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imaginedreamwrite · 2 years

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Love On The Brain: Part 9

“I promised,” the comment had been drawn and extended as Andy turned and rested against the cupboard nearest the sink, “that I wouldn’t cheat.”

“And I promised myself I would never play clue with a lawyer.” You countered and crossed your arms over your chest as you stared him down; the standoff between you had remained unresolved as he had tried to get you to play a game with the rest of the alphas lingering around the house to stave the boredom that was bubbling beneath the surface as the wind rattled the windows and rain hounded the siding.

“You think I would win? I could be terrible.” Andy had smirked at you when you remained solid in your conviction, your lips twitching in an attempt to stave the smile from your face. “I could lose.”

“Stop.” You demanded and stamped your foot, cracks in your resolve growing wider the longer he had looked at you.

“I’m not doing anything.” When he had spoken again, and the little twitch of his lips had started to form a smile, you felt that final straw crumbling beneath the weight, and the snort that followed was borderline obnoxious.

“Andy!” You grunted in annoyance and threw the object closest to you at him, the see-through plastic cup heading for the front of his head.

“I’m sorry,” his apology was weak, and it was veiled by the sound of his laugh and the shake of his shoulders as he went through the motions in response to your annoyance, “but you’re too cute.”

You rolled your eyes and drew the sleeves of his campus hoodie to the sides of your face, pressing your hands to your cheeks through the sleeves. You had pressed your lips together as you felt a sudden burst of simmering heat in the bottom of your belly, the first coveted sign of your heat starting to rear its head

“You okay?” Andy had set the empty cup down beside his coffee mug and took three long strides toward you and then stopped when your chests had grazed each other.

You had raised your head then drew your gaze across the wide berth of his shoulders and chest, your eyes roaming every square inch of the alpha before you. Andy was the second shortest next to Frank, yet neither alpha was considered short or slight. Andy and Frank were both over 6’0”, and both had the muscular archetypes of a typical alpha, albeit a little lither; however, they were nothing less than impressive.

He was tall, and he was beautiful. His eyes were clear and bright; his hair was dark brown though not early as dark as Bucky’s, and there were various strands of a colour similar to copper that was only visible when the light had been cast upon him. There was a lot about Andy that was so similar to the other alphas in the pack, that was just synonymous and had aided the atmosphere of everything feeling right.

He was intelligent, brilliant even, and the gentle sternness that had made it possible for him to do his job as a lawyer specializing in omega defence. He had that nature that could calm the erratic panic of omegas seeking a lawyer like him. Yet, he could have just as easily tapped into the abilities to silence a crowd and face off against an alpha judge or prosecutor. It was the combination that had set him aside from other alphas you had come across that had been bold and unapologetic in their oppressive and primal urge to take anything in their path for their own.

“Are you okay?” Andy had asked again, his thumbs stroking your sides as he had leaned in, the sway of his cent as it had radiated toward you had stirred the burning coals in your belly that was starting the drive that would send you face-first into the all-consuming heat cycle.

“I’m okay.” You had pushed yourself against him and drew the sleeves of his sweater he’d given you down to release your hands from their cove, then placed your palms against his chest. “I’m feeling the beginning effects-“

“You’re going into heat.” Frank had interrupted the moment, and you had glanced past Andy to study the original alpha who had saved you and the duffle bag sitting at his feet. “You’re going to be okay?”

You analyzed the duffle bag with a luggage tag and the boarding pass sticking out of the top, then drew your attention to the pain dark blue sweater he wore, the remnants of your scent clinging to the delicate blend of fabric that had emphasized the expanse of his chest when he had bent down to retrieve something from the bag.

It was no coincidence that Frank would leave on the approach of your heat, yet the boarding pass was odd. Your heats could be intense, and you knew first hand that Frank had struggled with your foul mood when you were in the thick of it. You had always been apologetic for the things you had said when you were deep within the emotional rollercoaster of your heat, and Frank had never held it against you. However, it was still hard for him. It was still as grating on him, and you had no qualms about him leaving for a reprieve.

“I’ll be fine.” You had muttered, simultaneously leaning against Andy as he rested his arms around your waist and shifting to see what Frank had. “Will you be okay?”

“They’re going to take outstanding care of you.” Frank had come closer and held out a small wrapped box for you to take, his gaze briefly drifting toward Andy. “I’ll call you when I land.”

“Where are you going..?” You questioned, gently grabbing the wrapped box to tuck into your chest.

“I’ll be back by the time your heat is over.” Frank had ignored your question, keeping that secret close to his chest. “She gets irritated-“

You pressed yourself further into Andy’s chest, already feeling the loss of your alpha, despite knowing you would have two of your marked mates here, and by the end of the week, you would have three more. You had nuzzled your cheek against his chest, preening when his chest rumbled as he spoke to Frank, the message tuned out to you.

“I’m going to miss you.” You had only turned and pulled yourself out of Andy’s arms when Frank had grabbed his bag and looped the strap of his duffle bag over his shoulder.

“I’m going to miss you too.” You set the small present down on the counter and then drew yourself toward Frank, grasping his hand with your own. “You’re going to be okay?”

Frank had led you away from the kitchen and the other alphas milling in the house to the front entrance. He had set his bag down onto the tile and grabbed the dark green canvas jacket hanging in the front closet, and had slid in his left arm first, then his right arm. As he adjusted the front and fixed the collar, you inched forward and rested your fingertips against his clavicle, feeling flesh and bone against the pads of your fingers. You felt the rush of longing despite him not leaving yet and wished for a moment that you had more time to say goodbye.

“Steve and Jake are coming back today. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Frank questioned as he slipped his hands beneath Andy’s sweater to feel his flesh against yours. He had stroked his thumbs in a stagnant pattern against the small of your back and had applied just enough pressure to bring you closer to him. Frank had brushed the tip of his nose against yours, the electrifying pulse between you stirring the dense connection that was there from the moment you first met, and although this wasn’t the first time you’d been separated since the pack formed, this would be the longest you’ve been apart.

“I’ll be okay. This heat will be fine.” You mumbled and angled your head, whispering into his lips. “Jake and Bucky are going to be here; they’re going to be with me. It will be fine.”

“You know I worry about you.” Frank exhaled against your lips, his palms snaking further up your back and then down again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Frank.” You eased into him, stealing one kiss then another, until you had nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck and inhaled sharply, filling your nose with his scent and committing it to memory as if this would be the last chance you had to sense it.

“We’re going to take care of her, Frank.” Ari had called from a few feet away, his comforting gaze just as potent as Franks hands on you and his lips brushing against the shell of your ear. “We’re going to keep our omega safe.”

“I know.” He pulled away to leave space between you, then tarried his gaze toward Ari. “I…trust you all.”

“I’m going to miss you.” You reiterated, grasping the lapels of his canvas jacket. “You’ll call, right?”

Frank had slipped his hand out from under your hoodie and shirt, then placed his palm against the nape of your neck while his fingers wove into the hairs at the back of your head, gently pulling you back in for another kiss. It was overflowing with tenderness and longing, the passing seconds where he had kissed you goodbye had been potent in its intention, and the lingering buzz had been a marker for the future.

When Frank came back, you would be mated to them all. When Frank came back, there would be three more marks on you, three more claims and the pack solidified permanently.

“I’ll call you.” He pulled away, and you had almost immediately wrapped your arms around your middle and bit down on your bottom lip, watching him open the door and slip out the front entrance.

Your throat had grown tighter, and you found it harder to breathe now that he was gone and that almost sinking feeling had settled within you. Frank wouldn’t be back until your heat was over; he wouldn’t come back until everything was done.

“You okay, princess?” Ari had come up behind you and had replaced the warmth Frank had radiated with his own, and the soft expanse of his lips on the shell of your ear had made you shiver against him.

“Yeah.” You sighed and pushed back against Ari. “I always get a little anxious before my heat. But I’ll be okay.”

“We’re going to take care of you,” Ari had brushed your hair off of your shoulder to expose your neck before he placed a soft open mouth kiss to the open space on your neck where he would make his mark, “you’re going to be okay with us, princess.”

The front door had swung wide open, and there was a moment in time where everything had stopped, nothing moved, and no sound could hit his ear. There was a moment in time when all Jake could see was you standing on the front porch barefoot, wearing Andy’s hoodie and a pair of loose joggers.

Even from where he was standing at the edge of the drive with his bag resting at his feet, Jake could see the relief on your face and the ease with which you had started to step off the porch. He knew you had been upset at the prospect of Frank leaving, and your approaching heat was leaving you feeling ragged and drained. Jake could sense it through the bond, the emotional exhaustion that had been dragging you down, and he was no more excited than you were to be back.

You would be put through the wringer, emotionally and physically, as your heat had built. There were three more alphas who had yet to lay claim to you and mark you as theirs. Your heat would leave you drained as usual, yet you would almost feel it more intensely because you would be in the presence of Bucky and Jake, without Frank, while another three bonds would be formed.

You would need Jake and Bucky to act as buffers between the interactions with Andy, Ari and Steve if you had gotten too overwhelmed. If you had required your mates, if you had needed an already formed bond to make you feel less worn and ragged, they would be there.

“Jake!” You yelled his name, your smile bright and wide, the entire world fading to nothing as he felt blind to it all.

All he saw was you; all he felt was you.

“Missed you…peanut?” He questioned the pet name as he rubbed his hand on the nape of his neck.

“You’re back!” Your eagerness had lit a fire within himself, and he had thought he was ready for you to greet him.

However, when you had all but jumped on him to wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, Jake had been knocked back. He had grunted against you at the force with which you’d run into him; the pure bliss surging through the bond at his appearance had him feeling as if he was walking on air.

As the two of you landed in the grass, he had opened his mouth to speak to you, to greet you, only to snap it shut when you had silenced him with a needy and kiss. He had given up on trying to speak and had instead settled a hand on the small of your back and used the other to brush against his mark on your neck.

The irrevocable shiver had passed through your connection, and so had the spike of your scent. You were encroaching on it, the spark of fire within you that would reduce you, and them all the like, to a simpering mess that needed to be catered to.

It was electric; it was impossible to ignore.

“I missed you,” Jake had turned his head and nipped on his mark on your neck, his teeth grazing against the raised scar that had claimed you as his, “I missed you more-“

“Jake,” the approach of the other alphas who had taken notice of you and him together had been the only causation that made you sit up while your legs were embracing his hips on the left and the right while your palms had rest firmly against his chest, “you’re back. How was it?”

“Everything okay here?” Jake questioned with furrowed brows, first looking at you and then the other three. “I felt…distress-“

“It was a misunderstanding.” You had gripped the front of his shirt and yanked him up off the ground with as much force as you could muster, the intensity and neediness behind the affection acted as a precursor to the quiver of your thighs and the whimper trapped in your throat.

“I made it just in time.” The addition of the final alpha you’d been waiting for had disrupted the moment between Jake and yourself, and he had grunted low in his throat when you had let your hands slip from the front of his shirt and lifted yourself from straddling him. “Your heat’s starting, doll.”

Steve had glanced behind you, toward Andy and Ari, the three of them communicating silently through glances, and the subtlety in which alphas had worked.

The time had come for the last three; for the pack to become one unit.

#alpha!ari levinson x reader #alpha!Andy Barber x reader #alpha!Bucky Barnes x reader #alpha!Frank Adler x reader #alpha!Jake Jensen x reader #alpha!Steve rogers x reader #ari levinson x reader #andy barber x reader #bucky barnes x reader #frank adler x reader #jake jensen x reader #steve rogers x reader #love on the brain series #love on the brain masterlist #love on the brain #love on the brain part 9 #a/b/o polyamory #a/b/o au #a/b/o

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startanewdream · 3 years

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Divination

It was not a prompt on my Bingo Card for @harryandginuary, but I couldn't help myself this time:

______

‘I hate being a Weasley,’ Ginny declares ruefully, sitting next to Harry on the couch of the Common Room. Harry reacts at once, placing his arm around her waist and drawing her closer so Ginny can rest her head on his shoulder.

After weeks of dating, he is getting good at this.

‘You love being a Weasley,’ he says softly, putting strands of her hair over her ear. It’s soothing and very effective in somehow lifting her tiredness.

‘Yeah, I do,’ she admits, exhaling. ‘I just wish we weren’t called alphabetically, I am tired of being the last one ever…’ She turns her head to stare at him, and Harry gladly loses himself in the warmth of her eyes. He is not complaining out loud, but he misses her so much in the last few days. ‘Imagine what we could do if I were called… Anderson.’

Harry doesn’t need to imagine. All his free period while Ginny is taking her OWLs has only brought him dreams… and memories. Especially memories from the days before.

‘Ginny Anderson,’ he teases, making her grimace exaggeratedly. ‘Doesn’t sound good.’

‘You favour Ginny Weasley better?’

‘I definitely favour Ginny Weasley,’ he agrees, and then she moves her head closer, their lips brushing tantalizingly, and Harry can feel her soft breath—

There is a cough nearby, followed by a fit of giggles, and Harry remembers they are not alone in the Common Room. Ginny looks mutinous as he breaks apart, but Harry smiles and pulls her closer again; maybe he can wait for her after her Astronomy exam that night, only the two of them in that Common Room, and then they can revive one of Harry’s favourite memories…

‘How was your exam today?’ he asks, hoping to drift his mind away from this particular memoriy—the Common Room is far too crowded for it.

‘Astronomy was okay,’ she replies distractedly. ‘I know all the planets and moons, my problem is just keeping my eyes open at night… Well, I did better than in Divination, I hope.’

‘If it helps, I told my examiner she should have died three days before.’

Ginny laughs. ‘I told my examiner he would have a long happy life, which will be true if he approves me in the exams.’

‘It’s Divination, nobody takes it seriously.’

‘I beg your pardon!’ she cries, looking indignantly, though Harry knows she is just playing; he recognizes the smirk at the corner of her lips—he has kissed that smirk too many times now. ‘Divination is the noblest magic art!’

‘Don’t let Hermione hear you saying this.’

‘Oh, I won’t, I can foresee exactly what she would tell me,’ she replies, winking at him. ‘Here, let me read your hand.’

Harry rolls his eyes, but he offers his hand anyway, placing it upon Ginny’s open palm.

‘Trelawney has already told me I have the shortest lifeline she ever saw,’ he mumbles, but she is not listening and after a while, Harry forgets about lifelines too.

Ginny is sliding the tip of her finger over his hand, her fingernail soft over his skin; it is almost ticklish, but Harry won’t ever confound what she causes him with tickles. Tickles don’t make him want to pull her closer, forgetting all crowd around them, and kiss her until she is moaning into his arms, his hands exploring her skin—

‘You have a very interesting hand, Harry,’ she replies, a teasing in her voice that makes him realize she knows exactly what she is doing to him.

‘I can make it interesting,’ he promises, though he isn’t sure what he is saying. Every nerve of his body is busy relying on the feelings her fingernail is causing; his brain is all mushy now. ‘What can you read?’

She smiles, intertwining their hands together. ‘Unless I screw this up, I'm going to marry you,’ she says playfully.

‘Well, you better not mess this up,’ replies Harry without thinking. ‘I really want it.’

Ginny turns to him, her surprise evident on her face, and it takes Harry two seconds to understand what he just said. The blood returns to his brain with violence, all his face reddening instantly.

‘I don’t—this is not—I didn’t just propose—’

‘Harry,’ she interrupts him, her face pink too. ‘We were just playing. Don’t worry.’

He opens and closes his mouth a few times before nodding. There is a moment of silence, the first awkward silence he has experienced with Ginny ever since they started dating, and he wonders how he is going to fix this—

‘Hey,’ she calls him, smiling valiantly. ‘I mean it, don’t worry.’ She winks at him, more like herself, and lowers her voice as if sharing a secret: ‘I suck at Divination.’

Harry gives a half-laugh. Ginny seems content with this sound; she approaches him again, kissing him softly on the lips before standing up.

‘I need to check a few star charts before dinner. See you later?’

‘I will be waiting,’ he promises, grinning at her.

When Ginny is gone, he looks back at the palm of his hand, resting his back on the couch. He enjoys her prediction much more than any other he has ever heard.

#hinny #hinny fanfiction #hbp missing moment

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221bshrlocked · 3 years

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II. Teach Me

Shiny & New Masterlist

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Fem!Reader

Words: 2410 (can you believe I wrote something under 4K?)

Warnings: Inapropro touches in public. Confessions. Oral sex (male receiving).

A/N: Here is part two you hoes. Let me know how I’m doing in the comments please. I think this may be the shortest thing I’ve written in two years?

It wasn't that things were weird between the two of you after that night. It was that things weren't, far from it actually. Pedro was more touchy, and if you weren't overthinking things, he was more flirty as well. And the odd thing was, he didn't even care if anyone was around. He constantly found a way to touch you, whether it was a quick nudge to your waist or a soft caress of your lower back as he passed behind you. And then there were the dangerous smiles and low-key remarks full of innuendoes. You thought you were imagining all of this but there was no denying the bulge you felt against your back when he pulled you into his lap as soon as you stepped into the jacuzzi.

You said nothing of it, trying your hardest to continue whatever conversation you were having with Sarah without giving yourself or him away. He laughed at something Sarah said and leaned over, briefly kissing your shoulder blade before slithering one arm across your navel and pushing you down harder on him. You bite back a moan when you feel him twitch against you, unintentionally digging your nails into his thighs when his other hand slowly dips beneath your swimsuit piece.

It's a battle of who's a better actor, with Pedro pretending he was just having a chat and you trying to not make it obvious that you were practically getting fingered in front of your best friends. The lighter his touches became, the more difficult it was to keep it together. What was only a few minutes felt like hours and you sighed in relief when Oscar said that lunch was ready. You waited until everyone left the pool area before you turned around and looked at Pedro.

"Are you out of your mind?" There was no malice in your voice and Pedro smiled before leaning over and kissing down your neck.

"Yes...fuck, yes I am baby. I'm so goddamn crazy for you hermosa. You drive me mad...dreaming of you every night only to wake up with nothing but the memory of you in my arms." You melt into his embrace, trying not to make any noise as he bites down on your skin and leaves marks where his hands could reach,

"Pe-Pedro...please, I- I need..."

"I know what you need baby, I know exactly what you need. And I'll give it to you real good sweetheart...just stay over. D-don't leave, please. Stay here with me...stay here with me." There's a shift in his tone and you can't help but feel like there's perhaps more to this than you thought. And the hope that flutters through your heart doesn't scare you as much as you thought it would.

"Please oh god..." The hand around your waist is trailing up your stomach and you finally give in to him as he cups and kneads at your tits.

"Fucking tell me you'll stay querida." Pedro shakes you in his arms once, pulling at the hair on the nape of your neck until your throat was exposed to him. He licks the skin of your chest up to your jaw and hums at the taste of you, pulling away just in time to see goosebumps erupt on your skin.

"I'll- fuck...I'll stay. I'll stay...n-not going anywhere. I-"

"Sweet fucking girl...never letting you go now." Pedro whispers as he molds his lips with yours, swallowing your moans and deepening the kiss when you gasp at his needy touches.

You inhale deeply when he finally lets you go and stands up. By the time you're opening your eyes, Pedro is looking down and smiling devilishly at you. He stills has his arms wrapped around your back and chuckles at you when your knees buckle at feeling him so near to you.

"That good huh?" You're looking away when he winks, quickly moving out of the spa area and grabbing a towel while Pedro drys his chest and puts on a shirt. Your eyes scan the backyard and when you don't find anyone, you dare to turn around, eyes widening in embarrassment when you see Pedro fixing himself through his swimsuit.

He walks towards you and helps you put on your dress, never once breaking eye contact as his hands move across your wet skin.

"Hurry the fuck up baby chicken!" You snap out of your haze when you hear Oscar yelling from inside, smiling at Pedro as he grabs your hand and moves towards the house.

The rest of the day goes by quickly, with Pedro glancing at you every once in a while and waiting until you smile at him before he goes back to whatever he was doing. You hope you're not reading too much into this, especially now that there were more emotions involved than before. It felt like he was perhaps as nervous as you but there was no way that was true. A man who touched you so shamelessly in front of your friends wouldn't suddenly grow nervous over you staying over. Right?

"Alright heart eyes, I'll see you later." You pretend you don't hear Oscar teasing Pedro as he's leaving, waving your goodbyes as you begin to clean up after everyone. You hear the front door close and immediately head to the kitchen, trying to not seem too nervous now that you're left alone with Pedro.

A solid warm body creeps up from behind you and you drop the plate in the sink when you feel Pedro's hands crawling up your stomach.

"I satisfied myself all of these weeks with the mere thought of you hermosa..."

You shiver at his hoarse voice, shutting your eyes and allowing your head to fall back on his shoulder as he begins to leave a trail of wet kisses down your throat.

"How does that make you feel baby? Knowing that I can't stop thinking about you...fuck sweetheart you're the prettiest goddamn sight in the world." Pedro is turning you around in his arms in an instant, shoving his tongue down your throat and keeping you flush against him as he makes his way back to the couch, the same couch he almost fucked you on not a whole month ago.

"Pedro...oh god, please. I- want to...to-"

"What do you want baby? I'll give you anything, everything...just please let me keep kissing you." His desperate pleas twist the inside of your stomach and you reluctantly lay a hand on his chest and push him away. Pedro's eyes panic and he lets go of you immediately, not wanting to force you into anything you didn't want.

"Wait...I- I want to know what this is," you motion between the two of you, ignoring the way he's licking his lips and looking back at you, "because- fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be. I can't lose you Pedro but I can't lie and pretend that I don't...want more with you. Ever since what we did, I can't- it's like everything made sense all of a sudden. I don't know why I never thought of this but you were so sweet and caring and kind and everything perfect. I can't do this if you aren't...if you just want to-" Pedro suddenly steps forward and takes hold of your neck, making sure you're meeting his gaze before he opens his mouth.

"I wasn't lying when I said I'm crazy about you querida. And- if I'm being honest, I've had these feelings long before you asked me to sleep with you. Ever since I met you baby, I always pictured you in my arms, having lunch with me, staying over every night...coming to events with me. I wanted you then and I want you now." His words are soothing and you shut your eyes and lean into the palm of his hand before you decide to ask him what you've been dying to know ever since the morning.

"Why didn't you say anything Pedro?" I could have been with you for so long.

"Because...I didn't think you'd ever consider me." Pedro looks away when he confesses his fear, not wanting to see the look on your face should you agree with him.

"Are you serious?" You frown at him and almost pull away when he smiles sadly at you.

"I'm older than you sweetheart, a lot older than you. The thought of you rejecting me was...unbearable."

He's shocked when he feels your arms wrap dramatically around his neck just as your lips seek his own. But he's pulling you in soon after, smiling when you moan and beg for him to bring you closer to him.

"I'll take it you don't mind then?" He asks between kisses, laughing when you push him down on the couch and straddle him. His hands are roaming your back before he squeezes and grasps at your ass. He can already himself harden beneath you the more you buck your hips against him.

"Fuck baby you're a dream...my fucking dream." There is a hint of reluctance in his voice and you let go of him and look into his eyes as you whisper your assurances.

"I'm here Pedro...not going anywhere. I promise." He's about to lean up again to taste your lips when you move down his body and kneel between his thighs.

"Wha- what're you doing honey?" He gulps at the sight of you kneeling at his feet, pupils dilating as soon as he feels your hands cupping his cock through his shorts.

"I want to taste you Pedro, please. You- you promised. Please, will you teach me? Will you teach me how to take your cock in my mouth? I want you to come down my throat...want to know how to touch you, pleasure you...make you lose control." Your words are enough to make him hard. Pedro can't believe what he's hearing and your request shoots straight to his dick when he realizes that this is probably your first blowjob.

"Fuck...yeah alright go on baby. Touch me, take what you want...let me feel those pretty lips wrapped around me cock." Pedro raises his hips just as you pull down his shorts, moaning when he sees the way you eye his cock like you were about to feast on him.

"God...I touched myself every night Pedro...picturing your cock sliding into my pussy, stretching me out...filling me up. But you're so much thicker than I remember. So thick and hard for me. Is- is this all for me?" He's sure you're not aware of the effect you're having on him or else you would stop so he wouldn't come so soon.

"Yeah honey, it's for you. All for you. Why don't you be a good little girl and open your mouth. Open it sweetheart and take my cock. Go on, I'll be gentle." He thumbs your jaw and clenches his jaw when you slowly take the head of his dick between your lips. He forces himself to not buck his hips against you, knowing that you needed to get used to the size of him before he tried anything. The curiosity etched on your face as you explore him makes him wish he could push you down on all fours and fuck you until you couldn't remember anything but his name. But he bites into his lower lip to try and have a semblance of control over his body.

"Oh ff-fuck...so wet and warm. Pretty girl...sweet fucking girl." His words make you moan around him and you shut your eyes to try and take him a little deeper. Pedro is torn between keeping his eyes open to commit every single moment to memory and shutting it to enjoy the softness of your throat. But he keeps them open, watching as you switched between licking the precum rolling down his length and sucking on the side of his cock while you rubbed the tip.

"Shit fuck baby...it's okay. You- you don't have to sweetheart...we'll get you there. I'll train this cute mouth of yours to gag on my cock...just enjoy this for now, fuck. So good. So fucking good." Pedro is looking at you with desperation and neediness in his eyes and you pull back to lick at the underside of his cock before leaving wet kisses on his balls. His grip tightens around your hair, unable to decide whether that was the most innocent or the filthiest fucking thing he's ever seen. You're not shy anymore, and Pedro enjoys the sight of you as spit drools down your chin and onto his dick. You're messy and wet and shameless in your touches. Absolutely fucking beautiful.

"You taste so good," it's a faint whisper but his cock twitches in your hand at the exclamation and he gulps nervously when he feels your grip harden around his dick. Fucking hell, how's he already so close?

"Please baby, let me come. Want to come down your throat, fill you up before I fuck this tight cunt again. Take my cock hermosa...take it like the filthy little girl you are. Shit, baby I'm so close...so- so fucking close." He finally throws his head back when your lips enclose around him again, breathing growing erratic when warm hand jerks off the rest of him while the other cups his balls. He's moaning your name and swearing all sorts of curses in Spanish, never once noticing how much it turns you on when he loses control.

"Shit shit fuck oh god- oh baby baby I'm- cuh..coming ff-fuck!" You take him just a tad bit deeper right before you feel hot, long spurts of cum shooting down your throat. It almost feels like he's coming for minutes on end and you squeeze and suck on his dick until he gets too sensitive and pushes you off of him. Pedro looks down just in time to see you collect the cum trailing down your chin and lick it off of your thumb.

"Fucking beautiful." He whispers and mirrors your smile before he pulls you up into his lap again. You're shocked when he kisses you, moaning in surprise when you feel his tongue exploring your mouth. When Pedro finally pulls away to allow you to breathe, he's laughing again at the hazy look on your face.

"W-was I any good?" The reluctance and shyness in your voice makes him almost grow hard again.

"Well, practice does make perfect sweetheart. And I plan on practicing with you all night long."

Taglist: @pastel-0-princess @feelmyroarrrr @libbymouse @its--fandom--darling @spideysimpossiblegirl @princess76179 @cheekygeek05 @miraclesoflove @purple-mango @freeshavocadoooo @metalarmsandmanbuns @acthenerd

#pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #rpf #pedro pascal smut #pedro pascal

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nctsworld · 4 years

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pedal to the metal

✩ jaemin x reader | mall au | arcade attendant!jaemin | fluff | 3.3k

SUMMARY ⇾ when the claw machine eats your money, jaemin, the cute arcade attendant, offers to play a game with you in lieu of a refund. little does he expect you to beat him. | based off of @mistymark’s nct mall employees post WARNINGS ⇾ fluff, bit of angst, jaemin is competitive, kissing in the epilogue RATING ⇾ teen+

⇾ gif created by me, please don’t share or repost without credit!

Leaning over the glass counter filled with endless prizes, Jaemin holds out two large plushies, one in each of his hands.

“Pikachu or Spongebob?” He swivels his head to them individually before beaming down at the little girl in front of him.

With the alternating supervision of her parents, she’s been one of the recent regulars at the arcade and finally saved up enough tickets fo a decent prize, deciding to cash them in today. Her face lights up and targets in on one particular plushie, already inching towards it with open hands.

“Pikachu, Pikachu!” she squeals.

The worker’s smile deepens, “Great choice. Couldn’t have picked better myself.”

He laughs airily as she squeezes Pikachu like it’s the last thing she’ll ever love, bouncing up and down with joy. Today, the girl’s mom is with her and she holds her ecstatic daughter close to her leg, rubbing her arm warmly.

“So I guess I’ll see you two next week?” Jaemin asks.

“If she gets over Pikachu as fast as she did with Olaf, then probably yes,” the mom replies with a defeated head shake. “Thanks again, Jaemin. Say bye to the nice boy.”

“Bye, Jaemin!”

The mother and daughter wave good-bye with wide smiles, as did Jaemin. Giving prizes out and seeing the delightful reactions on the recipient’s face was one of the best parts of his job.

Oh, and so was being able to play all the arcade games for free.

For Jaemin, being the arcade attendant at the local mall was a dream come true. He was once in the same place as the little girl—always coming to the same arcade every day after school. Although he loved winning prizes (who doesn’t?), he also prided himself in being the best at every game, knowing all the secrets and strategies like the back of his hand. Dance Dance Revolution, Street Fighter, Beatmania, Time Crisis, Super Bike, Pac-Man… You name it, and Jaemin can wipe the floor with anybody. It’s why none of his friends liked to play the games with him, but they still had fun nonetheless.

“That girl is insane!” Chenle exclaims with a point of his thumb, strolling up to the counter. He’s one of Jaemin’s many friends and an everyday mall-goer. Jisung comes up next to him, also a friend and works at the mall’s McDonald’s. The mall was really a second home to them all.

Jisung bobs his head in disbelief. Then, he turns to face their worker friend.

“You’ve gotta admit she’s really good, right?”

The lanky figure cocks an eyebrow. “What are you guys talking about? I was busy giving out a prize to someone.”

The shortest individual of the three widens his eyes. “There was a girl who was just playing Super Bike. She kept kicking everyone’s ass, even us.”

Jisung nods fervently, “I was telling Chenle that she’s probably as good as you, maybe even better.”

Jaemin scoffs, running a hand through his hair. “No one can beat me at Super Bike, you both know that.”

“You haven’t seen her play, though…” Chenle sighs dreamily, perching his chin into his palms, as he drifts off into space and replays the gameplay in his mind.

“I don’t know, Jaemin,” Jisung shrugs. He absentmindedly fiddles with the bundle of tickets left by the little girl. “It’s about time someone beat you at one of the games.”

Suddenly, Jaemin snatches the tickets from his hands, startling the younger boy. Said younger boy glances up to meet a pair of slitted, burning eyes. In an instant, Jaemin’s eyes melt and a cocky expression flashes by.

“Like I always say, I never lose.”

He begins to count the tickets, but the thought of someone being better than him makes him lose track.

After he finishes counting the tickets, he casually checks-up on the motorcycle racing simulator to see what all the fuss was about. To his disappointment, he is met with a young boy, playing by himself.

Jaemin makes a mental note to keep an eye and ear out for this mystery Super Bike girl.

A few days pass. You’re at the mall by yourself to kill some time and to procrastinate on studying. You spent a while at the bookstore already, so you decide to do something a little more fun.

At the bustling arcade, you’re quickly drawn towards the claw machine with the mountain of plushies. You know the odds of winning are low, but one round couldn’t hurt. Placing your money into the claw machine, you begin to fiddle with the joystick. However, nothing’s moving.

Your face crinkles in confusion, so you add money again, thinking that maybe it was a one-time fluke. Nope, definitely not a fluke because the claw still doesn’t work. You’re now two dollars down and you didn’t even get the chance to play.

Walking around the arcade, you try to find a worker, but to no avail. You stand in front of the glass counter, waiting for an attendant. While waiting, you’re peering at all the variety of prizes to be won and wish you were skilled and patient enough to obtain such things. It’s no wonder why the claw machine drew you in, at least that game filled you with a false sense of a fast and easy win.

After finishing a supervising round in the arcade, Jaemin notices a girl at the front counter. Actually, scratch that, a stunning girl—one that he hasn’t seen in the arcade before. He’d definitely remember you if you had. The ends of his mouth stretch and he strides towards you with a wind of confidence.

“Hi, do you need help with something?”

Jolting slightly, you’re taken aback by both the handsome figure and the question. You saw him earlier at one of the games, but it never crossed your mind that such a young, attractive guy like that would be the resident arcade attendant. You subconsciously do a double take, eyeing him up and down, causing Jaemin’s grin to become more cheeky.

“Hi, yeah,” You point to where you were previously. “I was trying the claw machine and it took my money, but it didn’t let me play any rounds.”

“Oh?” He scrunches his face and heads toward the machine. You follow behind. “We just fixed it a few weeks ago, that’s weird.”

At the claw machine, Jaemin feels around the machine, checking on the knobs and buttons, and even places a coin into it to test out your claim. He tinkers with the joystick, and realizes you’re right; the machine’s only taking money without allowing any plays.

So he kicks it. Hard.

You break out into a chortle. “Does that actually help?”

“Always works like a charm.”

Another kick, and more chortling.

Jaemin shifts his head towards you and places a hand on his chest. His eyes waver, searching around him as if someone would be listening, and lowers his voice in a hush.

“I’m a secret machine whisperer, you gotta trust me,” he says with a small wink, and you trust him by standing back and resuming to observe him with a fluttering heart.

The attendant tries the machine with money once more, but the kicking evidently didn’t help. This only leads Jaemin to increase the intervals of his kicking. Soon, kicking evolves into desperately shaking the contraption.

Bemused and shaking your head, you comment, “I don’t think your whispering is working very well.”

He attempts one last time, but to nobody’s surprise, it fails. He tapes an out of order sign onto the glass. With hands on his hips, he exhales a lengthy sigh.

“Sorry for your lost money. I can give you a refund.”

“Aw, no. It’s okay, it was only a couple of bucks. I was more so looking forward to playing the game, really.”

A lightbulb goes off in Jaemin’s head.

“Did you wanna play a game with me to make up for it instead?”

Although he enunciates the question slowly, cautious of your reply and potential rejection, there’s a contrasting smug expression on his face. Your teeth tug at your bottom lip, about to answer, but then you pout.

“Aren’t you working right now though?”

Jaemin shrugs nonchalantly, “It’s kind of slow at the moment and I can argue that I’m maintaining the game.”

“Like what you were just doing with the claw machine?”

“Exactly.”

Both of you laugh in unison, gazes converging together. If only the strong sparks flying between you two could somehow fix the claw machine... but then again, you would’ve never had a reason to speak to the beautiful boy in the first place.

“Sure, what game did you have in mind?”

Tapping a finger on his chin, Jaemin runs the possibilities in his head. What’s a game that he can easily impress you with his skills, but is also equally fun for you to play?

“Super Bike?” he offers.

You nod with a small smile, “Okay, lead the way.”

Thankfully, as the two of you arrive at the game, no one’s currently playing. You jump onto the left motorcycle, while Jaemin gets onto the right. He enjoys how you cutely sway back and forth, accustoming yourself to the fake motorbike. He gives you a quick breakdown of the controls, and tells you to focus only on the gas and brake since he’ll choose automatic transmission to make things easier for you. You hum with puffed cheeks, ready to play.

Following Jaemin’s choices of the easiest map level and transmission settings, the race immediately starts.

Jaemin can play Super Bike in his sleep, so he starts off the first half of the lap with his eyes on his screen, then for the second half, he looks over at you for a few moments. You’re glued to your screen. The glint in your eyes sparkles with pure amusement and an edge of competitiveness. He breathes in the enticing sight, especially as you bite your lip with heightened focus.

But then, flashes of red flare upon your face. Jaemin’s heart knocks nervously at his chest because the flashes are coming from the sign above your screen with the words ”RACE LEADER”. He’s dragged straight into the match again, not wanting to lose.

“Have you played this before?” he shouts over the background noises and music.

“Only a few times,” you shrug lightly. Your eyebrows raise as Jaemin catches up, trailing almost nose to nose with the end of your motorcycle, yet the finish line is approaching fast. Narrowing your eyes, you accelerate and curve around the last bit of the map without struggle. Before you know it, you reach the finish line right before Jaemin does.

As the first place win radiates from your screen, you pump your arms in the air and remove yourself from the bike.

On the other hand, Jaemin’s gaze is stuck on the screen, jaw hanging. The big two taunts him with every flicker.

“Well, that was fun. Thanks for the game—”

You’re about to ask for his name, but his odd reaction catches you off-guard. You take a step closer to him until someone cries out:

“That’s Super Bike girl!”

Swinging your head towards the origin of the cry, you see a boy jog over with a wave of his index finger. Chenle’s voice breaks the arcade attendant out of his frozen state. Jaemin whips his head towards you, still on the motorbike.

“You’re Super Bike girl?!” he echoes, eyebrows knitted.

“I already have a nickname around here?” you giggle. “I only played this game once a few days ago.”

Chenle asks him, “Did Biker Girl beat you?”

Jaemin avoids the inquiry, darting his eyes and pressing his lips together tightly. The friend passes the question onto you with owl eyes, and you shyly nod.

“Oh, my God, and I missed it?!” He huffs in disappointment, but then recollects himself as he takes a few steps toward you.

“Are you free after seven to come back and play again? Our friends need to witness this. This is history in the making.”

Immediately, Jaemin shoots daggers into Chenle. The daggers definitely have profanities written all over. You catch a glimpse of Jaemin and can practically read every word.

“Uhm,” you lower your voice, despite the fact Jaemin can still hear you. “Your friend looks pretty pissed. I feel kinda bad to just come back to beat him in front of people.”

“Oh, don’t worry about feeling bad,” the attendant’s friend waves his hand carelessly. “He always makes us feel bad when he constantly brags about how he’s the best at every game in here.”

“Is that so?” You glance at the boy on the bike with a new perspective. You could definitely see this guy as cocky, but maybe he’s still sweet underneath the exterior. You also wouldn’t mind seeing him once more before you head home, and now you had a reason.

“Well, count me in. I’ll be back at seven on the dot.”

With a flutter of your fingers, you say your temporary good-byes to the pair of boys and head out of the arcade. Jaemin finally props himself off the motorbike, getting back to work.

Passing by Chenle, he half-jokingly seethes, “I hate you,” into his ear.

Without a care in the world, Chenle frantically messages their group chat to come by the mall later to witness the match of a lifetime.

“Hey, did I miss it?” Mark pants as he puts an arm around Jeno from behind.

“No, you got here right on time. Super Bike girl should be coming any time soon.”

On the backend of the motorbike, Jaemin sits at the edge of it, studying the modest crowd around the racing simulator. Along with Jisung and Chenle, several of Jaemin’s other close friends are here to cheer for his downfall. For those who aren’t there, his friends are equipped with their phones in hand, ready to record the monumental event.

Weaving through the crowd with mumbles of “Excuse me’s,” you reach your destination and appear in front of the arcade worker.

The rising buzz of the crowd fades from your ears and into the background within his presence. You melt at him looking so coolly, bending over the motorbike with folded arms, and give him a warm smile.

“Just because you’ve got a sweet smile, it doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you.”

You playfully drop your mouth as the people around “Ooooh” in harmony. Your tongue is pressed against your lower teeth as Jaemin spins himself to the front of the bike. You get onto your previous seat from hours ago, grasping onto the fake vehicle as if you owned it.

You watch Jaemin enter the settings in. He’s not underestimating you this time and he executes his promise of not going easy on you—the hardest map and manual transmission are chosen, signaling you to really bring your A-game for this round.

At first, the match is tight. You’re practically side by side on the map, even having the occasional opportunity to push him off track and vice-versa. Changing up techniques, as the second lap rings in, you switch transmission gears and ease on the brake for a brief moment, hugging the curve of the map.

With that move, the red light flashes above him. Jaemin believes, no, he knows he’s going to win. Sweet victory is on the tip of his tongue, he can taste it. Ten seconds are left on the clock, ten seconds left until he beats you and continues to reign king of the game.

But, you suddenly speed past him and the game’s over before he can properly process it.

The screams surrounding you engulf the entirety of the arcade.

Jaemin’s mouth is on the floor as he realizes he lost.

No, his mouth is six feet under because you’re currently entering a nickname into the all-time best rankings. You beat Jaemin’s time on the map, seizing the new first place rank for the game.

Everyone circles you in congratulations, but your eyes are honed in on one individual in the crowd. He hops off the bike, brushes past the crowd, and escapes to the counter, continuing his shift like nothing happened. Hastily, you go after him and find him crouching down behind the glass. He’s unpacking boxes filled with what you assume are prizes.

On your forearms, you lean over the glass counter. “Hey, when does your shift end?”

Your assumption is answered as you see him restock some of the plushies in the transparent container underneath you.

“Why do you want to know? So you can beat me again at another game?” he grumbles, the bitterness blatant in his voice. Nevertheless, you persist.

“‘Cause Super Bike girl wants to get to know the cute Arcade Boy she met today over dinner.”

He pauses and his eyebrows perk up at the words cute and dinner in the same sentence. His ego is still sore, but he’ll bite.

“Is it a date?” he presses further with a disinterested tone, continuing to move the items.

You drag your bottom lip up, drumming your fingers slowly against the glass.

“Only if you want it to be.”

Your words bandage his sore ego quickly, but he wants to bathe in his pity a little while longer. He twists his mouth, fighting against the urge to show you his teeth.

The boy stands up and leans over the counter too. He’s greeted by your strong aura, yet it doesn’t completely reach your eyes; your gaze is soft and gentle. “I get off at nine, so it’s pretty late.”

“That’s okay. I can play games until then—”

You peel yourself off from the glass and properly introduce yourself, holding your hand out. He glances at it for a second, then at your tender look. He gives in and can't help himself from grinning. The arcade attendant reaches for your hand and reciprocates the shake.

“I’m Jaemin.”

That day, Jaemin learned that losing at the arcade games wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

EPILOGUE

Clutching onto Jaemin’s waist underneath his leather jacket with your chin resting on his shoulder, you’re swaying side by side with him on the racing game that brought you two together. It’s his day off today, and both of you thought it’d be cute to spend some time at the arcade before the movie showing later that evening.

“Ease on the gas!” you dictate. He rolls his eyes at your backseat driving.

“No, it’s too early!” he protests and goes against your advice, accelerating further. When that makes him go off-road a bit, you sigh smugly while he groans meekly.

“See, and this is why I’m better at Super Bike than you,” you tease before pecking a kiss on his cheek. Tingles rise to his cheeks.

“Yeah, but I’ve played this game a lot longer than you.” It’s the second lap and he’s inching towards the finish line.

“Yeah, but who holds the record?”

After he speeds through it, the list of the best times roll onto the screen. Your nickname still stands proudly at number one from the day you asked him out on a date.

Jaemin smiles at the not-so far memory. He then twists and extends his neck over his shoulder, sharing a sweet kiss with you. Your grip around his waist tightens, your fingers sinking into his skin. His palm raises and cups your face, deepening the kiss.

Breaking away for a moment, he says, “Yeah, well, I’m the better kisser.”

You sweep your nose against his. “That’s up for debate…”

Your lips meet once more lovingly.

“Can you guys stop making out in the arcade again?” Jisung groans. “Kids are here, you know. Like me.”

Chenle cuts in, “I thought you were glad someone beat Jaemin for once.”

“I mean, yeah, but I didn’t expect the same person to have her tongue constantly down his throat!”

Still lip-locked, Jaemin and you smile into the next kisses from their remarks while Jisung and Chenle run off to play another game, far away from the new couple.

#jaemin #na jaemin #na jaemin x reader #jaemin scenarios #jaemin fluff #jaemin imagines #jaemin fanfic #jaemin x reader #nct #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct dream fluff #nct dream fanfic #nct dream imagines #nct dream scenarios #nct dream #flash tw

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kazuhasbunny · 3 years

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Giiiirl, imagine you are on Baal's side, you are a general and commanding an army against the rebels' own general, Gorou.

You are all cocky and confident, your years of experience just keeping you aware enough so you won't be consumed by your pride. But oh, your face, when after all of those carefully thought out strategies and intensive training, you end up losing to that mutt.

He is insufferable. Even though his face and body is caked in a mixture only war can give-- blood, sweat and dirt, his smile is the biggest, smuggest thing you have ever seen in your life as a warrior. It does not help that you are on your knees, back stretching forward as the grip he has on your jaw tugs you up with such a force you won't ever believe an archer, a long distance fighter, would posses. The bodies of both sides lay scattered on the defiled land, but the purple spots decorate the most, as his last men stand straight and proud behind him, just as yours do, but the lack the attentiveness. Their tired and bored countenance ticks you in a wrong way. Why they don't look happy by this result?

Does your failure was already predicted? As if this end was something that was already calculated. Taken in account.

The man holding your jaw in a bruising grip let go of you, a mere blink of respite as the next second your left cheek explodes in pain, your vision swaggers for a second as you fall on your right side from the streght of that blow. You shut your eyes and concentrate on your breathing; the fight left you completely drained, as much as your brain screamed at you to stand up and attack that man, your bones and muscles protested as you tensed in hopes of getting up, but ultimately you only made yourself look pitiful.

Gorou turns to were his men are, his gaze lingering for a second on your laughable attempt. His focus switches to the army as he starts to pace from one side to the other, the victory was already decided, but the energy from the feat itself brought a surge of emotions within him.

Another quick glance at you, and something on his mind switched. He was wondering what to do with you; killing you off felt as a meaningless action, as the Shogun won't care for someone as low as yourself. You only were deployed to fight against them to gain time for the real force, to prepare and learn how strong the rebels actually are. With how confident you looked hours ago, it seems that your benevolent Shogun forgot to grace you with such knowledge before sending you off with a bunch of newly trainees.

"First of all, congratulations, my friends, for this well earned victory" Gorou began. The group of men on front of him quickly acknowledge his words, paying attention to what he had to say.

"Even if the outcome resulted as to what we--" He turns around, your eyes opened when he began speaking. You both made eye contact, and Gorou's smirk transformed into a full smile. Was it okay for him to fill such giddiness at the sight of your equally wounded pride and body? After all, he was the one to bring you into that state, he was the one to put you in your rightful place with just one arrow, kneeling on the dirty battlefield as the geo power incased on the arrowhead did its job in petrify you.

The glint of defeat on, dare he say, those gorgeous eyes of yours really made them stand out. Actually, as he approaches your form, he's starting to see some other appealing features he couldn't notice from a longer distance. What was the Shogun thinking, in even allowing you a spot within her number when you clearly weren't made for war?

"--Expected" his pause brought your attention to what he was actually saying. So they had all of this calculated...

"But now, all that is left to do, is tend to the wounded and take care of the dead. Yours and their sacrifice will bring an end to this stupid decree in no time. We need to prepare for tougher, real..." He gives you a glance "...battles from now on. Don't let this win get in your head"

The crowd quietly cheers between them, some of them patting each other on the shoulder for a job well done. All of that camaraderie made your stomach hollow, as you recognise the same speech you have told to your former men after a battle well fought. Those piercing blue eyes of his made you painfully aware of the consecutive part of giving a victory speech, about what is waiting for the losing side, the pit in your stomach grew in size and you really wished that it could swallow you whole before the man in front of you does.

Gorou thrills in your despair. That pretty face of yours plunging into dark dephts, your mind weaving one horrifying destiny after other speaks a lot of your character, as only those who have layed a cruel end to those before them can conceive. He knows what kind of thoughts those are, but as much of a monster as you are viewing him now, he won't do such a thing. He was quite merciful while deciding what your fate will be, even if he didn't pondered a lot in the few minutes after your fall, you are but only a child with a weapon, sent to die by that horrible woman.

And something he prides himself of, is learning from mistakes. He won't throw away something that can fulfill very well other duties than warfare ones.

"Sir! If I may--" a voice spoke between the masses of helms and spears.

"I know, I know. The general" Gorou waves off his hand, his eyes never stranding away from your form for far too long.

A groan escapes your body as his foot steps on your ribcage, not too hard but your weak body sense as if he had nails attached to the sole, your skin felt cold and as if it was being prickled by a ton of needles. He pushes your your body with a gentleness unexpected from an enemy, until you were lying on your back. The new position put pressure in the arrow wound on your right/left shoulder, your dominant arm, and for a second you were grateful of the rigidness granted by the geo element yet covering half of your arm or else you are sure you would have cried in pain, the last thing you want now is to show more weakness that what you are displaying.

"What I am going to do with her... I didn't know myself when we first begun this battle" Gorou continued. He removed his shoe from your chest to your side on the floor, so you'll be cage between his legs while he looks down on you. His arms crossed across his chest and he tilted his head to the side, as in assessing you, taking on your face just as covered in grime as his but not diminish your beauty in the slightest. He really made a good decision in regard of your fate.

The soldiers stood still, the atmosphere felt heavy like the air on a hot summer afternoon that feels stuffy on your lungs as your breath in. Their general had an unseen aura surrounding him, his usual careless actitud makes everyone forget that there's an animal side to him, although they aren't sure they will presence it for the first time, their captain is definitely switching towards that side... they even feel a little bit of pity for the woman under him.

"But as I see her like this, beaten, it makes me remember something of old, that the victorous usually sow. Can you guys guess what it is?" He squats over you, sweetly combing a couple of strands of hair out of your face.

Whispers break among the army after the question. One of them raised his hand, no barely 18 years old as he was one of the shortest in comparison to his bigger and wider shouldered comrades. The young recruit promptly lowered his arm as the general wasn't looking at their direction but that didn't stopped him from answering, eyes shining with excitement:

"They take something as a token of their victory, sir!"

Gorou hummed in affirmation. "Yes, they did. A spoil of war, if you may"

Dread washed over you. He wasn't going to kill you, as a way to demonstrate their superiority? To be taken as a trophy, a possession... He surely won't mean that, right? They are going to torture you and extract every drop of information that you have, until the last thing left in you is blood to shed on their hands as your usefulness is cut short like your troath.

You needed to say something. Anything, as long as it would arise anger within the young male, anything as long as you aren't degrade far from what you have been.

Gorou raised his eyebrows as you coughed. He wasn't expecting a monologue from you but neither silence. Your sudden wish of speaking made the men jump into action, their spears pointing at you with such terrifying speed made you realise furthermore that this battle was destined to end like this, another stripe to the tiger just like a new blow to your pride.

"Just kill me already. I won't say anything, and if given the opportunity, I will end it myself" you spat. You tried to transmit all of your pain, hate and shame in one stare, you won't go happy until you make that man see what you feel, how big your abhorrence is to his being.

All the males stare in silence, until the general himself chuckled. Your cheeks burn with rage, your teeth clenched together as you tried yo surf this flare of emotions. How dare he laugh like that! He already won and you won't speak a thing about the Shogun, why acting like that? Isn't the rebels supposed to act with nobility and fairness?

Gorou took a breath in. He's happy he didn't went for the traditional route and killed you.

"Aw, now you just proved me correct, sweetheart. I'll enjoy making you into a proper wife"

All of that just to say "Imagine being taken as Gorou's prize and he makes you his whore wife" LMAO

(Also? In the part that reader coughs? I wanted to put that Gorou spits on your lips because you looked thirsty AODJFJDC)

THIS 🙏 yes i’d love to be gorou’s housewife he should really take me in and train me to obey him . please i’d do anything for him

AND pleasee omg ... if u actually put that in i’d die on my chair it’s too hot i can’t hjnhnggrh

#eli.replies #anon #AAAA #this is so good i #am at a loss of words

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

Text

Love or Duty by GleefullyCaptainSwan - Chapter 8/8

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Notes:

Thank you all for your interest in this story, it was really my first time trying to write a story that was not modern. It took a lot of research and not all of it is accurate but it was a lot of fun stretching myself to try this out. Thank you all again for all the comments, flails, and encouragement. You guys are the best.

Chapter 8: Love is Stronger

Emma watched in horror as the King and Queen of Jonesboro fell to the ground, a pool of blood expanding under their motionless bodies. Killian advanced to his mother’s position, glaring up at Regina with a look of murderous anger.

She felt like everything was moving in slow motion as he stood from his spot, his sword out in front of him, a low growl expanding from his throat until he ran full force toward the woman. He was blocked immediately by her guards as his sword clashed against metal. Liam moved beside her, rushing to flank the evil Queen between himself and his brother.

Emma stood frozen to her spot at the front of the room, moving only when she saw her mother pinned between two guards. She knelt on the ground next to a fallen soldier, pulling the blade from the man’s hand. Spinning away from an approaching attack, she raised the blade, hearing the metal clang loudly in her ears as it connected with the man’s sword.

The man seemed surprised, his eyes widening as she narrowed her eyes. “Come now sweetheart, I promise I’ll make it quick for you.” He taunted her.

Emma stepped back on her foot, spinning under his blade, and driving hers through the man’s chest. “Thanks for making it quick.” She glared, kicking her foot against his body to push him off her blade as he fell, lifeless to the ground.

She continued to make her way toward her mother when Regina’s voice boomed louder than the commotion around her, causing Emma to spin around to find her in the crowd.

“How does it feel to be king?” She taunted Liam. “Unfortunately, it will be the shortest reign on record.” She growled, rushing toward him. Liam met her sword with his as they stood inches away from each other, a grimace of anger on Liam’s face. Suddenly she saw movement behind the Queen, dark hair moving through the crowd as he rushed toward the pair with his weapon raised in front of him.

Thinking he had the upper hand he left himself unprotected, something that the Queen immediately took advantage of. As if she sensed his presence, she spun around, the end of her blade slicing into his shoulder.

“Killian.” The words left her mouth in a scrambled scream. She looked toward her mother, seeing her defending her spot valiantly. Emma rushed forward, trying to race to the other side of the room. When she could see Liam in front of her, she watched in horror as strong arms pulled Liam backward, allowing the Queen to focus her full attention on his younger brother.

The path to Killian closed as men flanked her on all sides, evil smiles spread across their faces as they held their weapons in front of them. She lunged forward, fighting off two of the men, but the men behind her were getting closer, the blade narrowly missing her leg as she tried to spin away. She heard a loud clash behind her and turned to see her father’s sword enter the fray. She nodded in his direction as he took care of the men behind her, and Emma turned her attention back to the soldiers at her side.

Dispensing of one of them easily, she began swinging her sword, the feeling of anxious desperation to get to Killian’s side starting to grow in her.

When the man in front of her finally fell, she looked up to see Killian still fighting the Queen in the center of the room, behind them she could see Liam fighting off three other large soldiers. Before she could reach them, Liam burst through the wall of men, backing up against his brother as the two of them held their swords, fighting the crowd around them, while trying to keep the Queen at bay.

For a moment as Emma watched between blades, she thought perhaps they had the upper hand, but then Liam was on his back, a blade at his throat and the Queen had Killian in her grasp, his arm wrenched behind his back, a dagger digging into his side.

She spun him around, showing him off to his brother and Emma felt her heart pounding in her throat.

“Which is gonna hurt more, watching your parents die, or your baby brother?” The Queen taunted Liam, laughing as she threw her head back.

Emma kicked at the man in front of her, bringing the blade down against his neck, pushing past him before his body fell. She heard Killian wail in pain, the dagger drawing blood. Emma lifted her sword, ready to plunge it into the woman’s back. Again, as if the woman sensed the presence behind her, she spun around, holding the dagger to Killian’s throat. “The bride wants to play games.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

The Queen looked to her right as a man pushed Liam to his knees and she locked eyes with Killian. “Go…save your parents.” He grunted at the end when Regina dug the knife into his neck.

“No, I won’t leave you.” She cried out, biting her lip as she tightened the grip on the hilt of her sword. Something flashed in the Queen’s eyes before an ominous laugh escaped her lips.

“Interesting.” She mused and Emma took a step toward the woman.

“You have nowhere to go. You are surrounded, we will destroy you.” Emma threatened only causing the woman to laugh louder.

“Do you think your measly forces are a threat to me? Such a naïve child you are.”

“Emma go! Our people will follow you, even after we are gone. They need you.” Killian grunted, struggling to free himself from Regina’s grasp.

“I need you.” She said through tears as her eyes stayed locked on Killian’s, avoiding turning her gaze toward the man she was supposed to marry. She couldn’t lose Killian; she would not let this woman take the one thing she had waited her entire life to find.

Love.

She didn’t know what overtook her, but a growl from somewhere deep in her belly left her throat as she rushed toward the woman, her sword held high in front of her. Killian pressed an elbow into the woman’s side, bending forward to avoid the blow of Emma’s sword, Regina twitched to the side causing her aim to be off center as the blade plunged into the woman’s side.

Before she could react, she was shoved backward against the ground, the woman yelling orders around her as men rushed toward the door surrounding their Queen in a circle of protection.

She winced in pain as she sat up on her elbows, knowing that tomorrow she would have bruises in places she didn’t dare think of, if she survived today, she thought grimly. Killian was at her side, his fingers in her hair.

“Are you alright?”

She looked up into his blue eyes, a smile returning to her face for a moment. “I think so, are you?”

He reached down, pressing his hand to his side. “Nothing that can’t be fixed, thanks to you.” She was transfixed by his gaze, the way he stared at her as if he were afraid she would disappear in his arms, leaning into the soft feel of his hand against her cheek.

“That’s the second time I’ve saved your life.” She said with a soft smile.

“You’re very good with a sword.” He smirked.

As if suddenly they were both aware of their surroundings, he helped her to stand and they both looked around the room at the men and women scattered about the ground. Emma’s eyes searched desperately for her parents only to have them appear at her side, fussing over each scratch and bruise displaying on her skin.

“I’m fine.” She said, brushing them away as she watched the two brothers standing mournfully over the bodies of their parents. She knew they would both be devastated, though Liam was fully aware of the possibility of one day taking the place of his father, she knew this was not the way he had anticipated it happening.

She leaned into her father’s side as he cradled her head in his hands before Liam and Killian approached. “The guards advised that Regina retreated by way of the East Road, though most of her men have scattered.”

“We need to attack while she is vulnerable, Your Highness.” Her father said with a bow of his head toward Liam.

“I am in agreement, she is injured thanks to your daughter, she will not expect an advance after the destruction she left in her wake.”

“Then we shall continue the ceremony at once.” Her father stated, gesturing to some of the men to collect the priest, Emma’s heart sinking in her chest.

~*~

Killian pressed a palm to his mother’s face, closing her eyes and bending to press a kiss to her forehead before draping the cloth over her body. “She loved you more than me, you know.” Killian glanced toward his brother’s voice, a small smile splaying on his face.

“You know that isn’t true.”

“You were the baby, I reconciled with it long ago.” He chuckled.

“Regina must pay for this.” He said solemnly.

“She will. Today we stand together, you and I. Nothing will stop us from bringing Regina’s reign to an end.”

He clasped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I will follow you to the end of the earth, my King.”

“You fought valiantly today.”

“We still lost.” He said sadly.

“They would not want us to lose hope.” Liam said softly. “As mother always said, when we are at our darkest, love will bring us to the light.”

Killian turned his eyes toward Emma’s at the other end of the room, her mother fussing over her hair as she looked nervously in his direction.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

Killian jerked his gaze back to his brother. “What?”

“Before the ceremony, Emma told me that she was in love with another.”

Killian gulped, the guilt tearing at him. “Brother, I swear, I never meant…”

“Do you love her?”

His eyes met hers once again. “With everything that I am.”

~*~

“Mom, please. Stop.”

“It’s just a spot of blood.” Her mother complained, brushing her cheek with the corner of her sleeve. “Emma, I’m so sorry, this is not how your wedding should have gone.”

“I’m not upset about the wedding! His parents are dead?”

“I know.” She said sadly, pausing as she leaned against the wall beside them. “Alice and I were friends when we were younger. I would never have wished this on her. She was a wonderful woman. But Liam has been preparing for this his entire life.”

Emma shook her head, staring at Killian across the room, their eyes meeting for a moment as he spoke with his brother. “Liam will be a good King.”

“And you will be a wonderful Queen, Emma, you were born for this.” Before Emma could respond she was approached by her father.

“We must start the ceremony now.” He announced as Liam and Killian appeared behind him. He turned toward the men. “It’s time, you and Emma must marry now.”

Emma met Liam’s eyes and he smiled at her softly. “I was wrong earlier.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I cannot perform my duty when my heart belongs to another.”

Her father’s face narrowed in anger. “Are you rejecting my daughter?”

Liam smiled at Emma. “I am simply allowing her to meet her own destiny.”

“King Liam, I know this has been a difficult day, but we must unite our kingdoms if you wish to avenge your parent’s death.” Her father tried to reason.

Liam stepped closer to Emma and took her hand. “You and I do not need to marry to unite our Kingdom, Emma, but there can still be a wedding this day, if that is what your heart truly desires.”

“What are you talking about?” Her father interjected, staring between the two of them.

“Liam…I can explain.” She started before he cut her off.

“There is no need to explain. The heart wants what the heart wants.” He looked over her shoulder toward the woman standing behind her, Elsa looked bewildered as he stepped toward her and took her hand.

“This is an outrage.” Her father said angrily. “You reject my daughter for another woman at her own wedding.”

“Father.” Emma said loudly. “Stop.” She turned toward Killian. “I’m sorry I wasn’t brave.”

“Love, you did what you thought you needed to do. I could not judge you for doing your duty, no matter how much it pained me.” Killian stepped toward her.

“I should have chosen you; for it is all that my heart desires.” She heard her mother gasp behind her.

“Then choose me now.” He reached for her hand, pulling her toward him. “I cannot make you Queen of Jonesboro, but I promise that I will always be by your side, and I will love you like no other.”

“Emma, what is the meaning of this?” Her father stepped between them.

“I love Killian, daddy. I do not wish to disappoint you, but I choose him, and together we can still stop Regina, we can still protect our people.”

“Killian will never be King.” Her father stated somberly.

“You taught me about responsibility, about duty and honor, but I don’t need to be the Queen of Jonesboro to unite our people.” She reached over and took Killian’s hand, looking over her shoulder at Liam. “We simply need to lead the way and they will follow.”

Her mother stood next to her father, reaching out to touch his arm. “Years ago, it was love that tore these kingdoms apart, perhaps now it is time to let love bring them together.”

“But she needs to be Queen…”

“And she will be.” Her mother said suddenly, reaching out to touch her daughter’s cheek. “Emma is the rightful heir of Misthaven.”

“Thank God.” Henry exclaimed behind them.

“Mary Margaret, women are not in the line of succession.” Her father argued. “It is the law of the land.”

“A law that the King of Misthaven has the ability to ignore or perhaps rewrite.” She said with a smile in Emma’s direction.

“Regardless of my father’s stubbornness, and though he would not admit it publicly, he knew that his Margie had chosen the better man that day.” Liam said stepping forward. “And now we face a mighty adversary, a woman who does not care about the law of men. Perhaps on this day, it is not a man who will defeat her.”

“Emma, is this what you want?” He father asked.

“All I have ever wanted was for you to see me for what I could be. I have watched you lead my entire life. I have learned everything I know because of you. I am more than a decorative piece of furniture.”

“Aye, she is a fierce fighter, skilled with a blade, and too stubborn to back down.” Killian said proudly as he stood at her side.

“She gets that part from me.” Her father said with a laugh.

“People of Jonesboro.” His brother’s voice boomed behind him. “Today has been a sad occasion. We have lost our beloved King and Queen, but we will not let this deed go unpunished. I promise to serve you proudly as King of Jonesboro and we will avenge my parents by removing the evil that set foot in our house here this day.” He turned toward Killian, glancing between him and Emma. “This kingdom has long since held ill will to our neighbors in the North, but starting today, there will be no malice toward the people of Misthaven. We must let love guide our hearts.”

He paused, taking Emma’s hand. “I have learned much from Princess Emma, she has taught me that our duty as royals means that we must protect those who trust us to lead them. But she also taught me that without love, duty means nothing.”

He turned toward the blonde woman standing behind him. “Love is stronger than any blade and I will not allow love to be defeated on this day.” He turned his attention back to the people standing in their seats, confusion, and anxiety on their faces. “Today Jonesboro and Misthaven will join as one, a force of love so strong that it will defeat anything that stands against it.” He guided Emma’s hand toward him until he had placed it into Killian’s palm.

“My brother, Prince Killian will wed Princess Emma of Misthaven, a pair who have proven their worth on this day, a pair who will guide and lead our kingdoms to victory.”

There was a murmur among the crowd as many people whispered to their nearest neighbor.

“Hear me Misthaven.” King David’s voice boomed. “I will follow King Liam into the depths of the black forest until we reach the Queen’s castle and remove her from her reign of terror. I will do so with my daughter by my side, the rightful heir of Misthaven.”

Killian heard the crowds gasp before David pushed on.

“People of Jonesboro, we must never forget the sacrifices that were made today, a loss that I am most certain will be felt for years to come. As many of you know, King Brennan and I were not friends, but perhaps we had more in common than we realized. The devotion of our Kingdom, the joy of watching our children become braver than ourselves, and the support of the one who stands firm beside us.” He reached over and took the hand of his wife, pulling her to his side. “We should have let go of childish pride, but we could not see past our own anger. An anger that divided us and surely would destroy our lands. It is our children that have shown me the error of our ways, sadly it is too late for me to make it right with King Brennan, but together, with our children united, we can save the Enchanted Forest from a most certain destruction.”

Liam clasped him on the shoulder. “Let love rule this day.”

Killian glanced at Emma; her eyes wide as she took in the scene in front of her. “Love, what do you say?”

She turned to him, her eyes blinking slowly. “I…”

“Marry me, Emma. Marry me for now and for all eternity.”

She shook her head repeatedly as her father laughed. “She was never this quiet at home, you have done something I have tried to do for years, you have rendered her speechless.”

“Father.” Emma said in a warning tone but with a playful smile on her face. He turned toward the priest.

“Please, continue.” He gestured to the couple and stepped away from the altar to take his seat.

The priest took in the situation in front of him, hesitant to proceed. “They have my blessing.” Liam said softly, stepping back from the couple and taking Elsa’s hand once more as he guided her happily to a seat at the front of the room.

The man cleared his throat. “I suppose I shall ask again, Princess, art thou here this day in pledged troth of thy own free will and choice?”

Emma turned to him and smiled widely. “Yes Father, with all my heart.”

“Prince Killian…” He continued after a pause, “and Princess Emma have pledged their troth to be married this day, we call upon Heaven to bless this union.” The man stared at the door nervously. “Therefore, if anyone can show just cause, why they may not be joined together, by God's Law, or the Laws of the Realm; let them now speak, or else hereafter keep silent for all time.” He winced, as if waiting for the doors to barrel open once more. When he was met with silence, he exhaled.

“Wilt thou have this Woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”

Killian felt his heart flutter at the words, barely believing the fact that she was standing in front of him, giving herself to him and not his brother. He heard her clear her throat across from him, her eyes nervously scanning his. “Aye, I will.” He said quickly, offering her a smile to reassure her that he was alright.

“Wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

Emma squinted her eyes closed for a moment and then opened them as she leaned toward him. “About the obey part…” She whispered.

“Considering you are the one who will one day become Queen, it is I who will follow your lead.” He winked.

She laughed light heartedly. “Knowing you, neither one of us will be very good at this whole obeying notion.”

The Priest scowled. “May we continue?” He offered quietly.

Emma stepped back, “I believe we have an accord.” She grinned. “I mean, yes, I will.” She corrected as the Priest stared at her with a frown on his face.

Killian watched her with admiration and pride as they exchanged rings, his hand shaking with nervous energy, his heart barely contained in his chest the moment he felt the cold slide of metal on his own finger.

“Forasmuch as Killian and Emma have consented together in holy wedlock and have witnessed the same before God and this company, I pronounce therefore that they be Man and Wife together, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

He pulled her to him before the man spoke again, brushing his lips against his own as he felt her mouth turn upward in a grin. “My wife.” He whispered softly as she pulled away from him, grinning and turning toward the cheering crowd.

They were approached by his brother and Emma’s parents, congratulatory cheers surrounding them before they were quickly ushered from the room. There was much to be done before they had a moment to digest the last few moments of the day. Planning their armies next moves was paramount if they were to get the upper hand in the fight against Regina which meant they would have mere moments alone before they would head into battle.

The moment the doors closed and the air around them was finally still, he pulled her against him, holding her close against his chest. “I will remember this day as long as I shall live.”

“Then remember to live longer than today.” She said softly against his chest. “For I wish to think upon this day when we are old and gray.”

He pulled away from her, the worry in her eyes shining through. “Emma, I would have followed my brother to the depths of hell to protect my kingdom. And today, I will follow him, but mostly I am honored to fight side by side with you in battle because I believe in you and your will to survive. I saw you today as you stood in front of Regina, unafraid and full of pride. Today you are not only my wife, my love, but my Queen. Regina doesn’t stand a chance against the likes of Jonesboro and Misthaven united. Today she will fall.”

Emma wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips assaulting his in a bruising kiss. “Keep talking like that and you will find yourself properly rewarded in your bedchamber.”

“Our bedchamber.” He corrected her. “And I very much look forward to my reward.”

She closed her eyes and pressed into him once more. “I love you, Killian.”

“I love you too.” He returned, opening his eyes, and staring into hers with every emotion he could muster. “Stay close to me, love.”

“I shall not keep my eyes off you for one moment.” She teased.

“I would despair if you did.” With one final kiss, they joined the others to make their united stand against Evil Queen Regina.

~*~

Three months later…

“No this is my favorite spot.” Killian’s voice wafted from below her, his lips lightly pressed against the skin behind her knee. She mewed appreciatively. “Ah yes, and that is why it is my favorite, it elicits such a glorious sound.” He traced his hand higher up her thigh, “Though I do enjoy the sounds this area brings as well.” A groan left her throat, much lower than the previous.

“Killian, if you keep this up, we will be late for breakfast.” His lips pressed against her inner thigh.

“Since when are we ever on time for breakfast?”

She giggled, watching his dark hair disappear between her legs, her eyes closing lazily as she enjoyed his ministrations. “Mmm, you make a valiant point, my love.” She could feel the short hairs at his chin brush against her most sensitive area, causing her head to fall back against the bed as she reveled in the feelings washing over her.

“I do believe if you continue to make that sound, we will be late for dinner as well.” He teased as his tongue slid across her center causing her to squeal in delight.

“Then it would be wise for you to quickly finish what you started, before your brother arrives on the morrow.” He lifted his head, his blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

“Your father takes great delight in our conversations at the table.” His fingers slipped inside of her. “I would hate to disappoint him with my absence, and it has been a while since I have seen my brother.” His tongue pressed into her folds, sliding languidly against her hot center. “But it would be a shame to rush such a delicate art.”

“Art, huh?”

“Aye.” He said with a smirk, “Pleasing you is a work of art that I take great pride in.” His finger curled inside of her, his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth as he watched her, their eyes locked in a sensuous stare.

“You are quite gifted at…” She moaned as his fingers increased their speed. “Oh God.” She cried out the moment the feeling overtook her, her hands fisting in his hair as she pulled his mouth against her center, riding out the wave of ecstasy before she settled against the bed once more.

“I will never tire of that song.” He chuckled, pulling himself against her body as he brought his mouth against hers. “A song made entirely for my ears, or at least that is what I assume since you enjoy tugging at them while you sing it.” He joked, his tongue sliding against her lips as she allowed him entry.

“I find it is the only way to silence you.” She giggled.

“Minx.” His body melded into hers as he slid inside of her, a low groan leaving his throat the moment he was fully seated inside of her. It was in these moments, the golden sun streaming in through their window, the light caressing his naked skin as he hovered above her, his blue eyes focused only on her, the true intent and emotion of their connection the only thing she could see or hear as his body became one with hers, in these moments she knew that when she had been faced with the decision between love or duty, there was always only one answer.

She had fought beside Killian, and Liam, her father standing by her side. On that day, even her mother had found her bow and set aim on Queen Regina that day. Jonesboro and Misthaven fought side by side, driving out the Queen and ending her evil reign of terror.

They had won because they fought together. Because they were bound by their duty to their people and to each other. They were bound by a love that had risen and bonded them in a way that could not be destroyed. That day they fought for each other, for their home, and for love.

And when Emma returned to Misthaven, as the future Queen of her lands with Killian at her side, she had done her duty and in return been rewarded with love.

#love or duty #stacy's fics #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan

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physicalturian · 3 years

Text

[G] Gentle summer - Rengoku Kyojuro x GN!Reader - Part 6

[Contains spoilers from the movie, and the manga] [No pronouns used for the reader, no physical description; Everyone +18]

Words : 11 444

Archive of our own

Warnings : Mention of death / Mention of people getting killed GRAPHIC / Gore / Trauma / Fighting / Wounds / Blood / Lust

--- Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 -

The abruptness of the interruption on that night did not give me time to think, to ponder, nor to reflect on anything. With my crow in tow, I ran to the entrance of the village and grabbed the traveling necessities that were waiting for me with my sword. I took a few minutes to get changed in a proper slayer attire before letting myself be guided by Maro. It was an affectionate name I had given to the black bird that was now helping me find my way to where I was awaited.

Upon passing the final selection for the slayer training, they had provided each of the finalists with a bird. Most of them were crows; that was the only species I had met until crossing paths with the young Zenitsu who had been granted a sparrow. And like a sparrow, I was running at a fast pace to reach my mission point in time. Maro kept repeating the village name, it was the furthest I had ever been dispatched but considering that most of the Pillars were at the mansion, I was sent where none were. And, while I was sent alone and it felt odd to not be accompanied by another slayer, something else was on my mind on my way to the village where recruits were stuck.

I did not know how long it took me to reach the village, for I was lost in thoughts of what was happening somewhere else.

Earlier tonight, when our crows announced each of our missions, I had felt my heart sink. Not only because I was separated from the one person I wanted nothing more but to embrace and keep close, but also because the hidden swordsmith village was under attack. If they had been found out, it meant the Butterfly Mansion could be at risk, it could be next. While I knew my orders, I kept feeling a pull, a need to go back and follow Rengoku to help the swordsmiths. Then, I could hear words echoing in my mind, “As long as we put our duty first,” was the only condition that had befallen upon us if the Fire Pillar and I wanted to be together.

I tried arguing with myself, while still making my way to the recruits, that it was not for Kyojuro that I wanted to go there. It was to help, to not feel useless while running through fields to find the shortest paths to reach the recruits’ village. Slowly, my inner turmoil was won over by my logic; the Pillars were assembled where the attack had occurred, I knew it. It was the obvious strategy they would have gone with, and there was no way they would lose. Yes, they will win, they are strong, I tried to convince myself. An image of Rengoku’s smile flashed in my head, my throat tightened in sorrow and worry started plaguing my mind. Perhaps I should go back to help, I thought. Foolish questions, that did not help said worry, started flooding my mind; were his wounds healed properly? Will he arrive in time? Is the attack a bait to get him there and to have Akaza finish what he started?

While those thoughts plagued my mind, I did not stop moving. Shortcuts were taken to get there faster, the urge to turn around and go back was very present at each turn that I took. But perhaps it was more the urge to join him in that battle and make sure he would come out of it unscathed.

But I never did.

I ran the entire night, only stopping to catch my breath and to make sure no one was following me. It took a toll on my body, my feet were killing me, so were my lungs and my throat, but having been trained by Gyomei gave me the endurance some lacked. The festival had long since been forgotten and as the sun started rising, I could catch a glimpse on the horizon of the familiar architecture of a village. Approaching it, a small sign where the words “Nakusaki Village” were written, greeted me. Relief flooded my body as I slowed down my pace and gripped the handle of my sword tight, calming my breath.

When I entered the village, it was deserted, not as welcoming as the well-carved wooden sign at the entrance. At least, that is what I thought at first. While I walked carefully along the paths, I could see people peeking from behind closed shutters, the faint draft of whispers echoing. I could not understand what was being said, but fear had made its way to all the inhabitants of this place, which only made them more appealing to the demon that had nested itself somewhere around.

Since the sun was rising, if the demon was still alive it had to be hiding somewhere dark. Upon thinking that exact thought, I noticed railway wagons that led to a mine. It did not take much brain to know this was the perfect hiding place for those cursed beings. Without needing much courage, I stepped forth and entered the dark place, hyper aware of my surroundings all while calming my breathing. I was welcomed by screams of terror and horrid sounds of something being ripped apart. Letting my mind wander to scenarios of what could be happening, was not smart, I had to stay focused, and that is what I did. My light, almost inaudible steps contrasted with the deafening screams that resonated against the small walls of the mine.

It took me some time to find the right path to reach what I could only describe as a lair from how wretched it smelled and how cozy it seemed for the demon. Right in front of me was hovering over the horrified look of one of the youngest recruits, a humanoid-shaped demon. It possessed a huge tail with a sharp teeth-filled mouth at the end. A water-like pattern was adorning the length of it until it met the base of its lower back. From there, it looked like the skin was breaking. It looked like cracks painted all over its hide skin. Could it be that it is dying already? It is not a lower-moon six, nor is it a high-moon either. It is weak…

When its clawed hand reached out for the head of the recruit, I sped towards it and cut its hand before grabbing the man and pulling him out of the demon’s reach. Morishita Daisuke was the distraught slayer’s name. He was only a few years younger than I was, but the difference in experience between the both of us was a lot larger than the years separating us. “Either be a bait and bring him out, or get out-“ with a shaky voice and while stammering, he shook his head. “I can’t, there are others scattered in the mine, we need to find them!”

Nodding in reply, I avoided hits from the demon in front of me and gritted through my teeth, “Very well, let’s take him down first. Then we will find them-“ My speech was cut short when the demon sped behind Daisuke and grabbed him by the hair, making the man yelp in pain. “It’s not very nice to make plans without me- a bit cocky to even think you can defeat me,” He leaned in, his tongue out in a disgusting fashion as the recruit tried to pry its hand away from his hair. Slowly, the demon lifted him off the ground and dove to bite his neck. I reacted fast and flashed forward, cutting the hand holding Daisuke up, making him drop the slayer without having much say in it. It grew back.

A thud echoed when the young recruit’s knees hit the ground, he rushed to the walls of the mine to get out of my way, a hand covering his neck and his mouth. “You are pestering me, it is good, it makes the weakling more fearful. That will give him more flavor!” It exclaimed happily, clapping its huge hands together as its eyes wandered all over Daisuke’s body before suddenly looking at me. It was inhumane, the way it turned its head at almost 180°, but I was in no way fearful. “Perhaps I should make you struggle in front of him, you are his elder, are you not? I can see the way your eyes-“ It snapped its claws in front of me, I did not blink. Nor did I flinch. I do not think it saw the way I clenched my hand around the handle of my sword, but I did, ready to attack.

It approached me suddenly, yet in a manner that showed it had perfect control over its body. There were no useless motions, only calculated ones. Its face was now right in front of mine, “You are not afraid- it wouldn’t be fun to eat you right now…” The veins on its head were prominent, and blood was falling from the side of its monstrous mouth. The demon’s tone fell, “I will play with you a bit more, make you scream, make you cry for help, make you talk. You are not very talkative-“ “It is quite hard to have a conversation when one is keen on doing all the talking, would you not say, demon?”

It sucked its teeth, its tongue drawing over each of them as a threatening smile made its way on its face. “Let’s be polite, we are the same, are we not? Just a different diet. I am Masahiro, pleased to meet you-“ It laughed loudly after saying so, not believing a word it had sputtered. A hand on its stomach, another on its head, it leaned back laughing, “It was a good one- oh it was good, as if I wanted to know any of you. You do not ask your steak what its name is-“ “You are right, that would lead to empathy. This is where we differ. Emotions. Living beings feel them, a large range too. Not just… insatiable hunger,”

Its eyes widened for a second, before smirking. I did not let it speak, I had encountered enough demons to know what was going on, “Because the hunger you feel, is insatiable. It will only grow and grow and grow- until only one thing can stop it. But you will never get it, you are too weak for him,” I changed the grip on my sword, watching the demon falter for a second. All it did in response was laugh once again before reaching for Daisuke, but the slayer fought back and cut its arm off before running far from the creature, it caught Masahiro off guard. “I have met demons like you. Desperate to prove themselves to Muzan… To obtain more of his blood,” I trailed off, feeling the anger seeping from the demon standing in front of me.

It suddenly moved to crawl on the walls before standing on the ceiling where beams were keeping everything stable. One wrong move, one hit too strong and it could all come tumbling down. “Such a talkative steak, I guess I’ll eat you unseasoned-“ With a firm tone, I continued, “They either crumble in tears, begging to die, unable to take more of his blood or-“ The demon jumped from the ceiling and towards me, mouth wide open, his expression turned enraged and desperate at the same time. That demon was weak; if my words were so quick to irate it, it was not meant to be in the ranks of Muzan, far from it.

As it jumped, I bent my knees for more stability and slashed its head with ease. It did not scream, but I knew it was still alive for a few minutes, so I continued, “Or they act desperately, getting in over their head and making the silliest mistakes from letting their emotions take over,” I stated, wiping my sword on its inanimate body as Daisuke skewered the demon’s head on his sword, “You were turned recently; if not, you would have known demons are indeed still very humane. At least parts of them… The emotions are there, your main traits as human are stronger when turned. And I was able to bait you because you were weak, desperate for praise, desperate to belong,” I gestured for Daisuke to follow me. We made our way outside, the demon’s head still on the recruit’s sword while I dragged its body.

Tears started rolling down the demon’s disintegrating face. Its expression was grimaced as it uttered, “I failed them, please find my siblings- she took them, the fox-mask demon in… the mine, please,” Its mouth was no more, and soon enough, the rest of its head followed as it disappeared into dust. The sun had done its job and until it was time for the moon to take its spot in the sky, we had to prepare for more demons to come out of the mine later.

Before doing anything too draining, I took care of Daisuke’s wound, making sure he would not bleed out. The wound was not deep which made the treatment easier. I then knocked on the villagers’ doors to tell them they could come out for a few hours until sunset. It took some convincing, but with the right arguments they listened to me. I was provided paper, ink and a pen upon my request and quickly drafted the beginning of a report before folding it and putting it in my bag. After that, I was on the move with Daisuke as we ventured inside the mine to find the right path for the fox-masked demon.

All the paths we took led to nothing. Some led to cul-de-sacs, others to the open air. We had to come and go out of the mine to get some fresh air and eat, all the while drawing a map of all our twists and turns. I was no mapmaker, but Daisuke was worse. I had assigned him on lamp duty, he also had the responsibility of paying a lot more attention to the smell, in case gas leaked.

Around 4PM, we came out of the mine for good to have dinner with the villagers. They were kind and welcoming, guiding us back inside and thanking us for our work. Little did we know a routine would settle from all of this.

We had planned on waiting outside of the mine for the demon to come out; both Daisuke and I were taking turns keeping an eye out in case it showed its face. It never did that night. It left us confused as the sun slowly rose, the villagers fast asleep while we stood at the entrance with a frown. “Do you think it left?” He asked, but it was more to find logic out of this confusing behavior than to hope. “Daisuke, make yourself comfortable, we have a playful demon on our hands. We will keep looking for the other members, and hope for the best,” I stated as I guided him back inside, scoffing mentally at my mention of hope.

Now safe thanks to the sunshine, we prepared ourselves to go back to the mine on the second day, ready to look for the missing recruits. Before leaving, I took some time for myself to update my report before pulling out a new piece of paper and starting,

July 3rd

Dear Kyojuro,

I have come to the realization that this mission might last longer than initially expected, I cannot express how painful it feels to not be by your side the demon I am facing is tricky, but I will defeat it and bring back our recruits alive and well.

My heart feels heavy after parting from you at the fireworks viewing, I must admit I crave for your touch I enjoyed myself greatly and hope to see you soon. I miss your warmth at nightDaisuke has nightmares and is loud at night, but I am helping him the best I can… It helps him when I sing and it reminds me of you.

I do recall you had been summoned upon the attack on the blacksmith village on the night of our departure, no one could have predicted this happening.

Many scenarios plague my mind, worrisome ones. You are strong, and so are the other Pillars, yet it would relieve me greatly to hear from you, to hear that you are doing well…

Tell me you won,

Thinking of you, always,

Songbird…

Folding both the papers, I wrote Master Ubuyashiki’s name on the report, and Rengoku’s, on the personal letter addressed to him.

The days that followed were the same, none were fruitful in finding the fox-masked demon nor the recruits. The village welcomed us even if I could sense that everyone was tense, vigilant, afraid. Those latter feelings only made the situation worse, knowing the appeal it had for demons to see fearful preys. Daisuke showed great optimism and bravery, he reassured the villagers to the best of his abilities and made them laugh at dinner to lighten the mood. As bad as it was to think as such, I knew Rengoku would have done a great job at giving those people hope. At reassuring them… at reassuring me.

My hopes in finding the recruits alive were slim, but seeing Daisuke’s hope, or perhaps despair, pushed me to keep looking. While his actions and words displayed confidence, he could not hide the way his eyes flickered at every sound or the way they would fill with pure fear when we would come across another dead-end. Perhaps the demon has taken a liking to them, perhaps they are not dead… yes, perhaps.

July 8th

Dear Kyojuro,

I have not heard from you since I have written my first letter, I hope you are well. You must have heard of my daily reports at the estate, nothing was going as planned, until today!

We have found two recruits. It is an odd situation for it seems they were released purposedly… I must investigate deeper into the matter, but it matters not to you, I am ranting.

I find myself sleeping poorly without your presence. It sounds foolish, but I really miss you Tonight I will be sleeping with the two recruits alongside Daisuke, it is going to be an eventful night. I will not hold their hands while they sleep, but I will keep an eye on them. I wish I was holding your hand.

Have you ever thought of retiring? Without many people to talk to, my thoughts often drift to the end of this war… I can imagine myself at peace, with you by my side, maybe a dog as our loyal companion? I have never asked you which you preferred, dogs or cats? I long to talk with you again, for more time with you…

I long to hear your voice too, your laughter I miss the most…

Write to me, I am a wreck riddled with worry I can’t sleep at night, I fear I will receive a letter stating you passed I am bad at writing, I realize not all thoughts that cross my mind must be written, but I do miss you greatly.

I must say, I always believed I had a gift for writing but when it comes to you, all I want to write is that I yearn for your touch, that you are my one that you are wonderful, and oh so handsome…

Please, write to me my love

Thinking of you, always

Songbird

Days passed in a flash. With more people to cover the ground, one would think it would have been easier to find the remaining slayers, but all we found was the remains of one. There was nothing we could do upon stumbling over the maimed body on the floor but drag it out of the cave and bury it the best we could with the help of the villagers. We made sure to put a stone on the ground where the body was buried, to later move it for a proper burial on the grounds of the estate where Master Ubuyashiki could pray.

I did not get wind of any activity from the estate during those fast-passing days, no letter, no coded message, no crow sent my way, nothing. My hope faltered, the scenario in which the man I loved did not survive was now the one I thought was the most probable. I hated it. My guts were churning, and I could feel my determination waver too. Because of that, I made sure to force myself not to think about anything but the demon in the village.

On the morning of the twelfth, my heart jumped in my chest as my gaze settled on the incoming crow in the sky. It was not Master Ubuyashiki’s, this one seemed more familiar somehow. I watched it fly around a moment before it took notice of me and dove to set itself on my forearm. Taking the paper attached to its feet, I gave it a treat before slithering back inside and waving it off before hurrying to open the paper. My hands were gripping the letter tight as I read,

12th July

My dearest, we won,

I must apologize profoundly for not writing to you earlier, we have been assigned the training of the recruits. It does take quite the toll on the body to take care of the young minds! They are so lively and determined, all a great addition to the corps.

I read your letters over and over, trying to find the words Your letters made me the happiest man on earth, I am deeply grateful for your kind words and share your sentiments. Oh, to be the young Daisuke and to be sung to sleep by your gentle voice… It has been so long since I have heard you sing, and since I have held you close to me, I want you.

Eternity by your side sounds delectable I am sure we could settle somewhere quiet once this is over. Shall we start thinking of a name for our future life companion? It is an activity better kept for when you are by my side again, I cannot wait for your return, to take a good look at your beauty and relish in it, to have you flustered against me upon feeling my touch come home to me soon!

Tell me my darling, would you prefer to live in the lively city or the countryside? I’d like to think that sunsets are best enjoyed in the countryside, it would give me more opportunities to drown in your caresses without the gaze of people the quiet will find us better there too.

Patiently waiting for you return,

Thinking of you, always,

K. Rengoku

I had not realized I had been crying until the paper had been tainted a few tones darker by my tears. Hurriedly, I wiped them with a laugh of relief. Leaning on the wall, with only my shoulder resting against it, I took some more time to read everything all over, trying to decipher what had been scribbled out. Moving towards the window, I brought the paper higher under the light to maybe see through the ink and felt my cheeks warm up at the words I could read. It did not take long for my brain to think,what if he had done the same? What if he could see under what I scribbled out?

Just like Kyojuro, I had not been as meticulous as I could have been in writing my feelings. With the number of thoughts that had been crossing my mind, it had taken me a few tries to write the proper words, those that were not too much but still portrayed how I felt for the swordsman. My main struggle in writing down what I felt, was keeping to myself the word ‘love’. I suppose if he did not mention anything, it means he did not manage to read under the ink, maybe he did not even try, I thought.

To tell him that I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life by his side would have come across too strong. I also surprised myself when the thought of sitting on my very own veranda on a winter night with a warm drink in hand felt the most attractive with him by my side.

The final product of our effort seemed clean enough for an exchange between friends, lovers, but never would it be accepted as a report. As I read his words again, the smile on my face never left. I started daydreaming for a few seconds before being snatched out of said daydream by the recruits telling me it was time to continue the search party.

Their spirit was not deterred in the slightest, even after days without finding anyone or any clue. Today and the following one, however, had turned into something closer to a chase. A game of a sort, trying to find where the sound was coming from.

When we stepped inside the familiar dark grotto, the voice of something tenebrous resonated. It did not seem to come from one specific spot which made it harder to pinpoint. Because of that, it took us around an hour to finally find where the sound was coming from. There in front of me was another young recruit, Hana I believe was her name. She seemed frightened but not starved, which was odd considering the length of time she had stayed inside the mine. In the darkness, right behind her, something moved and dug underground before disappearing.

When it was gone, I rushed to her side and helped her stand, dusting off the dirt from her form and whistling for everyone to come out, signaling I had found something.

This was on the day of the 14th of July. That sight, of a demon helping one of our recruits out, was what bewildered me the most and made me reconsider my next steps. That demon did not have the fox mask, which means it was not the one we were looking for. Perhaps one of its lackeys had taken pity on the members of the corps? I wrote down my thoughts in my report, not missing a detail before finishing it and deciding to send a letter back to Rengoku.

14th July

Dear Kyojuro,

I have never been more relieved to see your crow than I was a few nights ago when it delivered your letter. I was finally able to sleep Knowing that you are alive and well made most of my worries disappear. I cannot help but still think of your safety while away, for now knowing you are alive will suffice.

Reading your enthusiasm to be sung to sleep brought a smile to my face, I promise I will sing to you once more when we see each other again. How are you sleeping? How is your wound? I must say, I miss waking up to your beautiful golden gaze and the warmth it brings to be the object of your attention… Of your desire Sometimes I dream of losing myself in those fiery eyes as I lean in to kiss you

The countryside seems like the best choice. The fresh air will be more than welcome after long nights spent together… great for our battle-tired bodies. I am sure we will need an enormous garden, or a vast field nearby, for our future companion.

On a bolder note… I do miss the way your hair feels against my cheeks when you lean in for a kiss… And to have your hands on my body in mine at night, to feel your body against mine as you hold me close, is what I crave. Wilder, more wishful, more sinful thoughts crossed my mind, but I would feel inappropriate sharing them at the moment…

Do not overexert yourself. If I find out you overdid it, I will come in running and put you to rest myself!

Thinking of you, always

Your songbird

As I folded the letter properly, I already started regretting the latter words I had written. Had I been too bold? But then again, from the scribbled-out words, he felt the same and it made me smile knowing so. Stepping towards my bag, I dove my hand in to find some twine to tie the letter but was met with a piece of paper.

Pulling it out, I was struck with remembrance of the fireworks night; it was the paper the artist had given me. From the rush I was in that night, I had forgotten to take a look at it. Curious, I unfolded the parchment and felt my heart soar at the sight. She had drawn us getting prepared, me in front of him taming his hair as he gazed at me with a loving look, at least that is how I saw it. His hands were resting on my hips and mine were in his hair, both of us smiling stupidly.

While I felt pure happiness seeing that picture, it was also accompanied by nostalgia and longing. To return by his side and have him close to me, I needed to find that demon and take it down. It fueled a certain determination in my being, but the confusion the demon’s behavior brought did not leave.

A meeting with the recruits had been organized to talk about what we would do next.

That day, while still being vigilant outside the mine, we did not go back inside. If our theory was right, the demon was keeping them alive. The reason for it was unknown, but Hana told us she was certain other recruits were talking inside the mine, she could hear the echo of their voice from where she was kept. From that, we planned our next move.

The following days, it was in the early morning that Kyojuro’s bird flew in with a reply. I was surprised by the rapid reply, yet was filled with immense joy upon reading it while having breakfast.

16thJuly

My heart,

I hope the weather is fine and you are well. For my part, I could use a warm bath, with you, from how tiring it is to train so intensely daily. The training is going smoothly. However, I must have been too hard on the trainees seeing some have broken in tears. Or perhaps it was the pressure from having, a few hours prior, been training with Sanemi? I wonder…

I will hold you to your promise of singing to me upon your return! The excitement is already present. Your gentle face, next to mine, wordlessly calling for my hand to caress it… Do not be fooled, I will cave in and do as it calls.

Your boldness surprised me in the most agreeable way… It would be a lie to say I did not feel the same. You are the first thought in my cloudy mind when I wake up, my heart and body long for you and your touch. I dream of your return safe and sound. I ache to trace my fingers on your disrobed back while you shiver, expectant and as beautiful as the first time I laid my eyes on you.

I wish I could see you at this very moment. Flustered, gaze askance, making sure no one is seeing what you are seeing… I like knowing you think of me almost as much as I do.

Would you care for a date in those fields we would own? I would gladly take you there every day, every morning if you so desire! We would lay a blanket on the ground and enjoy one another, in silence if that is your wish. I cannot promise I will stay silent, however.

Our companion would be running around, hunting, something we would have long since retired from. Oh, the dreams I have for you and me! I must share them with you at once, but the distance separating us prevents me from doing so… Come back, I miss you.

Perhaps I will exert myself if it’ll make you rush by my side… I am being playful! I do miss you dearly and hope you are well, not hurt and doing good.

When do you think you will come home?

Longing for you, always,

K. Rengoku.

He was absolutely right. I needed to fan my face upon reading his words, clearing my throat to try to compose myself. If I read it all again, I knew I would start chuckling like a fool at how enticing it all was. I was aware of his charms when I was with him, his subtle touches and his discrete smiles. Or even those mischievous glances here and there when there were other people around. But without those, he could only rely on his words, and he was awfully good with them. Even without body language, the man had me warm all over.

I stashed the letter away safely. There was no time right now to write him back, but I was planning on doing so soon.

The finding of the picture from the festival brought me a great deal of comfort. Every day I would look at it and be reminded of what was waiting for me ‘home’. But every day I would look at it, I would also be reminded of those light-hearted promises we were making of a nearby future, one after defeating Muzan. I was starting to find comfort in it, and it scared me.

With a sigh, I got ready for another day in the mines.

On the eighteenth, we encountered another demon in the mine. Daisuke was with the two recruits we had found at the beginning of the mission while I was paired with Hana. We got caught by surprise when, without any warning, without any sound, we got pushed forward. Both stumbling down and falling to our knees, we scurried to our feet and were now back-to-back, swords drawn out.

She worriedly asked me what we should do, her voice unwavering but draped in anguish. “It saw us without the light, which means we are at a disadvantage. We are going to need to use other senses than sight-“ I winced when I felt stinging pain from the middle of my back to the side of my hip. I couldn’t see much but knew the demon must have clawed me when pushing us. Dawdling on it would do no good, I had to stay focused on what I could do. “You must have trained with the Stone Pillar, correct?” She nodded, making a small sound of agreement. “Close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on sensing its presence more than on seeing it. Feel it, sense it, hear it,” I paused, huffing a laugh, “Smell it if you will, young Tanjiro does so,” I said softly.

It made her laugh which was reassuring. If she found the strength to laugh at this, it meant she was not as stressed as I thought her to be. Or that it was a nervous laugh.

A deadly silence slowly set in. The only sound that echoed from time to time was the metallic one of our hands moving our swords in the hope of slashing the beast that was lurking in the shadow. A few attempts failed to succeed, making us think even more about our next move. I did not know what it looked like, only that it relied on darkness to have the upper hand. Was the demon perhaps bad at close-hand combat? Or feared the light? Those were my only theories.

“If I had known darkness was you slayers’ weakness, you would have been taken out a lot sooner,” The voice travelled from each of our sides, making it weirder when we could hear it on two opposite ends of the cave. “Well, well, well, look who it is! I recognize your smell,” Its voice dropped, then I heard Hana yelp before she exclaimed, “I got it! I’m holding it by the throat- I think?” she said unsure. It has approached her, remembering what her fear smelled like.

At that very moment, I felt something next to me and reached out for it with my hand, gripping it tight. It was harder than human skin, but still malleable. “I hope we are holding the same thing, because I am also touching something and-“ I started, a sardonic laugh interrupted me, it came from above. Then joined in other laughter, more constricted ones. This time it was coming from the things we were gripping tight. “Boo!” Another voice boomed next to me, I let go of the thing I was holding and gripped my sword tighter, brandishing it and taking a deep breath, “So, you are not alone,” I stated.

“You can put two and two together! Unexpected from the fools who cannot for the life of them defend themselves in complete darkness,” It scoffed condescendingly. Matching its attitude, I kept my back against Hana’s and changed the position of my sword, “Tell me, how did you come up with that conclusion?” I asked, my tone calculated. Being at a disadvantage for now put me in a dreadful situation, but while the demon thought we were useless in the dark, we knew what to do. I nudged Hana with my elbow for her to pay attention, “Our senses are trained, we hear better,” Listen “You keep talking, yapping,” I’ll keep talking, “Giving us more time to come up with a plan,” I came up with a plan. Laughing loudly, I moved brusquely, the sound of the lantern on the ground gone unnoticed from my forced laugh.

“Pay close attention,” I really hoped she was paying attention and getting what I was hinting at, “It is obvious you find comfort in utter darkness, which points out the obvious weakness, not only of the sun, but also of… fire,” At my word, Hana smashed the lantern on the ground, splattering the oil and setting it ablaze with the remaining weak flame.

The room lit up and we could see the demon’s face, or faces, finally. Surprise adorned our features when we were met with familiar faces. Three of them, sticking out of the wall, the ground and the ceiling. Those faces, from missing recruits, were attached to long necks that disappeared in the stone, but all led to what looked like a beating heart on the upper corner of the cave.

Noticing we had seen its heart, the demon attacked in a wild manner, reaching for us. Hana reacted first by using her Mountain breathing and slicing its heads fast. I had now approached the living, beating organ. Fire was making the room hotter by the second, I was sweating and had started breathing more raggedly. “Its heads grew back!” She exclaimed.

Not losing time, I slashed the organ, earning a pained scream from the demon. It started insulting us over and over, while I called for Hana in a distraught fashion. She rushed to my side, her face dirtied from the mines and the soot from the fire.

“Three of them, they were in its stomach? We need to get them out of here quickly-“ “I can carry two of them! You are wounded, so I’ll carry two out,” Hana hurriedly said as we pulled them out of the stomach-like pouch. They were slimy and smelled atrociously, but there was no time to be squeamish at such a drastic time. I then helped set the passed-out people on her back and made sure she was steady before carrying the last one on my back. “Let’s hurry, we should have someone rush down here to take out the fire,”

With that, we made our way out but not before slashing the demon one last time to make sure it was dead. We even dragged what we could see of the body, in the fire, to quicken the process.

Each step I took made my back hurt, I could feel the blood dripping to my side and my head getting dizzy, but I held on until we reached the outside of the mine. Both Hana and I fell to our knees upon feeling the fresh air; we carefully laid the recruits on the ground. The villagers did not think twice before running towards us, helping us get everyone inside. It was still day, which was reassuring. Hana still sent her crow inside the mine to call back the other slayers.

We ended today’s search on a high note. Three more recruits had been found; two had woken up, one did not make it.

I was lucky to have made it out conscious with the blood loss I had endured. The village’s doctor treated my wound with care, it’s only when he was done that I let myself relax and fell asleep. Two other recruits were sleeping in the same room I was sleeping in, I would only realize that when I’d wake up a few days later.

Haruka, one of the latest recruits we had found, was sitting by my side, writing his report. “Help me up,” I voiced, perhaps too sternly from how panicked his expression turned. Nodding, he scurried and put his own pillow behind my back. “I will call the doctor!” He exclaimed. I grabbed his arm with force before he could rush off, “Can I use your stationary? I would like to write my report,” and to write to my lover, but that was left unsaid.

He seemed confused but nodded, moving it my way. “I will tell old man Fumihiro to come-“ Chuckling, I cut him off, “SirFumihiro, he is your elder, is he not?”

The younger recruit’s face flushed red, “He said we could call him that, I am sorry,” He apologized so formally, I did not have the energy to tell him he could be more familiar. Instead, I dismissed him and started writing.

19thJuly

Kyojuro, my sun

I hope this letter finds you well. I truly feel your need for a bath right now, I could use one myself. Piping hot water would be submerging our enlaced bodies, your welcoming arms around my form… More sinful thoughts could be written, but I do not share your lack of fear of being inappropriate…

Far from me the idea of worrying you, thus I will first tell you I am well. We have found three more recruits, but the details do not matter… I was wounded, it will definitely leave a scar, but scars have some charm, do they not? Please tell me you like them

We were in the mines with Hana when we got caught off guard, the demon had the upper hand for a moment and managed to leave a gash scratch on my back. I am perfectly fine now, but I do not wish for you to fret. After all, I must take example of your formidable form and push through it, would you not agree?

Your letter left me a flustered mess; I will confess. If you must know, you are also my first thought in the morning… I could almost feel your fingers on my skin as I read your words.

I can imagine training left you a sweaty mess, I wish I was by your side to wash that untamable mane of yours. Is it sensitive? Would you like it if I pulled your hair? I hope you comb your hair! It would be a shame to have to shave it all off. I am joking, of course.

To help me fall asleep, I imagine us somewhere where the sun is high, and shade would be provided by an old willow tree. You would look the most beautiful with the moving shadows of leaves on your pretty face. How soothing the thought is, simply upon writing it… Do you think a painter would follow us on our adventures? To keep great memories from the places we would go to. Or should we train our painting skills a bit more?

A thought to ponder…

A date in a field with you by my side would be more than what I could hope for. I can already imagine dandelions adorning your hair from simply laying in the grass like the mad man that you are. It would be my greatest joy to take my time and remove them one by one. I would even go as far as call it an opportunity! For what you may ask, ah well… To run my fingers through your hair…

Maybe to let them trail to your neck, your shoulders… Helping your sleeves off your shoulders and pressing the faintest kiss on them. I will let your imagination do the rest, but I would suggest you wear a kimono on that date. For the heat would be unbearable, at best and excruciating if you put some thoughts into it.

This letter is getting longer than I expected. The things you do to my poor mind, it is filled with only thoughts of you and your gentle voice. One could lose themselves in those thoughts.

I cannot wait to return to you, to talk about the dreams you have for us.

If everything goes well, I will leave the village in two more weeks, at best.

Two more weeks until I see that familiar, kind, warm face of yours.

Yearning for you, always

Songbird.

As I sealed the letter, a weight settled in my stomach. Rengoku was not the type of man to leave someone simply for having a scar, I knew that. But I couldn’t stop thinking of how he mentioned trailing his finger over my back, and now that it had been wounded, he might not find it as appealing.

My hand trailed to the bandage around my form, slowly sliding to the highest point where it began before reaching the lowest one, on my hip. “It shows I have a tale to tell, and that I survived,” I said out loud, trying to convince myself. I was correct, but insecurities did not always make sense. You could not reason with them. So, instead of thinking more about it, I covered myself and wrote my report.

Soon after, the doctor entered my room and changed my bandages.

The moment I started arguing I could go back to the search party, I felt like Kyojuro when I told him to stay in bed. It made me chuckle for a moment, that is until the doctor threatened to tie me to the bed if I did not cooperate.

“Very well, can I least get dressed? To prepare the proper funeral for…” the dead one, the one that did not make it, the one I failed.

“A team of yours came here yesterday to bring the two bodies back to-“ He paused, not knowing where they were to be brought to. “Back where they’re supposed to be buried, I suppose…” He trailed off. From the look in his eyes, I could almost feel the sadness coming from him. A kind and empathic man stood in front of me, one that wondered what he did wrong for such a tragedy to befall his village.

Reaching for his hand, I shook it gently, “They knew it could happen, as awful as it sounds… Their family will be announced their passing soon, there is nothing you could have done or can do, now,” I had not realized how much seeing those two recruits die meant to me. I had not realized I felt responsible for them. We had been searching, day after day, drowning ourselves in work so much that I never had time to ponder more.

The stupidest “ifs” started crossing my mind, hypothetical things that could have changed the course of their life. What if we had kept searching during the night? What if I had turned to the left instead of the right at that time? What if I did not spend time writing silly letters, and instead focused more?

It was a spiraling abyss that would lead to nothing good, so I shook my head and focused on the old man in front of me. “Let us do what we do best, we will defeat the demon that nested inside the mines, you can trust us,” I nodded reassuringly before being hugged tightly and suddenly, by Fumihiro.

“You are so kind, all of you- so brave, you have been through so much. Is there anything we can do to repay you?” He asked as he pulled back from me, tears threatening to fall down. Please don’t cry, I do not know what to do if you start crying, I thought as I patted his shoulder. “You are doing more than we could ask for, taking care of our wounds, giving us shelter and feeding us,” I said with a smile, “All you have to do, is let us do what we do best, take down demons,” He nodded enthusiastically before standing up and telling me he would have someone bring me food.

I did not stay in bed long. The following day, I was back in the mines. It was against Fumihiro’s orders, but I could not stay still, and my wounds had healed up greatly.

We had found huge clues that could lead to the ‘mastermind’ as Daisuke would call it, on the 22nd of July. There were huge prints on the ground, they did not match any animals we could think of, so we made sure to leave our own markers around the area to not lose it in case the demon came back on its footsteps. That day we spent the entire night thinking of a plan to follow. I say the entire night, for we all fell asleep talking about it. I did not even have time to read the letter I had received from Rengoku.

That same night, while half of us were asleep, Jin, Uchiyama and Takeshi came in running. Those were the names of some of the recruits we had rescued.

In a panicked state, they started explaining that the demon had come out and was ransacking the village. We all stood up, sword in hand and ready to fight. Some were slower in getting ready, so I left the room without them and ran to the demon with the three recruits that had come in running.

“It is huge! There is a smaller one with it, but we can’t find it- what should we do?”

The obvious thing was, “Evacuate the houses, I will distract it. The others will join me soon enough, go,” I waved them off, they nodded and ran to the villagers’ houses, not taking time to knock on the doors. They barged in.

A thunder-like voice echoed high from the ground, “Look who it is, aren’t you the one who killed my dearest, oh so soft lackeys?” The pitch of the voice was higher than those I had encountered, “It was a stupid move of you demon, to kidnap slayers,” I stated, looking at the long-haired demon that stood on one of the rooftops of the house. Its feet dug inside the tiles, shattering them on the spot.

“Demon this, demon that, let’s be civilized, shall we? I am Suzumi Shiori, and you are?” The woman that stood in front of me, suddenly jumped off the roof and was now standing only steps away from me. She was taller than the demons I had encountered so far in the mine, she also differed from them by wearing a mask while the other did not. The fox mask the demon had mentioned. “I am about to take you down,” I breathed as I acted upon my words. Going to slash her neck, the woman-like demon stopped it without much struggle.

“Have they not taught you manners at your little-“ She gestured my way with disdain, “Hunter group? Or something along those lines...” Shrugging, she gripped my blade tighter, I could feel it straining under the strong grip. Taking a deep breath, I used my technique to cut her fingers off and step away from her. “Manners have no place when fighting barbaric beings like you,” I spat, holding back from wincing as I felt my wound sting. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the recruits had started gathering at different places around the village. It was furtive, a smart move to attack the demon by surprise.

Still looking at her ominous figure, I sternly called, “Hana, Jin, Aoyama, go back to the mines, find the four remaining slayers that disappeared,” They nodded and started running to the entrance, the demon named Shiori grunted and made her way to them but Daisuke barred her way and slashed at her stomach, only leaving a scratch. Yet, it was enough to make her step back as she lifted her mask to let it rest on the side of her head. “The rest, with me. We will take her down before any more damage can be done,”

I could hear Aoyama yelp behind me before being ushered back to the dark grotto with the two others.

The fight was a four versus one. All we needed to know was her ability and weakness, after that, it would be easy to defeat her.

“This is entertaining! I can see the cogs running inside those little brains of yours, so I’ll tell you my little secret,” She said in an overly jolly manner. Confidence was dripping off her demeanor, she did not seem an ounce worried for her life. “The easiest way to get your prey is to separate it from the group,” A devilish smile made its way on her lips as she sat down, legs crossed. She then raised her arms and the ground started moving with her, walls building around us, rising from the ground.

Before panicking, I had to assert I had some sort of control on the situation. “Don’t let your guard down, find each other,” As I prepared myself to slash the maze’s walls to not play her games, I heard Uchiyama’s voice echo along Daisuke’s, both saying the same information in different manners, “The walls are rock hard!” and “We cannot slash through the walls,” It ticked me off, I changed the hold on my sword and glanced at the sky to see what time it was, how long we had left.

A proud and sarcastic laugh echoed, the condescending tone never leaving her voice, “Come on! You better start now, or I will go back before sunset,” She cooed, “I am not moving, can you reach me?” It was a rhetorical question that did not have the need for us to pay attention. We hurried and started walking around the maze to reach her, her laugh reaching my ears once again, “You cannot think that is a serious strategy, try harder or you will not reach me in time,” Clapping her hands enthusiastically, she started cheering us on.

I could hear Takeshi and Daisuke getting annoyed, I did not know where they were, but they were complaining out loud. That did bring a smile to my face, even in the midst of all this mess. As time went on, I felt like I was running around in circles, and it was driving me mad. Step after step, my hand still on one wall to try to keep track of what I was doing, in vain.

“Captain!” I heard Daisuke call for me, he hardly called me by that title, but I said his name back and said I could hear him without mentioning anything. “The wall can’t be cut, but maybe we can cut the ground!” I snorted. It was a creative proposition, but we were no gravediggers, although he could try. Thinking outside the box was welcomed, no matter how foolish. Before I could tell him, the woman-like demon took the opportunity and spoke up, “How foolish can you be? Have you not connected the dots yet? Do I have to do all the work for you?”

What does she mean by that? I wondered. She had moved the ground, which meant it was part of her. She could not just move dirt like that, clearly she was not that powerful. And if she was the ground… What am I missing? I thought as I glanced at the sky once again to see how much time we had left. We could not find her in the mine, she kidnapped our recruits, kept them alive for some reason, that being the most confusing part. Why couldn’t we find her in the mine, but the others we could? She can move the ground- she is the ground; she is the mine?

I sent my slayers in the mine. They weren’t kept, they were being digested somehow.

I swore under my breath, “So that is your power,” I started in false confidence, pulling out my sword once again and taking a deep breath. “It is fine by me, my recruits will find your roots somehow-“ “They are probably dead by now, have you not noticed?” She asked, “The mines are closed, there is no escape and oh, will they feel good! For some reason, a lot of them have escaped, but that will go on no longer! I have had enough,” She exclaimed, slamming her hands on the ground, spikes coming out of the walls.

I managed to dodge them, but I could hear Takeshi’s grunts. “Takeshi, don’t move! We will come and get you,” I called out. He tried to reassure me, saying he was fine, but I could hear it in his voice that he was not in great shape. “You have one more lackey, do you not?” I asked the demon. Her face contorted in confusion, “Have you considered it was the one that helped my recruits escape?” She was caught off guard, shaking her head, “There is no one else, you have killed both of my dearest, oh-so-kind, so weak, so useless, subordinates,” Her expression was now hurt, faux hurt, but hurt, nonetheless.

Both of us were lost, if it was not her, what was it? As I pondered that thought, something grabbed my foot. I was surprised and looked down silently, sword at the ready. There stood the little demon I had seen earlier in my mission, the one that had brought Hana out. It brought its hand to its mouth and made a digging motion. Before I could comprehend, I found myself submerged by dirt and rocks. The demon dragged me through the ground before peeking its head out and gesturing for me to come out without a sound.

So, it was the one responsible for their survival? Had she not noticed its existence? I knew it was a demon, but it did not kill. I did not know what its endgame was, but I looked at it a moment before mouthing ‘thank you’. It almost looked flustered before disappearing underground. “Have you lost yourself once again? I am sure mice would be smarter than you slayers. A pity. Smarter people are so much tastier, but I guess there is not changing your little brain this late in the meal, now is there?” I could hear her from up close.

The little demon had brought me close enough that I could take her down. I heard Uchiyama reply to her, determined, “I’ll let you know I’m smarter than Takeshi! Just because you think we can’t find the end of that stupid maze of yours, does not make us stupid!” He said with his voice bursting with assurance. I did not know what he was doing, but it felt like he was getting her attention. It was the perfect moment to strike.

Taking a deep breath, I thought of the best course of attack and used my 5th breathing style. The demon named Shiori turned in pure shock, her face lighting up with fear. Before she could react, I struck her neck hard. It was resistant at first, but I could feel my blade dig in the hide-like skin. I heard her breathe, baffled and stunned, “How?”

I smiled, “There was a mole, it seems,” I did feel proud of that joke, but the demon did not get it. “I don’t get it- I-“ Her walls started falling off, disappearing. And as they did, I looked at the mine, which was fading away too, disintegrating. I heard Daisuke join Takeshi’s side, helping him up and taking a look at his wound, good. In the thrill of having taken her down, I had forgotten she had risen herself on a wall of her own making, that same wall that was falling apart.

Both of us fell to the ground, her head in my hand and her body under mine, making my fall less painful. Waiting patiently for her to disappear, I looked around and saw the little demon that had helped me, it popped out of the ground with people behind it, my people. Turning the woman-like demon’s head, I showed her, “There, that’s the reason you’re defeated. How does it feel? The weakest are still pretty useful when you do not pay attention, wouldn’t you agree?” I asked, too cocky. I do not know why I was feeling so elated. Was it because I could finally return home? Or because she had killed two of my recruits, and had finally paid the price?

“I thought I had killed you!! Traitor!” She barked, her face adorning hideous traits. The small demon looked at her without any expression, it stared a moment before scurrying off, back underground. “That rat, that idiot, I knew I should have made sure it was-“ Her words were cut off, her face slowly turning into dust.

We waited a few more minutes for the sun to rise. A new day was ahead of us, and we had a lot to do. For now, we would go back inside and rest, for nothing could be done in the state we were in.

That night, we fell asleep peacefully. Hana insisted on keeping an eye out just in case, while we slept.

The next morning, we started working on fixing the village. The death of the fox-masked demon had left holes in the mines, odd ones that led to unknown places. Some roofs were damaged, walls too. Our large number made the reparations take a lot less time than they would have.

The four recruits we had found the previous night were sleeping peacefully, watched over by Fumihiro.

Days and days of hard work busied us. It was not until the 27th July that I found time to read Rengoku’s letter and reply to it.

22nd July

My love, my dear,

My heart jumped in my chest at the mention of you getting hurt. There is no point in feeling bad upon not being there to stop it, but I cannot help it… If I had been there you would not have been in pain. You told me you were doing fine, and I believe you. Scars are battle medals, it means you have fought and lived to tell your story. The scars that adorn your body are like the stars that adorn the night sky, beautiful and mesmerizing.

If you would allow it, I would like to show you how much I still adore you and your body, even if scarred… Upon your return, I will worship you, with the utmost respect, unless you wish for else.

To hire a painter to follow us on our journey is a great idea! But they would have to look away when I will not be able to hold back from kissing you all over. I will not let you go one minute once we retire. Just like ivy on a tree.

Dandelions can tangle my hair, I would not care for I would need not to make a wish. Having you by my side is my only desire. And there is nothing I could ask for more than to have your hands on my body at all times. Hair, shoulders, hands… Everywhere is welcome for your touch, my body is screaming for your touch.

For someone with a strong desire to be appropriate, your promiscuous words left me wanting more. I will hold you onto that promise… And to answer your question, although it was scribbled over, the answer is yes. Do what you will with that piece of information, my love.

The trainees are working hard, so hard I almost struggle to keep up with them. If you were there, I am sure we could manage them with more ease, your presence would give me the energy I lack to match their attitude. Everyone is working very hard. It is hard work to keep them all determined, but you must know I am a determined man. I will have them keep hope and be ready by the time of the battle.

Two weeks away from holding you close, I cannot wait for your return,

I will finally rest easy once I have you by my side,

Lovingly,

K. Rengoku

I missed him dearly, and as I read his letters, all of them, I pondered how long I could hold myself from telling him I loved him. Having him wish for a peaceful life together at the end of all this left me wanting that too. I feared matching his hopefulness, I feared wanting a future. Not because it was one with me, but because if in that future he was not with me, I do not think I could live without him.

27thJuly

My love,

We have found the remaining recruits; it is a relief to announce we will be departing shortly to return home.

I must apologize for the late reply from your previous letter. After defeating the demon behind all of this, we had to take care of the damage it had done. I am grateful to have been accompanied by everyone as we repaired everything, it made the process a lot faster.

The proper words have a hard time coming to me. Your words still echo in my mind, I cannot express how much they meant to me. If it is of any usefulness, know that I feel the same about you. No matter the state this war leaves you in, I will love you just the same. It sounds awful said as such, but it is true. As optimistic as we can be, we cannot know for sure if we will make it.

I will not let you worship my body until I have done the same to yours. Words cannot portray the depth of my craving for your touch, for your presence. The comfort of your being is what I long for, but to hear you say my name barely above a whisper is what I yearn for. Oh, to be back on that veranda where we can enjoy our breakfast together… I miss you.

As for the piece of information… I will use it as I worship you, my only God.

That piece of information you share will be more than useful in time…

I will help you with the recruits, for we might need to train ten more as I bring them back from the Nakusaki village. More fun is bound to follow, would you not think?

I will be writing you a letter on the day of my departure,

Thinking of you, Missing you every moment,

Songbird

As promised, a few days later, before receiving any letter from Rengoku, I was packing everything. It was hard to coordinate everyone, but we managed. The villagers thanked us, asking us if we needed anything more before we left. They offered us some of their most valuable belongings, but we would not take it. There was no need, was what we told them.

Before leaving, I had sent a last letter.

30thJuly

My dear Kyojuro,

I am returning to the mansion.

We will be departing the village today, after one last meal with the villagers. We might take more time to return than it took me to arrive, some of us are in pretty bad shape.

We will probably arrive on the 1st of August,

I cannot stand still at the thought of seeing you again,

Impatiently yours,

Your songbird

[Part 7]

#demon slayer #rengoku x reader #gentle summer #physicalturian #ao3 #writing #ao3 writer #physicalturian ao3 #writer #demon slayer rengoku #rengoku kyojuro #kimetsu no yaiba #kny rengoku #kny rengoku kyojuro #kimetsu no yaiba rengoku #demon slayer x reader #fanfiction

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grayfilmsandstuff · 3 years

Note

Hey there friendo! Could I get a funky madcom matchup? I'm fine with whoever (๑¯∇¯๑) This is also gonna be hella disjointed, so I apologize in advance (╥w╥)

I'm 4'11 with super dark brown eyes and hair and a baby face; most people always think I'm much younger than I actually am (I'm 20, but just look like a forever teen I guess) I've got dreadlocks that go a little past mid back, freckles, beauty marks and light patches all over my body (not sure if its vitiligo or not), and I wear prescription sports goggles instead of normal glasses since the straps make me less likely to lose them, and Im accidentally rough on stuff sometimes

Agender, aroace with leaning for gender neutral and neopronouns, but i dont really care much in the end ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've got a metric shit-ton of mental illness, so my mental state is Wack™, tho I'll point out my ADHD and Autism since those are my most prominent. Paradoxical is the best word to describe me cuz I can range from feral gremlin memelord to so-quiet-you-forget-Im-there (I accidentally scare people alot cuz of this). Relatively apathetic emotionally, and I can sometimes struggle with social cues, I'm also very childish, hyperactive and immature, and can be blunt and straight forward with my words. I have a trash sense of humor (I'll basically laugh at anything), tho I do enjoy dark, self-deprecating, and/or inappropriate jokes the most. Since most people see me as "ignorant baby", I like fucking with them by just saying the weirdest shit or casually cursing because I can. Honestly, the amount of memes, shitposts, and copypastas that I've memorized just for the sake of a joke, is amazing.

I'm academically smart to a degree, with a leaning towards the sciences, maths, and engineering. Mostly a big psychology and astronomy nerd and really big into art. I've gotta bunch of sketchbooks and folders full of drawings, (mostly character designs), from over the years and too many damn color pencils (that I will continue to add on too, because fuck yeah colors). I'm really into transformers, comics, anime, video games, and true crime. I like to lift weights and have questionable eating habits (forgetting to eat is a problem of mine so I always have snacks on me, and I tend to eat things I really shouldnt; Ex. Chalk) and basically eat like a famine survivor when it comes to food. I practically inhale my food and I tend to get aggressive if someone tries to interact with me while I'm eating or cooking. All and all tho, I'm mostly here to vibe and just live in the moment.

I have a lot of cat-like habits and tend to headbutt, rub up against, and bite and/or lick people who I like; walk on my toes alot; and prefer small spaces over wide open ones. I'm also really flexible, so it's not odd to causally find me weird ass positions. Gets the nyoomies randomly and struggles with volume control (not helped by me being slightly hard at hearing), so I'll usually pace around while talking and making random noises (echolocalia basically, and I'll mostly beep, meow, trill, make Kirby noises "poyo!", etc.,), and also hand flappy! I also like to sing to myself and have a really great range (mostly on the higher end of the spectrum), as well as decent voice acting capabilities! I mirror things alot, so if I interact with someone long enough, I'll subconsciously start mimicking them and their habits (mostly verbal quirks and accents, but physical quirks too sometimes). Very much prefer hot and humid weather and get real tried/hibernate when it gets colder. For that reason, I've got a huge nest of soft blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals.

i.. . .this was so long.. . .. i love you thank you for sending in a request but note for people in the future please don't make your requests this long it makes it rough on me

this is a good example of the longest request i'll take and this is a good example of the shortest use this to your advantage

i match you wiiiiiith...

Hank!

- Hank isn't sure where you came from but he returned to the bunker with you one day and after the shock factor was over, everyone accepted it and welcomed you in

- they really like your goggles, sometimes they'll point to their own and then point to you, saying that you were matching :}

- he's got a wack mental state too, so he understands a lot of what you're going through and helps you with social cues from the other three, and just is there in general to help out

- you also help them if they feel like they need to lean onto you for comfort or help

- he actually thinks your bluntness is helpful because he's the kind of person is mostly oblivious and doesn't understand what you're saying unless you say it directly and say exactly what you mean

- they love making you laugh at the silliest things. if makes them really happy knowing that they can make you smile or laugh no matter what the circumstances are

- a lot of the time when you say a meme or a copypasta in front of him he won't understand and will ask you what it means

- "one bad gloop and she do what i yoinky two big splurgs and a big gloopy three more yoinks, then i buy me a smoothie poured up a gloop, that's a gloop and a splurgy"

- "...i'm sorry what"

- they really look up to how smart you are and it fascinates them when you'll just ramble about a topic because they know that means you're really interested in it

- you love drawing and a lot of the time you give your assorted doodles to Hank. he loves and cherishes them because what the heck how are you so talented??

- they get onto you for eating things you shouldn't. they want you be happy and healthy, not just the former

- he also enjoys watching you cook whenever you do! he tries his best to help but the big guy has no idea how you do it

- they LOVE your cat-like habits. they love cats. period. any time you'll meow or rub up against them they just melt entirely

- the first time you picked up on something he said and started mimicking it, his initial reaction was :O but it grew more into a :D

thanks for the request! i tried to keep it short with all that you provided me, have a good day my friend

#mc but the good kind #my writing #from the minds of others #text post #x reader #x reader matchup #hank x reader #madcom x reader #madness combat x reader #madcom #madness combat #hank j. wimbleton #mc hank #madcom hank #madness hank #madness combat hank #anon

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palimpsessed · 4 years

Text

Steel Yourself

That morning in Las Vegas when Simon gets his hair cut has been in the back of my mind for over a year, and the recent Wayward Son anniversary reread and lots of talk about hair in the server, brought it front and center. So I decided I had some thoughts and I wanted to get them out.

I asked myself a lot why Simon did this one thing at this one moment. He's let his hair grow out for a long time, probably since the summer before eighth year, or at least the summer after Watford. He's even told us: "I haven't cared enough to get a haircut."

But when Simon does cut his hair, he's still in the same bad place mentally. He still doesn't see himself in a positive light. So why the change? And why this change?

For me, it all comes down to the timing. Timing is very important in terms of Simon's hair. Throughout Simon's life, you could tell the time of year by the length of his hair. At the start of every summer, he shaved his head, and the rest of the year, he grew it out. When Simon starts at Watford, his hair is still fairly short from the previous summer: "A Trojan 11-year-old with baggy jeans and a shaved head." (This is also the look sported by the Insidious Humdrum, which Simon created shortly before being "discovered" by the Mage and taken to Watford.)

Why does the length of his hair matter? Because the shorter it is, the more vulnerable Simon is. (And I don't mean like Samson losing all his strength when his hair was cut off.)

Simon spends months completely unprotected and cut off from all contact every summer. Those summer months in the care homes, exiled from the World of Mages, and the first 11 years of his life, Simon is at his most vulnerable. He doesn't have a family or access to his friends when he's in care. He can't really use or practice his magic. And he's left open to attack from pretty much any magickal or dark creature who feels like trying their luck. (See: fit goblin cabbie and suspected bonety hunter/pervert from the beginning of Carry On.) (Simon has more than one price on his head by the time he's eighteen. And the Humdrum could attack anytime. And the Mage's enemies could hunt him down to get their revenge on the Mage.)

The only person Simon is able to contact during the summers is the Mage, and I think we can all agree that makes him significantly less safe than if he was completely cut off.

Simon is most vulnerable in summer and that's when his hair is the shortest. The drastic change, the rude awakening of being thrust back into the Normal world alone at the end of each school year is perfectly signified by Simon cutting off all of his hair. (Also, undercuts: half-shaved, half-grown. Simon, composed of halves: Normal world/World of Mages; Chosen One/Insidious Humdrum; limitless wells of magic/inability to Speak; dragon/human.)

Once Simon is back at Watford, his hair grows in; the longer he's there, the longer it gets. The more months he spends back at Watford--the only true home he's ever had, surrounded by the only people who love him--the more security he has, and the less vulnerable he becomes.

Are the summer haircuts a necessity of living in a group home "with seven other discards"? Or just something Simon does on his own? It's not really made clear, but Simon does say "I shave it", which implies some degree of agency. I don't think it's uncommon to want to change one's hair (style or color) when life gets overwhelming. (2020, anyone?) It's a great and safe way to exert control over life and self when other things feel out of control. The thing about Simon is that he has never had control over his life; that's part of what makes him so vulnerable the years he spent in care, the years he was the Mage's personal boy soldier, the years he was groomed as Baz's enemy and the Chosen One born to take down the Insidious Humdrum. The length of Simon's hair seems to be the one thing he has control over.

When Simon is most vulnerable, he cuts his hair. In his case, it's an act of defiance, of agency. Cutting his hair is a way for him to be strong, to take control.

Let's move forward in time now to Wayward Son.

Even though he's left Watford and childhood and defeated "the big baddie[s]", Simon is still struggling through a life out of his control. He has wings, a tail, and no magic. He has no direction because he thinks he was born to die. He's burdened with years and years and years of trauma that he can't find a way to avoid or properly confront and he's decided to just stop trying to do either one.

Simon starts the book at his lowest point. And his hair seems to be at its longest, even though he's also at his most vulnerable. How does this tie into the point I'm trying to make?

Simon is not taking agency in his life; he's "lying on the sofa". Life is out of control again, but Simon hasn't shaved his head this time because he's given up trying to fight back.

I think subconsciously, Simon is now trying to use his longer hair as a kind of emotional armor. Short hair has been associated throughout his life with his most vulnerable state (and the Humdrum). Simon is essentially trying to build up a sort of physical barrier to the trauma that's constantly pushing in on him; trauma that he is trying his best to run from, to not face (including quitting therapy and telling his therapist that he prefers to have his brain close "off painful corridors"). Simon tells us that he hasn't "cared enough to get a haircut", but the implications seem to be much deeper than a lack of care.

We first see the hair-as-armor technique with Baz. Baz uses most aspects of his appearance as a way to craft his careful image of control. It's a skill he intentionally adopted from Malcolm. Baz practices his facial expressions and posture in the mirror to make sure that he's able to hide his emotions from the outside world. He cares about fashion, and puts on an expensive suit when he's going into a dangerous situation the way others would put on armor. Up until Simon kisses Baz in the woods, Baz's hair is kept carefully slicked back like a "gangster...or a black-and-white movie vampire". That scene in the woods is incredibly pivotal, but not just from a SnowBaz perspective. That's the moment that Baz hits his lowest point. He's convinced he's failed at finding his mother's murderer (and we all know Baz top-of-the-class Pitch doesn't handle failure well), and he's confronted, and been taunted by, the very monsters that he's been trying his whole life to deny he's one of. He doesn't care that Simon is there to witness his breakdown; he runs off into the woods and sets the fire he hopes will kill him.

That moment in the woods is one of just a few times that Baz allows himself to be vulnerable in front of Simon. And Simon is sure to comment on the state of Baz's hair when it's not neat and tidy. (Simon is very helpful.) There's the moment Baz finds out how Natasha really died ("His hair is in his eyes"), then after sharing magic out on the lawn with the dragon ("His hair falls forward"), which leads to them sharing magic on Baz's bed later that same day. These are incredibly integral steps along the way to Simon and Baz's truce and romance. Baz has to let down his guard so that Simon can see his humanity, his vulnerability, and recognize his own feelings, feelings that he's kept buried down deep because he's believed that Baz hates him and wants to kill him (and we all know what Simon does with painful thoughts). Each instance leads up to that kiss in the woods, after which Simon talks about the way Baz's "hair falls in a lazy wave over his forehead". Simon and Baz spend that night kissing and sleeping in each other's arms; they talk for the first time ever about their feelings for each other. Baz's hair is loose and wavy and not slicked back because he's let his guard down, he's let Simon in, he's let himself be vulnerable. And one of the first things Simon does when he kisses Baz is slide his hand into Baz's hair and mess it up; after kissing, this seems to be top of his list "of all the things [he's] always wanted to do to Baz".

And what does Baz do later on Christmas Eve, when he's getting ready for dinner after Simon leaves with Penny and Agatha? He slicks his hair back. It doesn't evade Simon's notice, either. (Nothing about Baz evades Simon's notice.) He "wish[es]" Baz wouldn't slick his hair back, because "it looks better when it's loose and falling around his face". Simon wants Baz to be vulnerable around him, and Baz was trying to put his armor back up when he was convinced that Simon wouldn’t come back.

Baz has more hair in Wayward Son. (I'm not even going to touch the body hair thing, so calm yourselves.) His hair is longer than it was at Watford, and he's able to grow a beard. Simon sees Baz's new, softer look as illustrative of Baz's maturity, self-assurance, and attractiveness, reasons that Baz is too good for him. ("He's coming into himself. And I'm coming apart.") But what Simon fails to recognize is that, as in Carry On, Baz's softer hair is actually illustrative of his emotional vulnerability.

Between Carry On and Wayward Son, Baz, like Simon, has grown out his hair, and he seems to prefer wearing it loose. He isn't the same boy he was in school; he has everything he ever wanted (Simon), so he can let down his guard. They're supposed to be living the happy ending neither one of them ever thought they'd get to have. He doesn't need to protect himself anymore, because he isn't living with the constant fear of being outed one way or another in a boarding school without escape. (He does still have to live with the fear of being outed as a vampire, but that concern has to be much less immediate now that he's outside of the only place that mages live together. He's under far less scrutiny in London and at university and far less likely to be discovered.)

And yet, Baz isn't happy, he isn't secure. He thinks he's going to lose Simon, that maybe he's already lost him. Baz now struggles to get his hair back under control (just like Christmas Eve), and their ill-fated road trip conspires against him at every turn. Baz's hair gets blown to hell when the convertible top breaks; Simon compares him to Mozart, then Baz compares himself to a member of a "hair metal band"; he can't use magic to tidy his hair, and even wetting it only gets him to a Bucks Fizz or Wham! equivalent; his hair gets "bushy and matted" in their fight with Jeff Arnold and his posse; Simon tells Baz not to ride in the back of Shepard’s truck because of “what the wind does to [his] hair”. (Remember the scene in the back of the truck? Yeah. Very emotional.) Baz's emotional turmoil is reflected in his diminishing physical condition throughout their trip. He finally lands on using his mother's scarf as a means of keeping his hair under control. He's trying to reclaim some of his emotional armor, because, as he tells us: "Simon Snow, it hurts to look at you when you're this happy. And it hurts to look at you when you're depressed. There's no safe time for me to see you. Nothing about you that doesn't tear my heart from my chest and leave it breakable outside my body."

Baz is in pain. He's trying to hold himself together and his hair is the perfect metaphor for this. The fact that he uses his mother's scarf to keep it under control harkens back to his method of aping Malcolm in Carry On. He turns to his parents for the means of bolstering his armor in the face of vulnerability (which we see play out much more overtly when Baz later contemplates calling Malcolm, and calling Fiona, for help with the NowNext).

(Side note about Baz's family. Want to talk about hair showing emotional vulnerability? How about Malcolm going white after Natasha died? The man is broken by his first wife's death and he never recovers emotionally, even though he's remarried and had four more children. He still can't express any emotion toward Natasha's son. Also, Fiona. With her natural white streak dead center in the front of her hair? Fiona is an absolute wreck of a human. She's volatile and self-destructive and vindictive and was also shattered by Natasha's death and before that, Nico's Turning. Both Malcolm and Fiona are permanently marked with signs of their emotional trauma with their white hair.)

I think post-Humdrum Simon has taken a page out of Baz's book, having always seen him as self-assured and completely in control in a way Simon never was. He's internalized the hair-as-armor technique as a misguided way to insulate himself from his pain, growing it out instead of cutting it off (with his "new length" being a physical representation of the barrier he's trying to make around all of the painful things in his head).

This obviously doesn't work. Simon isn't fooling anyone, not even himself.

In Carry On, Simon shaves his hair to exert control, and Baz slicks back his hair to project control. In Wayward Son, Simon uses his longer hair as a kind of shield against looking vulnerable, and Baz's longer hair reflects his vulnerability.

Wayward Son ends with Simon still in a very vulnerable state. If Simon thinks of short hair as being linked with vulnerability, and long hair like armor, then why did he decide to cut his hair in Vegas?

Because he did care enough to get a haircut; he cared enough to make himself vulnerable.

Why?

Because he's in love with Baz and he can't tell him, so he cuts his hair to show him.

Simon is being brave. He's taking a step and he's exposing himself in a way he's been too scared to do for a long time. Which is the crux of all of this: allowing himself to be vulnerable is actually a kind of strength.

The night before Simon gets his hair cut, Baz meets Lamb. Simon listens to Lamb flirt with Baz, and Baz sort of flirt back with Lamb, for hours, and can't do anything about it. When he does finally intervene, he sees them together, and he thinks Baz and Lamb are going to kiss. He thinks Baz wants someone else. He thinks Baz wants to break up with him. (He already did think so, yes, but at this point of the book, Simon has started to convince himself that they're "getting by".)

The night culminates in one of Baz's lowest points, drunk and draining birds in the hotel bath, bloodstained and forced to face the brutal reality that is his life as a vampire with three witnesses, one of whom is the love of his life. Baz doesn't ever want Simon to see him drink. He has to tell Simon more than once to leave the bathroom to try to maintain some part of his dignity and to keep Simon from continuing to watch (because Simon wants to watch).

This is Baz at his most vulnerable, and Simon is there for all of it. Again. And he wants so badly to be with Baz. But Simon is a mess and can't articulate his feelings. So he goes out and gets an expensive haircut to show Baz that he does care. He finally cares enough to get a haircut (to exercise agency over himself and his life). This is his way of trying to fight for Baz. It's completely off the mark (use your words, Simon) but it's sweet and it's well-intentioned. And it's brave.

Simon has two things in life that he's clinging to with all the power he has left in him: Baz and Penny. And that morning in Vegas, he's probably contemplating the possibility that he's going to lose Baz. (And, unless they get a break, Agatha.--Again.)

TL;DR: Simon cuts his hair, to try to get some control over his out-of-control life, to make an effort for his boyfriend, to try to bring back the part of himself from Watford who was a hero who could take on anything with his undercut ("and a belly full of magic"). It's vulnerability, but it's also strength.

Shaved or tousled, Simon Snow, I hope you get your well-deserved happy ending with Baz, and Penny, and Agatha, and Shepard. And therapy. Please, please, please therapy.

#meta #my meta #simon snow #baz pitch #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #snowbaz #steel yourself #a heavy meta on hair #rainbow rowell #simon snow series #co/ws #awtwb #carry on #wayward #any way the wind blows

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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 280: I Am Red Riot

Previously on BnHA: The pro heroes over at Gunga Mountain struggled against Gigantomachia and the League until finally Midnight was all, “fuck it, let’s just put the kids in charge.” Momo immediately got to work organizing a sophisticated counteroffensive involving an exploding swamp, a bunch of sedative cans, and a massive coordinated team attack. I gotta tell you guys, it’s really something to watch a large-scale group attack in which all of the team members are actually competent. I don’t know what Japan put in the water when all these sixteen-year-olds were growing up, but that shit has paid off big time, and basically the only reason Machia hasn’t gone down yet is because he cheated and was all “sneeze” and the kids all got blown away because they are little and because he is really, really big. Anyway so then Dabi set the forest on fire because he loves doing that, and the chapter ended with Mina using her Acid Man attack to make herself FUCKIN’ FIREPROOF so she could charge through the woods ready to save the day and stuff!

Today on BnHA: Mina launches herself straight at Machia like the beautiful corrosive wild child she is, but then everything goes to shit when she recognizes him from that one time she almost got murdered while giving a strange man directions. Just when it’s looking like she might get killed for real this time, KIRISHIMA SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY AND SHOVES HER TO SAFETY AND IS ALL “BOTTOMS UP” AND HEAVES A LITERAL CAN OF WHOOPASS RIGHT IN MACHIA’S MOUTH. At this point the grown-ups are all “oh wow look at that, time for us to take over for you kids now, don’t worry we’ve got it all under control” because Oh Those Wacky Pros and all that, but at least Majestic finally deigns to show his face so that’s a plus! The chapter ends with us cutting back to the Jakku battle, where Tomura is curled up in a little ball all “curse you heroes, how dare you [checks notes] save people all the time”, which is a real take and a half. Anyway so things are looking up, which can only mean everyone is about to die. That’s how it works, right. Shit.

HOLY SHIT LOL

THIS IS MINA. SHE’S REALLY COOL AND SHE CAN MELT PEOPLE. um, the hell kind of tagline is that?? holy fucking shit?? “melt and succumb”?? IS THE SUCCUMB PART REALLY NECESSARY. IS THAT NOT ALREADY IMPLIED. it’s like saying “die and then perish”, which actually sounds really badass and I’m about to make it my new go-to threat actually so you know what never mind. where the fuck were we anyway

“IS EVERYONE SAFE” some absurdly bad-at-gauging-situations kid from class B is yelling while the forest is on fire and all the kids are recovering from having been catapulted fifty miles by King Dodongo’s windy yeet breath. of course they are safe, sweet child. of course everyone is absolutely fine, why the fuck would they possibly not be safe after something like that

KAMINARI NOOO MY POOR SWEET BABY

AT LEAST HE’S STILL CONSCIOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE STUPID JOKES. holy shit this baby got concussed to hell and back and then Machia turned him and the others into precipitation and he wasn’t in any kind of state to even try to land safely, I hope to god someone caught him

Sero is all “is there anyone still in range!” and damn, I like that he’s taking charge and trying to regain their momentum. he is so criminally underrated. I feel like he’s in the top six or seven of class 1-A kids who I would most trust to take charge. which is very high praise because that class has a lot of charge-taking kids

SPEAKING OF

it “probably” can’t get through her acid, she says. my god. sometimes the spirit of Plus Ultra just takes ahold of these kids and it’s like, I want to ruffle their hair proudly and then grab them by the shoulders and shake them vigorously because WHERE EVEN IS YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION WHY DO NONE OF YOU HAVE IT GODDAMMIT AIZAWA REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPELLED YOU GUYS AFTER ALL

man. and yet I really do love this “be the one who can do it” stuff. what a heroic fucking attitude dfjfklks. I’ll just go put on my humongous sandwich board that reads GIANT FUCKING HYPOCRITE and go stand in the corner

damn it this week’s scan is annoyingly dark, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on but it looks like the pros are attacking Machia and the League at long last. way to go guys it only took you seven years but you finally hopped to it

MINA WHY IS THE ACID COMING OFF OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. PUT IT BACK!!!

I KNOW SHE’S NOT GONNA DIE DAMMIT BUT AHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH

okay what the hell is up with these weird zen proverbs though

“your fear stricken heart”, “the shortest path”, what the fuck even is this. whose thoughts are these. normally these translations are honestly decent enough but I gotta say this time around I’m totally being thrown for a loop lmao

(ETA: FYI I’m only just now realizing that he was saying the shortest path to Master, as in Tomura, not “master” as in to master something fjkldjskf lol some delayed reading comprehension there. so basically he’s just bitching about how annoying these little “flies” are proving to be.)

JESUS CHRIST

okay is it just me, or is Gigantomachia suddenly showing intelligence in his eyes instead of mindless animal instinct the single most pants-shitting thing you’ve ever seen?!! holy shit. the way he just LOOKS at her out of nowhere all of a sudden?? holy fucking shit DO NOT HURT MT. LADY OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. AND DON’T YOU DARE HURT MINA EITHER!! JUST FUCKING DIE AND PERISH

but also though, is that recognition in Mina’s eyes?? because even though this dude is 80 feet tall now, her encounter with him a couple years back had to have been one of the more memorable experiences of her young life. damn I was wondering when this would finally come into play

OKAY YES THE NEXT PAGE IS A FLASHBACK OH SHIT

this has nothing to do with anything but Mina just has the prettiest hair, btw, and this “just woke up covered in acid” look is a particularly good one on her. it looks so soft and fluffy, like damn. this is like Shouto-hair-billowing-in-the-wind levels of pretty here

NOOOOO

oh my god holy shit?! putting her back in the school uniform to show the slip in her mentality is a PUNK MOVE, HORIKOSHI, and I respect the shit out of you for it you manipulative bastard. goddammit. bracing myself for the incoming wave of Mina feels... here they come... they’re a lot... let’s see if I can latch on to anything I can actually figure out how to describe in words

okay well here’s one, my respect for Mina’s bravery just went up like a thousand percent in this instant, because now we know this was actually such a traumatizing event for her that hearing Machia’s voice again years later immediately sent her into a full-blown flashback. she was that scared and yet she still stood up to him and didn’t hesitate. and now I’m remembering how her knees just buckled right afterwards, and just...

and this visual, though!! what a brutally effective way to show that in her mind she went right back to being that scared middle schooler again for a moment. god fucking damn. holy shit you guys is Kirishima fireproof because if he comes waltzing out of the woods next I don’t even know what I’m gonna do. lolo kids getting traumatized left and right this arc is fucking merciless

um eXCUSE ME!?!?!

YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW OR I AM GONNA LOSE IT!!

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!

holy shit he could have fucking snapped her neck like that??! I don’t like this at ALL WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY SERIOUSLY

I’M GONNA NEED ANOTHER KID TO STEP IN HERE WITH A LAST MINUTE SAVE LIKE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, OR I AM GOING TO THROW MY COMPUTER OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND MOVE TO THE DESERT AND BECOME A HERMIT AND NEVER READ MANGA ON THE INTERNET AGAIN

OH THANK GOD

TODAY WE SPELL “REDEMPTION” K-I-R-I... ETC. THERE’S A LOT OF LETTERS BUT YOU GET THE DRIFT!!!

holy fucking shit y’all. I mean, it’s not like it came out of nowhere, like the setup could not have been more obvious, but let me assure you that none of the predictability lessened the actual impact of this moment in the SLIGHTEST. Horikoshi really wrote a flashback scene one hundred and thirty five chapters ago and planted it, watered it once a day, and patiently waited for THREE LONG YEARS until he could finally harvest the badass fruits of his labor in the midst of his most epic arc to date. I’m so fucking hyped I’ll even forgive him for sacrificing Mina’s big moment and having her get rescued, because it’s such a good reversal. he didn’t freeze up this time. he promised himself he’d never freeze again and he didn’t and he saved her and god fucking damn. anyways so now Machia is going to treat him like a fucking action figure though but he’s a solid little dude he can take it hopefully

NO WHAT IS THIS!!! STOP KILLING MY MOOD!!!

she better not be dead!! SHE BETTER NOT FUCKING BE DEAD I WILL RUN MY PC THROUGH A PAPER SHREDDER AND GO AND LIVE ALONE WITH MY FEELS ON A MOUNTAIN IN TIBET

CHINTETSU!!

well we know he’s fireproof. another callback at the least expected of times lmao

so Tetsu’s all “yeah Kirishima’s not really all that fireproof but he totally ran over here anyway to save you. oh wait that probably wasn’t very comforting of me to say.” maybe that’s why it seems like he might not have actually said it out loud, now that I’m reading this over again. good call Tetsu

ARE YOU STANDING UP AND CASUALLY STRETCHING OUT YOUR BACK

I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HATE THIS GUY RIGHT NOW. WE’RE REACHING LEVELS OF HATRED RESERVED FOR NAZIS AND PEOPLE WHO WALK TOO SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME IN A GROUP SHOULDER TO SHOULDER INSTEAD OF SINGLE FILE SO I CAN PASS IN FRONT OF THEM. YOU’RE A FUCKING TOURIST IN NYC YOU PIECE OF SHIT

lmao he’s just dropping this random hero person and letting him fall to his doom wheeeeee

remind me to leave all of the League of Villains’ texts on read for the foreseeable future. goddamn. I still love you guys but also, fuck you so damn hard

OHO A LIL RED SCALY BOI ISN’T DONE YET!!

real talk, just between you and me, I’ll lower my voice so that Kirishima can’t hear. so uh. we all agree that even if Kiri is fireproof and squishproof, that little can of tranquilizer juice technically shouldn’t have been, right? but we’re all going to hush and pretend like it was anyway for the sake of not spoiling his big moment. even though I am crossing my arms and tapping my chin with my finger while doubtfully glancing to the side

anyway here he goes!

YEAH KIRI GO GETTIM [stage whisper] there it is, in his pocket. should’ve burned. we won’t discuss it

OH FOR FUCK’S

TOGA YOU LITTLE WIENER BUT WHAT’S THIS ABOUT “MY HALF” NOW????

DID HE GRAB MINA’S MID-AIR?? IS HE REALLY REACHING INTO HIS BACK POCKET AND FUCKING UNZIPPING IT RIGHT NOW WHILE HOLDING ON TO NOTHING AND PRESUMABLY FALLING THROUGH THE AIR. DID A LITTLE BIT OF OCHAKO’S QUIRK RUB OFF ON YOU OR WHAT

OH SNAP SON HE REALLY DID THE THING HOLY SHIT???

AND TOKAGE FLEW OVER AND SAVED HIM AND NOW TANKS ARE SHOOTING AT MACHIA, LMAO WHAT IS THIS. MOMO HOW MANY GUNS DID YOU MAKE

Shouji standing there trying to be useful any way he can. are eyeballs really that much more effective if you make them the size of tennis balls and hold them up above your head. legit question, I don’t really know how eyes work

okay after 45 seconds of googling this my impression is that no, they are not. well good on you for giving it the old college try anyway though Shouji

oH MY GODLKDLK?!?!

DID SHE SAY WHAT I THOUGHT SHE SAID, DID SHE SAY MAJESTIC, ARE WE GONNA SEE MASJKESLTKCI DSFLKJL

oh my god he really is the Magic Man dude??? TIME TO DUST OFF MY INVENTORY OF ADVENTURE TIME QUOTES

(ETA: AHH FATGUM AND GANG ORCA ARE THERE TOO YESSSS!)

“that’s enough depending on some interns” oh, okay. now that they’ve done all your work for you. I see, I see

so now Gigantomachia is LITERALLY UNHINGING HIS JAW I can’t fucking believe this dude you guys. everything he does is just like, ARE YOU SERIOUS

please go to sleep already. thanks to you I have my keyboard set to capslock as the default for the duration of this chapter

ARE YOU SERIOUS YOU FUCKING WAITED UNTIL MAGIC FUCKING MAN SHOWED UP TO TEACH US MAGICAL LIFE LESSONS AND NOW YOU’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TOMURA FIGHT?? WHY DO WE KEEP LETTING THIS MAN GET AWAY WITH THIS

oh my god you guys they really fucking did it

I guess that Howitzer slash fire punch combo really was that potent huh

anyway so now Endeavor is standing there making a big speech instead of reaching into Tomura’s pocket and taking the bullets that he doesn’t know about and shooting him with one asap. dammit Endeavor

aaaaand Tomura is firing back with the wisdom of Shimura Fucking Kotaro of all people

well you sure convinced me. damn I don’t know what I was thinking. heroes suck you guys. how dare they help other people all the time

so now he’s all “PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT!!”

take that Endeavor. you heard the man. it’s not destruction without conviction, as god as his witness he will have you know it is destruction WITH conviction. something something the great sage Shimura “I hurt my family for absolutely no reason at all, fuck this ‘helping others’ bullshit” Kotaro. I hope you packed your textbooks because you just got SCHOOLED. I hope the person who ordered you signed up for delivery notifications because you just got SENT. I HOPE YOU LIKE CAPITALISM BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT OWNED. I HOPE YOU CHOSE PAPER AND NOT SCISSORS BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT ROCKED

what an absolutely, unreservedly bizarre place to end the chapter lol. we’re really just done with this week, just like that. Majestic showed up and Gigantomachia opened his chin like a garage door and Tomura is all “you may have won the battle but you suck” while he buys time for Aizawa to suddenly sneeze or something so he can make his terrible comeback and continue Horikoshi’s Traumatize Every Kid in Class 1-A 2020 campaign. what an arc this is my friends. what an arc

#bnha 280 #ashido mina #kirishima eijirou #gigantomachia #shigaraki tomura #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #I didn't even notice the extra page on readheroaca until I was getting ready to click 'post' lol #something about ochako mistaking a real orca for their friendly teacher #resulting in a hilarious case of mistaken identity #I have no idea what this page is about or what it is doing there #but at this point 'because 2020' seems like a reasonable explanation for just about anything tbh

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leviathanswingman · 3 years

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love is a losing game, chapter 10; side by side

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 , Chapter 8, Chapter 9

He kept his head trained to the ground, remotely embarrassed about having raised his voice like that with Diavolo of all people. But perhaps, he felt even more embarrassed about finally having acknowledged the truth.

Lucifer was ever so aware of Diavolo's hand on his waist, keeping him upright whilst not applying too much pressure. And despite their current circumstances, Lucifer's mind still wandered to forbidden, almost blasphemous places. Stolen kisses in hidden corners of RAD, hands sliding slyly into the back pocket of the other, jewellery exchanged to symbolize something far greater. All things that could have been if it weren't for their positions. Had it not been for Diavolo's strange reaction, perhaps his mind would have travelled even further.

Now, in addition to his mind's apparent inability to keep things prim, proper and professional, he had to battle with the implications of Diavolo's strange behaviour. If he hadn't been told in person that his secret had been exposed back at the doctor's office, Lucifer would've almost found himself assuming that after all, Diavolo hadn't known about their bond to begin with. But that simply couldn't be what was occurring here after all.

However, after having seen Diavolo's raw reaction, although it seemed utterly impossible and utterly illogical, Lucifer had to accept this uncomfortable truth. If he had kept his mouth shut, Diavolo would have remained none the wiser.

Somehow, the doctor had kept his secret and told Diavolo everything except for who exactly Lucifer's pact partner actually was.

For once, Lucifer found himself at a loss for words. Diavolo stared at him, expression intense and his hold strong.

„Lucifer, this doesn't make any sense. Why would-“

Lucifer averted his gaze.

„When-“ Diavolo took a small break to compose himself. „For how long have you know?“

To say that Lucifer felt incredibly awkward would be an understatement. He felt embarrassed. If anything, this was the world's biggest sign that he was unfit to be Diavolo's right-hand man. After all, he'd failed at the simplest of tasks: Keeping things professional.

In search of a distraction to make all of this easier, to make it less painful than he knew it would irrevocably turn out to be, his eyes wandered across the room spread out behind Diavolo's towering form. White armchairs, a fireplace with slowly dying embers, Lucifer's record player and next to it, his collection of various cursed vinyls. With a deep breath, he finally started talking.

„I've known since the day before the meeting. I was at the doctor's the day before because I'd been feeling particularly strange.“ His eyes were still trained on his surroundings instead of Diavolo. This did not have to be painful at all, he tried to convince himself.

„The day before the meeting? Lucifer...“

„Yes. And I'm not sorry, Diavolo. I did what had to be done.“

Lucifer took hold of Diavolo's hand that had been resting on his face, and brought it down slowly. As he tried to let go of it, Diavolo grabbed onto it instead.

„What do you mean, you did what had to be done?! Lucifer, why didn't you say anything?I would've-“

In spite of his composed demeanour, Lucifer could feel himself lose his cool. He could feel the way his heartbeat fluttered in a hasty rhythm against his skin, right where Diavolo was holding onto his wrist.

Perhaps, Diavolo could feel its fluttering beat himself. And that just couldn't be happening.

„You would have felt responsible. Because that is how you are, Diavolo. I refused to put that sort of pressure onto you. After all, the bond is unreciprocated and you cannot be blamed for it.“

Lucifer's heart ached foolishly, inconsolably, yet he refused to move. He could feel the bond pulsating, urging him to get close, get so much closer, but that was the one thing he certainly couldn't do.

Diavolo pushed closer to Lucifer's body with a certain tremble to his hands. „Lucifer, please. Can't you at least look at me? I understand the situation you are in, but do you dislike me so much that you can't even look me in the eye?“ His voice sounded strange, almost desperate. It made Lucifer's heart jump and his sigil burn with shame.

Apparently, in spite of all his efforts to cover up the whole issue, it had all come back to bite him in the ass all over again.

His limbs were shaking terribly as he tried desperately to deny his body what it actively wanted to pursue. Usually, Lucifer would have written it off as his sigil making him act in ways he would never even dare to, but in the end even he had to admit; would his body and mind really be reacting in such strong ways if he didn't desire Diavolo just as strongly?

Lucifer took a deep breath before he pried Diavolo's hand off his wrist and raised his head to meet Diavolo's eyes again. He placed his hands on Diavolo's shoulders instead, unsure if this was alright, not sure if he wasn't going too far.

„Better now?“ he asked as he took note of the look in Diavolo's eyes. Another tremor shook him harshly. He managed to conceal it easily, after all, pain was a thing most demons were quite familiar with. Still, certain parts of his body pulsated, almost as if past memories of Diavolo's hands on his body had turned into feathery memories, ghosts of long past touches.

His lips, hands, neck and shoulder blades were tingling ever so softly and sweetly, begging Lucifer to do the right thing with sugar-coated whispers, begging him to just move forward and do that one logical thing. But he just couldn't. He shouldn't be daring enough to allow himself to ruin Diavolo's future with one single touch too much.

„No,“ Diavolo intercepted unexpectedly. „Nothing feels better now, Lucifer. You are not alright, I can feel it. And you are right, I do feel responsible, because I've done you wrong.“ He cupped Lucifer's cheeks and stared at him intensely. „Apparently, I haven't cherished you enough.“

„Diavolo, I have told you before, you don't have to force yourself to-“

„Why would I need to force myself to feel anything when it's about you, Lucifer?! How could I have known that you have been reciprocating my feelings all this time? All I ever wanted was for you to feel safe. I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you!“

Lucifer's heart stopped a beat as he saw the way Diavolo's eyes almost sparkled with sincerity. He flinched, and this time, he couldn't avoid hiding it. Diavolo would be able to tell that he was in pain by the way his fingers tightened on his shoulders and his knees buckled from the pain the unclaimed sigil caused him.

However, he didn't mind the pain at the moment, his mind was set on more important things. He couldn't help but let his thoughts cling onto the words Diavolo had just proclaimed, even if only for the shortest of moments.

Love? Diavolo loved him?

Lucifer's arms slid up Diavolo's shoulders, arms crossing over his neck as hands came to rest near his shoulder blades. A shuddered breath escaped his lips as he desperately tried to keep control of his body. He just needed another second, another minute maybe. Just enough time to regain his wits and return to his usual composed state. But alas, there was no one and nothing present allowing him such luxuries.

Lucifer's fingers twitched against Diavolo's skin.

Finally, he gave his body an inch of what it wanted. He let his chin rest on top of Diavolo's shoulder, right in the crook of his neck, in spite of how unseemly of an action it was. His heartbeat slowed down a bit, but his sigil still burned and wiggled with dark patterns tainting his pale skin. At this point, it felt almost too removed from himself to be labelled a burning sensation, it was more of a fiery pain instead.

“Diavolo,” he started, his reluctance waning by the minute. “I am ever so loyal to you. Please don't misunderstand my intentions. We both know I can't give you what you need. Let's not disillusion ourselves here.” Despite his words, his head sank down to rest in the crook of Diavolo's neck. Perhaps,this was one of the last times he could push past himself and act based on his emotions instead of cold logic

Lucifer's breathing grew heavier by the minute. The pride in his heart had finally come down to a blushing sizzle. The aching throbbing of the sigil had overtaken what was left of Lucifer's common sense. Still, he tried to fight against it, tried to stay reluctant, tried to keep up what was expected of him.

Then, suddenly, Diavolo's hand shot up, fingers slipping desperately into the smooth locks of Lucifer's hair while his other arm pulled his body even closer to his.

Diavolo's head slowly sank down, almost mirroring Lucifer's own. “You're all I ever wanted, how could you not see that? My heart has been aching for you all this time. Lucifer-”

“If we wait it out the bond will dissipate. It will cease to be a problem and you will be freed. If you can just be patient for once-”

Diavolo pushed back, staring at Lucifer's form. “Why would I want for the bond to disappear?Lucifer, the only reason why I left that night was because I did not want to ruin our relationship. I lo-”

Quickly, Lucifer pushed his pointer against Diavolo's lips, desperate to keep him from saying those words once again. He couldn't take to hear those words coming from him once again. They hurt too much. They were all he needed to hear, but were at the same time the one thing he was not allowed to accept, no matter of how fiercely the fiery core of his heart burned with passion and want.

“You appreciate me. And I am thankful for that.” He forced himself to stare into Diavolo's eyes as he gently pushed him back. The sigil practically burnt itself into his flesh and Lucifer groaned involuntarily. “But we both know you are destined to marry and become even greater than you are already. My place will always be by your side as your right-hand man. I would be a fool to ask for more.”

Rid of Diavolo's strong hold onto his body, Lucifer slowly slid to the ground. His neck burned to such an extent that he couldn't hold himself back anymore, his hand ran up to the back of his neck, clawing at the sigil. He could feel the way the mark strained against his skin akin to infectious worms wiggling under his skin, crawling and pushing their way around. Lucifer coughed to hide his discomfort.

“You can leave now, I will be alright.”

All he heard was the low buzzing of static in the room. The back of his neck had been aching and twisting for a while now, but he had somehow never gotten used to it. It felt wrong and invasive. All he wanted was to be left alone so he could fight the sigil off till the end of his days, which admittedly, was perhaps not too far away.

Suddenly, he felt strong arms pulling him up off the ground again.

Diavolo pulled him up and placed him on his bed. Without saying a word, he pulled the covers over Lucifer's body and left the room.

Perfect.

Now, he wouldn't have to see Lucifer's downfall. After all, Lucifer had known for a while that that lonesome sigil of his would claim his life. And he had made peace with that. After all,this would allow him to leave this realm on his own terms. Perhaps from an outsider's point of view it would seem lonely and sad, but for Lucifer himself it was be the most agreeable of outcomes.

A low chuckle escaped his lips as he felt the way the sigil squirmed against his flesh. Perhaps, there was not much time left after all.

Lucifer would have liked to leave each of his brothers a letter as a parting gift, but right from the beginning, he had never been one to get what he wanted, cursed to be a pawn in games orchestrated by others.

And like this, in the end, he still longed for the demon prince's touch, no matter how inappropriate of a wish it was.

He was a demon, after all. No matter what he longed for, it was born to be a sin.

He brushed his bangs back with the palm of his hand and let out a huff of air as he thought about all the things he would have to miss out on. Lucifer's heart ached with all of the things he had never been allowed to say out loud.

Mammon finding love, Leviathan learning to accept himself, Satan abandoning some of the hate in his heart, Asmodeus finding peace and accepting his demonic form, Beelzebub letting go of all the regret in his heart, Belphegor accepting that peace was an option after all.

Although they didn't know, he loved them more than anything else. They were his brothers; his only family.

In the end, it seemed like they would have to be alright without him. Although they were all utterly disastrous, Lucifer knew they could pull it together. He had always had faith in them, even if he never expressed it verbally. Although he was tough on them, he loved all of them no matter what.

His heart beat faster and faster, beating in ways he had never felt okay with, beating like a heart attack waiting to happen.

Logically, he knew he didn't have much more time left. He had denied Diavolo for far too long for his sigil to be alright with it. Doctor Naamah had warned him about this and yet, he had stayed reluctant, had stayed strong and ever so resilient, no matter how much his body seemed to rebel against it because he knew what was expected of him. He was Diavolo's right-hand man, his most trusted of servants. There was no place left for love in this arrangement of theirs.

And still, he longed for a kiss, longed for strong arms pulling him in, no matter how deeply he knew that it was the one thing he could never agree to.

Because Diavolo had to be in relations with someone important to the Devildom. And that someone was an heir or an heiress, someone who was certainly not Lucifer.

Lucifer's disarrayed thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

“Here you go.” Diavolo's voice came sounding through the room, deep, strange and unexpected. There was a certain tone to his voice Lucifer had never heard before.

A heavy blanket was thrown over Lucifer's body.

“You looked cold,” the demon prince's voice sounded throughout the room. “Please take it.”

Lucifer saw the way Diavolo looked at him after he had thrown the blanket over his body and promptly sat up again, mildly irritated.

“I already told you, you don't need to-”

“But what if I want to?” Diavolo's voice rang loud and clear through Lucifer's room. “I know you don't want me to be with you, so at least let me take care of you. Just let me do this one thing for you.” For a moment there was nothing but silence. “Just this once, please.”

Perhaps it was the sigil, or perhaps it was Lucifer allowing himself to be vulnerable just this once, but without much afterthought, he caved. “Alright,” he answered before he buried himself back in the covers and turned his back to Diavolo.

His hand, hidden under the heavy blankets, travelled up to his heart, where he could feel it beating ever so strongly. All he heard was static filling the room and for once, he knew his end was nigh and inescapable.

“I never wanted you of all people to know about this,” he started reluctantly, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. “I knew from the start that you would inevitably have to marry to improve your status.” Quietly, he buried his face further into the mattress, hoping that Diavolo wouldn't notice the way his heart beat to his chest, wouldn't notice it resonating in his chest wildly and dangerously. I never meant for it to end this way.”

“End this way?”

All of a sudden, Lucifer felt strong thighs straddling his hips. Careful hands unexpectedly came to cradle both sides of his face.

Somehow, Diavolo seemed to be slouching in a strange sort of way.

“Why should things end like this? Lucifer, you know I can help you out here, don't be so foolish!”

“You cannot help me here, Diavolo. I think the bond has made that fact excruciatingly obvious. Forcing yourself to adapt to certain facts has never been the way.”

“Why should I have to adapt to what I can prove is truth? You've heard Barbatos back then. Unclaimed bonds come to existence once partners fated to be bound to each other have failed to accept their feelings after years and years.” His hand slid down to rest near Lucifer's collarbone. “ I don't have it in me anymore to deny what I feel for you.”

Diavolo's hand slid further down to his own collar, unbuttoning his shirt hastily. He slid out of the sleeves, revealing a dark, intricate sigil burnt onto his chest, right above his heart, still timid and shy in its appearance.

“I've been aching for a while now, but I never knew the reason for it. Now I know why. My body was trying to alert me of what has been happening to you. And although I am mad, I can't fault you for having done what you did.” Diavolo smiled sadly as he let his hands drop down to the sheets. “It seems like we are caught up in the same sorts of dramatics.”

Slowly, Lucifer sat up, his right hand reaching out until it laid flush against Diavolo's soft skin. Without thinking he spread his fingers out, sensitive fingertips travelling across the soft lines of a newborn sigil placed upon Diavolo's chest. His own heart was still beating to his chest, terribly quick in its primal need to connect with what was so near yet so far away.

Lucifer lost himself in the patterns of familiar lines painted on a body he was more than acquainted with.

“How can this be?” he mused as he couldn't pry his eyes off the sigil on Diavolo's chest. It seemed ever so familiar to him, but seeing it on Diavolo's skin of all people, awoke something primal and needy deeply stashed away in the most hidden parts of Lucifer's soul.

He saw the look in Diavolo's eyes, saw the anger and the sadness, took note of all the emotions hidden deep inside that had been caused by no one else except for himself.

Reluctantly, he allowed himself to let his forehead rest against Diavolo's chest. “Now why would you show me this just now?” he then asked. He knew he should finally give up on those misplaced feelings of his once and for all, but truthfully, this was the one task he had always failed at colossally.

Diavolo looked down upon Lucifer's head resting against his exposed chest. His heart beat sickly and heavily. “I showed you the mark because I needed you to know.” His fingers twitched restlessly, but he refused to act upon his desires. This was not his move to make, no matter how much he longed for it, no matter how much he wanted to prove to Lucifer just how much he loved him. He had moved his chess pieces, now it was Lucifer's turn.

Lucifer took a shuddering breath as his sigil pulsed with need, with want, pulsed with the ferocity of a lonesome scream in the middle of the night, lost in dark woods.

And ever so unexpectedly, Diavolo's sigil felt hot to the touch in retaliation.

Lucifer felt like his body was sending him its last signals, similar to a cry for help. His head was aching, the back of his neck burned with desire and his limbs were shaking as he felt the unstoppable need to just push onward and let instinct overtake logic.

Lucifer saw the way Diavolo's face scrunched up in pain so similar to his own. It was hard to watch and just like that, Lucifer let out the slightest of chuckles as pain coursed through his veins, ever so impure and unnatural in the way it felt against his cold fingers on Diavolo's chest.

And just like that, Lucifer gave in, allowed himself to reach out with slender fingers finally burying themselves in thick locks.

Without even thinking about it, the pads of his fingertips grazed over the soft skin on the nape of Diavolo's neck. Lucifer took in the smallest of hesitant breaths before his lips grazed against Diavolo's.

He knew he should feel ashamed the moment he crossed that line, but really, he did not. Lucifer could let himself breathe freely for the first time ever since that night. Perhaps, grief would follow shortly after, but for the moment, he couldn't force himself to regret this bold move of his.

Without any hesitation, Diavolo reciprocated the kiss, his lips moving against Lucifer's in irrefutable desperation.

His hand rose up to cradle Lucifer's cheek lovingly as he rubbed his thumb across Lucifer's jawline.

Despite himself, Lucifer couldn't deny the way his body practically sighed with ease. After so long, he had finally given in to his most primal of instincts. His body felt like it was glowing with glee, and he certainly did not know what to do with that kind of sensation.

Still, he couldn't find it in himself to let go of Diavolo, even though the logical side of his brain seemed to yell at him to come back to his senses.

He let himself relax as he let go of all that had been holding him back before, even if for nothing more than a fleeting moment.

Lucifer let one of his hands roam upwards while the other found its place resting up against the demon prince's chest, and allowed himself to take hold of Diavolo's face as if he was really his to touch. Eyes closed, he pulled even closer and deepened the kiss as he moved his lips against intoxicatingly smooth ones, so forbidden in nature, yet so familiar in reality.

Suddenly, Diavolo pulled back and for the first time in a while, both of them felt comfortable enough to allow themselves to just look at each other.

In spite of all the years Diavolo had seen throughout his life, he now felt like a baby deer taking its first shaky steps.

“Lucifer?” he asked, almost hesitantly.

The demon in question crashed down as his arms encased Diavolo's neck and accidentally pulled him further down onto the bed with him.

And although he felt more than embarrassed, he didn't have it in himself anymore to deny their bond any longer.

He stayed like that for a moment, Diavolo's body pulled flush again his chest.

This was nothing like himself.

Lucifer tried to calm back down again as he was overtaken by the feeling of Diavolo's skin against his own. As he realized that he was faced with another impossibly harsh truth of the fates, his arms let go of Diavolo's form. He let out a deep sigh of breath as Diavolo raised his head again and placed a forbidden kiss upon the back of his hand.

And his heart fluttered. It fluttered. To think that he was even capable of feeling such intricate and sweet emotions.

Even though he had never planned to do so, his body let out a sound of satisfaction. Needless to say, he felt more than conflicted. He knew he shouldn't act in such ways, but still, he couldn't refrain from doing so. No matter how hard he tried to separate his emotions from all expectations placed upon him, he couldn't do so in the end.

Finally, Lucifer let his arms glide along Diavolo's muscular torso as his head sank down once again and his lips placed a kiss upon their sigil.

His eyes fluttered close, lashes softly bumping against each other ever so calmly. After so long, he felt the shame in his soul simmer down to a blissful sort of peace.

Diavolo remained silent as his fingers began to discover Lucifer's sigil, fingers gliding along strong lines. His eyes were big and curious, tainted by a hidden spark of uncertainty.

Finally, with his head buried in the crook of Lucifer's neck, he began to speak, his lips slowly gliding along his soft skin with every little syllable he uttered, words whispered so quietly not even Lucifer could grasp all of them to their full extent.

“Can't this be enough for us?”

Lucifer felt an unknown sort of sensation pulsing throughout his body, strange and new. He could feel loneliness filling him from head to toe, soaking through his skin and pulling him down as if he were wearing clothes in a swimming pool.

And all of a sudden, he knew. This sensation he felt was not his own, it was Diavolo's.

Surprised, he pushed Diavolo back by his shoulders. His quick heartbeat filled the sudden silence of the room and Lucifer simply stared at the demon prince, took in his widened eyes, flushed lips and a sigil that had quickly turned from blushing new lines to a deep shade of red.

“Can't this be enough for us?”

The words Diavolo had uttered before were now echoing through Lucifer's mind as he saw the look on Diavolo's face, so raw, so open, so afraid.

And Lucifer couldn't keep up with his charade anymore. He wanted whatever this was, wanted it so desperately; had wanted it for so long.

The words slithered past his forked tongue and spilled out of his mouth before he could stop himself, first testingly, but then more self assured a second time. “Diavolo, I want you. More than anything in this world.”

“Lucifer, are you-”

He grabbed hold of Diavolo's hands and placed a chaste kiss upon them.

“I know I am forgetting myself, but I see no sense in hiding this truth anymore. You know me better than anyone else, there is no sense in hiding what I truly desire, even though it is preposterous for me to even dare saying those words to your face,” he finally brought out while keeping his head bowed low.

Diavolo, at first stunned by Lucifer's unexpected confession, carefully pulled back his arms, only to wrap them around Lucifer instead, pulling him closer to his body and closer to his heart.

Kind hands travelled up Lucifer's back as Diavolo let his head come to a rest in the crook of Lucifer's neck. He held onto him fiercely.

“Can't you see that you're everything I ever wanted? I never asked for status or wealth, all I ever longed for was to be allowed to be by your side.”

“Diavolo-”

“As long as you're by my side I know I'll be fine. Cities die and worlds crumble to the ground, but through all of it, I know you will always remain by my side, Lucifer. So please,” Diavolo's voice cracked ever so slightly as he remained still against Lucifer's shoulder, “do me this one favour and stay.”

Lucifer allowed his hands to roam freely and eventually hold onto Diavolo's back, feeling delicate shoulder blades rising up and down with every single breath against the palms of his hands.

In spite of Diavolo's heavy words, Lucifer's chest felt free. No guilt, no shame, barely any negative emotions appeared to be feeding off his mind.

He tightened his hold on Diavolo and buried his head in the crook of his neck, mirroring the demon prince's actions without any regrets.

Lucifer raised his head, cradled Diavolo's cheek with the feathery touch of one hand and placed a soft kiss on the side of his neck, right under his jawline before moving on to Diavolo's lips. All of a sudden, he felt confident in his decision, more confident than he had ever felt about anything else in his life, for this was one of the only decisions that was irrefutably his own to make. “Don't,” another kiss, more firm in nature, was placed upon Diavolo's lips, “ just accept mediocrity. I am ready to give myself to you fully. After all, I am ever so devoted to you. Most of all however,” Lucifer pulled back and paused for a moment, taking in the indescribable look on Diavolo's face. Then, he impulsively allowed himself to spill his guts.

“Most of all, my devotion has already transformed into something much more concerning decades ago.”

Diavolo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Lucifer could feel the way his fingers began to shake again, a reaction so unseemly faced with what he was honestly trying to confess. “What I seemingly fail to convey to you is the fact that I have fallen hopelessly enamoured with you.”

Diavolo shot up, all of a sudden much more present and indescribably shocked. “Really?! Lucifer, are you- this is not a dream now, is it?” His head turned from side to side as if he was looking for a hidden camera.

Quickly, Lucifer grabbed hold of Diavolo's right hand and place it upon the sigil on the back of his neck. In retaliation, he pushed his own left hand up against the sigil on Diavolo's chest and took a deep breath, finally letting go of all the resignations that had been shackling his heart.

Lucifer could feel their sigils resonate with each other, forming a bond, pretty like cherry blossoms falling during the birth of spring yet fierce like the angry flames of an unforgiving fire. Colourful sparks started to swirl around the two of them.

While Lucifer held his eyes closed, Diavolo slowly opened his own ones, unable to believe what was happening.

And what he saw robbed him of his breath. The room was illuminated by infinite particles, each of them different in colour, flourishing through the air, surprisingly careless and free. Lucifer looked calm and at peace with his eyes closed and his head tipped up to the ceiling. In Diavolo's eyes, he was glowing with brilliance and perfection.

Diavolo let out a low chuckle and placed his hands upon Lucifer's slender hips, pulling him as close as possible. It felt like the laughter in his chest would never burn down to sizzling embers as Diavolo relished in the warmth that was spreading all across his body, so utterly strange in a comforting and empowering way. As always, he could not tear his gaze off Lucifer, and for once, it felt alright for him to speak his mind as his fingers circled the sigil on Lucifer's neck, tingling ever so sweetly. Lucifer opened his eyes and they locked onto Diavolo's without any hesitation.

“Lucifer, will you believe me when I say that I am terribly in love with you?”

For the shortest of moments, there was doubt in Lucifer's eyes, perhaps even a good amount of panic. In spite of it all, Lucifer let out a little laugh, unedited and free and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement. “I will certainly consider it,” he let out. “Under one condition.”

Diavolo nodded his head ever so fervently. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Lucifer.

“Tell me it's alright to stay by your side like this, Diavolo,” he answered, suddenly all too serious again. “Tell me I can allow myself a thing like that.”

Diavolo pulled Lucifer closer without any hesitation, pulling him partially onto his lap, soft hands travelling up his body lovingly, but carefully. He stared up at his right-hand man and smiled ever so openly. “If that is truly what you want, then I will be nothing but honoured to accept you as my fated companion. As long as you are willing to accept me accordingly.”

A rare and genuine smile spread shyly across Lucifer's face. “Of course,” he answered, his eyes trained on Diavolo's form. “Always.”

Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Diavolo's neck. After so much sorrow and pain, he could finally appreciate the way the demon prince's skin felt upon his own, so alluring and enticing, yet also so comforting. He could feel Diavolo burying his hand in the back of his silky locks and without any regrets, Lucifer pushed himself forward until he could finally appreciate the perfection that was Diavolo's skin upon his own and could taste the way Diavolo's lips sang unheard hymns of praise against his lips.

For once, neither Lucifer nor Diavolo felt fear nor uncertainty. Encased by the warmth of the aura their newly claimed bond provided, they found themselves rid of any worries, even if for the shortest of moments. After all, they would be alright as long as they could rely on each other's support. In the end everything would be alright if they remained, just like that, side by side.

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