#but i was holding hands with a friend while being reborn

[radlegowaffle]

did eden for the first time in a year because of the aviary thing and idk why this made me emotional

[mooishbeam]

『♡』 Rises the Moon

♡ featuring: dan heng IL x f!reader

♡ summary: you help dan heng work through his heat cycle wc: 3.1k+

♡ cw/tw: canon-divergent, breeding, praise, kinda sad but wholesome, monster-fucking, heat cycle, blowjob, cunnilingus, mentions of blood, biting

notes: super canon divergent ik vidyadhara can't have kids but ahhh dan heng breed brainrot :P ruahh I need that lc

Cracked from a shimmering pearl into the cold deception of a ship no longer home, that damned his ill-fated legacy. A lonely forgone dragon wanders a lifetime in purgatory, searching for hands to follow, for he was reborn into the dead silence of solitude. He stretched his inhuman heart as far as it could reach, enough for anyone to hold. But it twisted and tangled in thorns, cradled by serpents' eyes that prayed for his ruin. In brief moments of rest, his visions were suffocated with catastrophic destruction unbeknownst to the reincarnate. When he was eventually released, no one turned for him; a trail of fire he would have to walk alone, bleeding for repentance until his sin was permanently consumed by the collapsing universe.  

A race cursed to live forever rarely knew joy or love to its full extent, as all things mortal would return to the ground beneath them. It wasn’t worth the attachment, nor the deserved doom of a man denied salvation. 

Your arrival at the space station upturned his perception. He wasn’t sure why he yearned to be near you, why his senses craved your smell and sight. He had to distance himself from you as much as possible, but the melody of your pure voice stored a rhythm in his core that could not be removed. He lamented the blooming affection in his discernment. Often lying awake at night, struggling to satiate the urges. 

To you, he was Dan Heng. The solemn, headstrong friend that seldom spoke in your presence. Your favorite pastime was playful banter; he rarely smiled, but it pulled at your heartstrings when the corners of his lips slightly lifted. When he picked at his food, you went out of your way to find out what he preferred and arranged your meals around his. You spent almost all of your time on the parlor car. That isn’t to say you weren’t interested in adventuring, you frequently noted the prettiest gems March showed you during their trips. You asked Dan about the stuff he enjoyed, but it’d usually amount to “I was too focused on staying alive to take in the scenery.” You recall entering your room after their return and noticed an iron scrap flower sitting on your windowsill. Dan nonchalantly admitted to the act, mentioning how he overheard your liking for metallic constructs. You originally thought this was simply an extension of your friendship, but the burning ache in your body spoke otherwise. The little things he did, such as bringing small gifts or ingredients for you to experiment with made you seek that numbed heart, imprisoned in ice. 

Himeko joked about your sour mood whenever Dan Heng was gone. You read while she stared at you, amused by the pout on your face. “Hmm, your boy toy is missing. Feeling down?” Your head shot up, ears hot from the assumption.  

“W-what? No, of course not. We’re friends, Himeko.” you panicked. She softly giggled. 

“Don’t worry. They’re coming back soon.” You peeked up from the pages. 

“...When?” you mumbled. “A few days. Now you can stop being so sad.” 

You were ecstatic when they arrived, ready to hear about their grueling journey, and more so happy to see Dan Heng. As March relived her storytelling, you observed him. He seemed to be in a trance. His expression was the same as always, but he felt disconnected from you, like he discerned a grim future. He didn’t come to dinner and went to sleep. When you asked March if something happened, she shifted uncomfortably but finally spoke.  

“Dan Heng...he changed on the Xianzhou Luofu.” She’d conveniently left out most of the story. 

“What do you mean ‘changed’?” you questioned, finding it hard to mask your worries. “He had horns and... It was all really new. I kinda wanna forget about it, too.” You didn’t pressure her for more information, and she went to her room shortly after.  You tossed in your sleep, wondering what he must’ve gone through, and what you could do to help him. 

You awoke in an inky blue void, the stars cascading a brilliant aura across the night. There were no other planets visible; only the vast moon, a divinely warm glow, alluring and protective in your gaze. Heavenly bodies carried infinitely above, shaping the moon in its godlike image. You stood in a comparatively small pool of iridescent liquid that waterfalled off each side. It marbled from refracted shimmers, cool to the touch. Somehow life emerged in the barren quiet, white lotus’ decorating most of the area. They never spilled down the stream, as if they'd been waiting. In said pool, was a man with elvish ears and gleaming horns, kneeling turned away from you. His pale arms were shackled behind him, and his delicate hair cascaded down his naked back. If you listened closely, you could hear the faint sobs he tried to stifle. You wanted to comfort him, to calm his nerves. You took a step, and he stopped. He didn’t acknowledge you. You took another step, your hand wishing to touch him. Before you could, you phased out of your dream.  

For the next two weeks, he didn’t leave his room. Not when you were around. At the same time, this reoccurring dream was plaguing your thoughts. It ended the same way each time. March aimed to console you, but you felt she knew more than she led on. Fatigued from your restless mind, you decide to talk to Himeko instead. She stirs her drink while Welt reads the paper. 

“Good morning, (Y/N).” said Welt. 

“Good...morning.” you yawned, rubbing your worsening eyebags. 

“You don’t seem okay. Is everything alright?” Himeko asks, motioning for you to sit beside her. 

“Something is wrong with Dan Heng and March isn’t telling me everything. I was hoping you would.” Welt clears his throat, sets the paper on the table and walks away. Himeko puts her hand on your knee. 

“He’s feeling unwell right now. It’s best we don’t disturb him.” 

“I’ve been having this weird dream, of a guy with horns. He’s crying. And I can’t save him. What does this mean? Why is everyone keeping this from me?” Alarm flashes in her expression, but she composes herself. She sucks in a deep breath. “Do you know what a Vidyadhara is?”  

“No.” 

“Vidyadhara descended from dragons, and they’re very powerful. Dan Heng is a special case of Vidyadhara, so we must treat him as such.” 

“So why can’t I see him?”  

“It’s important that we avoid him while he’s in the process of...getting through this.” 

“But someone has to check on him, right? I could be the one to do it-” 

“(Y/N). Dan Heng requested specifically, that I don’t allow you to see him.” You felt your heart pierce. You believed you were friends with him, so why was he forcing you away? “Oh. Okay.” you said meekly. You went back to your room to contemplate. 

 You were a ghost throughout the day, serving food in silence. When the crew went to bed you prepared a hearty soup to soothe whatever illness he had. He’d probably reject it, but the selfish side wanted to know why he was upset with you. Even if he didn’t have an answer, perhaps his voice would be adequate. Arriving at his door, you knock twice gently. 

“I have some soup for you. Himeko said you were feeling ill. I won’t disrupt you, just want to make sure you’re eating.” He said nothing. “If you’re not hungry, let me know and I can store it for tomorrow. You can’t get better on an empty stomach.” You hear rustling inside, but he still said nothing. 

“Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I did.” 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, but I need you to go away.” His voice is feeble, and it scares you. 

“Can I please leave this on your desk? I’ll go away right after, I promise.” You 're practically begging, but you need to see him and know he’s okay. Dan Heng’s weakening mindset rationalizes his risky judgement, and he allows you to come in. He should be able to defend you from himself with the strength he has left; there’s no other choice. “Okay.” 

When you open the door, you’re horrified at the state. Books and precious documents were strewn across the floor or shredded, along with most of the blankets. He’s hunched over on the futon clenching his abdomen, strands of hair sticking to his shiny forehead and puffy lips. He was in a form you've never seen, dressed in elegance in contrast to his shaking figure. The clothes were disheveled, however, the window on his top ripped down the middle, exposing the muscular torso underneath with his pants pulled just under his v-line. He's flushed and sweating, a look in his eyes that both terrifies and excites you. What was most shocking were the pointy ears and horns protruding from his head. The same ones from your dream. He tracks you as you walk to his desk. He’s undoubtedly weak, and yet you feel hunted. You set the soup down. 

“Shouldn’t you ask Bailu about this?” 

“I did already. There’s nothing she can do. I have to wait.” You get on your knees next to him, and he recoils from your proximity. 

“Wait for what?” 

“I'm hot all over, all the time. Nothing I do works, even when I feel good it’s not enough.” he rasps. His eyes are shut in an attempt to null the intense sensation blazing in his veins. You ultimately realize what he means and regret your cluelessness. Still, you don’t leave, deconstructing his resolve. Suddenly, Dan Heng feels the tender press of your palm to his forehead; the touch of someone he could recognize in different timelines and different bodies. The scent of morning dew at early sunrise, the light in its darkness, bitter and sweet and persistent. He punished the thought of ravaging you, but the incessant thump of his member was staggering. He grabs your wrist tight, a guilty look in his eyes. 

“I can’t control myself. Go. Now” he shouts. His anger doesn’t scare you, and your other hand caresses his cheek. 

“Does it hurt? I can help you.” Dan Heng’s frozen as your fingers travel down his Adam's apple, then his chest, to the hem of his bottoms. He’s on his back taking deep labored breaths, the print growing from your airy brushes. 

“I don’t want you to be in pain anymore.” 

You spring his cock free, and it bounces into your hand. It’s thick and almost twelve inches, a rosy-brown gradient to the mushroom tip. His veins dance around the rounded spikes lining up his shaft on both sides. A frustrated sigh leaves him, beads of pre come dripping down his balls. You lubricate your hands with his slick and start to slowly pump him. His head is spinning, the intoxicating ecstasy makes him rut his hips and bite his blushed lips. You fondle his balls with one hand while massaging the tip with the other. Whimpers echo pleasantly in your ears, and he can’t stop watching you, drinking up your shy glances. It twitches in your hold; you can feel how close he is. He’s falling apart because of you and your dampened underwear accepts it. You push your thumb in his mouth and part it to reveal excessive drool and sharp canines.  

“Do you like it?” you tease. He makes noise resembling an “uh huh” through teary eyes. 

“You wanna come?” He quivers from the question. He can only manage a moan. You move to his base, and you slaver at the daunting size before running your tongue along the urethra and taking him in your mouth. He throws his head back but tries to restrain himself from bucking into you. You can barely get it halfway as his cockhead kisses the back of your throat. You hollow your cheeks and start bobbing your head, he trembles from unconstrained pleasure.  

“Please, I’ll do anything please let me come” he whines, tears spilling down his cheeks. You move your hands with the suction along his gradually noisy whimpers, the occasional gag from sloppy grinding. 

“Ah, ‘m gonna come-” he chokes, his chest hitched rapidly, spurting ropes that flood your throat. He rides the wave against you until you pull up. When you meet with him again, his demeanor changes. He instantly snatches you into his arms and smothers his nose in your stomach. He tears your clothes off impatiently, just to taste your bare skin. “Dan-” 

“You smell so good. Aeons, why do you smell so good.” He gazes at you darkly, littering wet kisses across your stomach and chest. His slender hands grope and explore anything they can reach. It was like he had a burst of energy; he nearly lifts you off his lap. You notice his horns get progressively longer, a dim radiance outlining them. His nails grew too, they dragged light scratches over your breasts to your hips. He pulls you to him, lips barely hovering before they collide into a deep, passionate exchange. Unspoken words allow teeth and tongue to mix, and you moan into each other. The pheromones hugging his consciousness are addictive, he needs more of it. He promptly flips you on your back, his eyes look down on you with a starving glint. 

“I’m hungry now.” 

“Oh sure, I can warm up the-” 

“No. Let me eat you.” His statement was more of a demand than a request, as he mangles your panties down your legs. He forces your thighs back and appreciates the glistening sticky folds. “Stunning” he purrs. He licks a flat strip to your clit and laps up your juices, then envelops his mouth in your heat. His firm squeeze prevents you from escaping the determined pink muscle, swirling and twisting around you. He switches between French kisses to your vulva and merciless sucking on the erect bud. He’d rather drown in you than catch his breath, your essence covers his jaw and chin. You card your fingers through his scalp and accidentally sweep his horns; he shudders. You rub the pad of your thumb on it, earning a strangled whimper. His tongue sinks into your passage and begins to move at a brutal pace. You tease the sensitivity in his horns, flicking and circling them. The vibrations from his moans rock against your walls and your hips stutter. “Ah- I’m close” you plead. He stimulates your clit, and you pulse around him before your back arches, and you unwind. His mouth is stitched to you as you try to wriggle out of his grasp. He continues to devour your climax. He hoists your lower half off the ground, savoring your honeyed desire, laughing from your overstimulated cries. You’re spasming and feel your heart racing in your ears. He stops at the approaching precipice and lays you down. Balmy kisses dot your knees. 

“Please Dan Heng, more” you beg. 

“(Y/N), I don’t want to hurt you.” He's throbbing, and he straightens your legs to roll his hips between your thighs. The plush fat cuddles his cock and he pants. You grab his hand. 

“It’s okay, I’m yours. I know you don’t mean to hurt me.” 

“But-” 

“I love you” you blurt out. “Please, I want to have this with you. I can handle it, I promise.” Your vulnerability surprises you, and he stops. 

“You...love me?” he questions. For a split second, you see sadness and despair. No one stood to consider an exile incapable of love, but you did. No one bothered to defrost the drifting hollow, but you did. The undying weeps. 

“I love you. I would destroy every star and planet in your name. Carve your worth into the cosmos so that even Fuli could worship your memory. I am yours in its entirety, and I’ll only live for you.” You wipe the tears as they come down and kiss his troubles away. 

“I want you inside me” you whisper. He stands and scoops you up, his hands on your ass and your arms around his neck. He aligns his tip with your sex and lowers you into the plunge. The stretching blaze of your walls accommodating his girth is excruciating.  

“Is this okay?” 

“Yes.” You give him a reassuring smile. He’s stuffing you full, the spikes knead your inner walls the deeper he goes. He bottoms out and stays there for a while. 

“Tell me when to move” he soothes. 

“Go ahead.” He starts an unrelenting tempo, and you grip him like a vice, your arousal drenching his balls. The thundering sound of desperate huffs and squelching, smacking flesh is almost embarrassing; you both don’t care, indulging each other. You could’ve sworn you saw something similar to a dragon's tail swaying behind him, or maybe your mind played tricks on you. Strings of saliva connect his fangs, eyes cloudy with carnal impulse and cock twitching from the friction. He can see the bulge snapping in and out of your stomach and groans.  

“Deeper.” He pulls out and lays you on the futon before positioning you in a mating press. In one swoop he jackhammers your cunt, balls swinging and ragged breath on your ear. His hair blankets you and you soak in his sweating physique, his needy appearance. 

“Gonna breed this pretty pussy” he moans. Eyeing the unoccupied space on your neck, he salivates. You guide his lips to your neck, encouraging him, and he takes the bait. He ruptures the skin with sharp teeth; harsh puncture wounds remain. He licks the blood away, adamant on claiming you. The spikes massage your g-spot, and your eyes loll back, pleasure and pain blurring. Dan Heng loses his composure, frenetic thrusting as he chases his release. 

“I’m gonna come!” 

“That’s it, come with me, my love” he groans. You see black as tremors overtake you and a stream of squirt coats you both. Your wails flow into the halls. Your contracting vulva sends him over the edge, and he finally comes undone, painting your insides to the hilt. You milk every last drop of his gushing seed, and he jerks a few times until limp. The creamy, swelling base pushes your folds to capacity. It's barbed wire in your gut. He strokes and kisses your face. 

“I'm sorry, it’ll go down soon.” With your legs wrapped around him and his head snug against your cheek, you weren’t sure if you wanted it to go down. 

His curse may not be lifted through your embrace. But in your arms, his shackles don't feel as heavy. 

[milksnake-tea]

━━ under the lotus leaves.

You've known Dan Feng long before he became the High Elder of the Vidyadhara, before he donned the title of Imbibitor Lunae and became the legend he is known as now. Long ago, back when the two of you were mere children, playing in the waters of the Xianzhou Luofu.

imbibitor lunae (dan feng) x gn!reader

contains: childhood friends au, set before dan feng is a criminal, slow burn, long fic, ooc!character for the first half bc he's growing up and is an annoying teen, mentions of blade's real name, death, spoilers for 1.2

genres: mostly fluff, hurt/comfort, some angst bittersweet ending

word count: 8.6k

a/n: please do note that this is dan feng, not dan heng. and therefore i take a lot more liberties with how he is because i firmly believe that dan feng was more of a bitch than dan heng BYE ALSO THIS IS UNEDITED !! ILL EDIT IT TMRW WHEN I WAKE UP I JUST HAD TO GET THIS OUT BYE

img credits

Your best friend was an extraordinary being.

There was no doubt about it. Regarded as both the strongest and wisest of your people, he was chosen as the High Elder, Imbibitor Lunae. And he has served you well.

His feats are plenty, with his joining the esteemed High-Cloud Quintet, and you couldn't count the amount of time he'd saved the Xianzhou on one hand. He was smart, intelligent, and witty, quick to understand situations and formulate the best solutions. His enemies feared his presence on the battlefield, and his friends trusted him with their lives.

As did you.

You, a mere civilian. A single face among thousands of Vidyadhara, another footstep among the crowd. You, who have lived through his past and present. You, who knew him better than he knew himself.

You, who has been by his side since the very beginning.

━

It was a stormy day when you first met Dan Feng.

You were just a child back then, a Vidyadhara only eight years of age. Normally, at this stage in your life, you'd be guided by the current high elder, but it seems that you had undergone your cycle at the same time as the past high elder.

So as life would have it, you would instead be raised by your seniors, while the Preceptors tended to the newly reborn high elder. A skilled weaver in your past incarnation, you were taken in by your then coworkers, and raised within your craft of making lotus silk.

As such, your childhood was filled with looms, lotus flowers, and spinning threads. You spent your free time in the gardens of lotus flowers, hiding from your caretakers amongst the tall stems and diving into the waters to swim amongst them. You may not have had the draconic features of the High Elder, but you still adored the water like any other Vidyadhara.

And as it would seem, so did the High Elder.

It had been a hot and sunny day at the Luofu. The rays were smoldering on your back as you waded through the lotus fields, thankful for the cold water splashing against your legs. You squinted against the sun, adjusting your leaf hat on your head. Tucked against your arm was a woven basket filled with lotus stems, all of which would have fiber extracted from them.

The tall leaves and flowers of the lotuses dwarfed your child self in comparison, although you weren’t complaining. Although the water sloshed around your thighs, requiring you to roll up your pants more than your older coworkers, the leaves served as temporary relief from the sun’s rays.

You pushed stems aside, the field looking more akin to a jungle to you. You only needed one more before you could return home to the comfort of an air conditioner in order to extract the fibers for the threads. Thankfully, that wouldn’t have to wait long.

Once you found a suitable stem to harvest, you snapped it from its roots and began to wash it in the water. Your basket floated next to you, you keeping an eye on it to make sure it wouldn’t float away.

But then, you heard the stems rustle, and the waters splashing as something entered your field. Immediately, you stood up straight, holding the lotus stem more like a weapon than a crop.

“Who’s there?” you called out, your voice ringing through the silent and tranquil fields.

No response.

You huffed, carefully setting down your stem in the basket. Whoever it was probably thought you weren’t a threat merely because of your age. You’d prove them wrong.

You heard the stems rustle one more time, snapping your head towards the source. Picking up your basket, you marched over to a large clump of lotuses, a perfect hiding spot (you would know, you’ve used it many times before). A shadow around your size moved within them, submerging itself into the water.

You rolled your eyes. Another kid, then. 

Pushing the stems aside, you saw the flicker of a draconic tail splashing the water, almost wagging as its owner lay face-first in the murky water. Without a second thought, you set aside your basket, grabbed the tail with your grubby little hands, and pulled hard.

“OW!”

The tail’s owner toppled out of the water, crashing into you in the process and knocking your foreheads together. You yelped, falling into the water with a splash as you held your aching forehead.

“What was that for?!” A child-like voice, much like your own berated you, a whine in his tone.

Glaring through your tears, you shouted back at him. “That was for bumming around on my farm!”

Your victim/intruder, a young boy with long hair, met your glare with equal fire. “I wasn’t ‘bumming around’, I was just… Cooling off! It’s hot today.”

You squinted, clearly not impressed. “I don’t care what you were doing! You’re not doing it on my farm.”

He lashed his tail angrily, splashing you in the process. “I’m the High Elder. I do what I want.”

You stared at him for a good second, taking in his appearance. He was a Vidyadhara around your age, only he had draconic-like horns protruding from his head. His long black hair flowed around him, and his fancy white robes were drenched in lotus water. It would’ve been obvious to anyone that he was a noble, someone of higher standing.

“No you’re not,” you said, deadpanning. “You’re too small.”

The self-proclaimed High Elder flushed red with embarrassment, jumping to his feet.

“I’m still growing!” he insisted, stamping his feet and splashing water everywhere.

“The High Elder’s supposed to be big and powerful!” you said, throwing your arms in the air to emphasize your point. “You’re… a kid!”

“You’re a kid too-!” The High Elder froze in the middle of his sentence, his tail stiffening at the sound voices - adult voices. Quickly, he grabbed you by the collar of your robe and pulled you into the shadows of the clump.

“Hey-!” He slapped his hand over your mouth to shut you up. In retaliation, you licked at his hand, the young boy recoiling in disgust.

“Did you just lick me?!” he hissed, looking at his hand in horror. 

“You’re the one who just grabbed me-”

“Shh!!” He put a finger to his mouth, shushing you. “Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m hiding?”

“From what, the Cloud Knights?” you gasped, backing up. “Are you a criminal?!”

He gave you a look. “No! I told you, I’m the High-”

“High Elder? Are you there?”

This time, you both slapped a hand over each other’s mouths. An unfamiliar adult voice shouted over the fields, calling for the boy beside you. You both waited with bated breath as the man searched on the other side of the field, only letting go when he was far enough away.

“You weren’t lying?” you whispered excitedly, looking up at the boy with newfound respect. He crossed his arms, looking all high and mighty now.

“Why would I be lying?” he said matter-of-factly. “You were the one who didn’t believe me.”

You really wanted to make a witty comment, but then you remembered your stems, floating out in the sun. Panic seized you. You couldn’t let those stems dry. If they did, they’d be useless to you.

You jumped to your feet, hurriedly running to your stems. Thankfully, they were still where you left them, and in the shade. You sighed in relief, knowing that you would live to see another day.

You peeked your head over the lotus heads, spotting the man who was calling for the High Elder. He was wearing some pretty fancy robes himself, the robes you recognized as belonging to a Preceptor.

Cradling your basket once again, you walked back to where the High Elder was hiding. He looked up at you in surprise as you reached towards what used to be a preening lotus flower, now a pod filled with green seeds. 

You snapped it off the stem and popped out one of the seeds. After peeling the green skin to reveal the white center, you handed it to the High Elder.

“Want one?”

The High Elder was wary at first, but eventually took the seed. He chewed it in his mouth for a little bit, his eyes brightening at the taste.

“It’s sweet,” he said in surprise. You nodded, taking one for yourself before giving him the pod.

“You have the rest on this one,” you said. You pointed in the direction of the Preceptor. “The big guy looking for you is over there, by the way.”

“Oh.” He took the pod in his hands, still a bit freaked out by how it looked. “Thank you.”

“Master always said I have to make it up when I do something bad,” you said, picking up your stems. With a start, the High Elder seemed to realize that you were apologizing. “Anyway, I have to go now. The fibers will dry up if I stay out here too long.”

“Wait!” The High Elder called out, reaching for you. You turned around, raising a brow. His tail waved nervously behind him as his hand faltered. “What’s your name?”

As you answered him, in the back of your head, you could’ve sworn you’d read this scene before. 

You tilted your head curiously. “What’s yours?”

His expression was strange. It was a smile of relief and happiness, just from you not knowing his name. The waters responded to his joy, swirling gently around him.

“Dan Feng,” he said, his tail wagging slightly. “My name is Dan Feng.”

━

You remember seeing him dragged out of the fields a few hours later. You had been extracting fibers from the stems you’d collected when you’d heard the commotion. 

Dan Feng was having his ear talked off by the Preceptor, but he was being awfully obedient. The two of you had met gazes, and he had sheepishly waved at you. Your hands were busy with your work, so all you could do was giggle at his predicament.

Of course, that wouldn’t be the last time you saw the High Elder - far from it. 

Dan Feng would visit your farm often, whether it was for eating more lotus seeds, dragging you to go swim with him, or just to watch you work. Your mentors and coworkers grew accustomed to seeing the young Vidyadhara waiting for you outside the workshop.

All of his visits would end in the same way - a Preceptor would come and take him away for his studies, droning on about his duty as the High Elder while Dan Feng rolled his eyes behind their back.

It wasn’t like he hated his duty. You knew better than anyone that Dan Feng took pride in his role, he was just… stubborn.

“What are you doing?”

You flinched at the boy in question’s voice. Dan Feng was practically talking in your ears, his face right next to yours. You leaned away, batting away at him.

“None of your business,” you said, turning your back towards him as to hide your hands. Dan Feng pouted but didn’t push.

“If you say so.” He turned his gaze back to the open fields. His legs kicked as he dangled on the stone wall alongside you.

You sat in comfortable silence, feeling as the spring breeze blew gently around you. It was tranquil and quiet, as the lotus fields always were.

Dan Feng found he preferred it that way. It was nice to get away from the droning words of the Preceptors, and this little farm served as his favorite sanctuary. He could spend his days here forever, just being by your side.

His eyes shifted towards you again. You were oddly concentrated today, he noted, working on whatever was in your hands right now. It was unlike you to be so quiet. Usually, you’d be talking about the latest gossip you’d heard from your mentors, or complaining about the weather again.

He strained his neck, trying to see just what was taking your attention away from him. But alas, you saw him and snatched it away from him again. Frustrated, he blew at his hair, lashing his tail in impatience.

Oh, well. If you weren’t going to show him, you weren’t going to show it. It wasn’t like he wanted to see it anyways.

Dan Feng went back to spacing out, closing his eyes, crossing his legs, and focusing on the world around him. If he wasn’t going to do anything, he might as well meditate.

He reached his senses into the fields, losing himself in the environment. His ears were filled with the rustle of each individual leaf, the soft splashing of water, the croak of the frogs, and the buzzing of insects that inhabited the fields.

He could feel how the wind felt on every plant, the warmth of the sun not just on his skin, but on the skin of the other aquatic animals. At that moment, Dan Feng became one with the world. Nothing could break his concentration.

Nothing, except perhaps for you, who was trying to grab his hand as stealthily as possible.

Dan Feng snapped his eyes open when you took his left hand in yours. Apparently, you were too engrossed in your task to notice his eyes on you.

You slid something onto his ring finger. Dan Feng tilted his head, raising his hand to stare at whatever it was you put on him.

A band of woven grasses encircled his finger, the braid intricate and tight. Dan Feng looked at it in confusion, rotating his hand to get a better view of it.

“Do you like it?” you said proudly.

“What is it?” he asked, bringing it to his face to observe.

“It’s a ring,” you said obviously. You showed him your dominant hand, which had a matching ring on it. “I saw a couple of girls the other day with those friendship bracelets. I figured since we’ve known each other for a few years now, we should have something like that too.”

“Oh.” Dan Feng blushed at your words, a giddy feeling bubbling within his chest. Suddenly, the ring on his finger felt heavier, but also much, much warmer.

“It’s nice, right?” you hummed, holding your hand to the sky. “I mean, it’s not like one of those beads you can just buy, but I think it’s pretty special.”

“I love it.” Dan Feng beamed softly, holding his hand close to his chest. “I’ll treasure it forever.”

It melted your heart to see him so ecstatic over something as simple as a grass ring. He was quite literally glowing from happiness, his draconic parts illuminating with a soft sea green.

“I’m glad,” you said, hugging your knees to your chest. 

Dan Feng looked at you, gratitude brimming in his eyes. He didn’t reach out to hug you (although he certainly wanted to), but rather, only wrapped his tail around your waist, tugging you closer to him.

━

You loved Dan Feng, you really did. But sometimes, you really wanted to tie him up and throw him in a ditch.

You sigh loudly in frustration, jabbing at Dan Feng’s wound with an alcohol-infused pad. The boy in question hissed in pain at your actions.

“Would it kill you to be gentler?” he attempted to jolt away, but your hold on his arm was firm.

It had been many years since you two had first met. The two of you were adolescents now, nearing adulthood.

Dan Feng had appeared at your doorstep after training once again to escape his mentors, only this time with a bloodied gash on his shoulder. He’d tried to hide it from you, but to little success.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about this?” you shot back, angrily wrapping his wound with bandages. Dan Feng averted his gaze.

“It wasn’t anything they needed to know,” he said quietly. You paused in your wrapping to stare at him incredulously.

“Are you kidding me?!” You pulled on the bandages, tightening them. Dan Feng winced at your loud voice, waving his hand for you to quiet down. Granted, you did, but you still decided on berating him.

“Feng'er, this is serious,” you said through gritted teeth. “It’s not one of those scratches you can just lick away. What if it had gotten infected?”

Dan Feng sighed, opting to stay silent and instead watch you work. Despite your harsh tone, he knew that you were just worried about him. He didn’t blame you, the wound was pretty serious.

His eyes softened as he saw your hands trembling as they worked. Your face was a mask of angry calm, but he could see the shake in your eyes.

“...sorry.”

You blinked. “What was that?”

Dan Feng dropped his gaze guiltily. “I’m sorry. I made you worry.”

“When do you not make me worry?” you joke, tying the bandage into a bow. Dan Feng smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, touching your hand with his tail. “How should I make it up to you this time?”

“Hm…” You pondered the question, tapping at your chin before brightening with an idea. “I got it. How about showing me that little trick you were bragging to me about earlier, with the cloudhymm?”

Dan Feng laughed airily. “You always ask for that.”

“Well, no one around here knows cloudhymm except for you,” you said, crossing your legs on the floor. Your eyes practically glowed in anticipation - Dan Feng wanted to compare you to a puppy awaiting a treat. 

The thought made his lips twitch as he held back his laugh. You rolled your eyes playfully, nudging him eagerly.

“So pushy,” he said dramatically, but you knew he was just teasing. He sat up straight, smoothed out his robes, and without further ado, he began his personal spectacle for you.

With just a flick of his finger, water materialized around him, taking the form of white lotus flowers in the air. Droplets stilled, as though someone had stopped time in the middle of a rainstorm.

You’ve seen this view many times before, but you were still amazed each and every time. A lotus flower hovered in front of you, bursting into a cloud of mist as you touched it.

You giggled, leaning back onto your hands, watching the lotuses drift off into the air. Unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng was preparing a whole nother surprise for you.

As your attention was captured by the lotuses, Dan Feng swirled his finger in the air. His signature teal water erupted in a spiral, taking the form of a roaring dragon. You jumped in surprise as it circled around you, flying toward the ceiling.

Dan Feng made the dragon dance around the lotuses, even bumping against your cheek. You squeaked as it did, light-heartedly glaring at Dan Feng. He only smirked back at you, before he enraptured your gaze with the dragon once again.

It glided towards the ceiling again, curling into a glowing orb of water. Dan Feng made a fist, and the dragon and the lotuses burst into a fine mist, making rainbows in the late evening light.

You were glimmering with awe, a permanent smile fixed onto your lips as you reached towards the ceiling to catch the mist. It was cool against your skin, like a little kiss from the rain.

“Am I forgiven now?” Dan Feng asked, amused.

You rolled your eyes. “Only if you promise to tell someone the next time you get injured.”

Dan Feng laughed. “Yes, yes, of course.”

You turned to look at him, only to find that he had been watching you this entire time, a fond smile on his lips.

━

“Are you sure about this?”

Dan Feng whispered anxiously as you skillfully maneuvered through dark alleyways and streetlights, your hand clasped tightly in his. 

He kept looking back behind him, just to make sure that you weren’t being followed. He’d changed his appearance somewhat, making sure to hide his horns and tail, but he was still paranoid.

“Obviously!” you chirped back. You didn’t bother looking back at him, currently fixated on your destination - a crowd of bright lights, the smell of food, and the chatter of people. In other words, the night market.

Dan Feng let himself be dragged off by you, trusting that you knew these streets better than he did. He looked urgently back at you.

“When we get caught-”

“If we get caught,” you corrected, stopping momentarily to pull Dan Feng towards you. You let go of his hand to hold his face, pulling him to meet yours. “You trust me, right?”

Dan Feng sighed. “Yes, but-”

You squished his cheeks, effectively shutting him up. “No ‘buts’. What happened to the kid who would sneak off to swim in my farm?”

Dan Feng gave you a look, but with his face all squished up like that, you couldn’t take him seriously. Fighting down a giggle, you squeezed him one last time before letting go.

“Trust me on this,” you insisted, the lights of the market illuminating your back. “You couldn’t have lived for this long and not have been to the night market. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“And if I don’t?” Dan Feng hummed. You snorted, interlacing your fingers with his once again.

“Then I’ll do whatever you want later, alright?”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Dan Feng squinted as you pulled him into the depths of the market, the bright lights blinding him momentarily. The savory aroma of grilled meat and fried vegetables wafted into his nose, the chatter of friends, families, and lovers filling the air. The two of you were practically consumed by the crowd, the only thing keeping him from being swept away was your hand in his.

It was overwhelming, but not in a bad way. Dan Feng’s eyes widened with wonder as he took in the atmosphere around him. He wasn’t used to so many people being in one place, at the same time. In the lotus fields and in his palace, things were always quiet, still.

He could see children playing silly games with one another, jewelers selling their handcrafted trinkets, and so many street chefs, cooking right on the spot over open flames.

A tug on his hand broke him out of his stupor. You had been watching him all this time, a knowing smile on your face. You tugged him over to a stand that was selling what looked to be skewered balls of meat, dripping with a sweet glaze.

“They’re berrypheasant skewers,” you explained. You noticed Dan Feng’s disgruntled look and nudged him. “Don’t worry, it’s just the fruit that comes off their tails. They didn’t actually kill anything.”

“Oh… I see.” Dan Feng relaxed a bit after hearing that. You gave him a smile before talking to the vendor. Once you had acquired your skewers, you grabbed his hand once more, moving to a secluded corner of the market to enjoy them.

You wasted no time in biting off one of the fruit balls, closing your eyes in delight as you let it slowly melt in your mouth.

“That’s amazing,” you sighed in contentment, leaning back on a wall. You opened your eyes to see Dan Feng silently chewing on his. “How is it?”

“Sweet,” he said, swallowing it. “It’s not bad. Although, I prefer lotus seeds.”

“Really?” you asked, finishing off your skewer. “I like these better. Or maybe that’s because I’ve spent my whole life eating lotus seeds.”

“Perhaps,” Dan Feng agreed. He looked off in the direction of the market. “This place, it’s…”

“Loud?” you jested. Dan Feng chuckled.

“That too,” he admitted, “but the word I had in mind was ‘comfortable’.”

You hummed in agreement. “Well,” you said, pushing yourself off the wall. “We’ve only just scratched the surface. Are you ready?”

Dan Feng nodded. “Let’s go.”

Whatever happened next was a blur. What had started as you dragging Dan Feng around to try different food turned into Dan Feng pulling you to whichever jewelry store caught his attention. Sometimes, you’d lose him in the crowd, and run around panicked only to find him in the middle of getting scammed (to which you’d drag him off, giving death glares to whoever decided to prey on him).

You soon learned that this was a lot more tiring task than you’d originally anticipated. It was like babysitting a toddler - one minute he’d be standing at your side, watching you as you bargained with the vendor, and the next minute, he’d be across the street, trying on some new earrings.

And to make matters worse, every time you wanted to wring Dan Feng’s throat the second you caught up to him, he’d turn to you with that stupidly pretty smile of his, showing off whatever trinkets he managed to pick up this time.

And of course, like the weak soul you were, you couldn’t stay angry at a face like that for long.

But safe to say, you were relieved when you reached the end of the market and instead came to the edges of Central Starskiff Haven, right in front of the Jade Gate. 

Here, the crowds had parted, allowing you to take a breather from your exhausting task. Of course, you were the only one who was tired - Dan Feng was vibrating with excitement, the brightest grin you’ve ever seen on his face.

“I take it you had fun?” you said good-naturedly, coming up beside your friend to watch the flow of starskiffs in and out of the Luofu. Dan Feng nodded, crossing his arms behind him.

“Most definitely,” he said happily. “The outworlder merchants have so many interesting things, I can’t help but be intrigued by them.”

“I could tell,” you chuckled. “I could barely catch up to you with the way you were running around. Imagine what the Preceptors would say.”

“We did agree that they would never find out, no?” Dan Feng pointed out. You shrugged.

“Fair enough,” you acknowledged. You gazed out into the glowing light of the Jade Gate before suddenly jolting in realization. “Lan above, I almost forgot!”

Dan Feng looked at you questioningly as you riffled through your pockets. His confusion only increased as you pulled out a small box, barely the size of your palm.

You opened it to reveal two jade rings, each with the image of a  lotus carved into its band. Dan Feng feels his breath hitch at the sight, and something in his chest tightened.

“What…” he couldn’t even finish his sentence.

“It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” you said. “I figured that now would be a good time to replace the ones I made when we were kids.”

That’s right. You didn’t just choose today of all days randomly. Today was Dan Feng’s birthday, and the day he officially became of age. Today was the last day of his childhood before he would fully take on the title of Imbibitor Lunae and the responsibilities that came with being the High Elder.

You couldn’t help but feel proud as you watched him take the rings with shaking hands. He’s still that stubborn child who listens to no one but himself, but he’s become so much more. He’s grown taller, more mature, more dignified.

And yet, he still looked like he might cry from your gift. He mumbled something under his breath, something you couldn’t catch.

“What was that?” you asked, only to be pulled tightly into his chest. Dan Feng squeezed you into his embrace as he tried to steady his breathing.

Slowly, you wrapped your arms around his waist, melting into his hold. Such moments like these were rare, after all. The furthest Dan Feng had ever gone with you was holding hands. Hugs weren’t part of his vocabulary.

“You know…” he murmured. “In human cultures, rings symbolize marriage.”

“Well,” you laughed into his skin. “We’re not human, are we?”

“Yes, but…”

“Are you trying to propose to me, gege?” You looked up at him, raising your brow playfully. Dan Feng blushed at the nickname, averting his gaze.

“That wasn’t my intention,” he mumbled, flustered. He quickly let go of you, hiding his face behind his hand as he tried to calm his rapidly increasing heartbeat.

You snickered at him. “I know, I’m only teasing. Here, give me those; I’ll put them on for you.”

But despite your words, Dan Feng couldn’t help the burning heat that enveloped him as you took his hand delicately in yours, sliding on the ring. He couldn’t stop his heart from pounding, couldn’t stop his thoughts of newly engaged couples doing exactly what you were doing.

And most of all, he couldn’t stop thinking of how badly he wanted to kiss you in that moment.

━

Ever since that day, neither you nor Dan Feng have taken off your respective rings. Dan Feng always kept it hidden beneath his gloves, while you showed it off even while you worked. You’ve been asked many times who the other ring belonged to, but you’ve never given them an answer.

One of these questionees was Yingxing, a passionate young outworlder who had come to the Luofu hearing of the feats made by Vidyadhara craftsmen. You’d met through a common friend of Jingliu, one of Dan Feng’s friends in the renowned High Cloud Quintet.

While Yingxing was a blacksmith and you a weaver, the two of you hit it off immediately. The two of you bonded over creating for the members of the Quintet, with you being responsible for the threads that made up their clothes, and Yingxing their armor and weapons. Many times, when one of you had a day off, one could find you in the other’s workshop.

You coughed as smoke arose from the furnace, fanning yourself. Yingxing glanced over momentarily.

“Are you alright?” he asked, a bubbling laugh in his voice. You nodded.

“Yes, just not used to so much smoke,” you sighed. Yingxing wiped at his brow as he took out the pot from the furnace, pouring the molten metal into the mold beneath him.

“If it bothers you too much,” he advised, “you should step outside.”

You shook your head, jumping down from your spot by the window. “I’m fine, don’t worry. But enough about me, what’s this you’re making?”

“It’s a spear for the High Elder.” Yingxing moved aside as you came up next to him. “See the way the metal glows from a certain angle? That’s the remnants of the Reignbow Arbiter’s arrow.”

“Fascinating.” So this was the weapon Dan Feng would wield.

You waved away embers from your face, and for a moment, their light caught on the ring on your finger.

“You’re married?” said Yingxing in surprise. You stared at him inquisitively.

“No? What made you think that?”

“Your ring,” he said, nodding at your finger. You looked down before spurting a laugh.

“Oh, this?” You toyed with it, fidgeting it on your hand. “It’s nothing like that.”

“You don’t sound so sure,” Yingxing commented. You huff.

“I am,” you retorted, nudging him. Yingxing whined at the jab, complaining.

“Don’t you know not to provoke a man with a hammer?” he threatened good-naturedly. You, being the very mature person you are, stuck your tongue out at him.

“Yingxing?”

The sound of your best friend’s voice interrupted your play argument as the both of you perked your heads. Dan Feng bent down as he entered the forgery so as to not hit his horns on the door frame.

“Dan Feng!” Yingxing greeted, waving. “What brings you here?”

“Don’t let me disturb you,” the Vidyadhara said, his nose wrinkling at the smoke filling the forge. “I’m merely here to check on the progress of the spear.”

“It’s still in the process of being smelted, as you can see.” Yingxing pounded away at the spear, shaping it into his desired form.

“Ah, is that so?” Dan Feng nodded. “I’ll come back tomorrow, then. Keep up the good work.”

“You’re going to leave without saying hi?” you interjected, fake hurt lacing your voice. “I’m hurt, Feng’er.”

Dan Feng flinched, as though he hadn’t noticed you at all.

“[Name]?” He straightens, blinking rapidly in surprise. Yingxing swore he’d never seen the High Elder brighten so quickly - he almost didn't believe his eyes when he saw his tail wag with joy. “I apologize, I didn’t see you.”

“It’s alright,” you laugh, walking over to him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

“You two know each other?” Yingxing asked. Dan Feng narrowed his eyes, fixing the younger man with a glare.

“I should be the one asking you that, Yingxing,” he said lowly, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close. “When did you and them get so close?”

“We’ve been friends for a while,” you answered for Yingxing, lightly hitting Dan Feng’s chest. “Be nice to him.”

Dan Feng pouted, reluctantly letting you go. “But-”

“No ‘buts’,” you scolded, crossing your arms. “If you’re not going to be nice, you can step outside.”

Dan Feng looked akin to a kicked puppy, but he relented. Although, when he saw Yingxing, trying his absolute best not to laugh, Dan Feng felt murderous intent for the first time.

His tail lashed angrily behind him as he watched you converse with the blacksmith, Yingxing sweating from the pure pressure of Dan Feng’s stare. He’d never been so relieved to see you go.

“I have to go now, but I’ll come back later, alright?” you said, waving at Yingxing. You squeezed Dan Feng’s shoulder on your way to the door, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Don’t give him a hard time, okay?”

Dan Feng only nodded, briefly touching his hand to yours before you finally left, leaving the two men alone.

“So,” Yingxing coughed, looking anywhere but Dan Feng’s eyes. “Feng’er, was it?”

“You will not speak of this,” Dan Feng warned. Yingxing raised his hands in surrender.

“My lips are sealed, High Elder.” Yingxing smiled. “Although, if I were you, I wouldn’t wait.”

Dan Feng narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“How should I say this…” Yingxing pondered. “If you stall for too long, someone will sweep them away.”

Horror shot through Dan Feng like a bullet as he gaped at Yingxing. The thought of you leaving him for someone else, replacing him, hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he gritted out, taking a deep breath to calm down. “They would never replace me.”

Yingxing blinked. “Don’t tell me you haven’t realized.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Dan Feng, you’re-”

“Dan Feng, Yingxing, there you are.”

Jingliu crossed her arms in the doorway, her apprentice, Jing Yuan by her side. 

“Was that [Name] I just saw run out?” she asked, raising a brow. She shook her head. “Nevermind that. I needed to talk to you two anyways. We’re heading out in a week’s time.”

“What for?” Dan Feng questioned, furrowing his brows.

“The Denizens of Abundance have invaded our ally Thalassa,” Jingliu disclosed, her voice tight at the mere mention of the Xianzhou’s sworn enemies. “We’ve been ordered to drive them out.”

“Very well,” said Dan Feng. “We’ll see you then, Jingliu.”

She nodded. “Until then.”

━

It was the first time Dan Feng had seen death.

War was never pretty for anyone, soldier or civilian. It was dirty, dark, and grimy. In war, you had two objects: one, defeat the enemy. Two, survive.

Dan Feng cursed as he ran his spear through another borison, the ocean of Thalassa responding to his anger. Dragons made from water, the same ones he showed to you all those years ago, drove back the enemy, blasting them away and incapacitating them in the process.

He kept his eyes ahead of him, deliberately avoiding the ground. There, laid corpses of allies and enemies alike.

Death was uncommon on the Xianzhou, especially for a Vidyadhara. There were no soulless eyes on the Luofu, no limp bodies littering the ground. There were no pleas for mercy, no screams of pain and fear.

But here, in the midst of a foreign battlefield, all of those horrors revealed themselves, and bared their teeth.

Dan Feng made the mistake of looking down. His eyes met with that of a deceased borison, its own lifeless eyes glazed over. Instantly, Dan Feng faltered.

The borison looked nothing but a Vidyadhara, but their eyes were the same. It might’ve been a different species, following a different Aeon, but the intelligence and sentience were the same. They were a person, just like anyone else. Just like you.

Only this one wouldn’t rebirth into a new life. No, this one was spoken for, done in by his spear. They would never live again.

The battle blurred around him as he spiraled deeper into his thoughts. He knew that realistically, it would never happen, but he couldn’t stop the thought from resurfacing in his mind.

What if one day, you ended up just like that borison?

Dan Feng shook his head, raising his spear just in time to block an attack from an enemy. No. It would never happen. He’d be there to protect you. The Cloud Knights would protect you. Xianzhou would protect you.

But what if they couldn’t?

“Dan Feng!” Jingliu’s shout snapped him out of his daze. Dan Feng clicked his tongue, irritated at his own absentmindedness. The battlefield was no place for distraction; he of all people should know this.

With a thrust of his hands, his dragons came to Jingliu’s aid, healing her wounds and fending off the borison attacking her.

He was being ridiculous, Dan Feng berated himself. The enemy was vastly overpowered. Their victory would come soon. And when it did, he would be able to come home, home to you.

And he did.

It was nighttime when he returned to the Luofu. You were just finishing up before bed, setting aside the fabrics you’d woven that day. Your former mentor had just checked in on you, making sure that you were doing alright before they went to sleep.

You heaved a heavy sigh to yourself, folding the final sheet before setting it on a shelf. Dan Feng and the others had been at war for months now.

“I wonder how they’re doing,” you muttered to yourself, closing your eyes. You knew they would be fine. Jingliu, Dan Feng, and every other member of the High Cloud Quintet were blessed with powers that you couldn’t even begin to imagine. The invading Denizens would be no match for them.

But still… You couldn’t help but worry.

What didn’t help was how obvious Dan Feng’s absence was. You often looked over your shoulder as you wove, as though expecting the young man to be standing there, watching. The night market didn’t feel the same without him being dragged around to every stall.

The lotus fields, with all their flowers and pads, seemed empty.

It was as though a hole had been ripped out of your heart, leaving only a dull ache.

The sound of your door opening startled you. You swiveled around, utterly confused. Just who would be here at this hour? Very few people had access to the key to your home. 

Perhaps one of the other weavers? Or perhaps your mentor again, worried that you weren’t getting enough sleep?

The answer was neither. A strangled whisper of your name, in such a familiar voice, cut through the night air like a knife. Tears welled in your eyes as you took in the sight of your best friend, finally home after so long.

“Feng’er?” you whispered. He nodded wordlessly, taking a few hesitant steps into your home.

You met him halfway, reaching up to hold his face delicately. Dan Feng closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a little sigh. His arm came to the small of your back, pulling you in as he buried his face into the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent.

“You’re late,” you murmured, brushing your hand through his hair. Dan Feng tightened his arms around you.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” you laughed, sniffling. “Do you know how worried you made me?”

Dan Feng pulled away from your neck, gazing into your eyes. His tail swayed, eventually circling around your waist. He gingerly held your chin between his thumb and index finger as though you’d break if he was any rougher with you.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, brows crinkling. Quickly, he wiped away your tears. Of all else, Dan Feng hated seeing you cry, and hated it even more if it was because of him. “I’m here now.”

You nodded tearfully. “And you’re not leaving, right?”

“Not for a while,” he promised. “Even the Abundance will need time to recover from the damage we did to them.”

“Good.” You held his face in your hands. “Because right now, you’re mine.”

“Is that so?” Dan Feng said softly. His eyes lingered on your lips, his lips slightly parted. “I’m yours, is that right?”

“Mhm.” You smiled as you felt him press your bodies impossibly closer together, one arm around your waist and the other behind your head. Your lips brushed against each other, your voice a whisper as you two danced on the edge. “Mine.”

A push from Dan Feng’s hand, and he sealed his lips with yours.

Immediately, you closed your eyes, savoring the taste of his kiss. His lips were soft, yet cool, like the touch of a river on a summer afternoon. He kissed you with a hidden desperation, years of pining and longing unleashing themselves in this torrent of affection. You almost couldn’t keep up with him, letting out a whimper as he tilted your face gently, deepening the kiss.

Even when you parted for air, it wasn’t long before Dan Feng greedily pulled you back in, addicted to the feeling of your lips on his. His hands wouldn’t stop wandering in a languid motion, slowly roaming all over you, from your waist to your back to your neck, and back to your waist again, squeezing every bit he could find.

By the time Dan Feng’s relentless assault ended, the two of you were breathless. Words failed to form on your tongue as you simply stared into Dan Feng’s eyes, trying to catch your breath.

Dan Feng pressed his forehead against yours, his horns bumping against you.

"You don't know how long I waited for that,” he whispered huskily. You let out a breathless chuckle, wrapping your arms around his neck and nuzzling his nose with yours.

“I think I did.”

The corners of Dan Feng’s eyes crinkled. You’ve never seen them so up close before. The colors reminded you of a stone in a river, with cool grey giving way to gorgeous teal.

And the way he looked at you made your heart melt - it’s so tender, so soft, so filled with love that you can practically feel how much he cares about you.

And you can only hope that he saw the same in your eyes.

“I love you,” he confessed, like it was a secret. But even still, him being able to say those three words made it worth more than anything in the world. “I’ve always loved you, ever since we were children.”

Joy bubbled up in your chest, and you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling. Your hand came to his scalp, bunching up his hair in your fingers.

“I love you too, you dork.” You pecked him on his nose, and then his forehead, laughing as he wrinkled his nose in response.

Reluctantly, you released him from your grasp, instead tugging his hand into your abode.

“It’s late already,” you explained. “The Preceptors won’t mind if you come home late, right?”

“They no longer control me,” Dan Feng affirmed. You grinned.

“That’s good.” You lead him into your bedroom, glancing over to make sure he was fine with it. “I don’t have a guest room, so are you alright with sharing a bed?”

Dan Feng flustered, but he nodded. “Th- That’s fine with me.”

You would learn that Dan Feng was incredibly clingy in bed. He practically enveloped you in his arms, tangling your legs together as he hugged your shoulders. His tail was conflicted - either thumping happily against the bed or wrapping around you like a possessive snake.

But it was worth all of it. You felt safe in Dan Feng’s embrace, loved. In his arms, you slept the most soundly you’ve ever slept. It was as though you had found your other half.

You truly felt blessed when you woke up to Dan Feng’s sleeping face, so serene and tranquil. And fortunately for the both of you, that wouldn’t be the last time you woke up next to the other.

━

But those happy days were not made to last.

There would be many more feats Dan Feng would accomplish as the High Elder. He would become one of the most prolific Vidyadhara ever, forever documenting his name in history books.

You two would eventually marry, sealing your love not just with those rings. It was a marriage in the palaces of Scalegorge Waterscape, only the best for the High Elder. All of your friends attended, Yingxing and Baiheng especially praising Dan Feng (and lamenting about how he of all people got married before they did). 

Jing Yuan had grown into a fine young man, his intellect and skill with the Lightning Lord being parallel to none. Yingxing was beginning to age, being a short-lived species. Jingliu had retired, aiming to end her days peacefully.

But as said before, that wasn’t what fate had planned for the quintet.

Jingliu would be driven mad with mara, her only solace being the blade of her former mentor. Baiheng would be missing in action. Yingxing would be killed long before his time, leaving Dan Feng in despair over losing three beloved friends so soon. 

Perhaps that is what drove him to do what he did.

“How could you?”

Dan Feng winced at the crack in your voice as you screamed at him. You were crying, angry tears streaming down your face.

“My love, please-”

“Do not call me that!” you snapped, making him flinch. “You don’t get to call me ‘my love’ after that. What were you thinking?!”

“It was the only way!” Dan Feng insisted.

“It was cruel,” you hissed. “You know that more than anyone here.”

“They stole them from me,” Dan Feng growled, his eyes flashing. “It wasn’t their time.”

“I know,” you whispered, your voice hoarse from crying and screaming. “I know it wasn’t. But you know what immortality will do to them, Feng’er. You know what the curse of Abundance does.”

Dan Feng averted his eyes guiltily. You wipe at your eyes hurriedly, taking big, gulping breaths to calm down.

“What did the Preceptors say?” you finally asked. Dan Feng’s gaze lowered, a shadow cast over his face. A pit dropped in your stomach.

“They’re waiting outside,” he revealed. “I’m to be taken to the Shackling Prison, and forced into rebirth. They only let me be here to say goodbye.”

It was as though an anvil had been dropped on you, crushing you.

“No.”

It was the only thing you could muster out. You shook your head in disbelief.

“No. No, no, no!” you croaked out. “They can’t do that. Not to you.”

Ironic, how only a few minutes prior you were berating Dan Feng as though your life depended on it. Now, you were pleading for him to be forgiven, for a lighter sentence to be dealt out. Because for a Vidyadhara, a forced rebirth was practically the same as a death sentence.

“Isn’t there another way?”

Dan Feng shook his head, taking your arms in his hands.

“I’m afraid not. This is the only way the public will forgive my sins.”

He took a deep breath.

“Please, my love,” he begged quietly. “Look at me.”

You did.

“You have to be strong,” said Dan Feng, cradling your face one last time. “Promise me that you’ll be alright, even after I am reborn.”

You shook your head. “Feng’er, please.”

“Promise me,” he urged.

“I…” You faltered. “I promise.”

Dan Feng smiled sadly - the last smile you’d ever see from your husband.

“Thank you.” He pressed a sweet kiss to your lips, a kiss to last you the lifetimes he wouldn’t be at your side. “I love you, [Name]. And I’m sorry for being such a selfish husband.”

You closed your eyes, savoring him for the last time. Silently, you told him your forgiveness.

“I love you too, Dan Feng.”

That was the day the love of your life died.

━

Centuries have passed since then.

You’re still weaving, now taking care of your rebirthed mentors as they had cared for you. There are children under your wing now, hoping to learn your craft and one day start a business of their own.

You still keep in touch with Jing Yuan, the general visiting your farm every so often. Each time, you offer him a taste of the lotus seeds Dan Feng loved, but each time, he refuses.

Yingxing has become the Stellaron Hunter Blade, cursed with immortality and the mara that comes with it. If he remembered you, he never showed it.

The Ambrosial Arbor, reawakened by the Denizens of Abundance, runs rampant, threatening the existence of the Luofu itself. You hear from friends that Jing Yuan had enlisted a group of outworlders - the Astral Express - to help him with the crisis.

And now, those very outworlders were standing outside your door.

“Par-” Jing Yuan coughed, cutting himself off. “Pardon the intrusion, [Name].”

He was currently being held by a young Vidyadhara, one that… Your breath hitched.

One that looked almost identical to Dan Feng.

Your lover’s lookalike noticed your gaze at him. The second you met eyes, he seemed to know exactly what was going through your mind.

“...I’m not him.” He repeated this sentence for the nth time today.

You smiled sadly.

“I know.”

You turned to Jing Yuan, taking in the general’s sorry state. The outworlders, a young girl with pink hair, an older brunette man, and a grey-haired teenager all seemed to be in similar shape, although definitely better than the general.

You stepped aside. “Why don’t you all come in? It’s been a while since I’ve had company.”

“Thank you.” The brunette, who you would later come to know as Welt, thanked.

As you turned away, Dan Feng’s reincarnation noticed a jade ring on your finger, recognizing it as the one he had woken up in.

“That’s…”

You hummed, raising your hand. You’ve never taken it off, not even when Dan Feng was reborn.

“You recognize it,” you mused. “I suppose that means he still has it?”

The reincarnation hesitated, but nodded. You smiled.

“That’s good. Say, what’s your name, little one?”

“Dan Heng,” he answered.

 “It’s a good name.” You stepped away for a moment to the kitchen. “I apologize; the tea may take a while. I wasn’t expecting guests.”

“It’s no matter,” Jing Yuan assured.

And as you served tea to the Astral Express, you couldn’t help but notice: five people, seated around a table, enjoying tea. Just like a scene hundreds of years ago.

You chuckle to yourself, a carved lotus glimmering in the light on your ring.

reblogs w comments are appreciated !!

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝓛𝓪𝓬𝓻𝔂𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓪 𝓞𝓵𝓸𝓻 [Final]

It's time.

Tags/Warnings: Alien!Jungkook, Human!Reader, Size difference, sci-fi, Romance, strangers to lovers, fluff, suggestive, smut, unprotected because this is alien fantasy, kinda creampie idk

Length: 5.5k words

There is no taglist for this fic.

-> Masterlist

A/N: I hate how it turned out but you all always beg me to finish my shit so here you go.

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Jungkook watches fondly from the large windows of his main office at the castle how you feed the still unsteady animal out in the large gardens where it's home is placed, while Hoseok, one of his closest guards and advisors, watches you from close by. 

The man has been tasked to basically watch over you when the king himself can't, and he takes his job very seriously, visibly- much to Jungkook’s approval. 

"I heard that she was crying last night." Namjoon says, walking up behind the king who nods. 

"Bitterly so." He admits, remembering the incident from hours prior when you'd sat close to the being as it passed, Jungkook offering you silent comfort. He wasn't sure why you were so upset- and why you even demanded to stay even though the situation had caused you so much distress. "She cared a lot for a being she used to be afraid of." He says. 

Last night, Ikkan rebirthed. You had given the Is'oi a name after asking Namjoon for help to choose an appropriate one- settling for one that means 'deep blue' in native language. You had just gone out to 'say goodnight' to the being you'd played around with the entire day, just to call out Jungkook's name in clear distress, causing the King to instantly rush to you, fearing something might've happened. But instead, he found you, on your knees in front of the being you used to be so wary of- it's body clearly stiffening now in it's laying position, head barely moving anymore as it's eyes watched you with fondness. The glow had dimmed significantly, as the first scales fell from it's body, rotting like a flower that wilts away as it reached it's end. 

He'd told you, reminded you that the being will be reborn tonight as well- but you still did not stop crying as you ran your hand over their head, offering comfort for what usually is left to the quiet of night. But Jungkook could not bring himself to tell you to leave, couldn't take that moment from you- going against his own culture to instead stay that night, watching the whole process for the first time as well. 

And he could've sworn, he heard the large being purr, leaning against you as they rested their head in your lap, falling asleep one last time before Ikkan's chest no longer moved. And then, with no life left, they began to wilt away, body falling apart as they dissipated into nothing but ashes it looked like. 

Until something moved. 

Your eyes were wide as you watched the small, still somewhat blind being cry out into the night- but this time, their cries were being answered by a kind hand reaching out, softly brushing away the remnants of their last life. And Jungkook had felt a certain sense of pain in his heart he could not describe as you showed just how nurturing you are to things not even remotely resembling your own kind. 

How would you be as a mother? 

"She's a kind one." Namjoon agrees, pulling him out of his thoughts and memories. "Maybe a bit too kind." The advisor and doctor worries a bit. 

"That won't be an issue." Jungkook shakes his head. "She's got me at her side." He exclaims, gaze softening quite a bit as you hold the bottle of nutrient feed up for the young rebirthed being to drink from. He's almost a bit jealous- you're spending a lot of time outside now, far away from him. He'll walk down to you soon though, wondering how you can not be cold with just your regular gowns on your body. 

You're fragile. You get sick so easily. 

"And yet there is no true claim on her yet." His friend teases, making Jungkook turn his head to glare at him. "You cannot be mad at me for pointing it out. It's painfully obvious to everyone- in fact, there's rumours already spreading." He says, and that catches Jungkook's full attention now. He doesn't like people talking negatively about you. You don't deserve to be spoken down to, especially not as a future queen, once he brings you officially into that job. 

"And what, pray tell, are those rumours about?" He asks, eyes sharpening. 

"That she is incapable of.. providing you." Namjoon teases, and Jungkook sighs, shaking his head as he crosses his arms, watching you in the gardens again instead. "How come? You had been very quick to connect with Hana." He asks, and Jungkook's gaze hardens. 

"Because she practically demanded it." He growls. "It was necessary for her.. happiness, or at least that's what I believed, back then." He lowly says. 

"And she does not want it?" Namjoon wonders. "Curious. Even though humans are such intimate creatures." he hums, standing next to Jungkook again. 

"Oh she does. It's very clear in her behaviour." Jungkook almost smirks. "Her body is calling out to me almost every night." He admits. 

"So?" His friend asks. "Why not take her then?" He questions, before he notices the deep thought in Jungkook's face. "You're worried." 

"I am." The king admits. 

"About what?" Namjoon wonders. 

"I believe it is clear what I could possibly worry about, Namjoon." He says, looking at his friend. "You as a man with medical knowledge should know that more than anyone. Or are you not familiar with human anatomy compared to ours?" He almost teases, making Namjoon laugh. 

"Oh I am aware!" He laughs. "Which is why I can tell you, that she will be just fine." He reassures. 

"I was too much for even Hana." He reminds his friend. "Which is most likely why she searched for.. satisfaction somewhere else." He mumbles lowly to himself, averting his gaze. 

"So you'll give up before even trying?" Namjoon clicks his tongue. "Ah well. I may be able to ask Jimin if he's up for the job then. Considering how humans connect love with intercourse-" He starts, making Jungkook instantly move to grab his arm, twisting it around as he backs Namjoon into a wall. 

"You will not even think about such a thing." He growls. 

"Then what?" Namjoon challenges. "You'll just leaver her lonely? Put your new love on the line just because you're a coward?" He asks, making Jungkook clench his jaw, eyes glowing for a second while his veins darken underneath his skin. 

But he behaves himself, forces control, and lets go of Namjoon. 

"You're right." He settles himself. "I should not.. think of her so lowly." He sighs, swallowing down his bubbling rage. 

"Talk to her." Namjoon says gently. "I'm sure she'll understand where you're coming from if you just explain it to her." 

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"Breathtaking." Jungkook comments, as you turn your heads while the maids bow at him, who leans against the doorframe, watching them help you dress and connect the chains over your body with decorative pliers. The chains hold jewels that sound like a windchime almost, a sound you've come to enjoy a lot. 

As soon as the maids are done, they walk out, looking very much caught off guard and even quite shy at the soft 'thank you' Jungkook offers them as they pass him, something that's not common in his culture. As soon as the door closes, he walks towards you with a gentle smile, his own clothes looking expensive, and official. "You look just like the queen you are." He muses, and you laugh. 

"About to be." You correct him, leaning into the hand on your cheek. "I'm a bit nervous." You admit, and he smirks. 

"You are very nervous, my dear. Not just 'a bit'." He corrects as well, and your shoulders slump down as you admit defeat. "Do not worry. I'm there, and the people are already very fond of you and the changes you brought." He admits. 

"Changes?" You wonder. "But I've done nothing." You ask him, confused. 

"You did." He nods. "You changed me. And with that, you changed the way I rule this kingdom." He explains, as he adjusts your dress for you, fingers tracing the delicate jewelry decorating your body. 

"What if they think you're weak now?" You worry instantly, and he shakes his head, smile never leaving his lips. 

"They do not." He shakes his head. "A King is strongest with his people's trust placed in him. You'll see what I mean later." He offers, before he makes sure to adjust the soft pelt around your shoulders now to keep you warm. 

As you both make your way through the halls, you wonder. You've never actually been in the town surrounding the castle grounds, only ever saw some of the outskirts and farmlands from afar. But today, you'll make your way into town- to show yourself to the people, your first official 'showing', as Jungkook had explained. It's a first- even with Hana, he's never shown her publicly like this. But with you, he wants to make that step. 

He's serious about you, and your future. He's proving that today. 

And the first glimpses of the town makes you realize what Jungkook had been talking about- because as soon as he's visibly to the people, they smile, wave, children run to him with opened palms as if to wait to receive something. And Jungkook does give something- his own hand brushing over their palms, a gesture that makes them smile and laugh in excitement. "It's a blessing." Hoseok mumbles from your other side, the man keeping his hand on his sword at his belt. "So that their work will always be fruitful." He explains, and you listen to it at full attention, when Jungkook laughs next to you, making you look at him- his eyes looking down at something. 

Two children, young boys looking at you with dark red eyes and cat-like pupils similar to Jungkook's, hands opened towards you. You're a bit lost now, unsure what to do- so the king next to you takes your hand in his, and offers you guidance in how to do it- your fingers running over the warm palms of the two kids, who grin and laugh happily, before running back to their parents in the crowd gathered on the sides. 

You repeat this action time after time, growing more comfortable and mostly confident in yourself the more you walk around in town, letting Jungkook explain to you where he grew up, showing you taverns and other places he remembers visiting often. It makes you remember that at some point, Jungkook was not considered royalty at all- just a regular young man, a boy, a child at some point, nothing out of the ordinary. And now, he's done what he said he would- he challenged the king, took the throne, and changed the ways that used to be the norm. Not just by taking you as his partner- but also in other ways. 

As you sit in one of the bigger taverns, you can't help but watch with a constant smile how the people celebrate Jungkook almost, dancing around and drinking, though the King seems to stay away from the alcohol, for a reason you're not sure of. "Can she drink?" A young man asks, setting down another pitcher with water onto your table you sit at. "I apologize, I don't know much about humans." He apologizes. 

"She can, but she shall not tonight." Jungkook answers for you. "I'd hate for her to too intoxicated to survive the way home." He chuckles, making everyone laugh, including you. You already know that you can't handle any of the liquor on this planet- something you realized way before you even met Jungkook in the first place. 

"Oh, then I won't offer any!" The man says, bowing politely before he leaves you be. Jungkook keeps his arm around you, always makes sure that you're comfortable, noticing how the trip is taking a toll on you. For him, this isn't stressful at all- but you have a lot less energy than him to spend. So he's not surprised when he notices you trying to hide your yawns multiple times as soon as it gets dark outside, eyes growing heavy as you listen to the music played. 

"You are so bewitching, you know that?" Jungkook teases, causing you to force yourself more awake again, looking at him in question. "I can sense the... nature of the gazes on you." He offers, a hand moving some of your hair out of your face. 

"How fortunate for you that I'm not going home with any of them, then." You say, making him laugh openly. 

"You're very right on that." He agrees. "And I believe we should head back now." Jungkook says, making you shake your head though. 

"No, just a little longer." You complain, causing the king to chuckle. 

"You are literally on the very edge of sleep, darling." He teases. "And I do not feel comfortable with having you in such a vulnerable state outside the castle walls, in front of people who should not see you that way." He gently says, nodding towards Hoseok to gather all the guards and knights to prepare for the journey back home. And god, does the way home drag. 

You're barely able to somewhat make it back into the entrance hall of the large castle structure when Jungkook finally offers his help, carrying you up the stairs to the bedroom he shares with you. "You are so very fragile, my love." He teases you with a smile, helping you out of your jewelry and dress while you're almost falling asleep. "Did you enjoy it?" 

"I did." You smile. "It was.. really fun. Even though I didn't really know what to do most of the time.." You mumble while Jungkook unravels your dress to help you out of it. 

"You did great nonetheless." He reassures you, placing a kiss to your cheek. "You deserve to rest now." 

And rest you do- falling asleep before he can even come to bed himself. 

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The next day when you wake up and stretch your limbs, it's already way past the morning hours. A window is opened, letting in fresh air, familiar sharp crow sounds of the large predatory birds outside by now no longer a cause of fear for you. It's as if they've become familiar with you now- no longer trying to feast on you, instead only sometimes curiously poking their heads inside the room to observe you. 

"You slept for ages." Jungkook chuckles next to you, making you turn in surprise. Usually, the king is gone before you wake up- it's unusual to have him beside you like this, eyes still wary from his own rest. 

"It was a pretty eventful day yesterday." You defend yourself, and he nods, moving forward to kiss your lips. It's a gentle gesture, oddly slow, as if he's putting a lot of thought into it. "How come you're still in bed?" You ask, and he watches you for a moment, before he answers. 

"I've been thinking." He admits, head leaning on his palm, elbow pushed into the bed below. His upper body is bare as usual in bed- but it's still a rather rare sight for you considering you typically don't spend moments like these together often. "About us. And our.. differences." He hums, while your eyes notice the scars he has- one of them right on top of his shoulder. 

"Oh." You nod, unsure what he means. 

"These past few days.. even longer than that.. there's been tension, hasn't it?" He asks, reaching out to move some hair from your face. "Sexual in nature, that is." He explains further, and you nod, eyes no longer able to stand his gaze now as you become a bit shy. Of course he’s able to speak about it a lot more open and boldly than you ever would be able to. 

"I uhm.. yeah." You nod, remembering that moment you almost went that far- but he's never done anything further than playing around with you. "Is there.. a problem?" You ask, and he waits for a moment to answer. 

"I'm not sure." He admits. "I have spoken to Namjoon about our obvious differences. And if we could make it work." He tells you. "But I'm worried nonetheless. I don't want to hurt you- but I am also aware of your growing frustration with me." He offers. 

"I- its not like that!" You defend yourself immediately. "If you don't want to, you know, have sex with me, that's fine. I don't need it to be happy with you." You reassure him, and he smiles kindly. 

"I know." He nods. "But do trust me that my lust for you is very real, and unbearable these days." He admits. "Even right now." 

At that, you move, boldly so, seemingly catching even him off guard as he holds your waist, while you sit on his thighs. His gaze is heated, red in his eyes clearly telling you how much his control is challenged in this moment, as you place your hands on his abdomen. "Then what if you just trust me instead?" You wonder, while he watches you. "Give up control for once?" You ask. 

"And you believe you can control a king?" He asks, challenges almost, as he very obviously stirs to live inside his underwear. "Very bold words." He smiles, though his worry does not leave his eyes at all as it returns full force, face becoming serious again. 

"What's the problem?" You ask, feeling his hands run over your skin to your legs. "What are you so scared of?" You press, and he sighs. 

"Hurting you." He reveals. "Losing you." 

"Why would you lose me?" You ask, unsure. 

"Because humans connect love with physical intimacy." He says. "And so does my kind. It's an important part of a partnership, and if I fail at providing you with the appropriate attention you deserve, I fear that I'm not valuable enough as a lover to you." He admits. 

"Even if we can't have sex, I'll still stay with you." You shake your head, moving to sit next to him now, hand reaching out to hold his. "Love is more than just that to me. And I love you." You argue. "No matter your strength, or your status, or your worth. You've got worth to me no matter what." You confess. 

And at that confession, he breaks. 

The moment he sits up to lean closer to you to be able to kiss you with a hand on your cheek, you know that he won't stop this time. "You're so dangerous." He growls, hands uncaring of the fabric covering you as he pulls the gown over your head, revealing your almost entirely bare body to him.  

It's time, and he knows it. 

You've become much more to him than just a partner- you've become a lifeline, a reason to think over his challenges and dangers he faces in the choices he makes, just so he can stay alive and at your side. He would burn down the world for you, if it meant that it would keep you safe from all harm. 

His kisses are heated, desperate, quite literally stealing your breath as he moves to mouth and bite at the skin of your neck and shoulder. He's noticeably not a gentle lover- he wants to make sure that his love is visible on your skin, needs to see the remnants of his lust for days to come. And with his control finally snapping, he will not hold back- he will test your strength for a final time, and devour you whole. 

He wants to watch you bloom- wants to see your petals open to reveal the most beautiful flower created by simple chance on a planet so far away from his own. And yet, this flower was meant for him- to be kept forever, to have it plant it's roots into his heart so it can feed off his love until he dies and cannot provide any longer. 

Only then he will set you free again. Only then will he accept defeat. 

Your back arches into him as his hands adjust your position, laying you down once more beneath him, pulling off your underwear to reveal everything, soiled fabric thrown carelessly away. He's played around with you before, that's how far you've come at this point- but never quite past that. Something always kept him from giving you what you were yearning for- but this time, he's granting you your wish. 

When he met you, truly face to face, it had been nothing but pure curiosity. He wanted to see what's so special about the human kind that others have such drastically varying opinions on them. Why one seems to fear them, while the other hates them. 

He does neither. 

You're not a being he has to fear, neither physically nor emotionally.  

When you say you love him you mean it. When you're close to him you simply crave his company. When you ask him how he feels you're genuinely interested in his emotions. You've always been nothing but open and honest with him, had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. And yet even when given full freedom to do as you please and leave him if you wanted to, you stayed. Because you wanted to. 

No words are exchanged as he sheds his clothes as well, leaving both of you bare beneath the silk covers of the bed you two share. "Are you cold, darling?" He asks, whispers almost with how close he is, in a way that gives away his amusement over your squirming body underneath his hands. You shake your head. He grins. "No?" He asks for you to confirm, and you do. "And yet your body is trembling. I wonder why.." He hums over your skin. 

"Because you're torturing me!" You whine in complaint, turning to the side- something he does not approve of, as he grabs your hips to instead turn you over entirely, a strange tenderness in his rather rough manner of handling you into a new position. Like a predator warning, growling down your neck, but never slipping in his control, never actually making the kill. "You know, usually, this is how I'd take you.." He explains, and you push back into him at that, impatient, or maybe even quietly begging. You really don't care how he does it. Just that he does it. "..but I cannot. Not with you." He tells you, kissing the line of your spine from your neck down, before he lets you turn over once move to face him. 

"Why not?" You ask, and he simply smiles, hands running down your sides until they meet your hips. 

"Because I cannot see your face." He simply answers, before he leans over you to kiss you again. By now, it's evident that without even touching you, you're more than ready to take him on, body inviting him in every way it can- and this time, he can't hold back even if he wanted to. 

You've waited long enough. 

"And I want to savour this experience, and all that you'll offer me." He hums against your skin. "...as I claim you as mine for now and forever."

You're not used to.. sex being this big of a deal. But it's obvious to you that Jungkook sees this as more than just an act of simple lust and satisfaction, if the way he kisses down your chest to your belly button is anything to go by. He didn't lie when he said he'd savour it- he's going terribly slow.  

"Jungkook please... I want you.. " you beg, and he smirks like the predator he is, faking innocence.  

"Oh but you have me right here, my love?" He says, leaning his head on the bare skin of your hip for a second. "I'm not going anywhere." He teases.  

Well- that's the problem. 

"I want you to focus just on yourself." He suddenly says rather seriously. "No matter what." He adds, and you nod, unsure what he means by this. Satisfied by your answer however he moves back up, hovering over you while his hand feels you up between your legs. You're more than ready by now, inner thighs slick with your arousal, and it makes his already leaking length move a little at the feel of it all. Could you handle him if he really was to let go and chase his own pleasure?  

Will you handle him in any way at all?  

You're not her, and he reminds himself of that as he pushes himself inside your body, core warm and welcoming towards him despite the obvious stretch you have to go through to accommodate him. He's worried you might not be able to transform enough- but you surprise him, as you always do.  

Inch by inch he slowly claims your body, waiting for the sign to stop- but you seem rather eager to take him in, never showing signs of discomfort at all. In fact, you look rather pleased- eyes closed, head laid back into the soft pillows below, hands holding his. He can see the slight bulge forming on your lower stomach, showing faintly where he is, and it makes him lust for you in ways that make him worry he might be going feral.  

He's pressing himself against you now, wet sound escaping your cunt as he realizes there's nothing left of him to give you, your eyes hooded just like his as he slowly retracts himself, just to enter you again much faster than before.  

The gasp that leaves him can't be controlled. Neither do you hide your own reaction, mouth opening silently in pleasure as you arch your back.  

He wants to see it again, so he moves his hips once more, once more, steady pace, causing your body to rock along, chest swaying as if to hypnotize the king. There's no need for foul play like that however- he's already under your spell, no need for any kind of assistance.  

"Your body was truly made for me.." he whispers into your neck as he continues his pace, holding himself back from snapping, keeping your well-being in mind.  

"Please-" you whine breathlessly, and he eagerly leans in to kiss your neck, bite at it, mark you up for days to come.  

"What is it you want?" He asks just as faintly, never losing track of his pace.  

"Don't hold back." You say, eyes meeting his own. "Take me, my King."

"I'm yours."  

He can't help the way his patience snaps, thrusts now deeper than ever as he pushes himself as far as he can with every move of his hips, kisses heated, burning, forever imprinting his love on you as he presses his hands into the bed below you, pace quickening. "I'll make the entire kingdom know." He growls against your lips as his hips snap against yours I'm a ruthless manner. "I'll have them all hear you come undone under my hand, just so they know-" He presses out between clenched teeth. "That you're mine, and that I'm yours."  

Your legs move to wrap around his body as best as you can manage, your hands on his back as they accidentally scratch his skin faintly, his own hands grabbing roughly at your flesh to keep you still as he ruts into you, for the first time actually chasing his own release.  

He need to fill you up, have his seed forever mark you up with his scent until it spills out of you. He's desperate at the prospect of finally gaining fulfillment in a way he's not managed to achieve before- a kind of high currently blurring up his thoughts as he feels himself getting lost in the scent and taste and feeling of your body.  

You're a drug, and he's happily willingly getting addicted.  

Your legs suddenly quiver as you find your own peak way sooner than he does, and he doesn't mind one bit seeing you come undone beneath him like this. A goddess in his eyes, gracing him with a heavenly touch, as he slows down, and slips out to see your core gaping from the stretch, clenching around nothing.  

But you're not done with him, as he gets a taste of what you're capable of in the eyes of lust.  

Your hands pull his face back towards you, your kiss a siren song clouding his mind once more as he falls into your spell, chasing his own high like a man starving.  

And he is. He has been for way too long.  

The moment he actually reaches his end you move your hand between the both of you to help yourself to another high as well, clenching core making him groan out in pure pleasure as he spills his seed into you, much of it already leaking out your core as you lazily move to milk him for all he's got.  

His eyes have never looked so vibrant in color as he looks at you, visibly stunned.  

And as you smile, no trace of any sort of doubt or anything other than pure and passionate love, he realizes you've finally bloomed.  

Your bond falling into place, silently, as he kisses you once more.  

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"Come here, love." Jungkook says one day, as you walk into the throne room, nodding politely to Min Yoongi- who you know by now from the scar over his eye and rather withdrawn attitude. You're not sure why he's here- but if the King feels comfortable with his presence, you trust that he is no threat to you or him at all in this situation. Jungkook has got his back turned towards you for a good while, before he turns, something held in his arms covered by cloth and golden jewels. "It is a gift from him to you." He says, as you move the delicate cloth of whatever he's holding in his arms, satin with finely woven golden patterns.  

The small being opens its eyes slowly, before it raises its head- dog like creature visibly studying your face as Min Yoongi speaks.  

"It is a gift sent with the most well wishes from my betrothed." He clarifies, as the white dog like being moves his head to inspect your hand held out to him, it’s fur so short that it feels more like velvet than anything else.  You’re mesmerized by the puppy, before Yoongi looks almost annoyed. "...and it has also been.. Sent from me as well." he mumbles, as if he's forced to admit that part. "His name shall be for you to choose." 

Jungkook laughs to himself as he sets the small being down, the white and lanky body shaking before it sniffs at your legs, tail wagging wildly. The young puppy is obviously still rather unsteady on his long legs, but he appears to figure out quickly that you're his main person from now on.  

"Thank you." You tell the rather grumpy looking King with a smile, and you could swear he even returns it-  

somewhat.  

"He'll grow into a proper guard if well trained." Yoongi explains with his gaze set on Jungkook, who nods. "...That is not just a statement." He mumbles, and Jungkook rolls his eyes.  

"I am aware." He bites back, and you can't help but smile at their brotherly bantering, long having gotten used to their more rough way of speaking to one another. Just like you've grown used to a lot of things on this planet-  

after all, you consider this home by now.  

◇━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◇ 

"Etka!" You call, as the dog like being runs on fast legs towards you, broad collar decorated with gems as he finds his place next to you, eagerly accepting your praise and affection.  

He's grown a lot these past few months- almost to full height, according to Jungkook. The haatra has his place in front of your shared quarters where he sleeps every night, guarding you both at your most vulnerable states.  

"Min Yoongi has invited us to the showing ceremony of his to-be queen." Jungkook says as you enter the bedroom after saying goodnight to your newest guardian outside the bedroom door.  

"I'm happy for him." You say, joining him to sit on his lap at the table near the window. "He sounded very happy last time we spoke."  

"He did not sound any different than usual to me, love." He shakes his head a little, before he leans in to kiss you. "But enough about him.. I have a different thing I'd like to indulge in than chatter about my brother." He offers you, who teasingly leans away from him, eyes falling to his lips.  

"Oh? I wonder what that might be.." you mumble, as he adjusts your position a bit, hands shamelessly traveling beneath your gown to feel the warmth of your skin. 

"Something that has no need for talking at all.." he hums against your lips, eyes hungry as he lusts for you with clear intentions.  

"And yet you surely won't be quiet." 

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hello !

Could you please write some headcanons with Alastor and m!reader as his S/O , where reader is a fallen seraphim / ex - seraphim?

Thank you in advance !

Hmmm! Okay! I actually wanted Alastor discovering his partner is a Fallen Angel for a while now. I can imagine what would happen… but uh, anyway. Let’s try this out, shall we? Alastor is now my primary Hazbin Hotel man, which I don’t mind! I love this man!

Alastor- Lies and Deception

Why… why would you lie?! Why did you lie?! Why did… Alastor can barely process what he just learnt. His beloved partner, his cute sweetie. A affectionate polite man, you. You’re not a demon at all, you’re an angel and you were a high-level angel as well. Charlie isn’t the only one who finds out her partner is a angel, Alastor did too

“A-Al! I can explain… I just—” “Save it, Leitore. I don’t want to hear from you” and with that, Alastor goes back down to Hell. Not hearing you out, despite when you try to explain yourself. It hurts your soul seeing your boyfriend, now, so closed-off, cold and disinterested

Alastor refuses to talk to you and when he does, he is quite passive-aggressive but yet, he can’t bring himself to be insulting. He is more business than emotions and comes off as very apathetic. It’s just because he doesn’t know how to act around you anymore with this grand discovery drilled into his head

He avoids you like the plague after the incident in Heaven and Adam revealing both you and Vaggie’s angelic origins to the Group

Alastor had ended up just like Charlie. Both him and Charlie are struggling with learning that their partner lied to them and hid their true selves for so long. Unlike Charlie, who vents to Alastor about Vaggie all the way to the Cannibal Colony, Alastor tries to not focus on you… he doesn’t want a reminder

However, he is eventually talked into trying to make it up with you by his dear friend, Rosie. She reminds him that you’re his lover and that he can’t just shut you out over you not trusting Alastor to not throw you out if you told him the truth… oh, Alastor could kiss Rosie right now! But, he can’t. He needs to make up with you after the weeks he’s spent ignoring you

Like Charlie, Alastor brings over a little gift. Surprised to find out that you’ve gotten back your angel wings after so long of merely looking like an average sinner. Three feathery sets, they are gorgeous and they make your eyes pop. Alastor may not like that his lover is an Angel and he’s a true Demon but that shouldn’t keep you two apart… and after Rosie’s talk, it won’t

After quite the long private talk with you and much forgiveness and acceptance and promising, Alastor is once again, by your side and holding your hand. He was harsh in the past about what he considered a betrayal but he has heard your side of it and forgiven you for lying to him. Not everybody is perfect

Alastor may or may not play with your reborn and re-gained angel wings when he is bored or waiting. You’re always right next to him so he’ll just run sharp long clawed fingers through the gentle feathers and be enamoured by how incredible it feels. Alastor also may just take an nap on your back with how comfortable those wings of yours are

Alastor is your sweet devil, a truly corrupted evil monster but he has an opposite in the man you are, a more pacifistic and harmless soul. Just like Charlie and Vaggie but swapped, you and Alastor are the higher-up Angel-Demon gay couple. Alastor is unredeemable and won’t be going to Heaven whilst you, a being of Heaven, is stuck down here in Hell

Alastor much prefers you stay in your original look but now, that also includes the Seraphim wings. Just keep them out of the way whilst you walk and Alastor is completely content with it. He just has to get use to having an angel in the Hotel… he has to get use to having TWO angels in the Hotel

Trust me, Alastor won’t ask about life as a Seraphim in Heaven. He doesn’t even care about it, he doesn’t care what dropped you into Hell. He only cares that you’re in Hell and that you’ll stay in Hell, stay with him. That’s all he’ll ever ask, but if you want to talk about your past in Heaven, he is all ears

Alastor, also, may not be perfect but he is doing his best to accept the reality that you had to lie to him and now that, you’re both cleared it up with one another. Now, you can be 100% honest with each other

Alastor is encouraging to you, encouraging you to let out your angelic origins and not be frightened by all the Sinners. Everybody in the Hotel knows you and Vaggie are from Heaven, just embrace it. He is embracing it one step at a time

“Oh… darling. I know I was quite harsh to you. I was just upset, I thought the man I loved was against me and I was trying to kill me from the inside. I understand you didn’t want to tell me and that’s okay… we’ll get through this little bump together”

[gojoidyll]

Infinity

Yandere ! Gojo Satoru x Female ! Reader

Part 11 | new life, new beginning, new death

Summary | And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you.

Infinity Masterlist

For centuries, a battle between Gojo and Sukuna raged on all because of one soul, one girl, one person who kept coming back.

In some lives, Sukuna would have her sitting prettily on his lap, one of his four hands running through her hair as the two would enjoy the peaceful silence that nature had to offer. Not a single soul or cursed spirit bothering them.

However, in most lives, y/n would be living again and again with Gojo. Their hands always intertwining as they would meet each other, become friends, die a tragic death, and then be reborn again, again, and again.

Though, the silent battle for her that both Gojo and Sukuna were holding came to a standstill when Sukuna was sealed away and turned into a cursed object. His power being split between his twenty fingers. When this happened Gojo couldn’t have been happier. Finally, Sukuna would not interfere. At least, that was the plan as he and y/n died again, and their souls were reborn in present time.

GOJO SATORU yawned loudly as he fell back into his chair, his eyes staring up at the ceiling as a bored expression crossed his features. His blindfold lying uselessly across his desk.

This was the first life he ever lived in such a modern world. This was the first life he lived where he felt so much power course through him. This was the first life he lived at the age of 28 that he has yet to meet y/n.

Though, he blames himself for that. Mainly because he didn’t receive his past memories until late in his teens right after he got stabbed by Toji Fushiguro.

But even after I got my past memories back, I still haven’t met y/n. Where could she be? Is it possible that she hasn’t been born yet?

He crinkled his nose at that. That would be a pain if that’s the case.

But what was also a pain was Itadori Yuji. One of the new first years and someone who is now the vessel for Ryomen Sukuna. The King of Curses hasn’t mentioned anything about y/n yet, but Gojo knew that the conversation was bound to happen sooner or later. A shame that Itadori would be in the crossfire.

No matter, as long as Itadori can keep a hold on the King of Curses, then when Gojo finally finds y/n, Sukuna shouldn’t be a problem at all.

A knock on the door was quick to break him out of his thoughts. His eyes narrowed drastically when he felt Yaga’s presence behind the door along with someone else.

“What now,” he muttered.

Grabbing his blindfold, he was quick to put it on while also plastering a goofy smile on his face. (He thought feigning happiness would be easier than being grumpy despite him still being unhappy about not knowing where y/n is.)

“What’s up principal? It’s not everyday you come to meet me in my office.”

“I knew you wouldn’t bother coming to the meeting today, I brought them here.”

“Meeting? Bringing someone?”

Principal Yaga sighed, “and of course you weren’t listening… Gojo. I clearly said that you would be in charge of showing the new teacher around. She’s new and graduated a few years ago from a different school. What made her choose to come here as a teacher, I don’t know. But I hope you will at least show her around before letting her loose.”

Gojo waved his hand dismissively, “sure, sure. I’ll show her around.”

Principal Yaga turned slightly to the person standing a little away, “This is Gojo Satoru, he’ll be showing you around. Hopefully, though, you won’t have to deal with him much after today.”

“Rude,” Gojo said with a smile.

“Thank you Principal Yaga.”

The moment he heard her voice, an electric jolt went right through Gojo’s spine causing him to stand up a little straight, the smile on his lips falling as his mouth opened slightly.

No way.

“Hello, Gojo. My name is L/n Y/n. I hope we can be great friends!”

Thank you so much for coming to me yourself.

“It’s nice to meet you miss L/n, I hope we can be great friends too.”

He held out his hand to her, to which she gladly took with a smile on her face.

Over the many lives he lived, Gojo knew that rushing things would lead to Y/n dying, hating him, or something a bit more sinister happening. Slow and steady was always the way to go. Besides, as long as he was here, then he was sure that everything was going to work out this time.

He was the strongest now, after all.

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[joonipertree]

How Mikey Loves and Proposes

Okay so some of my headcanons for him align with my beliefs however I am very particular about characterisation so I'm gonna keep it balanced.

Genuinely i think Mikey does not need the paperwork, the title or official testimonies to consider himself your husband. Once he has sort of outgrown 'boyfriend', like maybe he's in his mid to late 20s, he wants a new title because boyfriend was very highschool.

Imagine every single thing a couple could be, it has been done. Shared apartments, pets, joint bank accounts. I genuinely think because of how devoted Mikey is with his people, he would be just as devoted to his partner.

He is a people person, he finds his people and he keeps them close to his chest no matter what happens. He has forgiven his people for the unforgiveable. Very very ride or die type of person. So out of everyone, he is devoted and loyal.

I will say, in cases of fucked up timelines...chances are he would either keep you at an arm's length, push you away and disappear or just be cold. He does this because he considers himself a danger. I don't care if he has hurt his friends, I dont care about dark impulses, that man would never lay a hand on you. Dark impulses are strong, his love for you is stronger.

If he does run away, he will never look at another person ever again. Loyal as fuck.

But we are talking about final timeline so LETS GO.

At some point, he just wants matching wedding rings, he just wants people to look at you and then look at your left ring finger and be like 'oh fuck, they're taken'. You're already his, ya'll probably have matching bracelets or necklaces that he bought with his very first paycheck. But he really craves that moment where you call him 'husband'.

He probably felt connected to you in an everlasting sense from the moment ya'll started dating. This commitment was from the soul from the get go.

So why does it take like 6 to 7 years into the relationship to get married? Firstly I just have a general rule that marriage should come after 5 years minimum because it's paperwork and a big process. You can disagree and just add in your own minimum but again...adding that no matter what, ya'll live together, wake up every morning together, build a future together. At some point, you guys are too busy getting jobs, being adults and hanging out with friends to be like 'ooooo marriage'.

How does Mikey propose?

i think it was spur of the moment, maybe it hit him that OH ya'll arent married and suddenly he has the urge to say it.

And one night, it's 2am and you wanna go on a night ride and he never says no to you so he wraps you in one of his jackets and both of you head on a ride.

And it's peaceful and maybe Mikey is having a moment where he's like 'I have died, been reborn and saved multiple times for this moment. I am meant to be alive so I could be with my person. I'm very happy I am alive.'

And he's blinking back tears, stopping close to a convenience store..using snacks as an excuse to stop.

And while he's walking through the place, grabbing his usuals and your favourites...maybe it's the fluorescent lighting or the way you're picking out the drinks, maybe it's because how you look in his clothes or because it's late and you're here with him getting snacks, maybe he is sleepy and warm that he says:

"I wanna be your husband."

And the place is too quiet to not hear it, the cashier is like 'what the fuck dude, you're gonna get smacked for proposing like that' but you look at him and his teary eyes and lovesick smile and you're just speechless. But you move forward to hold him, he wraps his arms around you and presses you close to him. It's warm and engulfing.

And maybe you give an excited 'yes' or maybe you make a joke about where your ring is or maybe it's a soft whisper of an answer...in any case....the answer had been given way before he had even asked it.

[sato-s-only-wife5107]

Reborn!Wukong: Asking You Out.

Word Count: 1802.

Content/Trigger Warnings: panic attack, minor weight insecurity and degradation, meeting your ex and the bitch he cheated with.

Authors Notes: not where I was originally going with this, but I like it! Hope you enjoy!

<---Previous | Start | Next--->

"This isn't what I thought when you told me I needed to blend in…"

He hated to admit it, but he really was falling in love with you… hard. 

"Don't be a hater," you chuckled softly, picking out colours that the tailor shop possessed.

"You look ridiculous," he stared at her with a blank look on his face.

"You're being a hater," you grinned at him. "For your information, I'm perfectly dressed for an outing of this… caliber," she looked at her reflection for a moment.

"Then the people responsible for this stupid party are ridiculous and moronic."

"You're such a downer… lighten up!" you shook him… well, tried to. Dude didn't even flinch a little or move an inch. 

"I'm not letting you dress me up like an idiot,” he looked at her blankly.

"C'mon, monkey boy, please?" you pleaded. "You're a King! You'll be a hit!"

"Not in a good way," he folded his arms and continued to stare at you. Who was he kidding? He could never deny you anything, even if it had his dignity on the line.

"You're coming with me," she declared.

"Why should I?" he narrowed his eyes but curiously raised a brow.

“Please?” you looked at him with pleading eyes and an innocent grin. 

Why does she always look at me like that whenever she wants something I'm against? He asked in annoyance. 

You knew just what to do to make him give in. You'd never know he could never deny you anything if you ask him right. Especially when you talk and look at him like that. 

“I'm getting you back for this,” he glared at you, but you were too busy walking around with the tailor to look for things to dress him up more. 

He had to admit that having your undivided attention like this was a welcome reward for his obedience. He mostly enjoyed how you'd comb your fingers to smoothen his fur each time you ruffled it while helping him try on robes.

The whole reason for going to this gathering was strictly due to you being an invited guest of a dare friend of yours, and you didn't want to go alone. Unluckily for Wukong, it was conveniently held in a village your group stopped at on your journey to the West. The last thing he wanted to do was waste his time at some get-together, but the Monkey King had no choice. 

Even his master wasn't on his side since the monk allowed him to accompany you, persuaded by your charm as well. Pigsy’s joke of you replacing him as Tang’s favourite didn't seem as absurd as it was at the time. 

“Wukong!” you snapped, successfully getting his attention before he looked you over. 

“Like I said, you look ridiculous,” he huffed and walked past you to look through the kimonos. “That thing makes you look pregnant.”

“You don't have to be so mean about it…” you pouted and rested a hand on your stomach.

“Here,” he offered a piece of fabric to you, which you took.

“Whoa, this is gorgeous, I've been looking for like an hour for something half this nice.” you looked at him with a smile. “See? I told you bringing you along would be a good idea.”

“When is this pointless party supposed to start?” he grumbled as he turned away from you.

“Just before dawn,” you informed him once more. “Promise to be on your best behaviour.”

“I'm always on my best behaviour,” he shot you a cocky grin, which made you roll your eyes with a smile. “I mean it.”

“Fine,”

“I wanna hear you say it,” you looked at him and folded your arms.

“I promise I'll be on my best behaviour.”

____________________________

“This entire situation is giving me a headache,”

“Stop, we just got here,”

“I can't believe I let you talk me into this,” he kept out a breath and rolled his eyes. 

“It'll be fun! I'm sure you haven't been to many gatherings,” you said, subconsciously holding his hand, which made his eyes slightly but looked away from you.

It'll keep her from running off and getting lost. He told himself in order to try getting whatever he had as a heart under control.

“Aren't you embarrassed to be seen with me like this?” he questioned without really thinking. 

“No, why would I be embarrassed to be seen with you? You're an amazing person,” you smiled up at him. 

He tensed and looked at you, not expecting you to say such a thing so effortlessly, confidently and genuinely. He was about to answer, but a feminine voice beat him to it, a voice you immediately recognised.

“Well well well,”

“Dammit,” Wukong looked at you when he heard you curse.

“If it isn't (Y/n) (L/n), it’s been a while,” the person said. Wukong looked at the women as you turned to face them.

“Daiyu, Chen, Ming,” you greeted the women, then looked at the man next to Daiyu and gritted your teeth, “Zhong.”

The blonde haired one you called Daiyu seemed to be the leader as the other two flanked her. She was a foot or two taller than him, her colour scheme consisted of pink and white while her dogs wore gray and dark colours to make their master stand out in comparison. Wukong knew her type well.

The one you called Ming was the shortest and didn't look like the sharpest tool in the bunch. The last, Chen, seemed like the basic loyal dog type. Blindly obeying her master Daiyu.

“I didn't expect to see you here,” Zhong eyed you. “You clean up nice.”

This ‘Zhong' bastard was the tallest, with short silver hair and silver eyes to match. He wore white, there was nothing particularly appealing to him, he was so bland.

This was her ex? What the hell could she possibly see in this tool? Wukong questioned as he looked at the taller man in scorn. Is it because he’s tall? It's so obvious that he’s nothing but a weakling with money.

You found it hard to breathe, yet you could hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears. You couldn't speak, only look away from Zhong, mumbling a bit.

“You know this punk?” Wukong’s voice brought you back to reality. Knowing that you weren't alone with those four helped you a lot.

“My ex,” her voice was soft.

“Oh, don't go around telling people that, you'll embarrass him,” Daiyu said and eyed Wukong. “You were a servant in the Celestial Realm last we heard. How fitting for you to be a servant girl.”

“To be serving the Immortal Ones directly must be such an honour, we’re so proud,” the way Chen said that, you knew it wasn't a compliment.

“It’s very fulfilling,” she said and glanced at Wukong briefly.

Oh gods, he looks pissed off.

“I'm sure it is,”

“What are you doing here?”

“I was invited,”

“I meant what are you doing back here,”

“Just passing through, on a pilgrimage to the West for the Buddhist Scriptures,”

“So interesting,” Daiyu rolled her eyes.

“It really is,” you found yourself glancing at Wukong. It really had been absolutely perfect to travel with him and the others. 

“And who might this be?” Ming questioned, they all eyed Wukong as he folded his arms and looked at them boredly.

“Sun Wukong,” Zhong said in realization.

“The infamous Monkey King,” she looked at you with a scrutinizing smile. “Two freaks together, how appropriate,”

“We’re not together,” you mumbled, trying to hide your blush at the mere thought of being with Wukong.

“I guess even a monkey has standards. Really no one wants you?” Shen chuckled.

“Not that we’re surprised,” Ming said, making the other girls snicker and giggle. Wukong growled and stood in front of you protectively, having enough of their degradation towards you.

“Don't you dare talk to her like that, concubine,”

“Wukong,” 

“Who are you calling a concubine, you filthy mongrel?” Daiyu glared.

“Wukong,” you held his hand. “Please, they aren't worth causing a scene. Let’s just move on and enjoy the food and drink,”

“Run along, your master’s calling,” her words made him growl and he was going to attack her, but you held onto his arm and attempted to pull him away. 

“C'mon, Wukong, it’s not worth it,”

“You better listen if you know-”

“Would you shut up and stop angering him more? Everyone will suffer if you continue,” you finally snapped, which made Wukong look at you in shock. He'd never seen you upset before, so it was something.

“How dare you talk to me like that, you're nothing but a poor and worthless servant,”

“I may be a servant, but at least I have skills and make a good income without having to spread my legs,” you shot back. Your remark didn't only shock them to their core, but made Wukong look away as he licked his lips with a grin. 

That's my girl… he thought to himself in amusement. You were cute when you blared your fangs like the feisty little tiger you were.

“You promised to behave,” you turned back to Wukong, who wanted to squeeze your cheeks as they puffed up whenever you pout.

“I'm hungry,” Wukong said and walked away.

“Me too!” you beamed and followed behind him with a smile.

“Why didn't you correct them when they called you a servant?” Wukong watched as you filled a plate with food and offered it to him.

“We're all just servants under Buddha,”

“Don't get smart,” he glared but took the plate from you with a small ‘thank you' leaving his mouth.

“It's not like they'd believe me,” you sighed. “They aren't important, we'll be gone by tomorrow morning so save your sanity and think nothing of them.”

“(Y/n),” he looked at you. 

“Hm?” you looked up at him curiously as you bit into a dumpling.

So cute… He thought to himself, wanting to pinch your dumpling filled cheeks but busied himself with his own food.

“Go out with me,” he said as casually as he could, considering he felt like his anxiety was going to make him explode. 

“P-Pardon?” you questioned him, not really believing what he had just asked you.

“I want to take you somewhere,” he took  your hand and kissed it softly. “Where we can be alone…”

“U-uh, okay,” you nodded and glanced away bashfully. “I'd like that a lot.”

“You would?” He raised a brow.

“Of course,” you smiled. “We can use it to get to know each other better. After all, we'll be going to Flower Fruit Mountain together, remember?”

“Alright then,” he nodded and turned back to his food, but you noticed his blush and couldn't help but smile.

Silly monkey… So temperamental, yet so gosh darn adorable.

[bagerfluff]

We'll Meet Again

Casper x Non-Binary Reader

Prompt - Soulmates

“Do you think we’ll meet again?”

You asked Casper. Casper looked over at you, “maybe, depends on what you mean by that.” Casper responded. You looked down at your lap while Casper looked back at the sky.

The stars and moon shone brightly against the dark night sky. It brought peace to Casper. Casper only hoped that it brought peace to you, but it didn’t look like it.

You were fidgeting with your pants and kept looking around. Casper knew what you were talking about when you asked him that question. He just didn’t want to think about it.

The reason?

Casper was dying.

Some sort of disease that ran in his family, killed his father, his uncle, his grandfather. All the men had it, now Casper had it. He just didn’t think he'd get it so young, so early.

If he knew, he would have never said yes to your proposal. Casper looked down at the ring, it was silver. Yours was gold, they looked nice together when you and Casper held hands.

“I mean, when I die, will we meet in the afterlife, or what if we get reborn then meet”, you explained. Casper looked over at you, you were also toying with your ring.

Tears brimmed your eyes, they brimmed Casper’s as well. “Yeah, that means we’re soulmates”, Casper said, trying to lighten up the mood. You smiled, though it was sad.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

You asked and Casper smiled, “how could I forget”. It was on the very rooftop. You were watching the stars and Casper wanted to get away from his roommate.

You two spent the night together. You told Casper all about the stars and Casper listened. Then after a couple nights of repeating that you asked Casper out on a date.

The rest is history.

Casper was watching you but you were watching the stars. You felt tears slowly drip down your face as you gripped your ring. If you just had a little more time.

Just a little more. But now some force is taking your beloved away from you forever. Maybe that same force was kind enough to let you two meet again.

Someday.

Casper walked over to you and hugged you. You turned and buried your head in his shoulder, crying. Casper cried too, holding you tighter as you sobbed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again, you said it yourself when you proposed”, Casper held you tighter.

“We’re soulmates”.

You spun your ring around.

You were leaning on the ledge of the rooftop. The only light being the moon and the stars. You blinked away tears as you looked up at the sky.

You could feel your phone buzz in your pocket. Friends and family asking if you were okay. No, you weren’t. You just buried your fiancé. What were you supposed to be, happy?

You had left right after the funeral ended.

You couldn’t bear to look at the gravestone anymore. Knowing that the one you loved, the one you were supposed to marry. Was now in the ground, dead. In a box.

You let the tears stream down your eyes now. You didn’t care that they ruined the outfit you were wearing. You didn’t even change from what you were wearing at the funeral.

You just went straight home and straight to the rooftop.

You waited till it was night, thinking over your thoughts and grief. You won’t lie, you wanted to jump off the roof, but you knew Casper would yell at you if you did that.

He knew that you had a long life ahead of you. You didn’t know if you liked that, what was a long life without the one you loved more than anyone or anything?

Suffering.

You looked back down at your ring. You leaned down and kissed it, “I love you”, you whispered to the stars. You looked back up, “maybe one day my love. We’ll meet again”, you smiled sadly at the stars.

“We’re soulmates”.

“Well look who it is”, you said.

Casper smirked as he came in through the window. You stood up from your bed to greet him. “You’re happy to see me”, Casper said and you rolled your eyes.

“Sure I am”, you teased while closing the window. When you did you noticed the stars. You never knew why but you loved the stars. Something about them made you happy and giddy.

You smiled when you felt Casper stand next to you.

“What are you doing?” Casper asked, “look at the stars, don’t know why but I love them”, you said. Casper looked away from you and to the stars. “I do too, never knew why”, Casper said.

You both looked at the stars, unconsciously you both fiddled with your ring fingers. “It also makes me sad”, Casper mentions and you nodded. “You remind me of the stars”, you said, looking at Casper.

Casper felt calmed by the sentence, like he’s heard it multiple times. Casper furrowed his brows, he’s felt like this his whole life.

Casper often finds himself on the roof of an apartment building, watching the stars. He knew the names of many stars and constellations.

Why?

Casper didn’t know, he didn’t know why he found comfort on the roof. Casper wondered if it had something to do with before he became a reaper.

He doesn’t know what his life was before, or if he even had one. You held Casper’s hand, you knew what Casper was thinking. You’ve thought about your weird memories for years.

They were also the same as Casper’s, finding yourself on a rooftop looking at stars, knowing their names and meanings. Feeling sorrow and happiness when you look at them.

Something told you that they were very important for you. “Do you know why he feels like this?” You asked Casper. Casper looked away from the window.

“Ever heard of soulmates?” Casper asked and you nodded. “I found a book on them when I was researching about your soul”, Casper walked closer to you.

“Apparently, soulmates are two people that have linked souls since birth, no matter how they die they will meet again, no matter what”, Casper said.

You looked at Casper, something about him felt familiar too. Like this is where you belonged. Maybe that’s why you were drawn to him when you first met him.

Even though he was death and you were life.

You loved him.

You smiled and grabbed Casper’s hands. “Then we’re soulmates”, You said. Casper rolled his eyes, “that’s cheesy”, but Casper didn’t deny that he liked that idea.

You hugged Casper, head buried in Casper’s shoulder. Casper hugged you back head on your shoulder. You and Casper relaxed in each other's arms, feeling an immense amount of happiness.

“Will you marry me?"

You whispered into Casper’s ear. Casper pulled away shocked, “did you just ask me to marry you?” Casper asked and you nodded.

“But you’ve only known me for a couple weeks”, Casper said but you just smiled. “Felt like I’ve known you my entire life, plus, I love you”, you walked closer to Casper and kissed him.

You wrapped your arms around Casper’s waist and pulled him closer to you. Casper rolled his eyes but kissed you back. You and Casper slowly kissed, heads turning to get at a better angle.

You pulled away after a few minutes and leaned your forehead against Casper’s. “So, will you marry me?” You asked with a smile. Casper smiled slightly, “yes”, Casper answered before kissing you.

You smiled into the kiss, holding Casper tight because of a feeling in your heart that you might lose him. You didn’t mind it, cause even if you did, you two were soulmates.

Bound by fate to always find and love each other.

No matter what.

[mixelation]

how does the akatsuki and amegakure work in reborn au? you mentioned something about ame making a tiny nation union and the akatsuki interfering if one of the great nations did something they didnt like?(if i rememeber right??) but like do people know akatsuki and ame are led by the same guy? are the akatsuki still doing missions like in plasticity? and is yahiko around somewhere? i love the toriverse so much i check your blog like the morning newspaper

i think i have answer this before but

basically, nagato and konan figure out they're both time travelers pretty early on, and they loop in yahiko. (yahiko is the only non-time traveler who Knows. lucky him.) i still have to iron out details (like i'm not sure if they train under jiraiya or not), but they reform Original Flavor Akatsuki (the Ame freedom fighters version) as teenagers, kick out Hanzo, and then are able to drive foreign ninja out of Rain Country pretty early on in the Third Shinobi War. this is why it lasts longer btw-- without being able to trample through Rain, it's logistically harder for the bigger nations :)

yahiko is the nominative leader of Ame but konan and nagato are Known as his super scary advisors/right hand men. akatsuki gets disbanded/merged with ame at this point while the ame trio solidify their power within rain.

post war, they slowly start reforming akatsuki as a internationally facing "peacekeeping" group, with nagato and konan as leaders. their argument is there needs to be a group to hold larger nations accountable, and they offer to let other nations send their own representatives. a lot of small ninja villages/place with no ninja like this idea. however, it's pretty controversial bc 1) even if they say they let other countries have a say, leadership is still really firmly just ame, and 2) they recruit missing-nin. but yes it's pretty transparently based in ame and run by people from ame.

they do do missions but i'm not 100% what they look like. some of them are just tiny nations being like "hey we can't get rid of this a-rank missing-nin by ourselves :(" and some of them are like "water country is trying to steal an island again and we're here to show up and scare the shit out of them." i imagine some are taken with the sole purpose of making money but i'd imagine they'd be pickier about those than in canon because they're ostensibly ~keeping peace~ (by force!!)

the end roster for akatsuki has a lot of overlap with the old one but it shifts around a lot and has new names. kisame volunteers to represent kiri, for example, and then they recruit zabuza (active kiri missing-nin) and kisame is like "why would you do this to me, guys, this is SO awkward." there's potentially an insane subplot where sasori works for them for years and then they're like "what do you MEAN you were in line to be kazekage?" and he leaves to go take over suna so he's not working "for" them but suna suddenly has close ties

and minato is like "PLEASE CAN WE BE FRIENDS" because his character arc is realizing his best non-wife friend is fugaku, a man he doesn't even really like,

[pyxxiestyxx]

Snickerdoodle

(Cw: bittersweet, death and mourning, no kink) She looked at the affini in the way one looks at the stars for the first time, in the way that was filled with equal parts confusion and wonder and that dizzying sense of perceiving something wholly unlike the world she ever knew. The affini smiled down at her with a serenity that felt impossible to shake, holding out a gift, an invitation, and a promise.

It was called a 'snickerdoodle', a word that felt like laughter on her tongue when she said it. She said it twelve times that night: once to make sure she heard it correctly, ten times in the mirror to herself after she got home, and once more before turning off the light. The last thoughts that spun through her head tasted of warm vanilla and softly sweet cinnamon, of wishing she could always have one in her bedside table for hard moments. To remind her of this Day.

Her Spring was a season of firsts: first dates, first kisses, first secrets, first dances in starlight. She learned how warm the affini's core was as they embraced, slowly circling the pavilion where they first met as they stepped in time with the music that was felt more than heard. She gave her last true choice on that night, offered it up to the one who wrapped around her heart and sang her a lullaby.

She spoke with her affini in the way an old married couple does, in the way that was less words and more humming and gentle sighs and careful flicks of their eyes. Of shared jokes and shared memories and shared love, of a trust that only deepened with time. It was the girl's greatest and most beloved gift: the relationship between her and her affini was irreplicable, irreplaceable, irremovable. She lived a thousand days of warmth and movement and passion, of sweat on her brow and rosy red blushing her cheeks. And after they were done, she felt the affini's serenity cascade through her muscles and fill her thoughts.

She took up baking, working on her craft for years. Her hands grew strong and sure as they kneaded dough and mixed the ingredients together. She sang while she worked, a trait she learned from her affini. They would often bake together, the harmony in their voices carrying out the open window and over the nearby hills. It rang of joy, the kind one has when they are happy to be alive, to be in this very moment, to share a memory with another. She never tied her hair up, so her affini would always have to reach behind her and keep it out of the way. The girl always rolled her eyes and laughed when the affini shook a vine at her in mock warning.

Her Summer was a season of motion: bodies in motion, motioning for friends to come closer, the motion of a musical melody. She learned about change, on how affini would grow old and weaker before being reborn in an eruption of vines and love. She held her affini's hand as they closed their many eyes on this bloom, and squealed with joy as they lifted her on arms anew. She gave her last sigh of relief that morning, the last true worry in her mind extinguished.

She walked with her affini in the way one walks when their body is aging faster than their mind, in the way that was an itch to run and frolic and get dirt on her knees…but accepted that most of those days were behind her. She smiled with some of that same serenity now, the kind of peace one can hold in their heart when they have been content for a long, long time.

She couldn't bake as much anymore, so she took to teaching the newer florets her craft. It was rewarding to watch them grow under her watchful eye, to shake her head and sigh with mock exasperation at their antics. How silly they are!, she would mutter to her affini. Surely I wasn't like that? And oh, how her affini would chuckle and roll their shoulders in a shrug, before telling the florets about how their mentor used to skip stones on the pond out back, or how she used to shriek and play just as they did.

Her Autumn was a season of relaxation: relaxing into chairs, into baths, into the vines of her beloved. She learned the pleasure that came from watching the world around her, of being a part of it and sinking into it and through it, woven like fine threads as they slowly walked to the pavilion to watch the sunset. She gave her last steps that evening, one last dance as she rested her weary head on her affini's chest.

They held their floret's hand in the way one holds a precious treasure, in the way one holds memories and songs and laughter in their heart. Their floret had been bedridden for a long time by now, but they both knew that change would always come. Her floret smiled down at them with a serenity that felt impossible to understand, squeezing their vines with every ounce of strength they had left in their fragile bones.

The affini was asked to look in the bedside drawer, which held her last gift to them: A cookie she had baked over a century ago, held in perfect stasis, still warm from the oven the floret had pulled it out of. The affini gently broke it in half, letting them both savor the cinnamon and vanilla together. A last meal, a last memory, a last moment. A worn and wrinkled hand wrapped around the vines of someone both young and old, squeezing for the last time.

Their Winter was a season of loss: losing nights to worry, losing days to planning, losing their mind to grief. They learned anew the pain that comes with change, the trembling in their core that cried out for their floret to be pushed against it. They learned about the letter when they were cleaning their floret's room, the letter old after sitting under the pillow for years.

"To my beloved, my one, my everything,

My Life was one of sharing: sharing songs, sharing dances, sharing memories and golden dreams and little things. I learned about you, about how you gave me so, so much, more than I could ever hope to ask for and then more. You opened yourself to me, knowing you would be here after, knowing you would suffer. I cannot hope to understand the depths of your love; I only hope you knew that mine was deeper than I ever thought possible. I give you my last words, so that you can find that same serenity you gave me:

I love you more than there are stars in the sky, and I want you to remember me when you next make a treat for a new one to hold. I want you to smile your wonderful smile, the one that ensnared my heart and led me places I could only dream of before. Fill their world with cinnamon and vanilla, my love, and show them how to let go of what hurts to cling to. Let yourself make those new memories; your warmth is too special to be left alone.

My darling, my affini, my life: show them how we used to dance.

I remain, as always, Your Floret, now and forever"

[angelatmidnight1]

can i request reader w/ revenant? maybe reader annoys him to no end and revenant tickles the reader in retaliation >:-D

A/N: Sorry this is so late; I wanted to get this out when the Revenant Reborn season started but I got caught up with some stuff. The only warning, if any, that I'd say for this story is that it's a bit dark I guess, but it's Revenant. He doesn't hurt the reader, though. Just tickles the heck out of them. I hope you like it 😅

Hunted

You ticked Revenant off by stealing his kills in a match, and now, he’s hunting you. With a new body that’s faster, stronger, and deadlier, the cat and mouse game that he plays with you doesn’t last long. But instead of killing you, he tickles the living daylights outta you. 

Crunch, crunch, crunch. 

Your feet pounded the ground below as you sprinted through Storm Point. Gaea was the current stop for the Apex Games. But, you’d run so far away from the arena, you couldn’t place an exact pinpoint on your location. Your comms died a while ago. But, you had to keep running. 

Otherwise, Revenant would catch you. 

You and the simulacrum had an odd relationship. Less than friends, but not quite enemies. But it wasn’t always like that. When you were first on his team, he was rude, demanding, and threatened you more than your enemies. But, you always had a little fire in you. It’s one of the many reasons you thrived in a bloodsport. 

You didn’t shy away from dangerous situations or, in this case, people. Revenant was being especially rude during one match and, eventually, you got tired of hearing him talk. So, when he said he needed more shotgun ammo, you angrily threw some at him. 

“Ugh. Here, asshole.” You snapped. Revenant had his back to you, looting, so the ammo stack hit him square in the back. He growled and whirled around to you, and you went on. “You’d think you’d know how much ammo you need because you’re a literal murderbot.”

Before you could blink, Revenant suddenly towered over you. The sudden invasion of space startled you, so you backed up into the wall. The simulacrum followed and put his bladed hand against your throat. 

“Say that again, skinbag.” Revenant growled. His gold optics threateningly bore down into your eyes. You glared back at him and pressed your lips together, making him smirk. “Don’t be shy now. Say it.”

“You can’t kill me,” you countered. “We’re on the same team, in case you forgot.”

Revenant laughed. “You think this pen will stop me? Just wait until we’re alone.” he said, easing the blade off of you. “Gonna be hard to talk after I slice your throat.”

You grimaced at the gruesome image, but you held strong. He pushed all of the other Legends around. You weren't gonna be one of them. “So far, you’ve done more talking than killing…”

There was a beat, and then Revenant chuckled darkly. Then, with his free hand, he suddenly hoisted you up into the air. You yelped and grabbed at his wrist, but he was much stronger than you. He brought you just inches away from his face. You swore you saw a twinkle in his eye. 

“Oh, I’m gonna enjoy breaking you…” Revenant purred. His eyes searched yours for a moment and then, still holding you, he walked out of the building. He roughly dropped you. “Get moving, skinbag. With any luck, we can catch up to this ‘Champion’ and I can rip out his insides.”

You rolled your eyes. “Why did you ask me for ammo if you were just gonna—”

He grabbed your flank and pushed you forward. You bit back another yelp and squirmed out of his touch. 

“Shut up and move.”

After that game, and many other games in between, Revenant’s attitude towards you changed. Not by much, but there was a noticeable difference. If you were ever downed in a match, Revenant hunted that particular Legend down before he went after the rest of the squad. 

“You’re mine to kill, (Y/N). Remember that.” He said as he pulled you to your feet. Now, he called you by your name more often than ‘skin bag’. 

You breathed a sigh of relief, taking out your Phoenix Kit to heal.  “Yeah? That almost sounds like you’re saying you like me.”

Revenant grunted. “Don’t push your luck. Or I’ll skin you after this match.”

You grinned, but otherwise complied. That is, until you started taking his kills. 

For the match, you used a Sentinel as your primary weapon. Revenant opted for a shotgun and a C.A.R. Since his upgrade, he’s been opting for more up close and personal kills. So, when he rushed in to attack, you stayed back a few paces to snipe. The simulacrum pounced onto an unsuspecting squad of Bangalore and Newcastle. He made quick work of the heroic defender. Then, he turned his attention to the sergeant. 

“Heh, tough luck, sarge.” He chuckled, stepping over the downed hero. “Always rough to have a family reunion and a funeral on the same day..”

But, instead of him finishing her off, you did. You trained your sniper optic over Bangalore’s head and fired. Anita went down, leaving behind a very angry simulacrum. 

“Are you blind?! That kill was mine!” Revenant roared as you approached him. You initially jumped, and then scoffed. 

“Sheesh, I was just trying to help! You were taking forever, and you’re grouchy when you’re downed.” You answered. This only made Revenant angrier. 

“I don’t need help from a pathetic sack of meat like you. You steal my kill again, and I’ll make you regret it.” He threatened. This was one of the many threats Revenant threw your way and by now, you were used to it. Little did you know, he’d make good on this one. 

You stole the next few kills again by grazing the Legend you shot at, getting the final bit of damage and the credit for the kill. Then, when you were named the Kill Leader, the simulacrum finally snapped. 

“That’s it.”

Revenant lunged at you with an angry roar. You barely had time to get out of the way.

“Whoa, wait! It was an accident! I—” You snickered at first, stopping short when you saw that murderous glint in his eyes. This wasn’t one of those grumpy, irritable looks he gave you. This time, you could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. His next words chilled you to your core, and prompted you to run. 

“I’m going to tear you apart.”

Your lungs burned with exertion, and your muscles ached, but you didn’t stop. You couldn’t. Especially when you heard Revenant’s deep, gravelly voice somewhere behind you. 

“Running won’t save you, skin bag. It just makes it more fun for me.”

You yelped loudly and spun around to defend yourself. But, he wasn’t there. Revenant’s chuckle echoed through the forest. 

“Aw, are you scared?”

You put your hands on your knees, gasping for air. “R-Rev, come on…I was just messing around. We won the match anyway!” You yelled in between your panting. Revenant scowled. 

“Championships mean nothing to me,” Revenant spat. “But death, fear? Nothing in the world comes close to that…and the fear on your face is delicious.”

A cold rush of fear rushed up your spine. You were all alone here, with no one to help you. The simulacrum’s next words came out in a purr. 

“I’d love a closer look…” 

There was a rustling sound to the left of you, and you jolted in the opposite direction. But, still, nothing was there. Revenant laughed a menacing laugh. 

“I’m not going to kill you. Not yet,” Revenant smirked. He’d climbed up into a tree high above you and blended into the shadows. Even if you looked up, it’d be impossible to see him. “But you’re going to wish I did.”

Another rustle. Your head snapped towards the sound. Now, you could see his yellow optics in the darkness. You moved to run again, but it was too late. Revenant roared as he tackled you to the ground. You screamed as you went down. You defensively raised your hands to protect yourself, but he grabbed them and held them above your head in a cold metal hand. 

This was it. You tried to pull your hands free, but it was no use. Then, with his free hand, Revenant attacked. 

You screamed as his claws scritched against your side. But, it didn’t hurt. It tickled like hell. Your screams turned into panicked giggles. 

“Wahahaha—Rehehehehev, stahahaha!” You snorted as he clawed from one side to the other. His hand moved at an inhuman speed and overwhelmed you with ticklish sensations. You writhed in his hold, squealing again as he pinched your side. “AHahaha! Stohohohp! REHEhehev!”

“Ticklish, are we?” Revenant hummed, this time squeezing just above your hip bone. You barked out a laugh and arched your back. “You skin bags have so many weaknesses. So many ways to break you apart…”

You could barely hear him over your laughter. You uselessly tossed to and fro, but his hand remained latched onto your skin. Then, all of a sudden, Revenant stopped and tilted your chin up. His touch was like ice and you shivered, unable to look away from his burning gaze. 

“And you think you can get away with taking what’s mine?”

Revenant’s voice distorted a little bit, and it made you freeze in fear. The simulacrum released your chin and wasted no time in spidering his claws over your exposed underarm. You sputtered and giggled, twisting around in his strong grip. 

“Bahahahaha! Ihihiht wahahahas juhuhust a gahahahahame! COHOHOHOME OHOHOHON!” 

He suddenly dug his thumb into your underarm, pulling another laugh out of you. He let go of your arms to attack both underarms at once, scritching deep into the muscle. Your laughter drastically increased and volume and, even though you slammed your arms down, he was still able to tickle.

“I don’t care. I’m still gonna teach you a lesson.”

Revenant pulled his hands free from your underarms and clawed at your rib cage. You squealed and tried to flip over, but he pushed you back onto your back. He kneaded at the spaces between your ribs with his thumbs, and he used his claws to pinch and swipe at the bones randomly. Each scrape of his claws made you squeal and laugh loudly. Your heart beat a mile a minute; out of everything possible, how on Earth was a simulacrum good at tickling?

“Lookie here,” Revenant, noticing how sensitive your ribs were, honed in on them with both hands. You arched your back again, laughing harder and fighting with his hands. He snatched your hands again and placed them under him, pinning them with just enough weight to keep them there, but not to hurt you. Then, he resumed his tickling, pinching at the sides of your ribs and drumming his fingers up the bones. The panic surged through you as you shook your head and writhed with laughter. Revenant chuckled. “So sensitive. Heh, just as I figured. You’re not so tough.”

“NOHOHOHO!” You screamed and kicked your legs against the ground. You twisted your torso from side to side, but he just followed your movements, his hands stopping just short of your underarms. Your laughter died down to high pitched giggles. “Stohohohop! Rehehehev, plehehase—”

Revenant’s optics sparkled at your pleading. “Begging already? That was easy,” he laughed. But then, his tone darkened, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. “Hell, it was almost too easy. Where’s that fighting spirit, Legend? You can do better than that…”

With that, the simulacrum jumped back down to your ribs, pinching and scritching along the length of your rib cage. You screamed again and bucked your hips. Of course, Revenant’s taunting touched a nerve, but you were too overcome with laughter to snap back. Still, you tried anyway. 

“AHAHAHA! I’M GOHOHOHOHNA—”

You gasped when Revenant prodded at your centermost ribs. Those ribs were especially sensitive and, judging from how he cocked his head to the side, he picked up on it too. 

“You’re gonna what?” he echoed. He slowed the tickling down to where he just traced patterns on those sensitive ribs. “Laugh? Beg?” His optics twinkled again. “Go ahead, beg some more. It won’t help, but go on...”

You didn’t wanna beg again, especially if it encouraged Revenant to keep going. But, if he kept tapping against your ribs, you weren’t sure how much longer you were going to last. 

Then, Revenant did something you weren’t expecting. Instead of continuing to torment your ribs, he suddenly hiked your shirt up, exposing your bare torso. Then, his hands scampered back up your sides, his thumbs digging into your skin. The cold feeling of metal digits made you squeal, and you involuntarily snorted as his claws skittered across your stomach. 

“C’mon, skin bag. Beg.” Revenant demanded. He inched his way back towards your ribs and you tensed up. What started out as snickering turned into desperate giggles as he got closer and closer to the spot. Your stubbornness weakened, and your breath hitched as his fingertips swiped against your skin.

“Nonono! Okay! Plehehease, Rev. Dohohn’t tickle me,” You pleaded. The words tasted like poison in your mouth but, if it got him to stop, that’s all you wanted. “Plehehease stohohop..”

Revenant, however, wasn’t moved. “That’s it?” he scoffed, suddenly spidering his claws up and down your centermost ribs. “You don’t sound pathetic enough.”

A shriek ripped out of you as you spasmed against the floor, laughing hysterically. He didn’t let up and raked his claws over every inch of your ribs. And then, when you arched your back, he pinched at the back of those ribs. You laughed harder and moved to slam your back down on the floor, but he held you in place, continuing to prod and pinch at the spots. 

“AHAHAHAHA! REHEHEV, STAHAHAHA!” You yelled, your eyes pinching shut from the force of your laughter. “PLEHEHEHASE!”

Revenant ignored your pleading and continued tickling. By now, your ribs were hypersensitive from all of the previous tickling, so it took no time for your laughter to deepen. You writhed in his iron hold and threw your head back in hysterics. You didn’t think it could get any worse for you, but it could. And it did. 

The simulacrum was kneading his fingertips into the backs of your ribs when, all of a sudden, he stopped. You breathed heavily and hiccuped in between residual laughter. Your eyes were still closed, so you couldn’t see what he had in his hands. 

Revenant was holding the headscarf from his previous model. Just looking at it made him angry; it reminded him of what he’s lost, and what he’s become. But, it’d work perfectly for what he had in store for you. 

Your eyes snapped open at the sound of something ripping. Revenant tore off a long piece of the head scarf, binding your wrists with it. A fresh wave of panic coursed through you, and you struggled with a renewed vigor. 

“NO! Rev, please! I’m sorry!” You shrieked. Now, since he didn’t need to hold your arms down, he eased off so that he straddled your waist. “I won’t take your kills again! Please, let me go!”

“This isn’t about kills anymore, skin bag.” Revenant scoffed. He dragged his claws up your sides, making you shudder and giggle. “You’d be dead by now if that’s what I wanted. No…now, I want to hear you scream.”

Revenant slowly scratched back down your sides. You bucked your hips uselessly, giggling harder. As ticklish as your ribs were, there were a few more spots that were far more sensitive, and the simulacrum was heading right for them.

“Nohohoho! No! Rehehehehv, wAHAHAHAHAHAIT!” You went rigid as he walked his claws just above your hip bones. Revenant cocked his head to the side again, and you could hear his gears hum in response. He flicked his digits against your hip bones, and your laughter fueled scream told him everything he wanted to know. 

“Oh, you’re in trouble now…”

There was a sinister, teasing lilt in his tone as he suddenly descended into your hips. His metallic knuckles rolled over each bone and, when he wasn’t doing that, he squeezed them with just enough pressure to tickle. Each prod and squeeze sent ticklish jolts up your spine, and your loud laughter echoed throughout the forest. 

“NAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHAHAHA, STOHOHOHOHOP!” You yelled and frantically struggled with the ties on your wrists. They were tight, not enough to hurt, but definitely enough to keep your hands out of the way. The simulacrum dug a little bit more into your hips, using his fingertips to scritch back at the spot just above them. You threw your head back and your legs kicked out under you as you laughed and laughed. 

Revenant chuckled. He kept one hand on your hip and snaked the other back up your side. He hovered over your ribs and poked them. You yelped out a protest, but it was lost in your wild laughter. You curled in on yourself as much as physically possible, but it didn’t help. 

“I should’ve done this sooner,” he mused aloud. He tweaked your upper ribs and you hiccuped. “Doesn’t beat killing you skin bags, but it’s pretty damn close. And I’ve got nothing but time…”

You shook your head back and forth, your laughter now barely audible. Your stomach hurt from how hard you were laughing. You mouthed ‘please’ and ‘stop’ over and over, but it didn’t change anything. In fact, it just urged Revenant to keep going. After a couple more pokes to your rib cage, the simulacrum moved back down your torso, his hands finding your waist again. Instead of digging in, he traced the indent of your hips, enjoying how you gasped and snickered. 

“Plehehehease,” You pleaded again, your torso shaking from the lingering ticklish sensations. “Nohoho more. I cahahahn’t tahake it..”

Revenant mockingly cooed at you. “Doesn’t sound like my problem. And I’m not finished with you yet.”

He hooked his hands around your waist and squeezed your hips. You bucked and yelped, trying to reason with the unreasonable, and he responded by squeezing again. You snorted and brought your tied hands down, trying to cover your hips, but you were just out of reach. Rev mixed in quick scribbles across your waist, adding a new ticklish sensation to the mix, and you jerked in the opposite direction. 

Your legs kicked out more furiously under you as a response, and he reached behind with one hand to still them. His claws brushed against the underside of your knee, sending you into a deeper fit of laughter. 

“RAHAHAHA!” You cried out and flattened your leg against the ground. Revenant held on and skittered his fingertips underneath your knees, making you arch your back. “SAHAHAHAHA!”

“That doesn’t sound like begging to me,” Revenant taunted. He squeezed both of your knees before returning to your waist. He dug his thumbs into your hips, sending you back into a deep pit of laughter. 

“PLEHEHEASE! Please!” You yelled before giving into the laughter that overtook you. Revenant climbed up higher on your waist, so it was harder for you to buck away from him, and continued his tickle attack. It took no time for your laughter to fall silent again, and your eyes finally teared up. After another five long minutes of nonstop tickling, he finally eased up so that you didn’t pass out. 

“Aw, don’t cry, (Y/N). We’re just beginning to bond,” Revenant snickered. He released your hips and took your chin into his hand, so you couldn’t pull away from him wiping the tears away. Then, all of a sudden, he sat back and cut the bonds off of your wrists, climbing off of you. 

You curled up on the ground, breathing heavily. Your hips, legs, and ribs were all still plagued by the ticklish sensations, so you patted at them to soothe them. But, while you were soothing your nerves, the simulacrum loomed over you. You flinched as he approached and looked up at him. Revenant chuckled. 

“The hell are you starin’ at?” He huffed before lowering himself into a catlike stance, as if ready to pounce. “Start. Running.”

Your eyes widened and, as tired as you were, you forced yourself to get up and hurry away from him. Revenant’s optics glimmered; he always loved a good chase. 

[crazylittlejester]

mini fic requests??? :0

The heroes end on Skyloft. They got to know Sun is Hylia, a literal goddess, the first of all the Zeldas! They're all anxious and expect to see a tall, elegant, regal lady with a stoic expression, dressed in white.

Instead they get there and this short chaotic, super expressive gremlin, wearing a knight uniform, runs to Sky so fast they both fall off Skyloft and then laugh as the others are both shocked and confused.

I absolutely loved this, I’m sorry it took so long to do. The prompt was super cute :)

Here you go!! (606 words):

Skyloft was everything Sky had told them it was, but somehow also more. Being so high above the clouds was making Warriors’s head spin, and looking over the edge had him feeling weak in the knees, but Twilight had silently offered him a hand to hold to steady himself and the captain had taken it without hesitation. They’d arrived on the island in the sky a few short minutes ago, just in time to see the sun set, and Warriors’s breath had been stolen away from him by the sheer beauty of it all. He’d been here once before, during the War of Eras, however he hadn’t had much time to really take it all in and realize how beautiful his friend’s home was.

Sky, of course, had been over the moon to be back home, excitedly bouncing around while the others took a moment to adjust to the suddenly thinner air.

Warriors was so distracted by his heart pounding away in his chest due to how close to the edge he was and also by the views that he hadn’t really been paying attention to Sky rambling on about his home until his brother let out a sharp squeak.

“You guys can meet Sun!!” He beamed, running off towards a large staircase.

“Slow down, please,” Time wheezed, rubbing his forehead. The group slowly and groggily trailed behind Sky, who, bless him, was really trying his best to contain his excitement. He stayed with them the entire way up the stairs, bouncing all the way up while Warriors was tightly gripping onto Twilight and the rail for dear life.

He didn’t understand how the others were all so unbothered by how high off the ground they were, the captain appeared to be the only one struggling with it, but he was grateful that no one made a comment or teased him. It seemed even Legend knew when it was not an appropriate time to poke at him.

When they finally reached the end of the stairs, Sky led them into a familiar looking area, towards a ledge where a blond girl sat with her back to them. Warriors immediately assumed this must be Sun, Sky’s Zelda, Hylia reborn. From the way his brother talked about his girlfriend, the captain had imagined her to be as radiant as the goddess herself, an elegant guardian of the islands of the sky.

Warriors had not been expecting the young woman to whip around with a wide, plotting grin, and run at Sky, knocking him sideways over the edge.

He couldn’t help the scream that tore itself from his throat, and he clapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes widened in fear. All the others, except for Twilight who was graciously still holding his hand, raced to the edge to look over and see what had just happened to their beloved brother.

“WHERE’D HE GO???” Legend yelled, breathing heavily.

“Did???? Did she just kill them??” Wind gulped, looking back towards Warriors and the rancher with wide eyes.

Before anyone else could speak, a large red bird came flying up from over the edge, startling the group of heroes and causing everyone to stumble backwards.

“I ain’t ever seen a bird that big in my LIFE,” Twilight choked, gripping on to the captain’s hand a little tighter than he probably meant to, but Warriors didn’t even notice because all of his attention was on the fact that Sky and Sun were on the birds back, laughing like it was some kind of normal afternoon.

“He’s…” Four frowned, hands on his hips. “He’s fine. He’s fine he just… Hylia above.”

[randomfoggytiger]

Scully's Survival Broke The Field Where I Died's Cycle

I noticed something while scrubbing through Mulder's hypnosis: in each past life (the concentration camps and the Civil War battle), Scully is always killed first; then Mulder; then Melissa Reidel.

I think that not only were the souls reborn correctly in this life, but they also ended in the correct order-- that Scully circumvented her destined end in order to save Mulder from his tragic, heroic pitfalls. And, more importantly, that she was alive at the crucial moment of Mulder's life: the moment his exhausted soul was almost doomed to repeat another failed cycle at the hands of Melissa Rydell's destined self-sabotage.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCULLY'S UNPRECEDENTED SURVIVAL

Mulder has a history of being the first one to get into trouble: it's not two cases in before Mulder sneaks onto an airfield base and gets mindwiped. We know Mulder takes impossible risks even when Scully isn't there to back him up; so, it's more likely he would die on the field than live long enough to be canned from the FBI.

Although Mulder wasn't going to be killed in Deep Throat (just returned more scrambled on release) Scully wouldn't have been able to save him from fate or himself if she'd died later in Squeeze, Ghost in the Machine, Eve, Gender Bender, Lazarus, Young at Heart, Shapes, Darkness Falls, and Tooms. Or, more particularly, in One Breath.

If Scully had died in the forests of Darkness Falls, then Mulder would have been died underground in Tooms. If Scully had died in One Breath-- as she was meant to, it seems-- then Mulder might have died in Firewalker and Aubrey but most certainly in End Game; and when Irresistible didn't kill her, cancer tried to throughout Season 4, which almost caused Mulder's death in Demons, regardless. If Scully died in Kitsunegari, Mulder would've died in Kill Switch and Bad Blood. If Scully died in The Red and the Black, Mulder would've died in Folie a Deux. If Scully had died in Fight the Future, Mulder would have died then or perished soon after in Triangle. If Scully had died in Tithonus, Mulder would have burnt alive at the One Son hanger. If Scully had died in Field Trip, then her presence wouldn't have brought Mulder out of his psychosis (and death) then or in Amor Fati. And lastly, if Scully had died in Orison, Mulder would have died in First Person Shooter and Brand X, etc.

The infamous ending to Pusher exemplifies this dynamic to a 'T': Mulder rushes in without caring for his own safety; but the kill shot was turned on Scully, not Modell or himself. And if Scully hadn't saved them both, Modell might have taken a bullet to the chest or he might have manipulated Mulder's mind further for his own ends.

But it all ties back most pivotally to One Breath, where she chose to stay instead of pass on. By fighting to live another day, Scully began a pattern that lead to her and Mulder's salvation.

MELISSA RYDELL GOES FIRST

Not only is this the first life cycle that Scully survived, but it's also the first cycle that places Scully, Mulder, and Melissa on an even romantic playing field. Mulder subtly acknowledges this by asking where he and Scully still fit with, he assumes, a soulmate wedged between them: "Dana, if, um, early in the four years we'd been working together... if we'd been friends together, in other life times, always, would it changed some of the ways we looked at one another?" Scully doesn't believe in fate, living her life by the dictates of her conscience; and Mulder's question doesn't shake those beliefs, either.

And not only does Scully survive with the ability to rival Melissa's hold on Mulder, but she and Mulder are also this cycle's first unprecedented survivors: Melissa (Mulder's tragic mirror) dies first and dies alone. Mulder still broke rank in his attempts to save her; but by heeding protocol as long as he did, Mulder was too late to be killed before Rydell or to join her in death.

Why did he play by the rules that long? Because the impact of Scully's partnership-- years of insisting he follow the guidelines created for his protection-- kept his destructive tendency at bay long enough to save him from certain death. Her active presence by his side reinforced this decision when it mattered most: the moment that changed the course of their fate.

CONCLUSION

It's like Scully said: "Even if I knew for certain, I wouldn't change a day." She doesn't believe in fate; and The Field Where I Died's implications would therefore suggest Scully beats back destiny through sheer force of will, besting the monsters that hunt her as easy prey and saving Mulder from the demons driving him harder and faster into irrational action.

And she won. Cancer was already growing in her brain; but Scully outlasted the cycle that trapped her, Mulder, and Rydell's souls: that she die first (or that she die at all.)

Souls may mate eternal; but her choice broke old chains and saved their fate.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[samthetrekkie]

I feel like I've abundantly established that I don't think the tos movies are the best ones ever made and this one was especially wild to me, but I still do have a soft spot for all of them. I never leave thinking "oh, I didn't like that", even if there were entire scenes were I was like ??? and/or second hand embarrassed. (think, uhura dancing naked, them thinking the alien on the planet is literally god). but then sybok asking when the pain began and spock goes "this is the scene of my birth" was way too funny to me (sorry spock). and the turbo boots scene in the jeffries tube was also really entertaining in a slapsticky way.

the general plot was a bit strange, but it actually reminded me of og tos episodes. at the same time, that's not necessarily a good thing… I liked the shore leave scenes, even though they were a bit long considering how short the movie was. it also reminded me of those old, unauthorized tos books (even though I've never actually read any of those) where they recycle typical tos episodes, but make it a little larger and filled with some non-canon info, like the random pairings. I do think scotty and uhura are kind of cute though! it came out of nowhere, but it kind of makes sense to me. (why do they call each other by their last names though?) and then cut to chekov and sulu in the woods bickering like a couple. makes sense as well. but why are these people serving on the same ship in the same positions again after they've become really high ranking officers? I think it actually made a lot of sense in wrath of khan that e.g. chekov was a first officer on a different ship and spock captain. but considering this, it makes a lot of sense that some (all) of them are bound to date each other at some point. it's like going to class with the same people for 8 years.

I surprisingly liked spock leaning more into his human side and being emotional than usual. it makes sense in my head that, after he was reborn, he kind of saw how short life was and that there was no need to keep up a facade at all times, but still not lose his identity. similar to seven in picard, I am always worried about autistic-coded characters changing their personality heavily after a while, but with spock it feels quite natural and it even worked with seven in the later picard seasons. I just think it's all about the balance. like I enjoy those characters being more comfortable, especially around friends and loved ones, but they shouldn't change entirely how they are and still seem "reserved". and I think leonard nimoy especially did well in that, even if this script gave him some out of character lines I think (like the "damn you, sir!"). have I already mentioned I think leonard nimoy is the best actor in tos…?

speaking of spock's rebirth and rethinking, I do see him being more open with kirk (I almost wrote jim, but that feels weird) and they had very much a married couple vibe in this movie. even the little maritial crisis in the brig was there. so I'd like to think kirk finally made a commitment :) and while there were not too many one on one scenes with these two, the next to last scene was more than one could wish for, spirk-wise. their intense eye contact and "please captain, not in front of the klingons" while standing extremely close to one another and kirk grabbing spock. like I've seen so many posts that shatner denies there was anything between kirk and spock, but the way he played kirk, I mean come on. I'm sure there wasn't a direction in the script that said "kirk stares lovingly up at spock". but he fully did in this scene! we have proof! and kirk holding on for dear life to spock as he rescues him with the turbo boots in the jeffries tube was also something. I mean of course you need to hold on, but kirk was embracing spock with a closeness different than mccoy did. (but then there is this strange thing with mccoy, where I keep thinking: is he third wheeling or is this a three way relationship? I somehow can't see mccoy fitting in with kirk and spock's romantic vibe and I don't see him in an erotic way in general but… tumblr is giving me ideas...)

a very long winded post to say: superfluous, but overall enjoyable movie. while watching, I also suddenly had flashbacks that this was the first (!) piece of star trek that I had ever (consciously) watched. it was on tv when I was like 10 and I kept zapping away and was surprised when it was still going and was like: isn't this supposed to be a tv show? and my dad, who grew up watching tos, had no memory of there ever being star trek movies in the 80s. he also had never heard of pretty much any star trek shows after tos at that point, so he was living under a rock, apparently. anyway, some of the scenes of this movie were really etched into my mind and I honestly think one of the subconscious reasons I wanted to watch tos was to get context to these scenes! (of course besides me wanting to watch all of star trek from the beginning.)

[ancientannoyance]

there’s a post floating around with the girl from the ring next to margo robbie from barbie that says ‘the alecto we thought we were getting vs the alecto we got’. when i sent it to my best friend (i infected her with the tlt brain rot a while ago) she had an epiphany that i haven’t seen any one else talking about yet.

In Harrow, we get multiple descriptions of who Harrow calls The Body, and they sound like the girl from the ring. What if when Harrow went into the tomb, Anastasia, who we now know was also locked inside, was the one who bound herself to Harrow all revenant like and haunted her for all that time?

haven’t done a reread since this started percolating in my brain so it’s more than possible there’s something in the books somewhere that unequivocally disproves this theory, but what do you think? Is Harrows haunting actually Anastasia?

Firstly, the below answer contains spoilers for Nona the Ninth, so please don't read on if you haven't read that yet!

Before I answer this, I should point out that, at a certain point in the fandom (circa early 2021, iirc) this theory by tumblr user ac-ld - which postulates that John switched the bodies of Alecto and Anastasia in the ninth tomb, and that The Body that Harrow sees is actually Anastasia and that Alecto is actually buried in the First House - was the most popular theory in the TLT fandom hands down. I think it still probably holds the crown of most popular TLT theory, despite being disproved as of Nona the Ninth's publication.

If you read the above theory I linked, I think that your friend is thinking along similar, but not exactly the same, lines? Sorry if I'm wrong and misunderstood!

Full disclosure, before Nona the Ninth came out, I really thought this theory - that The Body is actually Anastasia- had a high chance of being correct, but (in my personal opinion!) I think Nona the Ninth has pretty much cemented in my head that the Body was Alecto. My reasons are:

If we look at the descriptions of The Body, Harrow - and Gideon when she sees the Body too - literally describes The Body as perfect ("Each limb was a carved representation of a perfect limb, each bloodless foot the lifeless and high-arched simulacrum of the perfect foot", etc). It thematically makes sense for this to describe Alecto, an unreal being who was literally created to resemble a Barbie doll by John, than for it to describe Anastasia, who was a real human and therefore inherently flawed. Plus, Gideon's description of The Body ("with a face so beautiful it almost went out the other side and became repellent") specifically jives with how Augustine described Alecto looking inhuman, whereas if Anastasia was so unnaturally beautifully as to be repellent, I think Augustine would have mentioned it, since he specifically mentions at one point that Harrow is "Anastasia come again."

Gideon describes The Body as "a woman with my eyes, dimmed dark yellow in death", while Harrow's POV mentions of her hair that "that long hair hanging wetly over her shoulders, that resinous colour that in death might have been brown or might have been gold or might have been anything" and of her eyes "in your youth her eyes had often been black, like yours were, but that ever since you had writhed in Lyctoral agony her eyes had turned a yellow that made you dizzy to behold" and of her voice "the voice—low, husky, musical—or its dry and uncanny echo of other voices you had known: your mother’s, Crux’s". So The Body had a certain unnaturally beautiful look but it's hair colour was not pinned down, and when it came to eye colour and voice it seemed to take on characteristics of other humans whom... Harrow had known? Who had died for Harrow? Thematically, it just makes sense to me that Alecto - the soul of Earth, the font of all the humans that were later reborn in the Ninth House and other houses - would be able to embody all the souls that Harrow ... loved? mourned? Instinctively, it makes sense to me why Alecto can embody all these souls that ultimately once came from her, while Anastasia - who was ultimately just a human - can't. While I'm here, Anastasia was most likely black-eyed and black-haired, as that is described by Harrow to be the overwhelming Ninth House look.

On a meta level, if you read Tamsyn Muir's other works such as the Deepwater Bride and Floralinda, you'll see that there are certain narrative themes she visits over and over again, but also certain aesthetic things, and one of the aesthetic things she visits again and again is of a very unnaturally beautiful golden-haired girl who turns out to actually be a "monster" (neutral). So, after reading her other works, I'm convinced on a meta as well as a narrative/thematic level that The Body and Alecto are the same.

Even if all the above weren't true, I think Nona the Ninth pretty much confirmed beyond doubt that The Body is Alecto. In NTN, Harrow looks upon Alecto and calls her "corse of the Locked Tomb" (corse being an archaic word for corpse). We know that The Body is the same as the corpse in the tomb because that is confirmed in Harrow the Ninth (HTN Act One Ch. 3), so if we put that together with the above quote, then there is no doubt that "the corse of the Locked Tomb" = "The Body" = "Alecto". Harrow also says in Nona the Ninth, looking upon Alecto's face "I have loved thee all my life, with mine whole soul, and with mine whole strength." To me, it wouldn't make sense for Harrow to say this looking upon Alecto's face, if Anastasia was The Body?

Therefore, given all the reasons above, I think Nona the Ninth has pretty much proven that The Body that Harrow is haunted by is Alecto, who somehow takes on the characteristics of other people that Harrow loves/mourns.

That being said, all of the above is just my personal opinion and observation! I'm not saying I'm right, and I fully welcome everything I said above being proved wrong in Alecto the Ninth!