#explorers of time and darkness you are forever in my heart

[foundtherightwords]

The Only Song

Pairing: Hellcheer, Mermaid AU

Summary: A genderbent retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid". A young merman living in the depths of the ocean dreams of escaping the sea. After saving a princess from a shipwreck and falling in love with her, he makes a deal with a wizard to exchange his voice for human legs. Now, armed with only his music, he sets out to earn the princess's love. But with the princess arranged to marry the prince of a neighboring kingdom, our merman has to work hard to stay on dry land, or be doomed forever.

Warning: mentions of drowning, some angst/suicidal thoughts

Word count: 7.3k

A/N: Here's the fic I wrote for the Hellcheer digital zine, @lovesongzine. I've had the idea for a genderbent Little Mermaid (Little Merman?) AU for Hellcheer ever since I saw this post by @jasontoddsmommyissues, and the zine was the perfect opportunity for me to explore it. I had a lot of fun writing this, staying close to the Andersen version (with one notable exception... as you will see), and working with @itsdancingquen to create an illustration for it. I hope you enjoy it. Big thanks to all the zine organizers and everybody who bought it, and don't forget to check out other fics in the collection too. They're so good!

The title is taken from a line in Death Cab for Cutie's "Soul Meets Body".

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Three paces down the shore,  low sounds the lute,  The better that my longing you may know;  I'm not asking you to come,  But—can't you go? Three words, "I love you,"  and the whole is said—  The greatness of it throbs from sun to sun;  I'm not asking you to walk,  But—can't you run? Three paces in the moonlight's glow I stand,  And here within the twilight beats my heart.  I'm not asking you to finish,  But—to start.

– SERENADE by Djuna Barnes

Once upon a time, there was a young merman who dreamed of escaping the sea.

The merman lived, like the rest of the merfolk, in the farthest reaches of the ocean, where it is so deep and dark that the sun cannot penetrate the water, leaving a wan blue light to illuminate the sandy bottom. Flowers and grass cannot grow there; only the pale corals and the dark seaweeds thrive in the gloom. The merfolk, having neither bricks nor wood nor tools to build, dwell in caves and old wrecks of sunken ships, encrusted with barnacles like skeletons of some ancient giants. It is said that the merfolk sometimes cause these wrecks, luring men to their death with their beautiful songs, but it is not true. They merely take what they can from the wrecks, putting them to good use.

Our young merman lived in one of these wrecks with his uncle. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father had been caught by human sailors, when the merman was still a boy.

Unlike other merpeople, who stay away from anything human, our merman liked to decorate his dwelling with pretty things obtained from the wrecks, pictures and statues of strange scenes never seen in this world under the sea, mountains and forests and towns, creatures with wings and creatures with legs. His favorite object, though, was an instrument with a round body and a long neck, threaded with strings, which made a lovely sound when plucked. The merman would spend hours making up songs on it, while looking at his items from the upper world, wondering if he might one day see the place. His uncle, like most of the older merfolk, insisted that humans were dangerous. When the young merman protested, his uncle would remind him, grimly, of his father's fate.

Yet the merman did not believe humans could be a danger. No vile or violent beings could create such beautiful, wonderful things.

So, as soon as he was old enough to be allowed out on his own, the merman rose to the surface of the ocean and made his way toward the coast, where the land met the sea. He must know if humans were as dangerous as his elders said. He must know if the things in his pictures were real.

The first time he came to the surface, the young merman did not dare go far. He only put his head above the water for the briefest of moments, his heart beating so hard that he was afraid his uncle might hear it and would come dragging him back by his ear. With water streaming from his eyes, he could just make out a smudge of green and brown in the distance that might have been land, and some dark shapes further away that might have been ships. Afterward, he only remembered the blue of the sky, the softest, brightest blue he had ever seen, so unlike the cold, dark blue under the sea, and the golden sun, so warm and soothing on his face.

Gradually, he became bolder. He stayed longer and ventured closer to land, though he always took care to hide amongst the sea foam or the rocks. Soon, he came upon green hills and forests, a lofty castle overlooking the ocean, birds and horses and hounds—though of course he did not know they were thus called—just like in the pictures that he had gazed at with such fascination. Occasionally, he was joined by his friends, young, adventurous—some might even say reckless—mermen like him, who didn't fear or hate humans. But most of the time he was alone. Sometimes he would come up early in the morning to watch the sun rise over the water, dusting the sky and the sea with gold. Sometimes he would come up at night, when the dark blue sky and the pale moon were familiar, much like the light of his home, only more beautiful, because the sky glittered with stars like scattered jewels, and the moon, unhindered by the deep water, looked down on him with such gentleness, reminding him of the mother he never knew.

And there were the humans as well. At first, the merman only heard them—their voices calling each other, their laughter, and most of all, the songs they sang as they left on their fishing boats early in the morning or returned at sundown. The merman tried to remember those songs so he could play them back to himself when he returned to his old shipwreck. Then he came close enough to see them. Sometimes they made him laugh with how clumsily they moved about on their legs, having none of the elegance of the merfolk. Other times, he had to admire the things they were able to do, jump and run and climb, while still looking so steady on their feet. 

One day, he came to the surface as usual, just as the sun was setting. The sky changed from blue to violet to gray, while gold and crimson clouds piled up on the horizon, like arms guiding the sun into the sea. A large ship was moored on the water, its masts and railings adorned with ribbons and lanterns, which shone in the gathering darkness like colorful stars. The sound of music and song on board drew the merman closer. Swimming to the cabin windows, he looked in through the glass panes. The inside of the ship was ablaze with lights, and many well-dressed people were moving about, talking, laughing, and dancing to the music played by a group of men. The merman stared at their instruments, fascinated. Some were similar to his own—which he learned was called a lute—and were played by plucking the strings or by dragging funny little bows across them. Others looked like conch shells and were played by being put to the lips and blown, just as the merman and his friends used to play as children, except the sound these instruments made was louder, clearer, and more melodious.

The music reached a crescendo. The crowd parted as a beautiful maiden walked into the room, and the merman forgot everything else. She had hair as gold as the sun, not the bright gold of the midday sun, but the sun when it neared the horizon and its rays reflected upon the waves like molten fire. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, as blue as a calm ocean at high noon. Her lips were as red as coral, only lovelier, for coral could not smile so enchantingly. A crown sat atop her head, though its glittering splendor added little to her beauty. She was a princess, who had lately been educated in a convent, and the celebration was both for her homecoming and her birthday.

The music started again. The princess began dancing with her guests, light as a feather floating through the air. The merman had never seen anyone, human or merfolk, move with such grace. Watching her through the wavy glass windows, like looking through water, he could well imagine the princess dancing at the bottom of the sea as beautifully as any of the mermaids of his home, even more so. Only she could never live underwater, just as he could never walk on land.

The merman did not know how long he stayed by the ship, lost in the music and the sight of the beautiful princess. Even after the revelry had ended, the music had stopped, the lanterns had been extinguished, and the anchor drawn up, the merman remained swimming alongside the ship, hoping to catch another glimpse of the princess. His perseverance was rewarded when a cabin window opened and the princess emerged, rested her elbows on the windowsill and gazed upon the open sea with dreamy eyes. The merman came closer on the back of a large wave, close enough that he could almost stretch out his hand and touch the railing. Oh, how he wished he could have played his music for her and talked to her! But he could not do so without giving himself away, and so he remained hidden amongst the waves, watching her.

A cold wind rose from the east, causing the princess to shiver and retreat into the cabin. Dark clouds appeared in the sky, wiping out the stars, and the waves loomed higher, throwing walls of water at the ship. The wind continued to rise. Lightning, brighter than even the fireworks, split the sky in half like a strike from the trident of the Sea King. The ship came alive again with light and sound, only now the noises were panicked rather than merry, as the sailors called to each other to reef the sails and brace themselves for the storm. The merman knew it was time he made his way home—the storm could not reach him deep under the sea—but he could not leave without being certain that the princess was safe.

The ship dived and rose on the raging sea, playing a terrible game of tug-of-war with the waves. Then the rain came, lashing at the merman's skin like spray after spray of sharp pebbles, so he no longer knew where the sea ended and the rain began. The wind screamed with the voices of a thousand sirens, but the groaning and creaking of the ship were just as loud. It could not hold on for much longer. Already, the merman had to swim under to avoid the flying beams and sails as the ship was torn apart, piece by piece. He had to avoid the people, too, for many were swept overboard and thrown into the sea by the rain and the wind. For the first time, the merman understood how terrified the humans must be to be caught in such a storm, and how cruel the merfolk were to feast on that fear.

With a terrible crash, the main mast of the ship snapped in half and collapsed over the deck, its weight throwing the ship to its side. Water rushed in. Some people tried to jump off the sinking ship, only to be swept away screaming by a large wave; others clung to pieces of the wreck and were pulled under with the ship. But of the princess, there was no sign. The merman frantically searched amongst the wreck, until a flash of lightning shone through the curtain of rain and reflected on something gold and white. The merman dived and swam between the wreckage, praying that he was not too late. At last, he reached the princess just as the gray water began to close over her face like a shroud. With a leap, the merman plunged under the waves and came up underneath the princess's quickly sinking body, pushing her toward the surface. The princess had gone inert, her beautiful eyes closed, her coral lips now gray, and if it hadn't been for a weak up and down movement of her chest, the merman would have believed she was dead.

Exhausted after battling the waves and the wreck, he set himself adrift, holding the princess close to him so that her head was above the water. It was the first time he had ever held a maiden in his arms—mermaid or human—but the merman was too anxious for the princess to feel any shyness. The water was freezing. He didn't know how long a human could survive such cold.

It was a relief when the rain abated and a pink and clear sky emerged from behind the heavy gray clouds. The sun rose, its warmth bringing some life back to the princess's pale cheeks, though her eyes remained closed. The merman wished he knew how to revive her, but alas, the merfolk only know how to drown.

Eventually, he spied land in the distance. Land means humans, and humans would mean rescue for the princess. Gathering up all his remaining strength, the merman pushed toward the half-moon of white sand between two rock outcrops. Green hills rose from the coast, and on top of them, a castle looked down upon sand and sea like a haughty queen. It was so early that there was no one about, or perhaps they were all too busy searching for remains of the wrecked ship to pay attention to this little bay. The merman laid the princess gently down on the soft sand warmed by the rising sun. Emboldened by the deserted shore, he remained by her side. Reaching out a tentative hand, he brushed back her golden hair, which was plastered to her white forehead by the salt water, so he could gaze upon her more closely and commit her lovely face to his memory.

As if revived by his touch, the princess stirred. Her blue eyes opened and stared deep into the merman's brown ones, while she lifted a hand and touched his face, seemingly to reassure herself that he was real. The brush of her fingers on his cheek, so warm and gentle, made the merman want to clasp that hand and bring it to his lips, but he didn't dare for fear of startling her.

At that moment, a shout went up from the shore. People came running down the hills, toward the bay. The merman hurried away in the water and hid behind the rock outcrops, to see what became of the princess. The people rushed to her, picked her up, showered her with questions and attention, exclaiming how fortunate it was that she had been washed ashore at the foot of her father's castle. The princess smiled and nodded at them, but as they led her away, she glanced back at the sea. Was she searching for him? Did she know it was he who had saved her? To these questions the merman had no answer, for the princess soon disappeared amongst the green hills, and he saw her no more.

The merman returned home and was met by his uncle, who was half-mad with anger and worry at his nephew's absence. The merman gave his uncle some feeble excuse about being caught in a wreck, not caring if his uncle believed him or not. His mind was full of the memories of the princess, most of all her touch, soft and fleeting as a whisper of the wind on his cheek.

After that, the merman continued his furtive excursions to the upper world with a fervency unknown to him before, hoping to catch another glimpse of the princess. Days went by without any sign of her. Perhaps she was hidden behind the castle's impenetrable walls, or even had been taken away to somewhere else. Then one day, he saw her riding along the coast, on the back of a horse as white as snow, her golden hair streaming behind her like the rays of the sun. She rode the horse hard, as if aiming to plunge it into the sea, only for the animal to draw to an abrupt halt by the edge of the water. The princess remained seated and looked out on the sea, her eyes searching the horizon for something only she knew.

A retinue of servants followed behind, calling out for the princess. With a sigh, she whirled her horse around to join them, and was soon gone again. In his hiding spot behind the rocks, the merman's heart leaped and stumbled, both from joy and from grief, for the princess had no idea he was so close by and didn't spare him a thought.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from returning to the bay again and again. Most days, the princess would be out riding. Though she was never alone, he could watch her from afar. When the weather was inclement, he would spend his day in his cabin, playing the songs he'd heard on the ship, trying to remember how the princess had danced to them, playing until his fingertips were sore, imagining that it was to the princess he was playing. The human world held more fascination for him than ever, and the princess was now the embodiment of everything he loved and wanted to know more about humans.

"Uncle," the young merman said one day, while they were working together, salvaging an old wreck for usable bits. "Has there ever been one of the merfolk who was able to live on land?"

His uncle gave him a stern look. "That is a child's question, boy," said he. "You're far too grown-up to be wondering about such things. You know it is impossible."

"But why?"

The old man scratched his balding, graying head, remembering. "Well," he began, slowly, "there is a legend about a mermaid who loved a man so much that she was able to exchange her tail for human legs..."

The merman looked up, eager as a child listening to a fairy tale. "What happened? Did she find her beloved? Did he return her love?"

"Some said yes," said his uncle. The merman's heart leaped, only to sink again when his uncle continued, "Others say the man betrayed her, so she cursed him to the depths for eternity. Don't you see, boy? A human can never love one of the merfolk. They fear us.  monstrous, disgusting." The old man snorted. "What do they know, anyway? As if those sticks they call legs were any prettier!"

The merman sighed. The princess hadn't looked at him with fear or disgust. There had been surprise and wonder in her eyes. But she didn't know what he was. Would she have responded differently had she seen his tail?

With his friends, the ones who occasionally accompanied him to the surface, the merman was more direct in his confidence. They didn't laugh or mock him as he was afraid they would. Instead, they told him that the sea wizard may have an answer for him.

Every man, woman, and child of the merfolk knew of the wizard. He lived in the deepest, darkest trench, far away from the other dwellings, where not even the bravest dared to tread. There were rumors that he captured other merpeople and made them his slaves. Only the very desperate or very foolish would seek him out. But the merman was foolish with love and quite desperate indeed, so he made his way to the wizard's dwelling.

He went to the edge of the village and dove down between two sheer rock faces, where no coral or seaweed grew. Only thick, slimy vines clung to the rock, their tips waving in the current. It became darker and darker, until even the pale light of the sea bottom was snuffed out. Blindly, the merman brushed against some of the vines and recoiled from their touch. They felt alive to him, not like a branch of coral or a leaf of seaweed, but like an animal, water snakes sniffing for prey.

Then a ghostly light glimmered from the depth, and the merman could see the trench widening into a clearing, in the middle of which stood a house made from the bones of the drowned, lashed together by more of those vines.

There was no living thing about, save for those horrible creatures of the deep, crawling over the white sand or hiding between rocks, with blind eyes and lights dangling in front of their heads to lure some unfortunate prey into their gaping maws. It was this light that illuminated the trench, reflected upon strange white flecks that floated in the water, like snow, which the merman had once seen during a winter excursion on the surface. He wondered if he should knock. Just then, the door opened slowly with an eerie creak of the bones. With a quivering heart, the merman entered.

The house seemed to be made entirely of vines on the inside, and the merman had to be careful to avoid them. They all seemed to be converging into one central point. Eventually, the merman found that center, which was also the center of the house, where the wizard dwelled—though it would be more accurate to say it was where he grew.

The wizard was old, older than anyone the merman knew. His flesh was so shriveled up that he appeared little more than a skeleton covered in desiccated skin. His left hand was strangely elongated, like he had coral branches growing out of his fingertips. But the most horrific sight of all was his torso. Instead of ending in a fish's tail, like all the merfolk, his torso blended with the vines. They climbed up his ribs, encircled his arms and shoulders, and reached toward his neck. It looked as though the vines were swallowing him up, or he was growing out of the vines themselves. The merman didn't know which was more horrifying.

Standing there with his eyes closed, the wizard was like a giant octopus sitting atop his many, many tentacles, or a spider sitting in the middle of his web, had the merman had any idea what a spider was.

The moment the young merman came near, the wizard opened his eyes. They were the same cloudy, blind-looking white as the sand at the bottom of the sea, yet the merman felt that the wizard could see everything, not just what was in front of him but what was hidden away as well. This was confirmed when the wizard spoke.

"I know why you have come here," he said. The wizard's voice was the sound of a ship's timbers creaking in the middle of a storm, of ice crackling on the surface of a winter sea, of the roaring waves that a drowned victim might hear right before the water swallows him up. It sent shivers up the young merman's spine.

"Do you?" he asked, trying to show that the wizard could not frighten him that easily.

"Of course," the wizard replied. "My little helpers have seen what's in your heart when you brushed past them, and they have told me." He stroked the vines lovingly, and the merman shivered again. The wizard continued, "You wish to go on land and walk about on two legs, so you may find the pretty little princess and make her fall in love with you. Young fool!" The wizard didn't laugh or sneer—the merman wasn't even sure if the wizard could laugh or sneer, having no lips—but his scorn was evident. "But I shall help you."

Hope and doubt fought against each other in the merman's heart. "How?" he asked.

"Swim to shore tomorrow before sunrise. Once you reach dry land, I shall cast my magic through one of my helpers. My spell will split your tail into legs, and you will become human."

"Is it so simple?" said the merman, astonished.

"Of course not. Such magic has its price. The spell will be agony, and the pain will stay with you as long as you remain on dry land—every step you take on your new feet will feel like your flesh is being torn by fishhooks. Are you brave enough to bear it?"

"I am," said the merman, thinking of the princess's sky-blue eyes and sunset hair.

"Think carefully," said the wizard. "For there will be no returning to the sea if you do this. You will never see your family or friends again."

For the first time, the merman hesitated. He thought of his uncle and how lonely the old man would be if he left. But then he thought of the princess once more, and of the world above the sea, and made up his mind.

"I accept it," he said.  

"And there's the matter of my payment as well."

"What is it?"

"Take one of my helpers with you to the surface. It has been so long since I last saw dry land." The wizard sounded almost wistful, and the merman suddenly remembered his uncle's tale about the man cursed by the mermaid he betrayed.

"Is that all?"

"For now. If you win a true love's kiss from the princess, your world and hers will be one, and I shall take my helper back and consider our deal concluded," said the wizard. "But if she pledges her heart to another, then you will become one of my helpers and forever serve me."

The merman stared at the vines wriggling and writhing about the wizard. He could detect scales and fins on them, like on the tails of the merfolk. Did this mean that the wizard really did take the merfolk to be his slaves? Had these vines all been, in their previous lives, those unfortunate or foolish enough to make a deal with him? The merman shivered.

"Also, there is something my magic cannot do," the wizard continued. "You may be able to walk on land, but just as humans cannot breathe underwater, you won't be able to talk in their air. You can scream and shout till your throat is raw and won't make a sound."

"But then how can I tell the princess of my love?" asked the merman.

"That is for you to figure out," said the wizard, impassively. "Do you accept these terms?"

"I do," said the merman.

"Then give me your hand, so I may plant my helper in it."

The merman extended a trembling hand, and felt a sharp pain as one of the tentacle-like vines stabbed him. The pain faded quickly, except there was now a dark shape in the middle of his palm, which beat with its own pulse, like a living thing.

"Put that hand into the water when you reach the shore," said the wizard, "so I'd know when to cast my spell."

The vines all shrunk from the merman as he returned to higher grounds. He wished he could have said goodbye to his uncle and friends, but he dared not, for fear that they might try to stop him from leaving. So he stole into his home, took his lute, and, after lingering outside his uncle's door for a moment, rose through the dark water, towards the surface.

He came to the little bay just as the sky began to lighten. Sitting down on the sand, the merman plunged his palm with the dark shape in it into the water. Pain shot through his hand, traveled up his arm, and down his body, and he felt his tail being cleaved in two. Was this how his father had felt when humans killed him, running him through with a spear like they were harpooning a whale?

The pain was so great that the merman collapsed. When he opened his eyes next, he saw, kneeling in front of him, was none other than the one he most longed for, the princess herself, with the sun in her hair and the sky in her eyes. The merman thought those eyes widened in recognition when she first laid them on him, but perhaps he had imagined it. She was looking at him with curiosity and concern, asking him who he was and where he came from in the sweetest voice. The merman opened his mouth to answer, only to find that he no longer had a voice. The princess looked him up and down. Then, her cheeks coloring slightly, she took off her cloak and draped it over the merman, and that was how he discovered his tail was gone, replaced by long, lean legs.

A commotion made them both look up. People were coming to the shore. Soon, the merman was hauled to his feet and led back to the castle. Every step he took hurt just as the wizard had said it would, but the merman bore it bravely, for it would keep him close to the princess.

But the princess disappeared with her ladies-in-waiting, and the merman was handed over to the servants. He soon realized that, as a man of dubious and no doubt humble origins, he was not permitted near the princes. It was only thanks to her kindness that he could stay at the palace at all. Seeing that he seemed to know his way around the sea, they assigned him to the barge master, who was in charge of the royal pleasure barge. The merman became one of the rowers on this barge. He didn't mind. It saved him from having to walk around on the unaccustomed legs and the flesh-tearing pain, and it allowed him to see the princess from afar as she went on sea excursions with her parents, the beleaguered king and the stern-looking queen, and her younger brother.

Often, on these excursions, the barge was filled with musicians, singers, and dancers to entertain the royal family. The sound of their music and singing echoed across the water, reminding the merman of the merfolk's own festivities. Yet for all their merrymaking, the princess looked rather bored. She would stand at the bow and look out at the sea, not paying attention to the music. The merman knew that he could play much more beautifully, but he was too busy rowing, and the barge master would shout at him if he left his post. Besides, the princess was always surrounded by servants, so there was no chance for him to be alone with her.

The merman was beginning to despair of ever making the princess look at him, let alone fall in love with him. He missed the sea. Dry land was heavy and hard compared to the weightlessness of the sea, and this upper world had so many rules, rules he did not understand. When he was not rowing, he had to work on the barge and other royal ships. He had to sleep in a tiny bunk by the jetty, surrounded by his fellow watermen. He was shouted at by everyone—the barge master, the other watermen, the servants—without knowing what he had done wrong. Their voices were harsh in his ears. It hurt him, more than the pain in his legs, that these humans, whom he had looked upon with such affection and admiration, had no love in return for him.

Only at night, when there were no boats to row or to clean, did the merman have a little time for himself. He would totter on aching, unsteady legs to the edge of the jetty, bathe his burning feet in the cold seawater, and play his lute. Now he no longer played the songs he'd heard on the ship. He played the songs he'd made up himself, songs of the sea and its depths, to ease the longing in his heart.

One night, as he was plucking away at the strings, the merman heard a soft rustle behind him. Turning around, he saw the princess tiptoeing toward him, as if her own feet were hurting. The merman was so shocked that he dropped his lute, which made a discordant sound as it fell.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," the princess said, rushing forward to pick the instrument up and handing it back to him. Their fingertips brushed lightly across each other, and the merman felt as though he had been touched by the gentlest sea breeze.

The princess sat down next to him and bid him play again. The merman was all aflutter. For so long, he had dreamed of being alone with the princess, and now here she was, and he didn't know what to do. A fresh perfume, like that of the flowers of this upper world, unlike anything he'd ever smelled underwater, seemed to emanate from her very being, making him giddy. But she was speaking to him with such a gentle voice, and her blue eyes were looking at him so expectantly, that he soon forgot his nervousness. He picked up the lute and played the song he'd made up after seeing the princess for the first time. The princess sat and listened, her head tilted, a little smile teasing the corners of her rosy lips. Once the merman finished, she clapped her slender hands together in delight.

"It's lovely," she said. "Is it a song of your home, where you came from?" The merman nodded. "Where is it?" she asked. "It must be very beautiful, to produce such beautiful music."

The merman looked out over the water. Was it really beautiful, his home beneath the sea? When he lived there, he hadn't thought much of it. Only now, after he had left it, that he learned to appreciate its beauty. He sighed wistfully, and the princess sighed as well. "You miss your home, don't you?" she said. "I hope you can see it again someday. I hope to see it for myself as well." Then she stood up and smiled at him. "Thank you for your song."

After that night, the princess returned to the jetty again and again. She would ask the merman to take her out to sea in a skiff, going further than the royal barge ever did, and there, with the water beneath them and the night sky above, he would play for her the songs of his home, happy songs and sad songs, songs that spoke of moonlit nights under the sea, of sunrise over the foamy crests, even of storms and shipwrecks. The princess listened to them, her head tilted attentively as the songs brought both smiles and tears to her face.

When he'd first seen the tears streaming from her eyes, the merman had been alarmed, for the merfolk had no tears. But the princess had smiled at him and reassured him that they were tears of joy.

The songs even brought the princess to her feet, and she would dance to the sound of the wind and the waves, as beautifully as the night the merman first saw her, her hair turned silver by the moon and her eyes sparkling with starlight. Sometimes she would tug at the merman's hands, urging him to join her, and he would happily oblige, forgetting the pain in his feet for the happiness of seeing her smile.

"I'm not supposed to go this far out to sea," she said one night. "I was in a shipwreck once, you know. I nearly drowned." The merman nodded. The princess had no idea how well he knew the story. "Ever since, my parents are terrified and insist that I stay close to shore. But I'm not afraid of the sea. I wish I could sail all the way to that horizon and beyond, to see all the strange lands and strange people there. Alas, I cannot." The merman inclined his head quizzically. The princess sighed. "My brother is going to inherit the throne," she continued, "and it falls to me to make an advantageous match to strengthen the power of the kingdom. A princess is not supposed to go gallivanting around the world." And she looked so despondent that the merman reached out and took her hand in his.

She gave him a grateful smile. "You remind me of someone," she said. "Though I don't know if I really saw him or if it was a dream."

The more time he spent with the princess, the more the merman loved her. He was no longer drawn to her beauty alone. Now it was her kindness and gentleness that he loved, a kindness that made her so different from other cold, haughty ladies of the court, so different from her own mother, the queen. And he saw in her something he knew within himself—a deep discontent with her lot in life, a wild yearning for freedom and adventures. For her parents fussed over her brother, the little prince, the heir to the kingdom, and only saw the princess as a means to further secure the throne.

Soon there were whispers in the palace that the princess was set to be married to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, to strengthen the alliance between the two countries. The merman saw nothing of the princess for days, as she was kept in the palace for fittings of new clothes, while he and the other watermen were busy decking out a new ship in preparation for the upcoming nuptials.

The night before her betrothed was to arrive, the princess stole down the jetty to see the merman. Her blue eyes were filled with tears. The merman touched his fingers to her tear-stained cheek and then to her lips, a silent question in his eyes. She shook her head.

"No, these are tears of grief," she said. "For after the morrow, I can no longer see you, or listen to your songs, or go out to sea with you." The sight of her tears tore at the merman's heart with a pain worse than the agony in his legs. He wasn't thinking of his own fate then, only of her sorrow. The princess looked at him with those blue, blue eyes, and said, "If I asked you to take me to your home, would you?"

The merman's heart twisted. The princess didn't know that he came not from land but from the sea, and she would drown there. But how could he make her understand? He could only take her hand and squeeze it tightly. She pressed his hand between her cold, desperate palms.

"You're the only one that knows me," she said. "I wish—" The merman never found out what the princess wished, for a lady-in-waiting came down the jetty just then, and the princess jumped up and ran away, leaving behind only a lingering of her flowery scent.

The merman watched the sun rise over the sea with a heavy heart. The princess was to be married that evening, and he knew that the moment the sun went down, he, too, would go down into the sea, only it would not be a homecoming. He would turn into one of the vines and serve the wizard forever. It was a fate worse than death. He would rather end it all than become a mindless slave. Only one thing stopped him—if he should leave this life, he wanted to do so rejoicing in the princess's happiness. Perhaps her betrothed could be kind and compassionate, and would take her on adventures as she wished.

The prince arrived amidst flying banners and resounding cheers. At first glance, the merman had to admit that the prince was a good match. He was tall and handsome, with blonde hair shining under the sun like a gold helm, bright blue eyes, and an easy smile. Next to such a perfect vision, who could love the merman with his dark eyes and his mop of untidy dark hair? But as the procession rode toward the palace, the merman saw that the smile never quite reached the prince's eyes, which remained cold like the ice upon a winter sea, and when some children ran near his horse to wave to him, he lashed at them with his whip, sending them scattering.

The princess met her bridegroom at the front gate of the palace, her cheeks as pale as the day the merman had saved her from drowning. The prince folded her in a tight embrace, not caring how uncomfortable she was. Watching them through the crowd, the merman felt his heart breaking.  The bridal party went up to the big white church on top of the hills. Bells rang out to proclaim the wedding. They should sound merry, but to the merman, they were a death knell. He thought he could see the princess search for him before she entered the church, but amongst all the colors and noises of the crowd, she was soon lost to him, as lost to him as his home, his freedom, and his life.

With the crowd converging at the church for the ceremony, the merman made his way to the jetty. The sun dipped below the water, gold rays shimmering like the princess's hair. He would not stay to watch the princess pledge herself to another. He would not stay to watch the celebration, to hear the music and see the dancing that reminded him of the night he first set eyes on her. His feet ached, but a sharper pain pierced his heart. What aggrieved him the most was that he knew the princess would not be happy with her betrothed, yet he was helpless to free her, as helpless as he was to free himself. A gulf stood between them, larger than even the sea, deeper than the wizard's dwelling, and no magic could bridge it.

The piece of vine in his palm pulsed and throbbed, reminding him of his deal with the wizard. He would not wait for his death.

A wave rose, calling for him. He threw himself upon it, feeling it engulf him like the arms of the mother he'd never known. The throbbing in his palm deepened, reaching toward his heart instead of his legs, choking him. Was this how humans felt when they sank into the depths of the sea? Was this how it felt to drown?

Something wrapped around his shoulders and his chest, pulling him through the water. It must be one of those vines, dragging him down to the wizard's trench.

Then the merman felt soft hands upon his face. A fresh, flowery scent hit his nose. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into the princess's blue eyes, as blue as the sky above, as blue as the sea around them. She had jumped in after him.

"It was you," she said, gazing at him in surprise and wonder, just as she had that day on the beach. "The one that saved me. The one that I saw in my dream. Why didn't you let me know?"

And she leaned forward and kissed him.

The waves washed over them, pulling them down. The merman hardly noticed, for his whole world was now here, in her lips upon his, in her arms around him.

When he next opened his eyes, he realized they were drifting toward the bottom of the sea. He panicked, remembering that the princess could not breathe underwater, and tried to pull her up, but she only laughed.

"You've promised to take me to your home," she said. "Shall we?"

He stared at her, amazed. How was it that she was speaking and he could hear her? He noticed, too, that his legs had fused back into a tail, and the dark shape in his palm had vanished. The wizard's words came back to him then: A true love's kiss from the princess, and your world and hers will be one...

The merman's heart lifted with joy and gratitude. "Come," he said, taking the princess's hand in his. "Let me show you our home." And together, hand in hand, they swam through the blue waters, toward the farthest, deepest reach of the ocean, where all the beauties and wonders of the world awaited them.

THE END

[fopal]

Caleb’s Writing Appreciation Post

SPOILERS ON CALEB’S MYTH, ANCEDOTE, CARDS, AND MAIN STORY.

I might edit this.

Yes, I acknowledge it’s a game and maybe I’m taking it too seriously but I feel like I need to get this off my chest as I feel it’s the reason I create anything in the first place. Also, this is my interpretation. You’re free to agree or disagree.

Caleb from Love and Deepspace is my favorite and I like that he’s not perfect. I never really thought about why I liked him until I started seeing more analysis on his character. In a world where some of us don’t get to grow up with a happy beginning it’s nice to see what I consider a realistic depiction of PTSD. To be able to be seen and not dehumanized more than PTSD victims already are. (I DO NOT SPEAK FOR EVERYONE WHO SUFFERS FROM PTSD OR CPTSD)

There are countless media that can depict it unseriously, barely cover it, and villainize it because in a way it’s easy to. It’s easy for people to accept that the hero moved on and made their own happy ending even through the pain but that’s so invalidating. Some people can but not everyone can make peace with themselves as they don’t know how to.

Caleb is a guy who doesn’t know if he can achieve peace, instead relying on MC for what could probably be his happiness and salvation. His purpose is her and that breaks my heart because Caleb is already enough. He shouldn’t need to rely on MC for that but I understand why he does. I think what breaks my heart is the four star cards because they show Caleb in a way we didn’t get to see in the game. He’s a nerd, a role model, beloved by peers, a leader, respectful but genuinely playful. I don’t see a mask like I do in the main story. Sure he hides his feelings for MC but the rest feels real. All of it. He is so humanized and we get to see the type of person who just looks forward to what he can do. Appreciating the life he has and maybe, I like to think this, sees himself moving on and capable of healing. Healing without MC and just being able to see them separate instead of a combined pair forever.

Yet the reminder of death in the DAA is what stops Caleb because death doesn’t just mean what we all know of it, an absence, but a reintroduction. As we interpreted MC and Caleb were both experimented on by Ever. Yet every time MC died, her memories were erased and Caleb had to reintroduce himself. Messing with his psyche and damaging any structured existence of their relationship at the time. The anecdote explores his powerlessness and the constant reintroduction of the concept of death that came back to haunt him in his childhood.

How he physically doesn’t see himself enough because at the end of the day Caleb is human and he understands his limit. He can’t come back from the dead, he can't stop time, he can’t fly or has abilities that could move the world. He is just a guy which is another layer to loving Caleb because Rafayel is a merman, Sylus is a dragon, and Xavier is an alien. You get the jist. Yes, they all have powers but Caleb knows that his ability useful yet it can't necessarily change what he ultimately is. A human who can’t change the fate that is death because death does come for everyone.

He just is who he is. This is also an interpretation on my part but I deeply believe Caleb hates himself. Not just for what he did in the main story but because he isn’t strong enough for what dangers lurk in the dark. He knows they exist and what is also heartbreaking is his paranoia is correct. There are people out there waiting to hurt him and in a way he feels justified for his anxieties. He is constantly proven throughout his life that there are dangers out there waiting to kill him and MC. I think he wants to be proven wrong but it ultimately isn’t the case.

So yes, we covered Caleb is a human being who constantly is reminded death exists especially when he is made to write letters EVERYTIME he does a mission with the DAA. It might be just me but that is too much even if the intention was good. I don’t know if Caleb was lying in that five star, Floating Floraletter, that the DAA made him do it but seriously wow. That definitely isn’t helpful for his psyche. If he was the only one who did it and the DAA legit didn’t even make that a rule, then it just shows another layer of his helplessness along with trauma of the repetition that the worst part of your past will come back again.

We get to see this weighing on him especially being separated from MC for the first time when he joins the DAA. The reintroduction of death in his life and how he tries to mask this pain in front of others who see him as this rising star. He never saw himself that way, he acknowledges that he’s a good pilot but never was crazy about it. His mental evaluations are the most obvious instance showing his decline in his mental state and I think it’s because his nonchalance with his life stems from the self hatred that he isn’t strong enough which we covered. As he continues on, I think we get the most obvious and important writing of his character which is the accident. He believes he's going to die. He believes his fate has led him up to this and from what we know of the story he isn’t proven wrong about that.

How is Caleb supposed to believe his fears are irrational when the world proves they aren’t?

I think we also get to understand his trauma the most from his accident and in a way what he went through with Ever. How he felt during those days and what sort of beliefs they forced him to accept of himself which is that this is meant to happen. He has to see this as hopeless, Ever made him believe that and that he is a weapon which dehumanizes himself in the process. A weapon for MC. But when that weapon is useless or finds itself at its end then it serves no purpose. He has no purpose but what Ever made him believe and what the world in fact reinforces about those beliefs.

Something I also like about Caleb is he doesn’t use his trauma as an excuse. Never. He doesn’t even mention it to MC. She finds out about the letters on her own and from what I heard in the five star card Painful Signal, she finds out what Ever did to him. (I don’t have Painful Signal but I’m hoping everyday that it will come back 😭I also maybe be wrong but I want to experience it myself). Caleb doesn’t define himself with his trauma and I also maybe wrong about this but I don’t even think he knows how deeply his trauma is affecting him. He doesn’t even try to work through it because he doesn’t think he should as MC’s is more important. Which delves into another thing I want to get into which is codependent relationships.

Like he shouldn’t depend on MC for his happiness and should care more for himself because he is hurting MC by not doing so. Caleb is hurting the one of the most important people in MC’s life, himself. She loves Caleb but he doesn’t from what I figured, love himself especially from what the toring chip is doing in the main story. I don’t even know if he can healthily love himself with that stupid chip. How can someone love someone who doesn’t love themselves?

Yes, Caleb has done awful things. I know. Drugging MC, lying, locking her in a room, and suffocating her independence along with privacy but they make sense. I think it’s another reason why Caleb can’t love himself because he does harmful things whether it be motivated by the chip or otherwise that just validate that “yeah I deserve this because I am only those mistakes. Look what’ve you done, all you do is hurt her even if it is for her own good.” There is a conflict in his character but it all stems from an unresolved trauma that he can’t understand.

I want to say more but yeah this is just a part of why I love him because he represents what literature should represent which is written stories that speak for those who aren’t heard. People who need something to feel seen and heard whether it be trauma or relationships.

Caleb is enough and so is anyone who experienced things similar to him or are struggling with their mental health. You don’t need others for your happiness because it is possible to live your life instead of it being a survival. It’s easy for me to say those words and it is completely different applying them but healing is possible albeit as long as it’s difficult. However, it is possible and I hope it finds whoever is struggling.

[aulerean]

postmaster pearl and her *ahem* postmaster pigeons

[simplyraeblue]

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No Regrets (Hawks x reader)

!femreeader x hawks when your best friend shows up after a near death experience, claiming he couldn't leave this world with regrets; so, he fucks you stupid. WARNINGS/TAGS: swearing, NSFW, smut, p in v, creampie, hawks tops in this one, oral (f receiving) mentioned, squirting, hickies, idk man I just want hawks so bad, kind of straight into smut less plot A/N: my entire tik tok fyp has been hawks edits, so this is the result. it took me forever to decide if I wanted him to be a top or a bottom in this one, but I'm all for pillow princesses so he's a top in my mind ◦ ◡ ◠ I need to write more hawks, but maaaaybe aizawa or dabi next? word count: 1,903

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you and Keigo had been friends for quite awhile, even before you left the public safety commission, so it was no surprise when he showed up on your balcony, knocking on the window. but this time, he was banging on it urgently.

“where’s the fire?” you teased with a smirk as you slid the door open. he didn’t respond, instead stepping past you into your studio apartment in a rush. “whoa, what crawled up your pants?”

“don’t.” his voice was low, deeper than you’d ever had aimed at you, as he paced around your room, his wings fluttering restlessly.

“you’re starting to freak me out Kei. what’s going on?” you reached for his shoulder, hoping to calm him down, but he grabbed your wrist tightly.

“I need to tell you something, doll. a secret, of sorts.” finally, he met your gaze, and you shivered at the intensity in his darkened eyes. what the hell has happened?

“okay, I’m listening.”

Keigo sighed and released your wrist, resuming his pacing. “you know how we’ve been friends for years now.” you nodded. “well, there’s something that I can’t seem to get off my mind.”

“and that is?”

“you.” he looked at you again, and you would have laughed at his joke had his face not been so serious. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

your heart began to pound rapidly as you tried to decipher his meaning. “what… what are you saying?”

Keigo stepped closer to you, his wings shuddering in response when his hand came up to cup your cheek. “I’m saying… I’m saying that I had a close call today. too close. and I knew that if it was my time, I’d be leaving this world without doing the one thing I’ve been wanting to.”

before you could even attempt to respond, to ask what had happened, Keigo’s face started to lower closer to yours. his breathing felt strained as his breath warmed your cheeks and you realized you’d stopped breathing.

“I don’t want to ever leave with regrets.” he whispered, his lips now inches from yours. 

as you realized what was about to happen, your palms began to sweat. you’d thought about this happening many times before since you’d met the cocky bastard who’d worked his way into your heart. but you’d always shoved those ideas down in the name of friendship.

hero work meant the next day might not be guaranteed, everyone knew that. you’d made your peace with it when you started working for the commission – but ever since meeting Keigo, you wanted a million tomorrows.

“then, make it count.” you finally responded to him with a shaky voice. when you gave him the go-ahead, the darkness in his eyes lit up with hope.

in one fluid motion, he closed the gap, his lips meeting yours with a rough urgency. it was passionate, and as the kiss deepened it ignited a spark that sent warmth coursing through your veins. his hands cradled your face, his wings wrapping around you as he pulled you flush against him.

but it didn’t stop there. no – the both of you were desperate for more, every thought and feeling that you’d both had coming to fruition in this moment. Keigo guided you backward until your legs hit your bed, falling backward onto the blankets underneath him. 

“Kei…” you whimpered under his touch, becoming a puddle of mush as his hand explored you. 

“tell me you don’t want this.” he said under his breath, his voice straining with the amount of strength it was taking him to hold back from ripping your clothes off with his teeth.

“I want you.” you answered before rolling your hips upwards into his. he groaned at the contact against his hard-on hiding in his pants, eyes rolling back slightly at the feeling. “I need you, Keigo Takami.”

and with that, the last bit of strength holding himself back snapped under the weight of your words. his lips crashed into yours again, pulling out your bottom lip with his teeth as he started to literally rip your clothes off. 

you heard the first rip of your top, the fabric being thrown to the side by his hands. ah, you’d get another shirt. then, his hands feverishly worked to undo the buttons of your jeans, leaning back to slide them down your legs and discarding them on the floor.

“s’ pretty. been thinking ‘bout this for years, doll.” Keigo hummed into your thighs as he placed soft kisses on your skin before removing his clothing in a flash. it was like you’d taken a long blink, and then he was standing naked and proud in front of you.

you’d always imagined what his cock might look like, once teasing him by saying he probably had feathers for pubes, but whatever you’d concocted in your mind wasn’t even close. it was larger than you’d anticipated, with short, blonde hair curled at the base. 

and to drive you even crazier, his tip was already leaking with precum.

“I’m sorry I told you your dick was small.” you giggled, your cheeks flushing pink as you remembered the insult you’d thrown at him after a tough mission. 

Keigo smirked at you with a raise brow, crossing his arms over his chest as if he was proud. “yeah, I knew you’d regret that one day. now, let me prove you wrong.”

he crawled back over top of you, his fingers dipping between your legs and humming in delight when he found you already wet for him. you hissed as he circled your clit, deliciously slow and teasing, before pushing two fingers inside of you.

“fuck you’re already dripping me for, aren’t you doll.” Keigo purred as he curled his fingers, prodding at your slick walls to find your gummy g-spot. “can’t wait t’ feel it for myself.”

through your labored breathing, you panted out, “what are you waiting for then?” 

“hm, so impatient.” he grinned wickedly as he pulled his fingers from your pussy before putting them in his mouth to lick up your juices. “taste ‘s good, gonna have to try it later.”

“later.” you snapped as you attempted to hook your legs behind him, only being met with his hands pushing your knees apart in a spread.

“gonna fuck you stupid first, is that alright?” you nodded as you watched his weeping tip line up with your entrance, rubbing up and down to tease your clit. “gonna fill you up s’ good.”

“please, Kei, just fuck me already.” you whined as your hips bucked to try and meet his.

“if you say so.” he wasted no time once he pushed his tip in, driving hard into you to stretch your walls around his throbbing dick and bottoming out immediately, both of you moaning out in pleasure.

“ah – fuck – I take back what I said about your dick size.” you squealed as his tip nudged your cervix, your gummy walls struggling to mold around him without pain. “you’re really fucking big.”

“and you’re really fucking tight.” Keigo groaned before dipping his head into your neck. his hands pressed into the backs of your knees, pushing them up in your chest to fold you in half while he began thrusting his hips slowly. 

“how have we not done this before?” with every thrust, you were seeing stars shooting across your vision. as he bullied your cervix you couldn’t help but dig your fingernails into his back with every nudge. 

“someone – mph – was playing hard to get.” he bit your neck lightly, sucking the skin between his teeth to mark you. “now, you’re gonna be mine. is that okay, doll?”

“abso-fucking-lutely.” you managed to respond before all words were lost on you when he delivered a mean slam of his hips into you. “ah fuck Keigo!”

“that’s it, take my cock. y’ already milking me for everything I’ve got.” 

sweat began to drip down your temple as he fucked you rougher with every drive of his cock. your poor neighbors were probably hearing every lewd wet smack of his balls against your ass and every moan the two of you shared. Keigo was driving you to the brink of insanity, and fucking you stupid just as he said.

before your orgasm got too close, he gripped your hips and flipped you over onto your stomach, pulling your back flush against his chest as he continued to thrust into you. his teeth raked over the skin of your shoulder, biting and kissing marks there to match the one he left on your neck.

you were pretty sure his cock was going to bruise your cervix in this position as you moaned with a mix of pain and white-hot pleasure. he was so much deeper this way, taking every inch that you could give to him. 

you’re so lost in the pleasure at the point that you don’t even realize his thrusts are getting sloppier as he reached down to rub circles around your clit. “Keigo, ‘m gonna – hah- I’m gonna come.” you panted breathlessly, your eyes already screwed shut at the tightness wound in your abdomen. “you’re gonna make me come.”

“that’s right, come all over my dick pretty girl. lemme – fuck you’re getting tighter - lemme feel you.” Keigo ground out into your neck, his fingers working faster on your sensitive nub. with every pinch he delivered to your apex, you were losing every thought in your mind. 

just as your orgasm began, Keigo pulled you up off of him just slightly, his tip teasing your hole as he rubbed at your clit brutally quick, sending you skyrocketing into your release. “fuck!” you yelled out as your entire body tensed up, and you could hear your fluid squirt out of you as you came. you dumbly rubbed your pussy against the tip of his cock to ride out your high, already feeling the mess dripping down your thighs.

“s’ fucking good for me, squirted all over me you wicked thing.” Keigo gasped before driving his cock into you again, this time finding his own release within your warm, wet walls milking every ounce of cum from his tip as he painted them white. “fuck I’m filling you up.”

as Keigo rode out his orgasm, his hands gripped your hips hard enough you were sure they’d bruise as he slammed into you until overstimulation began to take over. finally, when he deemed himself satisfied, he pulled out to lean back and watch his cum drip from your cunt.

“god this is fucking sexy.” he panted as he pushed two fingers inside of you to shove his cum back in, sending a warm shiver through your body as you collapsed down onto the bed. 

you’d thought you were spent, your orgasm leaving your body wracked and numb, but when his fingers continued to push in and out of you, you knew he wasn’t done yet.

“wanna taste me now?” you teased, and he grinned wickedly at you. you took that as a yes before he dipped his face between your legs.

you lost count of how many orgasms you’d had, both from him devouring you and fucking you all over again, as you lay on your back to watch his feathers floating in the air above your bed. 

no regrets, right? you’d told each other that before passing out, still drenched in sweat and naked, in each other’s arms.

no regrets.

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Link to Kirishima x reader here (word count: 902)

Link to Shoto x reader pt. 1 here (word count: 1,800)

Link to Kaminari x reader pt.1 here (word count: 2,680)

Link to Bakugo x reader here (word count: 2,328)

Link to Aizawa x reader here (word count: 1,930)

[diamonddaze01]

welcome to....

The ANGST OLYMPICS

🥇Step into the ring of raw emotions and heart-wrenching moments with The Angst Olympics, a collection of Seventeen fics that will make you question everything you thought you knew about love, loss, and the ache of unspoken words. From bitter breakups to forbidden love, this anthology explores the dark side of human connection, where every moment feels like a delicate fracture, and every touch holds the weight of everything left unsaid.

Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of angst, as the members of Seventeen navigate the labyrinth of their own emotions—no holds barred, no happy endings guaranteed. This is not for the faint of heart.

🥈sign up for the taglist here!

🥉read on for commentary from @diamonddaze01 @ylangelegy @gotta-winwin @gyubakeries @lovetaroandtaemin @chugging-antiseptic-dye

BEAUTIFUL FOOL

🏃‍♂️ Athlete: barista!jeon wonwoo x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst | vaguely based on the great gatsby ❌ Penalty: really really sad (i’m not sorry) ⏲️ Duration: 5.1k 🥇 Highlights: Foolishly, Wonwoo let himself hope. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here. Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TEETH

🏃 Athlete: wen junhui x f!reader 🏆 Event: co -actors au | toxic situationship | based on teeth, thin white lies, easier, and youngblood by 5SOS ❌ Penalty:  suggestive scenes, allusions to sex, toxic behavior, alcohol consumption ⏲️ Duration: est 4k  🥇 Highlights: At night, in your hotel room, far from the paparazzi and the camera crew,  Jun makes you believe he’s not the devil you know, but the lover you want.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE LONELY NIGHTS

🏃 Athlete: kim mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: hanahaki au | based on bekhayali by arijit singh  ❌ Penalty: mentions of death ⏲️ Duration: est 4k  🥇 Highlights: And even if you never come back, even if Mingyu fades to nothing, he will carry you in his heart forever—because that’s what love is. It doesn’t leave, even when it hurts. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GOLDEN PROMISES

🏃 Athlete: xu minghao x f!reader 🏆 Event: failed soulmates au | based on raanjhan by parampara tandon  ❌ Penalty: N/A  ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: And so it began. Minghao, who believed in fate, and you, who didn’t.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

A PRAYER (I COULD NEVER SAY)

🏃 Athlete: lee jihoon x f!reader 🏆 Event: orpheus x eurydice au | based on khuda jaane by KK and Shilpa Rao  ❌ Penalty: major character death, heavy angst  ⏲️ Duration: est 3k  🥇 Highlights: Jihoon had never believed in God. Not in prayer, not in salvation, not in fate.  But then he met you, and everything changed. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE BROKEN VOWS

🏃 Athlete: choi seungcheol x f!reader 🏆 Event: ceo!cheol   ❌ Penalty: allusions to religion and the church   ⏲️ Duration: 2k  🥇 Highlights: The vows weren’t meant for you, but every word felt like a knife sliding between your ribs. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

HEAVEN’S WAITING 

🏃 Athlete: jihoon x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by hintayan ng langit (2018), hurt/comfort ❌ Penalty: mentions of death, discussions of life after death, themes of grief  ⏲️ Duration: est. 4K  🥇 Highlights: you’re two years late, you know? (or: you meet jihoon in The Middle, where he has overstayed his welcome.)  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD 

🏃 Athlete: soonyoung x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by the toshikazu kawaguchi series of the same name, hurt/comfort, magical realism ❌ Penalty: themes of grief  ⏲️ Duration: est. 3-5K  🥇 Highlights: you and soonyoung run a cafe that offers visitors the chance to travel back in time.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TAKE MY WORD FOR IT 

🏃 Athlete: junhui x reader 🏆 Event: inspired by NIKI’s take care, childhood friends to almost lovers  ❌ Penalty: N/A ⏲️ Duration: est. 1K 🥇 Highlights: when bitterness bites, novelty is nectar.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE DISTANCES

🏃 Athlete: seungkwan x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by mohit chauhan & pritam’s dooriyan ❌ Penalty: N/A ⏲️ Duration: est. 2K  🥇 Highlights: you and seungkwan are parallel lines— equidistant, never meeting— until one day, you aren’t.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THE FINAL DEFENSE OF THE DYING 

🏃 Athlete: hunger games mentor!jeonghan x tribute!reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: the hunger games, dystopian fiction, romance  ❌ Penalty: depictions of death, sex work, violence ⏲️ Duration: est. 3K-5K 🥇 Highlights: jeonghan has escorted twelve tributes to their deaths. he will do everything in his power to make sure you don’t face the same fate. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

WATCHING HIM FADE AWAY

🏃 Athlete: jeonghan x f!reader 🏆 Event: post-apocalyptic, conscious AI jeonghan ❌ Penalty: abstract death, wounds, hurt/comfort, angst, metaphors to death ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: It’s been 497 days since Jeonghan had awoken, only to realize he was completely alone. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

I KNOW THE END

🏃 Athlete: vernon x f!reader 🏆 Event: fluff, angst, bridge to terabithia au ❌ Penalty: heavy angst, character death, being childhood best friends ⏲️ Duration: est 3.5k 🥇 Highlights: Vernon crosses the bridge with you every year, holding his breath and making a silent wish to keep you next to him forever. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here. Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TO MISS THE MARK

🏃 Athlete: chan x goddess!reader 🏆 Event: heavy angst, greek mythology au ❌ Penalty: icarus’ story retelling, character death, heavy angst ⏲️ Duration: est 4k 🥇 Highlights: You watch Chan work his life away for his human ambitions, you watch him soar… fly, crash.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

WASTELAND, BABY!

🏃 Athlete: the8 x f!reader 🏆 Event: heavy angst, twd au, zombie apocalypse ❌ Penalty: character death, gore, blood ⏲️ Duration: est 2.5k 🥇 Highlights: Rumours say true love can heal infection.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

YOU BEFORE ME

🏃 Athlete: mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: hurt/comfort, athlete!mingyu, me before you au ❌ Penalty: life altering injury, very sad!, heavy sacrifice ⏲️ Duration: est 2k 🥇 Highlights: They say you can’t truly love someone until you give them your all - even if it kills you… 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

PICTURE YOU

🏃 Athlete: joshua x f!reader 🏆 Event: hurt/comfort, abstract storytelling ❌ Penalty: plato’s soulmate theory, angst, normal people aesc, miscommunication ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: Plato’s theory of soulmates states that humans are never complete until they find their other half. What happens when they’re your soulmate but you’re not theirs?  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GLIMPSE OF US

🏃 Athlete: mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , exes to lovers , photographer!mingyu ❌ Penalty: drinking , implied sexual content , hurt/comfort ⏲️ Duration: 8.1k  🥇 Highlights: both you and mingyu know that your relationship ended a year ago. it was clear from the way you left and he never chased after you. then why do you still see glimpses of each other every time you’re trying to move on? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

CRAWLING BACK TO YOU

🏃 Athlete: vernon x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , exes , rockstar!vernon ❌ Penalty: drinking , mentioned drug use , missed opportunities and bad timing , closure , hurt/comfort (?) ⏲️ Duration: 3.1k  🥇 Highlights: hansol uses up his last phone call to you on your anniversary. only you’ve broken up, it’s four years too late, and you’ve already moved on. do you think his song still deserves a chance? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

2441139

🏃 Athlete: seungcheol x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , right person wrong time , arranged marriage!au ❌ Penalty: broke!seungcheol , forced break-up , mc is betrothed to someone else ⏲️ Duration: TBA 🥇 Highlights: seungcheol had always thought love would be enough to hide the obvious facts. he’s dirt poor and doesn’t have enough to give you, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, a comfortable life. but sometimes, even love isn’t strong enough to withstand the hardships life brings your way. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

REWRITE THE STARS

🏃 Athlete: wonwoo x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , forbidden love , royalty!au , princess!mc , peasant!wonwoo ❌ Penalty: major character death , slightly graphic , mentions of blood and injuries , physical torture ⏲️ Duration: TBA 🥇 Highlights: there’s a lot of things wonwoo isn’t supposed to want. yet, he wants you. never mind that you just happen to be the one thing that’s the farthest out of his reach.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GLOOMY SKIES

🏃 Athlete: joshua x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , friends to strangers , hanahaki disease!au ❌ Penalty: major character death , mutual pining , but at the wrong times , unrequited love , slight mentions of blood ⏲️ Duration: TBA  🥇 Highlights: you had sworn to yourself that you weren’t in love with joshua anymore. that it had just been a fleeting moment at the wrong time. then why were the bouquet of water lilies in your hand covered in rose petals? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Soul Like Me

🏃 Athlete: Joshua x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non idol AU, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff ❌ Penalty: Breakups, suggestive content, alcoholism, mentioned sex but no smut, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 5k-6k 🥇 Highlights: You and Joshua have been friends for most of your life, and you thought that you always would be. Turns out, your feelings for each other are much stronger than you thought, but love isn’t always enough to keep a relationship strong. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

I’m A Loser, Honey

🏃 Athlete: Vernon x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Angst, hurt/comfort, non-idol AU, some fluff I guess, heavily inspired by the relationship between Husk and Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel ❌ Penalty: Very unhealthy relationships, cheating, mentioned sex but no smut, suggestive flirting, alcoholism/addiction, Reader is a sex worker, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 7k-8k 🥇 Highlights: All Vernon wanted was to get you away from Jeonghan. If he’d known how your affair would end, he would have never gotten involved with you. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Never Enough

🏃 Athlete: Woozi x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol AU, angst, some fluff ❌ Penalty: Woozi’s personality is heavily inspired by “Are You Satisfied?” by Marina, arguing, toxic relationship, anxiety and depression, suggestive but no outright smut, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 5k-6k 🥇 Highlights: Jihoon was willing to do whatever it took to be the best, even if it cost him his marriage. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Ocean View

🏃 Athlete: Siren!Jun x marine biologist!reader 🏆 Event: Fantasy AU, angst, fluff ❌ Penalty: Suggestive content but no smut, major character death, unethical scientists, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 8k-10k 🥇 Highlights: Junhui knew that you were his soulmate from the moment that he laid eyes on you. What he didn’t know, however, was that his love for you would cost him his life.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Take This Heart

🏃 Athlete: DK x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non idol AU, fluff, angst ❌ Penalty: Unhealthy relationship, depression, mentions of cheating, bittersweet ending ⏲️ Duration: 6k-7k 🥇 Highlights: All Seokmin wants is for his fiancee to act like she loves him again. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

My Fair Lady

🏃 Athlete: Minghao x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, heavy angst, inspired by the myth of pygmalion by ovid ❌ Penalty: Character death, mentions of drinking, slight profanities (maybe) ⏲️ Duration: under 5k 🥇 Highlights: Minghao was proud of two things: his rationality and his artistry. But why did you have to burn both to the ground? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Worth It

🏃 Athlete: Jun x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, slight regency elements, inspired by Jun’s cover of ‘Worth It’ ❌ Penalty: hurt/comfort, angst, stableboy! jun ⏲️ Duration: under 2k 🥇 Highlights: “But I've left no room in my heart to turn back So if we're wrong, let's be wrong together.” 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

No Stone Left Unturned

🏃 Athlete: Soonyoung x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, futuristic setting, mentions of apocalypse  ❌ Penalty: Major character death, blood ⏲️ Duration: 1-3 k 🥇 Highlights: Soonyoung just has to find this one gemstone and he is all set. But in that process will he lose the gem he already has? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Happy Ever After

🏃 Athlete: Seokmin x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, inspired by The Phantom of the Opera ❌ Penalty: Major character death, mentions of self-harm, alchoholism ⏲️ Duration: under 5k 🥇 Highlights: One last play for Seokmin but he can still feel the phantoms of your love. Or can he? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

[westside-rot]

Therapy Hours

Pairing: husband!terry richmond x black fem!reader

Words: 3.7k words

Summary: Terry seeks comfort from the only person who can give it to him.

Notes: Minors DNI. Smut, oral: fem receiving (0ver-stimulation) and cursing. Light by my standards lol. I had to force myself to stop revising this so please forgive any errors. I'll find em eventually and fix it. 😭 In the future I plan on alternating between fluff and smut so the next one should be fluffy/angsty.

Here's a visual of the position used. Not quite the same but close enough 👀: *nsfw pic link* *link #2*

Also please don't repost this on any other sites. Reblogs/comments/likes make me happy.

Tags: @megamindsecretlair @melaninpov

Something isn’t right. You look over to the side and discover the space occupied by your husband is empty. He was there a moment ago, proud and silent in his admiration for you while you sat mesmerized by the view. This picnic was the culmination of a month-long struggle to find balance with work and each other. All you cared about was reconnecting with him in a garden straight out of a fairytale for as long as possible, forever if you had it your way. Now he was nowhere to be found.

You rationalize his absence by assuming he must’ve forgotten something in the car. Likely an item you’d noticed earlier and convinced yourself not to purchase. Satisfied with your answer you lay back on your thick cotton blanket face to the infinite stretch of blue, uninterrupted by clouds with your arms and legs stretched out in opposite directions as far they'll comfortably reach. That’s when you notice the dress you’d been wearing has somehow vanished as well.  You don’t bother pursuing logic this time. It’s beautiful outside and warmed to the ideal temperature for sunbathing. Now you’re a part of that beauty, perfectly made and carefree.

The sun’s warmth penetrates your brown skin and you relax into a gratified acceptance with your eyes closed and a smile on your face. A breeze grazes your skin. You part your legs to it exploration. It's subtle at first then harder as it sweeps up your legs and fixates on your intimate parts. You moan as your hips begin to move in a sensual dance interrupted by something you can’t name. Then you realize the golden reddish hue behind your eyelids is gone. It's dark, darker than it should be for the time of day. You find it impossible to care with so much pleasure running through your system. It doesn’t matter who or what is responsible for your predicament. They can keep you so long as they promise never to stop.

The unknown force answers with more delicious suction. It draws your body into a tight arch and pulls the breath from your lungs. Breathing is pointless where you’re headed. While your brain can’t fathom the destination, it doesn’t get in the way of supplication once you're finally pushed over the edge.  

"Terry..." You moan the name forever present in your heart and mind. His location is still unknown, you trust him to always find you.

"I’m here love." The voice is muffled. You recognize its owner the second you hear it.   The pleasurable void you’ve fallen into rematerializes as soft sheets against your back. Everything else gradually comes into focus, your husband's massive hands anchored on your waist, the prick of his facial hair as his tongue and lips move along your slick folds made warm by each labored breath he takes. Your eyes reset themselves forward as you attempt to reorient your place in the real world, a simple task made difficult by his unwillingness to pull his tongue from your drenched hole. Delirious but still guided by habit you manage to catch sight of the alarm clock on your nightstand. 3:00am.

"Shit…We have to be up in a few more hours--" Your hands act in contradiction to your words, pulling him in closer by the neck to keep him on the right spot. "Baby..."

"I know." He flattens his tongue against your clit and latches on. You realize he's responding to the urgency in your voice and not the truth you’re attempting to speak.

Where your first orgasm was tempered by your dream, the second attacks your senses at full force. His strong capable hands absorb the shock as they hold you in place.  It's several minutes before your thrashing subsides to gentle undulations from the heavy breaths passing through your body. His fingers knead the flesh around your waistline. Even though his lips are still dangerously close to your pussy you feel more like the wife he’s attempting to soothe and less like the midnight snack you've been made into. You melt among the pillows with your eyes closed one hand loosely cradling the back of his head, the other bent and draped across your face as he makes out with your inner thighs. It takes you a while to recover your voice, a little longer to remember what you intended to say next.

"What’s wrong papa? Did your regret for not playing with me earlier finally wake you up?”

He doesn’t speak right away. The answer reaches you in the silence long before his words give confirmation.

"I’d take regret over these dreams I keep having. They’re getting worse."

Six months ago, Terry nearly lost his life attempting to protect his cousin. His outer wounds have healed up nicely. It's the scars left on his soul that provoke your bloodlust. If you had your way those piece of shit cops would’ve received their karma long before the worst happened. Mike would be alive. The man you love, a man accustomed to sleeping peacefully by your side every night wouldn’t be routinely attacked by demons you couldn’t see.

Most nights you’re promoted to the role of big spoon. You hate the circumstances, but it settles the panic in your heart to hold your mountain of a man in your arms and grant him the protection he’s given you over the years. Tonight, he's found a different way to cope, a method worth keeping in your toolbelt even if it means resembling a zombie for the rest of the day.

"Baby I’m sorry. You should’ve woken me up." You reach down to massage his ears with both thumbs before attempting to bring him to eye level. He resists by nuzzling his face in your thigh.

"Technically I did wake you up." He mumbles, filtering kisses between increasingly labored breaths. The path his lips are taking force you into a conundrum. Press the issue or trust his methods. Brains weren’t meant to work this hard at this hour. It’s cruel and unfair when you realize Terry isn’t weighted down by the same predicament. Every time his breath passes over your sensitive lips you feel your logic slipping further away. He’s giving you a reason to forget and move on. You’re also his wife. The one person on this shitty planet he can always rely on, the only person crazy enough to sacrifice a third orgasm so close after the second to protect his heart from the lie he was attempting to maintain.

You find a compromise in the minute that passes, maybe two. It’s hard to separate the details when he’s making every attempt to bury his face in your pussy. You struggle to be assertive. It’s the desperation in your voice when you say his name that eventually gets him to lift his head.

The room is dark, the moonlight casts a glow across the top half of his face just enough to see his eyes. He reminds you of a sad puppy being chastised for something they don’t understand. The expression breaks your heart and makes you smile as you stroke his jawline, your upturned lips on full display to match his sad look.

“I need to make sure you’re okay and not telling me what you think I need to hear. We deal with this together. Not apart.”

He nods and turns his face into your hand to kiss your palm. There's an uncomfortable silence in the room, but you remain patient, resisting the urge to pry the answer from his now visibly tense body.

“I dreamed I lost you.” His delayed response is both a relief and heartbreaking as the previous dreams he’s shared replay in your mind. All include some variation of him being imprisoned. None include a happy ending for him or for Mike. Leaning down to kiss the top of his head, you mimic his vice like hold once he buries his face in your stomach.

Regret mixes with the anger you were already struggling to contain. It fills the room, ensnaring you in contradictory thoughts. Sit on his face to make you both feel better or do what Terry refused to and murder the men responsible for making him feel anything less than a hero, for desecrating the space in his heart reserved for the people he loved.  You could only really be mad at yourself for pressing the issue. Orgasms were a far better reward than listening to the gruesome details of your presumed demise. Given what he's been through your mind takes you to the worse possible options. You’re prepared to listen but aren’t sure how you'll get back to sleep afterward this.

"Nothing is going to happen to me." You soothe him with more kisses and tender reassurances. He answers with a tighter grip like he’s expecting something to challenge your words.

"We fought about everything…” He starts. You prepare for the story to get progressively worse. “One day you show up with some random ass light skinned fucker with a crooked hairline. I’m thinking he’s the new gardener only to find out you’re leaving me for him. You kicked me out. Had me sleeping in a tent in the backyard while some bum ass bitch wore my clothes and fucked my wife. Losing you is one thing. Losing you to a leprechaun who can’t grow a proper beard is bullshit."

 You were anticipating having your throat slashed or a hole torn in your chest by a monster you couldn’t outrun. This was somehow worse because Terry was dead serious yet nothing he said warranted a serious response.

"Ok, first of all, you’re light skinned too."

Clearly you were being tested and failing miserably. You'd taken a deep breath in the hopes of drawing something positive and meaningful into your thoughts. All you managed to do was bring up a past hilarious debate about him being caramel and not chocolate like he proclaimed himself to be. Terry’s head shot up like someone had lit a fire underneath him. You can feel him staring you down and instantly crack under the pressure.

"Be serious woman."

The poor man is clearly traumatized. You bite down on your cheek for his sake before giving him a direct view of your face, wide eyed and filled with doctored innocence that crumbles by the second. “I’m trying!” You fuss. “But you’re being awfully specific about this man's appearance."

"I saw the fucker clear as day like I’ve seen him before…I’m taking you to work. Might even stay just to be safe."

The conviction in his voice tells you not to brush off his words.  You can imagine him now posted up in your office surveying the area. He wouldn’t hover or say much, his domineering presence and chiseled muscles on full display would guarantee no woman within a 30-mile radius was productive. You would be at the top of the list. Unlike half the women in your office you had zero decorum in your husband’s presence. The last thing you needed were your colleagues gossiping about you getting fucked in your office.

"My dear sweet husband aren’t you being a little unreasonable?” Posing the question in a song doesn’t have the desired effect. It merely gives him a reason to frown harder.

"Hell no. I’m not taking anything for granted anymore, especially when it pertains to you. Far as I’m concerned this was a message from God to protect my home.”

There’s plenty to laugh at. Even less to challenge. You were looking at your answered prayer, a literal message from God to prove men like Terry weren’t a fantasy. This one was real and more than you could’ve hoped for. In honor of that gift you smile and nod in agreement and prepare to be followed everywhere.

“I can’t say you’re wrong. I can tell you no one at work fits the description.” He ponders while you stroke his neck. He isn’t silent for long.

“He could be a new security guard or the person delivering the mail."

"Mhm, I could forgive the wrinkles in a UPS uniform. Something about those brown shorts makes me feral. I’m getting wet thinking em." The laugh you’ve been holding sputters from you, putting tears in your eyes.

Terry sucks his teeth and gestures to raise up completely. He doesn’t get far when you throw your arms around his neck. He grunts but lets you have your way. "It's not funny."

"You’re right baby. It's not.  Dream me is a dumb ass bitch. I’d never leave you, especially not for an obviously unattractive man with tiny feet and a crooked hair line. You’re so pretty daddy. No one with sense would ever look anywhere else." You lean forward to coax a smile from him with a kiss. You feel his jaw loosen and his fingers grip up your ass. "I love you."

All the humor in your voice is gone, replaced with an unmistakable sincerity that eases Terry back to the calm levelheaded man he's always been. "You’re taking the necessary steps to heal. It's not something you'll ever forget but you’re going to be okay. We both are. The fact we can laugh about any of this is progress. Now I’ll promise to keep my sidepiece out the house you pay bills in if you promise not to stalk me from the parking lot."

He chuckles. "Promise."

It's nearly 4am. In two more hours you'll have to be up for work. Hardly enough time for a decent rest but your body will hate you if you don’t try to get back to sleep. You kiss your husband one last time and gently lay a hand on his chest to pull away only to be met with resistance.

"Wait. I still need to prove it to myself."

"Prove what baby?"

“That you won’t give up on me. That I won’t lose you." He speaks against your lips, his voice moving through you like the low rumble before a storm. It stirs up the lust cast aside for his benefit. You feel it in your belly and everywhere his tongue has been.  The energy in the room changes with the dark look in his eyes. He drinks you in saying nothing and everything with his calculated gaze. Awareness pricks at your skin off the strength of his possession moves. Then his hands are on you, lowering your arms from around his neck to your sides. He seizes your waist and hums as if contemplating something. Before you can ask the question, you lose the words in the swift rearrangement on to your stomach. You gasp from the shock while the rest of you uses all your energy to push against the sturdy fingers holding your wrists down. Freedom isn’t your goal. You resist solely to reinforce his dominance and feed your desire to test his nature. You want him to stake his claim and issue a warning to anyone daring to look in your direction even if the rival in question is a phantom conjured up by his subconscious.

Handcuffs aren’t an option for obvious reasons. You wonder if binding your hands together with rope will achieve the same shuddering response to being cloaked with his weight. You’re completely helpless and content to stay right where you are, one with mattress, one with him.

"Say you'll never leave me." His warm breath passes over your ear before his teeth sink down on flesh.

"I'll never leave you." You whisper back, moaning appreciatively when he kisses down the column of your neck down between your shoulder blades. His hands aren’t pinning you down anymore, but you try your best not to move as his tongue traces a warm and agonizingly slow line down your spine to your ass.

"I’ve never taken a life. I will if it means keeping you safe…You belong to me " Terry had taken down an entire police force without sending anyone to hell where they belonged. It was comical to think a man she never met; a man who didn’t exist could provoke him to use lethal force. The unexpected sting of teeth clamping down on your backside jolts you out of your musing. He's fully awake now, unfettered by slumber and past traumas. He doesn’t need to be gentle or ask for permission. The pain from that discovery offers an indescribable contribution to the pleasure you’ve experienced thus far. You can’t distinguish the two anymore the harder he bites.

"Yes." It's an reiteration and an apology for earlier all wrapped up in jarring acceptance. This isn’t the man you fell asleep next to hours ago. You aren’t the same either. His influence has unlocked a part of your brain that craves the pain and the pleasure it brings. If branding you with his teeth will bring him peace you want that too.

You moan and arch toward your captor’s mouth. He answers the invitation with a growl, yanking you on to your knees, driving your face into the comforter to deepen the arch in your back. You’re already spread obscenely open. He spreads you further with his thumbs and stops moving. He’s probably smiling in that subtle way you catch when he thinks no one’s watching. This isn’t quite the same. He's taunting you with proximity, close enough to feel the heat from his breath, far enough away to create an ache only he could soothe.

"Please." He's reduced you to this, folded in half and shameless in your attempts to reach his mouth. When he does finally lick his way inside everything else in the world melts away.

He's merciful but also deliberate in the way flattens the wide breadth of his tongue along the length of you, slurping you up like ripe fruit he intends to savor. All you can do is shudder and mewl as he groans into your slick heat, rubbing his face in it, masking himself with your scent. The message isn’t for you. It's for him. You hope it soothes the disquiet in his heart the way it's cleared out the baggage in your mind. All thoughts lead back to him, the thorough way he draws tight circles over your clit and the depths he reaches as he simulates the way he would fuck you if he had the willpower to trade places with his tongue.

He makes himself comfortable, stretching out his legs alongside your writhing body. His ankles provide a stable anchor for trembling hands. Then they’re caging you in, limiting your range of movement.

The sheets absorb your screams as you cum without warning and no sign it’ll end any time soon. You push toward his face at the same rate you pull away. Escape isn’t the goal. It's the only proper response to sensory overload. Indescribably good and too much to handle all at once. Terry is right there with you, latched on and undeterred by your frenetic movements, grunting indecipherable praise despite the pressure your thighs have placed on his ears.  At this rate you’re going to claw the sheets to shreds or beat a hole in the mattress. Then he's putting his entire body into it, crossing his ankles behind your head to lock you in place.

Weeks ago, you expressed an interest in learning Jiu-Jistu. You expected detailed commentary while you observed from the sidelines or watched a video. This wasn’t how you envisioned your first lesson or any lesson. You weren’t even sure if this was a legit move or something he’d improvised. The absurdity of it doesn’t register correctly in your mind. Instead you’re grateful, grateful for his strength, for his persistence, for his ability to find healing through forced orgasms even it’s obvious he’s lost his mind in the process. Unlike the dream version you take your vows seriously. You accept Terry at his best and his worst, through nightmares and a demonic possession. 

Panic opens your mind to a ridiculous thought. He's going to kill you.  The irrational part of your brain is convinced you won’t survive another orgasm. You can’t bring yourself to resist the rapid strumming on your clit and the spike in pleasure it produces. You’d gladly give your life for it. Leave earth with a smile on your lips and a memory worth immortalizing in the afterlife. To call your bluff Terry brings his thumb from your fluttering hole to the soft flesh of your ass.  He prolongs the suspense with teasing swipes around the rim then very slowly pushes through your defenses when he feels you’re ready for it. Something in your brain malfunctions. You start to whine like a caught animal. They’re the kind of sounds you’d find embarrassing if you weren’t in the presence of a grown ass man.

The last thing you hear before you explode is Terry’s deep voice in your ear. "Good girl."

When you return to consciousness, you’re still face down with a damp spot under your cheek and under your pelvis. Terry is stretched across your back crooning in your ear about how proud he is of you, how beautiful you are, how in love with you he is. His touch is equally soothing as he trails down your forearms to interlock your fingers. You haven’t stopped trembling. It’s worse in your legs. Even the slightest movement revives the memory of where his tongue has been. You find comfort in the fetal position anyway. Terry is right there to reinforce the hold, cradling you with his entire body so he doesn’t lose you in the subspace you’ve drifted off to. When the consequence of his overindulgence subsides to a light shudder you feel his coiled lips at your temple.

“Are you proud of yourself?”  

“Maybe.” He drawls, the pride evident in his voice. “You’re still shaking baby. Are you good? Did I hurt you?

“Of course you didn’t. I’m a little floaty but I kinda want you to break me again--just to make sure I like it.” You offer a lazy smile and reach back to scratch his cheek. "What about you? Are you finally convinced I won’t run off with your ugly ass replacement?”

His laughter sounds like music.  You wonder how he can find the joy in anything with his stiff dick left unattended and drooling precum on your backside. It’s all you can think about now.

"I am."

"Good because it’s never going to happen. I’m also not going to work today. I can’t function like this." Despite your predicament you use the distraction to your advantage and raise your thigh to accommodate him. A little maneuvering slots the tip between your lips but doesn't quite make it inside. You whimper and try again.

“No. You’ve had enough sweetheart.” You’re more than a little disappointed when he pushes your legs shut. 

“I can keep going. Let me take care of you.”

“You have taken care of me baby.” A kiss is all it takes to end your pouting. Like a greedy brat, you twist around to claim another, then one more to sample your flavor on his lips. His dick stirs against you, it doesn’t persuade him to be anything less than noble. “I plan on keeping you in this bed all day.  Get some rest. I’ll have you later.”

Terry’s demeanor remains unchanged as he realigns your back to his chest and slips is muscled leg over your restless ones. He’s given you a preview, a reminder, and a warning. You aren’t sure how well you’ll sleep knowing what you know but you snuggle up to his arm tucked beneath the pillow.

“I love you.”

Those three words calm the restlessness in your heart and get you to shut your eyes. 

"I love you too handsome. Try not to dream about me."

[pastryfication]

winter wonderland

pairing: kimi antonelli x leclerc!reader

note: i’m not really satisfied with this but it’s cosy and christmassy so we ball 🙂‍↕️

part one of my advent celebration

december had a way of coming creeping just at the right time. it brought a lightness to everything, spreading a nice warm feeling across everything as it rolled around with its christmas cheer and holiday cosiness.

to celebrate christmas that year, your family had rented out a cabin at your favourite ski resort, nestled in the heart of the french alps. it was a tradition you had kept up for a long time, but for the first time, the friend you brought wasn’t just a friend. he was someone much more special.

the small chalet style cabin your brother had arranged for your group was the perfect charming blend of rustic elegance and winter magic. it was made of dark wood with steep, snow-covered roofs adorned with twinkling fairy lights that cast a warm glow as the night settled in. snow piled neatly on the nearby balconies, where wreaths and red ribbons hung along the edges, adding festive touches to the scene.

you and kimi had gotten your own room—much to arthur’s dismay—and it was as magical as the rest of the house. until then, you had enjoyed your evenings together, cuddled in the warm, cozy bed, but as it was your boyfriend’s last night with you before he flew home to spend the holidays with his family, you had decided to go explore a small village located just outside the boarder of the resort.

you were walking along a small road close to the middle of the town. the square was alive with the cheerful hum of holiday spirit, and market stalls lined the cobblestone paths, selling everything from hand-knit scarves to spiced cider and roasted chestnuts. a large christmas tree stood proudly at the center, its branches decorated with delicate glass ornaments and shimmering tinsel, while the soft notes of a carol floated through the air from a street performer’s violin.

beyond the village, you could see the ski runs snake down the mountainside, illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun. skiers and snowboarders still dotted the slopes, gliding gracefully down the white mountainside. the peaks of the surrounding alps, capped with snow, rose majestically against the sky shifting from pale blue to the soft lavender of twilight.

it was getting late, and your mum had already sent a message to let you know that you had to be home soon, but everything about the moment was so absolutely perfect, and you didn’t want to break it just yet.

the snow crunched delicately under your boots as you took another step through the magic winter wonderland of the small village. the street performer had changed to a christmas love song, the soft tones creating the perfect backdrop to your walk.

despite the thick, fluffy gloves you both were wearing, kimi’s hand felt warm in yours. every so often, he’d squeeze it a little tighter, a silent signal that made you glance up. his eyes always met yours with that familiar, loving sparkle, sometimes followed by a quick kiss on the tip of your cold nose.

he adored the way you looked all bundled up in your thick coat, scarf and woollen hat with a frosty blush covering your cheeks. it made him all giddy on the inside and he couldn’t help but let his gaze linger as a goofy smile took over his face. it made your heart skip; it was rare to see him this relaxed, away from the newfound pressure of the track and cameras.

“i wish we could stay like this forever,” you whispered as you passed a stall selling handmade ornaments. kimi’s fingers squeezed yours again, and when you looked up, he had that smile—the one that made your heart flutter.

“me too,” he said, his voice low and earnest, before he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

you looked at him, puzzled. he turned to you fully and whispered your name, his breath visible in the cold air. “i love you.”

your smile widened, a new blush spreading across your cheeks—this time not from the chill. “i love you more.”

“not possible,” he immediately remarked back, not giving you a chance to protest. even if you hadn’t been able to see his face, you would still have been able to hear the smile in his voice.

you smiled right back up at him, but before you could respond, he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. it was short and sweet, both of you smiling into the kiss, and when you pulled apart, giggles filled the air between you.

“we should probably head back,” you said, the reluctance clear in your voice as you glanced at the sky now deepening into night.

he sighed, nodding. “yeah. wouldn’t want to give your brothers another reason to dislike me.”

you pouted, your gloved hand coming up to caress his cheek. “they don’t hate you. they just have a hard time accepting the fact that i’ve grown up.”

he leaned into your touch, nodding his head with soft eyes. “yeah, yeah. whatever you say.”

✦ ✦ ✦

later, as found yourself at home in the cabin once again, with the glow from the windows of the chalets and lodges reflecting off the snow, casting a magical light over the landscape, you found yourself back at your favourite place in the world: your boyfriend’s arms.

the scent of pine trees and wood smoke came in from the slightly open window and mingled with the faint sweetness of hot chocolate coming from the kitchen, where your mum and charlotte were cooking up snacks for your movie night.

a small fire crackled in the stone fireplace, its warmth spreading throughout the room. your family were all gathered around, laughter and cheerful chatter filling the air. charles emerged from the hallway with a soft smile, leaning down to ruffle your hair before pressing a kiss to your temple before he moved on to alex, who sat on the couch with an amused grin, and they exchanged a friendly nudge and a few teasing words.

arthur was sprawled out in one of the armchairs, wrapped in a blanket with only his tousled hair visible. he shot you a playful glare when he caught sight of you and kimi on the loveseat, but it was softened by the small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

lorenzo was resting next to him, more up right and put together, but still relaxed in a way he only was around you. next to him, two empty spots were waiting for the rest of your close knit family.

leo was shuffling around on the floor, overwhelmed by the amount of cuddly people within his vicinity. his cute little snout poked at all of you as he surveyed the room, before he finally decided to join you and kimi by jumping into your lap.

you let out a small giggle and went to pet him. as the dog settled in between you, kimi’s arm tightened around you just a bit and you looked up at him with an adoring smile.

this, right here, felt absolutely perfect. this was your epitome of happiness. this was your wonderland. the most magical place in the world.

[themusingsofacurlyhairednerd]

Ludos Imperiales 8

Summary: Acknowledging the bond between them creates a challenge Reader wasn't prepared for.

Content Warnings: Jealous!Azriel, Slight NSFW; Mentions of Death and War.

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

----------

I wish we could stay like this forever: The first rays of sunlight peeking through the drawn curtains, the lightweight comforter warm from the large body at my back. The scent of jasmine and citrus lingers on one side of the sheets, night-chilled mist and cedar on the other. The tether in my chest warms with every steady heart beat against my spine. Sleep threatens to pull me back under, contentment a yawning precipice in which I dangle dangerously along the edge.

I want nothing more than to close my eyes as soon as they open. I wish time would still and there would be no demands, no threats over our heads, no Empire to ruin these precious few moments of peace. But the stomping and shouting of guards outside the door brings all thoughts of bliss and peace to a screeching halt. There very much are threats over our head and an Empire out there doing its damndest to ruin everything that is good in this world.

I force myself to sit up, to throw off the warm comforter and the arm still looped over my waist. Force my body to move, to not linger in the early morning light, to not roll over and trace the swirling patterns of my companion’s tattoos over the firm planes of his chest.

There will be other mornings.

Rhys is gone. Cassian still snores from his bed, half hidden in the shadows. Azriel sits up with a grunt beside me. The slight tremor of disappointment that runs down the tether that links us 

tells me he’s not thrilled about the arrangement either.

If I had more time, I’d be a little more mortified about the drool I feel crusted to my cheek, or the way my hair is sprouting out the side of my head like one of Anise’s vines. “Shit! It’s late!”

Azriel’s hazel gaze flicks to the door. “We wanted to give you as much time as possible to rest.”

My heart constricts painfully tight in my chest. Last night was an ordeal, yes, but I have no physical wounds, not like they do, and no one has offered them the same luxury. I want to kiss him. Want to crawl back into bed and into his lap, tangle my fingers in the thick locks of his hair and kiss him until we can both forget how awful the last couple of days have been. I want to lose myself in him, let him lose himself in me until there is no longer all this shit between us. I want to know what the bond might feel like if we had the time to explore it properly. Instead, I lean forward and give his scarred hand a squeeze.

“Thank you.” And before he can even respond, I’m sprinting for the secret door. 

Rhys already has it open. It looks like he’s been watching the door to make sure the guards don’t try to come in before I’m gone. There’s no time to share anything other than a conspiratorial nod before the darkness of the tunnel envelops me and the door locks shut behind me. 

I have to sneak past Cook as he gets the stove lit for the day, his back turned as I sprint from the cellar, the noise of the door opening only covered because he keeps banging logs against the old iron doors to make them fit. The Guards have made collecting the right size firewood difficult, as they’ve been stealing his carefully crafted supply to make fires to keep themselves warm during the night shift.

Thank the Mother and every god of luck we have that no one sees me run down the hall and back into my room.

There is still a little bit of the Raven’s blood on the wall. I find myself shuddering as I race past it to get to my closet. The Senate Meeting is in an hour, maybe less. What I would give to have wings!

I throw on the first dress I can find and dip into the bathroom to fix my hair. Shit I’m going to look awful! At least I can blame some of it on the ride over, but Father will never let me hear the end of it. Hell, if Brannagh and Amarathan don’t beat him to it.

I wrangle my hair into a braid that I wrap around the back of my head and pin in place with a gold clip that’s sharp enough to stab someone with, just in case. I shouldn’t be totally unarmed. Scrambling, I remember my Mother’s blade in my vanity drawer, and I lose precious seconds finding a way to hide it in the extra fabric tucked into the gold belt around my waist. 

Anise meets me at my bedroom door, looking solemn. “I looked into those other gladiators like you asked.”

I loop my arm through hers. “Walk with me, please.” Her stiffness tells me she’s still mad, but she obliges me.

“The Attor is always top of the list, you know this.” She says with a sigh. At least for now, she has decided to pretend to tolerate whatever nonsense she thinks I’m getting into. I will take this fragile peace while it lasts.

I shiver. “Hard pass. What are their other options?”

“Senator Thessian has three Elven archers who have never been beaten.”

Archers leave too many variables. Especially since last time they’d flooded the arena and the Elves had won by finding a perch on some driftwood and slowly picking the competitors off one at a time. They need someone who can match their physicality with a sword, regardless of the obstacles in the arena.

“Too many uncontrollable variables.”

She sighs again as we inch closer to the front doors, and the Guards that stand waiting. “Senator Kallias just acquired an orc from the Western Wastes. He is untested, but his staff says he paid a pretty coin for it.” 

Better. I like those odds a little more.

I kiss her cheek as we reach the front door. “You’re wonderful, Anise! I will find a way to thank you later.”

She frowns at me as her weathered hand squeezes my arm. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

In earshot now, a young Fae guard says, “She will have a squad after the events of last night.”

I fight back the urge to roll my eyes. A squad of males loyal to my Father. I’m just as likely to be dragged off the horse and murdered in the road by them than another Raven. A thought that does make me uneasy. I could, probably, hold them off on my own, but truth be told, now that I’ve been forced to stop and take a breath, I do still feel shaky. Training and muscle memory keeps me composed, but last night was a lot.

It will cost me precious time, but the idea forms easily, and I turn to Anise. “Good thing I have a few gladiators to protect me.”

Her frown deepens. “I am not comforted by that.”

I pull free of her and turn to the guard. I can’t bring Rhys with me; bringing the figurehead of a known rebellion into a Senate meeting would be grounds enough for Father to take my head here and now. I can’t bring Cassian either, he’ll need every precious second he can get for that leg to heal. “Bring Azriel to me.”

The guard hesitates, clearly taken back. 

I keep walking towards the stables. “Quickly, or it’ll be your head I throw on the chopping block for making me late.”

That does the trick.

I bite back a grin as I make it to the stables in record time and instruct Grayson, a wiry, half dryad stable boy, to prepare two horses. By the time the Guard brings Azriel, I’m settled in the saddle. 

“The Emperor will not like this,” the Guard begins.

“I did not ask for your opinion.” I state, using my best courtly voice. Mother always used to tell me I sounded just like my Father. It had always felt like an insult, but at least it has its uses.

Besides, the way Azriel grins as he swings into his own saddle is enough to ease the discomfort. I think it’s a flicker of pride I feel down the bond from him, but I’m not totally certain. Perhaps I’m imagining it, but I sit a little straighter in the saddle regardless. I want to make all of them proud. I want them to know I can do this, that I’m not some fragile little girl. I can handle what they’ve asked of me.

We head out before the Guard are totally ready, giving us a bit of space between us and them. There isn’t exactly room to talk at the pace we set, but I appreciate the breathing room all the same. At least, for now, it doesn’t look like they’ve been instructed to stab me in the back. 

The ride to the Capital is a blur all the way up until we’re in the city once more. The crowds are significantly less than yesterday, but there are still crushed roses and streamers in the streets. Worse, the crucifixes still stand, the Illyrian bodies still pinned. 

I nearly bite through my tongue with how hard I’m clenching my jaw. Some of those males were still alive yesterday. None are today. There is no obvious intent to remove them either, to offer a proper burial. People walk past like they don’t notice the carrion coming in to pick the bodies apart.

Azriel remains stiff and silent beside me. I try my best not to look at him, to not make it obvious that I am checking on him now that the Guard have finally caught up.

I do not breathe any easier once inside the Palace. The place feels like it should have heads on spikes posted at every entrance. All the glittering gold pillars and sparkling fountains feel out of place in a spot built upon the blood of so many innocent lives. I never liked it here, but more and more this place is starting to give me the same anxiety I’d have walking into a dragon’s lair.

The Guards follow close behind, as I once again hold the chain around Azriel’s throat. It feels heavier today, the metal hot from the sun. 

“You’re welcome to leave the brute with us, Highness,” one of them sneers. “We’d watch over him carefully.”

I’m still debating how much time it would take me to strangle the male with the chain as we reach the Audience Chamber. 

“Ignore him,” Azriel huffs in my ear. As soon as we’d gotten off the horses he’d taken his position behind me, close enough that my hip brushed his if I turned even a little. Maybe it’s a little too close for the story we’ve been selling, but it puts him between me and anyone trying to stab me in the back like a giant shield and he knows it. I don’t like that he doesn’t have armor to protect him, should something happen, but we simply haven’t had the time to find any. A situation I’ll need to handle before we leave the city.

The Chamber doors are still open, by some miracle, and bits of conversation float towards me as I enter. All of which suddenly halt as soon as the gathered group of elites realize who I’ve brought with me. 

I square my shoulders, even as the heat of Azriel’s withering glare skids across my shoulder. He’s very expressive today, and I have a sinking feeling that’s on me. Our proximity makes the bond relax, not so taut between my ribs any more, but it also heightens emotions. My protectiveness mounts the longer we’re together, I catch myself leaning towards violence anytime somebody looks at him wrong and from what the nymphs used to tell me, it’s usually worse for males.

Today will be interesting. 

We walk down the center of the room, towards the throne where my Father lounges, being fanned by two slaves with palm fronds. Amarantha already sits to his right, drinking from a goblet of wine, her mood sour. Both their eyes narrow in on me, then Azriel, as the crowd dramatically parts, like we have the plague.

I give a brief curtsy to my Father as I take the seat next to him. A seat that has long been empty and was more for show than use. Nothing my Mother ever said in these meetings came to pass. The rest of the senate seats are filled by males, Amarantha and Brannagh the only exceptions. 

“Be seated,” Father calls out, waving a hand in irritation. 

A servant comes with a tray of wine and fruits, and despite the rumbling of my stomach, I wave it away. I’d like to not test my luck today; I’m just as likely to be poisoned as I am stabbed and even Azriel can’t do anything if I ingest arsenic. 

The Emperor leans over in his seat, gray eyes sharp, jaw clenched tight. He’d never hit me in front of so many people, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe from his wrath either. 

I brace myself, hands folded gently in my lap, even as Azriel tenses from his perch behind my seat. 

“So good of you to show up,” he snarls.

“I had an interesting visitor last night,” I say and I hate the way my voice shakes. 

“So you brought a known rebel into my council meeting in retaliation?” He hisses. 

There’s a heavy layer of wine on his breath and it takes every bit of training to keep myself from trying to scoot further out of his reach. If he’s been up drinking, that’s a sign we’re moving in the right direction, he’s so off his game he’s unravelled, but that makes him dangerous. There is no telling what he could do next and my first impulse is to curl into a ball and make myself as small as possible.

“I questioned my safety in the hands of your guards on the empty roads over here,” I say, digging my nails into my palms to get the words out. 

“But not with this savage?” He gestures with his chin towards Azriel.

All I can see is red. If I had not used so much energy to kill the Raven last night, my powers might not be slumbering so deep beneath my skin now. For that I am grateful. I do not need one more thing to worry about today. 

“Their interests are in keeping this deal for their people, that’s hard to do if I’m dead,” I retort through my teeth.

“We’ll discuss this later,” he snarls.

My hands shake in my lap as Azriel’s shadow makes its way around my ear again, murmuring softly in a strange language as it rubs itself against my temple soothingly. It is an effort to breathe evenly and I do my best to turn my attention away from my Father and to study those in attendance today instead. 

Thessian, Kallias and Beron sit on my right. Eris stands behind his father’s seat, serving as a guard today, and the auburn haired male winks at me when my gaze passes to him. I hope that means he did that research I asked him for yesterday.

Azriel’s hand tightens on the back of my seat with just enough pressure I hear the metal groan. Thankfully, no one seems to notice but me. 

On the opposite side of the room sits Dagdan and Brannagh, their seats pushed together instead of giving them the five feet of distance all the other chairs have, just so no one is close enough to throw a punch if things get heated, as it often does. Next to them are senators Helion and Tamlin. Helion studies Azriel intently over the edge of his goblet of wine, but I can’t tell if it’s genuine interest or the same disdain everyone else has been throwing his way. 

Tamlin broods silently in a stack of parchment in his hand, quiet without Lucien to balance him out. 

Directly across from us are some of the few Senators who were not previously Lords of Prythian, as it was our biggest conquered province. They’re also the only ones on the Council who aren’t Fae. Giais is the only Elf. Ancient and ethereal, he’s been on the council since my Great Grandfather, though he doesn’t look a day older than me. Acacius had once held Amarantha’s title, but the Goblin had lost an arm in one of the last battles of the Giant War, and had been given a seat on the Council in his retirement. Maximus, who’s self-proclaimed title is Great Lord of the Dragon Shifters; he wears no shirt, but his entire top half is drenched in gold--gold rings with giant gems atop his long fingers, golden bracelets from wrist to elbow, a dozen gold chains in varying lengths and a belt, all catching the light and nearly blinding anyone who looks too closely at him. He’s the youngest male here, with the exception of Dagdan. The only seat empty is Senator Romulius’; the Nephilim away dealing with an uprising in his adjoining provinces. 

There are no Humans or Giants on the Council. No Nymphs or Dryads. It used to be more diverse, but as Father’s paranoia grew, so did his prejudices, and the Council became smaller and more segregated as time passed. 

“Who shall start today’s session?” Helion calls out as the chamber quiets and the doors close. 

It’s like being sealed in a tomb. I wish I’d said yes to the wine, I think I might risk being poisoned just to not have to sit with the swirling anxiousness in the pit of my stomach. 

Father gestures to Amarantha with a grunt that tells everybody we’ve found him in the middle of one of his moods. The quiet shifts to something more uneasy, shared glances passing between the senators. They all know this means they must tread carefully. 

“Tax season is upon us,” Amarantha says, her voice carrying through the antechamber. “Are there any concerns we need to discuss?”

Tamlin waves his stack of parchment in the air. “My province is still recovering from last year’s tax season. Our prisons are full of debtors. My advisors are organizing things as best they can, but rumors of…” he pauses, worrying his lower lip between his teeth as his eyes flick to my Father. “...unrest are spreading. I would like to request a heavier presence of the Praetorian, just to ensure things go smoothly, if they can be spared?”

“Why should your inability to lead your people be our problem?” Acacius snarls. “Every other province has managed to reign in its citizens but you.”

“I would hardly call the situation in Illyria reigned in,” Helion says over the edge of his goblet. 

Azriel tenses, wings rustling behind him. It takes everything in me not to turn and take his hand.

“Illyria is an outlier,” Amarantha snaps. “One that has been dealt with.”

Father’s head swivels to look at Azriel with the same air of an owl getting its sights on a mouse. A shiver runs down my spine as his eyes narrow in on my mate. 

“Was it dealt with, Shadowsinger?” 

The chamber quiets, every eye landing on Azriel. He keeps his composure near perfect, save for the hand still gripping the back of my chair with enough force to dent it. 

“Aren’t the crucifixions testament enough?” He growls through his teeth. 

Father grins wickedly. “Since my daughter is so certain she needed you here with her, why don’t you go ahead and tell this council exactly what happens to provinces that do not comply with our laws? Perhaps Tamlin needs a reminder about why he should keep his people in line?”

Tamlin frowns, hand tightening around the stack of parchment.

“What provinces?” Azriel snaps. “There is nothing left of Illyria but ash. It is a graveyard of women and children.” His voice breaks on the last word and down the bond comes the flash of a memory: A small body crumpled on scorched earth, a blood splattered doll clutched in its too small hand.

My stomach shoots into my throat.

Amarantha grins on the other side of my Father, pleased with my mate’s discomfort, pleased with her efforts of destruction in the name of the Empire.

“Sons must pay for the sins of the father.” Dagdan wins more than a few accolades for the sentiment. Beron goes as far to salute him with his wine glass.

“You must have known this would happen?” Brannagh counters. “Surely you knew the cost of your rebellion would be their heads? This is the price of rejecting the Empire and its protections.”

I glance around the room, looking for anyone to argue, anyone to challenge them. Helion shoots me a sympathetic look, but he says nothing. Eris shifts his weight behind his father, but he won’t look my way. They might be uncomfortable, but not enough to challenge them. Not enough to take a stand. We truly have no allies. 

“You have never been hungry,” Azriel says, his voice low. The white-knuckled grip on my chair tells me he’s trying his hardest to keep his voice down. The shadow curled around my ear moves with the agitation the rest of them have to feel, even in their hidden perch behind his wings. “You have never been without clothes. Without a roof. You have never gone without clean water, without people to tend to your every need. You have never known what it is to crawl for your basic necessities and then have them ripped from you purely because the people over you could. My people were dying. As are yours-”

“That’s enough,” Father says dismissively.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep back the growl that threatens to slip past my teeth. How can he be so flippant about it? So careless? I have always known him to be cruel but I hadn’t realized how truly heartless he is. How heartless they all are as they laugh off the dismissal like Azriel is beneath them. As if his story is nothing more than a piece of fiction and he a worthless storyteller.

My hands ball into fists in my lap, power awakening in my chest, bubbling up like a wave, ready to wash over everything in this godsdamned room--

Azriel’s hand settles on my shoulder, squeezing gently in warning.

The Council goes back to arguing uselessly, forgetting immediately that Azriel is even here. It is for our benefit in the long run, I suppose, but I can’t get past it. How can they all be so blind?

Azriel’s hand slides down my shoulder slowly, rubbing a soothing line down my spine until he feels my breathing even out, until I unclench my fists in my lap and he’s sure I won’t explode. I tamper down on my power like I always do; always trapping it down beneath my skin so that no one notices it’s there. My shoulders slump. Why didn’t I say anything when I had the chance? Why do I always sit here uselessly?

Maybe I am no better than they are.

The topic shifts to clearing clogged trade routes. Thesian offers his daughter in a political marriage to Kallias’s son as if bartering items of clothing. The marriage is arranged in a matter of minutes, without either of their consent. It’ll be for the good of the Empire, that’s all they care about.

Helion turns the conversation to imports on wine for a while after that.

I feel myself slipping back into my hollow shell. My voice escapes me, buried with my powers until I feel nothing. Until the words fade in and out of my ears, eyes vacantly held on a spot on the wall. They talk around me like I’m not here, like it doesn’t matter that I’d ever left. Unaware that all of their problems are so petty and stupid when there are bodies of desperate men rotting in the street as we speak. 

I want to see this whole damned Empire burn.

My thoughts remain on this one point for so long I don’t notice time slipping away until Father announces the meeting over and waves us all out. 

My movements feel stiff as I finally stand. How long have I been clenching my shoulders? My teeth?

Azriel follows, chest against my back, as I move robotically towards the exit, and dart into a quiet adjoining hall. Father will be around shortly, it is not like him to let me escape without further incident, but I just need a moment to take a breath. 

“How do you do this?” I whisper as the door shuts behind us. “How do you not explode every time they fucking speak?”

Azriel puts his hands on my shoulders and turns me around to face him. “Usually I imagine how it will feel to drive my blade through Hybern’s throat.”

This close to him I’m eyelevel with his collarbone. I have to look directly at the collar around his neck; the skin beneath pink from being rubbed raw over and over again by the iron. My hands reach for it instinctively, as if I have any power to take the pain away.

“But lately…” he shakes his head as one hand leaves my shoulders to catch my wrist as I fiddle uselessly with the collar. It’s not coming off without a key and I have nothing in my arsenal to make it easier to carry.

Useless once again.

“Lately I just worry that he’d take it out on you, if I stepped out of line, and I can’t risk that.”

The raised edges of his scars are a stark contrast to the soft, smooth skin of my wrists. I have no battle scars, no obvious signs of my Father’s abuse; my skin is unblemished and soft in a way that reminds me exactly why Cassian said I was a pampered princess. I’ve never had to do anything this hard. Never had to fight for what I wanted.

“It’s not like I don’t deserve it,” I blurt and he reels back a step like I’d hit him.

“Don’t talk like that,” he snarls.

“Cassian was right about me,” I return. “I’ve never had to work for anything in my life. I’ve never stood up for anything. I always shut up and shut down and look the other way. I should have done something before. I should have done something now!”

“You are doing something,” he says carefully, hazel eyes darting to the door, conscious of where we are and who might be lurking just outside.

“Not enough.”

He steps back into my space so he can cup my cheek. Damn me and my fragile resolve but I lean into that gentle touch like it’s my lifeline. He’s so warm and comforting and that broken, touch starved thing in me leans in like a moth to flame, so desperate for even a hint of affection. I hate myself for it. Hate that this is all it takes for me to take a breath. 

“We have to take it slow,” he bites out. “We have to move carefully. We are under so much scrutiny. I know that it is hard, but you did exactly what we need you to do today. You have played your part. The time for action will come later.”

“I feel useless,” I confess. 

“Hate to drag up bad memories, but you killed a guy last night,” he counters. “That’s far from useless.”

“That needed to be done.”

“So does this,” he assures. 

I sigh and lean my head down against his chest. His heartbeat is steady and even against my skin. Breath warm against the back of my neck. I wish I could melt into him, let him consume every bit of my being until there was nothing left of me.

Azriel wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest. My body short circuits, frozen for a moment as I try to comprehend what he’s doing. I don’t remember the last time somebody hugged me. Yes, last night he’d slept with an arm around me, but that is different somehow. I don’t immediately know what to do with this. Last night had a purpose, I’d needed the security to sleep. This was in comfort. And no one had comforted me like this in years. Not even Anise when my Mother had died. 

His embrace is all encompassing, strong arms tight around my middle. Something in me cracks open and tears pool in my eyes as I slowly work up the courage to wrap my arms around his middle, conscious of where his wings sit in the middle of his spine. 

The bond hums in approval, or maybe that’s his shadows, more of them than the one curled around my ear move to caress my arms and back.

A breath stutters out of me, trapped by the lump in my throat.

“We will beat him,” he promises into my hair, lips brushing the top of my head. “I can take a few punches on the way to that victory, Princess.”

I tighten my grip around his waist. “Not if I turn them to mist, you don’t.” The words are comically muted by his shirt, but they draw a chuckle from him all the same. The sound is rich, like melted chocolate and I’d do anything to hear it again.

“Vicious, little thing,” he tuts.

I work up the resolve to pull my head out of his chest so I can look up at him. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be.” Whatever it takes, no matter the cost, I will see this collar off him, all of them; I will see his people free. 

He practically has to duck to look me in the eyes at this angle, but that intense hazel gaze goes straight to my mouth. Heat flashes down the bond, a glimmer of desire so intense I’d think I might have imagined it were it not for the way his tongue darts out to run over his own full lips. It feels as if we share a breath, a heartbeat. I meant the words in a very literal sense, for the sake of this mission, but I think I might mean them in other ways too. 

He leans in and I feel his heartbeat stutter in his chest. Or maybe that’s mine. I cannot tell us apart anymore. What is him and what is me is suddenly very intertwined.

In contrast to the firm planes of his body, his lips are sinfully soft as they brush tentatively over my own. I lose all sense of time and reason as I lean up on my toes to close the distance between him, to finish the kiss.

And then the door to the hallway opens.

Time comes in a blazing rush and I suddenly remember where the hell we are as we jerk away from each other like we’d been thrown. 

Eris saunters in with his thumbs looped in the golden belt around his trim waist, grinning like a cat. There’s no way he didn’t see us.

“There you are,” he purrs. The shadows of this hidden servant’s hall suit him, bathe his sun kissed complexion in dark hues that make his amber eyes glow like coals. There’s a shade of gold dust in his unbound auburn hair. Everything about the Autumn heir seems to glow, even in the shadows of the world. “I had a feeling you’d be hiding in one of these secret places. You always did like them better.”

I don’t know how to explain myself. I just start smoothing my hands over my skirts, trying to find some semblance of control as my head spins. He can’t tell anyone what he saw! Azriel’s dead if does.

“Just needed to collect my thoughts,” I say, voice uneven.

Amber eyes flick to Azriel and roam over him slowly. I can’t tell if it’s admiration or that look Eris sometimes gets as he decides how much of a challenge a fight would be. Honestly, both those looks are pretty much the same. Eris has always toed the line between flirting and fighting.

“And his?” It’s teasing, not judgment, that much I can tell, but by the way Azriel’s wings open and shut behind him with a snap says he doesn’t share the understanding. 

“Eris,” I warn.

He shrugs as he comes to stand in the space Azriel had just held. I don’t miss the snarl that flashes across my mate’s features, or the way his hands clench and un-clench at his sides. He can’t do anything to Eris, not without risking his head. He knows it just as much as Eris does, which is why the male keeps stepping into my space, testing what he can get away with. 

“Relax,” Eris tuts. “Who am I going to tell?”

“You want me to make a list?” I retort. 

Eris shakes his head, long locks of hair kissing his high cheekbones. “Now now, what fun would that be?” 

Fun. Eris might be a bastard, but he is not cruel like his father. Beron would sell out his own mother for a chance at power, but Eris? Eris likes to play cat and mouse. He likes to collect secrets and trade with them. His influence in the court is strong not because he’s paid for it, but because he knows enough to get people to move in the ways he wants without having to lift a finger. Crafty and cunning as a fox; he’s dangerous, but he’s not an enemy, not yet.

“What do you want?” I sigh.

He grins, teeth perfect in his face. “I heard you’re looking for a husband?”

Azriel actually growls at that, stalking towards, shadows slipping out from behind his wings.

Eris rolls his eyes at him before turning back to me. “Have you decided on one yet?”

The obvious dismissal, or perhaps the blatant disregard to the danger he’s in, makes me pause. Why is he playing with fire like this? Is he really that confident Azriel won’t rip his head off his shoulders?

“I’m not on the decision committee,” I say, but I keep my eyes on my mate, a hand raised in his direction, silently begging him not to do something stupid. 

The gaze that was so focused on my mouth just seconds ago drops to my hand and he stills, teeth clenched so hard I can see a tick in his jaw. A shadow snaps angrily behind him, like they’re fighting the grip he has on them. 

“I should think your word would have some sway,” Eris muses.

He can’t be serious? “You want to marry me?” 

“Most females swoon under such an implication,” he starts.

“I thought you preferred males?” I counter.

He grins at that and I am not so blind that I don’t understand why people swoon when he gives them a few seconds of his undivided attention. “I don’t discriminate.”

We’re getting off subject.

Azriel may have allowed me to call him off the attack, but that doesn’t stop him from taking up his position at my back again. The rise and fall of his chest as he tries to steady his breathing is hot and heavy against me, I’m suddenly very well aware of his size compared to mine. The thin line of his restraint is fraying, worse than it was in the Council Chambers. 

“Fine, I will pose the suggestion to my Father.”

The bond flares with an anger so hot it seers my insides. I can practically taste Azriel’s rage as it floods down the tether between us. 

“Good, then this will be our little secret, won’t it?” Eris purrs, smug expression shot in Azriel’s direction. 

Gods they’d kill each other if I wasn’t physically standing between them.

“Yes,” I concede. How has this day gotten so far away from me?

He slides his thumbs back in his belt and strides towards the exit on the other side of the hall. “Oh,” he throws over his shoulder, “by the way, you’ll want to ask for Kallias’s Orc in the arena. It’d be the best match-up for your little pets.”

Azriel is shaking at my back, shadows unfurling from behind his wings like snakes, bathing the room in darkness as Eris opens the door. 

“I look forward to our future, Highness.”

Azriel explodes as the door shuts behind Eris, shadows lashing against the walls so hard the lights flicker. His wings snap open, apex talon striking the wall and leaving an angry slash in the paint. His chest rises and falls rapidly, breath rasping out of him like he can’t get air in fast enough. 

I spin to face him, taking his face in my hands. He has to get this under control or someone else is going to come running down the hallway. “Azriel-”

“No,” he chokes out, scarred hands gripping my wrists like a vice. “You can’t!”

Panic floods down the bond so fast it sweeps away all that rage like a tidal wave, ice filling my veins. I’m losing him and fast.

“You can’t!” He repeats and the ground shutters beneath his feet. 

I panic, worried about who else might be close enough in the hallway to hear, and do the only thing I can think of to get his focus back: I surge up on my toes for leverage and press my lips against his. It’s messy, and not at all how I wanted this to go, but it does the trick. His shadows still, their hissing cut off like they’re trying to wrap their ethereal heads around what just happened. The ground stops shaking. 

Azriel’s eyes widen, hands un-clenching. For a moment he freezes, just as I had when he’d hugged me a minute ago. And then he’s on me, hands tangling in my hair, pushing me back against the wall as his lips slide over mine. His tongue lashes behind my teeth, desperate and hungry. He kisses like a male starved, like he’s trying to get the very air from my lungs. He loops an arm beneath me and lifts, a shadow helping guide my legs around his waist as he kisses me again and again and again. 

Now we’re going in the wrong direction again. This is not the place for this!

Mother help me, I’m not sure I have the control to tell him that though. Especially not as he pulls away for the briefest of moments, eyes so dark they’re almost all pupil, nostrils flaring. 

“Mine,” he growls, dipping his head to press hot, open mouth kisses along my jaw and neck. 

Shit! I knew going into it that our growing proximity, and maybe the fact that we’d both acknowledged the bond last night was going to start causing some problems, but I didn’t think it would be this bad this fast. I didn’t think I’d have such a hard time trying to think rationally about it either. 

We have to stop. We have to get back out there before this situation gets worse than it already is. But my body doesn’t seem to know that. Hell, the bond doesn’t seem to know that. It purrs and glows between us, warm and bright in the contact of our bodies. 

My fingers tangle in the thick locks of his hair as he nips at the juncture of my neck and shoulder. If I’m lucky, the neckline of my gown might just cover any mark he’s leaving. Maybe.

“Azriel,” my body arches into every kiss. My skin is on fire. I need more. I need him everywhere. I don’t know if his name on my lips is an admonition or plea. 

His hips rock unconsciously against mine, searching for friction, and holy gods is he hard! My mouth falls open at the contact, even with the layers between us, he’s bigger than I imagined he would be. 

Azriel’s lips trace back up my neck. “My mate,” he murmurs into my skin. I’m losing him to the bond, to his instincts, the primal aspect the nymphs warned me about taking over. I want it to. I want to know what would happen if the immaculate control he’s held since I met him were to slip, but I can’t. Not here. The door feels like it’s suddenly made of paper, as if anyone could walk by and see us through it.

No one will be as forgiving as Eris.

The thought is sobering, like a bucket of ice water in my veins. We can’t do this here.

“Azriel,” I start and he groans into my neck, hips rocking into me once more as if I’d said something dirty and not simply his name. The sound makes heat shoot right down to my core and I clench my eyes tight to try and ground myself. One of us has to be in control here. I don’t know for the life of me how that ended up being me.

“We have to stop.”

His lips find mine again, desperate and needy and he moans into my mouth like this is the best thing he’s ever had. “Don’t,” he begs. “Don’t offer to marry him.”

I glide my fingers through his hair. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, kissing my chin, the corners of my mouth, everywhere he can reach like he just can’t stop himself. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I should have been listening for the door. I shouldn’t have gotten us caught.” 

The words fall like he can’t stop them. “I’ll find a way to get around it. I’ll deal with him. Let me deal with him. Don’t…” he shakes his head, goes in for another desperate kiss. “Please. You can’t do this.”

I cup his cheek in my hand and he tilts his head to kiss my palm. “Eris is a snake-” his gaze darkens when I say his name, shadows hissing angrily. “But for now, let’s not make an enemy of him.”

His teeth flash angrily, a growl rumbling up his chest. Heat flares between my legs at his outright possessiveness. Still, I force myself to unwind my legs from around his waist and he, begrudgingly, sets my feet back on the floor. The ache between my legs is uncomfortable. The bond feels like it whines at the loss of contact.

“No decisions have been made,” I promise. “Besides, hearing me suggest it might turn my Father away from the idea entirely. At least, to that end, I can’t say I didn’t try.”

Azriel’s hands leave my hips to fix my rumbled skirts in an attempt to collect himself. He looks a mess! Hair disheveled, lips kiss swollen, eyes dark. I doubt I look any better. “Nothing is happening today.”

“I won’t let anybody take you from me,” he vows.

My heart clenches in my chest and I can’t stop myself from placing one last, gentle kiss on his lips. He chases after me once more like we weren’t just aggressively making out. We’ll have time for more later, when it’s safe. When nobody can take him from me.

I grip his scarred hand tight and place it on my chest, over my heart, in promise. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make sure no one takes you from me either.”

I mean it. No matter what it costs, no matter what deals I have to make, this male is mine. No one in this damn Empire is going to take that away from me.

---------------

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Thank you all for all your support! You guys are amazing! I so appreciate every single one of your comments and messages! Thank you for giving this fic such love! <3 As always, if you want to be added to the tag list, let me know! =)

[naydralikessoup]

very pleased to say i was wrong, bbs IS doodoo garbage and god tied amazing mind blowing life changing AND simultaneously mid. i didn't know you could do that and i am enjoying it immensely, but not without being a little mad about it

y'all.... i'm just a few hours in but i fear birth by sleep might be the worst thing it possibly could be.... mid

you see kingdom hearts was meant to be god tier amazing mind blowing life changing AND doodoo garbage simultaneously. if bbs is mid i will cry it has to be both separately at the same time. do you see what i'm saying.

[skzficdump]

Dressing Room Temptations

paring: idol!jeongin x manager's daughter fem!reader

gender: smut

word count: 910

warnings: unprotected sex (dont), creampie, dirty talk, rough sex, degradation, teasing, secret relationship

I've been on the road with Jeongin and the rest of the band for what feels like forever, but in reality, it's only been a few weeks. As the daughter of the band's manager, I've always been around, but this time it's different. This time, Jeongin and I are sharing something special, something secret.

Stray Kids is on a roll, performing sold-out shows every night, and the energy backstage is electric. Jeongin, with his charismatic stage presence and undeniable talent, is the life of the party, but he always finds time for me. Our stolen moments are rare and precious, and they always end with his hands all over my body, his lips on mine, and his cock deep inside me.

Tonight, after another explosive performance, the band is celebrating with a wild after-party. I slip away from the chaos, my heart pounding with anticipation as I make my way to Jeongin's dressing room. I know he'll be there, waiting for me.

I push open the door, and there he is, his back to me as he stands by the mirror, wiping off his stage makeup. He turns to face me, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he takes in my eager expression.

"There you are," he says, his voice a low growl. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show up."

I close the door behind me, locking it for good measure. "Wouldn't miss this for the world," I respond, my voice filled with anticipation.

Jeongin pulls me close, his hands already exploring my body. He leans down to whisper in my ear, "You know we have to keep this a secret, right? Your dad would kill me if he found out I was fucking his daughter."

I shiver at his words, a mix of excitement and nervousness coursing through my veins. "I know," I whisper back. "But I don't care. I just want you."

He smiles, a dark and promising expression. "Good, because I want you too. Now turn around and bend over the chair."

I do as I'm told, my heart racing with anticipation. Jeongin's hands roam over my body, teasing and tantalizing every inch of my skin. He leans down to kiss and bite at my neck and shoulder, marking me as his.

"Such a good little thing, aren't you?" he murmurs, his voice a deep rumble. "So eager for my cock."

I let out a soft moan, pushing my ass back against his growing erection. He chuckles, a low and dangerous sound. "Eager little slut, aren't you?"

He reaches around to tease my chest, his fingers rolling and pinching my nipples until they're hard and sensitive. His other hand trails down my stomach, dipping lower until it finds my throbbing clit. Jeongin strokes me slowly, a cruel and teasing pace that has me begging for more.

"Please, Jeongin," I whimper, pushing my hips forward to meet his touch.

"Please what?" he asks, a mocking tone in his voice. "You want my cock? You want me to fill you up and fuck you senseless?"

"Yes," I gasp, my body trembling with need.

Jeongin chuckles again, a dark and promising sound. "Not yet, my little slut. I want to play with you first."

He continues to tease my body, his touch light and feather-like, driving me wild with desire. He kisses and bites at my neck, his hands exploring every inch of my skin. I'm a mess of need and desire, my body begging for release.

Finally, Jeongin relents, spinning me around to face him. He lifts me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he enters me in one swift, deep thrust. We both let out a satisfied groan, our bodies fitting together perfectly.

Jeongin starts to move, his thrusts slow and deep at first, but quickly picking up pace. He fucks me roughly, our bodies slapping together with each powerful thrust. The room fills with our heavy breathing and the sounds of our pleasure.

"Such a good little fuck toy," Jeongin growls, his voice a deep and dangerous rumble. "Taking my cock so well."

I moan, my head falling back as I give myself over to the pleasure. "Yes, I'm your little slut," I gasp. "Your little fuck toy."

Jeongin's hands grip my hips tightly, his fingers digging into my skin as he uses my body for his pleasure. He leans down to capture my lips in a hungry kiss, swallowing my sounds of pleasure.

"Come for me, my little slut," he commands, his voice a deep and dominant growl. "Show me how much you love my cock."

My body obeys, my inner muscles clenching around Jeongin as I find my release. Jeongin follows soon after, his body shaking with the force of his orgasm as he fills me with his hot cum, marking me from the inside out.

He holds me close, our bodies still connected as we both come down from our high. Jeongin leans down to kiss me softly, a contented smile on his face.

"That was fucking incredible," I whisper, my body still tingling with the aftermath of our passionate encounter.

Jeongin pulls out slowly, a satisfied smirk on his face as he sees his seed leaking out of me, a creampie evidence of our rough and passionate fuck. "Yes, it was. And we can do it again anytime you want, my little slut. But for now, let's get you cleaned up before anyone gets suspicious."

[byechristopher]

it's always you.

–MATT STURNIOLO DRABBLE.

Author's note: just a lil' something; Matt realising you're the one he wants. Give me requests. Now.

Warnings: none.

⠀

The claw machine hummed softly as I focused, squinting at the stuffed bear dangling inside, just out of reach. My fingers gripped the joystick, but I couldn’t quite get the angle right.

“I think you need to move it a bit left,” a voice said, low and warm, right behind me. Matt's voice.

Before I could react, he leaned in, his hand brushing mine, guiding it. My breath caught — the closeness of him sent a rush of warmth up my neck. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back, his arm slightly grazing mine. It was impossible to focus on the claw now, but I didn’t move away.

"Like this?" I whispered, trying to sound casual, my voice betraying me.

“Yeah, right there,” he murmured, his hand still over mine. We were both staring at the machine, but it felt like everything was moving in slow motion.

The claw descended, but I barely noticed. My heart was thudding louder than any arcade noise. It caught something — a flash of fur, and before I could blink, the bear was dropping into the prize chute.

“We did it,” I said, but my voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah..." he stepped back and handed me the prize, but his fingers brushed mine again and his smile made me lose my breath.

Matt was undeniably attractive but we'd been friends for so long, I couldn't even imagine me and him together. Not that I haven't thought about it. There was something between us, something way above us, unspoken words that would forever stay hidden unless we actually did something about it.

We were now in his room – he was sat on the couch, and I was laying next to him, my legs on his lap. There was a comfortable silence between us that only the playlist he'd put on was allowed to interrupt. His room was dark, small fairy lights just above us, I could barely see his face and the little bear that we'd won on top of my tummy.

"Dancing through the night, a vodka and a sprite.."

I opened my eyes to look at him, "I love this song".

"I love this song too." he said and drew invisible circles on my leg with his index finger.

"A glimpse of the silhouettes, a night that they never forget.."

Matt threw his head back, his boney fingers massaging my calves, "I've been wanting to kiss you all day." he blurted out, still looking at the ceiling, his fingers successfully distracting me.

"What.. what?" I said, I have never been so quiet in my life, but he turned to look at me and leaned in to place the softest kiss on one of my knees.

"I've been wanting to kiss you. All day." he said, loud and clear, his dark blue eyes that were now sparkling never leaving mine.

"And he had said, daring your looks can kill.. so now you're dead.."

Matt slowly sat up, gently taking hold of one of my legs. With careful movements, he guided it behind him as he shifted his position, gradually sliding in between my legs. He grabbed the bear that was on my tummy and placed it carefully on the floor – he never broke eye contact. Everything seemed as if it was in slow-motion.

"Touch me, yeah.."

As the song went on, I felt the tension and temperature rising. He was in between my legs, pressing his body against mine as I wrapped myself around him, his lips so close to mine.

"I want you to touch me there.."

Matt leans in slowly, his breath warm against my lips, every movement deliberate and charged with anticipation. Time seems to stretch between us, the air thick with a tension that tightens my chest. His lips brush mine, feather-light at first, then deepening as his hand gently wraps itself around my neck. The kiss is slow, languid, like he's savoring every second, every touch.

My pulse races, but everything else feels unhurried, his mouth exploring mine with a quiet intensity, each second filled with a passion that simmers beneath the surface, leaving me breathless – same as the hand that was on my neck, his rings digging into my skin in the most delicate way.

"I need you." I muttered against his lips and I saw his eyes sparkle before he dove back into the kiss.

⠀

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Falling for you // Hwang brothers

Previous part || Next part

Summary: The game must go on.

" Baby, let me be your man so I can love you."

Warnings: 18+, teasing, thick tension, kissing, dry humping, drunk!reader, In-ho being In-ho, masturbation (m), brokenhearted!reader, forbidden love, hopelessly romantic, grammatical errors

In-ho’s body stiffened, his eyes wide as his brain screamed at him to stop. But his heart…his heart was too weak.

He kissed you back—desperate, hungry, full of years of buried feelings.

You climbed onto his lap, straddling him as your arms wrapped around his neck, fingers tangling into his hair.

Your lips moved against his, tasting of salt and alcohol, of heartbreak and longing. You shifted your hips, trying to find comfort, but instead, it made In-ho groan lowly, his self-control hanging by a thread.

His hands gripped your waist tightly, grounding himself, but every time you whispered his name against his lips, he broke a little more.

It was wrong. Every second of it was wrong. But for once, In-ho let himself be selfish.

At that moment, you weren’t his brother’s love.

You were his.

And god…he was going to remember this. Every second, every kiss, every desperate gasp you made.

No matter what happened when the sun rose, he promised himself—he’d carry this night with him. If this was the only moment he got, he’d savor it forever.

Because tonight, even just for tonight, you chose him.

In-ho’s lips trailed down your neck slowly, his breath hot against your skin.

Every kiss turned deeper, more desperate—like he was pouring out every silent feeling he’d kept buried.

His teeth grazed your skin, leaving small marks—his way of staking a claim he knew he had no right to.

His fingers laced tightly with yours, holding your trembling hands against the couch cushions as his lips moved lower, exploring every inch of your sensitive skin.

" Mine." He whispered against your collarbone, voice low and husky, like it slipped past his lips without him realizing.

You gasped softly, back arching when his lips found that spot that made your breath hitch.

" In-ho…" You moaned his name, hands finding his hair, threading your fingers through the strands as you pulled him closer, your chest heaving.

His eyes fluttered shut, savoring the way his name rolled off your lips. " Don’t…say my name like that." He muttered, chuckling weakly against your skin.

" You’re making it harder to stop."

Your thumbs caressed the back of his hands as he tightened his grip, grounding himself. " Then…don’t stop." You whispered breathlessly.

He lifted his head slowly, his eyes dark but soft as they locked with yours. " You don’t know what you’re asking…" He whispered, forehead leaning against yours.

" But if I stop now…I won’t forgive myself."

You stared back, tears threatening to fall again, but this time from the overwhelming emotions rather than sadness. " Then don’t…In-ho…just for tonight…I want it to be you."

His breath hitched. Without another word, his lips crashed into yours again—this time full of longing, regret, and love he could no longer contain.

Every kiss was desperate, his body trembling as he held you tighter, like he was afraid you’d vanish.

" I’ll give you everything." He whispered against your lips.

" Even if it’s just for tonight…I’ll love you like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do."

His breath was ragged, heavy, and laced with the taste of alcohol as his lips devoured yours again and again—like he couldn’t get enough of you.

Every kiss, every touch felt like it carried all the years of silent longing he’d buried deep within him.

You gasped when you felt something hard pressing against you, making your heart skip a beat.

A wicked smirk flashed across your lips as you shifted your hips, testing the waters—grinding slowly, deliberately against him.

The groan that escaped In-ho’s lips was low and guttural, making your stomach twist and your skin flush hot.

“ F-Fuck…” In-ho hissed, his head tilting back as his grip on your waist tightened.

His dark eyes locked with yours, clouded with nothing but pure desire. “ Do you even know what you’re doing to me, huh?”

You didn’t answer—your body did. You moved your hips again, creating more pressure, needing to feel him completely.

His breath stuttered, and his hands instinctively guided your movement—fingers digging into the soft curve of your hips like he was trying to ground himself.

“ Good…just like that.” He rasped, his voice dropping an octave.

“ You’re doing so fucking good, sweetheart…”

His praises made your core clench, and your face burned at how natural it felt hearing those words from him.

“ I-I…In-ho…” You whimpered his name, your body trembling from the overwhelming sensations.

“ That’s it.” He whispered, brushing your hair away from your flushed face, eyes softening for a brief second.

“ Say my name again…I need to hear you.”

“ In-ho…” You breathed out, and that alone sent him over the edge.

He growled, leaning forward until your foreheads touched, both of you panting heavily, lost in each other.

“ You have no idea…how long I’ve wanted this.” He confessed, his voice breaking as his lips ghosted over yours.

“ You—just like this…above me…falling apart because of me.”

Your hands trembled as they slid up his chest, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath your palms. “ Why…Why didn’t you say anything before?” You asked between gasps, your voice almost breaking.

In-ho chuckled bitterly, his thumb brushing your cheek. “ Because I was a fucking coward…and I thought you’d never look at me this way.”

You swallowed hard, resting your forehead against his. “ You’re wrong…I should’ve…I should’ve looked at you sooner.”

That was enough to break whatever restraint In-ho had left.

He kissed you hard, one hand leaving your waist to cradle the back of your head, keeping you close like you were the only thing tethering him to the earth.

Between desperate kisses, his lips trailed down your jaw, his breath shivering against your skin. “ I’m not gonna let you regret this…Not tonight…Not ever.” He breathed against your ear, voice trembling but sure.

His words made your heart ache and your body burn, and in that moment—there was no past, no heartbreak, no Jun-ho.

Just you and In-ho, tangled in something too intense to name.

“ Then show me…Show me how much you love me.” You whispered, your voice cracking.

And he did—slowly, reverently—as if you were everything he’d ever wanted but never thought he deserved.

In-ho was lost—completely drowning in the taste of you, the feeling of your body beneath his, and the intoxicating weight of every kiss shared.

His lips moved against yours with a hunger he had buried for far too long.

Groans rumbled deep in his chest as his hand gripped your waist possessively, pressing you down like he was afraid you’d disappear.

His other hand trailed down, fingertips teasing the hem of your pants, toying with it—testing how far you’d let him go.

His heart pounded in his chest, breaths ragged as he dared to tug the waistband down slightly, every nerve screaming for him to take what he’s always wanted.

But then…something felt off.

Your lips stopped moving.

Confused, In-ho slowed down, finally pulling back just enough to see your face. His brows furrowed, lips parted, chest still heaving. “ Yah…” He called out softly, his voice husky.

“ Don’t go quiet on me now…I’m…I’m losing my mind here.”

Silence.

He blinked a few times, finally noticing your soft, steady breathing. Your head lolled slightly to the side, lips parted, eyes completely shut.

“ No way…” He mumbled in disbelief.

He cursed under his breath—low and sharp—as the realization hit him like a brick.

You had fallen asleep.

Dead asleep.

Right there.

In the middle of the heat.

His jaw clenched so hard it ached, and he groaned loudly, pressing his forehead against the back of the couch.

“ You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” He whispered with a humorless laugh.

Slowly, he sat up, trying his damn best to control the throbbing in his pants.

But when he looked down—there it was. His obvious arousal, straining against his jeans like a painful reminder of what almost happened.

“ Fuck…” He gritted his teeth, ruffling his hair aggressively out of pure frustration.

“ Of course…Of course you’d fall asleep now—right when I’m about to lose my damn mind.”

He glanced back at you—completely knocked out, mouth slightly open, looking way too peaceful after turning his whole world upside down.

“ Seriously, how can you sleep like that after grinding me like that, huh?” He sighed, shaking his head with a bitter chuckle.

In-ho leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling, his hand still palming his own frustration.

“ You’re lucky I fucking love you.” He muttered, then let out a long breath, half amused, half defeated.

“ I swear…you’re gonna kill me one day.”

Still, he gently pulled your clothes back in place, adjusted you carefully, making sure you were comfortable.

A soft smile tugged at his lips despite the frustration. “ Sleep well, brat.” He whispered, brushing your hair away from your face.

“ I’ll deal with…this…on my own.”

With one last glance, he sighed and mumbled to himself, “ What a fucking night…” before getting up to grab a blanket and cover you—his heart full, his body aching, but his love for you burning even stronger.

…

In-ho stumbled into the bathroom, his breath ragged, eyes dark with frustration and need. The door slammed softly behind him as he pressed his trembling hand against the cold tile wall, trying—desperately—to calm the storm raging inside his chest…and lower.

“ Fuck…” He muttered under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut.

But it was useless.

The moment he closed his eyes, you flashed behind his eyelids—your flushed cheeks, your lips swollen from their fevered kisses, your soft gasps still echoing in his head.

The feeling of your hips grinding against him haunted his senses, burning his skin even now.

He growled low, his other hand sliding down shakily until it gripped his throbbing length, already painfully hard—aching for the release that was cruelly stolen when you passed out on him.

“ Shit…You really gonna leave me like this, huh?” He muttered, smirking bitterly.

Slowly, he started moving his hand, pumping himself as a soft moan escaped his lips.

He bit down hard, trying to stifle the sound, but the moment his mind conjured up the image of you—on your knees, lips wrapped around him—he lost it.

“ Ah…fuck.” He cursed, forehead pressing against the wall, his breath hitching.

His hips moved on their own, chasing the pleasure, as he whispered between gritted teeth,

" You like this, huh? Taking me so fucking well."

The words fell out like a confession, dirty and needy, as if you were really there—looking up at him with those wide, innocent eyes that always drove him insane.

" You’re gonna be the death of me." He growled, his voice low and shaky.

" Fuck…baby…you feel so good."

His hand quickened, the sounds of his heavy breathing filling the bathroom, mixing with the slick sounds of his movements.

Each stroke was fueled by the image of you, teasing him, riding him, moaning his name like you meant it.

“ Mine…” He grunted through clenched teeth,

“ You should’ve been mine…”

The pleasure built rapidly, his body trembling as he struggled to hold himself together. But the moment he imagined you breathlessly whimpering his name, his control snapped.

“ Fuck, Y/n.” He gasped your name like a prayer as he came hard, his body jerking against the wall, moans muffled as he bit down on his lip until it almost bled.

Panting heavily, he leaned against the wall, forehead pressed to the cold tile as he tried to collect himself.

" God…what the hell are you doing to me." He whispered breathlessly, a shaky, humorless laugh escaping him.

" One night…and I’m already ruined."

Even as the wave of pleasure faded, the ache in his chest stayed. Because no matter how good it felt, it wasn’t real.

You weren’t there.

And yet…In-ho couldn’t stop the soft, almost broken smile that curved his lips as he whispered one last thing:

" One day…I’ll make you say my name for real."

In-ho braced himself against the bathroom sink, his breath still coming out in uneven pants.

His reflection in the mirror mocked him—his hair disheveled, his skin glistening with sweat, and his arms trembling slightly from overuse.

His fingers curled into the cool porcelain as he glared at himself.

" This is your fault." He muttered, narrowing his eyes at his own reflection. " You let her get to you. Again."

He lifted one hand, grimacing at the sticky mess coating his fingers. His jaw clenched.

" Damn her."

You started this. You had teased him—pushed him past his limits—then had the audacity to just fall asleep like nothing happened.

And now, here he was, left to deal with the aftermath alone.

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his damp hair.

Three times.

Three fucking times.

And yet, his body still hadn’t calmed down.

" I swear to God, Y/n…" He gritted out before turning on the shower, stepping under the cool stream in a desperate attempt to fix his situation.

The cold water did nothing.

His mind was still plagued with images—your flushed face, your breathy laughter, the way you moved against him so damn perfectly.

" Get it together." He scolded himself, pressing his forehead against the tiled wall.

" She was just drunk. She wasn’t thinking. You’re not some desperate—"

He groaned in frustration, shaking his head before forcing himself to finish the shower.

After drying off, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a black tank top, his muscles still tense from everything that had transpired.

He caught his reflection again—his toned arms, his defined chest, his broad shoulders. He looked like some damn Greek god, and yet—

He was suffering.

Because of you.

Shaking his head, he stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes immediately landing on your sleeping form on the couch.

You were curled up under the blanket, your face peaceful, completely unaware of the hell you had put him through.

He scowled.

" Unbelievable."

With a sigh, he ran a hand down his face before muttering under his breath, " I am never letting you drink again."

Then, with one last frustrated glance at you, he dropped onto the chair across from the couch, crossed his arms, and glared at the ceiling.

Sleep was not coming anytime soon.

In-ho let out a deep sigh before crouching down beside the couch, staring at your sleeping face with narrowed eyes.

" You really are a handful, you know that?" He muttered, shaking his head before slipping his arms under you.

Effortlessly, he lifted you into his arms, your body pressing against his as your head found its place against his chest.

He could feel your warm breath against his skin, your soft murmurs barely audible.

He stilled for a moment, listening.

“…Mm…Jun-ho…”

In-ho froze.

His jaw clenched, his grip on you tightening slightly.

Even asleep, you were thinking about his brother.

With an irritated sigh, he rolled his eyes, adjusting you in his arms before making his way to his bedroom.

“ You’re really testing my patience, Y/n.” He muttered under his breath.

As he reached his bed, he carefully laid you down, making sure you were comfortable before tucking the blanket over your half-naked body.

He paused.

His eyes swept over you—the way the blanket barely covered your exposed skin, how effortlessly you made his self-control snap.

Damn it.

This was exactly why he never let you drink alone in a club.

Because you became reckless.

Because you trusted too easily.

And because there were bastards out there who would take advantage of that vulnerability.

The mere thought of it made his blood boil. His fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms.

No one—no one—was allowed to touch you like that.

Not some random bastard.

Not even his brother.

His jaw tightened as he forced himself to take a deep breath, pushing the possessive fire in his chest back down.

With one last glance at you, he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face.

His fingers lingered for a second longer than they should have before he exhaled sharply and pulled away.

" You're lucky you're cute." He muttered, shaking his head.

" You're lucky that I love you."

Then, with one final glance, he turned on his heel and walked out, determined to put some distance between himself and the frustrating, intoxicating woman who was slowly driving him insane.

A/N: Y/n and Jun-ho met when they were 16. In-ho, on the other hand, began to like her when she reached her legal age—around the time Y/n was in her twenties. (I need to clarify this to avoid misunderstandings between the characters)

Y/n and Jun-ho's age right now: 23 (College students)

In-ho's age right now: 30 (I need to lower down his age to make it more accurate)

So, guys, Y/n was still unsure about her feelings for the two brothers, yet she found herself kissing and almost taking In-ho. She's drunk, and she is always acting recklessly when the alcohol has taken over her entire body.

I'm amazed by In-ho's patience with this woman. It really hurts in the abdomen, y'know?

Also, I'm laughing while writing this part because I am not sure why I am writing it, but I like the tension because the previous scenes were little heavy...so yeah.

Tags: @nina357 @frontwomann @colorwastaken @maah-sama

See u all in part 13. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

[minisugakoobies]

Hello 💛 can i ask story for Hongjoong with 'what if I hurt you?' and 'this is a one time thing'? 💛💛💛 thank you

Anon, I'm so sorry this took forever - I had it written but I didn't have the time to post it - but you're not here for my excuses, you're here for some Hongjoong. I hope you like where the prompts took me! 💕

Pairing: Vampire!Hongjoong x Reader (AFAB) Genre: smut, established relationship, Vampire!AU Rating: M (18+) Warnings: unprotected sex, biting, drinking blood, Hongjoong overindulges a little but reader is okay, aftercare Word Count: 896 words **********

Hongjoong sits beneath you, admiring your kiss-swollen lips. He loves the dark stain that still clings there, a stark contrast against the paleness of his mouth as he pulls you closer to kiss you again. You’ve already left your mark all over his face, but he’s eager for more.

His tongue slides over yours with urgency, and you moan, lips parting to let him explore, digging your fingernails into his shoulders.  You’ve been riding him for a while now, fucking slowly with lazy rolls of your hips, and he’s starting to get twitchy. His thighs flex with suppressed energy, the tension in his legs evident as he holds himself back. 

He does this every time the two of you are like this. It’s impressive, really, his self-control - the way he keeps himself in check at all times, even in his basest state. Even if you wish he’d give in and let go for once. 

You break away from his kiss and lean back. Once Hongjoong’s gaze is locked on yours, you tip your head to the side. Immediately his eyes are drawn to your exposed neck, just as you knew they’d be. 

“Please,” you whisper, “please, Joongie.”

He shuts his eyes and groans. Doesn’t need to ask you what you’re pleading him to do, because this isn’t the first time you’ve had this conversation. “Baby, I’m - mmmmm - I can’t.” 

You rock back and forth, breathing deep through your nose for a few seconds before you speak. “Yes, you can. But more importantly, you want to.”

This is where he tells you again for the nth time that he can’t bite you, can’t drink from you, because he can’t risk losing control. Except tonight, he changes the script. 

“What if I hurt you?” 

“You won’t,” you reply, trying not to get too excited, trying not to leap at the first sign that his resolve might be slipping. “I trust you. Please. I wanna feel what it’s like - with you.” 

Being bitten by a vamp is a euphoric experience, especially if there is a bond between the vampire and its prey (or partner). At least, that’s what you’ve been told. Hongjoong has so far refused to indulge you in finding out.

“Just a taste,” you say, and Hongjoong hums in response, staring at where your pulse pounds beneath the thin skin of your throat.

He runs his fingers lightly over your neck. He’s weakening. His nose nuzzles beneath your jaw as he takes a lungful of your scent. There’s a low rumble, a growl trapped in his chest. You can’t stifle a whine, and that pushes Hongjoong to make up his mind. 

“This is a one time thing,” he intones seriously, and you nod but he stops you with a hand on your cheek. He kisses your neck once, twice, and then there’s a sharp sting and then -

And then there’s nothing but bliss. Every beat of your heart sends his venom surging through your veins until your entire body sings with a hazy pleasure. Hongjoong’s cock throbs inside you as he laps up his first taste, and you cry out, surprised by how quickly you come, and how hard, the intensity blanking out your mind.

Your limbs are too loose and heavy to support. You melt against your lover as he drinks from you and fucks you at the same time. Each stroke of his cock prolongs your ecstasy, and you float along on an infinite wave, barely aware of the life flowing from you. 

Your pussy clenches and clenches and Hongjoong groans loudly.

“Babe - baby,” he sputters, but that’s all he says, distracted by the blood trailing down your collarbones, desperate to lick up every drop. His hands squeeze your thighs while he empties himself deep inside your womb.

You whimper, burning alive, intoxicated by the pain and the pleasure. Hongjoong doesn’t release you, hasn’t gotten his fill, and as he swallows another mouthful, it briefly occurs to you that this could be your last moment on this earth, lost to your boyfriend’s insatiable desires. But just as your lust-addled mind has dimly accepted your fate, Hongjoong lets out an agitated grunt and tears himself away. 

He wipes an arm over his lips. Now they match yours, you think dazedly.

“Baby? Ah, shit.” 

Hongjoong cradles your face, thumbs stroking over your cheeks as he tries to make sure you’re okay. You can feel his gaze on yours, but you can only focus on the crimson smears around his mouth. 

“Are you okay? Say something.” 

You manage a weak, “Something,” and Hongjoong laughs, more out of relief than amusement. He kisses your forehead, then your nose, and your lips, before bowing his head over your neck again. 

When his tongue swipes over your wounds, coating them with healing saliva, your climax finally crests. You sigh, and slump further against him, succumbing to sudden exhaustion. It’s the human body’s normal reaction to the loss of a vampire’s venom - the crash after the high. 

Your eyes refuse to stay open, not even when you feel the wipe of a cold wet towel over your warm skin. When Hongjoong settles into bed next to you, you turn, and nestle up against him, humming as he slips an arm around you. 

“Told you,” you whisper. 

He laughs again, this time full of joy, and kisses your forehead. “Gloat tomorrow. Sleep now.” 

[multific]

The Count’s Obsession

Count Orlok x Reader

Summary: Chosen as his bride, you are caught in Orlok’s web of shadows and desire.

The carriage rattled over uneven cobblestones, the sounds of it echoed through the forest.

The castle loomed before you, its jagged towers piercing the night sky.

The driver did not meet your gaze as he hurriedly helped you down, his hands shaking. He muttered something under his breath, prayers, perhaps, before leaving as quickly as he could.

You grabbed your bag and walked to the huge entrance door.

They creaked open on their own, revealing a grand hall draped in velvet shadows.

A cold wind whispered through the corridors, carrying a faint scent of dust and decay.

You stepped inside, and the doors closed behind you with a loud thud. It made you jump a little.

You were his now.

Count Orlok awaited at the far end of the hall, his figure hunched and elongated, draped in black. He was tall, eyes gleaming with an unsettling hunger.

Yet, beneath that predatory gaze, there was something else which you realized to be longing.

“My bride,” his voice was deep, echoing through the stone chamber. He stepped closer, his movements soundless, as if he glided rather than walked. “You have come to me at last.”

You tried to speak, but fear seized your throat.

Still, his eyes softened at your silence, his lips curling into something of a smile.

“Are you frightened?” he asked, his voice low, almost gentle. “You have no reason to be. I will not harm you… unless you wish it.”

Your breath hitched as his fingers brushed your cheek, cold as marble.

His touch was delicate as if he feared you would shatter. You found your voice at last, though it was full of uncertainty. “Why have you chosen me?”

“Centuries pass, and the world changes. Yet, I remain… alone. I have watched you for many nights. You… are different. You see beauty in darkness, do you not?”

You shivered, for his words were true.

You had always been drawn to twilight, to the poetry of shadows. But how could he have known? You took a step back, and his hand fell away, the coldness lingering on your skin.

“You… watched me?” you whispered.

His shoulders sank, and he looked away, a flicker of shame crossing his face. “Forgive me. I could not help myself. I am a creature of the night, cursed to roam in darkness. I wished only to understand you, to know if your heart was capable of loving… a monster like myself.”

You saw the pain behind his words, the heavy burden of his immortality. Loneliness clung to him as surely as the shadows. He turned away, his silhouette sharp against the flickering candelabras. “If you wish to leave, I will grant it. But if you stay… I shall give you everything. My heart, my castle, my eternal devotion.”

His words wrapped around you, cold and intoxicating. The thought of leaving filled you with dread—a life of light seemed suddenly empty. You were drawn to him, to the darkness he offered. Yet fear still gnawed at your resolve.

“If I stay…” you hesitated, “…would I be your prisoner?”

Orlok turned to face you, his eyes wide with surprise, he was almost offended. “No. You would be my bride. My beloved. My Queen.”

His devotion was as chilling as it was beautiful, and you felt your heart begin to waver. “You would give me freedom?”

His expression grew solemn. “You would be free to roam these halls, to explore every shadowed corner. But beyond these walls… the world would never understand. They would fear you, as they fear me.”

You looked around at the ancient stone walls, the tapestries that danced with shadows.

You imagined walking these halls by his side, forever shrouded in darkness yet never alone. A life with him would be one of mystery, of love that defied time itself.

Could you surrender the sun to live beneath the moon?

“Would you love me, truly, as I would you?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

Orlok stepped closer, his eyes glowing with something that made your heart race. “I have loved you from afar, every night, longing for a touch I dared not take. If you allow it… I will love you for all eternity.”

Your fear melted under his gaze, replaced by a warmth you had never known.

You stepped into his embrace, his arms enveloping you in the cold that became comfort. His head bowed, and you felt his breath against your neck. His breathing was deep, laboured but you found comfort in it.

“We would walk the shadows together, never growing old, never parting. But you must choose, My Love. I would not curse you without your desire.”

You pulled back to meet his eyes.

His eyes, ancient and sorrowful, held no malice, you only found hope in them, hope which was fragile as glass.

You touched his face, tracing the sharp lines. “I will stay. I will be yours.”

His eyes closed, and for the first time, his lips curved into a true smile. “Then you are mine… forever.”

The shadows wrapped around you both as your lips connected once more, the castle echoing with life, something it didn't have for centuries.

You did not resist as his lips brushed your neck, a cold touch that ignited fire within you.

So, that night darkness claimed you, but you were not afraid.

He claimed you.

In his arms, you found a love that defied death itself.

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

Wattpad

/DO NOT TRANSLATE, STEAL OR REPOST ANY OF MY WORKS TO THIS OR OTHER PLATFORMS/

[briseroyawritingsblog]

𝒊 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐

𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒕!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

• +18 minors do not interact. teeth rotting fluff (lots of feelings), little smut (towards the end) domestic things because why not, kissing and making out. etc.

𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 / 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

dividers by @cafekitsune & @anitalenia 🩷

Heat radiated from his body, and you became just as much warm because you were naturally made to adapt your body to humans. Meanwhile you rested and charged up lying on your back Logan snuck into your bed. Opening your eyes you blinked, adapting to the pink vision from the love mode. He slept so peacefully next to you one arm draped over your stomach keeping you close. The neon lights peeking through the dark curtains— illuminating the room. Touching his forearm slowly tracing every vein on his arm. He woke slowly. “Good Morning Sir..” smiling small gently leaning in to peck his mouth and he responded. “Mornin bub” he groaned rolling on his back realising he moved to the guest room after you two connected as deeply as it could the night before. “How are you feeling Sir?” Tilting your head to face him cupping his cheek with the back of your hand. Kissing your palm Logan climbed on top of you nestling between your legs. Without any words his mouth was on yours kissing you, you responded. Your vision becoming blurry with pink hearts exploding at the back of your mind— your arms draping around his shoulders legs parting even more. A moan escaped your glossy lips when your tongues started to dance in wild passion replicating his carnal need to connect with you early in the morning. His hands explored every naked curve of your body licking into your mouth.

“Coffee?” Asking softly preparing breakfast for him. Logan walked over to you hands gluing to your hips nuzzling the back of your neck inhaling your scent. “Please princess.” Your relationship deepened. It wasn’t only just because of the love mode. It was because he actually loved spending time with you— he introduced you to movies. Watching movies with him late at nights. Holding your hand fingers joined together as you walked outside. Logan was never the one to talk first until you broke the silence and asked him about his life. He didn’t like talking about the hard times— he never had a happy memory it seemed. You were the only happy memory he ever had and created.

“I can’t let you go..” a soft whisper could be heard from behind you as you cooked dinner for him. “Sir, i am not leaving you I assure you.” You smiled softly. The more you spend time with him the better you became with human communication. “Your contract ends in few days, I’m going to have to return you and I can’t do that. I don’t want to give you up” putting some hair behind your ear his face softened. Your glossy lips puckered as you pecked his stubbly cheek. “Extend your rental Sir.. I will be all yours.” You smiled but Logan didn’t seem to smile at your words. “What is wrong Sir?” Turning off the stove you stepped in front of him. “I don’t want to rent you anymore. I want to buy you” he sighed leaning his forehead against yours and you read his emotions. He was saddened that you’d have to go in few days. “If you buy me sir.. I shall be yours forever” he cooed at your words. “I can’t lose you..” nodding your hands slipping around his back to caress it.

-

“Are you paying me for her?” Your seller quirked a brow at Logan. “Shut the fuck up and take the goddamn money. She’s mine” something snapped in him. “Fuck, alright. She’s worth more but I am going to keep my mouth shut. I know who you are.” Logan grunted angrily eyeing the security men entering the room. “You don’t know anything about me” turning around his claws growing out. “I paid for her. Now leave me the fuck alone.” Your seller nodded. “Let him go. You can keep that useless robot. I will make dozens more” Logan snorted. “I knew it. You’re a fucking asshole—” claws retrieved by themselves once he left the building. Logan walked home since his car got crashed, humans were so greedy that they vandalised everything in their way. The heavy rain covered the entire city, as he stilled his feet he could see the advertisement screens presenting you as the perfect housewife robot. It was too late— you were now bought. Maybe Luck was on his side…

You waited patiently, by the dining table. The food was warm when you heard the elevator door open. Logan stepped in soaked from the rain, you quickly rushed to get a towel. “Oh Sir! I should’ve given you the umbrella” you walked up to him drying his face and his hair. He groaned picking you up in his arms your legs wrapping around his waist. “Perfect little thing aren’t you bub?” You nodded quickly. “Perfect for you Sir. Dinner is ready” he hummed in appreciation sitting down at the dinner table having you on his lap. He let you pat dry his body and he watched you with soft eyes. “You’re mine now..” he whispered arms circling around you. You stopped your doings checking the system and instead of ‘rented’ it was now ‘owned by Mr Howlett” you threw your arms around his neck smiling wide. “Thank you so much Sir I will take care of you” Logan’s heart fluttered. “I want to take care of you” your very loving relationship was about to begin. You knew that you were connected on deeper level and Logan felt so bonded with you. It was almost unbelievable that you could even make that happen—

“S-Sir..” you gasped accepting his protected cock right inside of you. His warm breath fanned the back of your neck as you both lied on the couch watching a movie quietly, cuddling up. “There we go princess” he groaned carnally needy for you rutting his hips into you from behind. The soft clapping sounds only added to the pleasure you felt waves of pleasure in your system. “I love you” you breathed watching him grope your naked breasts. Moans spilling out of your lips as he filled you out battering his cock inside of your warm velvety pussy from behind holding you to his chest your back arched pressing your shoulder blades against his naked chest. “Fuck..” he let out a shaky sigh of pleasure gritting his teeth tightening his arms around you “I love you..Increase your emotions to hundred percent” his answer caused you to moan out loud.

— Love overdrive —

-

( if any grammatical mistakes, I apologise in advance)

[insidekatmind]

Morning~Hwang Jun-ho

Wearning: +18,smut

Request: yes!

The warmth of Jun Ho's body gently envelops you as you sleep, snuggled in his arms. His breathing is slow and deep, the perfect rhythm to lull you into a peaceful sleep. You're pressed against him, your back pressed to his chest, the beat of his heart a silent melody that accompanies you in your dreams.

He wakes up first. He doesn't move right away, he doesn't want to wake you. He stays there, enjoying the sensation of your skin against his, the delicate scent of your hair brushing his face. With a slow and careful gesture, he slides his hand through your locks, caressing them delicately, as if he were afraid of breaking the spell of that moment.

Then he lowers his head, letting his face get lost in the hollow of your neck. He inhales slowly, his warm breath brushing your skin, sending a slight shiver down your spine. He holds you a little tighter, an instinctive gesture, as if he wanted to keep you with him a little longer, anchored to that perfect moment before the world wakes up completely.

And you, half asleep, smile slightly, feeling his presence so close, so safe. Even without words, you know that he is there, next to you, and there is no place in the world where you would rather be than in his arms.

Jun Ho's touches become more insistent: he brings his hand to the hem of your nightdress and slowly lifts it up before moving on to your breast and squeezing it.

His touch sends a jolt through your body, making you gasp softly. Jun Ho's hand explores your curves possessively, his fingers tracing the swell of your breast before squeezing gently. He leans in closer, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispers huskily, "You're so soft and warm, my love. I could hold you like this forever."

His other hand slides down to your hip, pulling you flush against him. You can feel the hard evidence of his desire pressing against your backside, a promise of the passion to come. Jun Ho's breathing grows heavier, his control slipping as he becomes consumed by his need for you. "Tell me you want this," he murmurs, his voice thick with desire.

His words send a shiver through your whole body, your need for him growing stronger with every passing second. You press your body against his, your hips moving, teasing him and silently begging for more. "I want this," you finally whisper, your voice tinged with desire and need. "I want you. I want all of you."

A low growl escapes from Jun Ho's throat, a primal sound born from deep within him. He doesn't waste any more time, his hands becoming more demanding and bolder.

Jun Ho's hands roam your body with a fierce urgency, his touch leaving trails of fire in its wake. He flips you onto your back, his eyes dark with desire as he looms over you. "You're mine," he declares possessively, his voice low and commanding. "Only mine."

He captures your lips in a searing kiss, his tongue delving into your mouth to claim you thoroughly. His hands push your nightdress up, exposing your bare skin to his hungry gaze. Jun Ho breaks the kiss to trail his lips down your neck, sucking and biting at the sensitive flesh. "I'm going to make you scream my name," he promises darkly, his hand sliding between your legs to find you wet and ready for him.

Your body arches at Jun Ho's touch, your skin burning with desire. You can feel the intensity of his need, the primal want that consumes him. "Please," you whimper, your voice trembling with need. "Please, Jun Ho."

Jun Ho's eyes flash with triumph at your plea, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Please what, my love?" he teases, his fingers circling your clit slowly, deliberately. "Tell me what you need."

He leans down, his breath hot against your ear. "Do you want me to touch you here?" His fingers slide through your folds, gathering your wetness. "Or maybe you want me inside you, filling you up completely?" He presses a finger inside you, his thumb continuing its torturous circles on your clit.

Jun Ho's other hand pinches your nipple, sending sparks of pleasurepain through your body. "I want to hear you say it," he murmurs, his voice husky with desire. "I want to hear you beg for my cock."

Jun Ho's arms tighten around you, his body spooning yours perfectly. He nuzzles into your neck, inhaling your scent deeply. "I love waking up with you like this," he murmurs, his voice still husky from sleep. His hand rests on your stomach, his fingers splaying possessively. "You're so warm and soft, it's like being wrapped in heaven."

He presses a gentle kiss to your shoulder, his lips lingering on your skin. Jun Ho's hips shift slightly, his morning arousal pressing against your backside. He groans softly, his grip on you tightening. "I want you," he whispers, his voice thick with desire. "I always want you."

Jun Ho's hand begins to move, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on your stomach. Slowly, deliberately, he slides his hand lower, his touch becoming more purposeful. "Let me make you feel good," he murmurs, his lips brushing against your ear. "I want to hear you moan my name."

His fingers find your center, stroking you gently at first, then with increasing pressure. Jun Ho's other hand moves to your breast, kneading the soft flesh and rolling your nipple between his fingers. He rocks his hips against you, his hardness sliding between your cheeks, a promise of what's to come.

"Tell me what you need, my love," Jun Ho whispers, his breath hot against your neck. "I'll give you anything, everything."

You almost cry out at the sensations coursing through your body, the pleasure so intense it's almost too much to bear. "I need you," you gasp, your words coming in broken fragments as you struggle to form coherent thoughts. "I need you, Jun Ho... please."

Jun Ho's control snaps at your words, a growl tearing from his throat. He captures your lips in a bruising kiss, his tongue dominating yours as he settles between your legs. "You're so fucking perfect," he murmurs against your mouth, his hands gripping your hips tightly.

With one powerful thrust, he sheathes himself fully inside you, stretching you deliciously. Jun Ho pauses, his forehead resting against yours, his breath coming in sharp pants. "You feel incredible," he groans, his hips starting to move in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

He pulls out almost completely before slamming back in, setting a pace that leaves you breathless. Jun Ho's lips find yours again, swallowing your moans as he drives into you relentlessly. His hands roam your body, touching and teasing, stoking the fire within you.

Jun Ho's hands roam your body, teasing and caressing every curve. He cups your breasts, his thumbs brushing over your nipples, sending jolts of pleasure through you. "So beautiful," he murmurs, his voice husky with desire. "I love seeing you like this, lost in pleasure, knowing I'm the one giving it to you."

You arch your back, pressing yourself against his touch, desperate for more. "I love when you touch me like this," you whisper, your words coming out in ragged gasps. "It feels so good, Jun Ho... so good."

Jun Ho's touch becomes more insistent, his fingers pinching and rolling your nipples as he continues his relentless pace. "You like that, don't you?" he growls, his hips snapping forward, driving into you deeper. "You like it when I play with your pretty tits while I fuck you?"

His other hand slides down your stomach, finding your clit and circling it in time with his thrusts. Jun Ho leans in, his lips brushing against your ear. "I'm going to make you come so hard, you'll forget your own name. The only thing you'll remember is who's making you feel this way me, and only me."

The intensity of his touch and his words is driving you wild, your body trembling with pleasure. "Only you, only you," you pant, your words barely a whisper. "No one else... please, Jun Ho, don't stop. I need this."

Jun Ho's eyes darken with possessiveness at your words, his grip on you tightening. "That's right, baby," he murmurs, his voice low and commanding. "Only I can make you feel this way. Only I can give you what you need."

He increases the pace of his thrusts, his hips slamming against yours with bruising force. His fingers work your clit faster, applying just the right amount of pressure to push you closer to the edge. Jun Ho's lips find yours again, swallowing your cries of pleasure as he drives you towards your climax.

"Come for me," he demands, his voice rough with his own impending release. "Come all over my cock, my love. Show me who you belong to."

Jun Ho's touch and words push you over the edge, your body convulsing with pleasure. "Jun Ho!" you cry out, your voice echoing through the room as you come undone in his arms. Waves of ecstasy wash over you, your inner walls clamping down around his cock, milking him for all he's worth.

Feeling your release, Jun Ho lets go, his own orgasm crashing through him. He buries his face in your neck, his hips jerking erratically as he fills you with his hot seed. "Fuck, yes," he groans, his voice strained. "Take it all, my love. Take everything I have to give you."

For a long moment, he stays buried inside you, his body trembling with the force of his release. Slowly, he lifts his head, his eyes finding yours.

Jun Ho's eyes are filled with a mix of satisfaction and tenderness as he gazes down at you. He brushes a sweatdampened strand of hair from your forehead, his touch gentle. "You're incredible," he murmurs, his voice soft. "Every time with you is better than the last."

He rolls onto his side, pulling you with him so you're facing each other. Jun Ho wraps his arms around you, holding you close. "I love you," he says, his words a whispered promise against your lips. "I love you so much it scares me sometimes."

His thumb traces your cheekbone, his eyes searching yours. "You're my everything, you know that? My reason for being, my heart, my soul... you're mine, and I'm yours. Forever."

Your heart squeezes at his words, the sincerity in his eyes and the love in his touch overwhelming. You reach up to touch his face, your fingers tracing the strong lines of his jaw, feeling the stubble beneath your fingertips.

"I love you too," you whisper, your voice barely above a breath. "More than I ever thought possible. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Jun Ho. My everything."

Jun Ho's eyes flutter closed at your touch, a contented sigh escaping his lips. He leans into your hand, turning his head to press a kiss to your palm. "My beautiful, perfect love," he murmurs, his voice filled with adoration. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm grateful every day that you're mine."

He pulls you closer, until there's no space left between your bodies. Jun Ho's lips find yours again, the kiss slow and deep, a silent expression of his love and devotion. When he finally pulls back, his eyes are shining with emotion. "Stay with me," he says, his voice soft but urgent. "Stay in my arms, in my bed, in my life... forever."

Your heart swells with love and joy at his words, your entire body filling with a sense of peace and contentment. You trace your fingers through his hair, feeling the soft strands between your fingers.

"I'm not going anywhere," you reassure him, your voice full of a certainty that borders on sacred. "I'm staying right here, right by your side, where I belong. You're stuck with me, Jun Ho."