#does that mean i should tag animal crossing?

[honeys-bnbdc]

Annnnnnd a random sketch page of, um.

[skyburger]

me when im in a introducing myself contest circa october 1973 and my opponent is steve miller

[luvjunie]

— less is more

pairing: e-42!miles morales x fem!reader

contains: some tears, a little misunderstanding but a fluffy ending

summary: miles makes quite a bit of cash from his jobs, and with his love language being gift giving he often likes to spend a lot of it on you. however, you didn’t grow up with much, and this makes it especially hard for you to accept such expensive things from him without feeling overwhelmed. wc: 1,224

a/n: based off this request! some people might find this reader easier to relate to so i definitely wanted to write it

Gifts were something that came with the territory of dating Miles Morales. Big bouquets, flashy accessories, shopping sprees at the mall, and probably every single stuffed animal he’d ever caught you eyeing whenever the two of you went out. If you so much as looked at it, it was on your fire escape the next morning. At this point, you had so many on your bed that you were starting to run out of room to sleep.

And you knew he meant well, and you tried your best to enjoy it the way you imagined you should but it was all so foreign to you. Your life was much different before you met him, and it was more along the lines of nervously checking your bank account to see if you had enough cash to buy a five dollar starbucks drink to ‘treat yourself’, or if you’d have to wait till next week’s paycheck for blended coffee with some whipped cream on top.

Most of your clothes were hand-me-downs from your older siblings, or duds you’d secured from the Salvation Army a few blocks down on the colored-tag sale days, and that was the way you liked it. Humble beginnings is where you came from and humble was the way you intended to keep it.

So now as you stared down at the small jewelry box in your hands, Tiffany & Co embellishing the top in silvered letters, trepidation began coursing through you at the size of the box alone. Anything that came in a tiny package such as the one you were holding was bound to cost more than anything you’d ever managed to buy yourself. You realized you must have been lost in thought as you sat gawking at the untouched gift, because your boyfriend’s voice sounded like it was underwater the first few times he called out to you.

“Baby?”

“Hm?” You blinked, looking up at Miles from where you were seated on his bed to see him leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

“Go ‘head and open it, don’t leave me hanging.” Miles joked, brows bunched slightly in confusion.

“Oh— right,” you laughed half-heartedly. Swallowing hard, you gently pried the small box open with hesitant fingers to reveal the prettiest diamond necklace you think you’ve ever seen. Light glinting off the encrusted jewel, Miles waited with bated breath as he watched your hand tremble towards it, a choked inhale catching in your throat as you felt the weight of the pendant alone.

“Well?” he asked quietly.

“How much was this?” Your throat felt tight; uncomfortably so, like the air in the room suddenly wasn’t the kind you were meant to breathe.

Miles glanced to the side for a moment, then stood up straighter. “I mean, I paid for it if that’s what you’re asking...”

“How much was this, Miles?” Voice trembling when you spoke, you asked again but louder, and this time he knew you actually wanted an answer.

Confused because he didn’t take you for the materialistic type, he racked his brain for the memory of the total the clerk had read out to him and scratched his forehead.

“Like… three hundred and some change…maybe? Probably four? I don’t remember. Why does this matter?” He let out a peeved sigh, eyes widening as he watched your shoulders start to shake.

“Ay, mi amor, ¿que pasa? (what’s wrong, my love?)” Miles asked gently as he rushed to sit next to you, taking the jewelry box from your loose hold. He looked down at it disappointedly, lips pursing at the necklace he’d spent so long picking out. He thought you would’ve loved it. “You don’t like it? I can get you somethin’ better—“

“No, Miles. I… It’s perfect.” Warm tears rolled past your waterline and you wiped them away in a rush, aggravated that you were even crying in front of him about something like this. How could you explain yourself without sounding ungrateful or confusing him even more?

Miles licked at his dry lips as he tried to think of what to say. He was usually so good at reading your body language, but this time he was completely lost. You could see it on his expression when you looked at him that he was having a hard time understanding what was going on, and it only made you cry harder.

“No entiendo… (I don’t understand…)” He set the box down next to him and took your hands into his, head lowered to try and meet your averted gaze. “I’m lost.. If it’s perfect, then what’s wrong?”

You inhaled a wavered breath, the feeling of his thumbs rubbing the backs of your hands serving as encouragement for you to go on.

“I just…” taking a breath, your shoulders shrugged weakly. “You spending money on me like this, I— It feels like I’m using you. You should be spending your hard earned money on things for yourself, or… saving it for better things, not spending it on me.”

“Money is nothing to me when it comes to you.” he denied immediately.

“I know, and that’s the problem.” Your lips trembled, but thankfully you were able to prevent more tears from coming.

“Y/n, I—“

“Just, please. Let me finish.” You pleaded quietly, looking up to see him slowly nod at you. “I love you, Miles, and that means I love everything you do for me as well. But I’m not used to things like this.” you looked in the direction of the overturned jewelry box. “It’s a lot.”

Silence filled the space around the two of you. You felt incredibly guilty for even bringing it up, it was never your intention to make him feel this way. There was an energy shift and you could sense him regressing back to the version of him that once didn’t know how to express his love for you.

“I’m sorry.” he murmured simply. He didn’t know what else to say, he didn’t even understand, but he offered it to you anyway.

“No no no, Miles,” You guided his doleful eyes back to you with a hand on his cheek, your tone sincere. “I love the way you love me, really, I do. You don’t have anything to apologize for. It’s not your fault— I’m just not that kind of girl and I don’t know if I ever will be. But the way I grew up and the things I’m used to have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me, okay?”

He frowned slightly. “So… No more gifts, then?”

You shook your head. “Giving me nice things is how you show your love towards me, I know that, and it would be unfair for me to take that from you. I’d be crazy to not appreciate how you’re always thinking of me wherever you go.”

Chewing on your thoughts, you contemplated the best way to give your answer.

“Okay, so it’s like this,” you sat up a bit. “You could give me a rock, and I’d cherish it like it was the best thing in the entire world, simply because you gave it to me. What I’m trying to say is how expensive the gift is doesn’t matter, all that matters is that my wonderful—“ your head dipped to meet his avoidant eyes. “caring, and thoughtful boyfriend got it for me. I don’t care about the money, I only care that it came from you.”

Miles brightened a little at that, and started to put things together after your explanation. “So, I can still get you nice things, but… less is more?”

A melancholic smile touched your lips before you pecked his cheek. “Less is more.”

He picked the small jewelry box up from the bed. He understood you completely now, but was still a bit bummed. “Does that mean I have to return this?”

You immediately shook your head. “Of course not, baby. I love it, and I think it’s beautiful. Just keep what I said in mind for next time, okay?” He nodded and you turned your back towards him so he could put it on for you.

“Good, cause I kinda lost the receipt.” Miles smiled coyly at the slightly shaky laugh that sounded from you as he unclasped the necklace, draping it over your chest and fastening it.

You peered down at the gorgeous piece around your neck, gently gracing over it with your fingertips. Your heart warmed at the thought of him picking it out for you, how he spotted something this beautiful and needed you to have it. You had to admit, it was absolutely stunning and you didn’t think you’d be taking it off any time soon. Even if the price of it had almost sent you into shock, you were more than grateful to have a boyfriend like him.

“Thank you, Miles. I love it, really.” You faced him once again with your confession, the sincerity laced in your tone accentuating the adoration in your eyes. Your hand caressed the apple of his cheek, it raising when he smiled contently and leaned into your palm. “But I love you, more.”

[hollyhomburg]

Before I Leave you (Pt. 74)

(Sneak Peek) (Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: A planned vacation with Namjoon might not offer the respite you hope it will; Something is wrong with Jin and he just wont say what.

Tags: Hurt/comfort, Harmless Sickfic, So much fluff, Light angst, Brief smut, brief mentions of intercrural sex, slick, implied d/s, Mommy kink, mommy tae, Brief daddy kink too 🥺, clothing control, implied omegaspace

W/c: 20.0k

A/n: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out <3 the last couple of weeks have been...not great! Here it is! I will repay you guys with my hiatus by giving you possibly the longest bily chapter ever! The heat arc will take two more chapters! No idea how long those will be but i greatly enjoyed making this chapter the fluffiest little bundle of scenes I could. i did not hold back- i think we've all needed a bit of softness.

Previous part - Masterlist - First part

You excuse yourself to change. But you find yourself pacing back and forth in front of the mirror for a moment. Struggling with your fancy dress that’s for tomorrow night’s dinner, hanging it up with a huff. Unsure why you’re so stressed, why you’re so anxious. An animal in your chest that just won’t stop clawing at your breath.

You knew what you were agreeing to going on this vacation with Namjoon. A solo vacation just for the two of you sends a very very pointed message. This is a sexy vacation- a private suite and a private onsen only means one thing and now at the precipice of it you feel- you feel-

Namjoon knocks, but you tell him you need a minute trying not to sound scared. You don’t even know why you feel scared; you’ve had sex with Namjoon before, and taking him is no longer quite as daunting of a task as it once was. But you feel unsettled and out of your depth here. Intimacy and romance are so much harder without your pack around you to reassure you to egg you on.

You need to call Tae.

She picks up on the second ring, “Pup!” she sounds happy and bubbly even through the phone. You even hear a bit of relief in her voice. “I’m doing my nails upstairs because Jin and Jungkook are being loud; did you get to the hotel yet? How are the flowers?”

“Tae” you hiss, keeping your voice down. “Did you think I’d spend the whole weekend lounging in lingerie!? You didn’t even pack me a bathing suit!” You whine. Still pacing.

“Well, I was actually hoping you’d spend the whole weekend getting your lingerie torn off of you by Namjoon but-”

“Mommy” you whine, and she quiets.

“It’s at the bottom, the dark red one with the flowers.” You find it, if only because it’s a bright oxblood in the mess of pastels. It’s dotted with pale yellow flowers and crossing straps that are supposed to tie around the slimmest part of your waist several times. It’s very Tae. Strappy and sexy and so tiny. The triangles are so small, it might as well be lingerie too.

“Tae- this isn’t going to fit me.”

“Yes, it does” she quips. “I measured.” You flush. You’re sure she did actually measure, probably during one of your morning preening and grooming sessions that you have a habit of spending mostly in omegaspace, an eager puppet to her hands. The idea that you’d been so far down, so trusting that you didn’t even notice warms your cheeks.

But Tae chose this for you, your alpha chose this for you and your other alpha. Tae does often know best. She knows what Namjoon likes.

Your heart rate slows a little.

“Tae- this is just a mess of strings,” she giggles, and you know just from the sound of it that she did this on purpose.

“Come on, live a little.”

“I know but- but-” you sit on the toilet, and she hums.

You wait, sensing that she’s yet to speak. You can hear Namjoon in the other room, starting to pace. You swear you hear him talking too. The hushed grumble as he talks to someone over the phone to someone.

“I’m sorry, I should have packed you something more modest. I just thought you’d want to- I don’t know, tell me off if I'm wrong but- Don't you want to explore a little? You don’t always have to know what you want, You don’t always have to want it- you can have both. Being wanted and being treated delicately- it's not one or the other.”

Your breath hitches, and you wonder how she managed to hit it right on the head. You do feel delicate- you've felt delicate the whole day.

“You can wear skimpy clothes and Namjoon will just be happy he gets to look at you. He still won’t do anything unless you say you want him to. He’s well-behaved like that.”

“Mommy-”

“You love feeling cute, you love feeling wanted. Let him want you pup, it doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“You’re just saying that because you like to give Namjoon a hard time.”

“It’s a love language” that does get a giggle out of you. She sounds satisfied, her voice a purr, but she still apologizes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“You didn’t, I just panicked in the moment.” You pause, and Tae doesn’t fill the space with chatter. “I feel so innocent around him, so- not like this. Not that it’s dirty to dress this way, just…” You trail off.

"The pack alpha loves you, he’s gonna think you’re stunning no matter what. You could walk out in nothing and he’d still probably ask before he looked at you.”

“I kinda want him to look at me,” You admit, confess. “I kinda like making him have to restrain himself.” You have no reason to be nervous.

Tae’s voice is a purr, “There’s my girl. What do you say?”

“Thank you mommy.”

“Are you gonna be a good girl for the pack alpha?” Her voice is a dark pur.

“No mommy.��

"Perfect."

Coming Saturday Aug 31 at 5pm EST (Time Zone Adjustments Below)

[bloodynectarine]

Pants are for the weak, and I'm strong af

MC refuses to wear pants. Chaos ensues.

tags. male mc, amab reader, shameless mc, mix of crack and fluff, slightly suggestive content (a healthy dose of horny grip), all the brothers.

notes. this is my first fic ever and my debut post, oof, sweats. what does one says. open up? enjoy the meal? come back soon?

After everything you've been through since your arrival at Devildom, including (but not limited to) a murder (yours, to be precise), you've slowly but surely carved your own way into the brothers' chaotic life.

Every time you wake up tangled in Mammon's arms and legs, you simply snuggle in, even when you were pretty sure you went to sleep to an empty bed the night before.

Walking around school holding Satan's arm feels as natural as breathing, and if you end up close enough to lay your head on his shoulder, so be it.

Whenever Asmo crosses the room to fix your hair or touch your face, rambling about how long your lashes are, how soft your skin feels, you lean in and bask in the attention.

Naps with Belphie are an everyday thing now: you let him lay on top of you, hide his face against your neck and snuggle anywhere between fifteen and forty minutes.

You already know every single one of Beel's eating habits. You can tell when a 108 seeds salad will do the job, and when you'll have to phone Barbatos, asking for his Bloody Terrine recipe.

Anime binges with Levi have introduced you to so many new series you love, and the amount of inside jokes the two of you share is probably a bit unhealthy.

If Lucifer decides to make eye contact with you from across the table at dinner, you have no problem to hold it, and if you let out the secret smile here and there, you're rewarded with an identical one.

They love it. They indulge in the way you let one wall down after the other, relishing in your company, constantly wondering, how close can they get? How much can they take from you before you stop them?

And still, when yet another wall crumbles down, and you show up late for breakfast one fateful Sunday morning with nothing but a long white t-shirt on —rubbing your eyes, tumbling in, clearly more asleep than awake—, the silence is loud, deafening.

“Legs” is the first thing that Asmo blurts out, immediately shutting up at the glare he gets from Lucifer. Nothing and no one can stop him from looking though.

“What? What leg?” You ask, voice low, slow, and drowsy as you sit down on the only available seat, between Levi and Beel.

Not even half a second later Levi gets up, muttering something about someone please switch places with me, do you want me to die, is that what you want, a shitty otaku like me isn't built for this, this is one of my favorite tropes--.

On cue, Mammon and Satan get up and rush to take the now free seat. The winner is Mammon, “That should teach ya!! Taste the power of the second born! THE Mammon!” he shrieks, loud but uncharacteristically evasive, face and neck as red as they get whilst holding intense eye contact with Levi's cereal bowl.

You laugh, as you always do, no longer surprised by their weird antics. “What's with that? Already fighting, so early on?” Elbow on table, cheek on hand, and the oversized t-shirt slides down, flashing an incredibly soft-looking shoulder.

While Levi chokes up with his own saliva and Beel reminds him he needs to breathe, Belphie sighs and shakes his head, unfazed, biting into his toast “Humans are pretty oblivious, uh? So dumb”, and if he moves his chair a little bit closer to try to get a better look, it's no one's business but his.

“Calling me dumb as soon as I get here? Mean”, you halfheartedly complain. Belphie might be onto something this time though: you have no idea what's going on.

Beel resumes chewing as he puts down a half-eaten cookie in front of you, “Saved this one for you”, which gets him a smile. In the next breath, Asmo puts two cookies (unchewed) on your plate “And I saved these for you, honey”, which gets him an even brighter smile.

Before everything gets out of control —he can already see his brothers wrestling until filling up your plate to the brim—, Lucifer decides it's time to intervene, “MC. Where are your pants.”

It's not a question, you notice. You scratch your neck and tilt your head, suddenly overly-conscious of your attire (or lack thereof) “Well. In my room. I hope.”

That gets you an exasperated sigh. Weird, that was even faster than usual. “Let me ask once again, and this time answer accordingly. Why are you not wearing your pants.”

“Oh. Haha. Actually, it's super funny” It's not. “But, you see, back in the human world I used to do this all the time.”

“This as in… Walking around naked?” Satan is the one asking, but while Lucifer sounds every bit of judgmental, he sounds playfully curious, his voice carries an obvious smile, even as he tries to hide it behind his mug (it's the one you got him, with cat ears, and a heart-shaped tail as the uncomfortable-looking handle).

“Not naked” How ridiculous would that be? You roll your eyes, reaching for your own mug (the one that has “Why be a demon hunter when you can be a demon kisser?” in bold red letters) and stopping halfway, thinking. “Surely I'm wearing boxers right now.” And to corroborate that you are, in fact, not walking around naked, you look down and lift the shirt. Just to be sure.

You've barely got a glimpse of black fabric (great, you didn't forget, that could've been embarrassing) when Mammon comes back to life, reaching out with both hands and pulling down to cover you once again, with more than enough strength. “Oi, oi, oi! W-w-what do ya think ya're doin'?! Are ya really that stupid?! Don't go around lettin' them s--”

A glimpse of your left nipple as the t-shirt slides even lower is apparently the straw that broke the demon's back, if the multiple gasps and squeals, delighted giggles (pretty sure those are Asmo's) and Lucifer's loud groan are any indicative.

“Enough. From now on, pants and t-shirts that actually fit are mandatory in and out the house.”

“Thank you, but no, thank you. I can't go back to wearing pants, they're suffocating. Also, it's only inside the house, so it should be okay, right?”

“It wasn't a question, this isn't about you agreeing or not, it's regulatory, and--”

“I say, if my darling doesn't want to wear pants, let him be, maybe it's a strange human tradition? We should join him!”

“That can't be the case, I haven't read anything like that before.”

“C-couldn't you at least wear a longer t-shirt? I'm going to pass out, it's exactly the same as in the second episode of I Turned Into a Bat Thinking My Childhood Friend Wouldn't Care But We Ended Up Married in The Afterlife where the protagonist--”

“It looks comfortable, MC. You probably can eat a lot in that.”

“And naps in a long t-shirt are the best, right? We should test it out. Right after breakfast.”

“Oi!! No! It's a no-go! Don't ya think I don't see ya lookin' at my human all over! Do I need to remind y'all who his first man is--”

“I don't see why it is such a big deal”, you mumble, pointedly not looking in Lucifer's direction, finally biting into a cookie as you let the t-shirt slide and move as it pleases, feeling snug and comfy in its embrace. So soft. “Aren't we all guys? There's nothing that I have that you don't.”

You continue chewing, eyes widening at a sudden realization “Or there is?” you ask, mouth full of cookie, trying to recall your limited knowledge in Demon Anatomy. Not your best subject, if you're being honest.

And thus a new round of shouting and squealing starts, so chaotic that getting a word in is impossible.

Or, at least was, until the ringing of the bell stops everyone in its tracks. Getting a few crumbs off your hands with the help of your very controversial t-shirt, you get up, walking towards the door with all the confidence of someone who's actually wearing pants.

It seems like ages since the last time all seven siblings agreed on something, but right now, they all scream in unison “Don't open the door!”.

ao3 ― writing tag

[vodika-vibes]

a innocent, tiny sunshine reader being completely oblivious with alpha-17?

The Devil's Luck

Summary: You’re parents have always warned you that you were far too naive about the way the world works, they feared that you would have a bad ending. But you’ve never been worried. You’ve always had the devil’s own luck, after all.

Pairing: Alpha-17 x F!Reader

Word Count: 1018

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: This is another ask that's been sitting in my inbox since last year. I'm a little worried that I didn't quite get the vibe needed for the oblivious, sunshine reader since I wrote from the reader's POV rather than Alpha's. This is set in an AU where Alpha-17 somehow became Mandalore (I have a whole plot on how that happened, but it's largely unimportant to this.)

“How are you adapting to life in the North?” The currently Mandalore, Alpha-17, asks in a low rumble as he towers over you. “It is very different than life in Sundari.”

“Different, but not bad.” You agree as you favor the massive man with a brilliant smile, “I’m just glad that you aren’t going to try and force to fight for you.”

There’s a dry look on his heavily scarred, but handsome, face. “There are plenty of men here who are more than happy to fight, an unwilling soldier is more of a risk than an untrained one after all.”

You laugh, “I’ll take your word for it.”

He glances around your home, still filled with unpacked crates and boxes, and sparsely decorated. “And how are the others treating you? I would hate for you to inform the Duchess that you’re being mistreated.”

“I think you’re overestimating how much Lady Satine cares about what I have to say.” You open a box and peer into it, cooking utensils. Nice, you’ve been looking for these. “The Duchess has already determined what she thinks of you and yours, Mandalore.”

“And what does her grace think of us?”

“That you’re little more than rabid animals, I’m afraid.” You’re genuinely apologetic about telling him that, “I was warned, on more than one occasion, that I should expect to be treated as little more than chattel.”

Alpha raps his knuckles on your counter, annoyance clear on his face, “Is that right. And she sent you here anyway?”

“She didn’t.”

“Sorry?”

“Send me. I’ve been wanting to leave Sundari for ages so I jumped at the chance.” You grin at him, “My parents were horrified.”

He crosses his arms across his broad chest, “If you wanted to leave, why didn’t you move away before?”

“My parents.” You reply as you make a face.

“...you’re an adult.”

“Yeah, that argument only really works in theory.” You shrug, “They think that I’m naive and worried that leaving Sundari would have me accidentally joining a cult or something. Apparently I’m ‘easily influenced’.”

He quirks an eyebrow, “That is pretty concerning, if it’s true.”

“I’ve never been worried. I’m Lady Lucks favorite.”

He releases a quiet chuckle, “Sure you are.” His dark eyes scan you for a moment, and then he leans back against your counter, “I’m having a dinner tonight. Nothing big or overly fancy, just me and some of the ambassadors towards the other sects of Mandalorians.”

“Sounds awful.”

“Generally is.” He agrees, “I want you to come.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because you’re a New Mandalorian who not only moved from Sundari to Little Keldabe, but is also thriving.” Alpha replies honestly, “Because you’re short and cute and very non-threatening. Because I want you there to have someone interesting to talk to.” He shrugs, unconcerned, “Take your pick.”

“...you think I’m cute?”

He shoots you a look, “Is that really the important thing here?”

“Yes~”

“I think you’re cute, beautiful, stunning. All of those nice things that you’re supposed to say to a woman.” Alpha replies with a roll of his eyes.

You grin at him, “Thank you~”

“You’re welcome. So, do you want to come?”

“Mm...I don’t really have anything to wear to a nice dinner.” You admit, “And won’t people get angry about you inviting me and not them?”

“By people you mean my brothers? If they have a problem with it they can come and talk to me.” He pauses, “But knowing my brothers, the moment they hear the word politics they’re going to run for the hills.”

You laugh softly, “I don’t blame them, really.” You fall silent for a moment, tapping your lower lip with your knuckles, “Yeah, alright. I’ll come to dinner with you.”

“Good,” He lowers his arms and leans them against the edge of the counter, “And now, because you told me that you’re oblivious, I’m going to be much more clear.”

You tilt your head curiously.

“This is a date. I’m asking you to come on a date with me.” Alpha says, amusement clear in his voice, “My intention is for this to become something more.”

You stare at him, your lips parted for a moment, and then your face burns. “...oh.” You squeak out.

“Is this a problem?” Alpha asks.

“No! Uh...outside of the fact that I don’t think I’m ‘mandalore’s girlfriend’ material.” You say quickly as you press your hands against your burning cheeks and try to force the flush away.

“The only person who’s allowed to decide that is me. And if I say that you are, no one is going to question me on it.” Alpha stares at you for a long moment, “So, still interested?”

“Yes!” Your face burns when you realize just how excited you sound about it, and you squeeze your eyes shut as you slide your hands over your face, “Um...I mean...yes. I am.”

You don’t see Alpha’s wide grin, and you don’t see him push away from your counter. You do, however, feel him wrap his hands around your wrists and tug them down away from your face, “There you are.” He murmurs his voice a low rumble that rolls through you pleasantly.

“...hi.” You whisper up to him.

“Hi yourself.” Effortlessly, he walks you backwards until your back bumps against the wall, “Is this too much?”

“No.” You reply immediately, “I think it might not be enough.”

He chuckles, and lowers his head so that his lips are hovering just over yours, “I think ‘Mandalore’s Girlfriend’ is a perfect title for you.” Alpha says, “What do you think, cyar’ika?”

“I think it sounds really good.” You agree.

“Good.” He closes the short distance between your lips and his, and you almost instantly respond, your hands sliding across his armor to find purchase between the plates so you’re able to cling to him.

He kisses you like he’s trying to replace the air in your lungs with himself, and you can’t be happier about it.

And, just before you lose yourself in him and his lips, you can’t help but think that you really do have the devil’s luck.

[mania-sama]

Dear Kaeya, signed Diluc Ragnvindr

Final Duet - Omori

➼ information ❧ Genshin Impact ❧ Pairing: Diluc & Kaeya, Beidou & Diluc ❧ Tags: angst, implied/referenced torture, the crux fleet, letter-writing, second person ❧ Summary: A collection of the letters Diluc Ragnvindr sent to Kaeya Alberich during his three-year-long disappearance. They are scattered around the corners of Teyvat, either digested by an animal or hidden behind a painting in an apartment. If anyone can find them, please return them to the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. You will be graciously rewarded. ❧ Word Count: 4,317 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 27 May 2022

Author Note:

Inspired by this tiktok

-

Dear Kaeya,

    This will never reach you. I assume it will be consumed by a whale or any other sea creature of sorts. I hope it’s not a catchable fish that people eat; then it might actually resurface. Whatever, it’s unlikely to get back to you anyway.

    I don’t know what to say. I’m going to run out of ink if I keep letting it go dry on my quill from hesitation. You would laugh and say that’s unlike me to hesitate. It is. I didn’t hesitate when I left the Knights of Favonius, I didn’t hesitate to attack you, I didn’t hesitate to leave Mondstadt. Why is it so hard for me to write what I mean, then? It doesn’t make sense. You would probably give me some bullshit answer for it.

    I don’t understand. Why did you have to hide it, for so long? I hate not knowing. You blindsided me, Kaeya. I thought you were all that I had left of my family, and then you told me even that wasn’t true. I don’t care that you were sent to be some spy. I care that you lied to me, just like everyone else did. Why did you have to be like everyone else?

    Whatever. It’s not like you can answer anyway. This was a horrible idea. I’m nowhere near done with my ink. I have plenty of paper left, it would be a waste to not use it all. Remember that one woman we talked to a few weeks ago? She always wrote down everything. She said it made her feel better. I don’t think this is making me feel better. I think it’s making me feel, and that’s worse than pretending like the pain doesn’t exist.

    I wonder if Father knew about your eye. Did you ever tell him? Or would you lie to me about that, too? It hurts. It makes me so angry, Kaeya. Did you even care? He treated you like a son, and I to you a brother. You always reciprocated. How much of it was a lie? How did you grow up to be such a shitty spy when it was your own purpose in our household? I don’t know what you’re doing now. I don’t know how I feel about it, which is worse. Your blood on my hands. Your Vision, it gave me frostbite, and it caused me to not feel your blood anymore.

    Good-bye, for now. I have plenty of paper and plenty of bottles. People are careless and leave their destruction everywhere. I suspect I will live just fine on my own. It would be more convenient, I guess, if I had my Vision to light a fire. Father’s Delusion does the same job. It just hurts my hands. It’s the strangest feeling. Pyro never hurt me. Does your Cryo? I’m sure it hurt when you received it.

    Good-bye,

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I burned the last paper I tried to write this on with the Delusion by accident.  It’s hard to control this thing. It’s my legacy, though. It replaces where my Vision should be, even though it doesn’t feel the exact same. I can feel the tug of my Vision sometimes, especially when I’m using Father’s Delusion. You never saw it, the way he manipulated the Delusion. It was like an art form, but he pushed himself too far. He didn’t get to use it enough. I will not be like him. I will hone this weapon if it is the last thing I do in this world, which I assure you, it won’t be.

    It’s not the Fatui I’m after. Well, part of it is them, yes. It can’t all be them, though. There is more to this situation than meets the eye. It was crazed, vicious more than any creature could possibly be. It was sent to Mondstadt, I’m sure. If it weren’t for Father, many people would have died. The Knights wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

    I don’t miss being Cavalry Captain. Looking back on it, it only held me back. I imagine you have taken my position, if you still stayed in the Knights. You probably did. What, to spite me? You will only hinder yourself, in that case. Unless you plan on making the Ordo keep you more honest. I can’t imagine they’d let you stay if they knew the truth.

    Kill Eroch for me. I can’t think of anything else to say. Just kill him. If I see him, I’ll do it myself.

    Diluc R.

—

Kaeya

    I can’t stop thinking about your eyes. The golden one, and the blue one. No, not the left eye. Your new, blue Vision, the eye of God. It doesn’t match your traitor eye at all. It makes sense. Do you have my eye? Do you look at it, to see if I’m okay? It must’ve scared you to see it go pretty dull for a moment. I hope you tried to destroy my Vision. It would make me feel less guilty. What was the point? I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten.

Diluc 

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I burnt all of my paper by accident. I had to stop and get new ones, and then ink and a pen. It’s strange in Liyue. I mean, we’ve been before, but it’s different this time. I have a new outlook on it. I’m alone and searching for something that’s both abstract and very real at the same time. I have not forgotten the language, thankfully. I can keep conversation well while simultaneously leading myself on with my search.

    The locals make me a little angry. My temper seems to worsen these days, which doesn’t appeal to many people. When I reveal that I’m from Mondstadt, I’ve had more than a few locals go on to tell me about how they disapprove of the Anemo Archon’s decision, about how we are a godless nation. I find the irony in it unamussing when I relate it back to you. It’s also fairly unamussing in general. Despite having left, I still love Mondstadt. After hearing it for the third time, I may have engaged in an argument with a man about Mondstadt’s freedom and Liyue Harbor’s strict rules. If it were not for the fact that I had a Delusion and still struggle to summon its power, I’m sure the other man would’ve had scorch marks over his body.

    The food here tastes very good. I’ve never been a man to like foreign foods very much, but everything seems different in the flesh of it all. I just have to find the right place, and it really ends up not being too much different than home. No matter my foreign looks, accent, and such, I am still served in the same manners any other local would be. I’ve noticed the water tastes differently as well. Different sources wield different tastes. I became used to the water in Mond, but in Liyue, it is so much different. I can’t say I like it, but I don’t intend to stay for much longer. I suspect I’ll be back, but that is just to move from one place to another. The Harbor is like a hub of activity for all foreign nations. I can easily catch a boat from here to there.

    The history here is rich. That never bored you, did it? It was your favorite lesson. Aside from insulting Mond, the history of Liyue is one of the most favored topics. I believe I can learn a lot from the Harbor, from business to the creation of the world. I don’t have time for this right now, but one day, I’d like to be able to sit and embrace all of it. Discuss the cultural wines with the brewers, the history of the Adepti that protect the lands, and the business to contract marketplace that the Harbor runs on. Favors, it seems, that just happen to coincide with contracts, are what make the normal citizens trust each other. The crime rate is lower here, also. It’s something that was brought up in the Mondstadt versus Liyue debate. Personally, the stricter rules make the city feel tightened, like I can’t move.

    The music here is very different from Mondstadt’s. It’s not better or worse– just different. Their style of singing is more in the grandeur type, with an elevated stage with the paying people below it. Operas and concerts. They feel less personal, and the singing flows like a river. It’s extravagant, obviously well-tuned with a number of background instrumental musicians playing to support the main singer or musician. It is similar to the bards by what the music is about. They tell stories of their Adepti. While there are other people who do something similar, just not in the singing way. Story-tellers, very simply. Personally, if I wanted to hear a story, I would want to hear the whole thing in one sitting and not have to wait for a few days for the story-teller to tell the next part of the story.

    It’s amazing what I never knew about Liyue Harbor. I used to think I knew so much. Cavalry Captain at fifteen, Vision at eleven. I thought I knew the world. Liyue reminds me of how much I really don’t know. You need to come to Liyue Harbor sometime, and see it the way I do. I think you could benefit from the experience. Their Archon is much closer, they even speak to him once a year. Rex Lapis, they call him. You would have many questions for him, I have no doubt.

    Sincerely,

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I’ve been on a ship before, but this is something entirely new. The Crux, an armed fleet of all-but-in-name pirates, possibly the most infamous fleet in all of Teyvat, is nothing like I expected it to be. It is well-maintained, and I do not doubt their prowess on the seas they rule over. They are just much different than I imagined.

    Talking can get you far, and skipping over unnecessary dialogue, I’ve learned, can get you even further. Saying the right things to the right people without any fluff in-between is how I was able to get on this ship, free of charge outside of the labor I must perform during the journey from Liyue to Inazuma. It’s truly amazing, Kaeya. The crew is very welcoming, if not eccentric in their ways. Typical of pirates, they drink to their heart's content, more than I’ve seen any drunkard in Mondstadt. Insane alcohol tolerances and were more than a little upset when I wouldn’t have my fair share.

    I believe the captain of this crew is what surprised me the most. She wears an eyepatch like you. Except, her story is completely different than yours. She claims she had a vicious battle with a very angry, very large sea crab that tried to take something she had actually stolen– she didn’t word it as stolen, but that was what she did– from the Tianquan Ningguang. I’m not inclined to believe any of what she’s said, even after the kindness she’s shown me. I have you and Eroch to thank for that.

    I don’t mean to be bitter. It’s just so easy. This dark sea is making me think about the winery, and with it all the reasons I’m aboard this ship in the first place. Inazuma is a few days away. I don’t know how long I can sit with these brooding thoughts, stewing in my own mixed emotions. All I can feel is anger most of the time, until I sit down to write. Then, my hand doesn’t want to move, and I’m left to think about what I’m really feeling.

    I don’t know what I want to say to you. Who is in the wrong for what happened that night? You hurt me a lot with what you said, and the day you chose to do it. I needed you.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    Captain Beidou introduced me to something called “depression.” It can be caused by the loneliness of the sea. She says that staying on ships for too long causes accidents to happen to crewmates. Or rather, they let the accidents happen. They want to feel something outside of the dark sea. The ship can get too quiet, even for its rowdiness. People don’t see their families on the land often.

    I don’t buy it, but she forced me to participate in activities to prevent this depression from sinking in. I had to take pictures, do these very strange exercises that I can safely say I never want to do again. I painted for the first time as well. I don’t know where she managed to get the much paint from. There is another significant figure on the ship as well, named Kazuha. He led poetry lessons. I’ve never been a fan of poetry.

    Captain Beidou has an Electro Vision, and he has an Anemo Vision. Though, that’s not all he has. He has something called a Masterless Vision, which can only be created when the owner of a Vision has passed on. He holds two Visions, a strange phenomenon. If I had kept my Vision, would it hold the same effect if I also kept my Delusion? I can use both, separately. I have never tried at the same time. After all of my time in Mondstadt and Liyue, I still know fairly little about Delusions. What I do know is enough to keep me from dying.

    The crew has told me an answer to my question that keeps resurfacing whenever I look into the ocean. I didn’t ask them, I just observed and learned from the way they interact. Who is in the wrong for that night? Neither of us, or both of us. You shouldn’t have betrayed and lied to me. I shouldn’t have tried to kill you and abandon you. I don’t know what I would say to you if I could see you now. My hand wants to write something, but my brain won’t supply anything. What is there to say, except admit our wrongdoings? Are you searching for the truth, too?

    Good night,

        Diluc R.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    Inazuma is stifling. It’s beautiful, I can’t deny that. From the shapes of the clouds to the subtle purple tint to the land, everything appears to be quite breath-taking. That is where the excitement ends.

    The Omnipresent God, they call the Raiden Shogun. This nation is the opposite of Liyue Harbor. The air is static, the government is imposing, and I always feel like there is someone watching me. I hide in the shadows. I shouldn’t be anywhere outside of Ritou, anyway, yet I’ve managed to make it to Inazuma City. This may be a mistake on my part, but I think I can get somewhere with this. I have already been able to steal a fair share of Inazuman clothing, so I can get around the city just fine as long as I stay out of the way. It is better if I am not seen regardless.

I have a few days until the Crux leaves again, this time to Snezhnaya, the land of the land of the Fatui. I have seen a few diplomats here, because they are able to pass by the Sakoku Decree, which we both knew about prior. They are still not well-liked by the citizens, but that is a given. None of the locals seem to like foreigners at all.

Inazuma, the Land of Eternity. The name makes Inazuma sound almighty, powerful, above-all. You and I bought into it. Inside the city, it makes the preconceived notion laughable. Kaeya, the nation is in shambles. The marketplace has monopolies scattered for every item, the prices extremely high that causes everyone outside of the military officials– one of the three commissions in the Tri- Commission– to starve. They are hostile to anyone that isn’t like them. They don’t like anyone who points out just how horrible the situation is.

There is a permanent storm in Inazuma. It started when the Crux reached the edge of the ocean that belongs to Inazuma. It fits the Electro Archon. The lightning cackled constantly in the sky, and it never stopped raining. In the little bits of privacy I could have on the Crux, I used my Delusion to dry myself off. It never did much, and it was of little comfort, but it helped hone my abilities with the Delusion. I have more control, and it doesn’t hurt anymore. It only hurts when I overextend and lose the tight fist I have on it.

In regards to my search, I have not faltered. I think I have something with these three Fatui Diplomats that like to talk just a little too much. I haven’t been discovered yet. I hear the talk of the Harbingers, officers of the Fatui with absolute control and mad power. Better than that, I have heard that there is a group of people causing Fatui great amounts of trouble.

The Crux leaves in a day for the next nation, Snezhnaya. That is where I need to go. Kaeya, my Pyro Vision left me resistant to the cold. I wonder if my Delusion can hold up the same.

Sincerely,

    Diluc Ragnvindr

—

K

    Captain Beidou, very irritatingly, has found out about my letters to you and insists that she carry one out to the person I am writing to. She says the bottles won’t work, and I told her that that was the whole point. Under the very real threat that I get thrown overboard, I am being forced to write out this letter specifically for her to deliver.

    Didn’t I mention how little privacy this ship has? A very imposing figure is standing over my shoulder as I write this. She gasped just now. And smeared ink all over the paper. Please, send your best regards to Captain Beidou.

    As I said, I am leaving for Snezhnaya. I don’t remember being overly fond of their food, but I said that about Liyue Harbor, and I felt the same about Inazuman delicacies. I am noticing a pattern. I can’t continue doing this.

        Diluc R.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    There are many things to regret over the extent of my life. I regret not being strong enough to protect Father, I regret having never learned the truth about you earlier on in life, and I regret trying to kill you. I regret that I gave you a Vision, because that meant I became a truly wicked person. Finally, I regret my last letter to you, and this one as well. I didn’t get to say what I wanted then, for such foolish reasons. Now, I still can’t say what I want.

    Unforeseen circumstances have arisen. There isn’t much I can explain, even though I know this bottle will lead nowhere special to anyone at any time. I wish I could say more, that I can tell you more. This is my last letter to you, Kaeya, until I am released from my chosen binds. This will never reach you, which is why I feel the confidence to say this:

    I am sorry, Kaeya.

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

To Cavalry Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Ordo Favonius,

I am coming home.

D.R.

—

A crumpled piece of paper was hidden in a slot behind one of the many paintings Kaeya Alberich had in his apartment in inner city of Mondstadt. Every few days, if you looked into the darkened windows of the apartment, you could see the esteemed Cavalry Captain unhook a painting of an old prize horse of the Dawn Winery years ago from the wall. Carefully, he would undo the back of the painting, pulling out a piece of paper that had survived several years of abuse from its current owner.

Then, the Cavalry Captain would move to his kitchen table and sit down in one of the six seats available. He would smooth out the paper on the table and place his hand on top of it for several seconds. Eventually, he would lift his hand and read the contents written on the piece. The words were hardly visible after the years it had seen and the conditions it was written under. But if you were to ask Captain Kaeya himself, he would say that the eligibility didn’t matter; he’d memorized the words a long time ago.

After only a few moments of reading, the captain’s shoulders would start to shake. A hand would come up to support his forehead, and another hand would move the paper out from under him. It was done to protect the precious paper from being stained by Kaeya’s tears.

If you were to ask the captain about the contents of the paper, he would not give the real answer. He would make up a fictitious lie supported by the supposed backstory of his eyepatch, laced in old pirate tales and hidden treasures. If you were to read the paper yourself, you would find an innocent letter addressed to nobody in particular, detailing a person passive-aggressively being forced to write the words on the paper by their superior. It was signed, “Diluc R.”

The real story behind the letter couldn’t be brought from Kaeya’s mouth. If you wanted the truth, you would have to trek to Liyue Harbor and find the Captain of the Crux Fleet: Captain Beidou. She would have no qualms telling the story behind the letter, even finding the situation to be quite humorous despite the way Captain Kaeya had always reacted.

She would say: “Well, it all started when a young man with a bright, red mane like flames climbed on my ship. We were Inazuma-bound, but this didn’t phase him. The kid had guts– Hell, he probably still does. He was pretty skeptical and had a temper wilder than any hurricane I’ve ever braved, but that only made him an easier target for the crew and I. Oh, the teasing!

“I knew he was writing the letters long before I told him. Nothing escapes me on my fleet! Ha ha! I remember how embarrassed he was when I told him! I forced him to write out a letter, but of course it wasn’t as serious as it normally was. Left out the name it was addressed to and everything! Claimed I would never be able to deliver it to the right person! So of course I took the challenge. I had him package it up in an old wine bottle like he usually did, then once I dropped him off in Snezhnaya, the crew and I made a detour to good ole’ Mondstadt.

“You see, it wasn’t hard to track down who the letter was addressed to. Everyone was up in arms over the fact that their famous Diluc, having just disappeared from Mond, had been with the Crux Fleet! I did my best to hide any details of his true whereabouts or what he had been doing with me, because I would never betray one of my own, even for someone who lived as shortly with me as he did.

“From there, I got the letter address down to two people of interest, Sir Kaeya and Master Jean, both of the Ordo Favonius. Thanks to my great memory, I recalled the kid scratching out the letter K when he was writing the personal address. So I delivered the letter in the bottle dutifully! Sir Kaeya wasn’t as happy as I was. He actually took the letter with poorly hidden sorrow and guilt. I wanted to stay around for his reaction, but I know where lines shouldn’t be crossed. After having a few drinks at the famous Angel’s Share and meeting with Master Jean, my crew and I returned on our route. There is your story about the little letter a fiery kid on my ship wrote to a few years ago!

“To be fair, I thought they were love letters at first. The angry, no-nonsense Diluc having a little crush back at home? Hilarious! It’s weird to think that now, though, since I know they were brothers and all that. I wonder if those other bottles had ever gotten to Sir Kaeya?”

None of the bottles had been recovered by Captain Kaeya, nor were any found and returned to him. He had never stopped searching the beach for the supppsed other bottles mentioned by both Captain Beidou and the letter itself. He can still be found wandering the shorelines of Mondstadt during his free time, pants rolled up and wading into the water to try and find at least one bottle. This learned behavior never left him, even after Master Diluc of the Dawn Winery returned to Mondstadt.

If you were to ask Master Diluc about the letters he wrote to Captain Kaeya, he would deny having ever done anything. It became well-known in Mondstadt that the two men didn’t get along upon the wine master’s return, but it can’t help but be wondered: if they were both made aware of the others’ viewpoint of the letters, the receiver and the writer, would something change between them? The question would forever be left unanswered, for the two could never be seen talking in any manner other than impolite jabs and heartless arguments.

Somewhere, in the very corner of Teyvat where the gods can’t cast their judging eyes, a bottle washes up to the shore. A man picks it up, pale with blue eyes mimicking the stars and hair ashy blond. He runs his hands over the bottle and examines it carefully before popping the cork that had sealed it shut. He pulls out the letter inside, reads it, and smiles. He pockets it gently, a new destination and person in mind for him to travel to: Cavalry Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Ordo Favonius.

[kaciidubs]

Mr. & Mrs. Gingerbread | 8 Days of SKZcember 2023

Prompt: putting a gingerbread house together

❣ Summary: The perfect ginger house for the perfect ginger family. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 875 ❣ Warnings: Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Felix and Reader are really passionate about their gingerbread people ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: Felix is referred to as Lix[ie], and Mr. Gingerbread, Reader is referred to as Sunshine, and Mrs. Gingerbread ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist ❣ SKZcember 2023

“Are you sure you don’t wanna make the gingerbread house from scratch?”

You had to fight yourself from falling for those pleading brown eyes, knowing full and well that there was already half an hour left on the three hour chill time for the gingerbread dough he previously made, and if he made another batch you wouldn’t be making the house until it was well into the evening.

“Lixie, honey, you’re already making the gingerbread people from scratch - we can cheat and use the premade cookie house again, okay?” Sliding the unopened box on the kitchen island, you drummed lightly on the cardboard, “Besides, we already bought extra candy and icing so we don’t have to use the, quote, ‘cheap icing and stale candy with no true theme’.”

 Felix blushed, taking the box from your grasp with a small huff of indignation, “Hey! You agreed with me when we were at the store!”

“I never said you were wrong, now did I?” Pinching his cheek lightly, you busied yourself with taking the extra sweet decorations out of their packaging while he took care of unboxing the project of the afternoon.

With each piece laid out and carefully inspected, operation Gingerbread Builders was a go.

“So, I’m thinking this is Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread’s first time in the housing market, so we have to make this an extra special house for them.”

“Mhm - They need a house that’ll stand out from all the rest, they wanna make a statement in this neighborhood.”

“As they should, it’s deserved!”

A natural silence fell over you both as you each worked on your respective parts of the house; you with the back and left wall, Felix with the front and right wall, saving the roof for the final piece to put together.

“Who do you think has more say in the design of the house?” Felix mused as he cut pieces of gummy candy into small squares.

“Mr. Gingerbread for sure, he went to school for Gingerbread Home Design, with a minor in theater.”

“Figures, Mrs. Gingerbread went for Ginger-Fashion in Uni, and we all know fashion prowess doesn’t translate to houses well.”

“Then it’s a good thing they met through the theater club, isn’t it?”

Giggling at your fictional gingerbread lore, you both continued decorating the house in colorful candies and icing accents; the soft background music of a carefully curated winter themed Animal Crossing playlist playing to fill in the peaceful atmosphere.

With some blatantly obvious sneaking of candy here, and playful marking of icing on hands there, the walls of the home were finished and it was time to put them together.

You dutifully lined the edges of the gingerbread panels with the thick icing provided from the box, sticking them together carefully before repeating the process with the other sides until both walls, and the front and back of the house were in place.

“Do you think they’re a weaved panel or classic snow-top type of couple?” 

Carefully placing the roofless house onto the icing-layered plastic foundation, you shot him a look, “What does that even mean, Lix?”

“Should the roof be in a lattice design,” he explained, mimicking the lattice design with his hands, “or should we make it look like it’s a snowy roof?”

“Well…” Taking a look at one of the roof pieces, you carefully lined one side of the rooftop, “Mrs. Gingerbread likes the way the snowy roof looks, especially since all of the other houses on the block have some extravagant design - she’s a simple elegant gingerbread.”

Nodding, Felix smiled happily, “Mr. Gingerbread likes that, especially since it leaves more room for a gumdrop design!”

“Oh, Mr. Gingerbread, always the one for showing the beauty in subtlety.” You hummed warmly, sticking one roof panel carefully on top of the icing.

“Mrs. Gingerbread loves him for it.” His tone was just as warm, as sweet as the icing currently sticking to your fingers.

“Yes, she does.”

Sticking the second roof panel on the house, you swapped positions with the freckled blond to let him have creative authority of the soon to be snowy rooftop; watching as the bland gingerbread squares slowly transformed into a beautiful snow-topped roof with a rainbow licorice topping, gumdrops and mini jawbreakers dotted in a beautiful pattern where the ‘snow’ hadn’t reached - with your help, of course.

Just when you thought the decorating was complete, Felix leaned over the house and began using the remaining white icing to create an icicle pattern along the edge of the roof, leaving you to watch in amazement like a child watching toffee being made.

“And… Done!” Standing straight, his cheeks pulled up into his usual sunshine smile, as he gazed at the collaborative masterpiece in front of him, “It looks amazing, doesn't it?!”

Your heart swelled, a smile finding its way onto your own face as you nodded, “It is, you did wonderful, Mr. Gingerbread.”

Turning his head to you, you could see what you could only describe as pure love in his sparkling eyes. “You did wonderful too, Mrs. Gingerbread.”

The sound of the oven alarm beeping broke you from your reverie, though it only made Felix’s smile grow wider than before.

“Wanna clean up and make our ginger-people?”

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @goblinracha, @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @j-onedrabbles, @happilydeepestwonderland, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @sometimesleeknows, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @maximumkillshot, @y-ur--i, @acker-night, @dreamescapeswriting, @specialstay, @broken-glowsticks, @s00buwu, @dancerachaslut, @junglyric, @tinyelfperson, @jj-stay, @katsukis1wife, @inlovewithmusician, @keen-li, @armystay89, @main-character0, @vampcharxter, @ddyskz, @prettymiye0n

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[dearlybelovedemilyko]

The Patron Saint of Things That Go Boom

or who’s St. Barbara and what does she have to do with Shadows House?

I came across the name St. Barbara a while back, when I was looking up the meaning of the name Barbara for a possible Shadows House name meanings edit (you know the ones). It didn’t cross my mind that a Catholic saint could possibly have anything to do with a manga about shadow people in a cult and I googled her solely out of curiosity but, as you can probably infer from the fact that you’re reading a post about it tagged #shadows house, I was in for a surprise.

To sum up her life story, St. Barbara was born the daughter of a pagan noble, who kept her locked up in a tower and sheltered from outside influence. One day he came back from a trip to find that in his absence she had converted to Christianity and wanted to dedicate her life to faith as a virgin, which was not only a really bad look at the time but also ruined his plan to marry her for money. He then turned her in as a Christian to the prefect, who sentenced her to imprisonment and torture and, when she didn’t lose her faith and her wounds were miraculously healed every morning, to death. (Another Christian tried to defend her and was also sentenced to death)

St. Barbara’s father insisted on being the one to carry the sentence, killing her himself. However, a storm broke out as soon as she died, and both the father and the prefect were struck by lightning, burning to death as punishment for their actions. 

Due to their role in her story, St. Barbara is seen as a protector against lightning, and consequently against fire and explosions (there is also an old belief that she could control them). The connection to explosions was so strong that she became the patron saint of literally anything explosion related, anyone who works with explosions, or anyone in danger of dying in an explosion, from gunsmiths to miners. Hell, look at this actual website calling her “the patron saint of things that go boom".

Sounds familiar, right? Barbara’s seizures, both in the manga and the anime, are accompanied by lightning effects. This is more subtle in the manga, in fact I hadn’t realized what those lines were supposed to be until I watched the anime (see: the gif right after the title of this post), but they’re clearly there. She’s the only character that gets this effect, nobody else so far produces lightning along with their soot.

Her usual seizures take the shape of a storm/tornado, complete with wind sound effects in the anime, while the worst ones we’ve seen so far, the one that gave Barbie her scar and that one that almost killed Barbara, have notably caused, guess what, explosions.

Notice also how it was raining in both occasions, and how in both of these explosions someone nearly died.

At this point the parallels seem too clear to be unintentional, and I'd believe you if you told me that somehow Somato and I fell down the same internet rabbit hole researching about this saint, so I thought I should share this information with you guys.

There are lots of coming and going fan theories about Barbara's soot powers, if we ever get to see them, so maybe this can give us some clues. It would certainly be interesting if she turned out to have lightning and/or explosion powers that she still can't control, and that work involuntarily during her seizures. It would also be cool as hell if she got a gun.

[k-s-morgan]

What is your HC for Will’s sexuality? Do you see him as bisexual? Also if we only consider canon, is Will a straight man who happened to fall in love with one man (Hannibal)? Sorry for my ignorance here as I am not part of the queer community, but if a straight man falls in love with just one man in particular and doesn’t feel attracted to others, is he considered bisexual? Because I think this is where Will fits. I personally don’t think he’d be attracted to any other men, just Hannibal.

What do you think?

Hi! I don't have a clear headcanon here, but I enjoy speculating because I adore Will as a character.

To note, I won’t be relying on Bryan’s words in this meta as he gave us three different versions of Will’s sexuality, where he called him heterosexual with Hannibal being his possible exception (Bryan: I feel one is omnisexual and one is heterosexual and there's a lot of influence going back and forth, who knows with a six pack of beer what would happen), hinted at Will’s bisexuality (Bryan: You can have this intimate connection with somebody that then causes you to wonder where the lines of your own sexuality are), and implied that Will might be gay (Bryan on Twitter: “YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO BREED” #SUBTEXT #HANNIGRAM #WhatAreYouBecoming). These tags point out not simply to Will’s darkness, but to the other things he (possibly) represses.

So, I think only the show itself should be taken into account when discussing this topic. On the surface, we see Will interested in Alana in S1, sleeping with Margot in S2, and marrying Molly in S3 — and of course, falling in love with Hannibal in the process of all 3 seasons. However, the three women in his life are united by some common aspects — namely, 1) they are perfectly safe and ordinary (with maybe Margot being an exception, but her own sexuality plays a role in this); 2) Will never develops any real emotional connection with any of them. To be more specific.

Alana

We first hear Will referring to Alana in E1 of S1, when he just distantly calls her by her last name. In the course of their time together, Will never seeks Alana out himself. It is Alana who comes to his class, or to the hospital, or to his home — Will does flirt with her, and he kisses her first, but he never appears genuinely interested because he never seems to think about her unless she comes to him. The only exception I personally remember is in E8, where we learn that Will called Alana and invited her over to help him find an animal that was attacked by coyote. Still, the script offers an interesting bit here.

WILL GRAHAM: I invited you over on the off chance we find it alive. Hard to wrangle a wounded animal by myself. (then, realizing) Did you think it was a date?

ALANA BLOOM: Honestly, it never crossed my mind.

Will is at first relieved, then almost disappointed.

So, why relieved? And why flirt with Alana at all if he isn’t actually interested? As I see it, Alana is a very normal, perfectly safe and socially acceptable choice, a nice beautiful woman whose acceptance is clearly important to Will. We know that Will is fighting his demons all the time — he desperately wants to be normal, to bury the darkness inside him. I would say, to him, an acceptance by such a normal person as Alana would mean that there is nothing wrong with him and that he can be normal, too. Now, I can’t say if it was really planned or if it is just a set of coincidences, but I think that the theory that makes most sense is that Will was attracted to Alana’s normalcy first and foremost. He craved an ordinary life at that point, and Alana was someone who could give it to him. The more time passes, the stronger Hannibal and Will’s bond gets, the colder Will acts with Alana. By S3, he doesn’t even know that she had a child and who she is with, so they obviously do not keep any contact. For these reasons, Will never appears emotionally invested in their relationship to me — he remembers about Alana only when she comes to him, like he is only interested in her because she is the only woman he is friends with, someone he doesn’t have to try hard with.

The only aspect that points to the sincerity of Will’s attraction to Alana is his words to Hannibal — that he wanted to kiss her since he’d met her as she’s very kissable. I can interpret it in two different ways. Will can be truly attracted to Alana or he might be so repressed that he thinks he wants things that he doesn’t (and we do have a precedent here — Will tries to deny who he really is in regard to his darkness for quite a long time).

Margot

I think we can all agree that Will was never emotionally interested in Margot. Like with Alana, it is Margot who seeks him out, and Margot is the one to initiate sex. Why does Will agree to it? Just because he wants it? I think it is possible, but I also think it’d be a little out of character for him for several reasons. Will knows Margot has some agenda. He knows she is not interested in sex with him because she admitted she is a lesbian. When she makes her move, Will tells her, "I've got the wrong parts for your proclivities". So he knows the truth, yet still agrees to have sex with her, and during this process, he doesn’t really see Margot. He sees Alana, Hannibal, and a Stag Man– a being that symbolizes his and Hannibal’s connection. More than that, he reaches orgasm only when the Stag Man appears. So, it is equally possible to read this scene as Will’s attempt to engage into the most natural activity in the world — sex with a woman, but he still fails at it by dragging a man and a monster into it.

Molly

Molly is a character who seems alien in the world of the show because she’s the embodiment of normalcy. Will marries her, and we can surely assume they have sex, but from the first seconds of their scenes, it is clear that emotional intimacy between them is missing. Molly and Walter go fishing, an activity that Will enjoys deeply and that could be a uniting hobby for him and his new family. However, Molly and Walter go alone, Will stays home. In all their scenes together, Will never initiates contact between them — he never attempts to touch Molly, sometimes even going out of his way to avoid it. In the hospital, after Dolarhyde’s attack, Will still doesn’t touch her, though his hand twitches as if he considers it. In the second scene, he touches the pillow near Molly’s head, which is so awkward and embarrassing that I’d personally never be able to tell these people are married. The most important thing, Will doesn’t return her ‘I love you’, which is very deliberate. Hannibal tells him that he has chosen a ready-made family, and Will doesn’t argue with it. He goes to Hannibal at the first opportunity because he missed him, not because he needed his help, and then after Dolarhyde’s attack and after learning Hannibal is in love with him, Will easily discards both Molly and Walter and we never see them again. He basically breaks up with Molly back at the hospital, as if her first contact with something not normal taints her in his eyes, breaks the normalcy he thought he needed from her.

So, it is clear that Will never really developed emotional bonds with women in his life. Was he truly attracted to them, or did he like them for the cover of normalcy they could potentially provide for him? I wouldn’t be surprised if Will turned out to be flexible, bisexual, or gay, as it is really open to interpretation and there is enough subtext to support every version. I used to think that Will was bi, but I also wonder if his possible repressed homosexuality could be one the factors that made his fight with himself so intense. Taking into account the area where Will has grown, to him, it is bad enough that he is a killer — he’s also a gay one at that. I think it could enhance his struggle through S1-3 and his slow realization that adhering to social norms in all ways does not make him happy.

Then again, I think Will’s sexuality doesn’t actually even matter at this point because after all seasons, there is only one person who is going to be a permanent part of his life, among all men and women — Hannibal. We have seen that neither Will nor Hannibal can tolerate the other’s partners, and with rich sexual subtext between the two of them, I believe they will easily move forward in their relationship post-fall.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Kengliwa

So, as it seems everyone made note of, this week's creature was exceptionally easy to guess. (To the point that a couple people did actually go ahead and name it, which I can't be that annoyed about because I don't think anyone missed this one.) I actually thought about not including it -- I cut a few that were particularly obvious like this one, but this entry was just so beautifully written that I didn't want to not post it. Maybe I should have done a separate post like with the dogs... live and learn, I suppose.

Anyway, previous entries and results can be found here: https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. And the entry everybody is working from is at the link below:

Art below the cut in rough chronological order, as per usual.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) decided to go a bit Beatrix Potter, and produced some frankly adorable shrew-like critters. (And her own alt-text, thank you.) They're dressed in these nice black coats and bowler hats so they can look like the "black column across the fields" described in the entry. I love everything about this. Also, if you want to see a version of this without the linework, check the link above.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) decided to work off of the assertion that Kengliwas prefer wheat to barley because "barley is food for beasts". Naturally this means the Kengliwa must not itself be a beast, and Silverhart reflects that by medieval definition that excludes pretty much everything but birds and fish. So here we have a very small mouse-bird (the results of this one are all very cute, I have to say). And of course it's a flightless bird, because the entry describes them as walking. I'm really struck by the general composition of this one; the tiny bird clinging to the top of a wheat stalk is so well depicted. The colors are great too.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) followed the same "not a beast" logic as Silverhart, though they also name "serpent" and "worm" as potential non-beast categories. They also picked "bird", because the Kengliwa brings grain back to its nest, and birds have nests, so there you go. I appreciate that they've continued with that connection by having the interior of the Kengliwa burrow lined in a manner reminiscent of birds' nests. (And also that they provided alt-text, thank you.) Speaking of which, check it out, burrowing birds! With a cross-section of their burrow! Delightful. They further speculate that the symbolism attached to this one must be pretty weird given the mixed feelings the author seems to have, so I went and checked...

... there's actually not a lot of symbolism on this one. The highlights are that the divided grain supply represents the division between the Old and New Testaments, and barley represents heresy which is why it is scorned. (Pretty sure lots of people in the Middle Ages ate barley, but I suppose they preferred wheat.) The symbolism is all "things we learn from the good example of this industrious creature", and the entry quotes Proverbs 6:6 -- I'm not copying it here, because even though I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the animal is, the verse in question does name it, and we have a procedure here.

Anyway, as always, I recommend clicking on the link to CheapSweets's post to see their detailed explanation of their design decisions.

@theforceisstronginthegirl (link to post here) has drawn some ants in their agenda book. I have to admit, I'm not fully sure whether this was meant to be an entry, but you know, there's a picture (with alt-text and everything!) and it's tagged "kengliwa", so in it goes. Honestly I think the highlight here is that they described the creatures in the picture as "scribbles with jobs" which I think is a fun way to describe bugs generally. Very dynamically drawn scribbles too; they're quite expressive.

@pomrania (link to post here) has drawn a strange and adorable critter. It's giving... lizard-squirrel. Squizard. Particularly delighted by the fact that multiple people decided that such an industrious fellow should be wearing tiny clothing. I think the bag with one (1) grain of wheat in it is a nice touch. You just want to root for this little guy, you know? Also it's worth checking out Pomrania's linked post and associated progress post for some interesting steps in the design process for this one.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) continues to deliver beautifully stylized art. They note that they considered rodents, but figured medieval authors would not be nearly this positive about rodents stealing grain, so instead they're lizards. Very good lizards, too! I love the patterning on them and the expressions on their faces. The one on the left scorning the barley is particularly delightful. Coolest-capybara also wonders what the original animal is classified under, if not "beast" -- to which I must say, oddly enough, this one is in with the beasts. I think. Right after this entry is the start of the "birds" section, and right before it is are some various mammals. So either this is the end of the beast section or it's, like, a palate-cleanser in between.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has also given their Kengliwa clothing, but for a very specific reason: as others have noted, the Kengliwa scorning barley because it's "food for beasts" implies that the Kengliwa are not beasts. Therefore, in Strixcattus's interpretation, they're people. Which is indeed the only non-"beast" category of animal that nobody else has mentioned, as far as I can figure. They're darling. Love the one on the right that appears to be chewing on a straw like your stereotypical farmer, except of course the straw is a single seed with like a bit of stalk attached. And I know I always say it, but you need to go read the linked post for this one. Maybe it's just because worldbuilding is my jam, but I'd happily read a lengthy TTRPG supplement about how Kengliwa society operates. They're like... medieval Borrowers who farm lichen and domesticate ants. I want to know everything about this.

Anyway, here's the Aberdeen Bestiary version:

That's right, they're scribbles with jobs!

Seriously, it turns out Theforceisstronginthegirl drew basically a dead ringer for the medieval version. Compare the two; the biggest differences are the medium and the fact that the Aberdeen Bestiary includes a nest.

But yes, they're ants. We all know they're ants.

Which should, as CheapSweets alluded to, be classed in with the worms! (Remember, that's a flexible term in the medieval era... especially since this is a Latin text, so it's vermis, like Modern English vermin.) There is a section labelled De vermibus, and these guys aren't in it! It could have really used them, too; I think the Ant entry by itself is the same length as the whole "worm" section.

Anyway. Hopefully next week's will be less obvious... okay, I just checked, it's barely less obvious. But I would put money on nobody guessing the one that posts on the 19th (though that's a pretty short entry, unfortunately).

[poisonioushearts]

Hiiii, I saw that you write for Dislyte and I wanted to ask if you could write general relationship headcanons for Yamato? Sorry if it's against the request rules in any way and thank in advance :)

GRAB YOUR PLATES AND SILVERWARE, YAMATO FOOD IS HERE

This is not that long... I swear I'm not obsessed...

Gender neutral reader

Warnings: not proofread, probably some grammatical errors, some language

Synopsis/tags: fluff, relationship, established relationship, headcannons

Yamato Relationship Headcannons

Oh? So you're with Yamato? Scary dog privileges unlocked.

"Get yo dog bitch!" "It don't bite." "YES IT DO."

The saying, 'their bark is worse than their bite'. Ya well, it doesn't apply to him. At all.

Alone time? Lol nope. You either know he's there or you don't.

It's all in good thought. He wants to keep you safe. Whether you can protect yourself or not.

Don't worry, you do get your own time alone. But it's typically in one of the Twilight Order bases.

It may seem like he's being overprotective, but he's just wants you to be safe. In a world where miramon are rampant and being a possible target because you are his lover, he doesn't want anything to go wrong.

He tends to be busy. A lot. But wait- you want quality time? Hugs? Comfort? Suddenly he has the whole day off.

People know not to insult or assault you. They know what could happen. But if someone does cross that line? He dismisses the contract with the Esper Union momentarily to kick some ass.

When he's with you out and about, NOBODY with the right mind dares to even give you a look. He gives one right back.

He's kind of a control freak (okay...that was an understatement). Because of this, he's also a neat freak. If you have a messy room and he enters, he's looking around like 😃. You leave for a second and come back and sudden it's all clean-(who says that wasn't your plan though?)

You probably become besties with Yuuhime.

Possessive? Check. Overprotective? Check. Treats you like a queen/king? Check. Takes you out to dinner and on fancy trips? Check. Tends to you when you're sick? Check. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

He'd rather stay at home than leave. Everything you need is there, so why bother leaving? Guaranteed there will be moments of leaving and going out and about but not much.

Onto the next topic. PDA. He's 100% a PDA person (with basically only you). You're his, obviously he's going to make sure everyone knows. Whether it's handholding, an arm around the shoulder, or even a kiss, he does not care at all about what others think. Why should he? Their opinion doesn't matter to him.

He's your mood lifter and a savage. Someone was rude? Called you a name? Threatened you? He's definitely got a good idea of what to say to them before their death.

He does not care what you do or wear. You do you boo. Wanna go to a club? He's paying. Wanna get a dog/cat/favorite animal? Sure why not. Wanna cook? He'll praise the food even if it's bad.

Of course, you will both have 'word battles' and call each other names as a joke. He never means the things he says.

As his significant other, you have developed the ability to detect when he's lying. He's a pro, but he can't hide from you lmaooo and you can't hide from him

Under certain circumstances, he probably is most definitely a yandere.

I should probably stop before this becomes any longer-

Thank you for reading! Reblogs are appreciated.

[tiny-wooden-robot-fics]

Magnolia - Chapter Fifteen

Rating: Explicit Media: Jujutsu Kaisen Pairing(s): Geto Suguru x Original Female Character, Geto Suguru x Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru x Gojo Satoru x Original Female Character Additional Tags: Vampire AU, Dark Themes, Attempted Suicide, Implied/Referenced Rape and Mutilation, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Smut

A/N: Tags will be added as chapters are updated. Please be mindful of the tags and warnings at the beginning of each chapter, as they will tell you what you need to know about the content within.

Minors, DNI.

Summary:

Sometimes she forgets.

Sometimes it slips her mind that Satoru and Suguru are not just ordinary men; that they are vampires, fueled by the consumption of blood and granted with superhuman strength and speed.

She remembers though, at times like this: when one second she is standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the two of them on the other side of the room… and the next second, in the blink of an eye, Satoru is standing right in front of her, his tall frame hovering over her and his presence filling all the space in her personal bubble.

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Read on AO3

Chapter Warnings: Blood, references to hunting animals.

A/N: Look y'all, two in a row. Thanks for reading. :)

Chapter Fifteen: The Thirst of Infinite Desire

By now, she’s used to the strong, coppery scent of blood. 

She can smell it on them when they come back in. It lingers on their skin, on their clothes, in the air. 

It doesn’t bother her as much now. She’s grown accustomed to it, would even venture to say that it’s something she associates with those two.

It’s almost a comfort. 

“How was hunting?” She asks, watching Satoru brush his bangs off of his forehead as Suguru locks the door behind them. 

“Good,” Satoru tells her, casually. “You should come with us sometime.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Just for fun,” he answers. “It’d be like us going to the grocery store with you.”

It shouldn’t make her laugh - because she doesn’t think he means it as a joke - but she does anyway. “You’re ridiculous.”

Satoru shrugs. “This isn’t news.” 

Suguru watches the exchange silently, a fond smile curling his lips. 

Satoru crosses the room to where Lia is in just a few strides. “Are you planning on changing before we go out?”

Puzzled, Lia looks up at him. “Am I supposed to?”

Satoru’s expression gives away his answer before his mouth does. “I’m not going out with you when you’re wearing that.”

She can hear Suguru’s soft sigh, but he doesn’t say anything. In the eight months since the three of them have been cohabiting this house together, he has learned to let Lia fight her own Satoru battles. She’s gotten fairly good at knowing which ones she can win and which ones she can’t, and the ones she wins are usually the ones Suguru doesn’t interfere with. 

It’s quite pleasant for him, seeing how well she handles Satoru now that she’s comfortable with him. 

“Why not?” She asks, looking down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” 

“You look like a funeral director,” Satoru answers bluntly. “We’re going dancing, Lia… it’s not a wake.”

She’s only mildly offended; after all, she owns very few clothes that would be suitable for anything other than lounging around the house, and any argument to the contrary would fall flat in the face of Satoru’s inherent knack for knowing what’s stylish. 

This time, she heaves the soft sigh. “These are the fanciest clothes I own, Satoru. Besides, who’s going to be looking at me?”

“I am,” he says. He says it in such a matter-of-fact way. He casts a glance over his shoulder at Suguru. “I swear, you’re two of the prettiest people I’ve ever met, but without me you’d both probably live in hoodies and sweats.”

“I personally don’t see anything wrong with living in hoodies and sweats,” Suguru interjects. 

“Just… Wait here.” That's all Satoru says before he disappears upstairs, and Lia and Suguru are left to share a quizzical glance.

They aren’t left wondering for long; Satoru returns shortly with his arms full of hangers. There are clothes draped on each of the hangers, and Lia watches curiously as he lays those clothes flat on the coffee table. “The sizing might be slightly off on some of these, but that isn’t my fault,” he starts. “It’s hard to gauge your shape when you’re always wearing baggy shit.”

Her brow furrows as she looks at the clothes. “What are these?”

“Dresses I bought for you,” Satoru says, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world for him to have done. “So pick one you like and put it on so I can see it.”

Just for a split second, she considers refusing his request. But one look at the dresses and she realizes that she doesn’t actually want to refuse. After all, Satoru knows fashion. If he thinks she’ll look good in one (or all) of them, the chances are that he’s right. 

“Fine,” she concedes with another sigh. 

“Good girl.”

--

And once the thirst of infinite desire Possessed me like a fever, and I said, “I want to feel all radiance, fragrance, fire And joy of life within me, to inspire My soul forever!” And the faerie maid Called me to follow her, and when she spoke It was as if a harp to the soft stroke Of loving hands had wakened suddenly: She syllabled hope’s language, calling me. -Ruben Dario, Autumnal (excerpt)

--

She chooses the shimmery blue one, telling herself that it’s because of the way the color compliments her skin and not because it reminds her of Satoru’s eyes. 

“Well damn,” he says, when she descends the stairs. He looks over his shoulder at Suguru, who is leaning against the kitchen door jamb. “Am I good, or what?” He looks back at Lia. “So… you chose the blue one, huh?”

Well. She should have known better than to think he wouldn’t notice. “It goes well with my skin tone,” she offers. 

“Mmhm.” He gives her a knowing look, and Suguru stifles a snort. It makes her face flush; neither of these men are stupid.

“Anyway, shouldn’t the two of you be getting ready?” She points out, redirecting the conversation and staving off the chance for any follow-up questions about why she chose the color she chose. “If I can’t go dressed like a funeral director, you’re not allowed to go covered in the scent of blood.”

Sometimes she forgets. 

Sometimes it slips her mind that Satoru and Suguru are not just ordinary men; that they are vampires, fueled by the consumption of blood and granted with superhuman strength and speed. 

She remembers though, at times like this: when one second she is standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the two of them on the other side of the room… and the next second, in the blink of an eye, Satoru is standing right in front of her, his tall frame hovering over her and his presence filling all the space in her personal bubble. 

“What, you don’t like the scent of blood?” He’s grinning at her, hands braced on either side of the bannister rails, his arms caging her in. She is used to this, him being so close. It’s just the way Satoru is… invading personal space, comfortable with casual touching, his presence always slightly intruding. 

Before, it would have bothered her.

But now, it makes those things she feels harder to ignore. He’s close enough for her to smell the aforementioned scent of blood, but beneath it there is also the unmistakable scent of him… a scent she has become familiar with, a scent that sparks something in her that is dangerously close to the feeling she knows as desire. 

Satoru knows it, and he’s aware that she knows it, too.

Suguru watches the exchange from his place in the kitchen doorway. He’s no stranger to the effect that Satoru has on people, men and women alike. Satoru is magnetic, charismatic, and appealing. Suguru has watched something develop between those two for the past eight months, something that started as a tiny bud and has blossomed over time into a bigger, more noticeable bouquet of feelings.

Lia looks up, up, up at Satoru’s face. She marvels once more at how the fabric of the dress she chose really does perfectly match the blue of his eyes. Absently she wonders why she isn’t surprised at what she sees in those eyes of his, why it doesn’t make her want to run to her bedroom and bury herself under the covers, out of his sight. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” she says quietly, catching her bottom lip in her teeth.

Satoru’s line of sight follows the movement, his gaze falling on her mouth. “So you do like it?” He asks, his voice low.

He isn’t even touching her, but his gaze holds so much weight that it almost feels like a physical caress. It drives all coherent thought out of her head and warms something low in the pit of her stomach… loosens her tongue and her inhibitions. She wonders if he possesses some sort of magic, or if it is just him being him that makes her feel this way. “Only on you.”

Her response seems to please him. “Hm,” he murmurs thoughtfully, leaning back slightly without lowering his arms. “I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he adds after a moment. He reaches out, flashing her a grin and running his thumb along her bottom lip before moving past her to ascend the stairs. “Suguru,” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom, “we should get ready… our princess has been waiting for us long enough, don’t you think?”

Our princess? She looks at Suguru. He crosses the room at a leisurely pace, his smile gentle as he reaches the bottom of the stairs. “I would ask you if you’re surprised,” he starts, “but you’re not… are you?”

Even with him speaking so vaguely, Lia knows what he means. “No, not really,” she admits. “His face doesn’t really hide anything.”

It makes him laugh. “It doesn’t,” he agrees. Sobering up, he looks closely at her. “And what about you?”

Once again, she knows him well enough to know what he’s asking without him having to say it directly. “Would it bother you if… if I told you it was something I’ve been wanting for a while now?”

He laughs again. “Why would it? I didn’t want you to think we weren’t interested, but I haven’t asked you because I figured you’d want some time to figure out if it was something you wanted.” He shakes his head, still smiling. “But to hear you say it now? Well… I can’t deny that it makes me happy.” 

With that, he moves past her. “We’ll be ready before long, Princess,” he laughs, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

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Chapter Masterlist

Chapter Sixteen: Coming Soon

Tag list: @therealestpussyeater

[faegoddessog]

Not 'till Monday

Warnings: Explicitly mature content, 18+ only, clit play, fellatio, cum swallowing, cunnilingus, snowballing (male to female), Austin taking SUCH good care of you is SO many ways.

Summary: Recovering from surgery is tough. Doing it with Austin at your side is amazing with one exception-no orgasms allowed. I mean how did the doctor expect you to NOT be turned on when Austin is caring for you? It was fine for the first bit, but as you near the end of your blackout period it gets harder and harder, especially when he's vowed to abstain as well. Monday morning could not come soon enough and that goes for the both of you.

A/N: This little one shot was inspired by a convo with @purejasmine. I basically vomited it up in 24 hours. There are wee references to my other works and yeah, I have completely self serving fantasy that he'd read my work and go... 'damn... that's hot'. LOL! Let a girl dream!!!

Enjoy! let know if you'd like to be added to my tags list!

@purejasmine @slowsweetlove @richardslady121 @austinbutlerslovers

You weren’t gonna read it, your T-besties new dirty smut,  but the line just jumped out at you and now you couldn’t stop reading and re-reading just that one line.

“Is this what you want? For me to fill you with my cock?” 

Holy. Fuck. You shouldn’t be, but you are so fucking turned on right now. The fucking buzzing and throbbing of your pussy is out of control! Fuck! It is so intense, it's no joke.  You give in and read on. When you get to the mutual orgasm part, you squirm in your seat feeling your wetness literally bubbling out. What the actual fuck!

“I can control myself” you think, literally shaking.

Your throat vibrates with a needy groan as you toss your head back. ”Stop triggering me, bro!” you assert to the ceiling. 

“Are you ok, Princess?” his concerned voice calls down the hall from your bedroom. 

“Yes, I’m fine.. Well not fine.. But I’m ok” you shake your head, sighing, texting your t-bestie to fucking stop, tongue in cheek of course. You never want her to stop. 

“What’s wrong, what’d I do Baby,” his voice is hot in your ear, just moments before his hand crosses your upper chest. 

“Nothing you did Austin, my love. She’s just at it again,” you hold up your phone to show him the latest smut. 

“Princess, you should not tempt yourself. You know the doctor said no orgasms, not until Monday. You can hold out a couple more days,” he lightly kisses your cheek and walks around to sit on the couch with you. 

“I know, I know and I’ve been really good and you’ve been amazing. But she writes you so well… plus just having you around keeps me wet all the time.” 

“MMM I know, that’s one of a long list of my favorite things about you,” he purrs at you.

Austin has been a freaking angel sent from the beyond since your surgery.  Well, longer than that. He’s cooked for you, made sure you’ve stayed on top of your pain meds, stayed up at night to hold you in his arms until you fall asleep. He’s never missed a chance to take your walks with you. Even though they’ve had to be a little slower than usual. He holds your hand and points out animals and trees and the beauty of nature. You are so in love with him, he is the best thing that ever happened in your life. He even declined a project that was supposed to be starting this month because he knew you’d need him. 

“Bah, there will be others,” he’d said when you had protested, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it anyway. And I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you after surgery.” 

The flip side is that everything he does just turns you on, he is like your own personal interactive pornography. You have excellent self control, something you’d had to cultivate in your previous, toxic relationship. But this was testing your limits, you were starting to have a hard time concentrating on anything.

“I love that you don’t get weirded out by reading her smut that is about you.”  You nestle into his arms.  You two frequently read her stories together, getting so turned on that you fucked like bunnies. She absolutely loved the idea that her mind fuckery got the two of you off. 

“Heck no, not when she’s given us some of the best fucking ideas… like that one about cockwarming…or the one where I dominate you and call you Pet… damn that was one hot time.” He reaches down and adjusts himself. It’s been a while for him too, he vowed no orgasms for himself in solidarity. 

“Sweetheart,” you cover his hand with your own, your pinky brushing his burgeoning bulge, “if you want to you can jerk off. You want to cum in my mouth?” You feel bad for him, and you fucking love the taste of his cum. The idea of it makes your pussy throb. 

“No, no my Princess. I made a vow and I’m sticking to it. Besides, I was once a teenaged boy, I’ve had plenty of hard-ons that I’ve not played with, and I KNOW how hot that makes you. No way.” 

 He stands up and offers both hands to help you stand up. 

“C’mon, I have a surprise for you.” 

He leads you down the hallway, through your shared bedroom and into the bathroom. The tub is filled with steaming water, the scent of lavender and chamomile drift in the air. Two glasses of sparkling water and a plate of your favorite foods sit by the side. You two bought this house in part because of the huge tub. Both of you love baths and wanted something big enough that you could share. 

Austin helps you strip naked, put your hair up, and get into the bath before stripping off his clothes. If this was supposed to help you calm down, it’s a disaster. You fucking love the sight of him. He has been working out especially hard and he is fucking ripped right now. His lats pop and the ripples of his torso are fucking gorgeous as he bends to pull his joggers off. He doesn't quite get the first leg off and hops a little, giggling. He is so adorable and sexy at the same time, quite the enigma.  

You lean forward as he slides in behind you. You feel the hardness of his cock slide down your back and nestle at the base of your spine. He wraps you in his kind, gentle, strong arms. You melt. 

“Fuck Austin, I know you meant this to help… but it’s fucking hot,” you are struggling to keep your hips still.

“You want me to run some cold water?” he says helpfully. 

You purse your lips and twist to look at him. He is smiling ear to ear, chuckling. He knows what you meant. 

“Just wait love,” he whispers in your ear, “wait and I'll give you the most mind-blowing orgasm with my mouth in a couple days.  Then I’ll cum on your tongue, but you have to promise to swallow.” As though you’d ever do anything else but swallow his seed. His cock twitches against your back, his teasing of you is turning him on too. 

“Austin, you are not actually helping.” you giggle. Giggling is the only recourse you have right now. You fucking love this teasing, love this mind fuckery. At least you know you’ll get it eventually. Get his mouth, his tongue, his fingers, his body, his cock, his cum. FUCK now YOU are not helping. 

“I’m sorry my love, here let me feed you. At least we can appease your slutty tastebuds if not your slutty pussy,” he kisses your cheek and grabs the plate. 

“My pussy isn’t slutty!” you say with mock indignation, “it’s only for you Austin. How can it be slutty?” 

“Mmm, you are right,” he reaches down to cup your pussy in his hand, but stops himself just before plunging into the water. making a fist instead 

“Your wickedly wonton pussy, then” he breathes into your ear. Dear goddess in heaven, he is not making this easy.

He proceeds to give you little tidbits of perfectly cooked bacon, rare steak with goats cheese, roasted root veggies, fruit and yogurt, perfectly ripe avacados. You suck the bits off his fingers as he feeds you. 

“My Princess needs her protein for healing,” he kept saying every time he cooked for you inthe past two weeks. He did, indeed, treat you like a princess. 

The next two days pass without incident. There are no new story updates, and Austin keeps it surprisingly G rated. Though there is an undercurrent of sexual tension throughout the house. Sunday night is like fucking Chistmas eve, the anticipation is driving you mad in the best kind of way. As you cuddle on the couch watching a film, a standard Sunday night in your joint home, his arm is draped over your shoulder. His fingers lightly stroke your collarbone. You think they are shaking slightly, as though he is a nervous teenager hoping for a gratuitous movie theater-like grope session.   Is your mind playing fuckery tricks with you? 

You hear him sigh. It’s nothing to do with the movie on the screen. You thread your fingers through his, rubbing your thumb on his palm. You can feel his eyes on you. You tilt your head up to look at his perfect face. His little dimple appears, the one that you can’t help but kiss. Now is no different. You lean up and press your lips to his. His fingers curl around yours as he deepens the kiss almost instantly. You are instantly wet, well, more so than you always are with him. Your tongues touch then caress lips. Lips are momentarily trapped by teeth, before opening to be sucked and stroked by tongues ones again. God his kisses are like fuel to your fire. Your hand drops to his chest, and you turn towards him, fully engaging in the act of kissing this perfectly amazing man. Kissing that quickly ripens into full on making out, including his hand sliding up your shirt to fondle your breasts. Movie theater grope session indeed. 

The blaze of passion that ignites in your belly is ridiculous. This is the first time you’ve really kissed like this since the surgery.  The forbidden fruit effect is full on. The fact that you can't have it, makes you want it all the more.  

‘Fuck it’, you think, your mind clouded with lust, ’what is a few less hours.’

You move to straddle him and at the same time your hand reaches to undo the button on your jeans. 

“Whoa, Princess,” his deep voice husky with desire, “not below the waist, not until tomorrow.”

“But…” your face is a mask of petulance, forehead crinkled down and lip stuck out. Your frustration is evident. 

“No, my Love, I promised I’d take care of you and that means following doctors orders. No orgasms until Monday, and four weeks still until I get to sink into your tightness,” he reaches out to pet your protruding lip with one long finger. The finger that you want rubbing your clit right now. “I’m sorry I gave in to temptation, Baby.” With both hands he tilts your head down and kisses your forehead. 

You close your eyes, breathing deep. He is right, dammit. 

Later that night, he is propped up against the headboard. You curl up in his arms, grateful for his love of a good snuggle. He opens the book he is reading out loud to you. His gorgeous baritone lulls you to sleep.

You must be in an orchard, you have to be. What else smells like vanilla and citrus? The tall grass you are walking through brushes against your naked butt. The grass reaches and gropes along your thighs, trying to get to your pussy.  It feels good, the grass caresses your ass. You realize it’s not the grass but a shining ethereal being standing next to you, hands cupping your genitals front and back. Warmth radiates from its hands and soaks into your skin. You feel an intrusion inside you, malleable and warm. A sense of peace glows in you, from the inside out and the light erupts from your sacral chakra, like water over pouring from a vase. It feels divine, like an orgasm of light. Then you feel a concentrated rubbing against your mons. You hear a moaning and realize it’s your voice. 

You come to full waking consciousness and feel Austin next to you, on his side.  The palm of his hand rubbing circles on your vulva. You realize you have been moaning and just came in your dream, or maybe here in waking life too. 

“Yeah,” you hear in your ear, “that’s it, cum for me.” You can smell the orange and vanilla on his wrist as he brushes hair away from your face.

You eyes flutter open so see Austin staring at you, biting his bottom lip, nostrils flaring. When he sees your eyes open, his mouth curves just enough to expose the dimple at the corner of his lip. That fucking dimple, it melts you. Then his mouth is on yours hard and fast, the clean taste indicating that he brushed his teeth and rinsed with mouthwash. 

His finger dips inbetween your labia, you are so fucking wet, he doens’t even need to pull wetness over your clit. It’s already bathed in your juices. You are pretty sure that you already came once, which is fantastic as you were nervous that something inside might hurt when you finally got to orgasm. 

His fingers start working their magic, circling the hood of your clit, over and over. Then switching side to side. His mouth is constantly on yours. You want to stop him and tell him you want his beautiful mouth on your pussy, but it all feels so good. Usually he would gradually get faster, but he keeps a steady pace. It’s mere minutes and your orgasm washes over you. Your body freezes,  spine jerking and your little grunts are swallowed by Ausitn’s mouth. 

“That’s my girl,” he gently pets your vulva, “How was that my love?” 

“Please, please keep going,” you pant, eyes pleading for the overstimulation that he is so freaking good at. You can’t stop your hips from pushing forward and back against his hand.

“No babe, we are gonna take it slow at first,” he smiles, eyes full of love, “don’t want anything to… burst or whatever with a crazy hard orgasm.”

“Hmmmmm” your voice whines, “can I at least have your cum, baby. I need it.”

“That I can do,” he nods imperceptibly, “C’mere sugar.”

You help him pull back the covers as you sit up,  unwrapping his gorgeously perfect naked form next to you. His cockstand is a fucking dream, thick and long lying on his chiseled stomach. Your pussy practically drips at the sight of it.  You snag the bottle of water from the bedside table and quickly drain it. 

“Get that mouth down there, I need to be wet,” his voice is grizzly with need. 

You could live off Austin’s cum. In fact you usually get it almost every day. The past two weeks have been torture, not having his milky seed in your mouth. 

Eagerly you straddle his leg, bending down. He pulls your hair, still in its sleepy bunny ears, away from your face. He fucking loves watching your mouth on him. You lick your lips, looking at his eyes as he tucks one hand behind his head for a better view.  He knows you struggle with your gag reflex and he has never asked you to go beyond your comfort zone. 

Tongue out, you lick his soft tip. He releases a shaky sigh. He has missed this too. You bring your lips together pushing saliva out between the seam with your tongue, letting it run down his cock. You push your closed mouth down, tongue flicking his tiny hole. You seal your lips over his red tip,  chasing the rivulets and sucking them back up as you pull back. You dive down again, only taking his tip. Your cheeks hollow and the sound of wet suction follows. 

“Oh my god, Princess” he breathes.

You rub your smiling lips along his tip in a figure eight, like lip balm. You love hearing his sounds of pleasure. You engulf his head again, just a little farther this time. Your tongue rubs side to side along his frenulum. You bob up and down, up and down, tongue working him, slurping on the end of his cock.  

He moans, his hand rubbing down his stomach to the inside curve of his pelvis. His thumb and forefinger catching up the root of his cock. His long middle and ring fingers falling in the crevice next to his balls. 

“Yeah, that’s it gorgeous. Get me all wet with that pretty mouth,” he croons at you. His glutes start flexing slightly,  pushing his cock up. He’s trying for all he’s worth not to fuck your mouth. 

“Princess, I gotta… I’m… I need…oh god” he moans, not able to finish any sentence. You pull back as he holds his hand out, you drip spit into his hand and he wraps that big fist around that big cock. His hips thrusting up into his hand almost violently. He is so considerate and didn't want to do that into your mouth and make you choke. Clearly the last two weeks have taken their toll on his self control. 

You love seeing him play with himself. Last summer,  you ‘caught’ him jerking off. He had thought you had left.  You’d ran back inside to get something you forgot when you heard his moan. Peeking through the door, your pussy had gotten so wet when you saw him sitting at his desk, laptop open. You had almost slipped into his office to help, but when you realized what he was watching, you were too beguiled to interrupt. It was a video you two had made. A close up of your lips around his cock, both oral and vaginal. You didn’t let him know you were there, but you watched through the sliver of the door as he stroked himself to climax. Your hand was down your pants and your finger on your wet, wet clit.  It was so fucking hot. You loved the idea of being his porn. 

Now, your pussy is again activated watching him pump himself. You realize you have lowered down to his knee and are rubbing your wet pussy on his thigh, riding him.

“Fuck, Princess. That is so hot, you are dripping down my leg,” he seethes through his clenched jaw. “GAH!” he tosses his head back, a sure sign that he is close. His hand speeds up, and stops, speeds up and stops, edging himself just a bit. His forehead is pulled down in concentration, his plush lips form a little ‘o’ as he pants.

Holy fuck, he could not be hotter in this moment. His bicep bulging,  his pecs popped, abs contracted and tight, forearm veiny with effort, thigh flexed and wet with your juices.  Your mouth is open, tongue flicking.nYour pussy lips dragging back and forth over his skin. Fuck, it feels so good. So much deprivation has made you ultra sensitive. 

“Get that greedy tongue down there, so I can cum all over it,” he puffs out. 

You tip your head down. His legs are long enough that you can still rub against him and reach his cock with your mouth. Your tongue is out ready to catch. 

“Yesssss, here it comes,” he moans. 

The warm milky cum spatters your tongue, you know how much he likes to see it hit your mouth.  He groans in appreciation. Then you are down on him, sucking lightly, not wasting a single drop. It’s so fucking hot, such an activation for you to have his cum in your mouth. You sit up and grind into his tight quads just at the insertion on the patellar tendon. It's the perfect dune of muscle to rub your clit on.  You moan around your mouthful of cum, your tongue rubbing it along the roof of your mouth. 

“That’s it Princess, get it,” his hand is still on his cock, lightly stroking himself. He is so fucking turned on with your wanton display. His other hand is on your knee, somehow wanting to help, but not wanting to interrupt your flow. 

Your pussy tightens, good lord the friction feels good. Just as you can feel yourself tipping over that brink, you let his cum slide down your throat. Your eyes roll back in your head and your pussy gushes as your hips freeze forward. Your hips and head jerk in unison, grinding your pussy down on him with each jerk. It’s nearly overstimulating… nearly. 

You fall forward onto him, ass in the air, panting, shaking. He catches you with waiting arms. 

Cradling your head on his chest. 

“You good, Princess?” there is just a touch of concern in his voice. You love how he loves you. 

You nod, slowly getting your breath under control.

“Could be better,” you look up at him with a glint in your eye. 

“Oh yeah,” he gently swipes at a creamy drop on the corner of your mouth, offering the drop to your mouth. You greedily lick it from his finger. 

“Yeah,” you say after rolling the salty tang around your mouth, “I, uh, I seem to remember a promise a certain hot fucking man made me. One of a mindblowing orgasm with his talented mouth.” You smile at him,  running a finger along  the border of his lips. Those perfect fucking lips. 

“Oh yeah, when is he getting here?” he jests, chuckling.

You purse your lips and shake your head, you love his silly goofy side.

“Austin,” you kiss his mouth then roll off him, legs wide,”get down there and make good.” 

His eyes smolder at you, he loves it when you have just a touch of command in your voice. It usually doesn't last long, as he likes being in control in the bedroom, but it turns him on nonetheless. 

“Yes Ma’am,” he nods. Catlike he flips on top of you and slides down your body. In supporting his upper body weight, his shoulders bulge and ripple. That and his ocean blue eyes never leaving yours is enough to set you off.

He wraps his arms under your upper thighs. 

He inhales the smell of you.

His eyes close and he moans in pleasure. 

His mouth opens and he drags his tongue along your lips. 

“Just nothing in, not yet” you remind him. 

The apples of his cheeks pop as he smiles up at you, “I know darling.”

His tongue rolls around under your clit, pushing between your labia. He laps your little lips into his mouth, sucking them gently. 

You moan at the sensations, god you’ve missed his mouth. 

He nestles down at the bottom of your entrance and with a flickering tongue licks your wetness up, sucking your clit lightly into his mouth at the top.

 It’s fucking amazing. 

He licks again, his bottom lip dragging after his tongue, over and over. Until he settles on top of your clit. One hand slips from your leg and you feel two fingers press, not into your vagina, but in the crevices on either side of your lips. He licks your nub with the tip of his tongue and  presses rhythmically on the legs of your clitoris from the outside, milking your pussy. It feels incredible, you had no idea that was a thing, at least not for your body. 

Your juices start to flow freely, dribbling down. He greedily licks as much of it up as he can, sucking hard on your labia. Then his mouth closes wholly over your clit and the top bits of your lips. He sucks, the tip of his tongue flickering over the hard little button. 

Oh fuck it’s good. He is good. Better than good, with his fingers working their magic. Your hands fly to his hair, fingers tangled in his unruly locks. Breath flutters out his nostrils and onto your pubis. Your hips start pumping against his pretty face. You know he loves it when you just let go and let your body react. He starts groaning, his hips mimic yours, driving against the folds of the sheets under him. The fact that he is so turned on by eating your pussy is exhilarating. The vibrations of his moans send your pussy into overdrive. All of a sudden you are there; screaming, grunting, shaking under the magnificence that is Austin’s mouth. Pleasure floods your body. You writhe.  He shifts, letting go the suction and licks long, sensuous strokes along your quivering cunt. He flicks your clit at the top each time, making you shake in aftershocks, making you drip that much more. He closes his mouth wide over your pussy, sucking hard. Then, with a closed mouth he pushes up to his knees over you. His cock is rock hard and jutting out from his lean form. He is a fucking dream. He leans his head forward and dribbles a mixture of your juices and his spit onto his cock and into his hand. 

“God I miss doing that to you,” he moans.

You are panting, watching the sex god Austin stroke himself. His hooded eyes are brimming with desire and lust. 

“Touch yourself,” he commands, “I want to watch.” 

You immediately obey, your finger rubbing back and forth on your swollen clit.

“Yes, finger that clit, Princess,” it’s taking all he has not to slide into you, but he would never endanger your health like that. 

Your finger runs in circles around your clit.

“Pull your lips apart, I want to see it all,” his tone is intense, brooking no argument. 

You spread yourself for him and continue to circle your clit. Anything for Austin. He spits into his hand again, and continues to pump fiercely on his cock.

“Pull up, I want that little hood pulled back,” he is huffing, his face contorted and serious, “I want you to feel my hot cum as it hits your naked clit.” 

Oh. My. God. He has never said that, never done that. Your finger stops rubbing and pulls back your clitoral hood. The cooler air hits your exposed clit. You moan and clench. He watches as your pussy contracts, his breath hissing between his teeth. He glides hard on his cock. 

“Keep it up, don’t touch it.” His chest  expands in a deep, deep breath. His orgasmic groan begins as a rumble in his chest and blasts out his mouth in unrequited vowel sounds. Hot semen hits your vulnerable clit, it’s like fucking lightning. Your back arches and your hips shake, your orgasm is inches away. All you have to do is rub… but he told you not to. 

Suddenly and unexpectedly,  his mouth is sucking on you and hard. His tongue rubbing in his cum, back and forth over your clit. Your climax explodes over you like fireworks. You are so fucking lit.  Your spine and hips jerk, bouncing you on the bed.   He rides you down, lapping up his cum from you. Then he is over you, kissing you deeply with a mouthful of his own, sweet cum. It’s intoxicating, mind blowing, hallucinatory and nearly makes you orgasm again. You swallow every drop, curling your tongue into his mouth, desperate to get it all into you.

He pulls away shaking, having given you the same cum a second time. Clearly he found it just as electrifying. 

“Fuck that was unbearably hot, Princess,” he pants.

Your head shakes as you nod up and down, still completely aroused. You pull his fingers between your legs. 

“Rub Austin, please,” you beg. 

Austin can’t resist it when you beg like that. 

You spend the rest of the day either in bed, in the bath or in the kitchen. Austin made you cum in all of them. Orgasm Day, you’d come to call it, your own personal annual holiday.  Now, only 4 more weeks and the medical ‘ok’ until you get to feel his thick cock stretching your tight little pussy. Until then, well it’s Austin’s cum for breakfast, Austin’s cum for dinner and Austin’s cum for a midnight snack. 

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Joel Miller (Post-Outbreak)

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Joel Miller x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 2.6k Notable Tags: Post-Outbreak Joel, Life in Jackson, First Dates, First Kiss, First Date Nerves, Joel being a bit of a wreck, Cinema Date, References to Death, References to Tess, References to Sarah, References to Ellie, Slight Age Gap (Joel late 50s, reader mid 40s), Fluff in the snow (you'll see what I mean).

I ran a poll on my Twitter (@/this15theway) to decide which version of Joel I should write for, and post-outbreak Joel won! It was very close to being a 50/50 split though, so perhaps that tells me y’all also wouldn’t mind more pre-outbreak Joel. Watch this space…

Next up, Joel! Now, like Jack, I feel we need a bit of clarification here. Joel goes through some shit in his life, which undoubtably would change how he’d view valentine’s day. The man who lived before the outbreak is a far cry from who we see in the events of TLOU, twenty years after the world ended. As such, any traditions he used to have before the outbreak would likely be vastly different to life after.

So, how does Valentine's day look like for Mr. Miller in Jackson? Let's see, shall we?

Joel had never imagined he’d celebrate another valentines again. When the world ended, and Sarah died with it, for so long there wasn’t a single bright day in his life. The first five years of the outbreak went by in a bit of a blur, the rage and anger towards the world taking over and clouding his vision.

When the smoke eventually started to clear, dating was still not something Joel had thought about. He’d had the occasional hook-up here and there within the QZ, but nothing substantial. Not until Tess, anyway.

But with Tess dead, left behind as a sacrifice to get Joel on the road with Ellie, that loneliness had seeped back in. Travelling cross-country with a girl you consider your own kin, fighting off raiders and infected, hardly gave him much time to dwell on this state of being, though. It wasn’t until the two of them found safety in Jackson that Joel relaxed enough to think about it.

A year after settling into town, he met you. Jackson grew with each passing month, and slowly but surely the town was becoming the size of a small city. The commune still worked well though, but the expanse did make it so that it was no longer a small community where everyone knew everybody.

You’d arrived with a small group a couple of months ago, and had quickly settled in across town from Joel. Maria and Tommy had put you in charge of working in the stables, your experience with animals coming in handy in an area that relied so heavily on going out hunting on horseback and handling livestock. It was one afternoon where Joel was to accompany Tommy on patrol outside the gate, and in need of a horse, that he met you.

He’d been enamoured with you immediately, and almost to the point where it surprised him just how quickly you had seeped into his mind. The way you smiled, your laugh, and how gentle your demeanour was. Joel had plenty of experience with horses by now, having used one to travel most the way to Jackson from Boston, so he knew the kind of approach one had to have with animals. The fact it came naturally to you set off butterflies in his stomach for the first time in years.

Tommy had, of course, teased his older brother about this crush relentlessly. But deep down, he was happy to see Joel starting to open up. His brother had never been one to be overly emotional, but since the two of them reunited last year, he could tell there had been a huge shift in Joel. No longer did he show much emotion, preferring to just remain a hard outer shell that nobody seemed to be able to penetrate. Nobody except you, that was.

“Why not ask them out?” Tommy asked, “They’re single!”.

“Oh, and do what? It’s the end of the world, Tommy. People don’t…date. Do they?” he’d asked, drawing laughter from his younger brother.

“Joel, how the hell do you think Maria and I got it on?” he said, laughing to himself as the two brothers rode around the perimeter of Jackson. “You gotta drop this whole ‘end of the world’ narrative, Joel. Sure, life ain’t what it was, but you’ve been here a year now. Surely you can see that there can be some kind of normality?”.

He had a point. Jackson had established schools, libraries, shops, and salons, as well as the more “practical” industries like farming and rearing livestock. The town had set itself apart from most post-outbreak settlements in that it did actually function like a proper city. Communism or not, it certainly worked well.

“Alright, you might have a point,” Joel admitted.

“I know I do, brother. Come on, just ask them! I’m fairly sure they’re as smitten with you as you are with them,” Tommy teased, and Joel’s face lit up.

“Really?” he asked, and Tommy nodded.

“So the word on the street says. ‘The word’ being that of Maria, so I’d say that’s pretty trustworthy,” he chuckled. “Promise you’ll ask them when we get back?”.

Joel sighed, but the more he thought about it the giddier he got. It was a feeling he was most unfamiliar with, but the fact he did feel it again was surely something he could take as being a promising sign. He always looked forward to your conversations, and each time he went he yearned for a reason to make them last longer.

“Alright, I promise,” he said. “But you gotta help me out. I haven’t dated in…fuck,” he laughed, “Twenty-five years!”.

The two brothers laughed with one another as they completed the last of their patrol, still chuckling as the gates opened for them both on their return.

“Brother, I think you need all the help you can get then! I tell you what, suggest this. The 14th is in two days – there were plans to show a film in the town hall that evening. Nothing too out there, and keeping it family friendly, but it would be a good ice breaker date?” he suggested.

Joel nodded as the two men headed towards the stables, trying his best to ignore the thudding feeling in his chest where his heart was almost trying to escape from nervousness. Any kind of date felt like a terrifying concept at the moment, but Tommy was right. It would be perfect.

“Alright, you got a deal,” he’d said, and the two of them dismounted the horses as they headed to the stables. Sucking in some air, Joel had prepared exactly what to say to you. Now he just had to do it…

Much to his surprise (and delight), you’d agreed to the date. But really, how could you have said no? You’d been carrying round your crush on the older of the Miller brother’s for a few weeks, but never had the chance to actually speak with him enough to broach the idea of a date. The day Tommy brought him over to the stable felt like all your Christmas’ came at once, and Joel was everything you hoped he would be. Quiet, and definitely reserved; but it was clear that under the hardened shell he built around himself was a kind, sweet man. You just hoped you’d see more of him.

Saying yes to this date was the easiest decision in the world. Now, on the night in question, you’d patiently waited outside the town hall for Joel to arrive. He’d been a little late, but with only so many films to continually have on show here in Jackson, it’s not like you were missing much.

You smiled wide as Joel headed over towards you, a slight skip in his step. He was bundled up in his signature thick brown jacket, the fastenings pulled across his broad chest to fight off the cold snap that had descended around Jackson lately. Snow lay on the ground, littering the streets and coating the tops of houses, and if you had to guess by the appearance of the clouds above there would surely be another downpour of it tonight.

“Hey,” Joel said, greeting you with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that mirrored your own. It warmed you deep inside to see a man usually so stoic and closed off actually appear happy – and it was made even more sweet by the fact that it was because of you he felt such a way.

“Hi,” you said, “You made it!”.

Joel chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about bein’ a little late. Ellie needed my help with something before I headed out, and, well- I just can’t say no to that kid,” Joel said.

You chuckled, instinctively moving a little closer to Joel to link your arm around his. You’d seen how he was with Ellie, and had heard the stories of Joel with Sarah before the outbreak. Even though you never knew Sarah, and only really observed him acting parental towards Ellie from afar, it made you happy to see Joel settle into that role of being a parent again. The end of the world had taken so much from so many people – you found you didn’t have to know people intimately to still find comfort in others having some sense of normalcy back. You wished everyone had that chance.

“It’s alright, the film has only just started. Shall we?” you said, and Joel nodded. He reached over and covered your hand that sat on his arm with his, his woollen glove warming your bare fingers. Smiling back, you turned towards the door to the town hall and wandered inside.

The film was only about ten minutes in by the time you entered and sat down. The hall had filled up nicely for the evening, as it usually did on film nights. All the children who lived in Jackson sat up front, intently glued to the screen, and you chuckled to yourself as you remember being exactly the same way back when as a kid. Your parents always fussed about you getting ‘square eyes’ on account of sitting too close to the VCR TV in the lounge, which was always a strange concept to explain to the kids of Jackson. You often wondered what your parents would be most worried about in this modern world now. Often you were glad they didn’t live long enough to even experience the outbreak.

You and Joel snuck in towards the back where there were a few free seats. It was still a little chilly in the hall, in spite of how many people were present, so you opted to keep your coats on for the time being. You’d released your hold on Joel’s arm once you sat down, but the two of you kept your distance close to one another. The little taps of his knee against yours sent little butterflies through you and suddenly you felt like a teenager all over again, sneaking out at night to go watch a film with a guy your mother definitely didn’t approve of.

Throughout the whole time the two of you sat with one another you couldn’t fight the giddiness that surged through you – for so long you’d been alone, just as Joel had. Sure, you’d been surrounded by folk for years; there was always safety in numbers. But having someone to call your own, your partner, your lover…that was still an alien concept. Even if tonight came to nothing, it was nice that you’d taken a step towards living again.

About half an hour through, Joel began to get restless. He was enjoying himself, yes, but he had a newfound urge to sit and get to know you. Not something which could be so easily done during a film, where silence was required. It was a desire he hadn’t had with anyone for so long that he didn’t want to risk chickening out of this, so he opted to take advantage of this.

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” he asked lowly, whispering into your ear. You smiled up at him, nodding. You felt a warmth in the palm of your hand as Joel’s fingers softly interlocked with yours, tightening their grip slightly, and then leading you out the door of the hall.

Once outside, you felt a wave of relief wash over you. As much as you loved the film nights put on in the hall, a huge part of you wanted nothing more than to spend time with just Joel, and to get to know him. As you walked away from the hall, and the first few flakes of snow began to fall across the town, the two of you did just that.

He didn’t think he’d ever asked, or been asked, so many questions in his entire life. But he wasn’t complaining for a second – he hung on every word you said, learning everything there was to about you and your life; where you were born, what you did before the outbreak, and how you came to be here. He found he was also just as receptive to telling you anything you wanted to know, and was spilling his guts about everything as the two of you walked round the town, still hand in hand.

“I was really nervous about asking you out, you know,” Joel eventually admitted. “But you’ve been an absolute treat tonight, darlin’.”

“Nervous? How come?” you asked.

“Well, truth be told, my last proper date was several years before the outbreak began,” he chuckled, “So I’m a bit rusty now, more than two decades later,” he said. You shrugged.

“You don’t seem it, if that’s any consolation. Must just ooze charm naturally,” you teased, squeezing his hand softly. Joel chuckled at your joke, smiling wide.

“Yeah, I ain’t sure about that at all,” he said.

“Well, how about we test it?” you asked, boldly.

“Test it? How?” he said, his brow furrowed.

“Kiss me, Joel,” you said, stopping in your tracks. Joel’s eyes widened, but quickly he softened his expression and smiled at you. Turning to face you, he slipped his other hand to settle on your waist, and kept you close to him.

“Sure?” he asked. You nodded in response, wetting your lips slightly with your tongue as you waited for him to make a move. “Alright,” he drawled, chuckling under his breath, as he leant down.

His lips caught yours and he planted the softest kiss on them you’d ever experienced – not in a way that you didn’t know it was even happening, but rather it was so tender that you could be mistaken for thinking the two of you had already been lovers in a past life. It was like he already knew exactly how to kiss you, his lip gently sucking yours just before he parted from you, your heads still resting together.

“See? Not rusty at all,” you chuckled, a blush spread out on your cheeks, a warmth rushing through you.

“Hey, I never said my kissing was rusty, just my ability to go on a proper date with someone I like,” he said, blushing slightly with you, brushing his nose against yours.

“So you like me then?” you teased.

“Yeah, I do. And I know I ain’t all that much, darlin’. This evening hasn’t been much and, Hell, I’m nearing sixty,” he laughed, “But I really do like you. Been a long time since I felt this way about anyone, too. I’m really hoping we could…we could date,” he said. You nodded, smiling wide up at him.

“I’d like that, Joel. And your age doesn’t bother me, by the way. I’m hardly a spring chicken either,” you chuckled. “My spine enjoys reminding me that I’m in my mid-forties!”.

“Let’s fall apart together, then, at the end of the world,” Joel joked, smiling so wide his eyes creased when he laughed. You smiled at him, joining in with a giggle.

“That sounds like a plan to me”.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[doughguts-art]

Okay okay back with more Bandit questions and observations now!!! Hi!!! First off, what's the model of his gun? Literally just curious, really doesn't mean anything unless I feel like drawing it lmao. Secondly, what's his thoughts on the people in power/the guardians + the queen (I'm lumping the Judge into the guardians)? You said he won't work when he can survive well on his own, but does his dislike stretch out to even wishing harm on the guardians? Actually, does he know if a guardian dies, their Zone dies, too? How knowledgeable is he on the world of OFF's lore and how it functions?? Thirdly, does he have any friends I should know about? You drew him interacting with Project Goldfinch/Just Finch to break up the text in my first ask, what's their relationship? Does Bandit scam him to hell and back, or do they just casually chat every now and then? Fourthly, I VERY BRIEFLY checked out Ask Bandit and here are some observations I made: Uno, how come you ship him with Red from Animal Crossing? Is it cuz they both steal and resell?? If so, that's hilarious and I love your sense of humor. Dos, when drawing him with Elsen 7 I did not know Bandit currently resides in Zone Three, because 7 lives in Zone One. This whole time I was under the impression he travels through Zones for some reason lol? I guess that's my curse of having a handful of ECU Elsen that do that themselves lmao. Last but not least, not something Ask Bandit related, just generally speaking, would you like to see any future doodles I make of Bandit, whether he's interacting with my own OCs or otherwise? If not, I totally get it lol. Sorry if this is too many questions btw!! You're free to infiltrate my inbox with silly questions too if you want, just to make it more fair. Thank you! :]

Apologies in advance, I didn't make any new Bandit art for this post so I'm just linking something I drew in April that I don't think I shared to tumblr XD Answer time!

I modeled Bandit's gun after a Glock?? Kinda?? I didn't really reference a specific model, more like loosely inspired. I probably should create a prop-reference for it, but I haven't yet.

Bandit's dislike for authority does not stretch to wanting to take out the guardians. It would be counter-intuitive to his role as a merchant to kill off his customers by killing off the guardians. Bandit cares too much about profit, and although the guardians are annoying, without them he wouldn't have profit.

Bandit is fully aware on how the world of OFF works, it's inner workings, and other meta things.

Bandit will say anyone is his friend, even if they clearly hate him. Louis would be the only one that would truly think of Bandit as a friend (except maybe my elsen-sona, but they're a mary-sue type oc and should probably not be counted if we're talking in-universe/story lol)

As Finch is the protagonist in my game concept, Bandit will be the merchant selling them items. Finch is distrusting of Bandit, but sees him as a necessity in their mission. I do have an idea where Bandit does steal something from Finch to propel the plot, but who knows if that'll stay in the final lol

Bandit x Redd is a joke ship created by @brandy-elsen (tagging the account it was posted on and not your current account because I do not wanna waste a tag on this I am sorry Brandy AHHSGFG). All the credits to her for the comedic genius. I think you guessed right as to why that ship exists tho. I just drew it for that post because it met the "two pieces of fanart" criteria I set.

Bandit travels the zones, your initial assumption was right. He is only in Zone 3 on the askbandit blog because of the story being told on there. He's gotta refill his stock of sugar manually since sugar happens to be one of the things he cannot magically pull from his pack.

I would love to see future doodles you make of Bandit! I like collecting all the fanart I get and posting it (with credits/links) to his gallery on toyhouse.

I'm terrible with asking questions, but I'll keep your offer in mind if I have any in the future! :D

a dapper Bandit in a suit