#cards with threatening auras

[aiweirdness]

Roses are red

Roses are red Violets are blue GPT-3 doesn't quite get this poem structure Now the rhinestones are bubbling and a dinosaur is chasing you

it wanted pearls and rhinestones

and chocolate i guess

now rhinestones with purple fleshy bubbles

(It also added the explanatory note "Amp. stands for American Printing, a historic Rochester (NY) print shop that operated until 1989." As far as I can tell, it made those facts up. There is an "American Printing and Office Supplies" in New York, but it's in Kingston, about four hours from Rochester, and also it still exists.)

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[contritecactite]

Everyone please view this note my dad wrote me. He had the best of intentions but he does not know how to use punctuation

[merakiui]

The Most Dangerous Game [2]

yandere!jade leech x (female) reader cw: yandere, nsfw, slight hints of dub-con, coercion, manipulation, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, friends with benefits, obsession, unrequited/one-sided love, brief angst, choking, pregnancy, implied baby-trapping, characters written as 18+ note - it is never a good idea to make mutually beneficial arrangements with jade leech. // split into two parts due to size. read the first half here.

There’s a certain air about you when you enter the Mostro Lounge.

Radiating confident satisfaction, a cutthroat type of on-top-of-the-world aura that replaces any first day jitters attempting to rise to the surface, you beeline for the kitchen. You know the lounge’s layout well enough—not only as a customer who spent an obsessive amount of time observing these details, but also as Jade’s diligent taste-tester. You’ve been let into the lounge kitchen after hours more often than you’d like to admit, but it only serves to bolster your mental fortitude.

I’m going to kill it today, you assure yourself. Prove to Azul that I’m capable and get closer to Floyd in the process.

As if having read your thoughts, Floyd intercepts you. “Heyyy, Shrimpy really showed up!” He circles you like a curious shark, a smile slowly spreading on his lips. “Lookin’ good.”

You reward his ogling with a twirl in your new uniform, which had been conveniently waiting at your doorstep this morning—wrapped in a pretty box with a big bow. The card had simply read: A uniform to celebrate your newly acquired Officially Octavinelle status. You didn’t have to read further to know who signed the message, and the note had been swiftly torn in two and tossed into the trash while you lamented to Grim and the ghosts about a certain stupid, sly eel.

“Aren’t I just the spitting image of scummy scams and the deep sea?”

“The most spittin’ image anyone’s ever spat,” he agrees with a silly giggle. But then something serious passes over his features. He plucks your hat from off your head and leans in close. “It’s Shrimpy’s first day, so I’m gonna letcha in on a li’l somethin’, kay?”

Out of instinct, you shrink away. His voice is a dangerous whisper, lined with threatening undertones. “Anyone gives you any trouble, you come to me, got it? Don’t think you can’t say nothin’ cuz you’re new.”

“Oh. O-Oh!” You nod hastily, too astounded to rely on your usual quick-witted coherency. “Thank you… I appreciate that.”

Like a flipped switch, he brightens and plops your hat back on your head. “Man, I’m pumped! It’s gonna be so much fun with Shrimpy here!”

You adjust your hat and skip after him, not wanting to slip out of his orbit. “So what’s the plan for today?”

Floyd grins and holds a card between his fingers like a magician readying to reveal his next trick. Foolishly, you assume it’s a love letter up until you watch him scribble something down on a second card. He passes the unmarked one to you, explaining, “Ya gotta sign in for every shift. These things keep track of the hours ya worked, and at the end of every two weeks Azul counts ’em up.”

“That makes sense.” You take the pen he offers and scribble your name and the time in the appropriate boxes, soon handing both to him.

“And after you put it back here, you can start doin’ what you’re supposed to. Least, that’s what I usually do.”

“And that is?”

“Whatever I feel like.”

“Ah, right. Then what about me? What should I do?”

“You’re gonna be with me today. We’ll be takin’ orders and servin’ customers. Doin’ stuff as we go. That sorta thing.”

“All right! Sounds easy enough!” The both of you high-five just as Jade approaches, wearing his usual polite smile.

“My, my. Someone’s in high spirits.”

You nod, too eager to entertain him with another pointless argument. “You bet! Oh, and thanks for the uniform.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Your nose scrunches at his too-proud inflection, but your attention is soon snatched away when Floyd returns with a notepad and pen.

You flip to a fresh page, curiously clicking your pen. “I’m assuming there’s a system for taking orders?”

“Precisely,” Jade interrupts, smoothly striding between you and Floyd, a hand over his heart. “We use abbreviations when taking orders. It’s quick and convenient. I’ll help you as you go.”

Floyd easily steps around Jade, draping an arm on your shoulder and tugging you against him. Your heart skyrockets into your throat at this newfound closeness. “You’ll get it in no time. S’not difficult at all. And if Shrimpy gets stuck, she’s got me.”

Jade stares at Floyd, a ghost of a frown turning his lips down. “She’ll have both of us,” he corrects coolly. “Azul tasked both of us to train her, after all.”

“Yeah, but you’re just gonna do things by the book. That’s no fun at all.” Floyd spins you to look at him. “You want me to train ya, right? It’ll be more fun that way.”

You lock eyes with Jade over Floyd’s shoulder. Though they’re dulled with emptiness, he smiles and nods encouragingly. “Uh… I mean, of course I want you to train me. But Azul might get angry if I mess up on my first day because I wanted to have fun. Seems a little…irresponsible.”

He’ll definitely count it as my first strike, too. There’s no way I’m risking that.

Floyd pouts, his entire frame melting with disappointment. “Aww. Shrimpy’s lame.”

“There are other ways to have fun, you know.” Swatting his empty insult away, you lower your voice conspiratorially. “We just can’t get caught.”

“Attagirl, now you’re speakin’ my language.”

“Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

Between the two of them, Floyd actually proves his worth—more so than Jade. He must be on top of his game today, you realize as he points out various numbering systems and abbreviations, casually correcting you when it’s necessary. You wonder how he can remember all of this, but when he puts his mind to a task he can accomplish anything. You’re content to listen and follow along, striving for perfection even though you know that means nothing to Floyd.

Jade keeps his distance, tending to nearby tables when he’s not needed. He’s quiet today, more so than usual, but you don’t have any time to dissect this observation and what it means. The lunch rush is a whirlwind; students filter in with their cravings, piling into booths and tables, and soon the lounge is resembling a noisy sardine tin. The rowdy energy keeps you alert, has you flitting from table to table with a pep in your step. Every group you’ve tended to, with Floyd standing at your side as your lifeline, has shrunk away at the sight of him. He flashes them friendly grins, but to everyone else they probably look menacing.

You’re relieved he’s here. His presence gives you some special sort of invincibility against ignorant customers who may have been itching to heckle you on your first day. And no one would dare try anything with Floyd prowling so closely.

“Thank you for your order! It’ll be up shortly,” you say, offering the table a trademark customer service smile. You turn on your heel, intending to beeline for the kitchen to notify the chefs of another order, when you walk right into Floyd. “Oh, sorry! Do you need something, Floyd?”

Pinching the order slip between two nimble fingers, he tears it from the notebook and beams. “I’ll take care of this. You do the next one by yourself. Table six.” Before you can object, he pats you on the shoulder and skips off. “Countin’ on ya, Shrimpy!”

Aw. I’ll miss you, you think with a dejected pout, spinning to locate the table in question. The pout immediately twists up into a smile when you spot three familiar faces, and you hurry over to meet them.

“Hey, guys, fancy seeing you here!”

Ace, Deuce, and Grim all turn to look at you, their faces brightening considerably at your arrival.

“(Name), hey! How’s your first shift going?” Deuce asks.

“Think ya could slide us some extras free of charge?” Grim tries, patting the menu with his paw. “The Great Grim ain’t gonna say no to free eats!”

“Now that sounds good. What do ya think, (Name)? Think you could hook us up?” With a smirk, Ace leans back into the cushioned booth and pantomimes locking his lips and tossing an invisible key. “We won’t tell if you won’t.”

You roll your eyes, hands situated on your hips. “First of all, no, I can’t do that even if I wanted to. Secondly, if you’re just here to beg for free food, the door’s over there.”

“Don’t listen to them,” Deuce cuts in, shooting them a look. “They’re just thinking with their stomachs. We’re paying customers like everyone else, so please just treat us like that.”

Ace tuts. “You wouldn’t even do something nice for your best buds? That’s harsh, man. I thought we had something.”

“We do and it’s called friendship. But not the kind of friendship where I steal from my job just to feed you. Besides, you get tons of free snacks every time you hang out at Ramshackle. If anything, you ought to do something nice for me.”

“Can’t I just buy my way out with this award-winning smile of mine? Oh, I know! I’ll teach you a few magic tricks next time we play cards. How’s that sound for payment? Priceless, yeah?”

“Not too bad. All right, I’m in.” You reach over to bump fists with Ace, sealing the verbal deal.

“Hey, I wanna learn! If yer teachin’ my hench-human, I gotta get in on this, too!” Grim nudges Ace, attempting to squeeze past him in the booth to get between him and you.

“Oi, Grim! Sit back down!”

You laugh at the sight while Deuce looks on woefully. He turns to you next. “How’s it going with Floyd? You said you’d have a better chance to see him here, right?”

“Yeah, it’s going surprisingly well! I thought he’d want nothing to do with me at first—because I’d be just another new hire—but he’s been super helpful all day. On top of that, we’re talking more than we usually do. Oh, and he also complimented me! It’s been a great first day.” The more you ramble, the more the color on Deuce’s face drains until he’s as pallid as a ghost. “Uh, Deuce? You good?”

Even Grim and Ace have quieted their quarreling, and now they look on with an obedience that startles you. But then, in spite of his silence, you sense him. Without turning to confirm, you feel around for the ends of his scarf, take hold of both, and tug him down to your height.

“My, my. It seems I’ve been ensnared,” Jade admits, his voice light with laughter.

“It’s rude to lurk, you know,” you advise, craning your head to glare at him. “You’re scaring my honored guests.”

“Am I now?” Rather boldly, he rests his chin on your shoulder to stare down at your friends. The proximity would have been ominous to anyone else—and it certainly is to Ace, Deuce, and Grim—but for you this is nothing new. “I’ve only come to check in. You’re very hard at work making pleasant conversation.”

“It was very pleasant until a certain eel interrupted.”

“Ah, is that so? Pardon my intrusion.”

Releasing his scarf from your hold, you shrug him off. “Little late for insincerity. Anyway, shoo. I was just about to take their orders.”

“I thought I might observe. You seem quite popular with customers and it’s only your first day. I’d like to know what parts of you are so appealing.” Jade detaches himself and slides into the empty space beside you. He smiles, close-eyed and tight-lipped. “Don’t let me hinder you.”

“Ugh. All right, guys, what do you want?”

“Since when are you so buddy-buddy with Jade?” Ace asks instead, sounding genuinely curious despite his growing smirk.

He thinks he’s worked out what’s going on behind the scenes, but he doesn’t even know half of it. A relief, otherwise you’d never hear the end of his teasing. He doesn’t bother to hide it, nor does he whisper his query. If you could shrink him with pure willpower alone, stuff him in a jar, and give it a firm shake, you’d do just that.

“We are not buddy-buddy!” you hiss, clicking your pen impatiently. “Now order, or else I’m leaving your table and never coming back.”

“I dunno…” Deuce winces under the combination of Jade’s inquisitive stare and your mean glower as you wordlessly dare him to continue. “You seem like buds to me.”

“Yeah! (Name) was goin’ on and on about him this morning. Nearly made me deaf with all her loud rantin’! Since the Great Grim’s so all-knowin’ about stuff, I’d say she likes him.”

You catch the grin curling on Jade’s lips and hurry to step in front of him before he can say or do anything that’ll deepen the grave you’ve dug. His hands fall upon your shoulders, holding you still while he leers at your friends.

“Do we truly seem so close?” he asks. A trick question if you’ve ever heard one.

The three of them exchange wary looks before attempting chuckles.

“You know… Actually, I think I’m ready to order now.”

“I mean, closeness can’t really be measured physically like that, right? You kinda have no choice but to be close or…as close as coworkers can get, I guess,” Deuce adds.

“The Great Grim’s gonna be skin and bones by the time you finish yapping! Hurry up and lemme put my order in!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

You stick your tongue out at them before shifting out of Jade’s grasp, penning their orders one at a time. Once everything has been recorded, you rip the slip from the notepad and pass it to Jade. He peers at it, brows raised.

“Since we’re so close, help me out and make this order.”

“Anything for Shrimpy,” he murmurs with that stupid, sly smile of his. He brushes past you as he departs for the bar.

You just love to play dangerous games, don’t you, Jade Leech? you think, hoping he trips on the way there. (He doesn’t.)

“You sure there’s nothing between you and Jade?” Ace asks once it’s just you. “Nothing at all?”

Your eyes narrow dubiously. “Why? You interested?”

He forces a loud scoff. “As if! Like I’d like you. You’ve probably got all sortsa cooties.”

“Oh, really? I’ll show you cooties. Come here!”

Giggling, you throw yourself into the booth and wrap your arms around Ace to smother him in friendly affection. He fights it halfheartedly, his cheeks flushed pink. Deuce and Grim sit back and enjoy the silliness with wide smirks. You’re near-wrestling with him, the both of you attempting to overpower the other with pokes and pinches. It’s when you spot Floyd emerging from the kitchen, drinks balanced on his tray, that you finally separate yourself from Ace, putting a grand end to your impossible stalemate.

“Now we’ve both got cooties.” You ruffle his hair. He attempts to return the favor, but you take a graceful step away before he can capture you.

“Yeah, yeah. Just you wait. I’ll get you back for this,” he challenges, mischief lacing each syllable. “When you least expect it! That’s an Ace Trappola guarantee!”

“You sure you’re not just gonna forget?” Deuce notes with a smirk, to which Ace glares.

“Just because you said that, I’m gonna remember it for the rest of the month!”

“Good luck,” Grim says with a snicker. “The Great Grim might be inclined to remind you if you offer him some premium tuna…”

“Come off it! Your memory’s even worse! Just look at your last test score!”

“Yours ain’t any better!”

You shake your head, thoroughly amused with their antics. “I’ll see you later, okay? Let’s hang out at Ramshackle tonight!”

Deuce nods and flashes you a kind smile—the type that smooths out all of his rough edges. “Have a good rest of your shift, (Name).”

“Make a difference, tiger,” Ace says with a wink. “Catch ya in the eve.”

“And if they got leftovers at the end of this, bring ’em home for me!”

“You can count on it, guys. And I’m not making any promises, Grim!”

And then you’re slipping into the fray before your always-hungry direbeast friend can protest, darting around the noisy hustle and bustle to get to Floyd. He’s just finished making his rounds when you meet him at the center, the both of you sharing a nod of mutual greeting. Carrying drinks of his own, Jade passes you and you don’t spare him a single glance. You’ve seen and heard enough of him for the day.

“Shrimpy’s pretty good at this,” Floyd remarks as he wraps an arm around you, putting most of his weight on you. You stand proud even though you falter with the added burden. “Didja work in a place like this back in your world?”

You gaze up at him, your face inches from his. Any closer and you could…

Your eyes flick from his eyes to his lips and then back. Floyd watches you, brows raised and body angled directly at you. He’s waiting. Waiting for what, you’re not sure.

“Yeah,” you admit in a single breath, speechless and yet filled to the brim with chatter. “I… I did.”

“Then you got nothin’ to worry about. You’re already doin’ great.”

He leans in even closer, a smile stretching across his face. You can smell his cologne, practically taste him from where you stand. The lounge and its inhabitants seem to fade away, and suddenly it’s just you and your star in a tenebrous space lit only by a single spotlight.

Any closer—mere centimeters—and you could…

Gathering your courage, you force the words out from the crannies in your heart, each one a product of this perfect moment. “Floyd, I’ve always wanted to tell you this. I… I want you to know that I’ve always loved—”

“Your work ethic,” Jade interjects, placing his hands on your and Floyd’s shoulders to separate you. He smiles, irritatingly innocent. “As it happens, table eight needs a server. Why not show off that incredible work ethic right now?”

On second thought, maybe you should shove Jade in the jar. Lock him inside for the rest of his days and turn it into a terrarium trap. The plants can thrive off of his decomposing corpse for all you care—as recompense for being an utter pain.

Floyd shrugs Jade off with a pout. “Yeah, yeah. I see ’em.”

“I’ll race you there,” you challenge before he can lose steam.

That sparks him right back into the groove, and he giggles. “If I win, you gotta tell me that thing you were tryin’ to say, okaaay? No gettin’ out of it. And if you lie, I’ll squeeze the truth outta ya.”

“And if I win, you owe me something sweet!”

“Hee-hee. Shrimpy better run fast then.”

He takes off first. You lag behind long enough to drag Jade down to your face. He tilts his head at you.

“At this rate, he’ll win.”

“Good. Then he’ll finally know how I feel about him, and someone won’t be there to interrupt like the ignorant, asshole eel he is.”

“I only wish to assist you. After all—” he lowers his voice, and the pointed beginnings of his teeth wink at you from under his curved lips— “as per Azul’s condition, kissing and confessions count as Floyd-related distractions, do they not? Are you truly willing to risk striking out on your first day?”

He’s right. You hate that he’s right.

“Shit,” you hiss, releasing him from your hold.

He straightens and struts past you, smooth as a breeze. “If you run now, you may just make it.” And then he’s walking towards your friends’ table, each of their drinks placed upon his tray.

You groan and fall into a frantic run. “Floyd, wait up!”

By some magical miracle, you manage to get to the table before he does. But that’s only because you throw yourself at it with a force so shocking and desperate that it stuns both Floyd and the students sitting there. A twinge of humiliation pricks your heart when you draw away from the table, smiling sheepishly. Floyd’s raucous laughter permeates the air, and his hand claps down on your shoulder.

“Musta been a real good secret if Shrimpy’s so determined to keep quiet about it.”

“Y-Yeah, something like that…”

Thank goodness I made it. Just what was I thinking, getting swept up in the moment? There’s no way I can confess in the middle of the lounge when it’s so busy! That would make for such a lame confession. You dig your notepad and pen from your pocket, exhaling in relief. I guess I owe Jade some thanks. He saved me from certain doom.

“I’ll figure it out eventually. Don’t hold out on me, kaaay?”

With his looming frame overshadowing you, all you can do is nod. Floyd has always had a tendency to take your breath away—either from anxiety, amazement, or admiration. And he’s so good at it, too.

“Ah. Guess I owe ya somethin’ sweet, yeah?” He digs through his pockets before withdrawing a single candy. Grinning boyishly, he leans in, presses his lips to your cheek with a wet-sounding smack, and then slides the treat into your waiting hand. “There. How’s that for sweet?”

Your face flares with heat and you grip the lollipop in a tighter fist, half-expecting it to simply vanish if you loosen your grip. “T-The sweetest…”

“Uh, can we order now?” an impatient Scarabia student asks, a scowl scrawled across his features.

His friends huff in agreement, each unwilling spectators to your and Floyd’s fluffy fawning.

Floyd’s gaze is dark, but his smile is bright—all sharp points. “Sure, sure. Tell Shrimpy your order. It’s her first day, so cut her some slack, else I’m servin’ each of ya a side of squeezin’. On the house.”

The quartet of friends stiffen and give hasty, obedient nods.

You click your pen, swimming through a sea of pure joy. The lollipop is a lucky charm in your pocket. “What can I get for you, gentlemen?”

For the rest of the day you’re in the clouds, clear-headed and weightless.

Weeks later, on your way out of the lounge, Floyd stops you. His arrival is Grim’s cue to exit, and he trots after Ace and Deuce, who are already so far ahead they’re practically pinpricks. You’re compelled to follow, if only to tell them not to wait up, but then Floyd’s hand is squeezing your shoulder, willing you to look at him.

“Floyd?”

You’re not scheduled to work tonight. In fact, you have no further business with him. Not really. Most of your conversations are held during your shifts, your bond strengthened through mutual employment. You’re not best friends, but you’re something close.

Close enough to see each other outside of work, you think before cringing inwardly. Wait. Friends and classmates do that, too. There’s nothing special about that.

“Why don’tcha stay a while? S’not too busy today.”

“I’d love to, but I’ve kinda got plans. We’re heading back to Ramshackle now if you wanna come.”

“Tempting, but nah.”

You blink at him, unsure of his angle. “Then… I’ll see you around?”

Floyd giggles, tilting his head at you in that cute, curious way. “Okaaay.”

His hand slides away and he stands with his arms folded behind his back. You take a step in the opposite direction before halting.

Floyd was the one who sought me out. Floyd…wants something from me. And we’re finally alone. Why am I trying to walk away from that? Isn’t this what I’ve always wanted?

“Actually—” you start, whirling around, still unsure— “can we hang out?”

“Thought ya’d never ask.”

Floyd strides over to match your gait, grinning down at you. He seizes your hand next, spindly fingers interlocking with yours, and then he’s dragging you down the hall. As if caught up in a current, you allow yourself to be pulled.

“What about your shift?” you ask even though you don’t particularly care.

“They’ll manage. Azul’ll just make Jade do all the work.”

You furrow your brow, stumbling along after him. “That doesn’t seem very fair to Jade.”

“Shrimpy cares a lot about Jade, huh?”

“Not like that,” you say, shaking your head. “No way. Jade and I are just friends.”

“Yeah? Didn’t seem that way yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” You think back on the day’s events and recall the way Jade had slipped past you while you were taking an order, his fingers grazing your arm. Of course, as any smart, sensible person would do, you wound your fist back to reciprocate tenfold, which he’d artfully dodged. Much to your disappointment. “Oh, that. That was…an attempt at a high-five.”

Floyd giggles. “Jade’s not super touchy-feely with lotsa people, but he loooves touchin’ Shrimpy.”

You force yourself to laugh, but it comes out high and brittle. “That’s… Yeah, that’s odd. I wonder why…”

Jade, you asshole eel, you haven’t been discreet at all!

Before you can even think of the many ways in which you can exact revenge the next time you see him, Floyd’s in your face.

“Sooo, what spell didja cast on him? It’s got Jade actin’ all weird.”

“Define weird…”

“He’s stayin’ up super late to cook a buncha stuff. Keeps tryin’ to get these recipes right or somethin’ like that, and he’s bringin’ those purple flowers back from the botanical garden. S’not like him to get so…not like him, y’know?”

“Oh. Um. Uh… I couldn’t begin to explain any of his behavior. Maybe he’s just going through something?”

Floyd shrugs. “Do ya like him?”

“Like is a strong word.”

“So you love him.”

“What? No. We’re just friends.”

“So you hate him? That’s cold, Shrimpy. Jade’ll be so sad…”

“I highly doubt that.” You roll your eyes, unable to place real devastation on the face of Jade Leech. For all you know, he could just mask it with his usual simper. “I don’t hate him, but I don’t love him either. I like someone else.”

“Ooh, Shrimpy’s got eyes for another guy? Wonder who it could be.” Floyd hums, folding his arms behind his head and walking onwards. You skip after him. “Maybe it’s me? Nah. S’probably someone closer than that. Like Crabby, yeah?”

Your heart stumbles in your ribs. I can’t confess. Not now. It’s not perfect. I’m not ready.

“M-My love life is none of your business.”

“Secretive about your special someone? I getcha.” He gazes at you. “Do they know?”

“About my crush? Hard to say. If he does know, he hasn’t said anything yet.”

“Maybe ya just gotta be direct with it. Rip the bandage off. That sorta thing.”

“I want to. I really do. But…” You glance at the tiled floor. “I know he doesn’t feel the same.”

“Don’t assume stuff when ya haven’t even asked the guy.”

“But I’m positive he doesn’t like me! There’s no way he’d like me. I’m…me.”

Floyd huffs as if your self-doubt offends him. “What’s there not to like about ya? You’re great in my book.”

“It’s different. Being great and being loved—it’s not the same if it’s coming from a friend.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Why can’tcha be great and loved at the same time? Ya don’t gotta get that sorta validation from the guy you like.”

“That’s the problem. I want him to like me! I want that from him.”

“Even if he doesn’t give it to ya, s’not the end of the world.”

Without even realizing it, the two of you have made it to his dorm room. You stare at Floyd, a frown flickering on your face.

“I know. I…know. But there’s this part of me that hopes.”

Floyd leans against the wall, arms folded across his chest. “Why’s that?”

“Because he does these things that feel too intimate to be friendly and it seems like he might love me, too. No matter how hard I try, I can’t read his intentions. He’s so loud, but the meaning in all of that noise is quiet. It’s like… Like you’re drowning.”

Floyd stares blankly at you. It occurs to you that drowning may not be the best metaphor to use when explaining these complications to a merman who has never and will never know what such a phenomenon feels like.

“Wait. That came out weird. What am I even saying? Sorry, I sound silly. Just…forget that last part.”

“Sure, sure.” He pushes off from the wall and opens the door. “You ever think about practicin’ on anyone?”

“Like…CPR? To save someone from drowning?”

He gives you a confused look.

This is the worst. I’m not normally this dumb. If Jade was here— You stop that thought before it can form. I don’t need him to hold my hand through an interaction with Floyd. Come on, (Name). You can do this!

“Oh, you meant…” What the hell did he mean? “You’re talking about a confession, right?”

“Yeah, that’s it! You ever think about doin’ that with a friend? Maybe it’ll boost your confidence a li’l. Get ya ready for the real deal.”

“I have…never thought of that. Not once in my life. Nope. Never.”

Floyd ducks inside his room and plops down on a messy bed. You follow, admiring the very obvious divide in space. Jade’s half of the room is clinically clean—every possession organized and stowed away on shelves. Even his desk is spotless. Floyd’s half is chaos stuffed with chaos, entirely in messy disarray. When their differences are made so obvious, it’s almost amusing.

You spot heliotropes tucked away in a simple vase. Floyd wasn’t kidding. Jade really is attached to those flowers. At least they match his room.

“Then practice on me.”

“You… You’re serious?” You turn to look at him. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning back on his palms.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I wanna help Shrimpy.”

“Um… You don’t have to. It’ll probably sound cringe.”

“Who knows?” He hums, smirking. “You won’t until you do it.”

You weigh your options. Practicing a confession for your crush with your crush… It could be cathartic to say everything you’ve always wanted to say without the worry that often accompanies rejection. You might even feel better afterwards.

“Promise not to laugh?”

“Promise.”

“Really promise. Like, genuinely promise. Please?”

“I really, genuinely promise not to laugh,” he parrots, holding his hand up as if swearing an oath.

You inhale a deep breath, steel your nerves, and squeeze your eyes shut.

“Okay…”

I’ve got this. It’s just a confession. A practice confession.

“I… I like you. For the longest time, I’ve been in love with you and I’ve always wanted to tell you. But… Well, it’s impossible because I never know what to say or whether it’ll be the right thing. Maybe there is no right thing.” You risk opening your eyes and find he’s focused squarely on you. Nervously, you step towards him. “You’re amazing. The coolest guy I’ve ever met. I’m so happy when I’m around you, and when we’re not together I feel like part of me is missing. Maybe that’s kinda dramatic, but it’s the truth. You’re my star. Bright and unique and effortlessly beautiful… I could admire you forever. So… So I just want you to know that…that no matter what happens—even if you don’t feel the same—you mean everything to me, and I’ll always love you.”

Floyd is unusually quiet as he sits there, absorbing your words with a flushed face. And then he reaches to scratch the back of his neck.

You fidget on your feet. “H-How was it?”

“I’m not an expert, but I’d say that was pretty damn good,” he replies with a whistle. Your heart lifts when he beckons you over. “C’mere. There’s somethin’ on your face.”

Now your heart has crash-landed in the pits of your stomach.

“Are you serious?! Why didn’t you tell me before all of that? Aah, I probably looked so stupid!” Your panicked flailing ceases when his hands settle upon your waist, coaxing you closer. “F-Floyd?”

He drags you down to his height and leans in to peck you on the lips, and your heart jumps back up into your throat. Rather than yanking yourself out of his grasp, you merely stare at him. A few seconds later and the embarrassment catches up to you.

“W-Wait… Wait, hold on! What was that for?”

He giggles. “Now it’s all gone.”

He kissed me for real this time…

You swallow rising anxieties and place your hands on his shoulders. “Can… Can I kiss you?”

“S’long as it ain’t gonna change your mind about that other guy, go for it.”

Dummy, you think, besotted. You’re that guy.

Guided by hedonistic desire, you close the distance between the both of you in the same way you once did with Jade. As humiliating as it is to admit, he was marvelous help. If not for him, you might’ve never found yourself here, kissing after a practice confession. You’ll have to thank him later.

Floyd’s lips are soft against your own, and he smiles into the kiss with a gleeful, breathless giggle. His hands are roaming along your hips, and he flops onto his bed without forewarning. You fall with him and inadvertently straddle him, your hands situated on either side of his head. You sputter your disbelief, which is soon cut short when he drags you down to meet his mouth once more. This time it’s all heady passion, more innate instinct than anything. You kiss like you’ll never have another chance, savoring saliva and a duet of sounds made in salacity.

The both of you are left breathless in the aftermath, chests heaving. If this is a dream, you never want to wake.

Floyd smiles up at you, sandwiching your face between large, strong hands. “You gonna kiss your special someone like this?”

“Maybe,” you tease with a wink. “I wonder if he prefers soft, slow kisses or quick, hungry ones… It’s hard to say with his fluctuating moods, and there are just so many ways to kiss.”

Floyd’s smile morphs into something devious, and his hands slide to your arms. You yelp when he flips you and pins you down like you’re nothing more than a portrait on a wall. You’re about to question the sudden change in position when he hoists your legs up and around his waist. He rocks his hips once, slotting himself between your thighs in a way so sensual it has you overheating. Your breath hitches.

“Then we’d better practice all of ’em, yeah?”

You nod, your voice coming out meek. “Y-Yeah…”

“Gimme some hints. I wanna know who this guy is,” he says, removing his scarf and undone tie. His blazer and hat follow suit, abandoned in the piles of dirty laundry spread around on his side of the floor.

You’re so distracted by his methodical undressing that you almost miss his demand. “O-Oh, it’s…not important.”

“It is to me. I wanna know who I’m gonna hafta squeeze for stealin’ Shrimpy’s heart.”

“Is… Is that right?” you mumble, flinching when you spot his erection straining against his slacks.

“Shrimpy’s so cute. I just couldn’t help it,” he answers your unspoken question, each syllable an octave higher with his whimsical laughter. You watch deft hands work to slide the suspenders from his shoulders before moving to unbutton his uniform shirt. You blink and it’s already thrown over his shoulder. You drink his broad build in, brazen in your assessment of chiseled planes cut in charming chiaroscuro. “So who’s the lucky guy? Is it someone I know? Someone from Octavinelle?”

“Um… It’s definitely someone…”

“Course it is. But that ain’t givin’ me any solid clues.”

His hands crawl lower, hovering just above the zip that separates you from his boxers and, additionally, his cock.

It’s actually happening… Floyd wants to do this with me… Is this real? It’s not a dream, right?

With a scintilla of courage, you lift your gaze to his face. “It’s someone from Octavinelle.”

“You sure it ain’t Jade?”

“There are plenty of people in Octavinelle who aren’t Jade.”

“Yeah, but none of ’em are cozyin’ up to ya during work.”

“Jade does not cozy up to me.” Scoffing at the absurdity of it all, you reach to undo the first few buttons on your uniform blouse. Floyd follows your fingers like they’re a laser and he’s a cat entranced. His tongue darts out to wet his lips. “He’s, like, obsessed with his fungi. I think they’re more interesting to him than me.”

Floyd barks out a laugh. “Sounds about right.”

You sit up and pull your blouse from your person. At once, you feel humiliated and it’s not because of the half-nudity. Rather, it’s because the bra you’re wearing is not pretty in the slightest. Had you known you’d be rolling around in bed with Floyd, you’d have chosen something with more lace—something that’s not nearly as bland as the one you’re currently sporting.

“Well, if it ain’t Jade, who is it?”

“Guess.”

He pouts. “Shrimpy’s not bein’ very nice, makin’ me guess. You think I got every small fry’s name memorized?”

You choke on your retort when he palms you. “I… I’ll describe him.”

“Go on. I’m listenin’.” As he says this, he undoes the button on your pants, sliding them from your legs like he’s unwrapping a gift. You’re relieved your panties are, at the very least, cuter than your bra. “Don’t let me stop ya.”

“Okay… Where do I start? He’s handsome and has an unusual sense of humor, but it’s fun because he’s genuine with it. He can be a little frightening at times, but he’s never scared me. He’s so kind and he has the oddest reasons for why he does things, but he never lies about any of it.”

“Sounds like a decent guy.”

“He’s so much more than that!”

Floyd giggles and reaches for your bra next, yanking it up to free your breasts. You feel yourself getting warmer with every second he spends staring.

“It’s not Azul, is it?”

It’s a completely reasonable guess—not funny at all—but you laugh. “No.”

Floyd huffs. “C’mon, Shrimpy, you’re wringin’ me out here. Who is it?”

He moves to toy with your chest, but you pull him down instead. He’s so close you’re breathing him in like he’s new perfume. “Aren’t we supposed to practice kissing? Can’t do much of that if we’re talking.”

“Guess not.”

He seals the distance then, pinning you with his body. The hand that had previously been between your thighs slithers up to squeeze your breasts. He pinches and rolls your perky nipple in an effort to elicit all kinds of explicit sounds from the depths of your throat. Floyd’s tongue flashes into your mouth and you submit without struggle, allowing your own tongue to twine around his. Your hands roam without much foresight for where they’ll inevitably end up, fingers pressing into hard lines and well-toned musculature. You settle for looping your arms around his neck as you melt into him, sighing sweetly.

When he parts, you scramble to bring him back. “Floyd—”

“‘m not goin’ anywhere,” he promises, pressing his forehead to yours. He speaks softer next, as if fearing you might shove him away and flee. “You want this, right?”

“I do. More than anything.”

“You sure it ain’t gonna mess things up with you and your special someone?”

“I…” You purse your lips.

Is now a good time? It must be. It has to be! But…

“You don’t gotta tell me. Lemme know if you change your mind. I’ll stop,” he says, burying his face between your tits. Your fingers dig into his scalp and he groans when you yank fistfuls of his hair. His breath fans across your bare skin, sending pleasant shivers through your spine all the way to your toes.

You gaze at the ceiling, heart hammering relentlessly. “Thanks.”

“Mhmmm. Don’t mention it.”

Floyd peppers your chest with kisses as if it’s an empty canvas in need of affectionate paint. One hand continues to treat your nipple as if it’s his own personal stress toy while his mouth gravitates towards your other untouched bud. It hardens with his deliberate ministrations, his tongue tracing salacious circles. You gasp when the serrated points of his teeth tease your sensitive flesh next.

“Please—” it comes out reedy and raw— “Floyd, please bite me…”

“You suuure?” he asks even though the question is more playful than serious. His fingers find your panties next, hooking around the waistband to slide them down.

“I’m so sure—very sure! Please!”

You feel his amusement reverberate through you in waves when he chuckles. He tweaks your nipple harshly, and a sharp, stuttering moan slips from your parted lips. Floyd’s mouth comes off of your other nipple with a wet pop and he licks his way up to your collarbone.

“I want Shrimpy to forget all about that other guy. Only think about me right now.”

Buoyant with bliss, you hum your acquiescence. Every part of you burns with a desire so redoubtable it could be a manifestation of its own, tangible and malleable. Shaped for sex, splayed on Floyd’s mattress, entirely in the moment. You’re at his mercy, your pulse in his maw, and it’s everything.

His bite incites primal jouissance, fierce and predatory. It’s deep enough to break skin and sting, and you respond to the pleasure-pain with a keening cry. Your fingers curl into his hair to ground yourself while blood pools to the surface. Floyd’s tongue laps at the puncture. Crimson trickles from the mark when he pulls back to observe his work, his jaw stained red.

And Great Seven does he look attractive in the most agrestal, ruddy way.

He licks his lips clean, satisfaction shimmering in those enchanting eyes of his. Now that you’re looking at them, you’ve never realized just how splendid they truly are. Gold and olive-brown cut sharp, upward-angled sockets into his skull. He’s a work of art—your Galatea brought to life.

Before you can spend any more time studying him, Floyd presses two fingers against your mouth. You open wide to receive his digits, senselessly running your tongue over them without command. He giggles at this, reaching deeper until you’re choking.

“Not nice!” you exclaim after he’s pulled his hand away, his fingers coated in your saliva.

“Hee-hee. Sorry, Shrimpy.”

Remorseless. You love him.

Your moans are hissed through grit teeth when his fingers drag along your folds, just barely slipping in to sample the warmth within. You pull Floyd in for another sloppy kiss, licking into his mouth with senseless fervor and grinding down onto his hand to chase a far-off, budding climax. Floyd’s thumb glides along your clit, pushing your hood up to reveal the pert nub beneath. He sinks his slender fingers in then, two of them pushing through gummy walls without resistance. Your eyes roll back into your head when he does this, blissful relief coursing through your bloodstream.

“Oh… Haa—fuck. Thank you.”

“So pretty,” he mumbles, lazily pumping them in and out. “You’re real pretty, you know that? My pretty Shrimpy, all mine.”

“Do you… Do you really mean that?”

“Course I do. What? You don’t think so?”

“Yes—no, I mean… I… No one’s told me that before…”

Not true, your brain interrupts, oh-so-helpfully unearthing the memory despite your attempts to stifle it. Jade did. Jade thinks so.

“They wouldn’t know pretty if she stared ’em in the face.”

“Obviously not.” Your giggle rises in pitch, sounding more like a trembling cry when he curls his fingers. “Ah!”

You banish Jade to the darkest corners of your mind, willing him and his silver-tongued flattery away. Who cares if Jade thought it first? It means the most coming from Floyd.

Floyd’s smile is fond, his eyes soft. “Obviously not,” he echoes in agreement.

He works you open like you’re a blossom preening under sunlight, his fingers plucking expertly at your strings to make you sing. You writhe beneath him, breathing hot and heavy as your stomach ties itself in knots. Floyd peppers your face with a dozen kisses before gravitating towards your neck. His teeth prick your skin in a shallow bite. The mark that’s sucked into your skin next has you hissing through grit teeth. It’s such a simple act—not nearly as pleasurable as the fingers thrust up inside you—but it still draws such a wanton moan from you.

Your eyelids flutter shut, and you sink into an ocean of thoughts, imagining yourself, painted head to toe in love bites of varying severity, standing in front of a mirror to admire each one. Some could be veiled under the confidentiality of clothing, but others would be impossible to cover. Like the ones on your neck, undeniable proof of your thrilling tryst with Floyd.

“Fuck,” he hisses against your skin, needle-thin teeth catching on your shoulder. “Shrimpy’s squeezin’ my fingers suuuper tight.”

“Mm, yeah… I can’t help it. It feels—” you gasp when he presses down against your clit, those dexterous digits working you towards the bright, beautiful end— “aah… Feels so good!”

Even better now that your fantasies have finally bled into reality. You’re floating in and out of ecstasy at the perfect pace, guided by guiltless intimacy. The knots are winding themselves taut, on the verge of snapping, and you feel yourself coming undone—toes curling and lips bitten bloody while euphoria washes over you in ripples.

But then those long fingers are tugged out at once and it leaves your pussy clenching around nothing, your clit aching for attention. Tetchy and unsatisfied, your brows knitted, you lament the interruption. Your body burns and aches for proper stimulation—hungering for a release he’s so cruelly denied you.

“Fuck me. I was so close…”

“Gonna do that in a sec.”

He pulls away to shuck his pants and boxer briefs next. It’s done so fast it’s clumsy; he almost topples over in the rush. Floyd’s about to reclaim his place between your legs, but then he pauses.

“Condom,” he grumbles, a reminder more than a realization.

He leans over you to search for one amidst the junk cluttering his desk. Notwithstanding your better judgment, you grab his arm. He looks at you, and you swallow your inhibitions. Dangerous games will reward you with dangerous prizes. You know this. And yet…

“I… I wanna feel you.”

Floyd doesn’t need to be told twice. Grinning, he feels around, knocking items off in his impatience, before finally grabbing hold of a bottle of lube. He squirts a comfortable amount onto his palm and sits back to run his slick hand up his hard length. You reach down to spread yourself for his viewing pleasure, but instead he snatches your arm and flips you over onto your stomach. The change is so jarring it leaves you reeling.

“Wha—Floyd?” You crane your neck to look at him, but he pushes you back into the pillows.

“Stay there,” he says, but his voice has dropped a few decibels into something thick and husky. “Shrimpy trusts me, yeah?”

“I…do. But I wanted to look at you while—”

“Just trust me on this. I think you’ll like it.”

He rubs his palm against your flank, and you’re horrified by how easily you submit—that that’s all it takes to wheedle you into absolute obedience. With the blood rushing in your ears and your body vibrating with nervous excitement, you prop yourself on your hands and knees.

“Lemme know if it’s too much.”

“It’s okay. I can take it. Please… I’ve wanted this for so long, Floyd.”

“I can tell,” he teases, stuffing two fingers inside to open you up. The slick squelch that follows is obscene in the best way. “Shrimpy’s drownin’ my fingers. S’like an ocean.”

You bury your face in the sheets, flustered. “S-Sorry…”

“Nothin’ wrong with it. I’ve been wantin’ ya, too.” To prove this point, he seizes your hips and tugs you towards his waiting cock. It throbs against your bare cunt, and it’s so much more lewd without a rubber preventing you from feeling every prominent vein and thick inch. “I’ve always wanted you, but you never saw me.”

“You have? Do you really mean that or—”

Your question is promptly punched out of you when the fleshy head of his cock prods at your pussy, gradually pushing through rings of muscle. Inches are swallowed in slow seconds, and you suck in a sharp breath as his girth fills you. Floyd seems just as affected by the sheer bliss provided by your joined bodies, grunting behind you while your velvety heat wraps snugly around his cock. His fingers dig into your hips. Much like the stretch, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as you imagined it might. It’s only awkward for the first few seconds, in which you and Floyd are both adjusting to every addictive sensation all at once.

“All good?”

You hum your approval, your head spinning. He’s inside me… And it’s not a dream.

“W-What about you?”

“Never been better,” he answers with a delirious cackle. “S’nice and soft inside. Cozy.”

He moves casually, experimental for all of one minute, before he draws back and snaps forwards. You’re pressed into the mattress when he bottoms out, the breath knocked out of your lungs in one fell swoop. Shakily, you force yourself back onto your arms. You don’t stay upright for very long, though, because the pace he adopts is brutal and unabating. As if he’s waited forever for this moment. As if you might never come back if he doesn’t pound you into the bed right now.

As if the world beyond his room is crumbling to pieces and this will be the only time either of you will ever have to love one another in solitude before horrible, heart-wrenching destruction.

A confession is so far from your mind with every sinful slap of skin on skin, and any coherent words you may have hoped to produce are replaced with loud love cries. When you fantasized about rolling around in bed with Floyd, you often imagined something soft and slow—a passionate build-up to inevitable climax. But this is nothing like that. This is raw and filthy and fast. And it’s so much better than the delusional masquerade you entertained with the phony Floyd.

Why did I ever rely on Jade in the first place? you think absently, clutching the sheets in curled fists. Floyd continues to fuck into you with reckless abandon, hunched over you as if you’re a prisoner groveling for mercy and he’s your beloved executioner.

Only rather than clean, cutthroat slaughter, you’re granted love in loads. It’s physical and sweaty and sticky. It has tears brimming your lash line and blurring your vision each time he hits all the right spots. It takes all of the complicated feelings you experienced while navigating an impossible situationship with Jade and dissolves them into nothing. Because with Jade it was wrong. It was a foolish, fickle farce. One too many meaningless trysts. A dangerous game spiraling out of control.

But with Floyd it’s right. Your world, once so off-kilter, corrects itself when he pins you down with his body, warm and toned and rough, and spears you with his cock. He’s your sweet Floyd, capriciousness and all, perfect in a way you just can’t explain.

And so you surrender to rising euphoria, strung along like fresh linens billowing in a breeze.

Amidst your own moans, Floyd’s groans, and the noisy plap of his hips against your soft ass, you make a mental note to end your arrangement with Jade at your earliest convenience. After all, you don’t need the fake when you have the real one.

I’ll miss his cooking, though.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Shrimpy?”

“No one in particul—aah!”

Floyd pinches your thigh good-naturedly. “No one at all?” His hand sweeps across your stomach next, palming the area as if he’s trying to feel himself buried in your guts. “You thinkin’ about that guy you like?”

“What if I was?”

“A damn shame for him,” he says, his hips stuttering to a halt. His hands make their rounds along your body, touring every inch of your nudity. You can’t see his face, but you can feel his searing gaze. “That guy’s not inside ya, is he?”

“Not physically, no.”

“What? Is he livin’ rent-free in Shrimpy’s head or somethin’?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Tell him to get lost. I wanna live up there.”

You giggle. “Will you pay rent?”

“Course I will.” He resumes his pace after a moment, albeit at a lazy, back-and-forth drag. You whine like a whore in heat, craving more than a slow, steady filling. “Bet that other guy isn’t even all that. Not a good rent-payer like me. Suuuper irresponsible and stuff. Late on his payments, y’know?”

“Mm, he’s perfect. Everything and more,” you mumble, your thoughts scrambled like eggs. It’s Jade you picture with your next admission even though you mean to describe Floyd. “He’s actually so charming once you—ooh—get to—haa—get to know him… He annoys me, but I don’t mind it.”

“Yeah?”

He grips your hips tighter, lifts your ass higher, and drives home in one rough thrust. His hold on you prevents you from crumpling, his fingers digging deep and leaving crescent-shaped indents in their wake. Your lashes flutter, eyes on the verge of rolling back into your skull.

“Mhm…”

“Hee-hee. Shrimpy’s so cute, falling apart on my dick… Bet that guy can’t do all of this.”

“Not at all! He can’t compare to you.”

Even though you don’t intend to, you envision Jade’s rictus grin then—the one he’d given you that night in the lounge kitchen when you challenged him to a dance. He’s so strange, but it’s a fun sort of strange. A strange that keeps you on edge, teetering on a precarious peak. He’s a deep-sea predator beneath that human veneer, cunning and crafty in spades, and he kissed you like he was in love that night.

It’s not love. It’s purely convenience, you remind yourself, stern. You like Floyd, and Jade isn’t Floyd.

“Jade—” you start to say, only to save yourself at the last minute— “Is… Mm—aah… Is Jade gonna be back soon?”

“Nah. S’just me and Shrimpy today.”

Shame sparks in your chest. What am I doing, calling out for Jade when Floyd’s here? I must be going crazy. I need to break it off as soon as possible.

You’ve been infatuated with Floyd for over a year now. One year of loyally loving Floyd. Not Jade. It’s never been and will never be Jade.

Chasing those conflictions away, you crawl out of your head to focus on the present. You push back against Floyd’s hips with bolstered determination, boring down on his dick to meet each of his wild thrusts. Within minutes, he’s all you can think of, flooding your brain like a tsunami. You’ve never felt so full and whole before—so connected. Carnal lust or romantic attraction aside, it doesn’t matter right now. Not when you’re swimming in bliss. Not when your emptiness has finally been filled.

All those tireless months of pining and hoping—it’s as if all of that was worth it when your wishes are granted in this very room. Even if you feel just somewhat clumsy with your movements, your body acting on its own accord, you’re relishing every second, sound, and sensation. So much so that you’re crying beneath him, overwhelmed beyond belief. Distantly, you hear him cooing at you, his voice a pleasant rumble.

You never want to come down from this seventh heaven, and you won’t because every moment spent with Floyd is utter rapture.

Floyd fucks you within an inch of unconsciousness, battering your slick, sensitive cunt like he intends to incapacitate you. The bedroom is filled with a sinful symphony of sounds, a litany of filth so loud you’re certain it can be heard down the hall. But that’s the last thing on your mind when the bundled feeling in your lower abdomen becomes unbearable, tightly wound and knotted. You strangle the sheets in shaking fists, tears falling freely.

And then, after leaning over you and getting as close as he possibly can, he wraps his hands around your neck. You startle.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“You sure there’s nothing between you and Jade?”

“Wha—no! Of course not! We’re just friends.”

“I dunno…” His fingers flex and curl inwards to apply just a little pressure. Your body stiffens, but it’s your pussy that betrays you when it clenches involuntarily. Floyd shudders against you, inhaling deeply. “You’re always smellin’ like him. Your pretty perfumes don’t do a good job coverin’ it up.”

You groan, not in the mood for this conversation. “Seriously… What is with you and smells? I’ve always smelled like me, haven’t I?”

“Can’t help it if us morays have a killer sense of smell.”

“Is it really that bothersome?”

“Would be if this was the sea.” He grips your throat with more force. Not enough to hurt you, but it has your heart spiking up into your mouth. “Guess on land it’s kinda like if you saw your special someone with another person and they were wearin’ the same shirt.”

You picture it then: Floyd with someone who isn’t you.

“Oh.”

“Yeaaah. Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Then—” you’re cut off when his hands constrict, perilous like pythons— “Floyd—”

“Say you wanna smell like me instead. I’ll make you smell real nice.”

His phrasing doesn’t indicate there’s a choice in this matter, but you don’t need to waste time deliberating. Even though you don’t intend to stall, you can’t stop yourself. The question that’s been nagging at you ever since Jade shared insight on the matter—it tumbles free.

“What does smell mean to a moray? Is it—it’s like a tracker, right?”

“You’re halfway there, yeah.” His hips connect with your cushy ass, and his grip cuts into your airflow. The muscles in your neck twitch beneath his fingertips, survival instincts seizing hold. Your breath rattles in your lungs. “S’like makin’ it known. Like tellin’ everyone you’re together. Becomin’ a pair’s real special in the sea.”

A pair…

You want to ask about the significance in that statement—about the implications of togetherness and how that might apply to merfolk. Jade gave you glimpses during previous conversations, and ever since you’ve been wrangling with wanting to know more or keeping your curiosity to yourself. You could ask him, but you’re very acquainted with his smart mouth and his proclivity for stirring up unnecessary trouble. It’s better to hear it from Floyd.

But right now breathing is imperative.

“I want—need you… P-Please,” you rasp, blinking back tears.

It doesn’t hurt, but the pressure fills your head with fuzz. Combined with the agonizing drag of his dick within your walls, it feels almost freeing. Like he’s just pulled you out of your own mind to rejoice in the present with you.

“Promise you’ll be mine. Promise…” His voice wavers, and suddenly he sounds distraught. Fragile like an eroding sandcastle, he adds, “Promise you won’t look at him ever again…”

“I’m yours. I’m all yours.”

His hands linger for a moment longer before he releases you, content with your agreement. You inhale mouthfuls of precious, much-needed oxygen, but part of you misses the rough treatment and the feeling of his hands tightening around your throat. The idea that Floyd once held your life between his palms—that he could crush your windpipe if he so pleased—is monstrously minacious. You know you shouldn’t put your trust in Floyd’s capricious, hair-trigger behaviors, but you’ve already disregarded the risks. Safe sex be damned; you want to know love under the pressure of his thumbs, squeezed into you like he’s your only other source of air. Your savior and your star—forever your Floyd.

His lips replace his hands, stamped impatiently into your nape in bloody bites. Ribbons of warmth trickle between your shoulder blades. His hips don’t halt for a second, and it stokes the fire deep within your belly with potent insistence.

“F-Floyd, please—I’m close! I—”

“I know, Shrimpy. I gotcha.” He rubs your hip encouragingly and that’s all it takes to sweep you up in the titillating throes.

You reach your summit in the clouds with an erotic shout, your vision whiting out and arms going slack. Floyd’s groan sounds much the same when your walls clench down, and he fucks you through it mercilessly. In just a few more erratic, sloppy thrusts, in which he drives his cock as far as it can possibly go, Floyd finally empties his load deep inside. The moan that rips free from his throat is so guttural it’s nearly a growl.

You’re both so drenched in sweat, but you’re alive and vibrating with giddy, sex-drunk relief.

I love you so much, you think as you ebb away from ecstasy, pulled back like the tide.

Basking in the paradisiacal afterglow of orgasm, Floyd runs a hand through disheveled teal locks. The two of you, the sodden sheets, and even the room reeks of sex. His other hand holds you in place while he slowly ruts into you from behind, riding out the buzz in its entirety. His pelvis presses against your ass while you, knock-kneed and fucked full, drool into the pillows.

And when he slides out his spend drips from your pussy in pearly rivulets.

“Haa… Shrimpy’s the best,” he murmurs with a wicked, wild, wide-eyed smile.

You’re still panting when you come back to yourself, your head pressed into the pillow. Floyd nudges you over onto your back, and you oblige with minimal effort, lying in an exhausted sprawl. Your sight clears, color spilling in through bleary cracks.

He leans over you, assessing your hazy expression with a pleased hum. “Welcome back.”

You giggle and beckon him closer. “I’m back.”

Floyd leans down to kiss you and you reciprocate just as fiercely, your arms looping around his neck. You fall all over again, enchanted by molten kisses and wandering hands. The magic dissipates when your ringtone resounds, and you manage to tear yourself away by the third chime.

“Sorry. Let me silence it.”

“Kaaay.”

Floyd lounges on his side, the duvet draped across his hips. You crawl out of his arms to sort through the disorder on the floor. As you bend over to retrieve it, you catch him staring, his eyes following the length of your legs to the mess spattered between your thighs.

He flashes his sharp teeth at you in a broad, nonchalant grin. “It’s a pretty ass. I like what I like.”

You hold your phone up, smirking. “Pictures last longer.”

“And memories don’t, so you’d better stop by often so I won’t forget.”

“It’s a promise,” you tease, glancing at the screen as it brightens with a slew of missed messages. They’re all from Ace, and you scroll through them with mild interest. Apparently, Ace got into an argument with Grim over the pudding in the fridge. Both want it even though it has your name on it, and now Ace is being much too flattering in an effort to curry favor so that you’ll be inclined to let him have it. “He’s unbelievable…”

“Who is?”

“Ace.”

You sit on the edge of Floyd’s bed. He reads the texts over your shoulder and snorts. “Crabby tryin’ to get on your good side, huh?”

“Not sure why he’s bothering to ask, though. He steals food from me all the time. This shouldn’t be any different.”

“Maybe he likes ya.”

“As if. We’re just friends.”

“Yeah? You say that a lot.”

You crane your neck to look at him. “Do I really?”

“Mhm. If you and Jade are also ‘just friends,’ what does that make me and you?”

“I… Um. Hm.”

You watch your reflection on your darkened phone screen as it twists into something pensive. Tentatively, your fingers trace over the smooth glass. What are you and Floyd? You’re friends, but you’re also more than that. Surely, right? Friends don’t join their bodies in unholy communion. Or do they? That’s what you’ve done with Jade and you’re nowhere near romantically attached. Perhaps your relationship is some nebulous stage between friends and lovers?

Does Floyd even like me like that, or was this just a spur-of-the-moment fling?

“I…should go,” you say instead, standing up.

“Aww. But ya just got here. C’mon. Lemme get ya some water or somethin’ to eat. There’s no rush.” He reaches out for you, but you step back. His face falls. “Shrimpy…”

“Sorry. I just—it’s not your fault.” You refuse to meet his eyes as you collect your clothes from the floor, hurrying to dress yourself. “Thanks for the offer. Really, I appreciate it and this was a lot of fun. But I… I need to get back to make sure Ace and Grim don’t tear each other apart over a single cup of pudding.”

The fresh bites on your neck sting when your clothes brush against them, but nothing hurts more than Floyd’s downcast expression. You don’t want to leave, but you can’t stay and tiptoe around the answer to a question you’ve just started contemplating.

“We’ll talk later. Sorry…” You shuffle towards the door, tongue-tied and awkward. “I really did enjoy this.”

To your disappointment, Floyd doesn’t make any attempt to pursue. “See ya.”

“Yeah… See ya.”

You step out into the hall, the door shutting after you. The weight of it all comes crashing down like a disastrous surge of sea and you drag your hands over your face to stifle your regretful groan.

I messed up. I should’ve just confessed. The opportunity was right there, so why didn’t I? Why can’t I? What the hell is holding me back?

No, not a what. Rather, a who.

And you can’t bear to confront that.

Behind the door, sitting upright on Floyd’s bed, Jade musses his hair until that stray dark strand falls in its rightful place. There’s laundry to be done, and a clever cover-up must be fashioned to protect what already seems like an open secret. But right now he can’t be bothered to spring into action. Not when he’s still steeping in post-sex exhilaration, a corybantic smile etching itself onto his face.

It’s a glorious day.

“Can’t ya just dump it out if ya don’t wanna drink it?” Grim, who has spent the past three minutes observing you observing the glass vial, suggests with a harrumph. “Looks fishy. I don’t wanna drink it and I love drinkin’ stuff!”

You frown and lift it towards the window; the sun catches off the shiny surface, but its rays don’t break through murky cerulean. “Azul said I could add any part of myself to this and it would work. I added saliva, but the color went from white to this icky, impenetrable blue. It probably tastes just as bad as it looks. Gross! Now I’m not so sure I wanna uphold my end of our deal.”

“He’ll never know if you give it the slip.”

You fix Grim with a disapproving glower. “He’ll definitely know. He’s Azul.”

“I dunno what to tell ya, but if we keep chattin’ away like this we’ll miss first bell.” He hops off of the stool, lands perfectly on all fours, and struts out of the kitchen.

“Since when were you such a star student? Wait… First bell?” You gasp and dash past him. “Move, Grim! I’ll miss Floyd if I don’t hurry!”

On your way out, you tug your shoes on, taking care not to trip in your haste, and stuff the vial in your pocket.

“Jeez! Way to be a ‘star student’ and leave me to haul our heavy textbooks to Trein’s class!”

“Sorry! I’ll make it up to you at lunch! This is really important!” you call out, hurrying down the steps.

You’re breathless by the time you make it into the main building, taking in great gulps of air. A few students turn and stare, but you don’t pay them any mind as you weave through the crowded halls in search of Floyd’s classroom. You spot him then, lingering at the end of the corridor, and you hasten your gait to reach him.

“Floyd, oh, there you are! I need to talk to you. It’s about—”

“A good morning to you, too, (Name).”

Horrified, you come to a screeching halt. “Jade… Shit, I’m sorry. I thought that you—I mean, you look like Floyd from afar… Well, of course you do. What am I saying?” Inhaling a deep breath, you try again. “I don’t have time to talk. I gotta find Floyd. Also, our deal’s off. You don’t have to act like him anymore.”

“Oh my. How sudden. I wonder what brought this on.” He smiles behind a gloved fist. “Do enlighten me.”

Fidgeting from foot to foot, you glance left and right. “Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’ve been a big help, but I’ve figured it out now. It was stupid and inconsiderate of me to make you pretend to be someone you’re not. So the game’s over. We can go our separate ways and all of this—” you gesture between him and you— “will be behind us. Done and dusted. Dead and buried. Part of the past.”

Jade tilts his head, playing clueless for another second before he decides to let it click. “Ah. I suppose this means you intend to confess? In that case, please don’t let me stop you. Floyd’s already left for his class. I doubt he’s gone very far.”

You’re already pushing past him, your nerves riddled with hope. “Thanks! See you around!”

“It was an enjoyable month.”

Taking pause, you turn to look at him. Even though his hand is across his chest and he’s issuing you a cordial smile, you can’t tell if he’s being truthful. It can’t have been all that enjoyable to play such an elaborate part. Or perhaps it’s not the part but rather the delights that came with it: dinner, conversation, and companionship. If it weren’t for these unorthodox methods, you and Jade wouldn’t be nearly as close as you are now.

Somehow you’ve become friends in all of this chaos.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure. It was definitely…a month.”

Before awkwardness can balloon between the both of you, you step into a sprint and disappear around the corner. Confidence swells within you. Now that you’ve emptied your mind of Jade, you can focus entirely on Floyd and your very impromptu confession.

There really wasn’t anything there after all, you think as you round another corner. I can’t believe I got worked up over something so silly, and it was completely nonexistent!

As if foretold by fate itself, a meeting strung in the stars, you notice Floyd at the end of the hall. Unable to contain yourself, you run the rest of the way to catch him. The morning bell resounds then and students heed its toll, filing into their respective classrooms. But you’re here for someone who’s so much better than your perfect attendance record, and he happens to be looking your way.

“Hey, it’s Shrimpy! Whatcha up to?”

“Morning, Floyd! Do you have a minute? I was hoping we could talk.”

He nods. “Wasn’t really feelin’ class anyways.”

“Yeah, same here!”

“So what’s up? You have somethin’ to tell me?”

“Right! Yes!”

I have to tell him. I can’t keep running away.

“It’s about that day… Um. I… First of all, I’d like to apologize for being weird and ruining the mood. I didn’t know how to explain our relationship, but I’ve sorted it out now. And if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be more than friends.”

Floyd blinks at you, stone-faced. That can’t be a good sign.

Endeavoring to salvage this one-sided chat, you attempt to elaborate on your previous declaration. “You asked what we were that day and I… I couldn’t give you an answer because I was scared of admitting it, and I had no idea where we’d go from there. The truth is—I really like you. A lot. I have for a while now, and if you like me I wouldn’t mind making it official.”

You’re doing fine, you tell yourself, but you’re wringing your hands and Floyd won’t stop looking at you like you’ve grown fins.

“Oh, I get it,” he says after a long moment. “So Shrimpy likes me? That right?”

You nod. Anxiety squeezes your heart in a fierce fist.

“I’m flattered. Not every day a li’l Shrimpy tells me she’s got a thing for me.” Floyd grins and stuffs his hands in his pockets. You’ve imagined this same scenario a dozen times, but your brain never accounted for how casual he’s acting. “Sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t accept your feelings.”

“W-What?”

You…misheard him, right? He didn’t just say that, did he?

“I think you’re super cool, but that’s it.” He shrugs. “S’better stayin’ friends, ain’t it? ’Sides, you and Jade are pretty close. Not gonna lie, I thought you were a pair this whole time. Didn’t know it was this serious, though.”

Much like the blood pumping through your veins, your heart freezes over. “N-No… No, not at all! Jade and I are just friends.”

“C’mon, Shrimpy. I’m not stupid.”

“I… I don’t understand. Floyd, we… We…” You swallow encroaching tears and bolster the ebbing strength in your voice. “Did our time together mean anything to you?”

“Course it did! Still does. We’re friends. That’s not gonna change.” Floyd cards a hand through his hair and sighs. “Shrimpy, you’re great and all, but if you’re with Jade you don’t gotta lie to me. I’ve been smellin’ him on ya since day one.”

“But we’re not together!” He raises a disbelieving brow, and you groan. “I’m serious. I don’t know why I smell like him. We don’t wear the same perfumes. Wait. Does Jade even wear perfume? I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about it. So maybe you’re just smelling my perfume! That has to be the reason—”

Floyd gives your shoulder a consoling squeeze. “I’m not mad or anything. S’cool if you wanna mess around with Jade. I don’t care what you do.” His face darkens with a frown. “Just don’t lie about the obvious.”

“But I’m not lying! We’re not an item or couple—whatever it’s called! I… I like you, Floyd. I always have.”

“Maybe ya shoulda figured that out before ya started lettin’ Jade mark ya.”

Shock and revulsion prickle your skin. You open your mouth to object, but every rational explanation remains jumbled. Floyd issues you a lopsided grin, which adds even more salt to an already gaping wound.

“Hey, if it makes ya feel any better, Jade’s a good guy. He’ll look out for ya. ’Sides, Shrimpy’s better off with a responsible type.” He reaches out to ruffle your hair, but you step away.

All of those times where you thought Floyd may have been courting—the flirty remarks, the perfume, the kiss, and even the sex—were those merely platonic gestures twined with friendly affection? You may have been able to believe the others, but you’re certain there’s a line between platonic and romantic. And sex must fall in the latter category. It has to. If not, was it all just temporary, fleeting fun?

Were you just an experience for Floyd and his mercurial mannerisms? A new toy for his enjoyment, intended to occupy his mind for however long you proved your worth and shelf life.

You turn swiftly on your heel, your throat closing up. “T-Thanks for hearing me out, at least,” you mutter, blinking away hot tears. “I… I’ll see you later.”

If you weren’t so devastated, you’d have commended yourself for your impeccable restraint. You manage to walk away without sparing him a single glance, but the minute you’re out of sight and earshot you’re running through the desolate halls, seeking solace in solitude. The tears come with the ache, a pain so gutting it has you near-wailing as you navigate labyrinthe passages. You hardly care if any straggling students spot you. You’re too crestfallen to fret over what others might think when they look at you.

Heartache headlines your thoughts as you stumble into a stagger, your chest heaving from the run and your excessive bawling.

I know it was stupid to have hope, but I was so positive I had a chance… It seemed that way when we slept together, so what happened? What changed? You wipe furiously at your face, but it does nothing to stop the incessant downpour. This is a mess. I never should’ve confessed. I did everything wrong. And what’s worse is he didn’t take me seriously because he thinks I’m dating his brother!

It doesn’t make any sense, but then this drastic change of heart is so characteristic for Floyd that you struggle to think of any other valid causation.

Did he get bored of me? Am I really that terrible to hang out with? You shake your head. It’s not that. It’s Jade and his stupid scent and that stupid marking and—

You feel the vial in your pocket then, straining against form-fitting fabric. Sniffling weakly, you dig it out and peer at your blotchy-eyed reflection in the glass.

I might as well see what this potion does. I have nothing else to lose, and there’s no way I can go to class looking like this.

As if your body was subconsciously aware of your decision to skip, you find yourself standing in the Mirror Chamber minutes later. Quiet and dimly lit, the room has a certain coldness to it when you venture further inside and approach the Dark Mirror. Your distressed face blinks back at you from the blank surface, and you cringe once you notice the smudges in your makeup.

“I’m such a loser,” you mutter, scrubbing at your cheeks. “Crying like a baby over some guy…”

A guy who meant the world to me. A guy who was so much more than just some guy.

You yank the cork out of the vial and, steeling yourself, chug it in one determined gulp. It goes down bitter, tainting your tongue with a foul, brackish aftertaste. Disgusted, you wipe your lips and stuff the empty glass in your pocket.

“(Name)?”

You whirl, half-expecting to find Floyd waiting to accept you with open arms. Instead, Jade stands in the doorway. His brows are knit in concern. Authentic concern, you realize. Tears overflow at the sight of him, tracking down your cheeks in salty streaks.

“I do hope I’m not intruding.”

“You are. Go away.”

Undeterred, Jade covers the distance to reach you. “My apologies. I couldn’t help but notice you seem to be in dire need of a friend.”

You force out a sardonic laugh. “Right. Because you’re just the friend I want.”

“At the very least, may I offer my condolences? I can only assume the worst after seeing the state you’re in.”

“You just did. Now leave. I don’t want to see anyone right now, especially not you.” But he isn’t offended by the hostility in your voice. Rather, he procures a handkerchief from his uniform pocket and offers it to you. Heaving a defeated groan, you snatch it and blow your nose into the soft linen. “I don’t suppose you want something in return for your kindness?”

“Not at all. If anything, I merely wish to see your happy, dry face.”

You roll your eyes. “I’ll feel much better once you get lost.”

“And leave you to mourn all by your lonesome? I couldn’t possibly.”

You dab at your eyes with the sodden, snotty handkerchief. “It’s not funny.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” Jade smiles and bumps hips with you. “If it’s worth anything, there is so mush-room in my heart for you.”

Your face scrunches with odium. “Ew… That’s so cheesy.” You’re reminded of Floyd when you look at him, and it fills you with another bout of anguish. Why can’t he be Floyd? You bury your face in your hands and sob. “This is the worst! I wanna disappear. Drown in the Coral Sea and get lost forever. Then no one would ever have to see me like this and I’ll never have to face Floyd again.”

“Surely you don’t mean that.”

“I do. Now leave me be. I wanna wallow in peace.” When you fail to hear his shoes clicking against tile, you peek at him through the cracks in your fingers. “It’s hopeless, Jade. Floyd doesn’t feel the same. There’s still no way for me to go home. And now I don’t even know if Azul’s potion is going to work, which means I’ll be breaching our contract!”

“Quite the series of unfortunate events, no?”

“So please just go away.”

Sighing, you press your fingertips to the Dark Mirror’s warped surface and admire the ripples spreading outward from where your palm rests. It’s almost hypnotic, drawing you in with its alluring opacity. You lean closer to inspect the cloudy mirage, placing both hands against it, but that proves to be a grave mistake. Tugged in by some invisible force, you stumble and fall through. You don’t have time to scramble to safety, for there’s a blinding flash of light and then you’re engulfed in smothering silence.

You feel it first—the weightless cradling of waves—and when you open your eyes a stunning seascape greets you. The sandy floor and colorful coral reefs extend in endless stretches. Schools of fish pass overhead in a mosaic of hues. You gape at your mystical surroundings, realize you’re underwater right as the awe settles in, and hurry to swim to the surface. But when you try to kick your legs out, a tail moves instead, sloppily propelling you upwards. You somersault and flail like you’re falling, but you aren’t drowning. In fact, you can breathe.

Whoa. This is so strange. How exactly do I swim?

It takes an awkward minute for you to get a hold of your bearings, but once you do you take stock of your newfound mer anatomy. Your hands are webbed, fingers curling into sleek, sharp claws, and fins protrude from your arms and back. They flutter like fine skirts in the current. Your tail is just as fetching; speckled with red and pink shades, it matches the coloration found on your other fins.

“So that’s what Azul’s potion does,” you mutter, flexing your tail. “Amazing…”

You feel along your body for scales and gills, yelping when your fingers brush over the latter. They’re soft and sensitive, shuddering in the current.

I’m a mer…

It finally sinks in, and you roll around in the sand, whooping and shouting in excitement.

“I’m a mer! How cool is that?!”

You push off from the sea floor, testing your new tail with a few clumsy strokes. Much to your surprise, it doesn’t take very long for you to learn the motions. Within minutes you’re gliding through the water like a bullet. You hug the bottom of the ocean, running your fingers through the sand as you swim expert circles around the same rock formation.

Suddenly, your broken heart doesn’t feel so cumbersome anymore. Your tears mix in pelagic waters, but after touring your vast surroundings for a while you can’t even tell if you’re still crying. While keeping up with the current, you swim past an octopus who drags itself across the sandy floor, its muddy-orange tentacles curling like snakes.

“So pretty,” you whisper, smiling sadly. “I wish Floyd was here…”

It hurts.

There’s no way to circumvent the pain without further opening the emotional lacerations left by rejection and misunderstanding. If you had smelled like yourself, would he have accepted your confession? Would the two of you be walking through the halls, holding hands and chatting like a couple? Or would it have played out the same regardless of Jade’s involvement with you?

If Floyd never loved you to begin with, that would mean all of your practice confessions and subsequent embarrassment were for naught. Maybe Jade was right and this entire thing was nothing more than an amusing spectacle.

Thanks a lot, Jade, you think, seething. Instinctively, you scrub your tears away even though there’s no point to it when you’re surrounded by water. How did I even start smelling like him in the first place? We didn’t wear the same shirt or anything like that… Ugh. Morays are so confusing.

But, gripe and whine as you might, there’s nothing you can do to change an immutable fact: Floyd does not love you.

And it really hurts.

You know the sadness will soon subside and, months later, you’ll look back on this very moment and laugh about your misfortune. Despite that, the passage of time and its healing properties don’t provide an iota of relief.

Don’t think about it anymore. You turn over on your back and float through the water. Since I’m here, I should gather the supplies Azul wanted.

You rack your brain for the list and come up empty. It’s then when you realize Azul never shared this list with you and that, had you visited him prior to your emotional tragedy, he likely would have told you.

“Damn it! Now how am I supposed to get what he wants?” you complain, thrashing your tail as if it’s your legs and you’re trying to throw a tantrum. “I could guess… Or maybe he wants a little of everything?”

You attempt to put yourself in Azul’s head, concentrating on all of the spell ingredients you’ve learned in alchemy class, but none of them seem to fit what Azul might be seeking. After all, anyone can acquire seaweed and shells and mer’s tears. Azul must be after the scarcities of the sea. What those scarcities could be, you haven’t the faintest inkling.

The sea floor slopes down, and you follow the dip towards what looks to be the yawning mouth of an underwater grotto. It certainly looks so with its massive stalactites and stalagmites, which reminds you of the crooked maw of a beast. It would have been a foreboding sight if you came down here with a limited supply of oxygen and scuba fins, but you’re a mer and nothing can startle you. Not even the depths at which you exist.

You poke your head inside the opening. Before you can investigate any further, though, a shadow passes overhead. It slips through the water like a silent assassin. You’re not unnerved when you track the length of the perimeter, looking to and fro for the mysterious figure you caught in your peripheral, but the longer you spend looking the quieter your surroundings become.

The fish scatter.

And then terror descends, only he’s a familiar one. He’d be a sight for sore eyes if he wasn’t such an eyesore.

“You’re living up to your surname.”

He smiles, teeth glinting. “My, my. Aren’t you just tickled pink?”

“Which is weird because all I see is red when I look at you.”

“Is that so? The depth at which we’re at swallows most vibrancy, and yet you remain wonderfully bright. Are you sure you’re not a fallen star?”

You fix him with a nasty glare, but it does nothing to deter him. “Seriously… Why are you here?”

He circles you, his serpentine body winding slowly. “Would you believe me if I told you I came to check on you?”

“Depends. What’s your reason for checking on me?”

“As I’m sure you know, Azul is not partial to insolvency.”

You slide past him, smacking him with your caudal fin. “Good to know I’m so cherished.”

“I wouldn’t dare let a dear friend drown. I’ve heard drowning is very miserable business for humans.”

“More miserable than a broken heart?”

He catches up to you. His size easily overtakes you in length and strength, marking him as a formidable predator. Even with your claws, you can’t compete with his pointed teeth, sleek, sturdy build, and razored fins. He’s a natural hunter, whereas you feel like more of an ornamental fish in comparison.

“Depends. Will you recover from death?”

“I’ve spent so much time with you, so I’d say it’s possible.”

“And I was ready to save you should you find yourself in peril.”

You roll your eyes. “That’s about as comforting as a blatant lie.”

A few beats pass between the both of you. You don’t try to fill the silence, too busy fawning over your aquatic surroundings to bother. Jade analyzes you with furtive glimpses.

“I’m aware our deal is void and that I’m no longer your Floyd…” He swims closer, nudging you with his shoulder. “May I be your Jade instead? You can be my grouper.”

“Your what?”

“Many mages believe transformation potions provide insight into what species you may have been if you weren’t born in your current form.”

“So you’re saying, if I was a mer like you and Floyd, I’d be a…grouper? Is that what I am?”

“A strawberry grouper, to be precise. Very fitting, is it not?”

“Would Floyd like me better if I had been born a grouper instead of a human?”

Jade laughs. You swat at him in flustered retaliation. “It has nothing to do with species.”

“It has everything to do with species,” you snap with a scowl. “Wasn’t the mermaid princess forbidden from pursuing a relationship with her human prince?”

“That’s true, yes. Although I fail to see your point, considering it worked out in the end.”

“What I’m saying is—if we were both mers, maybe it’d be easier.”

“I suppose it would be considerably easier to foster a deeper bond if you lived in the sea alongside us, but I’m afraid love doesn’t always work like that.”

“How would you know?”

Jade gazes heavenward, and for the first time you see sadness in his sharp, intelligent eyes. “I’ve fallen in love with the moon and she is forever out of my reach, so I know what it’s like to wish on something that may never happen. Sometimes I catch myself wondering if the dismal nature of my situation would change if I had been the singular star in her universe. Perhaps then she would finally see me.” He glances at you and attempts a smile. “There are galaxies of stars up there, but the star she fancies happens to shine brighter than me.”

Oh… So he does know what that feels like.

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever for?”

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt like the right thing to say.” Your shoulders rise in a weak shrug. “The moon is impossible, Jade. Your romance is doomed.”

“All the more reason to appreciate her.”

“Why haven’t you given up?”

Jade swims ahead, humming his contemplation. “There are astounding amounts of everything in this world. There will always be plenty of fish in the sea—just as there will always be plenty of humans on land. But there is only one of her. So even if she doesn’t look at me, even if our romance has been doomed from the start, I will never stop loving her. She’s the only one in my universe.”

“Huh… That’s a beautiful way to put it. If it’ll help, I can act like her and you could practice your confession.”

“We’ve come full circle. Perhaps a confession wouldn’t hurt… Ah. Forgive me for adding to your despondency with my own woes.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” But then you reflect on his familiar phrasing and a sneaking suspicion crawls into your head. Unwilling to confront it, you change the subject. “So what’s the real reason you’re here? To watch me struggle to collect all of these unnamed things for Azul?”

“I considered that, but it would be much too cruel of me to subject you to such ridicule.”

“You’re an asshole. Just tell me what I’m supposed to get.”

With a chuckle, Jade rattles off every item. You recognize some of them—pearls, starfish, a Great White’s tooth—but the rest are resources you’ve never even heard of.

“Noctiluca… What’s that?”

“Bioluminescent algae.”

“Oh. Are you sure we’ll be able to find all of this stuff? Some of it sounds, like, super rare.”

“It’s possible. With me as your guide—”

“You’re really going to stick around?”

“And let you swim right into the maw of a predator? I’m not monstrous.”

“You sure you’re not that predator?”

Jade swims ahead, craning his neck to eye you hungrily. His lengthy tail curls around you and squeezes playfully. “Shall I hunt you now and we can determine which of us is the true predator?”

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”

“It’s simply a hypothetical.”

“Why would we even hunt each other in the first place?” You duck down to sift through the silt for shells or, if you’re lucky, a shark’s tooth. “I thought we had something.”

“Do we?”

It’s too late for you to take that back. “We have mutualism,” you correct yourself, pulling a palm-sized pink conch from the sand.

“Some might call that friendship, (Name).”

“Friends with you? As if. You’d trade me for this shell just because it’s funny.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. You’re worth more than one, at least.” Jade joins you on the seabed, his larger, webbed hands searching alongside yours. “Your companionship is invaluable to me.” His hand bumps yours in the sand, blackened fingertips twining with yours.

“You know… Floyd told me something.” You grip his hand tightly to prevent him from retreating. With the way he perks up, muscles stretched taut with anticipation, you don’t think he intends to flee. “He said you’re awfully touchy with me and that you’re not usually like this.”

“You provide me with the most entertaining reactions. Besides—” his voice lowers for effect— “was touch not the foundation of our deal?”

“Not anymore.” You release his hand from your hold and dart forwards. “Although I guess it was kinda pointless. All of that just to be rejected by Floyd in the end.” You round on him once he’s within your proximity, prodding his chest with a claw. “Because now he thinks I’m dating you. Apparently I smell like you. I have no idea what that could mean, but it obviously isn’t a good thing if it’s one of the reasons Floyd turned me down.”

“Plenty of mers scent their partners. It’s territorial—a means of proving to others that they’re a bonded pair. It’s also convenient when they need to locate their beloved in a crowd.”

The conch falls from your hands, floating back to its resting place on the sandy floor. Shocked, you pin him with a wide-eyed stare. “You… You’ve been…scenting me?”

He nods.

“On purpose?”

“Just for fun.”

Your jaw drops in disbelief. So Jade sabotaged your chances with Floyd. Jade did. All for fun. Jade was scenting you on the sly. For fun. Fun!

Now you’re really viewing him in scarlet.

“Jade Leech, I’m going to kill you!” You lunge at him, blunt teeth bared and claws out. He opens his arms to receive you, smiling all the while. “You did that on purpose—to prevent me from getting with Floyd! What the fuck?!”

You crash into him, and the impact sends the two of you tumbling through the water in a tangle of limbs. He indulges in this one-sided snafu, albeit without the hostility you’re so clearly demonstrating. Jade wraps himself around you to hold you still while you attempt to gouge his eyes.

Soon, the scrap mellows out into a struggle for escape. You try to slip out of his constrictive grasp, but every time you think you might have attained freedom he tightens his hold on you. Eventually, with no other way out, you submit, deflating in his arms like a popped balloon.

“If you wanted a hug, you could have asked. There’s no need to be so circuitous about it.”

“The last thing I want is a hug from you! Now let go of me!” He allows you to squirm out of his coils. You swim in circles, which you now realize is the mer equivalent of pacing. “I can’t believe you. What did you have to gain from any of this? ‘Just for fun,’ my foot! You just wanted to ruin my life like the stupid, asshole eel you are!”

“I was hoping to cushion you after the inevitable.” Jade tilts his head at you, feigning sympathy. “Did you really think Floyd would have reciprocated? You heard him yourself. He considers you a friend. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“Cushion me? The only thing you did was make me smell like I rolled around in the cushions with you!” You swipe at him, but he moves away on reflex. “If Floyd sees me as a friend, why would he sleep with me?”

“So that’s why our room smelled so thickly of you.”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Then don’t ask dumb questions.”

He’s the worst, you think, repeating it like a mantra. The worst. The worst. The worst.

But then he’s the only one who chases after you even when you push him away.

At that, you laugh. Jade blinks at you, startled by your sudden shift in attitude.

“This is a mess,” you bewail, shaking your head. “Out of all the people at NRC, I can’t believe you’re the one seeing me like this.”

“How many times has it been now?”

“Shut up.”

Jade chuckles. “You may find it undesirable, but to me it’s quite the charming trait. Even at your worst, tears and all, you’re still yourself. It’s what I admire most about you.” He approaches you, minding the icy vitriol in your scowl, and cups your cheek. “After all, did we not agree to be a mess together?”

You meet his mismatched stare, openly admiring his well-sculpted body and the patterns striped along his arms and tail. There isn’t an ounce of Floyd to his mannerisms. From the way he carries himself to the purr of his voice to the irritating quips he loves to spout, he’s Jade. And you wouldn’t have him any other way. He is your friend, and denial isn’t enough to convince you otherwise of this dysfunctional, disorganized friendship.

Sighing, you tear your gaze away. “We’re a mess, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with smelling like you! That’s such a dirty trick!”

“I can be dirtier if it pleases.”

“It does not please! Start counting your blessings so I can properly kick your ass!”

“I wish you luck in that endeavor,” he says, offering you a toothy grin before turning away and propelling himself towards the surface.

You watch him go, debating whether it’s worth it to pursue him. This feels like the beginning of another game, but you can’t calculate the danger level. It’s the ocean; the possibilities are just as vast.

You’re an enigma, Jade Leech. I’ll never understand you.

Leaving all thoughts of Floyd and your shattered heart on land—stowed away in the shadows of the Mirror Chamber—you accept his proposal for a chase. He doesn’t have to tell you he’s pleased when you zip after him, weaving through the tight crevices and openings in hulking rock formations. Your shadow eclipses colorful coral reefs and tall seagrass. Jade moves much smoother and quicker than you, sensing all of the twists and turns before they even come up.

Of course he’d be a natural, you think, impressed with his graceful slither. He grew up in these waters playing tag. He and Floyd have probably chased each other through places just like this one hundreds of times.

Still, you aren’t about to let your inexperience get in the way of capturing him.

Between your on-off hunt and collecting ingredients for Azul, in which Jade goads you into continuing the chase when you least expect it, time passes above. You’re not sure how far into the day you are, as your surroundings hardly change beneath the surface, but you forget all about it when you swim through a kelp forest in hopes of finding a starfish. Even with your heightened mer senses and predatory assets, you keep close to Jade as the both of you glide through strands of kelp.

“When I was an elver, I used to believe starfish were stars who fell from outer space.”

You flinch at the sound of his voice. Everything seems much louder in tranquility. “Oh. Uh. Why’s that?”

“My mother often told us that merfolk who have passed on become stars in the sky and that there are times in which those same stars yearn for the sea. But they can never hope to return naturally, for they are bound to the sky. Thus, they force themselves to fall, lose their shine when they land in the ocean, and become sea stars.”

You keep your eyes glued on the stretching forest ahead. “That’s neat. I probably would’ve believed that story if I was a mer. We tell all kinds of stories about merfolk where I’m from.”

“Is that so?”

“Merfolk don’t exist in my world, so they make for great legends.”

“A world in which merfolk are nonexistent… How fascinating.” Jade gazes at you, his hand twitching towards yours. Rather than acting on his innermost desires, he curls his hand into a fist and it hangs limply at his side. “You must have been over the moon to have met Floyd.”

“And you and Azul!” you add with a smile. “And I have you to thank for teaching me all about moray mers.”

“I’d be happy to teach you more, should you be willing to learn…”

Jade’s looking at your lips next. The both of you are so close. Just a little closer and you could…

“Hey, I think I see a starfish!” You hurry ahead before the tension can become any more magnetizing.

Do not make him your rebound, you lambaste while retrieving the star-shaped creature. If you had legs, you’d kick some sense into yourself. Just because he looks like Floyd doesn’t mean he is Floyd.

You bring the starfish back to Jade, who bottles it in a bubble and whisks it away with a flick of his wrist. You’re not sure where any of these items are going or how he’s keeping track of them, but as long as they’re gathered you aren’t going to question it. Magic works in mysterious ways, or so you’ve determined after spending a year of your life in Twisted Wonderland.

From there, you return to your place at Jade’s side, albeit with a healthier distance than before, and exit the kelp forest. You scan the vast vicinity as if you might find something unusual amidst all of this blue. It reminds you of every Floyd fantasy you’ve ever had—the ones in which you were living happily ever after in the sea. As ideal as those delusions were, you realize now that they were just as impossible as Jade’s infatuation with the moon.

“It wouldn’t have worked anyway,” you admit, to which Jade hums his acknowledgment. “What would I do if Crowley was able to send me home? How could I choose between my loved ones there and my loved ones here?”

“Perhaps you’ll never have to choose.”

“What do you mean?”

“Supposing the headmage is shirking his investigation… Well, that would certainly eliminate the difficulty of choice.”

You laugh. “The first magicless student to graduate from Night Raven College. What a headline.”

“Sensational news,” he adds in a dramatic tone.

“As if the illustrious NRC and the oh-so-kind Headmage couldn’t get any popular.”

Jade chuckles. “Have you thought that far ahead?”

“What? About the future?” You slide into a somersault while Jade swims above you. He stares down at you as you spin yourself dizzy. “Don’t want to. I have no idea where I’ll be after graduation or what I’ll do. It kinda scares me.”

“You’re more than welcome to lean on me should you ever require my assistance.”

“What’s that thing Azul always says? Pay the heavy toll to cross the bridge? I’d like to graduate debt-free, thank you very much.”

“I’ll always be here for you.”

You blink up at him, shocked by his benign declaration. After a moment of floating aimlessly on your back while he swims overheard, you giggle. “Come on. Be real, Jade. That’s impossible.”

“Is it? You’re a mermaid, are you not?”

“Yeah, but that’s temporary. Besides, a deal like that is way too mutualistic. We’d just seem like obligations to one another.”

“Must it be transactional?”

“What else would it be?”

“A friendly favor.”

“I don’t trust that… Somewhere along the line I’ll get trapped in a scam.”

“And I will rescue you.”

You roll your eyes and turn over on your stomach, propelling yourself forwards in hopes of leaving him and this conversation behind. He mirrors your slow pace, twisting himself to loop around so that you’re above and he’s below. He waves. You groan.

He just won’t quit, will he?

“Okay, let’s be hypothetical. Say I accept your help for the future. What would you want in return?”

“What indeed?”

“I doubt you’ll want a lifelong taste-tester.”

He shakes his head, soft, teal locks swaying with the motion. Bathed in dappled light, he looks breathtaking. Too good to be true. An echo of the supernal, enchanting and arresting in that weird, whimsical way you’ve grown to appreciate.

He’s so annoying.

“Then what, Jade? Stop being obtuse.”

He smiles, sharp features softening, and says, “I would like to continue being your friend.”

“That’s all?”

He nods. “That’s all.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, what do you think I might want?” He reaches for you, his hands running up your arms to tug you closer. “If I asked for your hand, would you give it?”

You float above him, not quite chest to chest yet. “Marital mutualism, huh?”

“It’s cost-effective and comes with many benefits.”

“Like?”

“You could be my taste-tester indefinitely. I would cook for you every day. All of your favorite foods, and you can share your critique.”

“You’re not selling it,” you mutter, impassive.

He pulls you within kissing distance. “You can continue to hone your techniques with me.”

You open your mouth to retort, embarrassment scraping at your throat, but a distant twinkle in the dimming depths distracts you. There’s another flash of light and then, seconds later, dozens of lights surround you. You swim out of his grasp to explore this curiosity, your confusion segueing into excitement once you spy hundreds of bright tendrils. Moon jellyfish illuminate the area, casting you and Jade in bewitching bioluminescence. You whirl to view all of them at once, your eyes wide with wonder.

“It’s amazing…” you whisper.

Jade observes you from where he lurks in the shadows below, a wistful look in his stare. It adds deceptive age to his youthful features, but you don’t notice that. Bold and brave, you venture deeper into the fray, weaving through the fantastical cluster with finesse. The jellyfish hang suspended in the gloom, and they remind you of little lanterns the further you swim. This sight is a treasured rarity—something you’d never be able to experience firsthand like this if you were viewing it through thick aquarium glass.

This view is breathtaking! I can’t believe Jade and Floyd grew up in such a wonderful place.

On any other day, the boundless sea may have terrified you if you were reading about it in a textbook or watching divers’ found footage. But right now you’re in awe of these magnificent creatures as they drift in calm currents. Your first visit in the Coral Sea had been on a strict time crunch, and you hadn’t gotten the chance to explore any further than the grounds of the Atlantica Memorial Museum. The second visit had been one of leisure, if only because you were no longer arranging gambles with Azul in an effort to free the anemones. And now you’ve returned, equipped with fins and the promise of unforgettable sights.

And Jade’s with you.

He was there for your previous times, too, his presence mostly unremarkable. While you were loving Floyd from afar, he was there. You’ve always wondered why he stayed and entertained your mischief. You’re not anyone’s dream girl; you’ve never been the first choice, and that’s a part of life you’ve made peace with.

When you’re with Jade, you’re made the first and last choice. The only choice.

“Jade, are you seeing this? It’s so pretty! You’re—” you turn and almost bump heads. He’s so close and— “glowing…”

“My, my. Is that a bona fide compliment?”

“No. I’m serious. You’re glowing!”

He’s something of an angler with his mesmerizing markings. The patterns on his body are bright with a shocking luminosity, so radiant that you lose all interest in the jellyfish. You’re transfixed by him, and it’s purely instinct when you seize his hands to inspect them. He shrinks away, diffident.

“Ah. So it would seem… Forgive me for outshining the jellyfish.”

Your brows furrow. “You’re being weird.” Releasing him, you orbit him like he’s the sun and you’re a spellbound planet. He continues to pack himself into something small. “Are you not supposed to glow?”

“This is a perfectly normal facet of moray mer behavior.”

“So then what’s up? You’re avoiding me.” It hits you then, and a wide grin cuts into your cheeks. “Are you…embarrassed?”

Jade flushes up to his fins. You didn’t think it was possible, but the intensity at which he glows increases. “I fear I may have underestimated my own biology.”

“This is new! Jade Leech acting shy? I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

He forces a hollow chuckle. “I suppose it was inevitable.”

“What was?”

“This is the culmination of any mer’s attraction.”

Your heart stumbles in your chest. “Wait. Is this—does this mean you…”

“When mers wish to mate or attract a mate, they… Well, to be forthright, we glow. Floyd and I are bioluminescent by nature, but this glow is different. Ah, but that much is now apparent…”

You stare at him in all of his coruscating glory. “You want to mate with…me?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Oh, you’re serious,” you murmur, breathless. Hesitantly, you approach him. “Then can I—may I take a closer look?”

“Please do as you see fit. Body language can’t possibly get any more candid than this now, can it?”

You giggle. “Seems pretty treacherous, too.”

“To think biological imperative would be my undoing…”

Your hand splays across his bicep, tracing the luminous bands wrapped around it. He really is a magnificent merman.

One more game, you promise yourself, restraint as thin as Jade’s lukewarm lies, and we’ll never play again.

“I like it. This is the most honest you’ve ever been with me.”

“Charming, is it not?”

“Very.”

He gathers you in his arms, and you mold yourself to him like you’ve done so many times in the past. You’re taken to the seafloor next, lowered onto the sand amidst wavering seagrass while he presses his pelvis to yours. You scrabble for a handhold on his broad shoulders, arching up into him when he rocks his hips. His tail winds around yours, and he anchors himself to you at the bottom of the sea. Above you, jellyfish swarm. Bulbous and bright, they backdrop Jade like a velvety void of stars and provide enough spotlight for you to see every inch of him. Although with just how much he shines, you wouldn’t even need the jellyfish.

If anything, they just make this tryst even more quixotic than it already is.

“After this—”

You start to speak, but you’re soon silenced when he fits his lips against yours, viciously venereal. Jade’s tongue slips past your parted lips, tangling around yours in a kiss that lasts far too long. Without the need for oxygen, neither of you separates. You throw your arms around him and kiss like you’re starved. Bubbles rise from your joined mouths, produced between gasps and groans. His teeth click against yours, and after minutes of canoodling you finally manage to yank yourself away.

Jade surges forward for another kiss, but you block him with your hand. “H-Hold on…”

“Is everything all right?”

“What will we be after this?”

“What would you like to be?”

You grab his face in both hands and hold him still. Your thumbs brush the markings stamped into his cheekbones. Jade trills at your touch, gills fluttering. A tiny heartbeat thrums beneath your fingertips.

“I… I’m not sure. Is it worth it to label our—this? Whatever this is?”

“Our mess. How does that sound?” His hand covers yours, pulling it away to hold it. “An exclusive dalliance between two.”

Friends with benefits, you think, every sense delirious. Desire feels hotter and heavier than it’s ever been, a puissant swirling in your stomach. You wonder if the potion altered your brain chemistry in some way—temporarily rewired your human instincts to suit that of a mer’s. That’s way too dangerous.

“And you’ll be yourself. You’ll be Jade, right?”

“I wouldn’t be anyone else, my dearest.”

“Let’s not go too far,” you warn, laughing. “Thin ice.”

“Is ‘my dearest’ not to your liking?” He leans in to bestow a chaste kiss to your throat, nuzzling the area right at the juncture between shoulder and neck. “I find it most fitting.”

“It’s…not the worst thing someone’s called me.”

He draws away, his eyes narrowed. “Not the worst? Others call you by delightful endearments?”

“Hmm? Jealous you’re not first?”

“Quite.” A scary smile curves his lips up. “So I’ll resolve to be the first by ridding myself of those inconsequential barnacles who think it wise to stick to you.”

“Wooow. How fearsome. But I’m just kidding. No one’s called me anything like that before…”

“So I’m the first?” he asks, proudly puffing his chest out.

“Yeah, yeah. Gloat all you want.”

“Gloat I shall. It’s tremendously gratifying to be your first.” Unlike his usual smiles, this one is pure and jubilant. There are no secrets concealed within, nor does he hide his teeth. “How fortunate I am to be here with you. To have met you. To bask in you…”

His eyes flutter shut as he grinds against you with more force, and you hiss out a soft moan when his slit, sticky with slick, slides against yours. Jade sighs, digging his claws into the sand to ground himself above you, and slips into a slow, gentle pace. You study his contorting features as he rubs himself against you, his brows furrowing and mouth dropping open in a tiny ‘o’ shape.

“You’re so sensitive,” you remark, toying with his quivering gills. Your fingers dip inwards to feel the spongy filaments, and he shudders through a low whine.

“Ah, yes… Mm, I suppose…I am.” His yellow eye is alight with lust when he cracks it open to peer at you. “I confess I’ve wanted this for a while.”

You shouldn’t push it any further than you already have, for you know the dangers that accompany the truth. You shouldn’t instill false hope in Jade when he’s already so hopeful, and you definitely shouldn’t play his game when you’re very aware of what waits for you at the end.

You shouldn’t, but you do.

“I can tell. I’ve only touched you here, but you’re already unraveling.”

“Then allow me to return the favor.”

You squeal when his claws drag along your gills, his touch careful despite his intentions. When he looks at you next, it’s as if he’s readying himself to devour you. He curls his fingers like an expert and you writhe beneath him, your lips parting in muted moans. Flustered, you attempt a glare, but it falls short.

“Now we’re a rightful match.”

You giggle between gasps. “Not fair… I don’t know mer anatomy like you do!”

“Would you like an experiential lesson?”

“Is that what we’re going to call this?”

“We could…” Jade moves based on vehement instinct, his hips colliding with yours. You throw your head back when his slit brushes against yours once more. It’s soft and squishy, entirely hairless. “If it were up to me, I’d prefer something far less technical.”

“Coitus isn’t doing it for you?”

He laughs. “I want to become a pair, if only for today, and make love to you.”

“‘Make love’ sounds a little…”

Jade searches your face for the underlying meaning in unspoken words. You try to hold eye contact, but your gaze wanders to the jellyfish above. His sigh draws your attention. “I understand. Making love would imply a romance that has not yet come to fruition.”

Even now, I’m trying to run away, you realize. What am I so afraid of?

Should you yield to his wishes? Should you be impetuous and play another dangerous game? You’ve agonized over similar questions before, weighing right and wrong on your internal scale, and the answer has always remained the same: You shouldn’t, no matter how tempting it may be. Because to play these games, you must be willing to tango with trouble.

I’m the worst at making good decisions and the best at making bad decisions. I really should work on flipping those…

“Just for today,” you concede with a grumble, “we’ll become a pair.”

Whether or not you come to regret it, playing pretend has always been your and Jade’s favorite pastime. That will never change.

“My, my. Aren’t you impressionable?” he jests with a coprophagous grin.

“Just shut up and kiss me, you stupid, asshole eel.”

And he does just that, capturing your lips in a tender kiss that’s all twisting tongues. You melt alongside him like sorbet in the sun, your tails braiding as one. There’s catharsis in crawling out of your head to focus on the present, where it’s just you and Jade in this silent sea of jellyfish. You push rationality and sorrow aside, favoring carnal delights instead, and entangle yourself in another tantalizing tryst. You kiss and bite in equal measure, digging your claws into his shoulders while he marks you, just as ferociously proprietorial.

Your lips are bitten puffy in the aftermath; you taste blood in your mouth, so you lick your lips clean of the substance. You bring him down to bite into his neck, hoping to match your bite with the ones he’s previously left on you, but he stops you.

“Dangerous,” he rasps, rolling his hips until something foreign sprouts between your bodies, the tip prodding at your own slit. You gasp and arch towards him. “Our blood is—mm—it’s not safe…for consumption.”

“Really?” you ask, not believing him for a second.

“Truly. Would I lie about that?”

“Coming from you, yes, you absolutely would.”

“I’m being truthful this time.” You roll your eyes at this time, and he elaborates: “Our blood is harmful to many mammals, especially humans. The tiniest amount could kill you. Even if your teeth may not be sharp enough to pierce my skin and you’re currently a mer, I wouldn’t want to risk it.

“Thought you would.” He raises an eyebrow, so you add, “You love risk.”

“Not if said risk involves endangering you. I care about you, (Name).”

You gaze sidelong at the sprawling seafloor. “R-Right…”

“If you were to ingest even a fraction of my blood, you’d suffer dreadful muscle cramps. I’m certain you value your life to some degree, yes? A bound heart would be most painful. Besides, I’m more fond of the risk with long-term consequences. Risks you neglect to see coming are intoxicating.”

“Yeah, that sounds more like you.” You giggle and run your fingers through his hair. He leans into your touch, rumbling with amusement. “So what are these ‘long-term consequences’ you love so much?”

In reply, he simply smiles.

“You look so creepy!”

You give his hair a punishing tug. That thing that had been poking you earlier—it wriggles free from the slit that once confined it. Jade lifts himself off of you so that you can view it. Thick and tapered, lined with an odd set of nubs, his cock is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. You react on impulse, curiously wrapping your webbed hand around it. It twitches at the contact, curling into your palm as if seeking a fleshy embrace. You startle, eyes blown wide.

Jade sucks in a sharp breath, his jaw clenched tight. “Well, what do you think?”

“It’s…different. A good type of different!” You stroke him and watch the unique appendage squirm. “So this is it… Interesting. I never would’ve imagined this is what it looks like. And it moves as if it’s got a mind of its own!”

“Haa… I’m pleased to have shocked you.”

“You always do. Now what other tricks do you have in store?”

“Plenty. That I can assure you.”

You wonder if you should fear the implications of the plenty he’s mentioned, but those worries are knocked out of your head when he lowers himself on top of you. His cock slides against your slit. Your heart pumps into overdrive as you anticipate it, your body burning with a new sort of itch. Jade traces two fingers along your lips before spreading them in a slow, deep thrust. You thrash and buck up towards his hand.

“Don’t drag this out… Please, Jade, I want it—”

“How badly?”

You groan. “I hate you. I’m not going to say it.”

“Then you won’t receive it.”

“Please? What happened to friendly favors?”

“That doesn’t apply here.” His smile is so serrated it could slice you. “So I’ll ask once more—how badly do you want it?”

You mumble a desultory reply.

“You’ll have to speak up, my dearest.”

“I want it more than anything.”

“More than what?”

You shoot him a scary scowl. “I’m not saying it.”

“I can wait.” For the sake of being himself, he adds a third finger. It’s not enough, and every digit rests still and shallow inside. You cry out in displeasure. “More than whom, (Name)?”

“You’re so mean! I won’t say it!”

“C’mon, Shrimpy. You can do it…” Your walls flutter around him, and he whistles and withdraws his fingers. “Attagirl. Now say it and I’ll give it to ya.”

I’m going to kill him.

You have more energy to resist, but you’re too impatient to play the long game. So you fall victim to the act just as you have in the past. “Fine! Okay! I want it more than Floyd! I want you more than him. I… I want you inside me. You, Jade. Not Floyd.” With a huff, you add, “There. I said it. Does that satisfy you?”

“Oh, very much so.”

He thumbs at your hips, adjusting himself only slightly so that the tip of his cock is kissing your slit. You pull his ear fins in admonishment.

“Asshole eel.”

“Gorgeous grouper. The prettiest lady I’ve ever seen, even in obscenity,” he murmurs, opening his mouth at you.

Comprehending the message, you gape right back.

Unlike your original body, your mer form doesn’t require much preparation. It’s an odd thing, but when your gummy walls swallow more and more of that peculiar cock as it’s eased in you begin to think you were designed for sex. This form possesses the impossible flexibility you lack as a human, your slit suited to take the monstrosity that is his member even without the foreplay. You steal glances between your joined bodies and Jade’s face as it shifts through the stages of pleasure. He almost collapses on top of you once he’s fully sheathed inside, his grip on you so tight that his claws cut into your skin. The sting is but a whisper amidst the sheer fullness settled within your stomach.

“You—” he bows his head, groaning lowly— “truly are a dream…”

You throw your head back, whining when he hits a certain spot bundled within. You’d marvel at his ability to reach those areas if you weren’t already so overwhelmed with ardor. His movements are sloppy while he pursues the proper pace, filling you like it’s second nature. All you can do is hold on to his shoulders and revel in the sensations of this new body. When his hips connect with yours, it’s as if puzzle pieces click together. As if the two of you were made for this moment and every other one that’s come before it, a perfect combination reaction. As if, rather than Floyd, it was Jade who was meant to fill the cavern in your heart all along.

A dream…

It’s not just your presence that’s comparable to a dream. It’s the situation and the scenery—the players and their motivations who make the dream come alive, even if it’s built on physical attraction and lies. You wouldn’t call yourself an actor, for an actor is able to separate themself from their role, and you wouldn’t view Jade in that way either. You can’t. Not when he’s above you, every bodily, emotional truth on full display.

You’re just yourself, as you’ve always been, and Jade is Jade. There aren’t any roles to act out here at the bottom of the sea. No need for either of you to pretend to be people you’re not. No need for the phony Floyd to play a parody of a love that will never come to florescence.

If you keep saying such heartfelt things, I’ll fall.

You pull Jade down into another hungry kiss, to which he reciprocates with the same ravenous energy. The both of you gasp into the other’s mouth, desperate to reach orgasmic bliss way up in the troposphere. It didn’t seem so in the beginning, but now, when he fucks into you like this is his last day on Earth, it feels right. You’ve never viewed Jade in rose tint. In fact, he was so insignificant in your life that you failed to comprehend his very existence. Your sight often narrowed to encapsulate Floyd, exiling everyone else to your peripheral, and he became less of Jade Leech—his own person with unique hobbies and talents—and more of Floyd’s twin—the body double who could pass as Floyd if you looked at him from the wrong angle.

But now that same Jade Leech, the one you’d thought so little of before, is making love to you beneath a blanket of jellyfish.

Winding yourself around him, you hold firm to keep him pinned on top of you. “Please don’t stop! Please keep go—oh—going,” you plead, eyes rolling back when he does just that.

“As you wish,” he manages through grunts. “I won’t stop until you’ve had your fill—until all you can think of is me.”

“If that’s the c-case—” you dig your fingers into his back— “you—haa—will have to try harder.”

“Oh? And yet you were so easily satisfied when I was Floyd,” he teases, grabbing your hips and driving himself home in deep, riotous strokes. You tamp down a bawdy moan. “Am I not enough?”

“Not that. Different… It’s different when you’re—oh!” Your weak glare is directed at the jellyfish rather than Jade when he nips at your shoulder. Bolts of pleasure shiver through you when he sinks his teeth in to suck a vicious bruise into your skin. “You’re such a cheat.”

And so annoying. Just like that time in the botanical garden.

“But you’re thinking of me, are you not?”

Your eyes snap back to his. “Not true.”

“I’m flattered.”

“W-Whatever! It’s just beginner’s luck.”

“I’d wager you’ve thought of me before.”

“Only when it’s inconvenient.” You huff, but even that sound is swiftly replaced with another filthy moan when he bites into the spot just above your breast. “Not my fault you look like Floyd.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason,” he mutters into your skin, hips stalling out into something slow and steady.

Now you’re vexed, your pleasure withering at the lack of stimulation. “What does it matter?”

“Because I love—”

You pull him away from your collarbone to silence him with a kiss. He blinks at you in the aftermath, mystified.

“I know.” Strangely, the admission doesn’t unsettle you as much as you thought it would. “Your body told me.”

Plenty of times, in fact.

“You needn’t respond,” he mumbles, cradling your cheek in a fond hold. Sadness swells in his eyes, and your mushy heart skips a beat. “I’m well aware of how deep-rooted your affections for Floyd are.”

They’re subject to change, you almost say, but it sticks in your throat. Can they change? Is that possible?

“I… I’ve always kinda known, Jade.”

“Have you now?”

“You weren’t very covert with it.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.” His lips ghost over yours in an almost-kiss. “I have no reason to hide my feelings. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

You run your fingers over his gills, engrossed in his glimmer. “Why? I thought… I mean, isn’t hiding stuff your thing?”

He heaves a shuddering sigh at your titillating touches. “Loving in silence is far too suffocating for a moray.”

“I see…”

And you do. You see it in the way he holds you, the way he kisses you, the way he speaks to you. The way he looks at you, the way he cooks for you, the way he acts around you. From the moment you shook hands on a crazy deal, you were wrapped up in love. It was never about food critique or entertainment; those were secondary to the truth. Jade agreed to help because he loves you. Jade stifled himself—snuffed all of the pieces that comprise Jade—in order to be Floyd because he loves you. Jade spent hours learning new recipes he thought you’d like because he loves you. Jade is an ever-present force in your life no matter how often you shove him to the side because he loves you.

Everything he does—everything he is right now—stems from the love he feels for you.

You’ve always loved others, your heart much too big for its own good, so it’s new to feel that same amount of love reflected tenfold. Tears spot your lash line. Jade coos at you in a musical mix of foreign syllables and sounds. Mermish, you suspect.

“‘You’re beautiful in saltwater,’” he translates. “It’s a double entendre we say here, meaning you’re beautiful when you’re under the sea and when you’re crying. It comes from the two interpretations of saltwater.”

As if you couldn’t cry harder, you do.

“S-Stupid,” you whisper through your sniffles. “How can I not think of you when you say something like that?”

Jade rests his forehead against yours, smiling sincerely. “These are my feelings. You needn’t accept them, but I would be happy if you could acknowledge them.”

“I do. I hear you.”

“Thank you.”

I should be thanking you, dummy.

He kisses you again, and unspoken words melt away into body language. Jade makes love to you like you might break at the slightest thrust, his hips molding to yours in a lazy, loving tempo. It’s comforting and calm to feel his weight on yours, a reminder that he is your beacon amidst all of this desolation and darkness. Insatiable, you and Jade wind around each other like snakes, moaning into each other’s mouths at every opportunity. You’ve never felt more weightless, so much so you’re floating. In this underwater paradise, time is nonexistent and your turbulent thoughts are carried away on the waves.

With his ministrations, the fiery ache in your belly sparks with new life. Your glutinous walls clamp down, which draws a pleasured hiss from Jade, and you breach that special, orgasmic surface with a cry. It’s soon swallowed in another greedy kiss, and all you can do is blindly pursue his tongue, your eyes squeezed shut. The throes of pleasure overtake you even as he continues to fuck you through it, unwilling to let up for even a moment.

It’s perfect—a puzzle finally pieced together.

Jade reaches his zenith shortly after you, his hips crashing against yours in one final thrust to fill you with cum. It’s unlike human sperm, thin and watery, but there’s so much of it. You consider asking for the biology lecture, but you’re so caught up in cloud nine that it’s a chore to work your heavy tongue.

Next time I’ll ask.

Jade—cool and collected Jade—flops on top of you afterwards, completely drained. His cock twitches limply inside of you, but he’s too exhausted to slide out. Not that you’re complaining. The connection is much appreciated.

“Sex is…not very messy in the sea,” you mumble, reaching to pat his head. He hums beneath your palm. “I guess it makes sense because these bodies don’t sweat.”

“Mm.”

“And there’s water everywhere, so fluids won’t last long either.”

“Mm.”

“Huh…”

“Mm.”

You run your fingers through his hair, watching in awe as the strands waver in the water. “Are you okay, Jade?”

“Yes… Yes, I’m fine now.” He lifts his head slightly to look at you. “My apologies. I…may have gotten lost in the moment.”

“It’s fine.” You issue him a hazy smile. “So this is what Jade’s like post-nut. Cute.”

“Please,” he murmurs, giggling deliriously. “I can assure you I’m normally much cooler. More coherent, too.”

“I never said this side of you wasn’t cool.”

“No, you did not.” His hand covers yours, squeezing faintly. “Thank you, truly, for everything.”

“Jade, I—” You hesitate, gather your words, and continue: “I want to be the one to thank you for everything. You didn’t have to put up with me for this long. You still shouldn’t have to, but you do. So… So thank you. I’m happy to have you in my life.”

“I am forever fortunate to have crossed paths with you.” His fingers curl around yours and he brings your hand up to his lips. “And I will continue to feel so for the rest of my life. There’s no need to offer your gratitude. Being here with you is more than enough.”

“Ooh, so romantic. Everything you say is so…princely. Are you secretly fairy-tale royalty?”

“Would you like to meet my father and find out?”

“Ugh. Forget I said anything. You’re so two-faced.” You tear your hand out of his clasp.

Jade chuckles. “It wouldn’t be a very long swim. My mother will adore you.”

“You’re shameless. We still have to collect the rest of the stuff for Azul.”

“He’ll live.”

“I’ll be indebted to him.”

“And then I’ll get to see you more often.” Jade pets the bloody bites littering your skin with overt adoration. “What wonderful luck, no?”

“You’re seriously the worst!”

“You don’t mean that.”

He’s right; you don’t.

You’re not perturbed by the signs, or lack thereof.

Firstly, your period is notorious for being late. Secondly, you haven’t felt a sliver of sickness ever since Jack offhandedly remarked that you smelled different. When asked to explicate, he told you in that gruff voice of his: “Sweeter. Not like your perfumes. This is a natural sweetness.”

You were wearing your favorite fragrance at the time, so when you sniffed your wrist and turned up with a noseful of Date Night you figured Jack must have mistaken the two. Surely a wolf beastman can have a faulty nose. It can’t be correct all the time, right? Even now, after listening to similar remarks from friends and acquaintances alike, you’re convinced a mistake has been made.

After all, nothing’s changed.

Today, however, it’s Azul who wrinkles his nose at you when you walk past him in the lounge. The busy atmosphere requires his presence, hence why he’s joining you on the floor. He’d be a welcome appearance, if not for his bizarre reaction.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says with another snuffle.

You narrow your eyes. “Don’t tell me I smell weird, too. That’s all I’ve been hearing lately.”

“Surely someone’s told you.” He folds his arms across his chest. “If not my distracted customers, I would hope one of your friends has clued you in by now.”

“I’m not distracting them on purpose, Azul. But, really, you ought to be happy. It’s bringing in more money. Lots of tips.” You gesture to yourself with your free hand; the other is occupied with a tray full of plates. “Aren’t I doing you a favor?”

He hums, fixing his eyes on the clustered crowd. Jade and Floyd make their rounds, as do the rest of the lounge staff. “And you’ve been feeling well? No illness or discomfort of any sort? Any unusual symptoms?”

“What does my smell have to do with any of that?”

Azul offers you a pleasant simper. “For the right price, I may be able to speculate.”

“Nice try. Like I’d fall for that.”

You pivot on your heel and head for your designated table, hips sashaying all the way. For a while you were paranoid that you smelled foul and that your perfumes couldn’t mask it, but when you asked Ace and Deuce they couldn’t pinpoint the issue either. It was then when Ace joked that your uniform seemed a size too tight, and your concerns evaporated all at once—as did Ace’s comment when you and Deuce chased him through the halls to wring an apology out of him.

Grim doesn’t agree with their assessment, but then you can never tell if he’s being serious when he grumbles about your smell or how you’re like a human furnace now. Winter is approaching; of course you’ve started to bundle up to accommodate for the chilly weather. But Grim insists this is different. Agree to disagree, you compromised and left it at that. Jade had been your last resort, who weighed in with a smile and some cryptic nonsense about ‘delightful consequences’—whatever that meant. Consulting him was a fruitless effort, as he proved to be about as much help as the rest of the school.

Azul doesn’t know what he’s talking about, you think as you serve the table of students. I’ve never felt better.

Just as you think that, though, your body chooses to ridicule you. When you step away from the table, fatigue washes over you and you stumble on unsteady legs. You brace yourself for the floor’s cruel kiss, but the impact from the collapse never comes. Strong arms wrap around you from behind, lifting you upright, and then you hear him. Your star.

“Whoa! Careful there, Shrimpy. Don’t go fallin’ on us.”

“F-Floyd!” You stare up at him from where you remain slumped in his grasp. The world spins and presents you with three Floyds. You blink them away until there’s one, and by the Great Seven is he handsome in his uniform. “Thanks for catching me…”

“Don’t mention it.” He helps you to your feet, patting you down for extra measure. “All good?”

“Yeah… Yeah, totally. Sorry. I don’t know what happened. One minute I was fine, and the next I was so exhausted I couldn’t walk straight.”

“You get enough sleep?”

“I could do better, but I had to pull an all-nighter. Maybe I’m not eating enough? But then Ace said my uniform looked tight… Do you think I’m coming down with something? But I haven’t felt sick either. Just hungry. Seriously… What’s going on with my body?”

Floyd looks through you rather than at you, his face scrunched in contemplation. He leans closer, sniffs you once, and then pinches you through your shirt. You flinch.

“H-Hey! What was that for?”

His mouth spreads in an obnoxiously smug grin—the sort that tells you he’s worked out the solution to a mystery you’ve yet to recognize. “Just testin’ something. You’re smellin’ more like Jade these days. Mama’ll be happy knowin’ he’s got himself a li’l lady friend.”

You bristle, warming under his knowing gaze. Of course Jade’s scent is fresh on your clothes. Prior to your shift, the two of you rendezvoused for a quick round of kissing and bickering over the title for your mutualistic relations. It’s not love. It’s convenience. You fool yourself with this lie because part of you is still so hung up on Floyd. Though your affections have dimmed considerably since that day in the Coral Sea, you still catch yourself fantasizing about him and the future you could share. Although, after everything that’s happened with Jade, you’re not sure where your heart lies.

Jade is not the other half to your pair, but neither is Floyd.

But Jade is always around and he likes you; Floyd does not. And sometimes you think Jade will make it official—that he’ll confess again and you’ll echo the sentiment this time because you have nothing to lose and you’re always waltzing on the border between love and lust. You await that day with hopeful horror.

Everything has changed even if it doesn’t feel like it.

“I am not his lady friend. Not like that.”

“Sure you aren’t. And I’m not a moray.”

“I’m serious!”

“Course you are. I just don’t believe ya.”

“You—” Scowling, you move to swat at him, but the noisy growl of your stomach stops you in your tracks. “Y-You didn’t hear that!”

“Guess it’s better bein’ hungry than sick. Surprised you can even keep anything down.”

“What are you talking about? That makes no sense.”

Floyd shrugs. “Nothin’. Just sayin’ it’s damn good luck is all. These sorta things make humans suuuper sick.”

“Okay… Cool. Thanks for the input?”

Floyd snatches your fedora, indicating he’s ready for a chase and that this conversation has ended. “Hee-hee. You’ll figure it out soon.”

“Wha—hey! Get back here! I wanna know right now!”

Like a brainwashed fool, you pursue because he’s still your star—the eel you’ve idolized ever since you met him. Those feelings are impossible to squash, but it doesn’t matter. Floyd isn’t bothered, and perhaps that’s for the best. His nonchalance allows the two of you to remain friends even in the wake of your confession.

Nothing has changed between you and him.

Looking on with mounting interest, Azul pulls a very proud-looking Jade aside. “You seem pleased.”

“As a peach.”

“Am I right to assume you have a contingency plan written up?”

“And for what contingency must I plan?”

Azul scoffs at his deliberate pussyfooting. “You tell me. Your intentions evade me at present.”

“Is that so? And I thought I made them perfectly clear all those months ago.”

“You did, yes, but I fail to understand how any of this benefits you if she’s still so enamored with Floyd. Do you intend to make a marriage out of this noncommittal not-romance?”

“Azul, you jest. I’m not someone who plays for second place or consolation prizes. Of course I’ll marry (Name). She won’t have a choice.”

“You’re not even romantically involved.”

“Not by human standards.”

“No, I suppose not.” Azul watches as you, oblivious and secretly enceinte, follow Floyd to the kitchen to retrieve another set of finished orders. “A child is a commitment in more ways than one.”

“As are twins.”

He doesn’t shudder at the sight of Jade’s razored smirk, but he does raise an inquiring brow. “What makes you think that?”

“Moray eel intuition.”

“Hah. I see. (Name) won’t be very thrilled.”

“Perhaps not. But we’ll be here to help, won’t we?”

The two exchange a devious glance. Azul snickers. “Oh, but of course. I am nothing if not a compassionate, benevolent soul.”

“Your generosity parallels that of the great Sea Witch,” Jade agrees, a hand held over his heart.

“It was reckless, but I must admit I’m impressed.”

“Why, thank you. I do so enjoy playing dangerous games. The risks are profoundly metamorphic, but the rewards make it worth my while.” His two-toned eyes track your figure as you flit about the lounge with Floyd. “I’ll do whatever it takes. If I must play Floyd for the day, so be it. If I must swallow her in my shadow so that no one else dares to look for her light, so be it. These are the lengths I’m willing to go to for her. She is my everything. My dearest. My moon.” Jade glances at Azul, a manic grin darkening his features. “And rather than confine myself to the role of a single star seeking her approval, I’ll become her universe. Then there will be no need to compete with other stars, for I will be the only one she’ll ever see in this starless solar system.”

“What a frightening face… You and (Name) really are a match made in madness.”

“Aren’t we just?”

[tuliptic]

Let Me Describe Your Aura

Hello, I'm back again. I have this in my drafts for a very, very long time (since last year), and I have finally completed it. This was meant to be a short reading for Instagram, but well, it ended up longer than what I expected. Tho I posted it there, you can still read it here. Honestly speaking, this reading ended up quite different from what I've expected and I don't really know what I was hoping to get from this. Maybe colours? And vibes? No idea. But still, I hope you all enjoy the reading.

As usual, close your eyes, breathe in and out, make sure your mind and heart is calm. Then, open your eyes to see which pile talks to you the most/draws you in the most. Once you’ve found your pile, scroll down to the respective parts to see what are the messages for you.

Pile 1    -     Pile 2

Pile 3    -     Pile 4

Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever that you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. That aside, I do not consent to my work or here to be used by third parties on this platform or other websites.

Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck  (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck.

Pile 1:

For some reason, it gives me a very Uranus vibe? It’s like you’re a person who’s constantly on board with change as you constantly get involved in almost everything possible. You also give me the feeling that you’re… Not satisfied. You are not satisfied with a lot of things, especially with finances. Imagine the hierarchy of needs. Every time you fulfill one of them, you constantly seek to fulfill the other level.  You’re constantly pushing yourself to achieve better and achieve more, but with this, you’re unable to have some form of balance and may have some conflicts with people you work with. I wouldn’t really say it’s insecurity, but there’s some form of fear and being “not enough” for others that I’m seeing here. Perhaps you come from a big family, and you feel that you have the responsibility to feed everyone and to answer to their needs as well as wants.  There’s an inner child in you that is trying to nurture yourself despite all the rush that you’re putting yourself through, sending you messages so that you can take a break from time to time. You not only receive messages, but you also send them out as well. Some (or perhaps, most) of you may like writing memos or notes for your loved ones.

Tl;dr: Instead of saying aura, I would say that there’s this air of uncertainty that you bring with you. You wouldn’t be called a wildcard, because there’s still some elements of earth in you, aka a sense of stability. But still, many may wonder how to approach you without feeling threatened, I guess. For some of you, you may also have an air of authority, or maybe an RBF, hence the fear towards you too.

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Pile 2:

For some reason, the first thing I’m picking up here is that you like to present yourself as mysterious? However, there is some secrecy involved here that I’m seeing, and you may be good at redirecting conversations or attention to other people. Butterfly effect as well? It’s like you’re fluttering away and not caring about what you’ve done or what are the actions they’ll take.  You have swords and court cards here, and I’m feeling that you’re that person, providing mental insight and stimulation to people around you. Just that there may be some concerns with how you present yourself, how you word yourself, and how people can be easily offended by you. Honestly, I’d say that they’re more offended to you as a person instead of your words or what you do. It’s like… They’re threatened by your presence. Pile 1 makes people feel threatened by their nature, but for you, people are threatened by what you’re capable of bringing - an unwanted change. It’s like seeing you will remind them of what they’re lacking and how much comfort they’ll need to give up, and hence, you may feel like an outcast most of the time, feeling that you do not belong to anywhere.  Still, I’d say, people who are close to you, especially your friends will find comfort in you. You’re a good listener and will be able to provide valuable insights. They’ll be glad that you’re on their team with whatever project you’re working on. If you’re ever interested in working on a collab, do it. You’re meant for it. 

Tl;dr: For you, your aura would be swords-ish, sharp but clear. You know how a sharp and strong sword can be used as a mirror? Yeah that. That’s you, reflecting the fear of others. It’s difficult, but with time, I believe you’ll be able to work along with it.

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Pile 3:

Hmmmm. Harmonious, I’d say. That’s the first word I’m picking up. I kinda have an image of an orange cat sleeping in the sun, probably the warmth, coziness and fuzzy feeling that it gives. You may have heard your friends or people around you describing you as a fun or sunny person, or that you’re like the sun, bringing warmth to people around you. You may also have a lot of passion projects and most of them are incomplete as of current, the same goes with how your life is right now too. Remember to continue whatever efforts you’re putting in. The rewards will come at unexpected times. Another thing I’m picking up is that you like to go along with the flow. Good things happen? Great! Not so nice things happening? Aww sheesh better luck next time. Kinda feeling. Or perhaps, this is what you portray yourself as. I’m getting a weight on my chest eventho there are happy cards. Probably it’s because you put up that mask so that people around you won’t see the pain you’re in.  Vulnerability sounds like a theme that you’ll need to explore, understand, and wield. It sounds difficult and probably painful, but it is needed for you to be able to understand the various facets of life. You’re very perceptive, or perhaps, you have a gift in it. But then, to be able to utilize that skill of yours, you’ll need to expand your knowledge base, experience the various emotions, look into all the tiny things that life has for you. 

Tl;dr: Some may say that you’re a person of culture but you know you’re far from that. Still, people generally like you with how amiable you are, and how you put an effort to make people around you comfortable. However, people will not cross you because you have respect for yourself too. There may be some similarities to Pile 1 with the earthy energy here, so you may check out Pile 1 if you’re drawn to it as well, especially if you have Saturn energy.

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Pile 4: 

A Chinese idiom came to my mind when I see this pile: 与世无争. It means there’s no quarrel or argument with the society, but it generally means a way of avoiding conflict in a passive way. As though you want nothing to do with the current world. Not sure if it’s correct to say that you’re disappointed with the society but there’s some apathy in here, not having much hope with the people you’ve seen. With this, you may have decided to keep yourself closed from the people around you. Not to use strong words, but you may detest the world and build a utopia in your head, imagining a world that is ideal to you and the rules you live with. Majority of the cards here are in reverse, which explains the dejection and dissatisfaction I’m feeling here. I am having problems in describing this pile and it’s making me scratch on my keyboard because of how I’m unable to phrase words. Still, despite all of that, you’re a very capable individual, especially with the King and Queens in your reading. You may have more feminine energy or may present yourself in a more feminine way than others, tho there’s a chance of you rejecting it. People may come to you for help and advice not only because they trust you, but also your words are able to assure them that things will be alright. You have quite a lot of resources on your hands, may it be finances/monetary resources, knowledge, or even network/connections, and you use them according to your needs and values. There may be some… Unconventional skills that you have. I’m not sure what they are, but it’s up to you to figure out how you want to put them to good use.

Tl;dr: This pile is the most difficult pile for me to write as the energy is all around the place yet focused at the same time. It’s very conflicting and confusing, which may be the aura that you exude. There is no clear definition of good or bad in this reading, but more of what you want yourself to be and how you’re going to work on it. 

[flordeamatista]

THE DEVIL

pairing: dbf!andy barber x reader

concept: The lure of temptation, seduction, and lust he offered filled your head ecstatically.

word count: 1k

warnings: sex tape + corruption kink + pussy slapping, nicknames: (Angel)

a/n: The devil card depicts intense sexual desire and physical attraction.The Devil is the gateway into the future kinks.

THE WITCHING HOUR ──── KINKTOBER'23

masterlist

The lure of temptation, seduction, and lust he offered filled your head ecstatically.

Your wings were scattered at your feet as you stood rigidly in his home office.

His radiant blue eyes met yours with a languid gaze, making you feel heat prickling beneath your skin. He swept his eyes up and down your body, and his hands slowly moved over your curves. “I wonder if your parents are looking for you,” lifting you onto his lap with one arm while the other braces against your chest.

A hand slapped your pussy as it dug through your naked form, exploring every inch of it.

"The party gets drunk downstairs, but my touch will make your pussy drunk here." When your head fell back against him, his hot breath heated up in your ear. He grinned into your neck while biting your skin. “So desperate to be touched, aren’t you?”

You closed your eyes and wondered if it was all a dream or if reality had tricked you. The Halloween party had already begun earlier that evening, and you’re almost naked on his lap, wearing only your angelic halo. 

Your body vibrates in anticipation as you sit on the devil’s lap, with your once pure angel wings lying on the ground.

An inferno looms to consume you whole when the spark within you ignites.

Your heart surrenders to his touch, allowing yourself to be influenced by the promise of pleasure and the unknown.

There is an electrifying quality of being around him, but it is also terrifying; you know it is dangerous territory, but you can’t help feeling drawn in by his dark charisma. His midnight blue eyes promise a night of sensuality and debauchery beyond your wildest dreams.

You’re helpless as he whispers softly and tastefully, and you’re beckoned into the unknown by his sinful dirge. 

A tingling sensation runs down your spine when you catch sight of his gaze.

There is something dangerous about your attraction to him, and what will happen if you comply with him?

While you appear angelic, his aura is testing you into darkness.

A knowing smirk curls his lips as he stares at you as if he knows exactly who you are and what you want.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and swiped it until the camera was on.

His right hand was poised over the phone while his left touched your body. He spoke low and velvet-smooth, saying, “I want this recorded proof that even angels can moan for devils.” Taking your lips in a passionate kiss, he traced circles across your skin, generating sweltering heat.

With a smile, he roars like a devouring demon, and his firm contours blend perfectly with my angelic features.

When you both pulled apart, you saw his eyes blazing with desire. With each slap of his palm, a fire ignited within you, threatening to burn out of control.

“Show me how the devil can make pretty angels moan. Aren't you my pretty angel?.”

Deep, slow breaths push warmth into the air.

“You like that, don’t you?” His warm slaps glide across your clitoris, and he holds the phone close to your pussy.

As he taps your clit each time, pain and pleasure wash over you simultaneously. You need his fingers in your clit for him to release the orgasm and touch, so a slap does not suffice.

It feels like he might slip his fingers inside, but he slaps it away, leaving the breeze to cool the air.

In a warm embrace, his finger traces shapes around your pussy. A gentle tickle alternates with a firm slap that makes your hips jerk. Every time you shudder, you are slapped harder. 

You muffle a small moan against your palm as your body burns and your eyes tighten. 

His dark and menacing voice whispers in your ear. The phone moves closer to your face. You feel your body quiver as he punctuates the words with more intense pussy slaps. “Such a good angel.” 

There were no words between you as you walked forward and kissed the fiery.

Every step brought profound relief that swallowed light and sound.

The only force you could understand was a burning desire to be with him, but you could neither understand nor resist it.

There is no escaping the devil when the night is dark and your heart is led by him.

[circeyoru]

Love love love unwanted soul soo much. I really wonder, does the rest of the residents NEVER ask anything about reader and alastor's relationship?? Like even if they're scared of him and that he always insisted that they just have a normal boss-employee relationship, they're way too close. Mostly because reader has passed all of Al's personal space.

I think Husk would be the most suspicious about it, since he is one of the souls Al owns. And the way reader casually orders and asks Al to do lots of things. But Vaggie would be braver to confront Alastor. Maybe Charlie would probably also ask more, because she wants reader to participate more and Al to not give them too much work load even though they don't look tired at all. And more suspicion would arise because how does reader have connection to Lucifer as well??

Thank you for your love!!

Haha~ Curious about others' reaction huh? They asked. But I only did minor parts about their involvement because the focus was on the Reader/you and Alastor.

An ask similar to this one has been answered, but this is them knowing your relationship.

Everyone notice you being extremely close to Alastor, even when it's strictly labelled as boss and worker. They know it's not normal because you were too chill with Alastor and Alastor was too lenient to you as well.

They questioned and got suspicious of your sudden appearance. Even more when you had a connection with Lucifer. The King of Hell's former informant is working for Alastor? What's going on???

The only one to see you before your introduction was Husk. He saw you in the room Alastor claimed as extra, that room was already decorated like you lived there for a while. It was way too cozy. He is also the only one to see you directly ordering (asking) Alastor to do something and he went as told. He would have labeled you to be the one holding Alastor's leash, but you said Alastor was the one to bring you here. (technically it's not a lie) Then there was your weak aura and power levels. No way someone like you can bring down Alastor. When you had a former business relationship with Lucifer, he was pointing you to be the owner of Alastor's soul, even when it was unlikely.

Husk can read people like an open book, right? He can do the same to you and he knew you were a wild card, perhaps another worse case like Niffty's. But, he doesn't question it. Because if you were to feel threatened by Husk, Alastor would do something to him. It wasn't worth it.

Niffty doesn't question it at all. More demons in the hotel! That's it. A friend of Alastor's a friend of hers.

Angel also doesn't question it. Though he does mimick what you do to get Alastor to react the same. When it's different, he whines about it and makes a scene. Only for Alastor to say you have more leniency because you were his employee and he had his duty as employer to keep. That mostly shuts Angel up.

Vaggie is the one to voice out her concerns for your lack of presence to Alastor without fear. Demanding that you work out in the open and not behind closed doors. Mostly, you weren't there to hear this and heard it from Alastor. On the rare moments that you were, you'd say it's up to Alastor to assign you where you work and not her or Charlie. Alastor handles from there on out. He puts the employer and employee card on the table and always got Vaggie to back down. She can't do much when you didn't object to Alastor's words and nodded along. When Vaggie questions what Alastor does, you step in to tell Vaggie it wasn't her business, as long as it wasn't to harm or threaten the hotel and Charlie's dream. Last resort, Alastor (through your approval) threatens to leave the project and bringing along Husk and Niffty too.

Charlie is another one that's questioning too much. You were the newest member but you were barely around. Even though Alastor doesn't join and he's under no obligation to. You can join. I mean, Husk and Niffty joins too. One loophole though, you weren't like those two, you were to work under Alastor as his assistant of sorts. You weren't under Charlie's command. So she had no power over where you were stationed. You and Alastor used this little detail to your advantage. Charlie always bring up new ideas and excuses to get you to join them, but you were rare present and Alastor was a wall she can't overcome. Too perfect for the two of you.

The fact that you were that close with Alastor raises a lot of questions, and Alastor doing things for you? Even more questions and suspicion as well. But Alastor is capable of protecting you from prying eyes and nosy demons like this group. You staying in the hotel wasn't a must, but an interest. Anymore annoyance and you'll be gone. So will Alastor.

[this-is-a-name-dont-worry]

"Wait is that lore?" moments in Antoine's return stream

These ones are likely jokes, but (you can use it in your headcanons):

With Tubbo, explaining his absence by saying "I was dead, I think, but not anymore, I was tired of being dead"

"I couldn't explain to you, it's out of my understanding how I'm dressed. The human mind cannot comprehend how I'm dressed and so the human brain shows it that way, but it isn't exactly like that. It's not powerful, it's just weird"

"You know me well!" "Heh, I know you as if I made you!" *silence* (closest to maybe serious)

These ones are more serious:

He isn't romantically interested by Cucurucho, he just likes his ass (that totally a human is aro that's what I mean)

He really missed Pomme, he stopped coming because without her it wasn't interesting anymore (this one is just cute)

Very invested in knowing what happened to the eggs while they were away

Accidentally gave Pomme one of the books Ourson (I think it's this one?) gave him, immediately panicking when he realized. When Pomme asks what it was, he first tries to pretend not to understand, and is pretty serious when he tells her that it's nothing; he'll tell her about it one day, and it's his little secret garden, everyone should be allowed to have secrets, don't she think? she isn't against secrets, right?

Certain that the eggs went to some kind of other dimensions/got doubles?? I mean there was a theory inspired by Stranger Things but despite what Pomme is saying he's not letting go of the idea

After asking Pomme if she met dark Cucurucho and she talks about the Watcher: "Je crois pas qu'on parle de la même chose. Là tu me parles de l'oeil, et moi je pense que je te parle de quelque chose d'autre. Je pense que tu me parles du Watcher... là où moi je te parle d'autre chose." ("I think we're not talking about the same thing. Here you're talking about the eye, and me I think I'm talking about something else. I think you're talking about the Watcher... when me I talk about something else" again how does he know the name "Watcher".)

Knows that Maximus is dead, when all the other players seem to have decided to play the "don't know if he's alive or dead" card (bonus: Antoine and Pomme talking about telling Aypierre, and Pomme thinking she won't be able to find the right words "I don't think there are right words..." ok im sad now thanks). Since we're at it, when reading Pomme diary where she worries about Baghera and Antoine being dead, saying they can't be dead, he doesn't share that worry in the slightest, as if he knows Baghera's not dead (this one's dubious and I am very willing to put it as cc!Antoine not thinking rp)

He and Pomme are talking about what she remembers of the Watcher and honestly the whole conversation deserves to be clipped and transcribed. To go with him name dropping the Watcher, he is now only calling it the creature with one eye because that's how Pomme calls it

Pomme explains that the Watcher was observing her and Richas and there was a threatening aura to it, so they immediately fled. Antoine in a very serious voice "You were right to, you were right to, you were right to. Because I think it's this person who was at the origin of your disappearance."

[syeren]

BATTLE OF WITS.

Sampo is an easy guy, albeit, a con-artist but a real hunk of work. If something doesn’t catch his eye within a second or stimulate his brain for more than a minute… You can say bye-bye to trying to talk to him.

Majority of people view the picture on the vacation postcard of “not-giving-a-shit” and fall in love with the idea — swimming through the clear blue waters in this mental Mediterranean sea can be more deceiving than many think. It’s a one-way ticket to losing the most important skill in life, to feel concern. He for one, couldn’t care in the slightest. It all goes to show as to why he took up the very interesting and controversial means of work in the first place.

But once he stumbled across a person completely opposite to him, he couldn’t help but feel even more irritated. Of course, it was you, with your logical and reasonable thoughts and actions. Your morals were way higher on the scale than his, and he definitely could assume your IQ and EQ followed suit. He never felt so ridiculed and threatened by your demeanour because of this aura of “coolness” and “rationality.” That was the issue, he was always the smart one— or the lack thereof. If both your brains jostled within the ring, his would be pummelled to smithereens.

He wanted to brush off this problem as per usual, forcing himself to play the “unbothered” role because his ego couldn’t handle it anymore (ahh yes, the “be the bigger person” card.) But if this were a choice between mind over matter, the latter would reign dominant. He needs to showcase his true skills, it was his only “skill” anyway.

“Hey,” Sampo called out to you while you fumbled through your satchel. You gave him a quick eyebrow raise in response.

“What’s seven times eight?” he blurted out, standing directly in front with his arms crossed over his puffed chest. Yeesh.

You, on the other hand, gave him an indescribable expression that probably amounted to confusion, irritation, and most likely concern. “What?”

“C’moonn… I don’t have all day!”

Rolling your eyes, you continued to fish out some papers from your bookbag and grumbled the answer. “Fifty-six.”

“— Riddle me this. Imagine you’re in a tough situation where your pal is crying over their partner who was absolutely shit to them. Do you, A, comfort them, B, make fun of them, or C… Listen and give advice.”

Now it was completely indescribable about what you’re feeling or thinking. You slowly looked up to meet his eyes with a blank stare. You were judging him hard.

“… A with a mix of C.”

“No, only one answer!” he protested, wagging his finger in the air.

“Then A.”

He dropped his hand and returned to the same arm-crossed position. “This isn’t fun.”

“You think you’re not having fun? This feels like an interrogation, Sampo,” you playfully snapped, closing your book bag. “The fuck was that about?”

A mere shrug was all he responded with. “Just wanted to… Figure some things out,” he vaguely responded, to which, prompted your irritation even more.

“Sampo—“

“Okay, okay! Just heard from a little bird that you’ve got a head on your shoulders,” he replied in defence. “Wanted to see if it was true or not.”

“Of course I have a head on my shoulders,” you reiterated, shaking your head in disbelief. “What? You mean like, smarter?”

Sampo nodded his head. “Precisely.”

His answer made you immediately chuckle, letting out a breathy laugh. “Shouldn’t this little questionnaire prove the point? Such dumb questions.”

“Hey! They made you think though!” he argued. “Putting you on the spot and such.”

“… Easy questions like that won’t put anyone on the spot.”

Sampo inched even closer as he let out a prideful scoff, flipping his floppy bangs back with calloused fingers. “Fine. I’ll prepare something harder then—“

“Nope,” you interrupted.

“One thing’s for certain, you are one hell of a party pooper,” he stated dejectedly, rolling his eyes as he straightened his posture. “Natasha mentioned you were smart n’ all, but how is that any good if that pretty little head of yours is full of brash comments and half-assed sarcasm.”

“Since when were you and Natasha friends?” you deadpanned, the same sarcastic tone dripping from your lips.

“We always were! Hey! Don’t give me that face!” Sampo responded but as soon as he was speaking, your figure was slowly walking away from him. You lazily waved a hand in the air without turning around.

You, 1. Sampo, 0. Try harder next time, big guy.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Part 2 of Yandere Male Alice x White Rabbit Reader? Tho it dose seem to be going into a nsfw story with how he be acting lol

Not necessarily...

🖤🖤🖤

Yandere Male Alice x White Rabbit Reader | 2

You sighed as you saw his baby blue form from the queen’s balcony. Ever since your ‘relationship’ had begun with the outsider things had been…different. Even the Queen of Hearts turned a blind eye when Alice openly threatened your coworkers. 

“Here he comes…” You sighed out loud alerting the queen who was sipping on her tea. 

“I’ll be finishing up then. If you would escort him up here. I’d like to avoid another….incident like last time.”

“Yes, my queen.” You bowed before excusing yourself from the Queen’s tea room. As soon as you shut the heart doors, you made use of your bunny legs; booking it down the tower stairs. Hopping past the card guards you thankfully were able to meet with Alice before he made it to the second floor. 

“Oh hi, baby! How was work today? Have you eaten yet?” Immediately thousands of questions flew from pink lips as the man tightly held you against his chest. 

You returned the hug if only to signal with your hands to the newbie guards. Thankfully taking the hint they returned to their post and you kept Alice occupied. 

“Uh Alice, the queen wanted to have tea with you.”

Alice grimaced, “Tea? During your lunch?! Has that woman truly gone insane?!” 

You calmed him the best you could, being sure to hold his hand close to your chest. He blushed heavily immediately changing his face from a scowl to a satisfied smile. Riding off his high you dragged him up the steps; chuckling in your head when he tripped trying to keep up with you. Finally arrived at those same heart-shaped doors you knocked on before presenting your boyfriend. 

“Your highness, Alice Liddell.”

You stood at attention letting Alice come into the room. Without looking at him your ears shrunk back with his intimidating visage. In direct competition the queen gives off her own intense aura one that refuses to falter at his entry.

“Hearts. Are you really going to let my bunny work during their lunch?”

Despite the near growling Alice was doing the queen was biting in her response. 

“Please, you come in here without even a curtsy demanding to know what I do with my staff! I don’t have to tell you anything.” 

You watched the vein popping out of his clenched fist as he harshly glared at the Queen of Hearts who kept her face still. In a silent conversation delivered through their respective glares, Alice groaned sitting across from the queen who pridefully sipped her piping hot tea. With the clink of her cup to it’s saucer, she hummed before directing her burgundy gaze to you. 

“Take your lunch (Y/n). And send for the twins; give them instructions to stay outside the room until the tea is red once more.”

“Yes, your highness. Excuse me.”

You bowed quickly, hopping at posthaste with your clock out of your suit pocket. With the door closed and the two finally alone all, if any existed in the first place, platitudes were dropped. The queen let her stone-face wrinkle with disgust as she held her chin up high and crossing her arms. 

“The scent of an outsider is undebatingly repulsive!” 

“Your one to talk…not many would want to be a room with a cannibal while they eat.”

They continued to glare at one another once more before pulling away. Alice looked out the window seeing your white ears bob through the maze as you left to eat your lunch. Alice clenched his teeth determined to see you before your break was over. 

“You deprive me of my special lunch with my bunny…what do you want, Hearts?”

“Don’t act like your not smothering them…but anyway I need to know the extent at which you intend to continue your hunt?”

The pout Alice wore became a wide sadistic smile.

The queen continued, “The only reason none are acutely aware of my tastes is moderation…something you are not showing despite being granted your ‘antidote’.”

“Awwww,” Alice feigned sadness. Gleefully leaning as he spoke,” Must you refer to my love so coldly? With how much I’ve had to do to get your approval for so much as dating them is insane.”

The queen didn’t speak instead letting a shadow cover the half of her face as she turned her head.

Alice went on,“No. Normally a husband wouldn’t have to do so much to appease their inlaws.” 

“...Don’t be presumptuous. I think your wrongly under the impression that we won’t bear our spears towards the only outsider we’ve let change the fate of our world.”

“Oh? But didn’t you try that already? That’s why the dormmouse and the mock turtle no longer exist, don’t you remember?”

A vein began to show on the queens forehead, eventually dissipating as she released her clutch against the folds of her dress. With a sigh of calm she forged on.

“They were acting on their own volition. That was not a collective effort. But depending on your results that may change.”

Alice for once faltered unable to recognize the look in the queen’s eyes. A woman who’d sooner behead someone in an angry fit of rage than actually diffuse the situation. A queen who delighted in a rotten consumption with intentions to behead all who refused to comply. The queen who’s anger nearly destroyed Wonderland…twice.

She was calm. 

And Alice didn’t know why.

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t worry about that now Alice.” Returning his curious wrinkle in his brow with that stone-faced visage of a true queen. She took a sip of her tea pulling away to smile with unsmudged blood red lips.

“ Consider this a warning, Alice Lidell: Wonderland may not be a place of order but it is a place of heart. And we protect our hearts no matter how inconsequential they may seem.”

Before Alice could say any more the door opened showing the youngest twin giving an elegant curtsy that was borderline mocking as she wordlessly beckoned the man in blue. Alice turned again standing to make a point only to be startled by the other twin silently twirling his mini mallet already behind the queen. 

_____________________________________________________________

Finally exiting the tower Alice left in an even worse mood than before. He felt something he no longer associated with when he was in Wonderland. 

Confusion.

He thought he had dispelled it from his system and that the world no longer quivered with unfamiliar haze. But it did. And Alice couldn’t bring himself to happily chase after his bunny, the feeling racked his body with a stillness he hated to remember. 

“Alice? You doing okay?”

The harmony of your voice graced Alice’s ears, snapping his head up in surprise. Twitching in all your rabbit glory Alice spied the cloth-wrapped bundle you gingerly held to your chest. Smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread he tilted his head in curiosity.

“Oh yeah, Duke made some widget bread for Hatter’s. I picked out the widgets for you so you could at least eat something.”

Wasting no time you placed the bundle in his arms before hopping past him to reenter the heart themed tower. Hearing the creak of the door and not its slamming, Alice turned around to see you with your foot in the door. 

“So? Was I right? She didn’t feed you, right?”

Alice had to compose himself. Silently gulping saliva into his mouth he confirmed, blushing at the regression of his actions towards you. Once again unburying the feelings he thought he had overcome. 

“Figured. She’s always forgetting to feed her guests, anyway see you after work!” Blowing a half-hearted kiss you disappeared behind the barrier of those heart-shaped doors. 

Realizing he needed to breath, Alice floored himself now pouting with the bread in his hands. How could he let you go without your lunchtime kiss? But he figured he’d survive with the image of your bunny-cuteness sent in a blown kiss for him…just for him. With a skip in his step Alice began to make his way off the Heart’s property with one thing in his heart and the confusion that gripped him

He wasn’t giving (Y/n) up that was for sure and since his…protective habits were the issue then he’d change things. Just like they wanted. He has the love of his life. If his hunting was the problem he’d move to a different forest. This is his dream after all and who were they to rectify the confused and ‘lost’ Alice Liddell. 

[fizziepopangel]

"This face was made for radio!"

Alastor is aro/ace but his love language is touch. Having been abused by his father as a child caused him to have a deep seeded anxiety around touch, and now being a demon most fear being in the presence of, let alone close enough to touch in any way, he often ends up being touch starved since most refuse to be around the demon long enough to build any sort of trust that would lead to any sort of touch.

Despite his lone wolf attitude, Alastor has grown quite attached to Husk and Niffty his closest friends. Although Husk hates the fact that this relationship is based in the fact that he is quite literally bound to the radio demon and Alastor has threatened him on multiple occasions, Alastor still considers himself closest to the gambling man.

He views Niffty as a daughter which is why he seems to be just a bit softer with her in a way in comparison to how he is with the others.

Charlie made the decision that they would all have a ‘family dinner’ every friday night where everyone would take turns cooking, she even made a little chart to remind everyone whose turn it was to cook….. Alastor, was quite upset to find that he was the only one excluded from this chart because everyone was afraid his… “unique” taste was a bit too different from theirs given his cannibalistic tendencies.

Although Husk has a deep anger toward the man who owns his soul, he gave Alastor his night to cook for this family dinner after seeing how upset he was given that he was excluded from the cooking chart. Alastor was absolutely over the moon when he got the chance to cook for everyone.

He gravitates toward women that remind him of his mother. Even as an aroace man, he finds that they have a comforting aura and they remind him a lot of home, though he would never admit that to anyone.

Rosie was his first friend in hell and he hated being away from her during his seven year “sabbatical”. The second he came back, he went straight to Cannibal Town to see her, bringing flowers and dinner for the both of them so they could catch up over a nice meal.

Alastor has Husk contracted to him to serve drinks mostly…. But funnily enough, Alastor doesn’t drink very much anymore. A glass of wine or two every now and then, but he’s put most of his drinking days behind him and prefers tea for the most part.

Being quite the mama’s boy when he was living, he still celebrates his mother’s birthday and mothers day despite the fact that his mom isn’t in hell with him. On her birthday, he bakes her favorite cake, and on mothers day, he makes her a card like he used to as a kid even though he knows that he can’t give it to her, while he allows the cake to be eaten, he has a box full of cards he’s made for her over the years in his room hidden in his closet.

Husk, Niffty, and Rosie are the only people who he’s ever talked to about his parents. The radio demon has spent nights crying to Rosie about missing his mother and the home he grew up in, and he’s shown Niffty the photo he keeps of his mother and him from his time in the human world and shown her cleaning tricks his mother taught him… 

Though when he’s spoken to Husk about his parents, it was more like the two of them comparing how shitty their fathers were rather than Alastor talking about how he always thought his mother was a saint. Truthfully, he feels bad about it since he knows his mother was better to him than Husks’s was in most instances and Alastor’s mother always taught him not to brag.

Alastor and Vox used to be friends, but Vox misread their friendship and wanted more. Despite Alastor not wanting to end their friendship, it got weird after he rejected Vox’s advances and Vox got pissy because he hadn’t realized that the rejection had nothing to do with him but rather that Alastor just didn’t really have those feelings for anyone.Vox chose violence, and Alastor didn’t turn down the fight, leading to a feud that just continued to spiral into their current rivalry.

Although he hates the “noisy picture box”, Alastor and Rosie have little sleepovers at Rosie’s home in Cannibal Town where they often watch Hella Novelas together and trash talk the characters.

Alastor became a radio host before he became a cannibal.

His first cannibal meal was a horribly cooked rack of ribs that was served to him at a party after befriending a man who he thought jokingly said he ate other people….. But despite being overly cooked in the worst ways, it was still the best rack of ribs he had ever tasted.

Soon after his arrival in hell, Alastor published the #1 best selling cannibal cookbook in Hell by the title of “Friends For Dinner”. followed soon after by his other three cannibal cookbooks “Nice to (M)Eat You”, “101 Bloody Good Dessert Recipes”, and “Eat Your Heart Out: Valentines Recipes & Breakup Pick Me Ups”. And yes, Rosie has signed copies of each book displayed in her store.

[castlescrows]

t141 + könig beach day! 🏖️

summary: you and the task force have a beach day!

pairings: platonic!t141 x reader, ghost x reader

warnings: cursing, suggestive thoughts

a/n: this is gonna be a pretty long one so buckle up!

- it all starts when you guys came back from a stressful mission

-people were hurt, soldiers killed, and the aura during the whole mission was very dark

-Soap had the idea to suggest going on a trip

-he thought it would brighten the mood

-he brought it up with price and he agreed

-since there were so many of y’all, price had to drive a minivan 😭

-it was könig in the front with price, since he was quiet and wouldn’t disturb the man from driving

-gaz and soap sat next to each other

-unfortunately, you got stuck with grumpy ghost

-for the first hour of the trip, soap was torturing the rest of you guys with their unbearable singing

-ghost had already threatened him too many times to count and the ride had barely started

-once price turned on the radio, gaz and soap started to play card games and for the first time in history, they were both mostly quiet

-you felt yourself drift in and out of consciousness until you slumped over on the closest thing to your head, which was ghost

-at first you expected him to push you off and yell at you, but once he made no efforts to do that, you just relaxed

-the next time you opened your eyes you guys were at your destination

-you and König started to unpack the trunk and brought the stuff to the beach

-you had packed some snacks in case one of the guys would get hungry, something that always happens especially with soap

-at the beach, gaz and soap took their shirts off and ran towards the waves without even saying goodbye

-you laughed as a rogue wave drowned soap

-you decided it was your time to get wet 😉, and you took your clothes off leaving only your swimsuit on

-this particular swimsuit accentuated all the right parts of your body, showing off all the things you worked for during training

-you couldn’t help but notice könig’s face turn pink under his mask and look away when he noticed what you were wearing

-you felt really, really hot

-once you got to the water you couldn’t even hide the shock on your face from seeing ghosts form

-he was built like a Greek god, chiseled with pink scars littering his beautiful body

“any particular reason your staring at me?”

“N-no, i just, I’ve never Seen you this exposed.”

“hm.”

You looked away shyly, embarrassed you got caught staring at your lieutenant

-what you didn’t notice was that Simon did a double take when he first saw you, enamored with your physique

-he had to adjust himself after seeing you

-everything was going great, price had been sipping at a beer while looking at the beach

-soap and gaz had been play fighting, which was now what you got roped into

-you were screaming as you all were chasing each other

-while you were playing, you accidentally splashed ghost with water

-it was like the world paused, you were terrified to see what he would do

-even soap shut up, which showed a lot about the situation

-ghost then dead panned at you and the next thing you know he started charging at you

-you started screaming and running away as fast as you could and even called to price for help

-Gaz and soap were laughing at your unfortunate situation

-you ran and used poor König as a human shield to protect yourself from ghost

-eventually a laughing König betrayed you and swam away, leaving you at simons mercy

-he tackled you and you started laughing, and for the first time in a while, you finally felt at peace and happy

-a feeling that doesn’t happen often in your line of work

-you laughed as you gazed into simons eyes, seeing him smile too

-his usually cold eyes pierced into yours, seemingly warm this time

-during the sunset, you and the guys had set up a camp fire and laughed at missions gone wrong

-it was a great day

-overall, you were glad you had your team, people you considered your family with you <3

A/N: i hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you would like to see!

[miguelswifey04]

Hi, could I perhaps request some Miguel angst/comfort where he has an argument with a soft and usually peaceful sunshine reader, in which reader actually becomes visibly angry, cuz some sensetive topic for them was brought up? But their anger isn't loud, more like quiet and ominous, and somehow it's surprises and terryfies others?

oh I LOVE ANGST/COMFORT SO MUCH <33

🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴

“what’s wrong with you??!!” miguel’s voice boomed loudly. he’s scolding you in front of everyone and you can’t help but feel so small and quite embarrassed. he’s treating you like a child, and you aren’t one but he’s making you seem like one. “can you stop acting like a damn child? you’re an adult.”

“i’m sorry miguel—i know it was my fault but i didn’t know what to do!”” you hold your face in your hands as you swallow that lump in your throat. you try so hard to bit back those tears that are threatening to burst. ‘please don’t cry and make yourself look pathetic.’ you pleaded to yourself—in your mind trying so hard to convince yourself not to make a damn fool of yourself. miguel is furious with you. you could see the way his chest rises and falls quickly as his nostrils flare. though, you feel anger unveil itself in a quiet and ominous manner. you quickly feel anger pool inside your heart—rage. it catches everyone including miguel off guard by the way your demeanor changes. one second you’re begging for forgiveness and now you’re clenching your hands in fists as you give miguel a cold glare.

“why am i the one who always have to beg for your forgiveness?” the argument escalates, fueled by the seething emotions that have been bottled up within you. your typically bright and radiant aura momentarily dims, an ominous cloud casting a shadow over your once cheerful disposition. miguel, who is accustomed to your sunny nature, is taken aback by the intensity of your anger as it materializes in a chillingly silent manner.

your voice falls to a low, steady tone, almost unnerving in its quiet determination. your eyes, usually warm and inviting, become sharp and piercing, sending shivers down miguel’s spine. the contrast between your usual personality and this unsettling display of anger leaves him unsettled and unsure of how to respond.

despite his initial surprise, miguel quickly recognizes that something deeply significant has been stirred within you. he registers the pain and turmoil behind your anger, understanding that this sensitive topic has touched a raw nerve. miguel, always perceptive, realizes that your quiet and ominous anger stems from a place of vulnerability, a wounded part of your soul that demands acknowledgement.

in a moment of empathy, miguel sets aside his own frustrations and approaches you cautiously, his eyes betraying concern rather than fear. he reaches out a tentative hand, seeking to bridge the emotional gap that has emerged between you. "i...i understand that this topic hurts you deeply," he murmurs softly, his voice filled with a genuine desire to ease your pain. "i want to help, to be there for you. please...i’m sorry let’s talk about this."

for some odd reason you nod while you began to realize you were crying. you were so damn tired of it all and you just needed someone’s shoulder to cry on. miguel took you away from the rest taking you to a safe and quiet place where you could vent your frustrations. he lets you do so as he holds you close to him as he cards your hair lovingly. miguel never stops apologizing to you and realizes how he’s hurt you. he’s deeply sorry but he’s to be a better person for you even if he isn’t good at being the one to apologize. “let me make this up to you, i’m sorry for putting you through this. you don’t deserve this at all.”

———

tags: @kairiscorner <3

[riddlesrose]

oddly specific fontaine hcs!

w/ lyney, lynette, ferminet, focalors, charlotte, wriothesely & neuvillette

cw; posted before the release of any of them so this is most likely going to look very ooc in a few weeks

lyney 

i’d see bro being really good at cartwheels and handstands

orange juice man

very skilled with his hands, he gives good massages, he’s able to unstick those flat lego bricks from one another, and can type really quickly no matter the surface or device

almost tore the whole of fontaine apart when he lost his best deck of cards. turns out ferminet hid them and lynette played along like she knew nothing

lynette 

fantastic cook, cooks for her brothers all the time when they say ‘please lynette?’ with their big bug eyes, she never says no..

apple juice gal

once threatened to physically attack a man if he did not leave her and her brothers alone

can do a front and back flip from standing 

freminet

has a collection of small figurines that only lyney and lynette know about

fruit punch guy

secretly has watched all the tinkerbell movies and cried during the neverbeast one. me too dude me too.

very picky eater, the twins help him find good places to eat when they’re not home, and lynette cooks or preps meals for when her and lyney aren’t going to be home, thought fermi promises he can cook for himself

fermi is the nickname i now call him

focalors

kind of implied canon but loved arguing with people, even if she knows she's wrong at one point, she’ll just egg them on until she’s had enough

does NOT like zhongli. no explanation.

attacks kids online 

knows fluent sign language

an absolute menace to ask for a favour, she’ll do it no doubt but she’ll ask for six things in return, roll her eyes so far into the back of her head and drag her feet but when she comes back she’s basically bouncing off the walls, she meant absolutely none of what she asked for or said . she just likes teasing

charlotte

weirdly good at cards, lyney onced challenged her to a simple game of cards when he heard her boasting about being the best in fontaine at cards, needless to say lyney never asked charlotte to play cards again. 

had a pet duck as a kid (it wasn’t hers, she just found a family of ducks at a pond one day and cried when it swam away from her)

also attacks kids online

allergic to peanuts and vinegar

wriothesely

fell down the stairs as a child. 

has a do not disturb aura surrounding him until he’s had his morning coffee and read the paper

scares adults more than children, kids are oddly drawn to him

diona wouldn’t mind him if they ever met but to klee, he’s another on the weird adult list

the ‘kid’ online. 

wrio is able to sleep anywhere honestly. cars? yes. trains? of course. the couch? where’s the blanket.

neuvillette

the bow in his hair was given to him by an elderly lady one day when she noticed him fighting with his hair, she told him to keep it, little does the sweet lady know, he still wears it subconsciously, as he doesn't want to fight with his hair again 

i feel like he’d be one to enjoy being around young people with their carefree lives, i think him and klee would get along, not diona though. 

does not like eggs??

[merakiui]

overblot! Riddle nonconning you in front of Ace and Deuce while going on about how this is the only thing a magicless nobody is good for 👍🏼

Omg yes,,,,,,,,

(cw: yandere, gender neutral, nsfw, non-con, humiliation/degradation, public sex)

Amidst a ruined, debris-ridden rose maze, a monster looms. No one dares stray close, lest they find themselves maimed and sent to the grave, and so they can only watch helplessly from the safety of overturned chairs, tables, and uprooted rose trees. The scene was once serene, an almost-perfect Unbirthday. Now it is desolate and bleak, a nightmarish reality that leaves thick, discomforting silence blanketing the grounds.

Riddle casts a grotesquely bone-chilling shadow, and his appearance mirrors that of a creature torn from the pages of a classic horror; that's the only way to describe him: cruel and cold, all sharp, vicious edges and thorns, dripping blot. He's on the verge of a supernova, toeing the line of life and death, a monstrous mage who has reached the consequences of a culmination of excessive magic, spilled over into bitter negativity. The aura that clings to him is, in a word, utterly terrifying.

And you're right there in his shadow, a fragile, caged thing bent down on your hands and knees. Your fingers curl into the grass, tearing clumps. No one dares to speak up, to demand he release you, to fight for your safety and dignity. Hopelessly collared, Ace and Deuce, your closest companions in all of this mess, look on in horror even though they don't mean to.

It's like a tragedy spun right before their eyes. They want to look away, but they can't. It's morbidly ensorcelling.

"Observe!" Riddle's voice booms, commanding absolute obedience and attention. His pallid hips press against your ass while clawed hands dig into your hips, holding you perfectly still. Blood is drawn; it seeps beneath his sharpened nails, leaving painful indents. You feel filthy and fearful, cut down to something small and insignificant and weak. Droplets of blot speckle your backside each time he shifts. It's warm like candle wax, but it doesn't burn.

The betrayal does, though—stains through to your very soul.

You grit your teeth, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes of drifting off elsewhere. Anywhere that isn't here, speared on his cock for all to see, forced into the grass like you're bowing apologetically before the Queen and her card soldiers.

"You lack the key capabilities all mages must possess, and yet you thought it wise to challenge my rules? Here? When my word is law?" He barks out a laugh, sickly amused. Scarlet eyes narrow with disdain. "Perhaps you're as slovenly as you are disobedient. As expected of a disrespectful, magic-less fool who knows nothing! Absolutely nothing of the order I so carefully uphold!"

He pulls back, seething through grit teeth, and snaps his hips forwards. You collapse on shaky arms, gasping in pain.

It hurts more than heartbreak, more than a bruise, more than a slap. Tears spot your lash line, threatening to fall with one more well-aimed, brutal thrust. Spidery fingers dance along your waist, tracing a line towards your neck. He grips your chin and forces you to look upon a crowd of terrified faces, all ogling with bated breath. Ace is watching and so is Deuce, albeit through the cracks in his hands.

"What did you hope to achieve—to prove—by defying me?" he demands, his grip a deadly vise. "That I could be in the wrong? That all I've worked tirelessly for, all that I've done, is wrong?"

"Riddle..." You wince in your futile attempt to pull away. "Riddle, please... I... I'm sorry, but please... You're hurting me..."

He turns your head towards him, eyes ablaze with a furious tempest, and he leans closer, pinning you with startling ease. His cock presses up against your insides, enveloped tightly in your walls, and you shudder through the discomfort and the agony. A single claw traces dangerously close to your jugular.

"Speak up if you have something to say!"

"It hurts!" You gasp again, outright sobbing now. "It hurts! Please..."

"It's a punishment," he sneers, glaring disapprovingly. "It's meant to impart a lesson—one learned through pain. If you understand this, stop sniveling and respond appropriately."

You're not sure which is worse: humiliation at the hands of someone you considered a friendly acquaintance or the fact that, no matter how villainous he may be, you only wish for him to return to himself. You'd never wish this fate on anyone, but maybe it's your too-big heart that makes it impossible to hate him. You don't hate him. You can't.

And perhaps that's the worst part of all this.

You hang your head, defeated and devoid of hope. "Yes, Dorm Leader..."

And so he teaches you and all those who witness the devastating spectacle a lesson neither will ever forget.

Red is passionate and fiery, a reflection of roses and redamancy. But it is not a pleasant color. Not anymore. Not in the aftermath.

Red is the color of Riddle and Heartslabyul and blood and pain and anger. And every time you spy the slowly healing marks from that day, you feel it all over you. Red everywhere, inside and out. Externally, you may heal with all matter of magical cures, but internally it's not an easy fix.

So red is no longer a comfortable color. You wish you could look upon it and admire it for what it is: a color. But that proves impossible, for a color that is so highly revered as pretty does not evoke pretty feelings for you.

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Rusty | Chapter 3 | S.R

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Summary - Spencer invites you to stay with the provision you help him out around the ranch before you get a taste for the locals. Spencer’s stubbornness leads to your first fight.

Paring - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - strangers to friends to lovers | angst | smut minors DNI

Warnings - mildly flirty banter, mentions of past addiction and prison, stubborn Spencer, arguing, past violent behaviour, dissociation.

WC - 6.1k

Chapter 3 - I Walk the Line

There was an unfamiliarity between strangers which always set you on the defensive. Strangers were such for a reason and you didn’t often make a habit of them becoming anything more. 

Of course all friends started as strangers, most people in your life had at one point been unknown to you. But there was a fear that came with ageing, an wariness that was ingrained in us for our own self-preservation. 

As children it was no big deal to go and speak to a person you had no prior relation with, but as adults seeking the solace of strangers would be seen as exponentially dangerous. 

Spencer Reid posed little threat to you, that of which you were certain. He was enchantingly awkward, not necessarily shy but definitely uncomfortable talking to people. He was meek and soft spoken, he had a gentle aura for which you felt safe around. He was not intimidating or threatening in any way.

But you exercised your prudence, just in case. It was far better to be safe than sorry and so you kept him at arm's length, dismissed any personal questions or changed the subject onto him. 

In return he was almost as guarded with what information he readily shared. Conversation became a little stifled because you were both clearly trying to keep pieces of yourself under wraps. By the time you were half way between the hospital and his ranch, you were both silently staring out of the window. 

Perhaps hanging around here wasn’t a good idea. It may be a port in the storm but it was abundant that you and Spencer were both determined to keep your cards close to your chests and no matter how safe it might be here, the awkwardness was grating. 

The drive was long and slightly arduous and you were relieved when you pulled into the dirt road that led up to his ranch. You parked the car more or less where you had last night and killed the engine. 

You turned to Spencer and he to you, a look of what could only be described as embarrassment on his features. You inhaled sharply and shook your head.

“You need help inside, right?” Your tone was laced with irritation.

“It wasn’t that.” He puckered his lips. “I, uh, realised I have no particularly edible food in my fridge aside from some butter and some take out that I’m fairly certain would make me ill if I dared to eat it.” 

You closed your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“You really are relying on that kindness of strangers thing.” You baulked. 

“In case it wasn’t perfectly clear, I am all alone out here and I don’t own a car. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but it really would be a huge favour and I would owe you so many in return.” He looked pleading at you and there was something about that look that was nigh on impossible to say no to.

In the light of day he was somehow more handsome than you’d thought him last night. His face was sculpted of sharp lines and angles, there was a part of you that had an urge to reach out and touch his stubbly, carved jaw. His eyes were even more fervent now, looking at you with profound concentration. The little flecks of gold still shimmered like they had last night.

You hadn’t noticed in the dark the purple-black circles under his eyes making him look as though he hadn’t slept a day in his life. They had small crinkles in the corners, and more laugh lines around his mouth when he smiled.

You would assume him to be pushing forty but he still had a boyish look to his features. He was pretty in an understated kind of way, maybe not the kind of man to turn heads wherever he went but you were sure he got plenty of attention in his own right. 

You pulled a face, snapping yourself out of your thoughts and huffing once again.

“I told you, I really am in a hurry and this whole saga has set me back already.” You drummed your fingers on your thigh.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” His brow furrowed curiously.

“Here and there.” You shrugged. 

“Look I am happy for you to stay a little while longer because I get the impression you’re not actually in a rush at all. If you were you wouldn’t have stayed as long as you had. I have the space, I’m out here all alone and to be honest I could probably use some help around here while I’m healing.” He wet his lip with his tongue, your eyes were drawn to it like a magnet. 

“I, uh…” You looked back to his eyes, ignoring the way your stomach coiled. “You’re suggesting I help you around your ranch?” 

“Not for nothing of course. Like I say I can offer you a room and I can keep you fed.” He shrugged again, flexing the fingers poking out of his cast a little. 

“I’m from the city, I know nothing about being a rancher.” You sat back in your seat. 

“It’s all fairly simple stuff, just cleaning out the animals, taking the horses out and some-”

“Whoa no, see you lost me at taking the horses out.” You cut him off. “Taking them out as in…” 

“Riding them.” He chuckled. 

“Not gonna happen.” You reached into your pocket for your smokes whilst opening the window. You lit one without even asking if he minded. 

“I struggled at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s just like…riding a bike I guess.” He used his good hand to waft to smoke out of his face before turning and opening the passenger’s window. 

A breeze fluttered through the car, sending the smoke spiralling out of the window and thankfully out of Spencer’s face. 

“They aren’t the kind of stallions I usually like to have between my thighs, if you know what I mean.” You smirked around the cigarette and sent a wink his way. 

Spencer noticeably tensed. Your unexpected words and mildly flirtatious tone smacked him around the face and sent all the blood in his body rushing south like a waterfall. 

He clenched his jaw, shifting in his seat again and thankful his hat was still cradled in his lap. He could feel his cheeks pinken, his embarrassment and discomfort evident. 

A slight stirring in his groin, nothing ordinarily of note except for the fact it was the most excitement that appendage had shown since - 

“What’s wrong, Spence? What’s happening? Why aren’t you, uh…aren’t you enjoying this?” 

- Prison. 

Thoughts coalesced inside his brain, many thoughts which were particularly unwanted at the best of times let alone now. At least it still worked, he considered morbidly. 

“I, uh,” he croaked. “Duly noted.” 

You tried to hide the smile on your face by taking another drag on the cigarette. His reddening cheeks were utterly adorable. 

“I’ll take you to get some groceries but as for the ranch work…” you steered the conversation back on track. 

“What is it exactly you’re running away from?” His words surprised you and it was your turn to tense up. 

“E-excuse me?” You stuttered, cigarette wobbling precariously between your fingers. 

“It takes one to know one.” He shrugged. “How do you think I ended up out here?” 

You took another shaky drag and puffed the smoke out of your mouth while you contemplated this. In the distance with the radio shut off, you could hear the same shuffling from the stables you’d heard last night. 

“What were you running from?” You turned it back on him. 

“A series of poor life choices.” His lip turned up at the corner. “You?” 

“Much the same.” You agreed. 

“Look, Y/N, I’m not gonna sit here and beg you or anything because I still have at least a fragment of my dignity intact. But it would be a huge help for me if you stuck around a little while. I can teach you everything about horses and cattle and you’ll have a place to rest your head at night. It’s safe out here, whatever it is you’re running from won’t find you here.” He punctuated his sentence with a heavy sigh through his nose. 

You closed your eyes and puffed on the cigarette. You knew he was right, you’d felt that wave of safety wash over you last night and it was still blanketing you now. 

But if you stayed, even for a short time, were you putting this man in danger? What if it did find you and not only you suffered but this kind and handsome stranger? 

Mexico was just in your sights, so close yet just out of reach. There was nothing waiting for you there except a long and lonely existence. Here though, in this slice of seclusion on Spencer’s ranch, you could at the very least have basic companionship. 

And god knows he clearly needed that. 

Taking another long puff on the cigarette, maybe in an attempt to make him sweat a little, you opened your eyes as you exhaled the smoke. Spencer was watching you expectantly, drumming the fingers of his good hand against his thigh in anticipation. 

“Fine,” you rolled your eyes, puckering your lips. “I’ll stay. But just until you can do all this stuff for yourself again. Not a second longer.” 

Spencer breathed out in relief. He told himself it was because it would be almost impossible for him to look after this place by himself but he knew that wasn’t the full story. 

He knew that despite his instant attraction towards you, things couldn’t develop beyond simple friendship. He was acutely aware that even after all this time he wasn’t ready to venture into anything deeper than that, specifically things of a physical nature. 

Some things just can’t be undone and unfortunately for him he’d suffered one of those very things. It didn’t matter how many years had past, there would never be enough distance between himself and his trauma. 

But he still liked the idea of you staying for a simple comfort. A friend, or even just a companion might ease his troubled mind, might aid in quelling the demons he’d travelled halfway across the country to out run. 

But they never truly left, they were always there lurking in the shadows. Maybe you could shine a little light on them, banish them for even just a short while. 

“Thank you.” He replied much meeker than he’d meant to. 

You shrugged as if it was no big deal, turning in your seat and flicking the cigarette out of the window. You started the engine again with little notice. 

“Right then, point me in the direction of your hick town general store.” 

***

Bandera General Store was, for all intents and purposes, exactly as you imagined it to be.

Its wooden blue facade was wearing slightly, in need of a good lick of paint. Inside it sold everything from groceries to souvenirs to cowboy boots and books. 

Tucked away inside the front door was a sign meant to attract tourists. It informed you the store was built in the early nineteen hundreds and still had its original wood floors and tin ceilings. It had previously been a movie theatre, saddle shop and feed store. 

Supposedly during the prohibition era caskets were sold from the basement and cowboys would drink beer and play cards on the empty drums. 

It promoted a fully functional nineteen fifties ice cream fountain, only one of eleven in the state of Texas. And aside from their town library, Bandera General Store was the only place in town to get books. 

Honestly it was all a little too stereotypical for your liking. 

You stood out like a sore thumb, like a horse in a field of cattle. Patrons and workers offered you curious sideways expressions while Spencer simply waved amicably to them. 

He didn’t speak to anyone, just waved or occasionally nodded with the brim of his hat. He certainly knew these people in passing but not well enough to talk to them. 

You pushed the cart while Spencer limped by your side, cradling his arm against his chest. He filled the cart with essentials, but nothing that required a concerted effort to cook. You would soon come to learn that was because, despite the fact he’d lived alone since he was a teenager, he had no idea how to cook. 

He bypassed the liquor shelves but you did a one-eighty and circled back. You grabbed a bottle of scotch and dropped it into the cart, tucking it away between a carton of milk and a box of cereal. 

You hurried to catch up to Spencer who was perusing the collection of riding boots with a keen eye. He heard the cart cluttering closer and glanced at you briefly. 

“What size do you wear?” He asked, looking back at the array of boots. 

“In cowboy boots? Size absolutely never gonna happen.” You scoffed. 

“You can’t ride a horse in sneakers.” He scoffed, tipping his hat at you. 

The more he talked the more you could tell he wasn’t from the south. It hadn’t struck you as odd at first until you’d heard other voices in the store. 

Spencer’s accent you couldn’t quite place, but it didn’t certainly didn’t fit in in the Deep South. 

“I don’t want to ride a horse full stop.” You clipped back. 

“You said you’d help right?” He tilted his head in your direction. “Part of that helping is taking my horses out. And to do that you need the proper footwear.” 

“Goddamnit.” You grumbled with a shake of your head.

“Are there any you like the look of?” 

“No.” 

“I like these ones.” He plucked a fire engine red pair with blue stitching off of the shelf and mused over them. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” You shook your head again. 

“What size do you take?” He asked you again. 

With a sigh and a groan you told him nonetheless. It seemed easier than fighting with him and drawing attention to yourself. 

He rifled through the display for your size before finding a boxed pair near the back. Checking inside briefly to ensure it was the garish red pair, he closed the lid and with a smile deposited them in the cart. 

By the time you reached the checkout he was limping really fitfully, grimacing as he went. Each step seemed to cause his face to contort further, creasing and puckering until he had to lean against the cart to keep himself up right. 

You didn’t want to fuss over him, noticing the way his cheeks reddened slightly in his embarrassment so instead you started unloading the cart onto the small conveyor belt. 

“Hey Cosmo,” the elderly lady behind the counter glanced up over her crescent moon glasses. “You got a little hitch in your giddy up?” 

“Oh, no it’s nothing.” Spencer waved a dismissive hand, his one good hand. 

“You look awful worse for wear.” She pulled a face whilst she started ringing up the items and bagging them. 

She had a sweet southern lilt, kind eyes and she was clearly concerned for Spencer. 

You looked between the two of them in mild confusion at the strange nickname she’d bestowed upon him. He must have heard it before because he didn’t seem perturbed by it. 

“Shoulda seen the other guy.” He forced a laugh, pushing himself back up straight. “I’m fine, honestly. Thanks though.” 

He shuffled to the end of the belt in time to see the bottle of scotch make its way through. He shot you a look as it was being bagged and you offered him a shrug of response. 

“And who might your pretty lady friend be, Cosmo? Never seen ya with company before.” She tittered, smirking wildly between the two of you. 

“Uh,” Spencer furrowed his brow, looking to you for an answer. 

“Elizabeth. Elizabeth Parker. Cosmo here is my lover.” You teased and Spencer turned exactly twenty shades of red. 

“Friends, we’re friends.” He was quick to correct. “She has a particularly abhorrent sense of humour.” 

The woman blinked at Spencer several times, clearly not quite understanding but nonetheless shrugged and continued her work. 

“Ain’t one to judge honey-pie.” She sighed wistfully. “In my day I was a regular harlot.” 

You almost cackled at the mere thought but managed to cover it with a cough and turned your face away from the elderly woman. 

Spencer was now at least ten extra shades of red. 

“Uh, good to know.” He nodded with a tight lipped smile. 

Conversation gratefully waned and the old lady rang everything up and Spencer paid while you transferred the bags back to the cart. She sent him on his way with a take care of yourself and he returned the gesture with a tip of his hat. 

He started outside and you followed, watching the way he had to stop briefly after every few steps. You pushed the cart to the car and insisted he get inside and sit down, no matter how much he wanted to argue that he would help. 

Eventually he relented and got in the car while you deposited the bags in the trunk and returned the cart. 

He wouldn’t make eye contact when you got in the car, staring out the window instead. You started the engine and pulled away from the curb in silence. 

He was flexing the fingers poking out of his cast and his other hand was circled around his knee. Even out of the corner of your eye you could see his winces of pain. 

It was obvious to you he wasn’t used to asking for help and wasn’t comfortable having people see him in pain. He’d asked you to stay but you could tell his resolve in that decision was waning. 

He was trying to put on a brave front but his demeanour was a clear sign he was uncomfortable with this. 

His shoulders were tense and his brow was deeply creased. He was deep in thought, desperately trying to hide how much pain he was in and failing. 

You got about a mile or so down the road before you glanced at him again and huffed out a breath. 

“So, Cosmo?” 

His head practically whipped around to face you, his lips parting slightly as he exhaled. 

“Uh, yeah,” he wrinkled his nose. “Short for Cosmopolitan. City slickers stick out around here. When I first came to town I reeked of the city apparently.” 

“City boy, huh?” You nodded to yourself. 

“Originally Las Vegas but before I came here I was living in DC since my early twenties.” He gnawed on his bottom lip. That would explain The Washington Post on his coffee table. “How about you? You said you’re a city girl.” 

He noticed the way your hands tightened a little on the steering wheel. He had already sensed your reclusive nature, the way in which you weren’t comfortable sharing facets of yourself with just anyone. Information was privileged and you regarded who you shared that information with readily. 

Whatever demons you might be running from contributed to your closed off sensibility and he wondered if you might even begrudge him the simplest knowledge of knowing where you were from. 

You sat back against the chair, eyes no longer flickering over to him but remaining firm out of the window. Your chest heaved slightly with your breaths and the furrow of your brow told him you were weighing up your options. 

Eventually your grip loosened a little on the wheel but when you spoke, you spoke quietly.

“New York.” You muttered. 

Spencer watched the side of your face, even after all this time he was unable to stop himself falling into old patterns of reading behaviour. He didn’t think you were lying, he was sure of it in fact. 

“Why do you do that?” Your voice startled him a little.

“Do what?” He frowned. 

You hit your blinker and were soon taking the right turn off the road onto the dirt path that led to his ranch.

“Study me, like you’re trying to read me.” You remembered the behavioural books you’d seen on his bookshelves. 

“Force of habit.” He spoke without meaning to.

As the car jolted along the uneven track, you glanced at him briefly.

“What does that mean?” You chewed on the inside of your cheek. “What exactly did you do in DC?” 

Spencer swallowed around his dry tongue, ignoring a pang that spiralled through his knee at a particular dip in the road. Soon you were rolling the car to a stop near his lodge and cutting the engine. You turned to face him. 

There was no way he was telling you the truth. Spencer liked it out here where no one knew who he was or where he came from. Down here he wasn’t the son of a schizophrenic, his father hadn’t abandoned him. He wasn’t a former drug addict or convict. 

He wasn’t SSA Spencer Reid, or Doctor Spencer Reid. He was just Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid and his horses and his cattle living on his small slice of paradise. 

“I was a professor.” He answered, knowing he was still able to control his expression so as not to give away the lie. “Psychology.” 

Ah, that would explain those sweater vests, you thought to yourself.

“Big leap from professor to cowboy.” You smirked a little at him. 

“What about you?” He ignored your sentiment. “What do you do?” 

“This and that.” You shrugged, suddenly turning and swinging the car door open. “You need a hand getting out?” 

Spencer watched in mild confusion as you got out of the car and closed the door. He shook his head, not surprised you hadn’t willinging given any more information over. He opened his own door slowly and carefully.

“I’m fine,” he replied, internalising a groan that wanted to escape when he manoeuvred his legs out of the car and onto the ground. 

Using his one good hand he braced it against the bucket of the seat and used all of his strength to push himself to standing so he didn’t have to put an unnecessary weight on his knee. This time the groan erupted and from where you were standing at the trunk you came rushing to his side.

“Stop, stop,” you fussed. “Let me help you.”

You reached for him, hand brushing against his arm but no sooner had you come into contact, Spencer flinched and pulled his arm out of your reach as though you’d burned him.

“I said I’m fine.” He spat harshly, stubbornly pushing past you and starting to limp towards his lodge. 

Ignoring his grumbles and groans of pains and the fact he had to stop every few steps was hard even though he was a virtual stranger. You didn’t want to see him in pain but it was becoming evident he wasn’t willing to show weakness around you. 

You couldn’t help but replay in your mind the way he’d flinched when you touched him. The brief look he’d given you as he’d pulled his arm away was one of terror but had only lasted a fraction of a second. 

You recalled the medication in his bathroom cabinet. Paroxetine. Used for treating depression, OCD, panic attacks, anxiety and…

…PTSD. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder could explain his aversion to unprovoked physical touch. You’d had your suspicion when he’d told you he had been a professor that it wasn’t the truth. 

Perhaps he was a vet. Perhaps he’d been in the army in a former life and was dealing with the aftermath of serving for his country. 

It would explain his desire to isolate himself, his flinching at your touch. The medication. 

Whatever it was, Spencer Reid was an enigma. And you were sure if he had his way, he would remain as much. 

You watched him struggling with the steps up to his lodge, fighting back the urge to help as he leaned almost all of his weight against the bannister. 

Instead you focused yourself on gathering the bags from the trunk. You cradled them in your arms and by the time you caught up with him he’d only just managed to get the door unlocked. 

You followed him inside and placed the groceries on the breakfast bar next to the old coffee mug and even older phone. 

He removed his stetson and denim shirt, hanging the former up on a hook by the door and tossing the latter over the arm of the couch. 

His white t-shirt was stained with dirt and mud. He ran his fingers through his greasy hair before turning towards the bags on the counter. 

Before he could start unpacking them, the phone caught his eye. He picked it up and leaned back against the counter while tapping a few buttons. 

His throat dried out as he looked at the text message that was waiting for him. It was time stamped late last night. You watched the way the light in his eyes dimmed, the way he swiped his tongue over his bottom lip before rolling it between his teeth. His brows furrowed in a look of concern. 

He opened the message, despite his better judgement. 

📲 Luke Alvez: Hey man, haven’t heard from you in a while and wanted to check in. Penelope says she’s been trying to call you over the last week but you haven’t been answering. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I know I’m not exactly on the list of people you want to talk to, but can you at least let me know you’re okay? Let someone know you’re okay. 

His lips moved in tiny fractions as he read the words on his screen but you couldn’t ascertain what he was mouthing. His grip on the device was tight, his knuckles white. 

“What’s up?” Your voice snapped his attention away from the device and he looked at you in slight shock as though he’d forgotten you were there. 

He locked the phone and slid it into his pocket with a shake of his head. 

“Nothing just…a message from a, uh, friend.” He swallowed thickly, turning away from you and starting to empty one of the bags with one hand.

“Nuh uh, that’s not the face you pull when a ‘friend’ texts you.” You chuckled, sidling up to him. 

His back straightened, you noticed a brief flare of his nostrils. 

“It’s…complicated okay? I don’t wanna talk about it.” You shook you off. 

He fumbled with the milk carton, almost allowing it to slip through his hand. You managed to reach out and take it from him without touching him again. You set it on the counter.

“I can handle a few groceries, Spencer. Why don’t you go lay down or something?” 

“I’m not five years old.” He barked with an over exaggerated roll of his eyes. 

“I didn’t say you were. But unpacking groceries is not a two person job so why don’t you rest up for a bit?” You remained softened, not wanting to bite back.

“I need to feed the horses.” 

“Well we can do that together once I’m done here.” You exhaled. “If you don’t want to rest, how about taking a shower? You’re kinda filthy.”

He glanced down at his body now, seemingly forgetting that fact. You noticed something falter in his eyes and you had a pretty good guess what it was. You’d seen his shower, it was over the tub just like in his spare cabin. Getting into it wouldn’t be an easy feat with his injuries.

“You need me to help you?” 

Once again his eyes shot up to you and there was a flash of terror behind them again.

“What? No!” He shook his head, his tone incredulous. 

“You think I’ve never seen a naked man before, Spencer?” You cocked an eyebrow and put your hand on your hip. 

“You…I…I can shower just fine.” He spat. “The doctor gave me a sleeve thing to go over my cast. I’ll be fine.”

“Say it one more time and I might believe you.” You rolled your eyes.

“What?” 

“I’m fine, I’ll be fine.” You did a pretty poor imitation of him. 

His jaw tightened, clearly not impressed by it. 

“I can shower by myself. And I don’t appreciate your teasing. This is my home. I invited you into my home, the least you can do is show me some respect.” He growled at you. 

No, no way. This jagoff doesn’t get to talk to me like that when I’m doing him a favour! 

“You invited me into your home to help you, asshole! Which is what I’m trying to do but for some reason you won’t let me.” You crossed your arms over your chest. 

“I wanted your help with my animals. I don’t need you treating me like an invalid and trying to wrap me in cotton wool! I’m not a child, goddamnit.” 

“Well you’re certainly acting like one!” You bit back. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?” He tried to fold his own arms to mirror you but it was cumbersome due to his cast. 

“A grouch?” It was the nicest of things you could have said. 

“Excuse me?” He scoffed. 

“I just want to know what to expect if I’m going to be staying here. Are you always like this? Will I constantly have to walk on eggshells around you? Or are you just being an asshole because you’re in pain?” 

His back straightened again at the same time as his jaw tightening. His eyes turned darker, it was slightly intimidating. He squared his shoulders and once again his nostrils flared. He wasn’t of a thick build but he was tall, much taller than you and he was using his height to unnerve you. 

“You can go now.” He spoke relatively calmly given how angry he felt. 

“I’m sorry?” Your face contorted in bewilderment. 

“You can go. I don’t need you here, I’m going to be just f-”

“If you say you’re fine one more goddamn time, I swear to god!” You cut him off, your voice raising a few decibels. 

“Get out.” He shook his head, sounding less angry and more fed up. 

“With pleasure.” You spat back, unfurling your arms from across your chest and turning on the heels of your sneakers. 

You didn’t turn back. You didn’t take one last look at him or anything of the sort. You stormed towards the door and flung it open with such force it swung against its hinges. Your footsteps on the stairs were heavy as you descended them. 

You still didn’t turn back, despite the fact you could feel his eyes piercing into the back of your head. You kept walking, slid into the driver’s seat of your car and within seconds he heard the engine scream to life. 

And you still didn’t look back when you reversed the car, turning in a quick and tight circle. Once facing the road you slammed your foot on the accelerator and sent a flurry of gravel and sand flying behind you as you peeled off down the dirt road. 

Spencer felt the anger rising in a bubble in his stomach. He’d never been an angry person, he was always so passive even in light of his countless traumas. 

But prison had brought out a side of him that he’d managed to keep contained his entire life. A part of him that had always hidden just beneath the surface but had never been facilitated. His inner Hulk, that’s what his therapist had named it. Spencer liked things to be named, it helped him make sense of them.

His inner Hulk had been dormant his entire life up until he was arrested in Mexico. What those men did to him on the inside unleashed that beast that he’d kept under lock and key up until then. 

The first time he let that Hulk out was when he held Cat Adams by the throat as he shoved her against the wall of the interrogation room. He’d hoped it was just a one time thing, he was on edge and his mother was missing. 

He stemmed it for months after, but eventually the Hulk appeared again. And this time that anger had been entirely misdirected. 

“What’s wrong, Spence? What’s happening? Why aren’t you, uh…aren’t you enjoying this?” The other man looked at him with a sadness in his eyes and Spencer felt his gut coiling into knots.

“I, uh, I just…I’m not ready.” He suddenly shot up from the couch. 

The other man stared at him through hooded eyes, his lips puffy from their intense make out session. 

“It’s okay,” the other man cooed. “We don’t have to do anything. I’m sorry if I rushed you.”

He stood up too and came closer to Spencer. He placed his hands gently on the younger man's shoulders but Spencer wouldn’t make eye contact with him. 

“Spence?” The man whispered. “Did something…did they do something to you in prison?” 

A flash of something indiscernible in Spencer’s eyes and then suddenly - 

“Don’t touch me!” Spencer spat, shoving the other man roughly by the chest. “And don’t talk to me about that place.” 

“Spencer?” The man sucked in a breath. “You know you can tell me anything. This is a safe space, baby.” 

When the hand came towards him, Spencer felt that bubble of anger in his stomach. It rapidly spread up his chest, down his extremities. Before the hand could touch him again, Spencer reacted without much thought behind it.

He was surprisingly swift when he wanted to be and he circled his hand around the wrist of the hand that was edging near him. He gripped it tightly and in one quick move he was able to spin the arm, and the man it was attached to, pinning the arm against his back.

The other man groaned in pain, at the twisting in his shoulder blade, at the nails digging into the skin of his wrist. 

“S-Spencer,” he stuttered. “What are you doing?” 

“I told you not to touch me.” He gave the arm another tug, the other man wincing. 

“I’m s-sorry,” the other man sniffed. “Please, I won’t do it again.” 

Somewhere in Spencer’s brain a light seemed to turn on and he snapped back around. He blinked several times in quick succession as his arm fell to his side, letting go of the other man.

He stumbled backwards, staring at his hand as if it were an alien appendage. His heart thrummed violently against his chest. What had just happened? One minute the hand had been reaching for him and the next Spencer was holding that hand hostage by the mans own back. 

The other man turned to him cautiously, a look of fear apparent in his eyes. He’d never looked at him in the same way again.

To this day Spencer couldn’t remember giving the command to act with such force towards the man who had only ever loved him. A combination of time and therapy had helped him understand what had happened and even though this was given a name, it was one time he’d rather it was unknown. 

He’d dissociated. For less than a minute in time his brain detached itself from reality and his trauma had acted on his behalf. 

He’d acted on compulsion, the way in which he’d wanted to be able to fend off the unwanted touches before but didn’t have the compunction to at the time. 

The rage bubble, the Hulk, the dissociation. The symptoms were treated by his medication but they were still a part of him. Pieces of what made him who he was. 

Part of the reason he’d moved out here was to keep others away. But it also served the purpose of keeping himself away from others. 

He no longer trusted his own actions. If he could become violent towards someone he loved, who was to say he couldn’t be that way with anyone? 

And he’d invited you into his home. He’d put you in danger by asking you to stay. For two years he hadn’t had a violent outburst but that was only because he’d isolated himself, kept himself locked away where he couldn’t hurt anyone else. 

He closed his eyes, clenching and unclenching his good hand at his side. When he felt the bubble of anger rising, he was to close his eyes and count to ten. 

He did as his therapist taught him, slowly but surely feeling the anger start to calm. He hadn’t taken his medication. He needed to. But the moment he opened his eyes again the rage came flooding back like a tsunami and before he could even take a single step, his mind divorced itself from reality and he spiralled into the abyss. 

@andiebeaword @muffin-cup @measure-in-pain @dreatine @matthew-gray-gubler-lover @justreadingficsdontmindme @spencer-reid-wonderland @thebloomingeagle @kalulakunundrum @small-and-violent @voledart @katrina0-0 @bakugouswh0r3

[bwabys-scenarios]

Reunited

Illumi x Reader x ??????

Part 12

part 11

part 13

warning: illumi is a LITTLE mean, mostly because he’s trying to push his feelings for you away!! Also slightly suggestive, mention of panty stealing, Leorio is a pervert(as per usual)

“I’ll teach you, for a price.”

(Name) raises an eyebrow at the man in front of her, who she knows as Gittarackur, but is actually the disguised Illumi.

“Yeah, and what you want as payment?”

The man lifts a hand to stroke his chin. “Two options.”

(Name) leaned against the tree, waiting for him to continue.

“You can pay me back with your… body.”

She jumped, her face heating up. “W-what? My-“

He raised a hand to stop her, shaking his head. “Not in that way. You will owe me a favor, which I may need your future skill to complete.”

She relaxed a bit, sliding down to sit on the ground. “Okay. And the other option?”

He smiled, crouching down in front of her to pull out a picture, one that she had dropped.

“You tell me who the people in this picture are.”

Her eyes widened, and she reached out to snatch the picture back, a hint of anger in her eyes. “Give that back.”

He shook his finger, tutting softly. “Not until your training is over.”

She grabbed his arm, her eyes wide. “That picture is very important to me, please give it back!”

Illumi paused, not liking the shaking that had entered her voice. Was she about to cry? And why was he getting anxious at the thought of her tears.

“…”

He scoffed and let the picture drop to the ground, seeing her snatch it away and hold it to her chest before he turned away, a frown on his face.

“… it’s a picture of me and someone I care about. I don’t remember much about him, but I wanna see him again someday.”

She brings the picture to her lips to kiss the boys face, smiling at his blurred features. Illumi stiffens at this.

“You really care about that person, huh?”

She nods. “He was my first real friend. I hope he’s doing okay, I know he had a rough life, but he’s strong. And was really cute!”

She giggled to herself, stuffing the picture into her bag. Illumi was glad that he was facing the other way, or she would see his disguise trembling, a blush erupting on his cheeks.

“… I’m sure he’s fine. Probably misses you too.”

He calmed himself before turning and offered her his hand.

“Tonight will be your only rest time, so find somewhere to sleep. We’ll start your training in the morning.”

And with that, he was gone. The only thing he left behind was a nostalgic girl that he now knew to be his childhood friend.

When he was far enough away, Illumi’s disguise completely came undone, and the long haired man could only hold his chest as his heart threatened to break through his ribs.

She missed him. Him! She had held onto that picture for over 10 years, searching for HIM! He let out a shaky breath, using a nearby tree to support himself.

“Look what you do to me, (Name). Can’t even stand up straight…”

He calmed down just enough to remember her words more clearly. She had mentioned that she didn’t rennet much about him. Was that just her memory being shoddy, or amnesia? Questions for later, right now he could barely think about her without melting.

“My, my, seems you got the conformation you needed.”

Hisoka shuffled his cards, not even glancing up to look at Illumi’s flushed expression. He could tell by Illumi’s aura that he was beyond flustered, and was there to revel in this new side of him.

“Yes… she is the girl from my childhood. A person that was very important to me…”

Hisoka glanced up, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Was?”

Illumi nodded, folding his arms across his broad chest, steadying his breathing. “Was. I won’t have myself falling for her all over again. The first time it was… agonizing when I realized she was gone. Plus I’m way too busy to play around, I’m not a child anymore.”

Hisoka hummed. ‘Oh poor ‘Lumi, doesn’t even understand he’s still in love with her. Oh well, just makes it more interesting for me.’

“So, what do you plan on doing with her then? You’re going to teach her to be a hunter, correct?”

The black haired assassin mulled over this, brushing his hair to the side.

“Yes. I can sense potential in her. I may…”

A small smile spread across his lips, a smile devoid of good intentions.

“… borrow her after the exam.”

——————

(Name) did her best to create a rudimentary shelter before the sun dipped below the trees. When she finished, she crawled in and lied down, using a pile of leaves as her pillow.

She thought back to earlier, gripping her photo so tight it wrinkled.

‘How did he get this? I’ll have to be much more careful in the future. Someone could use this picture to hurt my old friend…’

She curled up, her eyelids growing heavier by the second.

“Goodnight Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gittarackur. Wherever you are…”

——————

(Name) awoke when the feeling of water surrounded her, she tried to breath, but stopped when her mouth filled with liquid.

She breached the surface of the water, gasping for breath. (Name) took a moment to breath before she checked her surroundings, seeing Illumi standing on the bank of the stream she had been tossed in. He had an amused smirk on his lips.

“I came to wake you up and you didn’t budge. I pulled you out of your mediocre shelter, nothing. If I can carry you to a stream and toss you into water before you wake up…”

He grabs her sleeve, pulling her up onto the bank with ease.

“We have a problem.”

(Name) pushed him away, coughing up water. She gestured to her soaked clothes, her brows furrowing.

“Okay, cool, but now my clothes are absolutely soaked. What am I supposed to do?”

He shrugged, looking her up and down. “You could just train in your underwear. Don’t worry, I’m not attracted to girls like you.”

He winced at his own comment, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Huh, okay then.” She scoffed and pulled at the hem of her shirt, just enough to expose her pink bra.

He jumped back, his head turning to look in the opposite direction quicker than he would have liked.

“Vulgar girl, I would’ve hoped you’d change in privacy, considering you have an extra set of clothes.”

He tried to ignore the urge to look, biting his lip. She just huffed, throwing her shirt on the ground and waking past him to her shelter.

“You’re blushing an awful lot for someone that ain’t attracted to girl like me, Gittarackur.”

He growled, folding his arms as he waited for her to change.

“Anyone would blush when a woman starts disrobing in front of them. You feel comfortable getting naked in front of men?”

She laughed, exiting her shelter wearing her shorts from the first day and a sports bra. He could feel his pants tighten at the sight, telling himself he’d address THAT later.

“No, only the men I’m not attracted to.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, stretching out her legs.

“Let’s get started, yeah?”

——————

Illumi’s training was tough, partly because training to be a hunter was tough, but also because he wanted to let out a bit of pent up energy.

He was no stranger to seeing half naked women, often being an assassin meant women trying to seduce you into not killing them. This never worked, as Illumi didn’t have much of a libido.

(Name), however, was testing his patience.

The way she bent to watch the fish be picked up by birds and practiced catching them by jumping into the air, causing her breasts to bounce was driving Illumi crazy. She seemed almost unaware of her effect on him, leaning against him during her breaks to offer him food or a drink.

Her scent mixed with the sweat of her hard work was mind numbing. He wondered how he was able to keep himself in check when she loosely lifted the hem of her bra to complain about the heat, fanning herself.

“I’m heading out. Keep practicing, watch how the bird waits to catch the fish and practice the moves I taught you.”

He runs off, hissing at the hardness between his legs.

(Name) watches him go, a bit confused at his hasty departure. “Alright, see you tomorrow.”

——————

By the time Illumi arrived to wake (Name) up, she had already rose and gotten dressed, this time in a t-shirt and shorts. Illumi sighed in relief, glad he wouldn’t have to deal with his “little problem” again after their session.

He would have stayed relieved if he didn’t see her clothes from the last day drying on a string next to her shelter, including a pair of panties with a strawberry pattern.

“(Name).”

He gripped her shoulder, staring down at her intensely. She just lifted an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Why… why are you drying your underwear out in plain view?”

(Name) just shrugged, pushing his hand off her shoulder. “Why not? I need clothes to wear, since YOU got them all soaked yesterday.”

His eye twitched. She wasn’t exactly wrong but…

“There are dangerous men taking this exam, (Name). I seem to remember you saying that Hisoka would be into strange things. What do you think his reaction would be, seeing your little strawberry panties waving in the wind?”

(Name) blinked, then covered her mouth.

“Oh god, he would get WAY too excited. Do you think he’d steal them? They’re my favorite pair!!”

Illumi glared at the girl, raising a hand to rub his temple. “Men are capable of much more than stealing your underwear, girl.”

She tilted her head at this. “Capable of what exactly?”

He dropped his hand, sliding it to her chin.

“Want me to show you?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Illumi pulled his hand away, covering his lower face to hide his blush. He was losing control, the power this girl held over him was concerning. He could feel himself throbbing at the thought of touching her, kissing her, bending her over and-

“Are you done being creepy and ready to see my progress?”

She tapped her foot impatiently, a light blush also apparent on her cheeks. He cleared his throat and nodded.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

—————

It took (Name) two days to master the act of hunting, which impressed Illumi immensely. She was proud of herself, jumping up and down excitedly.

“Ahh, thank you for training me Gittarackur!”

Illumi tensed at her arms wrapping around him, giving him a tight squeeze. He wanted to pull away, but his arms hound themselves wrapped around her waste, his head lowering to smell her hair.

“You’re welcome. I have no other reason to be here, so I just leave. I still have to k- find my target.”

He retracted his arms and pushed her off, earning a huff in return. Illumi held back a chuckle.

“You helped me before even you found your target? You’re such a nice guy!”

Illumi paused, turning quickly to grab her by the shoulders.

“You have no idea the kind of man I am. Don’t trust people so willingly, (Name). You’ll only get hurt.”

He squeezed her shoulders before he let go and scurried away. She frowned and yelled after him.

“A BAD MAN WOULDN’T BE SO GENTLE, GITTARACKUR!”

Illumi ignored her, speeding up.

—————

(Name) left her temporary home to explore, having a bit more confidence in her abilities. Illumi had sparred with her relentlessly, and she rubbed her bruised bottom. He’d sent her falling onto her butt so many times you would of though she’d broke her tailbone.

“Man, where is everyone hiding?”

(Name) perked up when she heard Illumi’s voice in the distance, immediately following it.

“I haven’t seen anyone for the past two days.”

(Name) appeared, waving excitedly.

“Leorio, I’m so glad to see you!”

She jumped into his arms, squeezing him tightly. He gasped, his hands hovering around her hips.

“Oh, (Name), you scared me! How you’ve been holding up?”

“Meh, okay I guess. One of the applicants trained me in the “art of hunting.” He’s moody, but I think he’s actually a nice guy under all that doom and gloom!”

Leorio relaxes, his hands finally resting on her hips. “He? (Name) be careful, men don’t just help a girl for no reason.”

“But you and Kurapika have helped me plenty, and I know you two don’t have any ulterior motives… unless…”

She playfully hit his shoulder. “You’ve been using me for my canteen haven’t you?”

He sighed, playing along by holding up his hands in defeat. “You got me. This has all been an elaborate plan to steal your pink water canteen.”

They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. (Name) pinched his cheek, her eyes sparkling.

“See, now that wasn’t so hard to admit, huh?”

The moment was ruined when the bush next to them rattled. Leorio stood, pushing (Name) behind him and wielding his knife. She pulled out her own dagger, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Who goes there?”

“Oh, hold on!”

Tonpa left the bush, holding his hands up to show he wasn’t armed. (Name) frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

“It’s just me!”

“Tonpa! Don’t tell me your target is…”

Leorio and (Name) tensed, pointing their weapons at him.

“Hey, wait a second! Just calm down you two! Neither of you are my target.”

“Prove it.”

Tonpa reached into his back pocket, pulling out a card with the number 191 on it. The two relaxed.

“Good think I didn’t throw it away. Fighting people who aren’t my target is a waste of time and energy.”

(Name) looped her arm around Leorio’s, glaring at the man. Tonpa caught this and began to back up, pointing at her.

“Wait don’t tell me that I’m your target?!”

“Unfortunately you’re not.” Leorio replied. (Name) shook her head to signal he wasn’t her target either. Leorio held up the card that held the number of his target.

“Number 246. Ponzu, huh?”

“Huh? You know who this is?”

“You didn’t already know?”

(Name) giggled, poking Leorio’s cheek. “You shouldn’t let him know he has an advantage over you, Leorio.”

“Uh, er, well… I wouldn’t put it that way. I just didn’t have a chance to find out…”

Tonpa grinned. “Heh. Want me to fill you in?”

“What?”

“Your target’s appearance, weapons, special abilities, and weaknesses.”

Leorio let him continue, thinking it over.

“I have one condition.”

The two were surprised to hear a wet gurgling sound come from Tonpa’s stomach. (Name) made a disgusted face, stepping back.

“I think I ate some bad fruit.”

“Bad fruit…”

“To be honest, I can barely stand… you want to become a doctor right? Do you have any medicine one you?”

He groaned, holding his stomach as he trembled. (Name) gagged, retreating behind Leorio. He approached Tonpa, holding out his briefcase.

“Wait, don’t soil yourself. I have all kinds of anti-diarrheal and stomach medicine.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

Tonpa reached out for the briefcase, his hands brushing against it. Leorio pulled it back, scowling.

“First tell me what you know.”

“F-fine.”

(Name) didn’t pay much attention to their conversation, only picking up that the woman she’d met before was named Ponzu.

Leorio instructed Tonpa to step back before he opened his briefcase, which he did quickly.

As soon as the briefcase clicked open, someone descended from the trees and attempted to wack Leorio in the head with a large stick. He barely dodged, the contents of his bag spilling out…

Including his badge number!

“Leorio!”

(Name) launched forward, but before she could grab the badge it was stolen by a monkey. (Name) was so surprised by the monkey that she fell backwards into Leorio.

The two hurriedly stood, (Name) embarrassed apologizing as they did. Leorio paid her no mind, his anger increasing by the second.

“You two are working together!?”

“Exactly so. I didn’t need your medicine. I have my own, and I might as well confess that you actually are my target.”

Tonpa swallowed his medicine, a cocky smile on his face.

“What about the card you just showed me?”

“That’s my target.”

The man with the monkey waved, winking in (Name)’s direction. “This is tonpas, we switched cards. And these…”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of strawberry panties.

“Are yours, right?”

(Name)’s face erupted in a combination of embarrassment and anger. “Hey, those are my favorite pair!”

Leorio just gawked at the man, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

“Can I uh… have th-“

(Name) elbowed him in the stomach, and he shut up.

“There you have it!”

He laughed, which only enraged Leorio further.

“Damn you! I’ll make you pay!!”

“Uh-oh!”

He began to chase Tonpa. (Name) glanced between tonpa and the man with the monkey, deciding to follow after Leorio.

“Hold up, I’m gonna kill you!”

“Hey now, I’m not the one with your tag and her underwear!”

“Shut up!”

Tonpa laughed, keeping a good distance between them. “You still haven’t learned your lesson, rookie? It’s your own fault for letting us trick you! Besides, working in teams during the Hunter Exam is common sense!”

“I agree with the latter, but I cannot accept the former.”

Kurapika appears on the path. Tonpa doesn’t have time to stop at the pace he was going, and Kurapika kicks him.

“You shouldn’t be tricking people, in the first place!”

“Kurapika!”

(Name) embraced him, her eyes welling up with tears. She couldn’t get any words out, just blubbers. He pats her head, and looks to Leorio.

“You two wanna team up?”

—————

“Oh dear.”

Kurapika holds a hand over his mouth as they explain their situation. His cheeks flush when (Name) tells him what happened with her.

“What degenerates. How did they even get them? Are you…”

He barely stops himself from asking if they had been taken straight off of her. She was wearing shorts after all, that would be near impossible.

“Probably stole them while I was hanging them out to dry. My favorite pair, with the cute strawberries!”

She started to cry again, shaking Leorio. “What if they get away and keep them?! What am I supposed to do without my lucky pair!! Ugh Gittarackur was right!”

The two exchanged a look. “We’ll get your uh.. undergarments back, (Name).”

Leorio ruffles her hair, which calms her a little.

——————

(Name) waits at an old log, kicking her feet. The two had promised to retrieve her underwear, and she promised to cook dinner.

The two returned an hour later, Leorio with his tag in one hand, and her neatly folded panties in the other. Kurapika was polite enough to not look, instead turning his head when Leorio offered her the pair of panties.

“Oh thank you so much! Ah, my favorite pair!”

She held them up, spinning in a circle before stuffing them into her bag. “I’ve gotta out these on later. Guess they’re only safe when they’re on my-“

“Ahem! Anyways…”

Kurapika stopped her mid sentence, avoiding her gaze. “We have the tags for #16 and #118 as well.”

“So Kurapika, Tonpa was your target? You saved me back there!”

“No need to thank me. I didn’t want Tonpa to notice me, so I stayed hidden while you were jumped from behind. Well that was because there’d be no point teaming up with you if you couldn’t withstand that attack. I suppose that you barely qualified.”

“You really are full of yourself…”

(Name) pointed to herself. “Did I qualify?”

Kurapika smiled, shaking his head. “I didn’t need to test you, I already planned on teaming up with you from the beginning.”

Leorio frowned and (Name) gasped, pulling Kurapika into a hug and ruffling his hair.

“Aren’t you a little charmer?”

“He’s rude that’s what he is!”

Leorio huffed. “Well, I can’t deny that it’s easier to work as a team. Let’s stick together for the remaining four days.”

(Name) released the now flustered Kurapika, putting her hands on her hips.

“Yeah, let’s.”

The three chatted for a bit, discussing their targets and the tags they now had.

“Wait, (Name), who’s your target?”

Leorio glanced at her, only slightly suspicious. She sighed and reached into her shirt, pulling the blank card out to show them.

“I have no target, and I’m not being hunted. I’m the one who drew the blank card.”

—————

Illumi had been watching over the interaction from a distance. Once (Name) had gotten her stolen underwear back, he left.

He didn’t like that another man had held her panties in his hands, but there wasn’t much her could do about it… yet. It was almost night time and he had long since gravely wounded his target, only needing to capture his tag.

Illumi took one last look at (Name) before he was gone.

————

The group of three traverse through the forest, (Name) stopping to pick up herbs and mushrooms she’d need to make dinner.

They all slide down a cliff, (Name) complaining about their nonchalant behavior.

“Do all boys just enjoy getting dirty? I just washed these.”

She groaned, dusting the dirt off of the back of her shorts.

“You can just wash them again later. You can wear my tunic if you need to.” Kurapika offered like the gentleman he was.

“Thanks, but that would barely cover me. I’m not exactly the smallest girl, but any girl with hips would pop out of that.”

Leorio put a hand on Kurapika’s shoulder. “Let her borrow your tunic.”

The younger man pulled away from his grasp. “Did you not hear her, it would barely cover her.”

“That’s the poi-“

Kurapika smacked him over the head with his weapon. “Pervert.”

Leorio huffed. “So I’ve figured out who my target is, but how am I supposed to find her on this huge island? Isn’t walking around aimlessly a waste of energy?”

“Constantly whining and being a pervert would be an even bigger waste of energy.”

“You already have six points, so you’re finished. But if I don’t find my target…”

The three stopped in their tracks, Kurapika gasping. Down the path and causally leaned against a tree was none other than Hisoka.

“Hey.”

He held up a card nonchalantly. The two men stiffened, standing in front of (Name) protectively. Kurapika barely noticed her slowly raise her hand to grasp her hurt wrist, trembling.

“Imagine meeting you here…”

Leorio laughed humorlessly. “I keep running into people I don’t want to encounter.”

“You see, I need two more points. Could you give me your tags?”

“What was that! Screw that, I’m not gonna-“

“Leorio!”

Kurapika cut his eyes to (Name), and Leorio did the same. She was shaking, struggling to control her breathing. It was very obvious that Hisoka scared her, and it wasn’t just because he had a frightening presence. Something had happened between the two.

“You said that you only needed two points, correct? Which implies we are not your targets, correct?”

“I’m the one asking questions here. Will you give me your tags or not?”

He held a card to his lips, his eyes trained on (Name). The two men inches closer, blocking her from view.

“That depends. We currently have five tags. Mine, my target’s, Leorio’s, (Name)’s, and a tag only worth a single point to us. Of these, only two could be the number of your target. Mine, or the tag only worth a single point.”

“Correct. Neither of those is my target. So?”

“That’s leaves the other two tags. If you’re willing to take the tag worth only one point to us and leave, you can have it. But I will not let you have mine or (Name)’s, and the same goes for the other two.”

The two of them throw down their respective bags, readying themselves for battle. (Name) drew her dagger.

“If you insist on taking them by force, you’ll have to fight me!”

Both Kurapika and Leorio raised their weapons, the three men having a stare down. (Name) attempted to join them, but before she could move from behind them the two blocked her with their arms.

“Stay back.” Kurapika whispered. Hisoka’s eyes narrowed, taking in the sight of the three with wicked glee. He covered his face with his hand, laughing into it.

“Mmm….”

He pulled his hand down to glance at them. “Out of curiosity, what is your number?”

“#404.” Kurapika answered, frowning.

Hisoka glared at them for a bit longer, almost like he was savoring the moment. “Alright. You have a deal. I’ll only take the one tag.”

Kurapika nodded. He crouched down to grab his bag, fishing the badge out and placing it in the hollow part of a tree.

“I’ll leave it here.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be standing here for a while.”

Before the three can leave, he stops them with a smirk.

“Girl, stay here for a moment.”

Leorio and Kurapika began to protest, but (Name) stops them. “It’s alright. I don’t want to anger or… excite him with my refusal.”

“You two, walk away a bit. Don’t worry, I don’t plan on killing her or anything. Just need to.. pass on a message.”

The two glanced at her as they walked away, Kurapika’s hand forming into a fist.

“What do you need to tell me?”

(Name) stand a good 5 feet away, her dagger still out and ready for use. Hisoka steps towards, and she takes a step back.

“Relax, I’m not gonna hurt you again. I really do have a message for you, from your little friend.”

(Name) perks up at this, breaking the distance between them. “You mean it? A message from-“

Hisoka puts a finger over her lips, smirking as she winced in disgust. “You surround yourself with such dangerous men, (Name). Be careful who you say his name around.”

She nodded hesitantly and he pulled his finger away, licking it.

“He said to meet him in York New, September 1st.”

Her heart started beating against her chest, and she gripped the fabric of her shirt. “I’m so glad he’s okay…”

‘Although he could have just texted me instead of getting the creepy clown to play messenger…’

Nonetheless, (Name) shook Hisoka’s hand, smiling up at him. “Thank you so much, I didn’t know you were this nice!”

After that she ran away, chasing after Leorio and Kurapika.

Hisoka watched her go, staring down at his hand for a moment before clenching his fist.

“I’m starting to understand why those two are so… interested in her.”

——————

(Name) made a simple soup for dinner, eating and drinking water from the stream as the two fussed over her.

“What did he tell you, did he hurt you?”

“Why the hell did you grab his hand, he could’ve crushed your windpipe with ease!”

(Name) leaned back against her leaf pillow, stretching out her legs. “I’m fine, aren’t I? And he didn’t tell me anything that you two would need to know.”

She wasn’t sure if she should tell them. After all, her friend wasn’t exactly a… great person. She was okay with that, but she knew others wouldn’t be so lenient.

“We’re just worried, (Name). You seem to have a knack for getting yourself into trouble with dangerous men.”

Kurapika didn’t know how right he was. (Name) pouted, snuggling up under their new shelter.

“I can handle myself… most of the time… I promise if what he told me was bad I would have told you by now.”

“Yeah? Well how about you tell us why you were shaking so badly when he looked at you?”

(Name) was silent at this, looking down at her wrist that had turned purple over the last few days. Leorio didn’t miss this.

“He’s the one that did that to you, isn’t he? That bastard… I’ll kill him!”

(Name) reached out to pull at his sleeve, shaking her head.

“Don’t. He’s too strong for any of us to beat. He… made me promise not to say anything. I agreed, for… your sake.”

She gestured to the two, before releasing Leorio’s sleeve.

The three fell into silence, and (Name) soon fell asleep. Kurapika took of his tunic and covered her with it, brushing the hair out of her face.

“She did that… to protect us?”

Leorio shook his head, gripping his blade.

“We’ll have to return the favor.”

—————

Four days had passed since they saw Hisoka, with nothing to show for it.

“Wanna head back to the starting point?”

“Huh?”

(Name) stopped, placing her canteen back in her bag after they’d all had a sip. Leorio continued.

“It’s possible that people have already finished.”

“No, we won’t be able to find anyone there. This phase is unique because you have a chance to recover your tag if you lose it. On the other hand, you might have six points in tags right now, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll have them when the phase ends. You can’t finish it quickly.”

“I see.” Leorio grunts out, rubbing his aching legs.

“But it’s worth a shot. Only one day remains, people who already have six points will be inclined to wait near the goal. I would do the same.”

(Name) nods, jumping over the roots of a tree.

“Okay, let’s go!”

————

“Well? Anyone there?”

The three stare out at the place where they first disembarked. “No. No one that can easily be spotted.”

“Damn.”

“Perhaps we should split up to search after we decide on a place to reconvene.” Kurapika and Leorio sigh, (Name) raising an eyebrow at the suggestion. Had they forgotten that there was a Killer Clown on the loose?

“It’ll go faster with four people!”

“Huh?”

The three startle, quickly swiveling around to see Gon jump from a tree.

“Gon!”

“I guess we all had the same idea. I’ve been watching from up above, and a number of people are nearby.”

(Name) jumped up and tackled him in a hug, petting his head. “Gon!! You’re safe!”

“I see, we should search from above.”

Gon wiggled out of her grasp and Kurapika shook his head.

“We can’t, it’s only possible if you have eyes as sharp as Gon’s.”

(Name) agreed, looking at the tree with dismay. “And I don’t think I can climb a tree, not after what happened last time.”

“Last time? What happened last t-“

“Gon!”

Said boy perked up. “Yes?”

“Do you have the tags you need?”

His expression soured a bit. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Damn, so I’m the only one without enough points.”

“Who’s your target?”

Leorio handed Gon his card. “#246, a woman named Ponzu. I heard she used chemical weapons. Gon, did you see any women when you were up there?”

He shakes his head. “None besides (Name).”

“I see…”

Kurapika placed a hand on Leorio’s shoulder. “We can assume that there are four possibilities. She’s I. Good shape and still has her tag. She’s in good shape, but she lost her tag. She’s out of action, but she still has her tag. She’s out of action, and she doesn’t have her tag.”

“Is it really likely that she’d still have her tag if she’s out of action?”

“If she were caught in a sudden accident, or if she were defeated after hiding the tag. If she died after conceiving her tag, we won’t be able to find it.”

“Sounding gloomier by the second.” Leorio whined.

“Hey, do you know anything else about Ponzu? Does she wear a special perfume like (Name)?” Gon asked. (Name) sniffed herself, but all she could smell was soil and sweat. Kurapika gasped.

“Oh, that’s right! Gon can follow her scent!”

“But she might not wear perfume.”

“He can smell the chemicals she uses. She’s known for using drugs, right? Some of them must have strong scents. Well, Gon?”

Gon nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot! That’s why I’m here.”

—————

The group of four travelled under the shade of trees and through hills of grass, Gon inhaling the air as they went.

By sunset, Gon sniffed out a cave where they stopped in front of. Leorio peered at the cave, giving Gon a nod.

“Is she in there, Gon?”

“Yep, definitely.”

“What do you want to do, Leorio?”

“I’m going inside.”

They all looked at him as he picked up a stick and began to approach the cave. “You guys wait here.”

He walked in, tapping the walls as he did. He threw his stick into the dark to test for a reaction.

“I’ll head inside. Don’t renter until I give you the okay.”

“30 minutes.”

“Huh?”

“If we don’t hear anything from you after 30 minutes, we’re coming in.”

Leorio denied Kurapika’s demand with a shake of his head.

“Unacceptable. If that happens, you guys should return to the start.”

“I can’t do that. Since we teamed up, I won’t abandon you now.”

(name) nodded, in agreement with Kurapika. “I still owe you from getting my… lucky pair back for me.”

She winked, causing a blush to erupt on his face.

“Then I quit the team. You don’t owe me anything. It’s selfish, considering all the help you’ve given me, but I’ll do this alone.”

Gon frowned. “No.”

Leorio ran back. “What did you say?!”

“We’re staying here no matter what! Still got a problem?”

He watched the threes faces, all of them looking at him with stubborn eyes. He sighed and pulled out his knife, tossing his briefcase to gon.

“Do whatever you like. Hold onto that for me.”

The three smiled between themselves.

———————

“-and then he bit me, like actually bit me! I was afraid he might be rabid so I ran away.”

“(Name), you attract the strangest people.”

(Name) had begun to tell them about her meeting her mysterious friend, although she kept his name and occupation secret. Kurapika rubbed his temple.

“Yeah, he is pretty strange, but cute in a way. He really liked the rose syrup I made so I mail him some every month. His address changes for work often but…”

She paused, biting her lip. “Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s just…”

“Nervous about Leorio taking so long?” Kurapika asked, a smile pulling at his lips. She nodded.

“It’s been nearly 30 minutes.”

“Kurapika, Gon, (Name)!”

The three shoot up at the sound of Leorio’s shouting.

“Don’t come in!”

The three run forward, Kurapika pushing (Name) back. “You stay here. Don’t move!”

With that, (Name) is alone again. She kicked the sandy ground, her lips forming into her another pout.

“Stupid boys and their stupid chivalry.” She crossed her arms, deciding to gather ingredients for dinner to pass the time. If they weren’t out in an hour, she’d go in.

—————

(Name) was lucky enough to find a nest full of eggs, so she boiled them and made a simple salad to go with it. It wasn’t much, but would fill their bellies enough to get through the night.

She stared at the entrance to the cave as the eggs boiled. She noticed smoke starting to pool out.

“Smoke? Oh god I hope they didn’t-“

(Name) quieted when she heard the d sound of shoes slapping against the cave floor. She gasped when she saw Gon carring the boys, plus Ponzu out of the cave.

“Holy- Gon how strong are you!?”

He let out a great before inhaling loudly. “Strong enough!”

—————

The boys explained what happened over dinner. Gon seemed particularly excited, his stomach growling loudly.

“Thanks for preparing dinner, (Name)!”

She patted his head, putting two one of her eggs onto his plate. “No problem. Here, take one of mine. Young boys need to eat!”

He didn’t argue, only gulping it down and grinning. After dinner the four gathered together to sleep, (Name) telling them stories about her mysterious friend, who they were beginning to wonder the motive of.

“(Name), I think that guy might be in l-“

Kurapika smacked Leorio across the head.

“Goodnight, let’s all get some rest before the big day tomorrow.”

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