "Mochi?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you find her?" asked Gojo, remembering his first encounter with Megumi.

"Just like everyone else here," you shrugged. "A little over seven years ago, we decided to check all the barracks again for some reason before we roundup. I remember going into one, starting to look around, and... I noticed a woman lying right under wood boards. She was already dead, but I remember her stiffened hands were clutching some lump of rags. I don't even know why I looked," the sorcerer's soul whispered admiringly and sympathetically for him to embrace you, and it was right - feeling a hand on your shoulder, you took your eyes off the ground. "I thought the baby was dead, too, but no. She moved as soon as I looked at her. We took her away and wanted to do what we do with all children - put her in the hands of the church for foster care. But for some reason I couldn't. That's how she stayed with us."

Gojo laughed quietly, encouragingly. "She was born a fighter. And she remains that way," he added more quietly.

You, remembering Tris' temper, chuckled as well. "Kinda."

Nearby you could hear the sound of water crashing restlessly against the rocks. You knew these places practically by heart, and you realized that you were getting closer and closer, but your consciousness did not shudder in fear at the thought that Gojo might see it. On the contrary, your soul sang with dauntless bravado, and you realized with embarrassment that you just wanted to show off. Just a little bit. You deliberately stepped forward, regardless of the fact that all the materials had long since been gathered.

On the horizon, something dark - much darker than the forest beneath the moon - peered out from behind the trees. All the water was silent, and the whispering leaves were quiet before the permanent guest you were restlessly approaching. The closer you came, the more majestic the huge, deaf, black box towered above your heads. It had no transparent windows or welcoming doors - it just stood there, hidden among the trees, making no sound and not allowing the rest to disturb the peace. Not the animals, nor nature itself. "Whoa," Gojo marveled quietly, barely stopping a few feet away from the box. He had never felt like a little boy before, nor could he be called short, but next to this dark gap he felt like an ant. "And this...?"

"The heart of the town," you sighed mesmerized, nodding your head. "It can't be seen from above, and even if someone were lucky enough to sneak into the town, they wouldn't find their way to it. It's only accessible to its keepers," no matter how much you looked at the repository, no matter how many times you stomped around it, you never went inside - that burden fell on Frank's shoulders. "There now lies the artifact that supplies us with electricity and empowers the hunters' relics to protect the town. So... Without the artifact, they'd just be useless trinkets," contrary to your enthusiastic narrative, you're wary. How long will the amulet you got in Cambodia last? Wouldn't you soon have to start bouncing around the land again in search of curiosities? If it had thrilled and delighted you before, you couldn't find the same enthusiasm now. After all, it only meant that you would be apart again.

"How many keepers are there?" Gojo asked softly, taking your hand and squeezing it gently. He already knew the answer to his question - at least part of it - but he couldn't stop his insolence and greed under the guise of interest. It wasn't enough for him that you'd first bared your neck, then your shoulders, and then told him the secrets you'd never told yourself. He wanted to drown in your trust, which was embarrassingly lapping at his shore in brief waves - Gojo wanted to catch every single one, to save a single salty drop of it. The sorcerer had become too obsessed with your vulnerability, which was revealed only to him alone.

"Three now," you said weakly. "Frank, Rach, and me."

Gojo could almost hear your thoughts and the way they screamed, interrupting each other. Surprise clashed with indignation, worry caught up with confidence, uncertainty clawed at the throat of exhilaration. Every step you took towards him was difficult, but now the sorcerer stood here with you, right in front of the heart of the town, not on the other side of your workroom door. You couldn't even look Gojo in the eye - was the doubt so great and dangerous that you did whatever it told you to do? The sorcerer winced in pain - your thoughts screamed loudly, but he couldn't make out the words. "Hey, guide," he grinned, bringing you to your senses and wanting to get you away from this place - it was affecting you too badly. And, it seemed to Gojo, on your relationship with him, too. "Let's go home. We have a fox to make."

In Hopetown, unlike at headquarters, the evenings were slow and lazy - there was no desire to get out of bed at all. Danielle, nestled comfortably on Megumi's chest and covered with a blanket, watched a movie - they'd chosen it for about an hour only to struggle to keep their eyes open. Every touch, every hug was imbued with a serenity that was sorely lacking in the girl - she almost stopped shaking as she closed her eyes and mentally found herself back in that horrible day.

Dany was grateful that you hadn't said anything to Megumi - which was probably why the boy was lying next to her now, ordinarily calm, watching the movie. But still, in the back of the girl's mind or maybe on the very surface of it, lay the desire to tell her boyfriend about what she had done for him. Danielle stopped every time, asking herself why she needed it and where it would lead, and all the scripted and fictionalized scenarios boiled down to the fact that she needed to see his concern. Attacks of such selfishness came more and more often, but contrary to breaking Danielle, they made her stronger - the girl looking at her favorite face full of peace already brushed them off with ease. He didn't need to know about it. She didn't want to think about the consequences of her silence, but what could happen if she opened her mouth frightened her even more. Megumi's anxiety could spiral into paranoia, and what if he started blaming himself for what had happened to her? What if his regrets became so enormous that he could no longer look her in the eye? The pesky, unpleasant questions swirled in her head until she finally decided to stay in that boat, to stop rocking it.

Still, every touch of Megumi's fingers reminded Dany that she was no longer worthy of it - false, fake, nasty beliefs trampled their way into the girl's head, making her cringe every time Megumi smoothed her hair. "Dany?" he turned to her softly, stroking her shoulder. She flinched and looked at him questioningly. "Remember when we made the butterfly?"

"Ah...," she drawled carefully. "Yeah, I remember."

"Why don't we try again?"

She frowned. It was an odd request because they hadn't tried it again since that time, which was why it took her by surprise. Danielle lifted up, and the heated blanket rustled and fell from her shoulders onto the bed. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean why?" laughed Megumi, causing the girl to blush embarrassedly. "Don't you wanna... Well, perfect it?" the boy's every word intended to ratchet up his excitement, his voice nearly breaking from the overabundance of feelings and adrenaline. His knees didn't shake like this before curses, but one glance at the watch on his hand and he would definitely fall down if he wasn't sitting on the bed right now.

"Okay," she said hesitantly, still squinting suspiciously.

The way they sat across from each other hit Dany with nostalgia right on the back of the head, a blow so strong it made her head spin. She had only yesterday ceased to be a teenager, and it would seem that she should have experienced all the unknown emotions long ago and stopped being afraid of them and trembling in front of them, but the excitement that swept over her was much stronger than her childhood feelings.

Megumi knew that cheating would be necessary here and he hoped Dany would never figure him out. He wanted the butterfly to come out perfect this time, and since both cursed and dark energy were now flowing through him, why wouldn't he help his girl? After all, he was going to forever be her shoulder and the bastion of all her hopes and dreams, so why not start with something small?

He covered her small hands with his and nodded, glancing up at her with glittering eyes, but Dany squeezed her eyes shut, either out of fear or excitement. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the sight - she looked exactly like a child waiting for a miracle. As he began to infuse energy, all he could feel was the warmth of Dany's hands. Something tickled her palms, and she opened one eye with a giggle - a faint blue glow was seeping through their fingers. "Well," he began embarrassedly, smiling. "Do you wanna see it?"

"Yes," she giggled.

They opened their hands at the same time, slowly - a small butterfly sat inside. There was no flaw in it, the patterns on its fluttering, cursed wings ran and shimmered in the same way. Its predecessor was less than perfect, and most people would probably call it ugly upon barely seeing its different wings and crooked antennae, but the pair of lovers knew that it was only their imperfect beginning. One could vilify and berate even the one that now sat in their hands - the blue color wasn't blue enough, the wings were too small, but that didn't make the butterfly any less beautiful. The butterfly had been created by and for the love that had been born between two people.

Dany gasped in surprise when a butterfly fluttered up and flew toward the window. "We have to open it," she worried, jumping up from her seat. The butterfly was beating its wings fiercely against the glass like it had spent its whole life dreaming of freedom. Dany, carefully opening the shutters so as not to disturb their shared creation, could only watch as the tiny blue light flew away from her, merging with the horizon - at that moment Megumi realized he was ready. To hold her on cold nights, to swipe the custard of brownies off her lips, to watch the most boring movies with her, to return to her from the void again and again. Alive. "Danielle," the girl tensed when Megumi called her by her full name. Taking the frozen girl by the waist, he turned her around to face her. "I really don't know how to do this right," he admitted honestly in a breaking voice. Her knees grew weak when she heard the clattering and clinking, and Dany tried to keep her head straight, afraid to look at her boyfriend's hand, suspecting that right now he was taking the watch off of them. "I'm not familiar with your traditions, and I don't know about whether I should get down on one knee," Dany, realizing she was about to pass out, began breathing hard and often, practically gulping for air with her mouth. "But please, answer me," a sob full of pain and happiness escaped the girl's scarlet lips, and the cold metal that coiled around her wrist burned her skin with yet untold promises. "Will you marry me?"

"How can ya do this...," the crying made her voice shake harder, the tears that rolled down her cheeks choking her, and the barely buried memories breaking through all the fresh ground slapped her in the face, reminding her of what she was like. Dany had feared that their happiness wouldn't last forever, that sooner or later it would come to Megumi that he deserved better, but there was no way she had expected such a sharp turn in the exact opposite direction - completely knocked off her feet and confused, she could only mumble unintelligibly through her tears. "How can ya say that, how can ya look at me like ya used to, when I'm so... dirty?

The girl's pain became his - he couldn't stand the agonizing tension that was crushing both of them, and he pressed his lips to hers, muffling her sobs. Dany didn't give in, but she didn't resist either, only placed her palms on his chest, not so much to push him away as to feel his warmth. Megumi was too insistent and firm in his decision - pulling Dany by the waist and pressing her against him, he deepened the kiss with a gentle movement of his tongue, making the girl dissolve into him, and she had nowhere to retreat - the love of her life was ahead of the girl, and behind her was the windowsill and the pain left by bitter memories.

With difficulty he pulled away from her, panting straight to her lips, he cupped her flushed wet cheeks. "Don't ever say that again," he commanded quietly. "The truest filth is the one who did this to you, and you... You're everything to me. And I want you to be even more, just say 'yes', please," he begged, pulling her frail body against him and burrowing into her neck.

The laughter that filled the room was full of weeping, longing, and relief. Danielle nodded frantically and wrapped her arms around his neck, the watch on her arm rattling - a reminder of the delayed happiness that was rushing toward her.

They stood huddled together, reminding each other of their bleeding wounds. The path was far and winding, each branch leading either to the abyss or straight into the arms of death. There was only one way that led to freedom, and they had learned by experience that they could never reach that faraway light alone. Megumi, having gained another power, was sure that now he could protect his bride from all the troubles, and the short name of that power was not in the dark lines, not in the energy that sometimes spilled over the edge - putting all the meaning of life into it and asking for its protection, people called it love. "Want to finish the movie?" smiled Megumi softly, rocking Dany from side to side.

"Actually," she began, mumbling shyly into his shoulder. "I'd like to tell Y/N," the excitement and awe still hadn't receded, but anxiety came along with it - Dany didn't know at all what she was supposed to do tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, a month from now. She needed help, and having learned from the past, she was ready to open the door to her worries and secrets. "If ya don't mind, of course."

"Okay," Megumi agreed, not saying a word about the fact that you were already aware of his intentions - the boy didn't want to ruin her sense of hidden celebration and take away the opportunity to tell her everything herself. "I need to let someone know too," he snorted irritably, making Dany giggle.

They, happy and clutching each other and their hands, went into your room first, but it was empty. Megumi, frowning his eyebrows, wondered. You all just finished the raid yesterday, where could you have gone? You should have been resting, where else could you relax if not in your room? Did you slip away on another scouting mission? If you did, why didn't you bring him with you?

Worried and almost insulted, he tried not to show it in front of Danielle. The girl was glowing for the first time in a long time, and a beaming, embarrassed smile never left her face. Megumi hummed, shaking his head. He shouldn't have gotten himself worked up ahead of time. Deciding to go downstairs, all of his doubts were dispelled, and he almost felt ashamed that he had time to get mad at you for making up his own problems because he and Dany were greeted by two half-asleep faces on the couch in the living room.

You and Gojo did Tris's craft until morning, and when it was time to go back to bed, you were blinded by the rising sun and the sound of a child's voice asking for food. You decided not to go to bed to get back into a routine that you'd regretted a thousand times before - the battle with sleep was unequal and unfair, especially in each other's warm embrace. You offered him more than once to unwind or at least to get off the couch, but the sorcerer, sighing lazily, stopped all your tries at rebellion, pressing you to him with a heavy hand, cutting off all attempts to retreat.

"What is it?" you drawled tiredly, blinking hard, trying to fix the floating silhouettes in front of your eyes.

"We, um...," the boy's tone was like he was apologizing for the thousands of crimes he'd committed, and you tensed up from the couch, and Gojo lost sleep as well - he squinted his eyes, staring at the pair expectantly. He knew Megumi too well, and that tone boded either good things or nothing good at all. "I proposed to Dany," he stated firmly, shifting a determined gaze from you to Gojo, and Danielle was the direct opposite of him - the girl picking at the floor with her toe, shyly lowering her.

Caught off guard, you're numb. You only just noticed the watch on Dany's hand. Megumi told you that he intended to do it, but he didn't say when he would do it. Did he tell Dany that you knew everything? If not, you didn't want to take away her opportunity to be first in everything, but you didn't have time to think about your actions. "Oh my gosh," you marveled deliberately loudly, gasping and clutching at your heart.

Gojo was immediately alarmed, jumping up from the couch and wrapping his arms around your shoulders. "Why are you driving your mother crazy?" he spat out angrily, and all Megumi wanted to do was fall to the ground in shame. "Honey, where's the sedative?"

"There, in the medicine cabinet ...," you waved at the top kitchen drawer without getting out of character. "It's a transparent bottle..."

It took the sorcerer exactly seven seconds to find the sedative, open it, take out a glass, pour water into it, and be at your side. Gojo seemed to be the only one who believed in your performance - so naive and gullible Megumi had never seen him before. "What's the act?" the boy grimaced, watching as he held out water and pills to you. "You're the first to know about everything."

You stared at Megumi with wide-open eyes, stung by the betrayal, and then glanced furtively at Gojo - he too was staring at the boy with glassy eyes, still not giving you the pill and the glass. "Satoru, I can explain," you grumbled guiltily, but it was too late - he popped the sedative into his mouth and drank water all in one.

"You sleeping on the couch tonight. Alone," the sorcerer said blankly, handing you the pills - you took the bottle with the empty glass, confused. It would take him about five minutes alone to recover from the betrayal you'd made with your silence.

"Where are ya going?" you shouted back at him, but Gojo waved you off and walked outside, slamming the door behind him.

"You do realize he's just kidding, right?" feeling guilty for the rift in your relationship, Megumi tried to smooth things over, but you, already pursing your lips, stared at him grimly.

"Couldn't ya play along?" you snorted, but contrary to what you said, you found yourself standing beside the kids, clasping them in your arms - they barely fit in your arms, and the boy was almost a head taller than you. "Congratulations!" you whispered into their ears, kissing Dany on the cheek, who winced a little at the prickling sensation of your mask biting her.

Danielle was still confused - too much had happened in the last few minutes - from the touching to the punning - and her heart could barely keep up. Thinking she could use a sedative too, she sat down on the couch, trying to calm down a bit. The fact that you knew Megumi's intentions didn't upset her because it only meant that his move wasn't just a simple impulse - it was a warmed-over, time-honored desire that he'd discussed with you.

"So... what your plans?" you asked, plopping down next to Danielle. Megumi sat straight down on the floor, across from you, and tucked his legs up.

"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "I proposed literally just now, so we haven't had time to think it over," he sarcastically quipped.

You didn't realize that such an advantage would fall right into your hands, your main goal became to grab onto it as tightly as you could. "Megumi, ya're a hunter now," you remarked. "And Dany was born into those circles. And it's customary for us to hold all our weddings in Hopetown," you didn't care about tradition, and to your shame, you hardly gave safety a second thought, but the wedding was the perfect opportunity to check out the town. "I hope ya don't mind."

"Not at all!" exclaimed Danielle enthusiastically, and a lump rose in your throat - how long had it been since you'd seen her like this? Her eyes were still drowned in the blue circles beneath them, she was thin as a reed, you were sometimes afraid to let her outside - one strong gust of wind and she'd just break. But happiness filled her from the inside and spread like a virus, infecting everyone around her. Megumi, mesmerized by her jubilant glow, hummed quietly. Truth be told, remembering how the town looked on the fifth of December, he didn't mind having the wedding here.

You had a lot more to discuss, but without the man's ears. The date, what dress to choose, hairstyle, flowers. What part of town to hold the event, what decorations to choose, what time of day. Arrange with the holy father, decorate the place where the two hearts will be joined and inform the residents. You'll have to calculate food supplies, and, most importantly, wine.

You and Dany seemed to be thinking the same thing, for when you looked at each other, you giggled softly, not noticing that the raven sitting on the window sill had its head tilted to the side and was peering at you with beady black eyes.

"Mike!" shouted Rachel, trying to catch up with her angry son. The boy literally flew forward, driven by injustice and frustration, not noticing the crowd of people chattering and cheering around him. The sweet smell of popcorn and ice cream no longer brought him excitement and delight, on the contrary - the boy felt nauseous at any reminder of food. Being still a child, he couldn't quiet his tears, and sobs of resentment escaped his lips now and then. "Baby, wait!" Mike abruptly threw his mother's arm off his shoulder, not listening to her at all, and tried to run forward, but his running was equal to his mother's quick footstep. "Ya realize I'm bigger and faster, don't ya?" she slyly sneered, scooping him up in her arms. Mike, because of his age, was confident in his supposed independence - he began to kick and struggle, looking around in embarrassment at passersby who he thought were looking at him reproachfully. "And stronger still," she reminded him. "Mike, calm down. If ya think ya're an adult, then act like one. Ya know what they usually do?" she asked playfully, looking at her angry son. "They talk."

Somewhere close by, a coaster with people squealing with fear and merriment raced down tracks. Rachel tried to keep her composure in front of her son, but her motherly heart bled at the thought that her son's birthday had been ruined. And it was all the fault of some little thing that had been a complete disaster for the boy. "What's got ya so upset?"

Mike ripped the toy medal off his chest and threw it to the ground. "That's for losers!" he howled, unwilling to bear the stigma of mediocrity he'd made up for himself.

Sighing, Rachel walked over to the nearest bench and sat her still mad son down - the resentment was so strong that the boy quickly weakened, losing all will to resist. He looked down at his wobbling legs which didn't reach the ground - another reminder that he was still a child.

The impressions from dozens of attractions were completely overridden by one loss in some godforsaken shooting gallery. When Mike saw a radio-controlled car as a prize for the first place, he thought that he would easily take it, but his expectations and dreams were shattered by the very first shot - the bullet flew a few inches away from the target. So it happened with the second and the third, and no matter how much the boy tried, he never got the required number of points. At the end he was given only a consolation medal. "Baby," Rachel turned to him gently, stroking his head. "What makes ya think it's for losers?"

"Stop calling me that!" snapped Mike, yanking her hand away.

Her son was sitting in front of her - she should have put out her temper immediately. "If I want to, I'll call ya that for the rest of my life," she laughed, looking at his pouting face - he looked like a red balloon about to burst. "And there's nothing ya can do about that," rubbing the top of his red head and meeting no resistance, Rachel got serious. "Ya know, Mike. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose. Ya can fuss all you want right now, but it's not gonna make ya better," the boy, feeling more tears of bitterness coming on, bit his lip and turned away from his mother. "Nothing comes easy to anyone. And ya really will be a classic underdog, but only if ya let it go that easily," the girl sat down on her knees in front of her son right on the pavement, forcing the boy to look into her eyes - he gasped in amazement when Rachel pulled out of her pocket the medal he had recently thrown away. Sometimes Mike completely forgot that his mother was a magician. "This one," she shook the consolation prize quietly. "It doesn't say ya screwed up. It only says ya tried. Even though the attempt was a failure, even though the second one will be exactly the same, but ya mustn't give up. Ya know, baby, ya're very brave," she cupped his cheeks, making the boy cry harder, and nearly burst into tears herself. "Your ambition is quite something, but ya have to work very hard to achieve it. Look at me!" she laughed in a shaky voice and with tears in her eyes. "Do ya think I would have hit that target even once? Not a chance in hell!"

"Liar," he whimpered, burrowing into her shoulder. She stroked his shuddering back, happy that Mike had stopped pushing her away.

'I know I wasn't the best mother to ya, but,' she thought, squeezing her eyes shut and cradling the little body, red hair just like hers tickled her nostrils, and she didn't know if she was crying from the tickling or the thrill. "I never lied to ya."

"Mom!" he howled, clinging to her more tightly - seeing her as a protector and ally, he tried to hide in her, to block out his own complexes with her maturity and confidence, hoping that he would someday be like her. The boy didn't care about the people hanging around and having fun, he didn't care what they thought of him because his mother's embrace reminded him that he wasn't alone in the world.

"I know, baby," Rachel soothed the boy in a quiet voice. "Ya're gonna make it," she pulled away from him only to place the medal back on his chest. "Now this medal will be a sign that ya will never, ever give up. So wear it with pride."

Mike sniffled and nodded fervently, snot and tears almost flying to the sides. Sensing her son's embarrassment as her own, Rachel took him to the men's room, nearly breaking the nose of the man who whistled at her at the entrance. She waited obediently while her son washed his face with cold water and cleaned himself up, and took any indignant or perplexed look from anyone else as a challenge. Even though his mother could fend for herself, Mike's protective instincts kicked in, so he glared at anyone who got too close to Rachel.

Mike took his mother's hand and led her away from the place, straightening up and lifting his chin - he thought he looked bigger and more imposing that way. Rachel giggled stupidly all the way to the sidewalk cafeteria. When she met your gaze, she nodded cheerfully, letting you know everything was fine. "Hey, kids!" she yelled to Itadori and Yuta, who were standing at the caramelized fruit counter. "Are ya going on the coaster now?"

"Yes!"

"Take these little ones with you!" she, picking up a bouncing Tris from Frank's lap that refused to sit on her butt because of the hard chairs, nudged her and Mike toward the boys.

Yuji immediately grabbed the girl's hand, afraid of losing her in the crowd, while Yuta kept his eyes on the redhead. After buying juicy, glistening glazed strawberries, they happily chatted about something and headed to the line for the ride. "Jesus," Rachel sighed tiredly, plopping down on the chair next to you. Her strength had left her body, all the energy she had left for calming her own son.

"Look at those happy buns," you said dreamily, watching Tris get cranky and try to take the strawberry from Yuta. "When I was their age, I learned how to smoke and steal blings," you were immediately got a smack from Frank for your words.

"Oh, like ya are a righteous man," you muttered resentfully, rubbing the back of your head and glaring at the man who had opened another bottle of beer.

"I can afford it couple times a year," he replied nonchalantly, sipping the cool drink.

"Ya wouldn't have potbelly like that because of couple times a year," you said cheerfully, slapping him on the stomach. You dodged another smack and laughed wryly.

It didn't take long for the man to get angry as a worried Itadori appeared on the horizon with Tris in his arms. Frank jumped up - the chair had fallen to the ground with a loud thud, nearly breaking in half - and ran quickly to them. "What's the matter, sunshine?" he said anxiously, taking the little girl from the bewildered Yuji

"As soon as we were at the entrance, Tris immediately cried," the boy rambled apologetically, afraid that suspicion of her sadness might fall on him.

"Scared, honey?" cooed Frank, rocking Tris - her cries turned to quiet sobs, and she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. You and Rachel glanced over and sighed jealously in unison - now that you were grown, almost all the tender creature comforts went to the younger ones. "I'm taking her home," Frank stated in a stern tone, giving you a serious look. "And ya," he pointed a finger at you and Rachel then tapped it on the table. "Keep an eye on everyone."

"Okay," you agreed, heeding his words while your sister rolled her eyes.

Itadori, feeling guilty for being at the center of all the trouble, looked penitently at Frank as he left, and as soon as he was gone, Rachel sprang from her seat, running up to the boy. "I'll go with ya!" she said cheerfully, putting her arm around Yuji's shoulder, and the boy stared at her in surprise.

"Where are ya going?" you shouted. "Frank said to keep an eye on everyone!"

"What do ya think I'm gonna do?" barked Rachel back. "Where am I supposed to keep an eye on them if not in close proximity?"

Either her insolence has shackled your vocal cords, or common sense. With a snort, you grabbed your milkshake angrily, and sipped sullenly as you watched Rachel lead Itadori farther and farther away, shoving the queue - they were in no time at all near Yuta and Mike, who were standing at the beginning of it, waiting for the coaster to arrive.

People looked hot, excited, and instead of their endless chatter, you could hear only their blood boiling in them - you were tempted even by a drop of sweat running down the back of a girl you didn't know. Your usually dormant and slumbering hunger liked to wake up in a crowd - your body became cotton-like, barely obedient, and you struggled to keep yourself on the chair. You sipped the milkshake hard, trying to satiate yourself, but the creature inside couldn't stand the deception.

Breathing hard, you wished you were in a vat of ice-cold water - it wouldn't satisfy your hunger, but it might bring you back to your senses. The air, warmed by other people's laughter and breath, tantalized you, made you dizzy, and you had to grab the table to keep your balance. Before your eyes blurred, you saw the coaster pull up, the thrill-seekers stepping off the wagon on shaky legs, some laughing merrily, some feeling only a surge of energy.

Gojo laughed and wrapped his arms around the necks of a pale Megumi and a dazed Danielle, and as soon as you met his gaze, your heart calmed a little, though your human heart was still racing. The sorcerer smiled smugly at you, leading the barely alive kids to your table. "Here we are!" he chirped, plopping down next to you.

You watched in horror as a forcibly recovered Danielle sat Fushiguro down - the boy pressed his lips tightly together like holding back a gagging. "Is this really how it's supposed to be?" you asked uncertainly.

"Oh, come on," he waved it off. "He just feels a little queasy, that happens."

Either Megumi had no energy left or he didn't hear Gojo at all, for there was no frown on his part. Danielle anxiously stroked his shoulders, squeezing them a little - Gojo put his hands behind his head and watched contentedly as Dany tried to put some color on Megumi's pale face. The sorcerer's extremely happy smile made you suspicious - you got the impression that the celebration on his face wasn't caused by the amusement ride at all. "Ya're so petty," you grinned, realizing that Gojo was just enjoying some peddling revenge for the boy's failure to make him aware of his serious intentions first.

"So?" he fluttered his eyelids innocently and snatched the milkshake away from you.

Megumi, who had regained consciousness, took a sip of water from the glass, but immediately put his hand to his mouth, making a gurgling sound - a sight you were glad to see was an appetite suppressant. You were no longer burning up inside, your hunger had briefly receded, your stomach was no longer eating itself, and though you were still breathing heavily, you were no longer sweating.

Your lack of reaction made Gojo uneasy, and the fact that you didn't fight for your unceremoniously snatched food made him panic. It was only now that he noticed your foggy eyes and the way your head barely was holding steady, and without realizing it, the sorcerer was breathing heavily along with you. It reminded him just now why you'd been denying yourself the pleasure of even short bursts of adrenaline. There were too many people here - it was like leaving a person who'd been starving for months in the midst of a feast under an all-seeing eye that commanded them not to touch anything. "Let's go get some strawberries," without giving you time to answer, Gojo grabbed your arm and dragged you towards the counter, leaving Dany and Megumi alone.

There was almost no queue, only two people before you. You gazed with interest and appetite at the fruit in the display case, which glistened in the warm light of the lantern - the glaze seemed like liquid gold. "Mochi," Gojo said quietly, and you looked at him questioningly, hardly able to tear yourself away from the delicious splendor. The gleeful slyness on his face didn't last long - the more he worked up the courage to say those words, the more embarrassed he became. "You want to get out of here?"

"What?" you blurted out confusedly, but it was the sparkle in your eyes that gave you away - the thought of escaping made them twinkle like a million stars. "But I... Frank said to keep an eye on everyone, so I don't think I can," you rambled shyly, not knowing where to put yourself. Temptation was on one side of the scale, responsibility on the other, and the scales swayed immeasurably, tipping sideways.

Frightened that he had only exacerbated your precarious state with his suggestion, he put on a serene smile and tried to reassure you. "Dany has Megumi, and everyone else has Rachel. Your sister is crazy," you snorted sarcastically at that remark. "And having her son here makes her triple the danger."

You glanced toward the entrance to the coaster - it was nothing but an excited, waiting crowd. People were hooting and hollering, jostling and trying to get ahead of the line, but there were no Rachel or Gojo's students among them - they were probably yelling at the top of their lungs right now. You'd never doubted your sister, and now you grinned stupidly and thought about the fact that Rachel was probably calming or coaxing the excited and frightened boys. Whether she was rocking their safety bindings or reassuring them that everything would be okay while laughing at their contorted faces, you knew she would protect them no matter what happened. Right now, they'd be safer without you than with you.

Strawberries you took from Gojo spilled bitterness into your mouth as soon as you took a bite. You shouldn't have been so protective of your words and kept the warm embrace to yourself. Deciding that tonight and for the rest of your life, you would let Rachel lie on top of you, hugging and nibbling you as much as she wanted, you ventured.

Turning to Gojo, you took his hand and nodded. As soon as he took you to a place out of sight, the sound of people's merriment was cut off by a wafting breeze. As you found yourself lying on the grass, the smell of water hit your nose - rising up on your elbows, you saw the familiar horizon where the ocean kissed the star every night. "Well," you began slyly. "Will the star give its answer tonight?"

"I'm afraid not," the sorcerer sighed lamentably, plopping down on the grass beside you - the waves were almost reaching your feet, splashing desperately. "It's too dark already."

You tried to put the puzzle together in your head, but you couldn't find any reason why the star could only speak in its own light. You didn't even try to ask Gojo about it, just glanced at him frustrated that he still hadn't told you where the place was.

The sorcerer heard you mutter something sullenly to yourself - he enjoyed the fact that he could influence your mood. And your condition. Here, in the forested wilderness by the dark waters, you were noticeably lighter, and instead of your ragged, hungry breathing, he could only hear the sound of small waves. "My offer still stands," he reminded you embarrassedly, turning on his side and propping his head on his palm.

"Eh?..." you wondered, wrinkling your nose in confusion.

"I mean blood," Gojo said, peering into your eyes - they no longer screamed of unquenchable thirst. "Reverse technique will make up for the lack of blood, so you can drink as much as you want. When else are you gonna be offered an unlimited and free feeding tube?"

"Do ya even know about a word like diet?" you laughed, taken aback by his suggestion. "If I don't stick to it, I might become greedy."

He'd truly forgotten that sweets didn't go along with blood - any addiction had consequences. No matter how many sweets the sorcerer ate, he still couldn't get enough, and if his whole dilemma was just going to the store, what about you?

Perhaps it was because Gojo had never seen you in a distraught state - the danger hadn't shown itself yet, and he was relaxed, thinking of you as a human despite some of the strange things that happened to you in crowds. The other side that existed was either too humble or repressed by you, but looking at you, he couldn't wonder if it was it that made you look up at the night sky like that. Your eyes, full of longing and tenderness - he didn't need to turn around to realize what you were looking at so lovingly. It was more likely that the tiny shimmering dots peeking out from behind the leaves were staring back at you just the same.

Gojo suddenly felt empty - the unattainable, clutching his heart in a vise, asked him a leading question. Will he ever be enough for your adventurous soul? Or would you travel to unknown but native lands at the first opportunity? He was lying right in front of you, very close, but even now you were looking up high, searching for something. No matter how powerful the sorcerer was, he could not put himself on a par with the face of the universe. The feeling of being deprived was left on his conscience - he wanted to feel the same way you felt at the sight of those tiny, shiny dots. "If you had the chance," he blurted out, embarrassed, lowering his gaze to the ground, but there was nowhere to retreat. "Would you go there?"

The sorcerer almost drowned in bitterness when you sighed dreamily. "No," you said plaintively, giving him your hand. He stared at you in surprise, but couldn't even open his mouth - joy intermingled with confusion stole all the words. "If I'd wanted to, I would have taken off my mask long ago and surrendered to the judges," you shuddered, even though you were the one who remembered them.

Gojo rolled over onto his stomach and felt the annoyance recede. "You look over there more often than you look at me anyway," he muttered resentfully, pinching the grass. Seeking reassurance from you, he started acting like a child again.

"Now I'm just thinking about how many of those stars are already dead," you chuckled. The sorcerer squinted at you suspiciously, and you felt yourself under mute interrogation. "I'm telling the truth," you sighed, waving away the grass flying at you. "I'm just wondering which ones are real, and which ones disappeared, leaving behind a light that only reached us now," you rounded your eyes at the idea that had come to you, and clapped him enthusiastically on the shoulder. "Look, how about a bet?"

"Bet?" he blustered, perking up. He was clearly interested in the scheme or rather in his reward for your imminent loss.

You were looking for something in the night sky. "Well, there's our sister, Betelgeuse," you turned your head from side to side, and not finding the constellation Orion, you waved it away, but decided to stick to your suggestion and not back down. "Right now it's in its last stage of life for us, but what if I bet it exploded... I dunno," you laughed at the absurdity of your suggestion. "Let's say about five years ago?"

"Too shallow," Gojo declared proudly. "I'll bet ten."

"That's the deal."

"Uh.,, What did we bet?" he mused, trying to recall the terms of the deal.

"It's up to the winner to decide," the magnitude of the controversy allowed you to say this phrase. "If I'm right, we won't see the explosion until 495 years from now, and if you're right, we won't see it until 490 years. Oh yeah, there is some margin of error because the exact distance to Betelgeuse is unknown. Give or take 100 years."

"I think I just miscalculated," the sorcerer drawled uncertainly. "But where?"

Maybe it was a good thing the explosion wouldn't come soon enough - Gojo wouldn't have had ten years to make up his mind about his desire, every branch of which was invariably connected to you. You were naive to think you could get rid of him by time, for Gojo would be ready to get you in a thousand years.

As you looked up into the silent sky, you heard again the last words the sorcerer had said to you once. You'd lived in his world, but he'd never known or felt a part of yours - an unfair and unjust selfishness that had strayed from your thoughts. Of course, you could never show Gojo the places by the stars themselves - those beautiful killers would leave you no chance of survival. But you could take him to places where the light from events would close in on you, making you see things you would never see here, lying on the grass. "I wanna show ya something," your voice cracked with excitement, and you jumped to your feet, thereby startling him as well. Panicked, Gojo rose to his feet with you, looking you cautiously.

"Show me what?" he hesitantly asked, keeping his distance - there were only two steps separating you.

"Look, I really don't know how to put this into words," you said out of breath like a long jog. "You'd better give me your hand," you held out your palm and held yourself back - his uncertainty was urging you to run to him, to grab his hand and do as you wished, but something inside demanded that you wait for his willing consent. "We'll only have about ten seconds, but I promise there's nothing to worry about," you kept rambling, trying to reassure the sorcerer, but you only made him more anxious.

Gojo didn't know why he hesitated - he didn't remember you as excited and aroused as you were. Besides, he thought he was the only one who'd ever seen you like this, and that was what made him stiffen - the weight of your trust made him stop feeling his own body. You were about to show him something you hadn't shown the others, and despite his happiness, Gojo felt responsible.

As soon as Gojo dared to raise his hand, you grabbed him - he couldn't even understand how you could pull him, tall and big, towards you and change your places. It took his breath away, his legs and arms were numb, he felt like a feather that floated without falling - realizing that he couldn't take a breath, Gojo noticed your glittering eyes that blended with the rest of the wild and distant stars.

One.

Gojo didn't immediately realize where he was - what he saw seemed so implausible and ridiculous that it drove him mad. Delirium retreated penitently as he looked behind your shoulder, barely breaking away from your gaze. There were no planets or other celestial bodies around you - you were, like two swimmers, dissecting with your bodies the universe in its original form. Finding himself at the beginning of all humans, he thought of yours as well - here his throat clenched just as it had clenched from the dagger once held to his neck.

Two.

Enraged by his own consternation, Gojo placed the blame for his initial feelings on your shoulders. Foes may have mocked him, others may have underestimated him, looking down on the sorcerer, but they all met the same end, but he had never witnessed such cold eyes that he had seen on your first day - you could have killed him without hesitation, and it was left on Gojo's conscience to think of you as someone superior to him.

Three.

An upstart, a psychopath, a murderer, a thief, a subhuman - Gojo kept repeating those words like a mantra, and as he agreed to the deal with your superiors, he thought of the balance - the world wouldn't be worse off if his best friend showed up here instead of you. All his life destroying the vermin, Gojo mistook you for one of them, and pathetic excuses could not cover the regrets that followed - in fact, you turned out to be an amazing creature embodied by invisible hands that supported you right here and now, preventing you from drowning in the dark slurry, in which flickering, distant lights had long ago boiled.

Four.

Not the desire to kill, but to protect yourself - that's what made you tick. Gojo had read it in your tired, red eyes back then, on the cliff outside the house. 'How strange,' he thought, squeezing your hand harder - if all around you were your home lands, the sorcerer still couldn't feel it under his feet, and he was afraid not to get lost in space, but to let you go. 'Even here it's not as cold as it was then,' there was no warmth in your hand or in your voice, just a mess of vacuum and thoughts, but he saw you brightly and clearly, and he couldn't find the words to thank the light that reflected off you.

Five.

Tears blurred all the stars making them flash – they became bright, almost red, which reminded Gojo of torches. You were the one who had unceremoniously interfered in his life and pointed out the consequences of his deeds. Every clueless person saved could continue to burn fires, illuminating the hearts of those they loved and their own. The sprawling expanses were not known for their friendliness, they loved only lifeless symmetry - having overlooked one tiny corner, they failed to notice the ugliness that stood out against the background of an endless similar pattern, thus giving this filth a chance to exist. And Gojo, never thinking about it, continued to draw this abomination called humanity on the beautiful and empty picture of the world with his own hands.

Six.

Was the void like this place? Was saving people just one of the reasons why you returned to that cold land again and again? Or was it the purple-lit sand that reminded you of a home that had no bottom, no walls, no roof? It was in such a place that all the secrets of origin and birth, which were usually hidden under the dark cloak of matter of the known world, were exposed. They squirmed and pushed each other out, thus inadvertently showing their particles to the person who painted the formulas.

Seven.

You were probably being guided by goodness when you lied to the sorcerer - now he didn't believe a bit of what you said about not wanting to go there. In all his life Gojo had never seen so much confused delight in someone's gaze, he had never met someone whose eyes so easily merged with the stars, reflecting them. It was so strange, holding your hand, realizing that at any moment you could let it go and merge with the darkness, no longer allowing the light to reflect off of you - at this moment his grip seemed so fragile and unreliable that he was afraid.

Eight.

You looked at Gojo with a thrill at your heart. The awe on his face, unwilling to tell you its origins, made you anxious. Certainly, you had not walked the rings of Jupiter or viewed Venus from the distance of two moons, and all you could show him was the crushing insensitivity and colorlessness of nothingness. His thoughts eluded you, and you couldn't demand reassurance - finding yourself at the very pier where invisible ships were sailing to your lands, you hoped it resonated genuinely in his soul as it did in yours.

Nine.

How much foolishness and naivety can awaken in later years - Gojo would have laughed if he could. Going with heavy thinking, he missed the very point - being so close to home, you weren't looking around, searching the stars for a native being, you were looking straight at him. It wasn't the cosmos that fascinated the sorcerer, but Gojo was completely lost when he met the creature it spawned. To follow you through life, to go with you after death, resuming your endless circle of a beginning and never letting go of your hand even in the coldest of places.

Ten.

You were entwined where there was no life and no end to it. No earth, no water, no fire, no air - no threads that connected Gojo to a familiar world. He knew that sooner or later the universe would kill him, if not by lack of oxygen, then by cold - the world had a thousand and one weapons to get rid of unwanted guests. The universe was well aware that it was the worst place for the origin of life, but no matter how hard it tried to crush human existence, it could not prevent your meeting. From the very beginning of life on Earth, there were too many accidents for mere coincidence - it was necessarily either a gift of destiny or an evil fate, and one never excluded the other. Seeing through the prism of human's eyes, savoring all your colors, Gojo dropped for the last second all the responsibilities that awaited him upon his return - for one more moment the sorcerer relished the newfound home he never had.

Two astronauts, unburdened by reinforced spacesuits, floated in weightlessness, content with the good spirits of their surroundings, which unobtrusively tried to kill them. Once smaller than a dot, the creation, having emitted light in all directions, had grown to the size that its underling could reach in 14 billion years, and it continued to grow relentlessly, illuminating its once invisible boundaries. Billions of stars, which became millions of eyes, forced the Universe to witness a miracle over which it had no control - in the vastness of its endless dead zone two loving hearts were beating.

Gojo had been gulping for air as soon as he was on Earth, the abrupt change in his surroundings making his mind melt. The sound of water, the overflow of waves and even a green leaf falling from a branch seemed to him no more than decoration. His back didn't feel the ground, his hands didn't feel the wind - he was brought back to reality by you, real and alive, who hovered over him and gazed at him restlessly. "I won't pay for such an excursion," said the sorcerer, out of breath. Laughing quietly, you slid off Gojo and plopped down next to him. Trying to shake off the anxiety and the sticky thoughts that Gojo was disgusted by this walk, you listened, seeking reassurance in his every agitated breath.

Gojo was afraid to admit that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Or rather, this moment was right after your first meeting on his personal list. A lifetime of striving for more, of cutting and dissecting the boundaries of human possibility, he was still here on Earth. The greater the power, the more majesty the sorcerer felt, but where light years walked, the omnipotence appeared to be nothing more than ordinary dust that the stellar winds had scattered. "You know, it's...," he mewled shyly, trying to find a word that at least slightly described his heartstrings. As Gojo frantically went over the unspoken emotion on his tongue, he was interrupted by a rumbling sound. Clutching at your stomach like trying to shut it up, you rounded your eyes in shock, and your heart felt heavy. To ruin a moment like this, even unwillingly, seemed like the end of the world until you heard a gushing laugh. "I'm a lousy friend if I keep forgetting to feed you," you wanted to object, reminding the sorcerer about the strawberries, but he stood up and picked you up in his arms, each time you sighed in amazement as you looked down at the world from his height. "Well, what does our soul desire?"

"Bacon-wrapped shrimp," you replied without hesitation like you'd been practicing that line for years. "Exactly the kind ya make."

"You could have chained me to the stove for all evening, wanting, let's say, ramen or curry rice, but do you really want just shrimps?" he wondered, and you nodded emphatically. "I don't deserve you," Gojo grinned, remembering not the recipe he needed at all, but the world you'd shown him.

The moment you were on the doorstep of the house on the hill, you felt a little dizzy, either from the fact that the sorcerer had never warned you before moving abruptly or from worrying about the consequences of your escape. Your gut didn't let you down - as soon as you opened the door and crossed the threshold, you were greeted by a disheveled and flushed Frank, who was looking for something in the medicine cabinet. A surprised Mike was sitting on the couch, and your sister was kneeling in front of him, gently blotting his temple. Several bloody cotton balls were already lying on the floor beside her, and you crouched down next to Rachel, concerned, while Gojo tried to quiet your old man. "What happened?"

"He fell out of a tree," Rach mumbled, soaking another cotton ball in alcohol. There was no attack from her about your disappearance, and surprisingly, you felt out of sorts. "Does it hurt, baby?" she asked her son affectionately, and he shook his head cheerfully. "I guess I was even more scared than he was," she sighed in relief. "Will ya come back for the others?" she turned to you. "I couldn't even warn the kids when I saw the blood on his face that we had to leave."

"Yeah, sure," you assured her absently, stroking your sister's shoulder. It looked like it would take you a long time to get used to the changes in her personality. Her yelling, shouting and accusations were much better tolerated than her uncharacteristic emotions, and you were unaware of the confusion and fright on her face. "We'll be back soon, don't worry, 'kay?" you said, standing up and patting Mike lightly on the top of his head - he didn't even squeak.

"Okay," she replied, and you, not noticing the cold stare she was giving you, tugged Gojo's sleeve, nodding your way out.

[August 23, 2022, 01:50pm., Hopetown]

The greenhouse offered no protection from the sudden late August heat, and you ran your wet palms through the vegetation, searching for stems. The wicker basket on the floor was slowly filling with soft pink flowers, and you looked at each sunlighted petal before you put one in. The monotonous work and humidity made you drowsy, and you struggled to keep your eyes open, yawning all the while. "Hey," Gojo called out angrily as he entered the greenhouse. He appeared before you covered in earth and dirt with a shovel in hand. "Am I to understand t correctly hat I was forced to dig potatoes and you're out here picking flowers?" snorted the sorcerer. "Where is justice?" he asked indignantly, stepping closer and nearly hitting the basket with his foot. Standing up beside you and resting his chin on the shovel's handle, he examined the flowers in the basket. "What's this ugly thing?" Gojo wrinkled his nose squeamishly, looking at the incongruity - the peony was on top of a lily, the lily on top of a rose, the rose on top of a chrysanthemum, and there was not a single repeating flower, which was repulsive in its chaos.

Sometimes, Gojo rarely let you get a word in edgewise - either torrents of information or piles of questions usually rained down on you. "It's for Shaya. It's her anniversary tomorrow, and Frank asked me to help," you took advantage of the silence and answered patiently, still nonchalantly picking and clipping the stems of the flowers that weren't already in the basket.

"Then it's even weirder," Gojo grumbled. "If I were him, I'd bring a prettier bouquet to your grave," your outrage was beyond words, but the sorcerer realized what he'd said when you looked at him dumbfounded. "Why can't you shut me up in time?" he got angry, unintentionally putting the blame on you.

"That's because ya have a big mouth. Watch your tongue," the way the shears clanged together suggested to the sorcerer that you'd imagined the plant to be something else. "Shaya didn't care about flowers at all. She loved them all," you muttered quietly, changing the subject. "As long as they were white," you gently swiped at the petals and placed the jonquil in the basket. Your words confused Gojo - either you were overheating or you were playing him for a fool.

"They're pink," the sorcerer said hesitantly, blinking hard a few times - perhaps he'd gotten sunstroke? But you didn't raise an eyebrow at his remark, just kept looking for the prettiest flowers, but your quiet chuckle didn't escape his hearing. "I can't believe it!" he gasp insulted, knocking the shovel to the floor. "You were testing me!"

"Call it professional hazard," you laughed, trying to soften his anger.

The prepared tirade remained unspoken - someone's large hand tugged Gojo by the collar, almost throwing him out of the greenhouse. "What, son, are ya done already?" asked Frank coldly, squinting suspiciously. The sorcerer, shaking his head fearfully and clutching the shovel to his chest, backed away - the gray-haired man stepped exactly until he had swept him out of the room. "That's better!" he yelled. "I don't need a lazy son-in-law!" he muttered, waving his fist threateningly in his wake.

"Frank," you hissed embarrassedly, drawing attention.

"What?" he bellowed, proudly adjusting his shirt and walking over to you - inspecting the basket of flowers, he hummed in satisfaction. "Am I not telling the truth?"

"Better tell me how the orchid thing is going," you waved it away.

"Already started making the extract, that's gonna take quite a while too," he nodded meaningfully. "And what do we do with it next?"

"We're gonna do experiments on me," he frowned sternly, realizing what you were getting at. "We need to find out what ratios of wine and extract cause pain in demons."

"I don't like this scheme," the man muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are ya up to?"

At this rate, you really weren't going to make it in time for town day, which is exactly what insurance was for. "There's a reason I asked Megumi and Dany to have the wedding here in Hopetown," you exhaled convulsively. "Call me paranoid, but I think there's someone here. Someone reporting on... us," you replied evasively, not naming specific names. "It's unlikely they used Danielle alone, they could easily have slipped us one of them in the void, passing them off as just another poor soul," Frank glanced warily through the transparent wall of the greenhouse at the town - it was as quiet and peaceful as it had been a day ago, or a month, or even a year. "I may end up being wrong, but wouldn't it be calmer that way?" you gibbered, panting, trying to convince the man. "We'll organize a feast, everyone will drink from wine barrels, and if no one reacts - that's great, but if one critter does choke, then...," you laughed nervously, wiping your wet face with your hands. "Oh my God… Looks like I'm gonna ruin the wedding."

next ⊳

25 notes · View notes

dreamwritesimagines · 2 years

Text

Garden of Secrets [3] - Roses

A.N: Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and support my loves!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please don’t forget to tell me what you think, thank you! ❤

Thanks so much to @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter!

Summary: Some invitations can lead to more than a simple dinner.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, some gender specific language and terms, slow burn.

Word Count: 4300

Series Masterlist

In your defense, from a completely objective point, nothing had really happened that night. It was merely a chat between two people who happened to be within each other’s vicinity in a rather crowded room. Just because you were expected to get married sometime soon did not mean a single conversation would lead to anything, let alone anything romantic.

But the difficult thing was?

Apparently you were the only person who knew that.

“Uncle,” you said as you walked into your uncle’s study, making him look up from his papers. “I will pay you money if you let me hide here.”

He let out a chuckle and pulled his round glasses off of his face to put them down on the desk.

“It depends,” he said. “How much money?”

“Uh….Some part of my dowry.”

“Do you mean the dowry that I’m in charge of as we speak?”

“But it’ll be mine when I get married,” you pointed out and he heaved a sigh.

“As much as I love your generosity my dear,” he said. “I’ve told you yesterday as well, you cannot hide in here whenever you have suitors in the drawing room.”

“Oh no I’m not trying to hide because of them,” you said. “They’ve left, finally. At least for today.”

“How many of them were here?”

“Around ten,” you said, making a face. “Two more than the day before.”

“Is that not a good sign?”

“It’s a terrible sign,” you said. “None of them fit what I have in mind, and they seem to get more interested the more uninterested I look.”

“Maybe you will like one of them.”

“Impossible.”

He smiled softly as if he knew something you didn’t.

“And who exactly are you hiding from, if not your suitors?”

You opened your mouth to answer but before you could say anything, someone knocked on the door and opened it.

“Y/N,” your aunt put her hand on her hip. “Come on.”

You let out a small whine and slipped a little on the sofa.

“Auntie, I’m helping uncle.”

“With what?”

You shot your uncle a pleading look and he held up his hands.

“What is this about?”

“We’re going to pick a gown for tonight’s dinner party,” your aunt said and you heaved a sigh.

“Must I attend that dinner party?”

“Must you attend the dinner party Lady Danbury personally sent you an invitation to?” she repeated and you pressed your hands on your eyes, then took a deep breath.

“Very well,” you muttered and pushed yourself off of the sofa, then pointed at your uncle.

“I will not forget this.”

“You’ll thank me if you do end up meeting your future husband on that dinner party Clover.”

“I highly doubt that,” you said as you followed your aunt upstairs to your room and as soon as you both entered the room, you flung yourself on the bed.

“That one looks alright,” you pointed at a random gown and she raised her brows.

“We should go with a more striking one if you ask me,” she said, repressing a grin. “Now that you have a very specific suitor—”

“Auntie, no,” you cut her off and sat up in bed, frowning. “I’ve been trying to tell you the same thing for three days now, Benedict Bridgerton is not my suitor, nor do I want him to be.”

She tilted her head.

“See, you keep saying that but I saw you two near each other that evening in the museum.”

“It was a room with artwork in it, we happened to be interested in the same one.”

“And you were talking.”

“About the exhibition!” you stated. “And he started it.”

“Exactly.”

You narrowed your eyes. “I thought you did not approve of him,” you reminded her. “Did you not tell me all those things about him not keeping respectable company, stringing that lady along, having too much fun?”

“That was before I saw how he looked at you and considering his family and name, I approve him.”

“Good for you, I don’t approve him,” you deadpanned. “Besides, do you really want me to get between a courtship of years?”

“Him and Charlotte Harlowe?” she asked and waved a hand in the air. “Who knows? Perhaps they are indeed friends.”

“That’s the exact opposite of what you implied before.”

“Well I’m implying something different now,” she said. “If that’s the only reason why you don’t want him as a suitor…”

“That’s not the only reason, I have many reasons.”

“Such as?”

You flailed your arms before letting them drop to your sides.

“Where should I start?” you asked. “First of all, he’s an artist.”

“So?”

“Artists are all about feelings and feelings vex me,” you said. “Not to mention I want a husband whom I won’t have to see all the time or for a long time for that matter, and an artist is the complete opposite of that.”

“Clover…”

“And not only that, he—” you stopped yourself before any word about how you had seen him leaving the modiste’s shop quite disheveled could leave your lips. It was quite obvious what he had been doing there with her, and to make things worse, he was doing it right in the middle of a courtship with that Harlowe girl.

After stringing her along for years now.

“He is already courting that girl.”

“Allegedly.”

“I’ve been told the competition is quite high even if there’s nothing between them. I can’t cut the queue, one of those ladies would scratch my eyes out.”

“Don’t pretend like you have ever been intimidated by anyone in the ton, let alone some competition.”

“I find it annoying, not intimidating,” you pointed out. “The idea of competing for a man’s affections is not only pathetic but also irritating—perhaps even more irritating than the man in question.”

“Oh so he irritated you?”

“Very much so.”

“How?”

You opened your mouth and closed it again, desperately searching for words before you waved a hand in the air.

“He—he followed me around like a puppy,” you said, ignoring the way your face was burning. “That evening. And he apparently believes in love much like every other artist does, that’s yet another thing I find annoying about him. An endless list if I may.”

“Oh a list?” she asked, smiling slightly. “What else is on that list of reasons why Benedict Bridgerton is annoying?”

“His…there’s his smile,” you said, shrugging your shoulders. “When he smiles, it’s as if he’s up to something, that’s annoying.”

“I see.”

“Not to mention his eyes.”

“What’s annoying about his eyes?”

“They’re all…gleaming and full of hope,” you said, scrunching up your nose. “Unacceptable.”

“Right. Of course.”

“Besides, he’s very tall,” you added in a haste. “I had to look up at him whenever he was talking to me, it was starting to hurt my neck. Incredibly irritating, I tell you.”

Your aunt merely raised her brows and you cleared your throat, trying to appear nonchalant.

“I can assure you auntie,” you said. “I have already made up my mind on what my husband will be like, and Benedict Bridgerton does not fit any of those criteria. He will not be my husband. I would never even entertain that idea, not even if the world was ending.”

Your aunt watched you in silence with a smile on her lips, and pulled a dress from your wardrobe to toss it at you.

“There,” she said. “That seems striking enough. Try it on for me, will you?”

When the evening fell, both you and your aunt got on the carriage to go to Lady Danbury’s house. Your aunt was very excited for some reason but you couldn’t wait to go back home. You hadn’t had the chance to tend to your garden as much as you wanted to today, with talking to your suitors, choosing your outfit and jewelry and spending time with Teddy, so even if it would be the middle of the night when you got back, you still wanted to check on your flowers.

It was only when the carriage came to a stop and you stepped outside that all thoughts about your own garden left your mind. Lady Danbury’s estate was absolutely gorgeous and just one look at her yard was enough to make you gasp.

So many different flowers.

“Auntie—” you started but she already knew what you were going to say.

“You can visit some other time in daylight after asking Lady Danbury.”

“But the garden—”

“I know, but we have a dinner party to catch my dear.”

You let out a breath, still looking around as she tugged you towards the house.

“It’s all hers then?” you asked. “The whole estate?”

“Well, it used to belong to her husband before he passed away.”

You shook your head slightly. “The ultimate goal.”

“What?”

“To be a widow.” you said as you walked into the house after her, with the butler announcing you two. You both made your way upstairs to the drawing room and your aunt squeezed at your hand as if she wanted to assure you before you both walked into the room.

“Oh welcome!” Lady Danbury approached you and you dropped a curtsy.

“Lady Danbury,” you said. “Thank you so much for your invitation, I’m honored.”

She waved a hand in the air. “Of course, I’m glad you came.”

“I have a question if you don’t mind,” you said in a haste. “Are those Boursault roses in your garden?”

She tilted her head. “I believe they are. Interested in flowers, are we?”

“Very much so,” you said. “I was wondering if I could—”

“Lady Danbury, do you have a moment?” One of the ladies came closer and Lady Danbury turned to her.

“Of course,” she said. “Y/N you can visit at any time to see more of the roses, my gardener is quite proud of them.”

You really didn’t want to wait until later on and you were going to ask if you could just take a closer look at them tonight but you didn’t get the chance to when you heard her next sentence;

“Your dinner partners are Benedict and Colin Bridgerton, you’re sitting in the middle of them.”

Your eyes widened. “…What?”

“Yes, I figured perhaps you’d like to continue your conversation with him from the museum,” she said, giving you an almost playful grin. “And Colin is such a fun gentleman, you’ll like him. Excuse me ladies.”

She walked away from you and you blinked a couple of times, your jaw hanging open.

“She is jesting,” you managed to say. “Auntie, please tell me she was jesting.”

“That’s wonderful, is it not?” she asked you. “Oh I see Lady Bridgerton, let me go and say hello."

"No I’m sure there’s no need for that!” you hissed but she had already walked away from you. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Daphne having a deep conversation with yet another suitor of hers, with her older brother keeping an eye on her and when your gaze drifted to the corner of the room—

God no.

Very well then, you were going to stay away from the corner of the room where Benedict Bridgerton was talking to a gentleman, or at least he had been before his eyes met yours. The gentleman next to him stole a look at you and grinned, muttering something to him before Benedict glared at him.

Ah.

That had to be the third brother Colin.

You could recognize that look of exasperation towards a younger brother anywhere.

You instantly looked away from them and grabbed a glass of lemonade from the tray, desperate to at least do something with your hands and holding a glass seemed like the safe option. You nodded at Penelope who greeted you back with a smile and when Duke Hastings -yet another eligible bachelor of the season according to other ladies- entered the room, a lot of the attention shifted to him so you used it to your advantage to approach the window to take a look at the garden.

You really needed to see those Boursault roses closer.

For a moment you wondered whether your absence would be noticed if you quietly slipped away from the drawing room to go to the garden, but considering the dinner was about the start, it was highly likely that people would notice. You bit inside your cheek, drumming your fingernails on the thin glass before you snapped out of your thoughts upon someone clearing their throat and you turned your head.

The lady next to you had to be around your age but you hadn’t seen her during the debut at the court so she probably had debuted a season or two before. She had a huge smile on her face and she rocked on the ball of her feet as if she was too excited to stay still.

“Hello!”

Her voice was familiar though, even if her face was not. You couldn’t put your finger on it yet, but you could swear—

Oh.

Oh God damn it.

Of course you recognized the voice, you had heard it as a giggle back in the Bridgerton house, which could only mean…

“I’m Charlotte Harlowe.”

Right. It was indeed Charlotte Harlowe because the universe hated you with a burning passion. The very same lady who was in a courtship with Benedict Bridgerton if the rumors were anything to go by, and this was about to be the most uncomfortable conversation in the entire world.

Not only you had seen the man she was in a courtship with leaving the modiste’s shop after clearly inappropriate actions, the said man had also been relentless to talk to you the other evening at the museum. Yet, nothing in her gaze seemed hostile, on the contrary she looked genuinely happy to be there.

“Y/N,” you introduced yourself and she nodded.

“Oh I know,” she said. “The lady with the death glare, everyone knows.”

“I’ve been called worse,” you muttered and she tilted her head.

“Do you always look this tortured?”

“Most of the time,” you deadpanned. “I didn’t listen to my mother and now my face is stuck like this.”

She giggled. “Oh you’re as funny as Daph says,” she said. “We’re going to be such good friends, I can already tell!”

You blinked a couple of times. “You can?”

“Absolutely! I have a gift in these things, I can tell whether I’m going to be good friends with someone. It has never failed so far.”

It was no wonder that she was in a courtship with Benedict, they both had the optimism and excitement of a puppy in an open field.

“Besides, Benedict is completely besotted with you already, so it only makes sense that we become friends!”

You almost dropped your glass from your hand and raised your brows. It seemed like they had an arrangement of the sorts where he could take mistresses while courting her, which was quite strange in your opinion, but you weren’t going to say it to her face so you took a deep breath.

“Whatever uh—arrangement you two have,” you said. “I believe it’s better if I’m not a part of it.”

“You mean our friendship?”

“Whatever it is you call it.”

“Oh that’s alright, you can just be my friend then,” she waved a hand in the air and shot you a bright smile. “You can ignore him as you’ve been doing.”

“…Right,” you said after a beat. “Miss Harlowe—”

“You can call me Lottie, everyone else does.”

“Are you always this friendly with everyone?”

She nodded fervently. “Yes, I love making new friends.”

You opened your mouth but before you could say anything, you heard Lady Danbury’s voice saying it was time for you to go into the dining room so you turned to Lottie to excuse yourself but she was faster than you.

“Let’s have dinner and we can talk more afterwards!” she said and walked away from you, leaving you there quite baffled. You shook your head slightly and offered a small smile to your aunt before walking into the dining room with the rest of the guests.

You ignored your heart skipping a beat as you approached the table and took your seat, and Benedict Bridgerton seemed to materialize out of thin air two seconds after.

“Miss Y/N, hello,” he said, taking his seat next to yours and to your absolute horror, Charlotte sat right next to him. Colin Bridgerton took the seat to your right, and you closed your eyes for a moment.

This had to be how cities under siege felt, and at last you had something in common with the ancient city of Tyre in 332 B.C.

How lovely.

“Hello,” you said curtly and the soup started being served, giving you at least an excuse to pretend to focus on something else.

“How nice to see you again,” Benedict said and you raised your brows and nodded.

“Likewise,” you said and turned your head to look at Colin who smiled at you.

“Colin Bridgerton,” he said and you introduced yourself as well before stealing a look at Daphne who was sitting across from you; her older brother seated between her and Penelope.

You could swear Benedict was almost buzzing in his seat while you tried your hardest to keep yourself busy with the spoon you were trailing in your soup.

It was going to be fine. You were just going to keep your interaction with him to a minimum, especially when the very nice lady whom he was in a courtship with was sitting right next to him, chatting with another lady across from her.

“And how are you this evening?” Benedict asked you after a beat and Colin frowned before leaning slightly forward to shoot him a look around your arm.

“Fine, thank you,” you said and their older brother – Anthony, if you weren’t mistaken— cleared his throat as if warning him but Benedict paid no mind. Daphne looked between them and took a deep breath.

“Y/N, you didn’t tell me you had a brother!” she said. “And he’s around my youngest brother’s age, my mother says. We must introduce them sometime!”

“He’d love that, he’s more social than me,” you answered Daphne and she offered you a small smile.

“You have a brother?” Benedict asked and you nodded.

“Mm hm.”

“How old is he?”

“Six.”

Daphne stole a glance at Benedict before turning to you. “And do you have any other siblings?”

You nibbled on your lip, suddenly uncomfortable. “I have an older sister.”

“And where is she now?” Benedict asked and Anthony closed his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose while Penelope exchanged glances with Colin and then suppressed a grin.

Minimum interaction.

“…Away,” you said curtly and he opened his mouth but when Lady Danbury stood up to give a toast, the whole table fell into silence. It was a short and sincere toast and when it was finished, Benedict was instantly pulled into a conversation by the lady across from him. Colin grinned at you.

“So,” he said. “Other lords were right about that mystery thing I suppose?”

“Mystery?”

“Yeah. Barely anyone knows anything about you, and in case it has escaped your notice the ton likes knowing things about people.”

“Exactly the reason why I withhold it from them.”

He nodded slowly. “Is it working?”

“It has been so far. Just one question though, is your brother always so…”

“Persistent?” he asked. “Yeah. Mother dropped him on his head when he was a baby.”

You scoffed and suppressed a smile. “Figures.”

“But hey, I can assure you that he’s as stubborn as you,” he said. “You two make the classical spear-shield.”

You pulled your brows together in confusion. “Spear-shield?”

“There’s this old story,” he said. “A man tries to sell a spear and a shield, saying his spear could pierce any shield and that his shield could defend from all spear attacks. Then one person asks him what would happen if he were to take his spear to strike his shield and the seller has no answer to it.”

You tilted your head and his grin widened before he shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re the shield and he’s the spear as it seems,” he said and you clicked your tongue.

“I’d bet on the shield.”

Colin hummed and heaved a sigh.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Knowing the spear so well, I think I’ll bet on the spear.”

You bit back a smile and raised your glass at him, then took a sip.

“You’ll see I guess.”

“Yeah,” he said after a beat. “Yeah, I’m sure I will.”

Once the dinner was finished and all the guests were back in the drawing room with the men joining the ladies after a while, the whole room was buzzing. Thankfully no one was paying any attention to you so you quietly slipped out of the drawing room without anyone noticing. You made your way downstairs, then stepped out of the house to finally get a closer look to the Boursault roses.

In your opinion, they were the best type of roses and you just had to see them without waiting for another day.

You checked your surroundings as soon as you descended the stairs and got to the garden, but no one was around so you lifted your skirts a little to rush to the flower bed full of roses, an exhale leaving your lips when you finally reached them.

They were in fact gorgeous.

You had a specific plan for your own garden once you would actually have it. You were going to have a greenhouse made, and outside the greenhouse, in your garden there were going to be so many different types of flowers, Boursault roses included.

But of course it had to wait until you would become a widow. Back when you were younger, after one of many, many fights between your mother and your father, your father had been so furious at your mother -and by extension, you- that after throwing a vase at you, he had also stormed to the small garden you had spent your whole summer growing your roses in and ripped out every single one of them.

You didn’t want to give another man yet another target to take his anger out on, especially something you would love and work so hard on, so you were going to keep your interest for your garden a secret from your husband whenever you would get married.

And once you were a widow, you could grow as many flowers as you wanted.

You were so lost in the beauty of the roses that you hadn’t even realized you were no longer alone, so you flinched as soon as someone cleared their throat and jumped on your feet, then pressed a hand on your chest when you saw Benedict.

“Jesus Christ,” you said. “What are you doing here?”

“Felt like getting some fresh air, it’s awfully crowded there,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

You motioned at the garden. “I wanted to see it closer.”

“In the dark?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He tilted his head. “Alone?” he asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I’m not worried, I have a knife.”

Benedict scoffed a laugh. “Sure you do.”

You frowned and pulled out the tiny pocket knife tucked in your cleavage before opening it to show him the knife.

“…I stand corrected,” Benedict said after a beat and cleared his throat. “Of course you have a knife.”

“Your sister walks around without a knife?” you asked him as you closed the knife again to put it back to your cleavage and he looked like he was too distracted to hear anything you said before he averted his gaze, clearing his throat.

“Huh?”

“Daphne walks around without a knife?”

“Uh—yeah.”

“Not very safe.”

“I’ll let her know,” he said and motioned at the garden in front of you. “So you like flowers then?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason?” he said like a question, “Must there be one?”

You kept frowning at him for a couple of seconds in complete silence before shrugging your shoulders.

“I just think they’re interesting.”

He took a look at the garden and his head whipped around as if a sudden thought had just struck him.

“If you like flowers, there’s a flower exhibition in two days,” he said, making your gaze shoot up to him. “In Speedwell Street. They say there will be many different types there.”

You held your breath and swallowed thickly, your eyes darting between his, excitement already filling you as your heart started pacing in your chest.

There was an exhibition. A flower exhibition where you would get to see different flowers, and maybe if you were lucky, you could even see those ones you had only read about in your books so far.

You could feel the smile threatening to pull at your lips, so you bit inside your cheek, reminding yourself to appear nonchalant.

“Oh?” you said as if your heart wasn’t racing in your chest at the thought of it, then stuck your nose in the air. “Well I—I don’t know why you’re telling me, I will not go there with you.”

“Didn’t think you would,” he said with a small smile as if he could see right through you. “I just thought perhaps you’d be interested.”

You nibbled on your lip and gave him a short nod, then walked past him but before you reached the stone stairs, you turned around.

“…Thank you I guess,” you managed to say and his smile widened, that playful glimmer apparent in his eyes even under the moonlight.

“You’re welcome I guess,” he replied and you forced yourself to scowl, then turned around and went back to the house, desperately trying to stop the smile warming your face.

Chapter 4

#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #Bridgerton #bridgerton x reader #regency fic

1K notes · View notes