#don't settle for substitutes

[trench2018]

i think people get used to being jaded about the education system in america to the point where they're just like Yeah we're doomed there's nothing we can do about it. my brother in christ log onto YouTube and watch a crash course video what are you saying

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

Don't you hate when you have long hair, like the kind of long that's easier to put into a bun with a hair stick than with a ponytail holder.

But you can't find a hair stick so you just use a random stick shaped object that you have lying around that you can find and you just use that instead.

Anyways there's currently a small paintbrush stabbed through my hair bun how's the rest of you guys' days going?

[cntloup]

After almost four months of working for Simon, you take a maternity leave... and your feelings for him start to bubble up

Simon bumps into you, a troubled woman whose boyfriend kicked her out after he found out she's pregnant

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

He holds you, gently rubbing your back as your stomach heaves and you throw up your lunch. You're in your third trimester and it’s been hell for you. 

You sob onto his chest while clinging to him, from the agonizing pain in your abdomen and the unbearable nausea. 

“Shh, it’s ok, luvie. I've got you.” he coos, holding you tighter and cradling your head against his chest as you bawl your eyes out. 

Even though your mind is somewhat dazed, your heart still flutters at the nickname. 

In almost four months of working as his assistant, you slowly drifted closer and closer to each other.

But you still don't know if you'd call yourselves friends or not, it's something more, yet less than what you wish to be.

After a few minutes spent on the bathroom floor in his office, you finally calm down a bit. 

“I’m so sorry. I don’t think I can work like this.” you apologize sheepishly while looking up at him through glossy eyes, still in his arms. 

“That’s fine. You'll be on leave until you’re ready.” he says, looking back at you through hooded eyes. 

“Really? There's no problem with that?” 

“Yeah. It's ok. We'll get a substitute for now. The leave is with pay of course so no worries about money problems.” he responds and you throw your arms around him happily and hug him as well as you can with your swollen tummy, “Oh, Simon! Thank you so much.” 

“ ‘s nothin’.” he replies while hugging you back. 

“You can come stay with me, you know?” he mentions as he pulls away to look at you, your hair disheveled and your eyes puffy and red while sitting on the bathroom floor after throwing up for nearly half an hour, but oh how he still adores you... in this state... or in any state to be honest. 

“Are you sure?” you whisper, throat too hoarse to speak any louder. 

“I’m sure.” he replies sternly with a nod and you gaze into his eyes gratefully. 

“I’ll help you pack up.” he adds, taking your silence and the look you just gave him as a yes. 

“Thank you.” you say and try to get up, but fail miserably with your huge belly and utter exhaustion. 

He gets up first and helps you up, “Careful, luv.” he murmurs as you stumble a bit, wrapping his arms around your waist to keep you steady. 

He helps you gather your stuff and carefully walks you to his car to drop you off at his place, his hand finding your waist and the other one holding yours.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be fine alone?” he asks with concern as he pulls up into his driveway. 

“Yes, I'm gonna be fine for a few hours. In fact, I'm gonna take a nap.” you respond reassuringly with a smile. 

“Take care, luv.” he smiles and you wave goodbye. 

He leaves as you step inside the house and close the door. 

You lean against the door and let out a squeal and giggle like a schoolgirl. 

And you don’t even know why. Is it the hormones? Is it him? 

It’s been a while since he’s making you feel some type of way. 

You settle on the couch to take a nap, not wanting to take up his bed even though you know he wouldn’t mind. But still, it feels like an invasion of his privacy. 

You don’t get much sleep as your mind and heart are encompassed by him. 

You keep tossing and turning. For hours. Even though you’re utterly exhausted. 

Until he returns home and walks over to you, “Hey... why didn't you sleep on the bed?” he asks with furrowed eyebrows.

“Well, I didn’t really sleep at all.” you mumble as you try to get up, looking at him over the back of the couch.

“Why? You ok?” he asks with a concerned look etched on his face as he helps you sit up on the couch and he sits beside you. 

“I’m fine, Si. It's just that... the hormones are making me feel weird is all.” you ramble, not really knowing how to answer him, also using the nickname which he insisted on you using. It just makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Do you need to go to the doctor?” he questions further, worry creeping up on him. 

“No. It's fine. I'll take some pills and try to get some sleep. Don't worry.” you try to play it cool and shrug it off.

He gently carries you to bed and brings your meds, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing them to you with a glass of water. 

“Get some rest, luv. I'll make you something to eat.” he mutters while tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ear as you lie down, eyes locked onto one another, making your heart skip a beat.

You let out a sigh and shut your eyes after he leaves, in hopes of getting even a little bit of much-needed sleep.

[alexawynters]

Mommy Knows Best - w.m x r blurb

Summary: Wanda convincing R to let her to all the thinking for her

Warnings: Ehhh... allusions to manipulation, kidnapping, stalking.

A/N: So ahhh... I wrote this in 15 minutes while at work in a part of the office I very much didn't want to be in. This isn't connected to anything. I don't intend on expanding this bc I have no spoons and the plot bunnies won't settle on anything definitively. But if anybody wants to take a crack at it, pleeeeaaase do! Just like.. link me so I can read it because I am thirsty. Also all of this was typed up on my phone so sorry for any typos, or formatting issues. I left my laptop at home today like a dumbass..

Wanda's hand cradled your face with a gentle yet possessive grip. "I knew that you needed me the moment I laid eyes on you in that coffee shop."

Your eyes widened at the older woman's confession. Out of all the times you had met up with Wanda, it had never been at a coffee shop. Her implication that she had been watching you sent a bolt of fear down your spine.

"Such a sweet little thing, so easily flustered." She appraised you with a keen eye, searching for any hint that you might try to run. "You were just trying to substitute the milk in your coffee order, yet you couldn't even do that without nearly breaking out into tears. Poor thing. You just needed your Mommy to do all your difficult thinking for you, huh?"

The older woman's voice had taken on an almost saccharine quality, while simultaneously dripping with condescension. You couldn't have explained it if you tried, but something about her tone, her words, turned your head all fuzzy.

Alarm bells that should have been clanging loudly were but a distant detail in your peripheral, not worthy of your attention when the alternative was listening to Wanda's honeyed voice. You should be concerned. A normal person would be leaving this crazy woman as fast as their legs could carry them. Yet instead, you practically meted into Wanda's touch, almost craving it.

The witch gave a subtle smirk at the way your eyes glossed over when she talked down to you. This was going to be even easier than Wanda had thought. She might not even need to use her magic if you were already this responsive to her. Frankly, Wanda was delighted.

"Use your words, kotenok. I know you're just a dumb baby, and words are hard, but when Mommy asks you a question, I expect an answer."

Her grip turned firm, border lining on painful. Glassy eyes snapped open.

"Y-yes, Mommy. I just needed you to do all the thinking for me."

Your face flushed bright red as you spoke the words, but you couldn't bring yourself to take them back. Now that they had been released into the universe, the words rang true for you. They simply felt... right. Your trusting gaze met Wanda's domineering one, seeking any sign of her approval.

The older woman gave a salacious grin, very much reminiscent of a cat who caught the canary. "There's my good girl," she cooed, caressing the apple of your cheek with her thumb.

Lulled into a false sense of safety and security, you tilted your head. Leaning into her touch, you were practically simpering from her praise and touch. Why had you ever been concerned, you wondered? This was Wanda. She would always take care of you. She would never even dream of harming you. If only you knew the extent of the very real danger you were in, you might have tried to run. Not that you would have gotten far, but Wanda might have enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

Nevertheless, she had you right where she wanted you and why make it unpleasant when you were so... willing? The witch reveled in how pliant you were. Like putty in her hands, ready to be shaped and molded into the perfect plaything for her.

"Now kotenok," she said softly. "Why don't you go get changed into something comfortable and we can watch movies? I took the liberty of bringing over some of your clothes from your apartment as you won't be staying there anymore."

The former Avenger patted your cheek gently, sending you off on your way. It was only a few feet you had made before hesitating, turning to look at the older woman.

"Mommy...." You tried the title, and it rolled off your tongue surprisingly easily. "Why. won't I be staying at my apartment anymore? I'm still paying rent on it for another seven months." Uncertainty rolled off of you in waves.

Wanda bit the inside of her cheek, reigning her temper in. She needed to be understanding, but firm with you if she planned to get you completely under her thumb without scaring you off.

"You let Mommy worry about all of that. Those are big girl thoughts, and you wanted Mommy to do all the thinking for you, isn't that right?" Her voice was filled with exaggerated patience and condescension.

Part of you wanted to push the question. If you weren't going to be staying at your flat anymore then Wanda must mean for you to stay with her. Unfortunately, you couldn't afford rent in both places, so if you needed to sublet your flat, the sooner you knew for sure, the better. Not once did you question how, when, or why the redhead had picked up your clothes, being so focused about this rent situation.

Still, as you caught Wanda's steadily hardening gaze due to your lack of immediate cooperation, you could have sworn you almost saw a subtle flash of scarlet in her eyes. Opting not to upset the woman you were quickly falling for, you promptly turned on your heel, intent on doing as she had asked.

Unbeknownst to you, Wanda Maximoff was observing your trailing form with a razor-sharp gaze. She felt triumphant, everything was going according to plan, and you were honestly making it too easy on her. Soon you would belong to her, and by the time you realized, it would be too late.

A/N 2: What are we thinking? Bin it? Try to write it from the beginning? Or maybe keep going and only have the beginning appear in flashback format? I know I need to update Scarlet Whispers and I'm gonna, I swear! Just... effort. lol

[cozage]

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Made for Two fic (Sanji x gn reader) completed :)

Prologue: Sunset for One Set for Two Recipe for Two Dance for Two Dessert for Two

The Moss that Grew in Gloom (Zoro x female reader) (ongoing)

The Fall of a Swordsman Honor in Asking for Help Training and Teaching Celebrating the Little Things A Secret Code

The Daughter's Return (Ace x female reader) (ongoing)

On Tumblr On AO3

The Meaning of Justice: A short fic (ongoing)

Chapter One: Loguetown Chapter Two: Nanohana Chapter Three: Alabasta Desert Chapter Four: Yuba

[xarlenewithanx]

Consummation of the Marriage

Husband Gojo Satoru x F! reader

Summary: it has only been a few months since you got married to Satoru Gojo, and the family elders are already getting impatient since you’re not pregnant yet

Content: arranged marriage, use of pet names, reader has fem! anatomy, smut, fluff at the end, mentions of pregnancy, breeding,  

a/n: ‘yes self, prioritize writing this instead of studying for your seven quizzes tomorrow.’ I was listening to Agora Hills by Doja Cat while writing this. also thanks to @disillusionistt for the prompt that turned into a long story. hope you like it!!! (cuz I don't)

wc: 1.7k

This was the first time since your wedding that you would be alone with Gojo Satoru. No servants, no maids, just purely you and him.

This wouldn’t have happened if the elders from both sides of your family were a little more patient.

     “Did you consummate your marriage yet?” “Do you feel nauseous?” “How many weeks is it?” They bombarded you both with questions; he just stared at you as if it was your responsibility as his wife to answer them.

     “My lord, my lady, we haven’t done our duties yet… Please give us more time,”

The elders scoffed in irritation as they explained how Gojo was made just the night after his parents’ wedding and complained about your incompetence.

     “Think about the bloodline dear! it is your duty!” They warned you like he was going to die tomorrow.

     “How about we stay on one of our estates for a week? Just me and my wife? Would that suffice?” Gojo proposed.

The elders looked at each other as they weighed the pros and cons of his suggestion.

     “Very well. If it takes that long for her to carry your child, then we shall wait patiently for that to happen,” they finally agreed.

And that’s how you got yourself into this situation. You and him, in an estate where the servants’ quarters are quite far from the main house.

You were quiet the whole trip there. Since the wedding, he has never been staying beside you for long hours.

His phone rang in the middle of the ride, to which he answered it.

     “Hello? Suguru? Could you substitute me for teaching the first years? Those walking skeletons kept bugging me with their demands again,”

You chuckled at the word ‘walking skeletons’, which he noticed, he turned to you and you looked at him, the awkward silence filled the car until Suguru broke it through the phone.

     “Ya still there Satoru?” Suguru asked from the other line.

     “Yeah, I was distracted; so, about the substitution, ya’ up for it?”

     “Sure! How hard is it to teach a few kids?”

     “Okay then! I leave it up to you now, bye!”

Throughout the whole conversation, you were looking out the window, looking at the beautiful view of the mountains and rivers.

     “Pretty isn’t it?” He asked.

     “Yes, it does.” You respond.

You see a mansion in the distance. You looked into it in awe as the entire view was mesmerizing.

     “See that over there?” he pointed at the mansion. “That’s where we’ll be staying, the servant’s quarters are quite far, so be sure you’re settled once nighttime sets, it’s a hassle going back and forth just to call them.

You felt his breath just behind your ear. Turning to him, he was so close to you. You flinched as this was the first time he was ever so close to you.

     “You look like you just saw a ghost,” He laughed, “How cute,”

     “You have white hair!” you shout, “anyone would mistake you for a ghost!”

     He placed his hand on his heart and acted as if he had a heart attack.

     “Ouch! Baby that hurts!” he proclaimed.

You had forgotten about his dramatic behavior since graduation. It is at this moment that you are reminded that he has never changed.

     “We’re here!!!” He yelled in excitement.

     He got out of the car and went to your door to open it. He reached out his hand to you.

     “Well? Aren’t you gonna get out?” He teased.

You snapped back. “Yeah, sorry,” you took his hand and got out of the car.

You look at the mansion and behold its beauty, then turn your head to see the servants’ quarters from the distance.

     “Why are the quarters far away from the main house?” You question.

     “This house was used as a honeymoon getaway for newly married couples,” He turned to you and lowered his head just beside your ear. “Don’t wanna traumatize them with noises, do we?” He chuckled.

You breathed deeply as you tried to comprehend the uses of this house.

     “My ancestors, my grandparents, my parents, they did it here, and now, it’s our turn! Isn’t this exciting?” He teased.

     “To you…” You replied.

After you both spent your time exploring parts of the house and enjoying the view from the balconies, it was nearing sunset, and there were only very few servants left since the others walked to their quarters.

By the time the servants had all left, it was just you and him. When you settled in your shared bedroom, he was in the bathroom probably cleaning himself after the exhausting trip. When you try to take off your clothes, you realize there is a zipper at the back.

Well shit…

When he got out of the bathroom, only clothed in a towel on his lower body, he noticed you weren’t in your bathrobe yet.

     “Well? Aren’t you gonna take a bath?” he says.

     “Help… Me…” you plead.

     “What’s it about this time?”

     “Unzip my dress, please”

Gojo went behind you to unzip your dress. He was caught off guard when he saw your bare skin. He felt like a Victorian man seeing a woman’s ankles for the first time during that moment.

His fingers lightly traced your skin before he lowered his head to kiss your shoulders.

You gasp at the feeling of his lips on your skin, tracing down to your arms as he showered you with kisses while his arms wrapped around you. He turned you around as he continued kissing your collarbone- even sucking it- until it left hickeys.

     “Gojo I-“

     “Satoru… Call me Satoru,”

     “Satoru,” you moan.

He finally finished unzipping the dress and it fell to the ground, your naked body, with only your panties on, was left for him to see.

You looked down in embarrassment, but he lifted your chin up to look at him, his blue eyes seemed to have a soft glow in the dark room.

His lips crashed into yours, kissing you aggressively. You fell into the bed but he was still kissing you, one hand gripping your arm as the other fondled your breast.

His kisses went down to your nape, you gasped as this new sensation of pure bliss overwhelmed you.

“Fuck baby… didn’t know this side of ya’”

He was sucking on your nipple as his hand drew circles at the other. You pushed his head deeper into your chest as the feeling was so good.

He traced his hand down to your clothed cunt. He pressed your pussy and felt the soaking wet texture.

You moaned loudly as the feeling of his warm hands pressed your clit.

“All I did was kiss and touch you, and you’re already this wet?” He chuckled. “How adorable,”

He pulled your panties down and he spread your legs apart. His fingers lightly drew circles on your clit, making you moan.

He pushed his finger deep inside your tight entrance, looking for your G-spot. You screamed when his finger touched a part inside you that felt sensitive.

“Found it,”

He inserted two fingers this time, stretching your hole as he curled his fingers on your G-spot, earning him loud moans and whimpers from you.

“’toru!!!”

You tried closing your legs but he just spread you open even wider as he continued playing with your pussy.

You tightly gripped the sheets as he continued fingering you.

You feel your orgasm coming as he doesn’t seem to slow down any further.

“Satoru I’m so close!!!”

“Fuuuuck… you take my fingers so well,” he cooed.

He moved his fingers inside you even faster, your moans got louder and louder until you screamed as you reached your limit.

Your juices were leaking all over the bed, and he was happy to lick your pussy clean.

You clench your thighs around his head as he ate you out like a starved man. He let out a groan as he continued lapping your cunt and gripping your thighs, you not being able to stay still made him go faster.

“Satoru! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

He spat on your clit and licked it clean. You were probably overstimulated at this point.

He gave you orgasm after orgasm after orgasm, and he did it using only his tongue and fingers.

He lifted his head and kissed you, making you taste your own juices.

     “You taste so good love,” he cooed.

You didn’t have the strength to even reply to him. Your throat was sore from all the loud moans and screams you let out.

He untucked his towel, his exposed cock leaking pre-cum. He laid his dick flat on your stomach for you to see how deep he can reach you, almost reaching your navel.

He rubbed his tip on your clit as it leaked pre-cum on your pussy before slowly inserting it into your entrance. You whined as his dick almost reached your cervix.

“Satoru…”

“Shhh… I’ll go slow… I promise,”

He slowly thrusts inside you, letting you get used to his size. His dick alone already made you so full.

He placed his body on top of you as you dug your nails onto his back.

He started increasing his speed as you got used to his size.

Your moans, along with his have been the only noise heard in the room.

“Shit princess… This pussy’s so tight like it was made f’ me,”

He kissed you as he rammed his dick inside you for quite a while without even taking a break.

You slowly feel his rhythm going unstable.

He’s almost there.

After one last rough thrust, he released his seed inside you- even spilling out of you, to which he gladly shoved it back inside.

“Can’t miss a single drop,”

He grabbed a wet towel to wipe your body before he carried you to the bathroom to give you a warm bath before cuddling him to bed.

     The next morning, you were awoken by the smell of fresh flowers and pancakes. You woke up to find him preparing your breakfast in bed.

“Mornin’! Slept well?” he asks.

“Mhmm!”

“Well, I made you breakfast! Hope you like it!” he exclaimed.

He fed you a spoonful of the pancake before he wiped your mouth, handing you some milk after that.

[cupid-styles]

a good life

in which harry and y/n decide on a name for their baby (with minimal bickering).

I think for now this will be the last blurb I write while y/n is still pregnant</333 going to start expanding to blurbs about them parenting so feel free to send requests in!!!!

word count: 731

content warnings: pregnancy/pregnant y/n

part of the ymls universe

main masterlist | talk to me

. . .

"How about Reign?"

"We're not the Kardashians, Harry."

He resists the urge to roll his eyes as Y/N shoots down another one of his name suggestions, using the ball-point pen to scratch the words out on his list. She glances down at her phone and purses her lips.

"Okay, my next suggestion was May."

"That's cute," Harry murmurs, "Although, I had a cat when I was little named May. She got rabies because we found her on the street. It was kind of traumatizing if I'm being honest."

Immediately, Y/N deletes the name May from her list.

"Do you have any other good ones?" she asks as she leans forward to grasp the cup of tea Harry made her when she got to his place. She's still struggling with not drinking coffee, even though it's been months since she stopped. Harry insists that green tea is a good substitute, but so far, she doesn't believe him.

"I feel like you'll hate the ones I have left," he replies, peering up at her. She shrugs, a silent response of try me. "Alright, the last few that I came up with are: Noel—"

"Cute, but I think it's too Christmas-y."

"—Holly—"

"Are you just really into Christmas-themed names?"

"And Clementine."

She pauses. He can see the gears turning in her brain as she contemplates it, the pad of her finger running over the rim of the ceramic mug in her hands.

"I think I really like that, actually," she says softly. "Clementine. It's sweet."

Harry nods, a jolt of energy firing through him. "Yeah, I was thinking we could call her Clemmie or Clem for short. I don't know, thought it was unique."

"It is," she agrees, her left hand finding her bump, "Are you our little Clementine?"

He smiles. "And I know we decided she'd have Styles as a last name, but I was thinking, since you've always loved having the name middle name as your sister, maybe we could give her the same one. Or maybe the same one as your niece."

Y/N swallows, attempting to get rid of the lump in her throat as she nods quickly. They'd decided on carrying the Styles last name on with her a few months back — she didn't feel very strongly about them all having the same last name, explaining that she would always be her mother regardless of whether or not they shared that. (Harry couldn't agree more.) But she'd only mentioned once or twice that she thought her niece's middle name was adorable, and she liked her family tradition of keeping middle names the same. When she and her sister were younger, it always felt like this little connection they had that no one else did.

"Grace, right?" Harry asks, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Your niece's middle name?"

She nods, "Yeah, Grace."

"Clementine Grace Styles."

"I like it," she says quickly, unable to ignore the tears clouding her waterline, "It's pretty. I really like it."

"Me too. I think Grace fits perfectly."

They stare at each other for a moment, the gravity of finally giving her a name settling in. She's no longer this little nameless fruit floating around in her tummy (although Harry still provided weekly updates on her size — currently, she's a cantaloupe, which is slightly terrifying for Y/N to conceptualize).

"Do you mind if I...?"

Even with the boundaries they've broken, nearing "couple" territory as opposed to platonic co-parenting, he's still extremely cautious of Y/N's boundaries. He never wants to make her feel uncomfortable, especially because he knows she's been on the receiving end of some awful side effects.

But, even if it's a secret she keeps to herself, she really adores when she gets to lay back and watch him talk to her belly.

She nods at his open-ended question and settles against the cozy pregnancy pillow he bought months ago. Gently, he flips her sweater up and presses a chaste kiss right above her belly button, making her shiver.

"We can't wait to meet you, Clementine Grace," he mumbles lowly, "Please give your mummy an easy time for the next two months, okay? She's getting really tired, but she's been so strong. She even lets me sing to you without pushing me away."

Y/N snorts and Harry glances up with a small smile. She raises her eyebrows expectedly, encouraging him to continue.

"Anyway... we're just really excited." his eyes flicker up to hers and she swallows. "I think we're gonna have a good life together."

[moonsaver]

@pix3lplays is back again~ not a request I promise, just a question for you because I’m genuinely curious~

So Nanook the Destruction am I right??

I always fall in love with the ones who would kill me, sigh.

But seriously the potential for yandere! Nanook is so important to me, they are sooo yandere coded~being their favorite little mortal that they’d do anything for…it wouldn’t happen but let me have my moment lol

Anyways I wanted to ask who your favorite aeon is. I tried, I tried so hard to keep it at Aha but…Nanook has swayed me to their side…the design?? The cold stare?? They are IMPORTANT to me.

Idk I think I have a chance with them (Pix is delusional) wish me luck~

No, no, come back Pixel, you are CORRECT. You are RIGHT.

I am so thirsty for Nanook. I don't even use that word often as I keep myself hydrated well.

As for my favorite Aeon.. not so sure. I'll have to catch up on the lore, but I'd say it would be the Aeon of Preservation, actually. [Edit: NOT PRESERVATION. I forgot who, but the one who has like.. all the mirrors and memories and stuff.... pls spare me.] {Another edit – it's Fuli!}

Fun fact, I thought Nanook was a playable character and got into hsr because of him, only to find out with disappointment that he is, in fact far from playable. Although Blade might substitute for an inverted Nanook.

But you're so right. I love Nanook. The yandere potential...

Being some Person™️ like out in the middle of who knows whatever planet, and waking up with the sheer, almost incomprehensible knowledge and fact that Nanook has his eyes on you.

Im not sure how exactly being in an Aeon's favor would work, but I imagine it's no easy work. Especially for someone like Nanook, who finds you, as tiny and insignificant, somewhat.. intriguing. Anyone blocking the now golden, burning path set ablaze in front of you is obliterated almost instantly. His favor works so much on you that sometimes you feel it settle thickly in your bones, the gold of his eyes burning through your tiny heart. No one dares to even look at you. Destruction follows the pattering of your feet, the favor rotting into a curse all too quickly, until you have no one left. You'll be forced to see him. To face him. To bear the fraction of a burden he intends to lay upon you for daring to catch his eye, despite being so pathetic and insignificant in the expanse of the universe. Your fragile, human body is laughable. But the curse that rots in your bones might ascend your vessel, if not aid you. In any case.. Nanook watches. His eyes are fixed on you. A vast, golden expanse always haunts your dreams. It is a contrast to the deathly stale black that comes with the wake of Destruction.

[ray4hotchner]

Fate's Gentle Nudge

Chapter 1: Cupcakes and Conversations

Next chapter >>

❀ 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: aaron hotchner x reader

❀ 𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: Aaron's encounter with Jack's new teacher, sparks an unexpected connection that leaves him intrigued and curious about what the future may hold.

❀ 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 2.8k

❀ 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: Hey, loves. This one will be a multi-chapter story, featuring lots of fluff and pining. Let's see how the story unfolds. Let me know what you think. Comment if you want to be tagged in the next part🤍 (finished)

❀ 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕔: @iyv-ray24

┌─❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚─┐

On Ao3

└──❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚┘

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Aaron stood in front of the mirror, meticulously tying his necktie. It was a Tuesday evening, and he had come home early because he had promised his son that he would attend Parent's Night at his school. A couple of weeks ago, Jack had mentioned during dinner that they now had a new class teacher. His previous teacher had gone on maternity leave due to pregnancy, causing the school to face challenges in finding a suitable replacement. As a result, Jack's class had to deal with a series of substitute teachers.

Jack would enthusiastically share school stories with Aaron every night before bed. He appeared much happier now that he had a permanent class teacher. He would gush over Miss Y/L/N and genuinely seemed to like her. This made Aaron even more curious to meet her in person.

He left his room and joined Jess, Jack's aunt, and Jack in the kitchen as they cleaned up after dinner.

"Okay, guys, I'm off. Have fun, but don't stay up too late, Jack," he told them.

"Bye, Dad, and tell Ms. Y/L/N I miss her."

Hotch chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "You saw her today, buddy."

"I know, and?" Jack asked, not understanding what his dad meant. Could he not miss her even if he had seen her today?

"I'll tell her, buddy," he chuckled again, then left them to make his way to Jack's school.

Upon entering the school corridors, he could already hear the murmur of other parents chatting somewhere in the distance. As he walked into the classroom, he immediately spotted many familiar faces. His attention was drawn to the name tags on the tables, each adorned with distinct decorations and the names of different children. He took a seat where Jack's name tag was laid on the table. On Jack's name tag, there was a drawing of Spiderman alongside something resembling Aaron's FBI badge. A smile formed on his lips as he looked at it. Soon, a few people approached him to strike up conversations — parents he had met before at soccer training and playdates with the kids.

He heard a laughter echoing through the corridor and turned his gaze towards the door, where someone entered carrying a large tray of cupcakes. The person placed the tray on a table beside empty cups and a coffee machine. Accompanying her was another woman who assisted in carrying some cookies. Aaron's eyes settled on the unfamiliar woman – this must be Miss Y/L/N. She wore a brown plaid dress paired with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, a perfect choice for the breezy late summer-early autumn evening outside.

He didn't want to appear creepy, but he found it difficult to divert his gaze from her. She had an infectious smile and a pleasant laugh that he wished to hear again. Although he couldn't comprehend their conversation, he observed her attentiveness and nods as she conversed with the other woman. A few minutes later, the other women and the rest of the parents also took their seats.

Ms. Y/L/N stood at the front of the class and began introducing herself.

"Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Y/N Y/L/N, and I'll be the class teacher for the remainder of the year. The past couple of weeks have been challenging for the students with all the changes in substitute teachers and Mrs. Cullin's leaving. However, I believe that we'll soon settle into a nice routine," she introduced herself, offering a warm smile.

"I've been teaching the kids for almost 10 days now, and I'm sure you've all been curious about their new teacher. So, I thought a gathering like this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce myself," she continued.

Aaron found it hard to divert his gaze, and he felt his heart rate quicken each time their eyes met while she scanned the room, addressing every parent. She described some enjoyable activities she had done with the kids during the initial days to help them feel more comfortable with her. She mentioned that the name tags had been designed by the children themselves, and they had all collectively written a letter to Mrs. Cullin, congratulating her on her new baby.

She went on to explain her upcoming plans for the class and mentioned a field trip scheduled in a couple months.

"That's probably enough talking from me," she joked, "but before I wrap up, I'll be passing around a list where you can provide your contact numbers, emails, or the best way to reach you in case of an emergency. Additionally, we'd appreciate a second emergency contact as well. Please help yourselves to some coffee and the baked goods," she concluded, pointing towards the table with cupcakes.

As the parents hurried to get coffee, the list circulated around the room. Aaron duly filled out the list, designating Jess as an emergency contact. Wanting to ensure thorough communication options, he also included his email and Penelope's BAU number, as a backup in case he was unreachable due to work.

Passing the list to the next person, he finally stood up from the remarkably uncomfortable small children's chair and decided to fetch some coffee. With a few individuals waiting their turn at the machine, he opted to take a quick look around instead. The classroom, as usual, was nicely decorated, but Aaron detected some changes from the last time he had seen it at the beginning of the school year.

The windowsills of the classroom were adorned with an array of plants, featuring larger pots as well as numerous small, colorful pots housing countless succulents. Aaron moved closer to examine them and noticed that each pot was uniquely decorated and labeled with names. It struck him that each child probably had their own designated pot. He scanned the collection, attempting to locate the one belonging to Jack.

"Care for one?" a voice chimed beside him. Turning, he found a smiling Ms. Y/L/N holding a cupcake and a coffee, her gaze fixed on Aaron.

"Oh, sure, thank you," Aaron replied, accepting the cupcake and coffee she offered.

"Do you like them?" she inquired, referring to the succulents. "We painted the pots and planted them with the kids. Would you like to see Jack's?" she asked, and he merely nodded, unsure if he could manage to form coherent words with her radiant smile directed at him.

They moved a few windowsills down, positioning themselves farther back in the classroom. She picked up a small pot that was painted in red and blue, adorned with black spiderwebs. It was clear that Jack had opted for a Spiderman-inspired design, a choice that resonated with his current fascination for the comic character.

"This looks really good; he did a great job painting it," Aaron commented, studying the pot. "Do you mind if I take a picture of it?"

"No, of course not. Go ahead," she responded enthusiastically. Aaron set his coffee down on a nearby table and quickly snapped a picture. He figured Penelope would definitely want to see it if he ended up telling her about this encounter later.

"I think the kids definitely loved doing this activity," he remarked, observing the pot before gently returning it to its original spot.

"They did," she replied, amusement in her voice. "Though I didn't anticipate just how messy it would get beforehand," she chuckled. "But it was worth it. Now all of them have a plant they need to take care of. I believe it teaches them responsibility and gives them a chance to learn about taking care of a living thing, don't you think?"

He was genuinely impressed by her reasoning and found himself agreeing. "That sounds like a really harmless and easy way to teach them these things. I definitely agree," he said, offering her a smile in return.

He took a bite of the cupcake and let out a satisfied hum, relishing the sweetness that his craving had demanded after a day filled with paperwork and irksome meetings.

"This tastes amazing," he commented, moving in for a second bite.

"Thank you," Ms. Y/L/N responded with a chuckle.

"Huh? You baked them?" he inquired, genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I did. I'm glad you're enjoying them," she confirmed, her smile evident in her response.

For a brief moment, he was so captivated by her beauty that he couldn't manage a response, his gaze locked onto her. Thankfully, a parent's call pulled her away before the situation grew uncomfortable.

"It was nice talking to you, Mr. Hotchner," she said before walking over to the parent who had beckoned her.

Thirty minutes later, parents started saying their goodbyes one by one. Aaron purposely hung back, an unfamiliar urge guiding him. Normally, he wouldn't enjoy such gatherings and would quickly leave. On top of that, he was tired from a long day and too little sleep. Needing to deliver Jack's message gave him an excuse to stay a bit longer. It definitely wasn't a wish to talk to her again, absolutely not.

As the last parent exited the classroom, Aaron made his way over to Ms. Y/L/N, who was in the process of collecting empty cups. Gently taking some of them from her hands, he offered, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, Mr. Hotchner, you really don't have to," she replied.

"No, I insist," he said, smiling at her. He was almost certain he noticed a faint blush grace her cheeks. Together, they gathered the remaining trash from the tables.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Hotchner. That was really nice of you. Now I see where Jack gets his kindness," she remarked.

"Don't mention it," he replied with a smile.

Glancing over at the coffee table, she noticed a couple of uneaten cookies and two cupcakes.

"Then accept his cupcake as a thank you," she suggested, handing him one while keeping the other for herself.

He was struck by the mix of emotions he was feeling – the warmth of attraction and the charm of cuteness all rolled into one.

She settled onto her teacher's desk, and Aaron perched on the table in front of her, both enjoying their cupcakes. The conversation flowed into discussions about the class and Jack's progress.

"Jack is a really bright kid," she began. "He loves reading and drawing, and he has quite a few friends. Ms. Collins provided me with background on each student before she left, and she mentioned that Jack and Paul had some issues last year. But I don't see any remnants of that now. They're actually really good friends these days."

"I'm glad to hear that," Aaron responded.

"And, I hope I'm not overstepping, but she also shared some information about Jack's mom."

"Ah, I understand."

"I'm truly sorry for your loss. But I want you to know, Mr. Hotchner, that I take precautions to ensure my students are content and don't feel upset in this classroom."

He was genuinely curious. "How do you manage that?"

"For instance, I don't celebrate Mother's or Father's Day in my classroom. Many teachers have their students create cards or paint pictures, but that can be distressing for children who've lost a parent. We have another little girl in the class who lost her father a few years ago, and I wouldn't want any of them to feel upset. Instead, once a year, we celebrate a made-up day where the kids choose someone to craft a card and a present for. It could be a parent, a friend, a grandparent, or even a pet. One child even wrote a letter to their cat once," she shared, giggling.

There was a certain charm in the way she spoke about her approach, a blend of understanding and creativity that struck Aaron.

Aaron found himself captivated by her explanation, admiring the thoughtfulness she put into her teaching approach.

"That's a really thoughtful way to handle it," he said, genuinely impressed. "It must make a big difference for those kids."

"I believe it does," she replied with a warm smile. "Every child's experience is unique, and it's important to create an environment where they all feel included."

"You have a great way of looking at things," he remarked, unable to hide his admiration.

"Thank you, Mr. Hotchner. It's just something I've learned over the years."

Their easy conversation continued, moving from topic to topic. As they chatted, she suddenly smiled and said, "You know, Jack mentioned that you work for the FBI."

Aaron chuckled, slightly surprised by Jack's chatter. "He talks a lot, doesn't he?"

"He's quite enthusiastic about sharing," she replied with a grin. "So, you're in the FBI? That must be fascinating work."

He nodded, a hint of pride in his expression. "It has its moments. I'm in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We try to understand and predict criminal behavior based on psychological profiles. It can be challenging, but it's also incredibly rewarding."

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, and Aaron found himself enjoying her company more than he had expected.

They continued talking and laughing, Aaron realizing he hadn't laughed this much in a long time. Time seemed to fly by as they shared stories and exchanged jokes, thoroughly enjoying each other's company.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when the janitor poked his head into the room and said, "Miss, I need to lock the doors soon."

Startled, she hopped off the desk. "Of course, of course, sorry. We'll be out of here in a minute."

They exchanged a brief, regretful glance before both standing up, the lighthearted atmosphere not quite dissipating even as their conversation came to an end.

Before they walked towards the school's exit, she carefully packed the remaining cookies into a ziplock bag. Carrying her bag, they made their way out of the classroom and towards the school door.

"Sorry for taking up so much of your time, Mr. Hotchner. I didn't realize how late it had gotten," she said apologetically.

"Don't apologize. I had a really enjoyable evening," he assured her with a warm smile.

She suddenly extends her hand and he eagerly takes it into his own. The touch of her warm, soft hand sent a tingle up his arm and down his back, a subtle yet undeniable sign of the connection that had formed between them.

"Again, it was really nice meeting you, Mr. Hotchner, and thank you for your help," she said, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure was mine," he replied, his voice sincere.

As they stood there, she held out the ziplock bag of cookies. He almost protested, but she insisted, telling him to give them to Jack. She playfully noted, "I couldn't help but notice that you have a sweet tooth, just like Jack."

He chuckled, a light flush of embarrassment touching his cheeks. "You're observant," he admitted.

She laughed gently, her eyes dancing. "Well, it's a trait that comes in handy as a teacher."

He nodded, his smile lingering. "Thank you again. I'll make sure Jack gets these."

"Oh, and before you go," he continued, "Jack wanted me to pass along a message."

She raised an eyebrow, curious.

"He said he misses you," Aaron revealed.

Her chuckle was warm and genuine. "Well, I miss him too. Could you do me a favor and wish him a good night from me?"

"Absolutely," Aaron agreed.

With that, they exchanged a final nod and a parting smile, each carrying a small memory of a delightful evening spent together.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

As Aaron arrived home, he discovered Jess and Jack asleep on the couch, a movie playing in the background. He knelt down and gently caressed Jack's cheek.

"You're back. We must've fallen asleep," Jess said, her voice soft as she stirred.

"I'll carry him to bed," Aaron replied, his tone equally gentle. He effortlessly lifted Jack into his arms and carries him to his room.

As Aaron settled Jack into bed, the boy stirred slightly.

"Dad?" Jack's voice came out in a sleepy murmur.

"Yes, buddy?"

"Did you meet her?" Jack inquired, still half-asleep.

"I did. She seems like a great teacher. She told me to wish you a good night."

"She did?" Jack's voice held a small smile, his eyes closed.

"Yes, she did. But now go back to sleep, okay? Goodnight, Jack," Aaron said, planting a gentle kiss on his head.

"Night, Dad," came the soft response, the day coming to a peaceful end as father and son exchanged their goodnights.

After Jess left and Jack was back in bed, Aaron began to move around the house, switching off lights and ensuring windows and doors were securely closed. In the kitchen, his eyes fell upon the bag of cookies he had set on the counter earlier. Pouring himself a glass of milk, he retrieved a cookie and settled into contemplation.

As he nibbled on the cookie, his thoughts lingered on the evening spent with her. The warmth of their conversation, the genuine laughter they shared, and the way he felt around her — all these thoughts danced through his mind. Despite his attempts to remain composed, he couldn't completely ignore the fluttering sensation in his stomach, evidence of the impact she had on him.

[scaralvr]

like father, like son scaramouche x gn!spouse!reader and baby kuzushi (fluff, modern au, mentions of scaramouche sibling au)

"ah. what's this?"

scaramouche queried, using his index finger to open kuzushi's mouth. kuzushi babbled and instantly trapped his father's fingertip. scaramouche gawked and pulled his finger away. you approached the two, "what's what?"

scaramouche deadpanned, wiping the saliva on his shirt, "some sort of nub in his upper gums." your eyes lit up, "really? he's probably teething at this point." you smiled at the baby who looked up at you.

"say, 'ahh', for me, kuzu." you cooed and kuzushi complied, "aaah-" with his mouth wide open, you gently prodded at the bump. scaramouche watched closely. you took your finger away before kuzushi could bite down on it.

"his teeth are growing in alright. oh, i should've bought teething toys ahead of time..." a lightbulb instantly went off in your head. you innocently smiled, looking over to your husband, who raised a brow.

"kuni, you have a high pain tolerance, right?" you queried. scaramouche scanned you up and down, "...why are you asking?" kuzushi took his father's fingers into his mouth once more.

you nodded with a hopeful grin.

scaramouche sighed.

so for the next few days, scaramouche's fingers were a substitute for kuzushi's teething toy. what he thought would be okay, was simply put, hell. "fuck-!" scaramouche winced, holding his hand in pain. kuzushi looked at him with big eyes.

"fu-"

"don't say that."

scaramouche hissed, examining his fingers that were red and sore with kuzushi's nibble marks. "it feels like damn knives, holy shit," he muttered, rushing to the kitchen to run his hand under cold water.

kuzushi began to fuss, having nothing to dig his "tooth" into. when suddenly...

"kuzushi, don't eat that!" scaramouche panicked, pulling the baby away from the play-pen's plastic fence. his pupils dilated with horror. "you practically chewed it up! that could've been my fingers!" he yelped, looking at the guiltless baby in his arms.

scaramouche settled kuzushi back into the play-pen and like a savage, he crawled all over the area before finding something to feast upon. an innocent teddy bear... torn to shreds by kuzushi's dangerous bump in the gums.

scaramouche's breath was trapped in his throat as kuzushi giggled and tumbled about the colorful puzzle mats.

that night, scaramouche did research. a lot of it. not the type of research like, "what to do if your child is eating everything like a wild beast," thankfully, but, "alternatives for teething toys."

scaramouche was not going to lose his fingers to his own... one-year-old. you looked up from the book you were reading in the bed next to scaramouche, who was still on his laptop.

"maybe i could invite childe over to be kuzushi's teething toy... but i don't know where that fucker's hands have been. damn germs." he murmured, adjusting his reading glasses. you gently nudged him with your shoulder, "is it that bad?"

scaramouche put his computer aside and collapsed his head onto your lap, "you have no idea, love." he closed his eyes as you ran a hand through his hair. he re-opened his eyes to glance at kuzushi, sleeping soundfully in the crib.

scaramouche sat up, taking off his glasses to place them on the drawer, "that simple nub in his gums could be the answer to another archon war." he joked and you laughed. scaramouche placed a kiss on your lips and you promptly kissed back.

"goodnight, sweetheart. i'm sure you'll think of something." you said, resting your head on his chest as he laid down. scaramouche stared at the ceiling, "yeah..."

the next morning, he was more than determined to solve this issue. kuzushi creepily glared at his father from the pile of shredded toys, or so scaramouche would describe it. with nothing to chew on, kuzushi scooched closer to him in anticipation.

scaramouche extended his arm with a closed hand. and opening it, he instantly shoved a marshmallow into kuzushi's mouth. the marshmallow, much too big to swallow, kuzushi began chewing on it. the baby clapped his hands with satisfaction.

scaramouche beamed, "success! i knew that one stupid godfather of mine would come to use one day."

scaramouche and mona have taken a strange liking to marshmallows since they were kids when venti fed it to them even though he wasn't supposed to. for what reason, i wonder.

© scaralvr.

[bettyfrommars]

Wolf Moon

hybrid!steve x fem!reader

Here's the thing: I had a request for vampire Eddie to be with reader while on her period. I wrote the vampire!eddie version (yet to be posted) but I also got inspired to bring back hybrid!steve from the fic Don't Say You Need Me, and then this smut happened. There is backstory to why Steve is the way he is, (half vampire, half werewolf), but this can very easily be enjoyed as a standalone. wc: 1.7k

18+ONLY, smut, monster fucking, oral while reader is on her period, period sex, drinking blood, unprotected sex, good boy, size kink, creampie, a bit of consensual somnophilia. As a vampire, Steve is a chatty Cathy, but in beast mode, he does not speak.

Title inspired by the Type O Negative song Wolf Moon about a man who turns into a werewolf during the full moon and has sex with a woman while on her period.

On the 28th day, you knew he would return, aroused by the scent from your monthly cycle. You were naked and open, ready as an offering to him.

Steve  had been coming to you in his hybrid form for months now, and you’d made it clear that he could start without you, even if you were asleep when he arrived.  You were drowsy when you heard heavy footfalls drop down from the open window in the living room, and so it didn’t register at first, but then you could feel the shadow of the beastly presence next to your bed, watching you, working his cock in his fist.

The red moon through the open window let you get a glimpse of his thick head of honey brown hair, matching the color of the rest of the fur on his naked body as he rose from his crouched position, massive, clawed hands flexing at his sides.

For a second, you thought you were dreaming, but you felt your legs being spread, and then you were getting pulled to the edge of the bed by your ankles.  He always tried to be soft for you though,  even at the height of his hunger.  He sniffed the air, let out a low snarl, and then his face was between your legs, smelling and flicking out licks to gather the blood leaking from your slit. The satisfaction made him shiver; the hair that grew from his face dragging soft on your inner thighs.

“Good boy,” you breathed, finding the awakening strength to reach down and run your fingers through his hair.  You settled your palm there, listening to the way he lapped you up, and each long pull of his tongue built on your arousal.

On appearance alone, when Steve was in his hybrid form, he looked like a wolfman of lore—a bipedal werewolf.  But, your sweet boy was still a vampire with vampire needs, and he had to feed on a regular basis.  There were blood substitutes on the market that gave him some nourishment, but you knew how much he craved your blood, in particular, and you wanted to give it to him.

The tip of his abnormally long, pointed tongue lapped through your folds.  When he’d first fed on you this way, it was for nourishment alone; one cold night after he’d been feral and without shelter for days.  You’d taken him in your arms that night, ready to let him bite into your flesh, but instead, he’d followed the smell of your menstruation and sank down between your legs.  You'd held his head there and shuddered as you came, letting him ingest every drop.  

Currently, in your bedroom, his tongue found your hole, pulsing deep inside, feeding on your crimson gift.  He lifted his head to find your gaze, and in the shadows of the dimly lit room, you could see the dark wetness glistening on his mouth and staining his facial hair.  Staring at you with piercing yellow irises, the point of his heavy tongue dropped to  your cunt, making a few circles there, wanting to see your reaction.

You sucked your bottom lip into your teeth and bucked your hips up.  “Are you full, baby?” You whimpered.  “I need to cum in your mouth.”

He lifted  your hips up with his superhuman strength and started to drag his tongue a few times from the tight little hole at the back, between your cheeks, all the way back to your clit, swallowing hard with each pass; drinking your uterine blood.  You’d found out that period blood was a delicacy to vampires and none of yours ever went to waste now that you had Steve.

His greedy sucking started at your bundle of nerves again, and then the white hot heat spread though you as you came undone, bucking against his face, thrashing your head on the pillow.  “Fuck, Stevie, I’m cumming.”  His tongue entered you again and your hole spasmed around it, needing more.

When he rose up, you caught the product of his feast dripping from his fur and fangs like he’d just enjoyed the fruits of a kill.  You stared up at him, reached down to pump two fingers inside of yourself, and then you lifted up, offering them to him.  Your soaked fingers disappeared inside his mouth to the base, catching the edge of one of his fangs as he nursed on them.  His low growling became a soft, aching whimper through his nose as he swallowed.

You could feel his thick, hard, monster cock rubbing on you now, picking up your slick before the tip found your hole and your mouth went slack at the stretch.  “Yes please baby please,” you writhed, rocking at the edge of the bed, begging him to fill you.  He hesitated with a grunt, and you could tell when the human part of him was trying to control his demons, not wanting to hurt you.  You met his eyes, “fuck me, Stevie, split me open.”

With a bit of a roar, he pushed more of it in, making your hole clench as it stretched out.  He put one hairy, muscular knee on the bed, held both of your legs up by the thighs, and began to thrust, mercilessly pounding it in, but you urged him on.  Pretty soon, you were slapping against his body fur, breasts bouncing as he impaled you deep with his length.  “You stretch me out so good, baby, holy fuck, you’re gonna make me cum again.”  It wouldn’t be the first time another orgasm followed close to the first with Steve; no human cock had ever found that special spot deep inside of you before.

Your fingers found your clit, swiping fast, arching back with pleasure at the wet sounds your sex was making and the pierce of his claws in your flesh.  

You wanted to wait for him, but before you knew it, you were exploding around cock, whining as your fingers worked through the high.  Steve was close behind, hips stuttering, locking you against him with strong, calloused hands while he filled you up with his seed, grunting as he emptied himself.  

Regular vampire Steve would stretch out on the bed and snuggle you at that point.  He’d clean you up and make out with you until you were both ready to go again, or take a nap, but then he’d have to be back at his place before dawn.  

In hybrid form, Steve was a feral beast, driven solely by carnal desires.  Once his cock slipped from you, allowing your hole to drip cum and menstrual blood, you knew that he would leave.  He’d fed and he’d claimed you, and then it was time for him to belong to the night again.  

He always found his way back to you because he loved you, but those were words yet unspoken. 

Some things are just understood.  

[twisted-tales-of-all]

When is the Right Time?

Summary: When you coincidentally run into your first love at work one day, all of the feelings return just as suddenly. As all of the memories rush through your mind, you face the fact that time still refuses to be on your side. Will you fight against it and make now the right time, or will you enjoy the reunion and let fate play its games? Pairing: Song Mingi x afab!non-binary!Reader Genre: Angst, Smut, 18+ MDNI, one-shot, event Tropes: Mutual pining, childhood friends, right person wrong time, chance reunion, fated lovers(?), first love, new FWBs, non-idol!AU (poor MIngi even has two jobs) Word Count: 5.1K Contains: reader uses he/they pronouns and masc terms of endearment, female anatomy mentioned, deep emotions and the discussion of them, pet names (baby, daddy, good boy, pretty boy, pet), switch!Mingi and switch!reader, active role switch during play, teasing, praise, light hair-pulling, mention of sexting, multiple orgasms (afab receiving), overstimulation (afab r.), oral (afab r.), use of sex toys, dildo sucking, protected PIV sex [use protection kids! and remember to clean your toys before and after play!] A/N: This is WILDLY self-indulgent as it’s based on irl events, so it's also insanely specific oops. It also cycled through 4 different idols before settling on Mingi so take that as you will. This is also an entry for CoDN's Long Winters Night event! Be sure to check out all the other entries as well!

"Halfway through!"

"Only a couple more hours 'til vacation!"

All of your coworkers count down the time left today, eagerly awaiting the upcoming two-week break. As the bell rings to send the 5th and 6th graders back to class after recess, you look for the teachers, ready to hand the responsibility back to them. Usually, the 6th-grade teachers take their sweet time coming to collect their students, but you don't blame them.

"Oh, they have a sub. He's already out there. Perfect."

From Kelly's comment, your eyes glaze over the sea of pre-teens to see a tall man with a thin frame turn to lead the disruptive kids back to the classroom. You only catch a glimpse of his back before his figure fades behind the wall, but you immediately recognize him. Your hands begin shaking at the thought of seeing him after years of silence.

There's no way. It can't be him.

Quickly, you follow the class inside, asking the kids still outside for their substitute teacher's name. Even though he only gave them the first initial of his last name, it verified for you that it truly is him. You walk in and make a quick comment to one of the students before reaching the front of the desk and waiting for your friend to lift his head. As his eyes meet yours, you send him a soft smile and a whispered hello as you watch the emotions flood his gaze - shock, excitement, restricting his emotional display, and ending on a soft joy. With his sudden burst of energy, he quickly stands up to hug you. Although it's a quick side hug, you can feel his urge to properly hold you in his arms as he restricts himself to remain professional in front of the kids.

"Hey, you! It's been a while! How are you doing?"

Since he has to start class, the entire exchange only lasts a minute or so, but you head to lunch with a cheeky smile and a burst of adrenaline. With your thoughts scrambled, you sit in the break room and bounce your leg to purge some of your energy. Every fleeting thought in your mind involves him, from meeting him in this very school decades ago to growing up together to drifting apart but reuniting here once again. You remember all of the neatly stored memories of your shared childhood, all of the people who supported the two of you being together; you even remember that last walk home, where you both discussed the feelings you had for one another over the years.

But all of that ended when high school wrapped up. As with many others, your friendship faded into the past due to a lack of convenience. Suddenly, the boy you grew up with and were inseparable from for a decade became a complete stranger. You'd be lying if you claimed that it didn't hurt, but you moved on because that felt like the only option.

Seeing him again after years of silence feels so bittersweet, especially considering that timing would still not afford you the opportunity to work on being together in any way. Of course fate would throw him back into your life only a month and a half before you move nearly 2000 miles away.

Working through the second half of your shift, you learn that his class is throwing a holiday party today. Since you find yourself on friendly terms with a majority of students in the class, you jokingly suggest joining them as your shift ends, only for the joke to become a reality when your friend offers you the opportunity. You follow them inside and spend the remaining hour and a half with them, even helping to deal with a particularly rowdy student.

As the bell chimes to dismiss them, you get some alone time with your friend. Immediately, he holds his arms open, asking for a proper hug now that the kids won't ask a million questions about your relationship. As he holds you against his chest, he apologizes for not treating you well enough in the past. The sudden and unexpected apology catches you off-guard, but you manage to stifle the tears threatening to pull at your throat. Somewhere hidden deep inside of you, this embrace and apology combo struck a chord. As you pull out of the hug, you look up at him and find sincerity behind his eyes, as if he believes that his actions ruined the friendship years prior.

"If I needed an apology from you for anything - if I still had any ill will or hadn't moved past our rocky past, I wouldn't have come to say hi in the first place. I would've let sleeping dogs lie. You don't need to apologize for something nobody had fault in."

"You were such a big part of my life. I felt like an apology was necessary for our past."

Truthfully, you were both pretty mean to one another over the years. Whether built from the hormones swirling at that younger age or due to complicated feelings for one another, you bullied each other as much as you lifted each other up. But you haven't blamed him, not for a second since maturing.

"Life happens. I hold no ill will towards you for any reason."

"I'm glad. I'm so happy to see you again."

The knot of bittersweetness tightens in your chest as his earnest smile and excited tone tear through you. You still haven't mentioned leaving, and he's making it quite hard to even want to. A different version of you would risk it all and stay here if that meant building a relationship with the man you've loved your whole life. But that would mean sacrificing your own plans, and you know better to put yourself first now, even if he's the love of your life.

You walk out of the school together, and he leads you to his car without hesitation, offering you a ride home after learning that you walk to and from work. Although the drive is short, it's in the opposite direction of his current home, so you hadn't expected the offer. However, the bigger surprise comes when he opens the passenger door for you. Your past partners didn't even do that, so for someone like him to do so sends a rush of butterflies to your stomach, despite your mantra to not fall for him again repeating in your head.

Is he just that kind now, or do we both still have those feelings?

You quickly blink away your thoughts as he opens the driver's door. After all, you've been out of each other's lives for years, so - realistically - neither of you should harbor those feelings. You refuse to let yourself spiral after only seeing him once. Even on the off chance that those feelings remain after all this time, you cannot pursue them if you're moving away. That'd be unfair to him.

Luckily, conversation flows between you as easily as it used to, so you ease your nerves and calm those thoughts. Although the short ride passes quickly as you reveal your upcoming plans to move and learn about his recent life changes, you end with another hug and good thoughts. He expresses concisely how glad he feels to have you back in his life, and you mirror his joy. After verifying that you have the correct contact information, he only lets you leave the car after agreeing to meet up again soon.

Shortly after settling down at home, you check your phone to find a message from him. You roll your eyes at the five-years-late response to the birthday message you last sent him but reiterate in your reply that you're happy to have him back in your life, even if he's still a dork. Messaging quickly begins to involve some of the available games on the app. It acts as a buffer to ensure that communication continues even when there's nothing to talk about.

Thanks to a particularly worded message in regards to the game banter - and likely also to residual feelings from the past - the conversation takes a sudden shift into sexual topics. The current game quickly falls into the land of the forgotten thanks to the shift, as you both become way more invested in the possibility of finally hooking up. As you learn more about each other's likes and dislikes and fantasies, you both manage to loop some references to the past into your flirts. He's still much more clever with his words than you, but you quite enjoy it. With starting vacation for the school job, you both have more time to attempt anything together, so it works out really well. So well, in fact, that he offers to pick you up for lunch and fun the next day.

After working each other up the night prior, you're both very eager as you get into his car just before noon. Unsure of how quickly he wants to do anything, you hold back and let him make the first move, but you don't have to wait long. Almost immediately after driving out of your driveway, his hand is on your thigh, his fingers gripping you as if he'd be able to rip your pants off then and there. You already know that you'll have bruises by the time you return home, even if he isn't trying to leave any quite yet.

Arriving at the restaurant, you both compliment each other's outfits now that you can see them in full view. He takes your hand and places it in the crook of his arm, and you feel your face flush. As often as you imagined going on dates with him, you never thought you'd even hold hands romantically in actuality, but he jumped straight into walking arm in arm.

Maybe chivalry isn't dead.

As the thought floats in your mind, he opens the door for you before taking hold of your hand again, giving you butterflies. It feels like he wants to show you off as his, and your active imagination is screaming out in joy. As the hostess leads you to a table, Mingi lets you scoot into the booth before sitting next to you. The arrangement feels awkward at first, as you're used to sitting across from whoever you eat with, but, when his hand makes it back onto your leg, you feel the tension lift immediately. Something about him calms you; he really feels like a safe space.

Due to the plans after lunch, neither of you care to eat much, so you split an appetizer and grab a couple of drinks while sharing stories and witty banter. Lunch passes fairly quickly, and you leave hand in hand after he pays. Once again, the child inside you is thrashing around from joy, but you try your best to hide it. That is, until you're back in the car sharing mints with your head momentarily on his shoulder and he tilts your chin up to make eye contact. Even without words, the intent is clear, but he keeps up the gentlemanly attitude by asking for permission.

In a near whisper, words you yearned so long to hear leave his lips, "Can I kiss you?"

You nod slightly as the butterflies keep any words you planned on using stuck in your throat. As his lips touch yours, you immediately give in to the urge to kiss back. Although he doesn't do much during the kiss, you cannot tell whether he's nervous, holding back, just a bad kisser, or something else entirely. There were no sparks like the fantasies, no eager nipping at one another for more, but you still enjoy it. Once again, he just feels safe. As if kissing him was just natural - something you were made to do, or maybe a semblance of a past life memory peeking through the cracks.

As you pull apart, he makes another witty comment, "So, how was it? As good as you imagined for all those years?"

Due to his cockiness and the safe feeling that you can tell him the truth even if painful, you admit without hesitation, "No, not really."

"Oh? Well then, offer up some advice. What could I do better?"

The cockiness melted away to reveal genuine advice seeking, so you think on it for a moment before finding the words, "I... don't really know how exactly to explain it, but you didn't really do anything. I don't wanna say you kiss like a dead fish, but it's the closest thing I can think of right now. You just... You don't move."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to practice."

The whiplash between genuine and flirty comments leaves you at a loss for words. As you send him a judgmental stare, he flashes a cheeky smile back, coupled with a hearty chuckle that warms your heart. You roll your eyes as he starts up the car and places his hand on your thigh as if it's become a new home. As he drives you to his house, he points out a few places he frequents - a bar that hosts weekly trivia nights, one of the schools he enjoys subbing at, and a sandwich shop that he quickly became a regular at. You take most of it in quietly, only to joke that he's a nerd for going to trivia nights. He invites you to join his group some time, and, although you admit that you feel old enough already thanks to some of your habits and hobbies, you accept the invitation and tell him to let you know if he goes before you move.

When the statement leaves your lips, you begin to wonder whether you've brought up the move too much, but he doesn't react either way. You make a mental note to bring it up less but acknowledge that you need to remind yourself sometimes, too, so that you can lessen the pain of leaving your friends (and first love) by mentally preparing well in advance.

He pulls up to a small house, parking along the street, before announcing, "Welcome to paradise!"

Earning a laugh, he accomplishes his goal and gets out of the car. You follow suit and stay only one step behind him as he leads you into his house and to his room. The room is small and only lightly decorated, but you find it strangely homely. As you take a moment to look around, he wastes no time and undresses while you're distracted. As you turn back to him, the only remaining clothing on his body is his underwear. Feeling suddenly overdressed, you quickly strip off your jacket and shirt while teasing him.

"A bit eager, now, aren't we?"

"After last night's conversation, how can I not be?"

"Good point, pretty boy."

Hearing the pet name, he responds with a low growl rather than another comment. As you continue undressing, dropping your pants to the floor, he eyes you in a way you've never seen before. Normally, men look at you like prey to devour, but his gaze is softer. The long-time urge to finally learn your body after all these years shows clearly in his eyes, but he also looks like he wants to savor the experience and make it worth the long wait. His look isn't how a predator looks at prey, but rather how a fasting man looks at his long-awaited first meal to break the fast. Somehow, you feel treasured and nervous and excited all at once, unsure how he plans to approach the situation.

Slowly, he steps towards you. He places his hands on your waist and kisses you again, pulling your body to his. As he pulls out of the kiss, his hands glide up, reaching for the bra you specifically chose for the event.

"Let's get this uncomfortable thing off you." He softly announces his plans as his fingers struggle with the hook slightly.

He removes the hook and lets the bra fall to the floor. Now, with both of you in your underwear, you take a moment to explore each other's bodies. As his hands knead your chest and glide around your torso, you leave soft kisses on his chest, trying to commit his body to memory. You could spend hours like this, but he starts slowly moving you towards the bed.

"Lie down, baby. I want to show you a good time."

You follow the instructions without issue. He pulls off your underwear only to smirk as he realizes you're already wet.

"We haven't even started, but you're wet for me already? What a good boy."

"Yessir." You mumble out your response, happily taken by surprise by the pet name. 

As he rubs two fingers between your folds, you watch the pleasure on his face. From the looks of it, he's holding himself back, but he's loving the experience already.

"Daddy, please. I want more." You beg, hoping to grab the part of him he's holding back.

"Shh. Baby boy, I want to learn you. It takes time. Be a good pet and wait for me to give you more."

Rather than accepting, you groan and pout in response. His eyebrow raises, and you feel a pressure directly on your clit, causing your breath to hitch. You cry out your acceptance of the situation, saying you'll wait for him. Once you comply, he returns to his exploration of your lower body. He kneads your thighs, kisses your stomach, and keeps track of all of your reactions.

"Y/N, can I eat you out? I really want to."

Although you normally become self-conscious and sometimes even dysphoric if someone gives you oral, you give him the green light. Immediately, he buries his face in between your legs. As his tongue works a magic you aren't used to, your moans catch in your throat and your body instinctively rocks against him, wanting more. His fingers dig into the flesh of your thighs as he continues. You get closer and closer to the edge, and your body shows it - your legs shaking, muscles tightening, moans getting louder. He catches the hints and moans against you, proud to make you feel so good with just his mouth.

As you feel the knot dangerously close to snapping, you bring one hand to his head, gripping at his hair, "Just like that. Keep going. Please, please, oh fuck-"

You reach your first orgasm through oral, your thighs trying to smother him between them. When your body relaxes, he lifts his head proudly before claiming that he's not done. He reaches over to his nightstand and pulls out a pink vibrating dildo.

"Can I? I promise I won't go too hard."

Between the fog in your mind and his pretty face as he begs, you nod but add a condition to it, "Only if you'll also use it to show me how good you are at sucking dick, baby."

"Yes, daddy."

Suddenly, the roles have switched, but hearing him call you daddy unlocks something in you that you didn't know existed. In the past, you hated the term - something your friends jokingly called you as the parental friend of the group - but hearing it from him? In that tone? Accepting your conditions so simply? Something made it turn you on even more.

He places the toy in between your legs, going a step further in your request by making it your dick. Making sure your eyes are on him, he begins sucking on the silicone. The sight is so enjoyable that you almost don't want him to use the toy on you. Watching him suck your cock so needily and desperately both turns you on and validates you.

"What a good boy~ mm you look so pretty with your lips around a dick, baby. Like you were born for it."

"Yes, daddy. Thank you, Daddy."

There it is again. Man, it feels good. He has such an effect on you, to be able to take a word you passionately disliked and make it feel empowering to you. While you revel in the fact that he has such power over you even as a sub, he stops the act and slowly pushes the toy inside of you. You whine as it stretches you a bit, but he watches your face the whole time to ensure that you aren't in too much pain. When it's fully inside, he asks if it's okay to turn on the vibrations. You nod and he immediately presses the button to turn on the toy. Your body tightens at the power of the toy, but he keeps it going while rubbing his thumb over your swollen clit.

The intense combination of sensations hits you hard. Within minutes, your sensitive body reaches its peak again. Another orgasm rolls through you, stronger than the first thanks to the vibrations urging you along.

"There you go, Y/N. Let it all out."

His sultry tone in your ears adds to the mind fog as the toy's rumble brings your mind to a numbing emptiness. Hesitant to call this bliss, your body continues to shake and flex due to the overstimulation of the still-moving toy. He makes sure to bring you to a third orgasm before shutting off and removing the toy.

"Please fuck me, Mingi. Please~!" You beg as soon as you feel the emptiness left behind from the toy.

"I will, baby. I will."

He reaches back over to the nightstand, switching the toy out for the familiar crinkle wrapper of a condom. He quickly unwraps it, tossing the wrapper aside, and rolls it over himself, jerking himself off a bit before lining himself up with your opening. Despite going in slow, the stretch still stings as he bottoms out. You're still begging him to fuck you, begging him to take your body finally.

"I'm going to move, baby."

This time, he can't ask for permission but still tells you his intentions. His eagerness reaches its peak as he feels your walls holding him snugly. His strokes are hard but slow at first, in case you need to adjust. However, he quickly loses his cool, his pace becoming less consistent as the feeling of pleasure sweeps over you both.

"Just like that. Please, Mingi, don't stop. Don't stop."

As your final orgasm of the day hits, he groans out at the tightening. He continues for only another minute or so before he finds his high as well, with one final thrust reaching deep inside you. After a quick breath of recovery, he carefully pulls out of you, taking extra care to ensure that everything stays inside of the condom. He properly disposes of it before lying beside you, bringing his blanket over the two of you.

You cuddle and talk about everything that comes to mind, even a couple of deeper topics. However, time passes quickly, and he has work soon, so you can't stay in the position forever. He quickly rinses off in the shower, and you begin pulling your clothes back on.

When he returns to the room, he admits, "I want so badly to call off right now. If I didn't need the money, I would've loved to stay here longer with you."

Despite sharing the same sentiment, you encourage him to go to work. He sighs before kissing your forehead and agreeing that he has to even if he would rather not.

"We can always play again another day." You remind him.

"You're so right, actually. Maybe tomorrow."

You lightly hit his shoulder for the joke, but can't fully tell if he's joking. He drives you home before zooming off to work. You thank him for the good time before he leaves, adding that you'd be more than willing for another round whenever he'd like.

Only a couple of days go by before he asks whether you'd be free to hang out one night. You find the date oddly convenient, knowing that it's the longest night of the year, but you chalk it up to coincidence and tell him that you're free the whole day. Excitedly, he asks you to come stargazing with him, and you quickly accept.

You anxiously wait for the sunlit hours to pass, excited about both seeing the stars without the city's light pollution and spending more time alone with Mingi. Since you won't be doing too much, you dress simply in a T-shirt and some dark leggings. You wonder whether he'll also dress for comfort this time around, as you've only seen him in button-down shirts these days.

"Maybe he just likes wearing button-downs?" You deduce aloud, continuing, "He used to only wear graphic tees; maybe this is his new item to stick to."

As you smile at the memory of all the sarcastic T-shirts of his past, your phone pings. His message flashes on the screen, letting you know that he's leaving now, which means he'll be here to pick you up in about 15 minutes. You double-check that you have everything you might need - water, lip balm, keys, wallet, phone, mints. You know that the obsessive checking results from the slight anxiety you get whenever you wait for him, but you can't help it. After checking three times 'just in case,' you give it up. Standing up, you begin pacing the room and checking the clock in a habitual pattern that isn't any better. You know that there's nothing to worry about, and the anxiety fades as soon as you're with him, but this happens every time without fail.

You hear tires outside and get another message from Mingi saying that he's arrived, so you grab your bag and head out to his car. Just as usual, his presence calms you immediately. You greet him with a kiss on his cheek and a quick compliment about his ever-so-handsome face, and he laughs from a failure to accept it.

"Hello to you, too, pretty boy."

"No, no. You're the pretty boy. I'm just lucky to hang out with you."

He shakes his head at your insistence but doesn't continue the compliment volley. Rather, he begins the drive towards the mountains, asking if you're excited while pointing out how clear the sky is today.

The drive of about an hour passes calmly as you make light conversation over random topics. When you get a good way into the mountains, he pulls off the road and parks the car along the dirt and gravel side bank. With the moon brightly shining down and the stars twinkling clearly, you both take a silent moment to appreciate the scenery. After a while, you can feel his eyes on you, but you refuse to turn and make eye contact. Instead, you let the bittersweet feeling seep in a bit longer.

Breaking the silence before facing him, you muse, "I'll miss this. Hopefully, the mountains will give me views this beautiful when I move."

As you turn, you catch the boy beside you try to hide his smile. Regardless, he holds the eye contact and remains silent, so you continue to fill the emptiness with words from deep within your heart.

"No matter where I go, there's never going to be another you. I think that's what I'll miss most - you. I know I missed you these past years. I'm always going to hold you within my heart dearly. Despite timing acting against us, there will always be a part of me that hopes that we'll eventually end up together, that you aren't just the one that got away."

You catch the subtle change in his body language at the last comment thanks to the continued eye contact. The tension in his muscles pains you; you don't know how to accurately read his reaction. Is he shocked? Does he feel uncomfortable? Should you not have said it? Or, maybe, is he thinking similar thoughts? Is he conflicted over the fact that you're moving?

"Sorry. I think I rambled too much."

"No. Don't be sorry. I'm happy to hear your thoughts. It's just..." He trails off as he searches for the most appropriate word or phrase to articulate his thoughts properly, but he gives up with a shake of the head, continuing simply, "Complicated, I guess. I care for you so deeply, but there's always that fear mixed into the love of it all. I think subconsciously I always knew that you'd date me if I ever asked, but it's hard to think about how the two relationships I've had turned so sour that we aren't even friends anymore. I'm terrified of losing a life-long friend because we tried to become more than that."

The strength to keep up the eye contact dwindles as his words reach your ears. Suddenly, you feel tears streaming down your cheeks, but you refuse to wipe them away. Refuse to draw attention to them. The sentiment isn't shocking to hear - hell, you often share the same fear. But hearing it from him aloud feels so different to thinking it yourself. Adding to the fact that the only current option would be to deal with long distance on top of the layers of maneuvering a new relationship and its dynamics, it finally hits you that these hangouts and dates will turn into nothing but a fun fling.

Although you try your hardest to hide your silent tears, the moon betrays you by reflecting her light in the liquid.

"Hey, hey. Y/N, are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I just- fuck, I'm sorry."

Now that the secret is out, you wipe away the tears and throw a smile in his direction. You don't trust your voice not to crack and bring upon more tears from the current well in your throat, but you place your hand reassuringly atop his. You hope that your message comes across clearly, but he quickly uses that hand to tug you over the center console into a hug. As your ear rests against his chest, you hear his rushed pounding heartbeat mixed with the occasional chokeback of his own tears. Quietly, you stay together like this as his heart calms and the moon slowly progresses through the dark sky on this seemingly everlasting night.

Taking in what might be the last opportunity to be together like this.

[fr0gg3rrr]

BOLD AND BRAVE

john seed x fem!deputy

smut warning. no explicit consent given. choking. hair pulling. biting. fingering. some oral (f receiving). p in v.

4.8k words.

Soft sounds echoed off the wooden walls of the secluded cabin, walls that had heard far too much, that would sooner be chopped to pieces and shoved through a chipper than be allowed to spill the secrets it held. John Seed was a holy man, and cleanliness was close to godliness, so he made sure never to leave things unkempt. Nothing ever had a trace of him, even his glasses back at the ranch were cleaned of fingerprints every night. Call it germophobia, call it paranoia, whatever plagued his thoughts when he was alone in the comfort of his pressed silk sheets didn’t seem to leave him now either.

Though more pressing matters seemed to be on at the forefront as he pressed her head down against the pillow, the small grunts that usually escaped his lips at this point didn’t bother trying, he was too busy in his mind. He shouldn’t be doing this, he knew that fornication wasn’t allowed, and as a Herald, he had to make an example for others, though that had never stopped him before. Now only contempt nipped at the back of his neck where unrequited love bites had been left. Sure, he could be upset at how Joseph wouldn’t be happy if he found out his little brother went against the cult rules, but that didn’t seem to be it either.

He stopped himself suddenly, not even bothering to let himself finish. It was a shocking act for even him. John Seed, silver tongue of the cult who always took what he wanted not even caring for his satisfaction? Well, it certainly seemed to shock the woman under him, who turned to look at him through her eyelashes.

“Why’d you stop?” Her voice called up to him, a whine in her tone that made his stomach churn. He looked at her with disgust in his sharp blue eyes, a look she had not been accustomed to from him. “What’s your problem?”

She sat up now, pulling a loose sheet over her exposed body as she tilted her head at him. She was a beauty, really, she was, but that didn’t seem to be enough for him tonight. Sure, John felt a little bad for how he constantly treated her, but her own beauty didn’t do it for him anymore. He needed something he felt he couldn’t outrightly take, he would seem far too pathetic if he chased after what he really wanted, so he settled for a shotty substitute.

“Did you cut your hair?”

She gave him a quizzical look, raising an eyebrow. Maybe it was a compliment? He noticed something other than the quickest way to rip her shirt off this time. “I did, do you like it?”

“How many times have I told you not to change the way you look, Holly?”

His words were sharp as he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his jeans with a glare in her direction, it seemed neither of them would be able to finish tonight. She scrunched her nose up at his words. It wasn’t rare for him to be an asshole to her, in fact, it was becoming a much more common occurrence with the recent resistance pushback against the cult, but she still didn’t appreciate his tone.

“I don’t know why you’ve been so adamant about it lately. I wanted to try something new, what do you care?”

She scoffed as she stood up, letting the sheet fall off her body as she grabbed her shirt and underwear, pulling them on. John reached out and roughly grabbed her wrist, making her turn to look at him. He had never put a hand on her without them both being in the middle of John getting his rocks off in her bed or against her wall or vanity, and his sudden touch startled her.

Good, that’s what he wanted to see. The Pepper girl seemed to forget her place constantly, John was a Herald, she was just someone attractive he could see from time to time to release pent-up frustrations.

“You don't look like her anymore. Your hair frames your face differently now.”

Holly scoffed at him, pulling her wrist away from his reach. She never really cared about being more than a fling to him, she liked the distraction it gave her from the newfound loneliness she felt in this cottage and maybe sometimes she did wish he wouldn’t see someone else when he slept with her, that he wouldn’t moan someone else’s name when he fucked her, but she ultimately knew it would go nowhere with him. John Seed was a man obsessed with someone she couldn’t be.

“Who, the Deputy? Well, news flash, I’m not her.”

“I know you’re not, but it's not a crime for me to pretend, and you changing up your hair doesn’t fucking help the vision.”

“The vision.” She scoffed, crossing her arms at him. Her tone was one of mocking, like he was stupid for even dreaming she could fill the role of the one person he couldn’t have. No, because if it wasn’t her hair today then it would be her legs tomorrow, that they weren’t as toned as the Deputy’s, or that her eyes weren’t the right shade. It was constantly ‘Deputy this, Deputy that.’ But Holly Pepper wasn’t enough. “I think you should leave.”

“I’m gone.”

She didn’t have to convince him to rebutton his silk blue shirt or throw on his belt with the large ‘EG’ buckle on it. She didn’t need to persuade him to tie his boots and walk out her front door, into the cool Montana night, he simply left. Trekking down the dirt trail and getting into his car, he slammed the door shut and took off through the wooded back paths. He absolutely despised driving on anything other than the clearly marked main roads, especially when it was dark. He made special exceptions for the nights he went to visit Holly, but being that he didn’t finish, his anger was only elevated.

A truck passed, headlights shining into his windshield and honking as he swerved out of the way to avoid being hit, grumbling curses under his breath that he certainly would have to atone for later, but he would happily do it when he was back in the comfort of his warm, lavish ranch. The truck was the only other car on the road, and through his headlights, he could tell he was going the wrong way. Another curse, this time to himself, no way was he allowing himself to get lost in the middle of fucking nowhere redneck woods. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he pulled over to the nearest building he could find, a clinic. Silently, he hoped someone in there didn’t particularly hate him and would give him directions.

He pulled over with a huff, looking around his car for a map, and without seeing one, opened the door and got out, slamming it behind him. The evening air was cool, and unlike when he had left the Pepper residence, he was able to now take a breath and calm himself down. Though he doubted too many people were around at this time of night, he still wasn’t a fan of making a spectacle of himself when just trying to get directions. Gravel crunched underneath his boots as he made his way to the door, hand stopping just short of the handle as he heard a voice.

“I wouldn’t bother trying to get service right now.”

He didn’t need to turn to know who was speaking to him, he could feel the air still around him at the sound of her voice, the one person he hadn’t expected to see, not after he had falsely assumed he put the fear of god into her, not after he carved the sin out of her chest and forced her to display it for everyone who came across her. Her own personal scarlet letter, though this one being born of the crimson her blood was.

“Hello, Wrath. What are you doing here at this hour?”

He kept his tone friendly and light as he stepped over to the wall beside her, tilting his head down at her. She leaned against the brick, a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips as she watched him. He put on a facade, his silver tongue making a comeback as he spoke to her, though he knew well that she wouldn’t fall for his words. The best he could hope for was for her to relax slightly, to let him speak without drawing a weapon, and, at the lack of Peggies surrounding their ever-so-holy leader, she seemed to do just that.

“Just saw Nick and Kim off. Despite you and your peggies constant terror, it seems some good finally came to the Rye household.”

“Ah, so Kim delivered fine then?”

“Mmhm.”

“I should send a present, something for the little tyke.”

“Yeah right.” He earned a little laugh from her, even if it was sarcastic, he couldn’t help the small smirk that etched onto his features at her voice. Yes, John Seed was a man obsessed with someone he couldn’t have. “Kim told me you tried to convince everyone the baby was actually yours and not Nick’s.”

“I was just having some fun, they shouldn’t have taken it so seriously. Besides, that was months ago.” He shook his head, leaning back against the wall beside her, his goal of going to ask for directions now gone as he was in her presence. Despite his nature, she consumed his every waking moment. Every thought of his belonged to her, every word he spoke had her name etched onto it. He was pathetic.

“I’m sure it just added to the list of things you’ve done to fuck with them.” The Deputy rolled her eyes, amber ash falling from the head of the cigarette and onto the ground below them. He liked watching her supple lips part to welcome the taste of nicotine into her mouth.

“I’m a Herald, Deputy, everything I do is for the good of others.”

“Mm, remember the time you told me you’ve never lied to me?”

“Yes? What about it?”

“There's a lie right there.”

He smirked slightly, watching her with his deep blue eyes, and shook his head. He couldn’t help the way his heart fluttered in his chest at this moment. There was no chase, no cat and mouse game, just the two of them standing underneath the moonlight, with no one but god as their witness. “Well, what if I believe it's true?”

“Then you’re a liar and you’re delusional.” She hummed, looking back at him. There was a silence for a moment as she offered him her cigarette, a certain intimacy in his lips touching the filter where hers had before. He felt like a schoolboy again, though this time without the threat of his parents looming over him.

The crickets chirped around them as they took turns with the cigarette, it seemed to be a peaceful night. After a moment or two, she let him have the last of what was left in the bud and stepped forward towards her truck. Curiously, he stamped the cigarette out and followed after her.

“Where are you going?” He asked, sounding almost pathetic, like a puppy kicked away from the door his owner was walking out of. He craved this normalcy with her more than he thought he would, though part of him yearned to get back to the cat-and-mouse games.

“The Spread Eagle, probably. Gonna chase down the nicotine high with some of Mary May’s whiskey.” She shrugged as she opened the door to her truck, moving her AR-C aside and disturbing the indents of where Boomer always slept during long rides through the county.

He watched her body as she bent over to move her gun from the seat, how her hips swayed slightly. He bit his bottom lip slightly, his blue eyes never leaving her figure. Part of him yearned for his life before he reunited with Joseph. Maybe he wasn’t truly happy then, and maybe the Deputy incited withdrawals from him that he thought he had gotten over years ago, but alcohol sounded great right now.

“You seem so quick to leave my company. You’re always like this, I open my arms to you, let you into my bunker, and offer you atonement, but you’re always itching to leave. Do I make you uncomfortable?” He tilted his head as she stood up, turning to face the Herald once more.

He didn’t bother hiding the fact he had been staring at her ass for the better half of a minute, nor did her care about subduing his tone that was increasingly growing more and more lustful as he stepped closer to her. He wanted to feel her under his touch, to smell the gunpowder and blood that lingered on her. This time, it would really be the Deputy, he wouldn’t have to pretend.

“Let me into your bunker? Last time I checked you had your Peggies shoot me with bliss bullets and strap me to a chair there. You don’t exactly have a warm and welcoming nature, Seed.” She replied, crossing her arms slightly. He knew she was quickly losing her patience with him when she referred to him only by his last name.

“I just want you to reach atonement, Deputy. I want you to be better, for yourself, for the father.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he stepped closer to her, so close he could lean into her ear to speak. She grimaced slightly at the mention of the Father - Joseph.

“You don’t need to call him that, he’s your brother. And you shouldn’t speak to me about atonement, who gave you those marks on the back of your neck?”

He blinked a few times at her words, reaching his hand back to feel the indents that had been left. He hissed softly, of course, Holly had left marks without his say-so. She seemed to enjoy doing what he told her not to. Not to change her appearance so he could imagine it was the woman in front of him he was fucking, not to leave marks that he would have to explain to his followers - or worse, his brothers. But did she listen? No.

“Not you.”

Now it was the Deputy’s turn to be confused, her eyes fluttering up to meet his dark blue ones. She cocked her head to the side slightly, just enough to really examine him. He seemed confident in his words, but of course it wasn’t her, what was he trying to get out of this? “Yeah, obviously? Are you feeling okay, Seed?”

Again with the last name, it was starting to get on his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to grab her at this moment, to press her against the peeling upholstery of the old truck she drove around, to make her scream his name for everyone to hear - for her to call him not by a shared surname, but by his name. And suddenly he understood Adam and Eve, with a snake tempting him so sweetly, he’d be a fool not to take a bite of the apple, wouldn’t he?

“Why can’t you just say Yes, Deputy? Why do you have to make this so difficult? Why do you have to make me stoop into the sin you so freely roll around in?” He cocked his head to the side slightly, taking a step closer to her. His leg slid between hers as she pressed herself back against the side of the seat.

But she didn’t tell him no this time, she didn’t shove him off or slap him. He heard the breath that caught in her throat, he saw the way her eyes fluttered between his and the skin of his chest exposed by the undone buttons of his silk shirt. Sloth, written over his chest, crossed out. How would the scarred skin feel under her touch? How would the ink of the countless tattoos on his body be complimented by the scratches she would leave on him?

“You don’t need the ego boost, the day I say yes to a monster like you is the day my dignity dies.” Oh the Deputy, always a fighter. He would help her with that, gladly, a burial inside the truck for only John and God himself to witness. A small smirk played on his face as his hands trailed over her hips, a ghost of a touch but enough to ignite a fire in her eyes.

He wouldn’t need her to say yes, she would be screaming it by the time he was done. He would drag orgasm and orgasm out of her till her atonement was spelled in the arousal that would coat the truck's upholstery. He would make a saint out of her yet, make the only words that fall from her lips holy and pure till they were alone. She would never have to worry about the bullets that grazed her skin or the wounds that marked her flesh, he would wash away her sins.

So many dirty thoughts from the Herald, but he couldn’t control himself now. His hands belonged to the devil as they trailed up from her hips, one caressing her neck - which he would make sure to have covered with as many marks as he could by the time he was done with her - and the other slipping beneath her shirt. He tilted his head down at her, smug yet coy as his fingertips brushed the wire band of her bra, yet another barrier between the two.

Her eyes weren’t on him, though. They studied elsewhere, fixed on the door to the clinic and the road. What would others say if they saw the two together? Sharky and Adelaide had to have been just joking when they said she should get with the youngest Seed brother - that it would save the resistance’s ass. She bit her inner cheek, doubting that that would be the truth. John Seed was a sadistic monster who reveled in other's pain and suffering, but something about his touch made her want to melt.

“There’s nothing but me to look at, Deputy. For right now, you’re mine.”

If John was a man obsessed with someone he couldn’t have, the Deputy was cut from the same cloth. She couldn’t have him, not really, even if she accepted his atonement, even if he cut the sin from her body - John Seed would always be obsessed with an idea of her, she was his greatest conquest because she never said yes to him, and if she stopped fighting he would lose interest.

But tonight, under nothing but the moonlight and the roof of her truck? Tonight, she could have him.

So she didn’t protest when he stepped into her more, when he pushed her back against the worn seat and kissed her neck with the fervor of a man starved. She said nothing because her breathing spoke for her, the way it picked up and became laced with soft whimpers as he grazed his teeth over an old scar. Yes, he relished in her pain, he couldn’t help but smile at her burning in the cleansing fire of his love.

His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling it back to expose her neck. He sat up over top of her, a small smirk playing on his face as he looked down at her. She looked so pathetic under him, her neck colored in flushed pink and dark red, a product of him. He trailed a hand down over the forming hickeys, pressing his fingertips against the sides of her neck. Not enough to choke her, but enough for her to part her pretty lips to breathe through her mouth.

The Herald reveled in the power he had over her, her life balancing in the palm of his hand. It would be far too easy to kill her now, to make up for the anger he felt every time a silo was blown up or an outpost was overtaken. How easy everything would be if she gave her life force over to him, cutting the head off the snake that was the resistance.

But it was far more fun to keep her alive, to toy with her like a cat would a mouse, to shed her of her shirt and unclasp her bra and run his tongue against her sensitive, budding nipple. To relish in the sounds of her soft whines that overtook her breathing, to feel her fingers tangle in his slicked-back raven hair.

“Fuck.”

An understatement, her words breathy and sweet, as if she was reciting a prayer meant only for his ears. His blue eyes fluttered to look up at her, enjoying the way she looked down at him, lust building on her features. She would atone for him, but not with her words.

He trailed down her body, lips catching on every old scar and bullet wound, every imperfection left on her beautiful body. She would be cleansed of all of these when he was done with her, she would be born anew with him right by her side. His fingers caught on the waistband of her jeans, dirtied with blood and grass stains on the knees, not proper attire for her baptism, so he shed those from her as well.

Left in only her underwear, shivering against the cold that seeped into the truck, she looked down at him with a frown, grazing over the silk of his blue shirt. He was overdressed, though he made no moves to match her. With his head in line with her pelvis, he grasped the fingers that worked on his buttons, giving her a pointed look which she matched with a soft whine.

“Deputy.”

“John - c'mon, it's not fair…”

“I’ll decide what's fair and what’s not. When I want it to come off, it will. For now, hands off.”

A sigh left her lips but she complied with him, letting go of the buttons he wore and instead focusing on him as he moved lower, as his fingers trailed over the growing wetness seeping through her underwear. She recoiled slightly, feeling the cold of his fingers through the warm fabric, and was met only by a soft tsk from John.

He watched her, studied every reaction as he slipped off the last remaining article of clothing that blocked him from getting a full view of her. She was something out of an oil painting, crafted by God specifically for him. How had he gotten so lucky that she was his rival? How had they both gotten to this point, surely from the tensions built every time he would kidnap her, when he would clean her chest with a sponge to prepare for the marking he hadn’t gotten around to doing quite yet.

Grazing over her folds, catching her clit in his grasp, he relished in the sounds that the truck filled with. Soft gasps giving way to needy moans as he gathered her slick and coated his fingers in it. His eyes hungry as he peered up at her through his eyelashes, tongue swiping over her once and then twice before spitting. Her fingers tangled in his hair harshly as he pushed a finger inside before it was quickly joined by a second, humming when greeted by how tight her walls were.

“Funny, I expected you to have more experience.” He grinned, his perfect snake in the garden, reaping what she had sown. John had earned every hitch of her breath, every noise that fell from her lips belonged to him. Patience is a virtue, after all.

“Kinda ha-h… hard to get some privacy when you’re the resista- fuck!”

He couldn’t help but smirk as she was interrupted by the curling of his fingers, brushing against a certain bundle of nerves as he stretched her out in preparation for his cock. He hummed in response, teasing her. How sweet it was to have the big bad Deputy be putty in his hands. John absolutely adored the fact that he was her only in a long time, it stroked his ego lovingly.

When he was satisfied with the moans that fell from her lips and how she could hardly focus on anything other than the sensations he was providing her, he pulled out. Chuckling at a needy moan she gave him at the feeling of emptiness, he licked the coating of her slick from his fingers, tsking and looking down at her.

“Patience, Deputy. Be a good girl.” Once his fingers were properly cleaned and the taste of her arousal was set on his tongue nicely, he unbuckled his pants and allowed them to pool at his ankles, his lips fluttering over her exposed neck while he worked on pulling his shirt off.

Perfect tattoos decorated his body like the ceiling of a temple, each one telling a different story. John Seed was a man who had his life mapped out on each limb, allowing for her to trace all of him, to know all of him. He pulled away from her neck, bullying his two fingers past her lips and having her suck on them, tasting herself.

He focused on the way she sucked, how soft moans escaped her, and how her eyes fluttered closed, content to have this soft moment. God, he wanted to ruin it for her. He did not pull away yet, not as he ran the head of his hardened cock over her folds, precum mingling with her own fluids. When he did pull his fingers away from her, he made sure she watched as he lubed himself up with her saliva.

He could’ve come at the sharp gasp elicited from her as he pushed inside, inch by inch till he bottomed out and she was left in a state of bliss. He groaned softly at how perfect she was, how her walls were practically made for him, dragging every noise from his lips. The Deputy never thought she’d see the day when John Seed was moaning for anyone - especially not her. She considered herself lucky that the Herald was coming undone simply by the feeling of her.

Though, her smugness faded as he began to move. Shallow thrusts at first that were quickly replaced by deep, rhythmic movements. His mouth latched onto her neck once more, his teeth dragging over her soft skin in an effort to leave his bite markings against her pretty flesh. Her nails drug against his back, sharp, stinging scrapes that complimented the dark ink of his tattoos well. He never let others mark him as she had, but she was special - he would be proud to show off what she left on him.

Her legs wrapped against his waist, pulling him impossibly deeper inside her. She was practically screaming in his ear, the truck shaking with his movements. Thrust after thrust, he abused her G-spot well, toes curling and legs trembling in his wake. She pistoned her hips up to meet his, arching her back and letting him latch onto her breasts now.

“You gonna cum f’me?” He groaned out, blue eyes focused on how she shook, how her walls clenched around him at his words. She was close, teetering on the edge, and he wasn’t far behind her. Her nods weren’t good enough, neither were the little noises she attempted to choke out between her moans. No, he wanted to hear her speak. “Use your words.”

“Yes! Fuck - yes please-” Manners and all, he grinned at her response. He had gotten her to say it, just as he knew he would. That allusive ‘yes’ he had been waiting far too long to hear. He really couldn’t help himself now as a tattooed hand moved from her hips to rub her swollen clit.

Thrusts becoming sloppier and sloppier, if this was heaven the Deputy was more than happy to atone for it. Her legs spasmed slightly, walls clenching around him as white toyed at her eyes, orgasm crashing down against him. It didn’t take much longer for him to follow suit, his own cum mixing with hers, white beading at the base of his cock as he pressed himself inside her, having her take him all.

She whined softly, panting and looking up at him with those pretty eyes of hers. His breath was heavy, fingers running through her hair as they both caught their breath, inevitable guilt creeping up in the Deputy’s chest. John Seed was the enemy, he was a monster, and she had just let him fuck her into the best orgasm of her life. Stupid, stupid.

But John, he seemed far too proud of himself. He didn’t need her to say anything anymore, he didn’t need the taped confession for his older brother. No, now he had this, her atonement that coated his softening cock. He would always have this over her, how she screamed yes for him, and she seemed to realize that.

“You know - that ‘yes’ doesn’t count.”

“Oh? Should I make you say it again?”

[decolonize-the-left]

Okay, I'm also a little on the confused train. I vote third party and independent in my local elections when their policies (as they often are) are better than the local democrats. I vote for some local democrats when they, as in my community they happen to be, black activists who organized the entire of the blm movement in my city and then moved to campaigning for city council and stuff. I participate in mutual aid, I use my free time to bake bread for, and then deliver the bread and naltrexone to unhoused encampments. I advocate for every school in my area to teach actual native history. I distribute land back and esims for gaza pamphlets all over my city. I volunteer at soup kitchens a couple times a month, ect. I "donate" monthly "rent" to the tribes on whos land i live. I am currently at the least protest voting uncommitted in my states primary.

But like, I do bump up against... I don't want to vote for Biden. But if Trump wins, he's states he's going to put his everything into not only the genocide in Palestine, but hella racist internal policies beyond what we already have, stripping voting rights, stripping any existing social safety nets, removing anit hate crime protections, ect

So like. Yes. I am thinking about how indigenous communities would be impacted, at least in the short term. Among many others.

My final vote isn't decided yet

Do you really think it will prevent harm to vulnerable people to risk another trump term?

Not trying to be an asshole, asking you bc I respect you

*scare quotes are to imply that I think that language is shallow and not useful but I don't know what else to say

Please don't block me I'm being completely sincere about being deeply empathetic to your anger and share in it, but also confused and scared about the right course of action and the reasoning behind it

My opinions stem from my own organizing and activism.

I think it's going over a lot of heads that the same way we organize for landback or BLM and leave zines around to have progress in dismantling those, we ALSO need to be organizing behind 3rd party candidates to dismantle the 2 party system.

Like how helpful would it be to Any of those causes if someone said that instead of organizing for landback or donating or helping houseless people you should just vote for Biden?

That'd be ridiculous. Biden doesn't have any intention of significantly helping with any of those things and he's no substitute for the activism that's being done or still needed right?

So why are we as organizers accepting this logic when it comes to one of the most powerful positions in the world?

Why are we settling and saying he's the "realistic" choice and accepting it when we Know there are other options and avenues because we've Already worked in them?

I don't understand this and if You could shed some light I would in All Honesty appreciate it.

It's ACTUALLY confusing as hell to me that people I respect and work with and see as peers and comrades think that harm reduction is the best way to vote. It's confusing that instead of advocating for other avenues and educating people about other options or working for 3rd party campaigns or leaving educational zines around throughout election cycles and campaigns..... They say they're just gonna vote for Biden.

Yeah Trump sucks. I'd never deny that. I'd never deny he's dangerous. I just Also don't see how Blue Fascism is different from Red Fascism. It's all fascism and idk why we think Blue Fascism is an acceptable trade off when we literally Do Not have to keep making this trade.

The fact so many of us regularly feel like we don't have a choice is a testament to democracy already being dead, you know? Idk what we're saying 'yeah but the other fascists could be worse so let's just keep our heads down' as leftists.

I'm gonna be very real here, my concern is the future of humanity at this point. Point blank. White supremacy is an evil ideology that has harmed every person it touches while also making sure they help perpetuate it. In the last 5 years I've watched Nazis come back, several genocides, climate change and the death of winter, and police kill a man trying to protect a forest. Our president is more concerned with his campaign than the people he's killing or the families he's exploiting to do it.

Someone is going to have to risk something in order to stop a machine this big from killing all of us. The earth my child is going to inherit is going to be unrecognizable to me. She'll be lucky if she's never a climate refugee, just as it's Only luck that she's here in the first place after the USA tried to kill off the native Americans.

My concern is Everyone. And I know it seems backwards as hell to risk something so awful, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to have something better.

I'd give anything to save my daughter from the future she's currently on track to inherit. And that doesn't mean that I don't love her. It's a testament to how much worse I genuinely believe things will get if we continue down this path accepting anything As Long As It's Not As Awful As It Could Be.

We would lie down and Vote to have robot dogs surveil our neighborhoods for immigrants and drag queens at this point "as long as it's not trump" and doesn't that terrify you more than he does?

It terrifies me.

There's no way that's harm reduction when we are NOT being harmed that way right now. That's Increasing the harm. A harm guarantee that you were tricked you into signing under threat of something worse.

[my-great-big-book-of-fan-fiction]

The Taming of Man: chapter three - Dragon Shifting!Katsuki Bakugou x F!reader

I'm pretty sure I'm starting to burn out a little, so while these chapters are only a couple days a part, the next ones might have a bigger gap. Still loving this so far, the plot is plotting, and I hope you love it too!

This is incredibly based on the song The Willow Maid by Erutan, I highly recommend giving it a listen for the best experience.

Warnings: Cursing, reader is She/Her and will be AFAB in later chapters, Shirtless Katsuki, hints at a toxic relationship between reader and her mother, slight misogyny

Words: 2,513

The walk home was different than the walk back for Katsuki. First of all, it was nightfall, so he had to rely on his limited, albeit better than human, night vision.

Leaving Nebel was easy enough, all he had to do was walk in any direction and it seemed to teleport him right to the border between it and Leben, which was a lot quieter than before.

Schatz wasn't so glittery in the moonlight as the sunlight, making it easier to ignore (Despite his stupid lizard brain wanting nothing more than to build the shiniest nest), and no animals seemed to live in it, meaning less danger.

Eisen was a little taxing, because he had to climb up the sturdy and unmoving orange trees, walk on it's branches above, and then climb back down, but at least it didn't feel so eerie and liminal as the last three.

And lastly, there was Böse, the forest he knew well, as alive and bitter as ever. Home. He made his way past the clusters of Portobello mushrooms and thickets of thistles (the one he beat still withered on the ground), over the Acrimony tree roots, and around the rocks covered in Magma Moss. He could see the exit, the clearing of trees, leading to the back of his Palace.

He knew everyone would probably be asleep, or at least resting in bed, so as he made his way through the courtyard and to the royal kitchen door he tried his best not to raise any red flags. He crept through the halls, climbing lengths of stairs all the way to his chambers. He walked past his study, stopped at the bathroom to piss and replace his substitute shirt bandages with actual gauze, crept into his bedroom, and quietly shut the door behind him.

His room was dark and warm, if that made sense, his bedframe made of rich oak, his linen sheets parylene red, his shelves lined with books, a mirror framed in gold hanging above his mahogany desk, and the entire area being lit by yellow flames resting on candles. He sighed with relief, glad he didn't wake anyone who might have questions. Since he told everyone he was going camping, he'd have to explain why he was back so soon.

"Dude, why do you smell weird?"

Katsuki jumped, spinning around to see his personal servant Kirishima standing in his room preparing his clothes for the next day. Katsuki huffed and shook his head, gritting his teeth. "None of your damn business..." he grumbled, beginning to undress. Kirishima grabbed him his pajamas, which he changed into without another word. "Weren't you supposed to be camping," he asks, to which Katsuki borderline shouts, "Weren't you supposed to be minding your damn business?"

Kiri just laughs a little and finishes with Katsuki's clothes, coming over and patting his shoulder. "Fine, don't tell me, but I know a pretty girl when I smell one" he taunts, singsonging "Pretty girl" and making his way to the door. Katsuki tensed, his teeth gritting a little. "What the hell are you talking about," he mutters, trying not to give away the fact that he was right.

Ejiro turns around, an amused grin on his face. "Last I checked, honey and roses aren't a part of your natural scent," he laughs. Katsuki pursed his lips, face turning red and eye twitching a little. "...Don't you have more important things to do," he barked, evading the situation with all the grace of an elephant in skates.

Ejiro sighed, shaking his head with a smile and leaving. Katsuki relaxed a little once he left, settling into bed and getting ready to sleep. Damn it...he did smell like honey and roses. It was probably that stupid hug she gave him, all soft and close and relaxing...

He pushed his face into his red silk pillow, groaning loudly into it and squeezing his eyes shut.

Going home for you was easy, all you had to do was grab your things, go through the portal, and walk through the forest until you reached the palace. It was late, but not as late as it could have been, so you had to pay closer attention to the little rocks and roots that might trip you, even if they always seemed to move out of the way.

you knew from first glance that everyone was settling in, the courtyard lacking the busy and energetic sounds it usually had, and so you felt safe enough to climb back up the wall and waltz in to the palace like nothing happened.

"Where have you been," Ururaka whisper-shouted, standing in the middle of the courtyard and apparently looking for you. She had her hands on her hips, her brows creased as she stared you down sternly. "..." you turned around, moving to climb back up the wall. "Get over here," she ordered, making you wonder who the servant really was here, and you begrudgingly obliged. "You're lucky you got back when you did, your mother is looking for you! Do you realize how long you've "Been in the bath?" A very long time, (Y/n)!" You smiled, giggling a little as Ochako led you to your chambers and helped you strip to put on your pajamas. "What," she whined, clearly this who thing stressed her out. "You lied for me," you said blithely, putting your arms up as she slipped the silk nightdress over your head. Ururaka was silent for a moment, before relaxing a bit. "Well, yeah, what was I supposed to do? Now come on!" She yanked you out of your bedroom, the two of you dashing to the throne room to meet with your mother. You both slowed once you neared it, walking gracefully in and curtsying at where your mother sat on the center throne. She looked just like you, or rather you looked like her, with the same hair color and eye shape, the same grace surrounding you turned to regality surrounding her.

She glided down to you, taking you by the arm and beginning to walk you away from your maid and to the gardens. "is...something the matter," you asked, hiding your fear of the fact that she might have found out about your near-daily escapades to the other realm. The two of you stepped out, now walking among the rows and rows of roses in all colors. You loved these roses, how elegant they were, you even had them made into perfume, along with some sweet fruit blossoms that grew locally in the gardens.

"Not at all...actually, I have something to run by you."

Crap. When she wanted to "run something by you," she really just meant that she would tell you something, and then you'd agree. "What is it," you asked brightly, hoping not to let on that you in fact were not enthusiastic about this. "Well, you're getting to the age where...you see, when I was twenty I already had you and..." she was struggling to put things lightly for you, so she just came out with it. "Some suitors are coming by this week to...chat with you." Double crap. A suitor? Wasn't all this a little early? You supposed they must be eager, after all your kingdom was the only kingdom around. Any man put before you would be a grand duke at best, and the way things worked in your country, he would be brought up to be prince instead of you being brought down to be duchess.

"Lovely," you sighed, smiling at your mother to show how "happy" you were. She smiled back, taking your face in her hands and kissing your forehead. "My perfect princess...you always do the right thing," she said contentedly. "Yep..." you responded, nodding. what were you going to do?

"I think you'll find my manor to be quite satisfying to your needs, princess, although of course we have no female wait staff, so we may need to blah blah blah blah bladi blah..."

You smiled and nodded along, listening to a sales pitch as to who you should sleep with for the rest of your life. This was going to be a rough week. You might have responded, if the corset around your waist weren't so breathtaking. You remember being squeezed in to it, Ochako's foot on the wall you faced for support as she pulled the laces tightly.

You didn't mind the dress, a soft pink and cream colored gown with floral lace detailing and pink heels to match, your hair fixed in yet another bun, but it was uncomfortable as hell. Besides, you had plans! Your basket was currently sitting in your room on the vanity, containing the health elixir you would give to Katsuki. It was stupidly easy to make, using few and abundant ingredients, the hardest part being sneaking into the palace Enchantment Room and waiting for it to brew.

All that was left to go and give it to him, you'd finally be able to learn about the world beyond your realm! It'd be great, you could just feel- oh shit, wait, this guy's walking up to you now.

He took your hand and kissed it, looking up at you flirtatiously. You smiled with all the grace you could muster, taking your hand away as quickly as possible without alarming suspicion. "well, this was lovely, but I must go..." you looked over at Ururaka, who screamed "don't you dare," with her eyes, before looking back at the man and continuing to smile. "and attend to womanly things." He just nodded absent mindedly, it was the perfect trump card over any ignorant man, and watched as you stood and walked off to your chambers, practically gliding. The second you were up the first flight of stairs, you kicked off your heels and booked it to your room. No way in hell you'd be late, even if you didn't necessarily plan a time you knew this was an hour or two past when you left yesterday, and therefore around the time Katsuki would be there.

You had no time to change, so you just grabbed your basket, double checked for the potion, and began to run out the door. You slid to a stop though, pausing for a second. Quickly, you grabbed a little piece of paper, a pen, and quickly scribbled. "In the forest, don't wait up!" You didn't want Ururaka to worry.

You ran back out, out the window, up the wall, through the forest, to the creek, and into the water. You swam up, tossing your basket out first, and then hoisting yourself up. Once again, you were immediately dry, and you breathed in the fresh air of the ever-alive forest.

Looking around, you noticed Katsuki wasn't here yet, so you just took a seat on the stump. Bored for the first time ever in this place, knowing you could be interacting with a real life Dragonborne, you began singing. It was the same song you always sang, the song your countrymen knew so well. You never stopped singing, even when you ended the song, something inside you just compelled you to do it.

After about 10 minutes, Katsuki pushed his way through the brush, this time wearing a shirt and carrying a satchel. You turned to him with a smile, waving at him from your seat. "Heyyy Katsuki! I brought you the potion!" Katsuki made his way over, sitting down beside you. "Why're you so excited, 's not like we're doing anything fun," he huffed. You laughed a little, taking out the bottle out of your basket. It was cylindrical and sealed with a cork, the liquid inside golden and glittering in the sun.

"Oh but we are, you don't know how much I've been looking forward to this." You were that excited? For some reason, he found that a little endearing. He knew you weren't excited to spend time with him specifically, anyone could have walked through and you surely would have been equally happy, but it still did something to his cold little heart.

"whatever...So how does this thing work?" He took the bottle from you, surprisingly gentle, his calloused and scarred hands grazing yours. The sensation on your hand lingered a little, making your heart beat just a little faster. Why did he make you feel like this? He was rude at best, and yet something about his brutish nature made your cheeks heat.

"Well, you apply it to whatever wound you want, unless you're healing a sickness, then you drink it." You took the bottle back and popped open the top, the thick scent of vanilla and mint pouring out. His nose wrinkled at the strength a little, which was adorable, and wordlessly took his shirt off. He planned on putting it on those thistle punctures, and he needed to have his shirt off to do that.

"Do you always do that," you asked with amusement, this being the second time you've seen him shirtless and the second time you've seen him period. "Shut up," he grumbled, tossing his shirt aside. "Yeah yeah, what are you gonna use it for?"

Katsuki sucked his teeth, rolling his eyes to you. "What do you think? Look at my arm," he scoffed. It was true, the little holes were pretty gross looking, so you shrugged. "Well, hold still, it might sting," You said, to which he replied, "huh," before you applied it to his wounds with your fingers. "Hey," he barked out, pulling away from you. You frowned, pulling back ever so slightly.

"Relax, Ok? It's not gonna kill you," you said, gently coaxing him with your voice. He stared at you hesitantly, before sitting in a little closer and holding still. You smiled at him and got a little more of the potion on your fingers, gently rubbing it in to each of his wounds. He was wincing a little, so little you could hardly notice, but the punctures disappeared almost immediately as you healed him.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" You corked the bottle, putting it back in your basket. "Shut up! I was just surprised, because... because your hands are so damn cold!" He was clearly making that up, the sting definitely startled him a little. "ok, I get it, you're super strong and tough, now what are you teaching me today?"

"Just shut up already...and you're learning about the countries today." He opened his satchel, pulling out a rolled up map. There was one big circular mass in the center of it, with scraggly lines separating the borders inside it. There were perfect rings surrounding the very center, each one labeled with the names of the forest rings. You could see where he scribbled the words, "YOU ARE HERE," with an arrow pointing to the very center ring.

"Wow," you whispered, the way your eyes lit up tugged at Katsuki's heart strings. You really found this interesting, didn't you? He was silent for a moment, staring at your side profile, before quickly getting a grip.

"Right, So this is the Atlantic ocean..."

Gosh, I hope reader doesn't sound stupid 😅 If she does, I hope you'll see in later chapters that she's really not. Anyways, please comment what you thought, I love hearing it! If you have any questions, please direct them to my Ask Me box :)

Taglist: @sky-angel101 @the-galaxy-fiend

[shy-urban-hobbit]

Am I writing birthday fluff because it's my own birthday? Maybe 😁

Lambert/Aiden

pre-slash/platonic

"Birthday tradition." Aiden answered with a shrug as he popped another piece into his mouth before offering to Lambert as they sat in the shade and out of the summer heat. It wasn't unusual to see Aiden with sweet things but his tastes usually ran to anything and everything fruit based, not plain, unadorned honey cake. Which is what had prompted Lambert to ask about it in the first place.

"My mother. We had jack shit when I was a kid, but I remember she'd always surprise me with a honey cake on my birthday." He smiled softly at the warm memory, "It became a bit of a tradition also that I'd pretend I had no idea what it was she was hiding behind her back and try and guess the most outlandish shit I could come up with. Had to find substitutes after I got taken to the Caravan but as soon as I was walking the path and free to come and go." He gestured to the remaining sliver sat between them.

"You've never mentioned before it's your birthday today."

Aiden laughed, spraying crumbs, "Well it's the first year you've actually been with me for it, so it's never been worth mentioning before now. What about yours, since we're on the subject?

Lambert felt the slight jealousy that had manifested at Aiden's story morph into something a little harder as he stared straight ahead at a rather unfortunate squirrel which now found itself on the receiving end of a Witcher's scowl.

"Ah. Forget I asked."

Lambert shrugged as he leaned back on his hands, "Eh. I'm not the first one who doesn't know and I'm not gonna be the last. Half the other boys at Kaer Morhen had no fucking idea about theirs either, same with the caravan I bet." He grabbed up the last piece of cake and swallowed it without tasting before continuing, "Some of 'em who were a bit more sentimental about it would pick a significant date and use that, but that wasn't for me." Why would it be when everything significant or monumental in his long life so far was a day he'd rather forget: the day he got dragged to Kaer Morhen, the day he lost Voltehre, the day he survived The Grasses....all days he still sometimes had nightmares about.

"Well. Be sure to let me know if that ever changes."

"Hmm."

Aiden yawned as Lambert shook him awake for his turn on watch. Usually they wouldn't bother with such things with their enhanced senses but considering they were experiencing an unusually high number of contracts right now they didn't want to tempt fate by being complacent.

"Anything?" He asked

Lambert shook his head, "All quiet apart from a nosey badger."

Aiden gave him a pat on the shoulder as he moved to take Lambert's place against the trunk of a huge oak tree.

"August 9th."

"What?"

"My birthday. Let's just say it's August 9th."

Aiden couldn't help his smirk, "Isn't that the date-"

"The date some arsehole Cat stole half of my contract three years ago and then refused to leave me the fuck alone? Yeah. Don't read too much into it."

"Whatever you say, Lambert. Whatever you say." Aiden replied, settling against the trunk and trying to figure out what sweet treat Lambert would like best for his upcoming birthday.